sbarron

Re: Help with Vehicle Combat (Ships) If you want to keep it simple, and have some cool ships to battle on... Broadsides and Boarding Parties Game Components

Re: Sleep Spell Design Help

Re: Lack of Fully Developed Worlds Of course, no worries. We're both on the same team here.

Re: Lack of Fully Developed Worlds This is exaclty the problem. Where's the hook? Where's the style? Where's the thing that would grab a readers attention and scream "PLAY ME!!!?" These settings have all of the elements, sure, but they lack something to cause me to be interested. What is that thing? I'm not sure, however... 1) Stylish art that consistantly gives a feel to the setting (B&W or color), 2) Some cool game mechanic that players have to try, 3) Something unique in the setting that sets it apart, 4) Game fiction would be good, 5) others... all of these are what are missing. Look at the rulebook for Warhammer 40k, or the Inquisitor e-book I posted yesteday, or Exalted. They just ooze the setting on every page. The art conveys to the reader how cool the setting can be. The game fiction just adds to that. HERO has nothing like this (except in USPDB, which has the case logs and photos, which I think were a big hit with everyone). That is the kind of thing that can bring a setting to life for players. And that is what is missing from HEROs settings. There is nothing to grab the attention of a casual reader/viewer. It has the parts, but it lacks the hook. Would you randomly pick up the Turakian Age and buy if you weren't a Hero gamer? No, you wouldn't. The inside art is generic and inconsistant. The cover, quite frankly, is cheesy. Nothing about the book will make you notice it, which is what you need to attract people other than Hero gamers. And the stuff inside, for the most part, is good stuff. But without a hook, it's just another generic setting in a sea of so many. Move along, random gamer, nothing to see here...

Re: Lack of Fully Developed Worlds Hero is a generic system that's good for almost any genre, which is certainly it's strength. I don't think they should ever move too far away from that. However, the settings HERO creates are equally generic. They leave tons of options open to gamers, not just to what type of characters and races to choose from, but at what power levels, what magic systems, what skills and talents to choose from as well. I think this creates generic settings, which lacks the style and soul, if I can say that about a setting, of a better defined and more more flavor filled worlds/settings. I'm not suggesting Hero stop being a generic system. I'm suggesting they stop making generic settings. That is the only way I think any of HERos settings other than Champions will ever draw a larger audience.

Re: Lack of Fully Developed Worlds

Re: Lack of Fully Developed Worlds

Re: Lack of Fully Developed Worlds This one is true, assuming that there is nothing "kewl" enough in the Longian Age to make the store manager take notice. We can't predict whether there will be something about the Longian Age to make the manager notice. I'd recommend not publishing this product if they didn't have a great, unique idea to build around, however. With Sidekick, these two aren't true anymore. The Longian Age should contain everything a player needs to play in the setting, excluding the rules which will be found in Sidekick. And the idea of tacking Sidekick in the Longian Age isn't a bad one. How flashy the Longian Age is will be a question. But a more important question will be whether gamers like it. Word of mouth goes a long way in this industry. The total start up costss would be between $35 and $45 (depending on the cost of The Longian Age, and whether Sidekick is attached). And page count wouldn't be more than +/-400 or so, which is Sidekick and Turakian Age combined. I think you and I agree that HERO should incorporate some genre specific elements in the Longian Age. In fact, that is likely where the "hook" for the game will be found. Birthright had the Bloodlines, Exalted had demi-god characters, WoD has vampires, etc. The Longian Age needs something that is different than other settings that makes it kewl and memorable; turn the setting into something that players want to play in. Again, I'd point to Sidekick. There are problems to be overcome, for sure. Hero tried this template in the early years, and it didn't work. Maybe it won't work now either. I'd like to see some unique, stylish settings though. And I don't think flashy color art is necessary. But stylish art and setting elements that set the tone for game most definitely are. In fact, they are critical.

Re: Lack of Fully Developed Worlds

Re: Lack of Fully Developed Worlds

Re: Two-Weapon Fighting and Ambidexterity Neither Inigo Montoya nor Westley had ambidexterity. As you will recall, both were better with their dominate hand than they were with their off hand. So unless they purchased levels as (-0) Only when using dominate hand, they were clearly not ambidextrous.

Re: Lack of Fully Developed Worlds

Re: Lack of Fully Developed Worlds To a certain extent I agree with the way this thread is heading. I would really like for HERO to put out a product that told me exactly what a character could and couldn't do, not surrounded by qualifiers... "Normally, charcters in this setting will be 150 pt characters. DCs will be from XX-XY, APs for XY-YZ, Spd 2-4, etc. If you want a low powered game, then characters would be 50-100 pts. DCs will be...high powered, then..." Most other "Settings" don't work like that. That makes things very unclear for a player new to the setting, much less the game. I'd like HERO to try listing exactly the options that were available for a setting. 1) points for starting characters, 2) exact character "types" that are common, with package deals, 3) The spells that are available, 4) talents that are available, 5) skills available, 6) anything else that's setting specific (hit location? bleeding? etc...) HERO has so many options that it is daunting for me to think about a new setting, and I've been around the game for...gulp...15 years. Making it easy to get started and easier to grasp would go a long way for new players. And the old timers like me can still tweak to our hearts contents. Maybe this goes back to the old "hiding" of the mechanics we talked about a while ago. Balance all the powers (spells), abilities, weapons, etc., then just list what they do and hide the number crunching. Give the players and GM an actual finished product that isn't a long word problem. It would do 2 things. Be a lot easier to understand for newbies, and allow HERO to replace long jargon write-ups with flavorful descriptions. Well, that's my 2 bits...

Re: What do you think... Yeah, they weren't even close.

Re: Help building a mental illusion-based invisibility

Re: Help building a mental illusion-based invisibility The mechanic for creating a field in which no one can see your character is Darkness. So I'd keep it simple and go with "Darkness 4", sight group," without any of the BOECV stuff. This power doesn't need to be that complicated. Your character projects this image into everyone mind, even the minds of powerful mentalists. He mania is so great that there is no way to avoid it, regardless of mental defenses. That's the SFX of the Darkness. Given this seems to be a primary defense, you want to make it as solid a defense as possible...plus, you don't want to have to hassle with ego roles all the time if you can avoid it. I might even include the other senses as well, in an effort to make anyone entering the field to feel as if they are actually at a rave. They are unable to hear anything (as the rave is so loud), feel anything (the people are pressed tightly against them), taste anyth...um...well, you get the idea . Depending on how darkness works, you may get some glitchiness in when people won't see the "rave." I'd have to re-read darkness before I could think on those situations, though. Anyone have any ideas?

Re: "Quickened" Spells I think this is a good idea, though I would change the name of TWF to better reflect what it is in your game. Doing it this way doesn't break the rules too bad, imposes penalites for using the ability, and costs a fair amount of points, which is good for balance purposes.

Re: New Cmpaign : Magic Power Help? I agree with lensman on this. Stat out how the power works in play, and then come up with a price that you think fairly reflects its value to players. For example... Defensive Counterspell Suppress 1d6, Can Be Aborted To (+1/2) (7 Active Points); Increased Endurance Cost (x3 END; -1), No Range (-1/2), Instant (-1/2), Self Only (-1/2), Real Cost 2pts, END 3 Just eye-balling it, I think 2 pts is a little low per die, and 3 END isnt' enough either (I wouldn't want the PCs using this willy nilly), so... Defensive Counterspell A character with this ability can lessen the effect of any incoming attacking spells that will affect the character. This ability cannot be used to help anyone but the caster. The power acts as a suppress, the power of the suppress is determined by the level at which the caster purchases this ability. All mage PCs must by at least 1d6 in Defensive Counterspell. Per 1d6 Cost: 3 END: 4 Example: Devin has purchased Defensive Counterspell at the 3d6 Suppress level. This cost him 9 pts for the power, and everytime he uses it he burns 12 END. If Devin is attacked by a spell, he must use his current action or abort to Defensive Counterspell to lessen its effect on him. Season to taste. I think you should also figure out when this suppress can be used, when the PC must announce its use, etc. Can he wait to see if the spell hits him? Must he announce he using it before the attack roll, etc.

Re: Hero is broken "Damn, Narratio brought this thread back from the dead. I don't know if I have the power to send it back to thread hell before it starts wrecking havok...but I've got to try!!!"

Re: Is it a staff or a staff? I agree with Marcdoc. A staff is a staff.

Re: Batman Begins Are they really planning on having the Joker as the villian in the next movie? That just seems wrong to me. Unless they are pretending the other movies didn't happen, it seems like they should go in another direction, always setting things up for the Batman vs. Joker movie that kicked off the movie franchise (Keaton vs. Nicholson).

Re: D20 Conversion: Metamagic Feats? Why don't you want to use variable limitations? They seem to be exaclty what you are looking for, and I don't see the big loophole you seem to think they create. I've been using variable limits for a while to model this exact concept with no trouble. I have another idea, but I'll save it till I hear back from you.

Re: Armor and Shields Expanded This is an interesting idea, but seems like it might be very cumbersome in practice. Have you played using it to see how it works in "live" combat? What were the results? Did it make combat take a lot longer? Do you allow character to buy levels to improve their shield activation roles? If I were going to use this system, I think I would. I'll have to let this idea simmer for a while. It seems like it might be really cool...

Re: Paying for Items, yes/no?

Re: Spiderman Vs. Firelord My post from another thread...