Shadowsoul

Re: A New Dawn. 'Post-Apocalyptic' Fantasy You chose to change your character, you did not actually get killed. So you can keep your 4 XP 'joining bonus'. You can also save a few points by adding the New Dawn Everyman Package to your character sheet. Also, Eld Lore is the knowledge of Eldren, Magic and magical creatures. You don't need further KSs in Magic and Eldren. I'd advise dumping one or both of those skills, although knowledge of Magic as spellcraft might be useful. Otherwise I have no real problems with this character sheet, though I'd like to confirm that you realise that Missile Deflection requires an Attack Action, just like Block or Dodge. Bonewrack and Bloodfreeze are very cool spells btw. We can throw Aldobrand into the mix as soon as you have finished spending your leftover points and are happy with him.

Re: Firearms in fantasy? Link to an earlier discussion. And another link to a thread where Spence posted his Blackpowder Guideline, which I cribbed along with notes by Captain Obvious for use in my Black Powder Fantasy game.

Re: How many character points do you think a 20th level DnD character would have? I was once told by Bismark that a 1st level D&D character is equivalent to a 150 point Hero Character. 20th level would be built on a terrifying amount of points. However, you should go and see Killershrike. For all your D&D conversion needs.

Re: Classical Greek-Roman Campaign I'd say the following codes of behaviour would be accepted by Greek heroes. If only to stave off divine retribution. Note that most classical heroes failed these codes and suffered for it. Look after your family and never shed the blood of your near kin. Be loyal to your king/city. Romans would agree with this, to the point of killing Romans whom they deemed a threat to the city. Keep your promises. Do not offend the Gods. (E.g. by despoiling their shrines, sleeping with their priestesses within their temples, stealing their sacrifices, failing to make the appropriate sacrifices, being the bastard child of their spouse, killing their own bastard children, claiming to be better than them at anything, refusing to give them a golden apple, refusing to accept them as legitimate gods or looking at them funny). Romans would accept this but would add that the emperor should also be worshipped and would perhaps be more casual about loyalty to any particular group of gods. Respect the laws of hospitality. (This means being a good host and not murdering your guests in their beds. But it also cuts the other way, guests should not murder you or presume too much on your hospitality as Penelope's suitors do in the Odyssey). Avenge the deaths of your kin and friends. The Romans would agree with this. Treat followers and subordinates well and do not take more than your fair share of loot. (Agamemnon allegedly failed to do this and so fell out with the mighty Achilles). Important in Roman politics. Gain as much glory as possible and always strive to be the best at everything. (The Olympic games weren't always about just taking part, they were about winning! When Ajax was told that Odysseus had been named 'the best of the Greeks' instead of him he hanged himself out of shame). The Romans would agree wholeheartedly with this one, but would substitute military conquest for personal feats of arms. Good Psy Lims for Classical Heroes are - Glory Hound, Vengeful, Lusty, Loyal Citizen of ..., Sworn Oath to ... , Upholds Hospitality, Superiority Complex, Greedy, Protective of Family and Adventurous.

Re: Classical Greek-Roman Campaign The Malazan Marine Training Martial Art on this currently dormant thread of mine could be adapted into Roman Gladius and Scutum fighting very easily, just file the serial numbers off.

Re: Priest Banishment Prayer Ok. So if the target is not from another dimension but the priest believes that it is then will the spell still work? If not then you have two different limitations. a) Target must be from another dimension. Priest must have no doubts that target does not belong in this world. If belief is the only requirement then I guess the build works, though it is open to exploitation by other player characters. One further difficulty I can foresee, how do you measure how firmly a character believes something? You will need to have a good relationship with the player and a good understanding of the character's personality to make that work.

Re: Priest Banishment Prayer I agree that the 'belief' limitation should be tightened up a bit. Perhaps replaced with 'does not work on natives of this dimension'. Although if left as is this could create an interesting mission where the PCs have to convince a Priest that one of their enemies is an extradimensional invader and requires exorcism ... However, this is what I first thought of when I saw the title of this thread. Prayer Of Priest Banishment: Teleportation 10", MegaScale (1" = 10 km; +1/2), Usable As Attack (+1) (50 Active Points); Conditional Power Only Against Priests Opposed To Caster's Worldview (-1), Incantations ("Begone False Priest!"; -1/4) Originally created by a crotchety archwizard who got fed up of missionaries banging on the front door of his remote tower to ask him if had accepted Cthon The Eyeless as his personal saviour. It has since been taken up by a number of roving priests, monks and preachers who use it to banish rival clerics so that they can get on with the process of conversion undisturbed by the insane babblings of pagans and heretics. Cthon help us if a demon ever learns the spell.

Re: New to Fantasy Hero True. In fact I'm a little ashamed that I didn't mention it myself.

Re: Peasent Campeign notes, thoughts and reviews A few themes which could still be represented. Up to you how you combine them. War. Time. Fate. Deceit. (Perhaps best added to the Spider's or Jester's portfolio). Balance. Elements. Ocean, Fire/Sun, Wind, Storm etc. Harvest/Fertility. Immensely important to peasants. Could be added to Unicorn but might be a good contrast to have an earthier deity who deals in lust and its consequences rather than pure love. Could also be added to the Beast but this would mean that it would have to have a tamer aspect. Might work though, Beast Priests could be employed to beg the Beast to forgive farmers and herders for the presumption of controlling nature. Sorrow/Despair. Another thing to think about. How evil are the evil gods? Is their worship still acceptable? E.g. do 'normal' people pray to the Lich to spare them from plague? Are jesters outlawed because of the vile deity they represent?

Re: A little different take on magic.. 1. I would go with the Familiar as a follower as well. An amusing twist from real world folklore. There is a type of, (for want of a better word), 'witch' native to South America who has magical powers but only when they take the form of an animal such as a dog. 2. Being able to summon and bind an extra-planar creature usually means that it must serve its summoner until he choses to let it go free. There is sometimes a limit on how many services it must perform and this may be linked to the power of the bindings. Perhaps the summoned creature must perform one service per binding place on it and stronger bindings can be used to control more powerful beings. 3. Aside from a down payment on your soul Demons would probably want sacrifices or worship. Of course you could also offer them magical items or perhaps even services. A minor Demon may simply want a shrine built to it or to be supplied with a particular mortal delicacy such as wine. A more powerful Demon might want to recruit the mage to fight in some hellish war in its own dimension or demand payment in virgins, (dead or alive according to its personal tastes). Some beings may be summoned to fulfill ancient contracts or alliances made many years before, perhaps even before the current summoner was born. One way to make all this work as a points system is to have the character buy powers as 'Favours'. Favours are summons, (or possibly other powers), with a single Charge that recharges under limited circumstances, (getting the summoned creature or another like it into your debt). It is up to you whether a Favour power represents a relationship with a particular creature (Specific Being Advantage) or the ability to negotiate with creatures of a particular type. The Favour can still require incantations etc to actually Summon the creature to fulfill its debt.

Re: I have players! Now I need a Gnome and badger... The abilities don't match up point for point with their D&D equivalents but here is a rough Rock Gnome character sheet. I didn't bother with the extra spell like abilities they get for having a decent Cha score or with languages.

Re: New to Fantasy Hero Thanks GA. Kamarathin is an interesting setting with some original takes on Fantasy races and cultures. Worth checking out. It's also worth checking out Eosin's The Last Dominion books over at Pencil Pushers. Or check out the PbP he's running at the moment. Epic fantasy with an authentic medieval feel and a well realised world. And Susano has a massive site dedicated to all things Hero. Lots of Fantasy resources including a list of conversions of D&D 3.5 feats.

Re: Earthdawn Magic System Conversion Hmm. I tried to access your site, Curufea. And got stopped because it had apparently been reported as an attack site. This doesn't seem very likely, (it's more probable that my computer has done that paranoid thing they do sometimes). But you might want to check it out just the same.

Re: Help with faith based VPP Eberron is known for this kind of oddity, I'm told.

Re: Shadowsoul's Monster Corner Arise dead Thread! Dandy Lion Background/History. Not all of nature is hostile to man and throughout history he has bent the landscapes of the world to his will. But plants, animals and spirits which make up nature have persisted and sometimes thrived despite this interference. Fields, meadows, and heaths all sing with as much life as any dark wood or high mountain. And so it is not only likely but inevitable that these places have their own magic and their own kind of protector, albeit a gentler one than those which lurk within the depths of a forest. One such is the Dandy Lion, named for its feline appearance and the ball of fuzzy seeds which sits at the tip of its tail. It is a spirit being but, like the murderous Haunt, it can take tangible form. Unlike the Haunt the Dandy Lion is a benevolent guardian of the land and no danger to humans if not provoked. Personality/Motivation. A Dandy Lion exists to protect the tamed landscape it inhabits but is usually content to leave the denizens of that land, human or otherwise, to their own devices. The Dandy Lion only grows angry when the land is threatened, its native wildlife hunted to extinction, its fields despoiled by war or its beauty scarred by industrial development. Once enraged the Dandy Lion will begin to attack those it believes to be responsible for the harm done to its home. Even then it is sometimes possible for the Lion to be placated or reasoned with, it is not a mindless force of destruction. When at peace a Dandy Lion will amuse itself by watching the creatures that live in its territory and will sometimes converse with humans that summon it or pique its interest. A Dandy Lion may be convinced to aid friendly characters against a mutual foe. However, it does not possess a normal human sense of morality or an understanding of politics and it may not be interested in affairs which do not directly affect the land. Powers/Tactics. Although it may give warnings beforehand a Dandy Lion will not hold back once it has chosen to fight and has no compunction about using stealth to take an enemy by surprise. It cannot roar but it still very frightening when angry and it will expect enemies to run from it. Whether they stand their ground or not it will attack the largest foe first, if possible, but is prepared to switch targets if another opponent proves more dangerous or irritating. The Dandy Lion will initially attack with its Claws, hoping to maim fleeing prey or disable any enemy that dares to fight back. Against a lone opponent it will try a Grab and then proceed to chew them apart with its Fangs. If surrounded or seriously outnumbered it will unleash its Stinging Pollen attack and then fight normally. If it is being badly mauled a Dandy Lion may choose to retreat and lick its wounds. But it has little fear of physical death as its Resurrection ability will usually allow it to grow a new body if the original is destroyed. Campaign Use. A Dandy Lion can serve as an opponent for an evil party or as a morally ambiguous opponent for a good or neutral party. If the Dandy Lion has become violent due to the depredations of man then the players must decide whether to destroy it or to try and address its concerns. Alternatively the Dandy Lion can act as a powerful ally or even a summon for a nature priest or a wizard who wields the powers of Earth. Quote. “You are burning the land. The animals are dying. The birds are dying. Now, you will die.” Appearance. Tiger-sized feline with skin the colour of grass and a long ‘mane’ or crest of thorns that runs from its neck to the beginning of its tail. Its claws and teeth also look like dark thorns and the ball of seeds at the tip of its tail resemble those of its dandelion namesake. Despite the name and its great size the Dandy Lion is built more like a wildcat than a Big Cat. If wounded a Dandy Lion proves to have plant-like flesh and to bleed a pale, greenish substance that appears to be a mixture of plant sap and chlorophyll. Val Char Base Cost 28 STR 10 18 18 DEX 10 24 20 CON 10 20 16 BODY 10 12 10 INT 10 0 13 EGO 10 6 15/25PRE 10 5 10 COM 10 0 6/11 PD 6 0 4/7 ED 4 0 4 SPD 2.8 12 10 REC 10 0 40 END 40 0 40 STUN 40 0 6" RUN 6 0 2" SWIM 2 0 5 ½” LEAP 6 0 Pts. Power END 20 Coat Of Thorns 1: Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand 1d6, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Damage Shield (Offensive; +3/4), Continuous (+1) (49 Active Points); Activation Roll 11- (-1), No STR Bonus (-1/2) 0 12 Coat Of Thorns 2: Armor (5 PD/3 ED) 0 45 Claws: Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand 1d6+1 (2 1/2d6 w/STR), Autofire (2 shots; +1/4), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1) (45 Active Points) 0 37 Fangs: Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand 1 1/2d6 (3d6+1 w/STR), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (37 Active Points) 0 11 Draws Strength From The Ground: Healing 2 BODY, Can Heal Limbs, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (37 Active Points); Extra Time (Regeneration-Only) 1 Turn (Post-Segment 12) (-1 1/4), Only When In Contact With The Ground (Home Turf Only; -1/2), Self Only (-1/2) 0 38 Stinging Pollen: Sight and Smell/Taste Groups Flash 8d6, Explosion (+1/2) (67 Active Points); No Range (-1/2), Conditional Power Power does not work against targets with sealed armour (-1/4) 7 7 Dandy Lion Will Make You Whine: +10 PRE (10 Active Points); Limited Power Combat Only (-1/2) 9 Blow Away Dandy Lion: Healing 1 BODY, Can Heal Limbs, Resurrection, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (52 Active Points); Extra Time (Regeneration-Only) 1 Month (-3 1/4), Only When In Contact With The Ground (Home Turf Only; -1/2), Self Only (-1/2), Resurrection Only (-1/2) 0 9 Hunter's Senses: +3 PER with all Sense Groups 0 9 Meadow Spirit: Concealment 16- (13 Active Points); Only On Home Turf (-1/2) 30 Intangible Presence: Desolidification , Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (60 Active Points); Only On Home Turf (-1/2), Cannot Be Used In Combat (-1/2) 0 41 Immortal Guardian: Life Support (Does Not Breathe; Eating: Character does not eat; Immunity All terrestrial poisons; Immunity: All terrestrial diseases and biowarfare agents; Longevity: Immortal; Sleeping: Character does not sleep) 0 Power Cost: 268 Pts. Skill Roll 10 +2 with HTH Combat 7 Stealth 15- 6 Tracking (9 Active Points); Conditional Power Home Turf Only (-1/2) 14- 6 AK: Home Turf 15- 5 KS: Local History 14- 5 KS: Local Gossip 14- Skill Cost: 39 Disadvantages Pts Enraged: Damage To Home Turf (Uncommon), go 11-, recover 8- 20 Physical Limitation: Very Limited Manipulation (Frequently, Greatly Impairing) 15 Psychological Limitation: Dandy Lion Don't Tell No Lies (Uncommon, Total) [Notes: The Dandy Lion springs from a union of the fruits of nature and the works of man and so humans have a certain hold over it. Therefore a Dandy Lion is compelled to give a truthful answer to any question that a human asks it.] 15 Psychological Limitation: Benevolent (Common, Moderate) 10 Psychological Limitation: Hates Fire (Common, Strong) 15 Hair: Green Eyes: Brown Pts. Talents 2 Environmental Movement (no penalties on Grass, Mud and Hedges) Talent Cost: 2 309 Abilities Cost 97 Characteristics Cost Base Points : 200 Disads Total + 75 Experience Spent + 131 Total Cost = 406 Designer’s Notes A Dandy Lion’s relationship with the humans within its territory will be affected by the genre/time period it appears in. In a High Fantasy setting it will probably appear to locals quite often and may even develop friendships with some of them. In an Urban Fantasy or Champion’s setting it will have lived through the trauma of the Industrial Revolution and will be far more fearful and suspicious of humanity. In this case the Dandy Lion will probably try to hide its presence from the humans around it and will be more likely to attack without warning or explanation. It’s fairly obvious that this creature is based on a song. But I will add that it is also an attempt to balance things out a bit. Forests in Fantasy Worlds are usually so stuffed with magical protectors, Elves, Treemen, Pixies, Centaurs, Dryads, Nymphs, Faeries, Fauns, Unicorns and so on, that it is a wonder there is any room for the trees. So why can’t the more settled regions have their own guardians? If you’re just looking for a straight forward monster encounter you can remove the Intangible Presence, Blow Away Dandy Lion and Immortal Guardian powers and the Benevolent, Enraged and Don’t Tell No Lies Disadvantages and add the Phys Lim ‘Animal Intelligence’.

Re: Help with faith based VPP As I see it, the need for a Skill Roll depends on the psychology of deities in your campaign. Are they always fair and reasonable as 'modern' monotheistic deities are expected to be? Or are they more like the squabbling, petty and vengeful gods of Greek myth? If a god will always treat his/her followers with favour as long as they follow certain rules of behaviour then a skill roll is inappropriate. If they are likely to show disfavour to trusted servants because they got out of the wrong side of bed that morning then a roll, at least to activate, is more reasonable. Alternatively, you coul state that a Faith roll, (as distinct from the 'only when serving the god's purposes' limitation), has nothing to do with the god's own preferences and instead relies on how much raw faith the worshipper can muster at a given moment. Perhaps the god has only so much time and energy to devote to a single worshipper and will only be swayed to perform miracles by a truly heartfelt prayer. Perhaps the god actually transforms the power of a follower's prayer into the divine energy which powers a miracle, not enough mojo means that the miracle fails. You could even state that a god is constantly bombarded by a babbling cacophony of different prayers and is only able to 'hear' those which are the most desperate or heartfelt.

Re: The magic system from Confrontation Sounds reasonable. Or put a limitation on fire spells saying that they can only use End from fire gems.

Re: The magic system from Confrontation Let magic users buy spells/powers as normal but state that they can only power them with End, (magical power), from End reserves based on foci in the form of magical gems. Low quality gems have no Rec at all and so are useless once their initial End has been used. More powerful gems may have a Rec stat but subject to whatever conditions are appropriate e.g. requiring a succesful Magic Skill roll.

Re: A New Dawn. 'Post-Apocalyptic' Fantasy Spare character for ercarlson.

Re: Pirates of not Freeport or the Caribbean Another potential resource. High Seas Cthulhu

Re: Norse Campaign Journal Presumably this extra Presence can only be used to frighten other people or bolster the character against fear? It cannot, for example, be used to seduce people? That should earn you another disadvantage. Something like - 'Can Only Be Used To Perform Or Defend Against Hostile Presence Attacks' (-1/2). You might also be able wangle 'No Conscious Control' (-2) instead of 'Only When Enraged' (-1/2). Since it is not something that the character can use at will. You might want to reduce this Disadvantage to make it fit the power better e.g. 'No Conscious Control, Linked To Emotional State' (-1).

Re: Pirates of not Freeport or the Caribbean A bit off the wall, but if you're looking for some original piratical material you might want to check out the the work of a Weird Tales writer called William Hope Hodgson. He wrote at the very beginning of the 20th century so his stuff is rather formal and not the easiest read for a modern gamer. But it has plenty of action and some surprisingly bizarre monsters in it. Giant sea-creatures, slug-men, malevolent beings out of mythology. (Bear in mind that he predates H. P. Lovecraft). The reason I mention Mr Hodgson is that he spent some years at sea and wrote at least two stories filled with a great deal of maritime language and the realities of seagoing life, (as well as hordes of horrors that dare not speak their name). These stories are 'The Ships of Glen-Carrig' and 'The Ghost Pirates'. They're both in the Fantasy Masterworks anthology of his work. No films that I know of, I'm afraid.

Re: Pirates of not Freeport or the Caribbean 'Hornblower' and 'Master and Commander' spring to mind. For the historical content if not the pacing or plot. Pirates of Penzance is a classic, (as in old), take on the pirate myth. Came across this while trying to track down a pirate film which I watched as a child, years before 'the Caribbean' stole the show. http://www.beaglebay.com/jensens_reviews.html Found the one I was looking for. 'Cuthroat Island'. The reviewer in the link above doesn't think that much of it but I have fond memories myself, such is childhood.

Re: Fantasy Star Wars. One key point that leaps out at me is, how are you going to simulate the spaceship battles? I would assume either airships or flying mounts. Perhaps a mixture of the two with airships and/or dragons standing in for destroyers and cruisers while gryphons, warhawks etc. stand in for fighters. If you go for flying beasts then some kind of magical item which allows the rider to steer telepathically might be a good idea. This leaves the rider free to fire projectile weapons and would explain why Jedi make excellent pilots, their telepathy is stronger.

Re: Having trouble with a Power Build - Herogame Fantasy Forum Gurus GO!!! Sounds like a Duplicate with the custom limitation, "Only One Body Active At One Time" (-1/2). Clairsentience to find the place where the Duplicate is formed and Teleportation to justify the fact that the Duplicate is formed some distance from the original.