Simple charms

[oberon]

I'm currently working on a Fantasy Hero character, and I need some input. It's your basic Ranger-type character, but I want him to know a few simple spells to help him out.
I'm talking things like Resist Elements (Life Support or Change Environment), Healing (low-level/takes time/requires herbs), etc.
The world is fairly high magic, anyone with some aptitude can learn a few household spells, but you require specialist mage training to do anything powerful.

Any ideas on the sort of spells he should know?

Also, anyone have an idea on how to model a spell allowing him to start a fire??

cheers
oberon

[Chris Goodwin]

1 pip RKA, SFX Fire.

[MisterVimes]

9" Gliding. No Altitude. Only to not leave tracks.

[Old Man]

Zippo, Change Environment, small fire.

Friend of the Wild, Summon, small woodland creature, loyal.

Grasping Vines, Supress Running, only in areas with vegetation

Detect <whatever>

Ranger's Stride, +Running, only in forested areas.



How many points are we talking about here anyway?

[oberon]

I haven't even gotten to the points stage yet, I'm just trying to iron out the concept and exactly what I want him to have. It won't be large number (~6?) very low level spells, along the lines of lighting the campfire etc. Certainly nothing that might be useful in combat since he will never have had formal training and only has the barest aptitude for magic.

Thanks fo rthe suggestions
oberon

[Chris Goodwin]

Firelighting may not be useful in combat in and of itself, but take a look at Robert Asprin's second Myth book to see how it can be used.

I always built Skeeve's firelighting spell as a 1 pip RKA.

[The Mad GM]

What sort of ranger is he? With no formal training in magic, we can assume he has some innate abilities related to nature. Frankly, lighting a fire is not the sort of ability the nature spirits would hand out. Surviving a blizzard without harm (Life support) might be more likely:
Talking with animals: mind link with limitations
Super-Tracking abilities: Retrocognition with heavy lims
'In Tune' with Nature: Danger Sense, only in woods
Various Enhanced Senses, perhaps borrowed from animals
'I'm a Shrubbery', invisibility with fringe, only in woods
'Watch out for that Tree, Part I', Flying or gliding with lims (not limbs)
'Watch out for that Tree, Part II', Change environment to cause a dex check for limbs, roots, vines, etc.
The Hidden Paths: teleportation, only to seem to disappear without a trace, needs a tree to duck behind
'Like the Back of My Hand': Bump of direction, only in woods
'Close quarters fighting': Bonuses to DCV & OCV in woods
'Bloody Vines Everywhere': Entangle, AoE

[oberon]

Hmm. I probably gave the wrong idea using the word ranger. Yes, the character is an independant fighter type, who spends more often than not in the outdoors. But I'm not making a D&D ranger.

So, he has a few charms which would be particular useful to someone who spends a lot of their time in the wilderness.

Not the whole get chummy with the animals, Dr Doolittle, type.

That's why I was thinking along the lines of fire-lighting, healing, survival skills, etc.

cheers
oberon

[The Mad GM]

My few experiences in the wild leave me to believe that the only absolutely important abilities are finding your way, lighting a fire, and opening a can. Finding potable water would also be high on the list. Immunity to sudden cold and rain is another, for those times when fires would be impractical. Most of these are covered by the Survival skill (with the exception of the can thing), which you could buy up to obscene levels with the explanation that you have any number of minor magical charms to assist you. Perhaps: +10 to survival roll, RSR:Magic, cost:14 points. (As a GM, Mad or not, I'm not sure about things like G&I, Conc., or Extra time for this sort of thing. Side Effects like 4d6 unluck and hunted by thoroughly annoyed skunks might be worth it for the laughs) .

I used to play a primitive LARP (before LARPing was cool) called Ninja, where we tried to sneak up on each other in the woods at night and hit each other with sticks. These experiences gave me some other insights: If someone is pursuing you, or you are pursuing someone, then the ability to move silently (as opposed to merely hiding and staying very still) and avoid being ambushed are particularly useful. Night vision would be a big plus for this. Immunity to poison (ivy) would have made one evening much less memorable. Some sort of 'ward' trap is also useful if you intend to sleep at any point.

[oberon]

Cool idea! A bonus to Survival would give me what I was trying for and is so much simpler than creating a raft of spells.

Thanks muchly.

oberon

[AlHazred]

This is one of the strengths of the Hero System. In most games there is more than one way to accomplish some specific thing, but you are given no guidance on relative power levels, advantages/disadvantages, etc. In Hero, everything is clear-cut, and the players themselves can do the work without taking up much time from the GM.

I love the Survival bonus method. I wonder about its applicability to other skills...

[Lucius]

"I wonder about its applicability to other skills..."

That might be an idea for a new topic.

It seems funny to use a skill roll to get levels with another skill, though. But limitations like Side Effects, Incantations, Gestures, Visible, and certain Conditional limitations, can give these extra skill levels the "flavor" of simple magical charms. Also consider if such levels are subject to magick Detect, Dispel, Suppress, etc.

For example, Crocodile Dundee has a big bonus to his Animal Handler roll with gestures (hold out one hand with thumb and small finger extended) incantations (if you want to consider that sound he makes an incantation) a limited number of things he can get an animal to do (perhaps "don't attack me" but not "go attack that guy") and any shaman in the vicinity can detect what he's doing by making a PS: Shaman roll with perception modifiers (okay, I don't remember that from the movie and I'm just making that one up.)

Yes, Lucius Alexander is back

And so is the palindromedary

[Agent333]

two more mostly useless suggestions:

1.} 1D6 Minor Transform to turn any impure water into suitably potable water.

2.} 1D6 Minor Transform to turn any organic matter into the same matter, only edible.

This does raise a question, however. Do you think this would allow a character to survive on his own feces and urine?

Eww.

[AnotherSkip]

Been there, Done that.

EarthDawn.