tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90307042024-03-07T22:05:22.338-08:00Savage Worlds Character A DayCHARACTER A DAY
I hope to post one Savage Worlds Character Conversion a Day on this site. I may even "brainstorm" new Edges and Hinderances.Christian Lindkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05078403387362505754noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9030704.post-29090660483515399532008-12-29T13:56:00.000-08:002008-12-29T14:02:10.666-08:00A Necessary Evil Christmas<b>THE NIGHT THAT HOPE DIED</b> -- A Christmas Themed Necessary Evil Savage Tale<br /><br /><u>Background</u>:<br /><br />The V'sori have successfully conquered the Earth. Very few are powerful enough to oppose their occupying forces to free humanity. Many of the world's villains have been gathered by Dr. Destruction to resist the occupation and inspire others to join the fight against the alien overlords.<br /><br />Up until last year, most people had completely lost hope and have become "good citizens" of the V'sori empire. Few noticed that their neighbors were disappearing, while the numbers of drones grew. Few realized that the Earth wasn't merely being conquered, its residents were being "altered." No one was fighting back. It's hard to be inspired by news of Dr. Destruction's recent terrorist assault against the local television network.<br /><br />That all changed last year on Christmas morning. Children across the world received Christmas presents for the first time since the V'sori invasion. The V'sori had come to expect a few underground Christmas celebrants, but they were not prepared when all the world's children received gifts...gifts that included cards reading "Merry Christmas to All! S. Claus."<br /><br />As news spread of the magical gift giving -- gift giving that had evaded V'sori surveillance, many of the people of the world began to experience a new emotion. They began to Hope. Here was someone, or potentially someone, who could evade/outsmart the V'sori who hadn't historically been bent on global domination.<br /><br />The V'sori had to stop this S. Claus at all costs. And so began Operation Toybreaker. If the V'sori could capture this Claus, and transform him into a Super Drone, they could ensure that the toys delivered from here on out contained appropriate "citizen conditioning messages." They could take this figure of hope and transform him into a figure of domination.<br /><br />Two weeks ago, while battling Omegans at a site where the frozen bodies of WWII heroes had been located, V'sori radar picked up an odd signature -- it appeared to be a flying reindeer. They followed the signature to its final destination and the location of Santa's Village had become revealed. It took the V'sori seven days to overcome Santa's defenses and capture this bastion of hope. It took another five days to convert all of his remaining elves into drones and to reprogram Santa's Toy Soldier Defense Androids. It will take two days for the V'sori to convert Santa into a complicit drone.<br /><br /><u>The Adventure</u>:<br /><br />Dr. Destruction has intercepted a broadcast outlining the V'sori's capture of S. Claus and their plans to convert him into a Drone. Dr. Destruction desperately wants to use Omegans to rescue the figure of hope as Santa would make an amazing gun runner for the Omegan underground, but he knows that Omegans are unlikely to rescue this saccharine sweet icon without some deception.<br /><br />His plan is simple. Convey to an Omegan cell that the V'sori have captured the worlds "Last Figure of Hope" a person capable of supplying the criminal underground with a steady supply of weapons. The person has technology that can evade V'sori communications satellites and can make large simultaneous deliveries.<br /><br />(At this point, most players will get what's going on, but their villain PCs should remain clueless).<br /><br />The villains are sent to rescue this individual who is being held in a specially built temporary prison facility on Baffin Island in Nunavut, Canada. Once at the location the PCs will face 2 encounters.<br /><br />The first encounter is an outdoor battle against the converted remnants of Claus's cohorts. The PCs should face 1 Toy Soldier and 2 Elves per PC.<br /><br />After the PCs finish this battle, they will wander through what remains of Santa's Village. Don't hold back on the description. There should be dead elves everywhere, as well as dead snowmen, and the carcasses of Santa's Reindeer. Play up the V'sori cruelty. Feel free to have another small skirmish here, or roleplay moments where the PCs find Santa's list only to find out that they were indeed supposed to receive that Atari 2600 for their 10th birthday...or some other humorous moment.<br /><br />Upon completing the visit to Santa's village the PCs will approach a specially designed prison containing 1 K'tharen Warrior per 2 PCs and 2 Drones per PC, as well as the unconscious body of Claus. Claus's body is encased in a DuraSilicon Container (Toughness 15) where robotic devices are slowly converting him into a Super Drone.<br /><br />Once the PCs arrive at the prison, they will have 15 rounds to defeat everyone and free Claus before he is converted. Use the Toughness statistics in the initial Jail Break for the Claus prison, but modify the map to contain only one cell.<br /><br />If the PCs rescue Claus, they save Christmas and have recruited the world's most efficient weapons smuggler to the resistance.<br /><br /><blockquote><br /><b>Mind-Controlled Elf</b><br /><br />Race: Elf<br /><br />Agility: d8 Smarts: d6 Spirit: d6<br /><br />Strength: d6 Vigor: d6 (d12+2 on drugs)<br /><br />Pace: 8 (d10 to run) Parry: 5<br /><br />Toughness: 6 (11 on drugs) (2)<br /><br />Charisma: 0<br /><br /><br />Skills<br /><br />Fighting d6 Repair d10 Notice d8 Stealth d8 Shooting d8<br /><br />Throwing d6<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Marksman</span><br /><br />+2 to ranged attack if Elf does not move.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Pain-Killers</span><br /><br />If the elves have eaten their cookies or egg-nog, they fight fearlessly (+2 vs. fear checks) and feel no pain (+2 to recover from shaken, and can take two wounds instead of one before going down). Because of the unsafe levels of drugs in the cookies, the elves must make vigor checks at -6 when the drugs wear off 1d4 minutes after consuming. They take 6 levels of fatigue (death) on a failed roll.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Gear</span><br /><br />Gay Apparel Kevlar Vest (+4 armor vs. bullets, negates 4 AP, covers torso)<br />Candy Cane-shaped Vibro-Knife Damage: Str+d6 Heavy Weapon, AP 2<br /><br />Pop-Gun (Disguised .50 Cal Rifle) Range: 30/60/120 Damage: 2d10<br />RoF: 1, Ammo: 7 (Hero-killer Rounds), AP 2<br /><br />3 Presents (Disguised Grenades) Range: 5/10/20<br />Damage: 3d6 Medium Burst Template<br /><br /><br />Notes: The V’sori have given the elves Christmas Cookies and Egg-Nog laced with vigor-enhancing combat drugs, un-safe levels of pain killers and other mind-altering substances. Since they V’sori don’t care if the elves die, they have put near-lethal dosages into the cookies, and instructed the elves to eat the cookies if they are attacked.</blockquote><br /><br /><br /><br /><Blockquote><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Life-Sized Toy Soldier</span><br /><br />Race: Robot<br /><br />Agility: d4 Smarts: d4 Spirit: d4<br /><br />Strength: d10 Vigor: d10<br /><br />Pace: 4 Parry: 5 Toughness: 13 (6, Heavy Armor)<br /><br />Charisma: 0<br /><br /><br />Skills<br /><br />Fighting d6 Notice d4 Shooting d6<br /><br />Size +2<br /><br />Toy soldiers are very large, about 7 feet tall.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Construct</span><br /><br />These toy soldiers are robots and therefore get +2 to recover from shaken, immune to disease and poison. Arrows, bullets and other piercing attacks do half damage, and they do not suffer from called shots. Constructs do not heal wounds normally, and cannot recover wounds from the Healing skill or power. Repair is used instead. Each Repair roll requires tools and spare parts (-2 modifier without tools, another -2 without spare parts) and 1d6 hours work.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Fearless</span><br /><br />As robots, these soldiers are immune to fear effects.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Darkvision</span><br /><br />These toy soldiers have infrared sensors that can see in the dark.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Gear</span><br /><br />Plasma Rifle (A Toy Soldier’s Fusion Reactor regenerates 1 shot every 2 turns)<br /><br />Range: 12/24/48 Damage: 3d10 RoF: 1, Ammo: 12, Heavy Weapon, AP 2<br /><br />Vibro-Bayonet Damage: Str+d10 Heavy Weapon, AP 2<br /><br /><br />Notes: Made of heavy iron plating, these robot soldiers are super-tough, but very slow-moving. They are powered by large internal fusion reactors, which also power their plasma rifles.</blockquote>Christian Lindkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05078403387362505754noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9030704.post-1109289318208574542005-02-24T15:51:00.000-08:002005-02-24T15:55:18.210-08:00Jubal Early<img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/122/2967/320/Jubal%20Early.jpg"><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;">Jubal is a (rightfully) arrogant bounty hunter who snuck on board Serenity and quickly disabled her crew in a search for the fugitive River Tam. Early had been tracking Serenity since the heist on Ariel and finally catches up to them in the brilliant Objects In Space.<br />He got into bounty hunting for the power and the pain he could invoke on others.<br />Jubal claimed River was the smallest but most troublesome bounty since he tried to bring in pyromaniac midget.<br />He was partial to spouting analytical philosophy to those he encountered, often similar to River’s ramblings.</span><br /><br />Traits: Agility d10, Smarts d8, Spirit d8, Strength d8, Vigor d8<br /><br />Skills: Fighting d10, Guts d10, Intimidation d12, Investigation d8, Notice d8, Piloting d8, Shooting d12, Stealth d10, Streetwise d10, Taunt d8, Tracking d8<br /><br />Pace: 6 Parry: 7 Toughness: 6 Charisma: -2<br /><br />Hindrances: Greedy, Mean, Overconfident, Quirk (philisophical pretensions)<br /><br />Edges: Alertness, Dodge, First Strike, Quickness, Quick Draw, Strong Willed, Trademark WeaponChristian Lindkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05078403387362505754noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9030704.post-1109288560226732402005-02-24T15:03:00.000-08:002005-02-24T15:42:40.230-08:00Basic BenchmarksI began discussing benchmarks in the last post and have received some feedback with ideas for a basic chart for Savage Worlds. Having a "basic SW" chart is one of the basic steps in character conversion, so let's look at a proposal by <em>therealtony</em>:<br /><br /><table cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" border="3"><caption><b>Savage Worlds Benchmarks</b></caption><tbody><tr><td><b>Savage Worlds Attribute</b></td><td><b>Description</b></td><tr><td>1d4-2</td><td>Feeble</td></tr><tr><td>1d4</td><td>Weak</td></tr><tr><td>1d6</td><td>Average</td></tr><tr><td>1d8</td><td>Above Average</td></tr><tr><td>1d10</td><td>Expert</td></tr><tr><td>1d12</td><td>Elite</td></tr><tr><td>1d12+1</td><td>Legendary</td></tr><tr><td>1d12+2</td><td>Mythic/Human maximum potential</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />Tony's chart seems to meet with what, on the Savage Worlds Community Boards, has come to be the "accepted wisdom" regarding the meaning of the levels of the abilities. But I sometimes like to "buck the system." I wrote in the last post that a 1d6 roll (with Wild Die) and an "average" difficulty 4 makes a "hero" successful 50% of the time. I don't have a problem with the "average hero" succeeding at a good number of tasks 50% of the time (or 17% for difficult tasks), but I do think that is too frequent for the "common man." So I would amend the chart as follows:<br /><br /><table cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" border="3"><caption><b>Savage Worlds Benchmarks</b></caption><tbody><tr><td><b>Savage Worlds Attribute</b></td><td><b>Description</b></td><tr><td>1d4-2</td><td>Feeble</td></tr><tr><td>1d4</td><td>Average Normal/Weak Hero</td></tr><tr><td>1d6</td><td>Average Hero</td></tr><tr><td>1d8</td><td>Above Average</td></tr><tr><td>1d10</td><td>Expert</td></tr><tr><td>1d12</td><td>Elite</td></tr><tr><td>1d12+1</td><td>Legendary</td></tr><tr><td>1d12+2</td><td>Mythic/Human maximum potential</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />I might not even call d4 average normal and just call it average, because Wild Cards get to roll a d6 Wild Die on any Attribute or Skill roll. Essentially giving a minimum of d6 (on any and all attribute/skill rolls) to any "hero." So there is little "mechanical" loss in setting d4 as "average" for any given setting. This is especially true given the d4 has a 25% chance to "ace." I created a "house rule" for this which has Wild Cards roll actual d4s while everyone else rolls 1d8/2 and only "aces" on an 8. Thus the statistical average of the "roll" remains the same, but the chance of an "ace" is less than with a d6. But that might be a discussion for another time.Christian Lindkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05078403387362505754noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9030704.post-1109116485090617422005-02-22T14:39:00.000-08:002005-02-22T15:56:02.116-08:00DC Hero Conversions<b>DC Comic Book Character Conversions: A Conversation</b><br /><br />As a fan of Clint Black's recent foray into the realm of 4-color comics, I have begun planning a series of DC Comics character conversions. I am not the only person to have an interest in this subject, "therealtony" on the Pinnacle Forums has done a wonderful job. But being that there can be no <em>correct</em> conversion of any given character, I will more than likely be repeating some of the same characters he selects from the hat.<br /><br />I will be using a couple of resources, other than the comics themselves, for assistance in my conversions.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/075660592X/qid=1109112175/sr=8-1/ref=pd_csp_1/002-4264989-4347237?v=glance&s=books&n=507846">The DC Comics Encyclopedia</a><br /><br />Comics Between the Panels by Dark Horse Publications<br /><br /><a href="http://www.twomorrows.com/books/asc.html">The All Star Companion</a> edited by Roy Thomas (If you don't own this you are not a "real JSA fan).<br /><br />The DC Heroes RPG 3rd Edition (my favorite Superhero system)<br /><br />The DC Universe RPG by <a href="http://www.westendgames.com/">West End Games</a> using their excellent d6 system.<br /><br />The first and the last of these books will be used to help with "background" information, it is much easier to look to a single source than to delve into the issues. The second will be used with regards to conversions of abilities and statistics.<br /><br />Given any media to game, or game to game, conversion you have to have certain guiding principles; here are mine.<br /><br />1) I must come up with "benchmarks" for each system. Where such benchmarks are provided, I will follow them as close as possible. An example can be seen in the "Carrying Capacity/lift" chart in Necessary Evil.<br /><br />2) When converting from one system to another, ensure that you take into consideration the "core mechanic" of each. i.e. d20 vs. Hero have different base systems. What those differences are should effect conversion.<br /><br />Okay...so let's start with the second principle.<br /><br />In <em>Savage Worlds</em> the "average" difficulty for any given task, under normal conditions, is 4. A d6 roll averages 3.5 (open ended 4) so d6 is the baseline for task resolution of 50% of a standard task. One could argue that this means d4 is actual human average since people don't tend to succeed 50% of the time on tasks which require (in RPG terms) a "roll," but that is a separate discussion. In this case, d6 will be considered average for ability scores and skills.<br /><br />In <em>Savage Worlds</em> combat difficulties when attacking the opponent are less than 50% <em>All Things Being Equal</em>. What do I mean by this...a fighter with a Fighting skill of d8 has a parry of 6 attacks another fighter with a Fighting skill of d8 has a 37.5% chance of success (excluding wild card bonus die). The odds become 50% at the d12+2 level of skill. So "on average" the PCs have a slightly worse than 50%. In DC Heroes, they are exactly 50%. All things being equal, the character will need to roll 11 on an open ended on doubles (excepting double ones) 2d10 roll.<br /><br />What this means is that d8 vs d8 isn't the same as 8 vs 8 in the DC system. To reconcile this small difference, I will "bump up" some characters and "bump down" other characters who are borderline within their areas of expertise. Is Batman a d12+2 type? Is Blue Beetle a d10 or d8 fighting? These questions will be asked after the application of broad benchmarks.<br /><br />Now for the benchmarks:<br /><br />DC has Nine Statistics and Savage has Five covering the same elements.<br /><br />To convert one must decide whether, in the case of a "combined" statistic, to take the highest or the average. I tend to use averages, but review on a case by case basis.<br /><br /><table cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" border="3"><br /><caption><b>DC to SW Attribute Correlation</b></caption><br /><tbody><tr><br /><td><b>Savage Worlds</b></td><td>Agility</td><td>Smarts</td><td>Spirit</td><td>Strength</td><td>Vigor</td></tr><br /><br /><tr><br /><td><b>DC Heroes</b></td><td>Dexterity</td><td>Intelligence</td><td>Average of Will and Mind or Aura and Spirit</td><td>Strength</td><td>Body</td></tr><br /><br /></tbody></table>Christian Lindkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05078403387362505754noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9030704.post-1109108741006023072005-02-22T13:34:00.000-08:002005-02-22T14:02:54.530-08:00Saffron<img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/122/2967/320/Saffron.jpg"><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;">Mal's nickname for the young lady we are introduced to in Our Mrs Reynolds as "Saffron". She is a consummate con-artist who gets her kicks not from making the big score but in proving that she's better and smarter than the people she fools.<br /><br /><br />The crew narrowly manages to avoid the fate that Saffron leaves them to in Our Mrs Reynolds, but Mal doesn't kill her when he catches up to her—he's just a softie.<br /><br />We next meet up with Saffron in the episode Trash. Now, her name is "Bridgette" and she's married to Mal's old war-buddy Monty. After Mal ruins her honeymoon, she talks him and the rest of the crew into helping her out with a big theft. During the caper, we find out that she was also married to the Alliance commander they're stealing from—under the name Yolanda.<br /><br />Yolanda... Saffron... Bridgette. Yo Saf Bridge. Get it?<br /></span><br />Traits: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6<br /><br />Pace: 6 Parry: 7 Toughness: 5 Charisma: +4<br /><br />Skills: Fighting d8, Guts d6, Intimidation d6, Investigation d8, Notice d8, Persuasion d12, Piloting d6, Repair d10, Shooting d6, Stealth d8, Streetwise d10, Taunt d8<br /><br />Hindrances: Greedy (minor), Overconfident, Quirk (nihilistic)<br /><br />Edges: Attractive, Block, Companion Training, Dodge, First StrikeChristian Lindkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05078403387362505754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9030704.post-1108585282296445142005-02-16T12:15:00.000-08:002005-02-16T12:21:22.303-08:00Shepherd Book<img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/122/2967/320/Shepherd%20Book.jpg"><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;">We first meet Shepherd Book on the Eavesdown Docks on Persephone. He had just left the Southdown Abbey and decided to get out into the world... bring the word to those as need it told...<br /><br />Less than two days later... "I've beaten a lawman senseless, I've fallen in with criminals. I watched the captain shoot the man I swore to protect... I think I'm on the wrong ship."<br /><br />He wasn't, but was he even a shepherd; a man of the cloth? Jubal Early surely didn't think so (Objects In Space). There's a lot of history there that doesn't have much to do with being a preacher.<br /><br />Book signed on to Firefly as a passenger before Simon did, which on the surface appears to rule out his being there specifically because of the Tam siblings. Kaylee could read his body language rather well, and her intuition told him he was a good soul who was more interested in the ships than in the destinations. He admits to her that he had once sailed on a Firefly ("Long before you were crawling.") He admitted to having been "out of the world for a spell."<br /><br /><strong>So, who was (or is) Book?:</strong><br />An undercover agent for the Alliance?<br />A double agent for Independents who had infiltrated Alliance trust?<br />A retired Alliance officer (or Alliance Federal Marshal) who 'got religion'? (My personal theory. -Doyce)<br />An operative of Blue Sun, keeping an eye on River and Simon?<br />Perhaps a ex-con? Perhaps at one time worse and more sadistic than Adelei Niska, but who had since found religion?<br /><br /><strong>What do we really know?</strong><br /><br />Was being a shepherd just a cover or had Book joined the Abbey for a few years, perhaps immediately after the end of the war, and sincerely set out to live a life of moral and spiritual enlightenment, only to find himself fall into this "den of thieves"?<br /><br />He's definitely not what meets the eye. On the surface Book appears to be an ordinary man of God in an extraordinary situation, dealing with people straddling the fine line between good and evil, but there are other indicators that, while inconclusive, do persuade one to believe he may have ulterior motives. For one thing, when Book finds himself suffering from lead poisoning without a medic on board (in Safe), Malcolm Reynolds orders Wash to the nearest Alliance outpost for medical help, expecting to eat crow. Just as the Alliance officers deny medical assistance, Book has them check his Ident Card. He's almost immediately wheeled into the operating room, no more questions asked. (Not common Alliance treatment even for men of the cloth.) Also take note of the teaser of War Stories and his pro-active stance towards rescuing Mal.<br />He knows a fair bit about the criminal element of the 'verse.<br />He knows how to shoot (and well), and can identify relatively rare weapons merely from the hole they leave in a man.<br />We know he never married and therefore has no children or grandchildren. (Or so he says.)<br />We know his religious order requires he not cut his hair.<br />We know he studies a version of the Christian Bible (which apparently survives another five hundred years relatively intact) but we don't really know the name of his denomination.<br />He knows his way around a spaceship, especially a Firefly class. He's been on one before, but it was an older model.<br />We know that he felt prepared to take up arms to defend a friend. He implied, though we do not know for sure, that he would not go as far as cause another's death.<br /><br />He will sometimes resort to foul language (in Chinese).<br /></span><br /><br />Traits: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit d8, Strength d8, Vigor d8.<br /><br />Skills: Fighting d8, Guts d8, Intimidation d8, Investigation d6, Knowledge (Theology) d8, Notice d8, Persuasion d8, Repair d4, Shooting d8, Stealth d6, Streetwise d8.<br /><br />Pace: 6 Parry: 6 Toughness: 6 Charisma: +2<br /><br />Hindrances: Curious, Pacifist (minor), Poverty, Vow (major, monastic).<br /><br />Edges: Connections, First Strike, Marksman, Shepherd.Christian Lindkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05078403387362505754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9030704.post-1108496163306353042005-02-15T11:35:00.000-08:002005-02-15T11:48:19.653-08:00Adelai Niska<img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/122/2967/320/Adelei%20Niska.jpg"><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;">Episodes: 'The Train Job', 'War Stories'<br /><br />Above the planet of Ezra was Adelei Niska's Skyplex. Niska was a sadistic, cruel and terrifying crime lord. He would have people tortured for the smallest things, and prolong the pain for as long as he could. So when Mal went to him for a job, he was determined to have it go right. The job was to steal Alliance supplies from a train travelling to the mining community of Paradiso. What Mal didn't know was that a full unit of Alliance men were also on the train and that the supplies were much needed medicine. Having successfully completed the mission, Mal decided to hand back the supplies to the settlers and hand back the cash in hand Niska had given him. It wasn't enough for Niska. He had Mal and Wash kidnapped and brought to his skyplex, where they were tortured. Zoe came to the rescue with as much money as the crew could find, but it was only enough to buy back one man. Zoe chose Wash and left Mal to die - literally. Niska had Mal brought back to life so he could be tortured more, but the crew of Serenity launched an attack and rescued him. Even though Mal regretted it later, he left Niska alive.</span><br /><br /><br />Traits: Agility d4, Smarts d8, Spirit d8, Strength d4, Vigor d4<br /><br />Skills: Guts d8, Intimidation d8, Knowledge (Philosophy) d6, Notice d8, Shooting d4, Streetwise d8, Taunt d10<br /><br />Pace: 5 Parry: 2 Toughness: 4 Charisma: -4<br /><br />Hindrances: Bad Eyes (minor), Elderly, Greedy (major), Mean, Ugly, Vengeful (major)<br /><br />Edges: Filthy RichChristian Lindkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05078403387362505754noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9030704.post-1107464178528368352005-02-03T13:51:00.000-08:002005-02-15T11:36:19.483-08:00River Tam<img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/122/2967/320/River%20Tam.jpg"><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;">A hyper-intelligent child of privilege, River found the Academy she was sent to to be more of a torture center than a school. No one knows yet what The Academy did to her before her brother Simon stole her back, because she's still too traumatized to tell them.<br /><br />But she and Simon need to keep running—because the Academy wants their experiment back.<br /><br />Even at a young age River had an exceptionally intelligent mind. While Simon was smart enough to become a gifted doctor, River was so bright she corrected her brother's homework when they were kids and even found errors in his textbooks. Their parents spoiled them and lavished them with luxuries, even signing River up for the best of all possible education programs: The Academy. Simon and his parents thought nothing of it; she was an exceptional child and belonged in a private education institution that could cater to her needs—but a few months after she had been away Simon began getting perplexing letters from her. There were misspellings and references to events or individuals who did not exist. Simon theorized that the letters were actually written in some kind of code. His parents were oblivious to any of this, and refused to entertain Simon's notions that his sister might perhaps be in some sort of trouble.<br /><br />They were wrong.<br /><br />While her family thought she was safe in a private education institution, in point of fact she had been taken to a scientific installation (possibly or probably funded by the Blue Sun corporation). Simon decoded his sister's letters and set out to try to get her back, seeking someone, anyone—even those living in Blackout Zones—who could help him help his sister escape. Money changed hands, and soon after Simon found himself captured by the local federal authorities—his father had to come down to bail him out. Upset that he'd had to tarnish his reputation, Gabriel Tam basically told Simon to either drop these absurd attempts to rescue his sister or not return home.<br /><br />So.<br /><br />Simon made arrangements, then made his way to Persephone and the Eavesdown Docks slums. There, he met with the people delivering cargo containing his sister in stasis from which she was later awakened on the Firefly Transport Serenity.<br /><br />Unfortunately, the story of River Tam's history doesn't quite tell us who she is, but where she comes from. Exactly what River is now remains uncertain. River's brain was operated on countless times while The Academy had her in its clutches and she was treated for all intents and purposes like a laboratory animal. They still consider her their property, stolen by Simon Tam, and they will stop at nothing to get River back so they can finish whatever it was they were doing to her. (Simon knows for certain that, among other things, they cut into her brain. They even removed her amygdala, which is a part of the brain used to control emotional responses and 'filter' incoming information. As he describes it: "She feels everything; she can't not.")<br /><br />Precisely why they did these things to her is unknown. The most likely purpose was to turn her into a sort of assassin or spy. However, since the series was unceremoniously cut short, any answers to the uncertainties of motivation are assumptive. We do know to a degree of what she is capable.<br /><br />River has taken a firearm and, without looking, killed three men with three shots.<br />She has snuck on board a bounty hunter's ship without the bounty hunter's knowledge and thwarted his attempts to take her back to Blue Sun.<br />She has shown an aptitude for extraordinary assimilation of knowledge and data recall, empathy, and even what appears to be some form of psychic "reading" ability.<br />She has been known to make statements, sometimes cryptic and sometimes direct, which sound as if she can read someone's mind or know of events in a stranger's past which she could not have known.<br />She has never shown an indication of being able to predict the future, but she can seem to extrapolate probable outcomes based on past experience and knowledge.<br />She can just look at an individual and glean more about their history and personality than some could learn from a person in years of friendship. Sometimes her statements are hard to decipher because she talks in a way that she understands but others have difficulty comprehending.<br />And she's a hell of a dancer.<br /><br />River's state of mind is inconsistent and unpredictable. Simon Tam administers semi-regular treatments of medication that seem to improve her ability to cope with her own mental damage for short periods of time, but these treatments have side-effects which leave her physically ill. When in good spirits, River likes playing with Kaylee and occasional practical jokes with the crew. She's potentially very dangerous, however. She's caused damage to Jayne on one occasion, slashing him in the chest with a large knife (but... was she attacking him or the Blue Sun logo on his shirt?).</span><br /><br />Traits: Agility d10, Smarts d12+4, Spirit d12, Strength d6, Vigor d6.<br /><br />Skills: Fighting d10, Investigation d10, Knowledge (Arts) d12, Knowledge (Sciences) d12, Notice d12, Shooting d10, Stealth d8.<br /><br />Pace: 6 Parry: 7/8 Toughness: 4 Charisma: -2<br /><br />Hindrances: Outsider, Phobia (major, Blue Sun products), Poverty, Small, Wanted (major).<br /><br />Edges: Acrobat, Alertness, Danger Sense, Empathic, Jack-of-All-Trades, Precognitive Flashes, Scholar, Sensitive, Telepathic.Christian Lindkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05078403387362505754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9030704.post-1107375037466191982005-02-02T13:06:00.000-08:002005-02-02T12:10:37.466-08:00Simon Tam <img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/122/2967/320/Simon%20Tam.jpg">
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<br /><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;">While Simon is a bright and talented surgeon (the hospital Simon joined after finishing his internship was called AMI. What AMI stands for is unknown; the MI could stand for Medical Institute, which would mean it was a teaching hospital), his sister River Tam was so bright she corrected his homework when they were kids and even found errors in his textbooks. Their parents spoiled them and lavished them with luxuries, even signing River up for the best of all possible education programs: The Academy. Simon and his parents thought nothing of it; she was an exceptional child and belonged in a private education institution that could cater to her needs -- but a few months after she had been away Simon began getting perplexing letters from her. There were misspellings and references to events or individuals who did not exist. Simon theorized that the letters were actually written in some kind of code. His parents were oblivious to any of this, and refused to entertain Simon's notions that his sister might perhaps be in some sort of trouble.
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<br />They were wrong.
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<br />While her family thought she was safe in a private education institution, in point of fact she had been taken to a scientific installation (possibly or probably funded by the Blue Sun corporation). Simon decoded his sister's letters and set out to try to get her back, seeking someone, anyone -- even those living in Blackout Zones -- who could help him help his sister escape. Money changed hands, and soon after Simon found himself captured by the local federal authorities -- his father had to come down to bail him out. Upset that he'd had to tarnish his reputation, Gabriel Tam basically told Simon to either drop these absurd attempts to rescue his sister or not return home.
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<br />So.
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<br />Simon made arrangements, then made his way to Persephone and the Eavesdown Docks slums. There, he had was met with the people delivering cargo containing his sister in stasis from which she was later awakened on Firefly Transport named Serenity.
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<br />Simon comes from a wealthy family with a privledged upbringing -- quite different from his life aboard Serenity (which he has taken to like a fish to... acid). He is fiercely protective of his sister -- he gave up a lucrative and successful life as a surgeon on Osiris to rescue her from The Academy.
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<br />Traits: Agility d6, Smarts d12, Spirit d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6.
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<br />Skills: Guts d6, Healing d12, Investigation d8, Knowledge (Medicine) d10, Notice d6.
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<br />Pace: 6 Parry: 2 Toughness: 5 Charisma: 0
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<br />Hindrances: Big Mouth, Cautious, Pacifist (minor), Poverty, Tinhorn, Wanted (major).
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<br />Edges: Alertness.
<br />Christian Lindkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05078403387362505754noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9030704.post-1107374803608050522005-02-02T13:01:00.000-08:002005-02-02T12:06:43.606-08:00Kaywinnet Lee Frye <img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/122/2967/320/Kaylee.jpg">
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<br /><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;">Cheerful, energetic Kaylee (full name, Kaywinnit Lee Frye) is Serenity's ace mechanic, a tomboy who accepts anything the universe throws at her with a smile and a bounce. Trained by her father, she's a natural mechanic, which got her the job on the Firefly Transport ship Serenity despite her total lack of experience with either that model of ship or a Trace Compression Block engine. At the same time, she can be flummoxed by particularly difficult problems ("Sometimes, a thing gets broke, it can't *be* fixed.") or by someone who sets out to break a machine instead of fix it, which seems a fundamentally foreign concept to her. (As when Saffron sabotages Serenity... twice.)
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<br />The crew's occasional forays into crime don't bother her, though she's not much good in a gunfight. Kaylee is a 'glass is half full' kinda gal. No matter what is going on around her, she's usually able to see the positive side of the situation. When describing the more questionable behavior among her fellow crewmates, she makes even the most illegal behavior sound adorable.
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<br />Whereas other science fiction shows involve an engineer for the ship who often talks in complicated technobabble, Kaylee tends to describe her activity in the engine room in very simple, organic terms: there's still a sort of complicated code-like semantics to her wording at times, but it's more like listening to people talk about 20th century cars or a sick friend than futuristic machinery.
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<br />Kaylee has her own quarters on ship (decorated with Christmas lights and the like), but she also has a hammock set up in the engine room (probably because her room is located as far from the engine room as physically possible -- Doyce) and often can be found there working or communing with Serenity, which she treats like another member of the crew.</span>
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<br />Traits: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6
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<br />Skills: Investigation d6, Notice d8, Persuasion d10, Repair d12, Streetwise d8.
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<br />Pace: 6 Parry: 2 Toughness: 5 Charisma: 0
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<br />Hindrances: Curious, Loyal, Pacifist (major), Poverty, Quirk (trusting).
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<br />Edges: Mcgyver, Mr. (Miss) Fix-It.
<br />Christian Lindkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05078403387362505754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9030704.post-1106951886748870822005-01-28T14:32:00.000-08:002005-01-28T14:38:06.746-08:00Jayne Cobb <img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/122/2967/320/Jayne%20Cobb.jpg">
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<br /><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;">A mercenary who didn't fight for either side in the Unification War, Jayne works for whoever pays him the best. At the moment, that's Mal, so that's where Jayne's loyalty lies -- until something better comes along. He's a lean, mean fighting machine -- unfortunately, his skill with weapons doesn't translate well to situations not involving money or violence.
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<br />Traits: Agility d8, Smarts d4, Spirit d8, Strength d12, Vigor d12
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<br />Skills: Climbing d6, Fighting d12, Guts d10, Intimidation d10, Notice d6, Riding d8, Shooting d12, Stealth d6, Streetwise d6, Taunt d8, Throwing d10.
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<br />Pace: 6 Parry: 9 Toughness: 9
<br />Charisma: -2
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<br />Hindrances: Clueless, Enemy (minor, all sorts), Greedy (major until after Ariel, then minor), Mean, Poverty, Vengeful (minor).
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<br />Edges: Block, Brawny, Dead Shot, Dodge, Hard to Kill, Marksman, Quick Draw, Rock and Roll, Strong Willed, Sweep, Two-Fisted, Improved Trademark Weapon (Vera).
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<br />Christian Lindkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05078403387362505754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9030704.post-1106681583523673262005-01-25T11:26:00.001-08:002005-01-25T11:33:03.523-08:00Hoban Washburn<img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/122/2967/320/Hoban%20Washburn.jpg" />
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<br /><span style="font-family:comic sans MS;">Raised on a world so polluted he couldn't see the stars, Wash entered pilot's training to get a look at them. But he got more than a job when he applied to be Serenity's pilot—he found a wife in the ship's first mate Zoe. A laid-back guy with an active sense of humor, Wash just wants a ship to fly and his wife alive and at his side.
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<br />And if he's backed into a corner, he'll do what he must to accomplish those goals.
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<br />Traits: Agility d8 Smarts d8 Spirit d6 Strength d6 Vigor d6.
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<br />Skills: Driving d6, Fighting d6, Guts d4, Investigation d8, Knowledge (Astrogation) d10, Notice d6, Persuasion d8, Piloting d12, Repair d6, Shooting d6, Streetwise d8, Taunt d8.
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<br />Pace: 6 Parry: 5 Toughness: 5
<br />Charisma: 0
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<br />Hindrances: Overconfident, Poverty, Quirk (peculiar humor).
<br />Edges: Ace.
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<br />Christian Lindkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05078403387362505754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9030704.post-1106681568652716132005-01-25T11:26:00.000-08:002005-01-27T15:54:39.690-08:00Inara Serra<img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/122/2967/320/Inara.jpg">
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<br /><span style="font-family:comic sans MS;">Inara is a highly regarded registered Companion (read: courtesan), and the most respectable person aboard Serenity. No one seems to know what such a high-priced working girl is doing on the very low class Serenity, least of all Malcolm Reynolds. She’s elegant, educated, and beautiful. She maintains her own space - a shuttle on the ship - and only has the high class and decent clientele. Prostitution (or at least licensed prostitution) is legal on almost all planets thanks to the influence of The Guild. A Companion is essentially of the highest social standing -- certainly higher than a ship full of petty crooks.
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<br />She does *not* count the crew among her clients.
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<br />Inara was born, raised, practiced her craft, and was a shoe-in for the rank of High Priestess of the The Guild on her home planet of Sihnon, the jewel of the Core Worlds. Since leaving Sihnon over a year ago, she has adapted quite well to the wild border worlds... she even owns a pistol.</span>
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<br />Traits: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6.
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<br />Skills: Fighting d4, Investigation d6, Knowledge (Arts) d8, Notice d8, Persuasion d12, Piloting d6, Shooting d4.
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<br />Pace: 6 Parry: 4 Toughness: 5
<br />Charisma: +4
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<br />Hindrances: Quirk (squeamish), Stubborn
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<br />Edges: Attractive, Companion Training, Connections
<br />Christian Lindkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05078403387362505754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9030704.post-1106607774763364362005-01-24T15:02:00.000-08:002005-01-24T15:14:57.770-08:00Zoe Warren<img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/122/2967/320/Zoe%20Warren2.jpg">
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<br /><span style="font-family:comic sans MS;">The only other survivor of Malcolm Reynolds' platoon, Zoe joined him as Serenity's first mate to kick a little ass around the universe. And after a hard day committing mayhem wherever possible/necessary, she gets to come home to her husband Wash, Serenity's pilot. </span>
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<br />Traits: Agility d10 Smarts d8 Spirit d8 Strength d6 Vigor d8
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<br />Skills: Climbing d6, Driving d6, Fighting d10, Guts d10, Healing d4, Intimidation d8, Knowledge (Tactics) d6, Notice d8, Persuasion d6, Piloting d6, Riding d8, Shooting d10, Stealth d12, Streetwise d6, Taunt d8, Throwing d8.
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<br />Pace: 6 Parry: 9 Toughness: 6
<br />Charisma: 0/-2
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<br />Hindrances: Browncoat, Loyal, Poverty, Stubborn.
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<br />Edges: Improved Block, Command, Dodge, Level Headed, Nerves of Steel, Quick Draw, Strong Willed, Two-Fisted.
<br />Christian Lindkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05078403387362505754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9030704.post-1105728378449645412005-01-14T10:41:00.000-08:002005-01-14T10:46:18.450-08:00Malcolm Reynolds<img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/122/2967/320/Malcolm%20Reynolds.jpg">
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<br /><span style="font-family:comic sans MS;">The son of a rancher (born on the planet Shadow, Mal fought in the Unification War for the Independents, a sergeant who wound up commanding 5,000 soldiers in one of the war's bloodiest battles, Serenity Valley on the planet Hera (Zoe served with him). After the war, Mal got as far away from the Alliance as possible, heading for the border worlds to scratch out a living. And for the captain of Serenity (named for that battle), no job is too big, too small, or too illegal, as long as it keeps his crew together and his ship flying: "our perfectly legitimate business enterprises."
<br />Captain Reynolds fancies himself a master planner, stealing from the rich and selling to the poor, dancing between the top-heavy Alliance and less valorous schisms of the interplanetary underworld, while trying to retain a soul that doesn't go to that Special Hell reserved for people who talk in movie theaters or cancel television shows before their time. Mal behaves as if he's the intellectual and moral superior to both the Alliance and underworld and therefore makes very few friends among either group. </span>
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<br />Traits: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit d8, Strength d6, Vigor d8.
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<br />Pace: 6 Parry: 8 Toughness: 6 Charisma: +2/0
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<br />Skills: Climbing d6, Fighting d10, Guts d10, Healing d4, Intimidation d8, Knowledge (Tactics) d8, Notice d8, Persuasion d6, Riding d8, Shooting d10, Stealth d6, Streetwise d6, Taunt d8.
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<br />Hindrances: Browncoat, Code of Honor, Enemy (major, Niska), Heroic, Poverty, Stubburn.
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<br />Edges: Block, Charismatic, Command, Common Bond, Dodge, Hold the Line!, Inspire, Level Headed, Natural Leader, Improved Nerves of Steel, Quick Draw, Strong Willed. Christian Lindkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05078403387362505754noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9030704.post-1105726809098569992005-01-14T10:15:00.000-08:002005-01-14T10:20:09.100-08:00Firefly Characters--The Magnificent Seven plus TwoIn the upcoming days, one a day, I will be posting the statistics for the Magnificent Seven plus Two. These conversions were done by Sitting Duck of the Pinnacle boards utilizing a Firefly conversion pdf, I believe he used <a href="http://www.savageheroes.com/conversions/fireflyRPG.pdf">this one</a>. If he didn't I am sure he will email me a correction, but looking at the edges this looks right to me. In addition, he utilizes the psychic system from <a href="http://www.sharkbytes.info/navigation/zines.html">Sharkbytes #1</a> to represent River's abilities.Christian Lindkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05078403387362505754noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9030704.post-1105386333547917772005-01-10T11:45:00.000-08:002005-01-10T11:45:33.546-08:00Savage Setting...Age of Thumos
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<br />The Heroes of Antiquity are dead!
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<br />No longer does the swift Achilles fight demigods at the foot of the walls of Ilium. The labors of Herakles are are fables from the past. Oedipus defeat of the Sphinx is the background of a tragic play. The workings of men are free from the machinations of the gods. Leonidas, descendant of Herakles, died fifty years ago at the Battle of Thermopylae; his deeds were the great, but the Blood of Heroes runs thin. The unity of the Greek states is crumbling and the Peloponnesus is on the verge of war.
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<br />At least the great threat from Persia has finally been vanquished…or has it?
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<br />Through political machinations and other unknown means, the Persian Empire is escalating the conflicts between Athens and Sparta. Using Athens’ desire for empire and Sparta’s slave dependant systems as kindling She stokes the fires between these great cities. To make matters worse, farmers in the smaller city-states are claiming to be victims of legendary creatures. The ruling bodies of Sparta and Athens dismiss such claims as superstition and blame the opposing city for performing raids.
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<br />Persia is well known for its dark magical practices and she seeks control of the mystic sites of Peloponnesus. The war between Athens and Sparta is inevitable, even without Persian influence it will escalate and encompass all of Greece. But the loss of mystic sites to Persian sorcerers is not.
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<br />But who is capable of defending these sites in a world where great heroes are only legend?
<br />Christian Lindkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05078403387362505754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9030704.post-1103056358010276702004-12-14T13:16:00.000-08:002004-12-14T15:47:52.613-08:00Races of the XXVth Century --Lunarians, Venusians, and Mercurians<span style="font-size:130%;">Lunarian</span>
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<br />Lunarians have been mildly altered to be shorter than Terrans, with compact, slender frames. Original modifications made their eyes more sensitive, but Lunarians have evolved to the point where their visual ability exceeds even that of the Martians. Their bodies have also been altered to accept the lower gravity of Luna without harmful side effects.
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<br />Lunarian characters <strong>start with a d6 in the Smarts attribute</strong>. The Lunarian society prides itself on the intelligence and coolheadedness of its culture. As previously mentioned the Lunarians are an extremely well adapted to dark environments. Therefore they begin with <strong>Low Light Vision</strong> .
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<br />Living their lives entirely in the tunnels and dome cities of the Moon has led Lunarians to become more succeptible to the effects of sunlight. All Lunarians suffer from the <em>Light Sensitive</em> hinderance as described in Evernight.
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<br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Venusian</span>
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<br />Mildly altered humans, Venusians tend to be Asiatic in appearance, with small, narrow eyes and long, thick hair. The ears are smaller and close to the head; the eyes are gene tailored with a nictating membrane (it covers the eyes when desired) to protect against acid rains providing Venusians with <strong>+2 to Vigor rolls when resisting blinding attacks</strong> (such as a called shot to the eyes). Venus's atmospheric pressure produces heavier, stronger body frames in its natives giving Venusians <strong>+1 Toughness</strong>. Due to their adaptation to the high temperatures of Venus, Venusians are more easily effected by cold temperatures. <strong>Cold based attacks do +2 damage</strong> to Venusian characters due to their <strong>Thin Skinned</strong> nature.
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<br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Mercurian</span>
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<br />Mercurians are a polyglot mixture of Terrans (mostly), Martians, and a few Venusians. Because of interbreeding over the years since the planet was settled, the Martians and Venusian physical traits have been "humanized" to the point where they are nonexistent. Mercurians are gene-tailored for stockiness, which saves space in their underground warrens, but their other distinctive characteristics are more a product of environment than genetic manipulation.
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<br />Due to their constant exposure to the heightened temperature of Mercury (even through 100's of feet of rock) Mercurians gain <strong>+2 Toughness vs. Heat and Heat based attacks</strong>. The polyglot nature of Mercurian society makes Mercury's natives particularly adept at persuasion and negotiations so they receive <strong>+2 to all persuasion and streetwise checks</strong>. Like Venusians, denizens of Mercury suffer from the <strong>Thin Skinned</strong> hinderance.
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<br />Christian Lindkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05078403387362505754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9030704.post-1102631833389867482004-12-09T14:12:00.000-08:002004-12-14T12:16:30.990-08:00Races of the XXVth Century -- Terrans and MartiansListed below in Savage format are the Races of the 1990 Buck Rogers in the XXVth Century game.
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<br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Terran</span>
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<br />Earth based humans are the least genetically modfied of the future races. As such they operate as per Savage Worlds Revised page 12.
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<br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Martian</span>
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<br />Martians are one of the many races that are mildly altered from the human norm. Martians tend to be slender and fine-boned, with long legs (a product of growing up in the low gravity of Mars as opposed to actual genetic changing). They have large, deep chests and noses with wide nostrils, improving their ability to breathe the extremely thin Martian atmosphere. Their eyes are large and sensitive to very low amounts of light, and their ears have been enlarged to better capture sound. The Martian upper classes also indulge in genetailoring for esthetics, so many wealthy individuals are almost inhumanly beautiful.
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<br />They are often slightly more agile than Terrans (though not enough for a higher starting stat), but are far more perceptive and thus begin play with the <strong>Alertness and Low Light Vision</strong> edges. Though they are more succeptible to ailments, especially disease and heat and therefore suffer from the <strong>Anemic</strong> hinderance (though the penalties don't apply to radiation based illness or effects).
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<br />Christian Lindkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05078403387362505754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9030704.post-1102630361118952182004-12-09T11:26:00.000-08:002004-12-09T14:12:41.116-08:00Savaging Buck RogersIn 1928 <em>Amazing Stories</em> printed a story entitled <em>Armageddon - 2419</em> featuring a new hero, a hero who would inspire generations of new heroes. That hero was Anthony ("Buck") Rogers. The sequel to this story (<em>The Airlords of Han</em>)was published the next year as was a new cartoon strip featuring this Rip Van Winkle-esque hero. Buck Rogers was a man out of time using skills developed in the 20th Century to combat a threat in the 25th century. The Rip Van Winkle theme in speculative fiction wasn't a new one, Edward Bellamy used it in <em>Looking Backward</em> and H.G. Wells used it in <em>The Time Machine</em>. But this time there was one large difference; the hero could never return home. The future was the hero's new home, and he needed to do his best to protect what remained of the land he loved in a new and distant world.
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<br />For he purposes of Savaging, I will be devoting my efforts to 2 areas initially and I may add a third and fourth. These are the Buck represented in the 1929 comic strip (this is also a conversion of the TSR High Adventure Cliffhangers game), a conversion of TSR's Buck Rogers in the XXVth Century Game, and a conversion of the more recent Gil Gerard television series. Converting these three versions will offer a wide variety of campaign styles ranging from very un-PC pulp action to modern social commentary SF, with the XXV conversion falling in the middle. Later I will add the Buster Crabbe serial which takes yet another approach to the future. A brief description (with eventual hyperlinks) of each period is listed below:
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<br /><strong>Buck Rogers (High Adventure!): Adventure...Excitement...Thrills!</strong>
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<br />Anthony Rogers is a World War I veteran pilot working as a surveyor when he is trapped in an abandoned mine somewhere near Pittsburgh. While he is examining the mine there is a cave-in and Buck notices some strangely glowing rocks. As he is trying to escape he finds it hard to stay awake as his body succumbs to a mysterious gas...
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<br />When he awakens, Buck finds himself in a new world...the world of 2430. Buck witnessed new and wonderous technologies, but Buck was immediately thrown into conflict when he saw a group of Bad Blood raiders attacking a female soldier. After assisting the young woman (Wilma Deering) Buck learned a new and awful truth... The America he had known and loved is gone, no longer is America the great democracy he loved. During Buck's slumber the Mongols (also called the Han) have conquered the world in a great world war. Small semi-democratic enclaves had formed an underground resistance to the Han, but the future was in desperate need of the military skills and hopeful outlook Buck had to offer!
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<br /><strong>Buck Rogers in the XXVth Century</strong>
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<br />The 1990 Mike Pondsmith Buck Rogers game is maybe my favorite representation of the Buck Rogers story. It presents a world of space pirates, mad scientists and fleets of invading dictators. Unlike other Buck Rogers stories, there is interplanetary travel in this version. It is as if Buck's creators looked at the tales they inspired and improved on their original by incorporating the best of E.E. Doc Smith's Lensman and DC Comics Adam Strange.
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<br />In history as we know it the Cold War between 1989 and 1991 with the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union. In thie Buck Rogers future that never happened. In late 1999 the long dormant Cold War resurfaced and Soviet hardliners launched a powerful offensive from space. The Masterlink platform directly threated the United States, but the US could not directly attack the Soviet Union in response and it seemed that they would have to live under the terror in the skies. So the US Air Force planned a special "black ops" mission to knock out the Soviet satellite. Ace pilot Buck Rogers was sent in an experimental plan to attack the satellite. He was successful, but at the apparant cost of his own life. Thus began the Last Gasp War, a limited nuclear exchange where the US was largely sucessful in defending itself from a limited assault. But even this limited use of weapons was enough to end the nuclear age and the world restructured into three political groups.
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<br />During the years of Buck's absense, overpopulation, and the invention of a viable fusion drive, was responsible for Terrans migration to colonies throughout the solar system. These colonies begin genetic alterations to make the compatability of individuals to the environment an easier transition. Though it doesn't take long for genetic modification to be used to create new "slave" races. It didn't take long for the new colonies to become the new "nation-states" of the future with Mars as teh new Superpower seeking to dominate the other worlds through and organization called the Solar Alliance Protectorate. Into this world Buck Rogers awakens having been "discovered" by New Earth Organization scientists.
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<br />There are a couple of ways you can go with this background. Play it straight with it actually being Buck Rogers the "living myth." Or for a darker tone you can take advantage of a future where computer organisms (fully sentient AI) and genetic manipulation are common by having the "awakened" Buck Rogers be a golden lie constructed by NEO at the time he is most needed.
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<br />You decide.
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<br />When it comes to the products, I highly recommend you go out and buy the XXVth century stuff. As I convert it I will be very sparce in decription, out of respect for TSR's copyright, but I will provide Savaged templates for the races etc. I may even include original "Adventure Seeds," but time will tell.Christian Lindkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05078403387362505754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9030704.post-1101860072335234072004-11-30T15:43:00.000-08:002004-11-30T16:14:32.350-08:00Syndrome<img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/153/1514/320/Syndrome.1.jpg">
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<br /><p><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:180%;">Syndrome</span></p>
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<br />These statistics reflect Syndrome prior to the final battle of <em>The Incredibles</em>
<br />
<br />Security Level: Villain (WC)
<br />
<br />Race: Human
<br />
<br />Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d12, Spirit D6, Strength d6, Vigor d6
<br />
<br />Skills: Fighting d8, Intimidation d6, Knowledge (Engineering) d12, Notice d10, Shooting d10, Taunt d10, Repair d10
<br />
<br />Charisma: +0, Pace: 6, Parry: 6, Toughness: 5
<br />
<br />Hinderances: Gloater (Major), Vengeful (Major), Quirk -- Vainglorious (Minor), Vow -- To become world's only superhero (Minor)
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<br />Edges: Arcane Background (Super Powers) [<em>Gadgets</em>], Power Points, Gadgeteer, First Strike, Level Headed, Improved Level Headed
<br />
<br />Super Powers: [Gadgets: <em>Flight Boots</em> Flight -- Level 8 (6 pp), Gadget (-2); <em>Zero Point Energy Beam</em> Paralysis (11 pp), Area Effect Medium Burst Template (+4), Extra-Duration (+1), Extra-Power x3 (+3), Ranged (+4), Gadget (-3); Lair (4 pp): Research Lab (+1), Secure Access (+1), Well Hidden (+1); Henchmen (at least 10)]
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<br />Christian Lindkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05078403387362505754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9030704.post-1101771820544240392004-11-29T15:25:00.000-08:002004-11-29T15:43:40.556-08:00Frozone<img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/153/1514/320/frozone.jpg">
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<br /><p><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:180%;">Frozone</span></p>
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<br />These statistics reflect Frozone prior to the final battle of <em>The Incredibles</em>
<br />
<br />Security Level: Veteran (40 Points)
<br />
<br />Race: Human
<br />
<br />Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d6, Spirit D6, Strength d6, Vigor d8
<br />
<br />Skills: Fighting d10, Guts d6, Investigation d6, Notice d6, Shooting d10, Taunt d6
<br />
<br />Charisma: +0, Pace: 6, Parry: 8, Toughness: 6/8 (0/2)
<br />
<br />Hinderances: Heroic (Major), Loyal (Minor), Quirk -- <em>Secret ID</em> (Minor), Dependent (Major)
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<br />Edges: Arcane Background (Super Powers) [<em>Ice Powers</em>], Power Points x2, Acrobat, Dodge, Improved Dodge, Luck, Block
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<br />Super Powers: [Ice Powers: Matter Control (13 pp)<em>Water/Ice</em> 2 Levels, Binding (+1), Gliding (+4); Attack, Ranged (6 pp) Non-Lethal (+1), Area Effect Cone (+2); Armor (1 pp) 2 levels, requires activation (-1)]
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<br />Christian Lindkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05078403387362505754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9030704.post-1101252777361352022004-11-23T14:58:00.000-08:002004-11-23T15:32:57.360-08:00Union Jack<img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/153/1514/320/jackcut.jpg" />
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<br /><p><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:180%;">Union Jack</span></p>
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<br />These Statistics Reflect Union Jack as of issue one of the vampire hunting limited series.
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<br />Security Level: Veteran (45 Points)
<br />
<br />Race: Human
<br />
<br />Attributes: Agility d12, Smarts d8, Spirit D8, Strength d6, Vigor d10
<br />
<br />Skills: Climbing d8, Fighting d10, Guts d8, Investigation d8, Knowledge (Vampires) d8, Notice d6, Shooting d10, Stealth d8, Throwing d10, Survival d6, Tracking d6
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<br />Charisma: +0, Pace: 6, Parry: 7, Toughness: 7/9/11 (0/2/4)
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<br />Hinderances: Heroic (Major), Loyal (Minor), Enemy (Major) <em>Vampires, particularly Baron Blood</em>, Vow (Minor) <em>Destroy all Undead</em>
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<br />Edges: Arcane Background (Super Powers) [<em>Super Soldier Legacy</em>], Power Points, Acrobat, Fleet Footed, Two-Fisted, Dodge, Combat Reflexes, Fast Healer,
<br />
<br />Super Powers: [Super Soldier Legacy: Ageless (1 pp); Lair (1 pp); Super-Attributes (3 pp) (Agility +1, Vigor +2); Super-Edges (6 pp) <em> Fleet Footed, Two-Fisted, Dodge</em>; Super-Skills (4 pp).]
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<br />Equipment: Flak Vest, Knife (silvered) d6+1, Wooden Stake d6+1, .44 1911A (silver bullets) 2d6+1. Christian Lindkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05078403387362505754noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9030704.post-1100563710177019322004-11-15T14:11:00.000-08:002004-11-15T16:08:30.176-08:00The Incredibles!<div align="center"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/153/1514/320/incredibleglory.jpg" />
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<br /><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:240%;">The Incredibles!</span></div>
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<br /><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS"><p>These statistics represent the Incredible family at the end of Act One and the beginning of Act Two (do not include the opening prologue in your thoughts).</p>
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<br /><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/153/1514/320/Mr.%20Incredible.jpg">
<br /><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:180%;">Mr. Incredible</span>
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<br /><strong>Security Level: Veteran</strong> (60 Points)
<br />
<br />Race: Human
<br />
<br />Attributes: Agility d12+2, Smarts d6, Spirit, D8, Strength d12+4, Vigor d12+2
<br />
<br />Skills: Fighting d10, Guts d6, Intimidation d8, Persuasion d6, Knowledge (Insurance Law) d8, Throwing d10, Driving d6
<br />
<br />Charisma: +2, Pace: 6 (Currently 5 +d6, when buys off obese 6 +d10), Parry: 7, Toughness: 11 (13 Heavy Armor)
<br />
<br />Hinderances: Heroic (Major), Loyal (Minor), Obese (Minor), Dependents: <em>Family</em> (Major)
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<br />Edges: Arcane Background (Super Powers), Charismatic, Power Points x 3 (25), Brawny, Fleet-Footed, Hard to Kill, Combat Reflexes
<br />
<br />Super Powers: [<em>Incredible</em>: Super-Attributes (14 pp): Strength (6), Agility (4), Vigor (4); Toughness +2 (7 pp), Heavy Armor; Attack, Melee (4 pp) +2d6, non-lethal (+1), NOT A HEAVY WEAPON (-1).
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<br />Next two advances go into buying off obese and purchasing more power points for super powers (attributes).
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<br /><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/153/1514/320/elastigirl2.jpg">
<br /><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:180%;">Elastigirl</span>
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<br /><strong>Security Level: Veteran</strong> (60 Points)
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<br />Race: Human
<br />
<br />Attributes: Agility d12+8, Smarts d8, Spirit, D6, Strength d6, Vigor d12+2
<br />
<br />Skills: Fighting d12, Guts d6, Notice d8, Persuasion d6, Pilot d12, Stealth d10
<br />
<br />Charisma: +2, Pace: 6, Parry: 8, Toughness: 9 (13 w/Altered Form)
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<br />Hinderances: Dependents <em>Family</em> (Major), Heroic (Major), Loyal (Minor), Quirk (Worries Mr. Incredible doesn't love her anymore).
<br />
<br />Edges: Arcane Background (Super Powers), Power Points x3 (25), Attractive, Ambidextrous, Ace, Acrobat, Dodge
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<br />Super Powers: [<em>Elasticity</em>: Alter Form (10 pp), Fall-Proof (+3) <em>Fall-Proof applies to up to 2 allies</em>, More Elastic +3 (+4); Super-Attribute (13 pp): Agility (8), Vigor (5); Leaping (2 pp)]
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<br /><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/153/1514/320/Dash.jpg">
<br /><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:180%;">Dash</span>
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<br /><strong>Security Level: Novice</strong>
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<br />Race: Human
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<br />Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit, D6, Strength d6, Vigor d8
<br />
<br />Skills: Fighting d8, Guts d8, Notice d6, Persuasion d6, Taunt d6, Investigation d6
<br />
<br />Charisma: +2, Pace: 6 (Fast!), Parry: 6, Toughness: 6
<br />
<br />Hinderances: Overconfident (Major), Loyal (Minor), Curious (Major), Stubborn (Minor)
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<br />Edges: Arcane Background (Super Powers), Fleet-Footed, Power Points (15)
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<br />Super Powers: [<em>Super-Speed</em>: Speed (<em>Super-Speed</em> (8 pp), Pummel (+2 pp), Water Walk (+1); Super Edge (4 pp) <em>Dodge, Improved Dodge</em>]
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<br /><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/153/1514/320/Violet.jpg">
<br /><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;font-size:180%;">Violet</span>
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<br /><strong>Security Level: Novice</strong>
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<br />Race: Human (Mutant)
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<br />Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit, D6, Strength d6, Vigor d6
<br />
<br />Skills: Fighting d6, Shooting d6, Notice d6, Persuasion d6, Knowledge (Computers)d8, Investigation d8, Stealth d4
<br />
<br />Charisma: +2, Pace: 6, Parry: 6, Toughness: 6 (8)
<br />
<br />Hinderances: Cautious (Minor), Loyal (Minor), Yellow (Major)
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<br />Edges: Arcane Background (Super Powers), Power Points (15)
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<br />Super Powers: [<em>Invisiforce</em> (15 pp): Force Control (10 pp) 2 levels, Force Field (+4), Medium Template (+2), ; Invisibility (5 pp)]
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<br />With first "seasoned" advance, add 5 pp and make Force Control="Heavy Armor" for +3.
<br />Christian Lindkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05078403387362505754noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9030704.post-1100305578718815092004-11-12T11:29:00.000-08:002004-11-12T16:28:45.630-08:00The Original X-Men<p align="center"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/153/1514/320/xmen1fcred2.jpg" /></p>
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<br /><span style="font-family:Comic Sans MS;">
<br />
<br /><p>The X-Men are the premiere mutant team in the Marvel universe and their comic was one of the titles which sent a shockwave through the comic industry. Modern comic readers think of the X-Men as powerful and well established characters, but that was not always the case. What was this team like when they first started fighting for justice? What does a "novice" superteam look like?</p>
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<br /><strong><span style="font-size:180%;">Codename: Angel</span></strong>
<br /></span>
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<br /><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/153/1514/320/angel_classic.jpg" />
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<br /><strong>Security Level: Novice</strong>
<br />
<br />Race: Human (Mutant)
<br />
<br />Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit, D6, Strength d8, Vigor d8
<br />
<br />Skills: Fighting d8, Flying d8, Guts d6, Notice d6, Persuasion d6, Taunt d6, Throwing d4
<br />
<br />Charisma: +2, Pace: 6 (24" Flying), Parry: 7, Toughness: 6
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<br />Hinderances: Mutant (Major as Minor Wanted and Outsider), Loyal (Minor), Quirk: Overconfident (minor) <em>normally this is a major hinderance, but Angel has it only at the quirk level.</em>
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<br />Edges: Arcane Background (Super Powers), Rich, Filthy Rich, Attractive
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<br />Super Powers: [<em>Winged Marvel</em>: Flight (6 pp): 6 levels]; <em>Mutant Physique</em> (3 pp) Agility, Strength, Vigor (1 each); <em>Swift Reactions</em> Deflection (1 pp): 2 Levels, requires activation (must be aware to dodge).
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<br />
<br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><strong>Codename: Beast</strong></span>
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<br /><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/153/1514/320/beast_steranko2.jpg" />
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<br /><strong>Security Level: Novice</strong>
<br />
<br />Race: Human (Mutant)
<br />
<br />Attributes: Agility d12, Smarts d10, Spirit, D6, Strength d12, Vigor d12
<br />
<br />Skills: Fighting d8, Guts d6, Knowledge (Biochemistry) d10, Knowledge (Electronics) d8, Repair d6, Taunt d4
<br />
<br />Charisma: -2, Pace: 6, Parry: 6, Toughness: 8
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<br />Hinderances: Mutant (Major as Minor Wanted and Outsider), Heroic (major), Loyal (Minor), Ugly (minor)
<br />
<br />Edges: Arcane Background (Super Powers), Power Points x1 (15), Acrobat
<br />
<br />Super Powers: <em>Mutant Physique</em> (9 pp): Agility, Strength, Vigor (3 each); Leaping (2 pp); Extra-Limb (4 pp)(<em>can use feet as if they were hands</em>).
<br />
<br /><strong><span style="font-size:180%;">Codename: Cyclops</span></strong>
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<br /><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/153/1514/320/Cyclops.jpg" />
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<br /><strong>Security Level: Novice</strong>
<br />
<br />Race: Human (Mutant)
<br />
<br />Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit, D6, Strength d6, Vigor d6
<br />
<br />Skills: Fighting d8, Guts d6, Knowledge (Tactics) d8, Shooting d8, Piloting d8, Persuasion d4
<br />
<br />Charisma: +0, Pace: 6, Parry: 6, Toughness: 5
<br />
<br />Hinderances: Mutant (Major as Minor Wanted and Outsider), Heroic (Major), Loyal (Minor), Disablility: <em>If he loses visor his energy blast is uncontrolled and always on and always lethal</em> (minor)
<br />
<br />Edges: Arcane Background (Super Powers), Power Points (15), Command
<br />
<br />Super Powers: <em>Force Beam</em> (15 pp): Attack, Ranged ( 6 pp) 2 Levels, Cone Template (+2), Focus (+3) Nonlethal (+1), Knockback (+2) Armor Piercing (+1).
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<br /><strong><span style="font-size:180%;">Codename: Marvel Girl</span></strong>
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<br /><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/153/1514/320/Marvel%20Girl.jpg" />
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<br /><strong>Security Level: Novice</strong>
<br />
<br />Race: Human (Mutant)
<br />
<br />Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit, D8, Strength d6, Vigor d6
<br />
<br />Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d6, Knowledge (Medicine) d8, Shooting d6, Persuasion d6, Notice d6, Investigation d6
<br />
<br />Charisma: +2, Pace: 6, Parry: 6, Toughness: 5
<br />
<br />Hinderances: Mutant (Major as Minor Wanted and Outsider), Cautious (Minor), Loyal (Minor),
<br />
<br />Edges: Arcane Background (Super Powers), Attractive
<br />
<br />Super Powers: <em>Telekinesis</em> (10 pp): 3 levels Strength d12, Force Field (+4).
<br />
<br />
<br /><strong><span style="font-size:180%;">Codename: Iceman</span></strong>
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<br /><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/img/153/1514/320/iceman-costume1.jpg">
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<br /><strong>Security Level: Novice</strong>
<br />
<br />Race: Human (Mutant)
<br />
<br />Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit, D6, Strength d6, Vigor d6
<br />
<br />Skills: Fighting d6, Guts d6, Throwing d6, Shooting d6, Persuasion d6, Notice d6, Taunt d6, Knowledge (Comics) d4
<br />
<br />Charisma: +0, Pace: 6, Parry: 6, Toughness: 5 (8)
<br />
<br />Hinderances: Mutant (Major as Minor Wanted and Outsider), Heroic (Major), Loyal (Minor), Quirk: <em>Foolhardy</em> (Minor)
<br />
<br />Edges: Arcane Background (Super Powers), Power Points (15), Luck, Great Luck, Quick
<br />
<br />Super Powers: <em>Cold Control</em> [Matter Control (Ice)(10 pp): 6 levels Binding (+1), Gliding (+3); Armor (2 pp)(3 levels), requires activation (-1); Attack, Ranged (3 pp)].
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<br /></span>
<br />Christian Lindkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05078403387362505754noreply@blogger.com0