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Ampers&nd

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Ampers&nd last won the day on February 6 2016

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  • Birthday 12/04/1979

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  1. I loved the story, but really want the dead to stay dead (which is a lot to ask in malifaux) actual character risk and death makes the stories much more vital, and it means that bad things can actually happen after all!
  2. aaagh, I even have those books at home! Cheers mason:)
  3. My fated had a short encounter with a group of Bandersnatch, Shadowgrubs (as Bandersnatch already have rules and fluff and I did not use them because I didn't read my sourcebooks... , luckily in my game the creatures were never named so I'm renaming them now!) yesterday, and they seemed to enjoy it so I thought I'd share. Location- an underground cave, at least 30-40 yards in every dimension, there are several (at least three) exits from the cave. "You enter a large cavern,large enough for the walls to fade into the shadows beyond the reach of your lamp. Stalagtites and stalagmites litter the floor and ceiling, and whilst there is a path through them you will need to watch your footing. as you progress further into the maze of stalagmites you see there are three exits to the room, none of which are lit in any way" If the players are using a light source of any kind then as soon as they reach the centre of the cave they may take a TN10 Notice check. If they pass they can hear scuttling noises in one of the three exits, if they pass with an additional level of success they can hear it in two of the exits. "A high pitched squeal from the cavern to the south draws your attention, you turn your lantern towards it in time to see three Centipede-like creatures come scrabbling out of the shadows, one of them much larger than the other two, but all larger than the biggest dog" The Fated now enter dramatic time. The Matriarch is investigating the light source with some of her brood, as long as at least one fated passed the notice flip then determine initiative as normal, if none of the fated passed then the matriarch and her brood automatically win initiative in the first round. The Shadowgrubs will try to stay in shadow as much as possible, using their (0) actions to move around the cavern and only attacking when they can do so without exposing themselves to too much light. They will attack the fated with the least wounds by preference, and they will always attempt 'Crawl into shadow' given the opportunity. If wounded they will retreat into darkness and move to attack another fated. The Matriarch is much smarter than the rest of her brood and will initially stay back in the shadows away from the fated (usually outside loS if possible) once a fated is wounded by a Shadowgrub she will attempt to attack the same target. If a Shadowgrub is slain by the fated she will let out another shriek in her next activation- at the end of the round three more Shadowgrub hatchlings will appear in the northern tunnel. The fight should lead the players on a goose chase round the cavern, with the stalagmites/ties providing lots of shadows for the Shadowgrubs to jump between. If the players have only a single light source they will struggle to keep tabs on them all, especially when the second group arrive. If the players have (or create) more light then they'll find it much easier to squash the bugs. If at any point there is only a single Shadowgrub remaining (hatchling or Matriarch) it will retreat to one of the nests at the end of the tunnels. If the players examine the bodies they will find them insubstantial except in direct light, and even then they are flimsy and crumble under touch. If the players investigate the nest read the following text: "you follow the tunnel away from the cave, as you travel you find your hands and head occasionally catching on what feels like strands of silk, though you can see almost nothing when you check. The end of the tunnel is a rockfall, but the shadows around it are deeper than they should be, even deeper than the darkness around the. the strongest light cannot dispel these shadows and though you can see shapes amongst them it is almost impossible to tell what they are by sight alone" The deep darkness at the tunnels conclusion is the Shadowgrub Matriarchs nest, spun from webs that reflect no light whatsoever it is impossible to see what is inside them except by touch. To touch the shadows a fated must pass a TN10 WP duel first, or they will refuse to do so for the next 10 minutes. Inside the nests there are several piles of Shadowgrub eggs (worth 2-3 scrip each if they can be delivered to an apothecary without exposing them to light, a Wilderness or Alchemy test with a TN 13 will know this), as well as a selection of skeletons, old weapons and rotted clothing. (tailor to suit the current larger mission) There will also be the remaining Shadowgrub if any escaped, but it will stay in the (stable) shadow lair unless the players attempt to take the eggs, at which point it will attack them. Once they have finished investigating the area the fated may leave via the third tunnel which will take them back on track for whatever mission they are supposed to be doing. here's the quick stats I scribbled up for the Shadowgrubs yesterday (didn't have the Bandersnatch card or the right sourcebook so made it all up) Condition: Unstable shadow Lair: The character that afflicted this condition may use this character for the purposes of LoS and range for all attacks and abilities. at the end of each turn this character suffers a single wound which cannot be reduced. Once two wounds have been taken this way end this condition. This condition can also be ended by surrounding the character with strong direct light on all sides. If this condition is ended in any way unbury the character that inflicted it within 3yards, touching shadow if possible.
  4. after each session your fatemaster should offer a skill for you to learn as well as skills for you to increase (I usually offer 2 new and 2 increases and let them choose one of each) these will be things you used during on the session so if you used social skills your fm should let you choose one. alternatively every pursuit has a type of skill (combat, academic etc) that you can always learn even if the fm doesn't give you the option.
  5. Now the regurgitated taste of my last meal has finally faded I can continue my narrative. You will no doubt be pleased to learn it will pick up with Huckleberry and Kato rather than Tarquin who is having far too much fun for my liking. The thirty minutes passed slowly for the remaining miscreants, despite the flashing lights and entertaining staff you can only relax so much when you are expecting everything to go to the Bayou in a breadbasket at any point. Xi had started watering down Lyle’s shine with a thick smelling medicinal she carried in her purse and so far he either hadn’t noticed or approved as he hadn’t mentioned it. Lyle had always had a nose for trouble, you don’t last in the Bayou without one even if you are one of Ma’s favourites, and so whilst patting his pig (not a metaphor, get your brain out of Tarquin’s gutter please..) he had managed to sneak his shotgun from its hiding place. Xi too had drawn her pistol and placed it under her purse on the seat beside her. When the scantily clad girl appeared before Huck and Kato’s table with a bow they finished their drinks (slowly and insolently, which didn’t bother the girl particularly as standing and watching two scowling drinkers wasn’t exactly a hard job compared to some things she had to endure on board) and walked up the stairs. As they passed the bedroom doors upstairs they could hear sounds that I’m not going to describe as I’m sure they’d rather forget it themselves. Regardless of this distraction they were guided past several armed guards onto the bridge, a raised cabin above the casino itself. Gone was the baroque decoration that enveloped the rest of the ship, this room was utilitarian and sparsely furnished, bar the polished wooden floor. Broad windows to the front and sides allowed a view of the darkened river and city beyond. Besides the guards only two people were on this level, firstly a sturdy individual manning the wheel and steering the ship, and more importantly the Madame of the casino herself, seated behind a battered wooden desk at the rear of the cabin. “Well, looky here.. looks like someone just can’t stay away from me!” Ma Burgess' slow southern drawl hinted at an inner amusement, and had been perfectly calculated over decades of use to be just as alluring, threatening or as commanding as it needed to be. Here she was definitely going for alluring, which (truth be told) had a much greater effect on Kato than Huck, as whilst she was not immune to the odd feminine wile Huck was still far too conflicted within his inner rage to notice even the most obvious approach. Unused to her approaches being so ignored Ma decided to press the issue and gathering her mind sent a swirling mass of magical energy into Huck. The matriarch of the Burgess clan had got so used to wielding the abilities of the artefact she had found in the quarantine zone that she could now summon its power from anywhere in the ship. At first she had reclaimed it from the tomb in a rotted ribcage simply seeking to sell it for the gold, but when she turned aside an attack by nephelim later that week, she realised that the item had enhanced her natural persuasion, (already greatly improved by her trip through the breach) and that she could literally tell people to do whatever she desired. When she discovered that it seemed to only work well on native residents of Malifaux she was a little put off (especially as she was trying to steal the casino at the time) but after further experiments in the wild with her kin she divined that not only did it work best on creatures with blackened blood, it was even more powerful on those creatures who could shift their shape. Since then she had used a combination of force and magic to carve her own chunk of Malifaux’s nightlife, taking the casino and using the artefact to draw mimics towards it where she could dominate and control them. (in an odd twist of fate because the Burgess’ clientele were primarily from the upper echelons of Malifaux city Ma’s power grab had actually filtered out more than one highly-placed mimic infiltrator in the Guild and M&SU, proving that even the most despicable creature can end up doing some good, even if it was an accident) Something about Huckleberry had niggled at Ma ever since he’d stepped aboard. She wasn’t sure exactly what he was, but she knew how to find out. A warm glow suddenly punched through Huck’s rage, and he felt himself stepping toward Ma’s desk, a sense of calm and desire for family flowing through him. He shook his head and tried to remember why he was here- he was pretty sure he ran a brothel, he didn’t work in one? Did he? Would it be so bad? Imagine all the worries taken off his shoulders if he just let his guard down. Let Ma take control, she’ll look after him from now on. Mother knows best. Mother. Knows. Best. If you should ever find yourself in a situation where two armed mercenaries have attended you in a private suite, (It occurs to me infrequently but not, alas, infrequently enough) I have but one piece of advice to you- before you focus your not inconsiderable will entirely on dominating and subdued one of them, you should check first to see if the other one can see magic. Ma Burgess did not take this relatively simple precaution, and as a result I am chronicling the adventures of the Miscreants of Expectation, not the Burgess family. (this is a both a blessing and a curse, for whilst I have had to witness for more degrading acts by the miscreants I think having to chronicle the adventures of the family Burgess would be both less entertaining and far more ill-mannered) Kato’s headache had started when she got on board, and hadn’t stopped. Flickering tendrils of magic wrapped around the ship and its crew, and those ankle bracelets positively burned with power. This glowing, flashing and twisting light show had not helped her temper (which we have noted previously as being somewhat short) and when she saw the flare of energy pulsing between Huck and Ma she decided enough was enough. Channeling her own will she reinforced Huck, adding her own frustrations and rage to his own. (A trick she learnt a while ago but has always kept to herself, she didn’t like witches overly much, even those on her side, and rather enjoyed having a defense they knew nothing about) A sharp stab of rage punched through Huck’s considerations, a life that wasn’t his own flooded through him, a life of rage and death and isolation. This drew his own memories to the fore, a youth of violence and treachery, a family he could not trust and a brother that had always tried to control him. A brother he had seen recently. A brother who was working with…. Her… He raised his head and met Ma’s eyes across the desk. A hint of the rage burning inside him must have shown as Ma flinched, there was a small shattering noise from beneath the desk and the waves of control engulfing him thickened. Every instinct pushed to his limits Huck’s body was trapped between love and hate, anger and acceptance, Ma’s will was as fierce as a hurricane and only the very mightiest could have resisted. I think the three bullets that tore through Ma Burgess’ torso were genuinely as much a surprise to Huck as they were to the victim, the explosion of his Maucher in his outstretched hand an instinctive reaction that had saved his life in the past, and undoubtedly would again. The violent end of this battle of wills (which in reality had taken mere moments) broke not only Ma’s spell over Huck but almost every spell on the ship. Kato flinched as the blurring visions she had been experiencing flashed out of existence, but her own instincts were as sharp (and unusually deadly) as Huckleberry’s, and as the guard at the door started to draw his gun behind her she span on the spot, drawing her blade and disembowelling him with a rising slice that left him half the man he was. (Maybe two thirds, it’s hard to see with all the blood and intestines flopping about). She followed this up with a spinning overhead slash which descended straight towards the Burgess manning the wheel in a deadly arc of his cousins blood. In the casino and on the dancefloor the Burgess girls and some of the guards staggered, falling to their knees they grabbed their ankles in pain. Next door one of the Tarquin’s screamed aloud, and with a strength beyond its slight frame cast the other from atop it. Gwyn winced, and reaching down he tore the ankle bracelet from his leg, throwing it into the boiler he motioned to the Burgess crew in the engine room with him. “Something’s wrong”. A blind man and a nurse snatched up their weapons and started to run past incapacitated guards up the stairs. There was a loud thud as the sword embedded itself into the wheel, stopping less than an inch from the pilot’s skull. The pilot was pleasantly surprised by this stroke of luck, and even more pleased when it appeared the weapon was stuck. (Yes, this is the second time Kato has embedded her weapon into a wooden obstacle, and not the last. it's a thing.) The pilot drew his own sabre and moved out to engage the disarmed mercenary, but between her agility and armour he managed to score nothing more than a glancing blow. Perhaps tunnel vision was a Burgess family trait as the pilot was completely blindsided by Huck’s attack, dropping the empty pistol the pimp stepped in and grasped the soon to be deceased individual by the head. He twisted once, introducing the Burgess to a view of his own back that few people get to experience, and even then (as now) only briefly. Even before the body hit the floor the two miscreants were already in motion, Kato wrenching the wheel to one side (We'll be coming back to that later) and retrieving her blade before turning to face the last guard entering the room, Huck had moved toward Ma, retrieving his weapon and slipping three more shells into it. “A Happy ending is usually extra, but this one’s on the house…”
  6. i thought about it, but my chaps swear way too much and are frankly just unbroadcastable in content as well as language.
  7. that's nice work and very thorough, good stuff:) I think TTB is hard to quantify in terms of XP and 'levels' as such, but you do raise interesting points. I've had two new players join halfway through the campaign, and whilst one had reasonably high flips straight up, the other had a wider spread. Neither has struggled to keep up with the rest despite the gap, but I will say that the lower but spread skilled player was able to increase his stats much faster than those who started high- they had to really save to improve where as the low skills were improving every game (or every other) the natural slow down as skills improve does offset the issue to a degree. I give 1xp per session, plus one extra for good team work, and potentially another 1 for really good character play. This tends to reward players who work harder at roleplaying, rather than relying on flips and skills, so players who are a little behind can catch up with some imaginative play. Perhaps you could introduce a scaling XP system based on your work so far?
  8. As the darker nights draw in around my comfortable tower I find my sojourns to the city become more scarce, indeed with all the trouble we’ve been having this side of the Breach it seems safer to stay within the confines of one’s own home till the sun is very much up in the morning. (And it’s always best to check it IS the sun, not a burning building or floating abomination immolating itself in the sky above). Since this forced reclusion from the outside world I have found myself wandering through my stacks and have been drawn once more towards my writing desk, and the unfinished chronicle sat upon it. It has taken a while to reach the point where I feel I can write about the rest of the incident on the boat. I have watched bloodshed and violence aplenty in my days as a chronicler, and they have lost somewhat of their power to shock. But when faced with the deeds that took place within the confines of the Burgess brothel even I have been forced to draw a curtain over some of the misadventures- therefore the pure horror I have forewarned of in previous missives will be lessened for you. This is not for fear of upsetting you mind- you have read this far and are surely of stern stuff. Rather it is to save the dignity of those innocents who were involved in this incident through no fault of their own. Bad things may indeed happen, but I do not need to report them in fine detail. ---- Our first stop upon our return is the overly elaborate booth in the corner, where Ma Burgess has been called away and the long lost siblings have finished their first drinks, the second round arrives to find the previously cold atmosphere between them has become practically arctic, even Rasputina would be pushed to create such a frost with nothing more than familial hatred. (unless she has a younger sister perhaps, they are quite, quite annoying I find) “You didn’t look so dapper the last time we met, squirt” Gwyn’s southern drawl was as far from the refined accent affected by Huckleberry as anyone could imagine, the only real similarity the barely hidden violence that danced just beneath the words as they were spoken. “Last time we met” Huck’s voice in turn was quiet, barely distinct in the loud casino, “you tried to kill me” “Reckon'd I had. Not seen many walk away from where I left you in one piece” “I’d have crawled away in half to meet you again, dear brother. ‘Gwyn’ is it now?” Gwyn’s laugh was a cruel one, a nephelim’s cackle that soared over the noise of the crowd gathered around Tarquin, drawing kato’s attention in no-one else. “You always had fire for a runt. That’s why I killed you first, the rest of our kin just weren’t in our league.” He sank his shot in one. Before the glass hit the table he found himself staring down the lower barrels of Huck’s Maucher, drawn in the split second where his eye was off Huckleberry and on his drink. “I still haven’t decided whether or not I hate you enough to get myself killed” The pimp’s voice was louder now, calmer somehow as if the act of drawing the weapon had settled some inner conflict. Gwyn grinned, “be a shame to ruin that nice coat of yours wouldn’t it?” at this moment in time (despite the separation for you readers of several months due to my own failings) Tarquin’s last improbable bet came through, and the cheers from the roulette table were loud enough to momentarily distract Huck- enough time for Gwyn’s own pistol to appear aimed straight at Huck’s forehead. After a strained few minute or two Gwyn released his grip, and swinging his pistol onto the trigger guard he raised his hands, a feigned placatory grin on his face. Huck slowly placed his own weapon on the table, though his finger never left the trigger. “You ain’t here for me squirt are ya? I know why you’re here, you’re here to see the boss” he beckoned over a Burgess girl. “Give it half an hour then take my darling brother here up to the bridge would ya honey? He’s got business with Ma” he stood and made a mock salute towards his sibling. “See you soon… runt”. Now, you are probably thinking ‘this is a trap’ which is a fair summation of the situation. Huck is too, he’s not stupid, just a little psychotic. To understand Huckleberry Sin you need to do more than glance at his fancy attire and devilishly good looks, you can’t even get a full picture by talking to those who know him best (probably his girls, who have nothing but praise for him). Instead you have to look at who he was, where he came from and why he alone of all his kin was considered ‘different’. All these things I know and, as of now, cannot tell you. (There is a far greater power behind Huckleberry than even he knows, and I’m not stupid enough to think that her reach does not extend even to this side of the breach thank you very much.) Regardless of your continuing ignorance, it should be said that for all his treacherous and sly ways, Huck is a relatively straightforward kind of lunatic. If he sees a trap, he’s far more likely to spring it than duck aside, especially if he can do so by throwing someone else under the Hansom instead of himself. Therefore despite the reassuring presence of Kato appearing at his side as Gwyn approached the stairs down, Huck had already decided that trap or not there were scores to settle on this boat, and when conducting a vendetta it was always sensible to start at the top. (Many vigilantes make the mistake of starting at the bottom and working the way up crime syndicates, when really it’s an awful lot faster just to cut the head straight off. The thugs and brutes that make up the lower ranks will usually go back to menial labour and gardening once they aren’t getting paid which saves a lot of stabbing time, and I think all vigilantes should strive for efficiency in their work) they looked across the casino floor to see Xi and Lyle moving to a table together, meeting Huck’s eye in a silent signal. (Yes, alright, only the nurse met his eyes. Lyle was still ‘blind’ and if he had too much more ‘shine it wouldn’t be an act much longer either, which luckily hadn’t escaped Xi’s attention) Back (reluctantly I assure you, if you are going to skip a section, this is it, right now- delicate sensibilities and all- this isn't horror, it's just plain horrifying) to Tarquin. The bedrooms of the Burgess are decorated as ornately and as garishly as you would imagine. Baroque architecture and hanging swathes of red velvet disguise the roof and even the porthole is surrounded by a bronze octopus, its tentacles wrapping around its frame whilst its bulbous head covers the hinges. A large four poster bed, (each post carved as a naked tree nymph of ancient earth, Burgess take a perverse pride in their bad taste) dominated the room, and upon it (dressed only in diaphanous nightgown of pearlescent pink and an ankle bracelet) lay the Burgess girl of Tarquin’s choice. Tarquin’s carnal urges were not strong enough to overpower his decorum, and as he slowly and methodically removed and folded his clothes he paid little attention to the girl on the bed. Instead he seemed lost in thought, his eyes glazed over perhaps dreaming of some past love, a chance encounter long forgotten (or potentially just imagining the dissection of the girl in defined stages, I’ve met Tarquin several times and he is really a rather creepy fellow). “And what can the Burgess Hotel offer a winner like you this evening? The girl’s demure voice was as soft and overpowering as the décor. “Something fast, or something… slow” “I want… a special…” Tarquin grinned at her. “Yes, something very special indeed.” “What could you mean sir? We run an honest establishment and we don’t hold with perversion!” The girls act was entirely unconvincing, (and were she on stage at the Star she would have gained an intimate and well deserved appointment with the rotten half of Granny Magg’s fruit and veg stall, which can be found at the end of every day just outside the theatre with her remaining ‘produce’ already bagged up and graded for throwing distance, splatter and lethality) Even the thickly quilted sheets could not quite mask the thud of the heavily weighted 100 scrip token that dropped beside the girl. “A special, I want what I want. Whatever and whoever I want. Do we understand each other?” The scrip disappeared into the rich hangings somwewhere and the girl smiled “of course sir, now what will it be, Gremlin? Beast? Do we have a craving for some Justice perhaps?” With each word the girl whipped her robe around her as her form twisted and changed, the mutations so bizarre even Tarquin had to look away. As she spoke the final word he looked back to see the Guild’s premier Resurrectionist hunter, complete with blindfold and an outfit that was definitely a fair bit skimpier than anything the red head would have worn fighting zombies on the streets. “Whilst there would be a certain irony in your last suggestion, I have a more immediate request for you. I would like you to be...” Tarquin paused here, as if until this point he was still unsure of his final decision- “…Me. As I stand now before you”. Now the Burgess girls were pretty experienced in their field of work, but this caught our young lady off guard. It was (in a world largely defined by bored husbands wanting more submissive wives and ancient family heads reliving past conquests) something new, and that did not come along very often. “Hmmm, you are an unusual one. Look away for a second good sir, and I’ll see what I can do…” Tarquin did not look away. Partly because he wanted to see how his shape could appear from such a fair countenance, but mostly because he doesn’t take orders from people he’s paying to do a job. Despite his relatively strong constitution even he found the distorted mass of shifting flesh and sinews disturbing, and was rather glad when it resolved into another him, an almost perfect replica bar the small ankle bracelet on one leg. The doppleganger stepped toward him. “Do I meet your approval you snivelling whelp?” Tarquin nodded, the creature had nailed his attitude as well as the voice. He reached out to touch the face in front of him, a face that perfectly matched his own. He sighed in absolute bliss, “The only person I could ever truly love….” The two stepped in in almost mirror precision for a passionate kiss before the real Tarquin pushed the duplicate back onto the bed. “Afterwards I’ll want 4, no wait- 5 of your friends. Same request. I want a whole room full of me. I feel an orgy coming on. ’ ---------- This is where I draw the aforementioned curtain (probably a garish red velvet one) over proceedings in the boudoir. Nobody wants to see what happens next. I myself had to have several aggressive hypnotherapy sessions before I could even begin to erase it from my mind. In fact writing it has brought it all back, so I’m going to have to take a break from this record whilst I vomit copiously out of my tower window into the flooded streets below.
  9. I love the work, and your style is amazing, if I can offer one tiny (tiny) piece of constructive advice- you have a very strong photographic style to your entries, which looks ace but could potentially hide how well painted your minis are behind the lighting effects (could be why you are clearly in the wrong category!) that aside- spectacular.
  10. I made a spreadsheet to solve the first question myself, it's not automated but it does speed things up a tad. as for the second- if you have access to vassal could you copy and paste the round images for characters/monsters on there into a paint doc and print them on sticky labels perhaps?
  11. Here are my thoughts on a selection of potential negative triggers. These triggers are gained when either 5 upgrades are added to a single item, or when the fatemaster deems it to be so overcomplicated/heavy that a penalty is appropriate. For the most part these triggers are designed to add an extra element of roleplaying to overly elaborate technology, and you’ll notice very few results will cause actual damage (and even then usually only on a black joker if handled with care) instead they may change a characters next actions or simply place them in a precarious position. Modified Ranged Weapon Brace yourself- This weapon gains a trigger which must be taken if available, flip for which trigger is gained- (Ram) Too hot to handle: (black Joker)/ (Ram) after resolving this character may either drop the weapon or gain the condition Burning+1. (Tome) Jammed (black Joker)/ (Tome) after resolving the weapon gains the condition Jammed: This weapon may not be fired again until a successful 1AP TN 10 test is passed on the weapons skill. (Mask) Kicks like a mule!: (black Joker)/ (Mask) after resolving the attack the character is pushed two yards directly away from their target and gains the Prone condition. (Crow) Backfire: (black Joker)/ (Crow) after resolving this character suffers a weak critical effect. If the attack benefits from the 'focus' condition the suit is removed from the trigger, only a Black joker drawn for the attack flip will count. Modified Melee weapon Heavy metal: This weapon gains a trigger which must be taken if available, flip for which trigger is gained- (Ram) Butterfingers: (black joker)/ (Ram) after resolving the weapon is dropped, place it 2 yards from the target character in a random direction. (Tome) Fragile: (black joker)/ (Tome) Damage caused by this attack is reduced by (1). (Mask) Overbalanced: (black joker)/ (Mask) after resolving the characters DF flips are at [-] until the end of the current round. (Crow) Not the handle…: (black joker)/ (Crow) after damaging this character takes half the damage caused by the attack, rounding up. If the attack benefits from the 'focus' condition the suit is removed from the trigger, only a Black joker drawn for the attack flip will count. Modified Construct/Minion Overcomplicated- Any command action taken on this character gains a trigger which must be taken if available, flip for which trigger is gained- (Ram) Unclear instructions: (Black Joker) The construct is at [-] to all duels for the duration of the action associated with this command. (Tome) When did I last change the oil?; (Black Joker) The construct counts all its aspects at -2 for the duration of the action associated with this command. (Mask) Self awareness: (Black Joker) The construct deliberately fails in the action taken, and may not be ordered to take the same action for at least an hour. It also gains the 'aware+1' condition. (If a construct's 'aware' condition ever reaches 10 then it runs away to Ampersand/the quarantine zone and may or may not be back for revenge later depending how you treated it.) (Crow) Bad Robot!: (Black joker) The construct complies with action, but must then take a 1AP attack action against the closest friendly model in range. If the construct is within 2 yards of the fated that created it this trigger does not have to be chosen.
  12. the only thing I may suggest is that there's a chance the dates will attempt to investigate the carnival before the show, so potentially another call out box with the results of this (perhaps they see nothing awry, though they were spotted by lookout monkeys, or perhaps they do get in but are distracted by cooper giving them a 'tour')
  13. good point about magic, ill include it too:) so far its just been a 'gut' thing, (generally based on 'if this item appeared in malifaux how likely would it be to cause a table flip?) but organising it sounds like a good idea. Luckily there's already a system in place I can copy (sort of) with skill triggers. skills gain trigger at rank 3 and 5, so I think negatives could easily be applied in the same way. the first two upgrades/immuto have no major negative effect, but once a third upgrade/immuto is added a single negative trigger is gained (card flip to see which one) again the fourth is fine, but the fifth add-on adds a second negative immuto (or adds a suit to the first) every upgrade after this will add another. to stop things getting too down on customisations, There should also be a way to avoid the negative triggers built in except on a bj as above (focus, two hands, defensive etc). this means for a full ruleset I'll need 4 triggers each for melee, ranged, magic, constructs and? (pneumatics or armour maybe?)
  14. So, I've picked up the 2E book (which I love) and will be kicking off the miscreants adventures again soon (they are currently stuck in some webs in a temple full or Jorogumo, and have been since May) but I'm using 2E as an opportunity to re-jig a few characters and upgrades that have been a little too effective/not effective enough. When flipping through then sheets I had an idea that I thought I'd run past people here for thoughts, negative triggers. There are some negative triggers in the books (shoddy weapons etc). but with ability to customise weapons, constructs, stitched etc so much it occurred that there is potentially a point when a customisation starts becoming a liability, and could backfire (usually on a black joker). I'll give an example. When i was helping test into the steam I challenged Bert (also known as He Who Breaks Games) to do something stupid with the weapon creation rules, and he did it well. He took a multiple barrelled pistol, gave it extra barrels, blued it and added a couple more tweaks to give it r12 and potentially 6/7b/7b damage for one shot. he's only fired it once and it turned a large bunch of three kingdoms bully boys into jam. I immediately said it needed a bit of thinking and it has since gained the following rules when firing more than one barrel- Brace yourself- This attack does not benefit from the 'focus' condition. This weapon gains the following trigger which must be taken if available- Kicks like a mule!: (black Joker) (crow) the character is pushed two yards directly away from their target and gains the Prone condition. If the weapon is fired from two hands and the attack has used the 'focus' condition the (crow) is removed from the trigger. Reading this got me thinking, what other negative triggers could make for interesting situations? I've thought of a few For when someone's melee weapon gets a bit too silly:- Heavy metal: this weapon gains the following trigger which must be taken if available- Butterfingers: (black joker) (mask) The weapons weight overcomes it's bearer and it is dropped, place it in a random direction 2 yards from the target character. If the attack benefits from the 'focus' condition the (mask) is removed from the trigger. For when a built/summoned construct or stitched becomes a little too high-tech:- Who am I?: this construct gains the following trigger to all flips which it must take if available- Self awareness: (Black Joker) The construct deliberately fails in the action taken, and may not be ordered to take the same action for at least an hour. it also gains the 'aware+1' condition. If a construct's 'aware' condition ever reaches 10 then it runs away to Ampersand/the quarantine zone and may or may not be back for revenge later depending how you treated it. If the construct is within 2 yards of the fated that created it this trigger does not have to be chosen. If anyone has any feedback or thoughts on more triggers I'd be interested to hear them:)
  15. When I design a session to share with others I found it best to start with one that has been published, so one from the chronicles works well. These are good to get the timings right in your head, as they are all designed as single sessions. firstly, break the original article down into it's rough layout, the number of scenes, number of colour test sections, amount of challenges and what type they are (combat, ongoing, one off etc)(i do this on post it notes) Now write the session you want to run in full, everything you want the fated to go through from the start to finish. once you have the whole adventure planned out, allocate the post it notes from the first part to each session (so this is an ongoing challenge, this is combat) and break it down into the same no of chapters. you'll probably find you won't have exactly the same number of scenes/sections/challenges as the original, so you'll either run out of post it notes or need more. this is ok- now you can start to edit the adventure. If you have run out of post it notes look back through the adventure and start questioning all the scenes, story and challenges in order. Do they add to the players experience? Do they progress the story? Do they create quality roleplaying opportunities? If the answer to all those questions is no, time to prune them out and re-write. If the answer is yes, you'll need to seriously consider the time you have available and whether or not it's viable. If you didn't use all the post it notes, then look through it again and see if you need to add more. how long will encounters take? are you pumping too much into one scene? can a scene be split and create more opportunities? If you think there isn't enough going on then look at the NPC's you currently have flying around and think of their motivations- can you use one of them for another scene (do they send in the heavies, or try to seduce a fated, or ask for help etc) If you've thoroughly mined that source, my last resort is to flip open one of the nearest sourcebooks into the bestiary area and stick a finger in. then work whatever is there into the story (this has produced random guild inspections, stitched together in the fields and many other odd moments of surprise so far) Once you are happy with this run it through in your head, tweak the script to match the changes and bear in mind that you may have to add/change anyway as figuring out what the fated will get stuck on is impossible (mine literally once spent 15 minutes going through a window...) and then (If you are me) tear the whole thing up because Bert will probably just cap the first NPC he meets and mess everything up anyway... hope this helps anyway:)
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