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<blockquote data-quote="Laslo Tremaine" data-source="post: 144934" data-attributes="member: 330">I just wanted to add something to the Fantasy Hero discussion.First off I should make a disclaimer.&nbsp; I am a HUGE fan of the Hero System.&nbsp; I've been playing since 1st edition (1980?) and it has been my group's main game system ever since.&nbsp; We have played most every genre and had a great time.Almost everything that has been discussed so far is pretty much on the mark to one extent or another.&nbsp; On problem with Fantasy Hero in particular has not been mentioned yet, that is...It can be tough to maintain a high-fantasy flavor in the Hero System.What I mean by this is that the Hero power meta-system does a great job of defining what a spell or power can and cannot do.&nbsp; But it does so in a fairly anti-septic manner.Want to create a Fireball type spell?&nbsp; Well, that's pretty damn easy.&nbsp; Let's call it a 10d6 Energy Blast with the Area Effect advantage and a special effect of Fire.&nbsp; Done (well maybe you will want to add your genre-specific disadvantages like, requires gestures &amp; incantations and any other defining features of your magic system).How about Magic Missile?&nbsp; That one is a bit tougher since the Hero System does not have a rule for attacks that automatically hit, so let's try this.&nbsp; 1d6 Energy Blast with the Auto-Fire advantage, the No Normal Defense advantage (this lets the damage ignore armor), and the Indirect advantage (this means the attack does not need to go in a straight line from the caster to the target).&nbsp; Now we will add +10 combat levels to the OCV (Offensive Combat Value).&nbsp; Now add your magic system limitations and you're pretty much set.Now you may be asking yourself why I've gone off on this tangent when I was complaining about the system lacking flavor.&nbsp; Well, I've found that with a bunch of seasoned Hero players, all of the meta-system terminology becomes a shorthand for describing actions and their effects.&nbsp; Instead of saying &quot;My mage invokes his eldretch powers and summons the Inescapable Hail of Conflagration!!!&quot;&nbsp; You get players saying, &quot; I do a 4d6 ranged killiing attack, explosion.&nbsp; I shift a couple levels into my magic skill and couple levels into OCV, I roll a 9 to hit and hit a DCV of 8.&nbsp; The primary damage is 14 body and 42 stun, the next range increment does 9 body and 27 stun, the next does 4 body and 12 stun and the last does a piddly 1 body and 3 stun...&quot;That is the problem.&nbsp; You have to work against the system to keep any sort of flavor...&nbsp; I don't seem to have a problem with super-heroes; people tend to say, &quot;I hit the bad guy with my Nova Blast.&quot;&nbsp; But for whatever reason, with fantasy, I find it to be a bit cumbersome...</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Laslo Tremaine, post: 144934, member: 330"] I just wanted to add something to the Fantasy Hero discussion. First off I should make a disclaimer. I am a HUGE fan of the Hero System. I've been playing since 1st edition (1980?) and it has been my group's main game system ever since. We have played most every genre and had a great time. Almost everything that has been discussed so far is pretty much on the mark to one extent or another. On problem with Fantasy Hero in particular has not been mentioned yet, that is... [b]It can be tough to maintain a high-fantasy flavor in the Hero System.[/b] What I mean by this is that the Hero power meta-system does a great job of defining what a spell or power can and cannot do. But it does so in a fairly anti-septic manner. Want to create a Fireball type spell? Well, that's pretty damn easy. Let's call it a 10d6 Energy Blast with the Area Effect advantage and a special effect of Fire. Done (well maybe you will want to add your genre-specific disadvantages like, requires gestures & incantations and any other defining features of your magic system). How about Magic Missile? That one is a bit tougher since the Hero System does not have a rule for attacks that automatically hit, so let's try this. 1d6 Energy Blast with the Auto-Fire advantage, the No Normal Defense advantage (this lets the damage ignore armor), and the Indirect advantage (this means the attack does not need to go in a straight line from the caster to the target). Now we will add +10 combat levels to the OCV (Offensive Combat Value). Now add your magic system limitations and you're pretty much set. Now you may be asking yourself why I've gone off on this tangent when I was complaining about the system lacking flavor. Well, I've found that with a bunch of seasoned Hero players, all of the meta-system terminology becomes a shorthand for describing actions and their effects. Instead of saying "My mage invokes his eldretch powers and summons the Inescapable Hail of Conflagration!!!" You get players saying, " I do a 4d6 ranged killiing attack, explosion. I shift a couple levels into my magic skill and couple levels into OCV, I roll a 9 to hit and hit a DCV of 8. The primary damage is 14 body and 42 stun, the next range increment does 9 body and 27 stun, the next does 4 body and 12 stun and the last does a piddly 1 body and 3 stun..." That is the problem. You have to work against the system to keep any sort of flavor... I don't seem to have a problem with super-heroes; people tend to say, "I hit the bad guy with my Nova Blast." But for whatever reason, with fantasy, I find it to be a bit cumbersome... [/QUOTE]

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