Gunrunner

Re: KillerShrike.com Fantasy Update Ah hah! Thanks

Re: KillerShrike.com Fantasy Update Very nice! I love your site, especially the section with all the spells. Since we're on the subject though, I figured I would bring this up: Upon doing a forum search for something fantasy-related (I really don't remember what the exact search was for) I stumbled upon a thread where you posted a link to your website which contained a butt-load of spells of your creation. I was very impressed not only by the amount of spells, but by how you managed to create tons of useful, low AP cost spells (something that Fantasy Grimoire unfortunately did not do). I was suprised that this section of your site existed, because I have been on your website many times before and never found it. So I decided to start from the main page and try to find the links that would lead me to this section with all the spells. I could not find the link that would bring me there, so I had to find the link from your post from my forum search and save it to be able to access it. This was the link I saved: http://www.killershrike.com/FantasyHERO/Content/Powers/Spells/Spells.asp?Type=Arcane&Subtype=Wizardry&Category=Necromancy Can you tell me how to access it from your main web page? It's just purely to satisfy my curiosity that I ask this. Where is/are the link(s) that bring me to this area of your site?

Re: [Campaign Log] Sophia's Barbarians Yep, forgot about that pesky normal characteristic maxima. Sorry!

Re: [Campaign Log] Sophia's Barbarians I haven't read all 7 pages of this thread, but I just wanted to say that I looked at the character sheets and noticed that Sophia's Ego cost was calculated incorrectly. I don't have the books in front of me, but doesn't EGO cost 2 character points per +1? An EGO of 23 from a base of 8 should cost 30 points, not 36. You're jipping your character 6 points

Re: The latest cliché? Exactly. Even if none of the PC's are playing wealthy characters, then perhaps the PC is the unruly son or daughter of some powerful lord who has hired a personal bodyguard to keep an eye on him/her. Maybe your character even has a bit of authority over the other PC if he or she is especially reckless or irresponsible.

Re: The Echoes of Heaven The settings seems very Diablo-esque. Was the setting inspired by the game at all? Either way, it sounds like something I'd be interested in trying. Thanks for the preview

Re: Player problem - opinions .... One thing I would do is to try and find out the reasons behind his actions. Maybe he was bothered by the jokes and temptations you were having your character send his way, so he decided to take his own form of revenge. Whatever his reasons though, *if no warning was given* then I believe he behaved in a very child-like manner. If he had a problem with something you were doing, he should have brought it up to you out-of-game first. Based on what you've told us, unless he has a good explanation and/or an apology, I wouldn't let him back in the game.

Re: Genres HERO GAMES may want to avoid (intended to be humorous) Does anyone have a write up for Bea Arthur? I'm trying to run a Golden Girls HERO Campaign and I need a comparison

Re: The Last Dominion Campaign Setting Sorry about the drastic editing. I wanted to make my questions a bit more specific so they would be easier to answer Thanks for answering my questions; they give me a good idea of the setting and have convinced me to buy the PDF when I get back to the states. It's funny that you mentioned a Song of Fire and Ice. I'm actually reading that series right now and enjoying it very much. I'm looking forward to reading the Last Dominion when I get it.

Re: The Last Dominion Campaign Setting Can we get an idea about how the magic system works? What are some of the biggest differences in this setting as compared to the Turakian Age?

Re: house rule for c.s.l. Here's my house rule for CSL's from a previous thread: Characters can only apply to their Combat Value a number of given CSL's equal to that CSL's cost. The only exception to this rule is 8-point CSL's. The reasoning for this is that you can only gain so much skill with one weapon or fighting style before you begin gaining skill with other weapons or fighting styles. Mastering a weapon or fighting style involves being able to apply 10 Combat Skill Levels with that particular weapon or style. So for example, a warrior with a greatsword could add up to two 2-point CSL's (greatsword), three 3-point CSL's (swords), five 5-point CSL's (HtH combat), and any number of 8-point CSL's to his Combat Value. Even if he didn't have any 8-point CSL's he would still be considered a Master with the greatsword because he can apply 10 CSL's to his CV. If instead, he had no 2-point CSL's, but had two 8-point CSL's he would be considered a Master with all swords, since he can apply 10 CSL's to his CV with any type of sword. A player could buy as many CSL's of any type for his character. This house rule just limits the number of CSL's he can use at one time. This is useful because it avoids the whole problem of players buying all different kinds of 3-point CSL's with different weapon groups and applying them all to DCV. This house rule is also independent of Dexterity, which also makes it better to use IMO. I agree, however, that 3-point CSL's should not be used for DCV unless that character has the weapon in hand for which the 3-point CSL's apply. Maybe they changed that in 5th revised edition or the FAQ section, but I haven't checked.

Re: Disadvantages giving xp The best implementation of a system that ties together disadvantages and experience is from an rpg called the Riddle of Steel. I've been thinking of ways to convert it to Hero. This is my second favorite rpg with Hero being the first. It's very swords & sorcery - like, and with an amazingly realistic and deadly combat system. Instead of psychological limitations, it has "spiritual attributes". These range in number from 1 die to 5 dice, and can be added to your dice pool as a bonus when performing an action related to that spiritual attribute. For example: If one of your character's spiritual attributes was "hatred of the Prince", any action he takes against him would receive a bonus equal to the magnitude of that spiritual attribute. Whenever your character acts in the interests of his spiritual attribute and puts himself in danger by doing so or roleplays it well, he gains an extra die in that spiritual attribute. Any dice in spiritual attributes can be exchanged permanently for "character points" to improve your character's skills, attributes, powers, etc. The most dice a character can have in an individual spiritual attribute is 5. Any more gained beyond this must go towards character advancement. Here's a link if anyone's interested in downloading the free rules-light version of the game to get a better idea: http://www.theriddleofsteel.net/support/ I was thinking of something along the lines of giving characters overall skill levels with a limitation on when they can be used. This limitation of course would represent the psychological disadvantage or spiritual attribute of which I'd try to emulate.

Re: Anybody playing Valdorian Age?

Re: USAF studies teleportation Okay people, just to clarify, I am not suggesting that I have knowledge about our government having some type of teleportation device or technology. All I'm saying is that I personally believe that teleportation is possible and that it is probably being researched. I believe I read somewhere that Einstein thought it was feasible and that it was being developed. But this is not from any type of classified source. In fact, you can probably do a google search and find what I read. This is what I'm basing my theory on, that's all.

Re: USAF studies teleportation I am not working on or with teleportation. Nothing I have heard has been from any classified source. But if in fact our government is working on some kind of secret technology, I don't want to spread rumors just as you wouldn't want to spread rumors about the company you work for. My point was just that some people underestimate what is possible through science. I apologize if my statement was too dramatic or if I made the implication that I actually did know something. I just don't want to get in trouble for spreading any false rumors about the organization I work for, that's all. But I suppose perceived implications lead to rumors. So again, I'm sorry for the misunderstanding.

Re: Strength Cost: 1 point or 2 I would use a 2 point cost for 1 point of strength. Remember to reduce weapon Min ST's accordingly though. This makes for more "realistic" Strength and minimum ST levels.

Re: Buying up Char in FH Yes, you would have to reduce STR minimums if you were to change the cost of STR to 2 cp's per point. But STR minimums in the book are unrealistic anyways. Men with normal strength were able to wield greatswords with skill during the middle ages. The easiest way to change this is to subtract 5 from the minimum Strength requirements of all weapons across the board. If this is a problem, then give your magic users the option to buy an Endurance Reserve. They're reasonably cheap to buy and you can get lots of END for just a few character points. Heh, that's funny. To me, most people on these boards (including me) seem to find magic to be way too powerful if not properly monitored/restricted. Have you seen some of the necromancy spells and battle magic spells in FH Grimoire 1 and 2??!!

Re: Thoughts on using 1d20 instead of 3d6? Here's a dice-rolling method I've been tinkering with, and have used variations of with other rpg's using different dice for different number scales: 1) Take 2 6-sided dice of different color (white and black perhaps). Call one the positive die and the other the negative die. 2) Roll both dice. Subtract the negative die roll from the positive die roll. The resulting value is your base modifier. A positive modifier is good, a negative is bad. 3) If this is a single roll of one skill against the value of another skill, or an attack roll with OCV vs. DCV, multiply the base modifier by 2 (keep the negative sign if the modifier is negative). Now add this to your skill value and compare the result to the contested skill value. The highest result is the winner in the contest. 4) If this is a contest of skills and both contesting parties want to roll the dice, then each character adds his modifier to his skill value without multiplying the modifier by 2. Again, the one with the highest result is the winner in the contest. The scale in this system is a bell curve, yielding results from -10 to +10 on a single roll, or -5 to +5 using the two-roll method. So on the single roll method, you get a 1 in 36 chance (2.78%) chance of rolling on the extreme end of the scale, whether it be a +5 or -5 modifier. A modifier of +0 is the most likely result, with a 1 in 6 chance (16.67%) chance of occuring. This is just an experimental dice rolling method I've been tinkering with, and I already do see one small problem; but I posted it to give others ideas. As you can see, this method serves as middle ground between the "tight" bell curve of 3d6 and the flat, overly-wide scale of 1d20. You could also use this system with 2d8, 2d10, 2d12, etc. but keep in mind that increasing the size of the die will yield results on a much wider scale producing even greater and smaller values for the base modifier.

Re: USAF studies teleportation ;)

Re: Buying up Char in FH The beauty of Hero is that there are very few imposed restrictions on character creation. Hero leaves that in the hands of the GM (see pg 338 Hero 5th). The solution to you problem is a very simple one that many other RPG's use in one form or another - put a cap on the number of character points a player may spend on primary characteristics at character creation. If you feel players are buying up their characteristics to unreasonable amounts with experience points, use a x2 NCM at 20, x3 NCM at 25, x4 NCM at 30, etc. Other things you could do is require a minimum of character points to be spent on skills and/or non-combat skills and talents. This will make for fully developed characters. One problem I have with FH is how cheap Strength is. By making it so that Strength costs 2 cp per ST point instead of 1 cp, you will see that players will design characters with more "reasonable" strength values. Try it if you experience the same problem.

Re: Thoughts on using 1d20 instead of 3d6?

Re: USAF studies teleportation I would speak on this subject if I knew I wouldn't get in trouble for it. Besides which, if I did know something (not saying if I do or don't) I could not in good conscience talk about it. Let me just say that 200 years ago, there were many people who thought it would be impossible for man to fly...

Re: Thoughts on using 1d20 instead of 3d6? Despite my distaste for the d20 system, I actually do like the idea of a wider scale on dice rolls. I see SJ's points as well as those who are for 3d6. However, those who argue that using d20 dramatically increases the chances for failure for those with high skill are not taking into account the necessary modifications to skill/scale correlation. Here's an example: someone with a skill level of 15- using the 3d6 bell curve is not equivalent to a skill level of 15- using a 1d20 roll. On an average task, the 15- skill level/3d6 character will have less than a 5% chance of failure. On an average task with a 15- skill level using 1d20, that same character's chance of failure is 25%. If you want to make equivalent comparisons to the two systems, they should be based on actual probability instead of equivalent skill values. So in this case, a skill level of 19- with 1d20 would more accurately represent a skill level of 15- using 3d6 since the chances of failure for each are equal or close to 5%. This still doesn't change the fact that a +1 or -1 in skill will be less or more significant using a d20 roll depending on what value you're comparing that given skill to. Keeping this in mind as well as the example given in page one with Spiderman: if Spiderman's DCV were to be accurately represented in a system using a d20 roll, the actual value would have to be increased to compensate for the wider, more proportional scale upon which the new values are based. This does, however, introduce a new problem for those who desire to switch over to d20: everyone must come to terms with the fact that in order to keep things simple, the players will have to accept a change in their success/failure rates for their skills and characteristic rolls by using d20. So in order to be so skilled in some given area that they almost never fail, players will have to spend alot more character points to increase their skill values even higher. On the brighter side though, it does give bricks more of a fighting chance against the more highly skilled light fighters and speedsters. Also, less significant bonuses and penalties can be applied to equally-skilled combatants that won't make or break a fight, but give those with the small bonus (for example) just that, a small bonus. Suddenly, a sword with a +2 OCV isn't so unbalancing using a d20 scale.

Re: Turakian Age: Which way do the rivers flow? It can flow any way you want, brother. You make the call!

Re: Fantasy Hero back in Online Store As someone who owns Fantasy Hero, I must say that it is one of my favorite Hero books. Even if you use another game system, Fantasy Hero has a lot of useful information for any fantasy campaign. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys the genre. It is very detailed and provides insight to anyone interested in designing their own campaign world.