Cargus10

Re: A DC/FH Hybrid - Help Build a World! OK, that's one I've not read...I'll have to look for it at once. Many thanks for the suggestion!

Re: Dragonia I want to believe!

Re: Game of Thrones I tried to read Erikson, and just gave up after about 100 pages. I had not one single clue what was going on, even to not being sure who the main characters were. I haven't been that confused since, um....OK, there has to be something. Tristram Shandy, maybe (which I also abandoned).

Re: Game of Thrones Glen Cook, maybe? Eric Flint? Hmmm...trying to think of someone that has the same "style" as Martin AND could do epic fantasy. Tad Williams, maybe? Though I just couldn't get into the "Dragonbone Chair" books, I think he could finish up the Ice & Fire books and be readable. Maybe Raymond Feist? He can sure do the epic part.

Re: Game of Thrones I was a bit disappointed in Book 4 simply because I find the events in the North to be a bit more compelling than those in the South. But it's been a while, and I'm re-reading the series now (or actually, listening. I don't normally do audio books, but this one is very well done and it makes those long air flights go by better). I'm about halfway through book 2 ATM and already wincing at the thought of the upcoming Red Wedding.

Re: Game of Thrones Oh, it really does get better as some of the nasties start getting their own comeuppance in book 3. And it's very satisfying when it happens, indeed. I felt like you did, almost...but the ending of the third book, the last few chapters....holy hell, that rocked.

Re: Avengers: The Next Generation on Hero Central Some minor editing to Greenstar

Re: Avengers: The Next Generation on Hero Central The fact that MMD is playing *so* makes me want to create a giant psychic Maori statue who is also a total smartass...

Re: Avengers: The Next Generation on Hero Central danke, thanks, and all that jazz

Re: Avengers: The Next Generation on Hero Central Oh, looks like we post them here for the world to see. Well, how about a Starknight of "generation 2.5"...

Re: Game of Thrones Some flaws are cool - everyone has them. I just don't want the flaws taking over EVERYONE. Ned had issues, for sure, but he really did know a lot of his limitations. He was kind of forced into a situation that he *knew* he wasn't cut out for, and it cost him. Think of Ned as "Stannis lite". Only not as ruthless.

Re: Avengers: The Next Generation on Hero Central How do you want the characters submitted? Private email to you here?

Re: Game of Thrones Yeah. if he offs Jon Snow or makes him into a *****, I'll be very upset. Although, if you look on the fan forums, a ton of people absolutely HATE Jon Snow because he's "the good guy". Apparently being honorable makes for boring characters...who knew? Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I'm not all that into anti-heroes, particularly when there is scope for them and heroes as well.

Re: Sprit Whim Magic System You could just require that all spells take the "Increased END" limitation, or "Costs END" for spells that normally don't. Likewise, one way I've foound to balance some powers: Force Field: Require it to have at least 3x END Healing: Require Extra Time, at least 1 full turn if not more Mental Powers: Require Concentration. For some, make them No Range. I like the "increase power for skill" tradeoff, but the example you give is more like a Variable Advantage. Arc isn't just boosting the power of the spell, he's changing it on a more basic level.

Re: Game of Thrones There are a lot of flawed characters in the books. Caetlyn Stark is a major one, IMO. She is, in some ways, the cause of much of the crap that occurs. And while you do tend to care about even the villains, there are a few that are just uniformly unsavory. Cersei Lannister, for example, or the aforementioned Gregor Clegane. But there are some real diamonds in the rough too, like Davos Seaworth or Brienne.

Re: Game of Thrones Oh, do keep reading. Trust me, things....happen to the Lannisters as well. And there are some truly memorable villains, but there are also some pretty inspiring heroes as well - but everyone has shades of grey. Except maybe Gregor Clegane. He's just pure psycopathic eeeeeeevilllll.

Re: Natoxia, Home-Brewed Game - Need expert advice (Long) Flash is another area that will cause you stomach pains - there's not a lot of non-magical flash defense in the average fantasy setting! Designing spells yourself is a lifesaver. Not only does increased END balance things, but so do Extra Time (as mentioned), concentration (the DCV penalty makes them think twice), and making the spell "hard" (-1 to the roll for each 5AP). Hard to get expendable foci can also help. Also keep an eye on anyone wanting delayed effect or triggers to get around some of the limitations!

Re: New Mechanic: Danger Sense Modifier Well, some combos seem untenable. The "Harm to Anything" alone is so broad as to make the power almost useless, as it would be constantly firing. Otherwise, I like it.

Re: Game of Thrones I've read them all, and am now listening to the audio versions (great for long car or airplane trips). Those rock too. And if you can find them, be sure to read his "Dunk & Egg" stories about Ser Duncan the Tall and Egg his squire, set maybe 150 years before the novels. Good stuff.

Re: A DC/FH Hybrid - Help Build a World! The D'Arcy books by Randall Garret are not only kick ass books, but they did provide me with some inspiration, as did the "Peshwar Lancers" by Stirling. Operation Chaos...is tha the one where the main characters are a werewolf and a sorceress that work for the gov't?

I've been asked to do an “urban fantasy” kind of campaign, as the players have been inspired by the “Dresden” series by Jim Butcher (excellent stuff, if you've not read it, stop now and go get it at once!). However, they don't want to be in that particular “world”, but something unfamiliar but with a somewhat similar feel. So, I started thinking about it. The one big problem I have with the Dresden books is that, despite all the magical mayhem that occurs, the population at large never actually starts to believe. Its all explained away as “people don't want to believe that, so they find excuses not to”. Yeah, that may be true to an extent, but c'mon...when you have a passel of evil wizards trying to open a gateway in a supernatural storm in the middle of Chicago and there's an undead T-Rex running about being controlled by an air spirit that is a lecher and voyeur, well, people are gonna notice! They just will. So, I decided, how to interject the fantastic and supernatural into mundane life, yet keep one side from overwhelming the other? What I came up with was an earth-shattering event of enormous importance that occurred some time ago, so that the effects have somewhat damped down. I decided that some event (handwave, handwave, will make something up here involving other dimensions and maybe cosmic ley lines or artifacts or entities, or what have you) will occur that will not only interject magic into the world, but will also let in any number of supernatural beasties, from fey to vampires to demons to ghosts to weres to God-literally-knows-what. So, my point of departure is 1697. Very little exploration of the Americas has occurred yet. The Portuguese, Dutch, and French are in Africa, but not in quantity. I postulate “portals” opening in several places, specifically eastern Europe, the Russian steppes, Northern India, Amazonia, Yellowstone, central Korea, south Africa, and possibly 2-3 others. Europe gets a burst of magical energy that causes some people to become lycanthropes, while others are initially thought slain but arise later to become vampires. One effect of this is that Peter the Great, traveling about Europe incognito at that time, is slain (or worse), leaving Russia without a strong leader to face the swarm of demons that come through portal in the steppes – Russia as a nation is effectively wiped out. A single entity of enormous magical power enters via the Indian portal, one capable of mentally enslaving literally millions of people. Crazed armies of fanatics go on to conquer all of India and much of China and SW Asia, creating a “dark empire” that lasts until the present day. In Europe, the British Isles are somewhat spared, and Sweden becomes something of a world power again, bolstered by the surviving Russians that have retreated to the Murmansk and Archangel areas. Europeans lose their presence in Africa, and the voyages of exploration come to an abrupt halt. Scientific inquiry doesn't halt, but slows down dramatically. OK, so...what next? I'd like to keep religion out as a “power”...people will certainly believe still, but holy relics, prayers, etc. will have no more effect than they do now (though true faith, whether in Yahweh, Allah, ancestor-spirits, or the Tooth Fairy is sometimes useful in powering magical effects....). So help me play what-if. Extrapolate to the current day. Obviously, technology is going to lag. I think I'd like to posit no wireless communications, and of course no electronic revolution. Perhaps no heavier-than-air flight? What about personal automobiles? What are the standard military weapons, and what nations are true powers? What kinds of magical “societies” will arise, and how will they interact with government and church? Any and all speculation is welcome, and I'll try and weave it all into a nice tapestry for the players.

Re: Need Limitation Estimates I'd say it really does depend on the game, and how often this kind of death is a real threat. For most of the games I've been involved with, "active" death is far more prevalent. However... Don't underestimate the effect of knowing that you can survive poison and the like will have on how the character is played. Room filled with smoke or noxious gas? No problem. Enemy with poison darts? Merely a scratch! I'd give it a -1, I think.

Re: fixed duration blessing cast before combat Lingering, with Extra Time as a disad for casting? And probably Persistant too, I'd guess...

Re: Alternate Earth 4: First Nations ascendant If you posit horse-breeding areas as sites of empire generation, don't forget that Virgina and the Shenandoah valley was (is still?) exceptional horse country plus has the benefit of being highly fertile and with good river access to the ocean. I'd think there'd at least be a good chance of that being an "empire seed". I'm not quite as quick to dismiss the tall vs wide continent theory. Yes, corn has a wide range. But corn is in general less nutritious than wheat or rice, and has fewer required vitamins (Pellagra, for example, is an issue with an all-corn diet). Plus, you can't make beer out of corn! That may sound like a joke, but there have been some serious theories that part of the impetus for a more settled civilization was to allow the beer to ferment...

Re: A New Dawn. 'Post-Apocalyptic' Fantasy The day had been long, and my hip was paining me more than usual; no doubt the wet chill of the incessant rain had gotten into it. Regardless, I overindulged in the l'shaal, drinking down near twice the accustomed amount of that bitter-sweet green syrup. As usual when doing so, I fell into a heavy sleep...and dreamed. I dreamed of Ashali-That-Was, Ashali the Jewel of the Southern Sky, Ashali the Fallen. I soared amidst its towers and walkways, the moon full and silver above me and the crystal lanterns of the city alive like precious gems winking crimson and emerald, azure and violet and amber. In the sky above the Tower of Nelwhon I met Estreena, and we cavorted in the cool air for a time, before alighting on the balcony that was named Desire, and taking to a couch where we loved under the stars until the dawn glimmered rose and gold in the east. As dreams will, though, it shifted on a sudden, and I found myself in an all to familiar place in the Pavilion of Uhrent, under a lowering sky. My armor chafed at me, and the blade hung like a dead weight unaccustomed at my side. I was but a lowly apprentice, and my magic not yet strong enough to earn me a place in the Casting-Hall with the Adepts and Masters. Still, I would use it before any other weapon – my skill at arms was feeble in comparison. I relived the terrible wait as the Yonsai mustered their forces and hordes of demonlings on the spires and crags below us, and I saw again the cloud of them as they arose to the walls of Ashali borne on winds of magic that we could not quell. I saw Ashali fall again, and the pain of it smote me as fresh as the day it had happened. The battles in the air, the bodies and blood raining down...flights of arrows, sorcerous blasts and gales, clouds of noxious fumes and rains of flame...death, destruction, and fire. Again, as ever before, I spent my then meager store of mana, having the satisfaction of felling a half score of the enemy before I was spent, and they were upon us. Again I saw them overrun the Pavilion, my comrades and blood-kin falling before the blades and claws and fangs, unable to stem that black tide. I saw again as Orusia, he of the quick laugh and crooked mouth was swept over and torn asunder by demon claws. Uluria, too, I saw as a mighty Yonsai warrior-priest removed his head from his body with one sweeping blow of a great axe. All this and more I recalled, until the orange and red skin of the demon filled my vision and I raised my blade in pitiful defense. I felt again the demon's black blade cut into my hip, felt the coldness of it, and knew the weapon and the wound to be cursed. I fell, and was covered by bodies falling onto me, the blood of my body and my people washing over me like a horrid rain. I did not dream of the swoon I fell into, but rather the waking as Ashali tipped and began to plummet, the magics holding it aloft finally destroyed. I remembered unfurling my wings into a last desperate glide, barely escaping the collapse of the once proud city. I remembered... And when I awoke, drenched in sweat and my limbs twitching, my hip screaming again in agony despite the l'shaal, I wept, as I had wept then and many times after...and knew that it would not be the last time I wept for all that was lost – my city, my love, my kin, and my dreams.