Iron Heroes...is it really different from core D&D?

[Gundark]

One of the things that attracted me to Iron Heores is that it's low magic. I'm kinda tired of the huge power gains that comes to all D&D games. I know that not having different spellcasting types around will limit the power levels, but now after looking through the IH book it seems that the power creep is still there. Sure you don't get a magic item to ehance your character, but you get a token pool and class/feat abilties that do the same thing. It makes me ask the question, is IH really a different game, or is it just the same old, same old in different packaging?

 

[Crothian]

It is not the same game. But the idea was to keep the power level the same without the magic. The options the characters have is a lot different, the feel of the game and the way it plays out is also different.

 

[HeapThaumaturgist]

I haven't played it, but IIRC, it wasn't supposed to be "lower power" than D&D, just "lower magic". I.E. the characters should be about as powerful as a D&D character, but get all of his suave power from class abilities instead of items.

--fje

 

[ValhallaGH]

It is a different game.
As has been said: In Iron Heroes ...

You are not your magic weapon and armor. You are not your spell buffs. You are not how much gold you have, or how many times you've been raised from the dead. When a Big Bad Demon snaps your sword in two, you do not cry because that was your holy avenger. You leap onto its back, climb up to its head, and punch it in the eye, then get a new damn sword off of the next humanoid you headbutt to death.

Low Magic does not mean Low Adventure. It does not mean Low Challenge or Low Power. It simply means Little or No PC Friendly Magic. That is all.

Iron Heroes is the same old in that you can still take on the same badguys* at the same levels with the same chances of success.

However, there are a host of different mechanics that completely alter the way the game is played. Stunts, challenges, token pools, zones and various feat options mean that, often, getting another full attack is the least beneficial thing to do, in addition to being the most boring.
The increase in skill competancy means that a character can be both a deadly warrior and a brilliant diplomat, horse breeder and scholar without having to multiclass.
The changes to classes and healing mean that a party of pure warriors can have one to one thousand combat encounters in one day, without relying upon divine influence, and be equally effective in all encounters.

The basic idea behind the IH rules changes was that d20 combat is boring and that that needed to be fixed. By giving the players non-magic options about what to do, combat becomes dynamic and interesting even though all characters are 'just swinging swords.'

If you came to IH looking for low power then you will be disappointed; IH is as powerful as D&D though in very different ways. If you came to IH looking for a way to kill a dragon while using mundane darts (yes, 1d4 non-magic darts against a Young Adult Red Dragon) then you came to the right place.

*Ability damage (and drain) is a lot more troubling for Iron Heroes due to the lack of magical ability restoration. Any use of ability damaging creatures and challenges should be carefully considered and contemplated, as it will usually result in the adventure coming to a sudden halt while the party waits to recover from the ability damage.

 

[Gundark]

read the other thread...love this quote "You are not your magic weapon and armor. You are not your spell buffs. You are not how much gold you have, or how many times you've been raised from the dead. When a Big Bad Demon snaps your sword in two, you do not cry because that was your holy avenger. You leap onto its back, climb up to its head, and punch it in the eye, then get a new damn sword off of the next humanoid you headbutt to death". Iron Heores does sound pretty cool

 

[iwatt]

*Ability damage (and drain) is a lot more troubling for Iron Heroes due to the lack of magical ability restoration. Any use of ability damaging creatures and challenges should be carefully considered and contemplated, as it will usually result in the adventure coming to a sudden halt while the party waits to recover from the ability damage.

what he said. An additional caveat for monsters is when using Grappling beasts. The only real counter to large grapplers in D&D is magic. Since IH removes magic, grapppling beasties are a lot tougher than in D&D. Be careful when using Huge or larger creatures.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

IH isn't lower power than DnD. It's for DMs and players who want more exciting combat and are tired of Christmas-tree characters, while (mostly) keeping the balance. IH characters are better at some things and worse at others than their DnD counterparts, but it's more balanced than many (most?) low magic campaigns that just use DnD rules.

If you want lower power, I would suggest D20 Modern (yet, it works in the past), Grim Tales, Conan, Black Company, A Song of Ice and Fire, Midnight, Iron Kingdoms and maybe Spycraft. I've personally only run Modern (in the past, no less, but without magic), but am a little bit familiar with Grim Tales, Midnight, Iron Kingdoms and Spycraft.

 

[Garnfellow]

Probably the best low power, low magic generic fantasy game out there is Grim Tales, which is a really swell adaption of d20 Modern.

 

[GlassJaw]

Probably the best low power, low magic generic fantasy game out there is Grim Tales, which is a really swell adaption of d20 Modern.

Conan is a very close second.

Iron Heroes has just as much numbering crunching as D&D, regardless if you consider it low-magic or not (which is why I didn't really like it).

 

[ValhallaGH]

Iron Heroes has just as much numbering crunching as D&D, regardless if you consider it low-magic or not (which is why I didn't really like it).

I won't dsipute the number crunchiness of IH, as I couldn't do so and remain truthful. However, I am curious how anyone could consider IH anything besides low-magic. It wasn't even meant to have a caster class; that was tacked on near the end of development (which is why the magic system is so wonky).