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Converting from Hero Wars to HeroQuest
General Conversion Notes for All Books
- All references to chapters in Hero Wars or Narrator's Book should, of course,
instead reference the same or equivalent chapter in HeroQuest. References to the
Advanced Magic chapter should be to the Basic Magic chapter of HeroQuest, although
note that several advanced magic options from Hero Wars are not described in
HeroQuest.
Abilities
- All references to an ability level starting at or not dropping below 12 should
be changed to "starting at or not dropping below 13".
- Since there is now no distinction between Physical and Mental abilities, such
references should generally be ignored (although in specific instances, such as
the Lhankor Mhy cult, they may need to be retained).
- There is no longer a Close Combat, Ranged Combat, or Mass Combat skill.
Individual styles listed under those skills should be treated as individual
skills. Thus, under the Herder keyword in Thunder Rebels, the ability Ranged
Combat (Archery or Sling) is listed. This would be replaced with separate Archery
or Sling skills. (As an option, the narrator may allow a player to retain these as
broadly defined abilities, with the listed specialties; see HeroQuest, page 19 or Hero's Book page 10 for
details.) Any references only to general Close Combat or similar abilities should
be taken as "any close combat ability".
- Ability Tests no longer exist in HeroQuest. Final action ability tests have
been replaced in HeroQuest, see page 74 (or Hero's Book page 19). Any other ability test should be
converted to a simple contest against the default resistance of 14.
- Edges and handicaps should be converted straight to bonuses and penalties
(i.e. if a weapon's edge is ^4, it receives a +4 bonus instead) unless otherwise
noted. The only exceptions to this are the first two books in the Sartar Rising
series (Barbarian Adventures and Orlanth is Dead!). In those books, equipment
edges should be converted as above, but edges given for magic should be halved.
For instance, on page 20 of Barbarian Adventures, Iskallus Breathes Free's
Crushing Noise feat shows an automatic edge of +^10 from his Thunderbolt secret.
This should be converted to a +5 bonus.
Magic, difficulty and resistance
- All references next to magic listing penalties for inherently difficult magic
should be ignored if different values are found in the relevant section of
HeroQuest (page 101).
- All references next to magic specifying a specific resistance for a given magical
ability should be ignored and the information in HeroQuest on pages 98-99 should be used
instead. In general, any magical ability used properly faces a default resistance
of 14, unless it faces active or supernatural resistance. This does not apply when
magic is used as an augmentation or to resist an action, only when magic is used
as an active ability. Difficult Magic modifiers given for specific magical abilities
(as a D+X note after the feat or whatever) do still apply, as per HeroQuest
page 101.
Religious secrets
- Secrets stated to act as 'integrated passion spirits' give the +1/4 bonus as
an automatic augmentation (instead of the normal 1/10), and may also be used as an
active ability.
- Secrets stated to act as a 'mystic strike' instead use a normal contest
(simple or extended). Any level of victory has the stated result.
Animism
- Heroes and creatures with animist abilities will need some adjustment. Anyone
with a [Tradition] Knowledge ability automatically has at least one Member of
[Practice] ability as well. A hero can decide whether to retain the rating and
have Member of [Practice] 13, or to transfer the rating to his Member of
[Practice] ability and then have [Tradition] Knowledge 13.
- In Hero Wars, "talent" referred to an innate ability gained when an animist
integrated a spirit. In HeroQuest, it refers to an innate common magic ability.
Integrated spirits should be converted into charms and made part of the Common
Magic keyword. As with all common magic charms, these abilities can be improved
by spending hero points. An animist who concentrates his magic can retain these
common magic charms and continue to improve them using hero points.
- Determination of fetch and shamanic ability ratings has changed in HeroQuest.
A shaman should take the average of his Shamanic Escape and Spirit World Travel
ability ratings and make this average the rating of his fetch; the original
ratings should be ignored. His Spirit Sight rating remains unchanged, and does
not contribute to his Fetch rating. If the shamanic practice in which he gained
his fetch has an additional shamanic ability, he may add it to his character sheet
as well. All of his shamanic abilities use his Fetch rating.
- Spirits no longer have a Might rating, but act in accordance with the rules in
HeroQuest (p. 132). Generally, a listed Might should be taken as the spirit's
typical ability rating, and references to Might should be read as an appropriate
ability.
- Spirit combat is no different than any other contest in HeroQuest.
Wizardry
- In cases where a Read [Grimoire] entry appears, it should instead read Use
[Grimoire]. The wizardry user possesses a talisman for each individual spell that
he has "connected to;" these talismans have base ratings of 13. For each point the
Use [Grimoire] rating is over 13, the individual gains 2 hero points that he must
immediately spend to increase one or more talisman ratings. No talisman rating can
be increased to a rating greater than the original Read [Grimoire] rating. Any
points not used during conversion are lost.
- Most references to sorcerers should be taken as wizards.
Miscellaneous magic
- Mystic magic exists, but will be presented at a later date in very different
form than it appeared in Hero Wars.
- Magical Home Defenses in HeroQuest are provided through the medium of a
guardian (page 92, or Hero's Book page 29).
- Extending Magic does not favor sorcerers and wizards in HeroQuest as it did in
Hero Wars. Instead, their widespread use of community support and the energy of
essence sources and reliquaries (HeroQuest, pages 173-174) for almost all magic use explains their apparent
advantage compared to the other magic systems.
- The Elemental Progression still exists, but was cut from HeroQuest due to
space constraints. It should appear later this year in Masters of Luck and
Death.
Heroquesting
- The "Heroic Consequences chart" has been eliminated. All contests use a
single resolution chart, provided on page 74 of HeroQuest and on page 22 of
Hero's Book, as well as in the game aids.
- Otherworld Safety has been streamlined. The "dangerous" and "favored"
categories have been removed, leaving all Otherworld realms either "safe" (no
penalty) or "alien" (-20 to all abilities).
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Latest revision: 10 Sep 2003, new
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