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Imagine all of the city's cats, suddenly very interested in finding pile of garlic to roll on. E: When was at a cat cafe in Kyoto, one of the waitresses came in for the feeding time and the cats swarmed her. Of course, nothing bad happened, but it is still one of the spookiest things I've ever seen.
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# ? Sep 30, 2023 23:13 |
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Actually, if the Investigators have the UNDEAD SLAYER heart from the Dreamlands, couldn't they just bust that out in the caves and incinerate all of the proto-vamps, saving the task force?
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Need to get everyone to kill their lanterns first. May be tricky.
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PurpleXVI posted:Actually, if the Investigators have the UNDEAD SLAYER heart from the Dreamlands, couldn't they just bust that out in the caves and incinerate all of the proto-vamps, saving the task force? They absolutely could, and clowning on vampires is one of the rewards for doing the dreamlands segments.
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PurpleXVI posted:Actually, if the Investigators have the UNDEAD SLAYER heart from the Dreamlands, couldn't they just bust that out in the caves and incinerate all of the proto-vamps, saving the task force? Got the lovely image of just lifting up the heart, everyone dousing their lights and the person holding it just yelling "BURN" over and over. I wonder if you'd get some reward from the task group for that.
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![]() REPOSSESSION – PART FIVE OH poo poo!!! Welcome to the most famous encounter in Horrient. ![]() The fight with Fenalik can happen anywhere. There's ample instructions to make it work if the investigators choose to spend another night in Sofia or drive out of town. For the purposes of this review, we're on the train. As I'm sure you've gathered by now, Fenalik is an extremely dangerous enemy. He has all of the powers you'd expect a classic no-frills ancient vampire to have. He has ungodly, superhuman strength. He can crawl along the outside of a speeding train like it's nothing. He can shapeshift into a tiger, a bat or a cloud of mist. He can hypnotise people into being his mindless servants. He can regenerate from almost any injury. This combo-platter of powers means he always gets to fight on his terms. A straight-up fight with Fenalik is dangerous, fighting him alone is suicidal. However, Fenalik's got his own weaknesses and limitations. He doesn't want a drawn-out fight with the investigators either, and he wants to avoid drawing too much notice to his behaviour. If the rest of the train gets freaked out, they might call for an emergency stop, a situation that could spell the end for the vampire depending on how smart the team is. He goes for hit-and-run attacks and eschews direct confrontation for the most part. Fenalik's opening gambit will probably be to hypnotise an investigator. While they're sitting in their compartment, they see a pair of mesmerising red eyes staring at them through the window while a raspy voice whispers: it's hot inside, why not open the window, let some air in, let me in, it's hot inside. If they fail an opposed POW roll they will slowly get up and open the window, at which point Fenalik's scabrous arm reaches in and tries to pull them out. They get to make an opposed roll combining STR+SIZ versus Fenalik's STR 160. Failure means they get pulled out into the night screaming – 0/1D3 SAN for onlookers – before Fenalik eviscerates them and tosses their head back in (SAN 1/1D6). Thanks for playing! ![]() Quick, get the team together. You're being chased by a vampire, if you still haven't figured that out for some loving reason. Make your Cthulhu Mythos or Occult rolls. What's a vampire's weakness? Garlic! Of course the kitchen of the Orient Express has garlic. Hustle some out of the confused chefs and hole up in a compartment. Fenalik cannot willingly approach garlic and the presence of the stuff forces him to make all his rolls at Hard difficulty. For the record, religious symbols can work on vampires, but only if they're ones they believed in in life. Fenalik is old as balls; he doesn't pre-date Christianity but he does pre-date the widespread use of the crucifix as a symbol. At this point he'll try to negotiate. He'll wheedle, he'll cajole, growling behind the door in an inhuman voice. Just hand over his 'skin' and no-one gets hurt. This might be a good time for the investigators to learn more about the Simulacrum, but Fenalik's got a limited patience for small-talk. Hand over the loving statue or he'll kill one passenger per hour. The best rebuttal to this? Threaten to destroy the statue, one piece per passenger murdered. This is a clear lie, but it's one that Fenalik takes at face value. This strange steel machine they're riding in is proof that modern humanity is beyond his comprehension. Now the investigators have some room to breathe, it's time to plan their counterattack. ![]() Vampire-Hunting For Dummies To beat this encounter, investigators need to kill Fenalik or hold out until sunrise. Cowering in the compartment won't work forever – the vampire could hypnotise a guard or someone else into trying to force the door open. Hypnotised individuals act like they're sleepwalking and aren't really dangerous, but they carry a hefty SAN loss when killed since they're innocent people. What will the investigators do when Fenalik sends a hypnotised woman against them? What about a child? Fenalik will die if he loses all his HP just like anyone else, but he constantly regenerates any damage caused by most sources; only 'permanent' damage can kill him this way. In its most basic form, this can be achieved by scoring critical hits on him with a large slashing weapon like an axe or a wooden stake. In addition, the investigators might have the following tools at their disposal: The Lover's Heart: Kinda the whole point of this artefact is to make killing Fenalik easier. If the investigators can cut the lights to the carriage and herd him into a corner, that's 1D10 damage per round. The Mims Sahis: It's a magic weapon, so it hurts Fenalik. In addition, Fenalik doesn't have great memories of the knife, and seeing it stuns him for one round. After that though, he goes totally berserk on whoever's wielding it. Best of luck! The Accounts of Tilius Corvus: Did the investigators read it? Name-dropping things from the Accounts – like the name Tilius Corvus, the name of his wife, his commander – stuns Fenalik for one round and forces him to make a POW check or temporarily withdraw from battle to regain his composure. Guess you didn't put that as far behind you as you thought you did, eh Tilius? The Simulacrum: If Fenalik wants the statue, he can have it in his pointy teeth. ![]() Alternatively, the investigators could go looking for his coffin. During daylight hours, Fenalik normally sleeps in a bloody soil-lined coffin in the rear fourgon, padlocked on the inside and outside. Convincing the guards to let the team rummage around in there will take some doing – especially if Fenalik planned this and has already hypnotised them – but if the investigators get get rid of the coffin, Fenalik has nowhere to go. If they hold out all evening and get to the coffin in daylight hours, Fenalik's in there. He'll fight like a cornered animal, but if they turf him out into direct sun he'll take 1D3 damage per round. However they do it, when Fenalik dies he doesn't just crumble into dust. He explodes, showering everything in the vicinity with white ash, as his centuries of unholy existence are ended once and for all. Surviving investigators get 1D10 SAN for destroying Fenalik, with 1 more point per dead comrade avenged. Next time: Constantinople!
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Is there anything to point out why just letting him have the bloody thing would be a terrible idea?
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The Lone Badger posted:Is there anything to point out why just letting him have the bloody thing would be a terrible idea? It won't help. If they don't give it to him, he'll kill them and take it. They give it to him, he'll take it and kill them. Fenalik's killed everyone who so much as looked askance at the Simulacrum prior to this point and he's not about to change that habit.
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i just can't shake the image of an investigator hollering while grasping the simlacrum by the ankles and just whaling on that lovely vampire, that should stun him just from the sheer absurdity of it all
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Poland Spring posted:i just can't shake the image of an investigator hollering while grasping the simlacrum by the ankles and just whaling on that lovely vampire, that should stun him just from the sheer absurdity of it all Full-on just dropping the Head down a pair of stockings and swinging it around in the fourgon like a flail. ![]()
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He'll probably kill everyone, anyway. Edit: Beaten like a vampire by a guy with a head in a sock.
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How much health does he have - and how much damage can he do to an investigator per round?
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Given his utterly absurd strength score? Give him something sharp and he can probably outdamage a rifle, which can take down most investigators in two shots or so.
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JcDent posted:How much health does he have - and how much damage can he do to an investigator per round? He's got 17 HP - more than the average person maybe but not insanely so - but he regenerates 1 HP per round if the damage isn't permanent, and if he hits 0 from non-permanent sources he just turns into mist and hides away. As soon as he's regenerated enough he can come back. His damage bonus, which he adds to most any physical attack, is +2D6. If the team is unlucky and tries to engage in honourable fisticuffs with the dude, he could waste one investigator per round.
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Does the book allow for the investigators sleeping in a giant pile of garlic all the way to Constantinople? Because I'd be hiding behind every anti-vampire measure available after the cave.
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Kavak posted:Does the book allow for the investigators sleeping in a giant pile of garlic all the way to Constantinople? Because I'd be hiding behind every anti-vampire measure available after the cave. Acquiring a truckload of garlic and hiding in it and somehow continuing the journey to Constantinople inside of it seems like it would involve several non-trivial logistical issues. Then remember that you've got to get all that together before sunset...
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Down With People posted:The Accounts of Tilius Corvus: Did the investigators read it? Name-dropping things from the Accounts – like the name Tilius Corvus, the name of his wife, his commander – stuns Fenalik for one round and forces him to make a POW check or temporarily withdraw from battle to regain his composure. Guess you didn't put that as far behind you as you thought you did, eh Tilius? Oh. Oh. That... actually makes sense. I probably could have pieced that together sooner if I read the actual text, but still. My mind's kind of blown.
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Down With People posted:Acquiring a truckload of garlic and hiding in it and somehow continuing the journey to Constantinople inside of it seems like it would involve several non-trivial logistical issues. Then remember that you've got to get all that together before sunset... How much garlic do you need, though? Is a bulb or two around the neck enough?
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It seems like you kind of really want a couple PCs who can fight some on Horrient, despite the usual 'combat skills aren't that useful in CoC' thinking.
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Lurks With Wolves posted:Oh. Oh. That... actually makes sense. I probably could have pieced that together sooner if I read the actual text, but still. My mind's kind of blown. You'll get the full scoop when we get to the historical scenarios! ![]() Night10194 posted:It seems like you kind of really want a couple PCs who can fight some on Horrient, despite the usual 'combat skills aren't that useful in CoC' thinking. You kinda do, otherwise I think the chance of TPK skyrockets. Kavak posted:How much garlic do you need, though? Is a bulb or two around the neck enough? That's true, since a few cloves stopped him from reaching the Head I don't think you need a lot. However, there's nothing stopping Fenalik from hypnotising randoms and sending them to get you. I guess if he got really pissed off he could start throwing poo poo at you.
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Night10194 posted:It seems like you kind of really want a couple PCs who can fight some on Horrient, despite the usual 'combat skills aren't that useful in CoC' thinking. Whenever my group played CoC we were almost always split 50/50 between fightin' oriented guys and knowledge oriented guys. If nothing else you've got to expect cultists, so you need someone to be able to deal with them while your professors figure out how to stop the ritual and/or put the summoned thing back in the bottle. Worst case you throw enough dynamite at something it'll usually let you at least run off. When we did Horrient (the original version), I recall we had a couple of WW1 vets with some good rifle skills, and most of the investigators had some kind of weapon (usually a pistol), and by the end we were so paranoid we had 'acquired' some high explosives and automatic rifles which let us escape at least one "deathtrap" as my GM at the time put it.
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It'd be kinda cool to see a horror game with combat rules focused on how the fighters in the party can specifically slow down or drive off the monster of the week when it attacks while you solve the mystery. A combat system based around buying time and 'We'll hold it off, get that door open!' is something I've never personally seen before.
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I mean, the tiers of CoC monsters goes: You can punch it out You can kill it with a gun You can kill it with a Tommy gun You can kill it with a bomb You can kill it with a plot device
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Playing an effective Race Bannon in a CoC scenario would probably be a lot of fun.
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Just grab a slingshot and pop Fenalik right in the mouth with a whole bulb of garlic, that should buy you some time. But yeah I loving love that the goddamn statue itself is a non-trivial weapon against Fenalik.
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Dismantle the statue and issue everyone a limb.
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Bieeardo posted:Dismantle the statue and issue everyone a limb. Won't this lead to cursings?
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Night10194 posted:It'd be kinda cool to see a horror game with combat rules focused on how the fighters in the party can specifically slow down or drive off the monster of the week when it attacks while you solve the mystery. Blades in the Dark has 'clocks' that you fill or empty by making appropriate checks in a given scene. That would totally work for this. Also Horrient has been extremely fun to read!
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Halloween Jack posted:I mean, the tiers of CoC monsters goes: And generally if you can 'kill' it with a plot device you're not really killing it, just sending it back to wherever it's supposed to be/sleep.
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Josef bugman posted:Won't this lead to cursings? Nope! Baleful Influence only affects whoever first touched the Simulacrum piece when it was discovered. After that, someone else handling the piece doesn't transfer the curse.
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Welcome to Monastyr: Part 2 - Character creation. Before we get to picking nationality, profession and attributes, our friend, the narrator has a couple of words: quote:We’re amongst the last, you know that. Wherever you look you’ll see intrigue and betrayal. Every value displaced by that of coin – stronger than friendship, dignity, decency.. What was once important is now an object of mockery. Those are lousy times, times the times of merchants and politicians and, to tell the truth, I doubt that our days are to ever return. ![]() Someone give this guy a musketeer hat and we’ll have the narrator The Great Losers That’s the PCs. That’s you. You used to have it all – fame, fortune, career, you name it. And you blew it. Weather you shamed yourself with cowardice, let your pride get the better of you, gambled away your family estate, or just called the cardinal a dick, your once promising future took a sudden nosedive. Now you’re in/nearing your forties, and you’ve spent the last decade or two wondering “What if?” In Monastyr you get to play one of the last Good Men. Men (or Women) of Honor as the narrator calls them. Stubborn relics of another, more honest age. It’s a rotten age we have now – those drat kids care nothing for honor and virtue, all they think about is gold and debauchery. ![]() ![]() Sooner or later you’ll receive The Letter. You’ll discover, for example, that your friend has been unjustly sentenced and is awaiting execution or that your brother’s estate got taken by the Inquisition. quote:What will you do with that letter? Burn it? You’re not making your mistake twice. You won’t turn back when fate offers you another chance. You’ll get up and go right the wrongs of your past. (…) You have more experience than a regiment of youths, more courage and grit than all of them combined. And finally you have the will to prove to the whole lousy world that the men of honor are not all gone. Character Creation, step 1 (of 10): Nationality We begin by picking the place of our birth. We can choose between ten countries described in this chapter or choose one of the minor powers (covered in the rear end end of the book). The game notes at this point that you’re supposed to play as an aristocrat and most of the national stereotypes you’ll see below pertain to aristocrats rather than commoners. Each country comes with two +1 modifiers to your attributes (The game has 8 attributes: Brawn, Agility, Wits, Perception, Credibility, Tenacity, Composure and Faith. The game also doesn’t actually list the attributes before step 4 of character creation) and a choice between two national traits. And that’s the point where those of you reading Tevery Best’s Neuroshima writeup start to see certain.. similarities. Yeah, both games were made by the same people and it shows. For example, we get the same mechanic that allows you to sell your traits and stats for money (and also buy stats when we get to that point. Monastyr calls this The Retouch The Retouch posted:The Dominium is much more than those ten countries and nations mentioned below. I assure you, you can find dozens of equally beautiful lands. To come from them is less of a splendor, those countries mean less on the Dominium’s map, and their people are less famed in history. I will reward your inconvenience. Forget about your nationality and I will give you, my Lord, 1000 Kordins and throw in documents proving you hail from any land you choose – save for the ten mentioned in this chapter. A QUICK ASIDE Monastyr has two sets of fighting mechanics. I’ll elaborate on them where we get there but here’s a quick primer so I don’t have to rant on them every time they become relevant: Mechanic 1 – simplified: you and your opponent roll 3d20 (don’t show your roll to the opponent) against your fencing skill, pick and reveal one die to decide initiative (the highest one wins), the guy with the initiative attacks by revealing one of the remaining dice and the defender reveals one of his own: if the attacker’s die is a success and the defender’s a miss he scores a hit, the other way around-defender takes initiative, all other cases-the attacker missed. Not that hard – the important part is you want to roll LOW for your hit dice and high for the initiative die in the first round. Mechanic 2 – True Clash™: roll 3d20 (this time in the open), pick your initiative die.. and now you turn over your character sheet to where you wrote down all fourteen of the Fencing Actions that you calculated at character creation – the attacker picks one of the attack actions, the defender one of the defensive ones (like parry or parry II), add the action score to the chosen roll, the HIGHER result wins the round. Two sets of (bad at best) combat rules with success conditions that are polar opposites in the same game wouldn’t even be that bad – but all the combat-related traits, skills and abilities are written only with the True Clash™ in mind. So.. yeah. OK, let’s get back to it Each nation gets a half page of description in this chapter (that's where the quotes come from). Later, in the 'World' chapter we get WAY more in-depth, but that's what we get for now: Kord ![]() Kord nation description posted:There is no greater honor in this world than being born Kordish. +1 Tenacity, +1 Credibility Traits: Pride– three times per game, when testing credibility, tenacity and composure (once for each attribute) you can reroll the highest dice - handy; Charisma – advancing social ties (which is one of the things you can do with xp – more on that when the right time comes) costs 20% less – a bit less handy, provided you even want to bother yourself with the retainer mechanic. Most people don’t; Cynasia ![]() Cynasia nation description posted:Your life is a theatre. +1 Wits, +1 Credibility Traits: Education – during character creation you get extra 20 points to buy additional skills (on top of 20 skill points everybody gets). You can’t use these points to raise any of those skills above 3. Yes, it’s broken as hell. Cynasian mind – you raise your skills for 20% less xp. Yep, it’s at least as broken as the other. Ragada ![]() Ragada nation description posted:A Ragadan is born a murderer(…) it’s hard to be your friend +1 Composure, +1 Agility Traits: Clash – every light wound you inflict in a clash becomes a heavy wound. Works with every melee weapon, including your fists. Absolutely deadly or pretty useful, depending on how you interpret the wonky wording (the word ‘clash’ is at different points used to describe fighting at the closest distance, a turn of combat AND the fight itself). Also it has no use outside the True Clash™ advanced combat rules but that will be a recurring thing… Ragadan distrust – people trying to influence your Ragadan PC get a -4 to all authority and Credibility tests. I don't know how that’s really useful for a player character but at least you can try to talk Ragadan NPCs out of fighting to check if they have the other one. Agaria ![]() Agaria nation description posted:There’s not a man in the Dominium dumb enough to try and ambush an Agar. +1 Agility, +1 Perception Traits: Experience – half of your highest fighting skill (usually rapier fencing) is the base for any other melee weapon skill. Knowledge of magic – an equivalent of a 5 point skill when you try to discern and predict magical effects, identify magic items, and even speak the language of orcs and know their customs; should be called “knowledge of Valdor,” really. Kara ![]() Kara nation description posted:Karans have no questions, no doubts, they don’t try to understand. They just believe. +1 Faith, +1 Brawn Traits: Aura of faith – you get a +4 to your Faith when resisting magic. Nifty when you try praying away an incoming fireball. Passion – in combat, you get to ignore wound penalties until they sum up (down?) to -5. You feel the full effect as soon as you get to -6 or once the combat ends. Matra ![]() Matra nation description posted:I’d rather cross a Ragadan then your Lady ![]() +1 Credibility, +1 Wits Traits: Shadow and silence – you get a 4 point hide skill (that you can improve with xp later on). You can only use it in a city but it allows you to sneak all Proper_and_Ladylike ![]() Assassinate – you can approach someone in a public situation and, having passed a Credibility/Bluff check, stab them with a dagger (for extra damage) or a poison needle or something. Failed check means the target got suspicious but you can still try a regular attack. Bardania ![]() Bardania nation description posted:Is there a better proof they never rose above a bunch of brigands? +1 Perception, +1 Tenacity Traits: Bardan valor – when testing courage you get to reroll one die per test. Musketeer –reloading a firearm you takes half as much time (from the default of 10 turns for pistols and 15 for rifles) Nordia ![]() Nordia nation description posted:However, first and foremost, you are cursed +1 Composure, +1 Faith Traits: Regenerate – your wounds heal twice as fast as those of a regular human, leaving no scars. Critical wounds don’t permanently lower attributes. Exorcism – you get a power to expel demons equal to a Minor Prayer (more on that when we get to magic) Gord ![]() Gord nation description posted:They’ve been standing there for years and still they do not yield. +1 Brawn, +1 Tenacity Traits: Unbreakable – whenever you’re wounded you automatically beat the roll to check if you pass out. Gordian sight – you’re better at seeing in darkness. That’s it. Doria ![]() Doria nation description posted:Doria is falling. +1 Brawn, +1 Credibility Traits: Shadow of Dor – a +3 bonus to your general knowledge skill. Chivalric custom – as long as you behave accordingly to the Ways_of_Old_Dor™ you don’t get negative modifiers to etiquette rolls. Yay Seriously, I’m willing to give thiss game a pass for many things but their handling of Doria and Matra is just disappointing. I mean, Matran traits aren’t exactly what I’d chose for a faction that’s supposed to be all erudites and socialites but at least they’re useful. Keeping with the traditions of F&F, I will be making a character based on thread’s votes. So pick a country. The lucky winner will receive a full translation of its character creation page (together with the abilities’ flavor text), and later on, when we get to history and geography, a full transcript of that (which in Kord’s case is over ten pages so please go for something else, ok?) Next time in Monastyr –professions!
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You've sold me on the ancient and terrible shadow war Ragadans fight with those bastard backstabbers the Ragadans. Oh, yeah, and he or she lives for the clash over anyone suggesting they come from a shithole full of Ragadans. Night10194 fucked around with this message at 17:19 on Jan 16, 2018 |
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Down With People posted:Nope! Baleful Influence only affects whoever first touched the Simulacrum piece when it was discovered. After that, someone else handling the piece doesn't transfer the curse. So is there one person who has to get constantly baleful influenced.
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Feinne posted:And generally if you can 'kill' it with a plot device you're not really killing it, just sending it back to wherever it's supposed to be/sleep.
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RedSnapper posted:Mechanic 2 – True Clash™: roll 3d20 (this time in the open), pick your initiative die.. and now you turn over your character sheet to where you wrote down all fourteen of the Fencing Actions that you calculated at character creation – the attacker picks one of the attack actions, the defender one of the defensive ones (like parry or parry II), add the action score to the chosen roll, the HIGHER result wins the round. This gives me very unpleasant flashbacks to combat rules for Dzikie Pola, which had a dozen different manoeuvres for the rapier... and a dozen more for the sabre, if you are a real proper nobleman instead of one of those dirty pantaloon-wearers. I should write that game up when I need a break from Neuroshima. Also, roll a Passionate Karan. Let's Inquisition it up in here.
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Look, I understand the rapier is the weapon of the gentleman. I fenced. You do not need 14 fencing actions in your RPG.
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I want exactly as many maneuvers as I need to recreate that fight from The Deluge. I want them in Neuroshima, too.
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All you need for the fight from the Deluge is one guy who took a bunch of showy but useless abilities and another guy who is brutally efficient, can active-defend all the first guy's poo poo, and is just playing with him for a bit wondering what the hell this idiot is playing at before striking to wound rather than kill.
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Fight fire with fire and elves with Nords Love that civil war joke btw
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# ? Sep 30, 2023 23:13 |
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Halloween Jack posted:I want exactly as many maneuvers as I need to recreate that fight from The Deluge. You'll be sorely disappointed as the melee combat rules are by far the worst part of the mechanics.
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