eternal_sage

Re: Mounted Combat, and a Question of Historical Accuracy i think the general consensus is that yes, it was done on occassion, but the penalties usually far outwieghed the benefits. at least that is my reading of this thread so far... and yes it was a Final Fantasy nod, although Exalted had some stuff like that too, although my memory was that limit breaks were usually negative...don't recall.

Re: Mounted Combat, and a Question of Historical Accuracy lol! i'm sure he had to be doing his limit break at the time, though.... so silly....

Re: Mounted Combat, and a Question of Historical Accuracy oh...well a KATANA could hang off the side of galloping horse and accurately fire a two handed weapon and not fall off. then again, Chuck Norris is actually a katana in disguise.

Re: Order of the Stick i hate when that happens

Re: Mounted Combat, and a Question of Historical Accuracy hell, i'd shift the burden of proof to him (as it logically should be anyway). you never have to prove a negative (i.e. something doesn't exist/can't happen) only a positive (i.e. it does exist/can happen). since your stance is that it was NOT a viable option, then make the player find the proof for you, on the grounds that once (s)he does, you'll allow it. then you save you a headache, and maybe (s)he'll learn something. thats my take on it.... oh, and no, i wouldn't allow it if its not a cinematic game, personally, but thats my own opinion on the matter.

Re: Any Advantages to mounted combat in FH vs DND 3.5 that, i think, may be the most awesome image granted by the HERO boards in quite some time.....and possibly my new sig. also, i like these rules. good stuff. i never liked how 3.5 DnD treats a mount as if it were simply a pair of roller skates, with no cognition of its on, and no ability to act without your (free action) Ride Check. blech. this feels a bit more like what mounted combat should be.

Re: Order of the Stick which is one reason Rich is awesome. i mean, if you can do something original both with the Fantasy Genre in general and D&D in particular, and still make it this good, you are obviously nearing epic commoner levels.

Re: Elder Scrolls HERO [TES Conversion] added HD template to the first post. post up any feedback you may have. thanks!

Re: Order of the Stick i just caught up to date on OotS, and i have to say that it is thus far, the best webcomic i've ever read, and one of the best pieces of (lighthearted) fantasy literature i have ever read. i absolutely LOVE the fact that the strip has actually developed a real plot, and is not just a bunch of D&D jokes tied together (unlike a few posters earlier in this thread) and i find the last 100 strips to be absolutely AWESOME! they were both some of the most touching and the most funny. and that is something that can only be done with extreme talent (and places you alongside the anime Slayers for total awesome content). and i have to say that i never felt the strip get bogged down in darker bits, and i didn't find to much attention on the villians. i think it was just about right, all things considered, and allowed for some great bits (especially Belkar's moral dilema and his "Sexy, shoeless God of WAR!" bit, and the prerequisite "sexy, shoeless god of cooking" that came a little after). oh, and i have to say that my fav characters are, in no particular order, Thog, Belkar, and Elan. they are awesome on so many levels, and i LOVED Thog and Elan's little while "on the lam". that was priceless. everytime Elan sings a bardsong, i feel the need to pick up D&D again, (currently torn between barbarian, bard, or ranger for my next character, in fact). so many good times. oh, and i SO want to see some completion to the "V's theory" subplot. and as far as Belkar being a PC, i would have to hearily disagree. sure, he should get into trouble for his actions, but who am i to lay down moral decrees? i sure know at least one person whose table i would never grace. then again, i try very hard to accomodate my players (and i totally endorse PvP, if thats the direction the parties want to go in). skill rolls affect PCs just like NPCs, as do enchantment spells and other such things. my group is very into "in character" play, and it works well for us.

Re: Elder Scrolls HERO [TES Conversion] oh, yea! i forgot you said you'd do birthsigns! cool.... so....what next? suppose i could do the different materials (daedric, ebony, etc), or maybe even the whole weapon list, but i'm not sure that would be neccessary....dunno though.

Re: Elder Scrolls HERO [TES Conversion] actually, i was working on the class list, and i got to thinking... how many people actually use their silly classes to begin with??? i always have built my own, even back in the old days (can't remember if you had that ability in Arena, but i'm 75% sure you did) if people overwhelmingly reply YES to wanting the classes converted, then i will do them, but until then, i'm going to skip those, and move onto bigger and better things. what should i do next? birthsigns?

Re: Elder Scrolls HERO [TES Conversion] hmmmm...damage reduction vs poison/disease.... thats not a bad idea, actually....not exactly the same mechanism as in the games (as at 75%, which is the highest level in HERO, you'd still take 25% of the drain damage.) hmmm, something else i just thought of....instead of drains (which isn't quite right for diseases anyway, as they don't fade away in game) maybe transforms (humanoid into humanoid with Bitterjoint, for example) with that idea then what you need is just extra body to make the process more difficult/take longer..... hmmmm..... anyway, next on my list (other than these issues with disease and poison) is a simple class list. classes in game are nothing other than a list of skills that you get something of a discount on. figure i'll likely go with a list of skills which are discounted via a common adder. i'll be basing the classes off of those in Morrowind, because it had more skills to choose from, and classes were 10 skills instead of 7 (maybe 8 can't remember) in Oblivion. i'll be converting directly from those lists in game (tweaking a little one way or another to add some flavor, similar to the cultural packages). i'll likely have a direct and rp flavor of this list as well, since some of the classes have skills that don't make much sense in a table top game.

Re: Elder Scrolls HERO [TES Conversion] well, they aren't actually immune, but in the series, poison is an especially common occurance, especially in the latest game, Oblivion. since i was trying to go for a direct conversion, and there is no partial immunity in HERO like there is in TES (as far as life support goes, at any rate) i opted for power defense...and i'm still not sure i like it that way, but since disease and poison are major parts of the games, i wanted to be as close as possible to the source materials (in the direct version). the rp version is no where near a final version yet, though, as i will be tweaking it for some time as i create other facets of the world. do you have any good ideas on how to avoid the power defense method of poison defense (and disease defense, too, btw) i would certainly appriciate it, as i said, it is my least favorite part, and the only one that feels weird so far.

Re: Elder Scrolls HERO [TES Conversion] the direct racial conversions are up, located in the first post. they are as exact as i could get them, using the HERO rules, so i doubt there will be little to bicker about (as they are so simple) however, feel free to do so at any rate!

Re: Elder Scrolls HERO [TES Conversion] thats cool too! a dedicated sounding board is a useful tool... not calling you a tool or anything, btw....

Re: Elder Scrolls HERO [TES Conversion] oh, and i forgot in my reply to you, that your other suggestions were good, and i'll look them over this weekend. i'll likely produce a "direct" version, and a "rp" version, basically the first tailored to be as precise as possible to the source material, and the latter to have some of the "adventure video game" elements reduced or eliminated. hopefully i'll have them up this weekend. next up is a template for HDv3, so i can make these prefabs. then, i'll likely work on the magic system (although it should be fairly easy). after that, i'll likely look into the items/materials, as those have a huge impact on the game, again, with two versions, one accurate, and one that is a possible "non-video game" version.

Re: Elder Scrolls HERO [TES Conversion] sounds awesome. this is all i have at the moment (although hopefully more to come this weekend)

Re: Elder Scrolls HERO [TES Conversion] true enough. i'll add those bits back in, in some manner, and see what we get.

Re: Elder Scrolls HERO [TES Conversion] i wanted to lessen the "i'm a video game character" feel, and i'm not really going into the DnD style "times/day" set up. however, i can see your point, as those are the biggest deviations from the game world. they also seem the most contrived, to me, as far as Table Top goes. i can understand a resistance to the predominate weather conditions, but neither damage reduction nor points of MD (only "x" element) really seem in line there. i dunno. i similarly stripped the nords of their Frost attack on touch power, and gave the Argonians some "swift swimming" plus many abilities became constant effect. i want the world to retain its high fantasy feel, though, so maybe these changes are out of place? i'm somewhat conflicted, personally, because several of those things make the races recognizable, but just feel weird as racial abilities for a table top game. i'm also unsure about the whole disease resistance thing. on one hand, its a big deal in the game world, because getting a disease sucks, because its a pain to go back to town to a shrine, or to carry/make cure disease potions. in table top, though, thats going to be mostly played out as downtime, simply skipped by "then you guys arrive in Ald Ruhn". if i do make the diseases (or at least the "spirit" of some of them) i know i want them to be drains with gradual effect, but i'm not even sure how i want to resist them. the Argonian has Power Defense vs. Disease, but that will not keep them from getting the disease, just offset it. i've thought about a CON roll of some sort (like a Fort save in d20), to see if its contracted or not, but that seems wrong too. so until i figure it out, i'm leaving it only on the Argonians (as it seems a major part of their race) and just letting the Redguards and Wood Elves slide. although i just thought about the idea that perhaps a life support would take care of this problem. are there rules for contracting diseases in HERO, or is it a GM call? i don't have my books at the moment, and i'm knee deep in an art project and preparing for my groups Werewolf game Sat.

Re: Elder Scrolls HERO [TES Conversion] oh, just in case those who came earlier missed it, the pacial packages are finished... if no one has any better ideas, that is.

Re: Elder Scrolls HERO [TES Conversion] Magic -------- 7 schools, each governing a different area of Magical Power. Each is bought mechanically as a multi-power with at least the following common limitations: Costs Magicka, not END (+0), Costs END (-1/4), Incantations (-1/4), Limited Special Effect (School, -1/2), Requires a Skill Roll, (Basic RSR, Magic School Skill, -1/2) Which is a total of a -1 1/2 on each spell put in the multipower. Schools of Magic --------------------- Each school is governed by a specific Characteristic, and influences certain spheres. INT based Magical Skills Destruction: Cast spells to inflict magical fire, frost, or shock, reduce resistances, and drain attributes. Mysticism: Cast spells that absorb, reflect, and dispel magic, move objects, enhance senses and bind souls. Necromancy: Cast spells involving the creation, destruction, and command of the Undead. Unavailable for PCs in game, but many quests involve the actions of practitioners. Illegal in all provinces except Morrowind, and only in certain cases there. Ego based Magical Skills Conjuration: Cast spells to call otherworldly creatures, and command creatures mundane and magical to do your bidding. Restoration: Cast spells to restore and fortify Characteristics, cure disease, and resist magical attacks. Alteration: Cast spells to breathe or walk upon water, open locks, improve the working of devices, and make things lighter or heavier. PRE based Magical Skills Illusion:Cast spells to charm, conceal, create light, silence, command, and otherwise affect morale.

Re: Elder Scrolls HERO [TES Conversion] and just for the record, i'm getting the Characteristics adjustments straight from the game, converting the 100 point scale to a 20 point scale (dividing by 5), and going from there. Strength -> STR Agility -> DEX Endurance -> CON Speed -> RUNNING Intelligence -> INT Willpower -> EGO Personality -> PRE Body was the toughy, but I decided to go with an average of STR, DEX, and CON to get BODY, since the closest thing was HP, which doesn't convert to HERO well (or to d20, since the HP/level is based on Endurance.) if any one disputes these, we can talk about it. most of the racial abilities i droped or changed greatly to make it more about the RP aspects, and less about the action game ideas. as for the Magicka stat (MAG), its basically a END clone, but built as INT x2. REC still just gives back STUN and END. MREC (Magicka Recovery) recovers MAG, and is Int/5 + Ego/5. ED is now MD, Magicka Defense, and is calculated as EGO/5, and PD is CON/5.

ok, inspired by Thia and his Halo conversion, i decided to tackle my other favorite game series, and do a conversion of the Elder Scrolls universe. this is all based off of in-game information gleaned on my numerous travels in Tamriel, as well as the UESP Wiki (Unoffical Elder Scrolls Page Wiki) http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Main_Page. these will be primarily lore free (so as to limit the possible copyright issues). this will not be a strict conversion, as many of the game elements do not include concepts useful in non-combat situations, or those options are very limited. this is mostly in the concept of skills and magick. those who have played the games and know whats up, feel free to tear me apart. i want nitty gritty, nit picky, brutal criticism, and nothing less. also, this is going by the same rules that Bethesda holds themselves to: the newest info is the most correct. therefore, most of this is coming from Oblivion, although some i thought was better in Morrowind, as it was a little more RPG, a little less action game. first up is the races. once these are done, i'll post the HD files. tying to learn from some of the things i saw about Thia's posts . edit: racial packages finished. feedback PLEASE!! :) edit: HERO Designer Template uploaded. it has the new Characteristics built in, as well as all other adjustments made to the base rules. it does not have any skills/powers changes that may be neccessary.

Re: trying to build Spawn i agree, to a point. however, the player in question is (unfortunately) more of a roll player, less of a role-player. therefore i cannot count on him to rp the need to conserve his powers. and the idea is the need to pace oneself. use his natural abilities (int, skills and training, etc) to get the job done, falling back on powers when he has no choice (sort of like Cable and his TK... back in the early days when it was potent but his control sucked as opposed to...whatever the deal is now). he is very much like Spawn in that he has some potent human training before hand (martial artist, with DCs). basically not having powers puts him at 75% of everyone else, while his powers full out puts him at 125% of everyone. conservation makes him roughly even, and adds some neat bits to the character. hopefully this will be his big rp experience which will bring him over to the RP side for good. yea right. basically, if i or my wife were playing the character, the disad would be enough. unfortunately it will take a bit more for this player.

Re: trying to build Spawn hmmm. the lim may work well, although he will have far fewer charges/resources to use. i was thinking that i may make it around a 1,000 (as opposed to 10,000) simply because then it would have a viable in game meaning. it doesn't take long to go through 1000 END (keep track sometime. my players will breeze through 50-100 in a combat heavy session). its kinda funny actually. with the numbers that McFarlane started him off at, Spawn still had tons left by issue 150ish, when he was finally "drained" down to zero artificially to make the whole thing meaningful. i especially enjoyed the early issues though, where he is trying very hard not to use his powers unless he has to, because he fears going back. i thought it added a little something extra to the normal superhero schtick, with actually having to conserve your energies and all. anyway, i'm glad to see that it wasn't just my lack of HERO-fu that was giving me trouble on this. again, the character this is for is not actually Spawn, but he basically has Spawn's powers in a more superhero type of setting. he has an item that gives him nigh unlimited powers, with the drawback of it is an exhaustable resource. keep up the good ideas, they're getting me thinking.