06-18-2018, 10:46 AM | #21 | |
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Saskatoon, SK, Canada
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Re: Pulp Hero concept
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06-18-2018, 11:35 AM | #22 |
Join Date: Aug 2004
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Re: Pulp Hero concept
Ok then a follow up, regarding sensibilities in the Pulp Hero atmosphere. As I said I truly love the Planetary Comic and my aim is that sort of theme and feel. The issue comes with in the world that Planetary inhabits there are very public supers with capes and symbols on their chest, but that is not the look and feel
of the world I was going for. I was more going with a hybrid. My feel is a modern game, with some advanced technologies due to fast tracked tech and Corporations akin to early cyberpunk with advanced tech. This allowed moon landing to happen a decade before and now allows for moon cities and colonization of the mars to a limited degree. Long march vessels can make the trip to mars in around 25 days. Some moderate and minor advancements in tech level for those that afford it to a TL9 or so. I want a feel of wonder, weirdness, intrigue, and mystery. A world that was advanced in some areas, but mostly as it is today. The world has a secret history that is lost or forgotten. Whole areas of the world are not found or hidden away. Lost civilizations exist and could hold secrets that will haunt the current world. Monsters of legend or elder things are locked away or hiding, waiting in the shadows. Mad cults seek the end of the world. Crazy scientists are hiding in their lairs working on black sciences. Shadowed vigilantes stalk the night. Minor Psionics are slowly awaking in some people on the world for unknown reason for decades, and some Corps and governments have formed groups or watch dogs for this. There is a world that is right outside the view of others and sometimes they see a glimpse of it. This may be the cop that has to clean up the crime scene from a local masked vigilante that likes to use pulp laser pistols and a jet pack, or those at a local coffee shop got to see for a brief second a battle between a woman wielding telekinesis and a man in a battle suit, before they both flew off, before the cops or government got there. The world once had supers akin to pulp heroes that where around in the 1920's and 30's and fought during WW1 and WW2, but due to various issues they where pushed back in the world and disappeared after the late 60's or so. They would pop up from time to time but became mostly a thing of the past or urban legends, but in truth they went underground to hide from the government and corps, or maybe even something more powerful, not sure yet. Or maybe a whole forgotten history of supers and heroes, lost to all?Ideas? How would the world react to pulp heroes in the modern age slowly coming back? the Mandrakes, the Doc Savage, the Spirit, etc. Or even more potent ones like real TK psionics or control over metal via magnetism powers? What would the sensibilities be for the somewhat normal world to suddenly see a battle of a sword wielding man in armor with something that looked like a cross between a squid and a shark in downtown LA on camera, at least until the man ran away after it was killed? And this is after 60 years or more or no open super or strange activity. And how about legalities? That pulp hero with a old laser gun taken off a mad Nazi scientist in WW2, its a one of a kind, how do you get a permit for that, or not even bother to? Or board a plan with it? Last edited by Lameth; 06-18-2018 at 01:45 PM. |
06-18-2018, 11:51 AM | #23 |
Join Date: Mar 2006
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Re: Pulp Hero concept
For "mysterious" magic, I feel you need to throw out magic systems completely, and instead use magic guidelines. Ever since I read Fantasy Hero and it's "Designing Magic Systems" section, that's all I've ever used. Reading that section of that book is something I highly recommend.
Essentially, all magic is simply bought as an advantage with the limitations of Magical and Requires Skill Roll. Beyond that, the spell could have any other limitations its designer desires, but must have -80% of limitations. This means you'll never know what your opponent is bringing to the table with their spell, which really plays up that mysterious factor. With certain settings where I'm going for different flavors of magic, I'll require other limitations as well, even having multiple sets of guidelines for multiple styles of magic (Elf Magic Guidelines, Dwarf Magic Guidelines, etc.), but at the very least, I use those two listed above. I've come to dislike every other magic system GURPS 4E provides. This method is far more flexible and adaptable to different campaigns than any highly rigid system like those provided in GURPS Magic and GURPS Sorcery. |
06-18-2018, 06:54 PM | #24 | ||
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Snoopy's basement
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Re: Pulp Hero concept
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Edit: I just checked UT231. Looks like they might have shared my thinking. Last edited by Donny Brook; 06-18-2018 at 07:11 PM. |
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06-18-2018, 08:14 PM | #25 | |
Join Date: Feb 2016
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Re: Pulp Hero concept
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06-19-2018, 10:07 AM | #26 | |
Join Date: Aug 2004
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Re: Pulp Hero concept
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on magic....One of the PCs is asking for healing. The PC is a woman of the world type like Doc Savage so I thought of the theme of "learned various mystical techniques from a healer that healed her years before. Maybe making it Path Magic, Path of Health, with Effect Shaping to simulate the idea of eastern medicine to shape reality by pure will power? Or maybe ancient Egyptian magic learned from a priestess of Hathor or Isis? Or a using mandalas and mantras as a Buddhist healing ritual? Or maybe Hermetic Magic ritual? what do you think fits the theme and overall feeling of pulp action heroes ? |
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06-19-2018, 10:24 AM | #27 | ||
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Saskatoon, SK, Canada
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Re: Pulp Hero concept
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In fact, that could be an interesting distinction between Paths and Books to use - each Path is based on a different core skill, while Books all default to Ritual Magic. So when you learn "magic" as such, you get potential access to a wide variety of weird effects, but you have to learn the ones in the books you find. Whereas if you learn an "esoteric" skill, you get access to a specialized body of magic that helps that skill, but you can't learn different magic without learning a totally new trick. Quote:
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06-19-2018, 10:57 AM | #28 | |
Join Date: Aug 2004
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Re: Pulp Hero concept
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Ok so maybe like this: Path of Health, Core Skill, Esoteric Medicine. Portrayed as pressure points, massage, burning incense, drawing mandalas or hand gestures in the form of mandalas, and acupuncture. Effect Shaping. Then maybe give her Occultism as a core skill, that may allow her to learn "Book Magic" later on and allow books to be purchased separately as individual rituals and spells. Effect Shaping. Maybe also allow "mystical chi martial art abilities" Core skill Body Control, and allow various Paths for self healing in mediation, going without food for weeks, ceasing to breath, feigning death, toughing their own flesh from damage, ect. Effect Shaping. |
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06-19-2018, 11:09 AM | #29 | ||
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Saskatoon, SK, Canada
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Re: Pulp Hero concept
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However, you could create a new skill, at Very Hard, that covered both ritual magic and standard Occultism uses. Call it "True Occultism" or "True Secrets of the World" or whatever you want. Quote:
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06-19-2018, 11:35 AM | #30 | |
Join Date: Aug 2004
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Re: Pulp Hero concept
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