The Force of Justice - OOC Thread

[Sherwood]

Can I do both? Or do I need to choose?


And, to do a roll.

I make a 3d6 roll and need to get lower than my number in that skill?

Yes, you can do both if you wish to get an idea of both guns and other systems.

Yes, it is a 3d6, and you need to get equal to or less than the target number. Every bit less than the skill roll gives you more information, and don't forget you have the Overall Skill Level to give you a 15- on these.

 

[Sherwood]

D. Rex Roll for each skill separately.

 

[D. Rex]

D. Rex Roll for each skill separately.

Weaponsmith (15-) : 14
Mechanics (15-): 13

 

[Purr]

I will make the adjustment ASAP. That will give you the 40 Str TK at 1/2 End.

Thank you!

Mind Link in a slot has the same issues as having Damage Reduction in a Multipower. Once you switch slots to a different one, the Mind Link will be cut.

Oh! Barf! I did not know any of that!

1. "Concentration to Activate for a -1/4." Does it mean that a person can instantly just activate it?

2. "Normal Range (which will give it an effective range of Active Points x10 meters) for another -1/4" What are Active Points (in short)? If this limitation is not taken, what range does Mind Link use?

3. "Requires a Skill Roll for a -1/2" Does this use Dreamy's Power Skill? What does he have to roll to be successful if she has a 7 in that skill?

I'm hesitant to have it touch-activated in case we get separated. If, say, Dreamy was looking for a teammate, she might use Mind Scan to locate the teammate, Telepathy to make contact, and then Mind Link to get everyone in the group talking together.

4. How does Mind Link work if you do not have Telepathy?

 

[Purr]

5. I forgot to ask. Concerning the Limitation to use Mind Link, how much END are we talking about? Would it automatically get everybody in the party?

 

[Sherwood]

Weaponsmith (15-) : 14
Mechanics (15-): 13

The tech that Ultraweapon uses for his armor is not the quasi-steampunk style that you are used to, but instead, it uses some sort of crystals to power it and to direct beams of focused energy. His defenses are based on some sort of energized armor, using a energy field to bolster the lightweight material and make it very resistant to harm. To the best of your knowledge, the operator inside the Ultraweapon armor is male, but he has never revealed himself to the world the same way you have.

 

[Sherwood]

1. "Concentration to Activate for a -1/4." Does it mean that a person can instantly just activate it?

That Limitation does activate quickly, but you have to focus on the power and it drops your DCV by half while you are activating the power.

2. "Normal Range (which will give it an effective range of Active Points x10 meters) for another -1/4" What are Active Points (in short)? If this limitation is not taken, what range does Mind Link use?

If that Limitation is used, its range would be only 300 meters, since the Active Points of the power are 30. If you don't take it, it has an effective range on a global scale.

3. "Requires a Skill Roll for a -1/2" Does this use Dreamy's Power Skill? What does he have to roll to be successful if she has a 7 in that skill?

That is the skill you would use, but you don't just have a '7' in it. You have 7 points allocated to it, giving you a 15- before adding the additional +1 from your Overall Skill Level. Generally if you are out of combat and not in an emergency rush, I won't make you roll unless there is some reason for it.

I'm hesitant to have it touch-activated in case we get separated. If, say, Dreamy was looking for a teammate, she might use Mind Scan to locate the teammate, Telepathy to make contact, and then Mind Link to get everyone in the group talking together.

It is up to you. As I said, it was just one option of a Limitation to take to lower the cost of the power. Without it, the Mind Link will be more expensive, but can be established through a successful Mind Scan if the person you are trying to communicate with is miles away.

4. How does Mind Link work if you do not have Telepathy?

If you are in voice communication range, you simply ask the person you are trying to establish the Link with, reach out with your mind, and poofta! You have a Mind Link with that person, and can now successfully 'talk' completely mentally, so no one can overhear what you are trying to say. If they are out of range for that, you will have to use your Mind Scan first to give them a mental 'knock' to let them know you are there and try to get a roll of just Greater than Ego. A person can willingly drop their Mental Defense (if any) and let you in assuming you connect with their DMCV.

5. I forgot to ask. Concerning the Limitation to use Mind Link, how much END are we talking about? Would it automatically get everybody in the party?

That Limitation can be bought in two levels; one is where the End cost is only paid at the activation of the power, then it is on and you can maintain it indefinitely or until the other person breaks the contact. In this case, you would spend 3 End to turn it on and you are done.

The second level of the Limitation is where you have to pay End every Phase you have the power on. It would still only be 3 End, but you would have to pay for it just once per Phase that it is up, not once per person Linked, if that makes any sense.

You will have to establish the Link one at a time, generally out of combat. It can be up and running for hours, as long as everyone in it is ok with it.

 

[Purr]

That Limitation does activate quickly, but you have to focus on the power and it drops your DCV by half while you are activating the power.

Oh. So... focusing is like Resting a Phase in that you're kinda wide open for an Attack if the bad guys notice you're doing this? Huh. It makes sense. I remember all of those stories and MMORPGs where someone is saying, "Cover me while I focus on (planting this explosive, adding to this computer code, sending my mother a properly-worded Mother's Day email, etc.)."

If that Limitation is used, its range would be only 300 meters, since the Active Points of the power are 30. If you don't take it, it has an effective range on a global scale.

Uh, 300m or global? Holy Wowzercows! Global it is!

That is the skill you would use, but you don't just have a '7' in it. You have 7 points allocated to it, giving you a 15- before adding the additional +1 from your Overall Skill Level. Generally if you are out of combat and not in an emergency rush, I won't make you roll unless there is some reason for it.

Okay!

If you are in voice communication range, you simply ask the person you are trying to establish the Link with, reach out with your mind, and poofta! You have a Mind Link with that person, and can now successfully 'talk' completely mentally, so no one can overhear what you are trying to say. If they are out of range for that, you will have to use your Mind Scan first to give them a mental 'knock' to let them know you are there and try to get a roll of just Greater than Ego. A person can willingly drop their Mental Defense (if any) and let you in assuming you connect with their DMCV.

Ah! I appear to have made the mistake of choosing Telepathy prior to looking into Mind Link and as a result, now I realize I've gone and kind of mixed the two up thinking one is the other.

Dreamy's people (including Dreamy) usually don't go invading other peoples' minds and taking information without their consent (Telepathy) but instead communicate as naturally as we speak with their minds (Mind Link). Hmmm.

That Limitation can be bought in two levels; one is where the End cost is only paid at the activation of the power, then it is on and you can maintain it indefinitely or until the other person breaks the contact. In this case, you would spend 3 End to turn it on and you are done.

The second level of the Limitation is where you have to pay End every Phase you have the power on. It would still only be 3 End, but you would have to pay for it just once per Phase that it is up, not once per person Linked, if that makes any sense.

This does not make sense to me. Unless... do you mean to say that the first level of the Limitation costs 3 END per person? Then the second level of the Limitation makes sense. As it stands, I'm convinced I'm either misreading something or lacking some important fact.

 

[Purr]

and there is a teenager that looks very much out of place in his 'Can't Sleep; Clowns Will Eat Me' t-shirt, with a very uneasy expression on his face as he looks around at the plethora of older superheroes in the room.

Of the heroes mentioned by American Spirit, which one of these matches the above description, please?

 

[Sherwood]

Of the heroes mentioned by American Spirit, which one of these matches the above description, please?

That is the computer cyberkinetic, Marcus Allan.

I'll have some info and answers about the Mind Link in a bit.

 

[Purr]

D. Rex I was listening to Cowboy Bebop songs earlier, heard this, and thought of you and Colt! Enjoy! =)

Spoiler: Diggin'

Cowboy Bebop OST 4 - Diggin' (by the Seatbelts)

Lyrics:

You know my daddy dug gates for his whole life
And he never knew nothin' more
Yeah and his daddy done the dig like his old man
Who dug before the war
And though she couldn't have known til I was born
My poor mother, God rest her soul, oh
Like them I come out diggin'

Well I was laying down wire on Number Nine, now,
When she came down to Earth
And she was talking real loud all about how she
Was gonna save the universe

I went and snuck a little peek in her blue eyes
And words just aren't enough
Oh
She had me off and runnin'
(Yeah, she did)

Could it be that I got bored and lonely?
Could it be that I'm just dumb and horny?
Could it be that Lady Luck has smiled herself on me?
Could it be?

She wore rattlesnake boots, a sassy mood
She had me laughin' in my tears
The most beautiful thing, so young and sweet
A little green behind the ears

She took me higher than I'd ever been
Lord, what have I been missin'?
Oh, now she is all I'm diggin'
Yeah, she is

Could it be that I got bored and lonely?
Could it be that I'm just old and horny?
Could it be now?
Could it be that Lady Luck has smiled herself on me?

She's smilin' down on me, yeah

Come a little closer
Let me show you how it could be
Spacy little cowgirl
Come a little closer to me
Spacy little cowgirl
Whoo!
Play it

She's smilin' down on me, yeah

Come a little closer
Let me show you how it could be
Spacy little cowgirl
Come a little closer to me

Spacy little cowgirl

Mmhmm
Yeah
Diggin', diggin', diggin', diggin'
Lady Luck smilin' down on me
Just dumb and horny

 

[QuickSmasherEXE]

The original write up had you with 30 meters with the MegaScale Advantage tacked onto it, putting its Active Cost at 82 points. So if you were to stick with that in a Multpower, you could have a second slot for your combat flight with the full 82 meters, since Flight is a 1 meter-for-1 point power.

Oh, I see. I thought there was some conversion factor to convert movement rate between combat and noncombat movement. I'm assuming the distance is traveled in the same time period, it's just that noncombat movement has the associated DCV penalties and such?

Since the power must be the active slot for it to work, if you shift it to a different power, you no longer have the Damage Reduction active and running. That means if you have one slot with say, 50% Physical, and another with 50% Energy, and still one more slot for 50% Mental, you can do that. But you will have to declare which slot is active at any one time, unless you have a large enough Multipower to have more than one slot running at once.

I figured as much. That's why I was curious about whether we'd be dodging multiple attacks of different types in a single phase.

There is an alternative that I came up with. If you buy the Damage Reductions with the Charges Limitation and make them Continuing Charges for at least one Turn, if you then switch slots, the Charge is still running for that length of time. In the past, I have purchased Damage Reduction and defined it as a painkiller shot that lasts 5 minutes each Charge, with a total of 4 charges on my character. Depending on how much normal Defense you have, you could go as high as 50% on a setup like that and I would allow it.

I'm not sure if I want to be juggling charges for this campaign, but I'll take it under consideration. My natural inclination is to simply dump everything into Constitution, Stun, and Body, so as to reflect more of a rapid regeneration type thing than a bulletproof body.

However, looking at the damage scale in question, it doesn't seem like Miles would be able to take more than one hit without getting knocked out if I took that approach. I figure that based on the assumption that enemy attacks roll a 60 on damage, just to be conservative. I'm not sure Dreamy or Luminary could take all that many more such hits, so maybe it's not such an issue, but I don't know. You're the expert here and I am but the learner.

 

[Purr]

EDITED ( I have my copy of Champions Complete with me today!)

That is the computer cyberkinetic, Marcus Allan.

I'll have some info and answers about the Mind Link in a bit.

Hey you! What is a cyberkinetic in this game?

If I am reading the rules for Telepathy right, it is not possible to take information out of someone's head without them knowing it? Found the answer. (Generally, no.) =)

Do either Mind Link or Telepathy provide bonuses to Mind Scan if they have been successfully used on the target one is attempting to Mind Scan for? Found this one too. =) (GM call. Familiarity is subjective.)

Dreamy has Spatial Awareness. Is it possible for her to send into someone else's brain what she is experiencing when she uses it?

Might she be able to help another member in the party find something with her Spatial Awareness via her mental powers?

Is Dreamy Psychokinetic (Re: Champions Complete page 89)?

 

[Purr]

Silanon

"There's a witch here, too. Maybe burn her as well, while we're dwelling in the past. Then continue with women capable of reading...

(Ellipsis mine)

Ooooh, I am not messing with Nisha! She is too tough for me! I think Ultraweapon just lit a fire that he had better not try to put out! Ha ha! Go Nisha!

 

[Purr]

Epiphany QuickSmasherEXE Silanon D. Rex Psychie

Hey! I came across a neat Internet article that covers the basics on how HERO/Champions 6th Edition works! After passing it by Sherwood, he's agreed that it's okay to post it here for everyone! Here's hoping it helps us newbies understand the mechanics a little better. =)

Excellent introduction into 6th edition Champions

 

[Silanon]

Thanks for sharing - I'll certainly give it a look, should be a good read.

 

[Sherwood]

I can, if everyone would like, post in the Extras thread some pics of the people you are dealing with. Sometimes for me, it helps to have a image to go with a name.

 

[Purr]

Oh, definitely! The more media thrown our way, the better and clearer the image goes from your heads into ours!

 

[Sherwood]

Okies. Easily done. I'll have some pics up in a bit. Just have to sort through my image files to find the ones that I want.

 

[Sherwood]

I got some pics up to look at. The East Coast Team has more members to it, but here are the ones your group has interacted with/seen here.

 

[Purr]

Glad the Lady and Kodachi are on our side - those pics are something spooky! =)

 

[Sherwood]

I am going to write this up for the Character thread, but I am going to detail it here, too, to make sure everyone sees it.

During the course of the story, there may be times that you are in desperate need of a power or skill that you don't have, and lack the xp for. In this occasion, I am going to allow you to go into xp debt up to 8 points. Any time you do this, all the points you get will go directly to pay back the loaned points first. Any point loans will have to be approved by me first.

Any questions?

 

[QuickSmasherEXE]

Hey! I came across a neat Internet article that covers the basics on how HERO/Champions 6th Edition works! After passing it by Sherwood, he's agreed that it's okay to post it here for everyone! Here's hoping it helps us newbies understand the mechanics a little better. =)

Very nice, thank you.

Any questions?

Yes, although not about the debt system. Is the difference between mental defense and ego that mental defense also reduces damage from things like mind blast? It says mental defense reduces the roll of an attacker's mental power before comparing it to ego, but since the results are difference-based I'm not sure how different that is in practice.

I also went a head and did some math to try and get a sense of what defensive scale other people's characters are at. Again, I ignore the bulkier characters since they have a different approach to defense.

Spoiler: Dreamy

25 defense
15 resistant protection
40 stun
20 con

60 damage attack

• Deals [60 - (25 + 15) = 20] STUN damage, non-stunning
• Can take 2 hits before being KO'd (ignoring recovery)

45 damage attack

• Deals [45 - 40 = 5] STUN damage, non-stunning
• Can take 8 hits before being KO'd (ignoring recovery)

Spoiler: Luminary

20 defense (Against physical attacks, but I'm keep this simple so I'm ignoring energy defense)
25% damage reduction
46 stun
25 con

60 damage attack

• Deals [(60 - 20 = 40) * .75 = 30] STUN damage, stunning
• Can take 2 hits before being KO'd (ignoring recovery)

45 damage attack

• Deals [(45 - 20 = 25) * .75 = 18.75] STUN damage, non-stunning
• Can take 3 hits before being KO'd (ignoring recovery)

Spoiler: As-Is Miles

10 defense
40 stun
15 con

60 damage attack

• Deals (60-10 = 50) STUN damage, stunning
• Can take 1 such hit before being KO'd (ignoring recovery)

45 damage attack

• Deals (45-10 = 35) STUN damage, stunning
• Can take 2 such attacks being KO'd (ignoring recovery)

To bring him up to Luminary's level of not-getting-knocked around, he'd need +20 con and +32 stun (due to the 2-for-1 cost of stun). That isn't actually that bad, clocking in at 36 CP, though it would be kind of weird for Miles to have such monumental constitution.

Meanwhile, simply having the full suite of 50% damage reductions would be 90 CP, possibly less depending on the limitations. Assuming I go that route, we get:

Spoiler: Half Damage Miles

10 defense
50% Damage Reduction
40 stun
15 con

60 damage attack

• Deals [(60-10 = 50) * .5 = 25] STUN damage, stunning
• Can take 2 such hits before being KO'd (ignoring recovery)

45 damage attack

• Deals [(45-10 = 35) * .5 = 17.5] STUN damage, stunning
• Can take 3 such attacks being KO'd (ignoring recovery)

Which would still require +3 con to reach Luminary's resilience. Writing that on paper, it seems like a compelling option just to give Miles monstrous constitution and stun, though I assume that wouldn't scale well to significantly more powerful villains with significantly more devastating attacks.

Also, neither of these contribute to Mental Defense or Power Defense, which I am a bit concerned about, though I'm not super familiar with those concepts and how important it is to defend them in practice.

Maybe I'll have a damage reduction power along the lines of "Dodge but Less So," essentially just don't get hit in the face if you have to get hit, and attach a skill roll to said power, sort of like Dreamy's damage reduction power.

 

[Purr]

Any questions?

Only my gratitude! Dreamy now has Mind Link thanks to your offer. =)

Very nice, thank you.

You're welcome. I like sharing the good stuff with people. =)

Maybe I'll have a damage reduction power along the lines of "Dodge but Less So," essentially just don't get hit in the face if you have to get hit, and attach a skill roll to said power, sort of like Dreamy's damage reduction power.

Uhhh... In the spirit of the old saying, "it's all Greek to me," there is a lot of "Greek" here (I'm not following a lot of this). Just want to point out that perhaps having a "high" or "low" constitution is subjective? Meaning that, the number might seem large to a player, but in reality, it might turn out to be just average for the world we're playing in?

I don't have a strong idea of how tough Dreamy is or how tough she is compared to other people in her line of work, but after your examples, I think I like where she stands - it suits my vision of her (explorers of stars, planets, and moons should be tough!). Of course, I'm not really going to know until we enter combat a few times. =)

Hope your Speedster will turn out to what you've imagined him to be - I've put a lot of time and effort into Dreamy and I am very satisfied (happy even!) with it all! =)

 

[QuickSmasherEXE]

Uhhh... In the spirit of the old saying, "it's all Greek to me," there is a lot of "Greek" here (I'm not following a lot of this). Just want to point out that perhaps having a "high" or "low" constitution is subjective? Meaning that, the number might seem large to a player, but in reality, it might turn out to be just average for the world we're playing in?

I do know some Greek, but I suspect my ability to communicate like a regular human was a bit broken before I learned it.

To break it down a bit, Dreamy's telekinetic shield has the limitation "requires a skill roll". It's a resistant protection power, but I was thinking of modifying the idea and give Miles a damage reduction power with the same limitation. In lore, it would take the form of a partial dodge or a block or something.

I don't have a strong idea of how tough Dreamy is or how tough she is compared to other people in her line of work, but after your examples, I think I like where she stands

Glad I could provide some useful math.