Nevenall

Re: A high powered campaign My FH campaign was pretty close to 250. One character was a troll with around +7 to all combat. All it all it's a pretty cool campaign. Normal thugs and mercenaries mean nothing to them, but a couple of trolls or a dragon are good match. And of course, a mage with the right spell can be an arch menace. As was mentioned above you will probably need to be flexiable about the sort of characters you allow so they will be unique. Have fun!

Re: Basic Rules Question (please help!) I was impressed by your rules knowledge.

Re: Basic Rules Question (please help!) Actually you were right the first time, I was just looking this up. page 123 of 5ER makes an exception for NCM adders. You only ever pay for the amount of combat movement you use. Any other adder increases the END cost.

Re: My Game is Stale What was it that Raymond Chandler said? "When things start to get dull, have some guy with a gun burst in and shoot some one." Then you are engaged in trying to figure out why this happened. Anyway, what if something terrible were to happen? Maybe your villian destroys a major city. To distract the players from chasing him as he escapes? Then your players are stuck with the choice of chasing, or doing what they can to help. Maybe it was a natural disaster. Maybe some tensions finally crack somewhere and a major conflict breaks out on your island. Will the PC's choose a side? Some off the cuff suggestions, but maybe what you need is something drastic to open up new avenues of adventure.

Re: Basic Rules Question (please help!) First of all welcome! To answer your questions. Pages 84 and 238 are the ones that apply. The rule on page 286 only applied to things you do in combat which don't have a specific END cost already, like changing the clip in a gun. 1) You do pay 1 END, but you do because there are 12 Active points in your natural running. Even though you don't "buy" your natural 6" of running you still pay endurance for it like any Movement power (1/10 Active Points). Just like you pay END to use your natural Str 10 even though you get it free. 2) You pay 1 END. You only pay END for the amount of power that you use, so using 4 Active Points equals the minimum END cost of 1. 3) You pay 3 END because you are using 26 Active Points worth of power. 4) You pay 5 END because you are using 52 Active Points worth of power. Hope that helps clear things up. If the power costs END you pay for what you use, even if you got that power for free.

Re: Modelling d20 Negative Levels in HERO If you have 5ER check out page 112. Specifically, Variable Effect Multiple Special Effects. For the cost of two +2 Advantages your Drain can affect all powers and characteristics that a target has at the same time.

Re: Fourth Age Hero Warning, long post. I've thought about Middle Earth magic a bit. I don't have too many conclusions, but I've collected some interesting bits about Gandalf using magic. In particular the attempt at crossing the Red Horn Gate and the later journey through Moria. To bring back the point about magic being draining, Gandalf was only really drained after he attempted to put a shutting spell on the door of the chamber of Mazabul (sp?) and his spell was countered by the Balrog. I believe that most of the time Gandalf did not wish to use his magic because it would reveal him to the enemy. In the attempt on the Red Horn Gate they could light no fire until G used magic and he made some comment like, I've pretty much sent up a Gandalf beacon. I don't recall the exact range that he gives, but he gives something in relation to the Anduin River. Also in that chapter the Company is half buried in snow and when Legolas suggests that G melt the snow with a hot flame G says that he must have something to work with, "I cannot burn snow." So, he can light wood, because wood is something that could be lit. Snow he cannot work against. And keep in mind that all of Gandalf's fire magic comes from the red ring of fire which is one of the three elven rings and was given to him by the elf lord of the Gray Havens, Cirdan. Come to think of it. That explains why G is reluctant to use it becuase of the close connection between those who bear the three and the mind of Sauron. When Gandalf is attempting to find the words to open the doors to Moria he says that he once knew every phrase that was ever used for such a purpose. Or something to that effect, now that is a lore master. He also puts words of guard and guiding on Bill the Pony. I really like the lore master flavor of Middle earth wizard magic, and there is a lot of interesting bits in the books themselves. However, I don't think Tolkien ever took a creative course where he would have been encouraged to come up with some kind of logically coherient magic system and to think out all the implications of that system and so on and so on. Which I am extremely grateful for BTW, but it means that piecing together a coherent magic system for an RPG can be difficult.

Re: Star (WARS) Hero? I would have to agree with what has been said. You will never find even a slightly reasonable technical excuse for lightsabers, but try the Star Wars Technical Commentaries, here.

Re: Exotic Methods for Executions? It's not actually all that grusome, but I have heard tell of a method which involved spliting open a live tree, placing the victim inside, and having the tree compress their chest so they strangulate. It doesn't sound all that effective at the moment. Perhaps I am missing some details. Also, there is my friend's favorite method/pasttime which is described simply as "Pitbull and Meat Sauce."

Re: CSLs and the Speed chart... Good point. Me not thinking clearly. Me need more coffee.

Re: CSLs and the Speed chart... As I read it, the basic rule is, no matter what, you can't have two phases in the same segment. Holding a half action is a good way for a character to be on alert and ready for anything. Anything they "see" coming anyway.

Re: Fantasy Hero Martial Arts Campaigns Thanks! You know, I took the 1/2 DCV Concentration off. It was in the original write up.

Re: Fantasy Hero Martial Arts Campaigns Touch of Chi Stopping : 3d6 Entangle; Takes No Damage from Attacks (+1/2), vs Ego not Str (+1/4), Cannot be Escaped with Teleport (+1/4), No Range (-1/2), Gestures (Recognizable Chi hand motions; -1/4), No Barriers (-1/4), Susecptable (See Below; -1), RSR (Chi Focus; -1/2). EP 30, AP 60, CP 18. With a touch the user of this power alters the flow of chi in the target's body and so paralyzes the victim. The target can usually overcome the effect given time, but the chi flow can also be restored if the target is struck a rather sound blow, has his skin rubbed for a turn, or is touched by someone who succeeds in a Chinese Medicine roll.

Re: Fantasy Hero Martial Arts Campaigns UltraRob is Ultra cool, here is a style from my fantasy martial arts campaign The Soft Blade Style The style of the Hakana family, Soft Blade, makes a particular study of deception and trickery. Practitioners attempt to lure their opponents into all out attacks by offering up seemingly perfect openings which are not exactly what they seem. The style has a reputation for devious tricks of all kinds and those who know of it approach its practitioners with great caution. With this in mind, those who wield the Soft Blade will sometimes seize upon the wariness of their opponents and attempt to simply finish them quickly without tricks. Cost Manueuver Time OCV/DCV 3 Blade without Shadow ½ +0 -1 Strike, Weapon, +3 Lightning Reflexes with this maneuver only. This is included in the maneuver cost to make it a legal martial maneuver. Please check with your GM. 4 Empty Blade ½ +2 +2 Block, Abort 5 Open Blade Stroke ½ +1 -2 Strike, Weapon + 2 DC 4 Shadow Blade ½ +2 +0 Strike, Weapon + 2 DC, Must follow a block maneuver 3 Soft Blade Stroke ½ +2 -2 Strike, Weapon + 2 DC, Only in response to an aggressive attack by opponent. Like an Offensive strike. 5 Takeaway ½ +0 +0 Grab Weapon, +10 Str to take weapon 4 Void ½ -- +5 Dodge, Affects all attacks, Abort Weapon Elements Blades Free Bare Hand +1 point Skills Acting * Slight of Hand Fast Draw WF: Blades * Two Weapon Combat Defense Maneuver

Re: Really Quick Question "I've got laser eyes. I know what your thinking. Oh I'm so curious, Oh I'm so curious, Oh I'm so curious I've got laser eyes, hey!"

Re: Power Limitation Formula Question What Doug said. The formula is designed to make sure limitations cannot reduce a power to a cost of 0 points (or less). A simple and elegant solution to huge range of game balance issues. IMHO .

Re: harnworld -- worth it for HERO? Heck, even bits of Harn are handy. I use their price lists for my fantasy game.

Re: Multiple Power Attacks: Abused? It's true you can't combine block and thrust or block and cover, but it's because block is not an attack. You can only combine attacks. Though for some campaigns (spy vs spy) I think it would be a great house rule.

Re: Multiple Power Attacks: Abused? I like MPA and allow it. It does really help characters who don't use power frameworks Also it makes animal attacks more dangerous when they can leap on you and MPA bite and claw. But my favorite use is the swashbuckling MPA of disarm and cover. If you succeed they are disarmed and covered by your sword. Rather then just being able to run and get their weapon next phase.

Re: What Da Hook Gonna Be? My favorite D&D campaign started out 0 level. But it got all crazy weird after a while. Even a butcher knife was a scarry weapon.

Re: What Da Hook Gonna Be? Here is a plot hook for you The PCs stop at an unfamiliar country inn. They sit for a bit and then begin to notice that lots of people, locals and sick or aged travellers, order just water. Which costs as much as beer. What's going on, does the water have healing properties or is it just a hoax? If the story gets out what kinds of forces might come out of the wood work looking to exploit this water.

Re: What Da Hook Gonna Be? Not to derail this thread but that is exactly what I plan to do. Please Insert Tounge In Cheek. What's wrong with taverns? Adventures have to start somewhere. The GM has to get all these characters together some how. Dispite their best efforts to play lone wolfs. A tavern is a handy conceit for doing so. They have genre sources too. There's the Prancing Pony, perhaps the most famous of fantasy taverns. There are the Golden Lampry and the Silver Eel in the Fafhrd and Gray Mouser books. Lots of adventures start in those taverns. There is that dive Conan is in when he hears about the Elephant Tower. Another tavern another famous adventure. Heck, some of my own real life adventures have started in bars. The is truth in wine and adventure in taverns. Start your own adventure where ever you want. I'll be at the tavern. You may remove your tounge now.

Re: Playing 3.5 after Fantasy Hero My friend Ben, "Why not just make one save vs death and then go on to the next module?"

Re: Playing 3.5 after Fantasy Hero My friend is thinking of converting his Star Gate campaign to the d20 version. When we were making characters I was astounded to discover that the class I choose would determine what kinds of equipment I could take on missions. At least I think it was my class. Could also have been the major or minor specialties which I had to choose. Character creation was really complex. Also, one of my feats has the effect of increasing the friendliness rating of neutral NPCs by one level. I could annoy some GMs a lot with a power like that. "Your NPC can't do that, he has to be friendly." I've also played in an actual D&D 3.0 game while GM Fantasy Hero. It was a blast. There were only two of us and we didn't really give a hoot about the game we were just there to roleplay our slightly wacky characters to the hilt and get stuff and xp so we could get better at getting stuff and xp and that was fun.

Re: Star Wars Hero : Ready for Comment not my day. Maybe it will work now.