[OOC] Worlds of Fire

[Talosian]

Actually, I looked over Seann's sheet, and although there are several things I'd like to raise (and really shouldn't have been as low as they are in the first place), I can't justify it (same with traits that I might buy, such as Gizmo (like he needs it O_O) or Gadgeteer). And I really can't justify giving Seann a point in Leadership, because, although it'd be convenient, he hasn't done much or learned much about leadership (and certainly not enough to get a 13).

I'll probably wait until they reach the Western Harbor (where he can presumably do some training and tinkering) to modify Seann. Or at least until I can explain him gaining a skill/advantage.

[Totem]

Originally Posted by ErhnamDJ

Is this cool?

A new manifestation of his psychic powers has appeared, trigger by him being hit in the back! Douglas's brain has suddenly started seeing things it couldn't before! It now picks up on the faintest specks of light, reflected into his eyes! But... only when he's wearing his sunglasses.

Peripheral Vision (Breakable, -20%; Can Be Stolen, -30%; ESP, -10%) [6]

Interesting choice: gaining peripheral vision from something that would normally impeed it. Looks good though. Are you going for the Detect (Technology) still as well? You could probably knock it down to 4 points with a couple of modifiers if you aren't boosting skills.

Originally Posted by Talosian

I'll probably wait until they reach the Western Harbor (where he can presumably do some training and tinkering) to modify Seann. Or at least until I can explain him gaining a skill/advantage.

There will be some downtime at the Western Harbour and a chance to boost skills/ advantages/ tech level (the last set of points from this section will be delayed until that downtime in case anyone has any big buys that they want to make). I'd still spend these points now though, because there are potentially five or six more encounters before we get there (depending on what people choose to do next). I'm aiming for a faster pace than we've kept so far though.

[ErhnamDJ]

Originally Posted by Totem

Are you going for the Detect (Technology) still as well? You could probably knock it down to 4 points with a couple of modifiers if you aren't boosting skills.

Well, I'm looking at the rules for it. If I can come up with something that makes sense, I might do that. But I would like to put a point or two into Acting. So I'll see.

[ErhnamDJ]

Are any of you guys more rules savvy than I am?

How would I stat up an ability to passively detect TL 7+ technology, and to passively get some idea as to what the device does?

[Totem]

Originally Posted by ErhnamDJ

Are any of you guys more rules savvy than I am?

How would I stat up an ability to passively detect TL 7+ technology, and to passively get some idea as to what the device does?

Having looked around a bit I think I've found your best bet in GURPS Psionic: Electric Vision. This is Detect, with Vision Based, but can have a Reflexive modifier to make it a passive ability. Reflexive does seem to be a +50% modifier though.

Detect does do the analysis part as well.

[ErhnamDJ]

Just looking it over, what I want would probably be something like:

Detect (TL7+ technology, very common; Vision-Based, -30%; ESP, -10%; Reflexive, +40%; Reliable 4, +20%; Analyzing, +100%) [66]

I think that would do what I want. Since not all technology is electric (A TL8 automatic shotgun or digital video disc, for instance--or TL11 nanites), and I'd like him to get some idea what the item in question does. But that's a really costly ability. I can try to pare it down.

Detect (TL7+ technology, very common; Reliable 2, +10%; Analyzing, +100%; Vision-Based, -30%; ESP, -10%; Breakable, -20%; Can Be Stolen, -30%; Costs Fatigue 5, - 25%) [29]

I don't know how to make it a separate ability for detecting the technology and then have only the analyzing part cost a ton of FP. And I don't really want it enough to go through all the trouble of figuring it out. It's really expensive any way you slice it.

So I'll probably just go with the Peripheral Vision for six points, and add two points in Acting, keeping the other two points in reserve. I can't think of anything else to get for him. Maybe Off-Hand Weapon Training (Pistol) and Pistol Fist, but I doubt either of those would be very useful.

[Talosian]

If you really think I should use the points now... I'll probably spend them on skills that haven't been used, but that were a bit neglected in character creation.

1pt | Beam Weapons/TL11 (Pistol) 12 > 13
1pt | Detect Lies 12 > 13
1pt | Diplomacy 12 > 13
1pt | Knife 12 > 13
1pt | Mathematics/TL11 (Computer Science) 12 > 13
1pt | NBC Suit/TL11 11 > 12
1pt | Physics/TL11 11 > 12
1pt | Psychology 12 > 13
1pt | Shield (Force Shield) 12 > 13
1pt | Thrown Weapon (Knfe) 12 > 13

Inventor!, Judo, Karate, Physiology/TL11 (Human) and Throwing are other possibilities for raise-by-retcon (later).

That work for you?

(I'll post the whole sheet if you want me to, but I'm not motivated enough to put the whole thing together unless you really want it here on the thread.)

Shiny. I'll consider that confirmed then.

[Totem]

Originally Posted by Talosian

If you really think I should use the points now... I'll probably spend them on skills that haven't been used, but that were a bit neglected in character creation.

If you'd rather save the points for later then I have no issue with that. This would be a good opportunity to tweak things a bit though; we all went in not knowing quite what to expect from each other, and now we've got a better hang of the pace and style (both of the game and PCs) we can adjust.

Regarding justifying how the points are spent, I wouldn't bother. At this time, tinkering is fine. This, and similar rulings, may be revised once we reach the Western Harbour. But for now I'm not going to argue about where these skills suddenly came from.

[ErhnamDJ]

Changes are in red.

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 [63]
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 (Teleportation, Requires 5 FP) [0]
Off-Hand Weapon Training (Pistol) [1]
Payload 10 (External, -50%) [5] (Allows him to carry twenty-nine pounds outside his body that don't count as encumbrance)
Peripheral Vision (Breakable, -20%; Can Be Stolen, -30%; ESP, -10%) [6]
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
Minor Delusion (Thinks he's careful) [1]
Minor Code of Honor (Keeps his word)
Minor Addiction (Caffeine)
Lactose Intolerance

Skills [61]
Acrobatics (H) DX 13 [4]
Acting (A) IQ 11 [2]
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]

Saved CP [1]
1

Equipment
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

Colt Walker (TL 7 version that doesn't explode!), .44 American - Swing-Out Cylinder - Fine (Accurate) 3 Acc - Very Fine (Reliable) 17 Malf. (roll twice) - 2d-1 pi+ - range 120/ 1,300 - $1650 each - Bulk -4 - Weight 4.7/0.15

Colt Revolving Rifle, .56 - Damage 3d+2 pi+ - Fine (Accurate) Acc 4 - Very Fine (Reliable) 17 Malf. (roll twice) - Range 180/2,000 - Weight 11 - RoF 1 - Shots 5 - Bulk -6 - Rcl 3 - 6x Scope (+2 Acc)

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)

New clothes!

Ammo!

Stats [155] Ads [63] Disads [45] Quirks [5] Skills [61] Saved [1] = Total [230]

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]

In view of Indigo Joe having apparently vanished, a new position is available within Worlds of Fire. In order to fit with the plot such a character should match the following requirements:

• Local (not a world-jumper, and possibly with no idea about other worlds, though 'local-jumpers' such as a dreamwalker are allowed)
• Having a reason to work againt the cult of Chu'dam with the existing PCs
• Preferably being willing to accompany the existing PCs when Chu'dam is defeated
• Psi has not developed locally and cannot be used (though some powers may be manifest using similar rules)
• Magic is available
• Power Investidure is available but must be for currently active religions (so Norse gods aren't an option)
• The current world is TL8
• 230 Points + 50 points disadvantages

I'm trying to keep this open, but the above is the list I'm working to at the moment. Possible characters include those trying to save/ avenge a friend/ Ally/ Dependant from the cult, someone whose Enemy joined the cult and is helping them out, a priest who is trying to put an end to the cult, a police officer fighting against the corruption in the ranks, or something similar. I'm going to be flexible about this at present if a good enough idea comes along.

I'm looking to get this sorted within the next week ideally. To begin with I don't want full character sheets. Please PM the following:

1. Character concept: a few paragraphs explaining who your character is and why they are working against the cult
2. Primary attributes: a rough idea to give a sense of scale
3. Significant advantages/ disadvantages/ quirks: those relating to plot mostly
4. Background/ ideas on how to introduce the character: the easier this is for me to work in the better

I'm looking for something that will work well here; this isn't on a first-come basis. I'm opening this for a few days, then I'll be deciding. Questions will be answered when I can manage.


Additional: a question has been raised about entering characters and then changing them later. This will be possible once the game reaches the Western Harbour, but at this point I'd prefer to bring in a character who was going to be more likely to be permanent. Those planning on changing character at the first opportunity (because they already have an existing character lined up or similar) might want to wait and see what happens as to whether their character is even suitable in the long run; certainly, don't make plans about changing.

Originally Posted by Lamech

a) whats a summary of the current world their on

The current world is C21 Earth. Basically that means here and now: there's nothing obviously super-hero/ psi/ magic/ whatever going on, but plenty of people would be willing to tell you that it goes on and no one notices. Maybe you are one of those that no one notices, or maybe you're one of those who tells people that it happens. Demons were certainly common enough (at some point) that there are mostly-reliable ideas on how to summon them. Again, this is one of those background things; this is a rational age after all and we don't really believe in such things, but that doesn't mean they're not there...

A quick list of things that I wouldn't allow: 'modern' vampires (if you're a vampire you have Weakness (Sunlight), though I'll skip other disavantages if necessary); Elves (they're coming in later); psi (already mentioned)

A quick list of things that I would allow: Werewolves (deliberate, cursed, inherited, or pact based); ghost (there's nothing to say the cult wasn't interested in sacrifices); Elfkin (half-elves; reaction modifiers all over the place there); witches (no cackling please)

There are others. I'm willing to be flexible if you can come up with a good story. It doesn't have to be magical/ fantasy based at all in fact. Normal people can be involved in this stuff as well.

Originally Posted by Lamech

b) whats a good page to start reading in the thread or c) should I just read the whole thing?

We've been on the same world since the game started. As an incoming character you wouldn't be required to know the stuff that had already happened to the other characters (they need to fill you in themselves), but having a general idea of the layout and stuff might help. I'll write up something for that in the near future (next few days).

Originally Posted by Lamech

Also is their mana across most worlds? Don't want to make someone who can only cast and then hit no-mana land.

Mana is as constant as it is anywhere. Trite, I know. To put it bluntly, this campaign will be visiting all sorts of worlds; in some magic will work better than others, in some certain kinds of tech won't work, in at least one (which may be moved into a second campaign if that starts up) the Human racial template itself is different and player characters would be subject to those differences (mostly positive I hasten to add).

I will give this assurance: I will not deliberately set up a situation where a player's character is completely powerless. That being said, I have no problem with hindering characters through legitimate means (anti-psi, low mana, spell legality, etc) if they are unprepared and it is appropriate to the plot, and a character that relies totally on something like magic, psi, or advanced tech for everything is liable to find trouble in some circumstances. An adaptable character with other skills or abilities available will have no trouble.