After some serious digging around, I finally found some of my old notes on designing a Fantasy HERO campaign for Magic: the Gathering. I abandoned it because nobody in my game group was interested in learning HERO.
But over the intervening years, several people I’ve talked to about this were curious about how I was doing things. I promised I’d share whatever notes I had whenever I found them.
So…below are several sets of notes that have been edited, combined and formatted into a relatively coherent document. The fragments were sometimes clearly incomplete. There may be more- I don’t recall how far I had gotten- and if I do find more, I’ll edit that info in.
All suggestions are welcome!
But over the intervening years, several people I’ve talked to about this were curious about how I was doing things. I promised I’d share whatever notes I had whenever I found them.
So…below are several sets of notes that have been edited, combined and formatted into a relatively coherent document. The fragments were sometimes clearly incomplete. There may be more- I don’t recall how far I had gotten- and if I do find more, I’ll edit that info in.
All suggestions are welcome!
COLORS OF MAGIC:
"In HERO, PCs physical abilities and powers run off of a stat called Endurance, but it is also possible to have a separate "Endurance Reserves" for specific powers.
These Mana Pools (END Res) should be small with a high recharge rate in order to simulate the tapping of land for mana, with all said land becoming untapped the next turn- this means for any END Res, END = REC. Since END Res are purchased at 1CP/4END, 1CP/3REC, they will be purchased in 7CP blocks (before Limitations), each being 12END 12REC
So for this game, all magical effects will run off of color-specific END Res representing mana. Thus, red spells require at least some red mana, blue spells some blue mana, etc., and the powering of artifacts can use any mana.
A PC with a Red END Res and a Blue END Res would be Red and Blue creature, period. Active effects of other colors- such as spells placed in them by others- don't change a creature's color, but may still be affected by "Protection from (Color)" effects, making it more in line with M:tG's actual mechanics.
To determine HOW MUCH colored Mana a spell requires, I toyed with some kind of level system or preset ratios, but sometimes, simpler is better.
SO HERE IT IS: the simple majority of a spell's mana (endurance) cost must come from an appropriately colored source. If a spell is "multicolored", the majority cost must be as evenly split between the colors as possible, and the player has the discretion as to the actual ratio.
Mana Burn: Side Effect Limitation on the END Res
NOTE: naked Power Advantages H6th, p314-15.
OPPOSITIONAL COLOR MAGIC:
As campaign-specific rules.
Step 1: figure out & enumerate all of the strengths a particular color has. Obvious examples would be mind-affecting powers for Blue, direct damage for Red, protection for White, necromantic/NND for Black, creature summoning for Green.
Step 2: any power designed solely within one color's strengths would get a free 1/4 "disadvantage" cost break. So something like 5 points of a force field power as a White spell would cost 4 points because "protection" is a specialty of White magic.
Step 3: any power that has mixed (non-oppositional) mana costs or is designed for a non-oppositional color would be normally priced. So something like 5 points of a force field power as a White/Green mixed mana spell or as a Blue spell would cost 5 points.
Step 4: any power that contains any oppositional mana costs or is wholly of an oppositional color is treated as needing a 1/4 power "advantage" penalty. So a Black or Red force field would cost 6 points per 5 points of the active power.
Step 5: any power within a color's specialty being created as an artifact will also have that 1/4 penalty built in.
CREATURE ABILITIES:
"Simulating 'Upkeep': Mana- or other cost- must be paid repeatedly"
"Simulating 'Tapping creatures/artifacts': "
"Simulating 'powers that Destroy': "RKA/HKA Linked to (Complex Power?) Drain: Heal (Resurrect)
"Simulating 'Vigilance/Does not Tap to Attack': Damage Shield; Advantage Always On; Linked to an attack or naked Power Advantage"
"Simulating 'Untargetable: + DCV Characteristic, only versus targeted magical effects"
"Simulating 'Summoning Sickness': "
"Simulating 'Haste': campaign condition does not exist "
"Simulating 'First Strike': Lightning Reflexes."
"Simulating 'Double Strike': Autofire naked advantage."
"Simulating '(Land)walk': Desolid; Limitation only in (Terrain); Advantage Zero End cost; Advantage to at least one attack works while Desolid ."
"Simulating 'Protection from (Color)': Full Damage Reduction vs (Color)."
"Simulating 'Reach': ."
"Simulating 'Trample': Sticky?."
"Simulating 'Rampage': Conditional stat boost ."
"Simulating 'Phasing': Desolid, Advantage Zero End cost, uncontrolled, usable only on turn phases when creature is not active."
"Simulating 'Echo': Summon with a repeated cost."
"Simulating 'Discards': Drains/Suppress."
"Simulating 'Mana destroyers/tappers': Drains/Suppress."
"Simulating 'Controls/Steals': Mind Controls, TK,"
"Simulating 'Sacrifice/Graveyard exchanges': Transforms."
"Simulating 'Poisonous': NND, continuous, Advantage Zero End cost, linked to another attack"
"Simulating 'Shadow': Desolid; does not work against other creatures with Shadow, Advantage Always On; Advantage to at least one attack works while Desolid."
"Simulating 'Fear': ; +Cha for Pre attacks only (Mental attack?), AoE: Explosion, Advantage Always On; does not work vs Black or Artifact creatures."
"Simulating 'Shroud': Supression."
"Simulating 'Familiars': small creatures with magical powers. If drawn from M:tG, card cost must be 1 or less. HERO build point cost ceiling to be set."
SLIVERS
Shared base stats; all powers “usable on others, Always on, 0END cost, AoE: Radius, Only affects Slivers”
Clot Sliver
POWER: Heal, Resurrection only, usable on others, ___END cost (Black), AoE: Radius, Only affects Slivers
Fury Sliver
POWER: Autofire Naked Power Advantage, usable on others, Always on, 0END cost, AoE: Radius, Only affects Slivers
Lymph Sliver
POWER: 25% Damage Reduction (Physical and Energy), Resistant, usable on others, Always on, 0END cost (Black), AoE: Radius, Only affects Slivers
Muscle Sliver
POWER: Density Increase, usable on others, Always on, 0END cost, AoE: Radius, Only affects Slivers
Synchronous Sliver
POWER: Damage Shield; Linked to an attack, usable on others, Always on, 0END cost (Black), AoE: Radius, Only affects Slivers
Virulent Sliver
POWER: NND Poison, usable on others, Always on, 0END cost (Black), AoE: Radius, Only affects Slivers
Ward Sliver
POWER: 75% Damage Reduction (Physical and Energy), Resistant, only works vs one Color, usable on others, Always on, 0END cost (Black), AoE: Radius, Only affects Slivers
Winged Sliver
POWER: Flight, usable on others, Always on, 0END cost (Blue), AoE: Radius, Only affects Slivers
Ward Sliver
POWER: 75% Damage Reduction (Physical and Energy), Resistant, only works vs one Color, usable on others, Always on, 0END cost (Black), AoE: Radius, Only affects Slivers