Ternaugh

Re: Yellow/Green/Blue/Black Zones Hope it helps, JoeG Now Playing: Thomas Dolby, "The Golden Age of Wireless"

Re: GateCrasher Hero Yours sounds really great, but the title's been taken: http://www.domibia.com/gc2e.shtml That said, a few gate technology questions. 1. Is the gate technology a manufactured item, or a found "artifact"? A found artifact would allow the placement of target gates in different dimensions or on other worlds. Built artifacts, unless they can "beam" a gate to the other side, wouldn't allow travel to other worlds unless you could get there some other way. Think of the Babylon 5 jumpgates, and the use of jump-capable ships to bring gate components to far outposts. A sub-question to artifacts: can the technology be duplicated? 2. Are the gates secret, or are they common knowledge? This, of course, will depend on the level of industrial espionage that you want. A secret gate could represent one of the greatest military or industrial secrets. 3. What are the power requirements to operate? A gate with a low power requirement could be used to ship raw materials and finished goods very cheaply. Couple this with the idea of mining on the moon, and you have tools and personnel traveling very cheaply to and from the moon (mind you, it costs something like $10000 per pound to get stuff into orbit now, and even more to get it to the moon). A gate with a high power requirement (or an exotic requirement--like SG1's ZPGs) would make travel more like our space missions. 4. Can a gate be left on? SG1 gates seem to require shutdown after several minutes, perhaps because of the power requirements. If, however, a gate can be left on indefinitely, you have the equivalent of a pipeline. This is how Traveller dealt with fuel requirements for Ancient vessels--it used pocket universes with gas giants acting as fuel tanks. If you want the "resource wars" model to continue, I would assume that Gates are artifacts that cannot be built (with current tech), have a high power requirement, and must be cycled off to either connect to other gates (like SG1) or to recharge some internal power source. I'd also stick the gate on the moon, so that it's really hard to reach with heavy equipment. This would also allow a 2001-esque moment when the Crossfire, Inc team discovers a "magnetic anomaly". A fiction source to read: H. Beam Piper's Paratime works detail a dimension that has access to time travel and dimensional travel. Their society exists as a "parasite" on other timelines, and actually has entire empty dimensions used just for strip-mining and resource extraction. Their temporal units also have a nasty habit of picking up people from other times when two units cross... JoeG Now Playing: Kansas, "Leftoverture"

Re: Yellow/Green/Blue/Black Zones These are zones in a star system where certain planet types are most likely to show up. SH p. 80 describes them. For those with a background in Traveller, they match up something like this: Yellow: Inner zone. Planets are usually too hot to support (earth-like) life. Gas Giants should be extremely rare in this zone. Green: Habitable Zone. Planets have a chance of developing an earth-like environment. In the Terran System, Venus is just on the edge of the inner habitable zone, Mars is just on the edge of the outer habitable zone, and Earth is "just right". Blue Zone: Outer zone. Planets are usually too cold to support (earth-like) life. Gas Giants are more common in this zone. Black Zone: Outer zone. As Blue zone, but the amount of material for planetary construction is lower. Gas Giants still common, but tend to be smaller than those in Blue Zone. At the far edge of the system, an Oort cloud usually forms from the various leftovers of planetary construction. From this cloud, comets and some meteors may arise. Calculations for all of these zones are based upon the energy output of the star, and the range from the star. These raw numbers, shaped by things like albedo and atmospheric thickness (and many more), give an average surface temperature for any given planet. JoeG Now Playing: Alan Parsons, "The Time Machine"

Re: Package Disads House Rules? During the FH 2e/Hero 4th era, the groups that I ran were allowed to count the fiddly bits of the various package deals (racial and occupational) as outside the max disadvantages limit. These were the infamous Racial Characteristic Maxima reductions and package bonuses. Regular disadvantages, like "Hates Orcs", or "Watched by ..." did apply to the max disadvantages. This was mainly due to bookkeeping concerns, and rarely resulted in very many points for any character. With 5th, those bonuses went away, so it's a non-issue. YMMV, JoeG Now Playing: Alan Parsons, "Try Anything Once"

Re: Computers In Star Hero The doubling that Moore's Law originally refers to is the number of minimum cost components per integrated circuit. In the 80s, it became transistors, the 90s, it became microprocessor power. And now, it looks to be running out of steam, as chip fabricators are starting to run into serious problems dealing with quantum effects. And, as other types of computing become available, they will not behave in a manner approaching Moore's Law. For those from a Traveller background, this type of problem actually is reflected in FFS v1 (for Traveller: The New Era), with computers above a certain tech level actually getting heavier and larger, as more synaptic processors are added to conventional designs (in Traveller, synaptic processors are what pseudo-AIs and AIs use to mirror a sophont's brain. It would be akin to Asimov's Positronic Brain). For more information of Moore's Law, and its frequent reinterpretations: http://www.firstmonday.dk/issues/issue7_11/tuomi/ JoeG JoeG

Re: Miniaturized Manufacturing Units? Some possible limits to replicator technology to consider: 1. Huge energy costs. The theory of Relativity works in "reverse" here, as energy is concentrated into matter. As a shortcut, the MMU could draw from raw material pools. So, maybe, the ship stocks up on elements that it cannot commonly create, or that are extremely costly in terms of energy to create. I'd probably limit the creation of any element above a certain position on the periodic table, say, Zinc (30). This would put some really useful elements off limits (like Gallium, Arsenide, Gold, Lead, Uranium, Plutonium, etc), or at least be a commodity that they would have to get from other sources. If the MMU uses something akin to fusion to form the elements, then I'd probably stop at Iron (26), just to mirror what happens in solar fusion. 2. Item template required. This becomes a computer storage issue. If the item is simple (say, water), then the template could be amazingly small. But imagine the template needed to duplicate something like a steak. You'd have to duplicate a whole slew of chemicals, then combine them in a scaffold resembling cellular structure. And be sure to get all of the proteins right: just one error in your template, and you have a bad prion causing CJD (Mad Cow disease in humans). Template size should approach that of the original object. 3. Existing objects are usually destroyed during the scanning process. In order to know (to the limits of quantum mechanics) all of the necessary data to create a template, it is necessary to fully disassemble any object that is put into the MMU's scanner. Now, you can get this back, of course, by spending the time to create another unit. But what happens if you needed an element that isn't in the ship's stores? And if you were copying a weapon on its last charge, shouldn't the copies all be at the same energy state? Of course, YMMV, JoeG

Re: Using 1-second turns instead of SPD chart Remove the SPD Chart and it all tumbles in? Hardly. What you get is a simplified system, where everyone gets an action each "round". Define just how many "rounds" are in a turn, and you get the number of actions before the Post-12 Recovery. It's even suggested on p. 232 of 5E. Now, for those folks who want to know how GURPS does it in a second, it really limits your options down to some basic actions. Are you sitting down? It'll take a second to get up. Would you like to move? That will take a second. Would you like to attack? That will take a second. Did you need to ready your weapon? Guess how long? Yup, a second. Now, complex moves will actually span more than one combat round. So, if you wanted to activate a protective spell, run into the fray, draw your sword, and swing at a target, you are looking at a minimum of 4 combat rounds. So, a Hero Phase is akin to a couple of combat rounds in GURPS. JoeG

Re: Wards You could always tackle the problem from the creature's side. Perhaps, a Physical Limitation: Cannot enter holy ground. As noted before, this would tie in with a Blessing spell (Change Environment). JoeG

Re: Should all skills be everyman to some degree? State-of-the-art design of pcs 10 years ago had actual power switches on computers (flip the switch, break a circuit, no power to machine). That front button isn't actually a power button. It's actually a software-controlled button that commands most computers to power to/from a low-power state (read: unless your computer is unplugged, it is on, to some degree). Holding the button in for 10 seconds is actually issuing a command to power down immediately. This is actually a good example of how tech skills can become dated in a short period of time. Now, Macintosh, 10 years ago, had that funny button appear on the keyboard that controlled the power state...which confused the crap out of many a pc user. JoeG

Re: Doing traps I'd second the Grimtooth books. One of my favorites out them is called a "Click" trap. Sometimes, simplest is best. JoeG

Re: Doing traps Cage of 1000 Knives, Huge Falling Block, Lo-Fi Net Drop: Treat as area effect attacks. I'd allow a chance to dive for cover, if they see the trap. Additionally, a nice shield held overhead can protect against many of the 1000 knives. Pits, et al: Allow acrobatics roll to avoid. Luck can also come into play. And by bottomless pit, do you mean a pit without a bottom, or a "bottomless" teleport trap? (Character falls into pit, almost reaches teleport at bottom, is sent to top, until terminal velocity is reached). The first is basically a "build another character" trap, while the second becomes a puzzle for the other party members to rescue the falling person before the teleport wears out. Deadly Darts, Keyhole Fireballs, and other nastiness: You can build them with liberal use of the Trigger advantage. Remember that appropriate skills may allow detection and bypassing of traps. Treat all traps as an automatic area effect (it always hits the same hex). Diving for cover still applies. Demonic Doorknobs: Traps triggered by touch frequently use either the Trigger advantage, or, as part of this one's definition, may actually have a "ghost in the machine" to dish out damage. I'd probably work it as "you touch it, it automatically attacks you", figuring in a continuous feature to powers, where appropriate. As to whether Dwarves can detect Magic or Demons, it all depends upon the type of Dwarf in your world. For example, in a world where Dwarves can't cast magic, and have high magic resistance, I would probably rule that they can't detect magic. As far as demons go, do you want Dwarves to detect them? Maybe anyone can detect a Demonic Doorknob if they really pay attention (because it rattles itself, chuckles, or radiates a really bad aura). Maybe you need a special item to detect them, or it's a priestly power, or something. It's up to you, based upon how you see it in your game. As always, YMMV, especially in your game, JoeG

Re: Those Black Powder gun rules in FH. The last FH game that we ran, we had wheelocks and matchlocks. The firearms could knock a pretty large hole in many things, especially plate armor (declared by House Rules as an AP, not against magical armors or defenses, for zero cost). The guns required a simple course on operation (WF). Upon firing, it would require about a turn to reload (this is fundamentally faster than real life, where a good rifleman could expect to get off 2 to 3 shots in a minute). So, in close formation, after the first shot, the troopers were basically reduced to polearms and swords. By the way, an archer in the PC group was able to fire and reload each phase (4 of 'em), and to hit most of his chosen targets (Skill levels, due to all of that required practicing). Not so with the riflemen; skill was not really needed at an advanced level with the guns. From our Badlands/Genshar setting (firearm rules based heavily on ICE's Pirates): FH's rules about firearms would work well in place of these, though I'd still be tempted to make 'em punch holes in armor. YMMV, JoeG

Re: Weirdest Hero question yet So, maybe it should be a supplement for Rolemaster. Urg, no. On second thought, I don't want to see what the fumble tables would look like. JoeG

Re: Weirdest Hero question yet Ask and ye shall receive: http://www.netbook-of-uck.net/index.htm Includes an update with Prestige Classes. JoeG

Re: Transhuman HERO Space Do you want to model it using Heroic rules (buy equipment with money, normal characteristic maxima, etc), or Supers rules (points for equipment, body mods, etc)? The only real problem that I see would be with the AI/Cybershell. Do you build an AI as a character with Multiform, to represent the different bodies? JoeG

Re: Beanstalks are becoming real . . . As much as I am a fan of the beanstalk idea, I wonder if it would be possible to protect it adequately from terrorist attacks. JoeG

Re: Magical Reality and Society's Reactions... I'm sketching out ideas like this for a future FH campaign. I would probably ask why enchanted items are not affected by the flows of magic. If the item is self-powered, where did the power originally come from? Perhaps, an enchanter has to create a complicated and fragile mana trap, to concentrate the ambient magic into a more potent form. Enchanting requires a time-consuming way to gather magic. Similarly, there may be natural sources of this concentrated mana. For example, a certain type of tree naturally gathers this mana and concentrates it within its trunk. Enchanters know that harvesting this wood allows the creation of items that utilize the stored magic. Of course, the area around a grove of these trees would probably have strong magical flows, yet spellcasters usually can't liberate enough of this magic to cast from within the grove. Other items may derive their power from external sources. Perhaps, an enchanted sword must taste blood before its powers are fully realized. Or, a different enchanted item requires the mental energy of its user. On the subject of game mechanics, I would not give a limitation or advantage for spellcasting or enchanting. I would just make it the way of the world. And unless you wanted to make enchantment more popular, I would require extra time or rare ingredients (as above). Spellcasting is a quicker, more easily learned process, with a greater chance for failure. Enchantment is a slow, steady, difficult process, that creates magic that usually works. As a final note, dispels may work poorly on magic items if the dispel is declared as blocking the flow. So, it might be correct to allow magic items a level or two of Difficult to Dispel. But, by the same token, I would probably require most items to have an Endurance Reserve or Charges, to represent the internal power. Of course, YMMV, JoeG

Re: Hero points? In a MegaTraveller game, I give out customized poker chips for great roleplaying and other contributions to a game session. The chips can be cashed in for a reroll of a bad roll, or the player may place a single die on top of the chip with the desired value before rolling. I've yet to work a system into my HERO games. JoeG

Re: Uplift Hero!!! There's an Emperor Strephon in Uplift? And he was assassinated, causing a Rebellion? Or, are you merging this with GURPS Traveller? JoeG MegaTraveller Clue : "Let's see, Dulinor in the Throne room with the body pistol." (Checking cards)

Re: -0 Limitations and Zero point disadvantages I have had a few players use 0-point disadvantages, because they came up with a cool backstory/background, and it required the disads after the maximum in that category. And since they were so into the character, roleplaying was not a problem. Along the same lines, Normal Characteristic Maxima for no points is basically a campaign- or genre-based 0-point disadvantage that most GMs don't think twice about implementing. JoeG

Re: How do you reveal magic items? Adventurers (and their opponents) have had to do some of the following to figure out the workings of magic items: Actively study the item while in use. So, if you are taking the Wand of Fireballs from your opponent, you better have listened to him when he said the power word, and watched how he waved it around. Research the creator. Are there other documented items where the wizard used the names of his pets? Maybe that would be a good power word. Experiment with the item. Of course, this works best for things with automatic activation, like worn items, and the like. Some effects may be too subtle; a sword that gives a +1 DCV could be mistaken for a weakness of the attacker. Research the magic. Here's where those KS: Ancient artifacts and KS: Magic Woids and Phrases comes in. Read the instructions. And some mages are just so helpful, that they provide the activation instructions. In past games, these tended to be primarily alchemic items. So, the Healing Potion has the label attached, "Applie Libberalley", and the Fireball Grenade has the label, "Brake Seele and Throwe". Of course, if the creator isn't all that friendly, the instructions may be dangerous, "Place the offering upon the altar, and raise the sacrificial dagger". And don't forget the chance for language problems, "What does it mean here, 'Tab B'?" Lastly, I would allow a character to research the "magical weave" by using a proper Detect: analysis spell and a lot of research. "You sense a tight thread of Fire, entwined with a flow of Air, with just a hint of Earth binding and holding. It feels a lot like the flows of magical energies when you cast your Flamestrike, though held in check, waiting." YMMV, JoeG

Re: If magic cost full price... My last FH campaign world used full price spells. To be fair, though, the campaign started many years ago, with 4th ed rules. Wizards were powerful in combat, as would be expected, but were also required to have quite a bit of noncombat skills and magic. Warriors tended to be well-trained, and deadly. And in one incarnation of the gaming group (about 10 years ago!), political maneuvering became paramount (thanks to one of the players, Jason Vester, later of "Broken Kingdoms" fame). The last mutation resulted in a high fantasy/clockpunk environment, with characters receiving an extra 25 points for character development (to become 100 Base/75 Disads). Warriors put this to good use with extra skill levels and such, while almost all mages added straight to spells (typical mages had 50 points or so in spells). To be honest with you, though, the average power level of most spells was below typical FHG entries. Mages had to be more than just a "magical shotgun" toward enemies. So, for example, the Earth Mage in the group also had spells that allowed shaping stone for building or sculpting, while the Storm Mage was able to influence local weather patterns to help farmers. Of course, YMMV, JoeG

Re: Bullets in vacuum? That doesn't sound bad. It means, however, that the person that you were aiming at would then be at your back in 60 seconds(60s * 3 degrees/s). Oh, and you would have drifted 7.2m away from your original position. Of course, that's just for one bullet. Did you empty the clip? That would increase the rotation to 21 degrees/s (you rotate completely every 17.14 seconds, and show your backside to your enemy for half of that time), and a drift rate of approximately .84m/s (every minute uncompensated by thrust in the opposite direction moves you 50m away from the battle). I, for one, would rather have the computer-compensated thrust to counteract this. JoeG

Re: SF Novels for Star Hero? Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen (reprinted in The Complete Paratime) by H Beam Piper. Time travel by the master. Kalvan is accidentally dropped into another timeline by the interaction of another line's time machines. The other stories in Paratime are related to the use of the time machines by the other timeline. The Mote in God's Eye, by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. Cool universe, with an interesting alien race that is guaranteed to be a competitor with humans. Little Fuzzy and other Fuzzy novels, by H Beam Piper. A universe much like Traveller, with contragrav and and gunpowder. Other novels that interlink with Piper's Future History include Four Day Planet, Space Viking, and Lone Star Planet.

Re: Generation Ship Campaigns