Fantasy Hero
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Fantasy_hero_cover.jpg
Cover of 5th edition Fantasy Hero
Fantasy Hero is a role-playing game book that supports the Fantasy genre using the Hero System® rules. Since the release of the 5th edition of the Hero System, Steven S. Long of Hero Games has published a new version of the Fantasy Hero book, as well as several supplementary publications to support Fantasy Hero-based campaigns. The Hero system book is required to make full use of this work in a game. The book contains information that is useful to both the Game Master (GM) and the Players.
The 5th edition book is a fairly extensive work, with 416 pages of text bound in a stiff-paper cover. Each 21.5 × 27.5 cm-sized page is printed in double-column text with occasional side-bar information. The interior is moderately illustrated with non-color drawings, while the jacket has a full-color painting.
A substantial portion of the book consists of information about fantasy gaming that is non-game-system-specific. This content can be used by game masters who want to create their own campaign setting, or to modify an existing publication to suit their interests. The remainder of the work then delves into specifics of the Hero system in a fantasy campaign. However the flexible nature of the system is utilized throughout the book, allowing the Game Master to attune the rules to fit their setting.
The seven chapters in this work cover the following topics: an overview of the fantasy genre; information for constructing player characters; rules for combat in a fantasy setting; various systems of magic and spell creation; the geographic, cultural, economic, and social aspects of fantasy societies; advice about creation of a campaign setting and how to run a game, and a small number of sample characters and structures that can be inserted into a campaign.
Fantasy characters in the Hero system are built using the point-based method. That is to say, each of the character's statistics are determined by spending "character points" based on the costs listed in the Hero system rules manual. The listed character races are the conventional types commonly found in many fantasy settings for role-playing games. Thus it includes the usual dwarves, elves, gnomes, and halflings found in systems such as Dungeons & Dragons, as well as giants, centaurs, orcs, trolls, and so forth. The race-specific modifiers are provided in the form of "packages" which can then be adjusted by the player, based on the allowances by the GM.
The character skills are described as they relate to fantasy settings, with recommendations for the GM. In particular there is a listing of the various professional and knowledge-based skills relevant to these settings. Skills that are specific to more advanced societies are listed as such. Similar commentaries are given for the perquisites, talents, and especially the powers available to the characters. Finally the book includes a lengthy list of equiment available for the character, although such a listing will likely need to be modified based on the type of setting.
True to the nature of the genre, there is extensive information provided both on tactical combat and on the use of magic. The system allows flexibility in implementing the type of magic system that the GM wants to make available in their setting. The magic discussion is replete with examples, something that is often necessary for newcomers to this system. There is also a "mass combat system" for use when the characters are operating as part of a much larger force.
Magic
Spells in Fantasy Hero are an application of the Hero powers system, with appropriate limitations applied to simulate the conventional restrictions of magical spells. The the spells commonly require incantations (verbal), gestures (physical), a skill roll, and in many cases some type of focus. This last is an object of some type that can be taken or destroyed, thereby hindering the spell caster.
The earlier edition of the Fantasy Hero book included a series of magic colleges, fantasy creatures, and a cursory campaign setting. These have been removed from the 5th edition work. The previous spell college system grouped magic spells in the game by common themes. The requirements of the spells encouraged the purchase of spells from a single magic college, thus giving a specific flavor to the magic chosen by the character. In the 5th edition Grimoire, such commonality is typically encouraged by providing separate skills for the use of magic from each of the spell categories.
The Fantasy Hero Grimoire is a compilation of spells intended for use in the Fantasy Hero genre. The spells are subdivided into colleges or schools, as with the earlier edition. The available schools are alchemy, conjuration, divination, druidry, elemental magic (for each of the elements as well as ice, light, and shadow), enchantment, necromancy, sorcery, thaumaturgy, witchcraft, wizardry, and divine magic.
Every spell description gives the general statistics, a description of the effect, the game rule-specific information, and a list of various options that can be used to customize the base spell. The book also includes a number of magical items, such as swords, wands, potions, rings, and so forth.
The Fantasy Hero Grimoire II extends the spells and magic in the first grimoire, and adds a number of more unusual and esoteric colleges of magic. Thus the book details spells for shamanism, chaos magic, rune magic, areomancy, and so forth.
Publications
The following publications have been released to support the Fantasy Hero setting:
- Broken Kingdoms (2001) — a unique Fantasy Hero setting.
- Fantasy Hero (2nd edition 1990)
- Fantasy Hero Companion (1990) — included mass combat rules.
- Fantasy Hero Companion II (1992) — included detailed naval rules.
- Magic Items — an early-edition magical items list.
- The Spell Book — an early-edition spell list.
Publications since 2003 support the new 5th edition Hero System rules:
- Fantasy Hero (2003, 416 pages)
- Fantasy Hero Battlegrounds (2004)
- Fantasy Hero Grimoire (2003, 270 pages)* Fantasy Hero Grimoire II: The Book of Lost Magic (2004, 144 pages)
- Monsters, Minions, and Marauders (2003)
- The Turakian Age1 (2004) — an early-Earth setting.
In addition, these Hero game system publications could be used to support a Fantasy Hero campaign:
- Hero System Almanac 1 (1993)
- Hero System Almanac 2 (1995)
- Hero Bestiary (1st edition 1992) — a general Hero bestiary that includes fantasy genre creatures.
- Hero System Bestiary (2002, 239 pages)
- Horror Hero (1994)
- Ninja Hero (1990)
- Ultimate Martial Artist (1994)
- Ultimate Mentalist (1995)
- Ultimate Supermage (1996)