From: goodin@fraser.sfu.ca (Charles Frederick Goodin)
Subject: Re: FANTASY HERO: duration for spells
Organization: Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, B.C., Canada
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1992 22:11:00 GMT

hague@cat27.cs.wisc.edu (Vince Hague) writes:

>Presently, I am attempting to create a wide variety of spells
>for a FANTASY HERO campaign (since the ones in the FANTASY HERO book
>just don't cut it).
>   One of the problems I'm having with spells concerns duration. I know
>that there are several ways in which to get the different types of
>duration:
>  A) Instantaneous - single phase
>  B) Constant/Continuous - on til END is not payed
>  C) Persistant - on even if not awakw
>  D) Reduced END -    
>  E) Continuous charges - no END, extended duration
>  F) END Reserve - used to feed spell

>   Here are the things which I want to be able to do:
>     1) duration of up to a day (for low power spells) 

For this, you might want to try a 0 END Persistant, but with a -1/4
 (or more) limitation : Only lasts for one day.  Be careful with this,
though.  I let a few players try 0 END Persistant effects, and they were
a LOT more powerful than their point total would suggest.  Should be OK
at low point totals, though. 
s>     2) duration of up to a couple of hours (med power spells)
     I don't have my rules with me, but I think you could do this with
continuing charges, or an Endurance Reserve that was either large with no
recovery, or (cheaper) had a recovery big enough that it drained slowly.
For example, a 100 end battery with an 11 Recovery would last a SPD 3 
spellcaster 100 turns for a 4 End power, and only cost 21 active points.
Stick a bunch of limitations on there, and it's not too outrageous.  Of 
course, 100 turns is only about 20 minutes, but you could buy a bigger 
battery.  
>     3) spells cast on others which last for more than one
>	phase; caster pays END when spellis cast (but not
>	huge amounts)
>         * like a magic resistance spell or missle deflection
     Depends on a couple of things.  If it's OK to have the target
paying END, then you just take Usable by Others, At Range(maybe), with
the -1/2 limitation: Costs END.  If you don't want the target to pay 
END either, then try the Uncontrollable Advantage, and buy down the End
cost.
>     4) really LONG duration spells (curses)
     Easy one.  Just use Transform, and either set the recovery conditions
(eg. the ol' frog prince trick), or wait for the target to heal back the
Transform Body.  That'll usually take a four or five months, for a normal.

>  Lastly, can the DELAYED EFFECT advantage be used as follows:
>     An armor spell which will activate when the wizard is attacked...
     Ummm...sort of.  You'd probably want to either put a Trigger on it,
with maybe Enhanced Senses if you want it to protect against attacks that
the wizard can't detect.  Maybe a Damage shield, but I think that's an
Advantage for attacks only.  Warning: letting wizards use Armor for spells
is dangerous (well, not for them).  Make them put up a Force Field instead.
     More good examples of how to do this kind of stuff is included in the 
Spell Book, which came out for 1st Edition FH.  Some of the rules changes
have made a lot of the stuff invalid, but it'll at least give you more ideas,
if you really need them.

>     Well???
>Vincent.
     Hope this is useful.  I wish people would get into more discussion of
Hero Effects.  I have a mage in my current campaign with a Magic Item Power
Pool (all must be Foci, and Independent)  who comes up with the most horrific
things, and there's another Champions player here who goes out of his way to
come up with the most bizarre situations you could possibly squeeze into the 
rules.  Like, huge area effect Mental Illusions that can turn whole city blocks
into bedlam, and are not under the PCs control (although of course he has
Personal Immunity...)
Extra Questions:   Can Missle Deflection deflect flying characters?
		   Does a Body Aid heal damage from a Transform?
		   If you buy a Mind Scan which only works on certain types
of creature/person, do you count all the minds in the area being scanned or
just the ones that the power can effect, when you are figuring out ECV mods?
		   And finally,(for this post anyway) are Images automatically
Invisible (the power effects, that is)?  If not, what good are they? (eg., "I
make an Image of a horrible monster about to attack the villain." "Villain,
noticing the purple beams shooting from your eyes and the high-pitched buzz, 
realizes it is an Image and proceeds to Move Through you.")

     Comments, anyone?

Upchuk McNuggets.   e-mail@ goodin@fraser.sfu.ca.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc