Digest Archives Vol 1 Issue 33
Desmarais, John
From: owner-champ-l-digest@sysabend.org
Sent: Saturday, November 07, 1998 12:28 PM
To: champ-l-digest@sysabend.org
Subject: champ-l-digest V1 #33
champ-l-digest Saturday, November 7 1998 Volume 01 : Number 033
In this issue:
Re: Negative Sight
San Angelo Campaign
Power Armor
Re: Negative Sight
Re: Power Armor
Re: Negative Sight
Re: Character help, Arclight
Re: "Lab" skills question
Re: Combat Cards (was: Re: Cyber-Hero)
Re: Fantasy Hero Dream Magic
Re: Combat Cards (was: Re: Cyber-Hero)
Re: Negative Sight
Re: majordomo help
RE: Negative Sight
Re: Negative Sight
Re: Paper Star Destroyers
Re: Combat Cards (was: Re: Cyber-Hero)
Re: Negative Sight
Re: majordomo help
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 06 Nov 1998 09:33:42 -0500
From: Bill Svitavsky <nbymail11@mln.lib.ma.us>
Subject: Re: Negative Sight
At 07:39 AM 11/6/98 -0600, Dr. Nuncheon wrote:
>On Thu, 5 Nov 1998, Mike Christodoulou wrote:
>> What's the best way to model the vision of someone who
>> comes from a "negative" dimension -- That is, someone
>> for whom darkness is the normal condition while the more
>> light there is, the more difficult it is to see. (Although
>> total darkness would be sensory overload.)
>
>Buy perception levels with limitation (only in X amount of darkness),
>and then take a Phys Lim to represent the trouble seeing in light - it's
>probably about a 10-pointer, possibly more.
>
There might be other ways of doing this, and more that you could do with
it, depending on HOW the character sees in the dark.
The simplest explanation, which it sounds like you have in mind, is that
the character is hypersensitive to light. Thus, a small amount of light
allows the character to perceive normally, but brighter conditions quickly
become a glare for him or her. The levels & Phys. Lim. Dr. Nuncheon
suggests are a good way to handle this; you might also want to add a
Vulnerability to Flash.
It's also possible that the character perceives beyond the normal human
visible spectrum, with IR or UV Vision. The question then is why brighter
light makes it harder to see - perhaps some portion of the character's
vision is hypersensitivity to the visible spectrum, and so glare occurs as
above.
Another possibility is that the character's "sight" is not light-related at
all. Sonar is one option, but light-blindness would be really tough to
explain. Perhaps the character has Spatial Awareness, defined as the active
projection/reflection of some other sort of particle or wave. The presence
of too many photons interferes with this process.
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 06 Nov 1998 09:17:26 -0600
From: redbf@ldd.net (bobby farris)
Subject: San Angelo Campaign
I am getting ready to start my first campaign using San Angelo
City of Heroes and I was wondering if anyone on the list has done the
same and have any suggestions or things that I should be aware of?
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 06 Nov 1998 09:36:12 -0600
From: redbf@ldd.net (bobby farris)
Subject: Power Armor
I have a player that wants to create a suit of Power Armor that,
much like Iron Man's, looses abilities when it gets hit. We could use
the vehicle rules, but this doesn't give the right feel in our opinion
for a suit or Armor. We could make up a chart for the Armor, but what
kind of limitation would that be?
This is what we came up with:
First you have to figure the chance the item has to be hit.
Place on hit location Chart Limitation
12-13 -1/4
11-13 -1/2
10-13 -3/4
4-5, 9-13 -1
3-5, 9-14, 16-18 -1 1/4
3-5, 7-14, 16-18 -1 1/2
3-14, 16-18 -2
Then you have to determine the chance the item has of continuing to
work. The player makes and roll based on the following chart;
Chance item works Limitations
15-
- -1/4
14-
- -1/2
13-
- -3/4
12-
- -1
11-
- -1 1/4
10-
- -1 1/2
9-
- -1 3/4
8-
- -2
Further limitations can be put on the item such as the fact that if an
attack does > than 20 Body, before defenses, then its chance to work
goes down one level. (-1/4)
Also you can take the Advantage that the item won't quit working unless
1 Body penetrates the item.(Halve limitaton level)
Example:
My player puts an Energy Blast in his 12-13 location (-1/4) and
gives it a working roll of 13- (-3/4). The total limitation for this is
a -1.
What do you think? Do you have any suggestions? What about other Power
Armor rules? Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 06 Nov 1998 10:42:13 -0500
From: Mike Christodoulou <Cypriot@concentric.net>
Subject: Re: Negative Sight
>>On Thu, 5 Nov 1998, Mike Christodoulou wrote:
>>> What's the best way to model the vision of someone who
>>> comes from a "negative" dimension -- That is, someone
>>> for whom darkness is the normal condition while the more
>>> light there is, the more difficult it is to see. (Although
>>> total darkness would be sensory overload.)
>There might be other ways of doing this, and more that you could do with
>it, depending on HOW the character sees in the dark.
Actually, it's simply a negative process. The character comes from
an alternate dimension in which the ideas of "light" and "dark" are
reversed. They can only see when there's enough ambient darkness.
They define night as that time when there's not enough dark -- i.e.
it's light. They also reverse "hot" and "cold" as well as other
energy forms.
As I consider the process, I run into a whole lot of paradoxes and
incompatibilities that this poses, but I'm going to try to ignore
most of them.
I'm kinda thinking that I can just pass most of this off as a
special effect, since he can see just as well and in as many
situations as denizens of this universe, only at different times.
There might be a low-point Physical disad that says he can't see
very well in the day time.
As for Flash -- he's probably immune to light-based flash (as opposed
to vulnerable), as to him, it's simply a sudden lack of darkness. The
equivalent to us would be somebody turning off the light and turning
it back on quickly. However, a sudden flash of Darkness might have
a different result.
====================== =================================================
Mike Christodoulou "Never doubt that a small group of committed
Cypriot@Concentric.Net citizens can change the world. In fact, it is
(770) 662-5605 the only thing that ever has." -- Margaret Mead
====================== =================================================
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 06 Nov 1998 13:10:14 -0500
From: Mike Christodoulou <Cypriot@concentric.net>
Subject: Re: Power Armor
At 09:36 AM 11/6/98 -0600, bobby farris wrote:
> I have a player that wants to create a suit of Power Armor that,
>much like Iron Man's, looses abilities when it gets hit. We could use
>the vehicle rules, but this doesn't give the right feel in our opinion
>for a suit or Armor. We could make up a chart for the Armor, but what
>kind of limitation would that be?
> This is what we came up with:
If I remember correctly, you'll find all the rules you
need in either the Multipower or the Focus sections of
the regular rulebook.
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 06 Nov 1998 13:00:12 -0500
From: Bill Svitavsky <nbymail11@mln.lib.ma.us>
Subject: Re: Negative Sight
At 10:42 AM 11/6/98 -0500, Mike Christodoulou wrote:
>>>> What's the best way to model the vision of someone who
>>>> comes from a "negative" dimension -- That is, someone
>>>> for whom darkness is the normal condition while the more
>>>> light there is, the more difficult it is to see. (Although
>>>> total darkness would be sensory overload.)
>
>
>>There might be other ways of doing this, and more that you could do with
>>it, depending on HOW the character sees in the dark.
>
>
>Actually, it's simply a negative process. The character comes from
>an alternate dimension in which the ideas of "light" and "dark" are
>reversed. They can only see when there's enough ambient darkness.
>They define night as that time when there's not enough dark -- i.e.
>it's light. They also reverse "hot" and "cold" as well as other
>energy forms.
>
>As I consider the process, I run into a whole lot of paradoxes and
>incompatibilities that this poses, but I'm going to try to ignore
>most of them.
>
>I'm kinda thinking that I can just pass most of this off as a
>special effect, since he can see just as well and in as many
>situations as denizens of this universe, only at different times.
>There might be a low-point Physical disad that says he can't see
>very well in the day time.
Hmmmm. While a lot of this could be passed off as a special effect, and a
character like this is inevitably going to need *some* stuff passed off as
SFX, I'd be inclined to represent it with Powers since there are some very
strong effects on things like Flash.
My inclination would be to build the character's sight as Spatial Awarness,
adding a limitation that it's impaired by light. Then buy Phys. Lim: No
Normal Sight and Susceptibility to "Darkness Flashes." This achieves the
effect you want, and saves you the complications of trying to buy enough
Flash Defense to make the character totally immune to light attacks.
>
>As for Flash -- he's probably immune to light-based flash (as opposed
>to vulnerable), as to him, it's simply a sudden lack of darkness. The
>equivalent to us would be somebody turning off the light and turning
>it back on quickly. However, a sudden flash of Darkness might have
>a different result.
>
The pseudo-science on this character is going to require a lot of GM
judgment calls. For instance, can this guy see holograms and other light
images? Perhaps so, but they'd probably look like shadows to him. This
could make it very easy for him to spot illusions...
He might also interact interestingly with characters using Stealth, since
common Stealth SFX are "lurking in the shadows." For this guy, that ninja
in the alley is standing in a spotlight. You might buy him some levels in
Perception, only usable vs. characters using Stealth.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 05 Nov 98 20:48:28
From: "qts" <qts@nildram.co.uk>
Subject: Re: Character help, Arclight
On Mon, 02 Nov 1998 18:37:02 -0600, Tim Statler wrote:
>11 1d6 Flash, Vari Adv(+1 1/2)(Adv must be same as MP
>slot)(-1/4), linked to MP(-1/2), OIF (-1/2) END 1
This bit doesn't look right.. You need to put a Partial Limitation on
th Variable Advantage, so we get
9 1d6 Flash, [Base 10] Linked to MP (-1/2) OIF (-1/2) [5 CP so far]
Variable Advantage for Flash (+1 1/2) [Active +15],
Adv must be same as MP (-2)
OIF (-1/2) Linked (-1/2) [=+4 CP, 5+4=9 Real]
qts
Home: qts@nildram.co.uk.
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 06 Nov 1998 18:20:45 -0800
From: Rick Holding <rholding@ActOnline.com.au>
Subject: Re: "Lab" skills question
Rook wrote:
> These labs all sound like would give skill levels, but not actual
> skill. For an example of actual skill think of the 'sex machine' that
> woody alen gets into in the movie sleepers.
The only use of labs of any sort are to give complementary roll bonuses
to an already existing skill. So you make the lab roll and add the
bonus to your skill. A kind GM may allow this to also be used to aid
the 8- famil rolls.
Rick Holding
If only "common sense" was just a bit more common...
or if you prefer... You call this logic ?
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 06 Nov 1998 17:25:02 -0800
From: Rick Holding <rholding@ActOnline.com.au>
Subject: Re: Combat Cards (was: Re: Cyber-Hero)
Tim Gilberg wrote:
>
> > It's a rule that got dropped from 4th. However it's used in the
> > example fight between Ogre, Starburst, and Crusader. Though I think
> > that was just a proof reading goof, since the fight's from pre-4th
> > as well.
>
> Hmmmm. OK.
>
> I checked the rules and it isn't there.
>
> Did it make it onto a chart on the GM's screen?
Well, I'll be buggered! For the last 10 years, we have been playing
it. Still will. It's not a bad representation of what happens to your
aim when you are moving.
And no, its not on the screen anywhere.
- --
Rick Holding
If only "common sense" was just a bit more common...
or if you prefer... You call this logic ?
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 06 Nov 1998 17:01:46 -0800
From: Rick Holding <rholding@ActOnline.com.au>
Subject: Re: Fantasy Hero Dream Magic
Egyptoid wrote:
>
> > X-Dim Travel or Telepathy
> if the PC is in active danger inside the dreams, then I'd use XDT.
> if the PC is merely observing the dream, I'd use Telepathy.
> if the PC can observe and interact or effect, then I'd mental illusions.
If you wanted control of what is dreamt, then mental illusions would be
okay as you don't need to know what is going on in there when you make
your attempt. If you want to play around with what is being dreamt then
you must have both mental illusions and telepathy. The former lets you
have control and the later lets you know what you have to interact with
(as well as allowing communication during the dream process.
- --
Rick Holding
If only "common sense" was just a bit more common...
or if you prefer... You call this logic ?
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 6 Nov 1998 19:51:20 -0600 (Central Standard Time)
From: Tim Gilberg <gilberg@ou.edu>
Subject: Re: Combat Cards (was: Re: Cyber-Hero)
> > I checked the rules and it isn't there.
> >
> > Did it make it onto a chart on the GM's screen?
>
> Well, I'll be buggered! For the last 10 years, we have been playing
> it. Still will. It's not a bad representation of what happens to your
> aim when you are moving.
>
> And no, its not on the screen anywhere.
I must have been remembering 3rd edition myself, then. I played
with that rules set for about 3 months before getting 4th. I've never
used the rule, as it's a pain to remember. It seems logical, just a mess.
Of course, I love Battletech, with all of its movement modifiers,
but that's another issue.
-Tim Gilberg
-"English Majors of the World! Untie!"
------------------------------
Date: 06 Nov 1998 21:36:36 -500
From: Stainless Steel Rat <ratinox@peorth.gweep.net>
Subject: Re: Negative Sight
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"MC" == Mike Christodoulou <Cypriot@concentric.net> writes:
MC> Actually, it's simply a negative process. The character comes from
MC> an alternate dimension in which the ideas of "light" and "dark" are
MC> reversed.
In our universe, light is a visible form of electromagnetic energy. In his
universe, darkness is a visible form of electromagnetic energy. Given the
'negativeness' of his universe, darkness has the same frequency range as
light in ours. Given that darkness works in his the same way that light
does in ours, he sees visible EM through the same process that we do.
Flipping universes will not change that.
In other words, biology and physics say that he will have no problem being
able to see in this universe. By corrolary, he will have no special
senses, either.
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- --
Rat <ratinox@peorth.gweep.net> \ Happy Fun Ball contains a liquid core,
PGP Key: at a key server near you! \ which, if exposed due to rupture, should
\ not be touched, inhaled, or looked at.
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 6 Nov 1998 00:01:12 +0000
From: "J. W. Eiler" <jw_eiler@bellsouth.net>
Subject: Re: majordomo help
> Can anyone help? I need the address of the majordomo help file (or the file
> itself).
Write to the following address:
majordomo@sysabend.org
...and put the following commands in the BODY (Not subject) of your
message:
help
end
(You can omit the "end" if your e-mail does not add a signature file
automatically.)
If, for whatever reason, you can't get ahold of it, I'll forward it to you.
J. W. Eiler
Their armour shall not dull, nor rust,
Their flesh shall not decay,
For Tarrant Moss holds them in trust
Until the judgement day.
Rudyard Kipling -- Tarrant Moss
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 6 Nov 1998 21:23:02 -0800
From: "Filksinger" <filkhero@usa.net>
Subject: RE: Negative Sight
From: Stainless Steel Rat
>
>
> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
> Hash: SHA1
>
> "MC" == Mike Christodoulou <Cypriot@concentric.net> writes:
>
> MC> Actually, it's simply a negative process. The
> character comes from
> MC> an alternate dimension in which the ideas of "light"
> and "dark" are
> MC> reversed.
>
<snip>
> In other words, biology and physics say that he will have
> no problem being
> able to see in this universe. By corrolary, he will have no special
> senses, either.
He didn't ask for the physics rational behind the character, he asked
for how to represent a specific SFX: A man to whom dark was light and
hot was cold.
Besides, are you actually using physics in a comic book world? :)
If you do that, human-sized bricks with the strength to lift
battleships won't be able to so much as reach out at arms length in
front of him and lift 1,000kg, even using both hands, since, no matter
how strong he is, a human being could never to that; it violates very
basic physics.
Filksinger
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 7 Nov 1998 16:32:37 +1000
From: "Lockie" <jonesl@cqnet.com.au>
Subject: Re: Negative Sight
- -----Original Message-----
From: Filksinger <filkhero@usa.net>
To: Champions <champ-l@sysabend.org>
Date: Saturday, November 07, 1998 3:54 PM
Subject: RE: Negative Sight
>If you do that, human-sized bricks with the strength to lift
>battleships won't be able to so much as reach out at arms length in
>front of him and lift 1,000kg, even using both hands, since, no matter
>how strong he is, a human being could never to that; it violates very
>basic physics.
>
>Filksinger
>
not really base physical laws. . it's a practical issue. Tension, friction,
surface area.
There's no energy-based-concept that say that sort of force can't be applied
over that
small an area, it just usually results in things going 'kaboom' or 'crunch'.
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 06 Nov 1998 22:48:15 PST
From: "Jesse Thomas" <haerandir@hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: Paper Star Destroyers
All I have to say is, anyone who builds a warship with 6 DEF deserves to
get shot up with sidearms. See, they use this stuff called 'armor
plating' on ships like that. I expect that this is best represented by
buying lots 'n' lots of extra DEF. At least into superhero-brick class.
It's people like you who determined that you could knock over the Golden
Gate Bridge with 6 normals doing a coordinated attack.
Sorry if this seems a little overly caustic, but it's late & I've been
wading through all of the e-mails that have built up over 2 days of
computer non-functionality and some nimrod posting 800 old messages
while I was away.
GRRR.
Jesse Thomas
haerandir@hotmail.com
> I am trying to convert Star Wars to the Hero System for a
friend
>of mine (I will probably post the results her or to a website) and have
>started to work on some of the vehicles.
>
> A Star Destroyer is 1.6 Km or 1600 meters long. When I use the
>vehicle size chart and extrapolate out to the sixe of 800hexes by 400
>hexes by 400 hexes. I come up with a Body of 39. Now, maybe for
>arguments sake I can go a couple or two higher, but still this leaves
>with me with a body of around 45 lets say.
>
>Assuming it has average armor of lets say DEF 6, and I use a rifle
doing
>3d6K I will average doing 4 body to it per action.
>
>With a .50 caliber rifle I can take out a Star Destroyer with
>approximately 12 shots.
>Now, we all know this is impossible. Did I mess up my mechanics
>somewhere. How do I deal with this?
>I am thinking of just sayting that they are different scales.....cop
>out, but what else can I do?
>
>
>
>
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 6 Nov 1998 15:41:22 -0800 (PST)
From: shaw@caprica.com (Wayne Shaw)
Subject: Re: Combat Cards (was: Re: Cyber-Hero)
>Tim Gilberg wrote:
>>
>> > It's a rule that got dropped from 4th. However it's used in the
>> > example fight between Ogre, Starburst, and Crusader. Though I think
>> > that was just a proof reading goof, since the fight's from pre-4th
>> > as well.
>>
>> Hmmmm. OK.
>>
>> I checked the rules and it isn't there.
>>
>> Did it make it onto a chart on the GM's screen?
>
> Well, I'll be buggered! For the last 10 years, we have been playing
>it. Still will. It's not a bad representation of what happens to your
>aim when you are moving.
Supposedly George McDonald dropped it because it encouraged ranged attackers
to just stand in one place and blast, and therefor made battles less mobile
and interesting.
------------------------------
Date: 07 Nov 1998 08:34:26 -500
From: Stainless Steel Rat <ratinox@peorth.gweep.net>
Subject: Re: Negative Sight
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"F" == Filksinger <filkhero@usa.net> writes:
F> He didn't ask for the physics rational behind the character, he asked
F> for how to represent a specific SFX: A man to whom dark was light and
F> hot was cold.
Ummm:
>> In other words, biology and physics say that he will have no problem
>> being able to see in this universe.
If you think about that for a moment, you would relize that the game
mechanics for this are simple: do nothing.
>> By corrolary, he will have no special senses, either.
Ditto.
The other alternative is that the guy cannot see at all if you flip him out
of his universe, since there is no 'radiant darkness' in this one. In
which case the game mechanic is almost as simple: Physical Limitation:
Blind, 25 points.
F> Besides, are you actually using physics in a comic book world? :)
He made the statement that darkness in his universe is the same as light in
ours.
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Rat <ratinox@peorth.gweep.net> \ Do not use Happy Fun Ball on concrete.
PGP Key: at a key server near you! \
\
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 07 Nov 1998 12:25:53 -0500
From: "John Desmarais" <john.desmarais@ibm.net>
Subject: Re: majordomo help
On Fri, 06 Nov 1998 13:12:32 +0000, Michael Pegg wrote:
>Can anyone help? I need the address of the majordomo help file (or the file
>itself).
There is a pretty good reference at
http://www.oucs.ox.ac.uk/majordomo/listowners.html
- -= John Desmarais <champ-l-owner@sysabend.org> =-
- -=
- -= Keeper of the Champions Mailing List.
- -= http://www.sysabend.org/champions
------------------------------
End of champ-l-digest V1 #33
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