tkdguy

Here a rundown of the campaign:

CAMPAIGN: MODERN FANTASY

INTRODUCTION

The campaign is a cinematic genre for Ninja Hero and Dark Champions. It is based loosely on the movie Kill Bill.

IMPORTANCE OF THE PLAYER CHARACTERS

The player characters are somewhat important. They are not major players on the grand scheme of things, but they have powerful enemies who will stop at nothing to see them dead.

CAMPAIGN TONE

Morality: There is some crossover between good and bad. Corruption is everywhere, and even “good†people have hidden agendas. The player characters themselves occasionally do things that are morally ambiguous.

Realism: The campaign is cinematic. The characters are encouraged to perform cinematic stunts, but not all wuxia-style powers are available. Chi powers are rare, but they do exist. The players are allowed to pick any armed or unarmed style presented in The Ultimate Martial Artist and Fantasy HERO.

Outlook: Some things work out; others do not. Nothing is guaranteed, although the characters should always have a good chance to escape any given dilemma.

Seriousness: The campaign is more serious than lighthearted. The world is often a dangerous place, and enemies often lurk in the shadows.

Continuity: There are some long stories and some episodic ones. However, the characters’ actions will always have consequences, be they benevolent or otherwise.

SETTING

Physical World: The world is almost like our world in the early 21st century, except that the battles between the heroes and the villains are fought with martial arts and melee weapons rather than firearms. The setting will be post-modern, with noir undertones.

Scope: The city of San Francisco will be the backdrop of the campaign. The actual extent of the characters’ travels depends on their decisions.

Technology Level: The technology is the same as today’s technology.

Character Building Guidelines

• Starting Points for PCs: 100

• Maximum Disadvantage Points for PCs: 100

• Maximum Points for any One Disadvantage: 25

• All characters have normal characteristic maxima at no cost.

• All characters must be hunted by a more powerful enemy.

• Characters can have normal items without paying any points.

• Characters are not allowed to use firearms (see below).

Power Levels

Starting Range Starting Maximum

OCV/DCV 5-8 10

Speed 3-4 4

DEF 0-2 4

Skill Rolls 11- to 14- 17

CAMPAIGN RULES

Guns are essentially useless in the campaign and will only be used for flavor. Nobody will have WF: firearms. Likewise, no dice will be rolled for attack or damage. NPCs that are mere window dressing will be killed. PCs and major NPCs will never get hit by gunfire. When the heroes and villains engage in combat, they will fight unarmed or with melee weapons.

Characters should buy maneuvers with an unarmed style and an armed style. Acrobatics and Breakfall are highly recommended skill. Adding to a character’s running and leaping abilities is also recommended. A Multipower can be used to build a martial arts style.

Chi exists in the campaign, but all the effects are subtle. A character may glide across the water, but he cannot fly. He may use his chi to enhance his abilities or heal himself, but he cannot use it to directly cause damage (i.e. no fireballs or energy blasts). However, chi can be used to indirectly cause damage (e.g. increasing STR)

Aid can only be used to enhance the following characteristics: STR, CON, BODY, PRE, END. The maximum amount is 2d6.

Powers like Hand-to-hand Attack and Killing Attack (both hand-to-hand and ranged) may still be purchased, but must be physical attacks. These will often come in the form of normal or improvised weapons or special martial arts techniques.

Leaping, Running, and Swimming are good powers to take, but they can only add up to a maximum of 3†to the base rate.

Wow! Just when I thought this entire thread was finished. It must be immortal too!

Well, one of my friends thinks it's hard trying to find a way to get a bunch of Immortals together. You figured out one way. I came up with another young Immortals story arc. A group of people die (together or separately) and wake up newly Immortal. They are found by an older Immortal who trains them simultaneously. For an added twist, the teacher loses his head before completing the newbies' training, and they must find a new mentor to complete their training and eventually avenge their old teacher.

If you're interested, check out the Highlander online game. I used to be a player there.

Highlander Online RPG

The stars look more like diamonds, but I like it.

To add to the atmosphere of my retro/postmodern mix, I found websites featuring 40s, 50, and 60s music. Anyone knows where I can find 30s music?

Let me clarify my previous statement. My treating WF: firearms as an everyman skill means nobody has to spend points for them. Letting the bad guys use them is only meant for background stuff. For example, they will fire at some minor NPC or into a crowd. However, they usually won't fire at the PCs. Even if they do, they will miss. No rolls will be needed. Important characters will never get hit. Unimportant ones will die, but that is only for the background story and rarely used. This isn't a military campaign, so there won't be any soldiers around.

As for thrown weapons and bows, it's in the air. I could allow the PCs to have them, but they should concentrate on melee combat rather than ranged combat. Stuff like shuriken and crossbows would primarily be usd by assassins, ninja, etc. If a player really wants to use them, I could possibly let him, but my players aren't too big on them anyway, so it shouldn't be a problem.

Here are my rules regarding guns and grenades:

1. Nobody should not take those WPs, as it doesn't fit the genre. They will be treated as everyman skills and are used only in the background.

2. PCs shouldn't use guns. Period. I'm considering the same thing with bows and thrown weapons.

3. Bad guys and cops will use guns, but only with the following effects:

a. Nameless NPCs usually get slaughtered.

b. PCs and important NPCs will never get hit by gunfire.

c. The bad guys will fire on the cops and innocent bystanders, but will engage in melee combat (armed or unarmed) when facing the PCs.

On the other hand, PCs can take any WF for melee weapons and a style of unarmed combat. It's highly recommended they take one of each option.

The Way of Steel writeup sounds great.

Thanks, GreyGuardian and Xiawarr. I'll look into them right away.

Okay, another strange idea from yours truly. Thinking about the Kill Bill campaign I thought about last year, I was thinking of how to present the world around the PCs.

I was thinking of a modern society with a little bit of cyberpunk in it. Nothing major, just the big corporations and a few hackers here and there. Now comes the twist. Add some noir undertones (old music, old cars, private eyes) for flavoring.

Think it can work?

In other words, the players know magic doesn't work, but their characters believe it does. I think they can handle that.

I've always wondered if the people who hate Star Trek wear the Starfleet logo upside down.

Seriously though, The original series is still my favorite among them all. I don't watch Enterprise that much, but I still prefer it to Voyager. Two straight seasons of poor writing turned me off completely.

BTW, I'd like to see the writeup of The Way of Steel.

Another way to make it realistic is to not make elves always good and orcs always bad. Humans run the whole spectrum of morality, so why can't the other races?

Thanks for the weapons suggestions, Kaeto and Snarf. I have Star Hero. I'll look at it closely.

Okay. No ideas so far. Anyone have ideas on how to build mecha in general?

Duncan's stuff was fairly consistent within the series. It's when they put him in Endgame when things get screwy. I heard D/P said Duncan's universe was different from Connor's. My complaint is that they change the history to ring in new fans, but they usually just make the old ones unhappy.

Anyway, thanks for the link to your Star Trek universe. Shameless plug: My stuff on Highlander is on the Other Genres forum.

How about this:

1. The few remaining Australopithecus tribes fled into the forests and jungles, evolving into the elves. Not my idea actually; someone else did this already.

2. The surviving Neanderthals isolated themselves and evolved into the orcs.

3. Cro Magnons, of course, evolved into Homo Sapiens.

Keep in mind that the elves and orcs are just as evolved as the humans. They too eventually ventured out on their own, discovered how to forge metal, and had their respective Bronze Age and Iron Age. They have their own languages, cultures, and religions. They aren't confined to Europe either, even if the campaign takes place there. There would be elves and orcs from the other continents as well, although maybe not all of them. It depends on where their ancestors survived.

Interesting biography of Cochrane. Personally, I don't bother with what's canon accrding to Paramount, since it keeps rewriting Star Trek history with every series it produces. Kinda like Davis/Panzer rewriting Highlander history all the time.

Does anyone have any idea how to write up Big O, both the mecha and the show's characters?

Here's my write-up:

Duncan MacLeod

Before TNG came out, the story was that the people from Alpha Centauri were also human, and they were the first people to make contact with Earth, not the Vulcans.

I think there were also legends of aliens who seeded planets with different humanoid types, which is why the Alpha Centaurians were also human.

I'm not claiming any of this as canon. Just reiterating what I read.

Having everyone evolve from orcs would be an interesting twist. I just chose humans as the original race so that they could interbreed with elves and orcs, but elves and orcs cannot interbreed with each other, as their DNA would be too different to be compatible. Then again, I read in Discover Magazine years ago that Cro Magnons and Neandethals were unable or unwilling to interbreed.

Thanks, guys. I had envisioned magic to be of a non-combative type ie, no powers that directly cause damage. They would be used for healing or feats of strength. But I will take a 2nd look at the link after I come home from work.

I also planned to limit the number of sentient races in the world. Also, since all races are just subtypes of humanity, interbreeding would be possible.

I actually got this idea from re-reading Elfquest. The elves and trolls were descended from aliens, but I discarded that bit for this campaign.

Okay, this thought has been going around in my head for a while. I was thinking of a different kind of fantasy genre. A little more realistic, in the sense that the laws of science apply (for the most part anyway). The world goes around its sun. Evolution and continental drift took place. Energy cannot be created or destroyed.

There still are elves and orcs, but they evolved from subraces of humanity. Only their relative isolation saved them from extinction. Dragons likewise are very large lizards. Instead of breathing fire, maybe they spit venom or some substance corrosive to human flesh.

As for magic, it would be fairly low-powered. Perhaps magic is psychic or psionic in nature. Maybe it is based on chi. Of course, both sources may be available simultaneously. Perhaps the wizards use psionics, while the priests harness chi.

Of course, this would still be a medieval society. Superstition and intolerance toward outsiders and/or differing views would prevail. Religion may have a strong role in the campaign, or it may be toned down. Wars are still fought with sword and lance. Feudalism is still the predominant system in society.

Any suggestions and critiques would be most welcome.

Sounds good. Thanks for clarifying. The Doctor's incarnations don't seem to get along too well, but I wouldn't get along with me either. Actually, I don't half the time, but that's a different story!

Re regeneration: I can see Duplication being used, but I'm having difficulty seeing how Summon can be used for that effects. Maybe I'm just tired from a long week, but I really can't see it. Could you run that one by me please?

I would have just used the changing features of the regeneration as a special effect, since the Doctor is still the same guy, no matter how he looks. Unless you want to mix Shape Shift or something like that made inherent. Again, I'm really tired, so I could be neglecting to read the fine print.

Telepathy also works for the Doctor's universal translator. Either one should work well.

As for the colors, I think the Prydonian colors are red and gold. They do use the gold robes, at least. The other colors are green and (I think) heliotrope. I know that last color was something uncommon.