dugfromthearth Posted October 14, 2003 Report Share Posted October 14, 2003 dwarves are supposed to take great pride in their beards. They grow them out, decorate them, and display them proudly. The danger with a beard is that it can be cut off, and then takes a long time to regrow. So buy it as a reputation, IIF (assuming you don't want beards cut off in combat) but independent. If it gets cut off, you have lost it for years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greatwyrm Posted October 14, 2003 Report Share Posted October 14, 2003 Maybe I'm not remembering this right. If the reputation is independent and in your beard, don't I gain your reputation if I cut off and take your beard? I mean, sure, if you cut off a bunch of famous beards (that just doesn't sound right) and walked around with them hanging off your belt, you'd probably gain a reputation for being pretty tough. But independent just doesn't feel right. Isn't there some limitation for a focus that's very difficult to replace? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dugfromthearth Posted October 14, 2003 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2003 there is a limit for a focus that is hard to replace, but that assumes you can still replace it soon - it is just dangerous or expensive. The beard would be a personal focus. That means only the character can use it. Independent means that if you lose the focus the points are lost, you can't just replace the focus. Things like uranium or the poison of an asp. This is reasonable given the time it takes to regrow a beard. And it would make the player as protective of the beard as a dwarf should be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killer Shrike Posted October 14, 2003 Report Share Posted October 14, 2003 I think this was all covered pretty well in the old classic TSRPHBR6 The Complete Dwarven Beard Guide Id recommend checking there first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alcamtar Posted October 14, 2003 Report Share Posted October 14, 2003 This is a great idea! I think I'll add it to the dwarven racial package for my campaign... :-) Still, I wonder if it should be a negative thing... that is, you're normal unless you lose your beard, in which case you acquire a social disadvantage. Is there a way to buy a disadvantage triggered by loss of a focus? How about buying both a disadvantage and a power that nullifies the disadvantage? -10 Social stigma: beardless dwarf +5 Beard: 10 pts of Reputation, OIF expendable Beard (-1) Total cost: -5, representing the difficulty of caring for (and keeping) your beard. Watch out for fireballs! Some weird versions: using "negative active points": (-5) Social Stigma: beardless dwarf, OIF lack of beard (-1/2) Beard is inaccessible focus since you can't just rip it out wiht a grab maneuver (at least I hope not.. ouch!) Or buying a drain against yourself as a disadvantage (applying the cost of the power as a disadvantage): (-10) 8d6 Drain PRE, OIF expendable Beard, "ya gotta have one to lose one" (-.5), Trigger: loss of beard (-.5), slow recovery rate (-2) Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dugfromthearth Posted October 14, 2003 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2003 TSRPHBR6 The Complete Dwarven Beard Guide Is that available somewhere? Can't you buy "secrets" that would create a social stigma if discovered? You could change that to a beard that would create a social stigma if lost. But I was thinking reputation because a young dwarf would have a short beard, whereas an ancient dwarf would have a long beard which might be a +3 reputation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killer Shrike Posted October 15, 2003 Report Share Posted October 15, 2003 Originally posted by dugfromthearth TSRPHBR6 The Complete Dwarven Beard Guide Is that available somewhere? Out of print, along with other greats like TSRPHBR8 The Complete Elven Coiffure Guide, and of course TSRPHBR7 The Complete Gnome and Halfling Grooming Guide. You might get lucky and pick them up in a used bin at your friendly local game store, or failing that locate an old grognard like me who has a copy in their private collection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greatwyrm Posted October 15, 2003 Report Share Posted October 15, 2003 Originally posted by Killer Shrike Out of print, along with other greats like TSRPHBR8 The Complete Elven Coiffure Guide, and of course TSRPHBR7 The Complete Gnome and Halfling Grooming Guide. You might get lucky and pick them up in a used bin at your friendly local game store, or failing that locate an old grognard like me who has a copy in their private collection. I had to go to the dealer that sells WotC's old .pdfs to finish off my collection. All I still needed was TSRPHBR469 The Complete Barbarian's Tableware Guide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killer Shrike Posted October 15, 2003 Report Share Posted October 15, 2003 Originally posted by Greatwyrm I had to go to the dealer that sells WotC's old .pdfs to finish off my collection. All I still needed was TSRPHBR469 The Complete Barbarian's Tableware Guide. Yeah, that one is hard to find. Extremely low print run due to TSR not correctly anticipating demand. If you find a copy, let me know; its missing from my collection as well. Thats the problem with the Complete books -- your collection looks kind of semantically challenged if you dont actually have them all. An incomplete collection of Completes looks pretty lame, like a card deck with only 47 cards or somthing. Bad form, you know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alcamtar Posted October 15, 2003 Report Share Posted October 15, 2003 Originally posted by dugfromthearth Can't you buy "secrets" that would create a social stigma if discovered? You could change that to a beard that would create a social stigma if lost. Ah, that's what I wanted. I'm going to treat the Beard as a social limitation, although any dwarf with a particularly long or luxuriant beard can buy points of Reputation, Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CorpCommander Posted October 15, 2003 Report Share Posted October 15, 2003 Originally posted by Alcamtar Ah, that's what I wanted. I'm going to treat the Beard as a social limitation, although any dwarf with a particularly long or luxuriant beard can buy points of Reputation, Mike Will reputation points gained from the beard determine the number of realatives and DNPCs that may live in the beard? Hmm, at that point the character would have to spend points on the beard as it were a base. How much DEF would your typical nobels beard have? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killer Shrike Posted October 15, 2003 Report Share Posted October 15, 2003 Just use a custom Summon Attacking Beard Critters ability, and name the Beard as the Foci for it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killer Shrike Posted October 15, 2003 Report Share Posted October 15, 2003 Also, dont forget to take a modified Eidetic Memory, only to remember the taste of foods eaten since a dwarf's last bath...you know, for the Flavor Saver effect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CorpCommander Posted October 15, 2003 Report Share Posted October 15, 2003 Oh I like this Originally posted by Killer Shrike Also, dont forget to take a modified Eidetic Memory, only to remember the taste of foods eaten since a dwarf's last bath...you know, for the Flavor Saver effect. Heck, you could even give the beard Life Support eating. The Dwarf can find some prior meals in there and be able to go long periods without a normal supply of food. You could also make it useable on others and give it a limitation Requires an Ego Roll (because, come on, that's just nasty!) Perhaps one of the few times where the advantage STICKY is actually meant to be taken literally! Ewwwwww! The powers you can put in a beard are amazing! Stretching, extra limbs, EB... has this focus any limit to its usefulness? I say no. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alcamtar Posted October 15, 2003 Report Share Posted October 15, 2003 Re: Oh I like this Originally posted by CorpCommander Perhaps one of the few times where the advantage STICKY is actually meant to be taken literally! Ewwwwww! Sounds like an Entangle to me. Indiana Frodo and his 15-foot beard of doom! He'd need to buy familiarity with Beard to use it like a whip of course. Of course a beard is a versatile weapon. You can braid it to use as as whip, fan it out into a sticky web, or slake it in lime to make it a stiff impaling weapon! Also the rats that live in the beard serve as a damage shield if anyone gets too close... and the stench emanating from it might be a NND gas cloud! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killer Shrike Posted October 15, 2003 Report Share Posted October 15, 2003 Hmm....obviously this calls for a Variable Power Pool, for there is no more "beardy" thing (to use the limey term) in the HERO System than a Cosmic VPP of Attacks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killer Shrike Posted October 15, 2003 Report Share Posted October 15, 2003 Re: Oh I like this Originally posted by CorpCommander The powers you can put in a beard are amazing! Stretching, extra limbs, EB... has this focus any limit to its usefulness? I say no. I agree, and well said. In fact, Im so motivated by the endless possibilities raised by this thread that I have started to grow my own beard. Soon I too will have endless beard power. Like Samson, my power will grow in direct proportion to my hirsuted-ness. I will eventually become unstopable, save for my dreaded nemesis, the BARBER! Like that terrible M Night Shamalhamaham movie with Bruce Willis and Samuel J, the Barber will be forced to stage tragic "accidents" in an attempt to find me, the most powerful (and well-bearded) man in the world, and then I will destroy him because, while equipped with electric shears, the Barber otherwise has no actual super powers, whereas I of course have the sublime potency of a proper beard to back my play! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CorpCommander Posted October 15, 2003 Report Share Posted October 15, 2003 Best construct? Would this be best done as an elemental control or a multi-power? The damage shield wouldn't make sense in either framework, but the other powers suggest multipower to me. Can he get +8" Swinging with it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted October 15, 2003 Report Share Posted October 15, 2003 Beware Jim Rage and the agents of SHAVE!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killer Shrike Posted October 15, 2003 Report Share Posted October 15, 2003 Originally posted by Rick Beware Jim Fury and the agents of SHAVE!!!!! Dont you mean Rick Angst, leader of the Scowling Banditos in WW2 and world famous "secret" agent during the Cold War, now on-again-off-again head of SHILL, age-assisted by a variant of the same super serum that lead to the creation of the great American champion General Surrender (so named bcs he was designed to singlehandedly bring about the surrender of Axis forces in WW2, of course)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted October 15, 2003 Report Share Posted October 15, 2003 Nope I meant the Agents of shave, long time arch-ememies and pursuers, of the Russian beard and the Spanish mustache. Tick: "Hey Taft does your mustache ever hurt you?" Taft: "Sure like when I get it caught on a zipper or my sweater..." Tick: "...or when it grabs a lamp and beats you over the head W/it!?!?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CorpCommander Posted October 15, 2003 Report Share Posted October 15, 2003 That Mustache Feeling Episode Guide The Tick: Rugged, self-assured, adult…these are the words who describe a man who wears a mustache. Eyes playing tricks like tiny round devils! Arthur! My mustache is touching my brain!!! Scientist: Morality's lease has run out, and Science has been given the keys to the apartment! Die Fledermaus: Two words, Tick…chick magnet! Taft: Well, Tick, looks like your mustache has a date in a half hour… Jim Rage: Uncle Sam wants you in my RV! You don't understand, man…the Russians were already working on a beard…We had a facial hair gap! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted October 15, 2003 Report Share Posted October 15, 2003 Oh yes Jim Rage that right fixing it now. Awesome!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.