Michael Hopcroft

HERO can't furnish me with a spine? OH, darnit! Some other things I'm wondering about in Fantasy HERO is the creation of monsters and how to vary them for your own game. Maybe in your game Orcs are mind-controlled into serving Dark Lords and would do something else if left to their own devices (raise food rats, for example). Maybe in your game the Royal treasurer is a shapeshifted dragon who has lent the King a portion of his hoard and is tracking the value of his investment. (Dragons must pay an inordinate point cost for their Multiform if they can assume human guise, by the way -- it adds at least 250 points to their character!) Maybe in your game Trolls turn to stone during the day and are brought into fashionable homes as bodyguards for the rich and unscrupulous.

Whether the ending was horrible depends on who you ask. Dramatically speaking it was a compelling way to end the series -- Blake blinded by his ambition and Avon by his growing paranoia. My one regret was that Servalan wasn't around to gloat over the corpses.... No American could have written an ending like that, I dare say.

Unless someone picks it up along the way, looks at the plaque, and decides "Hmm, intriguing. Let's take a look at these human things."

The thread This thread started about how to build your own fantasy world. Which evidently people have been quite successful in accomplishing. Unfortunately they have also decided to live there....

Has anyone done FRED writeups for the Slayers cast yet? These would be extremely high-point-total (bordering on the superheroic) fantasy characters facing (usually) the rough equivalent of Elder Gods. 100+ member gangs of bandits are nothing to these guys, as are horders of orcs and monsters galore. But Things Humans Were Not Meant To Know present a challenge. PLus, I'm curious whether "Doesn't work during "that time of the month" " can concievably be made into a viable limitation of a huge VPP....

Has anyone written up any of the charaters from the Meiji-era anime series Ruroni Kenshin ? I wonder how many points it's worth to have such kick-tail swordsmanship skills that you can disable people with a sword without disemboweling them by the simple act of fitting your blade backwards....

One could actually do just about every kind of mecha campaign you can think of and call it Gundam -- there's been that much variation in the numerous incarnations of the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise. HERO seems to me the perfect system to do a Gundam game with, especially for things like Gundam Wing where some mecha are significantly more powerful than others and where the characters have significant Disadvantage points. How do the various mechaheads on the board handle building things like Gundams and similar mecha, Newtypes and the various other characters that pilot mecha and otherwise interact with them?

I can;t keep up! That brings to FOUR the list of HERO books I need to get to catch up. And the list keeps getting longer just as my wallet keeps getting smaller. Plus there are some five or six other game lines that I keep up with on a regular basis (not counting the ones I publish) and you see my problem. It's not just deciding which books to buy -- it's deciding between buying books and buying food. Usually the books win....

Say, speaking of SF TV Has anyone ever designed a Racial Template for Vulcans? That I'd like to see, especially now that Vulcans are both more prominent and more menacing in Enterprise , where they are the "we've been in the galaxy far longer than you have -- and we're not convinced you belong here" race. Then again, I've alwayd wanted to see a HERO System Spock that both reflects the character properly and wouldn't overpower a campaign full of normal humans.

If Terran Empire and its successor book are the future of the Champions universe, then what happened to metahumanity in the meantime? Has it died out? been driven underground? Is it possible to play a superhero in the Terran Empire setting without hopelessly breaking the system?

Can a device that cases someone placed inside it to shrink or grow between two set sizes as long as someone outside the device is operating it be bought as a part of a vehicle or base? What limitations and advantages would be required to make it fit within the rules? This is designed to work so that normally giant-sized humanoids can be shrunk to human size and then grown back to their normal size when they get back from infiltrating the human base.

Lord Darcy and his sorcerous assistant, Master Sean, are among my favorite characters in fantasy fiction. But then again I'm a closet Holmes nut and love a good mystery. I've always wanted to see some RPG company get the rights to Lord Darcy's world for more than just detective work. Things like espionage and counter-espionage, political intrigue, and the like would go naturally with that setting, especially in palces like Germany and Italy where Seska , the Polish secret service, is especially active. The Angevin Empire is also an example of an inherently unstable political system made stable by subtle social programming. Everybody has a place, everybody knows what their place is, and everybody is pretty much content there. Nobles weild great power but bear great responsibility, which they take very seriously and rarely abuse. Even peasants are treated well by the society, with their medical needs attended to by mendicant friars and priests and magic making the crops grow more successfully. No famines here!

I want to use the HERO System as a creative tool here. I have this fanfiction idea about a guy in our world who is accidentally summoned to Dominatia to take part in a magic: the Gathering wizard's duel! He is told to "block" some goblins, but before the goblins can tear him apart a Serra Angel on the opposite side swoops down and rescues him. Naturally the Angel has overcome the 'duelbond" that keeps summoned creatures obedient to their creators. She must be destoryed! So she and the guy (named Joe) become hunted refugees across the length and breadth of Dominatia. Since angels aren;t given names, Joe decides to call her "Sarah". That;s the title of the fanfic series: "Sarah the Angel". Other characters include: Dala: a Benalish Heroine who wasn't sent back after a lost duel and is also a fugitive. She takes an interest in Joe. Tim: a Prodigal Sorceror sent after Sarah and Joe who decides to join forces with them for his own purposes. Regularis: the ghost of the wizard who summoned Joe, who has decided to haunt the party. Lady Kremenal: the wizardess who summoned Sarah for her duel with Regularis. Summonning and mana control powers up the wazoo, the ability to move mountains, and the heart of a lump of coal. Holds one heck of a grudge. Serra: Sarah's Goddess. What can you say -- she's a goddess! Has anyone modeled these character types for FRED yet? Would Fantasy HERO rules help?

One other thing to model The Zentradi are normally giants, but have a device that allows them to "micronize" to human size for inflitration and the like. (And, God, didn't THAT backfire on them!) The process is reversible, but you need to get to a device and have someone run it for you. Humans can't use it to grow to giant size, or at least nobody ever tried. How would you model something like that? Growth/Shrinking Usable on Others, OAF? How big a limitation is Requires an Operator?

The current draft of the character Subject to change. Velociraptor Player: Michael Hopcroft Val Char Cost 18 STR 8 30 DEX 60 13 CON 6 14 BODY 8 13 INT 3 13 EGO 6 15 PRE 5 13 COM 2 21/31 PD 8 19/29 ED 7 7 SPD 30 10 REC 6 26 END 0 30 STUN 0 44" RUN02" SWIM03 1/2" LEAP0Characteristics Cost: 149 Cost Power END 25 Super-Speed: Elemental Control, 50-point Powers 17 1) Super-Running: Running +18" (Improved Noncombat Movement (x4)), Combat Acceleration/Deceleration (+1/4) (51 Active Points); Only On Appropriate Terrain (-1/2) (added to Primary Value) 5 25 2) Long-Distance Running: Running +20", Megascale (1" = 1 km; +1/4) (50 Active Points) (added to Primary Value) 5 10 3) Sonic Boom: Energy Blast 12d6 (vs. ED), STUN Only (+0) (60 Active Points); No Conscious Control (-2), Reduced Penetration (-1/4), Only While running (requires -1/2 worth of Limitations -1/4) 6 20 Suit of Armor: Multipower, 30-point reserve, all slots: (30 Active Points); OIF (-1/2) 2u 1) Friction Protective Gear: Armor (10 PD / 10 ED) (30 Active Points) (added to Secondary Value) 2u 2) Hand and Foot Blades: Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand 2d6 (plus STR) (vs. ED) (30 Active Points) 3 Powers Cost: 101 Cost Skill 24 +3 with All Combat 1 Combat Piloting 8- 5 Cramming 3 Electronics 12- 5 Rapid Attack (HTH) 4 Language: Japanese: Completely Fluent, w/Accent (Literacy) 3 Security Systems 12- 3 Sleight Of Hand 15- 1 Streetwise 8- 3 Tactics 12- 3 Teamwork 15- 4 SS: Engineering: Engineering 13- Skills Cost: 59 Cost Talent 18 Combat Luck: 9 PD/9 ED 5 Eidetic Memory 3 Lightning Calculator 8 Lightning Reflexes: +5 DEX to act first with All Actions 8 Speed Reading: x1000 Talents Cost: 42 Total Character Cost: 350 Val Disadvantages 10 Dependence: Food, Very Common, Powers Gain 11- Activation Roll, 1 Hour 15 Dependent NPC: Parents, Incompetent (-20 points or lower), 8- (Infrequently), Group DNPC (x2 DNPCs), Useful noncombat position or skills 20 Hunted: World Crime League, More Powerful, 8- (Occasionally), Harshly Punish, Extensive Non-Combat Influence 15 Hunted: Blur, As Powerful, 11- (Frequently), Harshly Punish 5 Hunted: The Academy, As Powerful, 8- (Occasionally), Watching, Extensive Non-Combat Influence 5 Physical Limitation: Aging Too Fast, Infrequently, Slightly Impairing 15 Psychological Limitation: Distrusts those who would regulate metahumans, Common, Strong 15 Psychological Limitation: Doesn't use his full powers in combat unless absolutely neccesary, Very Common, Moderate 10 Psychological Limitation: Looking for a place to belong, Common, Moderate 15 Social Limitation: Maintains a Secret Identity, Occasionally (8-), Severe 10 Social Limitation: Looks adult but legally a minor, Occasionally (8-), Major 10 Susceptibility: Air Friction Unless Wearing Armor, Uncommon, 2d6 damage, Instant 5 Vulnerability: Ice Powers, Uncommon Disadvantage Points: 150 Base Points: 200 Experience Required: 0 Total Experience Available: 0 Experience Unspent: 0

OK< brief explanation of the difference between Robotech and Macross. In robotech, Protoculture is technological. But in macross, the Protculture were the ancestors of both the humans and the Zentradi. The difference is that Zentradi are cloned as warriors and grown to gigantic size and humans are, well humans. And humans being humans has a disturbing effect on Zentradi. The first time Zentradi saw humans kissing they were so shocked that it caused physical damage. Later on, though, some Zentradi discovered they were quite fond of "culture" and defected from their militaristic lifestyle en masse. This was reflected in things like thediscovery of Lin Minmei's music and meeting a situation like that aboard the macross where men and women work together on a daily basis (among the Zentradi the sexes are segregated). Gradually the Zentradi discovered "culture" for themselves, which they naturally associated with sex. This contamination had dire consequences for the main Zentradi force and for the Earth itself....

For one thing, his appetite is enormous because of his heightened metabolism. So enormous that he consumes something on the order of fifteen meals a day. Needless to say he;s a remarkably fast eater, but within forty-five minutes after a meal he MUST eat again or he'll get tired, even if he didn't run. He has a hunted, a fellow speedster named Blur whose specialty is vibration-based uses of superspeed. Blur wants to prove he's better than Velociraptor at just about everything relkated to being fast. At a chronological age of 15, Velociraptor is still a minor in legal terms. Ths poses no end of complications in his superhero career -- he can;t drive any kind of vehicle, there are a lot of places he can' get into, etc.

Things I'd like to see in Fantasy HERO : * Unusual fantasy races like bakeneko (cat people) * Fantasy norms from several different cultures. There's room for things like Oni as well as for the pseudo-Tolkien stuff. * Suggestions on combining fantasy with other campaign types, like modern-day or space. * A range of magic levels, from "everybody knows a spell or two" to "magic is a forbidden secret that only a hunted few know". * A range of power levels, from normals with a little bit of skill to mages who can hold off entire armies. * A variety of social types. Everyone assumes fantasy worlds need to have some degree of feudalism. This isn't neccesarily true, people! * A little bit about the role of dieties -- founts of power, sources of divine punishment, etc. Also desribe the possibilities of fantasy worlds with only one god or no gods at all. * Clarke's Law ("any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic") and its opposite ("any sufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology"). What if everybody in the Royal Guard had a +2 longsword because the court mages were mass-producing them? * A section on how to use Multipowers, Elemental Controls and VPPs to simulate a wizard's spellbook. * A few words on how to balance things so that non-magic-users have a chance against wizards if the need arises.

Protoculture The effect of "culture" on the Zentradi is quite ... interesting ... in Macross. Obviously it's a major psych lim, as they are simulatenously attracted and repelled by it. But how should that work in game terms when writing up a Zentradi character?

I'd like to see: * What a quiver of super-arrows or a bandolier of super-bullets is likely to be like. And no, no arrows with boxing gloves at their heads! * A phaser. Don't call it a phaser, of course, but I'd really like to see something that'll let me build a Starfleet officer trapped in an alternative 20th century where superpowers are real and he has to rely on his Starfleet-issue equipment. Basically a hand weapon with three settings -- stun, kill and disintegrate. * Disintegration as a superpower. THAT would be nasty. * A versatile laser vision/laser type power that can be used not only as an attack but also for welding metal, melting ice entangles, boiling water, etc. * A cartomancy VPP in which the powers you can use are controlled by a deck of Tarot cards or something similar. If you don't have the cards handy, you can;t use the power. * A good example of an Exorcism power. You can drive demons and ghosts out of their unwilling victims or send them back to their home planes. * The ability to implant subliminal messages in things like songs and films that aren't triggered until days later, but which either subtly alter the victims' perceptions or force them to do things they wouldn;t otherwise do. * Timelord-style regeneration. When you are on the brink of death this brings you back almost instantly, but with a new face, a new body and some unexpected changes in personality. You could even (if you rolled badly) pick up some unwanted Psych Lims in the process. * The power to make people fall asleep -- useful for disposing of mooks and guards, but probably not strong enough to make a major villain zonk out. * The power to be rooted to one spot and be immovable, or alternatively the power to meet and barrier concievable and plow through it unhindered. (Imagine one character having both these powers!) * The ability to store an incredible amount of air in your lungs and, when you blow it out, simultaneously chill and knock down your adversaries. * The ability to absorb all the toxins in a room so that nobody else is affect by them. Hopefully you are immune yourself.... * The ability to know EXACTLY where you are at all times.

Big City Bishonen This agent wouldn't happen to be named Excel by any chance, would she?

No, not the dinosaur. Velociraptor is a speedster superhero I want to design and would like some guiance on. Velociraptor (real name: John Blair) is a mutant who was born with superspeed powers. Unfortunately his skin is vulnerable to air friction in a way the traditional speedster's is not, so running at full speed for any length of time causes severe burning. His way out was to create a suit that protects him from air friction while still allowing him good traction on the ground. He could run without the suit in an emergency, but he takes damage from doing so. Velociraptor is FAST and knows a lot of tricks. He frequently does things like disarm an entire roomful of thugs before they can react, then knock them all unconscious with rapid punches his next action. He's quick-witten and inventive as well, always inventing new tricks and looking for new ways to out-smart an opponent. The biggest downside of all this speed is that John is aging at about twice the normal rate. He looks like he;s about to turn 30, but he's really only 15. He desperately fears that he will grow old and die long before his time, and would give up his powers in a second if it meant a normal lifespan and a normal life.

http://www.hermit.org/Blakes7/ A nice British fan site. It includes transcripts of all 52 episodes (for those who didn't get tapes), profiles of the careers of Gareth Thomas (Blake) and Paul darrow (Avon) and even links to thousands of B7 fanzines of every variety you can think of and a few I'd rather not. This site will give you a very good idea what the show is all about. I understand the BBC also has a B7 website, but I haven;t been able to find it. I don't believe there has been a US DVD release of the series, though. The effects are definitely low-tech by modern standards (the series was made from 1978 to 1982). At one point a federation soldier shoots at the gamera and you can see the flash bulb in his gun pop.

This begs the question of how many points a gundam from Gundam Wing is, but I'll leave that for another discussion.

I sometimes wonder what sort of martial arts-like abilities elves should have in a fantasy campaign. Should elves know kyujutsu, or should they have another martial art for bows? Are their warriors skilled unarmed fighters, or do they rely on elegantly-crafted swords and staves? The big question, of course, is whether a 500-year-old elf should be built on the same point base as a 18-year-old human fighter?