So, as the classic GM with my finger in way too many pies, I'm thinking of starting my group on Shadowrun. So, I've advised them to download the Shadowrun 4 Quick Start Rules, which also includes sample characters and an introductory "adventure".
To start, the layout is nice - the artwork is vibrant and well-suited to the tone the Quick-Start is aiming for, and feels better integrated than some of the Core Rulebook art. Even the rules layout is strictly superior - everything is contained in a few pages, and flows well from one topic to another (the Core Rules, even the 20th Anniversary Edition, has a tendency to wander and scatter its rules about the book).
The Sample Characters are a bit "meh" - a Troll Bounty Hunter, Human Street Samurai, Elf Combat Mage, and an Ork Hacker. The first three are all (obviously) combat-oriented, which leaves the Hacker in the sticky situation of being able to do stuff outside of fights, but needing a bit more protection than the others during combat. An extra character or two (maybe a Dwarf Face, to round out the Races, or a Smuggler) would even up the skill-based to combat-based ratio. Then again, Shadowrun does have a heavy focus on combat, but it would be nice to have a few more options. Fantasy Flight Games does a great line of 40k RPG Quick-Starts, and will frequently put up extra characters for these adventures - something Catalyst could take note of.
Further reading might also show that the Street Sam is a lot more combat capable than the others - to the extent that, for the first few session, he'll shoot first, more, and better than anyone else. This would be fine, if he wasn't so much more effective than the other sample characters.
The adventure included is where the whole thing falls down. Well, that's unfair - I actually like what they've got down, it's just what's missing that's the problem - and what's missing is an actual adventure.
You see, the basics of it are as follows: it's 4AM, and you're all hungry - so you go to the local Stuffer Shack for horrible (yet delicious) fast food. As you peruse the aisles, a woman and her screaming child wander in - just minutes before an explosion rocks the store, scattering the assorted NPCs around and allowing egress to a gang - more specifically, a low-level ganger hit-squad. They're looking for the woman with the baby, with plans to kill the pair of them. Will you stop them, or help them out for a few bucks?
An interesting little scenario, to be sure - both the description and the read-aloud text are very descriptive, without being too wordy. The background characters are well-thought out, with a few behaviours they might fall into, depending on what happens (and enough information to let you make a judgement call on what they might do in other circumstances). It even has a really in-depth map (with key) and description of all the products in the aisle, along with uses for some (my favourites being hints for Hackers to unlock first-aid supplies and hack cars in the parking area, for use as weapons, and a table to determine what bursts when you miss a shot, along with a description and effects like making the floor too slippery to stand, or coating you in enough gunk to throw your aim off).
But what you are given is just some set-up and a combat encounter. The resolution should be finding out why these dudes wanted to kill a defenceless woman and a child, for God's sake! This information is presented during Brandeen's profile, and at the end of the section describing the combat-stats of the hitmen, we get a sidebar that reads:
If Brandeen survives, she will thank the runners profusely for saving her and Cody’s life, and may even try to explain her theory concerning the attack (which would be the truth) and possibly look to enlist the runners for some payback against [the guy who ordered the hit].
So, instead of maybe an actual run to find out why she almost got shot, she just tells them what she thinks happened, and it turns out it's right. Oh well, back to our regular lives, I guess. There's no onus to go and find out what happened, no effort to draw you in. Just a flat denouement and the chance to loot some corpses. If I ran this (which I kinda doubt I will), then there would have to be some major changes. So, what's the point in having Quick-Start rules if I need to spend time changing them up to be usable?
Also, as a product designed to draw in new players to the setting, it has one big issue - lack of information. For example, what does Brandeen want you to do? Kill the guy? Industrial espionage? Plant evidence of a crime the guy didn't commit? Bankrupt him? Who knows. And, even as an experienced DM, I would have trouble planning out a mission like any of those if this as my only experience of the game - thus making it kinda pointless. The point of a intro-adventure is to provide a wide experience of the setting you are conveying - and there's just not enough information to allow you to go any further with your game.
All in, a mixed bag - worth it for the simplification of one of the more clunky rulesets out at the moment, but anything that isn't directly rules related isn't worth the free you downloaded it for.
Sunday, 9 September 2012
Tuesday, 4 September 2012
The Creeping Death: Blackened Ooze
The shambling thing before you resembles a moving pit of tar. As it roils and churns, pulling its indeterminate bulk towards you on foul pseudopods, sharpened points of bone and debris emerge, only to be sucked back into its horrid mass the next second.
You hope the noise it made was just the wind howling through its oddly brittle, porous frame - otherwise, it was a howl of anguish and hatred.
Oozes are a common enough feature of many dungeons. Some live in commensal relationships with other creatures (like humanoids feeding them scraps in exchange for their protection). Some, however, form far more sinister relationships - like the Blackened Ooze.
When an ooze devours Undead, most are simply digested and excreted as with most meals. But, when an ooze eats many such creatures, and lives in an area that is cursed to produce Undead (whether by Divine edict, or perhaps a natural conduit to the Plane of Negative Energy), these horrific creatures can be formed.
Hulking, oily-black beasts, the are tainted with the energies animating the Undead, and end up stuck in some bitter mockery of life - a half-dead state. Their digestive processes begin to shut down, leaving them only just capable of digesting flesh and other organic matter, but little else. The bones and weapons of their kills may break, leaving the surface and innards of the creature filled with razor-sharp spikes and slivers of bone.
Some Necromancers claim knowledge of how to create these foul beasts, and will use them to devastating effect in contained areas.
Blackened Ooze
No. Appearing: 1d2
Size: ~9ft Diameter (Large)
Armor Class: 3
Hit Dice: 6
Movement: 70’
Attacks: 2 (Slam 2d6, Bashing and Piercing Damage)
Morale: -
Intelligence: Animal
Alignment: Neutral
Blackened Oozes have an immunity to paralysis, charm and sleep effects. Healing Spells and effects (such as Cure Light Wounds, or a Paladin's Lay on Hands) act as their reversed equivalent (so, Inflict Light Wounds, or Harm for Heal), causing damage instead of healing. Those reversed spells (Harm and Inflict X Wounds) may act as Healing Spells, at the DM's discretion. They can also grapple and overwhelm opponents, who take 1d8 damage per round they are grappled.
One particular Necromancer (whose name has been lost to time) was interested in using these beasts as guardians for her lair, and began to create a large number of them. She also experimented with way to increase their intelligence, to better understand her commands and make for a more effective "watchdog" system. After many years of "breeding" these twisted mockeries of nature, she finally produced a single specimen capable of independent reasoning.
She noticed something strange - unlike other oozes, which split and create a "new" organism, this ooze maintained control over its separated pieces. A quick thought led her to implant a section into a test subject, and lo and behold - the ooze could control the victim, after a fashion. They began to exhibit great sickness, then "died" - only to be raised as a peculiar ooze-filled Undead, totally in thrall to the original. These "Blackened" would form the core of her Undead army, and she terrorised the local populace for many years.
As she researched ways to extend her life, she came to a compromise - she would mentally dominate the ooze, allow it to enter her body, and use magic to stave off it effects - hopefully allowing the symbiont to enhance her body, and extend her lifespan until she could achieve true immortality through Lichdom, or some other Necromantic process.
Sadly (for her), the plan was not to be. She did not realise quite how strong-willed the ooze had become, and instead of infecting her, it simply absorbed her, both bodily and spiritually, into itself - becoming more intelligent, and also quite mad. It had become so accustomed to the Negative Energy that once fed it, it was unable to leave its lair without causing itself great damage, starving itself f those foul energies - but it's working on it. And it may still send its "servants", Undead imbued with its horrid essence, out into the world to do its bidding, and collect the ritual components it thinks it might need to allow it to leave the cold embrace of its home.
Now, this foul creature lurks in the depths of her old lair, under a local dungeon, biding its time until it decides to leave its lair and cause havoc across the land. Locals who have somehow survived encounters with it refer to the creature as "The Creeping Death", a name whispered in the darkest of legends.
The Creeping Death
No. Appearing: 1
Size: ~25ft Diameter (Colossal)
Armor Class: -4
Hit Dice: 12
Movement: 120’
Attacks: 4 (Slam 2d10, Bashing and Piercing Damage)
Morale: 15
Intelligence: High (15)
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
The Creeping Death is a Spellcaster, and may use any Necromancy spells you think it should have. It also shares all immunities with both Undead and Oozes.
When a character is implanted with a lump of the Creeping Death, they must make a Save against Death Magic every hour, or lose one point of Constitution. Once this drops below a quarter of its original score (rounded up), the character begins to show signs of the possession - coughing up black, tarry blood, an unstoppable rage, an inability to feel pain, and a much-toughened physique. Once the character is reduced to 0 Con (or killed normally), they will reanimate within (original Constitution score) minutes, as one of the Blackened. These creatures are totally in thrall to the Creeping Death, and follow its commands without hesitation or error.
Blackened
No. Appearing: 2d4
Size: Medium (as base creature)
Armor Class: 5
Hit Dice: 2 +5
Movement: 40’
Attacks: 1 (Slam 1d6) or by weapon
Morale: -
Intelligence: Mindless
Alignment: Neutral
Blackened share all immunities with other Undead creatures (and are, to all intents and purposes, zombies).
You hope the noise it made was just the wind howling through its oddly brittle, porous frame - otherwise, it was a howl of anguish and hatred.
Oozes are a common enough feature of many dungeons. Some live in commensal relationships with other creatures (like humanoids feeding them scraps in exchange for their protection). Some, however, form far more sinister relationships - like the Blackened Ooze.
When an ooze devours Undead, most are simply digested and excreted as with most meals. But, when an ooze eats many such creatures, and lives in an area that is cursed to produce Undead (whether by Divine edict, or perhaps a natural conduit to the Plane of Negative Energy), these horrific creatures can be formed.
Hulking, oily-black beasts, the are tainted with the energies animating the Undead, and end up stuck in some bitter mockery of life - a half-dead state. Their digestive processes begin to shut down, leaving them only just capable of digesting flesh and other organic matter, but little else. The bones and weapons of their kills may break, leaving the surface and innards of the creature filled with razor-sharp spikes and slivers of bone.
Some Necromancers claim knowledge of how to create these foul beasts, and will use them to devastating effect in contained areas.
Blackened Ooze
No. Appearing: 1d2
Size: ~9ft Diameter (Large)
Armor Class: 3
Hit Dice: 6
Movement: 70’
Attacks: 2 (Slam 2d6, Bashing and Piercing Damage)
Morale: -
Intelligence: Animal
Alignment: Neutral
Blackened Oozes have an immunity to paralysis, charm and sleep effects. Healing Spells and effects (such as Cure Light Wounds, or a Paladin's Lay on Hands) act as their reversed equivalent (so, Inflict Light Wounds, or Harm for Heal), causing damage instead of healing. Those reversed spells (Harm and Inflict X Wounds) may act as Healing Spells, at the DM's discretion. They can also grapple and overwhelm opponents, who take 1d8 damage per round they are grappled.
One particular Necromancer (whose name has been lost to time) was interested in using these beasts as guardians for her lair, and began to create a large number of them. She also experimented with way to increase their intelligence, to better understand her commands and make for a more effective "watchdog" system. After many years of "breeding" these twisted mockeries of nature, she finally produced a single specimen capable of independent reasoning.
She noticed something strange - unlike other oozes, which split and create a "new" organism, this ooze maintained control over its separated pieces. A quick thought led her to implant a section into a test subject, and lo and behold - the ooze could control the victim, after a fashion. They began to exhibit great sickness, then "died" - only to be raised as a peculiar ooze-filled Undead, totally in thrall to the original. These "Blackened" would form the core of her Undead army, and she terrorised the local populace for many years.
As she researched ways to extend her life, she came to a compromise - she would mentally dominate the ooze, allow it to enter her body, and use magic to stave off it effects - hopefully allowing the symbiont to enhance her body, and extend her lifespan until she could achieve true immortality through Lichdom, or some other Necromantic process.
Sadly (for her), the plan was not to be. She did not realise quite how strong-willed the ooze had become, and instead of infecting her, it simply absorbed her, both bodily and spiritually, into itself - becoming more intelligent, and also quite mad. It had become so accustomed to the Negative Energy that once fed it, it was unable to leave its lair without causing itself great damage, starving itself f those foul energies - but it's working on it. And it may still send its "servants", Undead imbued with its horrid essence, out into the world to do its bidding, and collect the ritual components it thinks it might need to allow it to leave the cold embrace of its home.
Now, this foul creature lurks in the depths of her old lair, under a local dungeon, biding its time until it decides to leave its lair and cause havoc across the land. Locals who have somehow survived encounters with it refer to the creature as "The Creeping Death", a name whispered in the darkest of legends.
The Creeping Death
No. Appearing: 1
Size: ~25ft Diameter (Colossal)
Armor Class: -4
Hit Dice: 12
Movement: 120’
Attacks: 4 (Slam 2d10, Bashing and Piercing Damage)
Morale: 15
Intelligence: High (15)
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
The Creeping Death is a Spellcaster, and may use any Necromancy spells you think it should have. It also shares all immunities with both Undead and Oozes.
When a character is implanted with a lump of the Creeping Death, they must make a Save against Death Magic every hour, or lose one point of Constitution. Once this drops below a quarter of its original score (rounded up), the character begins to show signs of the possession - coughing up black, tarry blood, an unstoppable rage, an inability to feel pain, and a much-toughened physique. Once the character is reduced to 0 Con (or killed normally), they will reanimate within (original Constitution score) minutes, as one of the Blackened. These creatures are totally in thrall to the Creeping Death, and follow its commands without hesitation or error.
Blackened
No. Appearing: 2d4
Size: Medium (as base creature)
Armor Class: 5
Hit Dice: 2 +5
Movement: 40’
Attacks: 1 (Slam 1d6) or by weapon
Morale: -
Intelligence: Mindless
Alignment: Neutral
Blackened share all immunities with other Undead creatures (and are, to all intents and purposes, zombies).
Monday, 3 September 2012
I KNEW IT - Cursed Dice Exist!
Well, according to the guys over at Awesome Dice Blog, at least.
They claim, in their independent test, that Chessex D20s don't roll as "true" as Gamescience D20s, although those can't roll 14s.
Read it, and have your paranoid fears confirmed!
They claim, in their independent test, that Chessex D20s don't roll as "true" as Gamescience D20s, although those can't roll 14s.
Read it, and have your paranoid fears confirmed!
Supporting a Good Friend
Yes, it has nothing to do with gaming, but here's a shout-out for my friend's blog, Edd's Surf Shack - a repository of ideas and musings.
If you ever need advertising, friendly advice, or what have you, go see Ed.
Tell him I sent you - he'll either give you mate's rates, or a punch in the dick.
It'll be a surprise!
If you ever need advertising, friendly advice, or what have you, go see Ed.
Tell him I sent you - he'll either give you mate's rates, or a punch in the dick.
It'll be a surprise!
M20: Advances
In Microlite20, characters follow a very tight schedule of advances by class. Even high-level characters can start to look very similar, with the same abilities and methods as others of the same class (or even other classes). As I use M20 for low-level games, I don't see much of this problem - but, for those wishing to use it as an alternative to 3.5 for an entire campaign, it can be somewhat grating.
So, to remedy this, players can choose one of these advances at 1st, 3rd, and every odd-numbered level after that - in other words, these are heavily simplified feats. They simply have to be the right class or race to take them (unless specified - some may have pre-requisites).
These are for the "standard" M20 races and classes, at the moment - I might add a few more for the more unusual ones as I go.
Racial
Elf
Sharp-Eyed - your natural low-light vision becomes darkvision.
Elven Accuracy - you gain +1 to-hit with pulled weapons (long and short bows).
Ancient Knowledge - you gain a +2 bonus to your Knowledge skill when remembering ancient history (with GM approval).
Magical Knowledge - you gain a +2 bonus to your Knowledge skill when investigating or identifying magical effects.
Naturally Magical - you gain Detect Magic or Read Magic as an at-will ability, for no HP cost.
Dwarf
Stout and Hardy - you gain a +2 bonus to your Physical skill when resisting poisons and illness.
Smith at Heart - you gain +1 to-hit with all hammers.
Stability - you gain a +2 bonus to resisting being moved, tripped, or rushed.
Stubborn - you gain a +2 bonus to any saving throws to resist mind-affecting spells, illusions, fear effects, or enchantments.
Masters of the Forge - you gain a +2 bonus to your Knowledge skill when recalling information about weapons (general, magical, and specific, legendary ones).
Human
Adaptable - you gain +1 to a skill of your choosing.
Lucky - you gain a free re-roll to any roll, once per session.
Cosmopolitan - you gain a +2 bonus to your Knowledge skill when recalling the traditions and cultures of other races.
Versatility - you may take an Advance from another Class or Race list (at the GM's discretion).
Halfling
Beneath Suspicion - you gain a +2 bonus to your Subterfuge skill when picking pockets.
Fearless - you gain a +2 bonus to any attempts to resist fear effects.
Slippery - you gain a +2 bonus to your Physical skill to escape bonds and grapples.
Sure-Footed - you gain a +2 bonus to any checks to keep your balance.
Low Blow - you gain a +1 bonus to attack opponents larger than yourself.
Class
Fighter
Shield Bash - you may attack with a shield without it counting as an improvised weapon.
Cleave - when you kill an opponent with a melee attack, you may make another melee attack against an adjacent creature, without penalty.
Weapon Focus - you gain a +1 to-hit with a particular class of weapon of your choosing (bows, hammers, swords, daggers, etc.) GMs are the final arbitrator of what exotic or unusual weapons count under which class, when some of those might be best under their own class, and indeed how broad the classes are.
Two-Weapon Fighting - the penalty for wielding two weapons (and attacking with both) is reduced to -1.
Power Attack - you can trade up to 5 points of your MAB in exchange for bonus damage.
Rogue
Liar - you gain a +2 bonus to the Subterfuge skill when used to lie.
Ninja - you gain a +2 bonus to the Subterfuge skill when remaining undetected (moving silently or hiding).
Trapsmith - you gain a +2 bonus to the Subterfuge skill when setting, disarming, or locating traps.
Stabby Stabby - you gain a +1 bonus to-hit with daggers and short-swords.
Thief-Acrobat - you gain a +2 bonus to the Physical skill when used for acrobatic manoeuvre.
Wizard
Battle Mage - you gain the ability to wear light armour, and may cast spells with no chance of failure while wearing it.
Specialised Training - you gain a +1 bonus to spell DCs, and duration of one school of magic.
Arcane Defence - you gain a +1 bonus to resist spells from one school of magic.
Elemental Alignment - you gain a +1 bonus to spell DCs, damage, and duration of spells linked to a certain element (Fire, Earth, Air or Water).
Co-operative Spell - you and another spellcaster may share the hit-point cost of any spells you cast (only one of you need this Advance). These spells are cast as as normal otherwise.
Cleric
Favoured Soul - you gain one free re-roll to any action that furthers the course of your God, once per session.
Zealous Weapon Training - you gain +1 to-hit with your Deity's favoured weapon.
Meditative Healing - any healing spells you cast receive a bonus to the number of hit points healed equal to their MIND (or CHA) bonus.
Monastic Study - you gain a +2 bonus to your Knowledge skill when recounting facts that fall under your Deity's domain.
Improved Turning - you gain a +2 bonus to Turn Undead DCs.
So, to remedy this, players can choose one of these advances at 1st, 3rd, and every odd-numbered level after that - in other words, these are heavily simplified feats. They simply have to be the right class or race to take them (unless specified - some may have pre-requisites).
These are for the "standard" M20 races and classes, at the moment - I might add a few more for the more unusual ones as I go.
Racial
Elf
Sharp-Eyed - your natural low-light vision becomes darkvision.
Elven Accuracy - you gain +1 to-hit with pulled weapons (long and short bows).
Ancient Knowledge - you gain a +2 bonus to your Knowledge skill when remembering ancient history (with GM approval).
Magical Knowledge - you gain a +2 bonus to your Knowledge skill when investigating or identifying magical effects.
Naturally Magical - you gain Detect Magic or Read Magic as an at-will ability, for no HP cost.
Dwarf
Stout and Hardy - you gain a +2 bonus to your Physical skill when resisting poisons and illness.
Smith at Heart - you gain +1 to-hit with all hammers.
Stability - you gain a +2 bonus to resisting being moved, tripped, or rushed.
Stubborn - you gain a +2 bonus to any saving throws to resist mind-affecting spells, illusions, fear effects, or enchantments.
Masters of the Forge - you gain a +2 bonus to your Knowledge skill when recalling information about weapons (general, magical, and specific, legendary ones).
Human
Adaptable - you gain +1 to a skill of your choosing.
Lucky - you gain a free re-roll to any roll, once per session.
Cosmopolitan - you gain a +2 bonus to your Knowledge skill when recalling the traditions and cultures of other races.
Versatility - you may take an Advance from another Class or Race list (at the GM's discretion).
Halfling
Beneath Suspicion - you gain a +2 bonus to your Subterfuge skill when picking pockets.
Fearless - you gain a +2 bonus to any attempts to resist fear effects.
Slippery - you gain a +2 bonus to your Physical skill to escape bonds and grapples.
Sure-Footed - you gain a +2 bonus to any checks to keep your balance.
Low Blow - you gain a +1 bonus to attack opponents larger than yourself.
Class
Fighter
Shield Bash - you may attack with a shield without it counting as an improvised weapon.
Cleave - when you kill an opponent with a melee attack, you may make another melee attack against an adjacent creature, without penalty.
Weapon Focus - you gain a +1 to-hit with a particular class of weapon of your choosing (bows, hammers, swords, daggers, etc.) GMs are the final arbitrator of what exotic or unusual weapons count under which class, when some of those might be best under their own class, and indeed how broad the classes are.
Two-Weapon Fighting - the penalty for wielding two weapons (and attacking with both) is reduced to -1.
Power Attack - you can trade up to 5 points of your MAB in exchange for bonus damage.
Rogue
Liar - you gain a +2 bonus to the Subterfuge skill when used to lie.
Ninja - you gain a +2 bonus to the Subterfuge skill when remaining undetected (moving silently or hiding).
Trapsmith - you gain a +2 bonus to the Subterfuge skill when setting, disarming, or locating traps.
Stabby Stabby - you gain a +1 bonus to-hit with daggers and short-swords.
Thief-Acrobat - you gain a +2 bonus to the Physical skill when used for acrobatic manoeuvre.
Wizard
Battle Mage - you gain the ability to wear light armour, and may cast spells with no chance of failure while wearing it.
Specialised Training - you gain a +1 bonus to spell DCs, and duration of one school of magic.
Arcane Defence - you gain a +1 bonus to resist spells from one school of magic.
Elemental Alignment - you gain a +1 bonus to spell DCs, damage, and duration of spells linked to a certain element (Fire, Earth, Air or Water).
Co-operative Spell - you and another spellcaster may share the hit-point cost of any spells you cast (only one of you need this Advance). These spells are cast as as normal otherwise.
Cleric
Favoured Soul - you gain one free re-roll to any action that furthers the course of your God, once per session.
Zealous Weapon Training - you gain +1 to-hit with your Deity's favoured weapon.
Meditative Healing - any healing spells you cast receive a bonus to the number of hit points healed equal to their MIND (or CHA) bonus.
Monastic Study - you gain a +2 bonus to your Knowledge skill when recounting facts that fall under your Deity's domain.
Improved Turning - you gain a +2 bonus to Turn Undead DCs.
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