Makiaveli

Good deal sent a request to join. Not sure if it will have my real name or what, but my email address has Makiaveli in it if that helps. I can PM you my RN if needs be, but as a rule I am fairly conservative about passing it around

Wow, just wow. I stumbled across your website a while back, and one computer crash later, lost the bookmark. I was wanting to see how it turned out and I am really glad I found this thread. Site is bookmarked (and backed up on my new external drive thank you very much) and I will peruse it more in the near future.

I had some ideas for characters and if any gel and I have time to write them I will happily toss them in the mix Basically I wound up daydreaming ideas while wishing I had a group like this these days.

Piece of advice, don't get older, married and have children.

Re: Embers of the Reich

Not sure where you are going with this. You say the Allies are running around trying to collect the tech, then you talk of the PC's "eluding" the Allies....so are the PCs the good guys are not?

Re: Urban Fantasy Setting: Here There Be Monsters

Well that sucks. And I fully understand the lack of time so no worries there. I will keep checking back as it sounds like a awesome resource.

**EDIT** I really gotta start reading the links before answering the posts Good to hear you are getting things back up and I'm crossing my fingers for you on the thumbdrive issue. I had the same problem a while back and I guess I got lucky as nothing bad happened. Made darn sure to use the pw wiping feature on my new one

Re: Urban Fantasy Setting: Here There Be Monsters

I read the first couple pages and decided to hit the main site to look around as this sounds like an awesome resource. Unfortunately the link in the OP is dead as well as the killershrike.com link.

Is there an alternate link? Thanks

**edit** killershrike.com has a small box that says the page is unavailable, not a 404 type error. Google has a cache from April 8th so I take it the issue is a very recent one.... All the sub pages say there is a error in the "/" application. Just FYI....

Re: Concerning a not-that-cosmic VPP

Sounds like a lot of work for the GM.

This was my first thought as well. I guess you could whip up some randomizing chart for when you didn't take advantage of it to help/hinder the PCs for plot reasons.

Re: Harbinger of Justice

Accessable? no - none.

 

Harbinger's autofire attacks can't muster the damage his single shot attacks can. I haven't done the math specifically, but they're significantly smaller, probably wouldn't even get Stun past even with a head shot.

Ahh ok. Way rusty on the rules and details after all these years in exile.

Re: Harbinger of Justice

Couple things I am wondering about...

1. Doesn't HoJ have some kind of autofire trick that he can use?

2. Does Dr. D have any Accessible defensive foci that could be removed once he was stunned making the followup shots more powerful?

Not arguing here, just curious

Re: Rocksalt...

Thanks for the Rep

 

 

Lord Ghee

You're welcome

For the humor impaired: That was a joke....since Black Ops said he did it since I couldn't...get it? No? Then sorry I can't help you.

Re: Dresden Files meets Supernatural

He's been known to jam firearms' date=' and the boiler in his apartment, too, so it's not just electronics, apparently. I seem to recall he has the Beetle rather than a muscle car because it's easier to get parts for a beetle, more than a matter of complexity. As long as he stays away from, say, Saabs, there are probably a number of older cars that are relatively mechanically simple.[/quote']

 

This and Beetle's were designed to be as simple as possible. As in using the spare tire's air pressure to run the windshield wipers for example.

Re: Dresden Files meets Supernatural

Right which is how unluck works. Stuff will work just fine just as long as it doesn't HAVE to work. Have to work meaning that if the phone has to work to say bring the PC's allies together, then roll unluck. If you roll multiple 6's then tech destroyed. One 6 I would rule is either damage or temporary malfunction with no damage. Also if the Wizard is getting complacent in using tech. Make him roll his unluck. This shouldn't be something that is constantly being rolled on, just when things are going really well.

 

Of course have an evolved Wizard that has figured out how to work with Tech can be interesting as well. esp if the last wizard who could use tech was a Black Wizard and the Tech Link is therefore seedy because of that history. Perhaps that wizard used black charms to tamp down on the power leakage that destroys tech.

I was focusing more on how the GM would use it and the effects, both in and out of game, it would have rather than the mechanics.

I do like the idea of the "evolved" wizard tho...

Re: Campaign Idea . . . almost.

I too was thinking along the lines of plumbing/construction but the Pest Control would work best I think.

My reasoning is same as the others above, it covers them moving around to new places around the city/county, old and new buildings, etc. The evacuation excuse is a bonus.

And like someone mentioned, rats are the cause of alot of hauntings, so many plot hooks there.

The problem I see with a bar or Stop-N-Rob (conv. store) is that you have to stay put and wait for trouble to come to you and then go hunt it etc. The OP said that the PCs didn't want to look for trouble, it just found them.

Now that's no reason they can't hang at a bar that has troubles, think Cheers with issues or make friends with a store clerk (they have to go somewhere when they get the late night munchies), ie they stop in and stock up on snacks on the way to a job and maybe he drops some hints on a job for them. Unfortunately for them, he really is a certified Freak Magnet....

Re: Dresden Files meets Supernatural

Well, PC's end up relying on tech a lot, in my experience. Especially cell phones. If I use the wizard anti-tech aura, I'm going to have to figure out how often it comes up.

 

If it comes up too often, then it will annoy you as well as the PCs. I mean from a standpoint of stopping whatever is happening, combat or RP, and rolling to see if the gadget in question works or not.

I would say it's a GM thing, not a die roll thing. Especially since the lower tech stuff is less effected than high tech. IE, an old rotary phone is almost reliable, but a Blackberry is almost always toast.

I come at this from the point that is seems more like a plot device than something to slap the wizard around with.

Re: Rocksalt...

here is one way

 

http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot33.htm

 

and off a police forum

 

Rock salt works extremely well, I speak from experience. When I was 17 several of my friends and I were caught stealing watermelons from a farmer and I took a round in the ass and down the back of my legs while trying to scale a fence. Very painful experience. The farmer called the police and I got a ride home from them. When I got home the police officer asked my Dad if he wanted to press charges. "Well the hell for? If he was'nt stealing shit he would never have been shot!!" was good ole Dad's response. He then proceeded to make me sit in a bath tub of warm water to make the salt disolve, making for painful experience #2. I guess Dad proved his point because I never stole from a farmer again.

 

 

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

so there u go \

Lord Ghee

I guess that answers that question Thanks for the link and I would rep you if I could but for now you will have to settle for an Attaboy!!

Re: Tokyo Scientists Find That Humans Glow

Yes, but arent a lot of them like 3 miles down in the ocean? That and fireflies are the only ones I can think of off the top of my head. (and for fireflies it is for mating, and again when I was little when the firefly lit up, I had an easier time catching them)

 

But, yes they could fill a small niche specialty possibly. But, really not a general all-terrains jack-of-all-trades like humans tend to be.

Just for the record, there are many different species of fireflies and some use it for mating, others for hunting (as in they are predators looking for other insects to eat) and at least one combines the two as it mimics other varieties of fireflies light patterns to attract would-be mates for dinner

And I know this because my son, who is 5, is fascinated by them and we did some research on teh intarwebz together

Re: Rocksalt...

I didn't say +6d6 normal damage. Let me clarify:

 

"Besides, p 288 of the old 5e (not 5er or 6e) says that a violent action is only +1d6 to presence attacks, and an incredibly violent action is +3d6 to presence attacks. A +6d6 to presence attacks rocksalt round is . . . impressive."

 

Rocksalt rounds are not impressive because they're big and dangerous like a LAW to a car. They're impressive because Auuuugh, you shot me with something that hurts and leaves me writhing on the ground

Ok I see where I went wrong. Sorry about that. I normally have good reading comprehension but I guess I rolled ones on that attempt

@Lord Ghee I still doubt that rock salt would be lethal, I don't think it would penetrate deep enough. I've seen my dad fire rock salt rounds into a hog a 10 FEET and watched the hog keep eating. Now that said, yes a hit in the right place (wrong place?) could kill. Fire off a blank round next to your head and you may wind up dead as the wadding has been known to punch thru the temple.

I think the damage would need to be scaled to the genre and the result the GM was aiming for.

Re: Rocksalt...

On the other hand, shooting a man with 000 buck won't impress him, because dead men are hard to impress. However, rocksalt should cause agony, and even a guy in a leather coat might get a few grains in the face. Agony is nicely represented by PRE.

 

Besides, p 288 of the old 5e (not 5er or 6e) says that a violent action is only +1d6, and an incredibly violent action is +3d6. A +6d6 rocksalt round is . . . impressive.

Well I meant shooting into the air or hitting a nearby object. And I don't see rocksalt doing 6d6N. That would just about be enough to put a normal at half health (avg 6 Body, 2 Def, 10-4 = 6).

And if rocksalt counts as incredibly violent, then that would be the same as me using a LAW to blow a car up, then Presence attacking a nearby group of thugs. Some how I think popping a guy with rocksalt would be less impressive than blowing 4 guys to hell along with their car.

Re: Rocksalt...

If the shot misses' date=' it is exactly the same![/quote']

 

Good point, I don't think my brain was working when I posted that. Yea a clean miss should be worth less of a bonus because the gun went bang. Whereas if you actually shot something, then the effect on the target could modify the dice. So if you shot rocksalt at a car say and scuffed the paint, that should be less of a bonus than shooting 000 buck into it.

Re: Secret Wars Campaign Log

Excellent writing....look forward to more

Re: Rocksalt...

Hmmm. lets assume the following as we build

• The purpose of rocksalt in a shotgun is a nonlethal (hopefully) attempt to subdue/chase away a person.
  
• Some damage is just about guaranteed unless the user has a leather jacket or something.
  
• Very serious damage is possible (blindness etc), but this is a bad thing. The risk of seriously hurting somebody limits the use of this power.
  

 

7 +30 PRE, Side Effects (Side Effect only affects the environment near the character; Deals 1d6 killing damage to target; +0), Area Of Effect (One Hex; +1/2) (45 Active Points); Only to Attack (-1), Set Effect (-1), OAF (-1), 6 Charges (-3/4), STR Minimum 6-14 (-1/2), Activation Roll 14- (-1/2), Limited Range (20"; -1/4)

4 Energy Blast 2d6, Area Of Effect (One Hex; +1/2) (15 Active Points); OAF (-1), 6 Charges (-3/4), STR Minimum 6-14 (-1/2), Limited Range (20"; -1/4)

 

There. Now, normally this will deal a 2d6 EB and a 6d6 PRE attack. Once in a while it will just do a 1d6 killing attack, and the GM will be expected to play up the extent of the injury and make the player feel bad for using lethal force. depending on the story, of course.

At first I was going to argue against the PRE attack but then I realized what you were getting at. Still, firing a shotgun at a normal person would probably have them wet themselves (you got that covered) but someone with more presence of mind (pun intended, sorry) would likely be pissed once they realized what had really happened.

I also think that (unless the rules have changed dramatically the last 2 editions) that shooting rocksalt would initially have the same effect as shooting any other gun at someone, ie a violent action with the attendant +s.

Re: Rocksalt...

Yep, it's got virtually no penetration at anything but point blank range. Try it at about 10' and you might hurt something. Well, so long as the target isn't wearing anything that might block it... like a t-shirt.

 

Of course it's still plenty loud and if it does break the skin I imagine it would sting like hell. Probably wouldn't want to take a blast in the face either...

It's been used for a long time as a non-lethal way to convince someone to go away. Not sure I would trust a t-shirt at point-blank range, but feel free to test it and get back to me

Seriously tho, salt isn't going to bury itself like a bullet, if you got a chunk of rock salt under your skin, it would burn like *insert dirty word here* but you could get it out with minimal work. Also remember when this was common, people did alot of their own medical work. So you would run home to momma and she would dig the rock salt outta your butt for you.

Game-wise, it would be useful I guess as a non-lethal alternative, would probably go with a EB vs. PD and maybe a Continuous attack on a small activation roll if you wanted to be really mean to represent the possibility of getting some in a sensitive spot Been a while since I looked at how many DCs a shotgun had, but maybe the same just Normal instead of killing. And maybe keep the Red. Pen. and/or Red. by Range.

Note: I have been away for a while, looked over 5th(?) but my last rulebook has Seeker on the cover....

Re: Rocksalt...

Can't provide a mathematical answer, but it's non-lethal because it doesn't have the mass that say lead does. So it may be moving as fast, but it does less damage. Think speed times mass. Low mass balances speed until the speed gets high enough.

That said, I've seen hogs (as in pigs raised to be food) shrug off 20ga rocksalt at 20 feet. On the other hand, never use several year old feed corn as filler in a shot shell. Damn near amputated the leg at the same distance. Turns out that wedge shape makes for good aerodynamics and they almost all hit point first and since they were dried and hard.....

and yes I was raised in Redneck Land/Bible Belt but I like to think I overcame some of it

Re: Dark Champions Images and Art

OK last one tonight - from our curent Urban Fantasy game. The Monster Hunting Siblings the Belmont Brothers' date=' Logan & Curtis. (the Big one; curtis is actualy a werewolf)[/quote']

 

Wow nice art. Got me curious as to how you did that, ie what programs and such?

Re: Help naming a campaign

My only suggestion is if you want the name of the campaign to be something that is used to refer to the players, consider the realistic chances of it actually being adopted by people. I mean Forerunners would work for a campaign name, but who would run around calling people "fores"?

Also this would imply that it is known they are the first wave if you will. Is that common knowledge?

And I hope this is helpful, I am wanting to start up a DC game for some new players after a really long hiatus, so I will probably be bending some ears around here for help.