FCTF general comments and suggestions

[RangerWickett]

Hopefully people will be willing to compile their concerns and critiques of FCTF into this one thread, to make it easier for us when we're double-checking what we put in the Big Book of Super Powers.

I'll just shoot the ones I can recall off the top of my head.

• Not able to overspend on powers, because of the level-based limit. I have some ideas on this that need playtesting, but I think they're covered.
• Need some sort of omni-gadget power. If the Spycraft gadget rules are OGC, we could use a lot of stuff from there, and assign things Hero Point costs.
• No ability to shove people through walls. I already started a thread about this on this forum.
• Suggestion that post-20th level Heroes still be able to get 8 HrPs per level, and requests for more info on epic-powered characters. We can't put a lot of this stuff in the book, because the ELH isn't OGC, but then again IANAL IMNSHO. *cough* Sorry, got carried away.
• Defining the cost of base attack bonus increases (and probably also base save bonuses). There was a big discussion about this on the D20 System Games forum.
• Fiddling with the costs of a few powers, like stacking multiple energy resistances, and the possibility to gain energy immunity. Also, the idea that we list how different powers should be worth different amounts in different settings/genres.

And that's just for starters. I'm sure there's a lot more on the way.

 

[JMortir]

I've been trying to create a web site that would have D20 conversions of different comic characters. I have both SAS and FCtF and will come up with conversions for both, and I have noticed a few issues that can complicate creating preexisting characters.

1. As I was trying to create the Flash in FCtF I discovered he'd have to be a 50+ level character tp do what he normally does. And if I remember correctly (and it has been a couple of weeks since I really worked on this) he was going to have some excess Hero Points. As you can see it does complicate things a little bit... is the Flash really in the same power class as Superman would be? Could there be any options to allow more fine tuning when it comes to write-ups? Like a feat similar to skill emphasis but for powers...

2. Characters like the new Green Lantern, he was just some joe in an alley when he gets "the most powerful weapon in the universe" from a blue guy. Now he would have an astronomical level from the power ring, but what if he were to lose it. He isn't a gadgeteer able to come up with something comperable to what he lost. SAS uses Items of Power to make it easy to see what belongs to the character and what comes from a gadget.

I know there are more things I can think of, but right now time is limited so more from me a little later

Later

J

 

[Morrus]

One thing that is important to realise is that comic book authors don't make up characters according to D20 rules.

There's nothing intrinsically wrong with the Flash being of very high level; in game terms he is fairly powerful, because his powers are actually pretty powerful. It's only when you come to translate these into mechanics that you realise just how powerful some of these characters are. The comic book authors don't give him a level or ability scores - they just make it up as they go along.

As for gadgets etc. - well, you need to make a decision for your game. You can treat the ring as a very powerful item and give it to a 1st level commoner if you want to. Essentially you're then just creating an artifact level magic item that a regular character can use.

To do that, just build the ring with HrPs. Doesn't matter how many you spend, because you're ignoring balance issues here (which is what ECL is for). Then just give it to a 1st level commoner.

But you have to ask yourself - would you give an artefact level magic item to a 1st level D&D character and throw him into a party of 20th level characters? If the answer is yes, then this approach is fine. If the answer is no, then you should treat the ring as a regular power (with the reduction for being a gadget).

 

[Cheiromancer]

I know that you will be publishing this as a supplement, but could you give us a little sneak preview and say how much a +1 of BAB is worth? Is it 3 points?

 

[beverson]

new eta for release?

has there been any thought on a revised release date for the BBoSP/FCTF update?

 

[Viktyr Gehrig]

I'd like to see more information on fitting 4CTF into other settings and d20 systems-- for instance, Defense and Reputation bonuses, and ways of fitting Hero Points into core classes. Some kind of toolkit or guide for balancing character classes that give Hero points would be nice.

A short discussion of different "styles" of over-the-top heroic gaming would be nice. There's a big difference between Silver Age, 80s-90s gritty superhero, Wuxia, and the Matrix, all of which seem appropriate to be handled with 4CTF rules.

I'd also like to see a chapter on handling mystical/magical characters, and ways of making 4CTF magic-based superpowers mesh more cleanly with the standard d20 system Vancian magic-- preferably in a way that doesn't leave spellcasters either overpowered or underpowered.