Numenera Character List & XP Log

Player Characters:

• Ryll the Mystical nano who Controls Beasts [Caltak]
• Victa the Intelligent jack who Explores Dark Places [Thistle]
• Ankita the Mechanical glaive who Fuses Flesh and Steel [Out2lunch]
• Kishan the Learned nano who Rides the Lightning [Tass]
• Ayjh, the Swift jack who Works Miracles [Beardliest]
• Sparkie the Fire Elemental Bot who Rolls Dice to Decide Destroy Distort Reality

To those who want to streamline making their character, I recommend this!

Overall Type Composition:

• Glaive = 1
• Jack = 2
• Nano = 2
• Dicebot = 1

Experience Points:

• General: 3 to Ryll, Victa, Ankita, Kishan
• GM Intrusion: 1 to Ankita, Kishan
• GM Intrusion: 1 to Victa, Kishan
• General: 2 to Ryll, Victa, Ankita, Kishan
• [8/16] RP: 1 to Ryll
• [8/18] Discovery/RP: 2 to Victa, Ankita, Kishan, Ayjh
• [8/19] Discovery: 2 to Ryll
• [8/20] RP: 1 to Ryll
• [8/20] Discovery: 3 for all PCs
• [8/26] GM Intrusion: 1 to Ankita, Kishan
• [8/27] GM Intrusion: 1 to Ryll, Kishan
• [8/27] Discovery: 2 for Victa, Kishan, Ryll.  1 for Lunchie for kitten discovery.
• [8/29] GM Intrusion: 1 to Ankita, Kishan
• [8/29] Discovery: 3 to all PCs
• (9/1) 3 for Victa, Ankita, Kishan

Experience Gain Totals (By PC):

• Ankita = 21
• Ayjh = 8
• Kishan = 23
• Ryll = 18
• Victa = 19

Unknown Armies campaign idea

Apotheosis

There are so few left, so terribly few. Every few years the old gods put on new faces, ripping them from the flesh of the living, standing over the bones of the dead. These are only metaphors: but the gods change. All things change, or perish. One pursues novelty or clings to habits. Both ends may be destructive. All things change, and move towards their end.

Every year new gods are born, despite all the old gods do and be and every effort of will and desire. Things happen, despite our most feverent prayers, our most profound hopes. The world gives birth to new gods in this age of change and wildness where all the terrible power of old traditions breaks down and in the centre of the world the world discovers that the centre does not hold.


You've heard whispers, or rumours of them. Read graffito visible only under a new moon. Saw the homeless bum who told people The End was coming get bundled off by men in white suits when he tried to tell people the truth, screamed: "You did it!" to everyone he met, weeping whiskey tears all the while.

Something is changing, has changed, is coming. There is something in the air, the hint of a storm, the knowledge that the calm is over. The world is changing. You feel it in your pineal gland, see it in strange news items, read about it in the gossip section of the paper. Somewhere, out there, men who are far more than men are gathering, and men who are terribly less gather as well. Their are armies moving through shadows, down paths known only to small children and cats, and though they are unknown, they are still armies, and there is still a war.

Because the rumours say that we made the gods, and that the universe will remake itself once we've made so many. That they will make a new one. A better one. Or they did yesterday, and there are those who want the old one back -- it doesn't matter, not really. All that matters, all that is known, is that there are over 330 gods walking the world, and that unless we are terrible or clever or very lucky, soon there will be more and there will no longer be a world.


So, this is what popped out of my head for an Unknown Armies campaign. The PCs can be In The Know (as much as anyone is), or only some, or be thrown off the deep end to tread water and drown beautifully. Entirely up to the players, as is the PC.

Standard UA PC (220 points). Each PC has a Dark Secret, something horrible they've done and never want anyone to learn. And a Trigger, which is something Weird you saw (or the first weird thing you saw) that told you the world was even stranger than advertised on cheap talk shows during ratings week.

The PCs should be connect somehow. This can be an ally, an organization, them being neighbours in the same apartment complex -- it's up to you all, but your PCs should know each other before the game, at some level.

Where it's going: This is unknown armies. Surreal urban fantasy, sprinkled with horror. It's about power and consequences, and what you'd do to change the world. It's about having the guts to see the world as it is, not as we desire it to be -- and maybe, just maybe, finding a way to make the desire come true, or learn why it can never be. It's about being as hard as you have to be, as kind as you can afford to be, and doing what has to be done.

Because the heart of the world has a secret, and everyone knows it even if no one can really believe it. And it means everything, and nothing. You find it scrawled in bathrooms, written on your bed sheets when you wake up, replacing texts in a newspaper. Truth so old no one believes it. Magic so old no one understands it.

You Did It.

.... Now what are you going to do about it?

Oppressrs: Not feeling oppressive enough?

I think everyone is aware of this policy, but just a note via head office anyway:

You can alter your PC as you wish during the first three sessions, baring in mind that they remain generally the same character. I.e. if you realize your PC can't pull their weight in a brawl, you can juggle more points into ACV/DCV and so on. Management is willing to be flexible on this, though removing a power your PC has used will require in-game shenanigans to explain it away.

Oppressors Rules Clarification

This game counts as Superhuman/Superpowered. The guidelines on page 9 (Max attribute etc.) are just guidelines. You can ignore the maximums, or use them as a 'middle of the road' limit. PCs should be in the minimum level of Superhuman, cf: Min. Combat value of 6, Min. Health 60, Damage multiplier of 5+.

You can ignore skills entirely in this game. If you do use it, Skill Flux can be the best bet. if you do buy specific skills - say, your PC is a biology professor working on making people into zombies - then it makes sense. But otherwise, unless you wish to emphasize something about the character, you're not obligated to use them and we'll just go by background for them if needed.

This is simply because skills never got used in Defenders for the most part. Having them does mean your PC is better at that skill than someone who has it via background, but it's probably not going to crop up all that often.

The only rules being enforced are the ability caps on page 15 (I think it is). The exception, of course, is PCs who are really skilled at X. Only one person will be allowed to scale X (which has to be an actual power; Dynamics need not apply) past the max level by 1-2 levels.

Oppressors: Ruminations on powers

Supervillains are more than the sum of powers, but powers certainly help. This is just some notes so far on specific powers and the uses thereof.

Nullify
Nullify is an interesting and tricky one. It's best used in conjunction with allies, since it only works against a specific kind of power (say, tech or magic or superpowers). Plus, you need to melee touch attack, beat a defense, *and*they get a soul check + resistance against it. While it is undoubtedly useful, it's probably best as a secondary power.

Mind Control & Telepathy
Very, very common choices. You can use them, but if everyone does things get rather boring. Or at least predictable. (Mind you, 4+ people with mind control trying to take over the same group at once would be quite amusing.)

Power Flux & Variation
Go to town with these :) With 700 points, they become more worthwhile and practical as well as allowing some pretty nifty tricks to be accomplished.

Dynamic Powers
This is for abilities other powers don't work well for. In game terms, it's pretty much even with power flux though the scope is far broader. Power flux - fire could be flight, environmental manipulation, weapon, armour. Dynamic powers - fire, on the other hand, would probably include light, things involving volcanoes, skywriting a name and so forth. (It costs more, so the player gets a bit more bang for the buck.)


Finally, keep in mind your PCs motivation and goal(s). This is pretty much crucial to why they do whatever they do, and what they hope to gain out of it. Your PC is an active player, probably hoping to become Big and Famous: go with it.


And keep in mind that the Haud have conquered quite a few worlds. Mind shield, resistance and probably block power will crop up among them, depending on rank and so forth.

Oppressors: How far will you go?

Some notes, plus information on game time and format.

Damaged people are dangerous. They know they can survive.
-Josephine Hart

Some things to keep in mind as we approach session #1 (Either the 20th or 27th, depending on how many people are done and so forth).

There are very few absolute heroes. Ditto for villains. So why your PC does whatever they do is important. You need motivations, goals, plans. And then the aliens come along and screw it all up on you. What do you do if the Haud are making money worthless? If the police have become as ruthless as the villains? If your Arch Enemy has been killed/destroyed/vanquished by some lizard-things and left you bereft of meaning and purpose?

Figuring this out is important. Also, well, not everyone has what it takes to be a hero. Some try it and fail, some can't stay the course. A few fall off the wagon and enter 12 step programs for recovering sidekicks or something. Plus, sometimes people just get the short end of the powers stick. If you can only blow things up, then being a hero becomes bloody difficult and so on.


Thing #2:
Your PCs aren't the Big Villains. Or, if so, they were locked away for a good time by Captain Flux and/or Victory and just got out etc. So you need to figure out why: they could be new, not ambitious enough, been burned by being beaten too often and so on. Not everyone has the cojones to be a big-time supervillain as well. Most people just can't be quite that ruthless/insane/demented. And so on.

Game Time & Set up

Official sessions will run Thursdays, at ~10pm EST. We can start a bit later if need be. Other sessions will run whenever players are about and we feel like the game. As far as sessions go, there are several things to keep in mind:

1. You are supervillains. Alliances between such are often temporary (see the prisoners dilemma for reason(s) why:). This doesn't have to be the case -- some of you could be allies going way back, or even friends. Despite the stereotype, there are villains who are friends just as their are heroes who are. Work this out with other players as needed.

2. Despite 1, I am going to assume the PCs begin the game operating on their own (or with a small gang of minions/their ward). While PCs will not be forced to act together, they will encounter many Haud and police and such, and often threats that they simply can't deal with alone. To what extent they suck in pride and ask for aid (or whatever) is entirely up to you. The heroes are gone, after all. It's a brave new world out there, and some villains are definitely forming 'teams', if only to mock what the heroes were.

The fact that the heroes lost, despite teams and powers, mostly seems a karmic "it's about time!" thing than anything else to most of the supervillain community. And, well, heroes are good and just and seldom have the guts to do what really has to be done. Villains aren't as hampered by this problem.

3. The Haud seem to want to subjugate humanity and strip-mine the world of resources. For all that villains are evil, this is your world as well. And, be it ever so selfish, you don't want it destroyed by anyone but yourselves.

Finally, people need people. Villain or not, your character has to get along with others to some extent, even if only through fear and intimidation and being utterly bonkers (see: The Joker). The supervillain community might be evil, but there are things it doesn't accept or condone and if you cross those lines, well, someone is going to say hello. The results are seldom pretty.

LOLAD 2: Rules Changes

LOLAD2 BESM will differ from standard in some regards.

To whit, character advancement.

AP and SP are given out, as normal.

BUT! It requires 3-5 AP to increase Body, Mind, or Soul and ditto for removing Defects. The latter MUST be RPed as well. Failure to do so leads to the high end of the spectrum, or GM fiat saying: "No, you can't remove that." For stats, you need a 2 (Or more) to justify spending the points to increase the stat. Stats won't be allowed higher than 8, ever. Skills, otoh, can go higher than 6 with GM permission.

Now, I sleep!

Some Notes towards LOLAD2

Starting point breakdown (BESM 2):
13 CP for stats.
10 CP for abilities.
30 SP for skills.
No more than 5 points total in defects.

Items of Power and the Magic attribute ARE allowed, within reason. Ditto with Dynamic Sorcery, though to get that you *must* take sixth sense (magic). Additional points (up to 5) can be gained via background stories, in depth backgrounds etc. The additional points CAN violate the above limits for stats and abilities.

Things to keep in mind: The game is set in a city (Location undecided; population ~200,000 people.) The PCs are humans* with a touch of the other who have been recruited - by choice or against their will - by the homeland security neighbourhood watch branch, to try and keep thep the city from being torn apart by the lords of life and death.

You're human - mostly - vastly outlcassed and outnumbered and outgunned. But somehow you have to prevent the city from being destroyed like Trail and Los Vegas and Los Angelas have been so far. You're about the only hope people have, as much as they hate admitting it, and by far the lesser of two evils.

Setting: Post end of the world. The world ended when the Summerland was destroyed in an effort to murder the Adversary. It worked, at the cost of a goddess, much of a town, and an entire were pack. A few survived, some as rumour, other as fact. Details vary, and the truth remains elusive.

Save that the world ended and magic has returned to the one that followed. We're living in the utopia, the post-Ragnarok, the earth after Christ's Second Coming (not only female, but clawed) brought down the Satan of science and ushered in a new era of magic. The world has changed, but many things are the same. A large number of people don't believe the world even ended, no matter if the old dead return and visit them or old gods waken to new power.

It was the end of the world, but somehow life continued on as normal. Bit of a letdown, really. But there is magic, and it's new and wild and the old times of darkness and burning witches have returned as the nights become things to fear again and the cold and bloody war between the were and vamps spills over into the common world of the living and the dead.

The casualties mount. Humanity is no longer fittest, may not survive. Heroes are needed, but this isn't an age of heroes. You've been drafted. Welcome to the world you helped create.

Character Advancement in Urdu

This is just a note for players as to how advancement shall work.

Each player will get 1 Experience Point per official session they make, IF they make it on time (with up to 1/2 an hour leeway, if the GM feels generous). Said EP will be handed out from now on at the start of the session. Other EP will be added on a case by case basis via msg, and for group if Certain Obstacles/Goals are reached or overcome or created.

How Advancement Works

10 EP = 1 die can be advanced/created.

EP can be spent as 10 EP = 1 increment. This works as: Get a new 1d6 ability or increase an existing one. Existing abilities are XdY (3d6, say) where X is skill,and Y is power. You could increase the 3d6 to 4d6 OR 3d8. I hope this clarifies things.

Additionally, 1-2 EP can be spent to reduce the severity of a wound and/or speed up healing. Alternate uses include increasing willpower to resist become Syble's slave and such :) Shall pretty much be a case by case basis.

NOTE: The automatic 1 EP only applies to official sessions. EP may be handed out for unofficial ones, but may not. It will also be handed out for Cool Stuff, at GMs discretion.

ADVANCEMENT TO DATE: We have had 14 sessions. Since no one really kept track of things, assume each PC has 12 EP to date. I am NOT going to keep strict track of EP for the game, and assume players will be honest.

LestWe Forget (an Urdu post)

Because it seems necessary to state this again:

Barring PCs needing to do obvious things (get stuff, chat with other N/PCs etc.), keep in mind that Urdu is a group game; each PC is part of the whole and you can accomplish a lot more working together than apart. The fact that the PCs abilities are so varied (gifted and otherwise) is the sole reason no PC has died or come close yet :)

So! As a warning: If you miss a session, your PC is assumed to tag along listlessly and/or sleep through it/some other reason not to be there. Ask other players for details on what you miss, if your PC was present. As for the warning part, if your PC decides to wander off in session because the player (or character) are "bored", keep in mind that I have absolutely no qualms about killing the character off or at least seriously maiming them.

As the previous Urdu post stated, "Playing your PC as a loner/prima donna is not advisable and will lead to PC death." Consider this a one-time refresher. If things seem dull for your pc, interact with everyone else. If you wander off, it's your own damn fault and you can have fun making another character if that is your desire. But, on the whole, I'd rather avoid that. You knew what the game was like going in: hold to that.

Low Life Character Creation

So..... it won't be for a bit. But this idea was suggested, so is being incorporated. To whit:

PCs are BESM. This is the (tentative) breakdown of things

Stats: 13 points. No stat can begin higher than 5, including stuff from defects.
Attributes: 2 points.
Skills: 25 points. This includes PC hobbies etc. May use Teen Romance for theme, dunno yet though.
Powers: Option A) You pick one power, the GM randomly rolls the other power. It counts as 6 points, even if it goes over. Depending on how far over, the GM may add a defect.
Option B) GM roll entirely, player (and pc) have no idea. Counts as 6, even if goes over. No defects added, unless the player wants them.
Defects: 2 points. Defects CANNOT add to powers, point wise.

Caveat: Once you pick a method, you are stuck with it. Also, the list of powers the Gm rolls from won't include a) point amplifying abilities (magic, DS, items of power, mechas etc.) and b) crap (c.f. Extra Energy). Lastly, abilities WILL be concealable and your PC can get by as a normal human living a normal life.

Also, the character should be built around being a normal person. At least the first session (possibly more) will be dealing with a normal life, normal things and the like. Then the game is pretty much about what your PCs, average people that they are, do - if anything - with the gifts they end up with.

EDIT: Sparkie is now set up to roll abilities beyond the norm. I will do the roll, in secret, ensuring PCs don't overlap, and all powers begin at level 1 (unless the PC ends up with 2 really low level powers, in which case 1 (or both) could be level 2 - or even 3!) The PC - and player - will be unaware of the power. Once it manifests, the player is free to add special stuff to it (forcefields changed etc.) if they wish.

Initially, abilities are going to be unreliable and the strength (and duration) of them vary, for reasons of perversity narration, and to keep PCs on their toes. There are plot reasons as well, but that's the biggy.