AlHazred
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Posts posted by AlHazred
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Wow, there is no great export format for the current forum software, is there?
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I was thinking of established characters. I'll have a write-up of "Coffin Kirk" this evening.
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I've contributed characters on there, I'm well aware. But surely somebody's done other character writeups of Pulp guys? I'm finishing up an Aviation Pulp character, Brian "Coffin" Kirk, currently.
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I think that's another one from Darren Watts' All-Stars games. He did one where the pregenerated characters were all pulp characters: Doc Savage, the Shadow, Mandrake the Magician, Tarzan, and Doctor Janos Rukh. Also Nancy Drew and the Saint.
Darren Watts' Hero All-Stars Character Sheets
Edit: Huh, you're absolutely right, it's a different one!
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So, I was working up some pulp characters into Hero System 6E format, and it occurred to me to wonder what other people may have done? Anybody done up Doc Savage (yes, I've seen Darren Watts' version, I want to see other people's take)? How about G-8 and his Battle Aces? Or Clickell Rush, the Gadget Man?
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I always assume the Shootout was the inspiration for the last paragraph under Fast Draw:
QuoteIf two characters simultaneously use Held Actions, a character who succeeds with a Fast Draw roll (instead of a DEX Roll) acts first.
I assume both fighters have Held Actions, and so go with a contested Fast Draw roll to see who gets off their shot first. If they tie, then who has the higher DEX (including Lightning Reflexes, if applicable). If that is also exactly equal, then I have them both roll Attack Rolls at the same time; if they both succeeded on the Attack Roll by the same amount, then I rule the bullets collided in mid-air.
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Now I've got a hankerin' to stat up my two favorite Lon Williams characters, Deputy Marshal Lee Winters (a "Weird West" character) and Judge Steele (whose stories mix shootin' and lawyerin').
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I have started a thread on RPG.net where I'm reading through all of Scott's stuff that I actually own (which is a lot more than I expected, actually). I made it there, because Scott did a lot of D&D in addition to Hero, and I'm going through all of it. I would appreciate it if people who also have accounts there would chime in on stuff they've read, I like to hear dissenting opinions (or opinions in line with my own, those are fine, too!) The thread can be found here: https://forum.rpg.net/index.php?threads/wir-scott-bennies-oeuvre.895557/
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5 hours ago, Lord Liaden said:
I always felt the best straight one-shot adventure published for Champions was the classic Island of Dr. Destroyer. Direct, fast-paced, plenty of action with a few good character moments. Available in PDF from the Hero store, very cheap.
I own that one, from my first gaming group in high school. I'll dig it out and look through it. Didn't some of it get updated in the Book of the Destroyer (which I also have, and have actually read)?
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Quote
The Star-Devourer has stats for 2e/3e Champions. There's really only one character (the title monster) to convert. A Lovecraft fan might enjoy it.
I own that one and, while I have never run it, it seemed a little basic for a scenario IIRC. I shall reread to see if my memory is faulty.
QuoteI guess the first question I would ask is, Does the edition of Hero System matter to you? A lot of adventures have been published over the years for all editions, from Hero Games or other sources. I also assume that you play as part of a group, rather than just your friend and you. Would that be correct?
Not only does edition not matter, but I would venture to say that game system doesn't really matter either. I've been considering some V&V scenarios I own from the 80s (like, say, FORCE), and considering whether any of them are short enough to be worth converting for this one-shot.
QuoteFor that and other reasons, I'm going to recommend a scenario written by gaming great Allen Varney for Fourth Edition, originally published in Champions in 3-D as "Horror World."
Hmmm... I've forgotten specifics about that. I remember the Anopheles making an appearance in Horror Hero and not being too impressed with them; I'll have to check out the scenario in C3D to see if it matches your high praise!
So, I have homework.
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I have a friend who asks me every year to run a one-shot game for his birthday. Usually, I've run Delta Green (as he's a huge Lovecraft fan), but this year he has requested something different -- he asked for Champions.
A funny element is that, although I've used Hero System as my go-to default RPG system for close to three decades, he didn't know that when he asked for Champions. I'm currently running a Traveller Hero 6E campaign, and for ten years I ran a Fantasy Hero campaign, but I haven't run Champions in probably 15 or so years. As a result, though I have a full roster of characters (both pre-generated PCs and NPCs), I am unfamiliar with any recent Champions scenarios that might have gotten good press. Normally, I'd just come up with my own thing, but I have only two-three weeks to prepare and would prefer not to rush.
So, please provide me with suggestions on what scenarios you would recommend for a one-shot game. I remember having a lot of fun with some old modules (like The Coriolis Effect) but that was under a different version of the game, and a lot of material has been published for Champions in the interim. Scenarios from other superhero RPGs are also good fodder, since I have no problem "thinking in Hero" when reading material from other games.
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I could have sworn the Hero Plus products had stock numbers...
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Does anyone have a list of the Hero Plus publications that were released during the 4th edition era? Archive.org has failed me for the most part, giving me only a partial list due to the javascript used on the website during that time.
HP001 Acrobat Reader® (free; cost is for disks) $5.00
HP002 The Ultimate Super Mage (3-disks) $20.00
HP002p The Ultimate Super Mage (3-hole paper, unbound) $40.00
HP003 An Eye For An Eye (1-disk) (Dark Champions) $10.00
HP003 An Eye For An Eye (3-hole paper, unbound) $20.00
HP004 The Ultimate Mentalist (2-disks) $15.00
HP004p The Ultimate Mentalist (3-hole paper, unbound) $30.00
HP005 The Ultimate Martial Artist (2-disks) $15.00
HP005p The Ultimate Martial Artist (3-hole paper, unbound) $35.00
HP006 Classic Enemies (1-disk) (Champions) $10.00
HP006p Classic Enemies (3-hole paper, unbound) $20.00
HP007 Widows & Orphans (1-disk) (Dark Champions Sourcebook) $10.00
HP007p Widows & Orphans (3-hole paper, unbound) $20.00
HP008 Bright Future (2-disks) (Science Fiction Campaign Book) $15.00
HP008p Bright Future (3-hole paper, unbound) $30.00HP012 PRIMUS
HP014 New Bedlam Asylum
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To contribute, I worked up the maneuvers of the card game Lunch Money as if it was a martial art. A prefab can be found here, and it's also on the Surbrook's Stuff page here. There was a thread here that I started about it, but it's gone into the ether...
In the brawls that spring up in the yard over the lunch money each kid brings to school, it is the girl who fights with the most savagery, the most viciousness, who wins. The little girls, who have practiced their craft, develop the maneuvers and techniques that make up the essence of this art. They tend to be the ones walking away with a jingling purse while their opponents lie bleeding and unconscious on the asphalt behind them.
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I got some use back in the day with The Big Little Book of Punch-Out Golems. It had perforated sections on every page, with unknown runes on both sides. If you put them together correctly ("Insert Tab Aleph into Slot Sothoth") the paper golem animated and would follow your commands. Unfortunately, it was made of the aforementioned paper, so it could be destroyed if it got wet, and it wasn't very strong. It could inflict savage, poisoned paper cuts, though!
There was an article in Dragon magazine issue #082, "Spells between the Covers" by Bruce Heard, which contains a bunch of magical tomes, such as Alterations of the Intrinsic Absolutes by Math the Magician and Ordinary Necromancy by Vecna.
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I ran a long-running Hârn campaign starting around the late 90s. I believe I ended up going 125 points, with up to 50 from disads. The thing I did that had the most impact, was to use the Hit Location chart and DOUBLE the number in the BODYx column. All of a sudden, a regular fight (in Fantasy Hero terms) could end up being deadly, and a single big wound could take a long, long time to heal (since there was no magical healing).
That was a great campaign, helped in no small part by the gorgeous supplements for the campaign. The maps, the art, everything was so evocative...
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I like that. I was already thinking of the following in the City:
- Chryslus Building (Chryslus is the big car manufacturer, making gas guzzlers like their popular Corvega, and apparently also nuclear-powered cars)
- Empire State Building (possibly with airship dock at the top)
- Public Library (because why not)
Outside of the City, I'm thinking of the following:
- Wardenclyffe (Nikola Tesla's testbed tower for broadcast power experiments)
- Thomas Alva Edison Memorial Tower and Museum (because it amuses me to contrast the two; also Edison would be far more idolized in the Fallout universe)
- Pine Barrens (largest old-growth forest in the Northeast)
- The "Pink Palace" (IBM facility in Sterling Forest, NY -- which happens to be the forest where they hold the New York Renaissance Faire; it's also a backup and recovery facility that would have been stereotypical for the companies of the Fallout Universe, where I may adapt it for RobCo the Robot company)
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I'm in the early planning stages of a Fallout Hero (post-apocalyptic) campaign I plan to run after my current Traveller Hero campaign is over. I've got a handle on the details, and have a knowledge of the setting from playing Fallout 1, 2, and 3 extensively; I will run through New Vegas sometime in the next year, so that will also be under my belt. The wiki is a great resource for Fallout gaming, so I'm not too worried about those details. I've got most of the equipment worked out.
What I'm trying to get some input on is specific areas or locations for the game. I live in New Jwrsey (as do my players) so I'm thinking of running a Tri-State area Fallout game. That would cover New York City and the lower part of New York State, all of New Jersey and Connecticut, and parts of Pennsylvania and the Northeast. I'm thinking of making the area at least as big as that of Fallout 3, which covered DC, Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware.
New York is going to be my DC equivalent -- mostly bombed to oblivion. I can easily come up with spot locations: a power substation, a strip mall, etc. What would you guys be looking to visit were you playing this game? Any specific cities or towns in the area? Are there any historically-minded people reading this who have a favorite location that would take special prominence in the alternate-retrofuture of the Fallout universe?
Thanks in advance!
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HPL had Randolph Carter riding a zebra in Dream-Quest.
And Jack Vance mentioned oasts in "Guyal of Sfere," the last story in the book The Dying Earth:
Guyal turned his head at a hoarse snuffling and saw a pen of woven wattles. In a litter of filth and matted straw stood a number of hulking men eight or nine feet tall. They were naked, with shocks of dirty yellow hair and watery blue eyes. They had waxy faces and expressions of crass stupidity. As Guyal watched, one of them ambled to a trough and noisily began gulping gray mash.
Guyal said, "What manner of things are these?"
The hetman blinked in amusement to Guyal's naivete. "Those are our oasts, naturally." And he gestured in disapprobation at Guyal's white horse. "Never have I seen a stranger oast than the one you bestride. Ours carry us easier and appear to be less vicious; in addition no flesh is more delicious than oast properly braised and kettled."
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Nah, took me five minutes to set up on DOSBox. Admittedly, YMMV.
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Darklands was a FANTASTIC but little-known game that I wish had been extended. I think it was German in origin? Great ideas, great setting, great feel.
They were planning a potential expansion set in Italy, which would have been AWESOME. They already established the Medici merchant house, imagine the players having to square off against a Satanic Borgia -- or maybe a Pope? Pope Callixtus III was a Borgia, as was Pope Alexander VI. LOTS of possibilities...
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Yeah, it was pointed out to me that most of the files I'd uploaded on the old Boards didn't transfer. I'm taking the opportunity to go over the files and clean them up, finish them, and post.
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In the grimdark future of the Warhammer 40K universe space marines battle the enemies of Mankind, usually xenos or the minions of the Ruinous Powers, in a never-ending religious crusade based on their faith in the Emperor of Mankind. Divided into Chapters, these genetically-engineered supermen develop from the gene-seed of their Chapter Primarchs. Each space marine is the epitome of the human warrior, but this package deal forms the basis of their abilities. It is derived from the description of General Space Marine abilities in the Deathwatch RPG, as well as close reading of the Codex. It is not meant to be a full space marine -- even so, it clocks in at 150 points.
The package contains a character file, a template file for the character (for starting a new space marine), a package deal (for applying to an existing character), and a document with the package deal in the old format.
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I had some time and went ahead and converted the Warhammer 40K Space Marine Terminator armor to Hero System 6E as well as the regular suit. Again, I made an effort to abide by the fluff text in the Codex and the Deathwatch RPG. The prefab file can be found here, and again there's an armor card.
Warhammer 40K Hero - Space Marine Power Armor (Terminator).pdf
Brian "Coffin" Kirk and Tank
in Pulp Hero
Posted
I just uploaded two character files (pdf and hdc) for Brian "Coffin" Kirk and his ever-present sidekick, Tank. Arch Whitehouse wrote these aviation pulp characters for Flying Aces magazine. Seven stories were eventually published, which you can read on the Age of Aces website:
I haven't done up any of "Coffin" Kirk's planes, because he usually crashes them. In five out of seven stories, he crashes the plane he got last adventure at the beginning and steals a different one from the bad guys by the end. I will admit, I didn't think I'd enjoy the stories, but I wanted to see what the aviation pulps were about; I usually prefer weird pulp heroes with quirks. Well, this guy's got them in spades! Two pages into the first story and I knew I was going to have to read the rest of them! It's not much of an investment anyway, they're pretty short and there's only a few of them!