Red Reaver

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127 posts (8,249 including aliases). No reviews. No lists. 1 wishlist. 45 aliases.


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Pace: 6, Parry: 5, Toughness: 7(2)

The other obvious tropes in the room are the Star-Crossed Lover and the Rebelous Child. In either case, she hasn't been kidnapped, but went to the rival for shelter from a: her controlling father, b: so she can be with a boy her father would never approve of.


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So Atlas, I'm presuming there must be a story to the name 'Whiteangel.' At first I thought you must be recycling, but no, I checked, it's new, and you have eight aliases all named Whiteangel?


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ZenFox42 wrote:

So, if this is too much information, just ignore it...

Regarding weapon specialization :

For both a d6 and d8 attack, specialization reduces your chance of hitting a target with Parry 5-7 (remember, in Firefly, you don't wear armor in a sword duel) by about half (as compared to without the -2). But, that still means that a d8 attack against Parry 5 has about a 25% chance of hitting.

Based on Mal's performance in the TV show, that's still too high. If I recall correctly, he didn't get in a single hit in the entire fight (well, he got one minor cut in, but it was implied that the other guy let him get that).

But with the default d4-2 I'm suggesting for Fighting/Swords, you'd have only a 6-12% chance of hitting. I like this better.

Swords:

The challenge with this is it doesn't make any real world sense, it's not really consistent with the show (more on this in a moment), and it inadvertently makes swords an Awesome weapon, since no one else can use it.

I think the real issue here is that Mal is not a trained hand to hand fighter. Never in any of the episodes is he ever shown using any kind of specialized unarmed moves or training, and when he does get in unarmed fights, he just punches guys. He's a brawler.

It is well established however that Atherton Wing is an Awesome duelist. It is implied he is probably the best on Persephone, and it is explicitly stated that he lives for dueling, loves it, and has killed quite a few people in duels. It is pretty much his thing. He's the kind of guy that loves looking for excuses to get into duels because he knows he's good at it, and the intimidation factor of people knowing he's so good is where he draws a lot of his social power and credibility from. Don't give Atherton Wing an excuse for a duel, because if you do, you're as good as dead. This is why Inara tries so hard to convince Mal to run; even if he was a good duelist, Atherton would still kill him, because he's that good. Mal being untrained just makes it that much more obvious.

I think what is happening in the show is that Mal is a guy with a d4 or d6 at best in Fighting (and a d10 or d12 in shooting), and Atherton Wing has a d10 or better in Fighting and a specialization in Swords. I would venture it is the highest skill he has.

With a d6 with a sword, Mal can only hit a parry of 7 (d10 skill, without even accounting for the Block or Improved Block edge Atherton probably has) if his d6 Aces, which already gives you a 16.666%, in the ballpark you were looking for. I don't think any modification is necessary in regards to swords, and making it an independent skill means no character that is not a dedicated duelist will ever stand even a chance in a duel. Instead of making duels an interesting plot and challenge area, it just means getting in one would be suicide, and so it will always be avoided at all costs.

I went back and spoilered it, because I didn't want Atlas to look more polite than me...


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| HP 102/102 | AC 37 (T 24 FF 23 ) | CMD 31 AC 42 (T 24 FF 28)| F +18 | R +16 | W +14 | Init +4 | Per +19 Demon Spawn Tiefling Half-Marilith Bloodrager Eldritch Godling

Hey guys, I'm in Atlantic Canada, and we got hit pretty hard by hurricane Fiona. We've been without power since Friday. I'm at a warming shelter now charging some devices, but still have no power at home. No idea how often I'll be able to get internet, so it is probably best to bot me until further notice.


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| HP 102/102 | AC 37 (T 24 FF 23 ) | CMD 31 AC 42 (T 24 FF 28)| F +18 | R +16 | W +14 | Init +4 | Per +19 Demon Spawn Tiefling Half-Marilith Bloodrager Eldritch Godling

Good to see world still works. You just know any time you launch into a detailed description of something, someone in the group is going to know more about it than you. Oh well, hopefully I got it all right.

As for the demotion, it is how I picture the guild functioning, but not the only model we could use. What I described is how a Chairman of the Board or CEO would work. He's not a king, but he is the default authority;sort of a first among equals. I am open to discussing other opinions, but in a Guild where we are all full members of relatively equal authority, it would appear to make the most sense.


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| HP 102/102 | AC 37 (T 24 FF 23 ) | CMD 31 AC 42 (T 24 FF 28)| F +18 | R +16 | W +14 | Init +4 | Per +19 Demon Spawn Tiefling Half-Marilith Bloodrager Eldritch Godling

"I have to agree with Bob here. As much as Amadea was built as an "Evil" character, it was just a game then. Is it still? This goes beyond the usual depth of just choosing what colour lightsaber we're using. Everything seems completely different now. I don't think we can act on this until we answer a lot of questions. Is this still a simulation? Are the people real and do they even have souls? Even if they core concept of the offer was true, that you could gain administrative powers by one means, it could mean there might be other ways of achieving the same end. Less unsavory means."


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| HP 102/102 | AC 37 (T 24 FF 23 ) | CMD 31 AC 42 (T 24 FF 28)| F +18 | R +16 | W +14 | Init +4 | Per +19 Demon Spawn Tiefling Half-Marilith Bloodrager Eldritch Godling

I like the Marauders and Endless Sky.

I kept reading Deniable Plausibility as Plausible Deniability, which I thought was boring. Deniable Plausibility is a good pun.


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HP 35/35| AC 16 (T 16, FF 10) F +4 | R +5| W +8| Perception +9

My vote is to stick with one larger group. I'm happy with Niketsu as my character, but I feel like I do need more time to discover her motivation. The one reason I might ask for is that if my warder's player is gone for good, that we make him just her traveling companion, and not actually bonded, so she could potentially game a warder in the future.


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HP 35/35| AC 16 (T 16, FF 10) F +4 | R +5| W +8| Perception +9

Think Paizo just ate my posts and I'm too tired to redo it now. Will post in morning.

Niketsu attempts to embrace the source.


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mikeawmids wrote:
Where abouts is 01 throwing his bombs from?

Sorry, I missed this. He is behind whatever cover/Concealment is available, whether the edge of a building, trees, or what have you.


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mikeawmids wrote:

1: You must be Seasoned and have taken the Artificer edge. So 01 should not have it at this time, since everyone is still Novice rank.

He doesn't have it independently, but as a component of the Weird Science edge.

SWADE pg 148 wrote:

Arcane Devices: Weird scientists auto-

matically have the Artificer Edge, which
allows them to create Arcane Devices (see
page 45). Indeed, they must always use
devices for their powers.

It is an exception, as he can't work magic without using the Artificer edge.


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mikeawmids wrote:

I am gonna' say No on Gadgeteer and the Born a Hero rule, as I don't want too great a power discrepancy between new characters and the four players that have already built Novice characters. I'm planning to advance you quickly enough that you'll hit Seasoned soon enough.

In this scenario, if you were crafting mundane alchemical items, like matches, I'd likely ask for Weird Science. I would be wary of using that as a way around the Power restrictions. If you want reliable access to flares, alchemist's fire or smoke bombs, I'd expect you to spend advancement points on new powers; Light, Burst (trapping fire) and Blind. Edges like McGyver and Gadgeteer would enable you to jury rig various one shot items.

That makes perfect sense. On regards to alchemical items, I wasn't thinking of getting access to any extra powers, rather just having access to the mundane alchemical items the Alchemist can normally use. These tend to be very handy, especially at low levels. Some those effects do overlap with powers, but tend to be a lot less powerful. A molotov cocktail is useful, but it is not a Fireball.


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A killer GM with a killer smile.

I have another idea for more of an anti-hero type character that I have played before, and might fit well here. He's a half-orc tiefling barbarian (a tiefling where the mortal parent was an orc instead of a human).

In this setting, I'd build him as a front line fighting type.


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A killer GM with a killer smile.

So, I'm taking the open recruitment call as an indication that I can just make up a character and join in.

Seems like these are the characters and their rough Pathfinder equivalents:

Eoin Andor: Wizard
Moves With Grace: Monk/Ninja
Sanchia Emengar: Rogue/Thief
Sobok: Magus/Gish

As a result, I would think what would serve best would be a cleric or a front line fighter. Since Savage Worlds gives us the ability to blur lines a little bit, I'm thinking of going with something that is Cleric/Paladin-ish, though probably more of just a Cleric with a fighting focus.


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I love SWADE! I'm a player in two of those ganes Zenfox listed, and I'd love to sign up for another. Just like he said, I discovered Savage Worlds a while back, and rarely play anything else anymore.

I'll check to see what is in the party already, and see what I can come up with to complement.


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HP 35/35| AC 16 (T 16, FF 10) F +4 | R +5| W +8| Perception +9
Kunala wrote:
Niketsu Sedai wrote:
Leaning in to her shambayan she says, "Curious that the armswoman did not continue on with us. A shame, really. She seemed like she had an interesting story to tell."
Niketsu was this loud enough others could hear it? Kunala will respond either way, either as part of the conversation, or as wondering what they are whispering about. If it depends on a perception roll, let us know.

She was speaking conversationally to Janus, but not trying to be secretive. Kunala could probably overhear without issue.


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HP 35/35| AC 16 (T 16, FF 10) F +4 | R +5| W +8| Perception +9

Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (12) + 9 = 21

Niketsu meets her warder's eyes for a moment, acknowledging that she saw the man as well, but reacts with only the barest shake of her head to indicate she does not want anything done about him at present.

A young woman, calling her a girl might even be applicable, walks over to the table where the new group is gathering. She is small and slight, looking too young to be in such company alone. Indeed, a man follows closely behind her, though whether her chaperone or bodyguard is not immediately apparent. She is dressed in finely stitched dress of silver and blue, divided for riding. It is of a rugged and serviceable cut, suitable perhaps to a prosperous merchant or lower Nobility, if such were intending to set out on a long journey. Her hair names her an Arafellan, two long braids of black hair hanging past her waist, small bells strung throughout chiming softly as she moves.

Besides her youth, perhaps the most striking feature of her is that she carries a sword in her left hand. Her companion carries his own, and from the familiarity of her grasp, it would seem the blade is hers. It is a long but slight blade, curving within the lacquered scabbard, which glows with a high polish over a lustrous blue. The scabbard cord is wound around her hand in a familiar manner, and instead of a frog or baldrik, she wears a wide belt of silk, wrapped about her waist many times upon itself.

"It is fine to meet you, Lord Kunala. I am Niketsu, of house Jinsai, sister to Lord Nagoyu of Arafel. This is my Shambayan, Janus.

Her voice is light and chiming, not unlike the bells in her hair. Her speech also seems to indicate someone well educated.

"Do you truly have a Ter'Angreal? Every fragment of the age of Legends is a rare and wonderous thing!"

The dips her fingers I to the bowl to see if she can feel the water warming, her senses reaching out to see if she can tell whether the thing actually is a thing of Power, or if this man might be a charlatan.

Knowledge Arcane: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (20) + 10 = 30

"You believe this trove of ter'angreal might lead us to the horn? Each object of power is a treasure, to be sure, but what makes you think something as well known as the horn might be among them? People have quested for it for millenia, surely if anyone had seen it, it would become known..."


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Wounds 0 | Bennies 3/3 | Parry: 13; RATN: 10; Tough: 18(8) | Notice: d8, Psionics d12+1 | 30/14 ISP | Active Conditions: Malliferan Bee Man Psi-Warrior

Alias is nearly ready.

I am thinking of an actual backup character for my sidekick; a guy in the van type. Thinking of either a Techno-Wizard, who brings the added benefit of enchanting some of our gear for us (if we get enough money). Other idea was a Pilot-Borg, custom made to pilot a shuttle. Both ideas have advantages. A shuttle makes us extra mobile, a TW keeps us nicely supplied. Either way, I'll get him a vehicle via the Wealthy edge.

Anyone have a preference? I'm thinking this character will be mostly background, not going into most fights, waiting backup in the vehicle to drive us around, or run in to help out, help us withdraw, or pull our unconscious bodies out of the fire should we need it.


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A killer GM with a killer smile.

Then go with the simple approach. Nothing that is not in the book (for now). Rules questions need go to the PEG forum.

This needs to be fun for you, or you won't want to keep up with it. So let's sidestep controversy, and just go with official and basic for now.


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Male Psi-slinger: Parry 4 / RATN 4 (6/8/10) / Toughness 14 (6) (18 (6) vs Energy) / ISP 40/40 /Quick/Danger Sense/Psychic Sense/ Bennies 3/3

I agree with Gauis (Is it meant to be Gaius? Or would it be pronounced Gow-is, as opposed to the Roman Guy-us?). While the use of the word Total might be confusing, I believe it refers to the total amount provided by the Edge. It does not replace anything outside the edge itself or it would say so. The random money provided is rather useless on the scale of costs in Rifts anyway, so the answer is somewhat trivial either way.


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Utah Raptor: Parry 11, Ranged TN 6, Toughness 18(6)| Wounds: 0; Fatigue: 0; Bennies: 3/2

Enkidu, in his real pasty-white and rather emaciated teenage form, piped up from where he has been lounging on a couch in the background. A bag of Cool-Ranch doritos is open on his stomach, with the usual amount of teenage crumbs and detritus surrounding him.

"It's going to take anyone investigating this crime about 0.3 seconds to figure out that supers are to blame. I agree stealing the whole vault has a bit of flair to it, but unless the mustache twirling, nafarious laughter kind of caper is what we're going for, why don't we just keep it simple and take the valuables. If you want to get your machinations on, we should be stealing the Hoover Dam, or the letter 'W'. If we want cash and resources, I say we just steal cash and resources."


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D-Bee Mystic: Size: 0, Parry 8, Pace 6, Toughness 14 (7), Charisma -2, Bennies: 6, PPE: 20/20, Staff PPE: 10/7, ISP: 10/10

The player says 'No Problem.' The character will probably tear a strip off ya...


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Personally, I am not sure why you are looking at a new character at all. I read through the story as it exist up till now over the weekend, and I thought it was great! Rosa has a bunch of great previously established relationships, and the dynamics are really interesting and well roleplayed on all fronts. I can't imagine why you'd want to toss that away to start something different.

Reading the thread from the perspective of an outsider, yes the attack on Olivira was totally unprovoked, and rather jarring because of it, but rather than make me think Rosa is just crazy, it made me wonder what was going inside to motivate something like that. It made me imagine that Rosa is nursing some deep psychological trauma that is being provoked by the mere presence of someone with demon blood, and intensely curious as to what that trauma might be, and how the revelation might unfold. I for one would be very disappointed if we never got to find out.

Hope you decide to stick with her.

Reading the story with all the characters so far made me want to go back and add to my backstory in order to have more of the fascinating hooks and history the other characters seem to have.

Wolf:
GM Wolf wrote:
I think if I took her and Niche they could easily kill the rest of the group.

You can always say no to any of my requests. Like I said when I was offering to help rebuild the half-orc guy, I love a good optimization, but being way above the rest of the party in power isn't fun either. My aim was to be on par with Rosa, Lidra, or Aden in overall strength, of perhaps a touch better in melee given my lack of other expertise compared to those characters. If I overshot, let me know.


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D-Bee Mystic: Size: 0, Parry 8, Pace 6, Toughness 14 (7), Charisma -2, Bennies: 6, PPE: 20/20, Staff PPE: 10/7, ISP: 10/10

"Attention Assault Mech 21-12, this is Special Expeditionary Team... Do we have a unit number or something? Anyway, we are receiving your signal. Is it just you, or have you really been decimated? I get confused by the changes in vernacular some times; are you aware that decimated is a term that means having lost one in every ten of your fighting force? If you have been decimated, how many warriors remain in your band? If it is just you, describe your location, perhaps give us some landmarks, and we will pass your report on to Castle Refuge." She stops talking for a moment at a funny look from her colleagues in the APC.

"Um, no, we won't pass on your message, because you are likely injured and not worth the resources necessary to retrieve you. No, that doesn't seem to be what you want either... Um, what should I tell him? Do you want me to tell him to sacrifice himself for the greater good? That seems to be a Tomorrow Legiony kind of thing to do. Help me out here, this is confusing. Oh damn it, this thing is still transmi..."


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Rizzenmagnus/StorytellersShadow:
RIZZENMAGNUS wrote:

...

Id have rhoekk as well, but i think that would be a stretch, given the timeframe.

That depends entirely on when he emerges from the realm of the Aelfinn, does it not? Say he asked to know how the last battle could be won, and they say, "Fine, let's kick him out a few hundred years after it's finished, and he can learn it from history." Classic double-cross. Alternatively, depending on what he asked for, they could give him an ter-angreal that causes regeneration/stops aging, activate an undetected spark for channeling he didn't know about, or so on and so on.

Don't know if this idea would work for you, but I too am wondering what would happen to the male Aiel that could channel. They would not be wise ones, and would likely not fit in with the other societies due to their abilities and stigma. I wonder what would happen if one were to join the Asha-man, which I think could be really interesting twist, though he might need to get dispensation to change the usual sword pin to a spear when he reached Dedicated. (That might actually become a standard provision for Aiel wishing to join, if there was any significant number of them). However, what I think might be most likely would be that such men might seek to congregate together; particularly as they need to be taught how to use their abilities. What I think would happen would be the formation of a new warrior society - a small one, but one comprised entirely of men that can channel to one degree or another. Joining would not be voluntary, but rather required of every man with the Spark, much as every female channeler is required to train as an apprentice to the Wise Ones.

Given the appearance of the red-veiled Samma N'Sei, the Eye-Blinders in the last battle, I think the perfect title might be Rah a Samma, or The Unblinded (literally 'Freedom from blinding').

Given their role as peacekeepers in the world, I could also see a need for soldiers that specialized in dealing with rogue channelers, like the False Dragons of the third era. The Unblinded would likely excel in that role.

Thoughts?


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A killer GM with a killer smile.

I was unable to get to the update before now, and today I start a three day road trip. I'll have WiFi where I'm going, but I'm unsure how much time I'll have. In other words, please hang in there, things will move soon.


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A killer GM with a killer smile.

Been a long day, so the last two stragglers may have a touch more time to use their Actions before I move us to the next round.


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Savage Rifts
A Savage Worlds Game

Hello all, I’ve been playing this game with my in-person group, and been having a craving to include it in my online repertoire as well. As a result, I’m opening this up as a general recruitment. I have a few spots reserved for folks from another game that have expressed interest, but I will definitely need more to make a solid go of this. I am not sure how much interest there will be, so the timeframe of this recruitment may vary depending on the response. If it turns out that this game is pretty niche, recruitment may need to be open a while to gather enough players. If it is very popular however, things might get going a tad more swiftly. I like to aim for 6-8 players, in order to allow room for a couple of the inevitable drop-outs that occur in the first few months.
Rifts is an over the top, power intensive game of larger than life characters, so don’t be afraid to think big. Characters in this game tend to be more like Super Heroes than country bumpkins, even when starting out, so don’t be too shocked if your character bears little resemblance to the typical novice character.

The quick version of the setting is this: Basically it is a sort of Post-Apocalyptic, inter-dimensional, everything and the kitchen sink sort of setting. Kind of like Shadowrun meets Mech-warrior, meets D&D, meets... whatever else you want to toss in.
When World War III broke out and the earth got nuked, so many sentient beings all dying at once unleashed a psychic blast that awakened all the dormant magic in the world, and shattered the borders between dimensions. The humans that survived used their advanced technology, including giant robots and power armour, to survive, or turned to unlocked magic or psychic abilities to survive. The world was overrun by every kind of extradimensional race and terror, making survival pretty tough.
A few groups banded together to survive, including the Nazi-like Coalition of Humanity, the Federation of Magic, and others. Our heroes belong to a small group of like-minded survivors called the Tomorrow Legion, operating out of a mysterious castle located in Northern Arkansas of all places. Unlike the exclusionary and xenophobic groups that exist elsewhere in North America, the Tomorrow Legion will accept anybody that just wants to work together to survive.

Books you’ll need:

Savage Worlds: Deluxe Core Rulebook: From the Publisher | DriveThroughRPG

Tomorrow Legion Player’s Guide: From the Publisher | DriveThroughRPG

There are many other sources out there for these books of course. As a word of warning, for those that track them down utilizing more alternative ingenuity, for the Tomorrow Legion book particularly, be aware that there are several versions floating around out there, and that some are early versions of the book that lack all sorts of errata included in later versions. The paid version will of course be the most recent, up to date version, and therefore always the best option.

Rifts: The History of the World as we know it:
When the war that had long been feared finally happened, it altered not only the world, but the very nature of reality on Earth. The untold number of deaths, so many billions of sentient beings, dying within mere moments of each other, was something that had barely been imagined, let alone experienced. It had unpredicted results. The psychic trauma unleashed on reality by the waves of energy released by all those simultaneous deaths served not only to reawaken and recharge every element of long forgotten magic still hidden and contained within the modern world, but it served to fracture its borders, thinning the walls between worlds, and blending elements of this world with portions of those in the surrounding plane of existence.

For the humans that survived the initial destruction, the world that they awoke to bore only general similarity to the one they knew. Most of the land and seas were the same, or more or less in the same place at least, but the terrain was changed, the ecosystems altered, traded, or replaced. Beings and monsters of every description walked the earth or few through the sky, or burrowed through the ground. Ancient evils awoke, and new inconceivable beings were drawn in by the immense surge of psychic and magic power sent out from the Earth like an interdimensional signal flare. Lines of energy now crisscrossed the globe, the legendary ‘Ley-Lines’ long theorized, but now humming with such power they made the very air glow with their presence.

Humanity was shattered. Every recognisable government and country had been wiped out in the final moments of the war. Radiation, nuclear winter, contamination and poison, lack of resources and even starvation became the nature of existence almost instantly. Those that survived were shaped by new pressures; predation from supernatural beings and monsters, mutation, newly realized potential in awakened psychic abilities and even magic, and even interbreeding with some of the alien races similar enough to humans to manage it.

No one is entirely sure how long it took before mankind even started recording history again. Most assume at least a hundred years, but it is in fact very hard to say; it may have been much longer. The survivors started to carve out new communities, and even new nations. In North America, the principle power that emerged was a group called the Coalition of Humanity, or just the Coalition for short. They found several large reserves of technology, and in some cases even preserved facilities capable of producing new equipment. They began expanding, and under the leadership of a man named Prosek, began to take on a human-first mentality. They thought of themselves as the successors of those who had come before; pure humans, and those that used technology and know-how to protect themselves; not the new and poorly understood magics flooding the world, or poorly predicted psychic powers some mutants manifested. As time has gone on, now some hundred years since the founding of the Coalition, that humans first attitude has progressed into an attitude of Humans only. While mutants and D-Bees (Extra-Dimensional Beings) are typically tolerated within the empire, so long as they follow the rules, they will never be more than second class citizens. Psychics are monitored and strictly policed, and magic is flat out illegal, on pain of death. Organized as a Fascist state, the Coalition has conquered some third of the old United States, and reaches into some parts of the old Canada.

A few other powers of note exist: the Federation of Magic - a loose association of City-States made up of humans and magical creatures; the Vampire States that have taken over most of Mexico and Central America, and a number of other Free-Holding independent cities, each with its own eccentricities and rules that have allowed them to survive.

Castle Refuge and the Tomorrow Legion:
During the Dark times, a group of Dwarves from a fantasy realm found themselves somehow come to Rifts Earth and trapped there. They found what appeared to be the ruins of an ancient Castle in rural America. Deciding it was a reasonable stronghold, they used their skills to complete/rebuild the structure. As it became established, it became known as a place of safety from the dangers of the wilderness. The dwarves were strict about conduct, but fair, and allowed anyone who was willing to pitch in to settle there or take shelter. A few generations later, the castle has been completed and stands as a home to a diverse interdimensional community. In contrast to the Coalition, Castle Refuge has survived through a spirit of Cooperation and mutual protection. The settlement is small enough, and far enough from both the Coalition, and the Federation of Magic, that neither has yet felt the need to either wipe them out, or bring them to heel, but rest assured it is something both powers intent to get to eventually.

While they have always worked together and been willing to protect those that arrive at their gates seeking sanctuary, the citizens of Castle Refuge have never really had the resources to extend their influence beyond their walls. Following the end of the Coalition’s recent war with the Magical city-state of Tolkien, and the utter destruction of the latter, Castle Refuge was given a boon by a mysterious benefactor; a sizeable amount of currency. Actually, it was probably more money that they could ever spend, as finding people with resources to give up is always a challenge in the landscape of Rifts Earth. However, with their newfound wealth, they discovered that perhaps they could find the resources needed to push their influence out a little further. Tanks, guns, aircraft, power armour and robots, and the resources to see to the needs and pay of a regular standing army, and the Tomorrow Legion was born! However, since equipment is still hard to find, at any price, and since their numbers are small, the Tomorrow Legion needs to proceed slowly, and with caution, lest they start looking like enough of a threat to the more established powers that they decide to deal with them; a confrontation the Legion would almost certainly lose.

The Rules:
Savage Rifts uses a few of the established Setting Rules that are suggested in the Core Rulebook. These can be found on page 94 of the Deluxe edition.

Blood & Guts: Anyone can spend a Benny to re-roll damage rolls.
Born a Hero: Ignore Rank requirements for Edges and Powers selected at Character creation. (The Advances received from starting as a MARS character are not included in this. Anything selected as a part of their Novice level creation may use the Born a Hero rule, but the four free advances received for staring at Seasoned must be selected only from what would normally be available to that character.)
Critical Failures: Bennies cannot be spent on Trait rolls where double 1s are rolled.
Joker’s Wild: When a player draws a joker, all players gain a bonus Benny.

House Rules:
Death & Dismemberment: Normally in Savage Worlds, a player becomes incapacitated at 4 wounds, and may not become more injured after this. In practice, I have found this makes players nearly impossible to kill. Rifts is the kind of game that deals with massive cannons, giant robots, and 100 ft tall supernatural terrors, and there are just some injuries a character should not be able to walk off. As a result, this house rule will make it so that while a character still becomes Incapacitated at 4 wounds, they still suffer the penalty accumulated from ALL wounds when making their survival rolls. This does not make characters any easier to wound, but it does make major wounds more likely to kill. So, for instance when Johnny gets shot in the head by a Glitterboy, and suffers 8 wounds as a result, his survival rolls are made at -8 instead of the standard -4.
Custom Races: Ah, the Race Maker. It is a thing of beauty, and a power gamer’s delight. First off, any custom races must be made only from the Tomorrow Legion racial options, unless prior authorization to use traits from another such table is gained. Second, use common sense when selecting the sheer number of Advantages and Disadvantages your race has. The abilities should make sense, serve an overall theme, and not merely hit the power-gaming highlights reel. Expect to have to play all your Negative Abilities.
Savage Worlds Content: Rifts being a melting pot of interdimensional creatures, there is ample opportunity to bring things in from other settings. That being said, if it is not from the Tomorrow Legion Book, another Savage Worlds Rifts Book, or the Core Rule Book, I would like first right of refusal on anything I deem unsuitable for the setting. This may be for multiple reasons, including granting an unfair advantage, but could also be that while cool in its native setting, something transferred in from another setting might not be able to keep up given the differences in settings, and the larger than life reality of Rifts, and may too weak to survive.
MARS Fortune and Glory and Heroic Journey Rolls: To keep manipulating the tables to a minimum, I will ask that all rolls be made in a single post, and that the tables be listed in Alphabetical order, just as they are in the book. So if you wanted to take rolls from the Armour Table, roll twice on Cybernetics, once on Education, and your fifth on Range Weapons, you would roll your 5 d20’s with the dice roller, and apply the results to those tables, in that order. If you don’t, I won’t have you reroll, we will just realign the tables in the correct order and apply the rolls as you made them.

The Caveat:
I love it when the game picks up pace, and we move along at a nice clip. However, I work full time, I have kids, I have a wife, I have a vacation coming up in April and a surgical procedure soon after, I'll be moving this summer, etc, etc.

In general, when I commit to a game, I like to commit to it. However, that being said, life happens, and sometime the game may get interrupted. I will try to let you know whenever something I can anticipate is coming up.

Second, as I'm sure many my fellow nerdy introverts can relate to, I suffer from depression at times, and when it hits, it has a tendency to scuttle my motivation to do little things like post on my online games. I do my best to manage it, but periods of depression have unfortunately killed some of my games in the past, as by the time I was feeling better, too many of the players had moved on, and I couldn't get sufficient numbers of them back together again. I hope to avoid that by being up front about this issue this time. We will have some fun, but if the pace starts to slump, give it some time, as there is a good chance we will pick back up again. I am happy to extend the same respect to any players; if you need to drop out or take a break for personal reasons, just let me know, and I'll hold a spot for you to return later should you want to.


Any questions? Now let’s see if there is sufficient interest…


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Utah Raptor: Parry 11, Ranged TN 6, Toughness 18(6)| Wounds: 0; Fatigue: 0; Bennies: 3/2

Leg cuffs are darn near impossible to slip out of. You'd have to dislocate your entire foot at the ankle, and even then, your foot at the heel is still probably thicker than your ankle. You'd have to break your heel, and then squish the fragment in thinner to try and feed it through the loop. Ripping it off as Alpha suggested would probably be less painful.

I'll also be surprised if a bag designed to hold Dr. Toxic would be rippable without sharp tools. It's probably some nigh-indestructible polymer.

Given the setting info, I would imagine Zen is intending to have us rescued by Dr. Destruction or one of his representatives, and therefore bring us into the fold of the current league of badguys for world betterment that he is running (I can't remember the exact name, and I don't have my PDF with me).


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Att +8 (DC: 31)/ Def 19 (FF 12) 50% Miss Chance when running / T+15 / Fort +15 / Ref +17 / Will +10 / Notice +18 / Init +30 / Hero Points Base: 1

Shale grins at his opponents, shifting his grip on his sword. In a blinding burst of speed he bypasses Mr. Return-to-Sender and strikes at Not-Barry-Allen again, this time with a more measured and precise attack.

Accurate Attack: 1d20 + 8 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 8 + 5 = 31
Critical strike if it connects.

Drain Toughness Fortitude Save DC: 15 + 16 - 5 + 5 = 31
Toughness Save (Penetrating 16) DC: 15 + 16 - 5 + 5 = 31


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Campaign: The Next Generation of the Justice League. Loosely based on the DC Animated Universe (Batman: The Animated Series, Superman, Justice League, Justice League Unlimited, Young Justice), it takes place about 20 years after the present day

Power Level: 12
Power Points: 182

Roster:

Imagine: Genetically engineered telepath and telekinetic, Kara Luthor, a former mental patient turned super hero. She's been experiencing a little tension between her loyalty to the Justice League, and loyalty to her father's interests.

Sinter: Everyman turned into an energy based plasma being. Has flight, blasting, and associated powers.

Shale: Extra-dimensional speedster/tank. Technically successor to the flash, natives of his dimension have much greater mass than those in ours, leading to an odd mix of traditional speed and tank type tropes.


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Att +8 (DC: 31)/ Def 19 (FF 12) 50% Miss Chance when running / T+15 / Fort +15 / Ref +17 / Will +10 / Notice +18 / Init +30 / Hero Points Base: 1

"Nay Kara; the opportunity to lay low the enemies of his lifetime is no small wanting messure. I do not expect him to ask afore every volley, but I will have his word he'll not set out with a mind to end any life but that he has no choice but to cut short, save that the lives of he or his lie upon the point of the sword. It is not ego that sayith so, but rather folly not to have his sworn bond."


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A killer GM with a killer smile.

Dunwhich Horror (Potentially scarring adult subject matter):

So, the story I'm picturing here (not too vividly, as it'll either make me sick or start laughing to myself inappropriately), is that The Horror discovered that while the inhibitor field in the prison keeps everyone's powers from acting externally, the same is not necessarily true for their internal physiology. Killer Frost maintains a body temperature well below freezing, and if the inhibitor field affected her strongly enough to halt that, it would possibly cause her body to rapidly overheat, and thus likely kill her.

While the encounter started typically enough (for an encounter between a mass murdering sub-zero psychopath and a nihilistic many tentacled monstrosity from beyond the barriers of human comprehension), it went significantly sideways. When Frost reached an appropriate level of excitation, anything presently within the boundaries of her person was subjected to a wave of cold only fractionally warmer than absolute zero. Thus three of Horror's appendages were flash frozen, and almost instantly broke off, which sort of spoiled the mood.

If you want to know why three, it's because I have an uncompromising eye for detail which in this case I think borders on psychologically masochistic. Not getting that image out of my head easily...

Anyway, feel free to do with those details what you wish. I figured Horror being who he is, it might make curiously comedic fodder...

I noticed that technically he does not have the Regeneration (Regrowth) power that would usually be required to regrow limbs, but I figured that as a mollusk-type creature, saying that these would grow back is only a mild embellishment that make any injuries non-permanent.


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A killer GM with a killer smile.

Gravewound: when you finally hand off the drive to the officer standing a few steps away from you, he accepts it without even a flicker of anything unusual in his eyes, either he expected you to pass the test, or he wasn't in on the trick of the whole setup, and just didn't know any better. Either that, or he just happens to have the cold stone cop/poker face down to a T. There are no congratulations, no high fives, and barely more than a nod of acknowledgment. You are brought to your feet, your shackles resecured, and the inhibitor field brought back up to full strength. As you are being led from the room, you see someone else moving in, his hands already reaching for gadgets in his pockets that no doubt are not there, given your presence. Everything about him from his clothes to his posture, to the way he seems gravitationally drawn to the terminal behind you says, 'IT Abalyist.' No doubt his job is to review the records of what you did to the system, and how you managed it. He looks far too fresh and eager to have been the guy on the other end of the network though.

Dunwich Horror: your fears are realized as you see your helpers led in to the old decominshoned kitchen. Almost all stock humans, most look like the types that make up the enevitabke throngs of thugs surrounding every thematic villain/wanna-be crime boss. Out of the eight, two might even have been solo jobs, like the type of Gotham city wackos that been coming out of the woodwork for 40 years or more. None have obvious powers or features that might otherwise distringuish them from the other homogenous meat bags that presently surround you. Knuckle staggers and mouth breathers, one and all.
The men prove too dense for the most part to grasp more that minimally difficulty. A mass serving Macaroni Casserole is the scheduled meal this evening. Far that anything else that had been inflicted upon you since your humiliating capture, the list of ingredients on the list before you is by far the most upsetting thing you have had inflicted upon you thus far. Apparently, the administrator was not kidding… and for these prisoners, he expects that any bowl of slop will do.


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A killer GM with a killer smile.

Dunwich:
I love this character. He's some of the most enjoyable elements I've seen in a game in a while; very entertaining.

The functionary nods a bit, and leans in to clarify his request, "Um, we won't need you to clean the regular kitchen; we have a team for that, not to mention that there will need to be an investigation, regarding what the substance was, who brought it in and how, who it was intended for, all of that, you understand. We can't have an inmate involved in a location where evidence might be gathered - you understand. That's why we have you down here in this old kitchen, instead of one of the more up to date facilities."

"Volunteers might be a problem. You are a bit... scary. We were hoping you might be able to manage some large scale batch cooking on your own. You will be granted use of your biomorphic abilities, but to do that we are going to have you in here alone. Our insurance, not to mention the accreditation boys would not react well to having metahumans or other inmates allowed to interact without restriction on their extranormative abilities. If someone did decide to harm or kill someone else just for jollies, we might not be able to intervene in time. Basically your choices would have to be assistants or powers, but we can't authorize both."

Demoniac:
The tunnel system you are exploring is a drainage system for radioactive coolant coming from the reactor, so on the plus side, there is no sewage in here, and it is probably the most sterile water system you've ever seen, seeing as the radiation levels seem to keep even the hardiest bacteria from growing.

The body comes apart relatively easily. Though not cooked through by any means, the flesh has a definite touch of a slow-roasted quality effecting it, and it pulls apart with minimal sheering from your claws. You pull out the black body bag you were provided in case the condition of the body made it necessary. The number of pumps, intakes, propellers and so forth seems to have made a messy recovery a predictable element of this recovery. Besides the body bag, you were also given a bucket and a small trowel. After both arms are placed within your bag, and you are cutting free the first of the legs, and audible pop indicates an equalization of presume between the main pipe and the small intake. At that point, the body is held in place only by the mechanical aspect of a full sized man being stuffed into a less than full sized pipe. Some tugging and pulling eventually works the torso free, with one leg still attached to it as a bonus.

Curiously, while the body is wearing what appears to be a standard radiation suit, he doesn't appear to be wearing the typical corresponding under layer, just the oversuit. Having pulled his arms out first, you are also greeted by an array of low quality tattoos consistent with prison-tats covering most of both limbs.

Roulette:
The guard whispers back, "It's a standing game. A ringer would stand out. Just make it happen."
Kalden:
"Take as much time as you want. However, if you ever want to get jobs like this again in the future, you'll do it well, avoid collateral damage. Mind the tape; shows you what's been cleared for destruction. If your powers fizzle out, you're getting too close to the boundaries. If you do anything stupid, countermeasures will make you regret it - if you survive them."
Gravewound:
A DC 20 gets you past the initial login phase, but not much further than that. Whatever is in this database, it appears to have a respectable security system. Your first few runs at the security protocols give you a "Government secure database" kind of feeling; something you can break into with a little work, but nothing that should be too hard (DC 25). Of course, you were warned you should expect multiple levels of security, so if things start to get harder after that, this could actual prove challenging by the time you're in far enough to get the file you've been sent for. Without any of your usual pre-written tools, bots, and worms, you might have to spend a bit of time doing some prep before you can take a run at the harder elements of the program, though for now, trial and error can probably get you a step or two further.

Oh, I don't typically subscribe to TV/Movie inspired speed-hacking tropes. Real hacking is usually a matter of getting really lucky and predicting a stupid password, or setting up programs to try tens of thousands of possibilities over an extended period before finding one that works. Unless your abilities allow you to override the system's core programming (which would allow you to change what is required to bypass a security protocol - I haven't read the tech powers too closely as of yet...), this job will likely take most of the day.


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A killer GM with a killer smile.

Your transfer to Belle Reve went smoother than expected, though decided to transfer you here now was still a mystery no one had bothered to explain. Your powers were notable, but Ultra-Max seemed a bit like overkill, especially now. The trip itself was disappointingly unremarkable, in that there were no hang ups, and no disruptions. Worst of all, no one had tried to free you. Maybe secrecy was really that good, and no one had heard in time to mobilize. Maybe security was just that tight, and whatever forces they'd brought hadn't been up to the task. Or just maybe, maybe there was no one around who thought it worth the trouble to bust you out.

So far, the place seemed far from the Beautiful Dream the name promised. Built well before the start of the century, the facility was mostly aging, though still well regarded as far as security was concerned. A big concrete slab for the most part, the whole thing looked worn, drab, and uncomfortably well fortified. Everyone knew the standard line that the walls here were so thick that even Superman couldn't have broken through them by main force. Rumour had it that they'd invited him in order to put that theory to the test. Rumour also said he'd surprised them, as Super-man was apt to do, but that true to intention, he hadn't been able to break through the walls. Not everyone would recognize the telltale signs, but having been around the block a few times, it happens you noticed that the place isn't just built with containment of those inside in mind. Metal shutters on the corners likely conceal turrets, and squarish metal constructs on the roof that could transform into anti-aircraft emplacements, with only a little imagination, were starting to convince you that rescue from the outside was unlikely. 50 years of operation, and despite numerous attempts, a few riots, and one full scale takeover by the prisoners, official word was that no one had even managed an escape. Not without inside help at least, and it seemed the official record doesn't count it when a corrupt warden lets a prisoner out on extended passes.

While most of the prison was old, worn, dingy, and otherwise rather disgusting. However, as you are being led to your new home, through enumerable check points (19 actually), several security scans (6), and waiting endless amounts of time alone in a bland succession of waypoint holding rooms (4 of them, for what must have been around 7 hours in total), you were led past one run down cellblock after another until reaching a newly renovated section of the complex. At that point you were officially signed into Detention Block AA23.

The one plus was that the unit was officially co-ed. Ever since the supreme court decided to hear Quinn vs. Lance a decade back, and had determined that sexual congress with consenting partners was indeed a basic human right, the prison system had been scrambling to catch up. It wasn't long before segregating prisoners by sex/gender was ruled unconstitutional. Of course, the massive list of number of safety concerns that came along with implementing this particular decision, not to mention the significant shift in infrastructure that would be required meant that the prisons had applied for, and been granted, numerous stays; not to mention the ongoing and lengthy appeals on the part of the state. Most prisoners were pretty convinced they'd never actually see the day when woman stepped onto a male block.

However, it appeared that Belle-Reve had been busy, and incorporated a new style of unit into their ever present renovation projects to create an area that was compatible with the new version of the law; if it was upheld of course. The place was top of the line too, no sloppy guard stations or observation posts; just enough built in cameras and one way mirrors to make big brother cream in his pants. No guards were visible in the unit, but could apparently appear from access portals in virtually every room.

It was all explained in the reception briefing, as much of it as you could pay attention to anyway. Apparently, this unit didn't just rely entirely on the inhibitor collars that everyone wore, but actually had some sort of inhibitor field that permeated the whole area. Both also allowed for the guards to instantly disable an inmate, should any restricted behaviours be observed or detected. That included contact with other prisoners, unfortunately. Sex might be theoretically legal now, but according to the briefing, it sounded like the paperwork required, not to mention the mandatory counselling to ensure consent had not been coerced, might work together to kill a bit of the mood.

The unit was described as a pilot project, and lucky old you must have been selected as one of the first Guinea Pigs. Lucky you. The unit was small, and had accommodations for 20. It had a television and viewing area, a small yard, that while covered with a presumably impregnable transparent barrier, did get natural sunlight at certain hours of the day, as well as a small kitchen. Cooking was listed among the numerous mandatory chores. Seems The Man had decided to give rehabilitation a try, and communal living was the order of the day.

Private rooms, the opposite gender, and at least a shot at decent chow, depending on who was cooking. Things were looking up. Time to meet the other lab-rats.


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Semi-Private Recruitment: This game will be run in the same game world as tumbler’s Justice League Generations campaign. Players from that game will have top priority for spots in this game, though I have also invited players from a few other games using the same system. This will be a Mutant’s and Masterminds 2nd Edition game set in the DC universe.

If you are not presently playing in one of the MM2e games to receive an invitation, you can apply if you wish, keep in mind that the invitees will be selected first in most cases.

Recruitment Notice wrote:

Attention Detainee:

Are you a convicted and currently incarcerated criminal? Are you a psychiatric patient previously found not criminally responsible for criminal actions, but required to remain within a designated psychiatric facility for non-voluntary treatment?

Do you regret your criminal actions and wish to make a positive contribution to society? Do you have special skills or abilities that might be used to benefit your country? Are you dissatisfied with your present accommodations or incarceration? If so, this might be the opportunity for you!

By volunteering for this project, you may be eligible for benefits or improvements to your circumstances, based on the details of your present confinement. These include:
•••Improved Conditions/Privileges at your place of incarceration.
•••Reduced or Commuted Sentence
•••Full Pardon (Murder Convictions are not eligible for this benefit)
•••Induction into long term service as a diversion from traditional incarceration

While it is possible that you will be called upon to make use of specialized skills you previously used in your criminal endeavours, the uses to which you will put them as part of this program will be for the benefit of society as a whole. Should any unfortunate “violent actions” be required as part of your duties, rest assured that appropriate counselling will be made available to assist you with the emotional ramifications of such actions, and that these actions will be channeled in societally beneficial directions.

Be advised that compliance with the guidelines of the program will be strictly monitored and enforced, and failure to comply could not only jeopardize your entitlement to program benefits, but endanger the safety of your fellow program participants, as well as your own. As a result, deviation from program parameters will not be tolerated, and may result in immediate sanction.

This will be a villain oriented Mutant and Masterminds 2nd Edition game played on this forum via play by post. I do not have a strict number of players in mind, so the total number may depend on how many express interest. The party may be larger than is typical for a Pathfinder game, as seems to frequently be the case when M&M games come up.

This is a sister game to tumbler’s Justice League Generations, and will take place in the same world. However, where that game is an open, sandbox type game, this game will run for a set length, covering specific goals and plot points. Once the initial run is completed, we will reevaluate and see whether everyone involved (myself included) are interested in a second run. This will be a darker and more violent game than tumblers, given that you will be playing villains, often of the deranged or maniacal variety. Mature themes are likely, though we will be avoiding certain topics, such as violence against children or sexual violence, as some things are not appropriate for any entertainment venue.

Setting: This game is set in the DC Universe so 20 years or so from the present time. Many of the big names in Super Heroics and Villainy may have moved on, having died, retired, passed their name onto someone else, etc. Some are immortal, or would have no problem continuing to operate as more mature individuals. I’ve never been a DC comic collector, but I’m a fan of the DC Animated Universe, so I will be drawing more from the DCAU than from the comics for the particulars of the setting. The key shows I know are Batman the Animated Series, Superman the Animated Series, Justice League, Justice League Unlimited, and Young Justice. Assault on Arkham is a Suicide Squad mission, but will not be considered canonical.

Gameplay: Violent and lethal. Lighter on story, heavier on action. I generally run two kinds of games; involved and intricate stories, and hack and slash gore-fests. I’m feeling the need for catharsis, so this game will be of the second variety.

Why 2nd Edition?:
I am using 2nd edition as opposed to 3rd, as I feel 2nd offers a lot more detail in terms of customization and nuance (3rd has been simplified in many respects), and because 2nd handles the darker, grittier aspects likely in a Villain game better than 3rd (3rd feels better suited to 4-color games in my opinion, and the mechanics make death extremely difficult and rare, where our game will be significantly more deadly).
Concepts:
You are a criminal and/or supervillain. You are not a world ending threat, but not a common thug either.
Right kind of scale: Joker, Parasite, Captain Boomerang, Mr. Freeze, Deathstroke, Captain Cold, Solomon Grundy, etc.
Wrong kind of Scale: Parallax, Darkseid, General Zod, Mongol, Ras Al’Ghul, basically anyone whose goals include conquering or destroying the world and/or galaxy. If it is any hero’s arch nemesis, it’s probably too powerful for the setting. Keep in mind, the government has to plausibly believe that they can control you as part of a team.

20 years or so have passed from the present day, so keep that in mind when you pitch your concepts. I am not expecting people to stick only to characters in the DC universe by any means, but they can be used, and make a good basis for the flavour I’m looking for in the game.

Aged/Immortal Villain: You’ve been around since the good old days, fighting the not-so-good fight. You may be older, you might be ageless, either way, you’ve never let minor details like that get in the way of achieving your goals.
Legacy Villain: You are not the first villain to bear your name or theme, but you were trained and/or inspired by one of the greats. You may even have a super villain for a parent; or perhaps even both parents. A blending of powers and themes might result in that case.
New Villain: Your name and theme are entirely your own, but you are consistent with the flavour and atmosphere of other villains that came before you.

Enforced Cooperation:
Evil campaigns have no shortage of challenges, the most obvious being that since you're all evil, there is nothing to stop you from stabbing everyone else in the back. Well, in this case, that will be challenging. As in the source material, you will be expected to be cooperative with the mission, whether you volunteered or you were conscripted.

In the various incarnations of the Suicide Squad, compliance has been enforced with wrist bombs, bomb collars, explosive nanites, etc. Something similar will be at play here. You are definately a bad guy, but if you don['t dance to the jig the G-man is playing, you might find yourself blown up. As a result, creative subversion will be the name of the game.

Build Rules:
Power Level: 10
Power Points: 165
Impervious: Capped at ½ your Toughness.
Trade Offs: Capped at +/- 4. For instance, Defence/Toughness max at a combined total of 20, average of which would be 10 and 10. Max trade off value would be 6 and 14 or 14 and 6.
What I am looking for are more rank and file, small scale, or urban villains, as opposed to take-over-the-world types. The high PP point is to stress experience. Most villains have been around the block a few times. They are not as powerful as the big-name heroes, but they are resourceful.
Gear: While you may not have had your regular toys and equipment in prison, they’ll be returned to you for the performance of your mission. Devices and Equipment are both fine, and some extra mundane equipment may be provided by your handlers on request. As a result, I’ll allow each character to request up to 5 pp (25 ep) in commonly available gear. This can include anything you think you might need to accomplish your mission, including armour, automatic weapons, explosives, and/or vehicles. As this game is set slightly in the future, equipment that you can convince me would be commercially available can also be obtained as equipment as opposed to devices.


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HP 156/156 | AC 32 (T 25, FF 28) | CMD 33 (35 vs. Disarm/37 vs. Grapple) | F +8 | R +13 | W +8 | Init +8 | Per +19 Aiel

"In that case, has anyone asked him? It would be a shame were the vaunted reputation of the White Tower for respect, hospitality, and courtesy were marred by such a simple oversight. Don't you think so, Analin Sedai?"


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HP 156/156 | AC 32 (T 25, FF 28) | CMD 33 (35 vs. Disarm/37 vs. Grapple) | F +8 | R +13 | W +8 | Init +8 | Per +19 Aiel
Analin Mendiana wrote:
Has it been proclaimed publicly that the Dragon is a 'guest' of the Tower?

Trying to locate the reference. Since it never actually happened in the books, it was in a conversation (or thought bubble) by Elaida regarding what was supposed to happen after Rand was captured. Given that in this world he was captured, one presumes that she would have gone ahead with that plan... Of course, I can remember the scene clearly, just not clearly enough to remember the exact wording and therefore find it in a google search. I'm working on it though.

"It seems you agree with the theory, and the requirement of freeing the one you call 'Dragon', but are bound by Ji and duty. This will always be an honourable warrior's burden."

He paces about the chamber for a moment, seemingly in thought.

"I have heard many say that though an Aes Sedai must speak the truth, it is not always the truth you think you hear. I have observed great skill among your kind at never volunteering more information than is required, and in always leaving room in such statements for the listener to fill in the details with what they want, or what they assume, such as statement should mean. If one were restricted to speak only literal truth, I can see how this would be a rapidly learned and necessary skill, should you have any hope of influencing the dishonest and convoluted nature of wetlander politics. However, one assumes the strategy has weaknesses as well; if you never state exactly what you mean, a shrewd observer might be able to use that very same vaguery against you. I suppose the question would be this, 'What were your Amerlyn's claim, orders, and instructions to your sisters, and to the public?' If she did not speak plainly, it may be entirely possible to obey her orders while ignoring her ignorant intent."


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Hero Points: 1 | Damage Condition: None | Status Condition: None | Def: 16 FF 11 KB: -5 | Saves T: 12 F: 7 R: 7 W: 12 | Initiative: +3 | Notice: +10 (Danger Sense: Mental), Mystic Awareness (Radius, Ranged, Mental), Uncanny Dodge (Mental)
The Watcher of the Freedomverse wrote:
So does anyone else know what I can do to relight the fire for this game at least?

PM sent.


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Philo Pharynx wrote:
Rigor Rictus wrote:
I find Paizo's attitude in regards to irredeemable evil to be rather immature. It is something that you see over and over again in real world history, that 'they' are somehow irredeemably evil, and therefore capable of doing things that 'we' (the good guys) would never do, when in fact, everyone has the exact same potential for good and evil.
Perhaps the best point against inherent evil that I've seen.

More people know about the Stanford Prison Experiment, and how it can bring out surprisingly cruel behaviour, though there have been questions in recent years as to whether it was really as telling as it seemed at the beginning, as there have been theories/allegations that the Prof running the experiment encouraged the behaviour, and tried to amplify it (which is far from the modern double-blind kind of mentality that goes into study design).

The other one I referenced, The Milgram Experiment, is actually a much more interesting one. It was actually set up after WWII was over, and the news about the concentration camps became public knowledge. The initial premise was actually to study if people of German decent were inherently more evil than other ethnic groups (a rather silly concept by modern sensibilities, but at the time they thought it was a genuine possibility). If you've never heard of the experiment, it is fascinating, particularly since you could never do such an experiment these days (for ethical reasons - many of the participants of this study were traumatized by the realization of what they had been induced to do). Basically what they found was that as long as there was a guy in a white coat with a clip board that said he was in charge, and that he was responsible, people would do whatever they were told, even if it might be killing someone. They were just ordinary Americans, yet they were in affect, "Just following orders." Brilliant study.


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oyzar wrote:
Philo Pharynx wrote:

Well, Gundancer is as different from a sniper than you can be. I'm all close up and in your face.

I'm thinking of being a hobgoblin. Adopted as a child, he never grew up with the tribe. It may make for some tough times, but also some interesting RP. What do people think?

I've never liked to have someone play what's basically one of the main enemies in an adventure. It'll pose a lot of problems for those with it as a favored enemy for example. Also by lore aren't goblins/hobgoblins nearly irrevocably evil in Golarion? Game Master The Dragon is probably best at saying if it fits or not.

I actually love it when people play (or I get to play) what are traditionally considered evil races, but as heroes. I'm not sure if I see how that would affect someone's Favoured Enemy or anything. It is actually quite historical as well, as in almost every conflict in our world, there have been members of the 'enemy' force working for the other side, for one reason or another, such as ideological reasons, being outcast by your people of origin, or simply turning coat for personal gain.

I find Paizo's attitude in regards to irredeemable evil to be rather immature. It is something that you see over and over again in real world history, that 'they' are somehow irredeemably evil, and therefore capable of doing things that 'we' (the good guys) would never do, when in fact, everyone has the exact same potential for good and evil.

I recall an interesting anecdote from the Know Direction podcast, where the author Ryan Costello did some Monster writing for Paizo on contract. He was writing up the Hill Giant ecology, and told a story about how he came up with an idea that Hill Giants aren't exactly evil, but rather just massive consumers with little or no regard for their surroundings (so, admittedly a little sociopathic). Thus like locusts, they use up all the resources (probably including eating all the local peasantry), and are then forced to move on, which brings them into constant conflict with settlements. After he submitted it and saw the published version, all that was wiped out and the description was just a straight boring, "Giants are irredeemably evil, but for no particular reason."

As a result, I prefer a game setting where the "evil" races are poorly understood by the more established "civilized" races, and that the idea of them being irredeemably evil is merely an in-world prejudice. The only creature actually capable of being irredeemably evil is one that is supernaturally evil, and so only evil outsiders and creatures with the evil sub-type could legitimately be looked upon that way.

Edit: Ninja'd by the GM. I like the sentiment though; looks like we're on the same page in that regard.


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HP 156/156 | AC 32 (T 25, FF 28) | CMD 33 (35 vs. Disarm/37 vs. Grapple) | F +8 | R +13 | W +8 | Init +8 | Per +19 Aiel
Amorial Suth wrote:
Well I knew about it but alas I am dead...

"Waa, wa, wa; ooh, I'm dead." You still harping on that? That was sooo last week - time to move on man!

;)


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nightflier, would the following 3pp archetype be acceptable?

Alchemist: Scientific Innovator:
Scientific Innovator (Alchemist Archetype)

In Veranthea the laws of biology, chemistry, and physics
are fundamentally unique and forgiving, allowing for a
far wider range of particle reactions not present in any
other Material Plane. Scientific innovators exploit these
flexible laws of nature to concoct incredible serums and
craft fantastic devices that defy the power of mages across
the world!

Class Skills
Knowledge (engineering), Knowledge (dungoneering)
and either Knowledge (geography) or Knowledge
(history), replace Knowledge (arcana), Spellcraft, and Use
Magic Device.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Scientific
innovators are proficient with all simple weapons, bombs,
and firearms. They are also proficient with light armor,
but not with shields.

Science (Su or Ex): Scientific innovators are masters
of science, and a scientific innovator’s extracts are called
serums. This acts like an alchemist’s alchemy ability except
at 10th level, a scientific innovator’s serums and bombs
produce extraordinary effects instead of supernatural ones.
A scientific innovator loses the bonus to Craft (alchemy),
and the ability to create mutagens.

Have Gun: At 1st level, the scientific innovator gains
the Amateur Gunslinger feat and Gunsmithing as a bonus
feat. She also gains a battered gun identical to the one
gained by a gunslinger. This ability replaces mutagen and
persistent mutagen.

Grit Feats: A scientific innovator may select a grit feat
in place of a discovery. She must meet the prerequisites for
those feats.

Craft Brilliant Contraptions (Ex): At 5th level,
the scientific innovator gains the Craft Devices feat for
free. A scientific innovator only pays an additional 25%
more when crafting a device. At 13th level, the scientific
innovator gains the Craft Devices feat for free a second
time, which removes the additional cost to craft devices.
This ability replaces the increase to bomb damage at 5th
and 13th level.

Smart Grit (Ex): At 11th level, a scientific innovator
gains a number of grit points equal to her Intelligence
modifier (minimum 1) and gains the use of a single
gunslinger deed. She can select any deed that a gunslinger
of her alchemist level -4 could use. At 14th level, and
every three levels beyond 14th, the scientific innovator
gains another point of grit and another gunslinger
deed that a gunslinger of her level –4 could use. If she
already has levels in gunslinger, she gains a bonus to the
maximum amount of grit she can have each day, equal to
her Intelligence bonus (if any) but gains no extra grit as
the start of each day. This ability replaces instant alchemy,
poison use, and swift poisoning.

Discoveries: The following discoveries complement
the scientific innovator archetype: acid bomb, blinding
bomb, concussive bomb, delayed bomb, dispelling bomb,
explosive bomb, explosive missile, fast bombs, force bomb,
frost bomb, immolation bomb, precise bombs, shock
bomb, siege bomb, smoke bomb, sticky bomb, stink bomb,
strafe bomb, sunlight bomb, tanglefoot bomb. A scientific
innovator can never gain mutagens or cognatogens.
Grand Discovery: At 20th level, a science innovator
can choose the following grand discovery in place of the
normal grand discoveries.

Antimagic Device: The science innovator can craft
devices that produce effects identical to antimagic field,
as per the Craft Devices feat. These might be made to
create offensive effects (such as with a meganegator cannon)
or “shields” to protect other devices (like the Zyski’s
Copyrighted Miraculous Magic Guarding Device).

Scientific Innovator Serum List
A scientific innovator must pay five times the normal
cost for learning a formula for any serum not on the list
below.
1st—air bubble, burning hands, cause fear, chill touch, cure
light wounds, detect undead, expeditious retreat, faerie fire,
feather fall, jump, inflict light wounds, negate aroma, obscuring
mist, polypurpose panacea, produce flame, shield, shield of faith,
shocking grasp, shock shield stone fist, touch of the sea, true strike,
vocal alteration
2nd—ablative barrier, acute senses, alter self, barkskin, bear’s
endurance, blur, bull’s strength, bullet shield, cat’s grace, cure
moderate wounds, darkvision, defensive shock, delay poison, detect
thoughts, elemental touch, fabricate bullets, fire breath, invisibility,
kinetic reverberation, levitate, protection from arrows, resist energy,
see invisibility, spider climb
3rd—arcane sight, bloodhound, burrow, burst of speed,
countless eyes, cure serious wounds, displacement, draconic
reservoir, elemental aura, fly, haste, marionette possession,
monstrous physique I, protection from energy, reloading hands,
resinous skin, seek thoughts, thorn body, water breathing
4th—air walk, cure critical wounds, darkvision (greater),
detonate, discern lies, dragon’s breath, echolocation, fire shield,
freedom of movement, invisibility (greater), monstrous physique
II, vitriolic mist
5th—contact other plane, elude time, languid bomb admixture,
monstrous physique III, nightmare, overland flight, planar
adaptation, sending, spell resistance
6th—analyze dweomer, caging bomb admixture,
eyebite, giant form I, heal, mislead, monstrous
physique IV, statue, transformation, true seeing, wind
walk

I've been looking for a decent Alchemist archetype that provides firearm abilities for a long time (a strange oversight that there isn't an official one so far), and this one looks pretty good. It's by Rogue Genius Games, and is a free download from Paizo: here.

I'm thinking of an Android Alchemist, with ties to the Iron Gods AP.


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HP 46/46 | AC 17 (T 14, FF 13 ) | CMD 16 | F +3 | R +6 | W +4 | Init +3 | Per +8 |

I'm Leveled and ready.


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HP 156/156 | AC 32 (T 25, FF 28) | CMD 33 (35 vs. Disarm/37 vs. Grapple) | F +8 | R +13 | W +8 | Init +8 | Per +19 Aiel

There we go, I fixed it: Rizzengimli


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This recruitment still open?


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With Long Term Care I should heal another 2 HP. Up to 4 points, yay!


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Bloodrager 4 / Adept Godling 4 | HP 50/50 | AC 20 (T 16, FF 14) | CMD 26 | F +10 | R +10 | W +10 | Init +2 | Per +12 {Raging: HP 56/56 | AC 20 (T 16, FF 12) | CMD 30 | F +12 | R +12 | W +14| Init +0 | Per +12}
DM Malleus wrote:
I'm immensely enjoying reading all the evil peer pressure Rileng is experiencing. "Come on all the cool evil people are doing it"

*Evil grin*


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Well, if her density were the same or similar to that of a human, the square/cube law should enable us to figure out how much she should weigh pretty easily. The square/cube law is basically just that if you want to make something taller, it gets proportionately wider and longer at the same time, so instead of increasing at the same rate as the height, it increase as a cube of the same value, since the size is increasing in three directions at once, instead of just one.

Assume an average human woman is 5'6" (66 inches), and then her Large size height, 9'2" (110 inches) represents an increase by a factor of around 1.666 (ironically, for an angelic creature). Height x length x width (1.666x1.666x1.666) is 4.624 or so, so her weight should be about 4.624 times that of her human equivalent. 110 lbs x 4.624 = 508.64 lbs. Call it 510 lbs to even it off and you're golden. A nine foot angel, with the proportions of a 5'6" woman (whose wings don't weigh anything, but then, we digress...)

And now for some reason I've got an image of that guy from the Blinded me with Science music video stuck in my head. Science!

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