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[pbp]Hunger of the Beast[ToA]
Xagar
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Let's play my game! It could be described as a mashup of FF Tactics, D&D 4e, and Guild Wars 1.
See the attached to a couple posts down for rules & all skills/items in the game, lore, and skill cards. Please be aware this game is in active development and will see changes (balance, likely not mechanical).
You and your companions have traveled weeks southeast from the metropolis of Lincolnia, to the backwater, mountainous valley of Falk. You were drawn here by a request for aid against bandits stealing food. Normally you might not even consider something so generic, but the pay was good. Very good. You and a few other adventurers decided to go for it - you know how to handle bandits.
What could go wrong?
Setting tl;dr
-What if RPG magic were real? What would it do to a society?
-The planet, Strand, is the remains of a colony of Earth many thousands of years old, past multiple disastrous wars.
-All characters are humans (with about double the normal lifespan).
-Magic is ubiquitous and powerful, but it only functions when a living being is present to make it real. Much technology is replaced with human or trained animal effort.
-Tech level is pretty high - not information age, but there is rapid transit and communication between cities, and news spreads via newspaper and mystic jumbotron.
-The planet is mostly depopulated due to dangerous wildlife, most notably dragons that are periodically awakened, causing a world disaster situation (the last of which was 80 years ago).
Mechanics tl;dr
-Grid-based
-You may only bring 8 skills into each battle, but may know any number.
-Skill loadout: 4 actives, 1 reaction, 1 support, 1 movement
-Turn: Act (play a card or use an item), and move (move up to your Speed or use a movement skill)
-Act and move in any order.
-Attack: Roll a d10 to beat enemy Reflex. If you don't, they can use their Reaction skill to block damage or counterattack.
-Roll a second die if the skill lists a number to beat. If you do, that effect works.
-Lose 1 Spirit when dropped to 0 Health (defeated), and 1 Spirit at the end of the round afterwards. 0 Spirit is death.
-Some special effects are standardized (banes/boons/cleanse/dispel), some are not.
-Out of combat, stat checks as in D&D (with a d10) and background checks as in 13th Age (with a d10).
Bane/Boon quick reference
-Power / Weakness: Damage +2. / Damage -2.
-Stability / Stagger: Reflex +5. / Reflex -5.
-Clarity / Blind: Rolls +5. / Rolls -5.
-Vigor / Burn: Heal for 2 at end of round. / Take 2 damage at end of round.
-Haste / Slow: Speed +2, ignore hazards, climb quickly. / Speed -2, cannot use movement skills.
-Cleanse: Remove all negative cards.
-Dispel: Remove all positive cards, or destroy a construct.
Character Submission Guidelines
-I'm looking for 3-5 players.
-Start with 15 levels, 90xp, 1 ritual, Anglo language, and $50.
-Fill your inventory slots with unenchanted tier 1 items from the Armory.
-One item may have a tier 1 enchantment.
-Create two backgrounds for your character (or something more elaborate).
-Character sheets are on my Google Docs. Feel free to mess around in there.
-This game can be quite lethal.
-All characters will know each other already; the details of that are up to you.
Character Building Suggestions
-The base levels of stats are very low, and a balanced approach is wise, with the possible exception of Initiative.
-The shield and sword weapon types give powerful reaction skills.
-The initial boon armor enchantment is a good choice.
-The soldier, radiant, ranger, and pyromancer disciplines are simple and reliable.
-The templar, herald, performer, and geomancer disciplines may not be effective without a certain team composition.
See the attached to a couple posts down for rules & all skills/items in the game, lore, and skill cards. Please be aware this game is in active development and will see changes (balance, likely not mechanical).
You and your companions have traveled weeks southeast from the metropolis of Lincolnia, to the backwater, mountainous valley of Falk. You were drawn here by a request for aid against bandits stealing food. Normally you might not even consider something so generic, but the pay was good. Very good. You and a few other adventurers decided to go for it - you know how to handle bandits.
What could go wrong?
Setting tl;dr
-What if RPG magic were real? What would it do to a society?
-The planet, Strand, is the remains of a colony of Earth many thousands of years old, past multiple disastrous wars.
-All characters are humans (with about double the normal lifespan).
-Magic is ubiquitous and powerful, but it only functions when a living being is present to make it real. Much technology is replaced with human or trained animal effort.
-Tech level is pretty high - not information age, but there is rapid transit and communication between cities, and news spreads via newspaper and mystic jumbotron.
-The planet is mostly depopulated due to dangerous wildlife, most notably dragons that are periodically awakened, causing a world disaster situation (the last of which was 80 years ago).
Mechanics tl;dr
-Grid-based
-You may only bring 8 skills into each battle, but may know any number.
-Skill loadout: 4 actives, 1 reaction, 1 support, 1 movement
-Turn: Act (play a card or use an item), and move (move up to your Speed or use a movement skill)
-Act and move in any order.
-Attack: Roll a d10 to beat enemy Reflex. If you don't, they can use their Reaction skill to block damage or counterattack.
-Roll a second die if the skill lists a number to beat. If you do, that effect works.
-Lose 1 Spirit when dropped to 0 Health (defeated), and 1 Spirit at the end of the round afterwards. 0 Spirit is death.
-Some special effects are standardized (banes/boons/cleanse/dispel), some are not.
-Out of combat, stat checks as in D&D (with a d10) and background checks as in 13th Age (with a d10).
Bane/Boon quick reference
-Power / Weakness: Damage +2. / Damage -2.
-Stability / Stagger: Reflex +5. / Reflex -5.
-Clarity / Blind: Rolls +5. / Rolls -5.
-Vigor / Burn: Heal for 2 at end of round. / Take 2 damage at end of round.
-Haste / Slow: Speed +2, ignore hazards, climb quickly. / Speed -2, cannot use movement skills.
-Cleanse: Remove all negative cards.
-Dispel: Remove all positive cards, or destroy a construct.
Character Submission Guidelines
-I'm looking for 3-5 players.
-Start with 15 levels, 90xp, 1 ritual, Anglo language, and $50.
-Fill your inventory slots with unenchanted tier 1 items from the Armory.
-One item may have a tier 1 enchantment.
-Create two backgrounds for your character (or something more elaborate).
-Character sheets are on my Google Docs. Feel free to mess around in there.
-This game can be quite lethal.
-All characters will know each other already; the details of that are up to you.
Character Building Suggestions
-The base levels of stats are very low, and a balanced approach is wise, with the possible exception of Initiative.
-The shield and sword weapon types give powerful reaction skills.
-The initial boon armor enchantment is a good choice.
-The soldier, radiant, ranger, and pyromancer disciplines are simple and reliable.
-The templar, herald, performer, and geomancer disciplines may not be effective without a certain team composition.
Xagar on
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Posts
The Google doc with disciplines/amoury/char sheets seems to be there though
Thinking I’ll end up playing a Radiant
Just wondering if there’s value in holding any or if buying as many skills as possible is the best usage
It also looks like the idea is to create hybrid classes, as I don't see how you'd spend enough XP without opening more than one.
We sorta need the rules though.
XP and levels are separated. Usually I give ~10xp for completing battles and levels are whenever I feel like it (but fairly often).
And if so, that takes up one hand correct?
Also, does the reaction skill granted mean you have to choose that or your class reaction skill? Or does it get added on for free?
I'm looking to invest heavily into Soldier, Knight, Duelist.
Does that mean I'm investing in the Spirit Axis first, each separate discipline, then the skills within each discipline.
So if we have 90xp
30 = Spirit Axis
10 = Soldier Discilpine
20 = Full Skill List
10 = Knight Discipline
20 = Full Skill List
90 XP even.
Is this the correct way to pay for skills?
Armor is just a vehicle for armor enchantments.
Shield and bracers are weapons (since they're used with the hands).
Skills from items are in addition to your normal set of skills, and when you react, you can choose one.
You are correct, @joshgotro . The little tracker on the top of the disciplines section of the character sheet does the math for you though!
I think the spreadsheet listed is only view only mode.
Nevermind. I'm an idiot.
Also, I didn't have a good place to put in examples of weapons types - sweeping weapons are fancy things like dual swords or daggers, chain, scythes, etc.
No rituals though? Might have to look at that.
Haven't picked items or ritual yet.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1SipYH24iQhoNEZsyhvc96p-n6n5JhUJ4ZXHVIbcVeGU/edit?usp=sharing
Otherwise was unsure how to add it to the host sheet.
I need a name, but he's a lucky, unerringly so, sailor from off the Dusk coast.
And apparently Templar Wake Reading is a ritual, so I guess he gets that.
Main weapon is a two handed hammer, which not so much 'sweeps' as smashes through multiple people in a swing.
And a bow. Because he ain't fast, and needs something to fight people before they board.
Not sure if the 4 non-weapon/armor slots are filled, or if we fill them with loot when we get going.
D'aubigny. Sworn to a liege lord in Britannia. Searching for a missing child.
Sword and board. I would like a tower shield eventually @Xagar.
I want to learn Duelist so @discrider having that path open works perfectly.
Do you just want to open his up for editing and we'll add them in there?
I'll be bringing in Victor, Radiant/Herald from The Crown. Traversing out into the world to try and balance the seemingly overwhelming negative energy/emotions brought by conflict with his own positive outtake (and magic). He'll be bringing bracers and a pistol, but the emphasis is on healing/benefitting others with his skills.
Still need to pick a ritual, but I'll probably end up with cooking.
Re:tower shield - If it's just cosmetic, you can do whatever you want. Mechanical, pitch me a concept and I'll put it in in some fashion.
Re: 4 whatever slots - You can fill them with consumables or weapons (since you only get 1 enchanted item, carrying extra armor is pointless as of now). You'll be picking up plenty of equipment and consumables as long as you don't disintegrate people, so don't worry about it too much, maybe some health potions?
Once you fill out the rest of your character sheets, we should be good to go around Friday evening (my actual physical session is tonight so not much time today).
I'll go in right now and fill out all my character stuff.
Just for @discrider and @joshgotro, I'm basically going full healbot at least to start here, so take that into account when you're planning your items. I wouldn't expect a whole lot of dmg help from me, though I'm going to mix in at least one hearld skill so that I can do something other than wait for you to take dmg/get a negative effect to cleanse.
Har doesn't care much for being careful, so much as stopping trouble before it starts.
Just as your map says, before you is Castle Falk, guarding the valley. The afternoon sun does little to warm you, and you’re glad that it looks that you’ll be able to reach civilization before the chill of night falls. As you start onto the rough stone of the road, you go over in your mind the adventurer’s guild posting that drew you here:
Bandit Raids!
The Duchy of Falk requests aid from able-bodied adventurers! Over the last month, numerous caravans carrying grain and meat have been robbed, and several farms have been similarly raided, leaving our farmers destitute for the coming winter! Our own knights are stretched thin protecting our towns, and we need your help to resolve this situation. Your objectives are to find these bandits’ hideouts, identify and put an end to any leaders, and determine the fate of the stolen food, returning it if possible. Successful completion of all three will pay 3000g, given sufficient evidence of such. Direct further inquiries to Steward Edgar of Castle Liane.
You had corresponded with the Steward by mail, and he had sent you the map and a list of leads:
-Many farms to the east of Davittsburg have had sheep and stored grain stolen.
-The small town of Baron’s Hill had been held hostage for a day while its granary had been emptied.
-A manor in Sopris Estates had been robbed.
You just hope in the time it took you to arrive, things haven’t gotten worse.
Take this chance to introduce/describe yourself, and decide on your first destination. Each point of interest is about two days by road, and about a day by river. The darker segments on the map are higher elevation or rougher terrain. Much of the valley is wooded and mountainous, and travel farther from the roads that parallel the rivers is difficult.
"So, gentlemen, where should we get started?" He addressed the other two, the trio having been in correspondence with Steward Edgard and having a fairly good grasp of the situation they hand landed into. There was always something to adjust to, the world didn't hold still just because you were traveling, but they had specific orders on what the job was. The prospect of just moving forward into the valley lifted Victor's spirits. The ship they had arrived on had started to bore him, he wanted to experience something different, no matter what it might be. Plus, if he was being honest, he enjoyed having the ground under his feet again.
D’Aubigny moved slowly. The brown leather sack she carried clanked as she left the dock.
"So, gentlemen, where should we get started?" – Victor
A smirk crossed D’Aubigny pale face, clearly Victor was joking.
“Yes, gentlemen, isn’t that right Pearl?”
D’Aubigny moved with swift precision. The leather belt circled her waist snugly. Scabbard into the belt. Her pack rested low across her back. “We’re to make the castle tonight? I have had my fill of the water. They must stable horses?”
D’Aubigny moved forward a few steps and took in the view. “Britannia was home, no matter which part she stood in.”
Of course, now I’m going to have to play this forward and just have Victor picking at them both going forward....
"I ain't heard anybody called a gentleman before,", she states flatly, "but the only one who calls me Pearl is my Pa."
Har shakes her head, picking her pack and effects back off the bank and shouldering them into place.
Nodding at the boat she'd just cast off:
"They're off and so should we. Perhaps we can make the castle before it gets much colder."
Har's smile returns, "Can't say I never long for a good hot bath."
As you walk through the gates, almost immediately you come to an empty courtyard, surrounded by a rough semicircle of buildings, dark timber structures with high, sloping roofs leaving long shadows coming towards you. There doesn't seem to be anyone outside besides a sleepy-looking guard, but many windows glow with warmth, and faint sounds of life echo from a larger building to the left. Past the square, the road continues on straight, splitting the hill in two as it raises towards the castle above. You should be able to make it to the castle this evening if you wished, or you could stop here.
Falken Village:
-Shepherd's Crook Inn
-Blacksmith (Sells most tier 1 weapons/armor for 20-40g)
-Apothecary (Sells tier 1 potions and vials for 5-10g)
-Stables (Sells Barely A Horse for 20g and a regular horse for 50g.)
-Landing (Sells canoes for 20g and larger craft for 100g)
As a note, I won't be tracking things like basic lodging costs and general survival supplies, as I will assume you would budget and prepare for that.
"Speaking of which, has anyone thought through which task we're headed towards first? The map shows the three are generally in the same direction, but we should probably figure out where we want to start and work our way out further or inward from there."
I reckon anyone who's got a Manor can look out for themselves.
Should leave going past the farms first then, on the way upstream to the town.
And then we circle back past the Manor once we got the regular folk sorted."
D'Aubigny makes her way to the front of the inn, turns to gesture toward her companions, and enters.
"A tub of 'hot water' might be a slight much.
I could down a tankard myself.
Maybe we can stagger to the castle after?"
The blonde man tilted his head slightly as D'Aubigny entered the inn. They were originally going to the Castle, but if they were spending time in the inn, they would likely stay there, something he voiced to Har. "If we're spending enough time here for a tankard, I'm not sure if it makes much sense to wander to the castle tonight. Might just bed down here. We can decide as the night goes on, I guess." Victor wouldn't be joining them in their tankard, there was still a portion of the the Crown upbringing that frowned upon alcohol that was inside of him. He was able to cast away most of that past, and enjoy the most of life, but that had been the one trait that he couldn't shake, not that he cared all that much to try. Staying sober was generally more enjoyable to him, especially the next day.
Not that he did it out of any sort of sense of needing to protect the other two. He had seen enough to know that of the three of them, he was the weakest link in the chain, so there was no doubt in his mind they were more than capable of putting down anything that came their way. Instead, he just generally enjoyed the company of the crowd, and in an inn like this, he was more likely to be surrounded by happier emotions, which lifted his spirits all by themselves.
A large, swarthy man with a thick beard comes out from behind the bar and quickly shakes all three hands, bobbing his head as he does. "Welcome to the Shepherd's Crook! You'll be wanting rooms then, I'd say? And a hot meal. Annie!" He turns his head backwards and calls to a girl wearing a powder blue dress, who had just appeared from behind the bar. "Come in, come in," he says as he attempts to efficiently usher the party to an empty table, then immediately disappears into a door behind the bar. The girl makes her way over, shaking her head slightly and rolling her eyes as she glances back towards the still swinging kitchen door. "Um, sorry about that. Can I help you with anything?"
Geth, roll 1d10+4 for mysterrriouss reaasooooons
"Information. Heard tell of a noble boy gallivanting far from home?
House Cadogan's oldest. Also it would seem there's plenty of banditry around these parts."