Doc Democracy

Re: DC limitations Looks to me like you haven't got across what you mean by a DC limit. I have played in some games where reduced END counted and in others where it did not. Looks to me like your player is counting the STR as 8DC and is adding 7DC or less with each of the multipower slots. There is a slight element of aqueeze on the +5D6 with a +1/2 advantage but you could ask him to reduce the STR to 35 and up the multipower slots. Or, if you mean to include reduced END then I'd simply point out to him that when you gave the DC limit that you meant an active point limit of 75. Doc

Re: Autofire disarm

Re: A new approach to Killing Attacks I like the style! Executive decision making at its finest!! Doc

Re: A new approach to Killing Attacks

Re: A new approach to Killing Attacks I'd missed the tough advantage. I would make toughened defence more like damage resistance (or why not retain that and keep the name - seems more appropriate) so that you do not get all or nothing defences again. With and advantage a defence is, by default, all tough or none of it is. Doc

Re: A new approach to Killing Attacks I quite like this idea Sean. Not sure of the pricing right enough - you have 15 points of killing attack against some one with 15 rPD, you do no damage. For 5 points more you do 16 points of BODY - effectively doubling the point of the power... I like the system but would like to see it developed somehow to avoid this. It is deadly because it gets applied against a variety of defence levels and so is deadly versus one target and useless against another... I would suggest penetration costing 3 points per point and damage costing 8 (though both numbers are pulled out of thin air!). It is cheap to buy lots of penetration but more expensive to buy damage... Doc

Re: How Would You Build: Sequenced Effects

Re: Multipower help and clarification To begin, I'm not sure that multipower is what you want. The idea of a multipower is that you have a lot of powers available but can only use a few of them at a time. With racial characteristics you probably want all of them available all of the time - not locking each other out. For example, you wouldn't want to lose longevity because you decided to use the extra leaping and running.... So. I think the framework you want to be looking at is Elemental Control. I'm not sure if you are the GM or a player (sound like a GM!) but there are some problems with putting certain powers into ECs (I think that Life Support is one of those) but everything is cool with GM permission. Personally, if all elves had to purchase this package, as a GM I would decide what I wanted PCs to pay to be an elf and present them with all of that in a package. For example - your powers come to 188 points - I might require that all elves take this (and 30 points of pre-selected disadvantages such as Distinctive Looks and Susceptibility: Iron Weapons) and present the package as 125 points. That ignores the frameworks and everything else - they are only really needed when players are designing custom packages - not GM prepared ones. Doc

Re: Free equipment side discussion. One of the best reasons for the change, IMO of course, to be in the main rulebook is that it is a tool that would be very useful for cross-genre campaigns or adventures. It does stack on top of all the other tools, its just that some GMs will not use it in their games. If it was to be anywhere then I would have the core aspects in the main rulebook with more fleshed out stuff in the genre books - it would work well in SF with big ships versus characters etc, in Fantasy with Giants and other large races and possibly in pulp for aliens that do not seem to get hurt like real people do, or for giant insect invasions...or undead. Doc

Re: Free equipment side discussion. In some games I play I want an RPG to be a credible threat, in others I want my superhero to be immune to it. This is a way of sliding damage that isn't currently a tool in the toolbox. I would say that it is a legitimate tool to add to the toolbox for when you are designing your HERO game. It may not be for everyone but it is a way of implementing a game feel without adding too many points to the players stuff - it only affects (if I read it correctly) the way damage interacts with defences - no impact on anything else. I know there are campaigns I would use something like this in, for vanilla HERO games it isn't what we expect or look to though to make that kind of distinction. Doc

Re: Telepathically releasing untapped Potential My immediate thought was for the overall levels - thinking of the usable as an attack option as well. However there are wrinkles and problems with using UAA that you might not want to consider and there are other, more subtle things that you want to add on. My thought would be to use transform to add the overall levels to the character and to add one or two disadvantages as well - Confident in his abilities and others that are appropriate to the victim. I think this would be a good use of transform as it is eactly what you are doing.... Doc

Re: The thumb-lighter trick

Re: Lingering Teleport

Re: The thumb-lighter trick Why has everyone leaped to RKA? I think that I might be more inclined to go for heavily limited EB (Fire) or a very small change environment. A 1pip RKA would imply that applying it eight times to a normal human would bring to the point of death - I dont think that is an application the GM would like it to be considered for. Doc

Re: Area of Effect Defense Whoops - should scan thw WHOLE thread before responding!

Re: Area of Effect Defense You could use Aid. I would allow PD and ED to be aided, or even resistant versions to add to what almost all characters have. You could use advantaged Aid to be able to add to all kinds of defences. Doc

Re: Water Tunnel Somewhere, very recently, we had a huge discussion about this. What it boils down to is the usual HERO mantra - what do you actually want to be able to do. There are a number of ways (imagine that in HERO) that you can model a person getting from one side of a body of water to another (all with the same special effects) and they are effectively movement powers. Where is gets complicated is the side uses that players put these sorts of things to - the 'obvious' and 'realistic' consequences of the use of the power. One version that I liked was teleport - using the portal option - where the tunnel was simply SFX and it was limited by "takes time to traverse dependent upon velocity of travellers". This does not allow Moses style consequences of collapsing the tunnel however. Another version that was nice was usable by others LS in a line based area effect which would mean that when the effect was lifted those still within the area effect would start struggling for breath but you would not get the great sweep of waters to wash people away. I think you have to think carefully about what the player actually wants when they talk effects and whether you are putting the mechanics in place to cost that and provide when the time comes. Doc

Re: Mental Feint? So how about DEX drain, fixed effect, based on ECV, only to affect DCV (-1), effect negated by successful defensive manouevre (-2). That provides you with an attack which, if successful will reduce the DCV of the victim unless they make a successful defensive manouevre... Doc

Re: Linked Damage This is effectively a limitation on each of their STUN. I might consider allowing each of them to purchase their STUN with a +1/2 to +1 limitation (damaged in proportion to familiar/master). I'm leaning to +1/2 but could be persuaded all the way up to +1. Doc

Re: Extra energy damage in HTH This is a wrinkle in the rules I had not considered before. I think this is an area where 6th edition could make a difference - sorting out the whole "Limited Availability" of powers. That would include lingering and charges and possibly other stuff as well. Obviously if I wanted a power to be available some of the time but not all of the time then that is a limited version of buying the power straight off (like what Caris said) but it is obviously better than charges for instant powers (so putting an advantage on the limitation! ). Will have to look at it and think about what to suggest in the 6th edition forums. Doc

Re: Extra energy damage in HTH I'm with Caris. I'm not sure how lingering affects the build. If I buy 4D6 HA then it lingers forever and I can use it whenever I feel the need. If I buy one continuing recoverable charge then it means when I use it, I have it available to use whenever I want for a set period of time after which I have to take action to recover the charge. I will have to go to the rules, my understanding of continuing charges is very 4th edition...but this is how I would build it. I'm not sure what lingering changes on this. Doc

Re: Extra energy damage in HTH What my build does is, for the period of the charge, enable the character to do additional attack damage. Someone hit by the character would take additional damage when they were hit but not after that. Do you want lingering damage on those hit? I didn't read that into the original post. Doc

Re: Extra energy damage in HTH I think I know what you are talking about. You want to cast a spell and for the next five minutes you will do more damage when you hit people hand to hand (because your hands are very cold). The easy thing to do is as follows: +4D6 Hand Attack, requires skill roll, continuing recoverable charge. So. When you cast the spell you get added HtH damage for as long as you set the continuing charge. You can regain the charge by casting the spell again (expending all of the time and expendables necessary for the spell). Doc

Re: Flaming Swords I didn't think that the light sabre was better off the shelf, instead it was an integral focus for martial use of the force by jedi. In my mind, anyone could pick up a light sabre and use it, however, a jedi couls add to the damage reflect blasts from a blaster and other tricks... So. A preferred weapon for jedi that is a necessary focus.

Re: "Outsider" perspective on Hero System Security and armed forces routinly wear bullet-proof and stab proof clothing. Criminals often less so because they'd kinda give the game away and normal people because the cost benefit doesn't lie in the right place. I'd say that the prevalence of knife and gun armed criminals have influenced the wearing of protective clothing - it has been especially noticeable over here in the UK.