OOC discussion can take place here. Please post as your character alias in this folder.
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Hp level 2 4( Half/rounded Up)
Wealth
Backpack -1 = 9
GPS Receiver -1 = 8
Notebook vs Wealth 8 = = Wealth level
I would like to know if
Bear Repellant spray and a roll mat are below Wealth level 10?
Also Water purification tablets and Vitamin tablets?
I would think Bear Repellent and bed roll would be below 10.
Yuck! Water purification tablets!
OK looking good so far. Wanted to draw everyone's attention to the campaign information page as there is important information there. It will continue to update. I may post things in there under GM Only spoiler tags you're on the honor system not to open and this will allow me a location to save important data so it is easily accessible anywhere. In short check the campaign information page you all get a FREE homerule feat. In return I ask that you explain what in your characters history prepared him/her for that specific test of the ZPOC.
No one is really prepared for something like that.
But why will Richard survive? Richard is highly motivated to return home to his fiance.
He is very structured and extremly well-educated, but no couch-potato. He might not pack a major weapon but neither did Walter White or MacGyver. And with intelligence, creativity he can pull his weight.
But more than that. He is a pharmacist, wich means he can and will aid in survival by treating wounds and finding and creating drugs.
He is at least trained in medicine, and has all important knowledge skills covered.
Helikon, did you choose a feat from Iron Stomach, Jumpy, and Unshakeable?
For example, Marcus will have Jumpy because he took a few Krav Maga classes making him jumpy to escape from a grapple but not enough to take the fight to (Combat Martial Arts) or from (Defensive Martial Arts) the living or the dead. In addition, he knows a grapple may equal a trip to zombiehood or worse, human sushi and it frankly scares the heck out of him.
Iron Stomach - my character grew up on a farm and I worked in a slaughter house.
Unshakeable - when I was a kid, I was into horror and Hollywood is always more scary than real life. Right?!
@GM
In the case of Full Tactical Armor and Leather Armor, do those armors add to reflex save vs grapple since there is little to no biting area in full armor? Also, would a gas mask add to the Iron Stomach roll.
He took unshakeable. His grandparents were Holocaust survivors from Dachau and he heard stories to make other people blanch very often from his grandparents.
@GMIn the case of Full Tactical Armor and Leather Armor, do those armors add to reflex save vs grapple since there is little to no biting area in full armor? Also, would a gas mask add to the Iron Stomach roll.
1st off right idea for what I was asking for-an explanation for the bonus feat.
2nd Armor would not provide a defensive bonus against a grapple check. It is just as easy to grab a guy wearing armor as one without it.
The initial grapple check is melee touch attack but armor will come into play if the zombie tries to bite on additional opposed grapple checks. What follows is an example of the posting I would expect.
3rd Gas mask MIGHT provide a bonus for smell based Overwhelming Gore checks.
Grarhhh! The zombie stammered as the smell of John's sweat enticed it's rotting nostrils. It lunged out from behind the Hallway corner and attempted to grab a hold of John's shirt.
Yikes! shrieked John as he swung wildly with his baseball bat at the zombie that lunged towards him.
The zombie grabbed John tightly and raked his claws across John's face leaving a nasty gash.
In a frantic panic John Doe realized that his baseball bat is useless with the zombie this close. He tried to push himself free from the terrify walking corpse.
John frantic tried to escape the zombies clutches but was unsuccessful.
With John fully in his clutches the zombie threw its head back before diving in to bite John's neck just above the undercover shirt John was wearing. John screams as he realizes the fate before him in only a matter of a few hours.
Nom Nom Nom ... John The Human Sushi
Just realized that it wasn't exactly spelled out the Zombie Bite Attack was versus the Flat-footed defense of John as Grappled players don't get their Dex bonus to Defense but having armor does make it harder to bite. If you're walking around in that Plate Armor you got from a historical museum and took the feat Archaic Armor Proficiency well the zombie may have a very hard time biting you but with all the clanking they may come in droves and it will still be very easy to grab you. You might just be dragged under by a horde of them so there is a trade off.
Here's what I got so far, but still a bit lost on wealth rolls and equipment. Need to re-read explanations.
I believe everyone knows there are two ways to Oppose a Grapple. #1 you can roll an attack roll like John Doe Now Zombie did for a free action. #2 make an Escape Artist (can be used untrained) roll as a standard action.
@Inx
1. What is your occupation?
2. Do you plan to place 1 or more ranks into profession before level 2?
3. Do you plan on taking the Windfall Feat at level 1?
@ Marcus
1. I'm a blue collar (mechanic) +2 wealth.
2. I have 4 ranks in profession.
3. I did not take windfall as it didn't' make sense for my character.
Ok, so your bonuses are +3 ...
Take that value (8) to be your 1st level wealth.
Do you plan to place more ranks in Profession at 2nd? If so, add it to your roll and it becomes a +5 bonuses (I am assuming you are in the following roll);
Now
Note: The DC is your 1st level wealth.
Ok I just rolled a 16, I now add a +1 for the success and another +1 per 5 over which in this case is it is only (1) 5 over for a total of +2
My old wealth now becomes +10.
All items in the Equipment that are 10 (or your official Wealth Bonus) or lower, are free but watch the weight vs Carrying Capacity.
Next make a list of of everything over 10 or your official wealth bonus.
Marcus has got it covered pretty well. You can choose to use his 2d4 roll or make your own. You can then also choose his d20 roll for 2nd Level Wealth Generation or make your own. Then anything under your wealth level and under DC15 is free.
List the few items above dc15 or your wealth level and Marcus or I can help you through buying them.
Thanks for fielding Marcus.
I believe everyone knows there are two ways to Oppose a Grapple. #1 you can roll an attack roll like John Doe Now Zombie did for a free action. #2 make an Escape Artist (can be used untrained) roll as a standard action.
Point of clarification the Escape Artist check is a possible substitution for only certain opposed grapple checks. A grappled character can use this skill check instead of a grapple check to escape from a hold or a pin. A character can not use this skill during the first opposed grapple check to determine if the character is held or not. Should be noted that the skill is affected by Armor Penalty.
A character can make an Escape Artist check opposed by his or her opponent’s grapple check to get out of a grapple or out of a pinned condition (so that the character is just being grappled). Doing so is an attack action, so if the character escapes the grapple he or she can move in the same round.
Untrained this is basically a dexterity check instead of the strength based grapple check and may be useful if you have more Dex than Str.
Also useful in case you want to throw some ranks in Escape Artist. There are lots of skills and feats that are particularly useful with the way I am running this game.Extremely Useful Feats to consider taking.
Cleave-Free melee attack after defeating an opponent.
Combat Reflexes- Allows more AOOs dependent on your Dex score. Useful when multiple zombies attempt to grapple you or your mates.
Combat Throw-+2 on opposed Strength and Dexterity checks to trip or grapple attacks
Nimble-+2 to Escape Artist checks.
Not so obvious skills that will be useful.
Craft (anything really)
Escape Artist
Search (important as primary resource gathering method is scavenging buildings)
Ok, I am confused when the Jumpy Campaign Feat would be used?
Thanks for the Feat and Skill suggestions, I did plan to take some of those and I did take some Crafting Skills and what I consider the most important such as Mechanical, Electronic, and Structural. I wanted to take more but ran out of Character building resources ... lol
You can't fill every gap with one character that's why there are more than one. ;)
So the Jumpy Campaign Feat would be used when I spring a zombie trap on the party. Calling these zombie traps a Gotcha Check.
These would function similar to a trap. If undetected and you set off you would get a Reflex save to avoid condition. Jumpy adds a bonus to that Reflex save. Condition is on failure Zombie is already at the holding stage of grappling the person with the lowest result. (This skips both the zombies initial touch attack for grabbing and the prompting of AOOs) Then roll for initiative and combat begins. So not every zombie encounter will involve a Gotcha Check but they can happen and will usually be a result of a failed passive detection roll done by me. I will roll using everyone's spot and/or listen checks as this will be a passive test and if everyone present fails the DC then the test will happen.
Is Jumpy Campaign Feat use clearer? Further questions?
Some questions for the players:
How would you feel about me doing the Reflex saves for the Gotcha Tests?
This could prevent posting from getting bogged down by one person being unable to post.
How do you feel about me rolling initiative for the same reason?
Be honest with the above I am flexible with these but I play in a game where the GM rolls initiative and things flow smoothly.
Ok, I understand now. Are the rest of these "Campaign Feats" available afterwards?
As for the suggestions, either way. I have games I am in where the GM rolls and vice versa. As long as we get to do some rolling ... lol
Whilst I agree that GMs rolling initiative checks helps to make the game run more smoothly (and use that mechanic in the games that I run), I am leery about the GM rolling saving throws - I like having the illusion of responsibility for the fate of my PC :-)
... I am leery about the GM rolling saving throws - I like having the illusion of responsibility for the fate of my PC :-)
LOL, I used to feel that way. I guess it also keeps one from thinking the GM is picking on them too?
Ok, I understand now. Are the rest of these "Campaign Feats" available afterwards?
The other Campaign Feats can be attained after character generation. They are basically a narrow usage of the already in existence Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, and whatever the Fortitude save boost is can't recall at present.
Looks like we have 4 characters posted in here.
Geoffrey Whittaker(Dedicated2)- played by Luke_Perry
Marcus Magnum(Smart2)- Played by Anderlorn
Richard Sauerbruch(Smart2)- Played by Helikon
Edward Harrison(Tough2)- Played by inxplitter
Other interested players:
Douglas Henry(Smart)- Played by Raltus finishing equipments.
Unnamed IT college student-put forth by Zayne Iwatani
Good news is we have at least 4 and I think 5 or 6 shortly. How much time do you all need to finalize your character?
I have enough info I believe to finish up tonight, tomorrow at the latest. I am also going to chance from Jumpy to Unshakeable. Being totally unable to react would really really suck!
To tell you the truth, I'm having some second thoughts. As much as Iove the scenario, with the complexity of the rolls from the scenario provided, and people talking about military weapons and park laws and all that, its getting a bit overwhelming...
It is unrealistic to think that no US citizen will have true military weapons or perceived military weapons in the Zombie Apocalypse. And Marcus would not have a true assault rifle if the Semi-Automatic version was available. If people want me to tone it down to Semi-Auto, it wouldn't bother me but I ask to remove one wealth reduction because Semi-Auto rifles are not restricted nor require a license in most states especially where Marcus is from and in Minnesota. Also, dealing with laws will be a fact until the collapse of government and that has not yet happened. You will have to obey the laws before the collapse of government or either end up shot or end up in a death cell where you will starve to death once the government collapses unless your jailers were nice enough to free you which I am guessing most will not. After all, there may not be a Randall Flag to rescue you.
It doesn't hurt for all of us to have our specialties meaning I am the only one with a rifle, someone else can have a crossbow, another a pistol, another one's hands are a registered deadly weapon, one is a skill monkey galore, and another the 10% free loader. But if the GM and everyone else wants to unrealistically strip me, fine, I will do that just so we have a game. I have most of the skills to survive. Like the GM stated, you can't be 100% ready for everything.
To tell you the truth, I'm having some second thoughts. As much as Iove the scenario, with the complexity of the rolls from the scenario provided, and people talking about military weapons and park laws and all that, its getting a bit overwhelming...
Edwin if its the rolls complexity that deters you I think it would be a system that you will get used to. Here's why I am doing it this way.
1. I want the aspect of Zombie Bites transferring the zombie virus.
2. I want the virus to eventually kill the host and make them into a zombie.
3. I want you all to have a better chance of survival.
4. I want some realism.
5. I want tension in the game when you get grabbed by a zombie.
If it is more that another character is bringing along an assault rifle on a canoe trip while I see that as being an excellent focus for some role playing between characters.
Either way let me know of your intent I plan on starting the gameplay over the weekend if we have 4 or more interested players ready.
It's not that I don't enjoy hyper-realism, and I do understand now that you explain the roll choices.
I think the only thing I have left is inventory, and....how do I say this....Edwin is a simple man. I imagine he has his work tools in the trunk of his car, and a single duffle with some very minor camping supplies. Imagine the exact opposite of Anderlorn.
Is that acceptable? I think considering all the possible things I could put down as equipment was a bit overwhelming, so I'm using my character as an excuse to not overthink it. I will take the bare minimum for a curmudgeonly old man.
If that's acceptable, I think I'm ready.
I think Edwin would own a backpack, a few extra clothes and shoes and maybe an old camera or binocular for birdwatching or such. And his trusty multitool. Like a swiss army knife. Nothing more and be content.
I really like your approach.
There is some catching up to do I see.
It's not that I don't enjoy hyper-realism, and I do understand now that you explain the roll choices.
I think the only thing I have left is inventory, and....how do I say this....Edwin is a simple man. I imagine he has his work tools in the trunk of his car, and a single duffle with some very minor camping supplies. Imagine the exact opposite of Anderlorn.
Is that acceptable? I think considering all the possible things I could put down as equipment was a bit overwhelming, so I'm using my character as an excuse to not overthink it. I will take the bare minimum for a curmudgeonly old man.
If that's acceptable, I think I'm ready.
Yeah and maybe his mechanic kit in the trunk of his car left in the parking lot.
There will be items found and built by others. Maybe you would have a knife or hatchet. If you end up with a lot of wealth at the start of the game you just lost more to the Zpoc and role play as such.
Big question: are zombies part of pop culture in this fictional world? Is there a Zombie Survival Guide, Dawn of the Dead, Walking Dead? Cause I imagine a real outbreak would go very differently in today's world. Probably have to be the ones from Last of Us to really push us to extinction.
World War Z (leaning more towards the book) is how I see the world becoming if/when ZPOC breaks out.
World War Z only worked because no one knew what they were dealing with. It wasn't widely known until after Yonkers that you had to destroy the head to kill them. Everyone in our country knows their weakness now. It'd end pretty quickly. So the mode of infection or the zombies would need to really change to bring us down. IE Last of Us airborne virus or Left 4 Dead super zombies.
Didn't see that people were posting in here already.
Depending if compact is only 1 WP, not going to go this route, but if it is 2, rolling for a compact mastercraft desert eagle.
Edit: welp, probably can't get that.
World War Z only worked because no one knew what they were dealing with. It wasn't widely known until after Yonkers that you had to destroy the head to kill them. Everyone in our country knows their weakness now. It'd end pretty quickly. So the mode of infection or the zombies would need to really change to bring us down. IE Last of Us airborne virus or Left 4 Dead super zombies.
Exactly but the war would still be closer to WWZ than any other source material that I have read or seen. Even the Zombie Survival Guide is out of date and don't try to use a chain saw. It is more likely someone will injure themselves with it than kill zombies and you will have the extra added bonus of the horde tracking your injured self. Not saying you would use a chain saw, you just equals anyone.
Sorry for the spam, rolling for HP for level 2
Yael, watch the law. We have a LEO ranger with us. It is a misdemeanor to carry conceal in Minnesota on the first offense and a felony on the second without proper licensing/etc. We have to worry about the laws until the stuff really hits the fan in which the LEOs have far more greater things to worry about than citizens arming themselves and hiding their firearms and then the total collapse of Government.
World War Z only worked because no one knew what they were dealing with. It wasn't widely known until after Yonkers that you had to destroy the head to kill them. Everyone in our country knows their weakness now. It'd end pretty quickly. So the mode of infection or the zombies would need to really change to bring us down. IE Last of Us airborne virus or Left 4 Dead super zombies.Exactly but the war would still be closer to WWZ than any other source material that I have read or seen. Even the Zombie Survival Guide is out of date and don't try to use a chain saw. It is more likely someone will injure themselves with it than kill zombies and you will have the extra added bonus of the horde tracking your injured self. Not saying you would use a chain saw, you just equals anyone.
If worst comes to worst, that is undoubtedly the likely progression of events. Was chainsaw suggested in the survival guide? I can't imagine a worse weapon that could actually kill a zombie. Loud, attract more. Messy, blood and infectious material everywhere. Gas, could be used for cooking or transportation. Worst of all, if you miss the head and get stuck, zombies feel no pain and are free to maul you as an AoO with a +2. <- Don't quote me. Made it up.
Yep, it was mentioned. If he rewrote it, I think he would change his content.
Didn't see that people were posting in here already.
Depending if compact is only 1 WP, not going to go this route, but if it is 2, rolling for a compact mastercraft desert eagle.
1d6
Edit: welp, probably can't get that.
Sure I will meet half way on the compact +1 WP but can't be used in grapple.
Not sure what d6 is for here?
Big question: are zombies part of pop culture in this fictional world? Is there a Zombie Survival Guide, Dawn of the Dead, Walking Dead? Cause I imagine a real outbreak would go very differently in today's world. Probably have to be the ones from Last of Us to really push us to extinction.
Game world is real world 2025. Things go in cycles so Pop Culture has moved beyond the zombie craze it currently is in and back to aliens and mutants. So the older your character the more likely to remember the early 2010s when Zombies where the craze. But if your character is 20 probably was a little young and more into the current craze. I have my ideas to make it a credible threat.
1. Requires mass exposure at first.2. Highly contagious even during latency period.
3. Longer latency period before the turning event.
These 3 factors I think would still make the Z plague a game changer.