Vampire Descriptor (Cypher system)

I know everyone has a different idea about how a vampire should be stated up. This is my take on a vampire by way of descriptor.

Vampire

Unnatural grace: +2 Speed pool.
Unnatural strength: +2 Might pool

Skill: Trained in all speed defense.
Skill: Trained in all aspects of influence and persuasion in social situations.
Skill: Trained in all might defense.

Inability: Vampires have an adversion to direct sunlight. While in sunlight vampires have no edge when spending for extra effort.

Initial link to the starting adventure:
1. You are in love/infatuated with a member of the party. (do they know?)
2. There is a connection to your past, some aspect of the adventure is part of your own history (was it before or after your change?)
3. You have seen coming events in your sleep. You are connected to some aspect that even you might not understand.

Sonic Spanner Lv8 Artifact

Rumor is this artifact was once the tool of a time Barron. It's a multi utility tool that can differentiate reality and mettle with simple mechanical or electrical devices.

To differentiate reality a roll is made against the level of the creature or device pulling subterfuge. The sonic spanner counts as 2 levels of resource. The exact nature of the subterfuge is not given, just that something is not as it seems.

As a tool the sonic spanner can lock and unlock simple locks. Can make security camera scramble for up to a minute and weapons misfire on their next use. 

The sonic spanner is immune to all forms of attack and for all intensive purposes is invulnerable. It's also immune to all effects of time distortion and reality translations. So it always looks exactly the same no matter where or when it is encountered. 

Cypher system initiative, Playing cards.

While I don't dislike the Cypher system's initiative roll, I love savage world's playing card method better.

So I have been Thinking of a way to use the best of both. Use cards but integrate them into the Cypher system smoothly.

Here is my core idea. Every player is issued a card at the start of combat. Adversaries are issued cards in groups, one card for all zombies ect.

Players act in the order from highest to lowest card.

At the top of any combat round any player can spend an effort to draw an extra card and act on the highest of the two cards. The player then discards the higher card and keeps the lower card for the rest of the combat. (yes there is risk of drawing an even lower card)

Option: surprised characters or adversaries draw two cards and act on the lower of the two for the turn. Discarding the lower card after and keeping the higher card for the rest of the combat.

More options coming.

Cyphers as power stunts

I've been toying with different ways to use cyphers in a game. Ways to explain them as a stunt rather than a device. Mainly for super hero games or more heroic games in general, so here is my cyphers as stunt idea.

All players draw cyphers equal to their class/level allowance as normal. Players describe how their power use causes the cyphers effect. At the beginning of every turn players draw new cyphers up to their max.

For example a group of thugs open fire with their pistols against a blaster character, all his abilities are energy attacks but he has a cypher giving him a temporary shield. He uses the cypher explains that he whips his energy around him creating a temporary shield. On his next turn the blaster chooses to use a cypher that allows him to teleport. He tells the Gm he plans to blast the ground and quickly tunnel up behind the thugs.

As usual the GM has the final say as to what uses is allowed.

Seeks enlightenment through the sword (Kensai, Sword saint), Foci (cypher system)

Foci: Seeks Enlightenment through the sword (Kensai)

You have trained with a bladed weapon. Most likely a sword or a large knife. Your training goes well beyond physical and mental discipline, Your ability with your blade is spiritual.

Minor Effect Suggestion: You can attempt an intimidating task to cause your foe to immediately surrender.

Major Effect Suggestion: Your foe pauses, terrified by your prowess, and takes no action on his turn.

Tier 1: 

Blade in hand: You inflict 1 additional point of damage with your blade of choice. Enabler.

Practiced with your blade: You are practiced with using blades and suffer no penalty when

using one. Enabler.

Tier 2: Spirit guided blade: You can spend points from either your Speed Pool or your Intellect

Pool to apply levels of Effort to increase your bladed weapon damage. Each level of Effort adds

3 points of damage to a successful attack, and if you spend a turn in prayer/meditation, each level of Effort adds 5 points of damage to a successful attack instead. Enabler.

Tier 3: Turning the blade: After using Spirit guided blade and meditating for one turn add one free level to effort to speed defense against other melee weapons.

Tier 4: Flash of blades: You can make two Bladed weapon attacks as a single action, but the second

attack is modified by two steps to your detriment. Enabler.

Tier 5: Legendary swordsman: You can choose

from one of two benefits. Either you are

trained in using your bladed weapon (or specialized if you

are already trained), or you have the Spinning slash ability, which costs 3 Speed points: 

you can use  your weapon at up to three targets (all next to one another, within range) as a single

action. Make a separate attack roll against each target. The difficulty of each attack is

increased by one step. Enabler (being trained in using your blade) or action (Spinning slash).

Tier 6: Death dealer: You deal 2 additional points of damage with your chosen bladed weapon.

This is on top of the damage from the Blade in hand ability, giving you a total of 3 additional points of damage. Enabler.

Thank you +Michael K for the name!

The Hulk (Cypher system)

Just a quick and dirty build. I'm sure there is a better way to do the hulk, this is just off the cuff.

The Hulk is an Intelligent Exporer who Rages.

Special abilities:
Frenzy
Muscles of Iron*
No need for weapons*
Block*
Fleet footed*

Power shifts:
(3) Strength*
(2) Resilience*

* all are tied to frenzy (Hulk form).

This actually looks pretty solid in that both explorer and Intelligent with gain mr. Banner a lot of intellect based skills....all of which are useless once he rages.

Thor (Cypher system)

Once again this is just my off the cuff quick and dirty build for Thor.
And of all things Tier 1.

Thor is a Noble Warrior who rides the lightning.

Special abilities:
Bash*
Practiced in armor
Swipe*
Extra edge
Shock
Charge
* abilities tied to hammer.

Power shifts:
(2)Power: bash when using hammer.
(2)Resilience
Strength

Cassilian, priest of the god of thunder (Cypher system)

Npc Adept I made just for fun.

Cassilian is a Spiritual priest (Adept) who rides the lightning.

Might: 9
Speed: 10
Intellect: 15 Edge:1

Effort: 1
Cyphers: 3

Skills: Intellect defense, resist temptation.

Inability: initiative.

Helpful: +1 when helping others.

Special abilities:
Electronic surge (Onslaught)
Magic trainning
Lighting shield (Resonance field)
Ward
Shock
Charge

Magic in Cypher system.

I've been thinking of a way to make cypher system magic even more wondrous and flexable.

The number one goal is to not bog the system down with new rules or subsystems.

I have already expressed my love for the trading damage for effect optional rules. I think its an easy way to express different kinds of magic within the avalible special abilities.

Just for an example lets look at the special ability Onslaught.

An adept who chooses to flavor his magic with fire (either by choice or by foci) could gain the effect:
2 dmg to catch target on fire.

An adept who chooses to flavor his magic with Ice (either by choice or by foci) could gain the effect:
2 dmg to make your attack armor piercing, ignore 1 point of armor.

Another effect could be a 1 cost to have the attack effect a different pool. For example the cold based attacks effect speed as the slow the target with each attack.

Ice based armor might give an extra +1 armor vs heat based attacks.

Still thinking on this one, more to come.

Captain America (Cypher system) Revised

I bet if 20 different people all stated up Capt. America we would have 20 different versions of him. I'm cool with that. Here is my quick and dirty build. Captain Steve rogers A.k.a. Captain America.

Captain America is a Honorable Warrior who Leads.

Special abilities:
Natural charisma

Good advice
No need for weapons
Trained without armor
Bash*
Pierce*
* = used in conjunction with shield.

Power Shifts:

Accuracy

Dexterity: Acrobatics.

Single attack: attacks with shield.
Healing
Resilience

Shield, medium weapon, short range, on turns it's not used to attack it counts as a large shield.

Immortal, Descriptor (Cypher system)

Immortal
You do not age normally. You and your kind walk the earth blending into humanity, Fighting a secret war. When you would die instead you reawaken in 1d6/2 hours. The only way for true death is for your body to be completely destroyed or head should be removed.

You start the game with one bladed weapon of your choice. You are trained in it.

Adaptability:+2 to any one pool.

Skill: being long lived you can often recall long forgotten skills. Gain the ability flashback (2 Intellect) gain a temporary trained level in any one skill, lasts a half of an hour.

Skill: being long lived you have faced and over come a great many obstacles in your life already to become as old as you are. Trained in speed defense.

Sensing others like you: you have the ability to sense the approch of other immortals. You know one is near when the come within their level/tier times 4 yards.

Enemies: being both hunter and prey has made you untrusting and paranoid.

Link to adventure:
1. One party member saved your life against another immoral. You owe them.

2. You swore ages ago to protect a good friend. One party member is her descendant.

3. You feel drawn to members or even the whole party. Being around them reminds you of your family.

4. You feel a connection to one or more member of the party, being around them helps you hold on to your humanity.

Trading damage, Cypher system

While reading through the Cypher system book I ran across the optional rules for trading damage for effect. Although I read over it in the other two Cypher core books it didn't really stick with me, maybe because back then I was still getting the rules down.

This rule is so in my wheelhouse it is not funny. The fact that I've run so much of The strange without even using this rule is ridiculous.

I'm a big fan of stunts in combat. The problem is in most games things like disarming an opponent or knocking them back increases difficulty to hit. It's a hit+stunt or miss completely kind of deal. Most times players missing a few times discourages further use of stunts.

In the Cypher system you buy stunts with damage. That in itself is cool, but if you also take into account that effort can be spent to add damage.  You have a way to purchase stunts with effort. If I wasn't already a huge cypher system fan those would have done it for me.

Now, to add more stunts....

Cypher system core rules book

I've now had a few weeks to pour over the Cypher system core rule book. And man is it pushing all the right buttons.

I saw a few comments before it came out that said "I've got Numenera and The strange, do I really need another core book?" Since I have almost everything for the Cypher system it did make me wonder. Do I need it?

What makes this book stand out is all the little touches. The optional rules found in the genera sections to help you better replicate the feel you want from different styles of games.

Optional rules like insight that help to find clues without rolling in mystery based games. Rules like madness and shock for dealing with horror. As well as power shifts to replicate superheroes amazing abilities beyond just lumping on more powers.

Another option that stands out to me is flavores. Along with you're blank blank who blanks. You can add a flavor and add "with".

So your clever explorer who looks for trouble. Can now be a clever explorer who looks for trouble with magic. Adding a theme to your focus. I love everything about this.

I'm more than happy with my PDF purchase, which I almost never just get the PDF without also getting the book. But I just couldn't wait. Now I'm that much more exited to get the book in hand.

Dark blades of the assassin kings (Cypher system)

Six blades forged. One for each of the six assassin kings. Passed from one king to the next. One destroyed And one captured. The remaining four kings fled taking these blades with them into the shadows, and off the pages of history.

Dark blades use the profile of an average dagger. when gaining a damage bonus for higher rolls (17-20) add an extra +1 to the total damage.

While attacking with a dark blade gain the move/esoterie/trick: Mark target (2 Intellect) target becomes the assassin blades prey. The blade becomes an asset to all attack rolls against the prey til they are dead or a new target is marked.

In translation, The Strange character options

I finally had a chance to really dig into this book. I've got to say, I think it's pretty amazing.

After a nice little introduction by Bruce Cordell the book starts right off with new abilities for the three character types.

Pages 4-14 are full of new moves for Vectors, revisions for Parodoxes, and Twists for spinners. Looking over them I think all look useful, none of it looks like filler or redundant material. Reading over the abilities I think my players are going to want them added right away.

Pages 15-25 are new descriptors. I find all the descriptors interesting, even Slacker sounds like it would be fun to play.

Pages 26-90 are all new Foci. As well as adding info about Supers recursions, mastering wuxia, and tiers above level 6. I sat grinning ear to ear reading through these foci. These go a long way to completing and complementing the core book.

The last few pages are portraits and index this the very last page being advertising for other The Strange products.

Overall I think In translation is well worth its $24.99 sticker price. Especially for me since I've been using the core book to run all kinds of other settings.

Unspeakable Horror (Cypher system)

Level 4
Health: 13
Damage: Touch 5  

Can pass through walls and other obstacles. can only be harmed by blessed weapons and divine spells.

Unspeakable Horror are almost always found in groups of three. They are aberations of the shadow world summoned as guardians or assassins.

Unspeakable Horror can be kept at bay with divine wards or Arcane wards attuned to the shadow world.

T21 battle suit "Brute" (cypher system)

This is the "brute" suit, Designed to take a tremendous amount of punishment and keep upright. The outer shell is comprised of layers. I2 steel under frame with a plasteel layer over it. Final coat is ceramic plating. The armor degrades over many hits.

Armor 8, any hit roll of 17+ damages the armor. Even if the round didn't make it through the armor. Damage to the armor lower the armor by a value of 1. Armor will not drop below 2.

Armor is powered and adds as an asset for lifting and pushing actions. Armor equipt with night vision and is a sealed environmental suit.

T11 Rifleman armor (Cypher system)

This elite armor is dedicated loadout for hired mercs and security forces alike. Designed to enhance the wearers ability to reach out and touch their targets.

Armor:2 plasteel plating 0 encombrance. Belt fed ammo system (1000rds)

Enhanced targeting AI interface.
Interface acts as an asset for shooting attacks made with a linked battle rifle. Npc attack as 1 level higher.
Enhanced night and telescopic vision.

Neco Corp security forces (Cypher system)

Private security forces of the corporations are well trained and well armed. Limited enforcement power, corporation property only. Security teams operate in 3, 5, 8, & 10 man units.

Level: 5
Wounds: 12
Armor: 3, sealed suit.
Damage: 3 combat knife, 6 battle rifle.
Night vision, thermal vision.

3 level 4 flash grenades, 2 level 4 freg grenades, & 2 level 3 air burst krak grenades.

Skilled in intimate, battle rifle, and combat knife.

SP-300 Elite armor (Cypher system)

Sp-300 is issued to only the most elite troops. On some occasions ranking officers will be issued this armor to lead their units into battle. Sp-300 has a power shield that can regenerate on its own. At the start of the wearers turn if the shield is below full strength roll a d6 and add the roll to the shields. All physical damage goes to the shield first.

Sp-300 Heavy armor (3), shield 8, no encumberance. Cost:prceless (military).