Buffy RPG - A Hellmouth in Waterloo [Closed]
- Thread starter Cor Azer
- Start date
Actually, that wasn't so bad. Found some old game notes; I had that all done up for an aborted email game, and a lot of it had been done piecemeal in answer to several "what does this quality do?" type questions.
The madness comes when I try to add a few of the other books tonight
(others include Slayer's Handbook, Magic Box, Monster Smackdown, and Angel Corebook)
Underpants Gnomes for the win!
ahem.
Anyway, I hadn't considered Gavin a big front-line type. His basic 'what he's good at' concept was: finding people and fixing people. It may take some extra drawbacks, but I can probably come up with a White Hat version if someone else needs a hero slot. I'm not too particular. Gavin's only half demon, and he's a bit disturbed by that half, so having his abilities countered by various deficiencies might work out well for him.
At least, it seems more likely for Gavin to fall into the less-experienced 'White Hat' area than a nigh-immortal who's been killing demons for sustenance for centuries.
I'll give the specifics a closer look later and try to get something put together.
j
Herobizkit
Adventurer
I likely don't have to elaborate, but Rory is more of a socialite than fighter. He plays the local club circuit with his band (can you "purchase" NPCs as an advantage/resource?) and otherwise is the "cool cat". I guess he's like Two parts Doyle, one part Angel with a touch of Spike...?
I'm not sure how combat works in this system... should we be more cinematic and use whatever we happen across, or should we design actual "fighters"?
I'm not sure how combat works in this system... should we be more cinematic and use whatever we happen across, or should we design actual "fighters"?
Supporting Cast/Guest Stars (ie. NPCs)
There are a few options for "purchasing" NPCs, depending on how you want them to interact with your character. Mostly you just make 'em up and add them to the narrative; you only have to pay for them as a Quality or earn points for them as a Drawback if they have a mechanical/noticeable impact on your character.
Dependent is a drawback that indicates that 1 or more people are, well, dependent on you for basic needs, like a child or ailing parent.
Contacts is a quality that lets you define a relationship with an NPC or group of NPCs who is/are willing to help you within a certain scope (to varying degrees based on what you spent on the quality)
Also, The Magic Box supplement and the Angel Corebook have rules for building organizations, such as law firms, witches' covens, gangs, etc.. that you can take as a quality or drawback (depending on the requirements of the group) that can give you more direct benefits than just contacts.
So, for example, Rory could have Contacts (Local Entertainment Industry) 1 that he can use to learn about insider information on local events (to find the demon hypnotist's next show), or we could build a group for Rory's band with various requirements/benefits like must help band mates, can share occult books, +1 Art when performing together, free helpers for ritual casting, etc.., and thus his band can have a mechanical effect on him.
Combat
Combat will definitely feel more fun if you just kind of go with the flow and describe your actions. There are a lot of different combat maneuvers should you wish to employ them, but it is likely that over time you'll find 3-4 that you feel fit your character best and just fall back on them (that's not a requirement, just an observation I've made). Stand-bys often inlcude punching, kicking, staking through the heart, crossbowing, biting (for vamps), magic-y-ing (most spells are too slow/time consuming to be used in combat, but character with the Sorcery Quality can "quick cast" certain spells, which renders them combat-available.
The narrative idea will help too with the way combat is resolved. Initiative is rolled the first round (d10 + Dex), but for every round thereafter, initiative is won by Narrator/DM fiat (ie, whomever he feels is in the "advantageous" position at the time - ie, if you spun around behind the vamp last round, you win initiative because he's slighty off-guard)
Each round has all characters involve declare their intended actions, and then those actions are resolved in initiative order... assuming an earlier action doesn't negate them. Characters typically get 2 actions per round (and often use one for an attack and the other for a defense like Parry or Dodge but not a requirement), but high Dexterity can yield more actions (don't have chart handy) at cumulative penalties to any rolls.
[sblock=example]Combat Example (sans actual rolls cause I don't have the modifiers here)
Spike and Giles are debating the pros and cons of rugby league vs rugby union while patroling, when two vamps jump out of nearby windows, declaring death for the vamp who hunts his own kind.
First Round:
Spike: Bugger this. I'll whip out a crossbow and peg one through the heart, and since they don't look like much more than nancy-boys, I'll use the crossbow to parry one attack, but then use my extra actions to reload and fire again, in case I missed earlier.
Giles: Goodness. I draw a stake... no, I'm already carrying one... alright, I'll approach with my guard up, and give him a right jab as he nears.
Both vamps show their game faces, and rush the two Brits, one trying to grab Giles and throw him into Spike and the other trying to tackle Spike.
Resolution: Spike wins Initiative, then vamps, then Giles.
Spike rolls well with his crossbow, dusting it easily.
The remaining vamp grabs Giles before his punch is thrown, and with supernatural strength, hurls the tweed-clad missile at Spike, knocking both the the ground.
Giles is in no position to punch the vamp now, and loses his action.
Round the second:
Spike: Get off me, wanker! I'll fend off any attack on me, then sweep the vamps leg, and stake him.
Giles: I'll roll free, full defense, letting the vampires finish this.
Vamp: I'll teach you to consort with the chattel! Grab Spike by the collar and throw a few rabbit punches.
Resolution: With both Giles and Spike on their backs, the vamp wins initiative
Even on his butt, Spike is too skilled (and the vamp rolls poorly), failing to even grab Spike's leather jacket.
Channeling Cobra-Kai dojo, Spike sweeps the vamp's leg, dropping it on it's back, then uses once of those fancy Angel-esque stake poppers (patent pending), to drive some pine into its chest, dusting it.
Giles, relieved at not being knocked unconscious, celebrates y wiping his glasses.
Combat over, Spike checks out his smoke, sees it damaged, curses, then draws and lights a new one.
Spike: Rugby league... Next you're going to declare Leeds better than Man U...[/sblock]
One standard op deviation for Buffy RPG from D&D... it is not always foolhardy to be off by yourself. Sure, you don't want to wander the cemetery with a big "come bite me" sign on your lonesome (well, except maybe the Slayer and/or Rechard when on the hunt), but Rory can head off to a gig generally without fear of being jumped, or Dafydd can stay in his lab doing research without being threatened. While yes, this game is working on the axiom that demons, vamps, and the like exist, the game is set in a modern day city, so they're not hiding around every corner, or even every second corner. If semi-reasonable precautions are taken, chances are, you'll be safe, or there's a good reason the big bad risked campus security and broke several locks to find you studying in a classroom.
Corollary - not everyone needs to be physically involved in every fight. I try to make sure there's always stuff for people to do, and sometimes that means there are extra vamp minions around for the white hats to occupy while the big guns battle the baddies, but sometimes it's the Slayer who is just doing minor demon control while the magically-inclined work their mojo against the spirit world.
Corollary the second - that said, part of the fun of the game is throwing people into situations they're unprepared for - the technophobe Rechard needing to repair a robot, or the Slayer (well, not Shayuri's nerd slayer, but say... Buffy or Faith) needing to pass a pop quiz or be held in detention and miss the fight to stop the Apocalypse (not that Faith would stay, but...). Sure, it won't happen all the time, but just like the violence-inclined may need to use nice words on occasion, the violence-adjacent may need to curl the fingers into the fist once in a while.
Appendix 1 - Also, if you are in a situation where you feel overmatched, remember your Drama points. They can add +5 to a roll, which is useful in a pinch, but for the creatively minded, they can be so much better - example: the seductive, and surprisingly husky, fem-vamp has Dafydd pinned to his seat, all ready to take a savoury taste; knowing he's not really in the vamp's league violence-wise, rather than adding +5 to his Dodge roll to avoid the attack, he uses his Drama point to have local delinquents choose that moment to pull a fire alarm prank, and all the sprinklers going off seriously wigs and distracts the vampire from her task, allowing Dafydd to scramble behind his desk... Note it won't completely swing the combat, but it will throw a definite wrench in there, perhaps allowing other opportunities for survival
Clear like wall?
There are a few options for "purchasing" NPCs, depending on how you want them to interact with your character. Mostly you just make 'em up and add them to the narrative; you only have to pay for them as a Quality or earn points for them as a Drawback if they have a mechanical/noticeable impact on your character.
Dependent is a drawback that indicates that 1 or more people are, well, dependent on you for basic needs, like a child or ailing parent.
Contacts is a quality that lets you define a relationship with an NPC or group of NPCs who is/are willing to help you within a certain scope (to varying degrees based on what you spent on the quality)
Also, The Magic Box supplement and the Angel Corebook have rules for building organizations, such as law firms, witches' covens, gangs, etc.. that you can take as a quality or drawback (depending on the requirements of the group) that can give you more direct benefits than just contacts.
So, for example, Rory could have Contacts (Local Entertainment Industry) 1 that he can use to learn about insider information on local events (to find the demon hypnotist's next show), or we could build a group for Rory's band with various requirements/benefits like must help band mates, can share occult books, +1 Art when performing together, free helpers for ritual casting, etc.., and thus his band can have a mechanical effect on him.
Combat
Combat will definitely feel more fun if you just kind of go with the flow and describe your actions. There are a lot of different combat maneuvers should you wish to employ them, but it is likely that over time you'll find 3-4 that you feel fit your character best and just fall back on them (that's not a requirement, just an observation I've made). Stand-bys often inlcude punching, kicking, staking through the heart, crossbowing, biting (for vamps), magic-y-ing (most spells are too slow/time consuming to be used in combat, but character with the Sorcery Quality can "quick cast" certain spells, which renders them combat-available.
The narrative idea will help too with the way combat is resolved. Initiative is rolled the first round (d10 + Dex), but for every round thereafter, initiative is won by Narrator/DM fiat (ie, whomever he feels is in the "advantageous" position at the time - ie, if you spun around behind the vamp last round, you win initiative because he's slighty off-guard)
Each round has all characters involve declare their intended actions, and then those actions are resolved in initiative order... assuming an earlier action doesn't negate them. Characters typically get 2 actions per round (and often use one for an attack and the other for a defense like Parry or Dodge but not a requirement), but high Dexterity can yield more actions (don't have chart handy) at cumulative penalties to any rolls.
[sblock=example]Combat Example (sans actual rolls cause I don't have the modifiers here)
Spike and Giles are debating the pros and cons of rugby league vs rugby union while patroling, when two vamps jump out of nearby windows, declaring death for the vamp who hunts his own kind.
First Round:
Spike: Bugger this. I'll whip out a crossbow and peg one through the heart, and since they don't look like much more than nancy-boys, I'll use the crossbow to parry one attack, but then use my extra actions to reload and fire again, in case I missed earlier.
Giles: Goodness. I draw a stake... no, I'm already carrying one... alright, I'll approach with my guard up, and give him a right jab as he nears.
Both vamps show their game faces, and rush the two Brits, one trying to grab Giles and throw him into Spike and the other trying to tackle Spike.
Resolution: Spike wins Initiative, then vamps, then Giles.
Spike rolls well with his crossbow, dusting it easily.
The remaining vamp grabs Giles before his punch is thrown, and with supernatural strength, hurls the tweed-clad missile at Spike, knocking both the the ground.
Giles is in no position to punch the vamp now, and loses his action.
Round the second:
Spike: Get off me, wanker! I'll fend off any attack on me, then sweep the vamps leg, and stake him.
Giles: I'll roll free, full defense, letting the vampires finish this.
Vamp: I'll teach you to consort with the chattel! Grab Spike by the collar and throw a few rabbit punches.
Resolution: With both Giles and Spike on their backs, the vamp wins initiative
Even on his butt, Spike is too skilled (and the vamp rolls poorly), failing to even grab Spike's leather jacket.
Channeling Cobra-Kai dojo, Spike sweeps the vamp's leg, dropping it on it's back, then uses once of those fancy Angel-esque stake poppers (patent pending), to drive some pine into its chest, dusting it.
Giles, relieved at not being knocked unconscious, celebrates y wiping his glasses.
Combat over, Spike checks out his smoke, sees it damaged, curses, then draws and lights a new one.
Spike: Rugby league... Next you're going to declare Leeds better than Man U...[/sblock]
One standard op deviation for Buffy RPG from D&D... it is not always foolhardy to be off by yourself. Sure, you don't want to wander the cemetery with a big "come bite me" sign on your lonesome (well, except maybe the Slayer and/or Rechard when on the hunt), but Rory can head off to a gig generally without fear of being jumped, or Dafydd can stay in his lab doing research without being threatened. While yes, this game is working on the axiom that demons, vamps, and the like exist, the game is set in a modern day city, so they're not hiding around every corner, or even every second corner. If semi-reasonable precautions are taken, chances are, you'll be safe, or there's a good reason the big bad risked campus security and broke several locks to find you studying in a classroom.
Corollary - not everyone needs to be physically involved in every fight. I try to make sure there's always stuff for people to do, and sometimes that means there are extra vamp minions around for the white hats to occupy while the big guns battle the baddies, but sometimes it's the Slayer who is just doing minor demon control while the magically-inclined work their mojo against the spirit world.
Corollary the second - that said, part of the fun of the game is throwing people into situations they're unprepared for - the technophobe Rechard needing to repair a robot, or the Slayer (well, not Shayuri's nerd slayer, but say... Buffy or Faith) needing to pass a pop quiz or be held in detention and miss the fight to stop the Apocalypse (not that Faith would stay, but...). Sure, it won't happen all the time, but just like the violence-inclined may need to use nice words on occasion, the violence-adjacent may need to curl the fingers into the fist once in a while.
Appendix 1 - Also, if you are in a situation where you feel overmatched, remember your Drama points. They can add +5 to a roll, which is useful in a pinch, but for the creatively minded, they can be so much better - example: the seductive, and surprisingly husky, fem-vamp has Dafydd pinned to his seat, all ready to take a savoury taste; knowing he's not really in the vamp's league violence-wise, rather than adding +5 to his Dodge roll to avoid the attack, he uses his Drama point to have local delinquents choose that moment to pull a fire alarm prank, and all the sprinklers going off seriously wigs and distracts the vampire from her task, allowing Dafydd to scramble behind his desk... Note it won't completely swing the combat, but it will throw a definite wrench in there, perhaps allowing other opportunities for survival
Clear like wall?
Been doing statting.
Having second...third?...thoughts about nerd-slayer. With the various bonuses, it's waaaay too easy to get sixes and fives in just about every stat. This strikes me as a character who lacks interesting bumpy parts where they're out of their element.
Except social situations, I suppose. Hm. Still, not sure that's enough.
Any chance I could get the rundown on how gadgets work? I saw before the difference between relatively cheap temp items versus permanant. I'd just like to know how to price those so I can get an idea of whats involved.
Having second...third?...thoughts about nerd-slayer. With the various bonuses, it's waaaay too easy to get sixes and fives in just about every stat. This strikes me as a character who lacks interesting bumpy parts where they're out of their element.
Except social situations, I suppose. Hm. Still, not sure that's enough.
Any chance I could get the rundown on how gadgets work? I saw before the difference between relatively cheap temp items versus permanant. I'd just like to know how to price those so I can get an idea of whats involved.
To be fair, this is a Buffy game, and set in (mostly) university. Social situations will be fairly common. Also, while being spread out evenly may make you decent at combat as well as certain mental stuff, it won't leave you specialized enough to doing the truly awe-inspiring stuff - so, sure you could do cool backflips, or flying kicks fairly easily, but with associated penalties, you might not being doing them at the same time against multiple foes.
And now for a brief rundown on magic and superscience...
Buffy RPG takes the "menu-driven/point buy" approach to magic. While there are some spells in the books taken from the show, they are generally used as examples for how the menu/point buy works.
Typically, when someone needs a spell, they must consult some sort of Occult Library, and then research the spell.
Researching a spell:
1. Player (with Narrator consultation) determines what they want the spell to do. Generally, spells in Buffy err towards the way specific rather than the general use ones (ie: you might find a Flay My Ex-Love spell, rather than a generic Flay That Guy spell)
2. Using the menus, determine the power level of the spell. Generally, the longer a spell lasts, more people it affects, further away it can be cast, more significant its effect, the higher its' power level. Generally, power level ranges between 1 to 7. There are some things that can reduce the power level (longer casting time, requiring extra casting assistants, rare spell ingredients, etc.)
3. Once power level is set, research requires a Occultism + Intelligence roll. If number of successes >= power level, spell found, and you cross off one available spell in the Occult Library (it is always there; just takes up one of the spell slots in the library)
4. Casting the spell requires an Occultism + Willpower + Sorcery level roll. If number of successes >= power level, spell is cast. If not enough successes, but result still 9+, spell mishap occurs.
So what's superscience? Buffy RPG takes the Arthur C. Clarke view - sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
Magic and superscience are simply two different "skins" on the same mechanical system. Where a magic spell might be "Ghost's Passing", an Enchanted Item might be "Elven Cloak", and a superscience item might be "Alpha-level Stealth Suit", they all effectively render the user invisible.
Enchanted Items and Superscience Devices are simply spells in item form. If they are of the assemblage variety, they can be used once, and then kaput. Permanent ones have no such limit (unless built into the item to reduce its power level).
How to get such items? Two qualities from the Magic Box
Enchanted Item/ Superscience Device (2Q per level) - You start with an enchanted item or superscience device of a power level equal or lower than your level in this quality. Determining the power level of an item is pretty much the same as a spell, except that permanent items get +1 to their power level because they're reusable. Again, there are restrictions that can be applied to reduce the power level. The catch with this quality si that if you lose the item, it's not automatically replaced, nor are your Qualtiy points reimbursed. Life's not fair.
Enchanter / Superscientist (5Q per level) - You can make enchanted items or superscience devices (not both - pick one). Determine the power level of the item as before. If you build it as an assemblage, then it takes 20 minutes or so and is one-shot. Otherwise it takes 2 weeks per power level. In either event, you need to make either a Occultism + Intelligence or Science + Intelligence roll to find the spells or scientific white papers needed to design it. There's a list of required spell ingredients depending on the power level as well (ie, demon horn for enchanted items, rare moon rocks for superscience devices, etc.), and some experience must be spent as well (putting a little you in your item). At the end of the process, you need a Occultism + Willpower or Science + Intelligence roll to see if you were successful. Mishaps possible as with spell casting.
Some examples from the series - the anti-Glory Dagon Sphere is a level 6 enchanted item, Warren's Freeze Ray was a level 3 superscience device, and a typical glamour is power level 4.
Herobizkit
Adventurer
I'm very excited to start this, but I am going away for the long weekend and won't be online much, if at all, until at least Tuesday.
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