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Forgotten Realms: Torillian Geography 101 Continuing on from deities brings us to the Cyclopedia itself, at the heart of the Forgotten Realms Campaign Set. In ye olden days of D&D campaign settings, this is how the world information was presented - an A to Z list of encyclopedic entries, with important people, places, and things thrown all together. So let's see what's what, eh? First up is Abeir-Toril, which, oh. It's the name of the world! How convenient! Abeir-Toril, also known as Toril, is the world the Forgotten Realms is set on. Secret note: Abeir was added by Jeff Grubb to put the world and the basic definitions at the front of the cyclopedia. It doesn't mean anything, except when it does, in 4th edition. No one calls it Abeir. Don't do that unless you want a bunch of pasty nerds clutching their copies of the Dark Elf Trilogy to give you a swirly until you bleed 1d6 pints of blood. So what's Abeir-Toril like? Well, here's a map (linked because it's like 5 megs.) Now wait, you say - isn't Toril a world? Why is there only a continent on here and it goes off the map on three sides? Is Toril flat? No. But no one really cares about the other parts. This part is a giant continent called Faerun, and it's where pretty much everything with the Forgotten Realms logo on it is set. If you see something from the Forgotten Realms, 99% chance it's from Faerun. There are some other parts to Toril, of course. They are Kara-Tur (fantasy Asia), Zakhara (fantasy Arabia), and Maztica (fantasy South America.) Isn't elfgame design fun! Anyway, you can use this map to look up the places I've been referencing - the Dalelands (look NW of the big body of water in the center), Cormyr (look SW of the Dalelands), and Waterdeep (look for it on the northwestern shore.) This isn't the map that came with the Campaign Set - it's from the later Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting for Third Edition - but it certainly serves our needs, and it's pretty easy to work with. Now, one more important thing. Ed Greenwood wrote up a lot of the Realms, but a lot of his work is focused around his two home campaigns in Waterdeep and the Dalelands. Because of that, there's a ton more published detail around those areas than elsewhere in the Realms. Collectively, they are called the Heartlands, and I outlined them on this map (again, mega-huge) for you. The orange outline is the Heartlands as outlined in the Campaign Set. Pretty soon (like first two supplements soon), it's also going to include the section coloured in blue, which is also known as The North. Collectively, the Heartlands and the North are the really in-depth, heavily detailed, lore-heavy parts of the Realms. We'll be spending a lot of time there in a lot of different ways. Notably, the Heartlands all share mostly the same culture - they're human dominated, by the racial group known as the Chondathans. They worship the same gods (the pantheon I noted before), and have similar outlooks on law & order, magic, and other concepts. But - that doesn't mean they're boring: there's so much intrigue afoot it would take years to tell it! (Maybe it will.) Next time: Adventuring Companies as a social group and bellwether of exactly how hosed your little village is.
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Apr 22, 2013 03:43
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dwarf74 posted:It was mostly beating on each other with padded weapons. (Really, that's it - none of this class or level or magic stuff. It was all about hitting the other person in the right way before they hit you. Full force swings, padded weapons, shield bashing, wrestling, etc.) And several weekends a year, we'd go camping with 500 other people doing the same thing, only with a lot more beer, pot, and sex. Were you in the SCA too, or was this one of the other groups? 
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Apr 22, 2013 03:46
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Looking at the general design of the lispsabers and the concept behind their construction, I can only see this as a guide to the jedi art of lightsaber fighting. Written by someone who has watched far too much anime. Do they try to incorporate Japanese sword style later in the book? It seems like it would be a fitting style for foam sword smashing.
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Apr 22, 2013 06:07
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Bieeardo posted:Were you in the SCA too, or was this one of the other groups? I still sometimes miss those days...
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Apr 22, 2013 06:08
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I just want to say thanks to everyone in this and the last for getting me to Also, I am terrible at BBCode. Wu Xing: The Ninja Crusade  Wu Xing is the second RPG by Third Eye Games, who had first created Apocalypse Prevention Inc. (Agents of an anti-supernatural corporation) and would later go on to make Part-Time Gods (There's a writeup for this in the previous FATAL and friends thread) and Mermaid Adventures (???) and they are working on Camp Myth (Supernatural Summer Camp). I've never been able to play this game nor have I completely read it in-depth, so this will be a journey of wonderment and discovery for me too. Let's start with the name: The Wu Xing is the name for the "five elements" (sort of) in Chinese mythology. Chinese mythology? In my game about a Japanese archetype? Next is the "Ninja Crusade." What are the ninja crusading against? Do we get to play as ninjas? (Spoiler: Yes) Chapter 1: Ninja vs Empire What is a ninja? There are lots of answers, that lots of people might give; sneaky assassins, freedom fighters or magic users. The ninja started off as rebels against an oppressive government long ago and since then they formed into clans that live separately from the masses in hidden ninja villages. This sounds kinda familiar. Why does this sound so familiar? Ninja Wars Ninja divide history into four periods: First is the Orime Rebellion. The Orime dynasty were a bunch of assholes long ago, and the ninja used their powers and trickery to murder their way through the whole regime. After this is when the clans started forming and the first hidden villages were set up. Next is the Mercenary Wars. After the Orime empire collapsed, the resulting smaller states made it legal to hire ninjas as mercenaries, up to and including nobles and the nations themselves using them as military proxies. Lots of blood shed and brutality, with widespread slaughter for fun and profit. Basically, totally awesome for everyone, and by "everyone" I mean "the survivors." Eventually a lot of the clans were destroyed out and the survivors of the destroyed clans became Ronin ( Third is the War of Withered Fangs. A snake themed clan shows up out of the jungle. They killed their way through the minor clans while the larger ones gave no fucks- until suddenly, it turns out the snake clan has gotten super large and powerful and will completely exterminate the major clans if they don't surrender. The clans try to attack the Solid Snakes in their home and are suitably chastened (read: brutally slaughtered). The clan heads decide to bring the normals in on the action, convincing the major heads of government how terrible a word without ninja would be and together their armies and the clans beat the poo poo out of the snake clan. Finally is the Expansion Wars In the last ninja war, the non-ninja leaders realized how well they work together, merging to create the Izou Empire. During this time, some of the clans operated more openly and became closely tied to the Empire. The Empire eventually grew to encompass every known land and all of the remaining ninja clans. The ninjas in the empire benefited from all the work available during these conquests and assimilated clans were turned right around and put to use continuing the empires expansion. As it grew larger, the empire had less and less use for the ninjas, eventually rooting out all known ninja and banning open practice of their magical skills. The ninja all retreated back into their villages, but they still do odd-jobs and mercenary work. The ninja present is called the Ninja Crusade. The Izou Emperor has ordered the destruction of all the ninjas, who have banded together in the Lotus Coalition to fight back. Ninja Clans There are a whole bunch of different clans of varying sizes, but only ten major ones. The Bamboo Herbalists are ninja doctors, from the Land of Seed and Blossom (one of the kingdoms that makes up the Izou Empire. They're all covered later.) The Blazing Dancers are a clan of fire manipulators and performers fro the Land of Exalted Flame living as refugees in Izou. The Grasping Shadows are one of the first clans, with powers of stealth and shadow and are the archetypical ninja spies and assassins. The Hidden Strands of Fate are deceivers and political manipulators. The Living Chronicle are historians and their trademark is that they cover themselves in historical records in the form of tattoos. Quote: "[...] their final goal [is] to be hung in the Grand Library for eternal preservation." The Pack of the Black Moon are a clan of ninja dog-havers. Recoiling Serpents are the band of bastards that actually caused the Ninja Crusade only semi-indirectly. They are snake and poison themed. Virtuous Body Gardens are the newest of the major clans and they have tattoo powers. The Wardens of Equilibrium aim to maintain balance. Also greedy.(?) The Will of Iron are a clan of ninja paladins. They believe in honor and are skilled metal workers. Becoming Ninja Ninja clans were originally literal blood-related families; to be a member, you had to be born a member. Nowadays, the clans are united by philosophy rather than relation, and clans will accept as members outsiders who prove themselves loyal and useful. In the current age of war, the clans are desperate for warm bodies, so there are a lot of new ninja who act as cut-rate cannon fodder. Master/Student Relationships When someone joins or is born into a clan, they are given a teacher who trains them. Being a master is a position of great honor and a student should always be deferential and respectful to their master. Surviving Ninja What happens after becoming a ninja. Hidden Villages Ninja clans operate out of "hidden villages." Villages are often secreted outside the frontiers of "civilization," in deep forests or jungles or up high on mountains, but some are disguised as normal mundane villages that and random peasants might live in. A lot of super old hidden villages were destroyed early in the war by the Izou and now everyone is as secretive as can be about their locations. The Lotus Coalition has asked for the location of all the hidden villages to aid in planning their defense, but a lot of clan refuse because it spreads knowledge around to more people who can leak it to the Izou, or use it against them once the wars over and the clan rivalries once again take center stage. Honor Normal people make a big deal about honor, in a vaguely Confucian manner befitting the vaguely Asian setting. People show respect to others, especially lords and family members as appropriate and demand to be respected in turn. Be honest and forthright. The solution to being disrespected is to confront the person about it, either verbally or violently. As contract killers and general, all-round sneaky bastards, honor is a little trickier with ninja. They believe in loyalty to the clan and family, but are divided on other tenants: the Will of Iron, for example, believe in honorable combat (not attacking incapable targets or cheating in duels) while others (like the Grasping Shadows) think that is stupid and also dumb. One thing ninja don't do is dishonor the dead, who are believed to have a bad happen of turning into pissed off ghosts. Ninja who gently caress up too badly often commit seppuku as the ultimate apology but some abandon their clan to become Ronin. Clan Politics Every clan has it's own highly nuanced and subtly complex network of political bullshit. The clans are hierarchical: those above command and those below obey. At the very top is the clan Master, who is the ninja emperor, whose authority is absolute. Clans also have their own factions called sects. Ninjas are unscrupulous assholes, so the book advises players to use all sorts of unscrupulous rear end in a top hat political tactics. Rivalry Specifically, inter-clan rivalry. Every ninja is predisposed to distrust and dislike a ninja from another clan. This makes them touchy, and leads to everyone making uncharitable assumptions and flipping out over just about everything. A lot of clans hold grudges that are centuries old. Methods for resolving these conflicts range from mediated negotiations to covert wars of extermination. Everyone and their ninja grandma holding on to these long-standing animosities is obstacle number one to the successful prosecution of the war against the Izou. Next: Stuff about the Lotus Coalition and the Izou empire and it's kingdoms. ThisIsNoZaku fucked around with this message at 08:28 on Apr 22, 2013 |
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Apr 22, 2013 08:09
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Tasoth posted:Looking at the general design of the lispsabers and the concept behind their construction, I can only see this as a guide to the jedi art of lightsaber fighting. Written by someone who has watched far too much anime. Do they try to incorporate Japanese sword style later in the book? It seems like it would be a fitting style for foam sword smashing. I would totally watch a series about lightsaber samurai. I would also watch a series about LARP lightsaber samurai, but for very different reasons.
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Apr 22, 2013 08:38
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Serperoth posted:I would totally watch a series about lightsaber samurai. 
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Apr 22, 2013 10:21
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hectorgrey posted:Hold on, that's the kind of poo poo you use LARPing in America? drat, here in the UK we use poo poo like this: There is a reason why European LARPers make jokes about penis swords and such when talking about the general quality of American LARPs. 
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Apr 22, 2013 11:16
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dwarf74 posted:It was called Belegarth. It's closely related to Dagorhir if you know of that. Oh, cool! I know what you mean. It's been a long, long time since I last went to an event.
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Apr 22, 2013 12:12
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hectorgrey posted:Hold on, that's the kind of poo poo you use LARPing in America? drat, here in the UK we use poo poo like this: Hell to the yeah UK larp.   I've seen some amazing larp weapons at the system I go to. From rune inscribed frying pans, to a giant pink flamingo being used as a mace, not to mention the foam brain throwing weapon. If you know what you're doing with the foam you can do anything. My own experience of larp combat has a few additional rules to follow. Rule 1: Never go for the head. We don't care how safe you say a weapon is, you can still give someone a concussion if you swing hard enough. Rule 2: As already mentioned, never stab with a weapon. We're not even particularly fond of "Stab-safe" weapons because all those have are additional foam at the end to make it harder for the core to go through it. Best not to risk it. Rule 3: Pull your swings, this is for your own safety as much as anyone else's. If you don't pull your swings, then neither will the guy you just whacked and there's a fair chance they can hit harder then you. At the end of the day, most people larp to have fun and feel like a badass as they fight off hoards of zombies, demons, orcs and goblins, what ever their poison. But if your not careful then someone's going to get hurt, and that can really spoil the day.
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Apr 22, 2013 13:46
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JohnOfOrdo3 posted:Rule 2: As already mentioned, never stab with a weapon. We're not even particularly fond of "Stab-safe" weapons because all those have are additional foam at the end to make it harder for the core to go through it. Best not to risk it. The game I go to (Forever's Destiny in Manchester) says no stabbing, even with stab-safe - you might get into the habit of stabbing, then do it with a weapon that isn't stab safe.
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Apr 22, 2013 14:38
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On the other hand, we've been using stab-safe spears for 2 years now in Oxford mixed up with our other weaponry and had no injuries or problems with them. The squidgy tips of the spears tends to be a pretty big sign that they're safe to stab with, and it's pretty unlikely anyone would confuse them with normal weapons.
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Apr 22, 2013 14:50
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JohnOfOrdo3 posted:Rule 2: As already mentioned, never stab with a weapon. We're not even particularly fond of "Stab-safe" weapons because all those have are additional foam at the end to make it harder for the core to go through it. Best not to risk it. We managed pretty well. My 8' and 6' spears used flag corps cores, with a thick disc of leather capping the end, and most of a nerf ball on the stabby bit. Basically, these. (Two former roommates on the right):  But yeah, stabbing "swords" could be a problem. quote:Rule 3: Pull your swings, this is for your own safety as much as anyone else's. If you don't pull your swings, then neither will the guy you just whacked and there's a fair chance they can hit harder then you. As I mentioned, mine was atypical. We used heavier, non-lightsaber ones with more padding, intended for full - force swings aimed anywhere but the head. Most often, these sorts of things. (I was at Gen Con selling these a few years, helping with the fight room.) Padded well, you don't need armor, and the worst you risk is usually bruises.  Anyway, back on topic, the saddest thing to me while I was doing it was that some people were pretty convinced that being good at boffer bloodsports translates to being a real world badass and actual weapon training. It sounds to me like this author is one of those. dwarf74 fucked around with this message at 15:10 on Apr 22, 2013 |
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Apr 22, 2013 14:56
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hectorgrey posted:The game I go to (Forever's Destiny in Manchester) says no stabbing, even with stab-safe - you might get into the habit of stabbing, then do it with a weapon that isn't stab safe. You go to Forever Destiny? I might have actually met you at one point, although I only went once. It was the dead of winter about two years back and cold as all get out. Think I played a Hospitala (The dudes which take damage off others and then just heal themselves) Was a fun game but your damage system was awkward as gently caress to get my head around. Think I ended the night addicted to herbal remedies which the party kept feeding me cause I was the only healer. dwarf74 posted:We managed pretty well. My 8' and 6' spears used flag corps cores, with a thick disc of leather capping the end, and most of a nerf ball on the stabby bit. Our weapons tend to look a little more realistic which means thinner foam, sorta like these:  Although pumpkin jousting looks badass as hell.
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Apr 22, 2013 15:41
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We've got more larpers in TG than I expected. Is it worth getting our own thread so we can
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Apr 22, 2013 15:58
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Whybird posted:We've got more larpers in TG than I expected. Is it worth getting our own thread so we can There's already a reasonably healthy WoD Larp thread, so I reckon some kind of combat/fantasy larp megathread could do well.
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Apr 22, 2013 16:13
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If you went to the December one a couple of years back, we'll have met then; I played a warrior called Hector. As for the weird damage, there's a reason why most starting players are limited to one of four basic classes, and it's not out of a desire to stifle fun. And yeah, we tend to use thinner foam over here, so full force blows would probably leave a few bruises.
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Apr 22, 2013 16:32
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I'd be up for a larp mega thread. It'd be pretty cool to see what other systems there are out there.hectorgrey posted:If you went to the December one a couple of years back, we'll have met then; I played a warrior called Hector. As for the weird damage, there's a reason why most starting players are limited to one of four basic classes, and it's not out of a desire to stifle fun. The name Hector does sound familiar, but my memory is fairly rubbish. So I might be thinking of someone from another system, not too sure.
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Apr 22, 2013 18:14
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I should have held off starting Wu Xing, there's just no way to compete with a how-to guide to really fake real sword fight.
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Apr 22, 2013 19:54
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ThisIsNoZaku posted:I should have held off starting Wu Xing, there's just no way to compete with a how-to guide to really fake real sword fight. Do not think of the thread as a competition, think of it as a community project to make a rather strange 'soup' of all the various obscure, weird and awful RPGs that are out there.
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Apr 22, 2013 21:09
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Breaking news: Chris Fields defaces the superhero genre. Additionally, there have been three more Black Tokyo supplements published, one of which apparently aims to give "sex [...] as many options and variables as combat does now".   Part 1: drat The Torpedoes A scant two paragraphs of introduction (not an unreasonable assumption that anyone who's buying this already knows what they're in for, I suppose) and the pattern begins again with new player Byakko  The actual picture in the PDF is broken up into segments for some reason, so have this Omaha the Cat Dancer cover instead. Pretty much the same thing. aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa posted:All Byakko are born human, but abandon their human forms sometime before their 16th birthday. A long forgotten ritual of transformation, which has made its way into the otaku underworld lets young Byakko transform their physical body to match their Internet ‘fursona’… to forever step away from humanity. "Fursona", you say?  aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa posted:All Byakko are lean and powerfully built, attractive humanoids blessed with the beauty, grace and raw sexuality of the animals they emulate. Byakko are easily recognized by their pelts, their lusty, pungent musk, their strange proportions and powerful physiques. Well of course they loving are. Racial traits: Low-light vision, Alertness as racial feat; Animal Lusts (penalty to Sense Motive and Diplomacy vs. desirable fuckmates, same to WILL saves vs. mental compulsion to gently caress); Voracious (requires four times the amount of food and water to survive as a normal humanoid); Species of One. Species of One is where the Byakko turns into a shifting snowflake of specialosity. At character creation, choose two of the following options - one as a permanent alteration (your primary furry characteristic), the other may be changed each day upon awakening.
Burrowing Fur: Digging, durr. No rock. Chase Fur: Extra land speed. Climbing Fur: Aquatic Fur for Climb. Combat Fur: Gain naturally proficient weapons for claw strike or bite attacks. Herd Fur: Racial STR bonus, lifting and carrying limits as if Large size instead of Medium. Hibernating Fur: Enter a death-like trance state at will, requiring no sustenance and only trace oxygen to survive, for up to CON mod weeks. Must specify a specific time or trigger (taking damage, hearing a certain phrase, etc.) at which you will awaken. Futanari Fur: Presented in Fields' order. And he still spells it "hermaphaditic". Messy Fur: Gain perennial favorite Wards of Filth as a racial feat. Nocturnal Fur: Darkvision. Soft Fur: Gifts of Ecstasy as a racial feat. Tentacle Fur: Race type changes to Monstrous Humanoid. Pretty underwhelming effect for having "clitorii six feet long dangling from beneath [your] jawline". Hannya  Name one thing right about this picture.Cold, emotionless parasites who feed on lust, love, and hope. Classic PC material right there, eh? and they're cute, too posted:In their natural state, a Hannya resembles a flayed humanoid figure; a naked man or woman with a lean, finely proportioned If you're lucky, though, you won't see this often. Spinnerets are placed regularly across the body, from which the Hannya can exude a fleshy polymer at will. With practice, this can be formed into a carapace to perfectly mimic any similarly-sized humanoid, of any race, age or gender, within seconds. They can even mimic humanoid sexual response, but only truly feel anything resembling pleasure when laying eggs, because that is a thing they do. Racial traits: Aberration/Shapechanger type; racial bonus to Bluff and Sense Motive; Gifts of Ecstasy as racial feat; low-light vision; Lustfeeding (can go without food or water so long as you have sex with another sentient being once every three days - other Hannya count); Sensual Lethality (racial bonus to damage rolls vs. anyone you've sexed up today); Seductive Cocoon (the mimic thing); Conflicted Mind (spend an hour a day meditating in your natural form, or suffer a cumulative morale penalty to everything). (About this time in the PDF is when headers start sprouting font-error boxes. Hyphens and certain letters just don't show up at all, not often enough to render anything truly unreadable, but often enough that anyone giving even a cursory glance would notice. Quality assurance remains Job #0 at Skortched Urf Studios.) Living Toys Pinocchio. With hentai. Racial traits: may choose to be Small or Medium sized; racial bonus to Diplomacy vs. kids, and any two Craft, Profession or Perform skills; Pseudo-Construct Traits (immunity to most biological effects, but also no natural healing and half benefit from curing spells); Stuffing Belly (immune to pain, too... why wasn't this just folded into the last one?); Child-Babel (speak to any Young Adult or younger creature as if sharing a common language, provided they have not taken a sentient life or had any sexual encounter); A Toy's Purpose (you were made for a reason - choose one from list below).
Conjurer: Cast Mage Hand or Prestiditation (shouldn't there be a g in that?) as a first level mage. Childhood Protector: Cast Light on yourself at will, radiate a constant Bless effect that only works on children. Marionette: Extra racial DEX bonus for having been made with high-grade joints. Mother's Helper: Double bonus to chosen Craft/Profession/Perform skills, plus another bonus to Repair. Further +2 bonus when taking 10 or 20 on any of these, "effectively 'taking 12' or 'taking 22'". Patchwork: Shift your colors at will, racial bonus to Hide. Tutor: Bonus to INT, add racial bonus to any two Knowledge skills. Racial weakness: Somebody made you for a reason, and your creator or owner, if extant, can still command your actions. Simple commands get no save, while more complex orders may be resisted by WILL, with a bonus if the action is obviously self-destructive or violates the character's moral code. Nikusui Ever see Hard Candy? Imagine that, only with Hayley as an immortal faerie who force-feeds Jeff his own balls, skins him, and then burns him alive one square inch at a time. Finally, a race option I think I could actually get behind in this loving game! Racial traits: Small size; racial bonus to Bluff, Diplomacy, Sense Motive and Knowledge (Behavioral Sciences), also Disguise to pass as a mortal child; Innocence Restored as a racial feat (FIIIIIIIEEEEEEEELLLLDS!!  ); Child's Vengeance (use CHA mod instead of STR when attacking pedophiles).Racial weakness: Once you've sniffed out a pedophile, you suffer a morale penalty to attack and damage rolls against any other target. Not much of a weakness, if you ask me. Shirime  theists: The Race. Also they have hundreds of eyes on the inside of their bodies.  Racial traits: bonus to Treat Injury and Knowledge (Earth Life Sciences); modified Truth of the Body (read a creature's allegiances and suchlike through penetrative sex) as a racial feat; Logical and Strident Arguments ("When arguing questions of theology or government policy, Shirime may use their INT or WIS modifier, rather than their CHA modifier on related Diplomacy checks. Though brash and usually peppered with enough profanity to make a whore blush, a Shirime’s logical arguments can’t be denied."  ).Racial weakness: cumulative morale penalty to all rolls for every Wealth Bonus point above +8, and a separate penalty on Diplomacy checks against the bastard rich. Spider Souled  Spider swarm capabilities not supported in this version. Natural psychopaths who... uh... swallowed a demonic spider when they were young??? Something like that, I have no idea. Looks like a sharp-toothed, beady-eyed human at a casual glance. Closer inspection will reveal short black hairs at the elbows and knees, and spinnerets at the wrists (don't that sound familiar) and genitals (...I hope that doesn't sound familiar). Female Spider Souled also have a black widow's hourglass mark above their vulva. Racial traits: Monstrous Humanoid type; great big ol' Climb bonus, Take 10 or 20 even under threat, same bonus to Hide and Move Silently checks made while climbing; low-light vision, scent; Spinnarettes (catches bad guys just like flies, also just noticed another word Chris can't spell); Toxic Kiss (saliva and sexual fluids are a paralytic contact poison). Racial weakness: Suffer a morale penalty to attack and damage rolls against a target unless you've spent at least an hour studying or researching them and at least fifteen minutes in conversation with them. Also, romance with any sentient humanoid must either be broken off or end with their death at your hands within six months or you suffer permanent INT and CHA damage. Next time: actual chastity, Hanging Maidens at last, and samurai beetleborgs! I can't wait!
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Apr 22, 2013 23:32
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Wait, so, the Byakko can just wake up and decide "Well, I want to have penises for fur today" and thus it is so? And the Living Toys don't seem bad, just lackluster. At least we've already passed peak Fie Bitchtits McGee posted:samurai beetleborgs! 
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Apr 22, 2013 23:47
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If he didn't spill his perversion over what he writes the way he does his semen on his keyboard, this stuff wouldn't be so bad. The living toy would be an amazing thing to base a campaign around. Also, he must really not know his measurements because inch long spurs at the knees/elbows would look nothing like what they do in the drawing. They'd be tiny.
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Apr 23, 2013 02:27
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 Reader Submitted Characters You sent 'em in, I picked 'em! Pretty much nobody included a Kid, so shame on you! They're important too! Grade School Kimberly Wilks Appearance An adorable 6 year old blond with her hair tied back in twin ponytails. Personality A sugary sweet little girl, who has a reputation as a “prococious little moppet”, which just means a troublemaker who's still cute. Stats and Skills
Guts 3 Wind; Courage 2; Wrestling Hands 2 Shop; Punching; Blocking Brains 2 Out-Think 2; Remember; Notice Face 5 Charm 5; Putdown; Connive 3 Mom (Mrs. Wilks) 3; Pearl Hairpin (Lucky Charm) 2; Babysitter (Joan Clark) 1; Mr. Huggleslug Mr. Huggleslug  Original Art by Tasoth who's way better than I am Appearance Like a giant slug wearing a giant teddybear as a costume, then covered in Lisa Frank stickers. Personality Big, dumb, and friendly. He just wants to be everyone's bestest ever friend! Though he is dumb so he's bad at it and constantly makes messes of stuff. Favorite Thing HUGS! Way to Hide Turns into a slightly damp sticker covered teddy-bear.
4-5 Huggy Paws- 6 Dice Useful (Narcotic Touch), Tough 2, Shared, Wicked Fast 6-8 Fuffy Belly 9 Dice Defends, Tough 4, Awesome 2 9-10 Sticker-Slug 7 Dice Useful (Slimy Slither), Tough 3 Middle School Steven Pembly Appearance A big kid, already on his way to juvenile obesity. Wears thick glasses, has a (small) pony-tail, and bad acne. Personality Over-enthusiastic goofball. Modern day specimen of the Nerd species, he lacks most social grace, making up for it with a boundless love of video-games and cartoons. Stats and Skills
Guts 3 Wind 0; Courage 2; Wrestling 2 Hands 3 Shop 3 ; Punching 0; Blocking 0 Brains 5 Out-Think 5; Remember 3; Notice 0 Face 2 Charm 0; Putdown 0; Connive 0 Mike Dorfman (Best Friend) 4; Anime Club 2; Djehuty Djehuty  Original Art and Concept by Kellsterik  My Interpretation Appearance A giant dog with gnarly claws, a long spiked tail, shark teeth, a big dangling tongue, huge peacock wings covered in real eyes, and weirdest of all a golden pyramid instead of eyes. Personality Extols on obscure mystical wisdom and the occult geometrical significance of the new cafeteria, encourages Kid to learn as much as possible and attain the Golden Crown of Ultimate Knowledge but is often disappointed with the subjects taught in school, addresses Kid as if they were the heir to the Pharaoh's throne being taught by a learned master scribe, seems to have a bone-deep rivalry with all cats and encourages Kid to stay away and NOT LEARN FROM THEM, becoming very hurt and envious when Kid plays with them or otherwise doesn't listen to its advice. Think the bizarre, questionable knowledge of Coach McGuirk along with his hamfisted, difficult-to-express desire to be a father figure. A Kid with a dad who disdains nerds and doesn't value learning would be a good match. Favorite Thing Consuming written equations and scientific knowledge (ex. eating one's math homework) Way to Hide Transforms into a big friendly normal dog.
2-4 Sand Blasting Gills- 8 Dice Attacks, Area, Spray, Gnarly 2, Tough 2, Awesome 5-7 Mystic Shielding- 8 Dice Defends, Tough 4, Shared, Awesome 2 8-9 Golden Pyramid- 6 Dice Useful (Hypnotizing Beam), Spray, Awesome, Tough 2 10 Peacock Eye Wings- 3 Dice Useful (Teleportation), Area, Tough High School John Goodsbourough Appearance Straitlaced and dead serious. He's a blocky guy with a decidedly military look, with a square jaw, squinty eyes, and a short shaven black hair-do. He rarely wears anything but a golf-shirt and khakis. Personality Drill Seargent meets Fire and Brimstone preacher. He's intense, focused, and driven. He doesn't take any guff from anybody, but he's a good guy, and there's nobody better to have at your back. Stats and Skills Feet 3 P.E 2; Kicking 0; Dodging 0 Guts 4 Wind 2; Courage 2; Wrestling Hands 5 Shop; Punching 3; Blocking 2 Brains 2 Out-Think 0; Remember 0; Notice 2 Face 2 Charm 0; Putdown 2; Connive 0 Pastor Joseph 1; Tammy Berk (Girlfriend) 2; God 3; Adirel Adirel  Original Art and Concept by Pththya-lyi  My Interpretation Appearance A suit of strange armor, worn by a figure made of light and fire with six wings. He wields a flaming sword and shield in each hand. PersonalityDoctrinaire and unsubtle. Tends to speak in mangled phrases from the Bible and other holy books. Favorite Thing Smiting the Wicked. Way to Hide He turns invisible.
2-4 Fiery Sword- 8 Dice Attacks, Wicked Fast 2, Gnarly 3, Burn, Awesome 5-7 Flaming Sheild- 9 Dice Defends, Wicked Fast 2, Tough 4 8-9 Seraphic Wings 7 Dice Useful (Flight), Tough 2, Shared Next Time: The Janitor's Closet; GMing this Thing
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Apr 23, 2013 02:31
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The fact that Fields is one of the only people still publishing to-purchase d20 Modern supplements on a large scale depresses me far more than it should.  Somewhat less depressing is that I am going to be finishing up the Supernatural: the Roleplaying Game series with this next readthrough. There was technically a third book published, but it's an adventure book that I don't own and I'll freely admit I kind of hate reviewing adventures anyway.  Introducing the Bestiary The Guide to the Hunted acts as the bestiary for Supernatural: the Roleplaying Game. In this book, the brief archetypes from the core rulebook and some of the monsters that just weren't covered at all, even a handful that never actually appeared in the show. It also happens to be an "in-voice" book like the core rulebook. Rather than trying to sound like Dean Winchester, however, The Guide to the Hunted is meant to be written by...the Ghostfacers. If you have ever watched the show, you know why this can get really grating at points. For those who haven't watched the show, let's sum it up as "don't let bit part comic relief characters write a sourcebook". I'll be giving a brief note on the folklore (if any) behind the creature, its in-game statistics, and what episode of the show (if any) it appeared in, just as a bit of added flavor beyond minor entries. Chapter 1: Restless Spirits Given just how much Supernatural uses the undead, it's pretty unsurprising that the very first chapter of the RPG's bestiary, filling out entries beyond the Spirit and Zombie stats that appeared in the core rulebook. Angiak The Lore: A creature from Inuit mythology, the angiak is a vampiric revenant "born" when an unnamed and unwanted child dies in the cold. The Guide to the Hunted goes farther and states that all mythology of undead children are the angiak, from the Serbian drekavac and Scandinavian myling to undead dumpster babies and the creepy ghost kids in Japanese pop culture. The Game: The poor angiak has pretty poo poo stats across the board. To be fair, though, it's just a kid, albeit a creepy undead one, so it's not too harsh to give it a low score. The only ace in the hole the angiak has is its Vitality drain attack, which it likes to do when its victims - always either the mother that abandoned it or women that look close enough for its murderous tastes - are asleep. The Show: The angiak was mentioned in season 1, episode 14: Nightmare, but never actually appeared. Banshee The Lore: Perhaps one of the most famous death omens in history, the banshee is a classic Irish myth. Just what the banshee does varies from tale to tale, though she always causes death either through being an omen or just outright murdering. The Game: The banshee is a tough customer. She has two forms - that of a beautiful woman, and that of a spectral hag. In the former, she has the Allure character trait and uses her wiles to lure men in with her beautiful song. In the latter, she has the Fugly character trait and can use her keening wail to attempt to scare the man into committing suicide. If scare tactics don't work, she can go straight for spectral claw attacks that do a pretty good chunk of damage. The Show: Like the angiak, the banshee only got a passing mention in season 1 of the television program. She did, however, get a bit more than the angiak in that she appeared in the Supernatural novel Nevermore. Bloody Mary The Lore: The Bloody Mary tale is a pretty drat famous urban legend. Even growing up in a hugely fundamentalist household in the deep south, I heard of her. In the Supernatural universe, the legend is added to by the in-show lore that anyone named Mary who dies under the right circumstances while near a mirror can transform into a Bloody Mary. The Game: Mary's not quite as statistically powerful as a banshee, but she does have her special attack of eye liquefaction. If you are keeping a secret about an unsolved death, Mary can will your eyes to start gushing blood, dealing d6 Wound damage each time she succeeds. If you aren't keeping such a secret, the best she can do is use her creepiness to scare you off. All in or all out. The Show: Bloody Mary was the star of season 1, episode 5: Bloody Mary. She also appeared in an episode of the subpar anime adaptation of the show, where she got an extreme power boost and the ability to teleport through any reflective surface, including Sam's corneas. Buru Buru The Lore: In Japanese mythology, the buru buru (an onomatopoeia for shivering) is the ghost of a creepy old man that follows you in graveyards and can chill you or cause you to die from fright. In Supernatural, it's pretty similar, being the ghost of a person who died in extreme terror and capable of spreading a disease that causes death by fear. The Game: Buru buru aren't so much a threat themselves as a means to an end. That end is ghost sickness, a paranormal disease that transmits to any person who is similar in personality to the individual that killed the buru buru in question. An infected individual gets increasingly more and more frightened and paranoid, and after 48 hours gets to start those always popular save-or-die rolls. Sending off the buru buru is the only way to dispel the ghost sickness. The Show: A buru buru appeared in season 4, episode 6: Yellow Fever. Ghost Vehicles The Lore: Ghostly vehicles are something that crops up in various folklore around the world. From ghostly taxis in New Orleans to ghost ships in all of the oceans of the world, it seems that metal is just as prone to undeath as flesh. The Game: If you couldn't guess, the mental stats of a person get combined with the physical attributes of a vehicle. This means that you've got the vengeful mental fuel of a spirit behind the large and tough-to-down frame of a vehicle. They also tend not to respond to the normal anti-ghost measures of burning their human body or striking them with iron. The Show: The infamous season 1, episode 13: Route 666 gave us Cyrus Dorian, better known as Racist Truck. It's basically become the biggest butt of a joke for the show, with the episode even being referred to in-universe as "Racist Truck". Hook Man The Lore: The Hook Man is an urban legend up there with Bloody Mary in its popularity and influence. The Game: With decent stats and a very damaging metal hook for a hand, the Hook Man is a tough brawler who uses his Willpower and Unarmed Combat buffs to toss people around like rag dolls. The Show: Jacob Karns, the "original Hook Man" appeared in season 1, episode 7: Hookman. Indeed, Karns is the model for the stats given in this book. Since the Winchesters killed him, though, I guess the assumption is that other Hook Men copycat ghosts happen to exist as well. Poltergeist The Lore: The poltergeist - "noisy ghost" - is the bog standard ghost. They are prone to having telekinetic temper tantrums, throwing items around. The Game: A poltergeist has average stats and not much to go on besides weak spectral claws and telekinesis. The Show: The Studio 9 ghosts, which The Guide to the Hunted touts as the best example poltergeists, appeared in season 2, episode 18: Hollywood Babylon. One could probably point out an number of non-uniqu ghosts that appear in Spernatural as being poltergeists, though, so it's hard to really give an episode count. Rawhead The Lore: Also known as Bloody Bones, Rawhead and Bloody Bones, or Tommy Rawhead, rawheads are unpleasant creatures with raw skin and a taste for children. They live in wet areas such as damp cellars or marl pits. The Game: The rawhead is very much an introductory spirit. With low to average attribute scores, bite and claw damage that is mild at best, and a weakness to electricity, it's safe to say that rawheads aren't the top dogs of the undead. The Show: A rawhead briefly appears at the start of season 1, episode 12: Faith, where it is swiftly executed by Dean so the Winchester brothers can get on to the actual plot. Tulpa The Lore: Tulpas are though-forms from Tibetan lore, basically an idea made manifest. They become independent from their creator and can range from jovial to murderous depending on just what ideas were implemented in their creation. The Game: A tulpa is another lower-key spirit at first glance, as it has mostly average attributes besides a slightly above-average Alertness attribute. The real danger comes in the fact that the tulpa gets a pretty strong Spirit trait and whatever skills the believers that created it feel it should, which means it can actually be a bit more dangerous than you'd think. The Show: The brutal tulpa Mordechai Murdoch was the focus of season 1, episode 17: Hell House. Water Wraith The Lore: If it's cold, deep, and dangerous, bodies of water tend to build up a reputation for unsavory spirits that drown peope. The Guide to the Hunted classifies water wraiths as anything from the Russian rusalka to the Japanese kappa, taking many shapes and forms. The Game: While not exactly strong in attributes, water wraiths are capable of powerful grapples boosted even further by being in water that allow them to attempt to drown opponents. Since this Grapple skill is meant to be directly opposed by an Athletics (Swimming) skill, one can The Show: A water wraith appeared in season 1, episode 3: Dead in the Water. Witness The Lore: No connection to real life folklore, as these guys are entirely from the Supernatural-verse. They are ashen ghosts of people you killed that rise at the End of Days, when one of the seals keeping Lucifer held back is broken. I can only assume this means that the game designers figured you might be playing a game set at the exact moment when the seal is broken. The Game: Fighting witnesses sucks. They have average to above-average attributes, powerful spirit traits, strong fists, stealth, and intimidation out the wazoo. And to make things worse, the only way you can kill them is by performing a ritual that requires very specific rare ingredients and Formidable rank roll of the Intelligence attribute and Knowledge (Religion) skill. The Show: The rise of the witnesses was the subject of season 4, episode 2: "Are you there, God? It's me, Dean Winchester". The Ghostfacers Stats for the Ghostfacers themselves. For some reason the book decides to switch back to Dean-o-speech to mock the Ghostfacers group, presumably to avoid having the Ghostfacers taut themselves as being really cool instead. Their stats don't really matter at all, though it is probably the only example of seeing a stat block in this game that actually has the Video Games skill. The Ghost-Centric Campaign The final portion of chapter 1 is a vignette on running a campaign entirely centered around restless spirits. Long story short: lots of history, lots of research, be a very clue-focused campaign runner. ---------------------------------------------------- Next time: chapter 2, Angels and Demons.
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Apr 23, 2013 02:48
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Wapole Languray posted:
EEEEEE I love it! It actually never would have occurred to me to make Adirel's Kid that way - I envisioned her as a sweet, innocent homeschool girl, but I didn't write her down because I wanted to let you flex your creative chops - but I dig him and I dig the drawing even more.
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Apr 23, 2013 02:54
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I hope you know I have drawn Djehuty and his kid and will do the other pair. They will be posted. Why must you tempt me with monsters?
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Apr 23, 2013 03:03
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Those are some seriously awesome-looking monsters.
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Apr 23, 2013 03:20
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Arivia posted:Ilmater, the Crying God, is the god of endurance, suffering, and martyrdom. He shows up as a bleeding, broken man, his hands torn nearly apart but still useful. Ilmater is the willing sufferer who takes pain to spare another. Being lawful good, he has been known to visit people being tortured and take their pain for then, but only if they're good and are being unjustly tortured. "Is Ilmater at the front door? No? Keep going then." 
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Apr 23, 2013 03:22
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hectorgrey posted:Hold on, that's the kind of poo poo you use LARPing in America? drat, here in the UK we use poo poo like this: No joke, one of the local LARPs around here (Realms in New England) doesn't allow those kinds of weapons, or they didn't last I checked. Something about them being "unsafe." They'd allow penis swords made with inch-thick PVC piping haphazardly wrapped in pool noodle foam and duct tape though
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Apr 23, 2013 03:27
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Bieeardo posted:Those are some seriously awesome-looking monsters. Agreed, your and Tasoth's illustrations are fantastic Wapole. I'm amazed you turned my 10 minutes in MSpaint into a legitimately cool monster. 10 to 1 little(?) Steven Pembly's favorite anime is Yugioh. Kellsterik fucked around with this message at 03:46 on Apr 23, 2013 |
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Apr 23, 2013 03:42
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If they think that weapon's unsafe, they'd have a heart attack at how we deal with archery in FD (I'll give you a clue, it involves a bow and foam tipped arrows)...
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Apr 23, 2013 03:54
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 Part 2: Descent into Region A Region A is the first part of the WLD and claims to be designed for starting characters. But before you get to that there's Region Z (for Zero), not technically a part of the dungeon it's a basic kind of "hook" to get the PCs involved. Region Zero basically consists of the PCs stumbling across the corpse of a dead titan. The titan is decomposed but odorless and has a +5 Gargantuan Halberd and Chain Shirt (neither of which resize). The titan also has 500 lbs of notes in his pocket and scattered around. The notes are in a dead language that no one can read, so the authors don't bother including any details as to the contents (because apparently the authors of the WLD forgot that spells like Comprehend Languages exist and are available at level 1). This is something that they often forgot, because they love to fill room with ancient writings in non-human languages and completely fail to acknowledge the possibility of the PCs translating them. The background (which will be completely lost on the PCs) is that this titan was assigned to guard this entrance to the dungeon and has died of old age while doing its duty. Seems like perhaps he might try and secure a replacement at some point...but whatever. --Region A itself-- So, the backstory is basically that a were-rat sorcerer by the name of longtail who has put together a small army of kobolds, orcs and troglodytes and descended into the dungeon in order to find an extradimensional prison within that holds a horde of fiendish beings so that he can unleash them and conquer, yadda yadda yadda. Upon arriving in the dungeon longtail and crew are, of course, trapped. Longtail abandons his army (why bother bringing them then?) to descend into the depths of the dungeon to find the prison. Meanwhile, without his leadership his humaniod army fractures and begins bickering among each other, dividing the area into different camps. Before it explodes into all-out war longtail finds and opens the prison but (shockingly) cannot control the fiendish monsters inside. The fiendish creatures swarm the Region and wipe out the majority of the humaniods. This about when the PCs are meant to show up: in the middle of a swarm of demonic creatures and paranoid and violent humaniods. The PCs find their way down a tunnel and come to a huge, unlit room deep below the earth. It has two doors, both of which open into a pitch black, silent void. Anything that goes through does not come back out again. Now, when you look at this alongside Region Z do you notice a problem? What are the odds of the average group of adventurers actually going inside the WLD during the first session. Both of these "encounters" just seem designed to encourage PCs to waste time. First we've got a titanic (literally) corpse, clad in hefty enchantments and carrying mass quantities of notes in an unknown language and then we've got a room with two doors, both of which open into an empty void and from which no one who passes returns. Now, the GM knows that the titan is just a bit of scene dressing and that both doors actually open into the same large room beyond and that there is nothing for the PCs to do but go forward. The PCs on the other hand will probably spend forever trying to puzzle out what the heck is up with the titan, trying to decide which door they should go through and searching the room for traps, secret doors or clues. Before I get to the crappy stuff I will say that I actually kind of like the plot of region A. It's definitely a high point among the other Regions and it makes an effort to make the region more than just killing, killing and more killing. Many of the humaniods are paraniod and violent, but others are terrified, depressed, or reluctantly willing to negotiate. There's plenty of room for roleplaying and the PCs aren't forcible funneled towards certain choices or alliances. That said, it's heavily outweighed by the bad stuff. First and foremost Region A is brutal. It is a hell of a meat-grinder. And not in the evil-funhouse sense of the Tomb of Horrors, it's just full of challenges that far outweigh most PCs abilities. Lets give you an example: After passing through the dark rooms the PCs come upon the abandoned remnants of the orcish camp in the first rooms. There's a couple of weak, wounded orcs who are too tired to fight but too ornery to be helpful. There are two obvious exits from the camp: The first, to the north, has a burning hands trap on the door. Fortunately a d4 damage isn't going to do more than scorch anyone but it's going to be annoying to impossible to disarm due to it's magical nature. The burning hands trap guards a room full of rotted sacks and barrels that contain only black mold (that's right, have some Con damage!). The next room contains yet more containers full of black mold and an Acid Arrow trap. That's right, acid arrow against first level PCs: that's an average of 14 damage with a find/disable DC of 27! All of this guards a room that contains nothing but some crappy rope (and since it's a dead end the PCs will have to go back through at least one of the traps). The other way out (and the only actual exit from the area) involves an encounter with a fiendish darkmantle (grappling + flight + magical darkness = very annoying fight). And then it switches straight from annoying to lethal with a fiendish rat swarm! Yep, it's a CR 3 swarm right off the bat. Keep in mind that swarms take half damage from most weapons, can attack multiple opponents, and auto-hit. And since it's fiendish it can't be hurt by torches and is literally immune to most 1st level spells, and has SR 5. Oh, and since they're fiendish the writers replaced filth fever with Devil Chills, because 1st level PCs need all the ability score damage they can get! And before they can make it into the dungeon at large there's another fun encounter, this time with Fiendish Stirges, because you probably still have some Con points left in you. Now, some people enjoy a good killer dungeon. However, keep in mind that the selling point of this book is it's length. It's meant to be a single huge dungeon to get people from level 1 to level 20. Part of the idea is running your character from a scrub at the start all the way to an epic badass at the end...something that's severely undermined if you have to keep replacing PCs every few sessions. It doesn't help that since no one can actually leave this remote, mostly sealed dungeon, new characters are going to be hard to justify.
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Apr 23, 2013 04:44
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DRAGONLANCE® Adventures Part 2 - “Yet in the beginning you start with a certain lot in life -- a classification as to who you are and what you may become.” Characters in Krynn are caught in a weird form of predestination, one that implies that you still have free will despite being born into a very well defined role in the world. You are free to determine who you are and what you become, despite being saddled with your “Lot in Life” and being (for all intents and purposes) stuck in your character class because this is a 1e supplement. We are then treated to a healthy dose of pretension: quote:Some of these character types are universal, and exist not only in Krynn, but also on other worlds far away from the sight and the knowledge of the True Gods. Still others are unique to this world of Krynn and exist nowhere else in the universe. What are these truly sweet classes that don’t exist anywhere else? We'll get to that in a second... This entire section is written a little weirdly, with brief descriptions of the classes in white as part of the 2nd person psudo-framing story they began in the last section, and pretty much the same descriptions with mechanical details in a big grey box right afterwards. As you’ll soon find out, there’s a big focus on loving over characters who are transported to Krynn from elsewhere. Cleric (Heathen) - Don’t worship the True Gods? gently caress you. No powers, no gods, no nothing. “They are powerless and receive no blessings from the gods.” In the Gray Box, we learn that they can adopt the worship of a compatible True God. This may piss off your original deity if you ever get off Krynn, but at that point the DM is loving with the cleric so badly that s/he might get punched. Druid (Heathen) - See above. Your nature has no power here, non-Krynn native. Why this has any effect at all, since druids worship nature and not any particular deity, well...  Holy Order of the Stars - Clerics native to Krynn. There are no fewer than 18 gods scattered throughout the Magic Triangle of Alignment you can choose from. Fighters - Yep, they exist. Barbarians - Usually from the North. See your PHB. Rangers - See PHB. Cavaliers - May be candidates for entry into the Knights of Solamnia, but as the rules for multi-classing into the Knight of Solamnia class are just awful, I’m not sure how this is ever going to be worth it. Non-native Cavaliers can join by starting off by roleplaying, then starting a 2nd XP track and working at their old Cavalier level until they’ve earned enough XP to get their levels of Knight of Solamnia class equal to their previous level of Cavalier. “Note that it is far easier for an experienced knight to gain experience points and go up in levels than it is for those who are truly first level. Paladins - Much like heathen clerics, you lose your powers if you worship a non-Krynn True God. You can enter the Knights of Solamnia class in the same manner as a Cavalier. Knights of Solamnia - Hybrid paladin/fighters, who branch off into one of three various orders (Crown, Sword, and Rose). One starts in the Crown, then can join the Sword at 3rd level through roleplaying, and a Sword can join the Rose at 4th through roleplaying. More on them in a bit. Magic-User (Renegade) - Those who attempt to use magic “outside of the moderating influence of the Orders of High Sorcery. These are earnestly hunted down by the order to entice them to join or destroy them if they refuse. Renegade wizards have a short life expectancy on Krynn.” Illusionist (renegade) - see above. Wizards of High Sorcery - There are three types: White, Black, and Red, which correspond to good, evil, and neutrality respectively. Why neutral is red and not grey, I have no idea. They control all magic on Krynn, and kill anyone who practices it without being one of them. Thieves (Handlers) - Thievery is punished severely on Krynn, unless you happen to be a Kender. quote:These diminutive people Thief/Acrobat - see PHB. Don’t see you favorite class listed above? Well... quote:Characters of other classes revert to their major classes when they enter Krynn, with experience points equal to the mid-point of their current level. Monks, for example, become heathen clerics of equal level. There are no assassin characters in Krynn. They would become thieves. Who wants to play your favorite class when you could play as knights who are in Orders? Or magic-users who are divided into opposing schools? Or thieves who are annoying? I bet I could never, ever find characters as unique as that, not anywhere else in the entire universe... Other Special Limitations Want to go past 18th level? Too bad! The gods remove you from the world and reassign you to another world. Those who are allowed to remain are What’s Your Alignment? quote:In most AD&D® campaigns, the player chooses the alignment of his PC and then tries to act accordingly. Alignment in Krynn is handled differently. The alignment of a PC is determined by his actions, not the other way around.  In the back, a nice chart is provided for the DM to track the PCs alignments along the scale of Good>Neutral>Evil. You begin at the midpoint of your alignment, and can shift up and down on the scale depending on your actions. If you move enough ticks in any given direction (the good and evil should wrap into one another, if I remember correctly), you enter a “Grey area,” and receive the following penalties: -1 to all attack rolls +1 to Armor Class 10% chance of spell failure 20% chance for a cleric, paladin, or spell-casting Knight of Solmnia to not be granted a given spell by his gods when preparing it. If you move enough to actually shift your into a new alignment, you are placed at the center of that alignment so as to keep you from bouncing back and forth too much. You are also expected to be judged by the strictures of your new alignment, and will be penalized in accordance. Note that this actually makes it harder for you to regain your old alignment, as you've got an entire trek through a different alignment's rules and the accordant penalties to deal with during the transitionary "grey area". quote:When a change in alignment occurs, do not inform the player that his PC has changed alignment. Wait until he tries to perform an action that depends on his alignment, then tell him it doesn’t work. It’s up to the player to realize what happened and how to fix it. Clerics who change to an incompatible alignment immediately lose two levels and all spell-casting ability until they find a new god to worship. Wizards likewise lose two levels, and change the color of the robe they wear to suit their new alignment. Knights of Solamnia lose all positions and abilities by falling from grace and are treated as fighters until they redeem themselves. As you may have guessed, I hate this section, because it embodies pretty much everything that is wrong with alignment as written. Want to play a guy who fights against his natural inclination to do evil? How about a well intentioned extremist who does evil actions for the greater good? How about something simple and cliche, like Han Solo? Well, here’s a host of mechanical penalties and lost levels as your reward for not playing as a straight-jacketed alignment fanatic coupled with passive-aggressive DM’ing. It weirdly rewards you for playing an evil PC, if you know how to game the system, because you can do pretty much whatever you want provided you justify it as being evil in the end or part of some long term plan. So, to sum us thus far: we’re trapped in a Manichaeistic nightmare of predestination, where only extremism is rewarded by the cruel and distant gods. Somehow evil still exists despite being utterly unappealing and the High God directly rewarding good actions and punishing the bad. We are the playthings of the supreme powers, who cast out any who approach their might, and rule their triangle with an iron fist of conformity. We’re having fun, right? This is the light and fluffy high fantasy setting, especially when compared to Dark Sun and Ravenloft, right? Guys?  Good thing there’s an entire Angelfire page devoted to Dragonlance Humor to break all that tension up! Next - The Knights of Solamnia Toph Bei Fong fucked around with this message at 05:28 on Apr 23, 2013 |
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Apr 23, 2013 05:20
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Wu Xing: The Ninja Crusade pt 2 The Lotus Coalition Founding & Mission The Coalition was founded after the Izou Empire wiped out a bunch of hidden villages early in the Ninja Crusade. The Empire has been preaching anti-ninja propaganda, so the population has been turning against the ninja, up to and including some ninja being killed by lynch mobs. A Warden of Equilibrium names Sakamoto Tadao asked all of the clan leaders to unite to oppose the Izou, speaking of the long tradition of opposing tyranny the ninja had (also the tradition of sociopathic, greed-fueled murderlust but  ) Unity is their only defense against the Empire!One year of Imperial-boot-meeting-ninja-face later, They agreed. Mixing Clans Ninja who join the Lotus Coalition get a bunch of perks for their trouble like safe houses and stuff. A big advantage of the Coalition vs. every clan for itself is they can combine their tactics to greater effect; to such greater effect, that the Coalition has some hidden villages of it's own to facilitate inter-clan cooperation. Conflicts Turns out the bands of magical killers sometimes magical kill each other, Coalition be damned. Some examples are a Blazing Dancers prank that escalated into massacres on both sides, and the assassination of several of the Coalition leaders right after the Hidden Strands of Fate joined up and everyone thinks a sect in the Strands did it, but let it slide to keep the clan in the Coalition. The worst example is called "The Wedding Fiasco." The Recoiling Serpents and the Pack of the Black Moon fought a lot. Tadao proposed a wedding between two young ninja of each clan but the Black Moon groom was poisoned into a coma, a fight ensued where several people died and they hate each other as much as ever now. Next: The Izou Empire and it's history ThisIsNoZaku fucked around with this message at 16:59 on Apr 23, 2013 |
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Apr 23, 2013 05:55
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Slimnoid posted:No joke, one of the local LARPs around here (Realms in New England) doesn't allow those kinds of weapons, or they didn't last I checked. Something about them being "unsafe." Moving up the ladder is Amtgard, which still loves its noodle swords and tap-hits, but can get a little more aggressive, kinda. It's mixed in with a bunch of class/level/spellcasting stuff, but last I checked, grappling, bashing, etc. was out. My own LARPy thing, Belegarth, used full-force, full-contact swings with full grappling and bashing, and with a goal of nothing more than some minor bruises. So we used pretty seriously padded weapons, with wide striking surfaces. The latex weapons wouldn't have passed the rules we had set up - minimum striking surfaces, points that can't fit through an eye-sized template, etc. I mean, remember - we're swinging pretty hard, and shrugging off blows we considered "light" like most stuff that would be considered "solid" in the other games, above. Those latex swords are gorgeous, but they can do a bit of damage - more than any of the above, at least - and they're not particularly safe around eyes. So as far as I know, most LARPs that use them either try to enforce lighter swinging or mandate the use of armor. Now, of course, some are more hardcore than that.  But IIRC, they don't hold up for very long if you are beating the crap out of them. And it's not like you can just slap a new layer of foam on top when they break. (I know the least about these, because they just started making serious headway into the States when I was getting out of the scene.)And at the top end of the scale is the SCA's rattan. Which is basically a big club and which can do some pretty serious damage, and which is why armor is not just a good idea, but enforced there. I guess there's also the live- or blunt-steel guys like HACA, but that's not really a LARP at all. And you don't field big battles, there. I'm missing a lot of intermediate steps, and friendly sparring between friends or a small group can vary wildly. But when you're opening your game up to the public and putting a few hundred people (probably at least 30% of whom are idiots) on the same battlefield, you tend to get a little safety- and liability-conscious and veer conservative as a result.
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Apr 23, 2013 06:05
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 Giant Allege Part 5: Invincible Attorney Textbook Adulterer Character creation! First Allege, then Lawyer. Making Allege An Allege consists of a Form, a set of Armaments, a Cost, and a set of Attributes. The Form is the overall shape of the mech, of which there are several - swordsmen, tanks, animals, and so on, predictably rolled on a bigass table. Roll, record characteristics, done. Armaments are weapons or other useful addon systems for your Allege. There is an equally wide variety of these, once again on a bigass table. Unless the Form has a relevant special ability, you get two Armaments, so roll them on the big table and add them to your mech. Cost is, as described in the previous entry, how much Copper (which I guess is the currency, I wrote it before as Kappa WHOOPS) it costs to deploy your Allege. Depending on the power of the Allege, in terms of Attributes, the Cost will generally vary between 9 and 30, each point of Cost representing 10,000 Copper. A higher-Cost Allege will be more powerful, but also harder to deploy. Attributes, mentioned earlier in the writeup, are Quick (speed and agility), Break (attack power), and Armor (defense power). You can distribute points any way you want between them, and the sum of the stats becomes your Cost. Unless the Form says otherwise, minimum in each Attribute is 3. Armor*3m is the height of your mech, not that it's at all important. But these are just your base stats! Write them down, and then write the full stats to the right of them, which are modified by your Lawyer's stats: Full Quick = Quick + Keen Full Break = Break + Power Full Armor = 2*Armor + Power Finally, consider the image of the Form, Armaments, and size, and give it a name to match. Making Lawyer A Lawyer needs a Name, Attributes, a Weapon, a Catchphrase, and a few other details. Name is, insanely enough, ALSO rolled off of a 6x6 table, once for last name and once for first name. I'm not going to get into the full tables until much later, but rolling a pair of names just now, I got Wandering Iron Wall and Textbook Adulterer, so I can already tell these are going to be some colorful characters. Next up is attributes for Lawyers! They are Timing (Initiative), Power (Strength and toughness), and Keen (Speed and piloting skill), between which 10 points are distributed (minimum 1). A typical human would be 2's across the board. You are not an ordinary human. You are a Lawyer. Next, it's time to pick a weapon. There are three options: Gun: Attack rolls made at Timing x 2. Sword: Attack rolls made at Keen + Timing. Fist: Attack rolls made at Power + Timing. Pick one, write down the resulting attack power, go. Next, come up with an age, a body type, and a personality, then tie it all together into a cohesive image. Consider the name, the Allege, the weapon, and the stats, and then come up with a one-liner catchphrase to sum up your character. Since this was a short section, let's go onward into the core resolution mechanic! Giant Allege uses d6 dice pools, but does so in a clever way that makes ties almost impossible, even with as few as 4 or 5 dice in a pool. Let's learn by examples! Player A challenges Player B in some form of opposed roll. A has 7 dice, B has 11 dice. They roll:  Fundamentally, the winner is whoever has the most 1's in their dice pool. So, in this case, B wins, 3 to 2. Of course, it's not always going to be that simple, especially if there are more than two players involved in the roll. A, B, and C all go head to head in an opposed roll. A has 5 dice, B has 6 dice, C has 3. They roll:  In this case, C is still the ultimate winner, because they had two 1's, whereas A and B both had 1. But who comes in second? If the number of 1's is the same, then you look at the next smallest number. So, since A and B both have a single 1, we count the 2's, and find that A has three of them, whereas B only has one. A comes in second, and B is last. If they had also had the same number of 2's, then they would have compared, threes, then fours, then fives. The only way to get a tie is if you roll the exact same set of numbers. Next time: Roll for initiative!
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Apr 23, 2013 07:25
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dwarf74 posted:Those latex swords are gorgeous, but they can do a bit of damage - more than any of the above, at least - and they're not particularly safe around eyes. So as far as I know, most LARPs that use them either try to enforce lighter swinging or mandate the use of armor. Now, of course, some are more hardcore than that. Of course, here in the states, the chances of getting shot by an overzealous cop or citizen for waving around a more realistic weapon around is higher. It's not likely, but it's a potential concern.
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Apr 23, 2013 07:42
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Alien Rope Burn posted:Of course, here in the states, the chances of getting shot by an overzealous cop or citizen for waving around a more realistic weapon around is higher. It's not likely, but it's a potential concern. Yeah, back when we was boffering with our sock-and-tape-covered, foam-wrapped, PVC-core weapons, the neighbors called the cops on us all the time, thinking it was some sort of gang activity in the apartment complex. The cops would come out, ask some questions about what they're made of, residency, stuff like that, then get back in their cars. I don't even think they interrupted all of us. The only time I ever got nervous about it was one the cops came by while we were boffering, while one of my friends was cleaning his guns inside the apartment. But then he was owned them legally, none of us had felony convictions and the police were more concerned outside than inside, because that's what brought the call in. Young Freud fucked around with this message at 08:26 on Apr 23, 2013 |
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Apr 23, 2013 08:23
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Bitchtits McGee posted:they have hundreds of eyes on the inside of their bodies. Well you know, you gotta watch what you eat. 
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Apr 23, 2013 09:30
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