After saying that I wanted to update this blasted thing regularly, I drop off the face of the earth for six months again. Partly, it was professional obligations (that is to say, writing for which I am being paid), and partly my schoolwork. I don't talk about my personal life on here very much, since I think it detracts from the point of a design blog, but I feel the need to brag: Taking six months away from the blog must have paid off somewhere, since I am now in the running for the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship. If I manage to keep my GPA up and not horribly botch something, I could be one of a select group of students chosen to finish out my graduate education at Oxford University in England, where I will be pursuing my Master's in Library Sciences. Hold your applause, please. The odds that I'll be chosen even if I manage to still be qualifying for the thing in two years (which is the soonest I can apply for graduation) is about one in six at best.
Ah well, even if I don't get it, it's one of those things that's genuinely an honor for which to even be considered. And there's always getting my MLS right here at good old U of K, at which I am currently enrolled and pursuing my BA in English.
I just got back from GenCon the week before school started, and they had quite the plethora of things I wanted there. While I picked up Geist: The Sin-Eaters on the first day, as I always do with the new White Wolf game, I've barely glanced through it. Something about it is off-putting; maybe it's the lower quality of the book overall (coarser paper, smudgier edge work, that sort of thing), or maybe I'm just too melancholy about it not being NWraith. Either way, I'm hoping to slog through the thing at some point in the near future.
The big purchase of the convention for me was the Pathfinder RPG, of which I am a huge fan. Being out in the cold with the arrival of D&D 4th Edition, I'm pleased that Paizo, whose work I have respected for years, has decided to carry on the torch of 3.X. It's a huge book, weighing in at 500+ pages, and the interior is so beautiful that mere words can't describe it. Suffice to say that Paizo has outdone their usual (very high already) standards. I even got to run Pathfinder Society events on Thursday and Friday of the convention, so bully for me!
I was able to hit the Studio 2/Pinnacle booth for a while, and I basked in the soft glow of Savage Weird War II and Realms of Cthulhu, both of which I desperately wanted but couldn't afford. My only purchase there was one I've been waiting for, though: the Fantasy Companion. Two of my friends picked it up at Origins, and I'd been tearing out my (last remaining) hair over wanting my own copy. I'm still planning on picking up the other books (as well as Hellfrost and Space: 1889 when I can get around to them), though it might take a month or so before I have the funds.
My last significant purchase at GenCon was something of an impulse buy. I was hearing about a new d20 variant game on rpg.net the week before GenCon, something called FantasyCraft. It's made by Crafty Games, and is a revision/alteration of their very successful SpyCraft game engine (which they are apparently calling "Mastercraft"). I was iffy about the game, having had only sporadic and somewhat mediocre experiences with SpyCraft, until someone mentioned in their review of the pre-release that one of the base races were dragons.
Let me repeat: dragons. Not dragonborn, not lizardmen, not half-dragons, but actual fire-breathing, flying, scaly dragons. That sold me right there. I couldn't give Crafty Games my money fast enough at GenCon.
Now that I actually own the book, my ardor has cooled, but only somewhat. There's a definite learning curve involved, and one that isn't necessarily made any easier by having played numerous other d20 games before. There's an odd combination of flavorful, even amusingly snarky, writing mixed in with very dry (like arid) statistical description and standardized abilities. I mean by this, you can have a class with the incredible cool-sounding ability "I'll Cut You!" alongside similar class abilities such as evasion III and uncanny dodge IV. It's jarring to the eye, as well as making NPC and monster stat blocks incredible dense, almost to the point of incomprehensibility without understanding every niggling little thing very well.
Still, the game has a lot of charm, and almost all of the added heavy lifting seems to be on the GM end or on character creation. The actual system part of the game is much more smooth and easy to swallow than standard d20 in a lot of ways. I'm reserving final judgment on it until I run or play it.
Hopefully, I'll have it in me to actually update this thing at least once a week from now on, but I won't hold myself to unreasonable expectations. I am studying Japanese this semester, after all. ;)
A role-playing and writing blog.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Blog Called...
...on account of freezing rain, snow, sleet, and hail. It's nasty as hell in Lexington right now, and I'm too busy trying to stay warm to post anything today. Good luck to the rest of you dealing with this winter storm mess.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Playground of the Damned: The Enemy
Today's "Playground of the Damned" post is about the enemy: zombies! There are four basic kinds of zombies that are going to show up in this adventure: kid zombies (former classmates of the PCs), adult zombies (former teachers and neighbors), bloated zombies (who swelled up from decay and give the characters opportunities to make fat jokes at Hugo's expense), and legless zombies (to ramp up the tension).
Let's take a look!
Zombie, Kid
These walking dead are typical groaning fiends looking for fresh meat... just a little smaller and weaker.
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d4, Strength d4, Vigor d6
Skills: Fighting d4, Intimidation d6, Notice d4
Pace: 4; Parry: 4; Toughness: 6
Special Abilities:
•Bite/Slam: Str.
•Fear: The first time a character sees a kid zombie, he has to roll a Guts check. They’re scary.
•Fearless: Zombies are immune to Fear and Intimidation.
•Infection: If a zombie’s attack inflicts a Wound on a victim, that target must attempt a Vigor roll. On a successful roll, the attack that did the damage was a slam; on a failure, the target has been bitten and is now infected. An infected character makes a Vigor roll every hour; a failure inflicts a level of Fatigue that does not go away, and failing at Incapacitated causes the victim to rise again as a zombie.
•Size –1: These zombies are the kids’ ex-classmates, so they’re a little smaller than normal zombies.
•Undead: +2 Toughness; +2 to recover from being Shaken; immune to poison and disease; no additional damage from called shots (except for called shots to the head).
•Weakness (Head): Called shots to a zombie’s head are +2 damage.
Zombie, Adult
These walking dead are typical groaning fiends looking for fresh meat. They were adults before they got infected, so they’re bigger and stronger than kid zombies.
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d4, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Fighting d6, Intimidation d6, Notice d4, Shooting d6
Pace: 4; Parry: 5; Toughness: 7
Special Abilities:
•Bite/Slam: Str.
•Fear: The first time a character sees a normal zombie, he has to roll a Guts check. They’re scary.
•Fearless: Zombies are immune to Fear and Intimidation.
•Infection: If a zombie’s attack inflicts a Wound on a victim, that target must attempt a Vigor roll. On a successful roll, the attack that did the damage was a slam; on a failure, the target has been bitten and is now infected. An infected character makes a Vigor roll every hour; a failure inflicts a level of Fatigue that does not go away, and failing at Incapacitated causes the victim to rise again as a zombie.
•Undead: +2 Toughness; +2 to recover from being Shaken; immune to poison and disease; no additional damage from called shots (except for called shots to the head).
•Weakness (Head): Called shots to a zombie’s head are +2 damage.
Zombie, Bloated
These walking dead swelled up from the gases inside them and from eating too much (of what, it’s better not to imagine). Now, they’re enormously bloated and can belch out nauseating fumes.
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d4, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Fighting d6, Intimidation d6, Notice d4
Pace: 4; Parry: 5; Toughness: 8
Special Abilities:
•Bite/Slam: Str.
•Fear –1: The first time a character sees a bloated zombie, he has to roll a Guts check at –1. They’re really scary and kind of gross.
•Fearless: Zombies are immune to Fear and Intimidation.
•Gasbag: Once per encounter, a bloated zombie can belch a foul cloud of rot and decay. This cloud fills a Medium Burst Template centered on the zombie. Anyone within the cloud must attempt a Vigor roll or gain a level of Fatigue. This Fatigue vanishes after an hour of rest breathing clean air.
•Infection: If a zombie’s attack inflicts a Wound on a victim, that target must attempt a Vigor roll. On a successful roll, the attack that did the damage was a slam; on a failure, the target has been bitten and is now infected. An infected character makes a Vigor roll every hour; a failure inflicts a level of Fatigue that does not go away, and failing at Incapacitated causes the victim to rise again as a zombie.
•Slow: Bloated zombies waddle more than even other zombies. They have a d4 running die.
•Size +1: Bloated zombies are big and fat, making them somewhat tougher than the run of the mill.
•Undead: +2 Toughness; +2 to recover from being Shaken; immune to poison and disease; no additional damage from called shots (except for called shots to the head).
•Weakness (Head): Called shots to a zombie’s head are +2 damage.
Zombie, Legless
These aren’t so much walking dead as crawling dead. Being low to the ground makes them sneaky, though.
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d4, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Fighting d6, Intimidation d6, Notice d4, Stealth d6
Pace: 2; Parry: 5; Toughness: 6
Special Abilities:
•Bite/Slam: Str.
•Fear: The first time a character sees a legless zombie, he has to roll a Guts check. If he doesn’t see it until it attacks him, he rolls at –2. They’re really freaking scary when they do that.
•Fearless: Zombies are immune to Fear and Intimidation.
•Infection: If a zombie’s attack inflicts a Wound on a victim, that target must attempt a Vigor roll. On a successful roll, the attack that did the damage was a slam; on a failure, the target has been bitten and is now infected. An infected character makes a Vigor roll every hour; a failure inflicts a level of Fatigue that does not go away, and failing at Incapacitated causes the victim to rise again as a zombie.
•Size –1: Since it’s missing half of its body, a legless zombie is a little less tough than a normal one.
•Slow: Legless zombies can crawl pretty quickly, but they can’t really run. They roll a d4 running die.
•Sneak Attack: Legless zombies start every combat the same way--crawling silently up to their intended target and biting him on the leg. If a legless zombie succeeds in his Stealth roll, he gets the drop on his victim.
•Undead: +2 Toughness; +2 to recover from being Shaken; immune to poison and disease; no additional damage from called shots (except for called shots to the head).
•Weakness (Head): Called shots to a zombie’s head are +2 damage.
Coming soon: an actual adventure!
Let's take a look!
Zombie, Kid
These walking dead are typical groaning fiends looking for fresh meat... just a little smaller and weaker.
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d4, Strength d4, Vigor d6
Skills: Fighting d4, Intimidation d6, Notice d4
Pace: 4; Parry: 4; Toughness: 6
Special Abilities:
•Bite/Slam: Str.
•Fear: The first time a character sees a kid zombie, he has to roll a Guts check. They’re scary.
•Fearless: Zombies are immune to Fear and Intimidation.
•Infection: If a zombie’s attack inflicts a Wound on a victim, that target must attempt a Vigor roll. On a successful roll, the attack that did the damage was a slam; on a failure, the target has been bitten and is now infected. An infected character makes a Vigor roll every hour; a failure inflicts a level of Fatigue that does not go away, and failing at Incapacitated causes the victim to rise again as a zombie.
•Size –1: These zombies are the kids’ ex-classmates, so they’re a little smaller than normal zombies.
•Undead: +2 Toughness; +2 to recover from being Shaken; immune to poison and disease; no additional damage from called shots (except for called shots to the head).
•Weakness (Head): Called shots to a zombie’s head are +2 damage.
Zombie, Adult
These walking dead are typical groaning fiends looking for fresh meat. They were adults before they got infected, so they’re bigger and stronger than kid zombies.
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d4, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Fighting d6, Intimidation d6, Notice d4, Shooting d6
Pace: 4; Parry: 5; Toughness: 7
Special Abilities:
•Bite/Slam: Str.
•Fear: The first time a character sees a normal zombie, he has to roll a Guts check. They’re scary.
•Fearless: Zombies are immune to Fear and Intimidation.
•Infection: If a zombie’s attack inflicts a Wound on a victim, that target must attempt a Vigor roll. On a successful roll, the attack that did the damage was a slam; on a failure, the target has been bitten and is now infected. An infected character makes a Vigor roll every hour; a failure inflicts a level of Fatigue that does not go away, and failing at Incapacitated causes the victim to rise again as a zombie.
•Undead: +2 Toughness; +2 to recover from being Shaken; immune to poison and disease; no additional damage from called shots (except for called shots to the head).
•Weakness (Head): Called shots to a zombie’s head are +2 damage.
Zombie, Bloated
These walking dead swelled up from the gases inside them and from eating too much (of what, it’s better not to imagine). Now, they’re enormously bloated and can belch out nauseating fumes.
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d4, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Fighting d6, Intimidation d6, Notice d4
Pace: 4; Parry: 5; Toughness: 8
Special Abilities:
•Bite/Slam: Str.
•Fear –1: The first time a character sees a bloated zombie, he has to roll a Guts check at –1. They’re really scary and kind of gross.
•Fearless: Zombies are immune to Fear and Intimidation.
•Gasbag: Once per encounter, a bloated zombie can belch a foul cloud of rot and decay. This cloud fills a Medium Burst Template centered on the zombie. Anyone within the cloud must attempt a Vigor roll or gain a level of Fatigue. This Fatigue vanishes after an hour of rest breathing clean air.
•Infection: If a zombie’s attack inflicts a Wound on a victim, that target must attempt a Vigor roll. On a successful roll, the attack that did the damage was a slam; on a failure, the target has been bitten and is now infected. An infected character makes a Vigor roll every hour; a failure inflicts a level of Fatigue that does not go away, and failing at Incapacitated causes the victim to rise again as a zombie.
•Slow: Bloated zombies waddle more than even other zombies. They have a d4 running die.
•Size +1: Bloated zombies are big and fat, making them somewhat tougher than the run of the mill.
•Undead: +2 Toughness; +2 to recover from being Shaken; immune to poison and disease; no additional damage from called shots (except for called shots to the head).
•Weakness (Head): Called shots to a zombie’s head are +2 damage.
Zombie, Legless
These aren’t so much walking dead as crawling dead. Being low to the ground makes them sneaky, though.
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d4, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Fighting d6, Intimidation d6, Notice d4, Stealth d6
Pace: 2; Parry: 5; Toughness: 6
Special Abilities:
•Bite/Slam: Str.
•Fear: The first time a character sees a legless zombie, he has to roll a Guts check. If he doesn’t see it until it attacks him, he rolls at –2. They’re really freaking scary when they do that.
•Fearless: Zombies are immune to Fear and Intimidation.
•Infection: If a zombie’s attack inflicts a Wound on a victim, that target must attempt a Vigor roll. On a successful roll, the attack that did the damage was a slam; on a failure, the target has been bitten and is now infected. An infected character makes a Vigor roll every hour; a failure inflicts a level of Fatigue that does not go away, and failing at Incapacitated causes the victim to rise again as a zombie.
•Size –1: Since it’s missing half of its body, a legless zombie is a little less tough than a normal one.
•Slow: Legless zombies can crawl pretty quickly, but they can’t really run. They roll a d4 running die.
•Sneak Attack: Legless zombies start every combat the same way--crawling silently up to their intended target and biting him on the leg. If a legless zombie succeeds in his Stealth roll, he gets the drop on his victim.
•Undead: +2 Toughness; +2 to recover from being Shaken; immune to poison and disease; no additional damage from called shots (except for called shots to the head).
•Weakness (Head): Called shots to a zombie’s head are +2 damage.
Coming soon: an actual adventure!
Friday, January 23, 2009
Playground of the Damned: Characters, part 6
Even though you can only see five kids in the picture that inspired this adventure, I always try to make six characters for convention games. I'm not sure why; it just seems like a nice solid number. If it makes you feel any better, you can pretend that today's character--Hugo Hays, the fat kid--gets eaten before that scene happens. ^_^
Hugo Hays, fat kid
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Strength d4, Vigor d6
Skills: Climbing d4, Fighting d4, Guts d4, Notice d6, Persuasion d4, Stealth d6, Taunt d4, Throwing d4
Pace: 5; Parry: 4; Toughness: 6
Edges:
•Danger Sense: You have a bad feeling about all this... but more than that, you get a bad feeling just before anything really bad happens to you. Right before you would be surprised by something dangerous, you can make a Notice roll at –2. If you succeed, you start the first round of combat on hold instead of surprised; if you succeed in going first (which normally requires an Agility roll to interrupt your opponent), you can spend your action warning everyone else about the impending danger, causing them to not be surprised either.
•Luck: You’re even luckier than the other kids--which is good if you want to save your own fat hide. You get a bonus benny.
Hindrances:
•Fat: You’re a porker, all right. Your mom says that you have big bones, but everyone else just thinks you’re fat. On the plus side, you have +1 Toughness. On the downside, your Pace is only 5 and your running die is a d4. If there’s running to do, you’re probably getting left behind.
•Greedy: What’s yours is yours--and maybe some other stuff too. You always demand your “fair share,” and though the consequences for not getting it are pretty much limited to pouting, you can be a real brat about it.
•Young: You are only 10 years old. While you have lower attributes and less skills than an adult, you are also somewhat luckier and start with one extra benny.
Gear:
•Pocket Knife: Str+d4 damage. You’re really not supposed to have one at school, but it’s yours, and you certainly weren’t going to let anyone take it away from you.
•Food: You’ve got a bunch of candy bars in your pocket and some beef jerky hidden in your coat. It’s enough to keep you fed for a day or so... or maybe you’ll just eat it all when no one’s looking. Sharing it doesn’t even really occur to you.
•Pocket cash: $50. You’ve been stealing from your mom’s purse.
Hugo Hays, fat kid
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Strength d4, Vigor d6
Skills: Climbing d4, Fighting d4, Guts d4, Notice d6, Persuasion d4, Stealth d6, Taunt d4, Throwing d4
Pace: 5; Parry: 4; Toughness: 6
Edges:
•Danger Sense: You have a bad feeling about all this... but more than that, you get a bad feeling just before anything really bad happens to you. Right before you would be surprised by something dangerous, you can make a Notice roll at –2. If you succeed, you start the first round of combat on hold instead of surprised; if you succeed in going first (which normally requires an Agility roll to interrupt your opponent), you can spend your action warning everyone else about the impending danger, causing them to not be surprised either.
•Luck: You’re even luckier than the other kids--which is good if you want to save your own fat hide. You get a bonus benny.
Hindrances:
•Fat: You’re a porker, all right. Your mom says that you have big bones, but everyone else just thinks you’re fat. On the plus side, you have +1 Toughness. On the downside, your Pace is only 5 and your running die is a d4. If there’s running to do, you’re probably getting left behind.
•Greedy: What’s yours is yours--and maybe some other stuff too. You always demand your “fair share,” and though the consequences for not getting it are pretty much limited to pouting, you can be a real brat about it.
•Young: You are only 10 years old. While you have lower attributes and less skills than an adult, you are also somewhat luckier and start with one extra benny.
Gear:
•Pocket Knife: Str+d4 damage. You’re really not supposed to have one at school, but it’s yours, and you certainly weren’t going to let anyone take it away from you.
•Food: You’ve got a bunch of candy bars in your pocket and some beef jerky hidden in your coat. It’s enough to keep you fed for a day or so... or maybe you’ll just eat it all when no one’s looking. Sharing it doesn’t even really occur to you.
•Pocket cash: $50. You’ve been stealing from your mom’s purse.
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.
Playground of the Damned: Characters, Part 5
Today's somewhat belated entry is Steve Hicks, the poor kid, and his buddy Rufus.
Steve Hicks, poor kid
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d6, Strength d4, Vigor d8
Skills: Climbing d6, Fighting d6, Guts d6, Notice d6, Survival d4, Tracking d4
Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 6
Edges:
•Beast Friend: You’re good with animals, possibly because your family has a lot of dogs. Animals won’t willingly attack you, and if you can get off school grounds, your dog is waiting for you nearby. Rufus will be a big help in tough spots.
•Nerves of Steel: You’ve been spanked more than the other kids, so you’re good at not minding so much when it hurts. You ignore 1 point of Wound penalties.
Hindrances:
•Loyal: Being poor has taught you the value of staying true to your friends and sticking up for them. You’d die (well, maybe get hurt a lot) before betraying your classmates, and you never leave someone behind if there’s any chance of survival at all.
•Poverty: Your family is poor and you don’t have much in the way of possessions because of it. You start play with less equipment than the other kids and no pocket cash.
•Young: You are only 10 years old. While you have lower attributes and less skills than an adult, you are also somewhat luckier and start with one extra benny.
Gear:
•Pocket lint and not much else.
•Rufus: If you can get off school grounds, Rufus is always waiting for you just around the corner. He’s a big, dumb mutt, but he’s loyal and he’s willing to fight for you.
Rufus, the dog
If the kids manage to get off school grounds, Rufus is waiting to join up with Steve. Rufus is intensely loyal to Steve and obeys his commands without question, even to the point of dying for his master. He’s not perfect, though, and he might spook if thrown into too many bad situations—-afterwards, he’ll come crawling back... if anyone’s alive, that is.
Unlike his master, Rufus is an extra, not a Wild Card, so he does not get the benefit of the Wild Die and has only 1 Wound.
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6 (A), Spirit d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d6, Notice d10
Pace: 8; Parry: 5; Toughness: 4
Special Abilities:
•Bite: Str+d4 damage.
•Fleet Footed: Rufus rolls a d10 when running instead of a d6.
•Go for the Throat: Dogs instinctively go for an opponent’s soft spots. With a raise on his attack roll, Rufus hits his target’s most weakly-armored location (in addition to dealing +d6 damage).
•Size –1: Dogs are smaller than kids, even a big dog like Rufus.
Steve Hicks, poor kid
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit d6, Strength d4, Vigor d8
Skills: Climbing d6, Fighting d6, Guts d6, Notice d6, Survival d4, Tracking d4
Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 6
Edges:
•Beast Friend: You’re good with animals, possibly because your family has a lot of dogs. Animals won’t willingly attack you, and if you can get off school grounds, your dog is waiting for you nearby. Rufus will be a big help in tough spots.
•Nerves of Steel: You’ve been spanked more than the other kids, so you’re good at not minding so much when it hurts. You ignore 1 point of Wound penalties.
Hindrances:
•Loyal: Being poor has taught you the value of staying true to your friends and sticking up for them. You’d die (well, maybe get hurt a lot) before betraying your classmates, and you never leave someone behind if there’s any chance of survival at all.
•Poverty: Your family is poor and you don’t have much in the way of possessions because of it. You start play with less equipment than the other kids and no pocket cash.
•Young: You are only 10 years old. While you have lower attributes and less skills than an adult, you are also somewhat luckier and start with one extra benny.
Gear:
•Pocket lint and not much else.
•Rufus: If you can get off school grounds, Rufus is always waiting for you just around the corner. He’s a big, dumb mutt, but he’s loyal and he’s willing to fight for you.
Rufus, the dog
If the kids manage to get off school grounds, Rufus is waiting to join up with Steve. Rufus is intensely loyal to Steve and obeys his commands without question, even to the point of dying for his master. He’s not perfect, though, and he might spook if thrown into too many bad situations—-afterwards, he’ll come crawling back... if anyone’s alive, that is.
Unlike his master, Rufus is an extra, not a Wild Card, so he does not get the benefit of the Wild Die and has only 1 Wound.
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6 (A), Spirit d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d6, Notice d10
Pace: 8; Parry: 5; Toughness: 4
Special Abilities:
•Bite: Str+d4 damage.
•Fleet Footed: Rufus rolls a d10 when running instead of a d6.
•Go for the Throat: Dogs instinctively go for an opponent’s soft spots. With a raise on his attack roll, Rufus hits his target’s most weakly-armored location (in addition to dealing +d6 damage).
•Size –1: Dogs are smaller than kids, even a big dog like Rufus.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Playground of the Damned: Characters, Part 4
Today is a historic day, the inauguration of Barack Obama. I wanted to say something pithy and clever, but instead I'll just note the occasion and keep up my regular posting. This installment is about the prettiest girl in class, Ruthie Marcus.
Ruthie Marcus, prettiest girl in class
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d4, Spirit d6, Strength d4, Vigor d6
Skills: Knowledge (Pop Culture) d4, Notice d6, Persuasion d6, Shooting d6, Stealth d6, Taunt d4
Pace: 6; Parry: 2; Toughness: 6 (1 from armor)
Edges:
•Attractive: You’re the prettiest girl in class, and if you live through this nightmare, you might grow up to be downright beautiful. You have +2 Charisma (which affects Persuasion and Streetwise rolls).
•Marksman: If you don’t move during a round in which you make a Shooting roll, you add +2 to the attack roll.
Hindrances:
•Big Mouth: You tend to shoot your mouth off at just the wrong time, to just the wrong person. When there’s an opportunity to spill your guts about anything, you take it. You also tend to tell people (even your friends) just what you think of them.
•Gutless: You’re a big old fraidy-cat. You suffer a –2 penalty on Guts rolls.
•Young: You are only 10 years old. While you have lower attributes and less skills than an adult, you are also somewhat luckier and start with one extra benny.
Gear:
•Slingshot: 2d4 damage, Range 3/6/12. You carry this around in your purse, since you’re a little ashamed of having it… but you’re a crack shot. You have plenty of rocks for it too.
•Heavy Pink Jacket: +1 Armor.
•Purse: Every real girl has a purse.
•Makeup Kit: Mirror, powder, lipstick—check.
•Pocket cash: $30.
Ruthie Marcus, prettiest girl in class
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d4, Spirit d6, Strength d4, Vigor d6
Skills: Knowledge (Pop Culture) d4, Notice d6, Persuasion d6, Shooting d6, Stealth d6, Taunt d4
Pace: 6; Parry: 2; Toughness: 6 (1 from armor)
Edges:
•Attractive: You’re the prettiest girl in class, and if you live through this nightmare, you might grow up to be downright beautiful. You have +2 Charisma (which affects Persuasion and Streetwise rolls).
•Marksman: If you don’t move during a round in which you make a Shooting roll, you add +2 to the attack roll.
Hindrances:
•Big Mouth: You tend to shoot your mouth off at just the wrong time, to just the wrong person. When there’s an opportunity to spill your guts about anything, you take it. You also tend to tell people (even your friends) just what you think of them.
•Gutless: You’re a big old fraidy-cat. You suffer a –2 penalty on Guts rolls.
•Young: You are only 10 years old. While you have lower attributes and less skills than an adult, you are also somewhat luckier and start with one extra benny.
Gear:
•Slingshot: 2d4 damage, Range 3/6/12. You carry this around in your purse, since you’re a little ashamed of having it… but you’re a crack shot. You have plenty of rocks for it too.
•Heavy Pink Jacket: +1 Armor.
•Purse: Every real girl has a purse.
•Makeup Kit: Mirror, powder, lipstick—check.
•Pocket cash: $30.
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