Black Rose

Re: Martial NND Manuevers Many have mentioned the UMA in this thread. I don't think it would be blowing IP rights to tell you that Low Blow hits location 13 (vitals), Choke Hold hits location 5? (throat), and Tien-hsueh Strike hits pretty much anywhere, but is stopped by rigid armor (it's a nerve cluster strike, so anything that doesn't let you hit the nerve cluster blocks it).

Re: Money And Super-Mercenaries

Re: Y R axes better than swords??? This works for me. It's also nice and inexpensive, which is good for a low-point heroic fantasy campaign.

Re: Master Lists Prefab Question Me too! Me too! -sighs- Yeah, I think three would be better for navigation.

Re: Dr. Yin Wu This twist is absolutely beautiful. Heck, even if the good Doctor didn't leak the info to the... well... good Doctor, I can totally see Doctor Wu twisting the situation to his advantage. "Hmm, a megalomaniacal tech-based supervillain is going to be attacking my base in China. If I can divert him to hit some other sites first, I can use the confusion sown to..."

Re: Y R axes better than swords??? True, but the naginata has been touted as a kind of "home guard" weapon, that could be picked up by those of less than excellent strength and utilised with some degree of proficiency. It doesn't make a lot of sense to me that the Sengoku-era equivalent of Paw's huntin' rifle would be so difficult to use at a basic level of skill (i.e., without the minuses). Granted, I could always say that women of the samurai caste all pick up +1 OCV w/naginata, but that seems... cheap.

Re: Change Environment: what i Can/Cannot do? As others have said, there are two adders that help replicate the effect you're looking for. What I would recommend, were she a PC, is get permission from the GM to expand the CE into a Multipower, with more potent slots for each variation on your CE theme: missile blocking breeze into Missile Deflection, slow-down gale into Drain vs. movement powers, etc. Granted, this doesn't help, but it came to me.

Re: Need help with Israeli version of Capt. America I was going to say this, really! Okay, not the bit about Krav Maga having techniques with "shield-like objects" - cause I didn't know that - but the rest. Honest.

Re: Some suggestions for FRED revised.

Re: Advanced/Prestige Packages Take a look at Killer Shrike's site, specifically the work he's done converting 3e to HERO. I think every class shows several examples of an "advanced" package, if you think of such as being: Basic Defining package (forex: USArmy soldier) Additional Refining mini-package (Airborne Ranger) maybe another Refining mini-package (Officer Training: West Point or ROTC or Wartime Promotion) and some extras to fill in any holes you feel are present (extra TFs for watercraft, more swimming, PSLs vs fighting underwater... or contacts in the QM's office, the JAG office, the Colonal's office...). Get the idea? Figure out what you think makes a Blah different from a Bleh and note it in the package. Then you just go with the flow. In-game, you'd buy the various skills as you learned them, pick up the Perks as you came into them, and gradually fill out the package over time, as the GM allows

Re: Rage's Build a world thread. I like the magic system as well. I've always had a fondness for "evolving" systems, both magic and skills: I've long felt that one should be able to "evolve" one's Skill Levels, Combat and otherwise, into something greater, character concept and campaign strictures allowing. Also, the levels are both descriptive and focussing, without being too restrictive.

Re: Steve, you dirty boy! The breakdown I heard from my Japanese teacher was "strange ways", with the emphasis being sexual.

Re: How do I...? I'm going to go with caris' suggestion. Aid, while effective, is a little too variable for what I think you're going for. I assume you have some Active Point/DC limits in your campaign - for purposes of this example, I will assume 75AP/15DC - so you have parameters to stay within. Basic attack: 10d6 HA/EB; a.k.a. 3d6+1 HKA/RKA: whatever Advantages you like that equal +1/2. Or... Basic attack: 12d6 HA/EB; a.k.a. 4d6 HKA/RKA: whatever Advantages you like that equal +1/4. Now, what can you get up to after this? Well, you could go for Armor Piercing, or Find Weakness. I like Find Weakness; it's pricy, but worth it. If your GM will allow attacks to be above the Campaign Limits, provided they are used sparingly, you could add a handful of dice to the attack with Gestures, Incantations, Increased END Cost, possibly a Side Effect that burst off some Stun or Long Term END. Aid could work for this, but I'd put a Lim on it that it only kicked in once you had reached the level it was set for; i.e., if it gives you another 6 DC, you can't get the bonus when it's only rolled 3 DC. This is, in fact, why I like Partially Limited Powers rather than Aid, if you can pull it off. It can be pricier, and I usually use that as a sell point with GMs over Aid.

Re: Block Maneuver Silliness... I'm sure something could be done with Knockback and such, at least on the Superheroic end. I mean seriously, if Joe Watanabe tries to Block a punch from Grond, he's going to experience the joy of flight... uncontrolled flight, but there you are.

Re: Ninja Hero Review At ENWorld

I don't know how many of these I will actually do, since I'm pretty cool with almost all of the HERO system... except skills. Oh, don't get me wrong, it covers a broad range of needs quite admirably, and I think Knowledge, Professional, and Science Skills - and the attendant Area, Culture, and Trivia (mine own invention) Skills - are one of the most elegant designs I've ever come across, but I do have one little quibble. And it's a quibble that I've seen done better elsewhere - which bugs the crap out of me, frankly, since, IMO, HERO should be doing everything better. Okay, enough pussyfooting. I don't like the quick jump from 8- to 11- (or 12- if you know what you're doing with your points); a jump from 25.9% to 62.5% (or 74.1%). There's no granularity, just a quick jump from a one in four shot to a two in three (or three in four). And with no skill levels adding to Familiarities, there's really no way to make a mild lift on your own. I wish that you could add Skill Levels to Cramming. I'd be willing to buy Skill Levels that only added to Cramming, if I could do it. And I know I can do it, in my own games at least; I mean it makes no sense to me that you can't in general. Wait, I take that back; I do see the desire to prevent the PC from studying for several hours and becoming a Nobel prize-winning whatever, but let's be honest, any number of things left lying around in FREd could blow your campaign to flinders if you're not careful. This last one is not so much a beef with HERO as it is a wistful kudos to another system; JAGS, to be specific. The skill system in JAGS is two layered; one is the Skill Level (the 3d6 roll we all know and love) and the Expertise Level (one to four, covering beginner to master). How does this work? Well, in all fairness, I should just link you and say, "Go to JAGS Rules, then to Basic Book 2, then to page 2 and read the bit about Level of Expertise, but I'll try to summarise. Basic difficulties are assumed to be "Average"; i.e., Level 2. If you are a Beginner, you get a -3 to any Average roll, a -6 to any Expert roll, and a -9 to any Master roll. If you are Average, you basically get +3 to your roll, almost always to only cover penalties; Expert and Master each get another +3, cumulative. Now, I know what you're thinking; "Couldn't you just do this with Skill Levels, or -yawn- having the skills at a high enough level?" Well, you could, but here's the thing; it is possible, using this skill system, to be both successful (the skill roll) and not all that great at it (the expertise level). Or vice versa. You get the picture. The Expertise Level covers your skill, where the skill roll covers your success rate. I know that just made little to no sense (blame lack of sleep; I plan to ), but if you take a look at it, it makes a rather lovely kind of sense. Then again, I have a thing for elegant solutions. So. I have thrown down the gauntlet. Does anyone have anything to add?

Re: KA: The power at the core of RKA and HKA Then the question becomes, is a 2d6 RKA; NND, does BODY worth ~90 points? I am not sure it is. OTOH, 50 points or so seems a bit low, true.

Re: KA: The power at the core of RKA and HKA Please note that I am not necessarily arguing in favor of this concept, but.... Has anyone considered the utility of simply making Killing an Advantage? Perhaps somewhere on the order of +1 or +1 1/2, even +2? I admit, I haven't looked closely at the (no doubt inevitable) drawbacks of such, but it does have a certain elegance to it, I think. Xd6 HA: Killing (+2). AC: 3X Xd6 HKA. AC: 3X Xd6 HA: Killing (+2), misc. advantages (+3/4). AP: 3.75X Xd6 HKA: misc. advantages (+3/4). AC: 3.75X Xd6 HA: Killing (+2); misc. limitations (-3/4). AC: 3X, RC: 1.71X Xd6 HKA. AC: 3X; misc. limitations (-3/4). AC: 3X, RC: 1.71X So far I do not see any flaws. I am sure they are there, though. Any thoughts?

Re: [Magic System] Runeforging I've been working on a Divine Magic system where the priests can be, in essence, "possessed" by their god (or a duly appointed representative); think GURPS: Voodoo. The more they simulate their god (appearance, actions, etc.) the more power they can call upon (more lims and appropriate skills, the higher the APs). They can also buy some small-time abilities that almost all the gods give out, as well as one or two that only their god gives (e.g., goddess of protectors is the only one who gives out a Force Wall "spell"). Mages get to have a bit more flexibility in their chioces; priests are very much servants of their gods.

Re: Wealth Perk in PA Games In a post-apoc setting, money isn't wealth anymore. Wealth becomes what is needed, and can rapidly become worthless. Potable water is valuable in the Los Wages desert, but not nearly so if the Hoover Dam is still intact (and the water is unpolluted, o' course). Knowledge is always good, knowledge and materials is better; contacts are iffy - sometimes they know who you're talking about, sometimes they don't. Travelling "minstrels" become very popular again, if only for the entertainment; the news they can carry could be invaluable.

Re: What about the warriors UltraRob, you could also require some sort or Perk to allow you access to certain "techniques" (granted, that implies some sort of formalised school structure, but I tend to like my fantasy China/Japan influenced). Write up some basic tricks that almost all the schools have, then a few that are unique to each individual school, then one, prehaps two that are only taught to the master's favourite pupils. In order to find Farmer Threshes the Foolish Grain (RKA, AoE-Line, with T'port, only to end of line) you have to first find out it exists, then who has used it, then what school they were of, then who knows it now, then how to get them to teach it to you. Alternately, you could try to figure it out all by yourself, but that would require many moons of hard research, and no real guarantee of success (Inventor rolls, penalties at 5ap/-1, bonuses if you have techniques similar to it [GM's call], base roll at one week, +1 per notch up the Time Chart).

Re: What about the warriors If it weren't for the fact that he is awfully hard to get ahold of, I'd say go ask Nu Soard Graphite. He's done up some of the most interesting "combat abilities" I've ever seen. Can't even begin to cover it, but I'll try to describe some of it: Take your Martial Art form and master it out, picking up several CSLs as you go. Build a Martial Art MP, with all slots ultra, built off of specific manuevers, and RSR - whatever skill seems most appropriate (NSG liked Fast-Draw and Sleight of Hand). If your style uses a weapon, and almost all of NSG's did, you get a pretty decent MP on the cheap. Define each power with a general CSL spread (all OCV/all DCV/even split/leaning towards one or the other/etc.) and a brief description of its appearance and effect. Usually you end up with something that would fit neatly on a 3"x5" card. Add prereqs to lesser powers (must have Cross Slash and Bull Run to purchase Grand Fork Crush) if you really want to. As a side note, I think that part of the reason that there is little focus on combat and stealth powers is due to the usefulness of UMA and Ninja Hero; g-d knows I love them both.

Re: "Fantasy HERO general comments & ?" pt.1 Another thing to consider is the possibility that certain spells corrupt in certain ways. Forex, your typical attack spells will eventually make you violently insane, twist your hands into claws, and give you a taste for the blood and flesh of the living. Mental spells (TK, MC T'pathy, etc.) make your head bulbous and grotesque, cause you to become fat and Hutt-like, and make you relish the psychic screams of despair from your victims. The fun just never stops! This could be the way your evil!magic!God gets new demons. Also, if it were me, I would have a way to cleanse oneself of the taint of evil!magic. Perhaps you have to forego magic for a stretch of time, or undergo a quest for certain deities, whatever. Maybe it only works if you do it before a certain point (After the second Mark or Darkness, it is too late!). This way, your PCs have a chance to use the icky-bad powers and still come back. If you go the "gods can cleanse you" route, make it so that they don't do it very often; you have to earn the gift, and coming back for it again says you only deserve death.

Re: Spell for making a sailing vessel move more quickly This "drawback" has potential charms all its own, don't you think?

Re: Victorian Wealth: Still Helping a Friend At the risk of being all nitpicky, don't forget that the nobility had widely varying levels. You could be of the aristocracy and still very poor, money-wise. You could have a place to live, but it might be falling down around your ears. And for a spendthrift wife (or wastrel son), an allowance of around £500 a month (£6000/year) would be more than fine, provided it wasn't the Season (or Le Petit Season, for that matter). Then all bets are off in terms of the amount of money you'd need to survive (dresses, jewelry, phaetons, parties, etc.).