THE BOOK: The Ultimate Energy Projector is a medium-sized softcover (200 pages with index) that goes for $29.99. As with Tuala Morn, the cover is a totally spare black with the title and Steve Long's name on it. At least the "Energy" logo is snazzy. Now, this is disappointing given that in the first few years of 5th Edition, DOJ/Hero actually used to have artists like Storn Cook do very elaborate and impressive covers, and it might be that they just don't have the budget for that sort of thing now. However, given that DOJ has always admitted that Hero System is not so much a game as a "gamer's toolkit" that you can customize to make your own game setting, it might be that they're going with this generic approach as a deliberate theme. Maybe when they do another revision of the Hero System core rules, they'll put it in a plain white cover with blue letters on it saying "
Chapter One: Energy Projector Characters reviews the existing game rules with an eye to making Energy Projector PCs. For instance the Skills section points out that an EP can buy the Autofire Skills and use them with an Energy Blast or other Power that has the Autofire Advantage. New options are given for the more common ranged Attack Powers, and rules for Telekinesis and Transform are clarified. Other options include a new Area Effect Advantage for Voice Range (most appropriate for Sonic characters, obviously) and a "Multiple Special Effects" Advantage for (say) a solar blast that counts as both Fire and Radiation. Finally there is an exhaustive list of Vulnerabilities in terms of what counts as Uncommon/Common/Very Common in rules terms for point value. This is important given that Energy Projectors in Champions often take Vulnerabilities to the character's "nemesis" power (i.e. a Fire user who takes x2 STUN from Cold). Note that these rules can be used independently of, or in conjunction with, the rules in Chapter Two.
Chapter Two: The Energy Spectrum introduces the concept of special-effect rules to Hero energy powers. The whole concept of Hero System's power design is that there is no "Ice Power" or "Fire Powers" set, rather there are deliberately generic Powers like "Energy Blast" that are defined in terms of basic effect (e.g. throw damage at range). Because of that, there are even certain "energy" blasts that are actually physical in effect, like thrown rocks or chunks of ice. This is important because the game also distinguishes between Physical Defense (PD) and Energy Defense (ED), although there aren't that many situations where one person or object has more ED than PD or vice versa. But otherwise, there isn't that much in-game distinction between the various "energy" special effects, other than what you build with the various Advantages and Limitations (e.g. Fire attacks rarely have impact, so usually take the 'No Knockback' Limitation). That generic approach is what makes it possible for Hero to create a Power for virtually any concept, but it can also make energy projectors somewhat alike, which defeats the purpose of taking (say) Ice Powers instead of Fire Powers.
The "Energy Spectrum" review is intended to address that. Each special effect listed is reviewed in terms of how it interacts with other energy/effect types. In this it's important to note the distinction made between the origin special effect and the manifestation special effect- which in most cases will be the same thing, but may differ especially when using Magic (which is its own special effect in addition to producing other special effects; for instance a Fireball spell would be Magic orgin and Fire/Heat manifestation, but something like Magic Missile in D&D would probably count as 'pure' Magic in both respects). On that score, most of the made-up effects (again, like Magic) are considered "neutral" in that they create neither penalties nor bonuses against other effect types, at least as manifestations. However if Magic is used to produce another effect type, the manifestation works the way it would otherwise. For example a Fire Magician using Fire spells against an Ice defense reduces the Defense of the Ice Power by 2, which is what would happen for any other Fire projector character using Fire against Ice.
On the other hand, Fire against Water not only gives bonus ED to Water defense , the interaction of the two can produce steam, which in extreme cases (and the damage levels on these attacks are usually extreme cases) will produce superheated steam that is liable to cause an explosion. It goes on like that. In game terms, each effect is given various innate advantages and drawbacks against different effects (as either attack or defense) and on the basis of tables given on pp. 43-44, a given effect is given a Limitation if its drawbacks outweigh the advantages. If the advantages of an effect vs. other effects significantly outweigh the drawbacks, buying the effect for a Power requires either an Adder (increases the Base Cost) or an Advantage (adds a fractional multiplier of Base Cost that may add to other Advantage modifiers). Depending on how high the Base Cost is to begin with, the Adder may be more expensive if you want to add Advantages on top of that. For example since Sonic Powers gain more advantages vs. other effects than drawbacks, adding the Sonic effect is an Adder worth +15 points, with a separate +10 if the Power has an innate deafening effect. On the other hand, Acid is very nasty as an attack (Continuous, Penetrating and has the potential to cause horrible scarring as an innate Transform effect) but it can be easily neutralized by water or base substances, so "Special Effect: Acid" is worth a -1/2 Limitation.
Two things should be noted: These effect modifiers are normally bought only for Attack and Defense Powers, given that they usually apply only to those categories. Also, these rules, unlike those in some other Ultimate books, are considered optional, and are guidelines for effect modifiers rather than "official" standards.
Chapter Three: Energy Projectors Genre By Genre is an example chapter of characters, with the Champions section including the classic villain Howler re-written to use the Sonic Effects on her powers. There are also interesting Heroic "energy projectors" including an apprentice mage whose powers are based mostly on the magic wands he stole from his old master's treasure, a Pulp villain who gained the power of pyrokinesis through Tibetan mysticism, and a Star Hero crime boss who comes from a race of energy beings, each of whom is "a nearly spherical mass of pulsing rings and/or loops of plasma occupying a volume of up to 10 meters across."
Chapter Four: Adventuring With Energy Projectors is a brief but useful chapter with good advice for both GMs and players. It gives options for using the Coordinated Attack rules for characters with complementary energy types to boost an attack (Sonic being used to enhance a Vibration attack, for instance). It is also possible for a character with one power type to use "Interference" to block an enemy with the same power type, similar to countermagic in D&D 3rd edition or the Hero System's normal Dispel/Suppress rules. By the same token characters with energy powers of a related effect can engage in a "Contest of Power" in which you have the classic duel where the two characters fire energy blasts that meet in the middle, with each party sustaining the attack until the stronger attack 'pushes back' and hits the defender. (This was a rules concept actually introduced in Mike Surbrook's Ninja HERO, to simulate the Chi/Dragonball duels in many anime titles.) Finally, several options are given for the "Nova Blast" all-out attack that is most associated with the Human Torch but also used by other Energy Projectors.
SUMMARY
The Ultimate Energy Projector is a very useful sourcebook, especially for Champions games, although Heroic games may make use of certain environmental special effects at GM option. In that regard, most of the meat of the book is in the "Energy Spectrum" rules. And while the book goes into great detail on the interaction of various physical effects, unlike The Ultimate Speedster, the analysis of superpower physics doesn't undermine the description and use of the superpowers, with the book repeatedly emphasizing that it does not need to simulate reality so much as what Steve Long calls "dramatic reality." (Of course, given that a lot of the powers involved use Magic or comicbook abilities like the "Force Manipulation" of Green Lantern or Invisible Woman, there's only so much you can encompass with real physics.) And again, the Energy Spectrum rules are entirely optional, being another tool in the "Gamer's Toolkit." In general, The Ultimate Energy Projector isn't a necessary buy for Hero gamers, but it is a fine resource for players and GMs.
Style: 3
The Ultimate Energy Projector gets a default rating for style; the layout doesn't need to be more than basic, and the new art is average quality while the better-than-average art is clipped from other Hero books.
Substance: 4
As with most of the Ultimate series, this is indeed the go-to source on its subject.
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