Well, I'll probably have my promised M.A.G.U.S. RTD up soon; I just need to find the time to run it, AKA Summer Break. But I'll post a rough idea of the setting for you guys.
M.A.G.U.S. Project
Magical Assholes Getting Us Saved
It's the beginning of the largest revolution in human history since the advent of language, and it's all because of one man. Steven Thaddeus Ranger, the man who brought magic into the spotlight. Sure, people had used it for millenia in various forms, from charms to books to chants, but it was Ranger who brought magic from the cults to the civilized world. Like any revolution though, this one is gonna take some time to catch on, and 'modern' technology is still frequently used, even as upper class citizens flaunt new trinkets such as wands, flying rings, and even familiars. However, magic isn't completely stable. People are trying their hardest, but it still sometimes goes wrong, often with cataclysmic results. And nobody (or at least nobody respected within the magic and scientific communities) has ever managed to infuse magic properties into a living being...
Until today
Unbeknownst to all but a select few, the M.A.G.U.S. Corporation (Magical Arms, General Utilities, and Services), headed by Steven Ranger himself, has been working on a new project. Magical Mercenaries. Top secret research has been done on insects and even a few rodents, but today is the day they move from maggots and mice to men. You are one of these new test subjects, having gone through rigorous conditioning to the point where you seem practically superhuman, even without magic. With it, you'll practically be a god, except for one drawback: You will be the property of the M.A.G.U.S. Corporation. Depending on who the highest bidder is, you will be required to use your powers for good, for evil, or most likely of all, for someone's personal gain.With a crackling noise, the cassette-player in the room shuts off, as a man wearing a brown suit enters through a door to your left.
"Sorry, sorry, that one was completely my bad. I put the wrong cassette in. You'd think that the best engineers money can buy would at least label their cassettes... Or, here's an idea: WHY DON'T THEY DO SOMETHING WITH MAGIC, OR AT LEAST USE 'MODERN' TECHNOLOGY THAT DIDN'T DIE OFF IN THE GOD DAMNED NINETEEN-NINETIES!"You see embarrassed looking men and women slink away to a corner of the room as the brown-suited man calms himself down and clears his throat.
"Sorry about that outburst; it's just that the newest version of that recording tries to pass the whole 'M.A.G.U.S. owns your souls' thing off as a chance to 'visit interesting places and meet interesting people in the name of science'. I'm not saying that we don't own your souls, but it's really not all that bad. I mean, we don't want you to die; you cost us too much money for that. But, knowing the competence of these engineers here, some of you will probably die. But hey, knowing the naturally volatile nature of magic, at least you'll go out with style! Now, enough with the doom and gloom! Who wants some magic powers?"
Well, would you look at that. My setting description has turned itself into what will probably be the basis for my OP. But yeah, the characters will be a group of 'mercenaries' who have been given magical abilities. Magic will be broken down into elements, and each character would have one major element, which they have a bonus to manipulating, and two minor elements, which they are able to manipulate. Because each player is limited to controlling three elements, out of the box solutions are probably gonna be pretty big. Also, stats will be like in Looter's Delight, where a bonus in one stat is accompanied by a malus in another, but it will probably be limited to a maximum of + or - 2 to prevent things from getting out of hand. The stats will most likely be as follows:
Strength: Your physical strength, which affects your melee damage and aptitude for hard labor
Aim: Your accuracy, which affects both melee and ranged accuracy, ranged damage, as well as your ability to perceive things that others might miss
Endurance: Your ability to withstand damage, which affects your defense rolls, as well as your ability to cope with pain
Affinity: Your ability to use magic, which affects... well, your ability to use magic
Agility: Your ability to move quickly, which affects dodging and initiative, as well as tasks that require running
Training: You obviously had to do SOMETHING before you became a magical guineapig mercenary, right? Minuses in this skill will not affect anything, so they're almost like free points. However, every + in this skill will add 2 to rolls involving your specific talent. An ex-mechanic might have a bonus to working with machinery, a girl scout could have one to selling things... it's pretty open-ended, and keeps things interesting.
I'd write a bit more about it, but I have a paper to write, and I've kinda been blowing off Looter's Delight recently, so I'm gonna crank out an update for that tonight as well.
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Topic: Roller's Block (RTD Brainstorming Thread) (HAPPY LATE BIRTHDAY) (Derm is 5k) (Read 740145 times)