HOUSE & SETTING RULES

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Venatus Vinco
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HOUSE & SETTING RULES

Post by Venatus Vinco »

Game Info
The ARES Protocol is a super heroes game set in a post-planetary war setting. Earth has barely survived an alien invasion, thanks in large part to the ARES project - an initiative to recruit super powered heroes to fight the threat. Unfortunately, in the aftermath of war the world government has grown suspicious and paranoid of the great power of the ARES Project members and have enacted the ARES Protocol, a directive to hunt and eliminate all powered beings. To enact this protocol, the Aegis Authority has been founded. Using government resources and recovered alien technology the authority searches the earth looking for former war heroes who now find themselves enemies of the state.

Character Creation will use the Savage Worlds Super Powers Companion at the Four Colour power level including the Super Karma option.

The following standard setting rules will apply: Extra Effort, Blood & Guts, Born a Hero, Fanatics, and Joker’s Wild as well as special comic book combat rules from the Super Powers Companion.

Starting Funds: 1d4x1000 (equipment can be drawn from the Gear section of the SPC)

Starting XP: Start with 5 XP (one advance) to make up for the slowness of PbP.

Additionally, two unique Setting Rules will be play tested.

Agent! Rolling a 1 on the wild die when using a super power means your hero has been recognized as a super and reported to the Aegis Authority. A team of armed agents is now on the way! GMs can evolve this over time to a specific agent or task force assigned to take out the group of heroes.

Collateral Damage. In a world still bearing the fresh scars of a ruthless invasion, destruction, mayhem, and chaos are as unwelcome as ever. Unfortunately, super battles often mean lots of collateral damage. Critical failure (rolling a 1 on both the trait die and wild die) during battles results in unintended, sometimes tragic, results. These cannot be rerolled using bennys. GMs draw a card to determine the type of collateral damage.
  • Looming Threat (Spades). The hero’s actions have caused a chain reaction of events that will threaten the entire area if not stopped within three rounds (a power plant goes critical, a dam breaks, the fireworks factory is on fire, etc.).
  • Tragedy Strikes (Hearts). An innocent bystander has been incapacitated. It may be possible to save her by acting on the next round only.
  • Big Bang (Diamonds). Something blows up (fuel truck, ammo depot, gas line, etc.), causing 6d6 heavy damage in a large burst template centered on the hero’s target.
  • Traffic Jam (Clubs). Items or debris enter the battlefield (cars pile up, building falls over, the street melts into liquid asphalt, etc.) turning the entire area of play into difficult terrain
  • Double Whammy (Joker). Draw two cards!
To apply create a character as usual using the Recruitment Forum
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Freemage
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Proposed Edges and Hindrances

Post by Freemage »

Hindrances

Most Wanted: Major
Sure, all A.R.E.S. agents are being hunted down, but you've managed to make it to the top of the list. Maybe you were involved in a genuinely heinous incident; maybe you found out things they are desperate to keep silent; maybe you were caught in flagrante delecto with the regional director's spouse. It doesn't matter why, what matters is that the Aegis Authority wants you, and they want you BAD. You trigger an Agent! check anytime EITHER the Wild Die or the Trait Die come up a 1 on a Power Check. On a Critical Failure, they dispatch twice as many Agents as usual. Finally, a team of propagandists with the Authority makes sure there's a constant stream of negative stories about you, using both legitimate events that are spun to be as horrible as possible and complete slanders that often making you the scapegoat for other bad occurrences, stoking public hatred to a fever-pitch. You have a -2 Charisma penalty with anyone other than other A.R.E.S. resisters (who know the stories to at least be exaggerated).

Careless: Major
Everyone knows that superhero battles can lead to massive property damage. But you, you have a real flair for it. On a Critical Failure on a Power roll, you draw TWICE to determine the Collateral Damage effects. You still draw twice to replace any Jokers drawn. Because you're at the center of so many truly colossal catastrophes, you've gotten a bit of a bad reputation, and suffer -1 Charisma with the general public, which goes to -2 when dealing with first responders: police, firefighters and paramedics.

Documented: Minor
The Aegis Authority has more complete files than usual about you; in particular, they know all your Hindrances and any weaknesses in your powers. As a result, any time you trigger an Agent! investigation, they will come specifically equipped to deal with you--a character with a weakness to fire will find himself being confronted by flamethrowers, while one with a phobia of snakes will have that fear exploited mercilessly.

Edges

Hero of the People (Background)
Requirements: Novice, Positive Charisma Score OR Heroic; cannot have Most Wanted
Some folks are thought well of, even after being targeted by a relentless smear campaign by an ungrateful government and corrupt media apparatus. Your character is one of these well-regarded icons--your heroic deeds were simply too great to be set aside. You gain an additional +1 Charisma when dealing with the general public, and, more importantly, various people take it upon themselves to dawdle when you roll a 1 on the Wild Die during a Power check; you only have Agent! problems when you critically fail a Powers roll (in which case you still inflict Collateral Damage, as well).

Guardian (Background)
Requirements: Novice, Code of Honor; cannot have Careless
Your devotion to the protection of the innocent is phenomenal. If you trigger a Collateral Damage check, after flipping the card for the type, you may choose to negate the effect by spending a bennie and describing how you selflessly intervene to prevent the looming disaster. If you do this, the GM will use that description to inflict either an automatic Wound or an automatic level of Fatigue (either can lead to Incapacitation, but not Death) on your character. Fatigue levels fade at the end of the encounter (or one hour, if outside of combat), while wounds just heal normally. This does not obviate the Agent! call, nor does it change the original action to a success. If you draw a Joker on the initial pull, continue drawing until all cards have been drawn. You may prevent any or all of the effects drawn, but each costs a bennie and inflicts another level of Fatigue or Wounds.
GM Bennies (7th SET, Joker's Jokers): 8/8
OOC Comments
GMC Bennies:
  • EJ 2/2
    Thoomba 0/2
    Khem 2/2
PCs, 8 Active Slots, 3 Signature Items
*Gaspard Gillead, 12th AAT/Dirty Dozen
Serival Drumm, 24th COT
*Ophelia Monk, Mercy Team 6
Jaenelle, Beyond the Wall
Mille Visage, Northern Gun Mercs
*Charon, Black Company
*Hero, Lost Jungle/TL

Inactive/Retired/Deceased
Gorgeous George, 4th COT/Murder Hobos(Frozen)
Nomel Sagia, Nameless (Frozen)
Libertas Magicorum, 13th SET/Silent Ones(Retired)
Savant, 3rd SET/Losers(Frozen)
Other Mother, Ravenloft (Frozen)
Lance, 24th COT/Kingsdale (Retired)
Ramson Gourdaine, Phase World (Blazed)
Hexx, Rising Stars SPC (Frozen)
Sir Blurre, 18th COT/New West (Retired)
Yeitso & Alicia Forsythe, Prestige Unlimited (Frozen)
Malaetheryan, Phase World/Relentless (Frozen?)
.
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Venatus Vinco
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Re: HOUSE & SETTING RULES

Post by Venatus Vinco »

Playing Card Values
1 2D
2 3D
3 4D
4 5D
5 6D
6 7D
7 8D
8 9D
9 10D
10 JD
11 QD
12 KD
13 AD
14 J!
15 2S
16 3S
17 4S
18 5S
19 6S
20 7S
21 8S
22 9S
23 10S
24 JS
25 QS
26 KS
27 AS
28 2H
29 3H
30 4H
31 5H
32 6H
33 7H
34 8H
35 9H
36 10H
37 JH
38 QH
39 KH
40 AH
41 J!
42 2C
43 3C
44 4C
45 5C
46 6C
47 7C
48 8C
49 9C
50 10C
51 JC
52 QC
53 KC
54 AC
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Re: HOUSE & SETTING RULES

Post by Venatus Vinco »

Super Sorcery Modifiers

Fantasy Trope: Like a classical wizard, the super sorcerer can confer the benefits of her spell or incantation on another person by adding 2 power points to the cost. The spell casting roll is made as usual but the benefits are given to the subject. These power points are unavailable to the sorcerer until the spell is released.
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