Meant to post about this yesterday, but was so worried about beginning-of-school stuff that I didn't get a chance.
D&D 5th Edition has been announced, and right on time from my predictions a few years back. When I was playtesting D&D 4th Edition a few years ago (no, really! look in your book! I'm in it!), my group told the designers that there were significant holes in the system, that the fluff and flavor didn't feel like D&D anymore, that it did too much to throw away the legacy of the game, and that once they started adding new mechanical options it was going to be tough to continue balancing the game--and tougher to make those options distinct. Now, we're getting word from the new design team that all of those concerns, which were basically ignored at the time, were all pretty much right on the money and are driving concerns behind the creation of the 5th Edition game. Oh, and of course that they're kind of getting murdered in market share by Pathfinder.
Monte Cook and Mike Mearls are both working on it, so it's bound to be awesome. The game might well turn out to be the best version of D&D ever. The problem is that it will also probably have all of the same problems with the economic end of things that 4th Edition has: Wizards going for a quick buck instead of the long haul. Making money now instead of building the fanbase and enjoying their loyalty is very much the Wizards of the Coast way of dealing with the game, and the biggest part of their profit motive is based around short-term hobby gamers instead of lifestyle gamers.
Paizo, on the other hand, has taken their magazine subscription model and turned it into a very strong way of doing business as a gaming company. While Wizards is talking about an "open playtest"--which was one of the big draws of Pathfinder--that alone won't nearly be enough. They're going to alienate their 4th Edition fanbase without necessarily regaining the trust of the people they abandoned when they moved away from 3.X Edition. Their quick-money, quick-turnover way of doing business doesn't win them any points for customer loyalty, and Paizo has very much cornered the market in "customer loyalty" right now, so I wonder how Edition War II is going to pan out.
Meanwhile, Savage Worlds continues to chug along merrily, wondering why everyone over in Otherplacia is fighting amongst themselves. ;-)
A role-playing and writing blog.
Showing posts with label Pathfinder. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pathfinder. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Back to School
Well, today is the first day of the new school year. It feels like things are looking up! My schedule is pretty good, I have an interview for a new job next week, and I got the Hellfrost gig! I just need to sign the contract and mail it to TAG, but after that I'll be working on the Hellfrost conversion project officially. I'm so excited about working for Triple Ace Games; I've admired their stuff for a long while now, and working for Wiggy Williams is going to be a real treat.
Wish me luck!
Wish me luck!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Hellfrost
There's a rumor going around that Triple Ace Games is looking for a freelancer to convert their awesome Hellfrost setting to Paizo's Pathfinder RPG. Well, not so much a rumor as it is that Wiggy Williams, TAG's head dude, posted about it on the Paizo forums. I applied for the job, and Wiggy says that they'll be doing their determinations over the weekend. Wish me luck!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Savage Pathfinder: Edges
I'm currently gearing up to run a Savage Worlds conversion of the Pathfinder Chronicles setting on Monday nights in the near future. Character creation is done, and really all that's left is to finish up our current Monday night projects (one more session each of Don't Rest Your Head and Changeling: The Lost) before jumping into the savage world of Golarion.
In order to get ready for the campaign, I've been relentlessly savaging various feats and class abilities into Edges. Here are a few of the ones I've been working on.
Crossbow Mastery (Combat)
Requirements: Seasoned, Agility d8+, Shooting d8+
You can load crossbows with blinding speed and even fire them in melee range with little fear of reprisal. The time required for you to reload a crossbow is reduced to a free action, regardless of the type of crossbow used. You may also fire a crossbow at an adjacent foe engaged in melee, but the target number is his Parry score rather than the standard TN of 4.
Dart Cloud (Combat)
Requirements: Seasoned, Agility d8+, Quick Draw, Throwing d8+
You can throw a large number of small weapons in one quick motion, filling the air with deadly steel. When you use shuriken or daggers as thrown weapons, your Rate of Fire is 3. You can draw and throw as part of the same action when performing this maneuver. You suffer the usual –2 penalty to attack rolls for using a weapon with a Rate of Fire greater than 1 when you use this Edge.
Versatile Caster (Power)
Requirements: Wild Card, Seasoned, Arcane Background, Knowledge (Arcana) d8+
In a pinch, some arcanists can reach into a reserve of spontaneous creativity and use their powers in a different way than normal.
This caster may spend a benny when casting a spell to change its trappings to a different trapping approved by the GM. Until the end of the encounter, the caster can use either this new trapping or his original trapping interchangeably.
For example, a wizard who knows bolt as “flame arrow” could use this Edge to alter it to “ice lance.” This would allow him to inflict cold damage instead of fire damage with his attack, plus any additional effects the GM uses for cold spells.
Arcane Archer (Professional)
Requirements: Novice, elf or half-elf only, Arcane Background (Magic), Smarts d8+, Shooting d8+, Spellcasting d6+
You have trained in the twin elven arts of sorcery and archery. By combining the two into a fluid whole, you can use your arrows to greatly extend the range of your magical powers.
While firing a bow (not a crossbow or other ranged weapon), you can cast spells with a range other than Personal, Touch, or any Template and use the range of the bow instead of the spell’s normal range. You still use Spellcasting for the spell’s attack, modified by the bow’s range increment. The arrow is consumed by the magic when you use it in this manner and does not inflict its usual damage.
For example, the bolt power normally has a range of 12/24/48. A long bow has a range of 15/30/60. When using your Arcane Archer Edge, you would use the bow’s range to determine the bolt’s effective distance and range penalties.
Free Runner (Professional)
Requirements: Novice, Agility d6+, Strength d6+, Climbing d6+
Many of the great cities of Avistan boast communities of people dedicated to moving quickly and nimbly through the streets and across the roofs of their home. Free runners (sometimes called shingle rats or roof runners) are experts in urban navigation.
A character with this Edge gains a +2 bonus on Climbing rolls and Agility rolls made as part of a chase. These benefits apply only in urban environments. Because of their ability to roll with a fall, Free Runners get a free soak roll against any damage caused by a fall.
Hamatulatsu Initiate (Professional)
Requirements: Seasoned, Strength d8+, Pugilist, Stone Hands, Intimidation d6+
This character has mastered a deadly fighting style inspired by the devastating attacks of the barbed devil. Practitioners of hamatulatsu seek to not just kill their opponents, but to first cripple and humiliate them with memorable, scarring pain.
If this character makes an unarmed Fighting attack against a foe and succeeds in striking the opponent but fails to inflict enough damage to render that opponent Shaken, he may immediately attempt an Intimidation roll against that foe as a free action.
Additionally, a Hamatulatsu Initiate can choose to inflict Fatigue instead of wounds with his unarmed strikes. He must declare that he is doing so before making his Fighting roll, and suffers –1 on the attack roll when doing so. Such attacks are still compared against Toughness and the target can soak normally.
Of course, all of these are in addition to the Faith Edges I posted about previously. If there's any interest in my players or readers of this blog, I might also post up campaign notes about the Curse of the Crimson Throne adventure path.
In order to get ready for the campaign, I've been relentlessly savaging various feats and class abilities into Edges. Here are a few of the ones I've been working on.
Crossbow Mastery (Combat)
Requirements: Seasoned, Agility d8+, Shooting d8+
You can load crossbows with blinding speed and even fire them in melee range with little fear of reprisal. The time required for you to reload a crossbow is reduced to a free action, regardless of the type of crossbow used. You may also fire a crossbow at an adjacent foe engaged in melee, but the target number is his Parry score rather than the standard TN of 4.
Dart Cloud (Combat)
Requirements: Seasoned, Agility d8+, Quick Draw, Throwing d8+
You can throw a large number of small weapons in one quick motion, filling the air with deadly steel. When you use shuriken or daggers as thrown weapons, your Rate of Fire is 3. You can draw and throw as part of the same action when performing this maneuver. You suffer the usual –2 penalty to attack rolls for using a weapon with a Rate of Fire greater than 1 when you use this Edge.
Versatile Caster (Power)
Requirements: Wild Card, Seasoned, Arcane Background, Knowledge (Arcana) d8+
In a pinch, some arcanists can reach into a reserve of spontaneous creativity and use their powers in a different way than normal.
This caster may spend a benny when casting a spell to change its trappings to a different trapping approved by the GM. Until the end of the encounter, the caster can use either this new trapping or his original trapping interchangeably.
For example, a wizard who knows bolt as “flame arrow” could use this Edge to alter it to “ice lance.” This would allow him to inflict cold damage instead of fire damage with his attack, plus any additional effects the GM uses for cold spells.
Arcane Archer (Professional)
Requirements: Novice, elf or half-elf only, Arcane Background (Magic), Smarts d8+, Shooting d8+, Spellcasting d6+
You have trained in the twin elven arts of sorcery and archery. By combining the two into a fluid whole, you can use your arrows to greatly extend the range of your magical powers.
While firing a bow (not a crossbow or other ranged weapon), you can cast spells with a range other than Personal, Touch, or any Template and use the range of the bow instead of the spell’s normal range. You still use Spellcasting for the spell’s attack, modified by the bow’s range increment. The arrow is consumed by the magic when you use it in this manner and does not inflict its usual damage.
For example, the bolt power normally has a range of 12/24/48. A long bow has a range of 15/30/60. When using your Arcane Archer Edge, you would use the bow’s range to determine the bolt’s effective distance and range penalties.
Free Runner (Professional)
Requirements: Novice, Agility d6+, Strength d6+, Climbing d6+
Many of the great cities of Avistan boast communities of people dedicated to moving quickly and nimbly through the streets and across the roofs of their home. Free runners (sometimes called shingle rats or roof runners) are experts in urban navigation.
A character with this Edge gains a +2 bonus on Climbing rolls and Agility rolls made as part of a chase. These benefits apply only in urban environments. Because of their ability to roll with a fall, Free Runners get a free soak roll against any damage caused by a fall.
Hamatulatsu Initiate (Professional)
Requirements: Seasoned, Strength d8+, Pugilist, Stone Hands, Intimidation d6+
This character has mastered a deadly fighting style inspired by the devastating attacks of the barbed devil. Practitioners of hamatulatsu seek to not just kill their opponents, but to first cripple and humiliate them with memorable, scarring pain.
If this character makes an unarmed Fighting attack against a foe and succeeds in striking the opponent but fails to inflict enough damage to render that opponent Shaken, he may immediately attempt an Intimidation roll against that foe as a free action.
Additionally, a Hamatulatsu Initiate can choose to inflict Fatigue instead of wounds with his unarmed strikes. He must declare that he is doing so before making his Fighting roll, and suffers –1 on the attack roll when doing so. Such attacks are still compared against Toughness and the target can soak normally.
Of course, all of these are in addition to the Faith Edges I posted about previously. If there's any interest in my players or readers of this blog, I might also post up campaign notes about the Curse of the Crimson Throne adventure path.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Savage Pathfinder: Faith Edges
For the last little bit, I've been working on a Savage conversion of Paizo's Pathfinder Chronicles campaign setting. Today, I'm posting up the Faith Edges I've written for the setting. What are Faith Edges, you ask? Read on!
FAITH EDGES
The gods are real and powerful in the Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting, and mortals are frequently tasked to carry out their will. The most common servants of the gods are priests and holy knights, and such characters typically have the Arcane Background (Miracles) Edge. Not every servant of the gods is a priest, though, and some priests are more devout than others.
Faith Edges are special Edges that can only be taken by characters that worship a particular god, and only with specific GM permission. Some Faith Edges require that the character be capable of casting miracles, while others are open to any member of the truly faithful.
Adept of the Inner Mysteries
Requirements: Novice, Spirit d6+, Arcane Background (Miracles), follower of Irori
Followers of Irori turn their minds inward, using their powers to affect perfection of the self. When this Edge is selected, and again at each new Rank achieved, the character may select one of his known powers. That power now affects only the character (if it could affect other targets before), but the character can manifest that power as a free action.
All-Seeing Eye
Requirements: Novice, Smarts d6+, Arcane Background (Magic or Miracles), Knowledge (Arcana) d6+, follower of Nethys
Nethys is the god of magic, and his followers determine rank among themselves by magical knowledge and ability. Characters with this Edge can use the detect arcana power at will with no cost. While doing so, their eyes scintillate with strange colors. Though there is no cost to use this ability, keeping it active still counts as maintaining a power for purposes of maintenance penalties.
Bravura
Requirements: Novice, Spirit d6+, Vigor d6+, follower of Cayden Cailean
The hearties that follow Cayden Cailean love fine drink and good company, and they are known for their bravery. Those with this Edge gain a +2 bonus on Guts checks, and even on a failed Guts check, they subtract –2 from the subsequent roll on the Fright table. Additionally, a Bravura gains +2 to Vigor rolls made to resist poison.
Crowning Glory
Requirements: Novice, Spirit d6+, Arcane Background (Miracles), follower of Iomedae
Iomedae is a goddess of crusades and honorable combat. As Aroden’s inheritor, she is popular among righteous (and self-righteous) humans. A character with this Edge can spend 1 Power Point as a free action to gain the Champion Edge until the start of his next turn; if he already possesses that Edge, he instead doubles the bonuses from it until the start of his next turn.
Dawnflower’s Dance
Requirements: Novice, Spirit d6+, Expression d6+, follower of Sarenrae
Sarenrae, frequently called “the Dawnflower” by her devoted followers, is a powerful goddess of redemption and healing. She represents the revealing light of the sun, and the healing power of forgiveness. Those that learn the steps of her holiest dance can cause their bodies to glow (as per the light power) at will with no cost. They can also cause any held weapon to burst into flames, adding +2 the weapon’s damage. These flames have little chance of setting a struck creature on fire, though this power can be used to light flammable materials with time and patience.
Forge Master
Requirements: Novice, Smarts d6+, Repair d6+, follower of Torag
Humans and dwarves alike worship Torag as the father of the forge, god of creation and craftsmanship. His faithful do their best to emulate his abilities. A character with this Edge adds +2 to his Repair rolls. With a raise, he halves the time normally required to fix something. This means that if a particular Repair job already states that a raise repairs it in half the time, this character could finish the job in one-quarter the time with a raise.
Grey Warden
Requirements: Novice, Spirit d6+, follower of Pharasma
Many folk fear Pharasma, the goddess of death, despite the fact that she is neither evil nor cruel. Her position as the judge of souls makes her important to nearly every religion, and the fact that she is neutral and nonjudgmental in all things makes her accepted among followers of nearly all other faiths.
Pharasma’s Grey Wardens are given license over life and death—they guard the living whose time has not yet come, and bring final peace to the dead that have not yet moved on. Within a radius equal to half the Grey Warden’s Spirit die, living creatures gain +2 to soak rolls and undead creatures suffer –2 to soak rolls. The Grey Warden can choose to apply or suppress this ability as a free action on his turn, but he cannot pick and choose which creatures within the area the modifier applies to.
Honest Effort
Requirements: Novice, Spirit d6+, Vigor d6+, follower of Erastil
As the god of farming, hunting, and trade, Erastil values little else above hard work and honest effort. Those with this Edge gain a +2 bonus to rolls made to avoid Fatigue, as well as +2 on Survival rolls made to find food and water in the wilderness.
Hungry Darkness
Requirements: Novice, Spirit d6+, follower of Zon-Kuthon
The Midnight Lord gives his most devout followers special influence over darkness and shadow. When a true believer in Zon-Kuthon fights in darkness, the darkness seems to come alive to fight with him. A character with this Edge gains a bonus on damage rolls equal to the current penalty his target is taking from lighting conditions. So, a character currently suffering a –2 penalty due to Dim lighting conditions would take +2 damage from attacks made by a character with this Edge. This does mean that creatures with low-light vision suffer less from this Edge than other targets. This only affects creatures suffering from actual darkness conditions, not effective ones, so blind characters are immune to the effects of this Edge.
Infernal Contract
Requirements: Novice, Smarts d6+, Arcane Background (Miracles), follower of Asmodeus
To Asmodeus, those that gain miracles from him already owe him their souls. Still, those with something else to bargain away sometimes wind up the recipient of his largesse. By spending 1 Power Point as a free action, the character with this Edge gains +2 Toughness until the start of his next turn. While using this Edge, the character flickers with dull black flames.
Inner Beauty
Requirements: Novice, Spirit d6+, Expression d6+, Charisma +2 or higher, follower of Shelyn
The faithful of Shelyn, the Eternal Rose, realize that true beauty comes from within. They must endeavor to create something of beauty every day, whether it is a work of art, dancing for strangers, or singing in public. These acts of harmonious creation make her most devoted followers almost impossible to rattle. A character with Inner Beauty adds half his Charisma bonus to rolls made to resist Intimidation and Taunt attempts.
Iron Lord
Requirements: Novice, Strength d6+, Vigor d6+, follower of Gorum
The faithful of Gorum prize battle for its own sake, and highly value the tools of war. Iron Lords gain a +2 bonus on Repair rolls made to create or repair weapons and armor. Additionally, they treat any armor they wear or weapons they carry as though they weighed half their actual weight.
Keymaker’s Blessing
Requirements: Novice, Spirit d6+, follower of Abadar
Called “Master of the First Vault” by his faithful, Abadar is the god of merchants and civilization, and he is frequently represented in conjunction with keys. Those with the Keymaker’s Blessing find many doors open for them. A character with this Edge gains a +2 bonus on Persuasion rolls, as well as a +2 bonus on Notice rolls made to discern lies.
Monstrous Visage
Requirements: Novice, Vigor d6+, Charisma –2 or lower, follower of Lamashtu
The followers of the Mother of Monsters are inevitably ugly, either on the inside or the outside (and frequently both). The most devout learn how to turn their deformity into strength, and how to hate all that is beautiful. A character with this Edge applies his Charisma penalty as a bonus on Intimidation rolls. Additionally, this character gains a +2 bonus on damage rolls against any target with a Charisma bonus.
Pallid Pact
Requirements: Novice, Spirit d6+, follower of Urgathoa
The goddess of gluttony, disease and undeath, Urgathoa is despised by most decent folk and embraced by the decadent and corrupt. Her priests must usually act in secret to avoid attention, but the physical excesses embraced by her faith inevitably reveal their presence. After taking this Edge, the character gains a +2 bonus on Vigor rolls made to avoid disease. Additionally, undead treat the character as one of their own; for less intelligent undead (like skeletons and zombies), this means that they will not attack the character unless specifically ordered to do so or unless the character attacks them first. The character gains +2 Charisma in regards to more intelligent undead creatures.
Poisoned Egg
Requirements: Novice, Arcane Background (Miracles), follower of Norgorber
The “Reaper of Reputation,” Norgorber is the god of secrets, greed and murder. Many assassin-priests serve this dire patron, and their ability to poison food with a touch is feared almost everywhere. By touching food or drink (or the container holding it), a character with this Edge can expend 2 Power Points and render it poisonous. Each use of this ability affects one meal’s worth of food or one cup’s worth of drink. Those that imbibe the tainted substance must attempt a Vigor roll at –2 or suffer a level of Fatigue; on a roll of 1 on the Vigor die (regardless of the Wild Die), the character instead suffers a wound.
It is traditional for priests to use this power on a boiled egg, thus the name.
Rough Beast
Requirements: Novice, Strength d6+, Berserker or know the berserker power, follower of Rovagug
Legend says that Rovagug was born to destroy the world, and his mad followers revel in the idea of destruction for its own sake. A character with this Edge gains a special while using the Berserker Edge; a spellcaster with this Edge instead grants this benefit to anyone he casts the berserker power on. While in a berserk fury, the beneficiary of this Edge can ace damage rolls on objects normally, and any creature that suffers damage from a melee attack by this creature must attempt a Strength check against the amount of damage dealt or be knocked prone.
Savored Sting
Requirements: Novice, Smarts d6+, Charisma +2 or higher, follower of Calistria
The goddess of trickery, lust and revenge, Calistria’s faithful are often sacred prostitutes or assassins—or both. A character with this Edge can apply his Charisma bonus to Taunt rolls. As firm believers in swift, hot-blooded vengeance, those with this Edge gain a +2 bonus on damage rolls against any target that has ever inflicted a wound on them.
Song of the Spheres
Requirements: Novice, Spirit d6+, follower of Desna
By listening to the “song of the spheres,” the mystical harmony produced by the motion of the stars, one of Desna’s faithful can easily navigate from one place to another, as well as producing beautiful harmonies. This character gains +2 to music-based Expression rolls, and +2 to Survival rolls made to navigate or to avoid becoming lost.
Storm Warded
Requirements: Novice, Spirit d6+, follower of Gozreh
Many sailors worship Gozreh, god of wind and waves, as do many other individuals whose livelihood depends on the sea. Those with this Edge gain a +2 bonus to any roll to avoid harm from wind or water, including rolls to avoid Fatigue from extreme weather, Swimming rolls, and opposed rolls to resist arcane powers with wind, water or electricity trappings.
FAITH EDGES
The gods are real and powerful in the Pathfinder Chronicles Campaign Setting, and mortals are frequently tasked to carry out their will. The most common servants of the gods are priests and holy knights, and such characters typically have the Arcane Background (Miracles) Edge. Not every servant of the gods is a priest, though, and some priests are more devout than others.
Faith Edges are special Edges that can only be taken by characters that worship a particular god, and only with specific GM permission. Some Faith Edges require that the character be capable of casting miracles, while others are open to any member of the truly faithful.
Adept of the Inner Mysteries
Requirements: Novice, Spirit d6+, Arcane Background (Miracles), follower of Irori
Followers of Irori turn their minds inward, using their powers to affect perfection of the self. When this Edge is selected, and again at each new Rank achieved, the character may select one of his known powers. That power now affects only the character (if it could affect other targets before), but the character can manifest that power as a free action.
All-Seeing Eye
Requirements: Novice, Smarts d6+, Arcane Background (Magic or Miracles), Knowledge (Arcana) d6+, follower of Nethys
Nethys is the god of magic, and his followers determine rank among themselves by magical knowledge and ability. Characters with this Edge can use the detect arcana power at will with no cost. While doing so, their eyes scintillate with strange colors. Though there is no cost to use this ability, keeping it active still counts as maintaining a power for purposes of maintenance penalties.
Bravura
Requirements: Novice, Spirit d6+, Vigor d6+, follower of Cayden Cailean
The hearties that follow Cayden Cailean love fine drink and good company, and they are known for their bravery. Those with this Edge gain a +2 bonus on Guts checks, and even on a failed Guts check, they subtract –2 from the subsequent roll on the Fright table. Additionally, a Bravura gains +2 to Vigor rolls made to resist poison.
Crowning Glory
Requirements: Novice, Spirit d6+, Arcane Background (Miracles), follower of Iomedae
Iomedae is a goddess of crusades and honorable combat. As Aroden’s inheritor, she is popular among righteous (and self-righteous) humans. A character with this Edge can spend 1 Power Point as a free action to gain the Champion Edge until the start of his next turn; if he already possesses that Edge, he instead doubles the bonuses from it until the start of his next turn.
Dawnflower’s Dance
Requirements: Novice, Spirit d6+, Expression d6+, follower of Sarenrae
Sarenrae, frequently called “the Dawnflower” by her devoted followers, is a powerful goddess of redemption and healing. She represents the revealing light of the sun, and the healing power of forgiveness. Those that learn the steps of her holiest dance can cause their bodies to glow (as per the light power) at will with no cost. They can also cause any held weapon to burst into flames, adding +2 the weapon’s damage. These flames have little chance of setting a struck creature on fire, though this power can be used to light flammable materials with time and patience.
Forge Master
Requirements: Novice, Smarts d6+, Repair d6+, follower of Torag
Humans and dwarves alike worship Torag as the father of the forge, god of creation and craftsmanship. His faithful do their best to emulate his abilities. A character with this Edge adds +2 to his Repair rolls. With a raise, he halves the time normally required to fix something. This means that if a particular Repair job already states that a raise repairs it in half the time, this character could finish the job in one-quarter the time with a raise.
Grey Warden
Requirements: Novice, Spirit d6+, follower of Pharasma
Many folk fear Pharasma, the goddess of death, despite the fact that she is neither evil nor cruel. Her position as the judge of souls makes her important to nearly every religion, and the fact that she is neutral and nonjudgmental in all things makes her accepted among followers of nearly all other faiths.
Pharasma’s Grey Wardens are given license over life and death—they guard the living whose time has not yet come, and bring final peace to the dead that have not yet moved on. Within a radius equal to half the Grey Warden’s Spirit die, living creatures gain +2 to soak rolls and undead creatures suffer –2 to soak rolls. The Grey Warden can choose to apply or suppress this ability as a free action on his turn, but he cannot pick and choose which creatures within the area the modifier applies to.
Honest Effort
Requirements: Novice, Spirit d6+, Vigor d6+, follower of Erastil
As the god of farming, hunting, and trade, Erastil values little else above hard work and honest effort. Those with this Edge gain a +2 bonus to rolls made to avoid Fatigue, as well as +2 on Survival rolls made to find food and water in the wilderness.
Hungry Darkness
Requirements: Novice, Spirit d6+, follower of Zon-Kuthon
The Midnight Lord gives his most devout followers special influence over darkness and shadow. When a true believer in Zon-Kuthon fights in darkness, the darkness seems to come alive to fight with him. A character with this Edge gains a bonus on damage rolls equal to the current penalty his target is taking from lighting conditions. So, a character currently suffering a –2 penalty due to Dim lighting conditions would take +2 damage from attacks made by a character with this Edge. This does mean that creatures with low-light vision suffer less from this Edge than other targets. This only affects creatures suffering from actual darkness conditions, not effective ones, so blind characters are immune to the effects of this Edge.
Infernal Contract
Requirements: Novice, Smarts d6+, Arcane Background (Miracles), follower of Asmodeus
To Asmodeus, those that gain miracles from him already owe him their souls. Still, those with something else to bargain away sometimes wind up the recipient of his largesse. By spending 1 Power Point as a free action, the character with this Edge gains +2 Toughness until the start of his next turn. While using this Edge, the character flickers with dull black flames.
Inner Beauty
Requirements: Novice, Spirit d6+, Expression d6+, Charisma +2 or higher, follower of Shelyn
The faithful of Shelyn, the Eternal Rose, realize that true beauty comes from within. They must endeavor to create something of beauty every day, whether it is a work of art, dancing for strangers, or singing in public. These acts of harmonious creation make her most devoted followers almost impossible to rattle. A character with Inner Beauty adds half his Charisma bonus to rolls made to resist Intimidation and Taunt attempts.
Iron Lord
Requirements: Novice, Strength d6+, Vigor d6+, follower of Gorum
The faithful of Gorum prize battle for its own sake, and highly value the tools of war. Iron Lords gain a +2 bonus on Repair rolls made to create or repair weapons and armor. Additionally, they treat any armor they wear or weapons they carry as though they weighed half their actual weight.
Keymaker’s Blessing
Requirements: Novice, Spirit d6+, follower of Abadar
Called “Master of the First Vault” by his faithful, Abadar is the god of merchants and civilization, and he is frequently represented in conjunction with keys. Those with the Keymaker’s Blessing find many doors open for them. A character with this Edge gains a +2 bonus on Persuasion rolls, as well as a +2 bonus on Notice rolls made to discern lies.
Monstrous Visage
Requirements: Novice, Vigor d6+, Charisma –2 or lower, follower of Lamashtu
The followers of the Mother of Monsters are inevitably ugly, either on the inside or the outside (and frequently both). The most devout learn how to turn their deformity into strength, and how to hate all that is beautiful. A character with this Edge applies his Charisma penalty as a bonus on Intimidation rolls. Additionally, this character gains a +2 bonus on damage rolls against any target with a Charisma bonus.
Pallid Pact
Requirements: Novice, Spirit d6+, follower of Urgathoa
The goddess of gluttony, disease and undeath, Urgathoa is despised by most decent folk and embraced by the decadent and corrupt. Her priests must usually act in secret to avoid attention, but the physical excesses embraced by her faith inevitably reveal their presence. After taking this Edge, the character gains a +2 bonus on Vigor rolls made to avoid disease. Additionally, undead treat the character as one of their own; for less intelligent undead (like skeletons and zombies), this means that they will not attack the character unless specifically ordered to do so or unless the character attacks them first. The character gains +2 Charisma in regards to more intelligent undead creatures.
Poisoned Egg
Requirements: Novice, Arcane Background (Miracles), follower of Norgorber
The “Reaper of Reputation,” Norgorber is the god of secrets, greed and murder. Many assassin-priests serve this dire patron, and their ability to poison food with a touch is feared almost everywhere. By touching food or drink (or the container holding it), a character with this Edge can expend 2 Power Points and render it poisonous. Each use of this ability affects one meal’s worth of food or one cup’s worth of drink. Those that imbibe the tainted substance must attempt a Vigor roll at –2 or suffer a level of Fatigue; on a roll of 1 on the Vigor die (regardless of the Wild Die), the character instead suffers a wound.
It is traditional for priests to use this power on a boiled egg, thus the name.
Rough Beast
Requirements: Novice, Strength d6+, Berserker or know the berserker power, follower of Rovagug
Legend says that Rovagug was born to destroy the world, and his mad followers revel in the idea of destruction for its own sake. A character with this Edge gains a special while using the Berserker Edge; a spellcaster with this Edge instead grants this benefit to anyone he casts the berserker power on. While in a berserk fury, the beneficiary of this Edge can ace damage rolls on objects normally, and any creature that suffers damage from a melee attack by this creature must attempt a Strength check against the amount of damage dealt or be knocked prone.
Savored Sting
Requirements: Novice, Smarts d6+, Charisma +2 or higher, follower of Calistria
The goddess of trickery, lust and revenge, Calistria’s faithful are often sacred prostitutes or assassins—or both. A character with this Edge can apply his Charisma bonus to Taunt rolls. As firm believers in swift, hot-blooded vengeance, those with this Edge gain a +2 bonus on damage rolls against any target that has ever inflicted a wound on them.
Song of the Spheres
Requirements: Novice, Spirit d6+, follower of Desna
By listening to the “song of the spheres,” the mystical harmony produced by the motion of the stars, one of Desna’s faithful can easily navigate from one place to another, as well as producing beautiful harmonies. This character gains +2 to music-based Expression rolls, and +2 to Survival rolls made to navigate or to avoid becoming lost.
Storm Warded
Requirements: Novice, Spirit d6+, follower of Gozreh
Many sailors worship Gozreh, god of wind and waves, as do many other individuals whose livelihood depends on the sea. Those with this Edge gain a +2 bonus to any roll to avoid harm from wind or water, including rolls to avoid Fatigue from extreme weather, Swimming rolls, and opposed rolls to resist arcane powers with wind, water or electricity trappings.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
New Year, New Style
It's been a whole year since the last time I posted in this blog, which means that it hasn't been everything I wanted it to be. Starting now, though, I'm restarting this blog with a little bit of a tighter focus, and will hopefully be updating it several times a week. From here on, I will be using this blog primarily to discuss my obsession with the Savage Worlds system (which was the last thing I talked about last year, strangely enough).
To lead off a little bit for anyone unfamiliar: Savage Worlds is the flagship line from Pinnacle, the people that brought us Deadlands and its post-apocalyptic sequel, Hell on Earth. Since then, they've scaled back their company size and produced a streamlined game system called Savage Worlds. This game has the fastest combat system that I've ever played and found satisfying. (Wushu and Don't Rest Your Head both have faster combat resolution, but they're both a little flat for my tastes.) The system is easy to learn, and while it has a few dice wobbles attached to its core mechanic, they're entirely worth ignoring.
Since last year, I've run several short games with Savage Worlds, including a convention game at last year's UKON and a semester-long game for the university gaming club called Industrial Revolutionaries, which was a steampunk game heavily based off Phil and Kaja Foglio's excellent webcomic, Girl Genius. My longest-running effort so far has been a Savage Worlds conversion of the old TORG setting, which you should go out and look up if you've never heard of it before.
Now that TORG is getting close to the end (a couple months off, anyway), I'm working on my next set of games. In the next few weeks, I'm going to be starting a SW conversion of the Pathfinder Chronicles campaign setting (originally for d20 by Paizo Publishing), a Supernatural-style modern horror game I'm calling Hunter Nation, and a SW conversion of Legend of the Five Rings. All in all, a pretty full plate. I'll be posting up various things for these games, as well as a bunch of other conversions and original campaigns I've been working on, in the coming weeks and months.
It's good to be back!
To lead off a little bit for anyone unfamiliar: Savage Worlds is the flagship line from Pinnacle, the people that brought us Deadlands and its post-apocalyptic sequel, Hell on Earth. Since then, they've scaled back their company size and produced a streamlined game system called Savage Worlds. This game has the fastest combat system that I've ever played and found satisfying. (Wushu and Don't Rest Your Head both have faster combat resolution, but they're both a little flat for my tastes.) The system is easy to learn, and while it has a few dice wobbles attached to its core mechanic, they're entirely worth ignoring.
Since last year, I've run several short games with Savage Worlds, including a convention game at last year's UKON and a semester-long game for the university gaming club called Industrial Revolutionaries, which was a steampunk game heavily based off Phil and Kaja Foglio's excellent webcomic, Girl Genius. My longest-running effort so far has been a Savage Worlds conversion of the old TORG setting, which you should go out and look up if you've never heard of it before.
Now that TORG is getting close to the end (a couple months off, anyway), I'm working on my next set of games. In the next few weeks, I'm going to be starting a SW conversion of the Pathfinder Chronicles campaign setting (originally for d20 by Paizo Publishing), a Supernatural-style modern horror game I'm calling Hunter Nation, and a SW conversion of Legend of the Five Rings. All in all, a pretty full plate. I'll be posting up various things for these games, as well as a bunch of other conversions and original campaigns I've been working on, in the coming weeks and months.
It's good to be back!
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