sladethesniper

Attributes: Use BRP, add Speed, change APP to a general "Charisma" stat (which now incorporates PB, APP, MA and ME). POW now represents ISP and/or PPE depending on whether a character is a psion or a magic user. SIZ is no longer measured on a chart, Size^2 is now equal to weight/mass in pounds. This stat becomes necessary to make hit points for everything from rats to mecha. Hit Points are equal to (CON + SIZ)/2 Combat is BRP standard, except now "roll with the punch" is now an option so if you fail to dodge or parry, you can use your NEXT turns action to roll with the punch this turn, taking only 1/2 damage, but you lose the next turn as you are ragdolled around or knocked prone then get up. Palladium damage replaces all BRP damage ratings. Palladium armor rules replace BRP armor rules and values. Palladium Penetration Values and Armor Ratings are used. Mega-Damage is used. An OCC is used exactly the same way as an Occupation in BRP is... a list of skills that use the Professional Skill points your character has. Converting a character from one to the other is 1:1 for skills, and since Palladium uses a D20 for combat, you just take the bonus x 5% to convert to BRP, and % divided by 5 to go from BRP to Palladium. If a Palladium character has a power, it works the exact same way in BRP. -STS

Well, since I have playing Palladium with BRP rules for... 30-ish years, it works well enough for me. The Palladium stuff just fills in a lot of bits that are a bit lacking in most BRP titles. -STS

Couldn't you just use the Cyberpunk version so that each +1 given via an event change it to a +5% or a +10% in BRP? That's how I do it. -STS

Yeah, he usually uses a .44 Special. Other calibers he uses are .455 Webly or .45 Colt. He does use 9mm and other calibers on occasion, but he seems to prefer large caliber revolvers.

So, this may be the first "problem" with BRP I have found...

Oh... well... um. OK. I guess I did it wrong for 20+ years. I never liked the idea of armor piercing things unless they were specifically armor piercing.

Isn't that how it is supposed to be done? Have I been doing it wrong? -STS

I'll agree on combat skills being a bit wonky in games. Some are like guns are guns so you can use guns. Others are more specific. I would say that black powder/cap and ball weapons are their own family of weapons, as are modern firearms, as are "energy weapons." The differences in using a weapon are all fairly similar (trigger, sights, firing stance) but there is a world of difference between combat handguns and extreme long range shooting. Using one or the other is possible, but using them well is something very different. Same thing for melee weapons... sure if you can swing a stick you can swing a sword, but doing it well enough against someone else and not getting hurt is something else. That is one of the arguements for specializations. Melee (dagger) or Black Powder (pistol) is more appropos than long sword, short sword, etc or rifle, carbine, shotgun, etc. This is the way that BRP BGB does it, but I think that the cascade skills in the old Traveler were a better solution.

I always think of what I know and use that to make decisions. I can drive a car pretty well (more than one specialized course) but big rigs are a no. I can drive an American AFV, but probably not a Russian one. I can fly a single engine prop aircraft, but not a helicopter. Bicycle yes, motorcycle is a hard no. I can ride a horse, but not a bull. So, yeah, there is some degree of specialization, but I would generally say it goes by vehicle class as opposed to specific models.

Yeah, I agree. -STS

Since BRP is not really a system that has "builds" you can just go with the idea you have and how I would make this in a game I would run. Attributes, all of them would be basic human rolls... Create/shadow weapons, 1 Magic Point for each minute per d6 of damage, so 1 magic point would allow 1d6 damage weapon of whatever type the PC wanted for 1 minute, 2 magic points for a 2d6 weapon for 1 minute. The attack percentage would be that of the type of weapon. So if Sarah had dagger at 44%, then shadow daggers would also be at 44%. Shadow Cloud: Turn into a shadowy cloud with the same speed as they have normally. The shadow cloud has no actual strength, dexterity or other physical stats and only attacks of a magical nature can harm her. Shadow Cloud costs 1 Magic Point per 15 seconds duration. Turning into a shadow cloud or turning back into a person takes a full round and she can't do anything else that round. Shadow jump: Sarah can walk into a shadow and walk out of another shadow. It takes 3 Magic Points to walk into and out of another shadow within 10 meters, 6 Magic Points within 20 meters and 10 Magic Points within 50 meters (her maximum range). I am sure that there is a "book standard" within the Big Gold Book, but that is my first impression without even looking in a book and I'd let you play that no problem in a game I was running. I would also want a good background of how these shadow powers were gained, demons are not exactly good things to deal with so I would throw on at least one hefty price as the GM. -STS

Oh yes! Thank you MOB. -STS

I reuploaded the Platinum file to correct my mistake on the BRP logo on the front page. -STS

Hi all, Just dropped two files in the download section. Platinum is a BRP derivative that is hacked to allow for easier conversion to and from other game systems and Strife is a big scalable wargame supplement/standalone wargame to be used with Platinum for battles of any scale. ---------- Platinum is a set of D100 rules that was designed to be easily hacked with bits and pieces of other games. If you like something from another game, add it in or replace it. Take parts from Champions/Hero, Palladium, D20 and others. There is no reason to be limited in your creativity by being shackled to arbitrary rules. These rules are a guideline, but this is not a narrative game, rules light or a story first system and has rules for many situations and campaign types. Extensive rules for skills, combat, experience, free-form magic and tools for various settings and worldbuilding are given in this book. Combined with its companion wargame Strife, you can play at any scale from individual to fleets of ships in the age of sail or prowling the vastness of space. Platinum is made to inspire you and guide you into creating the campaign that you and your players want. Highlights: Fast character creation with as much or as little customization as you want Percentile based skill system Classless system Fast and lethal combat for characters and vehicles Modular rules, use what you want, ignore what you don’t without changing the core gameplay Easily conversion from and to other systems including Basic Roleplaying, Storyteller, D20, etc. If you can describe it, you can build it Designed to be combined with Strife, the Scalable Wargame ---------- Strife is what happens when your PCs are in over their head. Are your PCs running from cybernetic assassins in a blacked out urban warzone? Do you need to simulate boarding actions for piracy in the Age of Sail? Do you need a narrative combat system as background for competing organized crime families? Recreating the Battle of the Bulge? Fleet actions in off the Shoulder of Orion? All of these are battles for you to fight and win with Strife, the Scalable Wargame. Occupying the space between traditional roleplaying games and wargames, Strife allows your PCs to become the commanders of their troops and become responsible for every aspect of the war. No longer do PCs have to be content with a small corner of the battlefield when Strife allows PCs to master the entire war. Designed to be flexible in both scale and detail, Strife is made to simulate dungeon crawls, platoon battles in triple canopy jungle, campaigns between hundreds of thousands of troops lasting months and fleet actions over light seconds of space. System agnostic, Strife can be used with any RPG or used as an alternative ruleset for any skirmish or wargame. This complementary game system is accomplished by having each layer of the game build upon previous layers. The simulation builds on the wargame, which builds on the narrative tool. There are also multiple options that are available to expand upon the gameplay for more detail or alternative mechanics. This array of tools is provided allow the GM to have as much, or as little detail as desired. Highlights: A setting agnostic rule set to simulate units from prehistory, fantasy, modern or science fiction Scale agnostic and able to use almost miniatures or any scale of units or counters A scale-based system for units, time and distance 3D combat using range, altitude and depth Unit skills determine how effective they are at battlefield tasks, not just their combat power Tactical, Operational or Strategic scale Hidden movement Tactical Advantages Morale and gaining a Moral Victory NBC warfare Fire Support Weather and Terrain Unit construction rules A solo mode Deliberately asymmetrical Designed to be combined with the Platinum RPG What this is not: Balanced for tournament play --------- I hope that these files are of some use to someone on these forums. Based on any feedback I get, I'll be making changes to the games as required to make them better. I have a big book of scenarios for Strife that has 42 scenarios throughout multiple times and settings if anyone wants it (Seven Years' War, WWII, fantasy invasions, superhero defense of Rio, cults in Johannesburg), but I didn't want to abuse Trifletraxor's storage. -STS

Well, guess I'm getting the PDF and the print as soon as it arrives. I am so pleased. -STS

"HOL...was a very funny game to read, but I can't imagine anyone actually being able to play it successfully." And I thought I was the only person who felt that way... -STS

In comparing the two products, there doesn't seem to be anything that MW doesn't do that 5E does except have special names for everything and have more lists of magic equipment and spells...but none of that isn't D&D specific and can be moved into MW by GM fiat. So, if you were a DM, and someone asked you which game is "better" which would you recommend, and why?

tl;dr CON 12 = 41 kg at 4 kph on road, in daytime for 5 hours, with a successful skill of "road march" = no loss of capability. Roll every 1/4 CON hours, failure = an "exhaustion level" borrowed from D&D 5E. Snark is a pretty useful contribution since it precipitated a bit of discussion. The US Army standard is "106 steps per minute with a 30-inch stride with a 10-minute rest every hour. This results in a march rate of 4.8 kilometers per hour (kph) but an overall rate of march of 4 kph." That 4 kph is on roads, in daytime, with their "approach march load." At night it drops to 3 kph. Cross country day is 2 kph and at night is 1.5 kph, but usually gets dropped to 1 kph because you generally are not travelling in a straight line, so as a planning figure you just go 4 3 2 1 kph. For "a properly conditioned Soldier": The fighting load (stuff carried into battle) should average between 60 to 80 pounds (ideally about 30-percent of a Soldier’s body weight). The approach march load should average between 80 to 100 pounds (ideally about 45-percent of a Soldier’s body weight) including all clothing and equipment, either worn or carried. The emergency approach march load (you are carrying stuff that would normally be carried by trucks but your are in a jungle or mountain or something or you are going somewhere with zero resupply for a while) should average between 100 to 125 pounds That is for the Army. For Infantry units, because they can't count, it gets turned into 4 miles per hour (or 6.4 kph) and at night, on road, it is still 4 mph. Daytime ross country is 2 kph, and night is 1 kph. The more you elite you are, the weights, distances and speeds increase (normal soldiers 4 kph, Infantry 6 kph, etc.) The Royal Marines, SAS (UK, AUS or NZ) and FFL are monsters at rucking. Forced marching sucks. The normal max training distance is 12 miles (19 km) and that usually has a 3 hour time limit. In actual ops depending on where you are, or what sort of unit you are, you can pull crap like 36 km of cross country in a night, watch something all day, go back 36 km, plan all day, then guide another unit in 36 km that night. Units that play in the dirt in combat lose weight fast... avg weight loss was about 30 pounds rucking around mountains and valleys day in and day out. The first hour is fine, the second kinda sucks, the third hurts, and after that, it is all about trying to remain focused as opposed to just zoning out in your personal hurt locker. Blisters are common on 12 milers, but for suck fests of 20 miles or over, feet can just turn into purple blood blisters and all your toe nails all fall off. Your foot is not the same size at mile 0 as it is as mile 25. Uphill sucks, downhill sucks worse as you don't really use those muscles in that way often. For game stats, if you go by the BGB, the Soldier NPC has a CON of 14 but says that is an elite commando, so we could probably say that a normal army guy or gal is CON 12? So you could say that a CON 12 = 80 to 100 pounds (avg of 90 pounds or 41 kg) for 4 kph... You could probably make some sort of table off that info for speed as a function of CON. I would say "road march" is a skill since you can definitely get out of practice. Fail a roll, get an exhaustion level. Roll every 1/4 CON hours? I suppose we can crib from 5th Edition for "Exhaustion levels." Level 1 -10% to all skills Level 2 Speed halved Level 3 -20% to all skills Level 4 Hit Points are halved Level 5 Speed is 0 Level 6 Death -STS

I get the feeling that some people haven't ever force marched before.... -STS

I agree, but when I meant by "chaotic" isn't Chaos with a capital C, but chaotic, little c, meaning that this effect can be achieved by this magician with X Y and Z, but the same thing can be achieved by this other magician with A and B only. So, by chaotic, I am meaning that there is no 1 > 2 > 3 logical progression... but rather 2 > 5 > 1 progression that doesn't make sense when observed by a scientist... but a magician can, does understand it, and uses these cheat codes (this is the best way I can describe it) in reality to their benefit. Everyone else has to go around the boulder, but the magician can no clip through it, or some other mis-appropriated gamer term to describe an effect. -STS

YES! Psi = alt-tech Magic = chaos, but super culturally relevant... different magical traditions don't work with other ones. Magic Items = things that work, and can be replicated, but only by "enlightened masters" and although they know the recipe, they don't know the actual science behind it. Summoning/planar magic = very specific rules, but most are unknown. Know the rules, get the results. Faith = GM fiat based on roleplaying aspects of the religion. Kind of a play on Fate points. -STS

Ah, yes, picking up some herbs, throwing a bug in a fire, chanting for two hours on a blood moon = I got the job. Obviously, technology. Clarkes law ONLY works from the viewpoint of a LESSER technologically advanced culture looking at a more advanced one. Our technology is magic to them...their technology is a bunch of sticks and easily falsifiable statements. The problem with using Clarkes law is that.... "magic" is generally thought of as being a lower technological solution to a problem that requires no industrial base to create the items necessary. Thus, a magic system that works like that...is just reality and not really a "magic system." Thank you for finding the words to express my idea succinctly and much better than I could. -STS edit: Of course there are some things that are "old" that work better than the modern equivalents and we have no idea how they worked, so I guess that could be examples of magic (Roman concrete, wootz steel, Greek fire, stonemasonry, etc.) However, that just sort of gets into high level skills being guarded and only taught to a select few.

And when that level of certainty was reached it turned into a science. Astrology >> Astronomy, Divination >> Intelligence Analysis, Alchemy >> Chemistry, Herbalism >> Botany, etc. I mean if that is the case, then you just take a bunch of science skills and play MacGuyver -STS