Creating low-powered characters

[AccidentalRob]

I'm going to be starting a low-powered campaign soon, and my group has decided they want to start as custom-made heros with very minor abilities, perhaps just one or two influences or novice powers that expand and grow more powerful as the game goes on.

I'm looking for advice for carrying this out with MHR.

So far, I have one player looking to have influence over electricity, one looking to be a sorcerer, one who wants to have adrenaline-triggered enhanced durability and one looking to be sort of an enhanced parkour (free running) expert.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be welcome on developing the power sets for these characters. Thanks in advance!

R.

[EldritchFire]

I would suggest keeping powers to d6s and d8s, with the occasional d10—usually reserved for the hero who has just that power.

Add in novice-level specialties that are rated d6, and are not able to be used for resources.

Limit or change SFX. For example, invulnerability might not work with your lower-powered game. So chang it to: Ignore physical stress by adding a die to the doom pool equal to the stress you would have taken. Spend a PP to step it down by -1.

Give everyone a Peak Human Potential-type power set I addition to the one or two they normally get. Three physical-based powers with one at d8 and two at d6. For example, a parkour-type could be Enhanced Agility d8, Jumping d6, and Durability d6. This way, they can make use of more dice, but smaller, and some get a benefit from SFX like Focus.

Just ideas off the top of my head.

-EF

[AccidentalRob]

Thanks - that gives me a good starting point to work from. I'm excited about approaching the game in this manner. I hope it turns out as well as I expect it to.

I'll likely post datasheets here as I create them.

Cheers,
Rob.

[AccidentalRob]

So, I am in the process of building the EMT hero, who's powers only activate with adrenaline. I took this as the Limit of his one Power Set shutting down unless there was at least 1 die in ANY TYPE of stress. The datafile isn't finished yet, but here's a preview of it. If anyone sees anything out of sorts (aside from missing stats - I need more input from the player for that), I'd be interested in hearing from others if this captures what the player is looking for;

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4880030/MHR_bla ... _Medic.pdf

Thanks for your feedback!

R.

[EldritchFire]

So, I am in the process of building the EMT hero, who's powers only activate with adrenaline. I took this as the Limit of his one Power Set shutting down unless there was at least 1 die in ANY TYPE of stress. The datafile isn't finished yet, but here's a preview of it. If anyone sees anything out of sorts (aside from missing stats - I need more input from the player for that), I'd be interested in hearing from others if this captures what the player is looking for;

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4880030/MHR_bla ... _Medic.pdf

Thanks for your feedback!

R.

I'm seeing a blank datafile. Can anyone see the filled-in one?

-EF

[dvus]

Nope. I'm drawing a blank, too.

[AccidentalRob]

Odd! When I load the link in Chrome, it fills in the forms properly.

Well, how's about I post a JPG of it... see if that works;

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4880030/Medic-1.jpg

R.

[EldritchFire]

I can see it now, thanks.

Personally, I would let him have his one power set always on. Give him a second power set with one powers that can be used to boost his primary, with the adrenaline limit. Otherwise, you might run into the problem of not being able to use his power set until he takes stress—and with very few dice to roll, that may well be a d10.

For example, give a second power set like so:

ADRENAL BOOST
Kinetic Control d8

SFX: Focus, burst, etc.
Limits: Adrenaline Trigger, Booster (can only be used whenever conjunction with LIKE A ROCK)

Also, a slight nit pick, neither strength nor stamina are enhanced, that's the d8 level. It'd just be Strength/Stamina.

-EF

[AccidentalRob]

Also, a slight nit pick, neither strength nor stamina are enhanced, that's the d8 level. It'd just be Strength/Stamina.

Ah yes, I realized that after I made the PDF. I had changed it to "Peak Human" instead of "Enhanced".

He didn't want to be able to use ANY powers without having his adrenaline pumping, which is why I put that Limit on it, but looking at it from the point of view that his first stress could indeed be a whopping d10, yes, I think I might change that.

So, maybe I'm looking at doing Power Sets like this, then;

LIKE A ROCK
"Peak Human" Strength D6
"Peak Human" Stamina D6
Enhanced Durability D8
SFX: Kinetic Absorption
SFX: Invulnerability
Limit: Exhaustion (Enhanced Durability)

ADRENAL BOOST
Kinetic Control d8
SFX: Focus, burst, etc.
Limits: Adrenaline Trigger; Booster (can only be used whenever conjunction with LIKE A ROCK)

This is starting to make the hero a little more powerful than initially conceptualized, but it may be necessary.

[EldritchFire]

Another thing to keep in mind is SFX. Second wind becomes way more potent than healing factor when the max stamina is d8. Also, constructs, dangerous, etc will be favoured due to the stepping up of effect dice.

Burst, unleashed, and focus also help with giving bigger dice to roll.

-EF