Foxx!

Re: I'm Turnin' to Stone

Dust Raven!

Basically, I think it's player/GM call because you decide that effect when you buy the power. But how about a Limitation "target's mind is still free"?

Cheers!

Re: Deck of Many things

Karimarle!

Thank you for posting that.

If someone has other deck ideas or effect lists, please post them.

Cheers!

Re: Romantic Villians

BcAugust!

Here are a few ideas.

Cheshire Cat, Lodestone, Zig Zag. They are greedy but nice chaps, and they already have romantic interests.

Gargantua. Like a refined, serious version of the above 3. His philosophical character may be helpful.

Utility. Not really a villain. He just has a rivalry with super powered people, and in fiction many rivalries turn into friendships and romances.

Torment. His file doesn’t have any villain traits. He serves Psi because he is forced, and he tried escaping them several times. If the PCs knew…

Captain Chronos. He’s “a nutâ€, but not a villain. Imagine him acted by Robin Williams or Jim Carrey in a comedy movie.

Remember that it’s ok to edit some villains to make them more suitable or give them a change of heart. It might make the game interesting if the players aren’t sure what to believe: the book or the NPC.

Cheers!

Re: Loving Your DNPCs

Heroes!

I agree with the people who allow it, but require something more than what DNPC already does. If Frankie is a DNPC, you help when he’s in danger, but you can turn him down if he invites you to supper or asks you to do a favour. If you love Frankie, you help him even when he’s not in danger, and that increases the plot hooks you can use. Besides, if you love someone, the DNPC connection may be more obivious to others.

Cheers!

Re: Starting a new campaign...

related thread

Cheers!

Re: 5ER to 5E Page Numbering

Zornwil!

Thank you for doing this!

Cheers!

Re: Twisted magic items

CLOAK OF FRYING

Magic identification will tell you that this is a Cloak Of Flying, but when activated, it becomes burning hot, doing K damage. But clever players will find uses for it. Lay it on a rock and use it to cook. Put it under your mattress to keep you warm. Hang it in front of a doorway for the next person to come in. Tie it in a knot around someone, activate it, and watch them try to untie the knot.

BOOTS OF SILENCE

When you wear these boots, you cannot make any sound, even if you try. You don’t make noise even if you fall or break dishes. You cannot hear anything either. Wear them when you want to study or sleep without being bothered by noise.

Re: tickle

As far as sumulating the Tickle as a combat maneuver' date=' I'd run it using Martial Arts. The SFX as a Nerver Strike or a different type of Choke Hold (you try breathing while being tickled constantly for more than a few seconds!). The reason is because [i']anyone[/i] can tickle someone, just like anyone can choke someone, but to do it in combat and make it effective takes skill and/or talent.

Dust Raven!

I was hoping you would comment. I like the comparison to Choke Hold. Anyone can do it, but you must buy an ability to do it in combat. It also further convinces me of Zornwil’s idea that you need to Grab the target first.

Cheers!

Re: tickle

1. Personally, I think you have to Grab and THEN Tickle UNLESS you have a weapon or such that affords the capability.

2. Yes, I'd agree with that, at least for "super-tickling", but see caveat below

3. Yes, but see caveat below

4. -1/2, Limited Power, and as GM I'd randomize it as to the target and location; an EGO roll would allow a target to not give away that someone was "getting warm" to a tickle location

 

As stated above, in "real" combat, I can't see this being a factor unless someone is entirely and totally subdued already. However, for "super tickling" I think these are all valid concerns.

 

Re #2 and #3, you can just tune into the variety of prior argumens on "how to STUN without actually causing lasting STUN damage" and the related "how to drown properly" arguments. However, a different take entirely, which I think is actually more accurate, would be an Entangle, that's really what happens usually IMHO is that someone is immobilized, basically, but can recover amost instantaneously (or at least can/should in a heroic fiction RPG).

Zornwil!

I like the Grab and then tickle idea. Your comments made me decide to do this as a Nerve Strike. The defence is having resistant PD on the ticklish areas or not being ticklish. For now I’ll say ticklish areas are the neck and armpits.

Cheers!

Re: tickle

Heroes!

I ask because recently a player knew they couldn’t overpower a foe so they tickled him. I resolved the situation this way. The player had to make a Placed Shot at -6 and hit skin not covered by DEF. If they succeed, the target is Stunned, but doesn’t take any damage. Also, I told the character to choose a location, and I said I would roll to see if the target is ticklish there. I faked the roll and let the player succeed. What do you think?

Later, I thought about the situation more and made a few questions.

1: Is tickling is like a Grab or a Joint Lock manoeuvre?

2: Is being tickled is like being Stunned because you are at lower defence and less aware of your surroundings?

3: Is being tickled is like drowning because you don’t take damage, but you can’t breathe?

4: Some people are not ticklish, or are ticklish only in certain areas. How do you resolve that?

Cheers!

Heroes!

What game mechanics do you use for tickling someone?

Cheers!

Re: Best Soundtrack for your FH sessions?

Heroes!

I found another good CD.

The Queen's Good Night by Nishiyama Marie and Raphael Bonvita. It's harp and lute only, and all the tracks are from the renaissance, 16th and 17th century. It's all gentle music, so you can use it only in certain situations.

Does anyone know any other good medieval harp CDs?

Cheers!

Re: Starting from 8's in Primary Characteristics

I like this idea, and I’m going to try it. Everyone says that most players buy Chars in 3s and 8s instead of 5s and 0s anyway.

Cheers!

Re: Comedy Campaigns

I agree with Susano and TkdGuy. I've never seen a comedy campaign that was funny or memorable, and so I have never tried to do one. Yet every serious campaign I've been in has moments that are very funny and very memorable. Even if the characters don't do crazy things, the players still have fun suggesting crazy things. I don't know why comedy campaigns do not do well, but I think Susano has good advice.

Cheers!

Re: Comedy Campaigns

Michael Hopcroft!

Another idea. Buy a very high INT with a 8- Activation Roll. The SFX is that the character occasionally thinks or notices things that normal people overlook.

Some Psychological Disadvantages you can use are Gullible and Careless.

Cheers!

Re: Comedy Campaigns

Michael Hopcroft!

How about Physical Limitation? Being oblivious is like being unable to see, hear, smell, or make logical conclusions but only some things and sometimes. This idea assumes that even if you are Mind Controlled, you will still be daft. Also, how about buying down INT and buying minuses to PER rolls.

Cheers!

Re: Fate systems

Well' date=' that does address the issues that have concerned you. Using the points secretly isn't much different in principle from the GM "fudging" a roll on occasion to help players, which is a common tactic. Your using the points that way would probably work [b']if[/b] your players trust you to assign them fairly, and that if they discover they've run out of them it's because you used them wisely.

 

Personally I'd say it's safer to leave access to that pool of points solely in the hands of the PCs, just to avoid potential conflict. You still have randomness in the way they acquire them, so they can't be sure how many they've used up. And you can continue to goose their die rolls when you deem appropriate without having to use up Action Points.

Lord Liaden!

Again, good advice. Thank you.

Cheers!

Re: Fate systems

Foxx!, the suggestions you've been given are all very solid ones. The only other thing I can offer is this: when I've used a Fate Point mechanic in my games I have the characters buy them with Experience rather than awarding a separate pool. This makes the players think about where they want to allocate their Experience, and balances characters who use Fate Points against those who don't since they both gain something usable in game from the same pool of Experience.

 

In my games Fate Points are still permanently expended when a character uses them and have to be reacquired with more Experience, so a cost break seemed appropriate. I use 1 Character Point = 3 Fate Points, which seemed to work pretty well. I based the cost on hypothetically buying Character Points with the "Never Recovers" Limitation from Charges (-2). Of course you can adjust the cost ratio to whatever you and your players are comfortable with.

 

I hope that's of some use to you.

Lord Liaden!

Yes, it's very useful advice. Thank you. This does solve both the problems I had. And if I didn't say it earlier, I like the Action Point system you introduced. I'm going to use that now.

After thinking more about what Mudpyr8 and St. Grimblefig, I got an idea. Instead of giving Action points to each player, I give Action points to the whole group. They get 1d6-1 for that day, but they don't know how many they have. If they don't use the points, I can use them secretly when they need them. What do you think?

Cheers!

Re: Fate systems

First off, I would agree that 10pts/session seems like a lot. I don't think John McClane used that many points in Die Hard (let's see ... jumping off a building with a fire hose tied around your waist, that's 1 ...).

 

Second, it seems like your players have trouble budgeting their expeditures -- I wonder if they have the same trouble with their money?

 

Third, Remind the players that the Characters don't know how much fate/good karma/etc they have available, so they should not change their behavior because of a game mechanic.

 

As for practical suggestions: I can think of two:

 

1) Hide the actual number of points that a character has available, and only let them know if they have enough to do what they want to do when they try to use them. That forces the players to play their characters like the third point, above. However, that feels too much like a GM just fudging things for dramatic effect, which you could do without a set of Fate rules.

 

2) Only give out points for "acting in character" -- that is, the character behaving as defined in their background and/or as defined by their Psych Lims. If a character is defined as having a bipolar disorder, then alternately behaving invincable and useless may be appropriate, but otherwise it is out of character behavior, and earns no points. Alternately, you could make the points less effective (or require an EGO roll to use them) if they are used in out of character activities.

Thank you. These sound like good ideas. I think they put more focus on role playing and less on mechanics, and too much focus on mechanics was probably one problem with the system I used.

I'm cautious about giving out points only to the players who play in character, but if I think about it, that's no different than giving extra PRE attack dice for good acting.

And yes, I think many of them have trouble with managing money too.

Frankly, I think you give too many action points. 10 points per session is a lot. In the abstract, I would suggest that you use a system that rewards those players who both use and don't use the points. If you reduce the opportunity to use the points, but increase the effectiveness by a lesser amount you end up with fewer points that mean a little more. Additionally, there needs to be some XP correlation for those who do not wish to spend them.

 

The fate system that I use encourages the use of fate in play, dramatically, but also rewards those who do not use them by giving them more XP. The concept was essentially a limited form of Luck that is single use, non-recoverable (with some handwaving). The values we settled on work very well.

Thank you for the system idea. I agree that a few big points are better than many little ones.

I'm not sure I want to give XP to people who don't use the points because I think many of my players will never use the points. However, I agree with you that it's good to have a system where people who don't want to use fate points can get something else. How about a Favour perk, small amount of money, or something else for the character?

Cheers!

Re: Fate systems

Heroes!

For about a year I have been trying the fate system I described eaerlier. I want to stop using it because it seems to interfere with play. Players who use fate points started to act as if they are invincible when they have points and useless when they don’t have points. But other players never use them at all because they don’t want to waste them.

I like the idea, and I agree that this kind of system saves everyone from bad dice rolls, but people I play with tend to completely ignore the fate points or focus too much on them. Does anyone have any helpful ideas?

Cheers!

Re: Love/Lust Potions

Michael Hopcroft!

How about making SFX connection between the user and the potion? The user has to drink the first half of the potion, or the user has to put a drop of their blood in the potion.

One of my friends made a matching ring and collar. The user wears the ring and puts the collar on a target. Any command from the user is a Mind Control attack on the target. I think this is more fun that unconditional submission because the target still has a chance to resist, and you can try to find a way to remove the collar. The item is not for love, but it can be used that way.

Cheers!

Re: Best Soundtrack for your FH sessions?

TkdGuy!

I finally listened to sound samples of your suggestions. Piffaro and Alla Francesca are just what I was looking for, and now I have them. Thank you again.

I found 2 more CDs that have good fantasy music.

Mannheim Steamroller, Fresh Aire Christmas 1988. There are a few Fresh Aire Christmas CDs, but the 1988 version has many tracks done in medieval style. Some tracks have a modern sound, but I still think the CD is good.

Mannheim Steamroller, Renaissance Holiday. For some reason, I couldn't find this listed under the artist name when I went to buy it. It was under Chip Davis and the London Symphony, but I found it by the title.

(How many times do I need to give reputation before I can give it to you again?)

Cheers!

Re: Putting extra "oomph" into a spell

But wouldn't that cause characters with high Skill to push more often than usual because they can avoid the worst effects simply by making their Skill rolls, no matter what ther willpower?

 

This may be the effect you're looking for. This may be a reward for taking the Magic skill at high level that you want to build into your magic system. I wonder if this is what you want to do, though, if you want to keep Pushing as a rare option that is used mainly in life-or-death situations.

Michael Hopcroft!

In my system, there is no way to avoid the Side Effects for pushing, even if you succeed a roll. As a result, players rarely push.

But your point about willpower makes me think I should stay with an EGO roll. That's what the Hero rules use for STR.

Cheers!

Re: Fantasy Web Resources

Curufea!

Thank you! These are very helpful.

TkdGuy has posted several good sites in various threads. A search for his posts provides more good sites.

Cheers!

Re: Putting extra "oomph" into a spell

How about this. Let them Push using the full Pushing rules' date=' but let them use their Magic or Power Skill instead of an EGO Roll.[/quote']

Archer!

 

That's a cool idea. I think a Power Skill roll seems more appropriate than an EGO roll. And mentalist mages won't get a discount bonus for pushing.

 

Cheers!