Christopher R Taylor

Drains used to recover based on your recovery, in pre-4th edition. Maybe 4th too, I can't recall. That led to a horrendous effect where you could drain someone's Recovery and they'd just slowly die.

I may be thinking of Dispel, since it has no recovery mechanic: dispel it and it never turns back on, because it cannot: its broken

No, its more than that. Drained inanimate objects never recover, as I understand it.

Well, true, but I was thinking in terms of control and usefulness.

Technically inanimate objects never recover, because they have no recovery score.

I think there needs to be a better animate object system; the present offerings just don't work quite right. Here's what the rules say: SO its going to depend on the summoned creature and the GM. But as far as the summoner is concerned, its gone.

I agree, you need to be careful with that kind of thing. For example, I don't allow just plain flight for the reason you describe. You can turn into a bird (and lose spellcasting) but you cannot just fly around like superman. I don't allow 0 END (mana) cost spells, I require all spells to have a magic skill roll so something can go wrong, etc. Magic has to be controlled for another reason though: it has to feel like magic or you damage the campaign as well. If your mage is just an energy projector with a robe on, now it feels like a strange champions campaign where everyone else is a loser with a sword.

Not at all. I use real world settings with minor changes. I've used Salem Oregon, Seattle Washington, New York City, and Chicago in the past.

I did it with a new stat called "Mana" that's basically a separate END pool. However, I do recommend costing at least 1 LTE for each spell because magic is so much more flexible and often powerful than a weapon. As for using END Reserve, I'd key it based on the active cost limits you put on effects in your game, and how many you want being cast. If the average warrior has 30 END, then 30 END reserve for the mage seems reasonable; they do roughly the same thing.

I pondered that, then decided since the only intelligence it displays (other than directing things to be lucky, which is just a power) is when to port away. The overall levels is just to simulate things working out in all situations, so I just went with no conscious control so that's just in the power of the GM and he role plays the whim of the sword.

All of that is probably why Piercing was dropped from the rules but I'd argue that its a tool that gives useful flexibility, particularly at the low end, for heroic games (particularly Fantasy).

where is "here?"

I'm on Patreon to help support my making Hero System (Fantasy Hero right now) products, but I have zero patrons. I don't think I'm doing it right.

80s is a great spy era as well, its modern but pre-internet and cell phones, pre satnav etc. So you have modern conveniences but no high tech stuff that makes everything so easy now. Lots of cold war things going on.

I loved Top Secret's info and source material. Atrocious game, but great stuff to use. Its like an early 80s time capsule for spy games.

Dex also has to include "when you move first" as a part of the stat, so universal lightning reflexes. Which makes my head hurt, because its based off of dex....

Breaking down martial arts into a system that better meshes with the rest of the toolkit would be nice. Maybe a power framework that makes building skill trees and martial arts type structures (Dr Strange film magic?) easier.

I've never actually seen an Espionage book, how complete was it? I mean did it have a lot of sourcebook stuff? JI was packed with it, especially in the second booklet.

I agree, you got so many so easily and started with so many combat is just a matter of using them up. I did really like their dark/light side concept though. If someone did stuff to get dark side "Points" then one of their bennies is a dark side token... which the GM gets when its used. I like that idea and will be folding it into my Jolrhos GM guide in some way.

Yeah I was going to bring up spirit rules. Independent

Its only a problem if you give several points to everyone in the group to start with and have very few fights. If there is quite a bit of combat and characters start with zero points and have to earn them through play, then it works out much better. I used to allow people to do max damage or choose their location with crits but our group got tired of critical hits and dropped the concept.

My website has several old, very low end AD&D modules converted to Hero completely for you to try out. I have run a couple and they are quite fun.

Yeah I'm glad I got into hero when it was first coming out so I have a huge collection of early stuff that's now insanely expensive and difficult to find. I'd consider selling some except you can take my Lands of Mystery from my cold, dead hands.

I wouldn't go super complicated to start out. Make low powered characters, have them fight guards and such, maybe some goblins or something minor. If there's a priest give them some combat abilities and a very small number of starting rituals; a heal, a light, a cure poison. If there's a wizard type, again just a few spells: attack, defense, utility, and maybe a different attack like a drain or mental blast. Simple, direct characters like level 1 D&D guys, so people can get used to the system without being inundated with new stuff. Magic items and such, make them just do what you want and don't bother with the writeup. If its a sword that is more accurate, its just a sword that's +1 OCV.

Stuff like that is really useful for Fantasy Hero treasures. A sword that ignores 1-2 points of armor is magical and has power, but isn't game-breaking. Its going to make a difference in combat, but not ignore armor.