Captain Deloso was riding shotgun in the front seat of a Zone Ranger APC, driving out on his squad's first official outing under his command. Beside him sat Thumper, a curious fellow command assigned to ship the team out on this excursion. He wasn't sure what the man's real name might be as pretty much everyone called him that; he could probably pull his file and find out if he retained the presence of mind to do so after the mission. The name had something to do with penchant for explosions, so the rumor went. He was a technical specialist, Arcane sub-focus. So called "Techno-Mage." By reputation, reliable, if eccentric, and good with repairs and able to drive or fly pretty much anything. Not a part of Deloso's unit, but rather indented serve for delivery to the mission area, and evac, if necessary.
Immediately behind him in the crew cab sat Jace Belleraphon, a Juicer, and Therun Dahl, officially the unit's intelligence officer, and second in command, though in reality, a Psi-Stalker. He'd been Coalition once, though the details on what made him turn coat were not exactly common knowledge. Got tired of hunting down critters he had more in common with than the Skull-heads, maybe?
At the rear of the cab, a massive wall of metal limbs and armor plates sat, taking up a bench intended for three human soldiers, readying his weapons as well. Four arms moved simultaneously over his gear, checking straps, securing plates, and arming weapons, all while eerily never moving his head. K-842 was a Borg; one of those with little enough human left to be worth the name. And this one seemed more willing than most to abandon the usual limitation of the human form; four arms, and an array of sensors and optics all around his head that allowed him to see what he was doing with all those arms without even having to shift his gaze.
In the cargo hold at the back, crouched down in the wide open space at the rear, was "Ace" Boomer. He was already suited up, even though the space in the vehicle was barely large enough for the man's massive power-armour suit, even doubled up as he was. Glitter-Boy. Toughest piece of metal you find anywhere on this blasted earth, and with some of the biggest and baddest firepower you could muster as well. Even relatively man-sized as it was, given another 4-5 feet of height and 2 tonnes of weight, of course, it was still more firepower than most giant robots three times its size. He'd lucked out to get one of those on his team; that kind of firepower could do a lot to turn the tide of any skirmish.
"Three minutes," Boomer's voice sounded over the coms, "You can see the storm up ahead."
First official assignment wasn't technically supposed to be until tomorrow; a recon trip through this same area. However, the last recon team failing to report in, failing to arrive back at Refuge at the scheduled hour, dusk, just a few hours back, and a lack of other teams prepped to do anything about it meant that his team was getting a dry run a little early.
Beyond the trees ahead, as the all-terrain Zone Ranger tore through grass and rocky outcrops with massive 6 foot wheels, you could see a bluish glow filling the night sky up ahead, another 5 klicks out or so. This was a Ley-Line nexus; a smaller one, but one of several within an hour's drive of Castle Refuge. Of course, Castle Refuge itself was on a nexus, a much bigger one, though whatever charm the builder's had worked into the place seemed to keep Rifts from opening there, and all but the worst Ley-Line storms at bay.
Ley Line storms were unpredictable. They could amplify magical energy, or use it all up, leaving nothing for magic users to manipulate. They could cause Rifts to form, or even stranger phenomenon, like swapping a portion of countryside with a similar sized bit from another dimension. If you happened to be in that chunk when it shifted? Too bad I guess. Better get used to your new home; shifts like that were generally permanent.
Mission Briefing was this, already shared with the team: Recon team for this area is overdue. They should have been back at refuge about 3 hours ago, and haven't been in radio contact in about 5 hours. A scout in a Titan Flying suit reported the lines near this nexus going crazy, visible even daylight. He didn't stick around, but stuck to his Flight plan, as ordered. However, he was pretty confident he was seeing the start of a storm brewing. Even without the recon team overdue, a Ley-Line storm this close to Castle refuge probably would have warranted a patrol anyway. Since Deloso had his team together anyway, having them do a meet a greet with their new CO... well, here they were.
"Be there in... about two minutes now. Damn, my skin is tingling."
Mandatory introductory post where I explain the incredibly obvious purpose of this thread, and what you should do here.
Now that you have made an Alias, please take the time to enter your character details on your Profile page. A backstory is nice, but need not be overly long. The main question I will need to know is this, are you a member of the Tomorrow Legion already, or are you new to the area.?
My suggestion would be this: if you are familiar with Rifts, it would be great to have a few established members of the Tomorrow Legion in the group, as long as that makes sense.
For people that have never played Rifts before, and don't know the setting, being fresh to this dimension such as having been warped in from somewhere else makes things very easy, as you can then ask questions about the setting in-character, and both you and the character can both learn about them.
Last, as this is a quasi-military campaign, the group probably will need a designated Commander. The commander doesn't have to be the natural leader of the group; that person might be the Sergeant. However, someone will have to be the Commanding Officer, officially in charge of the team. Now, the commander and the leader could be the same person, if you think it makes sense, but it doesn't have to be. Basically, I am looking for suggestions, nominations, and/or volunteers to be the group's CO. In-game, that character would have military authority to command subordinates, though gaining their loyalty might be something else entirely. If course, they will also bear the responsibility for the success and failures of the operations.
An alternative might be for me to create an NPC Commander, who might get promoted out of sight after the group gets established and kind of determines its own leader.
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.
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…
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.
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.
My campaign has just recently come to a climactic ending, and although it was a satisfying conclusion for pretty much everyone, it leaves us asking the question of what next?
My players have strongly expressed the opinion that they do not what to start another game over at level 1, at least at the present time. After a bit of negotiation, and talking about the potential benefits and drawbacks, we settled on starting at around level 6.
The last campaign was a homebrew, with some overarching features and story elements drawn from an old 3.5 module. While it went well, it was a lot of work to do, and as time is limited, I'd rather do something a bit more pre-constructed this time. I would have liked very much to do a full Adventure Path, as this group has never tried one together, but as I stated before, the attitude of the party was very strongly against a level 1 start.
So my dilemma is this: is there an adventure path that has a reasonable breaking point between book 2-3, or between 3-4, where a new party could come in, and reasonably take over accomplishing the main storyline goal, without requiring a whole hassle of work, modifications, and exposition in order to bring the players up to speed on the story thus far? Our group is comprised of 5 level 6 characters, with a decent balance of classes and abilities. Use of a few house-rules probably ups their power level and APL to around 7-8, so an entry point designed for up to level 8's would be fine. They tend to prefer games heavier on the action/encounter side of things than intrigue, though I am trying to break them out of their shells a bit (most are newer gamers), and encourage more active roleplaying.
Alternatively, if there is a good series of modules that could be used for this kind of game, I'd consider that as well, but an overarching quest/chance to save the world would be nice.
The Party:
All are 6th Level, with above average stats (rolled)
Male Half-Elf Barbarian - Two-handed axe damage dealer/meat shield.
Female Human Druid - Range build who lets her Tiger do the melee stuff.
-Tiger Companion
Female Fetchling Trapsmith Rogue - High STR, and good melee potential - for a rogue...
Female Aasimar Summoner (Default type) - Range build who lets her Eidelon do the melee stuff.
-Quadrupedal melee Eidolon
Male Elven Conjurer Wizard - Pretty ubiquitous battlefield control/god type with some summoning ability.
Hey guys, me here. Once you have your ID set up, post here so we can chat a bit about what goes on online and I can show you around how things work on here. Of course, you can probably figure it out yourselves, but post here anyway so we can figure out if we want to do some sort of online gaming together.
When I was placing the order, I thought the usually ships in line said something typical, like 4-10 days. I checked the order because I had expected it to arrive by now, but it appears that it may not even have shipped. What is the reason for the unusual length of time required to ship my order, and is there any way of speeding this up?
You are alone, sitting in your workshop, at your prayers, cleaning up, reading a book, or practicing forms, as is typical for you on a Saturday morning.
Suddenly your mind feels a shift, and though your broom or chair, weapon or Symbol of faith may remain, everything else is just a blank white. You are arranged in a semi-circle with a group of others, each stranger than the last. There is nothing else around you to see, but you feel something; a presence, a benevolence that surrounds you and welcomes you. You do not feel threatened. However, there is a hint of urgency to it; a strong desire.
You have been chosen. You are about to go on a journey. The people that have invited you are not of my design, and have their own reasons for doing so, but I intend to make use of their choices. You are a rare individual, and may have the strength needed to succeed where so many others have failed.
Little is as it seems, and you must be able to see beyond the raw elements around you to see the truth beyond. All is not as it should be, the veil grows thin and should it be breached and not resealed, a great many will suffer. Go now. Accept the summons. I will aid you where I can.
A moment later you are back in familiar circumstances. You never spoke. Nor did the strange looking champions you saw surrounding you. There was no time, and the thought never even occurred to you.
A mere moment later there is a rap at the door. Upon opening it, you see a man standing outside dressed in fine livery*. He asks for you by name, and then hands you a letter upon confirming your identity. He says nothing else, standing ready. You notice that he is still holding another scroll tube, and that he has made no move to depart, even if you provided a tip. You take this as indication that you are to read the letter immediately.
*Kn: Nobility DC 12:
House Ornelos of Korvosa. House Ornelos Administers the college of magic is Korvosa.
You break the seal on the letter, and read as follows:
Greetings. Though I have not had the chance to meet you in person, your reputation brought you to my attention. I have great hopes that you will accept my invitation and present yourself at a great event that not only offers the chance for significant remuneration, but will increase the prestige already beginning to be associated with your name. I apologize for the lateness of the request, but tales of your exploits have only just reached my ears.
You are formally invited to take part in the Breaching Festival, held Tomorrow, the last Sunday of Desnus, wherein champions of all walks attempt to gain entry to the College, surmounting its defenses. The one doing so will not only do the college a great favour, informing us of any weakness in the defenses, but also win great renown and recompense. A prize sum of 153000 Sails will be awarded to the winner, to do with as he please. Commensurate to this reward are the risks, as the wards of our fair campus are designed to discourage intrusion quite prejudicially. However I feel from what I have learned of you that your skills are up to the task.
Please gather what you will need, and accompany this courier to Korvosa forthwith. All your expenses will be covered as a guest of the festival. I look forward to meeting you in person.
Sincerely
Toff Ornelos of house Ornelos Headmaster Acadamae of Korvosa
Welcome aboard. This will be the team, so start discussing how you will best work together as a team, and giving each other whatever build advice remains to be worked out.
I love a well role played game. A group of diverse characters, acting within specific mindsets and varying points of view, all acting and interacting in order to bring out the most diverse, interesting characters imaginable. This is not that game.
Sometimes you just want to kill something. The rules will be very simple in this by the numbers, hack and slash killathon. You will be put up against a foe you should have no real chance of killing, but then given every possible advantage that a character of your station could possibly have.
This will be a single module one-shot. I'm moving this month, and will likely need to blow off some steam. While that means I would like the game moving at a fast pace, there may be breaks as well. Maps and such will be very simple to facilitate this. I am considering using the method of posting the adversaries' stats in order to allow the players to resolve their own actions, and help minimize GM duties.
What: A 10th level Module with a focus on combat and minimal RP
Who: A group of 6th level adventurers
How: Gestalt characters, 30 pt buy, extra feats.
How Many: 4-5 players, plus a GMPC (I want to kill something too; besides PC's that is)
Character Creation Guidelines: Buy: 30 pts; min 7/max 18, before racial modifications.
Sources: Any Pathfinder, plus 3PP as long as it's on PFSRD.
Classes: Any
Races: Any, including ARG, but no custom races, as we want to keep this quick and clean.
Feats: 1 at each level. To reflect your dual nature as gestalt characters, you will get an additional feat every level. This will replace the feat traditionally received at each odd numbered level.
Gestalt rules: Pick two classes at each level. For each class feature (HP, Saves, BAB, and skill points) you get the better of the two. You may have any combination, and multi-class in any way you see fit, as long as you qualify for both classes. You may have no more than 1 prestige class at any one level. Class features cannot exceed the normal for your hit dice (such as Caster levels, sneak attack, animal companions, etc.) but can exist in parallel (a 6/6 Druid/Cavalier could have 2 6th level animal companions).
Setting Rules: Common Firearms. All firearms are martial weapons. Early firearms and their ammunition cost 25% base cost, but advanced firearms and their ammunition cost the full price to purchase or craft.
HP: Max. Every level. You'll need them.
Wealth: 32000 gp. Double standard level 6 gear. No restrictions on how you spend it either; you want to have nothing but a +4 weapon, that's your business.
Crafting: Allowed. Anything you can make yourself can be part of your starting gear for the crafting cost; but only for yourself. Items above your crafting level are available for purchase only.
The Characters: Character submissions should be fleshed out and have all the crunch completed. A modest background would be nice, as well as a little personality. However, don't think too hard about your character; they're probably going to die and need replacing anyway.
The module: I'll be looking for one that fits the bill, but you are welcome to suggest one.
When: Pretty much as soon as we can get the module picked out. This will be open for submissions only until we get a decent crew together.
The desert winds in the harsh badlands west of Katapesh are hot, and laced with fine grit that manages to pierce the most tightly closed eye or pressed lip. Eyes burn, and throats are raw and dry, coated with a fine layer of the clinging dust. Water is still in generous supply with the caravan, but no amount of it seems to be enough to wash the dust from your throat. Any relief that comes is short lived as the next blast of hot air seems to replace all that was so recently washed away.
The scrublands here are rocky, dull and brown. While the dunes might be more forbidding on the eye, they might actually be less dangerous. The scrub here means that there is some water to be had, but any that exists will be known to the creatures that live here, and the predictors that stalk them. In the distance, a lone tall mountain can be seen through the haze, sitting silently along the horizon.
The caravan organized by the one called Garavel is mounted entirely on camels, the ornery beasts only cooperating as long as their rider or driver is vigilant. More than once a rider has been tossed to the ground, bitten, or received a splattering shot of foul smelling saliva in the face or on their clothes. The caravan set out from Solku some week ago, with a destination set on some unknown part of the northern Scrublands of Katapesh, presumably near the town of Kelmarane, the objective of this excursion.
The man named Garavel came to Solku seeking aid, warriors and mystics, scouts and servants of the divine. He claimed that he sought a force to turn the Gnolls out of a lost town, one that had been abandoned to the sands and beasts that roam them some twenty years ago. Your duty, he said, would be to aid in routing these fiends and helping a force of men reclaim this forgotten outpost, and return it to the dominion of man. The village would be rebuilt, trade routes revived, and prosperity created for all involved. How this was to be accomplished was not divulged, but you had your own reasons for signing on. Garavel's insistence that a strategy would be revealed once the location of his patron was reached was the only answer that was provided.
Garavel has been a tight lipped man so far. He has bared no nonsense and made each man or woman present prove to his satisfaction that you deserved a place on this crew before he accepted your offer of service. On the day of departure, he'd had you assemble at dawn, and you found yourself with both the master, and six other companions, each unique, and some obviously warriors. The trip itself had been plain, with a minimum of disturbances so far, and only Garavel and your new allies for company. Now you find yourself on the last day of your journey, and Garavel reports that you should reach his master's camp within the hour.
Please take this opportunity to introduce yourself. Please describe your appearance and what you are carrying, as well as how you have interacted with your companions over this past week. Knowing that you are reaching your destination, feel free to describe any preparations you have made today that are above and beyond the ordinary.
Welcome to the discussion thread. Arriving at this group of people was not an easy matter, and I will regret not being able to see some of the other fine proposals in action. However, you that are here will have the chance to be brought to life, which I am very much looking forward to.
First things first, there are a few orders of business: the people who were selected here were chosen not necessarily just for the character they proposed, but for their ability to craft a character, and imbue realistic motivations into that character. While this is an optimization heavy game, it is also a game for role-players. This means that while the characters you have submitted are obviously superior ones, you are not limited to them, now that you can see who your peers will be. I am more concerned with getting good players than a classic selection of character roles across the PC's. So, if anyone wishes to alter their character, or change to an entirely new concept, having seen the group, you will be allowed to do so. You may wish to discuss this as a group and decide what is going to be the best way to progress.
Second, as promised in the original post, each player can make a roll for a complete set of Ability Scores, using the classic roll 4d6, drop the lowest approach. At the end, I'll summarize the results, and each player may either keep their original 20 point buy set, or choose any of the sets rolled by any of the group members. Now, I have seen this system result in some very high Point Value sets, so though I have not actually had to do it before, it is possible that I may have to overrule anything so extreme that I feel I cannot account for it within the scope of the AP.
I need to complete a few things before we start, and I would like to see the characters firmly in their final forms before we do. That being said, I hope to open the gameplay thread by the weekend.
Legacy of Fire:
This is a open call for players interested in playing the Legacy of Fire Adventure Path by PbP, updated to Pathfinder rules of course. I am planning a group of 4-6 players, though one of those spots is presently spoken for.
If you are not familiar with the Stormwind Fallacy, from which I took the name, do yourself a favour and give it a read. To summarize, there is a preconception out there that people who optimize characters cannot roleplay, and that people who play underpowered characters are far better at it. The truth tends to be that neither has much of anything to do with the other. Optimized characters can be played brilliantly, or be munchkins, underpowered characters can be RP gold, or bland dead weight.
This will be a game for strong, immersive roleplay, by players who also know how to optimise. I believe in letting players play cool, heroic characters, and adjusting the challenges to make them work for every victory. I really enjoy good roleplay, and tend to be of the school of thought that playing a strong character you really enjoy brings an element of enthusiasm to the role playing.
Submissions can come via posts here, or a completed alias if you prefer. Please include a good background and character story, as well as an idea of your character's motivations going forward. Also include a bit on your character's future mechanical development, so we can be sure you know what you're doing; remember, we will be Playing on Hard here. If you are not that good at optimizing yourself, that is not necessarily a problem, as long as you can seek out help when you need it.
Gameplay: Frequency: Once per day during weekdays, weekends optional. This is the ideal, but I'm not draconian about it. Characters that are absent a day here or there will generally be NPC'd, especially in combat, unless repeat offenders become problematic.
Timezone: I'm in Alberta, Canada (GMT -7), aka Mountain Time. Being Canadian also means you'll have to put up with English spellings (colour, honour, centre, etc.)
Maps: I use Maptools to create my maps, and then post a screenshot to Google Docs. Here's some actual examples from my Carrion Crown AP: Here and Here.
Character Generation:
Ability Scores: Design your characters with a 20 Point buy. Once the group is selected, I'll allow each to roll a set. Each player will be able to choose to either keep their 20 point set, or choose any of the sets rolled by all players. There will be no limit to how many people choose any one set, and in previous games most players all chose the same set. Please note that one of my house rules is that both Int and Dex modifiers affect bonus skillpoints.
Acceptable Sources: Any official Paizo PFRPG sourcebooks. Please reference the more obscure options. 3rd party and 3.5 material may be considered, but is subject to approval. I typically use PFSRD as my online resource as I find it easier to navigate than the PRD.
Classes and Archetypes: All official Paizo Classes are open, including Gunslinger, Summoner, Ninja and Samurai. For the Oriental classes, you will need to explain why you are in Katapesh, or how you would reskin the class to fit local culture (which would probably not be too difficult imo.) I might restrict the reviled Master Summoner archetype, mainly to avoid the bookkeeping it entails.
Races: Any from ARG, though core will be favoured in the selection. Suli can be added to core in this case, as they fit the setting very well. I prefer to stay away from custom races unless I (the GM) make them, so submit them at your own peril.
Alignment: I prefer heroic play, which entails a mostly Good character base. Please avoid CN/LE, and NE/CE should be right out.
Traits: 2, one of which must be a campaign trait.
Starting Gold: Max.
HP: Max at level 1, half+1 after that.
Pathfinder House Rules (Looks long, but follows a single theme):
Many elements of Pathfinder are drawn by necessity and tradition directly from earlier editions, but do not necessaries make sense. The following modifications try to restore a little bit of logic to the feat system. A few of these rules may be experimental, and may require tweaking later. If an adjustment nerfs a character build, you will be allowed to modify/retrain/rebuild the character to move in a different direction.
Non-Feats:
Some strategies listed as Feats in the game should be abilities that any warrior can use, regardless of whether he has a specific feat.
Weapon Finesse: Applies to all finesseable weapons.
Agile Maneuvers: Applies to all finesseable weapons.
Power Attack: Can be performed by any character with a BAB of +1 or more.
Lunge: Can be performed by any character with a BAB of +6 or more.
Deadly Aim: Can be performed by any character with a BAB of +1 or more.
Improved Dirty Trick, Improved Disarm, Improved Feint, Feinting Flurry, Improved Feinting Flurry, Improved Reposition, Improved Steal, and Improved Trip do not require Combat Expertise as a prerequisite.
Modified-Feats:
These abilities still require a feat expenditure, but have modified effects from the original description.
Combat Expertise: Is now mostly a stand alone feat, and does not function as a prerequisite for the Improved feats as before.
Dervish Dance: Can be applied to any finesseable weapon.
Vital Strike: Scales automatically, gaining the effect of Improved Vital Strike when the character achieves a BAB of +11, and Greater Vital Strike when he achieves a BAB of +16.
Two Weapon Fighting: Scales automatically, gaining the effect of Improved Two Weapon Fighting when the character achieves a BAB of +6, and Greater Two Weapon Fighting when he achieves a BAB of +11.
Craft Magical Item: All the Item Creation Feats are replaced by this one feat. You must still posses the minimum required caster level to make the type of item specified, and must still meet all other requirements. Free to wizards in lieu of Scribe Scroll.
Simple Metamagic:
Prerequites: The ability to cast level 1 spells.
Benefit: The character gains the ability to use all +0 and +1 metamagic. Feats, class abilities, and traits that reduce the level modifier of a metamagic affect must still specify a specific metamagic technique.
Advanced Metamagic:
Prerequites: Simple Metamagic, the ability to cast level 2 spells.
Benefit: The character gains the ability to use all +2 metamagic.
Master Metamagic:
Prerequites: Advanced Metamagic, the ability to cast level 3 spells.
Benefit: The character gains the ability to use all +3 metamagic.
Simple Weapon Proficiency:
Prerequites: None
Benefit: The character gains proficiency with all simple weapons.
Martial Weapon Proficiency:
Prerequisites: All simple weapon proficiencies.
Benefit: The character gains proficiency with all martial weapons.
Weapons: Finesse Weapons: Staves, Spears, and Katana’s are considered finesse weapons when wielded with two hands.
Bastard Sword/Dwarven War Axe: Any character proficient in the use of a Longsword may use a Bastard sword one handed if he has a strength of 13 or greater; the same applies for those proficient with a Battle Axe using a Dwarven War Axe. Any character that is proficient with the use of a great sword, and with a Strength of 13 or greater, may treat the Bastard Sword or Dwarven War Axe as a Finesse Weapon when wielding it two handed.
Spear: Spears are one handed weapons when used with a shield in the off hand. A character with Martial Weapon proficiencies may always treat a spear as a one handed weapon.
Long Spear: A character with Martial Weapon proficiencies may treat a long spear as a one handed weapon when used with a shield in the off hand.
Classes: Cleric/Inquisitor: Classes that receive proficiency with their deity's favoured weapon receive Weapon Focus instead if that weapon is a weapon with which that class is already proficient. In cases where a deity favours unarmed attacks, the character receives Improved Unarmed Strike.
Monk: Monks receive proficiency with all simple and martial weapons with the 'Monk' property. Monks may use Flurry of Blows with any combination of unarmed attacks and monk weapons, including a single monk weapon.
Ranger: Ranger's may choose their animal companions from the same list as Druids.
Equipment: Mithral Weapons: Any one handed metal weapon made out of Mithral may be treated as a finesse weapon.
Mithral Shields: In addition to the other traits of Mithral Shields, the shields may be considered one size lighter. The user must still possess the proficiency for the Shield Type.
Rules: Skill Points: Just as highly intelligent people learn some skills faster, the same is true of physically gifted people. Characters receive bonus skill points every level equal to the sum of their Intelligence and Dexterity modifiers.
Recruitment is open until I find an ideal group of players, so there is no fixed closing date. If you are a late comer, please check my posts to see if I have announced an end to recruiting.
Hello all, I'm looking for some help picking an AP for my home group.
We have recently decided to move on from our old campaign and start something new. I am very interested in running an Adventure Path with them; I run one by PbP and am thinking of adding others, but my home group has never tried one. The issue comes in that my players have indicated that they dislike ultra-low level play, and would rather start out a little higher (4-6ish).
As all the AP's start at level 1, I am interested if there is anyone who has tried to adapt one to start at a slightly higher level, or if any of the AP's might work starting at the beginning of the second book as opposed to the first. I imagine that including a compressed adaptation of some of the events of the first book would be possible (and perhaps necessary) as well.
Most AP's run level 1-16 or so, but I am not interested in upping the challenge rating of every book throughout the whole story, as that just seems like an excessive amount of work.
Options:
1. Start at level 4 and let them breeze through the first book, and not leveling until after the start of book 2.
2. Start at level 4 and start at the beginning of the second book.
3. Start at level 4, up the difficulty of the first book, while using the 'Slow XP' track through book 1-2, then transition back to 'Medium' at book 3 (level 7-8ish).
4. Start at level 1 and use the 'Fast' experience track (might be a tough sell for my players).
5. Compress the events of the first book into an introductory Mini-adventure as opposed to a full book, and then move on to book 2 in full.
Regardless of the option I use, I am interested to know from those who have played or read multiple AP's which one('s) might work the best for this kind of idea? I'd be open to using modules as well, which might be easier, but I'd want a string of them I could weave into a coherent progressive storyline.
