Savage Kinden

[Asmor]

I finally sat down and did something I've been meaning to do for a
while... statting up some of the more common kinden as races for
Savage Worlds.

Here's what I've got: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AiQ3BrOCsH2adDV5X19kYVBjNUZtUVVfUHVTTHo0OVE

If you're not familiar with Savage Worlds, google it. It's a generic
RPG designed to emulate pulp action in any genre, and lives up to its
tagline of "Fast! Furious! Fun!"

The basic gist of it is that each kinden has some number of
"ubiquitious" traits (mostly arts, but not always), and then you get
bonus points to spend and purchase additional traits, such as less
common arts, or more skills for your character.

It's balanced so that between the ubiquitous traits and the bonus
points, you've got 7 points worth of "stuff" available to you, in
addition to the normal character creation rules. So for example,
Grasshoppers don't have much in the way of art, but they get a ton of
bonus points; Moths have a lot of art and aren't quite as flexible.

I'm not saying it's balanced. This is just a quick and dirty run
through. This hasn't ever been playtested.

[Roderick Easton]

I have to admit that I was about to suggest doing something similar for GURPS, with racial templates.

 

Obviously, GURPS is a far more complex system than Savage worlds, which has its pros and cons.  Based on some comments in the books I was considering that some arts, particularly those that have been described as being able to improve by practice, would basically be normal, fatigue-fuelled spellcasting (things like stings, flight etc) whereas others could be put together with advantages (Darksight, art-grown weapons etc)

 

I'll get on to that when I have some spare time :)

 

Roderick

[Roderick Easton]

I've looked at your spreadsheet and have a few thoughts.

 

Firstly, I notice that all of the 'Physical' attacks have exactly the same effect.  I'm not sure whether I'd consider the little needles that some Spiders have as devastating as the massive claws that Scorpions can grow.  Is it possible to discriminate between them?  Honestly, I'd consider the Spider tines as a poison delivery method rather than a weapon :)

 

Secondly, there's a couple I think you've missed.  Ants get to grow big bony knuckledusters sometimes, and Wasps hae been known to manifest hooked bone spurs on the backs of their hands.  I'd offer Uncontrollable temper to Wasps as well, they're frequently described as being able to be taunted into unwise action.  All Kinden have access to an ability to commune with their insect equivalents, though very few of the 'civilised' ones learn it.

 

Thirdly, would it be possible to arrange it differently?  All of the Ubiquitous Traits together (which I assume are mandatory), then the other ones separately.

Obviously, there's a whole other list of Kinden to adapt to it: Skater-kinden, Roach-kinden not to mention the sea-kinden.

 

Roderick

On 26 October 2011 07:46, Asmor <ito...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Ian Toltz]

Comments interspersed below. One common theme is that while I've read all of the books (and a few of the short stories), my memory is terrible. :)

On Thu, Oct 27, 2011 at 11:48 AM, Roderick Easton <tonbo....@googlemail.com> wrote:

I've looked at your spreadsheet and have a few thoughts.

 

Firstly, I notice that all of the 'Physical' attacks have exactly the same effect.  I'm not sure whether I'd consider the little needles that some Spiders have as devastating as the massive claws that Scorpions can grow.  Is it possible to discriminate between them?  Honestly, I'd consider the Spider tines as a poison delivery method rather than a weapon :)

I definitely agree here. I kind of assume the Spiders' needles were for injecting venom, but I don't recall whether we ever actually see them used in the books.

 

Secondly, there's a couple I think you've missed.  Ants get to grow big bony knuckledusters sometimes, and Wasps hae been known to manifest hooked bone spurs on the backs of their hands.  I'd offer Uncontrollable temper to Wasps as well, they're frequently described as being able to be taunted into unwise action.  All Kinden have access to an ability to commune with their insect equivalents, though very few of the 'civilised' ones learn it.

Do you remember where/which book we see an ant with the knuckledusters? The only thing I remember like that were the... I want to say dart kinden? The sea kinden who were like mantids...

I also don't remember the wasp bone spurs.

As far as the wasp temper, it's a bit more complicated. Anyone could take a flaw that they have a terrible temper, so there's nothing stopping a wasp. In crafting these lists, particularly with respect to the psychological traits like this, I'm trying to impart some information to the players. I would say that the scorpion temper is a defining, and stereotypical, trait of scorpions. I wouldn't consider it so defining for wasps. Certainly they do tend to suffer from pride and from temper, but I wouldn't really consider either of them to be defining traits of the race like temper for scorpions or pride for mantids.

  

Thirdly, would it be possible to arrange it differently?  All of the Ubiquitous Traits together (which I assume are mandatory), then the other ones separately.

Yeah, I've been meaning to do that. Worth noting that this isn't meant to be a final document and if/when I "publish" (i.e. compile a PDF), it would be a radically different format anyways.

 

Obviously, there's a whole other list of Kinden to adapt to it: Skater-kinden, Roach-kinden not to mention the sea-kinden.

I really don't even want to touch the sea-kinden, too many unknowns there, and not something I'd be likely to use in an RPG campaign just because the whole "Most PCs can't breathe water" thing would make it too burdensome for anything beyond a quick adventure or two.

But yeah, there are lots of kindens that need to be written up. I tried to focus on the more common and well known ones for this (though I'm not sure Grasshopper really meets that qualification. More of a case of my having just read Heirs of the Blade, where the grasshoppers feature more prominently than they have in the past).

Baby steps. :)

 

Roderick

On 26 October 2011 07:46, Asmor <ito...@gmail.com> wrote:

I finally sat down and did something I've been meaning to do for a
while... statting up some of the more common kinden as races for
Savage Worlds.

Here's what I've got: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AiQ3BrOCsH2adDV5X19kYVBjNUZtUVVfUHVTTHo0OVE

If you're not familiar with Savage Worlds, google it. It's a generic
RPG designed to emulate pulp action in any genre, and lives up to its
tagline of "Fast! Furious! Fun!"

The basic gist of it is that each kinden has some number of
"ubiquitious" traits (mostly arts, but not always), and then you get
bonus points to spend and purchase additional traits, such as less
common arts, or more skills for your character.

It's balanced so that between the ubiquitous traits and the bonus
points, you've got 7 points worth of "stuff" available to you, in
addition to the normal character creation rules. So for example,
Grasshoppers don't have much in the way of art, but they get a ton of
bonus points; Moths have a lot of art and aren't quite as flexible.

I'm not saying it's balanced. This is just a quick and dirty run
through. This hasn't ever been playtested.

--
-Ian Toltz

[Roderick Easton]

On 27 October 2011 17:26, Ian Toltz <ito...@gmail.com> wrote:

Comments interspersed below. One common theme is that while I've read all of the books (and a few of the short stories), my memory is terrible. :)

On Thu, Oct 27, 2011 at 11:48 AM, Roderick Easton <tonbo....@googlemail.com> wrote:

I've looked at your spreadsheet and have a few thoughts.

 

Firstly, I notice that all of the 'Physical' attacks have exactly the same effect.  I'm not sure whether I'd consider the little needles that some Spiders have as devastating as the massive claws that Scorpions can grow.  Is it possible to discriminate between them?  Honestly, I'd consider the Spider tines as a poison delivery method rather than a weapon :)

I definitely agree here. I kind of assume the Spiders' needles were for injecting venom, but I don't recall whether we ever actually see them used in the books.

I was sure that we saw them used in Sea Watch, near the beginning, by the Half-breed

 

Secondly, there's a couple I think you've missed.  Ants get to grow big bony knuckledusters sometimes,

I think that was gladiator Ants from different cities, in the Arena in Civitas, so it's either the beginning of Dragonfly Falling or somewhere in Blood of the Mantis
 

and Wasps have been known to manifest hooked bone spurs on the backs of their hands. 

Something like chapter 7 of Empire: one of the Wasps who tries to have a go at Salma on the Sky Without has hooked barbs on the back of his hands
 

I'd offer Uncontrollable temper to Wasps as well, they're frequently described as being able to be taunted into unwise action.  All Kinden have access to an ability to commune with their insect equivalents, though very few of the 'civilised' ones learn it.

Do you remember where/which book we see an ant with the knuckledusters? The only thing I remember like that were the... I want to say dart kinden? The sea kinden who were like mantids...

Fastclaws, ie Mantis-shrimp-kinden.  Fastest punch under the sea.

 

I also don't remember the wasp bone spurs.

As far as the wasp temper, it's a bit more complicated. Anyone could take a flaw that they have a terrible temper, so there's nothing stopping a wasp. In crafting these lists, particularly with respect to the psychological traits like this, I'm trying to impart some information to the players. I would say that the scorpion temper is a defining, and stereotypical, trait of scorpions. I wouldn't consider it so defining for wasps. Certainly they do tend to suffer from pride and from temper, but I wouldn't really consider either of them to be defining traits of the race like temper for scorpions or pride for mantids.

  

To quote Thalric: "It is a scourge of our people, Miss Maker, this temper of ours.  I have a stronger rein on it than most, but do not presume."

[AdrianTchaikovsky]

I like Savage Worlds as a system - it's been suggested a few times in
connection with the series.

Spider natural weapons get used by Foreman Sands in Sea Watch -
Arianna has them but doesn't use them I think.

[Jackson Cordes]

I have been working on a card game idea and will be posting it soon
but I need someones help. Can someone talk to me on Skype and I will
give you ideas and you give me your ideas so I can have something well
done. Please only talk to me if you are truly interested.