3X3 EYES HERO

MAGIC NOTES

Unlike GURPS, there are no standard spells in the HERO System. One has the choice of making their own, or adapting spells from the Fantasy Hero line of books. However, within the realm of 3x3 Eyes, there are only three basic forms of magic. Normal magic (i.e. generic sorcery), Beast Magic (summoning of magical creatures), and Paper Charms (magic using paper talismans or ofuda). The only common factors between those three forms is each requires mana, and one must have the proper Magic Skill. Knowledge in one form of magic is of limited use when dealing with the others.

There is no real reason to forbid a regular magician to know some spells in paper magic format and even some beast magic. However, he would need to buy his Magic Skill twice, to represent his differing skill with the different types of magic. Of course the GM might not feel comfortable with that kind of magician in his campaign, and rule that only one kind of magic is available to each character.

This could get even more complicated if you follow the Chinese magic system with five elements, introduced by GURPS China. If this kind of magic is being used in the campaign, then Paper Charms magic should always be done according to the Chinese system, which means it's less effective in areas where the five-element system would not be "the way of nature." See GURPS China for further details.

4th Edition HERO System Magic Notes
Some of the "Church" spells found in the 4th Edition Fantasy Hero books are quite suitable for priests making paper charms and wards, and GMs might want to have a look at them. The other 4th Edition Colleges may or may not be considered suitable for use in 3x3 Eyes Hero. In addition, many 4th Edition Fantasy Hero Spell Colleges use a standard -1 set of Limitations for all spells. In may cases these Limitations are not quite suitable for the 3x3 Eyes setting. Limitations that fit into the genre include: Concentrate, Extra Time, Gestures, Incantations, Increased Endurance Cost, and Requires a (Magic) Skill Roll. The "Expertise" limitation, which requires that PC to have purchased "X" number of points in spells from a certain College before buying any more is not suitable for the 3x3 Eyes setting.

Of the various Spell Colleges given in 4th Edition Fantasy Hero, may of the individual spells make for a good starting point for PCs to create more complex spells. Unfortunately, the designers of the Spell Colleges felt it was necessary for each and every Spell College to have some sort of attack spell, defense spell, and a dispel magic spell. In many cases some of these spells seem a little contrived. The GM should feel free to discard the Basic spells from each and every college and concentrate more on the College and Unique spells. In addition, many of the Unique spells make excellent Sanjiyan-only spells.

Below are listed the individual 4th Edition Fantasy Hero Spell Colleges with comments on their suitability in regards to 3x3 Eyes Hero.

FANTASY HERO
This book has the best all-round spells.

FANTASY HERO COMPANION 1
Most of the spells colleges in this book are well done, although a few a starting to look a bit contrived.

FANTASY HERO COMPANION 2
TThis book has some of the worst and most contrived spells and spell colleges I've ever seen (The college of Kelptomancy? Dragon Magic? College of Farie Magic?). The use of this book is debatable, although as with any Spell College, some of the individual spells may be useful.

5th Edition HERO System Magic Notes
Anyone who intends to run a 3x3 Eyes campaign really should invest in a copy of 5th Edition Fantasy Hero, as well as The Ultimate Mystic, and even The Mystic World campaign supplement for the official HERO System Champions setting. Of course, The Fantasy Hero Grimoire I & II provides hundreds of spells you can use. For the record, here are the various "Colleges" used in the two books:

THE FANTASY HERO GRIMOIRE I
The Fantasy Hero Grimoire I uses the HERO's Turakian Age setting to divide its spells up into common groupings. As with the 4th Edition Spell Colleges, GMs need to examine the Limitations of these spells and remove any that don't really fit. In many cases the Foci used with the spells probably won't fit with the general feel for 3x3 Eyes magic.

THE FANTASY HERO GRIMOIRE II
As with the Fantasy Hero Companion 2, the spells in this book start to look a little contrived. However, most are far, far better then the spells in Fantasy Hero Companion 2.


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