Tornado

Re: Campaign Setting: Age of Avarice

Re: Campaign Setting: Age of Avarice I was shooting for fairly psychologically distinct (to the point that you can say, "look, this is something the alien does that humans do not do" rather than adjusting statistics about human behavior), but not unplayably so. With the Etachi, I can see that (I actually forgot to make a note of the fact that you can just clip the "domesticated" off the Etachi character sheet), and the Mazkai to a lesser degree, but why the Libids? The International Economic Union could be thought of as "running" society at large, but it has a very high degree of indifference to humanitarian issues. It prioritizes the strategic and economic above the social and political. It has, in the past forty years, started not one but two wars that were more-or-less naked aggression in the name of economic stability (not to mention the occasional violent outbreaks during the integration of Armab). What's more, despite its lenient tendencies towards dictatorship, lack of social and/or political rights, poverty, and so forth, society is more or less stuck with the IEU. The armed forces of the IEU (including logistics, etc) are 40 million people who can beat down anyone who starts a fight - so no one does. To be honest, the title is the best thing I could come up with. e: Added some adventure seeds on the Planets page, at the bottom of the entries for Bapakaba and Heriko.

Re: Campaign Setting: Age of Avarice Anything they feel like. Seriously: police/detective/investigative work (federal or local), trade and transit between planets (or countries, I suppose), smuggling, assassination, other criminal enterprises, security work, special forces activities, espionage, corporate espionage, etc. Standard adventure probably goes something like: PCs are given a seemingly standard job (whatever they do for a living) to do, then (shocking twist!) something/everything isn't like they thought it was/goes horribly wrong.

The year is 2146, and the universe is at peace, united under the flag of the International Economic Union. Time and instability have turned the IEU from little more than the printer of a unified currency to the controller of the largest armed forces, the overarching decider of economic policy and the administrator of human colonization. Thanks to the development of effective, fairly cheap interstellar travel, first contact has been made with two less-sophisticated sapient societies, the Irai and Libids. Upon first contact, these species were technologically equivalent to the bronze and hunter gatherer ages of human civilization, respectively. As of yet, no other technological civilization has been detected, much to the relief of the upper echelons of the IEU military and the disappointment of 20th century dreamers. Alongside all these interstellar developments are developments in genetics, chemistry, physiology, neurology, prosthetics and cybernetics which allow for the change of human beings on countless levels. Ultimately, however, they are all still human, and sentient artificial intelligence has remained the constant domain of futurists for the past century. http://ageofavarice.weebly.com/index.html Still a work in progress, but I'd be interested in any opinions. Any at all. Please, I'm begging you... e: god those last couple lines read really pathetically. lol. ignore it.

I'm currently in the long process of physically writing up a setting, and I'm approached with the problem of voice. Many RPG supplements use an authorial third person to write about the setting, but is this the best voice? On the one hand, the text is thus clear and unbiased, but on the other hand it results in text that's bland and definite, representing the world through an almanac, without even the barest trace of an author. So now I'm considering other voices. The two primary ideas I have are: A sort of "college paper" writing style, with interspersed quotes and the author failing to provide any viewpoint of their own (except endless ambivalence). I guess this could also be described as a "wikipedia" writing style. On the one hand, it keeps a lot of information grounded in "reality" and also allows lots of ideas to creep in. On the other hand, it's not a very "clean" writing style. A document written from the perspective of the status quo superpower of the setting: any flaws of the ruling government are glossed over and phrased in the kindest terms (e.g. "focused on peace and stability rather than humanitarian concerns" instead of "supported dictators as long as they could keep the number of civil wars to a minimum") and/or the focus is on how we are trying as hard as we possibly can to deal with them, seriously you guys. The government is spoken of in glowing terms and anti-government groups are subtly derided by an author who clearly has a low opinion of them. On the one hand, it definitely gives the text a character that implies a real author somewhere in "reality." On the other hand, it can result in a skewed perception for the reader, where the skewed reality that the writer portrays is thought to be unbiased. Thoughts? Your experiences with this?

Re: Political/Religious Space Colonies?

Re: Political/Religious Space Colonies?

Re: ET Stay Home The problem with the Top Dog Kill Them First analysis is that it is an overly anthropocentric reason. It is consequentialist and based on certain assumptions about alien life. It is far more likely that humans have moral incompatibilities that make us not some maybe-one-day threat, but something that is absolutely loathed. To put us in the position of the aliens: suppose that we encountered a planet where its populace had no concept of a "peer group" or "consensual sex;" they have a pack mentality where society is comprised solely of people "above you" and "below you" and rape is the primary means of establishing social dominance. Would we want to interact with such a species? The answer is no. No, we would not. We might not commit genocide, but that is only because we have some kind of moral compunction against it and these aliens are not yet a threat. If these monsters ever threatened us, we'd hit them with relativistic weapons. If a species very social instincts are repulsive, there are no outliers. Why assume that our methods of establishing dominance and group organization are considered any more enlightened than those of rape monsters?

Re: Instagib Move Throughs?

Okay, so I'm working through a character who can fly really, really fast, and I've suddenly noticed that Move Throughs with a rapid speed do disgustingly high damage. For example, a character with 32m x32 NCM Flight, going at their max speed of 1024m per Phase, dishes out 171d6 damage in a Move Through, half of which rebounds on them. As far as I can tell, reading the rules, NCM apparently deals appropriate v/6 damage, as it states "[the character] may perform [Move Throughs] at Noncombat Movement speeds with other forms of movement (though this means the character has a base OCV of 0; see 6E2 24)". 171d6 damage seems way, way too much, even at 0 OCV. What if my character hits a wall or something? They just die? There is no reasonable way to defend from an attack that does that much damage, except desolidification, and that's hardly appropriate. Am I reading this wrong?

Re: END Costs - standard vs Reserve What if all my powers in my END Reserve are instant?

Why does the Endurance in an Endurance Reserve cost 1 point per 4 points of END whereas the endurance in your characteristics costs 1 point per 5 points of END? The REC in an END Reserve is cheaper, so why is the END more expensive? Is it just an oversight?

Okay, so suppose that a character has a power that they can use at will normally, but that will sometimes "go off" without their consent, especially in emotionally trying situations. Like they can summon lightning bolts, but sometimes they do it when they don't mean to. Is there an existing limitation that covers this? What value would you put it at if there isn't.

I'm working on a low-powered super character concept, and his big "power" is that he was born multiple times and has developed a psychic link to his "brothers." He can access their memories, has a very good idea of their lives, is visually identical to them, et cetera. How would you model this? Mainly I'm worried about how to put down his access to information via them (visual similarity can be covered by Deep Cover). They are not currently aware of his existence, and he'd prefer to keep it that way for as long as possible. If they were aware of him, they'd be disinclined to help him out. How would you build this?

Re: An answer and a question. Sure, but how many hate groups target members of al-Qaeda? Whereas in, say, Marvel, you've got the Friends of Humanity. Sure, discrimination, even legal discrimination, against a microscopic minority can exist. But that sort of removes the whole metaphor of racism/anti-semitism/homophobia/transphobia/anti-communism/nativist ideology. I guess that's what I'm trying to get at; how do you make them a minority akin to blacks, jews, gays, transsexual, commies, or immigrants?

Re: How do mutants work out?

I'm sort-of kind-of working on a couple of superhero settings, but I'm stuck with a problem: how does one actually do anti-mutant sentiment? Classically in comic books, there is some subtype of super which is widely discriminated against. The problem I'm having is one of demographics. The difficulty is simple: how many mutants are there? If you make just a tiny 1% of people be mutants, then that's 3 million mutants in the United States alone. If you reduce that to .1%, that's still three hundred thousand superhumans in the US. If there are thousands of mutants worldwide, that leaves us with them making up less than .00001% of the world's population, and less than .0001% of the United States'. How exactly can there be widespread discrimination against such a tiny minority? Blagh. Any solutions to this mutant overpopulation?

If two points had the same "frame of reference," could you teleport between them in a relativistic universe without violating causality? Is this idea nonsensical?

So I decided to start writing up a supervillain weekly, and this is the thread where I will post them. I've already got some ideas sketched up, and finished up this character here. Penelope [surname Unknown], aka Shooter Val CHA Cost Roll Notes 15 STR 5 12- Lift 200 kg; 3d6 HTH Damage 23 DEX 39 14- OCV: 18/DCV: 18 13 CON 6 12- 14 BODY 8 12- 13 INT 3 12- PER Roll 15- 18 EGO 16 13- ECV: 6 18 PRE 8 13- PRE Attack: 3 1/2d6 13 COM 1 12- 8 PD 5 Total: 8 PD (6 rPD) 8 ED 5 Total: 8 ED (6 rED) 6 SPD 27 Phases: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 6 REC 0 26 END 0 29 STUN 0 Total Characteristics Cost: 115 Movement: Running: 10"/20" Swimming: 4"/8" Cost Powers & Skills 8 Running +4” 4 Swimming +2” 4 1 pip Regeneration, 0 END (+1/2), Persistant (+1/2) (20 Active Points), Extra Time: 1 Hour (-3), Self Only (-1/2) 6 Tough: Damage Resistance 6 rPD, 6 rED 12 Tough: Hardened (+1/2) on PD and ED (resistant and nonresistant) 80 +10 CV 8 Good With Her Guns: +4 OCV with Her Guns 30 Her Guns: 2d6 RKA, 0 END (+1/2), Autofire: 2 Shots (+1/4) Armor Piercing (+1/2) (67 Active Points), OAF: Twin Handguns (-1), Real Weapon (-1/4) 9 +3 to all Senses 5 Life Support: Immunity to Aging 166 Total Powers Cost Skills 3 Acrobatics 14- 3 Acting 13- 0 AK: (local area) 8- 3 Breakfall 14- 3 Climbing 14- 3 Combat Driving 14- 3 Concealment 12- 3 Contortionist 14- 3 Conversation 13- 0 CuK: Native Culture 11- 0 Deduction 8- 7 Fast Draw 16- 3 High Society 13- 0 KS: Modern Firearms 8- 0 KS: History 8- 0 KS: General Knowledge 11- 0 Language: English 4 Language: Russian (native accent) 4 Language: Greek (native accent) 3 Language: Japanese (fluent, accented) 3 Language: Mandarin (fluent, accented) 5 Language: French (imitate dialects) 5 Language: Spanish (imitate dialects) 5 Lockpicking 15- 3 Paramedics 12- 5 Persuasion 14- 0 PS: Secretary 8- 5 PS: Assassin 14- 0 PS: Perform Basic Chores And Menial Tasks 11- 5 Shadowing 13- 3 Sleight of Hand 14- 3 Stealth 14- 3 Streetwise 13- 3 Survival 12- 1 Tactics 8- 0 TF: Civilian Cars 2 WF: Small Arms 2 WF: Assault Rifles/LMGs 2 WF: Handguns 102 Total Skills Cost 268 Total Powers & Skills Cost 383 Total Character Cost 200+ Disadvantages 25 Hunted: The Law (More Powerful, Extensive NCI, 11-) 15 Psychological Limitation: Never leave a job unfinished (Common, Strong) 15 Psychological Limitation: Paranoia (Very Common, Moderate) 10 Reputation: Assassin (8-, Extreme Reputation) 15 Social Limitation: Assassin (Frequently, Major) 103 Experience 383 Total Disadvantage Points Background/History: Her origin is unknown but she is suspected to be an immortal. A few years ago, she made waves in the professional assassination scene, but just before her arrival on the assassination scene, a number of japanese officials suspected of corruption were brutally murdered with a firearm similar to her own. She’s killed a lot of people since then for money, and gotten to be quite well known despite her attempts to the contrary. She’s adopted many identities briefly in her work, and she’s used Penelope as her first name the most, though whether this is her real name or simply a pseudonym is unknown. Personality/Motivation: Beyond her paranoia and compulsion to finish whatever she sets out to do, Penelope is extremely manipulative in her interactions with others - she views people as assets and targets, not as truly alive. She is also very skilled at this manipulation. Quote: “I'll get the job done." Powers/Tactics: She’s exceptionally skilled with a pair of custom firearms. She shoots people, sneaks around and lies until she can get close enough to her target, then she shoots them with bullets. Appearance: She looks like a fairly normal, dark-haired woman of european descent. She has no distinguishing features. Her twin handguns are quite elaborately designed and decorated with complex designs.

So, I was looking for something historical to model the rise of genetic engineering in my SF setting on. Some piece of technology which was, at one point, considered immoral by a large number of people but is now ubiquitous and accepted by the majority? Nuclear power was suggested, but it seems a bit "work in progress" to model the acceptance on (alas, Australia).

Re: Jens, the Undying Head of the Thieves' Guild

Val CHA Cost Roll Notes 8 STR -2 11- Lift: 75kg; 1 1/2d6 HTH Damage 14 DEX 12 12- OCV: 5/DCV: 5 10 CON 0 11- 11 BODY 2 11- 18 INT 8 13- PER Roll 13- 14 EGO 8 12- ECV: 5 23 PRE 16 14- PRE Attack: 4 1/2d6 14 COM 2 12- 2 PD 0 Total: 2 PD 5 ED 2 Total: 9 ED (4 rED) 4 SPD 12 Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12 6 REC 0 26 END 0 25 STUN 0 Total Characteristics Cost: 60 Movement: Running: 6"/12" Swimming: 2"/4" Cost Powers & Skills 16 Affects Physical World on STR (+2) 60 Desolidification: 0 END (+1/2), Persistent (+1/2), Invisible Power Effects (Fully Invisible; +1) (120 Active Points); Cannot Pass Through Solid Objects (-1/2), Always On (-1/2). Bypassed via Energy Magic (fire, cold, acid, etc) 6 Armor 4 rED 40 Naked Advantage: Affects Physical World (+2) on all Weapons up to 20 Active Points 45 Does Not Eat, Age, Safe in All Environments, Immune to all terrestrial diseases and biowarfare agents, immune to all lethal poisons and chemical warfare agents. 167 Total Powers Cost Perks 4 Head of Local Thieves’ Guild 4 Unofficial “Mayor” Skills 3 Acting 14- 3 AK: Local Area 13- 3 Bribery 13- 0 Climbing 8- 3 Concealment 13- 3 Contortionist 12- 3 Conversation 14- 0 CuK: Native Culture 11- 0 Deduction 8- 5 Disguise 14- 3 Forgery 13- 3 High Society 14- 3 Interrogation 14- 3 KS: Economics 13- 2 KS: Local Events 11- 0 KS: General Knowledge 11- 0 Language (native) 1 Lipreading 8- 3 Lockpicking 12- 5 Oratory 15- 3 Paramedics 13- 7 Persuasion 16- 0 PS: Farming 8- 3 PS: Leadership/Management 13- 0 PS: Perform Basic Chores And Menial Tasks 11- 3 Seduction 14- 3 Shadowing 13- 3 Stealth 12- 9 Streetwise 17- 1 Survival 8- 1 Tracking 8- 0 TF: Equines 2 WF: Blades 81 Total Skills Cost 256 Total Powers & Skills Cost 316 Total Character Cost 75+ Disadvantages 15 Distinctive Features: Immortal (Not Concealable, Causes Major Reaction, Detectable By Simple Tests) 10 Psychological Limitation: Must Be In Control (Uncommon, Strong) 15 Social Limitation: Public Identity (Frequently, Major) 201 Experience Points 316 Total Disadvantage Points Background: Born over a hundred years ago, Jens was once a street urchin, orphaned at a young age by disease and starvation. Forced to fight to survive, he managed for a time until one day he departed the city he had called home, seeking out greener pastures. As it turned out, he found one. An oasis which has never been located again, after spending over a day making his way through the desert he nearly collapsed into it. Feeling refreshed and rejuvenated almost before he fell into the water, he drank up as much as he could and began to make his way onward. He found distant farmlands and took up the trade of the locals. For over a decade, he was content to work with his hands. But when a greedy bandit lord decided he wanted one of the young girls there to be one of his concubines, the young Jens tried to stop him, only to be impaled on a sword. He fell to the ground, and the lord turned to go get the girl. The surprise was mutual when Jens got up, removed the sword from his chest and tried to strike the lord in turn. While his clumsy and inept strike only succeeded in knocking the lord of his horse, the lord’s fellow bandits were too shocked by the seemingly immortal Jens to do anything about it. Jens moved over to try again, and successfully killed the lord. The other bandits ran away, fearful of Jens’ immortality. He became a local hero and went on living in the community for another decade before he decided to move on. He wanted fortune and power, and knew he could earn it with his supernatural gift. He took to a distant city, and slowly ascended the ranks of the local “Thieves’ Guild,” a collective formed by various local street gangs. He now has huge control over the local goings-on, and is indeed the de-facto ruler of the city, and the definitive leader of the Thieves’ Guild. Quote: “Oh, and do remember to cut off his head this time. It sends a rather visceral image to other freelancers. I find it discourages them quite well.” Personality/Motivation: Jens is the leader of his city out of a desire for control. While the city undeniably blooms under his watchful hand, he doesn’t control it for that purpose. After having grown up on the bottom rungs of life and watched with distaste as others kicked him around, he become infatuated with the idea that he might one day be the one doing the kicking. Once he had killed a man of large physical and social power like that bandit lord, he knew that he could do it. Powers/Tactics: Jens’ sole “power” is is superhuman immortality. He can only be slain by magic, and he has even fortified himself quite a bit against it, learning to resist energy. Jens’ prefers the knife to other weapons, and isn’t terribly strong. He prefers to avoid straight up combat, leaving it to his lackies.

Re: How much of "typical fantasy setting" actually intersects with "medieval europe"?

It's a strange question that I've been pondering. Typical fantasy settings tend to avoid actual medieval european-like... everything. There's occasionally a parallel to the Catholic Church, and sure there's a feudal system (though this is true for plenty of other places) with the divine right of kings/queen, and the terrain is vaguely similar, but religions are almost always polytheistic, magic is not based upon the medieval european conceptions at all (it tends to be elemental rather than the divine/demonic dichotomy), gender bias is much more modern, and the most important races (elves, dwarves, et cetera) have almost nothing to do with mythology at all (though they do often have quite a bit to do with european racism). So how is the "typical fantasy setting" actually like medieval europe? I ask this not as an inquiry of how it can be more like medieval europe, but rather of one of how it is like medieval europe, a purely intellectual question. If any of my aforementioned ideas about medieval europe/typical fantasy setting are wrong, please tell me that too.

Re: How would I build this? By "magically follows" I don't mean in the sense of follows them around, walking or floating behind, but in the sense of that "I threw it away and then it reappeared on my bed. I sold to a guy and it returned to my doorstep. I locked it inside a tiny box, but it came back." The magical boomerang effect; he can never get rid of it. The object is visible to everyone, though it's voice is heard only by the target. "Beating" the spell is done by either simply ignoring the object, or disenchanting it.