Iron Heroes - I have it in my hands!

[Matrix Sorcica]

Please tell me Iron Heroes understands that shields are defensive and that feats that make them better should primarily make them better defensively and not offensively.

Told.

 

[EricNoah]

thanks for both the sample character and the active/passive defense info. Can't wait to figure it all out.

 

[Dragonblade]

So how do the Arcanists stand up vs. the fighting classes? It seems like if the Arcanist is as weak physically as a D&D mage, and can no longer lay down heavy fire then they are just going to get their tail handed to them.

Can they compensate by casting multiple low-level/low-damage attack spells in a round?

Although, I would prefer easier integration with standard D&D, this book is really appealing to me. It seems like this book would be perfect to run a Conan, Warhammer, Lone Wolf, or especially a Dark Sun game.

Hmm, just need some psionic rules, a mechanic for defiling magic, and potentially a Gladiator class....

 

[Dr. Strangemonkey]

That is totally sweet.

 

[Kintara]

Hmm, so how does a high level character have a decent passive bonus to defense if you only can add base shield bonus, size, and NA? Boy, catching someone flat-footed, like in an ambush, is going to be brutal, brutal, brutal.

 

[Michael Tree]

So how do the Arcanists stand up vs. the fighting classes? It seems like if the Arcanist is as weak physically as a D&D mage, and can no longer lay down heavy fire then they are just going to get their tail handed to them.

I'm curious about this as well. Are there arcanist-specific feats that help them become more interesting spellcasters, or more powerful in their area of focus? What are their feat masteries like? Is it possible to make a decent fighter/spellcaster type?

Aside from spellcasting, what class abilities do arcanists get?

What are the non-damaging spell effects like? What sorts of enchantment, transmutation, & conjuration effects are possible?

Hmm, just need some psionic rules, a mechanic for defiling magic, and potentially a Gladiator class....

Ooo yes. A defiling mechanic would be even easier to create than in standard D&D: There's already a "gathering mana" mechanic, so for defiling you just give a boost in mana-gathering speed in return for environmental damage.

As for psionics... to keep the DS distinction between psionics and magic, you could use Green Ronin's Psychic's Handbook. It's skill and feat based, so like DS psionics anyone could possibly learn it. All you'd need to do is buff up the Psychic class to IH standards and you're good to go. The skill group rules would work well with it: The Psychic class would get access to all the skills in a discipline he has access to as a Skill Group, so for example he could buy 1 rank in all the Telepathy powers for 1 skill point, instead of buying them separately, if he has the feat that lets him learn Telepathy powers.

I definitely wouldn't make a gladiator class. After all, any IH class could be a spectacular gladiator, each with its own different signature style.

 

[EricNoah]

I bet there are class features, feats, etc. that allow you to keep your base defense bonus, dex, etc. as passive defenses -- like uncanny dodge does in D&D. Maybe one of those feat mastery chains...

------

On a related note, do creatures get defense bonuses? or do they just rely on natural armor? I am curious about converting simple D&D monsters (example -- giant lizard or giant spider). It's looking like maybe only the defense is something I really need to worry about. Let me take a stab at it...

Animal, Lizard, Monitor (CR 2, HD 3d8+9)
N Medium Animal
Init +2 | Spd 30 or Swim 30
Senses Low-light Vision (Ex) | Listen +4, Spot +4
AC 15 (FF 13, Touch 12)
hp 22
Saves Fort +8, Ref +5, Will +2
Atk +5 base melee, +4 base ranged; Grapple +5
+5 Melee (Bite 1d8+4/crit 20/x2);

Abilities STR 17, DEX 15, CON 17, INT 1, WIS 12, CHA 2
Feats: Alertness, Great Fortitude.
Skills: Climb + 7, Hide + 6, Listen + 4, Move Silently + 6, Spot + 4, Swim + 11.

would become...

Animal, Lizard, Monitor (CR 2, HD 3d8+9)
N Medium Animal
Init +2 | Spd 30 or Swim 30
Senses Low-light Vision (Ex) | Listen +4, Spot +4
Defense 15 (+2 Dex, +3 Nat Armor) (passive 13)
hp 22
Saves Fort +8, Ref +5, Will +2
Atk +5 base melee, +4 base ranged; Grapple +5
+5 Melee (Bite 1d8+4/crit 20/x2);

Abilities STR 17, DEX 15, CON 17, INT 1, WIS 12, CHA 2
Feats: Alertness, Great Fortitude.
Skills: Climb + 7, Hide + 6, Listen + 4, Move Silently + 6, Spot + 4, Swim + 11.

Edit: in other words, with creatures, FF AC is basically the same as passive defense?

 

[Aldarc]

Re:

I am not terribly worred though about the combat focus of mechanics, since I believe that it is not the role of the mechanics to provide the role-playing aspects, since that it is the responsibility of the players and the DM.

Overall, I am highly looking forward to this. I am sensing a campaign world influenced by Diablo and Berserk in the future.

 

[Matrix Sorcica]

First of all, there's no 'gathering magic' mechanic.
It's just what the book calls it, when you draw mana to cast spells. Depending on your arcanist level, you can 'gather' a cetain amout each day without ill effects.

The arcanist gets bonus feat and aspects of power. This can fx. be bounding step ( you call an air elemental to you for +20 to jump) or Eldritch Darts (1d6 + int per dart, one dart per attack) and more. There are greater asoects as well.

He also gets the ability to make dark pacts that grant a +10 bonus to be used all at once or in bits during a week. This costs either money or a living sentient sacrifice

and the Arcanist has a mana pool, but it's not described (erratta anyone?).. :\

as for monsters, the book barely mentions them. guess that's what the bestiary is for. But it says about armor that that basically everything that's lost when flatfooted is passive armor.

I could have sworn that there were some options about some of the nat. armor being defense and the rest being DR, but can't seem to find it.... Arck... Well, I'll post it when I find it again.

 

[Agamon]

I am not terribly worred though about the combat focus of mechanics, since I believe that it is not the role of the mechanics to provide the role-playing aspects, since that it is the responsibility of the players and the DM.

Overall, I am highly looking forward to this. I am sensing a campaign world influenced by Diablo and Berserk in the future.

Well said. This game will obviously facilitate a game that focuses on combat very well. But using the rules to create spectacular combat scenes in a role-playing intensive game is one of the reasons I'm excited about it (that and no magic trinkets required )