First game I've heard of that had plot armor actually built in.
Scaling Up
- Thread starter Kryslin
- Start date
First game I've heard of that had plot armor actually built in.
I believe the author wanted cliche opening lines. While "Are you sure you want to do that?" is definitely cliche, it's not an opening line. I've been bitten by that one any number of times myself. My last gaming session, we managed to avert it though. When the pack ahroun in a werewolf game counts as a cooler head, you've got a problem.
- Location
- Beyond the Unknowable Veil
"Hold my mead and watch this!"
Rajvik_wolfboy
Wolf amongst the stars.
- Location
- Florida
And when the pack Ahroun is a Get of Fenris and has the coolest head, you are a bit SOL
FaerieKnight79
Verified Pixie
- Location
- The Internet
First game I've heard of that had plot armor actually built in.
The example the GM book gave was as follows: A nuke could be set off as a car bomb under the Ectomobile, and the Ghostbusters will survive. They can be badly hurt, and suffering radiation poisoning for months. But they survive. Rest of the city might be a bombed out ruin with millions dead, but according to the rules the player characters survive it unless they themselves put the bomb there.
- Location
- Beyond the Unknowable Veil
Anyone have to actually use this rule?
FaerieKnight79
Verified Pixie
- Location
- The Internet
I did with one group. Picture the following:
The ghost of an interior decorator is haunting the statue of liberty, and is painting the exterior a lurid shade of pink (with purple poka dots). The busters have been hired to get rid of the specter, naturally. So the group are hanging onto ropes with one hand and swinging around the exterior of the Statue of Liberty while firing the proton packs with the other hand. At no point did they describe securing themselves at all, they were just holding onto the ropes. During the climax of the adventure they were hanging from the torch. Once they had weakened the ghost enough, one of them said "I'm throwing out a trap."
(EDIT: I had asked clarification prior on how they were secured to the ropes, and they all had said they were just holding on)
I raised an eyebrow at this, and asked "How are you doing so?"
Player: "I let go of the rope with my left hand (char was right handed and holding the particle thrower in the right hand), reach down to my belt, and throw out the trap."
Me: "Are you sure you want to do this?"
Idiot: "Yes."
Me: "Are you absolutely sure this is what you want to do?"
Idiot: "Yes, I'm absolutely sure. I am letting go of the rope to throw out a trap."
At this point the other 3 players quickly passed notes to me describing themselves wrapping the rope around their wrist a few times or securing it to their belt quickly with the attached D ring.
Me: "You're 100% sure this is what you want to do?"
Idiot: "Yes, I'm sure." (idiot rolls dice)
Me: "... You release your hold of the rope, only to realize once it's too late that you hadn't secured yourself. And now that you're no longer holding the rope, there is nothing preventing gravity from having it's way with you. The fall is mercifully brief. You don't feel a thing when you impact the concrete either. You'll need to start making a new character for the next session."
EDIT:
The next session was catching the repeating phantom of the idiot ghostbuster who let go of their only source of "not falling to my death".
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Good thing they're a Child of Gaia, then.
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Rajvik_wolfboy
Wolf amongst the stars.
- Location
- Florida
Good thing they're a Child of Gaia, then.
uhh, that is a definite maybe, depending on the situation
question, Homnid or Lupin birth?
because i can see the latter going full toxic avenger depending on the situation
baofengyu
moonfaced assassin of joy
- Location
- Pain Amplifier
First game I've heard of that had plot armor actually built in.
Ever play Paranoia or the original Dark Sun? It may have not been Plot Armor, but any game that requires you to roll up 5 PCs before starting does raise an eyebrow or two...
Kinsfire
Verified {Redacted}
- Location
- New Jersey
Paranoia admitted right out of the box that it was out to kill your characters - and make you have fun doing it! Had one game where I was working very hard trying to get a submarine out of a tree (I don't remember how it ended up there), and we all agreed that the nuclear grenade launcher was the best option. And it was fun!
Kryslin
[Has Delusions of Authorship]
- Location
- Mythic Iowa
Call of Cthulu outright warns you not to get attached to your characters, they will die...
Palladium's Mechanoids is the same.
And then we have the one all out humor module from AD&D 1 or 2e ... Castle Greyhawk.
"Trust the abacus, the abacus is your friend..." "The metrognomicon, and a mind flayer that has ingested a few too many Potions of Growth..."
The section "The Name of the Game" had us rolling on the floor laughing at each encounter...
Palladium's Mechanoids is the same.
And then we have the one all out humor module from AD&D 1 or 2e ... Castle Greyhawk.
"Trust the abacus, the abacus is your friend..." "The metrognomicon, and a mind flayer that has ingested a few too many Potions of Growth..."
The section "The Name of the Game" had us rolling on the floor laughing at each encounter...
Homid. The problem wasn't rage so much as general impulsiveness. We had the ahroun restraining the ragabash.
Rajvik_wolfboy
Wolf amongst the stars.
- Location
- Florida
jaw_drop.gif
that would never have worked in my werewolf game, the ragabash was the heart of the party
that would never have worked in my werewolf game, the ragabash was the heart of the party
Conventions 22 - Interlude : Authors, Artificiers, and Alchemists
Kryslin
[Has Delusions of Authorship]
- Location
- Mythic Iowa
Anne relaxed in the rather posh suite that Ms. Richter had managed to procure for her and Georgeanne while they waited for whatever business Captain Williams had to finish.
"An excellent end to what was looking like the last trip I'd take," Anne mused from her >gasp!< comfy chair. "This feels so good, not having aching joints and being able to walk without aids."
"And I'm glad that you no longer need help getting dressed and bathing," her daughter called out from the bathroom, where she was freshening up.
"So, what happens now?" she asked. "Got an afternoon to kill before dinner."
"I think I'd just like to kick back and relax a bit, before walking down to the restaurant," Anne stated. "Just enjoy some peace and quiet, away from the S.M.O.F. and the teeming throngs of fandom in general."
"You forgot the first rule of the S.M.O.F," Gigi chided her mother.
"Which one is that?"
"They don't exist."
"Ah, I thought it was that we don't talk about them."
"There's that one, too."
Gigi sat down in the other, equally comfy chair. "I think taking a break before dinner is an excellent idea. It's been a wild weekend, and I think we need to unwind before getting back to real life and work."
Anne laughed at that. "Because our vacation was so stressful, we need to go back to work," she said with a chuckle. "One bonus to all of this is it gives me time to get After the Fall into shape, maybe make some of the revisions Virginia wanted me to make.
"And finally put the Dragonriders of Pern to bed," Anne finished.
"You know," Gigi mused, "I wonder if there isn't some alternate universe where Pern exists."
"Anything is possible," Anne answered. "If there is, I'd very much like to visit."
"After this weekend, I wouldn't be surprised if we did."
The ring that contains the city of Sigil was large enough that there were a number of smaller towns dotted around the great ring that was suspended over the central spire of the Outlands. The same rules applied in the countryside, with the small communities obeying the same rules as the city: Don't worship The Lady, don't promote any religion, and don't overthrow the civic authority.
The small town of Amestris was one such place. Mostly a small farming community of humans and half-elves of various kinds. Also some practitioners of magic and a couple of small shrines to gods of nature, the harvest, and healing. It was known for little, besides the quantity of its crops and the quality of mechanisms that came out of a couple of its artificer's shops.
Oh, and the skill of its fire brigade, due to failed experiments causing at least one explosion or fire every month, because some alchemists just had to push the boundaries of their science. Despite being told not to. Several times.
"Oi, Sabri!" a man's voice called out in front of one shop. He was shorter than average, with a compact, muscular build that spoke of an active life full of physical pursuits. His long yellow hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and amber eyes contained a sparkle of good humor. He wore a red jacket over a white shirt, with black pants and well worn boots.
The most notable thing about him was his right hand, visible from the sleeve of the jacket. Instead of a normal flesh and blood appendage, one of dull gray gleaming metal was attached.
"About time you got back," a female voice called out from a workshop. "How'd it go?" Sabri, unlike most of the population of the town, wasn't human or a half-elf; she was a full blooded Drow. Unlike most of her distant relatives — very distant, and the further away they were, the better in her opinion — Sabri had blond hair, and rather human-appearing blue eyes. Despite being one of the types of elves not known for their height, she was taller than her husband, to whom she was speaking. She wore clothes typical of someone who did metalwork for a living.
The conversation paused for a moment as Sabri and her husband embraced and kissed.
"Things went well," Ed finally answered. "The customer was happy, nothing got destroyed, and most importantly, I got paid in full."
Sabri laughed, a musical sound to all who could hear. "And now for the most important thing: Did you get what I asked for?"
"Indeed I did," Ed stated as he took off the haversack he had over his left shoulder. "It did take a bit to find the last item, though. Morty and Olly don't like me much. Robinson, though, had enough in stock.
"So, where are the girls?" he asked.
"Freya is over at your master's place, attending to her lessons," Sabri said as she pulled various items out of the haversack to look at them. "Ah, you managed to get the high quality stuff. Good. Elke is over at your brother's place, helping him clean things up after his latest experiment went a little south. Both should be home for dinner."
"How's your mom doing?" Ed asked.
"She's hanging in there, Sabri allowed. "Nalvir is stubborn and won't quit."
Ed gathered his wife into a hug. "We'll figure something out," he whispered into her ear. "I owe her my life, as does Al."
"So long as it doesn't involve your alchemy or any magic," Sabri answered. "Your last attempt was just plain silly, giving her chartreuse hair and puce skin for a week. It did make her feel better for the week, but once your elixir wore off… "
Ed began laughing. "I'm sorry, I know it's not funny, but I apologized, I even drank my milk for a week…" he said in between bouts of laughter of the old woman being a literal eyesore for a week.
"It didn't interfere with her elixir of life," Sabri admitted, "so that was a good thing."
"That was the hardest part of making that elixir," Ed said. "It took Al and I a couple months to make sure it wouldn't have any really bad side effects."
"No, just silly ones," Sabri admitted. "I need to finish cleaning up the shop. You can go check on Mom, and then I'll be in to fix dinner before the girls come home."
Naurelin knocked on the door to Armsmaster's lab and office. After the third knock, the door slid open. Armsmaster was working on something on the bench. "Yes?" he asked, not taking his attention away from his work.
"I'm looking for some pure crystalline corundum," Naurelin stated. "Kid Win said if you didn't have any, you'd know where to get some."
Armsmaster fiddled with his project on the bench. "White sapphire or sapphire glass is a common component of projects requiring high strength and heat resistance," he stated. "I have some in stock. How much do you need?"
"My instructions say one carat worth," Naurelin answered.
"I think I shall need to give your request my full attention," Armsmaster said after a moment of thinking. "Give me a moment, and I'll be finished here."
"So what is the purpose of this project of yours?" he asked as he walked back into his lab's storeroom that contained the more stable materials for Tinkering, going to a large unit with numerous drawers.
"A PRT associate has suffered a Powers related incident," Taylor said, "and this project's aim is to help him get back to a somewhat normal life."
"A laudable goal, though it could be said no Metahuman has a normal life. The Veder boy, I presume?"
"Yes." It then struck her that Armsmaster had snuck in an attempt at humor. She smiled, making sure he'd know she caught his slight bit of sarcasm.
He nodded, starting to look through a series of drawers before pulling out a vial containing a square cut white gemstone. "Here we are, one white sapphire, one carat weight," he said. "Dragon makes these by the bucketful. Should you need a stock of them, I would put in a requisition for them through the usual channels.
"I would assume this is also why you requested the lab procedure to extract the minerals from your cast off scales?" he continued as they exited the storeroom.
"Yes, it is," she answered. "Fortunately, that's something I can do with my skills from my chemistry course at school. I just need to be very careful with the acids the process requires."
"It would be appreciated that you read through the documentation and handle the materials properly," Armsmaster noted gravely. "You do not want to have to explain to the Director or myself about why the Wards' tinkering area has a hole eaten through two or three decks of the Rig."
Naurelin nodded. "I was already planning to reread them. Thank you for your time, sir," she said as she stepped back out the door into the access hall to the Tinker's lab.
Armsmaster nodded, and the door closed.
In the privacy of his lab, Armsmaster made a note that the girl probably should have a Tinker rating of some sort, to reflect her ability to craft these trinkets. Yes, the ones she'd made so far were minor in effect — a little extra protection, something to help keep you warm during the winter, and now grant a limited use Changer power — but he remembered some of the other rings from the game, and wondered if she could make any of those.
He'd have to ask.
"An excellent end to what was looking like the last trip I'd take," Anne mused from her >gasp!< comfy chair. "This feels so good, not having aching joints and being able to walk without aids."
"And I'm glad that you no longer need help getting dressed and bathing," her daughter called out from the bathroom, where she was freshening up.
"So, what happens now?" she asked. "Got an afternoon to kill before dinner."
"I think I'd just like to kick back and relax a bit, before walking down to the restaurant," Anne stated. "Just enjoy some peace and quiet, away from the S.M.O.F. and the teeming throngs of fandom in general."
"You forgot the first rule of the S.M.O.F," Gigi chided her mother.
"Which one is that?"
"They don't exist."
"Ah, I thought it was that we don't talk about them."
"There's that one, too."
Gigi sat down in the other, equally comfy chair. "I think taking a break before dinner is an excellent idea. It's been a wild weekend, and I think we need to unwind before getting back to real life and work."
Anne laughed at that. "Because our vacation was so stressful, we need to go back to work," she said with a chuckle. "One bonus to all of this is it gives me time to get After the Fall into shape, maybe make some of the revisions Virginia wanted me to make.
"And finally put the Dragonriders of Pern to bed," Anne finished.
"You know," Gigi mused, "I wonder if there isn't some alternate universe where Pern exists."
"Anything is possible," Anne answered. "If there is, I'd very much like to visit."
"After this weekend, I wouldn't be surprised if we did."
= = = = = = = = = = = =
The ring that contains the city of Sigil was large enough that there were a number of smaller towns dotted around the great ring that was suspended over the central spire of the Outlands. The same rules applied in the countryside, with the small communities obeying the same rules as the city: Don't worship The Lady, don't promote any religion, and don't overthrow the civic authority.
The small town of Amestris was one such place. Mostly a small farming community of humans and half-elves of various kinds. Also some practitioners of magic and a couple of small shrines to gods of nature, the harvest, and healing. It was known for little, besides the quantity of its crops and the quality of mechanisms that came out of a couple of its artificer's shops.
Oh, and the skill of its fire brigade, due to failed experiments causing at least one explosion or fire every month, because some alchemists just had to push the boundaries of their science. Despite being told not to. Several times.
"Oi, Sabri!" a man's voice called out in front of one shop. He was shorter than average, with a compact, muscular build that spoke of an active life full of physical pursuits. His long yellow hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and amber eyes contained a sparkle of good humor. He wore a red jacket over a white shirt, with black pants and well worn boots.
The most notable thing about him was his right hand, visible from the sleeve of the jacket. Instead of a normal flesh and blood appendage, one of dull gray gleaming metal was attached.
"About time you got back," a female voice called out from a workshop. "How'd it go?" Sabri, unlike most of the population of the town, wasn't human or a half-elf; she was a full blooded Drow. Unlike most of her distant relatives — very distant, and the further away they were, the better in her opinion — Sabri had blond hair, and rather human-appearing blue eyes. Despite being one of the types of elves not known for their height, she was taller than her husband, to whom she was speaking. She wore clothes typical of someone who did metalwork for a living.
The conversation paused for a moment as Sabri and her husband embraced and kissed.
"Things went well," Ed finally answered. "The customer was happy, nothing got destroyed, and most importantly, I got paid in full."
Sabri laughed, a musical sound to all who could hear. "And now for the most important thing: Did you get what I asked for?"
"Indeed I did," Ed stated as he took off the haversack he had over his left shoulder. "It did take a bit to find the last item, though. Morty and Olly don't like me much. Robinson, though, had enough in stock.
"So, where are the girls?" he asked.
"Freya is over at your master's place, attending to her lessons," Sabri said as she pulled various items out of the haversack to look at them. "Ah, you managed to get the high quality stuff. Good. Elke is over at your brother's place, helping him clean things up after his latest experiment went a little south. Both should be home for dinner."
"How's your mom doing?" Ed asked.
"She's hanging in there, Sabri allowed. "Nalvir is stubborn and won't quit."
Ed gathered his wife into a hug. "We'll figure something out," he whispered into her ear. "I owe her my life, as does Al."
"So long as it doesn't involve your alchemy or any magic," Sabri answered. "Your last attempt was just plain silly, giving her chartreuse hair and puce skin for a week. It did make her feel better for the week, but once your elixir wore off… "
Ed began laughing. "I'm sorry, I know it's not funny, but I apologized, I even drank my milk for a week…" he said in between bouts of laughter of the old woman being a literal eyesore for a week.
"It didn't interfere with her elixir of life," Sabri admitted, "so that was a good thing."
"That was the hardest part of making that elixir," Ed said. "It took Al and I a couple months to make sure it wouldn't have any really bad side effects."
"No, just silly ones," Sabri admitted. "I need to finish cleaning up the shop. You can go check on Mom, and then I'll be in to fix dinner before the girls come home."
= = = = = = = = = = = =
Naurelin knocked on the door to Armsmaster's lab and office. After the third knock, the door slid open. Armsmaster was working on something on the bench. "Yes?" he asked, not taking his attention away from his work.
"I'm looking for some pure crystalline corundum," Naurelin stated. "Kid Win said if you didn't have any, you'd know where to get some."
Armsmaster fiddled with his project on the bench. "White sapphire or sapphire glass is a common component of projects requiring high strength and heat resistance," he stated. "I have some in stock. How much do you need?"
"My instructions say one carat worth," Naurelin answered.
"I think I shall need to give your request my full attention," Armsmaster said after a moment of thinking. "Give me a moment, and I'll be finished here."
- - - - - - - - - - - -
"So what is the purpose of this project of yours?" he asked as he walked back into his lab's storeroom that contained the more stable materials for Tinkering, going to a large unit with numerous drawers.
"A PRT associate has suffered a Powers related incident," Taylor said, "and this project's aim is to help him get back to a somewhat normal life."
"A laudable goal, though it could be said no Metahuman has a normal life. The Veder boy, I presume?"
"Yes." It then struck her that Armsmaster had snuck in an attempt at humor. She smiled, making sure he'd know she caught his slight bit of sarcasm.
He nodded, starting to look through a series of drawers before pulling out a vial containing a square cut white gemstone. "Here we are, one white sapphire, one carat weight," he said. "Dragon makes these by the bucketful. Should you need a stock of them, I would put in a requisition for them through the usual channels.
"I would assume this is also why you requested the lab procedure to extract the minerals from your cast off scales?" he continued as they exited the storeroom.
"Yes, it is," she answered. "Fortunately, that's something I can do with my skills from my chemistry course at school. I just need to be very careful with the acids the process requires."
"It would be appreciated that you read through the documentation and handle the materials properly," Armsmaster noted gravely. "You do not want to have to explain to the Director or myself about why the Wards' tinkering area has a hole eaten through two or three decks of the Rig."
Naurelin nodded. "I was already planning to reread them. Thank you for your time, sir," she said as she stepped back out the door into the access hall to the Tinker's lab.
Armsmaster nodded, and the door closed.
In the privacy of his lab, Armsmaster made a note that the girl probably should have a Tinker rating of some sort, to reflect her ability to craft these trinkets. Yes, the ones she'd made so far were minor in effect — a little extra protection, something to help keep you warm during the winter, and now grant a limited use Changer power — but he remembered some of the other rings from the game, and wondered if she could make any of those.
He'd have to ask.
Kryslin
[Has Delusions of Authorship]
- Location
- Mythic Iowa
Let's see... Take some bits and bytes, cut & paste, mix well, shake until detonation, and...
BOOM!
<cough><cough> I don't think I want to try this method of making wordz™ again.
Edits by McClaw, per the usual. I'll come back later to listen to the screams of my few readers, or maybe read some polite comments.
BOOM!
<cough><cough> I don't think I want to try this method of making wordz™ again.
Edits by McClaw, per the usual. I'll come back later to listen to the screams of my few readers, or maybe read some polite comments.
- Location
- Scotland
Actually if I'm remembering the sequel movie correctly didn't Al get a body back at the cost of the two being transported to a different world?
Except we've got a clear Winry expy, hinting that they're in the manga/Brotherhood timeline.
And Al still has the automail arm, meaning that plot isn't resolved yet...
Taylor: "This was supposed to be a simple quest, but I'm helping fight a homunculus who wants to turn everyone here into a Philosopher's Stone. It must be a day ending in Y."
- Location
- Best England - United Kingdom
I'm just waiting to see if this Ed still goes off the deep end when people mention his hight or rather the lack thereof!
"Who are you calling so small he could fall into an ant colony?!"
BlazeStryker
<Confirmed Contradiction>
- Location
- Roanoke, VA
- Pronouns
- Him/He/Dude
I always preferred Brotherhood's version... When everything got pushed too far, Ed went to Truth and exchanged his alchemy in its entirety for Al back, body and all.
I can easily see the world of Equivalent Exchange being the plane of Concordant Opposition, by the way, so this could well be after the series.
Kryslin
[Has Delusions of Authorship]
- Location
- Mythic Iowa
Ne'er fear, for I have borrowed Saurial's Hammer of Ultimate Destruction and have destroyed the mistake... Utterly. Muhahaha....