JohnTaber

Re: Hero System: Sidekick

Hero has several books filled with pregen characters you can use for potential enemies. Its pretty easy to extrapolate plots from their backgrounds and some have plot seeds written in. They also have three city books (settings). Also' date=' champions battlegrounds gives some maps and scenarios you can use. I would recommend holding off and getting a city and enemies book first.[/quote']

 

You might also want to consider Digital Hero #9. I wrote a Champs adventure with all of the characters and villains that is made for teaching people how to play Hero.

Re: Sprit Whim Magic System

Hi Markdoc and Cargus10: These are pretty different from what I want but they are both very interesting concepts. Thanks for the nice replies. I may pilfer some of the smaller concepts...

Take care!

Re: Sprit Whim Magic System

Wow Lord Laiden...I do not have VA and did not know it had that concept. Interesting! I just ordered Tuala Morn for ideas but maybe I should look at VA too. Thanks for the tip!!!

Re: Sprit Whim Magic System

Hi Tom: First off...great reply. Thanks!

Instead of limiting the Real Cost to a minimum of say 30 Real Points' date=' how about limiting it to a [i']maximum[/i] of x pts (x is whatever you want it to be)? That way, the more powerful spells take longer, require more effort, etc. You could even have them buy a leveled Talent that allows them to increase how many Real Pts they are allowed--you could name it anything you want: Arcana, Magery, Craft, etc. So, Arcana I would allow spells of up to 5 Real Pts, Arcana II would allow 10 Real Pts, etc.

I was not clear enough. The 30 minimum real points is the total that the character must spend on all of their collected spells. In the past I have had an issue with all of the swordsman buying 1 or 2 smaller spells to enhance themselves. For example, Str Aid and Force Field with long delays and such. They would spend 8 to 10 pts to add powers. I am NOT worried about play balance...my primary concern is the feel I want in the campaign. I want mages to be fairly rare and to have to be very invested. Hope that helps clears it up.

I would also recommend setting up a codified system of these spirits: their names' date=' what they do, etc. Also, what Side Effect would each one have if you fail the roll? Maybe the Invoking Voices of the Luminous Desert has a different Side Effect than the Queen of Pain that may or may not have anything to do with the Power you've purchased. If the Queen causes insanity (4.5d6 Major Transform Person to Insane Person (Mental)), perhaps her Side Effect is [i']Capture[/i] (xd6/xDEF Entangle).

I have something like this planned...or at least in mind...but hearing your feedback makes me sure. I definitely plan to have the characters define the side effect when the spell is created but I did not think it would depend on a certain spirit. For example, one spell involving fire spirits might result in a RKA side effect where another might result in a transform into a raging uncontrolled lunatic. My thought was to work with the players to define the side effect. Note that I did NOT have this in the campaign doc I am starting so a big thanks.

Re: Exploding Dice

I was talking about how the players relate to the mechanic rather than the practicalities of it.

 

If it is something that is invoked and special to the player then it is more likely to invoke some special feel for the game as well. So if you are going to add to the administration side of the game you want to ensure it ties in with the feel of the game thus justifying the extra bit of admin and, hopefully, making the players look forward to invoking it rather than thinking that this just makes a long combat system that bit longer.

 

 

Did I explain that clearly - just dashing out of the office....

 

Doc

Gotcha. Now I understand. Good thought...hummm...I'll have to decide how I want to proceed. Thanks again!

Re: Exploding Dice

Hi Doc: Nice thread.

More data that is influencing this...from a campaign that I am running now...

I am currently using a meta gaming bennie concept similar to fan mail from Primetime Adventures in a Fudge based Victorian horror game. For some reason my players are having a hard time getting into the meta gaming mechanic. Thus my thought is to avoid a mechanic of any kind that relies on judgements of other PC actions. Yours idea do not do this but I wanted to give mpore background.

Lots of players dont like wild dice (as they were called in D6 Star Wars) possibly because they throw up lots of wild events, things that you cannot plan for and, like any other critical system, work against PCs in the long term if everyone has access to them.

 

Now. If the system has no drawbacks (such as lots of ones cause bad things to happen) and only the heroes and named villains can explode their dice then I think the players are more likely to buy into it - no-one wants their Hero PC taken down by a rock thrown by an exceptionally lucky peasant....

I am planning the later. There would essentially be no drawback AND it would be a mechanic only for the PC and key NPC who are "blessed by spirits".

I would be careful in the implementation that it doesn't happen too often that it becomes just another part of rolling damage - it should be special and deliberate (though the effects would be open to chance).

Why should I be careful making this just another part of rolling damage? What is the drawback? To me is seems like this would be an advantage...

Again...great reply...thanks!

Re: Exploding Dice

I see. But if it is the "way of the world" and thought to capture a certain feeling in the campaign I would just say:

 

"That's it, folks! In Whoop-Ass-and-Watch-dat-Spell!-World, we got us some exploding dice. Comes with a wave and a shake and a I-say-so - no point breaks (get off my back, you moochers) or extra costs either( yes, me generous). - Got that? Then let the table shake with explosions!"

 

Don't waste time with calculating extra limitations or advantages.

 

Or is this a hint that you want your name into 6th edition as the "inventor of exploding dice in HERO". If so - CONTINUE!

I guess I was not clear enough in my initial post...this is exactly what I intend to do...I really don't care about a limitation value. I plan to consider this a campaign rule. I just wanted to figure out how to impliment it. I think people misread the tag..."How Do I Build It"...my fault for choosing that one.

Re: Sprit Whim Magic System

i would also require extra time (since you have to call up and command the spirits to do your bidding). the system i use for our house oriental setting has alot of these ideas inherent as well.

Definitely something to consider. I could force Extra Time too. Not bad.

Re: Exploding Dice

Perhaps you might want to look at adding damage Classes based on the to hit roll. +1 DC for every 2 or three points the roll is made by, for example.

 

That reduces the amount of time you have to spend rolling dice, but still adds in that chance factor, and it doesnt favor large buckets of normal dice that much over small numbers of KA dice.

Wow...that is an interesting idea and kinda puts weapon users on par with what I am planning for the magic system. See the "Spirit Whim" thread. Drat...now which idea do I use...

Re: Sprit Whim Magic System

Something which has some aspects of what you are going for - but which is also a bit more punitive - is here.

 

http://www.geocities.com/markdoc.geo/Gaming_stuff/Grimoire/magic_systems.htm#Medieval%20Magic

 

Yeah, that is very close to what I am thinking. Interesting ideas. Thanks for the link!

Re: Sprit Whim Magic System

You might find something of use here: Magic Systems

Wow...nice stuff. It does not have any that are like what I am trying to do but there are some great ideas for some small add-ons and such. Very cool collection!

Re: Sprit Whim Magic System

I had a similar one where your Magic Skill determined how much active points you could throw. You could take a -2 to increase the active points by 15 and there was certain things you could do to get bonuses (such as materials or favorable conditions or taking more time). Side Effects really helped to put an upper limit on the spells without needing to make it a hard limit. "Sure' date=' cast that 60 active spell, what's your roll for that taking that additional -4?" "11 or less" "Are you sure?"[/quote']

 

Good point. I forgot that raising the active points automatically increases the side effect as well. Awesome. We like killing multiple birds with one stone.

 

I definitely plan to add bonuses in different situations. It should give me a lot of variability based on the spirit angle. Some things I have in mind include...

 

• Sacred locations that add to magic rolls.
  
• Wastelands that subtract from magic rolls.
  
• Areas where certain spirits are more rare. For example, in that volcano fire spirits are at +2 and water spirits are at -2.
  
• Items that increase magic rolls in certain situations and/or with certain spell types and/or with charges, etc.
  

I really like how that looks.

 

Overall' date=' our group liked this system, but it did open the way up to abuse by mages with amazingly high INT. It was interesting to watch characters experiment with various materials and conditions to get as many bonuses as they could. Taking more time could have been really annoying, but the party handled most of that in game. "I'll need five hours." "You got five minutes."[/quote']

 

 

Everyone will really want to push their magic roll by whatever means possible. I will have to be careful. Thanks for the advice.

Re: Sprit Whim Magic System

You could just require that all spells take the "Increased END" limitation, or "Costs END" for spells that normally don't. Likewise, one way I've foound to balance some powers:

 

Force Field: Require it to have at least 3x END

Healing: Require Extra Time, at least 1 full turn if not more

Mental Powers: Require Concentration. For some, make them No Range.

Great ideas.

I like the "increase power for skill" tradeoff' date=' but the example you give is more like a Variable Advantage. Arc isn't just boosting the power of the spell, he's changing it on a more basic level.[/quote']

 

Good point. Maybe I should just let it up the active points....hum....

Hi Hero Gods: I'm currently working on a FH campaign where spirits are source of all magic. For example, to create a blast of fire you summon spirits of fire and order them to speed at the target. All spells must have this overarching special effect of "call fairy x to do task y". Spirits have minds of their own and can do occassionally do unpredictable things. To that end I was contemplating altering the FH base magic system to promote this feel.

Now...some guidelines...these are my guidelines for this campaign...yes there are some opinions thrown in...please accept them as my takes only...

• I do NOT want to drastically effect the default base FH magic system. In other words I don't want to completely change rolling a modified skill roll based on the active points, an attack roll (as required), then damage/effect (as required).
  
• I want to promote a feeling that launching a spell has a bit more uncertainty in damage or effect. Spells could have ramifications to the caster if the spirits get upset when called (i.e. the magic roll fails).
  
• I do not want "mystically enhanced fighters" with only 1 spell that gives them some minor benefit.
  
• Calling spirits is draining.
  
• Defensive spells are too cheap for FH where damage is often lower. For example, 10 points of armor spell is cheap and extremely effective.
  

Here are some of my thoughts right now...#5 is the most out there...I would love some feedback on that one...

My Thought #1 - Magic Roll And Side Effect Are Required On All Spells

The Magic Roll would be a skill called "Call and Bind Spirits". If the roll is missed the spirits would backlash somehow on the caller (i.e. Side Effect). Maybe in damage, annoying effects, etc. By forcing these on all spells that effect would occur.

My Thought #2 - Minimum Real Points Spent On Spells For Starting Characters

Forcing a minimum real points spent on spells should prevent "mystically enhanced fighters". I have to figure out what the number is...30 points?...but I think this idea would work.

My Thought #3 - Spells Costs 1 End/5 Active Points

This would make spells draining to cast.

My Thought #4 - Double The Cost Of Defenses Bought Through Powers

Armor costs 3 pts for 1 defense, FF costs 2 points for 1 defense, benefits from other powers that relate to defense are half as effective. I think this should be ok...

My Thought #5 - A caster can sacrifice from their magic roll to add active points to their power

I thought this would be a fun way for spirit mages to really be creative and take a chance to get some neat effect. The trick is going to be picking the numbers. For now I'll say the caster can add 5 active points for every point they make the magic roll. For fun...if they miss their magic roll in this way they take a larger side effect based on the amount they wanted to try! I'll start an example so we can talk about it...

Example #1 - Arc has a 16 or less magic roll and a 6d6 lightning blast. This would be -3 to the magic roll (13 or less). Arc decides he is going to tweak a dragon and make the attack armor piercing. This means he needs 15 active points. That is -3 to his magic roll. If he rolls a 10- he casts the spell as desired. If he misses the side effect is 15 points greater!

Thoughts on any of this? Good ideas? Bad ideas? Etc?

Thanks!

Re: Exploding Dice

Another question: What do you need "exploding dice" for in HERO? Just an optional rule for crits? Or what real world effect are you trying to simulate? Or is it just for some unstable magic?

Hi Roter Baron: Good question.

Essentially I want a more dramatic feel to the campaign where chance plays a larger role. By adding exploding dice I'm hoping to capture a wilder feel without greatly altering the existing damage/defense balance on every roll. For example, I don't want to simply give the PC an extra 2 damage classes or something...I want it to be given by chance.

There is also a concept for a magic system that I want to pair with exploding dice that will strongly back up this wilder feel...watch for another post on that topic soon.

Re: Exploding Dice

I've played quite a few systens with exploding dice. About the only system where I didnt regret it was DC heroes (where it exploded on doubles..except for double 1)--mainly because it only used two dice.

 

With d6..those exploding results come up 1 in 6 on each dice rolled--this really makes the large dice damage dealers outclass the small and mid dice damage dealing guys. Pure big dice attacks will have an edge over smaller dice attacks with advantages.

 

Toss some dice, a lot, for comparison purposes, and see what it does.

 

My thoughts: normal dice attacks will suddenly replace killing attacks. Haymakers get a lot more popular.

Thanks for your comment on liking exploding dice. I have NOT played a lot of systems with exploding dice but I thought that feel would be fun for this campaign.

Good idea to toss lots of dice to determine the impact. Note that I am not concerned about tossing a lot of dice because this is for FH. I'm expecting lower dice pools. Yeah a brute with a club can dish out a fair amount of normal dice but I think that is likely going to be the exception not the rule.

That did make me think of something though...with small dice pools would I always want exploding? For example, what if I am throwing a 1.5d6 KA which might be pretty normal for FH. Should the whole d6 explode? My instinct is yeah but I need to play with it a bit...that might be too gross. Humm...

Any other thoughts? Great stuff folks!

PS Love your Petrelli avatar BTW.

Re: Exploding Dice

Just take one dice, no matter how many sixes you've rolled.

If you're roll another six with that dice, re roll that dice again and add the results.

For example:

You roll a 1,3,3,5,6, you re roll the six.

You roll a 1,3,6,6,2, you re roll one of the sixes.

 

So you can increase some results, but keep them on a reasonable level.

I am leaning towards this idea...or possibly something very close to it. Here are my reasons and my idea for a slight tweak.

I like this idea because I plan to make this a standard campaign rule. This is not something that will be a new optional advantage. I also think this option is fairest for RKA and normal attack. A 6 is less likely when less dice are rolled but if it does come up on a RKA it would be more powerful. Since this will be a standard rule for at least the good guys I also like the simplicity of this idea.

What about something like what Wolf says but what if this happens only if CERTAIN dice roll a 6. What if 1 out of every 3 dice that is rolled is a different color then if that dice only comes up a 6 you get to roll it again? For example,

Setup - 6d6. 4 of the dice are blue. 2 of the dice are red.

#1 Blue: 2,3,5,6 Red: 1,4 <- No reroll.

#2 Blue: 2,3,5,6 Red: 2,6 <- Reroll the 6.

#3 Blue: 2,3,5,6 Red: 6,6 <- Reroll BOTH 6's.

Thoughts?

Hi Fellow Hero Gamers: I'm working on a new FH campaign that I will be starting in roughly a year. One of the things I am thinking about is how to add exploding dice into Hero. Exploding dice are used in Savage Worlds and other systems. The idea is pretty simple in those games. Lets say you roll 1d8 damage. If you roll an 8 then you pick up the dice and roll it again. You continue until you stop rolling 8.

NOW...

With Hero you have RKA and normal attacks that damage. You also have a lot more dice for normal attacks.

Any idea how I can get this effect in Hero?

Re: A New Dawn. 'Post-Apocalyptic' Fantasy

Hi Shadowsoul: I read your entries and laughed...these ideas are VERY akin to something I am currently working up. I am working on a post-apoc FH setting that takes place after a mage war but in my campaign I want to have a very strong fairy tale feel. I am working up a magic system that is completely based around spirits. In fact all magic is simply the invoking of different spirits to do the casters biddings. The overall campaign thread will involve the world choosing a bunch of unlikely heroes to defend it from harm. When I get more I plan to post a thread in the FH forum but I thought I would mention it.

Love what you have so far!

Re: Optional Rules

I used a trick in a sci-fi campaign based on Alien Legion that worked great. Raise the damage of weapons but give them all -1 to the Stun Multiple. The effect is more Body damage with less Stun. It works great. Deadly but not overly so.

Re: Hey Gang!

Welcome Jack! Loved your comments on the future of MMOs...

Re: IGN Article On Champions Online -- Including Trailer!

Also at GDC our new buddy Jack Emmert has some interesting things to say about the future of MMOs. I think it is worth a read (see link below to the IGN article). Sounds like he has strong opinions on this stuff! AWESOME!

http://pc.ign.com/articles/854/854123p1.html

Re: Fantasy Hero - Basic Questions

The whole additional damage with CSL's is somewhat new to me (this is what I get for primarilly using the Sidekick book, and referring to the main one when I get lost). What does the text mean when it says "Heroic characters can use two CSLs to incrase the damage done by a HTH or Ranged attack by one Damage Class (up to a maximum of twice its original DCs)"?

 

I am not sure what it means by "two CSLs". I had assumed that if I bought a 3pt CSL (with swords for the sake of the example) I could use that CSL to increase my DCV by 1, OCV by 1, or Damage Class by 1... is this incorrect?

 

Tom

1 level is needed to raise OCV/DCV. Two levels are needed to raise 1 damage class

Example = Conan has 1 level in all combat and 1 level with axes. He has ONE of these options EACH phase:

+2 OCV

+2 DCV

+1 OCV AND +1 DCV

+1 Damage Class (DC) if he hits with his axe. You do this when the other guy is stunned...[evil snicker]...

Hope that helps...

Re: Information for HERO/Champions Fans About The Champions Online MMO

Honestly' date=' I am hoping for a Wii release. What, it is a good gaming platform and the Wii control would make really fun. Since that is not likely to happen, I am hoping for it will come to the PS3. My wife like the games that are exclusive to the PS3; and I would hate to have to buy a Xbox as well. [/quote']

 

Right now the site and magazine say Xbox 360 and PC but I would also LOVE a Wii version...I am a big Nintendo fanboy.

Re: Information for HERO/Champions Fans About The Champions Online MMO

I've never played an MMO before' date=' this will be my first. I'm looking forward to it.[/quote']

 

Either have I...I am also worried about whether I will want to play it on PC or Xbox 360. My PC is a little underpowered so I might be in the market for an Xbox 360 when the game nears release.