[Recruitment] Cthulhutech: The Borderlines of the World

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Kurald Galain
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#51

Post by Kurald Galain »

Agreed, though as I go to work in about an hour and a half, I won't be able to join in until late tonight.
Out- out are the lights- out all!
And, over each quivering form,
The curtain, a funeral pall,
Comes down with the rush of a storm,
While the angels, all pallid and wan,
Uprising, unveiling, affirm
That the play is the tragedy, "Man,"
And its hero the Conqueror Worm.
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EarthScorpion
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#52

Post by EarthScorpion »

Academia Nut wrote:Well, I know that Losonti and I are currently quivering like heroin addicts between a hit of smack waiting for the game to start, so what is the status of our GM and the others who have mentioned a desire to play? I know Hotfoot has a mostly completed character sheet.

Also, the urge to get some pre-mission smack talk in is high.
I can't start this weekend; I'm at home for a sort of pseudo-half-term break (consisting of one weekend where I have people to cook for me and I can actually have a bath as opposed to a showed. Oh, bliss) and thus the price of this wonderful treatment is actually having to do stuff with the family. Also, I just saw WALL-E for the first time and thus I'm in completely the wrong mindset for the active malevolence that a Cthulhutech GM needs to be able to run his game properly. I'm largely waiting for Hotfoot's character sheet, as he expressed interest, and that above confirmation by Academia Nut that he actually has access to the books means that I won't be starting yet, as, as a group, you really need someone who can fight while not being Integrity scale.

I have the first chapter planned out narratively, although it remains flexible to player actions in a way that face-to-face can't be (unless you're very, very good at winging it on the fly). Mind you, I've always planned games a bit like that; I set up the... uh, setting, and let the components react to player actions from then on in.

And, yes, to touch on the previous point of army-sized figures, I have always felt it is my prerogative to change/creatively interpret a setting to make it fit what I feel to be realistic, in the not-breaking-my-suspension-of-disbelief (something friends have commented that, for me, is very, very fragile) sense of the word. Hence, the size of the NEG military is deemed to be "Not-quite-enough", and other rationalisations will occur. Luckily, I have a set of rationalisations already prepared by my work on Aeon Natum Engel. :)

And smack talk away. :twisted:
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#53

Post by Academia Nut »

That would be in character smack talk, which requires a thread in which to smack talk.

Also, I will admit defeat. This is the closest I could get to corrupting Wall-E at 1 in the morning after an 8 hour shift.

Wall-E knows the plant. Wall-E found the plant. Wall-E is the key and guardian of the gate. Past, present, future, all are one in Wall-E. He knows where the Humans broke through of old, and where They shall break through again. He knows where They have trod earth's fields, and where They still tread them, and why no one can behold Them as They tread.
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Kurald Galain
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#54

Post by Kurald Galain »

Academia Nut wrote:That would be in character smack talk, which requires a thread in which to smack talk.

Also, I will admit defeat. This is the closest I could get to corrupting Wall-E at 1 in the morning after an 8 hour shift.

Wall-E knows the plant. Wall-E found the plant. Wall-E is the key and guardian of the gate. Past, present, future, all are one in Wall-E. He knows where the Humans broke through of old, and where They shall break through again. He knows where They have trod earth's fields, and where They still tread them, and why no one can behold Them as They tread.
Bah, Wall-E is easily corruptible when you think about it. One ship came back to earth (going to earth really isn't needed, it was just a way for them to reassurnt control over their enviroment), how many didn't? There's still any number of ships still drifting pointlessly, with their passengers so droned out of it.

Wall-E inspired one ship to save itself. So what, what percent of human has raised itself from vegetable status?
Out- out are the lights- out all!
And, over each quivering form,
The curtain, a funeral pall,
Comes down with the rush of a storm,
While the angels, all pallid and wan,
Uprising, unveiling, affirm
That the play is the tragedy, "Man,"
And its hero the Conqueror Worm.
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Hotfoot
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#55

Post by Hotfoot »

Sorry guys, I was at a convention yesterday picking up the Cthulutech books, I'll have a finished character later today.
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#56

Post by Academia Nut »

Incidentally, as a sorcerer, how many of the team would I have been able to cast the War of Corporeal Protection upon before the mission? I'm assuming Alex would have kept his own wards fresh, but would he have had time to ward anyone else?

Also, as I have the munitions skill would I have been able to upgrade the guns for my armour before the mission?
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EarthScorpion
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#57

Post by EarthScorpion »

Academia Nut wrote:Incidentally, as a sorcerer, how many of the team would I have been able to cast the War of Corporeal Protection upon before the mission? I'm assuming Alex would have kept his own wards fresh, but would he have had time to ward anyone else?

Also, as I have the munitions skill would I have been able to upgrade the guns for my armour before the mission?
Yes, you were able to put them on fresh, but the team was thrown together in a bit of a hurry, and the Orgone cost/ 6 hour prep and 6 hour casting for the ritual made it prohibitive.

As for the guns, Hard checks for each of them;

AP Cannon Upgrade: Adept Munitions (3 dice)
7, 8, 8 - Pair of 8s = 16
Intellect = 8
Total = 24
Passed, +1 to tests using the AP Cannon until next damaged

Plasma Cannon Upgrade: Adept Munitions (3 Dice)
3, 5, 2 - Highest = 5
Intellect = 8
Total = 13
Upgrade failed, no bonus

I should also note one house rule that I use and that is near ubiquitous among GMs. Namely, a Critical Failiure occurs when you roll more than half your dice as ones, not half or more. In the RAW, there is the anomaly that with 1 dice, you botch 10% of the time. With 2 dice, you botch 19% of the time {P(Botch) = 1 - (9/10)^2}. That is stupid. Hence, this house-rule.
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Losonti Tokash
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#58

Post by Losonti Tokash »

Much appreciated, that particular house rule.
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#59

Post by Academia Nut »

Yeah, that does make the Novice level of knowledge less of a 'move through this level as quickly as you can because it sucks' sort of thing, what with the whole high likelihood of catastrophic failure there.
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#60

Post by EarthScorpion »

This is an analysis of the probability tables for Framewerk. There is still a jump in botches, but this time it's from 2 to 3 and 4 to 5, and is far, far more reasonable. Basically, the odd numbered probabilities remain the same as in RAW, but the even numbers of dice are reduced a lot.

Also, it's kind of useful. I know, at least with things like the Dark Heresy system and with Storytelling, that I can eyeball the chances of success (DH is percentile, in Storytelling each dice is a third of a success). Framewerk is quite a bit less intuitive.
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#61

Post by Hotfoot »

Bertram Gregory

Virtue: Self-Confident
Flaw: Arrogant
Age: 38
Profession: Occult Investigator
Born: January 02 2053 (Capricorn: I master)

Bertram was six when the Nazzadi invaded Earth. By the time the war was over, the only surviving member of his family was his mother, who over the course of the war had been reduced to madness through the hell of the six year conflict. Losing a family member nearly every year had a profound effect on Bertram, combined with the numerous wounds he took over the course of the war, it left him socially damaged and severely weakened.

One thing that kept Bertram going during the war was figuring out where to go next. As he helped to lead his family from place to place, he started learning about some of the stranger things happening under the cover of the war. Often times, he used these secret places and happenings to escape the brutal attacks of the Nazzadi, or the collateral damage of the Human response, but there were dangers inherent in even these hiding places. Still, it was here he started to learn things, things greater than most anyone knew. This knowledge drove him to find out more, and in the end, it was this knowledge that helped him finally find safe haven and special attention from New Earth Government. When a squad came to help him evacuate, they were set upon by strange creatures, and it was only Bertram's knowledge that allowed them to survive the encounter. When the squad made it back to their base, Bertram was presented to the base commander during the debriefing. With his mother being taken to a psychiatric care facility, a future was presented to him to help the New Earth Government. Education, care, all in exchange for service.

Bertram accepted, and quickly he became something of a prodigy. Despite not having formal education in his formative years, spent largely on the run in war-torn areas, he was a voracious learner. His determination to learn as much as he could afforded him the ability to not only catch up with his peers, but surpass many of them in just about every way. Surrounded by privileged brats, he kept himself distant. What he lacked in physical ability, he made up for with a sharp wit and an even sharper tongue. He made few friends as a result, but he got the attention of certain individuals.

Having not just the intelligence to learn things that most wouldn't be able to understand, but also the drive, determination, and stability to not go mad from it, he was seen as a resource to helping stop the cults and stranger goings-on during the second Arcanotech war. Bertram entered service with Aracham to help deal with these issues. He served with distinction, but his attitude helped to prevent much advancement. He was commonly put into the field, since if he didn’t know something, he could always seem to figure it out. One would think that given his physical disabilities, he would try to get a more sedate position, but for some reason, he always seemed to want to go back out into the field.

One noticeable event was a covert mission to a small town in the Midwest United States. The mission was supposed to be a simple recon, but it was anything but. The ritual that was being attempted by cultists was theorized to have effects that would have not only wiped out a bulk of the crops in the Midwest, but also have summoned a demonic army with the potential to seriously destabilize the NEG on its home soil, something which while only perhaps a moderate threat overall, would have provided an advantage to the enemies of humanity. Within Aracham, the event is fairly well known, and Bertram is considered to be the singular man responsible for stopping the ritual, but it was also another mark on his record, as he acted against the orders of his commanding officer to achieve his goal.

Over the years, he has used his intelligence to ensure that he is set financially for some time, and his job with Aracham has allowed him to make some impressive savings and investments. Several times he’s been given the option to take a step back from field work, but he turns it down each time.

Code: Select all

Attributes	Value
Agility	5
Intellect	8
Perception	8
Presence	4
Strength	3
Tenacity	8
Total	36
	
Actions	1
Movement	4
Orgone	13
Reflex	7
Vitality	10
Drama	10 (2)

Skills	Rank	Focus
Appraisal	1	
Computer	2	
Education	3	
History	2	
Hobby (Video Games)	1	
Language (Gaelic)	1	
Language (English)	4	
Language (Latin)	1	
Language (R'lyehan)	1	
Language (Tsath-yo)	1	
Literacy	3	
Observation	3	
Occult	3	
Regional Knowledge	2	
Research	3	Occult
Trivia (20th Cen Music)	1	
Science, Physical	1	
Science, Life	1	
Science, Earth	1	
Security	1	
Survielliance	1	
Demolitions	1	
Marksman	1	Pistols
Thrown Weapons	1	
Dodge	3	
		
		
Agility Feat	2	
Intellect Feat	4	
Perception Feat	4	
Presence Feat	2	
Strength Feat	1	
Tenacity Feat	4	
		
Subtotal	43	
Total (minus free skill)	35	
Cheats (Skills)	12	

Perks	Cost	Flaws	Cost
Authority (Aracham)	1	Duty (Aracham)	-2
Eidatic Memory	3	Watched 	-2
Driven	2	Big Ego	-1
Wealth	1	Chronic Pain	-2
Famous Incident	1	Damaged	-2
		Habit (Smoking)	-1
			
			
			
			
			
Total	8	Total	-10
Equipment:
Sword Cane
Belt Holster
Concealable Holster
UT-9 "Stinger" Medium Autoneedler w/lasersight (3 mags total)
CS-32 "Midnight Spec" Small Autopistol w/lasersight (2 mags total)
Thermite Paste (2 tubes)
Grenades (2x L7A2 Frag, 1x L9HE-1, 1xUT-42 Flash, 2x UT-40 Smoke)
Sentrytech Mk-V Armor - Heavy
PCPU w/AR Eyeglass monitor display & Wireless communication earpiece
Portable Holo-Display Unit
Small personal library of research books (digital and analog)
Binoculars w/built in compass
Digital Video Recorder
Last edited by Hotfoot on Mon Feb 23, 2009 10:39 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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#62

Post by Academia Nut »

Note for those currently trying to interact with Alex, I'm not trying to shut down conversation, its just that you need to somehow catch Alex's attention and pry it away from whatever it is that already has his attention. He's a bit of a jerk, but it more comes from apathy and obsessive behaviour than actual maliciousness.
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#63

Post by frigidmagi »

frigid, I just had a brainstorm. You should totally be the bitter grunt who is constantly railing at the stupidity of the brass and demanding that they deploy more troops.
Ask Hotfoot he'll tell you that would be typecasting. Or go hunt down old Iraq War threads where I bitch, piss and moan as is the veteran's sovereign right to do so.
"it takes two sides to end a war but only one to start one. And those who do not have swords may still die upon them." Tolken
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#64

Post by Academia Nut »

Then play against type. Play the eager young trooper who has no idea what the hell he's getting in to instead of the bitter old veteran. We seem to have enough bitter veterans in this group as it is.

Also, I was wondering if anyone was going to call me on the overuse of 'archaic' because I had a funny response to that. Unfortunately, since I'm not psychic, I can't know that Losonti thought that about me. Ah well.
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#65

Post by Losonti Tokash »

Sorry to disappoint. :P
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#66

Post by Hotfoot »

Start worrying folks... :twisted:
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#67

Post by Kurald Galain »

I wrote out my post, and then both Nut and Hot post before me :oops:. I've edited it so now I'm responding to both Losonti and Nut.
Out- out are the lights- out all!
And, over each quivering form,
The curtain, a funeral pall,
Comes down with the rush of a storm,
While the angels, all pallid and wan,
Uprising, unveiling, affirm
That the play is the tragedy, "Man,"
And its hero the Conqueror Worm.
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#68

Post by Academia Nut »

Aaand of course Kurald edits while I'm writing, but I think I got what I wanted anyway. As a bit of an obsessive personality myself, I think I'm portraying Alex in the right way of getting stuck on an idea and needing to focus on it for a while until switching over to something else. It can be very distracting at times.
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#69

Post by LadyTevar »

Hotfoot? You are having ENTIRELY too much fun with your character.

And is it bad I hear Gregory House's bitter sarcastic voice whenever I read your character's posts?
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#70

Post by Losonti Tokash »

(9:53:37 PM) losontitokash: oh shit
(9:53:42 PM) losontitokash: you're house
(9:53:54 PM) HotfootB5: Hahaha, shit, you got it in one

This was before he'd even finished the character, mind you. :P
Last edited by Losonti Tokash on Mon Feb 23, 2009 1:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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#71

Post by Academia Nut »

House huh? I guess it makes sense, although never having seen the show I am now filling in with previous Hugh Laurie roles. Namely Percy from Blackadder. The results are not pretty. They are in fact only rivalled by the thought of Baldrick in a miniskirt by their sanity blasting potency. Cthulhu's got nothing on this.

That said, you sure didn't give me much to work on there in composing a long, rambling rant Losonti :razz:
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Losonti Tokash
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#72

Post by Losonti Tokash »

Well, my characters are never very verbose and the fact that you asked such a close-ended question only made it worse. :P
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#73

Post by LadyTevar »

Academia Nut wrote:House huh? I guess it makes sense, although never having seen the show I am now filling in with previous Hugh Laurie roles. Namely Percy from Blackadder. The results are not pretty. They are in fact only rivalled by the thought of Baldrick in a miniskirt by their sanity blasting potency. Cthulhu's got nothing on this.

That said, you sure didn't give me much to work on there in composing a long, rambling rant Losonti :razz:
You need to see at least one episode of "House" to understand, AN.

Percy is nothing. House is a bitter, sarcastic, snappish wasp of a bastard, who still manages to not only get things done, but have a 'fan club' of friends who love him despite himself. Ebenezzar Scrooge is less "bah humbug".
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#74

Post by Academia Nut »

No, I meant the idea of a gruff and bitter man with Percy's voice was causing sanity damage.

And let's see if this sets Bertram off again. The interactions here are too much fun.
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#75

Post by LadyTevar »

Academia Nut wrote:No, I meant the idea of a gruff and bitter man with Percy's voice was causing sanity damage.
Oh no nono... It's not Percy's voice. House has a full American accent. It shocked me when I realized it was the same actor.
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