FunGuyFromYuggoth

Hi. I am catching up to gaming after being buried in graduate school for the past few years. How did the campaign go? Did you find Roll20.net to provide a good RuneQuest Glorantha experience? I am getting my feet wet on Roll20.net (thanks to the pandemic) and soliciting perspectives from the online community. (I asked specifically about the Roll20 character sheet from the today and was met by a surprisingly abrupt response.) Thanks ahead of time for your thoughtful replies.

I'd like to reanimate this topic.

Howdy 7th Edition Amigos y Amigas! I’ve just received a “telegram” from a Mr. Lee Carnell, proprietor of The Dhole’s House, informing me that there is an update to the character generator that let’s you create Old West characters. Details below:

https://www.dholeshouse.org/

The Dhole's House - Keeper and Player Support for Call of Cthulhu

“Choose the 'Old West' option when creating a new 7th ed for Investigator and then carry on as you would normally. You can also create a DDT Pulp Hero via the Pulp Hero creation system.”

Note that there is currently a dearth of Old West period specific portraits, which he is working on. 

Please share and feel free to send your thanks below to help support his tremendously helpful site. 

https://www.dholeshouse.org/Support

Jason Durall, co-editor/author of "Basic Roleplaying," celebrated his birthday this past weekend. Please feel free to post here and wish Jason a Happy (Belated) Birthday!

Or if you prefer Facebook, you can do so here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/139825180661/ .

Thank you Rodney for putting your time and effort on Classic Fantasy. I received mine in the mail today and have been poring over it. I can't wait for Volume II!

Nice!!!

I have no fear of silly lawsuits (living in Norway).

I heart Norway. :thumb:

With LOTRO, is there an equivalent "Expanded Universe" seal of approval from...well...whomever is in charge of licensing? :confused:

I don't think they are. They are featured in "Lord of the Rings Online" however.

Prepare for everything. Nobody likes seeing a GM stumble through a game. Expect the players to do the unexpected. Be prepared to let them go there. Let the players have fun, but to do so within the parameters of their character. Don't overuse non-player characters and don't let the players use them to do the heavy lifting. Give them a reason to want to like and grow attached to their character. Give them every tool they need to be successful and be prepared to accept alternatives if a player raises a good point about a particular situation. It's your story, it's their game, have fun.

Wiki?

SGL.

Done! :thumb:

If a neutron bomb isn't handy, there is an alternative explanation for HAMMERDOWN.

HAMMERDOWN was the codename for an airstrike used in a last ditch effort to destory the Cloverfield monster/LSA (Large Scale Agressor) and the Parasites/HSP (Human Sized Prasites), resulting in the destruction of Manhattan itself. The protocol was approved by the Government at 0442 (4:42am) hours. 120 Minutes later (6:42am), the HAMMERDOWN protocol was initiated. It was possibly dropped via a B52 Stratofortress.

Source

Though some interpreted the end audio of the film to indicate that Clovie might have survived.

:eek:

If you somehow managed to not see the film yet, please avert your eyes. This is full of SPOILERS.

Yes, it is over the top and probably the road to ruin for your campaign, but I dissected stats of the creatures seen in the 2008 film "Cloverfield" found here and translated them to Basic Roleplaying Rules.

Without further ado, I am pleased to introduce "Clover" (head to tail length 365.8 meters and weight 5806.4 metric tons) and his accompanying 2,000 parasites. Of course, no good can come from actually trying to fight Clover unless you have access to a neutron bomb. As in the film, most of the "interaction" with humans is with the parasites, who are relatively easy to kill one-on-one, but pack a wallop if they manage to bite you and/or if they are acting in concert.

Clover, Large Scale Aggressor and Reality Video Star

Characteristics

STR 640

CON 320

SIZ 640

INT 5

POW 14

DEX 10

Move 10

HP 480

Damage Bonus: +20D6

Armor: 100-point skin

Attacks: Stomp 50%, 20D6+Damage Bonus

Bite 45%, 20D10+1/2 Damage Bonus

Skills:

Evade Heavy Artillery 50%, Get Enraged 75%, Induce Shaky Video Camera Filming 90%, Listen 20%, Sense 20%, Spot 20%, Terrify Yuppies Witless 90%

Sanity Loss

1/1D8 (and you never get used to seeing it)

Hit Locations

D20 Result

Notes: I addition to being able to move relatively quickly and use the cover of buildings (35-55 armor points in the concrete and steel canyons of Manhattan), the creature has a high resistance to projectile weaponry. Shells from M-1 tanks, AT-4 rockets, 80 Mk 82 bombs and other high powered ordnance failed to do anything other than aggravate the creature. In the film, it appears to have been killed in a passing reference in the final helicopter scene to the HAMMER-DOWN Protocol, which apparently sacrificed Manhattan to kill the creature.

Clover Parasites, Human Scale Parasites

Characteristic Average

STR 2D6............7

CON 3D6............10-11

SIZ 1D6+1..........4-5

INT 5............5

POW 1D6...............3

DEX 2D6+6..........13

Move: 10

Hit Points: 7-8

Damage Bonus: -1D4

Armor: 1 pt. chitinous shell

Attacks: Bite 30%, 1D6+1/2 Damage Bonus (Bleeding plus POT 18 disease which runs its course so quickly you should treat as a poison with the effect of weakness and pain and graduating to hemorraghing and convulsions in progressively debilitating stages for 2D4 turns or 10-40 minutes)

Grapple (Hold) 30%

Skills: Climb 85%, Dodge 50%, Jump 85%, Sense 75%, Stealth 80%

Sanity Loss

0/1D4

Hit Locations

D20.....Result.....HP

1 Pincer #1........1-2

2 Pincer #2........1-2

3 Pincer #3........1-2

4 Pincer #4........1-2

5 Leg #1............1-2

6 Leg #2............1-2

7 Leg #3............1-2

8 Leg #4............1-2

9 Leg #5............1-2

10 Leg #6..........1-2

11-15 Body........2-3

16-20 Head........2-3

Notes: The creature is accompanied by 2,000 parasites that are about the same mass as a dog. They have ten "legs," which are six spider-like, double jointed legs and four crab-like pincers on the top and back of its body used for grasping and climbing. They possess large mandibles, pale grayish skin and innumerable black, soulless eyes. On first inspection they resemble a giant spider or tick.

They attack with pack coordination and prefer enclosed spaces for trapping and surprising prey. They can also detect prey from afar, by an unknown method.

Their saliva cause the victim to feel disoriented, bleed from the eyes, and finally cause a Class IV hemorrhage.

A fumbled First Aid or Medicine roll results in pouring water on the wound, which speeds up the violent combustion resulting in 2D6 damage.

Source

Gazira would make a good adversary for the giant robot on pages358/9 of the new book.:eek::eek::thumb:

Agreed. :party:

Even serial hack Brett Ratner was chafing at the bit over at Fox!

But having suffered through years of having their chain yanked by the studio's business affairs department and having seen virtually every creative decision approved by Rothman, top talent learned to avoid Fox like the plague. After making an "X-Man" movie there, Brett Ratner complained that Rothman even had approval of releasing key photo images from the film. Innumerable agents have complained to me that Fox doesn't want filmmakers--it wants no-name traffic cops to direct its movies. Here're the people who directed the studio's 2007 summer films: James Wan, Tom Brady, David Silverman, Len Wiseman, Tim Story and Carlos Fresnadillo. I bet some of them are genuinely nice guys, but there's not a Warren Beatty or Tim Burton in the bunch.

While the quote and point he makes above is quite telling, I think concluding that what he says contradicts what he writes about M. Night Shymalan earlier on. Uh, saying that MNS is too easily controlled by execs is just not..."The Happening." (Or M. Night Shymalan in general.)

Link

Thanks for that! I am a lowly padawan in the Wiki and was barely able to post it.

The stats are a direct copy (only with some cursory notes for super powers) of the one featured SoJ. Since Hit Locations are Optional and not usually included in "Call of Cthulhu," I chose not to put them up. My guess is considering how monstrously large he is, hit location is probably a lot less useful and the GM will have to decide what area they happen to facing If one were (dumb) to stand and try to engage him mano y mano, it would probably be (for melee):

01-10 Right Leg

11-20 Left Leg

Whozilla? I wouldn't want to suggest that I took this from a printed publication on sale for profit (albeit a slim one) was by itself an infringement of copyright.

Any resemblance to kaiju living, dead, or currently on film schedule hiatus are purely coincidental. :innocent:

All credit to Michael Dziesinski's "Secrets of Japan" for "Call of Cthulhu". Whether you play "Call of Cthulhu" or not (and why aren't you?), this is a valuable resource for BRP gaming in modern Japan. The stats presented are within the confines of the "Call of Cthulhu" rule set. BRP offers a more robust ruleset and I would advise the GM interested in converting "Gazira" for use in a superpowered campaign to do so (see my Suggested/Optional Powers below).

GAZIRA (GAH-ZEE-RAH), Smasher of Cities/Occasional Defender of the Earth vs. UFOs

STR 50

CON 50

SIZ 90

INT 6

POW 15

DEX 15

MOV 8

HP 70

Damage Bonus: +8D6

Weapons: Stomp 90%, damage 3D6+8D6

Breath Radioactive Fire 60%, Damage 8d6, Range 1000 yards

Hand Grasp Regular Person 45%, Damage 1D6+8D6

Armor: 15 point scales. Bullets will not penetrate hide, but missiles are effective

Sanity Loss: 1/1D10

Suggested/Optional Skills & Powers: Based on film evidence, I suggest adding Brawl 80%, Dodge 50%, Fly Awkwardly 40%, Grapple Kaiju 50%, Jump 50%, Panic Large Numbers of People 75%, Sense 50%, Survive to Spawn Sequel or Reboot 75%, Spot 75%, Swim 80%, Survive Bad Reimagining 90%, Tail Sweep 80% for 5D6 damage (including damage bonus), Wreck Man-made Structure 90%

Absorption (Radiation at 5 levels) (see p. 147 of the BRP rulebook), Extra Energy (see BRP rules p.157 subject to GM discretion), Regeneration (suggested at 25 levels, see page 159 of BRP rulebook) allowing Gazira to heal 25 points of damage at the end of the combat round as long as there are power points left to fuel this ability. Also, on p.231 of the BRP rulebook you will find the "Radiation Effects Table." One could surmise that his radiation fire is the equivalent to a Moderate or Medium level of exposure on top of the actual burn damage.

All credit belongs to Jonathan Turner and Adam Crossingham. I reproduce it here b/c not everybody has access to The Black Seal Magazine #3. Whether you play "Call of Cthulhu" or not (and I recommend you try it), TBS represents some of the best work for BRP gamer and well worth a purchase.

Source: The Black Seal #3 from Jonathan Turner's excellent article "A Road Less Travelled"

Baboons

Characteristics Average

STR 2D6 10-11

CON 3D6 10-11

SIZ 2D3 4

INT 6 6

POW 3D6 10-11

DEX 3D6+6 16-17

Move 4 HP 7-8

Avg. Damage Bonus: -1D6

Weapons: Bite 40% 1D8

Armor: 1 point of fur

Skills: Spot Hidden 40%, Climb 75%

Dodge: 25%

Habitat: Open land, wooded areas of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula

Fer-de-Lance (poisonous snake)

Characteristics Average

STR 2D6 7

CON 4D6 14

SIZ 1D6 3-4

INT 5 5

POW 3D6 10-11

DEX 5D6 17-18

Move 6 HP 8-9

Avg. Damage Bonus -1D6

Weapons: Bite 40% 1D6+1D3+POT 10 venom

Armor: None

Skills: Bask in Sun 75%, Dodge 50%, Hide 60%, Sense Body Heat 80%, Sneak 80%

Habitat: South and Central America , various islands of the Caribbean, often near sugar plantations

Notes: See rules for Tiny creatures on page 215 of the BRP rules, but in sum subtract 5% from any hand-to-hand or missile attacks aginst the target if the attacker is human sized (5-29). In this case, the chance of a human attacking a SIZ 3 creature is modified by -10%

Hippos

Characteristics Average

STR 5D6+18 35-36

CON 3D6+8 14-15

SIZ 5D6+24 41-42

POW 3D6 10-11

DEX 3D6 10-11

Move 8 HP 29

Avg. Damage Bonus: +4D6

Weapons: Bite 40% 1D10

Armor: 6 points of thick skin

Skills: Smell 60%, Swim 80%

Habitat: African rivers

Notes: See rules for Big creatures on page 215 of the BRP rules, but in sum add 5% from any hand-to-hand or missile attacks aginst the target if the target is of SIZ 30 or larger. In this case, the chance of a human attacking a SIZ 41 creature is modified by +5%.

Scorpions

Characteristics Average

STR 1D2 1-2

CON 2D6 7

SIZ 1 1

INT 2 2

POW 3D6 10-11

DEX 4D6 14

Move 10 HP 4

Avg. Damage Bonus: -1D6

Weapons: Sting 50% 1D4 + POT 9 venom

Claws: 50% 1D3

Armor: None

Skills: Bask in Sun 75%, Dodge 50%, Hide 60%, Sneak 80%

Habitat: Warm and dry temperate and tropical regions

Notes: See rules for Tiny creatures on page 215 of the BRP rules, but in sum subtract 5% from any hand-to-hand or missile attacks aginst the target if the attacker is human sized (5-29). In this case, the chance of a human attacking a SIZ 1 creature is modified by -20%

Tarantulas

Characteristics Average

STR 1D2 1

CON 2D6 7

SIZ 1 1

INT 2 2

POW 3D6 10-11

DEX 5D6 17-18

Move 10 HP 4

Avg. Damage Bonus: -1D6

Weapons: Sting 50% 1D4 + POT 5 venom

Armor: None

Skills: Weave 60%, Jump 75%, Hide 60%, Climb 80%, Sneak 90%

Habitat: Warm and dry temperate and tropical regions

Notes: See rules for Tiny creatures on page 215 of the BRP rules, but in sum subtract 5% from any hand-to-hand or missile attacks aginst the target if the attacker is human sized (5-29). In this case, the chance of a human attacking a SIZ 1 creature is modified by -20%

First off, thank you for going to the effort of posting these stats. I just wanted to add my two cents b/c the cheetah is something I find to be a rather exceptional creature and thought it would be helpful to share this info with others here.

Cheetahs don’t drink water,; getting their moisture from the bodies of their prey

The second part is true, but they will take water if offered.

Notes: A cheetah attacks by slamming into prey and bowling it over, followed by a bite to the throat 3 SR later.

Actually, they are very light animals but they attack like other large cats though their prey tends to be smaller as you stated. You mentioned the trip attack earlier, but don't revisit it in your Notes. To sum it up, they run prey down, trip it (suggest Grapple equivalent to bite attack %) with an extended paw, then biting the downed animal on the underside of the throat to suffocate or sometimes bleed it out. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWDfNOOBWCY, time frame 1:05.

Also, I don't think the Paw attack you suggest is correct. Their claws are not used like other big cats. They lack the sheaths that other big cats have and they are typically duller from running. As a result, while they can climb trees (see here and remember that Wikipedia is only as good as its last edit). They are terrible climbers (certainly not 75%) compared to many big cats. As a suggestion, I'd ratchet the Climb down to something equivalent to what you'd guess for an equivalent sized, agile dog. Maybe 25% and only for relatively Easy to climb trees, but probably not too far off the ground.

Also, I know Wikipedia suggests that cheetahs were hooded and slung over a horse by Ancient Egyptians, but I have a hard time seeing a horse accepting an angry (albeit hooded), large cat trussed on its back. That cheetah would have to be drugged or otherwise bound tight and I doubt they made good hunters coming off a bumpy horseback ride. Caged seems like a likelier way of treating this enormous investment of time and money. (If you can afford a horse and a trained hunting cheetah in ancient times, you can afford a simple cart cage.)

The most notable thing about them is that they have a hard time defending their kills, so they try to gorge down as much as they can because the hyenas, the lions, the leopard, etc. are coming. It's not because they're tired--they just don't stack up well against larger predators and their disposition tends towards giving up a kill than risking injury or death.

Is this a magical creature? I appreciate the contribution (which looks like a lot of work), but I ask because prehistoric cheetahs (Acinonyx pardinensis) did not exceed 90 kg (200 lbs.) and were probably not nearly as fast as the modern version. I ask because the other, similar stats were put up as BRP'ed versions of extinct species. Though your version does make one part of Harold and Kumar's quest to White Castle more feasible.

Based on that alone: :thumb:.

In any case, I hope you don't take offense at my more careful reading of your stats for this and the cheetah. It only shows that we actually do read your write-ups and take the time to assess them.

If you follow G4's "Ninja Challenge" ("Sasuke" in Japanese), you will probably appreciate that the obstacle course competition attracts people from all walks of life, including amateur athletes (track and field, gymnastics, trampolinists, parkour, etc.). Interestingly the show has a wide number of winners with backgrounds that would not necessarily suggest they'd get to the final rounds, which is what I find most interesting b/c these are just very physically talented people.

So yes, I think that it will all depend on the era, the background of the character, and the GM's permissions. As mentioned, this doesn't necessarily mean that people who have natural aptitude can't compete with them on a neutral, run/climb/jump type of challenge you'd find in-game. You just have to adjust for Difficulty depending on how (dis)similar the proposed task is to what they trained for and decide what's appropriate and what's not. As Jason said, trained athletes tend to look better (form and presentation) in comparison.

A good analog is the opening foot chase scene with Daniel Craig in "Casino Royale." He does keep up with the runner, but is definitely not pretty in the way he does it.

Let me take an informal poll within this thread: Does any GM here stick to the rulebook definition of a round or do they play it with a little rubber band and duct tape like the rest of us?

Yep, those darn Movement Rates tied to combat rounds were always an irritation.

I expect that most people didn't and don't play it by the book. However, that comes up every now and then in "Call of Cthulhu" because you really don't want to be in melee range with those critters, and GMs have to decide if they want to play it BTB or wing it and give the investigators a few rounds to let loose (before they realize it's immune to bullets).

Don't jude a book by it's cover:) .Eskrima/Kali is a VERY deadly martial art and it's style can be applied to many types of weapons; dosen't matter if it's a buttery knife or a broom handle. Same goes for the Kendo Swordsman, who if he had Katana in his hands could easly cut through those sticks like a strand of spaghetti. Never pass judgement on the style, but only the man who uses it.

A misunderstanding then, speaking as someone who's practiced kali for a long time, not passing judgement on the art , but at the rules in that video seem to heavily favor the eskrimador and eliminate the threat of a real steel katana wielded with banzai enthusiasm--instead of trying to whack the other fellow like an old lady with an umbrella. Heck, I knew if somebody with skill came at me with a katana and I only had doble baston, I'd be worried and not trying anything as foolish as an x-block as shown in the video. :eek: The kinetic energy of the blow from a longsword held two handed is enough to crash past two sticks or blades and because a real blade is going to cut down on your head/face and/or shoulders--well it's just not a good idea, nor does it represent either art very well. He does so at least three times (time frames :08, :22, and 1:43). They aren't very helpful in illustrating your point.

My former instructor was a student of the man who taught the Dog Brothers (Guro Inosanto). They used to hold tournaments at a park near where I grew up, so I know them well and have a couple of their old instructionals on VHS (before "the Internets"). To their credit, there is recognition that what they do is stickfighting and not swordfighting. I certainly do like them more than the heavily padded tournaments that encourage people wading in without regard--like Bruce Lee's old criticism of point fighting that crept into sport karate. My bottom line is that the video of eskrima versus kendo doesn't support your argument or otherwise "make the cut" because they're not behaving the way one would behave if the blades were live. It's two guys with sticks exploring angles of attack but not behaving particularly consistently because the eskrimador is in stickfighting mode and the kendo player is still playing within the rules of kendo. A more interesting match might be videotaping an earnest kenjutsu player with a hardwood bokken versus an eskrimador with a training espada y daga (sword and knife). Allow throws, trips, kicks, etc. that you'd see on the battlefield. Get a sharp eyed ref and the first to score a "kill shot" wins. Not real, but real-er.

:focus:Sorry to derail.

Was that listed in the very first edition back in 73? Either way, you can't fault Gygax and Arneson too much as they were working of what they knew from Wargames at the time.

You asked an interesting question because I never really put much stock into the number of seconds, minutes, etc. in combat it took except when spellcasting was involved. I agree that it could be a shorter number, but I'm less interested in pinning it down to an exact number. By that point, I just want to know how many arrows or bullets my players can put downrange at the deranged high priest. >:-> If you use SR, there are spell SR's from RuneQuest you can employ, but using the optional rules for Strike Ranks conflicts directly with the rules for Weapon Rate of Fire and Skills Over 100%. Under the header "Multiple Attacks and Strike Ranks" on page 201, it states "it is not recommended to combine them in any fashion."

IIRC, I believe the one minute combat round made it into 2nd edition AD&D, which was in 1995. That's almost twenty years after RQ/BRP and more than two decades after Gygax and Arneson thought it'd be a neat idea to roleplay those metal figures. :confused: So yeah, I do kinda fault Gygax because he should've known better when he broke it down into segments, rounds, and turns years later in AD&D (early 1980s). TSR went on and kept it as a rule that continued until the mid-1990s. Not that everybody bought it. Much later, some people have tried to dissect what a round really is in later editions of D&D. See here.

I believe that 4th edition did away with the time frame completely. Segments, rounds, and turns seem to be a thing of the hoary past in D&Dland.

In any case, I think a round should last as long as you need for it to last in Basic Roleplaying, but for the purposes of describing how much ground you can cover before actions happen at distance, you may want to see how shortening it could affect/distort the Movement Rate.

Thanks for posting these videos. I agree the 12 second rule is too long but was in its time a lot more realistic than the original D&D combat round. My memory is hazy, but wasn't that a full minute?

Ruling that a round is anything that permits everyone to take an action is what I've worked with for years and Jason did right by preserving the 12 second rule on paper, but perhaps a future edition should note clarify that this is only a guideline?

Off topic: I was a little troubled by the kendo vs. eskrima video. I think there is always something a little off when you have practice weapons try to simulate what would happen in real life.

If the fellow were wielding a katana with any real zest or tried anything but an overhead (which may be a bias of kendo--I don't know the sport very well), the eskrimador would be moving A LOT more to keep the hell out of the way of the katana. He never seemed to take the kendo player seriously because he'd just time the overhead strike. With double baston/sticks, he probably would be better off tying up the weapon arm, but I notice that no standing grappling was allowed (unfair to the kendo practicioner unless he has some actual jujutsu training). If the eskrimador were wielding two bolos (similar to machetes), well that would be ugly and unwieldy. I've seen it done in shadowboxing/demos, but it never looks right with blades. They were never designed for dual wield because don't have the right balance. The eskrimador should've gone in with espada y daga (sword and dagger) or at least rattan stick and a wooden dagger/rubber knife. To make it fun, throw in no masks or pads and just safety glasses. I think you'd get a more realistic result and a more interesting match.