AlHazred

Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Those'd be cool too. I've been toying with the idea to stat out Thoth-Amon as well, assuming he shows up enough. At the very least, I'd like to stat out the powers he uses in the stories. Did you get the Wandering Star Collector's Editions? The price was extremely steep, but if I'd noticed them before they sold out the Leather Editions, I'd have been sorely tempted. No, better to buy the cheap but excellently illustrated paperbacks... I actually also liked Count Zero and Burning Chrome (especially the short story where he comes up with a rationale for the high tech in his future setting). But my favorite Gibson book is probably The Difference Engine.

Re: How it all works At one time, I'd toyed with the Mystic side of this, with DEMON, The Circle of the Scarlet Moon, The Trismegistus Council, and various other magical or extradimensional organizations having some sort of ecology. Then Dean Shomshak came along and did it better. Yours should hold up much better. Although, with that much crosspollination, one wonders how Dr. Destroyer hasn't ended up controlling everything yet?

Re: The "Whoops" Thread

Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... I'm currently reading The Coming of Conan, with the Solomon Kane and Bloody Crown of Conan books waiting in the wings (should plough through those during my Christmas vacation). The more I read the "unadulterated" Conan stories, the more impressed I am with Howard's ability to write an exciting, interesting tale. The hack jobs some later writers have done (and I usually love L. Sprague de Camp's works) really didn't do him justice, nor did Ah-nold. Now I've a hankering to stat out Conan. I wonder how he'd match up to Mike Surbrook's version...

Re: Hooray for Newbies! why are you suddenly here?

Re: Eberron Hero Right, then. I'll be leaving for vacation tomorrow. While I'm in sunny Florida, I'll develop the Artificer, Magewright, and at least a few of the prestige classes (I'm probably going to give the Dragonmarked Heir a miss, since it only does stuff that the Hero player can do anyway.)

Re: Ultra Low Start Campaign Definitely sounds interesting! Can you provide HD prefabs?

Re: Aliens, as in ... well, "Aliens" I just wish I'd picked up the Japanese release of all the Aliens films.

Re: Aliens, as in ... well, "Aliens" Speaking for PC techs, we resemble that remark...

Re: Thinking About DARK CHAMPIONS BATTLEGROUNDS So far, the best ideas I've seen are the hospital, the hotel/casino/convention center, the cruise ship, and the airport. Out of those, I'd get the most use out of the casino/hotel (I'd have used it in my Vigilance League pulp game, for one.) There will definitely be some cross-pollination of campaign usage between Dark Champions Battlegrounds and Champions Battlegrounds, so the locations used in the latter supplement (a park, a mall, an amusement park, and a construction site) don't need to be revisited. (Perhaps notes could be put in the DCB book to posit DC uses for the locations in CB?)

Re: Weird Conspiracy Hero I picked up their book (highly recommended, by the way, if you like that sort of thing) but I didn't know about the pilot. I'd love to see that as a TV show, though I can't imagine it would achieve that much interest outside of NJ. Unless they extended the concept to other states, of course...

Re: Building the Necronomicon I actually liked a lot of the stuff in Horror Hero, but I think that Dark Champions is better. Among other things, it's being supported...

Re: Weird Conspiracy Hero Hey, I agree completely. I said I didn't get a chance to "fully use" those supplements, not that I didn't use them at all. I think GURPS Illuminati is one of the best supplements I've seen, and I've used it as a guide to tons of stuff I've run, most recently my Golden Age Champions/Pulp Heroes game and my Harn Hero game. And as to that last one, Harn is really set up well for that kind of Occult Weirdness. From the god Eder who is "trapped under the sea" to the mysterious psionic Earthmasters who left monolithic structures at "weak points" in the fabric of the universe, the setting cries out for that kind of campaign. My players are just now getting to the point where they can begin to appreciate some of that. But I'd love to run a really nice modern weird conspiracy game. One guy on RPG.net is running a new World of Darkness game where the characters all work for a magazine called Freak Jersey. Here in NJ, we have a magazine called Weird NJ which is basically composed of people sending in their weird stories, haunted house tales, UFO sightings and the like. I think it would work great as an vehicle for at least the beginning of a campaign. And I think Dark Champions is exactly the sort of game to run it in.

Re: Building the Necronomicon I've actually given this some thought (surprised? ) and I'd say it depends on what you want the Necronomicon to do in your game. Check out Cthulhu Triumphant on the Necronomicon Files page, especially the section that starts "Multiple Incarnations." Basically, the function of the Necronomicon in your story will probably be one of four things: 1) Source of Lore: In this scenario, the book functions only as a source of information on the entities and events of the Cthulhu Mythos. In that case, it only needs to have a number of knowledge skills relating to various areas of the Mythos: THE NECRONOMICON Effect: Various Knowledge Skills Target/Area Affected: Self Duration: Constant Range: Self END Cost: 0 Breakability: Fragile Game Information: 5 Chronicles Of An Elder Age: KS: The Cthulhu Mythos 20- (20 Active Points); OAF Fragile (-1 1/4), Independent (-2) 5 Secrets Of Many Cults: KS: Forgotten Gods And Religions 20- (20 Active Points); OAF Fragile (-1 1/4), Independent (-2) 5 A Sort Of Demonology: KS: Unknown Horrors 20- (20 Active Points); OAF Fragile (-1 1/4), Independent (-2) 5 The Book Of The Ways Of The Dead: KS: Secrets Of Death 20- (20 Active Points); OAF Fragile (-1 1/4), Independent (-2) If you want to reflect exactly stories where the Necronomicon is a source of lore, don't bother even with this little; in such a case, the Necronomicon has only that information you want to give the players! It should be short, vague, cryptic even, and give them only enough information to get themselves in trouble. Probably a paragraph or so of text; bonus points if you translate it into another language or print it out on parchment with creepy fonts. 2) Source of Protection: In some stories the heroes learn to fight the bad guy with the knowledge contained in the book. These stories usually trace their origin to The Dunwich Horror, in which Armitage studies Wilbur Whateley's copy and discovers not only a formula which makes the invisible horror visible, but also a way to send it elsewhere (we never find out exactly where). This version is like the one above, but in addition we have to add: Game Information: 4 Source Of Protective Enchantments: +10 to Spell Research (Inventor) rolls (20 Active Points); OAF Fragile (-1 1/4), Independent (-2), Only For Protective Enchantments (-1/2) In addition, the book now makes it possible for the heroes to learn spells (i.e., they are now allowed to pay points for them). I wouldn't make anything protective without an Activation Roll of 11- or worse, just because it's Lovecraft... 3) Soure of Occult Knowledge: Many stories place the Necronomicon as the source of the villain's infernal knowledge. In this case, we can remove the Spell Research ability, and add the following: Game Information: 6 Key To Elder Arcana: +5 to Magic rolls (25 Active Points); OAF Fragile (-1 1/4), Independent (-2) 2 Source Of Dark Enchantments: +5 to Spell Research (Inventor) rolls (20 Active Points); OAF Fragile (-1 1/4), Independent (-2), Only For Black Magic (-1/2) 6 Key To Black Magic: KS: Black Magic 20- (20 Active Points); OAF Fragile (-1 1/4), Independent (-2) If you go this route, make sure to have a list of spells that the book supplies. Most of the spells should have really disgusting or difficult-to-obtain Expendable Focus components (i.e., human body parts [heart, brain], copious quantities of blood, etc.), specific Windows Of Opportunity (see Fantasy Hero for a description of that limitation), and lengthy Extra Time requirements, to be in the spirit of the genre. 4) Sentient Book: In a few stories (the two the author mentions are both in the recent Chaosium anthology The Necronomicon) the book seems to be sentient and have a mind (and goals) of its own. If you go this route, then I would recommend CDad's writeup above; minor tweaking should enable you to suit it for your campaign. All sentient versions of the Necronomicon have the ability to change the language they're written in to suit their intended reader (Universal Translator with an Extra Time requirement, or possibly Shape Shift), but seem to be unable to actually use their own spells themselves (so, some powers of the AI should be No Conscious Control). I'd love to hear how you use the book in a game!

After reading the Dark Champions book, I pulled out some of my old supplements from other games that I've never had the opportunity to fully use. They include things like GURPS Illuminati, Suppressed Transmissions 1, Suppressed Transmissions 2, GDW's Dark Conspiracy book, a host of Call of Cthulhu supplements, and others. Then I got involved with some discussions on RPG.net regarding the new World of Darkness book (which seems to focus on the same area) and C. J. Carella's Witchcraft (which can be found for free in PDF format). I feel a part of my brain that cries out to run the Weird Conspiracy Hero game that I've never had an opportunity to run (since many of my players are complete fantasy buffs). It's something I've toyed with since reading Charles Fort's Complete Works at the same time as Danger International; TV shows like The X-Files, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, and Strange Days have only stoked the fire. So, since I can't run it or play in it myself, I thought I'd ask if anyone else has had the opportunity to play or run something like this? Tell me what it was like, if it worked, if you'd do it again.

Re: Modelling d20 Negative Levels in HERO

Re: Modelling d20 Negative Levels in HERO Here's another way to model the power, that may be more to your liking, as it has the potential to ding the characters more on OCV and DCV before capping off. Cost Power END 122 Shadow Breath II: Drain 3d6, Area Of Effect (4" radius; (8" Cone; +0); +1), Delayed Return Rate (points return at the rate of 5 per Week; +1 3/4), all Magic spells simultaneously (+2) (172 Active Points); 4 Charges (-1) plus Negative Combat Skill Levels (-1 to opponent's DCV), Uncontrolled (removed when the character makes a Con Roll after 1 Day, or by Restoration; +1/2), Cumulative (24 points; +1), Area Of Effect (17" Cone; +1 1/2), 1 Continuing Charge lasting 5 Years (+1 1/2) (27 Active Points); Linked (Drain; -1/2) plus Negative Combat Skill Levels (-1 to opponent's OCV), Uncontrolled (removed when the character makes a Con Roll after 1 Day, or by Restoration; +1/2), Cumulative (24 points; +1), Area Of Effect (17" Cone; +1 1/2), 1 Continuing Charge lasting 5 Years (+1 1/2) (27 Active Points); Linked (Drain; -1/2) [4] Powers Cost: 122

Re: I destroyed my CKC...on purpose I recommend Avery's D-ring binders. They are the bomb! Lay it flat with no worries!

Re: Modelling d20 Negative Levels in HERO Major Transform (normal person to one with Unluck) would be another way to relfect the power of Negative Levels; it really depends on the GM's idea of the metaphysics of his setting. My method was more a "hard numbers" way to reflect the in-game effects of something that seems to be more of a game-mechanical effect rather than a "real magical power." At least, I've never read of Viziers in Arabian Nights stories who fight with ghuls and end up "less skilled" than before... If you want the possibility of turning into an undead if it kills you, the most accurate way to model the ability would be either a Major Transform (target to undead creature) with Gradual Effect or a Summon; either of those powers would have Trigger. If I was GM, I'd rule it as an unpredictable effect of dying under the influence of "dark magic" and wouldn't bother statting it out, just like I don't bother statting out the source of most ghosts that inhabit my campaign setting...

Re: Modelling d20 Negative Levels in HERO

Re: CampaignPedia Format I've been toying of the idea of using a Wiki to organize notes and make it possible for players to "fill in" details they discover in the course of the game. I haven't discovered a good Wiki for this, though; it would need to be one that requires you to log-in to make changes, so that you don't have random strangers defacing your work.

Re: Modelling d20 Negative Levels in HERO I've attached a prefab file. I no longer do calculations, man; HD does it all for me. My brain is shrinking - soon, I'll be able to keep it in a retainer cup on my nightstand...

Re: Modelling d20 Negative Levels in HERO Try this power construct: Cost Power END 85 Shadow Breath: Drain 3d6, Area Of Effect (19" Cone; +1), all Magic spells simultaneously (+2) (120 Active Points); 4 Charges (-1) plus Change Environment 2" radius (4" Cone; +0), -3 DCV, -3 OCV, Long-Lasting [Permanent], Multiple Combat Effects, Sticky (effects linger on individuals until they succeed in a Con Roll 1 Day later, or receive Restoration; +1/4) (75 Active Points); 4 Charges (-1), No Range (-1/2), Linked (Drain; -1/2) [4] Powers Cost: 85 Edit - I neglected to Delay the Return Rate on the Drain. It should probably be really long. Oh, well, it was a rush job anyway...

Re: Eberron Hero To people who might get some use out of this stuff: what should I do next? The prestige classes would be a possibility; I would follow Court Fool's lead and stat them out as Package Deals, since this seems to me a better way to do it. Another possibility is the magic of Eberron - the spells and the artificer and magewright classes, along with some of the dragonshard stuff. Really, I'm asking for ideas.

Re: Eberron Hero To reiterate CourtFool's most excellent writeup, and keep the Eberron stuff in one place: Prestige Class - Extreme Explorer The ancient depths of Sharn, the tangled jungles of Q'barra, the howling crags of the Demon Wastes, and the cyclopean ruins of Xen'drik are like home to the extreme explorer. Whether motivated by a thirst for knowledge about Eberron's most ancient civilizations, a hunger for the long-lost secrets of tremendous arcane power, or simply a lust for gold, extreme explorers subject themselves to tremendous danger to achieve their goal--and somehow manage to escape in one piece, often by the skin of their teeth. The extreme explorer is the iconic action hero of Eberron: courageous, resourceful, determined, and just plain lucky. EXTREME EXPLORER PACKAGE DEAL Ability Cost +3 INT 3 +3 EGO 6 Often Escapes By The Skin Of His Teeth: Combat Luck (3 PD/3 ED) 6Just Plain Lucky: Luck 1d6 5 +2 OCV with weapon of choice 4 AK: choose one (Sharn, Q'barra, Demon Wastes, or Xen'drik) 11- 2 Evasive 18 KS: Dungeoneering 11- 2 Lightning Reflexes: +2 DEX with all actions 3 Running +2" 4 Survival (Mountains or Underground) 11- 2 6 points' worth from the following list 6 +1 with Agility Skills, +2 to Hearing Group PER Rolls, +2 to Sight Group PER Rolls, Acrobatics, Breakfall, Climbing, Contortionist, Cryptography, KS: Arcane & Occult Lore, KS: History, Language, Leaping +2", Lockpicking, Riding, Security Systems, Survival, Swimming +2" Disadvantages Value Pychological Limitation: Hunger For Long-Lost Secrets Of Tremendous Arcane Power, Lust For Gold, or Thirst For Knowledge (Common, Strong) -15 Total Cost of Package: 46