GURPS DFA - Raiders of the Damned

[Techpriest Vesper]

OK so seemed to be enough interest here so consider this the recruitment and OCC thread for up coming GURPS DFA - Raiders of the Damned PBP game. Also I am stealing ideas and names from different sources (sited below) so don't goan too much about the names and places :)


This game/adventure is a DFA story based somewhat are the Mirror of the Fire Demons (mostly some of the monsters and ideas, not the overall adventure though), and the Warhammer Fantasy adventure Mousillon, City of the Damned and the war game Mordheim.



The jewel of the Ophidian Empire once was its capital city, Morpheus situated on the Pearl Coast. The city boosted a population of over 100,000 souls and was renowned for its universities, art, culture and magical might. The Wizard’s Guild of Morpheus was one of the most powerful and learned organization of magic throughout not only Ophidian but also the Known World. Trade poured through the city’s docks and along its Empire Roads into the empire’s interior.

All this changed 500 years ago when the master wizard of the guide detected a meteor pasting close to the planet and sensed its strong magical presence. With the help of his fellow wizards, they believed that they could bring the meteor down safely to the outskirts of the city and gain immense power from using it as some form of magical focus. They succeed but only partially, altering its course towards Morpheus but then disaster! Sages think that there may have been a malevolent spirit attached to the meteor and that somehow it resisted the wizard’s power at the last instant causing it to exploded over the city with a fierily rain of destruction. Much of the city and surrounding lands destroyed or burned by this explosion and those that were lucky enough to survive either fled or were driving insane.

As the years past the forest around the city grew back but now corrupted and twisted by the powers of the meteor. The city was abandoned by the Ophidian Empire and those that remained where twisted and driven insane… but also those with dark souls were drawn to the city and occasionally black ships still dock at the city’s broken piers. But not everything from the meteor was filled with this corrupting force, for soon afterwards some adventuring souls discovered some piece of the fallen rock and learned that it held magical energies (basically naturally occurring powerstones). Called Vis by wizards, the various factions started clamoring to acquire it and would pay incredible amounts for pure, untainted sources.

These powerstones along with those who would pay for various lost treasures still located within Morpheus has created a market and the market has created the small boom town of Bonepickers’ Villa located on the edge of the corrupted forest that surrounds the old city. Here various sellswords, mercenaries, adventures and reavers gathered along with the merchant houses and private individuals who would hire them. Taverns, brothels and gambling houses serves them all and few honest business can be found here; except for those that provide goods and services of the “adventuring” kind – foodstuff, camping and prospecting equipment, alchemist shops, weaponsmiths, armours, etc.

The once great city today is known as Kharon, the so-called gateway for the damned and the once beautiful forest that surrounded the city is called the Wurm Wood. Bonepickers’ Villa is about 80 miles to the northwest of the city, but there are no remaining roads that lead to the city and the forest itself seems to resist any attempt to hack a permanent trail through it. The land has become broken from the meteor crash and all manner of corrupted and evil creatures now inhabit it. To make matter worst, unusual weather patterns seem to spring up out of nowhere to lash travelers with blistering acid rain, or freezing fogs and fist-sized hail. Traveling through it is not for the inexperienced, and managing 10 miles a day through it is considered a reasonable feat.


CHARACTER CREATION
Standard Dungeon Fantasy Adventure Characters and Templates
NOTE that I only have DFA 1-9 so I would prefer we stick with these books for Templates, Items, etc. I am sort of interested in getting Ninjas and so if someone is interested in anything from there it my spur me to purchase them but I am a bit poor right now as we are doing some work on the home so my spending cash is limited.
Character Points: 250 points
Disadvantages: 50 points (remember per DFA templates, lowered Attributes and Secondary Attributes count towards this total). Racial Disadvantages don’t normally count towards these 50 points.
Quirks: 5 points
Races: DFA 3… but being a bit of a stick in the mud traditionalist I tend to like the “old standards” of Human, Dwarf, Elf (Half, High or Wood), Gnome, Halfling, and Half-Orc. I am not opposed to some extra variety but there are some that I just don’t want to deal with at all… anything with wings, Ogres, and a few others I am probably going to say no. Sorry no. All races start with their native Language and Common for free. Humans get one additional Language of choice for free also (Native level).
Starting Cash: $1,000 copper pieces (trading points for cash $500/point and Signature Gear I am upping to $750/point BUT this must be just one item. You can have multiple signature gears but each one most be purchased separately).
Equipment: I would prefer to use GURPS Low-Tech for weapons and armor. Other equipment, alchemy AND enchantments found in DFA 1 are all available as normal.
Power Items: I would prefer that these not be a Weapon or Armor without a good reason.
Luck and other ‘once per hour/game,’ etc items: Advantages that work on 1 per Hour or Session can be used 1 each per Combat and 1 outside of combat. I.e. someone with Luck can use it once to re-roll a roll in combat and then once again between that combat and the next combat session. Someone with Blessed would work the same way. I might say Ridiculous luck only grants you 4 re-rolls for session though as it is already sooo good, but I can change my mind as we have someone who has that advantage in the group.
Martial Arts: I have this supplement also and will allow the various perks and skills, etc. but I want to look them over first. Later I will post which maneuvers I will allows but I am allowing Heroic Effort in Combat I just want to pick which ones first.

The characters are recent arrivals for Bonepickers’ Villa seeking their fame and fortune. This is very much a frontier/boom town, with a haphazard wooden stockade and fort run by various merchant houses, while most of the business and taverns are either just shanty level quality buildings or just big tents. While once a civilized and industrial area of the empire with the destruction of the capital and the corruption of the surrounding lands most people (peasants, nobles, merchants, etc) fled the area hundreds of years ago and the lands have falling back to a savage wildland full of bandits, monsters and other horrible creatures of legends.

OK that is a good start. I will post up more later. Any questions let me know.

[Techpriest Vesper]

This space reserved for combat maneuver notes and combat example notes

Expanded Combat Maneuvers allowed from GURPS - Marital Arts
*All-Out Attack (Long) (MA97)
*Committed Attack (Determined) and (Strong)(MA100)
*Defensive Attack (MA100)
*Feint (MA100)
*Beats (MA100)
*Rapid Strike (MA127) will allow up to three attacks, each at -12 (or -6 with Trained by Master or Weapon Master) but can not be use with Flury of Blow Extra Effort

I might allow the others on a case by case bases. Just ask and we can talk about it here.

Extra Effort in Combat (B356) is allowed, along with the following from GURPS - Martial Arts, all found on (MA131)
*Giant Step
*Great Lunge
*Heroic Charge
*Rapid Recovery



COMBAT POSTING

When combat comes around I want everyone to post 1 round action – this includes a description of what he is doing, saying, thinking, etc. who he is attacking, and anything special he is trying. Then down below I want you to include a OCC with your important skills that you will be using that round and what Maneuver you are using and your rolls using Invisible Castle and include the link. If possible also include what kind of defense you plan on using and in what order you would like to use them, and then include your rolls there. Now of course if you say “I parry the first two attacks, then dodge once my parry reaches less then 12…” but if are hit with a ranged attack I would use your dodge first. Include a few rolls for each defense that you are using and I will use them in order.

Example of Combat – Say four heroes are making their down a dungeon corridor. Joe the Knight and Jane the War Priest are leading the group with Mike the Scout and Earl the Wizards following close behind. Joe has his shield and sword out, and Jane has her shield and mace, Mike has is bow with an arrow ready while Earl is carrying a staff in one hand he has a lantern in the other. Suddenly a group of four orcs races around the corner and charges Joe and Jane. The two lead orcs are carrying shields and axes while one of the orcs following has a long spear and the other has a regular bow.

In this situation I would call for everyone to declare their action for that round and to make all their rolls and post them in an OCC at the bottom of their action description. So if Joe was the first one to post he might say something like this…

==

Joe shouts “Dirty Orc scum!!” and slashing into the first orc that comes into range with two violent slashes!!!

((OCC – Skills: Broadsword -19, Block – 14, Parry – 16, Dodge – 12
Sword is already out, so will take a standard Attack Maneuver, with Rapid Strike to attack twice. I am spending 1FP and using Fury of Blows to suffer only a -3 to each attack. If he has to I will take one step to get into range of the closes one. He keeps attacking that orc until it goes down. He will then move to the next closes orc and cut it down as fast as possible or if one of his companions is getting hurt he will focus on that one.
Two attack and damage rolls – 16 (-3 Rapid Strike), Damage is 2d+6 – 3d6=11, 2d6+6=8, 3d6=9, 2d6+6=13
If I can I will parry the first two attacks (as I have Weapon Master I am only -2 for each additional parry in a round) and then Block and then go back to Parry until I drop lower then my Dodge. So, here are 2 Parry rolls (16 and then 14) – 3d6=13, 3d6=10
Here is a Block roll (14) - 3d6=7
Here are 3 Dodge rolls 3d6=7, 3d6=11, 3d6=4))

[Techpriest Vesper]

Just 'quote' my post here and copy the formate for easy use...


NAME: Joe the Slayer
Player: You
Ht: 5’ 6”
Wt: 100 lbs
Size Modifier: +0
Age: 20
XP: 0

Attributes
ST: 10 [0]
DX: 10 [0]
IQ: 10 [0]
HT: 10 [0]

Secondary Attributes
HP: 10 [0]
Will: 10 [0]
Per: 10 [0]
FP: 10 [0]

Basic Lift: 20 lbs
Damage thrust: 1d-1, swing 1d
Basic Speed: 5.00 [0]
Move: 5 [0]

Social Background
TL: 3
Cultural Familiarity: Human
Languages: Common (Native/Native)

Advantages
xx [0]

Perks
xx [0]

Disadvantages
xx [-0]

Quirks
xx

Skills
Brawling (E) DX+0 [0]


Equipment
Combat Load (weapons, armor, etc):

Travel Load (everything else):

Encumbrance: combat load – 0 lbs (level -0 move) travel load + lbs (level -0 move)

Point Summery: 0 Attributes + 0 Secondary Attributes + 0 Advantages + 0 Perks/Languages/Cultural Familiarity – 0 Disadvantages – 5 Quirks + 0 Skills/Techniques + 0 Miscellanies (extra cash, etc) = 250 points

Offense
Main weapon (damage, etc)

Defenses
Block-
Dodge-
Parry (weapon) –

Back Story: (just a short paragraph or two)

[Harry O'Gane]

Kind of interested. It's been a while since I've visited this forum, but I just might get back into action.

I'm thinking some ideas here, so far I have a 1) fanatic dwarven cleric of the war god, 2) a battle wizard half-elf and a 3) a human artificer, with a slight obsession for the undead.

[ErhnamDJ]

Hi, I'd like to play. I'm thinking either a Holy Warrior of Artifice or a Druid. I would like to avoid overlap with other characters, though. So maybe we should wait and see what everyone wants and then work something out?

[Techpriest Vesper]

All sound cool to me but if you want to play something stake out your choice. Others can modify their choice from what has been claimed so far :)

[ErhnamDJ]

Okay. I'll go with the Holy Warrior of Artifice. I can't actually make the character until I know whether or not we're using the Low-Tech armor, though.

[Techpriest Vesper]

Thats cool... Harry O'Gane do you happen to have access to Low-Tech? I am pretty sure the others who expressed interest do so if he does we will go with that

[Harry O'Gane]

Originally Posted by Techpriest Vesper

Thats cool... Harry O'Gane do you happen to have access to Low-Tech? I am pretty sure the others who expressed interest do so if he does we will go with that

Aye. Tinkering around with these concepts I wrote, so far the fanatic cleric sounds the best, although as far as I can see, the Cleric of War has no healing spells. Perhaps a cleric of Fire would be more suitable...

Anyhow, this points for cash thing - How does it go with dwarven Signature Gear perk they get in the fresh start? Worth $750 or $500? Also, are enchantments available for weapons?

[ErhnamDJ]

Originally Posted by Harry O'Gane

as far as I can see, the Cleric of War has no healing spells

Sure they do.

PI 2: Minor Healing
PI 4: Major Healing
PI 5: Great Healing


I'm wondering about the signature gear for individual items. Would a lobsterback be a different item from the helmet it's attached to? A lot of this armor stuff seems arbitrary. Is a codpiece a separate item from the breastplate it's on? Could I treat an entire suit of armor as a single item?