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Old 01-05-2014, 12:40 PM   #1
simply Nathan
formerly known as 'Kenneth Latrans'
 
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Default [DF] Races for the Fun of It

For some reason the fancy has struck me to do a DF racial write-up for a character I use in pure RP. I'm not sure I got the prices on the Limited advantages correct, but this is basically what I came up with jotting things down on Notepad for a few minutes:

Code:
Fairy Mouse [-4]
Attributes
ST-8 [-80]
DX+1 [20]
Secondary Characteristics
Per+2[10], Basic Move-2[-10]
Advantages
- Mouse Legs:
Basic Move+3(Temporary Disadvantage: No Fine Manipulators, -30%)[11], Extra Legs, 4 total(Temporary Disadvantage: No Fine Manipulators, -30%)[3]
- Fairy Fur:
DR 1(Tough Skin)[3], DR 1(fur)[5], Fur[1]
Flexible[5], High Manual Dexterity 2[10], Huge Weapons 2[2], Huge Weapons 4(Mana Sensitive)[4], Magery 0[5], Peripheral Vision[15], Pitiable[5], Sharp Teeth[1]
Disadvantages
Dependency(Mana, common, monthly)[-10], Gluttony(12)[-5]
Features
SM-6; Born Biter 1; Face, Leg, Foot, and Groin armor not interchangeable with Pixie characters; normal tail.

Racial Power-Ups:
Catfall(Magic)[9]
Striking ST 5(Biting Only, -60%)[10]
Perfect Balance(Magic)[14]
They're supposed to have a decent Move of 3 while standing on their hind paws, and zoom around at Move 6 when on all fours (the downside of doing that being the inability to hold weapons or tools while doing so).

I was going to go for straight-up Huge Weapons 6 at first, but after thinking a little I figured it made more sense to limit them to leprechaun-scaled weapons unless there's magic around. Being a Perk it doesn't get a price discount for having mana sensitivity.

There's not a whole lot of focus to this template. It looks cluttered with traits to me, partly because GURPS handles fine details so well that making a tiny mouse guy needs a lot of traits even without the magical effects of being a fairy. I would link a picture, but my image host seems to be down for now.

I kinda want them to be treated as SM-7 or -8 like a normal mouse for things like being spotted or interacting with terrain/obstacles/squeezing into narrow areas but still count as -6 for armor (so some Pixie loot can be used by them), rations, being hit in battle, and so on. Just treating them as -6 in all cases is preferable, where that is too fiddly.

I don't remember any of the races in DF3 having negative cost, though I don't know if that was by design or not. I do know I wasn't sure these guys would come out even slightly negative in spite of their huge ST penalties. But hey, looks like being a fairy mouse gives my guy 4 points that don't count against his disad limit (not that it makes a lot of difference, pure RP characters tend to come out to crazy high or crazy low point totals when translated to GURPS).

I'm open to suggestions on traits to change, price adjustments, and further racial powerups if anyone has any ideas.



And as the threat title indicates, more DF races made just for the fun of it are entirely welcome no matter how weird they may seem. I was considering doing up a halfling-sized rat man next.
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Old 01-05-2014, 05:01 PM   #2
chandley
 
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Default Re: [DF] Races for the Fun of It

I dont think you need the extra legs in there. That is buying you 4 legs and then leaving you two arms that dont have hands on em. Just having the Basic Move with the Temp Disad is good enough. You are running on your arms and legs, if some one takes out an arm, it is like a 4 legged guy losing one leg. Easy enough.

Saves you 3 points too.

A total of DR 2 on a SM -6 creature without the magical modifier is a little eyebrow raising :). Certainly, DR 1 (tough skin) on something that small is strange, and DR 1 (fur) should probably be flexible, if it is there at all. You do label it Fairy Fur though, and so anything goes, I just jerked a little when there was no power modifier.

Suicidal to play in a normal DF campaign, but look fun for Fantasy. If you both wanted to bring up their points and survivability, consider things like Silence and/or a Racial Talent.
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Old 01-05-2014, 06:30 PM   #3
simply Nathan
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Default Re: [DF] Races for the Fun of It

Quote:
Originally Posted by chandley View Post
I dont think you need the extra legs in there. That is buying you 4 legs and then leaving you two arms that dont have hands on em. Just having the Basic Move with the Temp Disad is good enough.
That's a good call. And maybe I'll raise their four-legged Move a bit too.

Quote:
Originally Posted by chandley View Post
A total of DR 2 on a SM -6 creature without the magical modifier is a little eyebrow raising :). Certainly, DR 1 (tough skin) on something that small is strange, and DR 1 (fur) should probably be flexible, if it is there at all. You do label it Fairy Fur though, and so anything goes, I just jerked a little when there was no power modifier.
Yeah, I should put Magic on the DR too (both the thick fur part and the tough skin part). Maybe make it DR 2 fur instead of DR 1 so that they actually get a point out of it, and probably drop the tough skin part. I do want them to be very resilient for their size, but that's more from magic than from material durability.

A full ST 1 is really good for anything mouse-sized, much less 2. And individual heroes might go much higher. Huge Weapons won't do them much good with ST worse than 6 though, since that's where batons and large knives sit.

Quote:
Originally Posted by chandley View Post
Suicidal to play in a normal DF campaign, but look fun for Fantasy. If you both wanted to bring up their points and survivability, consider things like Silence and/or a Racial Talent.
Silence fits the bill perfectly, though I'm not sure what I'd put on a racial Talent for these guys (possibly Climbing, Stealth, Acrobatics, and Traps). Two levels of Silence conveniently raises them to 0 points if memory serves (I don't usually use that advantage so I'll have to check in a few minutes, but it's something that makes perfect sense for the small critters I most enjoy playing).
EDIT: Turns out it was 5/level but gave +2 to Stealth conditionally, which is pretty close.

I'm used to games playing like DF but starting well below the 250 point threshold, with heroes taking out mundane rats, bats, goblins, and lesser undead at first. I've never been a fan of things being high-powered out the gate.

The hero I play with this race is some combination of Knight/Swashbuckler/Holy Warrior starting to lean into the Wizard lens, which is probably even more suicidal than the obvious ways of playing them (Thief, poison-using Scout, or possibly a bitey Martial Artist).


Second draft:
Code:
Fairy Mouse [-1]
Attributes
ST-8 [-80]
DX+1 [20]
Secondary Characteristics
Per+2[10], Basic Move-2[-10]
Advantages
- Mouse Legs:
Basic Move+3(Temporary Disadvantage: No Fine Manipulators, -30%)[11]
- Fairy Fur:
DR 2(fur, Magic)[9], Fur[1]
Flexible[5], High Manual Dexterity 2[10], Huge Weapons 2[2], Huge Weapons 4(Mana Sensitive)[4], Magery 0[5], Peripheral Vision[15], Pitiable[5], Sharp Teeth[1], Silence 1[5]
Disadvantages
Dependency(Mana, common, monthly)[-10], Gluttony(12)[-5]
Features
SM-6; Born Biter 1; Face, Leg, Foot, and Groin armor not interchangeable with Pixie characters; normal tail.

Racial Power-Ups:
Catfall(Magic)[9]
Mousiness (Racial Talent for Acrobatics, Climbing, Stealth, and Traps) [5/level]
Striking ST 5(Biting Only, -60%)[10]
Perfect Balance(Magic)[14]
So with those slight tweaks it's practically a Quirk to play one.
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Last edited by simply Nathan; 01-05-2014 at 06:36 PM.
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Old 01-05-2014, 08:53 PM   #4
chandley
 
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Default Re: [DF] Races for the Fun of It

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kenneth Latrans View Post

Silence fits the bill perfectly, though I'm not sure what I'd put on a racial Talent for these guys (possibly Climbing, Stealth, Acrobatics, and Traps).
Add Scrounging and Poison for the full 6 skills at 5pts/level (with the bonus reaction going to fellow thieves (but not assassins)), give them Pixie Shot (they shop at the same stores), and you have a DF template I think. 2 levels of the Talent + the perk is a 10 point race. Put the Dependency at the full Constantly, and you have them at -5 points... which gives a Thief template 35 advantage points to play with, some of which are obviously going into ST.

Pixie Shot + a high Poison skill and you can buy Poisons for 70% off, letting you afford to put multiple doses on a blade or arrow. Silence + Talent + Stealth + SM -6, you could snipe from the shadows and stay hidden a long time.

Alternately, go Bard and lean on Pitiable :) (and use Quirk points to pick up Poison, you dont have to be a NICE Bard).

Yeah, could work with that.
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Old 01-05-2014, 10:39 PM   #5
simply Nathan
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Default Re: [DF] Races for the Fun of It

Quote:
Originally Posted by chandley View Post
Add Scrounging and Poison for the full 6 skills at 5pts/level (with the bonus reaction going to fellow thieves (but not assassins)), give them Pixie Shot (they shop at the same stores), and you have a DF template I think. 2 levels of the Talent + the perk is a 10 point race.
Not so sure about Poison, but Scrounging is one of those how-did-I-miss-it parts, like the Silence. I personally never use reaction bonuses from Talents (and in this case I'd probably make it a reaction bonus from felines and fellow rodents rather than from thieves). Traps is on the Talent mostly to aid Per-based Traps rolls to spot mousetraps and the like, but I decided to also let them set or disarm traps instead of stipulating a conditional.

Quote:
Originally Posted by chandley View Post
Put the Dependency at the full Constantly, and you have them at -5 points... which gives a Thief template 35 advantage points to play with, some of which are obviously going into ST.
I don't want them to fall apart that fast, though the prospect of staying in a no-mana zone for over a month sounds pretty unlikely now that I think of it. Maybe I'll speed up the duration a little.

Quote:
Originally Posted by chandley View Post
Pixie Shot + a high Poison skill and you can buy Poisons for 70% off, letting you afford to put multiple doses on a blade or arrow. Silence + Talent + Stealth + SM -6, you could snipe from the shadows and stay hidden a long time.
And due to the racial Perks you're able to magically use full-size weapons appropriate to your ST so long as there's mana and up to Leprechaun scale even with reality checks. And ST 2 is enough to use a blowpipe. I'm so used to the character classes/alignments of a certain other system that I usually completely overlook the possibility of using poisons.

Quote:
Originally Posted by chandley View Post
Alternately, go Bard and lean on Pitiable :) (and use Quirk points to pick up Poison, you dont have to be a NICE Bard).
Cuteness for the win!

I shortly considered giving them Attractive appearance on top of Pitiable, but then I though I don't really like racial levels of the Appearance trait and my beliefs on how good certain animals look anthropomorphized might not line up well with the fantasy baseline.


My character once hid inside the armor of a larger warrior and held onto a healing wand, occasionally using it to heal the person when he got wounded (and due to racial Magery 0, he was able to use a "Mages Only" item despite being a warrior-type).
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Old 01-06-2014, 10:13 AM   #6
chandley
 
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Default Re: [DF] Races for the Fun of It

If you dont put in Poison, put in a weapon skill that is thematically appropriate (Knife, maybe). The idea is to give them a boost in a full up DF campaign.
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Old 01-06-2014, 11:30 AM   #7
simply Nathan
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Default Re: [DF] Races for the Fun of It

Maybe Fast-Draw? That seems very appropriate to me. Knife is my second choice.
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Old 01-09-2014, 11:49 PM   #8
simply Nathan
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Default Re: [DF] Races for the Fun of It

Third draft:
Code:
Fairy Mouse [0]
Optimal Templates: Bard, Scout, Thief
Marginal Templates: Barbarian, Knight
Attributes
ST-8 [-80]
DX+1 [20]
Secondary Characteristics
Per+2[10], Basic Move-2[-10]
Advantages
- Mouse Legs:
Basic Move+3(Temporary Disadvantage: No Fine Manipulators, -30%)[11]
- Fairy Fur:
DR 2(fur, Magic)[9], Fur[1]
Flexible[5], High Manual Dexterity 2[10], Huge Weapons 2[2], Huge Weapons 4(Mana Sensitive)[4], Magery 0[5], Peripheral Vision[15], Pitiable[5], Pixie Shot[1], Sharp Teeth[1], Silence 1[5]
Disadvantages
Dependency(Mana, common, monthly)[-10], Gluttony(12)[-5]
Features
SM-6; Born Biter 1; Face, Leg, Foot, and Groin armor not interchangeable with Pixie characters; normal tail.

Racial Power-Ups:
Up to four more levels of Basic Move with Temporary Disadvantage(No Fine Manipulators, -30%).
Catfall(Magic)[9]
Mousiness (Racial Talent for Acrobatics, Climbing, Fast-Draw(All), Scrounging, Stealth, and Traps), reaction bonus from rodents and felines [5/level]
Striking ST 5(Biting Only, -60%)[10]
Perfect Balance(Magic)[14]
Now I'm on to build a character with this race. With luck maybe I'll be able to play him some day. Whether I do or not, he will have some adventures anyway. Looks like he put at least one of his Quirk points into Lockpicking; not sure if his base template is Knight, Holy Warrior, or Swashbuckler. Scout could even be the case. He adds the Wizard lens later in his career, regardless.



I don't know what race to build next. His girlfriend's, perhaps? That's probably a bit expensive for DF though. She has the most expensive possible trait combination from any place where humans, wolves, and housecats differ. It's going to practically be a character template in its own right (and she personally has magical powers besides that).

Let's see:
Code:
Wolfcat (Humanoid)[175]
Attributes
DX+4 [80]
HT+2 [20]
Secondary Characteristics
Per+2[10], Basic Move +4[20]
Advantages
Catfall[10], Discriminatory Smell[15], DR 1[5], Fur[1], Night Vision 5[5] Sharp Claws[5], Sharp Teeth[1], Temperature Tolerance 3(2 cold, 1 hot)[3]
Features
Born Biter 1; Face, Leg, Foot, and Groin armor not interchangeable with Human characters; two tails.
Code:
Wolfcat (Quadruped)[97]
Attributes
DX+4(No Fine Manipulators, -40%) [48]
HT+2 [20]
Secondary Characteristics
Per+2[10], Basic Move +4[20]
Advantages
Catfall[10], Discriminatory Smell[15], DR 1[5], Extra Legs(4 total)[5], Fur[1], Night Vision 5[5] Sharp Claws[5], Sharp Teeth[1], Temperature Tolerance 3(2 cold, 1 hot)[3]
Disadvantages
Horizontal[-10], No Fine Manipulators[-30]
Features
Born Biter 1; Face, Leg, Foot, and Groin armor not interchangeable with Human characters; two tails.
Nowhere near as powerful as I was expecting, though I might have missed some things.

And as an individual she has vast magical powers, including shrinking down to mouse-size, shapeshifting between the humanoid form and quadrupedal form (norm for her race is quadrupedal), fire and ice attacks, ability to survive in magma unharmed, ability to teleport other things (with a limited range; anything inside of her to just outside), full range of internal senses, and total control of all metabolic systems.

Both characters have marsupial-like pouches, but this is abnormal for both races (the second tail is for his and may be for hers, I'm mostly going by memory).

Like I said before, pure roleplay characters tend to come out to crazy high or crazy low point totals once you give them stats. It's probably for the best that she's asleep during his four-year career as a delver. He has some of the same power she does (magma survival and size change, with his giant size being somewhere around SM+8) but they would be bought with Granted by Familiar with her as an Ally, and her appearance rate in his DF career is 0% so those abilities don't matter.
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Last edited by simply Nathan; 01-11-2014 at 02:52 PM.
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