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Topics - Agrippa

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1
Board Business / Changing sub forums.
« on: December 24, 2022, 05:07:08 PM »
Is there a way to move a thread to better subforum for it? Like asking a mod to do it. That's all I need to know right now.

2
Like you I've seen the typical dim-witted arguments for keeping D&D fighter types "realistic", throughout the character's whole career. To which I say, they'd have to be realistic to begin with then, which fighter types in D&D and Pathfinder really aren't. That's because they're often unrealistically bad, especially at low levels, levels that make sense for warriors to be realistic at. Yes, I said it, making low level warriors, 1st-3rd level to be precise, realistic in D&D 3.5 and Pathfinder, maybe even in D&D 5e, would be a boost for them.

Take these four montante demonstrations for example, two of them solo exercises, one an exhibition and the last a spar. Notice how in each one the montante is kept in near constant motion to both build and maintain momentum and to cover multiple angles of attack. This is not a slow and clunky style that relies on brute force, but instead a nimble and agile one. Both Just Nate's and Montante Nino's videos also show the great deal of range one can cover with proper footwork, and feature twirling footwork as a means to drive back foes and strike any would be attackers before they can hit you. Less the "hit everyone in sword reach" melee AOE of mithril tornado or whirlwind attack and more of a "guarantee any idiot that moves closer to you takes an AoO to the face" technique, but it can serve as a foundation for a melee AOE.

I have more weapon examples to go through, but let's leave that for tomorrow, it's really late and I can use some sleep. With that said, D&D can use more realism in fighting styles at lower levels and use that as a springboard into more fantastical and superhuman fighting styles for higher level fighter types, but I don't think that will ever come from anything official.

3
Legends of the Heroes / Sorting fantasy works by subgenres.
« on: December 15, 2022, 09:47:20 PM »
First off, hi there, it's Agrippa and I know I haven't posted here for some time. Got distracted by a few other sites and new interests, but I'm back. I'm post this thread in the Legends of the Heroes forum largely because I don't know where else to put it. With all that out of the way, here's my thread.

It's safe to assume that everyone here is familiar with fantasy and its subgenres. High fantasy, low fantasy, dark fantasy, historical fantasy, contemporary fantasy, urban fantasy and ect. These are all major and minor divisions of the fantasy genre, and in some cases can even be combined. But first, let's nail down what fantasy is, for our purposes at least. Fantasy is the genre of the uncanny, the supernatural and the superhuman. Tales and scenarios of happenings not only outside the norm for our daily lives, but entirely outside the realm of at least known possibility of our world.

As for the high/low division of fantasy I'll be using the more traditional literary definition, with high fantasy taking place in a secondary world, aka completely fictional world, and low fantasy taking place in the primary world, or a fictional version of the real world. Another way to say it, is that whether or not a work is high or low fantasy is about the degree of separation from reality, with high fantasy, secondary or fictional world fantasy, having a higher degree of separation from reality as low fantasy, fantasy that takes place on a fictional version of our world. This is because I find the more recent/TvTropes definitions of high fantasy and low fantasy both too narrow (secondary world only), and internally inconsistent, each defined by elements that have little or nothing to do with each other. So here we go.

Fantasy Subgenres
Low Fantasy: Fantasy stories and scenarios that take place in a fictional version of our world.
  • Historical Fantasy: Fantasy stories and scenarios that that take place in real world historical periods.
  • Contemporary Fantasy: Fantasy that takes place in the real world and during the time period of its writing/publishing. What TVTropes means by Urban Fantasy.
High Fantasy: Fantasy stories and scenarios that take place in a completely fictional world.
Dark Fantasy: Not so much a subgenre of fantasy as it is a hybrid genre. Namely of fantasy and horror.
Cosmic Horror: Our universe is ruled by or at least shared with godlike beings beyond our useful comprehension. These entities are innately hazardous to us and oftentimes have no love nor concern for us.
Science Fantasy: This is also a hybrid genre, just of fantasy and science fiction. I'd say the difference between fantasy and science fiction is that the extraordinary elements of fantasy are outright impossible in real life, while the extraordinary elements of science fiction are theoretically possible but are practically impossible due to lack of technology and infrastructure needed for them. That doesn't preclude combining the two genres though. This is where the impossible meets the merely highly improbable. Where the wizard and scientist* shake hands, work together and hopefully don't blow up the room they're in.
Space Fantasy: Simply put this is fantasy that takes place in space, and oftentimes features travel between planets. Usually this is high fantasy but can in theory be low fantasy.
Urban Fantasy: Fantasy that revolves around city life. It's usually contemporary or at least low fantay.
Industrial Fantasy: Fantasy that takes place during or in the aftermath of an industrial revolution.
Portal Fantasy: Fantasy that transports a character/group to a completely fictional world (high fantasy), to a different part of a completely fictional world (still high fantasy) or to a different place and or time on our world (low fantasy, historical fantasy to be exact if it's to the past).
Superhero Fiction: Yes, superheroes are fantasy. You can fight me about this, I doubt anyone will though. Usually, they're low fantasy. Oftentimes science fantasy too.
Wainscot Fantasy: Fantasy that involves a hidden or secretive society of magical beings.
Post-Apocalyptic Fantasy: Fantasy that takes place after devastating and oftentimes world or region altering calamities.
Epic Fantasy: Fantasy works with truly momentous stakes, broad wide-sweeping ramifications in world and perilous quests against great and terrible evils. Mostly considered strictly part of high fantasy, but I see no reason that bars low fantasy from also being epic fantasy.

*Yes, I know that scientists are the ones who conduct experiments to test hypotheses and establish theories while engineers are the ones who actually apply scientific research to practical ends. Blame this on decades if not centuries of cultural inertia.

I'd like to note that this is not an exhaustive list of fantasy subgenres and hybrid genres, so feel free to offer additional subgenres if you want to.

4
A really strange thought started percolating in my head quite some time ago. From 1993 up until 2010 the Walt Disney Company owned Miramax and by extension Dimension Films (Dimension was part of Miramax from 1992 until 2005). Now that would mean that the movies Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, Kill Bill 1 & 2, From Dusk Till Dawn, Scream, Scream 2, Scream 3 and The Faculty were all produced and distributed by the Walt Disney Company, by way of Miramax of course. Or as my father once half-jokingly said, "See, Pulp Fiction is a Disney movie."

I'm going the Kingdom Hearts route and combining all these Miramax/Dimension Films into one world, along with one mainstream Disney live-action movie. I'm talking about the Disney version of The Princess Diaries, because I can think pretty dark and fucked up when I feel like it. I doubt I'm much more than a mere apprentice at thinking up dark and fucked  up ideas though. Now oddly enough this screwed up mess of a world has more than one Princess of Heart, six of them to be exact. When I said that I'm going the Kingdom Hearts route, I meant it.

    Sidney Prescott
    Fabienne
    Mia Thermopolis
    Mia Wallace
    Kate Fuller
    Yolanda/"Honey Bunny" (maybe)

For this crossover I've decided that Princess Mia has an older maternal second cousin, from Woodsboro, CA. The two have visited several times before the most recent one in 1995, for the funeral of Mia Thermopolis's beloved second aunt, Maureen Prescott, following Mrs. Prescott's brutal murder. So was their great grandfather, retired U.S. Army Lt. Aldo Raines, still remarkably spry, hearty and hale for his age. The original Ghostfaces should thank God he wasn't in town, because he wouldn't have granted them the relatively quick and merciful deaths they got, especially after what they did to his granddaughter and tried to do to his great granddaughter Sidney. He'd also have two new scalps to add to his collection. I'm cheating here a bit, but since Tarantino took his film universe to The Weinstein Company after leaving Miramax along with the Weinstein brothers, I feel no trouble with grandfathering in Tarantino's later films.

I'm thinking of starting this crossover at or around the beginnings of The Princess Diaries and Scream 3, which will occur simultaneously in this crossover. Of course this will give Mia Thermopolis even more reason to be mortified about suddenly learning of her royal status. In canon, both book and Disney film, Mia was worried about failing to live up to expectations and being thought of as a freak, along with generally feeling like her world has been turned upside down. In this crossover, Mia has all these reasons and more to be frightened by the prospect of being a princess.

The "more" part is being related to Sidney Prescott, something Mia and her cousin Sidney would like to keep quiet for as long as possible. Mia and Sid are afraid that when the media, specifically the paparazzi, digs into Mia's non-royal side, that they'll uncover her relation to Sidney Prescott and practically lead psycho killers right to Sidney, her father Neil or even Mia and her mother Helen as well as each others friends. Mia and Sid are afraid for the lives of pretty much the only family either one's known for most of their lives. Mia Thermopolis will be really reluctant to reveal she's a princess to the public in this fic/adventure.

So how do Pulp Fiction and Kingdom Hearts fit into this you ask. Simple, this fic/adventure takes place shortly after the conclusion of KH Dream Drop Distance with Xehanort and his duplicates as the new Organization XIII. Yes, Master Xehanort has the requisite seven Princesses of Heart in his reach, but he also knows they aren't the only ones out there. In fact he spots a single world that actually has seven Princesses of Heart living on it. Well six Princesses of Heart and one Prince of Heart, a pudgy and dimwitted boy who prattles on about "the Talking Walnut" and gets bullied and beaten up almost daily. Yep, that's Thurman Merman for you. That and one of this world's six Princesses of Heart is Mia Wallace, the coke snorting, ex-actress wife of ruthless crime boss Marcellus Wallace. Now strange and dark creatures begin hunting for this world's Princesses of Heart for Master Xehanort, focusing on three of them to start, Mia Wallace, Fabienne and "Honey Bunny"/Yolanda. That should help get this story moving.

So, the basic gist of this crossover is that the film adaptation of The Princess Diaries shares the same world with Quentin Tarantino's movies, the Scream movies, From Dusk Till Dawn and Bad Santa, maybe even The Faculty. Here's a rough movie based timeline for the crossover.

    The past
        The events of Django Unchained.
        The events of The Hateful Eight.
        The events of Inglourious Basterds.
        Maureen Roberts' brief acting career in Hollywood, ending in her gang-rape at a party hosted by B horror movie producer John Milton, which he participated in. This in turn resulted in the conception and birth of her son Roman Bridger, née Roberts, Scream 3's Ghostface.
        The birth of Sidney Prescott to Neil and Maureen Prescott.
        The birth of Princess Amelia Mignonette Thermopolis Renaldi or simply Mia Thermopolis, heir to the kingdom of Genovia to Phillipe and Helen Thermopolis Renaldi.
        The divorce of Phillipe and Helen Renaldi.
        The events of Reservoir Dogs.
        The events of Pulp Fiction.
        The murder of Maureen Prescott, née Roberts, by Billy Loomis and Stu Macher and their framing of Cotton Weary. This was done at the instigation and with the advice of Roman Bridger, Maureen's son and a bastard in both senses of the word.
        Maureen Prescott's funeral, attended by her husband Neil, her daughter Sidney, her cousin Helen Thermopolis, Helen's daughter Mia and of course, Sid's and Mia's great grandad, Lt. Aldo Raines.
        The events of Scream, From Dusk Till Dawn and the massacre of Beatrix Kiddo's wedding rehearsal by Bill and the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad.
        The events of Scream 2 and Jackie Brown.
        Possibly the events of The Faculty.
    Start of crossover
        The events of Scream 3 and The Princess Diaries. This is where the crossover begins, with Sora and his allies looking for and aiming to protect three of this world's Princesses of Heart, Sidney Prescott, Kate Fuller and Mia Thermopolis while also looking for potential keyblade bearers. The Princess of Heart list for the world may overlap with it's potential keybearer list.
    The future
        The events of Bad Santa.
        The events of Kill Bill 1 & 2.
        The potential events of Scream 4.

The crossover's locations.

    U.S.A.
        California
            Los Angeles
                Jackrabbit Slim's
                The Diner
                Raymond Theater
                Fosters Freeze
                Crown Pawn Shop
                Lance's house
                Ingelwood strip club (Marsellus' front)
                Marsellus Wallace's home
            San Fransisco
                Genovian consulate
                The Thermopolis family home/former firehouse
                Grove High School
            Woodsboro
                The Prescott residence
                The Loomis residence
                The Macher residence
                Woodsboro High School
                Woodsboro Police Department
                Woodsboro Town Square
        Ohio
            Herrington
            Whatever town Scream 2 takes place in
                Windsor College
        Tennessee
            Knoxville
                Butch Coolidge's home
                Aldo Raines' home
                Maybe even Jules Winnfield's home
    Mexico
        Coahila
                The Titty Twister

Imagine Sora, Mickey, Donald, Goofy and rest of the gang adventuring though this world. By the way, various Disney/Kingdom Hearts villains will also get involved. As our friendly neighborhood pool guy Wade Wilson would say "This shit's gonna have nuts in it!"
________________________________________________________________________________

I've been thinking about making this crossover a table top RPG adventure and expanding it out into a setting. I'm just drawing a blank on what system to use for it. You have FATE, Mutants and Masterminds, a modified World of Darkness or a re-skinned Star Wars Saga Edition to pick from, as a start. Any other system recommendations would be welcome too. I'm also thinking about adding some non-Disney or TWC elements too. I'm thinking along the lines of giving Lilly and Michael Muscovitz an aunt Cynthia, with an ex-husband by the name of Walter Sobchak. Yes, that Walter Sobchak.

5
Homebrew and House Rules (D&D) / Reflavoring the shadowcaster.
« on: September 26, 2016, 02:06:54 AM »
One class that has intrigued me since it first came out in Tome of Magic is the shadowcaster. Yes, I admit that the official shadow leaves a lot to be desired, but you do have sirpercival's shadowcaster rewrite here as well as jiriku's on Giant in the Playground. Jiriku's take on on shadowcasting is one of my favorite 3.5/Pathfinder subsystems, along with psionics, arcane formulae and ToB/PoW-style maneuvers. Though I do feel like changing the flavor a bit from a strictly shadow based magician to a more occultist style of mage. Something along the lines of a John Constantine or Dennis Wheatley's Duc de Richelieu. While technically on the same side in the spiritual/supernatural community their political views would drive them to tear into each other like two cats tossed into a burlap sack. If you're going for the shallow end of the alignment pool, there's always Catherine Monvoisin for inspiration.

6
I've been mulling around with a strange idea in my head for some time now, kind of inspired by Exalted of all things. To be precise I mean the Solar castes of Dawn (warrior), Zenith (priest), Twilight (sorcerer, healer, loremaster and or craftsman, not that a non-Twilight Solar can't be a sorcerer or any of those thing), Eclipse (diplomat/merchant/sea captain) and Night (thief/spy/assassin). So I thought to myself "why not apply those to D&D as subraces." I understood that that the Exalted castes and the their favored abilities don't perfectly translate to any race or subrace in D&D, but I decided to tinker around a bit with the elves, known for their readily identifiable subraces. So I applied five Exalted abilities (read as skills) to four elven subraces, explained how they all went together and gave my own take the elves. Here it goes. By the way, feel free to try this yourself.

I'm thinking of mainly using this as a basis for different elf classes for Basic (B/X to BECMI) D&D-style race as class options.

High Elves
-Melee
-Presence
-Lore
-Occult
-War
High elves are among the greatest warrior-sorcerers and commanders of all elvenkind. Not only are they some of the best scholars and warlords the elves, or really anyone, have produced, high elves, seem to have an innate knack for scholarship, close-quarters weaponry and the mystic arts. Equal parts boisterous and cunning, high elf warriors will patiently study an enemy, mentally probing its weaknesses and gauging its strengths and taking into account any like allies their foe may have. Then the high elf executes his plan, with the precision of a surgeon and all the bloodlust and battle madness of a Northman berserker on mushrooms. While somewhat slow to battle, high elves fight with a relish few sane races do. As Salvador of Borderlands 2 put it, "Killing bad guys is always fun!" High elves also recover from wounds at a faster pace than humans, with wounds that would take minutes to heal taking seconds, and so on and so forth, with the proper medical attention, of course.

Gray/Grey or Silver Elves
-Craft
-Lore
-Performance
-Sail
-Socialize
Craftsmen and sailors without rival, poets and bards without peer. While a bit of an exaggeration, these descriptors fit the gray or silver elves like a glove. Of nimble mind, swift hands and silver tongue, these gray elves are learned masters of crafts and the most personable of elvenkind. Yes, the high elves are charismatic, but often in an imposing and impersonal way. However their gray brethren are warmer and more personally charming, much better at gentle persuasion than their higher brethren. As a result gray elves serve as the back bone of the elven diplomatic corps. The lyrical voices of gray elves lend them a bardic bent, while their skill at crafting make them the greatest non-dwarven artificers. Lastly, gray elves have a touch of the sea in them. Sailing is in their blood, making gray elves the preeminent merchant marines of elvenkind.

Wood Elves
-Archery
-Awareness
-Athletics
-Stealth
-Survival
Both at one with the natural world and competing with it, wood elves are the most reclusive and gruffest of elves. Living in and among the woods these wilder elves can see, hear, smell, taste and touch through the plants and animals of the forests they dwell in and around. Some have even tamed and bonded with the more predatory beasts of the forest, the better to hunt with them of course. Their inherent gift with healing plants and inborn talent for healing wounds and injuries, combined with their intensive training makes the top healers of elvenkind.

Strong of fingers, limbs and nerve, wood elves have scaled trees and cliffs that would give many another climber pause or even chills. The best among them have also leaped from tree top to tree top, 30 to 50 yards apart, and scaled tall mountains and cliff side by leaping up into the air and grabbing onto higher up ledges. Many a foe to elvenkind has fallen to the arrows of unseen wood elves. I also feel the need to mention this one last fact, wood elves are crazy. They make their more aristocratic high elf cousins look sane by comparison.

Dark Elves
-Awareness
-Larceny
-Occult
-Stealth
-Thrown
If wood elves are the rangers and snipers of elvenkind, dark elves are its assassins and spies. Others may adopt the dark; but dark elves are born in it, molded by it. The shadows betray the enemies of the dark elves, because the shadows belong to them! Masters of deception, disguise and stealth, the dark elves venture into the dark places to dangerous for others to tread. They trade in secrets and lies, not for selfish gain or petty spite, but for the welfare of all elvenkind, and to a lesser extent the welfare of the innocent and just of other races. Like their fellow elves it is considered shameful and of great dishonor to take the life of an innocent. Dark elves however are a tad bit more flexible about the non-lethal shedding of innocent blood for the greater good.

While the high elves prefer their battle blades, batons and spears, and the wood elves their bows and arrows, when the dark elves slay their foes they prefer a knife. Whether a stab between the shoulder blades, a slice to the throat or, even better, sent flying towards an enemy's heart. In some rare cases a clenched fist or an open hand will do. In fact, dark elves possess an at least borderline supernatural talent for thrown weaponry, as well as a strong bent towards sorcery, like their higher cousins. From this of course comes a mastery of illusion and shadow bending that few non-dark elves can match. Dark elves act as the mirriorshades to the high elves, and some wood elves, mohawks.

ArcheryAthleticsAwarenessBrawlBureaucracy
CraftDodgeIntegrityInvestigationLarceny
LinguisticsLoreMedicineMeleeOccult
PerformancePresenceResistanceRideSail
SocializeStealthSurvivalThrownWar

As a side note: Archery in the table above also covers other projectiles and Bureaucracy also covers commerce. Integrity is basically Mental Defense (Mutant Future or Gamma World) or Will Save in 3.X and lie detection. Brawl is called Martial Arts in 2nd Ed. Exalted, but not all martial arts are armed, so Brawl is a better fit. With all that said, if you were to give these elves, or the races you apply this to, a sixth ability what would it be?

I'd also like some help deciding on physical descriptions for these takes on elven subraces and suggest you do the same for your submissions. I only picked elves because I figured that elven subrace a pretty low hanging fruit, so it would be easy to start with them.

7
Several months ago I started a blog titled A Voyage Into the Fantastic. I know the blog name sounds stupid, but I couldn't really think of what else to call it, and I'm not changing it anyway. I also know that I'm using a more old school D&D base than most people here would, and I sincerely hope that's alright with everyone.

8
Legends of the Heroes / Burrwood Institute: School of War
« on: November 22, 2014, 10:44:28 PM »
I'm taking a break from the main Burrwood thread to focus on the academy's schools. This time let's talk about war, or more accurately, the School of War. In the Institute's School of War students are taught a range of martial arts, not only personal combat but also tactics, strategy, logistics, siege craft, psychological warfare and artillery. I'm dedicating this thread to fleshing out this department and its teachers. So let's start.

School of War (martial arts of all kinds including tactics, strategy and logistics)

Close quarters martial arts
-beginner close quarter weapons-based martial arts
--advanced close quarter weapons-based martial arts
--supernatural close quarter weapons-based martial arts
-beginner unarmed martial arts
--advanced unarmed martial arts
--supernatural unarmed martial arts

Missile-based martial arts
-beginner bows
--advanced bows
-beginner crossbows
--advanced crossbows
-beginner slings
--advanced slings
-beginner fire arms
--advanced fire arms
--missile-based supernatural martial arts

Tactics, strategy and logistics

Psychological warfare

Artillery

9
I've posted this elsewhere, and I finally remembered to post it here too.

I'm trying to come up with a world for my adventurer school. With that in mind I should lay down some basics first. The Burrwood Institute was established relatively recently, about six or so years ago in the setting's timeline. It's mission purpose is to educate and train young men and women in the ways to combat evil and danger in all forms, human and non-human. The Burrwood Institute enjoys the full support of it's host government, which draws agents from the academy's alumni. The Burrwood Institute's setting is more modern than most, I'm not sure how modern yet.

In the setting I'd like to build for the school magic is common, powerful PC grade magic is rare. Small talents and knacks easy to find, like a healer who's herbal remedies double or even triple their patients healing rate, a thief who can crack locks by "feeling" inside them and gently tapping at a lock until it opens or blacksmith, who by merely running the tips of his fingers over a weapon, shield, piece of armor or metal object can learn what metal it was made from. He could also learn the quality of the metal, it's condition, if it's been repaired, the force with which it struck, or was struck, and even if it' s magical in nature. That and forging magical weapons, shields and armor with out any sorcerous or wizardly power of his own.

Yes, this setting has witch hunters, but witch hunters (typically) don't hunt witches simply for being witches or other spell casters. Instead witch hunters do so for country, revenge, as murder for hire or because spellslinger just skipped bail and they're the ones with the skill, magic or contacts to take them down. So the academy's head witch/professor of ritual magic and potionry  has nothing to fear from witch hunters. Unless someone puts out a hit on her or some foreign power has her in the cross-hairs.

10
Legends of the Heroes / Making an adventurer academy.
« on: March 23, 2014, 09:23:27 PM »
I've been thinking about what an adventurer's school might look like. Now I'm posting here because my original thread doesn't seem to be garnering much support. Who would it's founder be, why would it be founded, who would it, what exactly would it teach and who would teach there. This is still very much in the preliminary stage so I'd welcome any suggestions. The photo links are for NPCs inspired by the characters, not said characters themselves.

Headmaster/Superintendent Inspiration Professor Trevor Bruttenholm
(click to show/hide)

Martial Arts Instructor (melee weapons-based)-beginner level Inspiration Ashley J. Williams
(click to show/hide)

Martial Arts Instructor (melee weapons-based)-advanced level Inspiration Baron Klaus Wulfenbach
(click to show/hide)

Martial Arts Instructor (unarmed)-beginner level
Inspiration Professor Henry "Indiana" Jones Jr.
(click to show/hide)

Martial Arts Instructor (unarmed)-advanced level
Inspiration Baron Klaus Wulfenbach
(click to show/hide)

Martial Arts Instructor (fire arms-based)-beginner level
Inspiration Professor Henry "Indiana" Jones Jr.
(click to show/hide)

Supernatural Martial Arts Instructor (melee weapons-based)-beginner level
Inspiration Stern Whip of Industry
(click to show/hide)

Supernatural Martial Arts Instructor (unarmed)-beginner level
Inspiration Daniel Rand A.K.A. Iron Fist
(click to show/hide)

Supernatural Martial Arts Instructor (unarmed)-advanced level
Duncan Harcourt

Occult Lore/Ritual Magic
Inspiration Cordelia Goode
(click to show/hide)
and John Constantine
(click to show/hide)

Potion making/Alchemy
Inspiration Egg Shen
(click to show/hide)
and Cordelia Goode
(click to show/hide)

Sorcery (spells fueled by the caster's personal energy and power drawn from other sources)
Inspiration Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden
(click to show/hide)

Archaeology
Inspiration Professor Henry "Indiana" Jones Jr.
(click to show/hide)

Subterfuge, Interpersonal Skills, Guile and Tactics
Inspiration Michael Westen
(click to show/hide)

Artifice
Inspiration Cinematic Tony Stark/Iron Man
(click to show/hide)
and Baron Klaus Wulfenbach
(click to show/hide)

Journalism
Inspiration This crazed bastard.
(click to show/hide)

As a useful note, the differences between ritualism, sorcery and formulaic magic come mostly in casting time. Rituals typically take several minutes, if not hours, while spells (sorcery and formulae) are cast more quickly and have more immediate effects. Also rituals benefit from multiple casters and in some cases may be performed by laymen, so anyone can dabble in ritualism. Spells require some sort of fundamental training or affinity to use even the most basic of them.

11
Let's say, hypothetically you enter into a game in which the DM, GM or what ever he, most likely he in this case, has a few house rules. One of them is that no female character may have more than a 16 to Strength before racial bonuses. The rationale is that in real life on human female can every reach the brute strength of men in the top 75%. Would you tolerate this house rule, or just get the hell out?

12
General D&D Discussion / Would you want a Cugel like PC in your game?
« on: August 30, 2013, 03:26:03 PM »
I should explain that I first posted this on Gian in the Playground forums a few days ago. I've gotten quite a few replies so I've decide to come and get your perspective on this topic.

Now I'm not sure how many of you know, but one of the early inspirations for thief class, which later became the rogue was Jack Vance's Cugel the Clever. Of course he also mistreated just about everyone around him, including a young woman who got exiled from her village because of him. He then sold her as a sex slave to a gang of bandits for safe passage and a raft. Now that's among the least of his sins. So the question is this, would you want or allow a Cugel-like player character in a campaign you run? How about as one of your PC's party members?

13
Off Topic Fun / Alternate term for mons.
« on: August 10, 2013, 01:34:10 AM »
I'm pretty sure that most people here have an idea of what the mons genre is. So with that out of the way, what do you think would be a nice generic term for mons? This is for a homebrew project I'm working on.

14
Can anyone here tell me what the big deal is behind G.R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire or the HBO show based on it called The Game of Thrones? What I heard about it so far either didn't interest me or disturbed me a bit. The only exception was a scene with Tyrion Lannister, the only sane family member/parentally chosen butt monkey/only non-annoying or even half way moral Lannister talking about Westeros' competing gods and their commands during a three day free HBO preview. Such as the Drowned God calling for the drowning of all of his worshippers prisoners of war, with The Lord of Light demanding that prisoners of war be burned alive.

Tyrion, Catelyn Stark (no relation to Tony), Brienne and Daenerys are seeming to be the only interesting and sympathetic main characters I've in that episode. Even then Daenerys managed to be both simultaneously sympathetic and at least mildly irritating. What's so grand about it? There's been dark and morally conflicted military fantasy novels before. Like The Black Company or to somw exten the Witchers. What makes ASoIaF/The Game of Thrones stand out? Is it the Jamie/Cersei Lannister incest, because if that's it I'm officially dissapointed in the general public.

15
Homebrew and House Rules (D&D) / [3.5] Yet another monk revision.
« on: May 08, 2013, 04:34:21 PM »
I'm finally getting around to bringing this over from the old Briliant Gameologists site, so here it is. My psionic take on the monk class with some ideas borrowed/blatantly stolen from Dreamscarred Press.

The monk class, conceptually speaking is one of the more interesting classes. Honestly people, what isn't cool about the idea of some unarmed warrior mystic who's powers are derived from martial arts and spiritual focus and decication. Sadly the the PHB monk leaves much to be desired in that regard. So I present to you my monk revision, which doesn't have all of its flavor worked out yet. I know its not a very original revision but I hope its good enough. So here it goes.

Monk

Once upon a time in China, some believe, around the year one double-aught three, head priest of the White Lotus Clan, Pai Mei, was walking down the road, contemplating whatever it is that a man of Pai Mei's infinite power contemplates - which is another way of saying "who knows?" - when a Shaolin monk appeared, traveling in the opposite direction. As the monk and the priest crossed paths, Pai Mei, in a practically unfathomable display of generosity, gave the monk the slightest of nods. The nod was not returned. Now was it the intention of the Shaolin monk to insult Pai Mei? Or did he just fail to see the generous social gesture? The motives of the monk remain unknown. What is known, are the consequences. The next morning Pai Mei appeared at the Shaolin Temple and demanded of the Temple's head abbot that he offer Pai Mei his neck to repay the insult. The Abbot at first tried to console Pai Mei, only to find Pai Mei was inconsolable. So began the massacre of the Shaolin Temple and all sixty of the monks inside at the fists of the White Lotus. And so began the legend of Pai Mei's five-point-palm-exploding-heart technique. -The hit man Bill talking about Pei Mei, a particularly violent and accomplished member of this class.

Making a Monk

Soon to be filled out.

Abilities: The mendicant lifestyle of a monk demands a strong spiritual connection to the cosmos rooted in self discipline and inuition. In fack the monk gains much of his ki related powers due to this spiritual awareness, making a good Wisdom score vital to any member of the monk class. As befit's their nature as unarmored and largely unarmed warriors good Dexterity, Strength and Constitution scores are also a must, as well as being a result of this mystical training.

Races: Human, githzeri and khalastar are the most likely candidates for a monastic life style and philosophy.

Alignment
Any. The path to enlightenment is open to those of all temperments. Whether they are kind or cruel, devoted to the many or upholding the individual, matters little. Pei Mai is living proof of this.

Hit Die
d8.

Class Skills
The monk’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Knowledge (martial lore) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), and Tumble (Dex).

Skill Points at 1st Level
(6 + Int modifier) ×4.

Skill Points at Each Additional Level
6 + Int modifier.

Table: The Monk

LevelBase Attack BonusFort SaveRef SaveWill SaveSpecialFlurry of Blows Attack BonusUnarmed DamageAC BonusUnarmored
Speed Bonus
Power PointsPowers KnownMaximum Power Level Known
1+1+2+2+2Ki style (bonus feat, lesser style), flurry of blows, unarmed strike-1/-11d6+1+0 feet011st
2+2+3+3+3Ki style (bonus feat), evasion+0/+01d6+2+0 feet121st
3+3+3+3+3Still mind, tongue of the sun and moon+1/+11d6+3+10 feet331st
4+4+4+4+4Ki strike (magic, silver, cold iron), slow fall 20 ft.+2/+21d8+3+10 feet542nd
5+5+4+4+4Purity of body+4/+41d8+4+10 feet752nd
6+6/+1+5+5+5Ki style (bonus feat, greater style), slow fall 30 ft.+5/+5/+01d8+5+20 feet1162nd
7+7/+2+5+5+5-+6/+6/+11d8+6+20 feet1573rd
8+8/+3+6+6+6Slow fall 40 ft.+7/+7/+21d10+6+20 feet1983rd
9+9/+4+6+6+6Improved evasion+8/+8/+31d10+7+30 feet2393rd
10+10/+5+7+7+7Ki strike (ghostouch), slow fall 50 ft.+9/+9/+41d10+8+30 feet27104th
11+11/+6/+1+7+7+7Diamond body, greater flurry+11/+11/+11/+6/+11d10+9+30 feet35114th
12+12/+7/+2+8+8+8Abundant step, slow fall 60 ft.+12/+12/+12/+7/+22d6+9+40 feet43124th
13+13/+8/+3+8+8+8Diamond soul+13/+13/+13/+8/+32d6+10+40 feet51135th
14+14/+9/+4+9+9+9Slow fall 70 ft.+14/+14/+14/+9/+42d6+11+40 feet59145th
15+15/+10/+5+9+9+9Quivering palm+15/+15/+15/+10/+52d8+12+50 feet67155th
16+16/+11/+6/+1+10+10+10Ki strike (adamantine), slow fall 80 ft.+16/+16/+16/+11/+6/+12d8+12+50 feet79166th
17+17/+12/+7/+2+10+10+10Timeless body+17/+17/+17/+12/+7/+22d8+13+50 feet91176th
18+18/+13/+8/+3+11+11+11Slow fall 90 ft.+18/+18/+18/+13/+8/+32d8+14+60 feet103186th
19+19/+14/+9/+4+11+11+11Empty body+19/+19/+19/+14/+9/+42d8+15+60 feet115196th
20+20/+15/+10/+5+12+12+12Perfect self, slow fall any distance+20/+20/+20/+15/+10/+52d10+15+60 feet127206th

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the monk.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency
Monks are proficient with club, crossbow (light or heavy), dagger, handaxe, javelin, kama, nunchaku, quarterstaff, sai, shortspear, shortsword (jian), shuriken, siangham and sling.

Monks are not proficient with any armor or shields

When wearing armor, using a shield, or carrying a medium or heavy load, a monk loses her AC bonus, as well as her fast movement and flurry of blows abilities.

AC Bonus (Ex)
When unarmored and unencumbered, the monk adds her Wisdom bonus (if any) to her AC. In addition, a monk gains 0a +1 bonus to AC for every three out of four monk levels (+1/+2/+3 at 1st, 2nd and 3rd, +4/+5/+6 at 5th, 6th and 7th, +7/+8/+9 at 9th, 10th and 11th, +10/+11/+12 at 13th, 14th and 15th, +13/+14/+15 at 17th, 18th and 19th).

These bonuses to AC apply even against touch attacks or when the monk is flat-footed. She loses these bonuses when she is immobilized or helpless, when she wears any armor, when she carries a shield, or when she carries a medium or heavy load.

Flurry of Blows (Ex)
When unarmored, a monk may strike with a flurry of blows at the expense of accuracy. When doing so, she may make one extra attack in a round at her highest base attack bonus, but this attack takes a -2 penalty, as does each other attack made that round. The resulting modified base attack bonuses are shown in the Flurry of Blows Attack Bonus column on Table: The Monk. This penalty applies for 1 round, so it also affects attacks of opportunity the monk might make before her next action. When a monk reaches 5th level, the penalty lessens to -1, and at 9th level it disappears. A monk must use a full attack action to strike with a flurry of blows.

When using flurry of blows, a monk may attack only with unarmed strikes or with special monk weapons (kama, nunchaku, quarterstaff, sai, shuriken, and siangham). She may attack with unarmed strikes and special monk weapons interchangeably as desired. When using weapons as part of a flurry of blows, a monk applies her Strength bonus (not Str bonus × 1½ or ×½) to her damage rolls for all successful attacks, whether she wields a weapon in one or both hands. The monk can’t use any weapon other than a special monk weapon as part of a flurry of blows.

In the case of the quarterstaff, each end counts as a separate weapon for the purpose of using the flurry of blows ability. Even though the quarterstaff requires two hands to use, a monk may still intersperse unarmed strikes with quarterstaff strikes, assuming that she has enough attacks in her flurry of blows routine to do so. As with any other use of a full attack action, flurry of blows allows for movement between attacks. Monks may also combine flurry of blows with dual weapon fighting.

Greater Flurry
When a monk reaches 11th level, her flurry of blows ability improves. In addition to the standard single extra attack she gets from flurry of blows, she gets a second extra attack at her full base attack bonus.

Power Points
A monk’s ability to manifest her mystical powers is limited by the amount of power points she has available. Her base daily allotment of power points is given on Table: The Monk. In addition, she receives bonus power points per day if she has a high Wisdom score (see Table: Ability Modifiers and Bonus Power Points). Her race may also provide a bonus to power points per day, as may certain feats and items. A 1st-level monk gains no power points for her class level, but she gains bonus power points (if she is entitled to any), and can manifest the single power she knows with those power points.

Powers Known
A monk begins play knowing one monk power of your choice. Each time she achieves a new level, she unlocks the knowledge of a new power.

Choose the powers known from the psychic warrior power list. (Exception: The feats Expanded Knowledge and Epic Expanded Knowledge do allow a monk to learn powers from the lists of other classes.) A monk can manifest any power that has a power point cost equal to or lower than her manifester level.

The total number of powers a monk can manifest in a day is limited only by his daily power points alotment.

A monk simply knows her powers; they are ingrained in her mind. She does not need to prepare them (in the way that some spellcasters prepare their spells), though she must get a good night’s sleep each day and meditate to regain all her spent power points.

The Difficulty Class for saving throws against monk powers is 10 + the power’s level + the monk’s Wisdom modifier.

As an additional restriction monks may only learn powers from the clairsentience and psychometabolism disicplines plus either psychokinesis or psychoportation discipline. Thankfully this only covers powers learned as a monk nor does this restriction cover.

Maximum Power Level Known
A monk begins play with the ability to learn 1st-level powers. As she attains higher levels, she may gain the ability to master more complex powers.

To learn or manifest a power, a monk must have a Wisdom score of at least 10 + the power’s level.

Unarmed Strike
At 1st level, a monk gains Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat. A monk’s attacks may be with either fist interchangeably or even from elbows, knees, and feet. This means that a monk may even make unarmed strikes with her hands full. There is no such thing as an off-hand attack for a monk striking unarmed. A monk may thus apply her full Strength bonus on damage rolls for all her unarmed strikes.

Usually a monk’s unarmed strikes deal lethal damage, but she can choose to deal nonlethal damage instead with no penalty on her attack roll. She has the same choice to deal lethal or nonlethal damage while grappling.

A monk’s unarmed strike is treated both as a manufactured weapon and a natural weapon for the purpose of spells and effects that enhance or improve either manufactured weapons or natural weapons.

A monk also deals more damage with her unarmed strikes than a normal person would, as shown on Table: The Monk. The unarmed damage on Table: The Monk is for Medium monks. A Small monk deals less damage than the amount given there with her unarmed attacks, while a Large monk deals more damage; see Table: Small or Large Monk Unarmed Damage.

Ki Style: A monk chooses a Ki style at 1st level, a school of thought and combat which defines how he fights and thinks, acts and reacts. You can also choose to forego a Ki style and instead choose a number of bonus feats. The different Ki styles are detailed below.

{space for Ki Styles}

Bonus Feats: Some monks are not trained in a certain Ki style and thus gain bonus feats instead. At 1st level, she may select Stunning Fist, Improved Grapple or Form Mind BladeMBF as a bonus feat. At 2nd level, she may select either Combat Reflexes, Deflect Arrows, Psionic Fist, or Psionic Weapon as a bonus feat. At 6th level, she may select either Deep Impact, Improved Disarm, Improved Trip, or Unavoidable Strike as a bonus feat. An enlightened monk need not have any of the prerequisites normally required for these feats to select them. Feats introduced here are labeled with an asterisk (*), while those marked with a MBF are from The Mind Unveiled: Mind Blade Feats.
 
Evasion (Ex)
At 2nd level or higher if a monk makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, she instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if a monk is wearing light armor or no armor. A helpless monk does not gain the benefit of evasion.

Fast Movement (Ex)
At 3rd level, a monk gains an enhancement bonus to her speed, as shown on Table: The Monk. A monk in armor or carrying a medium or heavy load loses this extra speed.

Still Mind (Ex)
A monk of 3rd level or higher gains a +2 bonus on saving throws against spells and effects from the school of enchantment.

Tongue of the Sun and Moon (Ex)
A monk of 3rd level or higher can speak with any living creature.

Ki Strike (Su)
At 4th level, a monk’s unarmed attacks are empowered with ki. Her unarmed attacks are treated as silver and cold iron magic weapons for the purpose of dealing damage to creatures with damage reduction. Ki strike improves with the character’s monk level. At 10th level, her unarmed attacks are also treated as ghost touch weapons. At 16th level, her unarmed attacks are treated as adamantine weapons for the purpose of dealing damage to creatures with damage reduction and bypassing hardness.

Slow Fall (Ex)
At 4th level or higher, a monk within arm’s reach of a wall can use it to slow her descent. When first using this ability, she takes damage as if the fall were 20 feet shorter than it actually is. The monk’s ability to slow her fall (that is, to reduce the effective distance of the fall when next to a wall) improves with her monk level until at 20th level she can use a nearby wall to slow her descent and fall any distance without harm. At the same time the distance the monk can be away from a wall also improves by 10 feet every two levels after the 4th.

Purity of Body (Ex)
At 5th level, a monk gains immunity to all diseases except for supernatural and magical diseases. Even then she gains a bonus to her saving throws against supernatural illness of +1 or her Wisdom modifier, which ever is better.

Improved Evasion (Ex)
At 9th level, a monk’s evasion ability improves. She still takes no damage on a successful Reflex saving throw against attacks, but henceforth she takes only half damage on a failed save. A helpless monk does not gain the benefit of improved evasion.

Diamond Body (Su)
At 11th level, a monk gains immunity to poisons of all kinds.

Abundant Step (Su)
At 12th level or higher, a monk can slip magically between spaces, as if using the spell dimension door, once per day for every six monk levels. Her caster level for this effect is one-half her monk level (rounded down). Unlike with dimension door a monk may execute a full-attack action, standard action or move action before or after using abundant step.

Diamond Soul (Ex)
At 13th level, a monk gains spell resistance to hostile spells equal to her current monk level + 10. In order to affect the monk with a spell, a spellcaster must get a result on a caster level check (1d20 + caster level) that equals or exceeds the monk’s spell resistance.

Quivering Palm (Su)
Starting at 15th level, a monk can set up vibrations within the body of another creature that can thereafter be fatal if the monk so desires. She can use this quivering palm attack once a week level/5 plus Wisdom modifier, and she must announce her intent before making her attack roll. Constructs, oozes, plants, undead, incorporeal creatures, and creatures immune to critical hits cannot be affected. Otherwise, if the monk strikes successfully and the target takes damage from the blow, the quivering palm attack succeeds. Thereafter the monk can try to slay the victim at any later time, as long as the attempt is made within a number of days equal to her monk level. To make such an attempt, the monk merely wills the target to die (a free action), and unless the target makes a Fortitude saving throw (DC 10 + ½ the monk’s level + the monk’s Wis modifier), it dies. If the saving throw is successful, the target is no longer in danger from that particular quivering palm attack, but it may still be affected by another one at a later time. By eith spending 5 power points or expending her psionic focus a monk can employ this power against an otherwise immune creature.

Timeless Body (Ex)
Upon attaining 17th level, a monk no longer takes penalties to her ability scores for aging and cannot be magically aged. Any such penalties that she has already taken, however, remain in place. Bonuses still accrue, but the monk does not die of old age when her time is up.

Empty Body (Su)
At 19th level, a monk gains the ability to assume an ethereal state for 1 round per monk level per day, as though using the spell etherealness. She may go ethereal on a number of different occasions during any single day, as long as the total number of rounds spent in an ethereal state does not exceed her monk level.

Perfect Self
At 20th level, a monk becomes a magical creature. She is forevermore treated as an outsider rather than as a humanoid (or whatever the monk’s creature type was) for the purpose of spells and magical effects. Additionally, the monk gains damage reduction 10/magic, which allows her to ignore the first 10 points of damage from any attack made by a nonmagical weapon or by any natural attack made by a creature that doesn’t have similar damage reduction. Unlike other outsiders, the monk can still be brought back from the dead as if she were a member of her previous creature type.

Playing a Monk

Soon to be filled out.

Religion

While very spiritual monks rarely devote themselves to a single god or goddess. This is not due to lack of belief in any way, but instead due to a reverence for all deities and spirits that relflect the monk's temperment. The exceptions typically worship the likes of Heironeous, St. Cuthbert, Kord, Keoghtom, Boccob, Hextor or Trithereon of Greyhawk. On Ebberon they may commonly be members the Silver Flame or the Blood of Vol.

Other Classes

Soon to be filled out.

Combat

Soon to be filled out.

Advancement

Soon to be filled out.

16
General D&D Discussion / If D&D's core magic rules were more Vancian.
« on: April 29, 2013, 06:58:11 PM »
Quote from: Tales of the Dying Earth by Jack Vance
A spell in essence corresponds to a code, or set of instructions, inserted into the sensorium of an entity which is able and not unwilling to alter the environment in accordance with the message conveyed by the spell. The entities are not necessarily, 'intelligent,' nor even 'sentient,' and their conduct, from the tyro's point of view, is unpredicable, capricious and dangerous.

The most pliable and cooperative of these creatures range from the lowly and frail elementals, through the sandestins. More fractious entities are known .. as 'daihak,' which include 'demons' and 'gods.' A magician's power derives from the abilities of the entities he is able to control. Every magician of consequence employes one or more sandestins.

From this you get the idea that magic is basically the reprograming of pre-existing entities (sort of like free roaming AIs), instead of a direct manipulation of the elements, life, time, gravity or energy. Unless of course you are reprograming the fundemental forces and building blocks of the universe and those are the entities you're reprograming. Oddly enough, as mentioned here, the Tome of Battle's maneuvers readied system would be a closer fit than the classic spells per day formula. Though some spells would have longer preparation times than others. So what do you think this would do for game balance?

17
Is this what you think, or do you have a more open ended approach? Do you require litterary or mythological precedents for class abilities and disallow those that don't have pre-existing examples? Like disallowing the warlock class or back up "arcane bolts" for wizards and sorcerers because you can't find them in fiction. I'm just curious about this.

18
Off Topic Fun / "Gritty realism" and or extreme cynicism in fantasy.
« on: April 02, 2013, 02:25:16 AM »
Does anyone here favor "gritty realism" in fantasy, with death, disease and famine every where, or the extreme cynicism of works like G.R.R. Martin's A Song of Fire and Ice? I don't, but I wonder if anyone here does.

19
Creations & Ephemera / Help naming an RPG project of mine.
« on: February 07, 2013, 06:53:47 PM »
I'm kit bashing RPGs here and I need a name. It's for action/adventure focused urban fantasy. There is no Masquerade but there's plenty of crime, mystery, exploring and fighting about. There are plenty of superhuman freaks around and some of them are PCs. Think Sin City mixed with Dresden Files, Hellboy, The Venture Brothers and some of the superhuman and magical elements of the later (FF6 and on) Final Fantasy games and Exalted. Be warned, I am using some semi-retro clones as a basis for this project. Mechanically I'm thinking of a mix of Mutant Future/Omega plus the BFRPG system with 3.5 psionics as an alternate magic to start with. I'll explain it further later.

"These characters live in a world both magic and mundane. A world where fair or foul sorcerers, demons, fae lords, superhuman warriors and the like live along side, or even are, cops, crime lords and politicians. Some place are festering hellholes of crime, corruption, fanaticism and the worst humanity and eldritch beigns can offer. All this out in the open. There are also places of comfort and sanctuary. From welcoming bars where all the barmaids and tenders know your name and treat you like family, even houses of ill repute whose working girls protect their neighbors and the streets they walk all the way to quiet chruches and other places of worship. Holy ground, where no inhuman evil can tresspass."

20
Does anyone here think that mainstream acceptance would harm tabletop RPGs in anyway? Perhaps you're afraid that outside acceptance would taint or corrupt RPGs and their nature as a fringe hobby keeps them safe and pure. Maybe like me you don't care, or even want to see RPGs thought of as mainstream. Just say what you think.

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