Rene

Hello, Oberon. Yes, I'm aware of the difference in Strength. I've toyed with the idea of making the sword lighter than usual, because it's Valyrian Steel, but I don't remember it being lighter, it's been a while since I've read the books, what do you think? Anyway, Jon's still a teenager, he don't have a 12 STR for sure. But give him time and I'm sure he will get there. Presently, I think his skills compensate for the penalties due to insufficient STR. I'm looking forward to the GOO game too. I love SAS and want to see how they'll deal with the property.

Glad you liked it, Snark. I thought about Mind Link, but I felt unsure. It seems more elegant, but on the other side, Mind Link is more like just communication, while Jon seems to really get inside his wolf's head, thus Telepathy. But I'll have to think about it.

Here is the first of my ASOIAF write-ups: Jon Snow, built on 100 Base Points + 100 Disad. Some notes - The Enraged Disad is kinda iffy. I'd say it's more infrequent than Uncommon (it happened only twice in the books, when Jon attacked Alliser Thorne, and later Iron Hemmet), but that is why I gave him an 8- to go, 14- to recover. I paid points for Longclaw. I know Heroic Characters aren't supposed to pay for itens, but the sword is pretty much part of the character's portrait. Jon Snow Val Char Cost 10 STR 0 17 DEX 21 14 CON 8 11 BODY 2 14 INT 4 15 EGO 10 14 PRE 4 12 COM 1 3 PD 1 4 ED 1 4 SPD 13 6 REC 2 36 END 4 25 STUN 2 Total Characteristic Cost: 73 Running: 7"/14" Cost Powers 12 Warg Ability: Telepathy 12d6, vs. Animal Class, Only Works on Pet Direwolf (-2), Receive Only (-1/2), Mandatory Effect: +20 EGO (-1/2), Only Through Dreams (-1) 14 Warg Ability: Clairsentience, All Senses, x8 Range, Only Through Pet Direwolf's Senses (-1), Only Through Dreams (-1), Linked to Telepathy (-1/2) 6 Perceptive: +2 to PER Rolls 2 Agile: +1" to Running Cost Skills 3 CSLs: +1 with Swords Martial Arts: Weapons Combat 4 Attack (+0 OCV, +2 DCV, Weapon +2 DC) 4 Defend (+2 OCV, +2 DCV, Block) 5 Probe (+1 OCV, +3 DCV, Weapon Strike) 2 Animal Handler, 8- (Canines, Equines) 1 AK: Beyond-the-Wall, 8- 2 AK: The North, 11- 1 AK: The Seven Kingdoms, 8- 2 AK: The Wall, 11- 3 AK: Winterfell, 12- 1 Breakfall, 8- 1 High Society, 8- 3 KS: The Night's Watch, 12- 2 KS: Northern Legends and Tales, 11- 1 KS: Seven Kingdoms's History, 8- 0 Languages: The Common Tongue (Native) 1 Languages: Literacy 1 Navigation (Land), 8- 3 Riding, 12- 2 Survival (Arctic, Temperate), 8- 3 Tactics, 12- 4 WF: Common Melee Weapons, Lances, Bows Cost Perks 20 Follower: Ghost, his pet direwolf (100 Base Points) 5 Fringe Benefit: Lord Commander of the Night's Watch 2 Reputation: Tough Capable Youth (+2, Medium, 11-) Cost Special Equipment 17 Longclaw, Valyrian Steel Bastard Sword: HKA - 1 1/2d6, 0 END Cost (+1/2), Armor Piercing (+1/2), OAF (-1), STR Minima 12 (-1/2), 1 1/2-Handed (-1/4), Real Weapon (-1/4) Value Disadvantage 5 Dist Features: Always Wears Black (ECon, Noticed) 10 Dist Features: House Stark Features, Facial Scar Around Eye (Con, Noticed) 5 Enraged: Sensitive About Bastardy (Unc, Go 8-,Rec 14-) 15 Hunted: Ser Alliser Thorne (AsPow, 11-) 10(15) Hunted: The Wildlings (AsPow, 11-) 15 Psych: Sensitive About His Bastardy (Com, Str) 10(15) Psych: Compassionate, Will Help the Needy (Com, Str) 0(15) Psych: Wants to Prove Himself (Com, Str) 5 Rep: Sinister Warg and Bastard, Limited Group, 11- 10 Social: Bastard Son (Minor, 11-) 15(20) Social: Sworn Brother of the Night's Watch (Major, 14-) Base Points: 100 Disadvantages: 100

Hello! How do you guys think we should treat the several kinds of "followers" that appear in the series? Obviously the direwolves and dragons that accompany the Starks and Dany, respectively, are animal Followers. Some other character are loyal enough to be Followers too, like Dany's army of Unsullied and Dany's Bloodriders. But what about a Westerosi nobleman's household? Should they be Followers or just part-and-parcel of the "Nobility" Perk? I'd be more inclined to the former, since they're almost always extremelly loyal. What about the less loyal "bannerman" the Great Houses possess? Would they be Contacts or just an aspect of Nobility perk?

More abilities from "A Song of Ice and Fire". Greendreaming: Clairsentience, Precognition Option, Precognition Only (-1), Only Through Dreams (-1), Vague and Unclear (-½), 40 Active Points, 11 Real Points The character experiments "Green Dreams" that ALWAYS come true. But the dreams are "Vague and Unclear" because they rely heavily on symbolism in the way they depict future events, so a GM could more easily contrive things to make the dream come true. Gazing into the fires of Rh'llor: Clairsentience, Precognition Option, Precognition Only (-1), OIF: Bonfire of Opportunity (½), Extra Time: 1 Turn (-1¼), Constant Concentration, 0 DCV (-1). 40 Active Points, 8 Real Points The character, usually a priest or believer in Rh'llor, God of Fire and Shadow, can have visions of future events when looking into the fire. These visions are considerably clearer than Greendreaming, only they don't always come true. They can be from "alternate futures", the same way a fire can cast several different shadows, so a person can have several futures.

The problem is that the weyrwood thing would have different modifiers. Things like "Receive Only" and "Personality Loss" wouldn't really apply. Also, it works over a MUCH greater range. So I think it should be built as a different power. Maybe we should put it together with the wolf thing in a Elemental Control, though, since they're all warg abilities. Anyway, it was an ability Bran used only once, and we just saw it from Jon's POV in a dream. It hasn't been defined enough for us to write it-up, IMO.

I'm not sure how to build this part of the ability, Melchior. Maybe using Mind Scan, since Bran communicated with Jon from a long, long distance. And then a Mind Link, usable only with other wargs.

Hi, folks. I've been playing aroung with building the magic powers from George R. R. Martin's "Song of Ice and Fire" in HERO terms. The first of these is the "Warg" ability, possessed by the Stark children. Telepathy 12d6 vs. the Animal Class of Minds, Only Works on a Single Animal Follower (-2), Receive Only (-½), Mandatory Effect: EGO +20 (-½), Constant Concentration, 0 DCV, Unaware of Nearby Events (-1½), Side Effect: Personality Loss (-¼), ½ END Cost (+¼), 75 Active Points, 13 Real Points PLUS Clairsentience, All Five Senses, x8 Range, Only Through the Senses of Animal Follower (-1), Blackout (-½), Constant Concentration, 0 DCV (-1), Side Effect: Personality Loss (-¼), Costs END Only to Activate (+¼), Linked to Telepathy (-½), 62 Active Points, 15 Real Points This is the basic ability. Basically the character can get "inside the head" of his animal companion and must enter into a trance to do so, as reflected by the Concentration Lim. This is more like Possession than Telepathy per se, since the character feels like he *is* his animal companion. The Side Effect reflects this. After a while, the character will have to make EGO Rolls to retain his self and "return" to his own body. More advanced wargs also have: Mind Control 6d6 vs. the Animal Class of Minds, Telepathic (+¼), Continuous (+1), Only Works on a Single Animal Companion (-2), Constant Concentration, 0 DCV, Unaware of Nearby Events (-1½), Side Effect: Personality Loss (-¼), ½ END Cost (+¼), Linked to Telepathy (-½), 75 Active Points, 14 Real Points The character now can retain a greater sense of self and make the animal act in unnatural "human-like" ways, as reflected by commands issued through the Mind Control power. This power is Continuous, the character don't need to make new ECV rolls to issue new commands. Note also that an animal companion normally will not make Breakout Rolls. It will dutifully accept it's "rider". Options: Novice Warg: Add "No Conscious Control (-2)" Limitation to Telepathy and Clairsentience. The character usually will experiment "wolf dreams" when he sleeps, sliding into the mind of his animal companion while he dreams. Experienced Warg: Change the Lim "Only Works on a Single Animal Follower" to "Only Work on Several Animal Companions". This character has acquired a collection of animals.

Everyman List I think I know more about ASOIAF than about GMing the HERO System, but anyway... I think the "Viking Fantasy" Everyman List should work fine, just substitute TF: Equines for Small Boats. Since most POVs are nobles (I think only Davos is the exception), you could also create a noble Package Deal.

Many genres don't simulate real life. But that is not here nor there. I agree with you. High Characteristic scores should affect skills. I just think the method in HERO is a little bit too inflexible. What about the high Char characters that never trained enough to develop their Skills to Char level? By the book, you either get 8-or Char level and nothing in between. And some skills are somewhat problematic. You could say that Stealth depends mostly on DEX, but it's also a function of perception, intelligence, mental concentration, and discipline. Spidey has plenty of Dexterity, but not near enough in the other areas when compared to a guy like Batman. So it would be good if there were a bit more separation between Skills and Chars. But it's not such a big problem. I just think it a bit weird the way you can easily mix and match Powers, but not Skills.

I don't know, something between a -1 and a -2 Lim. depending on how often the GM plans to let the player get away with it. Or just make it a plot device power.

Spidey's Stealth Thanks for the suggestion, Stormraven. I like it. Now for the question "Is Spider-Man so stealthy as that?", my take is that he has about Stealth 12- and he usually can get some bonus because he approaches from the ceiling, walls or the sky, and people usually aren't looking in his direction. As opposed to Stealth 15- ninja-like characters that can just walk into a military base unnoticed. But maybe that is splitting hairs and it makes more sense to just give him a higher roll, since he'll get the bonus most of the time.

Wyrm, I agree that Westeros is a low-magic world and that HERO is the best bet to simulate it. D&D don't simulate anything but D&D itself. BTW, Daenerys isn't really immune to fire. George R. R. Martin has said that the "Unburnt" episode was a miraculous, once-in-a-lifetime thing. At the least, give her No Conscious Control or Only Works in Suitable Dramatical Moments Lim. to her ED Armor. But even though magic is far more subtle in ASOIAF than in most fantasy worlds, it don't mean necessarily that the characters have low point totals. If you take skills, perks and several minor cool effects the "PCs" have, I think most of them would be respectable 150 pt heroes. Some of the current POVs are below that, but they're kids. Even then, I'd say 100 pts is a good total for ASOIAF PCs. Hmm... and most POV characters are more loaded up with Disadvantages than some superheroes.

Skills Thanks for the suggestions, everybody. I think the one I liked the most was just taking the lower skill level anyway and work it out as a Physical Disadvantage if the character happens to merit it.

ASOIAF write-ups I'd written up Jon Snow (my favorite ASOIAF character) and his pet direwolf using HERO, but that was a long time ago and I think I've deleted the files. I'd started on Ned Stark and Bran too, but never got to finish them. I don't think the main characters would be so low-powered. Jon came up about 100 pts, as far as I can remember. And he is only 16...

Hello, folks. I've become a big fan of the HERO System. Simply put, it's my favorite RPG nowadays because it's the only one where I can get a dozen different novels, genres and comics and have some reasonable hope to simulate all of them with only one system. Most of the other systems do one subgenre well (sometimes a tiny subgenre, like "D&D fantasy" that is unlike most kinds of literature fantasy published outside of TSR) and even GURPS is too deep into "realism" for my tastes, a realism that isn't found in 90% of the fiction I like. Still, as great as HERO is dealing with Powers, Characteristics and Disadvantages, I find there is a problem with Skills, so I've turned to you more experienced folks for suggestions. Problem is, you can have an 8- in a Skill (Familiarity) or you can have Char Roll level or higher. And that is that. Let's say we're writing up Spider-Man. 30 Dexterity, I guess. That is a 15- DEX Roll. Any DEX-based Skill will be 15- or higher. That is okay for his Acrobatics and Breakfall, I guess. But Spidey isn't so stealthy as that, OTOH Stealth 8- is too low. I'd say 11- or 12- would be about right for him. A less extreme example would be Wild Cards's Golden Boy. He is a so-and-so actor, better than Acting 8-, but not good enough for Acting 12- (I'm guessing his Presence is about 15). I find it strange that a system so flexible in most other aspects lacks this quality in the way it deal with Skills.