House Rule (pre-6th): HA & weapons

[Opal]

I've never been quite satisfied by the way normal-damage melee weapons were handled in Hero.

At times, they've been like nerf bats for high STR characters (only up to double the weapon),

and the points don't add up in that stisfying 5 pts/DC way, even with 5th's oddbal HA as a

limitation... Many years ago I created an HA that worked like a normal counterpart to HKA. I

was never quite happy with it, either.

 

Something reminded me of that old problem again... apologies if this is the wrong place for it.

 

Hand-to-Hand Normal Attack

 

This power can be used to build a weapon or weapon-like power that does normal damage, like a

billy club, magical flail, extensible force field, ki punch, etc.

 

An HNA costs 5 points per d6 of normal damage and can be defined as physical or energy, normal or stun-only.

 

HNA adds to STR: An HNA can add to STR damage, only the dice of the HNA are added to the STR

damage, no advantages of the HNA are confered to the STR damage.

 

STR adds to HNA: STR used with an HNA can add directly to the HNA, DC for DC, up to doubling

the dice of the HNA. So, an HNA can be used to 'transform' STR damage from normal to energy

and/or to add advantages. For instance, a 30 STR character with a 6d energy HNA could inflict

12d N(energy) damage with the HNA, while if the HNA were also AP, he'd inflict only 10d of AP

damage.

 

Versatile attack: An HNA can be used to do more than just damage, like an EB, it can be

manipulated to give different advantages. You can trade one die of HNA for a +1 bonus to OCV

to attack with that HNA or Block while 'wielding' it. For 2 dice, you can sweep an HNA through

an adjacent hex, attacking each creature in that hex. For each additional die, you can sweep

it through another contiguous hex (which does not have to be adjacent to you, so you can use

this feature to get some 'reach').

 

Wielding: An HNA is used as an instantaneous attack, but the power remains active until your

next phase begins, you only have to pay END once per phase on an HNA, even if you use it again.

Once you have paid END for your HNA (or whenever you have the power available to use, if it is

0 END), you are 'wielding' it. While 'wielding' your HNA, you retain any OCV bonus you traded

DCs for, and any modifires your campaign may have for being 'armed.'

 

Limitations: 'Doesn't stack with STR' -1/2, the HNA does not add to STR and STR does not add

to the HNA. 'Slam,' -1/4, the HNA always does the same number of dice of damage and is not

'wielded.' 'Real Weapon,' an HNA with the Real Weapon limitation can have a number of dice

devoted to OCV or filling hexes, but that number is fixed when it's created, the 'Real Weapon'

HNA is still wielded while the character is holding the weapon.

 

 

 

Examples:

 

 

Billy Club: 15 pt HNA, 2d N(p), +1 OCV, 0 End, OAF, STR min, Real Weapon. (You can attack or block with it, you can choke someone with it...)

 

Telescoping Fighting Staff: 4d(p)HNA, 0 End, OAF. (You can sweep this through one or even three hexes adjacent to you - or even sweep through two hexes to hit someone three away - albeit with just your STR damage).

 

Extensible Force Field: 8dHNA(energy, 'magnetic') (A slot in an EC, with Force Field, obviously, and Flight. This character can do some wicked move-throughs, extend his Force Field like a battering ram to catch several enemies, or form it into a whip-like or rod-like 'force field weapon.')

 

Energized Gloves: 6d HNA(energy, 'blaster'), 0 END, OIF, Slam. (Combined with 30 STR, this guy gets to hit hard, like an HKA-based slasher, but without all the blood. The gloves have an aura of blaster-like energy, the harder you hit, the more of that energy is discharged into the target.)

 

Sturmhammergott's Mighty Mallet: 6d HNA(p), Useable At Range, 1/2 End, HIDO (no one can take it away or even lift it, comes to him from anywhere). (He can spin it arround to hit adjacent enemies, or block attacks, and throw it for 12d).

 

Radiant Mace: 4d HNA(energy, magical holy radiance); +4d only vs undead enemies; OAF, wielder must be 'righteous' or just a normal mace, Slam. (This weapon requires strength of faith, not arm, and sacrifice, thus no STR min, 0 END or real weapon limitations. Obviously, for a campaign in which normal maces are readily available.)

 

Stun Whip: 8d stun-only (energy, electrical), 0 END, OAF, doesn't stack with STR, (The slightest brush from this weapon is shocking, but it's light construction prevents any physical damage to the victim. It can be whipped around quicklly to give milder shocks to several enemies.)

[NuSoardGraphite]

Re: House Rule (pre-6th): HA & weapons

 

I believe in 6th edition, they just add to your STR. The limitation of double base DC as max is an optional rule suggested for use in heroic level games or realistic level games.

 

In any case, one way to treat this is that treat either the weapons damage as the base or the weilders str as the base damage, whichever is greater. Thus a character with a STR of 25 using a Sap (2D6) would get to roll 7D6 (5D6 for STR + 2D6 Sap) instead of only rolling the Sap's maximum of 4D6. This way the character gets a maximum damage cap that isn't pathetic. In some games where the gm allows somrething like this, he may want to give the chance for a character to damage their weapon for usung it beyond its normal capacity in this way, thus you get very strong characters who are constantly damaging normal weapons throughout he game. A good reason for strong characters to weild reinforced weapons.