sentry0

10 minutes ago, Tywyll said:

Just came across this. Very cool. Reading through it so I haven't seen it all yet but something jumped out at me:

The spell Bane of Achilles, which is a bunch of modifiers to a MELEE attack and is supposedly the spell that brought him down. 

 

However, Achilles was killed by an arrow.  So maybe change it to modifiers for a RKA?

Haha, good point  

I kind of abandoned this project after receiving a bunch of negative feedback around the Mythic Breach mechanics and the fact that normal humans are unaware of the Blooded and their side effects.  I like the premise but it reads like a White Wolf game which I didn't set out to do intentionally... it's amazing how much you can be influenced by your subconscious.

I have a setting book for NYC (Manhattan specifically) kicking around on my hard drive.  Maybe I'll resurrect it and put it up on the Hall of Champions at some point.

Edit: I should point out that many of the spells and some of the names of the bloodlines and friends and foes I recycled for Terra Prime, a pretty by the numbers urban fantasy setting.  It's not as low concept as The Blooded was but I've been having a lot of fun playing with it with my gaming group.

I've often thought about this one from a character building perspective.  Before I get into that I would suggest if this is strictly a GM thing that you ignore building it at all and just tell players they're normal humans now (whatever that means).

From a character building perspective I often think that a mutant should be built like a human first.  Which means any stats in the superhuman range should be purchased as powers only.  So your mutant brick may have a 60 strength total but only 10-20 base.  The balance of the bricks strength would be purchased as a power.  All mutant powers (including characteristics purchased as powers) should have the Unified Power limitation.  This means that a Drain against one power affects all powers simultaneously which should mean building a mutant collar would be much more straightforward.

I've kinda wanted to run a mutant game using these build guidelines for awhile now.

Another option would be to have some sort of Physical Complication that all mutants must take. 

Personally, I like the Unified Power approach more as it adds flavor to the builds and it just seems more interesting to me.  After all, what does normal human mean?  Colossus is built when he's not armored up... does it make sense that if you slap a collar on him that he would have a 10 strength like Jubilee?  The Unified Power approach can actually address that issue quite simply, all it requires is a bit of ground rules to be laid.

1 hour ago, Tywyll said:

 

To God? 😳

Basically, yes.

3 long recovering charges, 1 question per charge, transdimensional, 1 specific mind.

Sounds weird, but I think that would work lol

Mind link, 3 charges?

6 minutes ago, Diamond Spear said:

One more question: How viable is solo play?

Completely viable.  The only time you have to group up is for dungeons, trials, and the harder delves.  Otherwise, it can all be done solo.

Oh yeah, don't try to solo a world boss either 😁

52 minutes ago, Diamond Spear said:

So one of the reasons, the major one actually, that I plan on going with a Khajit is their Night Eye ability. Did they carry that over into the MMO?

Sadly, that never came over from Skyrim.  The racial abilities were just recently revised.  You can find the up-to-date write ups here: https://alcasthq.com/eso-race-guide-elder-scrolls-online/

Here's the bow/bow DPS build I was talking about: https://alcasthq.com/eso-stamina-warden-bow-build-pve/

I run a slightly different setup but I've also not played since a major balance patch came out.  In general, Alcast is a really solid choice for builds and guides... he knows his stuff.  There's also some beginner guides right on his front page that are useful.  Don't worry about race choice too much, Khajiit and Bosmer are both middle of the pack in terms of min-maxing but it only really matters to the top raiders.

Absolutely, I would recommend Warden as your class choice.  I have a Bosmer Warden who can switch between Bow DPS and tanking with the press of a button. 

Checkout Alcast for builds and guides.  He has a Warden Bow DPS build if I remember correctly.

I should also point out that the dungeon running community is active and vibrant.  Some of the best gear can be found in dungeons and most people will run a couple a day even if it's only to get their undaunted keys.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy yourself!

Played off and on since beta, have 10 max level characters but behind about 60 CP from cap.  It's a very different game then it was at launch... I would just say enjoy your time in Tamriel and don't feel like you need to rush through.  Enjoy at your own pace, the endgame will be there for you when you're ready.  Trials are ESO raids, they're fun and engaging with hardmodes that can be extremely challenging.  PvP can be done in small squads in a sandbox or in a massive open world setting (Cyrodiil).  Crafting is good and stays relevant into endgame.

Anecdotally, I don't find the community to be nearly as toxic as retail WoW.  Maybe I've just been lucky but it feels like a nicer community with a lot less chat trolls.  

It's a fun a fun game with great stories and NPCs that hopefully will keep you engaged.  FYI - go anywhere you like, there are no prescribed zone chains you need to follow.  Just go where you think you'll be interested in the stories.

51 minutes ago, Spence said:

I'll need to reread the writers guidelines and apparently I need to re-read the HoC FAQ as well.  I'll try today when I get home.

I just double checked to make sure I wasn't going crazy and there's a minor inconsistency with what's on the DTRPG site and the FAQ in the Dropbox folder.  The Dropbox folder has a section about "Previously Published Stat Blocks" and the DTRPG does not.

Not sure which one is correct.  It's not expressly forbidden in either case though.

1 minute ago, Spence said:

Well, they are not expressly forbidden.  But they are not mentioned anywhere as permissible.  Two versions of settings are detailed.  Characters, equipment and HD packs.  No adventures.

 

I was hoping it would be like WotC's DM Guild.  You can include abbreviated stat blocks of existing material and creatures.  You cannot simply copy/paste entire paragraphs.  This way the adventures are actually playable of the shelf.  I have bought several D&D Community Content adventures and never needed to look all the threats up.

 

I was designing a abbreviated "stat block" for Super Villains that only shows the parts actually needed during play on the table.  If the full write-up is needed you'll need the book.  But for this scenario, everything you need is here.

 

My adventure is a mini-campaign called Crime Spree and is designed to teach new players how to PLAY using a small team of pre-gen heroes versus one of the non-killer CU villain teams.  I set it in HC but plan on adding notes to allow it to be set in VB or MC.  Because of the theme, each encounter can set in any city as long as they have a seaport/airport, a business district and a manufacturing/factory district. 

 

It is aimed at not just letting the players get a chance in investigation, a superfight and to see how the rules widgets translate into abilities/powers on the table.

 

It also introduces the CU and some of the villains. 

 

At least that is what I wanted to do. 

I would reach out to Jason Walters directly via the site for clarification... I'm betting that writing an adventure would be totally fine.

With regards to stat blocks, would you be opposed to using the established convention of writing them as "Character Briefs" as defined in the Writer's Guidelines (p. 32)?  https://www.herogames.com/files/file/472-writers-guidelines-5th-edition/ .  The doc is a little out of date but it goes a long way in terms of providing a map to follow in order to have a product with a consistent look and feel as the rest of the HERO-verse books.  You would have to explain your shorthand syntax to people, this may mitigate that potential barrier for entry.  

I believe there is a specific exception in the HoC FAQ Page that allows you to reproduce stat blocks in their entirety proving you get permission to do it.  Asking if you can abbreviate them doesn't sound like a crazy ask to me personally, I'm not the publisher though so YMMV.

3 minutes ago, Killer Shrike said:

 

Probably your low post count. But under Account Settings -> Edit Profile -> Basic Info you should be able to change your title to whatever you want. 

I think you need 500 posts before that option comes available.

That sounds like you need to load a prefab.  Do you have any prefabs to load?

I've been working on a simple combat tracker for use in my own games and thought I would share it.  It's pretty basic but it will get the job done, it's not in the same ballpark as a real combat tracking program like HERO Combat Manager.

Here's the link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Y9lO7uMsJiuHze1OsfDnE6ew6rZrlL6dnQyLKyymWOs/edit?usp=sharing

Some general notes:

• It doesn't track MCV or anything to do with mental combat
  • It's relatively rare
  • Could be added in easily enough
• No SPD chart/segment tracking
• It's a Google Doc so there's no need for Excel or LibreOffice etc

Let me know what you think and if you have any additional suggestions for things you would find handy.

I get where you're coming from, you want to run a game your players will actually like.  The question is; will you like to run the type of game they want?

If the answer is yes, go for it.  Murder and pillage away.  

I joined a group of D&D players in highschool who were all playing evil characters.  It was a real culture shock for me because the backstabbing, lying and outright hostility between players was unlike anything I had seen before.  Tell them to be prepared and to have backup characters because an NPC or player may end up punching their ticket.

Play how you want, just go in eyes wide open... this will probably cause some friction between people IRL, problems in game, and lots and lots of player driven drama.

1 hour ago, IndianaJoe3 said:

 

Let me come at this from a different angle: have you considered adapting the Resource Pools from APG1? 

I am familiar with resource pools in passing only; what are you thinking?

In another thread the topic of where can we find good art cheaply has come up.  I have never used this site and am not associated with them in any way but I think it has potential - https://www.fiverr.com/.  I have looked into them before for a hobby project I worked on but never actually used them because I couldn't justify the expense.

It looks like it's an online marketplace for artists to hire themselves out as freelancers.  Some of the sample art I've seen is remarkably good and easy on the pocket book.

If anyone feels like sprucing up their books with some original artwork and has some spare cash, it may bear fruit.

Of course, you would have to decide for yourself if you think you can recoup the money in sales 😁

It's also worth pointing out that we have artists within this community like Scott Ruggles who have already offered up their services.  Some of these artists already have works that appear in published materials and I would be inclined to throw money at them first, personally.

1 hour ago, mallet said:

I think it is important to point out that while I love the Turakian Age setting, the magic system for it is very broken and unplayable RAW. This goes for 5th edition and the 6th edition Grimoire. In fact I would go so far as to say that 99.99% of players have never played it as it is written, because magic users (not clerics/priests) are super under powered in it and if played RAW would be almost useless as Magic casters, and instead spend most of their time as under-powered fighters using swords, knives, etc...

 

Why? Almost ever spell is build with an OAF EXPENDABLE! 

 

You want to cast the fairly common (in fantasy) Firebolt spell? Well each time you cast it (doing 2d6 RKA) you need to use (and it is then destroyed) golden rod studded with gems. What in the ever loving hell? How many Golden Rods with studded gems do you expect a mage to carry with them? Especially when they are VERY DIFFICULT to OBTAIN? Does he/she start with 5 of them hanging from their belt for free? So that way they can attack 5 times before the spell is useless to them and they need to buy more Gold Rods studded with Gems to cast the spell again? 

 

How about the cool Druid ability to grow claws and attack enemies in hand to hand? Each time they want to cast that that have to use (and it is destroyed in the casting) a severed animal paw of a carnivore creature that has claws. So, does the Druid in your game walk around with a bunch of severed animals paws hanging off their clothing? That would go over well in social situations. And what about the smell of carrying around a bunch of severed animal paws?  

 

And there are even crazier OAF Expendable items needed for some of the spells. A piece of cloth ripped from the robes of a necromancer, a bone from a lich, and on and on and on. Items that it would be hard to ever find one of, let alone multiples of the item so you can cast the spell more then once in the campaign. And heaven help you if you also use the encumbrance rules, because an effective magic caster is going to be weighed down by all the multiple expendable foci they need to carry. Or have to be super careful carrying around the OAF FRAGILE EXPENDABLE Glass Bubble. Seems like that would break during the first combat, or extended horseback ride.

 

Plus, do you allow the casters to start with these (often) super rare and hard to get items? Some of them are super valuable. Some valuable enough that the caster probably wouldn't need to go adventuring, they could just sell the items and live comfortably off of the gold. But if they don't start with at least one of each foci needed, then they wouldn't be able to cast any of their spells and would need to spend the first few sessions trying to find/buy them before they could start being effective. 

 

All of this is of course solved by making them not Expendable foci, but that is not RAW and would also alter the cost of all the spells in the books because it is a lesser Limitation. 

Yeah, I came to the same conclusion about expendable foci early on in my design.  I mainly don't like them because of book keeping tbh 😂. The reasons you list are just more reasons to dislike them.  I'm using reusable foci but  strongly debating removing them entirely at this point.

I'm settling in on my design by using some of the constructive comments in this thread.  I'm happy with how it's turning out so far.  I'm trying to make the magic system flexible enough so that players have options when buying spells. 

29 minutes ago, Gnome BODY (important!) said:

Crossbow.  RKA.  Physical item that can be bought, sold, made, lost.  Can go away in a single disarm or object-targeted attack.  Easily taken away and costs coin. 

Talisman of Aether Arrow.  Physical item that can be bought, sold, made, lost.  Can go away in a single disarm or object-targeted attack.  Easily taken away and costs points, despite your defense of costing points being the "untakeawayability" of magic. 

 

You're getting blinded by SFX here.  "You can deny an archer the ability to shoot by taking away their bow, but you can't destroy his archery." perfectly mirrors your stance on spellcasting.  Consider very carefully why you think there's a difference. 

The "Magic" that can't be taken away is CSLs with magic, the Magic skill, etc.  Just like the "Archery" that can't be taken away is the CSLs with bows etc. 

If the spell requires an extrinsic item, it's not an intrinsic part of the character like you claim it is. 

 

Take away the item they need to use the spell, duh. 

I think with your "duh" punctuation I'm done discussing anything with you.  

Thanks all, I have what I need.

4 minutes ago, Christopher R Taylor said:

See, from my perspective, spells are tools, they are the weapons and armor of the mage.  If someone can buy a sword with gold or find it in the dragon's treasure horde, then why can't you with spells?  The points should go into the skill to use the magic, not the tools themselves.  Warrior Boy pays points for dexterity and OCV and skill levels and familiarities, but his sword he buys with money or finds.  Archer boy buys his bows and arrows or even makes them.  They don't pay points.  Why should a wizard?

Not that I want to die on this hill but do spellcasters learn spells in that scenario?  You can literally take Archer boys bow from him in game and destroy it in front of him and it's gone forever*.  How would you do that to a spellcaster if they have learned the spell?  You can deny a spellcaster the ability to cast but not destroy their spell (without a transform, which is not in the same league as a simple Disarm maneuver).

*To me paying points for something means that it can't be taken away permanently unless it's also Independent.  If Archer boy paid points for his bow and I destroyed it in game he would be getting his focus back eventually... because he paid points for it.

Just now, Gnome BODY (important!) said:

Then you're contradicting yourself. 

Elaborate please.

1 minute ago, Gnome BODY (important!) said:

So if Sally builds her Aether Arrow as requiring a Focus, she can have it for coin instead of points? 

My take is that if she requires a focus to cast the spell it would still cost her points regardless if the focus is expendable or just a standard focus.  Expendable foci can be bought/found/stolen and a personal focus that is paid for with points can't be stripped from her forever... maybe if she put Independent on the spell then it would make sense.

I would take the same stance if Wally Warrior wanted to buy his Vorpal Blade with points, it's a character defining trait at that point and I wouldn't take it away permanently.

3 minutes ago, Gnome BODY (important!) said:

I've gone on this rant before, but why should spells that duplicate the effects of equipment be treated any differently than equipment? 

Why does Wally Warrior get his RPD and HKA and RKA for free while Sally Sorceress has to buy the spells of Arcane Plating and Flesh-Burning Touch and Aether Arrow? 

Why not say "Here's a suit of armor.  It's RPD 9 with -1 in Limitations.  Here's the talisman you need to cast the spell of armor.  It's RPD 9 with -1 in different Limitations.  They won't stack.  Buy whichever, or both if you've got the coin."? 

There is a simple counter and it's you can't take Sally Sorcerer's Aether Arrow spell away from her.  You may be able to deny her the ability to cast it by exploiting the limitations on the spell, but she will always have that spell.  Wally Warrior can lose his Vorpal Blade permanently.

20 minutes ago, Urlord said:

Both parts of your divided mind are correct.

Casting spells at will is OP, If and only IF the spell effects are above what non-casters have access to.  For example, if a missile weapon that can be purchased at a shop does 1d6 RKA, then spells that do similar damage should be available at a fairly low cost.  However, if spells are doing more damage than what other characters have access to, then full cost is appropriate.

 

I hope this helps.

 

 

That is helpful, thanks.

I would say spells are slightly above average compared to base weapon damage.  That edge goes away rather quickly when you factor in things like Martial Arts, Deadly Blow, and Weapon Mastery.  All of which I fully expect non-magic users to have in some combination.

That makes me lean towards giving them a break.