Can someone satisfy my curiosity?

[Thia Halmades]

Re: Can someone satisfy my curiosity?

 

Eosin - bear in mind that you're talking to someone who still has many trappings of d20isms trapped in his head, despite his best efforts from time to time. There are two things I tend to split - setting & flavor, and mechanics & flavor. When people talk about 'converting' I assume automatically that they're talking about 'mechanics & flavor,' in which case, while I would agree that you don't need to walk up the level based stair well, there's something to be said about building each Path, and making a PC select one, and then offering them the powers/abilities within that framework.

 

This being Hero, if they say "Hey, I can't do (reasonable thing), can I build it?" then of course you have the flex to say "Yes, that's a (reasonable thing,) go ahead and I'll approve the final design." However, I'm a strong proponent of building in some of the mechanics material for the setting, because in many cases its how players come to terms with the setting itself - through its mechanics.

[Eosin]

Re: Can someone satisfy my curiosity?

 

While I would agree that you don't need to walk up the level based stair well, there's something to be said about building each Path, and making a PC select one, and then offering them the powers/abilities within that framework.

 

This being Hero, if they say "Hey, I can't do (reasonable thing), can I build it?" then of course you have the flex to say "Yes, that's a (reasonable thing,) go ahead and I'll approve the final design."

 

It is your right to use Hero how you like. There isn't "wrong bad fun" here. My opinion is that artifically creating classes is the same as taking a screwdriver to a nail. Wrong tool for the job, but you can still do the job if you are creative. If a DM wants to include package deals, fine. If they want to build escalating "Heroic Paths," fine. If they want to build talents and feets, more power to 'em. If they want to build classes and levels, yeee haw! However, those things are not required to emulate anything with Hero.

 

When I play d20 I have the exact opposite problem. My characters are all Barbarian/Fighter/Ranger/Rogues with a level of PrC here and there. I fail to adhere to the truisms of the engine which is that in general you are better specializing in one "role" such as fighter, wizard, cleric or rogue (mind you, I have spent many hours perusing tricked out WOTC-vBB builds that needed 5 or 6 classes but in general taking more than a level or two of a class that isn't devoted to your primary is cutting your own high level throat.)

 

The overall point of my previous point wasn't to down on you or the way you would go about converting ~ I just disagree with your "build" and we all know that using HERO there are always multiple ways to build the same effect.

[Thia Halmades]

Re: Can someone satisfy my curiosity?

 

Fair enough, and well explained. I can accept that. I suppose that were I to do a 'pure d20 conversion' again there are things I would do differently, including pre-build some/more/all of the spells just to prevent people from tearing their own hair out, but yes. I'll grant (easily) that one mans' conversion is another man's frustration waiting to happen.

[prestidigitator]

Re: Can someone satisfy my curiosity?

 

I'll give you an example of what I am talking about. While I convert individual Feats and Class Abilities, there is almost never some need to require prerequisites for any of them (an exception might be where one ability is a more advanced version of another, so you have to buy the lesser ability and then upgrade it, but this is rare). So you don't have to be a Fighter of whatever power level with Spring Attack and a 16 Dex to get Whirlwind Attack (or whatever; I don't remember the exact, "chains," and other requirements), and you don't have to have a Rogue's first level Class Abilities to get a Rogue's sixth level Class Abilities.

 

You should still make sure the abilities work all right with the character's concept, but that is a much, much looser and more fluid restriction than having to be a particular level of a particular Class, and/or having prerequisite Ability Scores and Feats deemed necessary by the game designer. A GM might create a few more guidelines apporpriate to the setting, but there's no need to get as rigid and stifling as D&D's linear progression makes it.