Chaot

I like to make a document that the players can use. It usually doesn't have all of the rules options but rather contains character generation, special abilities and whatever else I think to throw in there. I mostly do this while I'm procrastinating on other projects, so I have half a dozen sketched out documents for games I would like to some day run. The only two that are really fleshed is a Young Kingdoms one and a Ravenloft one. Here's the first two pages of Ravenloft so you can see what the hell I'm blathering about.

Just downloaded it. Only skimmed, but it looks like a great deal of fun. Nice work.

Howdy Puggins. 1. There is no penalty other than the Str/Dex requirements. It seems to be a no brainer that a PC would pick up a shield like this. Especially if they are using a one handed weapon. Oddly enough, my players eschew shields in favor of two handed weapons or two weapon fighting. They're damage junkies. Plus, taking a shield effectively splits the amount of weapon skill you're able to devote to combat. This tends to encourage specialization. 2. I think your assessment is pretty accurate about group 2 swords. In general, blunt weapons are easier to pick up and use in this game than edged weapons. Only by 10% points or so, though. Considering the heights that skill levels can get, this really isn't much of an advantage. The light mace and the broadsword average out to 5.5 damage. The mace does more base damage and the broadsword does more maximum damage. Over all, I'd consider it a bit of a wash. The greatsword is intentionally unbalanced. It was done in honor of Elric and is a hold over from those rules. The greatsword and the great axe are monstrous weapons. 3. Huh. I'm on vacation and so can't check these against the Elric! rules. I hadn't noticed that before. I would rule that it takes 16 rounds to complete the earth dump.

But the called me mad! .... MAD!!! Mwahahaha!

Then you MUST be brilliant as well!

I think Freeport works much better when you take out the elves and other detritus. What's a snake man worth when your cousin's an orc and the neighbors are whatever other flavor of beastie currently popular. As I recall, it's very easy to just ignore the fact that the NPC is supposed to be a demi-human. It doesn't really impact the setting in a major way. Magic is probably best to keep at a 'low' level. Restrict the flashy stuff. The only other beasties I would add other than the snake-men is hints of things in the seas. Maybe Deep One or Gnorri. One day I will run my much long for Freeport game.

It looks surprisingly like my Lucky Trinkets and Heirloom rules, actually. http://basicroleplaying.com/showthread.php/2813-Lucky-Trinkets-Heirlooms-and-Named-Items

If you're still looking for stuff you should go over to the downloads section here and look at the Old West docs. They are very good. http://basicroleplaying.com/downloads.php?do=cat&id=13

I picked up the RQ6 bundle already having the core rules. I'm sorry that it's not something you are interested in doing again. I personally love bundle of holding and it's really gotten me to buy outside of what I would normally consider getting. I'm sorry that it apparently didn't work out.

Yes, thank you zomben! I'm rarely on facebook and would likely have never seen the contest and had you not mentioned that the 31st was the last day to enter I would not have noticed. So, twice thanked.

Not only do I agree with you, but it seems Chaosium does as well! Congratulations Mr. tooley1chris!

I've been thinking about writing an Actual Play thread over at RPGNet using Mythic GM and Magic World to highlight how the system works. Does that count? I've also got two BRP Ravenloft threads over at RPGNet too. One is a BRP Ravenloft translation thread and one is Actual Play thread over there, but they have been dormant since the game went on hiatus.

*lights cigarette*

Oh yes. Oh yes.

Keep in mind that answers will definitely vary depending upon what magic system is used though. I come from an Elric! background and that's immediately what I jump to when I need to figure something out. As far as the fluctuation of stats, some versions of BRP have Pow as a very fluid stat. RQ3 reads as if Pow sacrifices are made regularly and also regularly gained through play. In Elric!, Pow gains are a bit rarer. You have to find a spell that involves a Pow : Pow contest and then you have to win against an opponent who has a higher Pow than you. THEN you have a chance of increasing your Pow. The other stats will also increase through similar Stat : Stat contests and through training. Siz is the most static of the stats. In the Bronze Grimoire this can be handled by using Create Abomination, which uses a craft roll to make the body and costs a bunch of magic points and a point of Pow. For a thinking abomination the caster can then use up 10mp and 1 Pow with the Lure Spirit spell. All this being said, if you think a spell should be adjusted up or down in difficulty and cost, make the change and see how it plays out. BRP is pretty sturdy. What could go wrong!?

Peg your combats appropriately. I give my PCs high skills so that they aren't dicing for Sucesses, but rather for Criticals. Place them up against an average town guard (or beastie) with a 30% and they will wade through their opposition. Groups can be deadly. When the PCs cooperate with each other and concentrate on taking down a single foe at a time they can be devastating. When those 30% goblins or ninja or whatever team up against a PC they can be in the position to start sweating. Embrace Minion rules. They are in the free supplement 'Gods of Law.' I use them all the time and simply adore them, especially when I'm running Stormbringer games. These are the rules you want to look to when your PCs are wading through a giant battlefield looking for the real challenge.

I would say it's VERY powerful. I can see all sorts of abuses for it, which is why I placed the cost where I did. Keep in mind I'm using Sorcery from the BRP core and Magic World book, not the RQ derived stuff. For that you need to talk to one of the many RQ experts around here.

Saw this over at RPGnet. For completeness sake I'm going to post my response here as well. I think your best bet, Michael Hopcroft, is to pick a powers system and then piece it together that way. As soltakss says, compare the spell to other spells for strength and eyeball it. If I were going to do this using the Sorcery system I'd look to Summonings as a guide. Being able to cut effortlessly through non living things sounds to me to be a pretty durn powerful effect. Generally, Sorcery magic runs in the 1-4 mp cost range. The below is a very generic break down. 1 mp = three types. a) grants caster a single ability that doesn't harm another character (see through unintelligent creature's eyes, cause light to appear, obscures area, etc) increase chance of harming or affecting another character by a small amount (involving a mp : mp or a POW : POW roll). c) gateway spell to more powerful spells (summoning demon or elemental) 2 mp = Slightly more powerful and can effect temporary change in subject (think spells like Heal) 3 mp = either has multiple effects or can do direct damage with a save (also cause permanent change, such as Repair, in inanimate objects) 4 mp = specialty spells that are flashy and cause change in the environment or individual (not instant death spells though, moderate change) Then you have Summonings, that amplify effects to a significant degree. Hell's Razor 4 will increase the damage a blade does by 4 points. Summoning and binding a demon weapon increases damage by significantly more. These things cost at least 1 point of permanent Pow. There are also specialty spells that go above the 1-4 mp range. None of them sound quite like what you're going for though. Going by your description above, making this a spell with a limited duration, I would fudge the Sorcery rules. Elemental Sharpness 1 POW*, 8 mp *this cost is a one time expenditure. Characters must have at least 16 Pow to cast spells. Duration is caster's POW in combat rounds. This spell is used to enchant a blade so that it can cut effortlessly through any inanimate material. Useful against most barriers, pesky knots of the Gordian variety, Unholy Idols, and so forth. The downside is that it can't cut through or into living tissue at all. The most it can do is leave a thin welt on exposed flesh. Thus you can cut a steak with it but not a live cow. At the end of the spell, the blade crumbles to dust.

Well, BRP seriously needs a Bestiary. I'm sure there are plenty of people who are interested in picking up one from Pelgrane Press. I know I am.

Wow. 65 Fate, 64 BRP. I'm impressed.

Oh my. Currently at FATE 63, BRP 54.

If you drop it down to 2d6+12 you would be in line with the Big Cats in the CoC core book.

If it helps, here is the write up on Cats from CoC's Dreamlands. Cats STR 1d3 CON 2d6 SIZ 1 INT 2d6+6 POW 2d6+6 DEX 2d6+24 Move 10 Weapons: Bite 30%, 1d4-db Claw 40%, 1d3-db Rip 80%, 2d3-db Armor: none Spells: able to leap through space to other worlds. Sanity Loss: it costs no sanity to see a cat. Habitat: Cities and the Dreamlands Moon.

Ah man, GUMSHOE is beating BRP right now people. Get out there. I mean, I like GUMSHOE and all, but really.

I've grown rather fond of Ravenloft in the last couple of years and running it in Magic World/Elric! has been a blast. So it made me extremely happy to see BRP grace the Dread Domains yet again. A very pleasant fellow named Anders Hedenbjörk Lager is gearing up for a Ravenloft game using OpenQuest. Thought you guys might dig seeing his character sheet.