Re:^2 Cool Start
Thorin Stoutfoot said:
Why would a department be important? Everyone would come from the same department, right? I'm trying to model Gatchaman, so I guess I'd ignore department rules. I'm still not completely sold on Spycraft yet.
This idea here would be that while all of the science ninja work for the same agency, their specific training (represented by their Department) might be somewhat different. The departments in Spycraft Lite only indicate what they give you at first level (the same restriction was aplied to the feat list and class descriptions). The full ones grow with the agent. Each department includes an ability score modifier (not a big deal when doing specific modeling/conversion such as in this case), plus 2-3 special talents and a feat choice from a particular feat tree. The 2-3 tallent generaly go up with level.
So, if Ken was from D-0 (home office) he would be getting a +2 on any action die he rolled, 3 more cross class skills of his choice, and a covert or chase feat. While the restriction to covert or chase trees for his "racial" feat represents a little bit of a restriction (though I can see him taking Jump up, Traceless, or Firm Hand pretty easily) it's not a bad trade for plusses on action dice (especially since he can give them to others
).
Thorin Stoutfoot said:
I don't like Wounds/Vitality. They're a black mark against Spycraft, to be honest. I like the massive damage threshold rules in CoC and d20 Modern better, so I'll stick with those.
Fair enough
. Given the way criticals work in Spycraft (with action dice instead of a confirming roll) you might find our version works a bit differently than SW...
Thorin Stoutfoot said:
I have to admit, I like the chase rules in Spycraft a lot. They look like they'll work pretty cool. Do the full Spycraft rules include vehicle to vehicle combat, missiles, etc, flying? I'm trying to figure out how to model the G-5 plane with everyone in separate stations, etc. The plane obviously doesn't fly at full capacity without everyone on board, so I need to give everyone something to do. I'm thinking of building a vehicle control system similar to the old FASA Trek RPG control system. (One person controls power allocation, another controls deflector shields, a third flys the plane, a fourth is the weapons officer, and a fifth does the command)
Because the pilot's actions are limited, extra crew can help in a lot of different ways. A separate gunner (Joe!) is a great thing to have. Can see Ken using his Tactics ability and spending his time giving cooperation bonuses to everyone else.
The rules in the Spycraft Espionage Handbook (the hardcover) are geared primarily for pursuit situations. Theres about 25 pages in the Soldier / Wheelman Guide devoted to expanding the chase system. Some of that is adding options for aircraft like using altitude to advantage. A big chunk is turning it into a full vehicle combat system with new manuevers and dealing with situations like head-on charges and vehicles circling to gain advantage.
Thorin Stoutfoot said:
Heal=First Aid? Any difference in skill descriptions? Similarly, are the name change for Survival/Wilderness Lore purely gratituous?
Mostly to lose some of the archaic feel
. First Aid can do a bit more than 'Heaaling' mechanically, since their are so many modern tools that can be brought to bear.
Thorin Stoutfoot said:
Does Spycraft has rules for vehicles? I'm really desperately trying not to spend money on a game I won't get to play for a year, so I was going to wait for the mecha rules in the next Dungeon.
Vehicles? Oh yeah
!
Again, there's a good selection in the SEH (including a gadet from transforming vehicles from one type to annother~ single-prop plane to jet fighter anyone?), but the Sol/Whl Guide has a heap of new vehicle types, more gadgets, and a massive bundle of vehicular weapons.
(about Ken's write-up)
Thorin Stoutfoot said:
Glad you like it. I'm working on Joe next. He should be great. (I'm having trouble coming up with special abilities for Jinpei and Ryu, however)
Well, I just watched the OAVs again, and in those, Jinpei's definitely a hacker- which usually means Snoop for lower level characters. This sounds promising, as he appears to be the engineer on the God Phoenix~ Electronics and Mechanics are class skills for Snoops, and the jury-rig ability could be very helpful in a team-opperated vehicle. The Hacker prestige class is also up on the site if you want to look at a possible 6th level for Jinpei.
Ryu's a moose. I agree with the other poster that he's a Strength guy. Sugest Wheelman with the Martial Arts and Punching Basics feats (check out the "knockback" on palm strike
).
). For full on combat, like dog fighting or demoliton derbies, you can do them with SEH, but you're better off with the Sol/Whl, where there are more options for fighting and bigger guns. It also includes a lot more material for customizing vehicles.
