Panpiper

Actually Murgatroyd was also one of mine. I seem to recall that Killroy was the first one I wrote up for that setting, I have a number of check marks when creating a character, and all of them have to be met for me to be truly satisfied with the character. First and foremost is they have to have an interesting background story connotative of their personality. I also prefer for characters to not be too typical of stereotypes. They have to be combat capable in some critical role within a group, in addition to being reasonably survivable. They also need to be useful in at least some capacity outside of combat. Finally I like to ensure they at the least have a minimum of non-combat ancillary skills/knowledges appropriate to their backstory. I don't always perfectly nail those check marks, but I try.

I finally got around to actually reading all the threads here. I do want to thank especially KS for making the effort to post the writeups. As much as I was invested in the development of the Here There Be Monsters setting, I have never had the opportunity to run it, let alone play in it. (I have brought up the notion to my existing gaming group, but at least a couple of them have a hard enough time grasping D&D and find Hero too intimidating.) Anyway, reading the threads here allows me the ability to at least vicariously experience it.

I'm tickled to see two iconics that I submitted being used as PCs. Hopefully they acquit themselves fairly. I envy those who can play. 😉 I'm stuck playing D&D of all things these days. But at least I have a gaming group to play tabletop with, so I shouldn't complain overly.

I presume you are familiar with 'Here There Be Monsters' by KillerShrike and company? http://www.killershrike.com/HereThereBeMonsters/HereThereBeMonsters.aspx

Has a list of possible perks with suggested point values ever been published or otherwise compiled that exceeds the guidelines of the basic rulebooks? Can anyone point me towards something that might give me better clues?

Re: Combat Value Regulation I generally assume that all players will avail themselves of martial manoeuvres. If one is purchasing multiple manoeuvres, it amounts to a fairly expensive multipower that is self limiting, and if everyone has it, then it is power neutral, just design the opposition appropriately. A GM I play with came up with what I think is perhaps the most brilliant way to handle the quantity of other levels applicable in combat. Using 6th edition where Dex is (IMO) an overpriced stat at 2 points per, one is only allowed as many extra levels as one's dex stat divided by three. So someone wanting the maximum allowable levels is forced to pay a very high number of points to push their OCV/DCV to that point, which does tend to balance out. The other player(s) may have seven levels to my four, but I've got 30 extra points invested in damage and defence. The above is for levels that can directly boost OCV/DVC. Penalty skill levels tend to be permitted in addition to that within reason. So someone could buy sufficient range levels to give them full OCV at long ranges. Typically such characters have also bought max dex and max levels as well, and in my experience, do not imbalance at all. The one thing that 'does' need to be looked at very carefully is penalty levels for hit locations. Four such levels are allowed, permitting accurate placement out of combat (sniping), but with a penalty still of four remaining in combat, it is rare to see a called shot being used there.

I have long sought the key to my getting more work done. At long last, I have found it. I have turned my work (and other chores) into a game. I have made myself the bargain that I get to reincarnate as a character I build using the Hero Games System, and I earn a specified small number of character points for each task I complete on a list. I now find myself scouring that list to figure out what 'else' I can accomplish this day, so I can spend more points on my hoped for self. I have accomplished more in the last week than I have in the previous two months!

Re: Hero In Two Pages - Complete Excellent. My newbie (to Hero) players went from freaking out over the size and complexity of the rule books to "it seems pretty straight forward!" Thank you ever so much.

Re: VPs, charges, triggers & multiforms The GM had described some odd goings on deep in the heart of the 'Great Forest' that my Druid character hails from. There is a central area that is impassable in which dark matters transpire. I remembered very little of the details, including what he had called this place. I wanted a knowledge skill that would reflect him knowing whatever already 'is' known about this area. Not remembering what he called it when I created the character, I penned it thusly, and then never changed it. As is, the GM had me roll the skill at one point to reveal a critical detail about a master lich we found ourselves facing, so whatever it was called, it was doing it's job. I don't actually have a write up for this robe. I expect certain details are being deliberately kept from me about it's true nature, but my character does not know this and I am not letting him in on it. I was told that it added 20 active points to my VPP and also conferred 2 levels of damage negation with the -1/2 limitation 'does not work versus evil' (which is narrowly defined in game as a very specific form of unlife). It is partially cosmic. I am allowed to improvise, effectively pulling any effect out of my ass, as long as it does not exceed 15 active points 'and' has some relation to a power effect already defined. Skill rolls 'may' be required. Full power I can only use spells pre-defined (those that are actually on my character sheet), but I can add new spells between game sessions, subject to GM approval of course. I guess it is not surprise that the triggers are in fact, the initiation of combat, and at will (a power word). Them overlapping never occured to me as I never thought to maintain both of them at once, it was one or the other. We have in fact been hit with an area effect dispel once not long ago, but my character was already in his feral multiform, no triggered effects remaining. His multiform got dispelled and he found himself in his very non-combat form while engaged to that master lich earlier mentioned. That proved to be the lich's undoing actually as my character was then ignored as not being an immediate threat, allowing him to spend a full turn getting off an area effect entangle (two turns actually as I blew my ego roll the first try). The lich was otherwise virtually impossible for our melee characters to hit. Once the lich was entangled, it found it's only option was to play it's ace in the hole and T-port to safety, leaving the day to us. I probably won't get away with that a second time. Yes, I've been playing it that way. Scary when you loose your feral multiform's protection in the middle of combat and find yourself without your defensive spells active. Yes, I have done exactly that. Interesting. We'll give that one some thought. Yes, it's a lot of points, but I defined it as being; if it's magic and my character can see it, I get to know 'exactly' what the spell is, advantages, limitations, the works. I am not bothered by spending 27 points for the power defined that way. Admittedly, a few extra points to spend on things like not being a total zero in combat if not in feral form might be nice. Applying a focus limitation to it never even occurred to me. I think my subconscious was assuming that a naked advantage had to be 'naked'. I defined the advantage as being my character's weaving the found robe into his existing robe as a lining, not just physically but magically and thereby making the magic his own, removing the not versus evil limitation. I see it to some degree as making a down payment on being able to reclaim the effect if ever I were to loose the actual robe, so sinking 7 point now isn't a bad investment. That said, a few extra points to spend on things like not being a total zero in combat if not in feral form might be nice. We have a few other players who are not very conversant with the rules, who have rather sub-optimum characters. The GM has on at least a couple of occasions intimated that they could sell back rather large expenditures on powers/abilities they found to be less than useful. I wanted to provide an in game logic for them being able to do this. It's has not actually been used as of yet and if it were, it would involve a relatively small amount of character points shifted, so as to stay true to the original conception.

Re: VPs, charges, triggers & multiforms Thanks to everyone who has responded so far. This is a big help. Here is the HDC file and an HTML zipped of the character. There is just too much text otherwise for a manageable post due to spell effects and the like.

I am playing in a Fantasy Hero game in which I was requested to play the mage due to my having a better grasp as to the mechanics of the game. I was further constrained to playing a druid as that is the sort of 'good' magic available in the world in which we are playing. Magic was defined by the GM as being a variable power pool with some heavy restrictions. Namely that all spells are subject to the following; Incantations, Gestures, Concentration, Ego roll if stressed (IE: Combat), and variable extra time. The extra time is such that any spell effect over 30 active points takes a full turn to cast. (The standard power range of the melee characters is between 40-55 active.) In short, the idea essentially is to neuter the effect of magic in combat, while permitting great flexibility outside of combat. (In practice the variable power pools effect's are limited to whatever spells I have predefined, but I have great freedom to add other effects between game sessions.) That left my character being very useful, but quite useless in a fight. My solution to this was to create a multiform with a trigger, the trigger being the initiation of combat. The multiform is a fairly standard melee character (defined as the feral nature coming to the fore). A friend who is a lifelong Hero GM who runs another game (but is not playing in this one) suggested to me that I make use of more triggered effects and charges to permit the use of spell effects of a more instant nature. Sadly I am both ignorant of the mechanics of this and leery of what I would perceive as the possibly overpowered nature of using effects that way. I was furthermore rather perturbed to discover that the rules seem to have absolutely no qualms about a character having a multiform that is significantly more powerful (more points) than the base character. This to me seems highly imbalanced and exactly the sort of thing a powergamer would abuse. I have on my own decided to not spend any more points on the multiform (or even summoned creatures, of which as a druid, I make use of) than I have on my base character. I cannot fathom how a GM could permit otherwise. Does anyone have any pertinent comments on the use of multiforms this way? My main point for posting today however is to get community feedback on the use of triggers and charges to effectively pre-load my character with spell effects that he could use quickly and without handicap in a combat situation. The rules seem to allow for this, and again I fear it is potentially extremely abusive. Yes, we can all say that if the GM permits it, it is ok. But my current GM is inclined to let me get away with anything if it seems reasonable, and I would rather rein myself in than have him regret it later. I currently have a variable power pool with 45 points in both base power and control cost. With the standard defined limitations applied, this basically allows me to have three spells active. I have a few questions related to that. If I cast a spell with a trigger, (such as the multiform triggered by combat), does that spell while not triggered count as one of the three spells active? Can I cast a spell with triggered charges, such as a healing spell usable by others, defined as potions triggered by drinking them, and then still have three spell effects going in addition to that? If I have cast a spell summoning a creature prior to going into my feral multiform, do I retain control of that creature while in the multiform such that I can give it new commands? Does a summoned creature count as one of the three active spell effects or do the rules technically allow me to spam summonings?

Re: THE MONSTER HUNTER INTERNAIONAL EMPLOYEES' HANDBOOK & RPG Is Now Live! Any similarity to: http://www.killershrike.com/HereThereBeMonsters/HereThereBeMonsters.aspx ...is purely coincidental?

Re: Potential Campaign Cocept New Movie: "Hansel And Gretel: Witch Hunters" Ok, this is weird. I just watched a Hansel And Gretel - Witch Hunters movie on TV yesterday and it was 'not' this movie. I've got to wonder who inspired/ripped off who here. The TV movie was very low budget and quite forgettable.

Re: A Question of Balance & Lethality Heh. I come back every few months to see what's up on the Hero boards, even though I'm not always in a posting mood. This time I find this old thread I started years ago up on the main page. The advice I used to give GMs just starting out with Hero, back when I used to sell games (with a heavy bias favoring Hero), was to use the pencil/eraser method. Tell players to design their characters emphasizing character concept, with the stipulation that the character sheet had to be written in pencil. (This was WAY before Hero Designer.) The sheet then gets given to the GM who scours it with eraser in hand, making any and all changes to the character sheet they feel appropriate to the game they are prepared to run. The sheet gets handed back and that is the character. I found that using this method, even the most hard core power gamer would hand in a fairly reasonable character that did indeed emphasise character concept over sheer power. Indeed, I often found myself tweaking a character to 'up' it's power level to be more appropriate to what I knew they would be dealing with. My original post in this thread was my reaction to the changed rules set that I was unfamiliar with, having last been most familiar with first through third editions.

Re: Here There Be Monsters: Venus Malefica Mysteria (fiction) I just discovered this and enjoyed the read. I hope to read more... :-)

Re: How to Build: Lasting Weapon Enchantments In my games, if a player wants a magic item that they have not found in the game, they can buy it with points. They buy their normal armor and weapons with cash. Magic item creation in the game world also happens with actual points, which keeps items relatively rare, as few mages in the world are willing to sacrifice their own life energy to create items. However I also stipulate that one thing that 'is' done in the world by mages wishing to create items is that they pay people to siphon off some of their life force (character points). I define this as a transform effect that transforms the donor into a slightly lower point character, with the difference going into a point pool that the mage can then vest into created magic items (the creating mage needs other appropriate skills and knowledges). Needless to say, donors expect a pretty penny to be paid for their life force. Of course there is also the evil variant on this, where such life is stolen by an evil mage through a sacrifice ritual. Enchanting mages 'do' need other things, in addition to the siphon life spell, such as much of what the OP described. They also need knowledge skills appropriate to what they are creating, and inventor if they are making up new enchanted items.

Re: CON: Over-Nerfed? It's because a lot of players have a difficult time discerning the difference between taking stun and being stunned.

Re: CON: Over-Nerfed? In the game I am playing right now (GMing for the moment), our solitary sorceress has no healing spells that could intervene in the situation where a character gets stunned. She can make healing potions that could be used afterwards, but a stunned character is in serious trouble with nothing she can do (despite having a spell book a half inch thick). Magic using characters in my games tend to have lower constitutions and stun, but they also tend to have higher resistant defenses. They are still easier to stun or knock out (which usually drops their resistant defense), but they have the advantage of not typically being on the front line, so the bad guys are not then pounding on them next segment with three more killing attacks, all of which are likely to hit.

Re: Limitation: Only Versus Stunning Blows I am currently playing in 5th edition, but always thinking about 6th. Your suggestion about just buying extra PD with the same limitation is a good one that for some reason had not occurred to me. (-1/2 Only used versus blows that would otherwise stun the character.) Is that really just a -1/2 limitation though? Maybe it would be -1/2 if applied to PD (which if it kicked in would actually reduce stun) but a full -1 if used on Con, which would not actually reduce the stun.

Re: Limitation: Only Versus Stunning Blows This would apply not to "every time the character takes STUN damage" but rather, every time the character would otherwise be stunned. It would specifically not work at all if the character would not be stunned. So if my 20 con character took 18 stun after defenses, he would take all 18 stun. But if he was hit with 22 stun getting through, an amount that would normally stun him, then and only then would the damage reduction kick in. And yes, this is a heroic game with characteristic maxima.

Re: CON: Over-Nerfed? I play mostly fantasy hero with the bad guys swinging killing attacks. A 12 and 13 on the hit location deals a X4 stun multiple, which for even an average blow, can deal a lot of stun. If they get a bit better than average, a character can easily find themselves standing in the front line doing nothing at half DCV, while the bad guys line up to swing more 'killing attacks'. Typically, that character is going down! When I am building a character for fantasy hero, constitution is one of the most important stats for me. It is of a desperate desire to stay alive importance.

So, I want my character to be harder to stun but without forcing the GM to up the power level of the opponents making the game harder for everyone else (which would happen if I upped my PD and such). My character is already at maximum Constitution (beyond which it costs double). I want to take a 25% damage reduction that only kicks in when the damage that has penetrated is sufficient to otherwise stun my character. My question is, in your opinion, how much of a limitation is this?

Re: Fantasy Economies: How closely should we examine them? Well, I should start by saying that in my campaigns, adventurers rarely are 'nameless'. 175 point characters are a significant step above the average soldier. Experienced adventurers are the stuff legends are made of. They are accordingly rare and not easily 'drafted' into some nameless army. It is also the case that at least in my games (over the last 35 years), flight as been extremely uncommon, with flight 'usable on others' vastly more so. Those few mages that might come up with such power 'and' be associated with the military, would be the air support for the special ops unit. They would not be any sort of main assault force that would negate the worth of fortifications.

Re: Conan: The Current Movie in Progress..... My posted review (on a review site): I really wanted to like this movie more than I did, and perhaps I was not being fair as I watched, comparing it to the original it is supposed to top (otherwise why bother), but the only place in which this movie succeeded was in art direction, and even that was marred by some really bad choices for camera work and editing. The camera is being shot in 'documentary' style handheld (even though technically it may not have been handheld, the screen is still bobbing all over the place) Ultra fast action cutting (a style of action shooting/editing developed because it permits shooting with incompetent fighters and their incompetence is not obvious because no one can get a clear clear look at what is happening), when that is combined with a 3D screen, the end result is that I had absolutely no idea what was happening on screen whenever there was action, and that was most of the time. Action most of the time because, as much as the original was panned for lack of story, the plot of this story I could write into a single paragraph. And as much as the critics panned Arnie for his acting in the original, he was a far more convincing actor there than his wannabe here. The original's soundtrack was a masterpiece, this one's was utterly forgettable. I could go on, but this movie is not worth more of my time. This will probably be my biggest disappointment of the year.

Puck - Dwarf Chirurgeon/Paladin 20 STR 10 13- Lift 400.0kg; 4d6 HTH damage [4] 11 DEX 2 11- OCV: 4/DCV: 8 18 CON 8 13- 15 BODY 5 13 INT 3 12- PER Roll 12- 10 EGO 0 11- ECV: 3 - 3 15 PRE 5 13- PRE Attack: 3d6 4 OCV 5 4 DCV 5 3 OMCV0 3 DMCV0 8 PD 6 Total: 8/20 PD (0/12 rPD) 4 ED 2 Total: 4/16 ED (0/12 rED) 3 SPD 10 Phases: 4, 8, 12 10 REC 6 35 END 3 40 STUN 10 Total Characteristics Cost: 78 Movement: Running: 12m Leaping: 2m Swimming: 2m 5 Dwarven Eyes: Nightvision 2 Dwarven Longevity: Life Support (Longevity: 400 Years) 7 Only a flesh wound: Resistant Protection (4 PD/4 ED) (12 Active Points); Does not stop the first body of an attack (-1/2), Only when in good standing with his faith (-1/4) 6 Awesomely Tough: +10 PD (10 Active Points); Only used versus blows that would otherwise stun the character (-1/2), Only when in good standing with his faith (-1/4) 7 Laying on of hands: Healing BODY 3d6 (30 Active Points); Extra Time (1 Turn (Post-Segment 12), -1 1/4), Concentration (0 DCV; Character is totally unaware of nearby events; -3/4), Gestures (Requires both hands; -1/2), Incantations (Requires Incantations throughout; -1/2), Only when in good standing with his faith (-1/4) 2 Holy Strike: (adds to axe damage), Reduced Negation (1), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (3 Active Points); Only when in good standing with his faith (-1/4) 6 Holy Aura: (Total: 11 Active Cost, 6 Real Cost) Power Defense (2 points), Usable By Other (+1/4), Area Of Effect (4m Radius; +1/4), Only helps allies (+1/4) (3 Active Points); Only when in good standing with his faith (-1/4) (Real Cost: 2) plus +2 Mental Defense (2 points total), Usable By Other (+1/4), Area Of Effect (4m Radius; +1/4), Only helps allies (+1/4) (3 Active Points); Only when in good standing with his faith (-1/4) (Real Cost: 2) plus +3 PRE, Usable By Other (+1/4), Area Of Effect (4m Radius; +1/4), Only helps allies (+1/4) (5 Active Points); Only for defensive courage (-3/4), Only when in good standing with his faith (-1/4) (Real Cost: 2) Martial Arts: Dwarven Axe Fighting 4 2) Axe Throwing +0 +0 Strike, +2 DC 4 3) Power Blow +2 +0 Weapon +2 DC, Strike 5 4) Defensive Strike +1 +3 Weapon Strike 0 1) Axes, Maces, Hammers, and Picks: Default Element Perks 1 Money: Well Off (3 Active Points); Only to determine starting wealth (-1) 2 Shieldwall Elite Talents 1 Bump Of Direction (3 Active Points); Only Useable Underground (-1 1/2) Skills 3 WF: Common Melee Weapons, Crossbows 12 +4 with axes 2 +1 to offset encumbrance 3 Teamwork 11- 3 Tactics 12- 3 Linguist 0 1) Language: Dwarven (idiomatic; literate) (5 Active Points) 1 2) Language: Goblinoid Gutteral (fluent conversation) (2 Active Points) 1 3) Language: High Elvish (basic conversation; literate) (2 Active Points) 2 4) Language: Human Common Trade (fluent conversation; literate) (3 Active Points) 3 Scholar 2 1) KS: Common diseases and ailments (3 Active Points) 12- 1 2) KS: Dwarven History (2 Active Points) 11- 2 3) KS: Herbal remedies (3 Active Points) 12- 1 4) KS: Stonework & Underground Architecture (2 Active Points) 11- 3 Healing 12- 3 PS: Chiurgeon 12- Total Powers & Skills Cost: 103 Total Cost: 175 175+ Disadvantages 0 Distinctive Features: Dwarf (Easily Concealed; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses; Not Distinctive In Some Cultures) 15 Psychological Complication: Code of Honor: Protect the Weak, Keep One's Word (Common; Strong) 10 Social Complication: Hippocratic Oath: Must Help All Whom He Reasonably Can Frequently, Minor 10 Rivalry: Professional, Other Chirurgeons, Rival is More Powerful, Seek to Outdo, Embarrass, or Humiliate Rival, Rival Aware of Rivalry 5 Physical Complication: Short & Squat (Infrequently; Barely Impairing) 10 Hunted: Evil Doers Very Frequently (Less Pow; NCI; Watching) Total Disadvantage Points: 175 Equipment: Battle Axe(s), Tower Shield, Full Plate