Nioca

*doublepost* Started my own game: spidweb anonymous. Standard Diplomacy, anonymous players. Password: bladesofavernum EDIT: And the game is full. Good luck, and may the best country win!

Well, I wasn't keeping a journal of my thoughts, but I'll try to recount what I was thinking which each move. 1901: England? Eesh, this could be tricky without allies. I'm not open to attack, but if I don't move fast, I could get completely locked out. 1902: Excuse me, this is the English Channel. And... hmm, looks like Russia's leaving St. Petersburg open again. I'll take it! 1903: France isn't proving to bothersome, but Germany's gonna be a tough opponent. Better get my ducks in a row. Seems like Germany really wants Norway. Well, you know what they say... be careful what you wish for. }:-D 1904: OI! I ALREADY TOLD YOU IT'S THE ENGLISH CHANNEL! *cough* In other news, happy Russia isn't taking advantage of the discord on my eastern flank. Looks like Germany's really gearing up for war. 1905: Way to ragequit, France. Ah well, it's not time to take it yet. I'm in prime position to launch my assault on Germany. I think I'll get fleets in position to blockade Italy and Turkey, too. I doubt I'm getting Tunis, but at least I can keep them from getting in my business. 1906: Stick a fork in Germany, 'cause he's done. Send some fleets down south to support, and let's start getting some armies to finish Germany once and for all. I doubt Turkey will be much of an issue, since they're fighting on two fronts right now. Let's also get a couple armies ready to move into France to take some territories... and I just might have an idea about how to take Munich in a surprise assault... 1907: Time for a final blitz. If I line my ships up and get control of the French supply centers, I'll be able to use those armies (and the one at St. Petersburg) to launch a surprise attack the next year that Germany and Turkey won't see coming. With the addition of Tunis, this whole thing will be wrapped up by 1908. Poor Germany won't know what hit him... wait, is Turkey bum-rushing me?! 1908: Game over. Southern fleets, hold tight. Northern fleets, convoy armies. Doesn't matter that Turkey's got Munich now, all I have to do is- *area-wide black-out ensues* 1909: ...Dammit. Alright, damage control, this could have been much worse. Southern fleets, let's move to Italy. It's a contingency, but we might need those territories. Northern forces, let's make like a Boa Constrictor and tighten our grip on German territories. Turkey's slight against Berlin is not going to go unpunished. Get my forces rallied and completely surrounding German and Turkish forces, and... *squash* And that's that.

Originally Posted By: Excalibur Spidweb 3 has ended. Congrats to Nioca! I thoroughly enjoyed screwing with Turkey. I wish I could say it was all skill, but I think a major part of my victory was due to France quitting. It enabled me to focus my attention strictly on the German coast, rather than duking it out with two powers at once. Still, I think I had a few clever moments, so yay me. Also, props to Turkey, who did an excellent job as well. I guess we'll be ruling Europe together. Finally, I think I need to lay off Fleet units a bit. I suspect sea dominance is becoming something of a signature move for me. That, and I don't think Gunboat Diplomacy was supposed to be that literal.

Originally Posted By: B.J.Earles *bump* So, I've been doing a little thinking, specifically about Nioca's QuadHack. From what I understand, in QuadHack there is no Magic skill, unlike AIMHack and CreepingHack, and instead a player with a magic-using character just describes what they want to have happen, without needing a spell for it in advance, and that spell gets bonuses off of the Perception stat (if I'm wrong, please correct me). This is making me wonder though, what are the limiting factors on magic? In AIMHack, we've always divided magic into different schools, and which schools you could use were determined by which ones you had skill points invested in. With QuadHack, that is no longer the case, so what is keeping a mage from using any spell he wants? What would keep an evoker from, say, suddenly pulling out an illusion or a summon? Not quite. In order to get magical abilities, you have to select magic adept feats which grant magic. So the circles still exist, it's just that there isn't a skill connected to them. Additionally, magic isn't based solely off of Perception. Rather, it works like combat; melee attack spells are based off strength, "Cone" and AoE type attacks are based off Dexterity, and long-range spells (such as fireballs) are based off Perception. If it doesn't fit into any of the above, it's based on the character's level instead. Finally, while magic is just as powerful as it was under previous systems, the catch is that it's also harder to become proficient in. A mundane combatant can become proficient with his chosen weapon right at level 1, and even if he isn't, he can still whack things with no penalty. A spellcaster, on the other hand, has to select a magic adept feat just to get the ability to use spells, then a second feat to grant proficiency. What's the big deal with that, you ask? Well, if you aren't proficient, performing techniques/casting spells is considerably harder. Reliably casting anything beyond simple spells and cantrips requires either proficiency or some freakishly good luck. In short, magic under QuadHack is expensive, and is unreliable if you try to cut corners.

May 31st might be iffy. I'll keep you appraised as soon as I learn more details.

Earles: Marra gets +1HP from leveling up Bows.

...and we're' still missing three level-ups: Marra (Earles), Arabella (Nikki), and Serssano (Nalyd). Om the bright side, Yemirrr's new techniques are now approved! Yay!

Originally Posted By: Sarachim (three days ago) I'll have a look at your techniques tonight. *ahem* Not that I like being pushy, but if one or more of the techniques doesn't get approved, I kinda need to know ahead of time so I can select something different.

Hey, look! I did some more logs! More specifically, I split the one superlog into two subsuperlogs. Abyss Logs 1-5: Invasions and Ambitions Abyss Logs 6-8: Striking Back (This one will be updated with the logs of sessions 9 and 10 once those sessions happen) Also, quotes for sessions 6-8. They might be a bit spoilery if you haven't read the first set of logs. Click to reveal.. (Session 6 Quotes: My First Guess, Cleese, would be... A Lot.) Cleese: "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?" Lady Arabella: "You may not see eye to eye with her, but we started this together and I think that counts for more than this group we just fell in with, even if you are all idiots." Urgdnebbot: "I have not risen so far from rancid caves to die by the words of a barbarian!" Chadat Eye: "We will not return to hiding. We will prove our strength and claim a territory that all acknowledge as our own." Yemirrr Ratbane: "If I keep this up, I'm going to rrrun out of blood..." Pepper Grinder: "I...I'm scared to go back... They are b, b, bad, selfish leaders." Sieberr: "So you endangerred the entirre grroup, which includes yourrselves, for the sake of saving the idiot goblin frrom herr own mistakes." Devos: "Breaking the rules is part of being a bandit. It's practically in the definition." Marra: "Still, a lone hunterrr does not live long without a trrribe to rrreturrrn to." Click to reveal.. (Session 7 Quotes: Brigands are just one big happy family.) Pepper Grinder: "They do not change. They are a group, but all individuals, alone." Yemirrr Ratbane (Nephilian): "Can't turn my back for five seconds..." Lady Arabella: "I wouldn't dream of placing any doubt on your glorious leader's head. I mean, you were clearly wrong about blindly following Stewart, and then about blindly following Urgdy for the day, but, you know, third time's the charm, right?" Serssano: "I ssuppossse I expected ssomething more like a tribe from banditsss. Foolish romanticissm. You are banditss, yesss?" Chadat Eye: "Are your kind always so argumentative over petty laws of your own making? Can you not set them aside and accept that what's done is done, by whatever means it may have been done?" Marra: "I swearrr, if I have to patch them up forrr fighting with each otherrr, I will quit." Tossak Eye: "Everything is coming up the mighty Tossak Eye!" Click to reveal.. (Session 8 Quotes: And you thought Spiderweb could drain sanity.) Pepper Grinder: "Little little mushrooms with a sprig of grass, I pick you so I can eat you and later wipe you from my..." (OoC Nioca): (New bandit rule: Rowen's characters are not allowed to sing. Ever.) (OoC Nikki): (Whats next, Yemirrr? Are you going to make dancing illegal? Is this the tiny town from Footloose?) Yemirrr Ratbane: "I'm contemplating going to a drrragon for aid on the advice of an eyebeast. If you had told me that I'd be doing that two weeks ago, I would have said you werrre mad." Chadat Eye: "We once overheard a mage offering to fix someone's wagon. We can replicate what she then did, although we do not quite understand what it has to do with wagon repair." Marra: "Are these caves filled with nothing but powerrrful creaturrres either intent on devouring us or willing to help us?" Serssano: "I sssimply needed to assk. Living among humanss doesss sstrange thingss to people." Lady Arabella: "Great. The required carpentry stop all perilous journeys must make." "Sad Slith": "It wass, uh, a figure of sspeech? You know, bragaddoccio. I wass trying to do the whole 'sswaggering bandit' thing. I only joined two weekss ago." ===== Anyway, I'm still waiting to hear back on my techniques. I'll edit them into Yemirrr's character sheet if they're approved.

Originally Posted By: Dikiyoba Originally Posted By: Nioca The Shapers are not ruling Terrestria with an iron fist "because we rule and will squish people". They're doing it because they know what kind of catastrophe can happen if the wrong people get their hands on Shaping powers. That's their stated reasoning, anyway. But they gave up plenty of chances to compromise before a full-scale war broke out and (aw, the G3 ending images finally died) the G3 rebel ending makes it very, very clear that the Shapers care more about remaining in total control than they do about avoiding catastophe. The Shapers say something along the lines of "even if we end up having to reduce the world to rubble, we're still going to be the ones ruling it." Dikiyoba. I did state that their society has degraded. However, I could also say the same of the rebels: How many times did they try to negotiate? When they got the upper-hand, they could have negotiated. They did not, at least not until the PC got involved. The war, overall, is less about morality and more about a Total Annihilation-style slugfest where, for each side, the only acceptable outcome is the complete extermination of the other. This is also why I'm an Awakened/Astoria supporter. The Awakened was not the strongest faction (although they were still a contender until the drakons came along), but at least they could say they mostly stayed true to their principles. And Astoria, I think, is an example of what a Shaper should actually be like, rather than the draconian beast that's currently in power.

Originally Posted By: Brocktree Originally Posted By: Nioca What. Have you... have you even played any Geneforge game past the first? The Shapers have a lot of problems, yes, but rogue creations wasn't one of them. IIRC, 90% of all the rogues and rogue problems we've seen were the results of the rebels, Shapers created the rebels who spawned those rogue creations. And it was innocent civilians who created the Shapers. By the logic you present, every living sophont on Terrestria is guilty of creating or supporting tyranny, regardless of how far removed they actually are. Originally Posted By: GlaxoTimeGoogle Put another way, the rebellion is horrible to everyone. They're willing to throw all their material and people into the meat grinder. They violate human/sapient rights, the Geneva Convention, and often good sense. But they do it for a reason that's at least ostensibly and partially better than "because we rule, and any opposition will be crushed ruthlessly." Again, I have to ask whether you've actually played the games. The Shapers are not ruling Terrestria with an iron fist "because we rule and will squish people". They're doing it because they know what kind of catastrophe can happen if the wrong people get their hands on Shaping powers. The rebellion's living proof of how much destruction can be caused if it falls into the wrong hands. Admittedly, Shaper society has degraded when we see it in GF5, but they're still ostensibly doing the wrong thing for the right reasons, same as the rebels.

Originally Posted By: GlaxoTimeGoogle Compare the number of panels, and how much happens in them, and OotS is updating plenty. It just comes in bigger lumps, which makes people unhappy because of fallible human psychology. I think the comic isn't at its highest point now, but it's not at its nadir, either. It's doing okay, and I think it'll have more great moments later. Eh, I'd argue that. Between Tarquin-Sue being oh-so-awesome and the entire party feeling like they've dropped several IQ points (exemplified at its worst in this comic), and the comic relying more and more on graphic violence (the soldier getting disembowled and implosion depiction come to mind), it really feels like it's been floundering. I mean, I follow Goblins, so it's not like I'm going to play moral guardian and take up arms against it because it's a little violent, but it still feels out-of-place here. The fact that Burlew was magically able to crank out one strip a day for a whole week when there was Kickstarter money backing it did nothing to help my opinion of the comic; it makes it look like the poor update schedule is less "Debilitating Disease" and more "Debilitating Laziness". All of this combined makes me feel like Burlew's really wanting to move on from this comic but can't, so he's just going through the motions. Your mileage on this may vary, however; it's just my opinion on it. While we're plugging comics, I'd also like to make a plug for Bug, a (mostly) SFW gag-a-day comic that I've been particularly fond of. If you like gag-a-day comics, especially ones utilizing rapid-fire comedy about random and bizarre topics, then you'll probably like this one.

Originally Posted By: Dikiyoba The rebellion as a whole is worse than the Shapers to non-sapient animal creations, but they're far better than Shapers to sapient creation people. That's a pretty big and important difference. Dikiyoba. That was only really true until the Drakons started taking control. Once the rebellion became about Drakons, it became pretty clear that anything that wasn't a drakon was a second-class citizen and very close to being in the same boat as serviles were under the Shapers.

Originally Posted By: Dantius Originally Posted By: Khothee and TV Originally Posted By: Actaeon We used to discuss practically every Order of the Stick over at Shadow Vale. I trust that the next big satellite will have a section devoted to webcomics. In fact, I only ever remembered to check OOTS by seeing responses in that thread. I should probably go and read some now, but considering I've about two years to catch up on, I might wait until a less ungodly hour. It's probably only updated like two, three dozen times in the past years. It's super slow now. Also, it's less "The Order of the Stick" now and more "Look at how awesome Tarquin is!". I've been pruning webcomics from my reading list recently, and OotS is just about off of it because of the whole desert arc.

Originally Posted By: Actaeon Dear Gunboaters: One of the players has requested I fill in for them while they're out of town. I'd previously been playing Germany, but at this point I don't think there's enough of me left for this to pose much conflict of interest. If you disagree, you're welcome to pause the game until he gets back. Let us know when the player comes back so we can unpause the game.

Originally Posted By: GlaxoTimeGoogle It's also not at all clear that the rebels can't control their creations. They do try to treat creations better, less like things and more like people or animals, and that mentality is less likely to lead to rampant rogues. What. Have you... have you even played any Geneforge game past the first? The Shapers have a lot of problems, yes, but rogue creations wasn't one of them. IIRC, 90% of all the rogues and rogue problems we've seen were the results of the rebels, either through sabotage, rebel-created (and under Shaper law, illegal) spawners, or just creating a bunch of creatures and setting them loose to terrorize people (The Unbound are the biggest but not the only example). There's a few lesser examples of rogues with Shapers, but most of them are rapidly dealt with and handled. I'm not saying that the Shapers are great; far from it. But the rebellion is far from the saintly image you painted above; the rebellion's shaping policies show a complete and utter disregard to the life of creations. Look at some of the monstrosities the rebellion created. Look at how the rebellion threw hundreds of creations into the proverbial wood-chipper. The only real difference between the Rebellion and the Shapers is that the Shapers are at least slightly more responsible with the kind of raw power Shaping provides.

Yemirrr's level. It's a single point in Athletics, but I'm also re-working some of Yemirrr's battle techniques to be more applicable, useful, and not such a drain on stamina. I'll edit them in once (if?) they're approved. Also, The dark theme doesn't support nested spoilers. Boo! Click to reveal.. (Yemirrr, XP-130) Yemirrr Smitten Semi-Unfettered Male Nephilim Bandit Chief Physical Description: Dark fur, large muscles, dark-colored eyes. Has tattered ears and a large scar from his left shoulder to his chest. Wearing ratskin pants, slightly damaged heavy plate mail, and a small, tribal-reminiscent necklace. 11/37 HP [+1] / 03/10 STM 20+2 DEF / 15 WIL 5-1 SPD / 003/130 XP ARMOR: Heavy (+2DEF/3Encumbrance/-1Speed) Melee (Axes) - 10 Magic (Force) - 5 Athletics – 7 [+1] Perception - 4 Thievery – 3 Stealth - 4 Composure - 2 Acrobatics - 1 First Aid - 1 Arcana - 1 Click to reveal.. (MISCELLANEOUS TECHNIQUES (1)) DEFIANT BRACE - Defensively maneuvers and braces so that the character's armor and natural hardiness absorb the brunt of the next wave of attacks, reducing the effects and damage of attacks that hit the defender that round. The better the character's armor and Athletics, the stronger the effect. Stamina can be spent to enhance the technique's power. This technique does not require a roll. Click to reveal.. (AXE TECHNIQUES (5)) UNFETTERED FURY (1PD 1STM) - All attacks gain a notable bonus to hit and do extra damage and all incoming attacks deal slightly less damage/have slightly reduced effects, at the cost of defense. The effects last until the end of the current battle. [Will Recharge Tomorrow] CRUSHING CLEAVE (FRAct 1STM) – As a full-round action, winds up and performs a massive cleaving attack, striking up to seven adjacent enemies in one hit. An improved or critical will in addition knock the victim back and prone. Each additional enemy targeted inflicts a -1 penalty to-hit, and the character takes a flat -2 penalty to defense that round if targeting more than 4 enemies. WRATHFUL RETALIATION (MAct) – Retaliates against an enemy who struck the character in melee that turn as a move action, at a slight penalty to hit and to the character's main action. Requires 1STM if the character's main action is a second attack. WAR CHARGE (FRAct 1STM) – Charges in a straight line up to twice the character's speed, then lands an attack with the character's weapon. If the character charges a distance greater than his normal movement speed, the damage done gains a +1 bonus and will potentially knock the target back. HAFT STRIKE – Strikes the target with the haft or blunt side of the weapon, doing less damage but also penalizing the target's actions and defenses that round. If a target is reduced to 0HP by a haft strike, the target is simply rendered unconscious instead of killed/bleeding out. Click to reveal.. (FORCE MAGIC (4)) SMITE – Hits the target object with a lance of cold and magical energy. This spell is capable of doing limited damage even if the target is immune to cold damage. Multiple lances can be fired at a cost of 1STM per additional target. FLINGPULSE – Creates a pulse of force, capable of deflecting, knocking back, or throwing enemies, objects, or the caster. It can be focused on either a single target at long range or spread out over short range. Stamina can be spent to increase the power of the pulse, or increase the area of effect.[/color] DISPERSION – Creates a temporary shield around the target tuned to a specific element or form of energy (heat, electricity, cold, etc.), deflecting and dispersing it into the recipient's surroundings. This reduces its damage/effects while also potentially dumping it into nearby creatures or objects. Stronger castings can disperse greater amounts of energy, and multiple energy types can be shielded against at 1STM per additional type. AETHYRFIELD - Creates a frictionless barrier of force around a targeted creature, object, or part of an object, capable of blocking and deflecting any physical objects that come in contact with it. Typical use is as a shield around a creature to deflect physical blows and reduce physical damage, but it's useful in any situation a frictionless force barrier might be useful in. The caster has the option to make it impermeable to air as well, though if the barrier blocks the being's breathing organs, it limits the being's air supply. The field usually lasts a half-to-full hour. Depending on the use, stamina may be required. Stamina can also be spent to boost the shielding effect or duration. Click to reveal.. (INVENTORY) Bandit King's Plate Mail [Damaged] – Plate mail that once belonged to to the former bandit king Stewart. It's slightly damaged. Ratskin Pants – Pants stitched together from ratskins. There's a few pockets for storing things. Fine Steel Helmet – A sturdy steel helmet looted off of an Empire Captain. Round Shield – A non-encumbering round shield. Protects one from blows. Battle Axe – A nasty-looking steel battle axe that Yemirrr wields one-handed. Bone Necklace – A necklace made of rat bones. Pack – A slightly-frayed pack that was looted off of an adventurer. PACK Dried Meat x6 – Portions of dried lizard meat. Bread x5 – Loaves of bread. Potion of Battle – Provides a boost to accuracy and defense for a short time. Massive Halberd - A massive halberd. Industrial Axe - A heavy axe meant for industrial use. Knife – A small tool knife. Gold Pieces x20 - Currency. Yemirrr does not see the allure in it. Demonology Scrolls - Scrolls on demonology. Someone more knowledgeable needs to examine them to learn more. Chainmail Armor - Basic chainmail armor looted off of an imperial captain. Click to reveal.. (NPC Bandits) 16 NPC Bandits Total [5 Human Warriors, 3 Slith Warriors, 1 Human Archer, 6 Nephil Archers, 1 Human Priest] Sieberr [Nephil Archer/Scout | Severely Wounded, Incapacitated] - Second-in-command, Yemirrr's mate. Devos [Human Priest | Healthy, Exhausted] - A reasonable human, and primary NPC healer. Porrom [Nephil Archer | Healthy] - De facto leader of the nephilim in the bandit group. Jarvin [Human Warrior | Okay, Incapacitated] - Has a major feud with Arabella. Giffen [Human Archer | Healthy] - An older bandit. Seems fond of Pepper. Talented with artifice, particularly wagon repair. Xavier [Human Warrior | Healthy] - A friend of Jarvin's. Russos [slith Warrior | Healthy] - A large slith warrior. "NewSlith" [slith Warrior | Healthy] - A young and inexperienced slith warrior who joined two weeks ago. Anyway, logs coming soon!

"Slart of Glass", in fact.

To be fair, all of the Spiderweb games resemble each other (at least visually) to some extent (with the exception of Exile 1, which resembles Exile 1). So it's not surprising that AEFTP resembles Avadon to an extent. Anyway, I'm just posting to voice my displeasure at the lack of milk byproducts in this thread.

*looks at the last phase's retreats in Spidweb3* Wow. Okay, either Russia had an incredible stroke of brilliance, or is insanely lucky. Either way, nice move. ('Course, the question will be, can Russia turn it to their advantage? That might be a lot trickier.) Adding more to this post: Originally Posted By: A player's profile Available points: 80 D Points in play: 10 D Total points: 100 D No worries, webDiplomacy. Basic addition is an extremely difficult skill to master. Anyway, good luck to the players of game 4. I shall be rooting for Turkey, whom I hope gobbles up the competition.

Originally Posted By: VCH I would prefer France to just quit entirely, if that's possible, and leave the territories to whoever. It would at least mean speedy turns. I don't mind losing. I don't think you can. The good news is, if a player misses two turns in a row, the game automatically resigns them. So at precisely 12:46 AM tonight (eastern), it'll advance to the next turn and we'll be down to 6. Quote: BTW: Gunboat is a fun version of this game. Agreed. It's strategy, plain and simple.

I think I'll pass. I've noticed a trend where the games never actually finish, and it's getting bothersome. More specifically, spidweb3 is probably going to end in cancellation because France appears to have ragequit, which means England and Germany are going to get free territories.

Originally Posted By: Obscure Mythological Character Quote: (I must confess that I've never actually bought any game. I always have got the registered versions through dark and forbidden methods that will send my soul to hell, and probably my body to jail) You lost all right to comment with that statement you gimp. Buy the damn game and maybe your worth listening to. The gall of you to couch your theft of Spiderweb's games as some amusing raffish quirk rather than the squalid parasitic act it actually is. OMC, please read the Code of Conduct. Then once you've done that, read it again. At no point is there a clause that states you can flame someone just because they've pirated SW games. And regardless of your (or anyone's) feelings on software piracy, the only thing your post accomplishes is to make you look like a jerk. If you want to voice your opinion, go right ahead. That doesn't entitle you to take potshots and hurl abuse at another poster.

I'm still not content with Yemirrr's technique selection. There's some he's just not using, and a few too many that require FRActs and stamina; Still haven't hit that proper blend of techniques that are easily usable without draining his stamina into oblivion. But that'll wait till next level. I also included a list of bandits with the character sheet. Probably important to keep track of that, since Yemirrr's chief now. Click to reveal.. (Yemirrr, XP-120) Yemirrr Smitten Semi-Unfettered Male Nephilim Bandit Chief Physical Description: Dark fur, large muscles, dark-colored eyes. Has tattered ears and a large scar from his left shoulder to his chest. Wearing ratskin pants, slightly damaged heavy plate mail, and a small, tribal-reminiscent necklace. 10/36 HP [+2] / 03/10 STM 20+2 DEF / 15 WIL 5-1 SPD / 000/120 XP ARMOR: Heavy (+2DEF/3Encumbrance/-1Speed) Melee (Axes) - 10 [+1] Magic (Force) - 5 Athletics – 6 Perception - 4 Thievery – 3 Stealth - 4 Composure - 2 Acrobatics - 1 First Aid - 1 [+1] Arcana - 1 [+1] Click to reveal.. (AXE TECHNIQUES (6)) TITANIC BLOW (FRAct 1STM) - Lands a devastating blow on a target that sends it flying, doing heavy damage, inflicting a penalty to actions for a short time, and potentially stunning the victim for 1 round. UNFETTERED FURY (1PD 1STM) - All attacks gain a notable bonus to hit and do extra damage and all incoming attacks deal slightly less damage/have slightly reduced effects, at the cost of defense. The effects last until the end of the current battle. CRUSHING CLEAVE (FRAct 1STM) – As a full-round action, winds up and performs a massive cleaving attack, striking up to seven adjacent enemies in one hit. An improved or critical will in addition knock the victim back and prone. Each additional enemy targeted inflicts a -1 penalty to-hit, and the character takes a flat -2 penalty to defense that round if targeting more than 4 enemies. SHATTER STRIKE (FRAct) - Delivers a savage strike against an enemy, targeted to harm both the enemy and a specified item; a successful hit will either damage the item or destroy it beyond usability. Magical items are far more resistant to the sundering effect. This technique can also be used to provide a bonus to breaking an inanimate object. WAR CRY (MAct 1PD) - Once per day, lets loose a chilling howl of a war cry, frightening and demoralizing any enemies who hear it. Demoralized enemies take a moderate penalty to Composure, lesser penalties to combat actions and Will, and are more likely to surrender or flee. The effect is more potent if the Cry coincides with a successful attack (the more important the target and more powerful the hit, the better) or show of dominance/force, and less potent versus stronger-willed targets. WRATHFUL RETALIATION (MAct) – Retaliates against an enemy who struck the character in melee that turn as a move action, at a slight penalty to hit and to the character's main action. Requires 1STM if the character's main action is a second attack. Click to reveal.. (FORCE MAGIC (4)) SMITE – Hits the target object with a lance of cold and magical energy. This spell is capable of doing limited damage even if the target is immune to cold damage. Multiple lances can be fired at a cost of 1STM per additional target. FLINGPULSE – Creates a pulse of force, capable of deflecting, knocking back, or throwing enemies, objects, or the caster. It can be focused on either a single target at long range or spread out over short range. Stamina can be spent to increase the power of the pulse, or increase the area of effect.[/color] DISPERSION – Creates a temporary shield around the target tuned to a specific element or form of energy (heat, electricity, cold, etc.), deflecting and dispersing it into the recipient's surroundings. This reduces its damage/effects while also potentially dumping it into nearby creatures or objects. Stronger castings can disperse greater amounts of energy, and multiple energy types can be shielded against at 1STM per additional type. AETHYRFIELD - Creates a frictionless barrier of force around a targeted creature, object, or part of an object, capable of blocking and deflecting any physical objects that come in contact with it. Typical use is as a shield around a creature to deflect physical blows and reduce physical damage, but it's useful in any situation a frictionless force barrier might be useful in. The caster has the option to make it impermeable to air as well, though if the barrier blocks the being's breathing organs, it limits the being's air supply. The field usually lasts a half-to-full hour. Depending on the use, stamina may be required. Stamina can also be spent to boost the shielding effect or duration. Click to reveal.. (INVENTORY) Bandit King's Plate Mail [Damaged] – Plate mail that once belonged to to the former bandit king Stewart. It's slightly damaged. Ratskin Pants – Pants stitched together from ratskins. There's a few pockets for storing things. Fine Steel Helmet – A sturdy steel helmet looted off of an Empire Captain. Round Shield – A non-encumbering round shield. Protects one from blows. Battle Axe – A nasty-looking steel battle axe that Yemirrr wields one-handed. Bone Necklace – A necklace made of rat bones. Pack – A slightly-frayed pack that was looted off of an adventurer. PACK Dried Meat x6 – Portions of dried lizard meat. Bread x5 – Loaves of bread. Potion of Battle – Provides a boost to accuracy and defense for a short time. Massive Halberd - A massive halberd. Industrial Axe - A heavy axe meant for industrial use. Knife – A small tool knife. Gold Pieces x20 - Currency. Yemirrr does not see the allure in it. Demonology Scrolls - Scrolls on demonology. Someone more knowledgeable needs to examine them to learn more. Chainmail Armor - Basic chainmail armor looted off of an imperial captain. Click to reveal.. (NPC Bandits) 16 NPC Bandits Total [5 Human Warriors, 3 Slith Warriors, 1 Human Archer, 6 Nephil Archers, 1 Human Priest] Sieberr [Nephil Archer/Scout | Critically Wounded, Incapacitated] - Second-in-command, Yemirrr's mate. Devos [Human Priest | Healthy, Exhausted] - A reasonable human, and primary NPC healer. Porrom [Nephil Archer | Healthy] - De facto leader of the nephilim in the bandit group. Jarvin [Human Warrior | Okay, Incapacitated] - Has a major feud with Arabella. Giffen [Human Archer | Healthy] - An older bandit. Seems fond of Pepper. Xavier [Human Warrior | Healthy] - A friend of Jarvin's.

Originally Posted By: Lilith I think there are giant rats in some Geneforge games that are supposed to be natural creatures, unless my memory's failing me. According to GF2, the giant rats are man-made; basically regular rats that were magically tampered with. They are also used as an example of why Shapers have such strict laws.