Champions Now is Different

From Other Champions Rulesets
(With some errata and rules clarifications)
 
Here's a collection of information that I've confirmed with the author about the rules as of July
4, 2020. I may add or edit this as new issues arise. Most of this is about dispelling assumptions of
us who are familiar with other Hero rule sets. A few things are actually missing or unclear in the
text. 
 
The best way to read and understand the Champions Now text is to take the text literally without
outside connections. Pretend you have never read a roleplaying game before and have no
assumptions to bring into the text. Do not  connect what you know from other games to the text
and do not try to fill in parts you don't understand with the way another game does things. 

Player Characters
Starting with 200 points is the recommended default. 
The Ratio compares what the point total of the character would be without applying limitations to
the total with limitations. Any point reductions due to the framework itself are left intact.

Situations
Side Effects must be directed against the character who has them on his sheet.

Skills
Acrobatics requires no roll, except to reduce Knockback effects. 

Powers
Concealment does not cost endurance to maintain (errata).
Drain. Drain has no range and requires a grab maneuver to apply. When bought as a transfer, you
cannot take the Costs Endurance limitation (errata).
Entangle gives 1 def and 1d6 core body per 10 points assigned. (errata).
Flight can also be defined as gliding, super-leap, super-running, super-swimming, or swinging.
These redefinitions do not require advantages or limitations and do not change the points required.
They do change the dynamics of how the movement can be used in play. Flight must be acquired
in 10 point increments; you cannot allocated 2 points to get +1 hex. 
Force Wall does not cost endurance to maintain, but does cost endurance to fill in any holes
blasted in the wall. This power gives 1 resistant defense and 1 hex side for every 5 points; this
means that a 50 point force wall has up to 10 hex sides, each with 10 rDef. The user might, for
example, specify it as fewer than 10 hex sides, but still with 10 rDef for each side.
Images costs endurance each phase (errata).
Instant Change. 10 points gives either 1) a change between only two preset alternate forms or 2)
changing to multiple forms. Per page 210, using the Instant Change to deceive needs a Disguise
skill roll.
Life Support. All combinations of life support must have one specific exception where it doesn't
work.
Negation. Paying Endurance each round prevents the target power from recovering. The target
must pay endurance for the full power just to use it at the reduced level.
Regeneration recovers Strength, Presence, Body, Dexterity, Intelligence, Ego, Speed, and power
at the rate of d6 units per recovery. Destroyed traits are regenerated based on the Core total of the
regeneration power in units. For Strength and Presence, one unit is a d6. For Body, Dexterity,
Intelligence, Ego, and Speed one unit is 1. For a power, one unit is 5 base points.
Running Power does not exist. You can not buy additional running. You can buy flight as super-
running, but you must buy the power from the ground up; it does not add to ordinary running. In
addition, you can push Strength to gain extra running for one action (see pushing below).
Stretching may add its inches to base running distance, depending on the special effect.
Teleport's base 20 points includes one free memorized location. Also, ignore the mention of
“noncombat move” as it is an editorial oversight and should have been removed. Increased
teleport distance must be acquired in 5 point increments; you cannot allocated 1 point to get +1
hex. 
Weaken has no range and requires a grab maneuver to apply. Weaken may take the Lethal
advantage. (Errata.).

Endurance Costs
Endurance cost is 1 per 5 base points of the power. Advantages do not increase endurance cost.
Any power that you pay endurance to start or maintain turns off when you are stunned or knocked
out.

Power Design
Rounding. When calculating final power points, retain fractions until after any Limitations are
applied. Then round to the nearest whole number and round 0.5 down.
Combined Attack. Two powers may not be delivered in the same attack roll unless they are
defined as combined.
Combined Power. You may define any two (or more) powers as combined. Once combined they
must always be used together and activated in equal proportion. Powers within a single slot of a
Multiform or Elemental Control are always combined. 
[Unconfirmed: I believe that Multiform slots can be considered combined with each other when
they are active. In contrast, I suspect Elemental Control slots should always be considered
separate. As a guide, I believe that powers outside of a framework can't be combined with powers
inside a framework.]

Modifiers
Be sure to read the advantage or limitation description closely. Many modifiers give a specific list
of which powers it may be used with. Powers not on the list are not allowed.

Advantages
Expanded Scope Advantage (p. 96)
A power bought at one scale only works at that scale. To have flight, teleport, or awareness at
different scales, buy separate powers (power frameworks can help here).
Lethal can applied to any attack which ordinarily does no Body damage, giving it the additional
capacity to do Body damage. The Body damage equals the core roll on the dice. The
new/additional damage is stopped by the defense which ordinarily applies to this power, whatever
it might be. (Errata).
Piercing may be applied to any attack that does Body damage. The Body damage bypasses non-
resistant Defense.
Severe may be applied to any attack. When applied to an attack that does not ordinarily do
Knockout damage, the attack now does Knockout damage equal to the total pips on the dice rolled
and is reduced by Defense. When applied to an attack that does do Knockout damage, the damage
now bypasses ordinary Defense and you define a new defense: Choose defense: Resistant Defense
reduces, one power from the text negates, or one special effect negates. (Errata).
Reactive with Usable vs. Others means that you can direct the reaction against a target other than
the one that triggered the reaction.

Limitations
No Range, as the text says, can't be applied to an attack power. For that see Aura or Strike
advantages. When it refers to "Illusions" read "Images."
Frameworks
Each framework has nuances that reward careful attention. Here is a summary of the important
difference (but not all the rules).
Variable Power Pool (p.92 and p. 103)
 Control may only be modified by these three options: Advantage: 0-Phase
Reconfiguration (1), Limitation: Configuration can only change in special circumstances
(½), Limitation: All powers inside the pool must take a specified limitation or set of
limitations (¼)(this limitation remains ¼ even if the required limitations are larger.)
 Pool point total is never modified.
Elemental Control (p. 93 and p. 104)
 Control can only be reduced by limitations that apply to all slots.
 Powers in slots must cost endurance.
 Characteristics other than Strength are not allowed inside an Elemental Control.
 To calculate the cost of a slot, subtract the pool from the active points of the slot, then
divide by any limitations.
 Slots Real point value equals (their Active points less Control Active points) / (1 +
limitations from the control + limitations on the power).
 Slots may contain more than one power, but these powers must always be used together,
activated in proportion.
Multiform (p. 93 and p. 106)
 Multiform requires actual changes in the form of how the power is delivered
and described. It is not for selecting different variations on a power, such as you might
want for Judge Dredd's multigun or variations on Teleport. Elemental Control does the
work that most multipowers in the Hero System do. 
 Pool total is reduced only by limitations that apply to all slots.
 To calculate the cost of a slot, divide it's active points by 5, retain fractions, then divide
by limitations, and round off.
 Only by limitations that apply to all other slots may be applied. Any further limitations
provide no reduction and function only as special effects.
 Slots may contain more than one power and these powers can be used independently.
 Activating a slot requires you commit the full Active points of the slot from your pool,
even if you are not using the full power of the slot.
 Changing the configuration of active slots requires a half phase action.

Fighting
Half and Full Actions: think of half actions only as components of a full action. If you only do a
half action on your phase and declare your phase done, it's done.
Attacks are Half Actions unless otherwise noted.
Combined Attack. Firing two or more powers at a single target using one attack roll s fine,
provided the Special Effects make sense. See also Combined Powers above. Defenses are applied
separately however.
Martial Block: does not require you hold, prepare, or abort an action. You simply declare “I'm
blocking” and apply +2 to your defense and you are considered blocking subsequent attacks until
you take your next action. The block, of course, can only affect attacks with the appropriate
special effect, usually a hand to hand attack. The half action status is primarily for judging
whether the character has enough attention and appropriate positioning within the logic of the
preceding "panel." A full move is the most common situation where the character can't perform a
martial block because he's focused on moving. Many other full actions, however, do allow a
subsequent block action-- e.g run half move to opponent, punch opponent, end phase. On their
phase opponent hits back. I block. This would be classic martial arts interplay.
Move-Through and Move-By are considered the same maneuver for the purposes of buying
levels and power modifiers. Together Ron refers to them as "Move Attack."
Mind Bar locks down an attacking power only if the attacker's roll fails.
Mindscape is maintained by attacking each phase. It stops when the attacks cease.
Noncombat Movement doesn't exist.
Recovery. When you take a voluntary recovery the effect is the same as if you were stunned--your
defense drops to 6, you can only do free actions, you can't pay endurance to maintain any powers,
and any powers that require endurance turn off (errata).
Recovering Points. Each recovery restores Endurance and Knockout by your Recovery score, and
also 1 unit lost from any characteristics or powers. For Strength and Presence, one unit is a d6. For
Body, Dexterity, Intelligence, Ego, and Speed one unit is 1. For a power, one unit is 5 base points.
Damage done by a power with the Destructive advantage does not recover normally.
Pushing to add effect: pay 1d6 Endurance per 1d6 effect or Strength added.
Pushing for Advantage: pay 1d6 Endurance to "expand" a die of Strength or 5 Active Points of a
power with a 1/2 Advantage. The only advantages allowed are Area Effect One hex, Area Effect:
Explosion, Piercing, High Impact, or Severe. You can expand some or all of the units in your
Strength or power. You can also push your Strength or Power beyond it's purchased maximum as
above and then expand each of the pushed units. In total, this costs 2d6 Endurance per extra unit
with the advantage.
Push for extra running: you can push Strength to gain extra running. To gain extra running, pay
1d6 Endurance per 1d6 of Strength you want to activate. In effect this "expands" a die of existing
Strength to give +1 running. If you've expanded all your existing Strength and need even more
running, then push for more Strength then activate each extra dice as described under Pushing for
Advantage. In addition to the extra running, you can use all that temporary Strength if it fits into
your action (errata).
Breaking Things. Defense values listed for inanimate objects and vehicles is technically resistant,
i.e., it stops Piercing as well as ordinary damage. However, this can and should be ignored or
reduced depending on the specific material and the specific special effect of the damage one. The
Destructive advantage may also have additional effects on inanimate objects. Comics vary a lot in
their dramatic enforcement and relaxation of physics, so you'll have to arrive at your own notions
of what a fire-blast does to a wooden door, in terms of its Defense, or anything else damaged by
anything else.
 

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