A kinda new-ish DM here of a group of 5 players and I've hit a roadblock of sorts. I got three guys and two girls in the group. One of the girls created a character for my new campaign that made two of the guys complain to me about how her character is overly cliche.
I'd like your input on the matter, Fa/tg/uys. This is her character in a nutshell.
>Five Kingdoms fought a Hundred Year War. At the end of it, two Kingdoms lay in ruins and the other three sued for a fragile peace before a proxy war began between them using hired mercenary bands and paid barbarian warlords.
>Girl's character was born and raised in one of the fallen Kingdoms.
>She was taken as part of the spoils of war and sold off as a slave.
>During her slavery she was raped and beaten
>She eventually snapped and killed her master with his sword when he was asleep one night
>She fled and became a wandering teenage beggar
>A few men who knew her as a slave tracked her down to kill her
>A passing mercenary band gave her a sword and a chance to fight for her life.
>Against all odds, she barely survived the fight and won.
>She was accepted into the mercenary band and has been raised and trained by them ever since.
Does this sound cliche to you guys?
>>44334629
It doesn't sound too bad. If she had become the leader of a mercenary band or secretly the child of one of the fallen kings royalty, THEN that would be bad, but really slave-turned-mercenary is actually kinda generic in a not-bad way.
But just for a frame of reference, what are the other player's characters?
>>44334739
*fallen kingdoms royalty
>>44334739
They're mostly just a toss-up between people born into this particular mercenary band with a rather uneventful/normal life of training and fighting, and some who were once in the military, but left during the peace times to join a mercenary band.
One of the guys who complained has a character who was from a Noble House in one of the Fallen Kingdoms, but fled when the capital fell and then became a hobo living off the streets of a small-time fishing town until he signed up to join this mercenary band that the campaign is centered around at first.
You are a monk in the fractured, post-apocalyptic California who recently finished his training at Sa'Migel Arcangel, near the center of the empire. Once a glorious beacon of enlightenment in an unenlightened world, California has fallen to division and sectarianism, and the emperor sits trapped in the holy city of Sacremento, while the Imperial Protectors of the Five Provinces openly war against each other, paying lip-service to Elton IV Yudkow, the living Guru while blithely ignoring his edicts and commands.
You are a follower of the Way of the Cowl, a Cetic sect that promotes secrecy and pragmatism, and favors L'Ron Hubbard as the Paramount Guru. You were chosen by the administration of your monastery to spread the Enlightened Faith to the near mythical Filipines, across the Infinite Pacific Ocean. You grew up in the desert wastes of the mojave, and remember well when false honor and inaction cost the lives of many of your neighbors and the abduction of your sister by foul worshippers of the Atom.
Languages:
Classical Inglish (Literate)
Classical Espanyol (Literate)
Angeleno Spanglish (Native)
Valley Spanglish (Accented)
Fransiscan Spanglish (Accented)
Bajanese (Broken)
Jeffersonian (Broken)
Arixian Spanglish (Broken)
Possessions:
Blue Coweled Formal Robe
Grey Travel Robe
14 Imperial Dolares
A Small Dagger
Provisions for your trip to Monterey
Followers:
Shwaig, A Franciscan follower of the dove. Skilled in healing and diplomacy with peasants. Openly hostile to nobles and the rich. Vegan and Pacifist Zealot. Brings Herbs and Vegetables for the trip, but hardly and money.
Djamez, A Vallejan follower of the fist. Well armed, and a master of the martial arts. Good natured, but a bit oblivious at times. Studious, but Forgetful. Brings a Naginata, throwing axe/hatchet, dagger, 12 Valleyan Dolares, and Jerky. Obstains from all intoxicants.
"I have lived no cloistered life and hold in contempt the wise man who has not lived and the scholar who will not share. There have been many wiser men than I, but few have traveled as much road. I have seen life from the top down and the bottom up. I know how it looks both ways. And I know there is wisdom and that there is hope."
- L'Ron Hubbard
As a devotee of the way of the cowl, you have had special training in both hiding your intents and reading those of others. You are good at faking emotions and passing whatever you say off as truth, as well as seeing through falsehood and reading others like a book:
You also showed special interest in a certain part of the way of the Cowl's teaching:
A: The Prince: "It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both." (Bonus to intimidation and blackmail, disadvantage to "good cop" tactics"
B: The Commodre: "Certainty, not data, is knowledge." (Big, blatant deception and lies have more of a chance of working, but if it does backfire, it's far worse)
C: The Warden: "The line between good and evil is permeable and almost anyone can be induced to cross it when pressured by situational forces." (You understand how evil and people tick very well, but this familiarity causes people in general to distrust you all the more)
D: Top Gun: "When you're enlightened, you see life, things, the way they are, in all its glory, in all of its perplexity, and the more you know as an enlightened person, the more you become overwhelmed by it." (You're extremely charismatic and good with people, but you have a hard time thinking outside the box set up for you by your teachers.)
E: I was always more of a generalist.
>>44334611
>A: The Prince: "It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both." (Bonus to intimidation and blackmail, disadvantage to "good cop" tactics"
>>44334611
A: The Prince: "It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both." (Bonus to intimidation and blackmail, disadvantage to "good cop" tactics"
Though the warden is interesting.
Need GMing advice, /tg/. A new player interested in my game is asking me if his character can have all these advantages and disadvantages not explicitly covered in the rules. While I understand my job as GM is to interpret the rules and render decisions based on those interpretations, this guy is going for a level of granularity not supported by the system I'm using (Savage Worlds if it matters). I honestly want to just tell him "Look, just stick to what's written" instead of having to write up some new rules to cover exactly what he wants on the spot (he wants a single cyberarm with certain advantages and disadvantages).
What should I do?
Let him, just let him know you'll take it away/tone it down if it causes a problem.
As a GM I'm inclined to try to avoid catering to specific player demands in situations like this.
Does it fit with the themes and setting?
>>44333568
"I'm not comfortable with all these modifications you're making. If there's one or two major character traits you want reflected mechanically that's fine and I'll work with you to make it work, but I'm just sure I can balance all these changes and ensure everyone has a fun game. Go over your character and decide what you can just fluff out, what's just unnecessary and what you really want to be influenced by mechanically. Then come back and we'll go over it again."
About four years ago, my mother's car got attacked by some kind of superpowered freak. It put my mother in a coma for a good while, and she's been hospitalized ever since.
Now you'd THINK that the cops would be interested in pursuing someone who would and CAN punch cars into oblivion, but pretty everyone I told about what happened laughed in my face.
The only person who actually DID believe me is a girl I met in the park the night after the accident... and thanks to her, now I have my own powers.
I guess it couldn't have lasted forever... though I really would have appreciated at least a full day of Good Things before my luck spun back around into the toilet where it's been for the better part of the psst two weeks.
All thanks to the worst-timed text message ever.
>Thread archive:
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?searchall=false+dendrite+quest
>Branches known thus far:
http://pastebin.com/WDXAfN9q
>Twitter:
https://twitter.com/QM_Archelon
>Ask thing:
http://maouzenigame.tumblr.com/
>Game production blog:
https://studioarchelon.wordpress.com/
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>>44333545
>>I promise to come right back after all this is done with though
>>44333545
>I promise to come right back after all this is done with though
>>44333545
>>I promise to come right back after all this is done with though
'all this' has to include visiting momma though.
THEY KNOW WE KNOW
>THEY KNOW WE KNOW
I thought it was "OH WEE OH WEE OH."
>>44333202
Screw this I'm outta here
The Souls game series has some of the most enjoyable NPCs I've ever encountered in a video game, and I'm wondering if its possible to make similar original NPCs for a setting.
So what is it /tg/? What makes these lonesome people so likable, or at the very least, so memorable? How does one transcribe this to a tabletop RPG?
A general rule for what makes a lot of Souls stuff work.
Show, don't tell. How does this work in vocal/written narrative? I'd wager having evidence of the NPC's deeds being shown when they're not there.
A Dragonslayer walks among us? Distant sounds of conflict, scales seemingly strewn about, stuff like that.
>>44333049
Showing rather than telling is important, but shaping an atmosphere of loneliness and mystery is key to creating NPCs like this, even moreso than the behavior and deeds of the NPCs themselves.
The likes of Laurentius and Solaire are memorable because the world is so lonesome. At times, it seems like they are the only ones who actually care about you, and when their own storylines are elucidated in whole, you're forced to weigh their opportunity to attempt to achieve their own happiness and fulfillment against how much you like having them around to talk to and help you. They're relatable in a lonely world; you feel for them, and your own ambition forces you to make impossible choices on their behalf.
As stated, suspense and mystery are also important. When Ciaran appears after you defeat Artorias, you see her kneeling there and wonder who she is, whether she is trustworthy, and if she is friend or foe. When Priscilla tells you that "this land is peaceful, its inhabitants kind", you raise an eyebrow because you were getting buttfucked by wheel-skeletons about ten minutes ago, and you dig through item descriptions and look at what's going on with the Doll and the Painted World to wonder why. Even though Lautrec seems untrustworthy, you don't have a clue that he's about to dick you unless you go back to the Firelink Shrine after every major event and chat with him. You have to get into the world and seek it out; thus, it's important to first try and create a world that your players can get into.
>>44333109
>>44333512
That's actually some pretty good advice. I'm going to have to get to work on that.
>be Tau
>muh superior firepower
>muh discipline
>get outsmarted by ORKZ
LMAO Tau on suicide watch
most useless race in the galaxy
Orkz da biggest 'n da strongest
>>44332466
I think the infection in your "teef" have gotten to whatever brain you greenskins have.
All the more to make purging your filth easy.
>Codex wars
Wake me when it's time for war
>be tau
>drop rifle and scream like a sissy girl as soon as somebody comes within 10 feet of me
>get battlesuit
>still get shit wrecked by meganobz
So, we have a confirmed plan of action, yes? We deal with the scum and reassert order, hopefully get some professionalism back into this sorry lot?
While we're doing that, what exactly is going on?This thread is just to wrap up the loose ends that we ran into as the last archived.
> enters the mansion
Helloooo? Anyone home?
>>44332115
I was thinking putting faces on them with little pantorian hats and... WAIT!! NO you can't blow up Alice!! That's not allowed
>>44332323
Oh boy...
Eta?
>grinch:
> an unpleasant person who spoils other people's fun or enjoyment
holy shit, Grinch is a synonym for Thatguy
>grinch steals people's Christmas shot
>That guy steals my dice when I'm not paying attention
You're onto something
>>44331966
The difference is That Guys often, but not always, are not aware of what they are doing. They think it is everyone else who is the problem.
>>44331966
>You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch
>There's no depth you won't delve
>Your characters are minmaxed
>And they're all your magic realm
>Mr Griiiiiiinch!
First experience GMing thread
What was the first time you GMed? Any painful experiences getting used to the ropes? What system did you run?
OP here, didn't want to clutter the OP with greentext.
>17 years old, at this point I had barely played my first proper RPG and a few online PbP ones.
>Group consisted of online friends group/community
>People were hesitant to join but they had played these shitty Steam RP's before and were interested
>Homebrew sci fi game
>Only stats were skills + stat = # of dice you roll, 5 or 6 for a success.
>First few games hit me hard, realized I needed to plan ahead and not just wing it
>Players started to notice names being changed and forgotten
>Constantly bailed players out of trouble, never let them actually be in danger
>Basically encouraged them to do stupid stuff as it gave me a chance to expand their characters
>Players really weren't that interested at this point, had trouble keeping attendence up
>Even when attendence was up it was online so people would just sit and play games while half listening
>This one edgelord, T, always did the stupidest shit
>Because I always bailed him out he also ended up with the best gear for doing stupid shit
>Couldn't balance for shit so he destroyed everything I put him up against.
>Went on for about a year
>Story got better and better, changed up systems to switch plots from a lovecraftian cult in a system to mercenaries for a banking corp
>Eventually realized homebrew didn't cut it so I ended it in a half assed explosion where a literal DMPC killed them all.
>>44331570
I got extremely lucky. nWoD Werewolf, group of bros who liked to roleplay, took my plot hooks, worked well as a group. The combat was a pushover but no one minded. Most of the players are still with me to this day.
>>44331723
You only because That GM in the last line.
Welcome to Banished Quest!
You take the role of a young mage labeled a criminal by his people and cast out into the wider world. In the last thread you had knowledge imparted upon you by an ancient artificial hivemind.
It is currently the 24th of Svarthi, in the year 936 NH.
Character Sheet:
http://pastebin.com/8wLGz3HQ
Inventory:
http://pastebin.com/9mxDQn7N
Companions:
http://pastebin.com/tWc3Zjje
Spellbook:
http://pastebin.com/Tu1sVEnQ
Runic Library:
http://pastebin.com/7zQt9XLy
Current Missions:
http://pastebin.com/rzD5PPsU
Dice:
http://pastebin.com/nhswziq6
Magic:
http://pastebin.com/aYPzn0aU
http://pastebin.com/2iHKTQTS
Combat:
http://pastebin.com/e1peu2ih
http://pastebin.com/1niidZEa
Enchanting:
http://pastebin.com/jUQKQLLx
Fluff:
http://pastebin.com/ydKwNLba
http://pastebin.com/sijmZSSf
http://pastebin.com/UygnkCBe
http://pastebin.com/gR0sgiFu
http://pastebin.com/ibi8j7Md (*NEW*)
http://pastebin.com/q8rQUjzS (*NEW*)
Archives:
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Banished%20Quest
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/Quidam_Asinus
Ask Page:
http://ask.fm/Quidam_Asinus
Tumblr:
http://somaqm.tumblr.com/
IRC Channel:
#BanishedDiscussion on Rizon
Notes:
Using names or trips in this quest is heavily discouraged. While it is impossible for me to prevent you from doing so, I ask that you not. I will also not count any votes made while using names or trips.
The stench of your own burnt flesh mixed with a note of intoxicating sweetness drifts through the interior of the claustrophobic chamber as the needle withdraws itself from your forehead. The pain is unbearable, and though you try to scream all that comes it is a wet gurgle. You're choking on your own blood as it pours from your fracturing, filling your lungs as you struggle for breath.
Then the pain subsides as the needle draws fully from your skull, dark black blood and some strange gelatinous white substance dripping from the glowing crystalline tip. You feel as though wrapped in a warm blanket, your aches washed away as vys rolls over and through you. The tip of the needle goes dim, submerging you in darkness, but only moments later you feel yourself being shunted forward.
You spill out into the light amidst a flood of silvery grey metal. It rolls off of you like water, sliding across the floor in the form of a thousand little semi-solid droplets. The light outside is blinding after the darkness of the chamber, but you feel hands gripping you by the shoulders. You're rolled over onto your back and those same hands search your face, and then your chest, for some hidden wound. Upon finding none you hear more than feel a sharp slap ring out through the room.
“Fucking Mikhael!” Someone shouts in frustration, their footsteps receding as they march away. Finally your eyes start to adjust to the light spilling into your brother's study, and you see Profectus leaning over you with a slice of fresh bread sitting flat on the back of his hand while he smears butter across it with a blunted knife.
(1/2)
He greets you with a smile. “Glad you haven't killed yourself yet. You get a chance to eat breakfast?”
>You should probably explain what the orb is and what you've learned from it.
>Keep what you've learned to yourself for now, but tell your brother that the orb is safe.
>There's no time to explain. You need to erode the husk and shell of your soul and dive back in.
>Write-in
(Just to make sure people see them. Read: http://pastebin.com/ibi8j7Md if you missed last session. Read: http://pastebin.com/q8rQUjzS if you just want the lore I forgot to write-up.)
>>44330934
>>There's no time to explain. You need to erode the husk and shell of your soul and dive back in.
Just for kicks
~You are Sigmund Wagner, sole survivor of the Ulvenacht which left your village a charnel house. You alone were spared death by the hand of Lector Gwynneau Tylmarine, a Paladin and master of the stronghold known as The Castle of Bells. She took you under her protection and brought you to her home to give you an opportunity at a life that you would have otherwise lost to the horrors of the night. ~
Character Sheet: http://pastebin.com/c61mL50g
Archive: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?searchall=acolyte+quest
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AcolyteQuestQM
Ask: https://ask.fm/AcolyteQuestQM
~~~~~~~~~~~~
This morning is like many others, but unlike them as well. For today is the day you take the Mark of Measure, a test to gauge your status both as a Paladin and as one of the Faithful. You rise from your bed, dress for the day, clean your face of the small stubble that has started to grow, finally after sixteen years, and tie your two swords to your waist. You descend down the stairs and hear the sound of Gwyn singing her Vigors, stirring your mind and body, as well as everyone else in the castle, with the divine song of morning.
You head into the Great Hall and through it to the kitchen. The cooking staff is up and has already prepared meals for Gwyn, you, and the soldiery. The head chef, a one armed man name Garond, waves his cleaver at you, "Oi! Good morning, Sigmund. Here for your meal? It's hash this morning, potatoes and beef." You thank him after bidding him good morning and take the plate he pushes towards you, eating and half-listening to the hustle of the kitchen.
You know that this afternoon several Paladins will be arriving to test you, if they find you capable, they will report your good work to Gwyn. If they find you exceptional, you could be accelerated on your path to full Paladin status. You wolf down your meal,strech, and stretch, then head to...
>A) The muster field to train
>B) The library to study
>C) The Chapel to pray
>D) Other
>>44330472
>>B) The library to study
Time to focus
>>44330472
>B) The library to study
Refresh your memory a bit, we have time for physical warm ups later.
>>44330472
>>A) The muster field to train
Even thoug studying can help us a lot, I feel like we need to do some training to get up to sentinel levels just in case of early fuck ups.
Step out the way, worst Primarch coming through.
Vulkan is the best
>>44330427
LEMAN RUSS, The Wolf King 400pts
WS 8 BS 5 S 7 T 6 W 6 I 6 A 5 Sv 2+/4++
Infantry (Character)
1 (Unique)
Wargear:
Mjalnar: S: User Ap 2 Melee Instant death
For games set during the Battle of Prospero Mjalnar may be replace with the Spear of Russ
The Spear of Russ: S: -1 Ap 1 Melee Witch-Bane
Witch-Bane: When in a challenge against an enemy psyker all blessings that the opponent in the challenge have is negated
The Wolf-Guard: 2+ Armour save and a 4+ Invulnerable save
Special rules:
Primarch
Preferred enemy (Primarch)
Night vision
Sire of the Vlka Fenryka: All Space Wolves gain +1 Ld, all Space Wolves in the same unit as Leman Russ gain the Crusader Special rule
Very Bulky
Relentless Duelist: All opponents in a challenge with Leman Russ suffer -2 WS
Master of assault: While Leman Russ is the warlord, all Space Wolves in the same Detachment as Leman Russ gain the outflank and acute senses special rules
>>44330870
Relentless Duelist doesn't fit him. Replace it with rules to allow his two wolf siblings to be with him.
Scout out EVERYONE edition
Hello everyone and welcome to ShitterNormie's Machine Civ part 8!
>What's happening in the civ Shitter?
Excellent question anon! We are the head AI of a group of drones and multi-purpose machines. Remember anon...if the main AI is destroyed the civ is lost!
>Where are we Shitter?
We are located in the side of a volcano. Our base (which can be given a new name) was built by our old masters: The gnomes. They're dead now because of orcs. But here we are! We are a large super computer that is position in the center of the main room of the volcano-side base. However, we have developed a battle suit that we can travel around in. So far the current rooms we have are 1 door leading to the outside world, 1 drone building facility, 1 machine building facility, 1 steel mine, 1 generator room, 1 Machine of Burden building facility, 1 Copybot building facility and 1 locked room. We only have one current ally at the moment: the gnolls who have been graced with our gift of being transformed into a superior mechanical version.
>Did anything happen last time Shitter?
Yes anon! The civ started out slow like usual but picked up later on like it always does! We managed to have our Gnollbots form a religion around gracing the worthy races with the blessing of mechanization and worshiping "The Mechanical Mum", we built a new unit: The Trollbot and got a new special character: Santa Trollbot, #6 accidentally killed 5 of his brothers in a mine collapse but was later upgraded to be an amazing bard (any action that #6 is involved with adds +1 to the roll). We also spied on all of the surrounding races and found out many things! The Orcs in the northern plains are obsessed with large, black, heavy, poorly crafted armor and the size of their teeth. They also live in many small tribes and keep "Rhinoceros Pouncers" as pets. The elves to the east shot at us before we could get any real information out of them. The crabmen to the south were too far away and we got jumped by a wild Pond Stalker before we could find anything out about them. The environment down there is full of gigantic coral plateaus and is a sandy plain littered with many small ponds.
>How do I get started!?!?!?
Just suggest two actions at the end of the IMMEDIATE CHECKUP. All choices' success will be determined by a 1d20 roll that I will do on my desk and tell you guys. (Rolled 15,2)
Pic related is S.A.L.L.Y 2.0
IMMEDIATE UNIT CHECKUP INITIATED
>Drones: 20 advanced grabber drones, 16 gunner drones, 3 maintenance drones, 1 eye drone, 1 #6 (master bard, adds +1 to all rolls he is associated with), 12 inferno drones, 1 #11, 10 laser drones
>Machines of Burden: 2 Trade Caravan Machines of Burden
> Humanoid Machines: 4 multi-purpose machines (these can be changed with upgrades and research)
>Copybots: 5 Gnoll parasite bots, 1 Santa Trollbot, 0 Trollbots (The Copybots require natural research and technological research)
>Flesh bags improved: 250 Gnolls
>Turrets: 1 Heavy Machine Gun Turret
>S.A.L.L.Y. 2.0: current body: Mobile attack mother
>S.A.L.L.Y 2.0 weapons/upgrades: assault rifle, inferno flamethrower, 6 mini-missiles, 2 laser eyes
>S.A.L.L.Y 2.0 power: 90% (staying in one place +25%, moving places/manual labor -10%, fighting -25%)
>Special characters: (>>) Drone #6 (master bard, (>) Inferno drone #11, (_) S.A.L.L.Y's mobile form,(>>>) Laser drone #1, (<) Spotbot, (^) Santa Trollbot
Pic related is a Rhinoceros Pouncer
IMMEDIATE STATUS UPDATE INITIATED
>Power supply: decent
>Weapons we can produce: Laser pistols and rifles
>Moral: Your bots are getting jiggy with it (#6 is actually happy for once)
>Religion: The Mechanical Mother
>Allies: Gnolls (The Gnolls are honorary machines) (1/3 are armed with laser pistols and rifles)
>Building facilities: 1 steel mine, 1 machine builder, 1 drone builder, 1 generator room (decent), 1 machine of burden builder, 1 copybot builder (mass production unlocked)
>Memory files: Ever so slightly above average (Trollbot research 50%) (this can be fixed with dedicated research which will unlock lore and blueprints)
>Locations unlocked: Home base (wellhidden), Magma wastes, Gnoll village (under our control), Troll lair (cleared), Trading outpost, Northern Orc plains, Southern crablands (Coral plateaus and a sand/pond lidded plain), The eastern eleven forest
>Locations that we have heard about: We've been to every place that we've heard about at the moment. There is still more to the world though
>Inventory: 3 spears, 2 shields, 50 steel, 45 copper, 35 platinum, troll organs, 110 laser pistols, 55 rifles, 1 Pond Stalker corpse
What would you like to accomplish now (2 actions)?
Pic related is a Pond Stalker
How would you do a campaign in pic related?
I'd actually finish the damn thing.
>>44330407It's getting a reboot.Made by good old Earthworm.
>>44330430
Oooh. Consider my comment retracted.
