Week Ending May 31, 1997
Date: Sun, 25 May 1997 11:59:23 +1000 (EST)
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From: Len Undy <bryce144@fan.net.au>
Subject: Re: Invasion!?!
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At 02:35 PM 23/05/97 -0400, you wrote:
>I am soon to be lauching my first alien invasion in a Champions Campaign. I
>have been putting it off because the scale seems somewhat overwhelming. I
>would appreciate the advice or suggestions of anyone who has played an
invasion.
>
>Here are some of my questions:
>
>What can I do to keep things moving?
>What can I do to keep it fun and not bogged down?
>What are some short cuts you have learned?
>What are some mistakes that I can avoid?
>
>Anything else you might think of would be appreciated.
>
>Oh' in referring to manuals take note that I do not have access to more than
>a handful of the newest books. (ie. Champions version 1-4, C:TNM, and
>Allies and Enemies Assemble are about it.)
>
>Patrick B.
I like my invasions to be BIG. You shouldn't have too many of these
type of Invasions, they should be BIG world shaking events. The Aliens,
preferably of the same type, should hit the earth by surprise and hard.
Unless your governments in your campaign have encountered aliens before,
they really shouldn't be prepared. Perhaps they bombard the major cities of
the world first, or disrupt communication. Then they send in their
unstoppable airforce(think ID4, or even Robotech). This is where the heroes
come in. Ussaully the heroes base is in a city, so this is where you wipe
out their base(in one of those-it looks trashed, but can still be rebuilt
within a few weeks)
I like putting the heroes on the run in an Invasion, its one of the
few opportunities that you get to do so.
Keep things moving:
1: Keep the heroes on the run. The Aliens are soon going to
learn of the threat superheroes pose. Therefore their going to want to take
them down.
2: Add lots of twist. eg. A second Alien race, worse then the
first attacks both sides. Heroes must choose between the evil they know and
a possible ally. Shapeshifter that inflitrate the Hero community. The
aliens originally came from Earth and therefore have some claim over it.
Keeping it fun and not bogged down:
1: In the "On the run" Invasion, the aliens will at first seem very
powerful. To avoid the feeling of "we can't win", show that the aliens do
have major weaknesses. See below for suggestions.
2: Have lots of variety in your senarios(sp?). This is a good
excuse to send your heroes into all sorts situations around the world, and
beyond
3: Remember other heroes and villians. Have major villians side
with the heroes, and even show that the villians are human after all,
compared to the aliens. But also have villians side with the aliens. eg.
that evil corporation will build weapons for the aliens in return for
advanced tech.
4: Have you heroes hate the aliens. This is doen in several ways.
Have a hero ally die in a important fight, sacrificing himself in some way.
Thus the heroes will seek some sort of revenge. Have the heroes discover a
concentration camp, where the human prisoners are about to be processed in
food(but give the heroes a chance to save the victims before its to late).
Finally, have the aliens seem, well, ALIEN. Have there motivations seem
completly inhuman. Look to insects like ants, bees, and wasp, even spiders
for ideas on this.
Notes:
1: You must always decide how the aliens will be defeated in the
end, before you start the campaign. Are your heroes going to beat them to a
stand still, causing the aliens to either respect human kind, or just give
up. Or are the heroes going to find the Hive Queen, kill her, and destroy
the mother ship, thus wiping out all the aliens in one fell swoop. This is
the most important part of an invasion, as you can then plan the steps
leading upto it.
ALIEN ENEMIES(some sterotypes for heroes to battle)
1: Standard hovertanks, spaceship fighters, armoured infantry etc.
2: Giant robots(hey don't knock 'em until you try 'em)
3: Powerarmour troops( perhaps their the aliens commandoes)
4: STEAL from movies, go on try it. The Predator is just a powerarmoured
assassin sent to kill the heroes, the terminator is standard troops, etc.
5: Alien Superheroes, furthering the Aliens ambitions. The aliens have
their own superheroe teams, etc.
6: Shapeshifters, inflitrators
7: Genetic expimentation: All those humans, how can they resist using them
in their experiments, perhaps making a new team of villians
7: Local villians: evil corporations, just plain stupid villians
ALIEN WEAKNESS:
1: They aliens last studied the humans several hundred years ago, and
expect a very basic level of tech. Boy were they surprised when when they
see us now. However, they are still more advanced then us, but not that
much more.
2: Limited numbers. You can only fit so many soldiers on board the ship
and the world is a big place. The Aliens are slowly overextending their
lines. Combined with 1, the aliens are in big trouble.
3: Code of Honour, A Rule Book of War. The Aliens are predictable, because
of a code of honour or a strict set of rules on of war is fought. Humans
however are renowned for constantly changing the rules without consulting
the enemy. The Aliens even expect us to have the same rules, and are most
confused with gurrila warfare and terrorist attacks.
4: Superheroes? Aliens have never encountered something as strange as
superheroes. Super soldiers with thousands of different powers. How does
one plan against that.
5: Tratior!! Perhaps some of the invaders actually like human kind, and
will surply info and tech to the humans. However, their pacifist and will
not actually fight for the humans. Another slant is that the helpers are
another alien race hoping to use the humans against the invaders.
6: Drugs. Didn't relize that ginger was so addictive to the aliens did
you? Addicts are willing to do anything for a little sample of their
favoirite drug. Even give info, or smuggle you aboard the mothership.
7: Enemy alien races. Earth just happens to be the key to an intersteller
war. Whoever takes it will rule the universe. Two or more alien races are
invading. Fortunatly the aliens see each other as stronger threats then the
humans. Heroes can use each of the aliens against each other in an attemt
to weaken each of them for a final blow. But can they do it before the
earth becomes a wasteland.
8: Only one Megadeath weapon? We only need one. If the heroes can destroy
the ship carry the megadeath weapon, the aliens will severly be weakened.
9: Time Limit. The alien invasion is to prepare the earth for a colony of
aliens. The invaders must take the planet before a certain time or else.
If the heroes can delay or even defeat the invasion, the aliens may be
forced to negoitiate a peace treaty or loose thousands of alien civilians.
Well that all(!) I can think of now. I hope this helps.
BRYCE
GRANDMASTER OF THE CENTRUIN IX ASSUALT FLEET
From: Stainless Steel Rat <ratinox@peorth.gweep.net>
Subject: Re: real world martial art
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Date: 24 May 1997 22:56:49 -0400
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>>>>> "j" == jonesmj <jonesmj@topaz.cqu.edu.au> writes:
j> hapKIDO!! aiKIDO!!
Aikido is three words: ai: harmony, ki: spirit, do: way. The entire
meaning is, roughly, the way of harmony of the spirit. Hapkido is also
three words: hap: (roughly) coordinate, ki: energy, do: way. The entire
meaning roughly being, because my Korean is practically nonexistant, the
way of coordinated energy. The "do" part of Hapkido did not appear until
the late 1950s -- less than the 100 years you claim makes "my"
interpretation obsolete. This was also about the time that Aikijutsu (the
art of harmony with the spirit) mostly ceased being taught, replaced by
Aikido (there are probably a handful of Aikijutsu schools around, but not
many; an Aikijutsu practicioner is a rarity these days).
Calling "do" styles "sport forms" is a misnomer of convenience.
Competition between schools that teach a particular style is common. To
moderate these matches there are regulatory bodies that deliniate exactly
what can and cannot be done during such matches, just as (I'm blanking on
the name, the Earl of Queensbury?) did for Boxing, the manly art of
fisticufs, over a century ago.
One of the clearest examples of this is Kendo, which really is a sport form
of Kenjutsu. In the various schools of Kenjutsu, the Bushi's sword art,
almost anything goes, as long as it leaves you standing and your opponent
dead. But in Kendo there are exactly 8 ways to hit your opponent, seven
strikes to various parts of the upper body (head, torso, shoulders) and one
thrust to the torso. Anything else will cause you to be eliminated from
the match. Because Kendo rigorously enforces these in training they become
reflexive. This is a liability in a fight against anyone other than
another Kendo practicioner because Kendo teaches to block only those 8
strikes. A Kendo master that practices no other art is practically
defenseless against a 9 year old kid wearing heavy boots.
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Rat <ratinox@peorth.gweep.net> \ Warning: pregnant women, the elderly, and
PGP Key: at a key server near you! \ children under 10 should avoid prolonged
\ exposure to Happy Fun Ball.
X-Sender: ctaylor@mailhost.cyberhighway.net
Date: Sat, 24 May 1997 21:06:46 -0700
From: Christopher Taylor <ctaylor@cyberhighway.net>
Subject: Re: Charges
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>OK, this may seem a little strange, but can someone explain to
>me exactly why a charges limitation/advantage should EVER cost
>more that +1 for an autofire attack and +1/2 for a non-autofire
>attack? It seems a little strange that having a limited number
>of shots, even a very large number of finite shots, is more
>limiting than not having any limit at all.
I have a house rule along those lines, it's a silly holdover from the old
reduced END rules.
----------------------------------------------------------
Sola Gracia Sola Scriptura Sola Fide
Soli Gloria Deo Solus Christus Corum Deo
-----------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Charges
Date: Sat, 24 May 97 23:20:13 -0500
From: "John P. Weatherman" <asahoshi@nr.infi.net>
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OK, this may seem a little strange, but can someone explain to
me exactly why a charges limitation/advantage should EVER cost
more that +1 for an autofire attack and +1/2 for a non-autofire
attack? It seems a little strange that having a limited number
of shots, even a very large number of finite shots, is more
limiting than not having any limit at all.
Actually, allong those lines, it seems that an autofire charges
attack should max out its advantage at +3/4 and a non-autofire
at +1/4. After all, shouldn't having a finite number of shots
always be more limiting than not having ANY limit.
Just curious what all of you are thinking on this.
PAX
____________________________________________________________________
| Name: John P. Weatherman | Phone: |
| email: asahoshi@nr.infi.net | (H) (910) 785-1130 |
| fax: (910) 748-4632 | (O) (910) 545-2722 |
|_____________________________|____________________________________|
| He who walking on the sea could calm the bitter waves, who gives |
| life to the dying seeds of the earth; He who was able to loose |
| the mortal chains of death and after three days' darkness could |
| bring again to the upper world the brother of his sister Martha: |
| He, I beleive, will make Damasus rise again from the dust. |
| Pope St. Damasus I (c.305-384) |
|__________________________________________________________________|
Subject: Re: Charges
Date: Sun, 25 May 97 07:45:01 -0500
From: "John P. Weatherman" <asahoshi@nr.infi.net>
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>> OK, this may seem a little strange, but can someone explain to
>> me exactly why a charges limitation/advantage should EVER cost
>> more that +1 for an autofire attack and +1/2 for a non-autofire
>> attack? It seems a little strange that having a limited number
>> of shots, even a very large number of finite shots, is more
>> limiting than not having any limit at all.
>>
> Well, it seems to me that while you have a limited number of shots you
>also are getting those shots at no endurance. The no endurance is a 1/2
>mod. off the top and autofire makes it possible to fire off more shots
>than would otherwise be given to a hero of the same speed.
That's actually my point. The only advantage that charges give is No END
on
the shot. So why should the charges "Advantage" cost more than the
equivilent
reduced END cost? Even the Continuing Charges Rules seem awfully
expensive.
I can have 250 charges that last 1 hour each as a +2 1/4 Advantage, or
Unlimited No END Continuous Uncontrolled Shots that never time out for
a +2 Advantage.
My thought is just that Charges as an Advantage shouldn't ever cost more
than
if you just built the power as a Reduced Endurance Construct, and IMHO
should
be a hair cheaper.
> I think that the way charges are, are fine. If anything, I think that the
>'clips' section of the rules is a little kind, but that is a loophole I can
>live with.
The clips rules are the only thing that has made Charges useful at all to
me.
At least with autofire, I can build a reasonably accurate automatic weapon
that doesn't completely break Active Point limits just building a 2d6 KA,
the
standard for military grade gear in the Viper suppliment as well as
CyberHero.
I'm not sure why your considering them a loophole.
PAX
____________________________________________________________________
| Name: John P. Weatherman | Phone: |
| email: asahoshi@nr.infi.net | (H) (910) 785-1130 |
| fax: (910) 748-4632 | (O) (910) 545-2722 |
|_____________________________|____________________________________|
| He who walking on the sea could calm the bitter waves, who gives |
| life to the dying seeds of the earth; He who was able to loose |
| the mortal chains of death and after three days' darkness could |
| bring again to the upper world the brother of his sister Martha: |
| He, I beleive, will make Damasus rise again from the dust. |
| Pope St. Damasus I (c.305-384) |
|__________________________________________________________________|
Subject: Active Costs
Date: Sun, 25 May 97 07:45:04 -0500
From: "John P. Weatherman" <asahoshi@nr.infi.net>
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Has anyone else noticed that while Hero suggests things
like a 60 Active Point limit for attack powers of beginning
characters, they also create their "standard" weapondry at
closer to 100 Active Points? I'm refering in particular to
CyberHero which is my best available Hero source for
technotoys. Does anyone have any house rules for allowing
heros to use the more powerful standard weapons that hero
releases? In particular, many of my character concepts have
military backgrounds, so it gets quite frustrating to be
unable to build military grade gear that's usable.
PAX
____________________________________________________________________
| Name: John P. Weatherman | Phone: |
| email: asahoshi@nr.infi.net | (H) (910) 785-1130 |
| fax: (910) 748-4632 | (O) (910) 545-2722 |
|_____________________________|____________________________________|
| He who walking on the sea could calm the bitter waves, who gives |
| life to the dying seeds of the earth; He who was able to loose |
| the mortal chains of death and after three days' darkness could |
| bring again to the upper world the brother of his sister Martha: |
| He, I beleive, will make Damasus rise again from the dust. |
| Pope St. Damasus I (c.305-384) |
|__________________________________________________________________|
Subject: Re: Charges
Date: Sun, 25 May 97 12:15:34 -0500
From: "John P. Weatherman" <asahoshi@nr.infi.net>
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>The limitation is that the shots do not cost the character Endurance to
>use.. while a character without charges can rest and recuperate thus
>gaining endurance back.. the character with the charges can run out if
>the story line does not allow him the chance to recharge.
That's why I was asking about a +1/2 / +1 cap for regular/autofire
attacks. No END cost on a normal attack is a +1/2 Advantage and on
an autofire attack is a +1 advantage. Sence the only "Advantage" of
charges is No END, it seems the advantage cost should max out at the
same levels No END itself does.
PAX.
____________________________________________________________________
| Name: John P. Weatherman | Phone: |
| email: asahoshi@nr.infi.net | (H) (910) 785-1130 |
| fax: (910) 748-4632 | (O) (910) 545-2722 |
|_____________________________|____________________________________|
| He who walking on the sea could calm the bitter waves, who gives |
| life to the dying seeds of the earth; He who was able to loose |
| the mortal chains of death and after three days' darkness could |
| bring again to the upper world the brother of his sister Martha: |
| He, I beleive, will make Damasus rise again from the dust. |
| Pope St. Damasus I (c.305-384) |
|__________________________________________________________________|
From: S McGinness <smcginn@csm.ex.ac.uk>
Date: Sun, 25 May 97 17:29:09 GMT
Subject: Re: Active Costs
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"John P. Weatherman" <asahoshi@net.infi.nr>
>Has anyone else noticed that while Hero suggests things
>like a 60 Active Point limit for attack powers of beginning
>characters, they also create their "standard" weapondry at
>closer to 100 Active Points? I'm refering in particular to
>CyberHero which is my best available Hero source for
>technotoys. Does anyone have any house rules for allowing
>heros to use the more powerful standard weapons that hero
>releases? In particular, many of my character concepts have
>military backgrounds, so it gets quite frustrating to be
>unable to build military grade gear that's usable.
My My John, we are full of questions this weekend aren't we? :-)
I have broken away completely with limiting the active point cost
of things. I don't think it is a good way to balance out the
various powers you might come up with. I'm not trying to say that
a point is not getting you a points value anywhere, though we all
realise that things aren't (and can never truly be 100% balanced),
but if you buy a 100 point power then it will give 100 point value,
if you place limitations on it then it tends to give 100 point value
_some_ of the time. Why should players be limited to either 60
points all the time, or 60 points some of the time, and in some cases
60 points none of the time?? If the utility of a power is very
limited then I'll tend to allow higher point powers. If the power
is limited in effectiveness then I'll always allow higher point
powers. The active point might be a good initial point to start
limitations but I tend to use it more as a guide than a rule.
Stephen
Date: Sun, 25 May 1997 12:37:38 -0500 (CDT)
Posted-Date: Sun, 25 May 1997 12:37:38 -0500 (CDT)
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From: Rob <rvb@visi.com>
Subject: Re: Charges
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Part of the figuring of the value of limitations is in figuring the
pragmatic value, not the hypothetical one. Up around 250 charges, on a
single use attack, you're talking about over fifty turns of ordinary combat.
I don't know anyone whose single adventures go through so much combat. This
is ten or more average combats in my Champions experience. For a single
attack used routinely, about sixteen to thirty uses for even the longest
adventure would be about as much as pragmatically would be used.
Turning to the case of autofire attacks, there's a whole other kettle of
fish. Autofire attacks redistribute the odds on Stun Lotto effects of both
normal and killing attacks, skewing in favour of Stunning. The difference is
so dramatic in the case of killing attacks that my house rule doubles the
cost of autofire charges on KA's. The mathematics of this is fairly
involved, for a short reply, but it seemed to balance fairly well over a
course of five years of weekly campaigns.
As for inconsistencies in costs, sure, at the extreme limits of the rules,
things often get a bit distorted. That's why GM's exercise discretion.
Date: Sun, 25 May 1997 11:45:53 -0700
From: michael <jonesmj@topaz.cqu.edu.au>
Subject: Re: real world martial art
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Rob wrote:
>
> This isn't by way of flame, and don't take it the wrong way, but when I
> dabbled in such things, I met or studied under three people who met or
> studied under the man called the father of modern Aikido. All of them eighth
> Dan. None of them used 'kido' as a term in itself, although several times
> their lessons addressed the subjects of 'do', 'ki' and 'ai', which I'm sure
> you well know mean 'way', 'personal energy' and 'harmony' in Japanese. None
> of them mentioned Korea, either, in connection with Aikido.
>
rule of thumb: i don't consider critical comments flames. don't think i'm going to be
offended by dialogue. i tend to ignore such concepts, so i doubt i'd have any grounds
for going all high-minded on you . . .
> Perhaps I'm reading too much into what you're saying. Did you only intended
> to cover Hapkido (which a second Dan instructor did mention had some
> connection to Korea to me) in your statement?
>
it was a classification which made sense: both styles are simmilar, and deal with the
concept of 'ki', and have common ancestry - it was merly a classification, one which i
have seen used many times.
> And, while I am getting old, I promise you this happened much, much less
> than a hundred years ago. Judo only descended from Jiujitsu a little over a
> hundred years ago, and the popular explosion in the various jutsu's and do's
> began in this century. It is more like the distinction of 'do' and 'jutsu'
> was less important literally a hundred years ago. Given that - despite
> claims of 'Te' adherents to the contrary -martial arts in the Orient are
> less than eight hundred years old (much less than the four thousand year
> Western traditions of wrestling and boxing, or the approximate twenty five
> hundred year history of martial forms in India, where the Western traditions
> evolved into the roots of the Oriental martial arts) it surprises me that so
> many people get carried away to the extent that they do about all this. I
> think it's just the fascination people have with the exotic that makes them
> forget it's just another version of a sport.
>
i agree! however, the idea of "do-vs-jutsu" comes from earlier times, in feudal japan.
different schools "something-jutsu" competed in war and duels. and the "do" concept came
in with judo and the like later on. AND, there is a great deal of evidence that martial
arst originted all over the place, from very old roots, and evolved together over time.
i think it is silly to think "we(korean styles)" "them(japanese styles)" or "us(chinese
styles" were the progenetor of martial arts.
Date: Sun, 25 May 1997 12:01:02 -0700
From: michael <jonesmj@topaz.cqu.edu.au>
Subject: Re: Invasion!?!
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S McGinness wrote:
>
> At 02:35 PM 5/23/97 -0400, Patrick Barden wrote:
> >I am soon to be lauching my first alien invasion in a Champions Campaign. I
> >have been putting it off because the scale seems somewhat overwhelming. I
> >would appreciate the advice or suggestions of anyone who has played an
> invasion.
> >
> >Here are some of my questions:
> >
> >What can I do to keep things moving?
>
> Have you read the Harry Turtledove alien invasion books??
>
> In the balance/Tilting the balance/ and something else about balance :-)
>
> There should be enough material for stuff to use in various
> scenarios to base a campaign around.
> plus try to get hold of the old "INVASION: DCUNIVERSE" stories. they had some cool
scenes of a united superheroic front, and a good set of cool potential scenes.
Date: Sun, 25 May 1997 12:10:39 -0700
From: michael <jonesmj@topaz.cqu.edu.au>
Subject: Re: Invasion!?!
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Todd Hanson wrote:
>
> Bob Greenwade wrote:
> >
>
> > surrender, try to escape, or bring in some deus ex machina. If the PCs are
> > on the losing end of a combat that's getting boring besides, have a more
> > powerful force show up to save their bacon (giving thanks for "keeping these
> > guys busy until we got here," of course, just to make them feel useful).
>
> This is one thing I would definately disagree with. As a PC it would
> leave me feeling like I had wasted my time if I had just fought for my
> life against the aliens, only to have the big guns show up to bail me
> out. I would be left with the 'why bother' attitude.
>
but the cavalry has to come alon once or twice: remember, the idea of global cooperation
figures very strongly here. what better way to show it than have the "soviet
supernaughts" turn up and save the characters ass, and then have the characters do the
same?? it is a war, afteral, there should be wins and losses, and lots o' dead npc
supers :->~
> Instead, make the aliens seem unbeatable, but leave a method (or more
> than one) where the PCs can discover a method to turn the tide of the
> battle, kind along the lines of how in Independance Day they discovered
> how to turn off the force fields of the alien ships (although I would go
> for something a little more believable)
>
*sigh* no i really regret deciding not to be so abrasive. This is a cliche (no flame
intended, todd) which has been done several times in billions of situations, and is one
of the few plots used in startrek (no flame intended, universal studios!). I would
aavoid it at all costs myself, but probably a better idea is to use it a littly bit
(maybe neutralise a particular race in a coalition, for instance) but keep it to a
minimum.
> Let the PCs discover some alien technology that enhances their own
> powers - giving them additional firepower and defenses. It doesnt have
> to be much - adding 2 to 4 dice to a standard attack makes it a really
> nasty attack.. add a 10/10 force field to their defenses and an alien
> gun that would have stunned them before is no more than a nuisance. Let
> the PCs feel like they defeated the aliens on their own by outsmarting
> them. Of course, make the technology run off of an alien power source
> so you can get rid of it after this scenario...
>
> Todd
they did this in dc, i think(no flame intended, DC comics)
and it's a bit mean(no fl-oh, forget it) maybe they could steal a ship or two,
and maybe you could tell them to save their points before the scenario, so one or two of
them can have a radiation accident?
From: David.Berge@october.com (David Berge)
Date: 25 May 97 12:16:08 -0800
Subject: How many d6 does a papae
Organization: Fidonet: Red October Alpha * Hero Roleplaying * 408-629-4695 *
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Patrick Barden writes:
h> How do you figure out how much damage a thrown object will do when it
> hits a person. I have been told that you do
> damage based on extra strength. This doesn't seem quite right. By this
> standard a paper airplane could be quite deadly in the hands of a strong
> enough brick.
Terminal velocity intrudes. An object's terminal velocity depends on its
density and shape. The paper airplane simply can't go fast enough to do the
full STR damage of a normal person. (More precisely, the airplane dece-
lerates immediately when it leaves the thrower's hand.)
In game terms, I would set an upper limit on the thrown damage that any
object can generate. Anyone can probably do full damage with dense metal
objects. Bricks will hit a limit with objects of density less than, oh, 3,
and everyone else will be limited with objects less dense than water (1.0).
I don't want to assign exact numbers, though; it's really not an important
issue unless the density is very low.
Date: Mon, 26 May 1997 00:20:20 -0400 (EDT)
X-Sender: nexus@uky.campus.mci.net
From: Kim Foster <nexus@uky.campus.mci.net>
Subject: Rengeration Question
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Does anyone have a system for derterming the length of time need to regrow
limbs/organs for characters with rengeration? Any suggestions would be well
appreciated,thanks.
Can God make a plot so twisted even he can't figure it out?
Tom Servo -MST 3K "The Island of Dr Fu Manchu"
Posted-Date: Mon, 26 May 1997 07:51:27 +0200 (MET DST)
X-Authentication-Warning: james.stud.ntnu.no: leirbakk owned process doing -bs
Date: Mon, 26 May 1997 07:51:27 +0200 (MET DST)
From: Jens-Arthur Leirbakk <leirbakk@stud.ntnu.no>
Subject: Re: Rengeration Question
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On Mon, 26 May 1997, Kim Foster wrote:
> Does anyone have a system for derterming the length of time need to regrow
> limbs/organs for characters with rengeration? Any suggestions would be well
> appreciated,thanks.
>
> Can God make a plot so twisted even he can't figure it out?
> Tom Servo -MST 3K "The Island of Dr Fu Manchu"
Well, I'd perhaps guess something along these lines: First, figure out the
maximum amount of Body that limb can take, based on the Body multiple in
that area. For instance, I believe that an arm is .5. Thus, if a character
has 30 Body, then that character's "arm body" is 15. Then, let's say that
this number represents the number of months it takes for a character's
limb to regrow (unless you want real 4-color, then you say weeks or days
or whatever). Divide that on the Body/turn of the Regeneration power to
find the total time needed to regrow that limb. Example: The character has
a 4 Body Regeneration, and lost that arm. 15/4 is somewhat under 4 months,
so it'll take 3 months and 3 weeks to completely regrow that arm. It is
probable that the character will be able to actually use the arm in but a
fraction of that time, but it will not be back to normal strength until 3
months and 3 weeks have passed. If that seems long to you, then use weeks
as your base time unit, or what have you.
===============================================
= Jens-Arthur Leirbakk =
= e-mail: leirbakk@stud.ntnu.no =
= http://www.pvv.ntnu.no/~leirbakk/index.html =
= Smash forehead on keyboard to continue =
===============================================
Subject: Re: Rengeration Question
Date: Mon, 26 May 97 08:46:17 -0500
From: John P Weatherman <asahoshi@nr.infi.net>
Errors-To: owner-champ-l@omg.org
Sender: owner-champ-l@omg.org
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>>On Mon, 26 May 1997, Kim Foster wrote:
>
>> Does anyone have a system for derterming the length of time need to regrow
>> limbs/organs for characters with rengeration? Any suggestions would be well
>> appreciated,thanks.
>On Mon, 26 May 1997, Jens-Arthur Leirbakk wrote:
>
>Well, I'd perhaps guess something along these lines: First, figure out the
>maximum amount of Body that limb can take, based on the Body multiple in
>that area. For instance, I believe that an arm is .5. Thus, if a character
>has 30 Body, then that character's "arm body" is 15. Then, let's say that
>this number represents the number of months it takes for a character's
>limb to regrow (unless you want real 4-color, then you say weeks or days
>or whatever). Divide that on the Body/turn of the Regeneration power to
>find the total time needed to regrow that limb. Example: The character has
>a 4 Body Regeneration, and lost that arm. 15/4 is somewhat under 4 months,
>so it'll take 3 months and 3 weeks to completely regrow that arm. It is
>probable that the character will be able to actually use the arm in but a
>fraction of that time, but it will not be back to normal strength until 3
>months and 3 weeks have passed. If that seems long to you, then use weeks
>as your base time unit, or what have you.
Another approach would be to simply slide the regeneration down to Body
per
day. In the example above, that would allow the arm to grow back in a
litle
over four days. For higher regens if would be faster and for (in my
experience
more common) slower regens it would take longer. In any case, a
regenerating
character has their arm back in 16 days. This seems about right for four
color.
About the highest regen I've ever seen actually used was 5/TURN, which
would
still require 3 days to recover (and considering the same character can
recover
from near fatal wounds, say -29 BODY, in just over 2 minutes) this still
feels
about right for a four color. In Dark Champions, I'd probably say
Jens-Arthur's
approach works better. Reguardless, depending on the special effect, it
might
be reasonable to allow for "reapplying the severed limb" assuming it
wasn't
destroyed, only lopped off, and allow normal regeneration to work.
PAX.
____________________________________________________________________
| Name: John P. Weatherman | Phone: |
| email: asahoshi@nr.infi.net | (H) (910) 785-1130 |
| fax: (910) 748-4632 | (O) (910) 545-2722 |
|_____________________________|____________________________________|
| He who walking on the sea could calm the bitter waves, who gives |
| life to the dying seeds of the earth; He who was able to loose |
| the mortal chains of death and after three days' darkness could |
| bring again to the upper world the brother of his sister Martha: |
| He, I beleive, will make Damasus rise again from the dust. |
| Pope St. Damasus I (c.305-384) |
|__________________________________________________________________|
Date: Mon, 26 May 1997 10:50:59 -0500 (CDT)
Posted-Date: Mon, 26 May 1997 10:50:59 -0500 (CDT)
X-Sender: rvb@visi.com
From: Rob <rvb@visi.com>
Subject: Re: Regeneration
Errors-To: owner-champ-l@omg.org
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While I can appreciate the dramatic effect of slow regeneration of limbs, my
own take on the issue is that the limb is restored as soon as all BODY taken
in the injury that severed it is restored, unless the special effects or
circumstances interfere.
This is more satisfying to me that alternatives based on 'proportion of
BODY'. After all, why should a character who loses an arm, having paid
nothing for BODY, get it back in a third the time that an otherwise
identical character, paying 40 points more for BODY, does? (To cite the
example of the 30 BODY one-armed regenerator.)
I suggest, if you need slower regeneration, just attribute it to
circumstances, and set an arbitrary duration based on measures the character
takes. Rest in bed attended by excellent caregivers being faster, trekking
through disease-infested swamps slower.
X-Sender: ctaylor@mailhost.cyberhighway.net
Date: Mon, 26 May 1997 09:33:59 -0700
From: Christopher Taylor <ctaylor@cyberhighway.net>
Subject: Hughes Academy Game
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Okay, the game is full, thanks for everyone's submissions and suggestions.
I have the following information from each player, for those of you without
a full character and a background please get those to me soon, I would like
to get started by next Monday (June 1).
Anthony MacElroy --- character
John Jerles --- character and background
Rafael Sant'Anna --- character and background
Razor Sharp --- character outline
Captain Spith --- character and background
jnealis (sorry, I neglected to write your name down) --- letter of intent
Will Austin --- character and background
Alex Rojas --- character
Bryce --- character and background
Carolyn Vaughan --- character and background
flacksd@evron.com (sorry, I neglected to write your name down) --- character
MartinTucker --- Letter of Intent
----------------------------------------------------------
Sola Gracia Sola Scriptura Sola Fide
Soli Gloria Deo Solus Christus Corum Deo
-----------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 26 May 1997 23:31:56 -0400 (EDT)
X-Sender: jprins@interhop.net
From: jprins@interhop.net (John and Ron Prins)
Subject: Re: Active Costs
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>why not just ignore the llimits?? i tend to think any active points limint
is stupid . .
>. what's the difference between 60 and 63?
Last time I looked, it was 3. :-) I've always thought of the 'active point
limit' as more of a guideline. Especially with very heavily advantaged
powers, where the difference between 3D6 of effect and 4D6 of effect can
mean 15-20 points. So you either allow a 70 point power or force the PC to
take a 50 point power - heck, give him the 70 pointer. 'Raw' powers,
however, should adhere more closely to the AP limit.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
"All right, all right! I'll sit on your crummy lap! Anything!! Just stop
disintigrating me!!"
-Gold Digger
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
John D. Prins
jprins@interhop.net
From: HoosierJA@aol.com
Date: Tue, 27 May 1997 02:57:41 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Recoveries
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Okay,
A fellow Champions GM and friend of mine just ran a strange idea past me. He
has abolished the post segment 12 recovery in his combats. He says "If you
want a recovery, you gotta take one. I'm not handing you one on a silver
platter" (or words to that effect). He claims it greatly speeds up his
combats and does not change the feel of the game.
I'm intrigued. I'm not running a game right now and have had no opportunity
to give it a whirl. Have any of you out there tried this or anything
similar? And if so, what are your thoughts? Heck, even if you haven't tried
it what are your thoughts?
Jay A
Date: Tue, 27 May 1997 01:55:03 -0600
From: Curtis Gibson <Mhoram@apeleon.net>
Subject: Re: Recoveries
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HoosierJA@aol.com wrote:
>
> Okay,
>
> A fellow Champions GM and friend of mine just ran a strange idea past me. He
> has abolished the post segment 12 recovery in his combats. He says "If you
> want a recovery, you gotta take one. I'm not handing you one on a silver
> platter" (or words to that effect). He claims it greatly speeds up his
> combats and does not change the feel of the game.
>
> I'm intrigued. I'm not running a game right now and have had no opportunity
> to give it a whirl. Have any of you out there tried this or anything
> similar? And if so, what are your thoughts? Heck, even if you haven't tried
> it what are your thoughts?
>
> Jay A
I personally thing it would shift the balance of power off. Bricks (for
instance) usually have low speeds and high recoveries. Without a post
12, they wouldn't be able to absorb damage anywhere near as well. A
speedster or High speed MA could afford to blow a phase to recover, but
the low speed bricks couldn't.
End use could also get to be a problem.
This kind of rule could work well for a dark Champs, but I don't think
it would fly well in a Four color.
All the previous is IMHO, of course.
A question of my own, while on the subject. When we had a player that
came in from another campaign (ie we didn't teach him) we found a
differance of style, with no real basis for doing things whichever way;
to wit: Post 12's in our game were for Stun/End recoveries only. The way
his group had always run it, that if you get stunned in 12, your post 12
goes to recovering from being stunned, and thus doesn't help end/stun.
Does any of the list at large do this?
We don't have difficuties here because of the differance (we are adults
after all) but are curious as to how others do it.
--
-Mhoram
Why is it a penny for your thoughts, but you have to put your
two cents in. Somebody's makin' a penny somewhere. -Stephen Wright
Mhoram's Fantasy Hero Domain:
http://apeleon.net/~mhoram/hero/FHsplash1.htm
Date: Tue, 27 May 1997 04:16:22 -0400 (EDT)
From: Wayne J Shaw <shaw@IDT.NET>
X-Sender: shaw@u3.farm.idt.net
cc: champ-l@omg.org
Subject: Re: Recoveries
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On Tue, 27 May 1997 HoosierJA@aol.com wrote:
> Okay,
>
> A fellow Champions GM and friend of mine just ran a strange idea past me. He
> has abolished the post segment 12 recovery in his combats. He says "If you
> want a recovery, you gotta take one. I'm not handing you one on a silver
> platter" (or words to that effect). He claims it greatly speeds up his
> combats and does not change the feel of the game.
>
> I'm intrigued. I'm not running a game right now and have had no opportunity
> to give it a whirl. Have any of you out there tried this or anything
> similar? And if so, what are your thoughts? Heck, even if you haven't tried
> it what are your thoughts?
Well, it'll certainly do that. But it also overly rewards a high
movement, high speed person, who can afford to duck around a corner and
recover, while his lesser bretheren can't. And it makes it impossible to
fly long distances unless your flight is at 0 END.
Date: Tue, 27 May 1997 04:44:47 -0500 (EST)
From: Tokyo Mark <bastet@iquest.net>
X-Sender: bastet@iquest7
Reply-To: Tokyo Mark <bastet@iquest.net>
cc: champ-l@omg.org
Subject: Re: Recoveries
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> A fellow Champions GM and friend of mine just ran a strange idea past
me. He
> has abolished the post segment 12 recovery in his combats. He says "If you
> want a recovery, you gotta take one. I'm not handing you one on a silver
> platter" (or words to that effect). He claims it greatly speeds up his
> combats and does not change the feel of the game.
I'm sure it would speed up combat, but at least with the groups I'm in it
would change the feel of the game. Like Hobbes 'State of Nature' combats
woudl become nasty, brutish and short. 0 End powers and aids will be
more common.
>
> I'm intrigued. I'm not running a game right now and have had no opportunity
> to give it a whirl. Have any of you out there tried this or anything
> similar? And if so, what are your thoughts? Heck, even if you haven't tried
> it what are your thoughts?
One thing the group I'm with does that helps. WE start combat at the top
of a turn, not on 12. Starting on 12 gives everyone a chance to push an
attack, then recover from their damage and end. It's almost a wasted
round. By starting either on the first phase someone goes on (me)
or having a 'start of combat' phase then starting with the first phase,
combat seems to go a little quicker. Just my thoughts.
TokyoMark
From: Chuff78002@aol.com
Date: Tue, 27 May 1997 06:15:54 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: In case anyone's interested.....
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Hi,
Look, I know that this is the hero mailer, but I'd thought I'd offer out an
invitation anyway. If anyone wishes to join an AD&D PBEM set in my own
version of the Forgotten Realms please e-mail direct rather than to the list
thankyou.
lurkers are more than welcome.
Thanx
Chuff78002.
From: Chuff78002@aol.com
Date: Tue, 27 May 1997 06:15:55 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Uthden Troll...watch this space !
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Sorry about the delays folks, but things have gotten hectic over here and The
Uthden Troll mtg/fh conversion has been put on the back burner for a while,
however i'm almost ready to compile the data and it should be posted real
soon !
WATCH THIS SPACE !!!!!
Chuff78002.
Date: Tue, 27 May 1997 05:45:55 -0500
From: Jon Knutson <waffyjon@execpc.com>
Reply-To: waffyjon@execpc.com
Subject: Re: Recoveries
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Curtis Gibson wrote:
>
> A question of my own, while on the subject. When we had a player that
> came in from another campaign (ie we didn't teach him) we found a
> differance of style, with no real basis for doing things whichever way;
> to wit: Post 12's in our game were for Stun/End recoveries only. The way
> his group had always run it, that if you get stunned in 12, your post 12
> goes to recovering from being stunned, and thus doesn't help end/stun.
> Does any of the list at large do this?
>
> We don't have difficuties here because of the differance (we are adults
> after all) but are curious as to how others do it.
>
In my old gaming group in Washington, we'd make it an option; anyone
stunned on Phase 12 could either use their post-12 to recover STUN and
END, or to recover from being stunned. If they used it to recover
stun/end, they'd still need to use their next phase to recover from
being stunned. It worked rather well for us.
Jon
X-Sender: jrc@pop1.nai.net
Date: Tue, 27 May 1997 06:30:40 -0500
From: "Joe Claffey Jr." <jrc@mail1.nai.net>
Subject: Re: Recoveries
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Curtis Gibson <Mhoram@apeleon.net> wrote,
>to wit: Post 12's in our game were for Stun/End recoveries only. The way
>his group had always run it, that if you get stunned in 12, your post 12
>goes to recovering from being stunned, and thus doesn't help end/stun.
>Does any of the list at large do this?
Yeah, that's how my friends and I do it. It doesn't seem to throw anything
out of balance.
We also play that if you get stunned before your DEX count, you recover
from being stunned that phase but lose your action. I don't know if that's
standard or not.
Joe Claffey | "In the end, everything is a gag."
jrc@ct1.nai.net | - Charlie Chaplin
X-Sender: avery1@pop.flash.net
Date: Tue, 27 May 1997 15:57:52
From: John Turner <Avery1@flash.net>
Subject: Re: Active Costs
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To: champ-l@omg.org
At 12:42 PM 5/27/97 -0700, michael wrote:
>John P. Weatherman wrote:
>>
>> Has anyone else noticed that while Hero suggests things
>> like a 60 Active Point limit for attack powers of beginning
>> characters, they also create their "standard" weapondry at
>> closer to 100 Active Points? BLAH BLAH BLAH
>> PAX
>
>why not just ignore the llimits?? i tend to think any active points limint
is stupid . .
>. what's the difference between 60 and 63?
>
that would be 3. :P
X-Sender: avery1@pop.flash.net
Date: Tue, 27 May 1997 16:17:29
From: John Turner <Avery1@flash.net>
Subject: Re: Recoveries
Cc: champ-l@omg.org
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To: champ-l@omg.org
At 04:44 AM 5/27/97 -0500, Tokyo Mark wrote:
>One thing the group I'm with does that helps. WE start combat at the top
>of a turn, not on 12. Starting on 12 gives everyone a chance to push an
>attack, then recover from their damage and end. It's almost a wasted
>round. By starting either on the first phase someone goes on (me)
> or having a 'start of combat' phase then starting with the first phase,
>combat seems to go a little quicker. Just my thoughts.
>
>TokyoMark
The group I play with start combat on 12, but we never let anyone push an
attack at this time. I really hate the pushing rules, they are too often
abused. We had one player that would try to push everytime he attacked,
because he figured he could mathematically risk the END. This made me
institute a rule that I, as GM, have total control of when the players can
push. I can understand if a character wants to boost a power with xps and
pushes the attack everytime for a while (while he is building up the xps to
increase the points in the power). The players have since learned that
pushing is to be used only in extreme cases, not on every phase.
Date: Tue, 27 May 1997 13:40:07 -0400 (EDT)
From: William K Bushway <wbushway@osf1.gmu.edu>
Reply-To: William K Bushway <wbushway@osf1.gmu.edu>
Subject: subscription
Errors-To: owner-champ-l@omg.org
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To: champ-l@omg.org
Sorry to take up bandwidth like this, but I sent in my
re-subscription request over a week ago (to hero-request@omg.org) and
haven't recieved any mail. Does it usually take this long, or do I have
the wrong address?
Thanks for any help you can provide,
William K. Bushway, wbushway@osf1.gmu.edu
http://Mason.GMU.edu/~wbushway/index.html
"I'm betting that I'm just abnormal enough to survive."
-The Tick, The Tick Vs.The Breadmaster
Date: Tue, 27 May 1997 12:42:29 -0700
From: michael <jonesmj@topaz.cqu.edu.au>
Subject: Re: Active Costs
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John P. Weatherman wrote:
>
> Has anyone else noticed that while Hero suggests things
> like a 60 Active Point limit for attack powers of beginning
> characters, they also create their "standard" weapondry at
> closer to 100 Active Points? I'm refering in particular to
> CyberHero which is my best available Hero source for
> technotoys. Does anyone have any house rules for allowing
> heros to use the more powerful standard weapons that hero
> releases? In particular, many of my character concepts have
> military backgrounds, so it gets quite frustrating to be
> unable to build military grade gear that's usable.
>
> PAX
why not just ignore the llimits?? i tend to think any active points limint is stupid . .
. what's the difference between 60 and 63?
>
> ____________________________________________________________________
> | Name: John P. Weatherman | Phone: |
>
> | email: asahoshi@nr.infi.net | (H) (910) 785-1130 |
> | fax: (910) 748-4632 | (O) (910) 545-2722 |
> |_____________________________|____________________________________|
> | He who walking on the sea could calm the bitter waves, who gives |
> | life to the dying seeds of the earth; He who was able to loose |
> | the mortal chains of death and after three days' darkness could |
> | bring again to the upper world the brother of his sister Martha: |
> | He, I beleive, will make Damasus rise again from the dust. |
> | Pope St. Damasus I (c.305-384) |
> |__________________________________________________________________|
Date: Tue, 27 May 1997 12:45:13 -0700
From: michael <jonesmj@topaz.cqu.edu.au>
Subject: Re: Rengeration Question
Errors-To: owner-champ-l@omg.org
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I do organ damage as a plot concept, and use a ten point 'bonus' body cost for a normal
organ/limb/bit. Also you could try a bonus cost as a function of total body.
Kim Foster wrote:
>
> Does anyone have a system for derterming the length of time need to regrow
> limbs/organs for characters with rengeration? Any suggestions would be well
> appreciated,thanks.
>
> Can God make a plot so twisted even he can't figure it out?
> Tom Servo -MST 3K "The Island of Dr Fu Manchu"
From: dobrien@e-mail.com
Date: Tue, 27 May 1997 17:10:58 EDT
X-Sender-Info: Dennis L. O'Brien Class: Internal
Consulting Systems Engineer
VM Systems Software 15863 (510) 675-5594
Subject: Pacificon moved?
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To: champ-l@omg.org
The Dunfey Hotel told me today that they have been sold, and will be
closed for renovations from 11 June to "sometime in November". Pacificon
will not be held at the Dunfey.
Has anyone heard anything on where Pacificon will be held, or if it will
be held?
Dennis
A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend upon the
support of Paul. -- George Bernard Shaw
Date: Tue, 27 May 1997 14:21:46 -0700 (PDT)
X-Sender: bob.greenwade@klock.com
From: Bob Greenwade <bob.greenwade@klock.com>
Subject: Re: Invasion!?!
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At 02:39 PM 5/24/97 -0500, Todd Hanson wrote:
>> surrender, try to escape, or bring in some deus ex machina. If the PCs are
>> on the losing end of a combat that's getting boring besides, have a more
>> powerful force show up to save their bacon (giving thanks for "keeping these
>> guys busy until we got here," of course, just to make them feel useful).
>
>
>This is one thing I would definately disagree with. As a PC it would
>leave me feeling like I had wasted my time if I had just fought for my
>life against the aliens, only to have the big guns show up to bail me
>out. I would be left with the 'why bother' attitude.
That's a little different than what I was talking about. The mechanics
of what I was saying would be the same, except that afterward the big guns
tell the PCs, "Boy, it's a good thing you guys were here to slow these guys
down, or the whole world would've been toast!" Admittedly, that's not as
satisfying as stopping the Evil One on your own, but it still can give a
sense of having made a vital contribution.
>Instead, make the aliens seem unbeatable, but leave a method (or more
>than one) where the PCs can discover a method to turn the tide of the
>battle, kind along the lines of how in Independance Day they discovered
>how to turn off the force fields of the alien ships (although I would go
>for something a little more believable)
>
>Let the PCs discover some alien technology that enhances their own
>powers - giving them additional firepower and defenses. It doesnt have
>to be much - adding 2 to 4 dice to a standard attack makes it a really
>nasty attack.. add a 10/10 force field to their defenses and an alien
>gun that would have stunned them before is no more than a nuisance. Let
>the PCs feel like they defeated the aliens on their own by outsmarting
>them. Of course, make the technology run off of an alien power source
>so you can get rid of it after this scenario...
This is good advice for overall plotting. (Very good, in fact.) I was
addressing what can be done when an individual encounter bogs down.
---
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Date: Tue, 27 May 1997 14:21:54 -0700 (PDT)
X-Sender: bob.greenwade@klock.com
From: Bob Greenwade <bob.greenwade@klock.com>
Subject: Re: real world martial art
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At 03:21 PM 5/24/97 +1000, jonesmj@topaz.cqu.edu.au wrote:
>>Pardon me, but there are no "kido" styles. There are "do" styles and
>>"jutsu" styles, corresponding to "way" and "art". Aikijutsu is "the art of
>>Aiki" and Aikido is "the way of Aiki". The forms are similar, but "do"
>>styles encompass a philosophy: they are a way of life, whereas "jutsu"
>>forms tend to concentrate on the martial (combat) aspects: they are an art
>>of combat.
>
>hapKIDO!! aiKIDO!! And your literal interpretations were valid about 100
years ago, and no longer.
Try hapkiDO and aikiDO (as per a very clear interpretation of the Korean
language originals that Rat gave you).
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Date: Tue, 27 May 1997 14:21:59 -0700 (PDT)
X-Sender: bob.greenwade@klock.com
From: Bob Greenwade <bob.greenwade@klock.com>
Subject: Re: Rengeration Question
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At 12:20 AM 5/26/97 -0400, Kim Foster wrote:
>Does anyone have a system for derterming the length of time need to regrow
>limbs/organs for characters with rengeration? Any suggestions would be well
>appreciated,thanks.
I don't think that Regeneration (or any other "enhancement Power") is
able to regrow limbs, at least in the official rules.
In my own games, I allow "Can Regrow Limbs" as a +1/2 Advantage to
[healing] Aid, Regeneration, and Transfer, and the REC Characteristic. In
this case, the amount of BODY needed to regrow a limb is equal to the amount
that it took to cut it off in the first place.
And for the curious: yes, if a character with Transfer that Can Regrow
Limbs uses that Power on someone else, the other person does lose the limb,
but only for the duration that the Transfer lasts (and none of the
applications of this Advantage will work if the person with the Power never
had the limb in question to begin with).
---
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Date: Tue, 27 May 1997 15:03:34 -0700
From: "HAPPYELF!!!!" <jonesmj@topaz.cqu.edu.au>
Subject: Re: Active Costs
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John and Ron Prins wrote:
>
> >why not just ignore the llimits?? i tend to think any active points limint
> is stupid . .
> >. what's the difference between 60 and 63?
>
> Last time I looked, it was 3. :-) I've always thought of the 'active point
> limit' as more of a guideline. Especially with very heavily advantaged
> powers, where the difference between 3D6 of effect and 4D6 of effect can
> mean 15-20 points. So you either allow a 70 point power or force the PC to
> take a 50 point power - heck, give him the 70 pointer. 'Raw' powers,
> however, should adhere more closely to the AP limit.
>
i agree! however, i would still like to abolish the whole idea, or put it all in
gm-campagn control . . .
From: DocTough@aol.com
Date: Tue, 27 May 1997 18:23:30 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Re: Recoveries
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Doc sez...
Speeds up combat, eh?... Not surprised, characters must be getting
exhausted and knocked out sooner. Does your friend mention if there's been
an increase in the number of characters that have tried to purchase reduced
END on their STR and other powers?
Doc Tough
From: HoosierJA@aol.com
Date: Tue, 27 May 1997 18:43:48 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Re: Invasion!?!
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In a message dated 97-05-27 17:46:33 EDT, bob.greenwade@klock.com (Bob
Greenwade) writes:
> >This is one thing I would definately disagree with. As a PC it would
> >leave me feeling like I had wasted my time if I had just fought for my
> >life against the aliens, only to have the big guns show up to bail me
> >out. I would be left with the 'why bother' attitude.
>
> That's a little different than what I was talking about. The mechanics
> of what I was saying would be the same, except that afterward the big guns
> tell the PCs, "Boy, it's a good thing you guys were here to slow these
guys
> down, or the whole world would've been toast!" Admittedly, that's not as
> satisfying as stopping the Evil One on your own, but it still can give a
> sense of having made a vital contribution.
I would think that the "Queen Bee" motif would be the best for player
satisfaction. Not to mention that fact that it's easier to fight smaller
combats. Let the NPCs defend the white house (perhaps with a little help
from our heros). It's the PCs job to infiltrate, get in there and destroy
the queen mother, or the main computer, or whatever you can think of. Or
maybe even just talk 'em out of attacking...thats always fun. Or maybe
just......
You get my point. As many Earthlings as you want can stave off individual
attacks. Even win battles against incredible odds. But the PCs should be
the ones to eventually save the world. Unless you don't want the world
saved, that could be fun too.
Jay A
Comments: Authenticated sender is <aeverett@postoffice.worldnet.att.net>
From: "Al Everett" <aeverett@worldnet.att.net>
Date: Tue, 27 May 1997 18:10:53 -0500
Subject: Re: Recoveries
Reply-to: aeverett@worldnet.att.net
Priority: normal
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On 27 May 97 at 7:55, Curtis Gibson wrote:
> A question of my own, while on the subject. When we had a player
> that came in from another campaign (ie we didn't teach him) we found
> a differance of style, with no real basis for doing things whichever
> way; to wit: Post 12's in our game were for Stun/End recoveries
> only. The way his group had always run it, that if you get stunned
> in 12, your post 12 goes to recovering from being stunned, and thus
> doesn't help end/stun. Does any of the list at large do this?
My group has traditionally done it this way, more from ignorance than
anything else. To our way of thinking, whether you recover from being
stunned and then recover END/STUN or recover END/STUN then recover
from being stunned, the end result is the same.
Never seemed to unbalance anything.
--
Al Everett | "Work is the curse of the drinking
aeverett@worldnet.att.net | classes" - Rev William A Spooner
Date: Wed, 28 May 1997 02:49:53 -0500 (EST)
From: Tokyo Mark <bastet@iquest.net>
X-Sender: bastet@iquest7
cc: champ-l@omg.org
Subject: Re: How many d6 does a papae
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> Terminal velocity intrudes. An object's terminal velocity depends on its
> density and shape. The paper airplane simply can't go fast enough to do the
> full STR damage of a normal person. (More precisely, the airplane dece-
> lerates immediately when it leaves the thrower's hand.)
>
> In game terms, I would set an upper limit on the thrown damage that any
> object can generate. Anyone can probably do full damage with dense metal
> objects. Bricks will hit a limit with objects of density less than, oh, 3,
> and everyone else will be limited with objects less dense than water (1.0).
>
> I don't want to assign exact numbers, though; it's really not an important
> issue unless the density is very low.
I believe there is a section in the book where it states that the damage
of an object can't be more then def+body of the object. It's been a long
time since I bothered to look this up so it might simply apply to a past
edition, but it seems a reasonable way to handle it.
TokyoMark
Date: Wed, 28 May 1997 07:58:08 -0700
From: Tim Statler <tstatler@igateway.net>
Reply-To: tstatler@igateway.net
Subject: Re: Some effects I am working on
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Charles T. Badger wrote:
>
> At 11:50 05/28/97 -0400, Patrick Barden wrote:
> >Have a couple of effects I am trying to duplicate.
> >
> >1) I want to create directed explosions. The attacks would be similar to
> >an explosion except that the area of the effect would be either a line or a
> >cone.
>
> since the radius advantage is +1 advantage and gives the same distance as a
> explosion with the explosion giving less damage to the outer area and also
> being a +1/2 advantage you could use those two facts to build the other area
> effect cone and line and use the same distance they would and divide the
> decrease over even increments.
A good use of the AE:Explosive Cone (+1/2) advantage is in modelling a
shotgun blast.
Tim Statler
Date: Wed, 28 May 1997 11:50:13 -0400
X-Sender: absga@elbertonga.com
From: Patrick Barden <absga@elbertonga.com>
Subject: Some effects I am working on
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Have a couple of effects I am trying to duplicate.
1) I want to create directed explosions. The attacks would be similar to
an explosion except that the area of the effect would be either a line or a
cone. Would this be a modification of the explosion advantage or the area
effect advantage?
2.) I want to duplicate the effect of a healer who absorbs the damage he
heals. What level of disadvantage would you give for a power that costs
STUN instead of or in addition to END. The character is a NPC so I am not
worried about the long term effects of such a power.
TIA, TTFN
Patrick B.
X-Sender: badger@badgerden.com
Date: Wed, 28 May 1997 12:41:58 -0400
From: badger@badgerden.com (Charles T. Badger)
Subject: Re: Some effects I am working on
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At 11:50 05/28/97 -0400, Patrick Barden wrote:
>Have a couple of effects I am trying to duplicate.
>
>1) I want to create directed explosions. The attacks would be similar to
>an explosion except that the area of the effect would be either a line or a
>cone. Would this be a modification of the explosion advantage or the area
>effect advantage?
since the radius advantage is +1 advantage and gives the same distance as a
explosion with the explosion giving less damage to the outer area and also
being a +1/2 advantage you could use those two facts to build the other area
effect cone and line and use the same distance they would and divide the
decrease over even increments. I don't have my book with me currently but
the distance is more or less based on dc in the base power.
>2.) I want to duplicate the effect of a healer who absorbs the damage he
>heals. What level of disadvantage would you give for a power that costs
>STUN instead of or in addition to END. The character is a NPC so I am not
>worried about the long term effects of such a power.
I saw one where the aid with feedback is a -1 limitation that does the same
amount of body to the user as he/she heals. Transfer would be similar to but
instead of my transfer transfering points from you to me it would be me to
you. that would be worth at least -1/2 limitation.
-----
Charles T. Badger
President Badger Internet Services, Inc.
http://www.badgerden.com
vrml page
http://vrml.badgerden.com
Date: Wed, 28 May 1997 09:43:29 -0700
From: Eric Langendorff <ericl@swiftmedia.com>
Reply-To: ericl@swiftmedia.com
Organization: AGT
Subject: Re: Some effects I am working on
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Patrick Barden wrote:
>
> Have a couple of effects I am trying to duplicate.
>
> 1) I want to create directed explosions. The attacks would be similar to
> an explosion except that the area of the effect would be either a line or a
> cone. Would this be a modification of the explosion advantage or the area
> effect advantage?
I'd say 1/4 to 1/2 less advantage: Explosive Degrade.
> 2.) I want to duplicate the effect of a healer who absorbs the damage he
> heals. What level of disadvantage would you give for a power that costs
> STUN instead of or in addition to END. The character is a NPC so I am not
> worried about the long term effects of such a power.
Transfer with a -0 SFX limitation: Only works in reverse.
-Eric
Date: Wed, 28 May 1997 10:07:14 -0700
From: Mark Lemming <icepirat@ix.netcom.com>
Reply-To: icepirat@ix.netcom.com
Subject: Re: Some effects I am working on
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Patrick Barden wrote:
>
> Have a couple of effects I am trying to duplicate.
>
> 1) I want to create directed explosions. The attacks would be similar to
> an explosion except that the area of the effect would be either a line or a
> cone. Would this be a modification of the explosion advantage or the area
> effect advantage?
Work it like the area effect advantages. The cone would act just like
the radius effect in that -1d6 per 1". The line I might automatically
allow -1d6 per 2" since it's a lot easier to dive out of.
I think the cone advantage was either Champs II or Champs 3.
>
> 2.) I want to duplicate the effect of a healer who absorbs the damage he
> heals. What level of disadvantage would you give for a power that costs
> STUN instead of or in addition to END. The character is a NPC so I am not
> worried about the long term effects of such a power.
Side effect that always goes off. Without my books I couldn't say the
the costs. probably -1. -2 if he doesn't have ready access to personal
healing.
-Mark
Subject: Re: Some effects I am working on
Date: Wed, 28 May 97 13:08:33 -0400
x-sender: DFair@pop.worldweb.net
From: "David A. Fair" <DFair@sdslink.com>
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On 5/28/97 11:50 AM, Patrick Barden (absga@elbertonga.com) Said:
>1) I want to create directed explosions. The attacks would be similar to
>an explosion except that the area of the effect would be either a line or a
>cone. Would this be a modification of the explosion advantage or the area
>effect advantage?
>
I would probably do this as :
Energy Blast, AE:(Line or Cone), Reduced by Range
>2.) I want to duplicate the effect of a healer who absorbs the damage he
>heals. What level of disadvantage would you give for a power that costs
>STUN instead of or in addition to END. The character is a NPC so I am not
>worried about the long term effects of such a power.
I think this is spelled out in the HSR under Aid....
.oooO |
( ) Oooo. | David A. Fair
\ ( ( ) | SDS International
\_) ) / | dfair@sdslink.com
(_/ |
Date: Wed, 28 May 1997 17:43:30 -0300 (ADT)
From: Trevor Barrie <tbarrie@ibm.net>
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Subject: Re: Active Costs
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On Tue, 27 May 1997, HAPPYELF!!!! wrote:
> > Last time I looked, it was 3. :-) I've always thought of the 'active point
> > limit' as more of a guideline. Especially with very heavily advantaged
> > powers, where the difference between 3D6 of effect and 4D6 of effect can
> > mean 15-20 points. So you either allow a 70 point power or force the PC to
> > take a 50 point power - heck, give him the 70 pointer. 'Raw' powers,
> > however, should adhere more closely to the AP limit.
>
> i agree! however, i would still like to abolish the whole idea, or put it
> all in gm-campagn control . . .
How do you mean? It's already entirely a GM campaign-control issue.
Date: Wed, 28 May 1997 14:06:51 -0700 (PDT)
X-Sender: bob.greenwade@klock.com
From: Bob Greenwade <bob.greenwade@klock.com>
Subject: Re: Some effects I am working on
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At 11:50 AM 5/28/97 -0400, Patrick Barden wrote:
>Have a couple of effects I am trying to duplicate.
>
>1) I want to create directed explosions. The attacks would be similar to
>an explosion except that the area of the effect would be either a line or a
>cone. Would this be a modification of the explosion advantage or the area
>effect advantage?
Personally, for the cone effect, I would allow a "cone explosion," which
only operates in a 60-degree cone but which loses damage at -1 DC/2", for
the same +1/2 Advantage one already gets for Explosion. Alternately, you
could just use a regular Explosion, with a -1 Limitation (on the Advantage
only) for a cone shape.
As for the line, I'd just use Area Effect: Line with a -1 Limitation (on
the Advantage only) for the degradation.
>2.) I want to duplicate the effect of a healer who absorbs the damage he
>heals. What level of disadvantage would you give for a power that costs
>STUN instead of or in addition to END. The character is a NPC so I am not
>worried about the long term effects of such a power.
Rather than do it this way ("Costs STUN as well as END"), give it a -1
"Side Effects" Limitation (-1/2 if you use the 10 points/1d6 variant on
Aid). This ends up doing the same level of damage to the user as he heals.
You can just rule by GM fiat that the damage the NPC takes is always
identical to the amount he heals.
---
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From: R Jacobs <rjacobs@radiks.net>
Date: Wed, 28 May 1997 16:51:14 -0500
Subject: Determining Limitations
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Hello All,
Anybody have any good suggestions on how to determine the value of
non-standard limitations? I'm looking for a way to remove some of the
subjectivity from the process (I realize that there is no way to make it
totally objective, but some guidance would be beneficial).
Rob
Date: Wed, 28 May 1997 18:08:17 -0500
From: Donald Tsang <tsang@sedl.org>
Subject: House Rule suggestion for Side Effects
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A suggestion: Side Effects that always happen (as opposed to those that
only happen on unsuccessful activation rolls) should not have to take
a minimum of 30/60 active points. It's limiting enough that they happen
_every_ time the character activates the power.
So, for example, the "Empathic Healing" mentioned earlier could simply
be Aid/Healing with Side Effects: Damage (not Drain) equal to the Aid,
for a limitation bonus of -1. Since generic Damage (EB, whatever) is
5 pts/d6, just like Aid, the total Active Points of Side Effect is
exactly equal to the total Active Points of the Aid. Requiring that
the character take 12d6 damage for 3d6 of Aid would just be lame.
Donald
Date: Thu, 29 May 1997 18:45:02 +1000
Date-warning: Date header was inserted by topaz.cqu.edu.au
From: happyelf! <jonesmj@topaz.cqu.edu.au>
Subject: Re: Invasion!?!
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>I would think that the "Queen Bee" motif would be the best for player
>satisfaction. Not to mention that fact that it's easier to fight smaller
>combats. Let the NPCs defend the white house (perhaps with a little help
>from our heros). It's the PCs job to infiltrate, get in there and destroy
>the queen mother, or the main computer, or whatever you can think of. Or
>maybe even just talk 'em out of attacking...thats always fun. Or maybe
>just......
>
>You get my point. As many Earthlings as you want can stave off individual
>attacks. Even win battles against incredible odds. But the PCs should be
>the ones to eventually save the world. Unless you don't want the world
>saved, that could be fun too.
>
>Jay A
>
>
how about "the heros are one of many who save the world?" or
"the heros' strategist works dilligently with Dr Destroyer to formulate a
defense plan, and all the world pulls it off?" or
"during peace talks the heros give the aliens east hoboken, not mentioning
Mechanon just took the joint over" or
"the world is saved by another alien race, who then tries to plunge the
world into debt-slavery?" or
"the aliens are really running like crazy from something else, and move on as soon
as the earth orbits out of their jetstream" or
"the heros side with the aliens, and they turn out to be really wimpy" or
"the battle rages on indefinitley, with the aliens holding everything outside
of Mars, with teams of space-borne heros doing guerilla warfare within the asteroid belt"
we can do WAY better than the old 'shoot de generator vent and it all go boom'
, guys .. .
Date: Thu, 29 May 1997 18:53:05 +1000
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From: happyelf! <jonesmj@topaz.cqu.edu.au>
Subject: Re: Determining Limitations
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here's a very small guide:
-1/4 anything not involved directly in the campaign, like an effect that you make up
and the gm says "yeah, shure, whatever . ."
-1/2 Something really involved with the character: like kryptonite or silver, something the character will see a lot of, within the plot of the setting(it not just a random thingie)
At 04:51 PM 5/28/97 -0500, you wrote:
>
>
>Hello All,
>
>Anybody have any good suggestions on how to determine the value of
>non-standard limitations? I'm looking for a way to remove some of the
>subjectivity from the process (I realize that there is no way to make it
>totally objective, but some guidance would be beneficial).
>
>Rob
>
>
From: Stainless Steel Rat <ratinox@peorth.gweep.net>
Subject: Re: Determining Limitations
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Date: 29 May 1997 13:14:36 -0400
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-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
>>>>> "RJ" == R Jacobs <rjacobs@radiks.net> writes:
RJ> Anybody have any good suggestions on how to determine the value of
RJ> non-standard limitations?
Just as a baseline I look at the probabilities for Activation Roll success.
A limitation that is restrictive about half the time (11-) is worth a -1,
working up to a -2 for a limitation that is restrictive almost always (8-)
and down to -1/4 for a limitation that is infrequently restrictive (15-).
I then make a comparison between the new limitation and any existing but
similar limitations, and adjust the bonus to fit within the existing
structure.
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--
Rat <ratinox@peorth.gweep.net> \ When not in use, Happy Fun Ball should be
PGP Key: at a key server near you! \ returned to its special container and
\ kept under refrigeration.
From: Stainless Steel Rat <ratinox@peorth.gweep.net>
Subject: Re: House Rule suggestion for Side Effects
X-No-Archive: yes
X-Attribution: Rat
Organization: The Happy Fun Ball Brigade
Date: 29 May 1997 13:20:27 -0400
Lines: 29
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Sender: owner-champ-l@omg.org
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To: champ-l@omg.org
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
>>>>> "DT" == Donald Tsang <tsang@sedl.org> writes:
DT> A suggestion: Side Effects that always happen (as opposed to those that
DT> only happen on unsuccessful activation rolls) should not have to take a
DT> minimum of 30/60 active points. It's limiting enough that they happen
DT> _every_ time the character activates the power.
Yeah, well, Side Effects is slightly broken in that it is less of a
disadvantage to the character if the power has an Activation roll on it.
So I figure that the Side Effects bonus is worth double (give or take) if
there is no Activation roll on the power. But that's just me. :)
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Rat <ratinox@peorth.gweep.net> \ Warning: pregnant women, the elderly, and
PGP Key: at a key server near you! \ children under 10 should avoid prolonged
\ exposure to Happy Fun Ball.
From: HoosierJA@aol.com
Date: Thu, 29 May 1997 15:22:48 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Re: Invasion!?!
Errors-To: owner-champ-l@omg.org
Sender: owner-champ-l@omg.org
X-Hero: champ-l
To: champ-l@omg.org
In a message dated 97-05-29 05:37:25 EDT, jonesmj@topaz.cqu.edu.au
(happyelf!) writes:
> how about "the heros are one of many who save the world?" or
>
> "the heros' strategist works dilligently with Dr Destroyer to formulate a
> defense plan, and all the world pulls it off?" or
>
> "during peace talks the heros give the aliens east hoboken, not mentioning
> Mechanon just took the joint over" or
>
> "the world is saved by another alien race, who then tries to plunge the
> world into debt-slavery?" or
>
> "the aliens are really running like crazy from something else, and move on
> as soon
> as the earth orbits out of their jetstream" or
>
> "the heros side with the aliens, and they turn out to be really wimpy" or
>
> "the battle rages on indefinitley, with the aliens holding everything
> outside
> of Mars, with teams of space-borne heros doing guerilla warfare within the
> asteroid belt"
>
>
>
> we can do WAY better than the old 'shoot de generator vent and it all go
> boom'
> , guys .. .
All these ideas are wonderfull. And if your players wouldn't feel cheated
not being the ones who dealt the final blow then you should just run with it.
I backed the "queen bee" story line on the assumption that the invaders were
bad guys who needed to be stopped. If if turns out they *are* wimps or
fleeing a greater terror (I like the fleeing especially) then of course the
scene is different. But if they are fleeing to earth then we have the
pursuers to worry about.
My players would love to team up with Dr. Destroyer to thwart a global
threat. They would eat it up. But if the good (?) Doctor got to be the one
who finally finnished off the bad guys, I could not appologize enough to my
players.
It is also very possible that you want the invasion to change the face of
your campaing. Maybe they actualy are friendly and misunderstood. Or maybe
they do take control of Hoboken.
There are an infinate number of ways to play it. But if you want the
invasion to be just one story arc out of many without altering too much the
face of your world, then the invaders must be dealt with somehow, and you
must consider the personality of your players and their team. Would they
mind merely fighting a few battles or holding up the rear while some other
NPC heros took the glory?
And of course the "Queen Bee" could be anything. I did not mean to imply
that the good guys burst in with guns (and EBs) blazing. What I meant was
that there should be one final and culminating Event that should make
everything all better. And that the PC heros should be behind (no...not
behind...in front of) that Event.
I should have been more exacting...less flippant in my original post.
Jay A
From: Curt Hicks <exucurt@exu.ericsson.se>
Date: Thu, 29 May 1997 18:10:43 -0500 (CDT)
Subject: Wrack power
Errors-To: owner-champ-l@omg.org
Sender: owner-champ-l@omg.org
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To: champ-l@omg.org
The target of this power suffers from agonizing pain whenever he or she
exerts himself (i.e. spends endurance) The damage is proportional to the
degree of exertion. How can this be bought ?
I had thought about a continuous noncontrolled NND with the defense being
not spending endurance, and the limitation that the damage is proportional
to the amount of endurance the target spends. Is this 'legal' ?
Is there a more elegant way to do this ?
(I originally came up with this idea when trying to make characters based
on the different alien races in the game Cosmic Encounter. Anybody else
done this ? )
Curt Hicks
X-Sender: jrc@pop1.nai.net
Date: Thu, 29 May 1997 18:22:30 -0500
From: "Joe Claffey Jr." <jrc@mail1.nai.net>
Subject: Re: House Rule suggestion for Side Effects
Errors-To: owner-champ-l@omg.org
Sender: owner-champ-l@omg.org
X-Hero: champ-l
To: champ-l@omg.org
Stainless Steel Rat <ratinox@peorth.gweep.net> wrote,
>>>>>> "DT" == Donald Tsang <tsang@sedl.org> writes:
>
>DT> A suggestion: Side Effects that always happen (as opposed to those that
>DT> only happen on unsuccessful activation rolls) should not have to take a
>DT> minimum of 30/60 active points. It's limiting enough that they happen
>DT> _every_ time the character activates the power.
>
>Yeah, well, Side Effects is slightly broken in that it is less of a
>disadvantage to the character if the power has an Activation roll on it.
>So I figure that the Side Effects bonus is worth double (give or take) if
>there is no Activation roll on the power. But that's just me. :)
One variation that I've been toying with is to require any Side Effect
that is an attack power (EB, KA, etc) to include the NND and Does BODY
advantages (+2 total). This makes Side Effects unpleasant, but not fatal
(how many characters can take a 12d6 EB that bypasses their defenses?)
Joe Claffey | "In the end, everything is a gag."
jrc@ct1.nai.net | - Charlie Chaplin
Date: Thu, 29 May 1997 19:29:25 -0400 (EDT)
From: Michael Surbrook <susano@access.digex.net>
cc: Hero Character Adaption <catdrag@vnet.net&> champion@cyberhighway.net,
Champions Character List <deejay@cu-online.com&>
greenlucifer@geocities.com, jdriscol@vt.edu,
Rob Rutherford <mirage@hpserv.keh.utulsa.edu&> sourdust@ix.netcom.com,
robertni@us.ibm.com, teriaca@omnifest.uwm.edu, vances@sympatico.ca,
Weasel Attack!!! <weasel-patrol@otd.com>
Subject: CHAR: Captain Trips
Errors-To: owner-champ-l@omg.org
Sender: owner-champ-l@omg.org
X-Hero: champ-l
To: champ-l@omg.org
(Brace yourselves)
CAPTAIN TRIPS
(Dr. Marcus Aurelius Meadows / Mark Meadows)
Designers Notes:
Welcome to one of the most powerful aces in the Wildcards universe!
Captain Trips (named after the late Jerry Garcia), has the ability to
transform himself into a number of different forms, or 'friends'. Each of
these alternate personalities are potent aces in their own right, although
that doesn't mean they will agree with what ever it is the good Captain is
involved in.
Mark Meadows is tall and very thin, standing 6'2" and weighing about 160
lbs. He has shoulder length hair and a goatee. He is exceedingly
intelligent and is probably the most brilliant biochemist in the world.
He is also quite the burned-out hippie. As Captain Trips, Mark wears (in
effect) a purple and white Uncle Sam suit, complete with top hat and a
flower in the button hole. Each of his 'friends' however, looks very
different. It should be noted that Mark has assumed two other forms aside
from the five mentioned here. One is the Radical, a youthful
blonde-haired man clad only in jeans and wearing a peace medallion. The
other was called Monster, stood something like 60' tall and was strong
enough to toss around T-72 tanks (and reminded me greatly of the
Overfiend...).
Note: Mark is built on a 25 point base, and is presumed to be a 'normal',
hence the point total for his INT score.
The Character:
STAT VAL COST
Str 10 0
Dex 9 -3
Con 11 2
Body 10 0
Int 28 26
Ego 14 8
Pre 10 0
Com 10 0
PD 3 1
ED 2 0
Spd 2 1
Rec 4 0
End 22 0
Stun 21 0
Char Total 35
Power Total 29
Total Cost 64
COST POWERS & SKILLS
3 KS: 'Counter Culture' Rock 15-
2 KS: Recreational Drugs 11-
3 PS: Biochemist (INT) 15-
1 PS: Shop Owner 8-
3 SC: Biochemsitry 16-
1 SC: Biology 11-
3 SC: Chemistry 16-
2 SC: Mathmatics 15-
2 SC: Organic Chemistry 15-
2 SC: Pharacology 15-
3 Streetwise 11-
1 Trading 8-
3 Scientist
Disadvantages
25 Base
5 DF: 'Hippie' dress and mannerisms
15 DNPC: Sprout (incomp) 8-
10 Psych: Generally lacking in common sense
10 Psych: Shy, tries to avoid overt publicity
(Captain Trips created by Victor Milan, character sheet created by Michael
Surbrook)
***************************************************************************
* "'Cause I'm the god of destruction, that's why!" - Susano Orbatos,Orion *
* Michael Surbrook / susano@access.digex.net *
* Attacked Mystification Police / AD Police / ESWAT *
* Society for Creative Anachronism / House ap Gwystl / Company of St.Mark *
***************************************************************************
Date: Thu, 29 May 1997 19:31:30 -0400 (EDT)
From: Michael Surbrook <susano@access.digex.net>
cc: Hero Character Adaption <catdrag@vnet.net&> champion@cyberhighway.net,
Champions Character List <deejay@cu-online.com&>
greenlucifer@geocities.com, jdriscol@vt.edu,
Rob Rutherford <mirage@hpserv.keh.utulsa.edu&> sourdust@ix.netcom.com,
robertni@us.ibm.com, teriaca@omnifest.uwm.edu, vances@sympatico.ca,
Weasel Attack!!! <weasel-patrol@otd.com>
Subject: CHAR: CT (Aquarius)
Errors-To: owner-champ-l@omg.org
Sender: owner-champ-l@omg.org
X-Hero: champ-l
To: champ-l@omg.org
(How's this for a headache... a Multiform form that has Multiform...)
AQUARIUS
(Cetus Dauphin - human from)
Designers Notes:
Aquarius is a huge man, standing 6' tall and weighing 280 lbs. He has
grayish skin and is bald. His primary power is the ability to turn into a
20' long dolphin. Aquarius is a somewhat unpleasant fellow, who doesn't
like *any*Jland dwellers and has a particular distaste for people from
whaling nations. He can be talking into giving aid, but it will be only
grudgingly.
The Character:
STAT VAL COST
Str 20 10
Dex 9 -3
Con 18 16
Body 14 8
Int 18 8
Ego 14 8
Pre 15 5
Com 8 -1
PD 8 4
ED 5 1
Spd 3 11
Rec 8 0
End 36 0
Stun 33 0
Char Total 67
Power Total 33
Total Cost 100
COST POWERS & SKILLS
3 Swimming: +3" (5" total)
5 Discriminatory Taste
4 KS: Scuba 14-
5 Navigation 14-
6 SC: Marine Biology 16-
1 TF: Scuba
3 Lang: English (native), French
6 CSL: +2 with Block, Dodge, Punch
Disadvantages
25 Base
25 Berserk:JOcean Mammals harmed (14-/8-)
5 Dependence: Water, 2d6/5 Minutes
5 DF:JGrey skinned man
10 Phys: No sense of smell
20 Psych: Protective of aquatic mammals
10 Psych: Hates land dwellers (esp Japanese, Norwegians and Soviets)
(Aquarius created by Victor Milan, character sheet created by Michael
Surbrook)
***************************************************************************
* "'Cause I'm the god of destruction, that's why!" - Susano Orbatos,Orion *
* Michael Surbrook / susano@access.digex.net *
* Attacked Mystification Police / AD Police / ESWAT *
* Society for Creative Anachronism / House ap Gwystl / Company of St.Mark *
***************************************************************************
Date: Thu, 29 May 1997 19:32:38 -0400 (EDT)
From: Michael Surbrook <susano@access.digex.net>
cc: Hero Character Adaption <catdrag@vnet.net&> champion@cyberhighway.net,
Champions Character List <deejay@cu-online.com&>
greenlucifer@geocities.com, jdriscol@vt.edu,
Rob Rutherford <mirage@hpserv.keh.utulsa.edu&> sourdust@ix.netcom.com,
robertni@us.ibm.com, teriaca@omnifest.uwm.edu, vances@sympatico.ca,
Weasel Attack!!! <weasel-patrol@otd.com>
Subject: CHAR: CT (Aquarius - dolphin)
Errors-To: owner-champ-l@omg.org
Sender: owner-champ-l@omg.org
X-Hero: champ-l
To: champ-l@omg.org
AQUARIUS
(Cetus Dauphin - dolphin from)
Designers Notes:
This is Aquarius dolphin form. The size of an Orca (Killer Whale), in this
form Aquarius can out swim anything else in the ocean. His skin is
virtually immune to bullets and harpoons, and he can sink a ship with his
rostrum. On top of that, Aquarius can call upon and control other
ocean-going mammals, especially other whales.
The Character:
STAT VAL COST
Str 40 0
Dex 18 24
Con 30 40
Body 35 38
Int 18 8
Ego 14 8
Pre 20 10
Com 10 0
PD 8 6
ED 8 2
Spd 4 12
Rec 8 0
End 60 0
Stun 55 0
Char Total 148
Power Total 330
Total Cost 478
COST POWERS & SKILLS
40 Growth:J6 Levels, 0 END, Persistant, Always On
+30 STR, +6 Body, +6 Stun, -6" KB, -3 DCV, +3 PER, 20' long,
12,800 lbs
15 EC: Ocean Mammal (cetacean) control, Ocean Mammals only (-2)
15 Mind Control:J12d6, 0 END
15 Mind Scanning: 12d6, 0 END
24 2d6 HKA, Reduced Penetration - bite, 3 END
36 +8d6 HA, 0 END, Move Through attacks only (-1)
60 Armor; +20 PD/ED
10 +20 PD, only when performing a Move Through (-1)
3 Life Support: High Pressure
10 Life Support: No Need to Breath, 1 Recoverable Charge of 1 Hour
-12" -6" Running
27 Swimming: +20" (22" total, 36" noncombat, 60 mph), 1/2 END, END 2
15 Active Sonar
9 Enhanced Perception +3
6 Enhanced Percpetion: Taste +3
22 Mind Link: Ocean Mammals (+5), Any distance (+5), 0 END
20 Multiform: Cetus Dauphin, 100 Point total
15 Universal Translator:J18-, Ocean Mammals only (-1)
Disadvantages
100 Base
5 Dependence: Water, 2d6/5 Minutes
15 DF: Huge, 20' long dolphin
15 Phys: No Fine Manipulaiton
10 Phys: No Sense of Smell
20 Psych: Protective of aquatic mammals
10 Psych: Hates land dwellers (esp Japanese, Norwegians and Soviets)
10 Vuln: Water-borne posions and gases:Jx2 Body
(Aquarius created by Victor Milan, character sheet created by Michael
Surbrook)
***************************************************************************
* "'Cause I'm the god of destruction, that's why!" - Susano Orbatos,Orion *
* Michael Surbrook / susano@access.digex.net *
* Attacked Mystification Police / AD Police / ESWAT *
* Society for Creative Anachronism / House ap Gwystl / Company of St.Mark *
***************************************************************************
Date: Thu, 29 May 1997 19:33:18 -0400 (EDT)
From: Michael Surbrook <susano@access.digex.net>
cc: Hero Character Adaption <catdrag@vnet.net&> champion@cyberhighway.net,
Champions Character List <deejay@cu-online.com&>
greenlucifer@geocities.com, jdriscol@vt.edu,
Rob Rutherford <mirage@hpserv.keh.utulsa.edu&> sourdust@ix.netcom.com,
robertni@us.ibm.com, teriaca@omnifest.uwm.edu, vances@sympatico.ca,
Weasel Attack!!! <weasel-patrol@otd.com>
Subject: Char: CT (Cosmic Traveler)
Errors-To: owner-champ-l@omg.org
Sender: owner-champ-l@omg.org
X-Hero: champ-l
To: champ-l@omg.org
COSMIC TRAVELER
(Damon Strange)
Designers Notes:
Cosmic Traveler stand 5'10" tall and weighs 145 lbs. His costume consists
of a tight-fighting body suit and a black hooded cloak that is lined with
a glowing starfield. Traveler's actual appearence is of a stoop
shouldered man with a thin chest, arms and legs and a slight pot belly.
Among his ace powers is the ability to change his shape, so he normally
looks much more imposing. Traveler has a number of powers, including
Desoldification, Invisibility, Flight and a powerful will... He's also a
total coward, and is prone to flee from any threatening situation.
The Character:
STAT VAL COST
Str 9 -1
Dex 23 39
Con 20 20
Body 13 6
Int 26 16
Ego 40 60
Pre 10 0
Com 8 -1
PD 4 2
ED 4 0
Spd 4 7
Rec 6 0
End 40 0
Stun 28 0
Char Total 148
Power Total 229
Total Cost 377
COST POWERS & SKILLS
40 Desoldification, END 4
40 Invisibility: Sight Group, No Fringe, 0 END, Linked to Desolid
(-1/2)
13 Life Support: Self-contained breathing, Immune to Vaccum
30 15" Flight, END 3
2 Running: +1" (7" total)
45 Shapeshift - anything of same mass, 0 END
7 +10 PRE, Linked to Shapeshift
3 +10 COM, Linked to Shapeshift
9 Enhanced Perception: +3
13 Acting 16-
3 Lockpicking 14-
13 Mimicry 16-
5 Shadowing 12-
3 Sleight of Hand 14-
3 Stealth 14-
Disadvantages
100 Base
25 Psych: Total Coward
15 Psych: Arrogant, egotistical snob
10 Psych: Terrified of bugs and other crawly things
20 Vuln: 2 x Effect from Fear-based PRE attacks
207 Experience
(Cosmic Traveler created by Victor Milan, character sheet created by
Michael Surbrook)
***************************************************************************
* "'Cause I'm the god of destruction, that's why!" - Susano Orbatos,Orion *
* Michael Surbrook / susano@access.digex.net *
* Attacked Mystification Police / AD Police / ESWAT *
* Society for Creative Anachronism / House ap Gwystl / Company of St.Mark *
***************************************************************************
Date: Thu, 29 May 1997 19:34:45 -0400 (EDT)
From: Michael Surbrook <susano@access.digex.net>
cc: Hero Character Adaption <catdrag@vnet.net&> champion@cyberhighway.net,
Champions Character List <deejay@cu-online.com&>
greenlucifer@geocities.com, jdriscol@vt.edu,
Rob Rutherford <mirage@hpserv.keh.utulsa.edu&> sourdust@ix.netcom.com,
robertni@us.ibm.com, teriaca@omnifest.uwm.edu, vances@sympatico.ca,
Weasel Attack!!! <weasel-patrol@otd.com>
Subject: CHAR: CT (Jumping Jack Flash)
Errors-To: owner-champ-l@omg.org
Sender: owner-champ-l@omg.org
X-Hero: champ-l
To: champ-l@omg.org
JUMPING JACK FLASH
(John Jacob Flash)
Designers Notes:
Flash is a small man, standing 5'6" and weighing 135 lbs. He has red
hair, a handsome face and wears an orange bodysuit, open down to the
navel, trimmed in red and yellow flames. His ace powers include the
ability create and control fire. He can fire bolts of flame, create a
flaming rope (that will not burn), fly and extinguish fires. At times,
he's been known to create and play flaming guitars.
Note: JJ Flash totals 492 points and thus is the most expensive of the
Captain's assorted forms. This means that he's been saddled with the cost
of the Multiform power. Aquarius is considered the 'second' from is has a
point cost of (total points/5). All other forms have a point cost of
(total/10).
The Character:
STAT VAL COST
Str 20 10
Dex 31 63
Con 23 23
Body 12 4
Int 18 8
Ego 18 16
Pre 20 10
Com 20 5
PD 24 20
ED 30 25
Spd 5 9
Rec 10 2
End 60 7
Stun 34 0
Char Total 205
Power Total 510
Total Cost 715
COST POWERS & SKILLS
30 EC: Pyrokinesis
30 12d6 EB, END 6
30 6d6 EB, AoE: Line (24"), END 6
37 3d6 RKA, AP, END 7
24 30 STR TK, 0 END, Affects all parts of target (-1/4)
15 Damage Reduction: 3/4 Energy, Resistant, Vs fire only (-1)
13 10d6 Dispell vs RKA, AoE: Radius (3"), 0 END, No Range, Vs natural
fires only (-2)
30 30" Flight (60" noncombat), END 6
15 6d6 Absorbtion vs Energy, to END, Fire attacks only (-1)
27 Full Damage Resistance
4 Running: +2" (8" total)
3 Conversation 13-
3 KS: Guitar 13-
3 KS: Law 13-
3 PS: Lawyer (INT) 13-
3 PS: Play Guitar (DEX) 15-
3 Seduction 13-
6 CSL: +2 with Pyrokinesis EC
8 CSL: +4 with Flight
223 Multiform:JCaptain Trips (64 points), Cosmic Traveler (377 points)
Starshine (378 points), Moonchild (450 points), Aquarius (478
points) IIF: Little glass bottles (-1/4), Gestures (must open
bottle and swallow) (-1/4) 5 continuous charges of 1 Hour each
(+1/2)
Disadvantages
100 Base
15 Psych: Hates bullies and cruelty
15 Psych: Impulsive and Reckless
15 Psych: Womanizer
10 Vuln: 1 1/2 x Body from Water Attacks
20 Vuln: 2 x Stun from Water Attacks
540 Experience
(Jumping Jack Flash created by Victor Milan, character sheet created by
Michael Surbrook)
***************************************************************************
* "'Cause I'm the god of destruction, that's why!" - Susano Orbatos,Orion *
* Michael Surbrook / susano@access.digex.net *
* Attacked Mystification Police / AD Police / ESWAT *
* Society for Creative Anachronism / House ap Gwystl / Company of St.Mark *
***************************************************************************
Date: Thu, 29 May 1997 19:36:21 -0400 (EDT)
From: Michael Surbrook <susano@access.digex.net>
cc: Hero Character Adaption <catdrag@vnet.net&> champion@cyberhighway.net,
Champions Character List <deejay@cu-online.com&>
greenlucifer@geocities.com, jdriscol@vt.edu,
Rob Rutherford <mirage@hpserv.keh.utulsa.edu&> sourdust@ix.netcom.com,
robertni@us.ibm.com, teriaca@omnifest.uwm.edu, vances@sympatico.ca,
Weasel Attack!!! <weasel-patrol@otd.com>
Subject: CHAR: CT (Moonchild)
Errors-To: owner-champ-l@omg.org
Sender: owner-champ-l@omg.org
X-Hero: champ-l
To: champ-l@omg.org
(my favorite of the Captian's friends)
MOONCHILD
(Isis Moon)
Designers Notes:
Moonchild is a tall, exotic looking Asian beauty. Standing 5'7", and
weigh 120, she is graceful, with a well-muscled form and long black hair.
She wears a skintight black costume, complete with gloves and boots. On
her chest is black and white yin-yang symbol. A similarly patterned
half-mask covers her face. A master martial artist, Moonchild is stronger
than a normal human and *much* faster. She is also able to make the dark
her home, and can become invisible, as well as teleport amid the shadows.
The Character:
STAT VAL COST
Str 23 13
Dex 36 78
Con 20 20
Body 14 8
Int 18 8
Ego 21 22
Pre 20 10
Com 22 6
PD 20 15
ED 10 6
Spd 7 24
Rec 10 2
End 36 0
Stun 36 0
Char Total 212
Power Total 238
Total Cost 450
COST POWERS & SKILLS
MA: Tae Kwon Do and Hapkido
4 Arm Sweep Block +2 OCV +2 DCV Block, Abort
5 Crescent Kick Block +1 OCV +3 DCV Block, Abort
4 Disarm -1 OCV +1 DCV 33 STR Disarm
4 Dodge +0 OCV +5 DCV Dodge vs All, Abort
4 Escape +0 OCV +0 DCV 38 STR vs Grabs
5 Flying Side Kick +1 OCV -2 DCV 8 1/2d6 Strike
4 Front Kick +01 OCV +2 DCV 6 1/2d6 Strike
3 Joint Lock +0 OCV -1 DCV Grab One Limbs; 33 STR to Hold
4 Punch / Elbow Strike +2 OCV +0 DCV 6 1/2d6 Strike
5 Side / Roundhouse Kick -2 OCV +1 DCV 8 1/2d6 Strike
3 Sweep +2 OCV -1 DCV 5 1/2d6 Strike; Target Falls
3 Takedown +1 OCV +1 DCV 4 1/2d6 Strike; Target Falls
3 Throw +0 OCV +1 DCV 4 1/2d6 Strike; Target Falls
7 Damage Reduction: 1/4 Physical, vs Stun Only (-1/2)
8 Damage Resistance: 10 PD/5 ED
40 Invisibility: Sight Group, No Fringe, 0 END, Requires shadows or
darkness (-1/2)
11 Mental Defense: 15 DEF
10 Clinging: 23 STR
8 Running: +4" (10" total), END 2
15 Invisible Power Effects: Hearing, 0 END, on 10" Running
13 Teleport: 10", Requires shadows or darkness (-1/2), END 2
5 UV Vision
6 1/2 END, STR
3 Acrobatics 16-
3 Breakfall 16-
5 Combat Sense 14-
10 Defense Maneuver (full)
3 KS: Hapkido 13-
3 KS: Tae Kwon Do 13-
3 KS: Zen Philosophy 13-
9 Shadowing 14-
3 Stealth 16-
13 Lang: English (3), French (3), Japanese (1 - literacy only),
Korean (0), Mandarin Chinese (3), Portuguese (3)
3 Linguist
6 CSL: +2 with Martial Arts
Disadvantages
100 Base
10 DF: Exotic beauty
20 Psych: Cannot kill; cannot even cause serious harm to a human
being
15 Psych: Fatalistic and without fear
10 Psych: Hates the South Korean governtment
295 Experience
(Moonchild created by Victor Milan, character sheet created by Michael
Surbrook)
***************************************************************************
* "'Cause I'm the god of destruction, that's why!" - Susano Orbatos,Orion *
* Michael Surbrook / susano@access.digex.net *
* Attacked Mystification Police / AD Police / ESWAT *
* Society for Creative Anachronism / House ap Gwystl / Company of St.Mark *
***************************************************************************
Date: Thu, 29 May 1997 19:37:05 -0400 (EDT)
From: Michael Surbrook <susano@access.digex.net>
cc: Hero Character Adaption <catdrag@vnet.net&> champion@cyberhighway.net,
Champions Character List <deejay@cu-online.com&>
greenlucifer@geocities.com, jdriscol@vt.edu,
Rob Rutherford <mirage@hpserv.keh.utulsa.edu&> sourdust@ix.netcom.com,
robertni@us.ibm.com, teriaca@omnifest.uwm.edu, vances@sympatico.ca,
Weasel Attack!!! <weasel-patrol@otd.com>
Subject: CHAR: CT (Starshine)
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STARSHINE
(Justin Bright)
Designers Notes:
Starshine is a huge imposing figure, well muscled, who stands 6'4" and
weighs 234 lbs. He has a solid, square jaw, green eyes and wavy,
yellow-blond hair. His costume consists of a yellow bodystocking with an
orange sunburst on the chest, and green trunks, gloves and folded over
boots. His powers are the manipulation of light itself, allowing him to
generate bolts of pure light energy, create a protective field, exist in
space and transform himself into a beam of light. He is very arrogant,
and opinionated and will quite gladly lecture *anyone* on the evils of
*Everything*.
The Character:
STAT VAL COST
Str 40 30
Dex 18 24
Con 23 26
Body 13 6
Int 18 8
Ego 18 16
Pre 23 13
Com 24 7
PD 8 0
ED 8 3
Spd 5 22
Rec 14 2
End 46 0
Stun 45 0
Char Total 157
Power Total 221
Total Cost 378
COST POWERS & SKILLS
30 EC: Light Control
30 12d6 EB, END 6
32 25 DEF Force Field, 1/2 END, END 3
24 Teleport: 30", Line of sight targets only and not through smoke,
tinted glass etc (-1/4), END 6
24 Teleport: 5", x2048 noncombat (10240"), Line of sight targets only
and not through smoke, tinted glass etc (-1/4), END 1
20 8d6 Absorbtion vs Energy, to END, Visible light attacks only (-1)
30 Full Life Support
10 FTL: 1 light year a year
4 KS: Literature
1 KS: Poetry 8-
3 Oratory 14-
3 Persuasion 14-
4 CSL: +2 OCV with EB
6 CSL: +2 with Block, Haymaker, Punch
Disadvantages
100 Base
10 DF: Large, muscular Adonis figure
15 Psych: Dislike of 'bad elements'
20 Psych: Must pontificate before any confrontation
15 Psych: Stubborn and *very* opinionated
218 Experience
(Starshine created by Victor Milan, character sheet created by Michael
Surbrook)
***************************************************************************
* "'Cause I'm the god of destruction, that's why!" - Susano Orbatos,Orion *
* Michael Surbrook / susano@access.digex.net *
* Attacked Mystification Police / AD Police / ESWAT *
* Society for Creative Anachronism / House ap Gwystl / Company of St.Mark *
***************************************************************************
Date: Thu, 29 May 1997 17:05:30 -0700 (PDT)
From: Anthony Jackson <ajackson@iii.com>
Reply-To: Anthony Jackson <ajackson@iii.com>
Subject: Re: Wrack power
Cc: champ-l@omg.org
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Curt Hicks writes:
>
>
> The target of this power suffers from agonizing pain whenever he or she
> exerts himself (i.e. spends endurance) The damage is proportional to the
> degree of exertion. How can this be bought ?
Reduce target's endurance to zero (via drain or suppress). Target now has to
burn stun to spend endurance.
>
> I had thought about a continuous noncontrolled NND with the defense being
> not spending endurance, and the limitation that the damage is proportional
> to the amount of endurance the target spends. Is this 'legal' ?
As a rule, no (definition of legal defense for NND is somewhat unclear).
Date: Thu, 29 May 1997 20:22:53 -0400
From: Dave Thompson <ezadd@bconnex.net>
Organization: Blackeagle/Blackeagle Canada
Subject: Re: Invasion!?!
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HoosierJA@aol.com wrote:
>
> My players would love to team up with Dr. Destroyer to thwart a global
> threat. They would eat it up. But if the good (?) Doctor got to be the one
> who finally finnished off the bad guys, I could not appologize enough to my
> players.
Ah..but what if the Doctor did finish the big baddie off and left the
heroes without pummelling their remains into the turf? How would they
feel next time they had to go off and try to stop him?? Just a thought
Dave
Subject: Re: House Rule suggestion for Side Effects
Date: Thu, 29 May 97 22:09:55 -0500
From: John P Weatherman <asahoshi@nr.infi.net>
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Joe Claffey Jr.
>Stainless Steel Rat <ratinox@peorth.gweep.net> wrote,
>>>>> "DT" == Donald Tsang <tsang@sedl.org> writes:
>>
>>DT> A suggestion: Side Effects that always happen (as opposed to those that
>>DT> only happen on unsuccessful activation rolls) should not have to take a
>>DT> minimum of 30/60 active points. It's limiting enough that they happen
>>DT> _every_ time the character activates the power.
>>
>>Yeah, well, Side Effects is slightly broken in that it is less of a
>>disadvantage to the character if the power has an Activation roll on it.
>>So I figure that the Side Effects bonus is worth double (give or take) if
>>there is no Activation roll on the power. But that's just me. :)
>
> One variation that I've been toying with is to require any Side Effect
>that is an attack power (EB, KA, etc) to include the NND and Does BODY
>advantages (+2 total). This makes Side Effects unpleasant, but not fatal
>(how many characters can take a 12d6 EB that bypasses their defenses?)
Does Body on a NND should be a +2 advantage for a total of +3 total. I'm
basing that on NND on Killing attacks (used in poison rules) being a +2
advantage. It's probably an arguable position though.
____________________________________________________________________
| Name: John P. Weatherman | Phone: |
| email: asahoshi@nr.infi.net | (H) (910) 785-1130 |
| fax: (910) 748-4632 | (O) (910) 545-2722 |
|_____________________________|____________________________________|
| He who walking on the sea could calm the bitter waves, who gives |
| life to the dying seeds of the earth; He who was able to loose |
| the mortal chains of death and after three days' darkness could |
| bring again to the upper world the brother of his sister Martha: |
| He, I beleive, will make Damasus rise again from the dust. |
| Pope St. Damasus I (c.305-384) |
|__________________________________________________________________|
Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 13:10:39 +1000
Date-warning: Date header was inserted by topaz.cqu.edu.au
From: happyelf! <jonesmj@topaz.cqu.edu.au>
Subject: Re: Invasion!?!
X-Sender: jonesmj@topaz.cqu.edu.au
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>
>All these ideas are wonderfull. And if your players wouldn't feel cheated
>not being the ones who dealt the final blow then you should just run with it.
> I backed the "queen bee" story line on the assumption that the invaders were
>bad guys who needed to be stopped. If if turns out they *are* wimps or
>fleeing a greater terror (I like the fleeing especially) then of course the
>scene is different. But if they are fleeing to earth then we have the
>pursuers to worry about.
>
>My players would love to team up with Dr. Destroyer to thwart a global
>threat. They would eat it up. But if the good (?) Doctor got to be the one
>who finally finnished off the bad guys, I could not appologize enough to my
>players.
>
in one of my campagns, the invasion started with the aliens oblitering all the toughest villans. Maybe Dr destroyer in a wheel-chair?
>It is also very possible that you want the invasion to change the face of
>your campaing. Maybe they actualy are friendly and misunderstood. Or maybe
>they do take control of Hoboken.
>
In my opinion any 'campagn arc' should change the campagn. just my opinion, is all.
>There are an infinate number of ways to play it. But if you want the
>invasion to be just one story arc out of many without altering too much the
>face of your world, then the invaders must be dealt with somehow, and you
>must consider the personality of your players and their team. Would they
>mind merely fighting a few battles or holding up the rear while some other
>NPC heros took the glory?
>
but what if the 'rear-guard' ended up being the important battle?
anyone else see the premiere of "Space: Above and Beyond"?
>And of course the "Queen Bee" could be anything. I did not mean to imply
>that the good guys burst in with guns (and EBs) blazing. What I meant was
>that there should be one final and culminating Event that should make
>everything all better. And that the PC heros should be behind (no...not
>behind...in front of) that Event.
>
this i have to disagree with. One event is an oversimplification, IMHO.
>I should have been more exacting...less flippant in my original post.
>
be as flippant as you want. I condone flippancy. MORE FLIPPANCY ON CHAMP-L!!!
I am just a bit leery of the 'star trek' type plots, is
all.
>Jay A
>
Subject: Re: Wrack power
Date: Thu, 29 May 97 22:20:43 -0500
From: John P Weatherman <asahoshi@nr.infi.net>
cc: <champ-l@omg.org>
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Anthony Jackson
>Curt Hicks writes:
>> I had thought about a continuous noncontrolled NND with the defense being
>> not spending endurance, and the limitation that the damage is proportional
>> to the amount of endurance the target spends. Is this 'legal' ?
>As a rule, no (definition of legal defense for NND is somewhat unclear).
NND only calls for something reasonably common that can turn the power
off.
So if the defence is not spending END, that qualifies. However, if a
target
stops burning END for 1 phase in that case, the wrack is cancelled and
the
target can then expend END again with no further ill effects.
>> The target of this power suffers from agonizing pain whenever he or she
>> exerts himself (i.e. spends endurance) The damage is proportional to the
>> degree of exertion. How can this be bought ?
>
>Reduce target's endurance to zero (via drain or suppress). Target now has to
>burn stun to spend endurance.
Try a continuous uncontrolled EGO Blast with the limitation, dice applied
proportional to END spent. The limitation would be up to the GM, but I'd
call it a -1/2 or so. You could also use the Cumulative (+1/2) advantage
off of transform. Then the attack should eventually overwhelm any
defences
the target has assuming they continue to expend end.
A word of warning...No END Continuous Uncontrolled Cumulative is NOT a
good
idea. It evenually puts a target into a coma with little to nothing that
can be done about it. My GM did this with a SPE drain, needless to say no
one was comfortable about it. If you do do something like this, make
sure
to require some method of stopping it, whether its a mind control from a
friendly to set things right or some drug or something.
PAX
____________________________________________________________________
| Name: John P. Weatherman | Phone: |
| email: asahoshi@nr.infi.net | (H) (910) 785-1130 |
| fax: (910) 748-4632 | (O) (910) 545-2722 |
|_____________________________|____________________________________|
| He who walking on the sea could calm the bitter waves, who gives |
| life to the dying seeds of the earth; He who was able to loose |
| the mortal chains of death and after three days' darkness could |
| bring again to the upper world the brother of his sister Martha: |
| He, I beleive, will make Damasus rise again from the dust. |
| Pope St. Damasus I (c.305-384) |
|__________________________________________________________________|
Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 01:12:59 -0400
X-Sender: arsenal@pop.iquest.net
From: Tony Satterthwaite <arsenal@iquest.net>
Subject: Top Ten Reasons to Suspect You Might be a Gamer
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>Return-Path: <LghtnBolt@aol.com>
>Delivered-To: arsenal@iquest.net
>Date: Wed, 28 May 1997 03:03:25 -0400 (EDT)
>From: LghtnBolt@aol.com
>To: arsenal@iquest.net
>Subject: Top Ten Reasons to Suspect You Might be a Gamer
>
>
>TOP TEN REASONS TO SUSPECT YOU MIGHT BE A GAMER
>
>10) You realize it's time to explain to junior Samuel isn't really a family
>name, he was actually named after Sam Sun, the Shining Samauri, one of the
>founding members of the Gainesville Guardians.
>
>9) You see the dictionary as a source of supervillians, creating teams like
>the Terrible T's and the Killer Bs with a couple dozen
>villians based on a single letter of the alphabet
>
>
>8) After a phone call from an aggressive telemarketer who won't take "no"
>for an . answer you drop everything to create the Red Ringer, a demented
>psychopath who screams "I SAID I WASN"T INTERESTED!!" over and over until
>his voice shatters his victoms eardrums.
>
>7) You still have nightmares about all the things that went wrong with the
>whole
>"if-I-create-a-killer-tornado-20-miles-wide-and-start-wasting-hoosiers-they-MU
>ST-make-me-King-of-Indiana" plot.
>
>6) You wake up in the morning, hear the rain, and your first thought is:
>. "Fantastic! My talking bullfrog is gonna LOVE today!"
>
>5) You realize your typing has increased by 30 words a minute because of
>all the time you've spent working on the problems associated with creating a
>unique magic system
>
>4) At a party, after too many drinks, you realize you're saying"Yeah, I
>killed , George Bush one New Year's Eve. Sure, the damn good-guys
> turned me to stone right afterwards but it was worth it." and you actually
>puff your chest out in pride as you boast: "I was the reason Dan Quail
>became the President in our realitiy!"
>
>3) You watch every 60 minutes, Nightline, Dateline, Discovery Channel,
>and Learning Channel special you can find if it's about genetics, always
>hoping to come with an even better way to build flying monkeys.
>
>2) You realize this has to be at least the hundredth time you've had to
>defend yourself for going back into the burning building for your gaming
>files instead of the kittens.
>
>and the Number One Reason to Suspect You Might Be A Gamer...
>
>During foreplay you find yourself repeatedly saying: "Do it, Babeazon! Use
>your Enchanted Handcuffs!"
>
>LghtnBolt@aol.com Bill O'Neal
>
>
Tony Satterthwaite
http://www.iquest.net/~arsenal Last Updated Jan 22, 1997
Arizona Diamondbacks, CCABL APBA (c) Baseball League
******* *************
Government-run, tax-funded schools are nothing more than educational welfare.
Separate school and state and free your children.
Check out www.sepschool.org
******** *************
X-Sender: wabbit@globaldialog.com (Unverified)
Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 01:18:29 -0500
From: Earl Kwallek <earl@thewarren.mil.wi.us>
Subject: Re: Determining Limitations
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At 06:53 PM 5/29/97 +1000, happyelf! wrote:
>here's a very small guide:
>
>-1/4 anything not involved directly in the campaign, like an effect that you
>make up and the gm says "yeah, shure, whatever . ."
>
In my Campaigns these are called -0 Limitations, "A limitation that does
not limit is not a LIMITATION and is not worth a point break". Generally I
just disallow most of these silly/stupid things....
>-1/2 Something really involved with the character: like kryptonite or
silver, >something the character will see a lot of, within the plot of the
setting(it not >just a random thingie)
>
Based on your examples, Kryptonite (at least for S-Man) would be a -1/4 in
my campaigns (it's SUPPOSED to be rather rare), Silver would be worth a
-1/2 ONLY
if everyone new the character was affected by silver (ie A werewolf)
otherwise it also would be a -1/4.
My general guideline is:
For every eight adventures how often will this effect you:
Once= -1/4
Two Adventures= -1/2
etc
Every Adventure -2
Again this is only a guideline, but it works for me, and it keeps players
from coming up with "-1/4 Doesn't work when all the planets form a
straight line from the sun" which happens (IIRC) about once every 10,000 yrs.
From: Daniel Pawtowski <dpawtows@access.digex.net>
Subject: Re: Determining Limitations
Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 03:27:27 -0400 (EDT)
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> from coming up with "-1/4 Doesn't work when all the planets form a
> straight line from the sun" which happens (IIRC) about once every 10,000 yrs.
>
>
Well, you could allow it. Then have Galactus come by once a month and
re-arrange the planets into a nice, neat line. :-)
Daniel Pawtowski
From: BeerCarboy@aol.com
Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 09:54:40 -0400 (EDT)
cc: catdrag@vnet.net, champion@cyberhighway.net, deejay@cu-online.com,
greenlucifer@geocities.com, jdriscol@vt.edu,
mirage@hpserv.keh.utulsa.edu, sourdust@ix.netcom.com,
robertni@us.ibm.com, teriaca@omnifest.uwm.edu, vances@sympatico.ca
Subject: Re: CHAR: CT (Aquarius)
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Hmmmnn, 20 STR? Ithink that is an underestimate . . .
Carter Humphrey BeerCarboy@AOL.com
Subject: Re: House Rule suggestion for Side Effects
Date: Fri, 30 May 97 10:12:21 -0400
x-sender: DFair@pop.worldweb.net
From: "David A. Fair" <DFair@sdslink.com>
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On 5/29/97 7:22 PM, Joe Claffey Jr. (jrc@mail1.nai.net) Said:
> One variation that I've been toying with is to require any Side Effect
>that is an attack power (EB, KA, etc) to include the NND and Does BODY
>advantages (+2 total). This makes Side Effects unpleasant, but not fatal
>(how many characters can take a 12d6 EB that bypasses their defenses?)
Are you really doing this? If I have a standard 12d6 EB (60 AP) (average
42 stun, 12 bod BEFORE defenses) and take the side effects disad (-1) I
get hit by a 12d6 EB, NND, Does Body (180 AP) (average 42 stun, 12 bod
and NO defenses).
That seems a little extreme, and could be fatal to low BOD characters, or
those that had already taken som BOD damage.
.oooO |
( ) Oooo. | David A. Fair
\ ( ( ) | SDS International
\_) ) / | dfair@sdslink.com
(_/ |
Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 09:22:47 -0700 (PDT)
From: Anthony Jackson <ajackson@iii.com>
Reply-To: Anthony Jackson <ajackson@iii.com>
Subject: Re: Wrack power
Cc: champ-l@omg.org
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John P Weatherman writes:
> NND only calls for something reasonably common that can turn the power
> off.
> So if the defence is not spending END, that qualifies. However, if a
> target
> stops burning END for 1 phase in that case, the wrack is cancelled and
> the
> target can then expend END again with no further ill effects.
No, you're thinking of 'uncontrolled'. 'Not spending END for a phase'
certainly qualifies as a legitimate way to turn an uncontrolled power off.
Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 12:55:15 -0400 (EDT)
From: Michael Surbrook <susano@access.digex.net>
cc: susano@access.digex.net, champ-l@omg.org, catdrag@vnet.net,
champion@cyberhighway.net, deejay@cu-online.com,
greenlucifer@geocities.com, jdriscol@vt.edu,
mirage@hpserv.keh.utulsa.edu, sourdust@ix.netcom.com,
robertni@us.ibm.com, teriaca@omnifest.uwm.edu, vances@sympatico.ca
Subject: Re: CHAR: CT (Aquarius)
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On Fri, 30 May 1997 BeerCarboy@aol.com wrote:
> Hmmmnn, 20 STR? Ithink that is an underestimate . . .
Using my (rough) conversion charts, Aquarius would have an 18 STR. I
upped this to 20, but after reading Wildcards Book II, agree that he
should probably have a 25 (maybe 30). I don't think the GURPS Wildcards
book fully represents that character properly.
***************************************************************************
* "'Cause I'm the god of destruction, that's why!" - Susano Orbatos,Orion *
* Michael Surbrook / susano@access.digex.net *
* Attacked Mystification Police / AD Police / ESWAT *
* Society for Creative Anachronism / House ap Gwystl / Company of St.Mark *
***************************************************************************
Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 10:07:55 -0700
From: Tim Statler <tstatler@igateway.net>
Reply-To: tstatler@igateway.net
Subject: Character Challenge (long)
Errors-To: owner-champ-l@omg.org
Sender: owner-champ-l@omg.org
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To: champ-l@omg.org
A hero I have has 2 DNPCs. I'd like to challenge the list to create one
or both of them. I'll give you some background and a few possible disads
and let the creators create. There is no prize but the final 2 choices
I'll repost and recognize the author.
Without further ado here are their backgrounds.
Grampa William Smith (I'm terrible with names)
Billy Smith was a young golden gloves boxer in the late 1930s - early
1940s. He was on the way to making a name for himself when the US became
invovled in WWII. Like most of his generation, he volunteered for the
Marines. He fought in the Pacific campaign, Island hoping. During one
fight, he rescued an injured Japanese soldier from being killed
outright. The soldier wasn't the simple man Billy thought and according
to tradition, now owed Billy his life.
At the time Billy didn't give it much thought. After the war, he went
back to his Boxing career. He unfortuneately fell into the clutches of
the wrong people, people who could garentee him wins. Billy realized
only when it was too late, what the enevitable was going to be. To
garuntee a life for his new wife and son he bought a gym in [campaign
city]. A little over a year later, the men who managed him told him to
take a dive or else. Billy decided to stand up to them and ended up
beating his opponent. The men who he had burned decided to get even.
They caught him unaware and beat him, breaking his back in the process.
To keep him from testifing against them, they threatened his family.
He went home to manage the Gym. A few weeks later a knock on the door
heralded the arrival of the Japanese soldier he had saved. The Japanese
moved into a small apartment over the Gym and did wwhatever work the gym
needed. His discussions with the Japanese led William to go to the
police with what he knew of the Gangsters. Days later, his apartment
caught fire while he was at the gym, killing his wife. He moved into the
Apartment over the gym with his son (who had been in school at the time
of the fire).
Years later his son was grown, married and had a young boy of his own.
Tragedy struck again, as his son and wife were killed in a traffic
accident. William Smith took in his Grandson to finish raising,
instilling in him a sense of right and wrong, using himself as a
negative example. Later the boy became X and fought the gangs and other
villians as a costumed hero.
Mr.Hitaschu Myogi (If you know Japanese spelling please correct mine,
written in Western Style)
Myogi had grown up in a family of samuri, and masters of the martial
arts, instilling in him a code of duty and honor. He joined the imperial
marines upon reaching adulthood, and fought in the pacific during WWII.
His life took a great turn when, while wounded and about to be killed by
an American soldier, another intervended and saved his life. He went
into a POW camp for the remainder of the war and home after the
surrender.
He search for the American to whom he owed the life debt, but didn't
find him until he saw a newspaper article about a boxer who had been
nearly killed by Mobsters. He recognized him as the man who saved his
life and sold what he had to travel to America.
He took a job working for his new freind doing watever was needed at the
gym, from cleaning to fixing broken plumbing. He also debated life with
him, trying to instill honor. After William Smith's wife died, he shared
his living space with the man and his son.
When William took in his grandson, Mr. Myogi (What the boy always
called him) taught him the ways of the samuri and karate. The boy took
to the training rather easily and became a master himself.
Here is some disads and othe rnotes for the 2 DNPCs:
William Smith:
Incompetent DNPC
may have a few jabs etc. still in memory.
AGE 60+ (approx 75 to 80 now) 10 pts
Pys Lim: Paralzed from waist down, can't walk. freq,great 15 pts
Distinctive features: Wheelchair, conceal w/effort, is always noticed
15 pts.
Mr. Hitaschu Myogi
Normal DNPC
Karate Master
Age 40+ (about same age as William Smith but in much better shape) 5
points
Dis Feature: Japanese easily conceal, note&recognized 5 points
Psych LIm: Indebted to, loyal to William Smith (common, strong)
(this is just a minimum. could be stronger if modeled correctly.)
Thanks and good huniting
Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 17:14:00 -0400 (EDT)
From: Michael Surbrook <susano@access.digex.net>
cc: Hero Character Adaption <catdrag@vnet.net&> champion@cyberhighway.net,
Champions Character List <deejay@cu-online.com&>
greenlucifer@geocities.com, jdriscol@vt.edu,
Rob Rutherford <mirage@hpserv.keh.utulsa.edu&> sourdust@ix.netcom.com,
robertni@us.ibm.com, teriaca@omnifest.uwm.edu, vances@sympatico.ca,
Weasel Attack!!! <weasel-patrol@otd.com>
Subject: CHAR: The Great and Powerful Turtle
Errors-To: owner-champ-l@omg.org
Sender: owner-champ-l@omg.org
X-Hero: champ-l
To: champ-l@omg.org
THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TURTLE
(Thomas Tudbury)
Designers Notes:
The Turtle is *the* most powerful telekineticist in the world. As Thomas
Tudbury, the Turtle stands 5'9" and weighs about 170 lbs, with collar
length dark brown hair. Within his 'shell' however, the Turtle become a
true 'superhero', righting wrongs, saving those in distress and doing his
best to combat crime. Although he's become a bit cynical over the years,
the Turtle still keeps at it, doing his best to keep the streets of New
York safe for everyone.
Note: Some people way want to give the Turtle some for of Variable Area of
Affect advantage to the Turtle's TK. He can use his TK much like a giant
pair of hands, pushing people about, picking up masses of water and so on.
The 100 STR value was achieved due to the fact that the Turtle *lifted*
the battleship New Jersey out of the water for 30 seconds one day.
Note II: Turtles Hero ID requires him to be inside of his Shell to use
his powers. He can over come this psychological crutch outside of his
Shell, but the Turtle is limited to about 10 STR and a x10 END cost.
The Character:
STAT VAL COST
Str 9 -1
Dex 11 3
Con 11 2
Body 10 0
Int 18 8
Ego 15 10
Pre 10 0
Com 10 0
PD 2 0
ED 2 0
Spd 3 9
Rec 4 0
End 22 0
Stun 21 0
Char Total 31
Power Total 318
Total Cost 349
COST POWERS & SKILLS
240 TK: 100 STR, Invisible to Sight (+1/2), 0 END, Only in HID (-1/4)
31 Vehicle: Turtle's Shell
10 Wealth
6 AK: New York City 16-
9 Electronics 14-
6 KS: Comic Books 16-
4 KS: Electronics 14-
2 PS: Electrician 11-
5 Systems Operation 14-
5 Trading 12-
Disadvantages
100 Base
10 Phys: Bad eyes, needs glasses
15 Psych: Protective of innocents, feels it is his duty to aid those
in trouble
10 Psych: Shy, tends to keep to himself
15 Secret ID
(The Great and Powerful Turtle created by George R R Martin, character
sheet created by Michael Surbrook)
***************************************************************************
* "'Cause I'm the god of destruction, that's why!" - Susano Orbatos,Orion *
* Michael Surbrook / susano@access.digex.net *
* Attacked Mystification Police / AD Police / ESWAT *
* Society for Creative Anachronism / House ap Gwystl / Company of St.Mark *
***************************************************************************
Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 17:15:06 -0400 (EDT)
From: Michael Surbrook <susano@access.digex.net>
cc: Hero Character Adaption <catdrag@vnet.net&> champion@cyberhighway.net,
Champions Character List <deejay@cu-online.com&>
greenlucifer@geocities.com, jdriscol@vt.edu,
Rob Rutherford <mirage@hpserv.keh.utulsa.edu&> sourdust@ix.netcom.com,
robertni@us.ibm.com, teriaca@omnifest.uwm.edu, vances@sympatico.ca,
Weasel Attack!!! <weasel-patrol@otd.com>
Subject: CHAR: Turtle's shell
Errors-To: owner-champ-l@omg.org
Sender: owner-champ-l@omg.org
X-Hero: champ-l
To: champ-l@omg.org
THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TURTLE'S SHELL
This is Turtle's shell. It is made from old battleship armor plate,
layered over (at least the first time around) the body of a Volkswagen
Beetle. Later models have included a reclining chair, refrigerator,
external spotlights, a loudspeaker system and an on board computer. I'll
leave those sorts of modifications up to individual GMs.
STAT VALUE COST
Size 3.2x1.6 25
DCV -3
Mass (KB) 4t (-3)
STR 35 0
DEF 20 54
BODY 15 0
DEX 11 3
SPD 3 9
Flt Move 30" 60
MAX 180
Char Total 151
Equip Total 21
Total Cost 172
COST EQUIPMENT
5 360 Degree Vision IAF (cameras)
6 HRRH, IIF (internal radio)
2 IRJVision (IR filters for cameras), IAF
8 Radar, IIF
Disadvantages
157 Base
15 DF: Turtle's Shell, a one-of-a-kind vehicle
***************************************************************************
* "'Cause I'm the god of destruction, that's why!" - Susano Orbatos,Orion *
* Michael Surbrook / susano@access.digex.net *
* Attacked Mystification Police / AD Police / ESWAT *
* Society for Creative Anachronism / House ap Gwystl / Company of St.Mark *
***************************************************************************
X-Sender: jrc@pop1.nai.net
Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 16:15:08 -0500
From: "Joe Claffey Jr." <jrc@mail1.nai.net>
Subject: Re: House Rule suggestion for Side Effects
Errors-To: owner-champ-l@omg.org
Sender: owner-champ-l@omg.org
X-Hero: champ-l
To: champ-l@omg.org
"David A. Fair" <DFair@sdslink.com> wrote,
>On 5/29/97 7:22 PM, Joe Claffey Jr. (jrc@mail1.nai.net) Said:
>
>> One variation that I've been toying with is to require any Side Effect
>>that is an attack power (EB, KA, etc) to include the NND and Does BODY
>>advantages (+2 total). This makes Side Effects unpleasant, but not fatal
>>(how many characters can take a 12d6 EB that bypasses their defenses?)
>
>Are you really doing this? If I have a standard 12d6 EB (60 AP) (average
>42 stun, 12 bod BEFORE defenses) and take the side effects disad (-1) I
>get hit by a 12d6 EB, NND, Does Body (180 AP) (average 42 stun, 12 bod
>and NO defenses).
>
>That seems a little extreme, and could be fatal to low BOD characters, or
>those that had already taken som BOD damage.
The 12d6 EB that bypasses defenses is the *standard* way to do Side Effect
(at the -1 level). My method reduces it to 4d6.
Joe Claffey | "In the end, everything is a gag."
jrc@ct1.nai.net | - Charlie Chaplin
Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 16:56:48 -0500
From: Todd Hanson <badtodd@dacmail.net>
Subject: Re: House Rule suggestion for Side Effects
Errors-To: owner-champ-l@omg.org
Sender: owner-champ-l@omg.org
X-Hero: champ-l
To: champ-l@omg.org
Joe Claffey Jr. wrote:
>
> "David A. Fair" <DFair@sdslink.com> wrote,
> >On 5/29/97 7:22 PM, Joe Claffey Jr. (jrc@mail1.nai.net) Said:
> >
> >> One variation that I've been toying with is to require any Side Effect
> >>that is an attack power (EB, KA, etc) to include the NND and Does BODY
> >>advantages (+2 total). This makes Side Effects unpleasant, but not fatal
> >>(how many characters can take a 12d6 EB that bypasses their defenses?)
> >
> >Are you really doing this? If I have a standard 12d6 EB (60 AP) (average
> >42 stun, 12 bod BEFORE defenses) and take the side effects disad (-1) I
> >get hit by a 12d6 EB, NND, Does Body (180 AP) (average 42 stun, 12 bod
> >and NO defenses).
> >
> >That seems a little extreme, and could be fatal to low BOD characters, or
> >those that had already taken som BOD damage.
>
> The 12d6 EB that bypasses defenses is the *standard* way to do Side Effect
> (at the -1 level). My method reduces it to 4d6.
I dont have my books with me, and maybe this was a house rule, but an
old GM always made the side effect NND for free. His logic? If not
NND, it wasn't worth anything (especially the 30 pt effect level). If
you get to apply your defenses towards the side effect, how often is 6d6
going to get through? Go ahead and give me that freebie -1/2 side
effect on ALL of my powers!!
Todd
--
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Todd Hanson Minnesota: Land of two seasons:
BadTodd@dacmail.net winter is coming, winter is here.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
From: Curt Hicks <exucurt@exu.ericsson.se>
Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 18:25:45 -0500 (CDT)
Subject: CHAR: Turtle's shell
Errors-To: owner-champ-l@omg.org
Sender: owner-champ-l@omg.org
X-Hero: champ-l
To: champ-l@omg.org
Michael Surbrook <susano@access.digex.net> writes:
> BODY 15 0
> DEX 11 3
> SPD 3 9
> Flt Move 30" 60
> MAX 180
Actually, strictly speaking, the Turtle's shell should have no movement
capabilities on its own, since the Turtle moves it with his awesomely
powerful TK.
Curt
p.s. I like the adaptions !
From: Curt Hicks <exucurt@exu.ericsson.se>
Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 18:27:57 -0500 (CDT)
Subject: Wrack power
Errors-To: owner-champ-l@omg.org
Sender: owner-champ-l@omg.org
X-Hero: champ-l
To: champ-l@omg.org
D'oh ! Thanks to all who pointed out that the spending stun as endurance
rules nicely takes care of this, assuming you can nullify all of somebody's
endurance.
Curt
X-Sender: ctaylor@mailhost.cyberhighway.net
Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 17:17:44 -0700
From: Christopher Taylor <ctaylor@cyberhighway.net>
Subject: Re: House Rule suggestion for Side Effects
Errors-To: owner-champ-l@omg.org
Sender: owner-champ-l@omg.org
X-Hero: champ-l
To: champ-l@omg.org
>I dont have my books with me, and maybe this was a house rule, but an
>old GM always made the side effect NND for free. His logic? If not
>NND, it wasn't worth anything (especially the 30 pt effect level). If
>you get to apply your defenses towards the side effect, how often is 6d6
>going to get through? Go ahead and give me that freebie -1/2 side
>effect on ALL of my powers!!
In the original Fantasy Hero rules that is how it worked... but they changed
that with 4th edition. The comments about how little effect 30 active
points has are based only on Champions experience. Make a wizard for
Fantasy hero some time and see what the 2D6 HKA or a 3D6 flash side effect
does... especially when the spell is less than 30 active points its self.
In my opinion, the side effects should be more like this:
-1/2: 10 active points or 1/2 the points of the power
-1: 30 active points or equal to power
whichever is greater.
----------------------------------------------------------
Sola Gracia Sola Scriptura Sola Fide
Soli Gloria Deo Solus Christus Corum Deo
-----------------------------------------------------------
X-Forwarding-Note: Was sent to herolist@october.com; forwarding to hero-l@omg.org
From: Opal@october.com (Opal)
Date: 31 May 97 02:29:02 GMT
Subject: Determining Limitations
X-Ftn-To: rjacobs@radiks.net
X-Listname: Hero
Reply-To: hero-l@october.com (Multiple recipients of Hero)
Path: october!opal
Organization: Fidonet: Red October Alpha * Hero Roleplaying * 408-629-4695 *
Errors-To: owner-champ-l@omg.org
Sender: owner-champ-l@omg.org
X-Hero: champ-l
To: champ-l@omg.org
r > Hello All,
r >
r > Anybody have any good suggestions on how to determine the value of
r > non-standard limitations? I'm looking for a way to remove some of the
r > subjectivity from the process (I realize that there is no way to make
r > it
r > totally objective, but some guidance would be beneficial).
r >
r > Rob
One old rule of thumb for Limitations in the 'only when' or
'not when' structure (where you either can use the power or cant):
The limitation should come up, on average, in about as many games
as the proportion of the limitation: so a 1/2 Lim, would come up
in about half the games played, a -1 in most of them, and a -2 more
than once in practically every game.
For limitations that reduce the utility of a power, you're pretty much
stuck comparing them to existing lims - find an existing limitation that
is *more* limiting than the new one, and use it as a maximum.
For limitations that are the 'reverse' of advantages: If you want to
play it conservative, say that they are half the value of the advantage:
For instance: Instant (-1/2) is the reverse of Constant (+1). However,
there are also instances where the vaules are the same at range and
no range are +1/2 and -1/2, respectively.
___
* OFFLINE 1.58
Date: Sat, 31 May 1997 00:39:00 -0400 (EDT)
From: Michael Surbrook <susano@access.digex.net>
cc: champ-l@omg.org
Subject: Re: CHAR: Turtle's shell
Errors-To: owner-champ-l@omg.org
Sender: owner-champ-l@omg.org
X-Hero: champ-l
To: champ-l@omg.org
On Fri, 30 May 1997, Curt Hicks wrote:
> Michael Surbrook <susano@access.digex.net> writes:
>
> > BODY 15 0
> > DEX 11 3
> > SPD 3 9
> > Flt Move 30" 60
> > MAX 180
>
> Actually, strictly speaking, the Turtle's shell should have no movement
> capabilities on its own, since the Turtle moves it with his awesomely
> powerful TK.
Uhm, well, yes... but in effect, the Shell is a vehicle and not a focus.
Even the GURPS sourcebook lists it a 'vehicle' of sorts.
> p.s. I like the adaptions !
Thanks!
***************************************************************************
* "'Cause I'm the god of destruction, that's why!" - Susano Orbatos,Orion *
* Michael Surbrook / susano@access.digex.net *
* Attacked Mystification Police / AD Police / ESWAT *
* Society for Creative Anachronism / House ap Gwystl / Company of St.Mark *
***************************************************************************
Date: Sat, 31 May 1997 00:11:19 -0500
From: Todd Hanson <badtodd@dacmail.net>
Subject: Web sites with useful info for Champs GMs?
Errors-To: owner-champ-l@omg.org
Sender: owner-champ-l@omg.org
X-Hero: champ-l
To: champ-l@omg.org
One of the toughest parts of being a Champs GM is coming up with new
scenarios that are more than 'the villians are robbing the bank - you
all manage to arrive at the same time... phase 12!'
I stumbled across a neat site that has sparked several scenario ideas.
It has all kinds of articles on the latest and greatest science news
(including things like new findings about stars and planets, the effects
of space travel on germs and bacteria, the current status of the Russian
space program, etc). All the neat things that might trigger a new super
hero or villian, or might be the target of that slightly insane
scientist... The site is http://www.sciencenow.org if you want to check
it out.
This got me to wondering.. has anyone else stumbled on a non-champions
web site that has information useful to a Champs GM?
Todd
Date: Sat, 31 May 1997 00:13:39 -0500
From: Todd Hanson <badtodd@dacmail.net>
Subject: Spawn?
Errors-To: owner-champ-l@omg.org
Sender: owner-champ-l@omg.org
X-Hero: champ-l
To: champ-l@omg.org
After watching the latest episode of the new Spawn animated series, I
realized that I actually have no clue what the guys actual powers are.
I never bothered with the comic when it came out (seemed like just
another Image 'anti-hero' title).
Has anyone attempted a Champions write up of Spawn? Would you like to
share it with me (and the list?)
Todd
From: HoosierJA@aol.com
Date: Sat, 31 May 1997 01:33:51 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Re: Invasion!?!
Errors-To: owner-champ-l@omg.org
Sender: owner-champ-l@omg.org
X-Hero: champ-l
To: champ-l@omg.org
In a message dated 97-05-30 12:12:09 EDT, jonesmj@topaz.cqu.edu.au
(happyelf!) writes:
> >...there should be one final and culminating Event that should make
> >everything all better. And that the PC heros should be behind (no...not
> >behind...in front of) that Event.
> >
>
> this i have to disagree with. One event is an oversimplification, IMHO.
I just gotta restate my point here. Virtually all good fictional stories
wrap up with a demouement. From Homer to John Byrne there is almost always
the one Final Event that brings the story to a close. Maybe (sure) there are
unanswered questions, but the Final chapter is just that...the Final Chapter.
And in a role playing enviornment I think it would be unfair to the players
if the Event didn't feature them.
I don't think you're disagreeing with me on this point. At least I hope your
not.
And of course I agree with you that most good story arcs should change the
face of the campaing. But they don't all have to be complete plastic
surgical overhauls. And if the players just thought they where bringing up
the rear but found themselves saving the planet...great. As long as they're
the ones doing the saving. As long as the Event features them.
I maintain that the best stories are the purest ones. Don't get me
wrong...The characters needn't be simple or ordinary. Nor do the actual
plots and the events in them need to be hackneyed or too easy to second
guess. There should always be at least one or two surprises. But the age
old rules of presenting a story have rarely to be improved upon.
In the immortal words of Henry David Thoreau: " Simplify, simplify,
simplify".
Of course Thoreau said it three times when he only needed to once.
Jay "the flip" A.
Date: Sat, 31 May 1997 01:35:40 -0400 (EDT)
From: Michael Surbrook <susano@access.digex.net>
Subject: Wildcards characters
Errors-To: owner-champ-l@omg.org
Sender: owner-champ-l@omg.org
X-Hero: champ-l
To: champ-l@omg.org
For anyone who is keeping track, here is a list of completd (nad planned)
GURPS Wildcards conversions. Note, not all the complete characters have
been posted yet.
NAME POINTS
Astronomer, The
Bagabond
Black Eagle
Bludgeon 129
Cpt. Trips 64
(Aquarius) 100
(Aquarius - Dolphin Form) 478
(Cosmic Traveler) 377
(Jumping Jack Flash) 715
(Moonchild) 450
(Starshine) 378
Carnifex 334
Chaisson Cordelia 201
Chickenhawk 52
Cyclone 302
Deadhead
Demise
Dr. Tachyon
Elephant Girl 92
(Elephant form) 341
Envoy, The
Fadeout 210
Fantasy
Father Squid 178
Fortunato
Gimli 106
Golden Boy 309
Harlem Hammer, The 310
Howler, The 244
Kid Dinosaur
Kien Phuc 136
Mistral
Lazy Dragon
Mackie Messer 336
Modular Man 631
Oddity, The 199
Peregrine 196
Popinjay 463
Puppetman
Quasiman 200
Quinn the Eskimo
Sewer Jack 75
(Alligator form) 179
Sleeper, The varies
Steele, George
Strauss, Jerimiah 100
Ti Malice 201
Travineck, Maxim
Troll 153
Turtle, The 349
(Shell) 172
Warlock
Water Lily
Whisperer
Worchester, Hiram
Wraith 232
Wyrm 285
Wyungare 170
Yeoman 335
***************************************************************************
* "'Cause I'm the god of destruction, that's why!" - Susano Orbatos,Orion *
* Michael Surbrook / susano@access.digex.net *
* Attacked Mystification Police / AD Police / ESWAT *
* Society for Creative Anachronism / House ap Gwystl / Company of St.Mark *
***************************************************************************
Subject: Re: Invasion!?!
Date: Sat, 31 May 97 09:37:50 -0500
From: John P Weatherman <asahoshi@nr.infi.net>
Errors-To: owner-champ-l@omg.org
Sender: owner-champ-l@omg.org
X-Hero: champ-l
To: champ-l@omg.org
happyelf!!!!
>> I just gotta restate my point here. Virtually all good fictional stories
>> wrap up with a demouement. From Homer to John Byrne there is almost always
>> the one Final Event that brings the story to a close. Maybe (sure) there
are
>> unanswered questions, but the Final chapter is just that...the Final
Chapter.
>> And in a role playing enviornment I think it would be unfair to the players
>> if the Event didn't feature them.
>
>yeah, and they were *literature*, while this is *roleplaying*- it keeps
>going, and where it goes is up to the players- tying it down like this is
>a bad idea.
In my experience, the rules of good literature, when applied to
role-playing,
make execellent role-playing. A story should tie up and should have a
cumulating Event. This does not imply an ending however sence, just like
novels, the next sequel is always arround the corner. As a player, I get
VERY discouraged when there aren't final grant Events, one per story arc,
to cleanly let the playing move into a new arena.
I do agree that some things that work in literature don't work in
role-playing
very well, precognition being at the top of my list, but the basic
structure
works very well.
>> And of course I agree with you that most good story arcs should change the
>> face of the campaing. But they don't all have to be complete plastic
>> surgical overhauls. And if the players just thought they where bringing up
>> the rear but found themselves saving the planet...great. As long as they're
>> the ones doing the saving. As long as the Event features them.
>>
>
>but i would argue for millions of these "events" like . .say they have in
>all the crosovers? spidey bussed some sentinels in onslaught, too, y'know
>. . . .it was a good use of his character . . .
Crossovers do not preclude the use of a final cumulating even that ends
the
mechanism by which the crossover occured.
>
>> I maintain that the best stories are the purest ones. Don't get me
>> wrong...The characters needn't be simple or ordinary. Nor do the actual
>> plots and the events in them need to be hackneyed or too easy to second
>> guess. There should always be at least one or two surprises. But the age
>> old rules of presenting a story have rarely to be improved upon.
>> In the immortal words of Henry David Thoreau: " Simplify, simplify,
>> simplify".
>>
>
>but he wasn't six people!! an rpg CANNOT follow the rules of literature!
>sorry, but this is one of the major misconceptions i hav come across.
>a good game does not a good book make, and vice versa is also true.
I would maintain that the biggest misconception I've come across is that
the
rules of literature shouldn't apply to role-playing. A good RPG should a
good
story tell, and a good story should make a good book. However I'll grant
that
a good book may not always work the best as an RPG. The issue here being
the
writer doesn't control the main character anymore, the plotlines are
usually
still good material, the Events just never turn out right! :)
PAX.
____________________________________________________________________
| Name: John P. Weatherman | Phone: |
| email: asahoshi@nr.infi.net | (H) (910) 785-1130 |
| fax: (910) 748-4632 | (O) (910) 545-2722 |
|_____________________________|____________________________________|
| He who walking on the sea could calm the bitter waves, who gives |
| life to the dying seeds of the earth; He who was able to loose |
| the mortal chains of death and after three days' darkness could |
| bring again to the upper world the brother of his sister Martha: |
| He, I beleive, will make Damasus rise again from the dust. |
| Pope St. Damasus I (c.305-384) |
|__________________________________________________________________|
X-Sender: naneiden@iswest.com
Date: Sat, 31 May 1997 08:36:28 -0700
From: Nic Neidenbach <naneiden@iswest.com>
Subject: Re: CHAR: Turtle's shell
Errors-To: owner-champ-l@omg.org
Sender: owner-champ-l@omg.org
X-Hero: champ-l
To: champ-l@omg.org
At 12:39 AM 5/31/97 -0400, Michael Surbrook <susano@access.digex.net> wrote:
>On Fri, 30 May 1997, Curt Hicks wrote:
>
>> Michael Surbrook <susano@access.digex.net> writes:
>>
>> > BODY 15 0
>> > DEX 11 3
>> > SPD 3 9
>> > Flt Move 30" 60
>> > MAX 180
>>
>> Actually, strictly speaking, the Turtle's shell should have no movement
>> capabilities on its own, since the Turtle moves it with his awesomely
>> powerful TK.
>
>Uhm, well, yes... but in effect, the Shell is a vehicle and not a focus.
>Even the GURPS sourcebook lists it a 'vehicle' of sorts.
>
Well, since TK clearly states that you can't use TK to move yourself around.
You can't pick up an object with TK, step on it, then fly around like the
Silver Surfer. So you have to buy flight to simulate it. At most, the
flight's special effect is Turtle's TK.
>> p.s. I like the adaptions !
>
Yep, they are way cool. :)
-Nic
Date: Sat, 31 May 1997 12:09:52 -0400
X-Sender: absga@elbertonga.com
From: Patrick Barden <absga@elbertonga.com>
Subject: Re: Custom Character Drawings
Cc: hero-l@omg.org
Errors-To: owner-champ-l@omg.org
Sender: owner-champ-l@omg.org
X-Hero: champ-l
To: champ-l@omg.org
At 07:04 AM 5/29/97 -0400, Legionair@aol.com wrote:
><<I am afraid I can only send pictures by snail mail. I can send copies of
>some of the stuff I have done for others.
>Patrick B.>>
>
>That's fine. I'll give you my home address and you can mail the copies of
>the samples there. The best thing I can think of is to send me those
>copies and tell me how much you charged for each of them... That would
>give me the best idea of what you have and what you charge for it...
>
>Here's another question... Are there any genres you don't like to do? Or do
>you stick strictly to Champions type stuff?
>
Thanks for all those who expressed interest in my custom drawings. Here is
where thing stand.
I have had someone generously offer to scan my work for me so that I can
send out samples in (hopefully) the very near future. As far as price goes
I usually charge around $10.00 for an 8 1/2 X 11 color drawing on vellum
bristol.
I have no real qualms about other genres so much as certain subject matter.
No nudity, partial or otherwise. I avoid subject matter of a patently
demonic nature. (ie I'd rather not do Spawn style characters) I try to
avoid multiple characters in one drawing. I usually ask for someone to give
me a description first and then I decide whether I can do it or not.
Usually if I refuse a drawing it is because I just don't think I can do a
decent, satisfactory job of it.
As soon as I have the scans ready to send I willlet the list kn ow and then
anyone who wants copies can request them. Any questions should be directed
to me at my address not the list. I will post answers to the list only when
I get enough of the same request to make it practical
Thanks for the interest.
I'll be in touch.
Patrick B.
Subject: Re: Invasion!?!
Date: Sat, 31 May 97 13:12:39 -0500
From: Fugazi <fugazi@frontiernet.net>
Errors-To: owner-champ-l@omg.org
Sender: owner-champ-l@omg.org
X-Hero: champ-l
To: champ-l@omg.org
-- [ From: Fugazi * EMC.Ver #2.5.02 ] --
-------- REPLY, Original message follows --------
> Date: Saturday, 31-May-97 09:37 AM
>
> From: John P Weatherman \ Internet: (asahoshi@nr.infi.net)
> To: champ-l@omg.org \ Internet: (champ-l@omg.org)
>
> Subject: Re: Invasion!?!
>
> happyelf!!!!
>
> >> I just gotta restate my point here. Virtually all good fictional
stories
> >> wrap up with a demouement. From Homer to John Byrne there is almost
always
> >> the one Final Event that brings the story to a close. Maybe (sure)
there
> are
> >> unanswered questions, but the Final chapter is just that...the Final
> Chapter.
> >> And in a role playing enviornment I think it would be unfair to the
players
> >> if the Event didn't feature them.
> >
> >yeah, and they were *literature*, while this is *roleplaying*- it keeps
> >going, and where it goes is up to the players- tying it down like this is
> >a bad idea.
>
I find it helpful to remember that the basis for champions is super-hero
comics. And there is no "final moment" in the comics that I enjoy. Oh sure
, the heroes may beat, force, or out-think a threat into a kind of dormancy,
but would Batman be as interesting if he had destroyed the Joker completely
and permanently in their first encounter? No, in champions, as in comics, a
good plotline is a series of threats layered over each other.
>
> >> And of course I agree with you that most good story arcs should change
the
> >> face of the campaing. But they don't all have to be complete plastic
> >> surgical overhauls. And if the players just thought they where
bringing up
> >> the rear but found themselves saving the planet...great. As long as
they're
> >> the ones doing the saving. As long as the Event features them.
> >>
> >
> >but i would argue for millions of these "events" like . .say they have in
> >all the crosovers? spidey bussed some sentinels in onslaught, too, y'know
> >. . . .it was a good use of his character . . .
Exactly. Keep the threat alive! Keeps them on their toes. Makes sure
Superman doesn't become an overweight couch potato, ordering out for pizza
("delivery please. Address? 1 Fortress of Solitude.") and watching cnn for
the Next Big Threat. Kill 'em slowly with stress, I say.
> >
> >> I maintain that the best stories are the purest ones. Don't get me
> >> wrong...The characters needn't be simple or ordinary. Nor do the
actual
> >> plots and the events in them need to be hackneyed or too easy to second
> >> guess. There should always be at least one or two surprises. But the
age
> >> old rules of presenting a story have rarely to be improved upon.
> >> In the immortal words of Henry David Thoreau: " Simplify, simplify,
> >> simplify".
> >>
> >
> >but he wasn't six people!! an rpg CANNOT follow the rules of literature!
> >sorry, but this is one of the major misconceptions i hav come across.
> >a good game does not a good book make, and vice versa is also true.
>
A good book? No. But hopefully a heckuva comic book. To draw on another
analogy, a good champions campaign should be a nightmare for the heroes in
which they are relentlessly pursued by an innumerable and unending stream of
villains, or villanous deeds. After all, if your group got together to play
, and the campaign events consisted of receiving awards for the storyline
they just ended, then "nothing else, guys. Must be a slow week for crime!",
they'd soon be bored. But if they are attacked by a new threat while
receiving the awards, well, then we're in business!
X-Originating-IP: [206.39.35.204]
From: "David Graham" <dgraham882@hotmail.com>
Subject: Call for PBEM Lurkers
Date: Sat, 31 May 1997 15:24:52 PDT
Errors-To: owner-champ-l@omg.org
Sender: owner-champ-l@omg.org
X-Hero: champ-l
To: champ-l@omg.org
(The following is an advertisement.)
It's January 1, 1997. The New Year has come. The new century, and the
new millenium, are soon to come as well. Some say that the new
millenium will bring about a glorious New Age. However, there are dark
forces that threaten to destroy the world as we know it. The first
signs are already in sight. Crime and corruption are all around. Drug
abuse is on the rise, with the introduction of a narcotic called Power.
The world teeters, heading toward the "Eve of Destruction."
What do you do?
(This is an advertisement for a Dark Champions PBEM called "Eve of
Destruction. Player slots are currently filled. However, if you would
like to be placed on the Lurkers list, please e-mail
dgraham882@hotmail.com. New Players will be selected from the Lurkers
list as slots become open.)
---------------------------------------------------------
Get Your *Web-Based* Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
---------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sat, 31 May 1997 17:26:55 -0700
From: "happyelf!!!!" <jonesmj@topaz.cqu.edu.au>
Subject: Re: Invasion!?!
Errors-To: owner-champ-l@omg.org
Sender: owner-champ-l@omg.org
X-Hero: champ-l
To: champ-l@omg.org
> I just gotta restate my point here. Virtually all good fictional stories
> wrap up with a demouement. From Homer to John Byrne there is almost always
> the one Final Event that brings the story to a close. Maybe (sure) there are
> unanswered questions, but the Final chapter is just that...the Final Chapter.
> And in a role playing enviornment I think it would be unfair to the players
> if the Event didn't feature them.
yeah, and they were *literature*, while this is *roleplaying*- it keeps going, and
where it goes is up to the players- tying it down like this is a bad idea.
>
> I don't think you're disagreeing with me on this point. At least I hope your
> not.
>
yes, i am. not your tone, your point.
your tone is fine, your point is incorect.
hence my point about your point, as opposed to a point about your tone(sorry)
> And of course I agree with you that most good story arcs should change the
> face of the campaing. But they don't all have to be complete plastic
> surgical overhauls. And if the players just thought they where bringing up
> the rear but found themselves saving the planet...great. As long as they're
> the ones doing the saving. As long as the Event features them.
>
but i would argue for millions of these "events" like . .say they have in all the
crosovers? spidey bussed some sentinels in onslaught, too, y'know. . . .it was a good
use of his character . . .
> I maintain that the best stories are the purest ones. Don't get me
> wrong...The characters needn't be simple or ordinary. Nor do the actual
> plots and the events in them need to be hackneyed or too easy to second
> guess. There should always be at least one or two surprises. But the age
> old rules of presenting a story have rarely to be improved upon.
> In the immortal words of Henry David Thoreau: " Simplify, simplify,
> simplify".
>
but he wasn't six people!! an rpg CANNOT follow the rules of literature!
sorry, but this is one of the major misconceptions i hav come across.
a good game does not a good book make, and vice versa is also true.
> Of course Thoreau said it three times when he only needed to once.
>
actually, he needed to say it three times- his secretary coudn't take dictation
for nuts . .*lol*
> Jay "the flip" A.flip away, man!
so, what does the rest of the list think?
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Date: Tuesday, March 30, 1999 05:42 PM