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Jeez, these guys are like the low-rent Wal-Mart version of Hellsing's Catholics. With a similar level of cultural sensitivity and research.
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Jul 28, 2016 06:53
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Cassa posted:What was the cause of the vampires before h-bombs and nuclear accidents? Ancient stone masks and Tom Petty, respectively.
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Jul 28, 2016 07:06
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I wish I could like posts on this website.
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Jul 28, 2016 07:14
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I'm still not totally sure I understand why the Covvies are even part of the Brave New World setting. I know Protestant American culture in general is fascinated by the mystical air of Catholicism but like, what exactly does this have to do with Defiance and WW2 and JFK and all that? Bargainers already feel tacked onto the core setting, and this is a whole new chunk of the game that's building specifically off that awkward angle.
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Jul 28, 2016 07:16
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Kellsterik posted:I'm still not totally sure I understand why the Covvies are even part of the Brave New World setting. Why is anything a part of anything in BNW? That's the overreaching problem with it. Why is there a race of merpeople randomly? Why do people in America have literal old west style showdowns in the middle of the street? Why anything about Evil Inc? Why Bargainers? Why is there an Asian character named the Yellow Journalist? The answer, as always, seems to be because Matt Forbeck has absolutely no internal editor whatsoever.
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Jul 28, 2016 07:26
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I learned from the System Mastery dudes that White Wolf published sourcebooks about The Holocaust. Is that as bad and tasteless as I imagine it is?
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Jul 28, 2016 08:06
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gradenko_2000 posted:I learned from the System Mastery dudes that White Wolf published sourcebooks about The Holocaust. Is that as bad and tasteless as I imagine it is? Nope, Charnel Houses of Europe is considered surprisingly good.
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Jul 28, 2016 08:11
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It even appeared in one of the FATAL & Friends threads, so...well, have a read.
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Jul 28, 2016 08:15
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quote:Balloon Mortar: It’s basically a two-handed crossbow balloon launcher that can fire straight with Shooting or in an arc with Artillery. The balloons generally carry three payloads: water, colored ink holy water and garlic paste. Water balloons deal no damage but force a stun check and actually trigger a Wereshark’s weakness to freshwater. Holy water follows the same rules as regular water but deals 10d6+10 with a blast radius of six feet to vampires. The garlic paste balloon doesn’t actually do any damage besides stun but it adds +3 to the TN of everything a vampire does or sickens them I want to see what Heston Blumenthal could do with a garlic paste balloon.
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Jul 28, 2016 08:28
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gradenko_2000 posted:I learned from the System Mastery dudes that White Wolf published sourcebooks about The Holocaust. Is that as bad and tasteless as I imagine it is? Shockingly, The Shoah was one of the best books they ever wrote.
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Jul 28, 2016 08:31
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NGDBSS posted:It even appeared in one of the FATAL & Friends threads, so...well, have a read. Thank you. That wasn't a nice read, but it was an informative one.
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Jul 28, 2016 10:30
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Kai Tave posted:Why is anything a part of anything in BNW? It's got the odd bit where it wants to be a "one power origin" world but then just seems to throw in tons of poo poo that doesn't adhere to that origin, then clawhammers in crrrazy poo poo to justify it all. Basically it wants to be both a "one power origin" world at times and a traditional "anything goes" comics world and flipflops between the two whenever he feels like it.
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Jul 28, 2016 10:41
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Alien Rope Burn posted:It's got the odd bit where it wants to be a "one power origin" world but then just seems to throw in tons of poo poo that doesn't adhere to that origin, then clawhammers in crrrazy poo poo to justify it all. Basically it wants to be both a "one power origin" world at times and a traditional "anything goes" comics world and flipflops between the two whenever he feels like it. I find this inordinately upsetting for such a ridiculous setting. Either it's straight up magic or you've actually got people who are getting super powers from nuclear blasts. Just pick one.
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Jul 28, 2016 10:48
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gradenko_2000 posted:Thank you. That wasn't a nice read, but it was an informative one. Yeah, Shoah was treated with gravity and respect. Which is honestly kind of shocking after WoD: Gypsys set everyone's expectations so low they were melting due to the temperatures in the earth's mantle.
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Jul 28, 2016 15:23
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wiegieman posted:I find this inordinately upsetting for such a ridiculous setting. Either it's straight up magic or you've actually got people who are getting super powers from nuclear blasts. Just pick one. Though here's the main reason why blasts make vampires: for some reason, and this isn't even addressed in their powers, vampires are immune to radiation. Those blasts make Deltas of all stripes who then immediately die from radiation poisoning. Take the blast out of the equation and vampirism is probably like a 35 on a d100. Vampires are not guaranteed to make more vampires which makes the notion of them being footsoldiers of Satan laughable. So it's less straight magic and more probability based on your magic DNA rolling the dice and coming up with something that will actually let you survive the situation.
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Jul 28, 2016 17:20
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It's time for more Ironclaw! Alright, the House of Avoirdupois. What you need to understand about the Avoirdupois is that while there is a stereotype of the Horse Lords as being backward and stuck-up, I think this perception actually comes from the simple fact that they are the defacto military superpower of Calabria at the moment. They may not be embracing the new innovations of shot and pike the way some of the other armies are, but firearms and pike tactics are still early enough that their well-trained royal army and exceptional heavy and light cavalry (and the simple size of their domain and population) are enough to take on any comer. This won't last, but at the moment the Avoirdupois are the elephant in the room, militarily. If I had to name a likely source for their conservatism, it would be the simple fact that for centuries, what they've done has made their country strong, wealthy, and well-fed. The Avoirdupois inhabit eastern Calabria, controlling a fertile and large demesne of rolling grasslands and gentle hills, bordered by rivers, swamps, and the ocean cliffs in the east. They are an old family, and have kept long records of their castle-building and settlement in the eastern plains; the oldest banner dates back over a thousand years and is over 15 meters in length by this time. Their ancestors sailed to Calabria, finding the eastern lands uninhabited and quickly setting up a prosperous farming community until they were set upon by the Ecoreuchers, a band of a marauding sea-nomads led by an immense rhino named Ecoreucher. The original settlers were ravaged, forced to pay tribute, and humiliated before the sea-people left their lands with the promise they would return. Driven by this, the early Avoirdupois began to construct fortifications to make up for the open terrain and allow them to see the raiders coming. Unable to stop the raiders on their own, the settlements and towns banded together and handed control of their armies to a supreme commander, Gage l'Amorce. He struggled to unify the armies of his people, and a likely false account claims he was overcome by a vision of an all-unifying and life-giving light (S'Allumer), an account doubted by both secular and church scholars as this predated the revelation of Helloise and Gage would have almost certainly been a devout Heliodrome, the original pagan sun-worship faith of the early Avoirdupois (I quite like that there's a probably false donation-of-constantine esque miracle account to try to rehabilitate a pagan uniter). Struck by the mobility of his enemies, he managed to convince his people to donate every rideable creature they owned and created a corps of mounted infantry (without stirrups and modern lances, his men would've ridden to battle or scouted, but then dismounted to fight). Still, this innovation allowed the armies of Gage to outmaneuver his enemies and likely led to the great importance of cavalry both light and heavy in Avoirdupois warfare. After his costly, but complete victory over the nomads, Gage went on to become king in all but name, leading the reconstruction of their lands until his death at the age of 70. After his death, the families almost immediately fell back to rivalry; without a unifying threat or figure, old animosities reasserted themselves. Internecine warfare broke out for several generations, and the fighting led to the development of true heavy cavalry in the families' quests for military dominance. It also led to the solidification of a warrior-class, as the new styles of fighting took intensive training and a warrior fundamentally lacked the time to be a farmer and a mounted fighter. Into this chaos and strife came a brilliant diplomat, Paien du Boulangar, who managed to unite many of the smaller families through fear of the larger ones and slowly move towards a general agreement on governance that led to the creation of a central monarchy. He perished before he could be crowned, his life's ambition undone by a random illness, leaving his 19 year old son to inherit. Other peoples were absorbed as self-ruling vassals as the kingdom stabilized and grew in influence. Those who resisted the Avoirdupois were stripped of any noble title or property, dispersed widely through the land as captured serfs to prevent rebellion. Famine and trouble followed years of conquest and stability, and were compounded by both Doloreaux aggression across the River Lyore and a deeply incompetent king. Leading to an outright rebellion, this brought about the War of the Leaves, a great succession struggle over the kingdom of Avoirdupois. Over a decade of civil war left the state in ruins, with no faction managing to gain complete control, until the current king, another Paien, was influenced by a common captain, Itta d'Enclume, to begin making separate peace with some of the rebels and addressing some of the less important demands. He eventually succeeded in weakening the rebels sufficiently to crush their army in battle, putting an end to the civil war by a mixture of diplomacy, concession, and military force, but died of his own chronic illnesses soon after. His friend Itta would go on to become something of a philosopher, writing texts on how virtue alone could inspire the loyalty necessary for peace in the land and that the realm should be thought a community by those who rule it. Her work would go on to become essential to the Avoirdupois concepts of chivalry and feudalism. A combination of the civil war and the difficulties in the land, plus the lack of solid central authority for over a decade, served to weaken the original Heliodrome beliefs of the Avoirdupois. Missionaries from the Church of S'Allumer had arrived in the land and their white magic had saved many lives, winning them many admirers and converts. Religious division was sprouting from two places, the gratitude of the peasants towards wandering healers and almsgivers, and the fact that the Penitents of S'Allumer drew far fewer distinctions between man and woman than the original Heliodrome faith had led to many converts among the noblewomen of court. The priests of Anu the All-Father (Sun God of the Heliodromes) sought to violently suppress a rival faith that threatened division in the land. Unfortunately for them, their warriors would go on to slaughter a gathering of the faithful of S'Allumer on lands owned by a vassal of the Rinaldi Empire, rather than Avoirdupois. A religious border war quickly sprung up, as the Priests and the king's Councillors called for war against the Rinaldi after reprisals from the wronged vassals. A crusade was called among the Avoirdupois, and the Rinaldi Imperial Army arrived too late to defend their vassals; the badgers who had fought against the Avoirdupois ended up forced into surrender and transfer of allegiance to the King. The King wished to end the war there, but was pushed by his privy council and the priesthood into costly warfare with the Rinaldi as the crusade continued. He would eventually be assassinated by a Heliodrome fanatic for his reluctance in pursuing the war. Replaced by King Etienne d'Sabot, the new king threw the entire force of the state behind the religious crusade and managed to reach the Rinaldi capitol of Triskellian, where the siege would settle the religious matter once and for all and change the course of Avoirdupois history. During the siege, news arrived that Etienne's pregnant wife had fallen ill among the baggage train. He was wracked with dreams of a vixen in green and purple robes (Do those colors ring a bell?), urging him to cease his persecution of the Rinaldi and accept the light of S'Allumer. The current head of the S'Allumerite church, a vixen by the name of Luzia Caldona, learned of the illness of Etienne's wife and demanded parley. Entering the camp of the Avoirdupois unarmed and alone despite her age, she used her magic to lift the sickness from the Queen, saving both the woman and her child. The King was overcome by the combination of his visions and his wife's salvation, and converted publicly. He declared the war at an end, outlawed the Priesthood of Anu, and declared himself a vassal of the Rinaldi Emperor, who would rule the entire East of Calabria on the Emperor's behalf. Historians have noted quite a few irregularities in this story, such as the presence of the King's wife with the royal army when she was already pregnant, or the seeming ease with which the king managed such a dramatic change of policy on what seemed the eve of victory over the Rinaldi. If one asked my opinion, I'd note that the story ends with the King having an excellent excuse to rid himself of the religious fanatics whose power had been sufficient to have his predecessor killed and to set royal policy, and that it also ends with the Rinaldi ceding all the eastern lands to a 'vassal' who will rule them and own their wealth in the foxes' stead. I would also once again note the color of the robes in the king's persistent dreams. There's a good reason I consider the Green and Purple Magi scarier than necromancers. The new religious order was not implemented instantly or completely smoothly but the pre-existing support among some of the nobility and much of the peasantry for the Penitents allowed the king to isolate the Anu-worshippers and declare certain, smaller towns and lands places where they could be 'tolerated' as an excuse to seize much of their wealth outside those areas, which he used to reward his followers and donate to the building of cathedrals and churches to solidify S'Allumerite worship within Avoirdupois lands. In modern times, the Avoirdupois are noted for their strict piety, and consider themselves the truest servants of S'Allumer; Etienne's legacy was quite successful. Next Up: Culture and Custom in the lands of the Horselords.
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Jul 28, 2016 17:25
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So basically by RAW, women are incapable of holding up a cross, and still no idea why the hate on Vampires - and text doesn't seem to imply there's anything wrong with the prejudice.
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Jul 28, 2016 17:37
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I really appreciate that the writers of Ironclaw intentionally made sure the most important religious organization in the continent was equally open to men and women, and in fact did a great deal to promote relative social equality, to avoid having to deal with that kind of bullshit in their game.
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Jul 28, 2016 17:46
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It's kind of hard to keep out women when Furry Jesus was one.
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Jul 28, 2016 17:53
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one of my biggest complaints for a certain subsect of fantasy nerds is "It's unrealistic if women can be independent and badass in our pretendy fun elfworlds".
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Jul 28, 2016 17:55
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Mors Rattus posted:It's kind of hard to keep out women when Furry Jesus was one. Yes, but I'm also pretty sure that's the reason for the decision to make Helloise a woman, the first pope a woman, etc, even though Don Constantin (they couldn't resist) also did a lot to help expand and solidify the church after Helloise saved his life as a boy.
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Jul 28, 2016 17:57
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Hellas: Worlds of Sun and Stone First off, some minor chargen notes I didn't bring up: your starting cash is your profession's base cash multiplied by number of Calling Paths taken. (You also get paid that much each IC month, though during downtime this will be reduced by living costs.) You can have up to three Ambitions at any given time. Anyway, now let's talk about the uses of Destiny and Fate. You can channel your Destiny to gain Hero Points. You get more Hero Points and can do it more often based on your Glory rating and DYN score. However, the se points can only be used when you are acting in accordance with one of your Ambitions. You can channel your Fate as well to gain Hero Points, and you get more points from Fate, and at lower Glory ranks. Further, Fate Hero Points can be used whenever you want. However, Fate Hero Points have a special effect if you roll a natural 1-5, even if the roll succeeds after modification. You gain half the amount of Hero Points spent, rounded up, as Fate Points. You also do this if you use them for negating damage, no roll needed. Remember: once you hit 10 Fate Points, bad things happen. I'll skip over the long list of both skills and talents, with one note that if you want to start the game with a lot of equipment, definitely consider the Wealthy talent, which gives you 10 times normal starting cash...and during game, lets you make a Charisma roll to call on your wealth and purchase expensive items every so often. Very handy. We also get a list of Hellenic names, male and female, and how to make a name feminine or masculine. Specifically: if it ends in -os, -ios, or -ias, it is femnized to -a,-ia, or -is respectively, and -ides feminizes to -e. Also, C and K are interchangeable, as are I and J and X and Z. Advancing stats in play is possible with XP. Skills cost (new level+1) XP if you already have them. If you want a new one, it costs (Training Period/2) XP, with the training period measured in weeks, to get to 1. New talents cost 20 XP if you have a reasonable explanation for how you got them, and attributes cost (new level*5) XP to raise, which...I'm not sure how that works with negative attributes. Possibly absolute values, but that'd still mean going from -1 to 0 doesn't cost anything. CR and DYN are unique - they cost (new level*10) XP, instead. This brings us to the Dynamism chapter. Dynamism is magic, essentially. It's a mental talent, mostly used by priests and the Legion of Delphoi. These powers are said to have originally been created by Athenia, but later mastered by Apollon and his oracles. They were almost lost in the First Age, but were kept alive by the most devoted followers of Apollon and Athenia. Today, few have the dedication, patience and conviction to learn Dynamism. The mechanics focus on being a framework, and GMs are told to allow players to create their own powers using the nine Modes as guidelines. Dynamist Modes are essentially what effect the power creates - Attack, Influence, etc. All Dynamists are restricted to a single Tradition, the shcool of thought and ritual they use to access their powers. You can't swap Traditions later, either. Dynamism effects are neither freeform or spontaneous. They are precise mental formulas and memorized disciplines, and the Dynamism effects a player creates must fit their Tradition's style, the Mode mechanics and the practical restrictions on what Dynamism can and can't do. The GM can decide those, but there are four things Dynamism can never do, period. First, it can't raise the dead to life. Second, it can't create intelligent life. Third, it can't affect time or causality. And finally, it can't use more than one effect at a time or blend two Modes together. Also, if you gently caress up and critically fail your Dynamism power, it's likely to fry your brain, hit someone unintended or otherwise backlash really badly, which can permanently penalize your stats if the GM wants, though the game suggests scaling backlash effects to the power level being used. No matter what happens, Dynamism is mentally draining, and you can only use them (DYN) times per day before you start getting penalties to further use. Dynamism also has physical effects on the body - paling due to change in blood flow, hair standing on end, foaming at the mouth. There is always some kind of physical change during usage, though you can suppress it (at a penalty to the roll). You can choose to hold a Dynamism's effects at bay for a few rounds, more tha more powerful you are, but eventually they will weaken if you do that. You can also set a 'fuse' on a power, activating it but having the effects go off after a set duration. You can also spend huge amounts of Hero Points - a number divisible by ten - to increase an aspect of an effect by a factor equal to the points spent. 10 times the effect, say, or 20 times the normal range. Dynamism has 8 Modes: Attack, Illusion, Influence, Kinetic, Manifest, Manipulate, Sensory and Shield. Each of these is a skill, like any other skill, though these Modes are not known by name - rather, they are discussed in terms of their effects, such as telepathy, ESP or ability to shoot energy blasts. Attack is any effect that causes direct damage. It unleashes Dynamism energy in many forms to harm or destroy others. The damage is based on how much Dynamism energy is poured in, and normally it can hit a range of up to 20 meters, hitting a single target and interacting with armor normally. It can be dodged normally, and can be either an instant blast or a several-round-duration conjured melee weapon/punching buff. You can hit an area effect, but it's harder. Illusion is any falsely created sensory input or the detection of same. Illusions appear real, but have no substance. Standard, low-power effects hit only one sense, but can be increased to hit other senses. Mobility is difficult, as is complex detail or particularly high volume, brightness or size. Illusions can only be resisted if you have some idea that they're illusory, though Illusion-users can intuitively detect them sometimes. Illusion is also able to be used to make you invisible. Influence is any effect that manipulates someone's thoughts and emotions. It can be used for a single-command Jedi mind trick, which can be telepathic if you want. You can't ever make someone do something against their basic nature or which they are incapable of doing, and actions that put them in danger get penalties. You can also use this to buff or debuff someone's mental skills and attributes. They will remember everything that happens, and unless you got a critical success, they'll know that it was not their own idea. Kinetic is...well, telekinesis and levitation. Using the Kinetic mode takes your full concentration, and while actively doing it, you can't use any other powers, though you can make something hover in place and turn your attention elsewhere. The power you put into it determines its effective strength and how much you can lift. You can also use this grapple osmeone. Manifest causes nonliving materials and objects out of energy. How much mass and volume you can make is based on the level of power put into it. You must be familiar with the object to be made, but simple shapes like bricks, bows or swords are easy enough. When the duration ends, the material vanishes...unless it's been consumed or mixed with something else. Manifested water still quenches thirst normally, and manifested metals can, say, be alloyed at a forge and will continue to be alloyed even when the power ends. You may also use this power to make material disappear temporarily to, say, make a hole in a wall or make a weapon vanish for a few minutes. Manipulate alters the physical form of other objects and creatures. The greater the change, the harder it is. This can be used to heal or harm others, cure or cause disease, buff or debuff skills or physical attributes, buff someone's damage resistance or even change their appearance or alter things from one type of object to another. The more complex the changes, the more difficult the power. The trick is that, at base, you have to touch your target. Only healing and harming are permanent changes. Sensory enhances perceptive abilities - not just in terms of the five senses, but also in terms of empathic ability or ability to sense lies. This can buff PER, be used to locate things or even to clairvoyantly scry on other places. This power can also be used in reverse to conceal things from detection, though they aren't invisible - just unnoticed. Shield creates protective auras, barriers and wards. An aura is a visible (if translucent) protective field that can soak up damage for you and prevent critical hits. Barriers are stationary, two-dimensional energy shields that reduce damage to anything behind them, but which are immobile. Wards protect against specific threats, rather than just damage. Essentially, you name what the ward blocks - a specific type of weapon or environmental effect, a skill (such as Tracking, say), a disease or so on. Anyone protected by the Ward is protected from any damage from that thing (just like an aura) and gets a bonus to resist non-damaging effects. However, no one can have more than one Ward protecting them at a time. This power also works in reverse, as a Curse, which works like a Ward but instead increases damage or penalizes resistance. The game lists four Traditions of Dynamism: The Delphoian Tradition derives from the priest-oracles or Athenia and Apollon, and is also used by the Legion. It is highly versatile, but not subtle. All of its effects come with a faint glow and electrical charge, and its advantage is its broadness - it has neither bonuses nor penalties to any form of power. However, it's not subtle. When using it, you get glowing blue eyes and a golden glow around your head, plus effects determined by the player. The Nymphas Whisperers hold that all is one with nature, and so they commune with natural spirits. All of their effects smell of fresh earth and sound like rustling leaves, and their targets tend to glow pale green. They are able to work their power even at great distance, so long as they are in a natural area, and they get a bonus to using powers in a natural area, but a penalty in cultivated areas and most cities, though Nymphas settlements are often designed to allow natural energy flow. They also can't use the Kinetic mode at all, and get penalties to Attack and Shield, but bonuses to Influence and Manipulate. Shamanism is mostly done by Goregons and other primitive groups, relying on communicating with spirits. All shamans have a totem beast, and their effects are accompanied by sound or images based on that totem. They get a bonus to any Dynamism powers appropriate to their totem, which is usually all things in a single Mode. However, to use their powers, shamans must attain a dream state via psychoptropics or meditation, and get a penalty when not in that state. They can't use the Kinetic Mode, but get a big bonus to Sensory (and penalties to Attack and Influence). Zoran Sorcery is mostly done by Zorans and some Amazorans, and calls on their gods, the Titanoi. Sorcerous effects tend to have blinding lights and roaring noise, and their powers are easier to use when related to their patron Titanos, which are described in another book. However, their powers are penalized when doing things opposed to their patrons. Also, they may never receive favor from the Hellene gods. They get two Modes at a bonus and two at a penalty. Next time: the gods
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Jul 28, 2016 18:51
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Robindaybird posted:So basically by RAW, women are incapable of holding up a cross, and still no idea why the hate on Vampires - and text doesn't seem to imply there's anything wrong with the prejudice. Of the free powers, priests can do all of them: bless, exorcise, pray, retreat, sanctify. Of the free powers, women can only Pray and Retreat. Technically this applies to monks too, I suppose? But a monk can become a priest, leave the monastic life behind.
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Jul 28, 2016 19:02
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Hostile V posted:Sorry, there's a bit of accidental bad phrasing on my part. Using a cross is lumped under free powers but it's not one of the powers that are gender limited. Cross-slinging is more of just a mechanic than a power tied to your gender/church role. I'm guessing the Nun equivalent to a Priest would really be an abbess or a mother superior or some sort of religious authority. Of course, my guess the only real difference is between a Nun (and monk) and a Priest is that nuns and monks are consecrated but not ordained while the priest is an ordained title of clergy in a religious order, so, of course, female priests would be off-limits in the Covenant and other faith's equivalents but a Protestant Covvie could likely have female Priests.
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Jul 28, 2016 19:20
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Hellas: Worlds of Sun and Stone Note: technically  due to Greco-Roman pottery-style dicks.While some Hellenes say there are countless gods, most agree on there being twelve. While they answer to many names and are identified in different ways and even different genders on different worlds, broadly speaking the Twelve are broken into six male and six female gods, and also divided into two groups - the Hel gods and the Las gods, six each. The gods whose names end in -on are traditionally depicted as male, while those ending in -ia are traditionally depicted as female, but it's far from universal. The PCs of the game are generally speaking chosen and beloved of a god, recipients of divine favor. Of course, this often also means that another god or gods dislike them. Some heroes appreciate the great heights and depths their lives will reach as a result, while others do not, but heroes do universally strive for immortality, and the favor of the gods makes that possible, if exceedingly rare. Heroes favored by the gods are often given divine powers as a result. This is always tied to your Glory score - the mroe you have, the more powers your god will grant you, and you can lose powers by losing Glory. While this works for PCs and really major adversaries, most NPCs will not have any divine powers no matter what their Glory is. The Hel gods are the gods who are active, energetic. They bring change, and are associated with the elements of air and fire. They tend to be divided inot three couples - Aphrosia and Areson, Artesia and Aemoton, and Athenia and Apollon.  Aemoton, the Farmer is the god of agriculture, growth, plants, heat, light, life, warmth and rain. He is depicted as a rough, outdoorsy fellow, always carrying heavy loads, working from sunrise to sundown. He speaks little, and his words are always terse and to the point, as there is always more work to be done. He enjoys providing for his children, but he never takes time to enjoy life for himself. His symbols are farm implements and young plants. His worship is centered in the system of Megaris, home of his Temple Moon, Megara. Powers granted by Aemoton are:
 Aphrosia, the Lover is the goddess of charisma, charm, deceit, persuasion, sex, artistry, trickery and lies. She is ttractive to anyone who sees her, male or female. At first glance, she appears beautiful, but a closer look reveals that she is actually hideously ugly and scarred. She uses charms and makeup to hide her true nature. Her symbol is long fingernails. Her home system is Akhaia Sikyon, home of her Temple Moon, Sikyon. Powers granted by Aphrosia are:
 Apollon, the Wrestler is the god of brawling, athletics, strength, running, speed, acrobatics, endurance and health. He is shown as the perfect Hellenic man, well-muscled and healthy due to constant exercise and games. He can leap higher, throw father and run faster than anything else, and he is always in motion. His perfection leads to adoration, and so he is also celebrating for recognition by crowds and fans. His symbols are the laurel wreath, medallion and ribbon. His home system is Dryopia, home to the Temple Moon Delphoi. Powers granted by Apollon are:
Next time: Areson, Artesia and Athenia
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Jul 29, 2016 00:17
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I'm gonna get flack for this, but why does greco-roman art always depict men with very tiny phalluses? If that was true to life, among the many other reasons I should be, I feel bad for greco-roman women of that era.
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Jul 29, 2016 00:28
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Covok posted:I'm gonna get flack for this, but why does greco-roman art always depict men with very tiny phalluses? If that was true to life, among the many other reasons I should be, I feel bad for greco-roman women of that era. This was actually a Greek -thing-. Big tonkers were seen as innately humorous, (and, well, vulgar and rustic) and artistic depictions, unless they were supposed to be comedic, were meant to be austere and sober. So you get tiny dicks everywhere. (The god of having a great big penis was Priapus, who was taken super-seriously in the countryside as a god of protection and fertility, while the urban Greeks, who naturally made most of the statues, thought he was a joke.)
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Jul 29, 2016 01:02
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Covok posted:I'm gonna get flack for this, but why does greco-roman art always depict men with very tiny phalluses? If that was true to life, among the many other reasons I should be, I feel bad for greco-roman women of that era. Basically the idea was small dicks were actually better, it shows one is a man of reason and higher intellect, anyone with a massive dong was thought to be like a beast, ruled by desire and lust. Secondly, big dicks are considered hilarious, they can't take a giant dong seriously.
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Jul 29, 2016 01:05
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Yep. One of the books I read for Classics suggested some would tuck and bind their dongs to look smaller, but I'm pretty sure that one came from a foreign source.
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Jul 29, 2016 01:06
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Didn't it kind of fold in with the Greek's obession with "youth"? 
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Jul 29, 2016 01:08
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The Greeks had all sorts of weird issues. As much as we credit them with the foundation of Western civilization, they were actually huge jerks. That image people have of a long line of Spartans marching to Thermopylae? Each one of those guys had at least one slave with them; the Spartans never carried their own shields, and in fact maintained such a large standing army because it was the only way to prevent their brutally oppressed Helot population rising up and killing them all. Many people misconstrue historical writings about "X citizens fell stopping Y Persians", but those lines are actually the Greek historian mocking the invaders for thinking most of the soldiers they killed were free soldiers, when they were mostly slaves.
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Jul 29, 2016 01:16
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Shoah's the only F&F I managed to finish. 
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Jul 29, 2016 01:24
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Sparta was alright at war, but they were loving AMAZING at taking credit for any Greek victory won by a force that was at least 1% Spartans.
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Jul 29, 2016 02:43
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One thing you may have noticed about Hellas is that it's not exactly shy about going 'yo, the Hellenes are kind of dickheads' fairly often.
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Jul 29, 2016 02:45
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Hellas is making me want to do Atlantis the Second Age. I like Jerry Grayson's work a lot
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Jul 29, 2016 03:18
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unseenlibrarian posted:This was actually a Greek -thing-. Big tonkers were seen as innately humorous, (and, well, vulgar and rustic) and artistic depictions, unless they were supposed to be comedic, were meant to be austere and sober. So you get tiny dicks everywhere. The Greeks know that it's not the size of the tool that matters, but how you use it. Also, kind of weird how a potentially lethal medical condition got named after an ancient deity.
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Jul 29, 2016 03:56
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Covok posted:If that was true to life, among the many other reasons I should be, I feel bad for greco-roman women of that era. Might explain why they went for bulls and swans I guess.
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Jul 29, 2016 04:01
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Libertad! posted:The Greeks know that it's not the size of the tool that matters, but how you use it. Well, the reason it got named for him is that Priapus has a very notable trait and that trait is 'a penis that requires a handcart'.
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Jul 29, 2016 04:04
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 CHAPTER THREE Playing Cold City  To directly steal some of the words from this chapter, today we’re going to learn how to frame a scene and how to resolve it. SCENES are made up of four things: place, people, context and conflict. It’s predominantly a GM’s job to frame a scene while it’s the job of the players to say what they’re doing and how they’re affecting the world. Scenes should be separate and distinct while the players should feel free to tease the senses with sights, smells, sounds, etc. Anyone has the power to call an end to a scene and the fact that at least one person feels that way is an indicator it’s time to move on. The GM and the players should also bring their Hidden Agendas into play at least once a session depending on if it’s an open or closed game. Even another player can feel free to add a little spice to a scene to give another player an in for an agenda. CONFLICT is tricky and at least one conflict should happen per scene. Rule of thumb is that the characters should automatically succeed (or at the very least “yes, but”) if it would move the story forward unless it’s an important conflict or a vital situation. The specific example the book mentions is “the characters are being chased by a monster and have to climb a wall to escape. They should succeed the climb because otherwise it would bring the story to a screeching, inglorious halt”. The game defines a conflict as “at least two entities with different desires and willing to face off over it”. To start a conflict, bring your d10s and state what you want to achieve if your character wins the conflict. Pick a reasonable Attribute (Action, Influence, Reason) for a starter pool of dice. If this conflict allows you to bring a Hidden Agenda into play, double that base pool of dice selected from an Attribute. You can also pick relevant positive or negative Traits to add one dice to the pool per trait, these Traits changing how your character goes about resolving the conflict and should be incorporated into roleplay. If this is a negative Trait, it should be a different colored die or rolled separate if it’s an online roller. You can also bring a Tool into play, something your character has that is relevant to how you’re trying to go about things (a gun pressed into someone’s back, bribe money, bouquet of flowers) for two dice. One player can use one Tool at a time. Finally, you can add Trust to the dice pool depending on if you’re betraying someone or leaning on their Trust. As you can imagine, this can create quite a large pool of dice to throw around. On the other hand, circumstances might take away dice to represent negative circumstances. The opponent can be a premade NPC that the GM made, another player or a set pool of dice set to represent the opposition. Opposition can be a person or a monster or even an environment. Once both sides have their pools of dice put together, then you roll!  Conflict resolution is simple: the pool of dice with the highest number wins, no matter how big or how small the pool is. If it’s a tie, both numbers are removed from the board and you move onto the next highest (both sides have a 10? Remove the 10s and look at the next highest). That’s all there is to it. If people on one side team up, one character can be designated as the main actor while the other assistants can add relevant Attributes and Traits as dice to help the main actor. If there are just multiple sides fighting in a conflict, only the person with the highest result can win.  CONSEQUENCES When you win a conflict, you get points depending on the difference between your highest number and the opponent’s. These points can be spent in different ways for yourself or for others. If Greg has a 9 and John has a 4, Greg has 5 points to spend on doling out consequences in addition to getting what he wants from the conflict. Consequences have to logically stem from the conflict and what the sides were trying to do.  Increase/Decrease Attribute: The max level for an Attribute is 5 and the Attribute can only be increased by 1 at a time (so if Greg uses that 5 points, he can’t increase an Attribute by 2). Decreasing an Attribute can be roleplayed as a wound, a blistering argument or a disorienting assault on the senses or however you see fit in addition to beating the opponent. Gain new Positive/Negative Trait: The new Trait should reflect the nature of the conflict. You can have max 9 Traits total. Gain Temporary Negative Trait: Lasts for the rest of the scene or the session and then goes away. Change Trait to Positive or Negative: Put a positive spin on it and make it easier to use that Trait without consequences or vice-versa. Lose Positive/Negative Trait: Perhaps you’re improving yourself or perhaps you’ve lost something. Characters change and grow and Traits are not set in stone. Lock Positive/Negative Trait: Locking a Trait means it can be used in a conflict without being removed or flipped from good to bad or bad to good. There’s no limit to locking Traits but keep in mind that Traits are part of your character’s identity and too many locked Traits is somewhat stagnant. Unlock Trait: Reverse a lock and put a Trait up for danger if it’s used again. Reduce an Attribute to 0: Doing this immediately removes the character from active play and triggers a Crisis Point. The winner also gets to narrate the results of the conflict (with the help of the other participants setting the scene and adding actions). If the winner is a player, they can’t make statements of fact about things they’ve found or discovered. The GM can’t make statements of fact about player characters and the players can’t make statements of fact about the NPCs.  Also from here you should change Trust as you feel appropriate. Additional Rule: Remember how I said that a negative Trait should be rolled separate somehow? If the negative Trait is the one that wins the conflict, turn the success into a “yes, but”. “Yes you win but you make an absolute rear end of yourself”.  CRISIS POINTS A Crisis Point is a moment where a character is in extreme peril or danger because an Attribute has dropped to 0. 0 Action might mean that the character is gravely wounded, 0 Influence might be madness or immense disgrace, 0 Insight might be a complete loss of senses and reasoning. There might very well be death or permanent insanity if the player thinks it’s appropriate. If a character has hit a Crisis Point, they have to resolve it. Until it’s resolved, they can’t act in scenes in conflicts but they can be around in the background doing other things. If the player wants the character to die, the next scene should be an epilogue narrated by the player that concludes this character’s story. If the player wants the character to return, there needs to be a scene inserted where the character recovers. This scene is also narrated by the player. Choosing to come back isn’t a slap on the wrist, though: you regain the Attribute you lost at half the original level (round down, minimum one), lose a positive Trait appropriate to the conflict and gain a new negative Trait. NPCs do not get Crisis Points: they are either permanently removed from play or may return next session with half the Attribute and a loss of a positive Trait.  MAKING NPCS  Making a quick NPC is easy. Roll 1d10, take the result from the table above, give them two positive and one negative Traits and give them one Hidden Agenda (either Personal or National). Included are the sample NPCs the book provides.         Making a notable NPC is different. Notable NPCs get 8-14 points to spend on their Attributes with the rule of thumb being the higher the pool the more monstrous the NPC is. They also get three positive and two negative Traits, Hidden Agendas if appropriate and Trust if appropriate. And that’s all you need for mechanics to play Cold City. It’s simple, it’s quick and I like it quite a bit. I like how there’s no real measurement for health and that you can alter what your character can do pretty easily if you do well. It’s not hard to amass a good pool for a conflict. NEXT TIME: the world of 1950s Berlin, organizations, NPCS, missions and more. 
Vox Valentine fucked around with this message at 06:43 on Jul 29, 2016 |
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Jul 29, 2016 06:40
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Robindaybird posted:Basically the idea was small dicks were actually better, it shows one is a man of reason and higher intellect, anyone with a massive dong was thought to be like a beast, ruled by desire and lust. It also had to do with an obsession with symmetry and balance...also it was outright assumed the statues where growers not showers. The penises weren't perpetually that small, which would have been associated other character flaws, like passivity and a lethargic nature (as a recent NPR report said, flaccid penises in statues aren't that much smaller than flaccid penises in real life). The idea was that a Rational Platonic Ideal of a Man, wouldn't be ruled by their lust as said before, but control it not deny it. Often chaste anti Heroes would reach just as tragic (and "deserved") fates like the men whose lusts lead them to personal downfalls. It's just that myth reflected real life and more of the "lust isn't always good' is a more interesting and common conflict. NutritiousSnack fucked around with this message at 07:31 on Jul 29, 2016 |
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Jul 29, 2016 07:25
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