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Wizards/Spell Casters in Heroes Unlimited, how many play the

Unread post by Amberjack »

Just wondering if many people use the mystic power categories for Heroes Unlimited.
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Re: Wizards/Spell Casters in Heroes Unlimited, how many play

Unread post by Glistam »

I love them. Enchanted Weapon, Mystic Bestowed, and Mystic Study make great characters with well-rounded powers and abilities. Each has multiple niches they can fit in, as desired by the player during character generation. The Enchanted Object is a bit weak to me compared to the other three but with some house rules (and books outside of Heroes Unlimited) I've made it work well.
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Re: Wizards/Spell Casters in Heroes Unlimited, how many play

Unread post by Vincent Takeda »

I'm not much of a fan of the trained casters but the magic weapons and objects are pretty popular for being items that start a 1st level character out with higher level powers.
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Re: Wizards/Spell Casters in Heroes Unlimited, how many play

Unread post by eliakon »

I love them all.
I am a magic fan boy I will admit. But when I play HU I tend to play one of these classes. I really like the Mystic Empowered and Mystic Study myself but have used all four.
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Re: Wizards/Spell Casters in Heroes Unlimited, how many play

Unread post by Stone Gargoyle »

I use mystic study characters (wizards) all the time as NPCs when I GM a game. Never played one in someone else's Palladium game but played them before in D&D. They are not popular with my players due to the number tracking for PPE, same reason most of my players don't choose Psionic characters. They will play mystically bestowed and enchanted weapon and item characters, though.
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Re: Wizards/Spell Casters in Heroes Unlimited, how many play

Unread post by drewkitty ~..~ »

My favorite mage char is the Mystic study.
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Re: Wizards/Spell Casters in Heroes Unlimited, how many play

Unread post by Incriptus »

In practice I've only played Enchanted Weapon & Mystically Bestowed and even then I've only used the options that grant super powers.

I was doing a quick over-view of the spell casting options. Enchanted Weapon seems Sub-Optimal due to low PPE (although they're still good characters even without that table). Enchanted Item has some very nice immediate bonuses for the caster (higher caster level, higher PPE, A decent selection of spells). The Mystic Study of course is the bench mark and has the best growth. Mystically Bestowed have a good selection and decent PPE, while still having a vaguely superform to fall back on.

I have to admit if I were playing a caster for the sake of being a caster it would be a toss up between the Enchanted Object and Mystic Study depending on the purposed length of the campaign

--------------

During my over view a have a question. Can any of the sub-classes besides the Mystic Study get PPE from other sources? The rules on magic usually state that "the mage is capable" and each of the sub-classes go out of their way to state they cast spells but don't really know magic. Having a Ley Line handy is a good way of getting around the PPE limitations (having a river near by is a good way of getting around your the size of your canteen)
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Re: Wizards/Spell Casters in Heroes Unlimited, how many play

Unread post by Glistam »

I don't think so. I think only the Mystic Study can pull P.P.E. from Ley Lines. The other classes aren't trained mages, they are regular people empowered with spell-casting abilities.
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Re: Wizards/Spell Casters in Heroes Unlimited, how many play

Unread post by Regularguy »

The last character I designed for a game was Mystic Bestowed, though I never got the chance to play him. Still, it was by far the easiest way to build the effect I was going for: Invulnerability for general purposes, plus that grab bag of specialized one-shot spellcasting tricks.
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Re: Wizards/Spell Casters in Heroes Unlimited, how many play

Unread post by drewkitty ~..~ »

Glistam wrote:I don't think so. I think only the Mystic Study can pull P.P.E. from Ley Lines. The other classes aren't trained mages, they are regular people empowered with spell-casting abilities.

this is correct.
Except that there are not character classes ( xCCs ) in HU.
Last edited by drewkitty ~..~ on Sat Mar 04, 2017 8:18 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Wizards/Spell Casters in Heroes Unlimited, how many play

Unread post by Ranger »

I have played them all, but recently have played the Techno Wizard.
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Re: Wizards/Spell Casters in Heroes Unlimited, how many play

Unread post by Shadowknight »

The enchanted object is garbage, but thee other are quite good.
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Re: Wizards/Spell Casters in Heroes Unlimited, how many play

Unread post by Razorwing »

Shadowknight wrote:The enchanted object is garbage, but thee other are quite good.


I am working on a potential power boost for the Enchanted Object sub-category.

The idea comes from how in many stories with such objects (especially in comics), the users learn that they have only been using a small portion of the power the object has. This often leads them on a quest to unlock the greater secrets of the object... gaining access to new abilities.

Not really sure how this will work... will need some play-tests to get it properly balanced in comparison to the other Magic sub-categories.

Also been working on some additional sub-categories for Weapons and Bestowed that could be fun to try out.
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Re: Wizards/Spell Casters in Heroes Unlimited, how many play

Unread post by Regularguy »

The idea I'd mentioned before for an Enchanted Object is, just get two selections off their chart instead of one.

Regularguy wrote:So you'd get a major power and sixteen spells, plus one of the 'other abilities'. Or you'd get a major power and a minor power and nine spells, plus one of the 'other abilities'. Or you'd get a major power and three minor powers, plus one of the 'other abilities'.

Each of those is an option you can't get with the other Mystical categories -- but there are still reasons to take one of the other Mystical categories instead, and options you can only get through them. And there are still reasons to take another power category altogether, too. But I'm willing to bet that more people would go for an Enchanted Object if you could double-dip in the "Magic Spells or Super Abilities" list -- just like I'm willing to bet that not everyone would.


I still figure that could work.
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Re: Wizards/Spell Casters in Heroes Unlimited, how many play

Unread post by Prodigy »

My favorite character is a Mystic Study/Supersoldier using the optional Mega-Hero rules from Rifter 37.
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Re: Wizards/Spell Casters in Heroes Unlimited, how many play

Unread post by Shadowknight »

Razorwing wrote:
Shadowknight wrote:The enchanted object is garbage, but thee other are quite good.


I am working on a potential power boost for the Enchanted Object sub-category.

The idea comes from how in many stories with such objects (especially in comics), the users learn that they have only been using a small portion of the power the object has. This often leads them on a quest to unlock the greater secrets of the object... gaining access to new abilities.

Not really sure how this will work... will need some play-tests to get it properly balanced in comparison to the other Magic sub-categories.

Also been working on some additional sub-categories for Weapons and Bestowed that could be fun to try out.
As soon as I finish my Feats, Flaws and specially the Jungle Lord character class I plan on posting and improved Mega-Hero called Nigh-Gods which will include an Enchanted Object class called Enchanted Artifact class that is worthy of the name and powerful enough to equal the other Mystic classes. I should be done with the JL CC before then middle of March and I should start posting the improved Mega-hero classes sometime after that. Like I said b4 I've 2 main beef with the MH classes number

1. They aren't worthy of the name outside of the Blaze Alien, a few others in the Century Station & Gramercy Island they wouldn't be a challenge to Spiderman let alone to the elites of the JL & Avengers. I plan on changing that by creating a class of characters that would challenged them or at the very least give them a workout.

2. The MH CC is too cookie cutter a Physical Training or Special Training CC MH all receive Supernatural Strength they don't need it. What they need is other abilities that make what they do special of equivalent power.
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Re: Wizards/Spell Casters in Heroes Unlimited, how many play

Unread post by Razorwing »

Shadowknight wrote:
Razorwing wrote:
Shadowknight wrote:The enchanted object is garbage, but thee other are quite good.


I am working on a potential power boost for the Enchanted Object sub-category.

The idea comes from how in many stories with such objects (especially in comics), the users learn that they have only been using a small portion of the power the object has. This often leads them on a quest to unlock the greater secrets of the object... gaining access to new abilities.

Not really sure how this will work... will need some play-tests to get it properly balanced in comparison to the other Magic sub-categories.

Also been working on some additional sub-categories for Weapons and Bestowed that could be fun to try out.
As soon as I finish my Feats, Flaws and specially the Jungle Lord character class I plan on posting and improved Mega-Hero called Nigh-Gods which will include an Enchanted Object class called Enchanted Artifact class that is worthy of the name and powerful enough to equal the other Mystic classes. I should be done with the JL CC before then middle of March and I should start posting the improved Mega-hero classes sometime after that. Like I said b4 I've 2 main beef with the MH classes number

1. They aren't worthy of the name outside of the Blaze Alien, a few others in the Century Station & Gramercy Island they wouldn't be a challenge to Spiderman let alone to the elites of the JL & Avengers. I plan on changing that by creating a class of characters that would challenged them or at the very least give them a workout.

2. The MH CC is too cookie cutter a Physical Training or Special Training CC MH all receive Supernatural Strength they don't need it. What they need is other abilities that make what they do special of equivalent power.


So... you are more or less planning to create Mega-Mega Heroes with an enchanted object category that is equivalent to other Magic sub-categories... and yet you claim that Megas are too weak. If your Mega-Mega Enchanted object is only equal to the other Magical Categories... well... then you've failed on two counts... creating a more powerful Mega Hero... and creating a more powerful Enchanted Object category.

To be honest, after reading what you've posted about your Jungle Lord... I am of the opinion that Heroes Unlimited isn't the game for you... as you seem to want to make it into something it was never designed to be. Even the Mega Heroes were never intended to be replicas of the most powerful heroes and villains seen in other games... but merely to be a new option to offer a challenge to players (Heroes that could take on large number of opponents and villains that would require an entire team to confront. It wasn't meant to replicate Superman exactly with the dozen or more powers he has or the level of strength he possesses... but to create heroes that are a cut above the average hero as heroes are above normal people.

I do agree that the Mega Hero category is a bit of a cookie-cutter option... giving all such characters the same basic powers, even when some of them (like Supernatural Strength) may not be appropriate. But to create an even more powerful version may not be the best answer to the problem... and more than likely will only exacerbate the problem in your games (with players or even yourself needing something even more powerful than a Mega-Mega Hero to challenge the Mega-Mega heroes in play).

One of the ideas I came up with to deal with the Supernatural Strength problem you see with Megas was to create a new Achilles Heal I named "Lesser Supernatural Being", which downgrades many of the benefits that are commonly given to Megas... effectively weakening the character in specific ways (loosing 3 of the 5 common features of the player's choice as a single Vulnerability or all 5 as 2 Vulnerabilities). This would allow for a Sorcerer Supreme-Type Mega Mystic who could have increased PPE Reserves and Faster PPE recovery (from Rifter 37) while still being more or less human (PS is considered Extraordinary, not Supernatural; SDC and Range are normal as is the healing rate and doesn't become a MDC being in settings that allow for such). When compared to other Megas, such a character is at a distinct disadvantage (can't deal or take as much damage or heal as quickly) which balances with the disadvantages the others have.

Perhaps instead of trying to make Heroes Unlimited into something it was never meant to be... try to see it for what it is. Otherwise you may never be satisfied with what you will get. If you can't do that... perhaps another game system that allows for the power level you desire is a better fit for you... such as Onyx Path's upcoming release of the 2nd Edition of the Trinity Continuum (Adventure!, Aberrant and AEon) would suit the kind of gaming you are looking for (I believe they are gearing up for a Kickstarter fund raiser for it later this year).
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Re: Wizards/Spell Casters in Heroes Unlimited, how many play

Unread post by Shadowknight »

Razorwing wrote:
Shadowknight wrote:
Razorwing wrote:
Shadowknight wrote:The enchanted object is garbage, but thee other are quite good.


I am working on a potential power boost for the Enchanted Object sub-category.

The idea comes from how in many stories with such objects (especially in comics), the users learn that they have only been using a small portion of the power the object has. This often leads them on a quest to unlock the greater secrets of the object... gaining access to new abilities.

Not really sure how this will work... will need some play-tests to get it properly balanced in comparison to the other Magic sub-categories.

Also been working on some additional sub-categories for Weapons and Bestowed that could be fun to try out.
As soon as I finish my Feats, Flaws and specially the Jungle Lord character class I plan on posting and improved Mega-Hero called Nigh-Gods which will include an Enchanted Object class called Enchanted Artifact class that is worthy of the name and powerful enough to equal the other Mystic classes. I should be done with the JL CC before then middle of March and I should start posting the improved Mega-hero classes sometime after that. Like I said b4 I've 2 main beef with the MH classes number

1. They aren't worthy of the name outside of the Blaze Alien, a few others in the Century Station & Gramercy Island they wouldn't be a challenge to Spiderman let alone to the elites of the JL & Avengers. I plan on changing that by creating a class of characters that would challenged them or at the very least give them a workout.

2. The MH CC is too cookie cutter a Physical Training or Special Training CC MH all receive Supernatural Strength they don't need it. What they need is other abilities that make what they do special of equivalent power.


So... you are more or less planning to create Mega-Mega Heroes with an enchanted object category that is equivalent to other Magic sub-categories... and yet you claim that Megas are too weak. If your Mega-Mega Enchanted object is only equal to the other Magical Categories... well... then you've failed on two counts... creating a more powerful Mega Hero... and creating a more powerful Enchanted Object category.

To be honest, after reading what you've posted about your Jungle Lord... I am of the opinion that Heroes Unlimited isn't the game for you... as you seem to want to make it into something it was never designed to be. Even the Mega Heroes were never intended to be replicas of the most powerful heroes and villains seen in other games... but merely to be a new option to offer a challenge to players (Heroes that could take on large number of opponents and villains that would require an entire team to confront. It wasn't meant to replicate Superman exactly with the dozen or more powers he has or the level of strength he possesses... but to create heroes that are a cut above the average hero as heroes are above normal people.

I do agree that the Mega Hero category is a bit of a cookie-cutter option... giving all such characters the same basic powers, even when some of them (like Supernatural Strength) may not be appropriate. But to create an even more powerful version may not be the best answer to the problem... and more than likely will only exacerbate the problem in your games (with players or even yourself needing something even more powerful than a Mega-Mega Hero to challenge the Mega-Mega heroes in play).

One of the ideas I came up with to deal with the Supernatural Strength problem you see with Megas was to create a new Achilles Heal I named "Lesser Supernatural Being", which downgrades many of the benefits that are commonly given to Megas... effectively weakening the character in specific ways (loosing 3 of the 5 common features of the player's choice as a single Vulnerability or all 5 as 2 Vulnerabilities). This would allow for a Sorcerer Supreme-Type Mega Mystic who could have increased PPE Reserves and Faster PPE recovery (from Rifter 37) while still being more or less human (PS is considered Extraordinary, not Supernatural; SDC and Range are normal as is the healing rate and doesn't become a MDC being in settings that allow for such). When compared to other Megas, such a character is at a distinct disadvantage (can't deal or take as much damage or heal as quickly) which balances with the disadvantages the others have.

Perhaps instead of trying to make Heroes Unlimited into something it was never meant to be... try to see it for what it is. Otherwise you may never be satisfied with what you will get. If you can't do that... perhaps another game system that allows for the power level you desire is a better fit for you... such as Onyx Path's upcoming release of the 2nd Edition of the Trinity Continuum (Adventure!, Aberrant and AEon) would suit the kind of gaming you are looking for (I believe they are gearing up for a Kickstarter fund raiser for it later this year).



1. You're mixing apple & oranges,plus you aren't being fair by reading the class in it's totality. While I'm more than willing to admit in the right situations the JL class can be more powerful than PT it isn't at the lvl of a Mega-Hero class. I also created it with built in weakness, that it's more powerful abilities cost large amount of I.S.P. This was designed to limit the CC so it can't willy nilly dominate in any situation, given HU fiat to be thinking man game the I.S.P cost does that. Also what makes him stand out from other class has been made to work almost exclusively in a natural terrain. Given most HU adventures are designed for city based adventures it further limits the class by slowly weakening his Physical stats another built in limitation.

2. As for Enchanted Object class it was a poorly designed class that's neither fish nor fowl. I've been either playing or GMing HU since the first edition that over 30 yrs of experience. I've yet to meet anyone interested in playing an EO CC mostly due to it's perceived weakness of not being good at anything, which can't be said for the other 3 magic subclass.

3. I don't go around attacking other characters for their preference in style of play and I would appreciate doing me the courtesy of at least reading what I create in it's totality before criticizing it. I personally have never played a Super-sleuth or Stage-magician or know anyone who has but if someone I GM wanted to play it I would tailor my game to a more detective and street lvl adventures giving them a chance to shine. Having said that I'm more than willing to admit I prefer the more physically powerful character class, and I find the Mega-Hero class lacking in imagination along with pizazz.

4. I don't mean to attack you, but you seem to be either functionally illiterate or I didn't explain what I wrote clearly enough for your satisfaction. Here's where you missed it. I plan on posting and
improved Mega-Hero called Nigh-Gods which will include an Enchanted Object class called Enchanted Artifact class that is worthy of the name and powerful enough to equal the other Mystic classes.


a. It's a Mega-hero class first and foremost call Nigh Gods
b. Among the MH class will be other sub-classes in which Enchanted Artifact will be one of them
c. I didn't name the other mystic sub-classes because I'm still working on their names. One will probably be Pantheon Powered to represent Magic Powered another will be Sorceror Supreme to represent Mystic study. I'm still working on a name for Enchanted Weapon.
d. All the sub-classes inside the NG class will be receiving a power upgrades, but I mentioned EO since 1 poster mentioned it as lacking in power.
e. You seem to be under the impression that the EO either be powered up or made a MH class. But the truth is the EA will be both.

5. Given HU power lvl it would be extremely hard to create characters that can equal the Superman or Thor as seen in comics. Having said that there's nothing wrong with tweaking the rules to create characters that can give them a workout like a Bhlaze Alien who has more than 4 major powers and around 12 minor powers when you count all her vision powers, lets not forget member of the Slaughterhouse 7 who are in Gramercy Island jail who have unbelievable S.D.C and several robots whose strength are clearly beyond those that can be created by book rules. The Nigh Gods will be there for those types heroes that are the Elites among the Elites. Outside of throwing the baby out with the bathwater you can't create a Thor, SM, Hulk, Cap Atom or Flash no matter how you twist the rules... nor for that matter would I want to unless to prevent Universal Armageddon type campaign and to be honest UAC while a nice change of pace gets old after a while. But creating a pastiche Batman, Iron Man, Namor or Dr Strange can be done with some tweaking and imagination with my NG. None of the 4 SH I've listed can take on SM and hope to win or take on a whole team of heroes baring prep, but by using brains, equipment, tactics, skill and forcing other heroes to fight in their element they can be formidable. Yet all 4 should be considered Mega-Heroes nevertheless outside of Namor none of them should have Supernatural Strength.

6. Believe it or not HU is among my top 2 SH games, that doesn't mean I can't see flaws in it's design any more than having a favorite nephew or child makes you blind to its faults. As a parent you should try to accentuate the positive and correct the negative in your child. This is what I'm planning on doing with the NG, if it isn't your cup tea fine don't use it in your game but I'm sure others will enjoy it. Finally my initial design for the Sorceror Supreme CC is very close to what you stated with some additional tweaks and roleplay hooks.
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Re: Wizards/Spell Casters in Heroes Unlimited, how many play

Unread post by Regularguy »

Shadowknight wrote:As for Enchanted Object class it was a poorly designed class that's neither fish nor fowl. I've been either playing or GMing HU since the first edition that over 30 yrs of experience. I've yet to meet anyone interested in playing an EO CC mostly due to it's perceived weakness of not being good at anything, which can't be said for the other 3 magic subclass.


Heh. The hilarious part is, imagine if it could pretty much equal one of the other magic subclasses by simply granting the same abilities.

If you're Mystic Bestowed, those abilities aren't good enough -- and so you'll get boosted stats, starting with 5x your speed and going on from there. Enchanted Weapon? Also not quite good enough; we'll throw in some resistance to fire and cold, plus the ability to see the invisible.

Enchanted Object? Oh, that's clearly overpowered; we'll make it so your eyes glow when you're using it. Are you casually mingling with folks at a garden party in the cool of the evening? No, you can't subtly x-ray them for weapons; your eyes are glowing. Were you going to alter your facial features to impersonate somebody? Yeah, see, your eyes are glowing. Maybe you'd like an innocuous chat -- in front of witnesses -- to seem normal while you use the gem in your pocket to hypnotize someone? Again, good luck with that while your eyes are glowing.

I feel like I'm missing something.
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Re: Wizards/Spell Casters in Heroes Unlimited, how many play

Unread post by LeeNapier »

I like playing a mage every now and then, but in HU as in most games, they're a bit of a "glass cannon" - very powerful and versatile, but fragile. With the right array of skills and equipment, though, they can hold their own. One of the problems with mystic study characters in HU is that there isn't a well-established mechanic for recovery of PPE beyond resting/meditating (that I'm aware of - one that gives amounts of PPE per round for things like absorbing from willing or non-willing bystanders, allies, or enemies, or from Ley Lines, and what that process looks like - rolls that are necessary or whatever).

Enchanted weapon and Enchanted object characters can be a bit tougher, as a trade-off for some versatility.

I'd like to see HU add some abilities to its mystic study characters, such as the ability to enchant minor objects, or cast long-duration or permanent spells on a familiar to improve it.
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Re: Wizards/Spell Casters in Heroes Unlimited, how many play

Unread post by Regularguy »

LeeNapier wrote:I like playing a mage every now and then, but in HU as in most games, they're a bit of a "glass cannon" - very powerful and versatile, but fragile. With the right array of skills and equipment, though, they can hold their own.


Heh.

Picture this: you're creating a character to be the fourth member of a three-man team; one has a Divine Aura, and so can do 'hypnotic charisma' stuff as long as nobody is shooting him to death. And another guy has Transmutation, which makes him a glass cannon who can potentially do versatile and powerful stuff if nobody is shooting him to death -- and he often makes stuff for the guy with Gem Powers, who (a) has a versatile array of temporary powers but (b) can be shot to death most of the time.

And so you join up as an Enchanted Object guy who has Invulnerability. And that'd be nice enough in its own right, giving them a bulletproof teammate -- but imagine you let each of them use it too, so that now they're an Invulnerable guy with a Divine Aura and an Invulnerable guy with Transmutation and an Invulnerable guy with Gem Powers.

Also, figure each of them (a) is an Enchanted Object guy, and (b) returns the favor. So now you're Invulnerable and you have a Divine Aura and you can Transmute stuff and you have Gem Powers, because each member of the team has four major powers. (Oh, and you can fly or turn invisible or whatever, because you get that too.)

And since a Divine Aura grants awestruck devotees who believe whatever you tell them and will do anything asked -- including sacrificing their own lives -- without hesitation, you let one of them use the Objects to power up likewise: if you want, that'd give you another powerhouse in the field; but it'd also let you avoid the big limitation of Transmutation, the hit you take when permanently turning one thing into something else. Let the redshirt do it, is what I'm saying; and start play with a lifetime supply of whatever you need to fund uses of Gem Powers.

(It doesn't have to be those four major powers, you understand; the idea works with tons of combinations. Like, all four of you can have Gateways and Wingless Flight and Create Force Fields and Negate Super Powers and spellcasting -- which gives you a lot more gateways all over the globe, which makes it easier to invisibly zip in wherever there's trouble -- to confine suddenly-depowered troublemakers in a hurry. Or whatever.)
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drewkitty ~..~
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Re: Wizards/Spell Casters in Heroes Unlimited, how many play

Unread post by drewkitty ~..~ »

first: there are no "classes" in HU. The char templets are power categories.

second: Mega Heroes….are not a 'Class' and nor is it a independent power cat.. They are a character modifier. Which upgrades a character.

While yet there is text about importing ..magic classes…from the other settings in the mystic study optional section. It is for the GM to modify those character templates for use in the HU setting. As for myself, I would limit the imported class to just the core skills from their OCC skills in replacement of the skills that the MS gets. And having to roll like the MS on the education table and dropping one skill program to account for their class skills & powers.
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Re: Wizards/Spell Casters in Heroes Unlimited, how many play

Unread post by Gopaf »

Hi! As for me, I love them all :)
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Re: Wizards/Spell Casters in Heroes Unlimited, how many play

Unread post by Craten9000 »

Shadowknight wrote:The enchanted object is garbage, but thee other are quite good.



Do as a Mega Hero
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drewkitty ~..~
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Re: Wizards/Spell Casters in Heroes Unlimited, how many play

Unread post by drewkitty ~..~ »

Craten9000 wrote:
Shadowknight wrote:The enchanted object is garbage, but thee other are quite good.



Do as a Mega Hero

The mega hero mod (excluding the Rifter optional text) does not boost magic or psi powers.
Last edited by drewkitty ~..~ on Tue Aug 01, 2017 10:44 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Wizards/Spell Casters in Heroes Unlimited, how many play

Unread post by Jack Burton »

I think they're great. I'm introducing my 10 year old daughter to HU2 and for fun, we created a character for her. She quickly gravitated to a magic character.
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Re: Wizards/Spell Casters in Heroes Unlimited, how many play

Unread post by gaby »

How would you improved Magic Weapon and the Enchanted object?
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Re: Wizards/Spell Casters in Heroes Unlimited, how many play

Unread post by drewkitty ~..~ »

gaby wrote:How would you improved Magic Weapon and the Enchanted object?

Magic weapon….let the player take a rune weapon from Rifts of PF or a Greatest Artifact (or multiple lesser artifacts) from the NB"Nightlands book. Adding the "add costume" or "transform the char" power to the weapon to keep it within the Style of HU.

Magic object…let the player decide if they want an assortment of magic items from the other books in place of the One magic object they get from this Power Cat. maybe make one of them a GM object that is a PPE battery that feeds/taps off the char's PPE till it is recharged. So they can cast spells if any have TW like enchantments where the wielder has to provide the PPE for it to work.
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Re: Wizards/Spell Casters in Heroes Unlimited, how many play

Unread post by RockJock »

I've always played HU with more variety than the main book has built in. Like DrewKitten said, let a player take a Rune weapon, or NB artifact instead of a traditional EW. Another option I've used is a character with a collection of PF style enchanted weapons. The same sort of thing goes for EO. There are objects in PF that make a character a Beastmaster or, if I remember right a Conjurer.

Mystic study can easily be opened to the Megaverse of classes. Even without that a spell caster with a few minor magical items has always made sense to me. Think of all the toys Dr. Strange has as an example. This could be a TW handgun, enchanted sword, PPE battery in the form or a gem, or even enchanted ring.
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Re: Wizards/Spell Casters in Heroes Unlimited, how many play

Unread post by eliakon »

One of the things I have done to spice up the magic classes besides the Mystic Study is allow for progression.
So as you improve your understanding of your device (weapon/object) you might find new functionality to it (a new ability/spell/what ever)
Empowered characters can receive boons from their patron for acting in character (think of Magic Girl anime and the "frills of justice" power up most of them get in season 2 or 3...).

These don't have to be major boons either. I have had characters who were excited to slowly decipher some basic functions of their mystic object (he figured out how to make it glow like a lantern. Later he figured out how to tinker and adjust his costume and the color of his eye glow, eventually learning to turn that feature on/off). Little stuff like that... but it let the character have growth, and a sense of "hey I am figuring out what this ancient do-dad really is, and how to use it" instead of some random backstory that is interchangeable with any other backstory and just a list of powers.
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Re: Wizards/Spell Casters in Heroes Unlimited, how many play

Unread post by Razorwing »

eliakon wrote:One of the things I have done to spice up the magic classes besides the Mystic Study is allow for progression.
So as you improve your understanding of your device (weapon/object) you might find new functionality to it (a new ability/spell/what ever)
Empowered characters can receive boons from their patron for acting in character (think of Magic Girl anime and the "frills of justice" power up most of them get in season 2 or 3...).

These don't have to be major boons either. I have had characters who were excited to slowly decipher some basic functions of their mystic object (he figured out how to make it glow like a lantern. Later he figured out how to tinker and adjust his costume and the color of his eye glow, eventually learning to turn that feature on/off). Little stuff like that... but it let the character have growth, and a sense of "hey I am figuring out what this ancient do-dad really is, and how to use it" instead of some random backstory that is interchangeable with any other backstory and just a list of powers.


You actually see this quite a bit in comics... especially when a mystic character who was a secondary character in a different title gets his own title. In many cases, the newest person to wield such items (weapons, objects or granted powers)... even if they are the only one ever actually depicted as wielding it... learns that they have only been tapping into a fraction of the item's available powers. Sometimes this even happens with less mystic items... or items created through super alien sciences that borders on magic.

I have long suggested that such a feature could help bring Enchanted Objects up to the power level of other Power Categories... as it is currently the weakest in over all power it provides... and one of the few times when an individual with super powers can (in theory) run out of power.

While I do like the idea that super powers cost PPE to activate (and will be available for 24 hours when paid), that Minor and Major powers cost the same seems... hard to swallow. I would start by changing (or clarifying) that each power has to be activated individually, with Minor Powers costing 10 PPE and Major Powers costing 30 PPE. If the object transforms the user into a Mega Hero... then these costs are doubled and the Mega Powers are also activated (though, in theory one could activate the powers at normal costs without activating the Mega Powers too... though likely only possible if activating a single Minor Power). Just this feature would give a player a little more control over just which powers they want active at the moment... if you only need to fly... merely pay for the Flight: Wingless power your item provides (or the Fly as the Eagle spell-like power if available).

Beyond this... I am toying with the granted abilities (powers and spells) table... they will get to roll on it two or three times as their character grows in experience (the power level of the object remains frozen at the given level... that part doesn't change). The Main Abilities table may need to be modified slightly to take into account the increased powers and spells one unlocks new abilities from their Object (though having the level of those powers being frozen at a specific point may compensate for the number of abilities one gets). Also thinking of expanding the Other Abilities available... and the number of the an Object can provide (possibly equal to the rolls one has on the Abilities... each roll on one table allows for a roll on the other... or staggered... one rolls on an ability at one "power up" and an "other" at a different level.

If I were to provide players with the a roll on both tables at the same time, I would probably go with a new roll to expand their "knowledge" of what their object can do at levels 1, 6 and 12... giving them a definite moment when they unlock a new level of power with their objects.

With a staggered set up, the power increases could be more often, giving the player the sense that they are improving more often, even if it is just a small increase from the "Other Ability" table. With such a set up... I would probably go with a roll at levels 1, 4, 7, 10, and 13... with rolls on the Main Abilities table at levels 1, 7 and 13 and rolls on the Other Abilities table at 4 and 10. Slightly less overall power than the other method (1 less "Other Ability", but the increase in power feels more steady even if the overall increase is minor).

Not a perfect method for bringing the power level up... but a workable one that could be further tweaked as needed.
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