I know Thanksgiving has very problematic origins, but it's still a holiday I celebrate with family. Today I'm ignoring that to post some fun Valor Knights content.
Hard Target - attacks made against Gobbler are made at Disadvantage
Lucky - additional starting Luck, recovers 3 luck per gaming session, can give Luck points to teammates needing it, allowing them to get additional re-rolls.
Generate Ion Shield - can generate ion shield that negates 1 point of damage and increases Armor Points by 1
Background
G0-BBL3R (or Gobbler as he is known by his Valor Knight and Earth allies) is a mini-bot (some would say microbot) who's alternate form is a Techtrillion Turkey. He's an excellent scout and loyal soldier. He's quite fond of humans and has been known to go with Punluvin' on his bookmobile route.
Today's definitely not a Transformer was made for Valor Knights: The Electrocube War. Instead of using one of the classes from the book, I'm using a class I created for it, Van-Pire.
Charm - Emo can charm other Techtrillion (or other cybernetic being) that looks into his eyes/headlights. Target must make CM + Int vs DC 11or be under control of Emo for 1d4 rounds. During this time it does the will of Emo. Target under control makes saves to this ability at Disadvantage. A target that resists this ability is immune to it for 24 hours.
Daylight Lock - Emo cannot transform into bipedal form during the day. He also suffers Disadvantage on physical rolls during the daytime.
Electrocube Drain - has no ranged weapon, any damage dealt via Emo's claws and fangs heal him the same amount of Hit Points. Bite attacks are made at Disadvantage to any target that isn't restrained/unconscious/charmed. Against those targets an attack roll isn't needed. Damage dealt by cyberfangs can't be healed during combat.
Background
Emo is the younger brother of elder van-pire, Dragula. Unlike his dark brother, Emo is youthful and gregarious. While initially mistrusted by the Valor Knights, he's proven to be a heroic soldier and asset in the Electrocube War.
Forcefield - can place a forcefield around teammate, forcefield has 10 HP, teammate takes no damage while forcefield is in effect, Mr. Plow can take no other action doing this, he can end it at any time
Generate Ion Shield - increase armor and negates 1 damage from attack
Background
Mr. Plow is a Valor Knight medic with a quirky sense of humor. He took his Earth name from an Earth animated series. His humorous and humble attitude, belies his intelligence.
The Champions of the Electrocube War Omnibus is compilation of the core rules of Valor Knights: The Electrocube Wars (with new art, since it's released by FGG), and Champions of the Electrocube War Volumes 1, 2, and 3. If you click those links, you'll see why I recommend this one.
You can snag the pdf and print on demand version here.
Destination: Uncharted, despite the name, is not a new reality show on Discovery or the Travel Channel. No, Destination: Uncharted is the newest game from Bloat Games. Think of this game as the table top version of Uncharted, Indiana Jones, The Mummy, or Tomb Raider. It's designed to be a comedic action-packed romp. It will use the Hack the RPG ruleset, making it totally compatible with Valor Knights: The Electrocube War and The Monsters Are Our Heroes.
The project has a quick turn around time (5 days) and has already funded, with 3 days left. While no official comment has been made, I may or may not be contributing to the project.
Check out the project here and considering backing it.
Double Attack - once per combat, Firestorm can make an additional attack after a successful attack, this attack must be the same kind of attack as the previous (such as ranged or melee)
Plasma Melee Axe - +2 damage with this weapon
Generate Ion Shield - can generate ion shield that negates 1 point of damage and increases Armor Points by 1
Background
Firestorm is an extremely young and eager Valor Knight that only recently arrived on Earth. While he is a formidable fighter he often finds himself rushing in and getting in over his head.
I'm a day late and already playing catch up, but I'm going to take part in the character creation challenge. I'm going to try to make characters using different systems, though I can't guarantee I have 31 different systems.
Overcoming Lonliness - When encounting another golem like himself, he gains Advantage on all tasks for the next hour.
Unusually Strong - Advantage on all feats of Strength tests.
Call Lightning - Once per gaming session (at GM's approval), he can call down lightning upon himself. He takes no damage from being struck. For the next 4 rounds, all damage he does to enemies is at max damage. Must be outside to call lightning.
Weaknesses:
Fire - Takes double damage from fire,
Crowds - Disadvantage on all action rolls when in large crowds.
Description: El Monstruo Enmascarado is a flesh golem created by La Hija Del Frankenstein (who may or may not be Frankenstein's actual daughter). Created from the bodies of Mexico's greatest luchadors, he was created to be the ultimate fighter. However, the inherent nobility of the technicos used to create him infused the monster will a desire to protect humanity. While he's not the most personable or intelligent creature, he is kind and has a heart of gold (well actually he has two of them).
The Monsters Are Our Heroes limited print run is live. You can back it here. I was ecstatic to see that it funded in the first 30 minutes! Read my review and then pledge for a copy of your own.
I'm happy to share that my friends at Bloat Games are doing a limited print run of The Monsters Are Our Heroes. If you remember, I reviewed the game at the beginning of the month. If you're interested (and you should be), you can go here and click to be notified when the project launches.
Fainting Goat Games has released a third volume of Champions of the Electrocube War. Mike has shared the latest volume with me. You can read my reviews for Volume One and Volume Two.
Here's what you're going to find in this volume:
Swarm (Class) - This unorthadox class is actually made up of 20+ identical smaller robots, it has some very interesting tactics and defenses
Fusillade (VK) - an aged hero and unshakable warrior, he has become enamored with the pop culture concept of the American Cowboy
Beta-Decem (VK) - the this fearless mini-bot serves the Valor Knights a spy
Manticore (CL) - this selfish engineer and warrior is a bitter rival of Sextus-Null (described in the last volume)
Voracicon (CL) - These low level warriors are Manticore's primary forces
Voracicon Swarm (CL) - Voracion's can come together to create a devastating swarm
This is another spectacular addition to the Valor Knights game. Fainting Goat Games has knocked it out of the park again. You can grab the pdf here.
Rising from the depths just off the Australian coast, this ancient reptile-marsupial hybrid is the "Destruction Down Under."
Kangorous HD 7d12 HP: 65 Level: 8 Damage: 3d6+4 Evade: 15 AP: 5 STR: +4 INT +0 WIS +0 DEX +4 CON +2 CHA 0 Luck: 5
Enemies have Advantage on attack rolls against Kangorous.
Kangorous has Advantage on all checks and saving throws related to Strength and Intimidation
Roo Kick - Anyone hit by a Kangorous kick must make a CM + STR vs DC 15 check or be knocked back and lose their nest action. Mini-Bots make this roll with Disadvantage.
Mother's Love - If anyone attacks Kango, Kangorous gains advantage on attacks versus that target on her next turn.
Kango HD 3d12 HP: 24 Level: 3 Damage: 2d4+2 Evade: 17 AP: 3 STR: +2 INT +0 WIS +0 DEX +4 CON +2 CHA +1 Luck: 3
Roo Kick - Anyone hit by a Kango kick must make a CM + STR vs DC 10 check or be knocked back and lose their nest action.
You can thank (or blame) this post by my awesome friend, Tim Knight, for this one (and the follow up later today). What is the origin of King Kow? Know one knows for sure, but since his initial rampage in Wisconsin, people have feared the behe-moo-th.
King Kow HD 8d12 HP: 78 Level: 8 Damage: 3d6+4 Evade: 13 AP: 5 STR: +4 INT -1 WIS +0 DEX +2 CON +3 CHA 0 Luck: 4
Enemies have Advantage on attack rolls against King Kow.
King Kow has Advantage on all checks and saving throws related to Strength and Intimidation.
Death Moo! - 1/combat - CM + WIS vs DC 12 check or suffer or take 1d12 damage. This damage can't be reduced by AP.
Fainting Goat Games is back with another volume of Champions of the Electrocube War. I've already reviewed Volume One and Mike was cool enough to share Volume Two with me. If you want to see the actual play series this and the first supplement are based on, you can find it here.
Here's what you're going to find in this volume:
11 Adventure Hooks
Red-Line (VK) - heroic support bot that spends his spare time helping humans in need, his description mentions "impostor' mini-bots, which I'm assuming look human (this is an awesome idea)
Ultra-Bomber (CL) - the villainous leader is expanded from his appearance in the Valor Knights core.
Sextus-Null (CL) - this conniving warrior and second in command to Omega-Zed (who was described in the last volume), unlike many Chaos Lords, he sees value in allying with humans
Sonic Assault (CL) - expanded from the core book, this overcompensating and trash talking mini-bot is the rival to my favorite Valor Knight, Nitro-Strike (though she probably doesn't even know he exists)
Chaos Lord Drone (CL) - the dastardly Chaos Lords have found a way to fight the war without risking their lives, there are three variations: Average, Elite, and Heavy
If you play Valor Knights, you're going to want to pick this one up. You can snag it here.
I stopped at an antique store this week and found a Happy Meal toy that I used to have and love. It's a little plane from Hot Wheels Attack Pack. I used to love those, even though I never had the big ones and only had the Happy Meal versions. It is about the size of the recent Transformers minis I picked up from Dollar Tree and I decided it would be a cool mini for the game. Plutonian Mimic
Plutonian Mimics are shapeshifting organisms native to the dwarf planet. They can survive intense pressure and don't require oxygen. While they start life small, they can grow to be as large as a stealth bomber or semi-truck and trailer. On Earth they often take the forms of vehicles to lure prey. While they don't pose a direct threat to many Techtrillions, their hunger for flesh and vehicular appearance can lead to paranoia and fear being spread among the human population about the robots in disguise.
Plutonian Mimic HD 6d8 Damage: 1d6+1d8 Evade: 14 AP: 3 STR: +2 INT 0 WIS 0 DEX +1 CON +3 CHA -2
Luck: 2
Swallow Whole - An a successful attack the mimic can swallow a man-sized creature whole.
Adhesive - Despite their appearance, mimics are are pliable and covered in a mucus that is adhesive to organic matter. While this doesn't affect Techtrillions, it can spell disaster for their human allies.
I wanted to turn myself into a Valor Knight so I did. Feel free to add Punluvin' to your game as a Support npc. Note I rolled the stats and created him as a level one character and then leveled him up to four. I want to actually play this character some day and will get someone to do art, until then here's a pic of his vehicle form.
Punluvin'
Evade: 8 HD: 4 HP: 22 Armor Points: 3 (4 with Shields) Level: 4 Support Vehicle: Saf-T-Liner HDX
Repair - Once per combat, Punluvin' can heal a bot (other than himself) 1d6 damage. He can use this ability on himself outside of combat.
Forcefield - Punluvin' can place a forcefield around a teammate. The forcefield has 10 HP and the ally takes no damage until these are depleted. The ally cannot attack or take other actions while surrounded by this forcefield. Punluvin' can end it at any point.
Generate Ion Shield - Punluvin' can create an ion shield that increases his AP by +1.
Equipment: Blaster pistol (1d6 damage), tool kit, carefully weeded collection of books and materials for all ages Description: The Valor Knight known as Punluvin' was once an archivist.on Techtrillion. However, he was drafted into the Electrocube War like his fellow Valor Knights. Disliking violence he uses his knowledge to aid his kin in their battles against the Chaos Lords. Taking the form of a Bookmobile when he arrived on Earth, Punluvin' spends much of his time among humans, transporting knowledge to those in need.
In the last few weeks I finally watched Bumblebee and Godzilla: King of Monsters. I really enjoyed both flicks. I also read and reviewed Fainting Goat Games Champions of the Electrocube War. In that Valor Knights supplement a new class is presented that allows players to create colossal characters. This got me thinking, why not have giant robots fight kaiju? This is my first attempt at statting an established giant monster for the system. The stats look slightly different than the ones in Valor Knights because their isn't a Kaiju class. That being said, you can still use these with no problems.
Kong of Skull Island HD 10d12 HP:100 Level: 10 Damage: 1d10+1d12+6 Evade: 13 AP: 5 STR: +6 INT 0 WIS +1 DEX +2 CON +3 CHA 0 Luck: 6
Enemies have Advantage on attack rolls against Kong.
Kong has Advantage on all checks and saving throws related to Strength and Intimidation.
Foes that can see and/or hear him must make a CM + WIS vs DC 15 check or suffer Disadvantage on all attack rolls against Kong for the remainder of combat.
I recently watched Bumblebee for the first time. It was a fun and heartwarming nostalgia trip and definitely the best live action Transformers foray. Hell, the first three minutes of the movie are better than the rest of the franchise combined. How do you make this amazing opening even better? You rescore it with the theme from the classic Transformers animated movie.
If this doesn't make you want to play a Valor Knights game, nothing will! Also, shout out to Doug of Victory Condition Gaming for sharing this with me.
Champions of the Electrocube Wars is a new Valor Knights expansion by Fainting Goat Games. It features artwork from the talented Jacob Blackmon and presents a new class and 8 (or 13 depending on how you look at it) new Valor Knights and Chaos Lords. For a low price (currently 1.50) this is what you get:
Gestalt (Class) - a giant robot made up of several smaller ones (like Devestator and the Contructicons), the class is strong, packs a big punch, can take a lot of damage, but is really easy to hit
Flyer (VK) - heroic soldier and warrior, definitely has a Master Chief vibe in design
Gearbox (VK) - inventor and warrior, wants to create something that will end the war
Nitro-Strike (VK) - hacker, grafiti artist, and mini-bot, she's probably my favorite new Valor Knight
Mega-Hitch (VK) - rural mechanic and support
Victor Alpha (VK) - librarian turned leader, you know I love this combination
Omega-Zed (CL) - former friend of Victor Alpha and Leader of a chapter of Chaos Lords
Tiamat (CL) - the five chromatic members of the Dragon Legion make up this terrifying gestalt
Tombstone (CL) - cruel wannabe warlord and support
If you plan on playing Valor Knights, I HIGHLY recommend picking up this pdf to help flesh out your world. The characters are all interesting, Jacob's art is great, and the new class is really fun (though I think it makes a better villain class than hero one).
Van-Pires was short lived hybrid live-action/cgi series in the late 90’s. I vaguely remember it and think I watched a few episodes. I don’t want to steal the plot (which is stupid as hell), but I love bad puns and the idea of a vampiric Transformer, so I’m going to steal some of these ideas for use with Valor Knights.
Van-Pires
Contrary to common lore, Ultrabomber and his forces aren’t the first first Chaos Lords to come to Earth. Hunted by his fellow Chaos Lords because of his unique ability to directly drain Electrocube energy from his fellow robotics, the lone warrior fled. He found the radiation from the sun affected his abilities and he could only fully use his abilities at night. Calling himself a Van-Pire, a play on the one the locals legends and vehicles, and renaming himself Dragula, the warrior went into hiding. He took local resources when he needed to and his feeding frenzies were the cause of few fuel shortages.
Having captured a few Valour Knight and Chaos Lord scouts, he has found the ability to transform others into Van-Pires and is very slowly amassing an army of his own. So far all Van-Pires have aligned with Dragula and his Chaos Lord faction, but it is possible for a Valor Knight with a strong sense of justice to rebel.
Van-Pire
Class Hit Point Bonus:
+4 at 1st Level
Hit Die:
1d8 per Level
Armor Points:
4 AP (No Shield)
Attack Damage:
1d6
Attribute Bonus:
+1 to CHA or WIS, -1 to CON or STR
Size in Robot Form:
12’-16’
Suggest Vehicle Form:
Drag Racer, Hearse, Windowless Van (anything particular creepy looking)
Special:
Charm, Daylight Lock, Electrocube Drain
Charm
Like the vampires of Earth’s fiction, Van-Pires can charm other mechanical beings that look them in their eyes (or headlights). The target must make an CM + INT vs DC 10 (+ Character Level) or be under control of the Van-Pire for 1d4 rounds. During this time the target does the will of the Van-Pire (though the Van-Pire can’t force it to physically hurt itself). A target under the control of a Van-Pire makes saves to this ability at Disadvantage. A target that resists this ability is immune to it for the next 24 hours.
Daylight Lock
At dawn a Van-Pire transforms into its vehicle form and cannot transform into it’s natural form until dusk. It also suffers Disadvantage on physical rolls during the daytime.
Electrocube Drain
Unlike other Techtrillion natives, Van-Pires don’t have any type of ranged weaponry. However, they have sharp claws and fangs that can shred any Valour Knight that gets in their way. Any damage dealt by their cyberfangs heals them the same amount of Hit Points. Bite attacks are made at Disadvantage to any target that isn’t restrained/unconscious/charmed. Against those targets an attack roll isn’t needed. Damage deal by cyberfangs cannot be healed during combat.
Dragula is the undisputed leader of the Van-Pires. He is eccentric and a showman. He is also a master schemer and researcher of the forbidden technology of Necrotronics. Unlike many Chaos Lords, Dragula understands that humans can be useful and he always has a small following of cultists and hangers-on.
