Vat Engineered Troopers (VET class for White Star)

So I recently purchased White Star (finally) and have been reading the old Rogue Trooper comics and decided to whip up a new class suitable for White Star (or even WARBAND!). I give you the VET...

Note: There is another very cool Rogue Trooper class for Labyrinth Lord that can be found here. It is pretty damn cool too. 

VET (Vat Engineered Trooper)

VETs are biologically engineered super soldiers, usually manufactured in large vats. They once were engineered with superior physical and mental abilities, they have declined in recent centuries due to diluted materials and inferior manufacturing processes.

Ability Generation

Most will have average or above physical abilities but are usually only average in mental capacity. The normal method for determining a VET’s ability scores are not used when creating a VAT character, instead use the following method:

STR: 2d6+6

INT: 3d6

WIS: 3d6

DEX: 2d6+6

CON: 2d6+6

CHA: 3d6

Armor & Weapon Restrictions: VETs can use any weapon and are trained to use any armor.

Saving Throws: VETs receive a +2 bonus to save versus poison and death.

Tactical Genius: VETs are hyper alert and react faster than most foes, they add +2 to their initiative rolls (or +1 to party initiative if individual initiative is not used).

Marksman: VETs are skilled riflemen and gain a +1 to hit with any missile weapon at 1st level, and another +1 at 3rd level.  This skill is retained even if the VET is transferred to a new body after death (though they do not gain additional bonuses for progressing through the levels again).

VET Advancement Table
XP	Level	HD	BHB	ST
-	1	1d6+1	+1	13
3,000	2	2d6	+1	12
6,000	3	3d6	+2	11
12,000	4	4d6	+2	10
24,000	5	5d6	+3	9
48,000	6	6d6	+4	8

DEATH & BODY REPLACEMENT

At 50,000 XP, loses 1d6 HP.

At 75,000 XP, loses another 1d6 HP and all Physical (STR,CON,DEX) stats drop by 1d6.

At 100,000 XP, loses another 1d6 HP and ALL stats drop by 1d6.

A VET can transfer memory chip into new clone body at any level or XP (if vat facility is available). When transferred, must re-roll all Physical (STR,DEX,CON) stats and hit points.

New VET will retain all BHB and ST from previous level and new levels will not “stack” with older. Will progress again through levels to gain XP and HP.

Boarding Action #1 now available...

I have completed the first issue of my new 1 page 'zine. Boarding Action is a 'zine dedicated to my WARBAND! role-playing game, and will detail encounters that can be dropped into your own game, or combined with future issues to make your own space dungeon.

Issue one details the lair of a lost colony of Deep Space Ones.





















You can purchase Boarding Action #1 by clicking on the buy now button on my sidebar.

The next big thing from the Hydra Cooperative team....

Jason Sholtis and his Operation Unfathomable, I can't wait to see this...

Monster preview: The Kasha (Fire Cat)

Kasha (Fire Cat)
No. Appearing:	1 (1)
Alignment:	Chaotic
Movement:	120' (40') / 90’ (30’) cat form
Armor Class:	2
Hit Dice:	6
Attacks:	2 + special
Damage:	2d6 + special
Save:	Shugenja 6
Morale:	10
Hoard Class:	XXI
XP	675

Kasha are shape-changing humanoid cats. They can appear as normal cats, and easily blend in towns and cities. In monster form they appear as large (7’ tall) humanoid cats, with long sharp claws. They eat fresh human corpses and tend to hang around cemeteries and burial mounds.

They have have spell casting abilities as follows:

1st level spells (can cast all 3 or any multiple of 3 per day): charm person, magic missile, sleep.

2nd level spells (can cast both, or one twice per day): levitate, mirror image.

3rd level spells (can cast one of following per day): lightning bolt, fireball

Kasha make their lairs in abandoned houses, ruins, or even old burial mounds.

Banishing spirits in Ruins & Ronin

So yesterday while waiting on our new air conditioner / furnace to be installed, I stumbled upon the Akira Kurosawa movie "The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail" on hulu plus. It is only an hour long, and based on a kabuki (and noh) play, it is brilliant. Sure there is no action and no deaths, but I loved it, and it has the best representation of Banishing Spirits (turn undead) for Ruins & Ronin...

The plot has a group of nobles playing the part of itinerant priests trying to get past a roadblock, and the one monk in the group takes the part of the head priest and delivers this line of dialogue to the Samurai guarding the road when asked to explain why they are dressed oddly and carry swords...

“We banish them with the Nine-Syllable Mantra”

“The Nine-Syllable Mantra consists of: Rin, Pyo, To, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen… When one chants this mantra, one stands reverently, and clenches one’s teeth 36 times, then with one’s right thumb one draws four vertical lines and five horizontal ones and then shouts “OBEY FORTHWITH!” All manner of devils, apparitions, and heathens will immediately be delivered from evil.”

More information about this movie can be found here and here, it is definitely worth watching.

Empire of the Eternal Sun Map

I have completed the map for my Ruins & Ronin setting, well except for rivers and settlements.

A map

Our AC went out at our home so we are staying with my parents until  Monday, which has disrupted our normal routines. But I did bring my new map pad with me and found a set of blue FaberCastell pitt pens and decided to create a map for my Ruins & Ronin setting that I hope to use in future play tests on Google Plus.

This is the island chains known as the Empire of the Eternal Sun, which lies to the north-east of the mystic land of Mu.

Character Class Preview: The Shugenja

SHUGENJA

Requirements:   INT 9

Prime Requisite: INT

Hit Dice: 1d4

Maximum Level:   None

Shugenja are sorcerers and wizards, living their life away from society. They live as hermits in the wild, studying their arcane arts, and purifying their body and mind in the ways of magic.  

Shugenja are unable to wear any armor, or use most weapons. They are allowed to use daggers (tanto and uchine), and all staves (bo and jo).

Special Abilities

Spell Casting: Shugenja are able to cast a number of spells each day as shown in the advancement table.  These spells are written in their many scrolls and books, and must be memorized each day in order to cast. The spells disappear from memory when cast, so each morning the Shugenja must memorize the days spells all over again.

Spells Known: To determine the amount of spells that can be learned by a Shugenja, roll on the following table.  Check only the spells of the level that the Shugenja is eligible to learn (for example a 2nd level Shungeja would roll for new 2nd level spells).

Shugenja Intelligence Adjustments
INT Score	Chance to Know	Minimum #	Maximum #
9	40%	5	7
10 to 12	45%	6	8
13 to 14	55%	7	9
15 to 16	65%	8	11
17	75%	9	14
18+	85%	10	16

Table Explanations:

Chance to Know: This is the percentage chance to know a spell, when creating your Shugenja check each 1st level spell individually (in any order desired). If the result is equal to or less than the “Chance to Know” then the character is able to learn and cast that spell (this does not mean that the spell is immediately available for the Shugenja’s spell-book however). The spell caster must still find the spell and learn it (or copy it from another spell-book).

As the Shugenja gains in level and is able to cast higher level spells, he must again roll to find which spells he is able to learn. The order to check is left to the player, allowing him to check for the spells most desired first.

Minimum #: This is the lowest number that a Shugenja can learn for the given level, if after one attempt to know spells, this number is not met, another pass is allowed for those spells not yet known. No spell can be checked again before all spells have been checked.

Maximum #: This is the uppermost limit of spells that a Shugenja can know for each level. As soon as this level is reached, no other spells can be learned for the given level.

Attract Students: Upon reaching 9th level, a Shugenja will attract a group of 1d6 students (1st level Shugenja) that will wish to learn under their new master. They will stay in service to the Shugenja until they reach ½ the level of their teacher. Once a student reaches their mid-level, they will be replaced by a new student (1st level).

Shugenja Advancement Table
Experience	Level	Hit Die (d4)	Spells / Level
			1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
-	1	1	2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
2,525	2	2	2	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
5,050	3	3	3	2	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
10,100	4	4	3	2	2	1	-	-	-	-	-	-
20,200	5	5	4	3	2	2	1	-	-	-	-	-
40,400	6	6	4	3	3	2	2	1	-	-	-	-
80,800	7	7	4	4	3	3	2	2	1		-	-
161,600	8	8	5	4	4	3	3	2	2	1	-	-
323,200	9	9	5	4	4	4	3	3	2	2	1	-
646,400	10	9+2	6	5	4	4	4	3	3	2	2	1