jml

Re: Modelling d20 Negative Levels in HERO Wow. I'm pleased to get so much info back. I think Rick had it right when he said I should rethink what shadow breath actually does in world terms and then do the HERO modelling. Alhazred, when my brain shifts back into stats mode (currently in story mode atm) I fully intend to sit down and sift through the stats you've done up. I'm certain I can find a use for everything. (Now where is the evil GM grin emoticon?) And I certainly agree about the coming back as undead thing. That sort of thing has more mystery if its not statted out. cheers, jml

Re: Earth Elementalist questions Thanks, all of these posts really helped -- it's good to see how to figure these things out. I'm going to go with Dr Evil's model for sinking into the earth. Can't wait till 5ER arrives... a written reference to the HERO rules would be very cool. jml

Re: Tips for New GMs Also, HERO specific tips should be encouraged and highlighted -- some of us have DMd before, but never GMd a HERO game.

Hello, I'm filling up the corners for a fighter NPC with mastery of the element Earth and I am having some troubles with a couple of powers. First, I want something like draconic tremorsense from D&D. That is, the character can sense and target creatures who are touching the ground. This is probably limited in radius somehow. Here's how I'm doing this now: Ground Beneath Your Feet: Spatial Awareness (Unusual Group), Increased Arc of Perception (360 Degrees) (27 AP); Costs END (-1/2), Only When In Contact With The Ground (-1/4) Second, I want the character to be able to sink into the earth. Effects: the character's location is nigh-undetectable; the character is as difficult to destroy as the ground that he is in; the character cannot move; and the character only has access to his tremorsense, otherwise he is blind. I'm thinking something like Invisibility on sight and smell and some sort of defensive power. Desolidification also occurred to me, but I don't think it's right. I have no idea how to model the limitations. cheers, jml

I'm thinking of including a Shadow dragon (found in D&D) in my next FH campaign. This dragon's breath weapon bestows 2d4 negative energy levels on those unlucky enough to be caught in its path. Now, when suffer level drain in D&D, you lose a Hit Dice, lose access to quite a few spells and take a -1 penalty to pretty much all of your d20 rolls. I was thinking of doing this with Drain BODY and Drain Power -- where it always drained the character power with the most Active Points. I don't really know if this is possible, I'm just making guesses from Sidekick. Does anyone have an better ideas?

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.

Re: Reccomended Reading: Fantasy Novels Too right. Well, except for the Klingon bit. Which reminds me. Paradise Lost by John Milton is similarly excellent. It is poetry in Elizabethan English, and it contains some of the best lines ever penned. It also lays out an impressive mythology, one based heavily on Christianity with many classical influences. As far as I'm aware, it is the English language's answer to The Iliad and The Odyssey. Lines like these make me want to write lines like these.

Re: Reccomended Reading: Fantasy Novels I am a sucker for Guy Gavriel Kay's Fionovar Tapestry series. It's cross-worlds fantasy heavily influenced by Tolkienic, Celtic and Arthurian myths. If anything it tends slightly towards the sappy, but he's good enough to get away with it. I shed a tear or two reading the first book of the series. Although it's old, The Worm Ouroboros by E. R. Eddings is worth a mention because it is exceptionally good yet poorly known. Caveat: the style of English may put off some people. Incidentally, George R. R. Martin (likely my favourite living author) has excellent taste in books, both within fantasy and without. If you poke around http://www.westeros.org you can find his recommendations, which include Jack Vance, Robin Hobb and George MacDonald Fraser (the author of the Flashman series -- novels about a man named Harry Flashman, who is not a superhero. 10 points if you can name the first novel in which Flashman appeared). Janny Wurts' War of Light and Shadows series is better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick, and Raymond Feist's Riftwar books are fantasy's answer to Die Hard. Although I haven't read it, my local dealer highly recommends Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke. In the dangerous business of literature, you have to trust your dealer. I trust mine. I am purchasing this book as soon as I complete my thesis.

Re: Fantasy HERO reflections As far as I'm concerned, the only reason for not being a fan of Vance's is that you haven't read his books yet. And that is not a good enough reason. Although it would be fun to directly write up Vance's spells, I think it would be easier to use existing versions of D&D spells. After all, there's little difference between the "Spell of Forlorn Encystment" and "Imprisonment".

I'm up to page 274 of FH, and it's a rollicking good read. I'm new to the HERO system, preparing to GM a campaign that I'm developing over the net with a mate from Israel, who's an old hand with HERO. FH is giving me lots of answers and filling my head with the right sort of questions. e.g. Are there any restrictions of effect for mages who follow the Metal principle, or is it merely a category of special effect? On a side note, as I was browsing through the example magic systems I came across one that demanded spell preparation, defined casting in terms of spells per day, had powerful spells and gave names like "Hannister's Spell of Excellent Transport". It's called Vansarjak, from the land of Dyngereth. Nice one guys. jml

Re: HERO system resource kit -- Useful to newbies? Thanks guys. I'll wait for Sidekick to arrive.

Hi, I've ordered the Sidekick and Fantasy Hero from an online retailer. My impatience is strongly tempting me to purchase the Resource Kit, simply because I'll be able to read a PDF now. Is it going to be useful to me as someone almost entirely unacquainted with the HERO system? jml