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Shadowrun

World of Darkness

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[smjjames]

So, my players for my D&D campaigns are definitely becoming more and more evil.

All but one of their ship's crew got slaughtered by some weird red goo ship that created creatures out of said red goo. How do they respond?

"Lets cut off some of this ship. Oh look, it's turned into red goo! I know, time to force-feed the survivor (who has literally voided themselves in fear) this goo and see what happens!"

They... had a bad time. Then because it's totally not a protomolecule expy, their corpse started to behave rather weirdly. So they tied it to the ship and watched what happened. It eventually exploded into a "spore" (really some weird large hairy seed/spore things) cloud, so they captured some spores with plans to either:
A) Test them on unwitting victims
B) Release them when they're getting pissed off by a person

This kind of shit will catch up with them, mind. At this rate they're likely to wind up victims of the goo and spend an eternity as a consciousness contained inside it unable to die and living in mute horror.

One of them started chaotic neutral, they've become evil. The other one started off evil, so it's hardly a surprise.

They also managed to piss off an eldritch-lite living island by setting a chunk of it on fire. They managed to forget they'd been told it was alive in some weird way, and figured that setting a building on top of it on fire by using a large bottle of absinthe and a lot of office supplies was a good idea.

Sounds like typical adventurers really.

Though yeah, it could very well backfire on them with a natural one.

[Telgin]

Stars Without Number: Revised Edition has been released, along with a free version, just like the original version had.

The link is giving me some kind of weird redirect loop on my phone, but I forwarded it to the GM of my SWN group to see what they say about it.

I've played the original version some and like the system in general, even if it's more old school than I generally prefer. 

Shockingly our group made it to level 2 without anyone dying, despite nobody having more than 5 HP and most attacks doing more than that much damage on average.  Had a few close calls though, including my character shooting another PC when he first showed up because he thought he was a pirate.

[Rolan7]

We sure are a motley crew, us privateers.
Necromancer:  Proudly LE, except when Good authorities ask
Kobold:  LE, but had identity stolen by a tengu who I'm pretty sure explicitly responded with a "idk" regarding morality.  Arcane spellcaster, no sense of right and wrong.
Frenzied Berserker:  Chaotic neutral, but only shows up ever second session, and I have calm emotions ready to avoid FF.  To avoid MORE FF, after he KILLED ME
Priest?:  Carries a decoy spellbook but is Shugenja, neutral neutral, obsessed with elementals and truly can't care less about the 3x3 alignment grid.  My character.

We killed a bone devil tyrant last session!  We weren't expecting a big session, but we were presently surprised!  We were gently encouraged to raise up the locals, found and allied with the local Tengu Guardian (a Pathfinder thing, we're 3.5).

My character was technically invested because The Great Reincarnation Table rolled "father a child with another player character", so there's kinda a stupid thing going on there with the tengu PC.  BUT ALSO, the town we were liberating hosted the largest library in the world, which earned my interest as a worshiper of Boccob (The god of "things happen, books are forever")

Long story short:
tl;dr:
We had a clutch fight against a (very houseruled) bone devil with our (very houseruled) equipment, and through good fortune, succeeded!
(Especially since I insisted on recruiting a certain wizard to cast Dimensional Anchor so the cur couldn't leave (or gate in allies, which our GM didn't realize was affected hehe))

While our LE necromancer browsed between rounds, researching his necrophiliac urges (he's a Pale Master, it's in the Libris Mortis!  Class feature!).  Also trying to become a lich because idk, we don't ask why kobolds kobold, we're pirates privateers yarrr!

Thing is, we're generally pretty nice for privateers ^_^
We even rescued some orcs from the ocean, with my elemental water friends!  They were drowning because they were sailing a raft in the deep ocean, because the Green Flash at Sunset had uh somehow revived them.
We even tried to return them home!!  They had extreme futureshock from the very concept of buildings.
So yeah, they've joined our crew, along with the necromancer's skeletons.  (the orcs calmed down when the necromancer described us as a party of shamans (largely almost true)).

[scriver]

Does Calm Emotions end barbarian rages? Should it?

[Rolan7]

It does in our setting, and ho boy, that has saved our asses!

I actually have it as an "at-touch" on my ceremonial Shugenja... Wakizashi, to be honest.
I can't deal appreciable damage with it, I simply use it to bash (or slash) people for at will Calm Emotions.  Which would technically make it an artifact by a reasonable metric.

To clerify (heheh, leaving that):  This is a FRENZIED BERSERKER, who can and has murdered allies in the FRENZY, not rage.

[Rolan7]

Spoiler: And for reference, the GOOD reincarnation table: (click to show/hide)

We didn't have to make the final roll for the bottom options
They insisted

Edit:  I suppose the kicker is that I originally rolled a 77, and died again.
And when I rerolled, I was the same damn race.

..Except I am a desert halfling, which I decided meant Khajiit-esque.  I choose to play that as a penalty to my compulsive interjections, in that they become in-character if they embarass my character.

"Khajiit Findon is innocent of all crimes!  Findon does not even know Halem!"
...
"Findon wonders whether Halem has fireball prepared..." says Findon

[Rolan7]

Does Calm Emotions end barbarian rages? Should it?

Yes
"as well as negating a bard’s ability to inspire courage or a barbarian’s rage ability"
It dispels a few things I would not have relied on, honestly.

And yeah it should, because it allows a will save.
Hold Person is the same level and paralyzes.  Also with a will save.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

Just dropping by to tell you to check out these "walkthroughs" of various classic DnD modals by some very unfortunate parties.

And an evil barbershop adventure.

[Rolan7]

*buys another round*
Alright so look, we beat the bone demon.  Devil?  Did I tell that story already?  Shut up, I'm telling a story here.

Afterwards we had some nice downtime, see?  Back in the city of light- city of magic!  I had been planning a sweet gig, providing cranked-up healing potions.  Hired an apprentice and everything, it was all gravy, except the weird dreams.
Every dang night.  There he was, just recitin' some tome of names and numbers.  Gods and devils and stuff, but like... all of them!  It took a week to get through the A's.

And we remembered every bit.  Well, except the birb who's helping me looking after the dragonling.  She din't have the mark, see, from where he reincarnated me with teh chaos magicks.

Except one day she did have the mark and our necromancer din't!  I digress.  *buys a round*.

We sailed north.  Well, I assume.  I was asleep on count of t' morphine they dosed me with.  I wouldn't stop screaming "NORTH", apparently.  It's a good thing that it's so easy to cure addiction in this world.
Uh, not that they have...  Frick, that's on me, is it?  Yeah...

We descended into a cave of terrible horrors.  Undead skeletons, ya, but with tiny automata crawling all o'r them!  I got hit, and the little fucks started burr'ing into my arm!  Like tiny microcline-colored worms!

Did I say "we" descended?  Teh fucks sealed the entrance after me, and went back to the ship.

I mean, I'm a spellcaster in a 3.5 setting, so you know...  Dimension Door'd back to the ship, got the corpsecrafter medic to extract the things.  Good thing, too- they were burrowing to my heart!
We know, because we did some experiments with the "medic"'s undead.  Even without flesh, these things seek the ribcage.

Oh also my idjit "friends" set the island on fire, after sealing me in.  Almost as rude as wearing armor, amirite?  I am.  Another round!
And I'm not even to the... the miltanks...  *snoz*

[Tawa]

Which Pathfinder firearm commonality level would you guys recommend for a Thirty Years' War-style setting? I was thinking Commonplace Guns:

Commonplace Guns: While still expensive and tricky to wield, early firearms are readily available. Instead of requiring the Exotic Weapon Proficiency feat, all firearms are martial weapons. Early firearms and their ammunition cost 25% of the amounts listed in this book, but advanced firearms and their ammunition are still rare and cost the full price to purchase or craft.

because pike & shot warfare doesn't really mesh with the "wtf is a gun" mentality of Emerging Guns:

Emerging Guns: Firearms become more common. They are mass-produced by small guilds, lone gunsmiths, dwarven clans, or maybe even a nation or two—the secret is slipping out, and the occasional rare adventurer uses guns. The baseline gunslinger rules and the prices for ammunition given in this chapter are for this type of campaign. Early firearms are available, but are relatively rare. Adventurers who want to use guns must take the Gunsmithing feat just to make them feasible weapons. Advanced firearms may exist, but only as rare and wondrous items—the stuff of high-level treasure troves.

but I'm not sure how well-balanced Commonplace is. I was thinking of reducing the discount and removing the availability of advanced firearms; thoughts?

[GiglameshDespair]

Well, both matchlock and wheellock muskets were present in the thirty years war, so I'd say commonplace.

True rifling had been invented by the mid 15th century, but wasn't used en masse for a variety of reasons, so it's not impossible they should be able to get their hands on them.

[Tawa]

It was more the revolvers and shotguns that I felt wouldn't fit. I suppose I'll just cut those instead. Thanks!

[GiglameshDespair]

Well, back then the difference between shotguns and other firearms back then were how many and what size bullets you put down the barrel.

Paper cartridges have been in use since the 14th century, though integrated cartridges were invented in 1800s.

Similiarly, multi-chambered firearms have existed for a lot longer than you think. Such as:

Spoiler: Detail of an 8-chambered matchlock revolver (Germany c. 1580) (click to show/hide)

Personally I'd let people have them. They're rare, and they might need to commission a gunsmith or buy them off a specialist, but players are exceptional characters by nature. No harm in letting them have them.

[scriver]

Well, back then the difference between shotguns and other firearms back then were how many and what size bullets you put down the barrel.

Paper cartridges have been in use since the 14th century, though integrated cartridges were invented in 1800s.

Similiarly, multi-chambered firearms have existed for a lot longer than you think. Such as:

Spoiler: Detail of an 8-chambered matchlock revolver (Germany c. 1580) (click to show/hide)

Personally I'd let people have them. They're rare, and they might need to commission a gunsmith or buy them off a specialist, but players are exceptional characters by nature. No harm in letting them have them.

fixd das fuhr dich

Also now I really want a revolving matchlock rifle

[Tawa]

Wow, I had no idea about that. I'd always been under the impression that revolvers were more of an 1800s invention. Thanks again!

The bit about shotguns was because the game already has blunderbusses in it, and from what I can tell "shotgun" usually refers to similar weapons from the 18th century onward. I suppose I could just describe the ones in the rules as exceptionally good blunderbusses... I don't know if anyone will actually want a shotgun, anyway