StormGathering

Hello all, I was looking at the chart in the HERO 5th revised main book that states recommended guidelines for characteristic, AP, and CV caps, etc, and I had a question about what exactly was included under those when it comes to OCV and DCV. At the Standard Heroic level, for example, it is pretty easy to build a character with a monstrous DCV just by purchasing powers and stats that are reasonable for the level, but when stacked combine to nearly-unhittable levels. For example, an extremely dexterous but otherwise undistinguished hero--say, a thief or rogue type--with 18 DEX would have a base CV of 6 or so, but with a martial arts dodge maneuver per UMA (+5 DCV) and a medium/large shield per the main rulebook (+2/+3 CV) the character's DCV would climb to a frightening 13/14. At that point, you'd almost need to build characters specifically geared to hit him/her. And that is before taking into account any defensive Combat Skill Levels the character might have. So I am wondering if those caps are meant to include maneuvers too, or just how people use those guidelines. It seems to me like a variety of pretty reasonable character concepts (high dex, trained fighter so has martial arts dodge, uses a shield sometimes, has a combat skill level or two) can combine in pretty scary ways. Would you consider my example of the dodge/shield/dex combo to be abusive in your campaign? Would mooks just improve their OCV, or start carrying hand grenades? Sorry if this seems a bit dense. I've never run a HERO campaign and was trying to figure out a good level for "mooks" versus, say, 100-150 pt heroes. I wanted to run one soon, and want the balance level to be okay... but I don't want to have lots of fights where the PCs can only be hit on a 3. But I don't want to cripple the high-dex character either. (I suppose this goes for OCV too... it seems like a high dex type with a few CSLs and a martial arts maneuver or two can really kick butt on those to-hit rolls, relative to their general power level, to the point where the bricks might be wondering what on earth just happened.) At any rate, thank you for reading.

Hello everyone, For the second time in as many years, I am considering a new HERO campaign--this time a fantasy-themed one. As I was trying to develop a magic system (isn't everyone?) I began to question what made magic in HERO "magic". There is nothing in the core rulebook to distinguish a 2d6 RKA spell from a longbow, obviously. Both have the same effect. So how do you distinguish between spells and non-spell powers in a HERO Fantasy campaign? I realized as I was making up spells that basically all of the spells I had made up so far could be non-magic powers too... the only thing currently differentiating the spells I made from, say, a ranged weapon happened to be that one had Gestures and Incantations and one did not. So in your campaign, are spells just special effects? Is the social benefit of being a feared spell-slinger the only reason to be a wizard in your world? Do you let spellcasters buy spells at slightly discounted prices? Do you do anything mechanically to privilege spellcasters (say, by letting them buy spells in a VPP, or by increasing the max allowed Active Power point cap for Powers that are "spells")? I'm just curious. I wanted to make a detailed system, but I'm worried that adding too many Limitations like Extra Time or similar will lead to spells being a useless pain in the rear for what basically amounts to flashier special effects and that's it. All replies welcome. Thanks!

Hi everyone, I'm a long-time lurker, first-time poster. I was hoping that some of you might be able to help me develop, streamline and/or fix a rudimentary magic system that I'm hoping to add to a near-future setting I'm working on. I was inspired in part by the excellent thread http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44909 in the FANTASY HERO forum, but my plans are a little less ambitious. I just wanted to create a skeletal structure upon which spells could be designed. As the spells get more powerful (ie costing more AP) the requisite limitations would grow increasingly onerous. What I was specifically hoping for was that you could comment where you think the burdens are TOO excessive or not extensive enough. Please note: This magic system is not good or neutral but very, very evil. Magic is controlled largely by an enormous American cultlike religious organization, the Reverend Wayne's Pearly Gates (thanks Snow Crash), which is a bit like the McDonald's meets bad horror movies of religions. Spellcasters must either be acolytes of the church or sanctioned by it; independent spellcasters who reach a certain level of power will usually be torn to pieces by frenzied worshippers, directed by the church which fears this threat to its power. To increase in casting ability one must have easy access to... certain criminal elements who specialise in... well, you'll see. Limitations placed on spells 10+ Active Points Spell* (-1/4) This is a setting-specific limitation. Its purpose is 1) to give a player a reason to define their Power FX as that of a "spell" and 2) to award some points back for the very real ramifications that spellcasting carry in this world. Gestures (-1/4) 30+ Active Points Incantations (-1/4) 45+ Active Points Extra Time (-1/4) Delayed segment Skill roll required: Magic (-1/4; -1/20 AP) 60+ Active Points* Extra time (-1/2) Focus (-1 minimum limitation) Concentration; 0 DCV (-1/2) *60 AP is the point at which non-spell powers are going to usually be capped in this campaign. So this is where the restrictions begin to become more onerous, for the sake of fairness to any non-spellcasting PCs. 90+ Active Points Extra time (-1/2) Limited Power OR Side Effects (-1/2 minimum) Arrangement (-1/4) 120+ Active Points Focus (Human being; expendable) END limitations (-1 minimum) Side Effects and/or Limited Power (-1 minimum) Extra Time (-2 minimum; 5 minutes) Skill roll required: Magic (-1/2; -1/10 AP) 150+ Active Points Extra Time (-3 minimum; 1 hour) 175+ Active Points Extra Time (-3 1/2 minimum; 6 hours) Focus (1 person per 25 AP of spell; expendable) 200+ Active Points Extra Time (-4 1/2 minimum; 1 Week) Limitations on "Stop Sign" and "Caution symbol" powers removed... for the most part Focus (1 child per 25 AP of spell; expendable) 300+ Active Points Extra Time (-5 minimum; 1 Month) 350+ Active Points Ummm... God help you here. We'll worry about this when we get to it. General notes All spellcasters with at least __ CP of spells (I'm thinking 70+) must take a really nasty 0-point Dependence. The time increment decreases as the character grows in power. Please see below. 70 CP of spells Dependence: ritual murder of an innocent human being Adverse side effects: -2 to Skill rolls per time increment; 2d6 damage per time increment as the sorceror's soul painfully disintegrates Time increment: 1 month at start 110 CP Time increment: 3 weeks 140 CP Time increment: 2 weeks 170 CP Time increment: 1 week 200 CP Time increment: We'll probably never reach this far. Characters may also Push powers to decrease/ignore limitations. For each -1/4 ignored in this way, the requisite skill roll is penalized by 1. Annnnd... that's all I have so far. If limitations at certain power levels seem too strict, or not strict enough, please say so. I'm open for suggestions. It isn't so much "flavor" I'm looking for but a solid setup. In particular I'm worried about the Extra Time limitations. I'm also worried that the human sacrifices might come too early in a PC's spellcasting career... but the level of this campaign is Powerful Hero to start, so maybe I'm just crazy. I would also like advice on: A framework for "advancing" from one Active Point level to the next. How many 30-59 AP spells should a character need before being allowed access to the next level? What would a good minimum CP/spell guideline be? Having never really played a HERO campaign, I can't say. Thank you in advance.