Nightshade

Re: reverse vulnerability

In lieu of triggers, use Continuing Charges lasting one month each and put a limitation "Only when X type action takes place" (value based on how common action is). So if there are a fair number of healers, perhaps the healing buff is -0 or -1/4, but if healing magics aren't common, maybe it's -1/2 or more.

Nightshade

Re: Ultimate Metamorph for Fantasy?

I thought the Ultimate Metamorph was OK for fantasy, but it is definately geared toward supers.

The Ultimate Mystic is my favorite Ultimate Series book so far . That one definately worked for fantasy the best of any of them so far, IMO.

Nightshade

Re: New to Fantasy Hero

Just to get back on topic, slightly...

The single best thing I did for my Fantasy game was buy HERO Designer. While I do own the Grimoire (and like it), I have my own way to doing spells. HERO Designer allows me to create them and store them as Prefabs, which means when someone says "I'd like to play a wizard!" I can just load the appropriate prefab Arcanum and they can just pick their spells. It is truly awesome.

You can do the same thing with martial arts, talents you want for your game, creature templates of your own making...

Considering that I have over 25 Arcana and something like 1000 spells, it really is a life (and work) saver.

For books, I'd definitely get Fantasy HERO. If you can find one now, I'd just buy it and not wait for the new printing. If you can't find one, beg Steve some more. I think he likes it.

Nightshade

BTW: Steve, my FH book is starting to wear out from over use. PLEASE print the new one! Pretty please!!!

Re: Urban Fantasy Recommendations

If TV shows are something you were interested in, if you can find Poltergeist: the Legacy and Forever Knight, those were some pretty reasonable Urban Fantasy shows.

Nightshade

Re: Urban Fantasy Recommendations

I don't know if other gaming books is what you wanted, but I highly recommend the Everlasting series. They were originally written by Steven Brown, who used to work for White Wolf and as far as I know now runs a gaming store down in Georgia. I found them far superior to the World of Darkness in terms of world building.

Of course, I use the HERO system to run the game due to the, IMO, inferior system (although basically a cross between HERO and WoD). The setting itself is very cool, though, and the ideas in it are pretty interesting.

Nightshade

PS I just realized that I am basically advertising someone else's products on the HERO boards. If this is a problem, let me know and I'll edit. Thanks.

Re: Fantasy Hero Setting Conversions?

I've actually tried to do that with my home-grown world. I designed it using HERO as the system. However, prior to 5th edition, I couldn't get any players. So, I tried to convert it to 3rd ed. D&D. Let's just say it wasn't a positive experience.

However, I did decide to do my fantasy world as if I were going to publish it. So, my main world-book is the World of Spheryl, which lists all of the pertanent information on the setting. Then, I have Mythic Legacy, which is a spell-book. Bloodlines details vampires, Savage Grace lycanthropes, Kingdoms of Magic fae, and Nature's Wrath druids (who need their own sourcebook for my world).

The primary reason for doing it this way is the same for any company: I can't find anything if I put it all in one book, or I have to lower the detail to the point that it isn't good enough for what I want it to be.

Nightshade

Re: Epic Fantasy: The Five Essentials

I'll second most of those listed, but I would like to mention the movie Krull. While certainly has elements of Sci-fi, I would call it an epic fantasy movie.

Nightshade

Re: The First Hurdle: Creating a *gulp* Magic System

An explanation of delayed effect:

Powers are bought with some sort of preparation required (usually extra time), and that preparation is done before hand. You slot your powers (sometimes referred to as "stacking your rack") by performing some of the work ahead of time (spending the extra time, in this case, but using foci, gestures, incantations, and the like can be included, as well). But the power doesn't go off or actually get used until the character wants it to. By performing the last word, the last gesture, the whatever you want, the power is used, using up that slot.

I'd suggest looking at the full description in the power advantages section of the book.

How many slots they get is up to you as GM. They have advantages that can be applied in order to get more slots as time goes on. An example spell system that works like this is Alchemy in the FH Grimiore.

Hope that helps!

Nightshade

Re: The First Hurdle: Creating a *gulp* Magic System

Hey Nightshade, thanks for the post & the input! To respond directly:

 

- I can certainly see where using a recovering END Reserve for Sorcerors makes sense, and I'm leaning in that direction. My original model (see post one) was to use an END reserve for everyone, and have the END pre-spent across spells (another way of doing the prep/time thing). Then if necessary, allowing casters to cast directly from their books, although you offer up some groovy variations on this.

 

- Priests are the weird ones, because I'd like to break them from the mold of "Divine Wizard" and do something genuinely different with them. Get all rebellious on all y'all. For one, I've never actually liked the Priest model. In AD&D, they were healing batteries who had to mem heals, or they were useless. In d20, they're healing batteries who are generally afraid to chuck spells because they might need a heal and won't have it. That's also pretty weak.

 

I'd like to build a Priest model that does the following:

 

- Represents a direct connection with their Deity. This may mean turning undead. It may not. If you aren't playing a Sun God, or an agent of Death (Death as a Force, vs. Death as an Incarna of Evil, which I've never actually agreed with, as it doesn't make any freaking sense) then you might have no interaction with the Undead or need to Turn them in the slightest. So why waste points on the power if it doesn't fit?

 

- d20 has "Special Abilities" listed in their domains based on their Divine Affiliation. Whether it's "+1 Die to Heal Spells" (which would be built as an Aid, 1d6, Only to Healing Spells, X Charges/Day) and the Priest chose to improve it, I think that would be awesome. It's a great concept, but limited by d20's reliance on either leveling, or having all abilities static. I want to throw all of that out. If the PC wants to say "I got closer to G-d, and I'm expanding my Divine Gift" hey, great. Do that.

 

- I do want Priests to focus more on "support" magic, but I want that support magic to be a direct reflection of their Deity, not simply a massive collection of spells, from which they can draw "Domain" spells outside of the normal spell slot selection.

 

- I don't necessarily want them to be slot based, but it may still be the Way To Go in this instance. Priests to me are ... well, they fuel their magic with Prayer. That's their schtick. There are some folk who don't believe in a Deity, but generate the same effect. They can argue the source all day long. This in part represents that some people don't try to explain why they do things, they simply do them. They would be Priests with different flavor text.

 

- ALL PRIESTS have some sort of focus, whether they believe in a deity or not. It can be a "good luck charm," an old photograph of a dead lover that they keep as a reminder of why they're doing what they do, whatever. All Priest magic must begin with the requirement: OAF, Divine Focus. It may use the limitation, Incantations, Gestures, and generally will, but the power of the Divine isn't like Magic; it isn't mathematical. It's Faith, and with enough Faith, you can move mountains.

 

- A Priest may, at time of creation, opt to Channel Heals or Inflicts, but this is a personal choice, and not actually based on alignment. A good person can be vengeful and use their inflict (as an EB) to put someone down. That's reasonable to me.

 

Thoughts?

Ok, I think I have it now.

First, for someone not familiar with the system, VPP's can be tough. I don't use them in my game specifically because my players can't handle them. To me, the framework has a stop sign for a reason. To me, HERO used delayed effect specifically to do what you are looking for, so that's what I'd use. If you want your spells to be cheaper, do what they did in the Turakian age and divide the spell total cost by some number.

As for your priests, I would do the following:

1. No END reserve for them. They pay with their own endurance. Rituals often exhausted the priests performing them.

2. Ditch the Faith skill. Faith isn't learned. It is felt. It simply is. Therefore, no effect requires a skill roll.

3. All spells should require extra time, incantations (calling to their gods for aid, etc.), foci, and any other limitations that make sense for their particular religion. You may want to increase the end cost to make it so that they can't necessarily cast a lot of spells in any particular encounter.

4. Priests have access to only certain effects (spell list) based upon their priesthood. So, the sun god has a different spell list than the god of war, which is different than the plant god and the weather god. While there may be some overlap, each god has only their own spheres of influence. You can do that many different ways (spheres of influence, effect lists for every god, domains as well as general).

5. Gods require specific rituals, have specific rules, codes of behavior, and the like. Perhaps you simulate that with a dependence (do this stuff or you lose your spells), a psych lim, or a spell limitation (must perform services to the god).

Hope this helps!

Nightshade

Re: The First Hurdle: Creating a *gulp* Magic System

I think that you are doing just fine. If you like D&D wizards and sorcerers, then use them!

Here's how I'd do it:

Wizard:

All spells have the delayed effect (+1/4) advantage with the number of slots they have is equal to their total base character points + XP/10 (to simulate levels) or total slots equal to their INT/3 or even a spell progession if you really wanted to get wacky. Then, build all of their spells with 1, 5, or 20 minute casting times (to make them cheaper). They then "memorize" their spell as the casting time. I'd probably do it with the 5 minute casting time, so then they can memorize 12 spells in an hour. The spells could be fueled off an endurance reserve or bought with zero endurance with uncontrolled (with the duration based upon how much they make their skill roll by).

Sorcerer:

Spells have a short casting time (1/2 phase), and no delayed effect. Power all of the spells off an endurance reserve with a recovery rate that is either very slow (1/hour, as mentioned above), or a recovery that works only when asleep. This has the effect of making the spells more expensive, and allowing the sorcerer to cast whatever spell whenever.

Priests:

Spells will be much like wizard spells, but with faith in lieu of skill. The spells will have two extra times: one for memorization, one for casting, to reflect that priests generally have a longer casting time than wizards do. Use delayed effect, as above. Fuel all of the spells by an end reserve. Buy all of the healing spells (or summoning spells if you are going to do this with Druids) with an advantage "abort slot to cast" for an additional +1/2 (or +0 if you wish, but I'd make it into some sort of advantage).

Just my 2 cents.

Nightshade

Re: Third Magic System (Please Help)

How about Theurgy? It would be like a combination of the two you have described, where you are summoning beings to do things, but instead of elemental things, these are more (for lack of a better term) outer-planer in nature - pure emotion, spiritual advisers, holy light (or unholy darkness), spirits of law or chaos, etc.

Or, you could do something more based upon the physical world. Something like a combination of alchemy, herbalism, and druidism (using mixtures with incantations to make something useful or deadly, summoning mystic beasts and/or animals, knowledge of useful plants ala Athalas from Lord of the Rings).

Perhaps knowing a little more about the cultures would help.

Nightshade

I've always been annoyed about artistic abilities in the HERO system. I have been doing these as PS: art in question, but most artists (at least recently), study other artists in order to be able to become a better artist themselves.

To me, this sounds similar to Science Skills, but with artistic ability. For example, SS: Chemistry not only gives one chemical knowledge, but also allows one to conduct chemical experiments and deal with chemical apparatus.

Why not do the same thing with artistic abilities? AS: Sculpture would not only allow a character to create sculptures, but would also give them knowledge of styles of sculpting, sculptures, sculptors, instruments used, and knowledge of some of the materials available.

What do you think?

Nightshade

Re: Monsters, Minions, and Marauders: Opinions?

I love that book. It has lots of good creatures, including giants, which aren't in the Bestiary. While I like the Bestiary better (more critters), I can't complain about the quality of the ones they have in there.

Nightshade

Re: Does anyoen use spell-multipliers?

I've seen Skills purchased as Powers (so they can have Advantages and Limtiations tacked on)' date=' but never the reverse. It sounds very House Rule, but also potnetially very unbalancing. It is the approach used by the mainstream magic system of GURPS, though, but that system has a list of set spells with set effects. The customizability of HERO means that one could create truly awesome spells -- and that those spells should be very costly indeed.[/quote']

 

It is another option listed in Fantasy HERO. If you want spells to be very static and always have the same effect, no matter what (say like D&D), this is an option.

 

Oh, and no spell multipliers for me. Magic is pretty specialized on my world, but powerful. So, IMO, the expense is worth it...

 

Nightshade

Re: Mass Area Effect

I'd go with a naked AoE advantage affecting spells up to a certain active point cost. To add to the fun, I would make it a +1 advantage to all spells from the caster. It will be great for some spells, but when you cast (for example) a healing spell, and it affects everyone in the area (bad guys included), I'd like to see the players' faces...

Nightshade

Re: Why no heavy cavalry?

Historically heavy cav fared poorly on wide-open terrain' date=' where light mounted archers had the advantage. Slow, armored cavalry armed with lances has little hope of catching a formation of mounted archers, and it is extremely difficult to armor a warrior and his mount to the point where they are invulnerable to an arrow fired from a two-man composite bow.[/quote']

 

Ah, but when you are facing things like giants, huge lizards, and other evil nasties that are large but perhaps not the fastest, heavy cavalry is a real boon.

 

Nightshade

Re: Should it be this detailed?

Are you going to use it in the course of your game?

Are your players interested in such things?

Is it going to make your world more interesting or (more importantly) more fun?

If the answer to these questions is no, then don't waste your time.

Nightshade

Re: Why no heavy cavalry?

I'd say that terrian, economics, and technology would be your best bet on why no heavy cav. My fantasy world has huge swaths of tropical savannah, and is fairly advanced, technologically speaking. So, heavy cavalry are all over the place.

In the jungle empires, though, not so much, due to their relative uselessness in that sort of environment.

Nightshade

Re: Ritual Magic Limitations

Just as an aside, if this spell style has this limitation on all of the spells (or even just the really nice ones), this will more than likely mean that PC's will never be able to use this type of magic.

If that's what you're going for (I'm doing this with some of my more sinister magic, myself), great. If not...

Nightshade

Re: How to get them off d20

HERO is just too generic for my tastes in fantasy. I have system favorites for each genre and HERO is not the game I would choose to portray Duke Tyrus the Lord of Reptar's Hold (17th level Half Orc 7th level Fighter/5 Barbarian/6 Ranger/ 1 Divine Champion (Meiliki).

 

Hawksmoor

Whereas HERO is exactly the system I would use to portray a character that needs 4 classes to define...

Nightshade

Re: Does anyone here play Cyberpunk HERO?

Thanks for the advise. Here's what I have so far for the campaign:

Mostly hard sci-fi. No magic, psionics, or demon-summoning cultists. There will be some rubber science (monofilament, AI's, and some others). Hacking will be more real-world (not virtual reality).

Points and money for everything. I had the players vote on this, and that's what they wanted, which is fine for me.

Pretty far future. High cybertech.

Right now we have a corporate soldier and a corporate programmer that moonlights as a hacker. I'll have two more players this weekend. I have some plans on getting them out of their comfort zones. Getting the corporate soldier to turn renegade will be very interesting (ever have a cyberpunk character with Subject to Orders?). The hacker will be easy.

Nightshade

Just wondering if anyone is trying a cyberpunk style game in HERO. I was hoping to steal... err... look at ideas other people have, but I am deficient in my search-fu.

I have the 4th ed. CyberHERO book, but was hoping for some more stuff, especially on the equipment end...

Also, did anyone have much luck running that style of game? I haven't run very many of these, so any advise on actually GMing this style would be very much appreciated.

Thanks!

Nightshade

Re: The Last Word

Geronimo!!!!

Me!!!!

Nightshade

Re: Longest Running Thread EVER

Are you implying I do?

 

Well....

Nightshade

Re: Longest Running Thread EVER

I don't like Stephen King, as he bores me. I have never once been scared by anything he has written, or has been put on the screen. Granted, I've only read Needful Things, Christine and The Tommyknockers, but they bored me to sleep. I literally couldn't keep my eyes open.

Now Lovecraft was interesting. Some of that got into the truly weird, though, to the point that you lose some of the fear-factor. I liked the Amityville Horror, too. But, then my normal dreams scare my wife.

To each their own, I guess.

Nightshade