This is just a placeholder thread while I wrap up the "auditions" in Gamer Connection. This is also the official avatar I'll be using as the Storyteller in the game. (This is Fatespinner, in case it weren't obvious.)
I also wanted to take the opportunity to lay out some posting guidelines to help establish some style unity for the game thread when we go live. As I said before, I'm very picky about my games and some might call me anal-retentive. Call it what you will, but I guarantee that if you can make yourself stick with the guidelines, we'll all have a lot of fun together. :)
I'll be selecting the players hopefully by the end of the week, though I'm busy at work with several deadlines currently and may not get to it until Monday. I've already selected Rocketmail, however, and am looking to add up to 4 more to the roster. Character creation details will be covered in the future.
Dot
Dot
Hey me 2!
Okay, the recruitment thread has generated a sufficient number of applicants and, while I haven't been able to get as deeply into some scenarios as I would've liked to, in the end, the recruitment scenarios are just there to serve as a preview of your posting styles and frequencies (I have also taken a glimpse at your characters in other threads for people who didn't get much of a chance to weigh in here). Rather than continue to invest time and effort in a thread that is, in the grand scheme of things, irrelevant to this entire operation beyond the entry point, I have decided to get this proverbial ball rolling. At this point, I've selected my top 5 as well as a handful of alternates (in case one of the 5 chooses not to commit for whatever reason) for the actual game.
The Top 5 (in no particular order) are:
- Rocketmail1
- Azoun the Sage
- Tommy Butcher
- Art
- normanak
The Top 3 Alternates are (in order of priority):
- Cynthia Knightly
- Poor Wandering One
- Marcus Svenson
Apologies to those who didn't make it. Nothing personal, of course, but I have to draw the line somewhere. My experience with WoD is that groups bigger than 5 people become nightmarish in a hurry.
I'll get character creation guidelines up momentarily. Stay tuned.
Hope you don't mind me dotting to lurk, Fatespinner. I've been watching the recruitment thread and look forward to seeing this game play out.
Right, need to sabotage the internet for....What? What do you mean the mike is on?
Right congradulations to the chosen 5. Try not to think about us alternates stalking you down darkened rainslick streets. Creeping closer...and closer.....
You are an ordinary human being living in the city of Chicago in the current age. The game will begin on May 1st, 2011 (in-game time). I have only one request regarding concept/background, and it is a fairly broad one: You must all be connected to the University of Chicago in some way. Either you are a student, alumni, or faculty of this institution. If you go the alumni route, please make it so that your graduation date (or date of last attendance for non-graduates) was no more than 6 years past. If you are a student or faculty, then it is assumed you are still attending/working there. Bear in mind that faculty can include anyone who works for the college, even groundskeepers and janitors if you wish. Other than that, concepts are completely open.
Attributes
In the new WoD system, Attributes are divided into Physical, Social, and Mental categories just like Skills. Within each category, there is a Power stat, a Finesse stat, and a Resistance stat. You must prioritize your categories by Physical/Social/Mental. In your first choice, you get 6 points to spend on those Attributes. In your second choice, 4 points. Then 3 points in the last category. You automatically begin with 1 point in each Attribute (does not count towards your point spending). Purchasing the 5th dot in any Attribute costs TWO points, and thus it is only possible to have a 5 in your primary category (by allocating 5 of your 6 points to it).
Skills
Skills function very much the same as they did in the old WoD. See the link above for the complete list. Again, you must prioritize your points into Physical, Mental, and Social categories. You get 11 points to spend in your first choice, 7 points in the second, and 4 points in the third. Unlike Attributes, you do NOT receive a free point in each one. Thus, you will have many skills with zero dots in them. This is normal and perfectly fine. Note that Computer 1 is required to do anything more complicated than basic word processing on a computer and Drive 1 is needed to operate a motor vehicle legally (and functionally). You may attempt skills with zero dots at a -1 die penalty. Mental skills, however, impose a -3 penalty for unskilled attempts.
Skill Specialties
These reflect particular areas of expertise in which your character has focused within a given field. Click the link above for some suggestions of specialties within each skill. You may also opt to specialize in other areas not expressly mentioned on that page, though you'll want to run anything by me for approval first. You get THREE specialties to assign, and you can only assign a specialty to a skill in which you have at least one dot. You may also assign multiple specialties to a single skill if you desire. Specialties grant a 1 die bonus on rolls where the specialty is applicable. Multiple applicable specialties stack.
Advantages
Choose a Virtue and a Vice for your character. These are based on the Seven Heavenly Virtues and the Seven Deadly Sins. You can see a matrix of possible combinations here. Whenever your character fulfills a long-term goal that exemplifies his or her Virtue, your Willpower is completely refreshed. Whenever your character fulfills a short-term desire that "gives in" to his or her Vice, you regain a single point of Willpower. Note that I monitor this stuff for abuse pretty strictly. Selecting 'Wrath' and punching every person you meet is not a quick-fix for low Willpower. For it to truly be 'wrath' there needs to be proper and justified provocation. The same is true with other vices as well.
Willpower is determined by adding your Resolve and Composure Attributes together. The result is referred to as your "permanent" Willpower. Whenever something requires you to make a Willpower roll, this is the number of d10s you roll. Your Willpower score also reflects your reservoir of inner strength, reflected by your "temporary" Willpower score. At the beginning of the game, your temporary and permanent Willpower scores are equal. However, you may spend a point of temporary Willpower to add 3 bonus dice to any physical action or any action that makes use of a Resistance Attribute. You may also spend a point to add 3 dice to any Willpower rolls you may need to make. When your temporary Willpower is expended completely, you suffer a -1 die penalty on all non-combat-related actions due to your mental exhaustion. Willpower is refreshed by fulfilling your Virtue/Vice conditions as well as by resting (1 point per full night's sleep).
Initiative is equal to your Dexterity + Wits scores.
Size is 5 (unless modified by a Merit).
Speed is Size + Strength + Dexterity.
Health is Size + Stamina. This is best tracked with a series of boxes, since the final 3 levels of health have associated wound penalties with them. Here's an example:
Health: 7 [] [] [] [] []-1 []-2 []-3
Damage comes in 2 forms in WoD: Bashing and Lethal. Bashing injuries heal faster than lethal ones and are marked with a single slash ('/') in the health box. Lethal injuries represent potentially life-threatening wounds and are marked with an 'x' in the box. Injuries always go from left to right with the most severe being on the left.
For example: Bob has 7 health. He has suffered a kick to the chest for 2 Bashing damage. His health track looks like this:
Health: 7 [/] [/] [] [] []-1 []-2 []-3
Then Bob gets stabbed with a knife, inflicting 2 Lethal damage. His track now looks like this:
Health: 7 [x] [x] [/] [/] []-1 []-2 []-3
Finally, his attacker clubs him with a tire iron for 2 more Bashing.
Health: 7 [x] [x] [/] [/] [/]-1 [/]-2 []-3
Bob is now suffering a -2 penalty on all actions due to his injuries. If he survives, the bashing damage will recover quickly, but the knife wound will stick with him for a few days.
Check here to see an example of one of my WoD character sheet layouts.
Merits
Those of you without a WoD book are somewhat disadvantaged here. You can check out this link that explains Merits better than I can. Your characters may only take Merits from the Physical, Social, and Mental categories, and ONLY ones from the Core rulebook within those groups (the book is noted after each Merit's listing). No Supernatural Merits are permitted. You have seven total points to spend here.
Last but not least...
In the Core WoD, there is a "Morality" stat that reflects your character's... well... morality. Effectively a gauge of good and evil that can fluctuate with your actions. I am doing away with that characteristic for this game in place of something else that fits with the themes of this game:
Sanity
Sanity, like Morality, is rated on a scale of 1 to 10. Your character's initial Sanity is determined thusly: 5 + your highest Mental Attribute. Note that Sanity scores of 6+ are still considered "perfectly normal," though Sanity scores of 6-7 often reflects a person that most of society would consider "kooky" or "eclectic." Whenever your Sanity drops below 7, however, your character may begin to develop maladies known as "Derangements." I won't go into detail right here and now about them, but suffice to say that they start out minor and can get quite terrible as your Sanity further degrades. Sanity ratings in the 4-5 range are people who are a bit unhinged, perhaps talking to themselves alone at a restauarant or jumping at shadows. Sanity ratings of 2-3 reflect the criminally insane, people who ought to be institutionalized because they are a danger to themselves and others. A sanity rating of 1 is someone who can no longer distinguish reality from madness and is borderline unplayable as a character. If your Sanity score ever reaches 0, your character has lost all hope of reason and will become an NPC.
Would a graduate student in the School of Divinity work for this campaign? Maybe one looking for field work studying antiquities, or church origins. or maybe looking Missionary work?
Here is a preliminary character. Mentor would be a University Professor he maybe served as an intern for.
Name: Salvatore Victoza
Faction:
Age: 25
Mental Attributes: Intelligence 3, Wits 2, Resolve 3
Physical Attributes: Strength 1, Dexterity 2, Stamina 3
Social Attributes: Presence 2, Manipulation 2, Composure 3
Mental Skills: Academics (Religion) 3, Computer 1, Investigation 1, Medicine 2, Occult (Cultural Beliefs) 3, Politics 1
Physical Skills: Athletics 1, Drive 1, Firearms 1, Stealth 1
Social Skills: Empathy 1, Expression 2, Intimidation 1, Persuasion (Motivational Speeches) 2, Socialize 1
Merits: Language (Latin) 1, Language (Arabic) 1, Mentor 2, Unseen Sense (Hands Shake when Demons present) 3
Willpower: 6
Morality: 7
Virtue: Faith
Vice: Pride
Health: 8
Initiative: 5
Defense: 2
Speed: 8
Size: 5
Weapons/Attacks:
. . 5L - .38 Special (Rng: 20, Cap: 6)
. . 1L - Knife
. . 0B - Unarmed Strike
Armor:
. . -none-
Created With Hero Lab® - try it for free at http://www.wolflair.com!
RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32
|
Would a graduate student in the School of Divinity work for this campaign? Maybe one looking for field work studying antiquities, or church origins. or maybe looking Missionary work?
If this is the school you're talking about, then yes, that would work fine. Of course, having practical knowledge in ancient religions is both advantageous AND hazardous in such a game. :)
Would a graduate student in the School of Divinity work for this campaign? Maybe one looking for field work studying antiquities, or church origins. or maybe looking Missionary work?If this is the school you're talking about, then yes, that would work fine. Of course, having practical knowledge in ancient religions is both advantageous AND hazardous in such a game. :)
Nothing ventured...nothing gained...:-)
Here is a preliminary character. Mentor would be a University Professor he maybe served as an intern for.
Your prospective character looks good except for the Unseen Sense Merit. You'll want to switch that out for something else. A dot or two of Resources to reflect some kind of part-time job or paid lab assistant work maybe? And of course you'll want to edit Morality into Sanity using the guidelines I posted above. :)
Merits
Those of you without a WoD book are somewhat disadvantaged here. You can check out this link that explains Merits better than I can. Your characters may only take Merits from the Physical, Social, and Mental categories, and ONLY ones from the Core rulebook within those groups (the book is noted after each Merit's listing). No Supernatural Merits are permitted. You have seven total points to spend here.
EDIT: Ah, I see the confusion here. In the Core book, Unseen Sense is indeed a Mental Merit, but it was later errata'd and expanded to be re-introduced in the Book of Spirits as a Supernatural one. Still, though, I'd like you to select something else in its place.
|
"Woohoo! I made it!", Azoun frantically jumps up and down in excitment unaware of the spectators. "O." Son of a B&%~$! Need to focus on surroundings here.
I'll get to work on that character tomorrow, right now i'm thinking maybe the sports coach?? Or I may come up with something more indepth...dun dun dun!!! :D
"Woohoo! I made it!", Azoun frantically jumps up and down in excitment unaware of the spectators. "O." Son of a B#&%$! Need to focus on surroundings here.
I'll get to work on that character tomorrow, right now i'm thinking maybe the sports coach?? Or I may come up with something more indepth...dun dun dun!!! :D
Dotting to keep tabs: Also Azoun aint you playin in enough games?! AND DMING ONE?! :O
Stoked - cheers Fatey. So, Chicago you say. Mmm, well from my one weekend there several years ago, my major remaining memory is of an awesome blues bar with a short, almost spherical, singer who had the most amazing voice I've ever heard. Sounds like a character concept to me!
I wonder if the Uni has a 'Department of the Blues'? Some research required, methinks.
The Doctor is in.
|
|
Dotting to keep tabs: Also Azoun aint you playin in enough games?! AND DMING ONE?! :O"Woohoo! I made it!", Azoun frantically jumps up and down in excitment unaware of the spectators. "O." Son of a B#&%$! Need to focus on surroundings here.
I'll get to work on that character tomorrow, right now i'm thinking maybe the sports coach?? Or I may come up with something more indepth...dun dun dun!!! :D
Only playing in two, this will be my third. :D Got plenty of time for all of 'em. Plus with the recruitment thread for this one...just couldn't pass it up, this looks to be awesome!
I'm still working on the bio, he will be Alumni and currently a FBI agent, most likely out of work due to his rage and several undercover assignments.
Please look over the character sheet and let me know if I did anything wrong. I believe I got all your instructions done correctly. :D
Here is a preliminary character. Mentor would be a University Professor he maybe served as an intern for.Your prospective character looks good except for the Unseen Sense Merit. You'll want to switch that out for something else. A dot or two of Resources to reflect some kind of part-time job or paid lab assistant work maybe? And of course you'll want to edit Morality into Sanity using the guidelines I posted above. :)
EDIT: Ah, I see the confusion here. In the Core book, Unseen Sense is indeed a Mental Merit, but it was later errata'd and expanded to be re-introduced in the Book of Spirits as a Supernatural one. Still, though, I'd like you to select something else in its place.Merits
Those of you without a WoD book are somewhat disadvantaged here. You can check out this link that explains Merits better than I can. Your characters may only take Merits from the Physical, Social, and Mental categories, and ONLY ones from the Core rulebook within those groups (the book is noted after each Merit's listing). No Supernatural Merits are permitted. You have seven total points to spend here.
No problem. I'll fix it.
Oh right, I forgot about Defense. Your Defense stat is equal to the LOWER of your Dexterity or Wits. (i.e. if you have Wits 4 and Dex 2, your Defense is 2)
Heading to bed now, will look over characters and whatnot in the morning.
Night night. Introducing Carl 'Doc' Davis. Used the demo version of Hero Lab, so he should be OK mechanically. Happy for feedback on rules, fit with campaign, usefulness given what's coming up, whatever...
Here is a the background thus far, let me know if it will work or needs to be altered. I'm thinking I may need to adjust some of his skill points as well.
Background
Alex Riven Golarsson was an average boy who excelled at sports; football being his favorite, though still skilled at other sports. He earned his scholarship to Chicago University from his talent and sadly was never able to continue a career in sports due to an injury he received. David and Sarah Golarsson raised their son as best they could and encouraged him at every opportunity. David earned his way as a Lawyer in Chicago and Sarah a simple housewife. David was a successful lawyer and because of this Alex lacked a rough child hood. When he was teen he developed anger issues, occasionally ‘raging’ at others, and it was this rage that helped him succeed in sports. It was a good way for him to focus it and turn it into something constructive.
When he entered college he took minimal classes, more general than anything to maintain the required GPA for his sports scholarship. It wasn’t until his knee injury that he had to actual pick a major and focus more on the school work. Thinking it would be easiest to follow his father’s career path he majored in law. After graduating he joined the FBI. Initially stuck with menial tasks his ability to adapt to various situations shined. He later moved into an undercover branch and continued his career there.
His most recent assignment has caused many problems with the FBI and himself. Tasked to infiltrate a cult that was kidnapping young children and sacrificing them. Alex found it hard to maintain his cover in this assignment, there was just so many things morally bothering him. He never participated in the acts but found it hard to just sit by and allow things to happen. He asked to remove from the assignment after a year of being undercover and was declined because he had gotten deeper into the cult than the FBI had ever hoped. Accepting the situation he dedicated himself to sabotaging them at any chance and doing as much as he could to bring the cult down.
Completing his assignment he was a hero to some, and failure to others. Many parents asked “Why couldn’t you save my child?” and others “Thank you, please let me repay you somehow.” The things he saw tormented him severely and as a result he spent many days with the agencies psychiatrists. Not wanting to give up his career he accepted a new assignment doing more menial tasks something that would keep him from drawing his weapon…
I see a lot of people with handguns here. I would encourage your to check this site out. The State of Illinois requires firearm owners to possess a FOID (Firearm Owner's Identification) card. This means that all of you, if you want to own those weapons on your sheet, will either need to have one of these or be operating illegally (with substantial penalty if caught).
So long as your character doesn't have a history of violent crime (which none of you do so far), acquiring the FOID is simple enough to be assumed. It's up to you to decide whether or not you've decided to inform "The Man" that you own a gun or not.
Also, while my example character sheet had been tracking cash-on-hand, it will be unnecessary to do so for this game. Your Resources background reflects a general level of monetary access and, in a modern game, debit cards are accepted virtually everywhere and ATMs are on every corner. The example character was from a game set in 1974, where such things are not necessarily true. :)
Initial character reviews (Mechanical only)
Scranford: You've shorted yourself 1 point in your Mental Attributes. I see 5 points allocated, but you have 6 to spend. Your initiative is listed as 5 but should be 4 (unless you drop that extra Mental dot into Wits, in which case you'll be fine).
Rocketmail: "Surgical Tools" is not an appropriate specialty for Weaponry. Using a scalpel or bone saw in combat is not likely to work out well for the wielder since they are not designed to be used as such. Also, the "Tolerance for Biology" Merit is not from the Core Rulebook so please select something else. If becoming "queasy" at the sight of blood ever becomes a mechanical issue, common sense dictates that the medical doctor will probably be less phased than others. No sense in buying a merit for that. That said, I don't anticipate anyone making rolls to determine any kind of effects for such things (except possibly Sanity rolls for particularly horrific scenes of gore). That's a roleplaying point.
Azoun: I just realized that the Seven Heavenly Virtues are a bit different in the WoD book than the "true" ones that I linked on the wiki (my mistake, not yours). "Diligence" as such does not exist as an option in WoD, but perhaps "Justice" or "Fortitude" would be fitting options? Please refer to the matrix I listed before for the WoD Virtues/Vices.
Art: You've shorted yourself 1 point in your Social Attributes. Also, your initiative should be 5 rather than 4.
|
|
Is there a definition for those for better clarification on their meaning?
Also as far as Allies and Contacts are concerned in Merits. What exactly do they detail as? Like I recall Allies 1 was 3 allies correct, someone who may come to you aid or assist you in some way. And a Contact is just someone for information?
With those do I need to assign them names and jobs? Or will you be doing that?
If it's as I recall the Contact will be someone in the FBI agency. Thinking maybe someone like deepthroat from X-Files or maybe a Director Skinner type?
The Allies I was working at with the backstory of some of the families children he did manage to save. One of them being some of Cops from the area. Perhaps this cult he was investigating/undercover with was in the Chicago area?
EDIT: Resources? How does that break down? Like what is acceptable to have to start with on equipment and transportation as well domicile.
Toni Morena is a 26-year old Italian-American graduate student in Nuclear Physics at the University of Chicago. She speaks Italian, attends mass at St. Thomas the Apostle and was on the swim team in high school and as an undergraduate at U of C.
Toni Morena is a 26-year old Italian-American graduate student in Nuclear Physics at the University of Chicago. She speaks Italian, attends mass at St. Thomas the Apostle and was on the swim team in high school and as an undergraduate at U of C.
Trained Memory, Good Time Management, and Bureaucratic Navigator are not Core Merits. Please re-allocate these points elsewhere. Also, you shorted yourself 1 point in your Physical skills. Might I recommend a dot of Drive?
So, to recap the "party" consists of:
Interesting group we have. We've got three brainiacs, a socialite, and a "fighter." Particularly in the case of Dr. Briggs, I can see the events of the campaign having serious conflicts with your profession. Doctors work an awful lot of hours and don't really have much time (or inclination) to go investigating "strange things." :)
Is there a definition for those for better clarification on their meaning?
Also as far as Allies and Contacts are concerned in Merits. What exactly do they detail as? Like I recall Allies 1 was 3 allies correct, someone who may come to you aid or assist you in some way. And a Contact is just someone for information?
With those do I need to assign them names and jobs? Or will you be doing that?
If it's as I recall the Contact will be someone in the FBI agency. Thinking maybe someone like deepthroat from X-Files or maybe a Director Skinner type?
The Allies I was working at with the backstory of some of the families children he did manage to save. One of them being some of Cops from the area. Perhaps this cult he was investigating/undercover with was in the Chicago area?
EDIT: Resources? How does that break down? Like what is acceptable to have to start with on equipment and transportation as well domicile.
Virtues and Vices are not necessarily a "hard-coded" kind of thing. In general, though, the Justice virtue is fulfilled when your character rights a significant wrong in a just fashion. (i.e. you track down and incarcerate a serial killer, you avenge the death of a child, etc.) The Fortitude virtue is fulfilled when your character suffers an undue amount of hardship or injury and survives, while benefiting others in the process.
Allies are 1-for-1 and you may choose to detail the specifics if you wish, or you can allow me to (if you want to just give me a general template of the kind of ally you want). Contacts are similarly 1-for-1, but for each major contact, you also have a handful of lesser contacts that are in an associated field. For example, if your 1 major Contact is the city coroner, you might have some detectives or EMTs as lesser contacts that know you.
As for Resources, there's a general guideline that goes something like this:
So, to recap the "party" consists of:
A fully-vetted medical doctor
A college dropout blues singer
A nuclear physicist
An FBI agent
A religious studies major Interesting group we have. We've got three brainiacs, a socialite, and a "fighter." Particularly in the case of Dr. Briggs, I can see the events of the campaign having serious conflicts with your profession. Doctors work an awful lot of hours and don't really have much time (or inclination) to go investigating "strange things." :)
He is Greedy, so if anything strange or unexpected happens to him, I expect him to try to "spin" it to make him richer. I can supply his work schedule (he is on call in case of emergencies).
Okay, he works 30 hours a week as an Emergency Care provider during the graveyard shift. He works 10 hours a week doing autopsies on whatever he may find interesting (he has that kind of luxury). He works the remaining 20 hours doing consultations and office work. The rest of the time he is on call. Two days out of the week he is definitely going to be in his office doing the above stated consultations and scheduling. Usually this happens Mondays and Fridays. His graveyard work is Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. He schedules in autopsies whenever he has a moment.
Trained Memory, Good Time Management, and Bureaucratic Navigator are not Core Merits. Please re-allocate these points elsewhere. Also, you shorted yourself 1 point in your Physical skills. Might I recommend a dot of Drive?
OK, I added Drive and swapped in Meditative Mind, Eidetic Memory and Striking Looks.
Interesting, I just noticed that Garett's brother is a nuclear physicist at FermiLab. I wonder if he and Antonia are acquainted.
I was just thinking the same thing. I wonder how big Fermilab actually is. Would they know each other by default, or is it a large complex?
|
RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32
|
So one Contact gives you some sub-contacts as well? Just checking, is that at the 1 pt merit?
Just clarifying somethings, I may reallocate some of my merit points.
Contacts is a variable-point merit. For each dot, you get 1 "major" contact and a few "minor" contacts (who don't necessarily need to be detailed). Contacts, unlike Allies, are not always helpful. They are people you are acquainted with that may have useful information, but they are not necessarily friendly or inclined to help. Usually you need to bribe, coerce, or otherwise motivate a contact to provide information unless the info is trivial and requires no effort on the contact's behalf.
Allies, on the other hand, are considered friendly and will do what they can to provide assistance if you need it. It's a two-way street, however, and sometimes your Allies may be in need of YOUR help.
|
RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32
|
Antonia doesn't work there but with her Striking Looks and minor Fame she's probably fairly well known.
You need to decide what particular social circle your Fame applies to. It could be "scientific community" or "University of Chicago" or anything else you think appropriate. Your Fame rating acts as a pool of bonus dice that you can apply to people within your area of influence. The rating also influences HOW famous you are (and thus how many people know of you and are likely to be subject to the bonuses of the Merit).
Antonia doesn't work there but with her Striking Looks and minor Fame she's probably fairly well known.You need to decide what particular social circle your Fame applies to. It could be "scientific community" or "University of Chicago" or anything else you think appropriate.
Or maybe she was on "The Daily Show" as one of Stewart's guests that one time.
|
|
Antonia doesn't work there but with her Striking Looks and minor Fame she's probably fairly well known.You need to decide what particular social circle your Fame applies to. It could be "scientific community" or "University of Chicago" or anything else you think appropriate. Your Fame rating acts as a pool of bonus dice that you can apply to people within your area of influence. The rating also influences HOW famous you are (and thus how many people know of you and are likely to be subject to the bonuses of the Merit).
I decided to get rid of Meditative Mind and take two Fames, 1 dot in University of Chicago, for her looks and her swimming, and 1 dot in Nuclear Physics for her intelligence.
|
RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32
|
I decided to get rid of Meditative Mind and take two Fames, 1 dot in University of Chicago, for her looks and her swimming, and 1 dot in Nuclear Physics for her intelligence.
Fair enough, that works. So the people who follow the non-stadium sports at U of C have a fair chance of recognizing you for who you are, as do the other science majors and a select group of people who've paid attention to your scientific journal publications (since you're a grad student, you had to have been published).
|
|
So one Contact gives you some sub-contacts as well? Just checking, is that at the 1 pt merit?
Just clarifying somethings, I may reallocate some of my merit points.
Contacts is a variable-point merit. For each dot, you get 1 "major" contact and a few "minor" contacts (who don't necessarily need to be detailed). Contacts, unlike Allies, are not always helpful. They are people you are acquainted with that may have useful information, but they are not necessarily friendly or inclined to help. Usually you need to bribe, coerce, or otherwise motivate a contact to provide information unless the info is trivial and requires no effort on the contact's behalf.
Allies, on the other hand, are considered friendly and will do what they can to provide assistance if you need it. It's a two-way street, however, and sometimes your Allies may be in need of YOUR help.
ok, bumped my allies to two and removed contact.
I'm curious what exactly is the diff if I get rid of quickdraw? Thinking about dumping it and bumping resources.
|
RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32
|
I'm curious what exactly is the diff if I get rid of quickdraw? Thinking about dumping it and bumping resources.
Actions are a little more restricted in WoD than they are in, say, D&D. Drawing a weapon takes your action in WoD, though you can also move at the same time. With Quick Draw, you can draw the weapon AND FIRE IT in the same round. Normally you can't.
In D&D, a minute = 10 rounds, which means a round is considered 6 seconds. In WoD, it's half that: 3 seconds per round. You can attack, move your speed and attack (with a -2 penalty), or move double your speed in a round. You can also choose to "defend" in which case you spend your action doing nothing but trying to defend yourself. Defending doubles your Defense until your next action.
Defense is applied as a penalty to anyone attacking you. Say you have STR 3 and Brawl 2. 5 dice total. You go to punch someone with Defense 3. 5 - 3 = 2. You roll 2 dice to attack. Each success is a point of damage you inflict. If they opt to "defend" for the round, their Defense doubles to 6. 5 - 6 = -1. Now you get a chance die since you are at or below 0. I explained chance dice and dramatic failures previously.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Your Defense does not apply against Firearms attacks. You can't dodge bullets. You need cover or armor if you want any protection at all against bullets. Guns are scary in WoD, as they should be.
|
|
As for Resources, there's a general guideline that goes something like this:
0 dots: Destitute (<$15,000/yr.). You have virtually nothing. You reside with others or in a shelter of some kind, possibly simply living on the streets. You have less than $100 a month to meet your basic needs and no vehicle or significant possessions of your own.
1 dot: Lower class (~$25,000/yr.). You have very modest living arrangements (studio/1 bedroom apartment) and less than $500 a month in "spending cash." Your vehicle is likely old and somewhat unreliable.
2 dots: Lower-middle class (~$40,000/yr.). You have reasonable housing (multi-bedroom apartment/small house) and less than $1200 a month in spending cash. You may have a single modest vehicle that is relatively new.
3 dots: Middle class (~$60,000/yr.). You live in a moderate home and have less than $4000 a month in spending cash. You may have a couple of newer vehicles or a single luxury vehicle.
4 dots: Wealthy (~$100,000/yr.). You live in a sizeable home with a vast array of features. You have up to $9000 a month in spending cash and likely own several luxury vehicles.
5 dots: Elite ($500,000+/yr.). You are a multi-millionaire and have access to the most cutting edge luxuries around. You have up to $30,000 a month in spending cash and undoubtedly own a vast array of exotic vehicles.
Would I have to put a dot in Resources to get a laptop computer and a cell phone?
|
RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32
|
Would I have to put a dot in Resources to get a laptop computer and a cell phone?
Yes, especially if you also want a place to live. Bear in mind that Resources doesn't just mean "a job." It could also reflect savings or other income (investments, parents providing for you, etc.).
|
|
Would I have to put a dot in Resources to get a laptop computer and a cell phone?Yes, especially if you also want a place to live. Bear in mind that Resources doesn't just mean "a job." It could also reflect savings or other income (investments, parents providing for you, etc.).
Grrr! Ok, lose Eidetic Memory and gain Fast Reflexes 1 (from swimming) and Resources 1.
Coolio, I'll update those two things. No problem having a FOID. Discovery for the day - you can't edit a profile on an iPad. The edit window doesn't scroll. So updates when I can be bothered to boot up the laptop.
This is an interestingly diverse group, and I'm keen to see how we all come together.
EDIT: updates made. I wonder if Dr Briggs did any teaching at the med school while Carl was there?