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By this step you should have converted your
Character's Characteristics, selected a
Race Package Deal, either taken one or more
Profession Packages or modeled any Class
abilities directly, translated mundane gear
into HERO System equivalents, converted
Magic Items by modeling their effect with
HERO System Power Constructs, detailed any
Followers or Companions, and figured out
how to express your Character's personality,
quirks, and history via Disadvantages. However,
there are still a few things left to do. |
Concept Check |
First off, go back and review your Character's
D&D 3e and HERO System Character Sheets,
and make sure you have covered everything
important. If you missed something, take
the time now to make any necessary revisions.
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Secondly put the Character Sheets down and
think about the Character in terms of how
they appear in your imagination. Consider
the totality of the Character as you envision
them in your minds eye. You know what they
are supposed to be good at, and you know
what they've pulled off before in the past.
All numbers and stats and mechanics aside,
will the new version of your Character expressed
in HERO System terms be able to at least
match (if not exceed) your expectations?
If not, you need to reconsider your conversion
and make adjustments. |
Opportunity: I've Always Wished My Character
Was More Like... |
Unless your GM is determined to do a literal
as possible conversion between the two game
systems, they should be at least somewhat
flexible to adjusting your Character away
from a direct interpretation of their D&D
3e abilities towards something more inline
with the vision you've always had for them.
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After all, that's one of the primary benefits
of using the HERO System -- the flexibility
to build Characters with practically any
ability you can dream of. Keep in mind however
that while your GM might be amenable to
tailoring your Character to make them more
interesting and fully realized, if you abuse
their trust by power gaming the system or
aiming to make your Character unbalanced
/ unfair they will be less likely to be
tolerant. |
Opportunity: Adjusting Figured Characteristics
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At this point you may have a few points
left over. A good place to spend them is
in adjusting your Character's Figured Characteristics.
For example, you may want to round off your
character's Speed, bump up Recovery, fatten
up Endurance, etc.
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However, try to avoid tweaking your Character's
Primary Characteristics to take advantage
of point recursions. If this practice is
commonplace, all Fantasy HERO Characters
tend to polarize on a few "sweet spot"
increments in various Characteristics, which
robs them of a lot of their individualism
and flavor. |
Opportunity: Quirks and Personalization |
You may want to take the opportunity to
throw a few points around into unusual,
quirky, and distinguishing abilities. Such
abilities shouldn't be powerful, or even
necessarily terribly useful, but they do
serve to give the character some uniqueness.
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Perks, positive Reputations, Favors, some
of the less expensive Talents, a Familiarity
with an off-Profession Skill, an unusual
Weapon or Transport Familiarity stemming
from the Character's past exploits, and
the variant Resistance Talents that work
vs. various Interaction Skills are all cheap
options to add a little flavor to your Character. |
You could also take the opportunity to spend
any extra points bumping a key Skill up
a +1, or upgrading an All Combat Skill Level
to an Overall Level. |
Problem: I Spent Too Many Points |
It's possible that in your attempts to convert
your Character you exceeded the points available
to you. It could be that you simply went
overboard and made your Character too "uber"
and the point total is correctly showing
that you've overrun your boundaries.
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On the other hand, its also possible that
your Character simply had a combination
of higher than average statistics in D&D
3e, Multi-classed heavily, had a more potent
than usual Feat chain, had levels in an
overpowered prestige class, had too many
and / or too powerful Magic Items, or something
similar. That's one of the advantages to
using a point based game system where the
costs for effects are exposed and measurable;
Characters that are over advantaged become
apparent.
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First off go back and try to shave some
points and practice some self-policing.
Target some fringe abilities or items that
are not crucial to your Character's core
concept and cut them, or lower the level
of effect of some abilities so that they
don't cost as much.
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If you still can't get under your point
limit, check with your GM to determine what
course of action they wish to take to balance
the character.
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NOTE: Generally speaking an overrun
of 15 or so points is probably within an
acceptable range of error, particularly
if such a Character has less gear than other
Characters in the group. A GM could also
make special allowance by letting the PC
enter play with more points, but award Experience
to cover the "XP-debt" until such
extra points were paid off. |
Problem: I Converted Everything And Still
Have Lots Of Points |
Everyone wishes they had this "problem".
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On the one hand its possible that you've
overlooked something or not given your Character
their due in some key area. On the other
hand its possible that you didn't power
game the heck out of your Character in 3e,
abuse the many and various power up options,
take advantage of Multi-classing, had a
DM that was stingy with the swag, had below
average statistic rolls, or otherwise just
got the short end of the stick in D&D
3e. |
Good news! You now get to correct for these
inequities in the HERO System. You might
want to have your GM review your converted
Character first just to make sure those
points shouldn't go to something else you
forgot to model, but if they really are
extra points then feel free to spend them
to improve your Character in any way your
GM is ok with.
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Problem: My Character Has Lost One Or More
Key Abilities |
As with any conversion, there will be a
few things that don't quite line up exactly
the same between the two game systems. In
general when converting in a Character that
has seen play in D&D consider the things
that the Character has actually done in
game play rather than the things that they
theoretically could do.
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If there are key things that your Character
has done during actual game play at some
point in their past using the D&D mechanics
that they simply would not be able to do
anymore in the HERO System (which isn't
founded in some game mechanic that is completely
not relevant to the HERO System), then consult
with your GM and make a case to them about
the discrepancy, appealing to their sense
of continuity. Your GM might be willing
to work with you to address the situation.
However, you should be sensitive to the
bigger picture and realize that there are
some things that are simply too rooted in
D&D mechanics that have no meaning in
the HERO System; in those situations you
can take some solace in the fact that your
Character isn't being singled out for specific
punishment. |
When you are satisfied, check all your math
and make sure your Character is legal, then
move on to Step 8. |
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