Modern fantasy

[tkdguy]

Okay, another strange idea from yours truly. Thinking about the Kill Bill campaign I thought about last year, I was thinking of how to present the world around the PCs.

 

I was thinking of a modern society with a little bit of cyberpunk in it. Nothing major, just the big corporations and a few hackers here and there. Now comes the twist. Add some noir undertones (old music, old cars, private eyes) for flavoring.

 

Think it can work?

[GreyGuardian]

I would bet there is some info in NinjaHero that would apply to the setting you propose.

[Xiawarr]

Take a look at this thread, maintained by "RDU Neil".

 

http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=12191&perpage=15&pagenumber=1

 

I highly recommend you read through the entire post (all seven some pages). Interspersed throughout the narrative are a number of interesting and cool house rule variants.

 

Sounds like it might save you some trouble for your campaign idea.

[tkdguy]

Thanks, GreyGuardian and Xiawarr. I'll look into them right away.

[tkdguy]

Here are my rules regarding guns and grenades:

 

1. Nobody should not take those WPs, as it doesn't fit the genre. They will be treated as everyman skills and are used only in the background.

 

2. PCs shouldn't use guns. Period. I'm considering the same thing with bows and thrown weapons.

 

3. Bad guys and cops will use guns, but only with the following effects:

a. Nameless NPCs usually get slaughtered.

b. PCs and important NPCs will never get hit by gunfire.

c. The bad guys will fire on the cops and innocent bystanders, but will engage in melee combat (armed or unarmed) when facing the PCs.

 

On the other hand, PCs can take any WF for melee weapons and a style of unarmed combat. It's highly recommended they take one of each option.

[Old Man]

Originally posted by tkdguy

Here are my rules regarding guns and grenades:

 

1. Nobody should not take those WPs, as it doesn't fit the genre. They will be treated as everyman skills and are used only in the background.

 

2. PCs shouldn't use guns. Period. I'm considering the same thing with bows and thrown weapons.

 

Everybody should take WP in guns but never get to use any?

 

Telling the Players that the bad guys have guns but they can't have any isn't going to fly very well. Telling them that they can't use an alternate ranged weapon (bows/throwing) makes it worse. Having the the bad guys have guns but never hit the PCs with them as a way to make the players feel better about the whole deal sounds kind of foolish.

[farik]

These are very genre specific guidelines you can call them foolish if you like but I don't think that's an accurate appraisement. If you want a more "follow the rules" type of solution to emulate the genre I'd say have all NPCs sell down their stun and have people use guns but don't have them take the WF so they are at -4 all the time. Now you can say.

"those thugs are dumb why would you build thugs like that?"

or you could say

"those thugs are perfect they'll go down quickly so the players can get to the real challenge of the crime boss."

[Old Man]

Actually I really had an issue with telling players that they either have to buy or are given "WF: Guns" but are not allowed to use any.

[tkdguy]

Let me clarify my previous statement. My treating WF: firearms as an everyman skill means nobody has to spend points for them. Letting the bad guys use them is only meant for background stuff. For example, they will fire at some minor NPC or into a crowd. However, they usually won't fire at the PCs. Even if they do, they will miss. No rolls will be needed. Important characters will never get hit. Unimportant ones will die, but that is only for the background story and rarely used. This isn't a military campaign, so there won't be any soldiers around.

 

As for thrown weapons and bows, it's in the air. I could allow the PCs to have them, but they should concentrate on melee combat rather than ranged combat. Stuff like shuriken and crossbows would primarily be usd by assassins, ninja, etc. If a player really wants to use them, I could possibly let him, but my players aren't too big on them anyway, so it shouldn't be a problem.

[tkdguy]

To add to the atmosphere of my retro/postmodern mix, I found websites featuring 40s, 50, and 60s music. Anyone knows where I can find 30s music?

[tkdguy]

Here a rundown of the campaign:

 

CAMPAIGN: MODERN FANTASY

 

INTRODUCTION

The campaign is a cinematic genre for Ninja Hero and Dark Champions. It is based loosely on the movie Kill Bill.

 

IMPORTANCE OF THE PLAYER CHARACTERS

The player characters are somewhat important. They are not major players on the grand scheme of things, but they have powerful enemies who will stop at nothing to see them dead.

 

CAMPAIGN TONE

Morality: There is some crossover between good and bad. Corruption is everywhere, and even “good†people have hidden agendas. The player characters themselves occasionally do things that are morally ambiguous.

 

Realism: The campaign is cinematic. The characters are encouraged to perform cinematic stunts, but not all wuxia-style powers are available. Chi powers are rare, but they do exist. The players are allowed to pick any armed or unarmed style presented in The Ultimate Martial Artist and Fantasy HERO.

 

Outlook: Some things work out; others do not. Nothing is guaranteed, although the characters should always have a good chance to escape any given dilemma.

 

Seriousness: The campaign is more serious than lighthearted. The world is often a dangerous place, and enemies often lurk in the shadows.

 

Continuity: There are some long stories and some episodic ones. However, the characters’ actions will always have consequences, be they benevolent or otherwise.

 

SETTING

Physical World: The world is almost like our world in the early 21st century, except that the battles between the heroes and the villains are fought with martial arts and melee weapons rather than firearms. The setting will be post-modern, with noir undertones.

 

Scope: The city of San Francisco will be the backdrop of the campaign. The actual extent of the characters’ travels depends on their decisions.

 

Technology Level: The technology is the same as today’s technology.

 

Character Building Guidelines

• Starting Points for PCs: 100

• Maximum Disadvantage Points for PCs: 100

• Maximum Points for any One Disadvantage: 25

• All characters have normal characteristic maxima at no cost.

• All characters must be hunted by a more powerful enemy.

• Characters can have normal items without paying any points.

• Characters are not allowed to use firearms (see below).

 

Power Levels

Starting Range Starting Maximum

OCV/DCV 5-8 10

Speed 3-4 4

DEF 0-2 4

Skill Rolls 11- to 14- 17

 

CAMPAIGN RULES

Guns are essentially useless in the campaign and will only be used for flavor. Nobody will have WF: firearms. Likewise, no dice will be rolled for attack or damage. NPCs that are mere window dressing will be killed. PCs and major NPCs will never get hit by gunfire. When the heroes and villains engage in combat, they will fight unarmed or with melee weapons.

 

Characters should buy maneuvers with an unarmed style and an armed style. Acrobatics and Breakfall are highly recommended skill. Adding to a character’s running and leaping abilities is also recommended. A Multipower can be used to build a martial arts style.

 

Chi exists in the campaign, but all the effects are subtle. A character may glide across the water, but he cannot fly. He may use his chi to enhance his abilities or heal himself, but he cannot use it to directly cause damage (i.e. no fireballs or energy blasts). However, chi can be used to indirectly cause damage (e.g. increasing STR)

 

Aid can only be used to enhance the following characteristics: STR, CON, BODY, PRE, END. The maximum amount is 2d6.

 

Powers like Hand-to-hand Attack and Killing Attack (both hand-to-hand and ranged) may still be purchased, but must be physical attacks. These will often come in the form of normal or improvised weapons or special martial arts techniques.

 

Leaping, Running, and Swimming are good powers to take, but they can only add up to a maximum of 3†to the base rate.

[tkdguy]

The basic setting? Noir, with kung fu and katanas instead of guns. It takes place in 2004 San Francisco, but I will use retro elements in it. I just created two slideshows of San Francisco with Movie Maker. The first had different parts of the city with Lena Horne singing Stormy Weather; I plan to start the campaign that way. The second shows SF at night with Dave Brubeck playing Take Five; that will be an incidental theme or a lead in to a certain scene.

[Outsider]

I once thought about instituting a heirarchy of initiative for cinematic/martial arts campaigns. The person using the "lesser" weapon -always- goes before the one with the "greater" weapon, regardless of DEX.

 

Bare hands -always- go before any sort of weapon.

Melee weapons -always- go before ranged ones.

Thrown range weapons -always- go before projected ones.

Muscle powered projected weapons (bows) -always- go before guns.

 

Adding an OCV/DCV penalty for using weapons would be doable in addition... say -2 per level of distance from bare hands. The OCV penalties only apply to combatants, of course... shooting inanimate/non-combatant targets (such as paper silhouettes, clay pigeons, or bystanders) still works as normal/without penalty.

 

Bare hands : Full OCV and DCV.

Melee weapon : -2 OCV, -2 DCV

Thrown Weapon : -4 OCV, -4 DCV

Muscle powered Ranged ; -6 OCV, -6 DCV

Firearms : -8 OCV, -8 DCV

[tkdguy]

Interesting idea, Outsider. Mind if I borrow it?

[Outsider]

Feel free! I'm glad someone thinks well enough of it to want to

[tkdguy]

Thanks. Of course, if I include the Highlander rules I wrote up, I'd have to remove the -2 penalty for swords, or give the immies penalty skill levels.

[Outsider]

Since it is -2 to OCV and DCV, two guys using swords against eachother come off exactly the same as if there was no penalty.

[tkdguy]

You realize what you've done, don't you? You've given me another idea to torture my players. Now they're going to create gunslingers and find out guns are useless in the campaign.

 

Just kidding! I'm not that sadistic. Well, not normally.