Jkeown

Re: monsters Thank you for the kind words. The Random Generator I was going to adapt had some "copyright issues" which I was only vaguely aware of. My text is an attempt at showing some of the same concepts but hopefully in a friendly context. Evolution is science, but it can be fun science. Look at Microraptor... tell me that ain't a fun dinosaur. It is plain to me that God, or Nature, or whatever had a great time creating and killing all these billions of species we've seen come and go, and we should, too. So it's friendlier, and Steve Jackson doesn't want to sue me. I like that. Part Two will deal with specific issues like Critters that cast spells and stuff I haven't thought of yet.

http://www.geocities.com/jephkay@sbcglobal.net/monsters.htm there you go.

Re: Science Fantasy Page Starting. Need Help. Thank you. I did those using Photoshop and Flaming Pear's Lunar Cell plugin. I'm not sure if PSP can use it or not. But they're a great little company. Darn trial period ran out today, tho... so no new worlds until I scrape up $20 to register the plug in.

Have a look at this: It's the first bit of my Fantasy Hero/Star Hero genre bashing thing I call Exodus. Exodus has been around for a while, but I'm revising all my stuff, and it's just time to do this one. It's just a few worlds, and I need thoughts. Would you, if you were a player in this game, want more detail, or are the paragraphs and kickin' graphics enough? Enough detail on physical data? Green font too much? http://www.geocities.com/jephkay@sbcglobal.net/destinations.htm Thanks in advance for your input.

Re: Elf-Blood and Curves. What more could ya ask? Added a thing about Adventurers. Not to be taken seriously, but it is certainly accurate, based on my campaigns over the years. http://geocities.com/jephkay@sbcglobal.net/puppy.html Perhaps it's useful? I dunno.

It's the Sisterhood. Written by me and a talented Master of Psych of my acquaintence, it should prove useful, and show off the power of Spelllist.exe while we're at it. http://www.geocities.com/jephkay@sbcglobal.net/anshandi.htm

Updated the Magic System, some Non-magical Gear and... um... I'm working on the All-Female Half-Elf Sisterhood of the Anshandii. I can post the fluff of that organization if there's interest. It's a collaborative effort between myself and a woman of my acquaintance who has a Masters of Psych. So maybe there's some accuracy for a change? Anyway, I hope to have the Sisterhood done by... Tuesday? Anybody jonesing for seriously female wizards can bug me for the plain non-HEROized text at any point. http://www.geocities.com/jephkay@sbcglobal.net/

Re: New Campaign Nice maps!

Re: Blast, Burn, Heal No problem. Steal, nick, copy or emulate any of Caleon. I'd love to hear how you twist it to make it work for your world. It's been a steampunk story since 1987, making it (I think) the first Steam-powered fantasy campaign ever. Space 1889 wasn't fantasy. And Iron Kingdoms and Ebberron are just well-done examples of steampunk. Especially Ebberron. The number of similarities is almost... actionable...

Re: Blast, Burn, Heal

I've always been a big fan of the Ioun Stones from D&D. I don't know who thought them up, or if they're from some obscure mythological source (Or a well-known one I just haven't read), but I like em... Caleon (and other worlds) might benefit from something not quite like Ioun Stones. Outriders. Like those spinning things we used to get in old 80's era side-scolling video games, they hover nearby, waiting to zap stuff for you.... or heal you. Depending on what it is you have. http://www.geocities.com/jephkay@sbcglobal.net/outriders.html Try them for your character or at least give one to an NPC watch the party react to the little spinnie globe that pops out blades and rushes at them...

Let's say you've been playing too much World of Warcraft... (not that I have, it's just an example) and you want to infect a far away continent with a serious problem. Is this going to do it? One person contracts this, does Sticky (+1/2) give it to the next person? Or is that Trigger? I think it's Sticky. Or is the Transform part of a "Contagious Plague Zombie" Template I should be working on? Hmmm... Zombie Plague: Major Transform 6d6 (Normal Creature into Zombie, Healed back by Cure Zombie Spell), Sticky (+1/2), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (180 Active Points); Gradual Effect (20 Minutes; -1), No Range (-1/2), All Or Nothing (-1/2)

Re: My Magic Item System... Did I post the .hdp? Here is an updated version of it. One note: I used a Custom Power called H/RKA. It's a "placeholder" that allows you to built either a HTH or Ranged Killing Attack with just the one click either way. (I had a player complain about the lack of Ranged Damage mods on the tables) Is this wrong?

Re: Automatons... That's pretty cool. Very detailed. I like it. I'll have to compare that to my Created. Post that ASAP. I do like the DEF rules you use.

Re: Automatons... Here we go... I got really sick of drawing after only 2 pix, but I'll do the rest if there's demand. I think maybe these are really good starts on ideas like this, but who knows? The way I describe them, they should have tactics maybe... dunno. http://www.geocities.com/jephkay@sbcglobal.net/ceramites.htm It is not linked from my main page because my players will see it waaay to easily. They don't really read these forums much...

Re: Automatons... I play them as standard Auto's... my PCs are used to scaring or cowing NPCs (they are, it should be noted, bad asses, the lot of em...) . Not so with these new ones, they'll be tough and attack en masse. I'll have them on my page in a hour or so... gotta get home first.

Re: More Automatons . . . Excellent Suggestion!

Does anyone make extensive use of Automatons in their FH game? I was looking over a Final Fantasy Website last night and saw "Magic Pots" that could only be written as Automatons... Anyway... I ran with the idea, and if anyone wants to see them, I'll post em later... with pix! Pot, Jar, Kettle, Mug, Cannister... Urn?

Caleon is cool The Mecha are all stompy What more could I ask? Check out my page for some Steampunk Mecha. Please, comment on them, I think the DEF is too low. This is temporary. Anybody know about tanks and their Damage/DEF ratio? How thick should it be? http://www.geocities.com/jephkay@sbcglobal.net

Re: How to get them off d20 I (almost literally) said "I quit" and they followed along. It was fairly easy. Some of my players are hard core HEROphiles, so it made the transistion less noisy.

Re: In my campaign this week... Of Course! The PCs: Dag Kulane: Former regent of the Rumallan Empire. When his young charge abdicated the thone 15 years ago, he forsook politics and became a wandering swordmaster. In that time, he has come to love his empire more and more, and hate politics in proportion. He uses a K'Dag, a two-handed sword, the Meteoric K'Dag of Thunder. Dunsto Parhoon: Distant relative of the Yamtussel clan and an exiled member of the Parhoon (a powerful military wizard family specializing in Battlecraft) He bears the Sword of Strife. A weapon that brings war hard upon it's wielder. He does not use it, preferring instead to let his spells speak for him. Daphne Yamtussel: Imperial Clerk and Sage. She works in the Inquisition Office in the vast port City of Chalkcliff. He interest in all this is academic, but a recent edict from Her Majesty forces her to find a weaponmaster. Conveniently, Dag Kulane is seeking a new apprentice. Spicket. In his own words, he is "just a Goblin" but word around town is that he is the Envoy from the Goblin Nation. Who is he, really? Other than a little green pest with powerful spells, no clues are forthcoming. Kia Rashon, the 15th wife of the TrollFather Scabrog Y'Za, a shrewish, dangerous she-troll, beautiful and scheming. Her plans include de-throning the inexperienced girl who now calls herself Empress and placing herself there instead. Huon Karn, nephew of the departed Emperor Djarka Karn and claimant to the throne. Also, a street thief and common thug. He seems to hate magic and wizards. Eragoni: Rumallan Disputer and Publisher. Having written a number of salient papers on Imperial politics and social behavior, she finds herself inside another huge political mess. Will her pen prove mightier than the swords of her enemies? Her new-found magical power may sway the tide of the coming conflict... What conflict? Stay Tuned... Next Post: NPCs!

Or should I say, the last two? Perhaps folks can draw inspiration or nick ideas from the goings-on in Caleon... Location: City of Chalkcliff, Chalasan Region, Province of Blasarka... Dag Kulane and Dunsto Parhoon continue their investigation of the strange, chimerical animals that Leddoon has plagued the city with. Along for the ride is Spicket, a goblin wizard of considerable ability. Meanwhile, Kia Rashon, the Troll Princess, arrives in town with goals of her own, goals that might include the Imperial Throne itself! Huon Karn awakes to discover a large, magically altered Sea-Going Rammerhorn charging down the street toward his tenement. Choosing not to fight the great beast, he runs like mad as his home is destroyed. Daphne Yamtussel, meanwhile, has been assigned a similar job, investigate Lord Ridley, the foreigner who operates the Zoological Gardens across the river. His animals have been used in the attacks, perhaps he's the key to it all. Dag, Dunsto and Spicket travel north to Cold Crossing, discovering a cult of nature-worshippers who've gone bad, led by a nymph and Leddoon, they intend to destroy the city and allow nature to return to the area. Leddoon escapes via gate to the Lunching Wyvern, a tavern just outside Chalkcliff. Dag and Dunsto give chase, returning to the city when the crew at the Wyvern offer no help in finding the runaway wizard. Their questioning of the populace suggest that Lord Ridley might be of assistance. They arrive at Ridley's residence to discover Daphne Yamtussel already enjoying dinner with Lord and Lady Ridley. Outside, the wind blows with sudden ferocity, as a great oak animates in the garden. Dunsto jumps to the garden door, calling down essence from the Imperial Flow and charging up an immense fireball spell. He lets the magical holocaust consume Ridley's garden. The Lady faints. Kia settles into the city meeting up with a man claiming to be Lord-Captain Tenebar Kaloosa. He wants raw materials and is prepared to pay for them. She contacts Glaurig, her husband's quartermaster. Arranging the delivery of a third of the promised shipment to Kaloosa's men at the port. On her way back to the tavern to talk further with Kaloosa, she can't help but notice the blast from across the river. Curious, she heads that way... Shall I continue?

Re: My Magic Item System... I do not do this for "rep." While its nice to get recognition, I really just wanna share the stuff I've written. I know I've nicked enough advice and power constructs and other stuff from you folks over the years. It's time to give a little back.

...is at http://www.geocities.com/jephkay@sbcglobal.net/magical_gear.htm And you (yes, you) should have a look at it. Violently prone to abuse and awfully slanted toward OCV bonus and Killing dice, it's what I call a "Good Start."

Re: Summonings.... How geeky is this, posting in my own thread? Anyhow...on the matter of these Dream Calls... I think "Not Being Real" has got to translate to Damage Reduction, Energy, Physical and Mental. This makes them very hard to kill. It will be a frustrating hard fought victory for most characters, certainly longer than most battles where such abilities aren't in play. Let's focus (and I can focus, having only had 1 Coke all day, caffiene really degrades my HEROability) on a single creature. Something fun. There is a Sleeping God in Caleon who is known as Evosheanous. He sleeps in a pit in Distant Zzan, the South Polar Region. While his spirit roams the stars, his body lay frozen and dreaming. This suggests that his dreams are cold and dark; nightmarish beasts that control ice and push away comforting light. They strike quickly, leaving icy corpses, even in desert regions. Beginning to sound like a Metallica song, isn't it? Let's give him the standard Dream Summons power: Unreal. Unreal: (Total: 90 Active Cost, 90 Real Cost) Mental Damage Reduction, Resistant, 50% (Real Cost: 30) plus Energy Damage Reduction, Resistant, 50% (Real Cost: 30) plus Physical Damage Reduction, Resistant, 50% (Real Cost: 30) So, he's tough to wound... Especially when all that flash-frozen water vapor builds up on his inky black skin. Ice Armor: Armor (4 PD/3 ED) If I know my Armor/DR interaction... an 8 pt HKA only does 2 pts to this bastard, right? Let's hope the party brought hench-things. His other abilities stack up pretty quickly: Intense Cold: Change Environment 8" radius, -2" of any one mode of Movement, -4 Temperature Level Adjustment, Multiple Combat Effects Just before his Darkness hits, frost, then ice, creeps across the walls and floor... perhaps heralding his arrival? Icy Body: EB 5d6, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Persistent (+1/2), Damage Shield (+1/2) (62 Active Points) Ever licked a flagpole in winter? The Dark Between the Stars: Darkness to Sight Group 2" radius Shining with pinpricks of light and drifting nebulae from afar, and just plain dark inside, the creature cannot be seen. Now, if your narrative is up to it, this can be very creepy indeed. Give this 223 points to any critter you fancy... like a tiger, or ape, as a template. Just tack it on like some kinda psychotic version of Eyeor's tail... Then hand it to your favorite Evil Channeller... Priest, Ilzaru... then keep him alive long enough to summon this beast. This is why I am a GM. The unbridled creative moment... it's better than any powertrip I could embark on. Your players will remember this encounter. If Dark and Cold doesn't bring up some moment of Racial Memory... the fear, the remembrance of our race's time in the freezing cold of the Wisconsonian Glaciation... nothing will.