Eosin

Re: Shadow Angelus Quick Question for Susano... and Edsel. Do you guys want the city document when it is done or do you (Susano) want it as it develops with the TOC to outline the pages?

Re: Shadow Angelus BETA SECTOR Beta Sector is a primarily residential area with neighborhoods that range from quaint to corporate compounds that isolate themselves from the rest of the sector. The middle class residents come from a variety of backgrounds including city employees, dock foremen, supervisors from Delta and Gamma Sectors, and numerous employees from the corporations with headquarters in Angelus. Of all the sectors, Beta is lacks any cohesive sense of community. Buildings in Beta run the gamut from the pristine corporate highrises to the bland buildings of Morrow Residential Park. Some buildings are nearly as old as Angelus itself while others are recently constructed. Beta Sector isn’t so much a Sector as it is a collection of unique neighborhoods. NEIGHBORHOODS Cobble Road: Cobble Road is a pedestrian open market where fresh foods and local products can be purchased. Fish markets, produce, microbreweries, and restaurants are the most common businesses of the area. The Cobble Road business district is a narrow strip running just over one mile. Many Angelians come here for the festive atmosphere that flies in the face of the mega-city culture. Dog Town: If there is a slum in Beta Sector, it would be the neighborhood known as Dog Town. The run down residential area is home to many elderly or retired persons who relocated here. Before the Omega Sector became the horror that it is today the area was a thriving artistic area but with the high murder rate and the inexplicable rash of spree killings, those who could afford to moved out. Dog Town abuts the Omega Zone containment wall driving down property values ensuring that what resident remained were unable to leave or mentally ill. Gramercy Hill: Art is the soul of a community and if the cold metal juggernaut of Angelus has a soul, it is found in Gramercy Hill. Filled with painters, sculptors, writers, and musicians the area exudes an irresistible charm despite its rundown condition. The city has begun revitalizing the neighborhood over the protests of the residents who don’t want the soulless drab of the city culture to infect their haven. Unlike many other sections of Angelus the resident of Gramercy spend a good deal of time in the streets talking with friends and socializing on patios and outdoor work spaces. Painters visit with artisans working stained glass while writers discuss the merits of lyrics with street players. Gramercy Hill is within walking distance from Cobble Road and many visitors assume they are the same neighborhood. Hexion Point: The corporate residence of the middle management of Hexion corporation. HP as it is known is a closed community with the company owning all the buildings as well as subsidizing police and fire. The enclave is close knit, and outsiders frequently find themselves speaking with police. HP has a public park where the children play as well as corporate owned health care centers, a private stop on the mag-lev, and free child care. Corporate citizens are provided for in many numerous ways to free them to spend more time devoted to productive, billable hours. Morrow Residential Park: During the housing crisis of 2092 the city designed and built thousands of apartment units to shelter its middle class citizens. The result is the stale and uniform buildings that comprise Morrow Residential Park. Block after block of matching buildings lead to a monotony and sensory fatigue. The residents here are some of the most unhappy citizens of Angelus, even the residents of the worst sectors feel like they are unique and offer something special to Angelus but the residents of Morrow are invisible citizens that feel as if they will be replaced with another just like them should they fail to report to work. Some residents wonder if others would notice if they died or if life would continue around the body as if it were invisible. Norton Park: This is a gated community where the researchers for Norton Defense live and frequently work. Like Hexion Point, the company attends to many amenities but where HP is insular, Norton Park is mocked as a Norton Penitently. Residents and visitors check in and out of the compound and thoroughfare is prohibited to everyone save for preapproved vehicles and public safety officials, even the computer terminals in private homes are filtered. Skynet Entertainment denies that they censor multimedia input but it is undeniable that many residents of Norton Park have never heard of popular shows or news stories. The world isn’t just cut off from Norton, the inhabitants of the compound are cut off from the world. Seneca: A vibrant, youthful district that attracts young couples looking to start families. The Seneca neighborhood was built to support future generations of Angelenians. The schools in Seneca are some of the finest to be found in the world with top scores on placement tests and some fine upper division schools. A small college caters to those who want to remain neighborhood icons and offers diplomas in teaching and law. Museums and libraries are tucked into the corners while edutainment programs are filmed on location.

Re: Shadow Angelus You don't happen to have a link?

Re: Shadow Angelus Hey Susano, Here is Mirko's diary. I can send it to you or you can copy/paste. Mirko's Diary Hope it works for you.

Re: [shadow Angelus III] Mirko's Journal March 19th (early morning part II), We faced a Class II Entity. That is about the best word that one can use to describe such unnatural horrors because nothing else makes sense. What else but simplicity can evoke the mind rending, obscene undulation of an ichor dripping creature whose image is known only in the darkest terrors of children's nightmares? It was that thing which you feared was under the bed. It was the dread of shadows moving in the closet. It was every horror that we can imagine, only made flesh and ooze. Bullets and blasts marred its... its flesh (I don't have any other words but it wasn't flesh). The spinner rocked under an attack that nearly buckled the armor plating. A twisted little part of me wondered if the cyborg would survive a hit? I wondered if I would survive a hit. I know without doubt that the Shelter of Mars would shatter and break under such power. It seemed that the creature was injured by my arcane fires. If I should encounter one again I will need to see about using a Hod's Severance to see if it is magic or fire that brought it low. Micheal's Sword wasn't focused enough to kill the... the thing but it did drive its spirit from the form, leaving it helpless. My team members assaulted the beast with everything but the parachute from the spinner - eventually it dissolved into ichorious chunks before liquefying. In that brief moment there was an explosion that lifted the roof off the garage and blew out many of the fires. JT wanted to call HQ and work on securing the area but I could not bear the thought that someone might remain alive within the institution. I simply stated my intentions so that he would know I must go in and render aid if it was even possible. I am fairly certain that it did not endear him to me, although he played it off. Once the little spark of humanity within him was reminded that others might need aid, he seemed willing to go along with the rescue. We faced a few lesser entities within the building but they posed little threat. It was the contents of the building that worried me the most. Many of the staff had taken their own lives with whatever instrumentation was at hand. Others had been mauled beyond any recognition. The carnage was unlike anything a sane person should ever have to witness. We found one survivor whose mind was spared thanks to being rendered senseless at the outset of the entities emergence. Before remanding him into XSWAT and medical care we discovered that the entity emerged from Ed Bently's cell (Ed was the only survivor from the salvage operation that recovered the Animus Mortis). Although the man knew little of Ed Bently, he indicated that Dr. Spenser had worked closely with Ed for 2 years. The files and audio tapes kept by Dr. Spenser were disturbing. Ed was connected to the Animus Mortis in some fashion beyond what could be understood in the realm of geometry and physics. In fact, I believe the Type II Entity that we destroyed was what little remained of Ed Bently. What a sad and tortured life he must have had locked here in the asylum. The Animus Mortis must be stopped. I am convinced that it is an object intimately related to the Entities and that it has with in its power the ability to create lesser entities (greater?). There are around three dozen missing inmates from the asylum - three dozen weak souls that must be as clay in the hands of whatever force lies behind the painting. Three dozen entities lose in the streets of Angelus, where children play and mothers expect safety. I fear that my next entries will be harried and written in the fog that comes with lack of rest - both physical and mental. So far the team has performed well but I fear that such excessive pressure might begin to crack the facades of Shilo and Rhonin. It might also reveal just how inhuman JT is. I have spent the morning searching for an inner stillness. Seeking serenity before the coming storm but it has been elusive. I am apprehensive. Maybe I should call Grandma Lily to seek her advice? I hate to appear weak, she already thinks so little of my mystical ability, but I will not let my own pride lead to suffering by others. I will try my kata's to see if dynamic meditation will help me relax. Today's Tasks: Find Marcus Bently - Ed's Brother Visit Alec Lefette - Mr Patton's Art expert. Find Hanson's Howlers - mercenaries who disappeared after being hired by Mr Patton. Call Grandma Lily.

Re: [shadow Angelus III] Mirko's Journal March 19th (early morning), I finally got the chance to sit down and write about yesterday. Last night after yet another shower and a long walk around the 13th Precinct I finally collapsed in a bunk at XSWAT. I don't have a place to stay yet but dad hasn't minded me sleeping on the couch. This is a nice neighborhood. I'm not sure if I can afford to live here. Money is still a bit tricky for me. Maybe the APD offers a course on money management and finances. They didn't teach that course at the monastery. We just ate and lived. Money never entered into the picture. I miss the simple life that I feel was taken from me. That isn't very monk-like. I should not hold on to things, even if that thing is a lifestyle. At the Patton Estate the rest of the team went to work being cops. I am not so good at that and I can never seem to find the time to study the books XSWAT gave me. I went to the classes and passed the test but I was at the bottom of the class. I sat on the grass. Yes, I said grass. The Patton Estate is on a small grounds that includes a real yard like those dirt side. The grass was delicious. At once itchy and soothing to the skin. It was all I could do not to strip down and feel its embrace over my whole body. I am sure that would have drawn some funny looks from my new teammates. It was hard to center myself while sitting on the grass. I kept losing focus and coming back to the pleasure of it. Eventually, I did stand up and oriented my sight to the arcane energies surrounding the estate. Amazingly, there were none despite Mr. Patton's protestations that the break in had to involve magic to bypass his security system. When you have excluded the extra-ordinary all that remains is the ordinary. I said as much to Mr Patton. I am sure more money than I will ever see in my lifetime will shortly exchange hands when he upgrades the household security. Inside it was a different matter. Although the break in was not arcane, the Animus Mortis left its mark even after two years of absence. I could sense everywhere its foul presence had touched. The mantle where the bottle with holy water sat holding the ashes. The fire place where he had burned it in rage and grief. The wall where it had hung. All radiated a corruption. I nearly lost myself in the examination of such evil. A pre-cataclysm scholar once said, "be wary of staring into the abyss, for when you do the abyss stares back into you." How apt. I wandered while the others gathered evidence. I let my instincts take command over logic and my paltry skills concerning the habits of criminals. I was led to the east side of the building where a garage might have provided access. Nearby, Rhonin found fibers and a security box that had been disturbed. I explained my hunch to the rest of the team and Mr Patton. The thief entered through the garage when someone opened it. Once inside he was able to bypass security and gain access to the bottle holding the ashes of the Animus Mortis. A quick check of the estate logs showed a delivery to that area shortly before the robbery. Why do I get the feeling that the person seen taking the bottle on the security film is now dead? After the Patton Estate we traveled back to the 13th where I bathed and mediated. We met to decide our next move. There were several possible. I felt that visiting with the insane diver who survived was the best possible choice. We had a missing mercenary company and an art expert who also might offer up some lead that we could follow. We took a spinner (what a wondrous machine) to the asylum. Even before we arrived it was obvious that this mission would go sour. I could feel a foreboding, a sense of the terrible and profane. The asylum was darkened when we arrived with smoke roiling from the windows. An inhuman scream (bellow? Challenge?) echoed from the garage. Something knew we were coming and it was not afraid. JT elected to slam the spinner into the doors of the massive loading bay. Some wished to fire with the weapons on the vehicle but I argued that there could be innocent men and women in there. The vehicle crashed through the doors and we found ourselves face to face with a creature so unnatural that I cannot begin to describe it. Rachel was affected the worst, the mere presence of the creature causing her nose to bleed profusely. It bellowed and attacked while we stood still. Our eyes and minds unable to assimilate what we were seeing and make that fit with the reality we know. Hell had come to earth and it was looking at us as the first delight.

Re: [shadow Angelus III] Mirko's Journal March 18th, Part II Just a quick journal entry. We have just returned from the Patton estate and the proximity to where the Animus Mortis once rested felt dirty to my spirit. I needed to find focus after being so close to such arcane corruption. I bathed and mediated, which allowed me to discern one of my own short comings. My previous entry was in error. During mediation I reflected on the events of the day and kept coming back to my entry on Shilo. The words seemed wrong. Maybe Shilo scares me? I label her with words like "crazy" to blunt her sexuality which is a field in which I have no experience. I wonder if Sifu Gyatsu has any wisdom when it comes to sex? Spending my teen years in a monastery filled with old men blunted the normal exploration of that field with my peers. Now I have fallen so far behind that I have no rational method of dealing with it. I think Shilo can sense this (smell it?) and finds it fun to exploit. I just can't figure out why she appears in my idle mind when I am otherwise at peace.

Here is the start of my campaign Journal. I'll write notes from my characters perspective which may not be the truth. This campaign is the third Shadows Angelus Campaign, more can be found on Angelus in the links below. Shadow Angelus Discussion: where ideas were worked out for the shape and texture of Angelus. Shadow Angelus I: on Susano's Site Shadow Angelus II: On Susano's Site Shadow Angelus III: Information for this campaign on Susano's site. Angelus: The city of Angelus a work in progress describing the city itself. Mirko's Background Mirko's Character Sheet Reflections and Meditations The Journal of Mirko the Wizard March 18th. Today was my first day on the job at XSWAT. I am not sure what I thought but it sure didn't turn out anything like I imagined. Mankind's first and best hope against the horrors of the Omega Zone are nothing more than a band of misfits. Somehow I expected a team filled with people who worked as hard as doctors to get where they were but that isn't the case at all. The 9th Squadron is mostly filled with people who have nowhere else to go. J.T. is our squad leader. A cyborg. He was blown to bits as a police officer and rebuilt as a machine to save what little was left of his life. The captain said that over 70% of his body was robotic. I wonder that such trauma and fundamental disconnection from humanity doesn't drive one completely mad. How does one understand the human condition when one is no longer truly human? How do you reach enlightenment when your life energy is electricity? J.T. is a man (creature?) who bears close watching. It worries me that our leadership is placed in the hands of the person least able to understand what it is that we protect. Shilo. I am not sure what to think of the crazy lady with the blue hair. I sense that she is troubled somewhere deep inside. She presents a bullet proof, nearly masculine facade to the world and while I am not some enlightened elder, it is my experience that such an act hides one who is fragile under it. She also strikes me as a little paranoid, maybe it is a result of her powers of the mind? The captain said that she was a precongitive but I haven't really seen anything that would indicate what she really does? I trust in the judgment of my superiors but Shilo reminds me of a wolf - never really domesticated. At her heart, I suspect there is something primal and dangerous. Rhonin is another misfit. His aura reeks of the supernatural though he shows no self discipline nor knowledge of the arcane. There is also a palpable reek of sulfurous taint to him. I have puzzled over this during the first day, often forgetting myself and staring. He even asked me what I was looking at one point. I was honest and told him I didn't know. He scares me the way a toddler playing with a loaded gun scares his parents. Everyone is in danger. Rachael is the final piece in our little menagerie and oddly the only one who appears to have worked her way to this position - funny considering she channels magic over which she has very little control. Rachael is a warrior-priest beholden to the angels and the divine. I am at once attracted and repulsed by her. On a physical level she gorgeous, her classic Irish looks and funny accent turn many heads - not just mine. She also has a beautiful soul devoted to her faith. Her utter faith that her way and her god are the only right path are what mar an otherwise perfect match. She is a zealot - oh, a kind and attractive one but no less certain that her actions mirror the will of the divine god and thus can be nothing less than ordained. Well, we all met in the briefing room at the 13th Squadron (I was relieved to find that APD does not fall into superstitious patterns so common these days). None of us really talked. I expected our leader to come by and huddle the team together like you might see in a police drama but he moved to the back of the room crossing his arms as if daring us to intrude on him. Instead, I found my center and relaxed. I let the self fall away so that I was distanced from the awkwardness of the exchange - or lack of exchange. The briefing illustrates what I find least appealing about XSWAT. We were being sent on a mission as a favor to a wealthy financier. The 9th Squadron - the one before us who all died - were lost in a similar mission and with the goal of obtaining funding. I came to XSWAT because I have a gift that needs to be used for the defense and betterment of mankind, not to serve as a magical errand boy for the elite within this city. A painting has gone missing, the Animus Mortis, and its previous owner suspected it of being a source of arcane maleficence. The story follows your typical "haunted house" tale with the original dive team who recovered it all dying under mysterious circumstance save for one man who is now institutionalized. A wealthy art collector finds it only to suffer the loss of those closest to him, etc... There is something that rings true about the whole story. Something that echoes with a feral power to my spirit. I had hoped to have some time after the academy to more fully master my arcane abilities but a sense of growing dread tells me that such hope is futile. The Animus Mortis is beyond my knowledge as a wizard, I can only prey that raw power might overcome the shortfalls of my training as a wizard. We are arriving at the Patton estate now. I'll have to come back to the log when we are finished here.

Re: Shadow Angelus We had the first game tonight. Quite the surprise when the first thing we went "bump" with turned out to be a Class II entity. The characters are fun. There are likely to be some interpersonal issues with at least two of the PCs that will result in some friction (a good thing to me), And, there is a strong hook placed right at the outset. Thumbs Up!

Re: Weapon always does maximum damage

Re: Shadow Angelus Edsel - I have about another 100 images to send you but I don't want to explode the Yahoo account. I may just see if I can put them on my jump drive and bring it over Saturday.

Re: Weapon always does maximum damage It means that if you strike The Golden Armor of Arn with 30/30 rPD Hardened x2 then the blade can't hurt the person. It is not within the blades power to kill that person.

Re: Weapon always does maximum damage Personally, to build the always hits, always kills sword of Frey I'd go like this. 4d6 HKA (standard effect), AoE 1 Hex, +20 OCV Linked: 8d6 HKA NND Does Body, Only if character takes BODY from primary attack. POINTS: More than you have. In other words, if your magic is strong enough to stop the blade then you are jim-dandy but if the blade can penetrate your DEF then you are dead as an absolute effect per FH.

Re: Weapon always does maximum damage

Re: Weapon always does maximum damage Like others, I am in need of an effect. If Magic: i.e. Frey's Sword: Never Misses and Always Kills if within the blades power. Standard Longsword: 2d6 HKA 12 STR Min Frey's Longsword: 4d6 HKA (standard effect), debatable if STR or MA should add damage to this weapon. If it is skill, buy a standard sword. Max out the weapons total DC (Str, MA, DC, Levels). Buy one or more levels of Deadly Blow. If it is an inherent property of the character: 6d6 HKA standard effect, OAF weapon of Opportunity. Damage may not exceed weapon maximum.

Re: Shadow Angelus Yeap, this if my final answer. Now I can see about getting back to work on some actual parts of Angelus. I've taken to reading about the genre (urban fantasy) and some of the future cities. Getting ideas on what might be cool. List of Angelus ideas: Mystic World 1. A few book stores dealing with exotics. 2. A "SUPERmarket" for purchasing supernat stuff like "breath of an angel" and "water from the Dead Sea" and "dust from a fairy mound." 3. A few restaurants that cater to the needs of wizards. 4. A neutral grounds where arcane combat is prohibited. 5. Zones that are controlled or protected by different wizardly factions. 6. A church or two devoted to arcane parishioners. 7. A few examples of arcane academies [Doashan Temple, The Avalon Building, The Orange Tree [voodoo], Crofton House for Girls] Each of these might have both low tech and high tech versions for wizards with technological disruption fields. Psychic World 1. Black market esper pharmacy. 2. Social Clubs [The Rogue, High Frequency, Lucidity] 3. Esper Tech Stores 4. Esper Agents [represent freelance and rogue Espers for mercenary work] 5. Esper Vice: telepathic or telekinetic slaves... psidrugs that induce a closed euphoria in psi's. Psidrugs that grant other Psitrips for a limited time. 6. Eudora Hall: School for girls... with psi powers. 7. Padua House: secret shelter for runaway espers. Cybernetic World 1. Repairs and Upgrades 2. Black Market Repairs and Upgrades 3. Special Accommodations [Cyber Restaurants, Clubs, Motels, ect that are designed to take the special needs of cyborgs into account] 4. Cyber Agents [represent freelance and rogue cyborgs for mercenary work] 5. Cybergangs [organized crime groups and mercenaries that specialize in the use of cyborgs] 6. The Bowery Spa [a resort and spa for cyborgs] 7. Pacific Restorations [specialize in returning a human appearance to cyborgs who want to be normal again] Eugenics World 1. Better Babies: front for black market super engineering of unborn children 2. AGE: Alliance for Genetic Equality: equal rights for clades organization 3. Atlantis Project: Underground railroad for clades. 4. The Golden Path: Clade movement to usurp man as the dominant species, to protect mankind from himself. Spoof off Dune. 5. Blueprint Inc: upgrade your house! Offer numerous treatments to enhance adult humans. 6. Praetorians: Human form warrior bred to serve as bodyguards to corporate and governmental elite. 7. Idaho Tap: A restaurant and bar that caters to Clade clients. Few normals are welcome on premises and powerful clade bouncers ensure that there is no trouble [near the Rho sector].

Re: Shadow Angelus Edsel pointed out that we were a group of orphans so I altered my background a little bit to include Mirko's family. I also changed the POV to Mirko in his interview with Director Cadbury.

Re: My Bodyguard Since the characters and world are already built we have something of a limitation. We also don't know much about either PC or the world. So, I'll go this blind. 1. Contrive to have the nobleman inherit something much grander. FREX: Start a quick war and have all/most of the dukes (or kings) killed so that he is suddenly thrust into the position. 2. Make this an onerous position to be in - lots of official functions that cannot be attended with anything more than an arming sword. 3. Give noble PC the clue in that normally a person gets here with dozens of followers but he only has the bodyguard. He needs attendants, food testers, generals, knights, commanders, master of the purse, stewards, palace guards, and attendants. The people currently in these positions may or may not have his best interests at heart. 4. Let mayhem ensue with corruption among the palace guard, assassins hiring on as body guards, poisoned foods, and generals anxious to lead their own armies. The bodyguard becomes champion and bodyguard and only trusted companion. The noble is forced to spend some points on acquiring social status stuff allowing the bodyguard to buy some extra quips to make him more effective at guarding than simple plate armor. He could become a Warder-like character attuned to the noble and aware threats on a mystical level thus leading them into all sorts of strange adventures.

Re: Shadow Angelus We had a switch up at the last minute so it looks like my Gun Bunny concept will get scrapped for a full on wizard. Background for Mirko Song

Re: What books should I buy???

Re: how do you like your fantasy games I like to start them at 50 + 50 but I also run a number of 75 + 75 games (that all have 100+ XP). I like magic rare but powerful. Few non-humans and mythic creatures as mythic creatures instead of as a whole species.

Re: Ogrecave 6E interview What are those rules? I mean, other than that it can sometimes be used as a Complimentary Roll for interaction skill?

Re: Ogrecave 6E interview Funny enough, Edsel and I game together as the two primary GMs and we both run Heroic games, but I love the changes. I think the decoupling will make the Heroic level characters function much better. I think what that boils down to is that the value of a "wait and see approach" cannot be underestimated. I also thought that COM was a waste of space on the CS and a waste of points when you wanted to be attractive but it never came up as an actual game effect. I don't think COM has had an effect save for once in 10+ years of gaming but I've spent 1-4 points on darn near every character I've created.

Re: Shadow Angelus

Re: Shadow Angelus Interesting. I'd assumed that bioroids were artificial but with a quick bit of research they are grown from DNA stock. Replicants (as in Blade Runner) are not nearly so clear cut, probably because of the era of production when less was known about some of our tech advances. Currently a quick PRCA would give us DNA data but in 1982 those types of tests were unknown. I'll go with it just to avoid being contrary. Thanks for hanging with me and helping to clear it up. That does leave some questions for Edsel. Namely, are there human form clades? I would suspect that they would be illegal but that corporations and governments would want human form for espionage and that there would be a lucrative market for pleasure models. I'd suggest that we run them as Blade Runner with the following additions. 95% are tagged clades with inhuman appearance (mostly animal features but also some with unnatural hair or eyes). 4% are military/espionage models with human form. 1% are the highly lucrative and highly illegal human pleasure models. The general public does not know of the human form clades but high ranking military and espionage personnel do (this includes some corporate types). There are several ways they could have engineered sterility. The cheapest would be minor surgery around birth. This would be reversible with another minor surgery (to get the high number of clades we need). Genetically engineering them to not have reproductive ability is also possible but would almost require hormone therapy for them to develop (ditto for no sex organs). Yeap, that solves our issue else where.