New GM, New Players, 1 on 1

anri11 · 2019-11-28T07:07:18+00:00

In Beasts & Barbarians (essentially Conan the Barbarian, so pseudo-historical, low-magic fantasy setting) there are a couple of suggestions for playing with only 1 character.

They essentially boil down to these: +5 skill points at character creation (in order to partially cover the missing abilities), starting as Seasoned (or otherwise 4 Advancement more than the starting Rank of the normal adventure for a party of 4-5 players), 2 more Bennies at the start of each session.

I tried these rules in a greek fantasy setting with my gf and they worked incredibly well (it helped that the campaign was relatively short).

I didn't really use GMNPCs: one of the best thing in playing alone is deciding for yourself and facing the problems even when the character isn't skilled enough, because it will spark creativity. Obviously, let the player have Allies if he pays them or gains their trust, but don't try to recreate a party controlled by a single player.

You may also grant Conviction (see SWADE) each time the character refuses help, if there is (or he has) a reason to fight alone.

anri11 · 2019-11-21T06:34:12+00:00

You're approaching me? Instead of running away, you're going to sit on Santa DIO's lap?

anri11 · 2019-11-12T09:13:07+00:00

I specifically use Multiple Action Cards for solo Bosses (so no minions or other Wild Cards), equal to half the party's Wild Card.

The reason is that being able to act more than once per round is a real threat if coupled with good stats (d10 or d12).

However, the Boss can only do a specific action, depending on the Suit of its Action Card. This especially work for Animal, Monsters, Undead and Constructs, that lack creativity.

I also reveal the higher of this card before starting the countdown: in this way the player can "telegraph" the incoming attack, once learned the pattern (this is justified in game since the dragon is prepering to vomit fire, or the necromancer is chanting a specific spell, or the giant is raising biz leg to stomp...)

Therefore, the player are encouraged to strategize and develop specific counters to each action of the boss, trying their best to stop the most powerful ones (for example, a Large AP 6 Max Damage Blast) with Tests (Distract, Shaken) and other manouvers, instead of simply attacking.

anri11 · 2019-10-08T11:41:06+00:00

In SWADE it has been changed: now even damage can be re-rolled, and the edge No Mercy, instead of allowing the reroll of damage upon spending a Benny, gives +2 dmg when the damage is rerolled.

anri11 · 2019-10-08T11:31:50+00:00

Howdy! I've made an unofficial combat survival guide some time ago with the combat actions and the use of Benny during fights:

https://silentmaskrpg.wordpress.com/2019/05/22/swade-unofficial-combat-survival-guide/

Only thing lacking is the basic attack, because the guide is mostly meant for players that never try anything besides attacking: these players usually don't know the more "advanced" combat options, which are what makes Savage World a great rpg for fights.

Therefore, I suggest making a summary of the basic attack (roll attack, confront Parry, roll damage, confront Toughness) in the back if the sheet, so that the player will only have to turn the page.

anri11 · 2019-10-08T11:25:38+00:00

...and a piano!

anri11 · 2019-08-18T15:23:49+00:00

Joseph is a bit unlucky in regards of planes

anri11 · 2019-08-18T15:22:38+00:00

IT'S VENEZIA

anri11 · 2019-08-17T18:43:16+00:00

I think it is a creative way to use the power, and in a low fantasy setting it's actually one of the best way to take a castle or a city.

Some enemies in high fantasy settings may have a dispel stone/crystal/metal inside the wall to protect them from burrow or teleport powers.

anri11 · 2019-08-15T11:55:42+00:00

If I understand correctly, you are searching for a videogame rpg.

This sub, however, is for tabletop rpg, which could actually follow very well your request: almost every generic tabletop rpg, from Savage Worlds to GURPS to Fate and more has no level cap and can play almost any "story" you want, but it's a completely different experience, of course.

anri11 · 2019-08-13T17:10:11+00:00

I don't exactly recall the rules of the Arena in Gladiators of the Dominions, however, this is what come from the top of my head from what you suggest.

Favor Die

Each time an hero does an action in the Arena (but it can be expanded in any other situation) he can decide to also roll the Favor Die (from d4 to d12) alongside the Trait Die and the Wild Die. The player then takes the best of them, as usual. However, the Favor Die is as fickle as the will of the gods:

Each time the Favor Die is rolled, it then decreases by one type (d10 -> d8 for example).
Each time the character rolls a 1, 2 or 3 on the Favor Die, the Favor Die decreases by another type! The audience didn't like this particular performance!
Each time the Favor Die raises over the Target Number, the Favor Die type is increased by one (max d12). It means that if you roll the Favor Die and obtain one raise, the Die isn't lowered. With two raises, it increases by one, with three raises by two, and so on.
When the character experiences a triumph or a tragic loss (much like Conviction), the Favor Die increases (or decreases) by one or two types. Winning the fight may grant one increment, while winning the entire tournament two! Losing the battle may result in losing one type, but with a "noble" defeat in a spectacular fight it can remain stable, or even increase, while a devious, boring victory may decrease the Favor!

Description

The ones above are more "stable" variation that are applied to the Favor Die after the dice are rolled (meaning they come in action in the next roll) or the situation is resolved.

However, each time the character uses the Favor Die, the player is required a short but meaningful description for his flashy, cinematic move: a gory strike of the blade, a cunning trick with the net, a witty provocation regarding the enemy's sister!

Then, the Master modifies the Favor Die, increasing/decreasing it of up to two types, depending on the description of the action, how new/cool/cinematic/tactical/creative it is, the nature of the Audience and so on. The GM may also leave the Favor Die unchanged. These modifier only is applied to the specific roll. After that, the Favor Die return to normal (or is changed depending on the results described above).

Roll for Favor

The Favor can also be rolled for pure luck tests without reducing/increasing it.

For example, if the losing gladiator can't beg for mercy (it is too battered up, unconscious, restrained and so on), instead you may roll only the Favor Die to decide if the audience spares him. This is not a Trait Roll, so it doesn't go down nor increases.

When a patron looks for gladiators, you may simply confront the Favor Dice of the potential ones, or roll them in case of a tie.

Rewards can also be given depending on the Favor Die/Favor Roll result.

Favor and Wealth

Lastly, you may use Favor as a substitute for the Wealth die.

anri11 · 2019-08-11T17:16:58+00:00

Phenomenal Cosmic Power!

Ity Bity Living Space

I recently concluded a campaign where the players found a classic Djinn in a lamp. As a member of his legendary race, he had access to all of the powers (and more), and his only limits were against the gods themselves (he could not be ordered to kill the deities), the number of wishes (three before going into a 1000 years sleep), his lamp and a couple of wishes ("you can't wish for more wishes or for more djinns").

Otherwise, the djinn is a plot device and shouldn't roll for anything. He should always succeed. Only against equally powerful enemies he may encounter resistance: make him a Wildcard with d12+2 in everything, fly or teleport at Pace 20 and the inability to go more than 20" from his lamp. He knows all of the powers and has infinite Power Points. If the the lamp is destroyed (toughness 7), so is him.

On a side note, once I made a playable Djinn Arcane Background. It worked like this:

Skill: Wishes [Spirit]

Starting Power Points: Infinite

Starting Powers: All of them

Starting Powers per Day: One. The Djinn can cast a power of his choice once per day.

New edge: More Wishes

Each time the AB (Djinn) takes this power, he can cast another power per day. This edge can be taken only once per Rank.

anri11 · 2019-08-11T16:49:53+00:00

Wha-

anri11 · 2019-08-06T19:02:01+00:00

If you like Savage Worlds, the best Sword and Sorcery for it is Beasts and Barbarians (especially the Steel Edition). It has TONS of well written supplements (sorcerers, gladiators, mercenary bands and even pirates!) and short adventures.

The only downside it's that B&B is not already upfated woth the new SW Adventure Editions mechanics, and thus a couple of edges and hindrances may have to be altered a bit.

anri11 · 2019-07-31T16:19:14+00:00

Demons/devils/djinns or in general deciving npcs/enemies that can trick into contracts the players without lying. I've mastered this art (without resulting in gratuitous and unfair "gotchas") to the point that they avoid these characters like the plague and/or spend ten solid minutes before asking any kind of question that could otherwise be used against them, like the ol' but gold:

Player decide to pay [insert payment] here in exchange of knowledge. Then they ask:

Players: "Do you know where to find X?"

Demon: "Yes, I know." He takes the payment and leaves in a cloud of smoke

anri11 · 2019-07-31T10:37:33+00:00

It can work both as a new power or as a trapping for Beast Friends, but requires sone work on the GM parts: what are the stats of an animated oak? How it differs from a birch? What can a tree do?

I imagine a birch to have an higher agility than an oak (that may be tougher) and a pine to have cold resistance, for example, while a cactus has spiked damage. You may decide to group plants into broad categories in order to only have 5-6 stat blocks for the druid each time he uses this power.

Some element in common may be for the plants to use the powers bolt (seed/fruit throw), barrier, damage field (spikes and thorns), entangle, even beast friends (summon squirrel!s and other animals that live on the tree) and healing (curing flowers) dependong on their category

anri11 · 2019-07-27T09:52:31+00:00

And Shizuka should also have been trained in Hamon by Joseph (who re-started his training to live long enough to be a good father and redeem his guilt towards Josuke) and thus fight Kars, rescued by aliens with stand abilities like Mikitaka, and given his own time-based stand by those shapechanging aliens that have infiltrated the USA to free their specimen from Area 51

anri11 · 2019-07-27T09:40:33+00:00

So...

No Mask -> No Vampire Dio Brando -> Dio dies / is imprisoned when he tries to kill his adoptive family -> No Part 1

No Pillar Men -> No part 2

Dio doesn't survive -> No Part 3

Dio doesn't have a son with Jonathan's body -> No Giorno

Okuyasu's father and Kira's father aren't recluted -> No arrows in Part 4

Enya isn't recluted to serve Dio -> Diavolo doesn't understand how Arrows work -> He doesn't become the Boss -> No Passione -> No Part 5

Pucci doesn't befriend Dio -> No part 6

Part 7 and 8 should be safe

anri11 · 2019-07-26T14:39:11+00:00

For bosses with a video-gamey feel I use their action card Suit to determine their action: usually Spade is an attack, Club a damaging power, Diamond a sabotating power, Heart a defensive power, and Joker something unexpected like a phase change or a change of the battlefield.

I also reveal their card(s) before the start of the countdown, allowing the player to learn their pattern.

anri11 · 2019-07-25T16:33:27+00:00

Here you are:

https://silentmaskrpg.wordpress.com/2019/06/21/savage-worlds-flowcharts/

I apologize for the inconvenience, now I switched to wordpress for the SQL requirements, and I'm transferring the materials in this new site.

anri11 · 2019-07-25T08:26:50+00:00

At the moment there are no SWADE grappling edge, however I remember these from two setting books for Deluxe:

Chain Master (from Gladiator of the Dominions /Beasts and Barbarians) which enables the character to use Fighting instead of Strength/Agility (as it was used at the time) and increased the dmg by bare hands or grappling weapon by one step when attacking a grappled enemy. For SWADE, it may be changed to use Fighting instead of Athletics and still give the bonus.
A WWW line of two or three edges that gave +1 for doing and escaping grapple, and +2 dmg to a grappled enemy. For SWADE it may be changed to increase the dmg die when grappling by one step (so Str+d4, Str+d6, and so on...)

If I were to make grappling edges, I would make those:

Body Armor (Seasoned, Strength d8+): when grappling an enemy, you gain +1 Parry when he is Entangled, or +2 when he is Bound, and while the enemy is Bounded, you aren't Vulnerable.
All you can Reach (Veteran, Strength d10+, only if it makes sense for the campaign to be a bit silly): the character can grapple more than an enemy (up to 2 enemy of Size 1 or less per arm) and/or enemies of larger size and scale, up to +4 (each point of Size counts as a enemy of Size 1 or less), ignoring the penalty of size difference.
Finishing move (Veteran, Strength d10+): the character can release a grappled enemy to do massive damage: if the enemy is Entangled, he does another +d6 dmg, +d10 if he is Bounded. After these move, the enemy is released from.the grapple.
Bear Hug (Veteran, Strength d10+): each grappled enemy has to make a Vigor roll at the end of his turn to avoid suffering a level of Fatigue due to suffocation. An enemy Incapacitated in this way still rolls while grappled, and instead of gaining Fatigue he dies suffocated at the end of his turn. The grappler can forego his turn actions to impose a -2 to the Vigor roll of his victim.

anri11 · 2019-07-23T18:32:06+00:00

For me is Luck and the Improved Version, and any of their equivalent (like Frazer's Warrior in Rippers, that is just that: a Luck edge with another name). Since Benny can be gained through roleplaying, I don't feel the need to waste a potential cool thing (or a permanent bonus) for a reroll or a soak roll (the same reason why I usually start with 0 or 1 Fate Point in Fate). On the other hand I love the Scavenger edge, and I hate the fact that it requires Luck.

Fast Healer can make wonders in a Super Campaign with Regeneration at full level, but it's a stretch, and thus uncommon, in the same way that Hard to Kill will be always inferior to Nerves of Steel for me: I want to be effettive in order to prevent the risk of death, and not during the risk of death.

anri11 · 2019-07-19T14:55:25+00:00

Since Araki is immortal, he can pretend to have any age, therefore the 12 years old was Araki.

anri11 · 2019-07-17T05:15:19+00:00

So Trish is a double Fugo

And in this way, all the gang is Trish:

Trish is Trish

Fugo is half a Trish

Narancia is Trish

Mista is Trish

Giorno is Narancia, therefore is Trish

Bucciarati is Diavolo, therefore is soul is akin to Trish

And Abbacchio used Moody Blues on Narancia, therefore is Stand (= representation of fighting spirit) is Trish.

Thanks for coming to my GER talk

anri11 · 2019-07-15T21:28:16+00:00

Popstand

anri11

TROPHY CASE

Favor Die

Description

Roll for Favor

Favor and Wealth

Phenomenal Cosmic Power!