Seraphym

Re: Fourth Age Hero MERP defined the sparing use of magic as reverence, not end cost. The only spell I can recall that Gandalf used that drained him so much was the word of Command in Moria. Of course that spell may have been an 4d6-6d6RKA A of E (It collapsed a whole section of the mines). Magic had a spiritual connotation in Middle Earth. So Gandalf didn't walk around throwing spells around as if he was giving out juju beans. I tend to agree with this interpretation, as the Maia were basically angels, if you stick to Old Testament Comparitive Mythology. Maybe counting all the spells used by Gandalf would count. I remember a Wizard's Lock (Balin's Chamber), Light Spell, Word of Command, and the Fire on the Bride (whatever that was). Gandalf didn't go around casting spells left and right, but the book mentions nothing about exhaustion, except with the word of Command.

Re: Robert E Howard or J.R.R. Tolkien? Leiber is better IMB. I read Elric and a few of the Eternal Hero spinoffs. I got bored with all the respins. Enough Joseph Campbell already.

Re: Robert E Howard or J.R.R. Tolkien? How about a poll? Wading through all these posts is a chore.

Re: Robert E Howard or J.R.R. Tolkien?

Re: Original Fantasy Hero The Second Edition of Fantasy Hero is best IMO. I loved the Spell Colleges, actually. Spell Colleges (Fire, Ice, Darkness, Church of Purity (eww), etc.) are just specialized colleges of magic. I actually wrote up some Racial Colleges once. Fantasy Hero Companion I & II are pretty good as well, though some of the art is not that good. Personally, I love the succintness of the second Edition of Fantasy Hero. But the new edition has a lot of useful information. Personally, I think they should break Fantasy Hero down into two books. Book #1 would be for players and GMs, Book #2 would be for GMs alone. You know a Fantasy Hero sidekick.

Re: Why are there no Fantasy Hero adventures / Modules I am finishing up a 7,000 word adventure that I wrote for Digital Hero. As soon as I can sort out why Steven is not recieving my emails, maybe I will be able to actually send in a proposal. Everything is done for the adventure including maps. NPCs still need a little work.

Re: Monsters, Minions, and Marauders: Opinions? You can be true to the source material and still create a silly monster, IMO. And I was aware that the Ahuizotl that was depicted that way. But source material or not, its still silly in my book. Tolkien did not give hobbits wings, even though the "little people" often had wings in ancient celtic lore. Ursual Le Guin did not give her shadow horns, even though in mythology demons often had horns. I think they made good judgement calls.

Re: Clerical magic? The ultimate deity does not cause evil, man or spirits do (i.e. devils). God allows evil, he doesn't cause it. If you read the position statement about Judaism above, you will see that Jews teach God causes evil through his angels. The actual position you are against is the Jewish position.

Creature: Horned Ghosts The name gave me a great image.

Re: Monsters, Minions, and Marauders: Opinions? MMM has some great monsters and some real stinkers (Ahuiztotl). But even with the Ahuizotl if you change the tail with a human hand (yes its tail has a literal human hand on it) to a prehensile tail, it can work. The best picture in my book is that of the common troll. Worst picture is the Ahuizotl. For the six adventures I have written, all have MMM monsters in them. All also have monsters from the Hero Bestiary. I think it is worth the buy. The templates for bandits, barbarians, etc. add more value to the book. Two monsters (the ratling and the rootling) I modified drastically.

Re: Clerical magic? Judaism indeed has Lucifier (Satan): How are you fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, who did rise in the morning? How are you fallen to the earth, that wounded the nations? And you said in your heart: I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God, I will sit in the mountain of the covenant, in the sides of the north. I will ascend above the height of the clouds, I will be like the most High. But yet you shall be brought down to hell, into the depth of the pit. (Isaiah 14:12-15)

Re: Clerical magic?

Re: Clerical magic? This is not correct. Saints were not said to have creative power, pantheistic gods were.