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How do you improve your HERO-fu?


DataPacRat

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No, I don't mean a Martial Art which rewrites the character's universe's laws of physics (though that's certainly an intriguing idea), I just mean, how would /you/, yourself, go about improving your ability to use HERO's rules to do what you want to get done? (Focusing particularly on character creation, if you want.) Are there particular supplements that are better than others, certain experiments that you learned something from, or is it just a matter of plugging away in general for a given length of time?

 

 

If you need a particular example to hammer on, here's the powerset for a PC I've recently been fiddling with: "General resistance to physical and environmental harm; minor shapeshifting; calling up hellfire." I'm quite certain that I've spent the points to describe those powers unwisely, and if I were wiser in HERO-fu, I could apply those points to much greater effect while still remaining true to the general character concept.

 

Characteristics: 37

Skills: 50

Perks: 8

Talents: 9

Powers: 346

Unspent: 0

Total = 450

 

Characteristics: Total 37

[0] STR 10

[9] DEX 13

[0] CON 10

[0] BODY 10

[5] INT 15

[6] EGO 13

[2] PRE 12

[5] COM 20

[0] PD 2

[0] ED 2

[7] SPD 3

[0] REC 4

[3] END 24

[0] STUN 20

[0] Running 6"

[0] Swimming 2"

 

Skills: Total 50

[2] KS: The Superhuman World 11-

[1] KS: Occult Lore 8-

[3] Power: Fire Tricks

[3] Skill Level: Movement Skill Level: Flight (from Ultimate Skill)

 

Perks: Total 8

[3] Anonymity

[5] Follower: Lizard-imp demon, 25 base points + disadvantages.

 

Powers: Total 173+68+83+22 = 346

 

* Demonic Toughness. Total 173.

[30] Armor, 10 PD, 10 ED

[15] Damage Reduction, Physical, 25%, resistant

[45] Immune to fire: Desolidification (base 40); 0 END (+1/2), Persistent (+1/2), Inherent (+1/4) (active 90); Only to Protect Against Limited Type of Attack: Heat & fire (-1) (real 45). With GM's permission, does not need to buy 'affects physical world' for all other powers.

[28] Healing 1d6 (Regeneration, 1 BODY per Turn), Can Heal Limbs, Resurrection (base 35); 0 END (+1/2), Persistent (+1/2) (active 70); Extra Time (1 Turn, -1), Self Only (-1/2) (real 28)

[50] Life Support, full. Self Contained Breathing, Diminished Eating, Diminished Sleep, Safe Environments (Low Pressure/Vacuum, High Pressure, High Radiation, Intense Cold, Intense Heat), Immunity (All terrestrial diseases, biowarfare agents, poisons, chemical warfare agents), Longevity (unaging)

[5] Power Defense, 5 points

 

* Minor shapechanging (adding and removing tail, bat-wings, goat legs, horns, etc; various ordinary human-appearing shapes). Cannot imitate individuals. Not persistent - tends to revert to standard demonic form when asleep, emotions run high, etc. Total 68.

[33] Shape Shift. Limited Group of shapes (humanoids); Sight, Hearing, Touch, Smell/Taste Groups. Cellular (base 39). 0 END (+1/2) (active 58). Concentration to activate, 1/2 DCV (-1/4), Extra Time, Full Phase (-1/2) (real 33).

[5] Tail, etc: Extra Limbs (base 5); Inherent (+1/4) (active 6); Only in Hero ID (-1/4) (real 5)

[17] Wings: Flight 12" (base 24); Inherent (+1/4) (active 30); Restrainable (-1/2), Only in Hero ID (-1/4)

[13] Goat's horns, hooves, any other hard bits: Hand-to-hand Attack +4d6 (base 20); Hand-to-hand attack (-1/2)

 

* Calling up Hellfire. Total 83.

[30] Elemental Control: Fire, Limited: Does not affect true innocents or True Faithful (-0), No Knockback (-?)

- Flaming Aura: can be turned on and off consciously. Tends to turn on by accident when experiencing heightened emotions.

[23] HKA 1d6 (base 15); Affects Desolidfied (+1/2), Armor Piercing (+1/2), Damage Shield (does damage in HTH Combat; +3/4), Continuous (+1), 0 END (+1/2) (active 64, EC bonus 30, remaining 34); No STR Bonus (-1/2) (real 23)

- Reaching out with fire to touch someone:

[30] RKA 1d6+1 (base 20); Affects Desolidfied (+1/2), Armor Piercing (+1/2), Continuous (+1), (active 60, EC bonus 30, remaining 30); (real 30)

 

* Misc. Total 22.

[5] Enhanced Sense: Nightvision.

[17] "I didn't know I could do /that/! ... and I don't know how to do it again, either.": Variable Power Pool. 15 point Pool (20 points). 7 point Control Cost (base 7 points), No Conscious Control (-2), Slightly Limited Class of Powers (demonic abilities/magic, -1/4) (real cost 2)

 

 

 

Disadvantages: Total -100.

[-10] Accidental Change: to goat-legged etc form, when emotions run high. Common, 8- each Phase.

[-15] Distinctive Features: fiery demoness. Easily Concealed (with Shapeshifting), Extreme Reaction.

[-10] Hunted: Would-be do-gooders who dislike demons. Usually Less Powerful, 11-, Harshly Punish (send back to Hell, imprison in mystic circle, etc)

[-15] Physical Limitation: Can be summoned and/or imprisoned in a magic circle by magic-users who know her True Name and an appropriate ritual. Infrequently, Fully impairing.

[-15] Physical Limitation: Compelled to obey anyone who uses her True Name in an appropriate ritual. Infrequently, Fully impairing.

[-20] Psych: Protective of Innocents, Common, Total

[-15] Social: Secret ID, Freq, Major

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Re: How do you improve your HERO-fu?

 

No' date=' I don't mean a Martial Art which rewrites the character's universe's laws of physics (though that's certainly an intriguing idea), I just mean, how would /you/, yourself, go about improving your ability to use HERO's rules to do what you want to get done? (Focusing particularly on character creation, if you want.) Are there particular supplements that are better than others, certain experiments that you learned something from, or is it just a matter of plugging away in general for a given length of time?[/quote']

 

One thing that I find helps is to Game Master Hero. You start to look at things from different perspectives that way. :thumbup:

 

You will also be forced to create all manner of character (as villians, minions, NPC Heroes, normals, etc.) which will give you lots of opportunity to experiment. :sneaky:

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Re: How do you improve your HERO-fu?

 

I'm also lucky in that I'm in several different groups, some online, some fact to face. Each has it's own styles and standards.

 

I've found that one assumption of offense/defense ratios does not carry over - which is honestly why I'm slightly amused by conversations about damage for things being too high/low, since that's all relative to the game.

 

Being in multiple groups has also given me a great appreciation for Hero's ability for Genre Simulation, it truly can do everything very easily.

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Re: How do you improve your HERO-fu?

 

  • Focus on describing in non-HERO terms what effect you want to achieve before attempting to build it.
  • Keep a clear vision of what you want a character or individual ability to be capable of.
  • Be willing to compromise. Sometimes the original description will end up costing 700+ points no matter what you do. Let it be a possible future version of the character with XP and work backwards.
  • Don't get hung up on the names of powers and implied sfx. (There ARE exceptions to this due to some powers being sfx-based holdovers from 1st edition)

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Re: How do you improve your HERO-fu?

 

  • Focus on describing in non-HERO terms what effect you want to achieve before attempting to build it.
  • Keep a clear vision of what you want a character or individual ability to be capable of.
  • Be willing to compromise. Sometimes the original description will end up costing 700+ points no matter what you do. Let it be a possible future version of the character with XP and work backwards.
  • Don't get hung up on the names of powers and implied sfx. (There ARE exceptions to this due to some powers being sfx-based holdovers from 1st edition)

 

Good advice. Also a good primer on how to write software...

 

VtR

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Re: How do you improve your HERO-fu?

 

Our group spams most of our characters around for preview and review by everyone else, for suggestions and rules checks. Just about every character goes through two or more major revisions before time comes to actually play. Also, a couple of us are members of this board, and from here the potential resrouces are staggering.

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Re: How do you improve your HERO-fu?

 

You can learn a lot from looking at how other people build powers. The USPDs and various enemies books are probably the most concentrated examples of this but there are plenty of free examples on the forum and the web.

 

If you know anyone who has a copy of Strikeforce borrow and read it. A better example of a campaign from top to bottom doesn't exist.

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