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THE BOOK: In describing Fantasy Hero, first let me say: This thing is MASSIVE. The actual HERO System 5th Edition is only 372 numbered pages. Fantasy Hero is 416. One of my friends refers to it as "the fantasy phonebook." Hero Games doesn't (or can't) spend a great deal on fancy materials for their books, so the binding is softcover (making this probably the largest softcover RPG book I've ever seen), and the interior is purely black-and-white. The cover painting is by Storn Cook, and while it's not quite as good as the stark 'Shadamehr' painting that Larry Elmore did for the 4th Edition Fantasy Hero, Storn's subject matter (a mixed party of heroes fighting an evil horde at the gates of a castle) conveys the role-playing spirit better. The interior artists range from longtime Hero artists Storn and Greg Smith to newcomers like Andrew Cremeans. Since the pages are black-and-white, the pieces that were originally color paintings come across looking like pencil or grayscale work, which makes Cremeans' material that much more impressive since it seems to have been done mostly IN pencil. A new feature of this book has the first page of each chapter headed by a single page in black, making the chapters easier to find. On the other hand, there are some typos: For instance, after Chapter Six, the book lists everything under "Fantasy Hero- Chapter One." But generally, despite the necessary limitations of the format (softcover/B&W) this book's content and scope makes it well worth the $31.99 value.
OVERVIEW Fantasy Hero uses a format layout similar to that of Star Hero and Ninja Hero. Chapter One, The Fantasy Genre, is 24 pages. It reviews the various sub-genres of fantasy literature and gaming, with descriptions of style and brief rules for designing characters in each. Generally, Fantasy Hero is a "heroic" as opposed to "superheroic" genre, meaning that characters start off with up to 150 building points and have to pay double for Characteristics above 20 (the normal human maximum). This chapter also includes an alphabetical list of "Fantasy Elements". Some of these, like Taverns and Rings of power, are obvious, but the book mentions others, like Denial of Power. In some novels, the fantasy hero is for some reason reluctant to use his power, which contrasts with the typical fantasy player's drive to get and use as much power as possible. Like the Champions book, FH brings up the fact that certain elements of the genre literature do NOT play well in an actual role-playing session, and this is a valuable service in and of itself.
Chapter Two, Character Creation, is 118 pages. This is where the book gets into the meat of HERO System rules. Package Deals for races include not only Elves, Dwarves and Orcs but exotics like Gargoyles and Lizardmen. There are also templates for such things as Elementals, Divine beings and even Vampires. Given that PCs get limited points compared to Champions a lot of the more exotic concepts will be prohibitively expensive, especially if stats cost double after 20. I also didn't like the interpretation of some packages- for instance, the Dwarf package includes Resistance (to torture) as a basic Dwarf ability while Dwarven Bump of Direction is only an 'option.' But the important thing is that these writeups serve as models for the creation of your own packages.
The book goes on to describe Professional Package Deals (read 'classes') such as warriors, rogues, priests and wizards. It also includes packages for Craftsmen, Mariners, Merchants and Nobles (these were also included in the Lord of the Rings Core Book, which Steve Long also wrote). A brief review of Characteristics discusses changing the rule for Characteristic Maxima, and also discusses ideas for dealing with 'characteristic uniformity', which is a problem in HERO System mainly because only a few stat numbers are 'cost-effective' at Heroic level.
The section on Skills modifies the game skills according to the setting (Disguise penalty for impersonating an 'amorphous blob': -4), while the Talent section has been greatly expanded, providing for several 'Feat' like abilities like Animal Empathy and Sneak Attack. This section in particular is good for converting the class features and Feats of D&D characters, which is a wise marketing policy for Hero Games, either because the fantasy RPG genre is predicated on the premises of D&D, or to appeal to the ever-growing "Why Should I Pay 90 Bucks for Slightly Modified Versions of Books That I Already Own?" market.
It needs to be stressed at this point how HERO System differs from other games and how those differences make a book like Fantasy Hero necessary. None of the rules for Talents, Powers, etc. are new. They can all be extrapolated from the core HERO System 5th Edition rulebook. If you came into the hobby from (say) D&D/D20 System, you might feel that Fighters got screwed on skill selection, or that spellcasters shouldn't have to rememorize spells after casting, or that one feat is obviously weaker than another even though they both require one slot. Since everything in HERO System is built on character points, these discrepancies don't occur. But new problems arise. Because you need to know the game mechanics in order to design a character, the sheer number of options available can intimidate both GMs and players. Moreover, the end result can seem generic and flavorless- 'seeing the wires behind the magic trick,' so to speak. The need for a universal system also means that it can be difficult to make a character appropriate for the genre with only the bare rules system and no guidelines. Thus the value of a genre book. For instance, if a player tells a GM, "I want to make an Elven Ranger like Legolas," the GM can add the Elven racial package to the Ranger package and say, "your basic character would look something like THIS."
Chapter Three, Fantasy Combat and Adventuring, is 70 pages. This chapter covers the modifications for the combat system in the fantasy genre (i.e. no setting longbows on full Autofire). Armor and weapons (including primitive gunpowder weapons) are reviewed in game terms. The chapter concludes with rules for mass combat; these somewhat resemble the mass combat rules in the 4th Edition Fantasy Hero Companion, although this book also contains rules for random events and details on siege weapons.
Chapter Four, Magic, is 70 pages. Again, magic is what broke previous editions of Fantasy Hero, with players finding the "official" magic systems unsatisfying. The new FH doesn't directly solve this issue, because it doesn't present an official magic system. Instead, it stresses the need for the GM to determine how magic works in his universe in order to simulate a certain type of fantasy; only then can the GM define the rules that the players need to work by. For instance, if magic is created from environmental 'mana,' then each locale will have a certain Endurance Reserve for spells that can be depleted from overuse. It may also be possible for casters to have internal Reserves of mana. The power of magic is directly important, because it determines how powerful spellcasters are in relation to other characters. In particular, players have often complained that in Fantasy Hero mages need to pay for each spell with Character Points, while the warrior types get to have weapons and armor as mundane equipment. In this book, various options for mage creation are discussed, such as allowing casters to use any spell as long as they've paid points for the appropriate Skill (similar to how GURPS mages buy spells as Skills). This enables the game system to simulate a wider variety of fantasy settings than the 'Vancian' D&D or the school system of the earlier editions of FH.
Brief examples of various magic systems are given in this chapter, presented mainly to show how the GM can use HERO System to simulate different approaches. Each example system includes a Lightning Bolt spell, to show how each approach to magic buys a similar effect (Ranged Killing Attack, in game terms) a different way. The chapter then concludes with an overview of how enchanted items are bought in the game system, with several useful examples from categories like Potions and Weapons.
Chapter Five, Fantasy Worlds and Races, is 46 pages. It covers questions of how the game world itself is to be designed so that it holds logical consistency. The chapter includes guidelines for the GM to create his own fantasy races in HERO rules, then discusses the design of local cultures and economies. Trade in particular recieves a good deal of attention. This chapter also emphasizes the importance of religion to a fantasy setting, and as with magic, the choices made with regard to this subject will affect how the entire game works.
Chapter Six, Gamemastering Fantasy Hero, is 44 pages. It touches on subjects like the proper use of villains and NPCs, what types of campaigns to run, and the development of PCs with Experience Points and Disadvantages. One very useful new feature is a section on sample dungeon traps, indicating their effects in game terms and what Skill penalties are applied to find and disarm them.
Chapter Seven (or One...) Drudaryon's Legion, is 32 pages including appendices. It focuses on five sample characters (a paladin, his wizard brother, a Dwarf, a Ranger, and an amoral Rogue who's in the group only because he owes a life debt to the paladin). The chapter then presents the party's two Hunters/archenemies, an evil priestess and a powerhungry noble. The characters are supposed to be from Hero's Turakian Age setting, and are thus examples of how the "official" system works. Since both the wizard and priestess are spellcasters, the writeups show how two different magic types (arcane and divine magic) can be used in the same setting. This section includes a few sample monsters, a bibliography, and an appendix with game stats for buying a castle, a wizard's tower, an inn, and a temple. However, the utility of these writeups is limited by the fact that they have no floor plans.
SUMMARY Fantasy Hero is just what it says on the back cover: "Fantasy Hero discusses and describes the Fantasy genre for gaming, and shows how to create characters, campaigns, spells and magic systems, kingdoms, and other elements with the HERO System rules." It does not have a complete game setting (that would come with the Turakian Age material) nor does it have a full magic system (rules for such will be in The Fantasy Hero Grimoire). It doesn't answer the GM's questions for designing a fantasy setting. It does show the GM which questions to ask himself in order to make a fantasy setting hold together, and in that regard, Fantasy Hero is an invaluable sourcebook for campaign design, whether using the HERO System or not.
