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Doresh posted:Truly, this is the system Blue Rose was meant to be played with. Roll 3d100 and divide by 9 then see on the bell curve how ashamed you are for being too dumb to realize this is the correct answer.
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Jul 24, 2015 21:41
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If there's just one thing from DtD that I really do just unabashedly love, it's the inclusion of that Paragon "exaltation" among all the other purely supernatural power sources. Hell, I think I might have said it back during the earlier portion of the review but I'll happily say it again. It is really just great to have an option included that is just, "this character is awesome because they're the best of their race and there's no specific reason for that," and for it to be substantively different but still equal in stature to the reincarnations of ancient super-wizards and divinely-mandated messiahs.
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Jul 24, 2015 22:42
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pkfan2004 posted:The correct answer to the problem is "gently caress the deer because if you're doing the loving, it's not gay". I was going to say "gay for pay" king, but raping the Golden Hart would totally be in the spirit of FATAL.
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Jul 24, 2015 23:03
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Please stop posting about FATAL Rose.
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Jul 25, 2015 01:30
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inklesspen posted:Please stop posting about FATAL Rose. The only Rose that appears in FATAL are Rosebuds. And by rosebuds, I mean prolapses. 
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Jul 25, 2015 02:08
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I'll be good.
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Jul 25, 2015 02:11
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Crasical posted:What particular flavor of 'fundamentalist theocracy' are we talking here? Crusades-and-Inquisition catholicism? Vaguely islamic? Something else? Ignoring for the moment the discussion currently taking place re: deerfucking (seriously what on earth) the answer to your question is more the former than the latter. A good way to look at it is that Jarzon is the Menoth to Aldis' Cygnar, accounting for differences in genre and tone. We'll get into some more detail on them later but mentions are made of imposing stone architecture with gargoyle adornments and fire plays a prominent role in their faith, which includes plenty of cleansing flames. Speaking of which, I should get cracking on the rest of this chapter. Hopefully I can be done in another two to three updates or so and then gradenko_2000, who's been waiting patiently in the wings, can tag in when we get to character creation (of course I've been saying that for a while now and boy howdy, this book has more to cover than I remember). But for now:  Representative Venisonocracy So, Aldis! Modern day Aldis has been around for three centuries now and is a thriving nexus of trade and arcane study. Anyone willing to swear to abide by the sovereign and the laws of the land is accepted as a citizen which makes it one of the most increasingly diverse nations around, and within its borders you'll find rhydan, vata, night people, sea-folk, refugees from Kern, heretics and exiles from Jarzon, and a variety of people from across the land. In fact, let's finally get an overview of the various peoples' you're likely to find in Aldis (and be able to choose to play as). Rhydan are psychic animals. More specifically they're Light-aligned beings gifted in the psychic arts that happen to reside within the bodies of various animals. There are actually a set number of rhydan types: unicorns, griffons, dolphins, drakes, rhy-cats, rhy-horses, rhy-wolves, and whales. Unfortunately this means you can't be an intelligent psychic bear so I'm going to have to knock a few points off for that. Rhydan are accorded full citizenship in Aldis, and correspondingly have close ties with the city. Rhy-cats and dolphins are the most likely to reach out to the land's other peoples on their own accord and so they often serve as diplomats and liaisons, with rhy-horses tending to bond with the riders of Rezea. Nonetheless rhydan will aid lost travelers and people in need who stumble into their domains. They don't have nobility or monarchs themselves so much but they tend to respect and defer to the unicorns and griffons who are said to be the first of the rhydan. Griffons dwell in the peaks of the Ice-Binder Mountains while unicorns hang out deep in the Pavin Weald. Rhydan are animals and are limited in both physical activity and vocalization accordingly but they're intelligent and have access to the shaping arts, and consequently they enjoy pursuits such as reading and creating works of art via magic. Also of note is that rhydan are capable of psychically bonding with a boon companion in a process known as a rhy-bond. This bond lasts a lifetime and is a pretty serious deal, and the citizens of Aldis view anyone fortunate enough to share a rhy-bond to be blessed. Some say that rhy-bonds are an echo of friendships founded between souls back in the days of the Eternal Dance. Sea-Folk are amphibious and androgynous humans with hair and skin in various shades of blue and green who can hold their breath as long as a dolphin and swim with great skill. They always settle in areas close to water, and many of Aldis' sea-folk live along the southern coastline and in the Scatterstar Archipelago, forming communities with dolphins. Being who they are many of them make a living as fishers, sailors, or deep-sea divers, and it's not unheard of for some enterprising and fortunate sea-folk to strike it rich after finding a sunken merchant ship lost during the fall of the Old Kingdom. Some also take up the role of explorers or navigators. They have an affinity for the god Gaelenir, love to sing, craft jewelry out of shells and colorful stones, and chill with their dolphin bros. Sea-folk occasionally marry humans and vata and the children take after one parent or the other, no half-breeds. Also their gender identities are more fluid owing to the nature of their souls and as a result they're split pretty evenly on the sexuality front. Vata are elves. Well, half-elves. Remember the vatazin that got genocided out of existence by the evil Empress way back when? quote:Called the Children of Selene, they were wise, nearly immortal, and filled with profound knowledge of the natural world. They lived in secluded dells, where they honed their potent arcane arts and gazed into the night sky, seeking to unravel the secrets of the moon. So, elves. The vatazin are all gone now though, and so their legacy endures through the vata'an or just vata, which are still basically elves in every way that matters. During the reign of the Sorcerer Kings the vata hid among the human populace but some of them were discovered and captured by the Sorcerer Kings who used dark magics to twist their forms and create a new type of vata to serve them, the vata'sha or "dark vata" known for their night black skin and white hair just like drow BECAUSE THEY'RE ELVES OKAY? Vata'sha were supposed to be servile thralls but the Sorcerer Kings failed in that regard because they're a bunch of dumb assholes, but some vata'sha chose to serve them willingly anyway because bad decisions know no borders. Anyway, vata can now live openly and in peace in places like Aldis and Rezea. Even vata'sha, who aren't inherently evil but are still sometimes viewed by others as a reminder of dark times. Jarzon is cool with vata'an but views vata'sha as irredeemably corrupt by Shadow and the priesthood attempts to apprehend them when possible. The Lich King orders the execution of any vata'an within his borders but counts some vata'sha as his lieutenants. Night people are orcs. Way back when the Sorcerer Kings used fleshwarping magics to create a new breed of shadowspawn for their armies. They were human once, but now they're basically orcs. Just as with the vata'sha though the Sorcerer Kings failed in their attempts to make them an inherently subservient and Shadow-tainted people, and they retained a glimmer of their ancestors' humanity. Night people have it rough. Everyone else in the world but Aldis openly hates them because, well, they really and truly were the minions of a world-ruining empire of evil Sorcerer Kings. The Lich King captures and enslaves them, putting them to work subjugating the rest of his minions. Some say gently caress it and throw in with him while others resist his rule in every way they can. In Jarzon they're put to death. In Rezea they face mistrust and are driven away from the Rezeans' hunting grounds. But in Aldis they've proven themselves to be exceptionally loyal and trustworthy, if brutish and frightening, members of society, if for no other reason than they know that no other nation would grant them a place to belong.  Eh, I've seen worse. And that brings us to a topic we've all been waiting for, the modern government of Aldis and how this whole magic deer thing works out in practice. Civil Cervids Just before sunset on the day after the sovereign's death, the nobles and members of the royal family and whoever else can find some room crowds into the Azure Plaza in front of the royal palace's large stained glass window depicting the Golden Hart. We saw all this play out in the intro fiction when Jaellin was chosen. When the Golden Hart chooses someone it touches its horns to their forehead leaving behind a pale golden mark in the shape of a crescent. The Hart appears at the same time regardless of whether the people are aware that the sovereign has died or not (for instance, if they died suddenly while abroad) and sets out in search of the new sovereign. Often, it says, the sovereign is chosen from one of the previous ruler's children or close relatives, but not always. Sometimes it chooses an unrelated noble, an ordinary citizen, or even someone who isn't assembled at the Plaza at all, in which case it sets out and bears the chosen sovereign back to Aldis upon its back which I'm sure must be a bit of a shock when you're sitting down to dinner and a magic deer suddenly shows up at your doorstep. The Golden Hart remains by the side of the chosen sovereign until they can be properly crowned. Anyone attempting to harm the sovereign during this time is immediately struck insensible and unconscious and doesn't reawaken until the coronation has finished and the deer has gone. When they awaken their faces are forever marked with a grey hoofprint and they're exiled from Aldis, because really now. The Golden Hart doesn't only appear to choose the new sovereign though. In times of great trouble the Hart will make an appearance, approaching the sovereign and bestowing upon them a vision providing guidance. This is a rare occurrence and most rulers only ever receive once such visit. It also appears if a ruler succumbs to cruelty, injustice, or otherwise becomes unfit to rule, which has happened twice in the kingdom's history. When it does so it kicks the sovereign in the forehead, doing no damage but covering the golden crescent mark with a grey hoofprint before choosing a new sovereign. Valin the tainted was deposed and exiled for his cruelty while Larai the Mad was deposed and cloistered for her madness (naturally). Noblesse Oblige Now on to the nobles. Aldis isn't an absolute monarchy where the sovereign is the first and last word on everything. The sovereign is assisted in their duties by the Noble, Merchant, and Rhydan Councils who convene to debate, discuss, and vote on matters of policy and law. First let's talk about how one becomes a noble. It's pretty egalitarian, really...anyone can become a noble, absolutely anyone from the stableboy on up, provided they pass the required tests in literacy, ethics, history, and law, and earn the approval of the Noble Council. Now I know what you're thinking, you're thinking "Aha! That's how they get you! How can ordinary citizens hope to pass tests in things given that this is a fantasy RPG and public schooling doesn't exist?" The answer is that public schooling exists. quote:The Kingdom of the Blue Rose makes certain all children receive a basic education. Children learn to read, write, and do basic math, as well as the basics of history and geography. This schooling is freely available to the children of anyone living in Aldis, even residents who are not citizens. Primary schooling lasts six years, and most children begin it between the ages of six and ten. To leave time for chores and play, instruction is only for a few hours each day. The children of wealthier families often have private tutors and receive more in-depth instruction. So there you go. But there's one last test to pass before you can be accepted and it's not really one you can cram for. To confirm each noble the sovereign holds the Blue Rose Scepter towards them which glows with a soft light. The prospective noble touches the carved petals and if the light holds then it indicates the touch of a Light-aligned person and they're accepted as a noble. If the light dims, however, then they cannot become a noble because either their ostensible desire to serve is insincere or they aren't aligned with the Light. The test works for each person only once so there are no do-overs. This means that many of Aldis' sovereigns had to pass two separate background checks, the first being the Blue Rose Scepter and then the Golden Hart. Now we get a couple of sidebars, one for Queen Jaellin and one for Lord Sayvin, the son of the previous sovereign who we last saw getting snubbed by the Golden Hart. For Jaellin it has this to say: quote:Jaellin, the current sovereign of Aldis, was chosen by the Golden Hart eight years ago, when she was only eighteen. She is tall and slender, with long red-blond hair and green eyes. At her coronation, she was something of an outsider in the royal court, and is still regarded one by some of the older noble families. The last four sovereigns belonged to the prestigious Falish family, who have lived in the city of Aldis since the Great Rebellion. In contrast, Jaellin is from the city of Garnet, near the west coast of the kingdom. She had only been a noble for two years when she suddenly became queen. Further unnerving some of the more conservative members of the court, she has initiated several controversial policies, including increasing the acceptance of the study, but not use, of sorcery. That policy, in particular, has agitated relations with Jarzon.  I'm beginning to notice a subtle rose motif running throughout the work. Jaellin is pretty quintessentially romantic_fantasy_protagonist.txt in action. But it's the sidebar on Lord Sayvin that's really interesting. quote:Although nobility is not inherited in Aldis, Sayvin was born to it. His father, Haylin, was the previous sovereign, and Sayvin’s eventual inheritance of the crown seemed certain, at least to him. It’s not that Sayvin specifically desired power, more that he loved and admired his wise father and wanted to serve Aldis in the same way. With this in his heart, Sayvin did all he could to make himself a worthy heir. When Blue Rose first came out a common complaint that many people had was that Aldis was simply too perfect, a flawless shining utopia where there was no room for conflict. Here, within 30 pages, is a great big campaign-driving plot hook blinking like a big ol' neon sign. Lord Sayvin feels slighted that the Hart passed him up in favor of a young, untested outsider, and who knows what he might do if the envy he's feeling begins to fester? Hmm it's almost like we just had a story where someone succumbed to feelings of resentment and jealousy and sparked a giant conflict, it's just on the tip of my tongue. Sayvin is interesting too because he's not a cackling, mustache-twirling villain. He's slowly winding his way towards a dark path, yes, but the book takes care to paint him as someone whose grievances sound reasonable and relatable...who here hasn't felt like they've been unjustly passed over for something before? It's a very human response, and it's in keeping with the themes of the genre that Blue Rose is trying to evoke that even as Sayvin is being dangled as a potential big bad threat to Aldis that he's still sympathetic. But anyway, nobles! Those who pass all the tests generally start out as traveling nobles. Much of the kingdom is spread out and sparsely populated, too much so for a single noble to effectively administer from a central urban location. Many Aldin border communities also have an independent streak and aren't super keen to have a powerful stranger just plopped into their laps. So you have traveling nobles who are assigned off and on to various regions as itinerant ministers of the crown. They go from village to village, solving local problems, judging pending court cases, enforcing the law, and collecting taxes. In the more settled regions of Aldis the Noble Council assigns more seasoned nobles to govern specific cities and towns. These guys do the same thing that traveling nobles do but on a bigger scale. Some nobles might spend their whole lives as traveling nobles while some are granted regional seats almost as soon as they pass the tests, but the only certainty is that regional nobles are never assigned to the city or region where they grew up in order to prevent conflicts of interest, prevent favoritism or prejudice, and encourage a nobility familiar with the kingdom at large. The Worst Form of Fantasy Government Except For All the Others So what's the deal with these councils anyway? The Noble Council is comprised of comprised of three dozen of Aldis' wisest and most respected nobles who take up residence in the capital. They advise the sovereign, vote on policy, and help appoint new nobles. Each councilor has one vote and majority rules. In case of a tie the sovereign casts the deciding vote. Elections are held every other year at the Festival of Service though most councilors can expect to be re-elected unless they decide to step down. The councilors themselves also elect the president of the council who moderates their debates and serves as one of the three members of the Sovereign's Council. The current president of the Noble Council is Lord Jarish Dukay, a gruff but persuasive sea-folk (sea-person?) who's been president for the last 12 years. He's deeply entrenched in court politics and has close ties to the prestigious Falish family (the previous royal family) and he has the unique perspective of being something of an outsider like Jaellin while also being a valued associate of those who view her as an outsider. He's been advising her to work within existing power structures for now and is hopeful he can persuade her to marry into the Falish family (one of the sons or daughters, either's good). He's also a fixture at court parties as he has an appreciation for music and storytelling. The Merchant's Council is what it says on the tin. Aldis' prosperity is largely due to trade, and to help coordinate, regulate, and prevent feuds from occurring most trading companies join the Merchant Guild. Guild membership is open to any business that's been in operation for more than two years and employs seven or more people. The Guild is a cornerstone of the kingdom's economy and in recognition of its importance and influence the sovereign to appoint three dozen members who serve a similar function to the Noble's council. Elections are held every four years, and the also elect a president who similarly serves upon the Sovereign's Council. The current Merchant's Council president is Chezia Thalis, a 79 year old vata'an who's been president of the council for six years and the head of the Thalis-Banik shipping company, the largest and wealthiest in Aldis, for 40. A literal chessmaster, she's soft-spoken and analytical with a head for both business and politics. She's the member of the council most likely to vote against Jaellin, viewing the current sovereign as naive, but she's strongly loyal to Aldis and a firm believer that the kingdom's good is synonymous with the Merchant Council's. And then there's the Rhydan Council and I think you see where this is going. However while the members of the rhydan council have an interest in the affairs of the kingdom their council is less official than the other two and members rarely gather physically, most never coming within a day's ride of the capital itself. Most people don't even know who they are, and the main way in which they take after the Noble and Merchant's Councils is by appointing a single rhy-cat representative to the Sovereign's Council. And that representative is Laritha, a rhy-cat with a rhy-bonded companion who accompanies her named Olar Klast. Laritha views herself not just as a representative of the rhydan but of the plants and animals of the kingdom as a whole. She refuses to compromise on her principals which has led to friction in her seven years on the council as she and the other two butt heads regarding issues pertaining to mining and farmlands. Olar isn't technically a member of the council but he serves as a combination interpreter and advisor, bridging the gap between rhydan and human perspectives, and while he's new to the capital's politics he's quickly learning how to broker compromises between Laritha and the other council members. What's the Sovereign's Council? The three members of this council are the only advisors to the sovereign who have any official power. They come together with the sovereign to make official decisions for the kingdom, with each member of the council having a single vote while the sovereign themselves has two. This means that the sovereign only needs a single ally to pass resolutions which affect the entire kingdom, though the book mentions that Jaellin attempts to pass all such resolutions with no more than a single dissenting vote because of custom and a desire for harmony. The book then goes on to talk about the various goings-on in the royal court, and in addition to the nobles and the councils there are a host of bureaucrats, dignitaries, spies, couriers, and advisors all coming and going along with the necessary servant staff required to house and feed them, entertainers, soldiers, rhy-bonded, people seeking audiences, etc. During the Festival of Service these numbers swell as members of the Sovereign's Finest bring their entire teams back to make reports and the court population can grow up to several thousand people. Because people are people, though, over time life in the royal court can take a darker turn. Nobles who started out idealistic can gradually begin to slide towards pragmatism, and no known government in the world is immune to backroom deals, unstable alliances, and political grudges. As much as people don't like to admit it nobles can and do move away from the Light, and since the Blue Rose Scepter only works the once per person it can be difficult to tell which of them may be willing to use any means necessary to advance their agendas. Also! Sometimes a big chunk of the noble court just up and moves! Every three years the sovereign spends two months in another of the kingdom's cities, to give the citizens there greater access to their ruler as well as getting a feel for the issues affecting people throughout the land. The entire court doesn't relocate but the Sovereign's Council, head of the Sovereign's Finest, and a huge swath of advisors all come along for the ride. The kingdom's cities maintain great halls normally used for public meetings and festivals which can be converted into a temporary royal court. Moving the court is challenging and potentially dangerous...many of Aldis' most important members of the government are traveling together in a caravan for several weeks, making them an ideal target for bandits, assassins, or monsters. The Sovereign's Finest spend weeks checking the planned route, interviewing villagers and investigating for potential ambushes. And I think now that we've covered the ins and outs of Aldis' government that this is a good stopping place for now. Next Time: Thoughtcrime and thoughtpunishment.
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Jul 25, 2015 08:35
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Kai Tave posted:When Blue Rose first came out a common complaint that many people had was that Aldis was simply too perfect, a flawless shining utopia where there was no room for conflict. Here, within 30 pages, is a great big campaign-driving plot hook blinking like a big ol' neon sign. Lord Sayvin feels slighted that the Hart passed him up in favor of a young, untested outsider, and who knows what he might do if the envy he's feeling begins to fester? Hmm it's almost like we just had a story where someone succumbed to feelings of resentment and jealousy and sparked a giant conflict, it's just on the tip of my tongue. World's Finest Comics #142? The problem with this as a conflict is that the Hart 1) Is always right and 2) Won't ever pick him, especially if he loving murders the ruler it picked out, how stupid can you get. Divine right of kings wasn't generally taken as "God would never let there be a bad king", especially since the European tradition came after the biblical setup of "Most kings were poo poo." It was saying instead that the posting carried intrinsic authority from God, and if they really needed to go, he'd get around to it (Possibly by telling someone "Hey. Kill the current king. Don't worry, it's cool." Which would be awfully convenient if you were planning to kill the king anyway, and who's going to argue if you say God asked you to? I mean, if he wanted the king alive, he'd have done something, right?) Here, the top authority is always the right person for the job, and nobody can argue it, because the deer picked them, and everybody agreed that rule #1 is you don't gently caress with the deer. Trying to take the posting is the same as saying "I KNOW WHO SHOULD BE KING BETTER THAN GOD, IN CASE ANYONE WAS WONDERING", and that does not strike me as an easy position to sell when things aren't going straight to hell. I mean, if the deer thought the boss really was loving up, it would fire them. Because that is one of the things it does. Heck, even if they were just making a huge mistake, it could show up to say "FYI? Don't do that." Because, again. It does that. It seems like a conflict that exists primarily so the book's writers can say "See? We have internal conflict!" without actually making Aldis, you know, flawed in any real way.
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Jul 25, 2015 11:51
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chiasaur11 posted:World's Finest Comics #142? ...the composite batman/superman?
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Jul 25, 2015 12:10
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Still, if you make Sayvin female and have her and Jaellin be childhood friends, you've got yourself a servicable Shoujo plot. (The gender-bending is of course required for lesbian undertones.) pkfan2004 posted:I'll be good. Me too. I'm more into catgirls, anyways. And now for something completely different: Super Console: Monster Mash  I'm sold. Monstrous player characters aren't too rare in the world of console RPGs, but Super Console's supplement Monster Mash takes this to a whole new level, allowing the whole party to consist of monsters. Naturally, this makes sessions even zanier. Aside from undefeatable guards and people that can only repeat the same 1-2 sentences and are perfectly okay with the supposed heroes taking all their worldly possessions, you can now have the party include a demon, a warbot, an effing huge bird and a patch of sentient grass. The Setting The default assumption of Monster Mash is a campaign set anyhwere between the Medieval and Post-Magitech Era, during one of those big wars between Good and Evil. The players assume the role of a monster group that has to make a very important decision: Will they continue to serve their Dark Lord to conquer the world, or will they betray their own kind to fight for the good guys? Aside from this general setup, the monsters would work in normal campaigns as well, especially in those with Classed characters. (Monster) Classes  The best clipart in all of Super Console The way monsters are made playable is through classes - not the simple, straigthforward classes from the core book, but something a little more flexible. In a similar vein to Seiken Densetsu 3, Shining Force and Ogre Battle, player characters will go through class changes (in this case called "metamorphosis" or "evolution") where they have to pick between one of 2 new class choices. More specifically, everyone starts out with a Base Class, which then splits into one of two Intermediate Classes at level 10 which yet again splits into two Advanced Classes at level 50. This gives much greater flexibility to the normal class system, allowing the players to all start with the same kind of monster while ending up with completely different builds. (It should be noted that monsters don't gain an ability at level 99. Their capstone ability comes at level 95) Another important difference with monsters is that they don't use weapons or armor. The power score of those pieces of equipment are replaced with an inherent bonus that goes up as the monsters gains levels. The progressions can be summed up as fast (+1 per level), medium (+2 per 3 levels) and slow (+1 per 2 levels). This provides a more steady increase to their offensive and defensive capabilities, but prevents the ridiculous raw damage possible with ultimate weapons (making end-/postgame less broken by design). Warrior-type monsters however do seem to make up with that with a higher amount of triple-hit abilities and nasty effects being added to their attacks. To provide the special abilities gained from weapons and armor, monsters use what is called Baubles, which are separetes into (Attack) Jewels (for weapon abilities) and (Defense) Orbs (for armor abilities). Starting Attributes, Favored and Unfavored Stats as well as Damage and Armor bonuses are determined by the Base Class. The following classes add new abilities to learn, with the Advanced Classes having the monster give up a specific old ability for a new one that is more fitting for the new form. Generally, the Intermediate Classes have the most drastic split (in terms of D&D creature types), while the Advanced Classes act as a sort of specialization. (There is sadly not a lot of fluff concerning the non-Base classes, so allow me to make some stuff up.) Apprentice (Favored: Intelligence and Magic, Unfavored: Strength; Damage: Slow, Armor: Slow)  Spellcaster trainees serving the dark side (therefore technically not monsters), these guys start off with the standard set of elemental Black Magic spells, as well as a bit of White Magic and a Bard Song for support duties. To keep their Mana steady, they learn Steal Mana at level 5, an overall weaker version of the Black Magic spell Absorb that is available much earlier. At level 10, promising Apprentices turn into Wizards, while fools are killed by their teachers and resurrected as Zombies Wizard (Intermediate) A pretty straight-forward spellcaster class, gaining a couple different AoE-modifiers for their spells, which now include a healthy dose of Black and White magic similar to a Red Mage, with another Bard Song on top. At level 50, Wizards advance into Archmages or Necromancers. Archamge (Advanced) The magical powerhouse. He gives up Steal Mana for Dark Reserves (increasing the Mana Bar to 120%), learns a couple Black Magic abilities and the final Black Magic attack spells, plus the Time Magic Spell Meteor. Their capstone ability is Boss Status, which has the Main Villain promote the Archmage into the rank of a Boss, with all the lovely status immunities and resistances this rank entails. Necromancer (Advanced) These guys give up the AoE-ability Line Attack for Heartless (grants immunity against Berserk and the new status Corrupt through sheer evilness). Despite the name, Necromancers fill in more of a support role, with a smaller selection of ultimate attack spells (namely just the Dark-elemental Void and the Time Mages instant kill spell Vortex), but the useful White Magic spells Relife and Life II. They're a bit heavier on unique class abilities than the Archmage, with Power of Death (recovers 5% Mana every time someone dies in combat) at level 50, Corrupt Magic (boosts Dark spells and generally messes with Holy and Cure spells not cast by the Necromancer himself) at level 80, and the capstone ability True Form (a variation of the Dark Knight's capstone of the same name that replaces the Damage bonus for some automatic Mana regeneration). Zombie (Intermediate) These unfortunate fellows obviously have all the usual Undead traits (hurt by Cure spells, healed by Dark spells; killed by Life spells - unless already KO - and fully healed by Doom spells). Despite being kinda rotten, they still have a typical spellcaster progression, with their spells focusing more on buffs, status effects and gravity damage. They also learn the Zombifying Touch to inflict the new Zombified status on one target. At level 50, the lowly Zombie embraces death and decay as a Mummy, or makes amends for the failure that was his Apprentice self by using forbidden arcane knowledge to become a Lich. Mummy (Advanced) Mummies trade the AoE-ability Wide Beam for Bandages (Cure spells now work normally). With their so far best AoE ability gone, they instead focus on beefing their physical attacks with delicious status effects: Curse of Aging (Old status), Curse of Time (Slow status) and finally their capstone Curse of Destruction (all 3 new Break statuses). That's a whooping 5 status effects per hit (6 with the Zombifying Touch that costs Mana). With so much free status effect goodness, their spell list is naturally a bit short, only including Life II as well as Vortex, Richter (the ultimate Earth spell) and Void. Lich (Advanced) Leaning more on the magical side, these undead trade the Zombifying Touch for Things That Man Was Not Meant to Know (+5 Magic and Spirit). Draw Power allows them to instantly ragain 25% Mana just by spending an action, and Negate Power (remove one ability from the target, provided you know he has it). Their spell selection is the same as the Archmage's, though they trade Meteor for TimeStop. Their capstone ability is Power from Beyond (Mana Bar goes up to 170%). Beast (Favored: Strength and Speed, Unfavored: Intelligence; Damage: Fast, Armor: Medium)  Beasts start of as weird wolf/rat hybrids meant for rushdown tactics. Their Bestial Rage boosts their Strength and Speed by +5 at the cost of only being able to attack random enemies for the rest of combat (a bit like Berserker that can decide to not go berserk). Chow Down is a simple +5 Damage bonus similar to the Fighter class. At level 10, Beasts either embrace their hybrid side and become Gryphons, or they channel strange powers as Shifters. Gryphon (Intermediate) Gryphons are a bit like Fighters (increased Crit chance, double-hit ability) that permantently have the Low-Flier status (aka no use in casting Earth spells against these critters). They are also kinda big into the new Break statuses, with Enchanted Hide being a self buff that causes Claw Break on anyone who hits them and Rend and Tear being a buff to their Double Hit that inflicts the Scale Break status. At level 50, Gryphons have to decide on whether to become a hideous Chimera or an elegant Sphinx. Chimera (Advanced) These classic mythological creatures trade Low Flier for Three Heads (immunity against Sleep and Blind). They gain some nifty physical abilities with Barrage (a triple-hit attack) and a variation of the Monk's Counterattack that triggers with a chance of 75% instead of just 30%. Triple Howl lets them cast the Typhoon spell (aka ultimate Air spell) on all enemies, while their capstone ability Two Spares protects them from the Doom status effect as long as at least one head is left un-Doomed. Sphinx (Advanced) These mythological riddlers trade their Bestial Rage for a Clear Mind (immunity to Berserk and Confused, +20 to Intelligence, which is also no longer Unfavored). This Intelligence boost aids them with their status-afflicting abilities Roar (Deafens every enemy) and Riddle (inflicts either Berserk, Confused or Old on a single target). Their last abilities are more passive in nature, with Eternal making them immune against Slow and Old, while their capstone Cat Lives has them start every combat with an active application of the Relife spell (aka they respawn once when KOed). Shifter (Intermediate) These creatures are all about, well, shifting their body for maximum effect. Close Wounds lets them cast Cure II on themselves at reduced cost, with Fast Reactions providing +5 to Speed while Adaptable Assault gives them +10 to Attack Skill. Things get really interesting at level 30, when Stat Imbalance lets them spend an action to shift points around between their physical and mental attributes. Scales or Claws applies the same idea to Damage and Defense (with an upper limit of +10 to avoid absurd glass cannons). At level 50, Shifters either use their adaptable nature to copy other things as a Mimic, or they become a shapeshifting-crazy Proteus. Mimic (Advanced) This classic D&D monsters trades in Bestial rage for Mirror Object, allowing them to take the form of a chest or other simple object. In combat, this allows them to be ignored by the enemy until they attack or are the last one standing on their side. Mirror Weapon let's them gain the Damage score of an enemy for the rest of combat(with an upper limit depending on the Mimic's level), while Multi-Mirror let's them copy any stat from anyone on the battlefield for the rest of combat (though they thankfully can only copy one attribute per action spend). They also learn variations of the classic Final Fantasy ability Mimic, with Mirror Ally letting them copy the last action of an ally, whle their capstone Foe Mirror lets them do the same for the enemy side. The former has to have the same target, while the latter thankfully doesn't. Proteus (Advanced) And amoeba-like creature gives up Chow Down for No Organs (immunity against critical hits). Environmental Adaptation gives them out-of-combat utility by making the immune against any kind of environmental hazard, all while allowing the rest of the party to cross unharmed. Shapeshifter let's them assume one of three general forms by spending an action in combat: They can either grow wings for the High-Flying status, become very fast for the Hasted status, or become very ugly to inflict all enemies with the Mind Break status. Infest let's them enter an enemy's body to inflict any status effect they want, removing themselves from combat until their target dies or they leave on their own. Their capstone is Ever-Changing, allowing them to instantly shift attribute points around so they effectively always have a score of 99 when it's important (though their Initiative is always based on their normal Speed score). Bird (Favored: Speed and Luck, Unfavored: Intelligence; Damage: Medium, Armor: Medium)  Fast and agile scouts and spies, they of course start out with Low Flier and can learn Swooping Dive, a variation of the Dragoon's Jump ability that temporarily grants the them High-Flying status instead of removing them from combat entirely. Upon reaching level 10, birds either evolve into the more powerful Shrikes or channel their long-forgotten ancestors by turning into Wyverns. Shrike (Intermediate) Most of the Shrike's abilities are passive in nature, boosting their Initiative (Lightning Speed, +5), Damage (Shearing Talons, +5), Crit chance (Sun Dive, 10%) and Evasion (Flit Away, +10). Their only active ability is level 40's Sonic Scream, granting them the Black Magic spell Aero III. At level 50, Shrikes either evolve into the small but vicious Thunderbirds or the massive Garudas. Thunderbird (Advanced) The magical Thunderbird (the bird, not the software) immediately ditches the Sonic Scream for High Flyer (aka "screw melee attacks"). With "thunder" in their name, it comes to no surprise that most of their abilities are lightning-focused. Level 50 grants them Lightning Aspect, giving them traits of a lightning elemental (physical attacks deal Lightning damage, Lightning attacks deal no damage, but Dark attack deal +50%*). Bolt Beak grants them the ultimate Lightning spell Luminaire at reduced cost, while their capstone Thunderstorm hits everyone with both Luminaire and the ultimate air spell Typhoon (both at half damage). Very interesting and potentially devastation is the ability Skybreaker, which has the Thunderbird break the battle screen in half to remove the enemy's back row out of the fight until the front row is defeated. *) Monster Mash has a somewhat different elemental relation than standard Super Console. Cold damage doesn't exist and is replaced entirel by Water (making that the new opposite element of Fire). Lightning and Holy are no both the opposite element of Dark (most likely because monsters don't really learn anything that can deal Holy damage). Garuda (Advanced) As their big enough to carry elephants and friggin' killer whales, it comes as no surprise that these titanic birds trade in Lighting Speed for Enormous Bulk (+10 Vitality). Wing Rush is the AoE version of Sonic Scream that costs no Mana, but increases recovery time by +50%. Godly Power adds some juicy +10 to strength and Magic, while Death Drop let's them pick up any non-Boss, non-flying enemy to insta-kill them through massive falling damage. Their capstone is Blow Away, a variant of the Time Magic spell Exit (aka insta kill without getting rewards) that costs no Mana and can't be resisted. Wyvern (Intermediate) As a combat- and status-focused evolution, Wyverns learn Strong Bite (+5 damage), Coil and Grab (inflicts Paralyze, but can only target the paralyzed foe until the Wyvern stops the grab), Poisoned Stinger (inflicts Poison), Bite and Stinger (your standard double-hit attack) and finally Wing Buffet (physical AoE attack). At level 50, Wyverns either become poison experts and turn into Serpents, or they turn into majestic Dragons Serpent (Advanced) Ditching the Swooping Dive for Snap Up (+10 Attack Skill), these monster snakes are all about poison. Literally all their other abilities (Virulent, Blinding, Deadly and Reality Excision Poison) boost the damage of their Poisoned Stinger, making them masters of Damage-over-Time tactics surpassing even the most powerful Bio spell, which comes in very handy against heavily-armored foes. A lot of these abilities also adds Status Effects to their stinger (Blinding of curse inflicts Blind, Deadly inflicts a Timed Doom status that kills after 5 actions, and Reality Excision casts Vortex). Dragon (Advanced) Having no need for poison, Dragons trade in the Poisoned Stinger for Hardened Scales (+5 Defense and Magic Defense). Unsurprisingly, they're big into Fire attacks, gaining Fire Breath (can cast Fire III on all enemies) and Flare Breath (can cast Flare on all enemies). For physical attacks, they learn the triple-hit attack Claw Claw Bite. Like the Archmage, their capstone is Boss Status. I'm breaking this chapter up in two parts. The thing's getting a bit long, and the whole thing apparently uses more bold tag than a single post can handle. It's just giving up at the end o_O Next Time: The other monster classes - Goblins, Meks, Spores and Wisps.
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Jul 25, 2015 12:15
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quote:Monstrous player characters aren't too rare in the world of console RPGs, but Super Console's supplement Monster Mash takes this to a whole new level, allowing the whole party to consist of monsters. Naturally, this makes sessions even zanier. Aside from undefeatable guards and people that can only repeat the same 1-2 sentences and are perfectly okay with the supposed heroes taking all their worldly possessions, you can now have the party include a demon, a warbot, an effing huge bird and a patch of sentient grass. Sounds like a pretty typical Final Fantasy Legend party.
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Jul 25, 2015 12:22
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Count Chocula posted:Sounds like a pretty typical Final Fantasy Legend party. That's the first game of the SaGa series, right? I recall having that game on my Gameboy, but it was the Japanese version (because my mom bought me the cartridge from Japan not knowing that it was full of words) so I basically played it by mashing buttons and sometimes wondering why some of my party members had turned into slimes, wolves and other stuff. Still, it was great fun because you could have robots and monsters in your party alongside regular humans.
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Jul 25, 2015 12:35
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Count Chocula posted:Sounds like a pretty typical Final Fantasy Legend party. This was in fact the main inspiration for this book, along with Shining Force and its class paths. A shame I never played either one <_<
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Jul 25, 2015 12:37
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The more I read about Blue Rose the better it sounds. It's got more traditional fantasy tropes than I was led to believe (it even has archdemons based on the seven deadly sins) but there are also lots of interesting variations.chiasaur11 posted:
Or maybe he doesn't need to make a move for the throne, he can just throw his political weight around and be a huge pain in the Queen's butt if you want to make him look like a petty piece of poo poo. Or he could just go full That Autumn God Whose Name I Forget, steal some forbidden sorcery books, plunge rear end deep into the Shadow and become the next Sorcerer King right in the middle of the royal court. It's not completely spelled out, but there is some material to work with here.
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Jul 25, 2015 13:37
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paradoxGentleman posted:The more I read about Blue Rose the better it sounds. It's got more traditional fantasy tropes than I was led to believe (it even has archdemons based on the seven deadly sins) but there are also lots of interesting variations. Or he could opt to turn the queen into a puppet, if you decide he's canny enough and the queen is susceptible. It's stated that she intends only to marry for love, and that could make her vulnerable as the DM desires.
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Jul 25, 2015 13:47
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The source material is full of "Rich noble dude who never gets the magical calling causes massive trouble for rightful ruler". There's Nobles who don't undergo the ordeal to become Knights in the Tortall stuff, who are often as not big jerks, the Queen's most trusted advisor in the first Heralds of Valdemar trilogy, etc, etc. These people are usually wrong and get exposed, but that doesn't mean there's not plot around it, and they totally do stuff the PCs will need to foil.
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Jul 25, 2015 13:50
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It really is a big mistake to act like everyone just shrugs and says "Oh I guess the Hart has spoken; as perfectly rational actors we will all follow its incredibly vague lead into perfect harmony."
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Jul 25, 2015 14:25
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Plague of Hats posted:It really is a big mistake to act like everyone just shrugs and says "Oh I guess the Hart has spoken; as perfectly rational actors we will all follow its incredibly vague lead into perfect harmony." True. This isn't really any more arbitrary than standard succession by blood, just with a smaller chance of getting ruled by an inbred moron or psychopath. The simple masses will probably just roll with it because it barely affects them, but the people in power will probably scheme a little. Super Console: Monster Mash Now for the other classes. (Monster) Classes 2: Lightning Boogaloo Goblin (Favored: Spirit and Magic, Unfavored: Vitality; Damage: Medium, Defense: Medium)  The backbone of every fantasy villain's army, these humanoid critters never travel without fellow comrades, allowing them to summon a Goon Squad for a weak, physical AoE attack. Opposable Thumbs also allows them to fill in the role of Thief by being able to use Steal. Goblins are unique in that at level 10, they get to pick between three Intermediate classes: They can channel the forces of darkness to turn into Imps, use the power of nature to turn into beautiful Sprites, or just become bigger and badder Ogres. Imp (Intermediate) Beefed up by the power of Hell, Imps are naturally Demonic, halving Fire and Dark damage, but doubling Holy damage. The further gain some passives with Sharp Little Claws (10% Crit chance) and Smoke and Brimstone (+10 Status Resistance). They gain your typical double-hit attack with Ferocity, and Horrible Pact gives them an alternative to the Steal action (this one using Level vs Intelligence instead of Speed vs Strength, and involves the Imp trading on of his items for the target's stealable item). At level 50, Imps go full-on D&D, bcoming either Demons or Fiends. Demon (Advanced) Demons trade Opposable Thumbs for Lord of Hell (healed by Fire). They can inflict the Old status with Waste and Ruin, and gain a powerful Counterattack with Spines (triggers even if the enemy misses, but Recovery Time is increased by 1 tick). The last two abilities channel the full force of Hell, with To Hell being a reflavored Vortex spell, and with the capstone Hellstorm being similar to the Thunderbird's Thunderstorm in that it hits everyone with an attack that is half Flare, half Void. Fiend (Advanced) Being more of a sadistic Goblin+, the Fiend trades Sharp Little Claws for Ambush, which increases the party's chances for an Ambush. Mug gives them the Thief ability of the same name, Lightning Fast grants +10 Speed, and Rend gives them a triple-hit attack that is somewhat gimped in that the third hit only comes out if the previous two landed hits. The handy capstone Every Last Penny doubles treasure gained from combat and chests (both money and items), and doubles the chance for rare drops. Sprite (Intermediate) Having lost a lot of weight and most likely changed gender, the newly-created Sprite becomes a spellcaster, learning Bard Songs and White Magic with a little bit of Earth and Black Magic. Passive abilities include Wee (+10 Evasion) and Elemental Spirit (half damage from Water and Air). At level 50, Sprites either upgrade into Faeries or turn into the taller Sidhes. Faerie (Advanced) Faeries trade Elemental Spirit for Low-Flier. Now fully alied with the forces of Good, they also gain Bright Spirit (half damage from Air and Lightning, double damage from Dark). They further gain new spells (finishing up the Sprite spell list). They also really learn to annoy enemies with Distracting (attackers have a 30% chance of hitting an ally instead) and their capstone Faerie Dust (the whole party is permanently High-Flying). Sidhe (Advanced) Sidhes trade Goon Squad for Free Spirit, making them immune against the Paralysis and Sleep statuses. Thanks to their Beatuy, they are hit last in combat like a White Mage. They don't learn any new spells, but rather spell-like abilities. Charm is a unique Status Effect that forces the target to obey the Sidhe's command. Magic Touch is a very cheap (only 1% Mana) ability that acts as either Cure III or Frog. Their capstone is Rip Van Winkle, a variation of Vortex that has the victim sleep for 100 years. Naturally, Undead and Robots don't sleep and are therefore immune. Ogre (Intermediate) These giant humanoids are all about being a physical powerhouse, with passives like Brutish (+5 Strength and Vitality) and Tough Skin (+5 Magic Defense). Big Club gives them a +5 Damage bonus they unfortunately lose for the rest of combat if they take any elemental damge (which destroys the club). They unsurprisingly gain a double-hit attack with Two-Handed Smash, and Throw Boulder let's them do full damage against the enemy's back row (which can't be combined with Two-Handed Smash). At level 50, Ogres grow into even taller Titans or turn into more hideous Trolls. Titan (Advanced) Being too huge to be good thieves, Titans lose Opposable Thumbs and gain Titanic (+5 Strength and Vitality, but -5 Speed). Their Knockback works like Punt from the core book's Brutish monster in that it kicks a target from the front into the back row. Inuk-chuck let's them grow so tall that every non-Boss on the battlefield is effectively afflicted with the Tiny status. Boulder Bowler let's them hit all enemies in a straight line, and their capstone Terra Stomp lets them create a lasting lasting earthquake that makes the enemies lose 1% Health per tick (except for Bosses and anyone immune against Earth damage). Troll (Advanced) Trolls - borrowing their regenerative abilities from their D&D counterpart - trade Throw Boulder for Regeneration, allowing them to recover 1% per 3 ticks. Their offense is improved with Razor Claws (15% Crit chance) and Frenzy (triple-hit attack). Regrowth speeds up their Regeneration to 1% per 2 ticks, and allow them to automatically shrug off the Claw and Scale Break statuses. Their capstone Diamon-Clad boosts their Regeneration to an amazing 1% per 1 tick, and they start every combat with the Wall spell active. Mek (Favored: Strength and Vitality, Unfavored: Magic; Damage: Fast, Armor: Fast)  Meks are artifically-created magitech creatures designed by the Main Villain as frontline fighters (as evidenced by their Favored Stats and fantastic Damage and Armor progression). This is further emphasized by their abilities Tough Skin (+5 Defense) and Power Punch (a standard physical a doubles damage, but also recovery time and cannot be combined with other attack abilities). As their dual heritage is quite unstable, level 10 forces them to pick between their technological and magical nature, becoming either a Robot or Golem. Robot (Intermediate) A mostly straight upgrade from the Mek's abilities, with increased standing power thanks to Machine Body (half damage from all elements except for Lightning, which deals +50% damage and has a 50% chance to inflict Confuse) and an Extendo-Punch that lets them attack the enemy's back row at full effect. They learn to cast spells as reduced cost, namely Cure III with Medical Unit and Bolt III with Electrical Discharge. And of course, they wouldn't be a warrior-type without a double-hit attack, this one being called One-Two. Level 50 has them upgrade into either Warbots for direct combat, or Mainframes for support and utility. Warbot (Advanced) The one and only. they trade Medical Unit for Laser Targeting (15% Crit chance). Missile Barrage lets them perform a physical AoE attack, and they continue to learn spells at reduced cost - this time with AoE properties - with Laser Cannon acting as Flare and Stasis Wave acting as Stop. Their capstone is Liquid Metal, making them be permanently affected by the Time Magic spell Regenerate (not quite as useful as the Troll's Regneration, but still pretty darn handy). Mainframe (Advanced) Probably one of the strangest classes in this book, the Mainframe is a Robot that evolved into a stationary super-computer, supporting the party from several miles via remote robots. They therefore have Remote Unit (the replacement for One-Two), which allows the party to save up on post-battle resurrection because the Mainframe just sends a replacement if the current remote unit has fallen in battle (though only after battle, making in-combat ressurection still necessary). Most of their abilities deal with buffs and debuffs, like Battle Analysis (+5% Crit chance for the whole party), Tactical Database (-10 Defense, Magic Defense, Status Resistance and Evasion for the enemy side) and their capstone Magitech Circuitry (allies deal +10% damage with spells and magical abilities). The only direct attack ability they learn is Nuclear Option, which hits everyone with the Flare spell at greatly reduced cost. Golem (Intermediate) Being somewhat of an elemental, Golems naturally learn Earth Body (immune against Earth, +50% damage from Air, physical attacks deal Earth damage). As the Final Fantasy summon of the same name was all about protecting the party, Golems also learn the Fighter's Cover ability. They also gain a passive with Enruned (+10 Status Resistance), the Titans's Knockback (though this version costs Mana) and Rush, which is a normal attack with halved recovery time (essentially their version of a double-hit attack). At level 50, Golems either transform into a hideous Gargoyle or a ginormous Colossus. Gargoyle (Advanced) Thanks to their stone wings, Gargoyles gain High Flier, though they lose Cover in the process. They can some nice attack abilities with Divebomb (allowing them to always deal full damage against the back row) and the Dragon's Claw Claw Bite (which is even better here thanks to the Favored Stats and better Damage progression). They also learn status-inflicting abilities, namely Fearsome Stare (which inflicts Silence) and their capstone ability Petrifying Bite (which adds the Petrified status to their normal attack with a Mana cost). Colossus (Advanced) Due to their size, Colossi lose Rush and gain Immense instead, adding +5 to Defense and raising their Health bar to a respectable 150%. Smash allows them to add the Scale Break status to their attacks, while Squash Flats allows them to attack normally and cast a variant of the Richter spell (aka ultimate Earth spell) at the same time that deals full damage to the target of the attack and half damage against the other enemies. Unbreakable makes them immune against Petrified and all Break statuses. Should the enemies manage to topple this very tanky monster, the capstone ability Fall On will inflict a Timed Doom status (insta-killing after 3 actions) on every non-Boss enemy. Spore (Favored: Spirit and Vitality, Unfavored: Luck; Damage: Medium, Armor: Fast)  Spores are subterranian plant/fungus creatures that start off pretty tanky thanks to Plant Life (half damage from Water and Eart, double damage from Fire, immune against Frog) and Take Root (beefs up the Defense action like a Fighter's Guard). At level 10, they have to pick between underground and overworld plantlife, tunring into either a Fungus or Carnivorous Grass. Fungus (Intermediate) Fungi mainly learn utility abilities like Spore Cloud (doubles escape chance), Lives in Darkness (immune against Blind) and Sprout Up (full damage against the back row). They also learn to inflict status effect, namely Poisoned through Decay and Confuse through Hallucination. Level 50 sees them either continue the mushroom path and turn into Shroomers, or lose all form and become Slimes. Shroomer (Advanced) Being bigger than the Fungus, they trade Sprout Up for Sturdy (+5 Vitality and Magic Defense). Sleep Spores let's them inflict the Sleep status, while Terrain Assault is a stronger version of the Geomancer's Terrain Attack (aka a ranged attack fueled by Vitality). The last two abilities are defensive in nature, with Trembling being a counterattack with any of the 3 status effects it can inflict with its abilities for free, and the capstone Mycosis reflecting Earth and Water spells back at the attacker. Slime (Advanced) These Dragon Quest mascots trade in Hallucination for Fluid Body (+15 Status Resistance) and continue the theme with Dissolve (turns own attacks Water-aspected at will), Envelop (temporarily removes a single foe for one turn), Digest (deals 1% Water damage every 2 ticks to the Enveloped foe) and finally Convert (creates a clone of the Slime every time it kills someone with Envelop). Overall very handy to temporarily remove annoying enemies from combat, with the added bonus of creating temporary allies with a bit of luck. Carnivorous Grass (Intermediate) Probably the most awesome monster around, they use Camouflage to double the party's surprise attack chance. Their combat ability is improved with the passives Jagged Blades (+5% Crit chance) and Fearsome Maw (+5 Damage). Entangle allows them to inflict the Slow status, and Brushfire allows them to counter Fire attacks with itself, letting the attacker share the pain. At level 50, they either transform into lovely Dryads or terrifying Oakmen. Dryad (Advanced) These magical plant ladies trade in the Fearsome Maw for a crapton of support spells from all kinds of schools (though mostly Bard Songs, Earth and White Magic). Earth Friend makes them immune to Earth damafge, while Arborify is a kiss attack that deals no damage, but inflicts the Petrified status. Their capstone is Simulacrum, allowing them to create a duplicate that lets them automatically evade the first attack against them. Oakman (Advanced) Also spellcasters, these murderous trees give up Brushfire for their own set of spells, this time focusing more on debuffs and direct damage spells. Shrug Off let's them instantly recover from any Status Effect for 50% Mana, and Acorn Recovery has them start every battle with Relife like a Sphinx. Their capstone is My God, It's Full Of Squirrels, allowing them to summon a swarm of ferocious squirrels to reduce any non-Boss down to 1% Health (offering nice synergy with a Slime for easier Converting). Wisp (Favored: Spirit and Magic, Unfavored: Vitality; Damage: Medium, Armor: Medium)  The most elusive monster class, Wisps are beings of pure energy. Their first ability is unsurprisingly called Energy Being (half damage from physical attacks, immune to Poison), with their second ability Charge Up being a really nice self-buff that adds +10 to all (primary) attributes for the rest of combat. At level 10, they have to dedice on whether to gain power from the elements (becoming Elementals) or the afterlife (becoming Ghosts). Elemental (Intermediate) Elementals of course start with Elemental Type, which has them pick the element they're composed of (excluding Holy, of course). They are immune against their own element (and are actually healed by half the damage), but take double damage from their opposed element. Their attacks are also elementally boosted (aka they deal triple damage against targets with the opposed element, actually heal targets with the same elemental alignment, and deal +5 damage to everything else). Empowering Meld has the Elemental merge with the party's Attack Jewels, temporarily dissapearing from the battlefield while making their ally's attacks elementally-aspected. They learn to cast the 3rd and 4th level Black Magic attack spell of their element with Elemental Blast II + III at a reduced cost, and Elemental Eruption let's them use their blasts on all foes and themselves (thereby healing them) for increased Mana cost. At level 50, Elementals either master their own element and become Archomentals, or they align themselves with multiple elements and become Antipodes. Archomental (Advanced) Being more solid than the typical elemental, they give up Energy Being for Elemental Shield (+10 Defense). The typical spellcaster ability MIRV gives them more control over their AoE blasts (making them weaker, but allowing them to exclude enemies that would've been healed by the blast and even include allies that would be healed). Sorcerous Power adds a juicy +10 to their Magic, and they continue to learn attack spells of their element with Elemental Blast IV (allowing them to cast the ultimate spell of their element) and their capstone ability Sixth Level Spell, a powerful magic attack that deals an amazing 120 Damage of their element, but requires their entire Mana Bar to cast. Antipode (Advanced) Antipodes trade in Elemental Eruption for Second Elemental Type, allowing them to pick a second element with all benefits and drawbacks (picking their opposing element has them resist all elements normally while still dishing out damage based on both elements). They also start with Elemental Shift, which lets them take an action to change on of their elements. Polar Strike is a special double-hit attack where each hit uses a different element of the Antipode's current two. Their capstone Metamorph lets them use Elemental Shift as a free action, while Omnimental let's them use Elemental Shift at any time and allows them to pick any number of elements they want, from zero to all six. Overall, what they lack in raw damage spikes and AoE capabilities, they make up for by exploiting elements like crazy, getting healed by enemy attacks and retaliating with consistent triple-damage attacks (provided the enemy has elemental weaknesses). Ghost (Intermediate) These spooky fellows are of course Undead like Zombies and gain some nice abilities based around their intangible nature. Ghostly Touch lets them ignore Armor and always go for the lower Toughness like Poison damage, Ethereal gives them +10 Evasion, and Float Throuhg allows them to deal full damage to the back row. Their active abilities include Moan (inflicts Paralyze) and Terrifying Touch (inflicts Old). At level 50, they either continue down the path of the Undead as Wraihts, or they instead decide to eat people as Grues. Wraiths (Advanced) These spectral creatures give up Charge Up for Wicked Reserves (Health and Mana go up to 120%). Their abilities all add useful effects to their normal attack: Steal Life has the Wraith regain 5% per succesful hit, Steal Power removes an ability from the enemy for the rest of combat (randomly chosen, unless the Wraith knows the target has a particular ability), Steal Memory reduces the target's level by 1 and adds a cumulative +5 to all the Wraith's attributes (with a limit of 99), and their Capstone Steal Time increases the opponent's recovery time by 5 ticks. Grue (Advanced) These fearsome monsters lose both their Undead status and Float Through for Monster Under The Bed (+10 Vitality). They gain some nice ability synergy, with It Is Dark adding the Blind status to their attacks for free while Eat Whole allows them to insta-kill any Blinded non-Boss for free and without fail. Twisty Passages adds +10 to their Attack Skill, while Top Predator is similar to the Dark Knight's It's The Main Villain!, making them so fearsome that no one will attack them unless they are the last one standing on their side. For games in a more Eastern setting, an info box provides alternate class/monster names from Chinese, Japanese, Indian and Korean mythology. Apprentices could be Tianshis, Dryads Kodamas, Ogres Onis and Serpents Nagas. Next Time: New Rules - presenting the new status effects and other goodies. Doresh fucked around with this message at 16:06 on Jul 25, 2015 |
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Jul 25, 2015 15:12
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chiasaur11 posted:World's Finest Comics #142? It's almost enough to make you swear allegiance to the Lich King and start running around with giant skulls for pauldrons.
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Jul 25, 2015 16:08
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Hypocrisy posted:It's almost enough to make you swear allegiance to the Lich King and start running around with giant skulls for pauldrons. Or plot to reduce the magic deer's chosen to a mere figurehead leader and he himself become the power behind the throne. As romantic fantasy goes, to me the setup screams out for Sayvin to be duping Jaellin into marriage while a PC who's truly in love with Jaellin jumps in a dramatic moment during the wedding to reveal Sayvin's plans in front of the assembled lords of the land then proclaim their True Love for Jaellin on the spot. Cythereal fucked around with this message at 16:17 on Jul 25, 2015 |
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Jul 25, 2015 16:10
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Cythereal posted:As romantic fantasy goes, to me the setup screams out for Sayvin to be duping Jaellin into marriage while a PC who's truly in love with Jaellin jumps in a dramatic moment during the wedding to reveal Sayvin's plans in front of the assembled lords of the land then proclaim their True Love for Jaellin on the spot. Would it still count as romantic fantasy if we added some Princess Bride to the mix?
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Jul 25, 2015 16:19
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Doresh posted:Would it still count as romantic fantasy if we added some Princess Bride to the mix? Depending on the group, probably. I'm thinking more the Josephine romance from Dragon Age Inquisition, though, with the duel for Josephine's hand in marriage in the public square of the largest city in the most powerful nation in southern Thedas, trading witty barbs along with flashing blades. All without informing Josephine of any of this beforehand.
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Jul 25, 2015 16:22
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Cythereal posted:Or plot to reduce the magic deer's chosen to a mere figurehead leader and he himself become the power behind the throne. Yeah but then what would you do with all of your skull pauldrons?
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Jul 25, 2015 16:22
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Hypocrisy posted:Yeah but then what would you do with all of your skull pauldrons? Those are for your brainwashed shock troops you hid in the palace through sorcery when the jig is up and you try to stage a coup by force.
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Jul 25, 2015 16:22
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By this point in the book I'm not really sure what else the writers could have done short of clubbing the reader over the head given that so far we've seen: A). Outright admission that nobles can and do gradually veer away from the Light with no way to tell short of discovering them mid-scheme, and given that they're all career politicians this can be easier said than done. B). Twice now where the Hart's choice for sovereign hasn't worked out and they've needed to be deposed. C). That the history of the setting is one long saga of people lusting for power turning to methods they shouldn't out of hubris and causing enormous amounts of trouble for everyone before they can be stopped, and D). An entire creation myth which is literally all about how someone got jealous of his peers and wound up unleashing an unspeakable evil upon the land in his madness. Potential campaign-driving antagonists aside, the book makes it abundantly clear that just because the Hart chooses someone doesn't mean everyone marches in happy lockstep beside them either. The sovereign's own councilors think they know better than Jaellin, one thinks she's naive and frequently votes against her while the other is trying to steer her into a political marriage. The cat doesn't seem to have a strong opinion on her one way or the next but is still stubborn as hell and doesn't just do what Jaellin says because "well the magic deer." If everyone was content to go "oh well I guess the Golden Hart solved things forever" then there'd be no need for the nobles, the councils, or all the other stuff that goes into Aldis' government except as an extension of the sovereign's will, and we just finished a while huge section on why absolute monarchies are maybe not a great idea. The Hart doesn't rid the world of all evil and conflict forever, all it does is choose what is assumed to be the best candidate for sovereign, after that it leaves everything else up to people. As far as Sayvin goes, the book has also made it clear that the real threat is often the subtle one...armies of darkness and earth-shattering sorceries are things that come after, but all of those stem from corruption left to fester for too long until it's too late. Obviously if Sayvin just tried to throw a coup and assassinate Jaellin while ranting about the magic deer he wouldn't get anywhere, and his portrayal in the book isn't as someone fantasizing about violently overthrowing the sovereign anyway so that would be, for now, out of character. But there are plenty of ways that Sayvin could make life difficult for the kingdom if someone were to start nudging him in the right direction, leading him down the path of Shadow, and Sayvin is a charismatic and respected member of one of Aldis' noble families so unless he's a complete idiot about it there's a good chance that no one would suspect him even if they suspected that something distinctly Shadowy was going on.
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Jul 25, 2015 17:52
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Hell, wouldn't it even be possible to help the guy and steer him back towards the Light? It seems like that, too, would be in-genre.
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Jul 25, 2015 17:54
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Forces of Hordes: Skorne Lord Assassin Morghoul is Epic Morghoul. He has become vital to the new skorne culture. He has, over his life, served many masters, and he feels no regret for abandoning Vinter Raelthorne. Instead, he has embraced service to Makeda, though few would suspect how vital he is in realizing her vision. His every ability is used to transform the Skorne Empire. He approaches his job systematically, seizing control of the paingivers by taking Makeda's offer to turn them into a true united force. Some of the paingivers resisted, but he knew consolidation might need some death. He forged them into a weapon for him to use, and Makeda gave him another weapon in gratitude: the Balaash relic blade Mercy. He volunteered to return east, to solidify his control over all paingivers - especially the notorious Master Tormentor Jyvaash Komorn, leader of the Bloodrunners. Komorn named him a heretic...so Morghoul killed him and all of his allies, seizing Komorn's Fan of Shadows. He took control of the surviving Bloodrunners and began to subjugate the capital from the shadows. He is one of Makeda's most vital and trusted advisors, but what even she does not know is that neither loyalty nor ambition drive him. Rather, he is focused on the deepest philosophies and the destiny of the skorne. He is a true believer, feeling that a civilization forged in hardship must triumph, and even Makeda does not escape his scrutiny. He weighs her by the same standards he applied to Vinter, and if she is found wanting, he will kill her. His gimmick is assassination and his magic enables that with buffs. His feat improves his allies' defenses.  Dominar Rasheth has caused an unexpected shift in politics by coming west. He is both feared and loathed, and no one really trusts him or his claims of loyalty, but he is a master mortitheurge. He is a merchant lord, using the power of corruption to scourge the western races and foul the land with his malevolent spirits. He has no respect for hoksune at all, and is far too lazy to exert himself physically, lying on a lectica to do his magic. While most skorne are lean and willingly starve themselves to test their physical limits, Rasheth is a glutton, appalling to both foes and allies. He enjoys making them uncomfortable, and his power is undeniable. He fuels his magic with the lives of his own troops, and his easy mastery of magic offends his jealous peers. He was born into the upper parts of House Telarr, disdaining traditional asceticism from an early age, though he had the sense to hide his feelings. He rose not by battle skill but mastery of mortitheurgy, deception and manipulation. All of his rivals died of assassination, suicide or political disgrace...or 'accidents' like food poisoning. Once none were left to oppose him, he became the dominar of House Telarr. Under his rule, it focused on a merchant empire specializing in beasts like the titans, and he worked to seize control of the domestic titans of the Tor-Kademe as well as rounding up the wild titans of the Ocean of Grass. By the time Vinter came, Rasheth was wealthy and fat. He immediately joined the Conqueror, supplying him with titans, if a bit grudgingly. He took to the field personally a few times to seize on opportunities, taking pleasure in destroying his foes without a care for martial honor or the lives of his troops. In the aftermath of Makeda's triumph, he has once more shifted his loyalties, bringing his house army west in order to seize on the opportunities of service. He wants to become invaluable to Makeda via his titan herds, and his ambition is as boundless as his gluttony. But so long as he is useful, lesser skorne must live with his whims. His gimmick is hurling magic all over the place, and his feat debuffs enemies and heals him when things die.  Tyrant Xerxis is the greatest warrior of the skorne. He is a Cataphract, unrivaled in war. He is a cruel leader, driving his soldiers beyond exhaustion to master their formations until they can move as one. He is a student of all warfare, especially the most recent ones, and he has a nearly supernatural sense of timing and application of force. When he leads, he is unstoppable. His clubs, the Pillars of Halaak, inspire his soldiers and embody the strength of the city of their name. Most Cataphracts could barely lift one, let alone both, but Xerxis wields them effortlessly. His fighting style is all about straightforward expedience and overwhelming force. He rules House Kophar, one of the strongest houses serving the Balaash, and they fought for a long time against Archdominar Vaactash, Makeda's grandfather, during the wars to subdue the area around Halaak. Kophar has more Cataphracts than any other house in the city, and their extollers expect Xerxis to surpass his ancestors and restore the house to glory by his service. He proved his loyalty to Makeda in 603, when he fought to protect her and defend an extended siege until Vinter could return for the Second Unification. He had every chance to join the Betrayers, but he refused them all. He sees no shame in service to his archdomina, whom he respects utterly. He is the greatest of soldiers and generals of the skorne, and he knows that he will die in battle and become exalted. His gimmick is personal badassery and troop buffs, and his feat buffs allied melee damage and armor.   Supreme Aptimus Zaal is accompanied by the Kovaas. He is chief of all extollers, a mighty mystic with a deep insight into the ancestral spirits, almost a high priest for the Army of the Western Reaches. Even among extollers, he stands above the rest, standing apart from rule but commanding respect equal to any house lord. However, he is not content to just appreciate this - he has a calling. He has communed with many ancients, and his position as supreme aptimus has given him access to sacral stones from dozens of lineages. His lore is unequaled, but there is a price - touching the minds of the exalted risks madness. Zaal is ambitious, filling normally brave skorne with dread, which he rather enjoys. Their fear is a form of fealty and obedience. Only Lord Tyrant Hexeris stands near him, almost equal in his eyes, and rumor has it that Zaal and his extollers are guilty of heresy. His soldiers have sworn oaths never to betray him, but some among them are hollow and empty, passionless but strong. The fact that skorne have a concept of blasphemy would amaze some humans who have seen their cruelty, but that is because they do not understand the deep reverence the skorne hold for their ancestors. Zaal is tampering with forces that could undermine all that is sacred, by using ancestors released from shattered sacral stones. These kovaas are filled with a dark madness, and trying to control them is a dark path. Kovaas are a rare consequence of ancestral guardians fighting in war - most of the time, their sacral stones are durable enough to remain whole, to be rebuilt, but when they break, a kovaas rises to slaughter the living and consume their souls. No coincidence could explain the frequency with which they happen around Zaal, though none have proof of his intentionally breaking sacral stones. Via his unique mastery, Zaal alone can command kovaas, able to banish them to some fate only he knows. Zaal's power over them would stain the extollers if discovered, and skorne history tells of the destruction the kovaas can wreak. Most famously, Lord Tyrant Norvaak, supreme aptimus of House Bashek, unleashed three of them in Halaak over 2000 years ago, killing thousands. Zaal considers him to have been a fool. In the west, he can experiment to his heart's content, and Vinter allowed it, seeing the kovaas as a tool. Makeda is either similarly pragmatic or prefers not to consider the ethics of his work closely. Now that he commands his own cohort, Zaal hopes to expand his lore and perform new experiments with the aid of Hexeris. Makeda is only peripherally aware of his plans and will likely remain so as long as the mystics obey her, as Zaal intends to. He enjoys fighting, and his crystal oculus allows him to see through all illusions and deceptions, viewing souls directly. He can capture and shred them as he likes, and any who question him or try to betray him die, their intentions revealed under his soul sight. His gimmick is buffs, blasts and using ancestral guardians (and kovaas). His feat lets him take power from his allies' deaths and use them to fuel those still around with buffs.  The skorne rely heavily on warbeasts drawn from the wastelands of the east. They are conditioned by the paingivers, which is the fundamental difference between them and western warbeasts - they are wild animals enslaved by magic. To prepare a beast for obedience, the handlers must break its spirit via torture, stress, physical modification and drugs. Mortitheurgy is essential - without it, the beasts could not be mastered. Mortitheurgy controls the beasts, draws power from their flesh and drives them violence beyond their natural capabilities. Further, it can reduce their need for food, saving on costs. Though most are taken from the wild, some are part of breeding programs overseen by beast handlers. These farms are vital in areas where the military has no access to traditional resources, like the Bloodstone Marches. Titans and rhinodons, especially, are bred for stamina and aggression, which their training enhances. On top of the beasts enslaved by the empire, they also have many rare and unique creatures. The beast handlers study their anatomy to better tailor their conditioning to it. Cyclopes, for example, need no pain to fight, and instead are altered to augment their supernatural vision and trained to wear heavy armor and wield immense weapons. Basilisk kreas, on theo ther hand, must be modified to control their powers. The most impressive, however, are the titans - reasonably clever herd animals that are usually docile in the wild, but very strong. They wear thick metal plates and wield immense weapons, equal to anything on the battlefield. The proper application of pain goads them to ferocity and has made them the greatest beasts of the skorne.  Next time: Slaves
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Jul 25, 2015 17:59
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Night10194 posted:Hell, wouldn't it even be possible to help the guy and steer him back towards the Light? It seems like that, too, would be in-genre. That is absolutely a valid option! I would say it's one of the reasons why Sayvin is portrayed as not a baby-eating black-hearted plotter but a guy experiencing a pretty normal bout of jealousy that's beginning to grow into full-blown resentment, someone who's sympathetic but starting to get a bit too wrapped up in his envy. It would absolutely be in keeping with the themes of the game for the players to discover that Sayvin is starting to meander down a treacherous path and pulling him back from it while agents of Shadow work to tug him in the opposite direction.
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Jul 25, 2015 18:15
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The obvious solution is to get Sayvin and the Queen to fall in love through an array of wacky hijinks. Romantic Comedy Fantasy.
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Jul 25, 2015 18:18
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Mr. Maltose posted:The obvious solution is to get Sayvin and the Queen to fall in love through an array of wacky hijinks. I could absolutely see my usual group of players doing that, for one, assuming PCs didn't fall in love with one or both of them.  That could be a basis for an entire light-hearted campaign, maybe. The PCs aren't murderhobos but matchmakerhobos. The very best engineers of arranging for two people to fall in love money and power can buy. Cythereal fucked around with this message at 18:26 on Jul 25, 2015 |
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Jul 25, 2015 18:22
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Kai Tave posted:That is absolutely a valid option! I would say it's one of the reasons why Sayvin is portrayed as not a baby-eating black-hearted plotter but a guy experiencing a pretty normal bout of jealousy that's beginning to grow into full-blown resentment, someone who's sympathetic but starting to get a bit too wrapped up in his envy. It would absolutely be in keeping with the themes of the game for the players to discover that Sayvin is starting to meander down a treacherous path and pulling him back from it while agents of Shadow work to tug him in the opposite direction. You beat me to it, but yeah, the thing about describing Sayvin as something like post-Episode 1 Anakin rather mid-Episode 3 Anakin at the assumed start of the campaign is so that there's still lots of time to take the character into a redeemable direction. By only having the specter of him turning into the big baddie without committing him to it just yet, it's not a given that he would necessarily fall into that role.
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Jul 25, 2015 18:24
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Cythereal posted:I could absolutely see my usual group of players doing that, for one, assuming PCs didn't fall in love wither one or both of them. I'll go ahead and spoil the next update a little bit, but in the section on romance and marriage Aldins are described as generally being "thoughtful, polite, but exceedingly determined matchmakers." So this is an option that's on the table.
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Jul 25, 2015 18:26
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Forces of Hordes: Skorne A Cyclops Brute is one of the many cyclopes the skorne use for war, meant to hold flanks or guard people. They are cunning, if crudely so, and respond well to training, becoming very tenacious once given armor and shields. All cyclopes get similar conditioning, but they are raised for distinct roles. The aggressive ones become shock troops, but brutes are more reactive, taught to mimic the disciplined march of the soldiers they follow. They wield immense pole arms and fight with their shields ready to defend others. Their vision allows them to focus more on evasion than attack, seeing attacks before they hit and shifting to deflect them. Their precognition means they often live for very long times, much longer than the savages used for shock troops. Their animus prevents them from being knocked down or shoved around.  The Cyclops Shaman is smarter than most cyclopes, using crude but effective primal magic. When captured and tamed, they curse the enemies of the skorne, help other beasts and unravel magic. Their gaze can boil blood and rot organs, as well. Half-tamed shamans are very expensive, two or three times as much as brutes or savages. They have been unable to be bred in captivity, so they must be taken wild after learning their magic. Their intellect and resistance to pain has made them hard to control, and they are the beasts most prone to treachery and vindictiveness. They must be kept on a tight leash. Their animus ends enemy magic.  The Razor Worm was a unique challenge for the paingivers. They may not be awe-inspiring like titans or rhinodons, but they are valuable. They must be captured wild, which usually means slaves die as bait. Then, months are spent toughening the worm's flesh and conditioning them to fear and obey the skorne - very hard, given their tiny brains and tendency to hide underground. They must be broken against all of their instincts, and they tend to eat handlers that can't do it. They burrow with surprising speed just beneath the surface, causing a crest above t hem. Their skin is resilient, and they prefer to ambush prey from underground, erupting forth to bite at them and drag them below to be eaten. Their animus protects against explosions.  The Rhinodon hails from the eastern Trembling Wastes, and they are formidable. They date back to ancient times, and one sweep of their crushing tail will crush attackers, often breaking bones. Skorne armies have traditionally favored the more intelligent titans, particularly in crowded areas, because rhinodons respond poorly to harnesses and barbs. They must be managed by whips and verbal command only, which makes taming them slow and expensive. Even well-trained rhinodons tend to cause collateral damage, especially on buildings and walls. This makes them actually quite useful in the west, especially against enemy fortifications. Their animus improves special attacks.  The Bronzeback Titan is one of the most dangerous beasts the skorne have tamed. They can't be raised in captivity - they must be captured, and that's not easy. Even one is exceptionally valuable, and for each one, at least ten handlers die. A single bronzeback can bring victory, as they push other titans to greater ferocity by their very presence. While rare, the wild titan herds still dominate the savannahs of the east. Most titans are passive unless threatened, but the strongest and eldest males sometimes transform into bronzebacks, bringing out their fiercest instincts. Muscles bulge under their hides, their forearms expand and lengthen and they grow an extra pair of tusks. Their skin thickens, drying into a pale bronze strip, and thick fur grows along the spine. Bronzebacks are exceptionally territorial, driving off all other mature males to create a herd of females to follow them and bear offspring. They can be found only in the wild herds, and captive bronzebacks are never fully tamed. They must always be watched closely. Their animus grants the power to overrun enemies.  Molik Karn is a triumph. While he was trained to obey, his will was never broken. Rather, he is loyal to Makeda for reasons of his own. He is a cyclops lord, giant even for his species and cunning despite his primitive brutishness. His one eye sees the future, letting him evade most threats, and he wields dual falchions while wearing heavy armor, proving nearly invincible in battle. Once, the cyclopes could be counted on to be dim and disorganized, steering clear of skorne settlements. They were allowed to roam wild and breed, until the coming of Molik Karn. He brought war to the skorne, leading maddened cyclopes to attack their villages and capture them for bloodsport and food. They knew, however, he must be captured, not killed. Tyrant Xerxis saw it as a point of pride, and despite heavy casualties, he eventually dragged Karn back to camp, where he was subjected to every paingiver technique known. All failed to break him, and only exhaustion would overcome him - and then but briefly. At last, they admitted their failure, and Makeda herself demanded to see the beast. He was taken to the Abyssal Fortress, where Makeda faced him alone in the arena. He attacked, but she seized into his mind, stopping him in his tracks and forcing him to kneel. Since then, he has served her loyally, fearful and respectful of her. While enslaved, he has dominated all of the other cyclopes of the army, and he enjoys the western war. His cruelty has only been amplified by the humiliation of the lash, and the beast handlers are always wary of him. He rarely needs to be whipped - he enjoys fighting.  While soldiers of other races fight to survive, skorne soldiers fight to seek honorable and exalted deaths. Every skorne knows that the afterlife holds only torment, and their only hope to escape is to become worthy of exaltation. This fatalism is a potent weapon - the skorne need no comfort or recreation and will do anything for glorious victory. They subject their troops to mortitheurgy to extend their vitality in battle and bolster their endurance, reducing the need for food and water by magic and simple surgery. This isn't particularly good for the soul, but rarely does that matter to morale, as skorne are raised from birth to embrace pain and deprivation. In fact, the most potent mortitheurges can turn troops into hollow shells of themselves that require nearly nothing and fear no death - near-perfect soldiers. This has been used to help survive the Bloodstone Desert and the Abyss, establishing fortresses for resupply and reinforcement as they passed through them. Even with these refuges, many died en route. Skorne know that this only culled the unfit, and now only the most worthy serve. Next time: The might of the skorne.
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Jul 25, 2015 18:53
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Kai Tave posted:It also appears if a ruler succumbs to cruelty, injustice, or otherwise becomes unfit to rule, which has happened twice in the kingdom's history. When it does so it kicks the sovereign in the forehead, doing no damage but covering the golden crescent mark with a grey hoofprint before choosing a new sovereign. Valin the tainted was deposed and exiled for his cruelty while Larai the Mad was deposed and cloistered for her madness (naturally). Again, Blue Rose sounds alright as a less-dark fantasy setting, though, again, Aldis sounds a bit too much like a liberal fantasy. Not to say that it's a bad fantasy, or one I disagree with but, eh, it just sticks out a bit that it's enlightened in all the way that we consider enlightened(public schooling, accepting of all races, accepting of non-hetero sexualities, etc.). It's just a bit too obviously what the author considers to be good. And again, I find myself disliking the Hart's role. If EVERY corrupt monarch is loving STAMPED right in the forehead, and the Hart always picks a better successor right away, again... it just seems to pointlessly close out a lot of plot hooks. There's just never any room for subtlety, by the sounds of it, anyone who's a villain, even if they don't declare it with black, spiky armor and worshipping the exarchs gets goddamn marked by a divine force if it's anywhere near the highest echelons of power.
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Jul 25, 2015 18:56
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PurpleXVI posted:Again, Blue Rose sounds alright as a less-dark fantasy setting, though, again, Aldis sounds a bit too much like a liberal fantasy. Not to say that it's a bad fantasy, or one I disagree with but, eh, it just sticks out a bit that it's enlightened in all the way that we consider enlightened(public schooling, accepting of all races, accepting of non-hetero sexualities, etc.). It's just a bit too obviously what the author considers to be good. I was wondering when we'd get to this. Okay, so serious question, why is this a bad thing? "Hey, maybe a good kingdom would be big on things like public education and tolerance of sexual preference and equality for all" seems like a pretty uncontroversial stance to take, but for some reason when Blue Rose came out a bunch of people looked at this and, well, said what you just said up there. "It's a liberal fantasy utopia," like somehow this is something that people should be rolling their eyes over because man, what a tryhard, am I right? So what's the deal here? You say it's not bad or that you disagree with it...but it's still a sticking point because...? Like yes, I imagine that this is what the author considers to be good. I'm okay with that because those are pretty decent things to consider good, and I think it says a lot about the state of fantasy roleplaying when the idea of a good kingdom which is accepting and tolerant and helps its citizens has people scoffing. PurpleXVI posted:And again, I find myself disliking the Hart's role. If EVERY corrupt monarch is loving STAMPED right in the forehead, and the Hart always picks a better successor right away, again... it just seems to pointlessly close out a lot of plot hooks. There's just never any room for subtlety, by the sounds of it, anyone who's a villain, even if they don't declare it with black, spiky armor and worshipping the exarchs gets goddamn marked by a divine force if it's anywhere near the highest echelons of power. Again, this ignores a lot of stuff the book is flat-out telling the reader without a lot of room for ambiguity with regard to things like nobles being perfectly able to slide towards corruption and flat-out evil and the Golden Hart doesn't show up to personally stamp everyone pulling a heel turn on the forehead. The sovereign, despite being a monarch of sorts, isn't the only person in Aldis who wields any sort of significant power and the power they do wield isn't even absolute. Everyone from the Sovereign's Council on down is fair game as far as turning out to be secretly evil and corrupt as you like, so really the only plot hook I can see the Golden Hart closing off is "the ruler of the good kingdom...IS SECRETLY EVIL ALL ALONG!" which, if I'm being honest here, is a pretty trite and overused hook so I can't say I'm too sorry that it's de-emphasized.
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Jul 25, 2015 19:31
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Kai Tave posted:I'll go ahead and spoil the next update a little bit, but in the section on romance and marriage Aldins are described as generally being "thoughtful, polite, but exceedingly determined matchmakers." So this is an option that's on the table. One of the campaign frames from the kickstarter is basically a group of PCs doing this: kickstarter posted:The Wedding Planners
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Jul 25, 2015 19:44
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Most of the complaints seem to be directly ignoring the plot hooks given, as Kai Tave pointed out twice now, because nerds can't think of fantasy conflict that doesn't involve killing an evil king. For a genre that supposedly doesn't allow for conflict, it's remarkable that Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar series alone has managed to get 55 books out of it. Valdemar isn't great, mind you, but it is clearly the primary inspiration for this game, and there's plenty of conflict to be had. Blue Rose provides a handy list of suggested reading for the genre; reading some might shine some light on how there can be plot beyond murderhoboing or a Game of Thrones simulator. Criticizing a game on its own merits is one thing, but blatant ignorance of, or willfully misconstruing, the genre it's emulating because it's not gritty enough makes for a terrible comparison that results in grognards.txt Based on what's been posted so far, if someone ran Blue Rose with, say, FAE, I'd be all over it.
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Jul 25, 2015 19:47
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Kai Tave posted:so really the only plot hook I can see the Golden Hart closing off is "the ruler of the good kingdom...IS SECRETLY EVIL ALL ALONG!" which, if I'm being honest here, is a pretty trite and overused hook so I can't say I'm too sorry that it's de-emphasized. And let's be honest: a good and well-intentioned ruler can be even more horrifying than an overtly evil one. It's possible to end up doing terrible things for the very best of reasons, perhaps by design but perhaps unintentionally. "Progressive, well-meaning idea has unforeseen side effects" is a frequent plot element, or perhaps the queen ultimately is simply not equal to the task before her because very few people in history have been equal to whatever crisis the DM has cooked up. Think I'm going to need to see how hard/expensive Blue Rose is to find these days. Also, I'll say it plain: there are a lot of very crusty grogs in the tabletop hobby who are deeply offended by women, homosexuality, and anything they otherwise deem girly intruding into "their" territory.
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Jul 25, 2015 19:53
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Cythereal posted:And let's be honest: a good and well-intentioned ruler can be even more horrifying than an overtly evil one. It's possible to end up doing terrible things for the very best of reasons, perhaps by design but perhaps unintentionally. "Progressive, well-meaning idea has unforeseen side effects" is a frequent plot element, or perhaps the queen ultimately is simply not equal to the task before her because very few people in history have been equal to whatever crisis the DM has cooked up. Back the second edition kickstarter and it's probably like 10$ for digital, with a better system than true20 stapled to it.
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Jul 25, 2015 19:54
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Kai Tave posted:I was wondering when we'd get to this. Because it's not just saying how something is, or how the characters feel about it. It's trying to say how the reader should feel about it, and that's indicative of a lack of trust in, well, a lot of things. I mean, comparison point. The Culture. Science Fiction setting with the same elevator pitch. Utopia with a modern liberal bent. But there, instead of "By the way, they get regular visits from a physical embodiment of good.", most of the books have at least one or two sympathetically portrayed characters go "This is why the Culture is a crock of poo poo!", and it's done in such a way you can at least understand the position. You get the idea Banks, even if he thinks the Culture is about as solid as a human-derived civilization could be, at least bothered to think what could be the flaws to that, or why people who AREN'T baby eating monsters might object to part of it. Here, it feels less like describing a place that happens to be one way, and more like lecturing the reader if they don't like any part of it. Kai Tave posted:Again, this ignores a lot of stuff the book is flat-out telling the reader without a lot of room for ambiguity with regard to things like nobles being perfectly able to slide towards corruption and flat-out evil and the Golden Hart doesn't show up to personally stamp everyone pulling a heel turn on the forehead. The sovereign, despite being a monarch of sorts, isn't the only person in Aldis who wields any sort of significant power and the power they do wield isn't even absolute. Everyone from the Sovereign's Council on down is fair game as far as turning out to be secretly evil and corrupt as you like, so really the only plot hook I can see the Golden Hart closing off is "the ruler of the good kingdom...IS SECRETLY EVIL ALL ALONG!" which, if I'm being honest here, is a pretty trite and overused hook so I can't say I'm too sorry that it's de-emphasized. Right off the top of my head, it also eliminates "People are accusing the ruler of being evil. Find out what the hell the deal is there", "Succession crisis!" and "The king's a good guy. But he's also a total fuckup who shouldn't have been put in charge of a boy scout troop. Might want to... deal with that." It's also profoundly undemocratic. It's saying that, at any time, there is a Best Person, and they deserve to rule over their fellow humans. Contrast to Chesterton's Napoleon of Notting Hill, where the king is chosen completely at random, because the basic premise is the democratic idea the common man (or woman) is about as worthy to govern as anyone else. And before you say "Oh, the deer can be wrong" because it picked two people who WENT wrong (again), there's a difference between a bad selection at the outset, and something going rotten. Especially when the deer can show up again when they've gone wrong and give them the boot. As for nobles being able to go evil? Well, yes. That's possible in almost every setting. Many of them are able to deal even without the advantage of knowing any new nobles are morally pure. Hell, if you got desperate, it'd be pretty easy to guarantee you had a whole council of good people for some essential choice. Cycle everyone out, get a whole new crop in. Term limits aren't the most totalitarian idea, and if it guaranteed whoever was in office was A Good Person, then I think you could make a pretty good populist push for it. It's not about the lack of murder-hoboing (although I admit there's a certain stupid charm to that sort of thing), it's about how it has even more simplistic morality than DnD, and it's a pretty big problem there already.
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Jul 25, 2015 20:26
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