RPG Rules & Introduction (obsolete)

Create and trade characters and discuss aspects of the RPG.

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Tarbo
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RPG Rules & Introduction (obsolete)

Post by Tarbo »

Introduction

Hello and welcome to the Druchii.net RPG!

How to join

It is rather easy to participate in the DNet RPG. All you require is a computer with internet access, a membership in DNet, and an active imagination! Using these three, you can make a Dark Elf character of your own, and be led around the Olde World by a host in a quest for riches, fame, or even just plain mayhem.

Read through the Character Creation rules below, post a character into the Character Creation thread, and you're ready to get picked for a group. When a host is looking for players, he'll go through the list and (hopefully!) pick yours, and you'll be ready to play a game.


How to play

Where? The RPG takes place on a forum; this means that we put our character's actions and interactions in a thread dedicated to the group you're in. This thread is exclusive to you and the other members of your group: only you and other group members are allowed to post in there. Using a forum has the advantage of being able to be descriptive without being pressed for time or space. However, there is also a downside: we cannot immediately react to other characters' actions. It's something you need to keep in mind on occasion.

When? Posting happens within a timeframe specified by your host. Some hosts use a set timeframe (e.g. 72 hours) while others set a new date with each one passed. Whichever's the case, it is your responsibility as a player in the group to post at least once in that timeframe.

How? The RPG is free form: any taken actions are judged by the host of the group and checked for success depending on circumstances and the quality of the player's posts (whether the host uses a specific system or acts on whim and description is up to him or her to decide). As a consequence, you cannot control anyone other than yourself without the host's approval; e.g. you can say you push someone, but not that she falls because of it.


Relevant Links

Listed here are links relevant to the RPG and its mechanics. At a minimum, you are expected to read and understand the topics under Rules & Mechanics; others links are provided for reference and convenience.


    Usefuls
  • Character Pool -- Where player characters await joining a group
  • Tales of Vikarh -- Short stories about Vikarh, an important (fictional) city in the RPG

    Articles & Series
  • Creating a character (1, 2, 3)
  • Posting Guidelines (1, 2)
Last edited by Tarbo on Mon Sep 24, 2007 10:29 am, edited 5 times in total.
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Tarbo
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Item Rules

Post by Tarbo »

Weapons & Equipment

A character is limited to the amount of equipment they can wear. Each character can have:
  • 1 cloak;
  • 1 suit of armour (if they are allowed to wear it);
  • 1 shield.


The total hinderance of a character may not exceed 5 at any time.

MELEE EQUIPMENT: These are the weapons the DNet characters use in hand-to-hand combat.

Melee items have 2 stats: Power and Speed. The weaker weapons are usually faster, whereas the stronger weapons are usually slower. These number can help you decide what kind of weapon you would want. Once again, these stats go from 1-5.

Dagger (Combat): 10 gold.
Power: 1. Speed: 5.

Short Sword: 25 gold.
Power 2. Speed: 4.

Spear (Infantry): 30 gold.
Power 3. Speed 4/2. [4 in the start of combat, then drops].

Long Sword: 50 gold.
Power 3. Speed 3.

Spear (Cavalry): 60 gold.

Power 3. Speed 4. [Can only be used mounted]

Bastard Sword: 75 gold.
Power 4. Speed 3.

Halberd: 75 gold.
Power 5. Speed 2. [Uses 2 hands]

Lance: 100 gold.
Power 5. Speed 3. [Can only be used mounted]

Draich: 120 gold.
Power 5. Speed 1. [Uses 2 hands] [Adds +20% chance for a Killing Blow]

RANGED EQUIPMENT: These are the weapons the DNet characters use to inflict pain from afar.

Ranged items have 3 stats: Power, Reload Speed, and Range. The weaker weapons are usually faster to reload, whereas the stronger weapons are usually slower. These number can help you decide what kind of weapon you would want. Once again, these stats go from 1-5.

Dagger (Throwing): 5 gold apiece [Max 4]
Power: 1. Speed: 5. Range: 1

Shortbow: 20 gold.
Power 2. Speed: 4. Range 3

Light Crossbow: 25 gold.
Power 3. Speed: 3. Range 2

Bow: 40 gold.
Power 3. Speed: 4. Range 4.

Crossbow: 50 gold.
Power 4. Speed 3. Range 3.

Longbow: 75 gold.
Power 3. Speed 3. Range 5.

Repeater Crossbow: 100 gold.
Power 3. Speed 4. Range 3.

ARMOUR

Armour is used to [obviously] protect the wearer from harm. There are various types of armour available to the Dark Elves. However, Trainees of Khaine may not take any armour other than the Cloak. Armours have 2 Stats: Protection and Hinderance. The lower the protection, the lower the hinderance usually is. Hinderance is there to show the effects of encumberance on the players. These stats go from 1-5 as well.


Cloaks: These can be worn over armour, and will add to the hinderance of the other armour worn.

Cloak: 10 gold.
Protection 1. Hinderance 1.

Shade Cloak: 50 gold.
Protection 1. Hinderance 1. (Stealth Bonus)

Sea Dragon Cloak: 200 gold.
Protection 2/3. [2 Melee, 3 Ranged]. Hinderance 1.


Armours: These are usually suits of armour, from leather to chain to plate.

Light Armour: 50 gold.
Protection 2. Hinderance 1.

Medium Armour: 100 gold.
Protection 3. Hinderance 2.

Heavy Armour: 150 gold.
Protection 4. Hinderance 3.

Shields: These can be combined with armour. Anyone using a shield can only weild one weapon in a melee, and may not weild a weapon that uses 2 hands. These stack with armour as well as cloaks.

Buckler: 25 gold.
Protection 1. Hinderance 1.

Shield: 50 gold.
Protection 2. Hinderance 2.
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Tarbo
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Skill Rules

Post by Tarbo »

Skills

Druchii characters also start with and develop skills as they progress in the game.

Acrobatics:
Prerequisites: (Dexterity 4)
Your character is able to perform feats of agility that leave other Druchii astounded. Want to run up the wall, do a back-flip, cleave the Marauder’s head clean off, land in a roll and then jump up to castrate another one? Well, this is the skill for you then. This does not represent natural agility, which is Dexterity, with this skill, your character has made a conscious effort to improve how limber they are.

Ambidexterity:
Prerequisites: (Dexterity 5)
Contrary to popular belief, in the Warhammer World it is possible to train yourself to use your off hand as well as your main hand, causing you to become Ambidextrous. Normally, using your off hand instead of your main hand is of detriment to your combat ability and, normally, your health but, with the training provided by this skill, you can use your off hand with the same effect. This skill becomes more useful when combined with Two Weapon Fighting, allowing two weapons of the same size to be used at the same time.

Awareness:
Prerequisites: (Intelligence 4 and Level 2)
Your recent battles have made you more aware of your surroundings than ever before, you seem to sense when a blow is incoming, and you react before the thought enters your mind. You seem able to dodge blows, not because of your speed, but, because you seem to be able to anticipate where they will be coming from. You have a sixth sense for trouble, you can just sense if it is coming.

Basic Stealth:
Prerequisites: (Shade OR Dexterity 4 and Intelligence 4)
The ability to blend in with your surroundings… not only hiding from someone searching from you by blending into the shadows, but also blending into a crowd of people by looking inconspicuous and not attracting the wrong sort of attention, if you attract any at all. The ability to hold yourself motionless and to slow down your breathing, making yourself almost invisible with the right conditions.

Blind Fighting:
Prerequisites: (Intelligence 4, Weapon Skill 5, Awareness and Level 2)
You have trained yourself to operate in pitch blackness, whether as a result of natural environments or in terms of magical blindness (although you have probably never felt that effect) and, although your skills are not the same, you are better than someone without this skill. It is a mixture of anticipation, your own sixth sense and your skill with weapons.

Bluff:
Prerequisites: (Intelligence 4)
The ability to confuse and exasperate other Druchii (mostly) with extravagant hand gestures, fast talking, innuendo and anything like that, all to try and convince the Druchii that you mean what you say. Want to convince that Druchii Noble that you are actually in the city militia and have the Commander’s warrant to prove it… when it is actually a blank piece of paper? This is the skill for you.

Climb:
Prerequisites: (Dexterity 4)
When you get down to it, climbing a tree and climbing the crumbling stone of an old building is not actually that different and, with this skill, you can do both. Maybe your character grew up in the wilds (Shade) and had to climb many a tree to escape the predators of the wild. Maybe your character was a bit more unsavoury and has a history of lying in wait for someone, say, on top of a building, before picking them off.

Controlled Frenzy:
Prerequisites: (Trainee, Frenzy and Level 3)
The skill/ability that makes Druchii who get this far without their mind cracking the scariest fuckers you are ever likely to meet. The ability to turn their Frenzy on and off like a tap and, more, be in complete control whilst they are under the red mist makes them incredibly destructive in melee combat. They strike harder, faster and with more accuracy… the only bad think about any Frenzy is there is no thought to self defence, only the kill, and even this level of Frenzy cannot stop that.

Defensive Fighting:
Prerequisites: (Weapon Skill 3 and Dexterity 4)
The art of not being hit by your opponents in melee combat. This is not about parrying, that comes later in a melee combatant’s arsenal, this is the art of dodging the blows of your opponent and making him believe that you are going to attack him in a certain place, when you have no plan to, thus making you harder to hit. Also, this allows you to make snarky comments at your opponent’s expense about how hard you are to hit.

Disguise:
Prerequisites: (Intelligence 5 and/or Dexterity 4)
This is not just about looking like someone, it is about affecting their natural mannerisms and their attitude as well… although it is always helped with a little bit of makeup. Your character could be a natural mimic (Intelligence) or very good at copying how people move and act (Dexterity) or… you could be brilliant at both of them, making it hard for even people who know you to tell who you really are when you put your mind and effort into it.

Frenzy:
Prerequisites: (Trainee, Uncontrollable Frenzy and Level 2)
The Frenzy that has been bred into you during your training has become slightly more evolved, allowing your character minor control over it… your character no longer has a hair trigger temper but, given enough stimulus, he will crack and unleash his frenzy on the cause of that stimulus. However, even when the red mist descends on your character, he has a little more control this time, he is stronger and fights more quickly, and his accuracy no longer suffers.

Heal:
Prerequisites: (Intelligence 4 and Dexterity 4)
No, you are not a surgeon, or even a battlefield surgeon… but, you do know the basics of the Druchii (and, possibly, human) anatomy and enough to help bandage up minor battle wounds and, on the flip side, know the best places to strike at an opponent (belly wounds etc). Almost every Druchii knows how to look after themselves, but, you can do it even when the right equipment is not there… you also probably work out and watch how much you eat and drink (no poison!)

Intimidate:
Prerequisites: (Strength 4 and Toughness 4)
Almost the opposite to Bluff… you do not care who finds you rooting around their personal belongings, you can silence their complaints with a stare and a few words, because they know that you can hurt them, and hurt them bad. Whilst this is unlikely to stop them calling out for help, they will do so after you have left the room with their belongings and, if the threats are creative, you may even be able to cow them even further. It was probably a Druchii who said, “Let them Hate, as long as they Fear.”

Masterful Stealth:
Prerequisites: (Shade and Stealth OR Dexterity 5, Intelligence 5 and Stealth)
Want to hide on the high ceiling of the Temple of Khaine, whilst hanging upside-down, silhouetted against the ceiling by a hanging chandelier during one of the Temples most important rites? Well, this skill makes that less impossible than it would be otherwise. People find it almost impossible to recall details about you, so skilled are you at appearing to be just another face in the crowd and, due to your training, you can hide almost anywhere, see the above example.

Mounted Combat:
Prerequisites: (Dexterity 5, Strength 3, Weapon Skill 5, Ride, Acrobatics and Level 2)
Whilst someone with the ride skill can fire a crossbow from the back of a Horse, they cannot fire from the back of a horse whilst standing on their hands and using their feet to operate the crossbow… and they cannot hit a target at 50 paces whilst doing all this either. Your character is a consummate mounted warrior, more at home on a horse than they are on foot, or, at least, more effective when you are mounted anyway.

Parry:
Prerequisites: (Weapon Skill 4, Dexterity 4 and Defensive Fighting)
Not only do you know how to dodge your opponents attacks but, you can now parry them with your own weapon, thus stopping yourself taking potentially mortal wounds, although it does stop you using your weapon to attack your opponent, at least, until you learn how to Riposte. Still, if stopping an opponents blow stops you from dying, who is going to care that they could not attack at the same moment… you are still breathing!

Poisoner:
Prerequisites: (Intelligence 4, Dexterity 4, Heal and Level 2)
A character with this skill knows which poisons do what, how effective they are, how they need to be applied (whether touch, ingested, airborne etc) and can coat their weapons with those that require a break in the skin to be effective. They also, by dint of knowing about the poisons, know the antidotes, if any, and can manufacture them using a bit of the poison they are using in the first place. Killing someone with Poison is not honourable… but, since when have Druchii cared about honour?

Power of Magic (1):
Prerequisites: (Mage OR Intelligence 4)
The character has a certain amount of magical affinity, finding himself capable of small arcane feats with the powers of a particular wind of magic. Please note that a practitioner of the arcane arts must devote himself to one of the winds of magic, although he can expand his knowledge to cover two more more winds if he wishes to learn this skill again. The full rules for Mages and Magic including a full list of the Power skills can be found here.

Power of Magic (2):
Prerequisites: (Power of Magic (1) and Intelligence 5. Mages only!)
The mage has a very keen amount of magical affinity, finding himself capable of great arcane feats with the powers of a particular wind of magic. A Mage can only advance in this skill within a magic power or wind with which he already knows the first level. So a Mage with Power of Shyish (1) will develop Power of Shyish (2), not Power of Ghur (2) or any other. The full rules for Mages and Magic including a full list of the Power skills can be found here.

Power of Magic (3):
Prerequisites: (Power of Magic (2) and Intelligence 6. Mages only!)
The character has a strong level of magical affinity, finding himself capable of very powerful arcane feats with the powers of a particular wind of magic. A Mage can only advance in this skill within a magic power or wind with which he already knows the second level. So a Mage with Power of Shyish (2) will develop Power of Shyish (3), not Power of Ghur (3) or any other. The full rules for Mages and Magic including a full list of the Power skills can be found here.

Precision Fire:
Prerequisites: (Weapon Skill 5 and Dexterity 4)
The skill of putting your shots EXACTLY where you want them to go, rather than where random fate wants you to put them. That painted target on a tree 300 metres away? Easy. With a Gale Force Wind blowing at the same time? Relatively Easy. Whilst being attacked by a shedload of Orcs? Moderately Difficult. But, if you did not have this skill, they would be almost impossible on their own, rather than something you could, with the right conditions, do in your sleep.

Rapid Fire:
Prerequisites: (Weapon Skill 4 and Dexterity 5)
The ability to have more arrows in the air at one time that anyone without this skill. This skill does not affect the operation of a Repeating Crossbow that much, you can fire as fast as you press your finger on the trigger but, it does allow you to direct them slightly better, because you know how fast you are going to be firing. For those unusual Druchii that use Crossbows or Bows, this allows them to fire them faster than someone without this skill, although, a Crossbow will always fire slower than a Bow.

Ride:
Prerequisites: (Dexterity 4 and Strength 3)
The ability to ride whilst looking stylish. Which is to say, without falling off and being crushed under the hooves of a Druchii horse, the finest breed in the world. This does not confer the ability to ride a Cold One, only Druchii Nobles who have coated themselves with the secreted slime are able to do that but, with this skill, you are more likely to be able to fire a crossbow from the back of a Horse, rather than hanging on for dear life.

Riposte:
Prerequisites: (Weapon Skill 5, Dexterity 5, Defensive Fighting, Parry and Level 2)
Now not only can you dodge and parry an opponents blow, you can strike them when they are at their most vulnerable, when they have overextended themselves into an attack on you. Being able to Riposte is a subtle skill, all that is needed sometimes is a slightly turn of the wrist to put your opponent off balance and then your blade is free to strike home. A feared skill.

Shield Bash:
Prerequisites: (Strength 4)
A rather brute force skill that relies only on the strength of the character, this is looked down upon by most Druchii, as it lacks artistic merit but, for those in the know, a shield in the face is nothing to write home about. Normally used to disorient your opponent to set them up for a death blow, some enterprising Druchii (and their slaves) create shields with many small spikes covering the surface which, whilst it makes them a little less protective, makes them perfect for this skill.

Stealth:
Prerequisites: (Shade and Basic Stealth OR Dexterity 4, Intelligence 4 and Basic Stealth)
The conditions needed for you to escape notice are not as bad as they were at Basic Stealth, your character has learned from his mistakes and can now conceal himself in all manner of unusual places that will probably escape notice from anyone searching for you. Not only that, but people that you have met find it hard to recall what you looked like, or your mannerisms, or pretty much anything about you actually. This does not mean that they cannot, just that it will take them longer to bring your image into their mind.

Two Weapon Fighting:
Prerequisites: (Weapon Skill 4 and Dexterity 4)
The ability, and training, to wield two weapons at the same time, without them getting tangled up and causing you more trouble than your opponent would ever be able to. The two weapons that you wield must, normally, compliment each other, which means that one must normally be smaller than the other, because you do not normally have the strength in your off hand that you have in your main hand. Having Ambidexterity means that you can wield two weapons of the same size in each hand. However, these weapons are limited to Medium Size or less (no Bastard Swords in each hand thank you.)

Unarmed Combat:
Prerequisites: (Strength 3, Weapon Skill 5, Dexterity 4)
The ability to use your body as a deadly weapon, although, still more risky than going into a fight armed. This skill encompasses all the Martial Arts you have seen, as well as less glamorous, but still effective, brawling skills, such as a knee in the groin. Fighting Unarmed is not something to be proud of, your opponent with their 5 foot reach provided by their Bastard Sword is probably going to cut you open before you get close enough but… it does give you a fighting chance.

Uncontrollable Frenzy:
Prerequisites: (Trainee)
The many beatings and drug remedies that are fed a Trainee of Khaine during his training… well… it slightly unbalances the Druchii mind but, like most forms of training, this has its benefits, even if it may take years to show as much. Your character has a hair trigger temper, even the slightest insults can cause you to snap and, when you snap, you snap big time. Your blows may come faster and stronger than normal, but, your accuracy suffers and your hits fall less often, such is the price to pay for such rage.

Urban Lore:
Prerequisites: (Intelligence 4)
You just know your way around cities and, because of the Druchii mentality, a lot of their cities seem the same, and there are not a lot of them either, so you know where to go for information, and where to avoid going at certain times of the day or night. You give off the mannerisms of a native of any particular city, and can mingle, you do not attract too much attention, which most Druchii tend to like. You can find out many of the juiciest rumours just by asking, Druchii, against their better nature, seem to know you will not do them any wrong.

Wilderness Lore:
Prerequisites: (Intelligence 4)
You are at home in the wild, even more so than a Shade who grew up in the Blackspine Mountains, you know the migration patterns of many types of animal, you know the best places to set up a trap, you can track with the best of them… the Wilderness is your home. You can recognise whether an animal is going to attack based on its mannerisms, you know whether to strike a fire or not based on your intuition of the area and much more.
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Tarbo
Morathi's Best Friend
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Posts: 1203
Joined: Tue Oct 04, 2005 5:06 pm
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Character creation rules

Post by Tarbo »

Character Creation Rules

When offering a character to the pool, be sure to include the following items:

  • Name This one should be fairly obvious. You need a name.
  • Height and Weight Just a little physical description for the others to see you by.
  • Age Your age, in elven terms of course. Aim between 90 and 300, though it is not absolutely necessary.
  • Other Descriptions Hair colour, eye colour, clothes, scars, tattoos... all that goes here.
  • Class Choose from the following-- Shade, Trainee of Khaine, Warrior or Rogue Mage .
  • Background This is where you tell us about your character's history. The better the background, the more likely your character gets picked sooner than later.

Character Stats
You have 18 points to distribute amongst your 5 different statistics. No more, though you may use less [no real benefit to that, though]. No stat can have more than 5 points in it, and each stat has to have at least one point in it. There are other restrictions below.

  • Weapon Skill (WS) How good your character is at fighting in melee, whether armed or unarmed.
  • Strength (S) How strong your character is. This will obviously be used for any strenuous phsyical activity.
  • Toughness (T) How durable your character is.
  • Dexterity (D) How fast and agile your character is.
  • Intelligence (I) How smart your character is. This doubles as your roleplaying stat... because your intelligence is what your Mod will use to see whether you are playing your character correctly.
If you are a Shade, your minimum Dexterity has to be a 3.
If you are a Warrior, your minimum Strength has to be a 3.
If you are a Trainee, your minimum Weapon Skill has to be a 3.
If you are a Rogue Mage, your minimum Intelligence has to be 3.

Starting Equipment

This is the gear your character starts with. As you progress through a mission, you can get more gear, and upon completion, you can buy more gear.

  • Shade Short Sword, Repeater Crossbow and Shade Cloak.
  • Trainee Short Sword and Dagger
  • Warrior Long Sword, Shield and Light Armour (may swap Long Sword for a Repeater Crossbow and Dagger)
  • Rogue Mage Staff, Dagger and Robes
This gear is what you start with, no exceptions unless your Group Moderator allows you to get more.

Starting Skills
These are the skills that your character starts with. They can gain more each time they level up.

  • Shade Basic Stealth.
  • Trainee Two Weapon Fighting, Uncontrollable Frenzy.
  • Warrior None... you get much better equipment to offset the lack of starting skills.
  • Rogue Mage Any one first level Power of Magic skill.
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