HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: caw@gtech.com (Christopher A. White)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: GURPS: Spontaneous NPCs
Date: 14 Apr 92 21:21:56 GMT
Organization: GTECH Corporation, West Greenwich, RI

I use three dice rolls:
	The first is whether or not there is an encounter. Generally a roll
	greater than 10 indicates an encounter. This is, of course, subject
	to modifiers. This can also be used to indicate the number of 
	entities in the encounter. A high roll here can still be dangerous
	(or beneficial) even if the next roll is low.

	The second is the power of the encounter. A roll below 10 is an 
	animal or some such thing. Higher rolls mean higher "power" to the 
	encounter. 

	The third is the disposition to the players. Higher is better and also
	determines a bit more of who or what they are encountering. A very
	high roll means they've encountered "just what they need" in this 
	power level. A very low roll means they've encountered an incarnation
	of murphy's law. I use it to determine if the encounter can give aid
	or information.

The encounters play very much to the situation. I pick ads/disads, powers,
and personality from arch-types, generally from literature. I also use
general skill/attribute values for the random NPC's. Generally pick 3 - 4
numbers to represent categories, then just think in terms of "medium int,
low health, medium-high attack skill, etc."

I tend to run a fairly improvisational game, having only global aims and 
occurences in mind. Everything else happens improvisationally, based on 
what the players most or least expect to happen. 

The most important thing is to have mental images of your arch-types firmly
in place; with that, you can substitute from a pool of 3 or 4 numbers for
each _critical_ category (skill/attribute). It runs a lot looser than most
GM's are comfortable with, but once you get used to it you have a lot more
flexibility. 

I've never had a player able to tell my improvisational characters from my
planned-out-got-a-complete-character-sheet characters, because I have a firm
vision of the character in my mind -- the personality is strong enough to 
override a lack of entries on the character sheet.

Well, I hope this helps. Take it and do whatever you want with it. I've found
that you can greatly enhance your game with this meathod because you can 
tailor the random characters to your game situation.

-- Topher

+------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Christopher A. White        | The opinions expressed herein are most   |
| GTECH Corporation           | likely not those of GTECH Corporation    |
| 55 Technology Way           | (or anyone else for that matter). If     |
| West Greenwich, RI  02816   | they happen to be the same, its not my   |
|                             | fault.                                   |
| caw@gtech.com               |                                          |
|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| "rational romantic mystic cynical idealist"  -- Rush                   |
+------------------------------------------------------------------------+
From: boelter3945@iscsvax.uni.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: Paralysis effects
Date: 15 Apr 92 16:09:40 -0500
Organization: University of Northern Iowa

In article <54683@hydra.gatech.EDU>, gt3622a@prism.gatech.EDU (Jonathan Hart) writes:
> What happens if you're Psionic and paralyzed ?  
> 
> Can I still Psi Blast the mage or Telekinese objects onto/into/at him.
> 
> If paralysis only keeps your *BODY* from functioning then I would say yes.
> 
> Any other opinions ?
> 
> --Jon.

   Absolutely correct.  It's only your voluntary muscles which are paralyzed
(this excludes the heart and lungs).  Your mind is still just as active as
before the paralysis.  Case in point, a mage in a campaign one time had a
levitate going, got paralyzed.  So the mage just concentrated and floated all
the way up to the ceiling (it was an underground cave, high ceiling :-).

   So for your example, yes you could use your psionics quite easily.

                                        John "Nightwind" Boelter

--
*******************************************************************************
* John Boelter        a.k.a. Nightwind            boelter3945@iscsvax.uni.edu *
* Organizational Manager and contact person for everything and then some.     *
*******************************************************************************
* I don't know, I don't care, I don't want * They're fleeing the wrong way!!  *
* to know, and I don't want to care.       *        -confused adventurer-     *
*        -Martian Manhunter-               ************************************
*        -Justice League International-    * Why is the DM smiling like that? *
*******************************************************************************
From: slb3y@cc.usu.edu (Unterhund)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: Inspired character names
Date: 15 Apr 92 15:12:52 GMT
Article-I.D.: cc.1992Apr15.091252.54492
Organization: United Order of Non-joiners

> From article <15Apr92065528@miracle.com>, by sue%miracle@merk.com
(The Dragon Queen):
>> Well, one more thread can't hurt..... :-)
>> 
>> Here's a question:  What's the silliest or most unusual name you've
>> ever given a character?
>> 
     Wasn't my character, but my friend doesn't have net access.

     Champions character, started as a talented normal, 8d6EB, 8
levels of Growth w/activation roll for each level, +8 speed.  Each d6
of Energy Blast and each +1 SPD was Linked to one level of Growth. 
Also, he became increasingly reptilian as he grew, and the EB was a
breath weapon.  Name:  Speedy Godzilla.
-- 
|==========================Patrick S. Clark==========================|
|            "When the world's in trouble I am not slow.             |
|                So it's hip-hip-hip and away I go!"                 |
|==Internet:  slb3y@cc.usu.edu===================Bitnet:  slb3y@usu==|
From: urban@stout.atd.ucar.edu (Art Urban (PROFS))
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: GURPS combat time.
Date: 7 Apr 92 16:39:22 GMT
Organization: Atmospheric Technology Division/NCAR, Boulder, CO

>One thing I tried was when we went into combat mode no one could talk.
>Each person had to write down what they were doing for the next two
>seconds.  Speach was limited to 5 workds or less per second. After each
>second of combat they had to write down what they were doing 2 seconds
>from then.  It was lots of fun as the players stumbled around and got in
>each others way (one guy leapt onto a table just as another guy grabbed
>it with poltergeist and hurled it at the foes! :-).  But I decided it
>took too long and haven't used it since.
>
>An easy solution to this is to allow each player 5 seconds (or less) to
>state what they are doing when their turn comes up.  Can't decide?  Too
>bad!  They stand there looking dumb.  Roll defensive manuevers at the
>same time as offensive ones too.

I'm currently in the process of making GURPS combat cards for all my players.
I suppose you could use them to have all the players select their next action
all at once, but this would prevent them from intelligently responding to
their adversary. I, too, am very sensitive to pc-hive-mentality, but so far
there is no good solution.

--
Art Urban 					       urban@stout.atd.ucar.edu
===============================================================================
 "It's a long way down to the bottom of the warp core..." -STNG
===============================================================================
From: jbrown@milton.u.washington.edu (Jeffery Brown)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: SR: Courier Archetype??
Date: 6 Apr 92 16:58:10 GMT
Organization: University of Washington, Seattle

In article <0drvHOq00VpZQ5iG51@andrew.cmu.edu> gj0b+@andrew.cmu.edu (Gray Brennan Jones) writes:
>
>Anyone have any ideas for a courier archetype?  Here are a few of
>mine:
>
>Around 300 MP of headware memory
>Datajack
>Datalock, Filters, etc.
>Lots of Corp Ettiquette skill
>Hand Gun Permit

Add:
Lots in at least one vehicle skill; car or rotor.
Probably a specialization in a particular pistol.

>Maybe some dermal plates or something to help survive combat
Maybe; maybe just the best unobtrusive armor money can buy.

>Does anybody think this type of runner would be fun to play?
You bet.  We have one (actually a courier/driver) in our group.
She isn't as combat-oriented as she might be, but she has huge
amounts of charm/negotiate/etc.  The player specified her as
looking like one of the Swedish Bikini Team bimbos, with a very
good dumb blonde act, but she's *not* dumb...

>Courier type missions could be very lucrative.
Could be, but part of the pricetag probably includes -- when
time allows -- the cost of cosmetic surgery to rework the
courier's looks.  If possible, you DON'T want to look the
same twice.
---
Jeff Brown         Mage of the Seven Towers
Astronomy Dept.    jbrown@u.washington.edu
U. of Washington   jbrown@phast.phys.washington.edu
From: mscs057@vax1.mankato.msus.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: Sorcerer's Guild
Date: 8 Apr 92 23:29:05 GMT
Article-I.D.: vax1.1992Apr8.172905.1683
Organization: Mankato State University

For any one making a guild, do it yourself for that is what role playing is all
about.
From: hd@reef.cis.ufl.edu (Haiquan Dai)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Gaming Stuff For Sale / Trade
Date: 9 Apr 92 05:21:37 GMT
Article-I.D.: uflorida.35052
Organization: Univ. of Florida CIS Dept.


 The Following are items for Trade or Sale. High bid takes item. I prefer
trade and will trade before selling. I am interested in just about anything 
tradewise :) So ask! Bidding will go on for a week or so.
If you want stuff now, make a trade or bid high!

Prices listed are minimum bids. Prices can go lower, if you are buying alot
of stuff. Prices do not include shipping. Shipping will be via UPS for the most
part.

D & D:
Adventures:          
Under the Storm Giants Castle  [JG]                  5$
Castle GreyHawk                                      7$
Basic D&D [Blue Book]                                3$
The Caverns of Thracia [JG]                          5$
Dungeon Masters Adventure Log                        2$

Traveller:
Box Set Plus Book 0 and Understanding Traveller [w/ Box]   8$
Double Adventure 2                                         3$
Journal of the Travellers Aid Society 18, 19, 20, 22       4$ each
Best of JTAS 3                                             4$
Rebellion suppl [MegaTraveller]                            5$
Traveller Book                                             8$

CyberSpace                                                 6$

Magazines:
Star Drive #1     3$                             
Adventurer #11    3$
Heroes #3         3$
White Dwarf 68    3$
Advent Club #2    3$

Misc:
High Fantasy                                         5$
GangBusters     TSR box plus GB#2                    7$        
Ace of Aces - Wingleader  Nova Games                 15$
Uncle Alberts 2038 Catalog Update                    2$
Fantasy Wargaming                                    7$


send mail to hd@reef.cis.ufl.edu
From: rayres@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Russell W Ayres)
Subject: Re: GURPS: Spontaneous NPCs
Organization: The Ohio State University
Date: Mon, 13 Apr 1992 22:43:02 GMT


Easy: wing those babies.  Create any NPC that you need for the situation.  If 
your NPC needs a skill, invent one appropriate for the NPC in question, and at 
an appropriate challenge for the PCs.  Make up no more details than you 
absolutely need.  GURPS NPCs need be no more complicated that in any other game
system.  Just create what you need for the moment.

--Bill
From: krischel@nunki.usc.edu (Blackstar)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: SR: waiting for the falmes :-)
Date: 10 Apr 1992 16:53:46 -0700
Organization: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
NNTP-Posting-Host: nunki.usc.edu

In article <RATINOX.92Apr10190911@splinter.coe.northeastern.edu> ratinox@splinter.coe.northeastern.edu writes:
>vanor> Also has any one ever thoght about posting stuf about Shadowrun
>vanor> tricks like when you have both a smartgun link and vission mag. that
>vanor> you can shot at any rage and still have a target number of 2
>
>This is a hack. You don't get a higher target number for range because it's
>harder to see, you get it because the further away the target is, the
>harder it is to hit. It don't matter that you can see a fly perfectly well
>at 100 meters, or a human-sized target at over 1 kilometer, it's still
>going to be nigh-impossible to hit either with a handgun.

Chummer, a smartgun link will give you a -2 to your target number.  Anything
at short range will have a target number of (4-2)=2.  Vision magnification
will negate any range penalties, and with enough vision mag, you'll reduce
the "effective" range back to short, and the target number back to 2.

The trick isn't that you can see a fly at 100m, the trick is that a smartgun
will put a happy little dot on your retina telling you *exactly* where your
weapon is pointing.  It *will* help to have magnified vision in hitting a 
target at far range, cause you can see that happy dot even better....though
the point is well taken....


>If you're using a target-shooting rifle or a sniper rifle, it's a different
>story, however, because they *DO* have the range and accuracy.
>

That's why rifles have greater max-ranges than pistols.  A pistol may peter
out before it hits a quarter click, whereas a sniper rifle will blow someone's
brains out at a 2 clicks....


>--Rat
>--


>>>>>>[Darkwind]<<<<<<



Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
From: laurence@cco.caltech.edu (Dustin Lee Laurence)
Subject: Re: CHAMP: 1/2d6 vs d6-1
Organization: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
Distribution: usa
Date: Mon, 13 Apr 1992 04:05:32 GMT

ratinox@meceng.coe.northeastern.edu (Richard Pieri/Stainless Steel Rat) writes:

>>>>>> On 10 Apr 92 23:53:13 GMT, I said:

[...]

>laurence> It is in FH, at least, under optional rules.  Might also be in
>laurence> Ninja Hero.  I think that the rule is that if your roll is less
>laurence> than half what you need, they you do a maximum damage hit.

>It is in Ninja Hero, it works as you describe, and is marked by that
>now-familiar ``STOP'' sign and a big warning saying: this is wildly
>unbalancing and makes combat extremely lethal.

>From several bad experiences with these kinds of rules, DO NOT USE THEM
>UNLESS YOU WANT CHARACTERS TO DIE. They *WILL* die. I've lost two
>characters this way, both senselessly, because someone was lucky enough to
>roll a 3 with attacks they'd normally have survived.

There's always the Kreitler "I didn't really mean it" rule: Critical
hits can take you down, but they can't kill you.  This was invented
by a friend of mine for games where he used his own version of critical
hits which was even more chancy than the official one (double damage
on 4's and triple damage on 3's).

He often wanted criticals in games where mass player death was
inappropriate, so he invented the above rule.  You could die on a normal
hit, but a critical hit that took your body score below -BODY was not
allowed to outright kill you (but it took you DOWN, and you might be in a
coma for days or weeks).  I might also add that he also applied the
healing rule normally.  My very lightly armored swordsman once took nearly
triple maximum damage to one of the vital areas from a trained war-tiger;
I think months later I could hobble, with help.  Happened at about the
last possible second before help arrived, too.

It's not appropriate for games of grim and gritty death, of course, but
it works well for games in which heros are often taken down by a mighty
blow but not often killed.  I think that if I were using such a rule, I'd
use it with the standard critical rule rather than Mark's.  But that's a
matter of taste.

It also had one odd "saved by the bell" feature; once in a great while,
a critical hit would take a character down who would likely have been
killed had he/she continued fighting.  You might want to roll damage
anyway for purposes of deciding whether the critical actually killed the
hero.  On the other hand, this will again (slightly) increase the
lethality level of the game.

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

laurence@alice.wonderland.caltech.edu
From: jik20815@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (John Iv Kovacik)
Subject: Re: stupid PC tricks
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Fri, 17 Apr 1992 00:37:14 GMT

Then there was Saradorax the mage. Up against a lich, he throws his lightning
bolts (no effect), his blasts of cold (ditto), his fireballs (no effect - the
lich had a permanent cold fire shield). Already cast a Shape Change spell.
The lich grins (not having much choice) and says 'My turn'. 

At this point, Saradorax changes himself into a giant cheesecake in a 
desperate attempt to confuse the lich. The lich, being confused, fireballs the
cheesecake. Saradorax shouts out 'I surrender'. The lich, not being fluent in
Cheesecakese, fireballs it again...

					- Biff the Wonder Twit
From: bilbo@bisco.kodak.com (Charles Tryon)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: The Towers
Keywords: STORY GreyEagle
Date: 7 Apr 92 17:21:47 GMT
Article-I.D.: ssd.1992Apr7.172147.16567
Organization: Eastman Kodak Company; Rochester, NY


  In case anyone is interested, I've made a few pictures (actually, only
  two so far) to include in the story as I work on it in FrameMaker(TM).
  They are in X bitmap form, though it's pretty easy to convert to other
  formats.  They are small (128x128), monochrome, and include one of
  GreyEagle and one of a diving eagle.

  Hey, it's a start!  :-)


--
Chuck Tryon
    bilbo@bisco.kodak.com                                 B. Baggins
    << Kodak and I don't always share opinions. >>        At Your Service
 ____________________________________________________________________
   REAL Bicyclists don't take abuse from motorists, they drop them.
                                          -- Dan Mocsny
From: brunner@kazoo.ssd.loral.com (Brian Brunner)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: SRUN: Heavy weapons as sidearms
Keywords: fool
Date: 13 Apr 92 19:21:46 GMT
Reply-To: brunner@kazoo.ssd.loral.com (Brian Brunner)
Organization: Space Systems/Loral

With no intentions but to inflame the network, Brunner leaps in...

In article <RATINOX.92Apr10191725@splinter.coe.northeastern.edu>
, ratinox@splinter.coe.northeastern.edu (Richard Pieri/Stainless Steel Rat)
writes:

!!
!!Peronsally, I like medium caliber (9mm) machine pistols. Small, deadly, and
!!you can fit a sound supressor on them quite easilly.
!!
!!--Rat

The 9mm is really just a .45 Cal  on stun.

--
HELP!! Somebody slapped a "stop payment" on my sanity check!!
brunner@kazoo.ssd.loral.com; Space Systems/Loral; Palo Alto, Calif.
Black Holes... the /dev/null of the Universe; the opinion of 65534.
From: sjs28257@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Steve Stelter)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: 100-DICE
Date: 10 Apr 92 21:10:06 GMT
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana

bibaert@eursus (Hans Baert) writes:

>Hello Everybody,
>Can anybody supply me with a 100 sided dice?
>I need it for ADD. Please reply by mail if you know where i can buy them.
>Greetings,
>				       Hans.


I've used 100-sided dice before.  It's like rolling a golf ball.
From: klaus@diku.dk (Klaus Ole Kristiansen)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: RQ: trollkin curse (was Re: RQ question)
Date: 7 Apr 92 07:34:16 GMT
Organization: Department of Computer Science, U of Copenhagen

al@calsci (Al Petterson) writes:

>In article <1992Apr3.033641.27338@samba.oit.unc.edu>
>George.Harris@bbs.oit.unc.edu (George Harris) writes:

>>        Well, Gbaji/Nysalor was angry at the opposition of the Trolls and
>>Dragonewts, and, being a god, could do something about it.  So, he cursed the
>>two races.  Since G/N was born of a Dragon Egg, his curse was Draconic, and
>>the Dragonewts were unaffected.  The Trolls were not so lucky.

>As I heard the legend, the 'newts simply woke up a True Dragon, which ate
>the curse and went back to sleep.  Nice having powerful relatives.

>>Some time later a Troll Heroquestor lifted
>>part of the curse, so that trollkin were born in litters.

>Again, I heard it differently.  Trollkin were always born in litters;  the
>"partial breaking" of the curse, done by Cragspider the Firewitch, was the
>creation of Great Trolls.

The enlo were not always born in litters, the litters are a result of an
unsuccessful attempt to break the curse. This is from one of the RQIII
Glorantha boxes.

Klaus O K
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
From: betel@camelot.bradley.edu (Robert Crawford)
Subject: Re: Herb List Needed
Organization: Bradley University
Date:  9 Apr 92 22:37:03 GMT


	Buy _The_Herb_Book_ by John Lust. Over 2000 herbs, with food,
medicinal, and dye uses. A wonderful sourcebook.


--
2.  NEVER EVER, get into a foxhole with someone braver than yourself.
 
Robert Crawford				betel@camelot.bradley.edu
From: ar2j+@andrew.cmu.edu (Anthony Russell Rosania)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: Lich Killing Advice Needed
Date: 10 Apr 92 09:33:32 GMT
Organization: Freshman, Drama, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA

You have two choices:

1: Run
2: Die

					Ant
From: pkokko@vipunen.hut.fi (Petri J Kokko)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
Subject: Re: ADND2: Help with Dual-Class
Date: 9 Apr 92 11:08:05 GMT
Reply-To: pkokko@vipunen.hut.fi (Petri J Kokko)
Organization: Helsinki University of Technology

To be dual classed, you need outrageous scores, and if you do meet
them to qualify, you are after a while a super person, who has
the powers of the two classes AND the high stats.

At least I think, that if someone is very good in using magic, he
is less likely to change into a fighter. Just like an expert in a
special field won`t just suddenly want to change into an expert of 
another field. I think it is the opposite. Those who cannot learn
to use magic in its richest form tend to learn something else,
like swordsplay, to help them with their minor magic.

This in mind we designed the following system and dropped the
dual class altogether (the demi humans use this system too, and do 
not multi class, but that is up to the DMs and players, we just
liked it that way):

A character can switch a class any time he wants to regardless of
his stats (but, of course, he must have someone to teach him the
basics of that class). When this happens, he stops earning xp for
his earlier class and every xp goes to his new class (starting at
zero). Seems like the old dual class..., but:

When this character earns xp, lets say 400 xp, he LOSES that
amount from the xp total of his earlier class, and he gains
800 xp in his new class (the 400 he earned plus the 400 from the
earlier class).

The character can use any abilities he want to, but eventually the
xp total of his old class reaches zero and he is just one member of 
the new class. The abilities, earned hit points, and everything go
down when the xp total diminishes, but he gets new hit points and
new abilities as he gains in levels with his new class.

It is possible to switch classes as often as you like, and be a
fighter/thief/priest/mage/dragon (OK, just kidding), but eventually
the character is a member of just one class.

This system was first presented like this, but it made class
switches too advantageous, so we changed it so that the xps were
not transferred from the old class (they were just lost). This
made the changing of a class a pain, and nobody did it in the end.
Thus, we made a compromise and now half of the lost xp is transferred
to the new class (i.e the character earns 400 xp, loses 400 from
his old class, and gains a bonus of 200 xp to his new class).
This gain-half-system has worked fine quite long. The high-stat
characters tend not to switch to another class (they lose too much),
but some of the average ones just want to be the jacks-of-trade.

-- 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Petri Kokko  Imagine a world without life, just rocks, seas and blowing winds.
pkokko@vipu  One day one rock says to another rock: "Rather nice day, isn`t 
hut.fi      it?". The other rock says nothing, because rocks don`t talk.
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp