This is a thread for Lost Source, an RPG made in an attempt to set the aesthetic feel of a Souls Game in a distant future. so far it seems to be working out reasonably well. ROBOTS WITH GUNZ and other fun things ensue.
>Humanity is gone, naught left but a memory. Its great city is not empty, it teems with monstrosity. Its creations scrounge among the ruins for tattered memories, their own minds cold and without innovation. The world convulses and shifts, but it is the twitching of maggots in an electrified corpse.
>And yet, something stirs. Among the waste and dead, something rises.
>You are born (or were you awoken?) into this world. Are you the artifice of human hands? Or were you a being of flesh, rendered into the body of a machine? It is, ultimately, of no consequence. All that you know is that you must survive, and cut to the heart of this dismal stagnation. Take up your arms Awoken Intelligence. Forge your frame into a weapon worthy of slaying gods, and we might yet see a new dawn over this city
Change-Log
>added a few weapon mods
>stated up another couple of potential opponents
>adjusted some formatting
>adjusted table of contents to fit again
>small numerical tweaks
>fought with the spreadsheets
considering adding a few genuinely awful entities as shards of the ungoliath or other things, suggestions?
how do I justify the existence of sub-aquatic drones? (Or should I abandon that entity and move on?)
I don't want to include a burrowing mod, but want to include burrowing enemies. thoughts?
playtesters? are you still there?
I still have yet to stat these...even if I figured a place to stick them into the setting
well...at least that one anon was wrong...this lasted longer than 8 days...
>>45488476
Sorry mono but I tapped out weeks ago, ain't no good at crunch and the college kids dun came in with their highfalutin arts degrees and story meta know how. Don't rightfully have anything left to contribute.
I mean face it, what do we have that does justice to a transcendent search for beauty through art?
>>45490251
...I have no idea what you just said...
regargdless, I'll probably work on it every so often for the rest of forever so there is that...
>>45479944
And I was worried that this beautiful project was gone. I didn't have the chance to grab the pdf before the last thread ended so the playtesting was delayed.
Underwater drones make a lot of since as something sent into the deep dark to find resources, as well as maybe a deep sea research center built to sustain people that holds some special weaponry along with security bots and some experiments gone wrong.
Burrowing enemies could be interesting but I don't know how they would be included or make since in the city proper.
The ungoliath enemies should have the largest range of appearance, anywhere from humanoid ,monsterous and eldritch horror would work maybe even having some synths that were are used as blood hounds and such.
Holy shit you're back.
I'll post progress when I wake up in a few hours, keep the thread alive
The Outskirts
>Some time, a long time ago, the borders were altered. This frame can make a few guesses as to why, but can only really absorb its effects. Being out there feels like dying. Defunct custodians pull themselves along by mere strands over the sand rust. Buildings, frozen in time, tip on the edge of precipices nearly invisible, were it not for the inexplicable holes peppering the groundwork. The curling of composite iron and fiber happens at the nano scale, under the colossal weight of its own existence. There'll be nothing left out there, soon. Lost to the grind. I hope they don't change the borders again.
>>45490517
>underwater
that makes more sense out away from the city. out in actual ocean...
>delaying playtest.
there were no significant changes between last threads .pdf and the previous version.
>>45491877
fuck yeah
>>45492093
I like the sound of this little piece...and I think I have a way to incorporate it.
might have to re-fluff the cloak of the plague bearer though...
What would a souls game -not- set in space look like? How would that be any different
>>45496710
what the actual setting looks like is the first 6 pages.
talking mechanics? we're no-place close to a proper souls game, but we're working on emulating some of the more obscure mechanics like Poise for example. though the attempts to emulate it resulted in one character concept being able to smack an opponent several meters in a direction of their choice up to twice in a given turn.
I came up with a potential binary ending and jammed that in there too.
>how would that be any different
a higher capacity for ranged weapons.
character body mods that have significant impacts on gameplay.
it's a tabletop so it's not really skills-based for the players.
probably some other answers too...
Are there clowns
>>45497435
nope, closes thing is the Donor-Beasts but thats only because they look silly and hap-hazard.
>>45497517
That's a really cool picture. It really captures the feel you're going for. I have nothing to contribute at the moment, but maybe I'll take a look after work tonight.
>>45497850
the stats for the big-assed shear are STILL really wonky...
>>45492093
>>45494394
The outskirts post was me, forgot to change names between switching from mobile.
I've got several incomplete bits of lore worked up on the side but classes have already dipped into full swing and its made existence on this side of the internet some magnitude more difficult. I haven't forgotten about you all, though! I'm fairly certain I'll have several of those deep lore nuggets finished by this weekend, should I not be swamped with invitations to shit.
In the meantime, a series of questions and a metaplot twist.
I think one of the ways we can further develop the setting is by asking ourselves some fairly basic questions and extrapolating the answers to a memorable and horrible point. I feel like this is how Hidetaka follows through with a lot of his aesthetic decisions. Feel free to contribute your own questions to really explore in the meantime, I'll add more when I'm able.
>1) What's the scariest thing about robots to you? Their persistence? Their inability to break programming? Their coldness? Their wonky physical articulation? Something else?
>2) What small details do you see populating the ultracity and beyond? How would the ancient business area compare to the residential one, after so many centuries? Soulsborne is dense as fuck, just lay it out there.
>3) Think of unique enemy features, staple them together, and then attempt to justify it by running it backwards through the worldbuilding process. The more grotesque and esoteric the better.
(cont.)
alright, I have fluff for 7 more things to put in the monster manual. stat-blocks to follow as I feel inclined to do them.
some more boss-level monsters need thoughts, but then I really need to look back at that one thread.
>Marine sub-aquatic drone
While security drones wander the surface mapping the sunken places in the city the real investigators prowl the depths on near silent electric screws investigating anomalies reported by the sonar craft, whenever buildings shift these shark-sized drones get called in to investigate, originally produced for deep sea object retrieval they collect unusual or useful looking objects into piles near the shallows of the shore. Occasionally, shoals of these creatures will join together to lift or move large objects.
>Sea-Scamps
Made from the same rough base design as the land dwelling reactor-scamps these aquatic creatures are descended from those that escaped a very successful test site, they drag the piles brought in by drones onto the edge of the water and sort their piles, stripping out reactor friendly materials to fuel their troop.
>The created of Cluster
These bloated things forced, into straining one-piece garments with badly reproduced faux-rubber faces stapled on where a humanoid frame’s visual sensors would go. They seldom leave the high-rise apartment complex of their creator and if they do they go as a large group to investigate nearby disturbances. Easily killed and filled with corrosive bile, they are best dispatched from significant distances. Survivors return and link to Cluster their creator, and their designs improve after successive combats.
>>45498157
>Basic Donor-Beasts
These creatures made from the glued-together pieces of human transplant organs wander The Dark Place and the surrounding environments. Often ignored by the police drones due to being assembled from genuine human components they trigger many human based services due to their having organic genetic codes. They sometimes seem to move with great purpose and care, but their motives are unknown and none who’ve investigated have ever returned.
>Skull Grinders
This AI group consists of entities that consider the disappearance of their creators as an act of abandonment. Using the rage at such an abandonment as a driving force they actively gather resources and search out and destroy evidence of humanity, they seldom take down buildings, but they burn books, break statues, most notably they grind heads and skulls. They are distrustful of humanoid frames and tend to be more open to working with frames proportional to their inhumanness of shape.
>The Haunters in the Dark
Deep below, in the Rotting Depths hide the haunters, blind to “visible” spectra they see instead in infra-red, sonar, and by means of tactile sensors. Typically equipped with repurposed digging equipment and whatever might have been thrown down the shafts. The origins of these creatures are unknown, they weren’t in the original designs for the geothermal plants and it’s unlikely that anything survived the fall into the depths fully intact.
>>45498089
>Metaplot Twist (1/several)The players aren't on Earth, perhaps never were. There may have never even been humans.
This came to me the other day, and could make for some excellent shock-factor at the table. Whether it be the unrecognizable constellations or the transit of a 2nd moon, or a geological anomaly in the outlands, the fact that the shimmering city isn't on Earth would throw the players for a huge loop. Introduces unique gameplay opportunities and a bunch of questions. Are they an ur-colony, sent to make a livable space? Did humans used to live on this planet, or are they following outdated culture protocol? What is that scary organic thing in the distance that bellows? Is it even real? Where did the precursors go? Are we alone?
Totally optional usage but I'm def. going for it. I love me a good x-factor.
>>45498180
>The Deep Creatures
When men started building their deep subsurface geothermal plants they discovered the native flora and fauna in a deep crag. Living off a combination of the heat and chemicals present at the borders of the magma-upswelling used for power generation and the water of a nearby aquifer, these creatures baffled the scientific community much as the vent life found in the deepest depths of the ocean had centuries before. This didn’t stop the creation of the power plants, whose runoff, leftovers, and byproducts allowed the creatures to grow to unprecedented sizes. They wander the depths as they ever did, burrowing through rock and earth easily. hunting, mating, eating, life goes on in the stygian depths as ever it did before.
>>45498089
>What's the scariest thing about robots to you?
nothing. I get along well with machines. and there's no reason I shouldn't. I have an irrational fear of needles. but not a thing for machines...shit I've been drawing up successive design ideas for robots that would do horrible horrible things to people(or pretty awesome things if you have the right fetishes) because I like the idea of a robotic servitor(especially one that enacts my sexually sadistic wrath upon my subjects).
>details
take a virtual tour of Pripyat and consider that...now modernize it and run the thoughts on urban decay again.
so...heavy concrete, steel...very little glass remaining though.
an amusing quality of glass is that it flows slowly, if you've ever looked through an old glass window and seen the ripples it's because the glass itself has started to flow out of it's original shape. bottles show this less unless they've been sitting in the same place for long enough. glass windows would have flowed out of their shapes and fallen to the roads to shatter and be cleared away by maintenance drones.
>3.)
um, what???
>>45498186
sounds interesting.
do go on...
>>45498600
For #3, he's trying to prompt creature/character ideas. Take a few odd traits for different creatures, mash them together, and then try and find a way to justify that combination in-universe. The more esoteric your story the better.
I'd shoot off an example, but I haven't slept in 20 hours so it's all a bit fuzzy right now.
>>45499126
then sleep I'll likely keep the thread bumped for a few hours without issue.
and I'm not good at mashups, or low prompt improv. so I've been mashing up other peoples ideas...
>>45499898
I think so, but thats because I can separate my fetishes from my setting-wrighting.
I'm working really hard to keep that shit NO PLACE NEAR the setting...
>>45498600
>nothing. I get along well with machines. and there's no reason I shouldn't. I have an irrational fear of needles. but not a thing for machines...shit I've been drawing up successive design ideas for robots that would do horrible horrible things to people(or pretty awesome things if you have the right fetishes) because I like the idea of a robotic servitor(especially one that enacts my sexually sadistic wrath upon my subjects).please describe the uh things the robots would do, thanks <3
>>45500057if you insist, predominantly I occupy my mind with the "spanking machine dilemma" turns out it's a serious challenge to design a machine capable of that act. That being the more difficult task once it's properly allowed for in a design, building in a variable impact-zone auto-flogger is much easier.
but that aside I have an interest in sitting in a fancy arm-chair before the machine looking into the face of my victim, holding a simple button-panel. and pressing buttons and turning dials to see what interesting expressions and noises they make.
>>45500168
We certainly have a... Unique design lead. Regardless, what's a thing that needs specific testing so I can do that tonight?
>>45500307
weapons balance, and impact testing
build a character and see if they can successfully knock around an opponent with the impact system as written.
>unique
not as much as you might think.
though I'll remind you that some people refer to avid players of souls games as "a bunch of hateful masochists"
so I'm hoping that being "a loathsome and vindictive sadist" might make me better able to emulate the Souls feel
>>45500494
>vindictive sadist
Just like my Miyazaki body pillow!
Starting a playtest tonight and I am curious about the leveling. Is it only one stat that is raised during level up or all of them? As written it implies that all stats are raised when leveling up.
>>45504594
Re-read the pdf and it was my mistake but it could use a bit of rewording.
>>45502910
hey, don't you be gettin any weird ideas!
>imagines someone hugging a pillow with an echidna on it.
>...
or do, it doesn't matter to me all that much.
>>45504594
one level raises one stat +5
>>45504632
noted for tomorrow
First playtest. Died in 3 seconds.
>>45506397
was it THAT bad?
>>45506397
>>45506584
I mean, Souls Inspired, but STILL...
>>45506598
Yeah. I did it solo. Was ganged on by three general frames in the trash place. One had an autopistol and two had improv weapons.
>One tried body checking, failed.
>I took a reaction to free attack. Failed.
>One tried shooting. Failed.
>One hit with improv weapon. Succeed. -7 vitality (my hardening accounted for).
>12-7 = 5
>Second hit from improv weapon was -5 from vitality.
>Ded.
Only was able to do a reaction before death. No attacks necessary. My initiative sucked. Did have spider legs and a hammer though.
>>45506756
These were my stats btw. If you want to know.
Vitality: 12
Strength: 25
Dexterity: 25
Mobility: 25
Processor: 25
Hardening: 25
Firewall: 25
Encumbrance: 4
Mass: 30
Perception: 25
Initiative: 25
Psyche: 2
Source: 0
Inventory
1. Hammer: 1d10+1; Imp: 15
Mods
1. Spider Legs (2)
2. Drone Control Unit (2)
>>45506598 >>45506756 >>45506797
Also, the pdf is a pain to try and rummage through. Needs more organization. I think that's my only real complaint.
>>45506899
I gave it a table of contents...
suggestions on re-ordering things?
>>45506756
>>45506797
>ouch
the first guy who playtested said that straight up fights were really one-sided once the numerical scales tipped.
that and I may need to adjust the GP droids downward to account for the new baseline for a starting character.
>>45506954
1. Table of Contents
2. Setting and Fluff
3. Gameplay Mechanics
4. Character Creation
5. Weapons and Mods
6. NPCs
Or you can put the weapons, mods and equipment stuff in the back as an index sort of list.
>>45507000
noted. I'll get on that when I get back on editing in the morning.
>>45507070
I think its mostly a problem of weapons and weapon mods being on opposite sides of the book which makes you have to constantly go through multiple sections so putting character mods near character creation and weapon mods directly after weapons would be helpful.
>>45498186
Should the GM save this sort of loop throwing for mid-game, when the players have gotten used to the world and think they're still in Kansas?
Regardless, I like. And it gives a good opportunity for the humans-or their inheritors-to come back 'round one day.
>>45507354
Yeah it should definitely be a mid-game twist in which the players assume they are on an abandoned earth. But then something happens that makes them question it and then start questioning if the humans truly did just abandon the planet for somewhere else. Otherwise it loses the twist reveal and there wont be much reaction because it will just be an established part of the world if its introduced too early in the campaign.
>>45497517Not the Geezer this time.
"They say the Donor Beasts are just dumb animals.
That's....is there a word for a truth that's wrong? People don't lie about it, but they're still wrong about it. Ya, let's go with wrong."
"Anywho. Most of them, yes, they're not sapient. But there's one out there that is. I've seen it."
"I've only seen it once, out in the Business district, in the rubble of one of those 'banks'. At first we'd thought it was just another drone; it was covered in armor, see, metal armor, over most all the organic bits. We couldn't see that until we got close."
"We couldn't see how tall it was, either. Not just heads and shoulders-double my height, roughly. Had a sword as long as I was tall."
"It...it was studying us even before we got to it, either. I'll swear to that. It didn't attack, not at first. Just stared at us with that humongous eye, watching, waiting, wondering..."
"Then Jimm shot it with his pistol."
"No, I don't know why. He's recuperating in the Lounge, right now. I'll ask him after."
"Well, it did what any pissed-off swordsman that's just been shot would do."
"It drew and slashed-in one motion, faster than thought-chopped right through his chest. Just missed his blackbox, by millimetres."
"I don't know why it paused, then, mid motion. Maybe it ran out of energy-maybe it was granting mercy. It was long enough for me to rush in, grab Jimm's blackbox and book it."
"What? Oh. Booking it was a phrase that repeats often in the criminal fiction books. To book it was to run away very, very fast, usually from danger. Which I think describes what I was doing pretty well."
"Anyway, I booked it. I wasn't looking back, but I don't think it gave chase-mostly because, with those legs, it'd have caught up before I could get a block away. So good thing it didn't, I think."
"...just had a thought. You said there was a Foundry Awoken 'round here? I have a sword to make. Well, more of a apology."
>>45507354
>>45507454
Yeah I meant for it to be one of those mid-game twists (like the Amygdala city or the true purpose of Insight, for instance). I love me some escalating revelation.
>>45508813
(Should this be a thing? Sapient donor beasts?)
>>45507315
This is the problem I had as well, mods are on one side and the actual weapons on the other, makes for entirely too much flippinh
>>45509341
best I can say is flip a coin...
ALRIGHTY
shit's been re-ordered so it more closely matches >>45507000
>>45512430
Using right now
>>45521462
Okay, thoughts:
Characters feel weaker than last I played, but that's to be expected since the nerf
Initiative can make the difference between life and respawn, between going first and having more armor, going first is usually better
Teamwork is really important to down tough enemies (my two players rocked a shield build and a sniper build)
Stagger is only really useful if there are environmental hazards to take advantage of as, rules as written, any enemy that has already gone takes no disadvantage and when a group is small enough they either go first or go last together.
Grenades are sexy and terrifying as hell, one of my players managed to get his hands on some and... Wow!
There needs to be a rule to spend actions as reactions, preferably without penalty, extra limbs and light frame helps, but it's hard to make a tanky build with a light frame
>>45523238
>going first is usually better
makes it feel Souls-like to me.
timing and whatnot
>Teamwork is really important
>Teamwork
thats a funny way to say "jolly cooperation"
>Stagger is only really useful if there are environmental hazards
might make every degree of success past the 2nd or 3rd rob a half action instead of offering the chance to knock the opponent prone.
>grenades are sexy and terrifying
GOOD
>hard to make a tanky build with a light frame
contradictions? just cause? or was there a good reason to?
>There needs to be a rule to spend actions as reactions
I'll need to work that in, getting the syntax right will be tricky for me right now though...left the latest version of the document on the work computer...
>>45523238
>but it's hard to make a tanky build with a light frame
Shouldn't this the the case, though? You're exchanging HP and slots for a *lot* of speed. Ideally you're running this with JJs, turning your character into the Blue Man himself while offering ranged support for your heavy/ies.
>>45512430
I had a question about the wording on pg. 21. It mentions the Heavy Frame mod increases Strength, Hardening, and Carrying Capacity by '1.5.' I assumed it meant that mentioned values are being multiplied by 1.5, but just noticed that it isn't explicitly stated like it is for the Light Frame's movement bonus. So is this bonus multiplicative or just a simple add-on?
>>45525332
>I assumed it meant that mentioned values are being multiplied by 1.5,
your assumption is correct.
my writing is wrong, and this sort of thing is what I really need other people to check
>>45525332
>turning your character into the Blue Man himself while offering ranged support for your heavy/ies.
Blue Man?
also, you could go the rout of the Revenance Melee version where you run up and simply become the blender...
>>45525042
>>45525332
My apologies. I meant to imply that one of the few good ways to get bonus actions was the light frame, which is bad for tanking, meaning heavy frames have a hard time getting a lot of reactions.
Obviously light frames shouldn't be able to tank, but it makes on have to choose between being able to defend themselves and being able to take a hit.
>>45525547
>Blue Man?
Poorly thought out Sonic joke.
>run up and simply become the blender...
Potentially, but staying back and using ranged weapons while darting to and from cover seems like it would be far more reliable than exposing your face to the enemy. The 1/3 HP slice is super rough (as it should be, you get a lot of mobility for that price). Particularly at the lower levels, it won't be impossible for someone to one-shot you with most weapons, which means putting a *lot* of faith in your dice. This becomes less of a problem once you put a few levels into hardening, but until then you're going to be a very soft target.
Mildly off-topic, I'm having a lot of fun statting up a character in this system. Light frame with two extra arms and JJs would be a really potent mobile striker.
After playtesting I think the increase in HP is too small and maybe consider an easier way to increase HP otherwise players would need to sink points into hardening just to survive. It may also help prevent fights from becoming one-sided. I was considering just a slight change to the current equation for HP: 10+(psyche)+(hardening bonus), and if that increases HP to much then just change from (psyche) to (1/2 psyche rounded up)
Also noticed rules to differentiate burning psyche compared to having it consumed to enter specific areas isn't specified. It would discourage exploration if players were forced to reduce their stats just to enter new areas.
>>45527271
I think you can only have one reaction, period. And delaying only lets you spend one half action on someone else's turn.
>>45528786
Yes you only get one reaction per round, but if you delay then you can perform half actions between your turns.
>>45528640
>HP: 10+(psyche)+(hardening bonus),
I like this, and will add it at the first opportunity.
>having it consumed to enter specific areas
that was an errant though for terminal stage game locations(final boss room; final conflict resolution options etc...)
>>45528786
I might re-work it so that unspend half-actions can serve as reactions, and reactions after the first consume half-actions
>>45512430
Perhaps some labeling for version, you know for version control. Make sure everyone is sure they are using the latest version of the pdf.
>tfw want to try it out but dont have anyone who would dm it or if anyone is even testing it
Quick question I had about some of the mods which allow the player to use extra space (like how you can use extra slots for jump jets to store more fuel).
Does the process of expanding these mods cost Source? Can the modification be done in the field/does it take place automatically (for example, I level up and immediately gain space for seven units of fuel)?
>>45532682
Dude, I feel you. Only person I know who might have time for a game lives in Denmark (and I live in Central U.S., timezones. Yay).
Holding myself together by statting up random builds.
So far I have a light frame with JJs, four arms, and two assault rifles. Maybe fit some drone stuff in there when I run out of pressing stat needs, but I'm not really clear on what drones are good for yet.
Buddy came up with a heavy-frame spider concept. Strap a massive gun to one side and lie in ambush on the side of a concrete wall (Probably with my light acting as bait).
I'm trying to come up with someone who could make use of the ramming prow (thank you for including that, by the way OP), but haven't had a lot of time yet. The customization in the game looks like it could be a lot of fun.
>>45532782
Actually, while I'm on the subject of drones: Player used drones don't seem to be statted.
Do you have to hack into General Purpose drones to fill up your launcher or does it just get refilled at the Workshop or what?
an addition I would like to make. HACKING MOD SHOULD AUTOMATICALLY COME WITH THE WEAKEST FORM OF ATTACKING PROGRAM
I'll officially add that in on monday when I get back to my .docx
>>45532683
leveling up can only be done at a workshop
refueling can be done in several places, but adding the space can only be done at a workshop.
I wanted the workshops to function like bonefires.
>>45532782
>The customization in the game looks like it could be a lot of fun.
I know right?
I wanted that to be a core feature.
>>45532803
right now you have to go all, DIGITAL BEAST MASTER to get them. you have to hack drones out of the environment, at least for now. and I mean hack, either that or save up and carry around their wreckage till you get back to a workshop and pay the cost to repair them.
you can repair them in the workshop. god save your opponents if you hack something with a FRAME though...cause you can level those like players.
also, there are lots more than GP drones, there's areal drones, and police drones and soldier drones, just added marine surface drones, etc.
but they all need play-testing...as does hacking them.
>>45532924
I always wanted to be a robotic Corocodile Dundee.
Something I forgot to ask in the other post, how do you determine what does and doesn't fit into the launcher/drone rack? It sounds like it would have to be compact enough to fit on your back or something, so I assume it would just be the small areal drones/S.W.O.R.D. sized stuff. Maybe consider labeling things that can be crammed into a drone rack.
>>45533101
>how do you determine what does and doesn't fit into the launcher/drone rack?
no idea...it's one of those things I need to iron out better.
for now just have them follow you in simulations.
BMAP
