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bighara

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  1. If you want to give the attacker(s) a bonus instead of the defender a penalty, maybe you could just say that for every extra attacker (2:1, 3:1, etc.), each of them gets a +X% to their attacks against the target.
  2. So instead of having a bunch of professions, I'm thinking about letting folks customize their characters more. What I'm not sure of is how to handle restricting PC magic. Perhaps I'll have just 3-4 distinct professions with sorcerers and shamans among them. Otherwise, the player just customizes his PC. The professions restrict what skills you can take initially, but give you access to some special skills (like magic). Make sense? Interesting notions. Training costs can keep folks poor, of course, but I don't know about attaching healing costs. Possibly you could present it as a choice to the players (they just love thinking they have free will! ). i.e. Pay the surgeon/apothecary to heal faster or pay more in-town cost of living while you heal up at a slower (natural) rate. The leftover cash/bonus to APP is amusing. However, I know some players would balk at not getting to keep their ill-booten gotty. Perhaps a Luck roll to see how much they have left at the end of their carouse?
  3. My thought was mostly for determining the value of loot, but I understand your point. Interesting, but I'm not sure how well that would work with my players. Heh, interesingly, one of the PCs in our last WFRP game was an artist (painter). He got into all sorts of trouble getting involved in salon-cults. I thought about this in two areas: NPCs in a big battle or Ship to ship combat. If you think of skills only for PCs, you're probably right that they wouldn't take it too often. Again, a skill I saw more as background (i.e. the PC used to be a cobbler) or NPC skills. It would depend on their background, I guess. There are a few (3 or 4) languages in the setting. One of which is the ancient magical language of sorcerers. I plan on allowing sorcerer PCs, so I want a hieroglyphic style alphabet. Good point. I was thinking in terms of magical research. Very little magical healing, though I saw the healer more as an NPC. Your episodic ideas have merit. (Apothecaries aren't cheap!) (emphasis mine) That was more or less my thinking. Close enough. Consider them combined. Good idea. There is a fair bit of sea travel and/or piracy. If the PCs take to the waves for more than just a short trip, they may want to learn boats. Perhaps. They might. Dropped. Thanks for feedback. I want some granularity to skills, but not too much complexity. It's tough to find the balance.
  4. <tangent> In most Moorcock, the forces of Law recognize the need for Balance, whereas Chaos does not. Since Chaos always strives for total victory, Law must respond similarly. Thus, in most of the stories, the Balance is maintained pendulum-style, as opposed to different forces interacting harmoniously. </tangent>
  5. So with approximately 50 skills (combat or otherwise) on the able, what's a good skill point total for starting PCs? I want them to be pretty good, but not mega masters out of the gate. A starting character should be a cut above the crowd (I think I'll use the mook rules, giving PCs and major NPCs full SIZ+CON hit points.). Pg. 24 says 325 points for heroic, but with fewer skills I'm not sure that fits. On a semi-related note, I'm not sure how to proceed re: skills and sorcery. One of the things I don't want is just anyone casting spells. Sorcerers are specialists. People shouldn't be running around with just 1-2 spells. If you study magic, it takes most of your time and effort, you can't do it casually. Also "Elric" types -superb warriors who are also powerful spell casters- don't fight the theme well either. It's not that the sorcerer can never pick up a weapon, but he shouldn't be wading in with a battle axe all the time either. Maybe requiring high Lore and Language skills to be able to learn spells is a possibility? I need to look over occupations again, I guess. EDIT: Okay, I just re-read about professions. I think I have a better handle on it now. I just need to decide which professions are available. I think I'll start with the Elric! list and tweak from there.
  6. Heh, you are assuming the Law v. Chaos example in the first sentence is being directly related to the second sentence. Sloppy phrasing on my part, perhaps. I was thinking in terms of how I see preternatural forces in my game, not how they are presented in any "inspirational" writings. I have been reading (and re-reading) HPL's and Mr. Moorcock's writings for decades. I am very aware of their concepts and how they are presented in their books. I'm not trying to re-create their worlds, just throwing them into the mix, along with ERB, REH, and Mr. Leiber, and others.
  7. Okay, skills! Here's the list I came up with (non combat): Appraise Art, Various Artillery, Siege (includes assembling siege engines) Bargain Climb Command Craft, various Disguise Dodge Etiquette Fast Talk Locks/Traps (Fine Manip.) Bind Wounds (1st Aid) Gamble (Gaming) Palm/Conceal (Hide) Insight Jump Lore, various (Knowledge) Language, native Language, other Literacy (per alphabet) Leechcraft (Medicine) Navigate Perform, various Persuade Research Ride Legerdemain Sail/Boating (Pilot) Spot Stealth Strategy Swim Teach Throw Tracking
  8. Regarding reducing COR, I expect it should be possible, like regaining SAN. But I think I will avoid having "competing" Allegiances like Law v. Chaos. There is no "Holy" power to oppose the demonic in my setting. Demons are more Lovecraftian than Infernal (though they have elements of both). Perhaps doing things like helping to vanquish demons or strengthening the barriers between the mortal world and the realms beyond would reduce your Corruption score. It should be much harder to reduce COR than gain it. I wouldn't want to see players trying to whittle their COR down just so they can build it up again later.
  9. So maybe the "pact POW" ups the "Allegiance" with corruption? Getting the POW back later (if this is even possible) wouldn't diminish your corruption. Just because the deal with the demon is completed, doesn't mean you didn't ever enter into it. So over time multiple pacts, even if just for a service and temporary, can increase your "COR" and reduce your Max SAN. Obviously if Max SAN = 100-COR, then your PC is out of the game (hopelessly nutso). Maybe a different ratio? 100- (COR/2)? That way you could be utterly corrupt but still a PC? I'm thinking something like Apotheosis if/when 100 COR is reached. e.g. A demon lord appears and makes a bargain with you; You gain a chaotic feature; You become part-demon, etc.
  10. Hello all, Bighara here. I've prowled many an RPG-board, but only recently found this place. I've played BRP off & on in one form or another since RQ2 was a new game. I just got the new BRP compendium/monster tome and am looking at it as a possible system for a Conan-esqe game I'd like to run in my own setting.
  11. Hmm, something like: Weapon Skills Axe (Hand, Battle, Great, Woodsman) Blowgun Blunt (Mace, Club, Staff, Morning Star, Hammer) Bow (Self, Long) Brawl (Fist, Grapple, Kick, Head Butt, Improvised Weapons, Cestus/Claw) Crossbow Dagger (includes Knife) Flexible Non-Lethal (Net/Lasso/Whip) Long Weapon (Spears, Trident, Halberd, Pike, etc.) Shield (+10% Parry bonus) Sword (1 or 2 handed. Includes Scimitars, Sabers, Short, Broad, Bastard, and Great Swords) Thrown (Axes, Clubs, Daggers, Knifes, Spears, Slings, etc.) ?
  12. Hi all, new to this forum and thread, but the shield topic is one I'm currently pondering as well. I was thinking of having Shield as a separate skill with a parry "bonus"/higher basic skill for parries (not bashing). The riposte rules would still apply (Critical parry allows free riposte). Also, based on BRP page 234, other weapons (besides shield and dagger) parry at a Difficult skill roll in the off-hand. My thinking is 1) The shield is designed for parrying, so it's easier to use in that capacity and in your off hand. 2) It can allow a riposte under certain circumstances. 3) It's very hard to "disarm" a shield, and 3) it at least gives you at least a chance to block an arrow or other missile.
  13. I have Stormbringer 1e and Elric!. I've been looking at those as well. I'll have to look over the "soul bartering" aspect of magic there. For a Corruption/SAN correlation. I like the idea. I'll have to think about how to do that. Offhand, I'm wondering if Corruption could be like a "Cthulhu Mythos" skill that reduces your maximum SAN. Maybe something like 100-Corruption=Max. SAN? Might need to come up with a cooler name than "Corruption" though.
  14. So I just picked up the BRP pdf and printed it out. I've been reading through a bunch of the options and I'm pretty impressed overall. My goal is to run a Swords & Sorcery style fantasy game (like a lot of other folks here it seems! ). I've started working through the optional rules list and things like that, trying to decide what to include in my game. This is where I'm at so far. I'd appreciate any feedback: 2d6+6 for all scores, players arrange results. No non-human characters. Cultural backgrounds apply. I’m not sure about the EDU score. It’s a fairly primitive world, but it may be the best mechanic for general knowledge. Haven’t decided about skill point totals or occupations. Hit Points by location. I like the granularity, but I don’t want to keep adding to the dice rolling. Fatigue points. I may use a simple ENC & Fatigue mechanic. Again, I don’t want to bog things down too much. SAN. Definitely in. It’s not a horror campaign, but if monsters are to be truly “monstrous,” then there needs to be that element of fear and terror, etc. Allegiance: Instead of Law v. Chaos, etc. I’m thinking of using the mechanic as a sort of “Corruption” score. As a character deals with things like demonic forces, he risks his soul. Powers: Sorcery Initiative: DEX (or INT) + 1d10. Powers go off in init order. A sorcerer that chooses to use INT for his initiative is assumed to be starting a spell ad can't "switch to DEX" in mid-round. If he decides to stop casting or is interrupted, he loses the spell and POW. Attacks and parries can be over 100% and players can make multiple attacks by splitting their attack %. Attack and Parry are the same skill though. I’m thinking of allowing Dying Blows. I'm also thinking of grouping some of the weapon skills together. Something like this: Axe (Hand, Battle, Great, Woodsman) Bow (Self, Long) Blowgun Blunts (Mace, Club, Staff, Morning Star, Hammer) Crossbow Dagger (includes Knife) Hand (Cestus, Claw, etc.) Unarmed (Fist, Grapple, Kick, Head Butt) Improvised (thrown rock, torch, etc.) Polearm (Halberd, Pike, etc.) Spear (1 or 2 handed, includes Trident) Sword (1 or 2 handed. Includes scimitars, sabers, short, broad, bastard, and great swords) Staff (Short or Quarter) Thrown (Axes, Clubs, Daggers, Knifes, Spears, Slings, etc.) Net/Lasso Whip
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