Campaign Guidelines

[Ndreare]

Overall the guidelines look good.

1: Increased Endurance should be -1/2.

2: the design you having basically places a very heavy point tax on every character especially magic users because of the package cost. For a 150 point game is that deliberate? After all a normal soldier will be about 80 points just in combat abilities. A PC however will want a lot of non combat related stuff so effectively your players will start slightly below the average mage or thief and slightly above the average priest. (Based on Fantasy Hero 6th "pages 460+)

[phydaux]

I'm sorry, I should have been more clear.  My group still uses 5th Ed.

 

I see a 100+50 fantasy character breaking down thusly:

 

60 points in Stats

45 points in skills

45 points in "other stuff"

 

That other stuff could be feats, magic MP and spell slots, extra skills, or extra stats.

 

 

A character with 90 points in stats & 60 points in skills, and no other powers, talents or "funky stuff," will be damn effective in this setting.

[Ndreare]

I see, well I think what you have will work. What will you name your city and setting? Have you pitched it to your players?

[phydaux]

Several cities.  They will start in the town of Farmingham, outside of Laketon which is on the shores of the Inland Sea.  Laketon is a minor walled city, but a major trading hub for the various races.  

 

Up river to the west are the mountains of the Dwarves.  

 

South is the forests of the Elves.  

 

North across the river from Laketon are the vast planes of the Lancers.

 

Down river to the east is the hill country of the halflings and the city of Riverford, a walled city of the Old Men.  

 

North along the coast from Riverford is Slot Statka, first and proudest of the walled Manish cities.  

[Ndreare]

Sounds like you are set.

Let us know how it goes.

[phydaux]

I've got a plot outlined around an Ork uprising near Farmingham.  The PCs get involved (1 SP bounty on Ork heads, rescue the farmer's daughter, etc.).  They find out the local tribe is just part of a much LARGER Ork uprising.  

 

See, in many worlds Orks are dumb.  In my world Orks are NOT dumb.  They are simply realistic and RUTHLESS.

 

Orks understand that humans can live 60 years of more, and Dwarves & Elves even longer.  Baring misadventure an Ork will go from birth to full maturity in just 2 years, and live a long & full life, only to die at the ripe old age of FIFTEEN.

 

Orks simply can't live long enough to become master craftsmen working in steel or iron, or pottery or cloth or even farming.  So instead that study fighting, and TAKE everything else form the other "weathy" races.

 

The Orks start out with raggy cloth armor & clubs.  They raid farms around Farmingham in small bands in search of leather and steel tools.  Once they have decent equipment, then they start raiding in larger bands. This will be where the PCs come in.

 

Depending on the player's actions, an Ork attack on Farmingham either will or will not happen, and if it happens then it either will or will not succeed.  

 

If Farmingham gets sacked by Orks then all the loot, e.g. steel swords & chain armor in large quantities, will end up in Ork hands.  The Orks will then be able to launch an unprecedented attack on a walled city - Laketon.  

 

If the PCs do well then they will prevent the attack on Farmingham and become small-time, local heroes.  It they screw the pooch and let Farmingham fall and hundreds of people die, then they have a chance of stopping a major Ork attack on a large city and become major heroes.

[phydaux]

I made some test characters using my campaign guidelines.  I think i'm gonna up the point cap to 125+50.

[Ndreare]

Have you pitched the idea to the players yet?

[phydaux]

Example Fighter

 

STATS

 

STR 18 8

BOD 15 10

CON 15 10

DEX 18 24

INT 15 5

EGO 15 10

PRE 15 5

COM 14 2

PD 6 2

ED 6 3

SPD 4 12

REC 7 -

END 30 -

STUN 32 -

 

SUB TOTAL 91

 

 

POWERS

 

4 STR ½ END 1

 

1 Weapon Familiarity (Common Melee Weapons)

1 Weapon Familiarity (Lance)

 

10 +2 Melee Skill Levels

12 +4 Skill Levels Swords

 

6 +3 Inches Running 1

 

34 SUB TOTAL

 

 

SKILLS

 

3 Riding (13) 3 Stealth (13)

3 Climbing (13) 3 Weaponsmith (12)

3 Concealment (12) 3 Armorsmith (12)

3 Shadowing (13) 2 History (12)

3 Conversation (12) 2 Heraldry (12)

3 Persuasion (12) 3 Paramedic (12)

3 Deduction (12) 3 High Society (12)

3 Acting (12) 2 Kinghts & Nobles (12)

3 Fast Draw CMW (13)

 

1 Literacy

 

49 SUB TOTAL

 

 

 

DISADDS

 

Various Disadd 50

 

 

STATS 91

POWERS 34

SKILLS 49

UNSPENT 1

DISADDS -50

 

TOTAL 125

[phydaux]

Example Mage

 

STATS

 

STR 10 -

BOD 12 4

CON 15 10

DEX 15 15

INT 18 8

EGO 18 16

PRE 15 5

COM 8 -1

PD 4 2

ED 4 1

SPD 3 5

REC 5 -

END 30 -

STUN 26 -

 

SUB TOTAL 65

 

 

POWERS

 

27 60 pip Magic MP, 1-H Gestures, Incantations, Skill Roll, x2 END

2 Healing Spell

2 Utility Spell

1 Utility Spell

1 Utility Spell

2 Attack Spell

2 0 END Attack Spell

2 AOE Attack Spell

 

5 Detect Magic

 

 

44 SUB TOTAL

 

 

SKILLS

 

3 Riding (12) - Stealth (8)

- Climbing (8) 2 History (14)

3 Concealment (12) 3 Paramedic (14)

- Shadowing (8) 5 Sorcery (15)

- Conversation (8) 2 KS: Knights & Nobles (14)

- Persuasion (8) - Acting (8)

3 Deduction (14)

 

1 Literacy

2 LS: High Elvish

3 Analyse Magic (14)

 

1 Weapon Familiarity (Common Melee Weapons)

 

4 Social Rank – Initiate 

4 Access – Restricted Library

2 PS: Magi (14)

 

6 +2 OCV with Attack Spells

6 +2 Skill Levels to resist Counter Spelling

6 +2 Skill Levels vs. Counter Spelling range penalty

6 +2 Skill Levels vs. Dispelling range penalty

 

62 SUB TOTAL

 

 

DISADDS

 

Various Disadd 50

 

 

 

STATS 65

POWERS 44

SKILLS 56

UNSPENT 4

DISADDS -50

TOTAL 125

[phydaux]

Have you pitched the idea to the players yet?

 

We're still in the middle of a Weird War II campaign.  When that GM runs out of ideas we'll change GMs.  I'll pitch my campaign idea then.

[Ndreare]

I thought your magic system required x2 endurance, but I noticed your spells include a 0 endurance version and generally do not have the increased endurance?

 

Was this deliberate or simply a mistake.

[phydaux]

I thought your magic system required x2 endurance, but I noticed your spells include a 0 endurance version and generally do not have the increased endurance?

 

Was this deliberate or simply a mistake.

 

Well, maybe i'm doing it wrong, but this is how I understand it.

 

x2 END is a disadd applied to the cost of the pool.  Then every slot inherits the X2 END disadd.

 

So a 45 active point slot, i.e. a 9d6 EB which would normally cost 2 END per use, would then cost 4 END per use.

 

AOE is a 1/2 advantage, so that EB could be bought as a 6d6 AOE EB and it would also cost 4 END in a x2 END MP.

 

1/2 END is a 1/4 advantage, so the player could buy a 45 active point slot in a x2 END multipower as a 7d6 EB and ONLY pay the normal 3 END for that 7d6 EB.

 

0 END is a 1/2 advantage, so a 45 active point slot could be a 6d6 EB 0 END even though the multipower as a whole is a x2 END multipower.

[phydaux]

Perhaps it is considered poor form buying a 0 END slot in a x2 END multipower, but the way I look at it that's how the player wants to spend his active points, so I let them.

 

I make up for it by being VERY restrictive when players go for the "Magic Powers Only" disadd.  My understanding of that disadd is a LOT more restrictive than most peoples.  But then, I don't require that disadd for magic multipowers in this campaign.  if a players asks for that disadd I will allow it, but I will tell them "Expect to be screwed with."

 

But they could cancel out my screwing with them buy buying a slot with the 1/2 advantage Variable Special Effect.  Again, they are spending their active points to gain liberty from the GM.  I'm OK with that.

[bigbywolfe]

Perhaps it is considered poor form buying a 0 END slot in a x2 END multipower, but the way I look at it that's how the player wants to spend his active points, so I let them.

 

 

It's not just poor form, it's straight up not allowed.  The only way you can have a Limitation on a Multipower itself is if every single slot has the same Limitation.  Obviously you can house-rule whatever you want, but just realize it isn't RAW.  I'd have to take a closer look at your magic system, but my gut response is that at the very least it sets a bad precedent.