lazarus

Re: Help! Would You Allow This? I'd certainly let him know that the space station may not come into play. If he wants to spend 20 cp on it _anyway_, then he's going to spend 20 cp on it. With a newer player, I'd let them know about the SFX route, but someone who's been playing HERO for a while should know to be able to do that. This is all hypothetical, as I have no HERO group Laz

Re: Help! Would You Allow This? My preferred style of interpretting Limitations is this: The number that they put on the Limitation is how often they want to see it come into play. That's mostly for the non-book Lims, though. I have a hybrid of the two views we're seeing playing a part here: the numbers create reality, to an extent, and I reserve the right to say "no" to a power build. I determine what exists in the game world, as GM, and my responses on the "yes" or "no" will show that. My default is "yes", however, and use the numbers to guide my plot. When faced with something odd, like one player buying an orbital space station ... often they can buy it and it won't come into play at all. It's only the Limitations that I see needing to apply. That said: the character sheet is a kind of "contract" between player and GM, on how frequently things are available and whatnot. Laz

Re: Quirks and disadvantages Quirk: a 1 point psych lim or a 1 point phys lim. That's how I'd have them defined - they seem to be able to fit in the psych lim or phys lim categories. Laz

Re: Creating a weapon ? HKA 2D6 (30), Created out of shadows (+0), Reduced Endurance (0 END, +1/2) (45 Active Points); Requires Light To Use (-1/4), Restrainable (Only by means other than Grabs and Entangles; Disappears if dropped; -1/4). Real cost 30. Laz

Re: Challenge! The Hero System in One Page! What I'd have is an explanation of how to use the character sheet in battle. Nothing about character points, or any of that. Just simple: For all rolls but damage, you want to roll 3D6 and get equal to or under the number on your sheet. You go in the Segments marked on your sheet. You can use a Power with one of your Maneuvers. You hit DCV = OCV - 11 + die roll (um?? Damn. can't remember). You want to roll high on damage. Normal damage is the amount rolled for Stun and the number of dice body, -1 for each 1 and +1 for each 6. Killing damage is the amount shown in Body and times D6-1 (min 1) for STUN. and that, I believe, is the core of the HERO system. The rest is character creation. Laz

Re: Requirements for Fantasy Hero Sidekick's all you _need_ to run a HERO game. The Bestiary is awesome. Lots of useful critters already statted out for you. Fantasy HERO is an amazing genre book. Lots of package deals and ideas contained therein. Just got Fiver myself. I love it - you'll probably end up buying it and Sidekick anyway. Laz

http://www.dragon-tails.com/comics/archive.php?date=020105 I love that idea Laz

Does anyone here have the knowledge on how the Palladium system weapon stats convert to HERO System? I've got a book of weapons for the Palladium System (all SD/SDC) that I would like to be able to use in the HERO system - it shouldn't be too hard, after all, but I don't know enough about the Palladium system to be able to do it myself Laz

Re: 5ER Out Soon! I need a copy of the main rules - my Sidekick's been lent out for a while, so I don't even have that right now At least I still have FH to read. Laz

Re: So, why is longevity so expensive? There's also the whole "Limitation that's not a limitation is not worth points" ... the reverse could be "Power that gives no effect is not worth points". If it is clear that there is no aging in play, why be forced to pay the points for it? However, if that stipulation is not made, then pay the points ... and the GM better make it worth 5 Then again, a Hunted: People who want to figure out how immortality works could easily be worth at least 5. Laz

Re: Darksword Catalysts were, to me, the most interesting characters in the book ... someone who I would enjoy playing in a game, not just a DNPC/END reserve. However, of course, they're kind of limited in what they're able to do ... especially since swords etc were verboten. Laz

Well, here I am again asking for magic system write ups Anyone else intrigued by the magic system in the Darksword books? It's already dealt with in a game - Phantasia, contained in the book "Darksword Adventures", a paperback sized book by Weis and Hickman. Anyway, the main workings of this system are thus: It takes some kind of energy to cast spells. More powerful, more energy. I believe it was "life". Anyway, it's in the land. Some magicians, known as "Catalysts", syphon the energy from the land, to a mage who uses it. Laz

Re: Carpenter's Tools and the Hero System Toolkit To me, the HERO powers and modifiers are like a description language. You describe what effects you're getting. Not very well explained... Laz

Re: Any Suggestions for a Hero Newbie? Like I said, FH is a _big_ book. But it's also an EXCELLENT read. (Good job, Steve, on that one). Well worth the price I payed - and even more. Laz

Re: Any Suggestions for a Hero Newbie? Sidekick is an intro to HERO 5 book. If you're not sure whether you'll like HERO or not, that's the book to get. I was amazed at how good the system is, and how clear the writing is. Fantasy Hero is a really good book - a lot of the information (that I've read so far ... I'm only in the Combat chapter) is system independent. Plus, it's a _massive_ book. The Bestiary I'm sure I'll find useful even if I never play HERO ... HERO seems to be the easiest to convert to other systems (well, it along with GURPS and BESM), so some of the ideas could be used. Plus, Jackalope. I've seen it recommended (possibly by Lord Liaden) that characters should have 0-point Psych Lims just to define who they are. Psych/Phys/Social lims are, to me, the easiest and clearest ways of defining the character's personality. Of course, they're also one of the better ways of getting your disad points. As a general rule, anything about the character that's set in stone would be a Physical Limitation or a Strong or better Psych Lim. Anything that might change about the personality would be a lesser Psych Lim. A Phys Lim is used where a Mind Control would not be able to overcome that bit of personality. Laz

Re: WHy does everything have to be by the rules? I see two parts of this: 1) setting-specific rules modifications. In some settings, some things just don't apply, or apply differently. Magic in the Turakian Age is /3, or the Shadowrun-esque linking of Magic and Cyberware. These mostly serve as ways to properly get builds appropriate for the setting. 2) GMs statting things out. Even if I don't have a sheet for something when game time hits, I'll want to get a sheet for a recurring villain, vehicle, effect, etc. at some point, just to know what it does. That doesn't mean that I'll be building them on the same point limits as the characters, though... Laz

Re: Magic & Cyberware Actually, I kinda like the flavour of the Essence stat in SR - the fact that your spell capability is limited by how much cyberwear you have. Here we go: 1) Initiation would raise the AP cap by 10 points. 2) I like cyberwear bought with cash, not points. However, completely with cash means that the character is getting "points" of powers for free ... so something needs to be done to counteract that. Hence, pool of points that the character can use, but it also costs cash. 3) Part of the flavour of the Shadowrun world is how the magic is limited. Combined with 2 above, some form of magic/cyberwear relation is needed. 4) It may be a balance issue in SR, but it's not here - it's really an example of taking the core rules, applying an extension to them, and getting something which beautifully emulates one of the key "flavour rules" from another system. Remember, folks, the HERO system is a toolkit... Laz

Re: Magic & Cyberware yeah, I know about the ShadowHERO, but I didn't like how it did the Essence conversion. Laz

If there were a cyberfantasy section, I'd put this there, but here's as good a place as any. I was thinking, the other day, how to emulate Shadowrun's "Essence" stat, which limits your magic and cyberware, in that you buy cyberware, Essence decreases, and your Magic is the Essence stat, rounded down. Anyway, I came up with this: 50 point Essence Pool. Anything with SFX Cyberware uses up its Real Points in the Essence Pool, and anything with SFX Magic has an Active Point cap of what the Essence Pool. Laz

Re: Enterprise NC1701A vs. Imperial Star Destroyer Just one nitpick, which has been bothering me all thread: NCC-1701A, not NC. Laz

Just finished watching my Dark Angel Season 1 DVDs. For those of you who don't know what it is, it's a "biopunk"y world - genetically modified superheroine in a post-apocalyptic world. Worth checking out season 1. Season 2 wasn't so hot, though. Anyway, anyone want to have a shot at statting up Max or any of the others? Laz

Re: REcommendations! I've got Sidekick - awesome read, FH - about a third of the way through, one of the best books ever, and Bestiary - again, really good. They're all really well written. I do think the Bestiary is worth it, just for the sheer amount of critters in it. Nevermind the "templates" (also known as Package Deals elsewhere...) for these things. There is an app'x showing use of these. I was not disappointed at all with this purchase, or, indeed, any of the others. Even if I never use the HERO system, since everything's pretty well detailed, it can essentially be converted over to any other system easily enough. Laz can't wait for 5ER

Re: Internet and cell phones Cell phones would be an SFX to me. KS: Google would be needed to get some kind of useful thing from the 'net. Probably, most of us here have at least one level in that Laz

Re: sheer madness... know what? I'd prefer to buy a thicker book that was better laid out with a typeface that was easier to read. I'll take a semilarge typeface and clean, functional layout over less thickness. Especially if some of that thickness comes from page quality too. Laz

Re: Sell me on DC no, wasn't really misleading - I just got the impression that there was more 20 pages is still plenty. Laz