HQ House Rules
HQ leaves a lot to the GM, which is good and bad. The following are some tables I have found useful. You can see them all on a single page - HQ Tables
Stench of Undead/Fear Chaos
This is a free attack made at the start of any action a player character makes whilst adjacent to undead (who smell bad) or chaos (who are considered scary).
Test Vs Brave/Fearless/Face Chaos (Tough -5)
STR: Weak 13 - Average 16 - Strong 20 - Superior 25 - Powerful 30
Bid - ½ STR
Marg Defeat: AP
Minor Defeat: AP
Major Defeat: AP + no attacks
Critical Defeat: AP + no actions.
Corrode
This is an attack made by acid, such as a Gorp.
Weak 10 - Mod 15 - Strong 20 - Very Str 25 - Power 30 - Awe 35
Resist values: Non-metallic 14 - Bronze 17 - Runemetal 20 - Iron 25 - Magic +Aug
Marg: Hurt (-1)
Minor: Impaired (10%)
Major: Injured (50%)
Critical: destroyed.
Swarms
A swarm is a large mass of many creatures, classically insects, but not limited to them. A swarm of bats, birds, rubble runners etc is perfectly approproiate. The essence however is that there are LOTS of them, so that the sheer numbers make them into somehting bigger and much more dangerous.
STR = Value to create (resistance) or reflection of size.
Combat Skill = ½ STR
AP = 2xSTR
^Edge = ½ STR
A swarm can attack as many as its STR in Large per round (a human is Large 6). Ignores multiple attacker/defender effects.
Player Defence: Dodge, Run Fast (-5), Run (-10). Armour value may count as an edge vs creature swarms instead of a combat value in extended contests.
Attacks: players must have an appropriate skill or item to defeat a swarm (assuming they are individually small creatures). Large, Fire, Magic, Swat etc.
Archery
Target has no shield +20
Archer is in melee -20
Archer is on high ground +10
Archer is in a defended position +10
Firing into a melee -10
Target is distracted -10
Target is surprised -20
Wind effects -5 to -30
Light effects -5 to -30
Exposure
Rough weather vs 14
Extreme weather vs 20
Prax at midday in Fire season: 18
Prax at midday in Sea season: 16
Resist with Tough or Survival
See in the Dark
Players with an ability to see in the dark use that ability as an augment to reduce the darkness penalty. Magical see in the dark is done as an attack vs the darkness level as follows:
Complete or major victory: see normally.
Minor victory: darkness penalty at 50%
Marginal victory: darkness penalty at 90%
Marginal lose: darkness penalty 1 less.
Minor or major defeat: normal darkness penalty.
Complete defeat: -30 complete darkness.
Dim light/evening -5
Poor light/Lantern -10
Bad light/Torch -15
Dark night -20
Cave -25
Total darkness -30
Poisons
Weak 12/4
Moderate 18/6
Strong 21/7
Very strong 27/9
Powerful 33/11
Awesome 36/12
Deadly 42/14
Types of poison: Instant, Debilitating, Lingering
Effects: damage, paralyse, weaken, sleep, passion.
Poisons will normally attack every round after application, counting as a seperate attacker and using a bid of 1/3rd their strength (eg 12/4). This can be varied. Any success will stop further attacks.
Wards
Types: alarms, barriers, hurts, warnings, damage, visibility.
A warding might have multiple types applied. The Str of the Ward is wahtever STR is used as the target number for the resistance.
Complete/Major victory: Not/pass/none/none/none/see
Minor victory: Not/pass/none/none/Hurt/see at 90%
Marginal victory: Test*/Hurt/Hurt/none/2Hurt/see at 50%
Marginal defeat: Test+5*/No/3Hurts/Yes/3Hurts/see at 10%
Minor defeat: Yes/No/5Hurts/Yes/Impaired/No
Major defeat: Yes/No/10Hurts/Yes/Injured/no
Complete defeat: Yes/No/20Hurts/Yes/Dying/No
* A Test is vs the casters awareness.
Movement
Everyone can move 3 squares without rolling (using a square grid where 1sq= approx 2yds). Moving further AND performing an action will require a contest vs resistance equal to: (number of sqs-2)x5. So 4 sq would be vs 10. Such a move and perform action must include your AP bid before rolling. Must bid minimum of 2AP x squares.
Use Run Fast or Run(-5)
Complete success: perform normally
Major success: perform normally.
Minor success: may perform action at -5
Marginal success: may perform action at -10
Marginal defeat: must move 3 sqs, no further action.
Minor defeat: must move 2 sqs, lose 1/2AP bid.
Major defeat: must move 1 sq, lose AP bid.
Complete defeat: does not move, lose 2xAP bid.
Traps
Are rated for visibility, difficulty to remove and lethality/type.
The trap will have a rating equal to the resist rolled against by the setter.
For visibility: marg - something doesnt look right, minor or better - seen
For effect: resist traps with the following, depending on the effect type: Luck/Piety, Tough, Dodge, Run Fast(-5).
To remove a trap:
Compelete/Major vict: remove
Minor vict: deactivate
Marg vict: able to avoid
Fails are treated as a Hurt Ward usually, very deadly ones may be as a Damage ward.