Posts made by Ganymede

@SG said in Fanbase entitlement:

Team... Autobots? I don't know enough about WoD.

I'm not sure where my Elemental Changeling Robot-Ninja-Stripper would fit in, but she'd probably fit here, I guess.

@Arkandel said in RL things I love:

I still facepalm about that one years later. The hell dude, you've never watched a movie or been to a store where someone used one of them things?

@Arkandel said in Mostly Mage, Partially Descent Mux:

Pft. Primeval Miasm. Basically anything that buys the Vampire a minute - then the Werewolf is so screwed.

Why? Most of the powers mentioned function just fine out of Gauru form. You can grow claws in human form that deal +1L with Quicksilver Flesh. And Urshul Form is badass in its own way, inflicting Tilts if you do any damage.

You may not be able to regenerate like craziness, but that Rahu isn't defenseless. I'd probably start the whole affair in Urshul, and just wait for the fight to begin.

@Thenomain said in Mostly Mage, Partially Descent Mux:

I believe that Clash of Wills is presented as key rule, like Sanctity of Merits. Of all the rules to hand-wave, this isn't one of them.

Of course, but this also means the strategy of "oh just obfuscate away!" isn't fail-safe.

@Arkandel said in Mostly Mage, Partially Descent Mux:

And a tactical choice. Gauru -> Obfuscate + wait -> sadwolf works wonders.

If Lore of the Land is used, I don't think Obfuscate is going to help you. The Gift expressly states that the user becomes aware of all creatures in his presence within a given radius, as well as other threats like fires and explosives. There's no resistance roll.

@Tyche said in Fanbase entitlement:

The environments leverage different talents.

This is probably true, but I also won a majority of my games FTF.

@Coin said in Mostly Mage, Partially Descent Mux:

Vigor adds both damage AND dice.

I know, but I was alluding to the fact that Vampires get a few more powers that automatically add or subtract successes, rather than adding or subtracting dice, which may or may not become a success.

@Misadventure said in Mostly Mage, Partially Descent Mux:

I dislike this skill bypass idea. It goes against everything that nature and rpg design is about. That experience matters.

I'm not sure what you're going on about, but people disappearing is a defense maneuver to a superior opponent in combat. This is why Mekhet have a fighting chance against any of the other Clans. Take that away, and you pretty much have a Toreador without the social ability or extra actions.

If you're talking about how Gauru form terrorizes others into acting like frightened rabbits, I still don't know what you mean by "skill bypass." What's being bypassed?

@Arkandel said in Mostly Mage, Partially Descent Mux:

But it's a fun exercise to do number crunching anyway.

And power-checking! Let's not forget that.

Not sure if I agree with @Coin at lower power levels, but I suspect that's correct. Vampires get a few more auto-buffs; Resilience reduces damage, not pools; Vigor can add damage, not dice.

But out of all three of the lines, Werewolves are the Warriors, Vampires are the Rogues, and Mages are the Wizards.

@Coin said in Mostly Mage, Partially Descent Mux:

I honestly haven't done the math because it never interested me, but I'm sure a Gangrel with Protean, Celerity, Vigor, Resilience, and Coil of the Wyrm would put up a reasonable fight. I mean, just with Protean, Vigor and Coil of the Wyrm alone, you're looking at a bonus of +Vigor to dice pool, +Blood Potency to dicepool, and +Vigor to sucesses if hit, all doing aggravated damage.

I think it comes down to the math regarding XP, rather than the pools of dice. But, yeah, it'd be a fun thing to watch.

@Coin said in Mostly Mage, Partially Descent Mux:

It really comes down to the dice rolls, but werewolves are beassssssts.

I'd hate to steal your (Love) gun, but they can also (in Gauru):

1. Gain 8-again on all Brawl and Weaponry rolls (Full Moon 1).
2. Gain extra health levels (Full Moon 2).
3. Boost attack rolls equal to Purity against targets that stand between the Rahu and his prey (Full Moon 3).
4. Inflict Tilts with every strike, regardless if the target takes damage (Full Moon 4).
5. Boost Strength or Stamina by 2 per success (or gain 1 pt. of armor or do an extra +1L in unarmed combat) (Full Moon 5).
6. Instantly avoid a Brawl or Weaponry strike as a reflexive action (Hit and Run).
7. Instantly learn of every creature within Purityx100 yards, which destroys any ambush (Lore of the Land).
8. Boost damage inflicted by Purity (Slaughterer).
9. Boost Strength equal to Purity (Primal Strength).
10. Penalize an opponent's attack pool equal to Purity (Grasp of the Howling Winds).

So, on top of all the goodies you can get via shifting to Gauru, you could potentially have any or all of these. And I'll wager the cost is substantially less than a combat-oriented vampire.

Plus, if the prey is the vampire, then the Werewolf can use his Hunter Aspect against him. Since we're taking about a Rahu, if the assault is successful, the Gangrel gets the Submissive Condition, which requires him to spend a Willpower point and succeed on a Resolve + Composure roll (and get successes equal to or more than the Rahu's Purity score) to launch an attack. While the condition is resolved if you take damage, one strike from a Rahu is usually good enough.

Yeah, my money's on the Rahu.

Edited to add: Hit-and-Run is the least-utilized, but best Facet for any Werewolf. As I said: insta-dodge melee attack. Can be used even if you've already taken an action. And can be used to set up a stealth-attack, depending on what your ST/Judge rules, should you use it to go behind your opponent.

@Arkandel said in Mostly Mage, Partially Descent Mux:

In fact for that reason a clever Demon who can stay out of range and rain bullets will be pure hell on Uratha.

Until someone uses Unmake on the gun. Probably your Iron Master.

And, if that particular Werewolf isn't there, as long as that Werewolf has Reflected Facets, they can spend an extra Essence point to affect a target that one of his packmates senses. With Pack Awareness, you can sense when the attack hits, and act accordingly.

Cost: 2 XP for the Pack Gift Facets, and probably 2 XP for Unmake.

And while aggravated damage is awesome, so are Rahu. Big time. Not sure if I buy into your Gangrel-aggro theory, but we could put it to the test somewhere for shits and giggles.

@lordbelh said in No Man's Sky Thread:

More, I prefer to wait a couple of years for the expansion/the DLCs too. Game becomes way cheaper by then, and most importantly all the fucking bugs are gone.

I do this by default now; I have too many games to play and complete. I'm still in Dragon Age: Inquisition, for fuck's sake, but mostly because I had The Witcher 3, which is a hellofalot better.

@SG said in Fanbase entitlement:

I think a diplomacy mush would be a hoot. Have each turn take a week, with RP focused around the negotiations.

My friend devised a program that allowed you to update the map quickly and place markers for where the units are, and which nation the units belonged to. We played via e-mail, with orders in on or before midnight on Saturday.

It worked exceptionally well, but I won. Of course.

@Warma-Sheen said in Mostly Mage, Partially Descent Mux:

If you're talking direct combat, sure. But in other areas Werewolves are lacking.

Do you mean "lacking" or "inferior"? Because when a fully-complemented werewolf pack is on the Hunt, it is almost unstoppable.

I've heard this said before, and I used to agree regarding 1E, but 2E Werewolves are naturally-built to destroy, which means that folks can dump points into other areas and still be an effective combat-beast. And if you're coming in with a pack, everyone's role is defined and their Gifts are narrowly-tailored but incredibly powerful. While Mages and Vampires can form Cabals and Coteries, they don't synergize as effectively as a Pack.

The real power/trick lies in the low XP cost for Facets. For example, for the Gift of Hunting, pair up Honed Senses (Cunning) and Impossible Spoor (Wisdom). The first reduces the exceptional success threshold to 3 for any Perception roll; the second gives you an additional 2 successes to any Tracking roll. With a reasonable score for both rolls or paired with the Trained Observer Merit, you can pretty much hunt down anyone, anywhere, any time. Your requirements: having 1 point of Cunning, 1 point of Wisdom, and 2 XP. 2 XP.

To "master" a Gift, you only need 11 XP for Affinity Gifts and 13 XP for Non-Affinity Gifts. And so long as your Werewolf spreads their Renown enough to pick up 1 in each (which only costs 9 XP to do, by the way), you can "master" every single Gift, excepting Moon Gifts. They did gimp Rites -- which I disliked in general because, yay, go ritemasters -- but they gave Gifts such a boost in the arm that I don't think anyone else gives a fuck.

So, yeah. I'm of the opinion that Werewolves are the new OP'd race. Then again, I'm pretty sure that werewolves were not calculated to mesh or interact with other races on a regular basis.

They would make neat antagonists, though, to keep other races in check.

@Thenomain said in Mostly Mage, Partially Descent Mux:

Maybe the gun was better after all.

Or fists.

As @tragedyjones said, everyone wants swordhands.

@Coin said in Mostly Mage, Partially Descent Mux:

Thanks for ruining my gun, Gany.

At least it's not your Love Gun.

@Auspice said in Fanbase entitlement:

I, too, have a copy of Diplomacy. Never played it tho!

I played a lot of Diplomacy as a kid.

Now, I'm a lawyer.

These two facts may or may not correlate, or have any bearing on my inherent trustworthiness. It is, however, one of the best games I've ever played.

@Coin said in Mostly Mage, Partially Descent Mux:

Nevermind a vampire with Protean and Vigor.

Or just Vigor, because having a weapon bonus technically means that the strike does lethal damage; even if held otherwise, having +3B-+5B is still pretty bad against a Mage, who is squishy.

Or an angry werewolf who gets to ignore the Skill part of your Defense when they enter Gauru...

That doesn't even really matter, does it? They do lethal damage. With bonuses. And regenerate every fucking health level at the beginning of the turn unless they are killed. Or the Full Moon 1 Gift -- Level One -- which gives you 8-again on all Brawl and Weaponry rolls. Or Full Moon 2, which gives you additional Health levels for each Purity renown. And then Full Moon 3, which gives you a bonus to all attack rolls equal to your Purity renown against anyone getting between you and your prey. Then there's Butchery --

And did I mention that Renown only costs 3 XP per dot now, instead of that insane amount it used to cost?

Then there's the Cahalith, who, with Gibbous Moon 1, gives all pack members within earshot a +1L weapon bonus on all brawl and weaponry attacks regardless of form.

Or the Irraka that turns Brawl and Weaponry attacks into rote rolls if they take a target by surprise.

Then the Shadow Gifts, which can allow you to find any piece of information anywhere. And other tricks like that.

You want to talk over-powered? Werewolves. All the way.

@Cupcake said in Fanbase entitlement:

I've actually never played either of those! The closest I've come is Watch the Skies, in the role of the UN Ambassador.

Diplomacy is a classic Avalon Hill game. You lead nations in pre-WWI Europe vying for power. You start with 3 units (4, if you're Russia), each of which have equal strength. The goal is to capture supply centers (which give you an additional unit if held at the end of a year). The only way to push a unit out of an area is by overwhelming it with a greater number of units. You are given time to write orders (which is the moves you're making), which are then submitted to a reader. All units move essentially at the same time, with orders resolved after all are read. You have to negotiate alliances if you plan to win ... seeing as how you're all equal in power (except for Russia, but it has more territory to cover). And if you really want to win, you need to backstab and break those alliances to take advantage of an ally's weakness.

DO NOT PLAY WITH LOVED ONES.

Acquire is a game of buying and selling stocks, building businesses, and making money. You make money when a company is acquired by another: you can sell the stocks of the acquired company, which are valued based on its size. The randomness is in selecting the tiles that get placed on the board, but there's no dice.

I forgot to add: Civilization. The classic Avalon Hill game is another one with no dice. You succeed by trading commodities and obtaining Civilization cards, which give you bonuses. Advance your empire and win; or die.

@Cupcake said in Fanbase entitlement:

(I usually win it. Along with CoH and Risk. Which tells you what kind of person I am.)

We should play Diplomacy and Acquire. Why let luck have any role whatsoever?

@tragedyjones said in Mostly Mage, Partially Descent Mux:

Also, to cast a lethal spell in combat takes 1 turn, and a maximum of, +2 Yantra dice? Mages really need to prepare these days. Dangerous and versatile yes, but they did a wonderful job of balancing them.

Yeah. Your lethal spell may do 3L-5L. But if I get close enough, my Martial Arts 5 fist to your face will do the same or worse.