The gunfire of the Great War finally settled one day. Millions of all races had lost their lives in the trenches, thousands of cities razed, and the hatred the nations felt for each other burned only hotter. But the treaties where signed in the Great Mountainhall of the Dwarves, with signatures of all leaders, from the Orc hoard to the Animal-Men tribes. There was peace, an unease peace that nobody was happy with, but peace none the less.
One of the sacrifices necessary to insure that peace was the "Sharing of the Lorraine."
Lorraine. The crown jewel of any country that has it. Each race has their own name for it, "Utopia", "Orgin", "Alscae", the list would go on forever. It was tradition, after all, to name a city once you had conquered it. The city of Lorraine has traded more hands then a popular trading card. Every race believes they have a valid claim to it, having at one point in recent history taken it for themselves for at least decades at a time. The architecture of this city shows it, having splotches of everything from human houses to Dwarf borrows to Orcish huts, all smashed together in a Frankenstein of a city. The name it currently has, and will keep according to the documents, was given to it by the Elves who took it over on the war before the Greatwar.
Yet after each destructive conquest, and even the repeated attempts to steal it in the Great war, it remains a jewel. Why is that, you may ask? For whatever reason, the land is blessed. Crops grow twice as fast-twice as large, with each bite of common corn or wheat tasting like a delicacy from the finest Elven tables. Cows that grow off the grass produce enough usable meat for three cows elsewhere, growing massive with seemingly no increase of food intake. The meat of these beasts is a delicacy many Orcs would lay down their lives for, while the milk produced is considered to be the food of the Gods in several human religions. The land itself seems to be filled with metals, from iron to gold, with no end in sight. Every time a miner thinks he can't get any more out of his hole, he finds a fresh vain of ore large enough to keep him busy for a lifetime. Some even say the ore actually replenishes itself when nobody is looking, an infinite amount of resources lying under the town. Whatever effort mortals endeavor in, its benefits are multiplied by several times. Horses, alchol, crafts, technology, weapons...the city is the best place on the planet to do anything.
While the war was winding down, all races realized it would never end so long as they where fighting in part for Lorraine. As mentioned before, this lead to the "Splitting of Lorraine", where the city would be shared amongst all races as an independent body not tied to any nation. As part of the treaty, massive floods of immigrants who had lost their home in the war began to poor into the town immediately. They began to conjugate together, each race having their own little slice of the place. It wasn't much, but it was the first truly cosmopolitan city on the face of the planet. For a while, things where good for the people living there. Poor peasants who lost everything finally got a taste of the good life, making good money while helping to restore their damaged homelands.
But as all good things in Lorraine, it never lasts. The Elves, experts in the art of Law, had written many benefits for themselves into the treaty that not even the greatest lawyers of the other races could see. That is, until they where pointed out. The most important, to you at least, was that the Elves retained the right to make the law of Lorraine absolutely. Thus the city was ruled by an "Elven Elite", with the power to make any law that came into mind. They had let the town settle before first deciding to use it...
First, they targeted the Dwarves. Elves and Dwarves both have long-standing racism and hatred for each other, anyone could have predicted them to be the first target. One morning, a simple law was passed. "Alcoholic beverages are now illegal. All current Alcohol will be confiscated and destroyed immediately." Breweries where raided by the Elven enforcers, with barrels being smashed open in the streets by the axes of the Law. All production was shut down, while the few who resist where promptly arrested with little effort.
For most races, this was a mild inconvenience. The water of Lorraine was as sweet as the wine of their homeland, and while they will miss the legendary ale of their new home, attempting to get some was not worth the risk of having their new fortune stolen away from them. For the Dwarves, however, it was the equivalent to biological warfare. The Dwarves have a unique way of processing alchol, their bodies have found a way to use it as one of the worlds greatest immune systems. With alchol, a Dwarf can practically walk through a plague without fear, unless it was particularly unlucky. Without it, even the mild and rare diseases of Lorraine where enough to cause many deaths on the streets. Droves of dwarves left, knowing that if they remained they would likely die, though the famous stubbornness won out over a significant portion of them.
The Elven leadership giggled with glee when they heard the news. They had both successfully driven off and even killed many of their hated enemies. In a flash of inspiration, they realized they can drive away the other races with the same techniques. Soon, posters around town showed the banning of every item central to any race. Importing and exporting was now illegal, preventing the masses from helping out their beloved homelands and family outside the city. Meat and slaughter was banned, a large blow to the carnivorous Orcs, who starve and wilt away under a meatless diet. Soon, the bans extended to even pointless things. Plays where not allowed. Food had to be boiled to tastelessness in restaurants and homes. Watering your fields with an access of water would get you arrested.
Of course the Elves themselves didn't have to follow any of this. The ruling class printed "Permits", which allowed anyone they where given to to bypass specific laws. Hundreds of thousands where printed for the elves of the city, who do whatever they wanted. It was only a formality anyway, no Elf was ever asked for a permit. They would drink in the streets, with a leg of meat on the other hand, mocking the Dwarves and Orcs they walked by. Sometimes they would even offer a bite or a sip, which would likely be taken, only for the poor soul to be arrested while the Elf laughs. Soon, the ruling class found out how to use the permits to control the populace even better. If you worked for the government, you would get a limited amount of permits. Many people of all races joined the police force, doing the bidding of the oppressive law just to bypass it a little. It was common for someone to "rat out" their friends and family for breaking the law, often getting a stack of permits while their loved one is carried away for the crime they are now able to bypass.
Finally, it hit breaking point. In any other place, it may have hit breaking point a long time ago. It is quite possible the land did something to quell their anger, but it could not hold. The laws where bad. The Elves broke the treaties. They where being targeted against. How was this any different from any other war? It is only right for it to be fought like one.
The first to "fight back" where the scores of veterans from the Great war. Forming together in "Gangs" typically based on race, they bypassed the law. They sold any and every illegal item secretly to their countrymen, or a well-paying other race. Many saw this as a necessary service. The motivations and tactics of these gangs varied as much as their makeup did. Some genuinely wanted to help their countrymen, bringing in necessities and religious artifacts while exporting what they can under cover of darkness, all while trying their best to avoid the guard. Others see the massive opportunity for profit in trafficking illegal goods, gunning down guards and rival gangs or even innocents in the name of profits, often while providing sketchy services such as assassination. They often dabble in things illegal elsewhere, such as slavery or dark magic. In any case, the gangs where here, and growing more powerful.
Suddenly, the city came to life again. Orcs where strong and proud as before, while Dwarves walked the streets without fear. The Elves, of course, knew that they had to have had alchol or meat, but could not prove it. The treaties may not provide much protection from the Elven leadership, but they eventually came in handy. The standards of law for the city where made very clear. They need evidence to persecute. They fought the gangs, which only grew in power....
You are a member of one of those gangs. This is your story.
****
Character Sheet:
Character:
Name: I think this one is self explanatory. If you have any aliases or nicknames you would like your gang or enemies to call you, you can put them in quotation marks after your name. Example: Joe Johnson "Joey" (Friends), "Desert Fox" (Enemies).
Inventory: What your character has on him. You can start with pretty much any item that doesn't effect the game much, letting you control your ascetics. You start with the same weaponry and armor that the rest of your gang has, which will be discussed below.
Back-story: A brief history of your character, preferably stating why he became a gang leader and any interesting things that happened in his past. Not important most the game, but helps everyone to get an understanding of what your character is like.
Next comes the "Stats" followed by their "Skills". These are the stats and skills I use in my other games, working the same way! Basically, your "Stat" is how good you are at doing a certain category of action. Things like how strong or fast your are. Skills are your ability with a specific action, effecting the outcome a little more but being much less specific. You can put skills into anything you might need, so long as you think that skill could be covered by the stat. For example, if you want your character to become an accomplished dancer, you could put the "Dancing" skill under the "Agility" stat, even though it is not one of the suggested skills. You get 70 points to spend on Stats and 70 to spend on Skills.
Firearms: Guns are, as most good things, outlawed in Lorraine. This, of course, means Gangsters have tones of them! This represents your skills with firearms and other ranged weaponry. It effects how well you aim, how well you can modify and maintain guns, and how well you know weaponry. You can roll it to shoot something, to tell the quality of the firearm shipment you just got, or to see just how skilled the enemy gangsters are with their pieces. Common skills include Weapon Category (Shotgun, Rifle, Submachine Gun), Modify/Repair, Appraise (Skill, Worth).
Dodge: As it is said, "The most important part of a battle isn't shooting the other guy. It's not getting shot yourself", which goes double when you are fighting form money. This is your ability to jump to cover, get out of the way, or help a buddy out of the line of fire. If you don't like getting pumped full of bullets or stabbed, this is the stat to take. Incredibly skilled or boosted individuals may even be able to dodge bullets! Common skills include To Cover, Ally Dodge, and Vehicle Dodge.
Melee: Even in these times, some prefer to get their hands dirty with brutish sharp and pointy things instead of using the graceful weapons that are guns. Of course, many do quite well with this. This skill works like firearms, but for swords! If you want to stab someone's thought with a little knife, carve that Elf with a massive battle-axe, or just punch someone in a bar brawl this is the stat for you! As with Firearms, it also allows you to repair/modify melee weapons while letting you know more about them, and lets you detect the skills of that enemy Swordsman. It can also be used to block at a higher penalty then Dodge, again including bullets for skilled and boosted individuals! Common skills include Weapon Category (knives, swords, axes), Blocking, and Appraise (Weapon, Skill).
Charisma: You are a leader. Even in a gang, you need more then the ability to shoot people to be an effective leader. This skill effects how well NPCs do what you want. Convincing the guard to take a bribe, inspiring your men to be more loyal and effective, and threatening to break someone's legs for whatever reason all fall under here. Anything having to with NPC-character interactions could be effected by this, really. Actions aren't a substitute for charisma! While something like cutting down a man's buddies before threatening him with an axe certainly would give you a bonus to intimidation, with low Charisma the threat may have the opposite of the intended effect! Common skills include Intimidation, Bribery, and Lying.
Strength: How much physical power your character has and how well your character can take a hit. This Stat, along with Agility, works on an even more broad scale then the others. It can give small bonuses to many actions revolving around strength. Additionally, it gives bonus damage to melee and thrown attacks. You may also decide to "Exert" yourself, adding a larger boost to any action that could even remotely be related to strength (Such as shouting your lungs out for Charisma) or dealing extra damage in a blow, in return for a penalty to strength-based actions until you can get some rest. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, how much damage you can take without dying is related to Strength. A strong character can shrug of hits that would have crippled a weaker one. Common skills include Endurance (damage, running, disease, Recovery (health), and Lifting.
Agility: How well your character can control his movements, both small and large. Like strength, it gives smaller bonuses to a wide array of actions, anything having to do with your fine motor skills. Most notably, it gives a bonus to Dodge rolls, making your escapes from danger more impressive. This skill also lets you go into "Stunt" mode. This gives bonuses to everything, making it more impressive and allowing you to do things you would normally expect to see in gun-fu movies. However, the catch is that failure on any level results in damage based on how bad the failure was. While a skilled and agile person may attempt to do a back flip over the enemy's sword, and succeed impressively, a normal person trying that would likely end up getting cut in an even worse place and bashing their head against concrete. Common Agility skills include Lock-picking, Acrobatics, and Sneaking.
Repair: Your character's skill with repairing and building objects. This is the skill you would take if you want to construct a trap, fix a broken vehicle, or turn a building into a fortress. Those skilled in Repair may even make their own weapons and vehicals, if given the resources to do so. This skill may also be used to craft anything else, from "Boosters" to alchol to illegal drugs. Common skills include Traps, Vehicles, and Crafting (item catagory).
Magic: Many in this world choose to practice magic. Don't take this expecting to throw around fireballs that are equal in power to the explosives and weapons of combat-based characters, the magic of this land tends towards "Low Magic". Instead of obviose effects, the magic of this world Boosts, Debuffs, and Heals, taking a support roll while leaving the heavy hitting to the heavy hitters. They can provide bonuses to others rolls, or their own, as well as healing damage if given time. They can't heal up that cut on a battlefield, but can remove it completly if given time afterwords. Many do not decide to practice magic at all, leaving this stat at zero for whatever reason. This isn't to say that magic is weak, a powerful Wizard can turn even a child into a bullet-dodging, tank-tossing killing machine for as long as he can maintain the spells while healing the near-dead to full health in under an hour. There are also whispered rumors of "Dark Magic" (as it is called by the humans), "High-Magic" that does let you do things like raise the dead as servants or throw fireballs at will, but at a cost that is far too high...Common skills include Boosting, Debuffing, and Healing.
Race: This is the template that will effect all creatures that are described as your race. The race you choose will reflect both your character's race and the race of your Gang, unless you state otherwise for whatever reason. You are allowed to make your own race, if you wish, or you can choose from the per-generated ones. First, Ill explain the traits of a race then show the pre-generated ones.
Name: What the race is called. If you wish, you can put some nicknames for it here, be they friendly, hostile, or downright racist, in quotes as with the Character names.
Description: A brief description of the race, its history, and any stereotypical traits of that race.
Affinity: These are the Stats that are boosted by the race. The affinity boost works on a fraction scale, so those with a higher Stat will be effected to a greater degree then those with a lower stat. After all, a particularly clumsy elf does not gain much from his races typical Agility, while the strongest of Orcs are stronger then the Strongest of men. When making a race, you may choose one of any Stat to fit this catagory for each Aversion.
Aversion: The opposite of Affinity, these are traits that a race typically has trouble with. They work in the opposite way of affinity, with low Stats showing a higher penalty. After all, if an Orc decides to become a diplomat and has the Charisma to match, he will have likely long ago overcome his naturally low Charisma. This will hopefully help to avoid dump stats! If you are creating your own race, you may choose as many Aversions as you want, being able to choose one Affinity for each. You cannot take an Affinity if it is already an Aversion and vice versa. Magic can not be taken as an Aversion for player generated races.
Abilities: These are skills that the race has that others do not. Generally, they provide a bonus to certain situations or under certain conditions, but they can also be an action that is unique to them, such as "fire breath" for dragons. If you are making your own race, it is suggested you look at the pre-generated ones for examples. Ill have to review/approve this part to be sure it is at least partially balanced!
Impotence: The other half of ability. These are situations or conditions under which the Race has a disadvantage over others. Again, this often takes the form of a stat penalty, but can also be something like "are forced to run when presented with Garlic" for a Vampire race. Again, for player created races, I will have to review this part to make sure it will work with the rest of the game.
Ok. Now time for the Pr-generated!
Name: Human.
Description: A numerous race, one we are all fairly familiar with. They are a diverse lot, with so many countries and cultures a single stereotype hasn't stuck well. Generally, they are seen as "average". Pretty strong. Pretty advanced. Pretty smart. Not the strongest, not the toughest, but can do about anything in a pinch.
Affinity: None!
Aversion: None!
Abilities: Many Men: Humans receive a bonus to numbers as they are simply so numerous. Slip into the Crowd: Humans are harder to tell apart from a general crowd, not sticking out too much unless they are the only human there. When in a crowd containing other humans, there is a good chance they will not be tracked down.
Impotence: Average: Humans are often seen as unremarkable by many of the other races. While they have no problem believing they can be antiquate in any function, a human will have to prove himself to get respect as a skilled individual. Humans get a charisma penalty to powerful figures who see humans as "under" them until they can prove their worth.
Name: Elves
Description: The jerks from the OP. Long lived, agile, and quick, the Elves see themselves as the rightful heir to the Earth. Some do, at least. They are the current rulers of Lorraine, as you know, giving an elf player a well-standing advantage that other races don't get. I am sure we all know what a stereotypical elf is by now!
Affinity: Agility, Charisma, Magic
Aversion: Strength, Repair
Abilities: One of Us: Elves do not get punished for petty crimes like importing and exporting, at least as long as the produce goes to other elves. Additionally, they will not be suspected in crimes, typically being the last suspects if it is at all possible a member of a different race was responsible. They also receive a fat stack of permits every month, which they will never have to use themselves...
Impotence: One of Them: The other races aren't to happy about the above. Elves receive a penalty to dealing with other races until they have proven they are friendly or otherwise not working with the government. Traitor!: While Elves can commit petty crimes that are laughed off, if it is ever discovered that the Elf performed "worse" crimes to the government they will be persecuted much more then a gangster of another race.
Name: Dwarves
Description: The dwarf, short and stout. They like to dig, they like to drink, and they like to grow beards. The don't like elves. Seeing what this forum is, you probably know all the Dwarven stereotypes already as well.
Affinity: Strength, Repair
Aversion: Agility, Magic
Abilities: Alcoholic Immune System: When a Dwarf has enough alcohol in his system, he is practically immune to disease. Additionally, he seems to recover from all wounds faster, either if magically healed or left to his own devices. Eye for Business: Greed is good, as the Dwarves say. Dwarves are naturals at finding the worth of something and squeezing an extra penny out of a deal.
Impotence: Alcoholic Immune System: When a Dwarf does not get enough alchol to function, it shows. They will have to roll or get diseased, on top of facing many penalties if they don't get a drink. Additionally, they seem to heal slower, both if by magic and if left to their own devices. Rival's City: Elves are famously racist against dwarves, and don't we all remember who is in charge of the cops? Any dwarf in a scene will be the first suspect, because the elves are racist jerks.
Name: Orc
Description: A stereotypically warlike race, orcs actually have a much deeper culture then many realize. They are larger then humans, both in hieght and girth, and typically have muscles to show for it. They are typically seen as brutish do to their weapon choice, having poor eyesight compared to the other races they often use melee weapons that help with their size. This also leads to their buildings having bright paint to distinguish themselves from others, and their writing to be large ruins, furthering the idea in the other races that they are savages. Despite their eyesight being poor, they are born carnivorous. They seem to be able to sense the location of their pray with their other senses, though aren't usually able to shoot it preferring to stalk it or simply chase it down with their surprising agility.
Affinity: Strength, Melee,
Aversion: Charisma, Magic
Abilities: Diet of Meat: If properly fed, an Orc feels energetic and powerful. Once per fight (or when appropriate), an orc may exert himself with the normal benefit, ignoring the normal penalties, assuming he has been on a diet of meet. Hunting Sense: An Orc doesn't need line of sight to track his prey. For all intents in purposes, an Orcs line of sight is a circle around him, ignoring walls and other obstacles, as he smells or hears the location of enemies.
Impotence: Diet of Meat: If improperly fed, an Orc becomes sluggish and malnourished. He is unable to exert himself, and takes a penalty as if he had. Land of the Blind: Orcs have difficulty with their eyes. They have to roll to notice what someone's face looked like, or what fine text says that others would be able to notice easily. They typically recognize others based on smell or sound, and can describe this to another orc without difficulty, though other races will likely not understand.
Gang: What statistics and skills your gang has. Some work like the character stats, representing abilities that your group can do as a single entity, while others work to represent things like the number of members currently in the gang. Some Stats have skills, which work exactly the same way the character skills do. Other so not, in which case you can't spend skills point on them. You get 100 points to spend on Stats and 100 points to spend on Skills.
Name: What your gang is called. By the third name, you should probably know this! The same rules for nicknames apply, as always.
History: The history of your gang up to this point. Doesn't have to be long, but it would be nice to get an idea of what your gang's goals are and how it goes about those goals.
Inventory: Starts Empty. Mostly things you collect.
Manpower: The amount of people your gang has. Counts everything from the lowest of the low to the highest of the high. This isn't a static number, a manpower of 10 doesn't mean you only have ten guys in your group. Numbers are typically a great advantage, you can move more product, have more sway, and win battles with numbers. Of course, it can make it easier for you to find, and larger groups better have good organization to keep everyone doing what they are supposed to. Also acts as a kind of hit point for the group, you can end up loosing a bunch of Manpower if things don't go your way for a while.
Experience: How much work your men have seen. Gives a bit of a bonus to everything, more experienced men know what they are doing. Veterans are also typically more loyal, less likely to get caught and rat on you, and more likely to do what you want right in general. This doesn't mean that all your men, or even most of them, have a vast amount of experience, it could just as easily mean that you have a few lower-level leaders who know what they are doing and can keep the others in line.
Stealth: How covert your Gang is. A high-stealth gang can remain undetected much easier then a low-stealth gang, when preforming the same crimes. The Stealth stat also covers skills that require an unseen hand, helping with things such as heists, assassinations, and spying. Common Stealth skills include Assassinate, Theft, and Spy.
Muscle: How adept your Gang is at using brute force tactics. This stat covers everything from mugging, to overt threats, to kidnapping enemies. Much like strength and agility above, it can also provide smaller bonuses to other actions as appropriate. Skills include Robbery, Extortion, and Targets (Other Gangs, Police, Race).
Guns: The equivalent stat to Firearms. The total of this stat is how much you roll when your gang attacks with ranged weapons, adding in additional modifiers. Unlike other skills, it is best to split this into smaller groups. Different kinds of guns have different advantages in different situations. For example, you could have 10 points in Sawed-off Shotgun, 10 points in Sub-machine Gun, and 10 points in Sniper Rifle. In total, if you where to send your whole gang to fight something, you would have 30 points, getting the bonuses and penalties depending on your weapon choice and situation. You can decide your character's weapon based on the selection you put here. Remember, flashier weapons are definitely going to attack the police quicker then concealable ones! This also effects what weapons your Gang brings into in-character fights.
Melee Weapons: Ok, I couldn't think of another name for Melee. Works like Guns, but for close range weapons, in the same way. You could have 10 Battle-Ax and 10 Butterfly Knife if you wanted. Generally, Melee weapons do not attract as much "Heat" as Guns do, but have a disadvantage of range and generally receive more penalties in more circumstances against Guns-using-opponents unless you work hard to control the battlefield.
Industry: How capable your group is at manufacturing and repairing goods. Sister stat to Repair. If you want your group to create anything from weapons to alchol to a steak dinner, this is the stat to take. Generally includes the ability to get resources to make these items, the connections to make these items, and the facilities to make the items. Common skills include Item Type (Weapon, Vehicle,), Repair, Heal.
Face: You can have every item in the world, and nobody would buy it if they didn't like you. The Face stat is the sister stat to Charisma. Anything having to do with relations between your Gang and NPCs goes here. Things like how well you sell illegal goods, how well liked (or feared) your gang is, and how well it can make trouble go away with words. Common skills include Public Relations, Salesmanship (Item Type), and Allies (Gang, Guard).
Profit: A combination of the money you have, the connections you have, and other things that make you rich. This is basically a measure of how successful your gang is. It can be rolled to buy new items, to help improve the other stats, or to generally grease palms. This is probably the easiest stat to raise, going up with every successful mission. Every once and a while you will be prevented with the option of permanently spending prophet in order to increase one of your other stats in some way.
Poll
2 (22.2%)
Author
Topic: Gangs of Lorraine-RPG: GAME START! (Read 12038 times)