mhd Posted March 17, 2014 Report Share Posted March 17, 2014 I'm more the "big first step" guy when it comes to magic, but a few of my players are big fans of all kinds of magical trickery. Lighting candles, small illusions, maybe some minor spirits... Anyone got an interesting approach for this in HERO? Obvious approaches would be a small VPP, or even just a handwaving perk. But in a low fantasy campaign, such small stuff could encompass a lot of the magic seen in the first few adventures at least (maybe more for some less proficient or ambitious archetypes). So maybe a more defined system, similar to old D&Ds cantrips or Warhammer's Petty Magic... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Posted March 17, 2014 Report Share Posted March 17, 2014 I'd probably define it as a small VPP like you say, but I would watch that character like a hawk. A little magic can go a very long way in a fantasy campaign--setting things on fire, perfect disguises or distractions, and summoning zero-CP creatures can still be unbelievably useful, and the extreme versatility of a VPP doesn't help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ndreare Posted March 17, 2014 Report Share Posted March 17, 2014 I have always considered cantrips and minor tricks a core concept in characters, if the players wanted they could game mechanics one of the following, but normally I just treat it as a included aspect of the power skill. Much like a super hero not buying every possible use of his skills. either 2 STR TK (3 points) 3 point VPP (5 points) and just hand wave everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted March 17, 2014 Report Share Posted March 17, 2014 The usual Powers for this sort of thing that I've seen include Change Environment, Cosmetic Transform, Images, and Telekinesis. The Base Points can be quite small, but you can apply a lot of Modifiers to broaden the Power's versatility while bringing down its cost. The VPP model is often the best choice to model skilled and powerful magicians who want a host of these minor abilities at their command; but for beginning characters it may be more realistic to purchase them individually, or as slots in a Cantrip Multipower. You should encourage your players to be creative with the Special Effects of these Powers to add diversity and flavor. For example, I once saw an official write-up of a spell to summon a small imp to fetch and carry for a wizard, built using Telekinesis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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