I baked my very first cherry pie today
Took it on easy mode; I did not hand-make the crust, I just bought it from a store. Also, I just got canned cherries; Fresh seemed like they'd be too tart? Maybe not; I don't know much about cherries.
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| Look at that; I pied |
I also watched Tank Girl on amazon. Not bad.
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| Gonna check out that comic next. Looks like it rules |
Anyway. I gathered you here today to talk about the game! Specifically, that I want to get the Lone Wolf Fists playtest Done already!
It's been kicking my ass a little. So I decided to jump around in my trademark fashion and work on the Gupt Kala.
The Secret Arts
There were these things in Legends of the Wulin called the Secret Arts. I've talked about them before; they were basically ways of manipulating all the status effects characters tended to drag around with them due to whacking out their Chi with irresponsible training or being passionate, violent assholes that got injured and fell in love and hate constantly.
There were five:
Warrior's art - Your strategy and combat philosophy
Doctor's art - Your traditional acupuncture/magic medicine to change your Chi wuxia doctor. Classic.
Priest's art - Blessings, curses, and other magic woo that came out of strong emotions
Courtier's art - The assholes who were causing and manipulating said emotions and
Scholar's art - Somewhere between Sherlock Holmes and the Sidereals from Exalted, you made predictions and they wouldn't so much come true as just hang around and make trouble for everybody
Some of these were way, way better in play than others; there's a reasonably famous example of a courtier in one of Arik's games hanging on the sidelines of a duel and just talking while stealth-unleashing these punishing Courtier's Arts and this sad sack who effectively couldn't fight back. That's not even the most heinous thing courtiers did; I loved them devious assholes.
The Ups and Downs
Weapons of the Gods relegated the secret arts to an appendix; Legends had the balls to put them center-stage. You didn't have HP in that game, you got dice put on you that got rolled if you were hit hard enough; any sets would turn into Chi Conditions.
There were some benefits to doing it this way; it was a cool system, making it central meant it got more play. On the other hand, it was just complex enough that it tended to slow things down, so that was a pretty big drawback.
Chi conditions manifested in an uneven way too; like, I once had a player burn the palms of somebody's hands, so they had to drop their weapon, which had this cascade effect where they couldn't use their external style anymore. So it was a choice between two different numbers of penalties: that's not really a choice, you choose the small one.
There were some rough patches in the writing, proofreading, playtesting and editing. Like, read back through any of my stuff; it's decent, but a hot mess in dire need of a solid proofread and re-write. Imagine if I had a deadline and that stuff was printed in your hardback. You can see why the editor got frustrated with how that book was released.
Since the chi condition stuff was so central to how the secret arts worked, that system being equal parts chore and mess had the knock-on effect of obscuring some of those problems I talked about with the secret arts. And there were a ton of cool, unique ideas in that section; so much that it would've been extremely hard to playtest all of them prior to release.
The Bottom Line
The end result of all this was a glorious hot mess of a game that's beloved to this day. So much so that I spent my last weekend before semester writing over three thousand words trying to create my own system for Lone Wolf Fists based on that design.
I've got 1.5 written: my take on the warrior's arts, and half my take on the courtier's arts.
Since you fine people decided to show up and read, I post the first here for your perusal.
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Gupt Kala
Secretive sibling of the mystical martial arts, the shadow arts or Gupt Kala are a subtle discipline. Strategic, comprehensive, and attentive, they offer their students new ways of perceiving the world. Some are mystical traditions, some are schools of deep philosophical thought, but all offer versatility and power beyond simple martial excellence.
Learning Gupt Kala
Each school of thought and discipline in the Gupt Kala are known as Arts: Art of the General, Art of the Seer, Art of the Diplomat, etc. They are learned as encompassing arts, rather than as single Techniques: those that master the Novice level of the Art of the Sorcerer will have a comprehensive suite of powers and charms at their disposal, rather than a single powerful special move.
Because of their holistic nature, they tend to permeate more widely than the mystical martial arts: no single clan lays claim to a given Art. They’re more widespread: a Shadow Viper organ-reader might clash with a Brotherhood of Freaks tortoiseshell-cracker over a mighty prediction of the martial world’s fate.
Characters of any faction may begin the game with an Initiate-level Gupt Kala from their Clan’s list; all clans offer more than one. Achieving greater power in the arts requires learning a higher Discipline from a teacher or manual, similar to Techniques.
Initiates are novices of the secrets; they have mysterious and unexpected abilities, but their powers are subtle and weak
Artists are established and skilled experts; their command of the arts grants them a library of deadly and unanticipated tricks
Masters are recognized powers of the secret ways; their powers are unknowable and dreaded
Grandmasters are the secret lords of the mystical world; living gods of inconceivable magic might
Costs of Mastery
As with Techniques, you need a master or manual to teach you the shadow arts. If you find one which has the type and discipline level of Gupt Kala you wish to master, then you must spend a Montage scene training and spend Kharma equal to the Cost of Mastery.
Initiate: 20
Artist: 40
Master: 80
Grandmaster: 160
Although the levels are similar in power and cost to Techniques, they operate very differently.
Powers of the Gupt Kala
Like Techniques, the Gupt Kala are special disciplines characters may use to gain a tactical advantage. However, they’re more subtle and comprehensive than Techniques, offering a tactical toolkit of useful abilities.
Every Art is centered in a single skill: generally Heart, Intellect or Spirit. By infusing their knowledge and mastery of the skill with Prana, characters can push their abilities with the skill to beyond human levels.
This functions identically to using a Technique: the Cost and Rank depends on the Discipline level achieved, although they’re considered to have any Facing the player wishes:
Initiate: Rank 1/ Cost 6
Artist: Rank 2/ Cost 13
Master: Rank 3/ Cost 22 / Achieve up to Rank 7 effects
Grandmaster: Rank 4/ Cost 34 / Achieve up to Rank 8 effects
In addition to this gross display of power, Gupt Kala offer a wealth of unique tricks and powers to their adherents. These take the form of mystical spell-like powers called Sadhana, and ritualistic investments of magic force called Mudra.
Sādhanā
Sadhana are the quick works of magic practiced and perfected by a Shadow Artist to round out their tactical capabilities. They function similarly to Imbalances, Techniques, and other powers that function on the truncated timeframes of an Action Scene.
Here are some example Sadhana that many Gupt Kala offer:
Advantageous Imbalances: Like typical Imbalances, a player chooses whether their character will adhere to the Dramatic restrictions during a round or action. However, if they do, they are granted additional Effort Dice to roll during your turn. The number of bonus Effort are equal to your Discipline level (Initiative 1, Arist 2, Master 3, Grandmaster 4). While adhering to the Dramatic restrictions, the GM has final veto over any proposed action if they feel it violates the spirit of the restriction.
Mystical Manipulation: Like Techniques, these special moves cause no physical harm. Rather, they build aggravation towards an Imbalance. The kinds of Imbalance that the artist may create are detailed within the Art. These function exactly as Techniques, with Facings, Rank and Effects. These can be defended against just as other attacks.
Elemental Awareness: The Six Earthly Elements underlie all reality: Metal, Earth, Wood, Air, Fire and Water. Beyond these are the Divine Elements of Heaven and Hell. Secret Artists learn to move, think and act in accord with these all-permeating principles of the cosmos, granting them powerful insights and unique advantages.
Mudra
Mudra are the rituals and long-scale works of deep sorcery mastered by the Shadow Artist to establish and consolidate their magical powers in the world. They function as long-term projects, environmental interaction, puzzle solving, resource acquisition, and other actions appropriate to the delicate, longer timescales of Real-Time or Montage Scenes.
Here is a selection of Mudra offered by some Gupt Kala:
Magical Summoning: Adherents to the laws of the cosmos can call on strange and powerful allies. They can call up demons, call down small gods, or draw forth elemental beasts from the earth’s stygian depths. The length of alliance and reliability of the ally vary, but the general power level of the summoned being is determined by the Discipline level of the artist.
Environmental Conversion: Holy places are sanctified to heaven; haunted locals cursed by Hell. Sanctuaries of the natural world are consecrated in the green touch of the old earth. A Shadow Artist can infuse an area with magical energy and thereby bring ancient magical laws to bear on the reality of the place. The specific alteration to reality are detailed within the Gupt Kal, while the area converted is reliant on the artist's Discipline Level: Initiates can convert one Field, Artists a Tract, Masters an entire Domain, while Grandmasters can convert a whole Region.
Spiritual Covenants: Gupt Kala allows mortals to bind and control the immortal forces of the world. Whether these be demons demanding wickedness, djinni wish-granting, or services to the small gods, the weird spirits of the universe grant powerful favors to those with the mystical skill to bind them.
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QUICK BREAK
Hey I know you're probably all chompin' at the bit to check out some examples; that's rad, I was eager to write 'em too. I just wanted to squeeze in some stuff about why this take at the warrior's art rules and what I was tryin' to do here.
Okay so, the warrior's arts in LotW worked thus:
1. You choose a tactical approach based on one of the five elements
2. You did that and got a bonus
3. If you saw somebody else doing that, you could fuck with them and take away their bonus
There was a touch more nuance than that, but that's the bones of it. This made the warrior's chi condition bonuses way easier to get, and gave them a new tactical approach to nullifying it that other warriors had the best chance of exploiting.
Which is actually pretty great! In theory.
In practice, warrior's simplicity and self-focus made them really vulnerable among the secret artists; without investing in social or magical defenses, they could get rocked pretty hard and didn't have the fine manipulation to manage bad chi conditions or cure themselves.
They also merely strengthened a very obvious and universally used combat approach, rather than getting a more flexible and unexpected tactical approach. All the other artists got tricks, the warrior merely grew their beatin' stick to max size.
This effectively meant that they were "half" secret-artists; they could boost themselves up, but could only sabotage other warriors.... And only sometimes.
LotW also didn't have super-well developed strategic gameplay; leading armies and other badass warrior things didn't have the mechanical muscle to manifest at a table in a satisfactory way. This further injured the appeal of the warrior's secret arts; there just wasn't a war system for them!
But hey, guess who's got two thumbs and just wrote a war system for LWF?
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| What.... No ME you idiot! |
This post needed more Tank Girl.
Anyway war rules in the post apocalypse. Also, I wanted all my favorite mass combats from Avatar the Last Airbender to be things in this game. So they are.
Aww yeah. that's the spice.
The tactical approach idea was gold, so I kept that as the bedrock of the Gupt Kala. But you can also train your post-apocalyptic legions into benders while you're at it.
What's the worst secret art NOW, fool?!
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Art of the General
Taught by: Emerald Kirin, Golden Lions, Radioactive Scorpions, Five Star Spirits
Sadhana: The Fourteen Strategies
Laid down by the warring elements shortly after the dawn of time, the ancient laws of warfare have governed the molding of reality ever since. Generals learn to see the influence of elemental balance and imbalance in everything. These things being plain, they can adopt a strategy of boon or bane against the prevailing element, whether in the war-torn terrain or the heart of their foe.
Adopting one of the classical strategies is a Sadhana. It manifests as either a Harmonious or Discordant Imbalance, aligned with or opposing a particular element. In this way, there are a total of fourteen strategies, from Harmonious Earth to Discordant Cosmos.
Harmonious (Element) Strategy
Absorbing the tactical nuances of your surroundings, you bring yourself into strategic alignment with a combat strategy forged in the cradle of existence. This functions as an Advantageous Imbalance: the specific actions dictated by the strategy are outlined in the element list below. For your tactical superiority, you gain a bonus Effort die commensurate with your mastery level as indicated below:
Initiate: 1
Artist: 2
Master: 3
Grandmaster:4
Discordant (Element) Strategy
Every strategy has a weakness; masters of the Art of the General recognize the strategic nuance of the foe’s battle plan, even when they are blind to it. By adopting one of the Elemental Strategies, they rob the foe of their assumed advantages and leave them defenseless in the face of their superior skill.
Against an opposing (Element) Strategy, foes benefiting from advantageous terrain have their benefits reduced against your actions. If this penalty is severe enough, then you gain a bonus to the Rank of a single action against them so long as they otherwise claim the advantage during their turn. For example, if they benefit from increased defense against your allies by taking cover under a concrete rampart, then you may claim an Earth Strategy bonus against them this turn.
The Elements oppose one another like so:
Wood opposes Earth (roots break through dirt)1
Earth opposes Water (mud drinks the river)
Water opposes Fire (rain drowns the wildfire)
Fire opposes Metal (heat softens steel)
Metal opposes Cosmos (iron tames the lightning)
Cosmos opposes Air (the heavens direct the gale)
Air opposes Wood (the tornado uproots the tree)
The Ranks of penalty faced by our foes depend on your mastery level, as indicated below: Initiate: 1
Artist: 2
Master: 3
Grandmaster: 4
Elemental Strategies
Earth: Taking advantage of the literal battle ground, you adopt a defensive position. You must act reserved; offense is only possible from a position of defense, such as archery from a rampart or a spear poking through a concrete bunker. You may adopt a smothering, encompassing strategy based on earthwork traps, landslides, avalanches, falling rocks, or similar strikes.
Water: In a fluid environment, the dominant strategy is reactive. You must go with the flow of your surroundings, attentively waiting for the opportunity to act. You are purely responsive; you may attack when attacked, act when acted upon. You can initiate strikes, but only if being carried along by the surrounding environment in the form of a current, strong wind, or surprisingly an explosive force.
Fire: Fire does not wait; it acts. You must be as fire; relentless, destructive, and overwhelming. You must adopt an all-out offense, attacking or attempting to destroy parts of your environment. Defense is possible, but only until you have the opportunity to use all of your available resources to attack. You cannot hold back or show mercy, but may choose to cripple rather than kill a foe.
Air: You are as the air; unpredictable, powerful, and elusive. You adopt an evasive, unpredictable strategy, meeting offense with evasion rather than defense. You might strike from concealment, or use a secret advantage to surprise and confound your foe. Highly unusual and unlikely strategies are encouraged by this approach. You cannot remain still, either to press a sustained offense or defend an entrenched position; air is not patient enough for such activities.
Wood: You are as inevitable as the root, as supple as the leaf. You move purposefully, slowly gaining and consolidating control of the battlefield. A favorite strategy of chain-fighters, grapplers and those who control and overpower their foes, it allows for powerful (if straightforward) offense and defense. You may not use surprise or speed, but must act predictably and gradually to overpower the foe. The greatest restriction of this approach is its reliance on the root; your feet must stay firmly on the ground and your stance must be strong to benefit from this approach.
Metal: Metal bends and cuts, striking precisely from a specified angle with precision and focusing its force for full impact. You must be like metal; precise, focused, and specific. Your strategy need not be predictable, but must be tightly focused. Although you remain both flexible and tough on the defense, surprise and redirection can blunt your cutting offense. A blade cannot cut from it’s flat side; a foe which directs your offence nullifies it.
Cosmos: Magic is powerful, but relies on its mystery as its true strength; so to, does your strategy. You adopt an unusual strategy, relying on surprise and mystery to overwhelm the foe. Your approach is as bound by predictability as the unbending laws of magic; a foe that sees through the mysterious element of your strategy can utterly unravel it’s advantage.
Mudra: The 7 Tactical Approaches
The art of the general is the art of war itself. It is an encompassing art; war is waged over many terrains, it permeates all space and time. The laws of conflict are the laws of the universe. Masters of these arts learn the secret sorceries of this truth; they train their armies to conquer in the endless theatres of war.
The Seven Approaches are part magic, part martial; the master’s ritual is somewhere between training and meditation, forging the soldier’s minds, bodies and souls according to one of the seven ancient strategies.
This training occurs during a Montage scene. The listed Rank of Action must be achieved with a Spirit action for the training to be successful. If it is, the Army/Group acquires a new Tactic. Note that multiple Tactics may be taught with sufficient additional Spirit Actions of appropriate Rank.
The Rank required and Tactics taught are:
Initiate: 2
Artist: 4
Master: 6
Grandmaster: 8
Tactics of the 7 Approaches
Earth: Tactic of the Siege
The Tactical Approach of Earth concerns its training with the art of siege warfare. It’s adherents become experts at defense, able to weather enemy raids and artillery bombardments as though ensconced in the invincible belly of the world.
Impervious Mountain Strategy
Cost:
Novice: 6
Expert: 13
Master: 21
Ultimate: 34
Rank:
Novice: 0
Expert: 1
Master: 2
Ultimate: 3
Facing: Any
Effect: The defense positioning, phalanx drills and shield-wall strategy empowered by this maneuver are without peer. In addition to defending against an assault, this defense creates a (total defense -1 Rank) defensive fortification that houses the army against future attacks.
Keywords: Defensive, Counterattack
Water: Tactic of Naval Warfare
The Tactical Approach of Water trains captains and sailors to master the art of naval warfare. Marine assaults, ship-to-ship melee, even the bizarre warfare of submersible craft are all empowered by this comprehensive aquatic training.
Captain of the Tsunami Approach
Cost:
Novice: 6
Expert: 13
Master: 21
Ultimate: 34
Rank:
Novice: 1
Expert: 2
Master: 3
Ultimate: 4
Facing: Any
Effect: Empowers only attacks from ships; this includes amphibious assaults, boarding actions, broadsides, even coastal bombardments. Additionally, defends against any such actions, or against any attacks targeting a sea vessel.
Finally, may be used by an entire army to cross a body of water; their swimming fortified by it’s elemental magic. This is the only way in which it empowers Endurance.
If used for defense, the Army can command the seas to harden into defenses structures made of ice; this ice is mundane and will melt at sufficient temperature. This structure provides defense equal to (defense roll -2 Rank)
Keywords:
Effect: ...
Keywords: Versatile
Skill: Endurance
Fire: Tactic of the Scorched Earth
The Tactic of Fire is as destructive and viciously effective as a surging wildfire; defenses are smashed, cover burned, buildings razed and the earth salted. Devastating and short-sighted, this tactic is more often used as a threat against intractable foes due to it’s hideously destructive nature. If only the architects of the Apocalypse had been so frugal...
Slashing Wildfire Offense
Cost:
Novice: 6
Expert: 13
Master: 21
Ultimate: 34
Rank:
Novice: 1
Expert: 2
Master: 3
Ultimate: 4
Facing: Any
Effect: Defensive positions used to defend against this Tactic are permanently reduced by 1 Rank as they’re scorched, cut and broken.
In addition, this Tactic creates a Bonfire Disaster attached to the target Field. It is beyond the control of the army that created it; it is much easier to start a fire than to control it.
Keywords: Elemental, Destructive, Offensive
Air: Tactical of Aerial Warfare
The Air Tactical Approach teaches mastery of the skies; it emphasizes ranged warfare, superior positioning, and unusual strategies such as the use of hang-gliders to gain height advantage over earthbound foes. It opens the vertical as a strategic consideration, granting an impressive advantage over less maneuverable foes.
Peregrin Sky Mastery
Cost:
Novice: 6
Expert: 13
Master: 21
Ultimate: 34
Rank:
Novice: 1
Expert: 2
Master: 3
Ultimate: 4
Facing: Any
Effect: Through basic lightfoot training, this powerful Tactic allows an army to soar over their foe’s heads or leap up to intercept flying foes. It allows the Army to launch Attacks as though Ranged and above the defenders, meaning they can only be struck back if the foe has weaponry that can return fire. Additionally, it allows attacks against aerial foes even when the Army is otherwise unequipped to fight back.
Finally, it allows the Army to take Agility actions as a character.
Keywords: Offensive
Skill: Agility
Wood: Tactic of Guerrilla Warfare
The Tactic of Wood trains its adherents in the brutal art of guerrilla warfare. A darling of revolutionaries, beleaguered defenders and impoverished soldiers, the ruthless and efficient strategies taught by this tactic are a nightmare to face.
Jungle’s Hungering Teeth
Cost:
Novice: 6
Expert: 13
Master: 21
Ultimate: 34
Rank:
Novice: 1
Expert: 2
Master: 3
Ultimate: 4
Facing: Any
Effect: Uniquely, the Army may take a Senses action to hide themselves so long as they’re in dense terrain (it need not be natural terrain: dense urban ruins or rotted factory depths work as well as dark jungles).
Opposing Armies who take damage from this Tactic take an additional 1d10 from disease and exposure. Additionally, they lose 1 Loyalty at the end of this scene from the demoralizing psychological warfare.
Keywords: Versatile, Stealth
Skill: Senses
Metal: Tactic of Mounted Warfare
The Tactical approach of Metal concerns itself with mounted combat; from the thundering charge of ancient cavalry to the earth-quaking onslaught of tank legions. It is the tactic of the lancer, the blitzkrieg, the penetrating flank that rolls up a battle line and crushes the foe beneath hoof, wheel or tread.
Iron Horse General
Cost:
Novice: 6
Expert: 13
Master: 21
Ultimate: 34
Rank:
Novice: 1
Expert: 2
Master: 3
Ultimate: 4
Facing: Any
Effect: Mounted armies using this powerful Tactic simultaneously create both an Attack and Agility Action. Empowers only attacks and Agility actions from mounted Armies: this might be horses, tanks, even motorcycles might be launched between rooftops.
Keywords: Offense
Skill: Agility
Cosmos: Tactic of Mystical Warfare
The Cosmic Tactic empowers soldiers with rituals and meditation techniques allowing them to cross between the mortal and spirit planes. Such mystic-soldiers are a powerful police force against wayward gods, a potent defense against marauding demons and an outstanding strongarm to knuckle rebellious spirits into submission.
Ghost-Fighting Fists
Cost:
Novice: 6
Expert: 13
Master: 21
Ultimate: 34
Rank:
Novice: 1
Expert: 2
Master: 3
Ultimate: 4
Facing: Any
Effect: Allows it’s practitioners to both strike immaterial spirits and defend against purely mystical attacks. Further, it empowers them to interact with the spirit realm as long as acting ritualistically and in concert together.
Keywords: Versatile
Skill: Spirit
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