Re: [DL] Re: deadlands-digest.20020228

[Allan Seyberth <darious@darious.com>]

At 06:17 AM 3/1/2002 +0000, you wrote:
 >Hey, kids. I hope I'm doing this right and this post goes on the list.
 >Anyway, I'm a new Marshall, the name's Shael. I just switched from Deadlands
 >D20 (please no death threats) to original deadlands. During character
 >creation one of my players drew the red joker and her concept was an orphan
 >who insists she'd been raised by wolves before she was adopted. So, I
 >thought an apropriate mysterious past would be lycanthropy. I came up with
 >the following, which functions, for all intensive purpouses, as a nack.
 >
 >Lycanthropy (werewolf):
 >White chip: transform into a regular wolf. 'May only use this ability when
 >being attacked physically OR when no one's lookin'.
 >-I added that last part because part of her concept is that no one believes
 >the far-fetched but true stories she tells.
 >Blue chip: as above or Grow lupine claws and teeth. Claws function as per
 >the harrowed power level 1. 'May only use this ability when being attacked
 >physically OR when no one's lookin'.
 >Red chip: any ability above or Transform into a full-fledged werewolf as
 >seen in the Marshal's Handbook. 'May only use this ability when being
 >attacked physically OR when no one's lookin'
 >Legend chip: any ability above or summon 3d6 of your lupine kin. Use this
 >ability only when wolves could reasonably be in the area. Furthermore, if a
 >legend chip is used to activate any previous ability it may be used in spite
 >of who's watching.
 >
 >During a fool moon your character is in a murderous rampage and is under the
 >control of the marshal.
 >
 >-So, what do you think? Balanced? Should I tone it down?

Not bad.  I'd probably remove the "when no one's looking" aspect - it's not 
much of a limitation, given the superstitious nature of the times.

Instead, I'd change it to - "or during a full moon."  It seems more 
idiomatic.

If a huckster tossing magic around it looking for a lynching, then imagine 
the fate of a shapechanger.

As for you taking over - put a limitation on it that, instead of always 
during full moons, treat it like the taking over of harrowed - you spend a 
chip and get a period of time (perhaps 1 hour - white, 3 hours - red, all 
night for a blue, the full duration of the full moon for a black)




-------------------
Allan Seyberth
darious@darious.com
Deadlands fan site - http://www.darious.com/

Faced with the choice of changing one's mind or proving that there is no 
need to do so, most of us get busy on the proof
                 - John Kenneth Galbraith