Gunrunner

Re: Bolstering the Fantasy Hero Grimoire

I like them because you kept them all at a reasonable point level. I use magic as a multipower in my campaign, so I'm glad anytime I see a spell under 60 active points

Re: Keith Curtis' Incredible Lightning Mass Combat Engine

I like it so far, but do you take certain abilities into account, such as having ranged attack capabilities? They should give that unit a special bonus. Perhaps wizards can give similar bonuses to the units to which they belong.

Re: historically correct simulation of armour

Wow, those videos were frikkin' awesome! Thanks Markdoc

Re: historically correct simulation of armour

Taking a head shot in Hero is x2 BODY and x5 STUN so in most cases you're hurting and probably stunned.

 

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The x2 Body is calculated only after DR is subtracted, but the last part is correct.

Thank you all for your input, it is much appreciated. I wasn't planning on implementing any detailed optional rules to reflect realistic armor. I was only going to make one or two small changes that wouldn't add more detail to combat, but would serve only to reflect a better level of realism. Based on everyone's input however, I don't think I'll be making any changes.

Re: question about normal damage

Hello Steph

I believe that you subtract the person's rPD and PD from the body damage done. THEN you would use any BODY multipiers from the hit location table. If you want to check it out, the answer to your question is also on page 273 of the Fifth edition Hero book.

I was wondering if anyone knew enough about real armour to settle an issue with a buddy of mine. Does anyone know if Hero gives a good approximation of reality here: If a fairly strong man (STR 13 or 14) swung at a fully armoured knight in full plate (rDR 8) with a broadsword (1d+1 KD, min STR 12) and all his strength (two hands, haymaker), what do you think his chances would be of penetrating that armor if he hit it square on?

Now keep in mind that I'm not asking what the results would be according to the mechanics of the Hero system. I'm asking from a realistic standpoint - if this really happened would he be more likely or less likely to cut through full plate armor of the 14th century (as compared to what the Hero system says)? Hopefully one of you guys or girls knows enough about real medieval weapons and armour to give me an educated opinion! Thanks in advance for any comments

Re: A Crisis of Faith...

2nd largeset mistake in the world lies in teaching a new RPG system.

(the first blunder is getting involved in a land war in asia )

 

 

 

Give 'em the campaign outline and ask what kind of superheroes thay want to play and what kind of world. Have them list the top three-five powers or abilities they want.

Then assemble the characters...taking feedback from the specific players over "cans and Cant's" for the startup game.

 

The power of the HERO stuff is the "build anything" concept.

[/i]

Well said. One thing that people don't take into account with the Hero System when they criticize it is that all the many rules in the book are all OPTIONAL!!! You can make your game as simple or complex as you want. The only reason Hero has so many rules is to have an objective way of handling every possible situation that can occur, that doesn't mean you have to use them all if they're slowing down the game. You can still can't "wing it" when you want to keep things moving fast and efficiently.

I also agree that it is not a good idea trying to explain the Hero system fully to new players. I don't know how sidekick is (I ordered it online), but it seems to address the Hero system's intimidation factor perfectly

Even if you don't have sidekick you can just teach your players on a need-to-know basis. For their first characters, Hero is flexible enough where you can create your players' characters just by having them describe in detail what kind of character they want to make. Assure them that once they learn some of the rules, you'll let them make a few tweaks to their characters if they find something in the system they want to apply to their characters.

One of the most important things in a rpg is to keep things flowing steadily. If you have to make something up because you don't want to research the exact ruling in the book, then by all means do so

At least Hero has the option to find an exact ruling in the book (if that is your desire) as opposed to a newer system where you're forced to make something up because the system doesn't account for how something works.

Re: Anyone have Tomb of Horrors?

It wouldn't happen to be a Ravenloft module would it? I have a friend who used to run Ravenloft campaigns, so he might have it. Heck, he may have it even if it just normal D&D. In either case, I'll see if he has it and try to get a copy to you if he does. I'll get back to you when I find out.

Re: XM8 Assualt Rifle.

You are correct.... in the 1960's and ignoring the manufacturers advice. The current M16 (and particularly since the 1980's with the introduction of the M16A2) the M16 is a very reliable weapon. That is why many are against a change to the XM-8' date=' the M16's issues have alreday been dealt with. When it was first introduced the M16 was supposed to be a wonder weapon (the Navy SEALs really pushed to get it) turned out there were some issues. Now you have the XM-8 an untried weapon claiming to be leaps and bounds better yet the planned barrel length is known to be too short to be effective with the 5.56mm. I see the M16 issue all over again, then in 20 years when they get all the bugs worked out and it is a fine rifle someone will start pushing for the XM-40A1. [/quote']

 

I'm speaking from my personal experience with the M16A2 as well as the experiences of the recruits I fired with. It does jam from time to time - a few of my fellow troops complained about it doing so on the firing range. However, I'm also going off what I read about the XM-8 and it's praised reliability/durability. It could just be exaggeration or hype generated by the manufacturers. Also, the sights still have to be zeroed before firing and it still doesn't retract - all the changes in the world haven't fixed these issues! As far as the barrel length issue: I can't comment on it until I've either fired it first hand or have heard from someone who has

If a player wants to buy a new power as a slot for a multipower, but there is one advantage on the multipower reserve that cannot be applied to the new power, can he still buy the power as a slot in the multipower?

For example, if he wanted to buy Energy Blast for a multipower slot, but the Uncontrolled advantage is on the multipower reserve, can he still buy it as a slot even if the Uncontrolled advantage cannot be legally applied to it?

I checked the FAQ but didn't find the answer, so here's my question:

If I want a constant power to have the burnout limitation do I have to make the activation roll after I stop feeding END to the power, or after every phase the constant power is active?

I want to build a constant power that has a chance of burning out, but only after the character stops maintaining it, not every phase. If the latter part of my question is the correct answer, then how could I do that?

Re: Turakian Age: Far East Style?

It's your campaign, so make it however you like. Since there aren't many details on the region of Temeric, fill in the details to your desire. One thing I don't like about the Turakian Age is the fact that there are so many kingdoms and regions that there's not enough detail for each of them in the book. I would have rather had fewer kingdoms with more information about the culture, society, cities, weapons and character concepts for each region. Maybe leave a few kingdoms with vague information so the GM can shape them to his desire. I just can't get a feel for the setting with so many regions to keep track of and only general descriptions for them.

Re: XM8 Assualt Rifle.

I could be wrong here, but I believe that the XM8 wins out over the OICW simply because it costs less to manufacture - not to mention that it is more versatile (in that it can be easily reconfigured), lighter weight, less bulky and probably more reliable and durable. Sure the OICW can do everything but cook you a steak dinner, but it is certainly more expensive. As far as replacing the M16, I don't see a problem. Some problems with the M16 were that it jammed relatively easily, required frequent maintainence, had sights that have to be zeroed before use, and it didn't retract. The XM8 solves all these problems and then some.

Why do you think that the AK-47 is such a popular weapon around the world? It's certainly not because it is the most technologically advanced, but because it is one of the world's most durable, reliable and easily manufactured assault rifles.

Guys I'm not sure the grunts in the field will have all the barrels and other gear with him all the time' date=' thats alot of extra weight. I think the weapon will be set up before the mission starts and only altered at base.[/quote']

 

I agree. I don't even think that you would have to build this weapon as a multipower since changing it's configuration is practically the same as picking up a new weapon and using it. But I suppose if you were running a game where players had to pay character points for their equipment then your write-up seems pretty good. Just remember that for a player to have this gun as a multipower requires him to have all the extra parts on his person and the knowledge of how to reconfigure it. I would personally just make different write-ups for all the different versions of the XM8.

Re: p.s.l. for hit location

Another thing you could do is to let players take as many PSL's as they want, but they cannot reduce this penalty below -2 (or -1) for any called shot. So even with 8 PSL's they still take a -2 penalty to target the head (which will cause players to only buy 6 PSL's, but who cares?).

Re: Hitting Versus Damage

I also have similar house rules as the above posters. I however don't have a "maximum damage" for players, since it would be practically impossible for a thief with average strength and a knife to kill, even with a well-placed stab.

Re: Possible solution for common GM problems

Just a stab in the dark, but are you Dr. Mark Junkelmann, Markdoc?

Re: FH Grimoire 2: Who has it?

Thank you all for the posts. The reviews were most helpful

Re: FH Grimoire 2: Who has it?

I could have picked it up last weekend... but I decided against it. I've really got no budget for game books, and it's nearly run down already

Laz

What do you mean it's nearly run down? Thank you for the responses, but can someone answer my question? I'll read your review with gratitude, Arcady, but I'm just too impatient to wait for an answer

I was wondering what those who have FHG 2 thought of it in general. Also, are the new spell groups (Dark Magic, Chaos Magic, etc.) just sub-categories of existing arcana (such as Wizardry and Thaumaturgy) or are they arcana themselves that require wizards learn an entirely new skill? I would certainly hope for the former, but I suppose that if I don't like it I can change it anyways

Re: Post Apocolyptic Dark Champions

I beleve "Post Apocolyptic" is a sub-genra of Science Fiction.

Not necessarily. There can be post-apocolyptic horror, fantasy, sci-fi, etc. I would even go so far as to say that post-apocolyptic could be a genre in itself.

I noticed a lot of GM's having problems with players who don't play their characters realistically - especially when it comes to wearing armor. One way to deal with this is to reward players with extra experience/character points who play their characters realistically. If a player tells me that his warrior is not going to wear armor today because he begins to feel cramped and uncomfortable if he wears it for too long, I would reward that player for good roleplaying.

Here's another, more mechanical solution: In game, it's easy to just tell the GM that you want your character to study and learn a spell for 10 hours straight, or wear heavy armor constantly. Realistically, if we were in the shoes of our characters, there is a good chance that we may just be too lazy/unmotivated to study 10 hours straight or wouldn't want to wear heavy armor constantly because of discomfort or lack of cleanliness. Also realistically, if we saw a ghoul many of us would soil ourselves and run away instead of stay and fight. This particular situation is dealt with as a test of willpower in most RPG's, so why not extend that to other similar situations? For example, if your players want their characters to do something you think they might not want to do - like sleep in plate armor or study for hours with no leisure time - then have them make an EGO roll possibly with a penalty modifier. If they fail, just say something like "your warrior is tired of wearing plate armor and just wants to sleep comfortably for the night" or "your wizard just doesn't feel like studying - he needs some leisure time to unwind"

The downside here is that this would give your players less control over their characters. It would, however, at least make them realize that their characters are human too (or elven or whatever), not machines who are immune to the stresses on the mind and flesh.

Any thoughts/suggestions?

Re: Paying Points for Equipment...

Kirby, do you ever tell your players that they won't get any extra experience points if they don't roleplay their characters realistically? What kinds of things have you tried to balance armor use? Do you take away long term endurance for wearing heavy armor? I sorta have another method of handling this if you want to look at my other post.

Anyways, I wouldn't charge players points for equipment for mostly the same reasons that Marcdoc doesn't. It seems to create many more problems than solutions. If a new player joins a party and a member of that party gives him an axe, would you make him pay points for it??? It just seems extremely counter-intuitive to me to do that. Perhaps make players pay character points for extra money or magic items, but not equipment.

Re: Longest Running Thread EVER

Question: How long is the longest running thread that you've all seen? Is there one longer than this?

Re: Longest Running Thread EVER

Just contributing to the thread. Nice kitty

Re: Using d20 instead of 3d6 (DON'T KILL ME!)

I was actually thinking of creating a house rule for HERO to give lower-skilled warriors a fighting chance against higher-skilled ones and make combat a bit more random. I personally don't like the fact that a small difference in OCV/DCV can determine the outcome of a fight.

 

For combat and some situations where randomness plays as much importance as skill, I would make what I call a wild 3d6 roll. If I rolled double one's, two's or three's on 3d6, I would subtract the highest die and take the result - sort of a good luck bonus if you will. For example, if I rolled a 5, 2, and 2 on 3d6, I would subtract the 5 for an effective die roll of 4 - much better than the normal 9 I would have had. Similarly if I rolled double four's, five's or six's on 3d6, I would roll an extra die and add it the result - a bad luck penalty. So if I rolled a 5, 5, and 4 on 3d6, I would roll the extra die (let's say I roll a 4) - So the effective die roll is 18; pretty crappy luck!

I don't know why everyone's still debating, I offered you guys and gals a solution that's better than using d20 because you still only need 3d6 for a more linear/random roll