GURPS 4th Edition Online Game Thread

[friar_zero]

The races available should be such that they could be "reasonably" found in any desert surrounding.....i.e.: no polymorphed or shapechanged white dragons amongst the players......no penguin farmiliars, etc...

Isn't Desert of Desolation in Forgotten Realms? That could be our basic guideline. And I take that we should just eyeball the racial stats as best we can? Or do you have some preferred conversion of FR?

Even though the arrival of a 4th player to the thread MIGHT have the effect of creating an impass to game setting...(i.e.: The new player wants to play Horror and the count becomes 2 vs 2 for setting of choice)...

I don't mean to belittle the choice of the fourth person but if you are looking for more players might I suggest posting the game openings on the official maptools "Looking for Group" forum? I think there are a couple of GURPS players lurking about.

Also after looking at Dungeon Fantasy volume 1, I think characters should be created on a minimum budget of 300...

What about starting wealth? Should we just use the recommended starting wealth for TL3 (modified by adv/disad)?

 

[friar_zero]

Unless someone else really wants to play the role, I've got a good bit of experience playing mages (i.e. "healer" types).

If you would rather not play the mage then I've got an idea for a doddering old spellcasting researcher in the vain of Professor Farnsworth from Futurama. However if you would prefer to play the mage then that is fine by me.

I can roll something else up. Maybe a haughty barbarian or some kind of melee centric D&D style cleric (or even paladin) to fill the striker role.

 

[Eryiedes]

Desert Elf Ranger-type. Good ranged combat, good at survival stuff, decent at sneaking and traps. Even has a few magic spells.

I built @ 300pts + 75 disads. I hope that's OK.

I might tinker a lil bit with the default Elf template because it has some stuff I'm not sure is important to a desert denizen.

It all sounds good as long as you keep in mind that YOU the players have not set a point cap on templates yet but that build can be altered after the fact....either by adding a few or removing a few disadvantages or advantages.

My only question....does that mean you are building a 300 point character with the 75 disadvantage points added or is it a 375 character with 75 points in disadvantages already added to total?
(Just curious)

Peace & Light

 

[Eryiedes]

Are there any special rules about magic? I'm thinking of the alternate U-mana rules, clerical rules, "something I don't know about yet" rules?

There are no "special" magic rules in play.
In a "Greyhawk" styled world, ALL forms of magic are practiced.
No magic form introduced in either Magic or Thaumatology will be restricted from play as long as you are prepared for the idea that I may not have used your "specific" form in play and thusly may not be too farmiliar with the more unusual forms of magic practice....i.e.: Rune Magic....Aspected Magic....Mana from land or mana from player...all are permitted.
As for clerical rules....I am missing volume 7 of DF so I will have to take your word for it....=)

Peace & Light

 

[Eryiedes]

Sorry to multi-task us, but we also need to hash out the day/time/frequency of play. I'm on Mountain time and have little kids I put to bed. Ideally for me would be a start time that is later. I also work a week on, week off schedule night shift, so that presents its own challenges. A Saturday night could be good and if timed right might allow me to play weekly, though every other week is the safer bet.

Its good that people are starting to post available times and days for play.
Insight and Friar must follow suit but it is not an immediate concern.
We will be ironing out characters and details for a week or so before serious play can begin in earnest.
The times shall be up to the players only but I am not available on Fridays or on early Saturdays.....as I am still recovering from the night before.

Peace & Light

 

[Eryiedes]

I don't mean to belittle the choice of the fourth person but if you are looking for more players might I suggest posting the game openings on the official maptools "Looking for Group" forum?


What about starting wealth? Should we just use the recommended starting wealth for TL3 (modified by adv/disad)?

Even if a fourth player does not show, an extra npc will be created to fill the role but thanks for the heads-up.

Starting wealth is standard for a TL-3 world.....(1000.00 equivalent)
If you purchase more wealth then you will have more money.
There is no restriction on wealth.
If you spend the points....you GET the cash...its that simple.

Peace & Light

 

[friar_zero]

Its good that people are starting to post available times and days for play.
Insight and Friar must follow suit but it is not an immediate concern.
We will be ironing out characters and details for a week or so before serious play can begin in earnest.
The times shall be up to the players only but I am not available on Fridays or on early Saturdays.....as I am still recovering from the night before.

Peace & Light

My schedule is very flexible. I work from home and currently have no immovable commitments so you can name a time and I should be able to make it work.

 

[Eryiedes]

I can roll something else up. Maybe a haughty barbarian or some kind of melee centric D&D style cleric (or even paladin) to fill the striker role.

As long as you pay attention to the specific requirements of the game:

Close range expert
Ranged expert
Thief type
Healer type

More than one should have survival or nature skills.

As long as those parametres are met, who's to say that the group can not be comprised of wizard types instead of martial types?

You may use Forgotten Realms as a guide but it is not a TSR setting.
Yes, the module is a TSR creation but the game will take place in the world of Ytarria....they call it Banestorm now.....set in the Al-Haz/Al-Wasif area of the world.....notice I did NOT mention Cardiel?

Whether the players are locals to the region or strangers is entirely up to you.

Regardless of region....elves in muslim dominated lands are a rare occurance indeed....but to say it was outside the realm of possiblity would be a mistake.....I will hold the same true for whatever characters, you the players, decide to create.

I encourage you all to "break the mold" as it were and really run with it.
You will have to be "unusually" creative to come up with something I will refuse to allow.
(No extra-planar origins....unless you are creating a Parachronozoid or similar "world-jumper")

Peace & Light

 

[Insight]

It all sounds good as long as you keep in mind that YOU the players have not set a point cap on templates yet but that build can be altered after the fact....either by adding a few or removing a few disadvantages or advantages.

My only question....does that mean you are building a 300 point character with the 75 disadvantage points added or is it a 375 character with 75 points in disadvantages already added to total?
(Just curious)

Peace & Light

300 (+75 disads) so 375 total points.

I used the Scout template from Dungeon Fantasy 1 (with slight tweaks for a desert themed character) and the Elf template from Characters (with slight tweaks for a Desert Elf).

I don't know anything about the Banestorm setting. Do desert-specific elves exist? Do they have a culture separate from forest-dwelling elves?

Also, what languages are typical for the area?

In terms of the roles mentioned, my character covers the Ranged Attacker role very well and the Thief role pretty well. I imagine a backup in the Thief regard may not be a bad idea (or a regular Thief type). I have a few spells that are intended to aid in desert survival.

 

[Eryiedes]

300 (+75 disads) so 375 total points.

I used the Scout template from Dungeon Fantasy 1 (with slight tweaks for a desert themed character) and the Elf template from Characters (with slight tweaks for a Desert Elf).

I don't know anything about the Banestorm setting. Do desert-specific elves exist? Do they have a culture separate from forest-dwelling elves?

Also, what languages are typical for the area?

In terms of the roles mentioned, my character covers the Ranged Attacker role very well and the Thief role pretty well. I imagine a backup in the Thief regard may not be a bad idea (or a regular Thief type). I have a few spells that are intended to aid in desert survival.

Your characters sounds very well rounded.
Unfortunately there is no such thing as a Desert Elf in Ytarria....Even in places where elves are normally found, they are still rarely seen.....that is unless you REALLY pissed them off!
Consider:

High Elf (More like an Eladrin)
Wood Elf (The classical Elf....sometimes confused with a Dryad)
Dark Elf (The Drow)
Savage Elf (The Grugach or Valley Elf)
Water Elf (Often mistaken for a Nymph)
Grey Elf (The Lost Tribe....on the edge of TL4 in some respects but NO gun powder!)
Half Elf (Self explanitory)

Banestorm is a game world but initially refered to a very ancient and powerful spell that backfired in the worst possible way.
It opened up portals to other alternate realms and pulled the indigenents to the spells place of origin....similar to the catastrophic Drow magic that turned the Seul into a wasteland.
Banestorm on Y'tarria...also known as planet Y'rth to those with a 1st edition copy of GURPS Fantasy...now manifests as a massive disturbance off the southern coast of the main continent....it is no longer mobile but shifts from time to time....and every now and then something arrives that was never previosly recorded...but for the most part the magic is still POTENT and DESTRUCTIVE as the day it was cast but it has since "stabilized".
It brought humans from all over earth history as well as dwarves, elves and the whole cornucopia of fantasy folk to this one world....near as anyone knows...NOBODY on Y'rth has decended from a person ACTUALLY from this planet....only decended from someone who had arrived against their will....in most cases.
They invention of gun powder has occured a few times but was ALWAYS suppressed violently if nessarry by the mages of the world....except for the Dwarves....who have developed limited ability to create musket style weaponry (TL4)....the Mages refuse interfere for the Dwarves seem content only to use it to keep the orclands at bay....so for those who want to shoot.....be a Dwarf.
As for languages....it is in the "muslim" portion of the world, so arabic or farsi are common place but so is Anglish....the worlds variant on common.
Similar to english but with a few french and spanish and even latin root structures involved on top of classical english....(Defaults to English-2 for parachronozoids)
Many eras that were not congruent on their respective worlds now co-mingle on this world.
Norman Francs and the Hordes of Genghis Khan now Co-habitate in some places for example.
Dominant faiths of Y'tarria are Catholisim, Islam, Roman.(more like Ceasars time than the vaticans)...plus the various non-human beliefs.
Magic can be rare in some places and powerfully abundant in others.
The Islamic areas are mainly mana low.
I will be lurking if there are any other questions.

Peace & Light (and the musical score to Blackhawk Down will serve the purposes of this foray rather nicely I think)