jonnylobster's page

Magic, Science, and Psionics are all just different ways to manipulate molecules and the building blocks to matter, in my game. 3 different means to an end. I don't really replace magic with science as a standard as an alternate setting as Gamma World, but will still have to take a look at what it offers.

The setting i've created is modern earth gave way to a recurrence of magic after a 3rd world war that reset the planet. Elves returned a'la a noah's ark-esque portal from an alternate dimension, bringing back "two of every kind" talking beasts and creatures. After another millennium or so, magic has it's own quasi-fallout which reduces magic efficiency to at most half. This leads to a refounding of ancient tech ruins as the power struggle shifts again. Psionics is always a constant, but much more rare. Most psi-adepts are always hidden because of their unchecked power and are hunted to near extinction from time to time if their society is found out.

As you can see, mutants and monsters are created/re-created from both magic or radiation, whatever fits for the moment. I've pretty much mashed a whole bunch of setting archetypes together.

Look into content from the 3.5 D20 modern setting. It'll take some tweaking to make it work well, but it's a good place to get some inspiration. There are also splat books for steampunk and post-apocalyptic if I remember right.

Ya D20 Modern was were 80% of my game's tech and guns mechanics came from. I had a "gunslinger" writeup and gunplay usuage all straight out of those books (with a home twist) well before Paizo released an official. I love D20 Modern.

Loads of good stuff to look into so far, all, thanx. Nice homebrew campaign at first glance, UnderABleedingSon. Love how you break down the different science systems in play. Good way to outline what you want in your game. I'll be digging into more of that later.

Deadlands has some interesting steampunk stuff in it. The Eberron setting is 3.5 D&D with a bit of a steampunk vibe.

I guess i should have clarified i have been playing since 3.0 and am well aware of Eberron, thanx. There is plenty cribbed from it, Warforged being the main.

I also want to stick with d20 compatible stuff for Pathfinder, too. Im not too familiar with GURPs but i don't want to rework/balance a bunch of alternate systems.

I've been developing a homebrew game for a few years now. It is pathfinder based ruleset but I like to add anything else I come across that adds to the flavor of a dystopian setting. Stephen King's Dark Tower series is the biggest influence but Fallout and Borderlands visually are more what i have in mind. Flora retaking bombed out cities, ancient ruins, intermittent long stretches of wastes, forgotten tech, and rediscovered magic blended together with the traditional medieval gameplay. Guns and sorcery, mostly. Nothing to original :)

I just bought the Pure Steam Campaign Setting pdf, which looks really great, but was wondering what other products are out there that might help out my theme. Im not too familiar with all the third party material available and wanted a bit of help to navigate straight to the best.

I also sent an email to Amazon for my canceled pre-order. Maybe if enough of us do it they will compensate the early pricing. I think it was only a dollar something difference but since it is over the $25 mark we get the free shipping on ordering it with Amazon. You have to have the member's card to get the free shipping on an order with Books-A-Million and paizo charges 8 bucks to ship their books. I wouldn't really even mind paying closer to the actual retail price if i wasn't charged a fourth of the book cost in shipping.

+1 to this!!

If it's feasible and the timing is right, definitely buy it. But Paizo doesn't NEED it, just a good business move.

Wasn't the 3.5 Magic Item Compendium, Rule Compendium, and Spell Compendium within the last of the published WOC books? TOB and TOM, i think, might have been the only ones released later. Just saying, why not an Epic(Mythic?) or some other book first? Then give us the compilations.

I just wonder if this kind of book is a little premature. Shouldn't Paizo wait for at least a few more of the inevitable Ultimate books or other core products? When those are released we only save about 3 or 4 books of space on our table when perusing through all the products. This seems a more end of the line type of release, unless they decide to include all equipment from the official products: campaign, core, handbooks, companion, chronicles, and the like.

You make a good point. I guess since guns are real i have a harder time with the touch rules and range increment. I guess i need a stand alone thread to see what people think about this balancing. I'm still new to this class.

Maxximilius wrote:

jonnylobster wrote:

But no way should natural armor, at least, be figured into the touch ac somehow.

Excuse me, nat amr SHOULD be figured in somewhere. How do you bypass that just by hitting it?

jonnylobster wrote:

I personally like it but think the modern gun rules for touch attack for their max range increment is ridicules! We have already decided when we incorporate guns next game to house-rule touch ac + natural armor.

Of course its hard to see how a colossal creature with fullplate or some kind of armor of 3+ feet of steel could be bypassed by a bullet.

It is bypassed for the same reason that any people hit with a bullet while wearing a bullet-proof vest could explain you.

The Touch AC thing is not overpowered, at same level an archer hitting full AC still deals more damage.

How do you figure realistically that if you have plated armor covering any joint or weak spot, except maybe the eyes through a helmet, a bullet can do its full damage to said opponent just by hitting him. With only the DEX saving his ass if he can "move" out of the way.

Now take the same opponent, make him a creature with high natural armor under the plate, increase him to colossal size, and you STILL hit him for full damage rolls just because he couldn't "move" out of the way. Just because you hit something doesn't mean you can actually bypass protection to do damage. Full armor class represents this more accurately.

Maybe, i can see the point for anyone wearing other armor besides some kind of heavy armor that protects the whole body. But no way should natural armor, at least, be figured into the touch ac somehow.

To change the subject from TWF a bit - and this has probably been beaten to death in some other hate gunslinger thread - but what has been the consensus on the touch attack for the gun range?

Haven't played a gunslinger yet, my party's game is mid-run when the book came out, but the general complaint with the class has been the touch attack. I personally like it but think the modern gun rules for touch attack for their max range increment is ridicules! We have already decided when we incorporate guns next game to house-rule touch ac + natural armor.

Of course its hard to see how a colossal creature with fullplate or some kind of armor of 3+ feet of steel could be bypassed by a bullet.

Yeah thats what i thought!! But really, some times I think that having to fight with your players, time and time again, over such matters is the curse the GMs have to bear. Or it might be happening only to me, I dont know! Anyway, thank you very much for the quick answer!!!

Also, why do you think that you don't get tower shield proficiencies with any class? They are too big and heavy to manage normally without special training. Maybe give a feat (with prereqs) to reloading easier with the gun/tower combo. All crossbows require two hands to load, so i would suggest reloading the gun with a tower shield one or two steps harder than normal to reload. If it's a move action, then standard; standard, then a full round.