Okay, we've come to the end of our Polyhedron characters with Deathnet, a D20 modern offshoot set in a virtual reality program the characters are all trapped in. Deathnet doesn't really bring much new to the table bar a couple of minor things:
It's one of the few D20 games that uses skills to determine how much damage you do. Apart from that, there's different character classes and it's one of the few games to not have a "pure human" option. Everyone is some form of "race" known in Deathnet as character models which in some cases force your class choices in some way. You start off with four levels, which as I've just mentioned, are generally partially determined by your character model, the rets being up to you. A hacking/programming system is also present which uses the point/day mechanic of D20 modern.
That's about all there is to Deathnet really. Powerups are kind of cool though, there's just something neat about grabbing the equalizer pill to crush spam (yes, spam is a montser in this game and they're really, really, REALLY annoying). It's essentially a quirky spinoff to D20 modern for those who really love cyberworlds.
Well, no tears for Polyhedron, let's get going with rolling:
15, 6, 17, 16, 13, 16
Rolling for my character model I get a Hacker. Hackers gte the hacking skill whihc allows them to do all sorts of fun things . However, they oddly get a penalty to the very skill that is the basis of their hacking abilities as a tardeoff for their bonus to strenght of all things. Strange, no? They're required to take two levels of Programmer to represent their abilities, so I thought I'd make this interesting.
Meet Cassie Walker, aka Blu_AngL. In the real world, she was a wallflower, a geeky teen obsessed with computers. Now that she's stuck in one, she's a little more formidable
Cassie Walker/Blu_AngL:Hacker Programmer 2/Twitch 1/Wargame 1; HD 2d10+1d8+1d10+4; hp 31; Init +3; Spd 30ft; Defense 19, touch 19, flat-footed 16 (+5 class +3 dex); BAB+2, Grap +6; Atk +6 (1d10+4 bludgeoning, fists); FS 5ft/5ft; Reach 5ft; SQ Advanced melee combat, Evasion, Viruscan ; 14 cycles/day AL None; Reputation +1; Svs Fort +2, Ref +6, Will +0; str 18, dex 16, con 13, int 15, wis 4, cha 16
Skills:Combat Code (melee) 7 ranks, Computer Use +7, Disable Device +7 , Engineering +6, Hacking +7, Jump +7 Search +7
Feats:Expert programmer, Improved Defense, Improved Processer Melee Combat code
Blu_AngL here can do a bit of everything. Lucky hp rolls and her ranks in combat code make her a really good hand to hand combatant, while her feats and model make her an excellent hacker which gives her access to a few nifty benefits. Overall not too shabby.
Anyway, that's it for D20! Next stop on the character cration train, World of Darkness!
Showing posts with label Polyhedron. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Polyhedron. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Character 10: Hijinx
Up next is a game idea that really tickles my interest even if the implementation is wonky. Today we have Hijinx, a game inspired by those crime-solving musician cartoons like Josey and the Pussycats or Jabberjaws. The game is split into two parts, performing at ggs and solving crimes.
The solving crimes bit is fairly well done (I particularly love the rules for chase scenes in which you can set up an elaborate trap for the villain) but the main drawcard here are the shows the characters play in. Hijinx replaces combat with performances and thus the classes are all different types of musicians. Rather than killing foes, your job is to win over those audience members who are too bored, angry, distracted or jealous of your awesomeness to enjoy your show. Reduce an opponent to 0 "cool points" and you've got a new fan. Get reduced to -10 cool points yourself and you're so bummed out by the haters harshing your mellow you quit the music business.
This all sounds really cool, however there are a few wierd things about it that worry me. The main thing is movement, where you move your focus to hostile audience members. You only have a certain range you can switch focus, but they can do it at will, which seems really unfair. Also, I have no damn idea how flanking is supposed to work in this game. I've looked at it over and over again and it still stumps me every time.
Overall I really do love Hijinx, and it would be great for a one-shot or even a short campaign arc (interestingly, hitting level 10 is the "end-game" of Hijinx, sginifying you've sold a platinum record and made it into the big leagues) but I'd definitely iron out a few kinks. In fact, I'd probably knock out the crime solving part altogether and run it in a more "serious" style. But to each their own.
Time to roll those dice again! My scores are:
10, 11, 16, 8, 15, 14
Okay, next up we have music style, basically the band's genre. There are 6 to choose from, so it turns out my band is a Hip-hop band (*shudder* I'm really not a hip hop fan), giving all the band members a +1 to reflex saves. Then we roll 1d8 (rolling 8s again) for class for whihc we get a Bass player. Bass players have a couple of abilities that allow them to heal other band members, sending good vibes their way, later using their mellow to resist hostile vibes.
Okay, so a bass player for a hip-hop band is a bit odd. However, a bit of tinkering and Leon is ready to set down the rythm for his band Vain Station (yeah, I'm not the best hip-hop band namer, so sue me)
Leon: Bassist1; Init -1; CD 1d8+3; cp 14; Defense 15 (+2 class, +2 wis, +2 threads); Vibe +3 (1d8+3, used bass); Range 15ft,; SQ Good vibes 4/set; Saves Fort +2, Ref +2, Will +4; Str 11, Dex 8, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 15, Cha 14
Skills and Feats Animal Empathy +6, Diplomacy +6, Knowledge (politics) +7, Knowledge (pop culture) +7, Read Lips +6, Spot +6; Songwriter (Political), Too cool
Equipment: Used Bass, Lucky shirt, Fan Club, $80
Leon is a tough guy who would work well in the background of a performance. He can sit there and scout out hostile audience members with his hefty spot bonus and back up bummed out band-members with his good vibes ability. If necessary, he can even take the lead on a song and use his decent Defense, hefty number of cool points and songwriter ability (dude knows his subtext) to both take a hit and dish it out again.
I was tempted to do up the entire Vain station lineup, and perhaps one day I will. Alas, the show must go on and I'll be finishing up the Polyhedron characters with Deathnet next installment.
The solving crimes bit is fairly well done (I particularly love the rules for chase scenes in which you can set up an elaborate trap for the villain) but the main drawcard here are the shows the characters play in. Hijinx replaces combat with performances and thus the classes are all different types of musicians. Rather than killing foes, your job is to win over those audience members who are too bored, angry, distracted or jealous of your awesomeness to enjoy your show. Reduce an opponent to 0 "cool points" and you've got a new fan. Get reduced to -10 cool points yourself and you're so bummed out by the haters harshing your mellow you quit the music business.
This all sounds really cool, however there are a few wierd things about it that worry me. The main thing is movement, where you move your focus to hostile audience members. You only have a certain range you can switch focus, but they can do it at will, which seems really unfair. Also, I have no damn idea how flanking is supposed to work in this game. I've looked at it over and over again and it still stumps me every time.
Overall I really do love Hijinx, and it would be great for a one-shot or even a short campaign arc (interestingly, hitting level 10 is the "end-game" of Hijinx, sginifying you've sold a platinum record and made it into the big leagues) but I'd definitely iron out a few kinks. In fact, I'd probably knock out the crime solving part altogether and run it in a more "serious" style. But to each their own.
Time to roll those dice again! My scores are:
10, 11, 16, 8, 15, 14
Okay, next up we have music style, basically the band's genre. There are 6 to choose from, so it turns out my band is a Hip-hop band (*shudder* I'm really not a hip hop fan), giving all the band members a +1 to reflex saves. Then we roll 1d8 (rolling 8s again) for class for whihc we get a Bass player. Bass players have a couple of abilities that allow them to heal other band members, sending good vibes their way, later using their mellow to resist hostile vibes.
Okay, so a bass player for a hip-hop band is a bit odd. However, a bit of tinkering and Leon is ready to set down the rythm for his band Vain Station (yeah, I'm not the best hip-hop band namer, so sue me)
Leon: Bassist1; Init -1; CD 1d8+3; cp 14; Defense 15 (+2 class, +2 wis, +2 threads); Vibe +3 (1d8+3, used bass); Range 15ft,; SQ Good vibes 4/set; Saves Fort +2, Ref +2, Will +4; Str 11, Dex 8, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 15, Cha 14
Skills and Feats Animal Empathy +6, Diplomacy +6, Knowledge (politics) +7, Knowledge (pop culture) +7, Read Lips +6, Spot +6; Songwriter (Political), Too cool
Equipment: Used Bass, Lucky shirt, Fan Club, $80
Leon is a tough guy who would work well in the background of a performance. He can sit there and scout out hostile audience members with his hefty spot bonus and back up bummed out band-members with his good vibes ability. If necessary, he can even take the lead on a song and use his decent Defense, hefty number of cool points and songwriter ability (dude knows his subtext) to both take a hit and dish it out again.
I was tempted to do up the entire Vain station lineup, and perhaps one day I will. Alas, the show must go on and I'll be finishing up the Polyhedron characters with Deathnet next installment.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Character 9: V for Victory
Okay, so we go back to the Polyhedron magazines with March 2003's V for Victory, which as you might have guessed is an RPG set in Wordl War 2.
There really is not much to say about this game. It's really not that amazingly interesting mechanically and is essentially a cookie-cutter level based D20 game. You get your pre-war background as a substitute for race, your training instead of class. One interesting bit is your specialty, which gives you an area of expertise such as amphibious invasions or mounted warfare. Unfortunately, all it does is give you a bonus feat, so there's really not much to it.
On top of this, I really don't think a level based D20 game captures the grittiness of a WW2 game properly, bar perhaps 1st level, where the tissue paper fortitude of your characters gives the right sense of vulnerability. Honestly, were I to run this, I think I'd tweak the hp a bit so that you absically only got a few hp per level, meaning combat remains dangerous throughout. But really, this is one of the last games I'd run, not because i hate it (it's very rare to find a game I hate) but simply because of it's mediocrity compared to other games covering similar territory.
Anyway, let's get those 4d6 rolling!
12, 8, 14, 14, 12, 8
No heights of brilliance there and a couple of peanlties, but I guess we'll have to see what we can work with. Rolling for pre-war background, it seems my character is a revolutionary with intelligence training
Bit of tinkering around and we have something. Andre Benarious left the small rebel groups of the Spanish Civil war when he found his homeland had been taken over by the Nazis! Fortunately, his espionage and sabotage training will be put to good use!
Andre Benarious
1st level, Intelligence training
Hit Dice: 1d6+1 (7 hp)
Initiative: +1 (dex)
Speed: 30ft
AC:11 (+0 Defense, +1 Dex)
Attacks:+1 Browning High Power pistol
Damage: Browning High Power pistol 1d10
Face/Reach: 5ft by 5ft/5ft
Career Ability: Inspire
Specialties:Combat Engineering
Saves: Fort +1 Ref +1 Will +0
Abilities: Str 8, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 6, Cha 16
Skills: Bluff +9, Decipher script +7, Demolitions +9, Diplomacy +4, Disable Device, +4, Gather Information +6, Hide +4, Innuendo +2, Move silently +4, Research +4, Sense Motive +2
Languages: French, English, German, Spanish
Feats: Skill Focus (demolitions) (B), Skill Focus (Decipher script), Skill Focus (Bluff)
Equipment:Forged ID papers, Browning Higher Power Pistol, microcamera, German currency
Yeah, Andre is far better off the battlefield than on. Thus, I put everything into skills, the things intelligence types specialise at. Unfortunately, apart from skills, everything else about him sucks. Ah well, it's not like I'll ever play him anyway.
There really is not much to say about this game. It's really not that amazingly interesting mechanically and is essentially a cookie-cutter level based D20 game. You get your pre-war background as a substitute for race, your training instead of class. One interesting bit is your specialty, which gives you an area of expertise such as amphibious invasions or mounted warfare. Unfortunately, all it does is give you a bonus feat, so there's really not much to it.
On top of this, I really don't think a level based D20 game captures the grittiness of a WW2 game properly, bar perhaps 1st level, where the tissue paper fortitude of your characters gives the right sense of vulnerability. Honestly, were I to run this, I think I'd tweak the hp a bit so that you absically only got a few hp per level, meaning combat remains dangerous throughout. But really, this is one of the last games I'd run, not because i hate it (it's very rare to find a game I hate) but simply because of it's mediocrity compared to other games covering similar territory.
Anyway, let's get those 4d6 rolling!
12, 8, 14, 14, 12, 8
No heights of brilliance there and a couple of peanlties, but I guess we'll have to see what we can work with. Rolling for pre-war background, it seems my character is a revolutionary with intelligence training
Bit of tinkering around and we have something. Andre Benarious left the small rebel groups of the Spanish Civil war when he found his homeland had been taken over by the Nazis! Fortunately, his espionage and sabotage training will be put to good use!
Andre Benarious
1st level, Intelligence training
Hit Dice: 1d6+1 (7 hp)
Initiative: +1 (dex)
Speed: 30ft
AC:11 (+0 Defense, +1 Dex)
Attacks:+1 Browning High Power pistol
Damage: Browning High Power pistol 1d10
Face/Reach: 5ft by 5ft/5ft
Career Ability: Inspire
Specialties:Combat Engineering
Saves: Fort +1 Ref +1 Will +0
Abilities: Str 8, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 6, Cha 16
Skills: Bluff +9, Decipher script +7, Demolitions +9, Diplomacy +4, Disable Device, +4, Gather Information +6, Hide +4, Innuendo +2, Move silently +4, Research +4, Sense Motive +2
Languages: French, English, German, Spanish
Feats: Skill Focus (demolitions) (B), Skill Focus (Decipher script), Skill Focus (Bluff)
Equipment:Forged ID papers, Browning Higher Power Pistol, microcamera, German currency
Yeah, Andre is far better off the battlefield than on. Thus, I put everything into skills, the things intelligence types specialise at. Unfortunately, apart from skills, everything else about him sucks. Ah well, it's not like I'll ever play him anyway.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Character 7: Omega World
Name sound a little familiar? There's probably a good reason for that. Omega World is the Polyhedron mini-adaptation of Gamma World, D20's game of crazy mutations and survival in a post-apocalyptic world. It debuted in Polyhedron #153 and unfortunately saw no further expansion, probably due to the fact that it was based on an existing game.
Omega world is great if you love random character generation, thanks to the mutation tables. It's quite possible to create a walking god with almost 50 strength or an armless, clumsy moron with fur who can see in the dark. It's definitely not a game that lends itself well to party balance, but roleplaying a party of freaks as they trek across America could be good for an evening where you've got nothing better to play.
You've got five kinds of character. Pure strain humans are better with tech and start of with more levels but don't get the fun mutations (or defects for that matter). Mutated humans are probably the most common characters while furries, clickies and scalies get ability score adjustments and stock mutations as well as standard mutations.
I rolled 1d6 to determine my race and got a Furry. Furries get the free fur and low-light vision mutations and bonuses to con and dex, though they aren't very intelligent. My ability scores were as follows:
9, 14, 16, 18, 12, 13
Now, let's hit those mutation tables!
Snoople;Furry explorer 2; Medium humaoid (furry); HD2d10+6; hp 24; Init+2; Spd 50ft; AC 17 (touch 12, flat-footed 15); Base Atk +1; Grap +3; Atk +3 melee (3d6+3 vibro blade), +3 ranged (1d6+2 spear); SA telekinesis 5/day (CL 5th); SQ low-light vision, cold resistance 5, extra arm; AL Curious; Svs Fort+13, Ref+3, Wil+4; str 14 dex 14 con 16 int 7 wis 13 cha 16
Skills:Jump+32, Psychic attack+8, Survival+6
Feats:Superior mutation (telekinesis)x2, Relic weapon group proficiency (melee weapons)
Mutations:Amazing fortitude, Extra arm, Fur, Low-light vision, Spring legs, Telekinesis
Defects:Poor respiratory, Sensetivity to fire, Reduced dexterity, Heightened metabolism, Partial actions only
Equipment:Vibro blade, 2 good spears, Leather armour, Small shield, Camping gear, 3 weels rations
Poor Snoople here had better hope any fights he gets into don't last long. He gets fatigued after 5 rounds thanks to his poor respiratory system and can only take partial actions! Fortunately, he's lucky enough to possess a kickass relic weapon, and has the power of telekinesis to back him up!
Omega world is great if you love random character generation, thanks to the mutation tables. It's quite possible to create a walking god with almost 50 strength or an armless, clumsy moron with fur who can see in the dark. It's definitely not a game that lends itself well to party balance, but roleplaying a party of freaks as they trek across America could be good for an evening where you've got nothing better to play.
You've got five kinds of character. Pure strain humans are better with tech and start of with more levels but don't get the fun mutations (or defects for that matter). Mutated humans are probably the most common characters while furries, clickies and scalies get ability score adjustments and stock mutations as well as standard mutations.
I rolled 1d6 to determine my race and got a Furry. Furries get the free fur and low-light vision mutations and bonuses to con and dex, though they aren't very intelligent. My ability scores were as follows:
9, 14, 16, 18, 12, 13
Now, let's hit those mutation tables!
Snoople;Furry explorer 2; Medium humaoid (furry); HD2d10+6; hp 24; Init+2; Spd 50ft; AC 17 (touch 12, flat-footed 15); Base Atk +1; Grap +3; Atk +3 melee (3d6+3 vibro blade), +3 ranged (1d6+2 spear); SA telekinesis 5/day (CL 5th); SQ low-light vision, cold resistance 5, extra arm; AL Curious; Svs Fort+13, Ref+3, Wil+4; str 14 dex 14 con 16 int 7 wis 13 cha 16
Skills:Jump+32, Psychic attack+8, Survival+6
Feats:Superior mutation (telekinesis)x2, Relic weapon group proficiency (melee weapons)
Mutations:Amazing fortitude, Extra arm, Fur, Low-light vision, Spring legs, Telekinesis
Defects:Poor respiratory, Sensetivity to fire, Reduced dexterity, Heightened metabolism, Partial actions only
Equipment:Vibro blade, 2 good spears, Leather armour, Small shield, Camping gear, 3 weels rations
Poor Snoople here had better hope any fights he gets into don't last long. He gets fatigued after 5 rounds thanks to his poor respiratory system and can only take partial actions! Fortunately, he's lucky enough to possess a kickass relic weapon, and has the power of telekinesis to back him up!
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Character 6: Thunderball Rally
So yeah, just to show what I was talking about last post, this character is going to be an Orangutan.
Yep, you read that correctly. An orangutan who can drive no less.
Welcome to Thunderball rally, the game that lets you play a team of drivers racing across the U.S for a fat stack of cash. Also, in case I haven't mentioned it already, you can play an Orangutan.
Thunderball rally appears in Polyhedron #152. It's a game written for those who loved Dukes of Hazzard, Cannonball Run, Every Which Way but Loose and Smokey and the Bandit. Also, like a few other Polyhedron mingames at the time, it served as a preview for part of the upcoming D20 modern ruleset, in this case vehicle combat rules.
It's a fun little game that's about fast cars, fast talking and mayhem in 1970s America. Great for a short campaign.
Now, about my character. Rules for playing an orangutan didn't actually appear until Polyhedron #153. I'm sort of cheating here since they're the equivalent of 4th level characters, rather than starting characters, which =is what I've been doing. But c'mon, orangutans.
Here are my stat rolls:
14, 10, 17, 10, 14, 8
Now, orangutans get some pretty sweet skill bonuses and some penalties, so everything will balance out here. Here's his completed stats:
Manny
Orangutan (no levels)
Hit Points: 30
Initiative: +2
Speed: 30ft
Defense: 12
Reputation: +0
Wealth: n/a
Attacks: +8 melee (1d6+7, claws), or +8/+3 (1d6+5 claws, 1d6+5 bite)
Saves: Fort+6, Ref +6, Wil+1
Abilities: Str 21 Dex 14 Con 14 Int 12 Wis 10 Cha 10
Skills: Climb +10 Listen +5 Spot +5
Feats: none
Class abilities: scent, low light vision
Unfortunately they decided that orangutans don't get stuff like wealth and don't start getting things like skill points, feats or ability score increases until they gain actual class levels, which made building Manny here fairly dull. I positioned the ability scores so that he's fairly well rounded, with a natural bias towards strength and physical stuff, as Orangutans aren't allowed to use some of the more cerebral skills.
The one area where Manny excels at this point is combat, thanks to his awesome strength score. Seriously, annoy this primate and he'll probably rip your face off with his 1d6+7 points of damage per turn.
Yep, you read that correctly. An orangutan who can drive no less.
Welcome to Thunderball rally, the game that lets you play a team of drivers racing across the U.S for a fat stack of cash. Also, in case I haven't mentioned it already, you can play an Orangutan.
Thunderball rally appears in Polyhedron #152. It's a game written for those who loved Dukes of Hazzard, Cannonball Run, Every Which Way but Loose and Smokey and the Bandit. Also, like a few other Polyhedron mingames at the time, it served as a preview for part of the upcoming D20 modern ruleset, in this case vehicle combat rules.
It's a fun little game that's about fast cars, fast talking and mayhem in 1970s America. Great for a short campaign.
Now, about my character. Rules for playing an orangutan didn't actually appear until Polyhedron #153. I'm sort of cheating here since they're the equivalent of 4th level characters, rather than starting characters, which =is what I've been doing. But c'mon, orangutans.
Here are my stat rolls:
14, 10, 17, 10, 14, 8
Now, orangutans get some pretty sweet skill bonuses and some penalties, so everything will balance out here. Here's his completed stats:
Manny
Orangutan (no levels)
Hit Points: 30
Initiative: +2
Speed: 30ft
Defense: 12
Reputation: +0
Wealth: n/a
Attacks: +8 melee (1d6+7, claws), or +8/+3 (1d6+5 claws, 1d6+5 bite)
Saves: Fort+6, Ref +6, Wil+1
Abilities: Str 21 Dex 14 Con 14 Int 12 Wis 10 Cha 10
Skills: Climb +10 Listen +5 Spot +5
Feats: none
Class abilities: scent, low light vision
Unfortunately they decided that orangutans don't get stuff like wealth and don't start getting things like skill points, feats or ability score increases until they gain actual class levels, which made building Manny here fairly dull. I positioned the ability scores so that he's fairly well rounded, with a natural bias towards strength and physical stuff, as Orangutans aren't allowed to use some of the more cerebral skills.
The one area where Manny excels at this point is combat, thanks to his awesome strength score. Seriously, annoy this primate and he'll probably rip your face off with his 1d6+7 points of damage per turn.
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