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7th Sea 2e: The New World - Hazard A Guess Hazards basically finish out the book - a new kind of 'antagonist,' distinct from Villains and Brutes. They can be the only threat present, or just one of many. They represent environmental dangers and can be 'defeated' in several ways. Most of the time, a Hazard is restricted geographically, and if the PCs just...leave, well, it can't pursue them. This costs no Raises, but the consequences of fleeing might vary - you might become Helpless, have no control over your destination or otherwise end up in a different kind of trouble. Second, you can Brave the Hazard. Braving the Hazard means that the PCs must, collectively, spend Raises equal to the Hazard's Threat. This doesn't reduce the Threat - the haunted house doesn't get less scary and weird because you've discovered its dark secret, say - but does mean you get what you want or otherwise get a favorable and controlled outcome to the danger. A Hazard's Threat determines its dicepool. This ranged from 5 ('dangerous') to 15 ('cataclysmic'). Gusting winds on a high cliff? Threat 5. Giant hole in reality caused by an evil sorcier? 15. Hazards also have Elements that give them special things they can do with their Raises or the GM's Danger Points. Elements can, unless otherwise indicated, be activated multiple times or have variable effects based on the amount of Raises spent, but a Hazard can only activate a single Hazard at a time on its turn during a Sequence or scene. All hazards have the following Elements: Intensify: The GM may spend a Danger Point before rolling to increase the Hazard's Threat by 1 for the rest of the Scene. The GM can spend only 1 Danger Point this way per round. Chaotic: The Hazard may spend a Raise to immediately deal 1 Wound to all characters in the scene. (Brute Squads have their Strength reduced by 1 instead.) Habitat: Any creature or Monster that lives in the Hazard is immune to any Wounds or disadvantages caused by the Hazard spending Raises or Danger Points. Heroes and Villains cannot benefit from this unless they are Monsters. Treacherous: The Hazard may spend a Raise to create a Consequence. The Consequence occurs at Action 0 (IE, end of the Round after everyone has done everything) and causes 1 Dramatic Wound to all characters present. You need to spend 5 Raises to overcome this consequence, and all characters, Hero or Villain, may collectively pool Raises spent to do so. It must be completely overcome or else the full effect happens. Brute Squads instead halve their current Strength. Optional Elements: Confounding: The Hazard may spend a Raise to separate one character from the others. Until reunited, they cannot benefit from any proximity-based Advantages or abilities or those reliant on sight or hearing, and cannot give Hero Points to others or benefit from Hero Points spent by others via any effect. To be reunited, another character must make an Opportunity and the separated character must activate it. Deadly: Raises spent on the Chaotic element deal 2 Wounds instead of 1. Deafening: The Hazard may spend a Raise to become unbearably loud. Until it spends another Raise, any form of verbal communication between characters costs 1 Raise. Destructive: The Hazard may spend a Raise to destroy a structure or object, such as a small building or a boat. This causes 1 Wound to anyone in a position to be harmed by the destruction, such as being in the building or on the boat, unless they spend a Raise in response. If this Element is used in a scene with one or more Ships, all Ships present take 1 Critical Hit rather than being destroyed; other effects remain unchanged. Dominion: The Hazard is under the control of a character in the scene or Sequence. The controller is immune to all of its effects caused by spending Raises. Escalating: The GM can spend 2 Danger Points per round on Intensify instead of 1. Foreboding: The GM can spend 1 Danger Point whenever rolls are made during a Sequence. For this Sequence, the Hazard gains 1 rank of Fear per 5 Threat it has. Gloomy: The Hazard may spend a Raise to plunge the area into darkness for the Round. Any Action significantly relying on sight costs 2 Raises instead of 1 until the end of the Round. Intense: When the Hazard deals Wounds, the GM may spend a Danger Point to have any character that takes Wounds also lose 1 Raise. Piercing: When the Hazard spends a Raise on Chaotic, the damage cannot be prevented by spending a Raise. Savage: When the Hazard uses Treacherous to deal a Dramatic Wound, randomly select one Brute Squad that is present. That Brute Squad is destroyed, period. Surging: The GM may spend any number of Danger Points to give the Hazard twice that many Bonus Dice for a single Round. Unpredictable: The Hazard may spend a Raise to push any Consequences it creates forward by 1 Action, including the Consequences created by Treacherous. It may do this even after the Consequence is created, and even if it would mean the Consequence occurs immediately. Unwelcoming: The Hazard may spend a Raise to apply Pressure to all characters present. Typically, the Pressure will be to leave, so any action remaining in the Hazard costs 2 Raises rather than 1. We then get a brief discussion of GM advice and the themes of the setting, about politics and exploitation versus exploration and all that. It's short and decent. The End No new books for 7th Sea 2e yet, though Secret Societies comes out soonish. I might also cover WFRP 4e, which finalized a week or two ago, so we can see what changed and what didn't.
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Sep 10, 2018 17:33
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I would quite appreciate if you did, it would be interesting to compare the mechanics.
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Sep 10, 2018 17:38
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4e, 4e, 4e.
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Sep 10, 2018 17:40
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Same 4e.
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Sep 10, 2018 19:40
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The Warhams talk made me wonder: has anyone ever written a modern-day (ish) setting for Warhammer? Like a warped version of our world with Chaos infecting people over the internet and rat-men skulking in the sewers ready to pop up through the U-bend.
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Sep 10, 2018 19:42
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 Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, 4th Edition So, this book doesn't have the greatest organizational setup. It starts out with a brief introduction and pictorial tour of the Empire, which runs like 15 pages of giant, good-rear end pictures. Then we get a cursive-font letter to a minor noble exiled to the Border Princedom by his father, informing him that the exile is lifted and his father is dying and wants to meet him, with the letter's writer, a Gray Wizard using the pseudonym Magister Alanna Grumman, as his bodyguard and teacher, because the noble knows literally nothing and was exiled for being an idiot and studied southern stuff under a Tilean, but knows poo poo-all about the Empire. So she gives a brief overview of the setting, which will get much more detail later in the book. Pretty much none is new to us, and the spattering of blood on the final page suggests she never made it. (It does however include the fun note that, as the son and heir of a lord of the Reikland, the letter's recipient cannot be tried in a normal court, and indeed only by his father or the High Lord Steward of the Reikland. So that's...nice. Also, I should note, the art is extremely good and has a lot of diversity and utterly ridiculous outfits. We are then dumped straight into character creation. This is a seven-step process. In any section where you can do some random rolling or make the choice yourself, taking randomness will earn you a small dollop of extra XP. By the end, even if you go full random, you will have enough XP to maybe get a single Talent, Stat advance or raise a few Skills by a point or two, so it's not a huge deal. First up: Species. The playable species this time around are Human, Halfling, Dwarf, High Elf and Wood Elf, with both elves having only a 1% chance each, compared to 4% for Halfling or Dwarf and 90% for Human. If you roll randomly, you get 20 XP. I'll make an example character. I roll...23. Human XP: 20 We are then treated to one-page profiles on each species. All Humans are assumed to be Reiklanders for the core. Humans are the most widespread and numerous of the civilized species in the Old World, thriving everywhere on the continent, from Estalia to Kislev. At the heart of the empire is the Reikland, the richest and most cosmopolitan of all the Imperial regions. Reiklanders tend to see it as their divine right to rule over the Empire (in a larger sense, anyway, with the Reikland dominating Imperial politics), because Sigmar was himself a Reiklander before he became a god. Temples and shrines to Sigmar are ubiquitous, and most Reiklanders are devout believers in Sigmar and his message of unity and empire. They tend to be more friendly, open and optimistic than other humans, because hey, when your homeland is the birthplace of a god, surely the god looks out for you, right? They are often seen by others as arrogant, meddlesome and overbearing, with a tendency to shove themselves into anything, whether their help is wanted or not. While they tend to be somewhat more affluent and pushy than other Humans, they are otherwise pretty similar. They, like Humans in general, have had more fall to the corruption of the Ruinous Powers than any other species, which may be why the elder species tend to be somewhat concerned over the meteoric rise of Humanity. Reiklanders On Others posted:Dwarfs: "They've been our allies since Sigmar walked this very city; fought with them meself back in '05. Sure, they're a bit stubborn, seriously vindictive and pretty blunt, but I won't hear a word said against them." - Reikager Jungling, State Soldier from Altdorf. Dwarfs, or Dawi, as they know themselves, are gruff, stubborn and mostly live in mountain fortresses, called Holds. However, most large towns in the Reikland (and certainly Altdorf) have Dwarf populations. They tend to band together, forming Dwarf districts or neighborhoods wherever they end up. Many Reikland Dwarfs are descended from those driven out of fallen Holds centuries ago, and tend to still consider themselves Dwarves of the Gray Mountains, even if they've never so much as seen a mountain. Dwarf culture deeply respects craft and artifice, especially stonework, smithing and engineering. They love gold and jewels, seeking them out deep within the earth, but even beyond these material things they venerate their elders and their ancestors, with entire religions built around important ancestors. Dwarfs cannot perform magic, but their runesmiths can carve artifacts with mystic runes to harness it. Some of their more ingenious clockwork or steam-driven machines may be mistaken for magic by simple folk, however. Dwarfs are a squat species, with thick and muscular limbs and broad torsos. They tend to have heavy features and thick hair, with hair length being a mark of pride and status. Elaborate braids are common, as are adornments showing rank. A dwarf that is shaved suffers terrible shame. Dwarves have long memories, and their pride makes them bear grudges against those who shame or dishonor or insult them - grudges that are said to last beyond death, kept alive by the ancestors. Once a dwarf declares you a friend - no easy feat, that - it is an absolute bond, as much as their grudges are. While the Dwarves do not live so long as the reputedly immortal Elves, they can live for several centuries, and it is said by some that if a Dwarf has a purpose, they will not die unless struck down in battle, simply on the strength of their convictions. A sidebar notes that many Dwarfs have the Animosity (Elves) Talent, and that if a PC has that in a mixed party the GM should probably rule that it doesn't apply between party members, to avoid unhelpful tensions. Dwarves on Others posted:Reiklander Humans: "Like my father and his father afore me, I've been living in Reikland all me life. As folk go, they know not to mess with my business, and show the respect I deserve, as is right. Yes, they're unreliable, and as changeable as the wind, but they're also resourceful and shrewd, so I'd recommend them as risky business partners, as they see solutions I'd not even consider." - Garral Herraksson, Jeweller from Eilhart Next time: Halflings and both flavors of Elf.
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Sep 10, 2018 19:46
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Wait, humans are only from Reikland? Specifically the province Reikland? Never Nordland or Hochland or whatever let alone Estalian, Tilean, Bretonnian, or Kislevite? That seems a little odd, given even the core book of 2e had a specific rule for 'If you want to be a Burgher or whatever from another country, replace one of your other skills/advances with Language (Homeland) and replace Knowledge Empire with Knowledge (Homeland)'.
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Sep 10, 2018 19:53
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Night10194 posted:Wait, humans are only from Reikland? Specifically the province Reikland? Never Nordland or Hochland or whatever let alone Estalian, Tilean, Bretonnian, or Kislevite? It's easy enough to swap - the book assumes Reikland I imagine in order to let them do later statblocks (with different starting skills and a different talent set) for specific areas but for now the only thing that really makes it specific is that one of the possible Human starting skills is Lore (Reikland), and I believe there's a sidebar later about it. All PCs are assumed to speak Reikspiel and whatever language of the land they're native to, if it's not Reikland without needing to buy them.
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Sep 10, 2018 19:58
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As long as you can still be a wildly optimistic spaniard cheerfully telling everyone you live in the best of all possible worlds, all is well.
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Sep 10, 2018 20:00
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I love that Dwarf on Wood Elves quote.
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Sep 10, 2018 20:06
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Sums up Dwarves well. Stubborn and love to get revenge no matter the cost.
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Sep 10, 2018 20:32
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The only thing worse than an unsettled Grudge is not having a Grudge to settle.
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Sep 10, 2018 20:48
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Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, 4th Edition - Athel Loren Elves Are Playable, Really Halflings are easily found across Reikland, working in service industries and having an entire district in Altdrof, Haffenstadt, which contains hundreds of Halfling families packed tight in their homes, supporting a massive network of restaurants, taverns, pipeweed dealers and food stalls. They're frequently seen in Reikland villages, often employed on farms or inns. They are highly communal, usually preferring to live in close-knit family groups and shared homes - even shared beds - with dozens of friends and relatives. Halflings are extremely communal by nature, sharing all property among their families and each member contributing what they can, which leaves them with some issues understanding the concepts of private space and private ownership. They are notoriously interested in bloodlines and lineage, and many clans can trace their ancestry back centuries to the founding of the Mootland, their self-governed Imperial province. The Elder of the Moot, at the moment Hisme Stoutheart, is guardian of the Haffenlyver, an ancient and heavily embroidered scroll that details the prime bloodlines of the clans - the greatest treasure the Halflings have, according to rumor. Halflings are often found with Ogres, who tend to respect them for some reason despite the Ogrish appetite and tendency to eat anything they have nearby. Ogre labor gangs are usually run by Halfling gaffers, and Ogre mercenary groups usually have a Halfling chef. Halflings, physically, tend to be short, rosy-cheeked and beardless - indeed, they resemble Human children quite a bit, which is only reinforced by their cheerful and sunny demeanors. They are well known for their massive appetites (for food, yes, but really anything at all) and their complete lack of concern for personal space, social boundaries and, some say, property rights, which tends to get them in trouble for theft. Halflings on Others posted:Reiklander Humans: "Stiff-necked and pious, warlike and jealous... I could go on, but good manners halts me, and besides, I like them and they like me pies. As long as you keep away from their temples and the hard-liners, they're an open and pretty welcoming bunch. Good folk, and good for business." - 'Tubs' Samworth Rumster XVI, Pie-seller from Kalegan High Elves are...relatively common, anyway, on the rivers of Reikland. Altdorf and Nuln both have notable districts for High Elf merchants who ship goods through Marienburg to the sea. They are the most commonly seen High Elves in Reikland, along with diplomats and their entourage and support stuff. They hold themselves aloof, and most humans find the long-lived Elves alien. Most in Reikland believe them to be the most beautiful species and the most arrogant, and they are a deeply passionate, emotional people. They are tall, slender creatures with delicate and pointed ears. Most also have long hair and melodious voices, and while they look frail, they can be shockingly strong, agile and dextrous. There are very few gender differences between Elves, which often confuses Humans that meet them. The High Elves name themselves Asur and come from Ulthuan, a magical island in the western sea. They are a proud species that boasts of being among the oldest civilizations, and tend to have a lot of disdain for Dwarfs due to their history of conflict. Since abandoning the Old World after the War of the Beard, the Asur have suffered from 'kinstrife,' as they refer to their civil war, though they do not discuss it openly with any outsiders. It has been going on for a thousand years, and it means that elves from northern Ulthuan tend to be much more hardened and practical - and ruthless - than their southern cousins. High Elf society is built on ritual and discipline in an effort to keep their raging emotions in check and focus their minds. However, despite this, they revel in adventure, and the name 'Sea Elf' is often used for those Asur who spend their time off Ulthuan's shores for any reason but fighting, often being much more cheerful than the grim Asur warriors that come with them. (And seriously, Elves and their emotions are nutty. Elves have no middle ground - they feel every emotion as strongly as possible, which is kind of the core of why they're so hosed up.) High Elves on Others posted:Reiklander Humans: "They are corrupt, jealous, and rapacious in their short-lived hungers. But, when mindful of their petty needs and their fear of what we represent, they are easily shaped." - Imryth Emberfell, Ambassador from Caledor Wood Elves are quite rare in Reikland. In the ending stages of the War of the Beard, most Elves fled the Old World, but some remained, withdrawing to the depths of magical forests that they still live in. Three thousand years of isolation, hardship and war followed, and these Elves, the Wood Elves, became very, very different than the High Elves they once were. Their life is focused on nature, and their society mixes easily with the forest spirits. They are isolationist separatists who hide their homelansd with powerful illusions and other magics. On the rare times they leave their homes, it is generally for war - and as often with the other civilized peoples as dark forces, which tends to make most Old Worlders see them as capricious and dangerous fae beings. There are two main communities seen in Reikland and the rest of the Empire - the Asrai of Athel Loren (in Bretonnia) and the Eonir of Laurelon Forest (in Nordland). The Asrai are ruthless xenophobes, secretive Elves that rarely leave their woods. However, one decade ago, their prophetess Naith foresaw the possible destruction of the forest of Athel Loren, and the King and Queen of the Wood sent forth tattooed kinbands of Wood Elves to hunt down the enemies of the wood in order to prevent this. They are sometimes led by spellspingers, who call on the mystic paths of the Worldroot to transport themselves to distant forests, primeval lands not yet consumed by men or Chaos. Sometimes, other members of the kinbands will find common cause with other Old Worlders and work with them for a time against a greater evil. The Queen of Laurelorn, on the other hand, has set the Eonir on a different path, and most recently sent a large delegation to make camp in the forests of the Amber Hills south of Altdorf. They are there to observe Human politics that concern Laurelorn and the other mystic forests, and to intervene if required. The Queen considers this a temporary solution - but the meaning of 'temporary' is very different when you live for upwards of a thousand years. Thus, there is a growing Wood Elf presence in the Reikland, mostly Eonir traveling for their own mysterious purposes and typically surviving as hunters or entertainers when they need support. The Eonir are far more like High Elves in culture than the Asrai, though neither has much use for modern civilization, which they see as a threat to their forests. The Eonir are just more likely to use diplomacy, manipulation and politics to protect Laurelorn, while the Asrai are hillbilly ninjas that like to ambush people and terrify them. Wood Elves on Others posted:Reiklander Humans: "I see hateful creatures with darkness in their hearts and a complete disrespect for order. But they are widespread, warlike, and, most importantly, easy to manipulate. Given winter draws near, it is time to use them." - Algwyllmyr Twiceseen, Seer from Athel Loren Next time: Class and Career
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Sep 10, 2018 21:01
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Cythereal posted:Anyone who's played Age of Wonders 3 can tell you that chickens are serious weapons of war and should not be underestimated. They would gently caress you up in Link to the Past if you were mean to them.
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Sep 10, 2018 21:04
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wiegieman posted:The only thing worse than an unsettled Grudge is not having a Grudge to settle. Trick statement, theres always a grudge to be had! That drat innkeeper served me cold stew. I'll serve her right next time I meet her
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Sep 10, 2018 21:04
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Does it have anything about who is currently Queen of the Eonir? I always thought it was someone other than Ariel and that she might not be as hosed up. I imagine most Wood Elves of both types get really loving pissed if you mention Caledor the Second.
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Sep 10, 2018 21:09
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The only Queen named is Marrisith and I think her rule is over by now. The Queen of the Eonir is definitely a different person than the Queen (or King) of the Asrai, though.
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Sep 10, 2018 21:10
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It'll be kind of weird reading more official stuff on the elves, because with the paucity of stuff on them in 2e (and how abysmal the fluff in 8th ed army books for them generally was) we had to write a lot of our own past the basic outlines.
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Sep 10, 2018 21:12
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The Eonir barely get a mention in anything before now, even.
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Sep 10, 2018 21:13
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Keep in mind that it is probably completely impossible to not be less hosed up than Ariel.
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Sep 10, 2018 22:12
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Ulthuan we know is going to be one of the first supplements for 4e.
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Sep 10, 2018 22:31
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Night10194 posted:It'll be kind of weird reading more official stuff on the elves, because with the paucity of stuff on them in 2e (and how abysmal the fluff in 8th ed army books for them generally was) we had to write a lot of our own past the basic outlines. It was always weird we got a Skaven book and a vampire book before an Elf book or a Greenskin book in 2E.
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Sep 10, 2018 22:46
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Dawgstar posted:It was always weird we got a Skaven book and a vampire book before an Elf book or a Greenskin book in 2E. The thing is that Skaven and Vampires are A: very likely to come up as villains while B: having a fair amount of details that need to be explained about them. Greenskins in Warhams are inherently very simple conceptually. I'm sure you could make a full book on them but it'd be hard to fill page count. Elves, on the other hand, suffer from the fact that Ulthuan is fairly far away from where it's safe to assume early game play is going to take place. The Asrai are more relevant but providing more detail on them would detract from Bretonnia, and the New World never got touched at all so Dark Elves couldn't be covered in any detail.
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Sep 10, 2018 23:08
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Also, the stuff for playing as Skaven/Vampires/Chaos is in their books because 2e is genuinely pretty modular and as long as you're building major villains on the same rules as PCs, why not offer some page space and rules towards playing as them if players want?
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Sep 10, 2018 23:12
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Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, 4th Edition - Careerism So! Now that races are down, it's time for Class and Career. Class is kind of a broad archetyp, of which there are eight, and each Class has eight Careers within it. Basically, Class is used for a few mechanics but is much less important than Career proper. There are three ways to generate this. First, roll a d100 on your species table to see what your Career is. Humans have access to all of them except Slayer, Dwarfs and Halflings can get most of them, and the High and especially Wood Elves have the least options, though the Elf options are all pretty high-status ones. If you just roll once and take what you get, you get 50 XP. Roll 3 times and take the one you like best, you get 25 XP. Just pick one, no XP. We roll...28. Human Advisor XP: 70 Advisors are a Courtier Career. The eight Classes are: Academics, who are nerds. They start out low-Status for the most part, but can become quite high Status eventually. These are the Apothecary, Engineer, Lawyer, Nun, Physician, Priest, Scholar and Wizard. Burghers, who are your general law-abiding people of the Empire, mostly middle class. These are the Agitator, Artisan, Beggar, Investigator, Merchant, Rat Catcher, Townsman and Watchman. Courtiers are rulers or specialist servants to rulers. They have higher Status than most other careers. They are the Advisor, Artist, Duellist, Envoy, Noble, Servant, Spy and Warden. Peasants are your rural village people, all low Status though sometimes locally influential. They are the Bailiff, Hedge Witch, Herbalist, Hunter, Miner, Mystic, Scout and Villager. Rangers are travelers who make a living on the road. Most are low Status but some can raise high. These are the Bounty Hunter, Coachman, Entertainer, Flagellant, Messenger, Pedlar, Road Warden and Witch Hunter. Riverfolk are those that work the waters and rivers of the land, usually comfortable but lower Status. These are the Boatman, Huffer, Riverwarden, Riverwoman, Seaman, Smuggler, Stevedore and Wrecker. Rogues are criminals or unsavory sorts. They are low Status but can be quite wealthy. These are the Bawd, Charlatan, Fence, Grave Robber, Outlaw, Thief, Racketeer and Witch. Warriors are trained fighters of some sort. They range wildly in Status. These are the Cavalryman, Guard, Knight, Pit Fighter, Protagonist, Soldier, Slayer and Warrior Priest. There's a sidebar saying that it is not at all broken to, say, make a Wood Elf Flagellant - it's just not a career path that Wood Elves usually take for various reasons. If you want to play a race/career combo that is not technically allowed, just talk to your GM and work out a story for it. We get the details on Careers next chapter. Instead, we jump straight to Attributes! These are the same as in 2e. Humans and Halflings are mostly balanced against each other - Humans get 2d10+20 to all stats, Halflingms get +10 to a few and +30 to a few more but also get fewer Wounds because they're small, Dwarfs are slightly above average, with +30 and +40 to a few stats and +10 to only 2, but have lovely Fate, and Elves get +30 or +40 to a lot of stats, but have lovely Fate and Resilience, and will also be hosed in the downtime rules, which are...quite a ways into the book. So they pay a premium for having insanely good stats. There are three kinds of attribute generation. You can roll 2d10 down the line and add your racial bonus. If so, you get 50 XP. If you rearrange them to stats as you choose, you get 25 XP. If you are unhappy with your rolls at all, you can choose to reroll and swap around or to use point buy - either way, you get no XP. Point boy is simple - you have 100 points to spend, and any stat has a minimum of 4 and max of 18 before you add your racial bonus. We'll go full random all the way here. Human Advisor WS 25, BS 34, S 36, T 31, I 24, A 36, D 36, Int 29, WP 31, Fel 26 Wounds: 12 XP: 120 Could be better. Just to cover what the stats are briefly: Weapon Skill (WS): Skill at hitting in any form of melee combat. Ballistic Skill (BS): The same but ranged attacks. Strength (S): Damage in melee, lifting ability, swimming, climbing. Toughness (T): Physical resistance. Helps survive combat damage, harsh conditions or poison. Initiative (I): Reaction time. Determines combat order and helps with intuition and perception. Agility (Ag): Athleticism. Running, riding, hiding, dodging. Dexterity (Dex): Fine manual tasks, like playing instruments, crafting, sleight of hand and so on. Intelligence (Int): Analysis and understanding. Helps with healing, evaluating, knowledge and magic. Willpower (WP): Strength of mind. Helps resist influence, coercion, fear and so on. Also important for magic. Fellowship (Fel): Charisma and social pleasantness. Your Characteristic Bonus is often referred to - it's the tens place of any stat. Then you have three other important stats. Wounds, which for most characters is Strength Bonus + (Toughness Bonus*2) + Willpower Bonus. Halflings do not add Strength Bonus, because they all have the Small Talent. Fate is...Fate, like in 2e. Resilience is similar, but instead of resisting death, it prevents mutations, for the most part. Fate gives Fortune points, Resilience gives Resolve points. We'll explain those later. Humans start with a base of Fate 2, Resilience 1. Dwarves and Halflings get Fate 0, Resilieince 2. Elves get 0 and 0. Then each race has 2-3 points to spend raising both values - 3 for Halflings and Humans, 2 for Elves and Dwarves. We'll just set both stats to 3. Human Advisor WS 25, BS 34, S 36, T 31, I 24, A 36, D 36, Int 29, WP 31, Fel 26 Wounds: 12, Fate 3, Fortune 3, Resilience 3, Resolve 3, Movement 4 XP: 120 You get starting Fortune equal to your Fate, starting Resolve equal to your Resilience. You als get Movement, determined entirely by your species. Humans are 4, the short species are 3, Elves are 5. From here, you pick a Motivation - a simple word or phrase that sums up the character's basic nature, like 'Thrillseeker' or 'Rebel' or 'Protect the weak.' Doing stuff involving your Motivation helps regain spent Resolve. Having gotten this, you now look ahead to your Career's statbox. Three of its stats will be marked with a symbol but a plain background. You have 5 Advances to spend on these three stats only; each Advance raises the associated stat by 1, and the number of Advances in each stat must be tracked, because it determines the XP costs of later Advances. For ADvisors, these three stats are Toughness, Initiative and Agility. Human Advisor WS 25, BS 34, S 36, T 33 (+2A), I 25 (+1A), A 38 (+2A), D 36, Int 29, WP 31, Fel 26 Wounds: 12, Fate 3, Fortune 3, Resilience 3, Resolve 3, Movement 4 XP: 120 Next time: Skills and Talents
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Sep 11, 2018 00:58
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Huh. You raise stats on a 1% basis now?
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Sep 11, 2018 01:02
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Yes, but it's quite cheap to do.
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Sep 11, 2018 01:32
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I suspected as much. I'll need to see more but I admit the idea of changeable EXP costs makes me nervous because of how absolutely terribly they worked out in 40kRP. I think the fixed EXP costs are an accidental bit of brilliance in 2e. I'm sure they're better than in 40kRP, though.
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Sep 11, 2018 01:38
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XP costs are not variable by career, just by how many advances you have already put into a skill or stat already, at least. (This is because they decided not to cap how many advances you can put in based on tier, though.)
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Sep 11, 2018 01:42
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Like I said, I think a lot of my reflexive objections are going to be a function of being burned bad by what absolute dogshit 40kRP was mechanically. But that was specifically the case of a company getting a somewhat-finished draft to publish of a game with a very troubled development history and then just never really fixing it and accidentally making it worse over and over again, I doubt that will happen with a game designed from the ground up to be a WHFRP successor.
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Sep 11, 2018 01:43
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Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, 4th Edition - Highly Skilled Skills! You put Advances in Skills; Basic Skills have a base value of their associated stat, while Advanced Skills just can't be rolled until you have at least 1 Advance in them. Your rating in a skill is the associated stat plus any Advances you have in the Skill. Also, everyone is assumed to be fluent in Reikspiel and therefore need not spend any skill points on that. (Likewise, anyone from a foreign land is assumed to fluently speak their native tongue.) You never have to make a roll to speak Reikspiel or your native language, ever. (If your game takes place outside the Empire, replace Reikspiel with the local language.) First, you assign your species-derived Skills and Talents. For Skills, you select 3 off the species list to have at 5 Advances, and 3 more to have at 3. Then you get all of your species talents; if there is a choice offered, you get one of the Talents in that choice. So, for Reiklander Humans, the skills they can choose from are Animal Care, Charm, Cool, Evaluate, Gossip, Haggle, Language (Bretonnian), Language (Wastelander), Leadership, Lore (Reikland), Melee (Basic) and Ranged (Bow). An easy way to make this fit any Human is to swap out Lore (Reikland) for Lore (Appropriate Area), and then swap the two Languages to two appropriate foreign languages they might know if those two aren't to your liking. The Reiklander talents are Doomed, Savvy or Suave, and 3 randomly rolled Talents off the random talent table. Dwarfs get access to Consume Alcohol, Cool, Endurance, Entertain (Storytelling), Evaluate, Intimidate, Language (Khazalid), Lore (Dwarfs), Lore (Geology), Lore (Metallurgy), Melee (Basic) and Trade (pick any single trade). Their Talents are Magic Resistance, Night Vision, Read/Write or Relentless, Resolute or Strong-Minded, and Sturdy. (Presumably if you're from a dwarf Hold, you speak Khazalid as your native language and it's there for Reikish Dwarfs. ...or, given the stuff in the other entries, they forgot the rule they institute later in the Language skill description.) Halflings get access to Charm, Consume Alcohol, Dodge, Gamble, Haggle, Intuition, Language (Mootish), Lore (Reikland), Perception, Sleight of Hand, Stealth, Trade (Cook). I'm surprised they don't get Lore (Moot) as an option; likely an oversight. Their Talents are Acute Sense (Taste), Night Vision, Resistance (Chaos), Small and two randomly rolled Talents. High Elves get access to Cool, Entertain (Sing), Evaluate, Language (Eltharin), Leadership, MeleE (Basic), Navigation, Perception, Play (any one instrument), Ranged (Bow), Sail and Swim. Their Talents are Acute Sense (Sight), Coolheaded or Savvy, Night Vision, Second Sight or Sixth Sense, and Read/Write. Wood Elves get access to Athletics, Climb, Endurance, Entertain (Sing), Intimidate, Language (Eltharin), Melee (Basic), Outdoor Survival, Perception, Ranged (Bow), Stealth (Rural) and Track. Their Talents are Acute Sense (Sight), Hardy or Second Sight, Night Vision, Read/Write or Very Resilient and Rover. So, rolling for our character... Human Advisor WS 30, BS 34, S 36, T 38 (+2A), I 25 (+1A), A 38 (+2A), D 36, Int 34, WP 31, Fel 26 Wounds: 15, Fate 3, Fortune 3, Resilience 3, Resolve 3, Movement 4 Skills: Charm 5, Gossip 3, Haggle 3, Leadership 5, Lore (Reikland) 5, Ranged (Bow) 3 Talents: Doomed, Savvy, Warrior Born, Very Resilient, Hardy XP: 120 From here, we then get 40 Advances to spend on the eight Skills we get access to via our Career, though we can't put more than 10 Advances into any single Skill. (The game notes that this is enough to put every Career Skill at 5 Advances, which is a requirement for completing a Career.) We also get 1 of the 4 Career Talents we have access to. Human Advisor (Tier 1: Aide) WS 30, BS 34, S 36, T 38 (+2A), I 25 (+1A), A 38 (+2A), D 36, Int 34, WP 31, Fel 26 Wounds: 15, Fate 3, Fortune 3, Resilience 3, Resolve 3, Movement 4 Skills: Bribery 5, Charm 5, Consume Alcohol 5, Endurance 5, Gossip 8, Haggle 3, Language (Classical) 5, Leadership 5, Lore (Politics) 8, Lore (Reikland) 5, Perception 5, Ranged (Bow) 3 Talents: Doomed, Savvy, Warrior Born, Very Resilient, Hardy, Read/Write XP: 120 You may be wondering why Lore (Politics) is bolded. That's because it is the Skill rolled by an Advisor when trying to make money during downtime. Next, Trappings! You begin the game with all Trappings of your Class and Career, and cash based on your Career's status. Status is defined by a Tier and a number. The Tiers are Brass, Silver and Gold, and the number generally ranges from 1 to 5. Brass Status gives 2d10 brass pennies per level, Silver Status gives 1d10 silver shillings per level, and Gold status gives 1 gold crown per level. E: Also, you can spend your cash to buy any gear you can afford. Human Advisor (Tier 1: Aide, Status Silver 2) WS 30, BS 34, S 36, T 38 (+2A), I 25 (+1A), A 38 (+2A), D 36, Int 34, WP 31, Fel 26 Wounds: 15, Fate 3, Fortune 3, Resilience 3, Resolve 3, Movement 4 Skills: Bribery 5, Charm 5, Consume Alcohol 5, Endurance 5, Gossip 8, Haggle 3, Language (Classical) 5, Leadership 5, Lore (Politics) 8, Lore (Reikland) 5, Perception 5, Ranged (Bow) 3 Talents: Doomed, Savvy, Warrior Born, Very Resilient, Hardy, Read/Write Trappings: Courtly Garb, Dagger, Pouch (Tweezers, Ear Pick, Comb), Writing Kit, 7 silver shillings XP: 120 From here we just need a name. Human names are typically real-world ones, with Imperials usually Germanic, Wastelanders usually Dutch or Belgian, and Bretonnians loosely medieval French. (Tileans are Spanish and Estalians are Italian, or possibly the other way around.) Human surnames are typically German and based on your occupation, or that of a parent or grandparent, though a notable hysical trait might be a surname...which can then confuse the rather literal-minded Dwarfs, who may not understand why a short person uses the name Lang, 'tall'. (The reason is because Grandpa was the tall one.) Dwarf names are a forename, surname and clan name. Forenames are usually short and sturdy, and tend to be Norse or just kind of weird fantasy gutteral, like Dimzad or Hudrun or SNorri, or may be Khazalid words, like Baragaz ('cannon mouth') or Durak ('hard'). So basically make up whatever you want. Surnames are usually based on who raised you, and will be their name plus a suffix - -sdottir, -snev, -sniz, or -sson, which respectively are 'daughter of', 'nephew of', 'niece of' and 'son of.' As Dwarfs age, they may change their surname in practice to a nickname given to them by consensus of their clan or friends. It is considered dishonorable to grant a nickname that is not representative of the dwarf. While the nickname may be in Khazalid, most Dwarfs translate them to Reikspiel so humans can understand them. Stuff like 'Axebringer' or 'Ironbraid' or whatever. Dwarf clan names are all Khazalid, and every Dwarf has one unless they have abandoned Dwarf tradition entirely...which some do. Clan Name is rarely used outside Dwarf society. Reikland clans tend to have softer-sounding names than Grey Mountain clans, but they're all Khazalid and usually based on a founding ancestor's nickname. Elves never admit to having surnames - just a forename and an epithet used with foreigners, which is considered the much preferable method, as otherwise they have to explain how elf Kindreds, Kinbands and Houses work and who has the time to do that for mere Humans? Forenames are in Eltharin, and generally incomprehensible to outsiders, as the language typically relies on much more than syllables to convey meaning. Therefore, the game has provided an Elf Name Generator table, to come up with two components of the name, and a third ending component that varies between High and Wood Elf dialects. High Elf epithets are usually based on character traits or physical appearance, such as Emberfell, Fireborn, Goldenhair or Spellsign, while Wood Elf epithets typically reference nature, such as Fleetriver, Shadowstalker, Treeshaper or Windrunner. Names off the table include Dordiafin (High Elf), Morsordda (Wood Elf), and my favorite, Mormarmor (High Elf). Halfling names are a given name and a clan name, and sometimes a middle name to help avoid confusion among families. Forenames are typically huge and grand, but rarely used outside of official documents. Instead, they usually prefer a dimunitve nickname - though such a name may be entirely unrelated to their formal name at times, and based instead on looks or achievements. Halflings are very proud of their achievements, and some elders will answer only to Gaffer or Guv or Nan rather than their actual names. Many Human names have become 'traditional' Halfling names if they were considered to sound grand enough, like Maximilian or Hieronymous. Halfling clan names are almost exclusively based on food, drink, geographical features or personal characteristics of ancestors. Halflings that share a surname are invariably related, and usually know exactly how. Humans, who have a tendency to share surnames while being unrelated, often confuses Halflings, who may assume that one Schmidt is related to all other Schmidts. We also get charts to roll on for age, hair color, eye color and height. Next time: Ambitions Mors Rattus fucked around with this message at 01:49 on Sep 11, 2018 |
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Sep 11, 2018 01:46
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OvermanXAN posted:The thing is that Skaven and Vampires are A: very likely to come up as villains while B: having a fair amount of details that need to be explained about them. Greenskins in Warhams are inherently very simple conceptually. I'm sure you could make a full book on them but it'd be hard to fill page count. Elves, on the other hand, suffer from the fact that Ulthuan is fairly far away from where it's safe to assume early game play is going to take place. The Asrai are more relevant but providing more detail on them would detract from Bretonnia, and the New World never got touched at all so Dark Elves couldn't be covered in any detail. They were still giving Elf players a lot to wing. Greenskins, sure, but I bet there was a couple of pitches out there, complete with PC rules.
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Sep 11, 2018 02:34
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I do like that the ultimate implication is that everything about Bretonnia is basically third-hand dictations of crazy trees.
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Sep 11, 2018 03:34
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You'd think they'd ban axes instead of guns.
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Sep 11, 2018 03:52
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A angry walking tree can probably deal with axemen easier than with riflemen. That said, after reading WHFB 1e I'm angry that Brettonia doesn't get very early gunpowder tech, like move-or-fire matchlocks and immobile cannons (with higher chance of ASPLODES).
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Sep 11, 2018 07:29
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Payndz posted:The Warhams talk made me wonder: has anyone ever written a modern-day (ish) setting for Warhammer? Like a warped version of our world with Chaos infecting people over the internet and rat-men skulking in the sewers ready to pop up through the U-bend. I put together a very brief thing about a Warhammer-esque urban fantasy that might get revised and expanded (and finished) if I ever get a Patreon off the ground.
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Sep 11, 2018 08:48
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 Rifts World Book 19: Australia, Part 2 - "According to legend, he is the one who will destroy the world by drinking all the water."  "We'll live inland, where sharks can never reach- OHGOD-" Geography So, we start off with a map and some statistics. Most of the population is evenly divided between Aboriginal people (one-third), city-based humans (one-fourth), and Outback humans (one-fourth), with a minority of mutants and D-Bees. We get the clarification when they say "white" they also mean other immigrants like Asians and mainland Europeans, and that the main divisions are between the cities and Outbackers, or Outbackers and indigenous Australians. The big change that you'll see from the map is the fact the sea broke through on the west side of the continent and created the Inland Sea. Apparently increased salt levels have caused the deserts to grow, pushing vegetation towards the outer edges of the continent. A lot of rivers have changed course, been created, dried up, etc. Most of the old cities were destroyed or reduced to ruins. Outbackers mostly survive in small communities, though shantytowns exist outside of the two major cities - like the 'Burbs of the Coalition. While generally less advanced, they're also less crime-ridden. Some Outbackers dream of entering the cities, but most have accepted their fate in the wilderness. To the North and in the desert, things get more vicious and wild. Meanwhile, Aboriginal people have inherited the land largely because they were away from most civilized centers where the destruction was worst. I mean. Aside from the whole area that became a new sea. But nevermind that! Anyway, we'll get more in the Dreamtime sourcebook on that. Which has never come out. I suppose it was only a... dream.  "We hunt onward, for the book we might appear in." We get a lot of facts about Australian heat and soil and other such things, but the more unique thing is that apparently it's a "very magical land" like England is. This hasn't gone unnoticed, and a number of alien intelligences and gods are trying to set up shop - as well as some Millennium Trees (as in Rifts World Book 3: England. It's also implied the Great Reef is some kind of "Millennium Being" several times in the book but never really detailed. A unique aspect to the magic here is "The Dreaming" where apparently Australia is a literal magical place that prefers indigenous people and nature because... it does, but "most white people" can't see it. Demonic predators have also been attracted here, and we'll see more on them later, but apparently the Aboriginal peoples are most often the ones holding the line against them. Man, this was supposed to be a geography section? Well now we're going on about gods like The Bunyil and the Rainbow Serpent returning to the land to help out indigenous people. However, a massive frog-demon named Tiklik has arrived and sleeps under the Inland Sea. It's said he'll drink up all the water in the world, but more likely he'll just rampage and need to be anti-rampaged. In any case, there a fair deal more on the local flora and fauna, but most of that can be wikipedia'd. However, there's new but mundane flora introduced by the rifts.  Cardhalla. Landmarks Places of note in Rifts Australia The Old State Borders While the old states no longer exist, we still divide things up by them because convenience.
 It never was, but now is?
 Landscapes may not be Dubisch's strong suit, sadly. Next: If everything is the Outback, then nothing is!
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Sep 11, 2018 09:04
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Somehow, I keep reading the title as "Austria", though having an entire Rifts book dedicated to fukken Austria would be weird.
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Sep 11, 2018 10:53
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WFRP 4e - Boys, Be Ambitious So, having made a character, we have only a few steps left. First, we need to choose a Short-Term Ambition and a Long-Term Ambition. You can swap these between sessions. Short-Term Ambitions are immediate goals, things you expect to achieve within the next few weeks or so, maybe sooner. They typically take 2-3 sessions to complete. This is stuff like ruining a rival's reputation, avenging a fallen friend or befriending a specific person. Long-Term Ambitions may take months or years to finish, and may never be achieved at all, but motivate you to keep going and working. Stuff like 'own your own inn' or 'build your village into a town' or 'purge the Colleges of Elven influence.' Ambitions may, optionally, be kept secret from other PCs. When you achieve a short term Ambition, you get 50 XP and pick a new one at the end of the session. If you achieve a long term Ambition, you choose - either get 500 XP and pick a new one, or retire your PC to an NPC, with half their XP going to your next character. Not a fan of the second one, personally. I would also give the XP bonus to the entire party, maintain parity, because while 50-100 XP isn't much, 500 XP is - and even the small 50 XP boosts add up after a while. So let everyone have parity after chargen. (I am totally unconcerned with the chargen XP bonus because it is negligible and one-off.) Besides your personal Ambitions, the party also gets Ambitions. Short-Term Party Ambitions are similar in scope to personal ones but are group goals. Outwit a rival group and steal a job from them, hunt down the killer of a party ally, impress the party's patron with success at a mission. Long-Term Party Ambitions are the same as personal ones, but for the group. Eradicate a specific Empire-wide Chaos cult, build a castle, have the party earn the Imperial Cross for bravery. Whenever the party's short-term Ambition is met, everyone gets 50 XP. Whenever the party's long-term ambition is met, each PC gets to choose between 500 XP or the retirement option and making a new character at half XP. I seriously have no idea why the game thinks half XP is a good idea - character tiers are still pretty stark in their benefits and power. The game then provides a series of ten questions to help you get an idea of what your character is like. 1. Where are you from? 2. What is your family like? 3. What was your childhood like? 4. Why did you leave home? 5. Who are your best friends? 6. What is your greatest desire? 7. What are your best and worst memories? 8. What are your religious beliefs? 9. To whom, or what, are you loyal? 10. Why are you adventuring? Optionally, based on your answers, the GM may allow you to take Psychology traits like Love, Camaraderie, Hatred, Animosity or Fear towards specific people or families based on your background. From here, you get to spend XP! During chargen, XP can only be spent on your career's three noted stats, 8 skills and 4 talents. There's a chart that shows how much XP an Advance costs, but in chargen you will not have more than, at maximum, 10 in anything. So: 0-5 Advances in a stat means each Advance you buy costs 25, and for skills, 10. 6-10 Advances already in the stat or skill means it costs 30 XP per stat or 15 per skill. 11-15 Advances already in means 40 per stat, 20 per skill. This keeps going at increasing costs, which really only start to get notable around 26-30 Advances for stats (90 XP per Advance then!) or 36-40 Advances for skills (110 XP oer). Talents cost 100 XP, plus 100 XP per time you've already purchased that specific Talent. There are reasons to repurchase Talents, though, and going hard on one that's in your specialty can be pretty terrifying. If this weren't chargen, leaving a Career that is completed would cost 100 XP, and leaving an incomplete Career would cost 200 XP. And that's chargen! Took a while, but we're done and moving into the Classes and Careers chapter. The only real notable mechanics of Class are that you get different starting Trappings from your Class, and each Class has access to different unique downtime activities, called Endeavors. We'll get to those eventually. Each Career has four tiers of increasing power. At each tier, you also unlock a new stat that you are able to spend Advances on while you're in the Career, and new Skilsl you can spend Advances on while you're in the Career. You can buy Advances in stuff that your Career doesn't have access to, but it costs double and the GM may require you to find a teacher. You can't purchase out-of-career Talents normally but there are downtime activities that can get around that. To complete and master a career, you need to meet some requirements. For a tier 1 career, you need 5 Advances in all of your Career's available stats and eight of its skills, plus at least 1 Talent from that tier. (Note: when you advance in tier, you lose access to being able to learn the previous tier's talents.) At tier 2, you need 10 Advances in those instead, 15 at tier 3, and 20 at tier 4. You don't ever need to advance in tier, however, and can choose not to. It costs 100 XP to go up a tier once a Career has been completed, or 200 XP if you haven't completed the Career. You are not required to gain the new tier's trappings. The GM may allow you to skip tiers based on in-game events. E: you probably want your career’s trappings, though, and they can be expensive, so that’s...a mystery, it is unclear if you get them or not. If you want to change Careers entirely, you can spend 100 XP to move into the first tier of any career of your Class if you've completed your career, or 200 XP if you haven't. A different Class's Career costs an extra 100. If the GM allows it, you can instead enter the Career at the same tier as the one you are leaving, as long as you've completed the one you're leaving. (There are limitations - you can't easily jump into Wizard at upper levels because the lower-tier Talents are actually required to make the class work.) It is also possible to change careers during downtime via endeavors; well get to those rules eventually. Each tier has a different Status, and you can modify Status with some Talents. The GM may also give Status bonuses or penalties based on in-game events. Status matters for more than just money. You get a +10 bonus to Charm tests against those of a lower Status tier, and -10 penalty against those of a higher Status tier. (With the exception of begging, which reverses the penalty.) Intimidate also gets a +10 bonus against lower Status tiers, but no penalty against higher ones. Gossip gets a -10 penalty when dealing with any difference in Status tiers. Leadership gets a +10 bonus per Status tier you are above the target. There's a sidebar the GM can roll on to see if a specific NPC cares about status, with 20% chance of not caring, a 20% chance of getting double bonuses and penalties, and a 60% chance of normal rules interaction. To maintain your Status you do have to keep up a minimum standard of living, but the rules for that are in the equipment chapter. If you don't keep up your Status, you begin to lose it over time, first having your number go down (so from Silver 3 to Silver 2, say) and, when that hits 0, dropping to the next lowest tier at 5 and so on. You cannot go below Brass 0. Status is used to earn money, primarily. Any time you have a week to spare and are in an area where you can sell your services or otherwise do your job, you can make a test at +20 with your career's earning skill to get cash similar to your starting cash. Next time: Careers Mors Rattus fucked around with this message at 17:29 on Sep 11, 2018 |
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Sep 11, 2018 13:25
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Mors Rattus posted:If you want to change Careers entirely, you can spend 200 XP to move into the first tier of any career if you've completed your career, or 300 XP if you haven't. If the GM allows it, you can instead enter the Career at the same tier as the one you are leaving, as long as you've completed the one you're leaving. (There are limitations - you can't easily jump into Wizard at upper levels because the lower-tier Talents are actually required to make the class work.) It is also possible to change careers during downtime via endeavors; well get to those rules eventually. Think you made a mistake here. It costs 100 XP to move to another career if it's in the same class, 200 if incomplete. Moving to a different career of an entirely different class costs 100 extra XP.
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Sep 11, 2018 13:51
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