# Buffy RPG - A Hellmouth in Waterloo [Closed]



## Cor Azer (Oct 2, 2011)

Got an itch to return to some old(er/ish) stomping grounds, and was wondering if there might be an interest in playing in a Buffy: the Vampire Slayer RPG play-by-post game, using Eden Studios Unisystem.

Premise:
The game would be run with the idea that when Buffy nearly killed Faith at the end of season 3, Faith was actually clinically dead for long enough to trigger a new Slayer somewhere else.  The game would not be set concurrent with the current Season 8/9 comics; in fact, I'd probably roll back the years a bit and start it around shortly after the new millennium.

Setting:
The game would be set in a fictionalized version of Waterloo in southern Ontario, Canada, known for having several well respected universities and colleges, which gives it enough of a happening and transient population that it's fairly easy for the demonly-oriented to hide their habits.

Somewhere in the city will be a Hellmouth, but its location is not exactly common knowledge, so... I ain't saying yet.

Cast:
I'd be hoping for 1-2 Hero level characters, and 2-4 White Hat level characters. There's no requirement for anyone to be the Slayer, but that is a possibility.

I do have access to all the Buffy RPG books, as well as the Angel RPG Corebook, so all that material is in play if desired (barring the more "powerful" character template-ish things from the Angel book).

Preferably, all of the characters would be university students, faculty, or staff. It'd be a big help if the players could come up with ways that everyone knows at least some of each other beforehand, but I'm willing to work on that with the group.

Characters would not have to necessarily be aware of the supernatural world at the start of play, but given the genre, well, they'll need to learn fast.

Plot:
The game will be fairly episodic, but longer plot arcs will develop, and there will be an ongoing mix of little and big bads.

Anyone up for a patrol?

Edit: Recruiting is closed for now, unless people drop out.


----------



## Herobizkit (Oct 2, 2011)

Your idea interests me.  I would need to seek out the rulebooks for said system, but I could be down for some teen angst/drama/putting vamps where they belong.


----------



## Walking Dad (Oct 2, 2011)

Hey, finally the possibility to try out the (cinematic) UniSystem. I have the Angel Corebook, which should be the same rules-set. I don't mind playing a White Hat, if all characters have roughly the same 'screen time'.


----------



## DrZombie (Oct 2, 2011)

My wife is gonna kill me if I buy yet another rulesystem, but who wants to live forever?

I'll need a bit to get the rulesystem under my belt.

My first idea is to play a jock, an american football player, none too bright but very popular.

Cheers,

DrZ


----------



## Cor Azer (Oct 2, 2011)

Herobizkit said:


> Your idea interests me.  I would need to seek out the rulebooks for said system, but I could be down for some teen angst/drama/putting vamps where they belong.




Excellent; I am hoping to have some mundane life issues messing with simple vampire slayage.



Walking Dad said:


> Hey, finally the possibility to try out the (cinematic) UniSystem. I have the Angel Corebook, which should be the same rules-set. I don't mind playing a White Hat, if all characters have roughly the same 'screen time'.




I'm certainly hoping to give equal screen time.

I think the Angel book explains a few rules better, but I don't recall any major rules changes except one: Angel uses the character types Champion, Investigator, and Veteran, which get 10 more skill points than comparable Hero, White Hat, Experienced Hero that Buffy uses. 



DrZombie said:


> My wife is gonna kill me if I buy yet another rulesystem, but who wants to live forever?
> 
> I'll need a bit to get the rulesystem under my belt.
> 
> ...




Well, these are Canadian universities, so it'd be Canadian football, but I doubt we'd be getting deep enough into that background point for the differences to matter.

Glad to see some quick initial interest.


----------



## Herobizkit (Oct 2, 2011)

I'm also Canadian. East Cost represent whut whuuut.

We don't have a football team yet. :/


----------



## Cor Azer (Oct 4, 2011)

Herobizkit said:


> I'm also Canadian. East Cost represent whut whuuut.
> 
> We don't have a football team yet. :/




I doubt we ever will; the Touchdown Atlantic games in Moncton did okay, but I don't think they exactly rocked the CFL's world. But heck, PEI is just happy to get some varsity football back with the Hurricanes.

For those on the fence (particularly those who might not want to play without the rulebooks themselves), barring the rules for spells, the details players need to know are fairly straightforward - I'm more than willing to help work up characters, and beyond that, players mainly just need to know the specifics of their characters and some combat basics.


----------



## jkason (Oct 4, 2011)

I'm certainly interested in the concept, though I'll admit to being gunshy about trying to learn a new system. I love me some Buffy; the mix of angst, humor, and action is always fun. Had a human-looking half-demon in another fairly short-lived game on here (a 'psychic surgeon' of sorts). Not sure if the system supports this sort of thing or not (the original game used Mutants and Masterminds for the abilities). Possibly a medical / pre-med student?:

[sblock=Gavin Peterson]Raised by his human father, Gavin didn't know about his true heritage until a drunken prom drive ended in disaster. Or nearly so. Though the car was demolished, all four teenagers in it survived unscathed. What Gavin kept from his classmates was his own part in their survival: Overwhelmed by a massive hunger, he had touched them, relished their pain, and only afterwards realized his feast left them all remarkably whole.

Gavin's father, however, seemed to know what had happened. He revealed that Gavin's real mother had been a Poena Epulum ("Pain Feast") demon. One of her species' more benign members, she met Joshua Peterson in a hospital after a fire left his body covered in second and third degree burns. She bonded and mated with him in the euphoria of feasting on so much pain, but left the seemingly-human child behind, fearing it would not survive the demonic world.

Hoping to control his hunger and learn about his mother, Gavin set off in search of his demon-kin. He found them, nomadic demon medics, 'psychic surgeons', all pointing him West in the search for his mother. There, in Los Angeles, he also discovered the nastier side of the Poena Epulum: sadistic torturers maiming innocents, healing them through feasting, only to torture them further. As might be expected, Gavin fled as quickly and as far as he could.

powers:

Poena Epulum demons have the ability to 'feast' on organically-generated pain, which has the side effect of healing. They can sense pain at a distance, and can project pain of varying forms at a distance--partly as a means of self-defense, but mostly to feed their young. Gavin inherited the pain-sense, but his own ability to heal and project pain is limited to physical contact.[/sblock]


----------



## Cor Azer (Oct 4, 2011)

jkason said:


> I'm certainly interested in the concept, though I'll admit to being gunshy about trying to learn a new system. I love me some Buffy; the mix of angst, humor, and action is always fun. Had a human-looking half-demon in another fairly short-lived game on here (a 'psychic surgeon' of sorts). Not sure if the system supports this sort of thing or not (the original game used Mutants and Masterminds for the abilities). Possibly a medical / pre-med student?:
> 
> [sblock=Gavin Peterson]Raised by his human father, Gavin didn't know about his true heritage until a drunken prom drive ended in disaster. Or nearly so. Though the car was demolished, all four teenagers in it survived unscathed. What Gavin kept from his classmates was his own part in their survival: Overwhelmed by a massive hunger, he had touched them, relished their pain, and only afterwards realized his feast left them all remarkably whole.
> 
> ...




Interesting. I think something like that could definitely work, although I'd have to look to the Angel rules for the more customizable demon stuff.

The basics of the system are fairly straightforward - roll d10 and add an Ability and a Skill, possibly some modifiers, then hope for 9 or higher (some opposed actions require more than 9); higher rolls lead to more successes. Example, knowing rules of baseball: d10 + Intelligence + Sports; hitting a baseball: d10 + Dexterity + Sports; staking a vampire: d10 + Dexterity + Getting Medieval - 5.

The "tricky/vague" parts are Drama Points and magic. Drama points can be spent to add bonuses to rolls, modify scenes (adding clues, convenient escape cars, etc), healing (removing half of current damage), and other things. Anyone can perform magic (typically Willpower + Occult roll), but the rules for spell research are little more menu-driven rather than D&Ds preset and reusable spells.


----------



## airwalkrr (Oct 4, 2011)

Oh how I love Buffy. But I have a hard time imagining how it would work in an RPG. Some characters were just around for comic relief (Xander). Others had supernatural powers that were essentially useless once they were discovered (Oz), but still had a place as window dressing. Others were just... well I don't know why they were there aside from being easy on the eyes (Cordelia).

Question: Would the Watcher be a playable character in this campaign? That's probably the only character I'd be interested in playing.


----------



## Cor Azer (Oct 4, 2011)

airwalkrr said:


> Oh how I love Buffy. But I have a hard time imagining how it would work in an RPG. Some characters were just around for comic relief (Xander). Others had supernatural powers that were essentially useless once they were discovered (Oz), but still had a place as window dressing. Others were just... well I don't know why they were there aside from being easy on the eyes (Cordelia).
> 
> Question: Would the Watcher be a playable character in this campaign? That's probably the only character I'd be interested in playing.




Playing a Watcher is certainly possible, whether or not some plays a Slayer.

As for the generic, non-superpowered Scoobies, from a game mechanics point of view, they get far more Drama points than the Heroes; so while the Slayers and Vampires and Initiative Commandos win fights through skills and natural ability, Scoobies win through luck and good fortune.


----------



## Systole (Oct 4, 2011)

Hmmm ... maybe.  Current character concept is a Hero who was born human sometime back in the 16th century, then became an artist for the Medicis, and eventually ended up in the company of a naughty alchemist.  Long story short: He's immortal as long as he consumes demon blood regularly, so by this time he's racked up a very, very long list of demons who want him dead.  He's currently an art and/or history professor at the college.


----------



## Cor Azer (Oct 4, 2011)

Systole said:


> Hmmm ... maybe.  Current character concept is a Hero who was born human sometime back in the 16th century, then became an artist for the Medicis, and eventually ended up in the company of a naughty alchemist.  Long story short: He's immortal as long as he consumes demon blood regularly, so by this time he's racked up a very, very long list of demons who want him dead.  He's currently an art and/or history professor at the college.




Ah... The Age skill monkey  Love getting some past life hooks 

So, that looks like 6 players or so, assuming Herobizkit and DrZombie stay interested after checking out the rulebooks. I'll try to post a generic supporting cast later to give an idea of character sheet format, but if people want to start hashing out some character backgrounds, have at ye!


----------



## jkason (Oct 4, 2011)

Systole said:


> Hmmm ... maybe.  Current character concept is a Hero who was born human sometime back in the 16th century, then became an artist for the Medicis, and eventually ended up in the company of a naughty alchemist.  Long story short: He's immortal as long as he consumes demon blood regularly, so by this time he's racked up a very, very long list of demons who want him dead.  He's currently an art and/or history professor at the college.




A man who lives on demon blood and a half-demon? Now that could definitely be some interesting tension.


----------



## Cor Azer (Oct 4, 2011)

jkason said:


> A man who lives on demon blood and a half-demon? Now that could definitely be some interesting tension.




Any different than a Slayer and a vampire on the same team?


----------



## jkason (Oct 4, 2011)

Cor Azer said:


> Any different than a Slayer and a vampire on the same team?




Oh, I didn't mean 'interesting' in any negative sense. I agree, it's very much the kind of tension the Buffyverse enjoys.


----------



## Systole (Oct 4, 2011)

Rechard Butler 

Strength : 3
Dexterity : 3
Constitution : 6
Intelligence : 3
Perception : 4
Willpower : 4

Acrobatics : 0
Art : 6
Computers : 0
Crime : 0
Doctor : 1
Driving : 0
Getting Medieval : 6
Gun Fu : 0
Influence : 0
Knowledge : 4
Kung Fu : 1
Languages : 4
Mr. Fix-It : 0
Notice : 5
Occultism : 4
Science : 0
Sports : 0



Age (with Adversary) 3 
Artist 
(Ex-)Watcher 
Situational Awareness 
Hard To Kill 3 
Natural Toughness 
Nerves Of Steel 
Resistance-Demon Powers 4 
Resistance-Poison 1 
Resistance-Pain 1 




Fear Of Commitment 
Obsession 
Addiction 2 
Secret 2 
Reckless 

Languages: (English), German, Italian, Latin, Chinese

Rechard was born in Germany in the late 1400s. He was a painter -- a good one, with rich and powerful patrons -- and he associated with scientists, philosophers, and dabblers in the arcane. Eventually, he and two of his friends participated in a ritual which gave them eternal life so long as they regularly drank demon blood. The others long since went insane from the corrupting influence; Rechard has survived.

Rechard was a Watcher in the late 1800s, and left on bad terms. They have no idea he's still alive, and they'd be very, VERY interested to find that out. (Secret 2)

Demon blood is both Rechard's obsession and his addiction, as it keeps him alive and superhumanly healthy. However, because of his superhuman health, he tends to wade in to fights without much forethought. He's also accumulated quite a long list of demons whose friends he's killed and drained.

Rechard is currently a history and art teacher at XXXX College, and he also coaches the fencing team. While he's an amazing painter, a knowledgeable historian, and a skilled combatant with a rapier, Rechard has never gotten the hang of automobiles, guns, computers, or anything resembling modern technology and science.

Rechard is an average looking man of average height, or perhaps an inch less. He has a light brown ponytail and goatee, as well as a slight but unplaceable European accent.

P.S. +1,000,000 Internets if you can identify the historical figure/artist Rechard is based on.
P.P.S. Abilities and Drawbacks are still first draft.


----------



## airwalkrr (Oct 4, 2011)

Well I know absolutely nothing about the system, but if the Watcher is available as a player character, then I am willing to learn. Giles was always my favorite character on that show, although I think my Watcher would be a much different character in at least a few ways.

So far I am thinking about a Watcher who has embraced modern technology in a way few Watchers have. He is internet savvy and keeps copies of many of his most important books on his laptop. He has a physical library as well, but rarely consults it. That might be a weakness on his part; because only a fraction of the most important tomes have been converted to digital format to date and he relies on technology, he is reticent to go back to the old way of doing things.

Rees Dafydd is British (of course) with a Welsh accent, having been born and raised in Caernarfon. He attended Oxford University for his undergraduate studies with a major in Computer Science (Programming) and a minor in The Occult. He completed a Doctorate in Programming Language Design at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology then earned a Master's in Renaissance Studies at Victoria University and a Doctorate in Medieval Studies at the University of Toronto all while performing post-graduate studies in computer programming. He accomplished all of this by the age of 26, then moved back to Great Britain for a short period of time, ostensibly to serve as a professor in an English college, but actually received training as a Watcher. He had been called before attending Oxford and part of doing his graduate and post-graduate studies in Ontario was to prepare him for being a Watcher there. He has recently returned to Ontario to be assigned to a new slayer, or to be assigned to replace a former Watcher (whichever is more convenient). The Watcher's Council has never been fond of the fact that he has been so interested in technology, but they have begun to begrudgingly accept that in order to effectively combat the supernatural dangers in the world they are going to have to adapt.

I'll have to figure out how all this translates into character stats later.


----------



## Cor Azer (Oct 4, 2011)

Alas, my Google-fu fails me in identifying the inspiration for Rechard, but in my last two Buffy games, I've had a player run a character based on a German historical figure.

General Q on Rechard - what sort of teacher is he? Knowledgable but aloof? Traditional? Interactive? Also... Fear of commitment? Dude is like 400 years old! Poop or get off the pot, man!


----------



## Cor Azer (Oct 4, 2011)

Love the approach to Watcherdom by Rees; and another nice internal conflict between the current Watcher Rees and the long since ex-watcher Rechard.

airwalkrr, Rees will probably be arriving in Waterloo looking for his new Slayer; either another player's character if someone wants to play the Slayer, or a supporting NPC if nobody picks her. If you don't have the rules, I can whip up a draft to bounce off you for ideas.


----------



## airwalkrr (Oct 4, 2011)

A draft would be a helpful starting point. I can make some adjustments after I learn more about the system.


----------



## Shayuri (Oct 4, 2011)

Preface: I know nothing of the system, other than the details shared in this very thread.

However, I enjoy the show, and have actually played an ill-fated game in the same setting. I'd like to give it another go.

Since no one else appears to be steppin' up, I'll go ahead and posit a "slayer." Faith's very own 'Kendra' so to speak.

...

Ya know, ever since medicine hopped up to the 20th century and post-death revivals became possible, it seems like this multiple-slayer thing must have cropped up before from time to time. So it can't be too much of a shock to anyone.

...

ANYWAY

I've a couple of notions for background. Let me just shotgun 'em out there, and we can decide which works best.

1) Cop-out: The slayer is a policeman's daughter. You'd think that'd be perfect, what with the "police" motif of the job, and the opportunities to meet and build contacts in the local department. In reality though? It means you have a cop constantly wondering where you go at night. Judging your weirdo friends. Refusing to let you date. ... Okay that last isn't really relevant, but it's still UNFAIR!

2) Chip Off The Old Frock: Like the first one, only she's a PRIEST'S daughter. The good: The church isn't a bad source of rites, exorcisms, and other freaky stuff to fight other freaky stuff. The bad: You still can't let them know who you are, and that includes Dad. The ugly: Also, he still won't let you date, and this time God is on his side.

3) Patrol? But I've got Homework! This slayer is a great kid. Responsible, good student, really puts in the hours. Problem is she's never been 'sporty' before, or even in particularly good shape. In fact, she was always a bit of a nerd, frankly. Not that she objects to suddenly being strong and fast and all, but she still has a bookish sensibility about the whole thing that occludes (not very well) a sizeable helping of low self-esteem when it comes to doing anything cool. Slaying vampires definitely qualifies.

4) Homework? But I've got patrol! Problem child. Take one overworked parent, one bitter little girl, pour into a broken home and stir until it's a seething pool of angst. This isn't a re-treading of Faith, though there could be a parallel with the 'tough girl' act. The key is the lack of sociopathy, and the keen awareness that it IS an act. Until, of course, it isn't. Fortunately, the job comes with a giant 'catharsis clause.'


----------



## Systole (Oct 4, 2011)

Cor Azer said:


> Alas, my Google-fu fails me in identifying the inspiration for Rechard, but in my last two Buffy games, I've had a player run a character based on a German historical figure.
> 
> General Q on Rechard - what sort of teacher is he? Knowledgable but aloof? Traditional? Interactive? Also... Fear of commitment? Dude is like 400 years old! Poop or get off the pot, man!




Well, the fear of commitment is the typical immortal "You are as mayflies" kind of thing.  No use getting attached.

As for type of teacher, I'm thinking he's one of those guys with RIDICULOUS knowledge of the subject material -- after all he personally knew half the painters he teaches about.  So class with Rechard is him unloading information at a rate where the students don't have time to goof off because they're so busy taking notes.  Professor Butler's Art History is *not* an easy A, but students come out of the class with am absolute command of the subject material.   If he has a fault, it's that he occasionally launches into short but blistering critiques of certain artists who he personally disliked.

"So this brings us to the works of John Bettes the Elder, who painted several portraits of Henry VIII.  These days, he is most well known for his painting _Man in a Black Cap_, despite its flat and uninspired brushwork, and the fact that it shamelessly plagiarizes Hans Holbein, who we covered last class.  During his lifetime, however, Bettes was most well known for his terrible halitosis and a penchant for buggering donkeys."

I'll mail you the secret identity if you want, as well as the names of his two friends (who are also European historical figures), who may still be alive in some sense, but if so are very corrupted and insane.


----------



## Acmite (Oct 4, 2011)

Count me in.  Yes, for reals.

I assume there will be late night hangouts at the 7-11?

I'll pop back in with character idea(s) on Thursday, if that works for the timeline.


----------



## Systole (Oct 4, 2011)

Shayuri said:


> 2) Chip Off The Old Frock: Like the first one, only she's a PRIEST'S daughter. The good: The church isn't a bad source of rites, exorcisms, and other freaky stuff to fight other freaky stuff. The bad: You still can't let them know who you are, and that includes Dad. The ugly: Also, he still won't let you date, and this time God is on his side.




She's a Catholic priest's daughter?


----------



## DrZombie (Oct 4, 2011)

Systole said:


> She's a Catholic priest's daughter?




Why not? looks like an interesting angle.

Damnit shayuri, you beat me to the slayer spot 

I'm still very interested, will have a look at the ruleset sometime this week. I'm on nightshifts at the moment, so things might not go as smooth as I want them to.

Cheers, 

DrZ.


----------



## Shayuri (Oct 5, 2011)

That's one possibility, yar.

Also, Dr Zombie, I had no idea you were gunning for it. You posted way in advance of me, so you can have it if you want. I can do a different concept. Maybe even (gasp) a regular human!

BE THE ZEPPO!


----------



## Cor Azer (Oct 5, 2011)

DrZombie said:


> Why not? looks like an interesting angle.




I think the hang up was that _Catholic_ priests are celibate. Other Christian faiths are more accommodating.


----------



## Herobizkit (Oct 5, 2011)

I had a great idea for a young Church-schooled Irish come Celtic rocker.  I would have to edit this as the original character was a half-elf for d20 Modern.  Please comment and see if this would work.  I wouldn't mind making him a Witch/Warlock/Wizard/Whatever guys who can use magic are called.   Faery-type magic would be perfect here... charms, illusions, glamers only, maybe some ability to use "Magic Items", whatever they'd be.

[sblock=Rory Shanahan]Rory Shanahan was born to  Deirdre and Finn Shanahan in South Boston,  Massachusetts. Rory’s  official birth name is Ruaidhri O Seanachain; his  mother wanted to keep  ties with her Gaelic roots.

Rory grew up well-to-do in a decent Irish neighborhood.  Deirdre was an   attentive and lovingly strict stay-at-home mom, and Finn worked at a   public relations firm.  His mother had high hopes that Rory might become   a Catholic priest.  As soon as he was of age, his mother enrolled him   in the South Boston Catholic Academy, then to Boston College High  School  and Boston College itself.  

At first, Rory wanted to please his mother and embraced the Catholic   lifestyle.  He became a member of the school choir and dedicated his   time and energy to his studies.  As he progressed into his teens, he   began to question the universe and his place in it.  By the time he   reached university, he grew tired of the Catholic “programming” and   wanted to experience life outside of school walls.  He began to spend   more time in the local pubs than in school.  During his nightly forays,   he encountered a local Celtic Rock band who called themselves “Primal”.    Celtic bands were a dime a dozen around Boston, but this band had a   rainbow-haired bassist named Twilight who looked like a Gypsy on-stage.    Rory was immediately smitten, and like a school boy with a crush,   followed the band around the city.  Each night, he would try to strike   up a drunken conversation with Twilight, but the lead singer Donovan   would always intervene and turn him away.

One night, Rory noticed some tension between Donovan and Twilight,   tension that carried over into the band’s performance.  Midway through   their set, Donovan surprised everyone by angrily throwing his microphone   on the stage floor and storming out of the pub, uttering a string of   expletives as he left.  The band looked confused.  With a rush of   adrenaline, Rory hopped up from his bar stool, jumped on stage, and   picked up the mic.  Before anyone could stop him, he began to sing one   of the band’s songs a capella.  The band looked at each other, shrugged,   and one by one began to accompany Rory’s singing.  By the end of the   show, the bar was cheering and chanting for an encore.  Later that   evening, the band thanked Rory and asked if he wanted to come on   full-time.  
Twilight warmed up to Rory, and in short order they became an item.    Twilight soon revealed to Rory that she was a Wiccan, which provided   Rory some insight into a new (yet very old) religion that refreshed his   mind and rekindled his interest in learning.

Donovan appeared one afternoon during a rehearsal with a chip on his   shoulder.  He “thanked” Rory for holding his place and shoved a fistful   of bills in his chest.  He then took his usual place on stage and   commanded the band to start playing.  Twilight confronted Donovan and   told him that he was no longer welcome in the band.  Donovan threw a   fit, then cautioned Rory to “watch out for dark alleys” before leaving   in a huff.

As the band toured the city’s drinking establishments, Rory began to   start noticing odd things happening around him.  He would often see a   flicker of movement, or a twinkle of light, or hear soft, unintelligible   voices out of nowhere.  He asked Twilight about it, hoping that he   wasn’t going crazy.  Twilight suggested that it was possible that   faeries may be trying to communicate with him.  Although he himself did   not believe in faeries, Rory knew that Twilight took her craft   seriously.  Together, they delved into the college library and the   Internet for whatever they could find regarding faeries.

During her research, Twilight discovered that the Shanahan family had a   legacy of wealth passed down from generation to generation, presumably   from Irish royalty.  The wealth was recorded as being a gift of the Fey   folk, but there were no factual references to the source, or in what   form the wealth existed.  Rory knew nothing of this legacy.  He   approached his parents with the story and received the shock of his   life.  His father's form appeared to ripple and waver.  Rory blinked his   eyes, and when next he looked upon his father, he did not see the man   that raised him, but a tall, slender creature with pointed ears!

The creature talked with Finn’s voice, but it was clearly not human.    Finn explained that he was, in fact, an Elf.  He did not originally come   from this world.  There existed, somewhere, a whole other realm full  of  fantastic creatures and races and magic.  Finn used to live there,  or  at least, he believed he did.  He explained that Elves had an  unusually  long lifespan and the event recorded in the library’s  journals happened  some four hundred years ago.  He originally appeared  in Ireland with a  large chest of gold coins that he “liberated” from a  faerie wood.  His  voice became grim as he noted that the gold was  cursed somehow; he had  no way of returning the chest to the original  wood, and the Fey had long  memories.  Rory shared his odd experiences  with Finn, who confirmed  that Rory’s Elven blood made him sensitive to  Fey Folk, among other  possible gifts.  Finn did not know for certain  how said gifts would  manifest in a largely non-magical world, but  hinted at feats of magic.   Deirdre added that she hoped, by becoming a  priest, Rory might find a  way to break the curse once he became wise  and educated enough to  understand it.

Rory renewed his studies with a fervor unseen since his younger years.    With the guidance of his father, Rory found that he could in fact   manifest a few simple tricks in short quantity.  Rory shared all of this   new information with Twilight.

Twilight confirmed that she already knew of his Half-Elven heritage   because she could see the same world to which he had previously been   blind.  She added that she knew of a group of people who dedicated their   lives to ensure that which is hidden remains hidden.  Perhaps there,   she advised, he could further his magical arts, or learn more about the   cursed gold.  She gave him directions to a contact with the group.   With  sad farewells (and apologies to his mother), Rory jumped on the  first  bus out of town and made his way towards his destiny.[/sblock]I keep forgetting that if this is the Buffy/Angelverse, any story with any supernatural element is fair game.


----------



## airwalkrr (Oct 5, 2011)

I actually think the idea of the Slayer being the daughter of an Episcopalian priest would be a neat take on things.


----------



## Cor Azer (Oct 5, 2011)

Systole said:


> Well, the fear of commitment is the typical immortal "You are as mayflies" kind of thing.  No use getting attached.
> 
> I'll mail you the secret identity if you want, as well as the names of his two friends (who are also European historical figures), who may still be alive in some sense, but if so are very corrupted and insane.




I figured that was the approach to the fear of commitment; I just had to joke (I was debating on a pun dealing with the fear of commitment and his companions going insane).

And yes, since I was pondering using one or both of them, fire away...


----------



## Cor Azer (Oct 5, 2011)

Herobizkit said:


> I had a great idea for a young Church-schooled Irish come Celtic rocker.  I would have to edit this as the original character was a half-elf for d20 Modern.  Please comment and see if this would work.  I wouldn't mind making him a Witch/Warlock/Wizard/Whatever guys who can use magic are called.   Faery-type magic would be perfect here... charms, illusions, glamers only, maybe some ability to use "Magic Items", whatever they'd be.
> 
> ...snip cool backstory...
> 
> I keep forgetting that if this is the Buffy/Angelverse, any story with any supernatural element is fair game.




That certainly can work; probably do up the mechanics of the half-fae background as a half-demon, but we'd argue that Rechard wouldn't want to feed on your blood


----------



## Cor Azer (Oct 5, 2011)

Acmite said:


> Count me in.  Yes, for reals.
> 
> I assume there will be late night hangouts at the 7-11?
> 
> I'll pop back in with character idea(s) on Thursday, if that works for the timeline.




If past experience holds, it'll be several days, if not a week, before all the characters are hashed out, so no immediate rush needed.

As for hanging out at the 7-11, that only works if you hired someone to pretend to be your girlfriend


----------



## Cor Azer (Oct 5, 2011)

At this point, the cast page is looking like the following. I'm also including a few game mechanic-y things, upon which I invite comment.

A general note for the half-demony among you: the Secret drawback was not factored into your Half-Demon qualities, because you may or may not want to keep it a secret. For those that do want such a secret kept (or at least, not general knowledge), you may want to pick up the Secret drawback to offset some of the cost of your Half-demon-ness.

Also, for those unfamiliar with Unisystem, an Attribute of 2 is human average, 6 is human max (although non-humans can go higher).

Herobizkit playing Rory Shanahan half-fae Celtic rocker/warlock

[sblock=Half-fae Quality]Half-fae Quality (6):
Immortal (0): won't die of old age, but violence still hurts
Acute Senses (2): keen hearing
Attractiveness +1 (1): bonus to any roll where persuading people is a factor
Vulnerability to Cold Iron (-3): A classic fae weakness I just threw in; if you don't like it, we can drop it, and the cost of the whole package is increased by 3.
Occult +1 (1): 1 free level in Occult
Dexterity +2 (2): gain +2 to Dexterity
Fae Magics (3): +5 bonus to magic rolls when dealing with illusions or charms[/sblock]

Walking Dad playing... some type of White Hat. Concept pending.

DrZombie playing either a football jock or a Slayer (DrZ and Shayuri - fight!)

jkason playing Gavin Petersen, a half-Poena Epulum demon pre-med student.

[sblock=Half-Poena Epulum Quality]Half-Poena Epulum Quality (13):
Supernatural Sense - Pain (3): A Perception + Notice check can learn the life point total of 1 creature per success in a 100ft radius.
Supernatural Attack - Deliver Pain (4): A Dexterity + Kung-fu attack to deal 20 damage
Supernatural Unattack - Feast on Pain (4): A Intelligence + Doctor check to heal 2 x Intelligence damage
Editted: on second thought, tge original version seemed way too powerful; far better than a Drama point; this tones it down some, and I may yet drop the x2 modifier...
Doctor +1 (1): 1 free level in Doctor, because Poena Epulum naturally understand biological systems.
Mental Problems - Cruelty (-1): The base tendencies of the Poena Epulum involve inflicting pain.[/sblock]

airwalkrr playing Rees Dafydd, a modernized Watcher.

[sblock=Rees Dafydd]Rees Dafydd, Watcher
White Hat (15 Attribute points, 10 Quality points, up to 10 Drawback points, 15 Skill points, 20 Drama points)

Attributes
Strength: 2
Dexterity: 2
Constitution: 3 (+1 from Watcher quality)
Intelligence: 5 (+1 from Nerd quality) 
Perception: 2
Willpower: 4 (+1 from nerd quality)

Life Points: 30
Drama Points: 20

Qualities (12 spent):
Watcher (5): +1 to a physical attribute, +2 Getting Medieval, +2 to any roll when learning about demons, vampires, etc.
Nerd (3): +1 to two mental attributes, +2 to one of Computers, Knowledge, Science; -1 to any roll involving social interaction
Resources - Well-off (2) (freelance computer programming): personal wealth of ~300,000USD, monthly gross income of ~10,000USD
Occult Library - Good (2): no modifier to research rolls; holds d10 + 30 spells

Drawbacks (2 earned for Qualities, 6 earned for Skills):
Adversary - various minor ones (2): Demons no like watchers, they tend to have Slayers 
Talentless (2): Rees has no artistic ability. Note the period. His logical programming mind has all but completely devoured his expressive creativity.
Showoff (2): Given all the degrees he's earned at this young age, Rees' bragging can almost be expected, if not outright forgiven...
Obligation - Major (2): Rees has been sent to Waterloo to guide and mold a Slayer.

Skills (21 spent):
Acrobatics 0
Art 0
Computers 7 (+2 from Nerd quality)
Crime 0
Doctor 0
Driving 1
Getting Medieval 2 (+2 from Watcher quality)
Gun Fu 0
Influence 1
Knowledge 3
Kung Fu 2
Languages 2 - English +1 other (programming languages don't count)
Mr. Fix-it 0
Notice 1
Occultism 4
Science 2
Sports 0
Wild Card 0

Sample Combat Maneuvers:
Dodge: Dex + Getting Medieval or Dex + Kung Fu: +4
Punch: Dex + Kung Fu: +4; base damage 4 bash
Stake: Dex + Getting Medieval: +4; base damage 4 slash/stab
- Through Heart: Dex + Getting Medieval -3: +1; damage x5 vs vamps
Crossbow: Dex + Getting Medieval: +4; base damage 16 slash/stab
[/sblock]

Systole is playing Rechard Butler, a (nigh-?) immortal human art/history professor

Shayuri is playing either a Slayer or some sort of Zeppo (again... fight!)

Acmite is playing someone who'll get in trouble on Thursday.


----------



## Systole (Oct 5, 2011)

How is the gang getting together here?  I'm not sure if Rechard would recognize Gavin or Rory, but Gavin's health sense would absolutely notice Rechard.  

And while Rechard _should _stay away from anything Watcher-like, his recklessness might mean that if Rees approached Rechard about combat lessons for the new Slayer, he might decide to play.  After all, if he can get in good with the Slayer, it would be demon-blood happy hour for as long as it lasted....

Actually, that makes a lot of sense.  Given the recklessness and the addiction/obsession, it would be very easy for Rechard to play along, and he has a vested interest in keeping the Slayer alive and relatively happy.


----------



## Shayuri (Oct 5, 2011)

Does a Slayer count as having 'demon blood?' Or is that more of a metaphysical thing? 

As far as slayer concepts go, I'm leaning nerdgirl, but it would be kind of interesting...as backstories go, and complications...to have that pastor's daughter thing going.

Of course, the two aren't mutually exclusive.

HMMM.


----------



## Systole (Oct 5, 2011)

Willow the Vampire Slayer?

I think demons are demons and slayers are slayers.  I'm not sure how Rechard feels about half-breed blood or vampire blood... I imagine it wouldn't be his first choice, but I think they would do in a pinch.


----------



## DrZombie (Oct 5, 2011)

Shayuri said:


> Does a Slayer count as having 'demon blood?' Or is that more of a metaphysical thing?
> 
> As far as slayer concepts go, I'm leaning nerdgirl, but it would be kind of interesting...as backstories go, and complications...to have that pastor's daughter thing going.
> 
> ...




Lol. How 'bout the intellectually challanged sportsjock turning slayer who has to rely on the drop-dead-gorgeous-when-she-takes-of-her-glasses-nerdgirl for tactics?


----------



## Cor Azer (Oct 5, 2011)

Shayuri said:


> Does a Slayer count as having 'demon blood?' Or is that more of a metaphysical thing?
> 
> As far as slayer concepts go, I'm leaning nerdgirl, but it would be kind of interesting...as backstories go, and complications...to have that pastor's daughter thing going.
> 
> ...




Slayers would just have human blood, although mystically enhanced, vamps and half-demons would count as demon blood, but would be like rice cakes to the demons' savory pot roast.


----------



## Herobizkit (Oct 5, 2011)

This is going to sound funny, but are we getting too "D&D"-y?  Half of us are half-blooded with the supernatural. 

Then again, the Angel gang was anything but normal.

Must... stay... focused.

Maybe we're more Lost Girl now.


----------



## Shayuri (Oct 5, 2011)

Hee hee, okay Zombie...let us hash this out. 

In my corner is Nerdgirl, who's got that pastor for a father and so on, rah rah. Not terribly assertive, but in my mind she's kind of sour and sarcastic towards the mainstream she feels rejected by. Not the cheerful, chirpy Willow-ish sort at all.

Now, unless I'm mistaking you, in your corner is the athletic...perhaps even jocktastic...sporty girl, who is a bit 'durr' in matters cranial, but well versed in matters related to jumping and running and climbing...and perhaps kicking and hitting as well. Not at all a cheerleader, she plays on more than one of the school teams. 

One shall be the slayer. The other shall be...NOT the slayer. Spunky sidekick? Mmmmaybe. Something like that. Though either has potential to supply.

In my mind, the nerdgirl-slayer idea is entertaining mainly because of the role reversal, where the decidedly non-physically inclined girl is thrust into a situation where the qualities she views as her strengths are more or less irrelevant, and she's forced to rely on abilities that may very well be heretical. 

However, I can also see how it results in a character who "has it all" in some ways...possessing the superhuman physical characteristics of the slayer, as well as the developed intellect of the Nerd. Even if that were desirable, and I'm not sure it is, the system likely wouldn't support that.

The only potential issue with sporty-slayer and her nerdish BFF is that it walks perilously close to the dynamic of the TV show...though I recognize that the actual characters are quite distinct. Even so, I'm not sure I'd be satisfied with being the one who does some research up front, then vanishes during all of the action...unless I was abducted or in other ways made into a plot point. 

Of course, I suppose that's true for anyone who would play a normal human in a game of demons and half-demons.

So...not sure where that leaves us.

Hee


----------



## Cor Azer (Oct 5, 2011)

Herobizkit said:


> This is going to sound funny, but are we getting too "D&D"-y?  Half of us are half-blooded with the supernatural.
> 
> Then again, the Angel gang was anything but normal.
> 
> ...




I'm not too worried about things feeling too D&Dish. Really, out of 8 characters, we're looking at two half-demons, and immortal human, and a Slayer (although, to be fair, we don't yet know much about the other four except the Watcher.

Compare Buffy: Slayer (x2 or 3 if Kendra counts), Witch (x2), Watcher (x2, one with some spell abilities), Werewolf, Vampire (x2), government enhanced human, mystical key in human form, Potentials (x alot in season 7), ex (and later not so ex) vengeance demon, demon-summoner (if you count Andrew)... Really, Xander and Cordelia are the only normals in the Scooby gang, and even Cordy became half-demon in her last years.


----------



## Cor Azer (Oct 5, 2011)

Shayuri said:


> Hee hee, okay Zombie...let us hash this out.
> 
> In my corner is Nerdgirl, who's got that pastor for a father and so on, rah rah. Not terribly assertive, but in my mind she's kind of sour and sarcastic towards the mainstream she feels rejected by. Not the cheerful, chirpy Willow-ish sort at all.
> 
> ...




If you two really want a wrench in the gears, you could possibly both be Slayers. Sort of. Take a page out Of Fray, and while you wouldn't both need to be twins, maybe the screwy Hellmouth went all snip-snip on the Slayer package, and you each got part of it. Deciding how to divy up the good parts would be another fight, but you'd each get some cake...

That said, Shayuri, don't worry too much about nerdgirl seeming too "best of all worlds"; just by virtual of splitting her focus, she'll be a solid second best in a few things, but she win't really have enough points to outshine anyone who really wants to focus on something.


----------



## Shayuri (Oct 5, 2011)

Let me just put something that hasn't been discussed much yet on the table and see what happens.

Mad Science.

Discuss.

...

Seriously though, that could be a "power source" for nerdity, eh?


----------



## Cor Azer (Oct 5, 2011)

Shayuri said:


> Let me just put something that hasn't been discussed much yet on the table and see what happens.
> 
> Mad Science.
> 
> ...




The Magic Box supplement has rules for superscience a la Warren in Buffy season 6, so I can handle it.

From a game setting level, Waterloo is home of the main HQ for *ahem* Edge Communications, a leading developer of smartphone technologies, and at least one of the two universities is well known for its math, computer science, and engineering schools...


There's bound to be a few smarties with some different views of normal behaviours... Are any on the side of good?


----------



## Systole (Oct 5, 2011)

I agree with Cor regarding a nerd girl Slayer.  You split your focus.  Rechard could have been a lot more combat effective, but I wanted him to be an expert painter.  So mostly, he's just a meatshield.

The book also suggests that you could have a pair of Slayers if both Buffy and Faith have near-death experiences.  It's not 100% canon, but that doesn't bother me much at all.

Also let me say:  OOOoooOOOooo mad science.  Rechard would be hilariously out of his element.


----------



## Shayuri (Oct 5, 2011)

I'm pretty sure that Buffy's successor has already been called; that was Kendra. After Kendra was Faith, and the slayer in this game would be the slayer called after Faith's "death."

So if Buffy dies again, no new slayer. As far as the line goes, she's already died. The fact that she didn't stay dead doesn't change that.

That's my reading anyway. Besides, two slayers is less fun. Better for everyone to have their own thing.


----------



## Cor Azer (Oct 5, 2011)

Shayuri said:


> I'm pretty sure that Buffy's successor has already been called; that was Kendra. After Kendra was Faith, and the slayer in this game would be the slayer called after Faith's "death."
> 
> So if Buffy dies again, no new slayer. As far as the line goes, she's already died. The fact that she didn't stay dead doesn't change that.
> 
> That's my reading anyway. Besides, two slayers is less fun. Better for everyone to have their own thing.




That's the take on Slayer inheritance I'm taking; I just threw out the idea for some wrenching...


----------



## jkason (Oct 5, 2011)

Yoinks, did I fall behind!



Cor Azer said:


> I think the hang up was that _Catholic_ priests are celibate. Other Christian faiths are more accommodating.




While celibacy is part of a Catholic priest's vows, virginity isn't so far as I'm aware, so it's entirely possible his daughter was the result of his life prior to the seminary. Either a wife who died, or a mistake from 'hellraiser' days for which he's now atoning. Either one comes with the possibility of projected angst in daughter's direction.



Shayuri said:


> I'm pretty sure that Buffy's successor has already been called; that was Kendra. After Kendra was Faith, and the slayer in this game would be the slayer called after Faith's "death."
> 
> So if Buffy dies again, no new slayer. As far as the line goes, she's already died. The fact that she didn't stay dead doesn't change that.
> 
> That's my reading anyway. Besides, two slayers is less fun. Better for everyone to have their own thing.




Well, with super-science on the table, it's always possible someone was trying to make their own Slayer, getting all peanut butter cup with their mysticism and gene-splicing.  I mean, Slayers heal quick, but bleed often; no telling who might have samples.


On my own character:

* I figured the 'gang' would probably know Gavin's secret, but he wouldn't be especially keen on giving details of his 'gift' to strangers. I'm not sure if that requires a Secret or not? I think I have a line on Angel rulebook, but haven't as of yet looked at any rules.

* On demon-blood-feeding: I thought perhaps this might actually be part of the 'gathering of folk' backstory:

1) Gavin recognized Rechard's oddity, and wound up approaching him thinking they had something in common. Gavin has a tendency to want to find a place where he fits, which gets him in some trouble when he's too trusting. This would be no exception. He wound up in a situation where he was either going to be Rechard's next meal, or he could help him track down tastier fare. Gavin quite sensibly chose the latter, though he's always a bit tense when Rechard's stomach growls. 

2) On the less ruthless track, Gavin's 'pain sense' kicked off when he took Rechard's class at a point when the professor had gone far too long without demon blood. I would assume the oncoming loss of immortality would hurt, myself; it's a whole lot of dying having been staved off and on its way back all at once. In any case, Gavin actually offered some of his own blood to help stabilize the immortal, and the two have grown friendly in the wake of the incident.


----------



## Systole (Oct 5, 2011)

> Supernatural Sense - Pain (3): A Perception + Notice check can learn the life point total of 1 creature per success in a 100ft radius.




The way I read this is that Gavin knows how healthy someone is immediately.  Am I wrong?  Rechard is pushing 50-60 hp, which is about 3x what's expected for the average art teacher.  If Gavin's health sense works like that, he wouldn't need to wait for hunger pangs -- Rechard would obviously be a 100-watt bulb in a 40-watt room.


----------



## Cor Azer (Oct 5, 2011)

Systole said:


> The way I read this is that Gavin knows how healthy someone is immediately.  Am I wrong?  Rechard is pushing 50-60 hp, which is about 3x what's expected for the average art teacher.  If Gavin's health sense works like that, he wouldn't need to wait for hunger pangs -- Rechard would obviously be a 100-watt bulb in a 40-watt room.




Yes, the way it's written now, that would be correct. I am wondering if it'd be more 'correct' according to Gavin's background if it just indicated total damage taken, rather than current life points.



jkason said:


> While celibacy is part of a Catholic priest's vows, virginity isn't so far as I'm aware, so it's entirely possible his daughter was the result of his life prior to the seminary. Either a wife who died, or a mistake from 'hellraiser' days for which he's now atoning. Either one comes with the possibility of projected angst in daughter's direction.




Very true.



jkason said:


> Well, with super-science on the table, it's always possible someone was trying to make their own Slayer, getting all peanut butter cup with their mysticism and gene-splicing.  I mean, Slayers heal quick, but bleed often; no telling who might have samples.




Geddoutta my notes!

... Erase erase.... Scribble scribble...

Nevermind



jkason said:


> On my own character:
> 
> * I figured the 'gang' would probably know Gavin's secret, but he wouldn't be especially keen on giving details of his 'gift' to strangers. I'm not sure if that requires a Secret or not? I think I have a line on Angel rulebook, but haven't as of yet looked at any rules.
> 
> ...




Gavin's background could still count as a secret because if it gets out to people he doesn't trust, or who are willing to use it 'offensively', it could severely ruin his reputation. Just having people know the secret isn't enough to void it; they have to be willing and able to use that knowledge against you.


----------



## jkason (Oct 5, 2011)

Cor Azer said:


> Yes, the way it's written now, that would be correct. I am wondering if it'd be more 'correct' according to Gavin's background if it just indicated total damage taken, rather than current life points.




I can make both work, though I think maybe this is probably closer to what I was envisioning. Knowing life point totals doesn't necessarily tell him if something is hurt, unless it's accompanied by knowing what a thing's 'max hp' is. 

The basic idea was that Gavin can 'sniff out' pain. In his full-blooded demon-kin, the ability would be used to track dinner, as it were: this thing is hurting, so it'll be easy to feed on. My thought was that Gavin uses it to help find/know when allies are injured and / or to track injured critters the gang is trying to take down.


----------



## Shayuri (Oct 5, 2011)

Hmm...I'm warming to the mad science idea. Maybe Nerdgirl was even trying out for a wannabe slayer, before she met y'all. I have this vision of a homemade "monster hunting suit" with like...a stungun in one sleeve and a taser or teeny butene flamethrower in the other...and a plate over the torso cushioned with some kind of super-spongy gel to suck up blunt trauma... Helmet with nightsight on a folding visor...

And maybe something like a diving gun, or a built-in air compression cannon to shoot stakes...

Hee hee

Of course, with stuff like that, it might make more sense if she was a policeman's daughter after all.

"Honey, have you seen my taser?"

"No dad!" *fzzzt*  "Ow!"


----------



## airwalkrr (Oct 5, 2011)

As the new Watcher in town, it is possible Dafydd (it's pronounced "Davith" btw; that should intentionally be a constant source of confusion for Canadians) doesn't know anyone at all. He's just looking for the Slayer. However given that he has lived in Canada before, he may have encountered Rechard before, possibly even as a student when he did Graduate studies in Toronto.

As for his "cover," I believe I would like something like this: He is ostensibly in Waterloo to serve as a computer science adviser for one of the local colleges. Another idea which I may come to like more is that he is the supervisor of the student computing facilities. Where Giles looks over books, Dafydd looks over computers. I rather fancy that. He might teach the occasional class every other semester, but doesn't really have time for it what with being a Watcher and all, hence the rather underwhelming "career" for someone with such an expansive CV.


----------



## Cor Azer (Oct 5, 2011)

Shayuri said:


> Hmm...I'm warming to the mad science idea. Maybe Nerdgirl was even trying out for a wannabe slayer, before she met y'all. I have this vision of a homemade "monster hunting suit" with like...a stungun in one sleeve and a taser or teeny butene flamethrower in the other...and a plate over the torso cushioned with some kind of super-spongy gel to suck up blunt trauma... Helmet with nightsight on a folding visor...
> 
> And maybe something like a diving gun, or a built-in air compression cannon to shoot stakes...
> 
> ...




The Buffy RPG differentiates between assemblages and permanent items for both magic and superscience - assemblages are far more common, essentially little more than jury-rigged one shot items (well, possibly longer, maybe an episode or two), whereas full-blown magic and superscience items are more difficult and expensive to build and repair, but are otherwise permanent.

Both are possible, but I just wanted to throw that out there in case it helps/hurts your concept.



airwalkrr said:


> As the new Watcher in town, it is possible Dafydd (it's pronounced "Davith" btw; that should intentionally be a constant source of confusion for Canadians) doesn't know anyone at all. He's just looking for the Slayer. However given that he has lived in Canada before, he may have encountered Rechard before, possibly even as a student when he did Graduate studies in Toronto.
> 
> As for his "cover," I believe I would like something like this: He is ostensibly in Waterloo to serve as a computer science adviser for one of the local colleges. Another idea which I may come to like more is that he is the supervisor of the student computing facilities. Where Giles looks over books, Dafydd looks over computers. I rather fancy that. He might teach the occasional class every other semester, but doesn't really have time for it what with being a Watcher and all, hence the rather underwhelming "career" for someone with such an expansive CV.




That cover works for me; also, he'd still have a built-in link to the Slayer, so I'm not as worried there. Characters don't have to know everyone else, but should know some of the others.


----------



## DrZombie (Oct 5, 2011)

Did someone say werewolf?

Euh,Shayuri, go for Slayer 

Do they play rugby in Canada? A rugby-playing werewolf, needing some extra lessons from the nerdgirl so he can pass his tests?

added with a half-vampire, daemon and a half-faery should make for some interesting group tensions


----------



## Cor Azer (Oct 5, 2011)

DrZombie said:


> Did someone say werewolf?
> 
> Euh,Shayuri, go for Slayer
> 
> ...




Of course we have rugby! What a question!

Buffy RPG has 3 "types" of werewolves - uncontrolled (change at full moon, DM runs wolfie), psuedocontrolled (change at full moon, player controls wolfie), and controlled (change when player wishes, player controls wolfie). The first is a drawback, the other two are qualities with the second more expensive.


----------



## Shayuri (Oct 5, 2011)

Bah! I was really getting into the mad scientist thing too.

But okay, slayer it is.

Can anyone give me a rundown on how to make a character? Or point me to a spot on the web?


----------



## DrZombie (Oct 5, 2011)

I've got the books,will look into 'em this set of nightshifts, if things are quiet. 

Must practice my howling skills . HAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUUUW

edit : why not a mad-scientist slayer? Could work with the computer-minded watcher


----------



## airwalkrr (Oct 5, 2011)

Yeah, I think I am going to go with supervisor of the student computer facility at a college or secondary school. Of course he has things like crossbows and stakes all over the place and his students are always asking him what those things are for, not to mention his Necronomicon screen saver. (He happened to like Army of Darkness, okay?)

He spends most of his time in front of a screen, but doesn't slack on exercise, just to keep himself moderately fit. He's nothing of a sportsman at all though. Never even stepped foot on a sports field. His athletics have all been of a more practical nature and even that has been just the basics. He's much happier browsing the web or making his latest digital scans of various tomes so he can search them more quickly. He's even started a Watcher Wiki, although it has yet to catch on; he's the only Watcher to post to it as of yet.


----------



## Cor Azer (Oct 5, 2011)

DrZombie said:


> I've got the books,will look into 'em this set of nightshifts, if things are quiet.
> 
> Must practice my howling skills . HAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUUUW
> 
> edit : why not a mad-scientist slayer? Could work with the computer-minded watcher




Heh... Corruption = Corruption + 1 

Also, a mad scientist Slayer? Cool beans...



airwalkrr said:


> Yeah, I think I am going to go with supervisor of the student computer facility at a college or secondary school. Of course he has things like crossbows and stakes all over the place and his students are always asking him what those things are for, not to mention his Necronomicon screen saver. (He happened to like Army of Darkness, okay?)
> 
> He spends most of his time in front of a screen, but doesn't slack on exercise, just to keep himself moderately fit. He's nothing of a sportsman at all though. Never even stepped foot on a sports field. His athletics have all been of a more practical nature and even that has been just the basics. He's much happier browsing the web or making his latest digital scans of various tomes so he can search them more quickly. He's even started a Watcher Wiki, although it has yet to catch on; he's the only Watcher to post to it as of yet.




Angel Season 2, and the Angel Rulebook references a demon research websitw called "Demons! Demons! Demons!" I'm sure Dafydd has it bookmarked.


----------



## DrZombie (Oct 5, 2011)

To be quite honest, I've only seen a few episodes of season one of Buffy ten years ago, and none of angel,  just so I could play a totally clueless rugby player today. Isn't that worth extra XP?


----------



## airwalkrr (Oct 5, 2011)

To be honest, the first season was my favorite, and I've seen the whole run. I'm not trying to say you aren't missing much, because the whole series was fantastic, but if you had to see only one season then season 1 was probably the best one to have seen.


----------



## DrZombie (Oct 6, 2011)

So the hero spots are the Slayer and the half-demon? I'll see if I can play a white-hat werewolf, or maybe just a white hat rugby player.
The downsides give extra points to buy powers, right?

Here's my first ever Character, a white hat werewolf rugby player.

[Sblock= Steven Moon ]

Stats
Str 5/9
Dex 3/5
Con 4/6
Int 1
Perc 2 
WP 2
Armor 4/5
Life points 46/70
(natural tougness)
Acute senses (Smell/taste)

Drawbacks/Perks
-11/+25
Addiction : marihuana -2
Ugly -1
Fast reaction time +2
Honorable -1
Jock +3
Recklessness -2
Natural Toughness +2
Nerves of steel +3
Hurting finance -4
Werewolf +12
Hard to kill +3
Minority -1

Skills
Sports 5
Acrobatics 3
Getting medieval 1
Gun Fu 2
Kung Fu 3
Notice 2
Driving 1
Language 1 (Cree) (+1 left over from qualities)


Steven comes from a native tribe, and got a sports scholarship to go to uni. He is not the sharpest tool in the shed, but makes up for it in physique. His rugby-exploits have left him somewhat scarred, his nose has been broken a few times too many. He is a tall, hugely muscled frontliner, not afraid of showing his heritage. He is one of the few trueblood werewolves left in Canada, able to shapechange at will. He is caught between cultures, unable to blend in in either society because of his isolation from his people and his marked difference in upbringing from the rest of his classmates. He only feels comfortable on the sportsfield, in the gym, or by himself, alone in the woods. He hasn't seen anyone of his family in many years. While he realises he is a werewolf he doesn't know how to deal with it. Being isolated from his tribe has left him woefully inadequate in the occult department, and he is completely unaware that there's things out there that go bump in the night.
He lives off his scholarship funds, hoping to get a contract with a sports club and desperately striving to get a degree. He lives a few miles from the university in an old house, and jogs to and from uni every day, taking a quick shower before class begins. He is desperate to get some help with classes, computers and such, because in the few days since classes have started he realises he is in way over his head. He is getting fairly frustrated, seeing no way out, and he takes his anger out in the rugby field. One of the only vices he has is the bong he's got hidden in his shed, along with a few 'special' plants he planted in a clearing in the forest.
He usually wears faded jeans and a sleeveless t-shirt, showing off his muscled arms. He's got a tribal tattoo around his left upper arm, and a huge tattoo of a howling wolf's head on his back, usually covered with his T-shirt. He wears a hard-used leather jacket when it's cold.

I know I've got one drawback too many (minority) which I used to buy a native language (the native thing and the language is something that came up while making the background)  . If you don't like it I'll recalculate and swap stuff around

Possible tie-ins with other characters :
- He needs help getting through the first semester without failing
- He is honorable and hates bullies, he'll come to aid of any character getting any lip from the usual idiots
- The stink of vampires/demons will draw him out
- Any combat situation against evil creatures
- He might be recognized for what he is by the watcher

[/sblock]


----------



## Cor Azer (Oct 6, 2011)

DrZombie said:


> So the hero spots are the Slayer and the half-demon? I'll see if I can play a white-hat werewolf, or maybe just a white hat rugby player.
> The downsides give extra points to buy powers, right?




Given that there are 8 players, I'll allow up to 3 heroes, the rest white hats.

Yes, Drawbacks give extra points for both Qualities and Skills (max 10 total).


----------



## Systole (Oct 6, 2011)

Rechard was built as a hero, but he's not quite as physical as a Slayer would be.


----------



## DrZombie (Oct 6, 2011)

Here's the Hero Version:


[Sblock=Steven Moon]
Str 6/10
Dex4/6
Con4/6
Int3
Perc3 
WP2
(+1 to Str and Con from Jock)
Armor 4/5
(natural tougness)
Acute senses (Smell/taste)
Life points 50/74


-10/+25
Addiction : marihuana -2
Ugly -1
Fast reaction time +2
Minority -1
Jock +3
Recklessness -2
Natural Toughness +2
Nerves of steel +3
Hurting finance -4
Werewolf +12
Hard to kill +3


Sports 6
Acrobatics3
Getting medieval4
Kung fu 5
Mr Fixit 2
Notice 3
Driving 1
Language 1 (cree)
Occult 2 
(5 left over from qualities +2 sports from jock))

Steven comes from a native tribe, and got a sports scholarship to go to uni. He is smart in his own way, but uneducated. His rugby-exploits have left him somewhat scarred, his nose has been broken a few times too many. He is a tall, hugely muscled frontliner, not afraid of showing his heritage. He is one of the few trueblood werewolves left in Canada, able to shapechange at will. He is caught between cultures, unable to blend in in either society because of his isolation from his people and his marked difference in upbringing from the rest of his classmates. He only feels comfortable on the sportsfield, in the gym, or by himself, alone in the woods. He hasn't seen anyone of his family in many years, but is proficient in the ways of his people, and in the old lores. 
He lives off his scholarship funds, hoping to get a contract with a sports club and desperately striving to get a degree. He lives a few miles from the university in an old house, and jogs to and from uni every day, taking a quick shower before class begins. He is desperate to get some help with classes, computers and such, because in the few days since classes have started he realises he is in way over his head. He is getting fairly frustrated, seeing no way out, and he takes his anger out in the rugby field. One of the only vices he has is the bong he's got hidden in his shed, along with a few 'special' plants he planted in a clearing in the forest.
He usually wears faded jeans and a sleeveless t-shirt, showing off his muscled arms. He's got a tribal tattoo around his left upper arm, and a huge tattoo of a howling wolf's head on his back, usually covered with his T-shirt. He wears a hard-used leather jacket when it's cold. He's got a few 'traditional' weapons at home, and enjoys hunting in the old ways.



Possible tie-ins with other characters :
- He needs help getting through the first semester without failing
- He is honorable and hates bullies, he'll come to aid of any character getting any lip from the usual idiots
- The stink of vampires/demons will draw him out
- Any combat situation against evil creatures
- He might be recognized for what he is by the watcher

[/sblock]

This is a marked difference with the white hat character (see previous, edited post), but I don't want to be too greedy. I'll play either character, but I must say I'd love to tomahawk a demon


----------



## Systole (Oct 6, 2011)

I can White Hat Rechard if there are too many Slayer types.


----------



## Shayuri (Oct 6, 2011)

Anyone give me some basic info on how to build?


----------



## Cor Azer (Oct 6, 2011)

*For those without access to the books...*

Here's some typing...

Character Creation

For this game anyways, there are two character types:
Heroes get 20 points to buy Attributes, 20 points to buy Qualities, 20 points to buy Skills, start with 10 Drama points, and may earn up to 10 more points for Qualities and/or Skills with Drawbacks
White Hats get 15 points to buy Attributes, 10 points to buy Qualities, 15 points to buy Skills, start with 20 Drama points, and may earn up to 10 more points for Qualities and/or Skills with Drawbacks

Attributes:
Bought 1:1 with available Attribute points up to 5, bought 3:1 for levels 6+. Each must be at least 1, human average is 2, normal human max is 6.

Attributes are (3 Physical) Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, and (3 Mental) Intelligence, Perception, and Willpower

Life Points: 10 + 4x Strength + 4x Constitution

Qualities and Drawbacks
Qualities generally benefit you (although they may have some downsides) and Drawbacks usually hinder you (but have at least one upside - more points to spend elsewhere). Some have variable costs based on severity, and some can be either a Quality or a Drawback.

There are quite a few, and I'm just typing them in brief here... deep breath now... The number in parentheses, if followed by a Q it is the cost for it as a Quality, if followed by a D it is the points earned with it as a Drawback. Some Drawbacks can be worked or paid off during play, but don't necessarily give retroactive character generation points. Some drawbacks are more roleplaying than game mechanical.

[sblock=Qualities and Drawbacks]From Buffy Core rulebook:
*Acute Senses (2Q)* - Pick a sense, gain +3 to Perception rolls using that sense.
*Impaired Sense (2D)* - Pick a sense, suffer -3 to those Perception rolls.
*Addiction (1-6D)* - Your addicted to something that's not love. Cost is based on severity and drug (ie 1 for habitual smoking up to 6 for heavy heroin usage.
*Adversary (Variable D)* - Someone wants to hurt you. Joe the local thug might be worth 1 point. Wolfram and Hart probably 6 or more.
*Age (2Q per century)* - You're old, dude. Gain +Intelligence (max 4) Skill points, but also must take either Secret or Adversary drawback without earning extra character points)
*Artist (2Q)* - +1 to two different mental Attributes (max 6 for humans), +1 Art, but -1 to Willpower to resist emotional reactions
*Attractiveness (1Q per +1 or 1D per -1)* - How good you look. Average is 0 (humans range from -5 to +5). Modifier affects any rolls where persuasion is a factor.
*Clown (1D)* - Goof-off, and rarely taken seriously.
*Contacts (1-5Q)* - You know someone who can help. For 1 point, they might loan you a book, for 5 points, you might be able to call on the full might of the Watchers Council.
*Covetous (1-3D)* - You want something. Badly. Pick Greedy (money), Lecherous (sex), Ambitious (power), or Conspicious (fame) and a severity of Mild (won't break rules), Serious (roll Willpower (doubled) to resist temptations), or Desperate (roll Willpower to resist temptations). Some temptations add penalties to the rolls.
*Dependent (2-3D)* - Someone depends on you - kid sister, ailing grandparent, adopted son. 1 dependent is worth 2D, more than one is just 3D.
*Emotional Problems (1-2D)* - Pick one or more of: Depression (2D) - -1 to most task rolls; Dependency (1D) - Needy; Fear of Commitment (1D) - this is just a vague description; Fear of Rejection (1D) - 'but we can still be friends' is not welcome.
*Fast Reaction Time (2Q)* - +5 to Initiative (usually just a Dexterity roll), and +1 to Willpower to resist fear
*Good Luck (1Q per level)* - Once per game session or episode per level, add +1 to a roll (multiple levels can stack)
*Bad Luck (1D per level)* - Once per game session or episode per level, the DM inflicts a -1 to one of your rolls
*Hard to Kill (1Q per level)* - Add 3 x level to Life Points and +1/level to Survival Tests. Normal humans can have max 5 levels.
*Honorable (1-3D)* - Stick to the code, bro. Even a life/death sitch requires a Willpower test to break code. Pick one of: Minimal (1D) - you don't lie/betray people you love/respect; Serious (2D) - you don't betray anyone and always keeps word, friend or foe; Rigid (3D) - as Serious, but also won't ambush, strike helpless foes, or cheat. Might lie in extreme cases, but suffers -2 to -6 penalty on roll.
*Humorless (1D)* - not hip with the funny.
*Initiative Commando (4Q)* - Training gives: +1 to two different physical Attributes (human max 6), Fast Reaction Time or Situational Awareness, 3 levels Hard to Kill, and a 3-point Obligation (or 3 point Adversary or Secret if you quit)
*Jock (3Q)* - Gain +1 to two different physical Attributes (human max 6), +2 Sport (and must purchase at least one more normally), but a -1 penalty to intellectual pursuits (except Sports nerd stuff)
*Love (2D)* - Heart leads, head listens. Roll Willpower -3 to follow head instead of heart.
*Tragic Love (4D)* - As Love, but also, your love life is the stuff of bad country music legend.
*Mental Problems (1D per level)* - Pick something like Cowardice (penalty to fear checks equal to level), Cruelty (enjoy inflicting pain, at low level target foes, but highest level lie the sadists), or Delusions (you got some wiggins going on in your head). Severities are Mild (1D) - controllable unless extremely stressed; Severe (2D) - affects daily life, some people notice; or Deranged (3D) - problem rules you.
*Military Rank (1Q per level or 1D)* - Sir! Yes, sir! Private (1D), Corporal (0Q), Sergeant (1Q), up to General (9Q)
*Minority (1D)* - You are a visible minority, and there are still some bigots in this world.
*Misfit (2D)* - You don't fully fit in. -2 to Influence rolls
*Natural Toughness (2Q)* - You get 4 points of Armor Value versus bash damage.
*Nerd (3Q)* - Gain +1 to two different mental Attributes (human max 6), and +2 to one of Computers, Knowledge, or Science, but -1 to any social roll.
*Nerves of Steel (3Q)* - Unflappable. Immune to non-supernatural fear. +4 bonus to Willpower rolls versus supernatural fear.
*Obligation (Variable D)* - You have duties to perform. Minimal (0D) - Don't betray the organization; Important (1D) - Routinely risk life for org; Major (2D) - Org/mission more important than you; Total (3D) - expected to die for org/mission
*Obsession (2D)* - Go to almost any length in pursuit of... something
*Occult Library (Variable Q)* - You have some books of esoteric topics. Minimal (1Q) - You have one book. d10 + 10 spells, -3 to research rolls; Good (2Q) - Modest collection. d10 + 30 spells, no modifier to research rolls; Impressive (3Q) - Several rare tomes. d10 + 50 spells, +1 to research; Amazing (5Q) - Library filled. Spells as needed, +2 to research rolls.
*Paranoid (2D)* - Someone is out to get you. Trust me. Or don't. It's your neck.
*Photographic Memory (2Q)* - You remember everything. +1 to +3 to any skill roll where memorization helps.
*Physical Disability (Variable D)* - Missing/Crippled Arm (2D); Missing/Crippled Leg (3D) - -2 to hand-to-hand combat rolls; Both Arms Missing/Crippled (4D); Both Legs Missing/Crippled (4D); Quadriplegic (8D)
*Psychic Visions (1Q)* - Vague prophetic dreams of the future, sent when DM wants
*Reckless (2D)* - Leap, looking optional.
*Recurring Nightmares (1D)* - After night of bad dreams (DM fiat), -1 to all rolls next day
*Resistance (1Q per level)* - Pick Poison (+level to Constitution rolls to resist poison), Demonic Powers (+level to rolls resisting controlled/dominated supernatrally), or Pain (reduce penalties from wounds by level, gain +level to Willpower and Constitution rolls to stay conscious)
*Resources (2Q per +1, 2D per -1)* - Your (or your parents') personal wealth ranges from Destitute (-5) to Multimillionaire (+5). Specific USD figures in book.
*Robot (5Q)* - Sentient mechanical lifeform detected. +4 Strength, +1 Dex, +2 Con (no max). Cannot heal normally - Fixing requires Science 3 or higher; Int + Science test fixes 1 Life Point per Con level of robot per success.
*Secret (Variable D)* - There's something about you that you don't want others to know. 1D if it'll hurt your job, 2D if criminal, 3D if it likley means your life.
*Showoff (2D)* - Braggart; not one to sit back in a crowd.
*Situational Awareness (2Q)* - +2 to Perception rolls to notice danger, and to resist Crime or Acrobatics rolls for those trying to sneak up.
*Slayer (16Q)* - +3 Str, Dex, and Con, +2 Will (no max), Fast Reaction Time, Nerves of Steel, 5 levels of Hard to Kill, 5 point Adversary (Demons, Vamps), and a 3 point Obligation (Slay the nasties). +1 Getting Medieval and Kung Fu (but must also purchase at least 1 level in each normally), regenerate 1 LP/Con every hour, Sense vamps within 100ft with Perception roll. Cannot also take Jock, Initiative Commando, and/or Watcher.
*Sorcery (5Q per level)* - +level to magic rolls. Telekinesis. Can quick cast some spells
*Talentless (2D)* - no creative ability. Max of 1 success on any creative attempt (this includes lying)
*Teenager (2D)* - for the sub-18yr olds. now get off my lawn ya young punks!
*Vampire (12Q or 15Q)* - +3 Str, +2 Dex, +2 Con (no max), 2 levels of Hard to Kill, 1/5 damage from bullets, regenerate 1 LP/Con per hour (fire is slower), vamp weaknesses. 12Q is the irredeemible crowd. 15Q is for "tamed" vamps like with Angel's soul and Spike's chip.
*Watcher (5Q)* - +1 to any physical Attribute (human max 6), +2 Getting Medieval, +2 to any rolls learning about demons
*Werewolf (3D, 6Q or 12Q)* - Acute Senses(Smell/Taste). In animal form, +4 Str, +2 Dex, Con, gain bite/claw attack. Possibly pass on curse. If DM controls wolf 3D, if you control wolf 6Q. If you control wolf and when you change 12Q.
*Zealot (3D)* - Will sacrifice self and others for beliefs.

From The Magic Box
*Demonic Tutor (2D)* - That guy who taught you everything you know? He has plans that you agreed to help with before reading the fine print.
*Empathy (2Q)* - Make Perception + Notice to tell what someone is feeling
*Enchanted or Superscience Item (2Q per level)* - Start with an enchanted or superscience item of power level equal to or lower than level of this quality.
*Enchanter (5Q per level)* - You can make enchanted items up to a power level equal to your level in this quality.
*Superscientist (5Q per level)* - You can make superscience items up to a power level equal to your level in this quality.
*Invisible (10Q)* - You are invisible, with all the good and bad that entails.
*Iron Mind (3Q)* - Immune to telepathy and demonic mind reading and control.
*Magic Magnet (2D)* - Magic mishaps nearby? They target you.
*Magical Family (0-2Q or 2D)* - Your family knows some mojo. If you're 18yrs+ and at least Sorcery 1, this is free but you have to provide your own books. For the younger crowd, you can have either relatives (1Q) or your parents (2Q), who may allow access to their Occult Library (2). If the family is abusing and controling you, this is 2D.
*Magical Group (Variable Q or D)* - You belong to a magical group. The cost depends on the resources, requirements, and benefits of membership.
*Psychometry (4Q)* - Feel/see history of stuff you touch. Roll Perception (doubled) or Perception + Notice, and consult chart in book.
*Resistance - Mystical (1Q per level)* - +level bonus to rolls resisting mystic effects. Cannot also take mystical qualities, like Sorcery.
*Spirit Medium (2Q)* - You can talk to the dead, and they talk to you.
*Telekinesis (3Q per level)* - Roll Willpower + Telekinesis level, number of successes is the Strength of TK effect.
*Telepathy (5Q)* - You can speak into people's thoughts and hear their responses. Probing optional - opposed Willpower (doubled) rolls.
*The Sight (3Q)* - You can see magic, the beginings of spells and their remnants. Perception + Notice check to determine normalcy of human, or whether witch, Slayer, vamp, demon, etc...

From Slayer Handbook:
*Cop/Ex-Cop (4Q or 5Q)* - +1 to a physical stat, +1 to Crime, Driving, and Gun Fu. If you have legal authority 5Q, if retired/fired 4Q.
*Criminal (2Q)* - +1 to any attribute, +1 Crime, +1 to a skill related to career, but must make Willpower (doubled) tests to avoid criminal temptations.
*Mental Problems - Phobia (1-3D)* - As Mental Problem above, but afraid of something.
*Nosy Reporter (5Q)* - +1 Intelligence, +1 Perception, +1 Notice, +1 to skill related to field, and Contacts (appropriate) at level 2. Resisting curiosity requires a Willpower (doubled) roll.
*Occult Investigator (4Q)* - PI of the supernatural. +1 to two different mental attributes, +2 Occultism, +1 bonus on fear tests, but must make a Willpower (doubled) roll to stop from invesitgating "wierd" stuff.
*Slayer-in-Training* - You were identified as being a potential Slayer, and the Watchers have been training you since then. +1 to two different physical attributes, +1 Acrobatics, +1 Getting Medieval, +1 Kung Fu, and +1 Occultism, but also 1 point Obligation (Watchers) and 1 point Adversary (various) drawbacks (but gain no points for them). If later come Slayer, get Slayer powers and attribute boosts, but not skill bonuses - modified Slayer Quality then costs 14.
*Totem Warrior (12Q)* - Primal animal champion. +8 to spread on attributes, Acute Senses, Fast Reaction Time, 3 levels of Hard to Kill, +1 Kung Fu. Specific animal totems in book give different benefits. Suffer -1 Willpower to resist primal urges, and 3 point Adversary (Wendigo)




Others to be added.[/sblock]

Skills:
Bought 1:1 to level 5, Bought 3:1 above that.

[sblock=Skills]*Acrobatics:* move, twist, jump, climb, etc...
*Art:* create music, paint, write, or judge same made by others
*Computers:* programming, hacking, and such geekery
*Crime:* sneaking, picking locks, sleight of hand
*Doctor:* fixing up people
*Driving:* cars, motorcycles, trucks... not so much with the military grade stuff
*Getting Medieval:* using weapons
*Gun Fu:* using firearms
*Influence:* deception, seduction, intimidation and manipulation
*Knowledge:* non-scientific disciplines
*Kung Fu:* using fist, foot, occasional knee
*Languages:* fluent in 1 language per level
*Mr. Fix-it:* repair broken things
*Notice:* spotting things
*Occultism:* the wierd stuff, magic
*Science:* basic physical and pure sciences
*Sports:* the fun stuff
*Wild Card:* the catch-all - pick a topic not covered by other stuff (or super-narrowly confine something else - ie bad at all weapons except the rapier might be Getting Medieval 1 with Wild Card - Rapier 6)[/sblock]

Finishing touches - your character's name, background, appearance, etc...

Combat Maneuvers, Magic, and such can be explained later.


----------



## DrZombie (Oct 6, 2011)

Cor, you're mad as a hatter with all that typing lol.


----------



## Cor Azer (Oct 6, 2011)

DrZombie said:


> Cor, you're mad as a hatter with all that typing lol.




Actually, that wasn't so bad. Found some old game notes; I had that all done up for an aborted email game, and a lot of it had been done piecemeal in answer to several "what does this quality do?" type questions.

The madness comes when I try to add a few of the other books tonight  (others include Slayer's Handbook, Magic Box, Monster Smackdown, and Angel Corebook)


----------



## Systole (Oct 6, 2011)

Just do what I always do: 
1. Google search for "[insert name of system] character generator excel."  
2.  ????
3. Profit!


----------



## jkason (Oct 6, 2011)

Systole said:


> Just do what I always do:
> 1. Google search for "[insert name of system] character generator excel."
> 2.  ????
> 3. Profit!




Underpants Gnomes for the win!

ahem. 

Anyway, I hadn't considered Gavin a big front-line type. His basic 'what he's good at' concept was: finding people and fixing people. It may take some extra drawbacks, but I can probably come up with a White Hat version if someone else needs a hero slot. I'm not too particular. Gavin's only half demon, and he's a bit disturbed by that half, so having his abilities countered by various deficiencies might work out well for him. 

At least, it seems more likely for Gavin to fall into the less-experienced 'White Hat' area than a nigh-immortal who's been killing demons for sustenance for centuries. 

I'll give the specifics a closer look later and try to get something put together. 

j


----------



## Herobizkit (Oct 6, 2011)

I likely don't have to elaborate, but Rory is more of a socialite than fighter.  He plays the local club circuit with his band (can you "purchase" NPCs as an advantage/resource?) and otherwise is the "cool cat".  I guess he's like Two parts Doyle, one part Angel with a touch of Spike...?

I'm not sure how combat works in this system... should we be more cinematic and use whatever we happen across, or should we design actual "fighters"?


----------



## Cor Azer (Oct 6, 2011)

*Supporting Cast/Guest Stars (ie. NPCs)*
There are a few options for "purchasing" NPCs, depending on how you want them to interact with your character. Mostly you just make 'em up and add them to the narrative; you only have to pay for them as a Quality or earn points for them as a Drawback if they have a mechanical/noticeable impact on your character.

Dependent is a drawback that indicates that 1 or more people are, well, dependent on you for basic needs, like a child or ailing parent.

Contacts is a quality that lets you define a relationship with an NPC or group of NPCs who is/are willing to help you within a certain scope (to varying degrees based on what you spent on the quality)

Also, The Magic Box supplement and the Angel Corebook have rules for building organizations, such as law firms, witches' covens, gangs, etc.. that you can take as a quality or drawback (depending on the requirements of the group) that can give you more direct benefits than just contacts.

So, for example, Rory could have Contacts (Local Entertainment Industry) 1 that he can use to learn about insider information on local events (to find the demon hypnotist's next show), or we could build a group for Rory's band with various requirements/benefits like must help band mates, can share occult books, +1 Art when performing together, free helpers for ritual casting, etc.., and thus his band can have a mechanical effect on him.

*Combat*
Combat will definitely feel more fun if you just kind of go with the flow and describe your actions. There are a lot of different combat maneuvers should you wish to employ them, but it is likely that over time you'll find 3-4 that you feel fit your character best and just fall back on them (that's not a requirement, just an observation I've made). Stand-bys often inlcude punching, kicking, staking through the heart, crossbowing, biting (for vamps), magic-y-ing (most spells are too slow/time consuming to be used in combat, but character with the Sorcery Quality can "quick cast" certain spells, which renders them combat-available.

The narrative idea will help too with the way combat is resolved. Initiative is rolled the first round (d10 + Dex), but for every round thereafter, initiative is won by Narrator/DM fiat (ie, whomever he feels is in the "advantageous" position at the time - ie, if you spun around behind the vamp last round, you win initiative because he's slighty off-guard)

Each round has all characters involve declare their intended actions, and then those actions are resolved in initiative order... assuming an earlier action doesn't negate them. Characters typically get 2 actions per round (and often use one for an attack and the other for a defense like Parry or Dodge but not a requirement), but high Dexterity can yield more actions (don't have chart handy) at cumulative penalties to any rolls.

[sblock=example]Combat Example (sans actual rolls cause I don't have the modifiers here)
Spike and Giles are debating the pros and cons of rugby league vs rugby union while patroling, when two vamps jump out of nearby windows, declaring death for the vamp who hunts his own kind.

First Round:
Spike: Bugger this. I'll whip out a crossbow and peg one through the heart, and since they don't look like much more than nancy-boys, I'll use the crossbow to parry one attack, but then use my extra actions to reload and fire again, in case I missed earlier.
Giles: Goodness. I draw a stake... no, I'm already carrying one... alright, I'll approach with my guard up, and give him a right jab as he nears.
Both vamps show their game faces, and rush the two Brits, one trying to grab Giles and throw him into Spike and the other trying to tackle Spike.
Resolution: Spike wins Initiative, then vamps, then Giles.
Spike rolls well with his crossbow, dusting it easily.
The remaining vamp grabs Giles before his punch is thrown, and with supernatural strength, hurls the tweed-clad missile at Spike, knocking both the the ground.
Giles is in no position to punch the vamp now, and loses his action.

Round the second:
Spike: Get off me, wanker! I'll fend off any attack on me, then sweep the vamps leg, and stake him.
Giles: I'll roll free, full defense, letting the vampires finish this.
Vamp: I'll teach you to consort with the chattel! Grab Spike by the collar and throw a few rabbit punches.
Resolution: With both Giles and Spike on their backs, the vamp wins initiative
Even on his butt, Spike is too skilled (and the vamp rolls poorly), failing to even grab Spike's leather jacket.
Channeling Cobra-Kai dojo, Spike sweeps the vamp's leg, dropping it on it's back, then uses once of those fancy Angel-esque stake poppers (patent pending), to drive some pine into its chest, dusting it.
Giles, relieved at not being knocked unconscious, celebrates y wiping his glasses.

Combat over, Spike checks out his smoke, sees it damaged, curses, then draws and lights a new one.
Spike: Rugby league... Next you're going to declare Leeds better than Man U...[/sblock]

One standard op deviation for Buffy RPG from D&D... it is not always foolhardy to be off by yourself. Sure, you don't want to wander the cemetery with a big "come bite me" sign on your lonesome (well, except maybe the Slayer and/or Rechard when on the hunt), but Rory can head off to a gig generally without fear of being jumped, or Dafydd can stay in his lab doing research without being threatened. While yes, this game is working on the axiom that demons, vamps, and the like exist, the game is set in a modern day city, so they're not hiding around every corner, or even every second corner. If semi-reasonable precautions are taken, chances are, you'll be safe, or there's a good reason the big bad risked campus security and broke several locks to find you studying in a classroom.

Corollary - not everyone needs to be physically involved in every fight. I try to make sure there's always stuff for people to do, and sometimes that means there are extra vamp minions around for the white hats to occupy while the big guns battle the baddies, but sometimes it's the Slayer who is just doing minor demon control while the magically-inclined work their mojo against the spirit world.

Corollary the second - that said, part of the fun of the game is throwing people into situations they're unprepared for - the technophobe Rechard needing to repair a robot, or the Slayer (well, not Shayuri's nerd slayer, but say... Buffy or Faith) needing to pass a pop quiz or be held in detention and miss the fight to stop the Apocalypse (not that Faith would stay, but...). Sure, it won't happen all the time, but just like the violence-inclined may need to use nice words on occasion, the violence-adjacent may need to curl the fingers into the fist once in a while.

Appendix 1 - Also, if you are in a situation where you feel overmatched, remember your Drama points. They can add +5 to a roll, which is useful in a pinch, but for the creatively minded, they can be so much better - example: the seductive, and surprisingly husky, fem-vamp has Dafydd pinned to his seat, all ready to take a savoury taste; knowing he's not really in the vamp's league violence-wise, rather than adding +5 to his Dodge roll to avoid the attack, he uses his Drama point to have local delinquents choose that moment to pull a fire alarm prank, and all the sprinklers going off seriously wigs and distracts the vampire from her task, allowing Dafydd to scramble behind his desk... Note it won't completely swing the combat, but it will throw a definite wrench in there, perhaps allowing other opportunities for survival

Clear like wall?


----------



## Shayuri (Oct 6, 2011)

Been doing statting.

Having second...third?...thoughts about nerd-slayer. With the various bonuses, it's waaaay too easy to get sixes and fives in just about every stat. This strikes me as a character who lacks interesting bumpy parts where they're out of their element.

Except social situations, I suppose. Hm. Still, not sure that's enough.

Any chance I could get the rundown on how gadgets work? I saw before the difference between relatively cheap temp items versus permanant. I'd just like to know how to price those so I can get an idea of whats involved.


----------



## DrZombie (Oct 6, 2011)

I'm fairly happy with the rugby-werewolf tank. From the descriptions so far it seems like the most martially inclined next to the slayer. Bring it on, bloodsuckers .


----------



## Cor Azer (Oct 7, 2011)

Shayuri said:


> Been doing statting.
> 
> Having second...third?...thoughts about nerd-slayer. With the various bonuses, it's waaaay too easy to get sixes and fives in just about every stat. This strikes me as a character who lacks interesting bumpy parts where they're out of their element.
> 
> ...




To be fair, this is a Buffy game, and set in (mostly) university. Social situations will be fairly common. Also, while being spread out evenly may make you decent at combat as well as certain mental stuff, it won't leave you specialized enough to doing the truly awe-inspiring stuff - so, sure you could do cool backflips, or flying kicks fairly easily, but with associated penalties, you might not being doing them at the same time against multiple foes.

And now for a brief rundown on magic and superscience...

Buffy RPG takes the "menu-driven/point buy" approach to magic. While there are some spells in the books taken from the show, they are generally used as examples for how the menu/point buy works.

Typically, when someone needs a spell, they must consult some sort of Occult Library, and then research the spell.

Researching a spell:
1. Player (with Narrator consultation) determines what they want the spell to do. Generally, spells in Buffy err towards the way specific rather than the general use ones (ie: you might find a Flay My Ex-Love spell, rather than a generic Flay That Guy spell)
2. Using the menus, determine the power level of the spell. Generally, the longer a spell lasts, more people it affects, further away it can be cast, more significant its effect, the higher its' power level. Generally, power level ranges between 1 to 7. There are some things that can reduce the power level (longer casting time, requiring extra casting assistants, rare spell ingredients, etc.)
3. Once power level is set, research requires a Occultism + Intelligence roll. If number of successes >= power level, spell found, and you cross off one available spell in the Occult Library (it is always there; just takes up one of the spell slots in the library)
4. Casting the spell requires an Occultism + Willpower + Sorcery level roll. If number of successes >= power level, spell is cast. If not enough successes, but result still 9+, spell mishap occurs.

So what's superscience? Buffy RPG takes the Arthur C. Clarke view - sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

Magic and superscience are simply two different "skins" on the same mechanical system. Where a magic spell might be "Ghost's Passing", an Enchanted Item might be "Elven Cloak", and a superscience item might be "Alpha-level Stealth Suit", they all effectively render the user invisible.

Enchanted Items and Superscience Devices are simply spells in item form. If they are of the assemblage variety, they can be used once, and then kaput. Permanent ones have no such limit (unless built into the item to reduce its power level).

How to get such items? Two qualities from the Magic Box

Enchanted Item/ Superscience Device (2Q per level) - You start with an enchanted item or superscience device of a power level equal or lower than your level in this quality. Determining the power level of an item is pretty much the same as a spell, except that permanent items get +1 to their power level because they're reusable. Again, there are restrictions that can be applied to reduce the power level. The catch with this quality si that if you lose the item, it's not automatically replaced, nor are your Qualtiy points reimbursed. Life's not fair.

Enchanter / Superscientist (5Q per level) - You can make enchanted items or superscience devices (not both - pick one). Determine the power level of the item as before. If you build it as an assemblage, then it takes 20 minutes or so and is one-shot. Otherwise it takes 2 weeks per power level. In either event, you need to make either a Occultism + Intelligence or Science + Intelligence roll to find the spells or scientific white papers needed to design it. There's a list of required spell ingredients depending on the power level as well (ie, demon horn for enchanted items, rare moon rocks for superscience devices, etc.), and some experience must be spent as well (putting a little you in your item). At the end of the process, you need a Occultism + Willpower or Science + Intelligence roll to see if you were successful. Mishaps possible as with spell casting.

Some examples from the series - the anti-Glory Dagon Sphere is a level 6 enchanted item, Warren's Freeze Ray was a level 3 superscience device, and a typical glamour is power level 4.


----------



## Herobizkit (Oct 7, 2011)

I'm very excited to start this, but I am going away for the long weekend and won't be online much, if at all, until at least Tuesday.


----------



## Cor Azer (Oct 7, 2011)

Herobizkit said:


> I'm very excited to start this, but I am going away for the long weekend and won't be online much, if at all, until at least Tuesday.




No worries. We're still waiting on several characters, so we won't start without you; I'd wager several people (myself included) will be busy this weekend (Canadian Thanksgiving for those outside Canuck borders).


----------



## Shayuri (Oct 7, 2011)

Hmm...expensive to be a gadgeteer then...at least one of any real ability. But that's good. Leaves room to grow.

So there's two separate qualities then. One that lets you start out with an item, and another that lets you create more.

Let me ask one last question that should wrap up this nagging question once and for all.

What level would the following item be?

Vampire Hunting Suit Mk1
- Padded protection over vitals, legs and joints. (Armor vs claws and blunt attacks)
- Special gorget armor...basically a steel collar meant to stop biting.
- Integrated weapon systems include a taser (short range immobilization...might or might not work on various demons), A stungun (similar, but works in melee), an improvised flamethrower (basically melee range flame attack), and a pneumatic mount that can be fitted with a variety of blades and stakes...the pneumatic effect adds effective force to a thrust.
- Off the shelf nightvision electronics built into a helmet visor.
- Police band radio receiver. 

Likely upgrade for the future: Small fire extinguisher.

The idea behind all this is that my character would be basically normal, aside from being really smart and good at metal shop. At some point she becomes aware of the city's teeming night life...I'm thinking maybe her mom was killed...and she decides to get mad AND even by taking her old "I want to be Batman" suit that she had started a few years back then given up on when she found out how hard martial arts classes were, and giving it a few specialized upgrades made for fighting vampires. 

This is assuming, of course, that the stun weaponry works on vampires. I recall the Initiative's lightning guns did, but those are obviously on another level. But then again, vampires do seem to feel pain and have nervous systems, so... *shrug*

The suit would require a lot of maintenance...it's gelpack padding would need replacing, and the batteries for the stun weapons, and the accelerant for the flamethrower. Banging out dents and so on. 

And if this seems way too complicated...and I'm halfway there myself...I have another idea too. 

Idea #2 is going back to the slayer idea. No longer a nerd slayer though, because, while I hear you about the social thing...that row of 6's on the sheet is just...I can't bear it...but I have another idea for a slayer.  What kind of weapon would a +1 or +2 item be?


----------



## Systole (Oct 7, 2011)

[MENTION=870]Cor Azer[/MENTION] Eh, if you get the sheet and can't guess at the specific ability, then you do a Google search on the ability, and 9 times out of 10, some fanboy has listed the mechanics somewhere on the web.  Just off of that, most of the time, I can BS my way through character creation for any system you care to name.

This tactic also works in real life, which I found a bit disappointing.


----------



## Cor Azer (Oct 7, 2011)

Shayuri said:


> Hmm...expensive to be a gadgeteer then...at least one of any real ability. But that's good. Leaves room to grow.
> 
> So there's two separate qualities then. One that lets you start out with an item, and another that lets you create more.
> 
> ...




Hrmm... there's a lot going on their in that mad scientist armor, but most of it is just repurposed "real-world" stuff, so that might reduce the cost... If we hardcoded in the  maintenance requirement (needs a day of maintenance once a week), it could probably squeak in at Power Level 2. Each maintenance attempt would also need a rare superscience ingredient - a special nanotech chipset or some such. Wouldn't want to make getting such the focus of every episode, so we'd probably let you start with a few, and then maybe add a $ cost to the maintenance. Have to think on this some more, but comments welcome.

To compare, the Blessed Sword that Angelus pulled from Acathla at the end of Season 2 is a Power Level 2 enchanted item. It only works for the pure of heart when fighting evil or defending the innocent, and is otherwise just a nicely made sword. But in those circumstances, it does Strength x (5 + Success levels) slash/stab damage and gives +1 to Getting Medieval. If it strikes an innocent, then it shatters, losing its magic. To compare, a regular sword does (4 x Strength damage) + Success levels slash/stab damage.


----------



## Cor Azer (Oct 7, 2011)

Systole said:


> [MENTION=870]Cor Azer[/MENTION] Eh, if you get the sheet and can't guess at the specific ability, then you do a Google search on the ability, and 9 times out of 10, some fanboy has listed the mechanics somewhere on the web.  Just off of that, most of the time, I can BS my way through character creation for any system you care to name.
> 
> This tactic also works in real life, which I found a bit disappointing.




True... and now your searches may lead back to my post


----------



## jkason (Oct 7, 2011)

Okay, I'm working on white hat stats for Gavin, and I needed to clarify his half demon cost. The original says the package is a 13 pt quality, but I'm only adding up to 11? :

[sblock=repost]Half-Poena Epulum Quality (11) :
Supernatural Sense - Pain (3): A Perception + Notice check can tell you the amount of damage taken by 1 creature per success in a 100ft radius.
Supernatural Attack - Deliver Pain (4): A Dexterity + Kung-fu attack to deal 20 damage
Supernatural Unattack - Feast on Pain (4): A Intelligence + Doctor check to heal 2 x Intelligence damage
Editted: on second thought, tge original version seemed way too powerful; far better than a Drama point; this tones it down some, and I may yet drop the x2 modifier...
Doctor +1 (1): 1 free level in Doctor, because Poena Epulum naturally understand biological systems.
Mental Problems - Cruelty (-1): The base tendencies of the Poena Epulum involve inflicting pain.[/sblock]

If I'm right, then the level 1 Secret drawback gets him down where he needs to be on qualities, and it's just a matter of if I want to throw more drawbacks on him for any further qualities (my idea is that he's good at 'finding and fixing people,' so was thinking there's a quality or two that might apply). 

If my math’s right, then here’s a go at a sheet:

[sblock=Gavin Peterson]White Hat

Str: 2  
Dex: 2
Con: 2
Int: 3
Perception: 4
Willpower: 2

Qualities and Drawbacks (16 QP - 6 DP):
Half-Poena Epulum Quality (+11)
Secret (-1)
Fear of Rejection (-1) (as a half-demon, Gavin never feels he fits, so he’s always looking for approval and deeply hurt if he doesn’t get it)
Misfit (-2) (similar to above. He knows he’s a freak. Even if he manages to keep the specifics from folks, they always seem able to tell)
Situational Awareness (+2) (fear of discovery + supernatural senses: he’s always looking for trouble)
Empathy (+2): probably not as tasty for his kind as physical pain, but especially on a college campus, there’s more than enough to ‘skim,’ so he’s developed an eye for it.
Magic Magnet (-2): The rather usual trend of supernatural folk who want to lead a normal live: the crazy keeps finding him.
Hard to Kill (+1): An innate knowledge of pain and wounding give Gavin a slight edge when it comes to making sure his vital bits stay out of the path of oncoming swings.

Skills (15)

Doctor 4 (includes +1 from half-poena epulum quality) 
Getting Medieval 1
Kung Fu 2
Notice  6
Science 1
[/sblock]


----------



## Cor Azer (Oct 7, 2011)

[MENTION=2710]jkason[/MENTION]: Yes, my math was wrong; 11 should be the cost as it is worded now.

Dunno if you're still editting your char sheet for Gavin, but you only spent 10 of the available 15 Skill points.


----------



## Herobizkit (Oct 7, 2011)

I'm just checking options for my character... As a White Hat Half-Fae (6 Quality points), I won't be able to "cast spells" starting off as Sorcery costs 5 and my max Quality points is 10.

Edit: ... but taking Drawbacks gives you MORE points than your max of 10, rather than "paying off" the Qualities?

Willow didn't know how to do it at first, either, so no big.  How does earning new qualities/abilities/skills work?

[Edit: I managed to 'acquire' the Buffy/Angel RPG pdfs, haven't had a chance to zip through the whole thing]


----------



## Cor Azer (Oct 7, 2011)

Double post - nevermind


----------



## Cor Azer (Oct 7, 2011)

Herobizkit said:


> I'm just checking options for my character... As a White Hat Half-Fae (6 Quality points), I won't be able to "cast spells" starting off as Sorcery costs 5 and my max Quality points is 10.
> 
> Willow didn't know how to do it at first, either, so no big.  How does earning new qualities/abilities/skills work?
> 
> [Edit: I managed to 'acquire' the Buffy/Angel RPG pdfs, haven't had a chance to zip through the whole thing]




Options/Notes:
1. Picking up a Drawback or two can give you more points to spend on Qualities.
2. You don't need the Sorcery quality to cast spells (Dawn cast Mommy Come Back as an example). You won't be as good a caster without it, and you can't quick cast, but spellcasting really just comes down to Willpower + Occultism rolls.
3. As stories/episodes are completed, you earn experience, which can the be spent to add Qualities, improve Attributes or Skills, or buy more Drama points.


----------



## Herobizkit (Oct 7, 2011)

Ok, here's the rough draft.

[sblock=Rory Shanahan]Rory Shanahan, White Hat
STRength: 2 (2)
DEXterity: 4 (2; 2+fae)
CONstitution: 2 (2)
INTelligence: 4 (3; +1 Artist)
PERception: 3 (3)
WILlpower: 4 (3; +1 Artist)

Qualities and Drawback (19Q - 9D)
Half-Fae (6Q): Immortal (0), Acute Senses: Keen Hearing (2), Attractiveness (1),
Vulnerable to Cold Iron (-3), Occult skill +1 (1), Dexterity +2 (2), Fae Magics (3): +5 to rolls involving illusion/charms

Artist (2Q): +1 to two mental stats, +1 Art skill, -1 WIL to fear or emotions rolls: Rory's been gifted with an Artist's heart. Mom wanted him to preach; he chose to sing.

Empathy (2Q): It's important for Fae to know how mortals feel so that they may prey upon their desires

Sorcery +1 (5Q): He's got the touch, he's got the Power. Yeah!

The Sight (3Q): being a magical creature himself, Rory can see others like him.

Contact: Local Entertainment Circuit (1Q): Rory's just starting to get connected with the local industry. Though his band's a current hit, they're not quite ready to lay anything on the line for him.

Adversary (2D): Donovan.  After being ousted from his own band and losing his girl to Rory, Donovan's the type who wants revenge. Now he's 'stronger' than yesterday; now it's nothing but his way.

Bad Luck (2D): Just because he's one of them doesn't mean the Fey have forgiven his parent's trespasses.  Faerie gold is Faerie gold, and until he gets it all back, the Fae won't let him forget about it.

Recurring Nightmares (1D): More of the same Fae love.

Covetous: Fame/Glory (1D): Craziness aside, he's still a Rocker at heart and wants to be famous.  Canadian singers can be great, too!

Below Average Wealth (2D): His parents paid for college, but once Rory found out about the Faerie gold, that was it.  He's on his own, now.  Making his way in the world today takes everything he's got. 

Honorable (1D): Rory's a great guy.  He'll stick with you through thick and thin once you're in his good books. 

Skills:
Art: 3 (2+1 Artist)
Doctor: 1
Driving: 2
Getting Medieval: 1
Influence: 3
Knowledge: 2 (Religion)
Mr. Fix-it: 1
Occultism: 3 (2+ 1 Half-Fae)[/sblock]


----------



## jkason (Oct 7, 2011)

Okay, I think the stats above are more or less good now. Realizing we have a werewolf in the group, I realized making Gavin a tracker was probably redundant. The 'pain sense' isn't really something that's made for pinpointing people, anyway. Decided instead that it works better if he's more an eye for detail type. I think it works pretty well with the drawbacks: he tends to attract trouble, so he's developed an eye for it. Besides, seeing the pain-bringers before they bring said pain is similarly useful for his demon half. 

Did we decide to change pain sense to sensing damage taken (and if so, was that just a raw number, or a percentage indicating 'how much it's hurt'?). Eitehr one works, just wondering.

Also, I'm still debating dropping the level of Occultism and instead using the drawback point to pick up a level of Hard to Kill or Resistance (pain). As a half-demon, he probably has some vague knowledge of the occult, but is it enough that he needs a rank, especially with a Watcher and an ex-Watcher around? I'm inclined to think increased survivability might be the better option.


----------



## Cor Azer (Oct 7, 2011)

[MENTION=36150]Herobizkit[/MENTION]: two notes about Rory's write-up: 1. By my count, you only spent 14 of your available 15 skill points, and b. You might want to consider at least Occult Library (1); while Rory can cast spells, he has no way to find/researxh spells without begging others for books. Occult Library (1) gives him at least one book.

[MENTION=2710]jkason[/MENTION]: we'll go with "you know how much damage was taken (non-percentage version)". Investment in Hard to Kill is never a bad thing, but having multiple people with Ocultism helps when casting spells that require helpers, so I can't really say which is better... Go with which fits the character idea better and let mechanics fall where they may.


----------



## Cor Azer (Oct 7, 2011)

Character sheets can now go in the brand-spankin' new Rogues Gallery thread: http://www.enworld.org/forum/rogues-gallery/312412-buffy-rpg-hellmouth-waterloo-casting-sheet.html


----------



## Cor Azer (Oct 7, 2011)

The latest casting calls are in, and we're still looking for details on a few characters, but to recap:

[MENTION=12460]airwalkrr[/MENTION]: is playing Rees Dafydd (White Hat), a techie Watcher working with the cover of a computer lab operator at Waterloo U. New in town, essentially only knows the Slayer (whether she be Shayuri or a supporting character).

[MENTION=15640]DrZombie[/MENTION]: is playing Steven Moon (Hero), a first nations rugby player on sport scholarship at Waterloo U, with a bit of a werewolf problem. Possibly shares a class with some of the other students? Possibly takes a class from Rechard Butler?

[MENTION=2710]jkason[/MENTION]: is playing Gavin Petersen (White Hate), a pre-med student at Waterloo U recently discovering of his Poena Epsulum demonic heritage. Knows of Rechard's dietary customs. Does he know any other students?

[MENTION=36150]Herobizkit[/MENTION]: is playing Rory Shanahan (White Hat), a Catholic schooled Irish student studying ? at Waterloo I and playing Celtic rock whenever the gigs land. Oh, and trying to avoid the bad luck of the Fae chasing his half-Fae backside while he explores Wiccan traditions. Any links to other characters?

[MENTION=93930]Systole[/MENTION]: is playing Rechard Butler (Hero), an art/history teacher at Waterloo U whose good health and youthful looks are a credit an ancient ritual and regular consumption of demon blood. Any interesting students in his classes?

[MENTION=4936]Shayuri[/MENTION]: is playing either a Slayer or a gadgetgirl (or possibly some combination of them?) (Hero)

[MENTION=59043]Walking Dad[/MENTION]: and [MENTION=183]Acmite[/MENTION]: still waiting on concepts...


----------



## jkason (Oct 7, 2011)

Personally, I think it's best if all the PC's know each other, whether or not they know all the secrets they're carrying 'round. 'gathering forces' can be fun, but in PbP it sometimes feels like it takes long enough to work through the plot without having to navigate the 'you meet a stranger, do you trust him?' stuff that has a kind of built-in conclusion, since deciding to steer clear of one another sort of derails the game.

My 2 cents, though I'll come along quietly if the others don't like the notion.


----------



## DrZombie (Oct 7, 2011)

I usually solve things GM-wise by getting them all in combat with the same baddies. Nothing bonds like getting attacked by the same group of maniacs 

Or we could all be in the same class, but I just don't see Steven do art history . General history, that's something else. Maths, science, computer science, biology are also possible.
Literature is a bit far-fetched.

Meeting up in the local sports bar/student bar after watching Canada get completely pwned at the rugby world cup (a draw against Japan? Fecking emberassing)

Meeting in the gym? On the sports track? The first rugby game of the uni?


----------



## Walking Dad (Oct 7, 2011)

Sorry. I'm back and it took some time to read the thread 

Looks I will be the Xander/Cordelia for all those freaks... uhm... heroes?

A geeky acting student who loves fantasy and superheroes films and comics.
Hangs out with this bunch, because in all his sources their is one similarity:
If one hangs around long enough with the 'others' you will end up as one yourself.

He is actually a pretty good grifter and liar, but will only get by luck through combat.

"If I can do it? Man, I'm an actor! I can fake it!"

---

Comments? Sounds fine?

I will build him like an Investigator with less skills, right?


----------



## Cor Azer (Oct 7, 2011)

Walking Dad said:


> Sorry. I'm back and it took some time to read the thread
> 
> Looks I will be the Xander/Cordelia for all those freaks... uhm... heroes?
> 
> ...




Sounds good. A people person for the non-people 

I think that's pretty much the difference between Investigator and White Hat. 15 for Attributes, 10 for Qualities, 15 for Skills.


----------



## airwalkrr (Oct 8, 2011)

I'm pretty much gonna stick with your draft for Dafydd, Cor Azer, until I get a hold of the rules. Seems like it has points in all the right stuff.

Here's an idea for getting everyone together. Rechard is holding a lecture for one of his art history classes, perhaps detailing the Gothic architectural styles and their fascination for arches being symbolic of portals when suddenly a portal opens up out of an archway in the lecture hall. A bunch of demons run rampant and students scream. It just so happens Dafydd is sitting in on this lecture when he notices one of the students, a young girl, is not running, but kicking the crap out of the demons, and getting the crap beat out of her in turn. She manages just in time to protect a nerdy student (Walking Dad's character) from getting pummeled but takes a hard shot in exchange. Dafydd realizes he's found his Slayer and quickly pulls up information on the demons on his laptop which is conveniently already displaying several documents on demons who have been known to appear suddenly from arches. He calls out advice to the Slayer as she is suddenly assisted by the surprisingly capable Rechard who absorbs a blow that might have killed her. Meanwhile Stephen Moon, another student in the class, is getting angry, a little too angry, and gets wolfenstein on one of the demons. Rory stabs one with a drumstick he happens to have lying around which seems to turn the demon to dust. Dafydd yells to Rory to toss his drumstick to the Slayer who uses it to stab another demon, which doesn't seem to work, but Dafydd cries out "not the shoulder! The heart!" The Slayer responds appropriately as Rory tosses another drumstick to the Slayer and she stabs the right place this time. Finally the whole group gathers around the only other student who hasn't left the room, Gavin Peterson, who for some reason seems to be on the verge of sexual climax from the whole incident.

And scene.

The only thing we might have difficulty explaining is why a med student is in an art history class. Just sitting in perhaps?

The demons are obviously vampires. But where did this portal come from? And what do the demons want? (besides the usual causing chaos and drinking blood schtick)


----------



## jkason (Oct 8, 2011)

airwalkrr said:


> Finally the whole group gathers around the only other student who hasn't left the room, Gavin Peterson, who for some reason seems to be on the verge of sexual climax from the whole incident.




lmao. 

Now, given that, there's a secondary problem in that I've given Gavin a limitation his full-blooded demon kin don't have: his pain delivering and feasting abilities are touch-based. 

Of course, using his feast ability provides healing, so if, instead of sitting in a chair and watching, he gets up and tries to help injured students / combatants, that fixes it. If a lot of people got hurt, he could still wind up being disturbingly euphoric after the fight. 



> The only thing we might have difficulty explaining is why a med student is in an art history class. Just sitting in perhaps?




Gavin's pre-med, which means he's an undergrad. Any of the student characters who aren't art / art history majors could get away with being in Rechard's class to fulfill a general education requirement if we assume this is a liberal arts college (which, with pre-ed and art history on the same campus, sounds likely). It's oddly coincidental that four supernatural teens all take the class from a fifth supernatural, but we are talking about a hellmouth, where magic tends to run into itself far more often.


----------



## DrZombie (Oct 8, 2011)

airwalkrr said:


> The only thing we might have difficulty explaining is why a med student is in an art history class. Just sitting in perhaps?




A med student taking an art history class is easy. A first nations rugby player taking art classes? Now THAT's a mystery lol. Probably got lost on the first day at uni and wandered into the wrong auditorium and was too emberassed to leave


----------



## Shayuri (Oct 8, 2011)

Okay, I have here two finished characters, ready to go...or at least ready to be looked at and have any mistakes corrected. One is a superscientist, the other a slayer. They each have their own groove going. I like 'em both, so I figured I'd see what you guys thought, then make my choice.

[sblock=Teagan Powell - Amateur Mad Scientist/Nerd]Teagan Powell

Attributes:
Str 2
Dex 2
Con 2
Int 6
Per 4
Wil 4

Life Points: 26 (10 + 4x Strength + 4x Constitution)

Qualities 20
Superscientist +3 (15Q) - 

Superscience Item +3 (6Q) - 

Nerd (3Q) - Gain +1 to two mental Attributes (human max 6), and +2 to one of Computers, Knowledge, or Science, but -1 to any social roll

Teenager (2D) - for the sub-18yr olds. now get off my lawn ya young punks!
Misfit (2D) - You don't fully fit in. -2 to Influence rolls

Skills: 20
Art 1
Computers 3
Getting Medieval 2
Gun Fu 2
Knowledge 3
Mr Fix It 3
Notice  2
Science 6

----
Teagan's always been too smart for her own good. That, combined with an unflinching moralism inherited from her policeman father, has led her to do some pretty stupid things. When she was 14, inspired by Batman, she started cobbling together a 'crimefighting costume' so she could go become a real avenger of the night. Her dad caught wind of it, and pointed out how long Batman had spent training himself to fight, and to use all that specialized equipment. A couple of martial arts lessons later, Teagan realized just how hard it would be to become a badass vigilante, and quietly tucked the 'super suit' away in the attic. 

Two years later her mother died. Was killed, in fact. Teagan's way of coping was to try to investigate. What had happened? Why? She felt if she could just answer those questions, maybe she could find enough meaning to let it go. What she found was startling on several levels.

She discovered that her mother had been killed by an apparently human attacker...yet the case was not considered homicide. In fact, the police department had quietly filed it away along with a large number of other 'chronically unsolved cases' which all seemed to involve assault, kidnapping, or even murder. Using this information, Teagan interviewed some retired cops...people who had little to lose by coming clean. She learned that Waterloo was under siege every night, and that the police had learned by long hard experience that they could only get killed trying to interfere. Cases that had certain telltale signs were simply relegated to limbo.

Teagan decided to try to find out more, and was almost killed for her trouble. Sheer chance had some passerbys come too close for the vampire's liking, and it grudgingly backed off, leaving Teagan dazed and semiconscious from a single crushing blow. The next day, Teagan went up to the attic with a new mission. Killin' vampires.

Her initial forays were mostly recon. She didn't know much, and was keenly aware of it, so she found discreet places and ways to observe the monsters safely, keeping extensive notes. Somehow she managed to keep up the late nights while still powering through high school, and graduating a year early. By the time she graduated, her methods had evolved to the point where she could take on a single vampire and reasonably expect to win, unless it was an unusually powerful or experienced one. To avoid those, she took to haunting the local graveyard.
"Newborn" vamps were simply no match for the 'Slayer' suit (named after something one of the vampires had confusedly asked if she was, just before disintegrating).

Even so, the difficulty of the lifestyle combined with the stress of college exams and acceptance, and the ever growing danger that she might encounter something tougher than a vamp, or that vamps might be encountered in groups, keep Teagan from getting complacent.[/sblock]

[sblock=Juno Reyes - Slayer]Juno Reyes

Attributes: 20
Str (4) 7
Dex (3) 6
Con (4) 7
Int  3
Per  3
Wil (3) 5

Life Points: 81 (10 + 15 + 4x Strength + 4x Constitution)

Qualities 20
Slayer (16Q) - +3 Str, Dex, and Con, +2 Will (no max), Fast Reaction Time +5 init, Nerves of Steel, 5 levels 

of Hard to Kill, 5 point Adversary (Demons, Vamps), and a 3 point Obligation (Slay the nasties). +1 Getting 

Medieval and Kung Fu (but must also purchase at least 1 level in each normally), regenerate 1 LP/Con every 

hour, Sense vamps within 100ft with Perception roll. 

Enchanted Item +2 (4Q)

Attractiveness +1 (1Q), Modifier affects any rolls where persuasion is a factor.
Situational Awareness (2Q) - +2 to Perception rolls to notice danger, and to resist Crime or Acrobatics 

rolls for those trying to sneak up.

Recurring Nightmares (1D)
Greedy (Mild) (1D)
Resources -1 (1D)

Skills: 20
Acrobatics 2
Drive 3
Getting Medieval (2) 3
Influence 2
Kung Fu (3) 4
Mr. Fix-It 4
Notice 3
Sports 1

Juno's had the dreams on and off as long as she can remember. Monsters. Coming out of the walls, walking down the street, looking like family or friends until they take off their faces to show the hideous maws underneath. Seeking her. Smelling her. Chasing her. She didn't understand until recently. Now she gets it all too well.

A military brat, she was born on-base in Guam. Transfers and reassignments weren't uncommon, so she'd seen the world through Army base fencing by the time she was high school age. Everything went wrong though when her mother was KIA in an incident ruled a tragic accident involving a new pilot and an equipment failure on the helicopter she was crewing. Her father took the death of his wife very hard, slipping into a depression that began to interfere with his work. Finally he suffered a discharge for causing an accident which also caused long-term injuries. Though the discharge was medical, not dishonorable (after some mucking about with lawyers and investigations), his record at the time of discharge was not stellar, and finding work was hard.

Finally his wife's brother offered him work. The only catch was that it was up in Canada, where he lived. Things settled down some after the move. Her uncle's business was an auto garage, and he was happy to show her the ropes when she wasn't at school. She had a knack for it too, and became something of a car and engine buff. His other passion was collecting Native American art and artifacts, though that was an expensive hobby for a man of his profession. Though Juno wasn't too interested in most of that, she did have eyes on a particular item...a long, curved knife that looked like it had been made from a single huge fang. But what creature had a tooth that looked like that?? It had pictographs carved into it, though she wasn't sure they were really Native American in origin. Maybe more aboriginal? The hilt was wrapped in leather and had a bangle with feathers attached to the end.

It was out of pure instinct that, on the night the demons came, she grabbed for that weapon. Good slayer instinct. They had her uncle with them, and he...battered and bruised...was leading to the display case where the knife was usually kept. While she hid behind the couch, watching in horror, the creatures believed that he'd lied to them about the weapon's location, and broke his neck. In a sudden rage, Juno stood up, knife at the ready. One of the demons went to her, telling her to give it to him...and she did. Right through his neck, in fact. A minute later the fight was over, with the other two demons pinning her arms down, and starting to work the dagger free of her fingers.

And then Juno was called. A few seconds later, both of the demons died; their bodies turning to soot moments afterwards.

Juno hid the dagger. The police report stated that the incident was a murder committed by burglers who broke in to steal valuable artifacts, killing her uncle when he tried to stop them. They then heard the sirens since Juno called the police from her room on hearing the commotion.

Perversely, being left control of his step-brother's business seemed to be just the kick in the pants Juno's dad needed. It gave him something to do with his hands, something he was good at, and it made him feel like he was doing something for the people in his life who had died...making sure their legacy lived on. Though still stern and serious...and very protective of Juno...her father pulled out of his depression and made a decent living running the garage.

For her part, Juno was aware something fundamental had changed in her, but she was still ignorant about what exactly it was, and why, when she graduated high school and went to apply to college. She kept the old Indian knife, thinking maybe it was somehow behind the strange physical power that was at her command now. [/sblock]


----------



## Cor Azer (Oct 9, 2011)

Hmm... both are quite interesting, Shayuri (I like that you slipped the "Slayer" idea into Teagan as well as Juno).

I think I'd lean a little more towards Juno though; partly, because she's an actual Slayer, but also because with her "Native American" artifact, she has a "link" to Steven Moon, as well as her Watcher relationship to Rees Dafydd. Depending on what the artifact is, she might also have a easier link to Rechard - perhaps the art historian might be consulted to learn about the artwork/etchings on it?

Teagan might also have a link to Rees Dafydd, if not for the "Slayer" confusion, but also a potential science/computer geekery comraderie. She might also have an interesting mutual "don't get each other" with Rechard though - she being the super-techie and he being the "anti-techie". The other issue with Teagan is that I'm still unsure of the best way to work up her "Slayer" suit, and if she's not picked, then I have less work to do (the typing of my posts evidence to the contrary, I am at heart, a lazy man 

Ultimately though, 'tis up to you, as I can make either work with little change to my plottings.


----------



## Cor Azer (Oct 9, 2011)

airwalkrr's idea for everyone meeting certainly works. The university I'm modeling Waterloo U off is well known for several disciplines, and while I don't know if it'd be labeled as a liberal arts college, it has everything from math, computer science and engineering to fine arts, history, and several affiliated religious colleges (their geology program has a bit of a problem with putting out procrastinating slackers though, eh, Acmite? .

It is certainly possible that undergrads might need to take courses outside their own discipline, so several could be coincidentally taking Rechard's Art History course; for the less cerebral characters, they may have signed up thinking it would be a bird course (and get blindsided by Rechard's thoroughness), and need to resort to a tutor to make it through (can't risk losing those scholarships).


----------



## DrZombie (Oct 9, 2011)

Cor Azer said:


> airwalkrr's idea for everyone meeting certainly works. The university I'm modeling Waterloo U off is well known for several disciplines, and while I don't know if it'd be labeled as a liberal arts college, it has everything from math, computer science and engineering to fine arts, history, and several affiliated religious colleges (their geology program has a bit of a problem with putting out procrastinating slackers though, eh, Acmite? .
> 
> It is certainly possible that undergrads might need to take courses outside their own discipline, so several could be coincidentally taking Rechard's Art History course; for the less cerebral characters, they may have signed up thinking it would be a bird course (and get blindsided by Rechard's thoroughness), and need to resort to a tutor to make it through (can't risk losing those scholarships).




How about a course in native art (history)? That would tie up quite a few loose ends. It would tie in with the dagger, the more artistic types, it could have some links with the occult, with the first nation member, with archeology, ...

On a side note, 'been looking at waterloo, ontario on google maps. A small but functional cabin off the road in cedar grove road would suit me fine. (btw, I live 'bout an hours drive from the original waterloo  )


----------



## Herobizkit (Oct 9, 2011)

Cor Azer said:


> @Herobizkit : two notes about Rory's write-up: 1. By my count, you only spent 14 of your available 15 skill points, and b. You might want to consider at least Occult Library (1); while Rory can cast spells, he has no way to find/research spells without begging others for books. Occult Library (1) gives him at least one book.



You're absolutely right.  I thought of this, though.  Way I see it, Rory is just starting his foray into Sorcery.  While the latent talent is there, he has yet to actually encounter magic.  This gives him a swell reason to find people who DO know about magic... namely, the love interest in his band... when I buy up the contacts to 2.

That, or I fall into some random crowd that has magic books. 

Also, you're right about the skill points; will edit and place in the Rogue's Gallery.

I believe Rechard mentioned that he teaches Fencing.  Rory could encounter him in that class.   I could theoretically meet anyone at the local student watering hole.  Being Irish, Rory would certainly enjoy some Rugby and may even weasel his way into some of the jock parties.


----------



## Shayuri (Oct 9, 2011)

Another point against Teagan is that we have a budding sorceror in the group, and since magic and tech work identically, Tea would steal some of his thunder in terms of mechanics, if not conceptual.

So Juno the Slayer is in!

And you're right, it's a much easier fit. We'll just need work out the artifact's properties, but really? I'm fine if you want to keep those secret until we research it IC. I think that'll be cool.


----------



## Cor Azer (Oct 9, 2011)

Herobizkit said:


> You're absolutely right.  I thought of this, though.  Way I see it, Rory is just starting his foray into Sorcery.  While the latent talent is there, he has yet to actually encounter magic.  This gives him a swell reason to find people who DO know about magic... namely, the love interest in his band... when I buy up the contacts to 2.
> 
> That, or I fall into some random crowd that has magic books.
> 
> ...




That's a perfectly fine approach to Rory's magic; just wanted to double check it was your intention rather than an oversight.


----------



## Cor Azer (Oct 9, 2011)

Shayuri said:


> Another point against Teagan is that we have a budding sorceror in the group, and since magic and tech work identically, Tea would steal some of his thunder in terms of mechanics, if not conceptual.
> 
> So Juno the Slayer is in!
> 
> And you're right, it's a much easier fit. We'll just need work out the artifact's properties, but really? I'm fine if you want to keep those secret until we research it IC. I think that'll be cool.




Me work them out? Hmm... Intriguing...


----------



## Shayuri (Oct 9, 2011)

Hehe, well, I don't mean it to make more work for you. If you'd rather define the artifact with me, then that'd also be cool. I just figured since I don't have the rules, it probably wouldn't save you any work to have my involvement...and since Juno wouldn't know what the thing does (she thinks it's the reason she has slayer powers) then there's no reason I necessarily should know.


----------



## Cor Azer (Oct 10, 2011)

Shayuri said:


> Hehe, well, I don't mean it to make more work for you. If you'd rather define the artifact with me, then that'd also be cool. I just figured since I don't have the rules, it probably wouldn't save you any work to have my involvement...and since Juno wouldn't know what the thing does (she thinks it's the reason she has slayer powers) then there's no reason I necessarily should know.




Oh don't worry about work for me  I love playing with tons of background plot stuff, some of which will never see the little of day (no pun intended in reference to vampires). I'm already broiling a few ideas on what the dagger is.


----------



## Herobizkit (Oct 10, 2011)

Shayuri said:


> Another point against Teagan is that we have a budding sorceror in the group, and since magic and tech work identically, Tea would steal some of his thunder in terms of mechanics, if not conceptual.



Well, Rory's "sorcery" is designed to be focused on subtle charm/illusion/glamer magic, but you're right, there's no hard and fast rule as to why I couldn't eventually learn how to shoot lightning from my eyeballs or whatever.

When all-encompassing rules are used to duplicate essentially the same mechanics with different flavor, and that we have eight players, there's bound to be at least a few people with skill crossover.

Still, nothing wrong with a Slayer named Juno!


----------



## DrZombie (Oct 10, 2011)

I updated my char sheet and background. If anyone wants to see if we can link characters before the game starts just give me a yell.

Am I right to suppose the in-game time is early (first weeks) in the first semester?


----------



## airwalkrr (Oct 10, 2011)

For right now I'll use Cor Azer's stats for Dafydd, until I get a better handle on the rules, as long as he (?) is cool with me making some minor tweaks once I get a better handle on things.


----------



## Cor Azer (Oct 10, 2011)

DrZombie said:


> I updated my char sheet and background. If anyone wants to see if we can link characters before the game starts just give me a yell.
> 
> Am I right to suppose the in-game time is early (first weeks) in the first semester?




The game will be starting a few weeks into thd fall semester - students have mostly settled into their classes, and even strangers have had enough chances to say hi a few times.

Note that the year will be 2001, concurrent with Buffy season 5.


----------



## Cor Azer (Oct 10, 2011)

airwalkrr said:


> For right now I'll use Cor Azer's stats for Dafydd, until I get a better handle on the rules, as long as he (?) is cool with me making some minor tweaks once I get a better handle on things.




I don't mind minor tweaks as the game goes on.


----------



## Systole (Oct 10, 2011)

I'll take a last look at Rechard before starting.  I know it's a late vote, but I actually kind of liked Teagan.  The idea that a random group of people* is holding down the Hellmouth without the benefit of a Slayer** seems more interesting to me.

Just FYI, Rechard does want to keep the demon-drinking on the down-low ... at least for now.  His explanation for his immortality (if he's forced) will be that he drank demon blood during a ritual once, in the early 16th century -- which is true.  He'll omit the part about the demon blood he's drunk SINCE the ritual.

Also, Art History is one of those classes that fills a requirement for everyone.

*For a loose definition of "people."
** It reminds me of the episode with Alternate Willow in the catsuit.  Me-ow.


----------



## Systole (Oct 10, 2011)

You know, those demons who invaded Art History might have had it in for Rechard.  Which would make hanging out with Slayer/Slayermech a LOT more attractive.


----------



## Shayuri (Oct 10, 2011)

Hehe, that's what I liked about Teagan too, actually. There's a kind of humanizing element to her. A sense that, "Hey, maybe not every Hellmouth has to have a slayer to be contained."

But in the end, I think there's too many strikes for her to work.


----------



## Acmite (Oct 11, 2011)

That'll learn me to join the dance late.  The three base concepts I had have been covered (man-out-of-time, budding sorceror, and tech-wizardry--heck, even the non-hero is covered by Walking Dad).

Back to the drawing board!  I'll figure something out for tomorrow night (PST).  I'll dig out my rulebooks, that might help!

Oooh...I think I have an idea?  Placeholder/reminder for me: disenfranchised romani pickpocket...


----------



## airwalkrr (Oct 11, 2011)

I've posted Dafydd to the RG. I picked Latin as my second language because I can't possibly imagine a Watcher who doesn't know Latin. But I figured him being a Welshman he would probably know a fair bit of Welsh too, simply for flavor.


----------



## Shayuri (Oct 11, 2011)

In fairness, I didn't go with my 'tech-wizard' idea...so that's theoretically still up for grabs. Just work it with our sorceror to make sure you've both got your niches.


----------



## DrZombie (Oct 11, 2011)

This game has got me aching to start playing .


----------



## Herobizkit (Oct 11, 2011)

Me too.  I feel like I "cheated" taking a skill point in both armed and unarmed combat, but hey, he's a rough 'n tumble kinda Irish.


----------



## Cor Azer (Oct 11, 2011)

Acmite said:


> That'll learn me to join the dance late.  The three base concepts I had have been covered (man-out-of-time, budding sorceror, and tech-wizardry--heck, even the non-hero is covered by Walking Dad).
> 
> Back to the drawing board!  I'll figure something out for tomorrow night (PST).  I'll dig out my rulebooks, that might help!
> 
> Oooh...I think I have an idea?  Placeholder/reminder for me: disenfranchised romani pickpocket...




Barring general roughhousing, the gang is lacking in the crime faculty...



Shayuri said:


> In fairness, I didn't go with my 'tech-wizard' idea...so that's theoretically still up for grabs. Just work it with our sorceror to make sure you've both got your niches.




That's true too, particularly since Rory is focusing more ob the illusion/charm side of things, there's plenty of room in the magic/superscience pool.



DrZombie said:


> This game has got me aching to start playing .




I'm pretty keen myself; just waiting on another character or two (haven't checked RG thresd yet, but I think there's only 4 chars there right now - Steven, Rory, Juno, and Dafydd. Rechard and Gavin are mostly done, just ned to becreposted I think, and the we need Walking Dad's acting student and Acmite's mystery character...



Herobizkit said:


> Me too.  I feel like I "cheated" taking a skill point in both armed and unarmed combat, but hey, he's a rough 'n tumble kinda Irish.




How's that cheating? One level helps sure, but it really just means you can throw a punch; it's not like you're describing Rory as a pacifist who can win a prizefight.


----------



## Herobizkit (Oct 11, 2011)

Well, "cheating" in that I want have my melee ability covered, but I guess 1 point isn't even competent... which fits.  We're not making a D&D SWAT team... we're teens and young adults.


----------



## jkason (Oct 11, 2011)

Sorry 'bout the delay. Gavin posted in the RG.


----------



## Cor Azer (Oct 11, 2011)

Hey!

Lookee what I found! A shiny new IC thread!

http://www.enworld.org/forum/playin...g-hellmouth-waterloo-bone-collector-s1e1.html

Feel free to start posting once your character is in the RG thread.


----------



## Acmite (Oct 11, 2011)

Shayuri said:


> In fairness, I didn't go with my 'tech-wizard' idea...so that's theoretically still up for grabs. Just work it with our sorceror to make sure you've both got your niches.




Don't want to step on any toes!

Hmmm...if superscience isn't yet covered, I have my idea fleshed.  Will post after work.

Cor...been a while since I've delved into Uni (2005?).  May need some rules wizardry assist.


----------



## Systole (Oct 11, 2011)

Rechard is up.  May reallocate a skill point or two, but I think he's mostly set.


----------



## Cor Azer (Oct 11, 2011)

Acmite said:


> Don't want to step on any toes!
> 
> Hmmm...if superscience isn't yet covered, I have my idea fleshed.  Will post after work.
> 
> Cor...been a while since I've delved into Uni (2005?).  May need some rules wizardry assist.




Always happy to help.


----------



## Cor Azer (Oct 11, 2011)

Herobizkit said:


> Me too.  I feel like I "cheated" taking a skill point in both armed and unarmed combat, but hey, he's a rough 'n tumble kinda Irish.




Oh, one thing I forgot - even though Rory doesn't have an Occult Library and thus no spells yet, the Sorcery quality also gives him a magical telekinesis ability (like the Wlliow floating a pencil thing). I don't have the rulebook with me, so I can't recall what you need to roll, but just telling you it's there.

Edit: Telekinesis is rolled at d10 + Willpower + Sorcery; each success level is the STRength of the tk effect. Fine manipulation may require a Perception + Dexterity roll. For every turn beyond the first using it at a time, a cumulative -2 is added to the roll, until at least 3 hours rest.


----------



## Herobizkit (Oct 11, 2011)

Optionally, a kind-hearted GM might allow a PC to start with (level of Occultism) spells to start...   Not that I need any, but I did have a few in mind, stolen right from d20 Modern:

[sblock=Magic ID]Illusion  *Level: *Arcane 0; *Components: *V, S, F; *Casting Time: *Attack action; *Range: *Touch; *Effect: *Illusory identification card; *Duration: *See description; *Saving Throw: *Will disbelief (if interacted with); *Spell Resistance: *No

With this glamer, you make a small card or slip of paper appear to  be a valid identification card of your choosing. The card bears your  name, likeness, and all other data expected by anyone examining such a  card. However, it is only visually accurate and does not contain any  valid machine-readable data or electronic coding. You cannot use this  spell to make an electronic passkey. The illusion lasts only as long as  you touch the card, to a maximum of 5 rounds.
_
Focus: _A small card or slip of paper.[/sblock][sblock=Haywire]_*Transmutation*_ 
*Level*: Arcane 0, Divine 0
*Components*: V, S, M
*Casting Time*: Attack action
*Range*: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
*Target*: One object of up to 100 lb./level
*Duration*: 1 minute/level
*Saving Throw*: Will negates (object)
*Spell Resistance*: Yes (object)
 The haywire spell causes a single device to behave randomly and erratically, defying any attempts to bring it under control. 

Cash registers display random prices and open their  money drawers repeatedly. Escalators surge forward, then reverse  themselves. Automatic teller machines flash random patrons’ account  balances on the screen as they spew forth receipts (not money, though).

It’s impossible to describe the exact effects of  haywire on every modern device. In general, a machine subject to haywire  functions as if someone were pressing random buttons or otherwise  manipulating it randomly.

Turning off a device subject to a haywire spell doesn’t work, because  the spell disables the “off” switch. Cutting off the power supply (by  unplugging it, for example) disables the device 1d4 rounds later, ending  the spell.

*Material Component*: A small magnet.[/sblock]... and the traditional Faerie Fire, 'cuz, you know, Fae.


----------



## airwalkrr (Oct 11, 2011)

BTW one of the reasons I made Dafydd such a computer whiz was so that I could have the superscience option available to him as he gains experience. I figured such an approach would be something generally frowned upon by the Watcher's Council, so it wouldn't make a lot of sense for him to start with the ability. But once he's out in the "real world" with his Slayer he'd have the opportunity to start developing that side.


----------



## Cor Azer (Oct 12, 2011)

[MENTION=183]Acmite[/MENTION]: I like the idea of Tamas, and realize you're probably going to add some more explicit background, but I wanted to check - did you intend for Sorcery and superscience, or just Sorcery, or just superscience? 'Cause supersciency goodness is from the Superscientist quality, rather than Sorcery.

Not saying you can't have both, 'cause Tamas will probably go in a different direction than Rory, but just wanted to be sure.


----------



## Cor Azer (Oct 12, 2011)

Kind-hearted? You don't know me very well do you? I may give you want you want, but there's always a price. Well... technically, it's a gift with purchase, but some hair's ain't worth splitting. Of course, you may not yet know what the gift/price is yet...

[sblock=Biblus Fallicis]*Biblus Fallicis*
*Power Level:* 1 (0 (no people affected) + 0 (minor effect) - 1 (personal range) + 0 (short incantation) - 1 (short duration); min 1)
*Quick Cast:* Yes
*Requirements:* a blank card, sheet of paper, or some such; a passing familiarity with item to be cloned; a small inkpot; a short incantation, although witches and warlocks need only whisper "fallicis".
*Description:* With this glamour, the spellcaster can make an ordinary card or sheet of paper resemble another for a short period of time - one minute per success level. Useful for temporary press passes, drivers' licenses, or passing a suitor a false number. The image is only illusory; even if visible, no magnetic or electronic components are present.[/sblock]

[sblock=Haywire]*Haywire*
*Power Level:* 1 (0 (no people affected) + 0 (minor effect) + 0 (short range) + 0 (short incantation) - 1 (short duration); min 1)
*Quick Cast:* Yes
*Requirements:* a small magnet wrapped with copper wire, and a several repetitions of the phrase, "I call for thee, gremlins; I call for thee" in latin. Witches and warlocks only need to say "Scorpiarius".
*Description:* This spell causes one mechanical or electronic object up to 100lbs per success level to go haywire, with random flashes, erratic noises, and unexpected movements. Actual behavior is dependent on the object affected, but is always unpredictable. This lasts for one minute per success level, or until the power is cut to the object (if applicable).[/sblock]

[sblock=Faerie Fire]*Faerie Fire*
*Power Level:* 1 (2 (up to 1 person per success level) + 0 (minor effect) + 0 (short range) + 0 (short incantation) - 1 (short duration); min 1)
*Quick Cast:* Yes
*Requirements:* a sprig of mistletoe and a twist of red hair, a short incantation or (if a witch or warlock) the phrase "Solas na tíre cothrom".
*Description:* This spell creates illusory purple, orange, and green wisps of fire that swirl around and light up up to 1 person or object per success level. It does not burn, but negates any benefits of invisibility or shadow when hiding (ye old empty barrel still helps though). The light is about as bright as a candle, but is distinctive enough that it is visible for several hundred feet (but no, doesn't light up that whole area).[/sblock]

So... the question is... do I let Rory start with all three spells? Seems a bit of a gimme, but you don't really have access to any occult books to easily get more. I'll say you can have 2 of the 3 (your choice); and if the third is ever needed, you can try to find it through some research at a later time.

This just occurred to me due to the "magic ID" card spell - for those outside Canada who might not know, legal age for drinking is 19 in most Canadian provinces, so most of you won't need false IDs to get into bars (unless you don't want people to know who you are).


----------



## Herobizkit (Oct 12, 2011)

That's cool!  Thanks!  I'd like to start with Biblus Fallicis and Haywire, I think.  I'll work up to Faerie Fire (it's the least subtle of the three).


----------



## Acmite (Oct 12, 2011)

Cor Azer said:


> [MENTION=183]Acmite[/MENTION]: I like the idea of Tamas, and realize you're probably going to add some more explicit background, but I wanted to check - did you intend for Sorcery and superscience, or just Sorcery, or just superscience? 'Cause supersciency goodness is from the Superscientist quality, rather than Sorcery.
> 
> Not saying you can't have both, 'cause Tamas will probably go in a different direction than Rory, but just wanted to be sure.




I didn't see the Superscientist quality!  Where is that found?

The sorcery is more background than anything.  If I could have taken a 2 or 3 point Sorcery, I would have.  I want him to move more towards a superscience bent, with techno-wizardry flavouring.


----------



## Cor Azer (Oct 12, 2011)

Acmite said:


> I didn't see the Superscientist quality!  Where is that found?
> 
> The sorcery is more background than anything.  If I could have taken a 2 or 3 point Sorcery, I would have.  I want him to move more towards a superscience bent, with techno-wizardry flavouring.




It's from The Magic Box supplement, partnered with Enchanter. I wrote a quick blurb about it in an earlier post with a ton of other qualities.

If you just want a dabbling of sorcery, just stick with a few levels of Occultism; Sorcery itself is more for those who actual explore (willingly or no) their magic mojo.


----------



## DrZombie (Oct 12, 2011)

Seems a bit odd starting after the big fight/meeting. It's like starting to watch the series without seeing the pilot


----------



## Acmite (Oct 12, 2011)

Ah, I don't own The Magic Box.  Or if I do, I couldn't find it.

I'll revamp Tamas tonight with Superscience vs Sorcery, and maybe change some other stuff around.  Background will also come tonight.

Thanks, G.


----------



## Shayuri (Oct 12, 2011)

Doc Zomb has a point. It's like...I feel expected to know what my relationship with everyne is, and what my opinions of them are...and I don't know those things myself yet. So I'm making guesses about how Juno would -probably- be feeling, but..I dunno.  So much of how she reacts to these things depends on how they're presented.


----------



## Cor Azer (Oct 12, 2011)

DrZombie said:


> Seems a bit odd starting after the big fight/meeting. It's like starting to watch the series without seeing the pilot




I can understand that, even if I disagree. I see the big kerfuffel as being over. People attended lecture, baddies attacked, violence was beheld, and the heroes won. The only thing to "play" through would be the characters' reactions to the big event, which essentialy just your starting backgrounds...

That said, there will be repercusions of the big event, further details shed later on, and possibly some flashbacks...



Shayuri said:


> Doc Zomb has a point. It's like...I feel expected to know what my relationship with everyne is, and what my opinions of them are...and I don't know those things myself yet. So I'm making guesses about how Juno would -probably- be feeling, but..I dunno.  So much of how she reacts to these things depends on how they're presented.




Again, I disagree. To wit, a week or so ago, a big kerfuffel broke out and you found yourself fighting - and yay! Winning! - alongside a bunch of strangers. Who are these people? You don't know much about any of them. A name. Maybe a job/university major. Posdibly contact info. And you know you share some sort of connection with the supernatural. But you probably didn't become instant friends with all of them; of course you're still trying to determine how you feel about them... Just like they're still trying to get a read on you...


----------



## Herobizkit (Oct 13, 2011)

Plus we can always do a "flashback" episode of how we all met when we're feeling like a break.


----------



## DrZombie (Oct 13, 2011)

How bad was the fight? 'cuz if at all possible Steven wouldn't change into werewolf form in front of an entire auditorium..


----------



## Cor Azer (Oct 13, 2011)

DrZombie said:


> How bad was the fight? 'cuz if at all possible Steven wouldn't change into werewolf form in front of an entire auditorium..




We'll stay in Camp Vague for now and go with "bad enough that everyone got involved; not so bad that unwanted secrets were revealed." In your case, likely at most Rory (with his The Sight ability) and Gavin (with his sense pain) might realize there's something different about Steven.


----------



## DrZombie (Oct 13, 2011)

I can live with that. So the werewolf stays in the closet for now . Not that you wouldn't want a 6'10" 225lbs rugby player as a friend when things get physical, so it doesn't change much.


----------



## airwalkrr (Oct 14, 2011)

I see where Cor Azer is coming from. Imagine the fight at the lecture was the opening before the credit roll. Then after credits we pan to the street scene from Cor Azer's OP in the IC thread with a subtitle "One week later."

There isn't a whole lot we need to know about what has happened in between. I think we can also develop a lot of that organically during play.


----------



## Walking Dad (Oct 14, 2011)

Sorry. I got swamped and totally missed the IC thread. Shall I still work on my Actor, or I'm out?


----------



## Cor Azer (Oct 14, 2011)

Walking Dad said:


> Sorry. I got swamped and totally missed the IC thread. Shall I still work on my Actor, or I'm out?




You're certainly still welcome to play; I'll work your character and Acmite's into the IC thread (or you can do so yourself) once your characters are done up in the RG thread (note, they don't have to be completely finalized; some tweaking will be allowed once some more of the system is under your belt)


----------



## Walking Dad (Oct 20, 2011)

I just want to officially bow out of this. I'm somehow not able to make th character...

Have fun everyone and see you in other games


----------



## Cor Azer (Oct 20, 2011)

Walking Dad said:


> I just want to officially bow out of this. I'm somehow not able to make th character...
> 
> Have fun everyone and see you in other games




Sorry to hear. Lemme know if you want to try again.


----------



## DrZombie (Nov 21, 2011)

getting quite fond of the cinematic setting. Really enjoying this game


----------



## Jemal (Dec 5, 2011)

I see that the game says closed, but WD just bowed out.  I don't have access to the rules ATM, but if it's mostly cinematic it probably wouldn't be hard to get an assist on the creation, and I would love to join in if you'll have me.

Wouldn't mind trying a geek/survivalist who found out it's all real and decided to 'get in the game'.  Kind of a cross between Wesley and Gunn.

Crossing my fingers as I like cinematic stuff, and am a hardcore Whedonite. 

(Wish somebody'd run some WoD on here too...)


----------



## Cor Azer (Dec 6, 2011)

Jemal said:


> I see that the game says closed, but WD just bowed out.  I don't have access to the rules ATM, but if it's mostly cinematic it probably wouldn't be hard to get an assist on the creation, and I would love to join in if you'll have me.
> 
> Wouldn't mind trying a geek/survivalist who found out it's all real and decided to 'get in the game'.  Kind of a cross between Wesley and Gunn.
> 
> ...




I could probably handle another player.

Character creation not that hard no; I believe there are several links and posts back in the thread.


----------



## Jemal (Dec 7, 2011)

So I'm working up my character, Jason Williams.  He's a 22 year old Geek/Survivor/Hunter.  
He's got combat-relative skills, but much of his training is either circumstantial or incomplete, so he fits as a white-hat, albeit a bit more 'capable' than the average person.  He'll have better mental skills than physical, and will be useful for research situations.  I picture his role as very similar to late-Angel Wesley (Intelligent, dark type with troubled past, not unfamiliar with fighting)
[sblock=First Draft Background]
Jason Williams was born in small-town Saskatchewan in 1979, to a pair of second generation farmers.  He never fit in at their small farm-town school, he was a loner, a gamer, a geek.  The only school activity he ever really partook of was Track and Field, placing well in long-distance running and the hundred metre dash all through high school.  During his senior year, he finally worked up the courage to tell his only real friend, Amanda, of his feelings for her, and was relieved and elated when she responded in kind.

He moved to Saskatoon with his new sweetheart Amanda to attend the University of Saskatchewan, beginning courses in Literature and Philosophy in the fall of 1997.  While there, he and his girlfriend became involved with a group of fellow students Larping in their spare time.  Over the next several months, their gaming kept getting darker and more 'realistic', until a cold winter evening in 1998, when it was revealed that one of their members had actually been using their Larping as a cover, and that they had been performing actual demonic rites, which culminated in the summoning of an ancient evil, who promptly began slaughtering the Larpers who had been brought to be his sacrifice.  Everyone was brutally slain, including Jason's girlfriend and the misguided young man who had orchestrated the summoning, with only Jason managing to escape.

Scared half out of his mind, Jason fled, knowing there was no way he could report this to the police - they'd never believe him, just lock him up and blame it on another gamer-gone-medieval.  He hid out for a few days, not knowing if the demon would find him first or the police.  The demon never showed up, but the police did end up blaming him for the murders, the papers calling the scene a 'horrible massacre by an unhinged psycopath.'  Jason tried contacting his parents, tried explaining, but even they didn't believe him, just begging him to turn himself in and 'get help'.  

Eventually, he realized that his 'normal' life was over.  He couldn't go on knowing that stuff like that was REAL, was actually out there.  Even if he could relocate, he'd never be able to be a normal person again.  He searched everywhere for information, trying to find someone that might be able to explain, and after a few months(Mid 1999), finally found someone who did, an ex-watcher named Michelle.  The woman took Jason under her wing, introducing him to her crew of demon-hunters, training and teaching him.  The two quickly grew close as they hunted vampires and demons together, and their mentor-student bond gave way to their love as they searched for The Demon.

Unfortunately, they found it.  The thing was a True Demon, not the shadow of it's real power that most demons were who walked the Earth, and it easily bested them, taking its time toying with the crew as it slowly and methodically killed each one, until only Jason and Michelle were left.  The vicious beast recognized the love between them, and took great pleasure in slowly ripping it away from Jason, but that was ultimately his salvation.  The beast took too long disposing of them, and Michelle was able to, with her last bit of energy, weave a spell that bound the demons powers.  Jason was able to escape with her, but her wounds were too severe for medical aid, and she passed later that night.

Since then, Jason has been obsessively tracking the beast as it seeks to regain its full power, to which end both have come to Waterloo, and it's hellmouth.[/sblock]

As far as connections to other players go, it's possible that his mentor/lover, the ex-watcher Michelle, told him about the Waterloo Watcher, and he would go to Dafydd upon arrival, looking for information.  Alternately, he could randomly meet up with one or more of the players in a demon brawl while he's out trying to demon-hunt solo (And probably having a difficult time of it).
A third option is that he enrolled at the University under a fake name while he searches for the demon, though that's my least favoured option, as Jason would be far less likely to care about schooling.  More likely that he'd get a job to sustain himself while he hunts after The Demon.

Much of his backstory revolves around a specific, powerful Demon.  I just called it 'the demon' b/c I felt I'd leave it open for you to use however you see fit, as whatever kind of demon you wish (Be it plot relevant or not, though I definitely think it could be a major player around the hellmouth if you feel like including it).


[sblock=Qualities/Drawbacks]
Adversary: (3D?) Someone wants to hurt you.  The Demon 
Obsession: (2D)Go to almost any length in pursuit of The Demon
Secret: Wanted for murder of fellow Students/Gamers (2D)
Honorable:Serious(2D) Don't betray anyone, always keep your word.
Tragic Love(4D): Has lost 2 lovers so far to The Demon... is this a trend?

Fast Reaction Time (2Q) - +5 to Initiative (usually just a Dexterity roll), and +1 to Willpower to resist fear
Hard to Kill  LVL 3 (3Q) - Add 9 to Life Points and +3 to Survival Tests. 
Nerves of Steel (3Q) - Unflappable. Immune to non-supernatural fear. +4 bonus to Willpower rolls versus supernatural fear.
Occult Investigator (4Q) - PI of the supernatural. +1 to two different mental attributes, +2 Occultism, +1 bonus on fear tests, but must make a Willpower (doubled) roll to stop from invesitgating "wierd" stuff.

I'd also like a quality to represent his training with the Ex-watcher and demon-hunting crew, would Using the 'watcher' ability be OK?
Watcher Trained: *Same as Watcher* (5Q) - +1 to any physical Attribute (human max 6), +2 Getting Medieval, +2 to any rolls learning about demons
[/sblock]

First off, Yes he has more than 10 points in Drawbacks - I realize I don't gain more than 10 points for it, I hadn't even intended to take a full 10, but I just started writing down the ones that made sense, and it ended up being a lot.

Second, If my math's correct, and the 'watcher-trained' quality is OK by you, my extra drawbacks above the qualities I've taken give me 3 extra points for skills, correct?


----------



## Cor Azer (Dec 8, 2011)

Jemal said:


> So I'm working up my character, Jason Williams.  He's a 22 year old Geek/Survivor/Hunter.
> He's got combat-relative skills, but much of his training is either circumstantial or incomplete, so he fits as a white-hat, albeit a bit more 'capable' than the average person.  He'll have better mental skills than physical, and will be useful for research situations.  I picture his role as very similar to late-Angel Wesley (Intelligent, dark type with troubled past, not unfamiliar with fighting)
> 
> [ ... snip ...]
> ...




The background sounds like it could certainly work; and The Demon could/probably will figure into the game eventually - pasted over another demon I was planning to use.

Yeah, the extra Drawbacks are fine for flavour, but you're getting a max of 10 points back in Qualities and/or Skills.

There is an ex-Watcher quality in the Angel core book that's nearly the same as Watcher, but some of the Drawbacks are swapped around.

Possibly more appropriate is the Demon Hunter quality: a regular Joe/Jane whose life has been thrashed by demons and has decided to dedicate their life to thrashing back. +1 to any 3 Attributes (up to human max of 6, no stacking); +1 to any 2 of Gun Fu, Getting Medieval, or Kung Fu; Adversary 1 (various minor demons); Mental Problem - Mild Delusion - all supernatural beings are evil: he could work with Gavin (half-demon) /Steven (werewolf)/Rory (half-fae), but might not fully trust them; Juno and Rechard are slightly better (unless he ever learns about the source of a Slayer's power, then Juno might bump into the first category), 'cause just using magic is ok; Dafydd wouldn't bother him. The whole thing cost 4Q, but if you wanted, you could bump the built-in Adversary drawback to 3, assign it to the Demon, and then the quality would only be 2Q, and you'd could drop the separate Adversary drawback (and still get the full 10 points from Drawbacks since you have others).


----------



## Jemal (Dec 8, 2011)

*Double Post*


----------



## Jemal (Dec 8, 2011)

that Demon Hunter one sounds almost perfect, except for the 'all supernatural creatures are evil' aspect.  I'd viewed him as fairly well-adjusted with the supernatural community, just vengeful towards evil demons in particular, but still capable of telling the difference between 'soul-eating demon' and 'candy-making demon'.

Would it be ok if I took it without the delusion for 3 or even 4 pts?

First draft Full sheet:

[sblock=Jason Williams]
Jason Williams, AKA Jason Teller
White Hat  Demon Hunter

Attributes: 15
Physical: 
Strength 3 (2 pts +1 Demon Hunter)
Dex 3 (2 pts +1 Demon Hunter)
Con 3 (2 pts +1 Demon Hunter)
Mental: 
Int 5 (3 pts +1 Occult Investigator +1 Nerd)
Per 4 (3 pts +1 Occult Investigator)
Will 4 (3 pts +1 Nerd)

Life Points: 37 (10 +4x Str(12) +4x Con(12) +3 Hard to Kill)
Drama Points: 20
Fear save: Immune, +10 vs Supernatural
Initiative: +8

Skills: (15 +4D)
Acrobatics 2
Computers 5 (3 + 2 Nerd)
Getting Medieval 5 (4 pts +1 Demon Hunter)
Kung Fu 4(3 +1 Demon Hunter)
Notice 3
Occultism 4 (2 pt +2 Occult Investigator) 
Wild Card: Running 2
*+1 Survival, -1 social roles*

Qualities/Drawbacks: (10+D)
Obsession(2D): Go to almost any length in pursuit of... The Demon
Secret(2D): Wanted for murder of Fellow Students
Honorable -Serious(2D): Don't betray anyone, always keep your word.
Tragic Love(4D): Has lost 2 lovers to The Demon.. Is this a trend?

Fast Reaction Time (2Q) - +5 to Initiative (usually just a Dexterity roll), and +1 to Willpower to resist fear
Hard to Kill LVL 1(1Q) - Add 3 to Life Points and +1 to Survival Tests.
Nerves of Steel (3Q) - Unflappable. Immune to non-supernatural fear. +4 bonus to Willpower rolls versus supernatural fear.
Nerd (3Q) - Gain +1 to two different mental Attributes (human max 6), and +2 to one of Computers, Knowledge, or Science, but -1 to any social roll.
Occult Investigator (4Q) - PI of the supernatural. +1 to two different mental attributes, +2 Occultism, +1 bonus on fear tests, but must make a Willpower (doubled) roll to stop from invesitgating "wierd" stuff.
Demon Hunter (3Q): His life has been thrashed by demons and has decided to dedicate their life to thrashing back. +1 to any 3 Attributes (up to human max of 6, no stacking); +1 to any 2 of Gun Fu, Getting Medieval, or Kung Fu; Adversary 3 (The Demon)


Background/Notes

Jason Williams was born in small-town Saskatchewan in 1979, to a pair of second generation farmers.  He never fit in at their small farm-town school, he was a loner, a gamer, a geek.  The only school activity he ever really partook of was Track and Field, placing well in long-distance running and the hundred metre dash all through high school.  During his senior year, he finally worked up the courage to tell his only real friend, Amanda, of his feelings for her, and was relieved and elated when she responded in kind.

He moved to Saskatoon with his new sweetheart Amanda to attend the University of Saskatchewan, beginning courses in Literature and Philosophy in the fall of 1997.  While there, he and his girlfriend became involved with a group of fellow students Larping in their spare time.  Over the next several months, their gaming kept getting darker and more 'realistic', until a cold winter evening in 1998, when it was revealed that one of their members had actually been using their Larping as a cover, and that they had been performing actual demonic rites, which culminated in the summoning of an ancient evil, who promptly began slaughtering the Larpers who had been brought to be his sacrifice.  Everyone was brutally slain, including Jason's girlfriend and the misguided young man who had orchestrated the summoning, with only Jason managing to escape.

Scared half out of his mind, Jason fled, knowing there was no way he could report this to the police - they'd never believe him, just lock him up and blame it on another gamer-gone-medieval.  He hid out for a few days, not knowing if the demon would find him first or the police.  The demon never showed up, but the police did end up blaming him for the murders, the papers calling the scene a 'horrible massacre by an unhinged psycopath.'  Jason tried contacting his parents, tried explaining, but even they didn't believe him, just begging him to turn himself in and 'get help'.  

Eventually, he realized that his 'normal' life was over.  He couldn't go on knowing that stuff like that was REAL, was actually out there.  Even if he could relocate, he'd never be able to be a normal person again.  He searched everywhere for information, trying to find someone that might be able to explain, and after a few months(Mid 1999), finally found someone who did, an ex-watcher named Michelle.  The woman took Jason under her wing, introducing him to her crew of demon-hunters, training and teaching him.  The two quickly grew close as they hunted vampires and demons together, and their mentor-student bond gave way to their love as they searched for The Demon.

Unfortunately, they found it.  The thing was a True Demon, not the shadow of it's real power that most demons were who walked the Earth, and it easily bested them, taking its time toying with the crew as it slowly and methodically killed each one, until only Jason and Michelle were left.  The vicious beast recognized the love between them, and took great pleasure in slowly ripping it away from Jason, but that was ultimately his salvation.  The beast took too long disposing of them, and Michelle was able to, with her last bit of energy, weave a spell that bound the demons powers.  Jason was able to escape with her, but her wounds were too severe for medical aid, and she passed later that night.

Since then, Jason has been obsessively tracking the beast as it seeks to regain its full power, to which end both have come to Waterloo, and it's hellmouth.
[/sblock]


----------



## Cor Azer (Dec 9, 2011)

Jemal said:


> that Demon Hunter one sounds almost perfect, except for the 'all supernatural creatures are evil' aspect.  I'd viewed him as fairly well-adjusted with the supernatural community, just vengeful towards evil demons in particular, but still capable of telling the difference between 'soul-eating demon' and 'candy-making demon'.
> 
> Would it be ok if I took it without the delusion for 3 or even 4 pts?




Yeah, that's ok as a 3-point quality.

If you're cool with the write-up (barring any minor tweaks), I'll try to get him worked into the next update (which may not be until Saturday).


----------



## Jemal (Dec 9, 2011)

Works for me.  On that note, was reading through the IC thread and saw when they were chasing paul you asked for a 'sports' check to chase.  So is Sports used for running then? I assumed acrobatics..


----------



## Cor Azer (Dec 9, 2011)

Jemal said:


> Works for me.  On that note, was reading through the IC thread and saw when they were chasing paul you asked for a 'sports' check to chase.  So is Sports used for running then? I assumed acrobatics..




Really more of an either/or thing. The cinematic system leaves the boundaries of many skills somewhat vague; ie parkour would likely be Acrobatics, but track is likely Sports. Often it comes down to where the player describes the skill was gained (ie, a criminal background might use Crime for pick pocket but a amateur magician might use Acrobatics)


----------



## Jemal (Dec 9, 2011)

I'd taken Acrobatics 2 and Wild card: Running 2 to show both his track background and a bit of the 'moves' he picked up with the demon hunting crew.

Speaking of which, what are the skill thresholds like?  IE what does a 3 or a 5 in a skill mean - is that 'well trained, kinda trained, really freakin good'?  Been trying to decide how to tweak the last bit of points and don't wanna go to far over/under on things.


----------



## Cor Azer (Dec 9, 2011)

For attributes, 2 is average, 6 is peak human.

For skills, 2-3 is basic competency, 4-5 is some extra expert training/learning, and 7-10 are your grandmasters.


----------



## Jemal (Dec 11, 2011)

So I've posted my introduction, and here's the updated run of my sheet.  I also wanted to ask you about how Enchanted items work.. I'd be interested to have Jason's Ankh (A parting gift from Michelle) be more important than he realizes.  Specifically for starters, I was hoping it could work like a cross against vampires, possibly other benefits depending on how special items work, and how much they cost.

[sblock=Jason Williams]
Jason Williams, AKA Jason Teller 

Attributes: 15
Physical: 
Strength 3 (2 pts +1 Demon Hunter)
Dex 3 (2 pts +1 Demon Hunter)
Con 3 (2 pts +1 Demon Hunter)
Mental: 
Int 5 (3 pts +1 Occult Investigator +1 Nerd)
Per 4 (3 pts +1 Occult Investigator)
Will 4 (3 pts +1 Nerd)

Life Points: 37 (10 +4x Str(12) +4x Con(12) +3 Hard to Kill)
Fear save: Immune, +10 vs Supernatural
Initiative: +8

Skills: (15 +4D)
Acrobatics 2
Computers 5 (3 + 2 Nerd)
Getting Medieval 5 (4 pts +1 Demon Hunter)
Kung Fu 4(3 +1 Demon Hunter)
Notice 3
Occultism 4 (2 pt +2 Occult Investigator) 
Sports 1
Wild Card: Running 1
*+1 Survival, -1 social roles*

Qualities/Drawbacks: (10+6D)
Obsession(2D): Go to almost any length in pursuit of... The Demon
Secret(2D): Wanted for murder of Fellow Students
Honorable -Serious(2D): Don't betray anyone, always keep your word.
Tragic Love(4D): Has lost 2 lovers to The Demon.. Is this a trend?

Fast Reaction Time (2Q) - +5 to Initiative (usually just a Dexterity roll), and +1 to Willpower to resist fear
Hard to Kill LVL 1(1Q) - Add 3 to Life Points and +1 to Survival Tests.
Nerves of Steel (3Q) - Unflappable. Immune to non-supernatural fear. +4 bonus to Willpower rolls versus supernatural fear.
Nerd (3Q) - Gain +1 to two different mental Attributes (human max 6), and +2 to one of Computers, Knowledge, or Science, but -1 to any social roll.
Occult Investigator (4Q) - PI of the supernatural. +1 to two different mental attributes, +2 Occultism, +1 bonus on fear tests, but must make a Willpower (doubled) roll to stop from invesitgating "wierd" stuff.
Demon Hunter (3Q): His life has been thrashed by demons and has decided to dedicate their life to thrashing back. +1 to any 3 Attributes (up to human max of 6, no stacking); +1 to any 2 of Gun Fu, Getting Medieval, or Kung Fu; Adversary 3 (The Demon)


Background/Notes
Appearance: 1.8 m, 73 KG (~5'11", 160 lbs).  Short Brown hair, Green eyes, pale complexion.  Appears to be in good shape.
Usually wears dark clothing (black jeans/t-shirt).  Wears a black, featureless bunny-hug when it's cold.  Always wears his Glasses and Ankh.
His clothing hides several scars from his run-ins with various demons and vamps.

Jason Williams was born in small-town Saskatchewan in 1979, to a pair of second generation farmers.  He never fit in at their small farm-town school, he was a loner, a gamer, a geek.  The only school activity he ever really partook of was Track and Field, placing well in long-distance running and the hundred metre dash all through high school.  During his senior year, he finally worked up the courage to tell his only real friend, Amanda, of his feelings for her, and was relieved and elated when she responded in kind.

He moved to Saskatoon with his new sweetheart Amanda to attend the University of Saskatchewan, beginning courses in Literature and Philosophy in the fall of 1997.  While there, he and his girlfriend became involved with a group of fellow students Larping in their spare time.  Over the next several months, their gaming kept getting darker and more 'realistic', until a cold winter evening in 1998, when it was revealed that one of their members had actually been using their Larping as a cover, and that they had been performing actual demonic rites, which culminated in the summoning of an ancient evil, who promptly began slaughtering the Larpers who had been brought to be his sacrifice.  Everyone was brutally slain, including Jason's girlfriend and the misguided young man who had orchestrated the summoning, with only Jason managing to escape.

Scared half out of his mind, Jason fled, knowing there was no way he could report this to the police - they'd never believe him, just lock him up and blame it on another gamer-gone-medieval.  He hid out for a few days, not knowing if the demon would find him first or the police.  The demon never showed up, but the police did end up blaming him for the murders, the papers calling the scene a 'horrible massacre by an unhinged psycopath.'  Jason tried contacting his parents, tried explaining, but even they didn't believe him, just begging him to turn himself in and 'get help'.  

Eventually, he realized that his 'normal' life was over.  He couldn't go on knowing that stuff like that was REAL, was actually out there.  Even if he could relocate, he'd never be able to be a normal person again.  He searched everywhere for information, trying to find someone that might be able to explain, and after a few months(Mid 1999), finally found someone who did, an ex-watcher named Michelle.  The woman took Jason under her wing, introducing him to her crew of demon-hunters, training and teaching him.  The two quickly grew close as they hunted vampires and demons together, and their mentor-student bond gave way to their love as they searched for The Demon.

Unfortunately, they found it.  The thing was a True Demon, not the shadow of it's real power that most demons were who walked the Earth, and it easily bested them, taking its time toying with the crew as it slowly and methodically killed each one, until only Jason and Michelle were left.  The vicious beast recognized the love between them, and took great pleasure in slowly ripping it away from Jason, but that was ultimately his salvation.  The beast took too long disposing of them, and Michelle was able to, with her last bit of energy, weave a spell that bound the demons powers.  Jason was able to escape with her, but her wounds were too severe for medical aid, and she passed later that night.

Since then, Jason has been obsessively tracking the beast as it seeks to regain its full power, to which end both have come to Waterloo, and it's hellmouth.

*Current Year is 2001, Concurrent with Buffy Season5/Angel Season2*
[/sblock]


----------



## Cor Azer (Dec 12, 2011)

Jemal said:


> So I've posted my introduction, and here's the updated run of my sheet.  I also wanted to ask you about how Enchanted items work.. I'd be interested to have Jason's Ankh (A parting gift from Michelle) be more important than he realizes.  Specifically for starters, I was hoping it could work like a cross against vampires, possibly other benefits depending on how special items work, and how much they cost.




Generally, they work a lot like spells. You figure out what it can do (range, scope, targeting limitations, requirements, frequency of use, etc.), which roughly gives it a power level, and then bake 30-45 min. Done.

To start with one, it requires the Enchanted Item quality at 2Q per power level of the item. For an ankh (or, rather, anything) that, to initial appearances, only serves as an effective vamp-deterrent, you're looking at a simple Power Level 1 item I imagine, even if we throw in some hooks for it to become something more later one. So... a 2Q quality to start.

If you're happy with Jason's write-up, you can post him over to the Rogue's Gallery thread: 
http://www.enworld.org/forum/rogues-gallery/312412-buffy-rpg-hellmouth-waterloo-casting-sheet.html


----------



## Jemal (Dec 12, 2011)

eech, 2 points for a simple cross is too steep for my blood, I'll just leave it as a memento.

Might want to tweak one or two skills but I think he's g2g. posting to RG.


----------



## Shayuri (Dec 12, 2011)

Hey, did we ever figure out what Juno's enchanted item was?

I remember bringing it up, but I don't recall the specifics.


----------



## Cor Azer (Dec 13, 2011)

Shayuri said:


> Hey, did we ever figure out what Juno's enchanted item was?




I have.

You haven't.


----------



## Herobizkit (Dec 21, 2011)

Hey all,

I apologize for my lack of participation in this game thus far.  Things got really hairy with school around mid-November and between that and my RL games, it's been go-go-go ever since. 

Any chance I could get a brief update as to what's been going on?


----------



## Shayuri (Dec 21, 2011)

I've been a bit out of it myself. I really need to catch back up and get some posting done! Rar!

Happy news is that I'll have a long weekend to do it.


----------



## airwalkrr (Dec 22, 2011)

I have not been paying very close attention to all the groups, but Dafydd and Rechard found an unusual printout referring to bones and such and tracked it down to a student named Paul whom they cornered and brought back to Dafydd's office. They are currently interrogating him to see what he knows, and it is pretty clear he knows something.

I believe the Slayer and one other character (I forget which one) went to visit the survivor in the hospital only to find another girl named Joanie who claimed she was the Slayer. There was a brief skirmish, then Joanie disappeared ninja style or something like that.


----------



## DrZombie (Dec 22, 2011)

Steven and Rory (or Irish as Steven calls him  ) were investigating the alley and have found a witness who claims the attack was perpetuated by werewolves. They are going back to the campus.


----------



## DrZombie (Feb 10, 2012)

hey cor

did Steven's succes with the occult lore tell him anything useful about the demon? Maybe some lore trickled down on how/who put it behind the seal in the first place.


----------



## Cor Azer (Feb 11, 2012)

DrZombie said:


> hey cor
> 
> did Steven's succes with the occult lore tell him anything useful about the demon? Maybe some lore trickled down on how/who put it behind the seal in the first place.




Sorry I wasn't clear about it - the bit with Steven and Paul and the "Demonyness" of the demon was from his Occult success. Not enough to know any Gyuliga stuff, but to notice the general demonyness (I've used it twice, gotta be a word


----------



## airwalkrr (Mar 5, 2012)

I am so sorry, everyone, but with the recent changes in my life, I just do not have the time to keep up with my pbp games. I hope everything goes well. This was amazingly fun and I hope I get the chance to do it again some day.


----------



## Cor Azer (Mar 8, 2012)

Hope everything sorts itself out for you, airwalkrr.

As for everyone else, is there interest in continuing? I know personally I've been slack (as a generous term) in posting updates. I can't place my finger on it, but something's not gelling for me in the game. If everyone else is still keen though, I'll try to push through.


----------



## Shayuri (Mar 8, 2012)

I'm interested, I've just been having a hard time finding time and creative energy to post the last week or so. It's been affecting almost all my games, not just yours.

As fo the game, I'm good with the story, I think...what I can see of it. The system is a bit of an obstacle to me though, since Im not familiar with it. I don't mind, of course. It's still very fun. But it's a bummer not to have a feel for what I can do ...


----------



## jkason (Mar 8, 2012)

We seem to be getting to a climax / action point for the 'episode,' which I think will probably spur some more posting, too. I'm in.


----------



## DrZombie (Mar 9, 2012)

Hey, I love this game. I don't mind the post-rate, I think it's going fine as is.

Now let's go kill a demon.


----------



## Jemal (Mar 9, 2012)

I'm in if you're still up to it, but don't push yourself if it's not feeling right.


----------



## Herobizkit (Mar 10, 2012)

Hey guys.  Apologies, but it looks as though this story has fallen completely off my map.  Feel free to NPC my character or have him die in some gruesome death or whatever you do to wayward players.

No fault of the OP, I just lost track of it and then forgot I was even in it.


----------

