Sociotard

Re: Answers & Questions Q) What's the news on the divisive members of our organization? A) About three gallons a day, and you don't wanna know where it comes from.

Re: Analyze Enhancer? Uh, same thing for reputation. Here, I do the Universal Reputation Talent. Universal Reputation (PRE roll) - The character has been around the block so many times that just about everybody knows him from something he's done somewhere. A successful roll means there is someone who remembers who you are, though they probably don't really care. A more successful roll means the character is admired by someone, or even worshiped! An unsuccessful roll means the character is dealing with someone who reeeeeally doesn't get out much and has no idea who the character is, or, if the roll is failed badly, hates or loathes the character. And enhancer? I guess that really doesn't make much sense. It'd only be for games where gm's never dole out reputation with the XP, but the player really wants to be remembered in whatever areas he passes through. call it one of those faces 3 points. All future reputation may be bought for one point less Okay, I was right, that doesn't even make sense. Sorry.

Re: Does My Brother Have "Right to Marry"? Here's how I look at deciding what perks cost points. Could this be used to create situations that would re-emphasize a players importance in a party. Now, all I need to do is look at my campaign and try to think of way's that could be useful to a character. A good GM, if his player takes this perk, will try to make such situations crop up every now and then. Not too often, since its only one point, and you can only have weddings every so often. I've used it in the past after the player had some experience under his belt. He'd walk into town and, because I give reputation for really notable acts, would be told the town magistrate would be honored to have such a great hero officiate at the wedding. The player thought that was cool. Another point is that, very often, I just say that 'right to marry' automatically established by having certain other perks, such as "ship captain" in Star hero.

Re: Please help me build a wind-based EC Framework I think my favorite wind power I've yet seen on these boards was Dispel "Knockback Resistance", does knockback, double knockback. It was choice. Oh, and Flight usable as attack too.

Re: Answers & Questions Q) So what's "ferdinand the Strong" calling himself since he got back from sensitivity training? A)Because Mom wouldn't have any sympathy for me for doing it, that's why!

Re: Analyze Enhancer? Oh, on a related thought, How about a skill enhancer or Talent for Reputation?

Okay, first of all, 1000 Post Mark! Whoot! Thank you. On to business: Skill enhancers allow characters to get a one-point discount for a given skill. Would you ever allow an enhancer for Analyze? Basically, a character with the Analyst enhancer would buy any future Analyze skills for less. A related idea: How about 20 Universal Analyst (INT roll) - The character is able to quickly understand patterns and relationships, be it determining a subjects emotional state from his handwriting, a style in martial arts, or what have you. A successful roll means basic relationships can be determined (He was angrier than normal when he wrote this letter, He's using Kung fu). Rolls made by a greater margin reveal more detailed informaition. (He was angry at his wife when he wrote this, He's using this particular style of kung fu), and possibly bonuses to other to other skills. A Failed roll means anything from simple inablity to divine anything (-1) to getting it completely wrong (-5) Thoughts?

Re: Stupid Mentalist Tricks "Quit Looking at me that way" Drain Str 2d6, BOECV (+1), Ranged(+1/2), only vs one very small limb (-2), Set effect (-1). One mental command becomes the ultimate anti-viagra. It'll fall, and it won't be able to go back up.

Re: Holy Poker Card Shuriken! I actually found a few sites offering sharpened metal cards, usually in a sets of a given hand (a royal flush, a full house, etc). I was surprised that none of them came in the famouse "Aces and Eights.", better known as the "Dead Man's Hand" Link for the steel cards

Re: Weaponsmithing/Armorsmithing question Interesting. I left my copy of Fantasy Hero up at my university pad (home for the holiday's and all that). Why is Armorsmith an Agility skill, when Weaponsmith is an Intellect skill? One Idea I had was to take the Proffesion Skill, and add the Weaponsmith catagories to it.

Re: Thinking About DARK CHAMPIONS BATTLEGROUNDS Good point. Actually, most modern (expensive) hotels have lots of stuff like this, including gyms, massage, a small clinic, a sauna, fine dining, blah blah blah. We probably need to decide how many stars we want our establishment to have.

I have a couple of questions about the skill "Weaponsmith"/ 1. I can see why weapons can only be made with the weaponsmith skill (instead of a Professional skill, which would cover bowls and birdhouses), but then why isn't Armorsmithing a skill? Wouldn't the ability to craft armor be almost as useful as the ability to craft a sword? Could it just be another catagory under Weaponsmith? 2. If a person buys weaponsmith, but only knows how to work certain materials, do they need to take a limitation on their skill, or just roleplay it? Examples would be a Druid who crafts wooden armor, but doesn't have a clue about how to make Steel armor, or a troll who makes stone spears, but doesn't know how to make bone tipped spears. Now, these characters might use bits and pieces of other materials in their products, they can't do anything without their favored material. the druid uses leather fastners to hold the wood plates in place, but that doesn't mean he can make a descent suit of leather or hide armor.

Re: Thinking About DARK CHAMPIONS BATTLEGROUNDS I'll second the slum idea. It has lots of stuff I could use, such as a "city is burning" scenario, or a "Riot" scenario. I could also see lots of cool NPC's in it. An underground clinic as was featured on "ER" (the 'doctor' never went to medical school, but he reads a lot, and so the local thugs force him to extract their bullets. I could see harbringer getting patched up there). You could also have some run of the mill smugglers (drugs 'n guns). A lady running a small day care in her apartment (for hostage scenarios).

Re: Thinking About DARK CHAMPIONS BATTLEGROUNDS I'd really like to see a parking complex for one of the minor locations, just because of all the movie scenes I've seen where the action takes place in just such a place. Hmm, maybe the Hotel/Casioboat/convention center place has a few levels of subteranean parking? oooh, and if it was underground, you could arrange a connection to the sewers or maybe a subway stop. But if it were above ground you could have the classic movie scene where the car jumps from the second story onto the street. Decisions, decisions.

Re: Firefly HERO Website Up

Re: Holy Poker Card Shuriken! I just did a quick search. I turned up a few sites on the subject, including this one on technique: http://www.davidslife.com/funstuff/cards/ I even heard a rumor about a Karate instructor who can embed them in planks of wood! See, now I gotta make a gambler for our fantasy game, with this talent included. I'll call it 1/2 d6 RKA, IAF, reduced penetration, real weapon.

Okay, my friend was watching poker on TV. I normally don't think of that as a spectator sport, but whatever. They start talking about one of the players, named Chris "Jesus" Ferguson, and cut to a video short to demonstrate a talent of his. He throws cards, and he throws them about 70 MPH. He throws them so fast and so well, he can use them like throwing knives. I'm not kidding. As we watched, he threw them straight threw a banana, choping it in half with one hit. Then he did a carrot. With bona fide normal playing cards. Granted, fruits and vegetables aren't the toughest items in the kitchen, but I was still impressed. Even if they couldn't cut through meat and bone, I bet they could give someone a noticeable owwie. Chris Ferguson On a side note, the foodstuffs weren't, as I would have expected, held in place with a vise, or similar mechanical apparatus. They were being held by a 'lovely assitent'. William Tell would be proud. Can you imagine getting an ace of spades wedged in your knuckles?

Re: Firefly HERO Website Up There's one thing I couldn't get about the reavers: Why'd they leave the bodies? Don't they need the skins and meat? I mean, Mal said they don't bother attacking if they're "not hungry", so wouldn't that mean they stored some? I guess the reavers just aren't supposed to make sense.

Re: What is Vacuum Decay like? Ah, but what if it's already happened in nature? It say's the region of decay grows at "nearly" the speed of light. depending on how fast "nearly" is, we could have a few spheres of decay out there, implacably growing straight for us. It's a big universe, and so it could just be taking a while for these regions to swallow us up. (okay, I don't really know what I'm talking about, but that should be obvious by now.

Re: Firefly HERO Website Up Oh, do you plan on making writeups for the main villians? I'd love to see Jubal Early show up, since we know he didn't die when he was set adrift.

Re: What is Vacuum Decay like? I've actually seen a couple of different way's an accelerator could destroy us all. For example, there is a chance, however slight, that the collision could create a black hole the size of an electron. If it hit more matter before evaporating, it would grow and consume the earth.

One of my mildly stressful classes is "Physical Chemistry". I was studying for the exam yesterday, and I hit this passage. Now, I didn't understand a whole lot of that? If these patches of true vacuum travel at the speed of light, couldn't they already exist, and just not have reached us yet? What is a true vacuum? what is an energy barrier? why would I die in a true vacuum? (I don't think it's the same as dying because there isn't any air or air pressure)

Re: Firefly HERO Website Up Hmmm. Initial thoughts 1. Jayne and Mal have Gambling: pool. Book, Jayne, and Simon have Gambling: Tall Card (the firefly version of poker) 2. Jayne, Mal and Zoe are the principal fighters on Serenity, but they each have a different role to play, or at least a different prefered style. Jayne concentrates on using the larger rifles, and likes to take the place of a sniper (in the top floor during "Heart of Gold", From a High Hill in "Serenity", suspended from serenity by a harness in, um, the one where Simon is kidnapped). Jayne needs PSL's to OCV vs. Range. Granted, the rifles themselves might have some psl's attached, but this is his specialty. Zoe concentrates on stealth. She kept objecting to mal when he told her they were both going into the valley in "serenity" into a probable ambush, because it really wasn't her style. In "the message" (or was it called "the package?"), Zoe said "first rule of combat: never let the enemy know where you are", after sneaking up behind a guy and slitting his throat. Then, just to contrast, Mal ran past spreading fire and Screaming "You want me? you know you do! Come get some more of this!" Zoe needs a lot more than 8- stealth Mal loves to surprise people. Pushing a guy into the engine intake? capping the informant holding River hostage after suddenly boarding the ship? He does it so often, he may get an extra ocv bonus, only to stack onto surprise modifiers. 3. Give Mal the psych lim: hatred of slavers. Once he found out the guy's in the bar got their money slaving, he just had to pick their pockets. He started ranting at Simon when he first saw River, just because he thought it was some kind of captive/slave/hoar thing. in "our Mrs reynolds", he was appaled at the idea of Saffron being sold to him like cattle. oh, and his "never abandon's crew" is only moderate, or maybe strong. Granted, he doesn't break it, but he temporarily did when simon was captured, just because it wasn't pragmatic to let book die so he could fulfill his limitation. If it were total, he would do irrational things just to fulfil it.

Re: black market items hmm, exotic animals could be done in a fantasy environment, mostly smaller live animals (pot bellied dragons, shetland unicorns) and the neat bits off dead big ones (Troll Tusks, Warg Pelt) see the bestiary for some ideas. It even gives a rough pricing guide. Depending on the political climate, items from certain nations could become prohibited, akin to the current status of cuban cigars. Perhaps a dwarf might get a contact to slip him some mithril mail, since the dwarves have embargoed the elves. Slaves, in the form of dumb labor or whores. Ancient items could become contraband, as the government might claim them. In the United States IIRC, if you find something more than 1000 years old, or some such age, it's automatically government property (so if you find a cache of indian pottery, don't plan on selling it) Weapons are an obvious one. Many feudal societies tried to control what the civilian population had access to. components to magical formulae. They should at least have a required licence.

Re: Another Steampunk Fantasy Don't forget to include some steampunk Mecha. Actually, I saw a book for some d20 knockoff that liste a slew of such constructs. I'll post the name when I think of it.