Blogging From A to Z April Challenge Accepted!

Sign-ups opened today for the Blogging From A to Z April Challenge and I've signed Halls of the Nephilim up for it. I know I have a few readers and honestly whether I do or not, I'd like to use this as an outlet for my gaming urges. This may be rough, but I'm up for the challenge.

Barbarians of Lemuria: The Scorpion King

Earlier today, Tim Brannan, over at The Other Side blog posted a review of Barbarians of Lemuria: Legendary Edition. I think everyone should take a look. I thought it sounded so cool that I had to pick up the pdf myself. Actually I bough the Dogs of Lemuria Bundle. Basically for an extra 2.50 I also got a copy of Dogs of W*A*R, which uses the same system but emulates soldier/war movies of the 70's and 80's (and would be great for an Expendables/GI Joe sort of game).

New system... what's the first thing I do, stat out a character I love. Okay, confession time. Despite the fact it's scripted I liked wrestling throughout middle school and into high school. I always loved Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. I remember being excited for the Scorpion King, watching it in theaters, and not being disappointed. It's still one of my favorite Swords and Sorcery flicks. That little confession is just to explain why I picked the title character, Mathayus as my first attempt to stat out a character. I've also included the monstrous version from The Mummy Returns.

 

Mathayus of Akkadia

Attributes		Combat
Strength	3	Brawl	0
Agility	1	Melee	2
Mind	0	Ranged	2
Appeal	0	Defense	0
Careers
Mercenary	2	Lifeblood	15
Assassin	1	Hero Points	5
Hunter	1
Noble	0

Protection: d6-2 (light armour)
Weapons: Sword d6+4, Akkadian (Great) Bow d6+3 (Str 4 or special training to draw string)

Languages
Spoken: Akkadian, Greek, Egyptian
Written: Akkadian, Greek, Egyptian

Boons: Hard to Kill, Poison Immunity

Flaws: Last of the Akkadians (Unique): Mathayus is the last of his people, who were known to be relentless warriors and assassins. This is a burden that weighs heavily on him. 

The Scorpion King

Though it's never quite explained what caused Mathayus to become a conqueror according to The Mummy Returns he became just that. Selling his soul, to Anubis, he truly became the Scorpion King. (Edit, I just read the synopsis for The Scorpion King 3 and it explains it. However, I like to pretend that  the first Scorpion King was the last of the films)

Attributes

Strength	12
Agility	4
Mind	0

Combat Abilities

Attack with Stinger +2, 2d6+2  (+ special, character gains flaw to all rolls until given antidote)

Attack with 2 Claws +2, 2d6+2

(Attacks with both of the above +0)

Defence: 2

Protection: d6-2 (tough hide)

Lifeblood: 30

Silent Hill

I've been a Silent Hill fan from the moment I played the first game. It wasn't the first survival horror game I played (Resident Evil 2 has that honor), but the franchise does have the honor of being my favorite. While not every game is golden (or rusty as the case may be), they are all atmospheric and creepy as hell. The second game was my favorite. There's something about fighting through a literal personal Hell that is quite rewarding. I liked the first movie. Strangely, I found Dahlia attractive and Sean Bean's character didn't die. I haven't watched the second one yet, but I know I will once it's released on dvd.

So, a few years ago I discovered a fan made Silent Hill rpg supplement. Messing around with things I rediscovered it and thought I'd share it with you guys.  Created  for the new World of Darkness, by Aranis and hosted on MrGone's page the pdf is really cool. It comes in at 66 pages and is set up just like any other nWoD book. Content wise, it contains info about creatures and happenings from the first three games and the first movie. Stats are given for all of the major npc's and creatures. There's some short fiction that runs throughout the book (like all nWoD books).  The changing nature of Silent Hill is addressed and different variations are presented. I think my favorite part is the discussion on customizing Silent Hill based on a character's Vice.

One of these days I'm going to finish the personal Silent Hill I've been working on for my best friend.

Turtles in Time - Venus de Milo

Okay, now that the brothers are out of the way it's time to go with secondary and tertiary characters (and other requests).  This is Venus de Milo, the apocryphal fifth Turtle. Sister to the others, she's a sore spot to some Turtles fans (and according to some things I've read one of the two creators). She only appeared in the live-action series, Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation (the Fox series that had a crossover with Power Rangers... which could be a new line of... no I refuse!). While I wasn't exactly a fan, as a female friend of mine pointed out, "If you were a geeky girl growing up, she rocked."

I'm going to be honest, I don't remember much about her and had to check out the wikipedia page to refresh. One of the main things I remember though was that she practiced magic. Since that doesn't exist in the Whoverse, I gave her psychic powers.

Name: Venus de Milo
Species: Mutant Animal/Alien
Home Tech Level: 5 - 21st Century
Home Planet/Dimension: Earth NM
Personal Goal: 
Story Points: 12

Attributes:
Awareness 4   Coordination 5
Ingenuity 3     Presence 3
Resolve 5        Strength 3

Traits:
Alien,  Armour (Minor), Environmental (Aquatic), Quick Reflexes, Precognition, Psychic  Telekinesis, Tough

Alien Appearance (Minor), Code of Conduct (Major), Technically Inept

Skills:
Athletics 3,  Craft 2,  Fighting  3, Knowledge 3 (Mysticism), Marksman 3 (Telekinesis/Mystic Orbs),  Medicine 2,  Subterfuge 2, Survival 2, Transport 2

Background:
When Splinter gathered the Turtles, he accidentally missed a fifth turtle.Somehow the young turtle made her way to Chinatown where she was found by a bushido mystic named I Chung (who named her Mei Pieh Chi). She was trained in the mystic arts, but not ninjitsu like the others (though she was trained to fight).Upon his death I Chung informed her of her true origin and she ventured to New York to rejoin the other Turtles. After their first victory, she took the name Venus de Milo, to be more like her artistically named Turtles. She was shown to wield mystic orbs in combat.

Other Notes:
These versions of the Turtles were not biologically related. This was probably to make a romantic subplot between Venus and one of the other Turtles possible.

Turtles in Time - Donatello

(The Turtles are on roughly equal footing with a starting character, though they may be a few points over the starting amount.)

Name: Donatello
Species: Mutant Animal/Alien
Home Tech Level: 5 - 21st Century
Personal Goal: Invent and Learn
Story Points: 12

Attributes:
Awareness 3   Coordination 4
Ingenuity 5     Presence 3
Resolve 3        Strength 3

Traits:
Alien,  Armour (Minor), Boffin, Environmental (Aquatic), Quick Reflexes, Technically Adept, Tough

Alien Appearance (Minor), Code of Conduct (Minor)

Skills:
Athletics 3,  Craft 1,  Fighting  3, Knowledge 3 , Marksman 2, Science 5 (Gadgetry), Subterfuge 4 (Sneaking), Survival 1, Technology 3, Transport 3

Stuff: Bo Staff (Str + 2 Damage), various gadgets

Background:
If Michelangelo is the heart of the Turtles, then Donatello is the brains. He is easily the most intelligent of the brothers and tends to speak in technobabble. He tends to focus more on technology than ninjitsu. The Turtles have benefited from this though, as Donatello has created most of their gear. This sometimes causes him to have a chip on his shoulder, but he is ultimately an optimistic turtle.

Variations: 
The Turtles origins have always been tied to the Ooze (though Michael Bay's film is supposed to make them aliens). In some versions the Ooze was created on Earth but in a few it is of alien origin. Donatello is very similar in most depictions of TMNT. However it should be noted that in the newest version he has a serious crush on April.

My Vampires

On Valentine's Day I will be taking part in the Precious Monsters  Vampire Bite Blog Hop. This will be the second blog hop I've participated in and I think it will be fun. The only requirement for participation is to sign up (click the pic below for a link to the sign-up page) and post a vampire related blog entry on February 14.



I've post quite a few vampire related things on here and I thought I'd recap and link them with this post.

Guest Stars - Lesbian Vampire Killers: Cinematic Unisystem stats for the protagonists of the cheeky British film, Lesbian Vampire Killers

Dracula - Mutants and Masterminds 3rd Edition: My attempt to stat our Dracula, created before the two official stat blocks came out

N.E.R.D.Corps Rising - Beef Thompson, Vampire Hunter: Mutants and Masterminds stats for one of my favorite nerdcore rappers, Beefy.

Mastermind Monday - DC Bloodlines: Mutants and Masterminds 3rd Edition stats for the parasites from DC's Bloodlines crossover. These guys aren't technically vamps, but they are simliar and could be used as "alien vampires"

Mastermind Monday - Marvel's Hellcow: Mutants and Masterminds 3rd Edition stats for Bessie, a bloodsucking bovine created by Marvel comics

AGE of Fangs - Vampires in the Age System: Vampire "template" for creating vamps in the AGE system

AGE of Fangs - Erzsebet Bathory: AGE stats for one of my obsessions, the lovely Erzebet Bathory

AGE of Fangs - Dracula: AGE stats for the king of vampires

The Midnight Society: A vampire hunting organization for fantasy gaming, stats included for AGE and Basic D&D.

AFMBE - Stake Land: A new Deadworld for All Flesh Must Be Eaten, instead of zombies the world is beset by a plague of vampires (based off of the movie Stake Land)

From the Desk of Leading Man 03

And one more for last week's session...

From the Desk of Leading Man 02

The latest "session write-up" from the resident crazy man in my Wednesday night Mutants and Masterminds game.

Turtles in Time - Michelangelo

(The Turtles are on roughly equal footing with a starting character, though they may be a few points over the starting amount.)

Name: Michelangelo
Species: Mutant Animal/Alien
Home Tech Level: 5 - 21st Century

Personal Goal: Have fun
Story Points: 12

Attributes:
Awareness 3   Coordination 5
Ingenuity 3     Presence 4
Resolve 3        Strength 4

Traits:
Alien,  Brave, Armour (Minor), Environmental (Aquatic), Quick Reflexes, Tough

Alien Appearance (Minor), Code of Conduct (Minor), Impulsive

Skills:
Athletics 3, Convince (Wisecracks) 3, Craft 3,  Fighting  3, Knowledge 3 (Geeklore), Marksman 2, Subterfuge 4 (Sneaking), Survival 1, Transport 2

Stuff: Twin Nunchaku (Str + 2 Damage)


Background:
Michaelangelo is the heart of the Turtles. He is easy-going and free spirited. He is the comic relief of the group, most of the time. He's the youngest of the turtles and while he loves to relax and eat pizza, he's also quite adventurous and creative.

Variations: 
The Turtles origins have always been tied to the Ooze (though Michael Bay's film is supposed to make them aliens). In some versions the Ooze was created on Earth but in a few it is of alien origin. In the 2K3 TMNT cartoon Mikey was shown to be a huge comic book geek. He even created a superhero alter-ego, the Turtle Titan, and teamed up with the premiere supers team on his world, Justice Force. He was also shown to have a special connection with animals. He had a pet kitten and befriend a triceratops when the turtles traveled back to prehistoric time. I'd give him Animal Friendship. 

Turtles in Time - Raphael

(The Turtles are on roughly equal footing with a starting character, though they may be a few points over the starting amount.)

Name: Raphael
Species: Mutant Animal/Alien
Home Tech Level: 5 - 21st Century
Personal Goal: Kick some shell!
Story Points: 12

Attributes:
Awareness 3   Coordination 5
Ingenuity 3     Presence 2
Resolve 4        Strength 5

Traits:
Alien,  Brave, Armour (Minor), Environmental (Aquatic), Quick Reflexes, Tough 

Alien Appearance (Minor), Argumentative, Impulsive

Skills:
Athletics 4, Craft 1, Fighting  4, Marksman 3, Subterfuge 4 (Sneaking), Survival 2, Transport 3 (Motorcycles)

Stuff: Twin Sai (Str + 2 Damage, Fighting skill considered +2 when attempting to disarm opponent), Shellcycle


Background:
Raphael is the second oldest of the brothers. Unlike the level-headed Leonardo, Raph is known for his hot-headed nature and looking before he leaps. He tends to experience extreme emotions, whether they be frustration, anger, or rebelliousness  While Raphael often argues with his older brother, Leo, and pick on his younger siblings, he is still extremely loyal to his brothers and his friends,  especially fellow hot-head Casey Jones.

Variations: 

The Turtles origins have always been tied to the Ooze (though Michael Bay's film is supposed to make them aliens). In some versions the Ooze was created on Earth but in a few it is of alien origin. In the movie TMNT Raph is shown to have a masked vigilante alter-ego, the Night Watcher. In this version give him the Night Watchter costume (which gives him to additional points of Armour), a chain (Str+2 short ranged weapon, though it still uses Fighting for Test purposes). Also, in the newest cartoon series, Raphael has a pet (normal) turtle named Spike, that he often confides in

Turtles in Time - Leonardo

(The Turtles are on roughly equal footing with a starting character, though they may be a few points over the starting amount.)

Name: Leonardo
Species: Mutant Animal/Alien
Home Tech Level: 5 - 21st Century
Personal Goal: Keep his brothers safe, Lead
Story Points: 12

Attributes:
Awareness 3   Coordination 5
Ingenuity 3     Presence 3
Resolve 3        Strength 4

Traits:
Alien,  Brave, Armour (Minor), Environmental (Aquatic), Quick Reflexes, Tough, Voice of Authority

Alien Appearance (Minor), Code of Conduct (Major)

Skills:
Athletics 3, Convince (Leading) 3, Fighting  5, Knowledge 1, Marksman 2, Subterfuge 4 (Sneaking), Survival 1, Transport 1

Stuff: Twin Katana (Str + 3 Damage)

Background:
Leonardo is the eldest of the Turtles and the most calm. He is the de facto leader of the group and most "spiritual" of the brothers. He has a very close bond with his father, Splinter, and has a very strong sense of honor, ethics, and Bushido. He holds himself to a very high standard that not many live up to. In many ways, he is his own worst enemy.Of his brothers, Leo butts heads with the hot-headed Raphael the most. Leonardo tends to try to see the good in people (even potential enemies) and give them the benefit of the doubt.

Variations: 
The Turtles origins have always been tied to the Ooze (though Michael Bay's film is supposed to make them aliens). In some versions the Ooze was created on Earth but in a few it is of alien origin. Because of his spirituality and things Leonardo could be a latent psychic. In the first live action movie he is the first to gain psychic contact with Splinter after all. If you choose to go this route give him Psychic Training and Psychic. While not a geek to the level that Michelangelo is, Leo has been shown to love nerdy things in some incarnations (such as his love for "Space Heroes" in the newest cartoon series). Also of note, in some versions of TMNT (noticeably the 2003 Fox series), Karai, Shredder's daughter, is Leo's potential love interest.

Turtles in Time and Space

I have been on a big TMNT kick lately. I grew up with the Turtles and have watched and read every incarnation of them (except for the gonzo anime). I've also been on a Doctor Who kick recently. Why not combine the two?

Okay, I know that initially the two franchises don't seem to have a lot in common. However there have been several times that the Turtles have been featured in space and time based theories. The earliest examples I can think of are the movie Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III and the SNES video game Turtles in Time. The movie featured the Turtles being sent back to feudal Japan to save April via a time travel device and the game featured them fighting Shredder and the Foot across various times (past, present, and future). The second (Fox) series also featured the Turtles traveling to various dimensions and alien worlds. It's "sequel" series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Fast Forward even involved the Turtles being sent 100 years into the future. The anniversary special, Turtles Forever, even proposed that each incarnation of TMNT exists in its own dimension.

With all of these alien and time travel stories, why not throw in some Whovian goodness? It may not be for everyone, but I think it would be fun to get some TMNT action and I think Doctor Who: Adventures in Time and Space works just fine as a rules set for it. Well I will throw, in a bit of the action-y goodness of Primeval too.

Also, I'd like to point out that IDW makes Doctor Who and TMNT comics. They've done Doctor Who/ Star Trek crossovers, so a crossover with TMNT isn't totally unthinkable.


My plans are to stat out iconic version of the main characters (possibly with some alternate versions, since characters like Shredder are quite different in a few series). I also want to stat out some of the aliens (Triceratons, Utrom, Krang) and devices/gadgets (like the Time Scepter from the third film). I think it'll be fun.

I'll post the Turtles over the next couple of days and then go on from there.

Who's Who: Desmond Miles

I recently borrowed my friends copy of Cubicle 7's Doctor Who: Adventures in Time and Space. I absolutely love it. I hope to have a game going soon (though whether that happens or not remains to be seen). I plan on picking up my own copy of DW:AITAS and a copy of Primeval (at the recommendation of Tim Brannan). 

As the muse inspires I will post stats of random characters I think would be interesting to throw in a session or two. Let's start out with Desmond Miles, protagonist of the Assassin's Creed game series.

(Updated stats - 1/19/13)

Desmond as seen in the Assassin's Creed games

Name: Desmond Miles
Species: Human
Home Planet/Dimension: Earth AC
Home Tech Level: 5 - 21st Century
Personal Goal: Stop the Templars
Story Points: 8

Attributes:
Awareness 4    Coordination 5
Ingenuity 3       Presence 3
Resolve 4        Strength 4

Traits:
Adversary (Minor - Templars), Brave, Face in the Crowd,  Keen Senses (Major), Obligation (Major - Assassins),Quick Reflexes, Tough

Skills:
Athletics 3, Craft 1, Fighting  3, Knowledge 1, Marksman 2, Subterfuge 4, Survival 2, Transport 1

Stuff: Hoodie, Assassin's Blade (Str+2 Damage)

Background:
Desmond Miles was born and raised in an Assassin enclave called "The Farm," which is based out of Black Hills, South Dakota on an alternate Earth.

Kidnapped by Absertgo Industries (a front for the oppressive Templars of his Earth), Desmond was forced to relive the past lives of his ancestors via the Animus (a machine that unlocked genetic memory). His time in the Animus has reawakened his ancestral Assassin talents and skills. He is also a master of parkour and mixes a mean "Shirley Templar," his version of a Shirely Temple with gin.

Diego Luna (my casting choice) 

Freed from the machine by undercover Assassins (and their allies), Desmond is on the run from Templars, seeking the knowledge the Templars tried to glean from his ancestors. He doesn't want to be an Assassin, but he knows he must stop the Templars.

Campaign Uses: 
More action oriented than a typical companion, Desmond would make a great re-occurring guest star during a season. He could even seek the Doctor out in order gain more knowledge of his past.

Daniel Mason, Sin-Eater

I've been listening to William Control non-stop for the past few days and this character came to me. He won't be quiet. Lord, knows when I'll get to play him, so I thought I'd post him on here to give him some semblance of life.
--------
Name: Daniel Mason

Age: 27

Virtue: Hope

Vice: Lust

Concept: Untested Sin-Eater

Attributes

Intelligence 2, Wits 3, Resolve 3

Strength 2 ,Dexterity 2 ,Stamina 3

Presence 2, Manipulation 2, Composure 2

Mental

Academics 3, Computers 1, Crafts 1, Investigation 2, Medicine 1, Occult (Sin-Eating) 3, Politics 1

Physical

Brawl 2, Drive 1, Larceny 1, Stealth 2, Weaponry 1 (Knives)

Social

Empathy 2, Persuasion (Confession) 2

Merits:  Languages (Latin) 2, Meditative Mind 1, Resources 1, Sin-Eating (Vampire: The Requiem Mythologies pg 58) 3

Willpower: 5 

Morality: 7
Health: 8
Size: 5

Defense: 2

Initiative Modifier: 4

Speed: 9

--------

Daniel Hollis always wanted to help people. Raised Catholic, he decided to go into the priesthood when he came of age. Unfortunately during his studies he found himself becoming disillusioned with the Church. It was also during his studies that he came across texts relating to the practice of sin-eating. Making connections in the occult community Daniel sought out a sin-eater. Seeing his idealism and conviction the old man taught him the craft.

Daniel has only performed the act twice. The first time was on a Vietnam vet in a local nursing home and the second was on his best friend, Neil. He takes the sin-eating very seriously, though he also finds the act both exhilarating and, honestly, quite frightening. He's recently met a young man named Cole, that has introduced him to an American offshoot of the Ashwood Abbey (see Hunter: The Vigil). Daniel isn't sure what to make of the group. Part of him sees them simply as spoiled brats risking their souls and meddling with things best left unknown. However, there is a repressed part of him that seeks to join these devilish dilettantes in their sinful games.

Riddick - Mutants and Masterminds

Though I sometimes get crap for it, I'm a fan of Vin Diesel. Of the character's he's played my favorite is Riddick. He's a badass murderer and convict, that occasionally does the right thing. Later this year, a new Riddick movie is set to be released. In honor of this news I've decided to post Mutants and Masterminds stats for Riddick. I think 8 is an appropriate PL.

Richard B. Riddick  - PL 8  

Quote: "You made three mistakes. First, you took the job. Second, you came light. A four man crew for me? Fucking insulting. But the worst mistake you made... empty gun rack."

Strength 5, Stamina 5, Agility 5, Dexterity 5, Fighting 5, Intellect 5, Awareness 5, Presence 5

Advantages
Animal Empathy, Attractive 2, Defensive Roll 3, Diehard, Fearless, Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Critical (Knives and Shivs), Improvised Weapons, Instant Up, Jack-of-All-Trades, Power Attack, Takedown

Skills

Acrobatics 5 (+10), Athletics 6 (+11), Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+8), Close Combat: Knives 3 (+8). Deception 2 (+7), Insight  2 (+7), Intimidation 5 (+10) Perception 4 (+9), Persuasion 2 (+7), Sleight of Hand 4 (+9), Stealth 8 (+13)

Powers
Eye Shine - Senses 2 [Dark Vision] (2 Points)

Furyan Wrath  -Damage 5 [Burst, Unreliable] (5 Points)

Urban Explorer - Leaping 2, Movement [Safe Falling] (4 Points)

Offense

Initiative +5
Shiv +8, Close Damage 7

Complications
Last of the Furyans: Riddick is the sole surviving member of his race.

Light Blindness: Riddick's eyeshine allows him to see in the dark, but also makes his vision very sensitive to light. Unless wearing tinted goggles, Riddick is considered dazed when in areas of bright light

Wanted:  Riddick has numerous enemies that want to see his captured or dead. He must constantly stay on the run.

Languages

English

Defense

Dodge 8, Parry 8, Fortitude 8, Toughness 5/8 (with Defensive Roll), Will 8

Power Points

40 Abilities + 11 Powers + 15 Advantages + Skills 22 (44 ranks) + 12 Defenses  = 100 Total