CORELINE (D20 Modern/D20 BESM Setting).

New location / mission / quest

"Elemental Node"

Known under many names, these locations are fairly rare on Coreline.
They can be described as either Paradise or Hell, depending on the location and who's doing the describing.

These places are "formed" when a given natural element(or elements), such as Air, Earth, Fire or Water, or perhaps just nature in general is "concentrated" to a high enough degree.

Some of these locations are relatively benign, while others are VERY hostile. Fire and/or Earth nodes tend to be based in or at least near VERY active volcanoes for example.

While the center of such a node can hold great power, if one proves worthy of it...

Just reaching one is no easy task. The node itself is often shielded by a SIZEABLE area where various defensive aspects seem to be present.

1: The area is shrounded by an aura or some such that blocks both magic and psionics (anti magic and psionic fields)
2: In addition, the aura seems to block out a nr of technological aspects too. Any sort of electronic(or even mundane) pathfinding is useless. Large pieces of technology, like vehicles, mecha and even apliances likewise stop working.*
3: this protective area also tend to be inhabited by less then friendly creatures, who don't take kindly to intruders.**

If anything, that defensive "screen" is just the warm up.
The real challenge lies at the center of the node, specificly in the "Inner Sanctum", "Ground Zero", "Threshold" or whatever you want to call it.

The entrance for this, as befitting the node, can take the appearance of just about anything.
Possible entrances have included among others:
A pond suspended in midair that's so thin it's invisible when looked at from the side.
A staircase of lava leading into the very heart of a volcano's caldera.
A wall of wind so fierce and thick it looks almost a solid wall.
One grisly account, of one explorer who was found QUITE mad, mentioned the entrance as being a river of blood. This last one has been considered a madness inspired delusion by most minds in the magic community.

Once the person, or persons as the case might be, enter this "Inner sanctum", the real trials start.
Each person faces their own challenge, which they alone must face.
Ment to test those who enter to their limits, both physicly and mentally.
Not all who have ever entered these places have survived.... or at least were no longer sane...
The restrictions on magic, psionics and technology is lifted in the inner sanctum, but will it be enough....

Suggested build up of the area:
Protective area should have the anti magic, psionics and tech stuff (It has to be a challenge just getting to one)
Creatures in the area should preferably ones that can thrive in/take advantage of the environment(and a fitting CR for the party)

Inside the Sanctum, feel free to up the CR if you want, the stuff outside should have been the warm up. The final trial could easily be with a CR = to the characters ECL.

The reward(s) for those who manage to live, could be great, or not, depending on the challenges and such. Anyone who was looking for Escudo should get access to a sufficient chunk of the material to be crafted into what the character needs.

*: At least one spoiled brat insisted on bringing everything including the kitchen sink along while searching for such a node. One of the shortest expeditions known.
**: Critters encountered have varied per node, one explorer even advised to have a certain node declared off limits till hell freezes over due to a certain creature using it as a sleeping ground. Whether or not it was indeed the Tarrasque is unconfirmed.

One example, based on what some researchers of these places consider to be the "original" one: The Spring of Eterna in Cephiro.

Located in the northern part of Cephiro, the spring was where Hikaru, Umi and Fuu were tested to see if they were worthy of obtaining the Escudo they needed.

Defensive "screen": Forest of Silence. A vast forest, where their magic no longer worked.
The forest was a maze, populated by several beasts, the strongest of which seemed to be a large carnivorous plant.

Entrance: a pool so thin it's invisible from the side, the girls gained entrance by jumping in from above.

Final Trial: each girl had to work their way through a (relatively) small area by themselves.
Facing the various creatures there before reaching the final part of the trial: a fight against that which they held most dear.
For Hikaru, this was her pet dog Hikari.
For Umi, it was her parents.
Fuu had to face off against a copy herself, with each attack she landed also harming herself.

A pretty cool idea.

On another note, my friends wanted me to insist on 'Saint Seiya'.

Dunno how the hell will I do it, since it's beeen forver since I've seen the series (and didn't quite liked it then).

On the other side... Saints Vs. Nuclear Hand Grenade-wielding maniacs? Hmmm....

KOTT ‘HAMMERBURST’ ASSAULT RIFLE
5.56mm Assault Rifle

Damage: 2d8+2.
Critical: 20
Damage Type: Ballistic
Range Increment: 60 ft.
Rate of Fire: S (see Notes below)
Magazine: 40 box
Size: Medium
Weight: 8 lb.
Purchase DC: 21.
Restriction: Mil (+3)
Notes: This weapon can only be fired on a 4-round burst setting. When used with the Burst Fire feat, it fires only four bullets instead of five and can be used with only four bullets in the weapon. This setting does not grant the ability to make burst fire attacks without the Burst Fire feat; if you use this weapon without the feat, you make a normal attack and the extra 3 bullets are wasted. This weapon has the Mastercraft (+2) Gadget added to it, and so, it cannot be added again (except to modify it to a higher Mastercraft level).

This assault rifle is the standard rifle for KOTT High Priests, who usually lead their groups ‘from the front’. As such, the Knights guard them zealously and will promptly kill anybody who they find using one of them.
Not that this has stopped people from trying to obtain this rifle, nor from companies like Genom to obtaining a profit from it. This latter company has managed to replicate the assault rifle’s design and market it as the M-1776 ‘Hammerburst’ Assault Rifle.



HAKUBI CUSTOMS M-89 ‘LONGSHOT’ SNIPER RIFLE.
.300 Winchester Magnum Bolt-Action Sniper Rifle.

Damage: 2d10
Critical: 20
Damage Type: Ballistic
Range Increment: 100 ft.
Rate of Fire: Single
Magazine: 5 box
Size: Large
Weight: 10 lb.
Purchase DC: 22
Restriction: Res (+2)
(NOTE: The ‘Longshot’ Sniper Rifle has the Mastercraft (+1) Gadget added to it (giving it a +1 bonus to attack rolls), and thus, it cannot be added to it again (except to give a higher Mastercraft bonus)).

The ‘Longshot’ is a Hakubi Customs design that aims to provide a flexible tactical package for police, military and adventurers, as well a heavy-hitting terminal ballistics. The use of the .300 Winchester Magnum bullet deviates slightly from the ‘tactical flexibility’ end because both military and police prefer to go for more standard ammo types (like the 7.62mm NATO round), but it has been readily accepted by adventurers.
The M-89 comes standard with a bipod and a scope with an additional infrared mode for night shooting.




DIGGERS TECHNOLOGIES ‘PLINKER’ SNUB PISTOL.
.22/4.6mm Autoloading Pistol.

Damage: 2d4/2d6.
Critical: 20
Damage Type: Ballistic
Range Increment: 30 ft./40 ft.
Rate of Fire: S.
Magazine: 20 box
Size: Medium.
Weight: 4lb./5 lb.
Purchase DC: 16/18.
Restriction: Lic (+1)/Res (+2)
Notes: The ‘Plinker’ provides a +1 bonus to Intimidation rolls. Stats before the slash are for the .22 version, after the slash are for the 4.6mm version.

The first DiggersTech design to use a pistol caliber smaller than 9 millimeter, the ‘Plinker’ provides, like most other company designs, (relatively) decent firepower in a stylish, intimidating and advanced package. This weapon, as well, is sold in two versions: one loaded in .22 caliber and the other in the (formerly) experimental 4.6x30mm caliber.
The .22 version has seen an increasing number of sales among the ‘concealed personal protection’ market, while the 4.6mm version has been widely sold to undercover agents and officers.

Latest Batch of Weapons

Hmmm...

-Hammerburst Assault Rifle


-Longshot Sniper Rifle

-Plinker Pistol

marcoasalazarm said:

NEW FACTION:

THE KNIGHTS OF THE TRUE TIMELINE.​

[/B]

Everything about them is unknown. What they came from. Where are they going. What are their capabilities.
What is known is that they are the most vile bunch of bastards out there. And that they will not stop –ever- until they’re dead.

Agenda: To correct ‘the mistake’ that is the existence of the Multiverse.
Structure: Terrorist organization separated in cells.
Symbol: Silhouette of two clocks, one of which is crossed out with a black line.
Most Common Allegiance: The Knights of the True Timeline.
Requisition Limit: 50 (Military, Illegal).

The Knights of the True Timeline is a collection of zealots which are joined together in one single belief: that the existence of parallel universes is wrong, and which must be corrected by any means necessary.
And this correction they make by eliminating any factors that would deviate one specific timeline from its ‘parent’. Technology is destroyed, people are killed, characters are brainwashed and/or brutally convinced to stay on a certain path. For this, they have access to incredibly advanced technology and resources, which vary greatly from cell to cell.

The changes that happened in Coreline, they believe, is the greatest affront that has ever happened, which requires supplemental ‘cleansing’, innocents be damned. Their first official act in Coreline was the destruction of part of suburban Surrey to eliminate an Alternate of Vernon Dursely that had become an anti-magic spokesman. This attempt killed Dursely, his family, and 100 other people, as well as injuring thousands more. Their agenda after that has been of major street lynchings punctuated by the occasional attempt. No intelligence agency has been able to infiltrate the organization, no cell knows the specifics of all others, and any attempt to capture a cell alive has been rewarded with the cell members killing themselves.

One thing that the Knights don’t know, or don’t seem to care about, is that their attempts to ‘correct’ the timelines have done nothing but to create more deviations, in essence creating a vicious circle.

(NOTE FOR GMs: The KOTT is supposed to be the mysterious, 'do all, be all, watch all' bad guys of this setting. There's no target they cannot reach, no technology they don't experiment with, no mercy to be attained from them, and all of their members fight to the death. Encounters with the KOTT's members, be them the point of an adventure or a random encounter, should be disturbing to the Player Characters and, in some way, rewarding, be it from the fact that they are wiping out full-blown scum or the fact that all of the KOTT's members have top-of-the-line gear to loot).

Click to expand...

Well, who knows? Have it your way, of course, but I think that this 'no target they can't reach' thing might just be one more fallacy in the midst of their delusions. After all, we do have the Pokemon Archipelago's High Pokecouncil, and Galifrey might just be able to formulate a response if ticked off enough, being a Kardashev Type 4 civilization. Between them, they might well be able to run the KOTT off Earth, if not do the other outcome (which you can work out for yourself) .....Or am I describing the process of using a sledgehammer to crack a nut?

EDIT: Just a minor WTF that's been percolating some time now w/this 'Sailor Gallifrey', Two words: Susie Foreman? (Or an Alt of her, more likely)

Morgan Keyes' notes about the guns (which, yeah, are from 'Gears of War') are right on the money. I think I'll try to adapt them to the guns later.

EDIT: Change 1: modified the Damage Dice on the 'Hammerburst'.

As for the KOTT... there's so many wackos out there (both on Earth proper, on the Sol System and wandering the Multiverse) that the 'sledgehammer' approach would create as much havoc, unnecessary collateral damages and losses as the Knight's proper attempts. Taking them out is, unfortunately, something that must be done one-by-one (or dozen-per-dozen).

The Doctor's grand-daughter as Sailor Gallifrey.... hmmm.... now THERE is a good idea.

And BTW.... MERRY CHRISTMAS , EVERYONE!

This weekend, as a Christmas present my dad and I went to the cinema, where 'Casino Royale' had just a couple of days from starting to show (would you believe that it took them a MONTH to show it in this country from the other countries out there?).

As well, rechecking my RPG files, I found this Advanced Class by good ol' Cyber-Dave over at the Wizards threads (need ideas concerning spies in this setting, that reminds me).


Oh-kay, here goes for your personal enjoyment...

"I have an understanding that Double-Oh's don't have a long life expectancy, so if I'm a mistake, then rest assured I'm a short-lived one."-paraphrased from recorded conversation, MI-6 Intelligence Archives.


Soldiers come in all shapes, sizes, and skill sets, but of those who go through their early military training, some are chosen for a call of duty other than waging visible war. Those who show a propensity for stealth and investigation, while at the same time manifesting a perceptive ability above the norm, and a psychological profile that is capable of killing in the name of ones allegiance, are chosen to become something more. They become secret agents, men and women without a name or face, who gather information, and commit assassination, all in the name of their beliefs.

Requirements
To qualify to become an Agent, a character must fulfill the following criteria.
Base Attack Bonus: +2
Feat: Personal Firearms Proficiency.
Skills: Hide 6 ranks, Investigate 6 ranks, Search 6 ranks.
Special: Must have killed at least two people in the name of one's allegience, on an approved (and succesfully executed) mission.

Class Information
The following information pertains to the Agent advanced class.

Hit Die: 1d8
Action Points: 6 + one-half character level, rounded down, every time the Agent attains a new level in this class.

Class Skills: The Agent’s class skills are as follows.
Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Computer Use (Int), Disable Device (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Drive (Dex), Escape Artist (Dex), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Investigate (Int), Jump (Str), Knowledge (behavioral sciences, business, civics, current events, streetwise, tactics) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Navigate (Int), Pilot (Dex), Research (Int), Read Language (None), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Speak Language (none), Spot (Wis), Tumble (Dex).
Skill Points at Each Level: 5 + Int modifier (4 + Int modifier for nonhumans).

Class Features
The following features pertain to the Agent advanced class.

Table: The Agent

Class Level---BAB---Fort Save---Ref Save---Will Save---Special--- Defense Bonus--- Reputation Bonus
1st--- +0--- +0--- +2--- +1--- Observation--- +1--- +0
2nd--- +1--- +0--- +3--- +2--- Swift strike +1d6--- +2--- +0
3rd--- +2--- +1--- +3--- +2--- Bonus Feat--- +2--- +0
4th--- +3--- +1--- +4--- +2--- Perceptive Sweep--- +3--- +0
5th--- +3--- +1--- +4--- +3--- Swift strike +2d6--- +4--- +1
6th--- +4--- +2--- +5--- +3--- Bonus Feat--- +4--- +1
7th--- +5--- +2--- +5--- +4--- Improved Perceptive Sweep--- +5--- +1
8th--- +6--- +2--- +6--- +4--- Swift strike +3d6--- +6--- +1
9th--- +6--- +3--- +6--- +4--- Bonus Feat--- +6--- +2
10th--- +7--- +3--- +7--- +5--- Betrayal--- +7--- +2

Class Features
The following features pertain to the Agent advanced class.

Observation
At 1st level an Agent learns to memorize routines and details of a target for infiltration purposes. A Agent may observe a target area, allowing her to emulate the ‘walk and talk’ of residents. A Agent must observe the target area for 1 minute, making a DC 15 spot check. If she succeeds she gains a +4 competence bonus on bluff, disguise, hide and sleight of hand checks in the area. A target area can be a palace, a fort, a small village, a caravan, or any other similarly sized location.

Swift Strike
At 2nd level, the Agent becomes skilled at taking down unwary targets quickly. He deals +1d6 points of damage on successful melee and ranged weapon attacks made against a flat-footed opponent. This extra damage can be lethal or nonlethal, as determined by the choice of weapon. A weapon that deals lethal damage must be used to deal lethal damage, a weapon that deals nonlethal damage must be used to deal nonlethal damage.
The extra damage increases to +2d6 at 5th level and +3d6 at 8th level.
NOTE: If using existing d20 Modern nonlethal rules, this power becomes over-powered with brawl. Thus, a GM should not allow swift-strike to work with brawl unless a nonlethal system that is more in line with dungeons and dragons is being used. The best possible fix is to state that swift strike may only be used when a character counts as armed, in such a case combat martial art swift strikes will work, but brawl swift strikes will not.

Bonus Feats
At 3rd, 6th, and 9th level, the Agent gets a bonus feat. The bonus feat must be selected from the following list, and the Agent must meet all the prerequisites of the feat to select it.
Advanced Combat Martial Arts, Advanced Firearms Proficiency, Aircraft Operation, Alertness, Armor Proficiency (light), Athletic, Attentive, Combat Throw, Dead Aim, Double Tap, Elusive Target, Far Shot, Forced Stop, Improved Combat Martial Arts, Improved Combat Throw, Improved Initiative, Low Profile, Nerve Pinch, Precise Shot, Quick Draw, Shot on the Run, Skip Shot, Stealthy, Surface Vehicle Operation, Trustworthy, Unbalance Opponent, Urban Tracking, Vehicle Dodge.

Perceptive Sweep
At 4th level an Agent learns how to size up an area and get the lay of the land in a single sweep of his or her eyes. This sweep provides a +4 circumstance bonus on Spot checks and covers an area out to 30 feet away from the Agent. The Agent can use this bonus as a move action to discover obvious enemies, alarms, surveillance devices, traps, escape routes, the presence of concealed weapons, or important documents. Furthermore, the Agent is far more attuned to clues then the average investigator. An Agent’s Perceptive Sweep may also be used as a move action to make a Spot check to notice any visible clues in a 30-foot spread away from the Agent (note that clues are usually found with a Search check). When using the Perceptive Sweep to discover clues, an Agent does not gain a +4 circumstance bonus to his spot checks.
Anything not concealed can be spotted in a sweep with a DC equal to 10 + or – the objects size modifier. The DC for concealed or less obvious threats is equal to their Hide or Slight of Hand check result (as appropriate).

Improved Perceptive Sweep
At 7th level, an Agent’s ability to get the lay of the land improves. Now the Agent not only spots potential perils or clues with a successful check, he or she can immediately determine the relative danger or importance of each danger and clue discovered with a successful Spot check. As a free action, an Agent may make a sense motive check to discover each and every danger’s nature and strength compared to the Agent. An Agent makes the Sense Motive check against each target’s Bluff check. A successful check lets the Agent know the class composition (ie: Strong, Tough, Smart, Soldier etc…) of the target. A check that succeeds by 5 or more relates the target’s strength compared to the Agent: stronger (higher level or Hit Dice), on par (same level or HD), or weaker (lower level or HD). A check that succeeds by 10 or more relates the exact levels of a target’s class composition to the Agent (ie: 2 levels Strong, 1 level Tough, 3 levels Smart, 2 levels Soldier, etc…). Furthermore, an Agent who uses his Perceptive Sweep to discover clues may immediately make an Investigate check, as a free action, to discover the importance/glean information from each and every clue discovered with an Agent’s Perceptive Sweep. An Agent cannot learn information about a clue that requires a lab (such as the blood type of blood spatters).

Betrayal
At 10th level an Agent becomes adept at putting a target at ease, then striking like lightning. An Agent must spend an action point to use this ability; the Agent makes a Bluff check opposed by the target Sense Motive check. If the target has any bodyguards, the Agent’s Bluff check must defeat the opposed bluff checks of the guards as well. If the Agent succeeds she has successfully put her target, and his guards, at ease. The target is considered unaware of the Agents presence as a threat, and helpless (the target is thus susceptible to a coup de grace) for one round, even if the target has taken precautions (such as stationing bodyguards, placing his or her back to a wall, or making Spot checks). If the target is in combat, or some other tense and obviously dangerous situation (and therefore in a state of acute awareness and readiness), the Agent may not use this ability.

marcoasalazarm said:

Morgan Keyes' notes about the guns (which, yeah, are from 'Gears of War') are right on the money. I think I'll try to adapt them to the guns later.

As for the KOTT... there's so many wackos out there (both on Earth proper, on the Sol System and wandering the Multiverse) that the 'sledgehammer' approach would create as much havoc, unnecessary collateral damages and losses as the Knight's proper attempts. Taking them out is, unfortunately, something that must be done one-by-one (or dozen-per-dozen).

The Doctor's grand-daughter as Sailor Gallifrey.... hmmm.... now THERE is a good idea.

And BTW.... MERRY CHRISTMAS , EVERYONE!

Click to expand...

Actually, I was thinking more on the order of just cleaning the Terran system the hell *out* and warn the rest of the Multiverse so that these remaining asshats can be dealt with as 'local' authority deems appropriate, you know?

Anyway, a DCU/Marvel specific idea(obviously) is that the 23 Hours have stirred the various cosmic entities into generating more servants via empowering or possession, after the example of DCU's Lords of Chaos And Order. Well, the same to you, and a Happy New Year as well!


And you, Jonathan.......


Please...........*shrug* Did you have to even mention it? Thanks, my dear......

Edited the weapons now. Sorry for waiting so long.

The Lords of Chaos and Order... man, you got me. No idea of how to add them here. But thing is, I don't exactly like the idea, and the reason is, right now (December 31st local) the main idea behind the Offices, the Black Ops Division and whatnot is because what we have seen in things like DC and Marvel and whatnot comics as proper 'deities' are letting the show run amuck (and if they add Avatars of one side, the other will probably add their own just for the hell of seeing them clash).

Up in Asgard, behind the extremely shiny walls and bio-mechanical technology and powerful psionics and magics and physiques and whatnot, they see this dimension as the ultimate bloodsport arena or something, and go notice, the ones who want to correct this mistake (the Knights and whatnot) have to recur to 'plausably deniable resources' to do so.

Pretty dark-sounding, huh?


Yeah, with good reason. This week's been the dumps.




In another news... recently, I managed to obtain the Starship Troopers RPG book (Pocket Edition, almost all of it OGL) which contained a slightly different set of rules for Psionics. I was planning to use these rules to reflect Psionics obtained by Post-Vanishing Humans (and occasionally (when they actually CAN obtain them) Pre-Vanishing).

The main difference between the Psionics rules lie like this:
-It was divided in one 'base' Psionics AdvC and several 'school' PrCs. Like the classes in the Elysium Nebula setting (like Geomancer, which I thought cool), you got the 'powers' as Class Features.

The 'schools' were:
-Telepathy.
-Clairsentience.
-Psychometry (Postcognition).
-Probability Manipulation.

These Classes didn't not only gave new Hit Points (they actually *take* Hit Points away), but the abilities took Hit Points to activate (instead of Power Points).

My idea was to use these classes to reflect one simple fact of this setting: Fictions have a lot of power, and what was given to the Reals' comes with a hefty price tag.

So, here is my question... should I do this?