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Night10194 posted:There are going to be so many goddamn types of Paladin in this book, including the actual Warrior Priest class. Not just Sigmarites; Warrior Priests of any God. Speaking of Shallya, I was reading the fourth edition rulebook and its table of results for Wrath of the Gods struck me as remarkably hilarious to try reconciling if they come up for a Shallyan nun praying to heal the sick. Like someone gets on their knees and prays over someone with leprosy and then Shallya's thunderous voice booms FEEL MY WRATH and they start bleeding out of the eyes and ears. That's...that's not something I see Shallya doing unless she was out drinking with Ranald and got hosed up enough to think she's getting a crank call from a Nurglite.
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Aug 30, 2018 04:32
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Daeren posted:Speaking of Shallya, I was reading the fourth edition rulebook and its table of results for Wrath of the Gods struck me as remarkably hilarious to try reconciling if they come up for a Shallyan nun praying to heal the sick. Shallyans crying tears of blood is very in character
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Aug 30, 2018 04:41
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fool_of_sound posted:Shallyans crying tears of blood is very in character Well yeah, there's several that are explicitly about "what will you sacrifice/feel the pain of the suffering" etc but a lot are like YOU TRY MY PATIENCE, MORTAL and CEASE YOUR INANE PRATTLING and other phrases you'd expect Ulric to be yelling into a megaphone while trying to sleep off a hangover.
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Aug 30, 2018 04:42
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 Rifts World Book 18: Mystic Russia, Part 9 - "According to Gypsies, all men can be like God (good and kind) or like the devil (evil)."  "We all have to drink pretty hard to be in this section..." Gypsy O.C.C.s Unlike their appearance in Rifts World Book 5: Triax & the NGR, we're told most Russian wanderers are human with only 1 in 4 being D-Bees, and that they're more traditional and... magical. As such, they avoid human augmentations like juicing or cybernetics. So much for personal freedom, I suppose. Also all the classes from Triax & the NGR are reprinted here, in case you missed them. You can see my previous review for those. The "traditional" classes that get reprinted are the Traditional Gypsy Thief O.C.C. (38%), Traditional Gypsy Wizard-Thief O.C.C. (24%), Traditional Gypsy Seer (16%), and the Gypsy Healer: The Gifted (16%). Similarly, the Hidden Witch O.C.C. was previously detailed. The new classes are:  "... or get pretty stoned."
 "I don't know why I thought this form was a good idea, honestly!"
 The wrecked Triax armor is a nice nod to previous manterial. It's funny how few ethnic wanderers will actually qualify for ethnic wanderer classes. Only the Hidden Witch has a better than 1 in 2 chance of qualification. I guess that's what's Vagabond Non-Skilled O.C.C. is for... Anyway, are we done? Is it safe?  Next: Sovietski surplus section.
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Aug 30, 2018 05:29
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I like the runes on the Enforcer's blade that read 'A Magic Sword'.
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Aug 30, 2018 05:37
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Traditional Gypsy Wizard-Thief is one hell of a class name.
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Aug 30, 2018 05:58
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JcDent posted:Traditional Gypsy Wizard-Thief is one hell of a class name. A fun game I've been playing is mentally replacing every instance of the g-word with "Jew", and it basically turns nice ol' Sembieda into your typical Stormfront poster. EDIT: I'm going back over the Triax/NGR stuff and hooly poo poo its worse than I remember 
SirPhoebos fucked around with this message at 08:47 on Aug 30, 2018 |
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Aug 30, 2018 08:44
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Gypsy has always been a biiiig blind spot for even progressive Americans. Also famously mention of them will make Europeans go from zero to Hitler in the blink of an eye.
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Aug 30, 2018 09:48
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Am European, can confirm.
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Aug 30, 2018 10:40
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7th Sea 2e: The New World - Bless You Despite the best efforts of the God Hunt, the old gods survive, and with them comes an older, more primal form of magic - the ability to grant divine blessings. Once, the power of the death priests was just Suway's blessing, until the priests perverted and altered the practice. The other gods are still able to imbue their followers with blessed power. The blessed are known as Children of the Gods, and they are typically among the most devout worshippers, as their blessings typically require active worship to maintain. As in ancient times, life is required to fuel the blessings, just as it fuels death magic. Death and the passage of life are just part of Kuraq magic. The gods' blessings are not infinite, and they are limited to the purview the god oversees. Wach'i is known to give physical blessings of martial skill, strength or speed, or power over heat. Pachamama is more likely to give blessings of stealth. Other gods give more complex gifts, like the chosen of Urkillay the shapeshifter. Once a gift is given, it is removed only when the chosen one dies or turns away from the god. Every such follower must wear a talisman with the god's symbol on it, even though this can be conspicuous and attract the God Hunt. That's just the price of the power. Locations! Kuska is the center of the empire, the capital and home of what was once the Killke tribe before unification, built atop the ancient fortress Saksawaman. The Killke brought their advanced construction techniques to the empire, leading the drive to expand the roads and aqueduct systems. In the hills they made the Qurikancha, the Temple to the Sun. It has since been rededicated to Suway, renamed the Seat of the Venerable and rebuilt to twice its original height. The city proper has households for all nobles by law, as well as the ones they have in their home territories. One member of each family must remain in Kuska to be advisor and ambassador to the Empress, and the ambitious tend to prefer to stay there anyway. The lower classes live out on the edge of the city, but still tend to see their lives as blessed just by being there. After all, if they can catch the right eye, they can climb the ranks even enough to be ennobled. They must remain within the law, however, or else the Tokoyriq will take them to the chulpa, as their headquarters is called, for interrogation and brutal punishment. Qurikancha is an immense temple on the edge of the city. The actual temple part is relatively small, and its inner chamber is used by the Empress for receiving guests. The outside is carved in murals of the sun god, now being constantly revised to display Suway instead. The walls are studded in gold plate and filigree. Outside the temple proper are the Imperial quarters and rooms for guests, and far below the temple are the Imperial crypts. Further down the hillside, the city spreads out under the Qurikancah, with the noble homes built around its base. The best ones, with the highest standing, are closest to the temple, while the lesser families live nearer the center of the city. Kapuli, in Antasuyu, is the pleasure city. It lies between two holy mountains, and was built as a vacation resort for the powerful, away from the Empress' prying eyes. Once the Empress learned it existed, she shocked everyone by embracing the idea - though she did outlaw all factional violence within it. Now, it is a paradise for the rich, full of gardens, sports centers, baths, pleasure houses and so on. It is run by the kulla uya, a group of courtesans trained to entertain nobles, cook and provide companionship. It was once an insult, literally meaning 'shameless ones,' but the courtesans embraced the term with pride. People cross the entire empire to petition the Sinchi, the leader of the kulla uya, to be trained there at the Tulpa Qawari, the Hearth of Songs. The kulla uya are now a class of artists all their own, protected in the city. Kapuli has also become a hotbed of intrigue, unsurprisingly. The kulla uya are politically neutral officially, but can be a very useful source of information if they sympathize with your cause. Chuqi K'iraw, the Crib of Metal, is the headquarters of Pakaykuq, deep in the Hark'apa mountains. It is built above and below Sunch'u Pata, the most recognizable hill in the region. Legend has it that Pachakusi founded the place, but that it was expanded and built by her daughter, Killay, who gave it its name. While it was originally one of the main entrances into the mountains and an important city, it was hidden from mortal eyes by Wach'i, and knowledge of its existence was purged from all official records. From then on, only those Wach'i allows can find it, ensuring its security and making it a place of safety for both his followers specifically and the resistance generally. The city's primary structures concentrate on two ridge plazas, though a number of common buildings exist outside these plazas. The city is largely self-sufficient, due to its cultivation terraces, aqueduct and large number of residential buildings. More importantly, it has the ushnu atop the hill that is dedicated to Wach'i. Common wisdom holds that only those he allows may climb the massive stair that leads to this terraced pyramid. It is unknown what is revealed to those who make it to the flat top of the pyramid, for all who have received Wach'i's revelation have refused to share it. The temple is one of the last undefiled sacred places of the sun god, and it is of immense spiritual and symbolic import to the entire resistance. More and more people are now receiving Wach'i's visions, guiding them to the city to join the resistance. However, Wach'i is still careful about who he blesses, for if the Tokoyriq found the city, all hope would be lost. Manqo Pacha was the holy mountain estate of the king Yca Yma, father of Supacha and Puchacunya, who briefly brought peace to Kuraq in the years before the rise of the death priests of Suway. It is where he retired to after his legendary Conference of the Seven Feathers, a city dedicated to Wach'i, whose temple was filled with golden offerings. However, the city was devastated and ransacked when three kings slew Yca Yma and attacked the city. Few of its inhabitants survived. It would be years after Puchacunya's coronation that the city was rebuilt as a refuge for the followers of non-Suway gods. It was not rebuilt by the Empire or the nobles, but by the followers of the old faiths. It was this faith that attracted the attention of the gods and, eventually, the Pakaykuq. While newer cities are clearly built to a plan, Manqo Pacha is a hodgepodge of different styles and ages, and due to its mountainous site, it can't expand out, so new buildings were just built atop the old. Compared to most modern cities it's quite small, but it is surrounded by natural glory and beauty. The altitude can cause a certain euphoria, and many of its plazas are often filled by those in silent, somewhat wheezy contemplation. The population is low due to the difficult climb to reach it, and the inhabitants tend to be hearty, spiritual types dedicated to the old ways. Panatambo has a sad, sad story. Originally it was just a rural farming community banded together for mutual protection. One night, the Tokoyriq came and declared that the Empress would grace their land with a glorious settlement in the name of the empire. The locals thought this meant the soldiers would help defend them. Instead, they saw their land torn apart and harvested to build a prison city. Outwardly, Panatambo is a great walled citadel built of mountain stone, its back placed against the nearby mountains to provide only one approach. The old farmland has been destroyed, replaced by a giant palisade and gate, visible over two miles away. Within is a community enclosed by more gates, with the first courtyard used only to receive supply drops. Those that live in Panatambo are prisoners, kept alive for their political uses. The first inhabitants were the family of Puchacunya, who lived there for ten years before they were sacrificed. For a time, the city remained empty, but it was not long before the empress sent new prisoners. More and more go there now, and while the Tokoyriq kill many rebels outright, a few noble sympathizers or ranking officials are kept there as political prisoners. No one ever visits or leaves, except for a single messenger. The complex is run by Kimsa Parwa, a ranking Tokoyriq commander and spy for the Empress. He and his whole family live in the city and, in many ways, are as much prisoners as any other residents. P'alqacamba, the jungle city of Suway, terrifies most Kuraq. It is known as the Lost City due to the difficulty of reaching it, though hundreds come each year to petition the death priests to take their children on as students. The city is built of dark black stone and gold, a holy city of the dead and their retainers. Every building is coated in vines and rare flowers of the jungle, and at its heart is the Temple of Suway, the headquarters of the Yana Takiya, the tupaq training school and Allin Tulpa, the Good Hearth. They are made of black stone from the depths of the earth, with the temple complex's huge pyramid at the center. The city is also host to the Great Yachaywasi, the House of Knowledge. It is the elite school for young nobles of the empire. Children sent there live in huge dorms, trained by Suway's priests in everything from fighting to statecraft to art. The competition is cutthroat, and it is not that rare for students to go missing in the jungle forever. Allin Tulpa is the home of the largest group of Wanuy Naqay sorcerers in all of Kuraq. It sits just outside Suway's temple, and while it is less grand, it is still an amazing building of black stone with gold inlay, its walls depicting the myths and history of Suway and of Wanuy Naqay. Students train there from an early age, though only a select few are taught the sorcery. Others merely receive an excellent education. Unlike the students at the Great Yachaywasi, however, students at Allin Tulpa are cooperative, not competetive. Those that do not learn magic take on priestly roles to support those who do. No student goes to waste here, but entry into the Allin Tulpa is extremely selective. Some say Suway himself chooses the students, and that only those he blesses are granted entry. If so, the priests do not speak of it. Those who come out of Allin Tulpa are faithful, devoted and fanatically loyal. They learn sorcery sometimes, yes, but also combat, military leadership and assassination techniques. No priest of Suway is denied the training of the tupaq warrior. Next time: The Wild People
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Aug 30, 2018 14:47
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 Panic at the Dojo: Unique Enemies Last update wrapped up the enemies built using player-facing Templates, but this next list are built using the Boss Archetypes, giving them strange powers beyond ordinary PCs. VAMPIRE (Immortal Warrior) Rapidly-regenerating attackers who are hard to take down - if they have even one hit point left, they're still extremely dangerous, and they're good at escaping when in serious danger. However, unlike some healers, they can't heal themselves back up from zero. Ability: The first time you deal damage with an Action each turn, you heal. Skills: Shadow Walker Vampire Moon Stance Action Dice: d4/d4/d4/d4/d4/d4 Range: 1 Gain 2 Speed Tokens at the start and end of your turn. Don't discard Speed Tokens at the end of a turn. Every time you deal damage, heal 1. Whenever you give an enemy Weakness Tokens, gain the same number of Power Tokens. 3 Speed Tokens: Stunt Place a Fog, Copy or Trap into an adjacent space, then teleport two spaces. 4+: Life Steal Deal 2 damage to an enemy within range, then give them a Weakness Token. GRIZZLY BEAR (Giant Warrior) IT'S A BEAR. PUNCH THE BEAR. Ability: You take up a 2x2 space on the grid. Maximum Range is 1 higher, and you can move over walls, turning them into Rubble. Skill: Wind Runner Knockdown Beast Stance Action Dice: d10/d6/d6 Range: 1-2 Whenever an enemy damages you, deal 1 damage to them. At the start of your turn, add a d6 to your Action Dice for each of: Your health bar is half empty, someone on your team is taken out, you're holding a non-Basic Token. 2 Basic Tokens: Fury Deal 1 damage to an enemy, then push them 1 space at the end of the turn. Can only be used 3 times per turn. 4+: Take It On The Chin Every enemy within range deals 1 damage to you. Deal 3 damage to one of them. WARLOCK (Swarm Warrior) A demon summoner, whose "Copies" are actually lesser demons serving them. They summon swarms of underilngs, then use them to Shockwave everyone on the map into oblivion. Ability: At the end of your turn, for each Copy you have, choose one: Gain a Power Token, gain an Iron Token, move one space, each Copy moves one space, destroy a Copy to deal 1 damage to each enemy adjacent to it. Skill: Basically Magic Illusion Star Stance Action Dice: d8/d8/d8 Range: 1-4 Your Actions can all have an additional target within range. After an enemy deals damage to you while within range of at least one Copy, deal 1 damage to them, or 2 damage if they're in range of at least three Copies. Copies can be spent as Iron Tokens. 3+: Amplify Next Action has +2 range and +3 targets within range. 3+: Shockwave Deal 1 damage to every enemy within range. 6+: Deal 2 damage to one enemy within range. 3+: Where Are You Looking? Place 2 Copies into empty spaces within range. 6+: Do it again. NEWTON POIROT (Blur Boss) Natural genus, expert detective and scientist, undefeated boxer. She never misses an opening, and always exploits them to beat her opponents into pudding. Ability: After performing any Action, move one space. Skills: Boxing Genius, Think Fast, Eyes Wide Open, Wind Runner Jumping Hound Stance Action Dice: d6/d6/d4/d4/d4 Range: 1 At the start and end of your turn, teleport 1-3 spaces. After you deal damage to an enemy with an Action, hit them again for 1 damage. 1+: Slide In Teleport two spaces. 4+: Whirlwind Deal 1 damage to up to 3 enemies within range. 4+: Leap In Teleport 1-3 spaces, then deal 2 damage to an enemy within range. Caged Bear Stance Action Dice: d6/d6/d6/d6/d4 Range: 1 At the start of your turn, either heal or discard a token. At the end of your turn, give a Weakness Token to an enemy in range. Adjacent enemies can't gain or spend Speed Tokens. 1+: Bow Down Give a Weakness Token to an enemy within range. 4+: Give two weakness tokens to an enemy within range. 1+: Stand Strong Heal yourself or an ally. 4+: Heal yourself or a different ally. 2+: Welcome To My Maze Deal 1 damage to an enemy outside your range, then pull them three spaces. Lightning Beast Stance Action Dice: d10/d6/d6/d4 Range: 1 After you deal damage, gain a Speed Token. At the start of your turn, add a d6 to your Action Dice for each of: Current healthbar is at half HP or less, someone on your team is taken out, you're holding a non-Basic Token. 2 Basic Tokens: Fury Deal 1 damage to an enemy within range. At end of turn, push them one space. Can only be used 3 times per turn. 2+: Deadly Dance Teleport 2 spaces, then deal 1 damage to an enemy within range. 5+: Teleport 2 spaces, then deal 2 damage to an enemy within range. 8+: Do 5+ again. Jumping Hound Stance is Newton's engage, then Caged Bear Stance lets her lock targets in place around her while healing herself to keep the pressure on. Once things are heating up, she can use Lightning Beast Stance to do massive damage and take out the party all at once. ROSEY "SILVER" BLUEHORN (Tank Boss) A caped superhero who uses her incredible strength and unbreakable body to find evil and smash evil. Odd choice of character for a boss enemy, but maybe this is a villains game, or maybe she's been brainwashed or just disagrees with the party about something. Ability: Move one less space when Pushed or Pulled. Skills: Friendly Local Superhero, Natural Charisma, Unmovable, Unstoppable Heroic Fortress Stance Action Dice: d8/d8/d8/d4 Range: 1-2 Whenever you gain Speed Tokens, replace half of them with Iron Tokens. Whenever an ally within range takes damage, you take half of it for them. 3+: Secure Choose two: Gain 3 Iron Tokens, an an ally within range gains 2 Iron Tokens, heal someone within range. 3+: Contain Choose two: Pull an enemy 2 spaces, Challenge an enemy, place a Trap into a space within range. 6+: Protect Choose four from the combined Secure/Contain lists. 4+: Burning Heart You and every ally in range gains 2 Iron Tokens. Aura Wave Stance Action Dice: d8/d6/d6/d4/d4 Range: 1-3 At the start of your turn, choose Iron, Power, or Speed. You gain 3 of that token, every ally gains 1 of that token, and you gain a 3 point shield. If an enemy within range damages a Shield, move them one space. After a Shield within range breaks, gain an Iron Token. 1+: Sing Along Pick an ally. Choose one: They remove a token they hold, they heal, or they gain 2 tokens from your current song. 4+: The target also picks one from the list. 6+: Add a 4 to their Action Pool, which they must immediately spend on an Action. Elder Sun Stance Action Dice: d10/d10/d4/d4 Range: 1-2 Whenever you gain Speed Tokens, replace half of them with Power Tokens. You can spend up to 3 Power Tokens per hit. Once per turn, use any Unique Action you know from any of your Stances, at no cost, as if it were performed with a 7. 2+: Yell Gain 3 Power Tokens. 5+: Crush Deal 3 damage to an enemy within range, which can't be reduced or reacted to by any means. 8+: You can spend any number of Power Tokens on this hit. Silver is a nice and simple boss build. Allies under attack? Heroic Fortress. Allies need a hand? Aura Wave. Evil needs a punch in the face? Elder Sun. A GODDAMN HELICOPTER (Vehicle Boss) If you aren't here to karate-chop a helicopter, then what are you even doing with your life? Ability: You take up a large, shaped portion of the battlefield. Enemies and allies can move on top of you, and when you move, they move with you. You can move over walls, turning them to rubble. Spaces inside of you are always within range. Skills: Battle Chopper, Basically Magic, Wind Runner, Unstoppable Ricochet Dynamo Stance Action Dice: d8/d8/d8/d4 Range: 2-5 Each of your Actions can have one extra target within range. After you deal damage to an enemy with an action, deal 1 damage to a different enemy within 3 spaces of you. 3+: Amplify Your next Action this turn has +2 range and +3 targets within range. 3+: Shockwave Deal 1 damage to every enemy within range. (This becomes hilarious when combined with the stance's passive.) 6+: Deal 2 damage to one enemy within range. 3+: Trick Shot Pick an obstacle within range. Deal 2 damage to an enemy within 3 spaces of that obstacle. Artillery Rage Stance Action Dice: d10/d10/d4/d4 Range: 3-8 Whenever you gain Speed Tokens, replace half of them with Power Tokens. You can spend up to 3 Power Tokens per hit. You can see enemies through fog and walls. 2+: Yell Gain 3 Power Tokens. 5+: Crush Deal 3 damage to an enemy within range, which can't be reduced or reacted to by any means. 8+: You can spend any number of Power Tokens on this hit. 1+: Bombardment Place a trap into a space within range. 6+: Place a trap into each space adjacent to the first trap. Explosion World Stance Action Dice: 7/5/3/1/d4 Range: 2-4 You can hold multiple Shields at a time. When an enemy damages your Shield, do 1 damage to them. After you damage an enemy, push them one space. After you destroy an obstacle, replace it with an Edge. 3+: Focus Gain a 2-point Shield and move one space. 7+: Gain a 4-point Shield and move two spaces. 6+: Ka-Boomb! Deal 2 damage to an enemy within range, then destroy every obstacle adjacent to them. Next up: The kickstarter bosses.
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Aug 30, 2018 14:53
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Bieeanshee posted:I like the runes on the Enforcer's blade that read 'A Magic Sword'. Nice catch! Ghost Leviathan posted:Gypsy has always been a biiiig blind spot for even progressive Americans. Yeah, I've gotten to see casual bigotry about that sort of thing in my own family, and I'm American. They're thought of more in the way you'd think of organized criminals, I guess, the story of "the day I ran into some Gypsies" has the same sort of breathless amazement as "the day I saw some Mafiosos". The notion of Romani as an ethnicity generally doesn't even enter into that mindset.
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Aug 30, 2018 15:19
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Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay: Tome of Salvation The Reaper Man Morr is not the God of Death. Morr is the God of the Dead. Given how many things want to devour, enslave, or exploit the souls of the dead in the Old World, this makes Morr's worship common in almost every corner of the setting. Legends about Morr say he arose alongside Ulric and Taal when they fought over who would be king of the Gods, and while they battled over the living he passively claimed the dead. They laughed at him until they realized every single soul would eventually end up in Morr's realm. Another legend claims that Morr first appeared the moment the first human died, and that he revealed himself a God when he stopped the forces of Chaos from devouring that first soul and promised to take all of the dead under his protection. The third legend of Morr has him as a God struck down by the God of Murder, Khaine, who then established his kingdom among the dead when he found himself dead, becoming their protector and guardian. All three could be true at the same time. Morr is not a popular God; no-one really wants to meet Morr. But everyone knows they will. Morr is also the God of sleep and dreams. The people of the Old World hold that sleep is a brief taste of death, and that sleeping souls venture close to Morr's realm, where he watches over and protects them from Chaos and nightmares as a preview of what he will do when they sleep eternally. Since death is the inevitable future of all mortals, Morr is also held as the God of prophecy and future happenings; he certainly knows one thing that's waiting for you and he's not been wrong about that one yet (aside from maybe the case of Nagash). Morrite priests tend to be very steady people who know that everyone will need their help eventually. The cult has little central organization and leaves most matters to individual temples, which are supported by their communities and in turn sponsor and protect the graveyards (called Gardens of Morr) throughout the Old World. This is very important; Morrite blessings can ensure a corpse won't be affected by necromancy and protecting graveyards from defilement is a serious Imperial strategic concern, given bordering Sylvannia. Morrites take their duty very seriously, and more than one priest has perished trying to ensure proper burials and last rites for the sick and dying during epidemics or major battles. Some Morrites will also try to carry out the final wishes of the deceased if they can, and all will try to comfort the bereaved living left behind. That comfort often only takes the form of a firm reminder that the dead sleep with Morr, but being assured that your loved one is safe and at rest in the world beyond is a good thing in a world haunted by demons and necromancers. Morrites generally aren't required to concern themselves with matters of the living, except when it comes to necromancers. Their concern with necromancers is less that they defile the physical bodies of the dead so much as that they make it difficult for the dead to rest with Morr, which in turn risks the souls being claimed by the Dark Gods when the undead are destroyed. Morrites believe all undead can be properly consecrated and sent to Morr, and that it is extremely important to do so, no matter what the undead says and no matter who the undead is. They believe that the proper rites will allow a vampire or necromancer to rest with their master in his realm, and that doing this is a great kindness. We know from Night's Dark Masters that they may be wrong about vampires, but it's not like killing vampires is a bad thing to do even if their souls are fated to never find rest. Morrites believe that if they do not send the dead, they will be devoured by the Dark Gods or seized by Khaine as trophies; some Morrite beliefs claim Khaine as Morr's jealous (and lesser) brother, a claim that probably annoys elves. They also believe dreams are messages from the realm of the dead, warnings sent to make sure the living don't perish before their time. They believe Morr often sends warnings to give people a chance to embrace their loved ones one more time and get their mortal affairs in order so that they may die with a cleaner conscience and find their way to his realm more easily, but these warnings rely on human intelligence to decode their prophetic meaning. Devout lay-people of Morr tend to be grave-diggers and people who watch over the bodies of the dead. Morr has far fewer lay followers than most Gods; most of those who feel truly called to serve Morr do it in a priestly capacity, as the call to serve the dead is a little unusual as it is. Most Initiates come to the temple after vivid dreams of death and ask to be admitted until they understand their meaning and if they were truly called to serve. Initiates are then given boring, repetitive tasks that require their full concentration, to see if they have the focus necessary to become a priest of Morr; they are permitted to quit their period as an Initiate at any point without censure. These standards can slip during priest shortages, which are a perennial problem for the Morrites, where a new Initiate may be encouraged to stay even if they fail some of their initial duties. Morrite priests go about their business in plain black robes with no indication of rank, and have a custom of training pet ravens as companions, since the raven is Morr's bird. Most wear their hair short and go about life clean-shaven, much like the Amethyst wizards and their tendency to go bald. The stereotype of a Morrite priest is of a dour, honorable individual who does little but tend to graves and conduct funerals. This stereotype persists because most people only meet Morrites at funeral services, where they are required by religious law to remain solemn and quiet. In truth, Morrite cults have many, many empty hours and members are encouraged to take on hobbies, especially hobbies that involve sewing or that might produce a lot of sawdust. Morrites tend to be introverted, yes, but most maintain a circle of close friends and they often have a much better sense of humor than people expect. There are many stories of priests of Morr quietly supporting the living relatives of the dead in their communities, serving as grief counselors for those left behind and helping families to help their dead loved ones rest better. I don't believe the text even says Morrites need be unmarried, given their God has a wife (Verena) and family (Shallya, and in some myths, Myrmidia are the daughters of Morr and Verena). The Morrite priesthood has no official hierarchy, but holds a great synod in Luccini in Tilea every ten years. Each temple sends one representative, usually after they are called by dream to go. Sometimes, the temple's highest priest will just so happen to have a very clear dream that the most annoying or junior priest in their temple has been chosen to make the very long and inconvenient trip to Luccini, but this is Morr's providence, not some mortal grudge. In general, there are two Orders of Morrites: The Order of the Shroud and the Order of Augers. Shroud temples are more common and tend to the gardens and handle burials, while the Augers are more popular in Tilea and Estalia, and provide dedicated oracles, relief from nightmares, and interpretations of troubling dreams. Morrite theological debates usually take the form of dueling dream interpretations, and the retellings of dreams can get particularly vivid (cynics would say embellished) the more important the dispute might be. After all, the temple knows that Morr sends dreams to tell priests to do things. Temples with priests related to the nobility tend to receive dreams telling them to intervene in noble disputes more often, temples with priests related to merchant families are more likely to receive dreams telling them to offer wisdom and arbitration in mercantile disputes; officially this is held to be Morr sending messages to those best suited to handle various problems, unofficially it's assumed the priests make some degree of their dreams up or interpret them in ways that would make sense to them. If you're from a mercantile background and all your prior-to-the-temple experience is with mercantile matters, after all, aren't you more likely to interpret a dream about a balance of gold as being about commerce? The main tension among the priesthood of Morr is how active they should be in seeking out and destroying necromancers, vampires, and other undead. Some splinter orders believe it should be the main purpose of the cult, such as the Order of Raven Knights or the Fellowship of the Shroud from Night's Dark Masters. These groups are something akin to (highly trained and experienced) religious vigilantes, who do not actually have permission from the main temples to perform offensive operations against Sylvannia or devote themselves full time to destroying the unquiet dead. Most orthodox Morrites believe it is more important to give the newly dead proper rites and guard their resting places, only hunting vampires and other undead monstrosities when their God calls them to via their dreams. Most Morrites are sedentary, working the temple that initiated them; wandering priests exist, and not all of them are adventurous vampire hunters. Plenty simply accompany armies or unearth old battlefields to bless the dead far from the temples. One notable priest, Swift Wilhelm, is said to be able to perform a full service in under a minute and to be remarkably fleet of foot, allowing him to then escape whatever killed the poor soul he's sending to Morr. Wanderers are much more likely to be PCs, and while they can be unorthodox and unusually attached to the world of the living, their God clearly doesn't object; they're just as likely to receive his blessing and his spells as any sedentary priest. There are two notable lesser orders of Morr: The Doomsayers, who travel the world and terrify children, and the Black Guard, who are the sole Templar order of their God. Doomsayers spring from an Imperial tradition, the Dooming, whereby a young child is told what is likely to kill them at age 10 as an important part of their passage towards adulthood. If you're wondering if there's going to be a giant table of prophetic DOOOOOOMS you can roll for your human PC, you better believe there is! Up to and including the possibility that what the old priest saw was so horrible they had a heart attack and dropped dead on the spot, warnings about halfling pies, 'thy end shall be a sticky one', warnings that you might end up a vampire or undead, and all kinds of ominous and vague prophecy of doom. There's even mechanics for it, whereby a PC who is facing something that sounds even vaguely like their Doom and who is out of Fate can gain Fearless for a time as they realize and accept their likely incoming death. The Black Guard are silent, black-armored knights who guard high value graveyards and act as honor-guard at especially important funerals. When the cult needs to destroy undead, the Black Guard defend the priests and put down vampires with their customary crossbows and greatswords. Vampires won't admit it, but the Black Guard of Morr are one of the major reasons they try to stay incognito when traveling through Imperial lands. Next Time: Myrmidia, the greatest daughter of Estalia (screw Tileans)
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Aug 30, 2018 16:18
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Whfrpg continues to kick rear end.
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Aug 30, 2018 16:47
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Doomsayers sound like a hilarious job for a PC. Wander around, terrify children, collect tithes. It's an honest living.
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Aug 30, 2018 17:24
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Ratoslov posted:Doomsayers sound like a hilarious job for a PC. Wander around, terrify children, collect tithes. It's an honest living. Then you read the Doom of some future PC and it ends up like this: 
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Aug 30, 2018 17:34
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Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay: Tome of Salvation The Big Book of War Myrmidia is the most popular goddess in the world, despite Imperial antipathy for the 'weak' southron goddess (They have no sense that they talk about Myrmidia the same way Norse talk about the rest of the sane pantheon). The story of the Bellona Myrmidia, the foundational text of Myrmidian religion, begins with her as a Goddess, the daughter of Verena and Morr, approaching the founder of Tilea (and also later the first Chimera, according to legend; Tylos is not a great guy) and offering to aid him in building a grand human civilization. At this time, she was a Goddess of building, honor, and beauty, without the martial aspects, but her mortal comrade was envious of the beautiful cities of the elves and demanded that his people should exceed them in all ways. He drove his people to ruin trying to build more 'beautiful' buildings, especially an enormous tower in Tilea that would humble the Gods, and she was so horrified she abandoned him until the day humans understood Honor again. Now, the book doesn't link these events, but if you recall from Skaven history, Skavenblight is in Tilea. And was founded when ancient humans (and dwarf friends) tried to build a truly massive tower that they couldn't complete with their tools. They begged a stranger for aid and he finished their tower on the condition he could place a great bell in tribute to his own God at the very top. I can't help but notice the similarity in these stories and the geographic location; they may be referring to the same events. In the wake of the apocalyptic war between the elves and the dwarfs, the shattered people of the South were trying to pick up the pieces and rebuild their civilization in the ruins of the old elven colonies. Into this came a mortal manifestation of the Goddess Myrmidia, who had set aside her older pacifism and who stepped forth as a great general and war-leader for the southern tribes. She inspired great heroes and taught them the ways of strategy, that they could force their foes to surrender and make their people safe. Surrender is very, very important to Myrmidian war; they believe all war is a matter of figuring out what you're trying to get out of your enemy and then getting it. Destroying the enemy might be necessary, but all foes should be given a chance to give up. Respecting prisoners of war and their right of surrender is literal holy writ for Myrmidians. On the eve of uniting all southern lands and being crowned their Queen, Myrmidia was supposedly shot in the back with a poisoned dart and sailed west, to return to the heavens and ascend back to her role as the Goddess of War. Myrmidia is beloved in Tilea and Estalia as the chief Goddess of their peoples and the most important Goddess of the Classical pantheon. The fact that she was divine, became human, experienced a human life, and then return to divinity with knowledge of the struggles of human-kind makes her a caring and passionate Goddess (to hear southerners tell it). They believe she is able to love humans in a way even Shallya cannot, as compatriots, and she is worshiped in both her aspect as the heroic warrior-queen and the goddess of honor, art, and just revenge. In the north, Myrmidia is regarded as an oddity. She's beginning to penetrate the southern Empire as something of an Officer's Goddess as military academies and professional officers' corps become more of a part of Imperial warfare, and her Imperial Templar Order is popular and highly effective, but most Imperials are dubious about the stories of her origin. Sigmarites, especially, do not believe she was originally a Goddess but rather hold that she must be an ascended mortal heroine, like Sigmar, because if she was originally a Goddess that would be holding her as theologically superior to Sigmar. Some of the more zealous even claim she cannot be a Goddess, because they believe only Ulric could crown a new God and that Sigmar's ascension is unique. Myrmidia is not much known outside of the cities of the Empire, but every city has at least one Eagle Temple to minister to Tilean and Estalian expats and anyone else who wishes to attend. Myrmidian services are much less 'top-down' than Sigmarite Throngs (a cute little detail: Sigmarites call their masses Throngs, after the same term for a Dwarven army) and feature the priest asking and taking questions from the congregation. Eagle Temples also hold classes teaching anyone who wishes to attend what they can of reading, Classical language, strategy, and statecraft. Most Imperials avoid them, preferring their much less interactive services. The more effective missionaries within the Empire are the Knights of the Blazing Sun. These Myrmidian Knights are an Imperial order, not sent up from the south, who travel the Empire in small units and serve as roving militia officers, mercenary sergeants, and adventurers. More than one coaching inn has been saved from beastman attack by a Knight of the Blazing Sun stepping up among the patrons, clipping on their armor, and ordering a bunch of rag-tag adventurers and travelers into a unit that can fend off the attackers. In fact, every Knight is sent on a year long errantry to seek out such situations and spread the word of Myrmidia's efficacy as a Goddess of tactics and warfare. They were also keen enough to immediately recognize and swear to Magnus the Pious as soon as he finished his defense of Nuln, which is what got Myrmidia a place as a recognized Goddess among the Grand Conclaves of the Empire. The Knights have done more than any other group to promote Myrmidian worship in the Empire, and even soldiers who might grumble about their Goddess generally won't stand for slander against their Order. They even have their own specific second tier class, if you want to play a wandering Officer-Paladin in shining armor who goes around and organizes Seven Samurai style improbable defenses. The more conventional Myrmidian Order is the Order of the Righteous Spear, who maintain a series of chapter-houses among the lands of the Empire and do more standard and less-wide-ranging knightly duties to defend their assigned temples. Honor, contemplation, and the Rites of War are central to the Myrmidian faith. It is not enough to do a thing; it must be done right. The Rites of War demand that prisoners be taken and that enemies be offered a chance to surrender, no matter who they are, and that casualties should be counted and if agreed upon, both sides should be able to retrieve and treat their wounded or be guaranteed that they will receive such treatment from their enemies. Obviously, Orcs and Chaos Worshipers generally won't agree to these rules and may need to be fought to destruction. But a Myrmidian is still expected to treat their opponent with respect; this is a practical concern as well as a matter of honor. Disrespecting your enemy clouds your judgment and makes you much more likely to underestimate them. Following orders from your superiors is the ideal, but a Myrmidian officer is expected to obey the dictates of honor and righteousness above the letter of their commands. If ordered to kill prisoners or otherwise dishonor yourself, a Myrmidian is expected to disobey unless there is a very good reason not to. Myrmidia is also unique among war-gods in preferring to avoid a fight if possible; Myrmidians aren't expected to revel in battle the same way as Ulricans. There's a somewhat odd bit about how this comes of her having been a woman and thus physically weaker and more reliant on skill as opposed to the giant man-mountain War-Gods of other cultures, but I think it's more easily explained by the fact that her entire thing is 'What if Clausewitz, Jesus, and Athena were all the same woman?'. The desire to avoid unnecessary killing makes Myrmidia more popular with veterans as opposed to younger soldiers. Those who have actually seen a war are a little less likely to go in with Ulric's ideas of how it ought to be relished, or Sigmar's blunt desire to endure like a dwarf. Myrmidian Initiation is available to anyone. Initiates are formed into a small group, called a Flight, and train together exclusively. The Initiate who shows the most initiative and does the most to help the group excel in their lessons and duties is then named First Eagle and is considered for advancement into the Priesthood; no Initiate can be fully confirmed as a Priest without making it to First Eagle for a time. Initiates whose training goes on too long will be taken aside and asked to leave, as not having made the Goddess's cut. Once an Initiate is considered for Priesthood, they undertake a trial varying from temple to temple and place to place. This might take the form of a bullfight or boar-hunt (Myrmidia fought great mythic boars and bulls), a journey through a trap-filled training facility hidden under their temple, a term of military service, or travel to a distant holy site to prove they can handle themselves. After completing this trial, the Initiate is confirmed and becomes a Priest. Myrmidia was known for turning herself into an eagle all the time, partly so she could see the battlefield from above and divine the best strategies and partly because eagles are cool. Thus, Myrmidians wear a lot of eagle imagery and often keep eagles in their temples. The spear and shield of antiquity are Myrmidia's holy weapons, and as she is a Goddess of War every priest and priestess is expected to know how to use both. Mirrored shields and dazzling armor are common among Myrmidian knights and priests. Myrmidia's cult is very well organized, with many different orders and a large central authority reporting to the Order of the Eagle, a general organization of all of the Myrmidian temples that directs resources and tries to spread the faith. The Eagle of the North is the title of the overall high priest of Imperial Myrmidia worship, and is usually regarded as a dismal post among northern barbarians who prefer big axes and hammers over actually learning much about war. Within the Myrmidian orders, superiors are directed to listen to their lessers; a sergeant is closer to the battlefield than a general, and so his advice may be limited by his perspective but it must form a part of the general's picture of what needs to be done. Within the Empire, the superiors in the Order of the Eagle dictate advancement, but in the south very few priests are promoted beyond their priestly rank without the say-so of the Order of True Insight, an Order of oracles and strategists who are said to try to divine Myrmidia's overall strategy for humankind. Myrmidians have many divisions in their cult, something Sigmarites point to as a weakness born of their desire to debate and talk about everything, but most of them aren't important to Imperial Myrmidian worship. The only one that is really felt in the Imperial north is the foundational argument over where mortal Myrmidia was born. Estalians believe she was the greatest daughter of Estalia, and Tileans believe she was born in Tilea and was the greatest daughter of Tilea. The Estalians also believe she conquered and civilized the Tileans, and the Tileans believe she conquered and civilized the Estalians. Both nations have endless forged and authentic holy texts that support their side or the other. The center of the cult thus shifts between her supposed birthplaces in the city of Magritta (Estalia) and Remas (Tilea). The current La Aguila Ultima is a Tilean woman, but has sworn to accept the Estalian version of events and moved her court to Magritta in hopes of settling the dispute once and for all. This causes problems for the Imperials, because the Imperial branch of the Order of the Eagle are technically sworn to obey a High Eagle of Tilea, and Imperial Myrmidian texts are primarily in Tilean. The Templars of the Righteous Spear, though, are sworn to accept Magritta and the Estalian texts. And so it goes on to eternity. If La Aguila Ultima (Or L'Ultima Aguila, as Tileans would say) is unable to reconcile these differences in her cult, it could tear the south in half in a terrible religious civil war, which would certainly spill into Bretonnia and the Empire. We have already mentioned the Order of True Insight, but they come up as one of the most important lesser Orders of Myrmidian worship. They are Myrmidia's only oracles, and are used when the cult does not wish to rely on her father's (Morr's) augury. All Oracles of the Order of True Insight are women, many of them in their later years, invited to become members after a long career as Myrmidian priestesses. Some are much younger, though, chosen for their stunning vision and insight. In truly important matters, it is best to consult three priestesses, one young, one middle aged, and one elderly, to have all perspectives. Indeed, three such priestesses recently arrived in Nuln, indicating the Eagle of the North plans some great campaign and needed to consult them... There is also the Order of Fury, an Order devoted not to Myrmidia herself but to one of her famous heroines and shieldmaidens. Fury was a peasant woman who renounced her very name and took the name of Fury to swear revenge against all worldly evil. Myrmidia tried to comfort her and talk her out of such a plan, but when her heart could not be swayed the Goddess used her against her enemies, adorning her in shining plate and setting her against evil, where Fury would kill until there were no more foes to kill, then fall to her knees and weep for what she had become. Fury eventually perished fighting the Orcs, making mountains of their dead before she fell, much to the grief of her Goddess. The Order styles themselves the same way, and most Fury Knights are women who have suffered terrible loss such that they seek to emulate their namesake. Strangely, in the Empire, most Fury Knights are men instead, and many are converted Ulricans. They are gaining popularity as a way to lever off Ulrican worshipers and present a more 'manly' version of Myrmidia to Imperial tastes, something that makes the Cult of Ulric very annoyed. Myrmidia is a Goddess who is slowly growing in importance in the Empire, from throwing in with Magnus to the determined efforts of the Eagle of the North to grow the Imperial branch of the cult. She may be a foreign Goddess who isn't worshiped with the same sort of devotion as most of the Imperial pantheon, but there are plenty of signs that that's changing. Next: Ranald, Secret Champion of Democracy and Doing Crimes All The Time
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Aug 30, 2018 18:16
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Ghost Leviathan posted:Gypsy has always been a biiiig blind spot for even progressive Americans. and then throw in Western Europeans who think Romani and Romanians are the same thing and are equally vile to both groups.
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Aug 30, 2018 18:23
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Myrmidia's interesting to me in that her rise - and Ulric's waning - are very symbolic of the changing face of warfare in the Empire. The traditional warrior caste is slowly giving way to the age of professional armies, logistics are becoming as important as martial skill, and the days of the howling berserker are on their way out while Sigmar tries to strike a middle ground. I have a feeling that if there'd been no End Times whoopsy, a couple centuries from now Myrmidia would be the primary goddess of warfare in the Empire and Ulric a fringe sect of madmen.
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Aug 30, 2018 18:43
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Warhammer's weird decision to be set in the HRE circa 17th century rather than D&D Medieval is one of the absolute best things about it. The other great thing is it enables you to have Medieval Stasis country next door and emphasize how loving weird that is.
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Aug 30, 2018 19:08
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7th Sea 2e: The New World - New Land Takana, on the eastern coast, is a testament to modern Kuraq construction techniques. It was built on the skeleton of the burned-out city left after Gonzalez' invasion, and has long been believed to be cursed. The Empress doesn't care - she wanted to rebuild it as a welcoming port, so she did. Builders have remade it entirely, and the local guides are always ready to help travellers. Many inns and restaurants await them, and they are run by friendly, accomodating folks...who all report to the Empress' spies about wht they see, of course. A large ambassadorial building sits in the hills, home to Advisor Anka, who waits to welcome visiting dignitaries. There is a small Tokoyriq brigade and larger contingent of tupaq warriors ready, though, in case outsiders prove hostile. People rarely discuss the city's problem, though - the curse. When the Empress performed her hundred-soul sacrifice, she was unable to harness all of its power. Much of it seeped into Takana's land, into the dead bodies in the streets. Since then, the shambling dead have occupied the city, though the tupaq have cleared most of them out at this point. Still, the undead crawl from aqueducts and caves under the city, always quickly chased by the soldiers in the hopes that foreign visitors won't notice. For most outsiders, and even those Kuraq in the central regions, the Kuraq Empire has total control over its territory, and most Thean maps show the Empire as an unbroken mass from the Hark'apas to the sea. But things are not so simple. To establish dominance, the Kuraq had to conquer a number of other ethnic native groups in southern Aztlan - some by diplomacy, some by force. One group has resisted all of their attempts to control and govern them entirely, and so, in the southernmost part of the continent, there is a chunk of land that is not, technically, Kuraq. These are the purum awqa, the 'wild people.' Kachu Pual, named for the river that crosses through it, is the last pukara ('fortress') that has held out against their resistance. In Kachu Pual, news of the capital and even the resistance rebels is treated as from a foreign land. Every day for Kachu Pual is a fight for survival, united by the cause of defending it at all times from the purum awqa. Were they to fail, were the fortress to fall, the purum awqa would kill all of them. Probably eat them, if you were to listen to local rumor. This is what, their stories say, the wild people have done to all of the other forts that once existed south of the river. This has resulted in a fortress full of hardened warriors and killers who will let nothing stand in the way of their duty. Most are low-ranking officials and their families, our courtiers banished from the capital looking to start over as far from there as possible. All end up seasoned veterans pretty quickly. Others, however, are loners who tell other stories, which speak appreciatively of the simple life they have here, on the frontier, where they need not conform to any social norms of the Empire. And, of course, there's the Thean explorers and adventurers in love with the beauty of nature around the fort, who can't stand the idea that it will disappear. While in other parts of the empire, they'd be seen as outcasts or interlopers, here, they are equals so long as they contribute to the defense. People! Yara once had a family - the family of Puchacunya himself. She lived in luxury in service to the Venerable emperor. Then she met Asiri Inkasisa, and she fell in love. It was this love that made her reveal Puchacunya's secret, and it was Asiri's love that made her the only survivor of the sacrifices. When the Empress sacrificed her family to save the Empire, partially in tribute to Puchacunya and partially to ensure they'd never depose her, she spared only Yara and her sister Alqacha - and that last only because Yara hid the girl before Asiri ever learned she existed. All love Yara held for the Empress died that night, replaced by fiery hatred. When Yara died, she was quickly raised as a Venerable One, given a family of retainers to serve as her Speakers. The Empress loved her, wanted to keep her at her side forever. She never realized Yara now worked to undermine her. Yara's most vital job is preserving the life of her sister's descendant, Tolanaq, the last living heir of Puchacunya. Asiri is unaware of his true heritage, though he currently lives as a political prisoner in her panaca. Yara will do anything to keep Tolanaq safe, for she believes he will one day return his line to the throne and rightful rule, saving the people. Yara's primary Speaker is a girl named Isi, chosen for her lack of political experience. Yara spends her time molding Isi into the perfect weapon, training her to one day fight in the battle for the empire. She is not currently a member of the Pakaykuq, but Yara would love to join if she were to learn about it. Awqasisa, the Empress's Voice, is officially the Speaker for Empress Asiri, wearing her death mask and relaying her orders when she doesn't feel like doing it personally. Awqasisa was the heir to a minor house who stood out at a young age for her political skills, able to easily navigate the court with grace and charm. Few were surprised when Asiri announced her plan to make Awqasisa her voice. It was not long after that the resistance became a bigger problem. No one has connected these two facts, of course. Who would? Awqasisa's work is flawless. When chaskis, that is, Runners, come from her chambers, well, everyone just assumes they're carrying messages to or from the Empress. Most do. Some, however, are working for the Pakaykuq. Awqasisa is their spy. She has been since the beginning. She is a true believer, and her work for Asiri has shown her all the more that it is right, that the empress is wicked beyond measure. Her work is often the only reason the resistance succeeds, for she provides them with key information. Without it, the Pakaykuq would probably be destroyed. However, she is struggling with a physical attraction to Asiri, unwanted feelings that she doesn't understand. K'uyuq, as a boy, was the brother of a child chosen for the qhapaq hucha, the royal sacrifice. When his parents protested, the Empress promised to burn the entire family alive, that they would be spared the suffering of living with a dead child. Before the burning, K'uyuq was smuggled out, and his parents made him swear to avenge them. That is the last he remembers of them. He vowed to hunt down anyone who benefitted from the Empire, from the lowest soldier to the highest noble. In the early days, he made a statement by burning his foes alive. That stopped after he met Intiawki, who offered him hope and love. Hope for a second life, after the Empire's end, where he would have more than fire. The two fell in love, and Intiawki inducted K'uyuq into the Pakaykuq. While K'uyuq will deny it if asked, the love has made him kinder, more gentle, more passionate. Less ruthless. He still kills, but he does not torture his victims any longer, he does not burn them. He gives them quick, clean deaths, with as little pain as he can manage. He has been growing to be a leader among the rebels and a teacher to new recruits. However, he has trouble. Intiawki has recently died and returned, and K'uyuq definitely doesn't trust the miracle. He fears that Intiawki is working with the enemy now, but he won't believe it without proof. Lora Antonia de Ochoa y Ochoa, full name Lora Antonia Lidia Teresa Adelaide Ferreira de Ochoa y Ochoa, is from Barcino, and a student of science and philosophy in the Vaticine City from childhood, thanks to her parents' money. She adored physics, but Verdugo began forbidding such studies while she was at seminary. Her professors saw her as a bright and useful girl, often underestimated due to a physical problem causing her to favor her left leg. While she's more interested in invention than archaeology, she began to attend digs with her teachers - digs that, without her knowledge, were being used to smuggle texts to safety. Well, until an Inquisitor destroyed her professor's lab and books. He assured her, before he was taken away, that the rest of the books were safe with their mutual friend Diego Saldana, however. When she found Diego, he was boarding a ship for Aztlan, taking the books with him. She joined him, hoping to learn about new technology as part of the scholarly exchange he was taking part in with Kuraq. Now, she lives in Kuska, and she's decided that Empress Asiri is nothing but another Verdugo - apparently leading in good faith, but in truth corrupt and vile. If that's so clear to her, a foreigner, then surely the locals knew it, too. And so that led her to the Pakaykuq, whom she has petitioned to join. Her current plan is to translate her texts into the local language so the resistance can make use of the technologies within, but this is probably going to be a problem when she learns that Kuraq doesn't have a written language. Kuraq Qhapaq, Asiri Inkasisa - that is, Empress of Kuraq - is the most infamous and awe-inspiring person in the nation. She is Qhapaq of the Imperial Seat, Venerable consort of the god Suway. She was born a minor noble, but rose in the court by her intellect and cunning paired with her ruthless determination. With Yara's aid, she unseated Emperor Puchacunya and took his golden cloak, becoming empress. Twenty years later, she gave up her own life and those of a hundred others to drive out Thean invaders and solidify her control. Now, a century after that, she remains on the throne inside her well-preserved mummy or riding her Speakers. The magic that destroyed Gonzalez has perfectly preserved her, and she remains a beautiful, terrifying woman. Despite the power she gains from regular blood sacrifice, though, the job of animating her corpse is exhausting, and she often returns to her crypt for strength. She holds the empire together with her transcendant will and force of personality, and thus plus the terrifying loyalty she engenders makes her nearly a force of nature, whatever her physical state. She may seem cold and cruel, but she is rarely ever actually angry or upset. She acts for the empire as a whole, and has no care for anyone who gets hurt in the process. She rules with an iron fist, encouraging noble squabbles and feuds to prevent anyone from getting ideas about unseating her. She does have a potential problem in the form of her own popular descendant Miyatala, however. If anyone could unite the people against her, it might be that girl, given her beloved status. Asiri is Strength 8, Influence 10. Anka, Head of the Chaskis (the Runners, remember) is the master of messages, who encrypts and decrypts them for the empire, trains and pays the Runners, negotiates the rates for delivery and more. He has access to nearly all secrets of the Empire, though he is always under surveillence from both the Empress and the Pakaykuq. He'll sell the information to anyone who'll give him enough money. That wouldn't be so bad on its own, but he's also willing to do literally anything that will keep his position and rank secure. He is from an important noble family that has always been in charge of the chaskis. He was born into luxury and got used to it, never being denied anything - except one. He was passed over by his Venerable ancestors as leader of the chaskis, in favor of his dying mother, who would be made Venerable and use his sister as her Speaker. He decided he didn't like being thwarted, and so, he burned his mother on her deathbed before she could be mummified. His ambition has been boundless ever since. He will sell information, sure, but he has no care who he sells it to or what they use it for. He will happily sell privileged information to both Empress and Pakaykuq - sometimes the same information at different prices. He typically does so in secret, and if anyone discovers his schemes, he has them disappeared. He's actually planning to use the Pakaykuq to overthrow Asiri and take her throne himself, if he can find a way to manage it. He is Strength 5, Influence 6. Intiawki was a good man, born and raised in the Pakaykuq. He never knew another life. His parents died when he was but a youth, and he just wanted to fit in. He was always serious, and he grew up playing with weapons, fighting against the Empress' troops. He watched his loved ones die often. Some said this life was bad for a child, but no one had the will to take him in and raise him properly. So he fought and fought, learning only resistance. As the leaders died and he aged, he became a fundamental voice in the movement, eventually the loudest and wisest of them. He died fighting for the cause, for the only life he'd ever had. That'd be the end of it, if Suway's priests hadn't found his body. They knew he could be a potent ally if they could turn him. And so, as he passed into Ukhu Pachu, Suway met him and gave him a choice. The only choice he'd ever had, as he sees it. The only time anyone's ever really cared about what he wanted. And beyond that, Suway offered him wealth, power, eternal life - for just a brief service. One period of service, and then he'd be free. Intiawki accepted the offer without a second thought. When he came back from the dead, the Pakaykuq considered it a miracle - for, after all, why would their foes risk resurrecting him? They do not realize now that is working for Suway, that he will - he must - betray them, by the terms of his bargain. Once he holds up his end and repays his debt to Suway, he will be free to be a true rebel again - but at what price? He is Strength 6, Influence 7. Cornelie Blanchet was abandoned as a young Montaignois girl, surviving by sheer grit and determination. She made a name for herself - one she had to invent, of course - and stole noble clothing, joining the noble courts as "Madame Fournier." She married, she lived well - but tragedy struck, and she was left a widow. Her sadness was short, and she quickly reinvented herself as Madame Blanchet, remarried a wealthy man and headed off to Aztlan with him. Of course, the untimely death of Monsieur Blanchet and the rest of his expedition has been...problematic. Cornelie did what she'd always done best, though, ever since the orphanage - watching and learning. She saw how the gods had slain her people, turning them to stone or ash or worse for their crimes, and so she played the part of the innocent bystander, biding her time. It soon became clear that there would be no new beau among the Nahuacan or Tzak K'ani, so she headed south. She found the Kuraq Empire, home of dead nobles. It seemed fitting - she was ready to kill her old identity anyway, if not necessarily literally. She has joined Asiri's court, but Asiri has had other plans for her. She would kill Cornelie, make her Venerable - but it'd never work unless the foreign woman proved herself to Suway. Asiri has been pressing Cornelie for details on Theah and its people, and has been more than happy to grant wealth and status for the answers. Cornelie's happy to play her part, serving as Asiri's informer and agent, filling her in on all of Theah's weaknesses. However, she's not happy to be just a puppet, so she's also begun selling Kuraq secrets to Theans, too, until she can find a way to prove herself and become immortal. Loyalty is not exactly her strong suit. Cornelie is Strength 4, Influence 5. Next time: Mechanics
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Aug 30, 2018 19:11
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Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay: Tome of Salvation You have nothing to lose but your chains! Ranald is a trickster God, except he doesn't fulfill the normal destructive trickster role in society. Ranald breaks norms, true, but he leaves the destroying and selfishness to his idiot counterpart, Tzeentch. Ranald is much more focused, which is surprising for a God of Luck, Merchants, Gamblers, and Thieves. He doesn't behave like other Gods, and his cult doesn't behave like other cults; they lack the majesty, the pomp, and the gilded temples. Instead, Ranaldans meet under the crossed fingers in seedy bars and dark tenements, praying before hastily assembled idols of the cat and taking stock of what the community needs. Ranald's four aspects are the Gamester, the God of luck and play, the Night Prowler, the spirit that admires the courage and skill necessary to break into a heavily guarded mansion and take things, the Deceiver, the God of irony, storytelling, and lying, and the Protector, the God who anyone can turn to, no matter who they are and how 'low' they might be, and who will see the least among humankind raised up and those on high brought low to answer for their crimes. As you might imagine, his aspect as the Protector is the most persecuted of all; the powerful do not like an aspect of a cult entirely devoted to abolishing hierarchy between all humans in the interest of establishing an autonomous and equitable communal society. Yes, Ranald is the God of classical anarchism, and the book itself calls his cult one of the leading edges of the move towards the abolishment of hereditary aristocracy and towards first a greater republicanism, and then possibly even something beyond that. If you examine all of his aspects and all of his tenants, Ranald's core is that there is no such thing as a worthless person. His priests run the range from artistic master thieves, to con-men who do what they do to expose how a wealthy scion wouldn't have lasted a day without inheriting the wealth they 'earned', to revolutionaries and neighborhood watches that look out for people who the authorities have failed. Interestingly, Ranald is also worshiped (and placated) by wealthy merchants and people who received great windfalls, because they know if they follow his stricture and give Ranald 'his' share it will keep his priests from targeting them and taking the rest of what they own. Ranald asks the fortunate to remember that they are fortunate and to give to those who are not, or else his followers will try to level things out. A mixture of religious tithing, charity, humility, and protection money. Ranaldans are especially brutally persecuted in Bretonnia, where they are associated with the Herrimaults and other people who 'don't know their place'. Ranaldan beliefs hold to all of this leveling because they believe in luck. The world isn't inherently just; wealth isn't equated to ability or righteousness, but is often a result of birth or good fortune. Since fortune rises and falls for all people, the lucky should remember they were lucky and not be so proud as to assign it all to their own ability, or else Ranald may show them how quickly they can fall right back into the mud. Thus, since luck plays such a role in everything, everyone has an obligation to look out for one another and provide for those who have little fortune in the now. It's an interesting place to get a God of reversals from, the idea that the world is unjust and people have an obligation to make it more just by their actions. Actually becoming a Priest of Ranald is actually very difficult. Many thieves and liars might pray to him or invoke him, but very few serve him. It takes a different sort of person to truly trust in the luck God, and the especially driven Initiate will be viewed with suspicion; the cult knows that the authorities try to infiltrate their numbers. Generally, cultists watch their flock for those who show the proper irreverence and drive in life, then approach them after observing them for some time. The priest won't immediately introduce themselves as a priest of Ranald, and many Initiates don't actually realize they're Initiates for their entire Initiation. Instead, the priest supports and assists the Initiate while quietly testing their luck, charm, and talent. Sooner or later, the priest reveals what all these 'little matters' they've needed help with add up to, and the Initiate is given the choice as to whether or not they wish to become a priest. If they agree, they're trained carefully for a final test to join the cult. Then they're tricked into taking on a totally different quest and observed for how quickly they adapt when they realize they've been fooled. If they succeed in their altered task, there's an enormous party and they're welcomed to the fold as a full brother or sister. This actually sounds like something that would make a great first story arc for someone who started as an Initiate. Ranald's cult is larger than the authorities think. The priests might be rare, but lay worshipers are common throughout the entire Old World. The authorities see Ranaldans are criminal masterminds, and don't understand that they have friends all throughout the communities in which they operate. His sigil is a simple X, to represent his crossed fingers, or a statue of a cat (Ranaldans love cats), and all of his sigils are held to lose power if they are too openly displayed and too easy to suss out. There is no direct structure to the cult, because it is a cult of anarchists. The cult also isn't invited to the Grand Conclave, yet a high priest shows up to each and every one. Sometimes multiple do, totally uninvited, making speeches out of nowhere as if they just slipped in through a window as they explain away their various thefts and japes throughout the proceeding five years and show the others their cult is a legitimate part of the pantheon, much as others might wish they weren't. Sometimes groups of priests will form a 'crew', but this is as close as Ranaldans get to the Orders and Templars that you see in normal cults, generally in cells no larger than ten people. There are, however, general sects among the lay-worshipers, often led by priests. The largest sect is the Brotherhood, a general club of people who deal with money for a living. They are based on an understanding of Ranald as a God of bounty and understanding, a God who shows the true value of things. They pray to him and tithe to him to keep the other sects away, and in so doing they keep hold of their own lowly origins and give generously to their communities. The average member of the Brotherhood is surprisingly honest, and has discovered that a measure of cooperation makes business go much better than constant lies and trickery. The Givers of Coin are altruists and revolutionaries who try to level things for the least fortunate at the expense of the most. They explicitly dream of overthrowing the feudal orders of the Empire, Kislev, Bretonnia, and all lands and replacing them with egalitarian collectives based on mutual cooperation and support. They work towards the abolishment of the idea of hierarchy, knowing this is a dream for the far future and working towards whatever change they can bring for the now. This group suffers some of the worst persecution of all Ranaldan sects, given that they worship him almost exclusively as the Protector. Surprisingly, the smallest group of lay worshipers and priests are the actual outright thieves and conmen, who do it entirely to show off that they can get away with it. The Crooked Fingers are what most of the respectable cults claim all Ranaldans are; thieves, criminal masterminds, and rogues who prefer to take from the rich and give to whoever they feel like, mostly themselves. As long as they display great skill and tremendous luck, Ranald is still with them, unless they grow too violent. Ranald is fine with threats, but actually having to kill someone during the commission of a robbery or crime is the mark of an amateur, and he frowns upon such clumsy emergency measures. Next Time: Date the daughter, meet the father.
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Aug 30, 2018 21:28
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7th Sea 2e: The New World - New Mechanics Pretty standard for these books! New backgrounds: General Backgrounds Athlete: You did sports. Earn a Hero Point when you use your fame or reputation as an opportunity to inspire another character. Chartered Tradesman: You had a license and a mandate to increase trade between continents. Earn a Hero Point when you use your mercantile connections to forge closer bonds between your home nation and a foreign power. Thean Immigrant: You had to leave Theah to rebuild elsewhere. Earn a Hero Point when you try to solve a problem the way it would have been done in the old country, and it gets you into trouble. Relic Smuggler: You obtained and moved artifacts to help preserve or trade them. Earn a Hero Point when you acquire a relic (from anywhere) by less-than-honest means. Kuraq-Only Backgrounds Awqaylli: You were a warrior of Suway. Earn a Hero Point when you defeat an enemy more powerful than yourself. Churikuna: You were a death priest of Suway. Earn a Hero Point when you follow orders without question. Pakaykuq: You were a rebel. Earn a Hero Point when you take great personal risk to stand up against a tyrant. Tokoyriq: You were a secret police agent and peacekeeper. Earn a Hero Point when you uncover a secret, and it gets you into trouble. Nahuacan-Only Backgrounds Cuauhmeh: You were an Eagle Templar. Earn a Hero Point when you take on a problem that doesn't involve you because it's the right thing to do. Ocelomeh: You were a Jaguar Knight. Earn a Hero Point when your commitment to working as a team or unit helps you to solve a problem. Pochteca: You were a merchant-spy of the Alliance. Earn a Hero Point when you sacrifice or jeopardize a mercantile deal in favor of a useful secret. Tepantlato: You were a defense lawyer. Earn a Hero Point when you convince your allies to solve a problem with diplomacy and words, rather than with violence and swords. Tzak K'ani-Only Backgrounds Holkanob: You were a soldier of Tzak K'an's cities. Earn a Hero Point when you are outnumbered, outgunned or outclassed and refuse to back down. La Ventan: You were of the bloodline of the werejaguar, hidden and secret. Earn a Hero Point when your ancient bloodline comes into play and causes you trouble. (Note: you can't turn into a jaguar, you just get some neat beast- and magic-related powers.) Shaman: You were an exiled shaman, a natural connection to the gods. Earn a Hero Point when you turn down an offer of supernatural power or influence because it is too dangerous for any mortal to wield. Vision Priest: You were a priest, granted the power of summoning by the gods. Earn a Hero Point when advice you provide to another leads to trouble. New advantages! One Point Adorn With Feathers: You must be Nahuacan to take this. You must have the Signature Item advantage. You can enhance your Signature Item using mystic materials such as blessed feathers or obsidian. Each time you buy this, you select one of the following powers, which you may spend a Hero Point to activate exactly as you would the abilities your Signature Item normally provides. You must take a different ability with each purchase.
Two Bloods: You have mixed heritage. Select a Nation other than your own. You may use that Nation's discounts for Advantage costs, and may learn its Sorcery, though you may never have more than one form of Sorcery. Two Points Better Lucky Than Good: whenever you make a Risk using a Skill you have no more than 1 Rank in, spending Hero Points for yourself gives you 2 Bonus Dice, not 1. Beyond Sight (Knack): Activate this to ignore all impediments to your vision for the rest of the scene. Period. Blindfolds, total darkness, doesn't matter. You can act as if you can still see. This could be magic or it could just be preternaturally strong other senses. Clever Tongue: When you act first in an Action Sequence, and you spend your first Action to brag about how you're going to defeat your foe in colorful and inventive ways, the first time you deal Wounds to your foe, they must spend 2 Raises per Wound to prevent Wounds you deal. Confidant: You must have the Trusted Companion advantage. Select a non-national Background for your Companion. Whenever they take a Risk using a Skill from that Background, they roll 2 extra dice. They also gain all Advantages from that Background, though you must pay for any Hero Point costs. The Companion may now take 10 Wounds before becoming Helpless. Cross the Palm: Costs 1 less for Tzak K'ani. When you spend Wealth to reroll a die in a social Risk swayable by money, you may reroll up to two dice instead. Face the Storm: Any Raises you spend to overcome a Consequence created by a Hazard count as 2 Raises each. Forager: When you have at least an hour to forage, you always find materials sufficient to make rudimentary weapons, protective clothing, or basic tools. These function normally for one Scene or until the GM spends a Danger Point to make them break, whichever comes first. You may choose to store the items for use in a later scene rather than using them immediately. Shadow Stalker (Knack): Activate this to automatically move silently, vanish in darkness or otherwise demonstrate your mastery of the shadows. Team Player: Costs 1 less for Nahuacans. When you spend a Raise to create an Opportunity, you may spend a second Raise. If you do, you may have any other willing Hero activate that Opportunity for free. Three Points Desperate Effort (Knack): When you have zero Raises in an Action Sequence, you may activate this to take a single Action. You ignore Improvisation costs for this Action, but otherwise the Action must not cost more than a single Raise. You may use this only once per session. Go On Without Me: Costs 2 less for Kuraq. Spend all of your Raises, at least 1 per PC present except you, to cause all other PCs to be removed from the scene. You are not removed, and you cannot leave the scene early by any means. Those you removed cannot return. All players must be willing, though their characters do not need to be. If even one player doesn't agree to you using this, you lose all your Raises but nothing happens. Play Possum: When you are the only PC left in a scene involving a Villain or Brutes working for a Villain, you may choose to immediately become Helpless. If you do, you become immune to Murder, and any Villains (or Villain-employed Brutes) present will let slip some useful information, generally about the Villain's motives or plans. Then, they will ignore you, leave you for dead, take you prisoner or otherwise do anything they might if they rendered you Helpless. The one thing they cannot do is kill you. Period. At the start of the next scene, you are no longer Helpless. Soothe the Beast: You may spend a Raise on your Action to prevent an animal or Monster from taking aggressive actions. The target can still do anything else, but it won't attack anyone. This ends immediately (and can't be restarted) if the target takes any Wounds or otherwise is acted against aggressively. This does not work on anything with approximately human intellect (or better). The Last Word (Knack): When you have zero Raises in a Dramatic Sequence, you may activate this to take a single Action. You ignore Improvisation costs for this Action, but otherwise the Action must not cost more than a single Raise. You may use this only once per session. Think On Your Feet: The first time each round that you would need to pay an Improvisation cost for an Action, you don't have to spend the extra Raise for it. This applies only to Improvisation costs, not any other extra Raise cost. Welcome to the Jungle (Knack): Activate this when you stalk your prey in natural surroundings, such as a jungle or forest. The first time you deal Wounds to your prey, they take an additional Dramatic Wound. You may use this only once per scene, and it cannot be used with a firearm attack. Four Points God-Touched: You are chosen or marked by one of the gods. Choose which one. After you roll dice in a Risk, you may spend a Hero Point to call on the god's favor. Select one number that you rolled at least one of during the Risk. All dice with the chosen number explode for this Risk only. You may use this only once per Scene. Parting Shot (Knack): When you have a pistol, crossbow, throwing knife or other ranged weapon and have no Raises left in an Action Sequence, you may activate this and select another character in the Scene. They immediately suffer one Dramatic Wound, and you either become Helpless or immediately leave the scene and are unable to return, your choice. Silent Takedown (Knack): You may activate this to immediately defeat a single Brute Squad, regardless of its Strength, so long as they are not aware of your presence before you do so. Five Points Hunter of the Mighty (Knack): Costs 2 less for Kuraq. Activate this when you deal Wounds to a Villain or Monster. You deal additional Wounds equal to the difference between their Strength and your highest Trait. Rise Up Brothers and Sisters: Costs 2 less for Nahuacans. When you spend a Hero Point to give another PC bonus dice on a Risk, you may divide up the dice you give between any number of allied PCs who can see or hear you. Any PC given dice this way can still spend their own Hero Points to gain or grant bonus dice, and may still receive bonus dice from others spending Hero Points for them - none of your granted dice count towards the limit of only getting one Hero Point's worth of bonus dice on a Risk. The Storm Serves Me (Knack): Costs 2 less for Tzak K'ani. Activate this. For one round, one Hazard in the scene gains the Dominion Element with you as its master. If it already had Dominion, you become its master and the previous master loses control of it for one round. While you are its master, you can spend a Raise in response to the Hazard taking an Action. If you do, its Action automatically fails, but it still spends any Raises. You may use this only once per scene. New Arcana! The Mountain: As a Virtue, you may activate this when you would take your fourth Dramatic Wound. For the rest of the round you may still act normally and are not considered Helpless. As a Hubris, you receive a Hero Point when you hear of someone else's troubles and do not act on it. The River: As a Virtue, you may activate this when you are put under Pressure. You do not have to spend an extra Raise to take a different action. As a Hubris, you receive a Hero Point when you act against the order of someone in a position of authority. The Great Cycle: As a Virtue, you may activate this to reroll any number of dice when you take a Risk. As a Hubris, you get a Hero Point when the GM spends a Danger Point and it impacts you. The Scholar: As a Virtue, you may activate this to make a statement about an event either currently happening or that has already happened. That statement is true, period. As a Hubris, you get a Hero Point when you insist on acting based on information that is unreliable and it turns out poorly. The Skywatcher: As a Virtue, you may activate this after asking another character a question. You know if they are lying or not when they answer. As a Hubris, you get a Hero Point when you refuse to acknowledge another's insight and it causes trouble. The Explorer: As a Virtue, you may activate this when affected by Fear while rolling a Risk. On that Risk, your 10s explode. If they already did, so do your 9s. As a Hubris, you get a Hero Point when you choose to act without all available information and it gets you into trouble. The Morning Star: As a Virtue, you may activate this to force any Actions that would target your allies for the rest of the round to target you instead. As a Hubris, you get a Hero Point when you refuse to take part in something because you feel it would be beneath you. The Evening Star: As a Virtue, you may activate this when you spend a Hero Point to aid an ally. They get an extra 2 dice. As a Hubris, you get a Hero Point when you put your foot down on a subject and it causes trouble. The Ceiba: As a Virtue, you may activate this when the GM spends a Danger Point. The Danger Point is spent but has no effect. As a Hubris, you get a Hero Point when you withhold information from your allies that it would be to your benefit to share. Next time: Magic.
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Aug 30, 2018 22:03
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...WHFRP lets you play a master thief who's also a holy crusader to overthrow the monarchy and wealthy in favor of a collective commune of equals. This is awesome and I now badly want to play one who lives and works in Bretonnia.
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Aug 30, 2018 22:19
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The actual Warrior Priest class can be used for any God except Shallya and gets proficiency in one weapon type suited to their God, usually a two-hander. If you were a Ranaldan serving the Protector you could make a good case for learning Gun or Longbow instead and either being a highwayman/revolutionary or Robin Hood.
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Aug 30, 2018 22:53
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Night10194 posted:The actual Warrior Priest class can be used for any God except Shallya and gets proficiency in one weapon type suited to their God, usually a two-hander. If you were a Ranaldan serving the Protector you could make a good case for learning Gun or Longbow instead and either being a highwayman/revolutionary or Robin Hood. Plus didn't the Bretonnia book have a full line of careers for being Robin Hood? As a DM I'd let them intermingle with Warrior Priest specifically for Ranald even though they're probably not on each others' exit careers.
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Aug 30, 2018 22:56
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Cythereal posted:Plus didn't the Bretonnia book have a full line of careers for being Robin Hood? As a DM I'd let them intermingle with Warrior Priest specifically for Ranald even though they're probably not on each others' exit careers. Yes, the Herrimault and Faceless, and yes I'd think it would be fine to go from Ranaldan Priest to Faceless, because Faceless has a vast number of entries already. The idea of Faceless is that it's the career you end up in once you have either already spent an entire career trying to stop the injustices of Bretonnian society or you've decided to forsake your previous high role within it to seek its overthrow, hence Questing and Grail Knight exiting into it. E: I should also mention, every cult and Order has different 'bonus' skills and talents added to the base Initiate and Priest classes (or Knight class if you're playing a Templar). So, for instance, Ranaldans learn stuff like Luck and the rogue skills, Order of Fury Knights get Frenzy (yay! it's still useless), etc. Night10194 fucked around with this message at 23:02 on Aug 30, 2018 |
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Aug 30, 2018 22:58
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Frenzy, incidentally, no longer sucks in 4e.quote:Frenzy It takes a Talent to do this, and there's extra Talents that make you better at cooling down and getting into it. (Specifically, Flagellant lets you enter it without a roll, and Battle Rage lets you make a Cool test to end it at the end of a round, plus gives a +1 SL per purchase bonus to Melee Tests while frenzied, which means that if you succeed the check you're more likely to win the opposed roll and thus hit, and you're going to do more damage.) This translates to +1 to all melee damage and a free attack each round. e: and that free attack is crazy good now because of Advantage, which is essentially a momentum mechanic, where the more you hit people the better you get at Mors Rattus fucked around with this message at 23:39 on Aug 30, 2018 |
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Aug 30, 2018 23:25
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It's nice to see we're past the era of making berserk abilities make you target friend or foe alike.
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Aug 30, 2018 23:45
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The main issue with Frenzy in WHFRP2e is that it isn't worth giving up a turn and 10 points of WS to enter it; thankfully it never made you target allies. All they had to do was make it +1 Attacks, but you have to go for the nearest enemy, like in the TT game.
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Aug 30, 2018 23:54
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Night10194 posted:the Dooming, whereby a young child is told what is likely to kill them at age 10 as an important part of their passage towards adulthood. If you're wondering if there's going to be a giant table of prophetic DOOOOOOMS you can roll for your human PC, you better believe there is! Up to and including the possibility that what the old priest saw was so horrible they had a heart attack and dropped dead on the spot, warnings about halfling pies, 'thy end shall be a sticky one', warnings that you might end up a vampire or undead, and all kinds of ominous and vague prophecy of doom. There's even mechanics for it, whereby a PC who is facing something that sounds even vaguely like their Doom and who is out of Fate can gain Fearless for a time as they realize and accept their likely incoming death. Dooming has changed in 4e a bit. Namely that now it provides no benefit to your current character. Instead it encourages you to die in a way related to your dooming. Because if you did die in a way that relates your next character starts with half the XP earned by the last one. Night10194 posted:The main issue with Frenzy in WHFRP2e is that it isn't worth giving up a turn and 10 points of WS to enter it; thankfully it never made you target allies. Which is pretty much what they did with 4e it looks like
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Aug 30, 2018 23:55
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MonsterEnvy posted:Dooming has changed in 4e a bit. Namely that now it provides no benefit to your current character. Instead it encourages you to die in a way related to your dooming. Because if you did die in a way that relates your next character starts with half the XP earned by the last one. That's kind of a dumb mechanic because having players with wildly unequal EXP in general is a bad idea in an RPG. "You died, your new PC starts at lower level while the rest of the team are all Veterans or whatever." is only going to make players really unhappy. To be fair I'm never entirely sure how 2e intended to deal with PC death because it doesn't codify it at all. You get weird notes like 'If you ascended to Daemon Prince your new PC will have 2 uses of Shallya's Mercy and start with more advances' in ToC and it's like...are you suggesting I drop a level 1 Marauder in among a bunch of advanced Chaos Champions, game? At the same time half the NPCs in Sigmar's Heirs say "This 2nd/3rd career NPC is a really good replacement PC if you've had recent casualties!" suggesting most groups would go for that, instead. I've never actually had someone run entirely out of Fate so it's never come up. Night10194 fucked around with this message at 00:01 on Aug 31, 2018 |
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Aug 30, 2018 23:58
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Advantage is the big 4e combat change - every point you have of it is +10% to all combat and psychology rolls, and you gain it by doing tactical stuff or by hitting people. You lose all of it if you lose an opposed check (so missing) or you take damage. The main balance to this is that ranged combat is pretty low damage but much harder to defend against in general and therefore can shut down your momentum.
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Aug 31, 2018 00:09
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Mors Rattus posted:Advantage is the big 4e combat change - every point you have of it is +10% to all combat and psychology rolls, and you gain it by doing tactical stuff or by hitting people. You lose all of it if you lose an opposed check (so missing) or you take damage. Legit it seems like the best option for a party is to just have someone with a bandolier or a crossbow on rear end in a top hat Duty who goes around and plays tag with someone who's starting to ball out of control, someone else to handle enemy ranged combatants trying to do the same to your melee team, and have the melee squad just focus as much as possible on being a terrifying dodge-tank juggernaut berserker.
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Aug 31, 2018 02:19
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Cythereal posted:...WHFRP lets you play a master thief who's also a holy crusader to overthrow the monarchy and wealthy in favor of a collective commune of equals. I was just thinking that if you are the kind of person who can finish a stealth video game like Dishonored with the Ghost bonus, Ranald is with you. So I would like a stealth game about a Ranaldan priest.
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Aug 31, 2018 03:47
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This book will also finally give a concrete reason Ulricans are such tightly wound assholes a lot of the time. They're the only Priesthood I can find with a strict vow of chastity, forced on them for political reasons during the Time of Three Emperors to ensure the Ar-Ulrics wouldn't form a dynasty to compete with the Grafs of Middenheim. They hate it.
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Aug 31, 2018 03:52
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You said back in the magic book that this book adds Marks for each priesthood, right? I'd be interested to hear what those are.
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Aug 31, 2018 04:10
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They're like the Marks of Magic from Realms of Sorcery; they're marks on miracle-using priests that they slowly accumulate that bring them closer to their God. The lower half of each God's table is usually problematic or troublesome (but still holy) while the mid-point is something that makes you more physically resemble your God and grants a significant bonus (like +5 Toughness for Sigmarites, or +d10 Fel for Ranaldans), and then the rest of the table is more positive aspects of their God, usually with the 81-90 ability being really impressive and great. For instance, a Sigmarite can gain 'Automatically succeed all WP tests imposed on the priest by the Ruinous Powers or Greenskins.' This means total immunity to Chaos based fear, but also an automatic success on WP saves invoked by Chaos magic. That's about par for the course. With 91-100 granting a Mark that makes you more popular with your cult and makes your God's magic a bit easier for you. The Divine Marks are way more positive and player-friendly than the Arcane ones.
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Aug 31, 2018 04:21
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Night10194 posted:That's kind of a dumb mechanic because having players with wildly unequal EXP in general is a bad idea in an RPG. Well there are not really levels in the game. So EXP diffrences don't make up too big a diffrence. Plus someone could be playing a begger while another character is a Knight. So there is a normally some disparity anyway.
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Aug 31, 2018 05:21
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I say levels, what I mean is advances. A PC with 3000 EXP in WHFRP2e is going to be infinitely more effective than one with 1000, and I can't imagine that has changed that much.
Night10194 fucked around with this message at 05:25 on Aug 31, 2018 |
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Aug 31, 2018 05:22
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