John Desmarais

Re: HERO 5E and D20

I've got tons of experience with D20.

I've got next to none in terms of experience with HERO. I am new.

 

I am looking for ways to convert my D20 stuff to HERO...

In general, I don't do it - at least not at the numbers level. I find that I get results I am happier with doing "concept" level conversions; wherein I take an idea from another game and write it up in Hero. (And you can find lots of folks to help with this online).

Re: Weird Conspiracy Hero

It's something I've toyed with since reading Charles Fort's Complete Works at the same time as Danger International; TV shows like The X-Files' date=' [i']Kolchak: The Night Stalker[/i], and Strange Days have only stoked the fire. So, since I can't run it or play in it myself, I thought I'd ask if anyone else has had the opportunity to play or run something like this? Tell me what it was like, if it worked, if you'd do it again.

Many years ago I ran a campaign where I pulled all of my plots from The Weekly World News - lots of wierd conspiracies there.

Re: Hero Mailing List?

Is anyone here subscribed to the Hero mailing list, the one run by John Desmarais? I (re)subscribed a few days ago, but have not received any notice that I was indeed subscribed and able to receive messages, nor have I been receiving messages. If it's just that John has to manually set me on the list, I'll drop him an email. If the list is for all intents and purposes defunct, I won't bother.

 

So - is the list a thing of the past, perhaps supplanted by these discussion boards and other things? Or does it still exist?

I'll need to know what email address you subscribed with and I can check on it.

Re: How to create water

Sorry, I'm still new to this. How would I craft a spell that allowed a character to create water? My hunch was that it would be based on Summon. However, I don't have my Sidekick with me, and FH and Designer aren't helping.

 

Thanks.

What do you want to use the water for? My guess is that "create water" is more of a special effect thing for some other ability.

Example: Create water to put out a fire. Power: Dispel or Supress vs fire, special effect "Create water"

Re: Adapting D&D Worlds

I am working on the Kingdoms of Kalamar for my D20 world conversion. I like everything about the campaign, and I definately see it fitting better into Hero than D20. I got the impression from the campaign sourcebook that it is more of a 'low magic' or 'sword & sorcery' world than the usual 'high fantasy' D20 world. Which, is something that D20 does not do well. This has been sort of a work in progress for me. At some point, I am hoping to put up a web page with the necessary info for the players.

 

I am not really that big of a person for classes of any form. I think that they are a great aid for a player that has not played Hero much, but otherwise are pretty limiting. IMO, they force a linear world, where everyone starts to look the same. I like how you do not need to follow any mold for Hero, and just purchase things that are appropriate for your character's background. Now you can always use the classes as basis if you want...

 

If you are going to use classes, and convert the prestige classes. I would drop the prereq requirements. That is just a fiatt of the d20 level system anyways. There is no reason if a player wanted to be a knight, that he cannot start out as a knight right from the beginning of the campaign. Being a knight is a matter of nobility. As long as you purchase the correct perks, you should be able to start as one, and not wait to 5th level or some nonsense like that...

If you've done any formal notes for this effort I would love to read them. I'm a big fan of the Kalamar setting and had started gearing up for a Fantasy Hero game using - but changed my mind at the last minute regarding the setting (went for a setting based on M. Lackey's Valdemar novels instead).

Re: TSR Alternity

I am curious what you liked about it. I was suppose to play in a game but it fell through. I read the rules and it seemed very random and arbitrary to me. Just my opinion.

 

I see no reason why it would not easily port over to Hero. If you just wanted to capture the campaing setting that would be easy enough to do. You may have to through some Racial package deals together, but beyond that I do not think you would need to really 'convert' anything.

The rules were basically 2nd edition AD&D with a few tweaks and improvements. (I won't claim it as a favorite system, but it is quite playable).

The setting though was actaully a pretty well thought out and richly detailed setting, elaning heavily towards a space operaish feel. I've got a bunch of the books and have, on more than one occasion, considered running it has a Star Hero campaign.

Re: What's Busiek done lately?

As posted on a previous thread...

 

Arrowsmith! Labor of love by Busiek and Carlos Pacheco. Well-written, well-drawn, entertaining. Alternate WWI (yes, ONE) where fantasy and magic replace the normal early 20th C tech - fly with the aid of spells and dragons instead of biplanes, fire-bomb using bound Salamanders, etc. Six issue mini-series, and also half of a "flip book" with Astro City on the other side. Get a trade/back issues if you can, and hopefully more will be forthcoming.

This is one of the coolest things he's done. It'd make a great game setting.

Re: Ars Magica Hero?

So, how do you convert Ars Magica to Hero?

 

The obvious starting point is "The Gift" magic system example from FH5: 9 different "thematical" VPPs, each one requiring a skill roll. Either you cast learned spells normally, or you can improvise but at -4 and using only half the VPP.

 

However, there are some differences. Ars Magica uses 15 different subcategories, but there's a catch: you have 5 forms and 10 elements (or whatever they're called; can't remember) and you must use a form with an element to cast magic. I.e. use the "creo" form with the "ignem" element and you get a "creo ignem" spell --> fireball.

 

In Hero terms, this ought to be modelled by 15 different VPPs, but they should be Linked in some wacky way. Basically each "form" VPPs is linked to every "element" VPP and viceversa.

 

There's also the RSR problem. Adding the RSR limitation to every VPP would result in two rolls to cast a spell, which is obviously bogus. On the other hand, slapping the limitation on one of the two categories only means having different costs, which is bad.

 

And then there's the whole Parma Magica thing....

I wrote up a magic system (quite some time ago - 4th edition) that was loosely inspired by Ars Magica. http://www.herostuff.net/spoo/JDD-Haymaker28.pdf

It was not intended as a conversion, just a "that sounds neat, I'd like to donething similar for Fantasy hero" kind of thing.

Re: Anyone done a Riftwars Hero

Has anyone done a Fantasy Hero campaign based on Raymond E Feist Riftwars series of books? Im working n doing one and was looking for some ideas.

hmmm... How ironically circular (Riftwars was originally a campaign setting)

Re: Bizarre history of the Moreau family

You want some weird background on Phillipe Moreau? Then check this out --

 

http://www.pjfarmer.com/secret/Immortal/moreau.htm

 

So, whatta ya think?

Part of the write-up for the Wold-Newton universe (which has been the basic setting for my Justice, Inc. games for years). Good clean fun.

Re: How To: Racing

I have some characters planing on having athletic (runner) origins, and I thought it would be apropos to include some physical competitions in the campaign somewhere. Thing is, how do you make a moderate race (I'm calling any race from 100 Meters to 5k moderate) interesting? As it stands, it looks as if it'd be just

 

GM: "How many inches per turn do you have"

Player: "Um, all together? 80" noncombat."

GM: "Do you have enough END to keep that pace up for 4 phases?"

Player: "Sure"

GM: "You win."

Player: "Yay."

 

See? Boring. If he's faster, he wins, if he's slower, he loses, unless he pushes. Now in a STRENGTH competition, a guy with STR 18 could possibly beat someone else with STR 23, though the odds are against him. You can use a str roll, or even a series of Str rolls to make the competion as intense for the player as any combat. The uncertainty makes it that way.

 

So how would you simulate the 500 meter dash?

If you're doing anything for competition and want variance in the outcomes, just make the (potenatially valid) assumption that all competitors are attempting to push whenever they can (this also explains why sprinters are always completely wiped out by the end of the race) and use the Heroic rules for pushing, not the Superheroic ones. Some of the skill and technique of racing then becomes "When do I push? Start pushing to early in the race and you run out of steam, start to late and you fall behind."

Same thing for STR based competitions. Assume the lifter is always pushing. This is why sometimes they can list the grossly large weight, and sometimes they fail (to lift a weight that they lifted before).

Re: Movies

Just for a frame of reference, what fantasy or near fantasy movies can you do easily in Hero but not so well in D&D?

 

So far I have:

Lord of the Rings (full series)

Pirates of the Caribbean

Conan

The Archer

Every Martial Arts/Kung Fu Movie Ever Made.

Pretty much any fantasy movie that was not inspired by D&D is easier to do in Hero. Hero is generic, D&D is specfic. D&D only does D&D well.

Re: Package Disads House Rules?

Hiya Gang' date=' I was wondering if people follow the package deals to the letter or have some neat house rules. I'm entertaining the idea of allowing the racial packages' disads not counting towards the actual disad totals ... has anyone toyed with this?[/quote']

 

The closest I come to this is package disads don't count towards the disad category limit.

Re: Help!!! Looking for a Copy of Lands of Mystery

Congrats' date=' Wildcat! I guess since you got yours, I can let other people know that there are several shrinkwrapped copies of [i']Lands of Mystery[/i] on sale from Titan Games, a reputable online game retailer. If interested go to http://www.titangames.com and search for the title.

I'll second the "reputable" part here - I've used Titan as a source for many out of print rpg products in the past and have never had a bad experience with them.

Re: Marvel SAGA System to Champions

Should you be interested' date=' John Desmarais has been working on conversion guidelines for the Marvel SAGA RPG on his website.

More like I started working on them, and then lost interest in the SAGA system. I never finished it, but I was pretty happy with what I had started.

Re: VPP for a Heroic Fantasy Setting - Need clarifications

Hi, not sure if this should go here but since it involves adoubt i have with the Wizardry Magic System of Killer Shrike and i didnt know if some one would benefit from my questioning i decided to ask it in this manner.

 

The definition of the VPP for Wizardry requires several things...

 

 

 

the point of discustion came from the fact that acording to my friend the "All spell must have 1 charge (-1/4)" is a wording of the charges limitation ( but there is no charges limitation that costs -1/4), i am of the opinion that it is not the case because that would imply the whole VPP would have only one charge. So how can we explain this inside the Hero Mechanics?

The limitation is a limitation on the pool (therefore it affects the pool control cost) that limits the type of powers that can be used in the pool (only those that have the 1 Charge limitation). It is not a Charge limitation - it is a limitation that KS made up for his magic system that happens to have the work "charge" in it. The Hero system allows for the creation of custom limitations; and; although it only gives sparse guidelines for how to assign values to them, this one seems ok to me.

Also he said that you cant buy a Variable Limitation that imposes a specific Limitation uppon another power. Since he comes from Champions 4th Ed. I sugested that maybe is a Fantasy Hero thing or just something from FREd. Some clarification would be apropiate here if anyone could provide it.

Ah, a fundementalist - "if it's not spelled out exactly in the book it can't be done". To which I say, a Variable Limitation with restrictions is allowed if the GM says it's allowed. It is also a very "in genre" construct. (In fact, I think the Fantasy Hero book actually talks about something similar in the chapter on creating magic systems).

The final point is that if a character where to have an initial pool over 15 ( once more, acording to my friend ), say 90 pts, he would save 4 pts from it... he did the math and apparently you do save yourself 4 pts but since this is suposed to be bough in increments of 15 you dont really get the saving becasue you always round off in favor of the player..

once again i would apreciate clarification on this point.

I'm not really sure what you're asking here.

Thanks in advance

Re: Banned and the Banished, and the Black Jewels

I'm thinking that I'd like to play a game set in either of those two worlds. However, there's creatures and powers that I'd need help writing up.

 

I'd also need help in detailing the world and adventures, etc.

 

So, anyone else read either or both of the Banned and the Banished (James Clemens) or the Black Jewels (Anne Bishop)?

 

Laz

I am reading the Anne Bishop books right now. The magic system need not be overly complicated. I would probably use the spells from the Grimoire pretty much as is - possibly even using the "divide the real cost by 3" option as most spell casters seem to know lots of different spells. I would add into the mix a new Talent or Perk required for spellcaster - Jewel Color - with a level for each color Jewel (with the point cost of the Talent/Perk increasing as the color gets darker) and use this to define the an active point cap for spells (ie, the Talent for lightest color enables you to cast spells up to 10 active points, each darker color adds 10 AP to the cap util Black, which enables you to cast spells of any active points.)

As an additional bit of "magic flavor", the caster's Jewel color is something that anyone who can detect the magic can detect. With a sucessful Magic Skill roll a caster can "step down" to their birth stone (thus giving their spells the appearance of having been cast by a lesser mage).

Re: Shadow World setting

Anyone here remember the I.C.E (I think) Shadow World fantasy setting for Hero/Chart Master (forget what that silly system was ACTUALLY called...)?

 

I remember it had a very complete word concept, but not much else about it. It's one of the (many) games I created a character for, but never actually got to PLAY.

 

Oh well, just askin'.

 

John T

The very first Fantasy Hero game I ever ran used Shadow World as it's setting. The campaign later expanded out to a multigenre fantasy and SF game incorporating the "Space Master" universe. Fun, but after a while it made my head hurt.

Re: Bringing new players to HERO System.

John' date=' I live in Fayetteville. To bad you live so far away. I am currently running a Dungeons and Dragons game, but I plan to give Hero System a go after this campaign has run its course. I have always been a big fan of the system. I ran it briefly about twelve years ago and look foreward to taking another stab at it. My best friend likes it too.[/quote']

 

Like unto a dagger through my heart...

Re: What happened to seeker??

the world wants to know..what happened to seeker?

After the Secret Champions Crisis War he ceased to have ever existed.

Re: Iron Age on the brain!

Does anyone know where I could find some good HERO write ups for the Authority and the Ultimates?

Authority. I won't claim they're good writeups: http://www.herostuff.net/gnborh/groups/gnborh-Wildstorm.html (Actually, I've been told over and over again that they are lousy writeups. Oh well...)

Re: Vampire: the Masquerade using the HERO system

LOL

 

Well, of course this would happen. I'm out of options unless someone wants to host the file for me. Guess that'll teach me to get my hopes up. Sorry everyone.

I can provide a home for it on http://www.herostuff.net if you'd like.

Re: Selling people on Hero system when they're already inclined against it...?

So if I get it into my head to run a campaign in genre Y with system X, then I tell the group that Im considering it and get feedback, but once I make the decision to do it they can either get on board with it or hit the road.

 

And by the way, before you say it, yes I am somewhat elitist. I dont see that as being a bad thing. I put a lot of emphasis on Quality Control, and part of that emphasis is reflected in the System I choose to run a game in.

I'm half there. I give the players a LOT of say in the genre of games that I run (heck, I've been know to simply allow them to decide with virtually no impout from me), but the choice of game system is (if I'm the GM) mine.

I my case though it's not elitism - it's laziness. Coming up with plots, NPCs, etc, etc, etc, for a regular game requires a significant portion of my limited free time. I don't want to add "learn a new game system" into the mix. This is the very core of why I gravitated towards a universal system in teh first place.

Re: GURPS Lasers?

. . . How to model them in Hero?

 

It's kinda an RKA with Autofire, but the damage from all hits in a burst is added together before subtracting Defence. What would this look like?

It sounds like a simpe RKA or Energy Blast. The multple bursts would just be part of the special effect.

Re: Sell me on SH

I am primarily a Champions Player. HOWEVER I do like the multi genre nature of the game, and have picked up all the genre books. However I find I like to tinker and make my own stuff.

 

Now why should I buy the extra books for this line? Convince me.

 

Especialy books like AW, TE, ST

AW: A very specific campaign / extended adventure. If its not something you're likely run than you probably wouldn't be interested. Personally, I bought it to read.

TE: Similar to my thoughts on Turakian Age. I doubt I'll ever use, but I mine ideas from other sources.

ST: Pre-gen gadgets are always useful. Like any book of generic "genre specific" gadgets, it's necessary to "weed out" those items that don't work in your campaign - but once done it's a convienient time-saver.