Shades of Heroes

Major Breakthrough

2008-08-27T10:52:00.000-07:00

So there have been a couple of amazing advances here at Argonaut Game Studios. We played a game of 4E D&D last night and we managed to do it without a board. It took some tweaking but we did manage to make the Combat Zone concept work and work very well. The other major breakthrough was in the increment die system. It seems like a basic solution when you see it, but it required 10 years of kicking around in the head to finally get it right. Its clean, easy to remember, simple to use. It might have some unforeseen problem, but that will come out in the play-testing. I hope to discover that this new system is the solution.

How do we get there

2008-08-11T11:06:00.000-07:00

Now we know the commandments, and we know what they mean, next we need to look at what it takes to make them happen.

One: The rules must be accurate. The easiest way to make this come to life if to take a page from another well known RPG and mimic their system to some extent. There are a couple of great clean systems out there and using them as a guide is best. Why create when you can build upon what is out there and make it better. Don't bring up Copyright, it does not apply.

Two: No boards or minis is easier than it seems. It will involve a new tool I've designed called Combat Zones. I have not worked the kinks on this out yet, but keep an eye out I plan on releasing it soon.

Three: Hate to say it, but we borrow this as well. We do not need to recreate the wheel here, we need to build upon what is good to create what we like.

Four: Die roll plus is a no/no. Don't even ask the answer is no. So this means Incremental Dice. In fact Shades of Heroes should run on the Incremental Die Engine (IDE). IDE has worked in the past but has been in opposition to Commandment Three, so that needs to be worked out.

Five: I hate when you need a Target Number and you work up all your bonuses to get to the TN and you can still roll too low and miss, or you can roll so high that all your effort on bonuses was a waste. It has to work with Commandment Three, but scaling effects are a must. Even a bad roll should result in some positive effect. You have to roll really badly to fail, and failure should bring consequences.

Thats all for now, soon I should have a working character creation system in place and keep and eye out for Combat Zones.

The Commandments

2008-08-08T10:40:00.000-07:00

There are only 5, but these are the 5 Commandments of Shades of Heroes. They are not to be broken in the crafting of the game or else there will be fire and brimstone.

One: Thy Rules shall be Accurate
Two: Though shalt not require a board or minis
Three: Thine Mechanics will be Simple
Four: Die-roll plus mod is forbidden
Five: Thy character's Coolness needs to Succeed

What do they mean

The rules need to be accurate, there should not be loopholes and weird problems that create confusion about what and how something can be done. Not requiring a board is easy, but that means no battle mats, minis, counters, markers, etc should be required. The Mechanics should be simple means that roll vs. roll and other things that slow the game should not be there. As for Die-roll plus; what is the point of rolling the die 20 when you have a +23 mod. There will be no mods in Shades of Heroes. Finally, coolness needs to succeed. Nothing is lamer than using some cool power on the BBEG and having it not work. There should be scaling success and scaling failure, no pass or fail situations.

So these are the Commandments and they will be followed as Shades of Heroes crawls its way out of the goop and into mainstream success.

A whole new world

2008-08-05T19:11:00.000-07:00

I wanted to take a moment to introduce you to Shaktung. Shaktung is the world where Shades of Heroes takes place. The Following is an brief excerpt from the Regions Overview of Shaktung. Hope you enjoy.

ADISHKAN GORGE
The Adishkan Gorge is an unfathomable tri armed canyon that reaches from the central High Throne mountains, following its southern boarder to the sea, but it also extends southwest to the sea, separating Coastland from the Enthir Planes. The gorge is nearly a mile deep in most parts and several miles wide at its top. Standing at the rim of the gorge in an awe-inspiring and breathtaking experience. The Enthir planes and the lands of Coastland stretch away from the gorge for miles in unremarkable flat savanna. Suddenly the earth is carved away thousands of feet deep, and the river Redaco that carved the gorge meanders its silvery path spreading its life giving vitality. The exposed rock is fantastically colored in reds, browns, tans, and oranges. And the entire deep valley is filled with vegetation and animals.
The gorge is described as a place for Gods and spirits, where men will surely parish upon venturing in, and many have. The gorge is for the most part unexplored, the power of the river, the wild animals, the extensive vegetation have proved that they are more than a match and many intrepid souls who have entered have never returned. Those few that have returned are members of legend, and many discount the stories as to fantastical and assume that it is some hoax.
In the time of the old wars, many asaguri and xic’ti’chi fled into the gorge and were not pursued. These wilder races found the dangers of the gorge more hospitable than the humans. Now safe from the pursuing armies of humans and ferlings the xic’ti’chi and asaguri set about building a new way of life in the gorge. The asaguri were forced to keep near the fringes, for the dangers of the deepest parts of the gorge were more than they could handle, but the xic’ti’chi found they could not only survive, but thrive in the depths of the gorge. The two races although avoiding a similar fate had no love for each other and have been at odds within the gorge ever since their arrival. Though the two races pose the greatest threat to each other, they are not above raiding human farmsteads and towns for supplies and pleasure.
At the confluence of the three arms of the gorge stands an enormous plateau at least fifteen miles across; upon which is built the ancient and mythical city of Glocondaue. The plateau walls are sheer and barren and make climbing nearly impossible. Only a bridge built of magic now connects Glocondaue to the Enthir Planes.

RIPARIAN PENINSULA
The riparian peninsula is an enormous outcropping of land that stretches from the Golden Lake to the swaps of Asloth. Moisture in the form of storms and fog roll across the peninsula keeping the peninsula in a constant state of wet. Nearly the entire peninsula is covered in ancient growth. For the most part north of Avishkom the flora is a temperate rainforest consisting of great redwood, aspen, and oak trees. Many of the trees are 10 men around, and they build a great canopy eighty to a hundred feet up. Below the canopy is an abundance of wildlife that thrives on the moist environment. Dangerous creatures like bears and cougars to harmless mice comprise an ecosystem that is lush and teaming. Below the fertile planes of Avishkom the climate becomes more tropical. The forest becomes jungle, the ground vegetation becomes much denser, and the wild life becomes a great deal more dangerous. Large predators like dinosaurs are common. Much of the vegetation also becomes deadly; many of the carnivorous plants of the world inhabit the jungles of the riparian peninsula. Races: Human (Thurnin), Ferling, Asaguri, Hasmon, Whelp. Asloth – On the southern tip of the peninsula sits the festering swamps, marshes, and bogs known as Asloth. Few intelligent races ever choose to venture into Asloth, but a few foolhardy adventures cannot resist the call of the legendary ruins of Skagath’moor. Avishkom – Avishkom is a huge fortress sprawled across the central plateaus of the peninsula that overlooks the fertile farmland below for miles. Avishkom’s main resource is the protection is offers to those who would reap the soils of the peninsula. The land it protects is the breadbasket of the southern peninsula, feeding people as far north as the Hasmonian Archonate and as far south as Meruka. Although a large population calls Avishkom home, only small portions of the people are considered citizens of Avishkom. The majority of their citizens are members or were members of their military. The people of Avishkom take pride in their military and often flaunt its power. Avishkom is wealthy from trade for nearly all societies on the peninsula rely heavily upon the grains, fruit and livestock produced there. The pharaoh controls the wealth and power of Avishkom. The pharaoh is a priest king of Elagabolis and all citizens of Avishkom hold Elagabolis as their patron deity and worship the Pharaoh as the embodiment of Elagabolis on earth. The powerful military of Avishkom has clashed violently on many occasions with Zerembok as well as the Hasmon backed city state of River Falls, but they are primarily a defensive army. From the ramparts of the citadel atop the plateau the Pharaoh can keep track of all activity within 30 miles. Avishkom claims that all the land the Pharaoh can see from atop the citadel are a gift from Elagabolis. Within these lands the word of the Pharaoh is law and strictly enforced by his phalanxes. Freedom is a luxury in Avishkom that few can afford, this freedom is extended with temperament to the many merchants who bring great wealth to Avishkom, but one must be cautious not to overstay their welcome. Most of the people of Avishkom are peasants, serfs or slaves. Owned and controlled by the citizenry. AS daunting and formidable as Avishkom appears, trade rapidly flows through its gates. Not only does Avishkom control a huge source of nourishment, they also protect a great secret – the growing, cultivating and purifying of the opium poppy. Refined opium is in demand in all of the richest parts of the world. Traders will pay high premiums knowing that a lofty investment could easily see double or triple returns. The city of Avishkom is an expansive fortress, guarded at its only gate by the citadel. The citadel is a monstrous building where the ruling class of Avishkom lives and works. A single tunnel bored through its center is the only viable way in or out of the city. This 300-foot tunnel is sectioned off by powerful portcullis that always stands open. But, the threat is real, if these gates are closed you are trapped. If these gates close, the people of the peninsula starve. The citadel is constructed of huge blocks of solid stone and much of the inner complex near the citadel is also built of stone. Expanding away from the citadel is warren of stone, brick and mud buildings that serve as the homes and shops of the remaining citizens. Pharaonic guards heavily patrol the city; especially the areas frequented by foreign merchants.

Change is Slow...

2008-08-02T17:44:00.000-07:00

...but inevitable. There is not much I can do to make things go faster at this point in time. See, I need my own URL, but that costs something like 100 bucks to get it for several years, then I need about $10 a month to host it. So if anyone wants the Shades of Heroes Project to come to life call me and give me some money!!!

But wait, I have a new Job, and that job is with RackSpace and at RackSpace we provide hosting... so maybe there is a cool employee discount!!!

Now for a free Gift: To get an idea what Shades of Heroes will offer, the following is sneak peak at the 4th Edition Ferling. I hope you all enjoy.

FERLING

Average Height: 3' 5" - 4' 1"
Average Weight: 45 - 60 lb.

Ability Scores: +2 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom
Size: Small
Speed: 6 squares
Vision: Low-light

Languages: Based on region
Skill Bonuses: +2 Athletics, +2 Perception
Quadrupedal Burst: As long as you drop what you have in your hands you can increase your speed to 8 by running on all fours.
Natural Hunter: You gain a +5 racial bonus to Nature checks when tracking.
Feral Bite: You may use feral bite as an at-will power.

Feral Bite Ferling Racial Power
You've got teeth and your not afraid to sink them into your opponents.
At Will
Standard Action · Melee bite
Target: One Creature
Attack: Strength vs. AC
Hit: 1d6 + Strength modifier and you can shift one square and pull the target with you.

So maybe we can make this work

2007-04-13T09:57:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the new Google Documents, we can all view and edit the same document at the same time (formating be damned). This could be the solutions we are looking for to have 3 people working on a project that are in three different states.

Now if only Brandon would get a g-mail account!

Hiatus...?

2006-11-30T09:23:00.000-08:00

...totally.

Shades of Heroes is not seeing any action, no matter how I try to jump start this beast I can't keep my self or my colleagues interested. We tried to put the new Devoted d20 class to the test to practice the new system of writing and editing. There was a project that I wanted to take 1 month took 3 and then it still didn't make it to the last stage.

The issue is that as good as technology is, there is nothing that compares to one on one face to face communication. We most have reworked the same issue over a over again, each of us undoing the others work. It is mainly my fault, I'm not being clear enough about what I want or need done. But, there is only so much I can as of a friend who is volunteering their time.

So Argonaut Game Studios will have to wait until Lost City Games gets started, which always seems like a million years away. Its a big cliff to jump off of and I have to admit I'm very afraid of weather or not I could make a game store successful. But, ohh the idea of owning my own game store. How mazing, to be facilitating people playing games. To have tournaments, conventions, game days, a powerful supply of games a my very finger tips.

Keep an eye out for it Lost City Games... coming to a strip mall near you!

Corsair

2005-09-30T13:58:00.000-07:00

This is sort of a baby of mine. I'm looking to create an unarmored fighter type that kicks some butt. These are the ideas that I have so far.

BAB - Best

Saves - Fort and Ref (good), Will (poor)

Skills - (4+Int) Balance, Tumbling, Bluff, Climb, Craft, Profession (Sailor), Escape Artist, Jump. Why not swim (most sailors could not swim - hence their fear and respect for the ocean.

Armor - Light only

Weapons - Light blades only like (dagger, rapier, scimitar) Shades of Heroes has its own weapon list though. Special Abilities: (not sure at what level)

Power Throw - like power attack except thrown weapons. He can't use power attack 'cus all his melee weapons are light.

Parry - An AC bonus like the Monks AC bonus that they get only when wearing light or no armor and wielding a Corsair weapon.

Defensive fighter - For a # of rounds = to wis mod, he can fight defensively without the penalty to attack. By 20th level he could do this 3 times per day.

Uncanny accuracy - +10ft to thrown weapon range increment, by 20th level he will have a range increment for thrown weapon of +110 ft.

Improvised Weapon - Any weapon he can lift with one hand (weighs less than his light load) her can use as a thrown weapon without penalty. If it weights more than 5 lbs his range increment is halved.

Improved Feint - Bonus Feat (feint as a standard action)

Masterful Feint - Bonus Feat (feint as a free action)

Sure footing - when fighting on uneven ground or slippery ground, he gets a +2 bonus to his balance check. probably goes up to +4 later.
Precise Fighter - Has the weapon finesse feat, but is never able to use his str bonus to attack, even if its higher.
Masterful Defender - When using the Combat Reflexes feat he double his bonus to AC just like power attacking with a two handed weapon give double the damage. May only gain this bonus if wearing light armor and using a corsair weapon. No shield and nothing in his off hand. Corsairs are not 2 weapon fighters.
Bonus Feats - Just a few 4 at max that would have to be chosen from this list. Acrobatic, Agile, Blind Fight, Combat Expertise, Improved Disarm, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Mobility, Lightning Reflexes, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Quick Draw.

So does that make anyone happy, please let me know.

Uhm..So what happened

2005-09-29T08:46:00.000-07:00

Well, when I was young and did not know any better I tried to create a blogger account titled argokirby, but it said that acount was already in use. So being dumb I created argogames, not realizing that my gmail acount of argokirby was the account in use. So now I have a new blog My Head Hurts and it is on a diffeent dashboard than Shades of Heroes and that is anoying. I could have ported all the old posts over and may still do that, but at this time use this link to get to the old info.