Resource Points in Fantasy Hero

[L. Marcus]

... Do you use them? How do you use them? What about Resource Point Pools?

 

I'm looking for input for my Low High Fantasy campaign (that might actually see the light of the gaming table after New Year's!) -- I'm thinking of starting characters as Competent Normals, 100+30.

[Markdoc]

Re: Resource Points in Fantasy Hero

 

... Do you use them? How do you use them? What about Resource Point Pools?

 

I'm looking for input for my Low High Fantasy campaign (that might actually see the light of the gaming table after New Year's!) -- I'm thinking of starting characters as Competent Normals, 100+30.

 

We've used them in modern and cyberpunk games where they generally worked well, with some issues that we could cope with. In fantasy games though we always ended up in one of two dead ends: either make them so large as to be meaningless or have them be endlessly irritating and stupid.

 

My suggestion instead: use the encumbrance rules and common sense.

 

Cheers, Mark

[Escafarc]

Re: Resource Points in Fantasy Hero

 

I use them for all my Heroic level games. I like the fact that it helps with changing the mindset away from kill the monsters and take their stuff.

[Lord Liaden]

Re: Resource Points in Fantasy Hero

 

I've been thinking about trying them in fantasy games to help balance spell casters against other types of characters. Having standard material resources for all characters right there on their character sheets may help us set general point total limits.

[L. Marcus]

Re: Resource Points in Fantasy Hero

 

We've used them in modern and cyberpunk games where they generally worked well, with some issues that we could cope with. In fantasy games though we always ended up in one of two dead ends: either make them so large as to be meaningless or have them be endlessly irritating and stupid.

 

My suggestion instead: use the encumbrance rules and common sense.

 

Cheers, Mark

 

I get the feeling it's all about power level. In APG, the recommended values are 60 points for Equipment, 10 points for Vehicles and Bases, and five points for Followers and Contacts. In a world where magic items are very rare, and magic users are one in a hundred thousand, that's plenty enough, I feel.

 

As I see my campaign, a Wizard will start with a VPP of 45-60 points -- good enough for a 12 DC attack, able to burn an unarmed couch potato to a crisp and seriously singe a knight in 7 DEF armor. The most powerful magic users would get up to just over 100 Active Points in the Pool -- that should make mince meat of most threats, including massed formations.

[Old Man]

Re: Resource Points in Fantasy Hero

 

I use them for all my Heroic level games. I like the fact that it helps with changing the mindset away from kill the monsters and take their stuff.

 

Why would you want to do that?

[Markdoc]

Re: Resource Points in Fantasy Hero

 

I use them for all my Heroic level games. I like the fact that it helps with changing the mindset away from kill the monsters and take their stuff.

 

As a GM, I've never had a problem with that. I simply downplay the importance of loot. I ran a 5 year, twice-a-month game, where the players had set objectives, which didn't include trying to collect magic gee-gaws (there were hardly any) or looting (they had more important things to do). This wasn't a fluke, since I did it twice in a row, with completely different groups, including both newbies and hardcore D&D'ers*. My experience has been that if you give players a game where the goal is to kill the monsters and take their stuff, then that's what they'll do. If you give them a game where the goal is something else, then that something else is what they do.

 

My last campaign, which also ran about 5 years of regular play had plenty of magic items and monsters, but the players actually spent relatively little time looting ... because they had other things to do. The only time they went on a concentrated looting expedition was when they were seeking specific items to face a big bad and since I wanted them to have the items they needed to face the big bad, resource pools would have just been a waste of time for 4 1/2 years and then a PITA for everyone concerned for 6 months.

 

cheers, Mark

 

*I admit these people were a bit shocked that 1) there were no magic items for sale - at all, at all and 2) that there were no magic items to be found after a big fight. Often, there wasn't even significant coinage or jewellery. They learned to deal, and since they are still playing happily as part of the group 10 years on, I guess they are OK with it.

[Markdoc]

Re: Resource Points in Fantasy Hero

 

I've been thinking about trying them in fantasy games to help balance spell casters against other types of characters. Having standard material resources for all characters right there on their character sheets may help us set general point total limits.

 

My experience is that it doesn't help balance magic users against other PC archetypes at all, because the balance issue in fantasy games is not about equipment, but access to powers. As I've noted in the past on this topic, I think it's one of the reasons why our groups have never had a problem with them in modern/Sci-Fi/cyberpunk games but hate them them so much in fantasy games (there's two other important reasons, of course: travel time and the range of powers accessible via equipment).

 

cheers, Mark

[Killer Shrike]

Re: Resource Points in Fantasy Hero

 

I have not yet used them for straight up Fantasy, but that is mostly because by the time resource pools were introduced in 5e I already had too much fantasy material and inertia to easily switch over to using them. However, if I ever spent the time to revise all of my FH material, I would use resource pools pretty much exactly as I set them up for Here There Be Monsters (which is an _urban_ fantasy).

 

The balancing trick is that I pushed _all_ special abilities into various kinds of special resource pools (mystic, psychic, believer, innate, professional). Each character picks an origin which unlocks one of them for free; but others can be unlocked with a talent for hybrid characters.

 

Here are 20 pre-gen starting characters / iconics, 4 for each origin / means to power. The balance between them is pretty tight.

 

 

Here is a cut & paste snippet of the relevant Resource Pool section from the Starting Play document:

 

Equipment Pool: a characters normal gear, including basic weapons (publically available handguns, rifles, shotguns), simple body armor, and consumer electronics. The Kit and Armory concept applies to Equipment; the number rating of the Resource Pool indicates how much gear a character can carry with them (their Kit); however they can have more things that are available to them with time and access (their Armory). Gear that would be considered "standard" or "street" level in a typical Dark Champions campaign can be taken in a character's Equipment Pool; more uncommon and special gear must be taken in an appropriate Special Pool.

 

Vehicles and Bases Pool: any vehicles and or bases a character might have. This Pool is particularly efficient as the normal pricing of Vehicles and Bases applies, so each point of Vehicle and Bases Pool spent on Vehicles is really 5 points of Vehicle effect, and similarly each point spent on a Base is effectively 5 points worth of Base.

 

Contacts and Followers Pool: any contacts a character might have; the Well-Connected Perk reduces the cost of these Contacts as normal. With GM permission this Pool can also be used to pay for Followers; the normal cost structure for Followers applies so each point of Contacts and Followers Pool spent on Followers is effectively 5 points worth of Followers.

 

Special Pools: Special Pools control a character's access to various sorts of special abilities and unusual gear. A character's Origin unlocks one Special Pool during character creation, but the other Special Pools are attainable as well with extra expenditure and GM permission. Each type of Special Pool is usable for different things, as described below. The Kit and Armory concept does not apply to the Special Pools, and a character can only change out abilities in their Special Pools with GM permission or as a reaction to events that transpire during the game as the campaign unfolds (such as if special gear is lost or destroyed).

 

*Mystic Pool: a character pays for enchanted items, spells, mystic powers, and other supernatural abilities they have out of their Mystic Pool.

 

*Psychic Pool: a character pays for any psychic items or powers they have out of their Psychic Pool.

 

*Believer Pool: a character pays for any relics and / or faith-based abilities they may have out of their Believer Pool. They can also take something ephemeral like a one-time boon granted by a powerful being.

 

*Innate Pool: a character pays for any innate Supernatural abilities, such as Lycanthropy or Immortality or other abilities that represent a Supernatural character's normal state of existence from their Innate Pool.

 

*Professional Pool: a character pays for any special or one-of-a-kind custom gear and / or signature abilities (i.e. Super Skills) they may have out of their Professional Pool. "Mundane" equipment considered to be Military or Advanced Military in a typical Dark Champions campaign can be taken in a Professional Pool by characters who can justify it with their concept.

 

UNLOCKING ADDITIONAL SPECIAL RESOURCE POOLS

Players can spend extra character points to unlock additional Special Pools beyond the one they have access to for free via their Origin. First, this requires conceptual justification and GM's approval. Second it requires the purchase of a custom Talent per Special Resource Pool.

 

Cost Ability

5 each Unlock Special Resource Pool (Mystic, Psychic, Believer, Innate, or Professional)