Labrat

Re: NOBLES, KNIGHTS, AND NECROMANCERS -- What Do *You* Want To See?

Re: NOBLES, KNIGHTS, AND NECROMANCERS -- What Do *You* Want To See? I was hoping for some fleshing out of the NPCs of note from TA. The seven sorcerers of Shar, the Dragons of mention, the vampire lord of that kingdom in Mithria (sorry if I'm messing up the references, I don't have my book with me). Some Thun priests of note (including more notes on the Elder Worms!). Maybe some fleshing out of the current Adventuring Companies of note in TA (they would make some tasty rivals!) That kind of thing. Was I wrong in my assumptions? Please say 'no'! I think that going outside of these notable TA NPCs would be grounds for a second installment! Give us more info on the NPCs that you already teased us with!

Re: Having a painful movement

Re: Having a painful movement Does it effect everyone who he teleports? Friend and foe? If it can be turned on and off then maybe you can take two teleports, one with Side Effects: automatically happens and doesn't affect the user. It might be expensive... I'm not sure how many dice of NND damage you can get from the 'Major' side effect off hand either. Limited help, I know. Can you take added SPD just for Teleport Tricks? Maybe that's munchkiny, but I'd consider it. Added STR for Grab (Nightcrawler used his whole body and tail to hold onto his victims from behind). And don't forget to boost the Teleport Mass (x2 at least) so you can get away with the TP in the first place.

Re: "Look, up in the sky! It's Super Saint!" Christian-themed heroes No, no, no I'm not saying that it's 'mind numbingly bad'. It has it's moments... but only if you appreciate if for the camp value. I'm pretty sure that 'camp' is what they were going for. 'Campy' can get mighty annoying when it's done on purpose though. Here's a better representation the older version that I was referring to: http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/b/bibleman.htm And how can I forget the super-cucumber... LARRYBOY!??? http://www.larryboy.com/ Hilarious stuff. Careful, though, there's Biblical messages in these.

Re: "Look, up in the sky! It's Super Saint!" Christian-themed heroes Can't bee any worse than Bibleman starring Willie Ames (Eight is Enough, Charles in Charge): http://www.bibleman.com/ Talk about ungodly... it's campy at the surface and then it quickly turns annoying.

Re: "Look, up in the sky! It's Super Saint!" Christian-themed heroes Re: Not accepting rebuttlals = me not wanting to hi-jack this thread. PM me instead. I will accept these rebuttals, though, because I can't just ignore them: Re: Judgmental attitude. If you read what I wrote there is nothing in there intended to judge anyone. I'm sorry if you took it that way, but that apology won't cover regret for it being what it is. Individually I hold nobody here more guilty than anybody else regarding this subject matter, myself included -- this matter isn't trivial though. The core issue here is this: why does man have to invent his own icons to cover what he feels that God is lacking in? It's a trust issue. No boy is going to go to hell for pretending to be Superman, but philisophiclaly it's the seed for a lack of trust in God as our champion. Israel was punished for the same lack of trust, and we will be too. I do detest how the 'judgment' smart bomb gets dropped every time a Christian tries to bring Scriptural truth into a conversation. Why would I select out anyone to judge from this anyway? I don't even address individuals in my 'rant'. Above all, it would be counter-active to what I claim. Attitudes can be judged for correctness, but only between believers. Believers are supposed to welcome every attempt at correction. Non-believers will be offended at his teachings no matter what, Christ said it himself. If you think what I am saying is judgmental then you clearly are reading what I said with your own convictions. If it seems like foolishness to you, just ignore it. Otherwise, if you can't ignore it, then PM me. Re: Samson. That power was a one-and-done ability that God granted so that Samson could bring glory to God's name. Mission accomplished. See the 'Sons of Sceva' instead, it's more accurate as to what a 'Christian superhero' would end up as. Look it up, you'll see what I mean. Re: Bravery vs. superhuman ability. I hope that I have to write out the definitions. Don't turn this into an argument against bravery. I think I was clear enough on the issue. Christians are supposed to be brave by definition. Basic stuff, I wouldn't agree with that extreme that Oddhat and Zeropoint pointed out. You've missed the point. PM me. Please, everyone, PM me for further discussion. I won't hi-jack this thread any further though. I spoke my mind as to the topic, which is my right. For those critics to post how unpopular the Christian point of view is on these boards is redundant. There, now I entertained the rebuttals so as to not come off as rude. Again, PM me.

Re: "Look, up in the sky! It's Super Saint!" Christian-themed heroes The whole concept of the superhuman is, by Judeo-Christian definition, 'blasphemous'. It is based on man being discontent with waiting on and for God to be our hero, our justice and our vengance. Now that's an extreme POV, and if one follows it through you really can't make any excuses for it... you either agree with it or you don't, but by definition it is undeniable no matter if you are profiting from it or not. If you are serious about being a disciple to the Christ then you would be serious in seeing how rediculous the concept of the 'Christian superhero' is. A true Christian wouldn't 'take to the street' with wild claims about what he or she can do in and of himself, especially if the burden is one of 'crime-fighting'. You wouldn't have any Hero stats for the 'love' and 'peace-making' that goes with this territory. It would make for very boring role-playing, and even worse it would beg the question of 'why would you pretend to do it when you should be out there doing these things' in the first place. The whole idea of the 'Christian Superhero' is laughable, giving testimony as to just how little Christ's teachings are understood in the West. What single individual would be chosen by God to be iconic when Christ is the completion of all God's work? Everything that needs to be 'done' will be 'done' by Christ, all the way up until this dustball returns to nothingness. Remember I speak in a fundamentalist Christian mindset, so some denominationists will feel uncomfortable about this... so make allowances for me and understand that these are my convictions and for me to not say something here in reply to this certain topic would be against those convictions. I write this because I must. RE: Spears, Weapons, Powers, etc. Artifacts are useless to the true Christian tradition. As a matter of fact, they are counter-intuitive to the concept of the Holy Spirit being all that we have been left with and all that we need for the fulfilment of our faith. Sure these relics exist, but if they were lost, stolen or destroyed tomorrow it wouldn't mean a thing to the Spirit's contemporary work. Useless trinkets are meaningless when the Creator who made them can never be lost, stolen or destroyed. It's harmful to engage in such talk... why not just make up a religeon instead of making light of such a serious issue? You'd get further and you could have total freedom when it comes to what you're dealing with. That's my commentary on the topic as addressed. I won't entertain any rebuttals, they just aren't important to me. Take what you wish from this, but know too that the realms of make belief are big enough that you shouldn't have to risk such blatent misrepresentation of the Biblical teachings and offending God unless you're just one to enjoy instigating to begin with. I have even less to say to those who won't at the very least consider this with some maturity, whether you agree with me or not.

Re: THRILLING HERO TALES — A Campaign Chronicle Slava Koslov, eh? Is there a fellow Detroit Red Wings fan representing?

Re: Clever use of illusion spell I've always liked the trick of making someone believe that the ground was flat and obstacle-free... especially when there's a chasm or convenient pit for them to fall into... that also works both ways, if you want to keep some thug at bay, make there seem to be a deep pit or acid pool between you. I also like the trick of making it appear to be two or three of the spell-caster so that the PC can get surprise or get away. And then there's the sharp spear that looks like a beautiful woman trick or the illusionist's cloak that looks like bat wings, I could go on and on...

Re: ß-Test: The Hidden Temple of the Ran-Tari

Re: Packages

If you want to help me beta test an adventure module based off of the Turakian Age setting, then IM me with a very brief character description and I'll get you on board. I'm looking for 3-4 players to cover the standard dungeon-crawl requirements (Warrior, Rogue, Wizard (nothing fancy, Wizardry Spells only) and a Priest type (who will be the leader of the party)). Hopefully this module will be eventually posted in the Free Stuff page. This will be fun, fast-paced and vivid with an old-school flare for the one-shot. You DO NOT need access to the Turakian Age rule book unless you are a Priest type or another archetype that is found among the TA package deals. Spellcasters must have access to the Grimoire, or at least the spells from the College of Wizardry in FHG1. Human and standard humanoid races preferred. At least one elf, dwarf, halfling, etc. would be nice. Posting will be fast and bumpy (be ready for at least one post per day). I intend this to be a PBEM (no HeroCentral, I don't want lurkers in on this one), so if and when you IM me leave me your email address and I'll send you mine. Groovy? You like? IM me. I'd prefer to play with those who I haven't had the pleasure of gaming with before... you know who you are, but no offense. I'd also prefer 'mature' players who don't mind solving a good puzzle or two without the use of violence. We're not going very deep character-wise, so don't hurt yourself making the 'perfect' PC.

Re: post-apocalyptic genre book

Re: Herbalism Here's my weak attempt at opening the topic for discussionfrom a few months ago... http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=36092&highlight=Belladonna

Re: Only when serving the god's purpose The easiest approach to this is this, if the GM wants to go ahead and stick to the storm god's patronage of the character then go ahead and take the limitation. Otherwise a limitation isn't a limitation unless it limits the power that it affects. Real-world prophets are usually a reluctant bunch, that keeps them in a separate pile because self-proclaimed prophets are usually self-serving. A prophet usually shows that he is worthy of listening to because his patron usually gives him something to show to prove to the listeners that he means business (see the Bible's OT for many many examples, and of course the NT stories of John the Baptist, Jesus Christ, the Apostles in Acts and Paul). Of course many other religeons have similar stories but I'm only familiar with the ones I listed. Fantasy priests are not supposed to be 'nice wizards', they have a job to do and when they are not representing their host then that host can skip them and find someone else who will do the job better. SO, if the prophet is willing to 'take the message to the people' and represent the god in question then he will be acting 'only when serving the god's purposes'. If not, then can the god get it done by another means, or even appear himself/herself? Those are the things worth considering.

Re: Divide by 3? I think the 'Spell as a Skill' format is in FH as an optional system to consider. I know that Simon added 'Spell' to the Skill list in HD. In the end it sounds more expensive, and thus more restricting. If you were going to do it this way, then maybe consider the Summon-based method outlined in the Valdorian Age... there's a lot of options and they mostly gear towards your preference for how High you want your Fantasy.

Re: Divide by 3? I haven't had any problems with it... but I haven't played with any munchkins since going to the TA magic rules. That's why I like the RSRs, OAFs and Side Effects. It tends to scare away the munchkins.

Re: post-apocalyptic genre book A few handy sites: http://www.pamedia.com/links.html http://www.greencine.com/genre?action=viewGenre&genreID=75 (movies!) http://www.apocalypsefiction.com/home.html [Warning: Strong Language on site] http://www.allbookstores.com/Fiction_Genres/Science_Fiction_and_Fantasy/Apocalypse.html Sorry if these were already posted. My quick and dirty breakdown of the PA genre in media is something like this: -- Before 1980 PA was treated as a moral dilemma and a soapbox for evironmental awareness issues, social commentary and the ubiquitous 'what if...' scenarios revolving around man's dependence on energy. Man against nature, and always a lament by the protagonist in some kind of 'we deserved this fall' commentary (that's more of a ca. 1950-1960s attitude). -- ca. 1980 gives us the birth of the 'PA adventure' where commentary was more or less substituted for the action hero's dilemma and how he fought his way to a solution. Man against man, with the protagonist just as hostile as the antagonist. -- ca. 1990 is the rebirth of the environmentalist revolution as the central focus, but there seems to be more a tinge on the violent resurgence of man run amok as well. Attempts are made at hiding the antagonist's identity in corporate/consumer overtones. Man against environment and other man, but the protagonist is more interested in running away to live another day. The violence that the protagonist offers is often regretted, and there's much more emphasis on finding the familiar once again. No, I won't give examples because it would take a while for me to categorize. This is simply my loose observation from total submersion in the subject for a while.

Re: Post-Apocolyptic Hero Setting

Re: Post-Apocolyptic Hero Setting Where's the Metamorphasis Alpha reference?!!! Sheesh! I just found all my Gamma World stuff in a box that I was clearing out in the basement. Along with my original notes for WH in a big blue binder, each page in transparent sheet protectors. I found my Hero-ized direct translation of GW Critters that never made it to the WH website, maps, treasure lists with Hero write-ups... and 3.5 floppies galore with some of my first proposals to Harlick to put WH in print. Boy, did I ever hold out. That was in the waning days of the Silver Age of Hero though. Alas. I found my old Judge Dredd rule books, editions from Dragon Magazine that was from the early '80s, Chill books, my post-apoc literature library, and even some cardboard cut-outs that I used to use before there was this thing called the internet. It's like a post-apoc/pre-modern time capsule of the Way We Used To Game down there. ...needless to say I didn't have a very productive day cleaning the basement on Saturday. But I digress.

Re: Divide by 3?

Re: Divide by 3? Personally I LOVE the way that Steve, et. al. made different variation options for each spell. I also love how one spell description has different names and a different 'feel' just by adding or detracting a few points. The difference is in the penalty to cast the spell if you are using RSR's (as recommended by TA magic rules). This is the only place where I use an Old School DnD-esque rule (I've never even seen the d20 treatment). I'll allow a mage-type to have only up to his INT or EGO (whichever is greater) in RPs worth of 'non-Apprentice' level spells. Not the number of individual spells, but RPs. That usually guides the player towards getting more lower-point spells rather than only a few higher-power (and higher-cost) spells. Also on the side of equality, every spell 'college' has only a few offensive spells, so to get both the powerful lightning bolt and powerful fireball the player has to invest points into the respective Power Skills ('Air Elementalism' and 'Fire Elementalism' respectively in this case). I still think that the factor of 3 isn't all that imbalancing, even if in some cases you get more for the same price.

Re: Divide by 3? Actually it seems to balance things pretty well. The GM can usually tell how and when powergamers can abuse this, but in the hands of responsible players it ends up being ok. It's not the 'divide by 3' rule that conquors other archetypes, it's the equalizer. The balance for this rule is the penalty per 10 active points for the spell roll. The rule of thumb is a -1 to Spell roll/10 Active Points in the power. So you may buy a 60 pt Fireball for 20 points, but you also have to buy the Power Skill under the title of 'Fire Magic' for 3/2 points to use it. Then you have to buy the levels to make sure that your 60/10 = -6 penalty doesn't get your roll too low. Add this to Side Effects and/or expended OAF for a failed roll and you can see where the balance truly is. Also there is a 'Spell' limitation (refer to the index in FH to find the page number) that doesn't allow you to use offensive powers other than as described (no Spreading EB's for example). The Wild Mage is popular for some PCs where you skip both the OAF and the Side Effect, but that just raises the overall cost. It's all pretty balancing. I think Steve did a good job thinking it through and it's not all that arbitrary if you look a bit deeper and trust your players to not horde combat-only spells.

Re: N/t It's really quite eloquent. The 't' represents our inner psyche and the 'N' represents all that oppresses us, as it leans over the '/' which is (obviously) the board of guilt that presses down on us whenever we don't fight back for ourselves... ...also it could be a virus that we're all downloading as we spe....;afjkl;jdljkghjl