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[Doom]

Welcome To Another Exciting Doom Game!

or "Fortune Game" for short

Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition!

We will be playing over IRC and using GameTable as the situation warrants! I may even just do it in IRC while referencing a drawn map!

We'll meet here: sup/tg/ IRC server info: xen.thisisnotatrueending.com/6667 or port 6667 #doomgame

The current plan is to try two things:

1) To run a weekly game with a set group of 4-7 players. The current front-runner days are Monday, Wednesday or Friday at 8 PM Eastern.

2) To try and pick up the loose ends and flakes and do compelling, fun little one-shot games that will have a palpable impact upon the Organization and even affect the weekly group, allowing us to live the dream of gaming on a loose schedule!

If you are interested in a weekly game: I'd like to shoot for Friday, January 22nd to start. Obviously, the more you post and talk to me, the more we can adjust and fiddle with it. Please post if you are perfectly complacent and can make the date and plan to show up!

All players: If you are interested in either 1 or 2, post such and make your case for how your time works. The more information, the better!

Next Game is 1/29, Friday at 8 PM Eastern.


Logs

First Session. - Intro


Setting

It is a vaguely 1920's inspired Prohibition-era American or European major city. All races mingle and move and shake and bake in this place, doing the great works that Industrial Revolution has made possible. Although racial tensions run high and prejudice is common, there's no point in institutionalized hatred.

A far more important institution is the Pact Primeval. An eternity ago, Angelic Legions fought against the endless forces of Demonic Chaos, gradually becoming warped and twisted by the very tide of evil they sought to hold in check. Having technically done no wrong, yet, Asmodeus appealed to the Heavens for aid in his timeless task. After much deliberation, Asmodeus and his fellows were permitted to set the very terms by which their power might be regulated.

Although satisfied at first, the Heavens soon realized they had been swindled. Souls would be condemned for their sins, yet the Devil was allowed to tempt mortals freely, fattening his pockets, so to speak.

In their anger, the Heavens cast Asmodeus out. When he finally stopped falling, the impact had created the nine layered realm of Hell. He rules to this day, his wounds still bleeding.

And now? Now the forces of Good.. they've gone back on their word! The lawful processing of souls is outlawed!

What the Hell is going on in all the cosmos?

More to come..




Chargen Details

Starting Level is 4.

You may roll 4d6 and drop one as your stat draw method, or just use the pre-determined or number allocation methods in the front of the Player's Handbook.

You may use any class and alternative class progression or abilities from sources as varied as.. the Wizard of the Coast released books and Dragon Magazine. It's vastly preferable if you can help me see the source myself, just in case.

All PHB 1 and 2 races are welcome. If there are other races from other Wizard books that aren't the MM, I'll take a gander if you ask.

Here is a bit of short-hand I did earlier. It's not final but a decent guide to the flavor..

Race - Likeness

Humans - American
Tieflings - British
Dwarves - German
Elf - Hispanic
Eladrin - Spanish
Halflings - French
Dragonborn - Russian/Western European
Mountainborn/Goliaths(PHB2) - Double Russian
Devas - Asian
Shifters - Native Americans/Indians
Orcs - Australian(Maybe?)
Drow - Drow
Others - Man I Dunno(Open to Suggestions)

You'll want to use standard "pick x amount of x" from the DM guide or PHB or what not to pick starting items/gold.




Chargen Backgrounds

You may pick one of these at chargen and should contact me when you have an idea of the shape of the character's personality and motivations. I'll help you craft and finalize it from there and give you your magical numbers. So leave your sheet open to a bit of alteration.

Persona: With the rapid depletion of latent energy drawn from condemned souls, it does not befit any Lord of Nine to actively create and empower new devils as he is forced to pick and choose which of his current minions he can afford to keep. Thus a radical proposition was hit upon by Dispater, who happened to have at least ten other ideas in case just such a disaster struck. Typically, a mortal who condemns their soul to Hell will later die, arrive and be drawn and quartered. With the process disrupted, they must skip this step and directly empower their mortal agents. Thus, mortals willing to engage in a Pact of Servitude would have their own souls preemptively warped by the powers of Hell, a process that would produce useful agents on the mortal plane.. and on the cheap.

Entering into a Pact of Servitude is akin to a Faustian Contract.

*Personas most often empower their possessor with extra abilities and a subtle warping and sharpening of the existing personality. They are said to be a reflection of the soul. Most often, they will allow additional, unique spells, powers or attacks per day, some of which will not eat into a character's standard actions! Personas expose possessor to banishing rituals and wards that would halt similar outsiders.

Example: A Face with a need for a bit of a living dictionary of Hell's politics and an eye for judging the worth of a Soul enters into a Pact of Servitude and an Imp-like reflection of himself is happy to oblige. All too happy, in fact: he may as well be a literal imp serving the Operation's Lesser Devil Lord. Hopefully he will not make the "mistake" of dying too young..


Aspect: A shake-up of cosmic proportions will shake a bit of those cosmic proportions out of place. This is where the observant mortal notices that right next to his very own plane of existence are several others, each varying wildly and each linked to making that special little thing called Life take place. Through some process or an active scheme, he is bettering himself and honing his talents by tapping into latent energies. The trend has picked up with alarming frequency and gains popularity every day as more and more hapless people find that the becoming one with natural order is a far cleaner life than bargaining with desperate, under-handed powers.

*Aspects are acquired and purely passive: they enhance attributes or abilities already known. They may also confer and alter the very being of the mortal, possibly even conferring mild penalties.

Example: Elemental Planes, Planes of Raw Chaos or Lawful Energies, even Mechanical Perfection or Endless War. A brilliant statistician with the very essence of law smoothing out his thoughts. Unfortunately, he's begun to develop a bit of obsessive-compulsive disorder, to say nothing of chaotic influxes in battle..


Free: Not every mortal knows he can bargain with extra-planar powers. Most of them are so mundane that they will be born, live and die without even becoming aware that the afterlife exists and is an active business. Far rarer than the ignored commoners or special bargainers are the heroic mortals who shun the advances of the extra-planar. Are they too cynical to accept the help? Practical enough to realize the true worth of their immortal soul? Unable or unwilling to believe? Or perhaps, naive enough to assume that true justice is made with their own hands. Or perhaps he all too readily accepts the practices as inevitable and is coy enough to help them along as a faceless middleman. Burying somebody in a shallow grave pays well whether or not your Boss has horns, right?

An unaffiliated mortal is a step above the proceedings of the city's shadows and until he actually does so, is not bound to any obligations, pacts or conduct.

Although a mortal's alignment is his own and will not naturally corrupt, it will still change as per usual depending on his actions. Many the mortal have successfully argued out of a false Faustian Contract only to be condemned for their actual sins before Hell's Court.

*A free mortal gains starts with two action points instead of one. He may use two action points per encounter instead of one. The second action caps out at an At-Will attack. I may revise this later.

Example: An undercover detective has infiltrated the Operation and is trying to gather names for a future bust. If his true identity is discovered, his family may be in danger. He is willing to die, but participation in the acts may damn his soul.. how well can he shirk his duties and maintain the charade?


Cultist: Not every bad egg and rotten apple in the city pays fealty to Asmodeus and his Nine. Several are darker, more deranged, more unhinged. Where the efficient, lawful execution of an afterlife suits Devils, several more wish openly for destruction and for alien powers to replace mortal weakness. Whether seeing a twisted kinship with beholders, illithids or any of the ink-black shapes of the endless darkness, the terrible secrets of space have emboldened you during the city's darkest hours. You may be working with the Operation to destroy it ultimately, but like your timeless masters, you know that the now is more important. And for now, you are content to help traffic souls so long as you are able to artfully retain a few. Who will notice? Who will defy the Great Mother if they do?

*Cultists may, once per day as a free action, disbelieve a single mind-influencing effect(re-roll Saving throw at +3.) Cultists may also ritualistically sacrifice to gain random favor from their patrons.

Example: Almost neutral, the scholar of the unknown order is too happy to associate with his current group of friends. He was introduced to the Operation by the Persona-bound Mortal loyal to the Operation. The Operation appreciates the odd scholar's assistance in matters, and the scholar is only too happy to offer the occasional blighted soul to the true maw of infinite darkness.


Half-Blood: Your affiliation is not only skin-deep, but in the blood as well. One of your parents was an outsider and the other an enamored mortal, whether a beloved partner or a throw-away toy. This is the origin for those wishing to directly interact as Devils or Angels themselves. Not that others would be out of the norm in the city, although classically, only Infernal or Celestial blood tends to manifest pleasantly.

Obviously, your blood may bias others against you.

*Half-Blood will take your base race and apply a beneficial template. So pick a race as normal and propose an idea from there. If you wanted to act as a Succubus, this is where you'd start.

**Tieflings may not use Half-Blood.

Example: A young human girl has an almost super-natural appeal to gentlemen callers. Did I say almost? I meant literal! Her work for the Operation is done with the gusto of the devoted.


Divine: What's this? You think that the Greater Forces of Decency are correct? That their great, cosmos-wrecking plan will have been right all along? Very well. Who are we to understand the motivations of Gods? But you.. you are one to understand. You have given yourself over to a power that is not necessarily all that nasty. Perhaps you planned a fall from grace? No? More likely, you wish to dismantle the Operation from the inside. A most dramatic and dangerous task, for being discovered risks not eternal damnation, but eternal enslavement. Many the unwilling soul has been confined to Hell and used as trophy or trade fodder.

A neutral Divine may not be in so drastic a position, and simply another form of opportunist without the "stigma" of being mortal.

*Divine may function as Persona, Half-Blood or Aspect. The distinction is that you are unavoidably non-Devilish. You may even associate with Demonic powers.

**Unless the majority of the group decides to opt for a Good Party, I would prefer Divines cap out at 1-2 members of the Weekly group. I may impose a cap for Episodic as the situation warrants.

[Doom]

Weekly Players

Gorby - Varakyn is an Avenger that looks like this with a bigger sword. Chararacter Sheet. She sees visions that tell her that even the dead need to be punished, so maybe it would be for the best if this tough warrior mystic helped out some infernal bros! Divine Aspect: Raven Queen devotee, tied to the Ethereal Plane!

*Dropped* Shinra - Ettie is an Assassin Revenant Little Girl in service unto Belial, Lord of the 4th. Not only is she a big-league assassin at the tender age of 3 years after Rigor Mortis, but she has her career path lined up with laser precision typically reserved for sniping! Persona: Flesh Beast

*Dropped* Rosencrantz - Gustav, a Dwarven Warden! He grew up under the tutelage of his harsh taskmistress grandmother and left a little brother behind to make it big in America! Will his subtle, stoic bad-ass grit get him through to his dreams without selling his soul? Free Mortal.

McDohl - Viktor, Dragonborn Fighter! He's a secret agent who isn't afraid to get his hands dirty, blood-soaked and out-right damned to gather the dirt on American industry! He's big, bright-red and serious business! He may actually be Garrus, from Mass Effect! Persona: Two-Faced Sentinel.

*Dropped* Burrito - Rumal, Bugbear Strangler(Rogue)! He's an exceptionally crafty and sneaky Bugbear out to make money by compressing the passage of air through the throat! Although he worships a Bugbear God, he's in it to win it with whoever is paying! Free Mortal.

Nap - Demetrio, an Eladrin Time Mage! Nap wants to test-run a character class based on manipulating time in a Controller role! He is a too-thin, fidgety man interested in everything! He believes he has a tangible connection to the concept of reality itself! Aspect: Material Plane.

Airman - Kaspar is a Dwarven Artificer! He wants to fulfill his muse and line his pockets by crafting objects for others out of less-than-kosher things! He is an avid fan of Opera and a cultural gentleman once you get past the criminal behavior and past! Persona: Clockwork Imp Muse.

DioBrande - Dawn, a Sorceress!

Kayumi - Cedrayne, Drow Sword-Mage.



One-Shot Player Pool

give me a shout if you want to try the one-shot system thing

Firearms

These are basic templates for weapons.

Firearms are abnormally loud unless an outside source of silencing is provided. Silencers are not available for standard sale.

Dexterity is used for the attack rolls. So, Dex Mod + 1/2 Level Bonus + Prof.

All non-Caster classes are trained in the use of Revolvers, Rifles Tommy Guns and Shotguns. Harpoon Guns and Cannons are always untrained and require a feat to claim proficiency bonus to attack.

All weapons have two ranges. The first is standard range and has no modifiers. The second is a long shot and applies a -2 to attack. It is not possible to attack outside the second range.

Check Player's Handbook pages 216-217 for weapon properties. 218 for any misc information on weapon statistics.

Load-Free: Reloads as free action. Assumed to occur when firing with it.

If you use a firearm for a multi-attack power, count each shot fired off individually. The attack ends prematurely if the clip cannot meet the demand.

Big Edit: Revolvers and Hunting Rifles may be used for powers. Revolvers ignore the above rule. Hunting Rifles do not.

i.e. a Rogue used Blinding Barrage with a revolver. The move occurs as per usual. A Rogue uses a hunting rifle for Blinding Barrage against 6 targets. He only affects the first three targets chosen.


Revolver: 1d8, Prof +3, Range 10/20, weight 1lb, off-hand property, small property, load-free property, 25 gold pieces, 6 shots per chamber-load, Chamber of Six Cost is 5 gold pieces per.


Hunting Rifle: 2d4, Prof +3, Range 25/40, weight 8lb, quasi-versatile(no +1 bonus to damage, but a Small character may use this in both hands), load minor, 75 gold pieces, loads and fires three shots at a time, Clip of Three Cost is 10 gold pieces per.


Shotgun: 1d12, Prof +2, Range 10/15, weight 6lb, off-hand, quasi-versatile(no +1 bonus to damage, but a Small character may use this in both hands), load minor,  50 gold pieces, 2 shots, a Six-Shell Pack costs 10 gold pieces per.

Special: A roll of 10 or better on damage will knock a target back one square if possible. They may be knocked prone if blasted against something.


Tommy Gun: 1d6, Prof +2, Range 15/20, weight 10 lb, quasi-versatile(no +1 bonus to damage, but a Small character may use this in both hands), load minor, 50 gold pieces, Clip lasts for 6 attacks of 2 Sprays or a combination there-of, Clips are 10 gold a piece.

Special: Once per encounter, a Tommy Gun may open fire wildly upon a 3x3 area within 5 squares. This attack deals minimum damage per attack(including enchant properties or critical hits) and is at a -2 to each target vs Reflex.


Harpoon Gun 1d10, Prof +2, Range 15/30, weight 20lb, load move, one-shot, a specialty item costing 200 gold, replacing the harpoon is a 50 gold investment, the rope 50 silver.

The Harpoon Gun requires a Training Feat to gain the Prof +2 bonus to attack.

Special: A target hit by the Harpoon Gun may be reeled as per a Bull Rush check(Your Strength Attack vs their Fortitude Defense), but it pulls the target one square rather than pulls. During an active reel, the target must succeed at a Bull Rush check to move as Slowed. They may also cut the rope at 3 points of Damage vs AC 10.


Cannon: 2d8, Prof +1, Range 40/50, weight 80lb, load standard, one-shot, a military-grade ordinance costing 300 gold, each cannon ball is 25 gold per, each cannonball weighs 20lb.

The Cannon requires a Training Feat to gain the Prof +1 to attack and to even use.

The Cannon may not be used while moving without a minimum strength of 16. The Cannon may be set down as a minor, removing the strength needed to use. It may be picked up as a minor.

A Cannonball may be fired at a destination vs an AC of 20. Variance of up to 4 squares occurs for every number under 20. I.E. you roll a 17, the cannonball veers 3 squares off course. A destination firing produces a fireball like AoE that deals half physical/half fire damage in a 3x3 from the landing spot. Targets hit are blown one square away from it and knocked prone.

Cannonball veering is determined by a 1d8 roll.

1 - N
2 - NW
3 - W
4 - SW
5 - S
6 - SE
7 - E
8 - NE

If a Cannonball's line of fire strikes cover or a target first, or it is used as a direct fire weapon, it is fired vs Reflex Defense and deals standard 2d8(1d8 as fire, 1d8 as physical.) A successful hit knocks the target back three squares and knocks them prone. Cover blocks the AoE effect entirely unless abnormally weak.


Glossary

As taken from Fiendish Codex 2: Tyrants of the Nine Hells, or the Fiend Folio: Devil Edition. 3.5e.

Pact Primeval: The original contract between Asmodeus and Heaven, permitting Devils to punish souls and draw a very literal source of power from them. It did not include a clause to prevent Devils from actively leading mortals to Hell.

Asmodeus: In the D&D cosmology, he is the Devil. He is as old as the plane of Hell and the absolute master of it. His machinations are timeless and he was always confident that the Blood War could be won and the Heavens destroyed. He is a Diety-like figure to those who wish absolute power and control of their life, in a way.

The Lords of Nine: Individual Devils that rule the nine layers of Hell. Asmodeus rules the ninth. Only Beelzebub(7th), Mephistopheles(8th), and Dispater(2nd) seem be former angelic figures, as Asmodeus. Although the Eight answer to Asmodeus, they hold a similar position of power to his in their own respective layers. Higher numbers have no direct power over lower numbers.

Faustian Contract: Traditional soul-selling between a devil and a mortal. If you'd sell your soul for an F-1 Race Car, the Devil gets you to sign one of these and gives you the car. You become Lawful Evil. More often than not, the Devil now has a vested interested in immediately setting up your "coincidental" death. The exceptions are when the mortal will function as actively evil and is more useful alive. For now. Traditionally, a Contract is considered null and void if the Devil simply bullies a mortal into signing it. Thus, Devils find it useful to acquire and store wealth on the material plane, as gold is little missed when it acquires a fresh soul.

Pact Certain: As above. You sell your sell for a one-time good and service. The wording of the contract is very explicit, no matter how complicated it is. Allegiance to Hell is sworn.

Pact Insidious: Similar, but without direct allegiance to Hell. Rather, the Devil and Mortal exchange favors in a business-like proposition. The Devil aims to put the mortal into situations where he will sin and condemn himself.

Redemption: No soul is technically beyond redemption, but the hard and fast of it is that a full alignment change must take place and atonement must be achieved.

Damnation: When a lawful evil or otherwise devil-bound being dies, their soul is flung to Hell. They arrive as a vaguely accurate representation of themselves upon dying, right down to injuries. They look far more haggard and damned and hopeless, though. After a brief sojourn down the River Styx, the soul is identified, credit is assigned to the Devil that tempted them to Hell, and they are irreversibly tortured and broken. The torture process transforms the soul into a Lemure, utterly obliterates the memories and person that was there before, and harvests the coveted energy of the Soul for the Lord of Nine. Naturally, this method is in a bit of a fix as the campaign starts..

Damnation Credit: Somehow, as soon as a soul becomes damned to Hell, any Devil responsible has their taint applied to it. By their own methods, Devils always know who to lawfully credit for the corruption. If a soul is just.. generally evil, it may become a very precious commodity. Devils in positions of influence are very fond of free souls that they may use to trade. This would also be the most likely fate of traitors captured. Sometimes, an otherwise Evil soul is claimed by a non-Hellish deity such as Vecna or Hextor. Their ambassadors regularly barter in Hell to insure these souls find their proper fates.

Damnation Rackets: Devils love to stake territories upon other planes. The idea is that a Greater Devil claims a fruitful city as his own. Perhaps the society is inherently Lawful Evil. Perhaps there's a very long War on. Either way, the Souls are lucrative and his claim applies his taint to all of them. Under him are Lesser Devils who may be responsible for individual neighborhoods. For each Devil under another, partial credit is awarded for the Soul. The Devils are expected to reinforce and uphold the values that make the spot so lucrative in the first place and to otherwise watch the claim and hedge out Devils from another Lord.

Basic Devil Behaviors: Devils fear demotion above all else, including death. Devils are timeless and nearly immortal when not operating in Hell itself. Devils hold grudges that can only be satisfied with blood. The blood of descendants will do. Devils tend to favor brilliant tactics, even if promoted to forms that turn them into near mindless killers, instead adopting a terrifying predator aspect. They are ultimately Lawful and can be a bit too literal and oddly, a bit more honorable than most monsters.

Promotion: When a Devil(and not a Devil worshipper) is promoted, he literally erupts from his previous form into a new, "higher-ranked" form in an agonizing, hours long process. Not every form is a direct improvement. A sly, intelligent imp may ascend to a brutish and nearly primitive beastial form. It is not unheard of for Promotions and Demotions to be used by clever Lords to achieve certain things. Minions who become too clever for their own good may be brought up or cast down to primitive forms. The killing prowess is useful, the minion's plans stop for a while as the Lord determines their loyalty, and the Minion can't call the Lord out for it. He clearly needed them for a task, right? Hell's Minions are quite used to suffering these indignities.

Demotion: When a Devil is demoted, it frees up some of the latent energy used to empower him. Devil Lords may demote minions to make use of their power. Another forced indignity. Demotion is also the greatest punishment in Hell, including forms worse than the pathetic, mindless lemure. When times are lean on souls, Demotion becomes common. Every Devil feels a subtle drive to continue corrupting mortals.

The Blood War: The endless conflict between the infinite Demons of the Abyss and Hell's Finest. Every layer contributes to a defense on the 1st layer of Hell. Devils use professional discipline and superior tactics to endure against a foe that out-numbers them 20 to 1.



Question and Answer

4th Edition doesn't deal with Chaos/Law any more! What are you up to?

Don't care. I'm cheesing it with 3e sensibilities for ease of use. It's not like it matters beyond fluff either way.

Alignment system?

Fast and loose, more likely to filter people through "Good/Neutral/Evil" and then base it off their actual allegiance than to try and sort it through the archaic 9 points of 3e or the blistering stupidity of 4e's oversimplification. A serial killer is a serial killer whether lawful, neutral or chaotic evil, you know?

Difference between Devils and Demons?

Demons have almost no structure beyond "Might makes Right" and are largely more of the ravenous monster type than a Devil is. A Demon will eat you and you'll die. If you fight Demons on the Abyss, maybe they'll eat your soul, too. But a Devil wants to calmly and coolly collect your soul in full.

[Bleck]

POST AREA RESERVED FOR BLECK

[Bongo Bill]

I think I'll be able to make those times. I will know by the 22nd, at least.

Wizard. Neutral.

[Burrito Al Pastor]

Excellent. I'm thinking about a vistani goliath vestige warlock.

As far as Gametable goes, make sure you have the actually most recent one (which is now RC8 update 2), found here; once you've got it, edit your .bat file to read:
 

java -Xms32m -Xmx1024m -jar Gametable.jar

This increases the memory allocation from Java so large pogs and backgrounds can be used without crashing everything to shit. Needless to say, it only works if you're launching it from the .bat; if you're on a Mac you might want to figure out how you apply the workaround, it's somewhere on the forums there.

[Doom]

Golly. There sure is a lot of interest in this here game. Makes it all the more important for people to think long and hard about that weekly commitment.

At least there'll be considerable chance to try the Episodic One-Shot stuff!

[Doom]

Bump for updated reserved post. Ask for anything else you may want answered.

Ninja Edit: Not sure if I want to let Rogues use Revolvers for their powers. If anybody actually wanted to use a Firearm in a power-specific way, I think it'd be best to do it case by case.

[McDohl]

Very intrigued, and I am working on a character concept.  Will discuss with Doom.

[Burrito Al Pastor]

Super-confused about gun rules.

Dexterity is used for the attack rolls. So, Dex Mod + 1/2 Level Bonus + Prof.

Are they ranged weapons, or some third class of weapon that functions like a ranged weapon in all regards (including the profile for a ranged basic attack) but isn't a ranged weapon for purposes of things that require a ranged weapon, such as all the attack powers that use ranged weapons?

All non-Caster classes are trained in the use of Revolvers, Rifles Tommy Guns and Shotguns. Harpoon Guns and Cannons are always untrained and require a feat to claim proficiency bonus to attack.

Presumably you mean that harpoon guns and cannons are superior ranged or superior gunpowder weapons, but what is a "caster class"? Do you mean that revolvers, rifles, tommy guns, and shotguns are military ranged weapons (in which case fighters have proficiency and paladins don't) or do you mean that they're military gunpowder weapons and any class that gets proficiency with all military melee weapons also gets proficiency with all military gunpowder weapons?

quasi-versatile(no +1 bonus to damage, but a Small character may use this in both hands)

In what way is this different from the Small property?

If you use a firearm for a multi-attack power, count each shot fired off individually. The attack ends prematurely if the clip cannot meet the demand.

Is this a specific exception to the last sentence of the Load property, page 217:

If a power allows you to hit multiple targets, the additional load time is accounted for in the power.

[Doom]

Are they ranged weapons, or some third class of weapon that functions like a ranged weapon in all regards (including the profile for a ranged basic attack) but isn't a ranged weapon for purposes of things that require a ranged weapon, such as all the attack powers that use ranged weapons?

I guess I'll rule they're just straight up ranged weapons and limit revolvers and hunting rifles to being used for powers, with Rogues using revolvers as light ranged weapon.

Presumably you mean that harpoon guns and cannons are superior ranged or superior gunpowder weapons, but what is a "caster class"? Do you mean that revolvers, rifles, tommy guns, and shotguns are military ranged weapons (in which case fighters have proficiency and paladins don't) or do you mean that they're military gunpowder weapons and any class that gets proficiency with all military melee weapons also gets proficiency with all military gunpowder weapons?

Let's say that all Firearms are inherently Superior, but Cannon and Harpoon Gun are Exotic. A Caster can barely use simple weapons, so he won't get a proficiency to using firearms. I intend for proficient user to mean they have reliably trained and gotten used to the feel, wait and maintenance of the weapon. But any chump can pick up and poorly aim a rifle. If it's hard to tell either way, just ask me. For example: Bards are not Casters in this case, and count as proficient in the non-Exotic firearms.

In what way is this different from the Small property?

Very little. The only significant difference is that a versatile weapon must be held in both hands by a small character. In other words, a human can dual-wield revolvers or use a shotgun in their off-hand and a sword in their main.

A halfling must use a rifle or shotgun in both hands, but can dual-wield revolvers.

Is this a specific exception to the last sentence of the Load property, page 217:

Yes, primarily to keep a hunting rifle from being the perfect weapon all the time and to account for only revolvers being free load. I guess that also means Revolvers are an exception to that rule(which is itself an exception, har.)

Big Edit made in post above to reflect these rulings.

[Shinra]

Code: [Select]

Ettie Whiting
Female Revenant Assassin

Background:
  Richie Luciano was a low level thug for a mafioso wannabe, a lackey to a nobody, but he never particularly cared.
  You see, Richie was a killer, cold blooded through and through. Being a changeling, his talents were always in
  demand, but his family gave him the... "opportunities" he craved. Where the other bosses had codes of honor and
  laws, his boss, too minor and pathetic to be noticed regardless of his crimes, could give him the kills he really
  wanted - wives, children, and the utterly helpless. Richie carved a swath through the big city, coming finally to
  a job among jobs - the big score he'd been waiting for.

  His boss had been pressing on the local hospitals to pay for protection - these were off limits for the other
  bosses in town, one of those "respect" things. When the hospitals wouldn't pay, Richie was sent in to make an
  example - the daughter of an influential politician was under the care of the hospital, deep in a coma - Richie
  intended to make sure the little miss wouldn't have the opportunity to wake up.

  Neither Richie nor his boss had done their proper research - they didn't know why the little girl was in a coma,
  that the politician had abandoned his daughter in the place, or that the child in that bed was better off sleeping
  the rest of her days.

  Ettie Whiting was not a normal child - Said to be utterly devoid of morality and lacking all but the worst emotions,
  she showed herself a violet and unpredictable youth at a young age. Her parents used their political power to make
  the little incidents she was responsible for go away. It started with animals, family pets, neighborhood dogs, the
  occasional bird or squirrel. She moved up quickly - soon she was lashing out at other children. Grieving families
  had to be paid off - the ones whose silence couldn't be bought had to be made to go away.

  When one of the Little Miss' "episodes" ended in the violent death of her baby brother, her parents called for an
  excorsist - a holy man purported to be working from on high. He vowed to "save" the child the only way he knew how -
  by locking her wicked soul away. Though they had hoped whatever goodness was in her would remain in some capacity,
  they only ended up with a comatose girl. A girl who would be locked away in a hospital and forgotten.

  In her repose, Ettie was not sleeping - it was more akin to being trapped in a prison of flesh. She could see the
  world around her, but her body would not respond. She brooded in silence for months, begging to any force that would
  listen to be released from her torment. One day, her mute screams seemed to be heard - a blind nurse who had been
  tending to her. Seemingly unprompted, the crone leaned into her ear and whispered; "Your wish will soon be granted,
  little one. Belial watch over you". The blind woman gave a soft prayer in a gutteral tongue she could not understand
  and left. Though she was not free, she was at least granted a little rest.

  Richie Luciano pressed his dagger into young flesh, taking his time at what he considered an art - in his ecstacy,
  he did not notice that with each stroke a small portion of his own essence was seeping through his body, flowing into
  his blade and into the dying body of the little girl - with the final stroke, as the final bit of life escaped Ettie
  Whiting, so too did the soul of Richie Luciano - his body collapsed, knife in hand, glassy eyed and empty, but alive.

  The scene would make the newspapers - gruesome murder of innocent comatose, suspect in custody but nonresponsive.
  They fully planned to execute the shell that had once been Richie Luciano for his horrible crime - Ettie's father
  put on a face of grief and outrage, vowing to put an end to wholesale murder in the city. The funeral was quiet - her
  body was dumped in an unmarked grave, in a cheap casket. Her family did not attend.

  In the darkness, six feet below the earth, Ettie Whiting opened her eyes. The rest that prayer had given her had come
  to an end. In the back of her mind she could hear the nagging voice of her murderer, sobbing in grief at the things
  he had done. She could not help but smirk. How lucky she was to have never been born with a soul, for even the most
  tainted can still feel grief! With firm resolve she crawled from her grave and emerged into the world, reborn - with
  purpose.

  Her first order of business was to deal with her parents.

Personality and Habits:
  Ettie is a cold and calculating creature, and though she appears to be a child, she cannot even put on the facade of
  being one. Her primary concern is the collection of souls for Belial, and she is quite good at it. Ettie's corpse
  remains the home of Richie Luciano, and if there is a single moral prescense in her body, it is his nagging voice -
  the voice of a killer come to regret the things he did far too late to matter. At best he is a nuisance, and at worst
  a strain on her ability to carry out her duties.

  As a result of Richie's prescense in her body, Ettie has developed a love of money, gambling and liquor, vices she
  knows were not her concern in life, but vices she does little to curtail. She considers it little more than feeding
  the soul that sustains her body, and if anything in the world actually gives her enjoyment other than the simple act
  of killing, it is indulging Richie's vices.


 Ability Scores Defenses
*===*==*=========================* *===*==*===========================================*
|STR|11|Abil Mod 0 + half lvl = 2| |A.C|21|Base 12 - Abil 5 - Armr 2 - Enha 1 - Misc 1|
*===*==*=========================* *===*==*===========================================*
|DEX|21|Abil Mod 5 + half lvl = 7| |Frt|17|Base 12 - Abil 3 - Clas 1 - Enha 1 - Misc 0|
*===*==*=========================* *===*==*===========================================*
|CON|17|Abil Mod 3 + half lvl = 5| |Ref|19|Base 12 - Abil 5 - Clas 0 - Enha 1 - Misc 1|
*===*==*=========================* *===*==*===========================================*
|INT|10|Abil Mod 0 + half lvl = 2| |Wil|14|Base 12 - Abil 0 - Clas 1 - Enha 1 - Misc 0|
*===*==*=========================* *===*==*===========================================*
|WIS|10|Abil Mod 0 + half lvl = 2|
*===*==*=========================* Conditional Defense Modifier - +2 AC vs first attack in an encounter
|CHA|08|Abil Mod-1 + half lvl = 1|
*===*==*=========================*

 Hit Points Initiative
*=============*==================*===============*================* *=========*========================*
| Max HP - 39 | Bloodied HP - 19 | Surge Value 9 | Surges / Day 9 | | Total 7 | Dex 5 + Lvl 2 + Misc 0 |
*=============*==================*===============*================*     *=========*========================*

 Movement       Senses
*=========*===================================*      *============*==================*
| Speed 6 | Base 6 - Armr 0 - Item 0 - Misc 0 |      | Insight 12 | Base 10 - Skil 2 |
*=========*===================================*      *============*==================*
     | Percept 12 | Base 10 - Skil 2 |
     *============*==================*


 Class Skills
*==========*==*=========================================*
|Acrobatics|12|Abil 5 - Lvl 2 - Trnd 5 - Armr 0 - Misc 0|
*==========*==*=========================================*
|Endurance |12|Abil 3 - Lvl 2 - Trnd 5 - Armr 0 - Misc 2|
*==========*==*=========================================*
|Stealth   |12|Abil 5 - Lvl 2 - Trnd 5 - Armr 0 - Misc 0| +2 move silently (Footpads) +2 Hide (Camoflage Clothes)
*==========*==*=========================================*
|Streetwise|06|Abil-1 - Lvl 2 - Trnd 5 - Armr 0 - Misc 0|
*==========*==*=========================================*
|Thievery  |12|Abil 5 - Lvl 2 - Trnd 5 - Armr 0 - Misc 0| +2 Disable Device / Open Locks (Thieve's Tools)
*==========*==*=========================================*

 Non-Class Skills
*==========*==*=========================================*
|Str Skills|02|Abil 0 - Lvl 2 - Trnd 0 - Armr 0 - Misc 0| Athletics
*==========*==*=========================================*
|Int Skills|02|Abil 0 - Lvl 2 - Trnd 0 - Armr 0 - Misc 0| Arcana, History, Religion
*==========*==*=========================================*
|Wis Skills|02|Abil 0 - Lvl 2 - Trnd 0 - Armr 0 - Misc 0| Heal, Insight, Nature, Perception
*==========*==*=========================================*
|Cha Skills|01|Abil-1 - Lvl 2 - Trnd 0 - Armr 0 - Misc 0| Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate (+2)
*==========*==*=========================================*

Feats & Class Features
 
 Bleak Disciple Assassin - Gain Con (+3) Temp HP every time you hit an unbloodied target
 Undead - Considered an Undead creature for effects that target undead
 Past Life - Considered a Changeling for feat, paragon path and power requirements
 Unnatural Vitality - When reduced to 0 hp, remain concious until first death save. Can only take standard actions.

 Assassin's Cloak - Make a stealth check to hide when you become invisible
 Weapon Expertise (Light Blade) - +1 to attacks with light blade
 Nimble Blade - +1 to attacks with light blade and combat advantage


 Equipment
*============================================================*
| Subtle Short Sword +1 - Equipped Weapon      |
| Darkleaf Leather Armor +1 - Equipped Armor      |
| Tongueworm - Equipped Headgear      |
| Cape of the Mountebank +1 - Equipped Cape      |
| Light Shield - Equipped Off-Hand      |
| Adventurer's Kit      |
|   Backpack      |
|   Bedroll      |
|   Flint and Steel      |
|   Belt Pouch      |
|   Sunrod (2)      |
|   Rations (10 days)      |
|   Rope 50', Hempen      |
|   Waterskin      |
| Glass Cutter - cut glass quietly. Takes 1 minute.      |
| Thieve's Tools - +2 open lock, disable device      |
| Camoflage Clothes - +2 hide while stealthing      |
| Footpads - +2 move silently while stealthing      |
*============================================================*

Powers & item descriptions: http://www.mediafire.com/?qztygmycztx

[Doom]

That's funny, try as I might, I keep seeing this.

Way to set the bar, Shinra!

[Doom]

Here is an example of a Persona.

Shinra/Ettie
Flesh Beast Persona


At-Will: Standard, Range 2(as Reach Attack), single target

Ettie deals 4 damage to herself that cannot be resisted or avoided in any way, but may be healed normally.

8 attack(as Terrifying Visage, I need to ask Shinra what stats contribute to that) vs Will

Deals 1d8 + ½ level psionic damage. The Flesh Beast reaches out and makes contact with an unwilling mind.

Upgrades to 2d8 and 3d8 at Paragon and Epic tiers. Damage done to self also increases to 8 and 12.



Daily: Simultaneous, Range 5, single target

12 attack(as Dexterity, or based off the same general Dexterity traits Ettie uses for her Assassin powers) vs Reflex

Target is Weakened and grants Combat Advantage to Ettie until the end of her next turn.

A shadow extends to the target. Humanoid hands claw at the target. If they secure a firm grip, the Flesh Beast rises and presses itself against the target. It hopes Ettie will clumsily execute it as well, but deep down they both know it would never be that easy.



Progression: Subtle Benefit at 6th level.

Encounter Power at 8th level.

Persona powers never impact the total number of powers you may know.




That's a general idea of how it works. We both thought that it would look like a sort of Flesh-Table beast from Silent Hill 2... and as you can see, as I hope all backgrounds are, it's a pleasant surprise from DM to PC. Of course, NPCs will have their own aces up their sleeves.

What's a Simultaneous Action?

An action without giving up your own Standard, Minor or Move action for that turn. Think of it as the Persona acting as a separate creature.

And a non-Simultaneous power?

In the case of the At-Will, Ettie is forced to hurt herself to draw upon an alternate method of attack and loses her Standard Action for the round to let the Flesh Beast strike. I tried to compliment her almost exclusively AC based dagger-play with an option for Mind Rape.

I hate my Persona/Aspect/Half-Blood bonuses. :( Help?

That's a shame! I'm up for cooperative efforts and retries, but ultimately I want to give something unique and interesting rather than another cog to a perfect min-max machine. Ultimately, we'll have to come to a reasonable agreement or I'll just politely suggest you go with a different background or default to Free mortal.

[Joxam]

Doom, if you'd be interested in doin' some one off stuff, I'd like to get in on it, on both sides of the table, to expand my knowledge of 4E. Look me up if you have any ideas.

[Doom]

Feel free to chargen if you'd like to try a one-off here. I'd be up for you hosting a one-off as well. It'd be a nice test of that aspect of the system.

[Bongo Bill]

Must respectfully back out. High probability of being swamped in the coming weeks.

[Doom]

If you're still interested in genning to participate in one-shots, that'd be a delight, as the system was intended to help fellows in your situation.

[Rosencrantz]

This looks really cool, and I should be free for the time/date, but it looks like there are a lot of interested parties already and I don't want to bump someone who is better suited.

[Doom]

You should not worry about that. The usual routine is that when the 22nd actually rolls around, people who were interested before may have lost attention.

And inevitably in an online game, by the 2nd or 3rd weekly, we have a firm grasp of who really cares.

Not to make a knock against anyone specific. I'm just way too used to Bronto P&P Players by now to not see how things truthfully work. Which is why I want to see if the Episodic system can combat it.

So if you really want to, chargen and sign up!

[Rosencrantz]

Well, okay. I'll make a character soon. I've been interested in playing a Warden since PHB2 came out.

So, if I'm reading the first post correctly, this does take place on Earth but with D&D races and magic and whatnot? 'Cuz if so, I think I might make a Dwarf Warden nicknamed "The Berlin Wall". (Yeah, I know it's a couple decades too early...)