tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post1178714398856731336..comments2024-03-19T16:24:23.777-07:00Comments on Playing D&D With Porn Stars: Open Call: GigacrawlerZak Sabbathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08812410680077034917noreply@blogger.comBlogger59125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-52908482673112601892016-09-08T22:41:14.519-07:002016-09-08T22:41:14.519-07:00maybe-- email me:
zakzsmith @ hawtmaylemaybe-- email me:<br />zakzsmith @ hawtmayleZak Sabbathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08812410680077034917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-34122217641842707272016-09-08T22:38:11.807-07:002016-09-08T22:38:11.807-07:00Are people allowed to make commercial products usi...Are people allowed to make commercial products using this system? If so, how does the licensing work?anarchisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05546197561922726279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-10516140074067192712012-07-28T12:11:57.853-07:002012-07-28T12:11:57.853-07:00I concur that the art (all the art I have seen fro...I concur that the art (all the art I have seen from you, including the Pynchon work) is amazing. This blog, the GigaCrawler rules, and the Carcosa Wacky Races are pretty much all that I think about currently. My mom will soon be introduced to your take on "The Wire." And I'm buying Vornheim as soon as my new job kicks into high gear. Fantastic stuff.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11960199413002088471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-18697989776087268982012-03-03T18:16:11.159-08:002012-03-03T18:16:11.159-08:00The art, as I wander this blog, now that I have fi...The art, as I wander this blog, now that I have figured your style out, is rocking. Getting Vornheim right now off Drive Thru.TKimWrSvchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08326635054767263409noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-27689046773419521372012-02-26T16:34:22.148-08:002012-02-26T16:34:22.148-08:00@TKimWrSvc
I drew it@TKimWrSvc<br /><br />I drew itZak Sabbathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08812410680077034917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-8095099540058263732012-02-26T16:27:40.624-08:002012-02-26T16:27:40.624-08:00What a great setting concept. I am going to have t...What a great setting concept. I am going to have to copy all this to a word doc and test it out. btw where did the art come from....Incredible, especially the first one.TKimWrSvchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08326635054767263409noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-86859739933422304322011-08-27T10:28:19.958-07:002011-08-27T10:28:19.958-07:00Super cool, just like the megastructure in Blame! ...Super cool, just like the megastructure in Blame! from Tsutomu Nihei. :)Evlyn Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01033845413251039537noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-8885056458740300822011-01-16T11:16:09.237-08:002011-01-16T11:16:09.237-08:00Part 3 of 4:
Adversary: Maze Phantom
The Maze ...Part 3 of 4:<br /><br /><br />Adversary: Maze Phantom<br /> The Maze that The All uses to convert outsiders to itself is filled with lessons and phantasmal menaces. These menaces are designed to hunt and threaten, and only rarely to actually harm, when a convert must be crippled before they can be reborn as a member of The All. The trick with Maze Phantoms is that there are legions of them, each designed to ignore a certain type of attack. A person confronted with the Maze Phantom that The All has chosen to educate them will be powerless, while an outsider bursting into the scene may find the phantom as easy to pop as a balloon.<br /><br />Adversary: Allformer (Nanobot, Nanohex, or Nanomeme)<br /> The Allformers seed the way for The All. These are built on whatever power the local All cult uses - tech, magic, or psychic might. <br /> Allformers have two major defenses: First, their nanoscale makes them prone to being overlooked, invisible as they operate. <br /> Second, they have a reflexive counter-attack if anyone attempts to disable or control them. The counter attack does two things simultaneously. The first is that it attempts to deceive/charm/mind-control the attacker into believing that their attack is on the verge of succeeding, if they just stick with it longer. Second, the Allformer swarm Cuts Loose.<br /> Cutting Loose: The Allformers normally move in careful, slow, controlled patterns as they convert terrain and people into The All. In times of crisis, the Allformers may move into a higher gear, converting anything nearby into rich elemental goop that holds no threat to The All and can be harvested as a resource later. Even priests of The All fear this reaction like a primitive priest fears the wrath of the gods, for the Allformers are none too intelligent in their targeting. They are prone to lash out and digest anything that seems energy rich, fast moving, or highly contagious. Anything that might possibly be a threat is digested. All priests and cultists know to walk away calmly and divest themselves of power should the Allformers cut loose, and to wait for the defense reaction to be complete. <br /> Once per round of combat, the Allformers target the most threatening seeming person in the area. The typical way to defend against digestion is to first perceive the attack coming, then, if not taken by surprise, to make an agility check to flee the area the Allformers are swarming. Whatever region the Allformers strike is digested in a single round, occupant within it, if they did not successfully escape. <br /> Exceptionally high-tech/high-magic/high-psy armors may keep the Allformers at bay if they are designed for environmental containment: Armor that is within 2 tech/magic levels of the Allformer swarm takes 2d6 rounds to be digested, while the Allformers figure out a way around its defenses. The final digestion is sudden, taking only a single round once the weakness in the defense is found. The armor's occupant is digested the round after. A character cannot escape by shedding armor being digested - the Allformer swarm senses the breach and rushes in, liquifying the victim within their suit. <br /> Higher tech/magic armors can hold out an Allformer swarm indefinitely.<br /> Defeating an Allformer swarm requires special approaches: EMP pulses, counter-nanobots, or the equivalent in magic or psychic attacks. Once such attacks are deployed, the surviving Allformers will fall back outside of attack range. They will continue to test their enemies defenses continuously on a microscopic scale so long as the enemies remain inside the cloud, attacking with instant ferocity whenever a new weakness is found. (GM's discretion, but every 3d6 hours by default.)baudothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18232716747633261771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-87830475980323659812011-01-16T11:13:56.561-08:002011-01-16T11:13:56.561-08:00Conversion to The All happens first in The Maze: B...Conversion to The All happens first in The Maze: Before expanding into a city from their beachhead, the Allformers will build a maze of tunnels between the beachhead and the city. These tunnels are filled with scenes waiting to be acted out, leading the individual lost within through a series of lessons where they learn by repeated suffering that they are alone without The All, and that all comfort, warmth, and nourishment comes from working with their brothers. Time within The Maze is perceived to flow differently than time outside, with people inside The Maze believing weeks to have passed while in reality only hours have gone by. The potential convert experiences monthss of indoctrination in only a few days of real time, jumping from scene to scene with gaps in their memory as they slide in and out of consciousness from suffering hunger, thirst, and loneliness in their time outside The All.<br /><br />The Maze grows as The All converts more and more of a city. As any time, hundreds, thousands, millions, or billions of people may be wandering its halls, stumbling ever closer to The Temple at the heart of The All infection, and their final conversion. <br /><br />Opponents Presented by The All:<br /><br />Adversary: Brother Peacekeeper (All Cultist)<br /> Brother Peacekeepers are basic thugs for The All. They are armed with whatever weapons are abundant in the local region, and fight as such. <br /> Brother Peacekeepers have four disconcerting tactical advantages:<br /> a) They blend in with the peaceful members of All society near perfectly until activated. An entire battalion of Peacekeepers could move in among a crowd without giving outward sign that The All is preparing to defend itself. Indeed, Peacekeepers are peaceful members of The All who have been tapped for an extra duty, and go about their jobs as civilian cultists until they receive the signal to activate and defend The All.<br /> b) They communicate silently, seemingly telepathically, striking from surprise in perfect unison.<br /> c) As with all All cultists, they show a level of teamwork that armies envy to the highest degree. If two squad mates can achieve more by working in unison, they will. If a squad mate must be rescued, the other squad members will be absolutely selfless is doing so. If it is better to sacrifice a teammate, the entire team will do so without a moment's hesitation, including the one being sacrificed.<br /> d) They are prepared for the miracles the Allformers have seeded for them to work with. If The All has time to prepare for a fight and steer the enemies to ground of its choosing, the Allformers will have seeded the area with one powerful miracle. This is in addition to the usual maze of secret passages present in All territory, and any All Cultist's ability to control illumination and weather in All Territory telepathically. The squad members fight with full knowledge of the miracle that is prepared and how to best take advantage of it.<br /><br />Adversary: Sister Silencer (All Cultist)<br /> The Sisters of Silence are assassins of The All. Their appointed labor for The All is "To Silence the darkest deceived before their deception can spread." Sisters of Silence may operate alone or in groups, as tasks demand and resources allow. <br /> Sisters of Silence operate like Peacekeeper brethren, except that their preparation is specialized to the craft of killing first - they have the best equipment the local All can muster, and combat training built on tireless self sacrificing devotion and focus. They have few weaknesses and no mercy.<br /> <br />Adversary: Shaher (All Priest)<br /> The Shaher are the priests of The All. Taken off their home turf, they are weak, and readily offer themselves as tactical sacrifices, when it serves the greater good. When fighting within an All Temple complex, Shaher are the masterminds directing the automated defenses of the Temple.baudothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18232716747633261771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-23470381555745734652011-01-16T11:12:30.931-08:002011-01-16T11:12:30.931-08:00Here's an offering to the Gigaplex.
Faction:...Here's an offering to the Gigaplex. <br /><br />Faction: The All<br /><br />"We are The All, my child. Do not be troubled. Your dream of a time before is a trick. Your memories of a place outside this, a cruel deception. Let them go and know the peace of the monastery. You have been touched by The Deceiver, and soon his touch will wash away. Come back to us. This is where you have always been, and this is where you will ever be. Return to your place with us. There is so much work to be done."<br /><br />The All is a self-brainwashing cooperative that spreads throughout the gigaplex, seeding pockets of itself by hops and leaps wherever it can gain a foothold. Its goals are virulent and expansionist, desiring to spread until its boast is true: That there is no thing outside itself and no time outside its time.<br /><br />The All commonly targets isolated pockets of the gigaplex near areas of civilzation for seeding with new enclaves. It uses these corners of the 'plex to gather strength without discovery before overwhelming and converting the neighbors. <br /><br />The All converts by a cult-like induction process, tuned and franchised to operate at city scales. Over a matter of weeks, the 'front' of All Reality washes over an enclave in a dreamlike wave. First nanobots, nanohexes, or nanomemes prepare the area, adding secret passageways and triggers for miracles to one corner of the city. Then the Brethren of The All move in, welcoming their converts as lost souls, and reminding them of the simple truths they had for a time forgotten: That there is only The All, and labor for The All by The All is the highest of goods. These new converts are ushered back to the Temple at the heart of The All tumor. Loyal brethren of The All roll forward, advancing the front. <br /><br />"Of course I know Thomas. This is his shop. I only mind it for him while he is at Pilgrimage."<br /><br />A visitor from another part of town would find all the buildings different than he remembered, and his friends replaced by quiet cultists. All the old residents are said to be "At Pilgrimage" and visitors are assured they will return soon. Visitors are treated civilly, and allowed to come and go freely, for a time.baudothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18232716747633261771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-6331287845305833882011-01-14T15:35:25.249-08:002011-01-14T15:35:25.249-08:00This video is a rich vein to mine for the general ...This video is a rich vein to mine for the general spooky tunnels and passages I imagine make up most of the terrain in Gigacrawler. This guy is a real life "crawler"...<br /><br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_yYFU0BvyMThe Cramphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05278933189696141920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-37827316521655377712011-01-13T13:02:33.646-08:002011-01-13T13:02:33.646-08:00@Chris
You have to buy them.
I will be posting m...@Chris<br /><br />You have to buy them.<br /><br />I will be posting martial arts tomorrow or the next day and then the character options will all be up if you wanna wait.Zak Sabbathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08812410680077034917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-81352852528720315742011-01-13T09:28:07.176-08:002011-01-13T09:28:07.176-08:00Apologies if this has been asked - The min 3 point...Apologies if this has been asked - The min 3 points for Tech: Do we have to buy those, or are they in addition?<br /><br />Like, does tech start at 3, or do we just immediately assign 3 of our points to Tech?<br /><br />(rolling up as much as I can of a character now)Chris Lowrancehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14261681408965717414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-26445344506409253482011-01-12T15:10:27.003-08:002011-01-12T15:10:27.003-08:00@Delta
While I feel like d6 is better than a stra...@Delta<br /><br />While I feel like d6 is better than a straight number, I feel like a week is too long for any effect in Gigacrawler that's supposed to be a regular feature of the game.<br /><br />PCs would have to rest -7 times- before needing more food. Since Gigacrawler is all dungeon and no "town", it could be 3-4 sessions before the PCs have to think about food, which is too long.Zak Sabbathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08812410680077034917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-29602025515624288012011-01-12T15:10:25.278-08:002011-01-12T15:10:25.278-08:00@ Zak,
You got it big shot.@ Zak,<br /><br />You got it big shot.crowkinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03066821931343968827noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-73764595188779726922011-01-12T14:44:55.564-08:002011-01-12T14:44:55.564-08:00My recommendation for food/water is 1d6/week with ...My recommendation for food/water is 1d6/week with no food, 1d6/day for no water. <a href="http://deltasdnd.blogspot.com/2010/09/rules-for-exposure.html" rel="nofollow">More here.</a>Deltahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00705402326320853684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-86099701420385681162011-01-12T14:27:55.711-08:002011-01-12T14:27:55.711-08:00@crowking
Post them on the blog on the appropriat...@crowking<br /><br />Post them on the blog on the appropriate page.<br /><br />If it's a PC option that doesn't have a page yet (mutation, martial art, etc.) just wait and post it when the page comes up in a day or two.<br /><br />Setting ideas (monsters, organizations, etc.) go in "Known Features of the Gigastructure" Spells go in "Spells", equipment goes in "devices"<br /><br />If you email them instead of posting them it better be for some fantastic amazing wonderful genius reason that justifies the extra work it's going to take me to cut your idea and paste it where it goes.Zak Sabbathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08812410680077034917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-5788516769537516712011-01-12T13:57:55.443-08:002011-01-12T13:57:55.443-08:00@ Zak,
Be ok to just email ideas or do you just ...@ Zak,<br /><br />Be ok to just email ideas or do you just want them posted only on the blog?crowkinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03066821931343968827noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-28539386691875185772011-01-12T03:12:41.075-08:002011-01-12T03:12:41.075-08:00@Zak
I see now. Thank you very much.@Zak<br />I see now. Thank you very much.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10526324326792266677noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-51227585016608423492011-01-12T00:11:29.032-08:002011-01-12T00:11:29.032-08:00@crowking:
moved it to the page where the setting...@crowking:<br /><br />moved it to the page where the setting material goes.Zak Sabbathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08812410680077034917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-2705827240000570152011-01-11T17:39:30.867-08:002011-01-11T17:39:30.867-08:00@michael
It's not a hard science distinction,...@michael<br /><br />It's not a hard science distinction, it's a storyline distinction like someone with "alien biology" is someone who, you meet them and they go "I have some experience with treating aliens".<br /><br />Do they know anything about Species X? Roll and see. The person who took the time and the slot to say "I know 10% more than the average person about alien biologies" gets a bonus when the time comes to see who understands the giant space squid. <br /><br />it doesn't imply a specific skillset so much as it implies a background or history that might indicate a familiarity with that thing.<br /><br />A character who has been a doctor in space might have "alien biology". this means they have a slightly better chance (+1) than other people to know what they're looking at, that's all. It doesn't imply a specific corpus of knowledge.<br /><br />I have +1 in pre-modern non-western art techniques. These techniques are not necessarily related.<br /><br />Australian sand painting has nothing to do with indonesian batik dying but I have the kinda background where someone might go: "Hey Zak, how did they do that?" and I might know more than someone else, despite the lack of formal connection between the two things.<br /><br />If the skill system gave you huge bonuses--like 85%, I might see your point-How do you know 85% of alien biology? But it's not like that.<br /><br />This does not mean the PC sat and looked at a book called "all biologies except yours". It just means the PC has an increased chance to say "I've seen this before!"<br /><br />While the "alien ____" skills are definitely a broader skill than most, it makes sense in a context where the PCs do not know what kind of aliens are in the campaign yet. Remember: choosing "biology" gets you a +1, after that choosing "alien biology" means you chose that instead of "human (or whatever you yourself are) biology".<br /><br />That is a balanced choice: knowing about your own biology and others of your species (who you -know- will be in every game you play) balanced against knowing about everybody else. It may represent uneven bodies of knowledge, but it's balanced by the fact that one of the 2 choices will definitely appear in every game.<br /><br />How you get skills:<br />At the end of an adventure, the DM awards any kind of reward s/he wants. Default is a re-roll or a skill having to do with what happened that day. Crawler-class PCs can choose to receive any new skill they want rather than whatever the reward offered is.Zak Sabbathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08812410680077034917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-5316162943239946702011-01-11T16:44:24.682-08:002011-01-11T16:44:24.682-08:00@Zak
Re: Skill Sets
Sorry to be contrarian or beat...@Zak<br />Re: Skill Sets<br />Sorry to be contrarian or beating what may be a dead horse, but I don't think it makes sense.<br />For example, under combat skills, there isn't "Firarm combat" and "Non-firarm combat". "Science" is too broad, and I'm guessing "Scienctific knowlege in all fields that aren't chemistry" would be too broad as well. "Alien Biology" would be, to me, the same as saying: "Biological knowledge of all the countless multitudes of species that aren't mine". It implies a finiteness or commonality that isn't there.<br /><br />Re: Experience Rewards<br />I guess I'm still a little confused on how PCs get more skills. Would you mind going into it a little further?<br /><br />Thanks<br />MichaelUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10526324326792266677noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-66042533589067306102011-01-11T10:59:11.288-08:002011-01-11T10:59:11.288-08:00@michael
-yes
-maybe, but they are decided by the...@michael<br /><br />-yes<br />-maybe, but they are decided by the DM and must be the same for all participants<br />-no<br />-n/a<br />-n/a<br />-yes<br /><br />Skill bases for aliens:<br />"alien" simply means "originating from a species different than the PC". It's a way of narrowing down the skill a notch. Since skills are one of the only ways PCs advance, having extra "narrowing down" levels is good.<br /><br />Since the skills are all samples and new, narrower skills can be created at will, there is no reason a PLAYER could not invent a "biology: silicon life forms" or "biology: Gargolorkians" skill.Zak Sabbathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08812410680077034917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-74098943500124514922011-01-11T10:51:01.851-08:002011-01-11T10:51:01.851-08:00@Rubberduck
Minimum PC tech level is 3, so a wiza...@Rubberduck<br /><br />Minimum PC tech level is 3, so a wizard (level 14) would be someone of int 17 or a Hybrid-class PC with int 14 and tech level 14.<br /><br />Magic level isn't the level you can cast, it's the level you can cast without having to make a roll for it. This will be explained when i post the magic rules.<br /><br />Also: keep in mind that you can buy skills that increase your chances with magic, no matter who you are.Zak Sabbathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08812410680077034917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2638993969706011706.post-53156920102311178822011-01-11T09:18:33.643-08:002011-01-11T09:18:33.643-08:003 x Awesome.
I have several questions though [my g...3 x Awesome.<br />I have several questions though [my guess in brackets]:<br />About experience rewards...<br />The standard/default rewards are re-rolls or new skills, correct? [yes] For new skills, these must be narrower versions of skills used during the adventure, right? [right] Do you have to have succeeded at a skill in order to buy it's narrower version? [yes] What about skills you used untrained (for example I shoot a gun but don't have a firearms skill) - do you get to buy those after using them in the adventure? [yes] What, then, is the special experience reward bonus for the crawler class?<br />And, to be 100% crystal clear, no skill goes above a +1, right? [yes]<br /><br />About Skill Bases for Aliens<br />It seems to me to be too broad to base any skill category on alien/xeno, if human is its own category (human history / languages / etiquette / medicine / biology / etc.). It seems like alien should be replaced with a specific alien species. Perhaps, carbon based versus ammonia based versus silicon based versus chaos based lifeforms make a good split. Perhaps, this is something that each DM would have to decide for themselves.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10526324326792266677noreply@blogger.com