MarioTani

Re: How to Build: "Wreaths of Holy Fire" Hy, and wellcome tothe boards. you can do something like that easily, just reasoning for effects, that as you'll sonn learn it's the key to understanding how to representa power in the Hero System^_^ There's some interesting halp at: http://www.herogames.com/SupportFAQs/effects.htm What is the effect of a flametongue sword? 1) damage as for the sword, and here you could go with the canonical 1d6+1 HKA of a LongSword 2) damage for the fire. forf this you could, as suggested on FRED 119, usa a EB with the No Range Limitation you should have something like: FlameTongue Sword: HKA 1d6+1 (20), Reduced Endurance (0 End; +1/2), Active Points 30; Real Weapons (-1/4), STR Min (12; -1/2), Focus (OAF; -1) Real Cost 11. plus EB 6d6 (Against ED; 30) Reduced END (0 END; +1/2), Active Points 45; Focus (OAF; -1), No Range (-1/2) Linked (-1/4); Real Cost 16. Total Cost 27 So the character is equipped with a Magical Sword that can burst in flames when he wants. There could be some variants, for example if you wonted the character to utter some magical word to make the flames engulf the sword you could add to the EB the limitation Incantations (-1/4), so the RC of the EB would be 15 and the total cost 26. Or maybe the spell can be used only a limited number of times a day and when spoken it last for a minute, in this case you would substitute the Reduced END (0; +1/2) from the EB with a Continuos (+1) to make it Constant, raising the active points to 60 and add a limitation Charges (4 1 Minute Continous Charges, -1/2). In this alternative write-up the Flame power would cost 18 and the totla cost rise to 29 CP. If you want to make a power to add the Flame effect to a weapon. you would simply create the power as above (only the EB part, of course) but instead of the Focus (OAF; -1) you would use a Focus (OIF: Weapon of Opportunity; -1/2) so the power would be something like: Flaming Weapon Spell EB 6d6 (Against ED; 30) Reduced END (0 END; +1/2), Active Points 45; Focus (OIF: Weapon of Opportunity; -1/2), No Range (-1/2) Linked (-1/4); RSR (Magic Skill; -1/2). Real Cost 16.

Re: Spell: Traveling to the Dreamland Hy, I was forgetting to say that I cannot use a direct effect like Mind Control (to know what you wont to know) as the main point of the spell is to play in the Dream Land. Let me explain myself, with the current write-up the target play the encounter with the caster, if it was only a roll to let know something there would be no roleplaying of the encounter. Moreover with the XDM the same spell can be applied to more than one target in succession and later interact with all of them in one place. Moreover the target and the caster in this write-up are really ending in the DreamLand and are obliged to follow of the "physical laws" of that place!

Hy. Tonight I was speculating on a spell I?ve just created for my fantasy campaign, it's used to let someone send someone else in the dream land, a land similar to the obne described in Robert Jordan' Wheel of Time. My personal write-up was: Traveling to the Dream Land: Extra-Dimension Movement (to the place in the Dream Land corresponding to the one in the Real World) 25, UaA (1 creature) +1 (Active Points = 50); Requires a Skill Roll (-1/2), Variable Limitation (-1/2 of limitations, -1/4); Extra Time (Extra Segment, -1/2), Limited Power (Usable only on Non-Magically Sleeping People, return to Real World if the Victim it's Awakened, -1 1/2) Real Points 13 First of all, I Justify the Lim Pow at 1 1/2^_^ I've reasond in this way: a normal man sleeps only for 8 hours a day so it's (roughly one third of a day, often less than that), moreover a similar limitation does not let use this ability in Combat, moreover if someone awakens the Victim the spell it's Broken. It' seems to me eligible for the "Power loses about two.thirds of its effectiveness". the Defenses against the attack: Being a Dream Walker (similar to the one described in the RJ's WoT), or having a mental or power defense, having spells or ability or the like that can be used to come back from the DreamLand. The Idea it's that to use it the wizard has to make somehow the victim sleep and touch it for at least a couple of seconds, while concentrating or something the like to let the spell start. If the spell starts the Victim is sent to the DreamLand where she sleeps until: 1) She awakens in the real world 2) The caster decide to let it awaken. (this can happen thanks to campaign's definition of the interaction in the Dream Land) Tonight I Was thinking about the spell write-up... The ultimate goal of this spell is to imprison the victim for a limited time in a situation where she is almost helpless, or at least think to be it. So the target can be interrogated or the like, obviously paying attention as hurting can make her awaken. I was thinking that a similar effect could be reached even trough: 1) Mind Control 2) Images So I was asking some suggestions for alternative write-ups.

Hy, in my Fantasy Hero campaign one of the player had to "move a fire" vith a spell, (he use a VPP to improvise spells). I own a copy of the FH grimoire, but I had not carried it with me, so we started thinking about the problem. Later on, at home, I've checked the FAQ and the book. I've found in the FAQ, regarding Telekinesys and gases that it has to be used an Adder and AOE. In the FH Grimoire, there's a spell "Fireshaping" at page 92, that was exectly what we needed^_^, but it has a completely different logic (or at least so it seems), and I believe that it is due to the "lack" of weight in the fire. So I was thinking about venoumous gases, and all the other effects similar, and I was wondering if it's possible to use an approach similar to Fireshaping for them, so to use the damage done by the gas to regulate the telekinesys effect. obviously there are differences between the two special effects, but in the faq it's hinted to the Dipel-like problem. So I was thinking about using the rule for fire to go around it in a not-too-crunchy way^_^. I know that I can do everything I want in my games, and that there's no 1-true-way of handling things in Hero., but I'd glad to hear your opinion on this^_^. keep up the good work and the incredible on-line support

For the Force Field I see some different builds. 1) Force FIeld with Ablative If it stops only PD and ED, it would be something like: FF (30 PD /30 ED), AP = 60; Ablative -1 RP = 30 Obviuosly you should use the ablative in the second option as stated in FRED 78 2) Alternatively you can reason for effects, the only effect of every point in the FF you describe it's to stop some damage once. You could biuld it as Extra Body and Extra STUN, with a linked regeneration to heal them something like: Body (30) AP 60, Cost END -1/2, Limited Power (No counted as Body for the death) -1. RP 24 plus Stun (30) AP 30, Cost END -1/2, RP 20 Total Cost 44 If in you campaignyou you use the rules for stunning etc, etc, I would rule a +1/2 advantage Doeas not Count for Stunning similar effects bringing the costs to: Body (30), Does Not Count against damage effects +1/2 AP 90, Cost END -1/2, Limited Power (No counted as Body for the death) -1, No Fig Chars -1/2. RP 30 plus Stun (30) AP 30, Does Not Count against damage effects +1/2 AP 45, Cost END -1/2, RP 30 Total Cost 60 Even if the second option is more costly, it can give you protection from every kind of attack which does body or STUN, if this is not the case you should use limited power to make it, or go with the canonical "Only Works Against Limited type Of Attack" as in FRED 78.

My GM-style is based on the improvisation so the feedback is costant during a game. But for the same reason the leeway in changing the way I GM is almost nothing. They play the characters, i "play" the world saround them, so apart from the occasional help in avoiding death, they get the consequences of their actions. The general tone of the campaign it's decided at Character creation and is derivd by the type of PC they've built. and... sure it a great EGO boost to know you're doing well:)

For me: 1) No one else it's going to do it 2) I find it funny 3) I GM? I choose the RPG System! In this way I've succeeded in using MERP, CoC, GURPS and now Hero, later on some other player start to like the system and decide to use it in some of his own campaign so I can play it too The selection goes on something like: "Hey Guys, I wanna start a FH campaign, some one would like to be in? I need 5 players!" If there are no new players this is enough as I GM only 3 settings one fantasy, une modern, one Sci-Fi.

For me it depends, if flash has to be effective you cannot just shrug off the effect covering your eyes without a significant warning. So for example I would not let the player abort to cover his eyes. but I would let him do something like that if he had an held action and some forewarning. It's not enough to know that tha character can use a flash... let's imagine a fantasy settting where the mages biuld their spell on a VPP every one of them is able to cast a flash sight spell, if you let anyone evade the effect just covering his eyes the ending it's highly unfair. Even more so if you let the other abort to it! They could go on doing what they were doing and if the effect was a flash than they will cover their eyes effectively making useless the power at more than a "1 phase effect". if by some means the players succesfully identifies that a flash power it's going to be used in the next few second I would leave him even abort to the next action to "cover his eyes", obviously preventing the abuses so if he recognize it and before the actual manifestation of the power has a phase and decide to act I would neglect him this chance. let me explain myself with two examples. 1) A blinding arrow. This is an arrow that upon striking asolid target explodes in a blinding light. If the players do not recognize the arrow before it strikes (by any means, maybe some kind of preparation the arrow needs) they can prevent the Flash only if they have an held action, but if they succeed in recognizing the preparation I would leave them the opportunity to avoid the effect aborting, but if one of the players had an action between the moment of the recognition and the effective explosion, he would lose the opportunity to evade the flash. 2) a con of light spell Normally a spell requires a little gestures or two and some spoken words, but it's not enough for me to represent a particular casting so the opponents are not entitled to cover their eyes. If the spell had the incantation or the gestures limitation an opponent who know the ritual can recognize the spellcasting and even warn his side. In My campaign where every spell it's done modelling 5 elemental fluxes I would rule that a person who can see the modelling (it's not a visible power effect) maybe trough a Detect Magic (sight) with an appropriate skill roll on a relevant magic skill (it depends on the SFX of the effect, in this case it would be the Magic: Light & Darkness) or with a familiarity with a relevant spell (he use the same spell or a similar one, it's the SFX the point here) I would let him abort to some kind of defense. For the amount, I think that the way TheEmerged determines it it's a very good one, I will use it:)

Uhmmm I see it like a NND effect, it is not prevented unles you have somespecial made defense. A mental trasform like suggested by NuSoardGraphite it's maybe the best way to model it. It would end to be enough costly so it can be used even to kill the victim, even if maybe this could be seen like stretching the rule... similarly the powers of the dreamwlaker could be created trough a Mind Control with a Trigger to represent the ability to interrupt the opponent action, maybe with a Limited Power limitation -1/2 "it doesn't work on the rahl and their followers"

I'm new to he Hero so maybe my personal experience will seem a little strange-_^. I've started by a couple of months my first campaign with hero, a 75+75 FH campaign, I've thinkered for some time with an AP limit, but without finding a good way to explain it. The DCs limit alone can be not perfectly balanced with power that has no direct combat effect, the DEF one has to be linked to the DCs... More than a fast rule it was a web of opinions and warnings... so in the end I've told to the Players that I had decided to not use any fixed limit, instead I would reserve the right to step back to hacve accepted a power if it would happen to be too abusing. They have understood the real problem behind this: Hero system is so vast I need some practice with it to grasp the potential interactions between the various powers. In this way I'm sure notto forbid anything could be used without too much strains. For example one of the players has the ability: 21 Powerfull Sweep: AoE Nonselective (8 Frontal Hexes) 67, Red END (0 END) +1/2 (AP = 100 END = 0); Real Weapon -1/4, STR min (18) - 1, 2H -1/2, OAF Difficult -1.25, ET (Full phase) -1/2, Conc (DCV = 1/2) -1/4. Real Cost 21 It Can Be used only with a particularly great weapon, that needs a minimum of STR 18 and two hands to be effectively Wielded, Even Than it works similarly to a sweep, the manuever uses a Full Phase, and the wielder is at 1/2 DCV. The AP are 100 and, sure, it is a massive power, maxed out at a great number of DCs I Believe they are 9 as it has to be used with a 3d6 HKA (an huge axe) but has not make any particular great damage to the playability of the game Up until now I've made two changes: 1) The human magic was to cheap to start with, and I've fixed it with a Perk has prerequisite to access the mana 2) A player had come out with an interesting power of a flame sword, with an HA trough a sword (used as a focus), it was acceptable at a low level, but it could easily taken out of the power level I was thinking about, as it added to the weapon damage, altough the opponent ED was subtracted) Sure the player has protested a bit, but after explaining the situation has understood it was not an outright act against the character and has accepted some limitation on it. I find in this way there are some advantages, all the players are free to play with the system, every one make a little more of experience.

I understand you wont to use a MP, so maybe for you it's important to have a fixed slot or some predefined effects, but I would make up something like you have said with a VPP. Elemental adaption VPP Pool 5 CP Control Cost 2, no skill Roll required +1 AP 4, PC has no choice whebn or how the powers change -1, limited class of powers (only for elemental adaption) -1/2 Real Cost 2 If a race need somthing more it could be taken with a 10 CP pool Pool 10 CP Control Cost 5 PC no skill Roll required +1 AP 10 no controls change -1, lim class (only for elemental adaption) -1/2 Real Cost 4 to be truer to my vision I would add in: Gradual Effect 5 minutes -3/4

Re: The Sword of Truth When you wrote down something put it on the boards, I wuold like to read it^_^ Moreover there are some interesting power concept: 1. Dreamwlakers and their ability to stop other actions. 2. Confessor power it's an almost absolute power. Maybe the second can be craeted with a NND, but the first?

No as per FRED 283, it's not a matter of the bonus spent,. it's an ecception. The normal rule is: "you pay END for every action you make" The rules for casual strenght (FRED 283) and for strenght (FRED 20) clearly state an exception to teh normale rule: "no matter how many times you use your strenght you only pay one time for it at the maximum cost you've used" To clarify it (even to me, my definition is a little crappy ): 1) Joe Fast in one of his phase combines the following attacks in a single multipower a 6d6 EB and a 3d6 Drain. He spend END as listed: EB 6d6 = 30 AP -> 3 END Drain 3d6 = 30 AP -> 3 END Total END: 6 2) Later on Joe Fast uses it's new EB, a EB 3d6 Autofire, for three shots His AP are 37,5 -> 37 With an End Cost of 4 END per shot 3 shots are so 12 END 3) Joe Fast uses Martial Throw and his HA for 2d6 More of N Damage, let us say his strenght is 15, but later on in this same phase he has to abort to Martial Block an attack: Supposing a still opponent we have 3 (STR) + 2 (HA) = 5d6 of DMG and an END cost of 3 (STR) + 1 (HA) = 4 END, when he Blocks he spends an additional 1 END for a total in the phase of 5 END 4) Joe Fast has taken an autofire naked advantage on his STR 15, Autofire for a net 7 AP and 1 END, it uses it as above for three strikes. Every strike deals 3d6 N Dmg, but for Autofiring it he has to spend the cost of the naked advantage for every use so it's a flat: 3 (STR) + 3 (3 strike in autofire) = 6 END the Autofire costs 7, if he wanted to get ridden ofthe extra cost he could make it Red END (0) bringing it's AP at 15, but it's END to 0. Now suppose that Joe Fast was grabbed by a child, obviously mind controlled by the enemy, and he wanted to fre himself before making any of the previous attacks his Endurance would change as follows: 1) He has not used any strenght in the action so he has to pay for it's casual strenght, the value of his CasualSTR is 7 and so he has to spend 1 END 2) Just the same as 1 3) Joe will pay the full STR-based END for the manuever so the use of Casual-STR does not mean any additionaly END expense 4) Just the same as 3

Reasoning for effects & VPP!! There'r some problems in explaining the reasoning for effetc to someone. The simpler example I can find it's a "TK grab" meant to stop an enemy, ata a distance. Obviuosly you will end up using Entangle, but if the player it's new to the system sometimes (s)he gets stuck eith the FX, more so if its a FX named like a power in the book. the latter it's the VPP, but maybe it's only a problem for me^__^ In my FH campaign the elven people use VPP to biuld their spells (humans can use the other frameworks). And it works out great, almost for the feeling I want, but now I have a newbie player with an elven mage... and the concept has turned out some difficulties: his PC has two 10-CP VPP, but he doesn't not know the rules enough to create a spell on the fly so there are two outcomes: 1) He doesn't use the character's powers at their full extent, and with two smal VPP you cannot afford it 2) I have to make up the spell for him! EX: P: I want to flash him GM: OK it's flash against it's sight? P: Yes, I can do it with the L&D VPP GM: OK so it's 2d6 of flash, any limitations? P: No I'vo to cast it fast and silent GM: UHMM... maybe I should add in an IPE so it's a 1d6 Flash (sight) IPE (2 senses, in order to let him casting the spell only with the visual effect) AP= 9 P: uhmm the 1d6 it's good, but maybe IPE's to much... let say IPE (1 sense) so I've to make some gestures, but not obviously strange... OK? it sould be 7 AP... GM: and for the limitations? P: uhmm maybe incantation? GM: let me ricapitulate, you makea flash attack of 1d6, the effects are the flash, a blinding light? a pool of darkness in the enemy eyes... OK ok the light, and you wonnna be able to use without any other sign if not a littel lithany by you characters? the usual half action, no RSR? P: wait a min? RSR? GM : yeah RSR Require a Skill Roll, L&D magic, right down on your sheet, at 13 if I remember well P: it would mean a roll at 12 to succeed? GM: Yeah you got it! so it's back to 5 RP, you can have another one later* And this happens everytime he has to make up a spell on the fly. Sure I could mend tis with a spell list, but it is highly out of flavour, moreover he play a apprentice skill magician and so the imperfections in powers its even IC! But it's the loos of playtime it's disturbing. *In the elven magery system they "remember" the type of spell used for about two hours , after them the allocation free itself. The spell caster so do not hand me out an allocation list, but instead builds the power on the flyup to the amount of RP, if later on he want to change the allocation he can make one of two things: 1) wait fot the time of cancellation 2) Spend 10 minutes or the like in meditation to clean himself. in this latter case thenew spell has to be choosed on the spot.

Why? I believe to usesomething like: Lighter /heavier Armor co or for augmented DEF or a multiplier of the weight Less /More Restrictive Armor, +/-1 on the penalty it should work... but I've yet to test it

The real problem in such cases it's were the munchkinism begins, at least for me. If a speedster has a VPP and want to use it on desolify, it's OK for me but it has to be coherent with the rest of the character concept. So probably he'll have some limitations on it. Suppose a mage buys it's spell trough a multpower, limited by RSR a Variable limitation, and Charge applied to the reserve (maximum of spells in a day) If the same mage wants to build a simple detect, it's more usefull to build it as a stand alone power, not to have it limited in that way, but if it has to be a spell it must have that same limittations! After all that's the way the character casts the spells, if he want to cast them in some other way it has to research a new casting method... but that is an in game problem, not a rules one. So if a player need using a skill, and it has reasonable chance of knowing something about it, maybe from its BG, maybe from it's Culture, you can entitle him to a Char Roll or a Familiarity Roll (the worst of the two). Surely it can became a way to go around the rules, but if the player start abusing it you can start imposing penaltys or neglectign the rolls for later occasion. Or maybe do not give them for something too difficult. To say it all I often use KS and PS to make PC pay for this kind of things. Even a PS: Soldier, if the BG says the PC has gone in battle a couple of time, could be enough for a roll like the above on tactics. It can be justified as personal experience, or as something the PC has learned chatting with other veterans. Surely it does not confer the ability of a good general, but can help solve some simple situations, or lead to dangerous error in dealing with something. For example the enemy general has left the flank uncovered to lure the cavalry in a trap, there are some giveaways but not being prepared to notice them. or even to search for them, the PC go for the bait and so wordten his side situation. It's the character concept the guide for these rulings, at least for me. If it fits the character's idea, it's good for me.

Isntead I've found out, in past games more than this, that usually the head is one of the least protected parto of the body, sure it's more protected than thighs but it's usually far less protected than arms. I believe it has to do with teh idea of the hero been seen in the face, so that the people can recognize him. Or maybe it's some kind of perversion based on fantasy Illlustration...

Hy to all, this is my second post to these boards. I'm running my first campaign with Hero, a FH campaign. I've come up with a third way of calculate the Aveage DEF of a suit of sectional armor. It consist on an weighted average of the def provided by the variuos sections. The Weights are those of the DEF = 4 Colunm / 10, for every location. This is based upon this consideration. A Set of armor which provides def 4 on all locations weights 10.00 KG, so you can use the weight of that type of armor to represent the part of the body covered by the armor. Surely you can even do this with some other proportion, as: Sum of ((Weight of all the armor of a given Def / Weight of a Full suit of that armor) * Def) for every given DEF. but it seems to me that it is more complicate of doing the simple Sum Of ((Weight of Def 4 Armor at every location / 10) Def at that location) What do You think about it? There some obviuos way to use this method to abuse?

Hy This is my first post to these discussion boards and before asking any question I would like to thank you for the great job:) So that's the question. I'm Running as FH campaign, and now have decided to use some penalty on the armors. In FH192 there are two suggestion to calculate the medium DEF if you use the sectional armor. Is this "average" DEF, whichever method you use to calculate it, the penalty's for the armor as for FH197? Or maybe it's the DEF or the highest piece of armor donned? and keep up with the good work