Random rules Questions

Instead of just posting one for each one, I am making a general forum. I can collect these and post it somewhere. 

My question is 

At the end of the round, can the last person pick them self for the Next round?  
If so this can Apply to Environment and villains.

Edit: Made a rough FAQ sheet. Going to work on it as we go along. PM me if anything needs to change.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wu9eYQW7drgNyDQrLYpoie8Pigfn1bNSCi2GOI8apSs/edit?usp=sharing

Game guide says no, one can't pick themself to start the next round if they were the last to go.

In the Gameplay Guide it says in the Player rules that a player can't take two turns in a row, then warns in the GM rules that the NPCs and threats can go twice (as a way to get the GM to encourage the heroes to mix up their initiatives a bit).

I'm assuming that intended behavior is.

All Players (in order of their choice, but only once) -> Environment/Villains -> repeat, but GM selects who starts the round. 

Or, possibly, a player could skip other players' turns if they wanted and just give it back to the GM.

The intention of this really didn't read that clear to me the first time through. Otherwise, it sounds like since the player decides who goes next, and players could just hog turns without giving it back to the environment. Or give a single player multiple turns if they forget who's gone in the round.

Ok can you tell me where. I was under the last person can't take first, but my players are taking it as such. 

They are fighting me over it.

Hand Off Actions To The Next Character, first full paragraph of page 10 in the Game Guide says "If you go last in the round, you're free to choose anyone to kick off the next round! Except yourself-you can't pick yourself to go again, since that would give you two turns in a row."

Edit: Spelling and crappy keyboard typo fixes.

Thanks I knew I read it but couldn't find it.

I Maybe I should use the Index more.

No prob, Bob.

I've been pouring over it the last few hours, so I'm all wired in.

Does Legacy heal himself with motivational charge?

Hmmmmm...It specifically says his allies, so if you're following the booklet's to the letter than no.

BUT in the card game MC heals Legs too, so I'd think it  would be okay since the heal is from his Min dice, and therefore not too much depending on the roll.

I'd say talk with your group on this one. Especially if your group finds theselves really getting crushed by enemies.

I don't have the set yet, but my understanding is that, while a specific enemy/group can't pick itself, you could have Hero 1 -> Hero 2 -> Hero 3 -> Minion Group -> Villain -> Minion Group -> Villain -> Heroes

Basically, yeah. To quote the relevant bits:

"[If all the heroes go first] This can be a very painful experience for heroes as you can possibly play all your NPCs and threats, reach the end of the round, and pick them again at the start of the next one."

This is correct. (So generally you want to instead do something like Hero 1 > Minions > Hero 2 > Villains > Hero 3 > (new turn) Hero 1 so the GM can't clump all their different threats in a row. 

@MindWanderer & @Jeysie

You are absolutely right! Generally when starting a scene, I have some NPCs act first, or let a specific Hero start, depending on what makes the most narrative sense. Then, each player gets to choose who follows them, as long as they haven't already gone in the round. Once every single PC and NPC has gone in one round, the last player gets to choose which PC or NPC begins the next round.

When running demos, players will generally have all of the heroes go and forget to give initiative to the NPCs. I then use this as a teaching moment; after all of the NPCs go once, (say, Minion Group 1 -> Lieutenant), I then explain that I could begin the next round by going "Minion Group 1 -> Lieutenant" again. They immediately see how terrible that would be. I then pass initiative to a hero instead, and let them know that next time I won't be so nice. After that illustration, all of the groups I've ever demod for have immediately grasped the strategy of deciding when to pass things off to the NPCs for the round.

You always want to track who has and has not gone in a round. I use these: Turn Tracker Initiative Cards - Amazing Rando Design | DriveThruCards.com

but in the past I've also just pulled the cover cards from SotM for the heroes and flip those over once that hero has gone. 

It says "all nearby allies" which implies to me that he does not heal himself, otherwise it would probably read "all nearby heroes and allies".

I hate threads like this. What if I have the same questionas you? I can't tell what you are asking by the thread title. But if I know what it is asking then I can read it and not waste everybody's time by posting the same question.

For turn order, I have been doing all the villains take all their actions in one turn; minion, lieutenant, bosses.  Did not realize that each One gets's its own turn.

Would there be a problem keeping at the "bad" NPCs as one turn?  I have been doing it for simplicity sake.
Now I have to unteach my self and other this things. 

I hear you Matchstickman, Going to make an FAQ later on today.

As for turn order, I draw a rectangle and divide it by h+2 times. I use a piece that represents each person, hero, and environment (Different color d20 for my case). Then I place each maker on the track to show who has gone (those inside the rectangle) and those who haven't (those not in the retangle)

I dunno if it's a problem so much as it limits strategy and variety.

My own main eyebrow raise is over the scene trackers. Maybe it's just because I'm used to groups that are far better at roleplaying than strategizing, but I often can't possibly see how you could do everything necessary within the round limit.

No more difficult that going through the eventual pages upon pages of thread names, looking for the one you want.

Yes it is. You can search and see the thread titles. With this approach, you have to go through each page.

GTG forum expectation is that each topic have its own thread. (We went through this early in the SotM days, too.

Doesn't the search also go through the posts too, not just the thread titles? So either way, wouldn't it make no difference?

Quick question. Would spider-bot minions spawned by a spider mothership act during the round they were introduced? Or would they have to wait until the next round, the same as minions spawned by the environment?

I don't have the book on me, but I want to say the can't act on their next turn. Not 100% sure, though.

They join the Roaming Spider-Bots minion group and act when they act. (If the heroes have wiped them out previously, then yes, as a newly created minion group they have to wait until next round to be introduced to act.)

And that goes for any kind of minion, I'm guessing? Like if Wraith and AZ are fighting a group of thugs in an alley, and 2 more come around to join in, theu act with the others the next time the group acts?

I played a game with you where you did that!

When I've run the game, I've used the Tactics minis for each PC, and having the players lay them down once their turn has ben taken. At the end/start of the round, all players stand their minis back up, so it's a very visible "round" marker. I also use half-index cards for my minion groups/villain/scene, and just rotate them when they've taken their turn, so players can tell who they're allowed to pass the turn to in my cache of turn takers.
I also have a fondness for this popsicle stick that I've written "TURN" on that players pass to give heads-up to the next person they think might go next. I'm all about letting players hold and pass physical things to keep attention.

Generally, if something already has a spot in the Action Order, something new adding to it will let them act. If something adds a new group, it can't act until the next round in the Action Order. (Though the GM can still introduce surprises on the heroes by not showing all the minion groups until applicable during the first round in the Action Order.)

I just picked up the Starter Kit, I haven't had the fortune to play in any of the demos, and I haven't played Sentinels Tactics, so I apologize in advance if my questions seem obtuse.

I'm trying to wrap my head around the mechanics of the dice rolls, especially involving Attack.

If I'm reading it right, heroes and NPCs automatically hit on their Attack roll; the Mid dice is used to determine the amount of damage. Minions and Lieutentants roll a save to absorb the damage, but heroes and villains have to just suck it up, unless they accept a minor twist to Defend as a reaction, or have an Intrinsic ability that reduces the damage. All the PCs are "squishy" and battles become a matter of attrition, struggling to achieve your objective before you inevitably succumb to inescapable damage.

So am !? Reading it right, that is?

Also, Defend is an action that you can use to decrease the amount of inevitable damage you or a chosen target will take. But you can only use Defend as a Reaction for your own sake. That means that the classic trope of leaping in the path of an attack on a teammate (or innocent bystander) at the last minute to save them is not available. Was that intentional?

Leaping in to take the hit for someone else at the last second (as a reaction instead of a normal action) sounds like a risky action (see page eight of the gameplay guide) and should be allowed (plus it makes for a great story). The GM (and/or the player) would determine the additional cost of the risky action.

You have the Attack action right, but not Defend. Defend is a proactive normal action that reduces the amount of damage taken before your next action. You can choose yourself or someone else to Defend (at the time you take the action).

You can also “hit the deck” as a Reaction to Defend yourself only, but doing so inflicts a Minor Twist–it’s effectively already a Risky Action. I’d personally rule that extending that to use “hit the deck” on an ally should be used sparingly, if at all, would require a vivid description, and would incur a Major Twist instead of a minor one, but that’s just me.

But that's what I mean, Defend is a proactive action, i.e. you choose it before an attack takes place. The concept I'm thinking of is the classic scene in movies and books where the hero leaps in to intercept the attack at the last minute as he becomes aware of it. The Defend action implies the character is standing ready, waiting for an attack to come in, like a goalie guarding the net.

A risky action is still a basic action, i.e. it takes place on your turn, so that approach doesn't fit the concept either.

I suppose extending Hit the Deck to apply to an ally by requiring a Major Twist could be a feasible solution; I could see having the intercepting hero taking their Max die in damage for their heroism.

I don't know, the whole thing comes across as more of a gamist approach to the genre, as opposed to simulationist.

Oh, I misread your explanation. Two minor corrections on your last, though. First, taking your max die as damage is a minor twist; max+mid counts as major. Second, Reactions only use one die–this was a rule they forgot to actually put in the booklet, but Dave of Critical Hits mentioned it on Reddit, and will be in the real rulebook–so there are no max/mid/min dice when you Hit the Deck.

Really? Because the example they have with Legacy vs. the T-Rex has him taking his Min dice in damage from a minor Twist.

Second, Reactions only use one die–this was a rule they forgot to actually put in the booklet, but Dave of Critical Hits mentioned it on Reddit, and will be in the real rulebook–so there are no max/mid/min dice when you Hit the Deck.

Well, as I mentioned before, the Starter Kit is my first exposure to the game, so I wouldn't be aware of stuff like that. Thanks, that clarification just reinforces my statement that, as an action, it doesn't cover the not-unusual situation I described.

I had wondered about that too, but I saw somewhere on here that that example is a mistake they missed.

There are some heroes that abilities to jump in the way of others (Legacy, AZ), so making it a free action undercuts the ones who identity is self-sacrifice. 

I would be Ok making a risky action if they can convince me. I usually repeat back to them what they said and say that idea is now part of their character (I encourage more RP reasons than just taking x damage). To keep people consistent.

The biggest idea to overcome for my players have been the everyone hits. We had many D&D and video games were dodging and missing. I can tell it is aright. GMs should be causing drama, not to KO (Knock out not kill remember) members. Gms can Hinder, boost, advance their plot. They do not have to do damage every turn.If there are too many minions for some reason, let then threaten the populous, destroy things. The end of the scene can address the injured(keeping it PG here), the property damage, Public image(the biggest issue in my opinion).

The example isn't ideal for sure and we'll work to clear it up. However, note that the Max die damage is just a suggestion, and not a rule. As a GM you should use whichever die or amount of damage you think is appropriate to the scene and the situation. Max die is the baseline, mostly to make sure it feels like a real twist, and not, for example, an easy way to take twists all the time to get into the zone you want.

As other people noted, there are specific abilities for characters who regularly throw themselves in the way to protect other heroes. 

Additionally, I think a risky action (comes with a minor twist) would be fine to take the damage for someone else as a Reaction, and just not reduce the amount of damage a real Defend action would be, or a Major Twist to take the damage for someone else and reduce it like a Defend action. 

Risky Actions can be thought of like other games do Stunts or other on-the-fly moves, just instead of there being a penalty to your die roll or whatever you take a Minor Twist because it's not something you're doing regularly (which is what an Ability is.) 

I just ran my first game & found that, at least for the pre-made games, the Sentinels Tactics hexs worked Perfectly to track who had gone in a round. I have the player characters & minions lined up, flip the incaped & at teh end of the round flip my initative marker so i know that in round 2/4/6 etc the people on their incapped sides are the ones that haven't gone yet.

Questions on what die types translate to.

Bunker has a Strength d8 in Operations Mode and d10 in Utility Mode. Similarly, Legacy has a d10 Strength. While not wanting to get into Official Handbook of the Schmarvel Schmuniverse levels of detail, what does that mean? In the Marvel Heroic RPG, it was something like "Berserk Hulk = d12, Thor = d10, Spider-Man = d8, Captain America = d6." Is that the ballpark? 

Similarly, Legacy flies at d8 and Tachyon runs at d10. Tachyon has Ridiculous Comic Book Super Speed, which is its own thing. Is a d8 somewhere in the "fast as a fighter jet" ballpark? 

It's similar to Marvel Heroic. For Powers:

• d4: Ordinary
• d6: Above average
• d8: Human peak
• d10: Superhuman
• d12: Godlike

Yeah that’s one question I had: why is Tachyon’s speed NOT a d12?

@McBehrer: And interestingly Tachyon's Science is a d12.

Though I can come up with a guess that it's because the RPG timeline comes after her body's been wrecked, so she's operating at less than full capacity regards her speed. But her science is still tip-top because her mind can still process at its original speed.

From  Dave's description I would say the d10 represents mach like speeds which is where Tachyon is, d12 would be speeds approaching c which would be the next level

Yeah, Tachyon's speed is not as OP as some Schmarvel and SchmeeC schmeedsters.

Progeny.

Tachyon pushed herself beyond her limits and is still injured in this timeline, I can see her not being a d12 because of this.

That was my idea too. I mean, before Progeny & OblivAeon we see her pull a Schmarry Schmallan & circle the globe a few times in a frame on Pushing the Limits. To do that requires, unless high school physics is failing me, a not insignificant fraction of C. That's got to be d12 speed. If not straight up 30 speed. On the other hand Christopher said that her injuries had long term effects on her speeds. Keeping herself from reijuring herself by moving too fast makes sense to keep her from maxing her speed.

And interestingly, I had her speed at d12 in earlier versions but when Christopher made the F5 for the Starter Kit her speed became d10. So now you all know as much as I do 

I just spent most of my day trying to figure out how fast Tachyon would have to run to create the image we see in Pushing the Limits.  I'm not going to go into detail here, but if you've got questions about how I got it, I'll gladly answer them.  Based on my analysis, Tachyon would need to be running at 28.6c.  That's 28.6 times the speed of light-obviously impossible outside of comics (except possibly by the particles that are Tachyon's namesake).  I'd say that puts her at d12 speed, but of course this was her pushing her limits and before she was injured, so I understand downgrading her to a d10.

Listening to the letters page again , PTL is set before the progeny event when Tachyon was a Mary Sue type .They also say mach is where she is safe using her powers not an absolute upper limit. So I would agree that a d10 is a downgrade from PTL but is explained by the progeny event.

I believe that reason her speed is d10 is that at this moment her scientific knowledge is more important than her speed. It been hinted that is she does too fast she will harm herself again.

Also, there is a balance Issue. Have too many d12 makes for boring stories. While I like AZ, the number of rolls I have seen AZ characters do that were not cold I can be counted on one hand. Too much incentive to use that d12 for everything.

I view the label for each die type as kind of a quick guide to what the numbers mean. I personally hate that d12 is labeled Godlike. I have gotten into too many arguments about that meaning. I understand where they are going with it and I had to tell them to think more like Olympian god and not all-powerful God. (Unless David come here and corrects me)

This really makes me wonder how character advancement works.  You get the floating bonuses from Hero Points and the Collections you can invoke, but those don't really represent a young hero developing their powers.  Maybe the Freedom Five and Unity are basically max level already?

I'll throw this question here rather than start a new topic.

How does changing modes work again for Bunker? Is it an Action? Does it require a roll? The booklet is not clear on this.

Changing modes is usually done with the "Satellite-Based Mode Shift" ability, which takes an action.  There are other abilities that include mode changes, too (Satellite Recall and Emergency Reconfiguration).  I have not yet figured out you need to do to change out of "Out Of Suit Mode".  Presumably this is not typically done in an action scene.

And those are the only ways to do it?

Seems rather restrictive, and in some cases punitive, considering the modes already have disadvantages to their use.

At least it's faithful to the card game; Bunker has a bunch of modes that are theoretically useful but in practice you never want to actually use. :V

Godlike = Ra-type god, not omnipotent.