Page | 1 FANTASY HERO PRIMER Fantasy is a classic genre. However, for that reason BASIC BUILDING BLOCKS dozens of game systems have tackled it. What exactly does Fantasy Hero bring to the table, then? Let’s get right to it. Fantasy Hero is an adaptation of the long-running The Hero System is a classless system. That means Hero System rules. Using the Hero System, players and that you are not constrained by rigid, preset roles the GMs alike have a well-tested system that offers more game has laid out for you ahead of time (unless you flexibility than any other fantasy game. A classless, want that, of course, in which case the system easily point-based ruleset, Fantasy Hero allows you to craft allows you to create such things). In other words, what your races, your roles, your spells, your feats and makes a fighter? Whatever you say makes one. talents, and almost anything else you can imagine, and Knowing this, feel free to stretch your imagination all exactly the way you want it. In terms of gameplay, when considering your options in the pages ahead. If Fantasy Hero offers rewarding tactical combat (with or you want mages to have heavy armour, go for it. If you without miniatures), and ample non-combat options think a hardened pit fighter should be able to toss a too. spell or two, we’ve made sure there’s options for that, too. Why shouldn’t a healer know how to sneak WHAT YOU HAVE IN YOUR HANDS around or pick a few locks? Don’t let yourself be limited by preconceptions. The Fantasy Hero Primer is not a rulebook. Instead, it’s meant to introduce you to Fantasy Hero: how it broadly POINTS works, its strengths, its foundations, and its The Hero System uses Character Points as the basis for assumptions. Along these lines, the Primer presents almost everything. These points are used to build many Hero System concepts in a simplified fashion. characters, monsters, and items, and are earned as The goal is to get you into the action as quickly and as experience points to further improve your character as simply as possible, while giving you a taste of how the you play it. In short, they’re the building blocks of the system can give you opportunities most others can’t. system. The greatest strength of the Hero System is its The Hero System’s flexibility begins here: you can flexibility. Using it, you can run a bog-standard fantasy start with as many or as few points to build a starting setting, or an alien world of fantastic horrors. Majestic character as you and the GM wish. elves can run alongside psionic insects. Compared to a mage, the sword-swinging martial hero can be an CHARACTERISTICS equal or greater threat, or as an ant to an elephant. Here’s the vital characteristics that define someone in Magic itself can be as common as water, or the last the Hero System. gasp of a dying age; world-shaking or good only as a parlour trick; easy to wield or something that demands Base Stats (FHC pp. 16-19): the most terrible sacrifices. It’s important to understand this because all too Strength (STR: raw physical damage, lifting ability) often our experiences in other games can colour what Dexterity (DEX: agility and reaction time) we expect a system can do. The answer when using the Hero System is “almost anything”. As such, this primer Constitution (CON: health and hardiness) will show you the basics, but often also present Intelligence (INT: intellect, memory, perceptiveness) additional options to give you a feel for how you can Ego (EGO: willpower) make your game do exactly what you want. Going forward, try to remember that the options and even the Presence (PRE: charisma and force of personality) innate balance of the material presented are entirely adjustable once you understand the system. Each Base Stat point costs 1 Character Point each, You’ll see page references to the main rulebook, except DEX, which costs 2 points each. Everyone Fantasy Hero Complete (FHC), throughout this primer. normally starts with a base value of 10 in these There’s no need to look anything up, however: the Characteristics: this costs no points. Higher is better. page references are there for later, if you feel like it. 2 | Page Combat Stats (FHC pp. 20-23): The point costs and starting values of each Combat Stat DIGGING DEEPER: CHARACTERISTICS vary a lot more than your Base Stats do. Sometimes you want a character that excels in a Offensive Combat Value very specific area, rather than being all-round (OCV: used to hit targets) superb. For example, maybe you want a fighter Base Value: 3. Cost: 5 points per +1. that’s really good at bashing down doors or lifting gates, but don’t want to give them the immense Defensive Combat Value amounts of Strength you’d need to accomplish this. (DCV: used to avoid being hit) In Fantasy Hero, you can buy limited forms of Base Value: 3. Cost: 5 points per +1. Characteristics, allowing you to customize your character so that they’re good at just such tricks. For Offensive Mental Combat Value example, your warrior could buy +2 DCV that only (OMCV: used to attack in mental combat) applies when fighting more than two opponents (or Base Value: 3. Cost: 3 points per +1. three, or four—you decide). The warrior’s base DCV wouldn’t change, but when the appropriate situation Defensive Mental Combat Value occurs their DCV raises, only to drop back to normal (DMCV: used to avoid being hit in mental combat) when the threat passes. Similarly, you can buy +10 Base Value: 3. Cost: 3 points per +1. Strength that applies only when trying to force open gates and doors, to represent those sorts of characters Speed who aren’t built like tanks, but always seem to be (SPD: how often a character acts in combat) able to bash their way into a room when needed. Base Value: 2. Cost: 10 points per +1. We won’t cover exactly how to do this right now, but bear it in mind as you examine the character Physical Defense concepts ahead. We’ll be giving you options like this (PD: the ability to resist damage from physical attacks, throughout this primer. such as punches or sword slashes) Base Value: 2. Cost: 1 point per +1. CHARACTERISTIC COMPARISONS Energy Defense The Base Stats—Strength in particular—are well- (ED: the ability to resist damage from energy attacks, defined in terms of real-life equivalents. However, the such as fire or magic) Combat Stats are more flexible: how much OCV, for Base Value: 2. Cost: 1 point per +1. example, defines a master bladesman is set by each GM and campaign setting. Endurance Since, with no firm limits, character stats can wildly (END: energy typically expended to fight or use magic) spiral out of control—resulting in an arms race and no Base Value: 20. Cost: 1 point per +5. sense of what the real limitations of a human or other species are—campaigns typically set characteristic Recovery limits. This helps define how the world works, and (REC: how quickly you recover from injury or gives everyone an understanding of what they might exhaustion) realistically encounter. Base Value: 4. Cost: 1 point per +1. On page 24 there’s a table giving you a quick way to compare your Characteristics against real- and Body fantasy-world equivalents. These are just guidelines. (BODY: how much damage you can take before dying) Base Value: 10. Cost: 1 point per +1. Selling Back Characteristics All characters come with the Base Value in each stat. Stun What if you feel that’s too much? What if you want, (STUN: how much damage you can take before being say, a feeble character with 6 Strength instead? knocked out) To address this, you can reduce any Characteristic Base Value: 20. Cost: 1 point per +2. by any amount desired (to a minimum of 1). For each point you reduce that stat by, you receive its cost in You can also buy up your running, leaping, and points back. swimming, but for now we’ll be ignoring those. Page | 3 SKILLS (FHC p. 25) Hunteds are also straightforward: someone wants Skills in the Hero System work much like other games. you. How badly they want you, for what reason, and The main difference is that skills can have direct what they intend to do with you once they catch you— combat effects, in addition to the usual out-of-combat all these determine how much a Hunted is worth. role you’d expect. You’ll see how this works when we Alternatively, they may be just Watching you for some look at characters and combat. reason: this is worth fewer points. A character obtains a skill by paying its point cost Physical Complications are those related to the (typically 3 points). You can improve your proficiency body. This could be being deaf or hard of hearing, with a skill by paying additional points (usually 2 blind in one eye, or unusually short, tall, or heavy. points for every +1 you add to your skill rating). Psychological Complications are those related to Most skills are rated with a number indicating how the character’s mind. These can be as extreme as well a character knows the skill (e.g. 14-). To check a mental illnesses, or more commonplace hindrances skill, you roll 3D6, apply any modifiers, and compare such as codes of honour that restrict how a character that with the skill rating the character has.