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Help with running combat, please!


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Hi all.  I recently found the MHI Books and loved them.  Then I found the game and was excited. 

 

I have never used or played the Hero System before, but I am not new to RPG - I started with 2nd edition D&D and played all the diffrent editions since then.  I have played (or ran) adventures in Fate, GURPS (a long time ago), the old FASA Star Trek, and several others I cannot remember right now.  That being said I started with character Generation and figured that out easily enough and there is a lot about the system I am liking, BUT I cannot figure out how to run combat in the system.

 

Can some one explain it to me or point me in the direction of a post I could look at to understand it better?  I used my family as test guinea pigs last night and my boys got rally frusterated as did I.  I just could not wrap my head around it. 

 

Please help!

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First, what book(s) do you have and do they include an example of combat?

 

I know the books don't say this but one concept that might help is to think of a TURN in HERO as the typical combat ROUND in most other games.  You can still take your 0 Phase, Full Phase or 2 Half Phase actions but try to make them flow from the intent your character begins the TURN with instead of just optimizing your choices for each PHASE's actions. 

 

More later....

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Welcome to Hero! I promise, Hero combat plays much simpler than it sounds once you get the basics down. Here's how I explain it when I'm teaching new players:

 

Actions:

A Turn is 12 seconds long. Your Speed determines which seconds you can act on, which are called your Phases. Within a Phase, we go in DEX order from highest to lowest. Note it's easiest if the GM charts all this out in advance (I use a simple Excel spreadsheet) so you know who goes when. On your action you can do a full move, or a 1/2 move and attack (or something else).

Example: Jack has a Speed of 3 and DEX of 15, so he goes on Phases 4, 8 & 12. The orc he's fighting has a Speed of 4 and 12 DEX, so it goes on 3, 6, 9 & 12. On Phase 12, Jack gets to go before the orc because his DEX is higher; he elects to move half his Running distance and shoot the orc.

 

To Hit:

Add 11 to the attacker's OCV, then add any relevant Combat Skill Levels, bonuses/penalties from range, maneuvers, weapons, etc. Roll 3d6, and subtract from that number: if you exceed the target's DCV, you hit.

Example: Jack has an OCV of 5, +11 = 16. He has +2 Skill with pistols and puts both of them into OCV; his Glock gives him a +1 OCV, but he's at -2 for Range, so that brings him to 17-. He rolls 3d6 and gets a 12. 17 - 12 = 5; if his target's DCV is 5 or less, he hits; if the DCV is 6 or greater, he misses.

 

Defenses:

Your base PD/ED is how good you are at taking a punch. Armor, etc adds Resistant Defenses, which is how "bulletproof" you are.

Example: Jack has 5 PD & 4 ED, and is wearing a Kevlar Vest with 6 Resistant Defense. So his PD is 11, 6 of which is Resistant; his ED is 10, 6 of which is resistant.

 

Damage - Normal Attacks:

Things like punches, clubs, etc do Normal Damage. Roll the indicated number of dice: the total on the dice is how much STUN the attack does. Also, every 2,3,4, or 5 you roll does 1 BODY, and 6s do 2 BODY; 1s do 0 BODY. You subtract the target's Defense from both numbers.

Example: Jack gets punched by an Ogre for 6d6 Normal Damage. The GM rolls 5,6,3,4,6,1, for a total of 25 STUN and 7 BODY. Jacks subtracts his 11 PD from both numbers, so he takes 14 STUN and 0 BODY.

 

Damage - Killing Attacks:

Things like bullets & swords do Killing Damage. Roll the indicated number of dice: the total on the dice is how much BODY the attack does. Then roll a 1/2d6 (aka d3), and multiply that against the dice total to get the STUN done. If the weapon has a "STUNx" listed, then add that to the half die before multiplying the STUN. Subtract the target's full defense from the STUN damage, but subtract only the Resistant Defense from the BODY Damage.

Example: A cultist shoots Jack with a Colt .45, which does 2d6-1 K, with a STUNx of +1. The GM rolls a 3 and a 6: 9 - 1 = 8 BODY. The GM then rolls a 1/2d6, getting a 2, with +1 for the STUNx is a 3. 8 x 3 = 24 STUN. Jack subtracts his 11 PD (see above) from the STUN, and takes 13 STUN damage; he only gets to subtract his 6 Resistant PD (from his vest) from the BODY, so he takes 2 BODY damage.

 

Effects of Damage:

If you take STUN damage from one attack (after defenses) that exceeds your CON, you are Stunned and lose your next Phase while you shake it off.

If your STUN drops to 0 or below, you're unconscious.

If your BODY drops to 0 or below, you're dying.

 

There are a lot of other options and variations, like Hit Locations and so forth, but I'd recommend ignoring them until you have the basics down.

 

Hope that helps! Feel free to post any follow-up questions.

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Thanks. That helps a lot. I just have the MHI books and there is not a lot of sample combat.

 

How would I to like a shooting competing between player. Say like shooting at a target that is 100 meters away and is the size of a soda can. I know it would be -8 for the size and -8 for distance. I total of -16 but what do I add it to to see if the characters can hit it.

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Hi all.  I recently found the MHI Books and loved them.  Then I found the game and was excited. 

 

I have never used or played the Hero System before, but I am not new to RPG - I started with 2nd edition D&D and played all the diffrent editions since then.  I have played (or ran) adventures in Fate, GURPS (a long time ago), the old FASA Star Trek, and several others I cannot remember right now.  That being said I started with character Generation and figured that out easily enough and there is a lot about the system I am liking, BUT I cannot figure out how to run combat in the system.

 

Can some one explain it to me or point me in the direction of a post I could look at to understand it better?  I used my family as test guinea pigs last night and my boys got rally frusterated as did I.  I just could not wrap my head around it. 

 

Please help!

 

Start here: Hero in 2 Pages. it puts the whole system into an easy to understand nutshell. It also makes a handy handout for newbie players

http://www.herogames.com/forums/files/file/68-hero-in-2-pages/

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NND stands for No Normal Defense, and is a variant on Attack Vs. Alternate Defense.  An NND attack is stopped fully by a specified defense, and does STUN damage only unless the attack is bought with the +1 Does Body Advantage.  In the case of the choke hold, the target takes 2d6 STUN unless he has something that specifically protects against a choke hold, such as a rigid neck covering.  

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The only other thing I think I am not clear on it shooting at an inanimate object.  In the book of adventures I got it has a scenario with a shooting competition between players.  It mentions shooting at a soda can from a 100m away (-8 for size and -8 for distance).  What is the DCV for the soda can?  16 or 27 (16+11)?

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How would I to like a shooting competing between player. Say like shooting at a target that is 100 meters away and is the size of a soda can. I know it would be -8 for the size and -8 for distance. I total of -16 but what do I add it to to see if the characters can hit it.

You're on the right track. Technically the can is DCV 0 and the Range & Size Modifiers subtract from the shooter's OCV, but it amounts to the same thing here.* Bracing (p201) can give a +2 OCV vs Range, and Setting (also p201) adds another +1. Depending on what weapons they're using, those could provide CV and Range bonuses.

 

So say Contestant #1 has an OCV of 6, +2 Combat Skill Levels, and is shooting an STI Ranger that gives +1 OCV and +1 vs Range

 

OCV 6 + 11 = 17-

+2 Skill Levels = 19-

-8 for Size = 11-

-8 for Range = 3-

+1 OCV for the pistol = 4-

+1 vs Range for the pistol = 5-

+2 vs Range for Brace = 7-

+1 for Set = 8-

 

So a roll of 8 or less hits DCV 0, for a 26% chance of hitting; not exactly an easy pistol shot by the rules. Serious gun enthusiasts can improve their odds by adding sights/scopes (p156) or other modifications (p158). Or just buy more Skill Levels.

 

It's also worth noting the rules assume combat shooting: someone is shooting back at you, you've been moving around, your heart is racing, etc. Target shooting is obviously a lot easier, so I don't think it would be unreasonable to give an OCV bonus of say +2? Or maybe double the bonuses for Brace & Set "only during target practice"?

 

* FYI, it sometimes makes a difference is a modifier subtracts from OCV or adds to DCV because other modifiers can halve the shooters OCV or halve the target's DCV, so where the modifiers go matters. But that's not the case here.

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Sorry one more for you all.  with martial art maneuvers, when it says a damage plus STR does that mean you add their HTH damage from STR to the weapon damage?  For example: say a character has a 2d6 in HTH and uses a maneuver or melee weapon that says STR + 1d6, they would roll a 3d6 to determine damage right?

 

Just want to be sure and get this right.

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Let me make sure I understand what you're asking: you mean like where Martial Strike (p202) says STR +2d6? That's for unarmed damage, so a 15 STR character whose punch normally does 3d6 would do 5d6 with a Martial Strike.

 

Weapons are a little bit different, but you're on the right track. Martial Arts must be defined as being either unarmed or with a specific weapon; you can add an additional Weapon Element for 1 pt (p206). So let's assume our character bought Martial Arts with swords and wants to use Martial Strike with a katana, which normally does 1 1/2d6 K. So yes he would add the equivalent of +2d6, but that has to be converted to Killing Damage. The table should probably say "+2 Damage Classes" rather than +2d6, but Martial Arts are most commonly used unarmed. See the Damage Class table on p207: +2 DCs would push the katana damage to 2d6+1 K.

 

Where you do get to add additional STR damage is if the character's STR exceeds the weapon's STR Minimum by 5 or more (p159). Again you're adding a DC, not your total STR damage. So if our guy gets boosted to 17 STR, that would push the katana's base damage to 2d6 K, 2 1/2d6K with the Martial Strike.

 

One last note: it's generally a rule that you can't more than double the damage of a melee weapon, tho I can't find that rule stated anywhere in the MHI book. So a guy with a switchblade (1/2d6K, or 2 DCs) cannot normally do more than 1d6+1 K (4 DCs) regardless of STR bonus, maneuvers, etc. Many GMs choose to bend/ignore that rule in the interest of fun tho.

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