HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: laurence@cco.caltech.edu (Dustin Lee Laurence)
Subject: Re: HERO New Magic System advice wanted
Organization: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
Date: Thu, 16 Apr 1992 23:56:29 GMT

dlc@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM (Dennis Clark) writes:

>jik20815@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (John Iv Kovacik) writes:

[pool-based magic system]

>> In order to use magic, you must have a VPP with the advantages 0 phase to 
>> change (+1) and doesn't require skill roll (+1), but with the limitations
>> that each power must have Gestures, Incantations, and Requires Magic Skill 
>> roll (-1).

>  Umm.  Magic roll IS a skill roll.  Mutually cancelling perk/lim.

Wrong kind of skill roll.  John's no roll required is the cosmic pool
advantage, so that the pool switches with no roll.  His required magic
roll is a skill roll on the power itself.  They act on completely
different things, so they don't contradict at all.

>> Characters must also have an endurance reserve to power all the spells they
>> cast, and the recover _must_ be bought down on the time chart (minimum 5 min).

>  Why?  Just use personal END for the spells, this is a fine limiter.  With
>an IQ/4 or IQ/5 limit on the number of concurrent spells - seems good enough.

Different concept.  John's method means that spellcasters do not get
tired while casting, and it takes them longer to cast again.  It
even suggests a different metaphysics.  Either is good, but they are
not interchangeable.

-- 
Dustin Laurence            "Someone please stop me, before I net again."

laurence@alice.wonderland.caltech.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
From: sleibowitz@hamp.hampshire.edu (Smiling Wolf)
Subject: Re: SRUN: Shamans And Mages
Organization: Hampshire College
Date: Sat, 11 Apr 1992 17:34:48 GMT

In article <1992Apr10.221237.25976@uokmax.ecn.uoknor.edu>, dabachma@uokmax.ecn.uoknor.edu (Donald A Bachman) writes:
> 
> 	I was wondering, has anyone considered the drawbacks to playing a 
> shaman of the Owl? As memory serves (its been some time, more explained later),
> they recieve +2 dice for all sorcery/conjury by night, but have +1 Magic target
> numbers and +1 to all target numbers during the day. The problem is as to when
> the extra dice will offset the higher target number. So with only a little 
> thought applied (well, I could seriously analyze it, but a light going over
> will hopefully be correct, and do just as well):

Whoa there, Nellie!  The +2 dice will NEVER offset the higher target number, 
because they never apply at the same time.  The Owl gets +2 dice at night, +1
to magical target numbers during the day, and +1 to ALL target numbers _while_
_in_direct_sunlight_.  Nice try, though (your math was totally over my head). 

> |Donald Bachman - dabachma@uokmax.ecn.uoknor.edu                          

						Your humble servant,
						    Smiling Wolf

sleibowitz@hamp.hampshire.edu
"the moon's my constant mistress,
 and the lowly owl my marrow"
		- Tom A'Bedlam
From: mbmst12@unix.cis.pitt.edu (Michael B Mullig)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: Stupid PC Tricks
Summary: Stupid PC Tricks
Date: 7 Apr 92 16:04:36 GMT
Organization: Univ. of Pittsburgh, Computing & Information Services


	You want Stupid PC Tricks?  I'll give you one performed by yours truly

	We were in a large city(this is a RoleMaster campaign) when I, a Ranger
got teleported to the town square.  There was Mr. Bad Guy, a Dark Elf
Wizard, using me as bait to ambush my buddies.

	When they arrived, the Wizard set one of my associates, a Dark Elf
NightBlade, on fire.  Naturally he started to panic.  Me being the semi-
smart and really strong guy I was, I threw him into the nearby fountain.
Then the Wizard started an earthquake.  At about 8.5 on the Richter Scale.  
And we were right at the epicenter(sp?).  Three of us weren't badly hurt by 
debris, but a building fell right smack on top of the NightBlade as he was
bubbling around in the fountain.  He couldn't get it off of him until later.

	Meanwhile, Laura, a Mage on our side, cast some sort of Ice-based 
spell at the Wizard.  Somehow the bastard's head ended up getting freeze-dried.
But not before he was able to call his Fire Drake.

	So this big ass Drake comes flying in, strafing the city with the
medeival equivalent to napalm as goes, and lands next to his fallen master, to 
see what happen.  The NightBlade and our two Mages did the smart thing.  They
ran like Hell.  I, however, tried to be the Sneaky One, and cast a spell of 
Shadow upon myself.  Can we say "Target Acquired?"

	The Drake immediately spotted me since I was using magic.  He took to
the air, planning a heavy-duty death strafe on widdle-old me.  Now I started 
Running Like Hell, looking for what would be a potentially fireproof building.
I found one: an outhouse, that would have become THE first primitive microwave.
upon strafing.

Being smart(????) I jumped down into the hole and held onto the top for dear
life.

	At that time, the Drake was making a Power Dive, and Darren, another
Mage, decided to cast some sort of shape changing spell on the Drake.  He 
succeeded in shortening the damn thing's neck.  The Drake lost all perspective
and couldn't pull out of the dive.  It crashed.  Right on my outhouse.  If I
hadn't spent a Fate Point, I would've lost my fingers and would've had to 
change my class to movie reviewer(Thumbs up/down) seeing as I would have been
all thumbs at the time.  So instead of losing my phalanges, I fell and was,
quite literally In A World Of Shit.  For three days.

	End of story

							Brendan Baines
From: reanor@speedy.cs.pitt.edu (Jeffrey Getzin)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: RAVENLOFT
Date: 9 Apr 92 03:32:22 GMT
Organization: Computer Science Dept., University of Pittsburgh

In article <1992Apr8.125724.1679@vax1.mankato.msus.edu> mscs057@vax1.mankato.msus.edu writes:
>
>I WAS IN A RAVENLOFT CAMP. WE WERE TRAVELING. I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT UNDEAD IN
>RAVENLOFT. HOW COME THEY ARE SO POWERFUL?
>

How come you type faster and more accurately on your own computer/typewriter
than on someone else's?

Home territory, home team has the advantage.

			=*()*()* Jeff *()*()*=



--
					---
Jeffrey Getzin
saintdor@vms.cis.pitt.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
From: wilsom3@jec304.its.rpi.edu (Michael Lane Wilson)
Subject: Re: Sex and RPG's - Why Oh Why ?
Reply-To: wilsom3@rpi.edu
Organization: Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1992 16:32:56 GMT

In article <3>, droe@cs.tcd.ie (David Roe) writes:
|> 
|> This has all been very illuminating, but has concentrated on female
|> _players_. How about feedback on female GM's, from their players and
|> themselves? Personally, I reckon that the style of GMing would say more
|> about the differences than the style of playing.

	Good idea!  I'd really like to hear about some of these.  I've never
EVER actually run into a female GM, and I HAVE looked.  Of course, if you look
at the from line, you'll see that I'm blessed with attending the Rennsell...
Rensela...  rinskella....  RPI.  8^)  RPI, where the ratio of men to women
as you approach RPI goes to infinity.....  Suffice it to say that I rarely see
women PLAYERS, hell, I rarely see women at all!  (Yes, that's an exaggeration,
but it does get the point across.)
	Are there any female GM's out there?
-- 
___________________________    |
|                         |    |        Mike Wilson, the Hierarch:
|  No Sig is a Good Sig.  |    |        Wilsom3@rpi.edu
|_________________________|    |        Hierarch@acm.rpi.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
From: stoodt@cis.umassd.edu (Michael Stoodt)
Subject: Re: CHAMP: 1/2d6 vs d6-1
Organization: University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
Distribution: usa
Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1992 03:05:54 GMT

In <1992Apr12.223731.7755@beaver.cs.washington.edu> tsang@cs.washington.edu (Donald Tsang) writes:

>In article <> stoodt@cis.umassd.edu (Michael Stoodt) writes:
>>The "-1 Stun Multiple" limitation (i.e. roll 1D6-2, minimum 1) appears
>>in Adventurers Club issue 3 (Winter 1983!!), and is indeed a -1/2
>>limitation, but can only be taken once; another limitation, "Stun
>>Multiple of 1" (no roll, stun damage = body) is a -1 limitation.

>Not any more.  That was much too powerful for the effect.
>Now it's -3/4: Power does no STUN.      Page 109, 4th Ed.

>Not that this power can't do any stun... the kicker is that whenever
>you do one Body pip of damage, you do a (nonrecoverable) point of Stun.
>It won't heal back until the Body does.

>What of the lesser effects?  Interpolating, we might get:
>    -1/4: Stun mod of 1d6-2 (1,1,1,2,3,4)
>    -1/2: Stun mod of 1d6-4 (1,1,1,1,1,2)

I spotted that "No Stun" when researching my previous message, but
interpreted it as referring to powers which can do Stun damage as a
side effect (like Illusions), not to Killing Attacks (or EBs or
HTHAttacks), whose main purpose is damage.  If they meant this to
apply to pure damage attacks, one would expect them to cross-reference
the one Stun per Body rule there (but expecting any cross-references
at all is expecting too much :-) ).

I would consider your suggested limitation values as not large enough
to be worth taking.

(I didn't spot the "no healing the point of Stun until the Body's
healed" rule in the 4th edition; where is it?  Or did it get left
out?)

      Michael Stoodt
From: BECKERDJ@DAYTON.BITNET
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: Inspired Character Names
Date: 16 Apr 92 17:37:00 GMT
Article-I.D.: nettlera.9204161737.AA05662

Well, I play _ShadowRun_ a whole bunch (no flames please :-), and while
I keep my street names fairly straight and normal I go off the deep end
when it comes to the birth name.  Ya see, I figure that if anyone in
the shadowrun gameverse ever figures out who you _really_ are, then
you're hosed anyway.  So you may as well give the bad guys 5 seconds
of confusion...

To date I have played:

Melvin Throckwaddle (Troll Sam/Adept)
Derek P. Hamsterlicker (Rigger)
Juan Tumany (mage)



                        --Boomer--

Derek Becker == BECKERDJ@UDAVXB.OCA.UDAYTON.EDU
"Not only do I know my name sir, but I know more than you do. For
 I have a Master's Degree, in science!" -- Dr. Science
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
From: vcf1@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu (Victoria C Fike)
Subject: Re: CHAMPS: question on turn sequencing
Organization: Columbia University
Reply-To: vcf1@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu (Victoria C Fike)
Date: Thu, 16 Apr 1992 23:46:39 GMT

In article <1992Apr16.182258.16534@mcs.anl.gov> sasso@flounder.phy.anl.gov (John F. Sasso) writes:
>Champs and dodging:
>
>I am more confused than ever by this discussion.  I know the way that
>I interpret the rules, but I've seen several variations.  The questions
>are:
>
>(Guy, speed 4, actions on 3,6,9,12)
>
>1)  Guy dodges as part of his action on phase 3.
>	Does the dodge bonus stay in effect until:
>	a)  Beginning of phase 6
>	b)  Through phase 6
>	c)  Beginning of phase 9
>	d)  Through phase 9

(b).  Specifically, until his dex in phase 6.

>2)  Guy aborts to a dodge on phase 3.
>	Does the dodge bonus stay in effect until:
>	a)  Beginning of phase 6
>	b)  Through phase 6
>	c)  Beginning of phase 9
>	d)  Through 9

(b), again, for the same reasons; he must've aborted his action in 3, since 
it is a large no-no to abort in a segment you've already acted in....

>3)  Can guy do the following on phase 3?
>	Dodge, 1/2 action, AND move 1/2 action.  y/n

y.  Provided he moves *first*.

>4)  Can guy do the following on phase 4?
>	Dodge, 1/2 action, AND attack 1/2 action.  y/n

No, in a big way.

>5)  If guy dodges as part of his action, does this mean that
>	he can continually more OR attack on his action,
>	while keeping up the dodge bonus?  y/n

Nope.  Once he dodges, that's all he does until, well, he does something else.
At which point, he loses the dodge bonus.

>6)  If guy aborts to a dodge on phase 3, does he need to abort
>	again on phase 6 in order to keep up his dodge bonus
>	through 9?  y/n

Yup.

>7)  Guy cannot abort to a dodge on any segment that he has
>	already attacked.  Can he abort on any segment that he
>	has already acted (full move, for example), but not
>	attacked?   y/n

No, never, nil, nix.  That is about the most important thing to remember....

>I know that my question are redundant; I've tried to ask the same
>questions a couple of different ways.
>
>
>						John F Sasso 
>-- 
>"The only way to true inspiration is the study of TedDo.  And lots
>of MauMau, of course."  The Elvis Lectures
>"I am not the False Bob, I am a free man."  The Book of FalseBobs
>"Since the introduction of MauMau, HP sales have skyrocketed." Book of MauMau

My congrats on your coherence....Lord help me if I ever have to present 
something in a logical, orderly manner....

Tori

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Victoria C. Fike                   | "For this fantastic night was billed
vcf1@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu        |  As nothing less than the end of an age,
GM: "The NPC jumps off the cliff." |  A last crusade, a final outrage,
PC: "He must know something we     |  In this day of flashing plumage..."
     don't!  I follow him!"        |     --BOC, "Golden Age of Leather"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: soholt@aludra.usc.edu (Timothy Soholt)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: Inspired character names
Date: 16 Apr 1992 09:44:57 -0700
Organization: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
NNTP-Posting-Host: aludra.usc.edu

There was one guy in our CHAMPIONS campaign last year who played
a speedster (the same speedster, incidentally, whom I posted a-
bout a few months ago in the "Dumb PC Tricks" thread as using his
patented move-through maneuver multiple times on a villain he
knew would grow stronger the more physical attacks you threw at
him) named Windbreaker. We _never_ let him live that one down.

And then there was one of my first characters in Wizardry, eons
and eons ago: a thief named Dex Terity.

-- Tim Soholt (soholt@aludra.usc.edu), The Man With No .sig
From: jhk6@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (John H Kim)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: Not !  Re: Traveller is a great system!
Date: 6 Apr 92 14:01:48 GMT
Reply-To: jhk6@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (John H Kim)
Organization: Columbia University

In article <1992Apr3.181331.18833@njitgw.njit.edu> msh9848@hertz.njit.edu (Matthew Harelick) writes:
>The problem with Traveller is that piece of technology introduced is somehow 
>connected to the Universe they provide. In order to use a certain module, 
>you need to have *bought* previous history references to keep up. 

	Well, yes, but I don't see that as a problem. It gives all of the 
Traveller stuff alot more consistency than modules for a 'generic' space 
game like GURPS Space. 

>In addition, the universe is humanocentric. There are a few major aliens: 
>
>The Aslan (Kzinti) = Lionmen, The Vargr = Dogmen pirates, there are the 
>Dolphins, and some other earth-like races. Most of known space is controlled
>by some variety of humanoid. 

	I'd say about 70%. The Hiver and K'Kree are both non-humanoid and 
control large sections of known space. In addition, there are the Droyne
and Vegans. 
Do you know of any universes on the market which are non-humanocentric?


>Take the BASIC star system generation process. You generate a main world, 
>each of which has characteristics: Size, Atmosphere, Water, Population, 
>Government, and Law, as well as a starbase. Given the probabilities of 
>generating a set of characteristics, any mainworld will probably have 
>a starbase. This means that it is civilized, as opposed to being completely
>alien. 

	The BASIC star system generation is just that - basic. Most of the 
star systems which players will run into have been settled by the Imperium. 
Obviously, the population, government, and law tables were made with humans 
in mind. There are only six races which have developed space flight on their 
own (Human, Aslan, Vargr, K'Kree, Hiver, Droyne). 'Native' population is 
generally not taken into account due to the rarity of races. 
	If you want a system that will let you roll up an alien world and 
civilization with a couple of die rolls - good luck. 

>
>In addition, GURPS Space gives you a choice about the communication system
>and provides rules to go along with them. 

	As you said - Traveller does not give you a choice about tech. 
GURPS does. This means that GURPS modules will probably have different 
technology than yours, whereas all of the Traveller stuff is compatible. 

	If you want to design your own universe with all its own history, 
technology, aliens, and worlds - then I agree that Traveller is 
inappropriate. I do not see this as a weakness of the system, however. 
It is a choice - more detail and consistency at the cost of ability to 
customize. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
John Kim                    | Alice: "But if I wasn't real, I shouldn't be
jhk6@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu | able to cry."  Tweedledee: "I hope you don't
Columbia University         | imagine those are *real* tears."
From: Mannie.The.Groo@f6008.n124.z1.fidonet.org (Mannie The Groo)
Sender: FredGate@ocitor.fidonet
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: AD&D:So what happens whe
Date: Thu, 09 Apr 1992 17:07:02

> What happens when you...

>   (e) Feed people Troll pieces?

MW> Pretty sure it's digestable.  Most meat has at least _some_
  >nourishment.  Sounds positively revolting and, unless they had no
  >clue what it was, they probably would puke it up.  That is, if it
  >doesn't already smell and taste disgusting.  Wouldn't matter if they
  >knew then.

In my crystal shell, there is an Inn (The Barking Pumpkin) wherein they
do serve Roast Troll, or you can have it raw if you'd rather have the
"all ye can eat" plate.  It is advised that if you have it raw, that
you eat at a steady rate lest it turn your own fork and knife on ye!

>  (f) Are an elf polymorphed into a Fire Giant and are about to have
>      children with your new Fire Giant wife?

>You'll get some neato mutants.

MW> Mutants!  10-ft thick flaming-haired ugly elves!  10-ft thin
  >brown-haired beautiful giants!

Naaaw, I figure that the recipient of the Poly self spell has the genes
of the resultant form.  They would be Fire Giant children.  `Course, if
you WANT mutant kids, a spell could be researched/created which would
allow such.

 * SLMR 2.1a * What Are You Looking For Down Here?

 * Origin: Meridian -=- (214) 235-3164 -=- Dallas, Tx. (1:124/6008)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
From: moonman@camelot.bradley.edu (Craig Levin)
Subject: Swashbucklers vs. Knights in Armour, was: GM's Pain
Organization: House of the Moss Rose
Date: 14 Apr 92 06:32:54 GMT

In <unixwiz.703209392@mcl> unixwiz@mcl.mcl.ucsb.edu (Silk) writes:

>And then, one of the players brings in a halfling swashbuckler specialized
>in stilletos...

	Sounds cute. Nothing a good epee or sabre master couldn't
handle.

>He hit Anti-Paladins in Full Plate w/AC -4 on a 5 or better...and then I
>let him get a vorpal blade...<I knew I should have smashed his die>  He
>went through more anti-paladins then my NPC Paldin with a +2 Holy
>Avenger...

        Potentially heretical opinion: 

	Fencing weapons and their antecedents-the smallsword and the
rapier-would be very inappropriate for use versus an armoured
opponent. The way that a fencing weapon is built is too frail for
defense against the weapons used by said armored opponent-like a
battle-axe-and its method of use-the direct thrust-leaves the warrior
open to attack on his or her arms by the opponent. Keep swashbuckling
restricted to a game world where armor has largely gone the way of the
dinosaur, and guns aren't too dependable yet, IMO.

--
Craig\The Moonman\Levin       Lt. Pedro de Alcazar, RN (Portugal)
moonman@buhub.bradley.edu     House of the Moss Rose, Barony of
moonman@camelot.bradley.edu   Illiton, Middle Kingdom
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
From: cks@hawkwind.utcs.toronto.edu (Chris Siebenmann)
Subject: Re: SR: Questions asked by me.  (fairly long)
Organization: Ziebmef home away from home
Date: 6 Apr 92 02:14:42 GMT

wildcard@nevada.edu ( WildCard !!) writes:
| >What is the defense dice pool used for?  Is it involved in melee combat or
| >ranged combat (or both), and how is it applied?
| To save your butt. Applied liberally. :)  Really though, think of it as extra
| body dice (instead of just raw staying power though, it's your ability to get
| the hell out of the way of a *MELEE* attack). The dodge pool is the same but
| for ranged combat.

 Actually, there's an important thing the dodge pool, and only the
dodge pool, does for you. If, using only the dice from the dodge pool,
you get more successes than the person who attacked you did, the
attack is a clean miss. Note that you don't have to worry about
staging when doing this; it's enough to get more successes than the
attacker did.

 This is why softlife attacking hardlife with low-power but high
staging attacks is not such a hot idea; unless there are a lot of you
to deplete the target's dodge pool, he'll just laugh at you as his
dodge pool skips him out of the way.

--
		V9: the kernel where you can do
			fgrep <something> */*.[ch]
		and not get "Arguments too long".
cks@hawkwind.utcs.toronto.edu	           ...!{utgpu,utzoo,watmath}!utgpu!cks
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
From: jik20815@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (John Iv Kovacik)
Subject: Re: Inspired Character Names
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Fri, 17 Apr 1992 00:29:06 GMT

Ah, I remember my paladin. Named him Damion, of course (I love the Omen). His
steed? Lucifer ("Lightbringer").

					- Biff the Wonder Twit
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
From: dragon@camelot.bradley.edu (Matthew Korth)
Subject: Re: AD+D2 VALHERU STATS
Organization: Bradley University
Date: 15 Apr 92 06:46:00 GMT

In <3320@svin02.info.win.tue.nl> rob@wsinpa02.win.tue.nl (rob van Rief) writes:
>Some minor comments on the Valheru:
>1: Raymond Feist (thru Macros) specifically states that the Valheru have no
>   sense of morals, and therefore are not evil. I would use Chaotic Neutral
>   as their alignment.

In that same section, he also has Macros state "...but they are so destructive
that we must count them a near-ultimate evil." (or something like that).
CE would be an appropriate alignment under these circumstances, since
the Valheru meet nearly every "condition" for that alignment.

>2: Why give them the ability to detect alignments; you obey or die, period.
>   Alignments would not concern these people.
Very true.

>3: It seemed to me that Ashen-Sugar's armour was special, the returning 
>   Valheru trick being part of his protective plans concerning Midkemia.
I thought that Macros was involved in that process (long after A-S's death,
of course).

>4: Valheru didn't always fight each other, although they did have EXTREMELY 
>   touchy tempers.
Weren't mating, and the meeting called by Draken-Korin, the only times
they *didn't* fight each other? (unless, of course, the weaker of the two
felt that it was unwise to face the other--yet)
--
*** Matt Korth *** dragon@camelot.bradley.edu *** dragon@buhub.bradley.edu ***
You are confused.  Black does not represent evil.  Black represents
anxiety.  Sen. Jesse Helms represents evil.

			--the Omniscient Usenet Oracle
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
From: smayo@wang.com (Scott Mayo)
Subject: Re: Sexism & Racism in FRPs
Organization: Wang Labs, Lowell MA, USA
Date: Mon, 06 Apr 92 20:49:45 GMT

rhr9081@hertz.njit.edu (Ray Rich) writes:

>I would like to
>hear from those who speak Spanish especially.  How was a book determined to
>be female and a pencil male?

With all due respect, if you can't figure this out -- especially for the
pencil case -- I don't think I can explain it to you. At least, I'm
not going to try.
--
"I forsee that you will meet a king, the father of the beautiful Princess
 Plote DeVice; and he will insist that you rescue her from the keep of the
 infamous Duke Carad Bored Vilan."    "Can we kill the DM now?"   "No."
smayo@wang.com
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp