Dresden Files - HERO style

[Whitestreak]

Got a call today from a friend whose ready to start the Dresden Files campaign we've been waiting for.

He's using the HERO System 5th edition and we'll be starting next weekend.

We're going to be normal folks who get caught in the fringes of the early war between the Red Court and the White Council. It looks like we'll be Standard Heroic characters.

[finarvyn]

I'm not too familiar with the HERO system, but I'd be interested to see how he handles magic, or any other rules that he might share with us.

[Whitestreak]

I've promised myself that I'll become more familiar with the HERO system, so I'll take a lot of notes.

There'll be five of us, at last count, but the GM is not being forthcoming on any of us using magic in the early stages.

[taralon]

I'm not too familiar with the HERO system, but I'd be interested to see how he handles magic, or any other rules that he might share with us.

Well the way you'd probably do it in the Hero system (3rd edition) for say Harry is:

Buy your multipower

In your multipower you'd set up the following slots with say 60 character points in the pool, and then you'd buy the slots in the pool with character points.  So, getting your magic might cost say 100 character points.  Since this is a multipower you can choose to throw all 60 points into a single slot, or distribute them.  Say hold the shield in place (40 points as a 10pd/30ed shield) and throw a fire blast (3d6 damage penetrating energy blast).  Or just throw a nice 9d6 fire blast at someone. 
a) shield
b) fire blast
c) wind blast
d) thaumaturgy
e) earth power
The biggest advantage you get is the fact that it costs a lot less to have really really strong powers and a lot of them.  The above would probably cost on the order of 90-140 character points for Harry just for his powers.  Add in knowledge skills and characteristics and you'll need more.  If you were to try to do it just buying the powers at a max of 60 apiece It would cost 300 character points.  The drawback is you can only use one power at a time at the max, and every additional power you activate, the weaker the others become.  Which works well in Dreseden. 

You'd stipulate advantages disadvantages for each power, say for shield you'd want it "Instant activation (advantage), costs stamina (disadvantage), can be used as shield wall (advantage), requires focus (disadvantage)".  Fire you would take "penetrating (advantage), costs stamina (disadvantage), requires focus (disadvantage), requires concentration (disadvantage), 1/2 turn activation (disadvantage),

Multipower is really the best for Dresden IMHO because it mimics the characteristics of the magic better.  Harry can use his fire ability to light candles (activating at say 1 power pool point) to firebombing Bianca's party.  Since the power pool allows you to decide turn by turn just how much power you are pushing into offense/defence and even possibly leave a reserve to strengthen your defense when things get rough. 
 
You could possibly do it under the framework for elemental control (most werewolves go with an elemental control framework), but it would be cludgy.

I'm not sure about 5th edition, I haven't broken down and bought the books for it yet. 

[taralon]

Ok, here is what I think Harry would look like in the Hero System Up through at least Grave Peril (using I'm pretty sure its 3rd ed rules):

Str 12 (Cost 2)
Dex 12 (Cost 6)
Con 15 (Cost 10)
Body 12 (Cost 4)
Int 17 (Cost 7)  (Harry is smarter than your average bear, and is quick on his mental feet)
Ego 18 (Cost 16)  (Ego is primarily used in willpower rolls ie wizard stuff)
14 Pre (cost 4)  (Mainly because of his imposing height)
10 Com (Cost 0)  (How attractive he is, human baseline)

PD 3 (cost 1) (Harry isn't much tougher against physical attacks than you expect)
ED 10 (Cost 7)  (Being a Wizard gives Harry better than normal resistance to energy)
SPD 2 (Cost -2)
Rec 5 (cost 0) (Harry doesn't recover his reserves any faster than you might expect)
End 40 (cost 5) (Harry's got deep reserves)
Stun 38 (Cost 12)  (He can take a licking and keep on ticking)
Total Characteristic cost (72)

Skills Perks & Talents (roll 3d6 and subtract/add any modifiers):
Acting (everyman) Cost 0 Roll 8 or less
Climbing  (everyman) Cost 0 Roll 8 or less
Concealment  (everyman) Cost 0 Roll 8 or less
Conversation  (everyman) Cost 0 Roll 8 or less
Deduction  (everyman+skill mod) Cost 4 Roll 12 or less
Native Language (English 4 pts)
Paramedics  (everyman) Cost 0 Roll 8 or less
Persuasion  (everyman) Cost 0 Roll 8 or less
Shadowing  (everyman) Cost 0 Roll 8 or less
Stealth  (everyman) Cost 0 Roll 8 or less
Trans Familiarty (can drive Car) Cost 0
Area Knowledge (Knows Chicago) Cost 0
Prof Skill: Wizard  Cost 8 Roll 17 or less
  KS: Evocation (Used In Combat Spell activation, and not combat spells)  Cost 5 Roll 14 or less
  KS Thaumaturgy (Used In Combat Spell activation with -2 modifier, and not combat spells +2 modifier) Cost 5 Roll 14 or less
Criminology Cost 3 Roll 12 or less
Language Latin (1 pt)  Cost 1 Roll successful translation on a 7 or less
Streetwise Cost 3 Roll 8 or less
Weapon Fam Staff Cost 1
Weapon Fam Gun Cost 1
Private Investigator License Cost 2 (Perk:  Allows access to otherwise sealed knowledge)
Connected (Police)  Cost 3 Roll of 12 or less (Perk: police officer will recognize or will know police officer)
Connected (Criminal)  Cost 2 Roll of 11 or less (Perk: Criminal will know or will know criminal)
Connected (Supernatural) Cost 4 Roll of 13 or less (Perk: Supernatural entity will know or will know supernatural)
Find Weakness (Supernatural)  Cost 10 Roll 11 or less (Perk:  Successful roll halves DCV of supernatural opponent as long as combat lasts)
Follower:  Bob (75 point base character base cost 15, drawback whoever posses Bob's skull controls Bob)  Cost 10
Total Cost:  50pts

Disadvantages:
Distinctive Feature Height (unconcealable easily noticed) +15 Roll 14 or less to notice from distance
Watched:Doom of Damocles (Wardens, Powerful, Fanatic, Willing to Kill, extreme NonCombat Influence) +20
Code of Conduct:Honorable (will not break sworn word) +10 Has to roll 6 or less to break
Code of Conduct:Gentleman (will not hit woman, will come to aid of female) +10 Has to roll 6 or better to break
Code of Conduct: Rules of Wizardy (Will not use Black Magic) +10 Has to roll 6 or less to break
Reputation:Wizard (not taken seriously by society or Police; supernatural wary) +10 roll 11 or less to be recognized
Cannot Use High Tech (Random tech malfuctions in presence, very high chance on roll of 12 or less, can be used by character postively) +10 roll 11 or less for failure within 6 feet
Total Disadvantage Bonus: 105

Powers and Equipment:
Magic Multi Pool  Cost: 45 (1d6 costs 5 pool points, 10 defense costs 10 character points)
   Fuego 8d6 max 2d6 min in combat (Fire based EB)  Line, Penetrating, Obvious Accessable Fragile Focus (OAFF), Gesture, Incantation, Activation 11 or less.  End Cost 1 per 2d6  Character point cost 2
   Servitas 8d6 max 2d6 min in combat (Wind based EB)  Line, Knockback, OAFF, Gesture, Incantation, Activation 11 or less.  End Cost 1 per 2d6 Character point cost 2
   Shield (Force Wall) 1/2 ED 1/2 PD Minium 10 points, Max 40 pts Does not stop knockback, Obvious Accessible Focus, Vulnerable (transfers heat/cold/light), Hardened, End cost 2 per 10 points of combined defense Character point cost 1
  Combat Thaumaturgy  8d6 max of effect 2d6 minimum, Requires full combat phase, concentration, activation 11 or less, incantation, gestures, focus item.  (Can be used to bind)  End Cost 1 per 2d6 of effect
(end of multipool)

Force ring 3d6 Max Knockback, OIFF, Stun Only, Gesture, 1 Charge (recoverable) Character point Cost 10 End cost 0
Pentagram Causes Light, Holy Item of Inherited Silver Character Point Cost 5 End Cost 2 End for every 6' of light per combat phase (when used as a holy attack draws power from multipower pool, 2d6 damage per use)
Wizard Sight (Perception Enhancement sees Aura/soul) Character point Cost 5 End Cost 0 (Roll mental attack vs Ego and if save fails 3d6 of stun only no body)
Note:  Fuego Servitas hit ED, Force ring hits PD
Total power cost: 72

Base Character points: 90
Total Disadvantages:  105
Total Available: 195
Total Character Cost: 194
Available Character Points: 1

[finarvyn]

Thanks for the cool info and synopsis, Taralon. I'll have to look into HERO a bit more because I certainly like the sound of the point pool and such that you have described.

The HERO system would appear to be very detail oriented -- does it play fast or does the GM tend to get bogged down in running the game?

[taralon]

It depends.  If you want to get detail oriented you can end up having a roll ever couple minutes even outside of combat.  Personally I like going as 'diceless' as possible as a GM outside of combat.  Combat though can become a drag, especially if you don't balance defense right in NPCs.  I streamline Hero combat by ignoring OCV/DCV bonuses for distance, and having damage be normal/stun only (trying to keep track of killing (lots of body little stun), normal (lots of stun little body), stun (no body) is a drag).  I also tend to make my enemy NPCs eggshells armed with sledgehammers.  They hit hard, and if you let them can take out most PCs but on the whole they don't have enough defense to stand up to more than two or three hits from the standard PC.  Combat only usually runs 15 minutes or so, and if it starts taking longer I restat my bad guys. 

The main thing I like about Hero is that as a GM I can have a character have a ton of stats.  If the player is missing the clue I'm dropping in a game for instance "As you open the door you hear the faint ruffling of the blinds, you enter the room and your contact is dead on the floor the blood still spreading in a pool and a cigarette smoking in an ashtray" which indicates the attack was just recent, but the player seems to think the killer is long gone I can have them roll perception and clue them in on the fact that it just happened right before they opened the door.  If the player misses the note stuck to the fridge with a meeting just hours in advance I can have them make a roll and possibly find it. 

The hardest part IMHO is figuring out how the power system works, and working up house rules for where it doesn't work.  Hero really tends to break things up into "non combat" and "combat" You've almost got to make two completely seperate characters with the same name.  Powers you make for combat don't really work outside of it.  Knowledge skills work outside combat but don't normally work inside of it without a lot of effort. 

[Wolfhowls]

Never heard of the HERO system is there a web link to it? I'd like to look into it.

[Whitestreak]

Never heard of the HERO system is there a web link to it? I'd like to look into it.

The home page is www.herogames.com but it seems a little sparse right now - it used to have info about all the books and genres.