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Was thinking about the arachnoid morph, just because it's so creepy and alien. If I took ambidextrous x5 or something, could I use a couple sets of legs to fire a couple other guns? I understand they all have to be the same target. (At least, that's what google searching tells me). It's not clear if arachnoid legs are this flexible or not. One-handed? Two-handed? edit: Not that I'm going to be able to afford multiple guns right off the bat. But if I pick a few up... edit: Oh, wait: quote:Kinetic weapons are constructed from lightweight, reinforced plastoceramic materials, which are easily produced even without nanofabrication. By default, modern kinetic weapons are ambidextrous but more importantly feature safety and smartlink systems (p. 343) that automatically connect to the wielder’s mesh inserts for fring assistance, target recognition, and tactical networking. Does that mean I don't need the ambidextrous trait to fire multiple kinetic guns? edit: What's the difference between Repair Sprays and Fixer nanoswarms? [Low] vs [Moderate] cost, so it's not the same thing. Is one disposable and the other reusable or something? quote:Repair Spray: This nanobot generator creates nanobots designed to repair synthmorphs, vehicles, and other common objects. Repair spray contains the specifications and plans for almost all commonly used synthmorphs and devices and is a ubiquitous household item. If it does not contain the specifications for something it is being used to repair, it must query the object’s voice for these details, otherwise it cannot repair it. Simply touch it to the damaged area, push the button on top, and it sprays out a number of nanobots sufficient to make repairs. These nanobots repair 1d10 points of damage per 2 hours. Once all damage is restored, the nanobots repair wounds at the rate of 1 per day. Repair spray also cleans and polishes items and returns them to a pristine and new state. Repair spray is not effective on any object with more than 3 wounds, but it provides a +30 to all repair rolls on anything too badly damaged for it to fully repair. [Low] quote:Fixers: This is the nanoswarm version of repair spray. [Moderate] Bobulus fucked around with this message at 23:16 on Oct 22, 2011 |
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Oct 22, 2011 22:53
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Fixers heal nanoswarms; repair spray heals basically everyone else. A nanoswarm is a type of morph.
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Oct 22, 2011 23:33
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Bobulus posted:Does that mean I don't need the ambidextrous trait to fire multiple kinetic guns? No, it means that their controls, like safeties, magazine ejection buttons, chargers and fire-selection switches, and ejection ports are designed that they can be used by left- or right-handed people. Think something like the P90, where every control to operate the weapon can be operated with either hand, the magazine ejected with the off-hand and it ejects it's spent ammo casings downward to avoid having the casings hitting the shooter's face. Then look at something like the AK-47, where the safety/fire selection switch and charger are all on the right of the weapon, requiring the shooter to take their hand off the trigger to change fire modes or rechamber a round.
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Oct 22, 2011 23:38
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Oh, those both make a lot more sense. I was really overthinking this stuff. :P Repair spray isn't one-time-use, right?
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Oct 22, 2011 23:43
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doesn't say but i bet repair spray is reusable if you feed it raw materials to rebuild the swarm. The big difference is a nanoswarm is mobile and can be programmed for complex tasks. Repair spray has to be applied by someone. So you could use a fixer swarm to move through a damaged ship or habitat and fix only the life support systems first then fix communications but not repair communications before reporting back in, for example.
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Oct 23, 2011 02:41
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I thought that repair spray was a limited use item, whereas Fixer Nanoswarms come from a hive and can operate for extended periods of time.
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Oct 23, 2011 10:20
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CAPSLOCKGIRL posted:I thought that repair spray was a limited use item, whereas Fixer Nanoswarms come from a hive and can operate for extended periods of time. From the way it's described, Repair Spray is preprogrammed with various schematics for the purposes of putting things back together. A Fixer Nanoswarm is programmed by the user for a more specific task at the time of deployment. If I were GMing, I'd say Repair Spray is more a 'fire and forget' sort of thing, something that's easier to use but more limited in its application. A Fixer Nanoswarm is something more sophisticated. Both are still reusable, as the Repair Spray is ALSO mentioned to be a 'Nanobot Generator' as opposed to a can of nanobots sitting around waiting to be used. Were I to take a wild stab at trying to say how they are supposed to be USED.... I'd say a Repair Spray would be useful for someone who didn't have Nanoprogramming. Gearhead fucked around with this message at 12:59 on Oct 23, 2011 |
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Oct 23, 2011 12:55
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yeah repair spray is definitely user friendly. I have an idea for an engineer character with tons of nanoswarms and fabber tech - basically solves all problems by thinking like a minecraft player "I CAN BUILD MY WAY OUT OF ANYTHING" that would be great for a gatecrashing campaign.
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Oct 26, 2011 08:17
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clockworkjoe posted:yeah repair spray is definitely user friendly. I was very tempted to go this route, but I haven't had time to track down the rules on how the fabber works. The group I'm joining is having fun with pretend inter-party conflict, so I made my dude an arrogant techie who disguises his fear with bluster. Should be fun. (At least one of the other player concepts is in Worst Game territory, but I'm hoping it'll all be in good fun.
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Oct 26, 2011 09:04
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clockworkjoe posted:yeah repair spray is definitely user friendly. Something like this is doable as long as you've spoken with the GM and know there won't be any egocasting for the foreseeable future. Bobulus, care to elaborate on the terrible character concept in your group?
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Oct 26, 2011 14:02
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Kire posted:Bobulus, care to elaborate on the terrible character concept in your group? Eh, I'd better not, at least while the campaign is running. Suffice it to say, it's not a terrible "character concept", it's a "terrible character" concept.
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Oct 26, 2011 14:28
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also you can buy blueprints which travel with you since its just software - so buy a fabber blueprint.
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Oct 26, 2011 17:56
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So bumping this thread saying my group is starting a game of this soon. I have no clue what to make, but reading the book this setting is amazing in so many different ways, I'm real glad there's a thread on it. Also one of those book images has a monkey fighting an octopus, that's pretty awesome.
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Nov 1, 2011 22:05
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if you're overwhelmed by it, run a one shot that slowly introduces the new concepts of EP. Some examples: Colonists on an exoplanet with limited resources - run it like stargate or star trek at first. Jovian Republic - run a game where the characters are normal people - frame it like "you're a survivor of the apocalypse living on a space station in deep space. The rest of 'humanity' are bizarre freaks more machine than human. Only you and your friends stand between extinction and the alien threat that menaces humanity. Either do an internal spy - find the traitor in a habitat modeled after American suburbs or an Xcom style bug hunt/kill the exsurgent on an abandoned ship. Indenture - you were killed but given a new body - you have to pay it off by doing mission X. Cyberpunk - you're a gangster on mars in one of the big cities - you have to do a mission for a corporate fixer - think of it like shadowrun or cyberpunk 2020 for missions
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Nov 2, 2011 05:09
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Oh yea me and my group are big scifi fans, so it's not a "OH GOD IT'S ALL SO CONFUSING" thing, more of a "Oh wow there are a lot of options here, neat!" kinda thing. I think the GM said we're going to be doing an intro setting set during the Fall to just get a handle on everything. One of the other players was fast enough to call dibs on being a space-octopus, so I'll most likely go with my idea for making a 'super soldier' type.
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Nov 2, 2011 05:36
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Glitterbomber posted:Oh yea me and my group are big scifi fans, so it's not a "OH GOD IT'S ALL SO CONFUSING" thing, more of a "Oh wow there are a lot of options here, neat!" kinda thing. I think the GM said we're going to be doing an intro setting set during the Fall to just get a handle on everything. That sounds awesome! Depending on how the story goes, you may be able to "jump forward" to AF 10 (the normal setting) afterwards, and have some distant ripple effects of the character's actions way back during the fall. Someone they helped save out of pity is now a major criminal, or someone they abandoned eventually found a way off planet and isn't happy about that.
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Nov 3, 2011 04:16
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I'm absolutely in love with Eclipse Phase after discovering it a couple months ago. Now that I have a few good ideas and a fairly solid understanding of the rules I'm going to start a PbP game of it here on the forums soon. Since it's going to be riffing off an idea clockworkjoe threw out earlier in the thread (bunch of infugees become indentured colonists) I want character creation to be a little less competent than the average firewall badass. I was thinking that it might be best to have characters start out with 750 CP as the morphs would be provided free of charge (and for the lowest bidder) to the characters starting out, as well as changing up the max starting Moxie to 5 and having rep come in at 1 CP/REZ = 2 REP. Would this work or would the egos end up way too incompetent to deal with any kind of serious problem? I really want to get a nice "in over your head" vibe going but it won't be fun if nothing is effectively achievable.
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Nov 9, 2011 23:00
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Picard Day posted:I'm absolutely in love with Eclipse Phase after discovering it a couple months ago. Now that I have a few good ideas and a fairly solid understanding of the rules I'm going to start a PbP game of it here on the forums soon. Since it's going to be riffing off an idea clockworkjoe threw out earlier in the thread (bunch of infugees become indentured colonists) I want character creation to be a little less competent than the average firewall badass. Moxie can go to 5 normally. Did you mean everyone starts with 5 moxie? You'd have to loosen skill point buys too. In standard chargen, PCs have to spend 700 points on skills (400 active and 300 knowledge) Points go real fast in chargen. A 750 point character is significantly weaker than a 1000 point character. They won't have a broad skillset or high aptitudes. They'll go insane quickly with low Willpower if they face exsurgents (willpower is a dump stat for a lot of players). They'll have to hyperspecialize to be good at anything - a hacker with no hardware skills - a soldier with only one or two decent weapon skills - a social guy with low rep and networking scores in some areas. Here's what I imagined: Let them with 1000 points but everyone starts as a case, a splicer with some nasty disadvantages or an infolife - and no equipment. That's what I would do. Because even with all those points, they'd lack equipment and equipment is what makes a character unbalanced/too powerful NOT skills/aptitudes/ego advantages. That way, they're competent, but underequipped and still in over their heads - they have no backup, no way to escape and face skilled enemies. Since they're 1000 point characters, they're capable of surviving against these long odds. Not easy, but possible. Basically, the hypercorp picked the wrong indentures to oppress. Rep is fine as is especially in a remote exoplanet. How are they going to spend to get favors?
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Nov 10, 2011 08:09
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clockworkjoe posted:Moxie can go to 5 normally. Did you mean everyone starts with 5 moxie? These are great points. You should definitely try making some sample characters yourself using Kindalas' spreadsheet (http://eclipsephase.com/resources#homebrew) with the lower point amounts and see what's feasible. That spreadsheet lets you adjust the starting CP. That sheet is intimidating at first but if you know your way around a spreadsheet, or if you just read it, I've found it awesome. Although I love spreadsheets and worked with them for about 3 years, so...
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Nov 12, 2011 06:13
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Thank you for the feedback guys. I did as you suggested and tried making a few characters with that kind of CP and I can see the point you are making - those characters were simply dangerously non-functional and trying to run them with anything but the best of gear would just be simply murder. Also that spreadsheet is awesome, I've been doing most of that stuff by hand the past few days and it's been a huge pain in the rear end. So just running with standard character creation (without the gear, of course) is going to be the plan. I've also been listening to a couple of the actual game recordings clockworkjoe posted earlier in the thread and they have been really excellent listens. I highly recommend them to anyone if you are trying to get a bit more insight into the system and how it works in actual play. I've put the game up for recruiting here if anyone is interested in checking it out, since there seemed to be a good amount of interest for a PbP in this thread. Going for a more oceanic type of planet, as that has a lot of potential for running into all kinds of weird exo-lifeforms and exploration while still maintaining some of the isolation and trapped feeling from a space station. Speaking of ocean planets, does anyone have cool ideas for some more interesting underwater xenoflora/fauna? I have a few ideas with some potential, though honestly Gatecrashing is pretty skimpy with inspiration for interesting ideas on alien critters in general - to be honest the only aquatic critter in the book (the Zombie Crab) seems pretty mundane. Picard Day fucked around with this message at 09:45 on Nov 12, 2011 |
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Nov 12, 2011 09:43
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Kire posted:These are great points.
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Nov 12, 2011 17:40
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I was referred to EP by some fans, and having read both the Quick Rules and the EP rulebook, it seems I have came upon an alternative interpretation of the setting. I know the setting is supposed to be (semi)hopeful; transhumanity suffering through a disaster but eventually pulling itself out and triumphing. My interpretation is that transhumanity is suffering from extreme mental trauma and stress caused by The Fall and the post-Fall wars, and is expected to go insane and die off soon. FIREWALL's goal is to keep humanity alive, even when humanity wants to die, and as a result, FIREWALL loses some of its sympathy that the vanilla EP sought to portray for the organization. Here is my alternate interpretation, if you are curious as to what that is. Included are quotes from the rulebook, but they exist to help justify and further my alternate interpretation.
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Nov 15, 2011 01:23
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New Release!quote:Written by Eclipse Phase co-creator Brian Cross, The Stars Our Destination details a prominent scum swarm in the Eclipse Phase setting. Gamemasters will find a useful nomadic setting complete with ship descriptions, NPCs, and plot hooks. Players will find a handy background for their scum characters as well as more details and information on how this faction lives and operates.  Has anybody read this yet? How is it? Worth the $5?
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Nov 15, 2011 04:52
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I bought the PDF on Drivethru last night, I really like it. For $5 it really has excellent production quality. I really could read an entire hardback about 'scum' characters in EP. In a universe where taking risk has been hedged though uploads defining yourself as a a rogue is pretty much down to your ethical/moral stances rather than being quick with a trigger. But yeah, pick it up.
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Nov 15, 2011 13:58
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Bobulus posted:(At least one of the other player concepts is in Worst Game territory, but I'm hoping it'll all be in good fun. Bobulus posted:Eh, I'd better not [talk about it], at least while the campaign is running. Suffice it to say, it's not a terrible "character concept", it's a "terrible character" concept. The player and I talked this out, and it turns out everything is okay. The character is completely hosed, as mentioned, but the player realizes this, and is only doing it to make the story more interesting, not due to creepyness or whatever. Short version, because I'm at work and can't look up all the pertinent details/correct names: - The character's background is that he's from that failed attempt to replenish the human population after the Fall. You know, the one with accelerated computer learning where everyone that survived came out crazy. - He's a psych-surgeon who works a therapist via his psi-powers. - He's also a complete nut-job, who was once jumped in an alley being a Futura and made all his attackers disappear, including one who, apparently, was reprogrammed and sold as a sex slave to some criminal syndicate. Yeah. - This, in his Dexter-level-crazy mind, has apparently created an obsession with creating the perfect mate via reprogramming. - The GM approved a custom psi-power that lets him do the psi-reprogramming by just touching a person. - In character, none of the other characters know any of this. So you can see why I thought this was going to be a disaster. But it's okay. - The player and I talked, and he assured me that he'll never use the psi-touch-reprogramming thing on another player character, ever, unless he has their out-of-character permission. - Despite the character being hosed in the head, he's apparently actually devoted to being a good doctor to his patients and helping out on missions and stuff. - The GM is basing the first post-tutorial mission on revealing to the rest of us how hosed up this guy is. Apparently, unless we're being misled, he at one point actually worked for a criminal syndicate, where he was known as "The Butcher" for his work with minds, but then somehow "grew a conscience" and got out. (Read: probably created an alpha who did psi-surgery on the original, then deleted himself). The character remembers none of this. It's all very creepy and entertaining, and characters are reacting reasonably and I think everything is going to be okay. 
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Nov 19, 2011 08:12
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Our GM has written up some material for our upcoming bank heist. Take a look: The Erato Heist The Oversight agent known only has Manjappa has engineered governmental collapses and extinguished hundreds of lives in pursuit of his aims. Despite Firewall’s best efforts and an increasing number of dedicated resources, the opposition’s ultimate goal remains a mystery, and Manjappa has begun bloody retribution on those agents he has managed to identify. However, in an attempt to betray before being betrayed, the reclusive triad master Yuon has revealed Majappa’s purpose on Luna to Team Kraken: the robbery of a prominent LLA bank. Proxy Clean and his erasure squad used the team’s intel to find the cat’s paws in the mines beneath the city. The residents of the Erato address turned out to be The Haunted Stars, the inner system’s most notorious bank robbers. Now, the team must interrogate these master criminals, find out what they were after, and figure a way to snatch their only chance at catching the prey before it is too late. How a group of battered, exhausted, and rushed spies plan to manage such a feat in the face of the most sophisticated security systems ever devised remains to be seen…. Heist Mechanic Success or failure in the job will be determined by how effectively the robbers can co-opt, bypass, or otherwise eliminate bank security. As no bank in the history of the LLA has ever been successfully robbed, this will be no easy task. All attempts to subvert the system start out at a -30 modifier, and additional difficulty modifiers can still be applied. However, researching the system, accessing security terminals, bribing guards, using sousveillance devices, and other actions designed to avoid security measures hinder security as a whole. For instance, the system’s limited AI will delay an alarm when an unregistered person shows up in a secure area if it can’t figure out how she got in the building in the first place. Response will be severely hampered if the system is, say, turned off entirely. Each piece of intel learned and subversive action taken will have a token payment/cost associated with it. The more token’s accrued, the easier it is to get by undetected. Security is divided up into four major sections. Access entails security hardpoints like vault doors, mantraps, passkeys, firewalls, and security checkpoints. Surveillance covers all the cameras, spimes, chem-sniffers, nano-detectors, and back-hacks used to identify and respond to threats. Defenses covers automated and manned martial response to physical or cyberwarfare attacks, as well as coordination with LLA law enforcement for the pursuit of any targets that manage to escape the immediate grounds. Finally, Forensics entails the combined weight of the previous components; it represents the sad fact that getting away is not the same as getting away with it. Robbers wanting to avoid identification should worry about this score. Security Measure -20 -10 Base +10 +20 MOXIE POINT Access Surveillance Defenses Forensics INTEL REPORT Below is the intel The Haunted Stars gathered for each component of the security system. More countermeasures undoubtedly exist on the Operations Level, but while their employer provided them with considerable scouting reports on the job, the exact specs for equipment protecting the vault was not available. The layout and some entry points are known, but the endgame of the heist will have to remain a surprise. The Stiverson Building The Stiverson Building is monolithic “domescraper” located near the northern edge of Erato in the banking district. The building is backed on two sides by the underground city’s protective dome, the roof coming within inches of the curvature of the dome. The accessible sides of the building are surrounded by a garish industrial park hundreds of yards long. This courtyard exterior is shared by many LLA banks and considered a huge waste of space, but the lines of sight provide additional security. The windows are all made of shatter-resistant, “diamond” glass. Two skywalks connect the building to other domescrapers in the area. In addition to pedestrian transport, both skyways are crammed with businesses. The bank-level skywalk contains a number of high-end specialty morph and technology firms. This walkway connects to Mikoto Tower, a for-rent office space building containing many smaller banking interests. Linking Stiverson to the fashion complex Bounding Grace is the Market walkway. This path contains an open air farmer’s market and connects to Vital Victuals, the Stiverson Buildings primary leaser. Vital Victuals Specializing in high-end, actual-grown produce, Vital Victuals production facilities take up nearly 40 floors of the Stiverson building. Victuals caters to the elitist, neoprimative class of society that finds fabricated foodstuff unhealthy or dangerous. They’ve turned Stiverson into a vertical greenhouse, carefully maintaining and harvesting genetically engineered foodstuffs along story after story of lattice work. The majority of Victuals production is done by indentures sleeved in dragonfly morphs, but they do bring in outside executives to manage advertisements and sales. As such they have an employee entrance. While taking up the majority of the building, Victuals has almost no control of its operation and infrastructure beyond climate control and irrigation. Cleary and Dutch are quite happy to share the building with this microcorp; they provide nearly 400 feet of buffer zone between them and potential intruders. Cleary and Dutch The same bank that the PC used to house their black budget for Oversight houses Manjappa’s prize; essentially, the man’s plan all along was to rob his own bank. Clearly and Dutch occupies the 43rd to 47th floors of the building. Manjappa wants whatever is inside security deposit box 5683-7243, risk be damned. OPPOSITION Players will have to make research checks to get the stats on all the active threats they might face in the bank. The Haunted Stars were content to know which opponents were sleeved in biomorphs and which were not; they relied on their async powers for the rest. The Firewall agents may want to be more cautious. BLUEPRINTS AND CASING A. Security Planters (Surveillance +1 or -1/ Forensics +1 or -1) Semi-organic smart flora decorate the industrial park surrounding the approach to the building. The plants are low to the ground to prevent obscuring the line of sight extending for 100 yards around the structures base. Each “flower bed” is equipped with quantum dots, lidar, T-ray emitters, nano-detectors, and chem-sniffers. The surveillance equipment is disguised but not shielded from crazers or EMP. While unable to trigger an alarm autonomously, destruction of the input will put TOFAS on high alert. Skills: Perception 60 (all spectrums and senses) B. Void Statuary (Surveillance +1/Forensics +2/ Defenses -2) “The Frontier of Void” is a piece of corporate art commissioned from famed sculptor Vasily Tilday. Meant visually and kinetically to emulate the appeal of continued space exploration, the statue looks like a tuning fork of black obsidian roughly 40 meters high. The gap between columns projects a holographic display of shifting galactic vistas whilst a complex software manipulates the habitats air processors into sending a subtle breeze towards the projection, as if the viewer is being drawn in. In reality, the purpose of the sculpture is more utilitarian than artistic. The fork doubles as a communications array for TOFAS, snatching terabytes of communication from the local mesh and processing them for statistical anomalies. More insidiously, the sculpture also doubles as a kill switch for mesh inserts. Any morph manufactured in LLA territory is automatically installed with these DRM’s inserts. In the range of the statue, all mesh profiles active are forced out of privacy mode. Since it is rare for privacy advocates or anti-capitalists to find themselves in the heart of LLA finance, many are completely unaware of this security measure. Any attempt to disable this feature that looks the least bit suspicious will put guards on high alert. Skills: Interfacing 70 C. Sensor and Sniper Banks (Defenses +1) These tiny elevators can move vertically on two sides of the domescraper and contain sniper bot. The defenses are automated and must be triggered by a TOFAS command, so they are incapable of raising alarm by themselves. However, the sniper rifles contained within have access to a massive field of fire by transhuman standards of space. D. Banking Skywalk (Surveillance +1/Defenses +2 / Forensics +1) A modular skywalk typical amongst domescrapers in Erato, this particular walkway serves as an employee entrance for Cleary and Dutch bank. The skywalk seems not different from other, but it is covered by visual surviellance of all types, patrolled by Guardian Angel bots, and contains nested “rubber” bots capable of hunter/killer action. E. Market Skywalk (Surveillance +1/ Forensics +1) Much like the banking skywalk, this walkway serves as a traffic-relieving path between domescrapers. However, the west walkway serves as employee entrance to Vital Victuals Hanging Gardens. As such, while surveillance equipment abound and entrance into the building is still monitored, less automated defenses are present. This skywalk has the added benefit of doubling as a (very) open air farmer’s market catering to glitterati and hyper-elite customers too cool for fabricated food. In the climate controlled perfection of Erato, the market is open and bustling with business 24/7. F. Entrance/ Evacufall (Access +2/ Surveillance -3) This is a standard, revolving-door entrance for any high-traffic business office. The glass is reinforced and immune to all by HEAP and plasma fire. The door themselves can serve as a mantrap if trigger by TOFAS or the security station in plain sight, but it has no sensors embedded. The room doubles as an evacufall landing site in an emergency; both floor and ceiling retract as high-pressure metal sheets drop over the glass, pressurizing the mile-high tube. This function can be triggered via a security panel in the foyar if it is hacked, providing access to upper floor but also alerting the system of a definite incursion. G. Security Desk (Access +1/ Defenses +2) A number of standard building guards are stationed here. While primarily tasked with assisting visitors, these men are armed and trained. Any agent seeking to impersonate a bank customer must first check-in with these guards and receive permission to move to the lobby. Any agent seeking to impersonate a Hanging Garden’s employee or approved visitor must have their identity confirmed before given access to the elevators H. Hanging Gardens Elevator Bank (Access +1/ Surveillance -2) The Vital Victuals Hanging Gardens take up the bulk of the Stiverson Buildings office space. Specializing in actually grown, organic food, vertically terracing and low gravity irrigation allow the company to produce a massive amount of vegetation in a condensed space. These elevators serve all levels of the Hanging Gardens. While the Gardens are not slaved to TOFAS security, the elevators are. Any transhuman inside will be under careful scrutiny. Explosive bolts can be triggered to access the top of the elevator in an emergency, but blowing off the panel will do a lot to alert the system. Then there is the problem of elevators moving at nearly 75 miles per hour…. There is no direct access to the bank via the Hanging Gardens, but as Manjappa’s plan fell apart, The Haunted Stars entertained it as an option. The crew determined that the irrigation pipes might be used to infiltrate the bank’s Operations level, but seeing as aquatic morphs of small stature weren’t readily available and quite noticeable, the idea was scrapped. I. Upper Mantrap Entrances (Access +1 or -4/ Defenses +2) The Mantrap entrances are nearly identical. The only difference is that one require confirmation as a Cleary and Dutch employee, while the other requires confirmation as a Hanging Gardens employee. The outer door will admit anyone, merely issuing a warning about needing to present identification. However, the inner door require a biometric scan, a key code, and a physical pass key (in the form of a ring). Furthermore, no one may enter alone; at least two employees must go through verification simultaneously before the inner door will open. Any anomalies will lock the mantrap and alert the authorities. The trap is of a diamond-lattice alloy and cannot be broken by conventional means. J. Bank Lobby (Access +1 or none/ Forensics +2) The bank lobby is more for appeal than security. Fine woods and designer furniture adorn the room meant to resemble a fine old-earth financial institution. The lobby is primarily used as an interview facility for new customers. Cleary and Dutch is often more selective than their customers about transactions and requires an in-depth interview process before opening accounts. If agents manage to fool the interviewer and open an account, they can gain an access point to use on the upper levels (they are a welcomed guess) at the cost of revealing tons of traceable information. If the agents already convinced the bank they were clients, the lobby is merely passed through on the way to the elevator. K. Brainscan Checkpoint (All +1 or -3) All clients must submit brainscans upon opening accounts. These scans must be confirmed via the 5 minute rescanning procedure every time a client wishes to access his or her holdings. If passed, the confirmed identity will do wonders to lessen the TOFAS system’s alert level. If failed, immediate action will be taken by the guards and system. L. Bank Elevator (Access +1/ Surveillance -3) This dedicated elevator heads straight to the Operations Level. It is monitored by the system and only engaged at the behest of authorized personnel. Maintenance subroutines can be hacked to make the car operate, but unscheduled maintenance will place the system on high alert. Explosive bolts protect the maintenance hatch here as well. M. Evacufall Exit (Access +1/ Surveillance +1 or -2/Forensics +1) Considering the low gravity of Luna and the potential devastation in any disaster that might occurred in a pressurized habitat, stairs simply do not cut it for evacuation of a domescraper. As such, the Stiverson building is equipped with tubes that provide a 50 story drop to ground level. A fall from this height would still be deadly, but powerful fans at the base of the tube kick on and sufficiently slow the fall of any morph in lunar gravity. The walls of this tube are smooth down to the micrometer to avoid damaging any evacuees. Furthermore, in the events of an actual emergency, embedded artificial glands coat the walls in a film of Slip. As such, the Evacufall can only be ascended using specially modified spindle climbers, and even then only if not in an emergency. However, required smoothness of the walls and the typically sealed nature, the Evacufall’s are some of the few places in the facility not under surveillance. Exiting the Evacufall requires hacking an emergency door under control of TOFAS. N. Emergency Exit (Access +1/ Surveillance -2) The actual door used to escape the building after using the Evacufall. These are sealed from the outside and have no handles. LLA security keeps an override control panel nearby just in case of emergencies. It can be hacked, but the panel is in the middle of an open area full view of the Cleary and Dutch barracks. O. Barracks Elevator (Access +1/ Defenses +2 or -4) This elevator connects the guard barracks to the bank’s ground level and operations level interior. Unlike the other elevators, it is not monitored by cameras, but accessing the elevator is only possible from secured areas. Disabling the elevator will hamper Defense mobility greatly, but alarming anyone as to the elevator’s compromise will put the P. Elevated Barracks (Defenses +4 or -5) The Barracks where bank guards live has no access from the ground. Quick-drop spindle ladders descend in case guards need to be deployed on the ground. Otherwise, security personnel is 100% indenture and does not leave the building. Guards remain on a randomized schedule and rotate between a numbers of various postings. As hours are difficult and freedom limited, the barracks are rather nice as a form of compensation. Sleeved in fancy Exalt morphs, Cleary and Dutch guards are psychologically screened and manipulated for maximum loyalty and morale. Q. Basement Hatch (Access+1) In case of Service Elevator malfunction, this hatch was installed to provide access to the maintenance basement. There is no ladder; the purpose is only to send someone down to fix the problem. Coming up through the hatch would require some drat fancy climbing, but as the maintenance level already has its own security measures, the hatch is not considered a security priority and goes unmonitored. R. Industrial Airlock (Access +2 or -4) This airlock connects the building’s basement to the series of underground tunnels used for infrastructure maintenance all over the city. If access is gained to the tunnels, the airlock can be hacked. However, an industrial airlock is extremely secure and hacking will be a difficult task action. Worse yet, hacking the door will merely open it; a forced entry won’t feed disable codes to the security corridor that follows. S. Security Corridor (Access +1/ Defenses +1 or -4) If not disabled by a combination of LLA and bank security codes, this corridor is crosshatched with a dizzying number of laser tripwires in constant, randomized pattern shifts. Every surface of the 100 yard long hallway is pressure sensitive. If pressure is detected, or if the lasers are tripped, the irrigation pipes feeding water to the Hanging Gardens dump and flood the corridor, in addition to the alarm sounding. But if someone can manage to get through the minefield, the door on the other side is unprotected; I mean, why would it be? T. Underground Maintenance and Fabrication (Defenses +1 or +2) Much like the rest of the building, this section of the building is covered in visual and aucustic surveillance of all types. However, chem-sniffers and nano-dectors are not used due to the volatile matter often under manipulation on the factory floor. The surveillance is also fed through a security substation to avoid signal interference and promote redundant systems. The factory floor is dominated by dormant nanomanipulator’s used to manufacture tooles and parts for building maintenance. These glowing-blue, fractal fronds serve as high-speed fabricators for the all the building’s needs. However, if an alarm is triggered, security will identify any unauthorized persons in the maintenance bay as matter in need of recycling. If the fractal fronds manage to catch an intruder, they will latch on and begin speed disassembly. Criminals unlucky enough to survive the first round can make a SOM x 2 to escape, but suffer 1d10 SV regardless. Nanomanipulator’s take damage like swarms, but these factory versions are not EMP shielded. Taking control of the nanomanipulator’s would enable the on-site construction of any number of nasty security countermeasures. U. Service Elevator (Access +2/ Forensics -2) The Service Elevator goes to all levels of the building. It is unmonitored by cameras, but a passcode is needed to make it operational. The keypad can be hacked, but all service elevator use is recorded by the system. Using it to infiltrate will give investigators a very clear idea how intrusion occurred after the fact. V. Security Substation (Defenses +2/ Surviellance +2/Forensics +2) The Security Substation is manned. It is typically covered by two very bored guards pissed they caught the worst shift. The basement security substation is one of the few input stations for TOFAS. It has no programming capability, but this hardpoint is capable of sending information requests to the system and disabling minor systems like the seismic detectors W. Evac-Ladders (Access +1) Maintenance and security personell would have to go up to escape the building, so ladders leading to the evacufall are available. As only security is allowed on this level of the building, the ladders are unmonitored. X. Seismic Detectors (Surveillance +1) Seismic Detectors prevent any drilling into the building from below. They are not wireless though, and their output is run through the security substation. Y. Abandoned HE-3 Mine (Access +1) The Haunted Stars identified an abandoned HE-3 prospecting vein from the early days of Erato. It runs directly under the building. A dissembler swarm and explosion could easily be used to dig towards the exterior and breech it. The only problem is the ultra-sensitive seismic detectors surrounding the basement. Each is easily capable of detected a transhuman’s footsteps, and there aren’t exactly moles on Luna. Z. Power Station and Climate Control (Varies) This room has the direct conduit to Erato’s fusion power plant. Power distribution is controlled by TOFAS, but the actual juice enters the basement. Cutting off electricity, while extremely noticeable and alarming, will wreak havoc on security’s ability to organize response to threats. TOFAS will remain functional on battery power, but safety protocols will institute an automatic, draconian lockdown of the building as damaging to the mobility of employees as it is to intruders. The Climate Controls for the building—everything ranging from Vital Victuals soil PH to the air conditioning system—can be hacked and controlled from this location. As climate is really more the concern of Victuals, TOFAS is not allowed control of the system. The security program can detect changes and assign investigators, but the AI is powerless to stop environmental changes remotely.
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Nov 19, 2011 20:57
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Okay, that's really cool. I've always absolutely loved heist films and heist games. Let us know how it actually goes in play, please.
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Nov 20, 2011 02:51
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our plan Credit Costs: 186,000 Transport for Suicide Squad (my character is a lost generation with psychosurgery skills. I found a cache with 60,000 souls on a Nine Lives aerostat. I rescued them then tried to help the people inside. While going through them, I recruited people that wanted a cause to fight for and made them into a personal death squad. My character has an obsession with finding a person connected to the lost project and rescuing his sister from that person. Getting a private army was part of that and now I've found it's useful in its own right!) 12 Splicers (morphs for death squad) Fab Food for extra weapons 2 swarmnoids Invisibility Cloak Pilot: Skillsoft Inflitration: Skillsoft Club: Skillsoft Favors: Actual Earth Artifact +5 Hopper +5 Buying the tour +4 Tokens: Access +3 Surveillance +3 Defenses +4 Forensics +1 Stress Value: Hyperspeed Training 1d10/2 Steps -4. Acquire all the gear and sleeve crazies -3. Acquire all favors -2. Thad lures AB -1. Aaron changes Artemis’s brainscans to match Ross’s, and eliminates/moves Ross’s wanted brainscan 0. Suicide Squad takes out statue and starts attack. 1. Thad brings in AB to fight Suicide Squad 2. Drew flies remote bot through to disable laser-field corridor. 3. Using chameleon skin, Preston and Jason kill guards once they investigate the corridor. 4. Drew sneaks and disables substation. 5. Underground team fabs airlock around the site where dissassemblers to the mine start to work. 6. Artemis (Ross) goes into start an account with both swarmnoids (both Aaron) in a fake artifact 7. Swarmnoid #1 detaches and tries to hack link between TOFAS and Indentures a. If this fails, underground team destroys the power and tries to hold the line 8. Ross with artifact (Aaron swarmnoid #2) attack guards 9. Artemis leaves with package 10. Underground team uses climate control to “start a fire,” triggering Evacufall doors, fans, and SLIP fans. 11. Ross falls and runs to basement hatch rather than the exit. 12. Everyone runs away through the (hopefully) breached mining vein. 13. Run-away and get to the hopper before the LLA turn on the defenses.
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Nov 20, 2011 08:02
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So after a few sessions I have to say this may be my new favorite RPG. It took about four games involving a low atmosphere chase through blasted earth, a pair of zero-g gun fights, and a hack into an abandoned orbital laser that we fired onto a pirate space station just as our black-ops guy (me) was making a dramatic escape with a CEO's kidnapped daughter for us to go 'oh, cool these guys made Cowboy Bebop the RPG, but with octopi and monkey men.' Also clockworkjoe that sounds like a great game.
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Nov 20, 2011 08:45
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This game sounds like Cowboy Bebop: Stand Alone Complex, and that's right up my alley.
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Nov 20, 2011 12:50
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Silhouette posted:This game sounds like Cowboy Bebop: Stand Alone Complex, and that's right up my alley. This is obviously a strength, but it can also be a challenge. You want to make everyone at the table understands what kind of game it is ahead of time.
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Nov 20, 2011 16:36
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Yea if the whole 'ha ha I hacked your guns to start shooting your big robot buddy you dicks' kinda big action doesn't appeal to you it's very easy to make it a horror game in the normal sense. All it really takes is putting your party in a situation where resleeving isn't an easy option and suddenly the guys who feel like gods on earth are realizing 'oh poo poo if I get shot in the face here I'm going to be dead...'
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Nov 20, 2011 17:53
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Or worse, threaten damage to the ego. Psychoses and permanent injury that applies across any morph you inhabit scares the crap out of players, and restoring from an old backup is actually a pretty strong deterrent. Players hate losing things their characters do.
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Nov 20, 2011 18:16
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fates worse than death in eclipse phase: Being tortured via psychosurgery in time accelerated simulspace Being tortured via psychosurgery in time accelerated simulspace with 100 alpha forks and having all 100 forks merged into one personality TITAN/Exsurgent infection Backup compromised by subtle TITAN infection, Oversight, Ozma or Jovian Republic Having your ego copied by a soul trafficking syndicate like Nine Lives and realize that they will have a copy of you enslaved for the rest of time. Having a rogue alpha fork try to kill you and assume your place
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Nov 20, 2011 21:13
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Finding out that you're the alpha fork and will be deleted when the mission is complete.
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Nov 20, 2011 21:17
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Comrade Gorbash posted:Or worse, threaten damage to the ego. Psychoses and permanent injury that applies across any morph you inhabit scares the crap out of players, and restoring from an old backup is actually a pretty strong deterrent. Players hate losing things their characters do. As a wholly in-character threat, this sort of thing is dandy. When it comes to execution though... honestly, I think it's a bad idea for the same reasons it was a bad idea when it was called Level Drain. It invalidates player and character effort and progress, is a serious mechanical pain in the rear end to deal with, and there are bigger issues when it's necessary to scare the players and not their characters. If you're playing a one-shot or the iteration of the PCs on this run are disposable forks, on the other hand... Bistromatic posted:Finding out that you're the alpha fork and will be deleted when the mission is complete. If they ever start a new Twilight Zone series, I want you to write for it.
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Nov 20, 2011 22:30
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clockworkjoe posted:
(in Arnold voice): "Get to the Hoppa!" But back on topic - the horror/exsurgent zombie attack campaign that I ran involved lots of fights where the players easily blew through everything I threw at them thanks to one character's love of missiles and grenades, but they almost went insane seeing the stuff I threw at them and being involved in the situations they got into. It's one thing for a character to pick up a rocket launcher and demolish the enemies I had created way more easily than I had expected. But I get my revenge when they have hundreds of litres of blood and guts flying around the room in low-g and they need to search through the gore for their best friend's cortical stack. Kire fucked around with this message at 23:52 on Nov 20, 2011 |
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Nov 20, 2011 23:45
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Bieeardo posted:As a wholly in-character threat, this sort of thing is dandy. When it comes to execution though... honestly, I think it's a bad idea for the same reasons it was a bad idea when it was called Level Drain. It invalidates player and character effort and progress, is a serious mechanical pain in the rear end to deal with, and there are bigger issues when it's necessary to scare the players and not their characters. clockworkjoe posted:fates worse than death in eclipse phase:
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Nov 21, 2011 18:05
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So my group is pondering going the scifi route come spring, and with the 3rd revision of the EP rules I've found them a lot easier to understand and a lot more streamlined. I'll start tossing around ideas/settings/themes in the EP universe when we get closer but was wondering if an idea near and dear to my heart is either retarded given the setting or something that could work well. The Starship Cheyenne There are some secrets even Firewall holds close to the chest, heard by few and seen by even less within their own ranks. Ivan Chenekoz was one of firewall's most intelligent agents in the realm of xenoarcheology and pandora gate research, a clear savant and top asset to the organization. He sadly disappeared without warning through the Fissure Gate 7 years ago, but had suddenly emerged from his gatehopping travels crazed and asking to speak with the top proxies of Firewall. 2 years later the Cheyenne was built, a large starship fitted with the most advanced stealth, speed, and evasive technology. Only a select few Firewall agents were brought on board to staff the complete habitat of a starship, with each of them ending their tours in the central, faraday cage shielded bay. Within that bay sat a Pandora Gate, small enough to fit on the ship and enable travel for morphs and small vehicles. Aboard the Cheyenne Firewall had a way to explore the universe on the other side of the Pandora Gate all their own, to research and explore outside the prying eyes and boundaries of the rest of transhumanity. You are now the team that has been assembled for First-Link travel through the Pandora Gate, nicknamed the McKay Gate, and you are on your own once you pass through.
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Nov 27, 2011 01:57
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Was anyone else disappointed by Panopticon? I found that that Surveillance and Habitat chapters were a little dry and boring, with the Uplift chapter being the only one that was interesting.
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Nov 27, 2011 02:28
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