D&D Subforum / Pen & Paper RPG Discussion Thread

Necro

Sure Bandylegs was dead before they left Soetrard but for Xestes having no quarrel with his god

How different things might have been....

Banjo

sKeith wrote: »

Who was sparring again, and the DM say, 'kill him?' <- or something to that effect

That was Moy. It was that Moy got the killer blow and chose to pull it.

@Necro - I think your "suitability" for Vampire is less about your ability to stay under the radar blending in and more to do with your ability to endlessly ****e on in character
(Pot, have you met kettle?)

My first traveller character is already dead! Never made it out of the generator.
My second did better, passed over for Officer a couple of times but reaching rank 4 in the Navy (earning 2 End+1 bonuses and Soc+2) as an engineer/gunner/pilot with 10K credits, a weapon, TAS membership and whatever a Ships Boat is. I could play this all day. It almost seems a shame to let other people join in

Necro

Banjo wrote: »

@Necro - I think your "suitability" for Vampire is less about your ability to stay under the radar blending in and more to do with your ability to endlessly ****e on in character
(Pot, have you met kettle?)

Ah, I get ya. So my rousing/rambling speeches might actually be good for my character in Vampire as opposed to simply plot filling, is that what you're saying?

I must prepare some more speeches!:pac::pac::pac:

Fourier

A little more to help the decision.

Traveller:
Traveller will begin on Efate:
https://travellermap.com/?x=-93.639&y=74.274&scale=76.109375
in the Regina Subsector of the Spinward Marches:
https://travellermap.com/?x=-89.614&y=61.435&scale=7.7265625
Near the Zhodani Consulate:
https://travellermap.com/?x=17.674&y=-21.035&scale=2.21875

This is to give an idea of the size of Traveller's setting. The Spinward marches is a neutral area between the major powers. Independent ships can make plenty of money here, smuggling, investigating and raiding. On the 439 worlds of the marches there are 465 billion intelligent beings and 27 native races. Humanities is a late comer to this region of space, but already megacorporations have a strong hold. Humanities plural, as both Humans from Earth (Solomani) have arrived and a race of genetically engineered homo erectus (Zhodani) taken from Earth two million years ago and given telepathic abilities.

Note: Traveller is like D&D in that its supposed to be a "generic" Sci-Fi and you can make your own setting. However unlike D&D with >20 official settings, Traveller has only two really and one (whose map is above) is so large with so much material most games are set there.

DeadLands:
Will begin in Tombstone, Arizona:
https://imageshack.com/a/img923/7657/3WAUPm.png

Several creatures of myth and legend roam the desert, as well as regular bandits and towns will be looking to hire any mean hombres ready to take 'em on. Also there is the railroad ready to take the posse to the independent theocratic city of Lost Angels, which rests outside of the Maze, the partially sunk remnant of California, filled with Chinese war vessels, a supernatural form of coal used to power new steampunk technology and card flinging magic gamblers, the Hucksters, who make deals with the returned Demons for even more strength.

Note: Deadlands can be sort of "spoiled" if you read too much online. I don't mind, but just for yourselves.

Vampire the Masquerade:
Los Angeles. The ancient Vampire world government, the Camarilla is weak here and each of the Clans (species) of Vampire are equally strong politically and some want the Camarilla gone. Feeding grounds are highly contended, each clan having a specific district from which it must feed, with each in a constant struggle to expand their area. The city's Camarilla leader seeks to increase the government's hold, but he must contend with a rebellious freedom movement, the greedy clans, the arrival of ancient Chinese Chi drinkers, haunted areas, human magic users and the werewolves living in the Hollywood hills.

Necro

Well my first choice is definitely Vampire - if only to prove sKeith wrong in particular (Joking)

DeadLands is the second choice, seems like a fun place in the world. I can already picture pulling together a character there with a southern drawl... if ye didn't notice by now I like my characters to have accents

I mean I'd give Traveller a go... I guess... I just dunno if it's my kind of thing.

sKeith

How do we determin homeworld for homeworld skillz in char gen in travellor, is it Efate? do we just dart throw, are we told?

edit: ah never mind, we can just pick the skillz and it'll find your homeworld based on that. nice..

Fourier

What generator are you lads using? Going through one of the books or an online one?

Tigger

i think deadlands is the compromise

Banjo

Fourier wrote: »

What generator are you lads using? Going through one of the books or an online one?

I used the Mongoose 2 generator here
http://travellerv2.azurewebsites.net

@tigger - yeah, there seems to be enough of a cinematic vibe to it while having a need to think your way through encounters that we should all be happy.

sKeith

Fourier wrote: »

What generator are you lads using? Going through one of the books or an online one?

mark munson one

Fourier

Either generator there is fine.

So we have an option.

I am going to run Vampire for Necro.

In addition I will either run Traveller for you three, if you can overcome yer Necrocraving, or Deadlands for all four, if you just need that Necrofix in the evenings.

Tigger

Fourier wrote: »

Either generator there is fine.

So we have an option.

I am going to run Vampire for Necro.

In addition I will either run Traveller for you three, if you can overcome yer Necrocraving, or Deadlands for all four, if you just need that Necrofix in the evenings.

deadlands or nothing
we are the three muskateers
oh and nerco is dartanian

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VR9J2ITspyU

Necro

Aw shucks guys I feel honoured. I didn't want to hold ye back from playing Traveller so Fourier offered me Vampire and I (tee hee) bit his hand off. Don't feel like ye have to play anything cos of me though.

Tigger

Well we had a vote and it went the wrong way so we ignored it and wantvyou in

sKeith

you had me at steampunk technology.

Fourier

Going to keep this as the OOC thread as:

(a) Deadlands is replacing D&D
(b) To dethrone 20 questions and smite its ruin upon the mountainside.

Deadlands info shortly.

Banjo

So we're starting tonight? Gimme 5 minutes to go to the loo, grab a beer and convince my family I've died so they'll leave me in peace!

Fourier

Oh, just before the info. I'll link to videos like D&D, but Deadlands actually has an official soundtrack with ~50 tunes, so I'll be using that as well.

Fourier

System, roughly:

In Savage Worlds, most roles are get a 4 or better. Every successive 4 means a better effect, i.e. 4 is a success, 8 is a great success, etc

How good you are in something is directly a dice, e.g. Pilot d8. When you roll anything to do with flying, you roll a d8.

Dice explode. So if you roll the maximum value, you roll again and add the result.

The main exception to the target of 4 is melee combat, where to hit somebody you need to get their PARRY or better. However it still uses successive 4s for better successes. So if their parry is 7, then 7 is a hit, 11 a great hit, etc

Fourier

Combat:
It's quite detailed in full, but we'll start off the game with the basics and learn as we go. Just the basics here.

Shooting:
Roll Shooting. If you get a four you hit.

Melee:
Roll Fighting. If you get their PARRY, you hit.

Damage:
Given by weapon, e.g. Ballard '72 is 2d8. If you got a great hit roll an extra d6, e.g. Ballard '72 with a great hit: 2d8 + d6

Armour:
Subtract off damage. Dealt 7 damage and you have Armour of 3, then it's 4 damage.

Initiative:
You draw a card. Higher cards go first. We'll simulate this via d13 and on ties a d4 for suit. I'll roll to see if anybody got a joker.

Fourier

Cinematic:
In Savage Worlds named characters, WILD CARDS, are different than EXTRAS, the nameless mooks.

For every roll you get an extra d6, called a WILD DIE.

So, if you have Pilot d8, you roll a d8 and a d6 and use the best result.

This also applies to baddies. Nameless cowboy #12 gets no WILD DIE, Tex Carson the baddest outlaw in all Colorado gets a WILD DIE.

Health:
HP is called WOUNDS.

Extras have 1 Wounds.

Wild Cards have 3 Wounds.

To wound you somebody has to deal damage equal to your TOUGHNESS, every 4 over is another wound.

So Steve Thompson has TOUGHNESS 8. Somebody who deals damage 8-11 reduces him to 2 Wounds, 12-15 reduces him to 1 Wound, etc

That's all I think is necessary for now.

So now the backgrounds.

Fourier

Just a bit about Edges and Hindrances first.

Edges:
Edges are little bonuses to your character to make them more distinct, e.g. the Rich edge lets you start with three times the normal starting cash. You get one to start with at character creation, unless you take hindrances. They start on p.34 in the Savage Worlds book.

Hindrances:
These are extra details to your character that cause problems, like being Heroic. Taking a Major one of these or two Minor ones gives you an extra edge at the start. They come with good tips for roleplaying them. The start on p.29 in the Savage Worlds book.

Deadlands has some unique to it. Edges p.37, Hindrances p.34 in the Deadlands book.

Max is One Major Hindrance and Two Minor at the beginning.

Fourier

In Deadlands you can be any typical Western Background. A Lawman, a cowboy, a Civil War deserter, a trail explorer, etc. Most are represented by an Edge.

I will concentrate on the weird/supernatural backgrounds.

Blessed: Monotheistic miracle workers, who call down divine power. Closest thing to clerics, but with a very different flavour.
Distinctions: Have access to all powers at the beginning and don't have to power them themselves. On the flip side greater powers are always harder for them, they have greater negative modifiers for the bigger powers.

Hucksters: Card flinging magic gamblers. They can gain access to more power by dealing with demons. Only problem is they have to beat them in a game of poker first.
Distinctions: Their versions of spells are usually the best. Dealing with the demons carries risks. Recharge power very slowly.

Mad Scientist: Steam punk inventors, whose inventions almost seem like magic.
Distinctions: Each "power" is actually a device. Where a Huckster, Blessed, etc will have the Bolt power, a Mad Scientist makes an actual rechargeable laser gun. Each invention has its own separate power supply, rather than drawing on the Mad Scientist themselves like other groups.
Cons are that each invention drives them slowly more insane and have a chance of exploding with each use.

Shaman: Native American healer who draws on the afterlife for power.
Distinctions: Fast magic recharge rate. Interdimensional travel into afterlife allows them to move faster. Start with a good bit of power.

Martial Artist: Ki-using Wuxia-style fighter.
Distinctions: Every power is a separate skill. So they might have Bolt d6 and Blast d8, rather than all powers being at the same level. This means they cannot get too good at magic overall. However they have access to fighting edges making them the undisputed masters of melee.

Necro

Fourier wrote:

Mad Scientist: Steam punk inventors, whose inventions almost seem like magic. Distinctions: Each "power" is actually a device. Where a Huckster, Blessed, etc will have the Bolt power, a Mad Scientist makes an actual rechargeable laser gun. Each invention has its own separate power supply, rather than drawing on the Mad Scientist themselves like other groups. Cons are that each invention drives them slowly more insane and have a chance of exploding with each use.

This is Banjo in RL. What's the real role :pac:

Necro

Just to follow on from robyn's question in HOF Four, I'm also interested in times you expected many deaths.

Butcher and the Roc (not Dwayne) encounter stand out to me as times we were seriously up against it.

I expected death 3 times. Once when Bandy met the Judge initially.
The Butcher was another.
And then the Citra fight which I was totally unprepared for. Bandy was trying for a de-escalation there but it sadly failed.

Technically 4 because I never expected us to live through the Judge fight but circumstances conspired to give us huge advantages going into that.

Fourier

See HOF thread for more.

Fourier

New Rolz room:
https://rolz.org/dr?room=Boards.ie%20Deadlands

Tigger

Is there a job shannow charachter arcetypeni can take ?

Fourier

Just about character knowledge. The "Tombstone Epithet" section starting on p.1 contains what the typical person knows.

The "What you know" subsection on p.75 reflects additional knowledge the "weird background" people have.

Should give you an idea of who not to piss off and how your character might react to going to various places.

Banjo

Tigger wrote: »

Is there a job shannow charachter arcetypeni can take ?

I'd say if you put everything into your shooting ability and take a very solemn vow or two, you'll be in the right path