Lone Knight

I don't write (for on here anyway) nearly as much scifi stuff as I shove into my brainpan. This is largely, it must be admitted, because the trends in scifi rpgs/fiction/etc have not really marched with mine in a while (when they do/did at all). But I do love scifi stuff.

An interesting ("interesting" *grumblemutter*) side-effect of this -- and also of how scifi by its nature starts off infinitely more specialized in its settings and terminologies than fantasy -- is that writing a non-specific trinket table is a hell of a lot more of a brain pain >.> But I think I mostly managed. Sort of >.>;;

This is still basically a flavoured table; it also presumes scifi of the spaceships-and-stations-and-alien-worlds type. Hopefully its generic enough to be of at least some use.

Stuff for starter PCs, things left behind in ship's quarters, random bits and bobs ...



( spacey baubles and bits under here )

Another small flock of strange fellows, mostly low-level for your low-level shenanigans.

( critters under here )

Ten more swords, come git yer swords ~
Even if "sword" gets a bit loose at times ~

( ten more blades )

I'm not dead, the world just sucks right now.

That, and when I've been writing rpg stuff at all it's mostly been for a "Final Fantasy game+setting running on Lindwyrm" personal project; there's also been a couple of non-rpg writing things, and also expanding my videogame hoard again. But highly a case of "the world sucks" with a side-order of "and summer can fuck itself".

But enough of that! September means Swordtember, and I miiiiight have another thing percolating for the month (we'll see), and here I am with the first third of Swordtember's swords in nice punchy and system-neutral description ~


( Ten Swords, Singular And Otherwise )

Angels:

Mind the structure and the rightness of the universe, or so they claim. Some serve the gods; many -- most -- continue on in their own inscrutable hierarchy. Some are worshiped as gods themselves, though this is ill-favoured.

An angel acts to further the existence and the structure, the order if you will, of the world. This does not make angels innately compassionate; if they must end a thing, a life, a creation, to preserve the pattern the Host adheres to, they will do so without hesitation.

To break from the hierarchy of type and calling is to fall to individualism.

It is to Fall.


( some sample angelic hosts )

Travelling in for January's RPG Blog Carnival --

( There's another place threading through (or maybe beneath, or maybe behind, or maybe all three, or) the myriad planes. )

Sorry, it's not game stuff today. The month/season/year/etc continues doubling down on kicking my arse -- and also the non-psionics bits of Lindwyrm Liberty went up last week, and there's that.

Instead I'm going to ramble on about using Creative Commons for some of my stuff, because why not.

=> Why did I do it? Why do I do it?

Why the hell not?

I like the idea of letting people have access to my stuff -- which is why virtually all of it is free or pay what you want to begin with -- and, hey, letting people be able to play with stuff in their own published stuff (as long as my contribution gets a nod) is just one more step.

It's a sharing thing, basically?

=> But then, why not everything?

Because of a lot of reasons, some of which are here in no particular order:

- some things I feel strongly about personally (and am not done with)
- some things might have more iterations in the future (so, also not done with)
- not every bit and bob and table I dump out of my skull is going to be useful that way
- some things I'm just more attached to and that is also okie
- fanworks and homages are really, really not going CC do I look that stupid

=> Creative Commons can't be revoked, what if someone awful uses your stuff

I'm going to be level with you here, hypothetical person actually reading this: the absolute kaleidoscope of terrible fuckholes that infest this hobby and cottage industry absolutely do not give one single solitary fuck about other people to begin with, so it's not like anything's stopping them from lifting my stuff anyway.

I don't fancy locking down everything for everyone in a futile attempt to keep out the Fuckhole Factor[tm].

Of course if I come across any given terrible fuckhole using my work, I'm going to have my blood pressure spike in absolutely unhelpful ways, because those guys can rot in the lowest levels of the most frigid iron-mawed hell imaginable. But it's not really a gamble opening things up for those with good intentions, when I know nothing -- not a lack of license, not a warning, not a "not for you" notice -- will stop fuckholes from being fuckholes. Because they're fuckholes.

=> Why CC-BY-SA?

Do you want the reason, or the reason?

On the one hand, it's because I'd like some small acknowledgement for having made something, something that another person liked enough to make use of (my life sucks enough as it is, just acknowledgement is nice if I can get it); and I want to encourage spreading more stuff under the same banner (that's the -SA part).

On the other it's because that's the result I got for my criteria in the license picker and it's the one Cairn uses and if it's good enough for Cairn it works for me.


There's probably even more I could ramble but this is long enough, I'm drawing a blank atm, and also a headache is threatening and I really should give in and feed myself so, good enough for now >.>

( Seven Swords: a setting for Lindwyrm and other adventure games )

Seven Swords by E. A. Bisson is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

Psionics! Some people hate psionics in fantasy rpgs -- and D&Dish stuff in particular -- and claim there’s no psionics in fantasy; and those folks can, putting it politely, go fuck themselves. Possibly with the entire Deryni series with a Valdemar series chaser, just to start.

I digress, though.

This here is a (slightly wordy because not trimmed down to fit tiny pages, ha) set of psionic powers + a class to go with them for Lindwyrm. There’s also two additions/tweaks to existing stuff, and a tiny faq because I do those on some class posts I guess, it’s not the first time.

Onward --



Psychic (Psionicist, etc)
d6 HD. Armour: light. Weapon: 1d6
- Awareness: mindspeech to 100’, 2-in-6 chance to sense psychic energy/effects/active minds
- The Gift: Choose two paths; choose a starting power from them. Gain 1 power/lvl, and 1 path/3 lvls. A psychic can use powers lvl/day freely, then 1 hp/usage.


Basic Psionic Rules

Psychics and other psi-using characters don’t carry spellbook equivalents; they know their powers innately.

It is possible to create a record of a power (an “imprint” or “pattern”), like a spell scroll, and they are used similarly. A psychic can learn a power from an imprint if it belongs to one of their paths; if it doesn’t, they can still use the imprint itself.

* Using a power: A psychic can use 1 power/level freely per day. More usages cost 1 hp each. Healing magic or psionics doesn’t restore psychic energy, only rest does.
-> a psychic can also spend extra hp to boost a power’s level, 2 hp : 1 lvl

* Psionic and magic interaction: Everyone always makes this complicated. It doesn’t have to be bloody complicated.
- a spell or power can only affect the opposite “category” if it says so explicitly (a magical ward against magic won’t stop psionics)
- a general effect can be affected by both psionics and magic because the effect is the significant part. Fire damage is fire damage, whatever the source and whatever the source of fire resistance.


( Sample Paths )


Tweaks To Existing Lindwyrm Stuff: Not much, basically this –

- The esper species in Lockbox instead uses psionics (I mean they’re espers, come on) and choose a path to pick their power from. Maybe two or three paths, if that’s what the group prefers.

- Talent (class modifier): Choose one psionic path. Gain one power and another every 3 lvls, access to a second school at lvl5. Have one power use / 2 lvls free before requiring hp.


( FAQ )

Now in Creative Commons finally as promised, as part of Lindwyrm Liberty --

Lindwyrm Liberty: more additions and fancies by E. A. Bisson is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

Made it to the end!

I'll admit there were a few patches where things felt wobbly (which was at least 90% the miserable weather because fuck summer, yo), but here we are at the end ~


( Kurukhan, Sage of Brass and Diamond )