Thia Halmades

Re: Two-Weapon Fighting Hey Hugh; You're out of touch slightly with the d20 TWF rules; yes, they do apply -To Hit penalties, however, there is no longer an Ambidexterity ruling. It's now simply "two-weapon fighting," ambidex went the way of the Carter Administration. Second, there are two key things to keep in mind while using TWF in d20: the first is that you can only use your second weapon when you expend both your Move Action and your Standard Action; the most distance you can move is a 5' step (one hex, basically). Second, the best you'll have is a -2/-2 penalty, including both the Feat (TWF) and a light off-hand weapon. Basically, unless you're set up properly for it, you can't attack with both weapons; you always get the advantage of using one or the other, but not both. My understanding in HERO is that TWF is a special effect built on sweep; something with which I strongly disagree. You can, however, with minimal effort, simply keep the rules as they are and enforce similar principles. For example, you can only Sweep with a Full Action, you can only Rapid Fire with a Full Action, so reasonably you can only use both weapons as a Full Action. There's step one. Second, there are the normal penalties for wielding both weapons; the reason in d20 why you want them to be distinct is because they often have different damage ranges & effects; in HERO because all damage is bought on a chart there's a set variance; you won't see a d8+1 weapon, or even a d8 weapon; simply d6, d6+1, d61/2, 2d6. You don't have the normal d20 "add 1" modifier, and because d20 is built using an integrated critical-hit table, that changes weapon stats as well. In HERO, using STR Minima you can change things slightly, but your better is to make sure the weapons in the campaign have some extra flavor when possible. Anyway, rambling again. Sorry. Make two separate attack rolls; one for each hand. Yes, it goes straight against canon, but hey, you asked for options. Two attack rolls, one using the STR minima rules to add damage, the other dealing straight damage. Apply normal OCV/DCV penalties as necessary. You can also expand your skills in the TWF area to fight defensively (add DCVs) and so on.

Re: Curiousity about vampires and werewolves Having read multiple books on the topic of Vampirism (including ones which went so far as to suggest how to become a vampire - I read alot of strange things in my youth) I can attest that not one of them mention the Loup-Garou. It does make sense, and if you're into the genre it makes more sense, but it's a purely fictitious creation. Never mind the fact there isn't enough evidence to support either species ever existing, there is most assuredly no evidence that they have an ancient blood-feud.

Re: How best to build this? You can also build the flight as a reverse END reserve, similar to a RAGE meter as explained in Ninja HERO. Instead of spending END, it accrues, similar to the rules for HEAT as discussed on the Star HERO boards. Using this method you can improve the flight later; if this is an early model, you can have it dispel END in the same increment as Flight uses it; later on, you can improve the flight, reduce its END cost, and/or improve the HEAT dissipating ability of the suit proper. Not exactly what you were looking for, but it has more flexibility and a little more flavor. If you're going point-to-point, then MitchellS has the right of it - make it a lim and avoid the paperwork.

Re: Jedi and evil actions *massive post clipped for rambling and too many references.* The GM is wrong, I'm with AA & TB on this. The Fall is a dramatic event, which should not be either 'created' by the DM or enforced by him without full disclosure and communication with the player. A great DM is going to do everything they can to create a real, tangible world where the PC is stressed to all get-out WITHOUT actively targeting the PC and attempting to rail-road him/her into falling. That ain't right, or even fun. The idea that one is tainted because a bounty-hunter chose 'dead' over 'alive' in their presence is absurd. That's not how things work, nor how they should work. The Dark Side is a dramatic effect that should be used to propel the story, more than a game mechanic that is used to punish a player's poor or slow decision making. it should absolutly not be used to enforce the DMs idea of what "he says" a Jedi is about without consult from the other PCs on the nature of the ruling. Bleh. What a tool.

Re: Why is Piercing a power? If it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it's really an egg-laying mammal? Stupid sidhe. :smack: By Piercing did you mean Armor Piercing (advantage) or Penetrating (advantage) or something else again?

Re: FH Magic system An idea that I heavily toyed with, but eventually dismissed. Developed the core and e'y'thing, but it was getting it paid for where I was spitballing. Were I to do it over, I might consider it.

Re: Make them Pay! This ultimately gets more confusing than it's worth. It's the difference between a heroic setting and a super-heroic setting. Posted much earlier in this thread were two very good points: 1. A sword is a sword. It's a sword. A magical sword is an Independent sword. Fine. If you want the magical sword to be a part of you, it's not at all unreasonable to make the PC pay for it; otherwise they run the risk of losing it. I've heard the whole "it's magically taken away because you didn't pay for it" thing before, but that's not how I roll. I don't see a need to take it away - I'm just under no obligation to give it back. Now, should the PC choose to buy out Independent, they can do that - it's EXPENSIVE, but they can do it. I would not condone - and maybe it's the d20 in me talking - simply "taking away" items. I know it's HERO canon, I just happen to violently disagree with it. Don't give them something with the threat hanging over their head that you're going to take it away. It's silly - really - to charge them 1 CP to purchase an Independent Potion of Healing. C'mon. I'm not saying you CAN'T do it. I'm saying I think it gets into levels of meaningless (and fun-killing) minutiae. 2. Independent aside, the second excellent point was that there's something to be said for finding treasure; I guarantee you that a Wizard with a 90 point VPP is going to be able to smoke a Fighter under many circumstances. The joy in HERO is that yes - they have a powerful VPP. They're also probably skill deficient and squishy. If the Fighter can close range - bearing in mind he probably has a higher SPD and DEX, and likely some sort of ranged weapon with which to interrupt the caster - he has a chance. A fighter in d20 is drowning in equipment. Low to Middle level WIZ against a well prepped FIT would have minimal chance; there'd be a fair amount of luck involved, whereas the Fighter just has to play the waiting game. 3. As was just said above, there's an extent to which balance is slightly voodoo; you'll come much MUCH closer to having fair and well balanced characters in a HERO game than you do in a d20, but it's not a reason to not give out treasure. One of things mentioned in the original post was your idea that you somehow had to balance the entire treasure trove so everyone got the thing they were supposed to have - but there's no guarantee for that. In fact it's far more interesting from the DM chair to see what new and interesting use they make of certain objects, rather than constricting them to your pre-designed plan. 4. If you want to side step the issue further, you can also have the PCs pay for their own inherent abilities, rather than focusing on equipment. The Paladin doesn't buy "smite" as a weapon - he buys "smite" with the limitation "OIF: Weapon of Opportunity." If part of your concern is combat efficiency, then institute caps. For example, no one should have more than X*50cp in additional OCV (not counting DEX). So if you have 150 CP, you max at DEX + 3 OCV. It's not perfect (and please, no flame, it's an example) but HERO as written has no caps; instituting caps where necessary can go a long way towards balancing things. You can also cap a Wizards melee OCV, but let them purchase additional levels in Spell OCV. You can cap damage classes and skill levels. You can make your players conform to the ground rules of the game and thus force them to find new and interesting things to do with their points. Just further thoughts. I still whole-heartedly disagree with the idea of charging for mundane equipment, or anything that the character hasn't decided to absolutely keep. But I'm just one man with a Holy Ice Cream Cone. I could be wrong.

Re: casting time 2 You can hold a half-phase? INTERESTING. I hadn't even thought of that (nor would I have allowed it). Can you possibly cough up a page number, Curufea? I'd like to mark it, so when an NPC moves, knocks an arrow and freezes, waiting - I have the rules to back up my Instant Caster Interruptor.

Re: casting phase If you have 2 full phases in a turn (on 6 and 12) you have a few ways of handling this. If you're asking "When do I declare I'm burning a full phase?" I don't use declaration phase either - when I say 'declare action' I simply mean "the player tells the GM what she's about to do." In HERO, because movement is entirely defined by the SPD chart, there's no need really to do a 'declarations' phase; it's needless time. So as you say, "You talk on your DEX" and then act. So from phases 1-5, all you can do is abort. IF you choose to abort, THEN you would lose your Phase 6 action, and be incapable of aborting again until Phase 7, when you could sacrifice your Phase 12 action. Under ideal conditions, you would cast your spell after moving, as it counts as an attack action. If your spell requires a Full Phase, either as a Lim or for some other reason, then you simply cast the spell and its effect occurs at the end of your phase. Does that answer your question?

Hey Steve; We were going over our conversion notes last night, and one of the PCs is playing a Half Sea-Ork Ninja build, who in d20 rules had a ... "Shadow Running" ability - it increased his running speed dramatically. We know in HERO that it isn't quite the same; it costs END, the calculations are slightly different. We did the basic math: 10" Running, SPD 4, x2 (standard) NCM. Put his top speed at 29.5mph IIRC. So here's the question(s). 1. Questions of reasonability aside (he's officially faster than a riding horse, which seems absurd to me, but eh) when running at full clip in NCM, I know he spends END as though it were Combat Movement. What I don't know is when he recovers; I'm assuming "never" until he stops to rest. Confirm/deny? 2. One thing we searched high & low for was some sort of terrain modifier; in other words, we assumed that 29.5mph was under optimal conditions; he couldn't run that fast in a snow drift, quick sand, slippery slope uphill, mud, etc. But we saw no chart to modify that at all. I made a best guess based on common sense as to how terrain changes should affect movement, but if at all possible I would prefer a hard and fast ruling. Help? Thanks as always, ~DEM

Re: Star Trek: Legacy - New game by Bethesda Softworks Glad you liked it! Hopefully I'll be able to post more interesting things as they come up. I'm a cross-genre fiend. I just love my blastin' as much as my dice-chuckery.

Re: Spell Construction - seeking advice Wow. Third time I've had to write this post in the last five minutes. Now I'm late AND cranky. Archon: You note that both sections of the spell should take the advantage, "any minor item" or "any minor change." However, the campaign has a 15 Active Point per level cap on spells, and I'm recreating Cantrip as a 0 level spell, which shockingly keeps it more balanced than its d20 counterpart. Giving both spells a +1 would put the active cost to 25, no can do. However, I'm curious as to why you suggested it - in fact, I don't want any minor item summoned; I only want small, decorative useless items summoned. Presto: What is All or Nothing? My understanding is that you get one roll and if the spell doesn't work, there's no change. This would be too nerffity IMO - can you explain your reasoning?

This isn't the prettiest presentation - I hope it comes out vaguely well when it's up. This is my Gnomish package; I'll post the rest of them tomorrow, I need sleep and I have my first day of work at my new job. Unless Steve randomly starts paying me to write, which I doubt, as I haven't asked him too. This is my basic Gnomish package; some of it is still in shorthand but it should be clean enough to read. I'll post additional one tomorrow. This is just a straight conversion from the d20 Gnome, with my own adjustments thrown in because I've already modified them slightly. I'm open to suggestions, as always. VAL STAT BASE PTS ROLL 9 STR 10 2 -2 11- 10 DEX 10 3 11- 12 CON 10 2 4 11- 10 BODY 10 2 11- 10 INT 10 1 11- 10 EGO 10 2 11- 8 PRE 10 1 -2 10- 10 COM 10 1/2 11- 2 PD 2 1 2 ED 2 1 2 SPD 2 10 4 REC 4 2 24 END 24 1 21 STUN 21 1 10 Hard to Hit, +2 DCV 5 Gnomish Eyes; Ultraviolet Perception 3 Easily Hidden; +2 Concealment (-1/2 Self Only) 1 Gnomish Longevity; 200 years 1 Bump of Direction 3 Alchemist's Nose: +1 PER with Smell/Taste Group -10 Pointed nose, 4 nostrils, pointed features - Distinctive Feature (not easily concealable) -5 Minute (1/2 Human Size) -4 On Gnomish Legs -2" Running Total Package Cost: 4 CP, before Spell Like Abilities. Optional Powers Dancing Lights; Sight Group Images, -1 PER, Mobile, ground movement only (+3/4), AOE Rad (+1/4) (14 AP), Only to Create Light (-1), Set Effect (-1) (Only to create a set of globes) Gestures (-1/4), Incant (-1/4), One Charge lasting one minute (-1) 3 Real Points. Ghost Sound; Sound Group Images (5), Complex Sound (4), +2 PER Rolls (6) (15 AP) Gestures (-1/4), Incant (-1/4), One Charge lasting one minute (-1) 4 Real Points. Prestidigitation, Total 13 Active Points, 4 Real Points. 1d6 Cosmetic Transform (5 AP), No Combat Effects (-1/2), 1 Charge Lasting One Hour (-1/4), Gestures (-1/4), Incantations (-1/4) (2 Real Points) PLUS, Telekinesis 2 STR (3 AP), No Combat Effects (can neither throw nor deal damage) (-1/2), Effective STR -20 (-1/2), Gestures (-1/4), Incantations (-1/4), 1 Charge lasting one hour (-1/4), Requires Concentration to Move Object (1/2 DCV) -1 (1 Real Point) PLUS Summon (5 AP), Inanimate Objects Only (-1), No Combat Effects (-1/2), Only For Decorative Purposes (-1/2), Gestures (-1/4), Incantations (-1/4), One charge lasting one hour (-1/4) 1 Real Point

Re: Spell Construction - seeking advice I was looking for the last time you posted that, couldn't find it. They aren't done yet, and a couple are copyrighted, but you're free to make use of them. Have any advice on how to cut & paste my excel notes over?

Re: FH weapon damage Or. Both players sit there, recognize a problem that cannot be solved with direct physical violence, and pout. We can create scenarios all day long wherein force isn't going to win. "Okay team, you need to insert quietly into this remote village. Spread the word that you're looking for black-market enchanted swords - low end, but in bulk. Expect to be under close scrutiny and at the wrong end of a wand the entire time. Be smart, don't start fights you can't win. Your objective is to meet and gain intelligence on THIS man... (insert illusion here)...." and so on. Great. When do we kill ****? I'm not saying any of our suggestions are bad, just that I've encountered who have thier opinions and don't want them clouded by the truth.

Howdy y'all; this seemed most appropriate to the SH forum, although I may drop it into the NGD just so everyone sees it. Bethesda Softworks has acquired exclusive licensing rights from CBS regarding all Star Trek franchise material, except for the MMORPG, being developed separately and prior to the agreement being struck. There's an interview on Star Trek that you can read here: http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/gaming/news/article/15318.html?page=0 I'm excited, but then, the reason I love Star Trek is for ship designs and naval combat. Go fig.

Re: Spell Construction - seeking advice And while I'm at it: Darkness Darkness to Sight Group, 2" Radius, Usable as Attack (+1), 40 Active Points. Gestures (-1/4), Incants (-1/4), One Charge lasting 1 min. (-1), No Range (-1/2). 13 Real Points.

Re: Spell Construction - seeking advice Here are the other two spells I drafted: Ghost Sound Sound Group Images, Complex, +2 PER rolls (15 AP) Gestures (-1/4), Incantations (-1/4), One Charge lasting one minute (-1), 4 Real Points. Description: For the duration of the spell, the caster can create complex sounds - footsteps coming down a hall, rain on a rooftop, the indecipherable murmur of conversation. They choose the sound at the time of casting and cannot change it; the sound continues for up to the duration of the spell (one minute of talking, or 10 seconds of roaring, it's up to the caster). Dancing Lights Sight Group Images, -1 PER roll. Mobile, only on the ground (+3/4), AOE Radius (+1/4) Only to Create Light (-1), Set Images Only (of a group of three) (-3/4), Gestures (-1/4), Incantations (-1/4), One charge lasting one minute (-1). 3 Real Points. Description: This spell creates one of three simple images; a single globe, four spinning globes, or a man-shaped figure, all created of light. The light is emitted out wards and is roughly the strength of a torch; the caster can move the light at will, but it only hovers above the ground. I adjusted the Mobile lim to reflect that I didn't want flying dancing lights, and to shave off the cost from 15.75 AP to 14 AP, keeping it within the campaign limits of a Cantrip. Curious what y'all think. Thoughts?

Re: Spell Construction - seeking advice Okay, with all of that in mind, here's my current "Prestidigitation" model: Prestidigitation 1d6 Cosmetic Transform (5 AP), No Combat Effects (-1/2), 1 Charge Lasting One Hour (-1/4), Gestures (-1/4), Incantations (-1/4) (2 Real Points) PLUS, Telekinesis 2 STR (3 AP), No Combat Effects (can neither throw nor deal damage) (-1/2), Effective STR -20 (-1/2), Gestures (-1/4), Incantations (-1/4), 1 Charge lasting one hour (-1/4), Requires Concentration to Move Object (1/2 DCV) -1 (1 Real Point) PLUS Summon (5 AP), Inanimate Objects Only (-1), No Combat Effects (-1/2), Only For Decorative Purposes (-1/2), Gestures (-1/4), Incantations (-1/4), One charge lasting one hour (-1/4) (1 Real Point) Total: 13 Active Points, 4 Real Points. This spell is one of the first taught to young casters; it covers a minor range of effects, which are generally for entertainment purposes and studying the effects of magic on things. For the duration of the spell, the caster can alter colors, flavors and smells - he can improve the taste of food, enhance a dull flower, clean up a small bit of dust, and so on. None of the effects of the spell are enough to fool anyone or bring them to any harm. Changing the taste of food with Prestidigitation could not mask the taste of poison. Items summoned are small, fragile and useless as anything other than a moments decoration. Why I built it: Because one of my PCs has this spell, and uses it for... everything. It's a staple of her character concept. In d20, the changes are instant and unresisted; in my campaign I'm using a house rule which states so long as the caster has time, they can get the 'maximum effect' out of spell; for example, a Simple Healing would recover full BODY and STUN so long as the character had Extra Time. The same applies to Presto - so long as you have the time, you can make a cosmetic change to anything, or move a small brick, and so on. Why I'm doing it: Because one of my players has this as a signature spell; she's used to being able to clean her clothes, alter the taste of her food, create minor, meaningless objects, all on a whim. I don't mind it per se, but it has occassionally gotten out of hand. The spell is referred to as a 0 level Wish, because it's so dern handy to have around. Also, the same player has insisted that when the Final Battle between Good and Evil occurs, his character will win the game... with a cantrip.

Re: FH weapon damage Find Weakness and Indirect, in case he tries to get clever and take cover. I was considering tweaking shields myself - +2 DCV is nice, do they also give a block bonus? Cause they should. Must check da bewk.

Re: Spell Construction - seeking advice Mudpyr8 - No, hadn't considered it actually. Why, are you interested in seeing them?

Re: Complicate the Person Above L. Marcus - capable of reading minds at a distance, he sensed my desire to complicate Egyptoid... and got there first. *shakes fist*

Re: Need Villain Team Name The Unseen is nice. The Eclipse is a personal favorite of mine and is the name of one of my villain squads in my epic fantasy (specifically: The Wolves of the Eclipse. Look for it on bookstands in three or four years!) Other fun ideas: The Blackwatch is a nice play that was suggested earlier. The Brigade of Shadow and variations on that theme. I just think the word 'brigade' is grossly underutilized. PAIN - you can make up any acronym to fit, I just like putting things in caps sometimes and see how it looks/feels in the setting. A villain group called PAIN could confer quite a lot in a short time.

Re: Complicate the Person Above L. Marcus has spent a great deal of time surfing the aetherial waves of Sirius IX. Using a rubber band, paper clip and a bit of string. Sorry, watched too many Superbowl ads last night.

Hey Steve; Here's one that came up during spell translation last night. The spell is Dancing Lights - it's straightforward enough. Cough a light into existance (Sight Group 10 pts.) and then you can move it around, up to 100' (approx. 15 hexes) per phase. Question one: Without +PER modifiers to see it, how 'bright' is it? Is the brightness a special effect, assigned by the GM? A torch? A halogen bulb? The sun? Question two: Okay, I cast the spell. POOF, light! I need to be able to move independently of where I am. Jason suggested that it could simply be 'moved' so long as it was in range of the AP * 5 in hexes of caster/point of origin, i.e., the range of the spell under normal circumstances. Is this a handwave, or is there a mechanic? Second topic, "Ghost Sound." The original d20 version has the caster capable of generating noise up to level * 4 humans. They cite 20 humans equaling one dire tiger (don't ask). If we throw out the gimmicky level bit, can you give me a rough guide (or point out what I missed) that tells me how loud a 15 AP "illusory sound" could be, maxed out? Under the right circumstances I can see giving a boost to a PRE attack, but for the life of me I can't figure out how to model it. Third Topic, "Prestidigitation." I'll sum this one up - can I build a Spell as a Multipower in a VPP (please stop looking at me like that) and have it be valid? The idea of the spell is that creates many "small" effects; change the taste of food (cosmetic transform) lift up to 1 lb. of material (weak TK) AND, just to make it fun, create small, fragile useless objects. Like d20 books. Can I wrap all of those together as a set of powers within a spell and then give the caster free access to any of the above, or am I overthinking? The problem is the spell as written really is quite handy, and at "0 Level" it can do all kinds of nifty things, none of which are combat-useful (-1 lim, based on my reasoning of what 'felt' right.) But I can't recreate three effects in a spell without twitching uncontrollably, or making a multipower in the spell proper, which opens up all kinds of new and interesting abuse issues. Help?