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Post by Jack on Nov 3, 2012 20:33:04 GMT -8
Updates on Badlands, whoo.
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Post by Jack on Nov 3, 2012 21:31:10 GMT -8
Magic in Badlands isn't learned or studied, and as there's no MP so you can cast as much as you like (there may be some minor side effects, but hey, free magic). Magic comes from runes, and the act of activating runes is called Runecasting. Runes were used in older times, seen as gifts from the Guardians, but in the modern world they are very rare finds. As such, those who know what they mean are few and far between, causing modern runecasting to be more trial and error than actually knowing what will happen. To runecast one must hold a rune (or runes) in hand and will their power to take form. As such, the willed intent or situation may affect the resulting spell. Then again, it may not. Runecasting is far from exact. There are three known types of runes. The first are Essence Runes. These are said to have come directly from the Guardians themselves, gods' gifts to man. They hold within them a power that can be unleashed on its own, or shifted through use of other runes. The second are Augment Runes. These runes were supposedly created by sacred men close to the Guardians as a way to harness the power of Essence Runes to more specific tasks. There are still some Augment Runes in the world, unclaimed by treasure hunters or the damages of time. The third are Form Runes. The origins of these runes are unknown, but are rumored to have been created by a single runesmith who had mastered the magics of a Guardian. Very few of these runes remain in existence, even when compared to the others. Form Runes are independent from the other two rune types. When runecasting, multiple runes can be activated at once to create varying effects (be careful not to drop them, though!). To combine runes, simply hold more than one in hand and cast like normal. Be warned, though, not all runes can combine with one another. Essence Runes can be combined with one or more Augment Runes, but not other Essence or Form Runes. Augment Runes have no effects on their own, needing to be combined with an Essence Rune to activate. Form Runes can be combined with other Form Runes, though their effects do not change one another, but instead activate together for a combined effect. The number and varying types of runes are up to your GM, though there is usually only one of each kind of rune left in the world. Feel free to make up your own, or use the ones I made up : Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Lightning, Light, Darkness, Fear, Time, Luck, Binding, Blade, Bulwark, Shadow, Cold, Death, Judgement, Life, Mass, Banishment, Truth, Force, Shield, Flow As you need to hold your runes in hand to runecast, you cannot runecast while dual wielding. If runecasting with a poor quality prosthetic, you may need to make a roll to not drop the runes due to stiff fingers. Even when casting properly, there is a chance that your runes may fail to perform properly. Good luck, and happy casting!
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Post by Jack on Nov 3, 2012 22:37:36 GMT -8
When a roll is required, generally when your character is doing a task that isn't completely trivial for them, you will roll several d6 (usually).
When rolling, declare what stat and what skills are being applied to the roll, as well as if you are burning a willpower point on it. For each rank in the selected stat and skills, as well as for a burned will point, you add 1d6 to your pool. As every stat is at least 1, you will always have at least one die to roll.
For example, say you are trying to pick a lock. Your Awareness is 2, and you have a lockpicking skill of 1. You would roll 3d6.
Your base result is whatever the highest number on the dice read. Additional points are added for multiples of numbers after the first.
Example : You roll a 5, a 3, a 3, and a 3. Your base number is 5 as it is the highest. You have rolled three 3s, so you add one more point for each 3 after the first. In this case, your final result would be 5 + 2 giving you a roll of 7.
Additional dice can be added for skill synergy, which is to say skills that don't directly pertain to the task at hand but are related.
For example, say you are crafting a sword. You have an Int of 2 and a crafting skill of 1. However, you also have skill : Sword Training. Due to your knowledge of swords, you would get a bonus die for your roll, giving you a total of 2 + 1 + 1 d6.
Be warned when picking your skills, if you pick skills that you can't adequately explain why they apply, for every die that skill would have added the DM will take one die away of his/her choosing. Depending on your DM's mood, this could prove disastrous for a roll.
For example, say you're rolling to kick a door open. Your Str is 3. You also decide to claim your Animal Husbandry score of 2 will help you in some way (you'd better be REALLY CONVINCING. In this example, you were not). You roll 5d6 and report the numbers. Due to AH not actually being helpful in this case, the DM can pick two of those dice results and void them, giving you a result of 3 dice instead of 5.
Some jobs are just easier with tools. If you're doing a job and have tools that can aid you with it, declare that you are using the tools and add 1d6 to your dice pool. Be warned, however, just like the above scenario if your tools don't adequately apply to the job at hand you may receive a dice penalty. However, in some cases using a tool that's only moderately good for the job may be better than using no tools at all.
Normally you would be rolling to defeat a challenge number to pass a test. A normal (not too strenuous) challenge for a character might be a number between 3 and 5, for example. Sometimes however you will roll an Opposed Challenge. When this occurs, you and another party will roll against each other to try and score higher than the other.
Sometimes a situation arises where you're at a disadvantage. Such rolls will suffer a Penalty, depending on the situation. There are two types of penalties. The first type is an inherent penalty. If you're not in your best condition, or perhaps your tools just aren't up to the task, the GM will institute a penalty for it. An inherent penalty will remove one or more d6 from your rolling pool, giving you a harder time beating the odds. An external penalty applies when events around you are resisting your efforts, but it isn't an opposed roll. In this case, a number decided by the GM will be reduced from your final score.
When casting magic the rolls are a little different. Stats do not apply, and there is no dice pool like above. Instead, each rune has a different roll. When using an essence rune, roll a d6. If the result is 1, the rune failed to activate and the runecast fizzles. When using an augment rune, roll a d4 for each augment. Once again, on a result of 1 the rune fails to activate. When using form runes, it's a bit different. If using a single form rune, roll a d6. If using multiple form runes at once, roll a d4 for each rune. Just as above, a 1 means the rune didn't activate.
Good luck and happy rolling!
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Post by Jack on Nov 3, 2012 23:21:13 GMT -8
Sometimes talking just doesn't work. When it comes down to situations like this, it's time for battle.
In battle you are protected by three different point sets.
First is your Armor Points. Like the name would suggest, armor points are dependent on your armor. AP provided by a piece of armor is dependent on the quality of the material and how much of your body it covers. Torso armor offers the most protection percentage, while gauntlets and greaves offer the least percentage. This doesn't mean you should just shirk your extremities, though! That's still 40% of your overall armor. When wearing armor, non-keen strike damage depletes your armor points until they hit 0. When this happens, your armor is broken and no longer provides you with any protection. To get it back up to scratch, you need to repair it.
The second are your Toughness Points. TP is dependent on your Health, and is your basic 'HP' so to speak. Non-keen strike damage when not wearing armor or keen strike damage when you are depletes your TP. When TP hits 0, you fall unconscious and are no longer able to do anything until you wake up. If your TP falls below a number equal to negative your total health, you will die. Most healing items and healing magics will replenish your TP.
The third are your Health Points. Your HP is uncommon and precious, and cannot be recovered except through time or by some rare healing items. Your HP will be depleted when you are struck by a Keen Strike when your armor is broken. Each keen strike in this situation depletes your HP by 1. When your HP is at 0, you enter a critical state during which you can be maimed or killed.
When attacking, a contested roll takes place. The attacker rolls for accuracy, while the defender rolls to dodge or block. If the attacker wins, the strike connects. To roll for damage, each party rolls 2d6. If the attacker wins one roll but not the other, it is a normal attack. If the attacker wins both rolls, the attack becomes a keen strike. If the defender wins both rolls, the attack is a glancing blow and only does 1 damage.
Damage is mostly dependent on your weapon. When striking AP or TP, a weapon will add bonus damage to the attack. When striking HP, however, the damage is always 1. Damage is also influenced by how much the attacker won the damage roll by. For every two points higher the attack roll than the defense toll, 1 damage is added to the attack.
For example, Barry shoots Jim with his revolver. The attack connects, so a damage roll takes place. Both characters roll 2d6. Barry rolls a 5 and a 2, Jim rolls a 1 and a 4. Barry won the first roll, but Jim won the second. This means the attack is a normal strike. Barry's revolver adds 2 damage to the base 1 damage for a successful attack, but he ALSO won the first attack roll by 4 points. His attack gains 1 point of damage for every 2 points he won by. In this case Barry won by four, so his attack gets a bonus 2 points of damage on it. Barry's attack therefore deals 1 + 2 + 2, or 5 damage to Jim. Ouch.
When in a Critical State, all keen strikes will deal critical damage until your HP rises above 0. When a keen strike occurs on someone in the critical state, the attacker rolls 2d6. The resulting sum is compared to a critical damage table to see what damage occurred. A 9 or above is always fatal. If a keen strike does not occur, the attack hits toughness like normal. On someone who is unconscious and in a critical state, all damage is critical.
Different weapons have different effects, but their damage is classified as one of two types : lethal or nonlethal. Nonlethal weapons are incapable of doing HP damage, and can only keen strike against an armored foe. Lethal weapons have no such limitations, and can maim folks just fine. Do note that you can still kill someone with a nonlethal weapon, but it will normally involve beating their unconscious body. When unarmed, your fists count as a nonlethal weapon.
Weapons also will usually add damage to attacks. The damage added is dependent on the weapon, consult with your DM if you're curious. Note that unarmed fisticuffs do not add damage, and so deal a base damage of 1.
Your weapon speed determines your attack order in battle. To determine initiative, contested rolls will take place using the stat that determines your weapon speed and any speed based skills with the highest results getting first move. In the event of a tie, the person with the smaller weapon moves first. If both weapons are of the same class, roll again to break the tie.
In combat, guns can be used from farther ranges than melee weapons and can rapid fire (shoot multiple times in a single action), but they require ammo. Once your gun is empty, it's not much more than a glorified club.
Weapons come in three basic sizes : Small, Regular, and Large. Small weapons are more accurate, but they don't dish out as much damage as other types. Regular weapons have no bonuses or deductions to their accuracy. Large weapons are less accurate, but dish out more damage per hit. Note that the above accuracy rules only apply to melee weapons. For guns, smaller weapons are less accurate, but they can rapid fire with a lower accuracy reduction and are usually quicker to reload.
For example, rapid firing a shotgun will result in each consecutive shot having 50% less accuracy than the one before it. Rapid firing a pistol on the other hand will only result in a 30% reduction.
Weapons suffer damage like armor, and will eventually need to be repaired or they will break. Weapon damage is at the GM's discretion, but it will normally make sense unless your GM is a jerk. For example, slicing someone wearing metal armor with a sword will dull and damage the blade, and clubbing someone with a shotgun is obviously not very good for the weapon's durability.
Good luck, and happy combat!
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Post by Jack on Nov 3, 2012 23:46:16 GMT -8
The world of Badlands is variable depending on what your GM wants it to be like, but one thing is consistent : the world is in pretty rough shape. Whether is be a desert wasteland, a watery world with nowhere to find dry land, or a world slowly being used up and strapped for resources, well things could be better. The average joe is more concerned with surviving the world than philosophy, and more dreamy individuals may be seen as being useless.
According to Badlands mythology, in ye olden times, the Guardians, who were essentially gods of various aspects of reality, were worshiped and often provided aid to those in need. At some point in the past, however, the Guardians stopped responding to mankind's prayers and vanished from the world. Having been abandoned by their gods, the religion slowly fell by the wayside.
Nowadays, the common folks' opinion on their old religion is that 'God is dead'. They know of some of the old myths, but few really remember them in detail, and fewer still could tell you where they took place. Some scholars of the old ways do exist, though, and depending on who you talk to they may be able to translate old scripts, or even pay you for recovered artifacts.
Not everywhere in the world is totally out of luck. There will always be some bastions of profit, progress, and some manner of civility in the world, and there is usually at least one big hub of a city where people can meet for trade or to find work. Of course, just because you're in a big city doesn't mean there's no danger.
The world is a big and dangerous place (unless you're from Disneyworld, which I hear is small). As such, players probably wont want to walk everywhere. Other people in the world probably wont either. As such, it wouldn't be amiss to have some sort of mass transit to get around safely and quickly. However, public transit probably wont visit all the places players would like to go. It would not be amiss for players to be able to get ahold of alternate forms of transportation, be it some horses or their very own skyship. Such transport is normally safer than walking, and may also allow players to transport more treasure than they would otherwise be able to carry. Of course, there are some costs to owning your own transportation...
Remember, in Badlands the players aren't really special or unique in any way. They're just average folk who happened to get lucky. There doesn't necessarily have to be some big quest to save the world, though the GM can draft one up if (s)he so desires. The world may or may not be able to be improved through players' actions, though it can also be made worse.
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Post by Jack on Nov 4, 2012 0:05:07 GMT -8
There are a total of seven main stats in Badlands, each of which cannot be naturally increase via level ups after chargen. To increase stats, one must find and equip various runes.
The seven stats are as follows : The first stat is Strength. Strength is your physical toughness. It is the governing stat of regular and large melee weapons, and it also governs your Health and Toughness as well as your carrying capacity. Strength also adds half of its bonus to your ranged weapon accuracy, and its full bonus to rapid fire shots after the first one.
The second is Awareness. Awareness is your ability to sense your surroundings. It is the governing stat for ranged weaponry. Awareness provides the to-hit bonus for melee weapons, and half its bonus to regular ranged weapon shots. It also provides half the bonus for dodge attempts.
The third stat is Agility. Agility is your ability to move swiftly and to react quickly. It is the governing stat for small melee weapons, as well as physical skills such as running and jumping. Agility provides half the bonus to dodge rolls.
The fourth stat is Intelligence. If I need to explain what it is, you clearly need some more. Just kidding. Intelligence is your overall smarts and ability to learn. It governs brainy skills.
The fifth stat is Willpower. Willpower is your drive to succeed no matter the odds. Each point you have in willpower grants you one Will Point. Will points can be burned to add an extra die to any challenge roll, but you don't get the point back until the GM allows it to regenerate, usually when you rest for the night. Willpower also provides the bonus to rolls against fear or to resist something very tempting.
The sixth stat is Health. It is equal to twice your Strength.
The seventh stat is Toughness. It is equal to twice your Health. Both Health and Toughness are very important in combat.
There is no strictly set way that Strength affects your carrying capacity. A quick and easy way to do it is that a player can carry 3 + 2 x (Strength) items.
Equipped items do not count towards your inventory limit. Armor cannot be layered over the same bodypart. You can equip a weapon or shield in each hand, or one two-handed weapon. Note that dual wielding increases reload times by 1 round. You can have up to three runes equipped at once, and runecasting can only use the equipped runes. Changing equipment takes 1 round.
To increase your stats, you must equip runes. Each rune grants a stat bonus which can be increased by leveling your runes. The way that runes are leveled up is determined by the GM. Only equipped runes provide stat bonuses.
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Post by Jack on Nov 4, 2012 0:28:56 GMT -8
Well let's get down to creating your Drifter!
First up, what is your character's name? Everyone has a name, and yours may become famous or even infamous depending on your actions! Feel free to include a nickname if you so desire.
Time to get creative! Next up is your character's history. Who is your character? What made them who they are today? Why did they become a Drifter, or why do they want to become one? You character's stats, skills, and items should fit into their history. If you would like to add your character's personality to their character sheet, add it below their history.
Now lets get to stats. There are 5 primary stats. Strength Awareness Agility Intelligence Willpower Each stat starts with 1 rank in it. This means you're already level 1 in everything! In addition, you have 4 stat points to allocate. Choose well, you wont get more later! Now there are still two more stats to fill out. Don't worry, this part is easy. Health Toughness See your strength score above? Just double that and you have your health. Now take your health and double that. That is your toughness score.
Now lets get you some skills. There is no list of skills, so you get to make yours up! Skills come in two types. General Skills cover a variety of abilities. Each general skill costs 3 skill points to raise by 1 rank. Examples of general skills would be perform, melee combat, or explosives training. Specific Skills are just what they sound like; skills which have a narrow range of use. Each specific skill costs 1 skill point. Examples would include singing, sword training, and grenade training. You start with 6 skill points to allocate. No skill can be a higher rank than its governing stat during character generation! Don't forget!
Next up is equipment. Like the skills above, there are no item lists in Badlands. Go make up your gear! Every Drifter begins with one base weapon and a set of armor of either poor or regular quality. If your base weapon is a firearm, you begin with your gun loaded and with two reloads. You may also choose to spend one skill point to buy another weapon, but any weapons gained in this manner do not start with reloads. You may also begin with one or two personal items. Personal items are not weapons or armor. Only one of the personal items may be a tool.
Every Drifter also begins their game with 50-150 zen (money). There are no benefits to this choice besides how much coin you start with, this choice is mostly for role playing purposes.
Congrats! You've now created a Drifter, and are ready to face the perils of Badlands! Good luck, and happy trails!
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