LibriumArcana.Games

So as I was perusing Drive Thru RPG, I noticed a game that caught my interest. Usually, I look into the game, get some basic information, and let it stop there.

However, I found this review on RPG.net that piqued my interest. Now, on the face of it, it sounds almost exactly like a White Wolf game, and in a way, it is. The die mechanic is very similar (though the damage system is a bit better, and by a bit I mean a lot). The system is pretty good overall, but where it really shines is the setting.

Set in the late 1600's, this is a world where witches, demons, and monsters are all real, and the only defense the common man has against these forces are ancient secret societies that all share a common ancestry to King Solomon, who first recognized the threat of the Adversary. He was unsuccessful in sealing off the world from the evils of creation, but he was able to give mankind a chance to fight back.

You are that chance. After centuries of solitude, persecution, and many mistakes, the great Orders have reunited against the Adversary, with the New World opening up a new and terrible battleground, far from the law and oversight of the civilized world.

Granted the ability to see the Invisible World, to stop the terrors of the Adversary, often able to wield forces of faith, magic, and helpful spirits of the land. Combined with their physical prowess, they are forces to be reckoned with.

However, not all accept Witch Hunters. The Catholic Church distrusts them, and elements of the Church even hunt them. The Natives of the Americas shun their own Ghost Hunters, fearing that by fighting the demons, they have become corrupted.

And corrupted they can be. The forces of the Adversary are many and varied in their methods, and sometimes playing to a Hunters vices are more effective than a force of arms.

Okay, in short, it's a pretty cool game, and the tagline is "Swashbuckling Colonial Horror". It's up there with "Two-Fisted Pulp Superscience in a World at War", and it looks pretty well like it delivers. The print book is $40 or so from Amazon, and the PDF at Drive Thru RPG is about $20.

Don't believe me? There's another five reviews on RPG.net that all speak pretty well of the game, that one is just the most comprehensive.

I might be interested in seeing about running a forum game of this if there is enough interest.

I'm interested :)

I've ordered the book. I'm looking forward to looking through it, after the talks Hotfoot and I have had about it.

I'll probably be picking it up in the near future.

I picked up the book and would like in on it if that's alright.

I'll put you on the list. As it stands I'm going to wait to see if a few more people get the main book, and read some more of the supplements myself before gearing up to run a game. I'd definitely be interested in hearing possible character ideas, of course.

I will most likely be forgoing the raw rules for most things, though proper character creation would be nice to give a rough idea of the character's capabilities and such.

Well I picked up the book and threw together a pilot character just to see what it was like. It's a Scout in the Stalkers of the Unseen Hunt Order. I can type it up and send it to you if you like.

Sure thing, I'd like to see it.

Name: Isaac Altschul
Religion: Judaism
Nationality: German
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 170 lbs
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Blonde

Catalyst: Sole Survivor
Order: Stalkers of the Unseen Hunt
Order Bonus: Receive an extra Basic and Greater talent for free, regardless if prerequisites are met. List of allowed talents listed with description in book.
Background: Scout
Sin: Bloodthirsty, Upon hit with physical weapon (melee or ranged) roll dice equal to Personality, add to damage.
Virtue: Truthful
Hero Points: 5
True Faith: 2
Damnation: 0

Stats
Strength 2
Agility 4
Toughness 3
Education 2
Reason 3
Will 3
Courage 3
Intuition 4
Personality 2
Initiative (Reflex) 7
Defense (Average of Agility + Toughness rounded up) 4

Skills
Archery (Fighting, Agi) Ability 4 + Rank 1 = 5
Hand to Hand (Fighting, Str) Ability 2 + Rank 2 = 4

Empathy (Interaction, Int) Ability 4 + Rank 1 = 5

Acrobatics (Movement, Agi) Ability 4 + Rank 2 = 6
Climb (Movement, Str) Ability 2 + Rank 1 = 3
Jump (Movement, Str) Ability 2 + Rank 1 = 3
Ride (Movement, Agi) Ability 4 + Rank 1 = 5
Stealth (Movement, Agi) Ability 4 + Rank 2 = 6
Swim (Movement, Str) Ability 2 + Rank 1 = 3

Endurance (Reaction, Tou) Ability 3 + Rank 1 = 4
Notice (Reaction, Int) Ability 4 + Rank 1 + Bonus 3 = 8
Reflexes (Reaction, Agi) Ability 4 + Rank 1 + Bonus 2 = 7

Survival (Profession, Int) Ability 4 + Rank 1 = 5
Track (Profession, Int) Ability 4 + Rank 1 = 5
Herbalism (Profession, Edu) Ability 2 + Rank 2 = 4
Navigation (Profession, Int) Ability 4 + Rank 1 = 5

Native Language
German Rank 3 Literate (Native)
English 2 Literate
Spanish 2
Hebrew Literate

Talents
Danger Sense (G): Gain a +2 dice bonus on Reflexes (Agi)
rolls and a +1 dice bonus on Notice (Int) rolls.

Deadeye Shot (G): When you select this talent, choose one skill you have that qualifies for this talent. Whenever wielding a weapon that
uses this skill, you double the weapon’s range.

Attack Focus (B) Composite Bow: Choose one weapon in a Fighting skill that you know. When using this weapon, you reduce the weapon’s complexity by 1. You may select this talent multiple times. Each time, the
benefits apply to a new weapon.

Attack Focus (B) Sword: Choose one weapon in a Fighting skill that you know. When using this weapon, you reduce the weapon’s complexity by 1. You may select this talent multiple times. Each time, the
benefits apply to a new weapon.

Mountaineer (B): Extensive experience in mountainous terrain has honed your muscles and reflexes, allowing you to make ascents with incredible speed. When you roll Climb, ascend 2 yards for every three successes.

Weapons
Composite Bow: Complexity 2 DM +4 Range 30/60/12/240
Size Medium Weight 1.5 lbs Reload 1 Ranged Dice 5 Ammo 20 Arrows

Sword: Complexity 1 DM +3 Range N/A Size Medium Weight 3.5 lbs Melee Dice Using Str 3 Melee Dice Using Agi 5

Hatchet: Complexity 1 DM +2 Range 2/4/8/16 Size Small Weight 3 lbs Melee Dice Using Str 3 Melee Dice Using Agi 5

Armor
Buckskin and Furs: Armor Value 1 Agility Penalty 0
Movement Penalty 0 Weight 2 lbs

Equipment
Backpack
Clothes (2 Changes)
Bedroll
Rope
Tinderbox
Waterskin
Whetstone
Fishing Line and Hook
Rations 3 Days
Torch x3
Mortar and Pestle
Shovel
Hunting Dog

Wealth
Economy Status: Commoner
Yearly Wage: 15 pounds
Money: 4 pounds

Sounds good so far. We'll work out money and stuff later. By the way, the errata changed buckskin and furs to armor rating 1, which rather makes sense given the comparison to other armors. If you want to change your armor based on that, let me know.

Naw I'll keep it. I changed it in the post.

Haizu, from what I know of this system... You can barely talk. Also, is there anything you can do besides hunt down things and kill them?

I'm going to go through your skills a little more carefully a little later, but at first glance, you vastly underspent your languages. First off, level 1 in languages means you talk with extremely broken and basic words, like a kid who had a year of French asking directions in Paris.

You get 3 levels in your native tongue automatically, plus more levels to spend on languages equal to your education score (for you, another three). Even if you want to be literate in both, you'd likely have level 2 in each language, giving you fluency, but with an obvious accent.

Also the points gained by your education score can be used for increasing your native tongue, as well as a second language, but the first three ranks must be for the native tongue.

Additionally, I am going to need to see levels in the skills, because right now I think they are in error. Scouts get 1 level in each of their six core skills, plus ten levels spread throughout the other disciplines, just like every other background. Scouts, however, only get one free point to spend on fighting-related skills. As a result, it is impossible for you to have two levels in archery and one in hand to hand.

Thank you for the heads up on the languages, I didn't know. I've never used this system before so I'm still figuring everything out. As for the Archery, yes I can. You were right when you said you only get 1 extra point in Fighting skills as a Scout, which I put into Archery. If you look at my talents however, there is one called Skilled Hand to Hand. Taking that talent allows me to choose any skill I like and tag it to that talent, making it into a Background Skill for said character and can be upgraded like any other background skill. And as for your comment Frigid, I'm still working on the character. I posted it so that people who have never used this system (like me) can have something to look at to help them out. I was thinking that maybe since he spends most of his time in the wilds, he could be a hunter by trade. If you have a better suggestion please let me know, I'm always open to them.

Making something a background skill does not give it a free level, however, it just makes all further increases to the skill cost as though it were a class skill rather than as a non-class skill.

Okay, the rest of the expenditures are legit, though you may want to consider putting some points into things that would let you survive in the wild if you're going for a deep woods hunter type.

If you want to keep hand to hand, you'll have to drop a level from archery to make it a legal purchase.

Alright my bad. I fixed it. Apparently I had forgotten to allocate my Profession skills. I have now done so. I also changed the Hand to Hand and Archery skills.

It should also be noted that the way languages work is that becoming literate costs a level of advancement, so with your free language points, you could be Level 2 (Literate), or Level 3, but not Level 3 (Literate) without spending bonus professional points.

Alright, changed the languages. Anything else?

Character Name: Alejandro Trastámara
Player Name: Alan V.
Religion: Catholic
Nationality: Spain
Background: Courtier (Special Ability: Connected)
Social Standing: Merchant
Catalyst: The Witness
Order: The Crusaders Inviolate
Sin: Perfectionist
Virtue: Prudent
Hero Points: 5
Damnation: 0
True Faith: 2
Reflexes: 4
Defense: 3/4 (+1 due to Armor)
Survival Points: 20 total/0 current

Abilities
Strength: 3
Agility: 3
Toughness: 3
Education: 4
Reason: 2
Will: 3
Courage: 3
Intuition: 3
Personality: 3

Skills
Fighting
Hand to Hand (Strength/Agility): 3 levels and 1 Bonus (7)
Interaction
Charm (Personality): 2 levels (5)
Deceive (Personality): 1 level and 2 bonus (6)
Command (Courage): 1 level and 1 bonus (5)
Movement
Acrobatics (Agility): 1 level (4)
Professional
Gossip (Personality): 1 level (4)
Perform - Oratory (Personality) : 1 level (4)
Myth and Lore (Education): 1 level (5)
Subterfuge (Agility): 1 level (4)
Reaction
Parry (Agility): 1 level (4)
Notice (Intuition): 1 level (4)
Reflexes (Agility): 1 level (4)
Resolve (Courage): 1 level (4)
Special
Inner Circle (All Abilities): 1 level

Talents
Charismatic (Reduce charm difficulty by 1)
Incredible Actor (+2 deceive, extend deceive effects)
Attack Focus - Rapier (Reduce weapon's complexity by 1)
Commanding Presence (+1 command, reduce difficulty by 2)
Skilled (Resolve is a background skill)
Unreadable (+2 deceive against Empathy)
Expertise (+1 bonus die to Hand to Hand)

Languages
Native Language (Spanish) Rank 3 (Literate)
Latin 2 (Literate)
Italian 2 (Literate)
French 1 (Literate)
English 1 (Literate)
2 Levels of Languages Banked (Education 4)

Wealth
Starting Wealth 32 pounds and 2 crowns
Income 75 pounds/year

Goods and Gear
The Gentleman's Kit (9 pounds and 1 crown)
Riding Horse (5 pounds)
Saddle (2 pounds)
Saddlebags (5s)

Clothing and Accessories
Belt (2s)
Cloak (5s)
Garb, Gentleman's (6 pounds)
Long Coat (10s)
Ring, Fine (5 pounds)

Equipment
Backpack (8d)
Bedroll (4d)
Blanket (6d)
Candle, Wax (6d)
Chalk, 3 pcs (3f)
Incense, stick 3 pcs (15s)
Prayer Book (3s)
Tinderbox x4(4s)
Waterskin (1s)
Whetstone (3f)

Food and Drink
Rations, 3 days (15d)

Weapons
Ornate Rapier [Complexity: 1/0*, Damage +2, Medium, 2lbs, T4]
Dagger [Complexity 0, Damage +1, Small, 1 lb, T4]

Armor
Fencing Jacket [Armor: 1, Agility Penalty: 0, Movement Penalty: 0]

They both look good, though Haizu might want to bank a few language points just in case he ends up being completely unable to communicate with the rest of the party.

Character Name: Smith Gaslighter
Religion: Deist
Nationality: English
Background: Occultist(Ignore +1 Diff for enacting rite from written source)
Social Standing: Artisan
Catalyst: The Damned
Order: The Lightbringers(Education speciality, may use instead to gain +1 against Accursed Humans)
Sin: Greedy
Virtue: Merciful
True Faith: 1
Hero Points: 15
Damnation: 0
Defense: 3

Abilities:
Strength: 2
Agility: 3
Toughness: 2
Education: 5
Reason: 4
Will: 3
Courage: 1
Intuition: 2
Personality: 2

Abilities:
Concentrate 1 (4)
Occult 1(6)
Research 1(5)
Trained Knowledge(Science) 1(6)
Firearms 4 (8)
Charm 1(3)
Parry 2(5)
Drive: 1(4)
Sorcerous Tradition 5(10)

Languages: Literacy: Latin alphabet. Speech: Latin 4, Spanish 2, English 3

Talents
Basic Hermeticism
Basic Rite(Eldritch Blast)
Basic Rite(Sigil Of Warding)
Bookworm
Skilled: Firearms

Gear:
Dagger
Tinderbox
Two changes of tradesman's garb
Chisel
Hammer
Hat
File
Lamp
Pouch
Handsaw
Twenty four nails
Sack
Backpack
Pistol
Four pounds powder and shot

Money on hand: 14 pounds

"Reason does not always make us Wise." - Smith after being allowed to renounce his past and dark powers of Necromancy.

Banked: 1 dot of languages

Okay, I'll go over Nitram's skills in a moment, but his Attributes are fine, as are Marcao's. Haizu, you're 10 points overspent on your attributes, one of your 3's will have to drop down to a 2 to bring you in line with the 100 point limit.

This sounds interesting. Mind if I join in the middle of the game? I may not be able to get a copy soon.

Shouldn't be too much of a problem. Signs and portents, and all