Response to Woas about HARP

[Rasyr]

Rasyr, how does licensing HARP work with ICE? I know it's not free, but I'm just wondering how ones gets to use it.

Also, would it be possible for a person to write a setting or sourcebook and dual stat it using both HARP and d20/D&D stats, or is that against the rules?

Really simple, just write us and tell us what you are wanting to do. We will then give you the licensing information (one of these days I need to find the time to write these up for posting on the website - hehe) and you make your decision on whether or not to use HARP.

Well, the OGL requires that you have the right to use any trademarks and/or logos you use, so if you had a license, then yes you could do dual stat. You would have to be very particular in your PI declaration so that you do not accidently drop anything of HARP into Open Content, but it would be doable.

 

[Particle_Man]

Additionally, there is an excel speradsheet available on the HARP website which would make this much easier, and we have a fellow working on a character generation program for HARP as well (which will hopefully have a built in NPC generator).

My Harp/Ice web-fu is weak. Could you post a link directly to this character generation program? And another to the Excel spreadsheet? I take it the first is a random generator, and the second a way to make your character's points all add up?

Y'know, when I was a kid, I had Dragon #60 (if memory serves, which is always risky to assume, it had an article on half-elves accompanying the article on elves, and only the latter ever made it into the "Race" section of the appropriate Best of Dragon, vol. III (or was it vol. II?)), and in the back there was an advertisement for "Claw Law", which I think was part of the rolemaster deal, along with the then forthcoming "Spell Law", "Arms Law", and that adventure "The Iron Wind". That was the first time I realized that there WERE other roleplaying games than D&D. And now, over 20 years later, I own a package that has Harp (Rolemaster-lite), along with equivalents to Claw Law, Arms Law and Spell Law! Huh! All I need now is an equivalent to "The Iron Wind". I don't know anything about that adventure, but the name is evocative.

 

[Rasyr]

My Harp/Ice web-fu is weak. Could you post a link directly to this character generation program? And another to the Excel spreadsheet? I take it the first is a random generator, and the second a way to make your character's points all add up?

The character generation program is going to be a tool much like the program PCGen (take a look in the credits and you will see my name - hehe - I helped with some of the initial interface design). You will be able to make character just like you were doing it with paper and pencil. It has not been released yet (supposed to go beta at the end of the month). You can find a thread on the ICE forums about it here ---> http://www.ironcrown.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=5352
The thread includes a number of screen shots from the guy making it.

The Excel sheet is also a character generator in its own right. Jonathon Dale did excellent work on it, and like the program above, can be used to fully generate characters. The latest version also has the additional information from the HARP supplements Martial Law, College of Magics, and IIRC Monsters: A Field Guide as well. You can find it here ---> http://www.harphq.com/charsheets.htm#autocalc

And right beneath it is an autocalculating PDF form as well (with FDF imports for races and cultures - Very Impressive!! (today was the first time I have seen this one - Wow!!)

 

[Particle_Man]

Quick Spell Question

Aside from saving one power point, is there any reason to take the Conjure Animal spell as opposed to Conjure Creature spell? Since all animals are creatures, wouldn't it be better to take the spell that can create both animals and other creatures? Or is "creature" a technical term that does not incude animals?

(Just for fun, I am making an illusionist-thaumaturge type -- I don't know if I will get to play it anytime soon, but it gives me a chance to see how the system works).

 

[Rasyr]

Aside from saving one power point, is there any reason to take the Conjure Animal spell as opposed to Conjure Creature spell? Since all animals are creatures, wouldn't it be better to take the spell that can create both animals and other creatures? Or is "creature" a technical term that does not incude animals?

(Just for fun, I am making an illusionist-thaumaturge type -- I don't know if I will get to play it anytime soon, but it gives me a chance to see how the system works).

In HARP, Animals are defined as those that can be found in the real world (deer, wolves, horses, etc..).

Creatures on the other hand are those mythological and imaginary beasties that are included (Gryphons, hippogryphs, giant rats, giant spiders, giant ants, etc...).

That illusionist/thaumaturge type sounds like a pretty cool character concept.

Note: In HARP the Thaumaturge is a spell user who concentrates on creating things (magic ites, faux beasties who inflict real damage, etc..)

 

[Particle_Man]

In HARP, Animals are defined as those that can be found in the real world (deer, wolves, horses, etc..).

Creatures on the other hand are those mythological and imaginary beasties that are included (Gryphons, hippogryphs, giant rats, giant spiders, giant ants, etc...).

Ah, then the balance is that animals are easier to come across, and so easier to conjure up, whereas, if I have never seen a Gryphon, I can never conjure one.

Hmmm...I think I would rather ride a Gryphon or Hippogryph than a horse...

And there's a motivation for adventuring right there, since I can only conjure up critters I have actually a) seen, and b) studied with that study target spell.

The only other difference I can see is that, while Conjure Creature has a prohibition to this, Conjure Animal doesn't prevent me from conjuring specific-looking (albeit average statistics) animals, so that "It's the Duchess's prize toy poodle, Teddy! How did he get here?" situations can arise. Although a Phantasm could do that too, I don't have to maintain concentration on a conjuration if it is just on "follow last order" mode.

 

[Rasyr]

Ah, then the balance is that animals are easier to come across, and so easier to conjure up, whereas, if I have never seen a Gryphon, I can never conjure one.

Yup, and you need to use the "Study Target" spell as well (meaning you have to come within contact with one...

Hmmm...I think I would rather ride a Gryphon or Hippogryph than a horse...

Well, in Cyradon (the upcoming setting for HARP), Gyrphons are not only sentient, but one of the PC races... I doubt that they would let you ride one of them hehe

And there's a motivation for adventuring right there, since I can only conjure up critters I have actually a) seen, and b) studied with that study target spell.

Correct!

The only other difference I can see is that, while Conjure Creature has a prohibition to this, Conjure Animal doesn't prevent me from conjuring specific-looking (albeit average statistics) animals, so that "It's the Duchess's prize toy poodle, Teddy! How did he get here?" situations can arise. Although a Phantasm could do that too, I don't have to maintain concentration on a conjuration if it is just on "follow last order" mode.

Actually, the Conjure Animal spell should also have that bit as well (not a specific copy). Oopsie!

 

[Particle_Man]

In HARP, Animals are defined as those that can be found in the real world (deer, wolves, horses, etc..).

Creatures on the other hand are those mythological and imaginary beasties that are included (Gryphons, hippogryphs, giant rats, giant spiders, giant ants, etc...).

On consideration, this seems a little odd to me. I mean, in the real world we know the difference between animals and creatures by the simple fact that one type exists and the other doesn't. But for a world in which both exist, how does the magic system "know" that a giant rat is a creature, as opposed to an animal? I mean, it is not like the rat breathes fire or something obviously magical -- it is just a major annoyance, like a wolf would be. I think a case can be made for merging Conjure Animal and Conjure Creature into one spell in a future edition of the College of Magic supplement.

 

[Old Fezziwig]

A sage or wizard with a predilection for taxonomy and zoology decided that was best when he developed the spells. Perhaps rodents of unusual size weren't considered rodents. Maybe giant variations of common animals are the result of magical experimentation (in which case, they're not natural animals, but created animals that happen to breed true). Some thoughts.

Nick

 

[Cinderfall]

more questions

How hard is it to kill someone with a dagger?

Could you describe the overall lethality of the combat system (with some examples)?

Overall, how lethal and destructive is magic?

Thanks in advance.