Steve Long

For general discussion, see "Restricted Invisible Power Effects" on 6E1 338. Beyond that, it's really an issue of Simulated Senses: which Sense Group would the relevant Detects likely be assigned to? You can then exempt them by reducing the cost of the Advantage (though I suspect in most cases, given the rarity of the Senses involved, the reduction would be 0).

1-2. There’s been some confusion on this issue over the years, a lot of it no doubt caused by li’l ol’ me, so I’m going to try to clarify things. 6E1 166 states, “Each BODY of Absorption purchased counts as 1 point of PD or ED.” Therefore the amount of BODY Absorbed doesn’t matter — as long as the character’s capable of Absorbing from an attack, he gets that full defense, regardless of what he rolls for Absorption. However, as stated in part on APG2 22, if he’s not capable of Absorbing (typically because he’s reached his maximum, but possibly for other reasons), then the defense no longer applies at all. I think that covers your first two points, but if I’ve overlooked something PM me and I’ll edit accordingly. 3. A character can only Absorb from attacks that hit or affect him — as stated on 6E1 166, if he Blocks or Dodges an attack, he can’t Absorb from it. A Defense Power UOO would still allow the attack to hit/affect him, so he could Absorb from it. If a Barrier blocks the attack entirely, no Absorption’s possible, but if any damage gets through he could Absorb that damage. 4. Uhhh... no idea. Who’s gonna play?

That's up to the GM. Given the precise alignment of the special effects (no doubt indicated by a Limitation on the Aid), I'd allow it, no question (absent some game balance consideration that's not apparent given the bare-bones nature of the question).

Sorry to have to tell you this, but you’re wrong and the rest of the party is correct. As it states on 6E2 39: In other words, if your character acts on his EGO 31, then he can only use his mental powers. (Using a mental power usually means attacking, and an Attack Action will end his Phase.) He can’t take any physical actions like moving, using Dodge, and so on. If you want to move before you use a mental power, you have to wait until DEX 30 or 10.

It can, but there may be special effects, common sense, and dramatic sense factors to consider. For example, if a character has an Aid defined as “enhancing the target’s vital energies temporarily,” I have a hard time seeing that have any effect on a Barrier made of any physical substance, and probably most forms of energy as well. As always, the final call is up to the GM.

In response to a FAQ question on a related point that someone asked a few years ago, I said: So, absent a GM's ruling, a character who wakes up from sleep has END equal to his current STUN total. To keep things simple, waking up is the same as taking a Recovery from STUN 0, so the just-awakened character's STUN and END will both equal his REC -- though no doubt those first few moments of sitting on the edge of the bed yawning are a special effect for taking more Recoveries. See APG2 112 for more rules regarding sleep and sleep deprivation.

Yes. Naked Advantages are considered separate powers. If you want one to cost 0 END, you have to buy Reduced Endurance for it separately. See 6E1 314.

To make sure I understand the situation and provide the proper answer, I'm going to restate the facts. If I get something wrong, please post a follow-up question or send me a private message. 1. Your character has the ability to create two Duplicates, so that three versions of him can exist at the same time. 2. Your character has the ability to Shape Shift, so that each Duplicate looks like someone different. 3. The base character and Duplicates have all the same powers, Skills, and abilities, except that one is Higher Nobility in Kingdom X, one in Kingdom Y, and one in Kingdom Z. In this case, you should buy the Altered Duplicates (+1/4) Advantage (6E1 203) for the Duplication power. That allows you to alter up to 25% of the Character Points on each Duplicate's character sheet. So then you just change what the Perk represents, and you're all set.

1-2. It doesn't cost 8 END, it has 8 Charges. On any character sheet published for 5E or 6E, and for that matter I think earlier, a plain number in the END column indicates an END cost, while a number in [brackets] indicates a number of Charges. 3. I'd say just add it to Uncontrolled for the sake of simplicity.

1A. As noted on 6E1 190, a character’s small carried objects (including his Foci) become Desolidified with him when he does. However, in this situation the character is always Desolidified, raising the practical question of how to give him an object (a communicator) that he can carry and use. This isn’t really a rules issue so much as it is a matter for the GM. I see several options: a. If the GM wants to be strict about the “practical” or “realistic” aspects of the characters’ powers, then maybe there is no way to give that character a communications device he can use. b. If the GM wants to charge the character a Character Point cost to let him pick up and carry small objects, apply Affects Physical World (+2) to, say, 5 STR and call it a day. c. If the GM doesn’t want to worry about such matters, he can just let the character have the communicator and not worry about the “practical” or “realistic” implications. 1B. A character’s worn and normally carried objects aren’t damaged by his Damage Shield (absent a Limitation to the contrary). So the answer to this probably depends on what the GM decides re: #1, above. 2. Desolidified characters can communicate with the physical world normally. They don’t need to put Affects Physical World (+2) on their voice, HRRP, or other means of communication.

1. 6E1 389 states, “A character cannot take multiple Required Rolls on the same ability unless the GM permits him to.” If the GM decides to permit this, it’s up to him to decide how the Active Point penalty applies. Personally I’d have it apply in full to both rolls, but people have been known to question my wisdom and insight. 2. See APG 144.

See The Ultimate Vehicle, pages 10 and 185, for a discussion of, and rules for, how Encumbrance applies to vehicles. Both pages specifically mention bicycles in this context. But as always, you have to apply the rules with a level of common sense and dramatic sense. Vehicles are more diverse even than characters, so a general set of rules may on occasion lead to an odd result. If that seems to be the case to you, you should definitely change things to better suit your game.

With the GM’s permission, a character can buy the Advantage Cannot Be Escaped With Teleportation (+¼) for Telekinesis to prevent targets from using Teleportation to escape from Telekinetic Grabs. However, given that Teleportation, a.k.a. “the GM’s Friend,” is often used to give villains a last-ditch way to escape from Our Heroes, many GMs are likely to forbid this — or at least to load their most important villains’ Teleportation powers with multiple levels of Armor Piercing.

Absolutely. APG2 35 states: "[Apply UOO to Probability Alteration] does not, however, change the overall number of re-rolls a character can make per session — every one re-roll he grants another character is one less he can make himself." UAA is of course a form of UOO, so that rule applies.

Nothing within the rules specifically forbids Clairsentience UAA. However, given that both the Power and the Advantage are “Stop Sign” game elements, this would at the very least require the GM’s permission — and I, at least, would be pretty dubious about this. As for the character with the Clairsentience UAA using it on himself, 6E1 359 states: So the general answer to that question is No, but a GM might choose to allow it.

Yes, that's legal within the rules -- unless, of course, your GM objects for some reason.

It's still something best left to the GM, but certainly restricting the power loss to such a short period of time would, I think, make it much more palatable to most GMs (certainly to me). I can see some fun tactical uses for this sort of thing as a "control power." But I'd probably want some sort of Limitation on it that prevented it from being used on the same target in consecutive Phases, lest it turn into an easy way to lock down a powerful villain while the other heroes beat the stuffing out of him. And I'm sure other GMs would have other ideas for how to make it work in their campaigns.

1. See the Limited Effect (-1/4) Limitation on 6E1 160. If you want to argue for a higher value I'm sure your GM would be willing to listen. 2. That's up to the GM, but certainly a consideration of the special effects involved would be part of the decision.

No.

Since this is a request to the community, I've moved it to the Discussion board, where anyone can reply.

Nothing wrong with wanting a "canonical" answer, even if it's only for comparison purposes. For information on how to represent electricity using the HERO System rules, I suggest reviewing the following: 6E2 148-150 -- this is the best place to start; it's an expanded version of what you'd see in the HERO System Basic Rulebook or Champions Complete. It discusses many of the issues you raise, such as grounding, AC and DC current, and the Real Electricity (-1/4) Limitation. Ultimate Energy Projector, pp. 83-89 -- this has much the same info as 6E2, plus a lot more. It includes rules for the secondary effects of electricity and how electricity interacts with other special effects. (If this sort of information interests you, and I bet that it does, UEP is a great book; it does the same thing for dozens of other types of energy, and has a bunch of optional rules related to the general subject of energy use/projection.)

By concept it was intended to penalize any INT-based roll made for other reasons (e.g., an Intellect Skill Roll). But a GM could certainly define it the other way you suggest, though it's up to him to decide what the consequences of "being confused" are.

Assuming the GM allows Uncontrolled Presence Attacks at all (instead of relying on the “Extending The Duration” rules on 6E2 137, or some variant thereof): 1-2. You are stuck with — or gain the benefit of — whatever dice you first rolled. If your GM wants to come up with rules that would let you change things later on, that’s on him. (If so, I suggest looking at the rules for continuing-effect Mental Powers as a starting point.) 3. No.

Yes, that’s a perfectly reasonable use of CE with TK — after all, it’s pretty much a “flavor” power that is highly unlikely to have any effect on game or character balance. If a character built a combat-oriented ability and expected it to function similarly, he should consult with his GM to make sure they both understand what the power should do and take steps to address any balance issues that might result.

The Fahrenheit measurement is correct: I think in Fahrenheit the way God intended us all to do , and and I created every power I’ve written up or example I’ve used over the past 15 years based on that. I will make a note of this in my Errata file and correct it in the text if I have a chance to do so in the future. Thanks for pointing this out!