So, I'm not sure if this is just me getting inspiration from some recently-watched movies and whatnot, or if this is the sort of thing that anyone else would care about, but what's the interest level for an almost-modern RPG? I say Victorian just because that's the sort of culture I'm thinking, but it may also end up 18th century style just as easily.
Note that I wouldn't want this to be any sort of full-out steampunk or anything, so if you're not into that, don't be driven off! (Of course, if you are into steampunk, please don't be driven off by that statement!) Just, the time period is interesting, and I'm wondering what it'd be like to set something in then.
As for rules, I'm thinking I'll run off the basic PF rules that we know and love (or at least are content with for the most part), but with some updates of my own. Mainly, I'm looking at some new classes and tweaking races around to make things interesting. I'm not sure just what feel I'm going for--horror, maybe? We'll see--but I do know that magic will not be as widespread as it is in most games, and there will be almost no magical healing (don't worry, I know a way to deal with that).
Keep in mind that this is going to be a good deal in the making, what sort of interest might there be on here? ALSO, considering how much needs to be done, I'd be happy to have anyone interested in volunteering helping to put this together. I'm no professional designer or anything, but it strikes me an intriguing project and one that could be fun to put together.
I'm not too interested in horror, but the setting itself sounds cool.
I'm imagining gentlemanly duels and musketeer line battles.
I'm definitely thinking of that sort of thing in this setting--even considering working out a duel system for common battles so that two combatants can focus on one another amidst the overall fight. The horror I'm not totally set on--mostly I'm thinking certain options will be available for it. I'm playing with the idea of allowing vampires as a playable race, but with severe setbacks (e.g., no going out in the sun or YOU DIE, feeding regularly, that sort of thing).
You can find monsters as class levels here (vampires, dragons, etc.)
Hm, interesting... Thanks for the link, CCCXLII. I'll definitely give it a good look.
Thanks for interest, ,.
Hey there Armadillephant!
Might I suggest using some of the Alternate Rules I typically use?
@CCCXLII: That is nice! Sort of reminds me of the Classes for the Centaur & Gnoll from 3.5's Races of the Wild.
Ok when I hear victorian I see a mix of Sherlock and Dr Who (many of the newer episodes such as the latest 2012 christmas special)
Alternate rules I'm looking at include, but are not limited to:
- Armor as DR: Armor won't be very common, and when you do wear it, it will mainly be to protect you from damage.
- Defense Bonuses: Whether I go the simple route of following the typical pattern or make my own, you will be able to dodge a little more quickly when not wearing armor.
- Reserve Points: While not effectively increasing your HP in a single battle, these will allow you to go for more than a single fight if needed.
Stratos: I'm not set on story yet, I'm mainly looking at setting-building at this time. My question to you is the same: what do you have in mind? I'm very happy to work with potential players to create a story they'd be interested in, or at least ideas for the themes of the game.
Edward: Those are definite inspirations; I actually started working on this after re-watching the Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law version of Sherlock Holmes.
I use a Defense Bonus equal to Half B.A.B. rounded Down (Minimum 0). Combine that with Fractional B.A.B. and you get a nice system that makes a Rogue/Magus Multiclass Feasible.
That system makes sense, I'm planning to implement something like that.
Reserve Points have always been odd to me...
Though I am the one who actually figured out how to work with the Vigor and Wound Points System to make it easily usable.
P.S.: Here is a Variant Rule Stat Block for you guys. It uses the Vigor and Wound Points System so you might have to Change the VP back to HP and WP to RP for Reserve Points.
Could you let me know about that? It seems interesting, and I think it'd be neat to try out.
Sure just PM me any Questions.
Really the only thing with it that I commonly encountered was undead. Which tended to depending on the Campaign which 1 of the 4 options I used:
Undead only have Vigor and Add their CHA Mod to their Vigor. When they run out of Vigor they are dead/destroyed.
Undead use a CON 10 to determine the Wound Points/Threshold.
Undead use their CHA to determine their Wound Points/Threshold.
Intelligent Undead use Option 3. Unintelligent undead use Option 1.
I typically use Option 3 as it seems to best fit. Option 4 seems like it is also a good fit. Though to each their own.
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Isn't there already a duels system? And what about dhampir? Wouldn't that play out a lot like mild-mannered vampire PCs?
Any race restrictions? Do you intend to only use humans and half-humans, for instance?
And for armor & AC, do you mean like, light armor = DR 1/-, medium DR 2/-, heavy DR 3/-, and then AC = 10 + Dex - DR? Or am I missing it?
Also DM Arma: You might want to rule that the Armour's Max DEX still reduces the DEX to Defense. As R.A.W. it doesn't.
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Regarding story, I generally prefer more intruigue-heavy scenarios. Depending on how much fantasy your setting entails, cultural clashes between races can be a dynamic motif. The "low," albeit present, state of magic can also be a cause for a saga, depending on if "low" is in frequency or potency.
Hack and slash? Not my thing.
Very interesting.
Mystery and intrigue seem to dovetail well with the gaslight/steampunk/18th-19th century vibe. Particularly with a low- and hidden-magic approach.
In addition to Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Who, I think of Murder on the Orient Express and the Frankenstein and Dracula books (which are much more psychological horror than hack and slash).
You should definitely look into the Wounds and Vigor variant rule if you're going to do Armor as DR. I'm currently in a game that uses Armor as DR but without Wounds and Vigor and it is brutal.
Any specifics as to the campaign setting? Is it intrigue, gothic horror, or what? I am very interested in this. Also, I would be willing to help put it together in my free time, if you give me some specifics on what you want it to feature. Just PM me and let me know.
Wounds and Vigor is an excellent system if Healing is going to be harder to come by.
Alright, let's get down to snuff...
@ Azaelas: I like those options quite a bit for undead, and I am planning on having some in the game. I'd probably do Option 4, since that makes sense, although maybe give all undead at least 1 wound point just because, and to hold continuity with wounds being actual damage.
@ D-Kal: I need to review the duels system to see how exactly it works, but the sense I get is that it creates essentially its own special combat. What I'm looking at is a way to implement that as part of a larger battle, so, say, two combatants can focus on each other while the other team members are fighting.
Firearms are an interesting case, as I want to include them, but they need some work for the setting. The revelation that at even low-to-mid-levels, flintlock-style firearms of PF have a higher rate of fire than many WWI era guns is shocking and dismaying. If you want a sense, plan for firearms that are powerful, but expensive, hard to master, and take a good while to reload.
@ Stratos: This would definitely have a hefty amount of intrigue and RPing, and while combat will be included, it definitely won't be a hack-and-slash campaign (excepting given parts when appropriate, of course).
@ Blackacre: Those are also inspirations, yes. However, like I said, I'm not going for an overtly steampunk feel here.
@Ptolmaeus and Azaelas: Wounds and Vigor seems like a strong probability, and I'll see how they might interact with Reserve Points, which also help with a low-healing setting.
@ Silver Prince: I'm looking at a mixture of high adventure, intrigue, gothic horror, and other stuff... Not quite sure how to explain. Think, maybe, Three Musketeers-meets-Dracula/Frankenstein/Poe's Works-meets-Sherlock Holmes.
What do you fine folks think of possibly powerful racial options with equally dramatic setbacks? For example, a vampire race that is strong, fast, cunning... But has all the traditional vampire weaknesses?
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I get the firearms thing. Rapid reload for muzzle-loading firearms is just ridiculous. That said, revolvers and repeating rifles were on the scene in the mid-1800s, so for the time period you're shooting for, I don't think advanced firearms are that far-fetched. Also, firearms are a much more urbanized weapons system than bolts & arrows, if that's the atmosphere you want.
Not sure how I feel about vampires in particular as PC characters, as I like to keep my undead dead. I guess I could get over it though. The basic concept works for me at any rate. Feels rather "League of Extraordinary Gentleman" to me.
You might also check out this Strain and Injury variant.
Ai caramba! Lots of options... I'll definitely have to review all of this. Keep in mind that this is just interest; it'll probably be a while before the game actually is set up and gets going. However, you guys may also be good scapegoats (read: playtesters, feedback-givers) for the classes/races/rules/etc. that I decide to implement.
I've got a couple of cool character ideas I'd love to run in this setting. Mostly it depends on what custom rules you set up for firearms.
Have Reserve Points work every Hour & Affect only Wound Points.
On the Firearms: You could just allow Rapid Reload for Advanced Firearms.
Me and a friend have been working on a fallout homebrew game made all new classes and all that. We used the Armor as DR rule for that we also used the 3.5 UA Taint rules as a substitute for radiation. It's still a work in progress but my point is that this sort of game can be really interesting to build and play looking forward to seeing where it goes.
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half nymph 1/2 vampire countess.
a dhampir of nymph ancestry instead of human.
happens to be an errant countess and a puppeteer who dresses in monochrome and fights vampires using large amounts of silver puppeteering strings as a weapon
being a dhampir allows her to walk in the day with little more than a migrane. but she is a member of the hellsing organization and former member of italian government's military intelligence organization SISMI.
she will be a bard with an unusual weapon choice (silver puppet strings) and will generally be unarmored, preferring freedom of movement and will invest feats into gaining nymphly perks (like cha to saves or stunning glance)
her title will be the "Monochrome Puppeteer of Rome."
You might could mock it up (with GM approval) as the Strings form a Silver Whip and go for the Whip feats.
Character Idea:
Prof. Hyde Embersmith
Alchemist (Beastmorph or Internal Alchemist)
Human or something that looks human.
Wears a suit, tie, top-hat, cane ect. Uses his cane to store bombs and to launch them with the press of a button. Mutagen allows him to melee. Not really feeling wearing armor in a city type game so will probably stick with mage armor or bracers of armor for defence.
His experiment's don't fund themselves so he enlists with whatever secret org. will pay him, but doesn't really care about where or why. Has deteriorating mental health because of self experimentation.
Might I recommend a 1-For-1 Point Buy method? I have used this to great effect. It makes M.A.D. Characters easier to run.
Look at my RotRL Campaign for what I mean.
Cool stuff, though I must say, the nymph/dhampir tops it for me.
I'm also loving the idea of the nymph dhampir using silver puppet strings to battle vampires. I'm definitely gonna try and get this going just to see that idea played out.
If you want to build a mock-up, Lumiere, that'd be fine, but keep in mind that at this point I'm looking at creating new classes. It'll take some work, but I'm feeling inspired, so hopefully I'll get work in post-haste.
Hyde Embersmith also sounds very interesting, and it looks like this campaign is definitely inspiring some mildly horrific, intrigue-based characters, which should be lots of fun. I'll be looking into insanity mechanics--if memory serves, there are some out there already.
I'd probably do a 1-for-1 point buy of some sort.
How does everybody feel about me opening Google Doc(s) for this, to allow for collaboration? I can put up what I've got in mind so far, and open it to people who'd like to help. Just PM me an email if interested, and I can add you in once I get it up.
I'm working on an insanity system already, so if you want, we can implement that. 1 for 1 buy is good too, because it allows players to have a decent array of stats. Also, google docs is great for the collaboration. I will probably submit a fair amount of ideas for the setting.
Alright, I've opened up the folder to a few people, if anyone else is interested, definitely PM me your email and I'll add you in. Who knows? Maybe some day this will grow into a full homebrew system (it's looking like it might), complete with setting.
BTW, I think it'd be wise to have everyone put stuff in different colors on the documents where we're brainstorming and the like, so we know who put what. I've done things in black, but I'd be happy to alter.
Added a comment to the classes. And gave my two cents on the rules file.
I'm more than willing to help. I literally have a ton of Docs if you want me to set it up.
Well, I've got a couple docs up in a folder already, shoot me your gmail and I can add you in if you like.
JTMC93@gmail.com
Wait I thought you had my e-mail...
Thinking about it, I believe I do. Didn't think to run through my private messages, though--posting this morning, I didn't have much time. You're added to the folder, though.
Yeah I just got onto it. Will give you feedback soon.
A link to the fallout game I mentioned in the document.
Maybe we should instead use the Chronicles System? Or even the Green Ronin Chronicle System that is in the A Song of Ice and Fire RPG?
i have a homebrewed conversion for the nymph Dhampir. it is mostly skill bonuses, and it doesn't follow the race point system. i had to eyeball things and it doesn't look too overpowering to me.
Nymph dhampir
+2 intelligence +2 charisma -2 Strength: nymph dhampirs due to their long and decadent lifestyles, have become very educated and very persuasive over the years but their sedentary lifestyles and light yet picky diet has weakened their once gorgeous frame and developed a tendency towards emaciated builds.
Fey: Nymph dhampirs are creatures with the fey type, granting them low light vision
Half-Undead; nymph dhampirs are in a perpetual state between living and undead
Half-undead races are strange or unholy fusions of the
living and the undead. Players interested in playing a half-undead race might also consider the dhampir, the progeny of a vampire and a human.
A half-undead race has the following features:
• Half-undead have the darkvision 60 feet racial trait.
• Half-undead gain a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against disease and mind-affecting effects.
• Half-undead take no penalties from energy-draining effects, though they can still be killed if they accrue more negative levels than they have Hit Dice. After 24 hours, any negative levels they've gained are removed without any additional saving throws.
• Half-undead creatures are harmed by positive energy and healed by negative energy. A half-undead creature with the fast healing special quality still benefits from that quality
Fast Healing: a nymph dhampir has fast healing 1.
Medium Size: a nymph dhampir takes no bonuses or penalties due to her size
Base Speed; a nymph dhampir has a base land speed of 30 feet
Light Sensititivity; a nymph dhampir is dazzled in bright light
Ressurection Vulnerability; a nymph dhampir can be slain by a raise dead spell that targets it (will negates). Using the spell in this way does not require a material component.
Charming; a Nymph Dhampir Recieves a +2 racial bonus on perform, diplomacy and bluff checks
Sizing the Mark; a Nymph Dhampir Recieves a +2 Racial Bonus on
Perception and Sense Motive Checks
Long Lived Education; a Nymph Dhampir Recieves a Bonus skill point per level
Languages: Common, Sylvan, 1 regionally appropriate human language of choice, Bonus Languages: Any
Unearthly Grace
Prerequisites; Nymph Dhampir, Perform (Any) 3 Ranks
Benefit; when unarmored, you add a deflection bonus equal to your charisma bonus to armor class and saving throws
Price; 5GP Damage 1d6 Slashing Damage, Crit 18-20x2 Light Martial Weapon 15 foot reach, doesn't threaten, may be used to grapple or trip
Seems cheap given what the Whip Costs... Maybe 30GP is a better price.
Should probably be exotic weapon to, I know exotic doesn't always mean better but when you need a feat for some of them ...
(Does more damage more often and with better crit range than the whip. The only down side it you cant make an AoO with it. Also did you want it to be finesse like the whip? )