RE: [DL] Speaking of chips...

["Leybourne, Brian - CLM" <Brian.Leybourne@airnz.co.nz>]

> I was on the website  yesterday and trying to find the 
> article regarding the Arcane Chip. (Until my Los Diablos 
> unleashed itself last night, I'd been holding the Arcane Chip 
> for a while) I know it can help hucksters avoid backlash (how 
> I spent it), or force them to take it, but I can't find the 
> actual article anywhere. As our Marshall needs a copy, too, 
> does anyone on here happen to have a link to it? You can mail 
> me privately. Thanks in advance. (I'm not really familiar 
> with the new website yet, so I may have overlooked it all 
> together-- the player's corner didn't have it and the 
> marshall's section didn't have anything.)
 
It just tickles my button seeing people using the arcane chip (because I
wrote it). I know Max has it on the Path o' the Reckoning somewhere, and
Shane should have it back up in the archives on the main page soon (with
luck), but it's pretty short, so I'll just include it in this message for
you.

Brian.

--

Arcane Chip

The Arcane chip is a new type of fate chip for your Deadlands games. I use a
Silver chip, and start with none in the pot, allowing a maximum of five at
any one time (similar to the Legend/Gold chip). Also similar to the Legend
chip, Arcane chips must be earned by the characters during the course of
play. When spent, use the same system you use for Legend chips to determine
if it goes back in the pot or leaves the game entirely (In my games,
Legend/Arcane chips go back in the pot if used to benefit someone else, or
are discarded if used selfishly). An Arcane chip may be earned whenever a
major arcane menace is defeated (Powerful Black Magic cultist killed, nasty
major spell affecting an area dispelled, and so on.) It's your call as to
when exactly to award one, Marshall. Arcane chips never count as a
characters 'highest' or 'lowest' chip unless it's the only chip they have.

The Arcane chip represents the fickle nature of magic and the supernatural
energy flowing into the world from the hunting grounds. The power level of
most of its effects are unpredictable, as one never knows just how powerful
the manitou on the other side really is...

The Arcane Chip may be spent in various ways. It is of most benefit to
characters with Arcane Backgrounds, but may be used by anyone (albeit in a
more limited fashion). Because of the fickle nature of mystical arcane
energy, if the chip is cashed in for bounty points, it gives the player 1d4
bounty points. This is rolled after the player cashes in the chip, and is a
closed roll - do not re-roll aces. The Arcane chip can be used to prevent
wounds, but only those from an Arcane source (Soul Blast damage would count,
but damage from a shaman blessed tomahawk is still physical damage and so
would not). After declaring this use of the Arcane chip, the player may roll
1d4 to determine how many wounds are stopped by the effect. The chip may not
be used to improve die rolls, except as noted below.

Other Uses of the Arcane Chip (all 1d4 rolls are closed rolls. Do not
re-roll aces):

Hucksters may spend an Arcane chip to either draw an additional 1d4 cards
when casting a hex, or to prevent backlash upon drawing a black joker. In
this instance the black joker acts as a red joker with all of the benefits
that may grant. Non Hucksters may spend an arcane chip to force a huckster
casting a spell in their sight to instantly roll backlash. This does not
cause the hex to fail unless indicated by the roll on the backlash table.

Mad Scientists may spend an arcane chip to draw an additional 1d4 cards when
designing a blueprint, or to convert a black joker draw to a red joker, in a
similar manner as the huckster above. Non Mad Scientists can spend an Arcane
chip to force a gizmo to roll on the malfunction table, with +1D4 on the
severity roll (making worse failures more likely). To spend a chip in this
manner, the character must be able to see the gizmo in action.

Blessed characters may spend an Arcane chip to automatically succeed in one
sinnin' roll (do not even roll the dice - God forgives you this once) or to
call for a Divine Intervention (see Fire and Brimstone for details) with
+1d4 to the difficulty on the faith roll. Non blessed may spend an Arcane
chip to cause a crisis of faith in a blessed character - a miracle she is
using fails, and she must immediately roll her faith against a difficulty of
(5 + 1d4) or permanently lose a point of faith.

Shaman characters may spend an Arcane chip to add 1d4 appeasement points to
a favour she is currently requesting (or add them to her appeasement pool in
her guardian spirit), or she may spend the Arcane chip to make an incredible
(11) guardian spirit roll. Success indicates that the edge is permanently
raised by one point. Non Shaman's may spend an Arcane chip to remove 1d4
appeasement points from a favour as it is being requested, potentially
causing it to fail if the new appeasement point total is too low for the
favour requested.

Voodooists may spend an Arcane chip to add 1d4 raises to a voodoo spell that
has just been successfully cast, or to make it succeed (with no raises) if
the roll was actually failed. Or, Voodooists may instead spend the arcane
chip to request possession by their Loa, gaining any combination of the
powers as indicated by a 1d4 roll with white=1, red=2 and blue=3 (3 could
indicate the blue chip effect, or the red and the white chip effects, for
example. A colour may not be selected twice). Non Voodooists may spend an
arcane chip to cause a voodoo spell to fail, and the spirit bag to split and
spill its contents, spoiling them and rendering them useless for a recasting
of the same spell.

Martial Artists can spend an Arcane chip to fully recharge their Chi pool,
less 1d4 points (i.e. he will be left with 1d4 points below maximum). Non
Martial Artists may spend an Arcane chip to drain a Martial Artists's Chi
pool fully, except for 1d4 points (so they will only have 1d4 points left in
the pool). Both of these rolls are open rolls (unlike all other 
uses of the Arcane chip) so re-roll aces.

.-->
"The Web brings people together because no matter what kind of a twisted
sexual mutant you happen to be, you've got millions of pals out there. 
Type in 'Find people who have sex with goats that are on fire' and the 
computer will say, 'Specify type of goat.'"

Brian Leybourne
brian.leybourne@airnz.co.nz
bleybourne@hotmail.com

____________________________________________________________________
CAUTION - This message may contain privileged and confidential 
information intended only for the use of the addressee named above.
If you are not the intended recipient of this message you are hereby 
notified that any use, dissemination, distribution or reproduction 
of this message is prohibited. If you have received this message in 
error please notify Air New Zealand immediately. Any views expressed 
in this message are those of the individual sender and may not 
necessarily reflect the views of Air New Zealand.
_____________________________________________________________________
For more information on the Air New Zealand Group, visit us online
at http://www.airnewzealand.com or http://www.ansett.com.au
_____________________________________________________________________