Digest Archives Vol 1 Issue 84
From: owner-champ-l-digest@sysabend.org
Sent: Wednesday, December 09, 1998 3:19 PM
To: champ-l-digest@sysabend.org
Subject: champ-l-digest V1 #84
champ-l-digest Wednesday, December 9 1998 Volume 01 : Number 084
In this issue:
Re: How do you define 'mutant'
Re: How do you define 'mutant'
Re: Is Earth an object or barrier (not so mild rant)
Re: How do you define 'mutant'
Limitation on power (Recovery rate) (slightly longish)
Specialized Skills
Re: Specialized Skills
RE: Specialized Skills
Re: combat drones
Re: Specialized Skills
Re: How do you define 'mutant'
Re: combat drones
Re: How do you define 'mutant'
Looking For Printable Hex Maps
Re: Specialized Skills
Re: combat drones
Re: How do you define 'mutant'
Re: How do you define 'mutant'
Re: Specialized Skills
Re: How do you define 'mutant'
Re: combat drones
Re: Specialized Skills
Re: Limitation on power (Recovery rate) (slightly longish)
Re: combat drones
Re: How do you define 'mutant'
RE: Specialized Skills
Re: Jay Ward movies
Re: combat drones
Re: How do you define 'mutant'
Re: Looking For Printable Hex Maps
Re: Specialized Skills
Re: Limitation on power (Recovery rate) (slig
Re: various junk (a bug's life)
Re: combat drones
Re: How do you define 'mutant'
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 8 Dec 1998 22:11:44 -0800
From: jayphailey@juno.com (Jay P Hailey)
Subject: Re: How do you define 'mutant'
>Well, in my campaign world, you could lump characters into three
>catagories:
>
>(1) Humans
>(2) Those who got their abilities via magic
>(3) mutants
>
>I introduced the concept of a specific gene that allows people to
>exhibit paranormal abilities. If you test positive for that gene
>(which can easily tested for) then you are a mutant. End of
>discussion. Of course, a large number of people who have this gene do
>not ever manifest powers but technically they are mutants (at least in
>my game world).
>
>Chris Hartjes
In our Omega Squad Game there are two additional classifications.
Aliens- People who come from another planet/dimension and have these
powers because it's natural for them to.
Technologically enhanced: Cyborgs and at least one Robot PC.
Jay P. Hailey <Meow!>
"A B C D E-F-G. Eric the half a bee......"
___________________________________________________________________
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------------------------------
Date: Tue, 8 Dec 1998 15:23:38 -0800
From: jayphailey@juno.com (Jay P Hailey)
Subject: Re: How do you define 'mutant'
>>>Mutants in our game generally take a disad, "Show up on Mutant
Scanners"
>>
>> Ok ... Do you also give extra points for people who show up on
>> human scanners or people who show up on redhead scanners or people
>> who show up on flight scanners? Personally, I'd just call it part
>> of the character conception. Now, if mutants are routinely hunted
>> or persecuted throughout the campaign, that would be one thing. But
>> free points just for showing up on a scanner?
In our game world, many, many fewer people on Earth are liable to shoot
at one for being a red headed human. For most fliers Radar or IR scanners
work to detect them just fine. And these types of sensors can be tied to
surface to air missles.
>Well, he did say that Genocide existed, and that being a mutant was
>possibly life-threatening. For 5 points, I'd guess that most people
>don't care about mutants one way or another, but there are some who do
(and
>take action against them).
Exactly so. 99 times out of 100 it does not matter. On the 100th time
you're spotted by Genocide agents with plasma rifles and bad attitudes.
> Being a mutant in the X-Men verse would probably be worth a bit more,
since >it seems to cause a big reaction. Being a mutant
>in the Age of Apocalypse would be worst of all, and worth big points.
Shudder, Shudder.
>Remember, a 5-pt DF is either 'easily concealed' or 'known only to a
small
>group of people' - in this case, the second, being 'those who have
mutant
>detectors'.
Usually either Genocide of the G'v'mnt. And generally not good either
way.
> And, of course, it's only worth a limitation because
>obviously someone somewhere /cares/ that these people are mutants. If
>nobody in the game cares that people are human or redheads, then they
>probably aren't DFs.
>
>J
I would say that it's a statisically irrelevant number of people who care
about Red Headed Humans. Not enought to be worth a DF but available for
hunteds if the player wants to..
Jay P. Hailey <Meow!>
"A B C D E-F-G. Eric the half a bee......"
___________________________________________________________________
You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail.
Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com/getjuno.html
or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 8 Dec 1998 16:15:56 -0800 (PST)
From: shaw@caprica.com (Wayne Shaw)
Subject: Re: Is Earth an object or barrier (not so mild rant)
>Why are people trying to treat objects like barriers? You have a
>bulldozer. It is an object with defence and body. But all Our Hero
>wants to do is go through it. Lets treat it as a barrier. That way it
>has less body. I see something fundamentally wrong with this.
Actually, if you look at the numbers, a bulldozer would probably have _more_
Body if you treated it as a barrier. Vehicle bodies are not usually very
high, comparitively.
>
> By the current barrier rules, two five foot walls separated by a half
>inch of air has more body and is harder to get through than one ten foot
>wall. Lets go even further. Ten one foot walls is even tougher.
>
> A planet is said (by the barrier rules) to have about 90 body. The
>Great Sneakthief steals every second hex of dirt between one side of the
>planet and the other. Suddenly an attack that blew up the planet barely
>goes 20 metres.
As I've said before, welcome to the problems inherent in a logarithmic system.
>
> From this, I put forward that the barrier rules don't work beyond a
>certain point. They work for walls, but I have never heard of a wall
>being 12000km thick. At some point, a wall stops being a wall and
>becomes an object in its own right. Treat an object as an object and
>don't try to apply an inappropriate rule.
A barrier is a barrier. In a superhero game, I might well encounter a wall
12000km thick. Or even in a fantasy game. Trying to throw in
discontinuities because the logical extension of the barrier rule doesn't
please you doesn't make the system better...it makes it worse. If you don't
like the barrier rule, change how it works. Up defense instead of Body. At
that point, most of the nickle and dime problems go away.
> A planet has 90 body. Add in 6 for defence of stone makes you need to
>do 96 body to punch a hole. To get the hole big enough to "cover" the
>entire planet needs another 23 body. This makes it a total of 119 body
>needed or 34D6 KP costing 510 points base.
Actually, you probably need to use the best defense in that case, since it's
composed of mixed materials. so it might have, say, as much as a 19 Defense.
> So treating the planet as a sum of its parts doesn't produce a cheaper
>attack which could concern some and overcomes the problems of having
>such a large object with a pitiful amount of body.
>
> Perhaps somebody closer to the centre of things come in with a ruling.
I wouldn't hold your breath. It's a fundamental problem in the system, and
has consequences elsewhere too. As i've noted before, relatively large
animals, as long as they're not designed with huge defenses, can also be
killed by comparitively trivial nickle and dime attacks in the system. It's
a consequence of the fact that while in theory a 4D6 EB is two times as
powerful as a 3D6 EB, in practice, two shots from the latter still does more
damage than the former.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 09 Dec 1998 01:07:26 -0800
From: "Capt. Spith" <cptspith@teleport.com>
Subject: Re: How do you define 'mutant'
Glen Sprigg wrote:
> In my Canadian Champions campaign, with the Canadian Shield et. al., I've
> come up with an organization called Humanity. These guys aren't prejudiced
> against mutants; they're prejudiced against any and all paranormals,
> including those who use technology or even super-skills a la Batman. They
> are a real pack of psychos. I figured that would be more reasonable than
> just picking on mutants (which Marvel has really done to death; there
> aren't even any remains left by now).
I have taken a similar tactic in my game; my "mutie-hater" group
specifically targets any paranormally powered people, regardless of
their origins. I also have another group which preys specifically on
those with or without natural powers, who have chosen to use them in the
SuperHero/SuperVillian arena. It has to do with the "moral implications
of placing themselves above normal men".
- --
- -Reverend Spith
"Thank you India, thank you terror, thank you disillusionment.
Thank you frailty, thank you consequence, thank you, thank you
silence."
-Alanis
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 09 Dec 1998 09:00:08 -0500
From: David Asman <D.asman@wayne.edu>
Subject: Limitation on power (Recovery rate) (slightly longish)
I'm looking for some ideas on how to create a particular limitation on
powers in a far future setting where psionics are relatively common. . .
Essentially I want to have the END recovery rate for character using Psi
powers to be limited to about once per hour, instead of the usual
post-segment 12 recovery:
There are a few ways I've thought of doing this:
1: Have any character who uses mental powers buy a separate END reserve
that only recovers once per hour -- however since I want the END use to
physically tax the character's personal END for an extended period of
time, I don't think this is an option for the effect I want to achieve.
2: Make all characters who have mental powers, purchase a side effect:
Drain (End) recover 5 pts/hour, however I don't really want to have a
random element (i.e. I don't want the amount of End lost rolled, I want
it based on a fixed amount determined by the active points of the
power. I also want to severly limit pushing of said powers -- and I
don't know if there is any official statement that the side effect's
impact is increased when the character pushes a power. I am inclined to
believe that a side effect is constant. I would also want character's
w/higher REC's to recover at a greater rate)
3: A new limitation: END used by power recovers once per hour (which
is what I am inclined to go with this at this point). I was thinking of
basing it on the standard time increment chart:
Recover every . . . Limitation
Turn -0
minute -1/4
5 minutes -1/2
hour -3/4
and so on,
The limitation would be applied to the actual power, and, of course,
would only apply to powers that cost END. Plus I would probably add an
additional -1/4 for the fact that character's wouldn't be able to "take
a Recovery" by simply resting a phase. This would give the character a
total -1 on each power for only recovering END once per hour.
Any suggestsions would be greatly appreciated -- if I have missed
something, or if someone knows of any other method of creating the same
effect, without resorting to a new limitation . . .
thanks,
dave
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 09 Dec 1998 08:09:40 -0600
From: redbf@ldd.net (bobby farris)
Subject: Specialized Skills
I have a character that wants to be a computer Hacker. He is really
good at cracking into Computer, but he is unable to program computers
otherwise.
How do I do this? Do I give him Computer Programing with the
limitation only to Hack into computers?
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 09 Dec 1998 09:53:51 -0500
From: Mike Christodoulou <Cypriot@concentric.net>
Subject: Re: Specialized Skills
At 08:09 AM 12/9/98 -0600, bobby farris wrote:
> I have a character that wants to be a computer Hacker. He is really
>good at cracking into Computer, but he is unable to program computers
>otherwise.
>
> How do I do this? Do I give him Computer Programing with the
>limitation only to Hack into computers?
>
Give him a PS:Hacking.
Good complementary skills: Systems Operations, KS:Cryptography.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 9 Dec 1998 10:16:51 -0500
From: Brian Wawrow <bwawrow@mondello.toronto.fmco.com>
Subject: RE: Specialized Skills
Have him take security systems and define it as computer security
systems. This is not a limitation, just how the skill is defined. Useful
complementary skills are crypotgraphy and computer operation.
] -----Original Message-----
] From: redbf@ldd.net [mailto:redbf@ldd.net]
] Sent: Wednesday, December 09, 1998 9:10 AM
] To: Champions
] Subject: Specialized Skills
]
]
] I have a character that wants to be a computer Hacker.
] He is really
] good at cracking into Computer, but he is unable to program computers
] otherwise.
]
] How do I do this? Do I give him Computer Programing with the
] limitation only to Hack into computers?
]
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 09 Dec 1998 06:41:18 -0800
From: Bob Greenwade <bob.greenwade@klock.com>
Subject: Re: combat drones
At 11:12 PM 12/8/98 -0500, Stainless Steel Rat wrote:
>-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
>Hash: SHA1
>
>"WS" == Wayne Shaw <shaw@caprica.com> writes:
>
>WS> In the case of automatons, I'm not sure that's a particularly
>WS> meaningful difference.
>
>With a computer, the PC tells it what to do, and it does it if it is
>capable of doing so. With a follower, the PC tells the GM what he wishes
>the follower to do, and the GM decides how to interpret it. The difference
>between the two can be staggering.
How does a PC tell the GM what he wishes his Follower to do? Isn't it
actually the player himself who speaks to the GM? How, in practice at the
game level, is it distinct from how the computer works?
>And you seem to be ignoring the fact that GMs, not players, write up
>followers.
Why does it make a difference in this case?
- ---
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: Wed, 09 Dec 1998 09:31:57 -0600
From: redbf@ldd.net (bobby farris)
Subject: Re: Specialized Skills
Okay, let me give another example. I have a character that has Mountain
Survival. Now, I give him Survival at an 11- saying that this is the basic
Survival information that he has aquired.
However, I want to show that he is good at surviving in Mountains more
than anything else. As I see it I can do this 1 of 3 ways:
1. Increase his Survival skill.
Not what I want. This will help him survive in the mountains, but it
will also help him survive every where else too.
2. Buy a Skill level defined as +1 to Survival in Mountains. Problem with
this is that it cost more (3) than it does to just increase my Survival
skill.
3. The only other method I see is to buy PS: Mountain Survival. Is this
right? Are there any other ways of doing this?
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 9 Dec 1998 09:31:21 -0600 (CST)
From: "Dr. Nuncheon" <jeffj@io.com>
Subject: Re: How do you define 'mutant'
On Wed, 9 Dec 1998, Capt. Spith wrote:
> Glen Sprigg wrote:
>
> > In my Canadian Champions campaign, with the Canadian Shield et. al., I've
> > come up with an organization called Humanity. These guys aren't prejudiced
> > against mutants; they're prejudiced against any and all paranormals,
>
> I have taken a similar tactic in my game; my "mutie-hater" group
> specifically targets any paranormally powered people, regardless of
> their origins.
My college gaming group had a running joke that the way the Marvel
populace could tell a mutant (so they knew who to hate & why) was because
the lines on their palm formed an 'M'. It was as good an idea as any, I
s'pose...
J, wondering if it's made any funnier if you knew that about
3/4 of the group had an 'M' in our palm-lines...
Hostes aliengeni me abduxerent. Jeff Johnston - jeffj@io.com
Qui annus est? http://www.io.com/~jeffj
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 09 Dec 1998 06:37:23 -0800
From: Bob Greenwade <bob.greenwade@klock.com>
Subject: Re: combat drones
At 08:37 AM 12/8/98 -0800, Wayne Shaw wrote:
>
>>My only question is this: Who pays for the Automaton's computer brain?
>>The PC or the Automaton? Meaning, does the PC buy two separate
>>followers (a computer and a robot body to carry it around) or does he
>
>This has always been my interpetation, since otherwise the nested cost
>savings can get very ugly. This comes up every so often when building
>vehicles or bases with AIs, too.
My general angle (whether book-legal under 4th Ed or not) has been to
simply apply INT (and EGO, if necessary) to the entity in question
(Automaton, Base, or Vehicle). Thus, if a Vehicle is self-aware, it just
has all the regular Vehicle characteristics, plus INT and EGO (and,
optionally, PRE). Then the Vehicle buys all Programs, Skills, and such
that it needs to function.
At any rate, this is the approach I recommend in TUV.
>>buy a computer at (effectively) 1 pt for every 25 in the computer?
>>Personally, I have no problem with this. After all, it's a Follower,
>>and under GM control. Also, the computer and the automaton go
>>everywhere together, are stolen by hunteds simultaneously, go haywire
>
>Way, way too easy to have an easy source of cheap skills.
I tend to agree here, especially since it's extremely unlikely that the
Automaton/Base/Vehicle/whatever would ever be without the computer.
- ---
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: Wed, 09 Dec 1998 06:51:48 -0800
From: Bob Greenwade <bob.greenwade@klock.com>
Subject: Re: How do you define 'mutant'
At 03:47 PM 12/9/98 +1100, Hamish Laws wrote:
>At 01:11 PM 12/7/98 -0800, Wayne Shaw wrote:
>>
>>>This might be a bit off-topic, but I never understood how people like
>>>Genocide could say 'mutants are wrong, but you other freaks are okay.'
>>>Human-firsters should be scared of ALL 'natural' metas, because all
>>>metas might have the potential to pass on their altered physiology.
>>
>>Ah, but that's the kicker; there's no particular sign that other metahumans
>>will breed true, or even breed other metahumans. In the worlds where
>>mutants exist, they _explicitly_ do the latter at least.
>
>Except that in Marvel Quicksilver's daughter was not a mutant and in the
>Guardians Of The Galaxy series the colony started by the fleeing mutants
>came to have fewer and fewer powered mutants over the generations.
>
>I think they were down to 10 or so mutants by whenever the Guardians were
>set.
But, of course, the modern-day anti-mutant folks don't know that.
They're going by their own theories and beliefs, and once someone's firmly
set in their prejudicial beliefs there's no shaking them even with
empirical proof.
(I'll pick the Flat Earth Society as a "safe" example, since probably
nobody on this list is of the mind that the earth is flat. There are other
examples I could give, but they'd just stard a bunch of off-topic
debates....)
- ---
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: Wed, 9 Dec 1998 11:07:59 -0500 (EST)
From: Chris Hartjes <chris@ergmusic.com>
Subject: Looking For Printable Hex Maps
I've tried downloading the .pdf hexmaps from the Hero site but all the
zip files are corrupted (or at least I can't get the latest version of
WinZip to open them). Can anyone tell me where I can find some
printable hexes suitable for tabletop use?
Chris Hartjes
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 09 Dec 1998 11:23:37 -0500
From: Mike Christodoulou <Cypriot@concentric.net>
Subject: Re: Specialized Skills
At 09:31 AM 12/9/98 -0600, bobby farris wrote:
> Okay, let me give another example. I have a character that has Mountain
>Survival. Now, I give him Survival at an 11- saying that this is the basic
>Survival information that he has aquired.
> However, I want to show that he is good at surviving in Mountains more
>than anything else. As I see it I can do this 1 of 3 ways:
>
If I remember correctly, it's just Survival. You have to
specify the environment when you buy the skill.
------------------------------
Date: 09 Dec 1998 10:59:55 -0500
From: Stainless Steel Rat <ratinox@peorth.gweep.net>
Subject: Re: combat drones
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"WS" == Wayne Shaw <shaw@caprica.com> writes:
WS> That's true if the follower is hired or otherwise acquired. I think
WS> it's pretty much senseless to have the GM write-up the robot the
WS> player-character has built, however, any more than he would the vehicle
WS> he built or the armor her built.
Think that if you want, but the rulebook is quite specific: the GM writes
up *ALL* Followers, regardless of origin, just as he does DNPCs.
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- --
Rat <ratinox@peorth.gweep.net> \ Happy Fun Ball may stick to certain types
PGP Key: at a key server near you! \ of skin.
\
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 9 Dec 1998 11:50:35 -0500
From: BILL SVITAVSKY <NBYMAIL11@mln.lib.ma.us>
Subject: Re: How do you define 'mutant'
Bob Greenwade wrote:
>>>>>
(I'll pick the Flat Earth Society as a "safe" example, since probably
nobody on this list is of the mind that the earth is flat. There are other
examples I could give, but they'd just stard a bunch of off-topic
debates....)
<<<<<
Sure the Earth is flat - it's a barrier, not an object! :-)
(Thomas Dolby says so, too.)
Bill
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 9 Dec 1998 10:28:43 -0600 (CST)
From: Rick Jones <rick@blkbox.com>
Subject: Re: How do you define 'mutant'
Dr. Nuncheon wrote:
> My college gaming group had a running joke that the way the Marvel
> populace could tell a mutant (so they knew who to hate & why) was because
> the lines on their palm formed an 'M'. It was as good an idea as any, I
> s'pose...
IIRC, that was one of the big plot points in the really old Firestar
mini-series, back when they were first crossing her over from the
Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends cartoon to the comics.
- --
Rick Jones That's the kind of wooly-headed liberal thinking that
rick@blkbox.com leads to being eaten.
http://www-ece.rice.edu/~rickj/ --Principal Snyder,Buffy The Vampire Slayer
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 9 Dec 1998 10:39:52 -0600 (Central Standard Time)
From: Tim Gilberg <gilberg@ou.edu>
Subject: Re: Specialized Skills
> 1. Increase his Survival skill.
> Not what I want. This will help him survive in the mountains, but it
> will also help him survive every where else too.
> 2. Buy a Skill level defined as +1 to Survival in Mountains. Problem with
> this is that it cost more (3) than it does to just increase my Survival
> skill.
> 3. The only other method I see is to buy PS: Mountain Survival. Is this
> right? Are there any other ways of doing this?
Buy a KS: Mountain Survival, and use it as a complementary skill.
-Tim Gilberg
-"English Majors of the World! Untie!"
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 9 Dec 1998 11:59:01 -0500 (EST)
From: Michael Surbrook <susano@otd.com>
Subject: Re: How do you define 'mutant'
On Wed, 9 Dec 1998, Dr. Nuncheon wrote:
> My college gaming group had a running joke that the way the Marvel
> populace could tell a mutant (so they knew who to hate & why) was because
> the lines on their palm formed an 'M'. It was as good an idea as any, I
> s'pose...
>
> J, wondering if it's made any funnier if you knew that about
> 3/4 of the group had an 'M' in our palm-lines...
Ahhhhhh! I'm a mutant!!!
Of course, the 'M' *is* kinda hard to see, what with the hair and all...
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: 09 Dec 1998 11:32:06 -0500
From: Stainless Steel Rat <ratinox@peorth.gweep.net>
Subject: Re: combat drones
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"BG" == Bob Greenwade <bob.greenwade@klock.com> writes:
BG> Why does it make a difference in this case?
A Computer does exactly what the PC tells it to do, to the best of its
abilities. A Follower does what the PC tells it to do, modulo the GM's
interpretation of those instructions.
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Rat <ratinox@peorth.gweep.net> \ Ingredients of Happy Fun Ball include an
PGP Key: at a key server near you! \ unknown glowing substance which fell to
\ Earth, presumably from outer space.
------------------------------
Date: 09 Dec 1998 11:05:03 -0500
From: Stainless Steel Rat <ratinox@peorth.gweep.net>
Subject: Re: Specialized Skills
- -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
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"bf" == bobby farris <redbf@ldd.net> writes:
bf> I have a character that wants to be a computer Hacker. He is
bf> really good at cracking into Computer,
Then he does not want to be a hacker.
bf> but he is unable to program computers otherwise.
Then he is going to go nowhere, fast. The 'Computer Programming' skill
subsumes a lot of operations skill as well.
bf> How do I do this? Do I give him Computer Programing with the
bf> limitation only to Hack into computers?
No, he has Programming at a relatively low level, and PS: Computer
Security.
And stop calling it 'hacking'. Using a wire coat hanger to keep your
car's muffler from falling off is hacking. Breaking into the NSA's
computer network is not.
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- --
Rat <ratinox@peorth.gweep.net> \ Happy Fun Ball may stick to certain types
PGP Key: at a key server near you! \ of skin.
\
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 09 Dec 1998 08:17:16 -0800
From: Bob Greenwade <bob.greenwade@klock.com>
Subject: Re: Limitation on power (Recovery rate) (slightly longish)
At 09:00 AM 12/9/98 -0500, David Asman wrote:
>I'm looking for some ideas on how to create a particular limitation on
>powers in a far future setting where psionics are relatively common. . .
>Essentially I want to have the END recovery rate for character using Psi
>powers to be limited to about once per hour, instead of the usual
>post-segment 12 recovery:
>There are a few ways I've thought of doing this:
[snip]
Just reading this far, the idea I'd come up with was almost identical to:
>3: A new limitation: END used by power recovers once per hour (which
>is what I am inclined to go with this at this point). I was thinking of
>basing it on the standard time increment chart:
>
> Recover every . . . Limitation
> Turn -0
> minute -1/4
> 5 minutes -1/2
> hour -3/4
> and so on,
>
>The limitation would be applied to the actual power, and, of course,
>would only apply to powers that cost END. Plus I would probably add an
>additional -1/4 for the fact that character's wouldn't be able to "take
>a Recovery" by simply resting a phase. This would give the character a
>total -1 on each power for only recovering END once per hour.
Actually, even without that extra -1/4 Limitation, I'd require a full 5
minutes of rest (all Recoveries) for what would normally be a single phase,
given this Limitation.
Unless someone comes up with a suggestion that you like better, this
would be the way I'd recommend.
- ---
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: Wed, 9 Dec 1998 11:53:09 -0600 (Central Standard Time)
From: Tim Gilberg <gilberg@ou.edu>
Subject: Re: combat drones
> Think that if you want, but the rulebook is quite specific: the GM writes
> up *ALL* Followers, regardless of origin, just as he does DNPCs.
In theory, perhaps, but in general most GMs, AFAIK, are willing to
let the player write up the follower for the GM's approval.
-Tim Gilberg
-"English Majors of the World! Untie!"
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 9 Dec 1998 08:52:12 -0800 (PST)
From: Ell Egyptoid <egyptoid@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: How do you define 'mutant'
> Extremely. Any real knowledge of genetics and Biology is a handicap
when
> dealing with the Comics and Super-hero genre.
Thank you. that's the most succinct way I've ever heard it put.
Like I'm trying to write up the effects of when the Amazing
Bomberman explodes himself and then people come along with
"physics won't let you..." or I'm trying to decide what happens
when Mutacia the WonderGal crashes into the earth at the speed
of sound while desolid and some clown sez "genetics won't let you..."
With my feeble brain and rampant emotionalism all that I can ever
seem to come up with on those threads is this: SHUT UP WITH YOUR
G**D*** SCIENCE THIS IS SPOSTA BE FOR FUN!!!
YMMV :)
==
Laissez le bon pim roulez! Elliott aka Egyptoid
_________________________________________________________
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Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 9 Dec 1998 12:02:44 -0500
From: Brian Wawrow <bwawrow@mondello.toronto.fmco.com>
Subject: RE: Specialized Skills
I use kind of a house rule that says the more specific the skill, the
better it is, so long as you're using it in an area you're specialized
in.
Specifically, I would insist that a player take survival for a specific
environment [ie Mountain]and then let him use this skill in other areas
with a penalty based on the similarity of the situation. For example,
using the roll in mountains, highlands or foothills would get no
penalty, using it on open plains or forest might warrant a -2 penalty.
In the desert or tropical rainforest would get a -4. Using it on the
moon or the 4th layer of Hell would be a longshot, thus warranting a
- -10.
The skills I use this with the most are knowledge skills. It's always a
judgement call as to what kind of penalty or bonus to apply based on how
specific the KS is. For example, let's say the party in my FH game
aquires a staff built with earth magic that creats some kind of
offensive seismic wave when you hit the ground with it. This is a fairly
obscure staff so we start with a base -4 on a basic KS Artifacts and go
from there. I vary these modifiers from 0 to -10, with 0 being
appropriate for a basic enchanted sword to -10 for a unique artifact
created by an obscure artificer. Consider the following KS's and their
respective modifiers.
KS: Artifacts very general -4
KS: Staves general
- -2
KS: Earth Foci general -2
KS: Projection Staves specific
0
KS: The Artificer Jhorkta specific
0
KS: Jhorkta's Seismic Thump Staves specialized +2
I find doing this kind of thing really shows the difference between an
all purpose scholar and a specialized artifact hunter. Typically, anyone
who wants to consider themselves learned and worldly should have a good
list of KS's. If a character is to be considered a true scholar, I'd
want to see about 10 fairly general KS's and 4 or 5 really obscure ones.
Oh sorry, I guess I kind of wandered off topic there.
BRI
] -----Original Message-----
] From: redbf@ldd.net [mailto:redbf@ldd.net]
] Sent: Wednesday, December 09, 1998 10:32 AM
] To: Champions
] Subject: Re: Specialized Skills
]
]
] Okay, let me give another example. I have a character
] that has Mountain
] Survival. Now, I give him Survival at an 11- saying that this
] is the basic
] Survival information that he has aquired.
] However, I want to show that he is good at surviving in
] Mountains more
] than anything else. As I see it I can do this 1 of 3 ways:
]
] 1. Increase his Survival skill.
] Not what I want. This will help him survive in the
] mountains, but it
] will also help him survive every where else too.
] 2. Buy a Skill level defined as +1 to Survival in Mountains.
] Problem with
] this is that it cost more (3) than it does to just increase
] my Survival
] skill.
] 3. The only other method I see is to buy PS: Mountain
] Survival. Is this
] right? Are there any other ways of doing this?
]
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 9 Dec 1998 09:42:01 -0800 (PST)
From: Ell Egyptoid <egyptoid@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: Jay Ward movies
>>Personally, I'd like to see Liz Taylor tied up
>>on the floor with vines
This was actually done to a medium-old Liz,
she was the mother-in-law in the Flintstones movie.
==
Laissez le bon pim roulez! Elliott aka Egyptoid
_________________________________________________________
DO YOU YAHOO!?
Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 9 Dec 1998 09:40:17 -0800 (PST)
From: Anthony Jackson <ajackson@molly.iii.com>
Subject: Re: combat drones
Stainless Steel Rat writes:
> -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
> Hash: SHA1
>
> "BG" == Bob Greenwade <bob.greenwade@klock.com> writes:
>
> BG> Why does it make a difference in this case?
>
> A Computer does exactly what the PC tells it to do, to the best of its
> abilities. A Follower does what the PC tells it to do, modulo the GM's
> interpretation of those instructions.
In the case of an automaton, these two are generally the same thing.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 9 Dec 1998 12:29:17 -0600 (Central Standard Time)
From: Tim Gilberg <gilberg@ou.edu>
Subject: Re: How do you define 'mutant'
> Ahhhhhh! I'm a mutant!!!
Yeah, same here.
> Of course, the 'M' *is* kinda hard to see, what with the hair and all...
Mine palms are tough to look at without shades, what with the
blinding light they emit. Hmmmm.
-Tim Gilberg
-"English Majors of the World! Untie!"
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 9 Dec 1998 09:44:45 -0800 (PST)
From: Dale Ward <daleaward@rocketmail.com>
Subject: Re: Looking For Printable Hex Maps
Greetings!
- ---Chris Hartjes wrote:
>
> I've tried downloading the .pdf hexmaps from the Hero site but all the
> zip files are corrupted (or at least I can't get the latest version of
> WinZip to open them). Can anyone tell me where I can find some
> printable hexes suitable for tabletop use?
I've had the same problem. I would be interested in any updated versions
of those files, if available.
I did, however, find a .BMP file that tiles very nicely into a Win95
wallpaper hex sheet. It's small enough that it wouldn't be a problem to attach
it to email, if anyone is interested.
Dale A. Ward
_________________________________________________________
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Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 9 Dec 1998 13:08:38 -0500 (EST)
From: Michael Surbrook <susano@otd.com>
Subject: Re: Specialized Skills
On 9 Dec 1998, Stainless Steel Rat wrote:
> And stop calling it 'hacking'. Using a wire coat hanger to keep your
> car's muffler from falling off is hacking. Breaking into the NSA's
> computer network is not.
This must be some new definitions for slang...
AFAIK: Using a wire coat hanger to keep the muffler attached would be
'jury-rigging'. Breaking into the NSA's computers *is* what most people
call hacking. The general definition (or,at least, the one in common
usage) for hacking is breaking into computers, networks and programs.
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: Wed, 09 Dec 1998 15:47:13 +0000
From: Stephen McGinness <MCGINNESSS@parliament.uk>
Subject: Re: Limitation on power (Recovery rate) (slig
I think that an easier way may be to make the characters buy the END Reserve
which can only be recharged through the use of long term END by the character,
perhaps 10 END in the battery for every 1 LTE spent. This would have the effect
of slowly wearing the character out and long temr use to have long lasting
effects.
Stephen
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 10 Dec 1998 01:50:53 +0800 (SGT)
From: Ell Egyptoid <egyptoid@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: various junk (a bug's life)
If you ran a game wherein the PC's were all insects, you
would probably just have to change the scale.
The straight stats, 10 STR, 10 CON, 5 PD, etc.
would apply to the base character, an ant.
Other insects & arthropods could have differences from there.
I'm reminded of the adjustments you have to make to GURPS
when running Bunnies and Burrows.
For A Bug's Life, anything bigger than a squirrel would probably
be defined as a force of nature. So I would run cats, dogs, people,
cars, etc as not really interacting with the PC bugs. They would
just be huge destructive things that nothing could really be done
about. A bird would be a huge 1000 point monster compared with the
baseline insect. An individual termite has no chance against the
aardvark. Think of the Godzilla (Hacha-U-Ri) stats in the Bestiary.
==
Laissez le bon pim roulez! Elliott aka Egyptoid
_________________________________________________________
DO YOU YAHOO!?
Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com
------------------------------
Date: 09 Dec 1998 14:53:25 -0500
From: Stainless Steel Rat <ratinox@peorth.gweep.net>
Subject: Re: combat drones
- -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1
"TG" == Tim Gilberg <gilberg@ou.edu> writes:
TG> In theory, perhaps, but in general most GMs, AFAIK, are willing to
TG> let the player write up the follower for the GM's approval.
It is always the GM's perogative to institute a house rule.
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- --
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PGP Key: at a key server near you! \ returned to its special container and
\ kept under refrigeration.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 9 Dec 1998 13:27:04 -0500 (EST)
From: Chris Hartjes <chris@ergmusic.com>
Subject: Re: How do you define 'mutant'
On 9 Dec, Ell Egyptoid wrote:
>> Extremely. Any real knowledge of genetics and Biology is a handicap
> when
>> dealing with the Comics and Super-hero genre.
>
> Thank you. that's the most succinct way I've ever heard it put.
>
> Like I'm trying to write up the effects of when the Amazing
> Bomberman explodes himself and then people come along with
> "physics won't let you..." or I'm trying to decide what happens
> when Mutacia the WonderGal crashes into the earth at the speed
> of sound while desolid and some clown sez "genetics won't let you..."
>
> With my feeble brain and rampant emotionalism all that I can ever
> seem to come up with on those threads is this: SHUT UP WITH YOUR
> G**D*** SCIENCE THIS IS SPOSTA BE FOR FUN!!!
>
My feelings exactly...too many experts and not enough dreamers lurking
around here...
Chris Hartjes
------------------------------
End of champ-l-digest V1 #84
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