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Post by doc on Feb 7, 2008 18:36:55 GMT -6
I've had a couple of requests to share my notes on my OD&D Barsoom game, so I'll do it in a series of posts. Let me deal with the basic stuff first.
Characters in Barsoom start off at second level, since life itself on Barsoom is a series of challenges that starts as soon as a child can walk. The highest level for a Barsoomian in any class is 12th, although Jasoomians who find their way to Barsoom may go as high as 15th level.
The classes are:
FIGHTING MAN: The prototypical Barsoom character, ready to redden his blade for honor, clan, and family. A subtype of fighting man is the PANTHAN, a mercenary who fights for a city not his own for money. Panthans are more often than not criminals or outsiders in their home city.
BERSEKER: An option from OD&D, the berserker works himself into a bloody frenzy which gains him +2 to hit and damage during melee. Once in melee, the berserker cannot willingly leave and must stay to fight until either his opponent or himself drops dead. Few right-minded warriors trust berserkers.
SCOUT: Essentially a thief, but on Barsoom this character type represents a military recon scout who has been trained in the arts of stealth and subterfuge. While not as mighty as a fighting man, the scout is skilled in sneaking up on (dishonorable) opponents and dispatching them with a single stroke. Scouts gain no ability to pick pockets, but gain an extra 5% to move silently and hide in shadows
ASSASSIN: The dreaded Gorthans of the bleak city of Zodanga, the assassins are a dire and dangerous lot. They care little for anything but money and their services are always impartial to good or evil. Brainwashed by their cult leaders, the Gorthans have no fear of death and will slay themselves if captured and unable to escape. The assassin is also able to cloak his presence so that he cannot be detected telepathically. He may do this for a number of rounds equal to his level per day.
PSION: Based upon the Psionicist class in the OD&Dities zine, the psion is capable of summoning powers far beyond that of cold steel. There are four basic psionic powers on Barsoom (which will be expanded upon later): Telepathy, Mesmerism, Necromancy, and Beast Mastery. A psion will have one of these talents, modest at first, but eventually very powerful.
THE WARRIOR'S KIT: Despite the class names, every character on Barsoom is considered a "warrior." The warrior's kit consists of a harness that crosses across the chest and contains sheaths for the weapons of a true Barsoomian. The weapons are:
Long Sword: A long, slim fighting blade that is the primary weapon of Barsoom.
Short Sword: A fast, slender weapon intended to be used in the off-hand.
Dagger: A back-up weapon and all-purpose tool.
Radium Pistol: This deserves a special explanation. The radium pistol resemples a large, five-barreled revolver that is nearly the size of a sawed-off shotgun. Each bullet is tipped with a bead that contains a drop of radium. While inert during nighttime, radium becomes explosive if exposed to sunlight. Thus, when a gun is fired the bead breaks upon impact and blast a a big hole through whatever it hits. Normal damage of a radium pistol is 2d6 during the nighttime, and 3d6 during the daytime. Due to the Barsoomian Warrior's Code (to be explained at a later date), no true fighting man of Barsoom would ever use a pistol at close distance.
In general, fighting men and assassins will use whatever weapons they can get their hands on. Scouts favor smaller weapons such as the short sword and dagger, and shun noisy firearms. Berserkers will likely fight with a blade in either hand, unmindful of their own safety. Psions often attempt to conceal their status, and will fight as fighting men.
More to come....
Doc
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Post by doc on Feb 7, 2008 21:39:50 GMT -6
RACES OF BARSOOM
RED MARTIANS: Noble, fearless, and strongly tied to tradition and honor, the Red Martians are the prototypical inhabitants of Barsoom. They are generally fighting men, but can be any class. Red Martians gain +1 to any single stat of their choice due to their general adaptability. They are aligned to Law.
BLACK MARTIANS: The First Born, Black Martians have jet black skin and hair, and are arrogant and cruel. They make their living as pirates and killers, swooping down in their sky galleons upon unsuspecting settlements. They have +1 to dexterity,but -1 to charisma. They favor the fighting man and berserker roles and are strongly aligned to Chaos.
YELLOW MARTIANS: The Okarians are a cold and distant people, separating themselves from the rest of Barsoom in great domed cities across the planet's Northern point. They favor a variety of fighting that involves using two curved swords to hook their opponents and drag them in for a close kill. THey are almost universally fighting men, and are Neutral in outlook.
WHITE MARTIANS: The Thern are a dire race that dwell in the Valley of Issus and hold sway over a false religion. They are wiry and cruel-visaged, with a fondness for tattooes and body markings. They are bald, but wear wigs to conceal their true nature. The Thern are cannibalistic and consider all other Martians to be fair game. Like Red Martians, they are likely to be any sort of class. They are aligned to Law, but of a dark and unforgiving aspect.
WHITE MARTIANS: The Orovians are the ancestors of the Thern, and are on the verge of dying out. Tall and powerful, they were the first race on Barsoom and were the undisputed masters of Barsoom's long-gone oceans. They get +1 to strength and constitution, but -1 to wisdom, and are either fighting men or berserkers THey are aligned to Law, and the few that survive are considered to be of noble race.
GREEN MARTIANS: Huge (9'-12') green-skinned killing machines with four arms, fangs, and large eyes, the Tharks are truly alien in thought, possessing no understanding of emotion and no motivation beyond brutal survival. They get +4 to Strength, -2 to intelligence, wisdom, and charisma and use d10 hit dice. THey are never anything but fighting men and berserkers. If using more than a single weapon in battle, a Thark may attack twice per round.
More to come....
Doc
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Post by Wothbora on Feb 7, 2008 23:40:29 GMT -6
Doc,
It's looking GREAT!!!
Keep it coming.
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Post by Falconer on Feb 7, 2008 23:49:29 GMT -6
Interesting thoughts so far. Keep ’em coming!
In terms of classes, definitely Fighting Man is the big one. Assassin is kosher, and yeah, some sort of Thief-like class can be made to work, if you like them (I don’t). It really wouldn’t hurt to just have all PCs be Fighting Men, and to differentiate them in other ways such as personality (i.e. not through game mechanics). Another idea is to try to work up a “Princess” class, but how this would work I don’t know. At least it should have its own level titles.
In terms of races, if I were running a Barsoom campaign, I would say all PCs should be Red Martians (all of the same nation, probably Helium) with one exception. That “exception character” would be from Earth, or optionally a Black Pirate, or even a Thark depending on how it was going. Definitely not a Thern.
In standard D&D, it’s okay if PCs come from diverse races like Men, Elves, Dwarves, and Hobbits, because there are still enough hostile races to fight. In Barsoom, there definitely are “weird races” as in Chessmen or dangerous factions such as the assassins in Swords. Ras Thavas the Master Mind of Mars will undoubtedly be the source of many plots.
But if you want to recapture the epic feel of the original trilogy—Princess, Gods, and Warlord as well as Llana of Gathol, you want to rely on the fact that all of the other major races (Therns, Green Martians, Black Pirates, and Yellow Martians) as well as other nations of Red Martians, are essentially foreign and hostile.
Of course, even in Middle-earth, the hostility between the Free Races adds some quality conflict. HOB is more interesting than LR in that respect because in the former there are no Elves or Men in the Company, allowing for capture by the Wood-elves and near war with the Lakemen. Regards.
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Post by doc on Feb 8, 2008 13:56:53 GMT -6
BARSOOMIAN COMBAT
The complex moral codes, desert environment, and light swords of the Red Planet have all contributed to giving Barsoomian combat a feel that is somewhat different than that of the traditional OD&D world.
To start with, there is the warrior's honor code to deal with. When attacked,the defender MUST defend with a weapon that is equal or less than the attacker's weapon. If attacked with a short sword, the defender must defend with a short sword or dagger. The ladder looks like this: Radium Pistol ---> Long Sword ---> Short Sword ---> Dagger ---> Bare Hands. If a person attacked with, say, a long sword draws a radium pistol and fires away, he suffers a massive loss of honor (as does his clan and city by association). So, if a Red Martian is attacked by a First Born who is using a long sword and the Red Martian has only a pistol on him, he must attempt to defend with his bare hands or lose honor.
There is no armor on hot, dry Barsoom. Chain or plate armor would ultimately lead to the death of it's wearer as heatstroke and fatigue claim the heavily equipped warrior. The traditional battle harness of Barsoom acts as light armor (AC:7). In addition, a Barsoomian armed with two weapons may count his off-hand weapon as a shield and gain +1 to AC (so a warrior with a long sword and short sword is considered to have a +1 parrying bonus when fighting with both weapons).
As all classes are expected to be warriors, all recieve the AC bonus for high dexterity that a fighting man would gain. Since Barsoomian swordplay is based more on dodging and nimble action, Barsoomians actually engaged in combat get double their normal DEX bonus, if they have any. So a Barsoomian with a +2 Dex bonus to AC with a harness and off-hand weapon would have a complete AC of 2. THis makes up for the lack of heavy armor on the Red Planet. It also means that the AC for a player character or NPC is going to be from 7 to 0, which gives a nice range without getting crazy.
Again, due to the fact that their fighting style relies more on finesse than bashing away, Barsoomian characters gain their "to hit" bonus based on dexterity, not strength. A high strength still gives a damage bonus, though.
The exception to this rule, of course, is the battle tactics used by the hulking Green Martians. With their great strength, their battle strategy is usually based upon hacking with their huge weapons, using strength to hit rather than dexterity.
Special note must be made of the fighting style of the Okarians. They fight with twin curved blades that are used to ensnare an enemies weapon. An Okarian may make a decision to try to attack his opponent's weapon rather than do damage. If he hits, the opponent must roll THACO or his weapon is useless that round and other warriors may attempt to strike him. The Okarian who has snared him may also attack if he is holding another blade, although at a -2 to hit. He must roll each round untill he rolls his THACO, or remain ensnared. Obviously he could also drop his weapon, although if he has no backup weapon he is in deep Bantha poodoo.
More to come...
Doc
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Post by doc on Feb 10, 2008 15:43:39 GMT -6
SOME BARSOOM CRITTERS
APT: HD:10, AC:2, MOVE:18, ALIGNMENT:Chaos ATTACKS: two pummels or one bite. DAMAGE: 1d8+4/1d8+4, 2d6+immobile The apt is a huge, vaguely centaurlike creature that dwells in the northlands of Barsoom. It is covered in shaggy white fur and runs across the frozen tundra on four stocky, powerful legs. It strikes with it's corded arms and taloned paws twice per round. It's head is broad and flat with a long snout and massive jaws. If it manages to bite an opponent, that character must make a save vs. petrification or be unable to free itself from the apt's maw and is vulnerable to attack (AC:9) until freed. The apt is a vicious predator with a dim intelligence that relishes hunting Barsoomians as much as they relish hunting it.
BANTH: HD:11, AC:1, MOVE:16, ALIGNMENT: Neutral ATTACKS: claw/claw/bite, howl. DAMAGE: 2d6+2/2d6+2/2d8, Special The ultimate predator of Barsoom, the Banth is a gigantic six-legged lion with a body of rippling muscle beneath a tawny coat. It's physical attacks are nightmarish, but pale in comparison to it's howl. Once per combat, a Banth may let loose a terrible howl. Everybody within earshot must make a save vs. petrification at -2 or be rooted to the spot and unable to move for 1d4 rounds. Few people are powerful enough to actively hunt for Banth. The same cannot be said of the reverse.
PLANT MAN: HD:6, AC:4, MOVE:12, ALIGNMENT: Neutral ATTACKS: Unarmed strike DAMAGE: 1d6+3 The plant men of Barsoom are towering, gangling monstrosities with rubbery blue flesh and limbs that are too long for their bodies. Their faces are a horror: ringed with wormlike hair and devoid of all features except for a single huge, unblinking all-white eye. Their hands are tipped with heavy, curved claws and their mouths are located upon their palms. A plant man has a special leaping ability, allowing him to, once per round, leap up to 30 feet in any direction. A typical tactic is for a group of plant men to lay in ambush for prey, then leap from out of nowhere and batter their prey into submission and then devour them once theey are unconscious.
SITH: HD:6+3, AC:0, MOVE:24, ALIGNMENT: Chaos ATTACKS: Sting DAMAGE: See below The Sith are jet black wasps the size of a bull. They cannot walk upon the ground, but can fly at speeds far greater than a man can run. They hunt in packs of 2d4 and are relentless in their pursuit of fresh meat. The Sith possess a powerful sting that is nearly always fatal. If a character is stung, they must save vs. poison or perish instantly. If they save, they merely take 2d6 damage. A Sith's gigantic eyes take up 90% of it's head, making it impossible to sneak up on them. Contrary to popular belief, there CAN be more than two Sith at a time.
WHITE APE: HD:8+4, AC:3, MOVE:14, ALIGNMENT: Chaos ATTACKS: 2 Punches, Toss, Rend DAMAGE: 1d6+4 (x2), 2d6+4, 4d6+4 The white ape is the only creature actually feared by the barbaric green martians. A towering shaggy monster standing some 15' tall with four massive arms, it is almost certainly a primative version of green martian. When in ruins or similar areas, the white ape can move silently and hide in shadows with a base 70% chance. It's preferred attack is to catch a single opponent alone, then rush in silently and batter them to death before they realize the danger. It normally attacks twice per round for 1d6+4 damage each attack. However, it can also (upon a successful grapple check) hurl an opponent against the ground or a wall for 2d6+4 damage. FInally, if it successfully grapples, it can attempt to rend the opponent limb from limb for 4d6+4 damage. It prefers to attack young and inexperienced prey, be it green martian, red martian, or any other.
Doc
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Post by Finarvyn on Feb 10, 2008 17:47:38 GMT -6
Very nice so far. I'll have to dig up my notes from the old OD&D Barsoom game I ran years ago to see how we compare. Maybe I can add some goodies, maybe not.
Either way, it's a great read! :-)
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Post by doc on Feb 14, 2008 19:20:03 GMT -6
HONOR
Honor is a big deal on Barsoom. Even the most lowly wretch is afforded respect if he displays that he has great honor. And even the wealthiest and most grand Jeddek is looked upon with contempt if he conducts himself in a dishonorable fashion.
Honor is reflected as a bonus or penalty to one's reaction bonus. Thus, a character who is known to be honorablewould gain a bonus to reaction rolls when meeting NPCs and trying to influence others.
For every 50 points of Honor, the character gains a +1 to his reaction roll. If a character had 203 honor points, he would get a whopping +4 reaction. If he was a base villain and had -120 points, he would get a -2 reaction. The highest and lowest reaction mod you can get through the tally of honor is +6/-6. Thus, even an ugly, slovenly, ignorant mendicant could be seen as a man of great worth and prestige if he was known to live his life in a true and noble way.
The general guidelines that I use are:
Beating opponent in fair fight: +3 honor Rescue of others: +4 honor Swearing allegience to a lord: +5 honor Defending your good name: +5 honor Defeating a great/powerful beast alone: +8 honor Defending your lord's good name: +9 honor Defending your mate's good name: +10 honor Inappropriate public behavior -1 to -5 honor Lose a fight to an inferior opponent: -4 honor Cruelty or disrespect to a woman: -5 honor Public cowardice: -8 honor Attacking from behind: -10 honor Slaying a woman: -10 honor Betray your lord: -15 honor Betray your mate/family: -20 honor
All characters begin with 0 honor, but usually swear allegience to a lord within the first couple of sessions for 5 honor points.
Doc
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Post by doc on Feb 15, 2008 19:34:11 GMT -6
PSYCHIC CLASSES
There are four types of psychic powers on Barsoom, the Telepath, Mesmerist, Necromancer, and Beastmaster. All four classes are written to be played very simply with the DM adjudicating their use as applies to his own campaign.
Let's start out with some basics.
ALL Barsoomians posses a low-level psychic awareness that allows them to tell how many people are in their general area. In game terms, they have a 75% chance to detect all humans (which includes Red, White, Black, and Yellow Martians, but not Green Martians or beasts) within a 50' area around them. This applys even if the other people are in another room, buildingm or in hiding. This does not give the character any idea of the identity or the intent of these people, merely that they are there. Also, the character MUST be concentrating to use this detection. Assassins (Gorthans) have learned how to nullify their psychic trace for short periods of time to render them invisible to this form of detection.
Regarding psychic characters, all four classes attack, save, and rise in level as clerics.
TELEPATHS
Telepaths gain the ability to read the minds of others, searching for information that their opponent would much rather keep to himself. A telepath attempting to wrest information from the mind of somebody who is aware of what they are doing and actively resisting must make this attempt at -20%. Additionally, a victim with a WISDOM score of 16 or higher forces the telepath to gain his information at an additional 10%
LEVEL and PERCENTAGE
1. 25% 2. 35% 3. 45% 4. 55% 5. 60% 6. 65% 7. 70% 8. 75% 9. 80% 10. 85% 11. 90% 12. 95%
MESMERIST
The Mesmerist is a feared specialist who is skilled at imposing his will upon others. He may give commands to other characters or NPCs who will usually follow them helplessly. If giving a command that the victim would not normally carry out (go fight a rampaging banth armed with a yo-yo) the Mesmerist must roll for success with a -20% penalty. If asking the victim to do something completely dishonorable (betray his lord or his mate) he must make the attempt at a -40% penalty! In addition, a victim with a Wisdom of 16 or higher requires an additional -10%.
The Mesmerist's percentages are the same as the Telepaths.
More to come...
Doc
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Post by Zulgyan on Feb 15, 2008 22:41:36 GMT -6
Yeah! What you were doing for psionics is what I wanted to see.
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Post by Zulgyan on Feb 16, 2008 1:40:52 GMT -6
Doc, a couple of questions:
Is there a kind of penalty/bad effect if you fail at making a psi power (fail at the % table)
How many times can you try to make a power per day?
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Post by doc on Feb 16, 2008 15:03:39 GMT -6
The penalty for failing a Telepathy or Mesmerism role is that you are going to have somebody who is very angry with you and likely attempt to stick a length of sharpened metal in your gut. A failed Beastmaster check would indicate a potentially very dangerous animal attempting to eviscerate you, or simply a powerful animal that you needed to protect you from an enemy instead NOT protecting you because you failed a Command roll (more on that when I write up the Beastmaster).
Further, attempting to wrest information from another's mind or trying to psionically alter their allegience is considered highly dishonorable. So if word gets out that you are doing either of these things, you are going to lose a lot of honor and be distrusted greatly (there is a reason most psions in Barsoom don't talk about what they can do).
There is no real penalty for failing a Necromancy check.
As for how many times powers can be used. Well, in our game we had no real limit as psionic characters tended to be rare anyway. A good ruleof thumb would be that they can attempt a psionic roll CONSTITUTION/2 times per day. So somebody with a Con of 14 could attempt a roll 7 times daily.
NECROMANCER
The Necromancer is a psion who can communicate with the dead. As long as he is gripping a portion of a deceased person's body, no matter how tiny a piece, he can attempt to conjure forth the spirit of the dead person and ask him questions. So he could ask a dead soldier about the military might of his city, a dead person from 2000 years ago details about what was happening back then, a dead sage a question about his specialty areas, etc. The spirit, bound by the power of the necromancy, is compelled to answer the question and cannot lie, although they may couch the answer in a riddle or story rather than being straightforward, depending on what sort of intelligence or personality the spirit had in life.
The longer dead the body has been, the harder it is to summon the spirit. A spirit that has recently departed it's body (within the last 24 hours) can be summoned with a +25% bonus. A spirit that has been deceased for more than 100 years requires a -10 penalty. More than 500 years requires a -20 penalty. More than 1000 years requires a -30 penalty. More than 2000 years requires a -40 penalty. 2500 years or more requires a -50 penalty or DM's fiat.
Percent chance is the same per level as the Mesmerist or Telepath.
Doc
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casey777
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Post by casey777 on Feb 21, 2008 17:00:10 GMT -6
Excellent stuff! Please keep at it when you get the chance and post more. Thanks! (have been compiling this for a quicky PDF)
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Post by crimhthanthegreat on Mar 1, 2008 22:41:16 GMT -6
This is great stuff and would love to hear more. Over at DF themattjon has Barsoomian stats posted here and I have my own Barsoomian stats posted here.
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Post by doc on Mar 2, 2008 16:16:09 GMT -6
BEAST MASTER
The beastmaster of Barsoom has an inherant rapport with the animal kingdom around him. He is typically accompanied by one or two loyal beasts and most Barsoomians give him a wide berth. The military makes frequent use of beastmasters, as they can get a pack of calots to hunt down an escaped figitive or call upon white apes to batter down the wall of an emeny fortress.
Beastmasters have three psionic skills: Calm Beast, Befriend Beast, Command Beast. Calm Beast will drain the fear or anger from an agitated beast; a useful power if you are about to be attacked. Befriend Beast will gain the allegience of a creature. Once befriended, the beast is loyal to the beastmaster unless abused or otherwise treated cruelly. The beastmaster can never have more than his level score in beasts befriended in such a way (i.e., a 7th level beastmaster can have 7 loyal beasts). Command Beast allows the beastmaster to give the beast an order and have it carried out. A beastmaster attempting to command his charge to perform an obviously suicidal act will result in the creature giving the beastmaster a mental middle finger and departing, free from it's bond of friendship.
Calm Beast starts out at 50% and rises 5% per level. Befriend Beast starts out at 40% and rises 5% per level. Command Beast starts at 30% and rises 5% per level.
Now, here's the downside:
For every hit dice that the beast has above the beastmaster, the roll is done at a cumulative -10%. So a 7th level beastmaster would have a base roll of 60% to command a beast. But if he is trying to command an 11 HD banth, then his attempt is only going to work with a roll of 20%. And if he fails, the banth will almost certainly attack. This is why you don't see low level beastmasters walking around with banth, apt, and white ape companions.
Doc
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Post by doc on Mar 9, 2008 14:31:33 GMT -6
Since today was a rainy day and the kids were home we decided to make some characters for a possible upcoming Barsoom game (they thought I made the whole setting until I showed 'em the books). Whilst my kids came up with a Red Martian scout and a White Martian Berserker, it was my wife who surprised me not only by sitting down and expressing an interest (very rare for her), but also in coming up with an awesome character concept.
Three words: Green. Martian. Gunslinger.
I can't WAIT to run this!
Doc
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casey777
Level 4 Theurgist
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Post by casey777 on Mar 9, 2008 18:19:19 GMT -6
Very cool. Am seriously considering at least using the OD&D Barsoom stuff in a tribute game if not running on a Barsoom.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 9, 2008 20:10:52 GMT -6
Three words: Green. Martian. Gunslinger. Wow. ![:o](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/shocked.png) That could be the first character concept that combines ODandD with Boot Hill with Warriors of Mars. Heck, it inspires me for an entire campaign. I know that Space 1889 uses tech and mars (and even ERB's own works combine gins and swords) but I never thought of the gunslinger concept applied to mars....
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Post by doc on Mar 9, 2008 20:39:48 GMT -6
When I described green martians to Cait, she asked why on Earth (Mars?) they would use swords instead of guns if they had four arms and the guns were revolvers. They could just wade into battle with a gun in each hand. Heck, if their DEX is high enough they could even fire two guns while using their lower set of arms and hands to load another.
So I said "sure,why not?"
Doc
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Post by Finarvyn on Mar 10, 2008 8:43:14 GMT -6
A good point about green martians and their multiple six-gun atttacks, but don't forget to penalize them for off-handed attacks. Left handed ... right handed ... upper-left handed ... lower-right handed ....? Eek.
What is the term for "ambidextrous" if you have more than two arms? Quad-dextrous? What if they have three dominant hands? Tri-dextrous?
My brain hurts.
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Post by doc on Jun 1, 2008 13:25:23 GMT -6
THE SCOUT
The last major character type for Barsoomian campaigns, the scout is a skilled loner, used to operating alone behind enemy lines to gather information or steal important items. Although he is no assassin, the scout is skilled in using sneak attacks to dispatch opponents quickly and silently. Scouts are usually trained and employed in the larger, more warlike cities, such as Helium, Gathol, Jahar, and Zodanga.
Scouts use a 6 sided hit dice, at they are not meant to be stand-up warriors who make a living of going toe-to-toe with the enemy. They use the same experience table as the thief. Scouts prefer to travel light, and rarely carry the complete warrior’s kit. Usually a short blade and dagger are all they will be found with, taking flight if faced with opposition that might not be able to be taken out by stealth.
Scouts are expert trackers. A scout can track an opponent who is no more than one day ahead of him by rolling beneath a certain number on 2d6.
For every day beyond the first, the scout must add +1 penalty to the roll. A natural roll of 2 will allow for a successful day of tracking no matter the number of days head start of the prey.
A scout is specially trained in stealthy movement and keeping to the shadows. The scout can move silently and remain unseen by rolling beneath a certain number on 2d6.
Level 1-2.…. 5 or under Level 3-4.…. 6 or under Level 5-6.…. 7 or under Level 7-8.…. 8 or under Level 8-10.…9 or under Level 11-12...10 or under
Out of necessity, the scout can dispatch an opponent quickly if they can take them by surprise (by DM caveat, but often by making a successful stealth roll). A scout of level 1-4 does double damage on a successful sneak attack. At levels 5-8 it increases to triple damage. By level 9 and beyond they can do four times normal damage on a successful sneak attack.
Much like the Gorthan, the scouts of Barsoom are not as bound by the strict codes of honor that permeate Martian society. A known scout is not expected to adhere to the honor code as strictly as common warriors, for the very nature of their profession implies that they must sometimes perform ignoble deeds in behalf of their kingdom. It is considered impertinent to point out a scout’s lack of honor.
If captured, a scout is expected to take his own life rather than confessing his allegiance.
Doc
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Post by dwayanu on Jun 1, 2008 19:39:19 GMT -6
The Barsoomian answer to Cait's question, of course, is that it would be "ignoble" or "dishonorable." John Carter could also have gone in for mowing down enemies with radium-guns ... but he did not.
Another answer is that what goes around comes around. A sniper can be thousands of yards away (or farther, if you take ERB's range estimate as canon) and behind cover. A Green Martian on the open desert makes a nice, big target.
Then there are all those missed rounds. If fired at night, they don't explode until sunrise ...
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Post by doc on Jan 11, 2009 17:31:28 GMT -6
Okay, I have made documents in both Word and RTF of my Barsoom notes, correcting all of the typos and adding in some new stuff as well. I still plan to add some more stuff, like rules for vehicles and tech stuff, but that's best saved for a day when I have time to sit and type. In the meantime, I hope you all enjoy.... sites.google.com/site/docsplacesite/Doc
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2009 19:03:34 GMT -6
Okay, I have made documents in both Word and RTF of my Barsoom notes Good stuff, Doc. Thanks for sharing.
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Post by Geiger on Jan 11, 2009 20:16:38 GMT -6
Hey Doc, You should add your barbarian, and the Thundarr ideas...
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Post by Finarvyn on Jan 11, 2009 20:39:20 GMT -6
Thanks for the Barsoom update!
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Baron
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Post by Baron on Sept 15, 2009 2:06:04 GMT -6
Wow Doc, thanks very much! I've been on one of my obsessive web-searches for Barsoom rpg'ing, and this looks great!
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Post by gloriousbattle on Dec 4, 2009 10:59:03 GMT -6
THIS
IS
GREAT
STUFF!!!
I would love to get some expansion material for this (additional critters like calots, maybe rules for air boats, etc) add in some illustrations, and make up a yahoo group.
Would this be okay? If so, could we get some additional submissions? Also, who should be credited?
THANKS!
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Post by doc on Dec 4, 2009 16:54:58 GMT -6
It's certainly okay with me. Any gaming stuff I post on these boards may be considered fair game for others to take and add on to for their own purposes, as long as they post how the game sessions go.
Doc
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Post by Finarvyn on Dec 6, 2009 7:04:46 GMT -6
I would love to get some expansion material for this (additional critters like calots, maybe rules for air boats, etc) add in some illustrations, and make up a yahoo group. Just curious ... what would you do with a Yahoo group? We have space for posting and discussing ideas right here. Also, if you wanted to run a PBP game I probably could open up some space for it. All we would be lacking is actual file storage.... Having said that, if you go the Yahoo route be sure to post a link here somewhere. :-)
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