Yagathai
12-16-2005, 10:24 PM
So for the last month or so I've been working on a set of comprehensive Undead lifepaths. I'm up to about 60 or so, in four different settings, with a bunch of appropriate traits, supernatural skills, &c &c. Problem is that I've been developing them in more-or-less a vacuum, excepting the occasional input from Luke.
So what I want to do is throw a couple of concepts at you guys (gender neutral) and see how they fly. I'd love to hear your feedback, esp. as it relates to game balance.
First of all come the basic Undead traits:
They have a Dark Fire emotional attribute which serves to cap their stats and skills. It also functions as the root for many of their supernatural abilities. It probably also does a lot of the stuff that Hate or Spite does -- adds to rolls with Artha expenditure, &c. I haven't quite nailed that down yet.
They're Detached. They don't feel fatigue, fear or pain. This means that they don't make Steel checks for anything but supernatural reasons. They are also immune to Wonderment and Despair. They don't sleep. Finally their mental stats aren't reduced by damage, as they can't hurt.
They do, however, burn with anger, greed, lust, obsession and -- extremely rarely -- passion.
They have Cadaverous Form. They take -2D off of all incoming wounds, except those from Spirit Weapons or magic. Furthermore, regular weapons can't reduce their stats in combat to below 1D except via a Mortal Wound. You can slow them down with regular weapons, but it takes a mighty blow to kill them outright.
Being walking corpses, they also suffer the +2 Ob "alien" penalty to social interaction, as well as a +2 Ob to disguise, stealth, and any other skill that could theoretically be penalized by the fact that they're a reeking, rotting walking corpse.
The Cadaverous Form trait can be "upgraded" later, just like Troll Skin, to Skeletal or even Spectral form.
Oh, and finally they Crave the life and warmth they no longer possess. This takes the form of a Will check vs. an Ob based on their Dark Fire every so often -- if they fail, like Dwarven Greed, the need to satisfy their Crave takes over. By default, this takes the form of an urge to feast on the warm flesh of the living or recently dead, though it too can be "upgraded" to drink blood or even the very souls of those still of this earth.
So what I want to do is throw a couple of concepts at you guys (gender neutral) and see how they fly. I'd love to hear your feedback, esp. as it relates to game balance.
First of all come the basic Undead traits:
They have a Dark Fire emotional attribute which serves to cap their stats and skills. It also functions as the root for many of their supernatural abilities. It probably also does a lot of the stuff that Hate or Spite does -- adds to rolls with Artha expenditure, &c. I haven't quite nailed that down yet.
They're Detached. They don't feel fatigue, fear or pain. This means that they don't make Steel checks for anything but supernatural reasons. They are also immune to Wonderment and Despair. They don't sleep. Finally their mental stats aren't reduced by damage, as they can't hurt.
They do, however, burn with anger, greed, lust, obsession and -- extremely rarely -- passion.
They have Cadaverous Form. They take -2D off of all incoming wounds, except those from Spirit Weapons or magic. Furthermore, regular weapons can't reduce their stats in combat to below 1D except via a Mortal Wound. You can slow them down with regular weapons, but it takes a mighty blow to kill them outright.
Being walking corpses, they also suffer the +2 Ob "alien" penalty to social interaction, as well as a +2 Ob to disguise, stealth, and any other skill that could theoretically be penalized by the fact that they're a reeking, rotting walking corpse.
The Cadaverous Form trait can be "upgraded" later, just like Troll Skin, to Skeletal or even Spectral form.
Oh, and finally they Crave the life and warmth they no longer possess. This takes the form of a Will check vs. an Ob based on their Dark Fire every so often -- if they fail, like Dwarven Greed, the need to satisfy their Crave takes over. By default, this takes the form of an urge to feast on the warm flesh of the living or recently dead, though it too can be "upgraded" to drink blood or even the very souls of those still of this earth.