[OOC] Worlds of Fire

[Totem]

Introduction
There is a war.

An enemy that cannot be reasoned with is fighting for its survival. But its survival means the extinction of 90% of the Humans in the multiverse. You, and those beside you, are all that stands between the Blazen and a Humanity that may never know how close it came to armagedon.

Current Players
Lamech - John Lazarus - Magical investigator and troubleshooter
EricTheRed - Michael - Telepath
pfharlock - Sourn
There are currently places available

House Rules
Clarifications on some GURPS rules as they are applied in this game: House Rules

Player Characters
Player characters are built to the following criteria:

• 290 points + 50 point disadvantage limit
• The campaign is run at TL8; characters may take any TL with appropriate adjustment of points
• Backgrounds for characters can vary hugely; Human is the basic option however within the limits laid down here any race or species is acceptable; for those distinctly non-Human looking consult the Equipment section (below) as blending in will be a requirement on occasions
• Magic, Psi and other options are all available. The campaign is not intended to be cinematic, but the full range of abilities can be assumed to be available (GM reserves veto)
• Characters will find it best to be versatile in their style (please read this post)
• New characters begin play at the Western Harbour having chosen to join the fight against the Blazen. See the backgrounds below for suggestions on how the character arrived there
• Jumper (World) and Jumper (Time) are 0 point advantages; transport will be available where necessary to bypass this issue where necessary
• The GM possesses the following: GURPS Basic Set (Characters & Campaigns), Powers, Psionic Powers, Magic, Discworld Also, Space, Low-, High-, Ultra-tech and a slightly twisted imagination. This list may be expanded in the near future. Equipment, abilities and skills from other reference material may be used provided explanation is given when required. New equipment may be developed with GM consultation.
• Characters all gain the following freebies at no points cost.

The Front Line
The Front Line is the area on the edge of the Blazen's conglomerate universe. Because of the nature of the war, certain restrictions are placed on those who visit the Front Line:

• Minimal cultural interference - try to avoid messing things up
• No geography lessons - must minimise the number who know about other worlds
• No time travel - the Blazen haven't tried using it yet, lets not give them ideas
• Fate has been revoked - the future is undetermined; advantages, disadvantages or skills relating to the future (Destiny, Oracle, etc) will not function while on the Front Line. Purely logical deduction (Visualisation for instance) will still function as normal.

Points may still be spent on advantages relating to restricted situations (Jumper (Time) for instance), however these will not function most of the time.

Suggested Character Backgrounds:
Recruit
You were picked out for your useful skills, and asked to join up in the fight against the Blazen. Maybe you were a world-jumper who found your way into the area around the Front Line and demonstrated some kind of impressive skill. Maybe you were native to a universe on the Front Line and recruited for your assistance to the CI team. Recruits have already proved themselves to some degree and tend to go in at a higher level of operations than Foundlings as they are already useful.

Foundling
Foundlings have a lot to prove; rescued from situations because of circumstances rather than because of their skills, Foundlings have normally lost their entire world or have some reason to try to get away from what they faced in their own world. They don't necessarily have useful skills and tend to require a lot of training in order to make themselves useful.


Tech Level and Equipment
Economics
The Western Harbour does not operate in a cash economy; the idea of using money when the Harbour has access to a dozen types of Universal Constructor, pattern replicators, and various types of exotic manufactory, trying to put an actual value on physical goods is somewhat hopeless, particularly with the vast difference in cultures and backgrounds that are present.

Requisitions
That being said, you cannot simply requisition whatever equipment you want. Credit is extended based a flat rate plus bonuses depending on success at missions. Credit is allocated along with XP at the end of missions; new characters can assume that their credit equals their starting wealth as per normal rules. Prices for equipment are set as per TL8 (multiply up or down accordingly).

Equipment standards
Characters are, as a rule, not allowed access to equipment from a higher TL than their own (characters may buy up their TL to gain access to new equipment).
All equipment can be assumed to be one level of quality higher than standard at no added cost.
MALF is ignored for equipment unless players specifically wish to include it; MALF and quality are used to define resale price and the like for the most part.

Content
Language: English
Subtitles: Klingon/ Centauri for the hard of hearing
Surround Sound by You Imagination®
Colour: PAL
Running Time: The same length as that piece of string
Widescreen Format: Full Surround 3D
Violence: Infrequent, fantastic
Sex/ Nudity: By reference (mostly in part 1)
Theme/ Content: World-jumping (feel free to be a tourist)

[Totem]

New Advantages
Heightened Perceptual Awareness (15 points)
Those who travel between worlds often get very good at spotting the things that are out of place. To some people this is an innate skill, to others it has been learnt the hard way.

When confronted by such things as Perceptual Filters, magical illusions, advanced tech, psi powers, or general weirdness, someone with Heightened Perceptual Awareness can make an IQ check to recognise that they are confronting something that is not entirely real or is out of place. If they have an appropriate skill to match this then a further check against this skill can recognise the weirdness for what it is.

New Skills
Additional Options
Those who travel between universes tend to pick up some knowledge of what such travel involves and how to understand it. The additional option of Higher Dimensional exists for the following skills:

• Physics
• Mathematics
• Navigation
• Cartography
• Symbol Drawing

Each of these represents an understanding of the structure of and travel between different worlds. TL Modifiers do not allow; this specialty is known as appropriate for your TL.

Equipment
The equipment list has been moved to the following locations:

Page 1

Character Ideas/ Thoughts
Added following a request for character concept suggestions.

Individuals
Inidividuals who world-jump tend to have some reason for doing so beyond mere employment. Common reasons include:

• Trying to get home (random jumping)
• Escaping from someone/ something
• Trying to find something (something not available in your own world)

Those jumping between worlds on their own tend to be very adaptable to circumstances, and find ways of setting themselves up quickly in a world. This might be by marketable skills (healing powers or knowledge tend to be a favorite in low TL worlds) or by shadier means (anyone who has read the Time Traveller's Wife will know that the ability to pick the lock on a shop door, beat the owner senseless and steal his clothes in less than three minutes can be an essential survival trait).

Depending on their means of travel they may acquire allies who travel with them, or may be forced to travel alone, relying on their own skill and wits to live. They may find periods of calmness in each world where they set themselves up before moving on again, either through boredom or necessity.

Examples:

• A collector of stories, a teller of tales, a player of games... He has been all these things and more. His life began as a bard, and he trained for many years before he was taught the words to open the doors between worlds. Now his voice carries him much further than he has once thought possible... Best used at a low TL with Magery (Bardic). Performance, Singing, Musical Instrument, Enthrallment, and Musical Influence would be likely skills, along with plenty of social skills to get people to tell their own tale. Eidetic memory would come in handy, and Singing (Higher Dimensional) is a requirement for travelling.
• She's never let one get away from her, and isn't going to start now. A bounty hunter who travels between worlds, she knows the ins and outs of the routes between worlds, and can use them freely for herself with an innate psi gift that her mother swore couldn't have come from her step-father. Police Powers (bounty hunter, only applicable in certain worlds) is a must, along with some decent weapon skills. The psi power opens up other psi options. Ruthlessness would be appropriate. Cytek enhancements wouldn't be amise either.
• He's been on the run for a decade now. He doesn't even think he can remember how to get home, even assuming that he was willing to try it. The entire time he knows that they've been chasing him. What he did, why he did it... He doesn't even know if those matter any more. It's a matter of principle that he keeps getting away that drives them onwards. Now he just needs to get enough cash together to fix the machine again and keep running. A character with an enemy and probably a criminal record. Is their crime something that they want to keep secret, or are they not ashamed of what they did? Are they being hunted to be killed or to be captured? Have they got someone travelling with them? And what is this machine?
• They hunt. That's what matters. He was offered a chance to hunt something significant, not merely for the feast, but for the thrill of the hunt as well. All he needs to do is convince his target to let him kill it... A bit of a challenge here; the Set have a psi-form body. This makes them vulnerable to anti-psi (weakness 1d per minute), but lets them buy *any* phsyical ability or trait with a -10% psi modifier. The only problem: they can't kill without permission. Even a critical hit can't reduce their target below 1 HP unless that target has told them it can.
• She found a way through the shadows; the mystics said that it shouldn't be done, that she was stepping to her doom. The Lupine were used to living alongside the remain of the Human race, being the principle survivors of the plague. Now she finds herself in worlds where her form is greeted with anything but gratitude. A disguise is essential, as is finding a way to eat without drawing attention... A wolf-man form. TL8 with magery is recommended. Infectious Attack is a must. Immunity to Disease meant that the Lupine survived a biological war, and they tried to preserve Human knowledge and culture by spreading their kind across as much of Humanity as they could. A Lupine scientist found a cure for the disease before Humanity was wiped out entirely, for which Humanity is grateful, but in other worlds Humans aren't that happy to see a Lupine; a perceptual filter is a must here.

Organisations
Those working for an organisation tend to find moving around both easier and harder. A world-jumping organisation can provide training for those wishing to blend in with their surroundings, can provide intelligence on the target world, and can give resources that an individual on the move would lack.

On the other hand such an organisation will most likely have an agenda; merchants or slavers dealing in 'exotics', companies looking to find untapped resources, conquest (covert or overt), knowledge (science, medicine, etc), or more benignly as tourist operators, traders or 'guardian angels' helping those in need.

Examples (more exotic ones probably):
Infinity Patrol/ Centrum (see the Basic Set Campaign book, I won't go into more detail here)

• The Grey Tower are spoken of in the darker reaches of the worlds; an order of mystics some say, whilst others speak of technology so advanced that it cannot be told from magic. Their agents move between worlds by means of advanced devices and appear to use magic by means of the implants and equipment that they possess. Use Magery (Techno-magic) with TL^ [25]. Magical abilities are handled as per Magic rules but generated by bitek or cytek implants and an astute knowledge of how to manipulate science. Agents are normally seeking new knowledge or "places of power" which they can use. Heavy on the mystery and with an agenda.
• The River Guard know of only a few other worlds; their ability to travel between worlds extends only as far as jumping from one neighbouring world to the next, following 'the River', the single line of worlds that they know of. The Guard protect the Earth in each world, slowly extending their influence across more and more worlds. They never seek to lead, only to protect. The River Guard can be TL11 or TL5(+Magery) depending on the background. The Guards are trained to survive, to fight, and to protect those who need their help. Often Selfless, nearly always Honest, they will nonetheless be Human and are varied amongst themselves. The sheer number of invasions that they have had to see off means that they tend to be xenophobic (take Intolerance (Non-Humans)) as well.
• Underwood Conveyers are a race of aliens who brought world-jumping technology to the Earth. They refused to grant it to Humans though, instead setting themselves up as couriers and transporters between the multiple worlds of Humans that they could reach. Humans travelling with help from Conveyers will always have a Conveyer somewhere in the background (they can't get back otherwise). The Conveyers may not be happy to find other people travelling with world-jumping technology, and will probably try to stop the player from getting their hands on any of it.

[Fnord72]

I'm interested in playing.

[ErhnamDJ]

Okay, I really want to play a guy from one of those post-apocalyptic type worlds. The kind where most of the technology has faded away. So all they have left is the stuff that's easy to work with. Primitive cars and machines. Black powder for weapons.

So, he'd walk around dressed in leather and chains covered in grease with a couple of crude-looking revolvers strapped to him. Looks like he just crawled out of hell's junkyard.

That sound cool?

[Pesterfield]

Interesting, but I'm having trouble coming up with a character concept that would reply to an unknown call for help.

Maybe toss out some suggestions about why a character might be out there, I've got two:
A retrieval specialist, sent by government or business to get ideas and artifacts from various worlds.(Can't see responding to a random call for help)
A drifter, arrives and attaches himself as a flunky to whoever seems important and approachable on that world(Maybe with some offer of a reward)

[Talosian]

Definitely interested, but are ALL time/world jumping abilities "free"? If not, what exactly is covered?

[Karasu]

Please sign me in! I am working on a character from an alternative WWII (post-apocalyptic) setting if that is fine with you.

Thanks

[Totem]

Originally Posted by ErhnamDJ

Okay, I really want to play a guy from one of those post-apocalyptic type worlds. The kind where most of the technology has faded away. So all they have left is the stuff that's easy to work with. Primitive cars and machines. Black powder for weapons.

So, he'd walk around dressed in leather and chains covered in grease with a couple of crude-looking revolvers strapped to him. Looks like he just crawled out of of hell's junkyard.

That sound cool?

The only issue I would have with the idea would be where the world-jumping side of things comes into it. Then again, with mutation in a post-apocalyptic world or depending on the TL of the world before it went post-apocalyptic it could easily be a psi or tech based power.

Blending in was mentioned as well, though given that (at least where the story starts) people aren't actually looking for other people carrying weapons, a decent coat to stop the revolvers being too obvious would be fine. Otherwise this sounds good.

Originally Posted by Pesterfield

Interesting, but I'm having trouble coming up with a character concept that would reply to an unknown call for help.

Maybe toss out some suggestions about why a character might be out there, I've got two:
A retrieval specialist, sent by government or business to get ideas and artifacts from various worlds.(Can't see responding to a random call for help)
A drifter, arrives and attaches himself as a flunky to whoever seems important and approachable on that world(Maybe with some offer of a reward)

Okay, modification to the message: it can include personal details, and a mention of a reward appropriate to the individual. Look at it this way, this message arrived in whatever world it found you in before you got there. Whoever sent it knows what they're up to and makes it clear that they've got resources to make it worth your while.

On the organisation side of things it's entirely plausible that the message was sent to the organisation instead, asking for your character by name. As mentioned it's an area beyond their experience (they might not have even known that it was possible to travel in that 'direction') so the chance to explore somewhere new might be the insentive for them to send someone. They might also send someone to keep an eye on things (an Ally), or a rival group might send someone (an Enemy).

For someone travelling on their own it might be a case of assisting them with their travels (if they're jumping blind for instance, Sliders style, these directions might be the first coherent jump that they've ever made and they might not want to miss the chance of learning more). If they have some specific rewards in mind, then list those on the character sheet.

Ultimately it's up to you why your character is there; personal reward (be it material or knowledge), corporate obligation, avoiding boredom, or simple monkey curiosity, it depends on the character and their personal style. Both ideas mentioned above are good ones.

EDIT: Check above for some sample character/ organisation concepts.

Originally Posted by Talosian

Definitely interested, but are ALL time/world jumping abilities "free"? If not, what exactly is covered?

Jumper (World) and Jumper (Time) are free. Apply whatever advantages/ limitations you want (the chance of buying off those limitations could be a major part of why your character gets involved).

Partly setting the cost as free is because these abilities cannot be activated without GM consultation (on the other hand I can't set them off without your permission, and you'd have to be trying something pretty complicated for me to actually refuse to let you use them), but also because I'm leaving the style of travel open as well; someone spending 100 points on Jumper (World) as a psi power might feel a bit put-out by someone else having spent $20 on a pretty looking trinket in a TL3 market which turned out to be a world-jumping engine that got misplaced.

If using your world-jumping tech/ whatever relies on a specific skill (such as Symbol Drawing (Higher Dimensional) for creating gateways) then that can be purchased for free if necessary for the purposes of travel. Being aware that your ability to use it may be limited, list the means of travel separately on the character sheet (with an effective points cost that's not included in the grand total) and... Well, I can't think of any reason for refusing an ability, provided that no one appears to be abusing the chance.

This only affects your means of travel; snatcher and similar tricks are not included in it (list specifics if you want a final clarification).

Originally Posted by Karasu

Please sign me in! I am working on a character from an alternative WWII (post-apocalyptic) setting if that is fine with you.

Thanks

Post-apocalyptic seems to be popular... The plot thickens...

[ErhnamDJ]

Name: Douglas Trask

Attributes [155]
ST 12 [20]
DX 13 [60]
IQ 11 [20]
HT 12 [20]

HP 12
Will 12 [5]
Per 14 [15]
FP 12

Basic Lift 29
Damage 1d-1/1d+2

Basic Speed 7 [15]
Basic Move 7

Social Background
TL: 6
Cultural Familiarities: Western-Sorta
Languages: English

Advantages [56]
Combat Reflexes [15]
Cultural Adaptability [10]
Cutting-Edge Training (Armoury skill is TL7) [1]
Fit [5]
Gunslinger (Revolvers Only, -60%) [10]
Hard to Kill 1 [2]
Hard to Subdue 1 [2]
Jumper (Psi, Requires 5 FP) [0]
Payload 10 (External, -50%) [5] (Allows him to carry twenty-nine pounds outside his body that don't count as encumbrance)
Social Chameleon [5]
Weapon Bond (Colt Walker) [1]

Disadvantages [-45]
Low TL 2 [-10]
Loner [-5]
Motion Sickness [-10]
Sense of Duty (Adventuring Companions) [-5]
Phobia (Oceans) (15) [-5]
Wealth (Struggling) [-10]

Quirks [-5]
Distinctive Features: Big beard, Bald head
Careful
Minor Code of Honor (Keeps his word)
Minor Addiction (Caffeine)
Lactose Intolerance

Skills [59]
Acrobatics (H) DX 13 [4]
Armoury (Small Arms)/TL7 (A) IQ-1 10 [1]
Body Language (A) Per-1 13 [1]
Brawling (E) DX 13 [1]
Carpentry (E) IQ 11 [1]
Chemistry/TL6 (H) IQ-2 9 [1]
Climbing (A) DX-1 12 [1]
Detect Lies (H) Per-2 12 [1]
Escape (H) DX-2 11 [1]
Fast-Draw (Grenade) (E) DX 13 [1]
Fast-Draw (Pistol) (E) DX+2 15 [4]
Fast-Talk (A) IQ+2 13 [8]
First-Aid/TL6 (E) IQ 11 [1]
Forced Entry (E) DX 13 [1]
Guns/TL6 (Pistol) (E) DX+4 17 [12]
Holdout (A) IQ+1 12 [4]
Knife (E) DX 13 [1]
Machinist/TL6 (A) IQ-1 10 [1]
Mechanic/TL6 (A) IQ-1 10 [1]
Observation (A) Per-1 13 [1]
Scrounging (E) Per 14 [1]
Search (A) Per-1 13 [1]
Smith/TL6 (Iron) (A) IQ-1 10 [1]
Stealth (A) DX+1 14 [4]
Survival (Desert) (A) Per-1 13 [1]
Throwing (A) DX 13 [2]
Wrestling (A) DX 13 [2]

Equipment
x2 Colt Walker (TL 7 version that doesn't explode!) Fine (Accurate) 3 Acc - Very Fine (Reliable) 17 Malf. (roll twice) - 2d+2 pi+ - range 110/ 1,200 - $1650 each - Bulk -4 - Weight 4.7/0.15

Bulletproof Vest - Torso - 6 DR - $750 - Weight 8
Steel-Toed boots - Feet - 6/2 DR - $100 - Weight 4 - +1 to kicking damage
Sunglasses - Eyes - 1 DR - $10
Duster (+4 to Holdout) - $50 - Weight 5

Balanced, Fine Long Knife - $1680 - Weight 1.5

Multi-Function Knife - $25
Multi-Tool $50 - Weight .5
Duct Tape (69 yards) $1 - Weight 2
Belt - $10
Collapsible Cup - $3
Grooming Kit - $25 - Weight .5
Mirror - $5
Pocket Watch - $100
Sewing Kit - $1
Binoculars (TL6 - 6x magnification) - $150 - Weight 3
Compass - $25
Canteen - $10 - Weight 3
Small Backpack - $60 - Weight 3
Rope, 1/2" (10 yards) - $10 - Weight 2.2
Fishing Kit - $5
Black powder (1 lb in steel can) - $5 - Weight 3
Bullet-molding equipment - $25 - Weight 1
Cigarette Light - $10
Matches - $1.50
Personal basics - $5 - Weight 1
Small Pouch - $3
Water Purification Tablets - $5
Belt Holster x2 - $50 - Weight 1

MK III Grenade (x6) - 8d+2 cr ex - $120 - Weight 6

Small First Aid Kit (bandages, one dose of morphine, and two doses of sulfa) - $10 - Weight 1

$3,000 worth of gold (should be almost three ounces)

Stats [155] Ads [56] Disads [45] Quirks [5] Skills [59] = Total [220]

Background

Douglas is from a world that slipped into darkness, after the technological age passed. The sky burned bright. All was a desert. The few who survived drifted through the ruins, used what little they could find. Douglas found a machine. It bored into his brain, changed him. he can move across worlds. But if he so much as moves on a train or in a car, he becomes ill. He's searched across the worlds. Most are empty. None have answers.

[Totem]

Updated various bits in the setting and information part of the thread, including some sample characters. Any further requests for ideas/ suggestions please post.