I don't play much on tabletop or even over the web, and certainly not as much as I'd like to, but I have strong interests in RPG rules and settings. My tastes are pretty straightforward:
- I like spells and scholarly wizards
- I like warriors and pre-gunpowder weapons. Sometimes bombs too, but not so much firearms.
- I like anthropomorphic animals, especially if they're cute.
- I like parties of diverse sizes/skillsets/species.
- I have weirdly specific hangups about what I do and don't like about RPG religions - the less it resembles the branch of Christianity I follow in real life, the less I want to roleplay it in elves-poke-swords-into-goblins land except when it comes just a bit too close and gets something wrong. The uncanny valley effect as applied to religion.
My favorite game systems are GURPS, Dark City Games, The Fantasy Trip, OD&D/Basic D&D/D&D Retroclones, MicroLite 20, IronClaw, and D&D 5th Edition in rough order of preference. "High Art" or heavily narrativist games like World of Darkness or FATE don't do much for me, and FUDGE in the broader sense hits all the sour notes of being too open-ended of a toolbox for me to find useful, like all the things I don't like in GURPS (which is, again, my favorite system) exaggerated and most of my favorite qualities discarded.
I really wish I could have supported the Dungeon Fantasy RPG (Powered by GURPS) Kickstarter, but unfortunately I was not in a financially secure position then and I'm really not out of that boat yet as of now. I don't have a reliably high enough income to take out a checking account without paying fees for the privilege of having it, and while I could qualify for a credit card I have spent my whole life thus far considering the notion of buying things on credit to be financial suicide. Only thing that'll get me to borrow money is a life or death emergency.
I've been working on a homebrew setting and houserule compilation for GURPS on and off since 2005. I sometimes waffle as to whether I want to just make it my own system from scratch or if what I want is close enough to GURPS that I should just keep it as a truncated list of skills and advantages coupled with numerous pricing changes (mostly to make things less expensive). Since I've never had an opportunity to be a Game Master online or off, it's all academic anyway.
My online persona is that of a small fairy who resembles a rodent with bat wings attached at the shoulder blades, referred to sometimes as a mouse or dormouse out of convenience. Were I to roleplay this character in a game, whether the wings allow him to fly and whether he's the size of a LEGO figure, a Hobbit, or something in between would be a matter of the setting's lore, system's constraints, and campaign's intended power level.
Thanks to Cryptico from RPG.net forums for this! Cryptic Manifestation on DeviantArt.
NATHAN THE DUNGEON DORMOUSE
ST 6 HP 6 Speed 7.00
DX 14 Per 12 Move 7
IQ 12 Wil 14
HT 14 FP 14 Size -6
Block 14 Dodge 12
DR 1(torso, arms, hands)
Attacks
Bite(16) 1d-4 cut
Shield Bash(16) 1d-4 cr
Fetch(16) 1d-3 cr, Rng 36
Troublebreaker, 2-handed (13) 1d-1 cut/1d-2 imp
Troublebreaker, 1-handed (14) 1d-2 cut/1d-3 imp
Advantages
Pixie Race + Furry Lens
Magery 2
Divine Favor 4
Throwing Master
Combat Reflexes
Peripheral Vision
Signature Gear(Fetch the Magic Boomerang and Troublebreaker the Tiny Sword)
Disadvantages
Pacifism(Cannot Harm Innocents)
Truthfulness(6)
Shyness, Severe
Phobia(Avians)(15)
Xenophilia(15)
Incompetence(Gesture)
Skills
Brawling-16, Innate Attack-14, Knife-14, Shield-16, Throwing Art-16, Two-Handed Sword-13
Acrobatics-12, Climbing-13, Escape-12, Expert Skill(Dungeoneering)-10, Hiking-13, Knot-Tying-14, Lockpicking-12, Stealth-13, Riding(Mustelids)-13, Research-11, Survival(Woodlands)-11, Thaumatology-11, Theology(Holy)-10
Spells
Gumdrop Glow-12 (Continual Light)
Minor Healing-14
Bubblegum Bandage-15 (Stop Bleeding)
Rock Candy Rocket-12 (Stone Missile)
Sour Shock-12 (Lightning)
Soothing Mint-12 (Mass Sleep)
Fairy Fleece-11 (Shapeshifting: Sheep)
- Spell prerequisites can be presumed known at 12.
Troublebreaker is anything from a Very Fine Large Knife to a Very Fine Longsword depending on the size Nathan is depicted as (replace Knife-14 with Shortsword-13 or Broadsword-13 as appropriate). Likely to also have Shatterproof and Puissance. Through whatever Advantages or weapon modifiers needed, he never faces a size-based penalty for using an SM0 weapon as a smaller character.
Fetch is a boomerang with Loyal Weapon and Shatterproof. It can also be used to Filch or Pickpocket at a combined penalty for using the skill at default, using it instantly without preparation, and the range to the thing it hits. Again, Nathan never faces a Size Modifier penalty for using it (sometimes its size changes while he holds it, sometimes you get the amusing image of him throwing a weapon several times his own size, it varies from one continuity to another).
Nathan's spells all have a candy motif and slightly increased FP costs. As a side-effect, they make a piece of candy which provides enough calories to count as a meal (no nutrition though, don't rely on these!). If not eaten within an hour, these evaporate back into the manasphere.
Now that the self insert OC is posted, maybe my next post will be on something more substantial. I feel he might just barely be interesting enough to use as a minor helpful NPC from time to time and not so competent he would necessarily steal the show.
