dekrass

6E1 page 347 says that you can give a power continuing charges to avoid expending a charge each phase with time limit, and it says the GM typically caps the value of continuing charges at -0. In this case does capping it mean it doesn't become more of a limitation or it doesn't become an advantage or both?

It seems that I have stumbled into another, much larger, debate here. Having barely been aware of HERO until a few months ago I don't have much context for a lot of this. Do Dexterity rolls and skills and such come up more than other types in most games? Is initiative really a major deciding factor in a lot of combats?

Is Dexterity really twice as good as the other basic characteristics? I started reading the HERO System rules (6e) a few months ago and have played a little. The cost of dexterity has kind of bugged me the whole time. What am I missing? What makes it worth twice the cost of strength, presence, or intelligence?

Yes indeed.

From what I've read Fantasy Hero Complete is pared down rules from the core 6E1 and 6E2 with some fantasy stuff added. I believe it's also been said that there were some rules actually changed from the core. What are the differences between the two? If you have 6E1, 6E2, and the older 6E Fantasy Hero supplement do you have everything that's in FHC?

Page 228 of Fantasy Hero has this line "The time, distance, and Range Modifier scales apply to all units in a battle, even those smaller and larger than average." It's under the Size of Units heading. What are the time and range modifier scales this line refers to? The time scale is the only one I actually see more information for.

I'm confused by this part of the PSL description in 6E1 "A character can change how his OPSLs are assigned as a Zero Phase Action. However, unless the GM permits otherwise, he may not change the assignment of his OPSLs more than once in a Phase." There's a section that's the same for DPSLs. My interpretation of the rest of the text is that you choose a type of penalty and which attacks they apply to when you buy the PSL. What do you assign from phase to phase?

I'm not sure on the game effects yet. It should have a gradual buildup of effects. Any time a sapient, living creature is in darkness the presence of this being presses in on their mind. It's not necessarily noticeable at first, but after a short time they start hearing a sound like distant whispers. Then the real effects start. Starting with feelings of nervousness moving on to paranoia and anger. While those feelings are building the subject feels more comfortable further away from sources of light, but the effects don't actually lessen in the dark, they continue to build. If the subject spends more time in the dark after the initial phase it will begin to see better in the dark. The feeling of comfort in the dark, and discomfort in bright light, will increase. Over time the psychological effects could increase in different ways depending on the nature of the subject and its circumstances. From there I'm hazy on details of the transition, but the end point is transformation into a warped, nocturnal evil creature that hates the light and those who dwell in it. The setting is a big messy fantasy world with a lot of sapient species. I'll need to find or make stats for each, and make a dark version of each to represent those fallen to corruption. Old mines and caves are places to be feared. Those are the places the corrupted congregate. Mages casting death, disintegration, or darkness spells open themselves to corruption as well. More powerful spells may make things move faster. The evil influence can be avoided by simply staying in well lit areas. The tech level varies by region with the highest being in an industrial revolution. People make sure to keep lanterns lit or a fire burning in the room while they sleep. The corruption builds up gradually and fades in sunlight about as fast as it builds. A day outside can make things right again on a clear summer day, unless the subject is hiding from the sun because of the corruption. In worse weather and during winter a cure is harder to come by. There are roaming priests who can purge the darkness from all but the worst cases, but they're not always around. Some well educated mages could learn to do the same. PCs will be able to protect themselves pretty easily from all of this by keeping fires going if they're cautious. The danger comes when they want to be stealthy, or adverse conditions or enemies extinguish their lights. Nocturnal creatures likes bats and owls are not affected, but are subject to distrust and superstition. After typing all that I think maybe I need to work out some kind of gradual transform effect.

Are there rules or guidelines out there for corruption by dark powers, or something like that? I'm pondering a dark fantasy setting in which an insidious god-like being whispers into people's minds when they spend time in the dark. It would influence the people to shy away from light, be more prone to anger and paranoia, and eventually drive them to start sabotaging light sources and attacking people. Those affected could recover from minor exposure by spending a lot of time in sunlight, and a bit more effect could be countered by magic, but one could be corrupted beyond salvation. It seems I would need some kind of system for corruption, or insanity maybe? Part of why I'm not sure is that the way I envision the dark god is more of a force of nature than a creature. And if there are no rules out there for this does anyone have suggestions for how to deal with such a thing? Thank you for any input.

Fair point. Specificity is often helpful. I'm trying to replicate a series of spells that all just make different weapons. They were made in O.L.D. Which is a game with a flexible magic system in which you build your spells based on a bunch of variable parts with magic point costs attached. One of the original spells looked like this. Instant Longsword Create Metal Cost 2MP ; Skills creation 1 Casting Time 1 action Duration 1 minute Range: touch ; Target: object created You create a longsword. It is medium and does 3d6+2 slashing damage. It weighs 4 pounds. Costs: 1MP create object, 1MP duration The above constitutes a simple low level spell in that game. I'm trying to translate that into a heroic HERO 6th edition game. The GM has decided to make all spells part of a multipower framework. Spells must have either gestures or incantations, usually both. All spells require a casting roll. All spells cost endurance, and the spellcasting multipower draws from an endurance reserve. The example spell would have a simple base. A HERO 6e longsword would need 4 DCs, strength minimum 12, reduced endurance, and a linked 1m reach. The tricky part is the requirements of the campaign's spell system. As an aside, are there guidelines in the books for how much damage characters should be doing? If so, where might I find them?

Thank you everyone. Your input has been very helpful. I think I understand the system a bit better now, and can work out the rest of my character. Doc Democracy, thanks for checking in. I don't speak HERO as fluently as others here, but I'm learning.

I had considered making it constant, but I didn't see a way to turn it into separate attacks. This is complicated, but it's an interesting solution. Thanks for lending your expertise.

It's meant to be a spell that made normal weapons. They could be disarmed, or broken, or used by someone else. They also disappear after 1 minute. In the previous game other party members rarely used these weapons, but could in a pinch.

I'm new to the Hero System, and I'm trying to convert a character from another game. We're planning to play a fantasy game, and I was able to replicate everything for my warrior/mage except a few of his spells. He frequently used spells to conjure swords and such. He never actually carried weapons between battles. I haven't figured out how to temporarily have weapons and shields. With all the options in the game it seems like there must be a combination of powers and modifiers to make it work, but I haven't figured it out. I got the APG2 because I heard it had a create objects power, but it specifically says it's not for creating weapons. I'm hoping to find a way to do this, and add in the campaign requirements of all spells having gestures, incantations, and time limits. Is there a way to make that work in this system, or do I need to scrap this PC and start over?