Ninja-Bear

Well I just did a quick comparision between Darien the Bold and Belakar the Wizard. The minimum that Darien pays for the max damage is 19 pts to get his Broad sword upto  3D6+1 KA. Note though the sword is listed as  13 pts Real Cost. Wheras Belakar has Magic Bolt that’s 45 Act pts but needs 18 pts. Note here that the spell though being only 1D6, it’s RKA and it goes against Power Defense and Does Body. The spell requires a Magic Roll but there isn’t one specifically called out on his sheet so I used the minimum of 3pts. I found it interesting that both have the same 5 OCV/DCV. However Belakar doesn’t have any WF, not even with his Staff. Also of note both the Spell uses 4 END and Darien only use 4 END for his STR  the martial arts saves him END. So no matter how you look at it free equipment is free points. How you want to handle it is a whole different question.

On 11/15/2023 at 8:20 PM, LoneWolf said:

That is going to turn a FH game into a Champions game.  What I would do would be to track the equipment but not have the character pay for it.  That way you have an idea of their power level, but keep the feel of a FH game.  It also allows the characters to lose equipment without taking away huge amounts of points.       

It would be interesting to compare the sample Wizard and Knight that’s written up in 6th (and also 5th genre by genre) by looking at their respective gear as points. 

The older I get the more convinced that it is the players that make the game rather than the system.  Yesterday a friend of my son came over. He wanted to play D&D. I pulled out my Basic Fantasy and he rolled up a character and chose a magic user. I pulled out a small map. Long story short, he had a blast! Well throwing a dagger at the kobold shaman and getting a 4 on the damage die and I only rolled too on the hit die did help set the tone.  My brother was visiting and and he rolled a natural 20. The best part was my son twice rolled a natural 1  and in another book I picked up has Critical Hits and Failures. He was dazed on the first rolled 1 and then trip and fallen prone the second time. I allow him to attack from prone at a disadvantage to hit and damage and he still killed that kobold! The short scenario was a rousing success. I feel that there were several factors involved. Good dice throws always help. And yes D&D is limited but I’m fairly comfortable now if just making rulings on the fly. But overall it’s the players that make or break a game. Oh and my son kept saying “let’s separate the party” to jibe my brother was priceless!

13 hours ago, Duke Bushido said:

I understand what you are saying; I do.

 

However, you are still stuck in that mindset:

 

 

I don't wish to in any way appear as offensive when I say this. But doe this particular mini-conversation, I would take it as a personal favor of we just avoided any discussion of HERO's "Martial Arts System."  I have a grindstone with me, obviously, but I did not bring that particular axe with me this time.

 

 

 

Why do you feel it is mandatory that spells cost points or be expensive?  That is the D and D prejudice showing through.

 

If I have a computer programming skill, I have a chance to use any computer I encounter.

 

What, anywhere in the HERO System Rules stops me from building a universe where the only rhing differentiating magic users from anyone else is five points of "manipulate magic" skill, allowing them the chance to use any naturslly-occuring source of magic or magic item?

 

What, specifically, says I can't do that? 

 

What says magic has to work _any_ particular way, or that magic can't just be a pool of points that I buy from which I can build whatever spell I want?

 

Or maybe all magic in this world comes from spell books and nowhere else, and only those who can read can wield magic?  Or perhaps spells are one point each, limited only by the endurance of the caster, or a special Endurance pool--

 

Or, again, only those with "use magic" skill for dive points, etc. If that is how your world works,  then magic weapons are just normal weapons unless wielded by a magician. (Borrwed that feom a mini campaign I ran for my son's friends:  all magic comes,from music; only skilled musicians can wield it-- they are in the school band, obviously.)

 

If you have decided that magic must cost xharacter points, that is not the rules; that is _you_.  If you have decided that magic spells are bought individually and are super-HERO expensive, that is also _not_ the rules; that is _you_.

 

 

 

 

Perhaps because D&D is so pervasive that’s it is showing up in Hero.  Because standard Fantasy Hero has this trope of magic users paying for points but “normals” don’t pay for equipment. But is that any different than in a Pulp game where it’s suggested that normal equipment cost money but say an Ice Ray gun should cost character points? Should a ninja pay for that super special sword or maneuver? Or should he get it for “free”?  As far as I can tell ever since Hero expanded out into genres not SuperHeroic has here has been this gray area of what a character should pay and if so where from. So long story short Duke just because you don’t like D&D, you shouldn’t look at a question with prejudiced eyes. 

14 hours ago, Rich McGee said:

You can find even more examples of this overall archetype in Clark Ashton Smith's writings, particularly the Zothique story cycle.  Some of them may have started out as human, but by the time they come into the story their study of magic has rendered their humanity a dim memory, while others are just plain things from beyond disguised as mortal men or women.  You can find most or all of CAS' writings in public domain online, inclduing some very well-done audio readings scattered around YouTube.  IMO he does a better job with really dreadful inhuman magicians than REH manages, in part because he's happy to write from their point of view instead of their sword-wielding opponent(s).

 

On a less literary note, the old Sinbad films with SFX done by Ray Harryhausen are chock full of fine evil magicians who could easily be reskinned for use outside of their Hollywood Arabian setting.  I'm particularly fond of Tom "Doctor Who" Baker's Prince Koura, whose magic is just the right level of "this clearly isn't healthy for the user" to explain why magicians are so rare.  The fact that Caroline Munro is also in the film might make me a little biased, though.   

I rewatched that movie several months ago and I was surprised the Tom Baker’s character actually helped his minion. I was shocked by that! 😱

I don’t see why not. 

On 11/3/2023 at 4:29 PM, ArmlessTigerMan said:

Undersea Kingdom 
1936 with Ray 'Crash' Corrigan 

 

One scene has Corrigan putting two Atlanteans in double choke hold while they punch him ineffectually.  Not sure what type of martial maneuver to build to simulate that:

 

And of course you have robots, rocket-subs, the undersea kingdom, etc...

You can sweep (Sweep isn’t the proper term now but I can think of what it is) a Chokehold and grab has many opponents as you have appropriate limbs. If you use the Hold the Two limbs then you must take a -5 STR because using One Limb is -5. If you use Hold One Limb then there is no reduction:

On 11/3/2023 at 5:22 PM, Lord Liaden said:

 

I think you'd need to give Corrigan some Damage Negation to represent overall toughness.

If you’re referring to him being punched by the two goons he’s holding then I think that there in the an automatic reduced damage or it could be be that really there is no damage but the sfx will s that they are still hitting but no mechanical damage.

I forgot that I picked up Powers D6 too. It is Supers using the famous D6 system. Never ran it though.

Savage Worlds has their Supers too. Necessary Evil and the updated Superhero Companion. There is also Supergame 3e (which is really unknown) Four Color? Which is a retro clone of MSRPG. I picked up (and waiting to be printed) Guardians-which is based on the old OD&D. The reason I picked this up is that my boys like throwing the “funny” dice. And I also at one time picked up a 3d6 Supers game too.

I’m not too familiar with the phase 1+1 but as @rravenwoodsaid being like Haymaker. I believe is correct.

Conan the cartoon had a pretty good sorcerer and plot that you could rip off.

Let me elaborate about the Eldar Worm. What I’m thinking is that this would take place say 1,000 years after humans overthrew the worms. So either there is one last one trying to revive the race or there is an evil sorcerer that is trying to bring back the worms or at least trying to gain the powers and artifacts of the worms. 

@assault, how about an Eldar Worm? 

11 hours ago, assault said:

Characters can climb etc. without having to be Rogues.

Ok, the way I understand it, the Climbing skill (in D&D) refers to sheer surfaces. So anyone has a chance to climb in classic D&D, you should just use climbing ropes and pitons and such to be successful.  If you want you could multi class fighter and thief to get those skills.
 

One thought on keeping fighters distinct is to use feats. 

Another thought about elves is that of course they are human however they are a different branch that developed psionic abilities. (These can be expressed as regular spells). They are super rare so I would only allow one in a group. 

@assault, I’m at a loss by “no rogues” because of the D&D skill system. Could you elaborate? 

15 minutes ago, assault said:

First level (assuming any game that has levels) is generally the hardest to survive at.

And it's the level at which first time players start.

That’s for sure. However on one thread a poster noted how in AD&D most classes got a HD bump and he still got railed by another poster. Having an extra 4 HP isn’t over balancing at all. P

Ok, I think Incan describe the irritation. If a game proclaims X and the mechanics doesn’t support that and a player/GM points that out I think that’s fine. It’s the defenders of the game who want to declare that the player is doing it wrong. Because the Defenders will tell you you need to play a different style of game in order to effective (which mechanically is usually true) however then this style doesn’t support the games original premise. For example Old School D&D is now described as Survival Horror. In many ways that is a more accurate description. 

Odd question I know but does anyone happen to have a character sheet for the WotC d20 game? Preferably the original one that uses the 3.0 D&D rules? I cannot seem to find an official one on the web. 
 

TIA!

Lately I’ve been poking around about first level characters and their fragility . And there seems to be a white washing of it. 1 level isn’t so deadly , it’s really the players fault. The player shouldn’t have engaged in combat for example. However if you suggest ways to mitigate it then you’re not playing the game right. (Not everyone feels this way of course.)

@assault, how about Friar Tuck? Depending how he is portrayed, he’s a non-adventurer type. 

7 hours ago, Duke Bushido said:

 

 

(Sorry; been away for a bit, and I was trying to figure out how we went from Desolid to HA)

 

N-B:

 

If I am not mistaken, I believe 5e did exactly that:  this is a 5AP power that costs 3 pts or words to that effect.

 

 

No, they made it a 5pt power with a mandatory -1/2 limitation.  

I mean the 4th Ed rule book could’ve had a simple suggestion with HA saying something that although the cost is 3 pts, it should be treated as a 5 pt ACT point power for the consideration of Game Balance.

9 hours ago, Hugh Neilson said:

 

That's fine for experienced Hero Gamers.  Is it obvious to a new player or GM that this one 60 point attack power is massively unbalanced?

True, but then how many times have we built something and figured out that it was massively unbalanced? 

On 9/14/2023 at 6:33 AM, Duke Bushido said:

 

Those are called polar bears, and they are being dealt with.

Nope, there are three active human cannibal tribes to this day. 

@assault, what point level did you create those Golden Age Supers at? Rough answer if you can’t remember.

What puzzles me about the 3pt HA cost is that the simplest fix of people abusing it is for the GM to not allow it. Just because you can buy +20 HA doesn’t mean you should. Also I blame players who knowingly took advantage of it. Now the end result is a Lower with a mandatory limitation (which if I recall did cause some ruffled feathers because Hero doesn’t mandate anything. Right? Am I right about that? Could be wrong).  So how much longer did the rules get added do to this?