Combined attack

[Gandalf970]

Where do I find something in this example.  Big troll warrior learns magic.  He decides to learn lightning fist.  
 

how is it laid out in hero?  He wants to punch and have the magic light go off as well?  Does he cast the spell the round prior or does he make two rolls ?  How do you see this working?

[Sveta8]

If I had to guess... Two options.

One: It is a Buff. You cast Lightning Fist, and either the next Attack with a HTH attack inflicts the effect, or for the next Minute or so the effect will activate with HTH attacks.
Two: It's a specific Attack. You cast by attacking with Lightning Fist. You make a HTH attack, and the effect goes off.
In both, techincally all three of these cases, you would pay END for the second attack, and see if the Magic hits, but only if you hit them.

The base effect I would have as a Linked Power. You say he wants magic Light to go off? Then I'd say... Presuming it is a Flash attack.

 

Link up a flash attack to a HTH strike. Something like...
Lightning Flashing Fist: xd6 Flash attack. Linked Power: HTH Attack (-1/2), Gestures (-1/4),  No Range (-1/2)
That lets you literally Cast Fist with a flash.

If you are looking for it as a Minute long buff...
Lightning Flashing Fist: xd6 Flash attack, Time Limit: 1 Minuit (+3/4) Linked Power: HTH Attack (-1/2), Gestures (-1/4),  No Range (-1/2)
This cloaks the hand in a lightning or flashy aura, that they can activate for a Zero Phase action when they hit with a HTH attack.

 

If you are looking for a Single Use Buff
Lightning Flashing Fist: xd6 Flash Attack, Trigger: Punching someone (Half Phase to Reset, Zero Phase Activation +1/4), Linked Power: HTH Attack (-1/2), Gestures (-1/4), No Range (-1/2)
That lets them spend a moment prepping themselves before they strike someone, and only lasts through the hit. It requires reupping it.

 

 

Those are the first ways that come to mind.

[Thia Halmades]

Great question, and props to @Sveta8 for getting the concept right out of the box. One thing I would point out in the build he posted, having both HTH Attack AND No Range is redundant. Without diving into every possible permutation of how it can be done, the core of your answer is “However your campaign does it.” In HERO, IIRC, attack ends a turn, a rule I scrapped a long time ago and if it still exists, chalk it up to faulty memory. What that means is that regardless of how you run it, be consistent.

 

In 5th Ed D&D, a cantrip I use constantly is Green Flame Blade, which changes my attack from a melee action (which allows certain specific bonus actions) to a Cast Action (which does not trigger one of my other abilities). In the case of that spell, the function is cast, make melee attack, add the effect of the spell to the attack. HERO would handle that model as Lighting Fist, Xd6 EB (Elemental Lightning, No Range, STR adds to damage). The alternative path is closer to a Mage’s traditional Shocking Grasp, EB, No Range, damage accordingly. The third option is to build it as a buff, where it’s an EB linked to a timer, the rules of which escape me at the moment, but is very possible.

 

Fortunately this is a fairly straight forward build, because there’s only a handful of common sense ways to approach it. I would look to you for how you want it run (told you it always comes back to those two questions; what do you want it to do, and how do you envision it working?) 

 

Another thing I would mention is that if you’re doing spell builds (a very common thing, I did all of D&D magic at one point up to level 5) experienced players will quietly and without warning “modify them and pay the points” without approval — do not allow this starting out. Make it clear “the spell is an object and it works the same way the campaign over; when you cast, when an NPC casts it, when someone across the ocean casts it, it’s always the same.”

[Sveta8]

Thanks @Thia Halmades
The main reason I included No Range is because I can't see a limitation on Linked power that it has to target the same Target. And as Flash naturally would have some range otherwise, I was adding it just to make it clear who it's targeting.

But the core of what you say is true. Define what you want to happen. Do you want to shock them? Blind Them? Make their Punch do Lightning instead of Physical? Depending on what you want it to do, you build to that effect. The three options I gave are just the most common ways I could consider to apply a Flash effect to the attack.

[dougmacd]

You can also use Combined Attack (6E2 p74, CC p152). Make a single attack roll for the punch and the magic.  If it hits, roll the damage separately for each, and apply defenses separately for each.

 

However, if you're talking about creating a new spell called "Lighting Fist" (as opposed to adding an existing magic attack to a punch), go with one of the builds above.

 

 

Doug

I had to bring it up, given the subject line....

[Thia Halmades]

And you were right to do so, except I saw “combined attack” and immediately thought of “team work,” so I gave it a miss.

 

Good catch!

[Ninja-Bear]

7 hours ago, Sveta8 said:

Thanks @Thia Halmades
The main reason I included No Range is because I can't see a limitation on Linked power that it has to target the same Target. And as Flash naturally would have some range otherwise, I was adding it just to make it clear who it's targeting.

The question I believe arose of where you listed the No Range. Put the No Range on Flash or at least list it after Flash and it makes more sense. Btw reading the OP’s question, that’s the conclusion I came to too. One other thought since this is for the Troll and depending if he already hit the campaign DC max, he could buy Flash linked to STR.

[Thia Halmades]

That would be interesting, actually, a Flash > Trigger > Massive Damage.

 

”I Literally Punched That Guy’s Lights Out,” Flash/Sight 6d6, Trigger, roll damage equal to or greater than 50 STUN, Linked: HTH attack, Attack must be Type: Blunt (-1/4), 0 END (+1/2(?)), Area of Effect: One Hex/Single Target.

 

That build is probably wobbly and needs tweaked, but the idea is perfectly sound. More importantly. I giggled. Hadn’t thought of that one before. Mechanically representing punching someone so hard they temporarily see stars. God —- I love this game.