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The Lone Badger posted:Governments typically don't like people having private armies, and they have bigger plasma death squads. Somebody getting lacerated will maybe make the evening news, large gunbattles with military weapons will get cracked down on hard. Is there no future NRA advocating "Plasma guns for everyone!"? Because clearly such dangerous times were weirdoes in trenchcoats are carrying swords around call for some "Stand-your-ground-with-plasma". And who says this guy and his bodyguards didn't act in self-defense? Doresh fucked around with this message at 12:53 on Jul 5, 2015 |
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Jul 5, 2015 12:33
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Doresh posted:Is there no future NRA advocating "Plasma guns for everyone!"? Because clearly such dangerous times were weirdoes in trenchcoats are carrying swords around call for some "Stand-your-ground-with-plasma". And who says this guy and his bodyguards didn't act in self-defense?    
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Jul 5, 2015 16:00
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Unknown Armies, part 18: Going Up? quote:Hobos and some homeless are disappearing near an old abandoned railroad yard. It lies near some mountains and is supposed to serve as a gateway to the Big Rock Candy Mountain. This only is supposed to happen once in a blue moon though. Literally. Assumption and Ascension So, it was revealed that, despite being somewhat unassuming compared to adepts, avatars are actually the ones who have the key to god-hood (or at least as close as you can get). How does all this work? Glad you asked! Assumption Each Archetype has one, single Avatar who is the best in the world, with a skill of 99% in their Avatar skill (the Archetype itself has 100%, obviously). [highlander voice]There can be only one [/highlander voice] Avatar in the world with a 99% rating at a time. The highest ranked Avatar of an Archetype is called the Godwalker. Being a Godwalker comes with two perks: When you become the Godwalker you get a divine vision of the Statosphere and a brief glimpse of the entire cosmos...along with the knowledge that they are a significant part of it now (kind of a reverse Total Perspective Vortex). In this moment you get to create a new, 5th Channel (although you can put it off). Each Godwalker gets to create their own, custom channel for this final slot. In addition, the glimpse of the Statosphere gives the Godwalker a new skill called Symbolsight (at 15% to start) which lets you see magick and astral beings as well as the "symbolic" nature of an object (for instance, Symbolsight could discern the difference between a normal cup and a Dipsomancer's significant vessel by their symbolic associations). This also lets you spot other Avatars. Second, the Godwalker is the only one able to oust the existing Archetype. This can make you either the Archetype's biggest rival...or their best friend. Some Godwalkers are fine with the status quo and serve as effective "gatekeepers" to the statosphere. It doesn't matter how many pissed of 98% Avatars there are out there who want to change things...so long as the Godwalker is still around they can't touch the Archetype. And if the Archetype and their Godwalker get along well you can bet the Godwalker is going to be heavily protected. Here are some of the example custom Channels: *The Freak (Mystic Hermaphrodite) has not yet chosen its channel. *Donald Ramses, Godwalker of the Savage, causes all machines within a mile of himself to shut down. (Great adventure idea, kidnap Ramses and figure out some way to use him as a sort of human EMP weapon...just imagine the chaos of him moving through a major city). *Toshishiro Yamamura, the godwalker for the Masterless Man, has made it so that no other "ronin" (i.e. other Avatars of the Masterless Man) may use their Avatar channels when fighting him. I can only assume that this guy is a massive nerd. *Dmitri Carnovski, godwalker of the Fool. Whenever he plays music everyone must drink, dance and party, like a mystic Andrew WK. *Lucy Watkins, godwalker of the Flying Woman. She can free any woman from emotional bondage, removing unwanted guilt, sadness and unrequited love. * Ibrahim al Masrah, godwalker of the Executioner, cannot be killed by any Israeli. Beware Godwalkers who're willing to get political. *Thorvald Drake, godwalker of the Merchant, has expanded his 2nd Channel to allow him to alter past events. For example, take a person dying of advanced, untreatable cancer. Thorvald can not only get rid of the cancer...he can give the guy back the 2, 3, 5, ten whatever years of chemotherapy and pain. Remember what I said about loving with the Merchant? I'll repeat it here: Don't. gently caress. With. The. Merchant.. I know that I would pay literally any price (including multiple murders) to undo certain past events...I imagine any attempt to even remotely inconvenience Thorvald will be met with swift retaliation by every major country, because you know he's got the leaders of the world in his pocket. Godwalkers, by their nature, must be extremely careful about Taboo...break it and you lose that 5th channel and your Godwalker status. Even 1% off is a disaster of epic proportions. They also tend to produce symbolic events and motifs (odd smells, minor unnatural events, coincidences, etc) as a sign of their presence. Okay, so you aren't a Godwalker yet, but you want to be and you've got your Avatar skill to 98%...what next? Closed Assumption The "easiest" form of Assumption. Once you hit 98%, if you can kill the current Godwalker in a symbolically appropriate way without breaking Taboo yourself then you get to assume their position. The death must by symbolically appropriate for the Archetype. For instance the godwalker of the Executioner might be formally executed (which of course you must have orders to do otherwise you break taboo). Other examples would be arranging for the Fool to kill himself in a clumsy accident or to hunt down and murder the Dark Stalker when he's helpless and alone. In those cases where actually killing someone is inappropriate to the Archetype you can still perform a closed Assumption by symbolically defeating them (usually by also forcing the to break taboo in the process. For instance, cheating the Merchant. You might trick the Peacemaker into trying to kill you or persuade one of the Mother's children to murder her for you. Remember, it only works if you're already at 98% and you're behind the event. If you're some 15% Avatar chump who managed to screw over the Godwalker then you get nothing, other than a story no one is going to believe. Likewise if you're a 98% Avatar and the godwalker dies due to events you did not orchestrate then you don't get to automatically ascend as well, no matter how symbolically powerful the event is. Once the godwalker is dead or dethroned then tag! You're it. You automatically take their place as the Godwalker and get to make your new Channel. Open Assumption If a godwalker dies or is deposed in a non-ritual context (say the Mother accidentally harms a child, or the Executioner chokes on a hamburger) then their position becomes open. Any Avatars at 98% get an itchy, urgent feeling (although they don't directly know what's happening if they're already this powerful they probably have a pretty good idea) and become potential heirs to the godwalker position. To boost yourself to 99% and godwalker status you've got two options: 1) get rid of the competition. If you're the only Avatar at 98% then the position is automatically yours...so simply murdering every other potential heir is an option. Forcing them to break Taboo works but since the difference between 98 and 97% is only a few XP points away you probably want to opt for a more permanent solution. As a bonus all potential heirs become symbolically linked, not quite Proxies but attempts by one heir to magickally spy or search for another get a 30% boost. 2) perform a ritual act to give you the metaphysical momentum to take the top seat. The Warrior might topple a major representation of their foe (for instance, if a member of Seal Team 6 happened to be a Warrior dedicated to the War on Terror then the death of Osama Bin Laden could certainly have qualified). The Executioner might assassinate a world leader. The more symbols of your Archetype (and generally mystically potent symbols) you can pack in the better. If you do good enough you can take the seat. Of course, if your Archetype doesn't yet have a Godwalker (such as the Naked Goddess, or likely the MVP) then you can just assume their position by reaching 99% in the Avatar skill before anyone else. quote:There is a .45 caliber pistol floating around the under-ground. Anyone who has it becomes the host to the spirit inside. The spirit is the actual form that the Sleepers travel in. It passes from body to body hunting the over-obvious mages. Ascension Ascension is when a mortal actually turns into an Archetype. Normal Ascension is when a normal mortal (not an Avatar) becomes so utterly in tune with some newly developed aspect of human existence that they spontaneously Ascend as a new, previously unnamed Archetype. The rapid changes in society have led to a lot of those recently. The Naked Goddess is the most well known since she's the first to do so on film. Ascension is more or less just a natural phenomena: the collective unconscious forms a new niche and demands a mortal to fill it. This can also happen when society no longer truly fits the Archetype and actively "rejects" the current one. For instance, the first woman to give birth is believed to have Ascended as the original Mother...but at some point she likely got spat out and replaced as the image of motherhood evolved in society. It's noted that although a certain amount of fame can help a spontaneous ascension, actual celebrity status seems to act as an "insulator" against it...the more well known and famous you are the less likely you are to be plucked from reality. That's probably why Manson hasn't Ascended as the Psychopath or and Tom Hanks hasn't become the Nice Guy. This actually makes it very difficult for anyone to say how many Archetypes there actually are at any given time...most natural Ascensions occur completely unnoticed and there's no big "list" of Archetypes available to anyone (and no way to simply stroll up to the Statosphere and count the empty chairs). Even when an Ascension is known to have happened, there's no way to actually say what form the new Archetype has taken. The Naked Goddess is a good example. Common theory is that she Ascended as The Girl Everyone Can Have But You...but despite pornomancers religiously (literally) emulating her life and behavior there's no sign of any of them developing spontaneous Avatar connections...so who knows what she actually became. It's possible to try and "force" a standard Ascension and actually create a new Archetype...but it's really really tough. This only works if there isn't an Archetype already in place for the concept you're trying to create...but at the same time there's got to be the potential. To force an Ascension you must become an Avatar of a non-existent Archetype, behaving just like an Avatar of the archetype would...but getting no powers for it. You've got to come up with a set of taboos and symbols for your Archetype and then have to start buying up the Avatar skill using XP...a skill that does nothing. You've got to get it up to 99% and only then can you actually try to Ascend. This requires a major symbolic act, preferably in public. Then..maybe...you ascend. If the act fails then nothing happens...and nothing will happen. You get one shot at Ascension and if it fails then you don't get to try again. For instance, if you believe that there's room in the Clergy for the Archetype of the Gamer. It's a new enough concept that an Ascension might not have occurred yet but at the same time it's an idea building momentum in the world. Well, after you manage to rack up your Avatar: The Gamer score to 99% you've then got to come up with some big gesture that will catapult you over the edge. Maybe you kidnap video game icons like Shigeru Miyamoto or Hideo Kojima and force them to compete in a game tournament...to the death! Alternatively, you might successfully launch and win a "video game superbowl", a world-wide professional gaming championship which receives major attention. Or just liquify and then drink one of every game system ever produced. Godwalker Ascension If there's already an Archetype out there (and it's still going strong in the collective unconscious) then it's only possible to challenge it by walking the Avatar path and becoming the Godwalker. This is almost impossible to do if you're too "close" to the current Archetype...the Avatar of the Mother probably not going to Ascend if she's just like the current Mother: a matronly figure with lots of children and an open heart. However, if the Godwalker of the Mother is has strong symbolic differences from its Avatar then you're in business. For instance, if the godwalker of the Mother was barren and has only adoptive children then she might have the oomph to push the current Mother out. Or if the Godwalker of the Mother is a man rather than a woman. To do this you first have to perform a symbolic "declaration of war", emphasizing your "take" on the Archetype. For instance, if the Godwalker of the Fool was trying to redefine the Fool as the "Sad Clown" (a figure of sorrow and angst rather than comedy) they might arrange an accident which takes several lives or even one that is tragic but in some way darkly humorous. Arranging for the death of a major comedy icon would probably be an excellent example, especially in a way that reveals that their life was actually quite unhappy. After you've thrown down the gauntlet its war between you and your Archetype. You want to make sure you've got a Sanctum ready. Your Sanctum is a place that echoes with the power of your particular flavor of the Archetype. The Sad Clown godwalker might set his Sanctum in a decaying fairground and fill it with mannequins in clown makeup or posters of famous comedians who died tragically. At the same time you should also include an outer layer that inverts the Archetype, serving as a kind of "moat". For instance, to deflect the power of the Fool you might arrange for the area to be surrounded in places of serious, dull tedium...accountancy offices for instance. Depending on how well you've constructed these elements you might get bonuses to resist attempts to affect you while protected by your sanctum. Needless to say, it's a good idea to start throwing out Proxies as well to try and throw both the Archetype and any would-be godwalkers off your scent (and redirecting attempts to magickally attack you). And having allies is very important. Cabals geared around helping (or preventing) an Ascension are the bread-and-butter of Cosmic-level games. Meanwhile, the Archetype is trying to find high powered Avatars who'll make a good replacement for you and pointing them your way, as well as trying to arrange for you to break Taboo to invalidate your godwalker status. Outside of your Sanctum the Archetype can meddle with probability to make things go wrong for you (even if it can't kill you outright) and aid your enemies. The Sad Clown is probably going to have a lot of dumb drunks stumbling in front of his car when he's trying to get somewhere important, find "Punk'd" style reality shows suddenly targeting him every waking moment and any attempts they make to get stuff done will be hampered by bumbling incompetence. Unfortunately, you can't strike back at the Archetype directly and just holing up in your Sanctum leads to a stalemate. In order to fight you've got to start to get your version of the Archetype planted in the minds of people everywhere. In the modern world this often happens through the media. The Sad Clown might bankroll depressing Oscar-bait biopics about famous comedians whose lives were a mess like Richard Prior or Lenny Bruce. Or a TV series about a stand-up comedian whose life is poo poo because their dreams keep falling apart. Arranging for the murder, overdose or accidental death of famous comics would work as well. The more symbolically powerful the act the better. For instance, arranging for a well known physical comic to take a fall on camera, everyone laughs assuming it's an intentional pratfall only to find out he's actually dead (or even better, crippled for life and unable to perform ever again). You can also sabotage the Archetype in more direct ways if you can figure out who they "were" in the past. Find their grave, despoil it. gently caress around with their family or descendants (even potentially turning them into proxies to be used against the archetype). Find any lasting symbols of their legacy and have them destroyed, inverted or otherwise ruined. Once the fight begins you're in it for the long haul because clawing an Archetype out of the Statosphere is hard and you'll likely be at it for a decade or two. Finally, once everything builds to a head comes the Test. A situation arises that challenges your dedication to your "version" of the Archetype. There's no getting around this with magick, planning or firepower. This is about figuring out if you're willing to stick to your guns no matter what. The approach of the test is heralded by subtle changes and cues in the world and pop culture that will clue the godwalker and the archetype into the approach of the final "battle". For instance, the Sad Clown godwalker might be offered actual, real happiness. Their estranged family comes to them with an offer of reconcilliation, their wife's tumor spontaneously goes into remission and they get offered a "dream job" making others and themselves genuinely happy and being successful for the rest of their life. All they've got to do is just be happy. And they've got to push that aside and keep going down the path they've chosen. If they can do that then the Statosphere opens up and accepts them and the previous Archetype is pulled kicking and screaming into one of the Rooms of Renunciation to be remade and shat out into the mortal world again. Hopefully it was worth it. quote:There’s a new duke on the scene who claims to be channeling The Guy With Pencils Stuck In His Eyes. He can see just fine, though; nobody really believes him, but nobody wants to mess with him either—just in case. oriongates fucked around with this message at 16:05 on Jul 5, 2015 |
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Jul 5, 2015 16:01
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Halloween Jack posted:I've already complained about how the book spends very little effort on defining the grim, techno-gothic future except "Everyone has credit card holophones, there's a Gibsonian VR Internet, they invented AI but it's illegal because of almost-Skynet, cybernetics and nanotech is a thing." But there are occasional bits that, uh, imply details about the setting. My that's a lot of terrorists. Terrorism seems like a real growth industry in the future.
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Jul 5, 2015 16:04
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Doresh posted:Why isn't this a thing in more games? The only other gatormen I can think of are from the German RPG The Dark Eye, but those lose badass points for having tiny, weak arms. quote:For a Highlander-ripoff, I'd rather pick the Riddle of Steel or Blade of the Iron Throne. Those actually focus on melee duels. I may have mentioned this before. In the series it works, though. One of the good things about Highlander is that there aren't big long explanations for why things work the way they do. It's sort of implied that Immortals have to be a certain kind of crazy to break the rules, and that the ones who take "shortcuts" are cowardly and not great swordsmen.
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Jul 5, 2015 16:34
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Halloween Jack posted:I've already complained about how the book spends very little effort on defining the grim, techno-gothic future except "Everyone has credit card holophones, there's a Gibsonian VR Internet, they invented AI but it's illegal because of almost-Skynet, cybernetics and nanotech is a thing." But there are occasional bits that, uh, imply details about the setting. This sound more like Otherverse America than Highlander o_O oriongates posted:For instance, if you believe that there's room in the Clergy for the Archetype of the Gamer. It's a new enough concept that an Ascension might not have occurred yet but at the same time it's an idea building momentum in the world. Well, after you manage to rack up your Avatar: The Gamer score to 99% you've then got to come up with some big gesture that will catapult you over the edge. Maybe you kidnap video game icons like Shigeru Miyamoto or Hideo Kojima and force them to compete in a game tournament...to the death! Alternatively, you might successfully launch and win a "video game superbowl", a world-wide professional gaming championship which receives major attention. Or just liquify and then drink one of every game system ever produced. I'd rather pulverize and snort them. Gotta chase the Atari Jaguar. Also, that's a pretty cool way of becoming an immortal of sorts. Halloween Jack posted:Werewolf: the Apocalypse had the Mokole. There's a note in the old Mummy noting not to piss them off, because it takes a long time to resurrect when a gatorman eats you and shits you out. Now this sounds way better than a gator Feral. quote:It's funny you should ask, because one of the things from Highlander that's hard to resolve in a RPG scenario is the way their code of honor works. They obey it. They just do. Except when they don't. As a general rule, even the nastiest Immortals--I'm talking about guys who used to rape and pillage and burn villages down and poo poo, or were Nazi officers--don't break the rules of single combat with swords, and never on holy ground. Occasionally there's an evil Immortal who will try something like "softening up" their enemy with a handgun. And of course, manipulating someone by going after their loved ones or extorting them is fair game. But there was only one villain in the whole franchise who used a gang of minions armed with guns to perforate his target so he could lop their heads off. Maybe the taboo rules from UA can help. There's gotta be some kind of retribution. Not sure if the "good swordsmen" thing stays true for long, as they bcome more and more powerful with each Quickening they unfairly gained. Doresh fucked around with this message at 16:47 on Jul 5, 2015 |
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Jul 5, 2015 16:40
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quote:* Ibrahim al Masrah, godwalker of the Executioner, cannot be killed by any Israeli. Beware Godwalkers who're willing to get political. lmao I forgot about this guy. He's my favorite example Godwalker, I remember reading that for the first time and going "holy gently caress" because I had never seen something like that in a game before. I like that you can immediately tell what his deal is just from reading the channel.
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Jul 5, 2015 17:43
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Doresh posted:I dunno, these Tear gals don't strike me as "obsessed, selfish nutjobs willing to FUBAR the space-time continuum to the point they effectively become Satan just so they can get what they want". It's definitely in their motives that they will suck the Light out of everywhere else to keep their little patch of the Kingdom lit as they fight against the Darkness, but it definitely not as strongly shown. Only, that they value their slice of home more than anything else. As for the ghost thing, only a certain Charm or a ritual from a Z-splat faction can turn Princesses into ghosts otherwise, they reincarnate. Think: capturing an Exalted shard.. Normally, when an Exalt dies, their shard flies off and enters another in reincarnation. However, it's theoretically possible to capture a shard and prevent it from returning to the Loom of Fate.
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Jul 5, 2015 18:02
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Doresh posted:Maybe the taboo rules from UA can help. There's gotta be some kind of retribution. The thing about swordsmanship in Highlander is that Immortals still have human bodies and minds. They never really really explain the ins and outs of absorbing "power" and "knowledge" from the immortals you kill, but no matter how many heads you've taken, you can still get lazy, out of shape, and rusty, unlike say a vampire or a ghost.
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Jul 5, 2015 18:51
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Forces of Warmachine: Cygnar Cygnar is surrounded by enemies but always strives to protect its people. It is unequalled when it comes to combining magic and science, using advanced technology to arm its soldiers at all levels. They've taken massive recent losses, but are more than willing to keep fighting for their freedom. They focus on overwhelming long-distance firepower and lightning-based weaponry, which can even disable warjack cortexes. We already got their history in the core, so we don't get it in this book.  Cygnar's military has always been proud of being the most disciplined, best trained and best armed soldiers in Immoren, winning even when greatly outnumbered thanks to their focus on quality over quantity. They have changed a lot in recent years thanks to industrialization and mechanika, and they are on the cutting edge of military technology. They favor a combined arms approach focusing on ranged weapons, using warjacks with a broad spectrum of capability and sophisticated cortexes so they can function well whether controlled by warcasters or trained 'jack marshals. They use large numbers of riflemen, from long gunners to trenchers, as the backbone of their forces, but also use heavy infantry like the Storm Knights, who use mechanikally augmented wepaons to shoot lightning. Supporting them are specialized units like the field mechanks, gun mages and rangers. On top of that, Cygnar's wealth allows it to have longstanding relations with many reputable mercenary teams, and while they're not relied on for Cygnar's most vital interests, they give numbers and versatility to existing forces. However, Cygnar will only hire those who obey their strict contract laws.  Recent years have proven difficult for the Cygnaran army, thanks to the loss of Llael and the Thornwood, as well as the fighting with the Protectorate of Menoth. Recently, the angry trollkin kriels driven from the Thornwood by the recent war have seized land from Cygnaran farmers and nobles, as well as attacking the railway. Cryx has disrupted supply lines both on the mainland and at sea, dividing resources further, and there are isolated reports of famine. Worse, not all of Cygnar's defenders have its best interests at heart, and some ranking nobles and officers have been conspiring to exploit recent events for gain. The modern military owes a lot to the kings of Cygnar, dating all the way back to the colossals. After the Rebellion, the kings and generals thought they would be the mainstay of the military for the foreseeable future, reinforced when King Benewic II had to deal with the Khadoran invasion of Ord and Llael that would become the Colossal War of 250-257 AR. After the Corvis Treaties, Khador had spent a lot on making numerous colossals. Llael and Ord had none, and would have been crushed if not for Cygnaran intervention. However, colossals were very expensive and hard to maintain, requiring massive quantities of fuel. The seven year war strained both Cygnaran and Khadoran treasuries, and after Benewic II's death in battle, his successor, Woldred the Diligent, remarked that the war ended "more from mutual fatigue than any other factor." Khador surrendered, on the verge of bankruptcy, in 257 AR. The Cygnaran and Ordic Armies forced Khador to dismantle their colossals and the foundries that made them, appearing to give Cygnar military supremacy. However, the Second Trollkin War of 262-267 AR proved the limits of colossals. During a series of pitched battles in the Thornwood and Gnarls, they were often bogged down by the terrain, and were not very helpful without large targets or permanent forts to besiege.  The Cygnaran mechaniks had been working on more efficient, smaller weapons, and it was no shown they were needed. The first true warjacks were made by the end of the Trollkin War and soon became a mainstay of Immoren militaries. Woldred finally had the colossals decomissioned in 286 AR, investing in infrastructure to make and innovate new warjacks. Despite this, though, for almost half its history Cygnar's military was stuck with feudal tradition. Large segments of its best soldiers were men-at-arms or serving various nobles. The mustering of a strong armor took the active cooperation of the nation's most powerful citizens, who could use it to their advantage. The tradition still has not entirely been erased - Cygnaran law allows each noble family to arm and command loyal soldiers. However, they have been heavily revised and rewritten to alter noble rights. King Hector Sunbright III, the Golden, who ruled from 406-425 AR, overhauled those laws and began the process of transforming the Cygnaran Army into a thoroughly modern military. In addition to founding the Strategic Academy for officers, King Hector established a clear chain of command, creating the rank of warmaster general to oversee the often contentious Cygnaran generals. He was concerned about the overlap of political and military authority, and sought to separate the two as much as he could without alienating the nobles. He limited the size of private armies, with lesser nobles allowed only small honor guards, though earls and above got larger retinues still. This did, of course, mean the army would strain the royal treasury more. The next major evolution of the military came under Warmaster General Vinter Raelthorne II, serving under King Grigor Malfast during the First Thornwood War. He continues his reforms after becoming king in 515 AR, organizing the Cygnaran Army into the four distinct bodies and demanding extensive training for every soldier. He made riflemen a priority in the infantry. In the past, they were used in smaller numbers due to cost, but in time, they got improved weaponry and became the Long Gunners, now the largest branch of the army. The other cornerstone, the Trenchers, were foudned at the end of Vinter II's reign and greatly expanded by Vinter Raelthorne III, proving very effective in border skirmishes after the First Thornwood War. Vinter III refined several of Cygnar's fundamental military doctrines, including the focus on accurate long-ranged firepower, which led to the development of the Defender and Charger warjacks. They quickly became mobile and versatile replacements for cannon artillery batteries, which were slow and cumbersome. Artillery itself was saved for defensive fixed positions. Vinter Raelthrone IV is not remembered much for his innovations, but he modernized the navy after the Scharde Invasions of 584-588, and these battles also defined the role of the Third Army, which integrates ground and naval forces. His Inquisition publicly targeted sorcerers while secretly going after perceived foes of the regime, resulting in the imprisonment and murder of many arcanists deemed dangerous. This bacame a concern to Warmaster General Carston Laddermore, who wanted to protect potential military assets from the Inquisition. He formally incorporated the Gun Mages of the Arcane Tempest in to the Army to protect them, and before this they had been a private brotherhood. Now, they are one of Cygnar's top special forces. After Leto seized the throne, he ushered in a new era of innovation in arcane technology, beginning even before then when he helped to create the Stormblades. As king, he fostered inventors like Sebastian Nemo to expand the role of electrical weapons in the Army, and the power of the STorm Knights and Stormsmiths is now a huge part of the armed forces. One of the lesser-known consequences of his coup, however, was a loosening of the laws restricting the right to private armies. He had exploited his brother's disinterest in law to adjust those in order to arm his own supporters. He has not strengthened them as a king, seeing the private armies as something useful when needing to fight trollkin, skorne patrols or other unexpected foes. It is likely the army and navy will continue to evolve in the coming years, as new threats arise.  While the navy has occasionally impressed sailors, enlistment in the army has long been voluntary, with the exceptional of occasional penal battalions. Leto has refused to impose conscription no matter what, on the grounds that forced soldiers can never match the resolve of volunteers. The fact that Cygnar is in constant danger of invasion does help enlistment rates - there's actually more volunteers than the training system can handle, and all training facilities are now being expanded, calling even on former officers to be instructors. Not every uniformed soldier sees combat, and many work ot produce and supply munitions, gear and supplies to the front. These support teams are vital and well-respected. Some volunteers do not make the cut, and are encouraged to enter urban militias, which are often a secondary recruitment pool, as their training can help transition the best of them into the army later. Training varies in duration and intensity by army branch, with long gunners having the shortest cycle, due to the need to get them into the field quickly. Every soldier, however, is expected to endure exhaustive drilling, physical conditioning and instruction. Trenchers train almost three times as long as the long gunners, and have even more grueling drills to improve their endurance. Some of these techniques started as punishments for insubordination, but were expanded when they proved good at creating soldiers with high performance in adverse conditions. Above the rank of major, officers are no longer identified with a specific branch, regularly supervising mixed forces, and osme officers may forego promotion in order to remain at their current level of command. Carrer officers who prefer the battlefield tend to favor the ranks of captain and major. Cygnar's location surrounds it with hostile powers, and so the Army is divided into four regionally distinct armies. However, the railway has forever changed how they share resources and help each other. It doesn't, though, reach every city, and reinforcements still take time to equip and deploy. Soldiers sent from Ceryl to Highgate must voyage along the Broken Coast, at risk of Cryxian piracy. Even safer rail lines can experience unexpected dangers, such as when the Marchbridge connecting northern and southern Cygnar was destroyed by Sul-Menite sabotage in 605 AR. Despite this, Cygnar has a lot of flexibility in deplyong soldiers, 'jacks and warcasters where they're needed. A recently implemented telepgraph system has nearly eliminated delay for messages sent to forts, enabling the king and warmaster general to stay current at all times. The current supreme commander of the army is Warmaster General Olson Turpin, though his standing has diminished some recently. Senior officers know that Lord Commander Coleman Stryker has largely replaced Olson as the primary advisor to Leto. However, for anyone other than the Storm Division, the warmaster general remains the top of the chain of command. The First Army, also called the Northern Army, Thornwood Army or Northwatch has traditionally had the job of defending the Khadoran border, and it's seen more combat since creation than the other three armies combined. Currently, they are having a very bad time. Northguard and the Thornwood are fallen, and the army has suffered heavy casualties. Morale and pride are suffering, but the First ARmy is determined to regain what was lost and prove they are not broken. Until 605 AR, they rotated regularly through the Llaelese border forts as part of a cooperation effort with the Llaelese Army. Some of them resented the degree to which Llael relied on them, but it gave valuable experience and social ties between officers. Veterans of the war in Llael saw the deaths of many comrades, both their own and their allies. Some handpicked units of the First were sent behind enemy lines to help the Llaelese Resistance, and some of them are still stuck in Llael, operating cut off from the chain of command. Priorities have shifted, leaving them stranded. Some have joined the Llaelese Resistance or gone AWOL to find a new life. Others remain in sporadic contact with the Cygnaran Reconnaissance Service and perform missions as needed. After the surrender of Llael's capital in 605, most Cygnaran forces withdrew to the border, in the Thornwood. Khador continued to assault them, and while they stood strong for a year under hash conditions, Northguard became a constant battlefield, seperated by a blasted wasteland from Khador's Ravenguard. It fought of an immense attack orchestrated by Kommandant Gurvaldt Irusk in late 606, the most deadly battle for both sides to this day. Cygnar won, but just barely, and its defenses could not be restored in time. The next assault was crushing, and Supreme Kommandant Irusk had learned from his mistakes. Northguard was breached, and as Nemo evacuated as many as he could, General Cathmore stayed behind to fight to his death. IT was brave, but futile, and other fortress soon fell after Northguard's loss. Most of the defeat came down to two things: first, the division of Cygnar's attention, thanks to the Caspia-Sul War, and the genius of Gurvaldt Irusk. Reacting quickly at Northguard had never been practical, so it wasn't surprising that the warjack reinforcements from Caspia didn't arrive in time, while Khador was able to focus entirely on Cygnar. Next time: The Four Armies
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Jul 5, 2015 19:58
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Forces of Warmachine: Cygnar Some members of the First remained in the fort-city Fellig, now entirely isolated from Cygnar. They were attacked by bloodthirsty madmen and berserkers, led by the Butcher of Khadov himself. While he failed to get through the walls and was wounded in the attack, his forces gutted the Cygnaran garrison. If not for the Ordic Army, Fellig would likely have fallen. Now, its fate remains uncertain but its people are safe, if reliant on Ord's King Baird II. By any meaningful measure, Fellig is Ordic now, not Cygnaran, even if a few isolate First ARmy soldiers remain there, waiting for orders. Khador seems content that the city is cut off and has not tried to take it again. The First Army regrouped along the Dragon's Tongue River, anchoring themselves east of Corvis and west of Poiint Bourne, both vital elements of the Cygnaran supply chain before the fall of the Thornwood. Point Bourne is also one of Cygnar's most vital training centers. These two cities are highly fortified, but not happy to have the front line on their doorsteps, especially with Khador building new forts across the river. So far, there have been no major actions, but periodic border clashes and artillery attacks happen almost daily, and fullscale battle will surely resume soon. The First Army command structure is intact but highly strained by casualties and personnel shifts. Lord General Olan Duggan remains in command and still bears the title of Duke of the Northwood, but all of his lands and those of his vassals are in Khadoran hands. He was based out of a fortress east of Fellig and was able to help in the Northguard retreat. His command staff is still recovering from the loss of key officers, including General Hagan Cathmore and Dargus Mathem. Mathem died of an infection after the Fellg assault, and Cathmore was killed by Karchev the Terrible, with his title of Earl of Bloodsbane passing to his eldest son, a lieutenant in the First, though the region is now firmly Khadoran. Duggan is stationed alongside the newly promoted General Shay Terswell at Point Bourne, overseeing the First Army's western forces. The eastern portion is being directed by Generals Sebastian Nemo and Galt Langworth from Corvis. The final concentration of First Army soldiers operate out of Stonebridge Castle under General Kierlan Krismoor, formerly of Deepwood Tower. Lord Commander Stryker's Storm Division has joined defenders in the region. Most of the First Army's much-needed reinforcements are drawn from the Fourth Army out of Fort Balton. Not all of the First likes that, as the Fourth is suspected of numerous indiscretions and not well trusted, though the reinforcements also include some of Cygnar's most respected warcasters, at least until fighting flares up elsewhere. The Second ARmy, also known as the Caspian Army, the Eastern ARmy and the Army of the Black River, guards the eastern border and maintains the garrisons at the capital, Fort Falk and Eastwall. It has traditionally defended Corvis, but that now belongs to the First Army. The Second Army battalions defending the city are largely now transferred to the First. The Second Army has the highest proportion of heavy infantry and cavalry in the Cygnaran Army, including veteran Storm and Sword Knights. Many ranking officers are vassals of nobles on the Royal Assembly, and they have substantial warjack support thanks to the Cygnaran Armory in Caspia, serving as testing grounds for new chassis and weapons. Their repair and resupply times are much faster than most other armies, thanks to the power of the capital. Like their peers, they've had to deal with constant strife for a few years now, leading to widespread reorganization and constant recruitment to refill their ranks. There has been a short but welcome reprieve now, following the death of Hierarch Voyle. Intelligence suggests that the Protectorate of Menoth remains active but has shifted its focus to the Northern Crusade in Llael, and a number of personnel stationed in Caspia for the Caspia-Sul War have since been transferred to other posts. The wild fluctations of the Second ARmy's needs are part of a history dating back to the end of the Cygnaran Civil War. In its early history, the Protectorate was distracted subjugating the Idrian tribes, but it wasn't long before they threatened Cygnaran security again. The Second Army has always been reduced or expanded based on their threat, but even in peacetime, they are a substantial force. They were at their largest during the Caspia-Sul War of 606-607, damaging both cities extensively. Prior to the war, the Protectorate had mounted a failed assault on Caspia, and the war didn't escalate until Cygnar breached Sul in 606, long believed impossible and achieved only by a month-long cannon barrage orchestrated by Markus "Siege" Brisbane. Lord Commander Coleman Stryker was assigned to the 6th Division, soon known as Storm Division, and took charge of the offensive, hoping to subdue Sul quickly. However, resistance was far greater than anticipated, and the Menites rellied, defending the Great Temple of the Creator. From there, it became a year of street-to-street battle with no clear advantage and requiring constant dedication, with more and more soldiers assigned to 6th Division. The fortresses depleted by this were later assaulted by skorne from the Bloodstone Marches, and while they didn't pierce the border, they caused heavy casualties, especially after an attack on Fort Falk in 607. The circumstances of the war in Sul were unusual, with Lord Commander Stryker getting the lion's share of resources and personnel, and the generals of the Second relegated to bureaucratic functions. The war took a dark turn in 607, when Stryker was almost killed during the collapse of a burning temple. He was taken to the Sancteum of Caspia, where he was treated for weeks, and the Protectorate gained the upper hand. The gates were seized and the capital was assaulted for the first time since the Civil War. It got worse when Hierarch Garrick Voyle himself emerged from Imer with reinforcements, calling on his immense power and the miracles of Menoth. The still-recovering Stryker forced himself from his sickbed to face Voyle alongside King Leto, Morrowan forces and the Second Army's knights. It ended disastrously when Leto was terrible wounded. Stryker and the knights regrouped, facing off against Voyle, and Stryker managed to kill the man formerly believed invincible. It broke the Menite morale, and they withdrew to Sul. There have been flareups since then, but the gates have remained sealed. Lord Stryker's Storm Division has now been granted autonomy, reduced in size to a mobile strike force outside the Second Army command structure. The chain of command that was disrupted during the war has been restored, and Lord General Wiggin Heltser leads the Second from Caspia, where he is regularly in contact with the warmaster general. The new 8th Division made to replace the 6th is led by General Artoris Halstead. The eastern border is largely guraded by General Alain Runewood's 7th Division out of Eastwall, while the northern end of the border is under charge of General Kielon Ebonhart IV and his 12th Division from Fort Falk, moved from Corvis. The Third Army, also known as the Southern ARmy, Army of Highgate and Army of the Wyrmwall is based out of Highgate and has the job of protecting the southern shore from Cryx. They've only been around for a century, but are inheritors of a millenium-old tradition, and there are none better in Cygnar at facing Cryxian tactics. Operationally, they are very different than the other armies, working closely with the Cygnaran Navy on joint operations. the admirals of the Southern Fleet stationed at Highgate answer to Lord General Vincent Gollan on top of their lord admiral, and it seems to work. The first and preferred tactic for facing Cryx is sea engagement, intercepting Cryxian ships before they can land their raiders. It's impossible to stop all or even most raids, though, especially given Cryxian diversion tactics and willingness to sacrifice ships. Even the infamous blackships are sometimes used for that purpose, and Cygnar can't afford to ignore those supernaturally empowered vessels, as they take immense firepower to engage at all. The Third is always prepared to strike at Cryxian fortifications near the Cygnaran coast, preferring light warjacks for ease of deployment. Land garrisons get heavier 'jacks, but recently have had to use less support from warcasters due to the other fronts, so they've made the training of 'jack marshals a high priority. Historically, the Third was at highest strength during the Scharde Invasions under Vinter IV, and both Vinter and Leto led soldiers in that war. The soldiers of the 121st REgiment are still known as Leto's Own after fighting under the prince from 587-588, while the 98th Infantry Battalion are Vinter's Bastards after serving underh im directly during the final battle, the Landing at Giant's Head, which was the final time the sword Kingslayer was drawn to defend Cygnar. They feel no shame in the name, invoking his ruthlessness in war rather than his tyranny. Before the Scharde Invasions, the Third Army had drastically underestimated the Cryxian threat, and it was believed that their raids were just random attacks out of Blackwater, Dreggsport and Satyx rather than an organized effort. They have since become more proactive in hunting Cryxian bases. However, it was not until deeper analysis by the Hurstwallen Report of 605 that it became clear how thoroughly their efforts had failed. The entire Scharde Invasions were revealed as a series of deceptions allowing Cryx to gain inland footholds, not discovered until their use during the Llaelese War. Cygnar has had to face the fact that Cryx now has a permanent presence in the interior, and will not be easily removed. Few of their bases have even been located. It's believed that a sizable force is operating out of the Thornwood, but whether they have supply chains of some sort is unknown. While coastal defense remains the top priority of the Third Army, they are valued for their Cryxian experience, and are often sent to advise commanders having to face the undead. Starting in 607, the Third and the Navy began a fresh offensive against the Cryxian fleet, with the aid of the Ordic Royal Navy. So far, it's had mixed results. Cooperation from Ord has become complicated since the Khadoran Navy started to notice, leading to mixed naval engagements against Khador, which has made Oridc admirals reluctant to fight for fear of their neutrality being undermined. Plus, assaults into Cryxian territory often have high casualty rates, perhaps doing more harm than good. Despite setbacks, though, the Third believe they must confront Cryx in order to protect Cygnar. Until a more effective strategy and more soldiers can be found, however, it's a desperate battle. For thirty years they have been led by Lord General Vincent Gollan, Earl of Shieldpoint, Senior Knight of the Prophet and Commander of the Knights of the Highgate Vigil. He is in poor health but remains a living legend, respected as a servant of Morrow and foe of Cryx. Despite the esteem he is held in, though, there are those eager for younger blood and newer ideas. For now, Lord General Gollan supervises the engagements from Highgate, with assistance from Westwatch and the port city Mercir. General Bors Gately works closely with Gollan to lead the 9th Division, the majority of the Third Army's active personnel. Senior Commander Evelyn Turpin, granddaughter of the warmaster gneeral, commands the 14th Division in defending the Wyrmwall Mountains, achieving much with little. The Fourth Army is also known as the Western Army and the Army of the Dragon's Tongue. Iti s the smallest and least respected Cygnaran force, historically used as reserves. The mostly patrol the Ordic border, and Ord has long been friendly. Recent events have brought them out of Fort Balton to play a significant role, however. The closest Cygnar and Ord have ever come to violence was over whether the city Five Fingers was Ordic or Cygnaran after the Colossal War, and the dispute was settled peacefully, with Cygnar withdrawing claim in the interest of a united front against Khador. The Fourth Army didn't exist then, but they consider joint engagements with Ord against Khador part of their history, drawing nicknames and banners from the era. They also have a strong sentiment of Thuran pride, an ancient kingdom now divided between Ord and Cygnar. The Fourth are mostly helping to maintain peace around Ceryl, facing small engagements with bandits, mercenaries and outlaws as well as the occasional Tharn and trollkin. It has made them skilled in unconventional tactics, some of which would never be done elsewhere. One incident still under investigation involves two companies of the Fourth slaughtering the Hagen Blades mercenary company to the last man. Some consider it an example of what happens to those who betray Cygnar for gold, others call it an atrocity. The Fourth has a sordid reputation as a dumping ground for undesirables, and is indeed often sent the insubordinate who are too competent to get rid of, and there's no question that they've had a higher incidence of crime, including extortion, graft, bribes, misallocation of resources, looting and violence against civilians. They have recently come under criticism for not responding promptyl to reinforcement requests, and were notably absent in Llael and the Thornwood. Most of their soldiers are patriots, but they serve under General Gralen Deckley, who it seems favors the Duke of Thuria over Warmaster General Turpin. The crown's been too busy to investigate these rumors, though, particularly in recent months with the Fourth more willing to comply.  After the fall of Northguard and the Thornwood, most of the Fourth Army was ordered east to reinforce Point Bourne, Stonebridge Castle and Corvis, with a smaller force remaining at Fort Balton. Duke Mayhew Dergeral of Thuria, though, has long been one Leto's least cooperative nobles, a loyalist of Vinter IV. It is well known among northwestern political circles that General Deckley is close friends with the duke, and some call him the duke's pocket general. This has prompted suspicion of Deckley's willingness to reinforce other garrisons, and many believe that it's the duke's desire to protect his interests against Khadoran incursion. Scout General Rebald has sent agents to investigate but found no clear evidence of misdeeds. If they knew the full scope of the treason they faced, they might dissolve the Fourth Army entirely, and at least replace General Deckley, but so far they have only suspicions and the duke is too powerful to be thraetened prematurely. In truth, both Dergeral and Deckley are deeply involved in a treacherous but secret plot. Others understimate Dergeral for his eccentric demeanor, but secretly, he and several ranking officers of the Fourth are plotting to return Vinter IV to the throne. While in the progress of moving east, the Fourth has faced the trollkin serving Chief Madrak Ironhide, who had seized Crael Valley on the grounds that Leto reneged on his promises. Leto hoped to find peace and advised them not to fight the trollkin, but the Fourth ignored those orders and committed their full strength to rooting out these trollkin 'bandits.' There were high casualties on both sides, but the Fourth have claimed it was a glorious victory. They did drive the kriels from the farmlands, and Deckley claims it was a reaction to assault in transit, including the seizure of a hospital train. Public sentiment in the area supports hte Fourth strongly, as they have little sympathy for the trollkin, and many northern nobles now like Duke Dergeral and resent Leto for ignoring requests for military aid against the kriels. Unknown but to a few, these battles also provided the mans to cull the Fourth of officers who might be an obstacle to the duke's goals, and many vocal supporters of Leto and those who questioned the Fourth's ruthless tactics were among the slain. Most of the Fourth was not part of the conspiracy and still fight with the goal of restoring Cygnar to former greatness. Still, even among the enlisted it's a common belief that Leto is weak. A recurring sentiment has been the idea that only a renewal of the old Raelthorne strength can restore Cygnar in this dark time. Next time: Warcasters
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Jul 5, 2015 20:51
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Hey, oriongates, I've been following your Unknown Armies review (great job, by the way), and I have a dumb question: Can you become an Avatar of the First and Last Man, i.e. be like the Comte? I mean, obviously you're not gonna oust him from his position as Godwalker or whatever the heck he is, but can you imitate his way of being? ...Whatever that would be?
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Jul 5, 2015 23:01
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Forces of Warmachine: Cygnar Cygnaran warcasters, regardless of rank, are free to move between battlefields with liberty and allowed to requisition whatever they need. They are never permanently attached to any division or company, though they often spend months in the same units and will keep trusted officers, reallocating them as required to face threats. Managing these assets is a headache, but warcasters are a vital asset that can ensure victory even against impossible odds. They are accountable to the same code of behavior as everyone else, but they get a lot more flexibility. Some soldiers resent that, but most don't after seeing their power. The talent is unexpected, but tapping into it takes training and discipline. Those with the talent are sent to the Strategic Academy to train, and on graduation they become journeymen, with the rank of lieutenant if they don't already outrank that. A journeyman must complete a full tour under a sensior warcaster, which could be six months or over a year depending on their mentor's assessment. Once it's over, they become a captain and have the full authority and responsibility of a warcaster. Their authority, however, extends beyond rank in several ways. They are often given operational control in battle, even if it someone outranks them, and they have a lot of liberty when requisitioning 'jacks, troops or supplies, especially if they're a ranking warcaster. A captain might have a limit of few hundred men but plenty of choice as to who they are and what equipment they have compared to a non-warcaster captain. It isn't uncommon for warcasters of any rank to command customized strike forces for specific objectives.  Once in active service, a warcaster is assigned a team of warjacks and a supply train and support staff, but is otherwise responsible for their upkeep themselves. The 'jacks belonging to a junior warcaster remain in service until needed elsewhere or destroyed. Senior warcasters get special consideration in specific requests to meet the needs of their missions and may swap out 'jacks frequently. In some cases, they will retain a specific 'jack long enough to establish permanent bonds affecting its cortex and behavior.  Major Markus "Siege" Brisbane lives for war. He has more field experience than pretty much any other warcaster in Cygnar, and is famous for his ability to lead from the front and win. It's been said that there's no obstacle he can't overcome and that no wall can stand against him. He began his career under Vinter the Elder, and has served for two decades so far. To him, warfare is artistry, a symphony he plays with skill and conviction, with his troops, 'jacks and skills as the instruments. He's called in to deal with prolonged sieges or enemy obstructions. He doesn't do politics - he's just a soldier, existing to win. Armed with an arsenal of mechanikal weapons, he has torn apart walls and barricades with his war maul, Havoc, and his rocket cannon. His skill is legendary, and his troops are often inspired by his very presence. His tactical mind breaks down combat as if it were a puzzle, finding and exploiting weaknesses in forts and enemy plans. Even the toughest walls have fallen before him, including the so-called impregnable walls of Sul itself. It is that accomplishment that will keep Siege a legend forever, having broken walls that were unconquered for millenia. In the months after the incursion at Sul, he was critical to many Cygnaran victories, using his intuitive grasp of demolitions and artillery to master urban combat. When Lord Commander Stryker fell, it was up to Markus Brisbane to pick up the slack, using all his tricks to slow the Menite advance long enough for Stryker to recover. After the end of that incursion, he's been sent north to help reinforce the border. His gimmick is artillery. He is really good at blowing poo poo to hell and back, and stopping poo poo from being blown up. His feat weakens enemy armor by taking advantage of its weaknesses.  Captain Allister Caine is an Epic character. His youthful indiscretions were genuine, but time has changed him, exposing him to the reality of war and his mistakes. What once was reckless talent has been refined into perfection in gunplay. No one alive can challenge him if he has his Spellstorm pistols. He has given up all other weapons, using them at all ranges. The last few years have aged him more than he'd thought, forcing him to make tough decisions and testing his convictions. He's been caught up in a complex web of intrigue, lies and murder. If the full scope of his deeds were unconvered, he could as easily be put to death for treason as be heralded as a hero, depending on how it came out. At the outbreak of war with Khador, he barely maintained the appearance of an officer or warcaster, often at odds with his superiors. He had the distinction of being the only full warcaster below the rank of captain and was often seen meeting with wanted criminals such as Asheth Magnus. Many considered him to have no loyalty. What no one suspected was that he'd been serving as one of the top agents of Scout General Bolden Rebald, head of the Cygnaran Reconnaissance Service. The moment he began serving is a secret known only to those two, but likely it was some time after he was briefly held for crimes in his hometown, Bainsmarket, very early on in his career. Those with the political weight to do so buried the detailsof the crimes and the incident was largely forgotten. He worked with the CRS ever since. Under Rebald, he joined a plot to wipe out a threat to the kingdom. Sworn to secret, possibly treasonous oaths, he worked to find an unknown offspring of Vinter Raelthrone IV, as Rebald feared that the child might make Leto abdicate the throne. To prevent that and the resulting chaos, Caine was given the job of finding and eliminating the child. In pursuit of that, Caine stalked and killed dozens of former inquisitors, including those directly in service to his own superior officer. He fought with the traitor Ashet Magnus, who sought the inquisitors and heir for his own reason. Magnus outmaneuvered Caine during the Menite incursion of Caspia and escaped with the heir's location. New, Rebald and Caine are on the edge of having their plots discovered, and the must find the traitor's plans and defeat him to regain the upper hand. Caine may well change the course of history soon. His gimmick remains being the best gun dude ever, and his feat allows him to get a bonus to his damage rolls each time he hits an enemy in a round - and given that he has a literally infinite rate of fire, that means he can just keep getting worse the more folks are in range.  Captain E. Dominic Darius (the E. is for Edward) is never seen without his Halfjacks. He goes into battle in immense steam-powered armor of his own design, which augments his strength and protects him. In military circles, he is known largely as "the mechanik," not just for his mastery of mechanika but for the precision and efficiency of his combat skills. His warcaster talent was found early, and he was brought into the military immediately. He'd been known as a genius since childhood and had an intuitive grasp of engineering, needing no instruction to understand warjack construction and even the operation of cortexes. He completed his training under Commander Adept Sebastian Nemo in record time, and has been a lynchpin of Cygnaran war industry ever since. He's one of Cygnar's top experts on warjacks, and no one else has logged nearly as much time working on them. Even Nemo defers to his practical expertise. Though most warcasters rely on a stable of mechaniks to keep their 'jacks ready, Darius maintains his all by himself, returning wrecks to full operation in his spare time. He's a favorite of logistics thanks to the fact that he so rarely asks for new warjacks, and they know if he does, he really needs it. Plus, he occasionally volunteers to take 'junkers' that others believe are totaled. He finds it a point of pride that some of his best machines were once marked for scrap, and he's lovingly restored almost ever 'jack in his service. Darius' armor serves as a second skin in battle, containing an entire shop's worth of tools and a powerful cannon that uses steam pressure to fire high explosives. Its power allows him incredible strength, and he wields an Ironclad's quake hammer in one hand and a giant wrench in the other. Most of his gifts are focused on augmenting 'jacks, but he's also a potent battle mage, and can take heavy punishment thanks to his armor. He occasionally loses sight of the fact that it's not quite as tough as a warjack, however, and he's had some close calls, almost losing his life at the Temple of Garrodh when fighting Cryx after getting out of his armor to repair it mid-battle. He got ambushed by Skarre Ravenmane, and would have died if she hadn't been distracted by the temple collapsing. He's learned his lesson but still prefers to lead from the front - just, from inside his rig. Darius' most ingenious weapon is the drone deployment system on the back of his armor. He can unleash self-powered drones he's named the halfjacks to serve as weapons and repair assistants. Each carries a potent explosive charge that turns them into walking landmines, as they can easily burrow into the earth. Each can also carry out basic repairs to warjacks as needed. These abilities alone would earn Darius respect, but he's also a good tactician. He's good with soldiers, feeling at home among them, and they appreciate his pragmatism and willingness to get his hands dirty. He's known for being able to quickly assess a situation and direct his subordinates in the middle of chaotic battle. His extensive experience is mostly against Khador, and he's been heavily involved in the Thornwood and at Northguard before it fell. Since then, he helps patrol the border alongside people like Captain Jeremiah Kraye. His arcane power improves the strength and fuel efficiency of his 'jacks, and so he can respond well to most threats with surprising speed. More than one Khadoran kommander has ordered an attack in the belief that warjacks were too far away to respond, only to be surprised by the arrival of Darius and his machine pack. Recent fighting has also given him experience against Menite forces and Cryx, and he never stands down from a challenge. His gimmick is buffing warjacks, and his feat allows him and his halfjacks to completely repair warjacks they're near.  Major Victoria Haley is another Epic caster. She is a powerful woman with a deep sorrow. Her unmatched magical talent is tempered by ears of combat experience, and she's only getting stronger. Her manipulation of time itself has recently intensified, allowing her to boost the speed of her warjacks and slow her foes. She can wield time itself as a weapon to shred enemies. She is feared and respected, having survived all her foes can throw at her. Within the Thornwood, after years of duels, Deneghra finally attacked Haley with all of her pent-up hatred. Her malevolent twin sought to kill her and eat her soul, and Haley fell, pushed to the edge of defeat. Near death, she forced herself to rupture the flyphs containing the cortex of Deneghra's helljack, turning it against her Cryxian twin and holding her in place. Haley tore the warwitch in half, killing her. Never before or since has anyone so completely stolen the control of a warjack. Haley is still scarred from the battle, having lost an arm to her sister. Now, she uses a mechanikal prosthetic. The sisters fought again at the Battle of the Temple Garrodh, where Haley witnessed Deneghra's transformation into a wraith by the power of Asphyxious. Haley has at least been able to grieve for the sister she remembered, and for a time she considered her sorrow put to rest. Haley was distracted from her battles with Deneghra by the needs of the border, fighting alongside Sebastian Nemo against the Khadorans. It was in the Thornwood that she met her twin again, after the fall of Northguard, and it's opened old wounds, especially when Deneghra did not attack her. Instead, she came to Haley and saved her from Khadorans, then offered her freedom, claiming that her sisterly affections had returned and she no longer wanted to fight. Haley distrusts Deneghra, and while she'd never admit to it, the encounter has greatly unsettled her. She can't understand her sister connecting in death to emotions she lacked in life, and even as she tries to concentrate on defending against Khador, she knows there's unfinished business there. Her power grows with each battle, and she understands that to defeat Khador, she must unleash her full potential. Her gimmick is a mix of time magic, telekinesis and seizing control of enemy warjacks. Her feat allows her to freeze enemies in place for a bit.  Captain Jeremiah Kraye of the Cygnaran Reconnaissance Service blends old and new combat styles into a doctrine of rapid assault, preferring to strike at the flank or attack reinfrocements. He is a master of mobility, and can push his 'jacks to amazing speed. He's from a long line of soldiers - his father Sheridan was a colonel, and his grandfather Nathan was one of Vinter III's finest generals. He graduated from the Stratgic Academy with highest honors and entered the cavalry just as the Scchared Invasions began, though he served with the border defenses rather than on the front line. His cavalry proved vital in maintaining defense while other forces were reassigned to fight Cryx, and he learned to make do with whatever he had on hand, finding ways to win against all odds. However, he damaged his career by resigning his commission in 589 after his uncle was arrested for treason and executed by VinteR IV, at the height of the Inquisition's power. He would not return to duty until after Leto took the throne, reinstated at the urging of Scout General Bolden Rebald in 595. He avenged his uncle by running many loyalists to ground, using his extensive experience on the border to help the CRS in its early days. He is an outspoken and intelligent man, with refined breeding that shows through his often grimy appearance. He enthusiastically debates history, tactics and strategy, but has no patience for politics and few ambitions. He has a unique bond with his warhorse, Malagant, who responds almost empathically to his will. Kraye needs no praise or accoldaes, just the chance to lead his 'jacks against Cygnar's foes. Officers who've fought with him claim he can find the best fighting ground anywhere on the border, which he roams tirelessly, needing only his horse, his warjacks and a crew of brave soldiers. His fimmick is mobility, and his feat allows him to keep his 'jacks upright and very mobile. NExt time:
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Jul 6, 2015 02:13
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oriongates posted:yeah, pretty much all the "cosmic" level game is about "faking it" until you're in a position to change things. There will be more details in the next segment, but it's ultimately all about using the current path to power to change the status quo once you're in a position to. What's interesting is that since UA came out, we'd had all the Wikileaks stuff, which does go back to the earlier Messenger idea of pure facts/truth.
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Jul 6, 2015 04:29
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Mors Rattus posted:Her feat allows her to freeze enemies in place for a bit. Oh look the biggest understatement in the world.
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Jul 6, 2015 08:32
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Count Chocula posted:What's interesting is that since UA came out, we'd had all the Wikileaks stuff, which does go back to the earlier Messenger idea of pure facts/truth. And look at how much that has changed overall.  I recently read Godwalker, which covered the creation of a godwalker — something you're definitely in for the long haul —, the hosed-up nature of The Freak, TNI, several flavours of chaos adept, and enough violence in the second half to feel like Quentin Tarantino had a hand. It sure was a thing. 
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Jul 6, 2015 08:52
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ActingPower posted:Hey, oriongates, I've been following your Unknown Armies review (great job, by the way), and I have a dumb question: Can you become an Avatar of the First and Last Man, i.e. be like the Comte? I mean, obviously you're not gonna oust him from his position as Godwalker or whatever the heck he is, but can you imitate his way of being? ...Whatever that would be? Obviously always up to the GM but I would say no... First and foremost the Comte doesn't actually Ascend as an Archetype until the other 332 seats are filled, at which point the world ends. So the Archetype's existence isn't even really a thing until the last moments of the universe, so no Avatars for it. Secondly, the guy doesn't actually have any standard mode of behavior. He's all over the place, to the degree that it's actually impossible to tell how often he appears since he'll do so in so many different guises and power levels. In game very few people are actually certain he exists. His few consistent traits are pretty impossible to emulate: i.e. his immortality and seeming omniscience. It'd be hard to emulate someone whose defining trait is their status as the only true immortal being.
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Jul 6, 2015 10:37
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One downside to being a dedicated Merchant Avatar, of course, is that you're in direct competition with every other Merchant Avatar. Mothers can coexist cheerfully, Necessary Servants can and do work together, but if you're in the business of buying happiness and selling years of life every other guy who can do that is costing you money. Your competition also know that you're sitting on a stockpile of valuable ephemera just like they are, and if threatened severely enough you might let it go for a song. Granted, they can't physically twist your arm until you agree to sign, but there's threatening and then there's threatening. They have incentive to harass, bump off, and otherwise screw with their fellow Avatars that even the crazier Archetypes don't. For every Merchant you're worried about loving with, there's another Merchant who wants him dead and might be convinced to back you. Dammit Who? fucked around with this message at 11:26 on Jul 6, 2015 |
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Jul 6, 2015 11:19
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Very true, but Merchants are, above all, businessmen. I imagine that at some point the major Merchant Avatars (possibly led by the Godwalker, or even the Archetype itself) probably worked out some pretty solid deals regarding territory and rights. The amount of adepts/avatars is always very vague but I'm sure that there's few enough above 50% that they can pretty well "carve up" the world. The territories might be geographic (if you want to sell souls in China, Sheng gets a cut) or they might be based on goods (one guy for handling life extensions, another for handling magical organ transplants). Weaker merchants just breaking into their second channel might be killed or driven "out of business" by forcing them to break taboo with multiple targeted scams, or they might have to "buy in" to the existing Merchant structure, reporting to whatever their territorial "CEO" is and passing along a portion of their profits. I could certainly imagine it would suck to be an independent Merchant (i.e. a PC) in that situation.
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Jul 6, 2015 11:53
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oriongates posted:Very true, but Merchants are, above all, businessmen. I imagine that at some point the major Merchant Avatars (possibly led by the Godwalker, or even the Archetype itself) probably worked out some pretty solid deals regarding territory and rights. The amount of adepts/avatars is always very vague but I'm sure that there's few enough above 50% that they can pretty well "carve up" the world. The territories might be geographic (if you want to sell souls in China, Sheng gets a cut) or they might be based on goods (one guy for handling life extensions, another for handling magical organ transplants). Weaker merchants just breaking into their second channel might be killed or driven "out of business" by forcing them to break taboo with multiple targeted scams, or they might have to "buy in" to the existing Merchant structure, reporting to whatever their territorial "CEO" is and passing along a portion of their profits. Sure. But while mundane capitalism can handle a small group of elites, there can only be one Godwalker. Statosphere talks about how the Merchant Godwalker slot is one of the more hotly-contested slots - if you're a Merchant with the Avatar skill cranked that high, you're probably a personality type for whom 'enough' is never enough. They might have worked out territory agreements, but it'd be more like the Mafia than NAFTA.
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Jul 6, 2015 12:04
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Very true. I'd still say "don't gently caress with them" is a good policy.
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Jul 6, 2015 12:39
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Doresh posted:Super Console Question: I noticed that you said that the Archer changes based on the era that you're playing in. Is that the same for any other classes?
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Jul 6, 2015 13:52
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Count Chocula posted:What's interesting is that since UA came out, we'd had all the Wikileaks stuff, which does go back to the earlier Messenger idea of pure facts/truth. This is the great thing about Unknown Armies: Once you get how it works, you start seeing story hooks in drat near everything in the news. Pop culture trends become fronts in an invisible war. Major events start to look like plays for Ascension or Godwalker status. It's one of the easiest games to come up with adventure seeds for, even as it can be drat hard to figure out how to actually build a campaign for. One of my favorite throwaway bits, and I can't remember if it's in the core or one of the supplements, was a suggestion that the spate of magical girl media in the mid/late 90s (Sailor Moon, Buffy, Charmed, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, etc) was part of a concerted effort by a female Avatar of the Magus to shift the image of the archetype from masculine to feminine. The Archetype's counter-move was to make sure that Harry Potter exploded in popularity.
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Jul 6, 2015 15:49
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Wizards Presents: Races and Classes Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 The Three Tiers of Adventuring - Mike Mearls quote:Tiers are one of those things that existed in D&D 3E without any official acknowledgement. Anyone who played the game from 1st level on up to double digits likely noticed a subtle, continuous shift in the game. Monster damage grew high enough that low hit point characters could take only a hit or two before going down. Saving throws became more important, as more monsters had save or die effects. Once teleport came into the game, the PCs could go anywhere they wanted, helping to make traditional dungeons more difficult to run. Wands became affordable, allowing a smart party access to unlimited healing, flight, and invisibility. In short, D&D changes across the levels that it covers. The tier system seeks to quantify those changes and define the roles of adventurers across the levels. In a book filled with acknowledgements of things that always existed in D&D but were never formalized, Mearls drops another one. Heroic Levels - Mike Mearls The Heroic tier is, of course, the very start of the game, when characters only have their basic abilities to work with, and they're only starting to pull away from the capabilities of the average person. The locations that the characters frequent are stereotypical Middle-Ages Fantasy: analogous to real world cities and castles and dungeons, just also with non-homo sapien humanoids and with just a sprinkling of magic. The characters might face fantastical monsters, and they might hear about non-Euclidean dungeons filled with warped monstrosities, but they'll still sleep at an inn after slaying the former, and latter are still mostly rumors. The enemies are also still classic D&D: skeletons, zombies, orcs, goblins, kobolds, and the traps are fairly standard fare with pits and darts and spikes. Mearls does make mention that they've revised and broadened the scope a little to accommodate the 10-level spread of the Heroic tier: * Goblins and Kobolds are the target adversaries for the early part of this tier * Orcs and Hobgoblins compose the middle part, but can make early appearances or still pose threats at the last part of the tier in large numbers * Gnolls and Troglodytes are the final set of Heroic enemies, the latter having Abyssal monsters as allies, and the latter residing in the outskirts of the Underdark, where they might have a single Drow combatant with them as an exceptional challenge to Heroic characters * Dragons may appear at the tail end of the Heroic tier, but only the youngest and smallest of their kind * Similarly, characters may have to fight lesser demons, but not much more than imps "The Heroic tier is the stuff of classic dungeon crawls", and here the names Hommlett, Caves of Chaos and the Temple of Elemental Evil are called to mind. The characters are clearing out dens of evil that have fallen into disrepair and are only just being reactivated, or they're pursuing minions of a greater evil, or criminal gangs in a city, or budding evil cults. Their threat only goes as far out as a single town, and while the characters might find evidence of a much larger looming threat, they won't have the chops to fight that just yet. Paragon Levels - Andy Collins quote:When a character reaches 11th level, he crosses a significant threshold. No longer a mere adventurer, he is now known as a paragon hero. At this point, the Paragon Path is introduced as a mechanical conceit - it's a way for a character to further specialize their abilities, allowing one Fighter to differentiate themselves from all other Fighters (insofar as any two Fighters are already not going to have the same Powers and Feats, but even further). From an in-game perspective, the shift in scope and scale also shows: you're no longer just Jarvis the Fighter, now you're Jarvis the Vigilant Defender. Epic Levels - Bruce Cordell quote:D&D has always contained the seeds for high-level play. Did you, like my friends and I, choose gods from 1st Edition’s Deities & Demigods book to fight each other? Those were some epic battles indeed. One thing that bears mentioning here is that in their description of Epic levels, there are only supposed to be a few benefits, but the key is that they are extraordinary and they represent the character passing the bounds of the earthly realm and shedding the laws of the universe. The destiny is also supposed to create a situation where the character accomplishes some final quest, and that will cap off the campaign and allow the player to narrate their riding off into the (galactic) sunset. Paragon Paths and Epic Destinies - Logan Bonner The Paragon path was intended to replace the Prestige class. We're down to the penultimate page of text and the book is still dropping bombshells. quote:We have new ways to expand on your character at higher levels. You’ll pick up a paragon path at 11th level and it will carry you through 20th. At 21st, your epic destiny kicks in and you’ll become a legend. In some ways they’re similar to prestige classes (and a few prestige classes have made the jump to paragon paths), but they’re much cooler because you don’t give up anything. As you’re leveling up in your main class, you’re also gaining abilities from your paragon path or epic destiny. At the same time the requirements are much simpler; they’re easier to understand and won’t make you jump through hoops. Bonner then outlines some salient points of the Paragon path design: * There's a set pace of progression similar to normal leveling, such as all Paragon paths all getting an Encounter Power all at the same time * Less restrictions for taking a Paragon path, and it's explicitly mentioned which paths are supposed to go with which classes, instead of the 3E design where you looked at the prerequisites, the lore and the abilities to guess at who the Prestige class was really "meant" for * Of the twelve Paragon paths to be included in the first PHB, each path was based on the combination of two classes, so that each class would generally have three paths to pick from * Bonner mentions having worked on the Cleric/Paladin, Paladin/Fighter, Fighter/Ranger and Wizard/Ranger paths quote:Epic destinies are a smaller group, but each one gives you some huge benefits. Only a few are planned for the Player’s Handbook, but when you have the option to serve as the right-hand man to a god, become an undying warrior, or call dragons with a wave of your hand, more than a few choices will make your head explode in a burst of awesome. By the time you finish your epic destiny, you’ll be stomping down all challengers, breaking rules of science, and odds are you’ll be immortal. There's still one more part I'd like to present before ending this book: a collection of essays and anecdotes from the various designers on their reflections on both 3rd and 4th Edition's designs. Next up: Staff Thoughts
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Jul 6, 2015 16:01
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Forces of Warmachine: Cygnar Commander Adept Nemo is one of the most famous warcasters of Cygnar, having served for a very long time. Despite his age, he's welcome on the battlefield, and even one he's gone his legacy will last forever. He was raised in a military household, listening to the stories of his grandfather, and two of his brothers died in the Thornwood War. Nemo showed a talent for magic and was enrolled in the Strategic Academy from a young age, excelling in science as well as magic and military history. He's endured a lot since then, losing a brother who served under him, which he blames himself for. He has focused, since then, entirely on his military work, and his wife and daughter left him, with his wife dying months later of rip lung. Nemo is still haunted by that. His daughter was sent back to his care, but he arranged for her to be raised by his family, and they have been estranged ever since. Nemo became bitter under Vinter the Elder, preferring to avoid atrocity and refusing promotion in order to focus on weapons research. It was during the Scharde Invasions that he got the reputation of being one of the most brilliant men in the Army, and a few years later, he helped Leto the Younger in the Lion's Coup. Since then, he's taken to the field again, training several young warcasters. In combat, he relies largely on his magical skill, and his ability to use battle magic and warjacks is legendary. His armor crackles with electrical power. He is often misunderstood by his fellows as harsh, arrogant and socially unrefined, though an accentric genius. In truth, he's spent all his life giving everything to his country, and his standards are so high because he demands so much from himself and expects others to keep pace. If he flaunts his power, it is only to show others what they can aspire to. His gimmick is lightning and disruption, with his feat allowing him to set off a huge electrical storm against enemy 'jacks and beasts.  General Adept Nemo is the Epic version of Nemo. In peacetime, promotion to general is usually a prelude to retirement, a chance to quit the field iwth honor. Nemo choose to defy this tradition, fighting on the front for as long as he can life a weapon and command a warjack. Despite his age, he remains vigorous, and no one can match his deep understanding of warjacks and voltaic technology. His plans are decades ahead of those made by his peers, innovating both cortexes and weapons. The most brilliant minds of other nations struggle to understand his simplest designs. Even with more time spent at war, he finds time to develop new projects, like Cygnar's recent telegraph lines. Many of his tactics evolved in the period when he led part of the Third Army against Cryx under Vinter IV, learning to face an elusive foe that could be anywhere. These served well during the Lion's Coup, but recent action against Khador has had him rethinking his methods. Even after injury at the Battle of the Temple of Garrodh, he returned to help defend Northguard, and without him, it would have fallen months sooner. When Supreme Kommandant Irusk finally took it, he saved countless lives in one of the greatest rearguard actions in history. Now, Nemo sees civilians in the line of fire and is ready to use every trick he's ever had to make Khador pay dearly for every inch of Cygnaran soil. His gimmick remains lightning, but focused more on buffs than before. His feat allows him to energize his warjacks.  Captain Kara Sloane is a one-woman rifle brigade. She links her warjacks to her rifle trigger, performing simultaneous barrages of immense accuracy and power. She's focused all her skills on annihilation, armed with a custom magelock rifle. She advanced quickly in the Militant Order of the Arcane Tempest, with her potential realized early. She is not a duelist but a soldier, and warjacks are just another weapon for her. After graduation near the top of her class, she was placed in service under Markus "Siege" Brisbane, the first trainee he'd ever seen as a genuine comrade. He was impressed by her professional and methodical approach, and she learned very quickly. Most of her experience was against Cryx on the Broken Coast, learning to destroy utterly because the undead could not be routed or demoralized. On top of patrols with the Third Army, hse also faced Khador and the Protectorate. Soon after her promotion to captain, she was given Spitfire, her custom rifle, one of the best ever made. It uses immense rounds able to tear open warjack armor, reinforced to withstand the magical power of her shots. Despite her success, she's not very popular with her troops. She holds herself apart from them and has a reputation for being chilly even with officers. To some extent, this is overcompensation for her guilt at breaking Cygnar's military code - she's romantically involved with one of her junior officers, in secret. This is not uncommon but it is forbidden by the Army and Sloan believed in professional conduct. She is not proud of what she believes is a personal weakness, but can't abandon her relationship. As the ceasefire on the Dragon's Tongue grows more tense, she remains ready on the front. She crushes border skirmishes with overwhelming force. Her gimmick is sniping and enabling sniping, and her feat boosts her nearby allies' ranged attacks a lot.  Lord Commander Stryker is the Epic Coleman Stryker. He is Leto's greatest ally, unfailingly brave and loyal. However, the carnage he saw during Llael's invasion scourged him of his youthful ideals, turning him into a pitiless warrior questioned even by other Cygnarans. He was given the right to war as he saw fit, assembling a handpicked force to create his Storm Division, the replacement for Second Army's 6th Divsion. He ordered the arrest of every Menite, man, woman or child, in eastern Cygnar, going so far as to pardon former Inquisitors and employ them to root out secret Menites. These civilians were held on Bloodstone Island, previously only used to imprison the worst criminals. He fought the Sul-Menites with a terrible hatred, breaching Sul and attacking the Great Temple of the Creator, then spending a year in street combat. During his fight against Deora, Protector of the Flame, she lit the temple on fire to save her own life. Stryker had to choose between chasing her and saving the innocent Menites around him. It was his last chance at redemption, and he saved the Menites, but nearly died in the collapse. He was unconscious for weeks, and by the time he could walk again, the tide had turned. The Menites were invading Caspia, led by Hierarch Garrick Voyle. Stryker took up arms to face him, initially seeking to end the battle peacefully, and even set the Menites he'd imprisoned free. Voyle was so bent on conquest he was willing to risk even his own unarmed civilians, and Stryker fought him to protect them. Voyle was killed, surprising even Stryker, and some have taken it as a sign of divine providence. Stryker is a changed man, now. He's still ruthless, but has learned to balance his violent impulses against the need to protect the innocent. His deeds have become legandary, and all foes fear the man who toppled the high priest of Menoth and emerged stronger for it. His gimmick is focused more on buffs and debuffs now, and his feat allows him to keep his units moving and attacking after his turn is over.  The Cygnaran Armory is the birthplace of all warjacks, and where the first colossals were made for the Rebellion. After the fall of the Orgoth, they continued to work on colossals, and after they were decommissioned, warjacks. They run day and night in the Smoke District of Caspia, but even the locals don't begrudge the industry that keeps them safe. Most of Cygnar's warjacks are made there, but others are made in Corvis, Mercir and Ceryl. They're more efficient than colossals were, but still take immense amounts of coal and water, so a smooth supply chain is crucial. To avoid forcing them to move long distances on their own power, they are hauled into location by trains, boats and wagons whenever possible. It takes time, but reserves their resources for combat. Whenever possible, older warjacks are repaired, as long as the cortex is intact. Despite their best efforts, however, many machines are destroyed and must be replaced each year. Each major garrison is kept supplied with warjacks of varying age, and it's the role of command and support staff to ensure the warcasters don't have to wrry about supplies, focusing purely on tactics. An entire network of support staff oversees warjack allocation, repair and resupply as invisibly as possible.   The Firefly is nearly nine feet tall and just over three tons. It uses electrical weaponry, designed to support the stormcallers and storm knights. It's one of the most advanced warjacks in the world, the result of years of research. It demonstrates the versatility of the Charger chassis it was based on, wielding weapons designed to assist the stormsmiths in their stormcalling. Its potent weapons are not reliant on warcasters, making it a favorite tool of 'jack marshals, particularly the Storm Blades.  The Grenadier is almost eight and a half feet and just under 3 tons. It is designed to accompanby the trenchers, and works in devastating unison with them. It wields an immense mattock to dig makeshift emplacements, and its low profile makes for a hard target when it's in a pit surrounded by spikes. Its most potent weapon, however, is the grenade launcher it uses to fire shells across the field, able to fire bursts across multiple targets as long as the trenchers keep feeding grenades into the launcher. NExt time: More 'jacks, warjacks!
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Jul 6, 2015 17:35
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Ultramarines? Strange Matter posted:This seems...actually not that bad? It has the same kitchen-sink approach to Final Fantasy that the Returners RPG has, but it's actually a lot more balanced between the usefulness of Physical vs Magical heroes. Not having stupid crap like Damage Capacities helps a lot. It's surprising how you can be more competent by not taking your work so seriously. I'm usually not a fan of games that have you look up tables as part of their basic resolution mechanic, but something about "Your absolute hit points don't matter. Just compare differences and see how many percent you lose" intrigues me. It definitely helps to avoid having to roll more and more dice as you go along. There are a couple classes recommended to "change" (putting it in parenthesis because you're just changing the fluff, none of the mechanics) in later eras. Spellcasters for example could be psychics or psions in the Space Age, while the Bard is probably more of a Singer or Dancer. You can even do this in earlier ages, calling Geomancers "Druids" or Thieves "Rogues". Doresh fucked around with this message at 18:57 on Jul 6, 2015 |
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Jul 6, 2015 18:00
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 That which makes you just as special as everyone else here, chump. Universal Contracts- they're cheap and they are (comparatively) everywhere! These are the spooky super powers you can expect to run into in every Freehold, and so it also behooves you to expect to have to plan around them existing within every freehold. Some of this means that certain catches are especially dangerous- such as the giving of a True Name. Now, while I was writing this, I found myself disliking the feeling of writing down the entire body of the rules text as commentary. Instead, I'm going to cruise through the following universal Contracts noting what is interesting and important, leaving the rest for the reader to skim through the text on their own. Unless otherwise mentioned, every Clause of these Contracts uses Wyrd in addition to whatever I mention; you'll note that every universal contract uses an attribute over a skill. and for good reason. Onward! Contracts of Dream Contracts of messing around with other people's dreamscape, without having to do that mucky "getting into people's head" part that true oneiromancers deal with. The clauses are basically extra special cheat codes to the dream world... except for the first clause, which works exclusively in the hedge. Huh.  1Pathfinder Your intelligence tells you a single fact about the hedge based on evidence within line of sight, per success. Gaining an exceptional success means that these facts are not limited by line of sight. But beware, there is a penalty if the the “local hedge”2 is foreign or strange to you! This is otherwise the go-to "I don't want to die in the hedge" clause, especially as it is cheap and easy to pick up. Forging the Dream Using your wits to edit a dream of another in any way as you wish up to the dreamer’s death. A great way to "prime the pump" and create an initial dream-scene for your eventual dive into the subconscious3. I enjoy the evocative nature of the penalties/bonuses for how physically and/or emotionally close you are to the dreamer. Its easier to hack a dream of someone you are close with than create nightmares for strangers. Phantasmal Bastion With no effort and perhaps a catch of holding a 'token of a favor from an enemy or one of their “loved ones or family members”4, you’ll turn into a Dream-Combat superthug. "You wanna be a loving dream fighter?" asks the head promoter of mixed dream-based arts, "Then you better get this loving clause!" Cobblethought An intelligent person can pull any object that exists within a dream for up to four turns... or indefinitely with an exceptional success. While these objects don't get special powers other than perhaps what their dream-like shape would give them, things that can’t exist and things that are incredibly specific are mer penalties rather than a flat no! The existence of a contract like this means that spending your time wasting away on crafting some poo poo is for dumb losers who can't think good. Dreamsteps Using the interconnectedness of all people, an intelligent person can travel up to 10 miles per success on the roll to another dreamer that is close to where you want to go, and an exceptional success means you get exactly where you want! This means that any wall or border in the mortal world is easily breached if you can find a sleeping hobo within ten miles on the other side. Contracts of Hearth A catch-all dice-trickery combat, which each clause allowing you to do a different level of dice-trick for a single Glamour. However the trick to this is the Ban, which acts like a Goblin-Contract-esque Drawback that only triggers if it is used too often. What is even more difficult is that the Contract strongly implies that the cool-down timer will be in effect against any use of the contract, meaning that the Storyteller then has to declare and manage a world-wide cool-down timer for every single character in their world. As Storytellers are not actually computers, this results in the only time that the Ban of Contracts of the Hearth matter are during the presence of the PCs.
Contracts of Mirror The "disguise yourself" contract chain, but also a not-so-secret physical combat contract chain. Riddle Kith You turn your Mein into a different Seeming or Kith of your choice- but as this doesn’t work on the Mask, this means that you're still recognizable by a regular human paparazzi. But against other changelings and while in the hedge, it works as a disguise of anonymity, as a Beast version of your Elemental self is quite different. What I like about this Clause is that the Catch of having dined with a member of the chosen Kith or Seeming within a week means that even a social dinner has a deeper, manipulation subtext. A Riddle Kith-using fugitive hiding out in a hollow with a rolling buffet party is a great little plot-nugget. Skinmask This is a frustrating Clause, as it is purposefully written in a vague and useless way unless you trigger the clause. A single success gives you "a feature" of someone you are attempting to impersonate, but an exceptional success allows you to skip having to roll as long as you pay the costs. Meaning that a person who triggers the catch can spend an effectively infinite amount of time waiting to get an exceptional to get a perfect disguise as someone else, and to disguise as someone else perfectly, you have to have a perfect level of detail while you are using your Clause to get the right collection of features. The catch is that you possess something of your intended disguise. Meaning that the social impact of such a clause results in a few things: this contract doesn't dupe mantles, so you can at least be sure that a Summer person is a Summer person; Changelings automatically identify anyone by the pledge they have with them6, so you have to manage a small or smaller circle of pledges based on your level of trust; you can only hold things that be a no-pants wonder and claim that you own nothing. And in any situation outside of those cases, you shouldn't trust anybody. Transfigure the Flesh A dual Ant-Man / Giant-Man size-muckery Clause. Using Stamina, you gain or reduce your size up to half your successes rounded up. The catch is kinda hilarious in that as long as it is not the right size clothes, it works, whether it is big or small. Popping this in the first round of combat is a fantastic choice and works as an off-brand version of the size-gaining Ogre Kith, and the shrinking aspect is great to get out of unfortunate bindings. Oddbody A super boring combat Clause, you use your strength to get a bunch of minor combat boosts a la the Life Disciple Transmute Form. The only interesting one is getting armor; everything else is easily dupeable with merits either in the corebook or Rites of Spring Chyrsalis A strong enough person can turn yourself into a semi-animate object. That rock in the room? Might actually be WATCHING YOU. Also, a great way to Colony Drop people if your Storyteller lets you get away with turning into a gigantic-sized object that can still wiggle about a little bit. The catch is a social one as well- anything someone else makes for you means that you asking for a favor gets an extra bonus. Contracts of Smoke The sneaky bastard clauses. Wrong Foot One of the rare no-roll clauses. You alter the trail of your passing so that it seems like it is something else... but it is always uniquely *you*. Its kinda dumb, in all honesty, other than freaking the mundanes with bird feet at a murder scene. Nevertread For a Clause that is based on intelligence, you would think that it would do something different than the previous one. Instead of leaving behind a calling card, you leave zero trace… kinda. A contract that depends on a Storyteller call to give either a minor penalty or make it impossible to tracking you based on “the circumstances” is very weak. What makes it worse is that the clause gives you penalties and bonuses to the roll that directly involve “circumstances”... meaning asking the Storyteller to also decide the effect of your roll seems like an extra step of fiddly bullshit. Shadowpatch Spend glamour, get a very decent bonus to Stealth rolls. The catch is that you can’t be touched by natural light in the last day, so its almost built for night-owl types to begin with. Murkblur One of the best save-or-suck Clauses in the game. Your intelligence versus your opponent's resolve to make that person blind. Light-shy You gain "true invisibility" for a few minutes or up to a scene… which isn’t THAT powerful unless you spam the contract with a catch (and you use first printing rules, because this is a Willpower contract) of having made a meaningful lie to someone that you care about, if this lie was revealed. At this point, the subtext of being a closeted Fae with a normal partner becomes text. Next time: The magic of your peoples. 1 - This gets explained in an obtuse way by the time Dancers in Dusk gets released around, six books later. 2 - This is the first reference to the "local hedge" in the book as a concept, and while it is later picked up on for other powers, what makes the "local hedge" local is infuriatingly undefined. I have my own house-rule for this in games I run because it heads off later arguments. 3 - Editing a dream with someone already riding inside the dream gets detailed later in the book. It is, obviously, complicated. 4 - This would be a much sillier and random distinction if it weren't for the catch of third clause of Eternal Spring- aka the healing contract- that depends on honest declarations of romantic or familial love. Thankfully, even if you do have an enemy that gets a token of favor from you or one of those people, Dream Combat is basically easy-mode. 5 - The Clause makes pains to note that you can not use this automatic success to do more than one success's worth of damage, no matter how clever you think you are being. This is because the writers are not catering to pedants. 6 - This actually means that one of the ways you prevent rival enemies of a freehold from killing each other is to bind them in a mutual pledge, as an agent of chaos can otherwise impersonate an 'enemy' and create a false-flag conflict in the freehold.
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Jul 6, 2015 20:36
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Mors Rattus posted:
The full art for Sloane is great, because she's flanked by two cyclones that are also sporting the runelock runes. Cyclones being heavy cygnar warjacks with twin underslung miniguns. She gets overshadowed by Caine for being the Cygnar gun-guy but damned if she doesn't have style.
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Jul 6, 2015 20:55
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Forces of Warmachine: Cygnar The Hunter is almost 8 and a half feet and nearly 3 tons. It has one job: kill warjacks. It is designed for maneuverability, crippling enemy jacks before they can react or engage. It is able to cross most terrain easily to find perfect sniping positions. It is armed with a high-velocity long arm cannon, which is extremely accurate and uses alchemically hardened armor-piercing ammunition, allowing it to disable even heavy 'jacks. Its axe is less of a weapon and more of a tool for clearing obstacles, but is a decent melee weapon if forced to it. The Hunter has an augmented cortex receiver, enabling it to operate and double the usual range from a warcaster in order to scout ahead and serve as eyes and ears. Its joints and gyroscopic components are also advanced, giving it plenty of mobility even in rough terrain, taking full advantage of both its cortex and cannon at range.  Thorn is a custom Lancer, just over 9 feet tall and just over 3 tons. Everyone admits there's something exceptional about its cortex, likely due to prolonged exposure to Major Haley's magical skills. The Strategic Academy's experts theorize that her influence has imprinted additional arcane connections in its machinery, burning unanticipated pathways in the cortex. It is the only 'jack Haley has used near continuously since her early years, and its transformation has been gradual. It's been nearly scrapped several times, but Haley feels a special connection to it and has made sure it was always salvaged and rebuilt, even from a cortex. She noticed, each time, a dramatic improvement in its capabilities, as it learned from its experiences. Thorn's most recent upgrades, at her request, include an experimental reaction drive using a high-end accumulator and reflexive trigger relay to transform magical power into movement, allowing short bursts of incredible speed. This lets the thing deliver Haley's spells wherever she needs them, then reposition against enemy fire. Haley also outfitted it with a disruptor spear, and since getting it the machine behaves with almost reckless aggression, as if taunting foes. Haley's troops believe that comes from her. However, its greatest capability is not technological, but due to Haley's close ties with the machine. Even the most intense close combat does not impede her ability to utilize its arc node, allowing it to channel spells when most machines can't. A number of mechaniks have tried to reproduce Thorn's abilities, but have been frustrated so far. Machines with less refined cortexes can't operate the reaction drive, and the overflowering arcane power often causes catastrophic failure of the arc node. Haley also refuses to allow people to take Thorn apart to study it, and the generals back her because of her importance. She won't let Thorn out of her force and into the hands of "curious gearheads" who would not appreciate it.  The Centurion, at over 12 and a half feet and 8 and a half tons, was designed to rival Khadoran 'jacks for size and power. The Caspian engineers took the heaviest frame they could find, stapled a ton of armor to it and then outfitted it with some really advanced mechanika. It is the largest and heaviest Cygnaran warjack, an immense iron behemoth that is slow but very durable, an excellent defensive tool. It is practically invulnerable to frontal assault, thanks to its augmented shield, which uses techno-arcane coils to generate a field of arcanomagnetic force that can stop a charging 'jack cold. Its piston spear can pierce almost any armor, designed with a wickedly sharp point backed with hydraulic power to tear through anything. Once activated, it hammers away relentlessly at anything nearby.  The Hammersmith is over 12 and a half feet tall and just under 9 tons, built using a Centurion frame repurposed for offense. It forgoes the advanced armaments in favor of two immense Forge Hammers, huge weapons meant to pound metal (and anything else) flat. These weapons can handle even the heaviest warjack, giving the Hammersmith more room to press the attack. Every blow hurls foes backwards as the Hammersmith presses on relentlessly, striking again and again.  The Stormclad was developed after the Lion's Coup to accompany the Stormblades into battle. It's just over 12 feet (plus banner) and weighs 6 and a half tons. It is built on an Ironclad chassis, but armed with a galvanic generator blade of immense power. It is equipped with an accumulator that draws in the excess galvanic energies of the storm glaives, using them to power the generator blade so that it can cut through any armor at all like lightning through a tree.  Ol' Rowdy is just over 12 feet, and almost 7 tons. It is Lord Commander Stryker's favorite warjack, wielding an immense quake hammer alongside his sword. It looks like any Ironclad, at first glance, but is no moreso than Coleman Stryker is just any soldier. It's served for fifty years now, one of the first generation Ironclads developed. Many 'jacks that year had a flaw in their cortexes that only emerged in the pressure of battle, and it wasn't until the Scharde Invasions that Ol' Rowdy's infamously bad temper came out, so eager to fight that it'd literally throw itself at the enemy. Most commanders think that the habit of charging headlong into battle is the worst a 'jack can develop, and they tend to get their cortexes wiped clean, but Rowdy's service record gave a reason to leave it be. Few 'jacks survived the Scharde Invasions, and each had valuable experience it'd be hard to replicate. Eventually, Rowdy was retired to training duty at the Strategic Academy. It served there for several years, until Coleman Stryker got it on his journeyman tour as a test of skill. His instructors figured he'd learn humility from the challenge, but he actually enjoyed it. As the years passed, Rowdy just got better and better, and Stryker has invested heavily in its upkeep and equipment, keeping it in top condition and squeezing as much performance as possible out of its systems. It has had custom armoring put on its arms and been given an improved steam engine to handle its weight without losing mobility. It has countless service markers from its battles over the last five decades, and it's saved Stryker's life many times, often by jumping into harm's way and refusing to fall over.  Thunderhead is arguably the most sophisticated warjack ever produced by humans, at fourteen feet tall and 12 and a half tons. It is both technologically advanced and a work of art, relying on technologies developed by Sebastian Nemo decades ahead of their time. It draws power entirely from the galvanic energy generated by its storm chamber, originally meant to hide the telltale signs of coal and water. The problem is, he never found a way to stop the corona of energy that surrounds it, with electricity earthing itself at every step. It is not subtle or quiet, but it really doesn't have to be. After several prototypes exploded, Nemo finally finished the plans in 604 AR, requiring each part to be machined to perfection. The design relies on several advances initially developed by the Cult of Cyriss, which Nemo reverse-engineered. Thousands of crowns worth of equipment were destroyed in its construction and two assistants badly burned, but Nemo kept at it until he knew he had a stable device that could generate enough power but remain cool enough to be a viable chassis. The result set a new standard in warjack design. Thunderhead is large even for a heavy 'jack, with huge lightning coils taking the place normally held by a smokestack. Its huge, graceful curves bulge with the energy within, and its joints and edges glow faintly blue. The two brass-capped coils tower five feet over the rest of the 'jack, continually firing off electrical arcs that are so potent it took Nemo six months to develop shielding to protect the thing's own cortex. All of its weapons are built to take advantage of the galvanic system at its heart, using enormous lightning coils to channel electricity from the storm chamber into devastating pulses that destroy anyone who comes near without proper insulation. They can alternatively be narrowed into directed blasts through a smaller array of coils in the fists. In melee, lightning flashes across the arms and hands, grounding in anything it punches and, occasionally, surging to fry enemy cortexes. Given the staggering cost and complexity, Cygnar's only got the one of it, kept solely for the most crucial battles. Next time: Soldiers of Cygnar.
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Jul 6, 2015 22:56
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Forces of Warmachine: Cygnar Cygnaran rank structures have remained largely unchanged for two centuries, barring minor adjustments to specific branches. It's a large and complex organization, including both enlisted soldiers and commissioned officers, and fraternization between the two is heavily discouraged. Most recruits become long gunners, and those with endurance and mental fortitude are selected for more difficult trencher training. Those with unusual aptitudes may be sent for specialist training. Officers, on the other hand, have to go through the Strategic Academy. Traditionally, they draw only from the wealthiest families, with preference given to children of former officers. The knightly orders prefer young people of noble birth, in some cases training them for the role from early childhood. Middle-class children seeking military careers tend to end up as lieutenants. Over the last 20 years, the Army has tried to expand its officer pool by offering commissions to those proven in battle, and in wartime that's accelerated by officers dying in battle. It's not uncommon for a veteran sergeant to be promoted to lieutenant or captain. Enlisted personnel promoted to officer status are technically required to attend the Strategic Academy, but that's often postponed indefinitely, and very few trencher enlistees-turned-officer ever attend the Academy. During training, a soldier is called a recruit, and becomes a private at the end. After a year, they become a private first class, but the distinction is mostly in minor payscale increase. After proving competence, they can be promoted to corporal from there. Corporals are the first non-commissioned officer that can lead other soldiers, directing small units of privates and often supervising fire teams or coordinating other tasks. Above the corporal is the sergeant, who leads squads of multiple fire teams and units. There are many grades of sergeant, and it's as high as most soldiers ever get, even career soldiers. Sergeants must serve at least two terms of five years - if you accept at the end of your first term, you are required to reenlist. Most are career soldiers. Above sergeant are additional grades - sergeant first class, staff sergeant (for supply teams), senior sergeant, training sergeant, swift sergeant (a CRS rank) and master sergeant, a rare rank requiring 20 years of service. Master sergeants tend to be legends in the field and have often refused officer commission several times. Officers in training are cadets, graduating as lieutenants. Promotion above that is based on performance and available positions. Some branches have grades like lieutenant first class or senior lieutenant to allow for field promotions while captain ranks are filled. Their role varies considerably by branch, and in larger infantry companies, lieutenants can lead entire platoons, while this is not the case among, say, the gun mages. Among general infantry, captains lead companies, majors lead battalions, colonels lead regiments, commanders lead brigades and generals lead army divisions. Lords general command three of the four armies, and the warmaster general provides a single voice of authority over everyone...barring unique ranks, like Coleman Stryker as lord commander, who answers solely to the king.   An Arcane Tempest Gun Mage Officer commands groups in the Militant Order of the Arcane Tempest. They rarely rise far in the ranks, and are expected to fight as long as they're able to. Typically, only old age or crippling wounds end their careers, after which they become colonels and serve as instructors for the most part. The most talented young lieutenants and captains are chosen to lead gun mage teams, often under direct command of a warcaster, and these veteran teams often get excellent warjack support. Research has shown that experienced gun mages can prepare warjack ammo to transmit arcane energy with the same techniques as their rune bullets, and the Arcane Tempest has trained several of their officers for that. Since it's not made from the same alloy as magelocks, firing rune-carved ammo does damage warjack weapons, but a single battle usually won't render them ineffective, and it can be the difference between victory and defeat.  The Long Gunner Infantry Officer and Standard bring confidence to their squads. They are respected and, largely, veteran soldiers promoted to command in the field, typically lieutenants. They lead the long gun salvos by shouting at the top of their lungs to be heard over the gunfire. The standard bearers are courageous enlisted men armed with a sword and banner rather than a gun, keeping morale up with battle cries. If they fall, someone else will surely take up the banner.  Precursor Knights fight at the forefront of the worst battles, standing between humanity and unholy terror. They value peace, but protect it with bloodshed. They follow a strict code of conduct, laid down by the warrior-philosopher Morrow and his martial ascendants. They believe that war does not excuse depravity, and victory does not excuse immorality. They ensure proper burial of the dead, caring for enemy and ally alike in that, and will lay down their lives gladly to protect the innocent or bring peace closer. While Morrow is worshipped across Immoren, the Precursors are a distinctly Cygnaran knightly order, originally sanctified in Caspia's Archcourt Cathedral. Now, they occupy a number of remote fortress-monasteries, watching the coastline to help defend against Cryx. They are protected against magic by the blessings of Ascendants Katrena, Solovin and Markus, serving as a rare beacon of hope. They will never work alongside Thamarite or undead units in any circumstances.  The Precursor Knight Officer and Standard are part priest, part knight, leaders of their order who fight terrible foes in the name of their patron, the Ascendant Katrena. They are the famous Morrown battle chaplains, warrior-priests who serve the primarch and preach the word of Morrow. They have sworn their lives to preserve the bodies and souls of everyone against Cryx, to protect the weak and to drive the wicked from Caen. Any who think Morrowns meek have never met them as they fight an honorable war. They are not afraid even of facing other Morrowans, and their blows are charged with holy might.  The Rangers are border sentinels, armed only with rifles, cloaks and survival kits. Many have died in the Thornwood, Marches and the Broken Coast to keep Cygnar safe as scouts for the Army. They are the toughest and brightest the army's got, trained by the Cygnaran Reconnaissance Service in survival, stealth and secret communications. They can disappear on deployment for months if required, moving through underbrush faster than most people can run on clear ground. They are ideal guides in any terrain, escorting entire offensives if needed. They are trained to blend with their surroundings to hide even from snipers, carrying a wide array of signaling devices and maps at all times, updating and revising as needed. They can identify distances with precision and signal enemy positions to their allies. Whether working as covert strike teams, guides or observors, they are useful and versatile, and the Scout General recruits more at a ready pace. NExt time: Storm Knights
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Jul 7, 2015 00:02
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Forces of Warmachine: Cygnar The Storm Lances are mounted knights armed with powerful electro lances, which constantly arc and fire galvanic bolts. They fearlessly charge any foe, crushing them beneath the horse's hooves and impaling them on the voltaic weapon. The lance can fire lightning at range, as well. The Storm Lances are proud of both their effectiveness and their mission: the protection of Cygnar against any foe, with the might of a storm.  A Stormblade Officer and Standard is a sure sign of facing the mightiest storm knights. The knight lieutenants wield some of the most potent mechanika in Immoren, and the company banner is capped with a tempest generator, causing the atmosphere around to turn into a localized thunderstorm. It also interacts with the storm glaives, empowering their blasts a lot. The knight lieutenants are brilliant battlefield commanders with years of training in Stormblade tactics. They are held to a higher code of conduct, embodying all the traditions of the Stormblades.  The Stormblade Infantry Storm Gunner is a specialized member of the Stormblades, meant to overcome their weaknesses. Stormblades are short range at best, and rather inaccurate, leaving them vulnerable to long-range threats. Cygnar devised the storm thrower to deal with that, and a unit of Stormblades becomes much deadlier when accompanied by a Storm Gunner armed with one. The storm thrower is a complex weapon meant to interact with the knights' standard equipment, channeling the attacks of the storm glaives towards their targets. A foe hit by a storm thrower is much easier to hit with storm glaives, you see.  The Stormguard are elite knights, masters of the voltaic halberd, a mechanikal polearm meant to tear through armor while firing electrical torrents. Every halberd strike charges the sergeant's nexus generator, a weapon of great electrical power. At the right moment, the sergeant then unleashes a lightning strike that tears apart enemy formations. The Stormguard are sent to shore up flanks or hold strategic positions, training endlessly at Fort Falk when not in the field. They fight as a perfect unit, trusting each other with their lives. Like all storm knights, they are living symbols of Cygnaran technological superiority, and Leto trusts them to guard him with their lives. Their very presence inspires other soldiers and reminds them that Leto supports them.  The Sword Knights are one of the oldest knightly orders in Immoren and the cornerstone of Cygnar's armies. Each knight inherits a legacy of service, faith and courage. Modern knightly orders prefer mechanika, but the Sword Knights use the same weapons they have for centuries, and are still effective. They are masters of the Caspian battle blade, practicing until the sword becomes an extension of the mind and body. On acceptance into the order, they receive two swords. The first is the blade they will use in battle, and the second is a ceremonial blade to be kept on their person at all times, maintained throughout their entire life. It must never be drawn in battle, and on a knight's death, it is buried with them, to keep them safe in Urcaen. The Sword Knights have served Cygnar for centuries against bandits and monsters, and since the invention of the warjack, they have adapted their tactics to fight alongside those weapons. They are expected to learn the inner workings of 'jacks, and as a result, they are able to inflict terrible damage to enemy warjacks by targeting their vulnerable points. They reach their greatest potential when accompanying warjacks into battle, as they are trained in supporting maneuvers with them, flanking the 'jacks across the field and taking out any foe that gets close.  A Sword Knight Officer and Standard are a proud tradition that has yet to become obsolete. They fight without relying on mechanika, needing only a blade, a shield and amazing skill. No other Cygnaran knights are able to match their precision and power with a blade. Most Sword Knight companies serve with the heavy infantry, but there are several full Sword Knight battalions, led by majors with decades of service. These men are all nobles descended from the ruling families of the Royal Assembly, and years of experience have given them the knowledge to command both men and warjacks in complex and precise maneuvers.  A Trencher Cannon Crew is capable of digging in hastily, putting up sandbags and getting ready to fire very quickly. They are professionals, chosen for steady nerves as much as good eyes, and are able to calmly check maps and orders before firing, even around explosions. They check windage, elevation and range before firing, always with perfect ease. They have a reputation among the Trenchers for precision and devastation, clearing the way for Trencher charges. Their short-barreled cannons may resemble naval ordnance, but they are very modern artillery with a conical shell and rifled barrel rather than smoothbore and balls. Their range is not equal to a Khadoran mortar's, but it's still impressive, and much more precise. The Khadorans have learned, grudgingly, to respect these cannons, particularly after finding them dug in and set up right at the front lines. Next time: Trenchers.
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Jul 7, 2015 01:37
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Is that a magisteampunk tesla cannon in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?
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Jul 7, 2015 01:44
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Unknown Armies, part 19: Going Downquote:Rolling a dollar bill into a pellet and swallowing it with a mouthful of New Coke protects you against Plutomancer spells until the next time you handle money. Demons So, Demons have been mentioned in passing during the Global section and they probably didn't come off as too scary. They're not bat-winged monsters or tentacled horrors from beyond...they're just the disembodied spirits of dead assholes. Well, here's where we cover why demons are dangerous. As mentioned previously demons are the souls of once-living humans. No one really knows what precisely happens when someone dies but it's known that only Demons ever come back to the land of the living. Most souls, wherever it is they end up, just don't respond to attempts to summon or communicate with them. Demons are humans who were consumed with an overwhelming Obsession and their only goal is to get back into the living world to pursue that obsession. Unfortunately, Adepts are far more likely to become demons than normal people. To this end they will do whatever it takes to get control of a human body. They are the crackheads of the cosmos. It doesn't matter who someone was before they became a demon, they will now do anything to get your body (or anyone else's). An activist who died obsessed with the fight for civil rights will gladly eat babies if it means they can take over some meat-bag and get back to the picket lines. Demon Summoning Only Dipsomancers and Entropomancers have formula spells for demon summoning but most other schools of magic can finagle it as an appropriately themed Random Magick. When you summon a demon it joins you in your brain and the two of you get a chance to talk. The better your skill roll the more likely you got a demon that it similar to the kind you're looking for (such as the soul of a former adept, or the soul of someone who knows about the Sleepers, etc). Good successes give you bonuses to any control attempts you might make. Failures lead to nothing but a critical failure gets you automatically possessed. If you're looking for a specific individual (That rear end in a top hat Jim). This costs twice as much and requires you to roll under half your skill (a roll above half that's still a success produces a demon whose lying about its identity). Controlling demons requires a ritual or a spell like the Entropomancer's Cage The Dead. This lets you make a Soul roll which has to both succeed and exceed the Demon's Soul rating (if the demon has a higher soul rating you automatically fail unless you get a matched roll). A failure means the demon has you for [Soul] Minutes before you can make another Soul roll to take control. A matched failure means [Soul] hours. Critical failure means your body belongs to the demon now. Forever. If you manage to keep the demon from taking over you can make a request, which requires another opposed Soul roll to force the demon to obey (fortunately only matched failure leads to possession). Very rarely you can simply negotiate with a demon without resorting to straightforward tests of will. Since demons are, by nature, liars and cheats you can count on them cheating unless you've got some serious firepower to back up your side of the deal. The threat of destruction or imprisonment is one of the few things that can get a demon to actually stick to a bargain. Possession Once a demon has your body they've got full access to your physical stats, but no access to your memories or magickal ability (fortunately the demon's actions do not count as taboo breaking for avatars or adepts). I can use your other skills, but at only half their normal rating. They also have the vaguely defined "Get Back Up" skill that allows them to shrug off debilitating effects from poison, sickness or injury and force their body to keep going. Demons can spit out minor random unnatural phenomena once per hour and a significant phenomena once per day (think the random poo poo that happens during an exorcism movie). A demon that knew rituals in life can use those and a former adept can use its powers so long as it can get charges (be really careful summoning epideromancer demons...they don't really care about the consequences of gaining Major charges). Demons are not considerate tenants. They will use your body to pursue their obsession as thoroughly and quickly as possible (along the way they'll probably partake in any physical pleasures they missed or pursue any vendettas they might still have). No matter what happens you have no memory of it while the demon is in control. They don't care much about their "host" but demons will almost never cut their "stay" in the body short by letting it die. Really vengeful demons might arrange for death-traps that will kick in after their possession ends (time bombs, poisoning, etc) but will always seek to keep pursuing their obsession as long as possible. It's also possible for someone to accidentally summon a demon. Anyone with a Soul score of 80 has a chance to accidentally summon a demon when they make attempts to contact "the other side". It could be a seance, a ouija board, prayers to a dead relative, whatever. Unfortunately these victims are almost automatically possessed for [Soul] hours until they can try and break free (which fortunately, due to their high Soul rating, is fairly reliable). It's also implied that a summoned demon can snatch someone else's body once they're in the mortal world but how this works is never explained. What Can Demons Do One primary use for demons is simply information. Being dead they seem to know a fair amount about the spirit world. Most demons know about the Archetypes and the Statosphere as well as the death and rebirth of the world (in fact this is where most of this cosmic knowledge comes from...which makes you wonder what demons aren't telling us). They never like to talk about the nature of the afterlife itself other than vague references to the Veil and creatures they call only "the cruel ones". Some demons know more than others (some might know information about the identity of specific Archetypes, who the Count de Saint Germain is, etc). Demons can also teach you how to create artifacts. They have an unfortunate tendency to create "trap" artifacts that make demonic possession easier. Very simply demons also make effective spies: being invisible and incorporeal there's not many places they can't go. Their ability to produce unnatural phenomena is not powerful enough to be dangerous but it can be an effective way to simulate hauntings or to gaslight someone (simply forcing Unnatural checks on an enemy can be a pretty powerful strategy). They also know how to infect someone with astral parasites. Finally, you can learn a school of magick from a demon...this is a terrible idea since it still involves the demon breaking you down just like any other mentor. quote:Cutting off the head of a living being and writing the name of someone who knows one of your secrets on its tongue makes that person forget the secret for as long as the head remains in your possession. Artifacts The artifact chapter pretty simple. Artifacts are objects that have magickal power in some way. There are two types: Natural and Constructed. Natural artifacts are created spontaneously by the cosmos, often as the result of exposure to powerful magickal or emotional energy. The Ascension of the Naked Goddess enchanted the porn film as an artifact, one powerful enough that even copies of it count as artifacts. As a result, major events often lead to "scavengers" coming out of the woodwork. Not only do such events often produce powerful tools for adepts, but there's always the chance something caught a bit of the whammy and turned into an artifact. Constructed artifacts are divided into three levels: minor, significant, and Major. Some have only single, or limited uses and others can be used over and over again (unlimited use artifacts count as one level "higher" in terms of power). Most adepts can make constructed artifacts using one of their formula or random magick spells. Whatever it is has to resonate not only with your school of magick but also with the artifact's purpose. So an artifact for travel should take the form of a vehicle, map or similar thematically appropriate shape. A dipsomancer creating a travel-based magickal artifact would probably enchant the tiny in-flight liquor bottles from an airline for instance. One-uses Minor artifacts require only the normal cost for whatever effect you're doing, plus one extra. This gives you a "portable" spell that can be used later (potentially by someone other than you). Limited use versions require an extra significant charge and last a number of uses equal to the sum of your dice. Making an eternal use minor artifact requires a Major charge. One-use Significant artifacts require the normal cost, plus one minor charge. Limited use significant artifacts cost just an extra significant charge (and like minor artifacts can be used a number of times equal to the sum of the roll). Eternal use significant artifacts require the same effort as a major artifact. Major artifacts are extremely difficult, requiring at least two Major charges and a symbolically powerful object to be enchanted (think like a dipsomancer or cliomancer significant charging element). Obviously, in most cases creating a Major artifact is a waste of hard-to-get Major charges. One potential use, however, is the creation of eternal-use significant artifacts. Example Artifacts *Lucky Charms: +10% shift to your next skill attempt. It requires an action to activate. *Travel Bond: This "pins" a target to their current location, preventing them from going further than 15 miles for the next night and day (via coincidence). The item must be "linked" to the target when made and activated by somehow "giving" it to the target (usually hiding it on their person or at the location that the effect is centered on), such as driving an enchanted horse-shoe nail into the target's tire. Destroying the artifact ends the effect. *Obnoxerox: Divination via chick tracts. Seriously, these are little pamphlets or flyers that can be handed out. When handed to someone who knows the information you want to know the contents of the page will change to something immensely offensive to the target (this includes undistributed copies). You now have to figure out how to get the person to tell you what you want to know. *Wooden Nickels: An anti-plutomancer artifact. Plutomancers cannot get rid of wooden nickels once they accept it. Coincidence keeps the nickel in their possession (or forces it to return to them). Each time you cast a spell the cost increases by one charge and if you can't pay the extra cost the spell fails. Even worse, you don't know this is happening until the GM tells you you've run out of charges early. To get rid of them you have to spend (and have it accepted) by someone as part of a payment for something worthwhile (so no paying someone for a second of their time, etc). The coins are wooden, carved into the shape of a specific coin (not just nickels). quote:The invisible clergy are building a cathedral of glass on the surface of the moon. You can see it in some of the pictures taken by the astronauts. When they complete the cathedral, the world will end. That's technically the end of the Cosmic chapter, it's actually quite short. After this we get into the GM section.
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Jul 7, 2015 15:22
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Hi guys, here's some more System Mastery for you. It's Fifth Cycle, and it deserves only scorn and derision.
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Jul 7, 2015 18:16
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Hey theironjef, I'm halfway through the Noumenon episode and I just wanted you to know: I definitely saw this book in print. It was in a shop that has long since divested itself of both comics and RPGs in favour of toys, board games, and stuff like trains and model rockets. I remember briefly leafing through it, and quickly writing it off as one of those interesting, ambitious games that has a narrow focus and that you can never find anyone to play. So are you just going to go through every game Ron Edwards mentioned in "Fantasy Heartbreakers?" I can't find half of them. Halloween Jack fucked around with this message at 18:28 on Jul 7, 2015 |
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Jul 7, 2015 18:25
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Halloween Jack posted:Hey theironjef, I'm halfway through the Noumenon episode and I just wanted you to know: I definitely saw this book in print. It was in a shop that has long since divested itself of both comics and RPGs in favour of toys, board games, and stuff like trains and model rockets. It wasn't actually the intent to do that. We're focused on getting through the stack of stuff that was mailed or gifted to us, and Fifth Cycle was in a pile of "gift" we received a while back. We also recently received a supplement for it, which brought it to the forefront of our attention. Honestly I can barely stand reading these old near-D&Ds and am really looking forward to something totally different next episode. theironjef fucked around with this message at 18:37 on Jul 7, 2015 |
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Jul 7, 2015 18:30
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Halloween Jack posted:Hey theironjef, I'm halfway through the Noumenon episode and I just wanted you to know: I definitely saw this book in print. I have a print copy. It definitely existed and went through distributors. It's the same publisher as Heaven And Earth, another System Mastery ep..
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Jul 7, 2015 18:45
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Oh yeah, we just weren't sure. We had the pdf and it felt like the sort of game that would be pdf only. Glad to hear it's actually out there in the world... being weird...
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Jul 7, 2015 18:48
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theironjef posted:It wasn't actually the intent to do that. We're focused on getting through the stack of stuff that was mailed or gifted to us, and Fifth Cycle was in a pile of "gift" we received a while back. Have you considered reviewing Japanese Ghost Story: A Japanese Ghost Story? 
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Jul 7, 2015 18:50
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Halloween Jack posted:Have you considered reviewing Japanese Ghost Story: A Japanese Ghost Story? Well, we have now. For some reason I figured it was going to be by the guy that wrote that Arrows of Indra thing.
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Jul 7, 2015 18:54
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