New to Fantasy Hero

[mayapuppies]

Re: New to Fantasy Hero

 

I was able to get a copy of Fantasy HERO at this year's GenCon, and I must say I really like it. I thought I knew how much D&D influenced my notions about fantasy RPG's, but it wasn't until I read over Fantasy HERO, with all of it's myriad options, that I was able to break that mindset once and for all.

 

Ed

And another soul has been saved!

[ghost-angel]

Re: New to Fantasy Hero

 

Can I get an AMEN!

[Susano]

Re: New to Fantasy Hero

 

Amen!

[eternal_sage]

Re: New to Fantasy Hero

 

AMEN, MY BROTHERS!! *stands with hands in the air*

[LordGhee]

Re: New to Fantasy Hero

 

Halleluiah

[Zindil]

Re: New to Fantasy Hero

 

Let me throw in my two cents here. White Lion, and Mr. Bunraku, if you all are looking for a setting, Turakian Age is great. While it isn't innovative in any way, in my opinion it does a great job of capturing the old school fantasy setting feel.

 

Magic items aren't by default common. Other races are uncommon to say the least. It gives a detailed summary of every region in the book while leaving plenty of room for GM add-ons. If you want a more traditional fantasy setting check out Turakian Age.

 

Also the bestiary is indispensible if plan on using hit locations. It gives hit location charts for about any body-type you can imagine.

 

Fantasy Grimoire 1 is great. I am using the default magic system from Turakian Age, and someone in the group refers to it a few times every session. It has been well worth the money.

 

Btw, Mr. Bunraku, it is good to see yet another Tennessean on here. There are quite a few of us.

[MrBunraku]

Re: New to Fantasy Hero

 

As much as I'm enjoying the Fantasy HERO book, I probably won't be getting the setting or grimoire books any time real soon, since I'm more of a RPG reader than player these days. I will keep Turakian Age in mind, though, should that change.

 

I may get the Bestiary at some point, though. I have to admit, though, I was a bit miffed that rules for familiars weren't in the Fantasy HERO book, and I was referred to the HERO Bestiary. I've run into that a few times. It seems that I should have all the info I need to make a character with the main Genre book along with the HERO system 5th ed. book. Much like the book makes referenc to the Ultimate Martial Artist for additional combat maneuvers, but still has the basic fantasy combat styles and weapons and UMA is listed as an add-on.

 

Ed

 

PS Woo hoo! Fellow Tennesseans! Hey, since you're listed as being in Nashville, and since your obviously playing Fantasy HERO, and since I'm not terribly far from Nashville, do you have any room in your group for another???

[PhilFleischmann]

Re: New to Fantasy Hero

 

I thought I knew how much D&D influenced my notions about fantasy RPG's' date=' but it wasn't until I read over Fantasy HERO, with all of it's myriad options, that I was able to break that mindset once and for all.[/quote']

And it's amazing to think of how many little ideas we've picked up from D&D. It's hard to root them all out because they've become so ingrained we don't even think of them. Here's a few that I've been thinking about lately:

 

1) The idea that everyone is one of the four basic "classes": Fighter, Thief, Cleric, Wizard. Sure, there are Rangers and Barbarians, but those are just variants of fighters. Sure, there are Druid, but those are just clerics. etc.

 

2) The assumption that there's a neat dividing line between "divine" magic and "arcane" magic.

 

3) The perfect compartmentalization of the gods, and the perfect information about them: They're all completely statted out like PCs and they all have specific and fixed attributes. They each have one name, one specific symbol (usually detailed to a ridiculous degree), a favorite weapon that they want you to use, specific "domains" of spells that they grant to their clerics, etc.

 

4) The extreme proliferation of races and sub-races. That every race needs a "half-demon" version. That any two races can mate and produce a viable offspring, which then needs a whole new race package (the Star Trek School of Reproductive Biology). Seriously, how many half-elves should there actually be? A whole "race" worth?

 

5) The idea that each race has their own gods. There's a "god of elves" and a "god of dwarves," but never a "god of humans."

 

6) That certain abilities must be prerequisites for other abilities which are not necessarily directly related.

 

7) The assumption that large amounts of metal disrupts certain types of magic.

 

8) That magic always comes in individual, discrete spells. And there's a specific number of them, and each one is precisely defined.

 

9) That the function of a wizard is to be a walking artillary platform.

 

10) The assumption that the game needs thousands of different monsters to remain interesting. And in case that's not enough, there's dozens, if not hundreds, or "templates" that can be applied to monsters to create new variants. "An abyssal, undead, aquatic, blue-dragon-blooded, greater fire giant with 6 levels of Totemist? Didn't we already fight one of those?"

 

Maybe someone (me?) should start a new thread: "Ideas about FRPGs that we get from D&D that don't necessarily have to be so." I'll try to think of a shorter title. If someone else wants to start such a thread before I get a round tuitt, go ahead.

[LordGhee]

Re: New to Fantasy Hero

 

11) You missed the the Stuff. All the stuff you find wands, potient, rings, swords, rugs and stuff. All the stuff.

 

 

 

Lord Ghee

[mayapuppies]

Re: New to Fantasy Hero

 

More commonly known as Ph@7 l337 leW7 in D20 parlance.

[jimmyjimjam]

Re: New to Fantasy Hero

 

When is the new version of the Fantasy Hero book coming out? I want to get into this game and Ive waited months already.

[ghost-angel]

Re: New to Fantasy Hero

 

When is the new version of the Fantasy Hero book coming out? I want to get into this game and Ive waited months already.

 

By "get into the game" do you mean play Hero? For that you need the Hero Fifth Edition Rules.

 

If by "get into the game" you mean get some awesome assistance in helping to set up a Fantasy Hero game ... to quote Buckaroo Banzai "Real Soon !"

[Korvar]

Re: New to Fantasy Hero

 

11) You missed the the Stuff. All the stuff you find wands' date=' potient, rings, swords, rugs and stuff. All the stuff.[/quote']

 

And for each type of "stuff" there's at least one cursed type, which is indistinguishable from proper "stuff". Even if there's exactly one non-cursed item in that category, there's a cursed one.

[Susano]

Re: New to Fantasy Hero

 

I heard it best once as "DnD does a really good job of simulating the DnD genre."

[PhilFleischmann]

Re: New to Fantasy Hero

 

12) That it's normal for people (even "adventurers) to walk around in full armor in their daily lives. In city, over land, etc.

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: New to Fantasy Hero

 

12) That it's normal for people (even "adventurers) to walk around in full armor in their daily lives. In city' date=' over land, etc.[/quote']

 

That "adventurer" can be thought of as a career path!

[Markdoc]

Re: New to Fantasy Hero

 

I heard it best once as "DnD does a really good job of simulating the DnD genre."

 

It's true. When I started GM'ing D&D, we only had the player's handbook - nothing else. So I made up everything else and though it was "recognisably D&D" as far as the rules went, as it turned out when we got the rest of the books, what we had been playing was nothing like D&D - it was more like "Conan in Prydain - the roleplaying game".

 

None of the standard tropes - from armour as clothes through giant hoards of magic and loot to lots and lots of weird monsters actually featured.

 

And I've been playing that way ever since

 

cheers, Mark

[Steve Long]

Re: New to Fantasy Hero

 

When is the new version of the Fantasy Hero book coming out? I want to get into this game and Ive waited months already.

 

Just to make sure everyone's clear -- we're not printing a "new version" of FH. We're going to be reprinting the FH book, with a few typos and such corrected, as soon as we can, but it's not a "new version" as most people would read that statement.

[jimmyjimjam]

Re: New to Fantasy Hero

 

Ok. Revised version. When is the next printing done?

[Steve Long]

Re: New to Fantasy Hero

 

We don't have a date for the revised printing yet. It involves moving the book to a new printer (which is why we can correct typos), and that makes it more expensive and difficult than reprinting it with the original printer (whom we no longer work with) would be. As soon as we have a print date set, we'll let you know.

[Susano]

Re: New to Fantasy Hero

 

Whew... and here I thought hte dog had eaten it.

[Killer Shrike]

Re: New to Fantasy Hero

 

It's true. When I started GM'ing D&D' date=' we only had the player's handbook - nothing else. So I made up everything else and though it was "recognisably D&D" as far as the rules went, as it turned out when we got the rest of the books, what we had been playing was [b']nothing like[/b] D&D - it was more like "Conan in Prydain - the roleplaying game".

 

I'd play that game

[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!!!

[Susano]

Re: New to Fantasy Hero

 

Let me second the usefulness of HERO Designer. I also say that 6.99 for the HERO Bestiary in HD form is a steal!

[MrBunraku]

Re: New to Fantasy Hero

 

And it's amazing to think of how many little ideas we've picked up from D&D. It's hard to root them all out because they've become so ingrained we don't even think of them. Here's a few that I've been thinking about lately:

 

1) The idea that everyone is one of the four basic "classes": Fighter, Thief, Cleric, Wizard. Sure, there are Rangers and Barbarians, but those are just variants of fighters. Sure, there are Druid, but those are just clerics. etc.

 

2) The assumption that there's a neat dividing line between "divine" magic and "arcane" magic.

 

3) The perfect compartmentalization of the gods, and the perfect information about them: They're all completely statted out like PCs and they all have specific and fixed attributes. They each have one name, one specific symbol (usually detailed to a ridiculous degree), a favorite weapon that they want you to use, specific "domains" of spells that they grant to their clerics, etc.

 

4) The extreme proliferation of races and sub-races. That every race needs a "half-demon" version. That any two races can mate and produce a viable offspring, which then needs a whole new race package (the Star Trek School of Reproductive Biology). Seriously, how many half-elves should there actually be? A whole "race" worth?

 

5) The idea that each race has their own gods. There's a "god of elves" and a "god of dwarves," but never a "god of humans."

 

6) That certain abilities must be prerequisites for other abilities which are not necessarily directly related.

 

7) The assumption that large amounts of metal disrupts certain types of magic.

 

8) That magic always comes in individual, discrete spells. And there's a specific number of them, and each one is precisely defined.

 

9) That the function of a wizard is to be a walking artillary platform.

 

10) The assumption that the game needs thousands of different monsters to remain interesting. And in case that's not enough, there's dozens, if not hundreds, or "templates" that can be applied to monsters to create new variants. "An abyssal, undead, aquatic, blue-dragon-blooded, greater fire giant with 6 levels of Totemist? Didn't we already fight one of those?"

 

Maybe someone (me?) should start a new thread: "Ideas about FRPGs that we get from D&D that don't necessarily have to be so." I'll try to think of a shorter title. If someone else wants to start such a thread before I get a round tuitt, go ahead.

 

You know, to be honest, several of the things you mentioned had yet to register with me, but I have to agree with you on most of those points. They are D&D assumptions, but they don't necessarily have to be part of a Fantasy RPG.

 

It came more home to me when I was reading over the character creation chapter. One of the things I've always liked about HERO is that it's a game that allows you to fit the rules to your concept, not the other way 'round. There's lot of talk these days of how D&D 4th ed is going to make a sword swinging magic-user a viable character. But in HERO, it's a snap. Just create it.

 

I don't want anyone to think that I'm a D&D hater, though. It's the first RPG I played, and I do still enjoy it. Although I'm not terribly keen on a 4th edition. But, in the past, I've tried to figure out how D&D would fit a character or game concept, and with HERO, I don't have to worry about that.

 

Ed