spinningdice's page

Been a while since I looked at SAGA, took a bit of reading to remember how it works...
Hopefully this is all okay? Maybe too much skill cross with Guillermo? If so let me know and I'll redo as something else.

Played a game like this back in the early days of d20 star wars (I remember us debating whether to use that or d6!), Imperial Agents, IIRC we were investigating the terrorist destruction of the Prototype Star-Class Space Station.

It's been a while since I've done any PbP but I'd be up for either the Slicer or Medic role.

I'll dig out my Saga rules and work something out.

Any of you Paizoites playing Pinnacle's Rippers facebook app? It's kinda fun, and the more allies the better.

I'm on it, but only intermittantly.

1st Draft below, I've probably done something wrong, but it's the basic skeleton of it.

Just a vague idea for a character at the moment, I'll get something down statwise soon.

Tlerixxial
Morpendine Tlaxu
A High Caste Morpendine Tlaxu, once belonged to a warrior society. His disgust at the decadence of the Morpendine forced him to leave, but his lack of understanding of other cultures and his arrogance caused him to end up... here.
Barbarian - though presuming we level up at some point going to dip into the racial levels then probably swing between fighter/barbarian/ranger as seems apropriate.

Apologies if I've missed any like this previously, I've skimmed through a lot of the entries.

405: Everyone sees you as the person they most hate, viewed by True Seeing or similar effects you appear featureless. NB: You do not know how others see you

406: Everyone sees you as the person they most desire, viewed by True Seeing or similar effects you appear featureless. NB: You do not know how others see you

407: You are constantly pregnant, even without mating, at least once a day you will give birth to d3 children who are also Tieflings

408: You do not need to drink, but water avoids all contact with you, never coming within an inch of any part of you.

409: Your hands always appear bloodstained

410: Anyone looking deeply into your eyes sees an opposite of themselves reflected

Is my conact within range of our current landing site?

Those rules seem well considered. Definely the 5d10 x2 (or there abouts) of the laser cannons would pretty much instakill a lot of characters, not to mention mook NPCs. Maybe it would be fun for a little while, but it would have too many unintended consequences.

Okay, time to compose a game post.

Did my best to stay away from the computer & spent time with the kids all weekend.

I think massive damage shouldn't be that much of a problem, the primary places you'd be using it would be starports/docking bays and they're going to start charging compensation for blasting up their property, assuming they don't just sic the law on you.

In a docking bay is even worse, as you might accidentally blow out something that runs those nice wierd force fieldy things that keep the atmosphere in. Even if you're all in a ship, I can't imagine it's going to do you much good being suddenly sucked out into space.

spinningdice wrote:

How do people tend to use the cards? Do you treat them as 1-use and write the abilities on the back, do you sleave them and write on the sleave or do you sleave them and put a seperate notecard in the back with the abilities?

I'm just curious... I've been tempted, but they are just a tad too expensive to bother with if you only use each one once...(maybe)

I personally have my players use a number 4 pencil on the back and then erase all the cards at the end of the campaign. A bunch of folks buy some of the inexpensive card sleeves like these and use sharpy on the back, then discard the sleeve. At $0.63 for a bag of 100 sleeves, that is a pretty cheap alternative.

-Lisa

That seems fairly worthwhile, especially as I already have sleeves & already have sharpies.

How do people tend to use the cards? Do you treat them as 1-use and write the abilities on the back, do you sleave them and write on the sleave or do you sleave them and put a seperate notecard in the back with the abilities?
I'm just curious... I've been tempted, but they are just a tad too expensive to bother with if you only use each one once...(maybe)

I'm not familiar with Northern Crown, But I'd be happy to play IK under whatever ruleset.

As noted before though I've DM'd Witchfire before (though a while back). If I recall correctly there's not really much emphasis on the 'Jacks in Witchfire.

Actually, I think I'm bowing out of this one.

Just out of curiosity.

I've played a few single session adventures in the original d20 system. I've not seen the new version.

Well at the moment I think it's just my noble, a pilot and a fighter (to put things in the broadest possible terms).
I'm not sure on the actual rules make-up of the other two as I prefer not to look unless I'm directed to, but if you really want to fill a role, I'd say either Tech-Specialist or Scout-Survivalist?

Looks like I've missed this, but just in case...

Jero Weatherwatch
Male Halfling Sorceror (Undead Bloodline)
Jero was born to an adventuring couple who came into contact with a cadre of wraiths while (unbenownst to them) Lelai was pregnant with him.
The mark of death touched him in the womb and he was born weak and feeble with a deathly pallor.
His parents tried to raise him well, but he felt an odd kinship with the dead-that-walks and currently treads a treads a narrow line between the goodness in the way he was raised and the darkness he can always feel calling to him.

I'm not terribly familiar with True 20 (though I do have the rules - I think they were offered free on a Free RPG day or other special event one year).
I'd love to play Witchfire, though I have run it for 2 separate groups (though I'm happy to play dumb and see how things unfold).

I understand it's something of a Memorial weekend or something? (I'm not a U.S.A. resident), do we have a go on this, I'm kinda wondering how we make a character, since DH varies from "everything random" to random stats and Imperial Divination and everything else player choice.
Plus the campaign looks to be somewhat out of the box anyway.

Well, looks like you've already got 4, but in case someone drops, or whatever I'd be interested.
Quite fancy a Half-Elf Bard, though I'm easily flexible.

Human Barbarian

Groovy, fancy playing a tech, but I'd like to see what notes for gen you put up first.

A shame it works out as playing until 5:00 in the morning more for me...

If I were to run it, as noted before I would be running the 'Purge the Unclean' which is a very mixed set of adventures, but I'd say on the whole it's investigative with frequent action scenes.

But as said, I'd prefer playing to GMing.

Go on then, I'm not sure I quite understand how this is going to work but I'm game, probably a Human Barbarian? I'll work something out on numbers this evening.

I'd be into it, preferably as a player, but I suppose I could be convinced to GM.
I don't have too much time for prep work though, so I'd probably run through the semi-campaign from the mission in the core book/purge the unclean (adapted a bit).

spinningdice/Maeris(Laris): We could maybe have met during my character's battle to become sober. Maybe I helped you fight off some thugs before passing out from the pain of my withdrawal. What do you think?

I've not looked behind your spoiler or at your stats page (I'd rather not, I'm assuming you'll let me know what I should know about your character), but I'm assuming your good in a fight from that little tidbit...

To add to your story...
Laris was laying low in Rhudor, trying to get her bearings. Perhaps the Gammoreans that attacked her were after a Hutt bounty, perhaps they were simply enticed by this woman wearing clothes a bit too well tailored and a little much jewellery, but talking her way out of the situation wasn't working. She was just about to draw her blade, though feeling outclassed, when a mysterious stranger burst out of the shadows - dropping the thugs in a quick shower of blaster fire.

Her mysterious hero then collapsed in aheap and started to snore... Laris decided the least she could do was drag him back to her room while he recovered...

To be honest, I'm not that fussed about what ship we're on, it's just that every star wars game I've ever played has has a player YT-series, and I was trying to break the mould, but then in a lot of ways they're ships made for a adventuring team... so on reflection I'd be quite fine with one of them.

I'm not sure about ship acquisition, it doesn't want to be tied to Laris in any obvious way.

I too am worrying about the lack of other player interest in this. I wonder if it's just the length of the thread that's putting people off?

For a complete new campaign idea, I think Star Wars games have always been best either as Rebellion or the Scum and Villainy concept like this one. I'm not sure I'd do anything different.
KOTOR era has always seemed popular in my group, but I'm not sure how that translates and I've never managed to pick up the KOTOR RPG book (not sure if that's relevant or not?)

Laris runs because she doesn't know what else to do, without putting too fine a point on it, she's somewhat self absorbed and thinks that she's important enough to be hunted whether she is or not.

Her current goals are to return and secure her homeworld, but she's no clear idea on how to go about it, for now she's aware that money = power and until she can work out a better solution, hence her alternate identity as a merchant.

Maeris Gaille is sketchy at best, Laris presumed that many records would be lost in the disaster on Gaulus, and has worked out the Maeris' holdings were heavily contaminated, leaving her with ship she's on-board, and a small amount of credits.

I'm happy to discuss ships, a frieghter would make sense to go with her cover story, though I'm still more than open for someone else to take a Captain role and Laris to just be a hanger on.
Just because every Star Wars game I've played in we've had a YT-series or derivative I was trying to mix things up a bit. How about a Gymnsnor-3 Frieghter (SW:Scum & Villany, Floorplan v.1 or floorplan v.2)?

I'm not of the opinion that to be strong you need be a bodybuilder, I Laris is being strong and fit but not covered in rippling muscle mass.
I don't know how much you looked at the sheet, but I've given her an interest in duelling and her only treasued possession of a family crested vibro-blade. I'm tempted to drop the skill focus and give her another combat feat - but can't really decide eitehr way.

Given her new stat range I find myself once more frustrated by class skills (which I feel SWSaga should have dropped, given the higher difficulty of cross-classing) as I'd have been sorely tempted to pick up some physical skills otherwise to play on her Strength.

She's female because it added this extra maginality to her claim to any actual power (Starwars is probably all equality of gender anyway but whatever), that's probably less important now, but she's cemented herself in my mind as a girl, I don't see higher strength as a particularly necessity to change that.

Regarding a Ship (presuming I'm captain unless/until someone else steps in), I don't know what you'll let me get away with but I think it would be in character to have a small, light personal transport, not really designed for more than the pilot/copilot. Laris wasn't really thinking when she picked up the ship and was going in terms of getting herself away rather than taking on future crew.
From an if I was Gamesmaster point of view, it's nice to play up on tensions further by limiting people's living space.

I'm not at home at the moment, but I've got the starships book and I'll take a look at it and post some suggestions. I'm not sure how PM's work on this board, I can't see any option to use them?

Doh, looks like you've got your three. I'm just a little too slow of the mark to get a character together.

Huh, I hadn't noticed the rest of the quote, I started reading then hit reply to answer as I was reading and got confused when it cut off, I didn't think to go back and read the original post.

That said there's not much to comment on the rest, it seems pretty interesting and in-line with what I'd like to do.

Of course I've not even looked at putting some numbers on paper yet...

Comments on your comments inside spoiler below (my comments in bold):

spinningdice wrote:

Laris D'Vagne

Human Noble
From the Calder system (or insert Hutt controlled planet here)...

Okay, commentary & questions to follow.

I'd use PMs, but I would rather keep it in thread to keep it in one place, so I'll use Spoiler tags instead & trust the other players to keep out (for their own enjoyment, of course. All things will be revealed in time).

Spoiler:

I generally like the idea. I like the idea of being hunted by the Hutts (in our case, the Illustrious Foofa & her organization), and wholeheartedly support that.

This makes the "Captain" role somewhat problematic unless your character is good at Deception & has an alter ego - something which may be necessary if your character carries a price on her head. However, the back story for this character might be a good way to drive the rest of the group's motivations.

Anyway, you may have to develop an alter ego for your character.

As for why your character is hunted... I like the idea of the planet being in the crosshairs of the Hutts. I'd like to make it more dynamic, though, and to give your character more antagonists to deal with. More courtly intrigue, and all that.

That's all good, I don't like to press my ideas too firmly when creating a character, but I'm happy to run with the DM

How about this (and these are just suggestions that I have, and not anything that is set in stone. I've just read enough courtly dramas lately to have a couple ideas)...
1. Moving Calder from Hutt space (the Fesser subsector) to Hutt expansionary space within the Goffle subsector (the game's starting environment).
That makes more sense, I wasn't viewing the planet as under overt Hutt control, which it would be in Hutt space.

2. Calder has a traditionalist & patriarchical society. Your character is already somewhat of a "black sheep" due to her independent streak.
Okay

3. Your character is the eldest daughter of three daughters. With no male heir, this presents a succession issue for the royal family... which drives some of the subplots.
I can adjust to that - as noted above, I wanted to leave the option for yourself to ignore my own plotlines if you wished

4. The Hutts want more dominance over Calder, and the King has so far opposed this.
Agreed, but I think the current ruler is a tight position as he's not got the resources to oppose the Hutt if they decide to really push.

With me so far? The goal is to set up as many potential problems & issues as possible here :)

Next...
5. Your character inherits the...

As a possible alternate ID, I'll suggest Maeris Gaille, a refugee from the accident on Gaulus, a supposed well-off trader who's lost nearly everything when the planet became near-inhospitable.

Do you require experience? I've got the 4E books, but never actually used them (other than a couple of 'test characters').

If you're open to a 4E noob, and requiring 3 characters I imagine there's some openings. I'd quite like to rehash a 3.5 character I played for a while.

Quentin Stoutheart
Male Halfling Paladin
Quentin felt called at a young age, and always stood up for his beliefs, despite the hardships of his race and being a 'gutter halfling', from a family of petty criminals he rose above it, despite being pushed harder by his instructors who didn't think he could hack it, he rose above it and now he is an ordained Paladin of Bahamut.
Drawn to the Nantir vale by rumours of an artefact of St. Woodthorne, one of the few halfling paladins known to the order, lost beneath Gardmore Abbey, Quentin is always willing to divert from his own tasks to assist those in greater need.

Don't know if there's free spaces, reading back at this stage seems to indicate there is?

Laris D'Vagne
Human Noble
From the Calder system (or insert Hutt controlled planet here) Laris is the seventh child of the ruling family there, unfortunately the planet is strongly under Hutt dominion, who for whatever reason allow the human nobility to rule though their power is purely subject to the whims of the Hutt.
Laris' chance of succession would be quite high, since family members displeasing the Hutt tend to meet with frequent accidents (often barely plausible ones...), Laris however wants more than this and after years trying to work the system has finally gone too far and has fled the system to escape Hutt justice.
Laris has retreated into herself somewhat, currently trying to get by while she works out how to make the Hutt pay for her life as a long balancing act. She has a fairly low morality, she tells herself that she wants to rule to make the lot of the people better, but in truth she's nearly as cold as the Hutt.

I've not statted out yet, but Laris is intended to be knowledge/talky person, though at campaign start less talky than she should be. She's now sure how far the Hutt are hunting her, or even if they care, she's not exactly much of a threat at this stage.

XP Costs have always been an oddity.
In home games they basically require the game to compensate, either with additional xp (which is not the default in D&D3 - in that you are supposed to give Xp by average party level), or adjust adventures for having a lower-level spellcaster.
In organized games (Living whatever - or any game you bring a character to a group you don't know) it becomes meaningless, you just play with a group at your level anyway.

I'm happy it's been removed. I give out little gold and find it more compelling that a party will go out and make it's own stuff than buying it at ye olde magick shoppe.

As to those who like applying the theory of NPC's spending all day making magic items, you have to ask who are they and why are they doing it.
You spend years studying magic to then make scrolls every day - and who do you sell them to, do they just gather dust on the shelf until another wizard comes along who may not be able to craft one or two of them himself?

Of course maybe they're higher level and make stuff other than scrolls - wait a minute, to become higher level you have to be an adventuring mage, which fills up a lot of time, and you then want to make the items for yourself (as adventuring earns a lot more money than pretty much anything else) to make you better at raiding ancient crypts.

What I did in 3/.5 was give 1 additional skill point which ignored class skills.

The theory behind it being that learning the favored class was easier for you, giving you more time to spend on other pursuits.