Heroica: Glory Amongst The Stars - Rules & FAQ

[Waterbrick Down]

~This topic is meant for all discussion and questions about the rules of Heroica RPG. For other topics related to the game, see the
Heroica: Glory Amongst The Stars Index. ~

 
 
 
 

Rev. 1.1

FAQ

Characters

Q: Is there an easier way to check my Character Creation Stats?
A: Yes, you can find a point calculator here

Q: When creating a character, to what topic do I post it?
A: Post the character's statistics into the Hero Statistics Registrations topic, and make a link to that post in your signature (the link address can be found by clicking the number on the upper right corner of the post). Then introduce your character in the Heroica Hall topic.

Q: When introducing ourselves, do we need a lengthy intro?
A: It is your decision as to how long and detailed the intro will be.

Q: Do I need my character picture up right away?
A: No, as long as you get them up eventually. You will not be able to go into a mission without a picture of your character, though. If you cannot make an image yourself, ask your fellow players.

Q: What are the differences between the Proficiencies?
A: The skill Proficiencies are intended to have multiple uses, but the general descriptions below can help inspire you as to their use.

·Acrobatics: Balancing, stunts requiring dexterity of the body
·Arcana: Knowledge of Esoteric magic, potion making
·Artillery Weapons: Usage of Artillery range weapons
·Athletics: Climbing, jumping, swimming, breaking down a door
·Coding: Writing Software, Hacking a system, knowledge of Livecode and Ætherdiving
·Culture: Knowledge about traditions, history, famous figures, pop culture trends
·Deception: Lying, misleading
·Engineering: Constructing and operating large electrical devices, knowledge about practical sciences
·Explosives: Usage of explosive devices and demolition
·Insight: Determining intentions, detecting lies, gut feelings
·Intimidation: Influencing by threatening, physical violence, feats of strength
·Long Range Weapons: Usage of long range weapons
·Medicine: Diagnosing illnesses, applying medical aid, determining cause of death
·Melee Weapons: Usage of melee weapons
·Nature: Knowledge about animals, plants, natural phenomenon, and Substantive magic
·Occult: Knowledge about Phantasmagoric magic, cults, demons, cosmic horrors
·Perception: Spotting, hearing, or detecting things
·Performance: Entertainment, dancing, acting, storytelling
·Persuasion: Influencing by tact, rational arguments, or social graces
·Piloting: Steering vehicles, charting courses, knowledge about starcraft
·Religion: Knowledge about cosmologies, pantheons, worship practices, religious orders, and Theurgical Magic
·Short Range Weapons: Usage of short range weapons
·Sleight of Hand: Concealing objects, pickpocketing, feats requiring manual dexterity
·Stealth: Moving silently, hiding from enemies
·Survival: Following tracks, weather predicting, danger assessment
·Technology: Constructing and operating small electronic devices, knowledge about theoretical sciences

Q·: Can I change my character’s stats or start a new character?
A: Yes, while we find it entertaining to see characters grow from mission to mission, we understand that sometimes you won’t know if you find a certain character or playstyle enjoyable until you actually play. With that in mind, if you wish to “respec” your characters creation and level up points you are free to do so. Please follow the below constraints:
- Do not respec during a mission. 
- It is preferable (but not necessary) to have a story to go along with your character’s change in stats; the Training Room thread is appropriate for this roleplay.
- If you are starting a brand new character, you may only transfer character points. Items and Equipment are not transferred between new and old characters. Please do not attempt to circumvent this.

Q: I can't make a long-term commitment. Can I still play?
A: Heroica: Glory Among the Stars RPG is more of a game system than a single continuous game. You can create your hero character whenever you like, and wait for a good time to sign into a mission. You should be able to play for the duration of the mission you sign into, though.

Q: I’ve invested character points into Spirit and a casting skill (Arcana/Nature/Occult/Religion) where are the spells listed?
A: Simply visit the Training Room for a list of the available spells. Between missions you may switch a number of spells that you know equal to your Spirit Attribute.

Q: Does it matter what Species I play? Can I create my own Species?
A: In Heroica: Glory Among the Stars RPG, your character’s Species does not provide any mechanical advantage. This is to facilitate creative characters without feeling constrained by mechanics. Feel free to visit the Embassy for a list of the Species widely found in the setting. You are also free to create your own Species, the only restriction being that you respect the established canon. If you have questions, feel free to ask in the Discussion thread. If the species is unique/becomes popular enough among the community you may be asked to provide a short write-up that can be included in the Embassy later on.

Missions:

Q: How and when can I start a mission of my own?
A: First you should read the Mission Master’s Lounge-topic, which gives you insight about what is required from a Mission Master and a good mission. You can send your mission idea to Waterbrick Down or one of the game managers, via a private message when you think you are well prepared, but you must have at least one successfully concluded mission under your belt, so that you know how the game basically works. Even then, if your idea is not good enough or the game managers do not deem you ready to host, you might be turned down. In that case you should heed the game managers’ feedback and try again later.

Q: If there are enough sign-ups to a mission and everything was ready, would the mission start early?
A: Not necessarily, we'd still need to give everyone time to sign up before the deadline. The sign-up deadlines can be changed by the MM's jurisdiction, though.

Q: Is it possible to change what missions you sign into?
A: Yes, you can change as much as you want until the sign-ups end.

Q: How long does a mission take?
A: It varies greatly, so you have to ask each Mission Master separately.

Q: When a mission starts, can the chosen players still post in the Heroica Hall topic?
A: Not until the mission is over, unless the Mission Master specifically allows it.

Q: Will my Vitality and Spirit be restored automatically after I finish a mission?
A: Yes, since you can rest as much as you want in-between missions.

Q: When you lose a mission, do you keep the experience and items you earned in battles?
A: You get to keep the experience and items you gain during a mission, even if it fails. You just won't get the promised reward.

Battles:

Q: Can I attack without a weapon?
A: Yes, you can. Weaponless attacks utilize the Strength attribute to determine the dice pool. You may only target an enemy adjacent to you when attacking without a weapon and the damage dealt is kinetic.

Magic:

Q: Does an unsuccessful casting of a spell cost Spirit?
A: Yes, Spirit is deducted each time a spell is cast, whether successful or not.

Weapons:

Q: What happens if you have multiple weapons?
A: You can only equip one weapon at a time, and that is the weapon that is listed in your equipment. Usually the strongest available weapon is equipped, but if a situation arises where you would like to use another weapon instead, just mention it to the mission Master. Changing equipped weapons in a battle does cost a turn, so it is often a smart strategy to carry spare weapons with different damage types.

Q: Is there a limit to how powerful a weapon can be?
A: Yes, weapons start out as a Standard grade, but can be subsequently improved to Calibrated, then Engineered, and finally Precision. Likewise armor may be upgraded from Standard, to Padded, to Reinforced, and finally Composite.

Q: What sort of weapon can I use? Can I use a tank or a mecha suit?
A: Weapons are mechanically broken into 3 different damage categories (kinetic, elemental, and energy) and 4 different range categories (melee, short range, long range, and artillery). Outside of these categories, weapons are intentionally left generic to allow for characters to have the freedom to describe their weapons however they want. Bombs for instance could be characterized as long range and elemental, a plasma whip could be considered short range and energy, brass knuckles could be melee and kinetic. The one constraint is that weapon sizes should be limited to things that could be reasonably carried by the character, thus no tanks, ships, or giant mecha suits.
Some other weapon examples by damage type:
 - Elemental: Flamethrower, Cryogen Spray, Electro-whip, Toxic Claws
 - Energy: Plasmacaster, Laser Pistol, Beam Saber, Sonic Bombs
 - Kinetic: Rail-rifle, Antique Revolver, Vibro-Knife, Titanium Knuckles

Tools:

Q: You can only equip a certain amount of tools, but can you carry more? What exactly is classified as a tool?
A: You can carry more than the amount of tools you can equip in your inventory, but only the ones listed in your equipment will have an effect. If you are unsure whether or not an item is considered a tool, ask the Mission Master that gave it to you. Note that changing equipped tools during a battle will cost a turn.

Consumable Items:

Q: Consumable items can be used on anyone in battle, correct?
A: Yes, on yourself, on your allies, even on enemies as long as they are adjacent to your character.

Miscellaneous:

Q: When dividing numbers, do you round down or round up?
A: Always round down.

Q: Do diagonal squares count as 1 square or 2?
A: Diagonal squares count as 1 square for purposes of moving and targeting.

Q: Can I give items and credits or trade things with other players?
A: Yes, it is allowed as long as both of you update your profile accordingly. Cheating or circumnavigating of existing rules will not be tolerated.

Q: Can I give items to another ally during a battle?
A: Yes, but it will cost a turn for both of you. You can trade multiple items in one turn, but only with one ally per turn and they must be adjacent to you.

Q: What happens if my inventory is full?
A: If your inventory is full and you come across new items, you may switch the items you currently have in your inventory with the new items. Alternatively you could ask some of your allies to carry some of your equipment in their inventories.

Q: How much 'fluff' do I have to read beforehand?
A: As much as we'd like to say 'none', that's unfortunately false. We recommend you read at least the Startravel and the Æthergates and Ætherspace entries in the Library. If you're playing an existing species, we recommend reading their entry in the Embassy, as even standard species (Elves, Dwarves, Humans) have some different assumptions here. If you want to incorporate AI into your character or their backstory, the Artificial Life entry in the same thread explains how the setting handles that.

Q: Since Meditate is a Standard Action, can I just infinitely cast spells outside of combat?
A: Technically, yes. However keep in mind attempting to abuse the rules in a manner to intentionally frustrate a Mission Master, probably will not end well for you or maybe your party.

Q: Can my player help another player make a Proficiency or Attribute check.
A: Yes, players can assist others in a task creating an Assisted Check. Each person assisting should come up with a meaningful explanation of how they are contributing to solve the situation. The assisting player's proficiency dice are then added to player making the Check. The assistance does not need to be of the same Proficiency. I.e. someone could assist with an Athletics Proficiency Check to break a door down with their Perception Proficiency to point out a weakness in one of the door's hinges.

[samurai-turtle]

I do have question on Character Points. You start out with 10 (or 10/ 10) but then you get another one after a battle so shouldn't it go to ?? / 11 ? 

[Waterbrick Down]

16 minutes ago, samurai-turtle said:

I do have question on Character Points. You start out with 10 (or 10/ 10) but then you get another one after a battle so shouldn't it go to ?? / 11 ? 

You are correct. An oversight on my part.

[Zepher]

Can I ask (having played milestone D&D for a while... sorry...) is there any way to increase character points beyond combat? If a combat is avoided, say, by cunning stealth, hacking, piloting, persuasion, etc. can the MM still provide character points? Maybe I'm just a lame pacifist (who still loves the strategy and mechanics of battle, of course!) but there are times I'd like to avoid it.

[Waterbrick Down]

9 minutes ago, Zepher said:

Can I ask (having played milestone D&D for a while... sorry...) is there any way to increase character points beyond combat? If a combat is avoided, say, by cunning stealth, hacking, piloting, persuasion, etc. can the MM still provide character points? Maybe I'm just a lame pacifist (who still loves the strategy and mechanics of battle, of course!) but there are times I'd like to avoid it.

Yes, MM are free to award character points as they see fit, whether for combat, role-play, puzzle solving, etc.

[samurai-turtle]

How does the Meditate spell works do you need any Spirt point left to use it? 

[Waterbrick Down]

55 minutes ago, samurai-turtle said:

How does the Meditate spell works do you need any Spirt point left to use it? 

You do not. You spend the turn Meditate and roll for how many Spirit you get back depending on your Casting Proficiency.

[Classic_Spaceman]

On 8/15/2021 at 10:15 PM, Endgame said:

Decker DaCabe (Endgame)
24 year old male Human
Character Points: 0/10
Vitality: 6/6
Velocity: 2
Strength: 3
Skill: 2
Smarts: 1
Proficiencies: Melee Weapons 1, Short Range Weapons 2
Credits: 10
Equipment: Unloaded Pistol (Calibrated Kinetic Weapon), Sandblasted Cuirass (Standard Kinetic Armor)
Inventory: Empty
Locker: Empty

@Endgame: Your weapon needs a range, and you also need to put a link to the post in your signature. 
 

[Endgame]

11 minutes ago, Classic_Spaceman said:

@Endgame: Your weapon needs a range, and you also need to put a link to the post in your signature. 
 

Good call, fixed.

[Zepher]

I've been giving spirit recharge some thought - I think we all agree it's not great that its recharge is tied to battle when it has out of battle application. Could we possibly instead tie it to something like "benchmark completion?" That could be a battle, or that could be solving a situation through other means. It'd be a little more for the MM to consider, but I don't think it'd be too much more, and would allow for it to be used out of battle for more utility purposes.

[CMP]

35 minutes ago, Zepher said:

I've been giving spirit recharge some thought - I think we all agree it's not great that its recharge is tied to battle when it has out of battle application. Could we possibly instead tie it to something like "benchmark completion?" That could be a battle, or that could be solving a situation through other means. It'd be a little more for the MM to consider, but I don't think it'd be too much more, and would allow for it to be used out of battle for more utility purposes.

I'd agree with that. It would be pretty easy for any MM to have even loose recharge points in mind for a given mission. 

[Waterbrick Down]

56 minutes ago, Zepher said:

I've been giving spirit recharge some thought - I think we all agree it's not great that its recharge is tied to battle when it has out of battle application. Could we possibly instead tie it to something like "benchmark completion?" That could be a battle, or that could be solving a situation through other means. It'd be a little more for the MM to consider, but I don't think it'd be too much more, and would allow for it to be used out of battle for more utility purposes.

In other systems its usually linked to a recharge system like resting, which we don't really have. One thought I had was having it recharge at the beginning of battle and the end of battle. Granted you may still run into issues with multiple situations arising between battles that might require spells, but I think those will be infrequent. On the subject of rules revision, there are a few more that I think we'll need to address moving forward.

Death/Stabilizing Checks are currently DC 3 Attribute checks. Considering very few starting heroes have any Attribute starting at 3, succeeding on this check is very unlikely. It also means its very likely that a high level hero will always succeed on their check. Personally I'd like the check to be equally difficult regardless of the hero's level. So my idea would be to tie it to a simple d6 roll, where 1-3 = unstable, 4-5 = stable, 6 = revived with 1 Vitality. Thoughts?

Opportunistic Attacks I feel are still a mess from a strategy perspective. Looking at Quest 2 as an example, there is really not a lot of places ranged fighters can attack from without incurring either a penalty or an Opportunistic Attack. The easy solution to this is allowing for bigger battle grids, but then we run into the issue with melee fighters not having enough velocity to reach places. Combine this with having to constantly remind folks of all the things that trigger off an opportunistic attack and it just becomes in my opinion unwieldly. My current thought is to simply remove the caveat about moving away without dashing. You'd still incur an Opportunistic Attack for using a ranged weapon against a different target than the enemy right next to you, but you'd be free to move beforehand. Just like the enemy would then be free to move afterwards and attack you with their melee weapon.

Passive Specials are something I think it'd be nice to bring back into the enemy statistics. Right now special abilities are handled more by spells, i.e. acid spit, psychic shock, fear, it'd be nice to have a system to handle these things as more innate to enemies. The only issue is that this introduces a feature that doesn't necessarily correlate to certain point costs and thus might make balancing more difficult. I'm not as concerted about this though as I think MM will slowly develop a good feel as to how these Passive Special features impact balance even if they don't have point values associated with them. 

[Kintobor]

3 hours ago, Waterbrick Down said:

Passive Specials are something I think it'd be nice to bring back into the enemy statistics. Right now special abilities are handled more by spells, i.e. acid spit, psychic shock, fear, it'd be nice to have a system to handle these things as more innate to enemies. The only issue is that this introduces a feature that doesn't necessarily correlate to certain point costs and thus might make balancing more difficult. I'm not as concerted about this though as I think MM will slowly develop a good feel as to how these Passive Special features impact balance even if they don't have point values associated with them. 

Specifically on this front, I feel like it's a case by case by case basis. I'm also fine with MM's using our current spell system and changing the proficiency needed to use the spell, as it makes sense in my mind that certain enemies would have access to abilities that heroes do not.

[Waterbrick Down]

3 hours ago, Kintobor said:

Specifically on this front, I feel like it's a case by case by case basis. I'm also fine with MM's using our current spell system and changing the proficiency needed to use the spell, as it makes sense in my mind that certain enemies would have access to abilities that heroes do not.

Oh agreed, I don't think every enemy needs to have a Passive Special ability, just that Enemies shouldn't necessarily always be restricted to the same statistical mechanics as Heroes.

[Duvors]

I'm fine with the majority of suggested changes, but having Spirit recharge both before and after battles seems a bit messy. I'd much prefer something simpler.

[Waterbrick Down]

10 hours ago, Duvors said:

I'm fine with the majority of suggested changes, but having Spirit recharge both before and after battles seems a bit messy. I'd much prefer something simpler.

Perhaps, we just say Spirit recharges by 1 every 10 minutes and leave it up to Mission Masters to hand wave how long a certain time has gone by?

[samurai-turtle]

What was the point usage (again) for proficiencies to get it up from a 0 to to an 1? 

[Kintobor]

5 minutes ago, samurai-turtle said:

What was the point usage (again) for proficiencies to get it up from a 0 to to an 1? 

I don't believe there is one. Every time you increase your Smarts by two (so two, four, six, eight, so on) you gain a new proficiency a rank one.

[Waterbrick Down]

16 minutes ago, samurai-turtle said:

What was the point usage (again) for proficiencies to get it up from a 0 to to an 1? 

9 minutes ago, Kintobor said:

I don't believe there is one. Every time you increase your Smarts by two (so two, four, six, eight, so on) you gain a new proficiency a rank one.

You can either increase Smarts by two to gain a new rank one proficiency, or you can spend 1 point.

 

[Zepher]

Maybe this is just me, but Quantum Transposition seems to be a massively better spell than Gravity Sink? For three spirit it can do anything Gravity Sink can do for seven.

Just looking at spells I wish I had taken! I could let Raymond run the whole board and then zap him back to start with the Transposition! Whereas Gravity sink can only take out a half a movement if he dashes!

[Waterbrick Down]

38 minutes ago, Zepher said:

Maybe this is just me, but Quantum Transposition seems to be a massively better spell than Gravity Sink? For three spirit it can do anything Gravity Sink can do for seven.

Just looking at spells I wish I had taken! I could let Raymond run the whole board and then zap him back to start with the Transposition! Whereas Gravity sink can only take out a half a movement if he dashes!

Depends on what you need the spell to do. Quantum Transposition is good for battlefield movement, but doesn't deal damage. Gravity sink deals damage, but isn't as efficient as moving enemies.

[Duvors]

2 hours ago, Zepher said:

Maybe this is just me, but Quantum Transposition seems to be a massively better spell than Gravity Sink? For three spirit it can do anything Gravity Sink can do for seven.

Just looking at spells I wish I had taken! I could let Raymond run the whole board and then zap him back to start with the Transposition! Whereas Gravity sink can only take out a half a movement if he dashes!

The main distinction in my mind is that Quantum Transposition moves its target to a square, meaning it has to be a location one can move to normally and the target is standing securely at the end. Gravity Sink moves its target to a point, which is not subject to either of these limitations. If nothing else one can use Gravity Sink to move a target straight up, something I'm sure you can understand the implications of.

[Zepher]

2 hours ago, Waterbrick Down said:

Depends on what you need the spell to do. Quantum Transposition is good for battlefield movement, but doesn't deal damage. Gravity sink deals damage, but isn't as efficient as moving enemies.

Oooh! Did not realize Gravity Sink dealt damage, that is a definite distinction! Thank you!

I see it under the underlined part of the spell now! Apparently I’m doing a bad job of reading everything so far!

[Waterbrick Down]

36 minutes ago, Kintobor said:

Yissam♥ Evokes Lesser Ally- Occult Proficiency Check: (3) Failure! -1 Spirit

So, Evoke Lesser Ally does not have a Proficiency Check, the Spirit is simply summoned for 5 rounds of combat at the cost of 1 Spirit.

[Kintobor]

1 minute ago, Waterbrick Down said:

So, Evoke Lesser Ally does not have a Proficiency Check, the Spirit is simply summoned for 5 rounds of combat at the cost of 1 Spirit.

Which spells do have a proficiency check, if any? I thought spells had a proficiency to cast?