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Harn Hero 2016


Wardsman

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Any ideas on how to handle morality points?

 

Religious characters gain and lose morality points that affect their rolls to get intercession.

 

I assume the religious characters gain or lose morality points based on behavior (and the god they follow)?  If that is true I would give the appropriate player a token to reflect their current morality.  I would take away tokens for not acting within their faith when they should have and give them some when they demonstrate somewhat out of the ordinary examples of their faith.

 

It is easier to lose your morality than it is to gain it back ;-)

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Cross posting Hero and Harn Forums

http://www.herogames.com/forums/topic/93658-harn-hero-2016/page-2?hl=harn

 

http://www.lythia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=22167&p=211967&hilit=hero#p211967

 

Harn uses an approximate 10 second turn with spells(those that can be cast in combat)

Taking 1 or 2 turns if not more.

 

Hero has a 12 second(segment) turn with 2 to 4 action phases for characters.

 

Some Hero translations use a phase + a segment in their translations.

Harn does allow fast casting at a penalty.

 

Page 16 & Page 35 of Ultimate Skill 5th Edition has rules letting successful skill rolls allow faster completion for activities that take a turn or more.

 

So I'm leaning towards extra time(at least 1 turn)  but allowing mages to fast cast per p. 35 Ultimate Skill and bring down to a phase for -3 on skill roll.

 

In Harn unless the Mage declares otherwise spells are cast with incantations and Gestures.

 

In Hero I'd require those as well but allow to be bypassed with a penalty. Both 4th and 5th edition Fantasy hero have ideas on penalties for bypassing limitations.

 

I'm back and forth on Aura. Part of me likes the idea that just because you are strong willed or smart doesn't automatically give you magical strength.

But Harn calculates its magic skill base as (Aura +Aura+ Int)/3 [or in other versions Stats or Skills appropriate to convocations or College, IE Strength for Metal element]

If you do have Aura stat and you use that 3 stat formula you would want to divide by 15 to get the Hero skill roll.

Elves get a bonus on Aura while dwarves take a hit. Both are magnified by using Aura twice in magic roll Calculations.

Aura is also used along with Will In various types of mental conflict. But Will gets counted twice in that formula.

Aura could be used as a basis to calculate Arcane Defense and/or Mana in Hero as well if you use those rules.

 

But basing a Characteristic Skill roll on 3 stats is non standard for Hero. Another option is using whatever Arcane roll you like  based on Aura , Ego  etc . But using RSR- two skills  with the second a convocation skill or allow complementary rolls for convocation skills.

 

I would also apply Convocation SB modifiers and astrological SB modifiers (page 9 Shek-Pvar, Columbia Games/CG4501) straight as bonuses or minuses to the hero magic roll.

Yes that means a nasty diametric element modifier. But source material is clear, only those with a strong Aura(or whatever you replace Aura with) can master opposing elements.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Been thinking on this some more.

 

I'm back and forth on Aura. Part of me likes the idea that just because you are strong willed or smart doesn't automatically give you magical strength.

But Harn calculates its magic skill base as (Aura +Aura+ Int)/3 [or in other versions Stats or Skills appropriate to convocations or College, IE Strength for Metal element]

 

 

I think a simplified way of doing yet this while keeping some of the mechanics from Harn is to base Power Skill Shek-Pvar on Aura which is a new primary stat X1.  But allow each convocation to have unique complimentary skill related to convocation.

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  • 1 month later...

need social limitations and perks for social status thrall, serf, slave freeman.

Yes there is a distinction between slave and serf. Thrall is nordic and kind of inbetween.

 

What is interesting is that it is a true medieval setting and a lot common fantasy weapons are chivalric and cannot be carried unless you are the proper status (well born).

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  • 9 months later...

The Harn Expert is Andy Staples. He is a huge Harn Fantatic and a hero fan as well. He used to post pretty regularly here.

 

And the fact that I'm reading this more than a year after it was posted is an indication I'm far less regular these days.

 

I've read the whole thread. IMHO people are getting far too hung up on modelling HârnMaster mechanics in Hero System. Why bother? HârnMaster does HârnMaster mechanics far better than Hero ever will. If you want Morality and Piety Points and Convocational SBs, play HârnMaster!

 

The important thing is to get the mood and use the background.

 

There are some things you can do, well within the bounds of Hero System, to get the Hârn flavour. All the below is no more than suggestions and 'this is how I do it - you may find a better way.'

 

1) Character Points and Power Level: For grim and gritty 'classic' Hârn, consider starting characters as competent normals, even skilled normals. But if you want the kind of Hârn only Hero can do well, what about a superpowered campaign, at the low-powered or standard superheroic level, with PCs being powerful Ivashu, the Sons of Noron, ancient Sidhe lords, or grey magi? You can almost guarantee the Earthmasters and Hârn's multiverse will come into this level of game. Having mentioned this possibility, I'll now turn back to a classic Harn feel at competent normal or standard heroic level.

 

2) For gritty combat, look to Fantasy Hero's grittier combat options - bleeding, infection, etc. Keep a tight rein on OCVs (or more properly OCVs + CSLs). Use Hit Locations and piecemeal armour. Use impairing/disabling damage. Do not feel obliged to use all these, though. You're playing Hero set in Hârn, not emulating HârnMaster.

 

3) Piety points: Fuel Divine spells with an END Reserve. Buy the END Reserve's REC with a custom limitation: Only when performing religious activities. You may want to increase the time slot of the REC as well. That works pretty much exactly as HârnMaster's piety points do, and is a simple thing to do in Hero.

 

4) Pvaric Magic: Buy Magic for each individual convocation, and separately for Neutral Magic (I'd advise against the HM1/HMG policy of a separate skill for each spell). Don't worry too much about convocational opposition, although you may choose a custom penalty for non-primary concovations (say -2 for secondaries, -4 for tertiaries/neutral, -6 for opposite). Build spells as appropriate. Spells use END, and require gestures and incantations, whcih can be ocercome at a penalty (see Fantasy Hero). By all means add Extra Time for spells that need it. You can add options emulating the bonus effects for high ML. Again, don't sweat modelling HârnMaster too closely.

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  • 4 weeks later...

And the fact that I'm reading this more than a year after it was posted is an indication I'm far less regular these days.

 

I've read the whole thread. IMHO people are getting far too hung up on modelling HârnMaster mechanics in Hero System. Why bother? HârnMaster does HârnMaster mechanics far better than Hero ever will. If you want Morality and Piety Points and Convocational SBs, play HârnMaster!

 

The important thing is to get the mood and use the background.

 

There are some things you can do, well within the bounds of Hero System, to get the Hârn flavour. All the below is no more than suggestions and 'this is how I do it - you may find a better way.'

 

1) Character Points and Power Level: For grim and gritty 'classic' Hârn, consider starting characters as competent normals, even skilled normals. But if you want the kind of Hârn only Hero can do well, what about a superpowered campaign, at the low-powered or standard superheroic level, with PCs being powerful Ivashu, the Sons of Noron, ancient Sidhe lords, or grey magi? You can almost guarantee the Earthmasters and Hârn's multiverse will come into this level of game. Having mentioned this possibility, I'll now turn back to a classic Harn feel at competent normal or standard heroic level.

 

2) For gritty combat, look to Fantasy Hero's grittier combat options - bleeding, infection, etc. Keep a tight rein on OCVs (or more properly OCVs + CSLs). Use Hit Locations and piecemeal armour. Use impairing/disabling damage. Do not feel obliged to use all these, though. You're playing Hero set in Hârn, not emulating HârnMaster.

 

3) Piety points: Fuel Divine spells with an END Reserve. Buy the END Reserve's REC with a custom limitation: Only when performing religious activities. You may want to increase the time slot of the REC as well. That works pretty much exactly as HârnMaster's piety points do, and is a simple thing to do in Hero.

 

4) Pvaric Magic: Buy Magic for each individual convocation, and separately for Neutral Magic (I'd advise against the HM1/HMG policy of a separate skill for each spell). Don't worry too much about convocational opposition, although you may choose a custom penalty for non-primary concovations (say -2 for secondaries, -4 for tertiaries/neutral, -6 for opposite). Build spells as appropriate. Spells use END, and require gestures and incantations, whcih can be ocercome at a penalty (see Fantasy Hero). By all means add Extra Time for spells that need it. You can add options emulating the bonus effects for high ML. Again, don't sweat modelling HârnMaster too closely.

 

Thank you... I am new to Harn, and I think hero work very well !

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  • 5 years later...

I cant say I have the files- mostly because I have only now heaed of Harn (typically I am not a fan of fantasy, so I dont keep up with it.  Reading this thread, though, makes it seem as though Harn was a setting I could agree with as far as magic not outclassing everything within a few levels, being kind of rare, etc.).

 

However, the tree links posted above still work (just checked) and seem to have a xonsiderable amount of information that may be of use to you.

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21 hours ago, Calindrill said:

I would really like to run a campaign on harn with Fantasy Hero, but alas most of the material seems

to be gone for good. I'am looking especially for Harn Hero, but this also seems to be lost to time.

Has anyone still old material for Harn Hero or ideas where to look for it? Would be great. 

Someone is running a Harn Hero campaign on the Hero Discord usually on Saturdays.  

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Harn combat, I'd say, should have all the optional adds like bleeding, hit locations, injuring and disabling wounds, maybe increased END cost for STR, hard stat caps, and more realistic healing and recovery rates.  I remember fighting as a new character and you never want to fight more than once a day as a new character, you will die.  So, also probably lower starting character points too.  Picking dirt out of your teeth level gritty.  

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  • 3 weeks later...

When I ran Hârn Hero many, many moons ago (in 5th Edition Revised), I used the Variable Power Pool method for wizard spells and created "spellbook pages" for each spell my wizard PC found (see "Breath of Casyl" attached). I also used "Spell School Proficiencies" which I think I made 5 or 10 points, for each of the Shek-Pvar traditions.

Breath of Casyl (II).png

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