Sooo then. Is Heroes of the Megaverse just HU in Rifts?

[cyberdon]

... ...

[wyrmraker]

Not quite. The individual powers in Heroes of the Megaverse don't quite stack up to their analagous powers in HU2. They are, however, the super-powered equivalent to the Cosmo-Knight, for the most part.

[DhAkael]

Basicly take the template of a Cosmo-kannigit, then give it a regieme of blood-doping and steroids, then throw in some powdered munchkin, and you pretty much have 'Heros of the Multi... -ahem- MEGAverse!'

Yeah... I kind left it to gather dust on the shelf at the only store in Toronto that sells PBooks stuff... saw it discounted not more than 2 months later at a 30% loss at same store (untouched and 2 months worth of dust on it).

[drewkitty ~..~]

I'm seeing HotM is more....standing outside the established settings book and a part of them all book.

It is more a sourcebook for all the settings then one of them.

However, would not allow the item HotM to be used unless the campaign is world or dimension shaking in it's scope.

Otherwise, the random powers list would be fine is all the settings as alternate/optional powers for "Heros".

[Jay05]

I'm seeing HotM is more....standing outside the established settings book and a part of them all book.

It is more a sourcebook for all the settings then one of them.

However, would not allow the item HotM to be used unless the campaign is world or dimension shaking in it's scope.

Otherwise, the random powers list would be fine is all the settings as alternate/optional powers for "Heros".

OMFG! I actually agree with Drewkitty! It must be a sign of the coming apocalypse! Honestly I enjoy the hell out of it. But... To each their own.

[Athos]

It's like a sadder, weaker, kind of pathetic little brother to HU.

I thought it was a complete waste of money, but I suppose if you got your name in it, it was worth buying.

[cyberdon]

Ever since watching The Avengers, I don't worry as much about balance anymore.

If I'm writing mine own adventures, I can make it work.

[Akashic Soldier]

Its a book about The Book of Heroes a cosmic artifact that flies through space (and time!) similar to the cosmic cube and grants fantastical abilities to the person who finds it (who is always a hero). It also, is an encyclopedia of all of the greatest heroes in the megaverse and you can read about every single hero in the book despite the fact that its only about the size of a paper back. You simply read until you've read enough, then close it and reopen while looking up another hero. The book itself has an amazing range of abilities and powers, including the ability to create a guardian for the one who carries it... so its sort of like... MIGHTY MAX in a lot of ways.

However, once the intrepid young hero has learned their lesson, vanquished their particular evil, or done what they need to do the book "leaves" under its own power (sometimes in a dramatic fashion, other times they just can't find it anymore). It RARELY (as in close to never) powers up "super tough guys" and tends to beef up people with super-heroic qualities who lack the physical abilities to match their values (a lot like Steve Rodgers, or again, Mighty Max in that regard). When the book leaves, they've learned their powers and remain great heroes, their name now forever recorded in the book so they might help/inspire the next guy.

Alternatively, despite being slammed as "crappier than HU" from what I've read (in my opinion) the write ups for the powers are much more well-written and balanced. Not weaker, just more well-thought out. More organized, and more clear. It is however, less extensive. For instance, I do not think it has ice powers in it, but it has all of the other tropes (and it even may have ice control).

There are 102 powers in the book, each marked with a percentile so if you want to use it to randomly roll superpowers for mutant humans or monsters than its a great resource too.

That said, in my opinion he who holds the book of heroes is more than a match for any Cosmo Knight, or at least he should be. It would kind of be like pitching Captain Marvel against Superman. I mean, Captain Marvel is my fanpick, but lets face it... its Superman... and the guy with the book of heroes, he's Palladium's Superman. He might not always be able to fly faster than the speed of light, but he can have a range of very diverse abilities that put him head and shoulders above a Cosmo Knight. Plus, the book picks the best there is and then makes them better. The Cosmic Forge picks appropriate candidates and removes aspects (memories, etc) that are not essential to their performance and duties.

[Tor]

I say we pit this book against that cool book of evil in the back of Shadows of Light.

I am also reminded of this game Makai Kingdom where the main character is an evil overlord who got transformed into a book. He was a boss I fought on my PSP port of Disgaea 2.

[Snake Eyes]

I have the book, and as i was reading this thread, i was skimming through the book......is it me, or does some of these powers seem borderline munchkin

[Tor]

Powers can't be munchkin, they're just statistics. Munchkin doesn't even have a sensible definition, let's skip out on using it. Some things in Rifts are powerful.

Glitter Boys are the heart and soul of Rifts, Kev was originally going to name it "Boomers" after them, and they massively overpowered pretty much everything else from the get-go. Even worse if piloted by an MDC guy since they don't have the 'get'm while they're stretching' vulnerability to the same level.

[say652]

i use super powers a lot in rifts. hardly game unbalancing in a game with no game balance. most can be used as written others require a little modifying but overall super powers should have their place in rifts earth.

[Akashic Soldier]

I have the book, and as i was reading this thread, i was skimming through the book......is it me, or does some of these powers seem borderline munchkin

I agree with Tor but I also agree with you in essence of what you are saying. A lot of the powers in the Book of Heroes are excessively powerful. This is because Super Powers are excessively powerful and somwhat rare. Its also why supers are worth more on the Splynn Dimensional Slave Market than Godlings or Demigods. At least that is my understanding of it (as per Rifts: Atlantis). It's also the reason that as a general rule I do not allow super-powered characters into my game. I like my players to think and super-powers make it a little too easy for the players to knock things down. Yet almost ironically, I gave everyone in the game I'm currently running super powers, but they are designed as role-playing challenges more than "free powers" and not likely to be permanent.

[Snake Eyes]

Snip....Powers can't be munchkin, they're just statistics. Munchkin doesn't even have a sensible definition, let's skip out on using it. Some things in Rifts are powerful.

I sometimes use 'munchkin' too loosely, but i agree its used too much.

[wyrmraker]

I can understand not wanting to use the term 'Munchkin' with any sort of lightness, but I have a flawless example from a previous party. Note that I was not the GM (who I maintain to this day was a complete moron).
One guy played a human Tundra Ranger, I played a light 'borg, the GM's pc/npc was a Shifter. The last guy saw what we were playing, and pulled out a Godling Gunfighter.
That is my definition of a munchkin.

[Eclipse]

I'm sticking with my definition of a munchkin being an immature power gamer. A godling gunfighter would be a decent character in a game where the average pc power level was significantly higher. His immaturity was in trying to overshadow the other players.