DiasExMachina 4ED Update

[Dias Ex Machina]

Never before had I ever encounter such bizarre gameplay like these past few weeks playtesting. One aspect of our podcasts I elect not to include involves conversations as we find breaks in our system. Quite often, though, what I discover is that a player had not read a power entirely before using it, often resulting in far-reaching effects that would appear broken. I know they are not cheating because this is not really a game, just a playtest, but every once and a while, I can see players wanting their side to win more than analyzing why they could be losing. It dawns on me that there is much more trust involved in 4th ED than in 3rd ED. You have to trust the players that they have only used their encounter powers once. You have to believe them when they say they have not cooked off their dailies yet. I find it ironic since accusations of deception from players to players resulted in the largest retroactive continuity shift in this game universe in the first place—the signature (and possible notorious) disruption rule.

Last game test, we tackled the Umbra Drake, the final boss in Sellswords of Punjar. It nearly destroyed them. Once the group got out of the tight confines of the dungeon and onto the roofs of the town, everything changed and the group was able to finally take it down…but not before nearly losing two team members. By the end of the evening, I went back and downtuned some of the later powers and rewrote the sniper’s marksman rules. Heavy weapons have been expanded.

We have hollered to bleeding ears about how techans require teamwork. They also need room to move. In narrow confines, it’s difficult to bring enough firepower to bear. In the open, a techan group can be a serious threat. As it was, in the single-square wide hallways and 4-square sized rooms of Punjar, it was a constant struggle to survive. By this point, I believe we are 90% from being completely ready on the techan side. It was the biggest job with the highest potential for errors. After we feel the system works, we hope to use that as a road map for other modern and science-fiction-based 4th ED games. The success of Amethyst will help us plot out that path.

MARKSMAN TALENT
When using powers with the Sniper keyword, you gain the ability to inflict additional effects depending on how much you defeat your enemy’s defense by.
Enemy’s Defense Beaten by Additional Effect
5 Target is slowed for one round
7 Target is weakened for one round.
10 Target is dazed for one round.
14 Target is knocked prone.

If the target is already suffering from the same effect when applying this condition, than the target fails its next saving throw against the effect. You only apply one condition listed above per attack and may choose which condition goes into effect you are able to (e.g.: If you beat the enemy’s defense by 7, you may inflict slowed or weakened, but not dazed). If you score a critical hit, you must still determine by how much you bit the enemy’s defense by.

You may decide to use Marksman Talent after resolving an attack. You can employ Marksman Talent as many times per an Encounter as your Wisdom modifier.

 

[Dias Ex Machina]

With a busy week ahead of us, blog posts have been lacking, so I apologize. Everyone should expect a Module for Free RPG Day on June 20th.

The real thought going through my mind (and yes, only one at a time) is the potential of science fiction role playing. Our group (as they have been going grinding through Punjar) has been talking about possibilities of future products. For me, I have always loved science fiction. I grew up with, not D&D primarily, but Mekton and Cyberpunk 2020. Anyone that knows me, is fully aware of my past with RTG and their Interlock and FUZION systems. I’d still be writing for that system if 3.0 hadn’t re-written every rule about role playing. Since then, hard science fiction has fallen on the wayside a tad and it bothers me. As I look over the 4ED landscape in front of me, I have noticed a marked lack of hard science fiction. Some fear breaking GSL stipulations while others claim that science fiction role playing is a fading if not dead genre. Some of you have been expecting a 4th Edition Modern, a title seemingly meant only for memories. Some have even hoped that Amethyst would fill that niche--a hope we are trying to satisfy. I won’t claim Amethyst is just about technology. Technology only accounts for about 30% of the setting, as it occupies around 30% of the final book (I am totally pulling that guess out of my posterior).

In many ways, the setting can be reduced to a world where a fantasy role playing game and a science fiction role playing game are at war with each other. I guess who wins will determine our next game line.

I never played Star Frontiers despite owning the first edition box. Never played Gamma World either and I owned that first edition as well. Played West End’s Star Wars quite bit and enjoyed the experience. I did manage to run a handful of sessions of Rifts but I gave up when the first of the World Books started coming out. Back then, Palladium also had Robotech and we really wore those books down, regardless of my feelings on their system. Although I owned and read Leading Edge’s Aliens game, I never ran a session.

No, for us, it was R. Talsorian. We ran homebrew sessions of Mekton and Cyberpunk 2020 for years. It was my bread and butter and when they opened Fuzion for legal use, I jumped at the chance. Those games occupied my entire role playing life from the late 80s to early 90s. Alas, a friend convinced me GURPS was the solution for Pathfinder (my mid 90s homebrew game) and I was forced to adopt that system for two damned years. Beyond that exception, it was RTG’s family of books, of which the Bubblegum Crisis RPG would be the last I would purchase. I guess we all have shelves of books of games we never played. Along with the one’s I just mentioned, there was Mechwarrior, Battletech (yes, I know, but not connected), WOTC’s Star Wars, and D20 Modern, though the latter I would use as reference for both Ghost in the Shell and the 3.5Ed Amethyst. Personally, I never thought D20 Modern was well constructed. First level characters were a joke and it had an abysmal currency system.

Now, it looks like the prospect of 4th ED Modern may be dead…but Amethyst was never coming close to being 4th ED Modern. At the very least, it was science fiction 4th ED. Some of you have asked how universal Amethyst’s system is and I believe it’s about 90% where anyone would want it (yes, another number, I pulling right from my colon). It would require some house ruling to adapt it but I believe I could do so with a solitary page. The job would not be difficult.

I guess the challenge and question fielded is can someone make a GSL compliant 4th Edition hard science fiction game? I think so.

 

[Dias Ex Machina]

Will Amethyst feature cybernetics? No, and for good reason. Amethyst is neither Rifts nor Shadowrun. It is not cyberpunk. Since you don’t have severed limbs in 4th ED, there is no need to include them unless using them for augmentation. That being said, it is not like we’re scared of that. When I did Ghost in the Shell D20, I went ballistic on cybernetics, so I know how to write them. I just chose to keep them out of Amethyst because I wanted to ensure a separation between Amethyst and other fantasy titles on the market. Higher TL bastions have nano-recovery units that repair damaged tissue and we do have micro-machine injections that actually offer permanent boosts and basically replace the bonuses offered by magical headgear in 4th ED. Let’s be serious, though…if I wanted cybernetics, it wouldn’t be hard.

I got power armour…is that good enough?

Second: Non-Combat rules. Do we have any? Well, there are no mirrors for rituals with technology. That being said, we do have stunt rules for vehicles, the disruption of technology, and… well… explosives…

DEMOLITIONS (Intelligence)
Trained skill only.
You can set and disarm explosives. This includes all manners of mechanical and electronic detonators.
Setting a simple explosive to blow up at a certain spot doesn't require a check, but connecting and setting a detonator does. Also, placing an explosive for maximum effect against a structure calls for a check, as does disarming an explosive device.
Attacking with Explosives: Using Demolitions involves setting an explosive prematurely to an engagement or during one.
Setting Explosives: Setting explosives takes a standard action in combat or can be used as part of a skill challenge.
Wiring Explosives Together: DC15 for every additional block wired up. Additional blocks increase damage and burst (See Grenades and Explosives).
Timed Detonator: DC10+2 / Tech Level of detonator to set timed explosives. Timed explosives detonate at a set time and cannot be prematurely detonated.
Remote Detonator: DC15+2 / Tech Level of detonator to set up a wired or wireless detonator. You may detonate an explosive by using a minor action. You may also detonate it as a readied action.
Triggered Explosives: DC15+2 / Tech Level of detonator to set up a triggered detonator which explodes when certain conditions arise. These detonate on their own and do not require a minor or a readied action. They go off when a target either crosses over it, or before it moves out of its burst area.
Failure: Failure means that the explosive fails to go off as planned. Failure by 10 or more means the explosive goes off as the detonator is being installed. You can make an explosive difficult to disarm. To do so, make a skill check and your roll is equal to the disarm DC.
You cannot detonate explosives when wiring them together. A failure with wiring explosives together means the extra explosives will not go off and additional time may be required to retry.
Proper Placement: You can carefully set the explosive in such a way to do maximum damage. If you beat the DC roll by 5 or more, you gain +2 damage from the explosive. If you beat the DC roll by 10 or more, you gain an additional +4 damage from the explosive.
Disarm Explosive Device: Disarming an explosive that has been set to go off requires a demolitions check. The DM can decide a DC or make a skill check of who planted the explosive. The DC to disarm is the Demolition roll made when it was set. If you fail the check, you do not disarm the explosive. If you fail by 10 or more, the explosive goes off.
Special: You can take 10 when using the demolitions skill in the setting of explosives, not in the disarming or when in a combat encounter. The DM may allow you to take 10 in disarming if there is enough time to do so.
Bide Time: If you miss the DC on a timed explosive by 4 or less, you push the detonator trigger point back one round.

General Detonator Demolitions DC
Heroic Tier 20
Paragon Tier 30
Epic Tier 35


Third: I will divulge that the work on Amethyst, and the success that hopefully follows it, will be used as a road map for a ruleset which will deliver everything you have all been asking for in a hard science fiction, GSL-compliant, 4th Edition game. I cannot say more than that other than fan support will be key in this regard. Though I won’t reveal the name of the product, I can divulge our internal designation for the ruleset: The Ladder.

 

[Dias Ex Machina]

I do apologize for the delays to the site of late. Priority was on the book. The final polish on the writing of Amethyst is done. Now it's in the hands of layout, artwork, and graphic design. Like everything in life, we're not sure if it's ready...but I don't think anyone on our position would say "Nope, no more testing, we're good." Heck no, we could test for another 12 months and still see other parts of the game untested or unproven. But we are confident with the results, and that's what's important. We're already 80,000 words into the second book and a third into the first module.

Someone was mentioning out of combat rules. Spurned by that, I went back into the Engineer skill and added this:

Building Technology: If you have the time and the parts but are nowhere near a bastion or a market that sells technology, you may try to build the item from scratch. You can only build items with a rated tech level (0-6). You must have the item’s cost in widgets (not the UC, the widgets) on hand. You must meet the level requirement for said item as well. The item’s level is also the time in days it takes to build the item. You need at least six hours of work on the item for it to be considered a day’s work. You cannot speed up this process but you can take your time. At the end of each day, you must make an Engineer roll to beat the build DC. If you beat the DC, you count the day in question towards the time required to build the item. You can take 10 on this roll. The DC is 15 + 2 x the item’s tech level.
--Creating grenades takes half the time.
--Vehicles take twice as long and require a facility.
--For techan armor, you must meet the listed price and the time for construction is the two highest values added together.
--You cannot build demolitions, medical, or repair kits. You cannot build boosters or medical injections.
--Items without a listed level take 1 day to construct.
--Ammunition’s tech level is equal to the weapon it is made for.
Failure: If you fail, the work time is wasted (1 day) but the widgets are not.

 

[Dias Ex Machina]

ROLE MODELS

Recently, I realized that some people may be confused by the indicated roles of our techan classes. In our attempt to think outside the box of traditional classes, we realized our classes may not fit into the ironclad rules listed in the player’s handbook. Some playtesters mentioned being confused by our listed roles in comparison to the definition. The PHB mentions healing, support, offense, defensive, support, and focused defence. These are detailed into four roles: Controller, Defender, Leader, and Striker. But we didn’t feel the techans needed to fit these roles exactly. So let’s break it down:

Grounder: The Grounder has the hit points of a fighter and the high kill abilities also associated with one. So you would assume Defender. But he also has the capacity to lay area effects at a distance. He cannot mark but can prevent enemies form attacking him or others. This would make it closer to a Controller. We decided upon Defender because, in the end, the Grounder is the heavy hitter.

Marshall: The Marshall and the Warlord are similar and so you would assume Leader…but our Marshall is deficient in healing and is able to not only move allies but enemies as well. In spirit, he is still a leader, though he is also a defender as well.

Operator: The operator is a heavy healer but he is not a leader. He cannot inspire, he lacks good defence and is not as trained in assisting allies as a Grounder and Marshal. We listed him as a controller because of his ability to ensure the stability of the group.

Stalker: The Stralker is listed as a Striker since he can deliver devastating damage to single targets but he also can commit to close attacks that strike multiple enemies at once. But he can also deliver status affects with his sniper attacks, making him closer to a controller.

I know, we could create new roles, but I figured that was unnecessary. With techans I hope players will read them thoroughly and understand the method of our madness. If I could see an argument for changing Operator from Controller to Leader but that that would be against what we think an Operator is designed for. I can see further complications with this in the future and we may end up introducing new roles that better explain our intents.

Another point brought up deals with the mixing of techans and echans (science-fiction and fantasy). Like I said, we designed the techans to operate on their own without mixing with fantasy players. The disruption rules support this but that doesn’t mean a group can’t try it. You can pick-and-mix whatever you like but some of these classes may not work well with others unless they are armed with machine gunes. For example, the Marshall has dozens of abilities that grant him and allies ranged basic attacks, a useless feature if the Marshal is surrounded by fighters and paladins. A Grounder is a heavy ranged attacker with support abilities that help other ranged attackers nearby, another useless feature if the grounder is the only one at range. Amazingly enough, a Grounder would not be a fighter in a fantasy party but a Wizard (another argument for them being a Controller rather than a Defender). A Marshall could replace a Warlord but would very much be bad at it. The same goes for Operator but he, at least, would be a welcomed and vital healer if a Cleric was nowhere to be found. A striker is the only class, I think, which would be able to hold his own if alone in a fantasy party. They have few supporting powers and feature a set of unique abilities no other fantasy player has. It would be a challenge but I believe that’s half the fun.

 

[Dias Ex Machina]

"Mission to Marsh"


Yes, that is the current internal name of our Free RPG Day module. We are not going for a clichéd dungeon romp but a nonstop scrub of gunfire from beginning to end as a group of gun-toting techans find themselves trapped in a wasteland and are forced to dive deeper into danger to recover a missing piece of technology they need to survive. The module will include 5 techan characters at 6th level pre-generated players can just dive right into.

AND in case anyone is in the Prince George area, Conan and myself will be each running the module for anyone interested at Great White Entertainment.

Meanwhile, despite the fact the game is done and off to layout, we are still testing the system. Alas, we've already found a couple issues that need clarifying but nothing currently that breaks the system or requires anything more than an erratum. For one, we list Demolitions as an Intelligence-based skill everywhere except under the Operator class, where it is listed as Wisdom. Stuff like that.

Oh...and we have a FOURTH Techan Podcast, which concludes our group's foray into Punjar. This is the funniest podcast we have ever recorded. We have trouble listening to it ourselves. If you listen to any of them, listen to this one. They players come across the biggest threat yet and I do everything in my power to kill them...

http://www.diasexmachina.com/Techan-Podcast4.mp3

 

[Dias Ex Machina]

In an effort to keep the word count down and make room for more artwork, we are pulling Medical injections from the book for now. They will pop up in the next one. Meanwhile, we have played around outside of the box s'more and created new powers for a few classes to replace some duplicates which are shared between them. This includes Operator attack powers that do no damage and massive heavy automatic burst attacks that only do 1 point of damage. We also got a look at our final cover.

As I have often said to friends, family...and people I pass in the street, that we have been blessed with a great artist/collaborator in Nick Greenwood. He is responsible for 90% of the artwork in the 3.5 book, nearly 100% in the 4.0 book, including out new cover. Suffice to say, this looks amazing. What's particularly interesting is that it is a full 16x11 wrap-around and unlike others you might have seen, there is activity through the entire image.

People whose opinion really shouldn't matter have convinced me to start a MySpace and Face Book account. I am not sure why. The face book page gets all the attention currently. I am uploading old and new Amethyst artwork there. You’ll find it under my full name of Chris Dias.

As a final sign-off before Christmas, I leave a gift...one ENTIRE Paragon Path... Merry Christmas (by the way, this one isn't finalized yet):

MUTAHARRIK CAPTAIN
Leading the Kannos Kavalry are the Mutaharrik Captains. You have probably spent more hours on your horse than others have on their own feet. Regardless if you raised your steed from birth or bought it from a stable, as an elite from Kannos, you can whip any animal for combat within a week. You do not afford yourself anymore luxuries than the men under your command. You wear the same light armor, ride a horse with no barding, and charge alongside the line rather than behind it.
You and your animal are now one combined spirit and you are no longer even required to whistle for its attention or whip it to speed. It only requires a few words or a nudge. It may even act on its own if you require it. The elite order of Kannos officers forego all other pleasantries in favor of their bond. You don’t bother with wives or children. It has even been said a Captain’s steed lives for the entire life of its master, dying the second its Captain does.
Prerequisites: Kavalier or Halfmaster lifepath. You must also return to Kannos for promotion. You must own a large natural beast as a mount. You must have selected the mounted combat feat.

MUTAHARRIK CAPTAIN PATH FEATURES
Whisperer (11th level): Any riding horse you own becomes a warhorse. It is only a warhorse while under your command. Your warhorse gains +2 movement during a Trample attack.
High Ground (11th level): You gain a +1 to attack with a melee weapon to adjacent foes if you are on your mount. You also no longer provoke opportunity attacks if you fire ranged weapons while on your mount.
Master Warhorse (16th level): If you spend an action point before initiating a trample attack while on your mount, you gain no additional action, but your mount ignores all opportunity attacks during said trample and it and you have Combat Advantage against anyone you strike until the end of your round.

MUTAHARRIK CAPTAIN EXPLOITS
Plow through the Lines Mutaharrik Captain Attack 11
You assault through an enemy’s flank, slashing down at those that move away from your steed’s assault.
Encounter * Martial, Weapon
Standard Action Melee Weapon
Requirement: You must be mounted.
Target: All targets in reach during the horse’s trample.
Effect: Your horse initiates a trample attack. Every target in your reach during the trample can be attacked by a melee weapon.
Attack: Strength vs. AC.
Hit: 1[W] + Strength Modifier
Special: This is not a charge attack so does not gain the Charger bonus with a warhorse when initiating a charge.

Equestrian Charge Mutaharrik Captain Utility 12
You leap from you mount, over the heads of your enemies, and land without injury.
Encounter * Martial, Mounted
Move Action Personal
Effect: If your mount moves more than 4 squares either as an attack (charge or trample) or a move action, you can jump from your mount as a move action. You are considered running for the jump and gain a +5 bonus to the Athletics roll. Pick an unoccupied square in range to land into. You provoke no opportunity attacks as you jump or land.

Unbridled Loyalty Mutaharrik Captain Attack 20
You need a quick escape in a dire situation and your mount is more than happy to comply. As the animal charges in, you take advantage of the distraction.
Daily * Martial, Weapon
Standard Action Melee Weapon
Requirement: You and your mount must be separated but within range of the animal’s trample attack.
Effect: Your mount initiates a trample attack and passes either by an adjacent square to you or through your occupied square. You suffer no damage from the trample.
Target: Any creature that is knocked prone by the trample and in reach from the square you occupy.
Attack: Strength vs. AC. (+2 for Combat Advantage) You score a critical on a natural roll of 19 or 20.
Hit: 3[W] + Strength Modifier.
Special: As the animal tramples by, you mount it. It continues its trample attack if it has any remaining movement.

 

[Dias Ex Machina]

Funny thing happened on the way to the blog

Yesterday was a big day for us. After 27 months, we finally concluded our Amethyst game. Of course, we were not playing Amethyst anymore but the second chapter after Amethyst. No, this is not the second book coming out late 2009. That’s still original Amethyst. Every book we are doing for the initial Amethyst run (about 4) deals with only the first three seasons of the original Amethyst campaign (there were 4 seasons). There is a lot to cover. All of it loosely based on the original campaign I ran with my players (one of which is still with the project). That lasted two and a half years. What we have been playing recently is the next chapter in a grand arc of which Amethyst is only one part. It still is Amethyst with the same setting and same rules. I have mentioned it before in a previous blog. It was an interesting game with an ending I think I could have done better.

But I digress. As I have closing this one chapter, I have been buzzing along with several others. There are two other writing projects due on the 15th I am polishing up. Meanwhile, we’re revving up the press release of our next product line. I know...I said two games. Here is how we work: I am spontaneous and my friends slap me. Seriously, what actually happened was that one project pushed itself to the foreground to such an amazing degree as to shove the other right off our 2009 line-up. It’s still being made but occasionally, you get an idea which is so impressive, there is just this little voice that confirms it. I get that sometimes. I think other people do as well. It reminds me of a Carl Sagan quote which... I actually can’t recall specifically. Basically this idea started off based from an old game of mine and a sudden inspiration pushed it into a direction that, when I shared it with the others, got an amazing reaction. Now they all want a piece of it and we can’t wait to start working on it. I really hope you can feel our enthusiasm for it when we announce it in a few days.

So the second project, though it will be developed this year, may not be released until the next. Besides, we still have more from Amethyst including more sourcebooks and modules.

As for a timetable, we’re going to be researching back-story for this new game (yes, it requires research) for the next month to two months while also developing a basic framework for the rules and classes. A prototype to be tested won’t occur, I imagine, until Amethyst is released, then we will offer basic rules to playtesters based solely on illogical and unreasonable conditions no one but us will understand.

Pssssst...I gave you all a little hint on what this game is...or rather what it’s based on.

 

[Angel Tarragon]

Thanks for the sale on RPGNow. Amethyst is very, very cool. I wish I would have bought it much earlier. I can see a lot of material that I'll be using wholecloth for my Mutants and Masterminds Guardians of Gaia game and a whole heck of a lot of stuff that will be modified for the Tale.

I also ordered the hardback at Lulu. Absolutely cannot wait to wrap my fingers around it! I feel all giddy knowing its on its way.

 

[Dias Ex Machina]

Thanks for the sale on RPGNow. Amethyst is very, very cool. I wish I would have bought it much earlier. I can see a lot of material that I'll be using wholecloth for my Mutants and Masterminds Guardians of Gaia game and a whole heck of a lot of stuff that will be modified for the Tale.

I also ordered the hardback at Lulu. Absolutely cannot wait to wrap my fingers around it! I feel all giddy knowing its on its way.

Awesome. Thanks. Alas, yes, the sale is over and the book is gone forever... (sniff)

I think you might have been our last sale off Lulu.



The comments on NeuroSpasta have been amazingly supportive and I hope it continues to spread. It really seems like there are quite a few of you out there that had been waiting for something like this to come around. Though we have a lot of the ideas in place, other responsibilities beckon us away until at least the 15th, when we start going full time into this.

Meanwhile, while carousing through Amethyst, yet again, I found I had listed 3 new skills when in truth, we had added 4. Sigh...just goes to show that some things still get missed. I fixed that little nugget and moved on. Meanwhile, Conan and his extremely significant other have been working on a new character sheet designed exclusively for Amethyst (making room for techan skills, lifepaths, and the sort). I have been spell-checking. Nick Greenwood finished our cover...

...yes...he finished our cover. Wanna see? Well...you can't...sorry. Have to leave something for a surprise. I will clip these two images for ya. These are EXTREMELY small crops of the full image. The originals are ginourmous.