tancred

Re: Analysis of the Red-Shirt Phenomenon in Star Trek Isn't it true, though, that in the Original Series red shirts didn't indicate Security only, but also include Engineering and Ship's Services? Both Scotty and Uhura wore red, but neither was security. And I'm pretty sure that the "yellow" (actually gold) shirts were NOT Engineering but were Command track. Sulu, Chekov, and Kirk all wore gold shirts, as did nearly all the command officers seen in the series.

Re: Your Superhero Identity for Today I'm having a Twilight Zone moment, here. I'm Your Superhero Identity For Today Is: Name: Demon Boy Secret Identity: Randy Hollingsworth Special Power: Invisibility Transportation: Turbo Rollerblades Weapon: X-Ray Whip Costume: Lead Coveralls Sidekick: Starling Nemesis: Harold the Yodeller Tragic Flaw: Laziness Favorite Food: Tacos How did it know I love tacos????

Re: The Heart of Hero

Re: Hero vs D20 Future Welcome, DietCokeOfEvil (what a great name!). Also take a look at the Hero Designer program. For a measly $25, you get a program that enforces the rules for anything you want to design in Hero, so you can be sure anything you create with it is rules-legal. And you can export characters (or bases, vehicles, automatons, etc.) in a variety of formats, to view on your computer or print out. If you ever played Traveller, check the link in my sig for a licensed version of Traveller Hero.

Re: The Heart of Hero Actually, there was at least one point-based system that had a Disadvantages system before Champions. The Fantasy Trip allowed you to take Disadvantages (although I don't remember which term it actually called them) to gain additional points to improve your abilities. TFT was published in 1980. It was (at least partially) designed by Steve Jackson, and looked like an early version of GURPS. Good game system.

Re: GMing a Post Apocalypse campaign killer7, I've only played a little bit of Fallout, so I'm not that familiar with it. But I agree with what lensman said; it's better to use it if your players aren't that familiar with it. For monsters, look at the HERO System Bestiary and/or Monsters, Minions, and Marauders. These excellent monster books are primarily intended for fantasy, but I used plenty of creatures from both for my PA game. And if you haven't already gotten Hero Designer, buy it quick. It is terrific for new players/GMs (and very inexpensive for what you get). It will help you work up characters and creatures in a hurry. The best part is that it enforces the rules, so you can be sure anything you build in it is legal, rules-wise. AND you can get all the monsters from the Bestiary already done up in HD for a measly $6.99 from the Online Store. This is a BIG time-saver.

Re: GMing a Post Apocalypse campaign Here's a few random thoughts on my first PA game, which I ran last year. I DID spend some time preparing for the game, because I had never run PA before, and only played in one such game very briefly years ago. But I didn't do as much prep work beforehand as I usually do; most of the work happened during the game. My game was a Morrow Project knock-off, where the players wake up centuries after the Apocalypse and try to discover what has happened. I didn't tell the players in advance that it would be a PA game, only that they should create modern, heroic-level characters who had been recruited for a secret, para-military project. I picked one location in the U.S. to set the game, and did some reading up on that area. Once the game started, my players provided a LOT of additional research. Both Dark Champions and Fantasy Hero were vital resources, since the game was basically modern characters in a medieval world. I chose not to use magic, psionics, or mutants, although I did use a lot of the creatures in the HERO System Bestiary and Monsters, Minions, and Marauders. Your biggest challenge will be to figure out when your game is set (during the Apocalypse, just after it, or long after). Once you have that nailed down, decide how fantastic your world will be. Will there be magic/psionics/mutated people or monsters? Is there super-advanced future tech? For the smallest amount of prep work, I think my setting worked pretty well. I basically only had to work up the base the players started in, the area around the base, and the first few encounters. Everything else came later, as the game went on. Hope that helps. And welcome to Hero, and the board!

Re: Grimoire books content Yes, you DEFINITELY can run it from a flash drive; I do because it's more convenient than installing it on multiple computers. Plus then the character sheets and prefabs I use are all on the same drive. It is massively useful at helping you learn the system, and in figuring out how to build whatever combination of powers or abilities you want. One of the things I like best about HD is how it will not let you build something that isn't legal under the rules, and that it gives you reasons why Advantages or Limitations aren't available.

Re: WWII Pregens Shadowcat1313, our resident vehicle genius and Traveller Hero co-author, has posted a bunch of vehicle conversions. I think most of them are in the Other Genres forum; look for older posts.

Re: Grimoire books content I think you can figure out that I'm pretty passionate about UMA, too, from the plug I gave it earlier. But with a new group just starting with Hero, you don't need it yet. (You'll want it later, but we've already been over that.) Stick with the basics of combat. DON'T try the Optional Rules yet, like Hit Location, Impairing/Disabling Wounds, and so on. Concentrate on getting your players used to figuring out how to hit and roll damage. I DO recommend using the Alternate Attack Roll formula (11+OCV-number rolled=DCV hit) from page 371 (Revised); it just seems to be easier for novice Hero players to grasp.

Re: Grimoire books content The Ultimate Skill is a GOOD read. It will give you adventure ideas, as well as make you more comfortable with ways to use the skills. Letting your players read it will encourage them to buy more skills (this has actually happened in our group). The Ultimate Martial Artist has everything you could want to know about using martial arts, in any genre. It has dozens of write-ups of real-world martials, a bunch of fictional arts, and detailed explanations of how martial arts work in Hero. It has rules for designing your own martial arts, creating new maneuvers, building special powers appropriate for martial artists, and how to use powers, Advantages, Limitations, and martial maneuvers together. It has detailed explanations of every martial maneuver. It has special rules for special cases (critical hits, weapon lengths, etc.). It has pages of martial arts weapons. It has a section on martial arts in non-martial arts campaigns (called Martial Arts in Other Genres). There's a mini-review for you.

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group... Fantasy Hero last night: We're fighting Skeletal Warriors (non-Automaton Skeletons, rather tougher than the basic model). Our big half-orc tank gets hit by a Medium Lance in Location 13. Our thief chortles, "You've got Lance in your pants." (If you haven't heard the commerical, never mind.) ****************************************************** One of the NPCs just added to the party speaks with a ridiculous Italian accent (think Tim Conway speaking to "Mrs. Hwiggins"). The GM is still channeling this accent when the following exchange occurs: GM (addressing the thief using a Staff Sling): It's your turn to sheet. Thief Player: Is that a zero-phase action? Player 2: No, but you can abort to it.

Re: Grimoire books content Let me second the call to pick up Ultimate Martial Artist, as quickly as possible. For a fun addition to any genre, this book cannot be beat. You'll find yourself using martial arts just because they're fun. I would also suggest the Ultimate Mentalist, and perhaps Ultimate Metamorph, especially for Star Hero. Mentalist has made me re-consider allowing player characters to have mental powers again, when I had been finding them too overwhelming. It has an excellent section on campaigning with mentalists and mental powers. Metamorph gives you more than you thought possible for shapeshifters, including ways to handle posession and body-switching. Also good stuff.

Re: Grimoire books content Both Grimoires are primarily intended for use with the Turakian Age setting, as they are spell lists designed for the magic system in that setting. I happen to like both of them, but then I'm prejudiced because I'm about to start a Turakian Age game. It sounds to me like they won't help you that much, other than to possibly give you ideas for spells. The UNTIL Superpowers database books are also good for that, if you want some clever write-ups to get you started. But from what you've said, most of what you really want/need is in the magic section in Fantasy Hero.

Re: The Professions of Arms I'm late catching up on this discussion, but Lucius, this is GOOD stuff. I hope that you can get it published; I'd buy it.

Re: How were the FH Weapons built? The prefab that's hosted in the Free Stuff is the list of Melee Weapons from the 5th Edition Rulebook, not from Fantasy Hero. I never got 'round to doing the whole list from Fantasy Hero, due to its sheer size. Plus I didn't think it would be appropriate to do that large a list (from a second book) for Free Stuff, where the list from the main rulebook was OK.

Re: Star Hero versions of Fantasy Hero races? Goblins in Space! 'Nuff said.

Re: Megascale and Hyperdrive

Re: Probably not the right place, but... MP, there's a recruiting company here in Charlotte that has an office in CA as well. I think it's in Orange County, but I'm not sure. The company is called SMCI, Software Management Consultants Inc. I've gotten three jobs from them (they kept me employed from 1996 through 2004). They send me a Christmas card every year and I still get email from them periodically, checking to see if I'm available or need a job. Give them a call; anything in IT, they probably have a contact at the employer. And good luck with the job search; don't stress out!

Re: Cold Sleep Capsules/Low Berths Shadowcat, as it's equipment you're talking about, my opinion is that the 5-point rule would apply. I don't think you'd have to have the UBO Advantage, any more than you do for the regular Life Support on the starship.

Re: Post Apocalyptic Hero I agree with what Matt said, about 40 years being awfully short. It's for that reason that I told my players they were living 250 years after the Apocalypse. Of course, they've recently found out it was more like 500 years, which was what I felt I needed for the world to have fallen as far as it had.

Re: Traveller Hero, a major announcement Guess I shoulda checked my email sometime since last Friday.... This is beyond exciting; I can hardly wait.

Steve, the goblin's gonna show his ignorance again. Still working on weapon prefabs, now I have a question about Flails. Fantasy Hero, page 169, says that "The ability to perform the Flail maneuver is bought as a naked Advantage: Indirect (+¼) for the Active Points in the flail, with the Limitations OAF (-1), Required Hands (varies), Real Weapon (-¼), and Side Effects (-1 OCV, always occurs; -½)." I tried to build a Flail as a Compound Power, with the Killing Attack as the first power and the Indirect Naked Modifier as the second power. The Indirect will not allow me to select Required Hands or Real Weapon as Limitations (on Indirect itself); the explanation says these Limitations can only be applied to Attack Powers. Dan said: If you are trying to build a Power which has those Limitations applied to the Naked Modifier itself, then you will need to use Custom Modifiers for them, as they are not behaving in accordance with the rules of the system (Naked Modifiers are not Attack Powers). So my question is two-fold: 1. Does the rule in Fantasy Hero mean that OAF, Required Hands, Real Weapon, and Side Effects apply to the Indirect Naked Modifier, or only to the Killing Attack? 2. If the Limitations do apply to Indirect, should Hero Designer allow that, or do they constitute an exception and require Custom Modifiers? Thank you again.

Steve, I'm putting together weapon prefabs for a Fantasy Hero game, and seeing an apparent contradiction between the Hero System Equipment Guide and Hero Designer. For example, HSEG lists Nets (Toami) under Miscellaneous Ranged Weapons on page 39. Hero Designer, however, shows Nets under Uncommon Melee Weapons. Another example is the Spread-The-Water Knife, HSEG page 41. There it's listed as part of the Blades group. Hero Designer, however, also lists it as an Uncommon Melee Weapon. Which is correct, HSEG or Hero Designer? And is there a general rule for other such possible contradictions? Thank you.

Re: Curiosity about chances of rolling...... Here's a table I got from somewhere, long, long ago. 3d6 Roll Probability of rolling number or less 3 0.46 % 4 1.85 % 5 4.62 % 6 9.26 % 7 16.20 % 8 25.93 % 9 37.50 % 10 50.00 % 11 62.50 % 12 74.07 % 13 83.80 % 14 90.74 % 15 95.37 % 16 98.15 % 17 99.54 % 18 100.00 %