Aversill

Thanks Tasha, I think the key to this is AVERAGE. The guy with the 3d6 killing attack only rarely has enough to pump it 9 more DCs to max it out. The average dice of damage is generally around 8 or 9 DCs (2 1/2d6 or 3d6 killing). One player routinely gets up to 3d6+1 but that's what he does. If I use your math, though, I get the Max defense at, say, 24, and resistant at 12. Getting hit by an enormous killing attack would be very dangerous, true, but it isn't like everyone can use the big weapons (I've upped the Str mins on big weapons). It's much more common for people to use Short Swords, which I have doing 1 1/2d6 killing.

Really? Why? I don't think that matters, but if it does, part of the decision had to do with balancing weapon damage against spells. I made my own there too.

If it helps, I've included the HDCs of what I have so far. Hand-to-Hand Weapons.hdc List of Armor.hdc

Well, there's a number of weird things that go into my FH game. Most attacks do 1 1/2d6 killing or 2d6 killing. I think my long sword is 2d6, the two handed sword is 3d6, and the short sword is 1 1/2d6. All of these have minimum strengths that don't add in to damage between 8-12. That being said, magic weapons do 1-3 DCs higher than normal, and a lot of the characters have martial arts with their weapons (+2 DCs, generally). The 55 AP has a lot to do with spells. The problem is that HKAs get bigger. So, a 45 AP power (3d6 hka) could get as big as 6d6 hka (yikes!). If I set the resistant at DC (9), the 6d6 HKA is going to slaughter people. If I set the Resistant Defense at 18, the short sword people will never hurt anyone (they'll max at 19). And that's at resistant defense=DC. Now, very few people have 3d6 HKAs. Actually, most people are on the lower end of the spectrum with 1 1/2d6 and 2d6 HKAs, but most of those double through Strength, MA, and skill levels. So, if I set the resistant protection limits, do I set them at DCs after Str, knowing that there's then a range of damage between 1 1/2d6 KA-6d6 KA...and then what about RKAs which, at 55 AP, will max at 3 1/2d6? I'm fine with saying that people really ought to dodge a 6d6 HKA and/or concentrate on taking that guy out first, but then there are the spell casters who can throw up to 55 points into defenses (I do spells through power pools). In other words, I have to limit the amount of resistant protection the wizards can buy or they'll pump 55 points into rPD, get 33 points of it, and turn themselves into juggernauts, and that's even with a 6d6 HKA, but if I limit them to 18 rPD, they're still pretty much juggernaughts against everyone except the people carrying the two Handed Swords. It seems more reasonable to set the Resistant Max to 12 or even 14 (which is where I'm leaning), but then there's that uncommon 6d6 killing attack out there or more.

I want to point that I'm playing FH, which means that almost everyone uses Killing Attacks. So, getting the number a little off can easily result in character death. Not a real change in how everything works, but it does up the stakes.

I am at a loss on how to balance Defense. My campaign (Fantasy Hero) has a basic, unless-I-give-you-a-thing, limit to power levels at 55 points. That's been fairly helpful in figuring out what is, and what is not, an effective attack. In any case, the wizards are testing the limits of this especially as regards defense. 1. Do people find that limits, when they are in play, work the same between offense and defense. If people are throwing around 55 points of offense, should others be defending, generally, at 55 points as well? 2. When calculating how much defense someone has, what goes into that? Normal PD? Resistant PD? What about things like Damage Negation, DCV, or Damage Reduction? 3. Assuming I'm looking for a big total (you can only have 55 points between these powers, X, Y, and Z), do things like Life Support generally get added into that? What about Desolidification, Invisibility, Damage Shields, or for that matter, Power Defense, Mental Defense, and Flash Defense. I'd kind of like to not be blind-sided in combat, and I realize that there are no hard rules for any of this, but I'm at a loss to figure out the basics of what I should basically set down as the ground rules in order to establish fair fights. As it's Fantasy Hero, I'm also running into the PD/ED problem where 90% of the stuff does PD and so, why buy up ED? I've already had to outlaw allocatable as an advantage because it basically broke the system. Thoughts? Advice? Thanks.

n I'm converting all the 1e D and D spells into Hero. I'm hoping to post them up here when I'm done. I use Trigger a lot. Transform water to Dust is just one spell I have it on. The question isn't, however, about that spell in particular but about handling frequency and the Trigger advantage in general. For example, Currently I'm working on Holy Word from the 1e D&D book. It has multiple effects. It sends summoned creatures back to their home plane (dispel) (uncommon or rare), it kills weak creatures (extremely common), it dazes and slows medium creatures (common), it deafens powerful creatures (uncommon). So, it's a bonus to presence with a single charge that triggers a dispel summon (all summons in my game are able to be dispelled). If the presence attack gets Pre+20, it triggers a horrendous killing attack. If it gets Pre+10, it triggers a mental paralysis. If it gets Pre+0, it does a hearing flash. All of those triggers are the same advantage total, and I assume, none of the triggers gets a limitation bonus even though the likelihood of their being triggered is not the same. To my mind, the advantage ought to be affected OR I should be able to take a limitation, but the structure of trigger is such that I can't take the limitation and the advantage total has nothing to do with frequency. If I have a trigger when I score a +20 result to the presence attack, I can't turn around and take the limitation: Only when I score a +20 on Pre attack. I could, conceivably, make it so that the trigger activates on Presence attacks and then take the limitation, only if I score a +20 (-1/4 or -1/2), but then the power would constantly being going off and not having an effect (given endurance and/or charges), I probably wouldn't want this option. If you'd prefer, think of it this way. I have a power that triggers every time I hit in HtH combat and a power that triggers once every galactic rotation. They're the same advantage total and I don't get to take the limitation bonus for the frequency or infrequency of the triggering.

Also, obviously, you could buy the Water to Sand power as a compound power and not worry about the trigger at all, but utilizing trigger gets around AP limits for those campaigns that have them, which is, I assume one of the unstated points of trigger.

So, a linked power doesn't mean that power X goes off when power Y goes off. It just means that power X can only go off when power Y goes off (or some variation of that). Right? Which means that if you have a power that destroys Water Elementals (my example from way back), every time you cast a spell that transforms water into sand, then that second power is utilizing a trigger and needs to be bought as a trigger according to the Rules as they are currently written. Now back to the original question. If my trigger ONLY goes off when I attack a rare creature (Water Elementals), why does it have the same Advantage Value as a trigger that goes off under condition: Every time I say, "Boo!" ...Or do I get a limitation bonus on the power with the first trigger: Only works on Water Elementals (-1), for instance. I'm asking because it is my understanding that you cannot get a limitation bonus for the triggering condition. I could, and may very well be, wrong on that, but I don't see it in the rules.

Huh, that's how we used to do it, but my understanding was that someone figured out that it really wasn't much of a limitation and so they changed it to an advantage and called it trigger. You'll have to excuse me, mine's a jump from 2nd edition to 5th and I have no idea what they did in 3rd and 4th. Really, I came in at 6th. In any case, my understanding of linked is that it limited When the power could be activated, and that it did not actually Activate the power. I could be wrong, but that's how I've been reading the change between the editions.

I have triggers that go off and reset all the time, so long as the circumstances happen. Mental illusions that goes off every time someone looks at me. It's expensive so I look for other options, but there isn't a limit, as far as I know, to how many things a character can do that take "no time." Obviously a GM could step in, but that's universal in all areas of rule mechanics. It's really not worth saying. The problem is that this frequency is not constant. I'm making the spell, right now, from first edition D and D: Water to dust. I've worked the spell so that a part of its power triggers when the spell is cast against water elementals. In other words, it goes off as X, but triggers Y in addition if X hits a water elemental... Water elementals are Rare. If the power had the limitation "Only against Water Elementals" it would be a -2 limitation. Do I get that limitation if I say, "Triggers when it hits water elementals"? The answer, as far as I can tell, is "no." My question is, why the heck not? Why should the trigger, "trigger when someone sees me," be equal in value to "trigger when power X hits a water elemental." They aren't equal in terms of usefulness, and if it weren't for the trigger advantage, one would have a -2 or more limitation bonus. It just feels as though trigger, which I think is a great advantage, requires further definition.

Yeah, I was thinking, extra-dimensional, would mean inner space. It would also make sense in this context because I have kind of limited desolidification special effects to going Astral or going Ethereal from 1e D and D. So, hitting a possessed person with a power that targets those powers wouldn't make sense on a possessing person. An attack that could fire into the demonic realms (through the Transdimensional advantage), should.

Expensive aint the word for it. Possession, zero end, affects physical world is 210 Active. That would need one heck of an Active Point cap for Fantasy Hero.

This would be the Extra D answer: 5 Extra-Dimensional Movement (Related Group of Dimensions, Single Location), Trigger when target resists possession or when possession takes hold (Activating the Trigger is an Action that takes no time, Trigger requires a Turn or more to reset, Two activation conditions apply simultaneously; +1/4) (31 Active Points); No Conscious Control (-2), 2 Charges (-1 1/2), Immobilizes character while in other dimension (-1), Linked (Possession; Lesser Power can only be used when character uses greater Power at full value; -3/4) [2]

I'm trying to make an effect where a demon jumps into someone's body and possesses them. According to the APG, you can link Possession (which is listed in the Advanced Player's Guide) with Desolidification to simulate this effect, but I don't get it. For one, do I have to buy the Possession so that it affects the physical world? It seems like I would. Second, I don't want the possessor's body to go desolid; I want it to disapear into the victim. I suppose the possessor's body could, while desolid, hang out inside the possessee, but then, the possessor isn't supposed to have that kind of capacity to move. Moreover, what if he possesses someone who can fly...do I have to buy flight just so that the desolid guy can fly around with his possessee? That seems kind of ridiculous. I'm wondering, first, if people use this power, and if so, how they handle this kind of thing. Specifically, the powers they use to make the possessor's body disappear. Do you use desolidification, and if so, what do you do about the issues I'm having (or do you just ignore them and say, that desolidification is enough). I've seen people also pull of the possession using transform, but that seems to have the same problems (unless the possessor maybe transforms both himself and his possessee into one person). I'm also wondering whether extra dimensional travel might be a better substitue to desolidification (and whether, if that's how you do it, do you require the power advantage: Transdimensional, which it seems like you should). Any thoughts would help. I can generally get a power defined, but this one's kind of got me scratching my head. JIC: My current version of the possession is: 20 Possession (Mind Control Effect Roll 40; Telepathy Effect Roll 30), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (90 Active Points); Limited Class Of Minds, people with enraged, or psych limitations of evil [single species/type of mind] (-1), Side Effects: Takes damage from holy sources, same as demon, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (-1), Limited Power Target must be willing (-1), No Range (-1/2) 0

Thanks.

http://www.devermore.net/surbrook/index/archive.html I found some of the characters who were using unfamiliar martial arts maneuvers here.

Christopher, I'm new here; I'm not new.

I think the guys are playing 5th. I don't think they are simply renamed maneuvers. Riposte, for instance, adds +1 OCV, +3 DCV and happens the turn after a block (I think I got that right).

Looking at a lot of peoples' builds, I'm seeing a lot of martial arts maneuvers with swords that I can't find in the book (Riposte comes to mind). Where do those come from? Are they in a particular book or on someone's website? Any help would be appreciated.

I think the problem with this spell is that it requires an intense working around of the rules to achieve the effect needed, and that the effect really isn't that interesting. I have since given up on the Instant Summons spell because I think producing it is just Hero-Games-Rules-Practice. But if it's just an exercise, there are a few answers: The first is that you buy Int, usable on others (possibly as an attack) and you give Intelligence to the object. Once it has intellegince, you can use mind scan on it (with the Machines Class of Minds) and you can target it with whatever teleport/interdimensional what-have-you you'd like. It's a ridiculous work-around, but there it is. Alternatively, you could just work through a killing Attack/Summon/Mind Link to destroy the object that you Arcane Mark, summon its robotic duplicate (augmented by the teleport/dimensional travel for it to use in order to come back)/ and then mind link to the object so that when you complete whatever limitations you apply, it will perform its one solitary command of returning back to you. If, at that point, you think the thing should revert back to normal, you kill it again, and then use transform to pull a new non-robotic one out of thin air (you'd need weaponsmith and probably a pretty high skill related to making magic items). Both answers are ridiculously costly and impractical given that all you want to do is to get your trusty magic sword back from the Abyss. How much should that cost really? Has anyone ever built Thor (the comic book hero)? I'm pretty sure he can do this with his hammer.

I lose my sword (my focus). I cast the spell. I get my sword back. Spell done. I replace my focus. That's what the spell does. Everything else is special effect. Reading through the rules on Focus, there do not seem to be obvious rules about replacing them. Because of this, it's very difficult to say what rule would make it easier.

I think I'm through B on the old monster manual, but I'm new around here. How, or where, should I post monsters? Also, Kealios, you shouldn't feel the need to have every monster, in order to run the game. It's probably better if you think in terms of that night's encounter. That way, you won't feel so pressed to run the game even though you don't have a handle on what a Catoblepas will do. If they're not fighting the Catoblepas, I wouldn't worry about it.

It feels like all the spell is really doing is replacing a lost focus. Double Millennial Master, you seem to have a pretty good solution, but assuming that you're 'giving' extra dimensional movement to the object, wouldn't you first have to target the object to get the object to jump to you? Even if you gave it a trigger, say "when I say 'Shazam,'" the object would still have to "hear" the triggering word? Is that right? I'm hoping to make a complete translation of the first edition AD&D spells but I'm starting to think that some spells just aren't going to translate very well.

The power I'm trying to emulate is Drawmij's Instant Summons from 1st edition AD and D. Disarmed? Not understanding the point of that question. Bigbywolf, you are writing as if summon will work on inanimate objects like swords, I saw that it would work on vehicles and things that are built as characters, essentially, but I didn't see anything about summoning things that were pretty much single line powers. Did I miss that part? Transform talks about making magic items out of thin air but gives no indication as to how to do it except that it requires a skill (and presumably a skill roll). I say, bring to my hand Excalibur. Excalibur comes to my hand? It doesn't have to be my sword and I don't have to have seen it before or anything like that. Maybe, I'm overthinking this. Power pool, define power, the sword showing up is just the special effect, but given that the spell can summon Anything to your hand, it doesn't seem like special effects will handle it except for power pools that approach cosmic.