Fishy, Fishy, Fishy, Fish!

[badger3k]

Since I saw this:

Actually' date=' I was only half-snarky there. I'm trying to cobble stuff together for a maritime setting, circa 1250 AD North Sea type tech, and so "Magic Fishnets" of the fish-catching sort was [i']exactly[/i] something I was hoping to come across today.

 

I was curious to see what I could come up with. So, here are a few items invented by the Mage Pisciwiddle the Third, who loved sailing and wanted to reward the fishermen who indulged him in his hobby and aided him in his studies.

 

The first is a net that summons fish to the area, for others to haul in.

 

Fish net of Bountiful Harvest: Summon 1,024 50-point Fish, Friendly (+1/4) (75 Active Points); 1 Charge (-2), Independent (-2), OAF Bulky (Net; -1 1/2), Arrives Under Own Power (-1/2), Summoned Being Must Inhabit Locale (-1/2). Real Cost: 10

 

(I was unsure of how many points a fish might cost, so I went with 50 as a base. That obviously is a bit small for predators, so they should not be summoned)

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This is a net that enhances the skill of the individual using it. It both makes them a better fisherman in general, but gives a bonus to searching for food (the survival skill). These nets were often gifts to fishermen who ranged widely, but some were sold to other captains, who kept them as survival gear.

 

Fish net of the Skillful Catch: (Total: 19 Active Cost, 4 Real Cost) +5 with PS: Fisherman (6 Active Points); Independent (-2), OAF Bulky (net; -1 1/2) (Real Cost: 1) plus +5 with Survival (Arctic/Subarctic Coasts, Marine Surface, Temperate/Subtropical Coasts) (13 Active Points); Independent (-2), OAF Bulky (net; -1 1/2), Only for Catching Fish (-1/4) (Real Cost: 3)

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This is a net that can increase the speed of surface vessels, to aid them in getting to and from an area. It can also work when trawling with the net.

 

Net of Fast Travel: Swimming 10" (x4 Noncombat) (15 Active Points); Independent (-2), OAF Bulky (Net; -1 1/2), Surface Only (-1), Only to increase the speed of a vessel (-1/2) Real Cost: 2

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This is an amulet he gave to certain captains, who used it to find areas rich in fish, especially certain types the the mage loved to eat!

 

Amulet of Fish Sensing: Detect A Large Class Of Things - Fish 15- (base 11- +4)(Unusual Group), Discriminatory, Increased Arc Of Perception (360 Degrees), Range, Sense, Telescopic: +10 (36 Active Points); Independent (-2), OIF (Amulet; -1/2) Real Cost: 10

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This net causes all fish in a certain area to come to the net and be caught. It's like the summons above, but a bit more specific. Note that the net has no modifiers to actually catching the fish, and they can be added in, or adjudicated as desired. I left this simple since fish don't have real intelligence and the "reeling them in" can just be handwaved if desired.

 

Net of Fish Attraction: Mind Control 8d6 (Animal class of minds), Telepathic (+1/4), Continuous (+1), Area Of Effect (72" Radius; +1 3/4) (160 Active Points); Independent (-2), OAF Bulky (Net; -1 1/2), Set Effect (Come to the Net!; -1/2), Limited Class Of Minds [subset of a class] (Fish; -1/2), 1 Continuing Charge lasting 1 Hour (-1/4) Real Cost: 28

[Teflon Billy]

Re: Fishy, Fishy, Fishy, Fish!

 

Awesome, I love mundane magical items and spells.

 

Do more, do more!

 

But no mid-wifery spells, every mundane magic thread around here seems to devolve down to mid-wifery. BORING!

 

TB

[The Monster]

Re: Fishy, Fishy, Fishy, Fish!

 

Of course, a lot of the standard 'mundane magic' stuff would do very well for fishermen: firestarters, protections from cold and weather, purified or magically created food & water, etc. Here's a few more specific to fishing:

 

-- A fairly simple Transform spell to make small (low-BODY) items float. Great for knives and tools.

-- A slightly more advanced spell to make things float *on command* - better for nets, spears, and lobster traps, because sometimes you need those things to actually go below the water.

-- Boots which hold traction even on a wet surface. Perhaps a Str 15 Clinging, with limitations against climbing walls and such.

-- Gloves with the same basic ability will allow fishermen to handle fish and nets more easily.

-- An 'oven' which uses magic instead of heat (no fire necessary!) to quickly dry fish, in order to preserve them and make them easier to transport.

[badger3k]

Re: Fishy, Fishy, Fishy, Fish!

 

Traps and Gloves of Retrieval. These are specially prepared fish traps and a set of gloves. Both items are enchanted at the same time. When the gloves are clapped together within a certain range, the trap teleports to that location. There is no effect if the gloves are clapped together outside of the range of the teleport.

 

Traps and Gloves of Retrieval: Teleportation 10", x8 Noncombat, Trigger (Activating the Trigger requires a Zero Phase Action, Trigger requires a Turn or more to reset; When gloves are clapped; +1/4) (37 Active Points); 1 Charge (-2), Independent (-2), Can Only Teleport To Floating Fixed Locations (Gloves of Retrieval; -1/2), OIF (Trap; -1/2). Real Cost: 6.

 

This is a bit of a stretch, as it pushes the envelope a bit (no detect for the trigger, for instance), but for a mundane item like this, I wouldn't worry about it. If the players wanted a trap that would catch something larger and teleport to their location, then you may want to tweak it a bit.

[shadowcat1313]

Re: Fishy, Fishy, Fishy, Fish!

 

some nice ideas for mundane magic items, but I have to ask

 

did you create them on porpoise? or just for the halibut?

 

tuna in later for more details and defins

[Cancer]

Re: Fishy, Fishy, Fishy, Fish!

 

Long ago for the TORG system I made a few spells with various effects:

 

* Fish Eyes: You needed direct (but only instantaneous) contact with a living aquatic creature, but then you could see through its eyes for the next hour after you made that contact. Not very useful for something like a snail, but for a roaming hunter (like a dolphin or a grouper) makes a handy thing for looking for lost items under the water. I'd rebuild this as an OAF Uncontrolled Clairsentience.

 

* Marker barnacle: Given a small piece off something permanently attached to a ship bottom, you could use it later to know where it was, how it was moving, how it was oriented, etc. This is the sort of thing the fleet office would want for keeping track of ships. Doesn't do the folks aboard any good, of course. Again, Clairsentience, though of a limited type; it'd have to be Megascaled, OAF (with perhaps impossible to replace, since you can't get such a focus unless the ship is right at hand). I made this with lots of extra casting time, though it could be argued that shouldn't gain you a lot in HERO because it's not much of a limitation.

 

* I recall another spell for plentiful spawning of fish in a lake, useful for inland fishermen. This gets toward the midwifery that Teflon Billy complained about, though.

 

* Find the Pearl: Somebody else's idea, this was a very clever little Detect spell for pearl divers: once you had a living oyster with a pearl in it already in hand, it made the next-nearest living oyster with a pearl in it light up. Obviously, no Incantations included here.

 

* In one of Leguin's Earthsea books she mentions a spell that temporarily alters a compass so that instead of pointing north, it points toward home or towards a safe channel. I never worked this one up but it seems like a very handy thing to have in a fog or a storm. This is another Detect spell, Megascaled, OAF, with lots of extra duration, though the casting time would need to be fairly quick, no more than a minute.

 

The Monster's idea about Clinging boots makes a great deal of sense, though my guess is that you'd really want more like STR 30 (or even more) in the Clinging. You'd definitely want them to be able to hold you on deck in a storm. Is there a mechanic for an unknown Variable Effect when creating Independent magic items, so you don't know how good they are until they fail in real usage?

[Drhoz]

Re: Fishy, Fishy, Fishy, Fish!

 

* Find the Pearl: Somebody else's idea, this was a very clever little Detect spell for pearl divers: once you had a living oyster with a pearl in it already in hand, it made the next-nearest living oyster with a pearl in it light up. Obviously, no Incantations included here.

 

Limitation : Can only be found by women

[badger3k]

Re: Fishy, Fishy, Fishy, Fish!

 

The Monster's idea about Clinging boots makes a great deal of sense' date=' though my guess is that you'd really want more like STR 30 (or even more) in the Clinging. You'd definitely want them to be able to hold you on deck in a storm. Is there a mechanic for an unknown Variable Effect when creating Independent magic items, so you don't know how good they are until they fail in real usage?[/quote']

 

Build it as No Conscious Control, maybe an activation roll for some of the Str, so that you'd never know what it was going to be, hmm....

 

Boots of Steady Feet: Clinging (+30 STR) (20 Active Points); Independent (-2), Only on ships/boats (-1), OIF (Boots; -1/2). Real Cost: 4

 

Boots of Unsteady Feet: Clinging (+30 STR) (20 Active Points); Independent (-2), Only on ships/boats (-1), No Conscious Control (Only Effects cannot be controlled; -1), OIF (Boots; -1/2). Real Cost 4

 

Boots of Sorta-Steady Feet: (Total: 48 Active Cost, 8 Real Cost) Clinging (+5 STR) (12 Active Points); Independent (-2), Only on ships/boats (-1), OIF (Boots; -1/2), Activation Roll 15- (-1/4) (Real Cost: 2) plus Clinging (+5 STR) (12 Active Points); Independent (-2), Only on ships/boats (-1), Activation Roll 13- (-3/4), OIF (Boots; -1/2) (Real Cost: 2) plus Clinging (+5 STR) (12 Active Points); Independent (-2), Only on ships/boats (-1), Activation Roll 11- (-1), OIF (Boots; -1/2) (Real Cost: 2) plus Clinging (+5 STR) (12 Active Points); Independent (-2), Activation Roll 9- (-1 1/2), Only on ships/boats (-1), OIF (Boots; -1/2) (Real Cost: 2)

 

This could be taken as either 4 rolls, or one roll that works like autofire.

[QueenOfItAll]

Re: Fishy, Fishy, Fishy, Fish!

 

(I was unsure of how many points a fish might cost, so I went with 50 as a base. That obviously is a bit small for predators, so they should not be summoned)

The Hero System Bestiary has Barracuda costing a total of 44 points. A barracuda is a predator, and I imagine edible fish cost much less.

 

Indeed, an eel costs -38 points+++yes, that is a negative number.

 

My suggestion would be to consider edible fish as costing 5 points in and of themselves. Thus Summoning one costs a single point, and Summoning 1,024 costs 51 points before Advantages and Limitations.

[Michael Hopcroft]

Re: Fishy, Fishy, Fishy, Fish!

 

Reminds me of the notorious Here Fishy, Fishy, Fishy spell in Slayers, which calls fish to your hook. You only catch one fish at a time, but you can get an extraordinary number of them over time.

 

What is to prevent the fishery becoming depleted by such spells? Does some of the magic actually create fish where there were no fish before?

[badger3k]

Re: Fishy, Fishy, Fishy, Fish!

 

Reminds me of the notorious Here Fishy' date=' Fishy, Fishy[/i'] spell in Slayers, which calls fish to your hook. You only catch one fish at a time, but you can get an extraordinary number of them over time.

 

What is to prevent the fishery becoming depleted by such spells? Does some of the magic actually create fish where there were no fish before?

 

Actually, there is nothing to stop these items from depleting a fishing ground, except that the likely area will be small. This assumes that the items are not in common use, are hard to make, and will be kept out of common circulation. And, if you consider our world, we have a history of destroying the environment. Why should this world be different?

 

But...you can always have fish midwifery spells!

 

That does put an interesting spin on things...what if these items are causing a depletion of fish, and this affects the colony of aquatic dark elves. Or, what if these items deplete the fish, and the adventurers must find the wizard who made the items, to get an item to make/summon fish from other areas. Or the players find that the magical item made to summon/create new fish has been causing some unusual side effects, such as after a dinner of cod in the inn, the characters wake up to find they have gills...and air is soooooo dry....

 

Of course, the obvious answer is that the fish in the area are of such concentrations that, at least for the present time and population, there is no danger of overfishing. Yet......

 

I like how such a simple, mundane magical item can springboard into adventures, especially from such a good observation as "what happens to the fish". Thanks for the question.

 

I may have to use this. I like the possibilities.

[Lawnmower Boy]

Re: Fishy, Fishy, Fishy, Fish!

 

Actually, there is nothing to stop these items from depleting a fishing ground, except that the likely area will be small. This assumes that the items are not in common use, are hard to make, and will be kept out of common circulation. And, if you consider our world, we have a history of destroying the environment. Why should this world be different?

 

 

Even without magic devices, the fish won't run some years. Good thing you've got boats, and can try other fishing grounds. Murmansk, Iceland, Greenland, Newfoundland.... There's a reason Vikings got around so much, and plenty of adventure hooks. A Buddhist monk travels up the Volga and down the Dvina to board at Murmansk, seeking passage to Shamballah, which, obviously, is northwest along the coast from the Greenland settlements. I hope you pack Wendigo repellent, and even more that you tumble to the fact that this innocent young monk is actually the rightful Ming emperor, and that not everything sent after him is merely mortal.

Oh, and...

Cloak of Comfort Life Support, Safe Environment, Cold (2 points), +3 Dex (only versus clothes-related penalties for Dex-related rolls, -1 1/2), +5 Strength (only for casual strength, only versus clothes-related encumbrance, -2), Usable simultaneously (+1/2), OAF (-1/2); real cost 8.

(Bearing in mind that I haven't done many of these. It seems rather expensive for what it aims to do....)

[badger3k]

Re: Fishy, Fishy, Fishy, Fish!

 

Even without magic devices, the fish won't run some years. Good thing you've got boats, and can try other fishing grounds. Murmansk, Iceland, Greenland, Newfoundland.... There's a reason Vikings got around so much, and plenty of adventure hooks. A Buddhist monk travels up the Volga and down the Dvina to board at Murmansk, seeking passage to Shamballah, which, obviously, is northwest along the coast from the Greenland settlements. I hope you pack Wendigo repellent, and even more that you tumble to the fact that this innocent young monk is actually the rightful Ming emperor, and that not everything sent after him is merely mortal.

Oh, and...

Cloak of Comfort Life Support, Safe Environment, Cold (2 points), +3 Dex (only versus clothes-related penalties for Dex-related rolls, -1 1/2), +5 Strength (only for casual strength, only versus clothes-related encumbrance, -2), Usable simultaneously (+1/2), OAF (-1/2); real cost 8.

(Bearing in mind that I haven't done many of these. It seems rather expensive for what it aims to do....)

 

Cloak of Comfort: (Total: 19 Active Cost, 4 Real Cost) LS (Immunity: Common Cold/Flu; Safe in Intense Cold) (4 Active Points); Independent (-2), OIF (-1/2) (Real Cost: 1) plus +3 with Agility Skills (15 Active Points); Independent (-2), Only to Counter Encumbrance Penalties for Clothes (-2), OIF (-1/2) (Real Cost: 3)

 

I'd go with something more like that, but I'm not even sure I'd include the dex/str/agility modifiers, since a character wearing this would not need to wear a lot of clothes as long as they had the cloak (except for getting wet, that is). Encumbrance penalties mainly modified Agility skills, and I put that in to reflect that, using 3 just as a base, not because I looked into it. I left Str off, since I can't see anyone wearing a huge amount of clothing that would cause a penalty. If that is a possibility, then I'd go the Str route, but I'd leave out the "usable simultaneously" since only the wearer is affected by it. If you want the cloak to cover a group, you'd need to add that advantage to everything.

 

Stove of Comfort: LS (Immunity: Common Cold/Flu; Safe in Intense Cold), Area Of Effect (8" Radius; +1 3/4) (11 Active Points); Independent (-2), OIF (Iron Box; -1/2). Real Cost: 3

 

This iron box gives the people around it a resistance to cold and some diseases that tend to go along with cold weather (although colds are caused more by people staying indoors than by the cold, this item may be used in such conditions and thus the protection might not be bad).

[Drhoz]

Re: Fishy, Fishy, Fishy, Fish!

 

Oil on Troubled Water? A smooth surface is useful, and the phrase does originate from trident-fishing. Just scale it up to affect major waves if you want

[The Monster]

Re: Fishy, Fishy, Fishy, Fish!

 

I'm not sure how you would build this in Hero, but something as simple as a spear-tip or fish-hook which is barbed as usual, but the barb can be retracted (presumably magically) for ease of removal. Or even a spear/hook which simply teleports the caught fish to a space a few inches below the hook, thus making removal a simple command word rather than a manual task.

[Drhoz]

Re: Fishy, Fishy, Fishy, Fish!

 

I'm not sure how you would build this in Hero' date=' but something as simple as a spear-tip or fish-hook which is barbed as usual, but the barb can be retracted (presumably magically) for ease of removal. Or even a spear/hook which simply teleports the caught fish to a space a few inches below the hook, thus making removal a simple command word rather than a manual task.[/quote']

 

useful for first aid, too. Easier to explain if they're still using bone hooks, of course - the bone is still alive! Eek! Necromancy magic! accidental side effect! Risk of Zombiefication if sticked!

[QueenOfItAll]

Re: Fishy, Fishy, Fishy, Fish!

 

An unbreakable fishing line would be of enormous usefulness. Given that the Hero System resists absolutes, this would need to be modeled as a very hard to break line.

 

I am not sure what would be the best way to accomplish this.

[badger3k]

Re: Fishy, Fishy, Fishy, Fish!

 

An unbreakable fishing line would be of enormous usefulness. Given that the Hero System resists absolutes' date=' this would need to be modeled as a [b']very[/b] hard to break line.

 

I am not sure what would be the best way to accomplish this.

 

Since it is not actually a power, you could simply treat it like other items and give it a high def and body, with 75% damage reduction to everything.

 

Or simply give it the Unbreakable Focus limitation.

[The Monster]

Re: Fishy, Fishy, Fishy, Fish!

 

An unbreakable fishing line would be of enormous usefulness. Given that the Hero System resists absolutes' date=' this would need to be modeled as a [b']very[/b] hard to break line.

 

I am not sure what would be the best way to accomplish this.

Or you could make a line that has no physical form at all - define it as a limited Telekinesis. Keeps it from getting entagled in seaweed, or with other lines, etc.

 

Another item of interest: depth detector. All it does is provide a reliable measure of how far down a solid object is. If built into a ship (part of the keel or figurehead, perhaps), it need only have a range of a few fathoms, in order to avoid running the ship aground.

[Lawnmower Boy]

Re: Fishy, Fishy, Fishy, Fish!

 

Or maybe something like this... Again, I don't do this much, so do your own math!

 

Forty Fathom Anchor

Clinging, +55 Str plus Stretching, 40" (Always Direct [-1/4], Cannot Do Damage [-1/2], Limited Body Part [-1/4], Linked, although this seems cheesy, so -1/4); Bulky OIF (-1), Independent (-1), Extra Time (1 Turn) (-1 1/4), Continuous (+1), Reduced Endurance (0 End, +1/2), Gestures, both hands (-1); Real Cost 27 points.

 

This anchor will set and hold instantly on even the most ironbound ground at a depth of up to 40 fathoms, making inshore work far safer. You might even be able to kedge out of danger.

[shadowcat1313]

Re: Fishy, Fishy, Fishy, Fish!

 

12 Argus's Figureheads: Detect A Large Class Of Things 14- (Unusual Group), Increased Arc Of Perception (240 Degrees), Ranged (+1/2), Line Of Sight (+1/2) (30 Active Points); OIF Immobile (-1 1/2) [Notes: Detects Rocks and Shoals, and other navigation hazards]

 

This is more for larger ships, and comes more under nautical magic, but could still be really useful

[QueenOfItAll]

Re: Fishy, Fishy, Fishy, Fish!

 

Since it is not actually a power, you could simply treat it like other items and give it a high def and body, with 75% damage reduction to everything.

 

Or simply give it the Unbreakable Focus limitation.

 

Ah, but a Focus for what Power?

[badger3k]

Re: Fishy, Fishy, Fishy, Fish!

 

Ah' date=' but a Focus for what Power?[/quote']

 

Could be clinging, to stick the fish to it - or it could be TK, stretching, Teleport with HKA - to give the hook that leaves the fishes mouth, but if it is a regular fishing line, simply give it +x to PS: Fisherman, or Survival (only to fish with hook & line). The last way just gives a bit of a skill benefit while keeping the unbreakable.

 

Of course, if it is unbreakable, you could also make it an MP with entangle and HKA (if it is a thin enough line - I'm unsure of what a medieval-style fishing line might be, even though that is not applicable to fantasy).

 

Also, any of the summons given above...heck, if you even wanted to be really cheesy, make it life support: does not need to eat, usable simultaneously with others, representing the ability to catch fish (obvious limitation, only where fish can be caught), extra time, and limited duration (1 day).

 

How's that?

[Michael Hopcroft]

Re: Fishy, Fishy, Fishy, Fish!

 

12 Argus's Figureheads: Detect A Large Class Of Things 14- (Unusual Group)' date=' Increased Arc Of Perception (240 Degrees), Ranged (+1/2), Line Of Sight (+1/2) (30 Active Points); OIF Immobile (-1 1/2) [Notes: Detects Rocks and Shoals, and other navigation hazards']

 

This is more for larger ships, and comes more under nautical magic, but could still be really useful

 

The military applications of such "technology" are interesting. Makes placing hazards in the way of invading fleets a much more difficult proposition if the enemy can merely avoid anything but the most subtle (magically shielded?) barriers. This would be a great spell for Vikings and those of that ilk, who raid from the sea to land.

 

And those magically shielded barriers? No war is forever, and when the port is once again at peace you need to find a way to get rid of them somehow....

[badger3k]

Re: Fishy, Fishy, Fishy, Fish!

 

The military applications of such "technology" are interesting. Makes placing hazards in the way of invading fleets a much more difficult proposition if the enemy can merely avoid anything but the most subtle (magically shielded?) barriers. This would be a great spell for Vikings and those of that ilk, who raid from the sea to land.

 

And those magically shielded barriers? No war is forever, and when the port is once again at peace you need to find a way to get rid of them somehow....

 

Such things could be triggers - built to detect ships with a certain talisman, or have a certain word spoken, to lower force fields or defensive traps. This might be an interesting situation if the shipbuilders have forgotten the traps, but all their ships have the talisman as a part of the ship (more as tradition). The few ships that are from elsewhere that try to come in are torn apart by the traps, even though no one knows of them (they effectively do not detect the native ships and so don't activate). What about a trap that sinks a ship and transforms the dead into underwater undead? This new hazard, caused by an increase in trade starting, threatens all activity. The worried populace hire the PCs to find the creature that is sinking ships, both to stop the undead and maybe prevent a war with the original ships homes.

 

Basically, use a "forgotten magic" setting instead of a post-apocalyptic "forgotten technology".