Crimson Wraith

Re: Props and your PCs I use music to soundtrack my games. I'll also hunt around for sound effects compilations, or those 'nature compilations' on CD. Usually the week before the game, I'll try to have all that stuff ready for me to grab as needed. I keep my laptop around the gaming table for easy access and pipe the soundtrack through the stereo in the other room so it doesn't get obtrusive. I've found that if I don't make a mention of the music being 'a soundtrack', I'll usually get better roleplay out of my players. I use pics I swipe online, or simple stuff I can make in Poser, or manipulate in Photo Shop. Many times, those will work better in a description for me. I don't use miniatures or a hex grid unless the combat has a particular tactical feel to it. I've found that when I bring out hexgrids, people tend to stop roleplaying. I'll make handouts for letters, codes or journals... One of my favorites was making out a collection of letters & correspondence between a guy and his fiance whose relationship went sour due to paranormal abilities. Oh... and I guess this would be considered a prop. I use 'Books of Doom' in my game. Each player has a spiral bound notebook that the game begins and ends in. Anytime characters are seperated or doing something on their own, the game gets played out in the Books of Doom. No one is allowed to read another player's book. Responsibility for any information gained while 'flying solo' is strictly up to that player then. That's my 2 cents.

Re: Religious Magic Idea: Looking for feedback.... Is Reputation (as a Perk) in the 5th edition rules? I don't have it yet, so I'm not sure... If I understand the suggestion correctly, it behooves a question: Should the priest, druid, etc. have a choice in how or when their spells or miracles manifest? Is it their spell, or their deity's ? If it's the deity's, then why would the priest have a choice in how it manifests? Isn't it a simulation of someone praying for aid, and believing (having faith) that said aid will come?

Re: Religious Magic Idea: Looking for feedback.... Thanks for the quick replies... Favors would be handed out in addition to experience. You would gain favor points by worship, rituals, rites, passing tests, etc... all of which has to be role played out, of course. Preists that don't interact with their deity, it's minions, or his faith very much do not get much favor by the deity. Preists & clergy are all agents of their deity. Their chosen calling is to further the cause and ideals of said deity. In exchange, the deity is granting him power. Clerics don't have power that is innate to themselves. I agree, the priest isn't going to be casting healing spells all the time. Especially if healing doesn't fall into the deity's dogma. The character actually has only a small bit of control on how his deity manifests it's power in the world. But... that's kind of how faith works. In general, I think priests would be casting less spells than wizards. But what they do would would generally have more permanance, and could potentially be even more powerful than the highest of arcane spells.

Hi all, This is my first post at the Fantasy Hero forums... I've been trying to implement a different structure for 'Spiritual/Religious Magic' in my Fantasy Hero campaign. My complaint with the 'stock system' in the books is that it never really seperates itself from arcane spellcasting. Keep in mind, I'm still using the 4th edition books (*sob* I haven't been able to update the FH portion of my Hero collection yet...), so if this has already been handle by new 5th edition rules, sorry. (and I'll apologize about the length now...sorry) To me, the power a priest/druid/shaman/etc wields is bestowed upon them from their faith and their relationship with their deity. That relationship (as in the real world) is a dynamic, personal interaction. Given that in a fantasy setting, deities (in most) have material consequences, manipulations, interdictions, etc... the relationship with with one's faith should be less abstract. Praying and worship is done by anyone who follows a deity. A religions clergy however, have to have other duties that set them apart from the masses. Otherwise, anyone who prays at a temple, church, etc. would be able to cast religious spells. For me, priests speak directly to servants and avatars of the deity. Or maybe even the deity itself. The relationship is direct.... tangible. So I've tried to structure religious magic around this concept. What I've done is use a Contact Perk with the deity and its minions, and Favor points with the deity. These favor points are used when the priest wants some form of intervention from the deity (like a bless, lightning bolt, etc... whatever fits the deity's tenets and description... the veritable praying for victory). Or the favor points are used when the deity bestows a 'gift' upon the priest (i.e. a token that summonons a minion, a relic or artifact, or an ability like a permanent speak with animals). Favor points are regained (as part of the character's experience) for furthering the tenets of the deity, rituals, etc... So if a priest gets lazy, or negligent, has a crisis of faith... they'll fall out of favor with the deity (literally), and lose their favor points. They can only gain them back with some form of atonement. This puts more work on me as the GM having to come up with new tests of faith, avatar personalities, etc.. It puts more on the player by actually having them roleplay out their faith, and all of the relationships, sacrifices, etc that go with it. But it makes playing clerics much more dynamic... Any ideas or problems with this idea? Anything like this covered in the 5th edition? I'm looking for feedback so I can cement the ideas, or go back to the drawing board... Thanks in advance, CW

Thanks for the ideas, people... The RKAs will probably work best. The idea of using a dispel for armor is a good one for me. Thanks again!

Hi all! First post to the board here, so I don't know if similar questions have come up before... I'm trying to design something that is relatively stumping me. The first is a gun that would fire a pellet or cannister that would quick-freeze a target (liquid nitrogen, or something like it), followed immediately by something that would heat the target up (magnesium, or something like it). Both charges would be considered 1 attack from the same weapon. There'd be the damage from the freeze & heat, but more importantly violent reaction you'd get by changing something's temperature so rapidly and extremely. Obviously there are EBs, but I'm trying to also model the structural damage it would do to walls, someone's armor, ect... that's the tricky one for me. I'm still using 4th ed rules here... So most of 5th is unfamiliar to me. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Oh yeah... and big hellos to all the Champs players of the world!