Wing and Sword: a d20 Modern military campaign [METAGAME]
- Thread starter The Shaman
- Start date
The Shaman
First Post
Yeah, they should print the Tour brochures with a little legend on the mountain top finishes that reads, "LANCE ATTACKS HERE!"Bobitron said:
Even so, I'm amazed at the hurt he put on the field today. Basso's the only one who's even close, and he's more than two minutes down already - no one's ever made up that much time on LA. Vino finished FIVE MINUTES off the leaders today - he's done. Kloden's done. Ullrich got dropped hard - he's done. Heras finished ten minutes back - done.
This was the stage the contenders needed to show something - and they did, but not what they hoped for.
The Shaman
First Post
Whew! That one took awhile. I apologize in advance for the length. :\
Please let me know if you have problems downloading the map. On the road to the left are three vehicles - the paras' truck is the one with the OD cab and the brown tarp. The Skoda has the yellow cab and the gray tarp - the jeep is (unfortunately) an indistinct blob in .jpg format. Next to the road is an irrigation ditch, brown with a streak of blue through it. The tan areas on either side of the road are wheatfields. The road bed is slightly elevated above the surrounding terrain. The squares are 10' by 10'.
Please let me know if you have problems downloading the map. On the road to the left are three vehicles - the paras' truck is the one with the OD cab and the brown tarp. The Skoda has the yellow cab and the gray tarp - the jeep is (unfortunately) an indistinct blob in .jpg format. Next to the road is an irrigation ditch, brown with a streak of blue through it. The tan areas on either side of the road are wheatfields. The road bed is slightly elevated above the surrounding terrain. The squares are 10' by 10'.
The Shaman
First Post
Updated House Rules
House Rules Compendium - revised July 2005
The following house rules will be used in Wing and Sword. Please feel free to ask for clarification of any of these house rules at any time before or during play.
Parachuting
Parachuting is treated as jumping down from 20' - first make a Jump check (DC 15) to reduce the Reflex save DC by 1. A successful Tumble check (DC 15) reduces the Reflex save DC by 1 more. If a character makes successful Jump and Tumble checks, then the Reflex save is DC 10 - the character automatically takes 10 for no damage.
The character then makes a Reflex save (DC 10 +1 per ten feet fallen - so that's either DC 11 or 12, depending on the Jump check and Tumble check, if applicable); a successful save results in no damage rather than half damage. Failing the Reflex score by 5 or less results in 2d6 nonlethal damage; failing it by more than 5 results in 1d6 lethal damage and 1d6 nonlethal damage.
Suppression Fire (adapted from Spycraft Lite)
As a full round action, you can lay down suppression fire on an enemy. This uses 5 shots, and can only be used if you have 5 rounds left in your weapon. When you lay down suppression fire, an enemy must duck behind cover or concealment on his next action or you automatically gain an Attack of Opportunity against him. As long as you keep this up (remember, 5 shots a round), and your enemy remains in the open, you may keep making attacks of opportunity each round. Suppression fire may also trigger a Cool check at the GM’s discretion. Attacks of opportunity incur a -4 circumstance modifier unless the character has the Suppressive Fire feat.
Covering Fire (adapted from Spycraft Lite)
As a full round action, you may provide cover fire for an ally. This uses 5 shots, and may only be used if you have 5 shots left in your weapon. When you lay down covering fire, one enemy gets a -4 to attack rolls for the round. Covering fire may also trigger a Cool check at the GM’s discretion.
Cool Checks (adapted from Rich Redman’s article Cool under Fire from the “Notes from the Bunker” series)
This rules variant requires each combatant to make a "cool check" at GM’s discretion during combat and other dangerous encounters – likely instances requiring Cool checks include taking damage from melee or ranged weapons, coming under suppression fire, or performing an activity which requires multiple skill checks to complete (such as climbing a high cliff). Any time a GM decides that a life-or-death situation requires characters to act in initiative order, Cool checks may occur. The system applies to GM characters as well as to heroes, since they too can suffer the effects of losing their cool.
-- Making Cool Checks
To make a cool check, roll 1d20 and add your hero's total Will saving throw bonus and the modifiers for his starting occupation and the situation (see tables below). The DC for a cool check is always 15. Characters cannot take 10 or 20 on cool checks -- if they could, the situation wouldn't be tense enough to merit one in the first place. A hero may spend action points on a cool check, and the usual rules for spending action points apply.
-- Succeeding on Cool Checks
Any hero who succeeds on a cool check can act normally for that round. Additional benefits apply for success by a significant margin. The following benefits seem appropriate.
Success by a margin of 5 to 10 grants the hero a +2 morale bonus on attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and cool checks until her next action.
Success by a margin of 10 or more grants her the same morale bonus as above and also grants the same bonus to each of her allies within 30 feet. This bonus lasts until the successful hero's next action.
As noted below, however, the cumulative penalty for each successive round ensures that she will fail eventually if the combat continues long enough. The consequences for failure warrant caution even from those who succeed in keeping their cool.
-- Failing Cool Checks
The consequences of failing a cool check depend on how badly the character fails. See the Character Condition Summary in Chapter Five: Combat of the d20 Modern Roleplaying Game for explanations of the conditions mentioned below.
Failure by a margin of 5 or less means the hero is stunned for 1 round.
Failure by a margin of 5 to 10 means the character is shaken, and the -2 penalty for that condition applies to subsequent cool checks as well. Such a character remains shaken until he succeeds at a cool check (see Succeeding at Cool Checks, above), fails a cool check by 10 or more (see below), or the encounter ends.
Failure by a margin of 10 or more means the character is panicked. If he can move far enough in a single round to be out of sight of the combat, he flees. Otherwise, he moves behind the nearest source of total cover (GM's decision) and cowers. The character continues to make Cool checks every round but suffers no consequences for additional failures.
-- Recovering your Cool
At the end of an encounter, every surviving and conscious character makes a final cool check. Those who succeed can act normally; those who fail become fatigued. (See the Character Condition Summary in Chapter Five: Combat of the d20 Modern Roleplaying Game for an explanation of this condition.)
Vehicle Acceleration
From a standing start a vehicle may move up to one-quarter its maximum speed on the first round, one-half its maximum speed on the second round, and maximum speed on the third and subsequent rounds.
If a vehicle in motion is operated at less than half-speed, the vehicle may increase its speed by one-quarter its maximum speed on the next round and may move at maximum speed each round thereafter until its speed drop to less than one-half maximum.
Kneeling
Kneeling, sitting or dropping prone is a free action. Rising from a kneeling position is either a free action or a move action at the GM’s discretion – a character may drop to one knee (to receive a Defense bump, for example) and rise as a free action, while a character praying from a kneeling position would rise as a move action.
Rising from sitting or prone still requires a move action to complete.
Clubs and batons
Clubs and batons may do non-lethal damage without penalty at the discretion of the wielder. The player must specify before making an attack roll if the damage is lethal or non-lethal.
Revised skill: Knowledge (military science)
The revised Knowledge skill reads as follows:
Knowledge (military science): Military organization and administration, history and traditions, combat tactics and maneuver, logistics, and military justice.
Knowledge (military science) provides the same benefits outlined by the present rules and meets the prerequisite for any class ability, skill, or feat as the present Knowledge (tactics) skill. In addition, Knowledge (military science) has a number of other uses. For example:
The new Craft skill reads as follows:
Craft (culinary arts): Food preparation, menu planning, and food preservation and storage.
Examples of Craft (culinary arts) in the game:
Possible synergies include Diplomacy, Knowledge (history), and Bluff.
Revised feats: Concealable Armor Proficiency, Tactical Armor Proficiency, and Archaic Armor Proficiency
The light, medium, and heavy armor feats are replaced by the Concealable Armor Proficiency, Tactical Armor Proficiency, and Archaic Armor Proficiency feats
Concealable Armor Proficiency
You are proficient with concealable armor (see Table 4-9).
Benefit: When you wear a type of armor with which you are proficient, you get to add the armor’s entire equipment bonus to your Defense.
Normal: A character who wears armor with which s/he is not proficient takes an armor penalty on checks involving the following skills: Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Move Silently, and Tumble. Also, a character who wears armor with which s/he is not proficient adds only a portion of the armor’s equipment bonus to her Defense.
Tactical Armor Proficiency
You are proficient with tactical armor (see Table 4-9).
Benefit: See Concealable Armor Proficiency.
Normal: See Concealable Armor Proficiency
Archaic Armor Proficiency
You are proficient with archaic armor (see Table 4-9).
Benefit: See Concealable Armor Proficiency.
Normal: See Concealable Armor Proficiency.
Impromptu armor does not require a feat to use proficiently.
Alternate pre-requisites for advanced classes
This is a partial list.
The Reputation bonus is added to any social skill check (Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather Information, Intimidate) that involves interacting with members of the French Army – for example, a legionnaire requesting a pass using Diplomacy or attempting to sneak contraband using Bluff would add his Reputation to his skill check as a bonus.
House Rules Compendium - revised July 2005
The following house rules will be used in Wing and Sword. Please feel free to ask for clarification of any of these house rules at any time before or during play.
Parachuting
Parachuting is treated as jumping down from 20' - first make a Jump check (DC 15) to reduce the Reflex save DC by 1. A successful Tumble check (DC 15) reduces the Reflex save DC by 1 more. If a character makes successful Jump and Tumble checks, then the Reflex save is DC 10 - the character automatically takes 10 for no damage.
The character then makes a Reflex save (DC 10 +1 per ten feet fallen - so that's either DC 11 or 12, depending on the Jump check and Tumble check, if applicable); a successful save results in no damage rather than half damage. Failing the Reflex score by 5 or less results in 2d6 nonlethal damage; failing it by more than 5 results in 1d6 lethal damage and 1d6 nonlethal damage.
Suppression Fire (adapted from Spycraft Lite)
As a full round action, you can lay down suppression fire on an enemy. This uses 5 shots, and can only be used if you have 5 rounds left in your weapon. When you lay down suppression fire, an enemy must duck behind cover or concealment on his next action or you automatically gain an Attack of Opportunity against him. As long as you keep this up (remember, 5 shots a round), and your enemy remains in the open, you may keep making attacks of opportunity each round. Suppression fire may also trigger a Cool check at the GM’s discretion. Attacks of opportunity incur a -4 circumstance modifier unless the character has the Suppressive Fire feat.
Covering Fire (adapted from Spycraft Lite)
As a full round action, you may provide cover fire for an ally. This uses 5 shots, and may only be used if you have 5 shots left in your weapon. When you lay down covering fire, one enemy gets a -4 to attack rolls for the round. Covering fire may also trigger a Cool check at the GM’s discretion.
Cool Checks (adapted from Rich Redman’s article Cool under Fire from the “Notes from the Bunker” series)
This rules variant requires each combatant to make a "cool check" at GM’s discretion during combat and other dangerous encounters – likely instances requiring Cool checks include taking damage from melee or ranged weapons, coming under suppression fire, or performing an activity which requires multiple skill checks to complete (such as climbing a high cliff). Any time a GM decides that a life-or-death situation requires characters to act in initiative order, Cool checks may occur. The system applies to GM characters as well as to heroes, since they too can suffer the effects of losing their cool.
-- Making Cool Checks
To make a cool check, roll 1d20 and add your hero's total Will saving throw bonus and the modifiers for his starting occupation and the situation (see tables below). The DC for a cool check is always 15. Characters cannot take 10 or 20 on cool checks -- if they could, the situation wouldn't be tense enough to merit one in the first place. A hero may spend action points on a cool check, and the usual rules for spending action points apply.
-- Succeeding on Cool Checks
Any hero who succeeds on a cool check can act normally for that round. Additional benefits apply for success by a significant margin. The following benefits seem appropriate.
Success by a margin of 5 to 10 grants the hero a +2 morale bonus on attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and cool checks until her next action.
Success by a margin of 10 or more grants her the same morale bonus as above and also grants the same bonus to each of her allies within 30 feet. This bonus lasts until the successful hero's next action.
As noted below, however, the cumulative penalty for each successive round ensures that she will fail eventually if the combat continues long enough. The consequences for failure warrant caution even from those who succeed in keeping their cool.
-- Failing Cool Checks
The consequences of failing a cool check depend on how badly the character fails. See the Character Condition Summary in Chapter Five: Combat of the d20 Modern Roleplaying Game for explanations of the conditions mentioned below.
Failure by a margin of 5 or less means the hero is stunned for 1 round.
Failure by a margin of 5 to 10 means the character is shaken, and the -2 penalty for that condition applies to subsequent cool checks as well. Such a character remains shaken until he succeeds at a cool check (see Succeeding at Cool Checks, above), fails a cool check by 10 or more (see below), or the encounter ends.
Failure by a margin of 10 or more means the character is panicked. If he can move far enough in a single round to be out of sight of the combat, he flees. Otherwise, he moves behind the nearest source of total cover (GM's decision) and cowers. The character continues to make Cool checks every round but suffers no consequences for additional failures.
-- Recovering your Cool
At the end of an encounter, every surviving and conscious character makes a final cool check. Those who succeed can act normally; those who fail become fatigued. (See the Character Condition Summary in Chapter Five: Combat of the d20 Modern Roleplaying Game for an explanation of this condition.)
Code:
Cool Check Modifiers from Starting Occupations
Occupation Modifier
Academic -2
Adventurer +1
Athlete +1
Blue Collar +1
Celebrity -2
Creative -2
Criminal +2
Dilettante -2
Doctor +2
Emergency Services +2
Entrepreneur +1
Investigative +1
Law Enforcement +3
Military +3
Religious +1
Rural +0
Student -2
Technician +0
White Collar -1
Code:
Cool Check Modifiers from Events and Conditions
Event or Condition Modifier
Taking damage since your last action ...
...1-5 points -1
...6-10 points -2
...> 10 pts. -3
...Enough to force a massive damage check -4
Opponents used explosives since your last action -2
Opponents used fire (white phosphorous, flame thrower, etc.) since your last action -2
Opponents outnumber heroes -1
Opponents have automatic weapons and heroes don't -1
One or more opponents acted in the surprise round -1
Each ally rendered unconscious, disabled, or dying since your last action -2
Each ally panicked or cowering since your last action -1
Each ally pinned since your last action -1
A successful Intimidate check against you -1
Heroes outnumber opponents +1
Heroes have automatic weapons and opponents don't +1
One or more heroes acted on the surprise round +1
Each opponent rendered unconscious, disabled, or dying since your last action +2
Each opponent panicked or cowering since your last action +1
Each opponent pinned since your last action +1Vehicle Acceleration
From a standing start a vehicle may move up to one-quarter its maximum speed on the first round, one-half its maximum speed on the second round, and maximum speed on the third and subsequent rounds.
If a vehicle in motion is operated at less than half-speed, the vehicle may increase its speed by one-quarter its maximum speed on the next round and may move at maximum speed each round thereafter until its speed drop to less than one-half maximum.
Kneeling
Kneeling, sitting or dropping prone is a free action. Rising from a kneeling position is either a free action or a move action at the GM’s discretion – a character may drop to one knee (to receive a Defense bump, for example) and rise as a free action, while a character praying from a kneeling position would rise as a move action.
Rising from sitting or prone still requires a move action to complete.
Clubs and batons
Clubs and batons may do non-lethal damage without penalty at the discretion of the wielder. The player must specify before making an attack roll if the damage is lethal or non-lethal.
Revised skill: Knowledge (military science)
The revised Knowledge skill reads as follows:
Knowledge (military science): Military organization and administration, history and traditions, combat tactics and maneuver, logistics, and military justice.
Knowledge (military science) provides the same benefits outlined by the present rules and meets the prerequisite for any class ability, skill, or feat as the present Knowledge (tactics) skill. In addition, Knowledge (military science) has a number of other uses. For example:
- a character with Knowledge (military science) observing another character in uniform can identify the country and branch of service (DC 15), the character’s rank (DC 20) and unit (DC 25), what service medals the character has won by her or his ribbons (DC 30), and that at least one of the ribbons is fake because the character couldn’t possibly have been present in the theatre of operations to receive it (DC 35)
- a character using Knowledge (military science) studying satellite photos of a military installation can identify that the installation is a fuel and weapons depot (DC 15) for mechanized infantry (DC 20) in at least battalion strength (DC 25)
- Knowledge (military science) provides a synergy bonus to Knowledge (civics) for military justice including courts martial – anyone interested in playing a JAG attorney or NIS agent?
- Knowledge (military science) provides a synergy bonus to Knowledge (technology) for identifying the capabilities of a new weapons system
- Knowledge (military science) provides a synergy bonus to Knowledge (history) for the location of bunkers built for a battle decades ago
The new Craft skill reads as follows:
Craft (culinary arts): Food preparation, menu planning, and food preservation and storage.
Examples of Craft (culinary arts) in the game:
- Recognizing the ingredients of a dish by taste or presentation
- Preserving foods for travel
- Correctly planning rations needed for an expedition
- Preparing a cordon bleu meal
- Identifying a fine wine
Possible synergies include Diplomacy, Knowledge (history), and Bluff.
Revised feats: Concealable Armor Proficiency, Tactical Armor Proficiency, and Archaic Armor Proficiency
The light, medium, and heavy armor feats are replaced by the Concealable Armor Proficiency, Tactical Armor Proficiency, and Archaic Armor Proficiency feats
Concealable Armor Proficiency
You are proficient with concealable armor (see Table 4-9).
Benefit: When you wear a type of armor with which you are proficient, you get to add the armor’s entire equipment bonus to your Defense.
Normal: A character who wears armor with which s/he is not proficient takes an armor penalty on checks involving the following skills: Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Move Silently, and Tumble. Also, a character who wears armor with which s/he is not proficient adds only a portion of the armor’s equipment bonus to her Defense.
Tactical Armor Proficiency
You are proficient with tactical armor (see Table 4-9).
Benefit: See Concealable Armor Proficiency.
Normal: See Concealable Armor Proficiency
Archaic Armor Proficiency
You are proficient with archaic armor (see Table 4-9).
Benefit: See Concealable Armor Proficiency.
Normal: See Concealable Armor Proficiency.
Impromptu armor does not require a feat to use proficiently.
Alternate pre-requisites for advanced classes
This is a partial list.
- Daredevil AdC: Player may substitute ranks in Ride or Balance for Drive
The Reputation bonus is added to any social skill check (Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather Information, Intimidate) that involves interacting with members of the French Army – for example, a legionnaire requesting a pass using Diplomacy or attempting to sneak contraband using Bluff would add his Reputation to his skill check as a bonus.
Last edited:
The Shaman
First Post
About 99% of the time, patrol will mean walking up and down steep mountains.Barak said:
The paras (and the legionnaires generally) typically went where the sector troops (infantry, armor, artillery) couldn't or wouldn't go (i.e., anyplace without roads).
About the only people in the 1st REP that regularly spent time in vehicles were the recce company, using jeeps that could be paradropped if necessary.
BTW, HAPPY BASTILLE DAY, EVERYONE!
Last edited:
The Shaman
First Post
shadowbloodmoon said:
In all seriousness, you guys are making this the most enjoyable game I've ever played.Bobitron said:
The Shaman
First Post
No worries - I wasn't expecting him to resume until next week actually, so I've been keeping his 'part' small for the time being.Bobitron said:
There's a lot of encounter left...
![:]](http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/devious.png "Devious :]")
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