(Due to events that occurred when I temporarily turned the Los Angeles leg of the campaign over to you people, a chunk of the gameworld has now been flooded by a sea of unknown goo, in the midst of which the characters were marooned.)
-Chris Weller's very cool idea of an ettin was defeated (at least temporarily) by a "soft power" approach--the boys took him drinking (probability-warping luck on the charisma rolls) and then dosed him with some sort of forgetting potion the girls found in a dungeon. Since one of the heads is a very angry wizard, I will have to decide what the ettin will do once he wakes up.
-...Which is maybe not much for a while since the players stole his boat and are now sailing the plasmic sea. Must finish up and edit the trouble-at-sea table.
-Incidentally they seem to have chosen to sail rather than stay on the fortress and fight the ettin or go down into the dungeon attached to the fortress, or find the things that will stop the skeleton plague on account of sailing seems like fun. My players do not appear to choose what to do based on any consistent criteria. I'm ok with that. However, since they're ignoring the undead this does mean I need to decide what spooky skeleton-thing will happen next back in civilization.
-Ok, they're not entirely ignoring the undead. They defeated a ghost ship full of skeleton pirates--ably assisted by Miss Charlie, visiting from NYC on her first RPG go-round. Now that they've got the ship (and got it in better shape than the boat they were on) I have to figure out exactly what's on the ghost ship.
-Since there are (or were) a hell of a lot of inhabited areas between the Fortress of Crows and the Sea of Ignorance and Pain to which it is now joined by a viscid umbilicus, I have to invent post-goopocalyptic versions of various places on the map that the crew might manage to wavecrawl to over the course of the next session, as well as identify landmarks or other situations that would give them some non-arbitrary reasons to decide one course over another.
-It'd also probably be a good idea to nail down just what, mechanically, the goo is, since no-one's fallen in it yet so I haven't had to decide.
-It also would be fun if I could seed a few ideas that have to do with who the players' characters are around the map, since they're sailing far from home.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Gygaxian Democracy #10: The Vidrageist
Let's crowdsource a sea monster...
Vidrageist
FREQUENCY:Very rare
NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: 4
MOVE: 6"//12"
HIT DICE: 6+4
% IN LAIR: 50%
TREASURE TYPE: Special
NO.OFATTACKS: 2
DAMAGE/ATTACKS:
1-8/1-8
SPECIAL ATTACKS:See below
SPECIAL DEFENSES:See below
MAGIC RESISTANCE:Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Animal
ALIGNMENT Neutral
SIZE: L (20' long)
PSlONlC ABILITY: Nil
attack/Defense Modes: Nil/nil
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: VI/475 + 6/hp
Despite the name--and many legends to the contrary--this bizarre amphibious creature is not undead. They are often found basking in the moonlight atop the ruins of flooded cities, and it is said that the moon grants them their strange abilities.
Upon first encountering any creature, the Vidrageist will...
(your turn)
VidrageistFREQUENCY:Very rare
NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: 4
MOVE: 6"//12"
HIT DICE: 6+4
% IN LAIR: 50%
TREASURE TYPE: Special
NO.OFATTACKS: 2
DAMAGE/ATTACKS:
1-8/1-8
SPECIAL ATTACKS:See below
SPECIAL DEFENSES:See below
MAGIC RESISTANCE:Standard
INTELLIGENCE: Animal
ALIGNMENT Neutral
SIZE: L (20' long)
PSlONlC ABILITY: Nil
attack/Defense Modes: Nil/nil
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: VI/475 + 6/hp
Despite the name--and many legends to the contrary--this bizarre amphibious creature is not undead. They are often found basking in the moonlight atop the ruins of flooded cities, and it is said that the moon grants them their strange abilities.
Upon first encountering any creature, the Vidrageist will...
(your turn)
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Some Things That Were Pretty Sweet About The Old Mayfair DC Heroes Game
-Omni-gadgets. Gadgeteer superheroes could spend points to get an "Omni-gadget" with a certain number of power ranks (like, say "7") and they could do anything so long as the powers it emulated had that number of ranks. So like a flashlight might have "Light: 6, Armor: 1". Better than having to buy everything in the utility belt separately. So somebody might have 3 rank 5 omni-gadgets. Seems like a mechanic you could re-use with a little tweaking for certain kinds of sci-fi games.-Rather than charges, gadgets had "reliability numbers". Roll below the number any time while using it and the thing runs out of juice. Maybe not ideal for superhero stuff where jamming is uncommon, but a decent mechanic. BRP/Cthulhu has a similar mechanic for jamming weapons I do believe. If I were writing a superhero RPG I'd say having a reliability number might buy you the ability to get bonuses elsewhere, like weaknesses usually do in point-build RPGs. Seems like a generally useful
substitute for bookkeeping for things like magic items, food supplies, etc.--taking a routine roll you'd be making anyway and just remembering that if you roll low, things have gone awry.-Dumb Luck. This was a superpower where you could pretty much get anything to go your way if you rolled well against your power rank. Ambush Bug had it in spades, if I remember.
-The way they did martial arts (which I talked about before).
There were things I didn't like--like check out the thornbush of mental and mystical stats--Mind, Spirit, Infl, Aura. It kinda made sense at the time but it was really just an attempt to make the physical mental and mystical stats symmetrical and didn't tell players much about their characters at the table.
Gygaxian Democracy #8: Gygaxian Social Interaction (Final Version)
Here is the optional eccentric-NPC interaction table generated via Gygaxian Democracy reformatted to be usable. Contributors are named but not hotlinked. To follow contributors back to their lairs, consult the original post. Redundant responses and ones that did not fit the original remit (the challenges had to be things which the player could conceivably fail to do) have been edited out and I've added a few at the end to make up the numbers.
Gygaxian Social Interaction Table
(roll below one time+once per point of charisma over 15 and pick the one the player likes best, if PC charisma is under under 6, roll one time + once per point of charisma under 6 and the DM picks)
(in most cases, these 'challenges' won't be secret, the player will know this is whats/he has to do...)
(roll d100 and divide by 2)
1-NPC talks fast and interrupts people. If the player can say what s/he wants in less than d12+6 words s/he gets it.
2-NPC talks fast and interrupts people. If the player can say what s/he wants in less than 2d4 seconds s/he gets it.
3-Conversation reveals NPC is obsessed with (conquest/unity/weasels, etc.). If player can work the word "weasel" (or "conquest" or "unity", or etc.) into every sentence of his/her request, s/he gets it.
C'nor (Outermost_Toe) said...
4-The NPC has an obsessive antipathy toward an unlikely thing (I.E, mountains/trees/rivers, etc.). If the player can manage to fit some way that his/her request harms mountains (or trees, or rivers, etc.) into it, they get the desired result. Otherwise, roll 1d20. If the result is 15 or above, they get the desired result. Otherwise the fog of the NPC's obsession overrules their self-interest (or whatever the players were appealing to), and they are: (Roll 1d4)
1-Forcibly ejected from his/her presence.
2-Accused of a crime that they may or may not have committed [to prevent the DM being restricted to using only things they haven't done yet]. Their sentence will be directly related to the antipathy of the NPC; if they hate mountains the players must do a significant amount of damage to one, if trees they must clear cut a forest, if rivers the must construct a dam, etc. 3-Threatened with death or other dire consequences unless they agree to kill and/or disgrace someone who has been blocking their efforts to destroy/harm the object of their antipathy
4...(I hereby turn the remaining results on this table over to Gygaxian Democracy)
C'nor (Outermost_Toe) said...
5-NPC values obfuscation. Any request that is immediately clear, or takes less than 6d10 words, or 4d10 seconds, will be ignored.
6-NPC is completely apathetic. Only requests that allow him or her to do less will be accepted.
7-NPC is a hedonist. Only those requests that will provide a new experience will be accepted.
Brian Moon said...
8- NPC will agree with player requests if they can state it while stacking dice d20 high, one on top of the other, before the stack falls. Subtract one from dice-tower-height roll for each 3 points of PC Charisma.
Eric said...
9. The man is slow in the head. You must talk with words of just one sound or he will not trust you.
Roger the GS said...
10 Words are beside the point. The interlocutor is fixated on the most obvious and special object carried by the adventurers. He/she tries to conceal interest in it but will eventually bring conversation around to it in a nonchalant way. Only giving that thing will convince.
11. the NPC is mad/bored/cruel (Zak: victim of a goblin curse) and will only talk to people speaking backwards. He himself will respond normally though.Additionally, he won't tolerate any grammar mistakes from his interlocutors. Misspelling a word will end up with the NPC going into a fit, insulting the speaker and refusing to respond to that person for d6 days.
12- Player must speak in rhyme, for at least 2d10 rhyming pairs, in order to gain the NPCs favor. Player may subtract 1 for each point of PC Int or Cha (player chooses which stat to apply) above 15; likewise must add 1 for each point of Int or Cha below 6 (use lowest score). No reduction can reduce the number of rhyming pairs below 2; no additions can raise the number required above 20. Player's speech must be on topic (DM's decision). Failure to rhyme results in NPCs disfavor, whatever that means: anger, fear, disappointment, whatever fits the circumstance.
Eric said...
13) Lover of low art: Phrase the request either as a limerick or with a double entendre in every sentence.
14) Lover of high art: Request must be a haiku or in at least 2 lines of iambic pentameter (like Shakespeare: daDAH daDAH daDAH daDAH daDAH/ daDAH daDAH daDAH daDAH daDAH (must rhyme) Either way, player has 2 minutes+ 1 minute for either an Int or Cha 15 and up (4 minutes total if both)
Chris Weller said...
15) Deaf. Players must ask using charades, without modern references.
Josh said...
16) Coward - NPC is a huge dick. He insults the PCs and actively hinders them. Physically he appears like he could take the PCs with on hand behind his back. The NPC will not do what the PCs want until there is a show of force, drawing a sword, grabbing his shirt, etc., after which the NPC will immediately start whimpering.
Zak:
17) NPC has huge, prominent, impressive tattoo in an unlikely place and is really sick of talking to strangers about it. Any request will be granted so long as the PC does not try to ingratiate himself/herself by talking about the tattoo.
Josh...:
18)Obvious Fraud - NPC claims to be a highly educated noble and uses overly long and complicated words often, poorly, and with mispronunciations. As long as the PCs don't call him out, make fun of him (though extra points for sarcastic witty flattery) or make him feel stupid, they will be on the NPC's good side.
19) Battle of Wits - NPC starts making puns, the PCs must reply with a pun 5 times in a row.
Pturtle said...
20) Conversational Drifter - has a hard time staying on topic, will frequently trail off in mid-sentence. PCs must finish sentences quickly and succinctly in order to steer the conversation in the direction they desire. NPC can be manipulated in this way, but PCs' suggestions and arguments must still follow logical thread. (Zak note: nice one)
21) Ornery Conversational Drifter - has a hard time staying on topic, will frequently trail off in mid-sentence. PCs must finish sentences quickly and succinctly in order to steer the conversation in the direction they desire. Unfortunately, NPC is also a natural contrarian. For each PC suggestion, roll 1d6. On 1 or 2, NPC accepts PC suggestion; on 3 through 6, NPC rejects PC suggestion no matter how logical or sensible.
biopunk said...
22) NPC is looking for an understanding. If the player physically nods or shakes their head in response to the NPC's question, the NPC will deem them worthy of [some benefit]. Failure to do so will result in the PC's opinions being ignored by the NPC until the PC asks a direct question of the NPC. The NPC will then reply with another question to the character, again looking for a physical response. Failure to do this three times results in the character being completely ignored by the NPC. (Zak note: don't tel the players how it works.)
23) NPC entertained by circus acts. Player can try juggling 3 items while phrasing request.
24) NPC doesn't like to drink alone. Player can opt to begin & end request with a shot of whiskey.
25) NPC impressed by arcane knowledge. DM picks random 2-3 word phrase from spell descriptions. Player tries to identify the spell it comes from & dictate full sentence context (use of physical rulebooks is allowed; no digital sources; time limit 2 minutes).
C'nor (Outermost_Toe) said...
26-It is customary for the NPC (A noble) and those he negotiates with to drink something flavored with vanilla, probably milk. It comes in quart sized glasses, each of which is automatically re-filled when empty. Vanilla extract (what this is flavored with, rather than the beans themselves) has alcohol in it. Each of these glasses has a whole bottle of vanilla extract in them. After d6 glasses you will inform the players that "You notice that you are starting to feel odd, as though (insert non-obvious description of the early stages of being drunk here)." in whatever way you wish. Once they've had about d4 more glasses of this stuff one of the characters will begin to feel most definitely drunk and/or pass out depending on previously established tolerance for alcohol. At this point the players must play as though their characters are drunk. This was done purposely by the NPC (Who's been drinking plain milk the whole time, and, as such, is still completely sober) in the hopes of getting the party to agree to
1-Marry one of his cousin's adopted daughters, a witch from the northern mountains.
2-Steal a harpy egg from one of his rivals, who is blackmailing him with the threat of opening it in one of his subject lands. Roll again: 1-2-The egg will be opened if the players get too near to discovering who is keeping it, or reveal that the noble sent them. 3-4-The noble they are working for will accidentally break the egg. 5-A vassal of their employer will accidentally break the egg, or will do so on purpose. In accidentally roll for the city. If intentionally roll for city, but restrict the results to those that are under the control of rivals, especially those that are held by the person you stole the egg from in the first place. 6-The egg hatches on the way back to the city. The NPC is enraged, having wished to use the egg for his or her own purposes.
3-Kill one of his rivals.
4-Burn down the home of a specific NPC, at a certain time. He or she will insist that this is because the person will not be there at that time, but it is actually because they will be there, but not in an obvious fashion; the NPC having a desire for revenge and a cruel streak, wishes to burn them alive. The party will hear screams from within if they stick around, and/or hear rumors that a house burned to the ground, killing its occupant.
5-Eradicate a group of: 1-Gnolls 2-Goblins 3-Savage Humans 4-Bestial Elves 5-Bugbies (Bugbear-Brownies. They have the: 1-Head 2-Arms 3-Legs 4-Torso of a Bugbear. All else is as a Brownie. At the DM's discretion they may be Brownbugs, which are as above, save that they are as bugbears overall. Both sorts are chaotic good.)6-Jackal-men. These will be running a "Lottery of Babylon", but are not the main group. As such not all of the choices apply.
6-Kill a hobgoblin thief, and his band of lycanthropic kobolds.
If they agree to do so, in character, roleplaying as drunk, then the NPC will accept their request. (Zak: they don't have to do it). If they fail to roleplay convincingly he will become suspicious, and believe that they mean to double-cross him.
27) Right Here in River City - NPC is a bit thick between the ears; PCs need to make their point or request three times in order for it to land. Unfortunately, NPC is also easily bored/distracted; PCs need to make their three attempts distinctly different, and need to complete all three within 3d8 seconds. For each failure, subtract 1d8 for the rest of the conversation.
Menace 3 Society said...
NPC is a poet/bard/freestyle battler/wannabe or fan of any of the above and insists the player/PC...
28 n+1) speak alliteratively.
29. n+2) talk in terms of allusion to epics or fairy tales, a la ST:TNG episode "Darmok".
30. n+3) use player's choice of any other figure of rhetoric, preferably obscure, e.g. pleonasm, anaphora, synecdoche, etc.
31. n+4) speak in (d4: 1 iambic, 2 trochaic, 3 dactylic, 4 anapestic) (d4+2)ameter.
32. n+7) sing a song for at least d4 x 10 seconds.
33. n+8) accept a challenge to a sonnet/rap contest, and will have no further interaction until the player/PC furnishes a sonnet/rap. Will concede contest as long as sonnet/rap is formally correct.
34. n+9) tell an epic tale of heroism before entertaining any requests or discussion.
35 NPC is vain and requires PC to pay an elaborate compliment referring to 2d4 different things about NPC.
Chris Lowrance said...
36) NPC is a troll. Not the fun kind either. The DM and player in question must engage in a staring contest - if the player loses this is interpreted as the NPC successfully pissing off the PC without giving them what they want. If the player wins, the NPC couldn't crack them and gives in. (if the player is blind or has dry-eye syndrome or something, pick some other simple contest. Or just let them win, for Christ's sake. What's wrong with you.)
37) NPC is a survivor of some horribly traumatic event, and will be seized by a panic attack if triggered by the mention of it. The player does not know what that event was, but knows due to vague allusions that they mustn't mention it. Furthermore, the event involved *something* related to what the DM knows the PCs want. If they can form their request in a way that doesn't mention it, they get what they want. For instance: The PCs want to know where the gnome is so they get steal it's ruby. The NPC once watched her father eaten alive by an insane gnome. The PCs musn't mention gnomes or she begins sobbing and curls up in a ball on the floor.
38) NPC interupts player to tell a shitty joke. If the player laughs, they get what they want. If they don't (the DM should pick a really bad joke) the NPC says "Well, if you think you can do better, let's hear it then!" The player must then tell a joke. If the DM laughs, they get what they want.
39) NPC has an incredibly thick accent. The DM tells them what they want, but only with a mouth full of something, and will not repeat themselves.
40) NPC will mishear a key word of the DM's choosing and give an accurate response based on it. So "Where is the gnome with the ruby" may become "where is the home with the ruby" or "where is the gnome with the boobies." The player must guess which word was misheard - a correct guess and they get a corrected answer, a missed guess and they get a new false answer ("What did that lad want?" "The home with the boobies?" "Must of meant Mistress Montague's House of Pain." "That's where I sent 'em.")
41) NPC is elderly, of same gender as player, and thinks everyone younger is an idiot. Tell them they must now multiply the results of two 20d without a calculator in 30 seconds. This represents the tedium and stress of listening to a lecture while being called "boy," "girl," "son," or "little missy." If the math problem is solved in time the player gets what they want.
42) NPC insists on talking about something divisive. The NPC agrees completely with the player - and yet they continue to argue. A player not involved must then write down the name of a famous work of art without consulting the player in the argument. This is shown to the player in the argument, and they have 10 seconds to draw it. The DM must then guess what it is. If the DM can, the NPC realizes the player agrees with them and they get what they want. Substitutes for works of art could be: D&D monsters, album covers, superheroes, etc.
James C. said... So...
43) roll d20 and determine the corresponding consonant in the alphabet not counting "y" (i.e. 1 would equal "b", 10 would equal "m", 19 would equal "x"). You have one minute to formulate your request using only words that do not contain this letter.
44) roll d20 and determine the corresponding consonant in the alphabet not counting "y" (i.e. 1 would equal "b", 10 would equal "m", 19 would equal "x"). You have one minute to formulate your request using only words that do contain this letter.
45) roll d6. As 43 above, but for vowels plus y.
46) roll d6. As 44 above, but for vowels plus y.
47) Formulate your request so that the last letter of the last word of a preceding sentence is the first letter of the first word of the next sentence. You have one minute. In all of the above cases, the request so formulated needs to be complete enough that the NPC in question could reasonably understand it and comply.
Zak:
48 NPC seizes on insignificant details and rambles on about his/her thoughts/feelings/experiences about them. S/he will eventually stop, though. If the PC can endure this without interrupting the NPC s/he gets what s/he wants.
49: NPC is obsessed with outdoing another local NPC, if PC can frame request in terms of doing that, s/he gets what s/he wants.
50: NPC is an asshole who only respects other assholes. S/he will begin by cursing the most obvious trait of the PC, only a PC who insults him/her back with equal fervor will get a fair hearing. (Don't tell the PC this is the case.)
Gygaxian Social Interaction Table
(roll below one time+once per point of charisma over 15 and pick the one the player likes best, if PC charisma is under under 6, roll one time + once per point of charisma under 6 and the DM picks)
(in most cases, these 'challenges' won't be secret, the player will know this is whats/he has to do...)
(roll d100 and divide by 2)
1-NPC talks fast and interrupts people. If the player can say what s/he wants in less than d12+6 words s/he gets it.
2-NPC talks fast and interrupts people. If the player can say what s/he wants in less than 2d4 seconds s/he gets it.
3-Conversation reveals NPC is obsessed with (conquest/unity/weasels, etc.). If player can work the word "weasel" (or "conquest" or "unity", or etc.) into every sentence of his/her request, s/he gets it.
C'nor (Outermost_Toe) said...
4-The NPC has an obsessive antipathy toward an unlikely thing (I.E, mountains/trees/rivers, etc.). If the player can manage to fit some way that his/her request harms mountains (or trees, or rivers, etc.) into it, they get the desired result. Otherwise, roll 1d20. If the result is 15 or above, they get the desired result. Otherwise the fog of the NPC's obsession overrules their self-interest (or whatever the players were appealing to), and they are: (Roll 1d4)
1-Forcibly ejected from his/her presence.
2-Accused of a crime that they may or may not have committed [to prevent the DM being restricted to using only things they haven't done yet]. Their sentence will be directly related to the antipathy of the NPC; if they hate mountains the players must do a significant amount of damage to one, if trees they must clear cut a forest, if rivers the must construct a dam, etc. 3-Threatened with death or other dire consequences unless they agree to kill and/or disgrace someone who has been blocking their efforts to destroy/harm the object of their antipathy
4...(I hereby turn the remaining results on this table over to Gygaxian Democracy)
C'nor (Outermost_Toe) said...
5-NPC values obfuscation. Any request that is immediately clear, or takes less than 6d10 words, or 4d10 seconds, will be ignored.
6-NPC is completely apathetic. Only requests that allow him or her to do less will be accepted.
7-NPC is a hedonist. Only those requests that will provide a new experience will be accepted.
Brian Moon said...
8- NPC will agree with player requests if they can state it while stacking dice d20 high, one on top of the other, before the stack falls. Subtract one from dice-tower-height roll for each 3 points of PC Charisma.
Eric said...
9. The man is slow in the head. You must talk with words of just one sound or he will not trust you.
Roger the GS said...
10 Words are beside the point. The interlocutor is fixated on the most obvious and special object carried by the adventurers. He/she tries to conceal interest in it but will eventually bring conversation around to it in a nonchalant way. Only giving that thing will convince.
11. the NPC is mad/bored/cruel (Zak: victim of a goblin curse) and will only talk to people speaking backwards. He himself will respond normally though.Additionally, he won't tolerate any grammar mistakes from his interlocutors. Misspelling a word will end up with the NPC going into a fit, insulting the speaker and refusing to respond to that person for d6 days.
12- Player must speak in rhyme, for at least 2d10 rhyming pairs, in order to gain the NPCs favor. Player may subtract 1 for each point of PC Int or Cha (player chooses which stat to apply) above 15; likewise must add 1 for each point of Int or Cha below 6 (use lowest score). No reduction can reduce the number of rhyming pairs below 2; no additions can raise the number required above 20. Player's speech must be on topic (DM's decision). Failure to rhyme results in NPCs disfavor, whatever that means: anger, fear, disappointment, whatever fits the circumstance.
Eric said...
13) Lover of low art: Phrase the request either as a limerick or with a double entendre in every sentence.
14) Lover of high art: Request must be a haiku or in at least 2 lines of iambic pentameter (like Shakespeare: daDAH daDAH daDAH daDAH daDAH/ daDAH daDAH daDAH daDAH daDAH (must rhyme) Either way, player has 2 minutes+ 1 minute for either an Int or Cha 15 and up (4 minutes total if both)
Chris Weller said...
15) Deaf. Players must ask using charades, without modern references.
Josh said...
16) Coward - NPC is a huge dick. He insults the PCs and actively hinders them. Physically he appears like he could take the PCs with on hand behind his back. The NPC will not do what the PCs want until there is a show of force, drawing a sword, grabbing his shirt, etc., after which the NPC will immediately start whimpering.
Zak:
17) NPC has huge, prominent, impressive tattoo in an unlikely place and is really sick of talking to strangers about it. Any request will be granted so long as the PC does not try to ingratiate himself/herself by talking about the tattoo.
Josh...:
18)Obvious Fraud - NPC claims to be a highly educated noble and uses overly long and complicated words often, poorly, and with mispronunciations. As long as the PCs don't call him out, make fun of him (though extra points for sarcastic witty flattery) or make him feel stupid, they will be on the NPC's good side.
19) Battle of Wits - NPC starts making puns, the PCs must reply with a pun 5 times in a row.
Pturtle said...
20) Conversational Drifter - has a hard time staying on topic, will frequently trail off in mid-sentence. PCs must finish sentences quickly and succinctly in order to steer the conversation in the direction they desire. NPC can be manipulated in this way, but PCs' suggestions and arguments must still follow logical thread. (Zak note: nice one)
21) Ornery Conversational Drifter - has a hard time staying on topic, will frequently trail off in mid-sentence. PCs must finish sentences quickly and succinctly in order to steer the conversation in the direction they desire. Unfortunately, NPC is also a natural contrarian. For each PC suggestion, roll 1d6. On 1 or 2, NPC accepts PC suggestion; on 3 through 6, NPC rejects PC suggestion no matter how logical or sensible.
biopunk said...
22) NPC is looking for an understanding. If the player physically nods or shakes their head in response to the NPC's question, the NPC will deem them worthy of [some benefit]. Failure to do so will result in the PC's opinions being ignored by the NPC until the PC asks a direct question of the NPC. The NPC will then reply with another question to the character, again looking for a physical response. Failure to do this three times results in the character being completely ignored by the NPC. (Zak note: don't tel the players how it works.)
23) NPC entertained by circus acts. Player can try juggling 3 items while phrasing request.
24) NPC doesn't like to drink alone. Player can opt to begin & end request with a shot of whiskey.
25) NPC impressed by arcane knowledge. DM picks random 2-3 word phrase from spell descriptions. Player tries to identify the spell it comes from & dictate full sentence context (use of physical rulebooks is allowed; no digital sources; time limit 2 minutes).
C'nor (Outermost_Toe) said...
26-It is customary for the NPC (A noble) and those he negotiates with to drink something flavored with vanilla, probably milk. It comes in quart sized glasses, each of which is automatically re-filled when empty. Vanilla extract (what this is flavored with, rather than the beans themselves) has alcohol in it. Each of these glasses has a whole bottle of vanilla extract in them. After d6 glasses you will inform the players that "You notice that you are starting to feel odd, as though (insert non-obvious description of the early stages of being drunk here)." in whatever way you wish. Once they've had about d4 more glasses of this stuff one of the characters will begin to feel most definitely drunk and/or pass out depending on previously established tolerance for alcohol. At this point the players must play as though their characters are drunk. This was done purposely by the NPC (Who's been drinking plain milk the whole time, and, as such, is still completely sober) in the hopes of getting the party to agree to
1-Marry one of his cousin's adopted daughters, a witch from the northern mountains.
2-Steal a harpy egg from one of his rivals, who is blackmailing him with the threat of opening it in one of his subject lands. Roll again: 1-2-The egg will be opened if the players get too near to discovering who is keeping it, or reveal that the noble sent them. 3-4-The noble they are working for will accidentally break the egg. 5-A vassal of their employer will accidentally break the egg, or will do so on purpose. In accidentally roll for the city. If intentionally roll for city, but restrict the results to those that are under the control of rivals, especially those that are held by the person you stole the egg from in the first place. 6-The egg hatches on the way back to the city. The NPC is enraged, having wished to use the egg for his or her own purposes.
3-Kill one of his rivals.
4-Burn down the home of a specific NPC, at a certain time. He or she will insist that this is because the person will not be there at that time, but it is actually because they will be there, but not in an obvious fashion; the NPC having a desire for revenge and a cruel streak, wishes to burn them alive. The party will hear screams from within if they stick around, and/or hear rumors that a house burned to the ground, killing its occupant.
5-Eradicate a group of: 1-Gnolls 2-Goblins 3-Savage Humans 4-Bestial Elves 5-Bugbies (Bugbear-Brownies. They have the: 1-Head 2-Arms 3-Legs 4-Torso of a Bugbear. All else is as a Brownie. At the DM's discretion they may be Brownbugs, which are as above, save that they are as bugbears overall. Both sorts are chaotic good.)6-Jackal-men. These will be running a "Lottery of Babylon", but are not the main group. As such not all of the choices apply.
6-Kill a hobgoblin thief, and his band of lycanthropic kobolds.
If they agree to do so, in character, roleplaying as drunk, then the NPC will accept their request. (Zak: they don't have to do it). If they fail to roleplay convincingly he will become suspicious, and believe that they mean to double-cross him.
27) Right Here in River City - NPC is a bit thick between the ears; PCs need to make their point or request three times in order for it to land. Unfortunately, NPC is also easily bored/distracted; PCs need to make their three attempts distinctly different, and need to complete all three within 3d8 seconds. For each failure, subtract 1d8 for the rest of the conversation.
Menace 3 Society said...
NPC is a poet/bard/freestyle battler/wannabe or fan of any of the above and insists the player/PC...
28 n+1) speak alliteratively.
29. n+2) talk in terms of allusion to epics or fairy tales, a la ST:TNG episode "Darmok".
30. n+3) use player's choice of any other figure of rhetoric, preferably obscure, e.g. pleonasm, anaphora, synecdoche, etc.
31. n+4) speak in (d4: 1 iambic, 2 trochaic, 3 dactylic, 4 anapestic) (d4+2)ameter.
32. n+7) sing a song for at least d4 x 10 seconds.
33. n+8) accept a challenge to a sonnet/rap contest, and will have no further interaction until the player/PC furnishes a sonnet/rap. Will concede contest as long as sonnet/rap is formally correct.
34. n+9) tell an epic tale of heroism before entertaining any requests or discussion.
35 NPC is vain and requires PC to pay an elaborate compliment referring to 2d4 different things about NPC.
Chris Lowrance said...
36) NPC is a troll. Not the fun kind either. The DM and player in question must engage in a staring contest - if the player loses this is interpreted as the NPC successfully pissing off the PC without giving them what they want. If the player wins, the NPC couldn't crack them and gives in. (if the player is blind or has dry-eye syndrome or something, pick some other simple contest. Or just let them win, for Christ's sake. What's wrong with you.)
37) NPC is a survivor of some horribly traumatic event, and will be seized by a panic attack if triggered by the mention of it. The player does not know what that event was, but knows due to vague allusions that they mustn't mention it. Furthermore, the event involved *something* related to what the DM knows the PCs want. If they can form their request in a way that doesn't mention it, they get what they want. For instance: The PCs want to know where the gnome is so they get steal it's ruby. The NPC once watched her father eaten alive by an insane gnome. The PCs musn't mention gnomes or she begins sobbing and curls up in a ball on the floor.
38) NPC interupts player to tell a shitty joke. If the player laughs, they get what they want. If they don't (the DM should pick a really bad joke) the NPC says "Well, if you think you can do better, let's hear it then!" The player must then tell a joke. If the DM laughs, they get what they want.
39) NPC has an incredibly thick accent. The DM tells them what they want, but only with a mouth full of something, and will not repeat themselves.
40) NPC will mishear a key word of the DM's choosing and give an accurate response based on it. So "Where is the gnome with the ruby" may become "where is the home with the ruby" or "where is the gnome with the boobies." The player must guess which word was misheard - a correct guess and they get a corrected answer, a missed guess and they get a new false answer ("What did that lad want?" "The home with the boobies?" "Must of meant Mistress Montague's House of Pain." "That's where I sent 'em.")
41) NPC is elderly, of same gender as player, and thinks everyone younger is an idiot. Tell them they must now multiply the results of two 20d without a calculator in 30 seconds. This represents the tedium and stress of listening to a lecture while being called "boy," "girl," "son," or "little missy." If the math problem is solved in time the player gets what they want.
42) NPC insists on talking about something divisive. The NPC agrees completely with the player - and yet they continue to argue. A player not involved must then write down the name of a famous work of art without consulting the player in the argument. This is shown to the player in the argument, and they have 10 seconds to draw it. The DM must then guess what it is. If the DM can, the NPC realizes the player agrees with them and they get what they want. Substitutes for works of art could be: D&D monsters, album covers, superheroes, etc.
James C. said... So...
43) roll d20 and determine the corresponding consonant in the alphabet not counting "y" (i.e. 1 would equal "b", 10 would equal "m", 19 would equal "x"). You have one minute to formulate your request using only words that do not contain this letter.
44) roll d20 and determine the corresponding consonant in the alphabet not counting "y" (i.e. 1 would equal "b", 10 would equal "m", 19 would equal "x"). You have one minute to formulate your request using only words that do contain this letter.
45) roll d6. As 43 above, but for vowels plus y.
46) roll d6. As 44 above, but for vowels plus y.
47) Formulate your request so that the last letter of the last word of a preceding sentence is the first letter of the first word of the next sentence. You have one minute. In all of the above cases, the request so formulated needs to be complete enough that the NPC in question could reasonably understand it and comply.
Zak:
48 NPC seizes on insignificant details and rambles on about his/her thoughts/feelings/experiences about them. S/he will eventually stop, though. If the PC can endure this without interrupting the NPC s/he gets what s/he wants.
49: NPC is obsessed with outdoing another local NPC, if PC can frame request in terms of doing that, s/he gets what s/he wants.
50: NPC is an asshole who only respects other assholes. S/he will begin by cursing the most obvious trait of the PC, only a PC who insults him/her back with equal fervor will get a fair hearing. (Don't tell the PC this is the case.)
Gygaxian Democracy #7: The Lottery in Babylon (Final Version)
Here is the Lottery In Babylon Gygaxian Democracy post reformatted to be usable, contributors are named but not hotlinked. To follow contributors back to their lairs, consult the original post. Redundant responses and ones that did not fit the original remit (a lot of the responses had to do with what the bearer would do rather than what the Jackalmen seeing the mark would do, which wasn't what I was looking for--I should've been more explicit, I guess) have been edited out and I've added a few at the end to make up the numbers.
The Lottery in Babylon
Like all men in Babylon I have been a proconsul; like all, a slave; I have also known omnipotence, opprobrium, jail. Look: the index finger of my right hand is missing. Look again: through this rent in my cape you can see a ruddy tattoo on my belly. It is the second symbol, Beth. This letter, on nights of full moon, gives me power over men whose mark is Ghimel; but it also subordinates me to those marked Aleph, who on moonless nights owe obedience to those marked Ghimel. In a cellar at dawn, I have severed the jugular vein of sacred bulls against a black rock. During one lunar year, I have been declared invisible: I shrieked and was not heard, I stole my bread and was not decapitated.
-- from Jorge Luis Borges, The Lottery in Babylon(translation by I actually don't know)
The Babylonian Library still exists, though now it is practiced mostly by jackal-headed men who live beneath the earth.
All who would pass through the doors that stand at the entrance to the territories of jackalmen must first draw a fragment of carved bone from a Well of Fate.
Each bone marks s/he who drew it with a symbol (on the forehead, usually, if the creature has one), and the faith of the jackalmen demands that all jackalmen obey the mark until it fades (usually after one day), treating each visitor as the mark demands, no matter how s/he behaves.
The bond is not magical (though the forces that keep the doors of the realm from opening for any traveller who does not bear a mark and the forces which cause the mark to appear on the bearers skin are) and the jackalmen obey these marks in obedience to sacred custom, rather than mystic compulsion. The marks never literally grant the bearer abilities or compel them to commit acts.
The marks are: (first digit: roll d4 minus one for first digit, second digit: d10. reroll d4 unless d10 indicates a "0")
1. The bearer of this mark must be ignored.
2. The bearer of this mark must be given fresh meat three times. (The bearer may be slain, but must be fed first).
TrentB said...
3. The bearer shall receive a gift of one wordly item from all he shares a word with.
4. The bearer shall receive a gift of one wordly item from all he passes. May it feel greed no more.
5. The bearer must have all hair shorn from its body.
rorschachhamster said...
6. The bearer of this mark must be led to the serail of the jackalmen to give proper respect to the goddess of fertility...
LoungeAndDestroy said...
7. The bearer of this mark shall be spit upon by all who see him.
8. The bearer of this mark shall be given a trail of the living, so his feet will never touch the ground
9. The bearer of this mark must be told a lie by all who speak to him.
biopunk said...
10. The bearer will be freely offered any available fermented dairy products. Shame will befall a jackalman whose offering is rejected. Social rank will diminish, breeding opportunities will be lost, ancestral and familial recipes will be altered.
C'nor (Outermost_Toe) said...
11. The bearer of this mark must move only by cartwheels. They are not allowed to sleep or stand still until the mark fades. Failure to comply with these restrictions results in being turned into a small mammal, to be carried by those marked with (3).
12. The bearer is fed to a Jabberwocky. Alternately you can use one of those weird mirror creatures.
13. The person who bears this mark is given the Rapier of Noirrac, a tiefling rogue. Noirrac is not pleased with this, and will seek to retrieve it.
14. The bearer is transformed into a jackalman. Whichever of the jackalmen first met him or her adopts them into their clan.
Chance said...
15- The bearer wears the rune upon his head , all jackalmen will refrain from attacking the bearer but will instead seek to lure him into the crypts of the old city to perform rites of ressurection or reincarnation for the cities inhabitants , they will ruthlessly protect the bearer of the mark , but will not allow him to be free of the city or stay overlong outside the crypt areas. The bearer it turns out can reincarnate the old inhabitants - as Jackalmen. (Or at least that's what the jackalmen think)
Mark said...
16 The bearer of this mark shall give the definitive interpretation of the Testament of Kreel White Spot. The testament is written in Gnollish. Whether the bearer speaks Gnollish or not is inconsequential - however s/he interprets the testament goes.
17. The bearer of this mark shall walk upon the earth and leave no trace of his passing behind. No sign, sight, memory or progeny shall remain behind him.
18. Capture the Flag: The drawing of this mark initiates the Great Game. The bearer is taken to a central point and freed. However, three teams of jackalpeople have formed, made up of the best warriors. The first two teams are divided by gender and seek to kill the bearer - the team that succeeds secures dominance for their gender (a matriarch or patriarch is installed, the way households are organized shifts - the whole shebang.) The third team is made up of hermaphrodites and the otherwise genderless, who seek to defend the bearer. If the bearer is alive when the mark fades, this team wins and may shape the culture as they see fit. These are the only rules - beyond them all bets are off and the jackalpeople will freely slaughter one another in order to overthrow or maintain the current status quot.
19. The bearer of this mark is treated as an ally by all adults. However, any child will attempt to kill them. The adults will neither defend nor assist in the murder of the bearer - they just idly watch. The child that succeeds is thought the reincarnation of a long-dead jackalheaded hero.
20. The bearer of this mark is thought the avatar of a dead jackalheaded trickster god whose return signifies the end of all jackalheaded peoples. The bearer is to be treated better than the jackalheads' own ruler. They will be given anything they desire. Jackalheads will commit suicide if asked. Then, when the mark fades, the bearer will be tied down and eaten alive by the 12 youngest jackalheaded pups to have teeth enough to chew. This process turns the 12 pups into avatars of the jackalheads' pantheon of warrior gods.
21. The bearer of this mark is to be sealed inside the skull of a giant, which is then filled with either: 1. A mild acid (will ruin cloth and paper, removes all body hair, permanent scarring over entire body), 2. Cave Bees (like normal bees but deal with fungi spores instead of pollen), 3. Jackalhead pups, 4. Cave Honey Mead (think bourbon with traces of LSD in it), 5. Blood, 6. Snakes and chicken eggs, 7. Snakes and live chickens, 8. Hallucinogenic Mushrooms, 9. Rotting meat, 10. A candle, some dice, a couple hunks of meat and a kobold who just happened to draw the same sign that morning. When the mark fades, the bearer is free to do whatever.
22. The bearer of this mark must not see a jackalman.
IHaveTilFive said...
23. S/he will be challenged by a jackalhead champion to ritual combat. If the challenged is refused, the bearer will be scorned, allowed only in the Beggars' Alleys of the city. Unsuccessful bearers will be shamed. Both ears will be torn off (d3 dmg each), and the left arm will be withered (-6 on all rolls involving it). Appropriate Charisma penalties would also be assessed.
Chris Lowrance said...
24. The bearer of this mark must possess a forked tongue. If they haven't one, the problem will be graciously corrected with a hot knife.
25. The bearer of this mark is assigned a war party of at least six jackalheads who will obey them without question until the mark fades. However, all six must die in service during this time - if they return to their tribe alive, they will be forever shamed and forever hate the bearer.
26. The bearer of the mark is known as the Blessed Culler. They must select 1d12 Jackalheads, who will be staked down and slowly crushed to death as heavy stones are piled on them one at a time. If the bearer doesn't choose before the mark fades, they will be staked down and slowly crushed to death as heavy stones are piled on them one at a time. Note that anyone can be chosen - from the lowliest jackalhead hunters to the high priests - but the consequences will remain. Selecting a well-loved jackalhead hero will earn the ire of the entire tribe, selecting the highest priest will certainly make an enemy of someone, etc.
Zak:
27. The bearer of the mark cannot be touched with metal.
28. Any questions by the bearer of the mark must be answered truthfully
29. A noncombatant jackalhead must circumabulate this PC at all times.
30. All jackalmen must move about on all fours while the bearer of this sign is in the room. (They're pretty good at it.)
The Lottery in Babylon
Like all men in Babylon I have been a proconsul; like all, a slave; I have also known omnipotence, opprobrium, jail. Look: the index finger of my right hand is missing. Look again: through this rent in my cape you can see a ruddy tattoo on my belly. It is the second symbol, Beth. This letter, on nights of full moon, gives me power over men whose mark is Ghimel; but it also subordinates me to those marked Aleph, who on moonless nights owe obedience to those marked Ghimel. In a cellar at dawn, I have severed the jugular vein of sacred bulls against a black rock. During one lunar year, I have been declared invisible: I shrieked and was not heard, I stole my bread and was not decapitated.
-- from Jorge Luis Borges, The Lottery in Babylon(translation by I actually don't know)
The Babylonian Library still exists, though now it is practiced mostly by jackal-headed men who live beneath the earth.
All who would pass through the doors that stand at the entrance to the territories of jackalmen must first draw a fragment of carved bone from a Well of Fate.
Each bone marks s/he who drew it with a symbol (on the forehead, usually, if the creature has one), and the faith of the jackalmen demands that all jackalmen obey the mark until it fades (usually after one day), treating each visitor as the mark demands, no matter how s/he behaves.
The bond is not magical (though the forces that keep the doors of the realm from opening for any traveller who does not bear a mark and the forces which cause the mark to appear on the bearers skin are) and the jackalmen obey these marks in obedience to sacred custom, rather than mystic compulsion. The marks never literally grant the bearer abilities or compel them to commit acts.
The marks are: (first digit: roll d4 minus one for first digit, second digit: d10. reroll d4 unless d10 indicates a "0")
1. The bearer of this mark must be ignored.
2. The bearer of this mark must be given fresh meat three times. (The bearer may be slain, but must be fed first).
TrentB said...
3. The bearer shall receive a gift of one wordly item from all he shares a word with.
4. The bearer shall receive a gift of one wordly item from all he passes. May it feel greed no more.
5. The bearer must have all hair shorn from its body.
rorschachhamster said...
6. The bearer of this mark must be led to the serail of the jackalmen to give proper respect to the goddess of fertility...
LoungeAndDestroy said...
7. The bearer of this mark shall be spit upon by all who see him.
8. The bearer of this mark shall be given a trail of the living, so his feet will never touch the ground
9. The bearer of this mark must be told a lie by all who speak to him.
biopunk said...
10. The bearer will be freely offered any available fermented dairy products. Shame will befall a jackalman whose offering is rejected. Social rank will diminish, breeding opportunities will be lost, ancestral and familial recipes will be altered.
C'nor (Outermost_Toe) said...
11. The bearer of this mark must move only by cartwheels. They are not allowed to sleep or stand still until the mark fades. Failure to comply with these restrictions results in being turned into a small mammal, to be carried by those marked with (3).
12. The bearer is fed to a Jabberwocky. Alternately you can use one of those weird mirror creatures.
13. The person who bears this mark is given the Rapier of Noirrac, a tiefling rogue. Noirrac is not pleased with this, and will seek to retrieve it.
14. The bearer is transformed into a jackalman. Whichever of the jackalmen first met him or her adopts them into their clan.
Chance said...
15- The bearer wears the rune upon his head , all jackalmen will refrain from attacking the bearer but will instead seek to lure him into the crypts of the old city to perform rites of ressurection or reincarnation for the cities inhabitants , they will ruthlessly protect the bearer of the mark , but will not allow him to be free of the city or stay overlong outside the crypt areas. The bearer it turns out can reincarnate the old inhabitants - as Jackalmen. (Or at least that's what the jackalmen think)
Mark said...
16 The bearer of this mark shall give the definitive interpretation of the Testament of Kreel White Spot. The testament is written in Gnollish. Whether the bearer speaks Gnollish or not is inconsequential - however s/he interprets the testament goes.
17. The bearer of this mark shall walk upon the earth and leave no trace of his passing behind. No sign, sight, memory or progeny shall remain behind him.
18. Capture the Flag: The drawing of this mark initiates the Great Game. The bearer is taken to a central point and freed. However, three teams of jackalpeople have formed, made up of the best warriors. The first two teams are divided by gender and seek to kill the bearer - the team that succeeds secures dominance for their gender (a matriarch or patriarch is installed, the way households are organized shifts - the whole shebang.) The third team is made up of hermaphrodites and the otherwise genderless, who seek to defend the bearer. If the bearer is alive when the mark fades, this team wins and may shape the culture as they see fit. These are the only rules - beyond them all bets are off and the jackalpeople will freely slaughter one another in order to overthrow or maintain the current status quot.
19. The bearer of this mark is treated as an ally by all adults. However, any child will attempt to kill them. The adults will neither defend nor assist in the murder of the bearer - they just idly watch. The child that succeeds is thought the reincarnation of a long-dead jackalheaded hero.
20. The bearer of this mark is thought the avatar of a dead jackalheaded trickster god whose return signifies the end of all jackalheaded peoples. The bearer is to be treated better than the jackalheads' own ruler. They will be given anything they desire. Jackalheads will commit suicide if asked. Then, when the mark fades, the bearer will be tied down and eaten alive by the 12 youngest jackalheaded pups to have teeth enough to chew. This process turns the 12 pups into avatars of the jackalheads' pantheon of warrior gods.
21. The bearer of this mark is to be sealed inside the skull of a giant, which is then filled with either: 1. A mild acid (will ruin cloth and paper, removes all body hair, permanent scarring over entire body), 2. Cave Bees (like normal bees but deal with fungi spores instead of pollen), 3. Jackalhead pups, 4. Cave Honey Mead (think bourbon with traces of LSD in it), 5. Blood, 6. Snakes and chicken eggs, 7. Snakes and live chickens, 8. Hallucinogenic Mushrooms, 9. Rotting meat, 10. A candle, some dice, a couple hunks of meat and a kobold who just happened to draw the same sign that morning. When the mark fades, the bearer is free to do whatever.
22. The bearer of this mark must not see a jackalman.
IHaveTilFive said...
23. S/he will be challenged by a jackalhead champion to ritual combat. If the challenged is refused, the bearer will be scorned, allowed only in the Beggars' Alleys of the city. Unsuccessful bearers will be shamed. Both ears will be torn off (d3 dmg each), and the left arm will be withered (-6 on all rolls involving it). Appropriate Charisma penalties would also be assessed.
Chris Lowrance said...
24. The bearer of this mark must possess a forked tongue. If they haven't one, the problem will be graciously corrected with a hot knife.
25. The bearer of this mark is assigned a war party of at least six jackalheads who will obey them without question until the mark fades. However, all six must die in service during this time - if they return to their tribe alive, they will be forever shamed and forever hate the bearer.
26. The bearer of the mark is known as the Blessed Culler. They must select 1d12 Jackalheads, who will be staked down and slowly crushed to death as heavy stones are piled on them one at a time. If the bearer doesn't choose before the mark fades, they will be staked down and slowly crushed to death as heavy stones are piled on them one at a time. Note that anyone can be chosen - from the lowliest jackalhead hunters to the high priests - but the consequences will remain. Selecting a well-loved jackalhead hero will earn the ire of the entire tribe, selecting the highest priest will certainly make an enemy of someone, etc.
Zak:
27. The bearer of the mark cannot be touched with metal.
28. Any questions by the bearer of the mark must be answered truthfully
29. A noncombatant jackalhead must circumabulate this PC at all times.
30. All jackalmen must move about on all fours while the bearer of this sign is in the room. (They're pretty good at it.)
Design Specs
Preamble You Can Skip:
I was looking at Green Ronin's DC Adventures game (based on Mutants and Masterminds) yesterday and mentally comparing it to the old Mayfair DC Heroes game* (Ray Winninger did work on both) and being a little disappointed.
Now this post has a point, and the point is not "this game sucks", it is also not "gee I wish someone would justify why they play this game in the comments" or "gee I wish someone would point me toward another supergame that didn't have these problems in the comments", so while I'm giving this one example of something I don't like about this game and it infuriates you please do hang on until I make my actual point...
So in DC Heroes (Mayfair, old game) the martial arts mechanic was you had a rank in martial arts and could, in any given round, replace any physical stat with your martial arts stat. It's a very nice mechanic for martial arts in a superhero game. Its not detailed enough for an all-kung-fu game (ninjas and superspies, etc.) or any other mostly-normal-people fighting game, but it does seem to match how martial arts are used in actual comics and it gives the martial arts player something active to do with their skill every round and it's fast in character gen because it's one thing you buy and it's called "martial arts". Not enough to show the difference between Jade Phoenix and Boxing Man, but, still, a decent mechanic and one I would consider importing to other games.
In DC Adventures (Green Ronin, new game) here are a few advantages you can get--"Improved Disarm", "Improved Trip", "Improvised Weapon". Batman doesn't have any of them. He has a whole raft of other combat skills. If Batman doesn't have "improved disarm" who does? Jimmi Disarmer, Private Eye? "That was amazing, Jimmy." "Well, ma'am, disarming is my specialty! I can't feint, evade, or trip but I can disarm with the best of them--though, note, I can't fast grab and I don't have grabbing finesse--those are different things."
Put simply, it seems too fiddly.
Now I get why this is so...
-This is a d20-derived system. Meaning, ultimately it was derived from Type 3 D&D, and, hey, if people can have Improved Disarm in the middle ages, why not now?
-It allows a low-powered but combat-capable character like Catwoman and another, similar low-powered character like, say, The Penguin, to have a completely different combat profile.
-also, not having played the game, for all I know, these fiddly differences make combat into some sort as-yet-unheard-of megafunzone with which only the stodgiest of stooges could find fault.
And now I will tell you the point of the post...
My problem isn't that this system's actually bad. I would, myself, play just about anything and not complain. It's that it doesn't match my group's design specs. If Mandy was statting up Black Canary, any game that makes me have to go "Now do you want 'Fast Grab' or 'Grabbing Finesse'?" on day one of playing the game is getting in the way.
So, I figured I would figure out...
____________________
What My Group's Design Specs Actually Are:
(Not that D&D, Call of Cthulhu and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are always all these things, but that, when they aren't, I try to hack them so they are)
(This also goes for new house rules--like if I put in a new a new social interaction mechanic, it would have to fit these specs in order for my group to be able to use it...)
-Fast Character Generation. Last I counted (and this may have gone down since then, but not by much) 80% of games I run involve at least one new player. New to role-playing entirely. Plus, we travel a lot, so about 25% of them are run in some other city and people who played last time have lost their character since last time I saw them, a year ago.
I want to get everyone up and playing as soon as possible because until we are, the new players have no idea if any of this will be worth it.
-Easy Character Generation With An Option To Do It The Hard Way For People Who Are More Comfortable With The System. If someone who's never played an RPG before has to choose between Improved Grab, Grabbing Finesse, and Fast Grab, then they may run away immediately. If I have to pick those options for them then character generation doesn't turn into a quick introduction to what their PC can do, which it should be. However, the system (or my hacks to it) should be flexible enough to allow PCs to play anybody in the genre once they really sink their teeth into the game.
-Characters Made The Hard Way Shouldn't Be Automatically Better Than Characters Made The Easy Way Newbies shouldn't feel cheated because they chose an inferior "build".
-That Having Been Said, Game Balance Is Not Such A Big Deal. The GM is experienced, the adventures will be built and run so that nobody gets lost in the shuffle.
-Character Generation That Gives New Players Ideas Is More Important Than "Being Able To Build Anybody" One of the obvious design goals of very fiddly systems is everybody in the genre (Elric is the classic example) can fit into it. Believe it or not, I can do that myself. What I'd prefer is that character generation give new players some interesting options and combinations of options. Like in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles the fact that the game suggests possible mutant animals to you and makes them seem worth playing is more important than the system being able to handle a 2-headed whale or a prairie dog seamlessly. If somebody wants to make a sword-wielding wizard, I can bend the rules, but if they look at chargen and it's a heap of elemental particles saying: "Decide what you want and then join these parts together to fit that" the system isn't helping.
-The System Should Provide Lots of Optional Rules That The GM Can Use. The players may be new, but their GM isn't. (If you count Mandy and Cameraman Darren, then 2 of their 3 GMs aren't new.) The GM likes to fiddle and tweak and design new things, and so toys that only the DM needs to understand in order for them to work--like random tables--are appreciated.
-A Generic Setting That Is Easy To Communicate. Again: new players all the time who we want up and running fast. I want to be able to say: It's like The Lord of the Rings Movies. It's like Star Wars. It's like The Road Warrior.
I'm the GM, and the creative, innovative setting-ideas can be provided by me, I don't need the game designers to be creative for me. I need them to provide clear genre goal-posts (preferably with nice pictures) so that I can say "What's a witch? A witch is like this...." and THEN make it weird once the players know where they are and what they can do. If they're fallen angels and need to call on one of 7 distinct powers in order to evoke the energies of one of 5 distinct elements then the setting buy-in is too high.
-Fast, Obvious Ways To Make Villains. Improvisation happens a lot and people need to be invented fast. Some fairly clear things you can do to make a monster or villain scale vs. the PCs are appreciated. In D&D, hit dice is a decent measure, in Call of Cthulhu, giving a villain any special powers at all will make him/her scary, etc. (in the Green Ronin game, a lot of pages are given over to generic sample characters--"gadgeteer" "mimic" "mystic"--perhaps because the designers knew how fiddly their game was.)
-Creative Problem Solving Prioritized Over Creative Writing. New players all the time. Unsure about this whole RPG thing. Socially awkward. They like being given problems to solve and finding innovative ways to solve them, but in more freeform play they can easily choke and feel bored if asked to provide a lot of character background or creative initiative ex nihilo. More details here.
-Lots of Setting Room To Maneuver For The GM. If it's a game where you always play ____ working for ________ in order to find and destroy _________ then I will get bored and stop paying enough attention to run the game properly. Or redesign it so thoroughly it's no longer recognizable and then so why are we playing in the first place?
-Despite All This Easy-Access Stuff It Has To Have Long-Term Campaign Potential If it doesn't, I get bored thinking about it, and if I get bored, I won't GM, and if not me, then who?
-It Can't Be About Mormons. Thought the fact that they all think their messiah was attacked by a giant toad-demon is cute, Prop 8 has kinda soured the Mormon experience for everybody around here. Also, if you invent a hip new indie game where you play cowboy Scientologists we won't be playing that either.
-It Should Involve A Lot of Fighting or Investigating Or Something Else That Can Kill You Quickly If You Do It Wrong. The tension of whether the story will be a good story alone is not enough to keep any player I've met interested.
-PCs Options That Are Immediately Distinguishable From One Another Due To Obvious Stylistic Differences. Games where everyone in the group's a WW2 soldier or a vampire do not immediately seem to spark the tentative new players' will-to-invent. The specs: "I'm a wizard with a demon familiar and so are all my friends" eats up so much design space that not much is left to the imagination--unless you're used to thinking in RPGs, which most of my players aren't.
-PCs That Do What You Think They Can Do Without Knowing The Rules. If your character has "sneak 80%" written on it, then the character is actually pretty good at sneaking--with no further investment in the rules.
-Don't Require Players To Know Fiddly Details of The Setting In Order To Make Decisions During Character Generation
-A System Where Player Innovation Requires Imagining The Situation In Detail Rather Than Knowing The Rules Back-To-Front Only my most experienced players have sat down and read through the rules and--more importantly--none of them think this is a rewarding way to spend their free time. The system should reward thinking about how a spell would work more than remembering how many squares your area-effect power covers. Or at least communicate very clearly how many squares your area-effect power covers to anybody who has it.
-GM Supplements Should Have New Ideas In Them Rather Than Just Providing Crunch For Genre-Expected Stuff. "Roanville is 10% elven and its major exports are wheat and iron ore". Fuck you.
-It Can't Resemble Our Actual Life So Much That It Constantly Reminds Players They Have To Go To Work Tomorrow. Shadowrun isn't terribly exotic if you're a tattooed pornstar living in Hollywood in 2011.
Ok, these are the specs for a semi-nomadic group of players many of whom are new and some of whom aren't who have an experienced GM and none of whom are theater majors or want to be. What's your group's design specs?
Yes, this is an explicit attempt to start a meme. I think it'd be interesting to see what the invisible parameters all these bloggers are judging rules by actually are.
_______
*Yes, I know all about how you preferred TSR's Marvel Super-Heroes either because you are Old School and it had random power generation or because you are New School and it had karma points or because you are fiercely independent and so for some other reason. Also, I know how much you like Champions. And Villains and Vigilantes. That's great. I liked those games, too. Anyway...
I was looking at Green Ronin's DC Adventures game (based on Mutants and Masterminds) yesterday and mentally comparing it to the old Mayfair DC Heroes game* (Ray Winninger did work on both) and being a little disappointed.
Now this post has a point, and the point is not "this game sucks", it is also not "gee I wish someone would justify why they play this game in the comments" or "gee I wish someone would point me toward another supergame that didn't have these problems in the comments", so while I'm giving this one example of something I don't like about this game and it infuriates you please do hang on until I make my actual point...
So in DC Heroes (Mayfair, old game) the martial arts mechanic was you had a rank in martial arts and could, in any given round, replace any physical stat with your martial arts stat. It's a very nice mechanic for martial arts in a superhero game. Its not detailed enough for an all-kung-fu game (ninjas and superspies, etc.) or any other mostly-normal-people fighting game, but it does seem to match how martial arts are used in actual comics and it gives the martial arts player something active to do with their skill every round and it's fast in character gen because it's one thing you buy and it's called "martial arts". Not enough to show the difference between Jade Phoenix and Boxing Man, but, still, a decent mechanic and one I would consider importing to other games.
In DC Adventures (Green Ronin, new game) here are a few advantages you can get--"Improved Disarm", "Improved Trip", "Improvised Weapon". Batman doesn't have any of them. He has a whole raft of other combat skills. If Batman doesn't have "improved disarm" who does? Jimmi Disarmer, Private Eye? "That was amazing, Jimmy." "Well, ma'am, disarming is my specialty! I can't feint, evade, or trip but I can disarm with the best of them--though, note, I can't fast grab and I don't have grabbing finesse--those are different things."
Put simply, it seems too fiddly.
Now I get why this is so...
-This is a d20-derived system. Meaning, ultimately it was derived from Type 3 D&D, and, hey, if people can have Improved Disarm in the middle ages, why not now?
-It allows a low-powered but combat-capable character like Catwoman and another, similar low-powered character like, say, The Penguin, to have a completely different combat profile.
-also, not having played the game, for all I know, these fiddly differences make combat into some sort as-yet-unheard-of megafunzone with which only the stodgiest of stooges could find fault.
And now I will tell you the point of the post...
My problem isn't that this system's actually bad. I would, myself, play just about anything and not complain. It's that it doesn't match my group's design specs. If Mandy was statting up Black Canary, any game that makes me have to go "Now do you want 'Fast Grab' or 'Grabbing Finesse'?" on day one of playing the game is getting in the way.
So, I figured I would figure out...
____________________
What My Group's Design Specs Actually Are:
(Not that D&D, Call of Cthulhu and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are always all these things, but that, when they aren't, I try to hack them so they are)
(This also goes for new house rules--like if I put in a new a new social interaction mechanic, it would have to fit these specs in order for my group to be able to use it...)
-Fast Character Generation. Last I counted (and this may have gone down since then, but not by much) 80% of games I run involve at least one new player. New to role-playing entirely. Plus, we travel a lot, so about 25% of them are run in some other city and people who played last time have lost their character since last time I saw them, a year ago.
I want to get everyone up and playing as soon as possible because until we are, the new players have no idea if any of this will be worth it.
-Easy Character Generation With An Option To Do It The Hard Way For People Who Are More Comfortable With The System. If someone who's never played an RPG before has to choose between Improved Grab, Grabbing Finesse, and Fast Grab, then they may run away immediately. If I have to pick those options for them then character generation doesn't turn into a quick introduction to what their PC can do, which it should be. However, the system (or my hacks to it) should be flexible enough to allow PCs to play anybody in the genre once they really sink their teeth into the game.
-Characters Made The Hard Way Shouldn't Be Automatically Better Than Characters Made The Easy Way Newbies shouldn't feel cheated because they chose an inferior "build".
-That Having Been Said, Game Balance Is Not Such A Big Deal. The GM is experienced, the adventures will be built and run so that nobody gets lost in the shuffle.
-Character Generation That Gives New Players Ideas Is More Important Than "Being Able To Build Anybody" One of the obvious design goals of very fiddly systems is everybody in the genre (Elric is the classic example) can fit into it. Believe it or not, I can do that myself. What I'd prefer is that character generation give new players some interesting options and combinations of options. Like in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles the fact that the game suggests possible mutant animals to you and makes them seem worth playing is more important than the system being able to handle a 2-headed whale or a prairie dog seamlessly. If somebody wants to make a sword-wielding wizard, I can bend the rules, but if they look at chargen and it's a heap of elemental particles saying: "Decide what you want and then join these parts together to fit that" the system isn't helping.
-The System Should Provide Lots of Optional Rules That The GM Can Use. The players may be new, but their GM isn't. (If you count Mandy and Cameraman Darren, then 2 of their 3 GMs aren't new.) The GM likes to fiddle and tweak and design new things, and so toys that only the DM needs to understand in order for them to work--like random tables--are appreciated.
-A Generic Setting That Is Easy To Communicate. Again: new players all the time who we want up and running fast. I want to be able to say: It's like The Lord of the Rings Movies. It's like Star Wars. It's like The Road Warrior.
I'm the GM, and the creative, innovative setting-ideas can be provided by me, I don't need the game designers to be creative for me. I need them to provide clear genre goal-posts (preferably with nice pictures) so that I can say "What's a witch? A witch is like this...." and THEN make it weird once the players know where they are and what they can do. If they're fallen angels and need to call on one of 7 distinct powers in order to evoke the energies of one of 5 distinct elements then the setting buy-in is too high.
-Fast, Obvious Ways To Make Villains. Improvisation happens a lot and people need to be invented fast. Some fairly clear things you can do to make a monster or villain scale vs. the PCs are appreciated. In D&D, hit dice is a decent measure, in Call of Cthulhu, giving a villain any special powers at all will make him/her scary, etc. (in the Green Ronin game, a lot of pages are given over to generic sample characters--"gadgeteer" "mimic" "mystic"--perhaps because the designers knew how fiddly their game was.)
-Creative Problem Solving Prioritized Over Creative Writing. New players all the time. Unsure about this whole RPG thing. Socially awkward. They like being given problems to solve and finding innovative ways to solve them, but in more freeform play they can easily choke and feel bored if asked to provide a lot of character background or creative initiative ex nihilo. More details here.
-Lots of Setting Room To Maneuver For The GM. If it's a game where you always play ____ working for ________ in order to find and destroy _________ then I will get bored and stop paying enough attention to run the game properly. Or redesign it so thoroughly it's no longer recognizable and then so why are we playing in the first place?
-Despite All This Easy-Access Stuff It Has To Have Long-Term Campaign Potential If it doesn't, I get bored thinking about it, and if I get bored, I won't GM, and if not me, then who?
-It Can't Be About Mormons. Thought the fact that they all think their messiah was attacked by a giant toad-demon is cute, Prop 8 has kinda soured the Mormon experience for everybody around here. Also, if you invent a hip new indie game where you play cowboy Scientologists we won't be playing that either.
-It Should Involve A Lot of Fighting or Investigating Or Something Else That Can Kill You Quickly If You Do It Wrong. The tension of whether the story will be a good story alone is not enough to keep any player I've met interested.
-PCs Options That Are Immediately Distinguishable From One Another Due To Obvious Stylistic Differences. Games where everyone in the group's a WW2 soldier or a vampire do not immediately seem to spark the tentative new players' will-to-invent. The specs: "I'm a wizard with a demon familiar and so are all my friends" eats up so much design space that not much is left to the imagination--unless you're used to thinking in RPGs, which most of my players aren't.
-PCs That Do What You Think They Can Do Without Knowing The Rules. If your character has "sneak 80%" written on it, then the character is actually pretty good at sneaking--with no further investment in the rules.
-Don't Require Players To Know Fiddly Details of The Setting In Order To Make Decisions During Character Generation
-A System Where Player Innovation Requires Imagining The Situation In Detail Rather Than Knowing The Rules Back-To-Front Only my most experienced players have sat down and read through the rules and--more importantly--none of them think this is a rewarding way to spend their free time. The system should reward thinking about how a spell would work more than remembering how many squares your area-effect power covers. Or at least communicate very clearly how many squares your area-effect power covers to anybody who has it.
-GM Supplements Should Have New Ideas In Them Rather Than Just Providing Crunch For Genre-Expected Stuff. "Roanville is 10% elven and its major exports are wheat and iron ore". Fuck you.
-It Can't Resemble Our Actual Life So Much That It Constantly Reminds Players They Have To Go To Work Tomorrow. Shadowrun isn't terribly exotic if you're a tattooed pornstar living in Hollywood in 2011.
Ok, these are the specs for a semi-nomadic group of players many of whom are new and some of whom aren't who have an experienced GM and none of whom are theater majors or want to be. What's your group's design specs?
Yes, this is an explicit attempt to start a meme. I think it'd be interesting to see what the invisible parameters all these bloggers are judging rules by actually are.
_______
*Yes, I know all about how you preferred TSR's Marvel Super-Heroes either because you are Old School and it had random power generation or because you are New School and it had karma points or because you are fiercely independent and so for some other reason. Also, I know how much you like Champions. And Villains and Vigilantes. That's great. I liked those games, too. Anyway...
Gygaxian Democracy #1: Hammer of Exorcism (Final Version)
Here is the first Gygaxian Democracy post reformatted to be usable, contributors are named but not hotlinked. To follow contributors back to their lairs, consult the original post. Redundant results have been edited out and I've added a few at the end to make up the numbers.
Hammer Of Exorcism:
The Hammer of Exorcism
This item appears to be a weathered warhammer covered in dried blood. It will function as such.
However, when wielded by a cleric, it can be used to exorcise possessing spirits or drive away insanity.
For it to work, the cleric must beat the afflicted individual unconscious with the hammer. (Not all blows must be with the hammer, but the final one must be.)
However, for each blow struck with the hammer, there is a chance of a side effect. This chance is equal to 20 minus the patient's constitution per blow struck...
(roll D6 minus 1 for the first digit and d10 for the second digit--00 indicates 60)
19charisma said...
1-The afflicted individual is driven deeper into madness, his or her alignment driven one step closer to chaotic, and one step closer to evil.
John Thurner said...
2-The afflicted individual is cured, but the possessing spirit/insanity is expelled via the mouth in a vomit of animated blood. If it was an incorporeal spirit, it has the same stats as its incorporeal form but loses all the benefits of being incorporeal, including the ability to possess people/objects (it cannot pass through solid objects, can be injured normally by weapons/spells, etc.). If it was insanity that's being cured, treat it as a water elemental one size smaller than the afflicted individual (if no stats are available for that size, cut HP by 1/4 for each size category below the smallest element stats are available for). Its slam attack deals 1 point of wisdom damage per hit, which can be healed back as normal for stat damage. If by some strange occurrence it was a normally corporeal creature possessing the afflicted individual, it is not returned to its body, but is treated the same way as an incorporeal spirit would be. If it is killed while in blood-form, treat as though its were killed while in its normal body.
eallen said...
3-Stigmata; where the blow hit will now bleed slowly forever.
Barking Alien said...
4- Shattered Pieces of (Roll 1D6) the Possessing Spirit (Odd Result) or the victim's Spirit/Soul (Even Result) fly out in random directions. All individuals in a 50 ft. radius other than the Cleric wielding the Hammer must save or take on personality traits bestow upon them by the spirit shrapnel.
sprotch said...
5-Aiming For The Head Is A Necessary Evil: The patient suffers amnesia. This isn't a magical effect or anything, just an awkward side effect of blattering someone with a hammer; you got an unfortunate hit in. No abilities are lost, only memories; memorized spells are gone, however.
6-That's Kinda Disgusting, Tim: The hammer opens a small wound from which a small gusher of ectoplasm spews forth, evaporating into the upper air. The wound will not heal, and looks a bit gross and weird (ectoplasm, being largely incorporeal, will run straight through clothes, bandages, plate armor...), but is harmless. Probably.
7-I Got A Jones: Great, so now the bludgeonee is addicted to laudanum. Maybe laudanum doesn't exist in this world? Tough shit. Enjoy the shakes.
8-Wickedmurph said...
Duh... Possessed person has taken one too many shots to the melon. Permanently loses d6 Int and d4 Dex. May slur words from that point forward. If the possessing spirit is intelligent, it suffers 2x the Int loss that the possessed person does. If that drops it either to 0, their personality it wiped out and only the other remains. If it drops both to zero, congratulations - you have a living, brainless body!
D R L said... 9-Leaves a permanent dent/mark that cannot ever be totally healed. A definite neg to any Comeliness stat or the like.
10-Damage is taken by wielder instead of target
11-Wielder's head spins around in an impossible manner. Knocked unconscious for 1d6 rounds and awakens with a terrible neck-ache. Minus 1 on all D20 rolls for the night.
12-Vomit-hose
13-Possessed Omen: 50% wielder/recipient - the possessed undergoes temporary facial distortions and delivers ominous prophesy in a spooky voice
Jonathan said...
14- The PC stutters under a randomly specified condition (words starting with a random letter, from sundown to sunrise, when speaking to someone of the same/opposite sex)
15- Part of the PC's soul is trapped on the negative energy plane/shadow realm/hell/etc. The character can now be turned by any sentient undead monster (use monster HD to determine cleric level, treat PC as closest HD equivalent undead).
Delta said...
16- Random Insanity: 1E DMG p. 83
Delta said...
17- User of the hammer suffers as psionic blast.
18- User of the hammer is possessed by the spirit and defenestrates.
joeskythedungeonbrawler said...
19-THE SIDE AFFECT IS THE CLERIC STARTSTO LIKE HITTING PEOP LE IN THE HEAD. IF THE CRAZY GUY FAILS TEH SAVE IT MEANS SOMETHING COOL HAPPINED LIKE BLOOD CAME OUT THE EARS OR AN EYE POPPED OUT OR A SOUND WAS LIKE 'BONK' (2 COCOA-NUTS TOGETHER) AND NOW THE CLERIC ATTAKCS THE NEXT NEAREST PERSON. OR MAYBE HE HITS HIMSELF, WHO KNOWS......... HE LIKES THE HITTING SO MUCH NOW!!!!!1??
Tempexrer said...
20-The victim permanently loses a feat slot to be replaced by a spell-like ability that fits the alignment of the possessing entity in question, GM's decision on the spell-like ability.
Will Douglas said...
21-Victim becomes total fanatic of the Cleric's religion (regardless of previous affiliation).
22- Victim becomes violently opposed to Cleric's religion, doing whatever is necessary to fight it (including changing alignment if necessary).
Zanazaz said...
23-The victim, when they close only their left eye they can see into the ethereal plane. When they close their right eye, they can see into one of the "lower" planes of Hades, Hell, or whatever.
24-Or they could just see dead people.
Tom said...
25-Victim cannot walk anywhere, but can run, dance, crawl and/or tumble.
26-Victim cannot talk anymore but may sing. Does not affect spellcasting.
TrentB said...
27. The blow exorcises the individual, leaving the possession or insanity in control of the vessel upon regaining consciousness. Perhaps the individual is able to be rescued after some elaborate quest? Who knows what an insanity would do with a human(oid) body in the mean-time...
28. Exorcism partially successful: The Insanity/Possession regains control at times of weakness eg During nightmares, when unconscious, charmed, drunk, in love...
29. (similar theory to others mentioned) Insanity/Possession is driven from the individual, but remains attached to this existence. Incorporeal manifestation haunts the individual forevermore, trying to retrieve the last vestiges of itself still lodged within said individual. It just wants to go home (to wherever insanities live?). Is in torturous pain for the duration of this semi-life.
30. Broken-Jaw (because seriously.)
31. The link between wherever the possession/insanity goes to/comes from doesn't close properly. Individual is intermittently afflicted with random possessions/insanities for unspecified lengths of time, although initially appears cured.
32. Spawn of Endra said...
A new orifice opens in the possessed where the blow landed, and the possessing being attempts to engulf the hammer. Cleric must roll d20 vs. Strength twice to withdraw the hammer, or else it is lost and engulfed by the possessed. It remains somewhere inside indefinitely (as long as the subject remains possessed), but can be retrieved by the possessed at will a la Videodrome, after which it serves as a +4 warhammer against Clerics only.
kelvingreen said...
33. The victim is shunted onto another plane of existence. There is a 1% chance that the wielder of the hammer is shunted instead. (The plane of existence mentioned above will be the one from which the possessing intelligence comes.)
34. The cleric and the possessing spirit are transported to the ethereal plane for 1d6 rounds where they may use whatever means to battle for ownership of the body. Depends on the type of spirit whether they fight, agree to go willingly or ask for some form of service to be performed.
35. The spirit and the cleric swap places through the hammer, so the cleric now possesses the body and the spirit is wielding the hammer
DrBargle said...
36. The spirit passes from the afflicted to the hammer. The hammer becomes an intelligent weapon, with all the disadvantages that brings, but such intelligence also makes the weapon powerful (and not just in force of personality).
Chris Lowrance said...
37. Total Protonic Reversal: The situation is completely switched, with the possessor assuming an appropriate physical form and the possessed becoming an incorporeal entity struggling for dominance of it. If the Possessor was incorporeal, tough shit. Now it's not. If it was just some astral critter, make it that, but on the material plane. If it was a ghost, give it its living form back. If it was some completely formless thing, make something up, or else pick a random demon of the appropriate HD and give it that. The Possessor's physical form is now lost and they become for all intents and purposes a ghost. Continuing to strike now risks exorcising them. However, they have the same level of control over their former Possessor as the Possessor had over them.
Dan said...
38) The patient is mute for d100 days 39) Every time the patient goes to sleep they have a 1 in 10 chance of suffering horrific portentious nightmares. Only gain half the benefits of resting, but gain adventure hooks, clues or initiative bonus.
40) The patient can never again be in the same room as the cleric without suffering debilitating head pain.
41) The patient gains the cleric's spell-casting abilities for d6 days. For this time the cleric cannot cast spells.
42) The patient and the cleric see into each other's minds. They must exchange one secret each or answer one question truthfully.
43) The cleric gains the same symptoms as the patient for d20 hours.
44) The patient's soul is knocked out of the body. They exist as an invisible, non-corporeal astral entity for d100 hours before returning to their body. However on a roll of 00 (100) they can not return to their body at all unless they have outside help. During this time there is a 1 in 10 chance that the body maybe be mistaken for deceased.
Mark said...
45. The possessing spirit is knocked out of the patient ... to be replaced by the last spirit to have been exorcised using the hammer, which has been trailing it ever since.
46. The patient's memory is shattered into (pick a die size) segments. The next time the patient tries to remember something, roll dX. That memory is now stuck in segment [roll] of memory & the patient must now roll that number on dX to retrieve that memory from now on. A particular hassle for spellcasters trying to prepare for the day.
Dan said...
47) Patient is deaf for d20 days
48) Patient is blind in one eye for d10 days
49) The patient becomes highly suggestible, believing everything they are told. They believe the cleric over all others and will obey any order the cleric gives.
Mark said...
The patient...
50- develops aphasia
51- can now only speak her/his alignment language
52- acquires a foreign accent
53-The patient develops magical synesthesia. Each type of magic used within a certain radius is associated with a different smell, color or sound.
54 One of the victim's weapon proficiencies is replaced with warhammer.
Sean said...
55. Not sure if this was posted above but here goes: Rather than expel the possessor, binds it permanently to that body, robbing the possessor of all benefits of being incorporeal and suffering the pains of mortality. Each blow beyond the one that binds it grants the possessor access to one more level of abilities of the host.
56. The hammer itself becomes host to the spirit, creating an intelligent artifact of the cleric's alignment. If the spirit is the opposite alignment, all the cleric hears when wielding the hammer is 1d4 tortured creature admissions: 1. Screaming in pain. 2. Offerings of information 3. Openly admitting something the cleric doesn't know (DM determined) 4. Threats on the cleric's life
Mordicai:
57 .The wielder is permanently marked as a "person of interest" by cloakers. They will seek him out, whether to talk or attack as the DM sees fit.
Zak:
58. The Cleric's god takes pity on the victim. S/he will intercede on PC's behalf one time in a style appropriate to that deity. Player's choice when. However the deity is also a little pissed at the cleric for being so hamfisted with the Hammer and refuses to grant him/her any spells without an extra hour of prayer/rest until the cleric reached the next level.
59. The possessor or insanity is temporarily housed in the hammer. The next person successfully struck with it will receive it.
60. The possessor/madness is expelled in the form of a massive blood spatter. This splatter is immobile but is indestructible and contagious. It radiates magic and evil (or whatever was expelled).
Hammer Of Exorcism:
The Hammer of Exorcism
This item appears to be a weathered warhammer covered in dried blood. It will function as such.
However, when wielded by a cleric, it can be used to exorcise possessing spirits or drive away insanity.
For it to work, the cleric must beat the afflicted individual unconscious with the hammer. (Not all blows must be with the hammer, but the final one must be.)
However, for each blow struck with the hammer, there is a chance of a side effect. This chance is equal to 20 minus the patient's constitution per blow struck...
(roll D6 minus 1 for the first digit and d10 for the second digit--00 indicates 60)
19charisma said...
1-The afflicted individual is driven deeper into madness, his or her alignment driven one step closer to chaotic, and one step closer to evil.
John Thurner said...
2-The afflicted individual is cured, but the possessing spirit/insanity is expelled via the mouth in a vomit of animated blood. If it was an incorporeal spirit, it has the same stats as its incorporeal form but loses all the benefits of being incorporeal, including the ability to possess people/objects (it cannot pass through solid objects, can be injured normally by weapons/spells, etc.). If it was insanity that's being cured, treat it as a water elemental one size smaller than the afflicted individual (if no stats are available for that size, cut HP by 1/4 for each size category below the smallest element stats are available for). Its slam attack deals 1 point of wisdom damage per hit, which can be healed back as normal for stat damage. If by some strange occurrence it was a normally corporeal creature possessing the afflicted individual, it is not returned to its body, but is treated the same way as an incorporeal spirit would be. If it is killed while in blood-form, treat as though its were killed while in its normal body.
eallen said...
3-Stigmata; where the blow hit will now bleed slowly forever.
Barking Alien said...
4- Shattered Pieces of (Roll 1D6) the Possessing Spirit (Odd Result) or the victim's Spirit/Soul (Even Result) fly out in random directions. All individuals in a 50 ft. radius other than the Cleric wielding the Hammer must save or take on personality traits bestow upon them by the spirit shrapnel.
sprotch said...
5-Aiming For The Head Is A Necessary Evil: The patient suffers amnesia. This isn't a magical effect or anything, just an awkward side effect of blattering someone with a hammer; you got an unfortunate hit in. No abilities are lost, only memories; memorized spells are gone, however.
6-That's Kinda Disgusting, Tim: The hammer opens a small wound from which a small gusher of ectoplasm spews forth, evaporating into the upper air. The wound will not heal, and looks a bit gross and weird (ectoplasm, being largely incorporeal, will run straight through clothes, bandages, plate armor...), but is harmless. Probably.
7-I Got A Jones: Great, so now the bludgeonee is addicted to laudanum. Maybe laudanum doesn't exist in this world? Tough shit. Enjoy the shakes.
8-Wickedmurph said...
Duh... Possessed person has taken one too many shots to the melon. Permanently loses d6 Int and d4 Dex. May slur words from that point forward. If the possessing spirit is intelligent, it suffers 2x the Int loss that the possessed person does. If that drops it either to 0, their personality it wiped out and only the other remains. If it drops both to zero, congratulations - you have a living, brainless body!
D R L said... 9-Leaves a permanent dent/mark that cannot ever be totally healed. A definite neg to any Comeliness stat or the like.
10-Damage is taken by wielder instead of target
11-Wielder's head spins around in an impossible manner. Knocked unconscious for 1d6 rounds and awakens with a terrible neck-ache. Minus 1 on all D20 rolls for the night.
12-Vomit-hose
13-Possessed Omen: 50% wielder/recipient - the possessed undergoes temporary facial distortions and delivers ominous prophesy in a spooky voice
Jonathan said...
14- The PC stutters under a randomly specified condition (words starting with a random letter, from sundown to sunrise, when speaking to someone of the same/opposite sex)
15- Part of the PC's soul is trapped on the negative energy plane/shadow realm/hell/etc. The character can now be turned by any sentient undead monster (use monster HD to determine cleric level, treat PC as closest HD equivalent undead).
Delta said...
16- Random Insanity: 1E DMG p. 83
Delta said...
17- User of the hammer suffers as psionic blast.
18- User of the hammer is possessed by the spirit and defenestrates.
joeskythedungeonbrawler said...
19-THE SIDE AFFECT IS THE CLERIC STARTSTO LIKE HITTING PEOP LE IN THE HEAD. IF THE CRAZY GUY FAILS TEH SAVE IT MEANS SOMETHING COOL HAPPINED LIKE BLOOD CAME OUT THE EARS OR AN EYE POPPED OUT OR A SOUND WAS LIKE 'BONK' (2 COCOA-NUTS TOGETHER) AND NOW THE CLERIC ATTAKCS THE NEXT NEAREST PERSON. OR MAYBE HE HITS HIMSELF, WHO KNOWS......... HE LIKES THE HITTING SO MUCH NOW!!!!!1??
Tempexrer said...
20-The victim permanently loses a feat slot to be replaced by a spell-like ability that fits the alignment of the possessing entity in question, GM's decision on the spell-like ability.
Will Douglas said...
21-Victim becomes total fanatic of the Cleric's religion (regardless of previous affiliation).
22- Victim becomes violently opposed to Cleric's religion, doing whatever is necessary to fight it (including changing alignment if necessary).
Zanazaz said...
23-The victim, when they close only their left eye they can see into the ethereal plane. When they close their right eye, they can see into one of the "lower" planes of Hades, Hell, or whatever.
24-Or they could just see dead people.
Tom said...
25-Victim cannot walk anywhere, but can run, dance, crawl and/or tumble.
26-Victim cannot talk anymore but may sing. Does not affect spellcasting.
TrentB said...
27. The blow exorcises the individual, leaving the possession or insanity in control of the vessel upon regaining consciousness. Perhaps the individual is able to be rescued after some elaborate quest? Who knows what an insanity would do with a human(oid) body in the mean-time...
28. Exorcism partially successful: The Insanity/Possession regains control at times of weakness eg During nightmares, when unconscious, charmed, drunk, in love...
29. (similar theory to others mentioned) Insanity/Possession is driven from the individual, but remains attached to this existence. Incorporeal manifestation haunts the individual forevermore, trying to retrieve the last vestiges of itself still lodged within said individual. It just wants to go home (to wherever insanities live?). Is in torturous pain for the duration of this semi-life.
30. Broken-Jaw (because seriously.)
31. The link between wherever the possession/insanity goes to/comes from doesn't close properly. Individual is intermittently afflicted with random possessions/insanities for unspecified lengths of time, although initially appears cured.
32. Spawn of Endra said...
A new orifice opens in the possessed where the blow landed, and the possessing being attempts to engulf the hammer. Cleric must roll d20 vs. Strength twice to withdraw the hammer, or else it is lost and engulfed by the possessed. It remains somewhere inside indefinitely (as long as the subject remains possessed), but can be retrieved by the possessed at will a la Videodrome, after which it serves as a +4 warhammer against Clerics only.
kelvingreen said...
33. The victim is shunted onto another plane of existence. There is a 1% chance that the wielder of the hammer is shunted instead. (The plane of existence mentioned above will be the one from which the possessing intelligence comes.)
34. The cleric and the possessing spirit are transported to the ethereal plane for 1d6 rounds where they may use whatever means to battle for ownership of the body. Depends on the type of spirit whether they fight, agree to go willingly or ask for some form of service to be performed.
35. The spirit and the cleric swap places through the hammer, so the cleric now possesses the body and the spirit is wielding the hammer
DrBargle said...
36. The spirit passes from the afflicted to the hammer. The hammer becomes an intelligent weapon, with all the disadvantages that brings, but such intelligence also makes the weapon powerful (and not just in force of personality).
Chris Lowrance said...
37. Total Protonic Reversal: The situation is completely switched, with the possessor assuming an appropriate physical form and the possessed becoming an incorporeal entity struggling for dominance of it. If the Possessor was incorporeal, tough shit. Now it's not. If it was just some astral critter, make it that, but on the material plane. If it was a ghost, give it its living form back. If it was some completely formless thing, make something up, or else pick a random demon of the appropriate HD and give it that. The Possessor's physical form is now lost and they become for all intents and purposes a ghost. Continuing to strike now risks exorcising them. However, they have the same level of control over their former Possessor as the Possessor had over them.
Dan said...
38) The patient is mute for d100 days 39) Every time the patient goes to sleep they have a 1 in 10 chance of suffering horrific portentious nightmares. Only gain half the benefits of resting, but gain adventure hooks, clues or initiative bonus.
40) The patient can never again be in the same room as the cleric without suffering debilitating head pain.
41) The patient gains the cleric's spell-casting abilities for d6 days. For this time the cleric cannot cast spells.
42) The patient and the cleric see into each other's minds. They must exchange one secret each or answer one question truthfully.
43) The cleric gains the same symptoms as the patient for d20 hours.
44) The patient's soul is knocked out of the body. They exist as an invisible, non-corporeal astral entity for d100 hours before returning to their body. However on a roll of 00 (100) they can not return to their body at all unless they have outside help. During this time there is a 1 in 10 chance that the body maybe be mistaken for deceased.
Mark said...
45. The possessing spirit is knocked out of the patient ... to be replaced by the last spirit to have been exorcised using the hammer, which has been trailing it ever since.
46. The patient's memory is shattered into (pick a die size) segments. The next time the patient tries to remember something, roll dX. That memory is now stuck in segment [roll] of memory & the patient must now roll that number on dX to retrieve that memory from now on. A particular hassle for spellcasters trying to prepare for the day.
Dan said...
47) Patient is deaf for d20 days
48) Patient is blind in one eye for d10 days
49) The patient becomes highly suggestible, believing everything they are told. They believe the cleric over all others and will obey any order the cleric gives.
Mark said...
The patient...
50- develops aphasia
51- can now only speak her/his alignment language
52- acquires a foreign accent
53-The patient develops magical synesthesia. Each type of magic used within a certain radius is associated with a different smell, color or sound.
54 One of the victim's weapon proficiencies is replaced with warhammer.
Sean said...
55. Not sure if this was posted above but here goes: Rather than expel the possessor, binds it permanently to that body, robbing the possessor of all benefits of being incorporeal and suffering the pains of mortality. Each blow beyond the one that binds it grants the possessor access to one more level of abilities of the host.
56. The hammer itself becomes host to the spirit, creating an intelligent artifact of the cleric's alignment. If the spirit is the opposite alignment, all the cleric hears when wielding the hammer is 1d4 tortured creature admissions: 1. Screaming in pain. 2. Offerings of information 3. Openly admitting something the cleric doesn't know (DM determined) 4. Threats on the cleric's life
Mordicai:
57 .The wielder is permanently marked as a "person of interest" by cloakers. They will seek him out, whether to talk or attack as the DM sees fit.
Zak:
58. The Cleric's god takes pity on the victim. S/he will intercede on PC's behalf one time in a style appropriate to that deity. Player's choice when. However the deity is also a little pissed at the cleric for being so hamfisted with the Hammer and refuses to grant him/her any spells without an extra hour of prayer/rest until the cleric reached the next level.
59. The possessor or insanity is temporarily housed in the hammer. The next person successfully struck with it will receive it.
60. The possessor/madness is expelled in the form of a massive blood spatter. This splatter is immobile but is indestructible and contagious. It radiates magic and evil (or whatever was expelled).
