New HERO GM, Fantasy Campaign Advice

[Cydeth]

Hi, I'm a relatively new lurker in the boards, and I'm getting ready to run a Fantasy Hero game. I've played a little, but I only got the HERO system last...January? I think that's it. I'm not new to GMing, I've GM'd 3.5 D&D for about the past eight years, and I've run an epic level game for a full year and a half. I'm just hoping for advice and any suggestions you think will be helpful. I'm also going to post the magic systems for my world here if anyone is willing to review them.

Thanks

[Cydeth]

Re: New HERO GM, Fantasy Campaign Advice

 

Here's my magic system.

 

Magic Systems

 

All Spells Must Cost Endurance. This is the primary rule of Magic in this World. Second is that all spells require a skill roll listed in their entry. Active points always penalize the roll. Also, all Endurance Reserves must take the Focus Limitation.

 

Druidic Magic

Druidic magic is the most reliable of the forms of magic that mortals can make use of, but by the same token it is slower and often less obvious than the others. Druids use the raw power of nature itself to change reality, and thus their power never waned with the ley-lines, as Wizardry did, or doesn’t get granted, as with Priests or Daemonic Cultists. There are two disadvantages to Druidic magic. First and foremost, their magic takes time. For the most potent effects they must have started the spells up to weeks in advance, such as if they wished to bring a hurricane down on a city, they would have to start the seed weather all the way out where the storms form. The second flaw is that which was just touched on, they have to use legitimate forces of nature. They can summon lightning from the sky if the conditions are right for lightning, they can accelerate the healing processes of a creature, but not heal wounds outright, and other similar limitations. This does not mean that that they cannot do something like, oh, allow trees to move their limbs like in Lord of the Rings or in Prince Caspian, it is just far, far more difficult for them.

The Rules that Druidic Magic must follow are thus:

 

Ø You may buy Druidic Magic in one of two ways, and only one. You may buy it in Elemental Controls, or you may buy it in a Variable Power Pool. Changing the Pool takes a Minimum of 1 Full Phase. If bought as Elemental Controls, there are four categories of magic, each of which must be bought separately. The four are Plant-shaping, Weather-shaping, Life Magic, and Animal Magic

Ø All spells must take at least 1 full phase

Ø All spells require a Nature skill roll(EGO based) or a skill for each Elemental Control. Roll penalties may be as low as -1 per 20 active points

Ø Endurance Reserves are limited, with a maximum reserve of 50 END and REC of 5. Recovery must take the Limitation Extra Time: 1 day (-4)

Ø All Spells must involve nature or natural events in a logical fashion. If you try to rules lawyer, remember, Nature is called a Mother for a reason…

 

Divine Magic

This is magic that is granted by the gods themselves. While not as reliable as Druidic Magic, it is by far the most common form of spellcasting. There are two major disadvantages to the magic of the gods. First is that the magic can only be used to further the ideals of the god, the god will deny the spell otherwise. Most priests admit that they are given some leeway in the matter of what furthers the god’s ideals, but they are careful despite that. The second flaw is that spellcasting uses the priest as a conduit for the power of the god, and such power physically harms the priest. Small spells are relatively easily ignored, but powerful spells can kill the priest. A major advantage of this magic is that a priest can do virtually anything with his magic. If, that is, he is willing to pay the price.

The major Rules of Divine Magic follow:

 

Ø Divine Magic is purchased as a Variable Power Pool. Changing the Pool takes a Minimum of 1 Full Phase

Ø All spells must take the following Limitations; Only In the God’s Purpose(-½), Increased END Cost(x2 cost minimum)(-½ to -4), and Divine Channel(you take Stun equal to half of the END Cost, any overflow hits Body)(-1), Requires Skill Roll Faith Roll(EGO Based)

Ø Endurance Reserves are granted solely by the will of the deity the character follows, and then only when the priest or priestess has proven themselves a true believer and disciple of their deity. Using an Endurance Reserve does not cause damage from the Divine Channel limitation

 

Wizardry

There are seven domains of Wizardry. Fire, Water, Air, Earth, Power, Light, and Shadow. Power for these spells are mostly drawn from the ley lines that crisscross the world, and which were created by the sorceresses in ages past. Each domain is distinct, but some effects can cross lines between the domains. For example, a spell of invisibility could be created as an Air, Power, or Light spell. In unusual circumstances you could even reason versions of invisibility into the others as well, such as if you made yourself look exactly like the stone wall you were hiding next to. But now for a brief description of each domain.

Fire: Fire magic is often the most straightforward of all the domains. The most overtly destructive of the domains, it is the domain that battle Magi tend toward. However, it is not always explosions or gouts of flames, often it also uses lightning and other such multi-elemental forces. One use that most do not consider, but the masters of this element never forget, is that Fire magic can be used to take heat away as well, creating Ice magic in it’s stead. That is why most powerful Fire Magi are considered masters of fire and ice.

Water: Water magic is one of the most underestimated of the domains, next to Power. It is better termed as mastery of liquids, as more than one of the adepts of this domain use all manner of such to achieve their aims. A powerful water mage can call up a tidal wave on dry land and use any liquid as a shield to defend themselves. Often the most subtle of magics, Water is the hardest to pin down, and often the hardest to master.

Air: Air, master of wind, rain, and storms, shared only with Water the weather magics. Those who are free spirits gravitate toward this ever-changing domain. Air Magi can be the most capricious of adepts, utilizing flight, fog, and all other aspects of their element to do what they will. While not as overt as Fire Magi, they too can control lightning and use it at their whim. Many fear these magi more than any other, for no two are alike.

Earth: These are the undisputed masters of defensive magic, the disciples of Earth. Not necessarily the fastest of Magi, they draw on the deep, patient power of the earth itself. Most think of Earth Magi as only defensive casters, but the wise know to be wary of them. Who else can cause metal armor to sprout spikes inside of itself? Make the earth vomit forth rocky spears to strike down their enemies? Cause earthquakes to come or volcanoes to erupt? Earth Magi can be among the most dangerous of all, and all would do well to be wary of the implacable lords of Earth.

Power: Power is what connects the Four Elemental magics, allowing them to interact so easily. Power magic, while useful, has the least direct effect of any of the magics. It aids other magic, allows a mage to identify any type of spell, and gives other relatively minor abilities that most magi choose to brush off. But below the surface of this apparent weakness is a series of uses that make it as important, if not more so, than any other domain. Only Power can teleport a mage instantly from one location to another across the world. With Power one can craft magical items that utilize the power of the Four Elements without needing to have more than passing knowledge of those powers. The most potent ability of Power though, is the ability to craft magical materials that can be used to create magical artifacts. Power Magi, while rare, are a force to be wary of.

Light: The domain of Light is divorced from the Elemental magics, for it preceded them with the power of Shadow. Light, life, and creation are all wrapped into this potent domain. Healing, conjuration of beings, shape-shifting, and more are all of this domain. Undead and things of shadow fear Light Magi. The most feared ability of Light is the power to Summon beings from the Realms Beyond. Even angels, both dark and light, can be called forth. Few are foolish enough to underestimate a Light Mage.

Shadow: Along with Light, Shadow is one of the earliest forces, for wherever there is light, there must be shadow. The power of entropy, undeath, shadows, and cold darkness lie within this force. Many consider the adepts of this domain to be evil. It is an inaccurate, though far too often correct, assumption. Most Shadow Magi understand that without Shadow, Light would have no meaning, and the reverse is also true. It often surprises Light Magi that Shadow Magi can heal, though they borrow a tiny amount of energy from everything around them to do so. Shadow Magi, though feared, are as good, or evil as any mage has potential to be.

The major Rules of Wizardry follow:

Ø Wizardry is bought as a separate Elemental Control for each domain

Ø All spells require a Magic(INT) skill roll, each domain requires the skill be keyed to it. (Fire Magic(INT) for Fire Wizardry, and so forth)

Ø All Wizardry spells must take the Focus limitation to some degree

Ø Endurance Reserves may be bought as Foci with the following clarifications. They only store END for one domain of magic. (Fire, Earth, etc.) Maximum 30 END, 5 REC. The REC requires the following Limitations; Only in a Ley Line (-1), Extra Time 1 Minute (-1½)

 

Sorcery

This form of magic belongs to the race of Sorceresses alone. Granted to them by the goddess Kari’Torath herself, it is the most potent form of magic in existence. It has no limitations but the ones that the user applies to it, and a powerful Sorceress is virtually unstoppable. This magic was used to create the ley lines millennia ago, and with them Wizardry itself. Without Sorcery, all Wizardry would slowly drain away from the world. Fortunately for all who are concerned, Sorceresses are charged to defend the world from the depredations of Daemons.

Sorcery’s major Rules follow:

Ø Sorcery is a Variable Power Pool that all Sorceresses start with. They may improve it as time passes. The minimum time to change the pool is 1 full phase

Ø Spells require a Sorcery(INT) skill roll, minimum of a -1 per 20 active points

Ø Sorceresses may buy Endurance Reserves at their and the Game Master’s discretion

 

Daemonic Magic

Almost identical to Divine Magic in concept, Daemonic Cultists receive power from the Daemons that they worship. The Daemons do not just give away their power, however, they require that the supplicants sacrifice to them, beginning with plants, ending with intelligent beings. The advantage the cultists enjoy is that they have no need to use their own energy to use magic, as it has already been supplied by their victims. Not normally for PCs.

Ø Bought as a Variable Power Pool. Changing the pool requires a minimum of 1 full phase

Ø All spells must take the following Limitations; Only in the Master’s Purpose (-½), Incantations (-¼), Requires a Daemon Magic Roll (INT based)

Ø Spells may only draw from an Endurance Reserve

Ø Endurance Reserves are standard for all Daemonic Magic, and are most commonly sacrificial daggers. Reserves do not have a standard REC, instead they have the Limitation; Only When Master Receives a Sacrifice. REC is equal to the sacrifice’s REC + an amount based on the mind class of the sacrifice. +0 for Plant/Machine, +1 for Animal, +2 for Alien, +4 for Human. The daemonic masters, while they appreciate other powerful beings, far prefer mortal souls for their sacrifices, and thus reward the most power for them

 

Magic Items

Magical equipment is rare, as the effort leading to its creation is rather difficult. Not only does it require rather more personal energy to create than most are willing to expend, but it also requires that a full half of the energy comes from magical materials, such as a dragon’s heart, a phoenix’s feather, or other such difficult to acquire materials. Power Magi can manufacture such materials, but it takes even them months to create, and is only marginally less expensive power-wise than creating them than it would be using naturally occurring materials. There is one way around this problem, but it is rarely used. The other option is to craft an item in a ley line node, building it so that it only functions in a ley line node. This removes the need for magical materials, as it can only function inside a node but a few mages find it worth their time. It is far more common for a mage to build their tower and enchant it in the middle of a node, as a tower doesn’t move, at least most of the time.

Ø In other words, all magic items can only be crafted when half of the XP cost comes from magical materials. Power Magi can create such materials, but it takes a minimum of 1 month, and they have to pay ¾ of the cost of the end value of the material

[Curufea]

Re: New HERO GM, Fantasy Campaign Advice

 

Work out what your players want before you start - because you'll need to check if there are any resources in Hero currently available for what they want.

For example - you'll need to find spells, skills and powers for whatever type of character they want to play, or make it up in the rules.

It's a good idea to have a checklist of what is likely to happen in an adventure so you can go through it beforehand looking for writeups for things (do I need a [insert monster name]? What book is that in? Should I search on Surbrook, Killer Shrike, the Hero Wiki or the message board for something similar?)

Costs, economy, setting,campaign ground rules.

[Blue Jogger]

Re: New HERO GM, Fantasy Campaign Advice

 

Welcome aboard. I'm sure you'll get lots of questions, comments and feedback.

[Guest Admiral C]

Re: New HERO GM, Fantasy Campaign Advice

 

The aformentioned advice about knowing what your doing before you start is paramount. There is a format in the FREd somewhere that I turned into a Word Document and would fill it at least for my own reference that helps.

 

My advice, taking into account your 3.5 experience, don't be afraid to cannibalize anything from D&D but keep in mind that without the need for kill based exp dungeons and adventures may have many more encounters than you actually need. Likewise the need for extensive catalogs of monsters becomes less important when the sheer number of combat encounters drop.

 

But starting fresh with a new setting may showcase the HERO System better for new players.

 

Settings and adventures are something experienced GM/DM can come up with in abundance but I recomend getting a hold of at least the first Fantasy Hero Grimoire and Fantasy Hero itself if you can find it. Barring that if your players are building there own spells or your planning on building a bulk of them, keeping a running document you add too that players and yourself can build on and reference may craft your own grimoire in a few months of play.

[CTaylor]

Re: New HERO GM, Fantasy Campaign Advice

 

Go story-based rather than encounter-based for your adventures. That is, instead of "how many challenge ratings worth of bad guys will I need to get them to level x" think "what will we do this session and how can I make it fun for everyone." If that's just a lot of travel and role playing, so be it. You give experience in Hero for how well people play and what they accomplished, not what they killed and earned.

[Killer Shrike]

Re: New HERO GM, Fantasy Campaign Advice

 

Fantasy HERO

3e Conversion

[Mr. R]

Re: New HERO GM, Fantasy Campaign Advice

 

OK, just to be a devil's advocate. What is there for the non spell caster. IE is magic common, everyone has a bit. Or rare, where casters are small in numbers. What abilities do the non spell caster bring to the board. I say this as a person who played a non caster in a game with 50% of the characters were casters. It was rapidly apparent that casters were just so much more versetile and capable. have stealth at 95% and climbing at 95% meant nothing when casters can go invisible, TP and fly.

 

I just ask because the first thing you mentioned was your magic system. Not to knock it, I like it. But again, what about the non caster?

[Cydeth]

Re: New HERO GM, Fantasy Campaign Advice

 

Thanks for the advice so far, guys. Fortunately, I'm happy to say that I've always been focused on roleplay, rather than just 'kill the monster!'. Although in encounters my players call me an evil, rat bastard. I consider it a compliment. In any case, transitioning to awarding xp for what got done shouldn't be an issue. As a side note, what is the FRE? Thanks for the advice on the checklist, I think I'll start on that.

Shrike, thanks, but I already have your site bookmarked. Where do you think I looked for information when building my magic systems:).

Mr. R, I do know what you mean there. I've played a useless stealth type before. My system allows anyone to learn the first three types of magic, but it is also constructed to be expensive. At the moment, I've built a couple of characters using the same points. A competent Rogue type cost the same as a minimal Mage. I will say that I'm deliberately making things like teleportation and invisibility extremely difficult, because I think they take a lot of the fun out of the game. They have their place, but I don't think that using them should be something any starting character can afford. Also, a mage who doesn't focus specifically on a single type of magic is going to get hosed by most non-magic users, as most of his abilities are too weak to do anything. A prime example is one of the characters that a player just built for the game. They chose two forms of wizardry, and can heal a single point of body, as well as light a fire. They didn't have points to do everything else they wanted, so now they plan to use a sword in combat. I am trying to make sure that magic doesn't rule everything, but sometimes it is difficult.

[Shadowsoul]

Re: New HERO GM, Fantasy Campaign Advice

 

A couple of thoughts on encounters.

 

If you send humanoid villains after the heroes then unless said villains have pretty powerful defences there is always a chance that a lucky shot will drop one of them with embarrassing speed. So try to have more than one villain attack them at a time.

 

If minions are just intended to be speed bumps then I'd reccomend 6-8 body and little or no armour. E.g. goblins.

 

I've found that even a party who were built on 250 points apiece made heavy going of some mildly competent bandits with 10 body and 5 points of armour each. The bandits never so much as scratched the heroes but they took quite a bit of killing.

 

2-3 times their amount of reasonably skillful minions with decent equipment and coordination should be a tough challenge for just about any Fantasy Hero party. Particularly if they're being led by a nasty monster or villain.

[Maelstrom]

Re: New HERO GM, Fantasy Campaign Advice

 

This isn't a HERO tip, but a DitV one: Say yes, unless you have to say no. And build the social map of the area -- for RP purposes, it's more important than the physical map.

Ok, two.

[CTaylor]

Re: New HERO GM, Fantasy Campaign Advice

 

To speed up combat, there are a lot of good tips in Fantasy Hero and Hero System books. Treat low end bad guys as a limited number of hits (it takes 1 good hit to take him out, 2 for this guy, etc). If the PCs put down a bad guy, he stays down unless he's a special NPC or a big main "boss" to use video game terms. That prevents the nasty tendency of beating on bad guys while they are down.

 

In general terms running a game usually all games go better if you keep certain rules in mind:

 

-Try to end each session either with a glorious celebration of success (the end of Star Wars) or a cliffhanger - think of your game as being an adventure serial, make the party wish it hadn't ended yet, and look forward to what comes next

-Try to make sure each player feels like they've contributed and done something cool in the game. If this means you have to adjust your story a bit, then do it: everyone having fun is more important than your predetermined scenario, and a good GM can work around that.

-Find out what each player wants with their character and try to get that into the game, as often as possible

-Remember disadvantages. Each character has a list of plot hooks and character hooks you can grab hold of in the game. Hunteds are good for complicating encounters or creating a scenario. Psychological limitations help the player role play and so on.

-Remember limitations. If your mage has to gesture, sometimes make it so they cannot. If the warrior has a magic sword, have that sword taken away sometimes so he notices the OAF on the power. But don't overdo it: they are limitations, not crippling disabilities. Once a session is a good guide, have someone notice their limitations once a session if possible, but not much more than that.

-Your job is to help everyone have fun (including you), not to beat the players. If they trash your bad guy easily but have fun doing it, you win. Challenge is good, problem solving is entertaining, but the end goal is to enjoy yourselves. If your players hate riddles, don't put them in the game even if you love them and have a book full. If your players prefer a light-hearted game, don't make the game grim and brutal except on occasion. Make sure you find out and make it clear what your game is at least early in the campaign if not at the start.

-Each character is the property of their player. They made the character, they have the concept and background, they made this up. Don't make changes without consulting and working with the player. Don't just rewrite stuff without at least explaining why and having the player go along with it. They'll be creative, you can come up with something even if the original concept doesn't fit the campaign.

 

There are some others, but it's all about having fun.

[Lord Liaden]

Re: New HERO GM, Fantasy Campaign Advice

 

Welcome to the community, Cydeth! (For his sake I hope Cy stays well away from you.)

 

Some time back we started compiling a thread of advice for novice GMs. As you say you're not a novice, but a lot of the advice on that thread is specific to HERO System GMing. You may be able to glean some useful tips: http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3304

[Doc Democracy]

Re: New HERO GM, Fantasy Campaign Advice

 

One of the things that makes Hero easier for GMs and players alike is that they can define certain concepts early on and that makes certain things much easier to model later on.

 

For example - look for threads on alignment and undead turning. In these cases early decisions about what you mean in your campaign by evil/good alignment stuff (if you are going to use them) or building undead with disadvantages that make things like turning or destruction of undead by holy men brandishing a holy symbol much easier.

 

My best advice is set the ground rules early and later builds can reference them.

 

 

Doc

[Cydeth]

Re: New HERO GM, Fantasy Campaign Advice

 

Thanks for the advice on ground rules, I started setting them and my players really appreciate it too. The issue is that ALL of us have been using the Hero System for less than six months. Somebody suggested looking at Champions when we were considering a Superhero campaign, and I looked for it, found the Hero System, and loved it. Sometimes we used D&D for ease of play, but this system rocks.

On another note, one of my players wants to play a succubus that has been mind-wiped and trapped in a human form, not even knowing what she is. I'm starting my campaign with 75 Base points, and up to 50 points of Disads. How would you go about letting the player do this? My current thought is that her current 'base form' is actually a multiform, and letting her buy a succubus form as a multiform until it's points equal the Humanoid form, at which point she gets the discount on the humanoid form rather than the succubus form. Any suggestions?

[CTaylor]

Re: New HERO GM, Fantasy Campaign Advice

 

Just have her build the best succubus type that she can be with the points limits. Then as she gets experience, she can start building up (remembering) succubus powers. I'd advise that she be unusually strong and beautiful, have a high presence to start with and a slew of succubus-based disadvantages to represent her nature, even if she's not aware of it. For example: extra damage from holy attacks, distinctive looks demon (requires special senses to find) and so on. Nothing that forces her to take action or be demony unless the player wants to, but things that should come up in the appropriate circumstances.