MordeanGrey

Re: [sigil Campaign] The Journal of Typhus I'm the one responsible for this campaign. It's our fourth major excursion into the Planescape setting using Fantasy Hero. We have a good group of players who have known each other and gamed together for many years. They are all involved in the plotline and contribute campaign ideas through their character's history, journal, and actions during the game. Their enthusiasm and contributions make my job much easier. Sometimes I feel less like the gamemaster, and more like the guy loosely holding the reigns, steering the story along. I'm working on getting some of the other players to join this site and update their journals and comments in this thread. Hopefully you all enjoy the story and comments from those involved. Feel free to borrow campaign ideas for your own games, and any feedback is always welcomed.

Re: [sigil Campaign] The Journal of Typhus Thanks for posting your Journal. Here's the background you posted earlier. Character History: Typhus Galeel Shire, the jewel of the Telphan empire was a trade hub that held 20,000 souls. Its gleaming stone walls towered 25 feet into the air defending its occupants from any army that wished to cripple the Telphan trade. Galeel Shire had a standing army of 2,000 well trained men, and a militia that raised the total strength of the army to well over 8,000 men. For more than 300 years the town stood as solid as the stone walls that protected it. Until Cyrus Kreele came to town. Cyrus Kreele was a worshipper of Nehrull, and a devout one at that. All his time was spent perfecting poisons, combining anything and everything to make all manners of vile potables. For 40 years Cyrus perfected his craft, his name became synonymous with death itself. It was at this time that Cyrus decided to please his god with the ultimate ritual in Nehrulls name, and with it a place by his side for all immortality. Cyrus worked with maniacal precision and focus, the drive for his ascension fueling every waking moment. For five years Cyrus brewed concoction after concoction, and when enough had been made, Cyrus made good his plan. One early summer day before the heat of the sun baked the inhabitants of Galeel Shire a message was sent to the capital talking of a terrible plague that had befallen the town. The message claimed that hundreds were dying with each passing night and the rotting bodies and corpses were filling the streets causing the plague to spread faster. More information eluded to a lack of direction from its ruling family and military. This lack of communication was causing small riots in the streets and whole sections of the great city were burning unchecked. The journey would take 3 days for the message to arrive in the Lord Regents hands and with this time, Cyrus began the systematic assassination of the ruling family. Foods and water were poisoned, the well in the castle was poisoned as well. Bottles of wine were coated with a contact poison to give the illusion that the very wine itself was poisoned. Livestock and their feed were not safe either. Within the 3 days most of the royal family of Galeel Shire was either dead or dying, no doctor was able to save them, no spell cured them. Fearing mass panic at the loss of the royal family, the captain of the guard took the reins of governing until word could be sent to the Lord Regent. At the very time that the Lord Regent was assembling his armies to enclose and surround Galeel Shire to prevent the plague from spreading, Cyrus began poisoning the food stores of the enlisted men. Cyrus made careful plans to keep the Captain alive until it was time for his blessing from Nehrull. One week after the message had been sent, the Lord Regents armies was approaching the walls of Galeel Shire, with orders to kill anyone from the Shire and to burn the bodies. All livestock was to be killed and burned, with all outlining crops and farms razed. It was at this time that the poisons were released into the towns wells and grain stores. The panic of the general populace began soon after the army of the Lord Regent set up. Cyrus set a few fires in the poorer sections of town and these quickly spread outwards. Any towns person that tried to escape Galeel Shire was cut down and quickly burned by the surrounding army. This is also when the Captains usefulness had run out and was removed by Cyrus personally. For three weeks the poisons took hold and killed off the populace, the bodies that littered the streets eventually caused a plague to arise and Cyrus watched it all unfold from the very balcony of the royal families keep. When the plague had finally killed the last of Galeel Shire’s populace did Cyrus begin to feel the effects of the plague. His skin began to rot away, his breath became labored, even clumps of his own hair began to fall out. With the final soul in this now dead city soon to be taken, Cyrus made his pledge aloud to Nehrull. “All that I have done here is for you lord Nehrull, master of death, hater of life. With this sacrifice I ask for your blessings and to be given a place at your side where I may do your bidding until the end of time.†Soon after the proclamation Cyrus died, and Typhus was born. For two days, Cyrus’ body laid on the balcony decaying in the heat of the summer before Typhus willed his eyes open. When he sat up, he realized that the plague no longer ravaged his body, but the damage was done and he was soon going to be dead. Disoriented, Typhus willed his body to stand, only to realize that crawling was all he was capable of. When Typhus rolled over, his eyes came upon a suit of armor laid out on the floor behind him. A whisper on the wind said, “Wear the armor of Nehrull, and with it you will be immortal. Pick up the scythe, and with it do my bidding.†Typhus did as his god demanded and donned the armor. When the last piece of armor was equipped the feeling of death overtaking him left. His vision cleared, no longer blurry from the exertion of putting on the heavy plate armor. The dull green armor was extremely heavy and cumbersome for Typhus, but with the removal of any piece the feelings of death returned. A dark cloud seemed to move within the armor, pulsing as if the armor itself had a heart beat. When Typhus grabbed up the scythe he found it to be lighter than expected. The scythe’s haft made of a strange dark wood with faces in pain etched into its bark. Pleased at his success, Typhus grabbed one trophy from all that remained of Galeel Shire, a stein from its lord. With this he traveled through the town marveling at the destruction wrought by his own hand. The walls that were so confidently built to keep enemies out, kept the people in and allowed the plague to fester. A very fitting deed for his god, Typhus thought and so he left to open the gates of the city and release the plague onto the army still camped outside. But as Typhus moved through the wicket in the gate house door, a flash of brilliant magic erupted from the doors edges and Typhus found himself stepping into a new world.

Re: Character background, pre-game journal You're a bad man!

Any ideas? Thinking of a Pole Weapon with these stats. OCV -1 Damage 2d6 StunX 0 STR Min 16 Body 5 DEF 4 Mass 2.1 kg A/R Cost ?????? (didnt really want to figure that all out) Length Long Maybe included with a sweep ability? Obviously a 2H weapon as well.

Re: Anonymity vs magic Suppress vs. detection type magic may work as well.

Re: Valdorian Age I'm just guessing... Yet Another Dungeons and Dragons Knock Off!

Re: Help with balancing fighters with magic users Oops! My bad. I read the original post the other day, thought about it for a while, and then answered today. Ah, the mind is a terrible thing to waste!

Re: Help with balancing fighters with magic users You can make a deadly hand to hand combat mage... Buy him a personal armor/force field spell, and arm him with a 2d6 HKA force sword (spell) with the Attack vs. a Limited Defense advantage. (Define the defense as force fields.) This gives him a magical "blade" that cuts through the warriors's armor like the proverbial "hot knife through butter." (Think lightsaber...) Buy him a few OCV levels and you're set! I've never had a problem making Fantasy Hero wizards hold their own in combat.

Re: Seeking Magic Systems for the following Fantasy Settings Ironic timing. I'm reading through the various David Gemmel series now, and a friend just picked up the d20 Sourcebook for the Black Company. That book is amazingly detailed with information about the Black Company and modifying the normal AD&D magic system to fit the style better. I would recommend buying it as a sourcebook, and using it to create your own versions for Fantasy Hero.

Re: Unarchetypal Heroes Mordean Grey was my character in a FH game run by a friend. He was a shadow mage who summoned shadow creatures and bent (or tried to bend them) to his will. All of his spells used special effects related to "shadow" (i.e.--shadow armor, cloak of shadows, shadow movement, etc.) The summoned creatures were custom designed in cooperation with the GM and ranged from tiny "messenger" shadows with little ability other than fast movement at night, to powerful shadow demons which were a major pain to try and control if you summoned one. (Just ask the other players about the night I blew a roll and accidently summoned a shadow demon, and then couldn't control it... the demon demanded a sacrifice before it would leave, and my character (not a fine upstanding moral fellow) released it into an unsuspecting city. Much chaos and murder followed.) In general I feel that Hero handles summoning and controlling creatures much better than D&D. The FH game I ran in the Planescape setting really worked well with the Hero rules. There were so many custom races and characters in the game that we spent a lot of time building racial and cultural packages, etc. In fact, I can't imagine trying to run the same setting using the original AD&D rules.

Re: New to Fantasy Hero Exactly! Hero scales nicely to whatever power level you prefer. It all comes down to what type of game you like to play. If high-fantasy is your thing, go for it. I ran a wide open fantasy hero game for a couple of years set in the D&D Planescape universe (i.e.--Sigil). There were basically no racial limitations, and magic was rampant. It was a blast, and my players loved that game. I didn't mean to sound too critical of your character idea. I've just changed my outlook in the past few years and now prefer highly skilled/story-based characters instead of playing the math game to see how many points I can save by raising one stat or the other. Pick your poison and enjoy it either way!

Re: New to Fantasy Hero In my opinion ( for what it's worth ) your starting stats are WAY high. After playing Champions for a long time, you're probably wondering how a basic FH character can survive with their pitiful stats. If you look at the breakdown of the bell curve used to model stats, a 20 in anything is statistically very rare. Multiple 18s are equally unusual. I usually encourage players to make characters with around a 50/50 split between stats and skills. For 100 point characters I encourage them not to go over 60/40 or 70/30 in extreme cases. In my games, I encourage players to make themselves better by increasing their skills instead of their stats. (You don't have to be incredibly strong to be a sword master who can dish out a lot of damage. Just buy the appropriate skill.) In fact, I rarely allow players to change their character's stats unless it is justified by something in the game. i.e.--the character starts as a young boy and grows up over time, or the character spends a month working in a slave mine when captured. Both of these examples would justify increasing strength and/or con, etc. Stats rarely change in my games, and if they do, they usually get worse from optional injury rules, sickness, etc. Another way to put your stats in perspective is to compare various entries in the Bestiary, etc. You get a good idea of what an average dex or speed value will be for most creatures. If you haven't guessed, I prefer fantasy games with a more realistic or gritty feel to them. Welcome to the fantasy side of the hobby.

Re: No Dominion - A FH Story Hour Thanks for posting the files. They look good at first glance. I'll have to take more time to look at them later.

Re: harnworld -- worth it for HERO? HARN has a greatly detailed world and history. It is a good resource that I've owned for several years. (and I use it for HERO, not HARN)

Re: No Dominion - A FH Story Hour That would be great. I'd love to see them when you have the time. Thanks for being a great resource and the entertaining reading. This sounds like a game I would love to participate in with all of you. I prefer this style of play with limited magic items, strong characters, and a good story.

Re: No Dominion - A FH Story Hour This is good stuff! I appreciate you taking the time to post the story from your game and all of the creatures, NPCs, etc. Thanks and keep up the good work! Mordean Do you have all of the major NPCs set up in Hero Designer?

Re: Banned and the Banished, and the Black Jewels Limitations like "Only recharge at night/by moonlight." should take care of the various "specialty" magics. I would probably use a power pool/END reserve of some type for magic users with the recharge limitations. It might be fun to include Ebonstone items that acted as END reserves or artifact magic.

Re: Shadow World setting I used the Shadow World module "Demons of the Burning Night" and the demon city, Tarek Nev, as a re-occuring location in a massive, long-running Planescape conversion to Fantasy Hero a few years ago. It was great. Very well written history of the battle in the city between angels and demons that fit nicely with the whole Blood War conflict in Planescape. The players had two different groups of characters over a three year span. Both groups traveled to the city at different times. One group before the war, and one group much later when the city was an aging ruin. I'd recommend it for source material that could be used in multiple settings. Especially if your game deals heavily with religion or the Planes.

Re: Banned and the Banished, and the Black Jewels I finished the James Clemens books last spring. I thought they were decent. I liked the evil creations and the different types of magic. Did you have questions about anything in particular?

Re: Taking the plunge into Fantasy Hero ... help! A few suggestions... A novice person building their first character in HERO may feel a bit overwhelmed with all of the choices. I'd recommend making copies of the package deals (fighter, thief, etc.) from the Fantasy Hero book and having those available for characters to look at when creating their characters. In order to help create balanced characters, I would suggest telling the players to try to spend their available points roughly equally between skills and stats. (i.e.--for 100 point characters, spend around 50 points for stats and 50 points for skills...of course this can be adjusted for the low stat/high skill/spell wizard character. It's something I do in my games to encourage the players not to just make a "stat-monster" character with no skills. Be flexible!) Also, make a character action chart that lists Dexterity down one side, and Phases across the top. Leave space so characters can write their names in at the appropriate location to help keep the combat/action sequence organized. (I usually hang this on the inside of my GM screen so I can see the chart and keep the players and NPCs on track during a busy combat sequence.) Having a few extra copies of the range chart, combat maneuvers, and OCV/DCV tables on hand allows the new players to quickly see the options available to them during the game.

In the past, I've run several Fantasy Hero games using the Sigil campaign setting. These were wildly successfull for some reason, with the first game lasting nearly two years, and the second around a year. (playing 3-4 times per month) Both of these games took on a life of their own, and the characters/players contributed much to the storyline. Several of them kept journals which were compared weekly to see what the other players/chracters thought of last weeks occurences in the game. These games were also wide open as far as what I allowed regarding magic, character races, and locations throughout the Planes. More recently, I have created my own low-magic world that has a gothic horror influence to some degree. It's pretty far from Ravenloft, but there are many creatures that prey on the fears of people in the world. Priestly magic conflicts with sorcery in this setting. Priests are limited to mainly defensive/healing type spells. Sorcery is considered evil, and the few PCs that choose sorcery have to deal with the distrust and fear of average people in the world. Sorecery also tends to corrupt the user and lead them down a dark path. The characters for this world start with 100 pts. instead of the normal(?) 150. I try to stress roleplaying and good plot development. Another requirement for characters is a good mix of skills instead of super-high stats. I'm also having the players get together long before the game begins to discuss my expectations for how the world works, general power level for spells/attacks, and an overview of what I'd like to do. I listen to their feedback and have them discuss building characters that are compatible and have related goals for plot consistency. One aspect that is steady in all of my games is that actions (or inactions) have consequences. If the party kills or robs someone without good justification, you can bet that the authorities/relatives/henchmen of the victim will be looking to arrest or punish the offenders. Also, if the party has several options and happens to choose one that might be questionable, the other options don't just go away. For instance, if the party turns down a mission to recover an item, there is a good chance that someone else (usually a rival or potential enemy, but the options are endless) will show up with the missing item at a later date. In the current game, the characters are setting out on a religious pilgrimage to find the truth about what happened to a missing Saint of their church. They are following his path using clues from an old journal that was delivered to the church and serves as the hook for this game. Most of my players are older and have outgrown the typical hack and slash mentality that you often see with newer/younger players. I really try to avoid the "beat people up and take their stuff" type of adventures.

I have several of the original Kulthea game modules if anyone is looking for specific information. I don't recall the titles for all of them, but I can check if anyone is interested.

I think it's a great idea. Something to upset the politics and populace. Imagine the charismatic leader of the new order as it spreads through the world. He/she may appear as a hero to the poor, playing to their needs, inciting them to rise up and disrupt the current government/religion. This could lead to small clashes of faith between factions, or large scale religious wars. The leader could only be posing as a "good" guy. Maybe he is motivated by power, or something darker. (Like the devil in disguise, spreading conflict to weaken the former religion or government and open the area up for conquest!) Lots of possibilities!

Why do I run games? Well, to torture the players of course! Actually, I have grand story ideas running through my head that I try to bring to life through the game. Maybe someday I'll take a shot at writing a novel or something, but until then, running the game lets me express my ideas and get some feedback. I certainly have mountains of resources from previous games to use for background information if I ever get around to writing a book. In the meantime, it's a fun way to get together with my best friends and take a break from the real world.

I can't take credit for these since I found them on the Web a long time ago (I don't remember where, sorry I can't give the original author credit), but here they are... SAMPLE TRAPS TECHNOLOGICAL TRAPS Concealed Pit (8 Hexes Deep): This trap is simply a deep hole, covered by something (rug, woven grass, trap door) that will not hold any significant weight. Most pit traps have to be reset manually. You can allow computers to reset the trap with a successful Security Systems roll if the trap is part of a high-tech base. Alternately, if the trap was designed by a skilled engineer, it could reset itself. To do so, purchase the Security Systems Skill for the trap. A successful roll resets the trap immediately after use. A failed roll means the trap jammed, and has to be reset manually. Note the base roll for the Skill is 9-. To design a spiked pit simply add an HKA, Linked to the Energy Blast. Note the Limitation Can Be Avoided With Appropriate Movement Powers. This simulates the trap's fixed location on the ground. Any character who can fly, cling to walls, or otherwise not come into contact with the pit will avoid its effects entirely. Concealed Pit: EB 8d6, physical, Area Of Effect (One Hex; +1/2), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Trigger (more than 10 kg mass applied to cover; +1/4) (90 Active Points); IAF Immobile (pit in the floor; -1 1/2), Can Be Avoided With Appropriate Movement Powers (-1/2), Can Be Disabled With Security Systems Skill Roll (-1/2), Real Technology (-1/4) (total cost: 24 points) plus Security Systems 11- (7 Active Points); IAF Immobile (trap door mechanism; -1 1/2), Real Technology (-1/4) (total cost: 3 points). Total Cost: 27 points. Scythe Blade: Guaranteed to take a little off the top, this trap lashes out across a corridor, dealing damage to unsuspecting passers-by. Scythe Blade: RKA 2d6, Area Of Effect (One Hex; +1/2), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Trigger (rigged floor stone; +1/4) (67 Active Points); IAF Immobile (scything blade housed in wall; -1 1/2), Can Be Disabled With Security Systems Skill Roll (-1/4), Real Technology (-1/4), No Range (-1/2) (total cost: 19 points) plus Security Systems 14- (13 Active Points); IAF Immobile (blade rotation mechanism; -1 1/2), Real Technology (-1/4) (total cost: 5 points) plus -2 to Security Systems (10 Active Points); IAF Immobile (-1 1/2), Real Technology (-1/4) (total cost: 4 points). Total Cost: 28 points. POWERED TRAPS Lightning Glyph: This trap creates a large blast of lightning in all directions. It does not have to be placed on an object or door; it can be placed free-standing in midair, to guard a corridor for instance. Only by muttering the password (designated by the caster) can one pass safely through the glyph. The glyph can only be detected by magical senses, and can be Dispelled, Suppressed, and Drained normally. Lightning Glyph: EB 10d6, Explosion (+1/2), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Trigger (glyph touched without saying password; +1/4) (112 Active Points); IAF Immobile (invisible glyph; -1 1/2), No Range (-1/2). Total cost: 37 points. Summoning Glyph: While not as visually impressive as the Lightning Glyph, this trap is terrifying nonetheless. Passing through the glyph summons 8 skeletal warriors to face intruders. Even if the glyph is detected, it is more difficult to dispel than most wards of this nature. Summoning Glyph: Summon 8 150-point Skeletons, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Trigger (glyph touched without saying password; +1/4) (79 Active Points); IAF Immobile (invisible glyph; -1 1/2). (total cost: 32 points) plus Power Defense (10 points); IAF Immobile (invisible glyph; -1 1/2). (total cost: 4 points). Total cost: 36 points. NATURAL TRAPS Raging Fire: Dangerous in the extreme, a raging fire consumes all in its path. The smoke from such flames can be incapacitating without appropriate equipment. This is why fire fighters in big cities have good salaries. Raging Fire: RKA 2d6, Area Of Effect (18" Radius; +11/4), Continuous (+1), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Uncontrolled (put out with water or appropriate chemicals, will burn out when all fuel consumed; +1/2) (127 Active Points); Limited Power (some areas within radius do less damage than others at GM's discretion; -1/2), No Range (-1/2) (total cost: 63 points) plus EB 2d6, NND (defense is appropriate Life Support or holding breath, does BODY once character is unconscious; +1), Area Of Effect (32" Conforming Radius; +21/4), Continuous (+1), Reduced Endurance (0 END, +1/2), Uncontrolled (put out with water or appropriate chemicals, will fade as fire burns out, wind dissipates effect in 1 Turn; +1/2) (62 Active Points); Limited Power (some areas within radius do less damage than others at GM's discretion; -1/2), Damage Halved With Makeshift Filters (-1/2), Linked (-1/2), No Range (-1/2) (total cost: 21 points). Total cost: 84 points. Quicksand: Common in swampy areas, these pits are easily mistaken for solid land. Once stuck in one, a character slowly sinks under. Unless the character is rescued or manages to get free (by making successful STR vs. STR contests for each hex), the character faces certain doom. Quicksand: Telekinesis (30 STR), Area Of Effect (One Hex Plus Surrounding Hexes; +3/4), Continuous (+1), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Uncontrolled (quicksand pit emptied; +1/2) (169 Active Points); Affects Whole Object (-1/4), IAF Immobile (quicksand pit; -1 1/2), No Range (-1/2), Only To Pull Downward (-1/2), Matches Character's STR (-1/2) (total cost: 40 points) plus EB 2d6, NND (defense is appropriate Life Support or holding breath, does BODY once character is unconscious; +1), Area Of Effect (One Hex Plus Surrounding Hexes; +3/4), Continuous (+1), Reduced Endurance (0 END, +1/2), Uncontrolled (character removed from quicksand or quicksand pit emptied; +1/2) (47 Active Points); IAF Immobile (quicksand pit; -1 1/2), Limited Power (radius limited to Telekinesis radius; -1/4), Linked (-1/2), No Range (-1/2) (total cost: 13 points) plus -3 to PER and Concealment Rolls (15 Active Points); IAF Immobile (quicksand pit; -1 1/2) (total cost: 6 points). Total cost: 59 points.