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Minute-Made Magic (M3)

JohnRisus — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 11:13:46 CDT

Magic – magical clichés should be purchased double pump-able.
Spell casting - There are two main approaches to using magic, Mundane and Diabolic.

Mundane is using magic for things that could be done routinely without magic that do not directly affect another being. such as lighting a fire (though you don’t need flint and the wood might be wet) with magic, opening a door (sure you don’t have to touch it to open it and two mundane actions could have picked the lock and opened it), or reading a book (no hours spent by candlelight bent over a book). A mage can typically do a number of mundane spells equal to his cliché value per scene, but the refresh rate is left up to the gm. If the mundane action is not within the scope of the magical cliché, the target may receive a cliché with an appropriately assigned value from the GM. ‘Soaking Wet Wood (2)’ for a necromancer cliché attempting to light it, for example. After all, he is not a Fire Mage or even an Elementalist. This could result in a contest (whether combat or single-action) to see if the Mundane is possible. Magic used mundanely is the norm for the Wyvern setting, but there are those out there that crave more, who are willing to pay the price or at least willing to risk it…

Diabolic is using magic for things that are not mundane and typically and used to interact with something else in a negative and visible manner. Such as casting a fireball at a goblin horde, resurrecting a dead minion to attack the enemy, or to control someone’s mind. To use magic in a diabolic manor, the magic-user must double pump his cliché. As a result, he creates a magical force that will interact with the target(s) individually, equal to the value of the double pump. Suppose a ‘Necromancer (3)’ wants to summon some undead to engage a target. She double pumps the cliché by two, giving her a 4 dice cliché magically powered force, and leaving her as a ‘Necromancer (1)’, this force could be described several ways; ‘Horde of Undead Minions (4), or two ‘Hordes of Grasping Ghouls (2 ea), or four ‘Grotesque Corpses (1 ea). With the example of four ‘Grotesque Corpses (1 ea)’, each corpse would get one roll then fade. It does not matter if or how the force is broken down descriptively because the force will always loss at least one cliché dice per roll as it fades (Remember that the option rules ‘Outnumbered and Outclassed’ and ‘Degrees of Success’ may apply). If the ‘Horde of Undead Minions (4)’ wins/loses, it still becomes a ‘Horde of Undead Minions (3)’. If it loses, the force does not lose an additional dice nor does the target take a ‘wound’ (see – feedback, below).

Feedback – for the force to ‘live’, the Mage must maintain a link to it. This link is through his mundane pool. Whenever the force would normally take a hit to its cliché, that hit costs the Mage one mundane spell slot to resist the magical feedback. (reminder: Mages only have a number of mundane spells equal to their magical cliché value) if the Mage lacks further mundane slots to absorb this feedback the cost goes directly to the Mage’s cliché itself. Examining our ‘Necromancer (3)’ from before, we surmise that she has three mundane slots for spells or feedback. Creating a force 4 puts her at risk should the full force of her spell backfire!

Alchemy and Magical Items – Mages may attempt to create permanent (weapons, staves, wands, etc.) or temporary items (potions, elixirs, effects, etc.). It is an arduous and lengthy endeavor requiring the Mage to give part of himself to the item. This is a one for one cliché exchange from the Mage to the item being created. This item is bound to the creator, who is unable to recoup from the loss of the cliché dice until it is used/destroyed/or bonded to another. To bind the item to another, the Mage must beat the item in combat to release its force from himself and bind it to another. It is only then that the Mage can recover from the effects. Usually it takes a single month for every die of an item that is created to recover form its loss. Several Mages may team up to create an exceptional item or to more easily free the creator from a bound item. It is, however, no less taxing on the assistant Mages (all that donate cliché dice to the item must beat it to unbind it as well as pay the penalty to recovery – 1 month/cliché dice created). It should be noted that though there are no limits to this new item, creation of exceptionally powerful items would draw unfavorable attention from other Mages.

Other Game Systems

JohnRisus — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 19:46:17 CDT

Fate v2.0 - Just straight awesomeness in game form!
The Window - difficult to read on the web and somewhat verbose, but at the core it has a nice fluid gaming system.
Nicotine Girls - Strange one, but the idea of motivations and methods struck me as cool.
Dice Chucker v3.0 - Similar to Risus with some interesting dice mechanics toward the end.

External Links

JohnRisus — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 19:44:56 CDT

If you find that any of these links are dead, please let me know at RisusRules-at-gmail-dot-com. I will do my best to keep them up today.

These sites are linked to without permission, but credit is given where and when I can establish the author.

1 Large list of optional rules by Rene.
2 Risusiverse, a wiki with a large amount of input from the Risus Group.
3 Peter Kisner has several optional rules here, includeing cross-pumping and alternate dice mechanics.
4 Home for Risus Starwars, Risus Mage: the Ascention, and Risus Vampire: the Masquerade - author Unknown.
5 Peregrine's Risus Monkey has some interesting settings.
6 Silverlode 1908 is home of some pulpish western rules - author Unknown.
7 Larry Bullock's Unearthed Risus has a character creator and conflict simulator programs.
8 Dice Chucker is an interesting Risus-ish game with interesting dice mechanics at the end, created by Bobby R. Wallen Jr.

Cross Pumping

JohnRisus — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 21:41:02 CDT

"This option allows one particular cliche to temporarily increase at the cost of one or more other cliches. Cross-pumps are indicated by the brackets{}.

Cross-pump cliches work well for characters who can change their form or personality, temporarily losing some abilities and gaining others for a time. They might also be used for other altered states like berserker vikings, maori warriors on the warpath, or sycophants who lose all other aspects of their personality in the presence of greatness. And the character may or may not have full control over the transformation.
Cross-pump cliches are purchased in the same way as regular pumps, but also require a hook. Hooks in this case should include at least one of the following: an explanation of when or under what conditions the character makes the change (full moon?), what weaknesses the character has in their altered state, and when or under what conditions the charcter can revert to their normal state.
Example: Brice Bannoir also happens to be the Incredible Hunk due to some gamma irradiation in his college days. Normally he has the following cliches: Mild Mannered Scientist (4), All Round Nice Guy (2), Big Green Hunk {0}. But when he gets angry he pumps his other cliches to almost nothing and becomes: Mild Mannered Scientist (0), All Round Nice Guy (1), Big Green Hunk {5}. Hook: However, unlike characters with multiple active cliches Brice can't just switch cliches on a whim. He can turn green as quickly as it takes to get angry, but it might take him 5-15 minutes to calm down and drop the Big Green Hunk cliche, and another 5 - 10 minutes to regain the each die he lost of Scientist and Nice Guy." - Peter Kisner

The only objection I have to this as written is in the example. No cliche can drop to zero to cross pump the one in question - John

test

JohnRisus — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 16:53:46 CDT

There is no abstract available for this page revision.

Preston Cole - Appetite of the Dead

JohnRisus — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 16:53:27 CDT

In general, Preston was the first child of Hank and Judy Cole. Born in a small town in New Mexico. His child hood through age 6 was pretty standard. His father was a local small town doctor while his mom taught elementary classes in the small K thru 12 school. At about 6, is the time that his mother gives birth to his sister Caroline. She is normal until about age 5, making Preston about 11, when she dies. This sends his father into a spiraling down slide. He becomes distant, drinks, and blames himself for the death of his daughter, while Preston can't find anyway to interact with him in a normal manner. Preston mistakenly takes his fathers actions and outbursts as his father blaming him for the death of Caroline. At puberty, Preston rebels and begins to get into some trouble and his father leaves them. Preston now believes he is the reason for his father leaving too. His mother, a strong woman, nurtures Preston but he still feels a lot of guilt and responsibility for the situation that he finds himself in.

At 17, his girlfriend (Stacy) passes out at a party in the driveway. Some other party-goer accidental backs over her. While waiting for an ambulance, Preston feels the weight of inaction, he can't do anything to help her. He momentarily begins to blame himself once again... He should have been with her, watching out for her, but he wasn't. He stays with her in the time to come. It takes almost a year of excruciating physical therapy to get her back on her feet. The entire time he is helping Stacy and going to school too. Finally graduation rolls around and Stacy's maiden voyage is walking across the stage. Preston is hystatic, but realizes he must do something... he feels he must help others like he helped Stacy and failed to help Caroline. He don't know how to explain his calling to Stacy, so one day he just up and leaves for college.

He puts himself through college as a RN working odd jobs and such. His mother is at graduation, and to his surprise so is his father. Walking off the stage his mother is so proud and congratulatory, then his father walks up... drunk, "A nurse! Bah, nursing is for women folk! Real men practice medicine, not cleaning bed pans! Never did think you would amount to a hill o' beans!"

Trying to rise to his father's expectations, Preston takes a job at one of the better known hospitals in New Mexico [Albuquerque Regional Medical Center] and quickly finds a place in the ER Trauma Department. He catches on quickly and many of the ER residences (1st year doctors) look to him for guidance and help, referring to him about tricky cases. Some of the Attending encourage him to become a doctor and have had him into the OR on occasion when he identified surgical procedures, but he enjoys being a RN and is torn about the prospect.

Before he can make the decision, he receives a call from his mother Judy [in Farmington - should require a trip through the 'combat zone'], informing him that his father had finally succumb to Kidney Disease.

Preston Cole

Attributes

Brawn - Fair (Uncanny understanding of effective use of force do to understanding of the human body - nerve bundles, location of arteries, pressure points, etc)

Charm - Good (Quickly learned how a good 'bed-side manor' and the importance of being able to read people was so effective in conveying bad news and triage)

Ruggedness - Good (Strong immune system, inoculated for most common diseases, chronic taker of Vitamin C and B12. Understands the importance of staying in shape and healthy)

Swiftness - Great (ability to read others emotionally, dexterous hands, strong hand eye coordination, nimble)

Skills

Emergency Medicine - Great

Preventative Medicine - Good

Bureaucracy - Good

Spanish - Fair

Equestrian - Fair

Boxing/Brawling - Fair

Computing - Fair

Manipulation - Fair

Gift: All the right circles (do to Preston's abilities and knack for medicine, he has become somewhat known among the practicing and non-practicing doctors around Albuquerque. This could possible lead to some inferred contacts.)

Fault: "Real men practice medicine" (do to his strained relationship with his deceased father, Preston does not share the same opinion of his abilities as some of his coworkers and counterparts possess. He is constantly second-guessing himself and often takes the 'blame' of someone dieing personally - even in terminal cases.)

Slang

JohnRisus — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 22:03:04 CDT

A variety of slang picked up off of the Internet. Mostly from Wikis about Firefly.

English Based:

Atmo: A shortened form of the word "atmosphere".
Backbirth: One born on a primitive or outer planet; implies naivety or stupidity.
The Black: Slang for outer space.
Brown Coats: A nickname for the rebels who fought against the Alliance in the Unification War, in reference to their brown duster jackets.
(The) Core/Core planets: The central, Alliance-governed planets of the star system in which the series takes place.
Cortex: An interplanetary information network roughly analogous to the modern-day Internet.
Purple-bellies: A nickname for Alliance soldiers, in reference to their purple body armor.
Shiny: An adjective roughly corresponding to modern-day "cool," "neat" or "sweet."
Sly: An adjective meaning "homosexual", rather than the modern word "gay."
U-Day: A shortened version of Unification Day
'Verse: A shortened form of the word "universe". Often used as modern-day English uses "the world," to encompass the scope of human existence.
Wave: A form of two-way instant audio-video communication, similar in prevalence of usage to modern e-mail or phone calls.
Gorram: A variation of "god damn"

Hump: A substitute for the term "intercourse"; as in, "we're totally humped."

Rutting: A mild emphatic expletive, as the word 'rut' is a verb meaning 'to have animalistic sex'.

Mandarin / Chinese Based:

Te ma de! - "Your Mother!" or "His Mother!"

Bi Zuei - "Shut up." or "Shut your Mouth"

Shi ah - "Affirmative." "Yes"

Ai ya! Hwai leh! - "Oh No, it's spoilt!", could also be "oh no, we're ruined"

(Joo ta ma ya ming). Zhu Yi - "Watch your back." or "Be careful"

Qing jing - "Come in."

Ni de ma de. Tian Xia suo you de ren dou gai si - "Yo Mama! Everyone under the sky should die"

mei mei - "little sister"

Ni men dou Bi Zuei! - "Everybody shut the hell up!"

kwong-chee duh - "nuts" or "that's crazy"

Hoon dan! - "Jerk!" also "Bad Egg"

Ai ya, wo mun wan leh - "We're finished."
Shuh muh? - "I'm sorry?"
He chusheng zajiao de zanghuo! - "Filthy fornicators of livestock!"

Ni ta ma de. Tianxia suoyoude ren dou gai si. - "Damn it! Everyone under heaven deserves to die."

Taikong suoyou de xingqiu saijin wo de pigu - "Stuff all the planets in the universe up my butt!" or "All the planets in outer space are stuffed up my butt!"
Qing zai lai yi bei Ng-Ka-Pei? -"Can I have one more glass of Ng-Ka-Pei, please?"

Oh, ze zhen shi ge kwai le de jing jun... -"Oh, this is a happy development..."

Ke wu de lao bao jun... -"Horrible old tyrant..."

zhen de shi tian chai -"an absolute genius"

Dong ma? -"Understand?"

go tsao duh - dog-humped

Firefly

JohnRisus — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 21:39:54 CDT

I don't know if I can do much more for Risus: Firefly that hasn't already been done by Anjin.

Wikipedia is a good source for reference if you do not own, or have not seen, the series.

Background
Firefly was a short lived Sci-fi show on FOX that detailed the trying times of a ship named Serenity and its' crew set some five-hundred years in the future after humanity took to the stars and began terraform planets. It was their (the crew) goal to continue to be 'independent' after the loss of the 'War of Independence' by taking to the sky.

On Culture - the colonization and terraforming of the planets was predominantly done by the two largest remaining powers of 'Earth-that-was'; the U.S. and China. Much of the culture of the Firefly setting is stapled by the merging of these two powerhouse's culture; from their dress, decor and speech. The firefly setting has a strong semblance to the 'Wild West' of history's past.

On The War - the 'War of Independence' was fought between the Alliance and the side for Independence - the "Brown Coats". The war was over with the loss of the battle for 'Serenity Valley' by the Brown Coats. Even though the Alliance won the war, their control is mostly limited to the two main Alliance Planets. The farther one goes into 'The Black' (or away from these Alliance held worlds) the more Independence is seen, but at a cost. This Independence is at the cost of not being supported by the Alliance with medicine, food, and protection.

On Tech - though space travel is common, technology is rudimentary at best. Weapons are similar to 21st century slug-throwers - though the ammo and ammo capacity have been improved through case-less ammo. Though lasers are present, they are usually only seen within the Alliance and are VERY rare. It is speculated that a long ago passed gun control legislation, by the Alliance, limits the availability of any 'newer' styled firearms.

On Humanity and Reavers - lawlessness increases, as well, as one travels into The Black. But nothing compares to the lack of the humanity of the 'Reavers'. Reavers are believed to be humans that are driven mad by living on the edge of space while their very existence is denied by the Alliance. Reavers are known to kill, rape, skin and eat anyone they run across and not necessarily in that order. Zoe is quoted in the series by saying, "If they (Reavers) take the ship, they'll rape us to death, eat our flesh, and sew our skins into their clothing. And if we're very, very lucky, they'll do it in that order." Reavers run their ships hot, known as 'running hot', which is without proper radiation shielding. This makes their ships much faster but easier to detect. Typically Reaver ships look battered, from their use of them to damage other ships, and are usually adorned with red stripes and bodies of the people they have mutilated.

Playing Risus: Firefly
Optional Rules Used
Character Creation
Ships
Slang
Examples of Play
Adventure Ideas

Firefly - Character Creation

JohnRisus — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 21:37:26 CDT

Firefly character creation follows the standard Risus rules for creating characters. 10 Cliche Dice to divide among cliches.
No starting character with a cliche more than rated at (4).
2 extra Cliche Dice if a Hook and a Tale are provided (one for ea).
3 Lucky Shots per Cliche Dice appointed.
5 Questing Dice per Cliche Dice appointed.
3 Cliche Dice worth of 'modifications' can be given to the ship per Cliche Dice appointed. If a Captain can not be determined, the player making the modifications becomes the Captain. No cliche points given to the ship should be more than (3) in any one area.

The Anatomy of a Cliche should be checked out for some Shiny Risus Goodness and understanding of what makes a good cliche.

Core Cliches - Taken from Anjin's: Raven's Prayer v2.0 Site

Captain
This cliché involves all of the leadership qualities involved in running a ship. From handling the crew to making sure there is enough money for fuel, any aspect of starship administration is covered by this cliché. Basic competence in technical function is implied, but that's why you hire everyone else. Also, although a captain is expected to handle themselves in a fight, this cliché is not combat related. If the captain wants to shoot someone in the face, a different cliché is required.

Companion
The Companion's profession combines the practices of the courtesan and the tradition of the geisha and is held in high regard by society. The cliché is useful in a diversity of social situations regardless of a target's gender or station. Companion training also involves some ritualized combat instruction, like swordsmanship. This cliché should only be used in combat where these formal methods are useful.

Doctor/Surgeon
Because the 'Verse is a dangerous place, a doctor is indispensable to the crew. The doctor should be able to heal any kind of damage inflicted in combat, given the correct tools, within reason. There are no specific damage rules in Risus Firefly, but a bullet in the stomach will kill a person without a doctor to treat it. A character with this cliché is assumed to have extensive education.

Mechanic
Like the doctor, the mechanic is all about putting things right. A starship is the most important thing the PCs have. If it fails, it can mean the death of the entire group. Beyond just fixing the ship, a mechanic may also be able to coax it into performing beyond normal expectations.

Mercenary
A mercenary is a hired warrior, usually proficient in a number of firearms. Anyone involved in shady dealing aught to have a mercenary at their side. Implied with this cliché is a mind for money matters, if only tangentially.

Pilot
Every ship in the sky needs a competent pilot to make sure it gets pointed in the right direction. As a pilot grows in ability, they can make their ship perform increasingly complicated maneuvers.

Shepherd
The clergy in this world are known as Shepherds. This cliché covers a wide range of religious knowledge, ritual, and philosophy and implies at least a moderate education. Religion is still a powerful force in the 'Verse and (just about) anyone would think twice before crossing a Shepherd.

Example Characters:

Malcolm 'Mal' Reynolds - Captain of the Serenity

Brooding Captain of the Serenity (4)
Former Sergeant for the Independence (3)
Former Ranch Hand (2)
Mechanic in a Pinch (1)

Quest: "Find a job and keep on flying" [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]

"Hidden Compartments" (2)
"Built Tough" (1) - added to Hull Rating

Zoe Alleyne Washburne - First Mate of the Serenity

Former "Brown Coat" Veteran (4)
First Mate of the Serenity (3)
Smuggler Loyal to Mal and Her Husband 'Wash' (3)

Lucky Shots [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]

Hoban 'Wash' Washburne - Pilot of the Serenity

Stellar Pilot (4)
Capable Mechanic in a Pinch (2)
Some Ability With a Scatter-Gun (2)
Witty Banter and One Liners (2)

Lucky Shots [ ] [ ] [ ]

"Cry Babies" (3) - 55gal drums sent out the airlock that send distress signals as a distraction.

Firefly - Optional Rules Used

JohnRisus — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 17:23:15 CDT

Risus Core Rules
Inappropriate Cliches: see Unexpected Cliches
Teaming Up: is a large part of the Firefly genre - so is encouraged. Do to the suggested use of Deadly Combat for firearms, it is somewhat different and governed by the rules set in the Risus Companion (that is not required for play).
Conflicts That Aren't Combat: A single gunshot is usually enough to bring the most stalwart adversary to his knees and end the fight and is considered Deadly. Any conflict engaged in with firearms usually starts as a conflict that isn't combat. If the loser manages to 'combat' his wound in a single-action conflict he may continue. This may mean traditional combat or another single-action conflict at the GM's discretion.
Character Advancement: As written.

Risus Advanced Options
Hooks and Tales: As written.
Pumping Cliches: As written.
Double-Pumps: As written with the caveat that it is only for Telepathy, a VERY Rare occurrence in the 'Verse' and requires GM approval.
Funky Dice: Not necessary for the setting, but could be reached through advancement as usual.

Risus Companion Appropriate Options
Lucky Shots & Question Dice: As written
Sidekicks and Shield-Mates: As written, used for ship improvements.
Deadly Combat: Strongly recommended for encounters that involve firearms.

Risus Options on this Site that are Appropriate
Bouncing Off the Walls
Degrees of Success - Bring the Heat!
Out Numbered and Out Classed
Ranged Attacks

Back to Main Page

Firefly - Adventure Ideas

JohnRisus — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 16:36:50 CDT

There is no abstract available for this page revision.

Firefly - Examples of Play

JohnRisus — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 16:36:20 CDT

There is no abstract available for this page revision.

Firefly - Ships

JohnRisus — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 16:35:39 CDT

There is no abstract available for this page revision.

Optional Rules for Risus

JohnRisus — Sat, 21 Apr 2007 21:26:50 CDT

In my opinion, optional rules are what make individual games of Risus pop. Not all optional rules here are appropriate for all genres, settings, or themes so use what you want and feel free to dispose of the rest.

And always remember, "There is no wrong way to play Risus."

Bouncing Off the Walls
Degrees of Success - Bring the Heat! author: Manu, cthulhu risus
Minute-Made Magic (M3)
Out Numbered and Out Classed author: Manu, cthulhu risus
Ranged Attacks
Unexpected Cliches
Cross Pumping - author: Peter Kisner
Curses!

Cursed

JohnRisus — Sat, 21 Apr 2007 21:26:10 CDT

Based on discussion on the Risus Yahoo Group.

Generally there are numerous schools of thought on curses.
1 - They should be taken as general cliches and purchased with the initial 10 cliche dice (12 if Hooks and Tails are used) at creation. This lends itself to the philosophy that a negative cliche is not necessarily a bad thing.
2 - They should be use like Hooks and Tails in that by taking a curse you get an equal number of cliche points.
3 - They could be the Hook themselves and be the reason for the addition of a cliche dice.
4 - They may be 'Sidekicks' like mentioned in the Companion.

No matter how you slice it, curses come in all shapes and sizes. For example someone might be 'Cursed with Dashing Good Looks (3)' or even 'Stuttering Fool Around Women (2)'. It is all in an attempt to make the character more viable and enjoyable in the process.

I tend to like the curses as Hooks, but however you get cursed you will have to deal with the repercussions. Take our hero, 'Cursed with Dashing Good Looks (3)' arriving to meet an associate for a business lunch. He is a 'Shrewd Business Man About Town (4)' but will he get a chance to make the deal when the waitress keeps hitting on him? We can quickly find out by 'combating' his curse with his business man cliche. Hopefully he won't be to battered after dealing with the waitress to close the deal.

Every Risus Experience Starts with a First Step

JohnRisus — Sat, 21 Apr 2007 20:26:38 CDT

"Home is where the heart is.", the saying goes - well home for me lately has been the Risus: The Anything RPG by S. John Ross.

Get Risus Here. It's funky, it's short, it's enticing, it rocks, and its FREE!

The 58th: Wildcards

JohnRisus — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 21:24:10 CDT

There is no abstract available for this page revision.

Martial Law (place holder)

JohnRisus — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 21:20:37 CDT

Homegrow setting. Think Shadowrun with Mecha.

Raging Moon (place holder)

JohnRisus — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 21:19:10 CDT

Future home a 'Underworld-esqe' setting and ruleset.

Dregon (place holder - 90% on draft)

JohnRisus — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 21:17:21 CDT

There is no abstract available for this page revision.