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Re: I Made the PLAYERS cry. I had one of these in my first hand-made dungeon. We were playing some odd system that I had a fancy for, but fantasy hack&slash. In the second room of the dungeon into which the characters could possibly enter, I decided to add some color. Something beyond the bare 10x10 room or closet or whatever. So the characters walk in and see an open chamber with markings on the floor. In the middle of the room, there is a stone dagger plunged halfway up its blade into said floor. Amazing possibilities were discussed. They spent two real-time HOURS talking about what to do. When they finally decided to pull the thing up, they were furious when NOTHING HAPPENED. I pretty much killed a game session and a campaign because I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING TO THE PCs! But, I was young, and have learned a few things since. I call it a Stone Dagger Room, and have used it (on purpose) a few times, always with interesting results.

Re: An inherent Jinx power? If you want to get into a REALLY weird build, try this one. It is based on the idea (debatable) that everyone has 0d6 Luck and 0d6 Unluck. If your GM is willing to go along with that, then this should work. It's a little broader than what you're looking for, but you can always cut things down. 1) Drain Luck - 3d6 - This will give the target roughly 2d6 Unluck per use. 30 Active Points 2) Aid Luck - 3d6 - This will give the target roughly 2d6 Luck per use. 30 Active Points One of the advantages of using Drain/Aid is that these powers naturally fade over time. With Transform, they're stuck with whatever you do to them until you change them back or the cure is applied. It also works immeditately, doesn't have to be compared to the total BODY the target has (meaning that NPC's with high BODY will be as easily affected as normals). All in all, an interesting idea (that means I'm going to steal it for my own games). To get the 'always affecting targets regardless', there are a few ways to go. One is to put No Conscious Control on them, which means the GM decides when they happen and to whom. Another option is to limit the Drain to Opponents Only(or Always On, not both) and No Range, then take Area Effect(Radius), Reduced Endurance (0END), Persistent, and Personal Immunity. With the field, since it will be continually draining the Luck of the people around you, I'd cut it down to no more than 1d6 (2 if its a powerful campaign), which means you'll be handing out about one level of Unluck per two successful attacks. Opponents Only I'd call a -0 Limitation. With a Radius of up to 4m, each die of Drain/Aid will be 27 AP and 11 RC. At 5-8m, its 30/12. 9-16=32/13, and so on. Note that this is not necessarily the best way to build this power, but it's what occurred to me when I started thinking about it. Enraged/Berserk might be a good model for determining whether or not your character is in a particular mood. A custom Complication could change the Opponents Only to Friends Only as the equivalent of the Enraged effect. Also, consider playing with the Fade rate to make the effect last longer. That can be a good way to tweak how deeply into Luck or Unluck the target gets. Normal Fade is 5 AP per turn, which is exactly the AP of one level of Luck/Unluck.

Re: advice on power advantage I understand Megascale to apply primarily (but not exclusively) to the concept of distance, and only occasionally to area. Allowing a PC to create Barriers that are thousands of kilometers on a side (or even bigger) would trouble me. Especially since they would remain until broken or removed by the PC. Space starts 100km up, this would potentially extend into orbit and start collecting satellites. I'd rule that Megascale could be applied to the Range of the power, but not to the size of the Barrier itself. Of course, how you accurately and usefully place a Barrier outside LOS is another question.

Re: advice on power advantage

Re: advice on power advantage Ah. I'm used to thinking of Instant = Works Like Attack Power (effect is there and gone). We've only ever played FRED and earlier, and I don't think anyone ever took the Force Wall power (which is one of the ancestors of Barrier). Since Force Fields require END to maintain, I assumed that Force Walls did (which they may, in 5e), too, and extended that to Barrier. Checked the forums, and Steve Long suggested putting a -1/2 Limitation (costs END to maintain) to simulate the maintainable form of Barrier. Let me re-check my calculations. According to HD, a 20m x 20m Barrier with Configurable (+1/4, to stand in for more complex shapes than are accounted for RAW) and Intricate (+10) comes to 69 points, costing 7 END to initiate. More reasonable, but that's still a rather small building. If we assume that the +1/4 Advantage could stand in for both of the effects, the price drops to 56/6; if we assume that the +10 Adder counts for both effects, the price comes to 55/6. And the curve is more friendly, the higher you go. At 30x30, 900 sq m (94 points). 40x40= 1600 sq m(119 points).

Re: advice on power advantage I only have the Basic 6e book, but it shows Barrier as an Instant power, and specifies in the writeup that it costs END to use. HD listed Costs Only to Activate after I made it a Constant power. I may be reading things wrong, but I think that all means that it costs END per Phase to maintain under normal conditions. Could someone with the full 6e books look it up and check it out?

Re: advice on power advantage Okay, this power is going to be very expensive. To create a simulation of a one-story building (four walls, roof, floor) with a footprint of 1,000 square feet results in a barrier with a total area of about 224 square meters. That gives us a base Barrier that has to be 15m x 15m. HD costs that out at 51 points, costing 5 END per phase to maintain. This includes the Configurable advantage (+1/4), roughly equivalent to what I'd require to make free-form geometric shapes. It also includes Sean's 10 point adder for intricacy. As GM, I'd require another multiplier for that, not an adder. About +1/4 to +1/2, depending on just how intricate we're talking, but let's work with the adder, for the moment. So, for 51 points and 5 END per phase, you get a box. No internal walls (which would require yet more area). Add Costs End Only to Activate, and the price goes up by a +3/4 (Constant +1/2, Costs Only to Activate +1/4), leaving us at 82 points, costing 7 END to activate. To simulate the shape of a small house, including interior walls, peaked roof, chimney or other features, let's bump the size up to 20x20. Now we're up to 102 points, costing 9 END to activate. And it's still invisible, with 0 BODY and 0 DEF, just barely there. If we give it minimum BODY and defenses, (1BODY, 1PD/1ED), we're up to 110 points and 10 END. As for giving it visual features, I'd go for a Linked Images, myself. But that's a build choice that's up to you. If this is for an NPC, it's a great idea, and I can see a lot of possibilities (and yes, that means I'll probably steal the idea for my own campaign). If it's for a PC, however, this strikes me as something they're going to sink a huge number of points into for something that's only situationally useful.

Re: The Nightmare of Megascale Teleport

Re: The Nightmare of Megascale Teleport

Re: God of Redemption A little late, but here's my take on a possibility. Ereldar, sickened by the excesses of his own followers during the Time of Darkness, has given up the idea of being worshipped, and seeks his own redemption. He walks the lands as an old man, naked, his body covered with scars, bruises, and a single wound, slightly bleeding, in the center of his chest (front and back). It is only through helping others redeem themselves that he can regain his own sense of being worthy, so that is what he does. Those who speak with him will find themselves talking more and more about their lives, even to confessing the things they feel most guilty about. If possible, Ereldar will help that person figure out what they need to do to make amends for their actions. Ereldar carries no weapons, and will not respond to attacks of any kind, simply suffering whatever is visited upon him until it is over. Being a god, he can simply revive himself when 'killed', and walk away from any kind of confinement as he might wish. There are a few who have met him who took up the cause on their own, seeking to help other people find their own peace after dealing with Ereldar. As of yet, none of them realize that the old man is really a god. PCs who follow through on Ereldar's suggestions might gain some kind of benefit from doing so. A minor reduction in a psychological (moral) limitation, or an EGO roll bonus to avoid performing similar acts in the future, even just a roleplaying opportunity involving character growth.

Re: Need some ideas for powers in a cyber eye... If you have access to sourcebooks, Shadowrun and Cyberpunk:2020 have a lot of listings for cybereye options. Here are a few suggestions: 1) Weapon targeting. If the character has any guns or similar weapons, an OCV CSL or two could represent an internalized effect similar to a scope, helping to adjust for range, target movement, windage, etc. Shadowrun calls it a Smartgun Link. 2) Nightvision. It'd have a reduced effect, since it's only in one eye, but better than being blind, and it doesn't give you away like a flashlight. 3) Link to a database. Since they work for a government agency, this would be a good one. Build it as a Mind Link with the organization's home base, allowing access to whatever information is available. Good for looking up information on people, places, etc.

Re: The Treasure Thread

Re: AIs and Uplifts I disagree that AI will be designed. Evolution is an emergent process, with potential preceding function, and it is the only process we know of that produces intelligence. Admittedly, it's a ridiculously small data set, but it's all we've got. It seems to me that the best we will be able to do is create conditions which are supportive of the possibility and wait. We can barely understand the simpler functions of the brain in sufficient detail to begin designing something to mimic them. Trying to figure out how to replicate all of the connections and relationships between the hundred billion or so neurons in the central nervous system (about a quadrillion synapses, at last estimate) is, as they say, a non-trivial problem.

Re: Long tours-of-duty on industrial/mining ships

Re: AIs and Uplifts I am simply going to assume that you've read Brin's Sundiver, Startide Rising and The Uplift War. If you haven't, do so immediately. It will give you many ideas about Uplift (he coined the term, I believe). Also, the Planet of the Apes movies included one that had to do with the life of the first intelligent ape (the original from the seventies was quite a bit different from what I've seen in the trailers for the remake). Should they get full 'human' treatment (AI or Uplift)? In my opinion, yes. In reality, not for a VERY long time. The Frankenstein's Monster myth is too deeply buried in the social psyche. At best, they'll be treated like interesting freaks. At worst (and most likely), they'll be slaves, doing whatever we decide we're going to force them to do. An interesting possible exception is dolphins, given that we do not share a common environment. The enslavement attempt would probably still be made, it would just be a lot less successful. Also note that I do not suggest that every human would behave the same way towards the AI/Uplift creatures, just that society as a whole would not be willing to accept them as equals. Speciesism is probably harder to eradicate than racism.

Re: Blasters: why? Mass Effect had two useful improvements to man-portable slug throwers. First, they were collapsible (only visible in the first game). This reasonably and logically allowed everyone to carry four different weapons (pistol, shotgun, AR and sniper rifle) without obvious encumbrance issues. First-point-five, they were stated to be made of ultra-tech type materials, both stronger and lighter than anything in the 21st. Second, there was no ammo, as such. Each weapon had a block of material (forget what it was), that the weapon stripped small pieces off of. Those pieces were then accelerated by the ubiquitous mass effect generator in the weapon to extremely high velocities. A single block of material was said to last for years or decades, even under high usage. A heat generation system prevented the player from simply pulling the trigger and never letting go, and it worked pretty well. No explanation was ever given as to why no-one used personal energy weapons. The second game had an 'Arc Projector' that worked as sort of a chain lightning gun with a long powerup.

Re: Repercussions of mass-producing comic book technology Here's one. Step 1: Launch a few dozen satellites which collectively provide global coverage for broadband quality wireless internet connections (say, 1Gb/s up and down for every user). Offer access to this service for free to anyone who wants it. Step 2: Patent the technology necessary to access your network. This will be something equivalent to a modern ethernet card. License this patent for royalties to anyone who wants to produce compatible hardware. Step 3: Advertise. Step 4: Massive profit, and the social good of providing reliable internet access to anyone, anywhere on the planet, who can get their hands on an enabled device. Prediction: Initially, low acceptance, followed by an ever-steepening curve resulting in your tech being the only way anyone connects to the internet within ten years time (possibly less). Step 5: Begin taking over the internet backbone (providing servers, routers and other necessary tech to the appropriate agencies for free). Add orbital backbone elements. Step 6: In 20 years, you are the internet. Do with it what you will.

Re: The Nightmare of Megascale Teleport Question: How is the porter getting back to the battlefield after his blind port to the asteroid? I assume he's got one or more fixed locations on Earth, so getting to the planet is easy. But, unless he's taking a full Turn to memorize the location of each battlefield, he has to work his way back from his nearest Fixed/Floating location to the location of the battle in the usual ways. Seems like enforcing the difficulties of the return trip might well help out. The one point that's come up over and over (and that I'll reiterate), is that bad guys develop new tactics. If this guy is the biggest threat they face, they will concentrate on ways to take him out. That's not picking on the player, that's playing the bad guys as something other than mindless plot devices. The Alpha Strike is the most obvious solution (Kill him FIRST, you idiots!), but here's mine. Stage a few fights in advance (it might take a few for this to work properly). Plant a carefully hidden Mentalist with high levels of Mind Control. "This is where you want to teleport..." Cue the box full 'o' stun gas and hypnotizers. Megaport is now captured and being interrogated before dissection. Cue the remaining heroes to save his tail.

Re: Megascale and Teleport Sighting OK, first, IMO, it's a Blind Port, with all of the restrictions attendant. Second, It's not gimping the power when the player didn't build it to deal with this situation, and is trying to adapt on the fly. Third, I might consider giving her a Power roll to try something like the skipping teleport described above, with an overall increased END cost (say, one point less than she has available?). Not sure I'd want to try it with Unluck involved. Fourth, the Megascale Teleporter with multiple Fixed/Floating locations doesn't have her own base as a Fixed location? THAT's a build problem, squarely on the shoulders of the player. And, as far as I know, Fixed/Floating locations are automatically safe ports.

Re: A House Rule for Healing - Might this Blow Up in my face? Another option would be to impose other kinds of limits on healing. Require Concentration at 1/2 or 0 DCV, Extra Time, Target Must Remain Still (Custom Lim), or Charges that are difficult to recover (spell components). I remember most D&D healing as taking place between combats, with exceptions representing desperate situations. Making it harder to Heal in combat, but easier to Heal overall (i.e. removing or reducing the re-use options), might be your answer. There's also the fact that smart opponents are going to identify Healers early, and target them heavily. Rule 1 in a shooter game that has them is to kill the medic first, since he's a major force multiplier. As for the 'with his dying breath' issue, simply define (clearly, and in advance) that some damage is not susceptible to the Healing power. Shadowrun had versions of the Heal spell that only worked if used on a wound that had been inflicted in the last hour. With a Heal like that, the damage is 'too old' for the PC to heal, and the drama/plot point is preserved. The Vlad Taltos series by Stephen Brust had Morganti blades, which inflicted damage that could not be healed, since resurrecting someone from a normal death was relatively straightforward. Something like that also gives the PCs pause, if used sparingly. Oh, and yes, it will blow up in your face. It always does. The trick is to figure out how to contain the explosion, clean up the damage, and then blow it right back up in the players' faces. The process will then repeat.

Re: How (un)realistic are Street Samurai? Reality as a frame of reference is somewhat useful. But only somewhat, if you are not building a modern-day or historical environment. Were street samurai realistic today, they would exist in sufficient numbers to get noticed, at least occasionally. They don't. But security consultants do. That is, in fact, a growing industry. Is there a connection between street sams and security consultants? Of course. So, are they 'realistic'? No, they aren't. But again, I don't know exactly what assumptions you are making about 'near-future' (5 years? 10? 100? I have heard all of these used to describe the near future). And the question goes far beyond the technological. There must be major social changes to allow for true street sams, i.e. independent contractors that carry a lot of heavy hardware and aren't considered terrorists operating in Duluth or Toronto. What about Leon, in The Professional? Does he qualify as a street samurai? Some of the elements are there, certainly. Or Jason Bourne? He didn't seem to need to do any mercenary work, but he certainly could have. The point has been made many times that the kinds of things that adventurers get up to would usually land them in jail, burned at the stake, or at least run out of town at the first opportunity. And no government would put up with supers a la Champions, period. You'd work for them or you'd get hunted down as being vigilantes, at best. Not to mention the kind of property damage and personal injury lawsuits that would come up. Most adventurer archetypes don't exist significantly in the real world because the real world doesn't allow for those kinds of activities. So no, Street Samurai are not realistic. But they are a reasonable feature in particular kinds of worlds that might exist in a sufficiently distant 'near-future'. If you're concerned with realism, dump them. If not, don't. Up to you.

Re: How (un)realistic are Street Samurai? I think the word 'realism' may be a complication here. The real question is: "Given that are the way that the game will be played, is it reasonable to expect that a character who uses to find that to be an effective means of interacting with the world provided by the GM". It is further implied that is not a gamebreaking result of rules twiddling. In that case, the decision as to whether street sams are realistic become entirely one of dramatic preference. If you want them in your game (in whatever specific form), make it possible and reasonable to run one. If you don't, don't. I think they are a great part of cyberpunk literature and gaming, and wouldn't run such a game without at least the reasonable possibility that they exist. The concept of the mercenary has been accepted as valid throughout gaming history, in a variety of forms, and the street sam is just a very stylish example of a mercenary that operates in specific ways, for specific kinds of clients, in a specific environment. They're fun. Nuff said.

Re: The Treasure Thread Thin bedroll/tatami mat that causes anyone sleeping on it to feel very comfortable, regardless of surface, angle, weather, etc. Bolts of high quality cloth that won't burn. Alternative, that won't stain or ravel. Stone that when rubbed on clothes, removes wrinkles and small wear and tear. Large wooden tub (big enough for five or six people) that maintains water temperature and clarity indefinitely. Ornate astronomical or astrological equipment, including star charts (either valuable or containing useful information or both). Useful optics (spyglass, telescope, binoculars, magnifying glass, etc). Water clock. A sundial crafted from a single large (semi)precious stone. Finely crafted transport - carriage, palanquin, small boat/ship. High quality oilcloth. Exotic pets (jaguar, wolf, orangutan, parrot). Exceptionally high quality draft animals (oxen, horses and the like). Ornate coffins, possibly with special properties. Exceptionally well designed and unusual torture implements. Alchemical ingredients of almost any kind. A group of normal-looking stones that, when placed in a circle, will make it easy to light and maintain a fire inside the circle, regardless of conditions or fuel quality (wet/green wood, etc.) Hand carved pipes for smoking, possibly with special properties (no relighting, provides visions, improves flavor, longer lasting...) An ornate silk hand-fan that provides air-conditioning quality cooling for the user. Six demon bag. Belt pouch/wallet that is proof against any kind of pickpocketing or theft. Drinking vessels that neutralize any toxin (possibly including alcohol) placed within. 2-ply quilted toilet paper. Musical instrument with strings that don't ever break or go out of tune (lute, guitar, violin, harpsichord, piano). A cloak that always flaps in a really cool manner. Egg/larva of a powerful creature. Really good servants (you have to pay them, but they are VERY good at their jobs). Well-seasoned cast iron cookware. Alchemical matches. Polish that maintians brilliance and eliminates rust far longer than otherwise might be the case (or permanently). Hammer that removes any dent in armor/shield with a single blow without leaving any trace. A large supply of powdered willowbark (which is the original source of aspirin). Iron rations that taste good. Cunningly devised animal snares/traps. Cloth for covering walls. Has the special property that it will perfectly hide a secret door without interfering with its function. Knitting needles that never drop a stitch. High quality sewing needles and similar crafting equipment. Tattoo needles come to mind. Walking stick or similar object that gives a bonus to PRE (pimp stick is what I was thinking, but it really does work pretty well in a medieval setting). High quality makeup, either social or for rituals. High quality inks. Potions of Cure Hangover. Poison of Maximum Hangover. Won't kill you, but you'll wish you were dead. Fireworks. Not particularly damaging, but expensive and dangerous to transport. Manacles of submission (Entangle + Mind Control) Any kind of fetish clothing. And yes, one character will insist on wearing the gimp suit for their regular gear. Clothing that becomes invisible when the wearer is being leered at. Ornate gong or bell. The bigger, the more valuable, and the harder to transport. Magic hairpiece - multiple hairstyles on command. Looks natural (or not, GM's choice, and the character might be mind controlled to think it looks natural). Large quantities of refinable ores. Gold or platinum works best. High volume, high weight, high value (ultimately). Lumber from a rare tree. Masterwork longbow staves, not finished, but they will make excellent bows, eventually. China plates, the more delicate, the better. Letters of credit. All the PCs have to do is get to the bank/moneylender to collect... Saddlebags (or similar) that prevent contents from suffering damage due to movement. Well made distillery equipment. A promise of one favor for the holder of the item from a demon. A large mosaic of semi-precious stones. Worth a reasonable sum if pried up, but a great deal if sold as a whole. A weapon or other device made entirely of inappropriate materials. Hilt carved from salt, wrapped with birchbark, and a blade made of peacock feathers, for instance. Could be art, could be something else. Baldness cure. Candy or other sweets. Surprisingly valuable in a pre-industrial economy. Potions of Tooth Healing (for cavities and the like). A list of names and numbers. Could be a kill list (with prices paid and to whom), could be a list of debts or payments. Good little adventure hook. A set of books detailing means by which stories can be told by a group of people for the express purpose of having fun. Includes a set of oddly shaped dice in a blue cloth bag that reads 'Crown Royal'. Animal/monster trophies - either body parts or whole stuffed animals. Sex toys of any quality. Incense. Unusual types can fetch a high price. An item that prevents the wearer/user from emitting any scent or smell for a period of time. Developed for hunters, but used by the nobility. Proof that some noble/royal somewhere is illegitimate. Alternately, proof that some commoner somewhere is nobility/royalty. Sterilized gauze bandages. Description for how to kill a certain big bad that the characters may or may not have ever heard of. Packets of powder that, when mixed with water, make a sweet and tasty drink. A set of cards, all the same. Anything written on one piece will appear on all of the others until read or overwritten. Instructions for creating a certain type of magical device/weapon/armor/etc... Useful only to a craftsman of the appropriate type (or wizard or similar). Cookbooks. A bush that produces 20-30 tasty berries every day if properly cared for. Cannot be turned into a crop plant. A drink which gives the user Perfect Pitch for one hour. A religious text that converts the first person to read any page, every ten years. Flag(s) or similar of historical significance. Invitations to a major social event that the characters would not normally have access. Lexicon or dictionary. Also translation dictionary. Detailed plans for a robbery.

Re: How (un)realistic are Street Samurai? Realistic? Let's break it down. Mercenaries oriented towards urban and corporate work - realistic Cyberware - not real-world realistic, but standard in cyberpunk and many other sci-fi genres Sword vs. Gun combat being effective - not realistic Swords vs. real-world armor - not terribly useful, but solid plates in armor are still relatively unusual, due to mobility issues Buffed swords (some approaching light saber status) vs. 'near future' armor - realism varies based on the assumptions about the swords and the armor A real street sam is not going to carry a sword. A knife, probably, but mostly for non-combat or indirect combat uses (cutting/prying things is difficult with a gun). Hell, downtown, it's more likely to be a Leatherman or SOG tool, or something similar. "It's not a weapon, officer, it's just a heavy-duty swiss army knife" The next question to ask is: how common are guns, armor, and combat training? If everyone is wearing lightweight armor tailored for the office, swords don't make a lot of sense. If everyone walking down the street has at least a snub-nose .38 on them, likewise. If combat training is common, then swords are further reduced in value. And yes, in some games, everyone carries, everyone is armored, and everyone has at least self-defense training. Not realistic, but perfectly possible in a game. That being said, it's a fun archetype for cyberpunk players. And as a symbol of authority, swords work pretty well. Just recognize that the more realism you apply, the less useful that sword's going to be. Shadowrun is specifically designed to allow for fantasy-style melee combat being as useful an orientation as sci-fi-style gun combat. Other games in the genre have differing views, as does fiction. Pulp sci-fi had lots of swords running around spaceships due to the problems of hull breach, so the leap is not as great as it might seem at first, genre-wise.

Re: How (un)realistic are Street Samurai? Drawing a full-length sword is not as easy as it's made to look in the movies. Doing so on the run requires training (although a street sam would probably practice exactly this maneuver). There was, in fact, an entire school of swordsmanship in Japan called iaido (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iaido). It focused primarily on the drawing of the blade. What makes much more sense in an urban setting, and in consideration that stabbing ballistic armors will penetrate them, and slashing or cutting will probably not, is to carry one or two smaller weapons with good striking points. Sai, kukri, kris, stiletto, something like that. Easier to conceal, useful in tight places, lighter (when encumbrance is significant), and more versatile in general. Even one or two straight combat knives can make someone very dangerous. When you add in the fact that street sams are usually significantly faster and stronger than baseline, these weapon combos can take a group of gun-armed agents out of the equation very quickly just by forcing them to defend against melee attacks. As to the realism of the whole concept, that is, of course, debatable. Robert DeNiro's Ronin might be the closest example of a modern-day examination of the concept, or Ghost Dog with Forrest Whitaker. I think they fall somewhere between hit man, mercenary and rogue, overall. The 'street' part, though, means that they're independent contractors, rather than part of a corporate army or official security services. The word 'deniability' comes up a lot with these guys. I'm sure that there are at least a few people IRL that consider themselves to be this, or the equivalent.