By Eric Jwo
Heroic Characters
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Hit Points
One major flaw of the SAGA system is that Endurance is tied up with what AD&D terms "hit points." Endurance is seperte from the amount of damage one can sustain. I mean, otherwise, a seasoned warrior couldn't withstand more damage than a particularly stocky farmboy. Some characters simply deserve better. After all, how can heroes have an epic battle with a hated enemy if they kill their enemy with a single blow. In A Saga Companion, the idea of hit points is implemented, with a character having as hit points equal to his Reputation rating multipled by his Endurance. Any heroic character can have hit points, not just heroes such as Palin Majere and Goldmoon. Any enemy, from a Knight of Takhisis to a bandit lord can be made more powerful and interesting with the addition of hit points.Specialists
Certain characters have skills that cannot be reflected in simple stats. For instance, an AD&D character may be weak (9 in Strength), but if he is a skilled fighter (THAC0 8), then he makes up for his apparent handicap. In fact, an AD&D fighter with Strength 9 and THAC0 8 would kill an AD&D character with Strength 17 and THAC0 19.Some characters simply deserve better. A trained Knight of Solamnia is bound to be better with a sword than a simple peasant, even if the peasant is really strong. Therefore, characters with special skills should have such skills denoted with the area of the skill and the word specialist. For instance, a Knight of Solamnia would have the term: sword specialist listed in the also or Special Abilities area of his description. A character with a specialist ability makes any action played against him one degree more difficult. For example, a hero attacking a sword-wielding Knight of Solamnia with the sword specialist skill would have to make a challenging Strength (Endurance) action instead of an average action. A hero defending against a sword-wielding Knight of Solamnia with the sword specialist skill would defend with a challenging Endurance (Strength) action instead of an average action.
Some characters have such complete mastery over a skill that they have become legends. The above bonus is not enough to show the skill that some have attained. To show this skill, instead of adding specialist to a character's skills, add legend. Therefore, a hero like Huma would have had the skill dragonlance legend to denote his mastery over using the dragonlance in battle. A character with a legend skill makes any action played against him two degrees more difficult. For example, a hero attacking a sword-wielding Knight of Solamnia with the sword legend skill would have to make a daunting Strength (Endurance) action instead of an average action. A hero defending against a sword-wielding Knight of Solamnia with the sword specialist skill would defend with a daunting Endurance (Strength) action instead of an average action. For translating AD&D heroes, a THAC0 of 15 or higher is normal. A THAC0 of 9 or higher has a specialist skill in one weapon. A THAC0 of less than 9 has a legend skill in one weapon. Of course, these skills need not be those of war. A particularly powerful mage, for instance, may have a geomancy specialist skill for example.
Damage Clarifications
Heroes in the Fifth Age tend to be weaker than their AD&D counterparts. A fighter with a Champion Reputation can only sustain five blows while an AD&D PC fighter of 7th level would be able to handle a lot more. The damage system of the Fifth Age is also harsher. One blow from a troll would kill most heroes in the Fifth Age, while most AD&D PCs would simply be scratched (ok, severely scratched). Therefore, the damage system should be more thoroughly thought out.For wielding weapons, the damage is the same: add the wielder's strength to the weapon's damage rating, since a stronger man will deal more damage than a weaker man when wielding the same weapon. However, natural weapons do not depend greatly on a beast's strength. In the AD&D system, the damage that a creature inflicts through natural weapons already includes the creature's strength. Therefore, the damage that natural weapon's inflict is simply the damage rating and does not include the creature's strength. Therefore, a troll would inflict +14 damage instead of 38 damage (24 + 14) upon hitting a hero. This damage seems more realistic. However, this in no way affects a creature's Strength or the damage that it causes. Attacking with brute force, such as a dragon slapping a hero with its tail, inflicts damage equal to it's Physique score. However, tearing a hero in half with its claws would deal damage equal to it's damage score.
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