House Rules for the TASK FORCE Universe

Combat Rules

• Combat starts in segment 1 (Toolkitting sidebar, 6E2:19)
• An attack (unless designed otherwise) is considered to be a half-phase action. Characters whose only action in their phase was an attack are allowed to abort their next phase to a defensive action *only* (Toolkitting sidebar, 6E2:19)
• If you have to ask, the agents WERE holding an action when combat started. Unless they're supposed to be incompetently led...
• A squad of n agents is treated as a single n-shot autofire attack with an effective OCV of ([highest agent OCV] + n -1)
• If you use multiple END Reserves, it takes a half-phase action to switch END Reserves -- unless you utilize one of the hints listed below.
• Drain END which reduces a character's endurance below zero does NND STUN damage to the character according to the same rules established for using STUN in place of END (1d6 STUN for each 2 END the character wants to use). This was the way I interpreted the rules regarding END and STUN usage until Steve Long said otherwise answering an online question in 2016, and I had designed characters and equipment (and run combat in several published stories) based on my interpretation before he ruled otherwise.

Build Rules

• The "Champions Complete" version of the 6th Edition build rules are used.
• Equipment pools are allowed at the GM's discretion IF they fit with the character's conception and obey the following restrictions:
  • 50-point base, with a maximum of 200 extra resource points (max 250 points. If it's good enough for Doctor Destroyer, it's good enough for you :P)
  • Multipowers are allowed.
  • Powers which cost END must use either an Endurance Reserve (not purchased as equipment), charges, or be some sort of handheld weapon.
  • Lists with the 'Unified Power' limitation are allowed. Use of the "Lockout" disadvantage on list slots is encouraged
  • NO Variable Power Pools within the equipment pool
  • no equipment bought through an equipment pool may enhance a characteristic. This includes linked lists bought as part of the piece of equipment.
• I will usually allow the "Fast Draw" skill to be bought against a Multipower of attacks. The only time I would not would be if the Multipower is bought as a gun and you have to change the active slot by switching ammo clips.
• A Variable Power Pool cannot have either of the advantages "Takes a half-phase to change" or "Takes a zero-phase action to change" if it has the limitations "Gestures" and/or "Incantations"
• Any power that requires a roll cannot take the "Always On" limitation
• An adjustment power bought with the advantages "Expanded Effect (x8)" and "Variable Effect" (total advantage +4) affect ALL powers of the special effect defined by the power (as per 6e1:143)
• If you are buying Resistant Protection as a forcefield but not buying it with any of the "Costs END" limitations, I usually insist on a "Nonpersistent" limitation to be bought on it. This way, the forcefield still drops whenever the character is CON-stunned or knocked out.

Build Hints

• anyone seriously considering running a mimic NEEDS to start with my build of Copycat from 'Masquerade' and mod it from there. The villain design I originally based it on from the 6ed CVV3 supplement ('Eclipse') is *seriously* broken.
• I frown on VPPs as gadget pools and prefer equipment pools instead using house rules. Only if the equipment pool would violate a house rule would I accept a gadget pool -- and you better have a DAMN good reason for it...
• For a powered-armor hero you could build their END Reserve to power them for only one phase, plus 10 END to push one power -- then duplicate it for the number of action phases they have per turn. Your problem now becomes dealing with the half-phase to switch between reserves each phase. There are two ways around this (both of which can be seen on my Doctor Destroyer rebuilds):
  • Define the "Fast Draw" skill as a Power Allocation program in your battlesuit. Make the roll, and your reserve switch turns into a Zero-phase action.
  • Define a no-time trigger that takes a turn to reset which fires when the previously-active END reserve drops below its REC in END
• In the 6th edition rules, if your attack multipower has more than 15 slots it's actually cheaper to build it as a cosmic Variable Power Pool (like Mr. Bassman from 1987 on)
• Also under 6th edition rules, it is possible to build a cosmic Variable Power Pool as an old-school Elemental Control on steroids. Buy the VPP with the Unified Power limitation, a Lockout limitation to only allow the character to use one offensive/defensive/movement power at a time, and and other common limitations that may be appropriate. Then, given a control cost X, size the pool to have a total of 3*X/limitations points (example: Jocelyn 'Starforce II' Sher or Starforce's 2012 build). This will give you X/limitation pool points available for one offensive power, one defensive power, and one movement power
  • note that in some cases, it's cheaper and far simpler to have a list of powers and a multipower share a 'Unified Power' limitation. This is basically the equivalent of nesting a Multipower in an Elemental Control in previous versions of Champions -- and finally legal under 6ed rules.
• Stay away from Damage Negation unless there is no other way to simulate your character's defensive power. It will usually be cheaper just to buy extra Resistant Protection anyway. More importantly, your GM will thank you when it comes time to determine how much damage your character takes from any attack with advantages on it.
  • addendum: Damage Negation is actually a pretty cool way to simulate inertial compensation on spacecraft if you're running a STAR HERO or Galactic Champions campaign.
• Look at Starforce's defenses. That's why all the serious bad guys in-universe have Autofire Penetratingx2 RKAs

The Absolute Effect Rule (6E1:133)

• ONLY after careful consultation with the GM, and the only reason I allow them in the manner in which I do is because Steve Long uses it so creatively in the "Control Powers" supplement to 6ED. Which you should carefully peruse if possible before you go to your GM...
• If you're building a drain/suppress using this rule, look at how I build the Molecular Disruptor for Starforce (2012) or Doctor Destroyer (2012) or Ultrasonique. 50% Resistant Damage Reduction, either physical or energy, is 30 points. Half of that is 15 points; 5d6 with a standard effect roll checked is 15 points of effect without rolling. Now add AVAD (not vs. DR bought as forcefield, +1/2), All Points Return in 1 Turn, and Expanded Effect (both physical and energy). Remember to check "Standard Effect" and specify "Absolute Effect Rule" in the notes, boys and girls...
• example #2, the anti-psionic weapon Starforce developed in 'The Varanyi Civil War'. In the 6ed supplement "Control Powers", 3d6 Standard Effect is defined with help from the Absolute Effect Rule as dropping any affected characteristic to 50% of their normal value. By inference, 6d6 will drop a characteristic to 0. Applying this to mental/psionic powers with a little help from the "Variable Effect" advantage and the "Limited Special Effect" limitation defined as the target's most powerful psionic power, we now have something close to what is described in both "The Varanyi Civil War" and "Street Level". Also keep in mind that most psionics/mentalists are built with their powers in either a Multipower or VPP, and you've just taken them out of play for the rest of the turn... If this is too powerful or unbalancing for your game, drop it to 5d6 and define it as dropping their psionic powers by only 50% -- which will STILL mission-kill most psionics.