Never Built a follower before need assitance

[thaeldes]

I have a character in a game who has a follower of 12 points (60 points to build the follower). I need assitance building it and the follower is a crow so im totally out of my element here.

[Derek Hiemforth]

Re: Never Built a follower before need assitance

 

Do you have the HERO System Bestiary?

[Manic Typist]

Re: Never Built a follower before need assitance

 

IS the crow unusual at all? Does it have any special talents or abilities?

[Shadowsoul]

Re: Never Built a follower before need assitance

 

If it's built on 60 points then it can't be a normal crow surely. It's got to have overpowered characteristics or extra skills or supernatural abilities. If the original character just want's a pet crow who can do a few tricks I would have thought it wouldn't need that many points.

 

But anyway a follower is built just like a normal PC, there's no trick to it.

 

I guess you start with the basics, if, (like me), you don't have the Bestiary to work from then you have to give it Flight, a very weak HKA (Claws and Beak, it could also have a 'frenzy' attack in which it claws and pecks away like mad, counts as low powered HKA with Autofire 2), and the various advantages and disadvantages of its size which you can find in the main rulebook; i've never measure a crow but I assume it would be Miniscule, or possibly Tiny. And unless it can speak human languages or its master can speak crow then you probably want to give it mind-link and/or telepathy.

 

If it's a follower then you might not want to worry about giving it animal intelligence since crows are very clever creatures.

 

http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38389&highlight=crow+build

 

It would help if you could tell us what kind of character this crow is following and what they would find useful.

 

A mage might want to use it as a conduit to cast spells with or it might just possess all sorts of occult knowledge.

 

A scout or in fact any canny player might want to use it for reconaissance so extra Perception and perhaps some uncanny ability like magesight.

 

Then there's mutations. An assassin or warrior might want to give it ridiculously large slashy claws or normal claws equipped with a poison gland.

 

These are of course entirely dependent on the crow's intelligence and purpose but potential skills are Stealth, Concealment (only for finding interesting objects), Flight Tricks/Acrobatics, Lockpicking (tricky but not impossible with claws and a beak), Eavesdropping, Lip-reading, Mimicry, Shadowing and Teamwork (distracting the PC's enemy's in combat so he can get a blow in).

 

Or it could just aid and abet it's master more directly. Perhaps it possesses levels of Luck and has the power to lend them to its master in times of peril. Or it can use some simple buffing spells.

[thaeldes]

Re: Never Built a follower before need assitance

 

The Character is a Voodoo Priest, who is wanting a crow as a good assitant the game is high in supernatural things. Kinda like a ghostbusters deal demons, ghosts other worldly beings etc. He is a voodoo priest wanting a follower that can show him the way from the sky, and he wants it to be able to have some strength. He said he would like it to be a little bigger than a normal crow. And i do not have the bestiary.

[Shadowsoul]

Re: Never Built a follower before need assitance

 

Then I would suggest leaving most of its characteristics at base but otherwise give it the benefits of the 'Tiny' package. It should still be strong enough to damage enemies and by dint of being a big black bird of sorcerous aspect it shouldn't loose too much presence.

 

FREX

 

8. Easily Hidden. +6 to Concealment (12 Active Points); Self Only

 

30. Hard to Hit +6 DCV

 

12. Hard to Percieve. +6 to Stealth.

 

Disadvantages.

 

-5. Less Impressive. -5 PRE

 

-18. Short Legs. -9" running. (1" minimum).

 

-5. Weak. -5 Strength.

 

-10. Physical Limitation - Tiny.

 

The total cost of this modified size package is 12 points. (Or 50 points out of 60 with an extra 38 points gained from disadvantages if you prefer). Either way you have 48 points left to play with.

 

Then I suggest adding some or all of the following, modified to your taste of course.

 

14. Bird Flight: Flight 6", x4 Noncombat (17 Active Points); Physical Manifestation - Wings (-1/4)

 

6. Beady Eyes: +3 Sight Perception.

 

10. Witchsight: Detect Supernatural Beings 11- (Mystic Group)

 

5. Claws and Beak: Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand 1 point (1/2d6 w/STR)

 

7. Claws of Immaterial Rending: Deadly Blow: +1d6 (Only Against Spirits Or Spectral Beings)

 

5. Bond: Mind Link , Human class of minds, One Specific Mind

 

Total Powers Cost = 47.

 

I've already mentioned some possible skills. Occult knowledge or knowledge of spirits and Voodoo are also good skills here.

 

Other possible Disadvantages include the inability to speak human languages, a disturbing aura, reduced Con, (because it's so small), reputation - Bird of Ill Omen and of course Social Limitation - "It's Just a Dumb Animal! Ignore it." How much these are worth is up to you.

 

 

Does that help at all?

[Thia Halmades]

Re: Never Built a follower before need assitance

 

I'm with Derek. Just look it up in the Bestiary (if you have it) or if you don't, I think you can just DL the entirety of the book in pre-written HDv3 format for like... seven bucks? Double check with someone who has it (I tend to just plug them all in myself). But a Falcon is built on 118, so I would think a Crow would be slightly less.

[MorpheousXO]

Re: Never Built a follower before need assitance

 

Then I would suggest leaving most of its characteristics at base but otherwise give it the benefits of the 'Tiny' package. It should still be strong enough to damage enemies and by dint of being a big black bird of sorcerous aspect it shouldn't loose too much presence.

 

FREX

 

8. Easily Hidden. +6 to Concealment (12 Active Points); Self Only

 

30. Hard to Hit +6 DCV

 

12. Hard to Percieve. +6 to Stealth.

 

Disadvantages.

 

-5. Less Impressive. -5 PRE

 

-18. Short Legs. -9" running. (1" minimum).

 

-5. Weak. -5 Strength.

 

-10. Physical Limitation - Tiny.

 

The total cost of this modified size package is 12 points. (Or 50 points out of 60 with an extra 38 points gained from disadvantages if you prefer). Either way you have 48 points left to play with.

 

Then I suggest adding some or all of the following, modified to your taste of course.

 

14. Bird Flight: Flight 6", x4 Noncombat (17 Active Points); Physical Manifestation - Wings (-1/4)

 

6. Beady Eyes: +3 Sight Perception.

 

10. Witchsight: Detect Supernatural Beings 11- (Mystic Group)

 

5. Claws and Beak: Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand 1 point (1/2d6 w/STR)

 

7. Claws of Immaterial Rending: Deadly Blow: +1d6 (Only Against Spirits Or Spectral Beings)

 

5. Bond: Mind Link , Human class of minds, One Specific Mind

 

Total Powers Cost = 47.

 

I've already mentioned some possible skills. Occult knowledge or knowledge of spirits and Voodoo are also good skills here.

 

Other possible Disadvantages include the inability to speak human languages, a disturbing aura, reduced Con, (because it's so small), reputation - Bird of Ill Omen and of course Social Limitation - "It's Just a Dumb Animal! Ignore it." How much these are worth is up to you.

 

 

Does that help at all?

 

Personally, I like all that, though wouldn't the limitation on the Flight be Restrainable to represent wings? You could possibly put that on the HKA too.

 

Saves 6 points on the flight and 2 points on the HKA.

[Lucius]

Re: Never Built a follower before need assistance

 

The Current Dispensation has a rule forbidding you from taking Shrinking, and making it Persistant and Always On.

 

Do you understand why this rule exists?

 

If so, can you explain it to me?

 

If not, why not do what I do - ignore it. Buy enough Shrinking to make something crow sized, and make it Always On. Give it a Mind Link, Direction Sense, possibly Navigation. Maybe a form of Mental Illusion via the Mind Link to give the houngan the same view the familiar has. Crows and ravens can talk, too, of course. Probably has some KS skills pertaining to Occult Lore.

 

Maybe Deduction and/or Eidetic Memory. (Odin's two ravens are named Hugin and Munin, meaning Thought and Memory.)

 

Oh, and Flight. Possibly in a multipower with Gliding?

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary notes that you should watch out for "Liver-Eatin'" Johnson.

[CourtFool]

Re: Never Built a follower before need assitance

 

Thaeldes, you have the 4th edition Bestiary. There are some birds in that and the builds should be nearly identical for 5th edition. I will bring the 5th edition Bestiary Saturday.

 

You need to be more specific about what the player wants from this crow. Remember to reason from effect. You may not want to build it as a follower.

 

A follower that can show him the way from the sky: Clairsentience, Restrainable

Some strength: Telekinesis, Uncontrolled, Restrainable

Bigger than a normal crow: Special Effects for no points

 

All of this could be rolled up into a Multipower and would probably cost a lot less than a follower.

[CourtFool]

Re: Never Built a follower before need assitance

 

O.k. So it is cheaper to build a follower.

 

Cost	Power
3	[i]Crow[/i]: Elemental Control, 10-point powers,
(5 Active Points); all slots Restrainable (-1/2)

5	[i]Attack![/i]: Killing Attack - Ranged 1 point, Trigger
(Activating the Trigger is an Action that takes no
time, Trigger resets automatically, immediately after
it activates, Three or more activation conditions
apply simultaneously; +1 1/2) (12 Active Points)

3	[i]Bring Me the Keys[/i]: Telekinesis (3 STR),
Uncontrolled (+1/2) (7 Active Points)

3	[i]Find a Water Source[/i]: +5 with Survival
(10 Active Points)

3	[i]Follow Him[/i]: +5 with Tracking (10 Active Points)

4	[i]Scout Ahead[/i]: Clairsentience (Sight Group)
(20 Active Points); Extra Time (1 Minute, -1 1/2),
Only Through The Senses Of Others (-1/2)

Powers Cost: 21