Adventure Record Sheet for Champions & Hero System

I always been a fan of the Hero System and Champions. While I moved on to other system for fantasy roleplaying it is still my goto RPG for super hero campaigns. I am starting up a campaign for some friends who are interested in playing some super heroes. One of the things I used in past campaigns is a form from Champions II from way back in the 80s to track PCs and NPCs in combat.

However it has issues where that it doesn't have many lines for characters and splits the information for a character into different sections. I used to use the one in Fantasy Hero but it small. So I made a new one.

Download it here

Hero System Adventure Record Sheet

Aaron Allston's Strike Force Kickstarter

Aaron Allston was a noted RPG authors in the 90s who a number of good RPG supplements for various games. Sadly he passed away in 2014 in his 50s from heart failure. Strike Force for Champions is considered one of his best supplement but more than that is considered one of the best campaigns supplements for any game. It is a well written account of the details of his Strike Force campaign and more importantly delves into the nuts and bolts of how he ran that campaign including the reasons why. While much of is about the nuts and bolts of a superhero campaign, many of the insights he provides work for any type of campaign.

Luckily for us, his legacy is not finished. A group of friends is working to finish his manuscript for an updated Strike Force and now have just launched a kickstarter. I am personally interested in this as the original was very good and that was just from a few years of running his campaign. I can't wait to see what insights he gleaned from the intervening years.

Fantasy Hero Complete is released

Fantasy Hero Complete by Hero Game has been released. The HERO system is a generic RPG that powers several RPGs like Fantasy Heroes, Star Hero, and of course Champions one of the earliest and best super hero RPGs out there. Ever since 5th edition it was packaged as a Hero System corebook and a series of genre books. Similar to how  GURPS is packaged.

However several years ago Steven Long realized that this model was no long viable for promoting and selling of the various HERO System games. He decided to listen to his fans and release Champions Complete. Champions Complete is the same game as the Hero 6th edition Core books plus the old Champions genre book however it is packaged as a complete ready to run RPGs. Now Fantasy Hero's has gotten the same treatment.

Fantasy Hero was the first RPG after ADnD 1st edition that became my primary fantasy RPG. 1st edition Fantasy Hero didn't work out because it was too much of Champion in it but this was fixed in subsequent editions. However by that time I moved onto GURPS. I still use Hero System anytime I run a superhero campaign.

Before Steven Long and Hero Games decided to release Champions Complete (and now Fantasy Hero Complete) I advocated that Steve Jackson Games should do a complete ready to run RPG based on popular genres like Fantasy, Science -Fiction, and Horror. Then my example of an alternative was how Chaosium handled Basic Roleplaying. Now I have the Hero Games Complete series to point too.

The RPG market it too small for a RPG product line to be solely packaged as a toolkit. Forcing players and referees to design not only the campaign but the very game itself drastically limits the audience for a system. The answer isn't either or. Both Chaosium and later Evil Hat cleaned up and exposed their core mechanics. Releasing
a tool kit core book alongside their standalone offerings. Of the major Generic Systems GURPS stands alone in not offering one book that a gamer can buy and just start playing a genre to experience the system.

Interesting Kickstarter Data

With the Internet various hobby communities have the potential to reach out globally beyond the United States. Sometimes however it hard to gauge just how much impact this has.

Since the beginning of May, the Fantasy Hero kickstarter had plateaued roughly $2,000 short of it goal. It was slowly increasing but it was looking like it would not make it. Since the announcement of the kickstarter, international fans had been asking for an option to enable them to get into the kickstarter.

Then a few days ago the Hero Games teams crunched the numbers and came up with an option. The result? The Kickstarter got funded a day after the announcement. You can see the effect in the daily data tab of  Kick Traq.

Thought this may be of interest to people involved in publishing or thinking of getting involved.

Fantasy Hero Complete

By 1985 I was looking for alternatives to ADnD 1st edition. The game that inspired me to make the break was Fantasy Hero. Like most of the hero system games, it was a complete standalone RPG. By the late 80s the Hero System adopted the same format as GURPs and other generic system by having a central core book and then follow on sourcebook detailing a genre or setting.

At first a fan of this (for both GURPS and Hero System), around 2000 I felt it to be a huge detriment. The core + supplement was very convenient to use as a reference, but failed miserably in helping my friend learn or to adopt the game. The buy-in was too great.

This is in contrast to Chaosium and Basic Roleplaying which maintained a series of standalone RPGs while still putting out the occasional supplement that supported the entire line.

GURPS still has this issue but Hero Games has decided to return to the older format. At first with Champions Complete, and now with Fantasy Hero Complete. They have launched a kickstarter to get the book published.

Fantasy Hero has the typical mechanics that most skill based systems have. Skills, Characteristics, Talents, Disadvantages, etc. Like GURPS they are setup through the points you get at character creations. What makes Fantasy Hero shine is the use of the Champions power system for spells and magic items. The amazing flexibility of this allows referees to define campaigns with radically different magic systems. If you are crazy enough you can even have a campaign with multiple magic systems. Thanks to the powers framework you can see how they relate to each other.

Here is a link to a review of First Edition Fantasy Hero.

From the Attic: Fantasy Hero 1st Edition

Prior to 1985, I played several other RPGs than AD&D 1st, Traveller, Call of Cthulu, Gamma World, as well as having familiarity with other systems like Runequest 2nd Edition.

But my break with AD&D didn't come until my second year of college with the release of Fantasy Hero in the fall of 1985. My first year of college saw two campaigns of AD&D, one of which was a Dragonlance campaign that turned me off from trying to run an Adventure Path for several decades. I also ran a third AD&D campaign back home during college break).

During that first year I tried Champions for the first time. The game was a revelation. A relatively simple design, from my point of view anyway, allowed for a infinite combination of traits that simulated well just about anything. It appeal to my wargame sensibility by making it clear what effect the combination had in the game.

While I like superheroes, I still own much of my original tattered collection of comic books, I liked the fantasy genre more. So when I heard of the imminent release of Fantasy Hero, I put in a special order at my FLGS in Indiana and eagerly awaited its arrival. And when it came I was not disappointed.

Character Creation
Like all Hero System game, Fantasy Hero is point based. The Hero system defines several base and derived attributes. Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Body, Intelligence, Ego, Presence, Comeliness are the base attributes.  Physical Defense, Energy Defense, Speed, Recovery, Endurance, and Stun are the derived attributes. Points could be spent on both base and derived characteristics. Since Fantasy Hero focused on normal individuals there was a maximum for each characteristic beyond which the cost per point was doubled.

Beyond that you can buy skills which are based a formula of 9+(Attribute/5). You bought the base for a certain amount (3 pts for Climbing), and get +1 per an additional small amount (Climbing was 2 pts per +1). Some skills, like Weapon Familiarity were a fixed amount (3 per weapon type).

You could take Disadvantages. Disadvantages reflected the physical, mental, or social background of the character. As they limit the character in someway they granted points that reduced the total character cost. Perks and other positive traits wouldn't debut for the Hero System until later editions. Also some of the disadvantages actually granted benefits like a Friend and Reputation. They are counted as disadvantage because they are a source of complications for the character.

Fantasy Hero characters typically start with 75 points.


Magic 
This section is what sets Fantasy Hero apart from other RPGs of the time. It adapts the design of the Champions power system into a system for creating magic spells. It is literally a do it yourself magic system. For example a character could buy the ability to cast a 5d6 blast for 50 points. Without any advantages or limitation it is a energy blast defined for roleplaying purpose as a stream of fire. The base effect requires an attack roll, has a range of 250 hexes with -1 per 3 hex range modifier and takes 5 Endurance to cast.

If I wanted a spell similar to traditional D&D style fireball I could make as follows

Blast 5d6 50pts

Base Cost 50 pts

Advantages
Explosion x1/2

Active Cost 75 pts

Limitations
Incantations +1/2
Gestures +1/2
Concentratre  +1

Real Cost 15 pts

Explosive Fireball (5d6) Range Mod -1/3", Max Range 250", Obvious Gestures and Incantation, Concentrate while casting (0 DCV), 15 End*

*FH characters can easily start between 30 to 50 Endurance.

Some of the other effects are Clairaudience, Cloak, Create, Dazzle, Haste, Heal, Silence, Telepathy.

The system is not only used for spells but for magical abilities as well. 

Magic Items can be created but the character making them has to permanently spend character points in order to make them. For example a healing salve (3d6) cost 9 points to make. The difference between a spell and a magic item is that magic items have the Independence limitation a +1 bonus.



Combat
Combat works by subtracting the target's Defensive Combat Value from the the attacker's Offensive Combat Value adding the result to 9. For example Roghan with an OCV of 9 swing his sword at Venger with a DCV 10. 9-10 is -1 add 9 which means Roghan need a 8 or less to hit.

If the attacker hits he rolls damage and either physical defense or energy defense is subtracted from the result. Like other Hero System games there are two different ways of dealing damage. Killing attacks and Normal Attacks. The damage rolled for Normal Attacks is applied to Stun. For each 6 rolled you do 2 body, for 5,4,3, and 2 you do 1 body, and for each 1 no body is detail. Defense and armor subtract separately from Body and Stun damage. For Killing Attacks the number rolled is the amount of BODY damage. You roll 1d6-1 and multiply that by the body damage to find the amount of STUN damage.

Each combat round is 12 seconds divided into 12 one second segments. Each character has a Speed Characteristic, typically between 3 and 5. That determines how many times within each combat round the character acts. These are called phases.  There is a speed chart showing which segment the different speeds move on. During each phase each character picks a action which can include combat maneuvers. For example a character can do a Half Move and attack with a Sword.

The combat maneuvers grant different effects and bonuses and generally take a 1/2 phase to use. So a character can do a half-move and execute a maneuver. Or do two maneuvers like Attack and then Dodge. The attack allows the chance to hit with a weapon (or spell) and the Dodge grants +3 to DCV until the character's next Phase. If two characters act in the same segment they go in the order of Dexterity. If the Dexterity is the same then they act simultaneously.

The system is straight forward once you learn it. I pretty much type the above from memory. Like all Hero System games, the character sheet for Fantasy Hero includes mini cheat sheets that give all the details in a compact form while leaving room for notes and character details.




Presence Attacks
A holdover from Campaign Fantasy Hero allows the character to execute a presence attack. In short they can "stun" an enemy by their sheer awesomeness.  At a minimum a successful presence attack will allow the character to act first in a phase, the maximum result is that the target is cowed and will either run away, quail in fear at a DCV 0, or fall to his knees ready to obey the character's commands.

Modifiers to the base Presence attack add or subtract additional d6s.


Experience
Experience is given out in characters points which may be spent on characteristics, spells, or skills. Experience is granted at the end of the adventure which a typical award being three.


Campaigning
Typical DM Advice of the era with a lot of emphasis on creating plot and roleplaying.

Sourcebook
 Equipment, sample Magic Items, Monsters (many fully stated), and Spells used for evil opponents. Point Packages that allow characters to spend points to be one of the traditional fantasy race; Elves, Dwarves, and Halflings are covered. Races also get different maximums for their characteristics. Like GURPS it costs points to be a different race thus most campaign tend to be dominated by humans.

Note each of the Magic Items come with the spell that can be bought to create the item.

Demon Fang
This rust-red dagger was forged by Alcamtar the Cleaver early in his career to protect himself., should his magics fail.

1 1/2D6 Killing Blast linked to +2 Accuracy vs Enchanted Beasts End 2 Cost 21
Note in the book they give the full breakdown so you can see how it is created by the Magic rules.

Package Deals bundles skills and abilities to allow players quickly make a stereotypically fantasy archetype. Vikings, being a follower of an organization, Warrior, Rogue, Priest, Mage are all covered.

Next is a list of sample spells.

Mystic Focus
Floating green runs before the caster. 
Accuracy (+2 OCV) END 4 Cost 5

Like magic items the books has a full write up so you can see how each spell is built with the magic rules.

Conversions
Gives rules for converting from Runequest, and Middle Earth Roleplaying, 

Finally winds up with is own version of Appendix N of fiction. Newer fiction include Stephen Brust Jhereg series which was very popular in the 80s.

Adventures
Adventures include the Flaming Falcon Inn, The Hunt, and the detailed The Affair of Wizards,

Conclusion
Fantasy Hero made an immediate and favorable impression on myself and my group. It quickly became our main fantasy system for three years (86 to 89) and several Majestic Wilderlands campaign were run using it including one memorable one.

However the design still had too much of its Champion's heritage  which meant that a character could be picked up in a bar fighter, thrown through a wooden wall AND a brick wall, and still survive. The freeform spells system could be abused by character turning themselves into a johnny one-spell where they learn one extremely effective spell. In my case the character developed a short range, 1- hex, teleport spell that had the area advantage that only could teleport living matter, no armor or weapon. He cast the spell on his opponents and they would be stripped off all armor and gear.

These issues were fixed for the 4th edition of Fantasy Hero but by then GURPS had became our fantasy system of choice.