Winging and Playing It Loose With HERO

[DeadlyUematsu]

I love HERO but I really don't have a lot of time to number crunch or money to spent on additional books. Since I'm running a Fantasy HERO game, does anyone mind giving me pointers on how to mechanically improvise without denying my players fair challenges and rewards? Specifically, I'd like to be able to run Dungeon Magazine adventures on the fly and be able to assign arbitrary parameters to both the opposition and treasure encountered without a hitch. Is this possible?

[Markdoc]

Re: Winging and Playing It Loose With HERO

 

Yes. Virginia, it IS possible.

 

The trick is not to expect a direct or even really close conversion - that can't be done without number crunching, as Thia has been so eloquently demonstrating.

 

But what you can do is what I call "threat conversion". If the scenario calls for 24 orcs, 30 goblins and an ogre, I translate that as "a bunch of base to low level humanoid threats and one tougher humanoid threat." Depending on where I am setting the game that could be 30 normal humans with light weapons, 24 10-20 point soldier types and a captain or 30 giant ants, 24 giant warrior ants and a termagent, or whatever. Basically, it's just a big mass of lowgrade, thinking monsters.

 

If the threat is a multi-headed firebreathing dragon, just swap it out for whatever whupass monster you happen to have a couple of in the closet.

 

Traps are largely descriptive - a d20 trap that does 1d6 damage is a wimpy trap, one that's "reflex save or die" is one that gives a DEX roll or a metric buttload of damage (that's 9.9 of the old imperial buttloads for you guys in the US).

 

And so on. If you're relatively familiar with the rules, it's not that hard to make a best guess if the players start using powers in a creative way - and usually takes no longer to adjudicate than if they tried to use spells in D20 in a creative way.

 

cheers, Mark

[RDU Neil]

Re: Winging and Playing It Loose With HERO

 

The only other thing I would caution in translating from D&D is "Numbers of foes"

 

In my experience, D&D is pretty linear. X monsters with Y hitpoints/levels = XY PCs... ok we've got a fight. Hits happen, hit points go down... healing spell happens, move on to next fight.

 

Hero has never worked out that way. What would take 30 orcs to make a threat in D&D... 5 might do more than enough in Hero. It is not a matter of just "Do I hit? How many points will I do?" In Hero... orcs parry sword blows, dodge, do weaponbinds so their buddy Grognar can bash your head in with his axe, etc.

 

Most importantly, a single hit can end the fight. Roll enough stun... doesn't matter that the armor stopped the blow, 1/2 DCV vs. the next shot, targets your face... dead. Fantasy Hero combat has much more "crunch" than my experience with D&D and thus an orc who has even a single +1 with their sword can be a threat to a well trained fighter, unless you are pushing superheroic levels of damage and defenses.

 

Really, it is hard to judge without knowing what points and damage and defense levels you expect the players to have... but my initial suggestion to you would be to cut down the raw numbers of foes. Hero as a system was built on an assumed model of "X PCs with Y level of power... going against X villains with same level of power... slug it out" Variation of numbers tends to quickly go in the favor of whoever has more, unless the power level differentiation is vast (like supers vs. thugs).

 

Just IMO... so take it for what it's worth.

[Eosin]

Re: Winging and Playing It Loose With HERO

 

I use about 1/3 of the encounters with about 1/3 of the opponents. Otherwise, same as above. Convert intent not numbers or creatures. The plot and pre-created goodies are what you are looking for not X numbers of Y attack at Z

[DeadlyUematsu]

Re: Winging and Playing It Loose With HERO

 

Glad to hear that it is possible and thanks for the good advice. I'll keep everything in mind for the next game.

[NuSoardGraphite]

Re: Winging and Playing It Loose With HERO

 

It is very possible. I do it all the time.

[Sean Waters]

Re: Winging and Playing It Loose With HERO

 

Might be worth looking at this excellent resource:

 

http://www.killershrike.com/FantasyHERO/Conversion3e/conversion3e.shtml