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Night10194 posted:I know they got up to some zany poo poo back in the day, but, uh, why was Spock drawing a pentagram and summoning the space devil?
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Feb 1, 2018 19:53
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Hostile V posted:Random result on the Perils of the Warp table. Rolled that Unbound Daemonhost result, didn't he?
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Feb 1, 2018 20:47
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Night10194 posted:I know they got up to some zany poo poo back in the day, but, uh, why was Spock drawing a pentagram and summoning the space devil? The gif... it's a faaaaaaake
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Feb 1, 2018 20:57
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RocknRollaAyatollah posted:Animated Star Trek is official canon by the way. Anything that was on TV or in a movie is according to various sources over the years. Everything else isn't canon. Doesn't that backdoor the Kzinti into the canon, since Niven wrote some episodes and they were in them, or at least one?
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Feb 1, 2018 20:59
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Niven adapted a version of The Soft Weapon to Star Trek, yeah.
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Feb 1, 2018 21:02
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 THE BLOOD RED FEZ – PART SIX Robin Thicke – Ain't No Hat 4 That (ugh) There's a few other avenues of inquiry for the investigators to pursue, but honestly none of them are that helpful and by the time they've spoken to Makryat they've learned just about everything they can. Also, this scenario write-up has been going on long enough and I'm keen to bring it to a close. It's kind of a shame; the book puts a lot of effort into describing Ottoman Constantinople and making it an interesting place to go on adventures, but ultimately there's no reason for the investigators to see most of it. Anyway. A neat thing about the climax of this scenario is that unlike pretty much every other Horrient scenario this one is uh, designed well. Instead of giving you a script and a railroad, the book tells you what everyone's plans are and how the investigators might find out about them. The rest is up to you. This is apparently very similar to the structuring of Masks of Nyarlathotep (this scenario was written by Geoff Gillan, who worked on that) which makes me very excited for the remake that's supposed to come out this year. The first thing that needs to be handled is saving Barlas. The exchange is to take place at the Kasim Pasha docks. Ten cultists escort Barlas, including Menkaph or Kapok if either of them survived the train. They're carrying pistols and yatagans and two of them will be Fez Servants, assuming the cult kept at least one Fez. They take a steamer to the docks from the Island of Doomed Princes. The exchange takes place in a seedy shipyard; the cultists demand whatever they wanted in the note they blow Barlas' brains out and attack the investigators. There's an irritating absence of a map for the shipyard, so the keeper will have to whip something up. The team should have a rough idea by now of where they're coming in from, so one option is to try to intercept the cultists on their way to Kasim Pasha. Demir knows a brave and cunning fisherman named Nine-Fingered Abdullah; Demir once saved his life and Abdullah and his crew are down to mix it up with the cultists. Whether the fight happens at the shipyard or on the water, there'll be a few rounds of combat before the navy sends out marines to investigate.  Oh poo poo I only just remembered Men Without Hats A bigger concern for the team might be Nisra. If she gets her hands on a Fez and the tome, she will work as fast as she can to uncover its secrets and cast Favourite of Yog-Sothoth. The investigators will probably have to launch an attack on the island to stop the ritual. Abdullah is willing to drop them off. The Island of Doomed Princes is small and practically deserted. There's no real dock and the only proper structure is a crumbling stone tower in the middle of the island, the remains of what might have once been a sentry tower. The first level of the tower is living quarters for the cultists and there's usually around 10 of them here at any time, armed with yatagans and a few rifles. If a big ritual is going to be cast, the number swells to 25. Nisra, Prince Ramazan, Barlas and the eunuch Ulug can be found on the second floor of the tower. Ulug sleeps downstairs, but spends most of his time on the top floor, guarding the Prince. Nisra spends most of her time here in the opulent boudoir, studying her formidable occult library. She still dresses like a harem girl and has a playful and teasing manner that hides her shrewd intellect and total lack of empathy. She wants to summon Yog-Sothoth, become a sorceress supreme and take over the Eastern Mediterranean. She lacks much combat ability and primarily relies on Ulug and her cultists to protect her; if cornered, she'll try to confuse and manipulate the investigators until she can stab one of them and get away. Prince Ramazan can be found in an elaborate gilded cage in a corner of the boudoir. He is covered in excrement and syphilis sores, but has been enchanted by Nisra to believe that he is enjoying the manifold pleasures of her harem. If someone slaps some sense into him, he will go insane when he understands the reality of his situation. Barlas is chained to a wall nearby and fares much better, having only been drugged with hashish to render him docile. If Nisra has what she needs to cast the ritual, she waits until nightfall. She will have her two dozen armed cultists guarding her while she cuts Ramazan's throat and makes the call to Yog-Sothoth. Killing Ramazan doesn't prevent the spell – the actual wording of Favourite of Yog-Sothoth allows for any human sacrifice, not just a prince, but it might be cooler to ignore that. Going in guns blazing and killing Nisra is certainly one way to stop the cult, at least temporarily. Naturally, the best thing to do is cast Destroy the Fez. If the investigators try this, Nisra may even force her cultists to hold back, looking forward to an opportunity to crush her opponent through will alone. Casting the spell requires the caster to be wearing a Fez and to make eye contact with a Fez Controller. It then costs 15 POW along with three rounds of concentration as the caster makes an opposed POW roll against the Controller. If successful, they become the new Fez Controller and can elect to destroy every Fez – anyone wearing a Fez at this time must make a Hard POW roll to tear it off their heads before it explodes, costing the caster 1D10 SAN. The Controller's Fez deflates and melts into a red paste that permanently scars them. It's possible to cast Destroy the Fez even up to the point that Nisra starts her ritual. However, fumbling the roll means Yog-Sothoth immediately appears in this world, with the attendant 1D10/1D100 SAN cost for everyone who witnesses this. All Fezzes will be destroyed as a result of this intrusion and anyone wearing a Fez will be driven totally insane. The Controller at this point can opt to sacrifice all of their POW to dismiss Yog-Sothoth – the gate closes and they slump lifelessly to the ground. The Thin Line Between Love And Hat Investigators receive 1D4 SAN for saving the Myers and 1D4 SAN for saving Barlas. Thwarting the Children of the Fez nets 1D6 SAN, destroying the Blood Red Fez itself is worth 1D10 SAN. Survivors can return to London and enjoy the endless gratitude of Professor Smith. As a result of the team's actions, the Children of the Fez fall apart. The Brotherhood of the Skin grows in power and Selim soon claims the Red Mosque. The Duc de Esseintes withdraws to Lausanne to continue his studies. If he survived the trip, Henri Peeters finally meets his end a few years from now while saving passengers from a train fire – but of course, his story is only just beginning. Next time: Dark Ages! 
Down With People fucked around with this message at 12:56 on Feb 2, 2018 |
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Feb 1, 2018 21:46
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I am extremely excited that a dramatic finale can hinge on the mighty spell DESTROY THE FEZ.
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Feb 1, 2018 21:53
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Dawgstar posted:Doesn't that backdoor the Kzinti into the canon, since Niven wrote some episodes and they were in them, or at least one? Yes, one of the writers wanted to put them into the 5th season of Enterprise too and commissioned a mock up picture of a Kzinti ship.  It's also why they're in the Star Fleet Battles universe stuff because they were one of the few canon powers mentioned in the shows at that time.
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Feb 1, 2018 22:28
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Snorb posted:Also, I was pleasantly surprised that the Miranda class's description actually namechecked the Ptolemy class from the old Franz Joseph Designs Star Fleet Technical Manual. (No in-game stats, though. Then again, the NX class and certain ships from First Contact that I think are cool aren't statted either.) Ptolemy-class is canon, it showed up on a monitor for a bit in Wrath of Khan!  I want an Akira-class ship too but I'm fine with nothing from Enterprise receiving stats ever. RocknRollaAyatollah posted:Animated Star Trek is official canon by the way. Anything that was on TV or in a movie is according to various sources over the years. Everything else isn't canon. Roddenberry went back and forth on the Animated Series as canon (Which is why none of its stuff showed up in TNG onward until that planned Enterprise thing IIRC) but always included the episode where they Butterfly Effect Spock into dying as a child and have to go back and save him.
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Feb 1, 2018 23:06
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Kavak posted:I want an Akira-class ship too but I'm fine with nothing from Enterprise receiving stats ever. There's a shared folder floating around on someone's Google Drive that stats some of the TNG-era ships, a couple TOS-era ships from Star Trek Online, the Odyssey-class multimission cruiser from STO, the Kelvin Timeline ships, and the Walker and Crossfield from Discovery. (No Cardenas class, boo hiss.) No, there's no stats for the Universe class. (I don't even know how/if that'd be possible anyway.)
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Feb 1, 2018 23:30
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I'm murderhobo trash so I would straight-up play a game set in the Mirror Universe as subversive space anti-fascists.
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Feb 2, 2018 03:57
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gradenko_2000 posted:I'm murderhobo trash so I would straight-up play a game set in the Mirror Universe as subversive space anti-fascists. Prime universe infiltrators or rebels against the Terran Empire?
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Feb 2, 2018 04:05
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Mirror universe really makes much more sense for an RPG anyway. I mean, who doesn't look at Star Trek: Discovery and see their play group. Don't @ me.
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Feb 2, 2018 04:07
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Kavak posted:Prime universe infiltrators or rebels against the Terran Empire? One background for prime infiltrators should definitely be people sent to fight the Terran Empire for being too
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Feb 2, 2018 05:31
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Kavak posted:Ptolemy-class is canon, it showed up on a monitor for a bit in Wrath of Khan! The reboot/alternate timeline movie does draw heavily from that TAS episode for Spock's childhood.
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Feb 2, 2018 10:58
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The Mirror Universe, taken straight, is exactly as dumb as every other space fascism jackoff session, and besides which has canonically collapsed and been replaced by the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance. If I was running a Trek game, though, I would definitely have a mirror universe event happen in a long-running campaign. It seems like the best way to use that would be either a character study - possibly with Lt. D'artagnan getting to be LEATHER COMMANDANT D"ARTAGNAN, and being encouraged to ham it up or even be co-GM - or a way to get another angle on the main themes of the campaign, planned or emergent. Dawgstar posted:Doesn't that backdoor the Kzinti into the canon, since Niven wrote some episodes and they were in them, or at least one? The animated series had the advantage of not having a set or SFX budget cap the way the TV show did. But it was still a 70s-era cartoon, so a lot of those inventive and imaginative designs didn't... do a whole lot. e: As for that episode with Spock's youth on Vulcan, I think the Spock's youth parts are canon - that episode was written by Dorothy Fontana if I recall. The part where Spock went back in time to help himself out, I think, eh.
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Feb 2, 2018 11:23
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The thing I think is pretty goddamn stupid about the Star Trek Mirror Universe is that despite all the vastly vastly different historical divergences, everyone who's been born in our universe is born in theirs. Despite the fact that torturing people to death for speaking out against the state was a thing for a few hundred years.
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Feb 2, 2018 16:40
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Kurieg posted:The thing I think is pretty goddamn stupid about the Star Trek Mirror Universe is that despite all the vastly vastly different historical divergences, everyone who's been born in our universe is born in theirs. Despite the fact that torturing people to death for speaking out against the state was a thing for a few hundred years. It's a common thing in alternate history. As people say, "Henry the VIIIth on a Zeppelin" is more interesting than "some random king who never existed in real life on a Zeppelin".
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Feb 2, 2018 19:09
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There is kind of an interesting idea in a universe that populates its timeline backwards from point of contact with another universe. Like this universe only sprang into existence in 2018 as an imperfect copy of our own but then causality oozes backwards in time from that point to explain how it worked out that way, filling in blank un-time until the dawn of time.
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Feb 2, 2018 19:23
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Scion: Origin: Scaling Mount Meru So, on top of all we've discussed, the main thing about any roll is it has a Difficulty, the number of successes you need to spend to not fail the roll. Every roll takes at least 1 success, so minimum Difficulty is 1. If it'd be easier than that, don't roll. If you don't have enough successes to spend on Difficulty, you fail and receive a Consolation to keep things moving. If something is impossible, again, just don't roll. Most Difficulty is static - you roll against a Difficulty that is known. However, it can also be opposed, which is when your Difficulty is generated by someone else's roll. Difficulty 1-2 is the norm for static, with 3+ being the realm of 'this is some insane shat for the level of the game you are playing', like outrunning a car or evading the Wyld Hunt. Challenges can also have Complications. Complications have a value, like Difficulty, but they don't prevent you from succeeding at your goal. Rather, they are 'yes, but' drawbacks. If you climb over a fence, and it has barbed wire on top, the barbed wire is a Complication. The roll might be Difficulty 1, but also have a level 1 Complication, or 1c. This means that one success is enough to get you over, but you'll need another success to avoid the danger of the barbed wire - maybe you would cut your hands and take damage, say. Complication 1 isn't too bad, usually - it won't injure you most of the time. Complication 2+ is where conditions and injuries can be gotten, and 3+ is where they get nasty. Enhancements make rolls easier...sort of. They will not increase your odds of basic success. Rather, If you get at least one success, you get bonus successes equal to your relevant Enhcanements. Only the most exceptional Enhancements exceed 3, and Enhancement can be abbreviated as 1e (or however many e). Enhancement 1 might be a really nice piece of gear or taking basic advantage of terrain. Enhancement 2 is more in depth study of a foe or a magic weapon. Enhancement 3 might be striking from hiding or using a genuine Masamune sword. Enhancement 4-5 is basically 'you have some insane mojo backing you or hindering the foe.' However, Enhancements can come with Drawbacks. Maybe getting drunk gives Enhancement to making friends with satyrs, but it's going to increase the Difficulty of other actions. Drawbacks in general manifest in the form of Complication, increased Difficulty to some other action, or free Enhancement to your antagonists. The game suggests that Enhancements over 3, whether form one source or combined together, should definitely come with Drawbacks - too much help rarely makes things much easier. Teamwork, incidentally, uses Enhancement. When you assist someone, you roll your dicepool and give (successes) Enhancement, to a max of 3. Your roll doesn't even have to be the same pool as the main actor's, as long as it could reasonably make sense as helping. Now, the question is, how does this rather short-scale (1-5) system handle the difference in tiers? Well, Scale. Scale is a large gap in power or scope. Most supernatural critters operate on a different scale than humans. Scale comes in two components - narrative scale and dramatic scale. Narrative Scale is a value that is used to multiply successes or static traits when dealing with beings of lower tier, and also serves as a general narrative benchmark for the havoc this poo poo is going to cause to minor characters, scenery and so on. Just make the roll and multiply all successes by the Narrative Scale value, or assume one success per three dice that'd be rolled and multiply that. Dramatic Scale is what's used, instead, to affect characters and other central elements to the story. It provides an Enhancement to actions against narratively important people or things, or half that value as a bonus to static values. When you're applying Scale to two different individuals that each have it, use the difference in scale between them, benefiting whichever has higher Scale. So a car is going to get a larger bonus to chasing a human than a centaur, as the centaur has higher Scale than the human, and the car has higher Scale than both. (In this example, anyway.) Scale only comes into play in dramatically important challenges, and it's up to the players and ST to handle the divide between the narrative and dramatic effects of Scale. Scale drastically alters the difficulty of doing something, and only applies in large differences - one human being bigger than another isn't Scale. Scale is when a human wants to arm wrestle an oni. Also note that Scale only affects relevant rolls - the oni may be immensely strong, but unless it's also immensely clever, that Scale's only really going to be useful for physical stuff. Scale 0 is a normal person. Scale 1 is 'Elite' - double successes on narrative Scale, and Enhancement 2 on Dramatic Scale. Scale 2 is times 5 and Enhancement 4, Scale 3 is times 10 and Enhancement 6, Scale 4 is times 100 and Enhancement 8, Scale 5 is times 200 and Enhancement 12, Scale 6 is arbitrary multiplication on Narrative Scale and Enhancement 16 on Dramatic Scale. Scale 6 might be what you do for a damage roll on 'I try to tank a nuke' as a normal person, if for some reason the GM thinks you have even a slight chance of survival. Scale can come in multiple types. Size can provide Scale for tasks that make use of that size - lifting, crushing, scaring people. A giant that can hurl cars might be Scale 2, while the Statue of Liberty might be Scale 4. Destructive force can provide Scale for attempts to deal damage. A grenade is probably Scale 2 here, while tank armor might be Scale 3 to oppose it. Vast disparity in speed can provide Scale for races, journeys or range in combat - a horse might be Scale 1, while the heroic Atalanta might be Scale 2 and a plane might be Scale 4. Commanding presence can also provide Scale in terms of swaying opinion or encouraging action. Your boss at work is probably Scale 1, while the president is Scale 3, and Athena might be Scale 5. Scale can, of course, come with drawbacks. A giant might tire more easily if not fed a lot, or might have trouble dodging attacks. It should also be noted that mortals don't usually do well against things of higher Scale, at least without finding ways to subvert things, like ramming the giant with a speeding truck. It's up to the ST to increase Difficulty when Scale would be a problem, but the game advises usually doing so by an amount equal to the Scale rating. Scale differences of more than 3 will usually mean that the lesser-Scale being can't succeed, and the greater-scale one can't fail, so don't bother rolling. However, against scenery or random mooks, any difference of Scale greater than 1 is enough to not need rolling. These are trivial targets. PCs are never trivial targets, ever. Some forms of Scale or attacks can also generate Shockwaves. These cause the effects to spread out at greater range than normal. The action is rolled once, applied against everyone in range. Every range increment out from that reduces the effect's Scale by 2, as it gets weaker. So let's say that the Colossus of Rhodes animates. It's Scale 4, and it smashes the ground. Everyone right on the spot it hits has to deal with a Scale 4 hit. Everyone in close range has a Scale 2 hit. Everyone at short range has a Scale 0 hit. Past that, the shockwave has lost all force. Presumably, the ST will be using bonus successes mostly for knockdown and knockback Stunts. More on that in a bit. Not all Shockwaves are based on Scale - Knacks can also provide them, sometimes. Sometimes, something will leave a longterm effect on you. These are Conditions. They stay until resolved and affect your rolls, usually in the form of a Complication, Enhancement, or mix of the two. If a Condition causes you to fail or otherwise suffer a notable setback, you get 1 Momentum on top of anything gained via Consolation. Conditions always provide at least one way to remove themselves, their resolutions. The ST can add more if they want. The Hangover Condition, say, will fade over time, but an appropriate home remedy might end it early. If you resolve a Condition before it would naturally fade, you gain 1 Momentum. Some conditions don't go away easily - Persistent Conditions. These are usually only resolvable via Boon or other divine power, and instead provide a good source of Momentum for you. The area in which a scene takes place is called a Field. Fields are not defined by distance or range - rather, each Field is a single place with distinct features. A cramped elevator is a Field. Miles of empty desert are a Field. Fields provide context, and the ST should add any features that make sense. If you're on a roof and someone calls down a storm, maybe the Field now has a Complication that causes people to slip and fall if they aren't careful. Players can suggest stuff like this, but the ST has final say. Next time: Stunts.
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Feb 2, 2018 22:03
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marshmallow creep posted:There is kind of an interesting idea in a universe that populates its timeline backwards from point of contact with another universe. Like this universe only sprang into existence in 2018 as an imperfect copy of our own but then causality oozes backwards in time from that point to explain how it worked out that way, filling in blank un-time until the dawn of time. I recall that Continuum had a very interesting take on how time travel and changing the past worked, although its method for actually handling time travel in play was terrible. (It's just "everyone keep a detailed journal, and resolve bits of housekeeping in your downtime, or you get penalty points.)
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Feb 2, 2018 22:09
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marshmallow creep posted:There is kind of an interesting idea in a universe that populates its timeline backwards from point of contact with another universe. Like this universe only sprang into existence in 2018 as an imperfect copy of our own but then causality oozes backwards in time from that point to explain how it worked out that way, filling in blank un-time until the dawn of time. That was always how I liked to justify “Mirror, Mirror,” that it was created as a reflection of the universe at the time of the transporter malfunction. But then I saw DS9 and Enterprise which reinforced that, nope, it’s just another ridiculous case of parallel development.
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Feb 2, 2018 22:16
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Well, sure, in a sense it's ridiculous. In another, those stories would be way shittier if the characters never interacted with their mirrors or, indeed, anyone even slightly resembling them at all. At that point you might as well just...do a normal episode, because why bother with the Mirror Universe?
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Feb 2, 2018 22:18
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Mors Rattus posted:Well, sure, in a sense it's ridiculous. Yeah, but with a couple of handwavy lines establishing some kind of causal link between the universes you can have your cake and eat it, too. I don't begrudge TOS the ridiculousness. I mean, look at "Bread and Circuses" and "The Omega Glory." Or, Jesus, "Miri." Pretty handy for the studio that this alien town looks just like Mayberry, NC. But, If they were going to go back to that well in the modern shows, they could have made it less ridiculous in the process without taking anything away from the original. DS9 generally has such solid storytelling that the mirror episodes stand out like a sore, stupid thumb.
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Feb 2, 2018 22:28
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marshmallow creep posted:There is kind of an interesting idea in a universe that populates its timeline backwards from point of contact with another universe. Like this universe only sprang into existence in 2018 as an imperfect copy of our own but then causality oozes backwards in time from that point to explain how it worked out that way, filling in blank un-time until the dawn of time. There was a Star Trek RPG book about the Mirror Universe where they establish that it isn't just an alternate timeline but a universe where things always turn out to be a twisted and evil(er) version of ours. They don't explain why that is, but I'm sure people could come up with all sorts of interesting ideas from that premise.
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Feb 2, 2018 23:15
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White Coke posted:There was a Star Trek RPG book about the Mirror Universe where they establish that it isn't just an alternate timeline but a universe where things always turn out to be a twisted and evil(er) version of ours. They don't explain why that is, but I'm sure people could come up with all sorts of interesting ideas from that premise. The neat way to close the gap, I think, would be to say that "the mirror universe" is a timeline which is consistent with what has occurred in your origin universe (including any relevant incursions), rather than a single literal mirror. Helpfully for a Trek RPG this would also mean that when Lt. Dartagnan fucks up the transporter, you go to a relevant mirror universe to the adventures of the USS Tereshkova, rather than "a patch of empty void because the Tereshkova was never launched or went on a relevant mission because they needed the spaceframe for grimwar in the Grizzlescowl Nebula front".
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Feb 2, 2018 23:20
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DS9 returned to the Mirror Universe because the actors and producers wanted to ham it up and be silly. That's why they didn't much care about the tone or making sense.
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Feb 2, 2018 23:24
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Speleothing posted:DS9 returned to the Mirror Universe because the actors and producers wanted to ham it up and be silly. That's why they didn't much care about the tone or making sense. Doesn't Mirror-Worf have someone wearing a dog collar chained to his throne?
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Feb 2, 2018 23:30
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White Coke posted:Doesn't Mirror-Worf have someone wearing a dog collar chained to his throne? Yes, Mirror Garak.
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Feb 2, 2018 23:33
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Speleothing posted:DS9 returned to the Mirror Universe because the actors and producers wanted to ham it up and be silly. That's why they didn't much care about the tone or making sense. The last MU episode of DS9’s main feature is mostly Rom commenting about how none of this makes any sense. It’s great! Mirror Universe is best used in a ST game to let you players take the rails off of roleplaying and let the players channel their inner Flash Gordon villain.
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Feb 2, 2018 23:49
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White Coke posted:Doesn't Mirror-Worf have someone wearing a dog collar chained to his throne? In the Mirror Universe, everyone has a FetLife account.
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Feb 2, 2018 23:50
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Speleothing posted:DS9 returned to the Mirror Universe because the actors and producers wanted to ham it up and be silly. That's why they didn't much care about the tone or making sense. Pretty much. It's Star Trek, it's not meant to stand up to serious scientific analysis.
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Feb 2, 2018 23:58
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THE DARK CRUSADER – PART ONE In which Frankish knights on the Fourth Crusade at the Sack of Constantinople hunt down and put an end to the madman Sedefkar and his infernal simulacrum, only to unleash a new evil upon the ages to come. Background A little mood music. The Fourth Crusade! It's going swell. Negotiations have collapsed and the resistance of Constantinople has been crushed. Hordes of Latin invaders now roam the city, looting and pillaging to their hearts' desires. Unbeknownst to them, they are being affected by the baleful influence of a dark god, the Skinless One. Concealed in his tower, the mad sorcerer Sedefkar prepares the way for his unholy deity to enter this world, hoping to earn his favour and become an eternal avatar of the Skin. At the same time, a Venetian cult called the Unburdened Flesh are working among the would-be crusaders. They too worship the Skinless One and covet the legendary artefacts that they know to be in Sedefkar's possession. Nor are they the only ones to covet the Simulacrum… This is a really kick-rear end brutal adventure that caters to what could laughably be called my aesthetic sensibilities. It's very distinctly un-Call of Cthulhu in that rather than being about a series of careful investigations, it's mostly about kicking rear end and taking names. Admittedly, some of the fights are quite brutal and bring a high chance of PC fatality, but this might also be the only CoC scenario where the PCs get to fight a real-rear end no-poo poo dragon. This scenario is unlocked by finding The Devil's Simulare manuscript in Venice and if you want to run it, your players might enjoy the opportunity to really hack and slash as badass knights for a while instead of futzing around as investigators. One problem: the premades for this scenario have been built using the Cthulhu: Dark Ages book but details for the new skills listed haven't been printed in this book. I mean, I can kinda figure out what they do, but it would have been nice if they'd taken the time to include proper descriptions of Other Kingdoms and Status. For this scenario, the 'investigators' are knights and other servants of the Frankish lord Count Baldwin of Flanders. They include: - Gilles de la Grave, a Frankish knight and a member of the Cathar heresy. His father Hubert declared that the Catharists would need relics to protect themselves in the future and swore to acquire them, but died only two years later. Gilles hopes to fulfil his oath to the church. - Brother David, a monk of the Cistercian order that accompanied the Fourth Crusade. Like many Cistercians, David's seen his fair share of action and is no slouch in a fight. He's a pious man, but believes that the end justifies the means and thinks the occult should be studied and understood to combat it. - Andre of Troyes, a Frankish knight and the son of a crusader. He absolutely believes in the church and the high ideals of knighthood. As such, the past couple of days have been rough for him. He is totally loyal to Count Baldwin but watching his fellow knights burn churches understandably disturbs him. - Renaud of Flanders, a Frankish knight and the oldest of the knights. He has served Count Baldwin his entire life and is a veteran of many battles. He's a cynical bastard who's mostly here for the loot, but he's also a skilled warrior and will do whatever it takes to get his fellows through the storm. - Martinus de L'Isles, the youngest of the Frankish knights. At 19 years of age, this is his first campaign and most of his expertise surrounds the skills needed in a small rural holding. He is simple and naive but strongly distrusts the Venetians, who he blames for his uncle's death in the siege of Zara. - Eloise of Flanders, handmaiden to Count Baldwin's wife Marie de Champagne. As well as being a trusted handmaiden she is a skilled spy, using her social status to gather information. Constantinople is a dangerous place and Eloise is trying to find out everything she can to keep her mistress safe.  MY DESCENT IS THE STORY OF EVERYMAN There's some advice offered if you want to run a little prologue with the knights among those breaking the siege – just something to awe the players and introduce them to the scenario. Otherwise, the scenario begins on the second day of the Sack of Constantinople, with the party summoned to Blachernae Palace for a private audience with Count Baldwin. The streets are still utter chaos, with the majority of soldiers still rioting uncontrolled. Baldwin greets them warmly but gets straight to the point. He has heard that a cult of Venetian infernalists have wrought foul magics to bring down the evil that plagues the city. The Count believes that at the end of the day, what happens in the Crusade stays in the Crusade, but the fact that even his own men have given themselves to debauchery and slaughter suggests truth to the rumour. The knights are to venture out into the city, uncover the truth, destroy any practitioners of dark magic and bring any relics back for safekeeping. Baldwin's occult consultant is a leper monk named Brother Merovac; he will study anything mysterious and can be consulted by the knights for guidance.  Their first lead is a Venetian priest who is currently being held in the Northern Basilica at the Forum of Theodosius. He was rescued by a pack of masked heretics and was the first to speak of the cult. The knights must try to keep their mission secret, as Frankish-Venetian relations are currently on a knife-edge. If the heretics prove to be a problem, they should be put down but ideally off the main streets. It would also be good if the knights could find out what role the Doge plays in all this, if any. In addition, he's heard scattered reports of a monster that the Byzantines have let loose to hunt the Franks. If the knights see anything like that, killing it would be appreciated. Next time: More eye shenanigans!
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Feb 2, 2018 23:58
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This adventure already sounds like it's going to rule.
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Feb 3, 2018 00:09
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Speleothing posted:DS9 returned to the Mirror Universe because the actors and producers wanted to ham it up and be silly. That's why they didn't much care about the tone or making sense. The Holodeck spy novel one is so great for that. Nana Visitor wasn't just doing a Russian accent, she was doing a bad Russian accent.
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Feb 3, 2018 01:16
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Thank you guys so much for introducing me to System Mastery. I like to listen to podcasts while I do commission work and it made drawing dicks for internet strangers a little more fun. Also, Promised Sands, what the gently caress, rape ogres? Really?
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Feb 3, 2018 01:56
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DicktheCat posted:
rape ogres are all over the place, I think they were even in pathfinder
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Feb 3, 2018 02:29
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rumble in the bunghole posted:rape ogres are all over the place, I think they were even in pathfinder Pathfinder specifically has The Hills Have Eyes inbred mutant ogres, which they quietly ignore whenever they aren't actively reprinting Rise of the Runelords.
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Feb 3, 2018 02:34
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WHOOPS I HIT SUBMIT EARLY NOTHING TO SEE HERE
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Feb 3, 2018 02:41
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| # ? Apr 25, 2024 22:33 |
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DicktheCat posted:Thank you guys so much for introducing me to System Mastery. I like to listen to podcasts while I do commission work and it made drawing dicks for internet strangers a little more fun. Ooh you got a portfolio somewhere? I like seeing what the listeners are doing while listening.
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Feb 3, 2018 07:13
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