Yeah have that too.
And men, elves, dwarves, halflings, superheroes....but still mostly witches.
And men, elves, dwarves, halflings, superheroes....but still mostly witches.
Tampilkan postingan dengan label character. Tampilkan semua postingan
Tampilkan postingan dengan label character. Tampilkan semua postingan
Jumat, 19 Oktober 2012
Rabu, 17 Oktober 2012
Witches: Hex from Skylanders
It is no secret that I am a fan of the game Skylanders. I even got caught up in all of the hype about collecting the figures and everything. I am embarrassed (a little) to discuss the lengths I went too to get some of these figures. There were other parents right there next to me, so I figured I was in good company.
Well just when we all thought the madness was dying down, Activision is releasing the new Skylanders Giants this weekend. New game, new figures, and your old figures can now go to level 15 (previously only 10). Here we go again.
I don’t think it is a stretch to guess that my favorite character in the game is Hex, the dark elf witch of the “undead” element. Early this year I stated her up for Dungeons & Dragons 4e and Pathfinder using their respective witch classes.
Given there is a new Skylanders game AND my new books are on the way I thought I Would stat her up once again for The Witch and Eldritch Witchery.
Here she is as for The Witch. I picked this one since her background is about serving some "other world power".
Hex, 13th Level (Maleficia Tradition)
Strength: 10
Dexterity: 9
Constitution: 10
Intelligence: 13
Wisdom: 18
Charisma: 15
Hit Points: 30
Alignment: Neutral (maybe a little Chaotic)
AC: 6 (talisman of protection)
Occult Powers
Familiar: Floating Skull
7th level: Evil's Touch
13th level: Devil's Tongue
Spells
Cantrips: Chill, Daze, Detect Curse, Object Reading, Open, Spark
First: Cause Fear, Ghostly Slashing, Minor Fighting Prowess, Sleep, Spirit Dart
Second: Agony, Blast Sheild, Death Armor, Phantasmal Spirit
Third: Feral Spirit, Ghost Ward, Speak with Dead
Fourth: 3 Dance Macabre, Phantom Lacerations, Spiritual Dagger
Fifth: 2 Death Curse, Dreadful Bloodletting
Sixth: 2 Death Blade, Wall of Bones
Seventh: Wave of Mutilation
All in all, I like it. She might be a better Necromancer to be honest, but this works well.
Want to see how she would look for my other book "Eldritch Witchery"?
Head over to the Elf Lair Games blog and see, http://elflairgames.blogspot.com/2012/10/witches-hex-from-skylanders.html
Well just when we all thought the madness was dying down, Activision is releasing the new Skylanders Giants this weekend. New game, new figures, and your old figures can now go to level 15 (previously only 10). Here we go again.
I don’t think it is a stretch to guess that my favorite character in the game is Hex, the dark elf witch of the “undead” element. Early this year I stated her up for Dungeons & Dragons 4e and Pathfinder using their respective witch classes.
Given there is a new Skylanders game AND my new books are on the way I thought I Would stat her up once again for The Witch and Eldritch Witchery.
Here she is as for The Witch. I picked this one since her background is about serving some "other world power".
Hex, 13th Level (Maleficia Tradition)
Strength: 10
Dexterity: 9
Constitution: 10
Intelligence: 13
Wisdom: 18
Charisma: 15
Hit Points: 30
Alignment: Neutral (maybe a little Chaotic)
AC: 6 (talisman of protection)
Occult Powers
Familiar: Floating Skull
7th level: Evil's Touch
13th level: Devil's Tongue
Spells
Cantrips: Chill, Daze, Detect Curse, Object Reading, Open, Spark
First: Cause Fear, Ghostly Slashing, Minor Fighting Prowess, Sleep, Spirit Dart
Second: Agony, Blast Sheild, Death Armor, Phantasmal Spirit
Third: Feral Spirit, Ghost Ward, Speak with Dead
Fourth: 3 Dance Macabre, Phantom Lacerations, Spiritual Dagger
Fifth: 2 Death Curse, Dreadful Bloodletting
Sixth: 2 Death Blade, Wall of Bones
Seventh: Wave of Mutilation
All in all, I like it. She might be a better Necromancer to be honest, but this works well.
Want to see how she would look for my other book "Eldritch Witchery"?
Head over to the Elf Lair Games blog and see, http://elflairgames.blogspot.com/2012/10/witches-hex-from-skylanders.html
Jumat, 12 Oktober 2012
Willow & Tara: Slasher Flick
Willow & Tara for Slasher Flick
It's been a been a while since I stated up my favorite witches for a game. While reading through Slasher Flick yesterday I could not help but think how well these two would work in a slasher flick like movie or game.
So I am going outside of the the Dragon and the Phoenix canon here and going back to when the girls where young. Given the universe they don't have a lot of magic. So this is a geekier, computer expert Willow and a quiet, but has a scary power Tara. They end up being the Last Girls because our slasher is out cutting up all the male/female couples having sex, but doesn't know what to do about these two. If Buffy is a slasher flick turned on it's head, then I am turning Buffy on it's head.
Or something like that.
Anyway here are my girls. Just in time for Halloween. And look it's Friday the 12th. So, not at all like Friday the 13th.
Willow
Primary Character
Stereotype: Geek Girl/Computer Nerd
Brawn: Poor
Learned Fighter: Positive
Finesse: Normal
Brains: Good
Analyze Info: Positive
Computers: Positive
Occultism: Positive
Science: Positive
Spirit: Good
Attractive: Positive
Brave: Positive
Impatient: Negative
Prone to Anger: Negative
Special Ability: Versatile (Computers, Science)
Tidbits: In love with Tara
Items: Flashlight, Laptop
Tara
Primary Character
Stereotype: Quiet-Shy Girl/Psychic
Brawn: Normal
Finesse: Poor
Learned Fighter: Horse Riding
Brains: Good
Occultism: Positive
Perceptive: Positive
Psychology: Positive
Telekinesis: Positive
Spirit: Good
Attractive: Positive
Socially Awkward: Negative
Willpower: Positive
Special Ability: Psychic Power
Tidbits: In love with Willow
Items: book of magic lore
So they are last ones to survive the film. They build some sort of trap with Willow's skill and they try to lead our killer into it. Of course he comes in the wrong way and it looks like he has the girls cornered, till Tara pushes him into the trap with her TK. He dies a horrible death.....or does he!!?!?
My numbers are a little high in the above builds, but that is ok really.
It's been a been a while since I stated up my favorite witches for a game. While reading through Slasher Flick yesterday I could not help but think how well these two would work in a slasher flick like movie or game.
So I am going outside of the the Dragon and the Phoenix canon here and going back to when the girls where young. Given the universe they don't have a lot of magic. So this is a geekier, computer expert Willow and a quiet, but has a scary power Tara. They end up being the Last Girls because our slasher is out cutting up all the male/female couples having sex, but doesn't know what to do about these two. If Buffy is a slasher flick turned on it's head, then I am turning Buffy on it's head.
Or something like that.
Anyway here are my girls. Just in time for Halloween. And look it's Friday the 12th. So, not at all like Friday the 13th.
Willow
Stereotype: Geek Girl/Computer Nerd
Brawn: Poor
Learned Fighter: Positive
Finesse: Normal
Brains: Good
Analyze Info: Positive
Computers: Positive
Occultism: Positive
Science: Positive
Spirit: Good
Attractive: Positive
Brave: Positive
Impatient: Negative
Prone to Anger: Negative
Special Ability: Versatile (Computers, Science)
Tidbits: In love with Tara
Items: Flashlight, Laptop
Tara
Stereotype: Quiet-Shy Girl/Psychic
Brawn: Normal
Finesse: Poor
Learned Fighter: Horse Riding
Brains: Good
Occultism: Positive
Perceptive: Positive
Psychology: Positive
Telekinesis: Positive
Spirit: Good
Attractive: Positive
Socially Awkward: Negative
Willpower: Positive
Special Ability: Psychic Power
Tidbits: In love with Willow
Items: book of magic lore
So they are last ones to survive the film. They build some sort of trap with Willow's skill and they try to lead our killer into it. Of course he comes in the wrong way and it looks like he has the girls cornered, till Tara pushes him into the trap with her TK. He dies a horrible death.....or does he!!?!?
My numbers are a little high in the above builds, but that is ok really.
Selasa, 02 Oktober 2012
Faith: The Last Witch
Faith Scott, the Last Witch
Faith is the “Last Witch” of the newest book from Elizabeth Kolodziej’s “The Last Witch” Series. The most recent book Witch Devotions (the 3rd) is out now.
I have read the first book and I enjoyed it. I also have the second, but have not read it all yet, the third one is just now out.
Faith is an interesting character and I enjoyed watching her growth throughout the first book and the bits I have picked up in the next two. She is still young and kind of naïve, but learning more.
So what do we know about Faith? Well she is new to her magic, but comes from a long line of powerful witches, so her power has the potential to be quite powerful. She does have a family spell book, a Book of Shadows in one of my games. But while most of the witches in Faith’s line learned while they are growing up, Faith didn’t have that advantage. She did learn later on from an instructor.
According to the author, Faith resembles an Earth Witch. So she is quite adept at making potions, charms, herb use and healing. She also has a number of elemental based powers; power that help her innate abilities. It was this description of her that got me thinking that Faith would work great as a witch in one of my games (though my games have plenty of witches in them; no ‘last witch’ in sight!) She can use her magic to increase her speed or strength. Not quite at the level of a vampire, but more than a mundane human.
We know Faith can manipulate energies, but I saw that more of an ability rather than a spell. Since she also has other innate powers I was thinking she might be a good fit for “WitchCraft” or even the “Buffy” RPGs.
Faith, like a lot of other types of witches, can live a very long time, maybe even hundreds of years. This is also in line with most of my games.
So here is Faith, The Last Witch in Ghosts of Albion/WitchCraft RPG stats.
Faith Scott (played by Isla Fisher in the game)
Motivation: To learn as much about her power/herself as she can
Attributes: Strength 2 (7 with magic), Dexterity 3 (8 with magic), Constitution 2 (7 with magic), Intelligence 5, Perception 6, Willpower 5
Life Points: 35 (75 with magic)
Drama Points: 15
Qualities & Drawbacks: Adversaries (various) 2, Attractiveness +2, Contacts (Supernatural) 1, Hard to Kill 3, Honorable, Love (Trent), Magic 5, Magic Family, Magical Philosophy Earth/Elementalism (closest game wise), Nerves of Steel, Obligation, Occult Library (Fine), Secret (She's a witch who belongs to a powerful magical family), Supernatural Senses (Basic and the Sight), Telekinesis,
Useful Information
Actions: 1/2 or 2/2
Perception: 1d10 + 11
Lesser Sensing: +16
Endurance Points: 32 (62 with magic)
Essence Points: 25 (using Magic squared)
Speed: 10 (30 with magic)
Skills
Acrobatics 2
Art 1
Computers 1
Crime 1
Doctor 1
Driving 0
Getting Medieval 2
Gun Fu 0
Influence 3
Knowledge 5
Kung Fu/Fisticuffs 2
Languages 1 (English)
Notice 5
Occultism 5 (still learning, but has picked up a lot in the first two books)
Science 1
Sports 1
Maneuvers
The extra pluses are from her Magic boost.
Given her role in the books I debate on whether or not to give her “Chosen One” from Army of Darkness. In the end, I figured that she wasn’t quite up to that level just yet; maybe in the new book.
I have read the first book and I enjoyed it. I also have the second, but have not read it all yet, the third one is just now out.
Faith is an interesting character and I enjoyed watching her growth throughout the first book and the bits I have picked up in the next two. She is still young and kind of naïve, but learning more.
So what do we know about Faith? Well she is new to her magic, but comes from a long line of powerful witches, so her power has the potential to be quite powerful. She does have a family spell book, a Book of Shadows in one of my games. But while most of the witches in Faith’s line learned while they are growing up, Faith didn’t have that advantage. She did learn later on from an instructor.
According to the author, Faith resembles an Earth Witch. So she is quite adept at making potions, charms, herb use and healing. She also has a number of elemental based powers; power that help her innate abilities. It was this description of her that got me thinking that Faith would work great as a witch in one of my games (though my games have plenty of witches in them; no ‘last witch’ in sight!) She can use her magic to increase her speed or strength. Not quite at the level of a vampire, but more than a mundane human.
We know Faith can manipulate energies, but I saw that more of an ability rather than a spell. Since she also has other innate powers I was thinking she might be a good fit for “WitchCraft” or even the “Buffy” RPGs.
Faith, like a lot of other types of witches, can live a very long time, maybe even hundreds of years. This is also in line with most of my games.
So here is Faith, The Last Witch in Ghosts of Albion/WitchCraft RPG stats.
Motivation: To learn as much about her power/herself as she can
Attributes: Strength 2 (7 with magic), Dexterity 3 (8 with magic), Constitution 2 (7 with magic), Intelligence 5, Perception 6, Willpower 5
Life Points: 35 (75 with magic)
Drama Points: 15
Qualities & Drawbacks: Adversaries (various) 2, Attractiveness +2, Contacts (Supernatural) 1, Hard to Kill 3, Honorable, Love (Trent), Magic 5, Magic Family, Magical Philosophy Earth/Elementalism (closest game wise), Nerves of Steel, Obligation, Occult Library (Fine), Secret (She's a witch who belongs to a powerful magical family), Supernatural Senses (Basic and the Sight), Telekinesis,
Useful Information
Actions: 1/2 or 2/2
Perception: 1d10 + 11
Lesser Sensing: +16
Endurance Points: 32 (62 with magic)
Essence Points: 25 (using Magic squared)
Speed: 10 (30 with magic)
Skills
Acrobatics 2
Art 1
Computers 1
Crime 1
Doctor 1
Driving 0
Getting Medieval 2
Gun Fu 0
Influence 3
Knowledge 5
Kung Fu/Fisticuffs 2
Languages 1 (English)
Notice 5
Occultism 5 (still learning, but has picked up a lot in the first two books)
Science 1
Sports 1
Maneuvers
| Name | Score | Damage | Notes |
| Punch | +5 or +10 | 4 or 14 | Bash |
| Kick | +3 or +13 | 8 or 18 | Bash |
| Dodge | +2 or +7 | - | Block |
| Grapple | +4 or +9 | - | Blocked by Dodge |
| Magic | +15 | Special | Varies by Spell |
| - Deflect | +15 | - | Deflects magic |
The extra pluses are from her Magic boost.
Given her role in the books I debate on whether or not to give her “Chosen One” from Army of Darkness. In the end, I figured that she wasn’t quite up to that level just yet; maybe in the new book.
Selasa, 25 September 2012
Super Sale at DriveThruRPG
DriveThru RPG is featuring it's best Super Hero RPGS. They also are highlighting bits from the reviewers for your enlightenment and yours truly is featured!
No surprise really, I have reviewed all these games at one point.
Here they are.
Marvel Heroic Roleplaying
What I said: "MHR is more of a game where the players are providing the framework. You need to create your character with the other characters and players in mind. Maybe not as much as Smallville or Leverage, but still. It is also a game where the main drama is about heroes, not really supers. It really is a "comic book" RPG, not a cartoon, supers or even super hero movie RPG. This game is about building characters, the relationships between them and the drama. Which, if you think about it, is kinda what Marvel Comics is about."
Icons
What I said: "Icons comes with a pretty good pedigree. First it is written by Steven Kenson, who gave us Mutants and Masterminds and also worked on Silver Age Sentinels. Steve obviously knows his supers. It has Gareth-Michael Skarka of Adamant Entertainment and one of the minds behind "Hong Kong Action Theater". Walt Ciechanowski has a ton of game systems under his belt too including M&M, True20 and Victoriana (1st ed). And Morgan Davie, whom I'll admit I am not as familiar with. But he is one of the guys that wrote Icons, so that makes him good in my book.
...if I needed to run a supers game on a rainy afternoon or a convention or just something to have some fun with, then Icons is a great choice."
DC Adventures (oddly, not on sale)
What I said: "When you take the world'ss best superhero game and combine the world's super heroes you get a combination of pure awesome that looks exactly like DC Adventures from Green Ronin. Based on the next version of Mutants & Masterminds DCA is not only a great game for Supers play, it is also a great introduction to Supers RPGs for the DC comic fan. All the iconic characters are included, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and more. Plenty of powers, traits, feats and skills to make any character you would want. It improves on the Mutants & Masterminds 2.0 design with some elements of True 20 and some nods to some designs of supers RPGs of the past. Plus the art is fantastic."
Capes, Cowls and Villains Foul
What I said: "Capes, Cowls and Villains Foul (CCaVF) is the eagerly anticipated supers/comic book emulation game from Spectrum Games. The same folks that gave Cartoon Action Hour. I want to start off by saying that this is an attractive book. At 164 pages of full of color it feels like a comic. Since that is what the author aims to emulate I would say it so far is a success.
All in all I am quite pleased with this game. I agree with the author in that I love Supers games, but it is hard to find that perfect game for your group. There have been some great choices that have come out in the last few years, but none are 100% perfect. CCaVF may not 100% perfect either, but it is really damn nice and has a lot of great things going for it."
Mutants & Masterminds Hero's Handbook
What I said: "M&M 3rd Edition first off looks a lot like the DC Adventures RPG also from Green Ronin out earlier this year. What are the big changes from 2nd Edition? Well GR is moving more and more away from the d20 3.0 standards and more into True20 land. That is the Abilities (and there are now 8 of them) are the pluses. So instead of Strength 18 (+4) like you see in other d20 games, M&M3 just uses Strength 4. Easy enough and a logical extension of their line of thought with True20."
Read more here, here, here and here.
BASH (Original and Ultimate)
What I said: "BASH! is a fantastic little game of Super Heroes. Instead of a huge book of powers or effects, BASH instead focuses on "What do you want to do?" and "What kind of hero are you?", Simple, but powerful questions. The game achieves the near miraculous feat of being simple to use and learn and yet powerful enough to keep you interested and coming back to the game."
Read more here and here.
BESM d20
What I said: "Is BESM d20 Anime? Well I guess I have to ask, what is Anime? BESM d20 is a good d20 version of BESM. I am not convinced though it taps into that collective known as "Anime" as well as BESM 2 or 3 does. I have played more BESM d20 than BESM 3 so to me it came off more like "Cartoon Cinematic d20". Which is in itself not so bad. I have mixed BESM d20 and D&D3 and gotten something a bit more cinematic. I have also mixed BESM d20 with d20 Star Wars for some really weird stuff, but all of it fun."
BESM 3rd Edition
What I said: "The book is very attractive and one of the most colorful RPGs I have seen in a long time. It reminds me of Mutants and Masterminds in terms of color. It is a thick tome, and now sized to fit well on my shelf. The Niko Geyer artwork is great and really captures the feel of the game well. On the other hand I have seen all this artwork before, maybe not in color, but certainly in other editions of this book. Now I understand that money was very tight at GoO and the art is great, so I am willing to cut them some slack here."
Read more here and here.
BESM Revised 2nd Edition
What I said: "All in all. BESM 2r is still the standard in which all other Anime games must be measured against. Despite (or maybe even because of) it's flaws the game has style and character that no other game (even BESM d20 and BESM 3) have been able to duplicate."
Read more here.
Enjoy!
No surprise really, I have reviewed all these games at one point.
Here they are.
Marvel Heroic Roleplaying
What I said: "MHR is more of a game where the players are providing the framework. You need to create your character with the other characters and players in mind. Maybe not as much as Smallville or Leverage, but still. It is also a game where the main drama is about heroes, not really supers. It really is a "comic book" RPG, not a cartoon, supers or even super hero movie RPG. This game is about building characters, the relationships between them and the drama. Which, if you think about it, is kinda what Marvel Comics is about."
Icons
What I said: "Icons comes with a pretty good pedigree. First it is written by Steven Kenson, who gave us Mutants and Masterminds and also worked on Silver Age Sentinels. Steve obviously knows his supers. It has Gareth-Michael Skarka of Adamant Entertainment and one of the minds behind "Hong Kong Action Theater". Walt Ciechanowski has a ton of game systems under his belt too including M&M, True20 and Victoriana (1st ed). And Morgan Davie, whom I'll admit I am not as familiar with. But he is one of the guys that wrote Icons, so that makes him good in my book.
...if I needed to run a supers game on a rainy afternoon or a convention or just something to have some fun with, then Icons is a great choice."
DC Adventures (oddly, not on sale)
What I said: "When you take the world'ss best superhero game and combine the world's super heroes you get a combination of pure awesome that looks exactly like DC Adventures from Green Ronin. Based on the next version of Mutants & Masterminds DCA is not only a great game for Supers play, it is also a great introduction to Supers RPGs for the DC comic fan. All the iconic characters are included, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and more. Plenty of powers, traits, feats and skills to make any character you would want. It improves on the Mutants & Masterminds 2.0 design with some elements of True 20 and some nods to some designs of supers RPGs of the past. Plus the art is fantastic."
Capes, Cowls and Villains Foul
What I said: "Capes, Cowls and Villains Foul (CCaVF) is the eagerly anticipated supers/comic book emulation game from Spectrum Games. The same folks that gave Cartoon Action Hour. I want to start off by saying that this is an attractive book. At 164 pages of full of color it feels like a comic. Since that is what the author aims to emulate I would say it so far is a success.
All in all I am quite pleased with this game. I agree with the author in that I love Supers games, but it is hard to find that perfect game for your group. There have been some great choices that have come out in the last few years, but none are 100% perfect. CCaVF may not 100% perfect either, but it is really damn nice and has a lot of great things going for it."
Mutants & Masterminds Hero's Handbook
What I said: "M&M 3rd Edition first off looks a lot like the DC Adventures RPG also from Green Ronin out earlier this year. What are the big changes from 2nd Edition? Well GR is moving more and more away from the d20 3.0 standards and more into True20 land. That is the Abilities (and there are now 8 of them) are the pluses. So instead of Strength 18 (+4) like you see in other d20 games, M&M3 just uses Strength 4. Easy enough and a logical extension of their line of thought with True20."
Read more here, here, here and here.
BASH (Original and Ultimate)
What I said: "BASH! is a fantastic little game of Super Heroes. Instead of a huge book of powers or effects, BASH instead focuses on "What do you want to do?" and "What kind of hero are you?", Simple, but powerful questions. The game achieves the near miraculous feat of being simple to use and learn and yet powerful enough to keep you interested and coming back to the game."
Read more here and here.
BESM d20
What I said: "Is BESM d20 Anime? Well I guess I have to ask, what is Anime? BESM d20 is a good d20 version of BESM. I am not convinced though it taps into that collective known as "Anime" as well as BESM 2 or 3 does. I have played more BESM d20 than BESM 3 so to me it came off more like "Cartoon Cinematic d20". Which is in itself not so bad. I have mixed BESM d20 and D&D3 and gotten something a bit more cinematic. I have also mixed BESM d20 with d20 Star Wars for some really weird stuff, but all of it fun."
BESM 3rd Edition
What I said: "The book is very attractive and one of the most colorful RPGs I have seen in a long time. It reminds me of Mutants and Masterminds in terms of color. It is a thick tome, and now sized to fit well on my shelf. The Niko Geyer artwork is great and really captures the feel of the game well. On the other hand I have seen all this artwork before, maybe not in color, but certainly in other editions of this book. Now I understand that money was very tight at GoO and the art is great, so I am willing to cut them some slack here."
Read more here and here.
BESM Revised 2nd Edition
What I said: "All in all. BESM 2r is still the standard in which all other Anime games must be measured against. Despite (or maybe even because of) it's flaws the game has style and character that no other game (even BESM d20 and BESM 3) have been able to duplicate."
Read more here.
Enjoy!
Jumat, 10 Agustus 2012
Friday Links
It is the Friday before Gen Con. While I am gearing up for some serious vacation time coming to me. I figure I'll send you out some link today.
First off, David from There's Dungeons Down Under is back, at least for 1 post.
Kenzer & Co are giving away HackMaster Basic for free! Crazy I know.
The Kickstarter for Band of Zombies for All Flesh Must Be Eaten has 21 days left to go. Get in on the Zombie WWII goodness. This promises to be a great book.
My boys and I have decided to start our 1st Ed AD&D game at Gen Con. Seems fitting and I don't have to haul all my minis and maps with me.
But to do that I need character sheets. While I have one of each type of the original AD&D sheets left, I didn't want to use them. Good thing we have the Mad Irishman and his collection of RPG Sheets.
Happy Friday everyone!
Sabtu, 07 Juli 2012
Zatannurday: Supers Unleashed
It has a lot of potential and extremely easy to learn and play.
I have a feeling though that eventually that player of this game will want more.
So here is Zatanna, stated up for Supers Unleashed.
Super Points: 100
Powers: Magic 110
Limitations: Limit, must speak backwards: -10
Archetype: Magician (like Mage, only not as stuffy).
That is it!
I told you, very simple.
Sure I could reallocate points to mental or psychic powers, but she does all that stuff with magic.
Not too bad for a $0.99 game.
Sabtu, 16 Juni 2012
Zatannurday: Zatara
He first appeared in the June 1938 issue of Action Comics #1, notable for the introduction of another famous golden age superhero, Superman.
"Zatara Master Magician" was by Fred Guardineer and ran from pages 20 to 31.
From the beginning Zatara spoke his spells backwards. Mostly to give him something different than the other magicians-turned-crime-fighting-mystermen like Mandrake the Magician and his imitators.
Zatara was woven into the DC Comics fold more completely when he was given the back story of having been a friend of Thomas Wayne, introducing him to his future wife Martha and then later training a young Bruce Wayne in the skill of escapology. It was in fact during the time right after the Waynes were murdered that Zatara left America on an extended tour of Europe. Here he met Sindella and soon Zatanna was born.
This was developed more as Zatanna's history was developed and most famously in the Batman: The Animated Series episode "Zatanna".
Another of his good friends, or rather paramours was Madame Xanadu, who would not marry him. Currently Xanadu and Zatanna share a title in Justice League Dark. They are both Homo Magi, so even though X was Z's dad's former girlfriend, they do look about the same age. Zatara himself was also Homo Magi in addition to being a stage magician. A distinction he shares with other, now dead, father figures like Ludlow Swift of "Ghosts of Albion" and Harry Dresden's father.
Of course the most notable feature today of Zatara is that he is dead. His death is what help push his daughter into a life of fighting crime as her father had done. Though for a dead guy he pops up often enough in Zatanna's life.
I like the idea of Zatara. I'd love to try him out sometime in a supers or pulp like game.
I have already decided that my first Amazing Adventures character will be Giovanni Zatara.
But until then, here he is in all his Golden Age glory!
Strength 1, Stamina 2, Agility 1, Dexterity 3, Fighting 2, Intellect 3, Awareness 4, Presence 4
AdvantagesArtificer, Benefit, Wealth 3 (millionare), Connected, Contacts, Defensive Attack, Fascinate (Expertise), Languages 3, Skill Mastery: Expertise: Magic, Uncanny Dodge, Well-informed
Skills
Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+4), Deception 6 (+10), Expertise: Magic 10 (+13), Expertise: Stage Magic 6 (+9), Insight 10 (+14), Intimidation 2 (+6), Investigation 5 (+8), Perception 10 (+14), Persuasion 4 (+8), Ranged Combat: Eldritch Blast 6 (+9), Ranged Combat: Mental Blast 4 (+7), Sleight of Hand 10 (+13), Stealth 2 (+3), Technology 1 (+4)
Powers
Magic: Magic 10 (DC 25)
!dleihS: Deflect 10
!ediH: Concealment 0
!elzzaD: Dazzle 10 (Alternate; Affects Sense: hearing, sight, Resisted by: Will, DC 20)
!tsalb hctirdlE: Blast 10 (Alternate; DC 25)
!tsalb latneM: Mental Blast 5 (Alternate; DC 20)
Magical Senses: Senses 5 (magical, Acute: Sight, Analytical: Sight, Detect: Sight, Hearing 2: ranged, Ranged: Sight)
Offense
Initiative +1
!elzzaD: Dazzle 10, +3 (DC Will 20)
!tsalb hctirdlE: Blast 10, +9 (DC 25)
!tsalb latneM: Mental Blast 5 (DC Will 20)
Grab, +2 (DC Spec 11)
Magic: Magic 10, +3 (DC 25)
Throw, +3 (DC 16)
Unarmed, +4 (DC 16)
Complications
Motivation: Doing Good
Responsibility
Languages
Italian, English, Greek, Latin
Defense
Dodge 10, Parry 9, Fortitude 7, Toughness 2, Will 10
Power Points
Abilities 40 + Powers 30 + Advantages 14 + Skills 39 (78 ranks) + Defenses 27 = 150
Happy Father's Day everyone!
Jumat, 15 Juni 2012
Willow & Tara: World of Darkness (new)
Willow and Tara in Mage the Awakening
This is my last post for the YAM Magazine LBGT Blogathon. I wanted to end with Willow & Tara and using one of the most accepting RPG I have ever known.
Following up on my post from earlier today on The World of Darkness RPG.
One of the reoccurring themes in Willow & Tara fiction or games is their shared growth of magical power. As they grow together and grow more in love, their powers increase to a near phenomenal level. Sort of like the powers wielded in Mage the Awakening.
Now in my last Buffy campaign, "Season of the Witch", I had Willow and Tara become "mages". Not exactly what is here, but very close. I would be lying though if I didn't say there was some influence. There was. You can read about that in the last three adventures of that game:
This is also a common theme in the various Willow & Tara fanfics out there. In fact one of the best Willow/Tara fan fics out there is “Unexpected Consequences” by Lisa Countryman. Lisa even uses the word “mage” to describe their power level even though I know for a fact she has never seen any White Wolf game. In Lisa’s “Unexpected Consequences” Tara’s Awakening happens too soon and it causes, well, all sorts of unexpected consequences. It takes place during season six and is far, far better than what happened on TV. In the sequel fic “Milestones” Lisa deals quite well with Willow and Tara’s true Awakening some 10-15 years in the future. Not only does she capture 30-something Willow and Tara quite well, it is an excellent narrative of how an Awakening can happen or be done. Willow and Tara knew it was coming, and yet they are still totally unprepared for it. It also shows what an Awakening must be like through the eyes of a mundane or other non-awakened witches.
So as they grow old together Willow and Tara will get much more powerful.
Presented here are a possible Willow and Tara right after the events of Season of the Witch. I am borrowing heavy from Lisa here as well as my own World of Darkness (old) stats. This would have lead up to my Season 3 that would have been more magically focus. In fact these conversions lead right from my Mutants & Masterminds 2.0 conversions in terms of when they happened (game wise) and when I wrote them (real time). It was because of these two games that gave me the idea to move the girls to Boston.
Their Awakening in Brief
Lisa and I both consider Willow and Tara to be “old souls”, they have both been reincarnated many times and have shared many lives together. Our separate visions of this were so compatible that we meshed them. I had considered their first incarnations to be “Bodhmal” (Willow) and “Liath” (Tara) from Celtic Ireland, Lisa’s are “Belen” (Tara) and “Damara” (Willow). In either case Willow and Tara’s Awakening in Mage is a similar event to awakening their Old Soul in WitchCraft; contact with their primal soul-selves. In Mage Revised this would have been their avatar. In Mage the Awakening this is the primal spirit that instructs them on who they were, who they are now and what they are to become. I choose them both to take the Path of Thyrsus. While they are not really “shamans”, there is an earthy quality about Tara. It was more for their seeking of their Primordial Soul-selves. Plus in Lisa’s fiction Willow and Tara’s awakenings was always about a surplus of life and life-power. In UC Tara becomes faster, stronger and more confident. Something she tries to maintain later in MS. What also struck me was the description of the Thyrsus’ extreme emotions. This also fits Lisa’s fictions.
Delving deeper into the “Tome of The Watchtowers” (which also inspired the name for Episode 13) we learn that Thyrsus was the only Watchtower formed by a woman. The sexual nimbus fits with sex=magic we saw on TV and Lisa’s description of Adourflame (Episode 11).
I could have chosen Acanthus as well since this communication with their previous souls is across time and space, but I did not feel either of them fit the “Fool” or extremely lucky archetypes.
Willow Rosenberg
Path: Thyrsus Order: Mysterium
Virtue: Justice. Willow is very much about what is right and what is wrong.
Vice: Wrath. Some people bring a gun a knife fit, Willow brings a flame thrower.
Merits
Allies
Ambidextrous
Encyclopaedic Knowledge
Language 2
Striking looks 2
Size: 5
Speed: 8
Initiative Mod: 4
Defence: 2
Health: 8
Willpower: 6/6
Morality: 6
Mana: 9
Gnosis: 5
Wisdom: 8
Personal Data
Age: 27 (in 2008)
Ht: 5’3”
Wt: 115#
Hair: Red
Eyes: Green
Gender: Female
Arcana
Death: 0
Fate: 0
Forces: 3
Life: 2
Matter: 1
Mind: 2
Prime: 2
Space: 0
Spirit: 1
Time: 0
Tara Maclay
Path: Thyrsus Order: Mysterium
Virtue: Temperance. Tara is nothing if not understanding and temperate
Vice: Sloth. She is not lazy, but she likes things to move a little slower. She does not enjoy fighting monsters.
Merits
Allies
Encyclopaedic Knowledge
Language 3
Striking looks 2
Size: 5
Speed: 9
Initiative Mod: 4
Defence: 2
Health: 8
Willpower: 7/7
Morality: 8
Mana: 10
Gnosis: 4
Wisdom: 8
Arcana
Death: 0
Fate: 0
Forces: 2
Life: 3
Matter: 1
Mind: 2
Prime: 1
Space: 0
Spirit: 1
Time: 0
Personal Data
Age: 28 (in 2008)
Ht: 5’4”
Wt: 125#
Hair: Blonde
Eyes: Blue
Gender: Female
Of all the re-builds I have done of the girls these are in my top 5.
If I were to pick-up playing these characters again I would seriously consider using the nWoD/Mage rules.
For Arcana I gave Willow 11 dots and Tara 10. This actually might be a little light.
I would love to play around some more with this game some day, but I can't find people to play it.
---
One of the reoccurring themes in Willow & Tara fiction or games is their shared growth of magical power. As they grow together and grow more in love, their powers increase to a near phenomenal level. Sort of like the powers wielded in Mage the Awakening.
Now in my last Buffy campaign, "Season of the Witch", I had Willow and Tara become "mages". Not exactly what is here, but very close. I would be lying though if I didn't say there was some influence. There was. You can read about that in the last three adventures of that game:
This is also a common theme in the various Willow & Tara fanfics out there. In fact one of the best Willow/Tara fan fics out there is “Unexpected Consequences” by Lisa Countryman. Lisa even uses the word “mage” to describe their power level even though I know for a fact she has never seen any White Wolf game. In Lisa’s “Unexpected Consequences” Tara’s Awakening happens too soon and it causes, well, all sorts of unexpected consequences. It takes place during season six and is far, far better than what happened on TV. In the sequel fic “Milestones” Lisa deals quite well with Willow and Tara’s true Awakening some 10-15 years in the future. Not only does she capture 30-something Willow and Tara quite well, it is an excellent narrative of how an Awakening can happen or be done. Willow and Tara knew it was coming, and yet they are still totally unprepared for it. It also shows what an Awakening must be like through the eyes of a mundane or other non-awakened witches.
So as they grow old together Willow and Tara will get much more powerful.
Presented here are a possible Willow and Tara right after the events of Season of the Witch. I am borrowing heavy from Lisa here as well as my own World of Darkness (old) stats. This would have lead up to my Season 3 that would have been more magically focus. In fact these conversions lead right from my Mutants & Masterminds 2.0 conversions in terms of when they happened (game wise) and when I wrote them (real time). It was because of these two games that gave me the idea to move the girls to Boston.
Their Awakening in Brief
Lisa and I both consider Willow and Tara to be “old souls”, they have both been reincarnated many times and have shared many lives together. Our separate visions of this were so compatible that we meshed them. I had considered their first incarnations to be “Bodhmal” (Willow) and “Liath” (Tara) from Celtic Ireland, Lisa’s are “Belen” (Tara) and “Damara” (Willow). In either case Willow and Tara’s Awakening in Mage is a similar event to awakening their Old Soul in WitchCraft; contact with their primal soul-selves. In Mage Revised this would have been their avatar. In Mage the Awakening this is the primal spirit that instructs them on who they were, who they are now and what they are to become. I choose them both to take the Path of Thyrsus. While they are not really “shamans”, there is an earthy quality about Tara. It was more for their seeking of their Primordial Soul-selves. Plus in Lisa’s fiction Willow and Tara’s awakenings was always about a surplus of life and life-power. In UC Tara becomes faster, stronger and more confident. Something she tries to maintain later in MS. What also struck me was the description of the Thyrsus’ extreme emotions. This also fits Lisa’s fictions.
Delving deeper into the “Tome of The Watchtowers” (which also inspired the name for Episode 13) we learn that Thyrsus was the only Watchtower formed by a woman. The sexual nimbus fits with sex=magic we saw on TV and Lisa’s description of Adourflame (Episode 11).
I could have chosen Acanthus as well since this communication with their previous souls is across time and space, but I did not feel either of them fit the “Fool” or extremely lucky archetypes.
Willow Rosenberg
Path: Thyrsus Order: Mysterium
Virtue: Justice. Willow is very much about what is right and what is wrong.
Vice: Wrath. Some people bring a gun a knife fit, Willow brings a flame thrower.
| Attributes | ||
| Intelligence: 5 | Strength: 1 | Presence: 3 |
| Wits: 3 | Dexterity: 2 | Manipulation: 2 |
| Resolve: 3 | Stamina: 3 | Composure: 3 |
Skills | ||
| Mental | Physical | Social |
| Academics 4 | Athletics 2 | Animal Ken 0 |
| Computer 5 | Brawl 1 | Empathy 1 |
| Crafts 1 | Drive 0 | Expression 1 |
| Investigation 2 | Firearms 0 | Intimidation 1 |
| Medicine 2 | Larceny 1 | Persuasion 2 |
| Occult 3 | Stealth 1 | Socialize 1 |
| Politics 1 | Survival 1 | Streetwise 1 |
| Science 4 | Weaponry 1 | Subterfuge 1 |
Merits
Allies
Ambidextrous
Encyclopaedic Knowledge
Language 2
Striking looks 2
Size: 5
Speed: 8
Initiative Mod: 4
Defence: 2
Health: 8
Willpower: 6/6
Morality: 6
Mana: 9
Gnosis: 5
Wisdom: 8
Personal Data
Age: 27 (in 2008)
Ht: 5’3”
Wt: 115#
Hair: Red
Eyes: Green
Gender: Female
Arcana
Death: 0
Fate: 0
Forces: 3
Life: 2
Matter: 1
Mind: 2
Prime: 2
Space: 0
Spirit: 1
Time: 0
Tara Maclay
Path: Thyrsus Order: Mysterium
Virtue: Temperance. Tara is nothing if not understanding and temperate
Vice: Sloth. She is not lazy, but she likes things to move a little slower. She does not enjoy fighting monsters.
| Attributes | ||
| Intelligence: 3 | Strength: 2 | Presence: 3 |
| Wits: 4 | Dexterity: 1 | Manipulation: 1 |
| Resolve: 3 | Stamina: 3 | Composure: 4 |
Skills | ||
| Mental | Physical | Social |
| Academics 3 | Athletics 0 | Animal Ken 2 |
| Computer 2 | Brawl 1 | Empathy 3 |
| Crafts 1 | Drive 1 | Expression 0 |
| Investigation 2 | Firearms 0 | Intimidation 0 |
| Medicine 1 | Larceny 0 | Persuasion 0 |
| Occult 5 | Stealth | Socialize 1 |
| Politics 0 | Survival 1 | Streetwise 1 |
| Science 1 | Weaponry 1 | Subterfuge 0 |
Merits
Allies
Encyclopaedic Knowledge
Language 3
Striking looks 2
Size: 5
Speed: 9
Initiative Mod: 4
Defence: 2
Health: 8
Willpower: 7/7
Morality: 8
Mana: 10
Gnosis: 4
Wisdom: 8
Arcana
Death: 0
Fate: 0
Forces: 2
Life: 3
Matter: 1
Mind: 2
Prime: 1
Space: 0
Spirit: 1
Time: 0
Personal Data
Age: 28 (in 2008)
Ht: 5’4”
Wt: 125#
Hair: Blonde
Eyes: Blue
Gender: Female
Of all the re-builds I have done of the girls these are in my top 5.
If I were to pick-up playing these characters again I would seriously consider using the nWoD/Mage rules.
For Arcana I gave Willow 11 dots and Tara 10. This actually might be a little light.
I would love to play around some more with this game some day, but I can't find people to play it.
---
This is my last post for the YAM Magazine LBGT Blogathon. I wanted to end with Willow & Tara and using one of the most accepting RPG I have ever known.
Selasa, 12 Juni 2012
Batwoman: Marvel Heroic Role-Playing
In some cases I'll also talk about why I picked the characters I did and why I paired them with the game I did.
Today I want to focus on a character I absolutely adore, but have not devoted many posts too. The Kate Kane Batwoman.
Batwoman: Marvel Heroic Role-Playing
Batwoman is one of the more interesting characters to come out of DC's 52 comic from a few years back. 52 is also notable for giving us a new Question, Black Adam kind of sympathetic, and making Booster Gold actually kinda cool. But it was Batwoman that made her debut here and the character has been crazy popular ever since.
Kate Kane, is a rich heiress. A socialite. A member of the family that "owns everything else in Gotham that Bruce Wayne doesn't". But all of that is a façade. Kate Kane is a lot of things. She is a daughter, once was a sister. She is soldier, she is openly gay and she it the Batwoman.
As an openly gay character in the comics Kate received a ton of publicity, and not just because of that, but because she was a "Bat". The Batman family is royalty in the comics biz. Do anything that close to the Batman and no matter what it is, it will be noticed.
While Kate of "52" seemed to be a somewhat closeted "lipstick" lesbian, Kate of the "Batwoman" series (one of DC's best selling female lead books) isn't. She is openly out, she has tattoos, she is a former Army cadet with a promising career ahead of her till "Don't Ask, Don't Tell". I talked about her backgroud a lot in my review of Elegy a while back.
One of the things I enjoy about this book is that her sexuality is part of person, not there to attract or tantalize readers. Look at the cover for the upcoming Batwoman #0. Yes, she is very attractive, and yes you about about to get a boot to your face. Kate is a soldier, first and always.
I choose to stat her up in Marvel Heroic Role-Playing for the same reasons I often choose this game. It is because it is a great comic-book game and a great tool for role-playing interpersonal drama. Kate is great character and there is a lot going on in her life. Her new relationship with Maggie Sawyer and her old relationship with Renee Montoya. Her strained relationship with her father. Her significance to the Cult of Crime (who alternately want to worship her or sacrifice her). Her relationships with the rest of the Bat family and here working with the D.E.O. All of this stuff combines to make great character driven drama. You could not for example simply replace Batwoman with Batman or Batgirl in these stories. The are different stories. In many cases Batgirl is too smart to get mixed up in same sort of cases and the Batman would punch out the bad guys and threaten everyone else. Kate is not as strong as Bruce, or as smart as Barbara. So she has to be more dedicated and more tenacious.
Here she is, in her Marvel Heroic Role-Playing format.
The Batwoman
"The bat they shine in the sky... civilians think it's a call for help. The bad guys think it's warning. But it's more than that. It's something higher. It's a call to arms... I've found my way to serve."
Name: Batwoman
ID: Katherine "Kate" Kane (secret)
Affiliations: Solo d10, Buddy d8, Team d6 (Currently she is solo, she has worked with father and Flamebird before. She is best though when she has someone to work with, even if she prefers to be alone)
Distinctions:
Found my Way to Serve - Kate sees herself as a soldier in a war against crime. She applies all her discipline and training to this service.
Out Lesbian - while not out as Batwoman, this does affect her mental attitude. She had to stay true to herself, even if it meant costing her everything she had worked for.
Rich Heiress - what Kate does costs a lot of money. Also her "role" as the rich heiress is a good cover.
Power Sets
Next Level Training d8
Kate sees herself as soldier still, this is the next level of training for her.
Enhanced Senses d8
Enhanced Reflexes d8
Enhanced Stamina d8
Speed d6
SFX: Effort. Spend 1pp to up a die in NLT power.
SFX: Second Wind. Before using a NLT Power move physical stress to Doom Pool and step Power up +1
SFX: Immunity. Spend 1 pp to ignore stress, trauma or complications of a physical nature.
Limit: Exhausted.
Uniform of the Bat d8
Gadgets/Utility Belt d8
Body Armor d8
Batarangs (attack) d8
Swingline d8
SFX: Focus
SFX: Area Attack. Target multiple opponents
Limit: Gear
Specialties
Acrobatics Expert d8
Crime Expert d8
Military Expert d8
Menace Expert d8
Combat Master d10
Milestones
"I'm a Goddamned Solider!"
1xp when you first enter a mission.
3xp when your loyalties to those you serve with are called into question
10xp when you must abandon your loyalties for the sake of the mission or visa-versa.
My Past Haunts Me
1xp when you first interact with your Father, Cousin Bette/Flamebird or something to do with your sister.
3xp when a member of the Cult of Crime recognizes you as the Twice Named Daughter of Caine
10 xp when you have to defeat Alice to accomplish the mission, or abandon the mission to save your Father or Cousin.
Compared to my Unisystem build I think this is rather nice.
I have done other builds for MHRP as well:
Senin, 11 Juni 2012
Xena & Gabrielle: Spellcraft & Swordplay
In some cases I'll also talk about why I picked the characters I did and why I paired them with the game I did.
Xena & Gabrielle: Spellcraft & Swordplay
I make no excuses of my enjoyment of Xena: Warrior Princess. The show was silly, irreverent and always a fun time. Frankly, with it's mix of comedy, drama, memorable characters and a mis-mash of historical and mythological events, it really was the perfect D&D TV show.
I have discussed Xena in the past, with both M&M3/DCA stats and Ghosts of Albion/Army of Darkness. The unisystem versions has been one of my most popular posts. Xena certainly has earned a place in many game worlds, but in particular mine. So here are some more stats.
This is Xena and her anamchara Gabrielle for the Spellcraft & Swordplay RPG. Unlike my other stats, these assume that Xena and Gabrielle are still together and travelling the world.
Warrior (Fighting Woman): 9th Level
Strength: 18
Dexterity: 18
Constitution: 17
Intelligence: 11
Wisdom: 12
Charisma: 15
Attacks: 7+5 (7 attacks per round, +5 to any one attack)
Hit Points: 40
Alignment: Neutral (Unaligned)
AC: 5
Sword: 1d6+3
Chakram 1d6+1, decapitates on "box cars" (double 6s), on any double that hits can knock out instead of doing damage.
+2 to Con-based Saves
Bard: 7th Level (Bards are found in Monstrous Mayhem)
Strength: 14
Dexterity: 15
Constitution: 15
Intelligence: 15
Wisdom: 14
Charisma: 16
Attacks: 4+3
Hit Points: 25
Alignment: Neutral (mostly Good)
AC: 7
Sword: 1d6+3
Favored: Charisma, Intelligence
Oration: Gabrielle is a teller of tales, in particular the tales of Xena. She is the author of the so called "Xena Scrolls" which could be a fabled magical tome in your game.
Staff: 1d6
Sais: 1d6 can attack with both hands (used later in the series)
Why Xena?
There is one thing that Xena does better than any RPG. It attracted a huge female audience and kept them. Granted, one could argue that "Friend in Need" might have killed that, but up until then. I think Xena works for the same reason that other successful shows do. Great characterizations and great characters. You know all about Xena and Gabrielle, but they are still great to watch. Adding them to your game might just be that spice you didn't know you were missing.
Adding Xena and Gabrielle to your Game
Given their wanderings across the world it should actually be only a matter of time before the characters would run into her. Maybe they know of her infamy as a conqueress. Maybe they know of her turn and desire to do good to atone. Or maybe it is just one of those things where the PCs and Xena arrive in the same place at the same time. Fate is funny that way.
Plus they are kick-ass characters that bring a lot of fun to the game.
Selasa, 29 Mei 2012
Marvel HRP links
Quick one today.
Found some links for various builds for the Marvel Heroic Roleplaying game.
The Lost of Files of Marvel is just link after link of tons of builds.
That 70's Game also has a few, but in particular are his build builds of Zatanna, Fire and Ice from the DC world.
And only quasi-related, Tim Marchman over at the Wall Street Journal wants to know why comics aren't doing better than they are. Actually he has a pretty good idea.
Found some links for various builds for the Marvel Heroic Roleplaying game.
The Lost of Files of Marvel is just link after link of tons of builds.
That 70's Game also has a few, but in particular are his build builds of Zatanna, Fire and Ice from the DC world.
And only quasi-related, Tim Marchman over at the Wall Street Journal wants to know why comics aren't doing better than they are. Actually he has a pretty good idea.
Minggu, 27 Mei 2012
More Free Downloads
In the interest of providing you, the reader of the Other Side, only the finest in gaming accessories I give you a couple more more character sheets I have used in the past.
These were designed for my "Willow & Tara RPG", which was a mix of Eden's Buffy, WitchCraft and Ghosts of Albion games.
The Character sheet is a one page deal. The Journal is nine pages to track everything for your Unisystem character.
These were designed for my "Willow & Tara RPG", which was a mix of Eden's Buffy, WitchCraft and Ghosts of Albion games.
The Character sheet is a one page deal. The Journal is nine pages to track everything for your Unisystem character.
Senin, 07 Mei 2012
Willow and Tara: Marvel Heroic Roleplaying
I am still playing around a bit with Marvel Heroic Roleplaying now that I have seen it out in the stores. Saw a copy at my local Barnes & Nobel last night in fact. I thought this might be appropriate for today.
Willow and Tara in the Marvelverse
I have to admit, that anytime I think about the girls in a super hero universe I always think of it in terms of DC. But the roleplaying and character development aspects of MHR are too good to ignore.
I have already done up my two DC go-to characters Zatanna and Justice with this system. And I have stated up Willow and Tara in one other version of Cortex in the past.
For the girls in this universe I'll start with the assumptions that the events in my previous games, The Dragon and The Phoenix and Season of the Witch happened. In fact even though this game was not part of the original plan it would work fine as part of the Generation HEX season I started and never finished.
Name: Willow
ID: Willow D. Rosenberg (public)
Age: 32 (2012)
Base of Operations: Boston, MA
Affiliations: Solo d8, Buddy d10, Team d6 (Willow in highschool was certainly more Team, but this is an older Willow)
Distinctions:
Bad Ass Wicca
Technophile
Quick to Anger
Power Sets
Sorcery d10
Magical Spells d10, Blast d10, Senses (magical) d10, Teleport d10, Telekinesis d10
Limit: Conscious Effort
SFX: Versatile
SFX: Area Attack
Anamchara d10 (Willow and Tara can combine their powers)
"I will always find you." (Telepathy) d8, "I am you know...yours" (Combine) d10
Limit: Distance/focus
SFX: Multipower
SFX: Boost
Specialties
Mystic d10
Tech d10
Cosmic d8
Science d8
Milestones
Magic
1xp You uncover some plot that is magical in nature.
3xp You discover some new magical tome or artifact.
10xp You defeat the main villain without magic.
Anger
1xp When you loose your temper
3xp When someone you are helping takes trauma
10 xp When your anger threatens the world, or saves it.
Willow in "Generation HEX" is one of the most power spell casters in the world. But her own issues surrounding her anger still plague her. She has turned to magic as a means of not just obtaining control over her situation, but of herself. She is slowly getting there.
Name: Tara
ID: Tara A. Maclay (public)
Age: 33 (2012)
Base of Operations: Boston, MA
Affiliations: Solo d6, Buddy d10, Team d8 (Tara does best with Willow or in a group)
Distinctions:
Witchy Woman
Loyal
"Tara hide your magic" - Tara is a deep, quiet, well of magical power, but she has been told her whole life to hide it.
Power Sets
Sorcery d10
Magical Spells d10, Blast d8, Senses (magical) d10, Telekinesis d10
Limit: Conscious Effort
SFX: Versatile
SFX: Healing
Anamchara d10 (Willow and Tara can combine their powers)
"I will always find you." (Telepathy) d8, "I am you know...yours" (Combine) d10
Limit: Distance/focus
SFX: Multipower
SFX: Boost
Specialties
Mystic d10
Psych d10
Cosmic d8
Science d8
Milestones
Magic
1xp You uncover some plot that is magical in nature.
3xp You discover some new magical tome or artifact.
10xp You defeat the main villain without magic.
Soulmates
1xp When you or Willow are dragged into a problem together
3xp When someone uses you to get to Willow or visa-versa
10 xp When you have to work together after being apart to stop the threat
Tara is more self-actualized than Willow is. She knows and accepts the dangers and responsibilities of her power. What she is most afraid of is loosing Willow; either to death or darkness. In my games the girls have seen many alternate realities, any reality without a Tara in it results in Willow turning evil and destroying things.
Willow and Tara have a lot of linked powers and milestones, as to be expected given their lives together.
To follow along with the Generation HEX plot ideas, they are living in Boston teaching at a school that has a lot of magical kids enrolled. In my game they would of course know of Zatanna and I would still have to say they are not up to her power level on their own, combined though they could give Zee a run for her money. Not that they would mind you, Tara is a HUGE fan of Zatanna, I have this on authority.
Of course this would also be a good episode to have the girl visit the wilds of Canada and check out the Cave of Cool.
"Willow and Tara" by David Reynolds
Willow and Tara in the Marvelverse
I have to admit, that anytime I think about the girls in a super hero universe I always think of it in terms of DC. But the roleplaying and character development aspects of MHR are too good to ignore.
I have already done up my two DC go-to characters Zatanna and Justice with this system. And I have stated up Willow and Tara in one other version of Cortex in the past.
For the girls in this universe I'll start with the assumptions that the events in my previous games, The Dragon and The Phoenix and Season of the Witch happened. In fact even though this game was not part of the original plan it would work fine as part of the Generation HEX season I started and never finished.
Name: Willow
ID: Willow D. Rosenberg (public)
Age: 32 (2012)
Base of Operations: Boston, MA
Affiliations: Solo d8, Buddy d10, Team d6 (Willow in highschool was certainly more Team, but this is an older Willow)
Distinctions:
Bad Ass Wicca
Technophile
Quick to Anger
Power Sets
Sorcery d10
Magical Spells d10, Blast d10, Senses (magical) d10, Teleport d10, Telekinesis d10
Limit: Conscious Effort
SFX: Versatile
SFX: Area Attack
Anamchara d10 (Willow and Tara can combine their powers)
"I will always find you." (Telepathy) d8, "I am you know...yours" (Combine) d10
Limit: Distance/focus
SFX: Multipower
SFX: Boost
Specialties
Mystic d10
Tech d10
Cosmic d8
Science d8
Milestones
Magic
1xp You uncover some plot that is magical in nature.
3xp You discover some new magical tome or artifact.
10xp You defeat the main villain without magic.
Anger
1xp When you loose your temper
3xp When someone you are helping takes trauma
10 xp When your anger threatens the world, or saves it.
Willow in "Generation HEX" is one of the most power spell casters in the world. But her own issues surrounding her anger still plague her. She has turned to magic as a means of not just obtaining control over her situation, but of herself. She is slowly getting there.
Name: Tara
ID: Tara A. Maclay (public)
Age: 33 (2012)
Base of Operations: Boston, MA
Affiliations: Solo d6, Buddy d10, Team d8 (Tara does best with Willow or in a group)
Distinctions:
Witchy Woman
Loyal
"Tara hide your magic" - Tara is a deep, quiet, well of magical power, but she has been told her whole life to hide it.
Power Sets
Sorcery d10
Magical Spells d10, Blast d8, Senses (magical) d10, Telekinesis d10
Limit: Conscious Effort
SFX: Versatile
SFX: Healing
Anamchara d10 (Willow and Tara can combine their powers)
"I will always find you." (Telepathy) d8, "I am you know...yours" (Combine) d10
Limit: Distance/focus
SFX: Multipower
SFX: Boost
Specialties
Mystic d10
Psych d10
Cosmic d8
Science d8
Milestones
Magic
1xp You uncover some plot that is magical in nature.
3xp You discover some new magical tome or artifact.
10xp You defeat the main villain without magic.
Soulmates
1xp When you or Willow are dragged into a problem together
3xp When someone uses you to get to Willow or visa-versa
10 xp When you have to work together after being apart to stop the threat
Tara is more self-actualized than Willow is. She knows and accepts the dangers and responsibilities of her power. What she is most afraid of is loosing Willow; either to death or darkness. In my games the girls have seen many alternate realities, any reality without a Tara in it results in Willow turning evil and destroying things.
Willow and Tara have a lot of linked powers and milestones, as to be expected given their lives together.
To follow along with the Generation HEX plot ideas, they are living in Boston teaching at a school that has a lot of magical kids enrolled. In my game they would of course know of Zatanna and I would still have to say they are not up to her power level on their own, combined though they could give Zee a run for her money. Not that they would mind you, Tara is a HUGE fan of Zatanna, I have this on authority.
Of course this would also be a good episode to have the girl visit the wilds of Canada and check out the Cave of Cool.
Rabu, 25 April 2012
V is for Victoria RPG
Continuing my exploration of Victorian era RPGS I can't help but mention the the game that uses the eponymous Queen herself.
Today, V is Victoria.
Victoria is the premier game from Daniel Hodges and Hazard Gaming. Unlike most of the games I have reveiwed, Victoria is focused on running a game in the historical Victorian Era. So focus on class, station and no magic (well...mostly).
Victoria is heavy on atmosphere and history. In fact among the Victorian games, Victoria stresses the history the most. It is trying to go for an authentic feel of the era sans monsters, magic.
So what does Victoria have? Well for starters character concept is king here. You should have a good grip what sort of character you want to play. The book suggests thinking about characters from literature or history. One of the things things you are going to want to do is decide on your class. Not how it is typically used in games, but social class. Social class is everything in this game and there are plenty of examples of of how to use it in play. The game is really targeted to the newer player with plenty of examples of game play and how to use skills.
Speaking of which, looking at the character sheet you might be surprised to see that everything is a skill. The first three group are grouped by Social Class. So there are Upper Class skills (High Society, Linguistics, etc.), Middle Class (Adventure, Law, etc.) and Working Class (Stealth, Street,etc.). Depending on your class you have more points to allocate to one of the groups and then secondary and tertiary. You can move points between skill groups (at a cost of course). There is a fourth group, Personal, which are closer to "Attributes" but are treated just like skills.
The mechanic is a very interesting one and one I have not encountered before to be honest. The skills are ranked 2 to 12, but you start around 7 and work your way out. You roll a 2d6 and when you roll the number of your "Main" (a spread of scores) you make it, if you roll outside you don't. Pretty easy really.
Double "1"s are a critical failure and double "6"s are always a distinctive success. In either case you can be granted Plot Points.
Plot Points play like Drama Points or Hero Points in other games. In Victoria the Point economy is bit freer with points being spent and gained quicker. So if your Main is 5-9 and you roll an 11 then you can spend 2 Plot Points to extend your range and make it. I mentioned before that critical rolls can grant you Plot Points. If you fail, if you can describe your failure well then that is worth some plot points to be used at a later challenge.
Half the book is for the players and the other half for the Gamemaster. The Gamemastering section is not to be missed really, especially if you are a new Gamemaster or starting one. There is great advice here. There is also good game-based advice for the giving out the Plot Points and how to reward play based on Social Class.
Chapter 10 is an interesting one since it deals with the Supernatural. The "paradigm" of Victoria is the "Sherlock Holmes" one. That is there is no magic, but many people that believe in it. I think that is where this game works the best. Some background (but not stats) are given for many creatures. Chapter 11 similarly deals with alternate settings. Chapter 12 is an example adventure that stretches science to near Frankenstein levels.
Victoria works best as "Charles Dickens" or "Sherlock Holmes" the Game. Realism with real problems.
If you want a game with more magic, then we have those as well. Take advantage of this game's strengths.
I would use this as an expansion is most any Victorian game to add another level of realism to the play. There is quite a bit of history and even a handy guide for how much various professions make in a year.
The character creation section is fantastic for any Victorian era game since it does require you to think about your character not as a collection of stats and numbers, but rather as a concept and as a person within society.
The book itself is fantastic to look at. The layout is clean and easy to read. The art is the similar PD art found in Ghosts of Albion, Gaslight and Victoriana, but to me that is a good thing. That is what a Victorian game should look like.
If you like historical games and like your games with a bit more realism in it, then Victoria is a great choice.
You can also go to Daniel's webpage to hear his weekly Podcasts. In fact next week I am going to be in Episode 11.
http://www.hazardgaming.com/
http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=99046&affiliate_id=10748&
Dirty Nel
So, the one thing about Victoria is it lacks a proper magic system and supernatural creatures are a non-existent.
That all being said, that doesn't mean I can't try to emulate my street faerie prostitute Dirty Nel.
You can see her in her Ghosts of Albion, Rippers and Victoriana aspects. Here she is as a normal human. She is still a prostitute working for the elite upper class. Her clientele are not just the upper class, but the upper class spiritualist and occultist of the age.
Name: Dirty Nel
Class: Working
Occupation: Prostitute/Informant
Backstory: Nel is young elfin looking woman. She claims she fell on hard times, but Nel didn't have far to fall.
Flaw: Fallen Woman, Greedy
Skills
Upper Class
Middle Class
Working class
*extra skill speciality: Dark Secrets
Personall
Possessions: clothes, boots, purse, couple of knives.
Ht: 5'0" Wt: 6.7 stone Age: 16
PP: 4
Money: what she made the night before.
Victoria is the premier game from Daniel Hodges and Hazard Gaming. Unlike most of the games I have reveiwed, Victoria is focused on running a game in the historical Victorian Era. So focus on class, station and no magic (well...mostly).
Victoria is heavy on atmosphere and history. In fact among the Victorian games, Victoria stresses the history the most. It is trying to go for an authentic feel of the era sans monsters, magic.
So what does Victoria have? Well for starters character concept is king here. You should have a good grip what sort of character you want to play. The book suggests thinking about characters from literature or history. One of the things things you are going to want to do is decide on your class. Not how it is typically used in games, but social class. Social class is everything in this game and there are plenty of examples of of how to use it in play. The game is really targeted to the newer player with plenty of examples of game play and how to use skills.
Speaking of which, looking at the character sheet you might be surprised to see that everything is a skill. The first three group are grouped by Social Class. So there are Upper Class skills (High Society, Linguistics, etc.), Middle Class (Adventure, Law, etc.) and Working Class (Stealth, Street,etc.). Depending on your class you have more points to allocate to one of the groups and then secondary and tertiary. You can move points between skill groups (at a cost of course). There is a fourth group, Personal, which are closer to "Attributes" but are treated just like skills.
The mechanic is a very interesting one and one I have not encountered before to be honest. The skills are ranked 2 to 12, but you start around 7 and work your way out. You roll a 2d6 and when you roll the number of your "Main" (a spread of scores) you make it, if you roll outside you don't. Pretty easy really.
Double "1"s are a critical failure and double "6"s are always a distinctive success. In either case you can be granted Plot Points.
Plot Points play like Drama Points or Hero Points in other games. In Victoria the Point economy is bit freer with points being spent and gained quicker. So if your Main is 5-9 and you roll an 11 then you can spend 2 Plot Points to extend your range and make it. I mentioned before that critical rolls can grant you Plot Points. If you fail, if you can describe your failure well then that is worth some plot points to be used at a later challenge.
Half the book is for the players and the other half for the Gamemaster. The Gamemastering section is not to be missed really, especially if you are a new Gamemaster or starting one. There is great advice here. There is also good game-based advice for the giving out the Plot Points and how to reward play based on Social Class.
Chapter 10 is an interesting one since it deals with the Supernatural. The "paradigm" of Victoria is the "Sherlock Holmes" one. That is there is no magic, but many people that believe in it. I think that is where this game works the best. Some background (but not stats) are given for many creatures. Chapter 11 similarly deals with alternate settings. Chapter 12 is an example adventure that stretches science to near Frankenstein levels.
Victoria works best as "Charles Dickens" or "Sherlock Holmes" the Game. Realism with real problems.
If you want a game with more magic, then we have those as well. Take advantage of this game's strengths.
I would use this as an expansion is most any Victorian game to add another level of realism to the play. There is quite a bit of history and even a handy guide for how much various professions make in a year.
The character creation section is fantastic for any Victorian era game since it does require you to think about your character not as a collection of stats and numbers, but rather as a concept and as a person within society.
The book itself is fantastic to look at. The layout is clean and easy to read. The art is the similar PD art found in Ghosts of Albion, Gaslight and Victoriana, but to me that is a good thing. That is what a Victorian game should look like.
If you like historical games and like your games with a bit more realism in it, then Victoria is a great choice.
You can also go to Daniel's webpage to hear his weekly Podcasts. In fact next week I am going to be in Episode 11.
http://www.hazardgaming.com/
http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=99046&affiliate_id=10748&
Dirty Nel
So, the one thing about Victoria is it lacks a proper magic system and supernatural creatures are a non-existent.
That all being said, that doesn't mean I can't try to emulate my street faerie prostitute Dirty Nel.
You can see her in her Ghosts of Albion, Rippers and Victoriana aspects. Here she is as a normal human. She is still a prostitute working for the elite upper class. Her clientele are not just the upper class, but the upper class spiritualist and occultist of the age.
Name: Dirty Nel
Class: Working
Occupation: Prostitute/Informant
Backstory: Nel is young elfin looking woman. She claims she fell on hard times, but Nel didn't have far to fall.
Flaw: Fallen Woman, Greedy
Skills
Upper Class
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | |
| High Society | X | X | X | X | |||||||
| Linguistics | X | X | X | ||||||||
| Medicinal | X | X | |||||||||
| Research | X | X |
Middle Class
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | |
| Adventure | X | X | X | X | |||||||
| Law & Inv | X | X | X | X | X | ||||||
| Martial | X | X | X | ||||||||
| Tactics & Org. | X | X | X | X |
Working class
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | |
| Chameleon | X | X | X | X | X | X | |||||
| Stealth | X | X | X | X | X | X | |||||
| Street* | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | ||||
| Trade & Source | X | X | X | X |
Personall
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | |
| Atheltics | X | X | X | ||||||||
| Machines | X | X | |||||||||
| People | X | X | X | X | X | ||||||
| Wits | X | X | X | X |
Ht: 5'0" Wt: 6.7 stone Age: 16
PP: 4
Money: what she made the night before.
Jumat, 13 April 2012
L is for Labyrinth Lord
Last Monday I talked about Basic Clones.
Today I want to focus on one of them since it will tie well into tomorrow's M post.
Today L is for Labyrinth Lord.
Again, what is a basic clone? Well a basic clone is a new game, using new rules to emulate an older game. In this case the rules are D&D from 2001-ish (called 3.0 or 3.5) to emulate "Basic" D&D from 1980-82.
Why would someone want to play a game that is 20 years old?
Well D&D Basic is long out of print. D&D 3.x (the 2000s version) is a great game, but the complexity is also much greater. D&D Basic is easier to learn, faster to play and perfect if you are teaching younger kids how to play. But I can't buy copies of D&D Basic anymore.
I can buy Labyrinth Lord.
Goblinoid Games is the publisher of LL and in many respects could be considered one of the pioneers of the both the Retro-Clone game (their game GORE simulated Call of Cthulhu) and OSR (Old School Renascence).
Labyrinth Lord specifically is most like the B/X version of Basic, or the Moldvay, Cook/Marsh edited versions. Which is great because that is the version I enjoyed the most and talked about last year.
You can get Labyrinth Lord in three different "Editions", though all work roughly similar.
Labyrinth Lord - the original.
LL: Advanced Companion - which sets out to emulate AD&D 1st Edition
LL: Original Edition Characters - which emulates the original D&D from 1974
All are compatible with each other, maybe more so than the games they try to emulate.
There is another game, Mutant Future, which uses the LL rules and is the subject of tomorrow's post.
But the one thing that occurs to me is this. Since LL and Mutant Future do use the same rules, it gives you a chance to do some really weird things. Actually the first thought I had was this "Labyrinth Lord + Mutant Future = Adventure Time!"
Adventure Time is a cartoon about a human boy named Finn and his magical dog Jake. It takes place in the land of Ooo which seems to be a post-apocalyptic Earth. The Dungeons and Dragons elements are all over the place including liches, gelatinous cubes, displacer beasts, dungeons, magic swords, Finn even calls himself a Paladin. If that is not enough then check this out from Wizards of the Coast, http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd/4spot/20110408
The world of Finn and Jake is totally D&D...and Gama World. So if we want one system to do it all it needs to be LL + MF!
Finn (for Labyrinth Lord)
7th level Human Paladin (Fighter)
Age: 14
AC: 7
HP: 50
To Hit AC
Sword +1, Backpack, Awesome Hat!
Today I want to focus on one of them since it will tie well into tomorrow's M post.
Again, what is a basic clone? Well a basic clone is a new game, using new rules to emulate an older game. In this case the rules are D&D from 2001-ish (called 3.0 or 3.5) to emulate "Basic" D&D from 1980-82.
Why would someone want to play a game that is 20 years old?
Well D&D Basic is long out of print. D&D 3.x (the 2000s version) is a great game, but the complexity is also much greater. D&D Basic is easier to learn, faster to play and perfect if you are teaching younger kids how to play. But I can't buy copies of D&D Basic anymore.
I can buy Labyrinth Lord.
Goblinoid Games is the publisher of LL and in many respects could be considered one of the pioneers of the both the Retro-Clone game (their game GORE simulated Call of Cthulhu) and OSR (Old School Renascence).
Labyrinth Lord specifically is most like the B/X version of Basic, or the Moldvay, Cook/Marsh edited versions. Which is great because that is the version I enjoyed the most and talked about last year.
You can get Labyrinth Lord in three different "Editions", though all work roughly similar.
Labyrinth Lord - the original.
LL: Advanced Companion - which sets out to emulate AD&D 1st Edition
LL: Original Edition Characters - which emulates the original D&D from 1974
All are compatible with each other, maybe more so than the games they try to emulate.
There is another game, Mutant Future, which uses the LL rules and is the subject of tomorrow's post.
But the one thing that occurs to me is this. Since LL and Mutant Future do use the same rules, it gives you a chance to do some really weird things. Actually the first thought I had was this "Labyrinth Lord + Mutant Future = Adventure Time!"
Adventure Time is a cartoon about a human boy named Finn and his magical dog Jake. It takes place in the land of Ooo which seems to be a post-apocalyptic Earth. The Dungeons and Dragons elements are all over the place including liches, gelatinous cubes, displacer beasts, dungeons, magic swords, Finn even calls himself a Paladin. If that is not enough then check this out from Wizards of the Coast, http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd/4spot/20110408
The world of Finn and Jake is totally D&D...and Gama World. So if we want one system to do it all it needs to be LL + MF!
Finn (for Labyrinth Lord)
Age: 14
| STR: 13 | Breath Attacks: 9 | |
| DEX: 16 | Poison or Death: 8 | |
| CON: 15 | Petrify or Paralyze: 10 | |
| INT: 13 | Wands: 9 | |
| WIS: 12 | Spells: 12 | |
| CHA: 13 |
AC: 7
HP: 50
To Hit AC
| -6 | -5 | -4 | -3 | -2 | -1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| 20 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 |
Sword +1, Backpack, Awesome Hat!
