Re: [DL] Pete revisited {spoilers}

[Brett Dixon <balance@tubas.net>]

On Thursday, April 17, 2003, at 10:04  AM, Jeff Shoffner wrote:

Spoiler space removed... Mostly d20 system commentary of a hopefully 
chilly non-flammable nature... But if you want to not read about stone, 
go somewhere else, OK?

> item will hurt Stone when he ghosts," how about Stone: Special 
> Abilities:
> immunity to all magic items under +5.  Never did like the idea that a 
> +1
> sword is magic anyway--can't a +1 sword be nonmagic and just a superior
> weapon?

The d20 system, or at least 3rd Edition D&D, has Masterwork items. You 
need a Masterwork item to enchant magic weapons anyway, but they 
provide a non-magical +1 bonus that doesn't allow it to hurt the many 
creatures that require a +1 or greater magic weapon.

(Other items can be masterwork, too. It generally gives a minor 
non-magical bonus to the item's use or durability.)

Not a bad system, really, although it is somewhat 'Diablo' like, an 
unfortunate result of D&D 3rd having a very firm base structure. But 
it's a tradeoff, as you don't have multiple meanings for everything, 
which is often good.

> Any Kings?....) typical players can have a max of five actions.  Stone 
> with
> his abilities can have a max of nine.  So, if D20 follows the old one 
> attack
> per round that can increase to 3/2 rounds, and 2/1 rounds, I'd say that
> Stone would have 4 attacks per round, plus he has the option to go 
> whenever
> he wishes to.  Oh, make it really obscene (letting the players know 
> it) and
> make it 5 attacks per round.  THEN he'd have enough actions to "waste 
> one on
> ridicule."

Current d20 rules decide number of attacks in with the Base Attack 
Bonus mechanic. Basically, when your BAB hits +6, you get a second 
attack at +1. So a character at +5 goes up a level (to a level that 
raises BAB) and gets a +6 attack and a +1 attack (further modified as 
necessary by dexterity, weapon quality or magic, etc.) then +7/+2, 
+8/+3 with another attack starting at, I believe, +11/+6/+1.

Stone, with any reasonable bonuses for him, is apparently at well over 
+20 with multiple attacks, and as such can hit nearly anything without 
really trying.

Does Deadlands d20 enhance called shots? They arte mostly useless in 
standard D&D as fvar as I've seen, but if Stone can do his standard 
headshot preference, that's pretty nasty... A high dex character in d20 
may only have an AC of 14 or so assuming no real armor (which I assume 
is uncommon in the d20 Weird West, just like the classic Weird 
West).... So hitting an AC of 14 with a d20+20 roll is pretty easy.

<snip>

Basically, I consider Stone to be a force of nature for the posse to 
contend with. He'll keep coming through almost anything, but if they 
stop him, he might give them a chance to run and work on some other 
targets... He's got time on his side and knows he'll get his man 
eventually.

> Also, someone asked about how to work in Stone with Devil's Tower if 
> the
> players know Stone.  Like someone else mentioned, I just used his 
> first name
> Jasper.  The funny thing was, when they got there ans saw him, I 
> described
> him and showed the picture of him chained to the wall.  One player 
> said,
> "Ugh.  I think we should leave him there!"  "But after everything else
> you've seen in this hellhole? You'd leave some innocent man in here to
> die??"  "I don't think that's a man!!"  :-)

Hmmm... Mutant Ghostbusters quote?