The Guardian Order (Original Fantasy Quest)

[inquisition]

The Guardian Order
An Original Fantasy Quest by Inquisition​

It is Annum 1325 of the Trinitarian Calendar, and the world meets at the hinge of history. Eleven years ago, the guns of the ancient empires of the continent of Gothis split the skies with a terrible thunder. Sixty million men and women, more often than not fresh-faced boys and girls, were sent to the frontlines of the "War to End All Wars." They were promised honor and glory, and a chance to make their mark on history.

It turned out that history would make its mark on them. For four years, three months, and two weeks, the world tore itself asunder. Nowhere was safe. Every continent, every nation, every individual was involved whether they were willing or not. You were one of these unfortunate individuals, coerced to fight for ruler and country in a bloodbath of unprecedented proportions. Whatever species you were--human, elf, dwarf, orc--it mattered not to the unfeeling meatgrinder whose blood you carried. Whoever's language you spoke--Albanese, Javelic, Teutan, Ogromniyan, or so many others--mattered not: for in the end the death god Balkur reaps his harvest from all nations, and the Great War provided Him with such an abundant crop.

Now, six years after the Treaty of Solace ended the War to End all Wars, you are but a simple officer of the law, only just having taken your oath to your patron-goddess Mor'haan the Lawgiver--but you are about to be dragged back into service again. This time, however, you will serve the newly-founded Guardian Order.

You will not serve one single nation, you will serve them all. You will answer to no government, instead fighting to protect the people from the unspeakable horrors that lurk just beyond the mortal plane. You will serve no gods, as the Trinitarian Church has no power over your desires to fight for the good of all, and not just their faithful. You will stand as the stalwart guardians, protecting the many in this time of turmoil, even as the hinge of history turns once more and the world rushes onward to what may be yet another inevitable conflict.

While many derided the Great War as a "human's war," the truth is that every race under the sun was involved in some way. Take you, for example. You are:

[ ] A human, a member of the most populous race in the world. You have two thousand years of unopposed dominance on the Gothic continent behind you, and you are equal parts respected and loathed by the other races your people have subjugated in their quest for global imperialism. You are hardy, but your unique brain also gives you a disconnect from the spirit world--and thus you don ot have the same kind of perception that other races enjoy. +5 charisma, +5 long arms, +5 damage resistance, -5 Investigation, -5 spiritual magic. Human Special Trait: Fortune Favors the Bold - Once per dossier, you may opt to determine the outcome of any d25 roll.
[ ] A High Elf, one of the ancient People who once ruled Gothis unopposed before the rise of humanity. Like your ancient progenitors, you have a unique talent for magic, along with the extra resistance to magical attacks that carries. You are physically frail next to the hardier races of the world, but you are also quick on your feet. +5 to all three magical branches, +5 agility, +5 charisma, -5 hand-to-hand, -5 damage resistance, -1 to weapon weight. Elven Special Trait: Voice of the Ancients - Once per dossier, you may coerce a friendly/neutral NPC to do what you want for the rest of the mission, as long as it does not directly violate the target's sense of self-preservation. Keep in mind that this is very noticeable.
[ ] A dwarf, one of the downtrodden Stoneborn. Your people make up the industrial backbone of the Gothic continent, and yet receive little respect for their toil. They are stout and strong, but their small stature makes it difficult for them to wield the heaviest of infantry weapons. +1 weapon weight, +5 damage resistance, +1 vitality, +5 to hand-to-hand, +5 to physical magic, -5 charisma, -5 agility, -5 heavy weapons. Dwarven Special Trait: Born of the Forge - all enchanted weapons receive a 5% damage bonus.
[ ] An orc, whose barbarian ancestors hailed from the frigid lands to the north. You are extremely strong and easily inspire fear with your frightening visage, but you are also slow and lumbering--and, unlike the dwarves, you do not have the same hardiness, and magic is such a foreign concept to the Northmen that you have had little prior experience with the art. +5 hand-to-hand, +3 weapon weight, +5 heavy weapons, -5 to all three magic branches, -5 agility. Orcish Special Trait: From the Fury of the Northmen Deliver Us! - At the start of a hand-to-hand attack, you may roll a d25 to make your target panic and flee.

The ideals of nation and people were put to the test more than ever before. For many of the subjugated peoples who started the war as subjects of another, larger empire, the conflict presented a test of faith--should they fight for their oppressors? For you, however, the choice was less difficult. There was little doubt which mother nation you would rise to defend.

You were born to, and fought for:

[ ] The Alban Dominion. +5 Agility
[ ] The Republic of Javel. +5 Charisma
[ ] The Teutan Reich. +5 Hand-to-Hand
[ ] The Tsardom of Ogromniya. +5 Damage Resistance

Spoiler: Map of Gothis (Trinitarian Annum 1325)

 

[inquisition]

Spoiler: The Player Character: Anna Petrovna Lutsenko

Anna Petrovna Lutsenko
​

Species: Human
Date of Birth: 23 Copper, Annum 1298
Place of Birth: Tarnapol, Tarnapol Governate, Tsardom of Ogromniya

Traits
Vitality: 20
Damage Resistance: 15%
Weapon Weight: 10

Skills
Pistols: -5
Heavy Weapons: -5
Medicine: +12
Investigation: -4
Charisma: +5

Current Inventory
- 1 M1298 service revolver
- 28 rounds of extra ammunition
- Police truncheon
- Enchanted pocket watch
- Healer's Spellbook, Ogromniyan Imperial Army 3rd Edition
- First-aid kit

 

[inquisition]

Rules​

The rules for The Guardian Order are relatively simple. I will be using a d25 for nearly all the rolls, and combat will be decided by "checking" rolls against each other. Damage (See below) will be affected by the quality of the weapon, the enchantment (if any), and the type of ammunition (if applicable).

Traits​

• Vitality: Simply put, this is HP, or how much damage a character can take before "passing out" or dying.
  
• Damage Resistance: This is how much incoming damage a character can take. Some have natural DR, others can increase their DR with body armor or enchanted clothing.
  
• Weapon Weight: This is how much weight a character can easily heft when it comes to weapons. Trying to use a weapon above your Weight threshold will inflict severe penalties on your accuracy.

Skills​

• Hand to Hand: This Skill dictates how often blows will land in melee combat, both with bladed/blunt weapons like bayonets or clubs AND with good old fisticuffs.
  
• Long Arms: This covers how accurate a character is with rifles, sub-machine guns, and trench guns.
  
• Pistols: Pretty self-explanatory; how accurate you are with one-handed firearms.
  
• Heavy Weapons: How accurate (or, given the nature of these weapons, lucky) you are with mounted machine guns, antitank rifles, et cetera.
  
• Support Fire: How well you can target a position with mortars, gas, or long-range spells.
  
• Agility: This is your "defense" rating, and it represents your natural reflexes and your ability to dodge. If attacked, you will need to roll a d25 for Agility. If your agility is below your opponent's attack roll, your opponent scores a hit and you must roll for damage to your Vitality. If your roll is higher, the opponent has missed you entirely.
  
• Medicine: The "healer" skill. During a battle, one party member may roll for the Medicine skill and target one of his/her allies. The roll determines how much Vitality is healed in increments of 5; a roll of five heals one point, a roll of 10 heals 2, etc. etc.
  
• Investigation: How well you perceive the world around you. This is going to become especially important when tracking monsters and daemons.
  
• Elemental Magic: Elemental magic, also known as "combat magic," is the most basic form of damage-dealing. Like all weapon rolls, this Skill determines how "accurate" your blasts of fire or shards of ice are.
  
• Spiritual Magic: Spiritual magic, while it is often seen as the magic of the healers, also has a sinister side. Spiritual magic is all about summoning creatures from the magical plane of Haljasbene to do your fighting for you. Be warned, though--roll wrong, and you might just have a new enemy on the battlefield.
  
• Physical Magic: The magic of the dwarven smiths, physical magic is the ability to "enchant" objects with "runic energy." Dwarves have a natural affinity for the craft, but any other person with a Runic Engine, a rune, a weapon, and a lot of determination can craft flaming bayonets or ice bullets.
  
• Charisma: Pretty self-explanatory - How well you can convince people and bring them around to your viewpoint. In an argument, a Charisma roll is checked against an opponent's Charisma roll.

Damage​

Damage is calculated, as stated before, by the weapon, the type of ammunition, and the enchantment. If you wield a pistol, for example, that does 1d6 of damage, and has a flame enchantment that does 1 damage, you would roll 1d6 and add a point of base damage for the enchantment no matter the roll. Say the outcome was a total of four damage (nat. 3 +1). The target has DR of 5%, the default value. 5% of all incoming damage is removed and rounded to the nearest integer, so the target would still receive full damage. On the other hand, if the DR is worth 25% (say the target is a dwarf with really good body armor), the damage is bumped down to 3.

Battle Order​

Each instance of combat is broken up into "beats," and each "beat" is essentially a round of each character performing one action. There are a number of actions that you can take, each one costing one "beat:"

• Attack: I don't think this requires explanation. Note: Agility rolls are automatic, and no extra action is needed to defend. The order of attack is based on the weapon and its range. The highest number means the farthest range, and thus the sooner it can attack. Battles will begin at varying ranges.
  • All melee weapons have a range of 0.
  • Default SMG range is 2; for most weapon types, there will be variants with different ranges.
  • Default pistol range is 3.
  • Default rifle range is 5. This includes antitank rifles.
  • Machine guns can engage at range 5, but receive an accuracy penalty for ranges above 3.
  • Different spells will have different ranges.
  • Some weapons can be modified with scopes or sights that increase (or decrease) the range.
• Move: This is how a character can close to the necessary range, or move out of the enemy's. Note: this is the only move that allows you to take an action as well; however, firing while moving gives you a penalty to accuracy.
• Reload: Very self-explanatory.
• Draw: This only happens if you (or your adversary) are caught by surprise. It takes a few precious seconds to pull out your pistol/unsling your rifle/draw your blade/etc, and those few seconds can be crucial.
• Brace: You take time to line up a shot and take it, but it takes you a couple of precious seconds.
• Cast: The functional equivalent of Brace for magical attacks.
• Heal: Self-explanatory. Depending on the nature of the damage, it may need to be the Medicine skill or the Spiritual Magic skill.

 

[mrttao]

[x] A human
[x] The Alban Dominion. +5 Agility

Looks cool, basically fantasy xcom equivalent in original setting?

 

[inquisition]

[x] A human
[x] The Alban Dominion. +5 Agility

Looks cool, basically fantasy xcom equivalent in original setting?

Click to shrink...

In a way. It's more "XCOM meets Tolkien meets the 1920s" in an original setting.

 

[LucidProp]

[X] A Human
[X] The Republic of Javel

Charisma's pretty useful in just about any situation.

 

[veekie]

[X] A High Elf, one of the ancient People who once ruled Gothis unopposed before the rise of humanity. Like your ancient progenitors, you have a unique talent for magic, along with the extra resistance to magical attacks that carries. You are physically frail next to the hardier races of the world, but you are also quick on your feet. +5 to all three magical branches, +5 agility, +5 charisma, -5 hand-to-hand, -5 damage resistance, -1 to weapon weight. Elven Special Trait: Voice of the Ancients - Once per dossier, you may coerce a friendly/neutral NPC to do what you want for the rest of the mission, as long as it does not directly violate the target's sense of self-preservation. Keep in mind that this is very noticeable.

[X] The Tsardom of Ogromniya. +5 Damage Resistance

 

[Nevill]

The picture sets the tone nicely. Let's see if the quest maintains the level of sheer AWESOME it opened with.

[X] A human, a member of the most populous race in the world. You have two thousand years of unopposed dominance on the Gothic continent behind you, and you are equal parts respected and loathed by the other races your people have subjugated in their quest for global imperialism. You are hardy, but your unique brain also gives you a disconnect from the spirit world--and thus you don ot have the same kind of perception that other races enjoy. +5 charisma, +5 long arms, +5 damage resistance, -5 Investigation, -5 spiritual magic. Human Special Trait: Fortune Favors the Bold - Once per dossier, you may opt to determine the outcome of any d25 roll.

[X] The Tsardom of Ogromniya. +5 Damage Resistance

 

[Gamefreak1ed]

[X] A High Elf
[X] The Tsardom of Ogromniya

 

[inquisition]

So far, an Ogromniyan human seems to be winning. I'm hoping for more people to weigh in before I move on to the next bit of voting; the more the merrier!

 

[giodan]

[X] A Human
[X] The Republic of Javel

 

[SirLagginton]

[X] A High Elf
[X] The Tsardom of Ogromniya

 

[inquisition]

Another hour and a half of voting, and then we will move on to the next part of our PC's backstory when I get home.

 

[Derek58]

[X] A human
[X] The Tsardom of Ogromniya.

Being nice and tough, and good with longarms sounds excellent to me

 

[Pinniped]

[X] A human
[X] The Tsardom of Ogromniya

 

[The Froggy Ninja]

[X] A High Elf, one of the ancient People who once ruled Gothis unopposed before the rise of humanity. Like your ancient progenitors, you have a unique talent for magic, along with the extra resistance to magical attacks that carries. You are physically frail next to the hardier races of the world, but you are also quick on your feet. +5 to all three magical branches, +5 agility, +5 charisma, -5 hand-to-hand, -5 damage resistance, -1 to weapon weight. Elven Special Trait: Voice of the Ancients - Once per dossier, you may coerce a friendly/neutral NPC to do what you want for the rest of the mission, as long as it does not directly violate the target's sense of self-preservation. Keep in mind that this is very noticeable.

[X] The Tsardom of Ogromniya. +5 Damage Resistance
Magic forever!

 

[PoptartProdigy]

[X] A High Elf

[X] The Republic of Javel

Let's see if we can be one of those cops who never has to use their service weapons.

Also, regarding the origin places:

I'm having trouble finding Ogromniya on the map. Does it go by a different name there? Similarly, does the "Teutan Commonwealth" from the map correspond to the "Teutan Reich" in the choices?

As a side note, for "Teutan" in general, should I be reading that with a German "eu" or an English "eu?"

Looks great! Can't wait to play!

 

[inquisition]

Also, regarding the origin places:

I'm having trouble finding Ogromniya on the map. Does it go by a different name there? Similarly, does the "Teutan Commonwealth" from the map correspond to the "Teutan Reich" in the choices?

Click to shrink...

Ogromniya, after a revolution, becomes the Holy Equalist Union.

And yes, the Teutan Commonwealth is the broken remnants of the Reich that reorganized under a weak democratic government.

As a side note, for "Teutan" in general, should I be reading that with a German "eu" or an English "eu?"

Click to shrink...

The German "eu," like "Toy-shahn."



Also, to anyone else, get any last-minute votes in. It's a pretty close shave between High Elf and human.

 

[inquisition]

[X] A human
[X] The Tsardom of Ogromniya.

You were a human soldier of Ogromniya, the great magocracy to the West. The largest country in the world, Ogromniya was once under the direct, absolute rule of the Dumanyov dynasty of mage Tsars. When the War began, the reigning monarch Tsar Aleksandr V took it upon himself to protect the small Illyrian kingdom of Sirmium. It was this that would indeed set off the powder keg of the world. In 1314, you were a young…

[ ] Man
[ ] Woman

…working as...

[ ] a Cobbler's apprentice. +1 Agility
[ ] a Smith's apprentice. +1 Physical Magic
[ ] the local doctor's assistant. +1 Medicine
[ ] a factory laborer. +1 Weapon Weight
[ ] a singer. +1 Charisma
[ ] A paper boy/girl. +1 Investigation
[ ] A mage's apprentice. +1 to a "branch" of your choice.

You lived in the eastern city of Tarnapol, on the border with the Empire of Veststad-Vasok--placing you, and everyone you knew and loved, on the frontlines of this great struggle. You remember the patriotic surge, as young men and women swarmed recruiting offices to enlist. The Teutan Kaiser was burned in effigy a thousand times over, and the blue flag of the Dumanyov empire flew from every window that could hold it. As for you, when the call went out, you...

[ ] Enlisted as soon as you were able. Home by Vinthala, lads and lasses! +1 level; equivalent of +1 to any category.
[ ] Were conscripted for the "second wave" after the war bogged down. +50 xp. and +1 DR
[ ] Were conscripted late in the war, as part of the last-ditch effort to break the war's stalemate. +1 Vitality

You served in some of the most brutal battles of the Western Front, in particular the offensive dreamed up by Marshal Annaya Kurchitova--a desperate attempt to break the stalemate in the West and finally destroy the Teutan alliance. You remember the frantic, fluid movements of the Western Front, pushing forth against Teuta and her allies and being pushed back in turn. You will never forget the hopelessness and despair as the conflict dragged on, friends dying all around you in the forests and mountains of Western Gothis. During the war, you honed your skills in:

[ ] Command. You were a senior noncom during the War, one of the unlucky few who led the way out of the trenches. +5 to Support Fire, +1 to Pistols, and +1 to Charisma.
[ ] Assault. You went "over the top" several times over the course of the war, and have both the skills and the bullets inside you to prove it. +5 to Hand-to-Hand and +1 to both Long Arms and Pistols.
[ ] Scouting. Your agility and stealth made for a very able scout during the war. You were often sent out into the twisted wreckage of No Man's Land with nothing more than a pistol and a flare, scouting out enemy trenches and reporting back. +5 Investigation, +1 Agility and Pistols.
[ ] Magic. From a young age, you were always skilled with the arcane arts, calling forth the powers of Haljasbene with ease. In the war, you honed these skills, becoming a deadly weapon on the battlefield with your staff and the power of your connection to Haljasbene--the realm of magic. +10% damage to all magical attacks, -5 to all firearm categories.
[ ] Battlefield medicine. Whether for practical or idealistic reasons, your main weapon was not a gun or a staff, but instead a medical kit and a healer's spellbook. You saw the worst of what people could do to others, as you patched up bullet wounds, salved gas burns, and exorcised malevolent spirits. +10 to medicine, +5 to spiritual magic, -5 to all firearm categories.
__

After this, just one more piece of character creation detailing your life after the War, and then the game proper begins.

 

[Derek58]

[X] Man

[X] a factory laborer. +1 Weapon Weight

Aw yea, heavier weapons

[X] Enlisted as soon as you were able. Home by Vinthala, lads and lasses! +1 level; equivalent of +1 to any category.

An extra Level sounds great.

[X] Assault. You went "over the top" several times over the course of the war, and have both the skills and the bullets inside you to prove it. +5 to Hand-to-Hand and +1 to both Long Arms and Pistols.

More points into our melee and shooting skills.

 

[mrttao]

[x] Man
[x] the local doctor's assistant. +1 Medicine
[x] Were conscripted for the "second wave" after the war bogged down. +50 xp. and +1 DR

is it just me or is this worth 50% more than the other 2 options? eh, either way it is small enough that I don't think it really matters, I just like that option more.
Oh, also, are we going to be able to earn more stat points without leveling up? because presumably levels become harder to gain the higher it is, so even though +1 level is equivalent to +1 stat in the short term, in the long term it could fall behind.

[x] Battlefield medicine. Whether for practical or idealistic reasons, your main weapon was not a gun or a staff, but instead a medical kit and a healer's spellbook. You saw the worst of what people could do to others, as you patched up bullet wounds, salved gas burns, and exorcised malevolent spirits. +10 to medicine, +5 to spiritual magic, -5 to all firearm categories.

anyways, medic

 

[theimpetus]

[X] Man
[X] a singer. +1 Charisma
[X] Were conscripted for the "second wave" after the war bogged down. +50 xp. and +1 DR
[X] Command. You were a senior noncom during the War, one of the unlucky few who led the way out of the trenches. +5 to Support Fire, +1 to Pistols, and +1 to Charisma.

I don't know about you guys, but since human was chosen as our race and The Tsardom as our country of origin, I want to focus on our natural strengths, and make us charismatic as hell and damage resistant.

 

[Nevill]

[X] Woman
[X] the local doctor's assistant. +1 Medicine
[X] Enlisted as soon as you were able. Home by Vinthala, lads and lasses! +1 level; equivalent of +1 to any category.
[X] Battlefield medicine. Whether for practical or idealistic reasons, your main weapon was not a gun or a staff, but instead a medical kit and a healer's spellbook. You saw the worst of what people could do to others, as you patched up bullet wounds, salved gas burns, and exorcised malevolent spirits. +10 to medicine, +5 to spiritual magic, -5 to all firearm categories.

Either this or magical conscript, but I'd like to have a medical background.

 

[Gamefreak1ed]

[X] Man
[X] A smiths apprentice +1 Physical magic
[X] Were conscripted for the secound wave
[X] Scouting

 

[PoptartProdigy]

For the "volunteered immediately," option, what are the categories? Skills? Traits? Do we pick one or does it add one to a random category?