Gamma World

I recently attended PAX East with a few of my friends. While attending a panel, my friend Shawn was lucky enough to win a free copy of Gamma World. Long story short, instead of playing some Dungeons & Dragons Encounters at some tables that were set up, we opted to break open the game and have Lance and I play around in the set.

It was fun.

The game is zany as Hell, and also a bit rules light. There are a lot of 4th Edition staples in the game. The power system, defenses rather than saving throws, hit points based on Constitution score (rather than the Constitution modifier), and so on. The skills are further stripped down from 4th Edition, obviously you don't need stuff like Arcana and Dungeoneering in a world that does not include magic and dungeons full of aberrations, although a lot of Gamma World enemies could definitely double as 4th Edition aberrations, there is a Dogdamn land squid for Pete's sake. 

There is also a land shark. It, like the bulette, makes me oh so happy inside. 

The setting is pretty broad, some time ago, something happened, possibly science related (I vaguely recall reading somewhere that a super collider was involved), and mashed all the alternate futures and timelines and eras of the universe into one ball of madness on earth. It was then dubbed Gamma Terra or Gamma Earth, and chaos very quickly followed. 

Your origins are your key feature, they determine whether you are just a mutant human, a hawk man, a swarm of rats, or a giant cyborg cockroach. I was a Doppelganger Felinoid called Lyano, I could use cat claws and summon alternate selves of myself. Lance was an Android Pyschic, he could grab stuff really hard and use mind bullets and whatnot. Anyway, your origins (you roll for two, a primary and secondary), determine two of your scores, which type of mutation you have affinity for (Dark, Psychic, or Biological), and also what skills you may have a bonus for. They also determine your powers and critical abilities. This isn't like 4th Edition where you have a shit ton of options for powers, you get an at-will or encounter power for each origin and a few others as you level, you never have more than a few, even at level ten, which is the level cap at the moment.

The equipment section is pretty much my favorite part of the rules (excluding crazy origin combinations), you have a lot of leeway in that area. There aren't like fifteen different types of armor, just three. Light, heavy, and shield. It is left up to the player to determine how that armor looks. Is your heavy armor composed of a 55' Chevy Bel Air hood and road signs? Or is it thick slabs of tire rubber bolted together and tied to you with chains? The weapons are just as simple: heavy and light attacks, heavy and light melee weapons (like a signpost or a knife), heavy and light guns (like a .22 or a .45), and heavy and light ranged weapons. (a thrown bowling ball or a thrown knife). Light and and ranged stuff tends to use Dexterity, while heavy stuff tends to use Strength. Pretty straightforward and intuitive, and again, it is up to you to determine your weapon or attack's nature. 

Your starting equipment is randomly rolled, as is your skill bonus. You roll a die, which determines how many times you may roll on a very broad table. You can end up with things like fuel, toy cars, boats, horses, or laptops. Or trucks. The table doesn't go to deeply into what stuff does, other than miles per gallon and passenger capacity for trucks and "you'll figure out what it can do" for everything else. Lance and I had two horses and a boat and some generators. We probably should have tried to make some kind of cyborg boat horse generator that shot lasers. Next time. 

I said before that the skills are pretty light. You get stuff like Mechanics, Conspiracy, Stealth, Interaction, etc. Your origins determine your bonus in two skills, and you roll for a random bonus to a third. The equivalent would be being trained in a skill in 4th Edition. There are only a few skills and it is pretty easy to figure out what they do.

You also roll randomly in stats. Your origins determine your ability scores to a certain extent. Each origin has a ability associated with it, Dexterity for Felinoids, Intelligence for Doppelgangers, and so on. Your primary origin ability stat is 18, your secondary is 16. If both origins have the same, it is a 20. Everything else is 3d6, no rerolls, in order, do not add anything. I rolled a 7 for Strength and a 5 for Constitution, which isn't as bad as it would be in other versions of the game. All the powers and stuff are like 4th Edition and you can use Intelligence and Wisdom and non-Strength scores and such to make attacks. 

Gamma World also has guns and I really like the rules. Guns fire ammo, Gamma World doesn't get into energy cells or bullets, you either have ammo or you don't. You have two options: conserve ammo, or spray and pray. If you are conserving ammo, you may only fire a gun once an encounter, but you'll still have ammo at the end of the encounter. If you are not conserving ammo, you can fire your gun as many times as you want during an encounter, but you are out of ammunition at the end of the encounter and will have to find or barter for more afterwards before you can use your gun again. I like it, it is pretty simple and easy to manage. I gave up tracking ammo a long time ago in my Hekinoe

I want to take a moment to mention that you have a lot of leeway to just decide things in the game. It is a really cool feature. If you get the Hawkoid and Seismic origins (and this is pointed out in the books), it doesn't mean you have to be some weird earth eagle man from underground, though you can be. You can say you're a gargoyle if you want. If I had wanted to, I could have said that my double from the game we played was one of my Felinoid's eight extra lives that could pop back in time to help me out. ...That is actually a neat idea, I regret not coming up with it then. Oh well. There is a lot of free reign in this game and that is an awesome feature, and only adds to the zaniness I spoke of earlier. 

Zaniness. Even in the earliest incarnation of the game (back when Gygax and his son worked on it), the game was not super serious. It was about mutants and lasers and bat crap crazy radiation induced mutations from alternate dimensions mish mashed with this one cause all manner of shenanigans. Lance and I fought badger and pig men and giant lion bat things by shooting lasers, throwing bowling balls, summoning alternate selves of myself,  and using a blow up doll. 

Is it any wonder that Shawn TPKed us? Is it any wonder that we were laughing and giggling and having a super fun time?

Alpha Mutations and Omega Technology. This is a button issue for me. Every encounter, you have random mutations that can affect your character, in addition, you can draw Omega Tech cards after some abilities. These are loot basically. For instance, my Felinoid had a mutation affect it called Stink Glands and Lance had a tech card that was like a Fusion Rifle or something. The mutation cards can be overcharged for an additional effect, you make a d20 roll and add a bonus to it if you have one (some origins gain a bonus to certain overcharge rolls). For instance, Stink Glands gains the ability to do poison damage in addition to its other effects. If you fail overcharge rolls, the mutation goes haywire and you end up with a penalty of some kind (-2 to attack rolls for Stink Glands). Omega Tech doesn't operate the same way, but there is a chance you could deplete an item's charge and end up with a broken Fusion Rifle or Freeze Ray, you can still use the item, but it is very much less effective. 

Now, the button part of the issue, you can buy booster packs for these mutation cards and technology cards. No. We are already letting Magic: The Gathering get way too involved in 4th Edition with all these power cards people are  bringing to the game and the Harrow Deck or whatever it is being sold now. I played Magic, Pokemon, and the World of Warcraft card games. I love Munchkin. I dig games and card games. I do not dig Dungeons and Dragons, or even a variation of it, having a collectible card game as a main component of it, especially not when you consider the amount of power creep that occurs between sets of Magic: The Gathering. Lance and Shawn have advised me to just not buy boosters packs and just use the cards out of the deck. I can live with that, but I still don't like this trend. 

There are no feats, or classes, or even that many levels. It is essentially a stripped down version of 4th Edition, but what it loses isn't that important. There is a lot of flavor packed into the game where the rules were removed, and I like it. I tend to favor complexity over simplicity in most games, but Gamma World's flavor is robust enough that I have a rollicking good time playing it. 

So yeah, if you want some crazy fun and think the 4th Edition ruleset is a solid ruleset, Gamma World might possibly be for you.

A Rogue's Gallery Of Aborted NPCs

Ok, so I said I'd gone through a bunch of ideas for the NPC, and I have. Here is a mostly complete list of them.

Greenskin Abraxen Fighter (Archer)

This guy was basically Fas'binder 2.0. The goal was to be a kind of primitive hunter type that used Master Craftsman to make magical bows and arrows. I didn't have too much planned for him, other than a desire to try and find his original clan in The Beastlands (the Niht clan). The guys could either help him or hinder him, or ignore him, and each those choices would have affected the events going on in The Beastlands at the moment.

Elduman Monk (Zen Archer)

This idea combined two ideas I had. I wanted a kind of wise advisor to the group that could be all wise and mysterious with kind of a psychic theme. I explored the option a bit and talked to Fred about it and kind of came to the conclusion that a wise and mysterious person of any sort amounted to me basically railroading the group into being good guys. This idea went through two other versions as well, a Fighter (Archer)/Wizard/Arcane Archer version and a Psychic Warrior/Psionic Archer, Psionic Archer is not a prestige class that exists mind you.

Elduman Monk (Weapon Master)

I briefly detoured from my ranged obsession to contemplate and build a monk that focused on weapon combat. The concept was the same as my other monk ideas, a wise and mysterious combat expert. This guy would have focused on disarms, trips, and sunder attempts with a temple sword.

Fell Human Rogue (Poisoner)

For some reason I got on this weird ranged combat kick. Came up with an idea for a knife thrower Rogue that used poison to augment the small damage of daggers. I also decided he would be mute, then there would be no danger of me deliberately or accidentally leading the group. This idea also went through another version, an Elduman Soulknife with blade skills that focused on chucking blades of idealized will at his enemies.

Child of Volung Barbarian (Hurler)

This idea continued the whole ranged combat thing I was fixating on. He would charge enemies and pick up things to throw at them along the way. A pretty straightforward idea. I envisioned him with a large barrel of smaller barrels on his back and reaching back to hurl them as he charged. The hurling rage skills allow a raging Barbarian to throw large objects, but rather than improvised weapon damage, they do damage based on their size and distance thrown, ala falling object damage.

It was at this point that I let go of ranged combat and kind of decided that I wanted a powerful NPC that was useful to the group, but might have a background or personality issue that made them a useful, but less than ideal adventuring companion.

Child of Volung Barbarian (Drunken Brute)

This was the drunken barbarian idea I spoke of previously. He would combine some hurling rage powers with the Drunken Rage class feature and some booze related powers to shrug off status effects. He would have been constantly irritable and very pragmatic about things. Also drunk, and angry. Very hard to deal with and handle, but an absolute monster in combat. I would have also really liked to expose the group to another race in The Known World. They only really have long term experience with Fell Humans and Soulless, and now Okwighta.

Fell Human Rogue/Wizard/Arcane Trickster

This character was going to be a professional thief that used sorcery to augment his skill use. The brand of trouble he brought to the group would stem from his underworld ties and his willingness to steal everything not nailed down that had a resale value greater than a mark. To be honest, I envisioned him as something of an even more amoral alternate D'alton. One that could sneak attack with fireballs and lightning bolts.

Fell Human Alchemist/Rogue (Poisoner)

This was going to be a vaguely creepy dude obsessed with life and death and how various chemicals caused or altered those states. The troubles he brought with him would relate to the fact that he was a major creeper and his allegiance to the most skilled Alchemist in Hekinoe and the shenanigans that that savage doctor got up to. Those shenanigans are tangentially related to the plot of this campaign.

Fell Human Magus

The key feature of the Magus seems to be a pseudo-two-weapon fighting/flurry of blows type ability that allows them to wield a sword in one hand, and a spell in the other. The Magus is an interesting class that I kind of like. The trouble from this character would stem from his background, though it would only really be an issue if the players pushed and pulled at the threads of it. 

Anyway, that is the stable as it currently stands. I've limited myself to plotting out the Magus (one Krieg Byr'ger, formerly of the Necropolis), to only three levels in an attempt to preserve the mystery of the character. I guess I'm fluctuating between the Barbarian (Drunken Brute) and this Magus idea I have. The Barbarian would be a lot more...fun, I think, but in the end, I think the Magus would be more rewarding to play. Can GMs play multiple NPCs?

Theories

The following are some theories, some fake and others dead serious, that my group has come up regarding the campaign.

-We are the PCs of the Mysterious Enemies, and Nakmander is their GM.

-We're clones, and Nakmander used mind control and sorcery to get us to work for him.

-We're not clones, that is too cliche' for our GM to use.

-What if we're all descendants of The Robust Five and are reliving the genetic memories of the original Robust Five, ala Assassin's Creed?

-I don't think we're clones, beyond that, I don't care to theorize about what happened, I want to let it unfold.

-We're not clones, but they do exist, and we have to hunt them down and kill them and earn the Quickening.

-The giant gemstone thing is controlling everyone in Meroteth and that is what Nakmander used to control us.

-We probably just went back to work for Nakmander.

-D'alton is a banker at the bank we robbed, and the whole Robust Five are just a comic strip he doodles in his bank ledger.

-We're all participating in a mystery-style reality show.

-Temporal stasis in a world where magic goes haywire or wears down could explain us being unaged. The clones are with Nakmander and they had stored us in the basement of Tesla's Boil. Hank was not loyal to Xein, works for Nakmander or the clones or believes in the rebellion.

-Cowboy wizards, who are also ALIENS.

-We are the dream of Kethranmeer as he falls to the ground, dying.

Thoughts On Character Backgrounds, Among Other Things

"We don't explore characters; we explore dungeons."

That is a motto for Old School D&D. I found that quote on a blog I like to read called Grognardia, and that site referenced it from somewhere else. It is a nice, succinct little motto with a good depth of meaning. I like a quote linked in the comments section on the blog that it was pulled from as well, I won't repeat the exact words, but the gist of it is that the first six levels of your character's career are his background. 

I like a nice meaty background, something interesting, possibly cool. I never demand backgrounds of my players, because some people don't feel comfortable writing, and others don't like to worry about that kind of thing. Others don't feel like they need to justify why their character is the way it is. Others are just lazy.

Kethranmeer's initial background was roughly a paragraph. It was simple and easily read, and over play he evolved, and the background evolved with him. I won't lie and say I had everything planned out for Kethranmeer from day one, but by level six, I had a pretty good idea where I was heading. The first six levels of playing him were how I figured out all the rest of it.They were where I discovered that he was afraid of small, underground places. The first six levels were where I decided he was Unaligned, or Neutral, or whatever, with slight tendencies towards Good where his friends and family were concerned. The first six levels were where I determined that he thought Xein was ok and D'alton was a solid sort that he could be fast friends with. 

This is why I want to slow down leveling in my current game. The players need time to get to know their characters. Between the system switch and leveling once every scenario, and never really having a super good handle on 3.5 Edition and 4th Edition in the first place, we need to slow down and get to know these incarnations of our alternate selves. Dungeons (I use dungeon as a catch all term for where battle and adventure are taking place) are where the absent minded GM realized that he's been using Feint and sneak attacking improperly. Dungeons are where we discover our characters, from a rules standpoint, and a background stand point. Dungeons are where we discovered that the original Robust Five were a collection of sadists that would burn and bury people alive. Dungeons are where we discovered that The Robust Five had no problem murdering teenagers for no better reason than because they were told to. Dungeons are where we discovered that The Robust Five were so apathetic that they would let a thief steal their means to freedom right out from under their noses without complaint (other than Xein).

I guess what I'm saying is that we should concentrate on the now of our game, and not the in nineteen levels of our game. There is too much of a focus on "I want to take this feat in twelve levels"  and "I want to have this many ranks in this skill in ten levels." This is not to say that we should only think of our character's future when  we level. Have an idea where you want to go, but chill and enjoy the now of your fledgling PC. If there is one thing I've learned building out twelve or so NPCs, planning your character out for twenty levels (or more) when you have three hundred experience to your name gets boring. You don't get to discover the character anymore, he's all done and written down, there's no mystery or curiosity to associate with playing him. For me at least.

In the end, get as involved with your character creation as you want. Play and plan your character in a way you want. Do whatever you want. Me, I need to just pick something I like and let it evolve as I play. Spending twelve hours at work talking to Fred and reading my Pathfinder books wasn't really productive for finding an NPC for me to play. I think I like Kethranmeer so much because he was a mystery that unfolded during play. I never sat down and plotted and planned for him. He just became what he was, and it worked, and it was fun.

Last line, I promise. Just have fun while you game, however it is that you have that fun.

Mathematical Isanity

According to last campaign's level progression rate (fifteen levels for every thirteen months of adventuring), after ten years of adventuring, Derf should be a 138th level sorcerer.

Mysterious Enemy #2, Part 5

The Fifth Month

His fingernails were broken things, his wound was a red, inflamed, burning coal of pain and fever that dripped pus everywhere. His teeth were black nubs, his flesh was gaunt against his bones and muscles and distended belly. He could not stop shaking and every few seconds he giggled uncontrollably, which turned into a hacking cough.

Once he had been able to climb back up into his dirt stairway, he'd found the soft dirt above the packed dirt to be easy to move. He just kept up digging with one hand, constantly in motion, until his fingernails peeled back and bled and his hand became a leather, callused thing, more unfeeling scar tissue than flesh.

Exhaustion was a thing he'd come to know as a close companion in his time since waking to a hacked off limb. He had become an animal since then. A beast with no time or ability to worry or mourn his fate. He just dug. He had become a pale and wasted cave creature in this hole and when his mangled claw-hand finally pushed through to the surface world, the dim light of the moon blinded him.

Blinded and blinking, his digging became frenzied, he began lunging upwards on the sliding slope of dirt, clawing like mad beast, froth flecking his dry lips. When the hole above him was wide enough, he wriggled through it like a pale grub creature and lay in the cool night air. He was gasping, his lungs burning and his heart pounding in his chest.

He looked around as he lay there, and a grim laugh choked its way out of his throat. He saw the grey stone of the traveler's roost to his left, downhill. The spot he'd chosen to dig his way out had been beneath a hill. He cried then as he lay there aching and wanting to scream, what should have been fifteen feet, had turned into forty or fifty because of mere random chance. When he choked down his sobs and had the strength to sit up, he did so, and began looking at the night sky.

As he gazed at the night sky, his thoughts turned to revenge. He was weak and wounded, but he was alive and could find food and marks and a way to torment those that had forced him to become this thing of pain and despair. Looking at the night sky, the moon bright, he could see the faint yellow glow of Gorelon peeking out from behind the moon.

His thoughts slowed to a halt and he laughed, a mirthful, if a bit frenzied, laugh. He closed his eyes and smiled, suddenly realizing that everything he had experienced had had a purpose. His thoughts turned inwards and he was suddenly struck by the thought that his tormentors had not been such, they had bestowed a gift upon him, a gift he did not fully understand in that moment.

He dragged himself up off the ground, eyes open and staring at Gorelon, and the pus filled stump of his arm suddenly itching like crazy. He absentmindedly itched the wound and a scab flaked off, revealing smooth grey flesh that felt like rubber to his callused fingertips. He decided that regardless of the cost, he would find a way to thank his benefactors. He would find a way to bestow the gifts that had been given to him this night, on them.

Ran'dahl Koltchrain

Player: Shawn

Race: Fell-Human

Class: Summoner

Age: 19

Height: 5'

Weight: 110 lb.

Description: A short Fell Human with bulging eyes.

Personality:

Favorite Color: Dark purple.

Fluff: Ran'Dahl was born to a poor tinkerer family in the Fell Peaks. He was a slight child born with bulging eyes and scaly skin. Upon his introduction to the world, his father Ran'Duhn accused the mother, Chann'i of mating with a serpent. After much accusation and further investigation, they determined that these defects were the result of all the low quality magical objects stored within their home.

As time grew on, Ran'Duhn and Chann'i tinkered more and more with their creations, eventually creating some high quality products. These were more prone to misfiring, but they were extremely potent and high in demand. So much so, rather that the family was starting to attract some unwanted attention from the gangs around the Fell Peaks.

Upon Ran'Dahls 10th birthday, Ran'Duhn presented Ran'Dahl with his first magical device, an action figure that when probed with sorcerous energy would walk and punch. Ran'Duhn told Ran'Dahl that that he had some sorcerous talent and that with practice he should be able to make the action figure animated. For the next month, Ran'Dahl worked tirelessly at playing with the action figure, even going so far as naming it Za'ith.

Ran'Dahl had showed so much success with this small Za'ith that Ran'Duhn decided to start introducing him to more and more items. For the next year, Ran'Dahl actively participated with his father in researching and testing magical devices.

One night, when Ran'Dahl was 12, a gang raided his father's workshop for all his magical devices. Ran'Duhn woke up and grabbed his blasting rod that he kept next to his bed and ran to confront the gang. When he leveled the rod at the nearest gang member, the rod exploded and took out Ran'Duhn as well as the two nearest gang members. Chann'i then told Ran'Dahl to stay in his room while she grabbed the family revolver and tried to shoot the gang leader. The leader, not being afraid of Chann'i ran up to her and knocked her out. He picked her up and started walking away with her as Ran'Dahl came storming out of his room with Za'ith. He commanded Za'ith to attach the gang leader, but the little action figure only started walking when the gang leader stomped on it and smashed it to pieces. The leader laughed and strode off with Chann'i in toll. Ran'Dahl was left sobbing in his broken home, suddenly alone with not even his action figure to keep him company.

Ran'Dahl waited two weeks in his house, hoping that his mother would come back, scrounging for any and all sustinance. Nothing happened. Finally, he ventured to where the workshop was and started sorting through the wreckage. He knew that there were secret spots that his father kept the most prized items but he didn't know where. For days Ran'Dahl would dig around the house and workshop looking for items. Each night he would drop from exhaustion. His dreams would be filled with horrible memories of that night. However, more frightening was his recollection of Za'ith. His action figure was becoming more real in his mind; much larger, stronger, and dangerous. At first, Za'ith would just appear as he would when they would play, but Ran'Dahl would suddenly wake when Za'ith would look at him, staring with red-glowing eyes. Soon, Za'ith seemed more real and menacing.

One day, he was scrounging in the workshop when he heard someone enter through the front door. It was a member from the gang. He started tearing through the workshop looking for anything of value. Ran'Dahl hid in the back under a desk. Ran'Dahl then noticed something attached under the desk, it was glowing slightly. He was just starting to reach for it when the gang member found him, hauling him out by the scruff of his collar. He asked Ran'Dahl what he was doing under the desk and if he was hiding stuff. Ran'Dahl became really frightened and started sobbing, but couldn't help to look back to the desk. The gang member caught this look, threw Ran'Dahl in the corner and retrieved the item. He started walking towards Ran'Dahl and cursing him, telling him that he better find more things or he would kill him. Ran'Dahl started sobbing harder and wished that Za'ith would come and get rid of this man. As he was thinking that, he felt a sudden chill and hear the gang member scream.

Ran'Dahl looked up and saw a large, menacing figure standing before him, blocking Ran'Dahl's view of the gang member. This figure stood about 7' tall, had long arms ending in gruesome claws. He had a very muscular, but thin build with long arms and legs. The figure stooped slightly but looked ready for action. Ran'Dahl mouthed "save me" and the creature lunged at the gang member, killing him in a blur of arms, teeth, and claws. Once the job was done, the creature looked back to Ran'Dahl and it was then that Ran'Dahl recognized that it was Za'ith. He had red eyes, a maw full of sharp teeth and a very dangerous air to him. Ran'Dahl was afraid, but he somehow knew that this creature, Za'ith, would not harm him.

As the days went on, Ran'Dahl learned how to summon and dismiss Za'ith. He began to learn how to control Za'ith and how to best utilize Za'ith to augment his own meager body and skills. Soon, with the help of Za'ith, he found many more trinkets and magical devices hidden in the workshop. He collected these and tinkered with the ones he deemed less powerful. There were some mishaps, but all in all Ran'Dahl learned a lot about magical devices.

After about a month of being holed up in the house, he ventured out. Not for wanting to, but for the sake of food. He went down to the first market he could remember and tried to get some food. The merchants would not hand out any, as the food was precious to them as well. Ran'Dahl became desperate; he offered a tiny trinket that he kept in his pocket for some food. The merchant that he offered the trinket to immediately took it and gave Ran'Dahl a sack of food. Ran'Dahl then ran home. He was inside all of 5 minutes when the door flew open and a couple of strong-arms came inside after Ran'Dahl, looking for more magical devices. Ran'Dahl immediately summoned Za'ith who promptly took out one strong-arm while the other ran away.

This was how Ran'Dahl became a small-time peddler in magical devices. This type of activity carried on for his teenage years, where he learnt some tricks to detect magical devices and how to creatively escape or folly the attempts of people looking to hurt him. Eventually, Ran'Dahl decided that he could better use his skills with Za'ith through other means. He decided to head towards the city and see if he could get hired to be a guard.