Digest Archive vol 1 Issue 463

Digest Archive vol 1 Issue 463
From: owner-champ-l-digest@sysabend.org
Sent: Wednesday, July 21, 1999 3:31 PM
To: champ-l-digest@sysabend.org
Subject: champ-l-digest V1 #463

champ-l-digest Wednesday, July 21 1999 Volume 01 : Number 463

In this issue:

Re: CHAR: Graboids
Re: CHAR: Graboids
Re: CHAR: Graboids
RE: Group Mind
Re: Group Mind
Re: Group Mind
Re: Group Mind
Kazei 5
Re: Kazei 5
Walking Through Walls
Re: AP on mental powers
Re: AP on mental powers
Re: CHAR: Singularity (need help, long)
Re: OIHID?
Re: Group Mind
Re: Group Mind
Re: Walking Through Walls
Re: Walking Through Walls
Addition To Walking Through Walls
Re: Walking Through Walls
Re: Walking Through Walls
Re: Walking Through Walls
Re: Addition To Walking Through Walls
Re: Walking Through Walls
Re: Walking Through Walls
Re: Walking Through Walls
Re: Addition To Walking Through Walls
Re: Walking Through Walls
RE: Walking Through Walls
Re: Addition To Walking Through Walls
Re: CHAR: Graboids
Re: CHAR: Singularity (need help, long)

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Wed, 21 Jul 1999 07:42:39 -0400 (EDT)
From: Michael Surbrook <susano@dedaana.otd.com>
Subject: Re: CHAR: Graboids

On Tue, 20 Jul 1999 jayphailey@juno.com wrote:

> ><2 experience points if you figure out where these are from!>
> >
> >GRABOIDS
>
> Tremors?

Yup. Your two XP is in the mail.

> Omega Squad PCs defeated a group of these sorts of creatures by the use
> of Boom Boxes, rap cd's and lots and lots of dynamite.

Sounds like the way to do it.

- --
Michael Surbrook - susano@otd.com - http://www.otd.com/~susano/index.html

"Almost there..."
Red Leader, _Star Wars_

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 21 Jul 1999 07:43:00 -0400 (EDT)
From: Michael Surbrook <susano@dedaana.otd.com>
Subject: Re: CHAR: Graboids

On Tue, 20 Jul 1999, Chad Riley wrote:

> Tremors?

Yup.

> Michael Surbrook wrote:
>
> > <2 experience points if you figure out where these are from!>
> >
> > GRABOIDS

- --
Michael Surbrook - susano@otd.com - http://www.otd.com/~susano/index.html

"Almost there..."
Red Leader, _Star Wars_

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 21 Jul 1999 07:45:47 -0400 (EDT)
From: Michael Surbrook <susano@dedaana.otd.com>
Subject: Re: CHAR: Graboids

On Tue, 20 Jul 1999, Reverend Spith wrote:

> > Tremors?
>
> > Michael Surbrook wrote:
> >
> > > <2 experience points if you figure out where these are from!>
> > >
> > > GRABOIDS
>
> Okay, Mr. Surbrook, how about a writeup of Daddy Graboids from
> Arakkis?

Actually, I posted the Lovecraftian Dhole a while back. It was about 450
feet long...

I forget, how big can a Sandworm get? 1000 meters?

- --
Michael Surbrook - susano@otd.com - http://www.otd.com/~susano/index.html

"Almost there..."
Red Leader, _Star Wars_

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 21 Jul 1999 14:28:16 +0200
From: Henrik Giese <henrik.giese@lgp.se>
Subject: RE: Group Mind

This message is in MIME format. Since your mail reader does not understand
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> -----Original Message-----
> From: Leah L Watts [mailto:llwatts@juno.com]
> Sent: den 21 juli 1999 03:42
> To: champ-l@sysabend.org
> Subject: Group Mind
>
>
> I'm working on a critter with a group mind -- all members of
> a given pack
> share their thoughts constantly. The obvious place to start
> (for me, at
> least) is Mind Link, Always On. Three questions about this, though:
>
> 1) The softcover BBB lists Mind Link as Persistent (p. 57), and the
> description says it costs 0 END -- so does it really need
> Always On, or
> can I handwave that part and just say they never want to "hang up"?
>
Give them a psych (or phys) lim: No individual initiative and Can not drop
mind link. Also remember that it is a limitation if all individuals have to
have mind link.

> 2) There has to be something negative about an Always On
> power according
> to the writeup. I was going to give them a Susceptibility to another
> pack member taking BODY, is that enough of a disad? If not, any ideas
> for something to add?
>
That's a separate disad (to me at least).

> 3) Am I missing something incredibly obvious that would be a
> simpler way
> to build this? (65 hours on last week's time card, this week will be
> even longer.)
>
Seems like to right way to me.

> Thanks!
>
> Leah
>
> ___________________________________________________________________
> Get the Internet just the way you want it.
> Free software, free e-mail, and free Internet access for a month!
> Try Juno Web: http://dl.www.juno.com/dynoget/tagj.
>
/Henrik

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> -----Original Message-----
 > From: Leah L Watts [<A =
HREF=3D"mailto:llwatts@juno.com">mailto:llwatts@juno.com</A>]
 > Sent: den 21 juli 1999 03:42
 > To: champ-l@sysabend.org
 > Subject: Group Mind
 > 
 > 
 > I'm working on a critter with a group mind -- =
all members of 
 > a given pack
 > share their thoughts constantly.  The =
obvious place to start 
 > (for me, at
 > least) is Mind Link,  Always On.  =
Three questions about this, though:
 > 
 > 1) The softcover BBB lists Mind Link as =
Persistent (p. 57), and the
 > description says it costs 0 END -- so does it =
really need 
 > Always On, or
 > can I handwave that part and just say they =
never want to "hang up"?
 >
 Give them a psych (or phys) lim: No individual =
initiative and Can not drop mind link. Also remember that it is a =
limitation if all individuals have to have mind link.

> 2) There has to be something negative about an =
Always On 
 > power according
 > to the writeup.  I was going to give them =
a Susceptibility to another
 > pack member taking BODY, is that enough of a =
disad?  If not, any ideas
 > for something to add?
 > 
 That's a separate disad (to me at least).


> 3) Am I missing something incredibly obvious =
that would be a 
 > simpler way
 > to build this?  (65 hours on last week's =
time card, this week will be
 > even longer.)
 >
 Seems like to right way to me.
  
 > Thanks!
 > 
 > Leah
 > 
 > =
___________________________________________________________________</FON=
T>
 > Get the Internet just the way you want =
it.
 > Free software, free e-mail, and free Internet =
access for a month!
 > Try Juno Web: <A =
HREF=3D"http://dl.www.juno.com/dynoget/tagj" =
TARGET=3D"_blank">http://dl.www.juno.com/dynoget/tagj</A>.
 >
 /Henrik 


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------------------------------

Date: Wed, 21 Jul 1999 06:53:35 -0700
From: Bob Greenwade <bob.greenwade@klock.com>
Subject: Re: Group Mind

At 09:42 PM 7/20/1999 EDT, Leah L Watts wrote:
>I'm working on a critter with a group mind -- all members of a given pack
>share their thoughts constantly. The obvious place to start (for me, at
>least) is Mind Link, Always On. Three questions about this, though:
>
>1) The softcover BBB lists Mind Link as Persistent (p. 57), and the
>description says it costs 0 END -- so does it really need Always On, or
>can I handwave that part and just say they never want to "hang up"?
>
>2) There has to be something negative about an Always On power according
>to the writeup. I was going to give them a Susceptibility to another
>pack member taking BODY, is that enough of a disad? If not, any ideas
>for something to add?
>
>3) Am I missing something incredibly obvious that would be a simpler way
>to build this? (65 hours on last week's time card, this week will be
>even longer.)

TUM has a couple of Mind Link options that you might find useful.
First, there's the "Psychic Bond" option for +5 points. This enables
the characters involved to communicate telepathically at any time.
Then there's the -1 Limitation "Feedback," imported from Force Wall,
which causes each character in a Mind Link to take the STUN from any
attacks that any other character in the Link takes. This Limitation is
limited to passing along STUN, but I think one could reasonably double the
Limitation to -2 to allow BODY to be passed along as well.
Even so, I'd lean more toward using a variation on Vulnerability, using
the cost equivalent to 2X STUN and BODY for a Common attack (I think that
would be 40 points).
One might also rule that the Link, even as a "Psychic Bond," can be
turned on and off at will, and that the STUN and BODY is only passed along
if it happens to be on at the time. In this case, Always On would
certainly be appropriate (though I wouldn't allow it on Mind Link under
normal circumstances).
- ---
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
Interested in sarrusophones? Join the Sarrusophone Mailing List!
http://www.klock.com/public/users/bob.greenwade/sarrus.htm

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 21 Jul 1999 09:06:41 -0500 (CDT)
From: Curt Hicks <exucurt@exu.ericsson.se>
Subject: Re: Group Mind

> From: Bob Greenwade <bob.greenwade@klock.com>
>
> TUM has a couple of Mind Link options that you might find useful.
> First, there's the "Psychic Bond" option for +5 points. This enables
> the characters involved to communicate telepathically at any time.

How does this differ from regular mind link ?
It's been a while since I looked at my copy of Ultimate Mentalist.

Curt

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 21 Jul 1999 08:15:33 -0700
From: Bob Greenwade <bob.greenwade@klock.com>
Subject: Re: Group Mind

At 09:06 AM 7/21/1999 -0500, Curt Hicks wrote:
>> From: Bob Greenwade <bob.greenwade@klock.com>
>>
>> TUM has a couple of Mind Link options that you might find useful.
>> First, there's the "Psychic Bond" option for +5 points. This enables
>> the characters involved to communicate telepathically at any time.
>
>How does this differ from regular mind link ?
>It's been a while since I looked at my copy of Ultimate Mentalist.

Normally Mind Link needs a Line of Sight and ECV Attack Roll to
establish (per both TUM and HSR).
- ---
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
Interested in sarrusophones? Join the Sarrusophone Mailing List!
http://www.klock.com/public/users/bob.greenwade/sarrus.htm

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 21 Jul 1999 09:47:03 PDT
From: "Jesse Thomas" <haerandir@hotmail.com>
Subject: Kazei 5

I just received my copy of Kazei 5 the other day. I haven't had time to do
much more than skim it, but it looks pretty darn cool. Same goes for
Primus, which I received at the same time. Just wanted to congratulate the
authors on jobs well done.

Thanks Michael! Thanks Shelley!

Jesse Thomas

haerandir@hotmail.com

_______________________________________________________________
Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 21 Jul 1999 12:49:31 -0400 (EDT)
From: Michael Surbrook <susano@dedaana.otd.com>
Subject: Re: Kazei 5

On Wed, 21 Jul 1999, Jesse Thomas wrote:

> I just received my copy of Kazei 5 the other day. I haven't had time to do
> much more than skim it, but it looks pretty darn cool. Same goes for
> Primus, which I received at the same time. Just wanted to congratulate the
> authors on jobs well done.
>
> Thanks Michael! Thanks Shelley!

Well, you just made my day a whole lot better!

Thanks! ^_^

Oh and for more Kazei 5 stuff, be sure to visit my website (shamless
plug).

- --
Michael Surbrook - susano@otd.com - http://www.otd.com/~susano/index.html

"We're not against ideas. We're just against people spreading them."
General Augusto Pinochet

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 21 Jul 1999 13:55:05 -0400
From: "Beren" <beren@voyager.net>
Subject: Walking Through Walls

I need some help trying to come up with the mechanics for a character I am
writing up. He has the ability to walk through walls that aren't made of
"artificial" stuff, so he can walk through brick and cement, but not through
plastic, force fields (that are defined as some kind of energy), and so on.

I originally considered using Tunnelling, but I don't think that's right.
As far as I figure, Tunnelling requires that he makes a whole in the
barrier, right? The character I'm building doesn't do that - he just walks
through it like it isn't there.

I have also considered using Desolid, but what kind of limitation would it
be for "only to pass through non-artificial barriers"?

Does anyone have any comments or suggestions?

Lisa Hartjes
Director of Communications, The Crimson Covenant

beren@unforgettable.com
http://roswell.fortunecity.com/daniken/79
ICQ: Berengiere (9062561)

Employee theft is the biggest source of losses for a business.
Why someone would want to steal an employee, I have no idea.

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 20 Jul 1999 21:22:43 -0700
From: "Filksinger" <filksinger@flashmail.com>
Subject: Re: AP on mental powers

From: Brats Incorporated <brat-inc@avalon.net>

> One of my PC's is looking to put AP on his mental powers.
> Off hand I'm not even sure if this isa legal move or not.
> I am somewhat hesitant to jump out and say no before giving it some
thought.
>
> Suggestions?

Let him have it. Why not? It makes him _less_ effective against anyone
except those with Mental Defense. If it is uncommon, this
significantly reduces his power level, if it is common, why shouldn't
he be allowed to learn how to penetrate it better?

Besides, consider what he is paying for. Assume that the campaign has
a 12DC Max, and he wants to buy 4d6 Ego Blast, AP. He could buy a 6d6
Ego Blast, as well. The average damage done by the first is 14 pts,
and the second is 21. If the target has 14 Mental Defense or below,
the 6d6 actually does more damage, in spite of the target's defenses.

Keep in mind that EGO is _not_ a defense against Mental Powers, and
thus is _not_ subject to AP.

Filksinger

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 20 Jul 1999 20:53:23 -0700
From: "Filksinger" <filksinger@flashmail.com>
Subject: Re: AP on mental powers

From: Reverend Spith <cptspith@hotmail.com>

<snip>
> I'd say that AP on mental powers is a somewhat self-balancing
expense;
> it's not a cheap advantage, but for the most part, people don't have
a whole
> lot of mental defense to begin with, so the return on the expense is
limited
> mostly to other mentalists, who have higher EGOs and defense scores.
I
> would limit the AP to only apply to the defense, of course (to be
strictly
> accurate) and not work vs. EGO scores or anything like that.

Absolutely. EGO is no more the _defense_ against Mind Control than
STUN is the defense against normal stun damage.

> -Reverend Spith
> "My, my, this here Anakin guy
> May be Vader someday later, now he's just a small fry
> He left his home and kissed his mommy goodbye, sayin'
> Soon I'm gonna be a Jedi
> Soon I'm gonna be a Jedi"
> -"The Saga Begins," 'Weird Al' Yankovic

Filksinger

"And the Jedi I admire most
Met up with Darth Maul and now he's toast."

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 20 Jul 1999 21:25:28 -0700
From: "Filksinger" <filksinger@flashmail.com>
Subject: Re: CHAR: Singularity (need help, long)

From: Scott C. Nolan <nolan@erols.com>

> Nope. While this is a very cool character, it won't work as
written. If his
> mass remains constant, so does his gravity, regardless of his
density. A
> 180-lb. man that is six feet tall will have the exact gravitational
pull of a
> 180-lb man half an angstrom long. The point of singularities is
that they're
> caused by MASSIVE objects.

Yes and no. If his mass stays the same, he will become a black hole,
at a size much smaller than that of a proton. However, unless you got
closer than a couple of feet, you wouldn't notice the difference.

Mass is not all that creates black holes. Density _and_ mass creates
black holes. Very massive objects that are very large are not black
holes; not massive but very small objects are.

Filksinger

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 20 Jul 1999 21:17:11 -0700
From: "Filksinger" <filksinger@flashmail.com>
Subject: Re: OIHID?

From: Mad Hamish <h_laws@postoffice.utas.edu.au>

<snip>
>
> Firstly Torch doesn't have a force field. He'd have a damage shield
and
> probably armour bought only versus stuff which burns or melts.

Actually, it works against everything. When flaming, he is semi-solid,
and objects that don't melt have been known to go clear through him
without doing great damage. Presumably, the harder he is hit, the more
damage he takes.

Filksinger

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 21 Jul 1999 13:20:05 -0500 (CDT)
From: "Dr. Nuncheon" <jeffj@io.com>
Subject: Re: Group Mind

On Tue, 20 Jul 1999, Leah L Watts wrote:

> I'm working on a critter with a group mind -- all members of a given pack
> share their thoughts constantly. The obvious place to start (for me, at
> least) is Mind Link, Always On. Three questions about this, though:

The other option would be Always On Duplication and build the pack as
(effectively) a single creature. With Mind Link, so it's really back to
the start...

> 1) The softcover BBB lists Mind Link as Persistent (p. 57), and the
> description says it costs 0 END -- so does it really need Always On, or
> can I handwave that part and just say they never want to "hang up"?

Why *not* take Always On? Since it's already 0 End Persistent, you just
apply a -1/2 limit to the Mind Link, so it's not like it's painful or
anything.

> 2) There has to be something negative about an Always On power according
> to the writeup. I was going to give them a Susceptibility to another
> pack member taking BODY, is that enough of a disad? If not, any ideas
> for something to add?

The Susceptibility would be a separate disad in my book. I'd rule that
the Always On mental link would let you affect *any* of them with mental
powers if you were able to affect one of them, because of the open mental
conduit between the minds.

J

Hostes aliengeni me abduxerent. Jeff Johnston - jeffj@io.com
Qui annus est? http://www.io.com/~jeffj

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 21 Jul 1999 14:24:50 -0400
From: Kim Foster <nexus@qx.net>
Subject: Re: Group Mind

I think in the Ultimate Mentalist it states that if you succesfully
locate/target a person wiyth a mental attack you can do the same to any and
all they are Mink Linked with.

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 21 Jul 1999 18:27:55 GMT
From: "S A Rudy" <sarudy@hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: Walking Through Walls

Lisa Hartjes ("Beren" <beren@voyager.net&> writes:
>I need some help trying to come up with the mechanics for a character I am
>writing up. He has the ability to walk through walls that aren't made of
>"artificial" stuff, so he can walk through brick and cement, but not
>through plastic, force fields (that are defined as some kind of energy),
>and so on.
[snip comment on Tunnelling]
>I have also considered using Desolid, but what kind of limitation would it
>be for "only to pass through non-
>artificial barriers"?
>Does anyone have any comments or suggestions?

Actually, it sounds just like Desolidification. All Desols
have to be defined with something that acts as a barrier
anyway, although I'd say that "anything artificial" is broad
enough to merit an additional Limitation. How much of a
Limitation that is comes down to a GM's call (look under
"Limited Power" in the limitation section of the rulebook for
examples). I'd probably give it 1/4 or 1/2 (I'm leaning
towards 1/2).

- -S

S A Rudy http://www.eclipse.net/~srudy
+----------------------------------------------------------+
|"I myself have never been able to find out precisely what |
| feminism is; I only know that people call me a feminist |
| whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from |
| a doormat or a prostitute." -- Rebecca West, 1913 |
+----------------------------------------------------------+

_______________________________________________________________
Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 21 Jul 1999 11:38:18 PDT
From: "Jesse Thomas" <haerandir@hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: Walking Through Walls

On Wed, 21 Jul 1999 Lisa Hartjes <beren@unforgettable.com> wrote:
>
>I originally considered using Tunnelling, but I don't think that's right.
>As far as I figure, Tunnelling requires that he makes a whole in the
>barrier, right? The character I'm building doesn't do that - he just walks
>through it like it isn't there.

Tunnelling might work if you used the "Fill in as you go" option, but,
really, it seems silly. It might be a good option if you want to give him
the ability to drag others along with him, but otherwise, Desolid is
probably the way to go.

>I have also considered using Desolid, but what kind of limitation would it
>be for "only to pass through non-artificial barriers"?

Depends on how common "artificial" barriers are. In a modern setting, most
walls are made of brick, cement, steel, and plaster. Doesn't sound like
that's what you mean by "artificial", so it's probably not much of a
limitation, -1/4 at most. However, if the campaign is set in the future, or
revolves around breaking into heavily guarded and defended installations
(prisons, military bases, supervillain lairs, spaceships, et al.), then it
might be worth more, perhaps as much as -1 if it came up every other
adventure or so. On the whole, it's probably best just to peg it a -1/2,
unless you have a compelling reason to do otherwise.

>Does anyone have any comments or suggestions?

Have you considered how such things as electrical wiring and phone lines
will affect the character? In some buildings, such items could be dense
enough (say, around a computer room) to create a problem. After all, they
are often insulated with plastic and conducting electricity, two things you
mention under the heading of "artificial". They might act on the character
much like a net or a chain-link fence would on a normal person. As such,
they may constitute a justification for raising or lowering the limitation
value, depending on whether or not you consider them an effective barrier.

Jesse Thomas

haerandir@hotmail.com

_______________________________________________________________
Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 21 Jul 1999 14:54:22 -0400
From: Chris Hartjes <chartjes@littlehart.net>
Subject: Addition To Walking Through Walls

Lisa forgot to mention that the character in question also must be able to
be hit by attacks *while* walking through non-artificial barriers (if that
makes sense to you...)

So what we have is this: a character who must be able to walk through
natural barriers *and* be affected by normal attacks against him while doing
so.

Chris Hartjes

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 21 Jul 1999 14:41:58 -0400
From: "Beren" <beren@voyager.net>
Subject: Re: Walking Through Walls

<<I need some help trying to come up with the mechanics for a character I am
writing up. He has the ability to walk through walls that aren't made of
"artificial" stuff, so he can walk through brick and cement, but not through
plastic, force fields (that are defined as some kind of energy), and so on.

I originally considered using Tunnelling, but I don't think that's right.
As far as I figure, Tunnelling requires that he makes a whole in the
barrier, right? The character I'm building doesn't do that - he just walks
through it like it isn't there.

I have also considered using Desolid, but what kind of limitation would it
be for "only to pass through non-artificial barriers"?

Does anyone have any comments or suggestions?>>

Forgot to mention that while he's walking through walls, the character can
still be attacked and affected by normal attacks (those without Affects
Desolid).

Yes, I know, it makes a big difference. :)

Lisa

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 21 Jul 1999 15:02:09 -0400
From: Mike Christodoulou <Cypriot@Concentric.net>
Subject: Re: Walking Through Walls

At 01:55 PM 7/21/99 -0400, Beren wrote:
>I need some help trying to come up with the mechanics for a character I am
>writing up. He has the ability to walk through walls that aren't made of
>"artificial" stuff, so he can walk through brick and cement, but not through
>plastic, force fields (that are defined as some kind of energy), and so on.
>

I think I'd agree with the others, that this is Desolid with probably
a 1/4 to 1/2 limitation. However, as a GM, I'd have a slight problem
with your definition.

Why are brick and cement any more "natural" than plastic. Both are
man-made, and built from materials derived from the earth.

Instead, be a little more specific in what can block the passage.
Is it a particular chemical structure? or energy signature? Once
you've narrowed down what can prevent you from walking through, you'll
have a better feel for the value of the limitation.

====================== =================================================
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: Wed, 21 Jul 1999 12:06:57 PDT
From: "Jesse Thomas" <haerandir@hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: Walking Through Walls

On Wed, 21 Jul 1999 Lisa <beren@unforgettable.com> wrote:
>
>Forgot to mention that while he's walking through walls, the character can
>still be attacked and affected by normal attacks (those without Affects
>Desolid).
>
>Yes, I know, it makes a big difference. :)
>

Oh. Should have realized that myself when you suggested Tunneling. Well,
then... Can the character in turn affect the real world? If yes, then you
may want to discard the Desolid concept, because buying all of your powers
Affects Desolid is a mite expensive if all you get in return is the ability
to walk through walls.

Have you considered Teleport or Indirect Running? With an appropriate
limitation, these might be more useful. Say, -1 for "Only to move through
walls", and an additional -1/4 or -1/2 for the "no artifical barriers",
again, depending on commonality of force fields and architectural plastics.

Jesse Thomas

haerandir@hotmail.com

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------------------------------

Date: Wed, 21 Jul 1999 15:09:24 -0400
From: Mike Christodoulou <Cypriot@Concentric.net>
Subject: Re: Addition To Walking Through Walls

At 02:54 PM 7/21/99 -0400, Chris Hartjes wrote:
>Lisa forgot to mention that the character in question also must be able to
>be hit by attacks *while* walking through non-artificial barriers (if that
>makes sense to you...)
>
>So what we have is this: a character who must be able to walk through
>natural barriers *and* be affected by normal attacks against him while doing
>so.
>

That's a little trickier. You could probably do this with Desolid, a
bunch of limitations, and a little SFX hand-waving. But perhaps Tunneling
is a better idea.

Tunneling (with the fill-in option) would keep you solid -- i.e. vulnerable
to attack -- while you're walking through the wall. But once you complete
your move through the wall, it protects you. (Probably a DEX vs DEX roll
if somebody actually tries to attack WHILE you're going through.)

You'll still need to define what prevents you from walking through -- this
will still give you the 1/4 to 1/2 limitation.

Also, does it take any extended amount of time to walk through a wall?
Does it slow you down at all? Does the thickness of the wall matter?
If you can walk through a wall, can you walk through earth (dirt)?

====================== =================================================
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: Wed, 21 Jul 1999 12:11:51 PDT
From: "Jesse Thomas" <haerandir@hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: Walking Through Walls

On Wed, 21 Jul 1999 I <haerandir@hotmail.com> foolishly wrote:

>because buying all of your powers Affects Desolid is a mite expensive if
>all you get in return >is the ability to walk through walls.

Of course, what I meant to say was "buying all of your powers as 'Affects
Real World' is a mite expensive..." But you knew that, didn't you?

Jesse Thomas

haerandir@hotmail.com

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------------------------------

Date: Wed, 21 Jul 1999 15:18:59 -0400
From: Chris Hartjes <chartjes@littlehart.net>
Subject: Re: Walking Through Walls

Mike Christodoulou wrote:
>
> >
>
> I think I'd agree with the others, that this is Desolid with probably
> a 1/4 to 1/2 limitation. However, as a GM, I'd have a slight problem
> with your definition.
>
> Why are brick and cement any more "natural" than plastic. Both are
> man-made, and built from materials derived from the earth.

Because the character concept in question is an earth elemental. If it's
not considered organic building material (which plastic in my mind doesn't
fit the description) then it cannot go through it.

I think that the Indirect Running is probably the best way to do this.

Chris Hartjes

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 21 Jul 1999 12:16:27 -0700
From: Bob Greenwade <bob.greenwade@klock.com>
Subject: Re: Walking Through Walls

At 01:55 PM 7/21/1999 -0400, Beren wrote:
>I need some help trying to come up with the mechanics for a character I am
>writing up. He has the ability to walk through walls that aren't made of
>"artificial" stuff, so he can walk through brick and cement, but not through
>plastic, force fields (that are defined as some kind of energy), and so on.
>
>I originally considered using Tunnelling, but I don't think that's right.
>As far as I figure, Tunnelling requires that he makes a whole in the
>barrier, right? The character I'm building doesn't do that - he just walks
>through it like it isn't there.
>
>I have also considered using Desolid, but what kind of limitation would it
>be for "only to pass through non-artificial barriers"?
>
>Does anyone have any comments or suggestions?

I'm with everyone else; use Desolidification rather than Tunneling, or
at worst both Powers as fixed slots in a Multipower.
"Only vs non-artificial barriers" would be -1 IMO.
As for the Limitation that Chris mentioned that the character is still
vulnerable to attacks, I'd also call that a -1 for the Desolidification.
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------------------------------

Date: 21 Jul 1999 15:15:53 -0400
From: Stainless Steel Rat <ratinox@peorth.gweep.net>
Subject: Re: Addition To Walking Through Walls

- -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

* Chris Hartjes <chartjes@littlehart.net> on Wed, 21 Jul 1999
| Lisa forgot to mention that the character in question also must be able to
| be hit by attacks *while* walking through non-artificial barriers (if that
| makes sense to you...)

Well, that eliminates Desolidification from the equation.

| So what we have is this: a character who must be able to walk through
| natural barriers *and* be affected by normal attacks against him while
| doing so.

Tunnelling, limited to 'natural' barriers. Maybe Teleportation, maybe not;
depends on SFX.
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Version: GnuPG v0.9.8 (GNU/Linux)
Comment: For info see http://www.gnupg.org

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- --
Rat <ratinox@peorth.gweep.net> \ Ingredients of Happy Fun Ball include an
Minion of Nathan - Nathan says Hi! \ unknown glowing substance which fell to
PGP Key: at a key server near you! \ Earth, presumably from outer space.

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 21 Jul 1999 15:20:09 -0400
From: Mike Christodoulou <Cypriot@Concentric.net>
Subject: Re: Walking Through Walls

At 03:18 PM 7/21/99 -0400, Chris Hartjes wrote:
>Because the character concept in question is an earth elemental. If it's
>not considered organic building material (which plastic in my mind doesn't
>fit the description) then it cannot go through it.
>
>I think that the Indirect Running is probably the best way to do this.

As long as everyone in the group agrees with what constitutes
a natural material *in your mind* then it sounds all right.

And as long as the character doesn't experience a slowdown
through these materials, then I wouldn't have a problem with
Indirect Running.

====================== =================================================
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: Wed, 21 Jul 1999 15:23:01 -0400
From: Brian Wawrow <bwawrow@fmco.com>
Subject: RE: Walking Through Walls

Hi,

Just to get this all straight, stone, brick and cement are all inorganic.
Wood, cloth and leather are organic, since they come from organisms, dig?

So, could we assume that an earth elemental can move through anything
composed of rocks and/or minerals? If so, I would say metals and bricks are
okay, but wood and plastic are not.

I don't follow the Indirect Running idea. If you buy indirect running
without any limitations, can you just walk through matter with no problem at
all? I think I'd just use tunneling with the 'hole fills in' option. I
assume this elemental can also move through the earth as well, so you're
going to buy tunnelling anyways. Either that or TPort -only through rocks n'
minerals.

Does that sound reasonable?

] Because the character concept in question is an earth
] elemental. If it's
] not considered organic building material (which plastic in my
] mind doesn't
] fit the description) then it cannot go through it.
]
] I think that the Indirect Running is probably the best way to do this.
]
] Chris Hartjes
]

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 21 Jul 1999 15:21:21 -0400
From: "Beren" <beren@voyager.net>
Subject: Re: Addition To Walking Through Walls

<<Tunneling (with the fill-in option) would keep you solid -- i.e.
vulnerable
to attack -- while you're walking through the wall. But once you complete
your move through the wall, it protects you. (Probably a DEX vs DEX roll
if somebody actually tries to attack WHILE you're going through.)>>

If I go for this option, I havea nother question. How do people run
tunneling, with regards to the hole it makes? Can other people go through it
at the same time as the person with power? This guy can take only himself
through.

And I suppose the term barriers would have been better than the word walls.
The character is going to be the earth elemental for our campaign world. As
such, I want him to be able to walk through barriers made up of stuff that
you can find in nature. Bricks come from clay (or sand), which is found in
nature. Steel is an alloy, and does not naturally occur, that kind of
thing. Regarding plastic, petroleum occurs in nature, but the product made
from it doesn't. Does that make sense?

Lisa

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 21 Jul 1999 11:57:34 -0700
From: jayphailey@juno.com
Subject: Re: CHAR: Graboids

> > Omega Squad PCs defeated a group of these sorts of creatures by the
use
> > of Boom Boxes, rap cd's and lots and lots of dynamite.
>
> Sounds like the way to do it.

After they ate the party's speedster (He later recovered), someone said
"There has *got* to be a better way!"

Jay P. Hailey <Meow!> [ICQ: 37959005]

Read Star Trek- Outwardly Mobile At-

http://phoenixinn.iwarp.com/jay/

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------------------------------

Date: Wed, 21 Jul 1999 15:25:01 -0400
From: "William K. Bushway" <bushway@us.hsanet.net>
Subject: Re: CHAR: Singularity (need help, long)

> Scott C. Nolan <nolan@erols.com> said:
>The point of singularities is that they're caused by MASSIVE objects.

> then Dan Harkavy <DJHarkavy@aol.com> said:
> A singularity can be caused by a smaller mass that is very
> compact. However, the only way such singularities could have formed is
> in the intense energies of the big bang. Smaller masses of normal
> matter will not have the energy to compact together to form a singularity.

Well, I'm really not worried about figuring out where the energy comes
from that lets him do what he does. He's a superhero, I'm assuming he's got
inexhaustible energy when it comes to pulling off a schtick I think will be
cool ;).

> Of course, the smaller the black hole, the faster it loses energy. So a
> human massed singularity would literally pop into nonexistence by loss of
> energy within seconds. But this is champions, not physics anyway.

Actually, that works out fine within the game mechanics. Seeing how
expensive the construct will be, he'll only be able to maintain the power
for a few seconds (i.e. phases) before he runs out of END, anyway. It'll be
his trump power, for when all else fails - He'll primarily be a micro-brick.

> and Filksinger <filksinger@flashmail.com> said:
>
> Yes and no. If his mass stays the same, he will become a black hole,
> at a size much smaller than that of a proton. However, unless you got
> closer than a couple of feet, you wouldn't notice the difference.

Couple of feet, couple of hexes - I'm comfortable fudging it a little in
a comic-book universe.

Another question: Do I have to buy Change Environment for the effect of
sucking air into the Singularity? Or do I get that free due to the TK's
Sfx, like fire SFx lets you set things on fire for free?

***
William K. Bushway
"Those accursed super monkeys have tossed themselves into my salad once
again."
- -El Seed, Bloomsday

------------------------------

End of champ-l-digest V1 #463
*****************************

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Date: Monday, September 06, 1999 10:45 AM