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  3. Fortune favours the brave

    in HERO System Discussion

    Posted

    Re: Fortune favours the brave

     

    I developed a faith power based on luck... it looks like this:

    Faith

     

    I am inclined to change it to work on the 3d6 model though not entirely sure if the probability would work out similar in the end.

     

    Synthesis:

    Unidar faith is materialized in their capacity to do the impossible, independent of their true capacity. A faithful Unidar can take risky actions that are impossible, however if their faith shines trough their logic and doubt, the task is accomplished through divine providence.

     

    Mechanics:

    This is represented by a luck power that is capped at 1d6 per threshold(this is a number of total points in a character, it may vary by campaign) for faith based characters such as priests and half this for passive believers.

     

    Build

    Cost Power END

    5 Faith: Luck 1d6, Difficult To Dispel (x8 Active Points; +3/4) (9 Active Points); Only When Serving The God's Purposes (-1/2), Visible (-1/4) 0

     

     

    How to use Faith

    These these dice refresh every chapter and may be used in one of 2 ways:

     

    1. Leap Of Faith - A task that seems impossible but is plausible if the perfect circumstances were to occur at the right time in the right order.
      • The character must express his belief openly and direct the glory to Ohm and in general proselytize. (This doesn't need to be extend just clear)
      • Then the character must act in faith as if things necessary for success were already so.
      • The activity must involve some risk should it fail.
      • The character and allies must not implement any power outside of the actors natural unenhanced skills in the completion of this task.
      • The player rolls their luck dice:
        • Only a 6 is considered a success.
        • One success should be enough for most tasks but as a minimum a task should not to fail entirely.
        • Very complex, outrageously improbable or simply impossible things should require more than one success.
        • One success: Impossible task that is on the fringe of probability. There should be enough room for it to be explained away by an intellectual. Rowing across 50m of rapids in a broken boat
        • Two successes: Impossible task that is not only outrageously difficult but could only possibly happen if the right element or time were present. Finding red staff(a plant that only grows in the most auspicious circumstances) in a dessert Oasis
        • Three successes: A difficult task that requires a unique situation or something that might happen but never has. A Netherwielder (Summoners of alien creatures from another plane) being banished instead of executed by a Juris Dissonante (A special trial held against those who break holy laws) for wielding in Aldaria.
        • Four successes: This should be enough for a miracle like effect where impossible things are attainable that affect a discreet area or group. An elemental rift is closed in time to prevent a flux flood.
        • Five successes: Same as four but affecting a greater area or larger group. The stopping of two charging armies on each other by the singing voice of the actor and coming to an agreeable pact
        • Six successes should be capable of things only possible through direct divine intervention. The stopping of the sun so that a task may be completed in the light. The resurrection of the dead. The creation of something truly new.
        • Zero successes: Means utter failure of the part of the actors faith and should be role played as a moment of doubt.

    [*] Any dice rolled in this way may not be employed with the second method for the rest of the chapter.

    [*] The pool looses one die for any future task during the current chapter. (Failed Attempts remove dice in this fashion as well)

    [*] The character may try another task with the left over dice loosing one die in this fashion each time until it is exhausted.

     

    [*] The second method to use Faith dice by the actor is as a direct addition or subtraction to any roll made by the actor which involves high risk.

    • Once the character has decided upon the action and rolled the character may elect to have their faith carry them through.
    • The player chooses how many dice he will roll for that action and rolls them.
    • The total may be added or subtracted from the original roll at the players choice.
    • If the points rolled make the difference or enhance the success the player must stunt(cinematically describe) in a fashion that is supernatural and obviously of divine intervention and not of any skill or power of the character. These effects should always bring glory to Ohm(The god of this particular religion) and not the character.
    • Once used in this way these dice are removed from the pool until the next chapter.

  6. Bloody?

    in HERO System Discussion

    Posted

    Re: Bloody?

     

    It's like tapping a coconut with a hammer. The first many hits don't do any really visible damage, but suddenly, one hit no harder than the previous cracks the shell. Or a single hard hit will smash the coconut where many milder hits won't do much damage.

    - Klaus

     

    Personally I would call this effect ablative armor + a little DEF. Not the effects of actuall body reduction.

  9. Making sense of Senses

    in HERO System Discussion

    Posted

    Re: Making sense of Senses

     

    Just a little input on my part about detect / discriminatory / analyze:

     

    In the end its all about utility and cost.

    • Define what a sense(detect, whatever) can do, and what it can't.
    • Compare to other senses in utility and cost
      • Is it more useful in general: Bump the cost.
      • Is it the same but for a different purpose: Make it cost the same.
      • Is it a specialized version of another sense: Base the cost on scope.

     

    Sense modifiers are that. You could name them anything. Use the system to model your intentions. Don't use the rules to see what you can get out of them. (I'm not saying you do, so don't take offense)

     

    Detect: Basic sense

    Detect + Discriminatory: Advanced Sense

    Detect + Discriminatory + Anlyze: Detailed or high resolution sense.

     

    In an case compare and define.

    GL

  10. Bloody?

    in HERO System Discussion

    Posted

    Re: Bloody?

     

    So once penalized, you can make EGO rolls to avoid the penalties, probably with bonuses for motivation, like you are half dead and can hardly walk, but then you see the villain take a child hostage, so yo make an EGO roll with a bonus, since you cant bear the thought of a maimed child, and get up and continue to fight like you were whole until conditions change again.

     

    Did I get that right?

  12. Magic System thoughts

    in Fantasy Hero

    Posted

    Re: Magic System thoughts

     

    Interesting system good Ideas..

     

    So to understand the perks clearly:

    • 2 points White Mage takes perk 1, so they can cast -1/20 AP spells (whites).
    • 6 points White Mage gets perk 1 and 2 so they can now cast -1/20 AP spells (whites) and -1/10AP spells (Elemental).
    • 10 points and White mage gets perks 1,2,3 so they can cast -1/20AP spells (whites), -1/10AP spells (Elemental) and now -1/5AP¨spells (blacks)

     

    Dark (or black) mages do the same thing backwards

    Elementals use the elemental progression.

     

    Grays are different though (if you go for them) they need the first 2 perks to cast at all, but get all spell casting for the cost of 2 perks.

    • Advantages:
      • They only need 2 perks for all spell casting (save 4 points)
      • They can cast any type of spell as soon as they can cast.
      • They don't have any difficult spells to cast. (-1/5 AP)
      • They can make up for not having easier spells to cast by spending the 4 points they saved in 2 more skill levels in the magic skill plus invest a little more.
      • Greater flexibility at a slight cost to power.

      [*]Disadvantages

      • No easy group. This means that the other mages may have a single area where they have a better probability of casting more powerful spells.

     

    Actually after analyzing this and actually writing it out i think Elementalists are the ones with the best deal.

     

    Unless: Closed Spell lists. If your spell lists are closed then you can balance the spell groups against each other. (Except in the case of Grey). Probably by giving the White/Black spectrum more power, while giving the different elemental lists more flexibility.

     

    Questions:

    1. How are you costing spells? (The 1 - 5 points I mean)
    2. Skill used to cast, is it one skill for all or one skill per group? Note: one skill would make Grey mages really powerful, while individual ones would pretty much break them.
    3. Closed or open spell list?
    4. Is there a cost break on spells of your group?
    5. Are contrary group spells more expensive?

    Note: The alst 2 questions I mean independent of limitations. Since your orders spells have a lesser limitation they would actually cost more while the contrary have greater limitations so cost less. But since you are setting the cost of 1-5 RC arbitrarily, how does this affect the spells final cost?

     

    Sorry for being so verbose, but I am world building now so I am taking in all I can about magic systems from KS, Thia, and anyone else I can to build a world full of wonder. ;)

  13. What effects would you see on a terrestial planet in a binary system?

    in Star Hero

    Posted

    Re: What effects would you see on a terrestial planet in a binary system?

     

    OK, that brings up a question I've been trying to find the answer to: How small can a lighted circle be (in arcseconds, milliradians, or whatever), and still be seen as a circle and not a dot? For example, how small a star (or a moon) will be seen as an "other sun" rather than "a bright star"?

     

     

    EDIT: OK, thanks to this post by Cancer, I can say it's about 1 to 2 minutes of arc. An M5V star would have a radius about .358 that of Sol: call it 249,000 km. So, it would be seen as a point (i.e., have a visual diameter of 1 minute of arc) at 11.44 AU; and perhaps at as little as 5.72 AU (visual diameter of 2 minutes of arc).

     

    Interpolating the data I have, indicates an M2V would have a radius ~.473 that of Sol, giving distances of 30.26 AU and 15.13 AU. Still fairly close.

     

    Oh, and the distances for Sol are 31.99 AU and 15.99 AU. Which means that from Uranus and Neptune, Sol may be seen as only a dot, and that from Pluto, for most of its orbit, it will be.

     

    Yes, i fuggured I may have to exagerate the visual size of the dwarf which is about .6 Sol.

     

    Class Temperature in degrees Kelvin Mass (Mass of our sun = 1) Radius

    (Radius of Sun=1)

    Terrestrial Equivalent Orbit

    in AUs (life)

    Lifetime in billions of years K5 4350 .670 .684 .39 long

    Considering the distance I may have to exagerate the visuals of its size to vary between 2'' at its most distant point to 4'' at its nearest. I can balme it on the atmosphere or magic or something.

     

    Using this for help at world builders

  17. What effects would you see on a terrestial planet in a binary system?

    in Fantasy Hero

    Posted

    Re: What effects would you see on a terrestial planet in a binary system?

     

    What are the meanings for "S-type" and "P-type" and what do the S and the P stand for?

     

    Oh, and can you have moons? I thought the orbits wouldn't work.

     

    It is late so I cant remember which is which, but I think P type the planet orbits both suns while the other orbits one sun only.

     

    Yes there is one moon. enough complications with 2 suns. Except for tonal variations and very different phases due to the reflection of light from 2 suns. It isn't much different than ours.

     

    No idea. I was just using the terms that jaws used.

     

    I don't see why not, assuming the planet is far enough away from the sun and the moon is close enough to the planet that the sun doesn't bother the moon too much. And if it does, you can always say, "The moon is held in its orbit by magic."

     

    I can use magic as an excuse but I want to make astronomy/astrology affect magic not the other way around. The less handwaivium in the building blocks the stronger the foundations.

  19. What effects would you see on a terrestial planet in a binary system?

    in Fantasy Hero

    Posted

    Re: What effects would you see on a terrestial planet in a binary system?

     

    Ms Superior follows the link, and returns.

     

    That's a magnificent element for a setting! I'm surprised no-one ever used it before!

     

    It's actually my heartfelt intention I am just trying to make it some what consistent so i don't have smoke coming out of my brain every time the seasons change, also preferably not to have smoke coming out of my wolds inhabitants brains either if it gets too hot :P.

     

    But primarily to ensure I can maintain the suspension of disbelief. That is why i also went to the star hero board in search for some stronger facts from the hard sci-fi gang.

     

    Ms Superior follows the link, and returns.

     

    That's a magnificent element for a setting! I'm surprised no-one ever used it before!

     

    With two suns there are more "periods" to measure time with.

     

    A day is the rotation of the planet.

    A year is the orbit of the planet around the sun(s).

    But there's also the period of the suns' orbit around each other, which will be shorter than a year if the planet revolves around both of them, or longer than a year if the planet revolves around only one of the suns.

     

    With a P-type orbit, the relative positions of the two suns in the sky will change over time, getting closer together and farther apart, and assuming they orbit in the same plane as the planet (which AFAIK is most likely) they will be in alignment when seen from the planet on occasion.

     

    With an S-type orbit, the "greater year" or orbit of the farther sun might be a period of time used commonly by longer-lived races, such as elves.

     

    And that doesn't even include the periods of the moon or moons.

     

    I am going with S-type and my GRAND cycle is 80 local years (roughly 58 earth years)

  20. What effects would you see on a terrestial planet in a binary system?

    in Star Hero

    Posted

    Re: What effects would you see on a terrestial planet in a binary system?

     

    Stars whose closest approach is >10 AU but <100 AU are at medium distance. At this distance, a planet can orbit one but not the other at a distance conducive to life (remember, we're dealing with stars neither of which is much larger than Sol). Now, the "other" star will have gravitational effects on the planet, so the planet will not have a simple elliptical orbit, It will, however, stay within a ring or torus shaped zone around its star.

     

    I am looking at 20 AU, I am hoping it will be neough for minor climate effects and for a great cycle (the period of the suns) to be 80 years so that changes can be seen in one lifetime. Especially since my years are short 256 days.

     

    Suns are actually smaller than Sol so about .82 AU for my life sustaining planet on the primary witht he secondary being a red dwarf.

     

    This is what I find the most interesting situation of a planet of a double star. The orbit will change (eccentricity, average distance, line of apsids, etc), as will the axial tilt (amount and direction) in a time frame that can be as short as a human lifetime (or as long as a few centuries). IOW, while it takes Earth tens of thousands of years for the precession of the equinoxes to make a full circle, it could take a planet in a binary system only a few centuries. Note too, that the rate of change may not be constant; indeed, it might be possible the change in the rate of change might be noticeable within a single life-time.

     

    Thus, the old man of the village could, one a night in early spring, gather around the youngsters--not the children (this is not a fit matter for them)--those in early adolescence, and tell them how he remembers, when he was their age, that the tribe lived farther down the side of the valley, and that where they are right now was covered in snow half the year. The Jungle People didn't live in this valley, because it was covered with forest all the way to the bottom! And you knew spring was coming when the constellation of the Hunter, the one that's overhead right now, was just rising at sunset. For you see, oh you who look forward to the Rite of Adulthood, the sky changes, even within the memory of a single man. Indeed, I remember hearing the oldest of the tribe speak of how much the sky had changed in his life, just as you now hear me. And as some of you do, I scoffed--oh, only in my head--at such a thing. But it is true, yes,....

     

    Well, you get the idea. ;)

     

    This is the effect I am going for but not so extreme. Keeping the second sun smaller, and a diffrent color for the lighting effects. I want to make one person on average live atleast a full cycle (80x256 days) which should be easiy with human current physiology as it is only about 58 earth years. Some of my "human" races could easily live out 2 full cycles whcih should be diffrent but never radically so.

     

    Yep. As everyone knows' date=' fantasy games are required to precisely follow the laws of physics. ;)[/quote']

     

    Of course they are, especialy machitech physics. If they don't your would will be invaded by rules laweyer players that will dedicate ther gaming hours to making your DMing miserable ;)

  21. What effects would you see on a terrestial planet in a binary system?

    in Fantasy Hero

    Posted

    Re: What effects would you see on a terrestial planet in a binary system?

     

    From what I've read' date=' the difference in "color" isn't noticeable until you get to M7 or so (or B2 the other way); it would all seem white to someone near the star.[/quote']

     

    I may spread them out a little more then, but probably not enough.

     

    Of course, if you want to go with the ol' cliche, go. Most people won't know it's not quite right. ;)

     

    Drat, didn't know it was a cliche already. Probably unread enough or just not the right books. I've really only seen a binary star in a noticible or important role in SW:A new hope. I have seen them mentioned in scifi series and it may have shown on an episode of some sci-fi show. But cliche? In fantasy? If it is, please point me to some books on the mater i would like to get some reading done on the mater. So I can do this justice.

     

    Remember, incoming light changes as the square of the distance, so 10% closer in 21% more light; which ought to be enough for reasonable seasons.

     

    Oh! Oh! Another thing I just remembered! Tides!

     

    Tides will get stronger and weaker as the suns line up or get at right angle, just like on Earth with the Sun and Moon. It's called spring tides when their strong and neap tides when their weak.

     

    And if you do eccentric orbits, it gets more complicated. I think tidal force depends on the cube of the distance. I could be remembering wrong though.

     

    Really useful information! Thanks!

     

    You must spread some rep blah blah blah!

  22. What effects would you see on a terrestial planet in a binary system?

    in Fantasy Hero

    Posted

    Re: What effects would you see on a terrestial planet in a binary system?

     

    Tablemaster is a program for doing table lookups. Instead of hunting through a mountain of books for that one table to roll on' date=' Tablemaster does it for you.[/quote']

     

    Cool will look for it. I love tables, they make life so much easier when properly used in my mainly ad libed campaigns.

     

    Oh, I almost forgot --- everything would have two shadows.

     

    Unless one of the suns is very dim, but that's no fun.

     

    and the shadows would be different colours' date=' if the suns were different spectral types. I believe it's called the Flammarion Effect[/quote']

     

    I had only considered this for the moon, but it is very true. I had considered my moon to go through some very interesting stages when both suns shine on it. Such as a yellow crescent with a red crescent on the other side with an orange center, making it look like some kind of reptiles eye.

     

    Also the "red nights" when the yellow sun sets but the red sun makes nights "bloody eerie".

     

    And other stuff like that.

     

    For now I am considering the yellow sun the primary with the planet orbiting it elliptically to create the seasons. The sun is smaller than ours so the planet is closer giving it a period of 256 days (give or take a little, im not bothering with the fractions, makes my calendar easy) with 8 months 4 weeks a month 8 days a week. So I will name 8 seasons that mimic our 4.

     

    The red sun orbits around the primary in an 80 year cycle also eliptical, the heat from the second sun affects the seasons with strong difrences notices about every 10 years, greating 8 Greater Seasons. Depending on the distance and position of the Red Sun. The sun is usually only visible for about half of every year. What season it is visible depends on the Greater Season (its orbit around the primary).

     

    Of course this grafity stuff might get a little bit wild though but I am trying to get as realistic as possible with out geting WAY too complex.

  23. What effects would you see on a terrestial planet in a binary system?

    in Fantasy Hero

    Posted

    Re: What effects would you see on a terrestial planet in a binary system?

     

    There is a program I use called Celestia. I figured out how to write my own solar systems and then "stand" on one of the planets to watch the sky turn for a few virtual years to create a proper calendar for my main homebrew world.

     

    After you get it working, you then alter the text files to move stars and planets around in infinite combinations until it looks and feels right. I even wrote a randomizer in TableMaster to output solar systems.

     

     

    Awesome!! that will save me a ton of work... I have been looking for various simulators but most are too scientific or just don't really do what I need but Celestia sounds perfect!! Great help!

     

    BTW what is tablemaster?

  24. What effects would you see on a terrestial planet in a binary system?

    in Fantasy Hero

    Posted

    OK, I asked this in the Sci-Fi section to get an astronomical view of things, but this is actually for some fantasy world building. I am looking to compile the potential SFX that would be perceived by inhabitants of a planet that has 2 suns. Seasonal, day/night cycles, etc...

     

    I am considering both options of an S-type orbit (around only one of the stars) and a P-type orbit (around both suns).

     

    I am not really interested in making it real, just consistent enough for fantasy. Especially to consider all the cool effects that might derive from the situation.

     

    Any help appreciated

     

    Click here for the STAR HERO version of this thread

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