Out for Blood

[jpneok]

I agree about Acrobatics. FS itself treats Martial Arts practically as defacto everyman skill, and I just don't see people that don't have Martial Arts "buying" (literally or figuratively) this lesser skill, if they could just have Martial Arts instead - it seems emasculating, for action movie style RPG'ing. It is basically MS without hitting people, but more for checks for stunts... with FS being intentionally short and broad on skills, I can see very different new skills, but this is about 75% redundant, which doesn't seem like it would be enough to justify it.

The rest, as I said though, is awesome.

[Queex]

It's fair comment about acrobatics- part of the motivation was to have a skill that allowed starting characters without Martial Arts to do jumping stunts without having to bend the rules about 'no italic skills'. The concept of the repertoire might have worked better as a character type unique schtick, I suppose.

[jpneok]

That's what I was thinking - I was pretty sure that was the point, to allow stunty type stuff as a lesser skill that was in keeping with a less melee oriented character, but still in theme and indicating better than usual skill at leaping around etc. It just seems, it seems more like a "level 1 skill" in some other game, and if you spend xp on it, you can raise it to mar... hey... improve it to being martial arts in game?

[Wanderer]

Excellent sourcebook, full of interesting and useful ideas and crunchy bits. After a cursory read, I have a couple questions:

Feral Strength: I get it can be used to do all kinds of Martial Arts attacks with Creature Powers AV but Fu powers, but what about other uses of Martial Arts, e.g. acrobatic stunts ?

Diabolical Potency and Wide Aura are most welcome additions to the system, but what happens when two Wide Auras with different personal/local juncture modifiers "collide" ? I.e. let's assume one character with Aura of Sorcery 1, Diabolical Potency 1, and Wide Aura, and another with Aura of Sorcery 3, Diabolical Potency 3, and Wide Aura; What are the juncture modifiers in the room ?

[Queex]

It just seems, it seems more like a "level 1 skill" in some other game, and if you spend xp on it, you can raise it to mar... hey... improve it to being martial arts in game?

It's a possibility- it's kind of outside the usual paradigm for Feg Shui, though. I think I may need to revisit the skill and give something to give it more oomph in its own right.

Feral Strength: I get it can be used to do all kinds of Martial Arts attacks with Creature Powers AV but Fu powers, but what about other uses of Martial Arts, e.g. acrobatic stunts ?

As written, only for attacks. It might rain on the parade of dedicated Martial Artists if a single schtick lets Creature Powers be used for everything Martial Arts could be. On the other hand, if there's a dearth of Martial Arts in a particular game the GM could be more lenient.

Diabolical Potency and Wide Aura are most welcome additions to the system, but what happens when two Wide Auras with different personal/local juncture modifiers "collide" ?

The boring answer would be 'whoever is closest', but that would miss a golden opportunity for the GM to make up whatever seems the most entertaining at the time. As a wise man once said, 'hilarity ensues'.

[Wanderer]

As written, only for attacks. It might rain on the parade of dedicated Martial Artists if a single schtick lets Creature Powers be used for everything Martial Arts could be. On the other hand, if there's a dearth of Martial Arts in a particular game the GM could be more lenient.

Fair enough. I have another question about Feral Strength. Does its use represent a "Creature Powers check" as far as reversing supernatural creatures with Transformation to their natural monstrous form goes ?

[jpneok]

Hey I have a question. The Tart with a Heart Type has Great Listener, but I had already taken to naming the Unique Schticks of the original types and named the Spy's that because they more or less read identically - what is the difference between the two, other than the situation in which it's used, one being the "Mwuhahhah Mr. Bond, here's what I'm going to do..." and the other "Oh, James, come away with me - tomorrow I'm going to the bank to withdraw four hundred million..."?

Also, I've included TWAH (hmm not sure about abbreviating this one a lot!) in my Types profile PDF I've put together just to fill out the 3-per-page "theme" I've got going, and wondered if it was okay, as I planned on putting this PDF and .ODS file up for download at some point (with credit to Queex of course).

[Queex]

Fair enough. I have another question about Feral Strength. Does its use represent a "Creature Powers check" as far as reversing supernatural creatures with Transformation to their natural monstrous form goes ?

I'd probably rule that on a case-by-case basis. Given how the number of types with CP has expanded since the original book, the automatic 'only CP when monstrous' doesn't necessarily make sense for all of them. On the other hand, it's entirely within genre for a monster to have to show its true form in order to demonstrate its true strength, so I guess the best answer is whatever works for you.

Hey I have a question. The Tart with a Heart Type has Great Listener, but I had already taken to naming the Unique Schticks of the original types and named the Spy's that because they more or less read identically - what is the difference between the two, other than the situation in which it's used,

I think the most important difference is the situational one- Spy gets 'you hate me, but you think I'm helpless', TWAH gets 'you feel the need to open up to me'.

I guess they could be expressed as a single schtick, if the schtick is reworded to say 'you can wheedle information out of someone by behaving according to the stereotype of your character type.

Also, I've included TWAH (hmm not sure about abbreviating this one a lot!) in my Types profile PDF I've put together just to fill out the 3-per-page "theme" I've got going, and wondered if it was okay, as I planned on putting this PDF and .ODS file up for download at some point (with credit to Queex of course).

Out for Blood is released under a creative-commons licence, so that's fine. Although TWAH was a contribution from my co-author.

[jpneok]

Ah ok I see, well I'll post my document here and I'll take any suggestions from anyone here. I also like notdan's Nun archetype.

Basically, I'm doing a 3-per-page theme, and there are 26 basic types, so I need one to finish out and wanted one that seems like it was the most "left out" of the original book - it doesn't REALLY matter, I know, I have no high plans for it, I'm nothing like you (Q), and the other people that make stuff for FS, I was just putting something together for myself and sharing it with others.

I'm one of those people that do random fan contributions to various things, without any real current "support", like a PC writeup for an obscure Warhammer 2nd Edition race, etc. I'm not used to actual legal documents and licenses and all that, though I kinda understand some of the commons and OGL and stuff.

[Notdan]

I also like notdan's Nun archetype.

You can come again

Yeah, the essential difference between the Tart and the Spy is that the Spy taunts his enemies into revealing their plans, whereas the Tart provides a sympathetic ear - people are confessing to her, rather than gloating. Also, IIRC, the Spy can only activate his unique schtick when his enemies appear to have him at their mercy, whereas the tart just needs a quiet corner.

And as far as I'm concerned, anything I contributed to OFB is fair game for anyone to use in any way they wish, provided that Queex raises no objections. It's his book.

[jpneok]

I was hoping you would reply but now that I've had a chance to think it over, I guess I really should just release the basic type summary and a blank, and anyone that wants to use the templates I did, can do so and put together their own stuff, as unlike the WFRP community where I incorporated some ideas, you people are still active and working on projects. So I'll just get mine finished and put together and see what comes of that, if anything, and go from there. But thank you, I will keep it in mind. I might go ahead and post what I DID have mocked up for the Nun and Tart.

[Notdan]

I'm sorry to hear that I've long thought that it would be brilliant to have a consolidated resource giving the details of all the archetypes from the various different feng books, and I for one would love to see the OFB archetypes included in that.

[ScotBloke]

This supplement my man, is awesome!!!

Well done,
Scotbloke

[jpneok]

I agree, I think it is a very high-quality fan supplement, most definitely right under the line of something that could be turned into a professional source release for the game. You don't see this kind of effort put into much fan stuff for any game, as a rule, especially one of the more obscure games as FS, but I think that shows the loyalty, creativity and maybe even quirkiness of the players.