Fabula Ultima: the characters
May. 16th, 2025 10:35 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
james_davis_nicollAlarmed by the frequency of magic-related calamities, five anonymous benefactors funded the Walman Hanton School of Mana Research. Its mandate: to seek out and deal with "burners", magical trouble-makers, and to document and where possible neutralize the sorcerous version of superfund sites.
The first Walman Hanton vigiles team was selected on the basis of their superlative magical skills. Their replacements were chosen for their demonstrated talent for surviving magical calamities.
(At some point, I should stat out Team One)
HK5 is the last remaining member of an elite robot sniper team. Most robots never develop a sense of "I". HK5 did. Whether this figured into their survival is unclear, although personhood did ensure HK5 did not submit to decommissioning. Currently HK is a sharpshooter and a tinkerer (focusing on cool ammo).
Kai Vargus is a rabble-rouser from the Lees (the slums). Kai is the only survivor of a group used as experimental subjects by a burner. Currently, Kai is a Loremaster, an Orator, and a Sharpshooter. For reasons related to the experiment, Kai can also hurl bolts of pure light.
Tanuk Ulgon is a Studium General student (although currently on hiatus). Tanuk is the sole survivor of a courageous expedition to see what happens if researchers try to haul creatures of great power out of the deep. Currently, Tanuk is a tinkerer (gadgets and alchemy) and a mutant who can turn his hands into weapons.
Yuki did not survive being run over by Truck-kun. Currently, she is an adorable-looking tanuki (raccoon dog). Currently, she is a guardian, a weaponmaster, and a symbolist. Basically, the party tank, whose job it is to protect the more fragile PCs.
Yes, there's overlap in character classes but the PCs have chosen different specializations in those classes and have different mixes of classes.
Stats are Dexterity (Dex), Insight (Ins), Might (Mig), and Willpower (Wlp). The number represents the die type associated with the stat, checks being of the form Stat + Stat + modifiers. 10 is high, 8 average, and 6 low.
Figured stats are Initiative (Init), Hit Points (HP), Mind Points (MP), Defence (Def), and Magical Defence (M Def). Those numbers are flat numbers, not die types. Init is a die modifier, HP and MP pools that decrease due to damage or magic use (respectively), and both Defence and Magic Defence are target numbers to be matched or exceeded with a two die roll.
Low initiative matters less than you'd expect in this game.
Weapon use requires a stat-based skill check, the target number being either defence (for mundane weapons) or magical defence (for magical attacks). Damage is the high roll (HR) plus a modifier.
As far as I can tell, preferred weapons are:
Yeah, they do lean ranged. Yuki will likely connect in HTH but her damage isn't great. Tanuk on the other hand will do more damage per HTH hit (I think) but with 1d6+1d8 will not connect as often as they do in ranged combat.
Not that mattered in the only scuffle so far, a random encounter which a small gang of would-be car-jackers armed with knives confronted Yuki, unaware that she is next to impossible to hit, or that her heavily armed friends could see what was going on from a window overhead.
The purpose in collecting the stats in one place is for me, the GM, to better understand the abilities of the group as a whole. It just now occurs to me I should add the common checks to my documents.
Or to put in terms of average rolls
Where easy = 7, average = 10, hard = 13, and very hard = 16. Character classes provide requisites and benefits, of course.
Average rolls and maximum rolls don't tell the whole story. Players get opportunities if they roll doubles, as long as the doubled number is six plus. d6 + d10 and d8 + d8 might have the same maximum and the same average but there are 60 possible results from d6 + d10, of which only 6,6 provides opportunity. That is a 1.7% chance. There are 64 possible outcomes from d8 + d8 and of those, 6+6, 7+7, and 8+8 provide opportunity. That's 4.6%.
d6 + d6: 36 outcomes, 1 opportunity: 2.7%
d6 + d8: 48 outcomes, 1 opportunity: 2.1%
d6 + d10: 60 outcomes, 1 opportunity: 1.7%
d8 + d8: 64 outcomes, 3 opportunities: 4.6%
d8 + d10: 80 outcomes, 3 opportunities: 3.8%
d10 + d10: 100 outcomes, 5 opportunities: 5.0%
The first Walman Hanton vigiles team was selected on the basis of their superlative magical skills. Their replacements were chosen for their demonstrated talent for surviving magical calamities.
(At some point, I should stat out Team One)
HK5 is the last remaining member of an elite robot sniper team. Most robots never develop a sense of "I". HK5 did. Whether this figured into their survival is unclear, although personhood did ensure HK5 did not submit to decommissioning. Currently HK is a sharpshooter and a tinkerer (focusing on cool ammo).
Kai Vargus is a rabble-rouser from the Lees (the slums). Kai is the only survivor of a group used as experimental subjects by a burner. Currently, Kai is a Loremaster, an Orator, and a Sharpshooter. For reasons related to the experiment, Kai can also hurl bolts of pure light.
Tanuk Ulgon is a Studium General student (although currently on hiatus). Tanuk is the sole survivor of a courageous expedition to see what happens if researchers try to haul creatures of great power out of the deep. Currently, Tanuk is a tinkerer (gadgets and alchemy) and a mutant who can turn his hands into weapons.
Yuki did not survive being run over by Truck-kun. Currently, she is an adorable-looking tanuki (raccoon dog). Currently, she is a guardian, a weaponmaster, and a symbolist. Basically, the party tank, whose job it is to protect the more fragile PCs.
Yes, there's overlap in character classes but the PCs have chosen different specializations in those classes and have different mixes of classes.
Stats are Dexterity (Dex), Insight (Ins), Might (Mig), and Willpower (Wlp). The number represents the die type associated with the stat, checks being of the form Stat + Stat + modifiers. 10 is high, 8 average, and 6 low.
Figured stats are Initiative (Init), Hit Points (HP), Mind Points (MP), Defence (Def), and Magical Defence (M Def). Those numbers are flat numbers, not die types. Init is a die modifier, HP and MP pools that decrease due to damage or magic use (respectively), and both Defence and Magic Defence are target numbers to be matched or exceeded with a two die roll.
Low initiative matters less than you'd expect in this game.
HK5 Kai Vargus Tanuk Yuki Dex 10 6 6 8 Ins 10 10 10 8 Mig 6 6 8 10 Wlp 6 10 8 6 Init 0 0 0 -3 HP 40 45 50 65 MP 35 73 45 35 Def 11 7 7 15 M Def 11 11 10 12 Classes Loremaster 3 Mutant 2 Guardian 3 Sharpshooter Sharpshooter 1 Symbolist 1 Tinkerer Orator 1 Tinkerer 3 Weaponmaster 1
Weapon use requires a stat-based skill check, the target number being either defence (for mundane weapons) or magical defence (for magical attacks). Damage is the high roll (HR) plus a modifier.
As far as I can tell, preferred weapons are:
HK5: Sniper rifle DEX+INS+1, HR+8 physical or fire or ice or bolt
Kai: Pistol (DEX or INS)+INS+1, HR+8 physical
Lux INS+WLP, HR+15 light, cost 10 MP per target
Tanuk: Akromorphosis Dex+Mig+2, HR + 10 physical
Akromorphosis Dex+Ins+2, HR + 10 physical
Yuki: Shields Mig+Mig, HR+5 physical
Counter-attack, MIG+MIG, 5 physical
Yeah, they do lean ranged. Yuki will likely connect in HTH but her damage isn't great. Tanuk on the other hand will do more damage per HTH hit (I think) but with 1d6+1d8 will not connect as often as they do in ranged combat.
Not that mattered in the only scuffle so far, a random encounter which a small gang of would-be car-jackers armed with knives confronted Yuki, unaware that she is next to impossible to hit, or that her heavily armed friends could see what was going on from a window overhead.
The purpose in collecting the stats in one place is for me, the GM, to better understand the abilities of the group as a whole. It just now occurs to me I should add the common checks to my documents.
Situation Suggested Check HK5 Kai Tanuk Yuki Avoid trap 【DEX + INS】 10+10 6+10 6+10 8+8 Investigate 【INS + INS】 10+10 10+10 10+10 8+8 Hard work 【MIG + MIG】 6+6 6+6 8+8 10+10 Intimidate 【MIG + WLP】 6+6 6+10 8+8 10+6 Make/repair 【DEX + INS】 10+10 6+10 6+10 8+8 Move gracefully 【DEX + WLP】 10+6 6+10 6+8 8+6 Outwit in combat 【DEX + INS】 10+10 6+10 6+10 8+8 Persuade 【INS + WLP】 10+6 10+10 10+8 8+6 Question 【INS + WLP】 10+6 10+10 10+8 8+6 Remember 【INS + INS】 10+10 10+10 10+10 8+8 Resist pain 【MIG + WLP】 6+6 6+10 8+8 10+6 Sneak 【DEX + DEX】 10+10 6+6 6+6 8+8
Or to put in terms of average rolls
Situation HK5 Kai Tanuk Yuki Avoid trap 11 9 9 9 Investigate 11 11 11 9 Hard work 7 7 9 11 Intimidate 7 9 9 9 Make/repair 11 9 9 9 Move gracefully 9 9 8 8 Outwit in combat 11 9 9 9 Persuade 9 11 10 8 Question 11 11 10 8 Remember 11 11 11 9 Resist pain 7 9 9 9 Sneak 11 7 7 7
Where easy = 7, average = 10, hard = 13, and very hard = 16. Character classes provide requisites and benefits, of course.
Average rolls and maximum rolls don't tell the whole story. Players get opportunities if they roll doubles, as long as the doubled number is six plus. d6 + d10 and d8 + d8 might have the same maximum and the same average but there are 60 possible results from d6 + d10, of which only 6,6 provides opportunity. That is a 1.7% chance. There are 64 possible outcomes from d8 + d8 and of those, 6+6, 7+7, and 8+8 provide opportunity. That's 4.6%.
d6 + d6: 36 outcomes, 1 opportunity: 2.7%
d6 + d8: 48 outcomes, 1 opportunity: 2.1%
d6 + d10: 60 outcomes, 1 opportunity: 1.7%
d8 + d8: 64 outcomes, 3 opportunities: 4.6%
d8 + d10: 80 outcomes, 3 opportunities: 3.8%
d10 + d10: 100 outcomes, 5 opportunities: 5.0%
no subject
Date: 2025-05-16 09:06 pm (UTC)