csmith868

Re: VPP for magic use- encouraged? Kolava~ Well, the whole idea was for the character to cut himself (costing CON) using an activation roll for the cutting itself, it being blood sorcery. The one issue I was having with it is that he would be able to have up to 6 60-pt powers working without endurance cost (an advantage I forgot to place in there) and have them working throughout the day. This would make the character, well, powerful compared to the others who didn't use a VPP and took individual powers itself. Basically, the player wants his character to have a large versatility within his magical framework. I have to admit it's a bit daunting for me as a GM because it's the first time I've ran HERO, but I want to figure something out that will work for both of us. We're still discussing what to do ATM. Thanks for the advice, and if there's an alternate way you can think of doing something like this, please let me know! -charlie

Guys~ I'm having a bit of a problem with a character's VPP he created for a character. Here it is so far: Blood Sorcery: VPP, 60-point base + 5 control cost (90 Active Points); 1 recoverable charge (recovers under limited circumstances; sacrifice CON to power spell; can achieve this through mult. expenditures through CON; -2), Activation Roll 8- (-2), Extra Time (1 minute, only to activate, -3/4), Incantations (-1/4). Let me get this straight- this will allow him to create up to 360 points worth of powers for his VPP (due to the total -6 limitations)??? I've decided that the magic system I set up for my campaign is pretty off. Is there an effective way this player can keep the versatility he wants without using a VPP? He can typically make game-breaking characters due to his amazing ability to create uber-versatile abilities (almost everything he does he uses a VPP for). I can't help but want to limit him, but then he talks about how HERO won't let him do what he wants to do. I don't know what to do. Any suggestions? -charlie

Re: Fantasy HERO Campaign start-up help Guys~ Thanks for the useful advice. Summon definitely seems to be the answer for what this player wants, but we'll have to work with the dispelling methods on how to get rid of it so he can get his CON back Mardoc, thanks for the info on shields- I didn't know they gave DCV (I haven't read the rules thoroughly enough yet), and the ideas for the CON loss will be adapted. I think I'll end up using the "independent" Disad for the magical items for them to cost less and to give the players a sense of "I'd better not lose this thing." A little GM sense on how points are allocated and it'll probably run smooth. keyes_, how do you limit the active points in your campaign? My game's feel on magic is that it's rare, but historical and powerful. Since I haven't ran a game yet, what would be a good point limitation to keep this kind of feel? And thanks for the compliment My players feel pretty daunted about the HERO system- some think it's needlesly complicated or just too much to learn for a game. I keep reassuring them that once we learn the basics, the game will run smoothly and fairly. Most of them are used to the Storytelling system from White Wolf, which has caused some major character balancing issues making the game no fun for all but the one person who knows how to work the rules. I figured HERO would give them a sense of balance again, to where each character would roughly equate. First game is on Sunday. Wish me luck! -charlie

Re: Fantasy HERO Campaign start-up help Guys~ Back; glad to see some responses already! 'specially from Shrike. The advice for 1) and 2) I'll definitely incorporate into the system. The player is a major "rules-lite" type of guy, and likes a lot of variety. This will help us structure our magic a bit, so thank you. Also, the ideas on the clockwork arm work well. As far as the magic items = CP, I envisioned this setting as having rare magic items, but items that grow as the character progresses, much like powers with people. Normal items and gear won't cost CP, just gold; magical items, on the other hand, are acquired through CP and adventure. Each item increases their powers based on how the character wants that item to go. Ex (w/o stat write-up because this is just a concept): Grandfather's Sword This sword was given to great-grandfather from a master dwarven weaponsmith. The dwarf smelted it in the hottest pit of magma deep within the Kharamul mountains, giving it great power. The great grandfather, a much respected figure to this dwarf, accepted the sword as a gift of respect. He used it in many military campaigns and it became legend alongside the man himself. Enter character today. The sword has been passed on, its strength and sharp edge still amazingly preserved despite the countless battles. However, as technology advanced and cultures "matured," the magical properties of the sword were lost. In system terms, the sword would be a real weapon with a HKA, with some sort of durable advantage, with the item costing CP because of its history and purpose later in the campaign. The character, after gaining xp, decides its time to regain one of the "lost" properties of the sword, and adds a linked Energy Blast to the sword (representing the fiery power of the blade), maybe by finding some old texts his great grandfather wrote and figuring out how to activate the power. Later on still, decides it should provide magical protection to the wielder and adds Force Field or Armor, ect. And so on and so forth. So, do you not think this would work? It's a concept that's been talked about by the gaming group and we've decided it's pretty neat, but again, I haven't ran HERO at *all* and so don't know the possible ramifications of this. Let me know what you think! Charles **also, re: the power Transform- can that make blood into an animated imp/hellhound/demon? I thought I read somewhere that it's limited to inanimate=inanimate and vice versa.

Guys~ It's been a while since I posted last, but I've finally gotten my gaming group interested in a Fantasy HERO game. Like any lazy troupe, they've resisted learning the rules, but we did a pre-game character creation event the other night and everyone seems to be pumped up on the concept (though they still complain about the learning curve). As this is my first attempt at GMing a HERO game, I've got numerous questions and am interested in receiving any input from the older, more experienced HERO ppl out here (which, in relation to me, means all of you ). The setting is pretty free-form, but some general guidelines for character creation was this: -It is feudal-victorian (feudal arms and armor with a victorian-style upper class nobility; still a work-in-progress) -It features "steampunk" technology -Magic systems are open for discussion. I know that's not a lot, but I'll elaborate more when I've got time. For now, I pose some questions. 1) One player wants to use a form of "blood magic" where he sacrifices a point of BODY to power a spell, and that BODY will not recover until he releases the spell. Mostly for summoning uses. The question is, how do I reflect this in-game? His basic spell is to spill his own blood and create various beings from it, using the TRANSFORM or SUMMON abilities. Also, he wants it to work within a VPP for a more versatile character. Any input on this? 2) One warrior has a clockwork arm that has the ARMOR power linked to it. Can he use it like a shield? And what is the limit of a clockwork arm with no ARMOR (e.g.- he wants to be able to grab swords with the arm, in a parry-like maneuver; is this affected by ARMOR). 3) Equipment costing CPs. I've made all magical items the characters want to cost actual CPs, with regular arms and armor costing units of money. Basically, the magical weapon becomes a character's power. Has anyone tried this, and how does it affect a campaign? 4) Not sure. I'll have to get back on this one. I'm fairly rushed atm, but I figured I'd throw these out here and go back in detail when I'm home again. Thanks in advance for the advice, and I'll see you on the boards. -Charles

Re: Kazei 5 starting soon Michael Surbrook~ Thanks for the info. I was hoping to keep the power levels down a little bit (due to the players having no previous HERO experience), but I think it'll be more fun if I bump them up to what you recommended. I've been surfing the website and love the Kazei 5 PBeM, and I'm directing my players to it. Awesome source for inspiration. Thanks for the great cyberpunk supplement. Methinks I'm gonna get a lot of use out of it. Charles P.S. You're very quick to respond; that's awesome! I look forward to seeing you on the boards.

Guys~ Whew; it's been a while since I've been on the HERO forum board. Glad to be back A few weeks ago I dusted off my copy of HERO 5th because my group decided to play Abberant (from White Wolf). I personally groaned inside because I'm not a fan of WW's Storyteller system, and after starting play my mind started racing with ideas for games for HERO. I ran into a little eBook called Kazei 5 which piqued my interest, and I'm *very* glad I picked it up. A small group I'm going to begin play with are new to HERO (thank God for HERO Sidekick) but enjoy the anime cyberpunk scene, with emphasis on Ghost in the Shell. After talking to them about a possible G-S game, they got very excited and began thinking about neat character concepts, ect. So... we begin in two weeks. I come to the board with a couple of questions for those familiar with Kazei 5 before I start the campaign: 1) How many points does it take to make a proficient character similar to those in a setting similar to "Ghost?" I noticed a lot of cybernetics and some psychokinesis powers available that would rise a character's cost a fair bit, so I'm thinking of going with 100-100 pts. The book uses characters that cost 240+, but I wasn't sure if some of that was due to exp. Anyone have a suggestion otherwise? 2) I know that a cyborg, in general, is going to cost more than a human. Have there been any problems in campaigns where one person received more points due to their cybernetic requirements than others? I don't mind a few points difference between characters, but I do need to find a good line to make the human players *somewhat* competitive. 50 pt. difference too much? It'd look like this: Human: 100 pt. +100 disads Cyborg: 125 pt. + 125 disads I'm open to any suggestion. This'll be my first anime-type game I've run, but not the first dark-toned game, so I'm looking for it to be a cool, kick-arse romp in Neo York. Charles