Digest Archives Vol 1 Issue 105
From: owner-champ-l-digest@sysabend.org
Sent: Tuesday, December 22, 1998 6:52 PM
To: champ-l-digest@sysabend.org
Subject: champ-l-digest V1 #105
champ-l-digest Tuesday, December 22 1998 Volume 01 : Number 105
In this issue:
Re: New Skill: Meditation
Re: House Rule: Please Comment
Re: Magic Lab
Re: range of success (long)
Re: range of success
Zero phase actions
Re: Zero phase actions
Duplication Death
Re: Superstar
Re: Magic Lab
Re: Duplication Death
Re: Duplication Death
Re: Duplication Death
Re: Zero phase actions
Re: New Skill: Meditation
Re: Zero phase actions
Re: Duplication Death
Re: Zero phase actions
RE: Magic Lab
re: HTAs and stuff
Elemental Controls (was Re: Power set question)
Re: Superstar
Re: range of success
Re: Duplication Death
Re: New Skill: Meditation
Re: Zero phase actions
Re: Zero phase actions
San Angelo
Re: Zero phase actions
Re: Magic Lab
Re: Duplication Death
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1998 19:18:39 -0800
From: "Filksinger" <filkhero@usa.net>
Subject: Re: New Skill: Meditation
From: Brats Incorporated <brat-inc@avalon.net>
>
>Ok. I have this nutty mentallist in the group who is dead set
>on having a meditation skill. Now I've asked the character to describe
>how the skill works, and this is what he gave me, in my own words of course
>"it's a skill that you use outside of combat." : Fair enough
>"It allows you to focus your mind." : Ok
>"It allows to to go over a scene and catch things that you previously
>missed." : Hmmm..
>
>My reaction to the player was this, "well it sounds like you want a skill
>that is a combination of deduction, enhanced perception and post cognitive
>powers. Uhhh, no."
>
>So, was it bad o me to have denied such a request?
> I do have some alternatives though.
> Buy more deduction was my first recommendation. But the PC was
>against this one. Said that it went against the concept of the character.
> Needless to say, I was stumped until a few nights ago, when I
>thought to myself, "hell. best thing for the character would be to allow
it
>to have post cognitive powers.
>
>So, should I allow the character to have post cog or not?
Depends.
Does he actually look into the past, or does he review his own memories for
things he missed and make better deductions?
If it is the first, give him very limited post cog.
If it is the second, give him:
+4 lvls w/PER, Only notices things that required the +4 after meditating 1
hour (-1)
+4 lvls w/INT roll, Only notices things that required the +4 after
meditating 1 hour (-1)
+4 lvls w/Deduction roll, Only notices things that required the +4 after
meditating 1 hour (-1)
Thus, if he has a 12- PER roll, 16- with the +4 bonus, and rolls a 14, then
he doesn't notice what he perceived until he meditates for 1 hour, then
_ping_!
Filksinger
------------------------------
Date: 21 Dec 1998 23:23:04 -0500
From: Stainless Steel Rat <ratinox@peorth.gweep.net>
Subject: Re: House Rule: Please Comment
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"F" == Filksinger <filksinger@usa.net> writes:
F> This is all or nothing, in that you can't have things like "He
F> hesitates, then continues. However, his movements are slowed, as if he
F> is fighting the control", or "He screams, 'I can't control myself much
F> longer! Get out, before I kill you all!" You can kludge them, but the
F> don't exist under the standard Mind Control as written.
That is because these are all...
wait for it...
SPECIAL EFFECTS OF FAILING THE BREAKOUT ROLL!!!
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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
GPG Key: same as my PGP 5 (DH) key \ exposure to Happy Fun Ball.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 00:07:40 -0500
From: Glen Sprigg <borealis@cois.on.ca>
Subject: Re: Magic Lab
>Other than that though, he's not too sure what else he would need to have go
>into a magic lab.
>So I pose the question. What does everything should go into a magic lab???
>
The best answer I can give you comes from a D&D supplement, Aurora's Whole
Realms Catalogue. It's got a big pile of stuff that belongs in a wizard's
lab.
Here's the list (I'm not going to put in any big descriptions, since that
would take too long). Some of it may be familiar to chemistry students:
3 Alembics
3 Aprons
Astrolabe
Balance
Vials, beakers, glass tubing, etc.
Bellows
Braziers and burners
2 Burettes
Tables, cabinets, shelves
Candles
Centrifuge
Clay
Coal
Disscetion Instruments
Easel
Files
Filter
Gloves
Heat Mats
Hourglass/Minuteglass
Ice Chest
Jars
Magnets
Optic Aids (magnifying glass, etc.)
Ovens/Kilns
Papyrus pads
Pestle and Mortar
Quern (to powder things)
Racks/Stands
Retort
Glass Rods
Slate and Chalk
Sparker
Sponges
String
Tongs
Vent
Water Reservoir
And of course, all the myriad things wizards use for their experiments;
think of a well-stocked Chem lab; lots of different metals, minerals, dead
animals, plants, etc.
Hope this helps.
Glen
------------------------------
Date: 21 Dec 1998 23:33:20 -0500
From: Stainless Steel Rat <ratinox@peorth.gweep.net>
Subject: Re: range of success (long)
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"F" == Filksinger <filkhero@usa.net> writes:
F> There is also an Optional rule from the Hero System Almanac which was
F> official in 3rd Ed. Specifically, any roll that is half the needed roll,
F> rounded _down_, does maximum damage. Thus, if I need a 13 or less to
F> hit, a 6 does maximum damage, but a 7 doesn't.
That is an optional rule for HEROIC GAMES ONLY. The hit location chart has
a tendency to make this less devestating than it could be.
F> I was going to say that this works poorly for superhero games, but maybe
F> it works fine.
It does if you want a bloody campaign with half the PCs in the hospital all
the time and a funeral every other week.
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GPG Key: same as my PGP 5 (DH) key \
------------------------------
Date: 21 Dec 1998 23:29:19 -0500
From: Stainless Steel Rat <ratinox@peorth.gweep.net>
Subject: Re: range of success
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"F" == Filksinger <filksinger@usa.net> writes:
F> There are lots of ways such a situation can occur. Players may ask for a
F> one-shot "Make it so we can really lose" scenario.
This does not necessitate rolling dice.
F> You could have designed the scenario to be fairly straightforward, but
F> player's bad luck or stupidity caused them to end up in a no-win
F> situation that cannot be readily fudged,
A player's bad luck is all the more reason to relegate to role playing or
plot device instead of random dice whenever possible.
As for a player's stupidity, rolling dice should not be used to get himself
out of the situation he put himself into in the first place.
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PGP Key: at a key server near you! \ unknown glowing substance which fell to
GPG Key: same as my PGP 5 (DH) key \ Earth, presumably from outer space.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 21:17:56 -0800
From: "Eric Wylie" <erk@halcyon.com>
Subject: Zero phase actions
I'm working on the house rules for my new campaign and have a few questions
on zero phase actions.
Aid: In all the campaigns I've played before, we've always considered
activating a power to be a zero phase action. I've seen several characters
with aids they used to pump their own powers up. Since it is normally a
half phase action to perform an aid on another character, should it be a
zero or half phase move to aid oneself?
Desolidification: Again, activating a power has been considered a zero phase
action. With desolid, can a character become desolid, fly through a wall,
become solid, perform a move by and again go desolid through another wall
all in the same phase? This seems to be a bit of rules raping when it comes
to activating a power.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1998 14:29:14 -0800 (PST)
From: shaw@caprica.com (Wayne Shaw)
Subject: Re: Zero phase actions
>
>I'm working on the house rules for my new campaign and have a few questions
>on zero phase actions.
>
>Aid: In all the campaigns I've played before, we've always considered
>activating a power to be a zero phase action. I've seen several characters
>with aids they used to pump their own powers up. Since it is normally a
>half phase action to perform an aid on another character, should it be a
>zero or half phase move to aid oneself?
It not only should be a half phase, it should be a phase terminal action
like an attack.
>
>Desolidification: Again, activating a power has been considered a zero phase
>action. With desolid, can a character become desolid, fly through a wall,
>become solid, perform a move by and again go desolid through another wall
>all in the same phase? This seems to be a bit of rules raping when it comes
>to activating a power.
My rule of thumb has always been that you can turn a power on or off in the
same phase, but not both.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 01:43:34 -0500
From: Scott Nolan <nolan@erols.com>
Subject: Duplication Death
The HSR says that a duplicate that has been killed cannot be reactivated
by recombining. "The character has lost a part of himself," we are told.
So....what happens to the points? Are they lost? Is Duplication a form
of Independent power? Or does the base character get back the
points?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"The lover knows more about absolute good and
universal beauty than any logician or theologian,
unless the latter, too, be lovers in disguise."
George Santayana
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Scott C. Nolan
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 01:34:52 -0500 (EST)
From: Michael Surbrook <susano@otd.com>
Subject: Re: Superstar
On Mon, 21 Dec 1998, thomas deja wrote:
> Superstar is a martial artist with a couple of super poewers (i.e. a HA
> based on weapons of opportunity, autofire on STR). I want to give him an
> EC or MP composed of Jackie-Chan-like super abilities to simulate some
> of the wilder things you see in HK martial arts thrillers like CHINESE
> GHOST STORY, BRIDE WITH WHITE HAIR, the DRUNKEN MASTER films--with the
> special effect of onlookers not being sure if its a trick or not (they
> might think the see wires when SS does an impossible leap or something).
>
> Any sugestions for slots?
Go to:
www.otd.com/~susano/index.
Take a look at the Heroes of HK cinema for write ups of Bruce Lee, Jackie
Chan, Fong Sai Yuk and the cast of Big Trouble in Little China. Go to the
Orginal Characters page and check out Mei Shin Li and Steel Tiger. Go to
the Hero System Sourcebook page and take a look at the Wuxia Hero article.
You also might want to take a look at the write ups for Ryouga Hibiki
(Anime Characters page) and the cast of Dragonball Z (Worldbooks page).
Oops, almost forgot, I did the ghost from ACGS too.
And if that isn't enough, let me know.
Yeah, I need to do the Bride and Jet Li at some point...
And the Heroic Trio...
Michael Surbrook / susano@otd.com
http://www.otd.com/~susano/index.html
"'Cause I'm the god of destruction, that's why!" - Susano Orbatos,Orion
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 01:29:17 -0500 (EST)
From: Michael Surbrook <susano@otd.com>
Subject: Re: Magic Lab
On Tue, 22 Dec 1998, Glen Sprigg wrote:
> >Other than that though, he's not too sure what else he would need to have go
> >into a magic lab.
> >So I pose the question. What does everything should go into a magic lab???
> >
> The best answer I can give you comes from a D&D supplement, Aurora's Whole
> Realms Catalogue. It's got a big pile of stuff that belongs in a wizard's
> lab.
Nice and useful ist, there.
This list came to me from... well... somewhere. Anyway, I am going to
pass it on in the interests of amusement.
<break>
This is a "List of Stuff" I found in one of Nathan's RPG notebooks. He
doesn't really remember the circumstances around the game it originated
in; it was long ago and far away. I think he mentioned it was stuff found
in a wizard's cluttered workshop. At any rate, he's kept it this long,
and it's starting to get tattered, so I'm typing it out, and I thought I
might as well share it with you... (this is pretty much verbatim, spelling
mistakes and all)
(Actually Nate now tells me this was from a Stormbringer game, found in a
house which was located on a "rift" into the "multiverse".)
Petrified Bantha Pudoo
Elenbar steel ingot (7)
Green Metal
Blue Blade Long Sword
AT&D calling card
Cordless Phone
Instant water (5)
Bermuda shorts
"Nerdstar" Operator's Manual
H.Z.-Pakerd 2-function Calculator
Bike Lite
Bottle Kok-a-Kola (4)
B&W TV 12"
Plastic Chess Set
Somy Walkwomon w/Headphones
A "I Saw The Universe Flushed" T-shirt
Penthost Magazin -Issues-
"Mysshala Nude" & interviews & articles
"Morgana & Arthur" & cartoons & articles
"Sodom & Gammora" & articles and subscription form
(7) Blue Bannanna Peels (Very Slippery)
Wishbone (Chicken's)
Wishbone (Lizard's)
Brass Ring
Pencil
Workwist the Twisted's Torture Kit for Kids
Fern (3) Nice pots
Inflatable Love Doll. Veronica
4' x 7' Carpet w/steering wheel & 6 manual gears
41 identicle metal septers
Lodak disk camera
32 undeveloped disks
5 news disks
2 bottles 75 year old Scotch
1 bottle of Dom Bauche & Lomb. 100 year
Can of Matel Slime
8 Slinkeys
7 jars of peanut buter
3 Cowboy hats
1 WWII pilot hat
1 Sherlock Holmes type hat
1 fire helmet
1 motor cycle helmet
1 portable nose picker
Planesphere
Map to the stronghold of Mordakin
4'x4' loadstone
Currently stuck:
4000 paper clips (give or take 500)
4 daggers
3 spoons
2 fillings (teeth)
1 set false teeth
A sword
A shield
A corpse in armor
4 priests who can't get their belt buckles off
Alarm Clock (mod)
Pepper Mill
Clock Radio (interdimesional reception)
Audio Tape 60 min
Water Bed Queen Size
A Brass Box containing;
3 green beatles (trans)
1 red beattle (fire)
4 glow worm
Small blue cricket cage with:
Metallic Mantis
Aluminum envelope with:
Black coiled cable -ultra thin
Fist-sized wicker basket w/
3 buzz bees (stealth included)
Poloroid picture of Nude woman w/ 4 breast & mermaid bottom half, pale
green hair
Dirty Laundry;
Metalic boxer shorts
T-shirt made of bark
Nike high-tops
Betelgeuse Bizrod's base-ball cap
Garter belt for 3 legged person
Used orange propalactic (toothbrush)
Size 9 shoes with the mystic word "ADIDAS" all over them (1 pair)
200 rolls of toilet paper (pink)
20 tips handtowels (lime green) "Hilton" written on each.
Mango SE Personal Computer
2DSDD drives
Printer
10 meg RAM
60 meg hard
Brass Doorknob
Sky Hook
Steel ring w/string attached
4'x6' piece of invisible blanket
Encyclopedia Devaca Volumes A-LU & O-Ti
Red Toe-nail clippers
"Classic" Swess Army knife
Varnet sun glasses (1)
Plastic bag with white powder in it (2 kilos)
Dented horseshoe
1 loyal retainer of the orthadontic variety
17 blue toothbrushes
(Then there's some misc. coins, in particular 1,249,132 pennies at 500lbs
total, and two objects that apparently defied description so that they
needed to be drawn. One is 15"x 18" and looks something like a TV mounted
on a set of handlebars with it's own sattilite dish. The other is 11" x
3'5" and looks like a cross between a saddle and a guitar.
Michael Surbrook / susano@otd.com
http://www.otd.com/~susano/index.html
"'Cause I'm the god of destruction, that's why!" - Susano Orbatos,Orion
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1998 20:16:10 -0800 (PST)
From: shaw@caprica.com (Wayne Shaw)
Subject: Re: Duplication Death
>The HSR says that a duplicate that has been killed cannot be reactivated
>by recombining. "The character has lost a part of himself," we are told.
>
>So....what happens to the points? Are they lost? Is Duplication a form
>of Independent power? Or does the base character get back the
>points?
As far as I can tell, the cost of one duplicate is gone.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 06:55:19 -0600
From: "Lilith" <drake01@flash.net>
Subject: Re: Duplication Death
Personaly I'd have to say it's up to the campaign. IMHO I'd let the
character keep the points but not allowed to "use" that double for x amount
of time...say the # of days it would take for a live one at 0 body to heal.
- -----Original Message-----
From: Wayne Shaw <shaw@caprica.com>
To: champ-l@sysabend.org <champ-l@sysabend.org>
Date: Tuesday, December 22, 1998 6:32 AM
Subject: Re: Duplication Death
>>The HSR says that a duplicate that has been killed cannot be reactivated
>>by recombining. "The character has lost a part of himself," we are told.
>>
>>So....what happens to the points? Are they lost? Is Duplication a form
>>of Independent power? Or does the base character get back the
>>points?
>
>As far as I can tell, the cost of one duplicate is gone.
>
>
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 06:55:19 -0600 (CST)
From: "Dr. Nuncheon" <jeffj@io.com>
Subject: Re: Duplication Death
On Mon, 21 Dec 1998, Wayne Shaw wrote:
> >The HSR says that a duplicate that has been killed cannot be reactivated
> >by recombining. "The character has lost a part of himself," we are told.
> >
> >So....what happens to the points? Are they lost? Is Duplication a form
> >of Independent power? Or does the base character get back the
> >points?
>
> As far as I can tell, the cost of one duplicate is gone.
That's certainly how I'd run it. I'm not sure I'd call it an 'Independant
Power', though.
Look at it this way: if your character dies, he basically loses all of his
points. If your character has two bodies, then the loss is confined to
the points in one of those bodies.
J
Hostes aliengeni me abduxerent. Jeff Johnston - jeffj@io.com
Qui annus est? http://www.io.com/~jeffj
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 98 13:01:44
From: "qts" <qts@nildram.co.uk>
Subject: Re: Zero phase actions
On Tue, 22 Dec 1998 21:17:56 -0800, Eric Wylie wrote:
>
>I'm working on the house rules for my new campaign and have a few questions
>on zero phase actions.
>
>Aid: In all the campaigns I've played before, we've always considered
>activating a power to be a zero phase action. I've seen several characters
>with aids they used to pump their own powers up. Since it is normally a
>half phase action to perform an aid on another character, should it be a
>zero or half phase move to aid oneself?
>
>Desolidification: Again, activating a power has been considered a zero phase
>action. With desolid, can a character become desolid, fly through a wall,
>become solid, perform a move by and again go desolid through another wall
>all in the same phase? This seems to be a bit of rules raping when it comes
>to activating a power.
Surely using a power is a half-phase action? With Aid and Desolid you
are not 'activating' the power, you are *using* it. If you want it as a
0 phase action, buy the Fast advantage from FH1 (+1/2 IIRC)
qts
Home: qts@nildram.co.uk.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 98 13:03:44
From: "qts" <qts@nildram.co.uk>
Subject: Re: New Skill: Meditation
On Mon, 21 Dec 1998 19:18:39 -0800, Filksinger wrote:
>From: Brats Incorporated <brat-inc@avalon.net>
>
>
>
>>
>>Ok. I have this nutty mentallist in the group who is dead set
>>on having a meditation skill. Now I've asked the character to describe
>>how the skill works, and this is what he gave me, in my own words of course
>>"it's a skill that you use outside of combat." : Fair enough
>>"It allows you to focus your mind." : Ok
>>"It allows to to go over a scene and catch things that you previously
>>missed." : Hmmm..
>>
>>My reaction to the player was this, "well it sounds like you want a skill
>>that is a combination of deduction, enhanced perception and post cognitive
>>powers. Uhhh, no."
>>
>>So, was it bad o me to have denied such a request?
>> I do have some alternatives though.
>> Buy more deduction was my first recommendation. But the PC was
>>against this one. Said that it went against the concept of the character.
>> Needless to say, I was stumped until a few nights ago, when I
>>thought to myself, "hell. best thing for the character would be to allow
>it
>>to have post cognitive powers.
>>
>>So, should I allow the character to have post cog or not?
>
>
>Depends.
>
>Does he actually look into the past, or does he review his own memories for
>things he missed and make better deductions?
>
>If it is the first, give him very limited post cog.
>
>If it is the second, give him:
>
>+4 lvls w/PER, Only notices things that required the +4 after meditating 1
>hour (-1)
>+4 lvls w/INT roll, Only notices things that required the +4 after
>meditating 1 hour (-1)
>+4 lvls w/Deduction roll, Only notices things that required the +4 after
>meditating 1 hour (-1)
>
>Thus, if he has a 12- PER roll, 16- with the +4 bonus, and rolls a 14, then
>he doesn't notice what he perceived until he meditates for 1 hour, then
>_ping_!
That's going to be an administrative nightmare - the GM will have to
note every PER roll!
qts
Home: qts@nildram.co.uk.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 08:22:43 -0600 (CST)
From: "Dr. Nuncheon" <jeffj@io.com>
Subject: Re: Zero phase actions
On Tue, 22 Dec 1998, qts wrote:
> Surely using a power is a half-phase action? With Aid and Desolid you
> are not 'activating' the power, you are *using* it. If you want it as a
> 0 phase action, buy the Fast advantage from FH1 (+1/2 IIRC)
Alternately, set it up as a Trigger of some sort - ISTR that setting off a
trigger is usually a 0 phase action. Of course, you have to spend a half
phase resetting the trigger each time, but it lets you get it in once in a
fight...
J
Hostes aliengeni me abduxerent. Jeff Johnston - jeffj@io.com
Qui annus est? http://www.io.com/~jeffj
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 05:16:15 -0800
From: Bob Greenwade <bob.greenwade@klock.com>
Subject: Re: Duplication Death
At 01:43 AM 12/22/98 -0500, Scott Nolan wrote:
>The HSR says that a duplicate that has been killed cannot be reactivated
>by recombining. "The character has lost a part of himself," we are told.
>
>So....what happens to the points? Are they lost? Is Duplication a form
>of Independent power? Or does the base character get back the
>points?
As far as I can tell, the points are lost.
- ---
Bob's Original Hero Stuff Page! [Circle of HEROS member]
http://www.klock.com/public/users/bob.greenwade/original.htm
Merry-Go-Round Webring -- wanna join?
http://www.klock.com/public/users/bob.greenwade/merrhome.htm
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 06:18:48 -0800
From: Bob Greenwade <bob.greenwade@klock.com>
Subject: Re: Zero phase actions
At 09:17 PM 12/22/98 -0800, Eric Wylie wrote:
>
>I'm working on the house rules for my new campaign and have a few questions
>on zero phase actions.
>
>Aid: In all the campaigns I've played before, we've always considered
>activating a power to be a zero phase action. I've seen several characters
>with aids they used to pump their own powers up. Since it is normally a
>half phase action to perform an aid on another character, should it be a
>zero or half phase move to aid oneself?
I'd call it a half phase action. In fact, even when used on oneself,
I'd treat it as an attack action.
>Desolidification: Again, activating a power has been considered a zero phase
>action. With desolid, can a character become desolid, fly through a wall,
>become solid, perform a move by and again go desolid through another wall
>all in the same phase? This seems to be a bit of rules raping when it comes
>to activating a power.
It's beyond rules raping; it's a violation of the rules to allow any
zero phase action in the middle of a Phase. The general rule is that zero
phase actions can be performed only at the beginning of a Phase; "no-time"
actions can be performed at any time. (It's not explicitly in HSR4, but it
is the general consensus of how things should be treated, from a list
discussion about 3 yrs ago.) To do the above would require Affects Solid
World (a +1 Advantage) on STR.
- ---
Bob's Original Hero Stuff Page! [Circle of HEROS member]
http://www.klock.com/public/users/bob.greenwade/original.htm
Merry-Go-Round Webring -- wanna join?
http://www.klock.com/public/users/bob.greenwade/merrhome.htm
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 05:50:45 -0800
From: Bob Greenwade <bob.greenwade@klock.com>
Subject: RE: Magic Lab
At 05:41 PM 12/21/98 -0500, Brian Wawrow wrote:
>Hi,
>
>Here's a list of things that I've seen put into magic labs.
Comments on a couple....
>*Jars to keep all your samples in. You take samples of everything don't you?
Don't forget the formaldehyde (made from genuine formaldes).
>*Knockout gas traps that are hard to disarm. This shuts down mundane thieves
>without wrecking your cool mage stuff like explosions or falling rocks.
>Plus, it has the added bonus of leaving a sleepy thief on your floor.
Said thief can provide great raw material for experiments.
On the other hand, if you're not sold on that idea, various other types
of traps can be set: trap doors (leading to chutes that come out at the
side of a high cliff), a swinging mallet (make sure the wall has fake
treasure), teleport traps (two miles straight up), and similar miscreance.
>*An antechamber with a really unfair trap or "murder zone".
>*A furnace that burns really hot. This is often necessary for creating or
>destroying artifacts. It's also good for destroying evidence.
These two can be combined, if a trap deposits its prey in the furnace.
>*A comfy chair with good lumbar support.
With three guys in snappy red uniforms administering "torture." ;-]
>*Enough dried meats, cofee and trail rations to support the mage for weeks.
Don't forget duct tape. You can never have too much duct tape.
>*A secret escape path that's virtually impossible to enter through. Like a
>shoot with a fireman's pole and horrible traps that trigger if anyone comes
>up the pole or touches the walls.
Maybe this is where the refuse from the furnace goes....
- ---
Bob's Original Hero Stuff Page! [Circle of HEROS member]
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Merry-Go-Round Webring -- wanna join?
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------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 08:09:12 -0800 (PST)
From: Ell Egyptoid <egyptoid@yahoo.com>
Subject: re: HTAs and stuff
> But there is footage of a straw that impaled a TREE that
> I have seen, its all a matter of physics.
or Lee Jeans...
BUDDY LEE is BUDDY LEE, Man of Action!
oh. wait, here's the kitty.
==
Elliott aka The Egyptoid
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------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 08:39:19 -0500
From: emiller1@worldbank.org
Subject: Elemental Controls (was Re: Power set question)
I would have to say that I find the concept of the two ECs (Major and Minor
Shadow Powers) to be highly questionable. On the other hand, I as both
player and GM understand the desires and frustrations that spawned such an
idea. It is for that reason that I, as a house rule, returned to the 3rd
edition definition of an Elemental Control, halving the active cost of all
powers in the EC except the most expensive one. In this manner, you do
indeed still get a benefit from grouping in al the minor little powers
which are still a part of your power concept, without then screwing
yourself over on the cost of the more expensive powers.
David
"Dr. Nuncheon" <jeffj@io.com> on 12/21/98 06:23:23 PM
To: Scott Nolan <Nolan@Erols.Com>
cc: Hero-L@Sysabend.Org
Subject: Re: Power set question
On Mon, 21 Dec 1998, Scott Nolan wrote:
> >Does this bug anyone else except me? I mean, two ECs, one for 'Major
> >Shadow Powers' and one for 'Minor Shadow Powers'?
>
> I think it's a good idea. Two -different- EC's, like "Fire Powers" and
> "Flight
> Powers"
> would be bad, but Major and Minor seem okay to me.
Would you mind explaining your logic?
I'd be leery of /any/ character that had two different ECs, honestly. On
the other hand, if the character conception allowed it, I might let the
player take (for example) 'Telepathy EC' and 'Vampire EC' if, say, he was
a telepath who got turned into a vampire.
If you allowed multiple ECs for the same effect though...eh. I would
think it would lead to players minmaxing the number of ECs that they have
to get the most benefit out of them - "Well, I've got Big Fire Powers EC,
Medium Fire Powers EC, and Small Fire Powers EC, because I've got three
basic AP levels of powers."
I guess also part of my objection is that 'Minor Shadow Powers' and 'Major
Shadow Powers' mean nothing when separated. No character would ever
take 'Minor Shadow Powers' alone as an EC. What is the distinction
between the two? Nothing, they are both 'Shadow Powers', so they should
either go into the same EC, or not go into an EC at all.
J
Hostes aliengeni me abduxerent. Jeff Johnston - jeffj@io.com
Qui annus est? http://www.io.com/~jeffj
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 08:40:17 -0800 (PST)
From: Ell Egyptoid <egyptoid@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: Superstar
> Yeah, I _need_ to do the Bride and Jet Li at some point...
> And the Heroic Trio..
"Need" is such a strong word, Michael. :)
==
Elliott aka The Egyptoid
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------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 08:35:48 -0800 (PST)
From: Ell Egyptoid <egyptoid@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: range of success
> As for a player's stupidity, rolling dice should not be used to
> get himself out of the situation he put himself into in the
> first place. -
This guy's never been through the A1-5 series in AD&D, has he?
(Isn't that the series where the players end up in loincloths
in the Slaver's Stocakades? And it requires ingenuity as well
as good dice to get out.)
but I digress. We are discussing Transcendental versus
Predestinational Gaming. The Hero-L charter prohibits
discussing religion on the list, I declare this thread ended.
:)
==
Elliott aka The Egyptoid
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------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 08:30:18 -0800
From: Christopher Taylor <ctaylor@viser.net>
Subject: Re: Duplication Death
>The HSR says that a duplicate that has been killed cannot be reactivated
>by recombining. "The character has lost a part of himself," we are told.
>
>So....what happens to the points? Are they lost? Is Duplication a form
>of Independent power? Or does the base character get back the
>points?
In the old rules they said that you had to pay for the character in
experience, IE if you lost a 65 point duplicate, you had to pay 65 points
of experience to get them back. I say thats a crock of um ...stuff... and
say you regenerate the points back like BOD, it takes a while to build that
back up but its not gone for as long as the XPS would take to regain. Part
of you did die, that should take a while, but to be forced to rebuy a
power? Thats just plain wrong.
- ----------------------------------------------------------
Sola Gracia Sola Scriptura Sola Fide
Soli Gloria Deo Solus Christus Corum Deo
- -----------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 08:15:43 -0800 (PST)
From: Ell Egyptoid <egyptoid@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: New Skill: Meditation
PS: Detective; Concentrate, No Range Mods, Transdimensional (time)
:)
==
Elliott aka The Egyptoid
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------------------------------
Date: 22 Dec 1998 12:25:32 -0500
From: Stainless Steel Rat <ratinox@peorth.gweep.net>
Subject: Re: Zero phase actions
- -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
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"EW" == Eric Wylie <erk@halcyon.com> writes:
EW> Aid: In all the campaigns I've played before, we've always considered
EW> activating a power to be a zero phase action.
By the book, activating a power is a 0 Phase action.
EW> I've seen several characters with aids they used to pump their own
EW> powers up. Since it is normally a half phase action to perform an aid
EW> on another character, should it be a zero or half phase move to aid
EW> oneself?
There is no "use a power" action listed on the combat time chart. In other
words, it is up to the GM to determine how long it takes to use Aid.
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- --
Rat <ratinox@peorth.gweep.net> \ If Happy Fun Ball begins to smoke, get
PGP Key: at a key server near you! \ away immediately. Seek shelter and cover
GPG Key: same as my PGP 5 (DH) key \ head.
------------------------------
Date: 22 Dec 1998 12:23:06 -0500
From: Stainless Steel Rat <ratinox@peorth.gweep.net>
Subject: Re: Zero phase actions
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"BG" == Bob Greenwade <bob.greenwade@klock.com> writes:
BG> It's beyond rules raping; it's a violation of the rules to allow any
BG> zero phase action in the middle of a Phase. The general rule is that
BG> zero phase actions can be performed only at the beginning of a Phase;
BG> "no-time" actions can be performed at any time.
Um, no. Most 0 Phase actions may be performed at the start of one's action
phase, and at the 'half action' point. Some 0 Phase actions, such as
Multipower and Skill Level allocations specifically state that they may
only be done at the start of one's action phase.
That said, the desolid example is okay up to the Move By. He *CANNOT* turn
desolid after he has performed the attack action, because his action phase
is over.
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=1C/N
- -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
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------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 13:44:25 -0800
From: Eric Chaves <rambler@sowest.net>
Subject: San Angelo
I just picked up San Angelo yesterday and I was wondering how other people
integrate the rest of the Champions Universe with San Angelo. I'm planning
to start a new campain after the holidays.
Thanks for any advice.
Eric
Geek Code
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po--- Y+ t++ 5 j R++ G'' tv++ b++ D++ B--- e- u** h+ f+ r n+ y**
****************************************************************************
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 14:19:59 -0800 (PST)
From: Dale Ward <daleaward@rocketmail.com>
Subject: Re: Zero phase actions
Greetings!
- ---Bob Greenwade <bob.greenwade@klock.com> wrote:
> It's beyond rules raping; it's a violation of the rules to allow any
> zero phase action in the middle of a Phase. The general rule is that zero
> phase actions can be performed only at the beginning of a Phase; "no-time"
> actions can be performed at any time. (It's not explicitly in HSR4, but it
> is the general consensus of how things should be treated, from a list
> discussion about 3 yrs ago.) To do the above would require Affects Solid
> World (a +1 Advantage) on STR.
This brings up an interesting question (at least, to MY mind).
How do you figure the cost of an advantage to a characteristic that you
have not increased over the base (i.e. FREE) points?
For instance, in the above example, if the desolid character only had
his original base STR of 10, how much would it cost to add Affects Solid World?
Dale A. Ward
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------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 13:46:59 -0800 (PST)
From: Dale Ward <daleaward@rocketmail.com>
Subject: Re: Magic Lab
Greetings!
- ---Brats Incorporated <brat-inc@avalon.net> wrote:
>
> In my current champaign, one of my PC's is a mage. Recently he decided to
> start constructing a magic Lab. unfortunately, he's not to certain what he
> wants in it. He knows that he wants magical texts, alchemy gear, spell
> components and the occasional item.
>
> Other than that though, he's not too sure what else he would need to have go
> into a magic lab.
> So I pose the question. What does everything should go into a magic lab???
Having had considerable experience with wizards involved in research, I
offer the following suggestions:
1) A fire extinguisher (very important)
2) A mundane tool box containing (at least):
a) a decent set of wrenches, box- and open-end, standard and metric *
b) a 20 oz. claw hammer * **
c) Marvel Mystery Oil ***
* I suggest Craftsman for the excellent lifetime guarantee.
** also useful when the summoning goes awry.
*** there's no end to the uses for THIS stuff!
3) 2 or 3 pairs of scissors
(darned apprentices always borrowing the best ones)
Dale A. Ward
(speaking from painful experience)
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------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 15:43:26 -0800 (PST)
From: Wayne Shaw <shaw@prog1.caprica.com>
Subject: Re: Duplication Death
On Tue, 22 Dec 1998, Christopher Taylor wrote:
> >The HSR says that a duplicate that has been killed cannot be reactivated
> >by recombining. "The character has lost a part of himself," we are told.
> >
> >So....what happens to the points? Are they lost? Is Duplication a form
> >of Independent power? Or does the base character get back the
> >points?
>
> In the old rules they said that you had to pay for the character in
> experience, IE if you lost a 65 point duplicate, you had to pay 65 points
> of experience to get them back. I say thats a crock of um ...stuff... and
> say you regenerate the points back like BOD, it takes a while to build that
> back up but its not gone for as long as the XPS would take to regain. Part
> of you did die, that should take a while, but to be forced to rebuy a
> power? Thats just plain wrong.
Like someone said, if you die, you normally lose all the character, so I
can see the logic their working on. Personally, it seems a bit harsh to
me, since one of the uses of duplication is to buy a lot of weaker
characters...who might well be more likely to die than a normal super.
------------------------------
End of champ-l-digest V1 #105
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