Grimnoir Chronicles

[Baalbamoth]

Looking to start a campaign based on Larry Correia's 3 book series. Had a few questions for anyone who might be familiar with them...

 

1) What books would you suggest having? (5th ed Pulp Hero? Champs complete or MHI?)

 

2) Has anyone else done this yet? Any suggestions for writing up the active types? (brute, heavy, massive, etc?)

 

3) I found a so-so wiki page on the series, and an M&M campaign on their forums... Anyone else know any good resource or background sites for the setting?

[ThinkLibertarian]

I am planning a GC game too, using my newly acquired Champions Complete book.

 

I am still going through the rules, since I have not played Hero system in many years.

 

I will probably keep the game on the high end of the heroic scale, maybe 250 or 275 CP, Because I don't want to have the PCs start with superhuman stats I will use the suggested characteristic maximums for Heroic games. Since it is a heroic game, I will not make the PCs pay CP for equipment.

 

For the next couple of weeks I will work on learning the 6e rules, making sample characters, and having a few practice combats. 

 

At the moment I am not planning to turn this into a campaign, so I will pre-generate a half-dozen or so characters, write up a plot, and run it as a demo game a couple of times. Then I will be comfortable with expanding the game to an ongoing campaign with PCs making their own characters.

[Scott Baker]

I am planning a GC game too, using my newly acquired Champions Complete book.

 

I am still going through the rules, since I have not played Hero system in many years.

 

I will probably keep the game on the high end of the heroic scale, maybe 250 or 275 CP, Because I don't want to have the PCs start with superhuman stats I will use the suggested characteristic maximums for Heroic games. Since it is a heroic game, I will not make the PCs pay CP for equipment.

 

For the next couple of weeks I will work on learning the 6e rules, making sample characters, and having a few practice combats. 

 

At the moment I am not planning to turn this into a campaign, so I will pre-generate a half-dozen or so characters, write up a plot, and run it as a demo game a couple of times. Then I will be comfortable with expanding the game to an ongoing campaign with PCs making their own characters.

Sounds like fun. Welcome back to Hero.

[ThinkLibertarian]

I think I will generate point power packages for the Active types defined in the book that I think will make good player characters, then pre-generate the characters independantly, probably using 150 points. Each player can then take a character and choose their power package.

 

The power packages I am working on are:

 

Beastie - control animals, see through their senses, and speak using your voice through them. Perhaps allow multiple different beasts to be controlled at the same time.

 

Brute - get stronger and tougher,

without all of the turning green and raging out.

 

Cog - classic gadgeteers, fixers, and inventers

 

Crackler - like a Torch, but with Electricity.

 

Fade - Desolidification, usable as an attack so you can leave your opponents in uncomfortable places.

 

Gravity Spiker, aka Heavy - gravity manipulator. By altering local gravity he can make you "fall" in different directions, crush you under multiple gravities, and the like. There is no clear-cut power for this, so I was thinking of adapting Telekinesis for the push/pull effects, and maybe an invisible AoE attack for the gravity crush.

 

Healer - in a world with no real armor, she is your best friend.

 

Icebox - cold manipulator

 

Justice - can detect lies and find anyone, anywhere

 

Massive - increased density, probably with no Strength boost as it wasn't mentioned in the books.

 

Mouth - mind control, but only if he can speak and the target understands his language.

 

Mover - classic Telekinesis. Everything around you is a weapon.

 

Reader - a telepath

 

Shard - can manipulate her own skeleton to do things like grow bone claws, fuse her ribcage into bone armor, and maybe some level of regeneration. (There are no Shard characters in the book, and the only thing they mention is the bone claws, but what the heck.)

 

Summoner - summons and controls demons - essentially animal-intelligence constructs that bleed black ink and smoke.

 

Torch - fire based multipower with different special effects, like AoE, cone, line, maybe a RKA. Infrared vision would be appropriate. Fire suppression is also a common ability for them.

 

Traveller - a teleporter, and one of the few Actives mentioned with a defining physical characteristic: grey eyes.

 

There are others, but some of them don't befit "good guys", like' creating zombies (a Lazarus) or giving people horrible diseases with a touch (Pale Horse).

 

In the books they mention that there may be hundreds of types of Actives. Others that are not mentioned specifically but may be allowed in my game are Flyers, Shapeshifters, and Illusionists.

Edited January 19, 2016 by ThinkLibertarian

[ThinkLibertarian]

I ended up with five 225 point characters. I don't have the software, so I did it the old fashioned way.

 

They are:

* Sam Coleson, a Texas cowboy (or cowgirl) turned pilot.

* Eui Jin, a Korean immigrant who is a Hapkido master.

* Sylvain Gavreau, a "reformed" French criminal who served in the Foreign Legion rather than go to prison.

* Ray Chapman, a former pro baseball player who was hit in the head by a baseball and put into a coma for five years. He woke up five years ago, having lost everything.

* William Dixon, a former professor with a PhD in Chemistry, also an amateur boxer.

 

Now I am working on the power packages. Since I am a newb, I will post them over on the Champions forum for feedback. I have a limit of 75 points per package.

[ThinkLibertarian]

Here are my rules for a game based on the Grimnoir Chronicles, based on my understanding of the fiction:

 

- Powers run out. This is why I chose the Hero System: the END pool mechanic. Powers that don't already cost END will have the "Costs Endurance" limitation, especially Persistant powers.

 

- If the wizard is knocked out (or killed) the Power turns off. Since all Powers cost END, this should be no problem.

 

- Powers are nice, but a bullet will still kill you. For my game, that is why I will limit my characters to 225 points, normal characteristic maxima, and a 75 point power package. On the upside, I consider this a high powered Heroic game, so characters won't have to pay CP for equipment.

[Ninja-Bear]

Looking to start a campaign based on Larry Correia's 3 book series. Had a few questions for anyone who might be familiar with them...

 

1) What books would you suggest having? (5th ed Pulp Hero? Champs complete or MHI?)

 

2) Has anyone else done this yet? Any suggestions for writing up the active types? (brute, heavy, massive, etc?)

 

3) I found a so-so wiki page on the series, and an M&M campaign on their forums... Anyone else know any good resource or background sites for the setting?

Do you have a set of rules to begin with? If not then Pulp Hero wont be much help because it is a genre book which expands on the core rules. MHI is a complete rule book and so is Champions Complete.

[ThinkLibertarian]

I have Champions Complete, Pulp Hero, and the notions in my head. I will post any notions I have here.

 

I used some of the background information and the equipment information from Pulp Hero. The "what technologies are available chart" is also very handy.

 

I also have the trilogy on my Kindle and the Audio books as reference material.

 

I will work on a one page handout describing the alternate history to new players. I think my game will take place just before the first book, perhaps tying in to some of the peripheral events therein.

[bigbywolfe]

I don't believe MHI is complete. I believe it was based on Hero Basic, which caused a problem when multiple monsters had Powers not described in MHI.

[ThinkLibertarian]

Rather than post the power packages in the Champions forum, I will post them here. That way they are all in one thread.

 

Rules for the Packages:

75 CP max

50 Active Point Cap

Powers don't last. In general, Persistant powers should be made Constant.

If you knock the user out, their powers turn off.

 

For example, the Brute:

 

+35 STR (Reduced END +1/4, Non-Persistant -1/4, Unified Power -1/4) BC: 35, AC: 44, RC: 30; END: 2/phase

+24 Resistant Defense (18 rPD, 6 rED) (Reduced END +1/4, Non-Persistant -1/4, Unified Power -1/4) BC: 36, AC: 45, RC: 30; END: 2/phase

+10m Running (Unified Power -1/4) BC: 10, AC: 10, RC: 7; END: 1 per use

+10m Leaping (Unified Power -1/4) BC: 5, AC: 5, RC: 3; END: 1 per use

-5m Knockback Resistance (KBR) (Unified Power -1/4) BC: 5, AC: 5, RC: 3; END: 1 per use

 

Grand Total: 73 CP

 

Making them all "Unified Power" means you have to activate all of the powers or none at all.

[ThinkLibertarian]

Crackler/Icebox/Torch. They are basic Electricity/Cold/Fire projectors.

 

Lower powered ones use Dispel in their day jobs, keeping their offensive abilities secret to not scare the normals. Both Iceboxes and Torches make excellent firefighters. Cracklers are hired by airship companies to divert lightning from hitting their airplanes or preventing the buildup of static electricy in hydrogen-filled zepplins.

 

Multipower (50 points) BC/AC/RC: 50

* Blast 10d6: RC: 5f, END: 5

* Blast 8d6 (Cone: 8m long, 60º arc: +1/4): RC: 5f, END: 5

* Dispel 16d6: RC: 5f, END: 5

Total: 65 CP

 

Infravision (Partially penetrative, though it degrades as you look through layers of insulating materials. Force fields or certain wierd science gadgets can block it too): RC: 10, END: 1

 

Grand Total: 75 CP

[ThinkLibertarian]

The Shard. One who manipulates his own bodily structure for a variety of effects. This is my interpretation since no Shard characters appear in the books.

 

Multipower (45 point pool) BC/AC/RC: 45

* Bone Claws: 3d6 HKA. BC/AC: 45, RC: 8v (every 15 pool points gives 1d6 HKA). END: varies

* Bone Armor: 22 PD. BC/AC: 44, RC: 8v (every 2 pool points gives 1 PD. END: varies

* Regeneration (1 Body/5 Minutes) + Regrow Limbs. BC/AC: 17, RC: 2f. END: No

* Bone Bullets: 2d6 RKA (Autofire: 5, +1/2; Charges: 10, -1/4; Extra Time (Delayed Segment), -1/4; charges recover after Regenerating for 5 minutes: +0). BC: 30, AC: 45, RC: 3f. END: 4

 

I had a bit of fun with this one. Bone claws are obvious. Bone Armor comes from knitting the ribcage together, possibly stealing bone mass from his back ribs. The RKA is firing his fingertip bones as bullets, hence the regeneration to "reload". Not a power for the squeamish.

 

Grand Total: 66 CP

[ThinkLibertarian]

Since most GC Archetypes are pretty straightforward using H6E, here are a bunch of them:

 

Reader, a classic telepath.

Telepathy 10d6. BC/AC/RC: 50, END: 5

+4 OMCV. BC/AC/RC: 12, END: No

+4 DCMV. BC/AC/RC: 12, END: No

Total: 74 CP

 

Mouth. You really want to do as she says...

Mind Control 8d6 (8m Cone AoE +1/4, Non-Selective -1/4, Language Barrier -1/4) BC: 40, AC: 50, RC: 20, END: 5

+5 OMCV. BC/AC/RC: 15, END: No

+5 DCMV. BC/AC/RC: 15, END: No

+10 Mental Defense. BC/AC/RC: 10, END: No

Total: 55 CP

 

Fade.

Desolidification (Increased Mass 200kg total, +5 CP) BC/AC/RC: 45, END: 4

Total: 45 CP

 

Mover:

Telekinesis STR 30 with Fine Control (+10 CP) BC/AC/RC: 55, END: 5

Total: 55 CP

 

Healer. I am using the simplified healing option in my game, with no Maximum Effect.

5d6 Healing (Extra Time (Extra Segment) -1/2) BC/AC: 50, RC: 25, END: 5

Diagnostic Vision: Sense +2 CP, Partially Penetrative (Flesh only) +5 CP, Requires a SS: Medicine Skill to actually dianose a problem (-1/4) BC/AC: 12, RC: 9, END: No (1 to attempt a diagnosis)

Skill: SS: Medicine (at +1) BC/AC/RC: 5, END: No

Total: 39 CP

 

Traveller:

Teleport 40m (Extra Mass (up to 400kg) +10 CP) BC/AC/RC: 50, END: 5

Nightvision (Sense +2 CP) BC/AC: 7 RC: 7, END: No

Complication: Distinguishing Feature (Grey Eyes). Easily Concealable, Noticed and Recognizable

Total: 57 CP

 

Massive. Rather than get so heavy they crash through the floor, I set this up as a little mass and a lot of Resistand Defenses, since they are supposed to be the "toughest" Actives.

Density Increase (800kg) (Unified Power, -1/4; No STR Increase, -1) BC/AC: 12, RC: 5, END: 1/phase

Resistant Defense (26 rPD) (Hardened, +1/4, Non-Persistant -1/4, Unified Power, -1/4) BC: 39, AC: 49, RC: 33, END: 5/phase

Resistant Defense (20 rED) (Hardened, +1/4, Non-Persistant -1/4, Unified Power, -1/4) BC: 30, AC: 38, RC: 25, END: 4/phase

Total: 63 CP

[Ninja-Bear]

I don't believe MHI is complete. I believe it was based on Hero Basic, which caused a problem when multiple monsters had Powers not described in MHI.

I do remmber hearing some thing like that. But it still had rules to run a game unlike Pulp Hero.

[ThinkLibertarian]

I have prepared a one page quick reference for H6E and a two page intro to the GC.

 

Now, on to the adventure...

[grandmastergm]

So how do you balance out weapons?  I'm working on my own game now and I want to figure out why heroes would want to wield pistols instead of tommy guns or rifles? 

 

Did you give the Grimnoir a particular template?

[bigbywolfe]

So how do you balance out weapons? I'm working on my own game now and I want to figure out why heroes would want to wield pistols instead of tommy guns or rifles?

 

Did you give the Grimnoir a particular template?

For one thing you can't hide a Tommy Gun in your pants or under your jacket and that makes trips to the grocery store and bank awkward.

[L. Marcus]

That's what violin cases are for.

[grandmastergm]

I think I will generate point power packages for the Active types defined in the book that I think will make good player characters, then pre-generate the characters independantly, probably using 150 points. Each player can then take a character and choose their power package.

 

The power packages I am working on are:

 

Beastie - control animals, see through their senses, and speak using your voice through them. Perhaps allow multiple different beasts to be controlled at the same time.

 

Brute - get stronger and tougher,

without all of the turning green and raging out.

 

Cog - classic gadgeteers, fixers, and inventers

 

Crackler - like a Torch, but with Electricity.

 

Fade - Desolidification, usable as an attack so you can leave your opponents in uncomfortable places.

 

Gravity Spiker, aka Heavy - gravity manipulator. By altering local gravity he can make you "fall" in different directions, crush you under multiple gravities, and the like. There is no clear-cut power for this, so I was thinking of adapting Telekinesis for the push/pull effects, and maybe an invisible AoE attack for the gravity crush.

 

Healer - in a world with no real armor, she is your best friend.

 

Icebox - cold manipulator

 

Justice - can detect lies and find anyone, anywhere

 

Massive - increased density, probably with no Strength boost as it wasn't mentioned in the books.

 

Mouth - mind control, but only if he can speak and the target understands his language.

 

Mover - classic Telekinesis. Everything around you is a weapon.

 

Reader - a telepath

 

Shard - can manipulate her own skeleton to do things like grow bone claws, fuse her ribcage into bone armor, and maybe some level of regeneration. (There are no Shard characters in the book, and the only thing they mention is the bone claws, but what the heck.)

 

Summoner - summons and controls demons - essentially animal-intelligence constructs that bleed black ink and smoke.

 

Torch - fire based multipower with different special effects, like AoE, cone, line, maybe a RKA. Infrared vision would be appropriate. Fire suppression is also a common ability for them.

 

Traveller - a teleporter, and one of the few Actives mentioned with a defining physical characteristic: grey eyes.

 

There are others, but some of them don't befit "good guys", like' creating zombies (a Lazarus) or giving people horrible diseases with a touch (Pale Horse).

 

In the books they mention that there may be hundreds of types of Actives. Others that are not mentioned specifically but may be allowed in my game are Flyers, Shapeshifters, and Illusionists.

 

Did you stat out any of the characters from the books?