Sunday, March 17, 2019

Krynnish Minotaurs in Star Wars [d6 Star Wars]

Krynnish Minotaurs in Star Wars d6

Pirate Minotaur
Dexterity 1D/3D+1
Knowledge 1D/3D
Mechanical 2D/4D+1
Perception 2D/4D+1
Strength 3D/5D+1
Technical 2D/3D+2

Special Abilities:
*Senses: Minotaurs have very sensitive senses of hearing and scent, and receive +1D to Search checks when those senses are involved.
*Horns: Minotaurs can use their horned heads as a brawling attack; doing so is Easy difficulty, and inflicts STR+2D damage. A minotaur may also charge, which requires 3 meters of running room, and increases the difficulty to Moderate, but inflicts STR+4D damage.
*Large: Minotaurs are larger than most species of the galaxy. While this doesn't matter for a lot of things, in some cases, it can be a big problem. Vacuum Suits, space suits, and armor are frequently inadequate to minotaur physiques. Many standard starships aren't well suited to minotaur physiology, meaning they receive a -1D penalty to vehicle operation, shield, and vehicle weapon skills if the vehicle isn't designed to adjust to their size. This is, to an extent, a matter of GM fiat, but Imperial craft are noted for the relatively narrow range of sizes they will accommodate. Refitting a craft to accommodate minotaur crew members is usually an Easy to Moderate task requiring an hour's worth of work for each station to be converted.
Likewise, minotaurs find many standard-built weapons to be awkward; Heavy Blasters, Blaster Carbines, Blaster Rifles, and larger weapons are quite comfortable, but blaster pistols, sporting blasters, and hold-out blasters will require modification to fit minotaur-sized fingers. While most melee weapons pose little problem for a minotaur, they do find that human-scale weapons are often inadequate to take advantage of their size; the fist of a minotaur can crush a man’s skull easier than a strong man can with a club.

Story Factors:
*Honor: Minotaurs live by a complex code of honor that involves their personal reputation, the reputation of their clan, and their standing within the clan and their clan’s standing within the Imperium. Impugning a minotaur’s honor can drive them to rash acts, and a minotaur’s assessment of another’s honor can influence their reaction to them.

Move: 11-15
Size: 2m-2.8m tall

Imperial Minotaur
Dexterity 1D/3D+2
Knowledge 1D/3D+2
Mechanical 2D/4D
Perception 2D/4D
Strength 3D/4D+2
Technical 2D/4D

Special Abilities: *Senses: Imperial Minotaurs have very sensitive senses of hearing and scent, and receive +1D to Search checks when those senses are involved.
*Horns: Imperial Minotaurs have bred for smaller horns than the Pirates prefer, and are more prone to trim them, resulting in a somewhat less effective weapon. They can use their horned heads as a brawling attack; doing so is Easy difficulty, and inflicts STR+1D damage. A minotaur may also charge, which requires 3 meters of running room, and increases the difficulty to Moderate, but inflicts STR+3D damage.
*Large: Minotaurs are larger than most species of the galaxy. While this doesn't matter for a lot of things, in some cases, it can be a big problem. Vacuum Suits, space suits, and armor are frequently inadequate to minotaur physiques. Many standard starships aren't well suited to minotaur physiology, meaning they receive a -1D penalty to vehicle operation, shield, and vehicle weapon skills if the vehicle isn't designed to adjust to their size. This is, to an extent, a matter of GM fiat, but Imperial craft are noted for the relatively narrow range of sizes they will accommodate. Refitting a craft to accommodate minotaur crew members is usually an Easy to Moderate task requiring an hour's worth of work for each station to be converted.
Likewise, minotaurs find many standard-built weapons to be awkward; Heavy Blasters, Blaster Carbines, Blaster Rifles, and larger weapons are quite comfortable, but blaster pistols, sporting blasters, and hold-out blasters will require modification to fit minotaur-sized fingers. While most melee weapons pose little problem for a minotaur, they do find that human-scale weapons are often inadequate to take advantage of their size; the fist of a minotaur can crush a man’s skull easier than a strong man can with a club.

Story Factors:
Honor: Minotaurs live by a complex code of honor that involves their personal reputation, the reputation of their clan, and their standing within the clan and their clan’s standing within the Imperium. Impugning a minotaur’s honor can drive them to rash acts, and a minotaur’s assessment of another’s honor can influence their reaction to them.

Move: 11-15
Size: 2m-2.5m tall

Saturday, March 16, 2019

Athasian Psionic Bard (2e)

The Psionic Bard is a variation on the standard Athasian Bard, which replaces the standard bard's facility with poisons with some improved psionic powers. While not a true psionicist, a Psionic bard is more akin to his non-Athasian counterpart... a dabbler in many fields, not simply an assassin who dances prettily.

All aspects of the Psionic Bard are as the Athasian bard; they have access to all thief skills, with 20 points per level to improve them, they may influence reactions, inspire, and countersong as an Athasian bard, and "learn a little bit of everything." Their NWPs are Rogue, Warrior, General and Psionic. The sole difference is a lack of facility with poisons, and the advancement of psionic powers. Bards are not true psionicists, but expand their abilities slightly as time goes on.

At 1st level, a Bard is a wild talent, as with all other Athasian characters, with the same number of powers and PSPs as any other Athasian character. At levels 2, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, and 19, the Bard learns one devotion for which they meet the prerequisites, from any discipline. Certain disciplines are more difficult for bards to explore, due to the ubiquity of certain sciences as prerequisites; these remain closed to the Bard unless their wild talent provides the necessary powers. As they do not properly study psionics, they have no primary discipline, and so no restrictions on numbers of powers from a discipline based on that. Most Bards lack the ability to engage in psionic combat (since they do not have access to Mindlink, save through wild talents, and that forms the backbone of the discipline), but most will acquire a psionic defense as soon as they are able.

At each level beyond the first, Bards gain PSPs. However, they only gain 1d6 plus their ability modifier for Wisdom (per the Inherent Potential Table on page 38 of the Dark Sun book; Wisdoms of 15 or less result in only a 1d6 roll of PSPs).

This version works well for both S&P and CompPsi psionics, whichever you prefer; the only difference would be in psionic combat, where Psionic Bards would be counted as other wild talents, able to learn up to 3 defense and 3 attack modes as proficiencies.

Why a psionic bard kit? Because the standard bard in Athas is an assassin, to the point where one questions why anyone would accept bards that have been sent to them... if bards show up, someone is going to die. This version allows there to be a LOT of different bards, and they're less "scary assassins" and more the dabbler that other bards are.

Tuesday, March 12, 2019

Magic Bloodline for Sorcerers

Magic Bloodline
Some sorcerers can trace their powers to a singular ancestor or event. A draconic great-grandparent, a nursery in the Elemental Chaos, or mama was struck by lightning just before you were born. Others... don't. Their power comes from some connection to the Weave, a merging of several different magical bloodlines, or some other source of simple magic that links to the Prime Material plane through them, and them alone. Unique and idiosyncratic, the Magic Bloodline represents an individual whose magic is truly their own.

1st level
The fingers of magic spread throughout your life, and in odd ways. At 1st level, someone with the Magic Bloodline chooses two additional cantrips from any spell list, and one first level spell from any spell list. These are additional spells known for the sorcerer, and are considered sorcerer spells for this character.

6th Level
Magic, sorcery, is in your blood. At 6th level, you learn one additional metamagic. Additionally, you have additional sorcery points equal to your proficiency bonus.

14th Level
A Magic-blooded sorcerer can reach deep into magic, creating the effects that they need. They may cast a spell from any spell list, at a cost of that spell's level in sorcery points and the appropriate spell slot. The spell may be no higher than 5th level.


18th level
At 18th level, you are able to smother magic that might harm you with your own. When the sole target of a spell (not merely within the area of effect) you are aware of, you may use your reaction to spend sorcery points equal to the level of the spell to simply cancel the spell. You may only do so once per turn, and must announce that you are doing so before the result is known (i.e. before damage is announced).