HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: rowe@soda.berkeley.edu (Eric Rowe)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: PENDRAGON: Rule Modifications
Date: 16 Dec 92 15:42:18
Organization: UCB Integrative Biology
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: soda.berkeley.edu

Our local gaming group will be restarting a Pendragon campaign soon and we
are reviewing the rule modifications we used to patch problems. For instance,
we did not like the roll of 20 being a fumble and then magically when you
reach a skill of twenty you never fumble again.  Instead, we set the fumble
number to 1.  When a 1 is rolled another die is rolled.  If the second roll
is less than 1/2 the skill involved then the result is just a poor typical
success.  If above, then the skill is fumbled.  It only adds one roll and a
bit of simple math, and it gives us the effects we like.

Does anyone else have any house modifications for Pendragon?  I'd love to
hear of any for places where you think the game mechanics are lacking.

eric
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: esper@cs35b.cs.umn.edu (Dave Sherohman)
Subject: Re: Shadowrun -- Astral Perception and Spells
Organization: University of Minnesota
Date: Sun, 13 Dec 1992 19:41:23 GMT

In article <Bz7HB0.5An@jabba.ess.harris.com> jcarl@jabba.ess.harris.com (Joe Carl Jr.) writes:
>In <Bz6xoG.5q6@rice.edu> hyatt@owlnet.rice.edu (David Waterman Hyatt) writes:
>
>I always thought that meant for items that the caster didn't speed
>Essence for.  I play that if the Mage has spent Essence for thermographic
>eyes, then he can blast the invisible guy.

Umm...  The SR2 rules (and I think Grimoire also) makes it fairly clear that
mana-based illusion spells will affect implants _becuase_ essence is paid for
them.  Consider:  the mana-based invisiblity doesn't change propagation of
light waves around its target (that would take a physical spell - improved
invisibilty), it affects a viewer's mind so they don't think they see the
invisible person/object.  At any rate, I rule that invisibilty and improved
invisibility affect thermographic vision anyhow.  (Rationale 1:  Considering
the presence of metaraces with innate termovision and the availability of
thermoimagers, why would a mage design this spell without extending its
effects into the IR spectrum?  Rationale 2:  Thermovision is sight-based. The
spell inhibits sight.  Thus, thermographic _vision_ wouldn't see an invisible
person, but a dragon's (non-sight-based) thermographic _sense_ would.)

>If the Spirit is in astral space and your in normal space then neither
>can effect each other.  A good GM will make a spirit manifest before it
>can do anything nasty.

a)  When astrally perceiving, a mage is in both and can act to affect either
(but at +2 TN for purely physical activities).

b)  What about grounding through magically active objects?  This allows an
astral being to affect the physical world (semi-)directly.

c)  Some nature spirit powers (accident, alienation, concealment, confusion,
fear...) seem like they should be usable without having to manifest.
>
>I hope the interpretation I gave above about a spirt needs to manifest to
>use it's abilities will help here.  Fair is fair after all, If I have to
>go astral to get the spirit.  It should have to manifest to get me!

Hey, chummer, who says the streets are fair?  If you make a run without
magical support, you're gonna be deep in the drek and you deserve what you
get for it.

esper@ima.umn.edu
From: bsc7@po.CWRU.Edu (Bradley S. Corsello)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Elric Christmas Song
Date: 18 Dec 1992 07:40:14 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (USA)
Reply-To: bsc7@po.CWRU.Edu (Bradley S. Corsello)
NNTP-Posting-Host: thor.ins.cwru.edu


Here's a nice Christmas song that you're all perfectly welcome to sing and
scare all the kiddies this Yuletide:

[Tune of Santa Claus is Coming to Town]

He's making a scroll, he's checking it twice
He's coming to put your soul on ice
Elric is coming to town.

He knows if you've been Lawful, he knows if you've been Good
So you'd better behave awful and wear a big black hood

[Chorus]

He sucked the soul of Santa, he slew Rudolph as well,
And when he shows up Christmas eve he's gonna summon Hell

[Chorus]

The demons of Arralu, they'll have a jubilee,
They're gonna dig a charnel pit around the Christmas tree.

By Darrell Hershberger, Mike Billman, and Me.
-- 
+=================================================================+
Brad Corsello (bsc7@po.cwru.edu) 2L Case Western Reserve Law School
"Was there nostril penetration?" - George, on Seinfeld
"Factum clarum, jus nebulosum."  Rex v. Haddock.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: mavra@cpac.washington.edu (Peter D. Adkison)
Subject: Re: Palladium/Wizards of the Coast Lawsuit
Organization: Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
	<1992Dec17.223531.4921@oz.plymouth.edu>
	<MAVRA.92Dec17175908@bailey.cpac.washington.edu>
	<BzFqv2.4n2@nic.umass.edu>
Date: Fri, 18 Dec 1992 18:16:06 GMT

In article <BzFqv2.4n2@nic.umass.edu> dunkelza@titan.ucc.umass.edu (KEITH C MCCORMIC) writes:

>    I apologize for my lack of knowledge about your company, and about your
>"Capsystem".  I also am surprised to note that your capsystem has not appeared
>in my area, so I assumed that you were a smaller company.  When you said 
>Talislanta, it rang a bell, and I remembered the name from a catalog (I think).

No prob!

> P.S.-What are the systems that the Capsystem is for?

TPO includes integration notes for: XD&D, Arduin, Ars Magica, Chivalry
& Sorcery, Warhammer, Harnmaster, Hero, Palladium, Pendragon,
RoleMaster, RuneQuest, Shadowrun, Talislanta, Torg, GURPS, WarpWorld,
and Synnibarr.

>   P.P.S.-I do agree with the idea of making supplements for other companies'
>	  games, but the company I'm with doesn't.  Hell, I would be really
>	  flattered if someone started coming up with stuff for my game....

What company/game is that?

				--Mavra!
				  Peter D. Adkison
				  Janitor, Wizards of the Coast
				  mavra@wizards.com

The above internet address should be used for e-mail if it is
different from the e-mail address in the header.
From: kucloak@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu (Bryan Kennedy Reed)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Shadowrun Question -- Auras and Spells
Date: 15 Dec 92 23:40:33 CST
Organization: University of Kansas Academic Computing Services

In article <1992Dec14.213349.1@vxdesy.desy.de>, burke@vxdesy.desy.de writes:
> In article <Bz6x9x.5o9@rice.edu>, hyatt@owlnet.rice.edu (David Waterman Hyatt) writes:
> 
>> Now suppose that we accept the following explanation.  All things
>> have auras, maybe limited ones that are hard to cast through.  Then
>> how do you decide what constitutes a complete object?  Do auras
>> mingle, i.e. items on a person's body are all intermingled with
>> that person's aura, and thus don't need to roll when resistance tests
>> are called for, say from a Power Ball?  
> 
> I think this depends on the spell caster - s/he can choose to individually
> target items (if s/he can see them) or not.
>

With a combat spell?  Nope, everything that is within the area of
affect and is visible to the mage (no thermo gogles though) is
targeted.  Make sure your friends aren't in the area of effect.  
 
>> What about objects in a combat spell's radius of effect?  Say I hurl
>> a Fireball centered on a poor slob in the middle of a room.  Do I
> 
> Fireball is a damaging manipulation, and is another story - it creates real
> fire, and so affects everything.
>

Fireball is a combat spell.  However, according to The Grimoire (first
edition) there are elemental effects that accompany the spell.  But it
is still targeted like a combat spell.  If you can't see it, you can't
hurt it (except with the elemental efects.)  Our group plays second
edition so I guess we will have to wait a week until the Grimthingie
II comes out.
 
>   I have another question about targetting. It's made very clear that
> spell-casting needs line-of-sight, although presumably you can take the
> blind-fire penalty for something that you can't see but know is there. However,
> what about the rule that spells ground out in the body of an astrally
> projecting mage? Here you not only can't see the targets, but don't (in
> general) even know they're there, so how can the spell ground out? Or does
> this only happen for damaging manipulations?
>

I would have to say that a damaging manipulation (or a combat spell
with elemental effects) are the only thing that can cause damage to
bystanders. 
-- 
		
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  Invincibility depends on one's self;	   kucloak@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu
  The enemy's vulnerability on him.	    bkreed@oread.cc.ukans.edu
 		  --Sun Tzu 		      Bryan Kennedy Reed
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: dunkelza@titan.ucc.umass.edu (KEITH C MCCORMIC)
Subject: Re: Dangerous Journeys: Feedback
Organization: University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Date: Sat, 12 Dec 1992 06:26:21 GMT

In article <1gbj2eINN9tk@usenet.INS.CWRU.Edu> cn322@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Thomas G Moser) writes:
>
>But I digress ....  LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK.  Thanks!


   I am not really familiar with the rules system, however, I do find fault
with Gary Gygax's choice of terminology.  I think he probably should have just
stayed with the old ones the he and his partner developed in the first place.
The term "Heroic Persona" is rather annoying, as are several of the other
more technical acronyms.  I personally think the old ones were overall
more acurate and less confusing.
   However, if you look at my last post on the subject, I am rather fond of
the Mythus Magick supplement, as it has THE BEST treatment of magic(k) I 
have ever seen in a game.  A bit complex, but the best overall.

Dunkelzahn




















-- 
_____________________________________________________________________________
| Dunkelzahn the Greater Western Dragon | "Eternal vigilance is the price   |
| Dunkelza@titan.ucc.umass.edu          |  of Freedom"                      |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: al76188@cs.tut.fi (Lahtinen Antti Jussi)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: RQ III - Spirit Magic
Followup-To: rec.games.frp.misc
Date: 17 Dec 92 15:24:24
Organization: Violent Jay's House of Stolen Stereos
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: naakka.cs.tut.fi
In-reply-to: gal502@huxley.anu.edu.au's message of 17 Dec 1992 07:43:52 GMT


	The idea of "Cast Spirit Magic" is quite good, in fact we have been
	using it since '85. Currently, our "House Rule" about spirit spells
	is as follows:

	A character has POWx5 change to cast a spirit spell if he has the
	spell in a matrix, or has learned the spell and has a foci.

	A character, who has learned a spell, but do not have a foci may
	cast the spell using his "Cast Spirit Magic" skill.

	If the skill score in "Cast Spirit Magic" is greater than POWx5,
	the skill is used with matrixes and foci.

	Spirits have "Cast Spirit Magic" score at POWx5.
	"Cast Spirit Magic" base skill ir 5% + Magic Modifier.

	Basicly, these house rules have no effect in current published
	game material, etc. because every NPC is considered to have foci
	for their spirit spells.
--
        Antti Lahtinen    :     Justice is Only a Whish of a Weak
        al76188@cs.tut.fi :
From: mancinis@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (steven mancini)
Subject: Re: SR:New Releases
Keywords: Grimoire II
Organization: Purdue University Computing Center
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1992 15:21:51 GMT

In article <1992Dec16.083555.1353@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu> wntrmute@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu (August Paul Yang) writes:
>If someone buys this and has the Original Grimoire could he/she/it please
>either e-mail me or post a comparison on the info found inside?
>If there are *MAJOR* changes to the Original Grimoire rules I might
>consider buying it, otherwise...

	There are new powers; a contact on another group told us about
	a new power->  Spell Anchoring. It is gross. So there will
	be some additions...

	Spell Anchoring? basically it allows you to contigently link one
	spell to another from what I have been told, like, for example
	linking a Hellblast to a Detect Enemies.

	'Scuse me whilst I go toss my cookies.
							Minotaur


-- 

+-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-+
| Steve Mancini (a.k.a. The Minotaur) | mancinis@mentor.cc.purdue.edu   |
|    Grad Student {Dazed & Confused}  | mancinis@vm.cc.purdue.edu       |
From: cq267@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Jeremy Fox)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: Palladium RPG comments
Date: 20 Dec 1992 06:04:49 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (USA)
Reply-To: cq267@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Jeremy Fox)
NNTP-Posting-Host: hela.ins.cwru.edu


>There are huge power disparities between different OCC's.  For example
>try comparing a Glitter Boy and a Techno-Mage's combat capability.
>This is simply rediculous.
 
I think this comment misses the point.  Combat is not the only thing
that goes on in a game.  Obviously a Techno-Mage is nothing compared to
somebody piloting a Glitter Boy, but this applies to any human fighting
a robot or power armor.  The Techno-Mage is a fun character to play not
because he can nuke any opponent re comes across, but because of the
uniqueness of the possibility of combining technology and magic.
Another point is that one cannot live inside a GlitterBoy forever.  When
the pilot comes out to eat, sleep, or whatever, he will be at a a
disadvantage compared to a magic-user.    

Try some more "role-playing."  How does the pilot find repairs and/or
ammunition for his power armor?  Does he love, feel pain?  How does he
safeguard his armor when he's not around?  If all you really care about
is combat, can't the pilot fight somebody when he's not in his armor?
How about hand-to-hand or small arms?

Furthermore, the comments made about high rifle scores in GURPS are a
little misplaced.  True, players can abuse rules like that; in that case
the GM needs to step in.  Really though, a character with high rifle
ability  could be an asassin or something like that.  Its open to
possibilites.

Please don't think this is a flame at anyone.

Jeremy Fox
cq267@cleveland.freenet.edu  
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: goodin@fraser.sfu.ca (Charles Frederick Goodin)
Subject: Re: Swashbuckling
Organization: Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, B.C., Canada
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1992 22:04:40 GMT

sos@oz.plymouth.edu (Steffan O'Sullivan) writes:

>irvine@uxh.cso.uiuc.edu (Brent Irvine) writes:

>>Does anyone know of RPG games set in the 1492-1715 era?

>In no particular order:

>Flashing Blades, FGU.
>Lace & Steel, Australian Games Group
>Witch Hunt, StatCom Sim
>En Garde, GDW
>Pirates & Plunder, Yaquinto
>Skull & Crossbones, FGU
>GURPS Swashbucklers, SJG

>Hero and Palladium both have supplements, also, but I don't know the
>names, sorry.

The Hero one (also works with Rolemaster, I believe) was just called 
Pirates.  It was in ICE's Campaign Classics series, which was a good
series in general, but I have no real specific info on the Pirates 
book.  Good Luck.

>-- 
>  - Steffan O'Sullivan		         sos@oz.plymouth.edu
From: doug@abby.chem.ucla.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: GURPS 1/8 and 1/4 Points, & high defaults
Date: 17 Dec 92 21:49:59 GMT
Reply-To: doug@abby.chem.ucla.edu
Organization: Department of Chemistry, UCLA

In article <Bz8IJ8.CGu@csugrad.cs.vt.edu>, dripton@csugrad.cs.vt.edu (David Ripton) writes:
>Does anybody out there have a solution to the abuse of running skill, 
>other than banning it or charging an Unusual Background? The basic 
>problem, as I see it, is that Running-8 (more or less, depending on
>the fractional part of your basic speed) gets you +1 to Move, while
>c. Running-16 gets you +2. The net result is that just about everybody
>puts a point or two into Running skill. This kind of situation is why I
>hate half-point skills in general, and no-default skills most of all.
>Everybody should have half a point in these skills (for game utility,
>not good role-playing. Please don't flame me). Quarter- or eighth-
>point skills of any type bug me for this reason.

I'm not convinced that this isn't realistic (it may be annoying, though).  I
don't see +1 Move as such a big advantage that this is a problem, really. 
There IS a wider variation in running speeds than the (DX+HT)/4 formula would
have you believe, and IMHO any athletic type SHOULD have a point or two in
Running for the +1 Move, and it SHOULD be difficult for them to get much
better.

I certainly agree about quarter- and eighth- point skills, though.  Blech.


-Doug Gibson
 doug@abby.chem.ucla.edu

Neither UCLA nor the National Science Foundation has a clue what I am doing.
They just pay me to do it.

"We have to tear you to shreds because we care." - EAC
From: v124pz9t@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (David Cheng)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: RQ:  Runes question
Date: 19 Dec 92 05:27:00 GMT
Organization: University at Buffalo
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41

In article <1992Dec18.163107.10311@email.tuwien.ac.at>, scheirich@eigcl1.una.ac.at (Scheirich Harald) writes...
>First thanks to everybody who answered my question about Runelords and
>Heros.
>This one is the natural followup to the first one, or maybe I should have
>posted it
>first.
>Could you explain the concept of runes in Runequest, what are they, how
>can a character obtain them, are there different types of runes, what
>kinds are there...........
>I still do not have any material from editions earlier than 3rd so please
>be as explicit as you can be.
> 
>Thanks in advance
>Replies to this list or to 
>scheirich@eigvs4.una.ac.at


OK, I'll give this one a go...

RUNES are symbols of magical power.  Your association with a rune
allows you to work magic tied to that rune.

For example, you could say that the spell "Ignite" is directly, and
strongly, tied to the Fire rune.  When you learn the spell, you get 
a focus.  Undoubtedly, the Fire rune is carved into that focus, 
showing its relationship to the spell.

Gods too are tied to runes.  Humakt is the god of Death and
Truth.  In fact, his association with Death is so strong that
he is the "owner" of the Death rune.  (Of course, it depends on 
who you ask, as with most things in Glorantha).

Because a god is so intimately tied to his/her runes, gods
are able to do some kick-ass magic: rune magic on a 
"miraculous" scale.

This is where it gets good:

A worshipper, when initiated, sacrifices a point of POW to
the god, right?  This sacrifice establishes a "mystic link"
between the worshipper and the god.

A god is strongly associated with runes.  The initiate
is now linked to the god.  Thus, the initiate now has a 
tie to those runes.  (In math, there is a name for this.
Is it Transitivity???)

Because the initiate is more heavily exposed to those 
certain runes, he has the potential to use appropriate
rune magic.  Worship Yelm, the Sun God, and get Fire
and Light magic.

Getting back to your original question about Rune Lords:

A Rune Lord is an initiate who is _much closer_ to his
god.  Thus his ties to his god's runes are _stronger_.

*** This is where the name RuneQuest comes from ***
A character's "RuneQuest" is his "quest" to become
closer to "runes" of power (i.e. to get more powerful).

As you can see, a Rune Lord (note the title) has
gotten further along his Rune Quest.  He is more 
powerful than most people in society.


Runes are not "things" you get.  They are symbols
of power.  If you worship Yelm, you come closer to
the Fire rune.  If you worship Humakt, you come
closer to the Death rune.  If you are a sorcerer,
you are using your knowledge of all the runes,
modified by the Magic rune, to affect the world
around you (i.e. to cast sorcery spells).


That's about it from me for now,
-David Cheng
 drcheng@sales.stern.nyu.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: esper@cs35b.cs.umn.edu (Dave Sherohman)
Subject: Re: Shadowrun -- Astral Perception and Spells
Organization: University of Minnesota
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1992 01:12:28 GMT

In article <168BC141CB.MHART00@RICEVM1.RICE.EDU> mason writes:
>In article <1992Dec13.194123.19341@news2.cis.umn.edu>
>esper@cs35b.cs.umn.edu (Dave Sherohman) writes:
>>In article <Bz7HB0.5An@jabba.ess.harris.com>                                   rl Jr.) writes:
>>
>>  At any rate, I rule that invisibilty and improved
>>invisibility affect thermographic vision anyhow.  (Rationale 1:  Considering
>>the presence of metaraces with innate termovision and the availability of
>>thermoimagers, why would a mage design this spell without extending its
>>effects into the IR spectrum?  Rationale 2:  Thermovision is sight-based. The
>>spell inhibits sight.  Thus, thermographic _vision_ wouldn't see an invisible
>>person, but a dragon's (non-sight-based) thermographic _sense_ would.)
> 
>  However, the description of the invisibility
>spell specifically states that the spell does not work on thermographic
>wavelengths.
>  If you choose to disregard the rule, then
>that is, of course, your business.

I am aware of this, and I choose to disregard it; this is why I prefaced my
rationales with "I rule that..."  Rationale 2 just seems logical to me, but
I think rationale 1 is the biggie - a mage who would design a spell to just
affect the visible (to humans) E-M spectrum and intentionally omit cloaking
the IR spectrum (unless he wanted to be IR-visible) is an idiot given the
widespread presence of natural and electronic thermal vision.  And if the
original designer chose for some reason to omit IR, someone would modify the
spell to include IR in very short order.

esper@ima.umn.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: geff@iastate.edu (Geff Underwood)
Subject: Re: SRII questions
Organization: none for me, thanks, I'm trying to cut down
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1992 18:05:14 GMT

In article <1992Dec14.111610.2638@bnr.uk> jpmunday@bmdhh336.bnr.ca (Jonathan Munday) writes:
>  A quick couple of questions,
>
>	a) Is the choke on a shotgun set once when the gun is made or is it
>variable? (And if it is variable, how long does it take to change it ?)

In the U.S. today, it depends on the shotgun.  Some gun barrels are
simple tubes with factory-defined choke, and must be changed by a
gunsmith.  Other guns have barrels that any bozo with a screwdriver, a
nail, and a mallet can replace in five or ten minutes, after reading a
pamphlet that any legitimate seller would include with the gun.  The
most convenient kind has screw threads on the inside of the muzzle;
the choke is a tube with threads on the outside, and anybody who needs
more than a minute or two to change those will probably kill himself
while loading.

--
Geff Underwood
geff@iastate.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
From: goodin@fraser.sfu.ca (Charles Frederick Goodin)
Subject: Palladium's newsletter
Organization: Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, B.C., Canada
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1992 22:51:54 GMT

     Palladium's newsletter is toast!  I used to work in a game store, and
when we got really really really slow, I'd even end up reading Palladium 
stuff.  The double-sized newsletter #10, which was mostly Q&A, bragging, and
tentative product release dates, came out in the summer or fall of '91, and
it definitely said that it would be the last one.

     I for one will not miss it.