High Fantasy Heroes - Rules Cyclopedia

I've got a lot of TRPG projects to work on right now: These include continuing Star Wars Visions Heroes and The Adventures of Bani and Easy, more thoughts on Smurf Houses, and of course October's rapidly approaching Spooky Season and Hosts of Freaky Ghosts. 

Additionally there are the games I am running and playing in: Gamemastering my bi-weekly Star Trek: Prosperity campaign, two separate weekly Superhero campaigns, and a limited run, 5 episode, Star Wars Heroes game (a Star Wars game using the Space Opera Heroes rules). I'm playing in our bi-weekly Hogwarts/Wizarding World campaign and a number of periodic one-shots.

The last thing I need right now is a new endeavor in my ever-shrinking free time.

So let's start one why don't we!

High Fantasy Heroes is what you get when you've fallen in love with the Space Opera Heroes rules system and you're sick and tired of not being able to find a Medieval Fantasy TRPG that fits your preferred mechanics and style of play*. 

Converting Space Opera Heroes to High Fantasy Heroes is fairly easy as it turns out I want many of the same tropes and parameters to apply to it (see my post Eight Ball in The Corner Pocket).

Let's quickly recap the system's basic mechanics:

In order to take a dramatic Action, one that may have obstacles or be opposed, the Player 'spends' one of their Character's Action Points and then makes an Action Check. An Action Check involves adding the PC's Ability Score appropriate to the situation to an appropriately related Skill (using the Skill's Level) and finally the result of a 1D6 'Exploding' Die roll. 

If a Warrior had a Strength of 3 and a Sword Skill of 3 and rolled a 3 on the D6, the total of their Action Check would be 9.

The final total is compared against a Target Number that reflects the Difficulty of the Action/Task, as determined by the Gamemaster.

The Target Numbers in general are as follows:

3 - Very Easy (Usually not worth rolling for)
4 - Fairly Easy
6 - Easy
8 - Standard
9 - Tricky. Slightly Difficult.
10 - Difficult
12 - Very Difficult
15 - Extremely Difficult

Since the D6 being rolled 'Explodes', if the die comes up a '6', add the result and roll again. If it comes up a 6, add the result and roll again until it does not come up a 6. If the final Action Check total is high enough, the Action can cause extra damage or it may have Situational Benefits or Special Effects. See this chart:

Check Total vs. Target Number

Total is < The Target Number = Failure. (Unless...See below)

Total is = or > the Target Number = Success!

Total is > the Target Number +5 = Effective Success. +1 Damage or Situation Benefit.

Total is > the Target Number +10 = Critical Success. +2 Damage or 2 Situation Benefits.

Roll is > the Target Number +15 = Extraordinary Success. +3 Damage or 3 Benefits.

Roll is > the Target Number +20 or more = Legendary Success. +4 Damage or 4 Benefits.

Lastly, at least for the basics, if the Action Check total is below the Target Number, the Action fails. The Player may spend a Hero Point to change that failure to a Success with Consequence. 

Hero Points are pretty awesome and can be used to do a number of things, such as:

Hero Point Uses for Player Characters:

• If you Fail a Judgement Roll for any Action Check, spend 1 HP and make it a Success with Consequence

•Spend 1 HP and an Attack against your PC misses. Beware! Something or someone else likely got hit!

•Otherwise, spend 1 HP to lower the Damage Rank your character has taken.

•Spend 1, take an Attack meant for someone else. You take damage. Spend an additional 1 to reduce as above.

•Spend 1 to have a one-time item you need. You find it nearby or in your pack.

•Spend 1 to gain Skill you don't already have. Must be related to one on your sheet or to your Archetype in general.

OK, now that we have the basics down, I'm going to spend the next post on explaining Player Characters and Character Creation. 

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Barking Alien

*Outside of Ars Magica and Smurfs that is. 

As an inconsequential aside, Barking Alien, the blog that is, is apparently ranks #194 out of 2.2K RPG gaming blogs globally, placing this odd little corner of the tabletop game blogosphere in the top 10%. That's crazy! I talk about playing Smurfs and Ghostbusters. What's wrong with you people?!

I'm kidding of course. Thank you so much to everyone out there who comes by, checks out my mad musings, and enjoys what I have to offer. It really means a lot to me.