Scott Ruggels

Article on the suit; https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/dungeons-dragons-dragonlance-margaret-weis-lawsuit/?fbclid=IwAR3nyrkObJDMCQWHzffQusVMTEHKmt5K7CdSgrcTi4E4nmrI1iIxRE-nId8

Well now.., https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/7245020-Weis.html?fbclid=IwAR2rejSRT02Vy9hjy_YqTQQZszDnUQqEgKYpswTo2z_jsjThLisEzeB4lj8 it seems that Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman are suing Wizards of The Coast for Breach if Contract, and Tortious interference I guess Dragonlance will Not be one of the realms WoTC will be revisiting.

Bess

Do you, now? Similar, maybe, but not the same. Mechanics and assumptions are different. But then again, it goes back to why one emulating a D&D background in the first place. I itch that comes the baggage of class, and class advancement, and with published adventures, that advancement is almost baked in. The incremental and measured Hero Advancement as well as the point costs of several new spells per level kind of bend Hero out of shape, especially when trying to balance encounters. Also those levels expand capability, but do not expand DCV or defenses evenly. There is no Hero equivalent to the addition of Hit Points every level. The assumptions of the two games are quite different. A fireball is an easy one though. 6D6 fireball in a 20 foot radius. For Hero again would be a 3 hex Radius 6e6 AOE, with appropriate limitations. And yes Flesh to stone would be a major transformation, but the point costs between the two would be radically different, so a Wizard would need to put all their points into the multi power to allow for those point jumps at the expense of their defenses and DCV. Eberron? No thank you. Though a Warforged-like characters have been done in Champions for decades. Still, I have to question the utility of converting D&D to Hero, both are fun systems that do what they do, but they do things differently. If it’s trying to entice D&D players to a “New and Better System”, by converting things wholesale, I think it would just breed frustration in the players expecting X to work like X, and then it doesn’t. If the conversion is because of the lack of published Hero adventures, that is somewhat understandable, but then that is still a lot of effort on conversion. But even so, Hero conversions from D&D still come across like a cheap Chinese knock off of the Original. Why follow D&D, when Hero tosses the class system in the trash, and allows people to build what they want within GM’s discretion? Why stick with Faerun? Why stick with Eberron? Sure, use the background and general details, but make a Hero high fantasy. If the players balk, go back to 5e. I like 5e for what it is, (and play it a lot more often than Hero these days) but it’s a different experience than Hero. The continued effort and posts asking for 5e conversions into Hero I just find Mildly depressing, especially in a forum called Fantasy Hero.

Well in my case it was giving the players character types they wanted more than powerful wizards, and give them something to do. But then the folks were not powergamers to begin with.

Currently running an FH campaign with no magic other than some alchemy. It’s going great.

I am currently running a low fantasy campaign that has no magic. It’s working quite well.

Exactly. It seems counterproductive to use Hero to closely emulate the mechanics of a D20 system, when that system works fine me as intended. Hero, due to its flexibility, can, with work, emulate the effects of 5e D&D, but why? There are different assumptions between the two systems. I am a little depressed at how many articles here are about emulating D&D spells and effects. If you like D&D, except X or Y, then it would be a lot less effort to house rule those issues; than to make a conversion to Hero. Character progression between the characters two systems is vastly different as well, to say nothing about the class system. Best to borrow a few things here and there’s, and just build out the rest inHero.

No, it's a lot better. 😁

Meat

Oh Lordy. Someone caught a case of lethal stupidity, and it was contagious. Woof. Two turns and 3 segments. That's a fairly quick fight. In a similar situation, I and my fellow nobles survived, when we disavowed the actions of the impulsive character, and did nothing, other than stepping back and voicing their displeasure at the breach of manners. Another time, I sold out the rogue for nearly causing a diplomatic incident, and remanding him to local justice. 😁

I just used the Hit location tables, and if the D20 converts complained, I just passed it off as a different rules system.

Oh absolutely. this matters. For me I tended to keep combats to every other, or every third run, to space things out. in between is shopping, investigation, RP, research, or reconnaissance for the next combat. Surprise combats do happen, but they are usually consequences of player actions, so it's understood to be an anomaly. Though my Campaigns were more travelogue, than intrigue and criminality.

As one of the folks involved in the creation of Teenagers From Outer Space, back in the day, it was a humor based cosmetic transform, much like the Ranma Saotome effect, where there was no possibility of any hanky panky and played strictly for humor. So it was a Minor transform as it changed no stats or powers.

I found these at the local Comic store. They are metal, about 40mm tall, and these are two of the three boxes. They cost me about $12 per box, so they weren't a painful expense. IF one feels ambitions you could drop them in paint remover, clean, re-prime, and paint to your own heroes." As to their use, for any sort of tactical combat game, which Champions is one of them, I find Maps and miniatures mandatory, because it allows everyone to agree on the same terrain, and can plan their moves. It also keeps people more involved, planning out their next moves. We didn't build a lot of terrain features, but drew the terrain out on 25mm Hex Chessex Maps, using Stadtler Wasserlosich pens to line out what the terrain was for the night, and using matchbox cars and 1/72 scale model kits of vehicles if available (because supers toss cars). Now granted, I came into this hobby, from tabletop war games, so I am used to reading the maps and boards, because "Theater of The Mind", doesn't always do it for me. But having the maps helps in my experience, to give people more tactical options. Hope this helps.

Non standard dragon from Firt Edition Fantasy Hero.

Thank you for the hard work, Duke.

The other way to do it is to force either a CON or INT Roll to perform any action?

I always think of this, now:

Duke understood it perfectly. Heroes and Villains use the same mechanics and the same rules, but not the same number of points. Point disparities have been a thing since Champions first edition and have been accepted. The problem is different MECHANICS between Heroes and Villains, and that is my objection in a HERO based game. If the villain Necromancer's skeleton army can last thousands of years, standing guard over his Phylactery, but the Hero Wizards 10 or 20 Skeletons last a day, when they are in lore supposedly the same spell, that is unacceptable. If they are different spells , with different machanics, that's fine, and a different situation. IF both the Necromancer, and the Wizard both have the same spell, and in both cases the skeletons collapse into dust in 20-40 days, than I find that pretty unacceptable and useless for thematic reasons. It's the decay, in general I object to. Is this clearer?

I will have loose limits, but I often drop challenges on the players that aren't "personally" solvable. This usually results in Skill bloat but I am happy with that. We did have a swordsman that had 6 levels with blade, so he could get "eye shots" with his blade, because that was his thing. (Then I threw monsters that had no eyes at him XD).

I think you all misunderstand. I said that all participants should use the same "legal" tools, but GMs are GMs, and as such villains can get near to unlimited points (How else are you going to build Galactus?). What i am saying is that the the "Daily Decay", feels very very wrong for a fantasy game, especially in a game where both sides have "animated skeletons" available as a spell. IF there are different spells, the Heroes should , with research, be able to figure out that second spell. Privileging the villains with "special powers" is too much like D&D. Villain powers should not be special, no more than a huge surplus of points.

or via Narrative/non-rules means. Possible, but a bit of a dodge IMO< especially if the assumption for the game is a "Hard magic" i.e. tool based magic system. (IMO< I also think tthat soft magic isn't a good fit for FH, as FH. THIS!!! THIS is what i foind highly objectionable in a magic system, this is a "different" rule than the players. No, but I don't see a skeleton, as a friend (unless there are rules for "uplifted" skeletons_. I could see them paying a Vampire, to keep an eye on things. I am still thinking that this is a dodge, or "Different Rules". Kingship, Divine Right, Blasphemous rite, or a vote of the people, doesn't matter, as they are using different rules, that what is available to the player, which to me is the root of the objection. See: above. They aren't "Permanent Followers". They are somewhat flimsy, stack ordered robots with some rudimentary hardwar commands, that you put in place. They aren't "followers" they are semi-autonomous drones, except as fantasy. of course there are all sorts of ways to build and define skeleton armies. This is Hero after All, I just think, thematically that skeleton guards that "Walk the permimeter, untile confronted by Non authorized beings, then fight! should have a short duration of less than centuries, or until destroyed.

TexMex definitely.

I think the "stack order" programming is one solution, but I REALLY dislike the daily degradation for thematic reasons, because if the opposition can plant undead guards for centuries or millennia around their evil valuable, then the players should be able to as well. I really bristle at allowing the enemies to play by different rules than the players. I like it when players make complex plans and push them into operation. This degradation rule IMO kind of nerfs Liches and Necromancers a bit too much. Years ago, I was in a game, where one of the players raised a skeleton, wrapped it in bandages, dressed it in clothes, put a baby snake in the skull, and had it for his "servant/ bodyguard" for the years the campaign was active. It was a very cool trick.