Development Blog

brighter-suns: Wayne Barlow

Tue, 26 Jun 2018 14:16:06 +0300

brighter-suns:

Wayne Barlow

Photo

Mon, 25 Jun 2018 21:04:30 +0300

Doctor, in your opinion, how much does the profession of Veterinarian interlace with the profession of Physician? In other words, assuming one's party lacks a Doctor, how effective can a veterinarian help with medical matters? (Or, from a more fantastical standpoint, beings who are not human but are also sapient would probably find a veterinarian more useful right?)

Sun, 24 Jun 2018 13:07:26 +0300

@aftertheend-gamedev is that you?

It all depends on exactly what sorts of things people studied! Even someone who is a human doctor (say, a surgeon) may not be of particular use when it comes to diagnosing rare diseases outside of her specialty. One can assume that most human doctors would be able to provide basic care or procedures regardless of their specialty, since the bulk of their education is going to be consistent from one to the next, but there are limits on what can be applied from one to the other.

That said, there are various specializations for veterinarians as well. Someone who specializes in primates would obviously be more suited to handling humans than an equestrian vet, after all! I would say that as a baseline most veterinarians with any sort of mammal experience would have the base education to provide critical care and vitals stabilization. However, for things like immunology and diseases they would start to falter.

And for beings that are not human but sapient, it simply depends on who closely their anatomy corresponds to human or some other animal. Just because something is non-human doesn’t inherently make a veterinarian a better choice, especially in a fantasy setting.

Maira! What's your favorite type of ruin to explore, my darling beet-lobber?

Fri, 22 Jun 2018 12:30:35 +0300

“Darling.”

The word leaves an odd taste on your tongue. You give it a few tentative nibbles, silently mimicking the labial movements necessary to enunciate it… you’re not impressed. You’ve chewed on copper wires that had a far more trustworthy consistency than that. Less sugary, too. It’s a wonder you aren’t spitting it back right into the Crow’s famelic grin - or maybe you’re a tad too sure that he’d appreciate that, more than anything else. He’s deplorably predictable like that. You have to appreciate that in a person: helps hell of a lot with your drawing arm’s reactive time.

So no, you leave your spittle right where it’s meant to be, especially since you need copious amounts of it, if you’re going to have a solid chance at turning that bluish beetroot in you’re holding into a clump of swallowable, hazardous nutrients. You bite into it with the same kind of eagerness the Crow would kill to be on the receiving end of, staining your lips with the slightly glowing humor that seethes from the several layers of mutated innards… and smile. Oh, of course it’s nothing like the Crow’s - you’d think a poon squid’s spiky tentacles went to town on his cheeks, with how widely the white of his teeth spreads across them. Which is probably the only sort of circumstance you’ll ever end with the corners of your mouth reaching that far on your face! Ain’t it so, Maira? Yeah, you’re more of the demure type, right? It’s the kind of smile people have to intentionally look out for. Make grabby hands out of their eyes, sifting through the sand and the dust in search of that rare piece of OldTech… it’s the hint of a smile, barely distinguishable from a forcefully straightened curve. It’s your smile, and definitely not for the Crow. Although the thoughts that the latest in his endless series of inquiries have occasioned might lead one to wonder - like the mutated vegetable/piece of artillery you’re casually feasting upon, the mental image concocted by the insides of your head possess a special kind of pleasant attribute that you’re probably among the few able to find any sort of appreciation for.

“Rooms… there are these rooms, sometimes. They’re far and few between - you won’t find a single one in the entirety of some Remnant Sites - but if you’re lucky, you’ll end up stumbling on them evey now and then. Places that were once homes, or part of one. Sometimes, it’s little less than a cubicle in the corner of a larger structure, or a section in the ruins of some kind of establishment. Garages are the easiest ones to find, since they used to build them sturdy. But other than those, it’s those others… Small, almost suffocatingly so… and so full of things. The clutter - it’s nothing like what you find in the Bunkers, or the Abandoned Bases. Rooms no bigger than a tent, littered with objects that serve no purpose by now other than to be there. Useless trinkets. Pointless bits of trash. All preserved to nigh-perfection, left untouched by your average scavenger.”

The loud crunch of your beetroot’s last moments serves as an interval, a brief interlude before you resume retracing the solemnity of your personal reminiscences.

“I like to camp in those places, and muse about what purpose each item served. Flickering switches, turning handles, opening and closing drawers or lids. When I fill the silence with the echo of a life that has been lived hundreds of years before mine, I feel at ease. The purposelessness of those functional actions and those objects… the other scavengers don’t understand its beauty. They don’t value that which doesn’t directly serve their survival. It doesn’t help them live… but me, I live for that.”

The last radioactive chunk disappears, the last sign of its existence a bump traveling down your throat. Dragging along with it what little trace of that smile you were wearing a moment ago.

“Not that you’re any different from them. Isn’t that right, Crow?”

arcadiaquest:evil_plant_by_ironshod

Thu, 21 Jun 2018 21:38:31 +0300

arcadiaquest:

evil_plant_by_ironshod

ravensshire:https://andreasrocha.deviantart.com/art/The-Treehouse...

Thu, 21 Jun 2018 18:02:59 +0300

ravensshire:

https://andreasrocha.deviantart.com/art/The-Treehouse-717532076

Where does the Noram continent get it's name from?

Thu, 21 Jun 2018 16:10:35 +0300

It is, perhaps, not the most creative name I’ve ever come up with, but Noram is a holdover term from when the United States formed a coalition bloc with Mexico and Canada to contend with Unified Oceania and the reborn European Union in the early 2100′s. The simply named North American Bloc was abbreviated to NorAm in common speech. Long after the apocalypse, the term stuck around and everyone just assumed that’s what the land was called. Precious few people even know that there’s anywhere else to go.

The default campaign setting is dropped into North America, but nothing stops any aspiring GM from setting the game in Europe, Asia, Africa, or anywhere other than Australia. Do not go to Australia in the characters’ modern day.

I HAVE HAD A THOUGHT!Okay, there’s an old bind that GMs can run into when players are interacting...

Thu, 21 Jun 2018 15:12:23 +0300

I HAVE HAD A THOUGHT!

Okay, there’s an old bind that GMs can run into when players are interacting with NPCs: the GM wants the NPC to mislead or outright lie to the players, but the very mechanics of such an action automatically tip your hand.

If you tell the players to roll an Insight/Intuition/Detect Lie check, they know they’re being bluffed. Very talented players will be able to keep that meta-knowledge separate from their character’s action, but most players can’t help but take up a defensive posture during the conversation with the lying NPC.

If you don’t tell the players and rely on them to call for their own lie detector checks, they’re either going to get paranoid and roll checks all but constantly or you’ll have to drop huge hints that an NPC is lying.

I come to you, dear friends and readers, with a solution! As an added bonus, it works for persuasion or other social skill checks as well! If you plan to have the NPC lie or attempt to persuade the characters, roll the check and base how good the lie is on how well they roll. Don’t call for any corresponding checks from your players; just add more faulty details or tells if the NPC rolls poorly or make it airtight if they score high. If the players pick up on the suspicious bits, they will then know to call for a lie detection check.

Obviously, this places an extra burden on the GM: you will have to know how to make a lie more or less convincing. This will be one part practice and one part research! Learning to make a lie more effective is substantially easier, so here are a few links to help in that regard: 1 2 3.

Now, making a lie bad is easy. As a bonus, it’s fun and will entertain your group. Remember the last time someone tried to pull a fast one on you but you knew they were lying? They put quite a performance, didn’t they? Here are a few tells to sprinkle in when an NPC botches their bluff check:

Nervous fidgets - Tap your foot, get up and pace, gesture unnecessarily, scratch the back of your neck, and/or lean back and away from your players.
Lack of eye contact - For the duration of the lie, make sure you avoid looking any players in the eye. Look away at some detail in the ceiling or catch someone’s eye and then immediately look down at your papers for a few seconds.
Hesitation - Add lots of umms and uhhs into the NPC’s speech, have them pause before answering questions.
Unnecessary Details - the more complex a lie is, the more likely it will lose consistency: go into laborious detail. The bruises on the warden’s prisoners weren’t from a beating, no! They must have tripped over their chamberpots and banged their heads against the bars a few times on the way to the floor!
Defensive Posturing - People that lie often become agitated when cornered. NPCs could lash out at being questioned, with arms crossed and a scowl on their face. How dare the player characters ask why the warden’s breath smells of whisky! He’d never drink on the job!
Facial Touching - When under stress, people tend to touch their face by reflex. Scratch at your nose, wipe your forehead, or push your hair behind your ears.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go test this as soon as possible. If anyone gives it a try or has feedback, let me know!

fightingfantasist: Dumping my Gamma World/Metamorphosis Alpha...

Wed, 20 Jun 2018 19:25:03 +0300

fightingfantasist:

Dumping my Gamma World/Metamorphosis Alpha inspiration folder.

The Free Hive regions are know for the exceptional brutality among the mutated insects that live there. Warlords have risen to power, conquered the area, and then been swiftly displaced before the seasonal trader even have a chance to return.

moonriver59:post apocalypse

Wed, 20 Jun 2018 17:46:32 +0300

moonriver59:

post apocalypse

moonriver59:post apocalypse

Wed, 20 Jun 2018 17:46:27 +0300

moonriver59:

post apocalypse

Psssst. DnD 5e is broken.The Advantage/Disadvantage system in DnD 5e translates to about a +5 bonus...

Wed, 20 Jun 2018 17:34:36 +0300

Psssst. DnD 5e is broken.

The Advantage/Disadvantage system in DnD 5e translates to about a +5 bonus to checks/attacks . This means that flanking, using abilities like Reckless Attack, or simply cajoling your DM into giving you Advantage for Reasons ™ is more advantageous than the training and experience granted to a twelfth level character, as represented by their Proficiency bonus.

Some might argue, and rightly so, that the virtual +5 bonus can’t help you exceed 20, but a quick glance at skill DCs and armor classes in 5e shows precious few above a 20. Adult Red Dragons (CR 17) clock in an AC of 19. Solars (CR 21), one of the most badass Celestial species out there, just squeak out of the Advantage range with an AC of 21.

Skill/Save DCs hold up a bit better, with trials and challenges that go above and beyond being outside the Advantage range.

I do want to draw your attention to the fact that a character with a +3 bonus to Strength, proficiency with Athletics, and a good enough reason to call for Advantage has 50/50 odds, each round, of swimming through a hurricane at first level.

For the overwhelming number of checks, saves, and attack rolls before you reach 13th level, Advantage confers more benefit than your experience and training. Even without Advantage, the average DCs and ACs you encounter are considerably lower.

Why is this bad, you might ask. Doesn’t it just mean that players are going to succeed more often? Yes, and I’d argue that makes things less fun. Lower ranges lead to less tension, risk, and uncertainty… doubly so if you can get Advantage.

Don’t get me wrong; DnD 5e is still a blast. I’m looking forward to a game myself in the next few weeks! I just think that, mechanically, they have ground the edges of of a critical aspect of the fun of the game: uncertainty. The uncertainty inherent to difficult DC/ACs is a very useful tool to let characters stand out and be heroic. Isn’t that what we’re ultimately here for? To be awesome and do impossible stuff?

Thanks for reading my TeDnD talk.

postapocalypticflimflam: Naturalist Keith Thompson has traveled...

Wed, 20 Jun 2018 13:56:19 +0300

postapocalypticflimflam:

Naturalist Keith Thompson has traveled far and wide on Gamma Terra. And in addition to his stunning drawings, he’s made field notes:

Nuked Moose

Sickened by radiation and scarred by biological and chemical weapons, this Bison Moose spends its short life madly attacking any living creature it comes in contact with. Drunken with pain and maddened by neurotoxins, this sad beast bays at the dusty sky where the sun could once be seen.

Sleipnir

Long ago the god Loki, in the form of a white mare and impregnated by the horse Svadilfari, gave birth to Sleipnir the eight-legged. When Loki reverted to his natural form he gave Sleipnir to the god Odin, announcing that the steed could carry his rider swifter than any horse, by land, sea or air and had the power to enter the land of the dead and return.

Tikbalang

An untrusting skittishness is prevalent among the communites surrounding the mountainous regions of the King Filipinas archipelago. The skewed, furtive glances exchanged when family members ask to be accompanied somewhere are a habit formed from fear of the Tikbalang. Often eerily mimicking the appearance of victims’ relatives, this forest spirit will lead lone people out to the heavily wooded depths of the mountain ranges, occasionally breaking the increasingly uncomfortable silence with short bursts of reassurement, and stilted gratitude for the assistance. The suddenly pungent aroma of tobacco and drunken swaying motion adopted by the false family member is noticed before their face blurs into something that resembles more that of a horse’s than a human’s. Delirious town folk who have stumbled their way into town after long absences tell of how this apparation pushed and slapped them, often knocking them over and not allowing them to right themselves; all the while shaking with nervous, childish giggling. People say that the cessation of resistance or protest will suddenly lead a victim to find themselves alone in the woods, plunged into darkness; the sun long set. The path home, recalled by the few who return after a disappearance, is hampered by a severe sense of disorientation and a forest that seems to curl in on itself repeatedly.

Werecordoba

Bred and infected from an extinct chain of Argentinean pit dogs for the purpose of killing encroaching werewolves in an urban environment. The plastic milk jug holds water that he can guzzle as his metabolism is so accelerated (he sweats profusely and pants simultaneously) that he constantly needs to rehydrate and eat. The baseball bat has sharp strips of jeweler’s silver hammered into it with wire wrapping around to prevent the bat from splitting. This tool is specifically used on werewolves.

postapocalypticflimflam: thecollectibles: Art by Victorin...

Fri, 15 Jun 2018 22:24:38 +0300

postapocalypticflimflam:

thecollectibles:

Art by Victorin Ripert

A little more fantasy in your Science-Fantasy.

postapocalypticflimflam: A day in the life of a Hoop? Comic by...

Fri, 15 Jun 2018 22:24:16 +0300

postapocalypticflimflam:

A day in the life of a Hoop?

Comic by Kurt Huggins

Photo

Thu, 14 Jun 2018 17:06:06 +0300

fragments-of-a-hologram-dystopia:(source)

Wed, 13 Jun 2018 22:54:36 +0300

fragments-of-a-hologram-dystopia:

(source)

One of the problems I have with Science-Fantasy, as opposed to Magic-Fantasy, is the lack of magical items. Even high tech devices like lasers kind of fall flat (#TeamBallistic) from the ideal; even if practical, they lose some of the charm. How is your item handbook looking to address the void created by a lack of magic, quartermaster? The context sensitive button is an in-game item, correct?

Wed, 13 Jun 2018 22:50:36 +0300

That, good sir, is an excellent question! And quietly, when no one is listening, I fully agree with you. Items tend to be either the Do-All devices, such as the Star Trek tricorder, or quite frankly boring.

My solution is two-fold:

1. I crammed the GM’s book full of OldTech items that each have a few functions. Most of the devices have a specific purpose and then a number of secondary capabilities.
2. I added a table of flaws. These range from the item not working on a percentile chance, shocking their user every third use, drawing extra power from its battery, or dissolving into a mass of nanomachine goo. Most of the flaws don’t result in the item’s destruction, but that is definitely a thing that can happen.

These flaws are also beyond anyone’s ability to repair… 800+ years of being buried in ruins, lack of maintenance, and endless passing from hand to hand has left nearly all devices in a poor state.

And there is only one context button I care about.

Thanks for the question!

Critter of the Day: Lifeweavers

Tue, 12 Jun 2018 21:19:11 +0300

Caught somewhere between a spider and a human being, the Lifeweaver combines the worst elements of both. Eight spindly limbs extend from a smooth, pale torso with a toothed maw at its core. A thin membrane of translucent tissue connects the eight limbs together like the webbing between a human’s fingers, four to each side of the main body. Its long neck holds up a human-like head, as hairless as the rest of the body and with no discernable features beyond a trio of blood-red eyes. Unless the creature is caught traveling, it will be seated on a thick bed of large tendrils of flesh that can easily overtake a whole room.

Nature Check
DC 20: The creatures are exceptionally rare. Indeed, there may only be one Lifeweaver alive, and any area where it settles will be changed in unpredictable ways. They seem to prefer building lairs in dry caves deep in the mountains, often completely covering a cavern in its flesh nest. If encountered in the wild or if one becomes injured in combat, they flee with exceptional speed. They are often accompanied by devoted worshipers.
DC 25: Lifeweavers are incredibly intelligent and alien. They are able to speak and sometimes do so to make demands of those they encounter, often offering medical services in exchange for chemicals or meat. Whole bodies, meat, or other bodily fluids are consumed by the creature’s central maw and stored in the tendril nest.
DC 30: While many may view a Lifeweaver setting up a nest nearby as an opportunity for trade, there are some that whisper of villages that suddenly vanish after a Lifeweaver begins trading with them. This rumor is made all the more unsettling by the occasional demand from a Lifeweaver that the next batch of meat be live.
DC 35: Lifeweavers lack the ability to reproduce sexually. Instead, they construct a new Lifeweaver from the biological slurry stored within their tendril nest. The process apparently puts a tremendous amount of strain on the creature, leaving it stationary and vulnerable. The offspring are grown within a rapidly growing cyst that forms at the center of the nest and hatch into a fully grown and identical Lifeweaver within two weeks. The parent then dies and the offspring leaves the lair to find its own place to repeat the process. It is unknown why they do this.

Medical Check
DC 20: Their knowledge of biology is nearly unrivaled. If sufficient volumes of requested materials can be gathered, a Lifeweaver is able to cure diseases, mend any injury, or even reattach severed limbs. Some claim that they are able to improve, alter, or remove Mutations as well, but few have been able to present any evidence.
DC 25: The nesting tendrils that a Lifeweaver extrudes into its lair dig into stone and soil to extract useful minerals. Somehow, the nest processes these minerals into all manner of useful medical chemicals. If one can locate and extract the reservoir bladders near the spot the Lifeweaver usually sits, the value of such a cache of chemicals may be beyond calculation.

Psionics Check
DC 20: Lifeweavers can’t actually speak. They utilize a form of subtle form of telepathy to convince those around it that it is speaking to them in whatever language they commonly use.
DC 25: The ‘devotees’ that the Lifeweaver always seems to have around itself aren’t voluntary worshipers; they’re thralls that have been psionically enslaved by the creature. It is speculated that prolonged exposure to their telepathy has a way of slowly dominating an individual’s will. No cure has been discovered. A Lifeweaver can draw power from their thralls to power their own psionic attacks.
DC 30: Any mental attack against a thrall harms the Lifeweaver as well. The damage to the creature is less than the harm dealt to the thrall, but it does present an avenue of attack against the otherwise immensely psychically resilient creature.

civilizationfiction:Far Point, Tyler Thull

Tue, 12 Jun 2018 19:21:42 +0300

civilizationfiction:

Far Point, Tyler Thull