Hitchhiker

Originally posted by Citizen Keen

That may be the hardest I have ever laughed about something from these forums.

 

-cK

Oh my, it has wings...

Don't mind me. I'm just having a good time now that I've finally received my Fantasy HERO book fresh from the new world to old, dark, medieval Europe...

Howdyho Needo!

I suggest you take a look here: http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4990

However, these tips are mostly for players...not for the GM. Might help you anyway. And listen to the guys. They know more than they'll ever tell...

Page 336 of FREd, 8 principles for interpreting and applying the HERO System rules, number 4:

Just because something is explicitly forbidden doesn't mean you can't do it (with the GM's permission).

Since you are the GM (if I read it right), don't even start worrying about it. If you don't like a rule, bend or break it - just keep in mind that this shouldn't unbalance the campaign. Pick the solution you prefer - and don't get mad about "making it right".

Heh, the memories...

We had a character in one campaign who would "never tell a lie". The tricky part was that he had also a secret identity - he never wanted to talk about it.

So regularly, he returned from some dark corner and one of us asked him what he had been doing there...

Us: Hey, you're back! Where have you been?

Him: Err...from a back-alley.

Us: What have you been doing there? (grin)

Him: I won't tell you anything about this.

Us: Aw, come on! We've seen your contact!

Him: Goddammit, I won't tell you ANYTHING!

Man, that was fun. He got angry so easily.

And yeah, I like your solution too.

Projectiles have different sizes and forms. Bullets and arrows are an example. Therefore, if you want to deflect only arrows and thrown objects, the cost is 10 Pts. If you want to deflect bullets, the cost increases to 15 Pts, because they are faster. You know the story.

Now, HTH attacks aren't that different. Sure, you might attack with a sword or a bare fist, but the deflection doesn't change much. A hit with a sword is not THAT much faster than a punch with a fist. That's why I would lower the cost for a custom HTH deflection power - most attacks have the same speed.

This sounds really simple...but what about the cost? Are you sure it should be the same? There aren't many "bigger" or "smaller" HTH attacks - it depends on the size of the attacker and the equipment he uses.

It doesn't make sense for any projectile, arrow, thrown object or else...if I was the GM I'd lower the cost a little.

I haven't seen or tried it, but why don't you build a "Common Martial Arts Weapons" category which the characters can buy as a Weapon Familiarity? Take a look at The Ultimate Martial Artist or FREd on page 329 and pick out the weapons you consider common.

I'm with you, Agent. Your solution seems the most clear and straightforward to me. Expensive, but that's what you've got to expect from a power like this. The only tricky part is the "up to 160 points"-limit, although I don't think that anyone is using a HTH attack with more than 160 points...

To see if it really works, you should try it out in a fictious situation.

Sounds good. Gotta take a note of that one. Thanks for the advice, and sorry for hijacking the thread.

Now, if you would just explain that interesting YMMV to me...(See? Another awkward situation for me!)

21. For some people I'm old, for others just another youngster.

I don't know. It's just my point of view. TK without gestures doesn't make a lot of sense to me...on the other hand, you might be able to lift objects with your mind. Ah, I really don't know! Dang!

Ask someone who's older than me. And wiser. Shouldn't be that hard to find.

Your character uses his TK for a Martial Maneuver. He needs to gesture the move with his hands. Now somebody entangles him with superglue. Now he can't make any gestures anymore, because his hands are glued to his chest.

Therefore, I would use a gestures limit.

In Star Wars, for example, Luke Skywalker also had to make a gesture (reach out with his hand) to telekinetically grab the lightsaber when he was captured in the icecave.

Originally posted by zornwil

Well, that's a good point, if all his stats reflect his state then I suppose it would be fair to say. I guess it just depends on how he "acts" outside the context of his bed. So maybe it would be double-dipping.

Originally posted by Snarf It sounded to me like leaving the vehicle doesn't take away the strength, so to speak, but entering it gives him strength. I could be missing the point here, but a disadvantage seems redundant.

You're right. All his stats remain the same if he leaves the bed and he doesn't gain increased characteristics when he enters it. But as soon as he sits in his bed, all the powers from it are available for him. Without his bed, he's somehow like a turtle without its protecting shell.

Originally posted by CorpCommander

back in the late 80's and early 90's I read so much cyberpunk that I think I am starting to confuse the stories. I think I was wrong about Gibson and that the character I am thinking of is this one from Snow Crash.

 

If your humor is tongue in cheek read this book. Read Cryptonomicon as well if you know what is good for you. Both books excel. And be sure to order Pizza from La Cosa Nostra Pizza Delivery!

 

--CC

Aye, I've read Snow Crash. What a funny book it was. And it did inspire me somewhat. But I've had the character in mind before I read the book. Really.

And as a matter of fact, I am currently reading Cryptonomicon, but it's darn long and I have about fifty other books waiting to be read. Anyway, I won't give the bed a computer brain...there are enough talkative and annoying characters in my campaign.

But I like his style.

Looks like I have to read more books from William Gibson (so far, I've read Neuromancer, Count Zero and Idoru)...sounds quite interesting.

I won't change the appearance of the vehicle - it's a mobile, multi-functional bed. Yes, it does look awkward, but the campaign will feature a lot of tongue-in-cheek humor, so it's all right.

I'll create the bed as a vehicle. Thanks for all the help.

Mancer: He's a scientist in a scifi-fantasy-crime world. Though he is weak and quite old, he discovered a great secret that could mark the beginning of a new age. Now he is looking for the right person to share his newest invention with...which I will not tell you about here.

He's one of the most important NPCs in my campaign. A bit fussy sometimes, but nevertheless he's a bright fellow.

I'll try to explain it better.

Think of a real old man. He's weak. He can barely lift suitcase. He can't even punch a hole into butter. He needs one hour to walk a mile.

Now he enters his bed. He has:

- a 15 PD/ED force field

- complete life support

- a 5d6 Energy Blast

- a 5d6 Sight Flash

- 10 " of movement

- 10 " of flight

- sight invisibility

- 10 " of teleportation

As soon as he leaves his bed, he loses all these powers. Apart from that, nothing happens to him.

So should I make this a focus?

I am currently creating a character who is dependent on his bed, but not really addicted to it. Imagine an old man using his bed for life support, protection, attacking, transportation and other important stuff - but if he leaves the bed, he can still walk around normally and live. He just loses the benefits from his bed. I created the bed as a vehicle, but as the character is dependent on the bed, I still wanted to include a disadvantage.

I solved this as follows:

No Dependent Substance, No Damage Taken When Leaving Bed, Characters Powers Are No Longer Available (10), Time Before Suffering Effects: Instantly (25)

Total Disadvantage Points: 35

Do you think this is a good solution?

If you want to parody (did I conjugate this verb correctly?) video games, why don't you include level-ups?

Every time the characters get a certain number of experience points, you could tell them: "You suddenly feel stronger, smarter and more powerful. You have gone up a level! Now isn't that great?" Of course, they may not have to gain levels and can distribute their experience points as they like it, but still...flashbacks to "You are now on level 9" can be quite interesting.

And very very annoying, if I may say that.

There's a character facing image on page 248 of FREd. But I wouldn't recommend using it, unless you want a "into the last detail"-realistic campaign.

If encountering several enemies at once, refer to what Tim said.

Depends on the season too, I think. In winter, for example, you wear approximately 6 - 10 pieces of clothing, while during warmer times only 2 - 6. According to this, you may need longer or shorter times to change clothes.

One or two turns sound good, but why don't you take a look at the DEX and Speed of your character(s) and give a bonus, if necessary.

Or like Bob said, piece per piece.

Like Thirdbase said: There's no MAIN sourcebook for all genres, techniques, chars or else (except FREd, that is).

Pick what you like or need - that's what I always do. I've bought UMA and Bestiary five months ago and both of them were helpful for my campaigns.

If I would create a hive-mind, I'd also include an EGO and PRE-Drain. INT is the most important, for sure, but if the swarm gets smaller, other attributes may also decrease.

Just my two cents...

Mmmmhh...I see.

Thanks a lot for all the answers. They really helped me a lot. And if you still love this thread, feel free to post anything you'd like to tell me.