Let's Read Champions 1e (page 21)

Alright, we're back after a brief hiatus. Hey, it didn't last seventeen months, so that's good. Anyway, we're finishing up the powers section of the book today and beginning on the Power Advantages. There are two powers left, so let's do those first, then I'll talk more about Advantages.

First up is Teleportation. This is the Nightcrawler power. You disappear from one spot and appear in another spot anywhere up to your maximum Teleport range. The minimum cost for this power is 30 points, which gives you 15" of Teleportation. Every 2 points above that gives you an additional +1" of distance. You can also spend points to increase how much mass you can teleport; for an additional 5 points, you can teleport twice your body weight (effectively, one additional person). Every additional 5 points doubles the mass available, so if you spent 40 points on Teleport, you would have 15" of range (30 pts.) and be able to teleport yourself and three additional people (+10 points) that far.

But wait...there's more! For an additional 5 points, you can also double the range you can teleport by taking an additional Phase to do so. You can also memorize a particular location for one additional point, and if that location is within your range limit, you can teleport there even if you can't see it (inside a room, for example). Of course, you can't change that memorized location, so unless you have a stupidly high Teleportation range, it's not going to come into play very often. Finally, you can Teleport half your maximum distance and attack in the same Phase if you pay an additional 10 points.

How's that for a complicated power? The restrictions are that you can't teleport to a place you can't see (unless it's a memorized location as above), and you can't teleport into a solid object. That's more of a perk than a restriction, though, since every D&D player knows that teleporting into a solid object is very high on the Bad Thing list. Teleport costs END to use.

Finally, our last power is Tunneling. I'm trying to think of a character who uses this power; I think the Juggernaut did it a few times while walking underground and just shoving earth and everything else out of his way. That would qualify as Tunneling. It costs 5 points to Tunnel 1" per phase, with a minimum cost of 10 points. So 2" per phase doesn't sound like a lot, but that's four meters at a time, and with a SPD of 4 that means in 12 seconds you just tunneled 16 meters, or 50 feet. So yeah, that's fast. Not as fast as running, but still. Air resistance is a lot less than earth resistance, right? You have the option to leave the tunnel open behind you or fill it in as you go at no cost. The power does cost END to use.

So, that's our powers list. It started on page 12, and ended on page 21. That's 10 pages to describe all the powers. Anyone who's played 5th edition Champions, can you even imagine that? There are single powers in that edition that seem to take ten pages to fully describe. And we just did 42 powers and two power frameworks in ten pages. Wow.

Okay, so now we move on to Power Advantages. These are ways to modify your power to give it different effects. Advantages cost points, based on a multiplier. The formula is the base cost of the power times 1 + the total of all Advantages. For example, a modifier with a cost of +1 would mean you multiply the cost of the power by 2, so a 30-point power with a +1 Advantage would cost 60 points. Needless to say, Power Advantages can make things quite expensive.

The first Power Advantage is Area Effect (Hexes). This allows a power that normally affects only one target to affect a wider area. The total number of hexes effected by the power is the total points of the power divided by 5. The description doesn't indicate if the cost of the Area Effect advantage itself is included in those points. I can't remember if that is clarified in later editions or not; I'll have to look it up later. The effected hexes must be adjacent, but can be in a line, circle, triangle, square, or other shape. The player chooses a target hex and makes an attack roll against DCV 0, modified by -1 per 3" of distance as per usual for ranged attacks. If the attack fails, the power is centered on an adjacent hex, but still goes off as normal. Any character within the area of effect is affected by the power as normal, with no additional attack roll needed. This Advantage has a multiplier of +1.

Next is Area Effect (radius). Like the previous Advantage, Area Effect (Radius) makes the power affect all targets within a radius centered on the target hex. Again, the player rolls an attack against DCV 0 modified by range, and the radius is 1" for every 10 Active Points in the power. The multiplier is +1.

The Armor Piercing Advantage means that the target's defenses against the attack are halved. So an Energy Blast with this advantage against a target with a 20 ED would mean that the target's defense against the EB is only 10 points against both the STUN and BODY. This Advantage has a multiplier of +1/2.

Attack with No Normal Defense is even better than Armor Piercing, because the target has no defense points to subtract against the attack. So a Force Field, Armor, high PD, etc. are useless against it. There are a couple of caveats. First, the attack does STUN only; no BODY damage. Second, when buying the power you must define a reasonably common way to defend against the power that completely nullifies it. For example, a 4D6 Energy Blast defined as a gas attack might be stopped by having 10 points in Life Support (which means you don't have to breathe). Against anyone without those 10 points, the gas has full effect (roll 4 dice, add them up and subtract that from the target's STUN), but anyone who does have it is fully immune. Other examples are a poison dart attack (stopped by any sort of Resistant defense), a solidification attack (such as someone who is Desolid solidifying their fist inside the target's body) is stopped by Force Fields, and a Hypnotic Attack is stopped by any amount of Ego Defense. The multiplier is +1.

Based on Ego Combat Value means that the power is effectively a mental power rather than a physical one. For example, a Characteristic Drain that affects DEX that is defined as super-hypnosis putting them to sleep would be Based on ECV. Like other mental attacks, this can be defended against only by Ego Defense; normal defenses are useless. Like NND attacks, these should be STUN only unless the GM allows otherwise. The multiplier is +1.

The last Advantage on this page is Explosion. It's like an Area Effect (radius) attack (roll to hit the target hex), but unlike that Advantage, the power weakens as it gets further from the target hex. The multiplier is +1/2. I'll just quote the text of the book here to save time:

The full effect of the base power occurs in the target hex. The damage done by the attack is -1D6 for every l "·distance from the target hex. The largest D6 is always subtracted from the total first. Example: A 5D6 Energy Blast Explosion goes off. The character rolls 1,3,3,5,6 for his damage. The target hex takes 1+3+3+5+6 = 18 STUN and 0+1+1+2 = 5 BODY. Someone 2" away from the target hex would take 1+3+3 = 7 STUN and 0+1+1 = 2 BODY.

So, to show how Advantages work, let's do a quick example. Let's say Dr. Infinity has a spell called 'Mind Flames' that is a 4D6 Energy Blast with the Explosion and Based on ECV advantages. The base cost of the power is 20 points for the 4D6 EB. The Explosion multiplier is +1/2, and the Based on ECV multiplier is +1. Add them together and you get +1 1/2. The formula is Base Cost (20 points) x 1 + total multipliers (+1 1/2), which is 20 x 2.5, or 50 points.

All clear? Good; we'll do more Power Advantages next time. Until then, have a great day, and keep your costumes clean.

Back on the Farm

After a fun week back in Ontario, we have returned to the homestead on the island and...well, it's back to work. Chickens to feed, gardens to prepare for the winter, bread to bake...yeah, it's back on.

The trip had its ups and downs; we got to see family we haven't seen in a few years, we got to see Niagara Falls and spend a couple of days there, and Tanner and I got to watch the Blue Jays clinch the AL East and the #1 seed in the American League. That was the best birthday present since the one where we moved here five years ago and I got a house.

We're all tired, of course; travel takes a lot out of you to begin with, and we're fighting colds and such. So, I'll keep it short tonight, but I intend to continue the Let's Read ASAP. In the meantime...Let's go, Blue Jays!

Now THAT is a Birthday Celebration!

Well, I got what I wanted for my birthday. We had an absolute blast at the game, and Tanner and I got to watch the Blue Jays clinch the division title in convincing fashion.

Not bad for an old man who now qualifies for seniors discounts. We also got to walk around and explore some of downtown Toronto before the game, which was rather eye-opening for a certain teenager.

You don't get authentic Japanese Ramen from CostCo, believe me. So, I'm going to call that a successful 55th birthday. Now, on to Niagara Falls!

Ahhhhhhhh.....

A really short post tonight. We are taking a well-deserved break, and are visiting family in Ontario this week. I will try to post something while we are gone, but relaxing is hard work, so I might miss a day or two along the way.

Let's Read Champions 1e (page 20)

This is a busy page, with lots of short power descriptions. We start with Regeneration, aka the other Wolverine power. Normally, BODY damage is recovered at a rate of 1/10 the character's REC per day. So, a REC of 10 would get back 1 BODY point per day. That's pretty quick, but not too many non-super people will have a REC that high anyway. I don't recall the rounding rules mentioning this, so I'm not sure if it works on a percent basis where if you have a REC of 5, you would get 1 BODY back every 2 days. That would make sense to me, but we'll see in the Combat section if it is mentioned. In the meantime, Regeneration just means you get 1 BODY back per recovery per 10 points in the power, and there's a minimum cost of 20 points, so the lowest Regen you can buy is 2 BODY/recovery. No END to use this, of course.

Next is Running. Wanna be the Flash? Buy lots of this. Standard movement speed is 6" per phase; every 2 points spent on Running gives you +1" to that speed. Running costs END to use. There's no minimum cost to this power.

Shrinking is next. This is for the Wasp or the Atom-type characters. It costs 5 points to buy one level of Shrinking, no minimum points required. Every 5 points halves your height and gives you a bonus of +2 to your DCV and -2 to all other character's PER rolls to see you. However, you're also 2" slower on the ground, and any knockback that happens is increased by 3" per level. Oh, and you only weigh 1/8 your normal size.

Mr. Fantastic and the Elongated Man are up with the Stretching power. This lets you attack at range with hand-to-hand combat as well as reach for things at long distances. Every 5 points gives you a 1" Stretch in combat, doubled when you're not in combat. The minimum cost is 10 points. The range modifier for using Stretching to attack is -1 for every 3"; the first 3" have no modifier. I'm pretty sure this one costs END, but it's not specified here.

Superleap! This is what Superman originally did before he found out he could fly. Normal jumping rates are 1" forward per 5 points of STR, and 1" up per 10 points. Pay 10 points (the minimum for this power) and you double that. Leaping isn't directional; you jump in a straight line. And it costs END.

Alright, now we're into Swimming. Aquaman and Sub-Mariner, anyone? Normal swim speed is 2"; this gives you +1" of swim speed for every 2 points, just like running. Flight, too; I think this is the standard cost for any movement power. There's no minimum cost to this, although using it does cost END.

Ah, Telekinesis. Marvel Girl could do this. This power lets you manipulated objects at a distance with your mind The base is 10 points of STR and 10" of range per 10 points in the power, and you can basically grab an object; if you want to do fine work like push buttons or disarm a bomb, you have to roll against a base of 9 + TK points/5. For example, if you have a TK power of 40, your TK STR is 40, your range is 40", and your base roll is 9 + 40/5, or 9+8, or 17 or less. Of course, this has a range modifier of -1 per 3" of range, and it does cost END to use.

Finally, we have Telepathy. Martian Manhunter and Professor X have this, which allows you to read minds or communicate with someone mentally rather than verbally. You have to pick which one you are trying to do (not at character creation, but every time you use it). Either way, you roll an ECV attack roll, and if successful you roll 1D6 per 5 points in the power to see how much of an effect you had. Subtract the target's Ego Defense, of course. If you match their INT score, you can read their surface thoughts. Double the INT means you're into their deep, hidden thoughts. Triple the INT means you can get into their memories, and quadrupling the INT gets you right into their subconscious mind. Good luck with trying to do that with the Joker. END is expended to keep in contact, and if you try to go to a deeper level of their mind, you have to roll another attack and Telepathy roll. Range is line of sight with no modifiers.

And that's it. There are only two more powers to go, and then we learn about Power Advantages and how they help to simulate pretty much any power you see in the comics.

Let's Read Champions 1st edition (pg 19)

Alright, this page has a grand total of two entries, both of which take up a full column. The first is Mind Scanning, which allows a character to search an area with his mind in order to find a particular mind. To use it, you have to define how big an area you are searching (no limit, apparently), then make an ECV attack roll which is modified by the number of people in the area. There's a full chart that shows what the modifier is based on the area's population. For example, if you're in a bar (about 16 people), your ECV roll is at -4. If it's a small city (250,000 people), the roll is at -18. The whole world (4 billion people when this was written 45 years ago) would be -33 to find someone; I would probably leave it at that modifier even though the population has pretty much doubled since then. A -33 penalty to a roll is sufficient, I think.

So, how do you scan an area with any hope of success? You pay 3 points for a +1 to the attack roll. There's no range modifier, of course. If your modified target roll is less than 3, the area is too big and you'll have to narrow your search until you need a 3 to succeed. Assuming you do succeed, you roll 1D6 for every 5 points in the power (not counting the attack roll bonus costs), subtract the target's Ego Defense if they have it, and the resulting amount is compared to the target's EGO. If you get at least their EGO score, you know roughly where they are. Double their ego means you can pinpoint their location. Tripling the EGO score means you can use your other mental powers, if any, on the target no matter how far they may be with a normal attack roll (and no range modifiers). END costs only apply to maintaining your target lock after it is established. The minimum cost is 10 points for a 2D6 scan; attack roll bonuses don't count toward the minimum.

Big writeup for that power, isn't it? Well, now it's time to go crazy with the Multipower. Multipowers are basically a grouping of powers that run off the same point reserve. Sort of like the Elemental Control, except that in the case of the EC, all the powers could be used at their full potential at the same time. In a Multipower, you have a common pool of points to draw from, but using a power means those points aren't available for any of the other powers in the Multipower pool. There's an example involving a flying energy projector (who we will now call 'Blaster') with a 50-point Multipower with three slots: Flight, Energy Blast, and Force Field. Every phase, the player can decide to shift points from one power to the others if he so chooses; in his first phase, Blaster has his Force Field at 10 PD/10 ED for a total of 20 points, and is flying at a speed of 15" for a total of 30 points. That leaves no points for his Energy Blast in this phase. In his next phase, Blaster takes 20 points from his Flight and 10 from his Force Field and puts them into his Energy Blast, for a 6D6 blast while his Force Field is reduced to 5 PD/5 ED and his Flight to 5".

A Multipower point reserve can be divided however the character wants, as long as the total points don't exceed the reserve amount.

Multipower slots cost 1 point for every 5 points that can be put into the slot; a slot that can take the whole 50 points (so Blaster has a 10D6 Energy Blast, for example) costs 10 points. If a slot has a lower maximum (Blaster can't push his Flying speed beyond 15", for example), then the cost is proportionate to the maximum points available (in this case, 6 points since 15" of Flight costs 30 points, which is divided by 5 to make 6).

However, sometimes a slot will be 'fixed', also called an 'ultra'. This means that when the power is used, it is used to its full power every time. So, if Blaster has his Energy Blast in an ultra slot, then he always has to assign all 50 points to it every time he wants to use it, even if he doesn't want to use it at full power. An ultra slot costs 1 point for every 10 points of the reserve that it uses (so the full 10D6 EB in an ultra slot would cost 5 points instead of 10). The ultra slot doesn't have to be the full amount of the reserve; Blaster might make his Flight ultra slot limited to 30 points used, meaning it would cost 3 points for the slot.

You can apply Power Limitations to Multipowers, either to the whole thing or to just a particular slot. If it's applied to the whole Multipower, it means the overall cost for both the reserve and the slots is reduced; if it applies to a single slot, it means the active points are increased. Um, what? This is completely different from the way Multipower works in later editions. The example is given of a powered armor character who puts a Charges limitation on his Force Field. The multipower has a 30-point reserve, but the Charges limitation on the Force Field (which gives a +1 bonus multiplier to his costs) means that the slot can be up to 60 points instead of 30. That makes a very powerful Force Field, although it will only be usable a certain number of times per day.

To figure the cost of the Multipower, you add up the reserve points (modified by any Advantages or Limitations that are applied) and the cost of each slot, regular or ultra. Note that the minimum reserve is 10 points.

We're on to the next page now, but I'll finish up the Multipower writeup just because there are lots of powers on the next page. You can't put skills or characteristics in the Multipower unless the GM gives you permission. I would say that some characteristics, such as STR, should be allowable in a Multipower. I wouldn't put COM in a Multipower, though; that seems pointless to me. But I'm sure someone tried to do it at some point.

And that's Multipowers. Next time we've got no fewer than eight powers to review; we're getting close to the end, I think. This is a heck of a lot easier than the 5th edition read-through would be, that's for sure; that book would require eight pages for just a single power in some cases. Yikes.

Let's Read Champions 1e (page 18)

Alright, let's continue our run through the various powers of 1e Champions, shall we? Next up is the Killing Attack (ranged). This is basically the same as the HTH version, except you don't add any STR bonuses but you can fire at targets at range. The range is 5 times the points, and the minimum cost is 15 points (which buys you 1d6 RKA). You define whether the attack is physical or energy at the time it is bought. END costs apply. This power would work to represent guns as well as powerful laser attacks or fire blasts.

Life Support allows you to survive in unfriendly or even deadly environments without any ill effects. The more points you spend, the more environmental factors you can ignore. The base is 5 points, which makes you Aquaman (breathing water). For 10 points, you don't have to breathe and you're immune to inhaled gases. At 15 points, you're also immune to gases absorbed through the skin. At 20 points you can survive in the vacuum of space or in high-pressure environments. For 25 points you don't eat or excrete anymore. And at the full amount, 30 points, you can survive under conditions of extreme heat, cold or radiation (or any other excessively hostile environment), but that doesn't mean you don't take any damage from attacks based on those effects thanks to shock. There's no END cost for Life Support. Note that each of the levels is cumulative; at 30 points you have all the levels, not just the safe environments of heat, cold, etc.

Next up is Mental Illusions. This power lets you project illusions into an opponent's mind. So, only the target can see the illusion. This is a mental power, which means it is based on your Ego Combat Value (ECV), which is your EGO/3. You define the illusion when you use the power, and you're limited only by your imagination as to what the target sees in their mind. You roll 1D6 for every 5 points you have in the power (minimum 10 pts), and subtract any Ego Defense they may have. The remainder is compared to the target's INT score to determine the actual effect. At a level equal to or greater than the target's INT score, they see the illusion; double their INT means they perceive it fully (all their senses accept it as real). Triple INT means they can actually be hurt by the illusion (STUN only), and quadrupling their INT means they take both STUN and BODY from the illusion.

You can make the illusion more effective by making it fit into the preconceptions of the target (for example, the target is in a zoo, so an illusion of an escaping lion is more believable here than in the middle of the downtown core), moving it up the chart a line. The maximum damage dice the target can take is your points in the power divided by five. The only range limit is your line of sight, and mental powers don't take range modifiers. They do cost END, however, and this one is no exception.

Finally on this page, we have Mind Control. Unlike the previous power, this one is just taking over their mind and forcing them to do what you want them to do. Like Mental Illusions, this is an ECV-based power, and Ego Defense reduces its effects. The minimum cost is 10 points, you get 1D6 per 5 points invested, it's line of sight, there are no range modifiers, and it costs END to use.

Your total effect on the target depends on their EGO score rather than their INT. Matching or exceeding the EGO score means they will do things they would likely do anyway. Doubling their EGO makes them do things they wouldn't mind doing. Tripling will get them to do things they wouldn't normally do, and quadrupling it means you can make them do things they would never otherwise do. You have to determine what you want the target to do before you roll the attack itself. You can maintain the command by expending END per turn without having to reroll. However, if you try to instill a new command, you have to reroll the attack from scratch.

Short and sweet, but we have some good stuff. Next page, another mental power and a different way to save points on powers.

Let's Read Champions 1e (pg 17)

Alright, we're back with more powers. We'll jump right in with Force Field. This is a field of energy surrounding the character that absorbs damage. Minimum cost is 10 points, and you get 1 point of fully resistant defense for every point you pay. However, you have to choose whether your points go to PD or ED; one point only covers one of the two options. So, if you spend 20 points on Force Field, you can split it 10 PD/10 ED, or 8 PD/12 ED, or even 0 PD/20 ED if you want. If you decide not to use it at its full potential, you have to keep the same ratio of defense allocation. For example, Snowcone spends 30 points on his Force Field, splitting it 20 PD/10 ED. If he chooses to use only half of his allocation (such as in a Multipower), his Force Field would then be 10 PD/5 ED. It costs END to use this power.

Force Wall is a different kind of Force Field; Sue Storm projects these all the time. Force Wall covers a circle of hexes at range. The cost is 10 points for 5 points of fully resistant defense. Like Force Field, you have to choose whether those points go to PD or ED. Since this power is used at range, the range in inches is the number of points in the power, and the radius is 1" for every 10 points in the power. For example, the Invisible Woman has 40 points in Force Wall. She can project her Force Wall up to 40" (80 meters) away, with a radius of 4". The defense is 10 PD/10 ED (or a different ratio if you choose). The ratio of defense has to be chosen when you buy the power; you can't alter it during game play. And of course, you're paying END for this power as well.

Next is Gliding. This isn't flight; you're just gliding through the air and slowly descending as you go. It costs 5 points to get 4" of Gliding, with a minimum cost of 10 points. To get to gliding speed you have to actually drop 1" in altitude per 1" of Gliding. Once you get to your Gliding speed, you can gain altitude if the GM allows it (depending on the circumstances, like a strong wind). Gliding is END-free.

Growth is straightforward; you get bigger. As a result, you gain in several characteristics, but you're also easier to hit. For every 10 points of Growth, you grow 1 meter, weigh twice as much, and gain the following: +5 STR, +2 BODY, +5 PRE, +1 PD, +1 ED, +2" of ground movement, +1" of climbing movement, +1 OCV in HTH combat, -1 DCV overall, and -1" when knocked back. Your increased primary characteristics do not affect your figured characteristics. The minimum cost is 10 points. The listing doesn't specify if you have to pay END for the power, but I believe later editions state that you pay the END cost to activate the power but not to maintain it.

Instant Change is just that: You instantly change from your normal identity to your super-hero identity. Wonder Woman did this in the old 1970s TV show with her spinning thing; Superman does it in phone booths. It costs 5 points to change back and forth to the same set of clothing; 10 points means you can change back into any clothing you want. No END for this power.

Invisibility is next. You are invisible to normal sight for 20 points; additional invisibility to various enhanced sight senses costs more. You can also become invisible to radar. You do have a fringe effect of light bending around you, so someone who is really close to you (1" or less) can spot you on a successful sight Perception roll. You can, if you want, eliminate this fringe effect by paying an additional cost equal to half the cost of the power (for example, you have the basic Invisibility to normal sight, which costs 20 points. To eliminate the fringe, you would pay an additional 10 points). To become invisible to everything the power lists would cost a total of 40 points, or 60 points without the fringe. Again, this power doesn't specify the END cost, and I would use the same rule as mentioned for Growth.

Finally, we get to the Killing Attack (Hand-to-Hand). Wolverine, step forward, please. This also covers things such as knives and lightsabers, or even really powerful martial arts attacks (knife hand to the heart, for example). For 15 points, you get 1D6 of Killing Attack, to which you can add a bonus of 1/2D6 for every 10 STR points you use with the attack. The minimum cost is 15 points, and the Killing Attack doesn't cost END (but using your Strength to boost it does cost END as per normal). This is strictly hand-to-hand; no ranged attacks.

So, that covers yet another page of power. This was the Invisible Woman's page, really; three of the powers here define her pretty well. On the next page, we'll get into some other mental powers.

Finally!

The package I was waiting for arrived. Over on my other blog, 25 Years Ago..., I'm doing a 25th anniversary retrospective review of the 3rd edition D&D game. I finally got the September purchase order in, so I'm working on the review of the 3.0 Dungeon Master's Guide.

The nice thing about this is that I got a 1st printing DMG. It is a sweet deal, although it means errata is necessary to keep it updated. Still, I can't complain. There were some other things in the package as well, which I'll discuss in later posts on that blog.

I was supposed to get this package two days ago, but FedEx is a pain. They told me they 'tried' to delivery the package on Monday, but they didn't bother letting me know where the package actually was, so I spent two days hunting for it. Talk about frustration.

Ah, well. What's done is done, and it's nice to finally have it.

Some horrible news from south of the border as Charlie Kirk was assassinated at an open-air forum at a Utah university campus. Prayers go out to his family, who were there when it happened and were with him when he died in the hospital. It's insane to think about how far political discourse has deteriorated in the 21st century. I'm worried that this will touch off a wave of political violence, possibly escalating into a full-blown civil war. After all, wars have started with less provocation than an assassination.

I avoid talking about politics on this blog because I get enough of that on different websites, and I wanted to keep this clear from all of that. But something like this makes my blood boil, and I can't stay silent. I'm not going to turn this blog into the Huffington Post or Rebel News, though. I just hope people can start thinking before they act before we see even more violence and death. We are supposed to be civilized, people. We need to act like it.

And now, back to baking...

So Many Chickens...

This picture is just a sample of the chickens we raised this year. We have layers, but these are Cornish Cross, the tastiest meat birds around. We ordered 200 birds this spring; attrition has taken that number down more than I would like, but we're still going to have nearly 150 birds processed.

'Processed'. Such a sterile, sanitized word for how a chicken goes from what you see above to the freezer. But I'm not going to go into detail on this. Suffice to say...well, the chickens consider me both their guardian angel who feeds them, and their serial killer who has dwindled their numbers down to a mere handful left in the coop.

And this year, we had people ask us to process their chickens for them...for money. Yes, I was paid to kill chickens this year. You know what that makes me, right? Yep; I'm a chicken assassin.

The surprising thing about the chickens you see is that I didn't expect to see any of them up off the ground; Cornish Cross are both stupid and heavy, and I've never seen one get off the ground at all. They'll run at me flapping their wings like they're trying to take off whenever they see the food bucket in my hand, but actually flying? Not a chance. But here we are, Cornish Cross jumping up and roosting like they are real chickens. It warms my heart.

The nice thing about these chickens is that they don't take a long time to grow; none of these ones are more than 15 weeks old before they meet Mr. Freezer. And even that is longer than I would prefer. But they eat. And eat. A lot of food. I was going through a full 40-kg bag a day for a while, trying to keep all these birds fed. So despite their short lifespan, they end up cost as much as another breed, Rustic Rangers, would cost despite the Rangers taking twice as long to grow out to the proper size.

Raising our own food is a big deal; we know what these birds are eating, so we know what we are eating, too. With my health issues this year, my diet is important. I don't want to screw my health any further than it already was, so I'm watching my intake much more than I used to. And raising and growing our own food is a big part of that. I'm looking forward to getting back to gardening next spring.

So, if you live out in the country, support your local chicken farmer, especially if he's got meat birds you might want to try. If all you're used to eating is store-bought chicken, I guarantee you will taste the difference. And you won't look back.

Let's Read Champions 1e (pg 16)

More powers today, and we start with Entangle. This is where you either immobilize an opponent or create a barrier. I would have thought that would be Force Wall, but here we are. This is a ranged power. Assuming you hit with your attack roll, you roll 1D6 per 5 points in the power (minimum cost 10). Read the BODY damage as if it were a normal attack; the total BODY is how strong the Entangle is. So if you have a 5D6 Entangle, and you rolled a 6, 1, 2, 6, 3...the total BODY would be 6 (2 for the 6, 0 for a 1, 1 for the rest). To break out of an Entangle, you need to do at least that much damage through some method of attack. If you're Entangled, you can't move. You can also create a "wall" with this power using the Area of Effect Power Advantage. Examples of Entangles include webbing, ice bonds, and turning the ground to mud. It's a ranged power (pts. x 5 in inches), and costs END to use.

Next up is Extra Limb. This can be an extra arm, leg, or a prehensile tail (Nightcrawler is the first example that comes to mind). You can use it just as well as any other limb with your normal STR and DEX. However, you don't get any extra attacks because of it. It costs 10 points for each extra limb, and while the power itself doesn't cost END, using the limb's STR does.

FTL Travel is a fun one, allowing your flying character to travel faster than the speed of light in space (so not in an atmosphere, making it a really niche power). For 10 points, you have the base power; every 5 points additional doubles that speed. What speed is it? Well, first you calculate your sustained Flight, which is how many inches you can fly in a full turn (we'll get to that power at the end of this page) and use your Recovery in END as a multiplier. This isn't explained very well in the rules, so let me try to suss it out. I checked the next three editions, and the description in 2e and 3e is basically the same as 1e. 4e changes the power entirely. So, let's see if I can get this from 1e. From the Flight power, the END cost is 1/5" of flight. There's lots of math here, so bear with me.

Okay, I think I got this figured. Your sustained flight speed is based on your REC. If you have a SPD of 5, Flight of 15", and REC of 10, your maximum speed in a turn is 75". However, that would cost you 15 END per turn. With your REC of 10, you can only sustain your flight at a speed of 50" (10" of flight x SPD 5), because your END would be 10/turn (2 END/phase). Therefore, your maximum sustained flight speed is 50". And...that's how many light years you can travel IN A DAY with this power. Holy crap...50 LY in a single day? That's Star Trek: Voyager speed. And you can double that for a mere 5 points more. This is seriously overpowered. Fortunately, as mentioned earlier, it's only for flying outside of an atmosphere. So it's not going to get much use in a typical game, and very few characters will ever even need to buy it.

Alright, let's move along. Next up is Flash. No, not the speedster. This is a blinding flash, with 1D6 per 10 points. Like Entangle, you calculate the BODY damage on a successful attack roll, and every character within a 1" radius per 10 points is blinded for 1 phase for every point of BODY. It's interesting that the duration is based on the target's SPD, not the attacker's; some targets will recover faster than others. There's no actual damage done with this power, just the blindness. Blinded characters have a CV of 0 unless they have Enhanced Senses that can target. If you have advance warning of the Flash, you can cover your eyes or otherwise prepare for it, meaning you're still blinding while you're protecting yourself, but otherwise the Flash doesn't affect you at all. You can't Flash someone in Darkness, either. This is a ranged attack, and uses END.

The counter to Flash is, of course, Flash Defense. At a minimum cost of 5 points, you have 5 or more points of defense against Flash attacks. No END to use it, of course; it's a passive defense.

Finally, we have Flight. I touched on this in the FTL description. Flight is a minimum of 10 points, which gives you 5" of Flight; 2 pts. gives you an additional inch. END is 1/5", as previously mentioned. The details on how to handle movement in flight are covered later on in the Movement section.

And that's it for this page. We're just motoring along, aren't we? And we've got quite a few powers already covered. You can see that building a high-powered character will be very expensive; most characters built with these rules will be on the line of the 80s X-Men or the Teen Titans; you're not building Thor or Wonder Woman with just 100 points. I have seen someone build Superman with 250 points, but it's the Action Comics #1 version, not the Christopher Reeve fly-around-the-earth-and-reverse-time version.

Next up...more powers, surprise, surprise. We've had lots of attacks over the past couple of pages, now it's time to get some defenses.

Let's Read Champions 1e (pg 15)

And the hits just keep on coming. More specifically, the Energy Blasts keep on coming, because that's the next power we're looking at.

Energy Blast is exactly that: A blast of energy. What kind of energy? That's up to you. Heat vision, telekinetic strike, eldritch blast...they're all Energy Blasts. The difference is the Special Effect. We're told to see the section on Special Effects for an explanation of how to use Special Effects in the game. Unfortunately, they skipped that part; it's not actually in this book. I've checked, and it does appear in the 2nd edition, but it's not here. Oops.

Energy Blast (or EB for short) is a ranged attack that does normal damage, like a punch. At the player's option, it can do STUN damage only (no BODY). The default defense against it is Energy Defense, although the special effect might change that to Physical Defense (such as a telekinetic strike or an iceball). The damage is 1D6 per 5 points in the power, with a minimum cost of 10 points (2D6). The maximum range is 5 inches per point, and the range modifier is -1 for every 3" of distance to the target. For example, the Human Lighter buys an Energy Blast and defines it as a heatwave blast that does 8D6 damage. The cost is 40 points, the defense is ED, and the range is 200", which equals 400 meters. That's a long way. Of course, you're going to be at a -66 or so on your attack roll at that range, so good luck with it. And you'll pay END for this power as well.

Next up, we have Enhanced Senses. This is a whole suite of powers that give the character the ability to sense things outside of normal human sensory capability. If you buy multiple senses, you pay full price for the two most expensive ones, the next two at 1/2 cost, and any others at 1/4 cost. None of these cost END to use. If you buy the same sense more than once, those additional buys do not count as separate buys for the purpose of cost reduction.

The first batch of these are all about seeing things. First up is Enhanced Vision. This is a straightforward +1 to your range modifier for sight perception rolls at a cost of 3 points; you can buy this multiple times.

Infrared Vision is next, allowing the character to see heat patterns for 5 points. You can see outlines at night, but not details.

Ultraviolet Vision is an improvement over IR Vision, and costs 10 points. It allows you to see as well at night as during the day, so you take no penalties to sight perception rolls at night.

Telescopic Vision costs 15 points, and makes things appear 10 times closer. This can be bought more than once; each additional buy improves your telescopic vision by a factor of 10 (so buying it twice means everything can be seen at 100x closer). That means that heatwave blast would be a lot more accurate, of course.

Microscopic Vision is the opposite of Telescopic vision, allowing you to view things at close range at 10x magnification. As with Telescopic Vision, you can buy this more than once. Each purchase costs 10 points.

X-Ray Vision lets you make normal sight perception checks through walls and other solid objects, although it doesn't work through lead, high energy fields, or really dense substances. It costs 20 points.

N-Ray Vision is X-Ray Vision on steroids; unless the GM says otherwise, you can see through anything at all. This costs 30 points.

360-Degree Vision (appears later on the list) means you can see in any direction all at once, so you can make a sight Perception check against any point around you. This one costs 20 points.

And that covers the vision enhancements. Next on the list is the Hearing improvements. Enhanced Hearing is exactly the same as Enhanced Sight, except for hearing.

Ultrasonic Hearing lets you hear very high and very low frequency sound, allowing you to pick up Active Sonar emissions. This costs 10 points.

Parabolic Hearing is the audio equivalent of Telescopic Vision with the same cost, except that the distance is divided by 5 per purchase.

Active Sonar lets you find objects with a successful Hearing Perception roll. You can detect them as easily as if you can see them. However, you can be picked up by Ultrasonic Hearing. This costs 20 points.

Passive Sonar is like Active Sonar, except you're not emitting any sounds, and you're paying 25 points.

The remaining sense enhancers are more specialized. Discriminatory Smell means you can identify smells. More specifically, at least in later editions, it makes your sense of smell as acute as your vision or hearing, so you can smell the difference between people. Wolverine does this all the time. This costs 5 points.

Tracking is by scent; make a smell Perception roll to track a target. 15 points to buy it.

Radio Hearing means you can hear normal AM, FM, and even Police band signals for 3 points. High-Range Radio Hearing gives you a much wider range of perception on the radio frequencies. You can look for a specific frequency with a normal INT roll (9 +INT/5), and you can also spot Radar. This costs 10 points.

Finally, Radar Sense lets you spot things with a base Perception roll, with a range modifier of -1/10". Like Infravision, you don't get details, just an outline. You can increase the range modifier, doubling it for an additional 5 points. The base cost is 20 points.

So, there are your enhanced sensory capabilities. I think they covered pretty much everything that needs to be covered. And that's it for this page, too. We're still motoring along, so let's see what the next page brings.

Let's Read Champions 1e (page 14)

Sorry for the delay; let's get back to it. We're continuing with powers, and specifically we're continuing with Density Increase. Here on page 14 we get the actual benefits of the power. For 10 points, you get +5 to STR and CON, +3 resistant PD and ED, +1 BODY, -1" of Knockback, and double your mass. Your increased characteristics don't affect your figured characteristics though, and you can't use the additional Strength for jumping further; you're just using that Strength to keep yourself upright. Using this power does require END.

Next, we have the opposite of Density Increase: Desolidification. Kitty Pryde (Shadowcat) and the Martian Manhunter both have this power, which allows the character to walk through walls and ignore attacks. The advantage is that you are immune to all physical, energy, and mental attacks, as well as drains and transfers. And you can move through a wall or other solid object that has a BODY equal to or less than 1 Body Pip for every 5 points of this power you have. However, you can't affect the physical world in any way, and you can't attack anyone. The only exception to this is if two Desolid characters face off, in which case they can attack each other. This power does cost END to use.

Following that, we have Ego Attack. This is your brain-blast power, and most mentalists will have it as their primary attack power. It completely ignores their normal defenses and goes straight for the mind. It uses the ECV (Ego Combat Value) which is 1/3 of your EGO score (an EGO of 15 = ECV 5). The only defense against this power is Ego Defense (the next one on the list). Ego Attacks do not do BODY or Knockback, and don't work on inanimate objects (which don't have minds). You have to be able to see the target, and distance doesn't give you any range modifiers. Again, this one costs END to use.

Ego Defense does that: Provides you with defenses against mental attacks (not only Ego Attack, but also Telepathy, Mind Control, etc.). You get a base power of INT/5, and any points you spend on this (minimum 5) add an equal number of points to your Ego Defense. No END cost to this one as it's a passive defense. Note that you only get the INT/5 points if you buy this power; no one has Ego Defense without it.

Okay, this next one is not really a power; later on it would be classified as a 'power framework', but for now it's listed among the powers. And this is the Elemental Control. Basically, this lets you buy three powers at a reduced cost. These powers must, however, be thematically linked. How it works is you pay for a 'reserve' number of points (on a 1-to-1 basis), and then you get three powers that all run at half the reserve power (so a 60-pt. Elemental Control would have three 30-pt. powers). You can add additional powers if you want, at a cost of 1/5 the points in the reserve. The base cost, though, is effectively twice the cost of one of the powers

This is a bit complicated, and different from how they work in later editions. So here's an example. You might have an Elemental Control with weather powers: Fog (Darkness), Whirlwinds (Energy Blast with a wider area of effect), and Wind Riding (Flight). If you put 60 points in the reserve, then all three of these would work at the 30-pt. level (and you can use them all at the same time). So the Fog would have a radius of 6", for example. If you decide to add a Lightning Bolt (RKA) to the EC, it would cost an additional 12 points (60/5).

This is a cost-effective way to give your character some thematic elements; other examples in the writeup include Telekinetic Powers, Ice Powers, and Ego Powers. But you're only limited by your imagination and the GM's willingness to let you get away with threadbare connections between your powers. You could have a Radiation EC, or a Fire EC, or whatever you can come up with and justify to the GM.

And that wraps up another page of this rulebook. We're getting into some interesting powers now, but the next page only has two...one of which is actually 18 powers in one.

Project Hail Mary (book review)

I'm taking a moment away from the Champions Let's Read so I can talk about this book. I saw the trailer for the upcoming movie recently, which inspired me to re-read this book. Written by Andy Weir (the guy who wrote The Martian), this is another hard science fiction tale that has much bigger stakes than The Martian ever did. Sure, Mark Watney's heroic efforts to survive on a dead planet were great, but Ryland Grace is trying to make sure Earth doesn't become a dead planet. And he's in a whole other solar system, which is orders of magnitude more awesome than just being on a local planet. And you can consider that your SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!!!! for this post.

So, this story is told in two parts: Present day, and flashbacks. The present day sees Dr. Ryland Grace trying to sort out the basic questions like, 'What the hell is going on?', 'How did I get here?', and 'Why are there two dead people lying next to me?' He eventually discovers that he is on a spaceship, the sole survivor of a crew of three, and he's approaching the Tau Ceti star and solar system. So he is a long, long way away from home. And he's not alone.

The flashbacks slowly reveal how Grace got to this situation. He was a simple middle-school science teacher who also happened to be a notorious figure in the scientific community. That notoriety gets him drafted to solve a major problem with the sun losing its energy and heat, which threatens to send Earth into a permanent Ice Age that will destroy most life on the planet. Over time he discovers not one, not two, but three alien forms of life in his efforts to solve the problem and save Earth.

Alright, what works here? Pretty much all of it. The mystery of Grace's past and activities leading up to the Hail Mary mission is very well handled, especially the final surprise twist. Grace is recovering from coma-induced amnesia throughout most of the book, meaning we learn pieces of the backstory at the same pace as he does.

The mission itself is a sci-fi nerd's dream. The character of Rocky is one of the best-developed aliens in science fiction. He's not a human with pointy ears or even humanoid at all; he's truly alien, with a whole different math system, an incredible talent for engineering, and almost no clue about science other than the basics to keep himself alive, because like Grace, he's the sole survivor of his own mission. The two of them form an unbreakable bond that enables them to do what they have to do to save both their worlds.

So, what doesn't work? Not much; the story is tightly-plotted and easy to follow even if you're a scientific imbecile. My biggest issue is the character of Eva Stratt. I don't like her. I know, I'm not really supposed to, but she smacks of the annoying 'girl-boss' trope that has infected so much of pop culture over the past decade or so. She's extremely unlikeable, and even resigns herself to being tossed in prison after the launch of the Hail Mary because she's so extreme in her methods to make the mission work. She orders governments around and makes lifelong enemies work together. Sure, the mission requires that level of pigheadedness, but I'm just tired of seeing the necessary characteristics embodied in a woman. If that makes me a sexist or misogynist, so be it; at this point, having a male character in that position would actually feel like a novelty.

Now, don't misunderstand me; I see Stratt's motives and how her way of doing things is pretty much the only way things would ever get done in a crisis like this, especially when you get layers upon layers of bureaucrats all trying to protect their own fiefdoms even in the face of literal global armageddon. Again, though, this could have just as easily been a man. In fact, if you change 'Eva' to 'Evan', you'd find almost no issues with the gender-swap. And that is the biggest problem: Stratt isn't a character; she's a plot device, and a very abrasive one.

Other than that, though, I like how the book reads. The discovery of Rocky's own ship, the tense atmospheric work to retrieve samples, and Grace's reaction to the realization that this was always intended to be a one-way trip is handled very well. And the final chapter is poignant and wonderful all at the same time.

The book is entirely self-contained; there's no point in a sequel anyway, just like there wasn't a point to doing a sequel to The Martian. It is what it is, and doesn't need to be anything more.

This is the second of Andy Weir's books that I have read, and I've read both of them multiple times. I'm looking forward to the movie next year, because I have a feeling this is going to be truly epic.

Let's Read Champions 1e (page 13)

We're continuing with the Powers list. Next up is Clinging. Spider-Man is the obvious source for this one, although Nightcrawler also has this ability. For every 5 points in the power (minimum cost 10 pts), you can cling to a surface with a STR equal to twice the points (so minimum 20 STR). Movement is like you're on the ground if you're horizontally moving (like on a ceiling) or 1/2 your movement speed if you're climbing up a wall. You can still fight while clinging, too. However, if your normal STR is greater than your Clinging STR, and you use more than your Clinging STR to do something, you fall. So be careful.

Next up is Damage Resistance. This is for the bulletproof characters that aren't wearing armor (like the Thing or Iron Man). Superman would have this power, as would someone like Power Man. Buying this power once gives you resistant defense on half of your PD and/or ED. There are four different levels of Damage Resistance. 5 points gives you 1/2 resistant defense vs. hand-to-hand killing attacks; 10 points gives you 1/2 resistance vs. either physical or energy killing attacks (ranged or HTH); 15 points gives you 1/2 resistance to all killing attacks. You can buy this power twice to give yourself full damage resistance. So, a character with 20 PD and 16 ED who buys the 15-pt. Damage Resistance will have 10 resistant PD and 8 resistant ED. There's an example given of PD 15 character being shot by an agent using an auto-carbine and doing 7 BODY and 21 STUN with the attack. The resistant PD would be 8 (1/2 of 15, rounded up), so there is no BODY damage done (7 - 8 = -1). For the STUN, the character uses their full PD of 15, so they take 6 STUN from the attack (21 - 15 = 6). Simple enough, isn't it?

Danger Sense is that sixth sense that warns you something is about to happen. Again, Spider-Man is the classic example with his Spider-Sense. But anyone can have this; Batman is very intuitive about the possibility of being attacked from ambush, for example. This is basically a 3D6 roll with a target number of 11 or less, costing 10 points. For every 3 points, you get a +1 to the roll (so at 16 points you have to roll a 13 or less). A successful Danger Sense roll allows you to react to an attack with your full DCV; if you roll really well (1/2 or less of your target number) you can actually react with an attack of your own at full OCV.

We continue with Darkness. Cloak from Cloak and Dagger can do this, as can Shadow Lass from the Legion of Super-Heroes. The character can project a circle of darkness in an area 2" in radius for 10 points; this darkness is basically equivalent to night, giving characters a -3 to attacks with an additional -1 per 1" of range. You can intensify the Darkness to fully block normal sight for an additional 5 points; 5 more means it blocks UV and IR vision as well. You can even block Radar or X-Ray Vision for 5 points more each, too. And if you want a larger radius, it's 5 points per additional 1". Of course, this power costs END to use.

Last on this page we have Density Increase. It crosses over to the next page, so I'll just mention here that it makes your character tougher and stronger by increasing their mass. Specifically, it will add to your STR, CON, PD, ED, and BODY without any visible effects to your appearance. And it costs 10 points per level of Density Increase. How it works exactly will be detailed next time, though.

And that's another page down; lots to go.

Let's Read Champions 1e (page 12)

Okay, so last time we went over Skill Levels. That section continues on this page with some more details. Specific Levels can be applied to Energy Blast, or Punch, or Shield, or Flight, or Defense in Melee, etc. Basically, it's one action, and you can't switch it to something else. So this would be a good level to get for someone who is average at pretty much everything, but excellent at one thing, such as shooting an energy blast. A character with a 15 DEX would have a CV of 5, which isn't very good. But if you add three levels to that Energy Blast attack, suddenly the CV jumps to 8, which is much better.

General Levels apply to a group of actions or skills, such as Martial Arts, or Guns, or Movement, or Ego Powers. In this case, the levels can be applied to one action within that small group; a kung fu punch or a flying side kick, for example, could both benefit from a General Level applied to Martial Arts. Likewise, a General Level applied to Ego Powers means that the character gets to add that level to Ego Attack, or Telepathy, or Mind Control (assuming the character has those powers). However, it can only apply to one at a time; or, not and.

Overall Levels can be applied to any action or skill. That's why they're so expensive. But it's still cheaper than buying a +1 in every skill.

One of the examples indicates that Skill Levels can be applied to Range Modifiers as well, making an attack more accurate at longer distances. That's something that got switched in later editions; Range Skill Levels were a separate skill, as I recall. But for now, Skill Levels have a wider application.

Alright, that takes care of skill levels. Next up is Stealth, yet another 'Batman' skill. Did they expect anyone to play a character other than a Batman-clone in this game? Stealth is self-explanatory; it's the art of not being seen. Or heard. Or detected at all. It costs 5 points to get the base Dex roll, and 2 points to increase the roll by one. Stealth doesn't help against unusual senses like Radar, Sonar, IR and UV vision; it's just good for sneaking around.

The last skill in the list is...Swinging. Like Spider-Man. Or Batman with a batarang. Neither of those seems to be a mere skill; swinging would require some sort of line to allow for the swinging. It costs 1 point for every 1" of swinging, with a starting minimum of 5 points. There has to be an attach point for the swingline, and the maximum distance is equal to the maximum height (so the swing is a standard parabola, which isn't surprising). And yes, like Missile Deflection, there is an implement required for using this skill, and no, you don't get the Focus limitation.

So, that brings us to the end of the Skills available to 1st edition Champions characters. It's a pretty thin list, to be honest, skewed heavily toward the sneaky detective characters. So, Batman. And Daredevil. And Spider-Man would have a bunch of these skills as well. But mostly Batman.

Now, we get to the first Powers. As the book states, Powers are special abilities that characters have. They can't be learned, at least not normally, but are acquired by design or accident. Alright, then. Let's see what we have. The Powers are all listed alphabetically.

First up is...Armor. Armor is fully resistant defense that adds to your existing PD and/or ED. Every 2 points you spend gives you 1 point of fully resistant defense. However, it's not for both types; you pick PD or ED for each point of defense you buy. Again, this is an addition to your normal defense, so if you have a PD of 10 and you buy 10 PD of Armor, you now have 20 PD against normal attacks, and 10 PD against killing attacks. You can, of course, buy both types, so having 10 PD/10 ED armor would cost 40 points. Armor is passive; it doesn't cost END to use it.

Next is Characteristic Defense. This is a new name for a power I'm familiar with from later editions, Power Defense. Characteristic Defense, however, is restricted to...well, characteristics. If someone drains your STR, this power lessens or eliminates the effect. Like Armor, this costs no END to use; it's another passive power. It costs 1 point to get 1 point of Defense, with a minimum of 5 points spent.

Characteristic Drain follows; this is the power that the previous one defends against. For 10 points times the characteristic multiplier, you drain 1d6 points of an opponent's characteristic. So, a 1d6 CON Drain would cost 20 points (CON costs 2 points per pip). You choose the characteristic to be Drained when you purchase the power. This power doesn't last too long; the target gets the points back once the draining character reaches their next action phase. You can lengthen this duration by one phase per 5 additional points spent. And this power has no range; you have to touch the opponent to affect them. Easier said than done, sometimes. Finally, draining a primary characteristic does not affect figured characteristics; draining 4 points of CON will not affect the target's END or STUN.

Lastly, we have Characteristic Transfer. this is similar to Drain, except that you transfer the drained characteristic points to your own characteristics. This costs 15 points per 1d6 of effect, times the cost of the characteristic, so it gets expensive in a hurry; a 1d6 DEX Transfer will cost 45 points. Note that like Characteristic Drain, you choose the affected characteristic when you initially buy the power; you can't switch it from turn to turn. This power works the same as Characteristic Drain in virtually every way, except that you get to boost your own abilities at the same time.

And that's it for another page. We're into the meat of the character creation section now: Powers. It's going to be a fun ride.

Requiem for a Friend

What can you say about the best dog ever?

Raven came to us on Hallowe'en, 2013. She was the tiniest puppy, a bundle of energy and love. My wife brought her home from a visit to the pet store; it was the last time she was allowed to enter a pet store, because every time she did, another dog found its way into our home.

She had been born on a native reserve and had not had a home prior to us bringing her into our family. We were the only family she ever knew. And she fit right in with our other dog, Harley, a Shi-tzu whose previous owner happened to be allergic to his fur. Raven and our young son Tanner immediately bonded; Garrett was still a baby, less than a year old. Neither of them can remember a time in their lives without Raven there. For that matter, my wife and I can hardly remember a time when she wasn't a part of our lives.

Being so small, my wife was convinced that Raven would make a fine lap dog like a Shi-tzu. I tried to warn her, because we knew Raven was part Lab, which meant she wasn't going to be a small dog. But she did end up a lap dog, anyway. Even at fifty pounds and more than three feet long, she was still my wife's lap dog. Oops...

As she grew, Raven never lost her incredible affection for her family. She was always there, seeking attention and 'lovins' whenever one of us had a free hand. And she never lacked for lovins. Nor did she stint in giving it back. Curled up on the bed at our feet, or laying down with the kids while they watched TV, she was an endless bundle of love. Tanner was so excited the day he got to take her out on a walk solo for the first time. It was such a beautiful bonding moment for them, one he will never forget.

When Harley finally passed, Raven was about five years old, and she spent a week pining on the back porch waiting for her friend to come back. But of course, he wasn't coming back...and she fell into a depression that lasted up until we adopted a new puppy, Dexter the beagle (he's my profile pic to the right). They hit it off incredibly well, and she was overjoyed at having a new little brother.

When we moved from Ontario to Prince Edward Island, she was the most patient dog in the world during that long drive, sitting in the back seat of my car in her kennel. When we stopped for a break or to camp for the night, she was as frisky and fun-loving as ever, but always stayed close by Tanner and I. When we got here, she immediately took to the joys of farm life and twenty acres to run around, still playing with Dexter.

But being out on the farm instead of in town brought us some new surprises. Raven learned that the family now included chickens, and the garden I was carefully tending was sacrosanct and needed to be protected. And so, she became a fierce and loyal guardian for the farm. This played out one day when we heard Dexter barking frantically in the treeline. We saw nothing at first except bushes shaking, and we heard something squealing and screeching while Raven came into view bounding around and growling and snarling. We soon realized she was actually fighting something! At first, I had the wild idea that she'd gone nuts and attacked Dexter, but he was off to the side barking and cheering her on.

A few minutes later, she came trotting toward us with something in her mouth. Something almost Dexter's size. Something with a tail. A ringed tail. Yes, she had fought and killed a raccoon, and she was returning home a triumphant warrior. She pranced right by me with her ears alert, then deposited the dead raccoon right on our front porch like a conquering hero's trophy. I was not quite ready for that display of martial prowess at that point, and our oldest boy, Ashton, had to take the trophy away and dispose of it.

Raven loved being on the farm; the freedom of being off-leash at night, able to wander around and guard the barn and the chickens every evening, letting the foxes and coyotes know that this was not hunting territory for them. She was pretty successful, although we had a couple of unfortunate incidents. But those weren't Raven's fault; she was an excellent guard dog for the farm.

It was in the last couple of months that we knew something was up; she was struggling to keep up on her walks, and soon we cut her down to half the usual distance. Her appetite wasn't very good, either. We took her to the vet, and the initial diagnosis was arthritis, which isn't uncommon in senior dogs. We got some medication to help control it, but it didn't help very much. Finally, a couple of days ago, she simply stopped eating. I couldn't even give her a treat or wet food, which she would normally gulp down with gusto.

Yesterday, August 23rd, she got to see Dexter once again; he lives with our older son now. They came over for a visit to help us with some plumbing issues (he's much handier than I am), and Dexter came along. Then in the evening, as I was getting ready to go to bed after a long and exhausting week of baking for our business, I got a mental nudge to go downstairs and see where Raven was and what she was doing.

She was on the dining room floor by my wife's chair, where she often lay whether my wife was sitting there or not. But now, she wasn't moving. Her breathing was labored, and she didn't even lift her head when I called her. An arrow hit me right in the stomach, and I went upstairs and told Tanner he needed to come down right away. He did so, and started petting her and hugging her head. We both knew somehow that this was the end. When her bladder released and she peed all over the floor, I went up and called my wife and Garrett down as well; they needed to be there for this. Holly, our new chocolate lab, came as well. Together, we petted our beloved puppy-girl and told her how much we loved her until at last, she left us. Surrounded by her family, she knew it was okay to go.

Tanner is still heartbroken, of course. I came up the stairs tonight and looked at the spot in my office where she always lay by my chair when everyone else was getting to bed. She'll never lay there again. I told my wife that I'd have to return to the hospital for surgery, because there is a Raven-sized hole in my heart now.

She didn't appreciate that attempt at humor. I'll have to do better.

This afternoon, Tanner and I brought her to the crematorium; Tanner picked out her urn, because he wants her on a shelf in his room. We shared some memories and photos with Gaylene, the woman who handles the cremation business. Tanner carried her in by himself, all 62 pounds of her, wrapped in the blanket she always lay on in my office, which is mixed in with her ashes now.

Tomorrow, I'll go pick her up along with some mementos for Tanner: a paw print, a nose print, and some of her fur. Why he wants that I don't know, since she left a lot of fur all over the house; she would shed like she was always stuck in a windstorm. But he'll always have those pieces to remember her by, and he wants to get a tattoo of her pawprint. I've never approved of tattoos, and my wife hasn't either. But she's willing to make this exception for him, and I don't see how I can say 'no'.

For such a long time I would scratch her behind the ears and tell her 'you're such a good girl'. But the truth is, she wasn't a good girl; she was the very best girl. We will have other dogs (my wife thinks otherwise, but I know better; I just have to take her to a pet store and that will be that), and we will love and cherish them. But none of them will ever mean the same to us as Raven did. She was our Puppy-Girl, and she was the best dog ever.

Goodbye, Puppy-Girl. We'll see you again someday. I expect your spirit to knock me off my feet when we do. Because your love was always even bigger than you were.

Farewell, Puppy-Girl...

Raven Sprigg, 8/31/2013 - 8/23/2025

The best dog ever. We will miss her so, so much.

Let's Read Champions 1e (page 11)

Okay, we've got more skills. Three of these ended up as powers in later editions, but for now they are just plain skills. Let's dive right in.

First up is Lack of Weakness. This, as I mentioned, was made into a power later on. It's a counter for Find Weakness, of course. It costs 5 points as a base, which subtracts 5 points from the enemy's Find Weakness roll. Every additional point spent on this skill further reduces the enemy's roll by one point.

Next is...Luck. I'm not sure how this would have qualified as a skill, which is why it ended up not being a skill later on as well. You can buy up to three levels of Luck for 5 points apiece. The higher your Luck, the more lucky you'll be with some pretty ridiculous results at times. Basically, when you're in deep doo-doo, you make a Luck roll, which is 1d6 for each level of Luck you have. Every 6 you roll counts as one level of Luck. At Level 1, you might get a clue, or your opponent might be distracted somehow, giving you a quick advantage. At Level 2, you get into coincidences like running into the person you really needed to find, or your opponent's weapon malfunctions. At Level 3, it's the ridiculous results. You're falling to your death, but there happens to be a huge pile of mattresses at the bottom that save you. That sort of thing.

The next skill is Martial Arts. This is very generic; you get access to the Martial Attacks on the Combat Maneuvers Table (which we'll get to later on), which are more effective than normal attacks. There's no distinct style such as Kung Fu or Karate; you're just a martial artist. You pay your Strength value in points; if you have a 10 STR, you pay 10 points. 20 STR, 20 points, etc. You can also pay an additional cost of half your STR total to get a damage multiple of +1/2 to your attacks. The minimum cost is 10 points, so weak characters are still going to pay full price.

The last of the 'skills that should be powers' is Missile Deflection. You can deflect a ranged attack as a DEX roll (9 + DEX/5) at a cost of 10 points. It costs 3 additional points to add 1 point to your Missile Deflection roll target. The only attacks that can't be deflected are mental attacks, No Normal Defense attacks, and attacks you can't anticipate. It takes a half-move action to deflect an attack. If the incoming missile is heavy (half or more of your STR weight limit), you can't deflect it. If it's not your turn to act, you can Abort your next action to attempt the missile deflection; this just means you miss your next phase action. Once you're using this skill, you can keep doing it no matter how many incoming attacks there are, until your next phase. However, the more you try to deflect, the harder it gets (-2 cumulative penalty for every missile deflection attempt after the first one). Normally, you have to have some sort of item (a shield, a billy club, etc.) to use this skill, although you don't get a Focus limitation on it.

Next is Security Systems. This is your ability to get past locks and alarms. It's an INT roll, costing 5 points for the skill and 2 points per additional point to the roll. This skill covers both electronic and mechanical security devices, so it's very versatile.

Finally, we have Skill Levels. This is a bonus that you can buy to various skills, powers, or attacks, making you more adept at using them. There are different types: Specific (costing 3 points and affecting a single attacks, power or skill), General (5 points, one class of powers, skills, or attacks), and Overall (10 points, affecting any power, skill, attack, or action you take). You have to apply the level to whatever action you are taking, and it is locked in until your next phase. So, if you use your 10-pt level to increase your Energy Blast attack roll, you can't switch it to your Missile Deflection until your next phase.

And that's it for this page. We're nearly done with the skills, and then we'll start into the powers.

Let's Read Champions 1e (page 10)

Okay, so we're back with another page of the 1st edition Champions rulebook. We'll cover the character sheet, and start on the skills available for characters in the game. The Champions character sheet has always been one of the best in any RPG; it covers everything and leaves room to add more if and when it comes along. All the formulas needed to calculate figured characteristics are included, as well as all the combat stats needed to keep your character going in a fight. The best part of the sheet is the outline, which gives the player a chance to visually represent their character right on the sheet. There are eight different sheets, all identical except for the character outlines.

Next up, let's talk about skills. Skills are defined here as 'abilities that characters can learn.' Skill rolls are made by rolling 3d6 and trying to get lower than your skill score. Most rolls in the game are the same way: Roll low. Consistency is a good thing, especially for an early-80s RPG. There's a note that any modifiers to a roll affect the target number, not the roll itself. And skills can't be included in a Multipower or Elemental Control, neither of which have as of yet been defined.

So, the first skill on the list is Acrobatics. A classic of the genre; heroes from Batman to Spider-Man to Daredevil to...well, it's a very, very common skill nowadays. It costs 10 points to acquire this skill at a DEX roll level, and you can boost your skill score by 1 point for every 2 points you spend. Successful Acrobatics means your DCV is increased by 2. That's certainly handy.

Next up is Climbing. Another Spidey special. Although the skill requires handholds; you're not climbing up a glass skyscraper with this skill unless you've got some hardcore climbing gear. Still, this skill only costs 5 points to get started at a DEX-roll level, and 2 points gets you an additional +1.

Computer Programming is next, and it costs a mere 5 points to get it. But in 1981, computer programming was a lot different than it is now. No internet, for starters, unless you were working in certain government agencies or on campus somewhere. Tech was really primitive; I remember when having 64K of RAM was considered high-tech. Nowadays, anything under 64GB is considered obsolete. This one is an INT roll, obviously, and it's 2 points to gain an additional point.

Detective Work...well, that covers a lot of ground, doesn't it? This skill list isn't going to be nearly as large as it is in later editions, but it looks like we're getting the basics. So far, all of these skills would have been handy for a Batman-style vigilante. For this one, it's pretty generic and widespread. 5 points for the base skill, +2 points per additional point.

Disguise, another INT skill, is next. I would think PRE would be more useful here, but I didn't make the rules. It's a pretty effective skill, though, requiring Perception checks at -5 to penetrate the character's disguise. Of course, if they do penetrate it, the character might be in trouble.

Finally, for this page, we have Find Weakness. I remember this one being in the Powers section at one point, but I could be mistaken. Anyway, this one costs 10 points and doesn't have a base characteristic attached to it, so it's a straight 11- roll. And unlike the other skills, it costs 5 points to bump your roll up a single point. Yikes. Of course, it's that expensive because it's a hell of a useful ability to have. A successful roll halves your opponent's defenses, and you can make successive rolls. As long as you keep succeeding, that is; once you fail a roll, that's it, you can't find any further weaknesses on this opponent. And the more rolls you try, the harder it is to succeed; every roll after the first one takes a cumulative -2 penalty to each roll. Note that this skill is restricted to one particular attack form; you can't just Find Weakness in general and have all your attacks striking half your opponent's defenses. You have to tie it to one of your particular attacks, such as punching, or firing your energy blast. Finally, Find Weakness doesn't carry over; once the battle is over, so is the Find Weakness effect. Next time you fight that villain, you'll have to start Finding Weakness earlier. Oh, and the roll is modified by your range from the target, too; -1 for every 3" of distance.

And that covers this page. Six skills so far, all of them useful (and all of them suitable for Batman). We'll continue with this next time.

Prayers Answered

So, after a trip to the vet and some fairly pricey medicine, our puppy-girl is doing better. She's got arthritis, which isn't curable but is manageable. We figured out to get her to eat her food to take the medicine (canned dog food is the key), so she's walking better without so much limping. She's still not chasing raccoons and chickens, but at least she's not whimpering in pain with every step. I don't know how long the medicine will be effective, but I'll take whatever we get. As I said last time, we aren't ready to say good-bye just yet.

So, for those who did keep Raven in your prayers, thank you, and God bless.

Let's Read: Champions 1e (page 9)

Page 9 is the last page covering characteristics. Specifically, it covers Strength and how it works in the game with regards to lifting, jumping and throwing. There is a Strength Chart that runs from -20 to 100 STR, in increments of 5 points. It's very useful to see what that Strength score actually means in the game. The lifting capacity goes up very quickly; as mentioned earlier, 5 points of STR doubles your lifting capacity. So, a STR of 10 means you can lift another human (100 kg), but that's about all you can do with them; you can't toss them or long jump with them on your back. At 15 STR, you can lift twice that amount, or 100 kg. 20 STR is 200 kg, and the example of a motorcycle is given. At 45 STR, you can lift an F-15 over your head (jet fighter). The chart tops out at 100 STR, which means you can life a 25 kiloton battle cruiser. That will impress the ladies.

The Chart also gives damage done for punching, or the additional amount of damage done by hand-to-hand (not ranged) killing attacks. The normal damage is 1d6 per 5 points of STR, so a 50 STR brick does 10d6 points of damage when he punches someone. A 20 STR character with a sword does an additional 1d6 points of killing damage on top of what the weapon itself does. That can get pretty nasty at higher strengths. Finally, there's the jumping distance (broad jump, not high jump). It's 1" per 5 points of STR, so a 70 STR character can broad jump 14", or 28 meters. Hulk can do that in his sleep.

While the chart only extends to 100 STR, you can go further using the different formulas for lifting, damage, jumping, and killing damage. The lifting formula is the only complicated one, where your lifting capacity is 25 kg x 2(STR/5). So divide your Strength score by 5, double that result, and multiply it by 25 to figure out how many kg you can lift. I would presume there is no rounding here, so a STR of 12 would mean the calculation is 25 kg x 2(12/5), or 25 x 2(2.4), or 25 x 4.8, which works out to 120 kg. A STR of 18 would be 25 x 2(18/5), or 25 x 2(3.6), or 25 x 7.2, which is 180 kg. And...that formula doesn't fit with the numbers on the Strength Chart.

And now I see why the typesetting looks the way it does. I initially thought it was a printing error, but no, the (STR/5) is actually...an exponent. That's right, we're doing serious MATH here, people. Let's try that again. So, a STR of 12 would be 25 kg x 2^(12/5), or 25 x 2^2.4, which works out to 132 kg. 18 STR is 25 x 2^3.6, or 303 kg. Okay, those numbers make more sense. And no, I did not work those numbers out in my head; calculators are still your friend.

As far as I know, this is the most complicated math in the entire system, and I've played it through 5th edition.

Damage is 1d6 per 5 STR points; Jumping is 1" per 5 STR points; and killing damage is +1d6 per 20 points. That will be modified in later editions, but for now it's an easy calculation that makes up for the exponential lifting capacity formula.

Next up is Throwing Distance, so again a Strength thing. Some objects are balanced for throwing; some are not. Balanced objects can be thrown much further (five times as far) than unbalanced objects. To figure out how far you can throw something, simply figure the minimum strength needed to lift the object (the examples in the Strength Chart will be helpful here) and subtract that from your STR score. Once you have that number, consult the Throwing Distance chart to figure out just how far you can throw it.

Now, this does lead to a slight issue that has been known about for a long, long time in the Champions system: the baby quarterback. Babies have an effective STR of 0. The example object for -20 STR on the Strength Chart is a football. Subtracting -20 from 0 gives a result of 20. Looking at the Throwing Distance Chart, that means a baby can pick up a football (balanced object) and chuck it 40", or 80 meters. That's 87 yards to you Americans. Heck, that baby can toss a shotput (-10 STR) half the distance he can throw the football. So needless to say, there's a wee bit of an issue with the Strength calculations, but we'll leave those alone for now.

The basic calculation for throwing distance is simple enough; 2" per point of Strength for a balanced object (anything from a ball to a girder to a manhole cover), and 2" for every 5 points of STR differential for unbalanced objects (like a car or a grumpy supervillain). If you're throwing the object straight up, the distance is halved.

And now we have a brief section on rounding numbers, which is very handy in a game that uses fractions and stuff. The rounding rules are simple enough; round to the nearest whole number. So a CON of 22 means your ED = 22/5 = 4.4, which rounds down to 4. For a 23 CON, the calculation becomes 23/5 = 4.6, which rounds to 5. So for two power points, you gain an additional point of Energy Defense, which isn't a terrible deal. The one exception to rounding is, as mentioned before, the SPD figured characteristic, which never rounds up; fractions are always retained.

Lastly on this page, there is a note about the eight character sheets in the center of the book that can be photocopied by players (permission is explicitly given). Ah, the good old days before you just printed off the page from a PDF. We had it so rough back then...

And that does it for page 9 of 1st Edition Champions. Next up...skills!

Let's Read: Champions 1e (page 8)

Alright, we're looking at how figured characteristics are actually figured, and what each of the characteristics actually does in the game. This is a pretty busy page, so let's jump right in.

The figured characteristics, as mentioned last time, are Physical Defense, Energy Defense, Speed, Recovery, Endurance, and Stun Pips. Three of them are figured from Strength (PD, REC, STUN), four from Constitution (ED, REC, END, STUN), and just one from Dexterity (SPD) and Body (STUN). So these are pretty important characteristics to have good scores in.

Physical Defense is Strength divided by 5; Energy Defense is Con/5. Recovery is those two numbers combined. Endurance is just double the CON score. STUN is your BODY plus half your STR and half your CON. Finally, your Speed is 1 plus your DEX divided by 10. There's no indication yet about rounding partial numbers, though.

So, once the figured characteristics are figured, you can still add to them by spending more Power Points. If you want, you can even reduce some characteristics below the base of 10 to gain back points. So a dumb character with an INT of 6 would get 4 Power Points to spend on something else. You can reduce any or all of your primary characteristics, but only one figured characteristic. There's no specific reason given for this restriction, so use your imagination.

Okay, so now it's the individual characteristics themselves. We start with the primary ones, in listed order, and I'll include examples of characters that would be examples of each characteristic. Strength is first, and most people can figure out what Strength is used for. It determines your damage done in hand-to-hand combat, as well as how much you can carry, lift or throw. Five additional points of STR basically doubles your carrying capacity, and it's a cheap 1 Power Point per point of Strength. There are a lot of bricks in comics, from Superman to the Thing.

Dexterity represents coordination and agility. Your Combat Value (OCV and DCV) is based on your Dex. Some of your skills are also based on this characteristic, and it's an expensive one: 3 Power Points per point. Dex is the most expensive primary characteristic, which shows how important it is in the game. Spider-Man is the obvious example here.

Constitution is your overall health. It keeps you from being stunned, and adds to four of your figured characteristics. It's 2 Power Points to boost your Con. The Juggernaut is a great example of a high CON.

Body Pips is effectively your 'hit points'. Lose all your BODY points, and you're dead. Same cost as Con. Wonder Man would be a guy with a very high BODY score.

Intelligence is brain power, but not mentalist-type brain power. Reed Richards brainpower, not Professor X. It adds to some skills and your Perception rolls, and costs 1 point per point.

Ego is the Professor X type of brainpower. Strength of will, that sort of thing. It determines your base Ego Combat Value (ECV) for mental combat. 2 points per point.

Presence is your charisma. Presence actually does have a combat use, so it's important to not skimp out on it, and it's cheap at only a single point per point. Captain America is loaded with Presence.

Comeliness is your looks. 1 Power Point gets you 2 points of COM. Wonder Woman comes to mind, as do dozens of other heroes and heroines.

Alright, it's now on to the figured characteristics, starting with Physical Defense. You subtract your PD from both the STUN and BODY from normal (not killing) attacks of a physical nature, by which I mean physical impacts such as punches. As mentioned above, it's 1/5 of your Strength score, and costs 1 point to boost it by a point. I mean, most of the people who qualify as bricks would have a very high PD score, so pick one. I'll go with the Rhino, one of Spidey's villains. Quite a tough guy to hurt.

Energy Defense is your toughness against energy attacks such as fire, intense cold, or lightning. It's the same as PD except it uses CON as the base. Human Torch would have a very good ED.

Speed is just how many actions you can take in a 12-second turn. There's note here that Speed is the only value in the game that does not round off in favor of the character. Which means that all the rest of them do. So, if you have a STR of 28, your PD would be 28/5=5.6, which rounds up to 6. But Speed doesn't work like that. It's your Dex divided by 10, plus one more. So the base character (10 DEX) has a base SPD of 2. If your DEX is 18, your SPD becomes 2.8, which rounds down to 2. If you want to bump it up to 3, it will cost you 1 point per 1/10th of a Speed point. In this case, it would be a cost of 2 points to get you to SPD 3. If you want to bump it up further to 4, it costs an additional 10 points, for a total of 12. Flash would have a high SPD score.

Recovery is how fast you come back from being knocked out or exhausted. The base is your STR/5 plus your CON/5, and it costs 2 points per point of REC. Wolverine is the obvious example.

Endurance is how much energy you have to do things like fight or fly or blast people with your megabeam. It's double your CON, and it costs 1/2 a point to boost it by 1 point, or 1 point for 2 pips of END. Hulk has almost limitless END.

Finally, there's Stun Pips, which is your 'knockout hit points'. If your STUN is zero, you're out cold, but you're not in danger of dying. It's calculated, as mentioned above, as BODY + 1/2 STR + 1/2 CON, and it costs 1 point to bump it up 1 more point. There are more examples than I can count that would have a high STUN score. Again, it's a common thing with bricks.

So, that's it for the characteristics, or at least their basic descriptions. We'll get some more information on what your STR score is good for in the next installment. See you then.

In the meantime, if you're interested in the history of 3rd edition D&D, check out my 25 Years Ago... blog which is taking us through the publication of 3rd edition and its many, many add-ons. It's a lot of fun to go through this stuff, so come have a look-see.

Let's Read: Champions 1st Edition (page 7)

Hello again, and welcome to the next episode of this Let's Read. Today we'll be covering the topic of Character Conception, as well as learning what the basic character is like in a Champions game. Sounds like fun? Well, too bad; we're doing it anyway.

Since Champions is a point-buy system with no random element in character creation, Character Conception is vital to making a workable character. There are three suggested starting points for a character concept: Abilities, Name, and Costume. All three are briefly described as follows: For Abilities, the player may have an idea of what kinds of powers and skills he wants the character to have, like super-strength or powerful energy bolts. If your starting point is a Name, then that name might suggest certain powers and abilities (two examples are given: Ogre, with super-strength, and Starburst, who uses energy blasts). Finally, the Costume outline on the character sheet can be inspiring for artistically-minded players, who might doodle out a costume that suggests something about the character, such as a shield or gun.

The best character concepts are the ones in which the character's powers, skills, characteristics, limitations, and disadvantages all fit together in a logical way to give a well-rounded character. But there are other factors that need to be considered when putting together a 'well-rounded' character.

For example, how will your character get from place to place? Can you fly? Run fast? Teleport? Catch a cab? That last one would be rather embarrassing, wouldn't it? Make sure your character has a way to get around that fits the concept. Maybe you've got boot-jets on your powered armor. Maybe you have wings. There are plenty of options for movement in the game, so make sure you have that covered.

Next, you need to have a way to actually stop a villain. Few of them will surrender just because a super-hero shows up. So, offensive capability needs to be considered. There are lots of options for attack powers in the game: Energy blasts, killing attacks, mental attacks, punching, martial arts, etc. A superhero who can't fight is just a clown in a costume.

Defense is also important; as the text puts it, it's embarrassing to show up to the scene, blast the villain with a 20-dice attack, then get taken out by a child throwing a small rock. Again, there are many options for defense, such as a high DCV, high defenses, force fields, etc.

The final consideration is Flavor. I like that this is here; it's an important part of superhero gaming and comics in general. How does your character stand out in the crowd? Do you have a secret power that you bust out in emergencies? Do you have a special advantage on your energy blast that sets it apart from everyone else's? How about the special effect of your power? What does it look like? An energy blast that shoots off harmless sparks as a side effect is cool, and makes you look different.

I lied; there's one more consideration: Your character's Origin. There are some suggestions here that cover the main archetypes (alien, exposed to radiation of some sort, training, gadgetry, magic, etc.). It also suggests the possibility of tying in the origin with a supervillain, thus giving them a reason to Hunt you, or during some sort of accident that caused psychological trauma. Origins can be useful not only to define the character, but also give the GM ideas for scenarios involving the character's past. Every loves a good origin story, after all.

What about a character's secret identity? Does he even have one? Most heroes do, but not all; the Fantastic Four are an example of a team without Secret Identities. How does the character's secret (or public) identity affect them when they aren't in costume? What does your character do in his off-time? More things to consider to make a character as well-rounded as possible, and to help the GM fit them into the setting of the game.

So, this is a very useful section, especially for players who are new to the genre. Mobility, offense and defense need to be paramount in a player's mind to make his character useful in the game; you don't want to end up playing a character who is basically a supporting cast member. So, there's lots to consider for players when building a character. Think it over.

Alright, to finish off the page we will now be introduced to the Basic Character. This is simply the baseline characteristics for each and every character. All the primary characteristics (of which there are eight) have a base value of 10. Each characteristic has a point cost from 1 pt. for Strength to 3 points for Dexterity. To increase a primary characteristic, just pay the cost in power points to get the number you want. The eight characteristics are Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Body Pips, Intelligence, Ego, Presence, and Comeliness. Note that this is four years before D&D introduced Comeliness as a stat in Unearthed Arcana in 1985. And in Champions, Comeliness only costs half a point per pip, so to get a Comeliness of 20 would cost 5 points.

Next are the figured characteristics. These are based on the primary characteristics, so they are initially set based on the values of certain primary characteristics. They are Physical Defense, Energy Defense, Speed, Recovery, Endurance Pips, and Stun Pips. PD, ED and SPD in the basic character all start at a value of 2; REC starts at 4, END and STUN start at 20. Again, they are modified based on the different primary characteristics, and can be further added with the expenditure of Power Points. Endurance, like Comeliness, costs 1/2 a point to improve by one Pip. Speed costs 10 points per Pip. Speed is expensive in this game.

So, we don't yet know how the figured characteristics are derived from the primary ones, but that will be on the next page. And we will get to that as soon as possible. Until then, stay hydrated and enjoy your day.

If you're interested in another project that I'm working on, I've got an in-depth retrospective look at 3rd edition, which was originally released exactly 25 years ago on August 10th, 2000. You can look at what I'm doing at 25 Years Ago... and follow along as I take a look at a game I never got into until years later.