Thinking about Warhammer?

[Iron Sky]

If you're worried about balancing encounters, you could instead do what happens in our (recently started) game. Don't.

One of the things we're enjoying about this game vs D&D is breaking free of the D&D "the encounters are designed for you" mentality to "I hope we don't bump into that troll that they say is in these woods."

Making a new character takes all of 10 minutes, maybe a bit more if you're giving them the same xp their last character had (as we are doing).

Warhammer is fast and deadly and gritty. I'd highly recommend playing it that way, at least at first. We're finding the experience a welcome change after being 4e super-heroes. I've lost two characters in four or five sessions and I'm having a blast (my dwarf got an infected wound, my elven archer took three arrows in a row to the face).

Now on my third character, I'm actually playing him like a mortal being that cares whether he lives or dies since I now know first-hand how deadly the WHFR world is.

We played our weekly 4e game last night after doing two weeks of random WHFR sessions (both my roommies roleplay) and it felt extra... gamey. Not that it wasn't fun, but there was no fear of death and even 10 levels in, I have little attatchment to my character since 4e feels vaguely computer-game ish. The contrast to Warhammer really brought that to the fore.

 

[Jasperak]

My copy of WHFRG 2e is due in this week... I have a Human Rat Catcher ready to go. When was the last time I looked forward to playing a rat catcher? Not while playing D&D that's for sure, though I did like having a small group of 1st-level characters ready to take the place of any that fell.

 

[evilgenius8000]

Thanks for all the advice everybody!

If you're worried about balancing encounters, you could instead do what happens in our (recently started) game. Don't.

One of the things we're enjoying about this game vs D&D is breaking free of the D&D "the encounters are designed for you" mentality to "I hope we don't bump into that troll that they say is in these woods."

This sounds a lot like how I used to run D&D 2E, and is most likely how I am going to run WFRP eventually. Now that I think of it, ignoring balance probably lends itself to a more believable world -- something that looks like it goes well with the feeling of WFRP.

 

[pawsplay]

I snapped up several books when I learned BI was shutting down and the books might be unavailable for a while. I've had Warhammer on the brain ever since then. I really love second edition. I do sort of have mixed feelings about Tzeentch's Curse, and I miss the Fimir, but the rules have been tightened up, the magical orders and cults dressed out, and the careers generally improved in quality.

 

[Hella_Tellah]

I'm new to running WFRP, but the group's been loving it. I feel like the Tzeench's Curse table is a bit too kind to arcane casters, though. Most of them have only a cosmetic effect--hair standing on end, milk curdling, etc. I'm coming from Mage: The Awakening, where Paradox is a really powerful limiting factor, so I was hoping for something a little more...caution-inducing. Are the Tzeench tables in Realms of Sorcery sufficiently awesome to justify the purchase?

 

[pawsplay]

I don't know if you've noticed this or not, but a bad roll on Tzeentch with even a minor spell could suck you into the void, summon demons, or mutate you.

 

[Hella_Tellah]

I don't know if you've noticed this or not, but a bad roll on Tzeentch with even a minor spell could suck you into the void, summon demons, or mutate you.

Yeah, but a roll that bad would be really, profoundly unlikely. A 5% chance after a 5% chance after rolling doubles, itself not terribly likely. I'm accustomed to magic being a lot more dangerous than that. I mean, one of the Major manifestations is "gain 1 IP and get the opportunity to learn Dark Lore (Chaos)." If I were playing a wizard, I'd have him sit in his laboratory and cast stuff all day hoping to get that result!

Mostly, though, I just think they're kind of dull. 1 wound to everyone within 30 yards? Yawn. Do the Realms of Sorcery tables have more interesting effects?

 

[pawsplay]

Expanded Minor Chaos Manifestation

77-80 Intestinal Rebellion: Your bowels move uncontrollably, soiling both your clothing and pride.

89-90 Kin Inconvenienced: Roll again on this table. Your closest living relative ... suffers the resulting effect, regardless of how far away he is.

Expanded Major Chaos Manifestation

29-32 Rag Doll: You spontaneously fly through the air 1d10 yards in a random direction, landing roughly...

Catastrophic Chaos Manifestation

33-36: Albino Affliction: Your skin and hair are bleached utterly white by roiling Chaos.

72-74 Eyefuse: You close as your eyes as the Winds of Magic howl about you, and your eyelids are fused shut. You cannot see until this is corrected by magic or surgery.

 

[Hella_Tellah]

Expanded Minor Chaos Manifestation

77-80 Intestinal Rebellion: Your bowels move uncontrollably, soiling both your clothing and pride.

89-90 Kin Inconvenienced: Roll again on this table. Your closest living relative ... suffers the resulting effect, regardless of how far away he is.

Expanded Major Chaos Manifestation

29-32 Rag Doll: You spontaneously fly through the air 1d10 yards in a random direction, landing roughly...

Catastrophic Chaos Manifestation

33-36: Albino Affliction: Your skin and hair are bleached utterly white by roiling Chaos.

72-74 Eyefuse: You close as your eyes as the Winds of Magic howl about you, and your eyelids are fused shut. You cannot see until this is corrected by magic or surgery.

​

Those are exactly the kinds of effects I was looking for. I am going out to buy that book immediately!

 

[pawsplay]

It also has some surprisingly robust rules for Witches and Warlocks, plus Dwarven rune craft, numerous new spells, and some half-way decent guidelines for developing new rituals. It's also a good read, and makes the very excellent suggestion that Journeymen Wizards take another career before advancing further. Not only does this help represent their "journeying" but purely from a practical standpoint it gives them the opportunity to acquire enough magical items to be a Master Wizard.

The only disappointment I had was the hand-waving of Battle Magic and elven high magic. Maybe someday they'll make a Legends and Heroes sourcebook with that, plus fifth tier careers for warriors, scouts, and rogues.