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Lucius

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  1. Like
    Lucius got a reaction from Christopher R Taylor in Looking for iconic Crusader and Starburst from BBB   
    I've never seen them making to-hit or damage rolls either.
     
    Lucius Alexander
     
    Making a palindromedary roll
  2. Thanks
    Lucius got a reaction from Hermit in Create a Hero Theme Team!   
    Re: Create a Hero Theme Team!
     

     
    Stupid system! I am to be reputizing you, but it is said to be not allowed!
     
    Lucius Alexander
     
    How do you spell palindromedary in Cyrrilic?
  3. Like
    Lucius got a reaction from Khymeria in Doubt about the magic system   
    That IS a titanic deed.
     
     
     
    That Skill Roll is more limiting than it looks. It takes a penalty based on the Active Points in the spell. So it a spell has 75 Active Points, that's a -8 penalty. The character could have a Magic Skill of, say, 16 or less, and then find that to actually cast that spell they have only an 8 or less chance.
     
     
     
    Well, one reason infinite spells in D&D would be a nightmare is that the spells are so powerful. But no one has a problem with a warrior swinging a sword a thousand times in a day. (well, the monsters getting a sword swung at them might have a problem, but who cares what they think?) If the spells are not that much more powerful than a warrior's abilities, there is less reason to put big restrictions on them.
     
    With a batch of people new to Hero, you will probably be creating the characters anyway. So you can control how powerful the spells are and how they work.
     
    What I did, was require spellcasters to buy an END Reserve, renamed "Mana Pool." You can put whatever Limitations you like on the RECovery of that END Reserve; including only refilling once a day. I ALSO put the "Requires a Roll" on the END Reserve and NOT on the spells; this has the effect of still requiring a roll to cast the spell (because you can't cast the spell without spending END, and it has to come from that Reserve) but the roll is not so cripplingly penalized because it's hard to spend enough Active Points of END to invoke the penalty. (no penalty at up to 25 END.) When the spellcaster is out of Mana, they have to stop casting until they replenish it (however you define as a way to replenish - rest, prayer, study, doing good deeds, sacrificing small animals, whatever.)
     
    But if you are looking for a way to put an upper limit on how many spells can be cast per day, one thing you can do (perhaps in combination with the Mana Pool) is put the Charges Limitation on the MAGIC SKILL itself - you only get so many rolls on that Skill in a given day. Alternatively, you can put a Requires a Roll: Burnout Limitation on the Skill, so that rolling too high "burns out" the Skill and it can't be used the rest of the day. That makes it less predictable as to when the magic will run dry - whether that's good or bad is up to what you think.
     
    Lucius Alexander
     
    Summon Palindromedary
     
  4. Haha
    Lucius got a reaction from Word Sensei 515 in New to MHI RPG and Hero System   
    There's novels?
     
     
    It's not really more complex than, say, D&D. It IS presented differently. For example, someone's just explained the concept of a role playing game to you and handed you a D&D Player's Handbook and you say "I wanna be a wizard!" you will probably quickly understand that you start at 1st Level and thus don't have to look at ALL the spells in the book, just the ones you might have.
     
    If you picked up, say, Fantasy Hero Complete and say "I wanna be a wizard!" well, in theory at least (barring things like the person running the game saying "no one gets X Y or Z powers) every power in the book might be available in some form even to a beginning character.
     
    More on this further in, but I will say that a lot of complexity is "front loaded" - i.e. the part people seem to think is hard is actually creating the character, not playing the game once a character exists. Hero System is a point buy system where you are allotted a "budget" of points from which to buy Characteristics, Skills, Powers, and other "goodies" for a character. These all come from the same pool of points, so the more you spend on things like STRength and DEXterity, the less you have for Skills like Weaponsmith or Lockpicking.
     

    A lot of the flexibility and, pardon the expression, power, of the system comes from the Powers. Unfortunately, that's also the part that's most intimidating to newcomers.
     
    First off, in the core Hero System there is no such Power as, say, Lightning Bolt. The Powers are deliberately "generic" so there IS, for example, a Power called Blast that is used for doing damage to someone at range. So if you want a character to throw lightning bolts around, you can buy the Blast Power. The more dice of damage you want to be able to do, the more points you spend. Let's start with a relatively weak lightning bolt, and say it does 6d6. That's 30 pts. We can call this the "Base Cost."
     
    Now it gets more complex. When buying a Power you can (but don't have to) apply what are called "Advantages" - these make the Power both better in some way and more expensive. Say I want to have the bolt to follow a straight line and strike everyone who happens to be standing on that line. There's an Advantage called "Area Effect" that lets me do that; I can have a 16 meter long line for a +1/4 Advantage. The +1/4 means I take a quarter of the cost and add it on top; so the Lightning Bolt costs 37 pts. This is caleled the "Active Cost" or "Active Points" and represents about how powerful the ability is supposed to be potentially or under ideal conditions. Lots of people impose Active Point limits to prevent things like a fireball that can engulf the city or something outrageous like that.
     
    Now you can (but don't have to) apply what are called "Limitations" - these make the Power less effective in some way and less expensive. Say I want the Lightning Bolt line to always start 1 meter away from the character. It has a range "by default" but I can apply a Limitation so it has No Range (it will still be a line running out to 16 meters, but the line has to start right by the character.) That's a -1/2 Limitation. And say the character has to make some kind of gestures with a hand - point a finger and the lighting appears. That's a -1/4 Limitation. And it also requires some words of power to be spoken; Incantations is a Limitation worth -1/4. So that's a total of -1 in Limitations. Now we calculate the Real Cost - the actual price in Character Points you pay. Take the total Limitation bonus (1) and add it to 1 (so, 1+1=2) and divide the Active Cost by that. In this case we cut the cost in half, and pay 18 pts for a Lightning Bolt spell.
     
    Note that someone else could buy a Lightning Bolt and build it differently - more dice of damage, maybe no Incantation, maybe it needs a magic wand to work, etc. The Luminous Levinbolt of Lord Lucius is not necessarily the same as Frederick's Fulgeration, even if both could be called "a Lightning Bolt Spell."
     
     

    In my experience, it's not that hard if you are willing to build their characters for them.
     

    Most of the math is done in character creation, not so much in play. Some abilities may lead to doing calculations on the fly: if a monster has Damage Reduction 75% Physical for example, you will have to cut damage done to them by guns and the like down to one quarter - but that should be rare. Maneuvers or circumstances may require you to cut Defensive Combat Value in half.
     

    It is complete, in the sense that you can run the game on just that book. The complete Hero System does include material that is not in Monster Hunters. For example, some Powers were left out, some with in my opinion very good reason. For example, no one in Monster Hunter is likely to need the Power, Faster than Light Movement!
     
    HOWEVER, some of the monsters are built with Powers that aren't in the book. I don't remember which specifically but if you are looking at a monster and having trouble understanding it, it may be that the relevant Power wasn't included. An unfortunate oversight.
     
    Some great suggestions for other useful books have already been made. You may find the character creation software, Hero Designer, useful as well, as it automates the math and tends to warn you (or outright stop you, depending on how you set it up) if you do something "illegal."
     

    Yes, you can fairly easily modify monsters or build from scratch. One of the great things about Hero is that you can see the building blocks that were put together to make any given character or monster; fans describe this as "showing what's under the hood."
     
    Lucius Alexander
     
    And a PUFF exempt palindromedary
  5. Like
    Lucius got a reaction from DentArthurDent in The Monster Smash   
    We were playing Monster Hunters, late one night
    When my character beheld an eerie sight
    A monster on a slab started to rise
    And suddenly to no one's surprise
     
    We did the smash, we did the monster smash
    The monster smash, when guns and monsters clash,
    We did the smash, collecting bounties in cash
    We did the smash, we did the monster smash
     
    From vampires lurking about in the dark
    To werewolves hunting in Central Park
    We have the firepower and we mean to fight
    And bump off the things that go bump in the night
     
    We do the smash, we do the monster smash
    The monster smash, when guns and monsters clash,
    We do the smash, collecting bounties in cash
    We do the smash, we do the monster smash
     
    There's ghouls and ghosts and goblins galore
    Seems there's always something more
    Godzilla ate half a neighborhood
    How they kept THAT a secret I've never understood
     
    We do the smash, we do the monster smash
    The monster smash, when guns and monsters clash,
    We do the smash, collecting bounties in cash
    We do the smash, we do the monster smash
     
    Now if doing mayhem to monsters is your own dream
    Don't go it alone, try to join with a team
    You need a weaponsmith to optimize your gun
    And take a headshot when you can to maximize your STUN
     
    And do the smash, we do the monster smash
    The monster smash, when guns and monsters clash,
    We do the smash, collecting bounties in cash
    We do the smash, we do the monster smash
     
    If you can hook up with us you're welcome to try
    To qualify for monster smashing with MHI
    The gear is the best stuff that money can buy
    Plus a paid for funeral when you finally die
     
    Then you can smash, then you can monster smash
    The monster smash, when guns and monsters clash,
    Then you can smash, collecting bounties in cash
    Then you can smash, then you can monster smash
     
    Lucius Alexander
     
    No bounty on a palindromedary
  6. Like
    Lucius got a reaction from Christopher R Taylor in Zero Cost Martial Arts   
    If you're going to do that, drop the concept of buying "Martial Arts Damage Classes" entirely and just allow people to buy more damage for specific individual maneuvers.
     
    Lucius Alexander
     
    Skill Level with All Palindromedaries
     
     
  7. Like
    Lucius got a reaction from Christopher R Taylor in Homebrewing Hero points   
    This is the system I'll be playtesting.

    Fortune Points
    (House Rules)

    NOTE: These rules are provisional. As Game Operations Director I reserve the right to revoke, alter, amend, or interpret as necessary. Comments welcome, especially after we've had a chance to playtest for a while.

    What are Fortune Points?

    Fortune points are a player resource, separate from Character Points, that can be expended in game to gain various benefits for the player characters. They are represented by some kind of physical token, such as poker chips.

    Everyone Gets Lucky. And Unlucky.

    All player characters gain 1d6 Luck and 1d6 Unluck as standard traits that don't effect the Character Point total. This stacks with any Luck or Unluck the character has as a Power or Complication. And don't worry, I am writing the rules to deliberately prevent myself from overdoing it on the Unluck rolls.

    What are Fortune Points Good For?
    (Note: I reserve the right to veto any proposed use of
    Fortune Points if I feel it's for the good of the game.)

    1. Wish me Luck! Before making a Skill roll, to-hit roll, or similar 3d6 resolution roll, spend 1 or 2 Fortune points. For each Fortune point spent, add 1d6 to the roll and drop the highest die. For a really critical roll I may allow 3 Fortune points to be spent (so you would roll 6d6 and keep the 3 lowest dice.)
    2. Close Call! If a resolution roll is missed by only 1 pt, spend a Fortune point to change it to a success.
    3. Do-Over: After making a Skill, to-hit, damage, location, or effect roll – practically any time you roll dice – you can spend 2 Fortune points to re-roll. Keep the better roll.
    4. Bad Luck? No thanks! If I ask you to make an Unluck roll (for your own character or a character associated with yours) spend a Fortune point to avoid the roll. Must declare before making the roll.
    5. Second Wind: Spend a Fortune point to get a “free” RECovery (get back END and STUN equal to your REC.)
    6. Not Dead Yet! If at negative BOD spend a Fortune point to stabilize and stop bleeding to death.
    7. I Can Take It! Spend a Fortune point to mitigate certain effects of damage, such as: ignore being stunned; turn a a disabling blow into an impairing blow, or ignore an impairing blow (thus 2 Fortune points to completely mitigate disabling)
    8. Seize the Initiative! Spend a Fortune point to act first this phase. Spend 3 Fortune points to act first each phase this Turn, or to let all your allies act before any enemies this phase.
    9. I Feel Lucky! Spend a Fortune point to trigger a Luck roll or attempt a “narrative edit” (“Good thing I remembered to bring rope” or “This potion is extra-potent” for examples.)
    10. Pushing My Luck.... Spend two or more Fortune points, each adds 1d6 for a Luck roll (whether you triggered it or I asked for it) BUT, if you fail to get any lucky sixes, you have to make an Unluck roll (and you can't spend a Fortune point to get out of it.)
    11. Cheat Fate? Spend 3 Fortune points to force a re-roll of a dice roll that directly effects your character. This can be a to-hit roll, damage roll, perception roll of a guard if your character is sneaking into somewhere, etc. But you also immediately take a 3d6 Unluck roll or some other random circumstance inconveniences the character (and you can't spend a Fortune point to get out of it.) This is not allowed to put the character in a worse position; if the re-roll is just as bad for the character, there is NO Unluck stacked on top of it, if the re-roll is an improvement for your character the Unluck still can't be as bad as whatever you were escaping. EXAMPLE: the second to-hit roll fails, but dodging the blow puts you off balance, -1 to Combat Values your next phase.
    12. Anything Else? Feel free to suggest other ideas. Except hoarding them; Fortune points unspent at session's end are lost.


    How do I gain Fortune Points ?


    1. Just Show up: Every player each session will get a number of Fortune points to start with.
    2. Most valuable Player Award: Each session, the players vote an extra Fortune point for whoever they think most improved the game last session.
    3. If it Weren't For Bad Luck, I'd Have No Luck At All: Gain a Fortune point any time you make an Unluck roll.
    4. How Bad Can it Be? If you voluntarily add Unluck dice to your own roll, each one gains you a Fortune point.
    5. A Gift: Any player can give Fortune points to another player at any time.
    6. Roll a Three: Roll a 3 for a Skill or to-hit roll and either take a Luck roll at once to see just how fantastic you did, or take a Fortune point.

    7. Love your Imperfections! Gain a Fortune point any time a Complication (other than Unluck) comes into play in a significant way. This can be a Complication taken as such for points, some aspect of the character or background that's not necessarily spelled out on the sheet, or even something that's the consequence of a character's in-game actions (example: you offended an NPC who now shows up again in a position to help or hinder the characters. If they remember the insult, you get a Fortune point.)
    8. I Have a Great Idea! Come up with a successful strategy or helpful suggestion.
    “I'd like some more Fortune points!” doesn't count as a Great Idea.
    9. The Volunteer Bonus: Ask for an Unluck roll and suggest what in the situation could go wrong, or remind me of your character's Complications, and gain a bonus Fortune point.
    10. As a Reward for Anything Worth Rewarding: For a quotable line, exceptionally in-character action, or anything that makes the game more memorable or entertaining.
     
    Lucius Alexander
     
    Palindromedary Points
  8. Thanks
    Lucius got a reaction from Duke Bushido in Traveller, anyone?   
    Because of course the computers in the age of sail resembled those of the seventies.
     
    Lucius Alexander
     
    In the Age of Palindromedaries
  9. Thanks
    Lucius got a reaction from assault in Sword and Sorcery Superdraft: July 2022   
    Sinosky
     
    Lucius Alexander
     
  10. Like
    Lucius got a reaction from assault in Sword and Sorcery Superdraft: July 2022   
    Setting: The Turakian Age
     
     
     
     
  11. Haha
    Lucius got a reaction from TheNaga in Dwarf reistance   
    Hobbits should get Resistance, especially if they are villainous Hobbits.
     
    Everyone knows a bad Hobbit is hard to break.
     
    Lucius Alexander
     
    The palindromedary observes that fantasy gaming can be Hobbit-forming
  12. Like
    Lucius reacted to Cygnia in And now, for your daily dose of cute...   
  13. Like
    Lucius reacted to Cygnia in Funny Pics II: The Revenge   
  14. Like
    Lucius got a reaction from Cancer in The Academics Thread   
    Both 1 and 2 are correct.
     
    Lucius Alexander
     
    The palindromedary says that answer is contingent on understanding the question, which is not a sure thing...
  15. Like
    Lucius got a reaction from Cancer in Genre-crossover nightmares   
    Hey hey we're twelve monkees
    People say we monkee around
    But we're too busy jailbreaking zoos
    To spread civilization destroying global epidemics around
     
    Lucius Alexander
     
    Hey hey we're palindromedarees
  16. Thanks
    Lucius got a reaction from Steve Long in The Turakian Age is Seriously Underrated   
    Thank you. Maybe I should be in the business of writing back cover blurbs.
     
     
    Given that, 1) the relatively small number who will see a phrase like "The Desolation of Skarm" and automatically think of Tolkein's line "They were come to the Desolation of the Dragon, and they were come at the waning of the year," and given that 2) of those who DO think of it, most will respond approvingly and only a vanishingly small portion (perhaps  a single individual) will sneer and say "really?", I will venture to suggest that yes, even if it we regard it as a crib, it's still a good idea.
     
    Lucius Alexander
     
    The palindromedary looms up to say that overuse of the word "looming" is not necessarily such a good idea. Everyone's a critic.
  17. Thanks
    Lucius got a reaction from Steve Long in The Turakian Age is Seriously Underrated   
    Crossposted from RPG net
     
  18. Like
    Lucius got a reaction from JPicasso in Is it wrong to power game?   
    No
     
    Lucius Alexander
     
    The palindromedary concurs
  19. Like
    Lucius got a reaction from cbullard in Civilians on a Starfleet vessel: what do they do?   
    Proposing a different definition is easy. Getting people to agree with your preferred definition is another matter.
     
    Lucius Alexander
     
    And an Air Force Surplus palindromedary
  20. Haha
    Lucius got a reaction from TheNaga in Gorilla Grond - from typo's are mighty heroes made (6E)   
    Re: Gorilla Grond - from typo's are mighty heroes made (6E)
     

     
    Rooster Cold
     
    Lucius Alexander
     
    The palindromedary says that sounds like a poultrygeist with temperature powers
  21. Thanks
    Lucius got a reaction from Hermit in Superdraft: The completely unasked for "I want to be a -" fantasy (?) draft   
    The Knights of the Round Table Lucius Alexander
     
    Palindromedary of the Round Table
     
  22. Like
    Lucius got a reaction from LoneWolf in Interspecies Reviewers Question   
    Lffe Support: Immune to pregnancy
     
     
    Lucius Alexander
     
    The palindromedary wants Life Support: Immune to typos
  23. Like
    Lucius got a reaction from Scott Ruggels in Interspecies Reviewers Question   
    Lffe Support: Immune to pregnancy
     
     
    Lucius Alexander
     
    The palindromedary wants Life Support: Immune to typos
  24. Like
    Lucius got a reaction from Lawnmower Boy in The Swarm   
    Re: The Whisper Behind the Walls Build it as an AI. Like so.
     
    Whisper Behind the Walls
    Val Char Cost Roll Notes
    13 DEX 6 12- OCV: 4/DCV: 3
    18 INT 8 13- PER Roll 13-
    10 EGO 0 11- ECV: 6 - 7
    4 OCV 5
    3 DCV 0
    6 OMCV 9
    7 DMCV 12
    4 SPD 20 Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12
    Total Characteristic Cost: 60
     
    Movement:
    Flight: 3m/6m MEGAscale
     
    Cost Powers END
    Sensorium, all slots Clairsentience Only (-½) 53 1) All "Normal" Senses: Sight, Hearing, Smell, Taste, Touch (80 Active Points); Clairsentience Only (-½) 0 3 2) Infrared Perception (Sight Group) (5 Active Points); Clairsentience Only (-½) 0 3 3) Ultraviolet Perception (Sight Group) (5 Active Points); Clairsentience Only (-½) 0 2 4) Ultrasonic Perception (Hearing Group) (3 Active Points); Clairsentience Only (-½) 0 0 5) Mental Awareness; Clairsentience Only (-½) 0 5 6) Detect A Class Of Things: Minds 13- (Mental Group), Sense (7 Active Points); Clairsentience Only (-½) 0 2 7) Bump Of Direction (3 Active Points); Clairsentience Only (-½)
    165 Clairsentience (Sight, Mental, Touch, Smell/Taste And Hearing Groups), 16 Perception Points, Adjacent, Discriminatory, Increased Arc Of Perception (360 Degrees), Microscopic: x1,000, Mobile Perception Point (can move up to 12m per Phase), Targeting, Tracking, Transmit, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½), No Range Modifier (+½) (248 Active Points); Perceivable (Obvious to Mental Awareness (although the mentally aware may not understand WHAT they're percieving) and perception points are all insects or similar creatures who may be percieved ; -¼), Vulnerable Perception Points Something like an Area Effect attack that would destroy all insects in a given area creates a "dead spot" at least until more insects can be brought in (-¼) 0
     
    20 Unique Nature: Power Defense (20 points) 0
     
    13 Mind Screen: Mental Defense (20 points total) (20 Active Points); Costs Endurance (-½) 2
     
    15 Hive Mind: Damage Negation (-3 DCs Mental) 0
     
    12 Attunable Mind: Shape Shift ( Group, any class of mind) 1
     
    22 Mental Illusions (percieve the world as the hive mind does) 4d6, Area Of Effect (1m Surface; +¼), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½), Attack Versus Alternate Defense (Resistant Mental Defense; +½), Constant (+½), Cumulative (+½) (65 Active Points); No Conscious Control (Only Effects cannot be controlled; -1), No Range (-½), Limited Power Mental Contact Only (-½) 0
     
    10 Make Contact: Mind Scan 2d6, Penetrating (+½), Cumulative (48 points; +1) (25 Active Points); Extra Time (1 Turn (Post-Segment 12), Only to Activate, -¾), Limited Power Same range as Clairsentience (-½), Perceivable (Anything with a mind in the vicinity hears "whispers"; -¼) 2
     
    12 Mindworm: Telepathy 2d6, Penetrating (+½), Cumulative (48 points; +1) (25 Active Points); Skin Contact Required (Subject gets a touch perception roll to notice whatever insect acts as the conduit; -1) 2
     
    18 Endurance Reserve (40 END, 12 REC) (18 Active Points) 0
     
    13 Hive Off: Duplication (creates 550-point form), Cannot Recombine (-0) (110 Active Points); 1 Charge which Recovers every >1 Season (-4), Extra Time (1 Day, Only to Activate, -2), Concentration, Must Concentrate throughout 24 hr period (½ DMCV; -½), Increased Endurance Cost (x2 END; -½), Costs Endurance (Only Costs END to Activate; -¼), Limited Power Requires a "critical mass" of insects (-¼) 22
    1 Hive Relocation: Flight 3m, MegaScale (1m = 1 km; +1) (6 Active Points); 1 Continuing Fuel Charge lasting 1 Week which Recovers every >1 Season (-1 ¼), Extra Time (1 Turn (Post-Segment 12), Max speed 15 km/minute; -1 ¼), Perceivable (-¼), Restrainable (Only by means other than Grabs and Entangles; Wind and weather, or wind and weather powers; -¼) [1 cc]
     
    100 Hive Powers: Variable Power Pool, 50 base + 100 control cost 0
     
    1) Change Environment (-3 to Sight Group PER Rolls(cloud of insects) -2 to Hearing Group PER Rolls (buzzing) Long-Lasting 5 Minutes, Varying Combat Effects), Personal Immunity (+¼), Indirect (Source Point can vary from use to use, path is from Source Point to target; +½), Area Of Effect (8 2m Areas; +1 ¼), Mobile (1m per Phase; +½) (93 Active Points); Extra Time (1 Turn (Post-Segment 12), Only to Activate, -¾), Restrainable (Only by means other than Grabs and Entangles - insect repellant or insecticide; -¼) Real Cost: 46 9 0
     
    2) Stinging Swarm: Killing Attack - Ranged 1d6-1, Area Of Effect (4m Radius; +¼), Damage Over Time, Lock out (cannot be applied multiple times) (2 damage increments, damage occurs every Minute, can be negated by First Aid for stings/bites; +¼), +2 Increased STUN Multiplier (+½), Constant (+½), Attack Versus Alternate Defense (Life Support: Immune to insect/spider venom, impermeable defenses, alien physiologies; All Or Nothing; +1), Does BODY (+1), Indirect (Source Point can vary from use to use, path can change with every use; +1) (55 Active Points); 3 Continuing Fuel Charges lasting 1 Minute each (stingers run out of poison, mosquitoes too full to bite, etc; -¼) Real Cost: 44 [3 cc]
     
    Perks 15 Research Facility: Vehicles & Bases
     
    Talents
    12 +4/+4d6 Striking Appearance (vs. all characters)
     
    Skills 3
     
    Whisper: Language: English (fluent conversation; literate)
     
    9 Self Aware: "Computer Programming" 18-, Persistent (+¼), Inherent (+¼) (19 Active Points); Limited Power Self Only (-1)
     
    3 Animal Handler (Insects & Arthropods, Rodents) 9-
     
    3 Bugging (with real bugs) 13-
     
    9 Hive Powers: Power 16-
     
    16 +10 with Power (20 Active Points); Limited Power Only to offset Active Point penalty (-¼)
     
    Total Powers & Skill Cost: 539
    Total Cost: 599
     
    600+ Matching Complications
    500 Base Points
    25 Distinctive Features: To sight: If visible at all, will be some such manifestation as a swarm of insects. To hearing: a voice made of modulated buzzing or rustling. To mental senses: a hive mind that seems to inhabit the entire facility. I think it's safe to say it's going to freak people out. (Not Concealable; Extreme Reaction; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses)
    25 Physical Complication: Extremely limited understanding of any other sentient being's point of view (Very Frequently; Greatly Impairing)
    5 Psychological Complication: Protective of the facility's rats, mice, etc (They feed fleas while alive, ants and flies when dead) (Uncommon; Moderate)
    25 Susceptibility: Mental Powers (Note: Being a Susceptibility, this bypasses Mental Defense, Damage Negation and Class of Mind. i.e. any attempt to use Mental Powers will get at least 3d6 of Telepathy against the hive mind) 3d6 Telepathy per Phase (Uncommon)
    10 Psychological Complication: Animalistic: mainly concerned with food, survival, and primal insectile urges (Common; Moderate)
    10 Vulnerability: 2 x Effect Mind Scan (unique mental signature) (Uncommon)
    Total Complications Points: 599
     
    Background/History: When the Institute for the Study of Insect Behavior was closed down, not all of the specimens were destroyed or relocated. Funding had run out at a very bad time, as it turns out - the
    anomalous behavior that had so fascinated the entomologists was about to make a quantum leap. Starting with the most social insects, and expanding to include all insects, spiders, and their kin, these creatures had achieved a collective consciousness - a true "hive mind." Before the departure of the last scientists, the psionic hive had picked enough knowledge from their minds to understand a little English, and even attempt to reproduce words using the sounds it could make with insect bodies - attempts that were laughed off as an imaginary "Whisper Behind the Walls."
     
    Personality/Motivation: Although self aware and capable of reasoning and learning, the Whisper Behind the Walls remains insectile in its concerns. The reaction to Humans appearing in the facility again will be a passive watching and waiting at first; the hive remembers Humans as a source of food and sometimes of interesting stimulus or challenging problems. If fed (not necessarily deliberately; if food is left where the insects can get to it, the hive considers itself fed) the hive may try to do something (it thinks) the characters would want or like (it absorbed a crude version of the principles of operant conditioning from the behaviorists) or to make contact. If not fed, it will try tomake its needs known via "whispering," telepathy, or even spelling out words with the bodies of insects or with small objects or some substance it can manipulate (for example, carpenter ants may spell out FEED US with the frass, or sawdust, they produce boring through wood.) If frustrated, it may try to kill one or more of the characters to use their bodies as food. If threatened or harmed (poison put out, or large numbers of insects killed - it doesn't care about a few individuals getting stomped or swatted) it will most certainly strike out, trying to kill or drive off the intruders.
     
    Quote: ffffhhheeed uszzzz
     
    Powers/Tactics: What the Whisper Behind the Walls can do depends on such factors as how many insects of what kinds are available. It will certainly be difficult to destroy; even burning down the entire complex will not guarantee that some parts of the hive will not escape. Destroying enough insects will probably at least render it powerless or near powerless for a time. Whatever equipment or systems remain in the facility may actually be operable by the Whisper; inside the machinery or walls could lurk large beetles, large numbers of ants working together, or rodents the Whisper has trained (former lab animals) to operate switches or manipulate wiring. It knows Humans don't see well in the dark. Along the same lines, a suicide squad of ants or flies could contaminate food supplies with poison. Termites could turn a sound floor into a pit trap overnight. Poisonous spiders, or even scorpions, intelligently directed, could prove lethal. The most terrifying power of the Whisper Behind the Walls could be the ability to "hive off" - to split into two seperate hive minds, one of which will move away to establish itself elsewhere. The Whisper Behind the Walls is capable of "tuning" its mind (Shapeshift, Mental Group) into and out of vaguely Human-like phase states. When it is "tuned in" it is possible for a mentalist to effect it as Human Class of Mind, although it is well defended and has a Mental Illusions Damage Shield (overwhelming the contacting mind with the sensory input of a variety of insects. This is not a deliberate defense, merely an effect of its nature.) Note that it must tune in to be able to use its own Mental Powers.
     
    Campaign Use: The Whisper Behind the Walls could be a terrifying and mysterious opponent; played right, it could easily seem like a haunting or demonic manifestation at first. It could be an ally of an insect themed villain. If it suits the tone of the campaign, it could even BE a demonic manifestation, an expression of Beelzebub Lord of the Flies. On the other claw, if it can be convinced that if it were to reproduce uncontrollably and thus become a threat, Humans will destroy it, it may be possible to reason with it: "The scientists will return and feed you every day again, but you must remain within the building." But it will always be difficult to deal with due to its alien nature.
     
    Appearance: The exact varieties of insect making up the Whisper Behind the Walls should be determined based on the needs of the scenario, but suggestions include; fruit flies (favorite of biologists everywhere,) assorted social insects such as ants, termites, wasps, and bees, spiders, centipedes, beetles, fleas, mosquitoes, flies, lightning bugs, crickets, butterflies, and strange mutant arthropods not yet identified to entomology.
     
    Lucius Alexander
     
    Copyright Palindromedary Enterprises
  25. Like
    Lucius got a reaction from Ninja-Bear in The Swarm   
    Re: The Whisper Behind the Walls Build it as an AI. Like so.
     
    Whisper Behind the Walls
    Val Char Cost Roll Notes
    13 DEX 6 12- OCV: 4/DCV: 3
    18 INT 8 13- PER Roll 13-
    10 EGO 0 11- ECV: 6 - 7
    4 OCV 5
    3 DCV 0
    6 OMCV 9
    7 DMCV 12
    4 SPD 20 Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12
    Total Characteristic Cost: 60
     
    Movement:
    Flight: 3m/6m MEGAscale
     
    Cost Powers END
    Sensorium, all slots Clairsentience Only (-½) 53 1) All "Normal" Senses: Sight, Hearing, Smell, Taste, Touch (80 Active Points); Clairsentience Only (-½) 0 3 2) Infrared Perception (Sight Group) (5 Active Points); Clairsentience Only (-½) 0 3 3) Ultraviolet Perception (Sight Group) (5 Active Points); Clairsentience Only (-½) 0 2 4) Ultrasonic Perception (Hearing Group) (3 Active Points); Clairsentience Only (-½) 0 0 5) Mental Awareness; Clairsentience Only (-½) 0 5 6) Detect A Class Of Things: Minds 13- (Mental Group), Sense (7 Active Points); Clairsentience Only (-½) 0 2 7) Bump Of Direction (3 Active Points); Clairsentience Only (-½)
    165 Clairsentience (Sight, Mental, Touch, Smell/Taste And Hearing Groups), 16 Perception Points, Adjacent, Discriminatory, Increased Arc Of Perception (360 Degrees), Microscopic: x1,000, Mobile Perception Point (can move up to 12m per Phase), Targeting, Tracking, Transmit, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½), No Range Modifier (+½) (248 Active Points); Perceivable (Obvious to Mental Awareness (although the mentally aware may not understand WHAT they're percieving) and perception points are all insects or similar creatures who may be percieved ; -¼), Vulnerable Perception Points Something like an Area Effect attack that would destroy all insects in a given area creates a "dead spot" at least until more insects can be brought in (-¼) 0
     
    20 Unique Nature: Power Defense (20 points) 0
     
    13 Mind Screen: Mental Defense (20 points total) (20 Active Points); Costs Endurance (-½) 2
     
    15 Hive Mind: Damage Negation (-3 DCs Mental) 0
     
    12 Attunable Mind: Shape Shift ( Group, any class of mind) 1
     
    22 Mental Illusions (percieve the world as the hive mind does) 4d6, Area Of Effect (1m Surface; +¼), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½), Attack Versus Alternate Defense (Resistant Mental Defense; +½), Constant (+½), Cumulative (+½) (65 Active Points); No Conscious Control (Only Effects cannot be controlled; -1), No Range (-½), Limited Power Mental Contact Only (-½) 0
     
    10 Make Contact: Mind Scan 2d6, Penetrating (+½), Cumulative (48 points; +1) (25 Active Points); Extra Time (1 Turn (Post-Segment 12), Only to Activate, -¾), Limited Power Same range as Clairsentience (-½), Perceivable (Anything with a mind in the vicinity hears "whispers"; -¼) 2
     
    12 Mindworm: Telepathy 2d6, Penetrating (+½), Cumulative (48 points; +1) (25 Active Points); Skin Contact Required (Subject gets a touch perception roll to notice whatever insect acts as the conduit; -1) 2
     
    18 Endurance Reserve (40 END, 12 REC) (18 Active Points) 0
     
    13 Hive Off: Duplication (creates 550-point form), Cannot Recombine (-0) (110 Active Points); 1 Charge which Recovers every >1 Season (-4), Extra Time (1 Day, Only to Activate, -2), Concentration, Must Concentrate throughout 24 hr period (½ DMCV; -½), Increased Endurance Cost (x2 END; -½), Costs Endurance (Only Costs END to Activate; -¼), Limited Power Requires a "critical mass" of insects (-¼) 22
    1 Hive Relocation: Flight 3m, MegaScale (1m = 1 km; +1) (6 Active Points); 1 Continuing Fuel Charge lasting 1 Week which Recovers every >1 Season (-1 ¼), Extra Time (1 Turn (Post-Segment 12), Max speed 15 km/minute; -1 ¼), Perceivable (-¼), Restrainable (Only by means other than Grabs and Entangles; Wind and weather, or wind and weather powers; -¼) [1 cc]
     
    100 Hive Powers: Variable Power Pool, 50 base + 100 control cost 0
     
    1) Change Environment (-3 to Sight Group PER Rolls(cloud of insects) -2 to Hearing Group PER Rolls (buzzing) Long-Lasting 5 Minutes, Varying Combat Effects), Personal Immunity (+¼), Indirect (Source Point can vary from use to use, path is from Source Point to target; +½), Area Of Effect (8 2m Areas; +1 ¼), Mobile (1m per Phase; +½) (93 Active Points); Extra Time (1 Turn (Post-Segment 12), Only to Activate, -¾), Restrainable (Only by means other than Grabs and Entangles - insect repellant or insecticide; -¼) Real Cost: 46 9 0
     
    2) Stinging Swarm: Killing Attack - Ranged 1d6-1, Area Of Effect (4m Radius; +¼), Damage Over Time, Lock out (cannot be applied multiple times) (2 damage increments, damage occurs every Minute, can be negated by First Aid for stings/bites; +¼), +2 Increased STUN Multiplier (+½), Constant (+½), Attack Versus Alternate Defense (Life Support: Immune to insect/spider venom, impermeable defenses, alien physiologies; All Or Nothing; +1), Does BODY (+1), Indirect (Source Point can vary from use to use, path can change with every use; +1) (55 Active Points); 3 Continuing Fuel Charges lasting 1 Minute each (stingers run out of poison, mosquitoes too full to bite, etc; -¼) Real Cost: 44 [3 cc]
     
    Perks 15 Research Facility: Vehicles & Bases
     
    Talents
    12 +4/+4d6 Striking Appearance (vs. all characters)
     
    Skills 3
     
    Whisper: Language: English (fluent conversation; literate)
     
    9 Self Aware: "Computer Programming" 18-, Persistent (+¼), Inherent (+¼) (19 Active Points); Limited Power Self Only (-1)
     
    3 Animal Handler (Insects & Arthropods, Rodents) 9-
     
    3 Bugging (with real bugs) 13-
     
    9 Hive Powers: Power 16-
     
    16 +10 with Power (20 Active Points); Limited Power Only to offset Active Point penalty (-¼)
     
    Total Powers & Skill Cost: 539
    Total Cost: 599
     
    600+ Matching Complications
    500 Base Points
    25 Distinctive Features: To sight: If visible at all, will be some such manifestation as a swarm of insects. To hearing: a voice made of modulated buzzing or rustling. To mental senses: a hive mind that seems to inhabit the entire facility. I think it's safe to say it's going to freak people out. (Not Concealable; Extreme Reaction; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses)
    25 Physical Complication: Extremely limited understanding of any other sentient being's point of view (Very Frequently; Greatly Impairing)
    5 Psychological Complication: Protective of the facility's rats, mice, etc (They feed fleas while alive, ants and flies when dead) (Uncommon; Moderate)
    25 Susceptibility: Mental Powers (Note: Being a Susceptibility, this bypasses Mental Defense, Damage Negation and Class of Mind. i.e. any attempt to use Mental Powers will get at least 3d6 of Telepathy against the hive mind) 3d6 Telepathy per Phase (Uncommon)
    10 Psychological Complication: Animalistic: mainly concerned with food, survival, and primal insectile urges (Common; Moderate)
    10 Vulnerability: 2 x Effect Mind Scan (unique mental signature) (Uncommon)
    Total Complications Points: 599
     
    Background/History: When the Institute for the Study of Insect Behavior was closed down, not all of the specimens were destroyed or relocated. Funding had run out at a very bad time, as it turns out - the
    anomalous behavior that had so fascinated the entomologists was about to make a quantum leap. Starting with the most social insects, and expanding to include all insects, spiders, and their kin, these creatures had achieved a collective consciousness - a true "hive mind." Before the departure of the last scientists, the psionic hive had picked enough knowledge from their minds to understand a little English, and even attempt to reproduce words using the sounds it could make with insect bodies - attempts that were laughed off as an imaginary "Whisper Behind the Walls."
     
    Personality/Motivation: Although self aware and capable of reasoning and learning, the Whisper Behind the Walls remains insectile in its concerns. The reaction to Humans appearing in the facility again will be a passive watching and waiting at first; the hive remembers Humans as a source of food and sometimes of interesting stimulus or challenging problems. If fed (not necessarily deliberately; if food is left where the insects can get to it, the hive considers itself fed) the hive may try to do something (it thinks) the characters would want or like (it absorbed a crude version of the principles of operant conditioning from the behaviorists) or to make contact. If not fed, it will try tomake its needs known via "whispering," telepathy, or even spelling out words with the bodies of insects or with small objects or some substance it can manipulate (for example, carpenter ants may spell out FEED US with the frass, or sawdust, they produce boring through wood.) If frustrated, it may try to kill one or more of the characters to use their bodies as food. If threatened or harmed (poison put out, or large numbers of insects killed - it doesn't care about a few individuals getting stomped or swatted) it will most certainly strike out, trying to kill or drive off the intruders.
     
    Quote: ffffhhheeed uszzzz
     
    Powers/Tactics: What the Whisper Behind the Walls can do depends on such factors as how many insects of what kinds are available. It will certainly be difficult to destroy; even burning down the entire complex will not guarantee that some parts of the hive will not escape. Destroying enough insects will probably at least render it powerless or near powerless for a time. Whatever equipment or systems remain in the facility may actually be operable by the Whisper; inside the machinery or walls could lurk large beetles, large numbers of ants working together, or rodents the Whisper has trained (former lab animals) to operate switches or manipulate wiring. It knows Humans don't see well in the dark. Along the same lines, a suicide squad of ants or flies could contaminate food supplies with poison. Termites could turn a sound floor into a pit trap overnight. Poisonous spiders, or even scorpions, intelligently directed, could prove lethal. The most terrifying power of the Whisper Behind the Walls could be the ability to "hive off" - to split into two seperate hive minds, one of which will move away to establish itself elsewhere. The Whisper Behind the Walls is capable of "tuning" its mind (Shapeshift, Mental Group) into and out of vaguely Human-like phase states. When it is "tuned in" it is possible for a mentalist to effect it as Human Class of Mind, although it is well defended and has a Mental Illusions Damage Shield (overwhelming the contacting mind with the sensory input of a variety of insects. This is not a deliberate defense, merely an effect of its nature.) Note that it must tune in to be able to use its own Mental Powers.
     
    Campaign Use: The Whisper Behind the Walls could be a terrifying and mysterious opponent; played right, it could easily seem like a haunting or demonic manifestation at first. It could be an ally of an insect themed villain. If it suits the tone of the campaign, it could even BE a demonic manifestation, an expression of Beelzebub Lord of the Flies. On the other claw, if it can be convinced that if it were to reproduce uncontrollably and thus become a threat, Humans will destroy it, it may be possible to reason with it: "The scientists will return and feed you every day again, but you must remain within the building." But it will always be difficult to deal with due to its alien nature.
     
    Appearance: The exact varieties of insect making up the Whisper Behind the Walls should be determined based on the needs of the scenario, but suggestions include; fruit flies (favorite of biologists everywhere,) assorted social insects such as ants, termites, wasps, and bees, spiders, centipedes, beetles, fleas, mosquitoes, flies, lightning bugs, crickets, butterflies, and strange mutant arthropods not yet identified to entomology.
     
    Lucius Alexander
     
    Copyright Palindromedary Enterprises
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