Has anyone devised a system for character building?

[Cam]

Just to clarify, there is not and has never been a secret system I or the other AIM members use to write up datafiles other than the rules included in the Operations Manual. All of the characters work really well in play despite what seem to be varying levels of power, because of the way the game works. All a conscious decision.

Cheers,
Cam

[Dunlaing]

I think the one thing the AIM guys might do that isn't part of the process in the book is that they probably playtest the characters before they publish them. So just create a character following the process in the book, try to create a character that represents what the player wants to play, and then be ready and willing to make changes (potentially significant changes) after a few sessions if it just plain doesn't feel right.

[pksullivan]

Just to clarify, there is not and has never been a secret system I or the other AIM members use to write up datafiles other than the rules included in the Operations Manual. All of the characters work really well in play despite what seem to be varying levels of power, because of the way the game works. All a conscious decision.

Cheers,
Cam

But, Cam! They have spreadsheets that prove the hidden math you didn't know about!

[RoyMBar]

Thank you gebeji, that is exactly the post I was looking for.

The problem with building a balanced group for me without a point system of some kind to work with is that two of my players want to play Colossus and The Thing, and the other three want to play people on Daredevil/Shadowcat level and I'm concerned that while Colossus and The Thing will be able to stress people out instantly, the other three aren't going to be able to quickly, so they are going to feel weak in comparison to the other two. And then they are going to start crying that the game isn't balanced, and then I have a whole new kettle of fish to deal with.

I can use the system that gebeji has to deconstruct Colossus and The Thing, so I can now build the other three player's characters to be appropriately 'Equal' to the other two.

Thank you again gebeji.

[chaosnet]

and I'm concerned that while Colossus and The Thing will be able to stress people out instantly, the other three aren't going to be able to quickly, so they are going to feel weak in comparison to the other two.

Daredevil is a pretty tough cookie in combat and I'm fairly sure that he can Menace someone and Emotionally/Mentally stress someone out as quickly as Peter or Ben could. Kitty could also complicate someone out of a fight by phasing them somewhere that they cant get out.

It's not all about the stress.

[braincraft]

To the contrary, I think you might find that Daredevil is frequently more powerful than Colossus due to the second powerset and broadly useful SFX. In a duel he'd certainly win, using Grapple and Rebound to alpha strike with a huge complication that neatly circumvents Invulnerability. Big dice aren't the only measure of power, or even one of the most important. Those d8s and d10s, in aggregate, sneak up on you.

The other thing I'd worry about is Ben blowing up the doom pool with overly-liberal use of his sweet clobbering SFX.

[Cam]

Colossus is on the same team as Shadowcat. Go ahead and let them do what they like. They won't dominate unless all you make the game about is smashing people with fists.

Cheers,
Cam

[Spatula]

To echo other posters, not everything is about causing physical stress. And not all characters are about causing physical stress. Mr. Fantastic, for example, can do a lot of stuff, including punch people, but punching people isn't what he's good at.

Presumably, if you want to punch bad guys, you pick a hero like Colossus or the Thing. If you want to do something else, you pick a hero that does what you want, and you probably won't be upset that you can't hit as hard as the hard-hitters. Because your hero can do other stuff.

[Spatula]

Oh, and here are a few point-buy systems for MHR, if that's what you're looking for:

http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?616 ... -Here-Baby

[EldritchFire]

Thank you gebeji, that is exactly the post I was looking for.

The problem with building a balanced group for me without a point system of some kind to work with is that two of my players want to play Colossus and The Thing, and the other three want to play people on Daredevil/Shadowcat level and I'm concerned that while Colossus and The Thing will be able to stress people out instantly, the other three aren't going to be able to quickly, so they are going to feel weak in comparison to the other two. And then they are going to start crying that the game isn't balanced, and then I have a whole new kettle of fish to deal with.

I can use the system that gebeji has to deconstruct Colossus and The Thing, so I can now build the other three player's characters to be appropriately 'Equal' to the other two.

Thank you again gebeji.

You're over thinking things. The game works with Thor and Wasp on the same team, trust me, I've done it. The game won't break.

Remember, Shadowcat and Dare Devil have two power sets, so they're throwing more dice than Thing and Colossus. Slso, there is more to MHR than punching people in the face and taking hits. Dare Devil can totally complicate out someone, and Shadowcat is is no pushover in a fight—either physical or digital.

While Ben & Peter throw around d10s and d12s, they're not going to ge rolling as many 1s ad those with d6s & d8s. Dare Devil & Shadowcat will be having fun with plot points while the others are not.

The game balances in play, not in chargen.

-EF