CraterMaker

Over in the Monte Cooks Arcana Evolved thread, the discussion kind of got sidetracked into a talk on Non-Combat and Non-Adventuring magic.. Captain Obvious had a great link to an old book of magic spells and recipes

http://www.think-aboutit.com/pdf/powow.pdf

and I just love this site about Hoodoo http://www.philhine.org.uk/writings/ess_hoodoo.html

I've written up a couple of the more impressive spells (Crossing and Uncrossing, and Goober Dust) and eventually want to write it up as a college of spells..

So..

I was wondering if any of you have any "real" world magic resources you might like to share? I find they do wonders to fire up my imagination..

-CraterMaker

Re: Cool Guns for your Games

Here's a couple I've saved - Don't remember where I got em'.... Could even have come from round here.

-CraterMaker

Re: Furious Counterstrike

How about

10pd 10ed Armor, One Charge, Continous for 10 minutes (-1/2) Side Effects: Damage Force Field stops is taken when FF ends (-1) Only while serving God's purpose (-1/2)

For a total of 10 points.. Flavor it for taste (for example, I'd make the charge a recovering charge, recoverable when he prays for an hour or somesuch)

-CraterMaker

Re: Lasso's in Combat

Should a lariat be a multipower to allow it to garrote someone at range?

-CraterMaker

Re: Lasso's in Combat

Thank you guys! Awesome!

Maby tack on a -1 ocv penalty to it? Str minimum of...? 10?

weight of.. how much does forty feet of hemp rope weigh?

Hmmm.. Currently the writeup gives it 5 def and 1 body.. cinematically I can see it taking at most 2 phases to saw out of the lariat with a dagger.

How would you handle a person trying to escape while being dragged?

As creatures get larger, their weapons do more damage and have further reach - what effects would a large creatures lariat have? More range, they allready most likely have a higher strength.. ?

Cool and thanks!

-CraterMaker

Re: Flying Carpet and skills?

Consider buying it OIF if you don't want the carpet to be a major flaw in the characters (crime)fighting style.. And please post the character! I've been intrigued by the idea of a hero on a flying carpet ever since I saw that picture in ... er... one of the books. Still stuck in my head, so I must have liked it a lot.

Being magical, it could also be a LOT tougher than a regular cotton-weave rug, so don't let cause and effect trip you up..

-CraterMaker

Hey there.. I was working on a sort of AmerInd/western Centaur society and was intrigued by the idea of having them use the lasso as an everyday herding tool, and also as a weapon used in raids and wars. I kknow it was in Western Hero - Which I can't find (probably in a box somewhere).

Has anybody used them in their games, or have a rundown on how Hero did lassos?

Thanks

-CraterMaker

Re: KA Vs Energy Blast

Hmm.. Well, I guess the house rule in our games is that you cannot spread Killing Attacks. It seems to me that if you implemented some sort of rule like this (and maby allowing Killing Attacks to spread for a small advantage on the power - either a quarter or half advantage depending on your game) then there would be a big tactical difference between EB's and KA's - perhaps enough to "level" the effectiveness of the two powers? Sure would be easier to implement than changing costs or rules for the powers.

-CraterMaker

Re: KA Vs Energy Blast

Don't Energy Blasts also have the inherent advantage of being able to spread? Or did I miss that getting phased out?

I think -1d6 for a +1 OCV or a -1d6 per hex area effect is MIGHTY versatile.. I based my namesake character around the whole concept back in 3rd edition.

-Cratermaker (16d6 EB with an OCV of 4 - Spread his attacks for ocv or mook control, but when a villain got stunned.....KAPOW!!)

Re: Fantasy Imperium?

It sounds kinda interesting to me, too - I've allways enjoyed reading RPG's where the authors really interested in his subject matter.. Saves me from having to do exhaustive research!

-CraterMaker

Re: Designing Sword Schools

I don't know about Dwarves in general, but the Duervu Tuun of the Dwarf King Nogarrod are the elite heavy infantry on the front lines of every battle - Typically deployed in a line between one and three warriors deep, with clansmen w/ longspears (and lighter armor) ranked behind them.

They're outfitted with large shields and plate and chain, with peaked helms. They're weapon of choice is the pickax, tho somewhat larger and more ornamental than those used in mining. This pickax, called the Tur'Tuun, has three business ends - Beaked Axe and a curving Pick blade, and topped with a 4" spike.

As mentioned earlier, they are deployed in a line, with sheilds ready, and advance with half-moves prepared to recieve the charge. When recieving a charge, their first action is to multiple-attack Root and Shove. If the enemy is many ranks deep, you might wish to come up with rules to simulate the enemies front rank being crushed from their comrades shoving them forward onto a set shield wall (and the Duerva Tuun's subsequent Shove back.)

One use of the Duerva Tuun is to have them push an enemy down a tunnell or out a gate, while engineers set the tunnell to collapse. Once the engineers are done, the Duerva Tuun slowly retreat, and the tunnell is collapsed when they are clear.

The Duerva Tuun are methodical in their fighting, and fiercely stubborn. You won't see fancy moves from them - they advance on the enemy and cut them down, step by step, slowly pushing invaders out of their underground homes.

Martial Training of the Duerva Tuun:

4 Shove 1/2 phase +0/+0 +25 strength to shove

4 Root 1/2 phase +0/+0 +25 strenth to resist shove, block, abort

4 Fast Strike 1/2 ph +2/+0 Wpn +2 DC strike

4 Counterstrike 1/2 ph +2/+2 Wpn +2 DC strike, must follow block

1 Wpn Element Axes/picks/maces

2 WF Common Melee

2 KS Duerva Tuun War Chants

This is top of the head, so revisions,additions, and opinions are welcomed..

-CraterMaker

Re: Looking for input or an example on a character build idea

Don't get too hung up on point cost - If you make a cool, interesting and balanced character, who doesn't overshadow the other players constantly and doesn't mop the floor with the villains, then you're good to go. I'd go with the spider thingy as the character, and the the larger form as a vehicle..

Nifty Idea, I might make a variation of this myself - Maby a later version of that villain with cyberpathy, whatsisname.. Be a good power up for him. Brainstorm? No, the hacker guy.. (heads to the shelf)

-CraterMaker

Re: Music To Raise The Dead

I'd like to second "Waking the Dead" by Suicidal Tendancies - and I'll add "Disco's Out, Murder's In" (not exactly sure if that's the title) by Suicidal Tendancies for the fight scenes.. It's a fast and furious song.

-CraterMaker

Re: New Campaign Idea

Personally, I'd be inclined to let them take a good chunk of their gear - camo, boots, helmets, guns. As soon as they landed in the fantasy world have em jumped by fifty or so orcs (who ambushed the king of the realm and some of his knights). They'll make an undeniably impressive first impression to the king, they'll be down to half their ammo (and no resupply!! - gonna have to go native), and kick start all sorts of intrigue and such. Make sure to emphasize in subtle ways how their effectiveness is more from their training and education rather than the bang-bangs at their sides.

Though it's terribly, terribly, TERRIBLY misoginistic, I'd recommend The Cross Time Engineer series by.. emm.. Leo Frankowski. Published in the late eighties.. Time travel fantasy, where the hero ends up (after four or five books) defeating the Monguls who are invading Poland by introducing modern ideas into a medieval period. Lots of good ideas on what can be done in that era, what has to be done first, and why other things can't be done yet.

There are other books out there that illustrate a modern military squad going back to the medieval era, but can't think of their names off hand. Harry Turtledove probly has a few out (have you SEEN how many books he's written?

We're coming, you Mongols,

We're coming to kill you.

We're coming, you Mongols,

We're coming to die!

And your blood and our blood

Will fertilize meadows,

And our sons will plough them

And grain will grow high!

--------Krystyana's Hymn, from The Flying Warlord, bood four of Leo Frankowdskis "Adventures of Conrad Stargard"

-CraterMaker

Re: You practice what-o-mancy?

Regimancy - Divining the future from the actions (or entrails) of Kings

Blasphomancy - I remember seeing this somewhere on this board, and it just sounded too cool! I want to be a Blasphomancer! #@$&*!!!!

Pyromancer - Sounds much cooler than Fire Wizard or Elementalist

-Cratermaker

Re: Prisoner Transport Vehicle

I like it a lot - very well done. Are there stats to go with it?

-CraterMaker

Re: Tao of Yo....

Yes, I try to - it's part of the fun. As an aside, I realized several months ago that I might be fixated on the manuever Choke Hold - apparantly I'm putting it into every MA I buy for characters, and then later editing it out for not making sense. Anyone have a favorite manuever that they tend to add regardless of the sense it might make?

-CraterMaker

Re: Why must wolves be evil?

Theres a heroic wolf in one of Terry Pratchetts Diskworld novels - The Fifth Elephant, I think.

Wolves are an excellent metaphor for human predators in society - Wolves look similar to our trusted companions, dogs, but are very dangerous.

-CraterMaker

Re: A message for italian player of Fantasy Hero

Look forward to seeing you're writeup of the Doom Squad - They sound interesting!

-CraterMaker

(thank you Alta Vista Babelfish Translator!)

Re: freeze spell

Heh heh heh..

magic nipple rings..

-CraterMaker

Re: Parasite/Rogue Effect

Sure ya can... Ya just wave yer hand about, use yer magic GM powers, and presto - you can use transform on yourself.

-No sacred cows here...CraterMaker

Re: Fantasy Rant

And the winner is... The Monster!

Seriously, he's right. As GM's, we have enormous responsibility with regards to the fun level everyones having. And sometimes, it's not so fun anymore to be the one in charge. So let someone else do it, play something kewl, and have fun.

CraterMaker

Re: The Babel Effect

Only problem with that is' date=' Language skill does not require an INT roll...[/quote']

 

Movement doesn't require a dex roll, but you can hinder movement is a target fails a dex roll, according to Change Environment..I think. Someone correct me if I'm off track here...

 

-CraterMaker

Re: The Godzilla Scenario

Sounds like you could use the reduced player field to do a foreshadowing adventure for the big monster rumble..

Maby - Ocean Liner sends out a distress signal - It's hit something that's hulled it and it's going down - and when it hit, half the Lifeboats broke free of their mooring into the water.

Double complicate the plot - U.S. Secret Service finally captured a rogue psyker. He's easily handled by the two top agents because of the sedatives they administer every four hours or so, but one agent was swept overboard on the initial bang-up, and the other hit his head so hard he can't remember his own name, let alone why this skinny drugged out dude is helping him get onto the lifeboats..And the drugs are starting to wear off, too..

Later when they investigate, they find a twelve foot long tooth lodged in the damaged hull...

-CraterMaker

Re: freeze spell

If he wanted an instantaneous effect, I'd go with Transform.. If he didn't mind if it took ten or fifteen minutes or so, I'd go with Change Environment.. Mind you , Change environment is a much nastier power at fantasy levels - temperatures of negative ten or fifteen degrees can cause SERIOUS trouble if people arent dressed for that sort of weather.. Crops dying, Frostbite, hypothermia, skin freezing to weapons and armor (especially the Frank Frazetta Chainmail Bikini Barbarianna's!)

-CraterMaker (originally from Alaska! Go Cold!)