Old Palladium player wanting to start with the HERO SYSTEM

[darthbutternutz]

Re: Old Palladium player wanting to start with the HERO SYSTEM

 

Just to let you know' date=' there are significant free fan-created HERO conversions on the Internet for the Palladium [i']RIFTS[/i] and Robotech games which we could direct you to, should you be interested.

 

I've been looking at some of those and they are helping for the most part. But I wish I could find a list of all the OCC's from HU recreated for HERO. The regular Super Powered characters aren't all that hard to convert, but more specifically the Enchanted Weapon OCC is giving me a hard time. I'll give the description from the book....

 

The magic weapon, not the character, is the true source of the magic and the superbeing's power. The hero is simply the new champion that wields the magical construct. Without the mystic weapon the character is an ordinary person armed only with his skills and wits.

 

The weapon is usally a common, ancient, melee weapon, such as a sword, ax, mace, or spear, covered in mystic symbols and rune writing. The weapon itself is indestructible. Most of these "rune" weapons are aligned to chaos (evil) or order (good), and their magic can only be used by people with a similar alignment. However, a few can be used by anybody. When the weapon is helb by a kindred spirit (similar alignment), he or she will have a brief instructional vision. The magic weapon will identify itself, or an eerie being will appear (the item's creator, a god, etc.), identify the seapon by a particular name and whether it is a force of good or evil.

 

As an example, lets look at Marvin Tecumson who finds a sword in a curious shop. The shopkeeper tells him that it is an ancient blade, maybe 1000 years old. Marvin frowns. It appears far too sharp and new to be more than a hundred years old. Heck, the shopkeeper might even make 'em in the basement. Still, there is something about the sword. It seems to feel good in his hands, almost inviting. Marvin buys the blade for much more than he can afford. "What a chump I was," he thinks, "I really blew it now."

 

At home, he holds the blade and gives it a whirl. Suddenly, Marvin is in a mist filled forest. A beautiful woman (this could also be a wizard, knight, angel, child, glowing blob of energy, the sword itself, anything) smiles and says' "Marvin, you are the new Champion of Light. Take this enchanted sword, Moonwind (or any name), and use its powers to crush the evil that would devour the light." Marvin is stunned. A million questions race through his mind, but before a syllable cab trickle off his tounge, he's back in his room. Marv is certain he's going crazy... or was dreaming. He hesitantly reaches for the sword. Picks it up and mumbles to himself its name, "Moonwind...." with a flash, Marvin is garbed in an outlandish custome (player's design). His muscles rippling with power. He and the sword are one, and suddenly, he understands the power it holds and how to use it. No words are spoken, but he knows, and a hero is born.

 

I think I understand how to give a weapon powers and such. But the problem im having is how to make the weapon give powers to the character and more specifically, how to "link" the weapon to the character so that other characters couldnt use the weapon.

 

It may be better to just start a new topic at this point, but I may as well start here Any ideas with this would be swell and I would be happy to elaborate more on the specifics of what my grand vision with this PC will be.

[The Main Man]

Re: Old Palladium player wanting to start with the HERO SYSTEM

 

I've been looking at some of those and they are helping for the most part. But I wish I could find a list of all the OCC's from HU recreated for HERO. The regular Super Powered characters aren't all that hard to convert, but more specifically the Enchanted Weapon OCC is giving me a hard time. I'll give the description from the book....

 

 

 

I think I understand how to give a weapon powers and such. But the problem im having is how to make the weapon give powers to the character and more specifically, how to "link" the weapon to the character so that other characters couldnt use the weapon.

 

It may be better to just start a new topic at this point, but I may as well start here Any ideas with this would be swell and I would be happy to elaborate more on the specifics of what my grand vision with this PC will be.

 

One way is to make it a Personal Focus, in which, while the item can be physically taken, it cannot be used.

 

OTOH, you could do away with the Focus and the item is simply a special effect.

[gojira]

Re: Old Palladium player wanting to start with the HERO SYSTEM

 

I think I understand how to give a weapon powers and such. But the problem im having is how to make the weapon give powers to the character and more specifically' date=' how to "link" the weapon to the character so that other characters couldnt use the weapon.[/quote']

 

 

From the description you quoted, espcially the part about "he and the weapon are one," I'd call that SFX and nothing else. Some people get powers in a radiation accident or built special armors. Some people get a magic sword. There's no difference.

 

If the sword is somehow more limiting than "radiation accident man" then it's worth a few points to the character, depending on how much he's inconvenienced. Some times the weapon can be restrained, preventing damage. Then the damage part of the powers get a bonus to their point cost from the Limitation Restrainable. If the sword can be removed from his possession for any reason, then it's probably a Focus of some sort. But in general you shouldn't put all of a players powers in something that could be taken away, it's too rough on the player when he does loose it.

[darthbutternutz]

Re: Old Palladium player wanting to start with the HERO SYSTEM

 

But in general you shouldn't put all of a players powers in something that could be taken away' date=' it's too rough on the player when he does loose it.[/quote']

 

But wouldn't that be the ultimate limitation though? I would think I could get uber points for that one. The character would be powerful until disabled and he would have to rely on his teammates to help if his weapon was stolen.

 

Or maybe when the character transforms, as long as he is within a certain range of the weapon, he still has use of some or most of his powers. Maybe even a duration thing as well, he would have to get his weapon back with 24 hours or something. Since my goal is to make it so no one else can actually use the powers of the weapon for themselves (they could use it like a melee weapon), there would be no benefit in actually stealing the thing. Obviously a GM would have a field day with it, but wouldn't that make for some interesting games?

[Lord Liaden]

Re: Old Palladium player wanting to start with the HERO SYSTEM

 

But wouldn't that be the ultimate limitation though? I would think I could get uber points for that one. The character would be powerful until disabled and he would have to rely on his teammates to help if his weapon was stolen.

 

Or maybe when the character transforms, as long as he is within a certain range of the weapon, he still has use of some or most of his powers. Maybe even a duration thing as well, he would have to get his weapon back with 24 hours or something. Since my goal is to make it so no one else can actually use the powers of the weapon for themselves (they could use it like a melee weapon), there would be no benefit in actually stealing the thing. Obviously a GM would have a field day with it, but wouldn't that make for some interesting games?

 

Well, there's "interesting" for the GM, and there's "interesting" for the player. A power source that can be taken away from the player means that for the duration of the loss the player will be less powerful than his teamates. In practice that often translates into less useful to the team, less competitive in combat, less able to be an equal participant in the story. While a GM may find that a useful story hook, a player may simply be very frustrated until he can get his power object back.

 

You're right that the bigger the Focus Limitation (and I agree with my colleagues that Personal Focus sounds the most like what you're describing) the more points you'll get; but it's called a "Limitation" for a reason. The philosophy of HERO and most other "point-buy" games is that you get what you pay for. If you invest less Character Points in abilities bought with a Limitation than a character who doesn't use a Limitation, it's because the Lim represents a significant drawback. The main drawback for a Focus is that it can be taken from the character, so if you use a Focus you're pretty much requiring that the GM take it away from you at some point, to justify the cost break.

 

IME most PCs who buy their Powers through a Focus should attempt to leave their character some useful abilities without it, such as Skills and/or enough combat ability to defeat an agent-class opponent. The proportion of such remaining abilities should be larger for characters with an Accessible Focus, which is more easily (and by implication, more frequently) taken away than an Inaccessible Focus -- hence the Accessible one providing a larger cost break.

[darthbutternutz]

Re: Old Palladium player wanting to start with the HERO SYSTEM

 

Thanks for the responses, everything is extremely useful.