Kickstarter: Part 16 - New Projects!

This is the sixteenth part in an ongoing series about crowdfunding. Overview and Index.

It has been a very long time since I have done one of these posts - over two years - but there may be more interest in these now than there was back then. If this is or is not something you would like to continue seeing the future, let me know in the comments. 

New Projects

Masks: A New Generation

Closes: 25Oct2015
Funded: Yes!

This is a super heroes game with a focus on young characters and their stories, such as you would find in Teen Titans, Young Avengers, and Young Justice. It uses the Powered by the Apocalypse system and incorporates many of the innovations which have been developed over the years by games such as Monsterhearts and Urban Shadows. Playbooks (an archetype system) are used as a template for your character, while layered on top of this are Labels (Danger, Freak, Mundane, Savoir, and Superior) which define how you view yourself. True to the medium which this emulates, your self-perception can change over time and your ratings in the labels will change with it.

Masks' default setting is one where PCs are the fourth generation of heroes and just coming into their own, having yet to define who they are going to be. The previous generations line up with the equivalent comic book ages and how they are presented: gold, silver, and bronze. Halcyon City is the primary locale and has been fleshed out considerably through various stretch goals.

The people of +Magpie Games always do fine work and I expect this to be no exception. If nothing else, a draft of the game is available to download right now.

Protocol Primer: A Complete Guide to GMless Games

Closes: 29Oct2015
Funded: Yes!

The Protocol games by +postworldgames jim pinto are perhaps my favorite GMless games out there. There are a lot of them (over 50 as of right now) and all I have been exposed to have at least been quite good, with some varying to excellent. One of the reasons they work so well for me is how they handle scene framing and get directly to the game, which is particularly helpful when introducing gamers to the concept of a GMless game.

This is about creating a guide to help with this entire process and offer some advice, including pulling back the curtain and showing why things are put together the way they are. There is also at least one unique game offered only through this project. No matter what, you are also going to get at least one game - even at basic $6 pledge, you are walking away with a random protocol in addition to the primer.

Wild Skies: Europa Tempest

Closes: 31Oct2015
Funded: Yes!

Okay, stick with me for this: Wild Skies is a dieselpunk game of sky pirates over 1930's Europe featuring anthropomorphic animals. This should either get very close to selling your right away, or send you running for the hills.

The mechanical heart of the game is the Moral Compass, which allows you to define what is most important to your character by choosing four matched pairs from a list of eight. Each matched pair represents a continuum from opposite poles and your experience is marked by moving along these tracks. There are some nuances to it which indicate it will be interesting at the very least and worth investigating further.


Pulsars

Closes: 01Nov2015
Funded: No

You are a member of the Pulsar Corps in this sci-fi game. An exceptional soldier who is further enhanced by possession of a powerful suit. This rare piece of technology amplify the traits of their wearer and giving them amazing abilities. Those of the Pulsar Corps have many different roles, from investigator to medic and warrior. They stand against the tide in a losing war struggle as this grinding conflict wears at them, represented by Strain.

There are interesting things going on here and the mechanics appear to be derived from the Wager system first introduced in Houses of the Blooded, then refined in World of Dew. Which makes me even more interested.

Part of the premise of this campaign is each backer will receive a fragment of a larger piece of fiction which can then be put back together by intrepid backers who decide to share. Since I'm somewhere between incredibly busy and a reclusive shut in, I have not participated in this endeavor. This seems as good a point as any to rectify the situation. Here is the fragment which was provided to me:

The sector was under the sway of the Baronies, a loose confederation of systems that barely held on as a Great Power compared to the Stellar Republic and the Universal Kollective.

We were in free space, but even then we had not seen any of their patrol ships for weeks and the last one we saw was guzzling fuel at a frightening rate. There was almost no way they could have sent a ship out this far.

It was as we were gearing up for our next stardive that my chief science officer, Lieutenant Sao Sejano, brought something to my attention.

“Captain, I don’t know if we should make the stardive as planned.”

“Lieutenant, I understand we are running our engines a little hot but the chief engineer has signed off on this jump-“


The Ninja Crusade 2nd Edition

Closes: 05Nov2015
Funded: No

I have been excited about this project ever since it was first teased months ago. This is a game of mystical ninja which can vary between high action, political intrigue between the factions, and stealthy missions. The mechanics have been tightened up and refine the first edition considerably, complete with lessons learned from the other +Third Eye Games titles, particularly the skill combo system which has worked very well in games like AMP: Year One. I know I like to have plenty of mechanical toys into which I can sink my teeth, and this game does not disappoint. Nothing complicated, but from +Eloy's recent work the depth and potential interactions should be excellent.

In the setting, the ninja clans are at war with the empire, with a tenuous peace between the clans. Which leads to them occasionally being at war with each other, as they continue to exploit any advantage to gain position over their rivals. The setting is easy to grasp the basic concepts and dive right in, but there is quite a bit of depth for those who are interested to further explore the complex relationships between the factions.

The uniformly excellent quality of the art which has been previewed thus far is also notable. It is evocative of the game and conveys a feeling of action.


Aquelarre

Closes: 16Nov2015
Funded: No

Ever since I first found out about this game decades ago, I wanted it. Now I finally have my chance. This is a dark and moody Spanish game which is gorgeous to behold. The premise is characters are in the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages, a very dark and supernatural version of the Middle Ages. Angels, demons, and fairy tales are all a part of the setting, though probably not in a good way.

This isn't a game for everyone and despite how I covet it, I know there are mechanics which are not for me. The basic system uses percentile dice and there are also hit locations - neither of these are for me. However, it is indicated there will be an adaptation to the D6xD6 system, so perhaps this will work out.

Despite my personal issues with these elements, this promises to be a beautiful book and an amazing setting.


Awaken

Closes: 20Nov2015
Funded: No

The first thing which attracted me to this project was the art - it is amazing. It is beautiful and makes me want to explore their world. From there, it may not come as a surprise to know I have this thing for dark fantasy games and this particular game looks like it will scratch the itch nicely. The premise of the setting is one of political machinations in a war-ravaged world. Behind the intrigues of the nobles, the guardians are dying and the ancient adversaries of myth are returning. Some humans Awaken to potentially great powers and possess the ability to lead their fellow man and turn the tide. Though people being people, not all of them are pre-disposed to helping anyone with their new found power.

While nothing here may be ground breaking in concept, all together it is a dark take on a classic formula in a lovely package. The heavy influence Slavic myths play on the whole is something which is an uncommon twist, and a particular selling point as something to set the game apart.

Amp: Year One

AMP: Year One, by +Eloy Lasanta of Third Eye Games, is a lower-powered supers game which evokes many of the best parts of the X-Men and Aberrant.

The world of AMP is our own world, next Sunday. Those with powers, called AMPs (Accelerated Mutant Potential), have only started to emerge and characters are on the ground floor of this brave new world, for better or worse. This is rather novel, since the vast majority of supers games with settings present an established world, full of heroes and villains already. It serves to emphasize the street-level feeling which permeates the book - everyone is still trying to figure things out.

A backstory as to the why and how of AMPs is clearly laid out in the text, but shrouded in secrecy to the populace at large. It involves a secret multi-national project to create super soldiers. Which is fairly pedestrian, however it has some twists which set it apart and is quite effectively told in general. Without giving any of the secrets away, things go catastrophically wrong and the project is ultimately labeled a failure. The subjects are set loose back in the wild, but the scientists involved quietly keep tabs on them. Fast forward a few generations and it turns out the project was more successful than anyone could have hoped. The variety of powers and possible combinations (and limits therein) are due to the various ways the serums were combined.

A timeline of 2015 is presented in AMP as the primary setting material. In Year One it has the introduction of AMPs and the various reactions to their appearance, and closes out the timeline with a bang at the beginning of 2016. Here, it draws heavy inspiration from X-Men and Aberrant (as mentioned above) with the mixed opinions on their existence and what they represent. It contains a variety of events from around the world which showcase the gradual emergence and acknowledgment of AMPs in the world. They range from mysterious hints of why is potentially yet to come, particularly the "conspiracy" sidebars, to major events which significantly shape public opinion. One of these events even appears as a playable scenario in AMP Adventures, "Attack of the Buzz". Even at their most ostentatious (the Battle of Reno comes to mind), the events presented are a much more restrained take than the inspirations, as befitting the personal and low-key scope of the game. 

The supplement, Year Two, takes the timeline further and it gets quite dark. Without giving too much away, the final events presented in Year One have a significant impact on what transpires in 2016, which is also referred to as the year of fear. With good reason. It also includes more setting information, such as how the world as a whole is dealing with the emergence of AMPs and some more details on the ramifications on various events in the timeline.

AMP has some small nods to comic books, such as the trade size and "Law of Attraction" which causes many AMPs to fight when they first meet (see pretty much any cross-over, ever), but on the whole it has a self-awareness of the tropes and meets them in a way entirely consistent with how you would expect people to react. There is a criminal organization, but the leadership is quite secretive and their long-term goals seem to be about securing a place for AMPs in the world at any cost. As well, there is a school for the "gifted", which many parents use as a place to dump the children which they can no longer understand.

The mechanics serve to reinforce the personal nature of the game by asking: what is important to you? This is done by giving some points to assign to various loyalties, each of which provides a small, but meaningful bonus. There is even the loyalty of "perfection" for those who are really in it for the power. As well, each character can have an affiliation to a particular group. Each group provides a bonus which reflects the nature of the group. For example, the Seekers of Enlightenment (they run the school) get a bonus to resist the Law of Attraction.

For any supers game, powers and how they are handed is probably the biggest deal. Good news: AMP handles them quite well for the power level at which it is operating.

The basic system for AMP uses a D20 and adds two skills to the result based on what you are accomplishing. When using a power, it is one of the two skills. This gives a simple, unified resolution mechanic with a surprising amount of nuance by modifying the typical attribute + skill. To be perfectly honest, over the past 15 years, using a single D20 for resolution has become almost groan-worthy; I fully admit I may very well be alone in this. However, this is one of the few games to which it doesn't bother me at all. It could be the simple addition of gaining Juice on a 1 or 20 makes it interesting, though the frequent additional effects for every 5 over the difficulty certainly doesn't hurt.

Which brings me to the beginning of powers in AMP - they are not things which can generally be used all of the time. They cost Juice, of which you have a small supply, but is really gained when your adrenaline starts pumping. In those dangerous, high stress times is when you start to have a ready supply. Even then, it can be quite draining to just cut loose. There is some resource management to the usage of powers, which again reinforces the lower power and street level natures of the game.

Powers are separated into groups called Strains, which are mostly relevant when it comes time to spend XP. Each character can have up to three powers; a primary, secondary, and tertiary. Your strain is determined by your primary power. The other two can come from any strain, but are cheaper to improve if they come from the same strain as you. Each power has a basic function, but allows for various modifiers to be purchased which start to significantly enhance what your power can do. Each power has a limit to how high it can be improved - primary up to 10, secondary to 7, and tertiary to 4.

This can make for some difficult decisions, especially since there are so many great powers available; it is like visiting a candy store. There is a wide variety of powers available and nearly all of them are interesting and can do awesome things - those omitted by the "nearly" are powers I'm not inclined to like in the first place, such as plant powers, but I know people who would strongly disagree with me on this point. Which is to say the problem is with me, not the power. An example is the Darkness power from the Shaper strain. One of the things you can learn to do is form a blade of darkness. Which was exactly the first thing I wanted to know if I could do when I read the name.

It is worth mentioning Year Two brings some new mechanics to the table. This includes some new affiliations which appeared over the year, Saps as characters (non-AMPs), and new powers. The most notable of the powers is Gadgeteer, which is available to anyone, including Saps. AMP Adventures also introduces a number of new extras for existing powers, in addition to having some solid adventures for a genre which is notoriously difficult.

These details in powers tie into the backstory of how powers came to be. Each AMP is the result of a particular serum cocktail, with primary and potentially secondary and tertiary effects. While not particularly important in the grand scheme of things, it does lend itself to the feeling of a coherent vision for the setting and how the various parts fit together.

In the end, AMP: Year One is easily one of my favorite supers games out there for both the new take on a familiar and comfortable setting, and the elegant simplicity of the mechanics. There are numbers to play with and crunch, but they are simple and straight forward - there is nothing daunting about the mechanics of the powers or how they interact. If you are interested in playing street-level supers, this is, imho, the best game on the market for such an endeavor even if you don't use the metaplot. Though the metaplot is interesting and unobtrusive enough to make it worth using for most games.

Earthdawn: Adventure Log 35 - Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

This is the thirty-fifth Adventure Log in an ongoing series about Earthdawn. Introduction and Index.

The Badlands are, as the Name suggests, a terrible place to visit. A blasted and desolate plain whose very pattern resists all attempts at healing. Easy to describe as lifeless, but my preferences run towards sparsely populating it with twisted versions of Barsaivian wildlife which has either been lovingly crafted by Horrors during the Scourge or adapted to the place - aided by the pattern itself.

It is a place of forgotten kaers because of the terrible destruction wrought there. Given the inhospitable nature, this is a good location to send adepts looking for people, places, things which have been lost. Not many others frequent the Badlands if they can avoid it. This also makes it the perfect location to hide things which you don't want anyone else to find.

Adventure Log – 035 Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

Written By: Bongani Kreskas

Date:  20 Sollus - 21 Sollus, 1508 TH
Group Name: Mismatched Steel

Group Members

Bongani the Scout
Coriolis the Swordmaster
Elmod the Nethermancer
Honeysuckle Sunspray the Warrior
Ting the Swordmaster

It is hot in the Badlands. The landscape is lifeless and endless, but we must continue on. We camp for a while, preparing threads for the coming battle. We venture northwest, following the Horror's invitation. After hours of traveling, we leave even the pathetic scrub behind. We find a camp much like the others. Many severed heads are formed into a pyramid.

I determine the Horror killed these six men in under a minute. Clearly we are dealing with a dangerous creature. We continue on our way - there is nothing more we can do for these men. Elmod experiences the final moments of the poor souls as they are torn to pieces by the gestalt Horror. I find the tracks, like a thousand turtles moving in a herd(1). 

A large black rock looms in the distance. I leave the party for a time to check the feature, fearing if might be our quarry. Elmod comes with me, in case something unexpected happens. The obelisk is a void in the sky, giving off no heat or light(2). Elmod turns into a creature of the night and scouts the object.

I find out later at the camp, a strange many-jointed creature with large ears and an exposed brain approaches. It has shark-like teeth and a rather friendly disposition. It speaks as well! What a charming fellow. His "mother" has an interest in our safety. He starts to following Ting around the camp, much to her displeasure.

Coriolis helpfully Names him "Wendel", much to the little fellow's excitement.

We return to camp and meet Wendel. Elmod believes it to be a Horror construct of some sort(3). "Wendel feels hungry for FEAR and PAIN." We are not sure what to do with the little fellow, so we set our watch and wait for dawn. During Honeysuckle's watch, Wendel moved over to Ting, but didn't harm her in any way that we see. Ting spoke with Wendel and found that "Father" creates things from hard things. He hates flesh, preferring other things. Mother and Father are trying to discover what life is. Mother has a Name, but she has killed all who knew it. Father's Name is "Robber of Twenty Candles"(4). Mother is angry at Father for stealing her favorite child(5).

Wendel is ever more horrifying in daylight. He tells us it used to be a liferock(6). He sticks to Ting and leads us to the stone. The stone separates, revealing a hallway marked with glowing runes. Elmod identifies the runes as being magical, but far beyond his ability to understand. Wendel leaves us as we continue on. The runes provide plenty of light, but still we are uneasy.

This terrible maze makes no sense! We eventually must follow the maddening droning until we notice the runes turn into circles, then spirals. Elmod turns his hand before the runes, revealing a door. Within we find a laboratory of some sort. There are benches, equipment, well-labeled jars. Elmod identifies the equipment as alchemical gear. The laboratory has been abandoned for at least six months.

We return to the hallways and find more spirals which leads to other rooms. Some are the floors and ceilings. We discover research laboratories, laboratories, and many more rooms, but they are all cleared out - abandoned(7).

Why would he lure us here if there is nothing. The sounds begin to make sense. "Follow the sound of my voice and I will give you answers." We follow. We are not hungry, not tired... How long have we been here?

We come to an audience chamber, well lit by quartz. There is a podium at the end of the room with a small figure performing some sort of operation. Lightning arcs to the creature on the table, bringing it to attention and he responds with a beautiful, haunting melody of his own.

He is bald, wearing a white coat. Tall and thin, I take him for an elf at first. He claims he saw us when he was born. He has no Name, and is not a Namegiver. We ask him to come down and speak with us, and we see that his flesh is marble, like a strange obsidiman. Father told him to come here and clear out the dwarfs(8). He has been here ever since. He claims the dwarfs of Throal used to conduct experiments. He claims to be a liferock, a very living, corrupting thing. He is pleasant and polite, but the reality of his existence cannot be ignored.

He found the obsidimen who lived here, and changed them into other forms. The gestalt Horrors are their new form. There is nothing else to say, so we fight. The fight is a swirling maelstrom of madness. We leap from wall to wall, flying and falling as we battle the Nameless Horror. His obsidiman construct strikes out, following us. I lead him to his doom. The Nameless construct tries to flee, using a magic field of magic to cover his escape, but we give chase.

Floating in mid-air, Ting grapples with the construct, and renders it to its ragged components with a flurry of slashing blows.(9)

*     *     *

(1) The adorableness of this description is a juxtaposition with how horrible the rest of it is.
(2) This is very strange.
(3) Of course they befriended and Named a Horror construct.
(4) This is very bad. From the stories, those "Twenty Candles" are for the twenty kaers this Horror was responsible for snuffing out during the Scourge. Of course, it didn't stop at twenty.
(5) I think this may be our first solid lead regarding what is going on with this group. This entry needs to be "lost" and moved to the Eye.
(6) And it gets even worse.
(7) This is incredibly elaborate to just abandon. Also, who even has the resources to create something like this? Only Iopos, Thera, and Throal are likely. Maybe a dragon?
(8) Now this sounds like a Throalic black project. Someone not involved with this department needs to know about this.

(9) Received and edited by Ela Pono

This could be considered the climax of the arc, but there is still quite a bit going on with some of the reveals in this story. The biggest, which wasn't much of a pressing concern at the time of this entry, is the nature of the obelisk in the Badlands.

In all, the pacing of this session was good and the climactic fight scene was a lot of fun. Characters with Great Leap got to do a lot of cinematic repositioning as they learned to take advantage of the variable gravity in the amphitheater. It was very dynamic and fluid, though not easy by any stretch. At the end, the adepts were victorious, but they worked hard for the win.

Earthdawn: Adventure Log 34 - Journey Through the Badlands

This is the thirty-fourth Adventure Log in an ongoing series about Earthdawn. Introduction and Index.

The Badlands are a strange place and, in this version of Barsaive, very poorly understood. They are terrible and broken, but not just because of the corruption. This is something which will be explored more as this arc continues, but the fundamental wrongness of the Badlands and how it warps everything is important to the events which take place there.

Horrors remain in the Badlands not just because of how they have twisted it, but because of how it continues their work. There is an awareness and malevolence to the very land itself. It has an insidious influence on those who venture into clutches and it is very reluctant to let anyone go. Many will return time and again, never realizing they have fallen into its sway.

Adventure Log – 034 Journey Through the Badlands

Written By: Bongani Kreskas

Date: 17 Sollus – 19 Sollus, 1508 TH
Group Name: Mismatched Steel

Group Members

Bongani the Scout
Elmod the Nethermancer
Honeysuckle Sunspray the Warrior
Ting the Swordmaster

We head into the Badlands, seeking the Hidden City(1). Elmod summoned an earth elemental to help us, but he was not forthcoming with assistance. On the second day we find a lone obsidiman. It is Physt! He is attempting to make a flower grow in this lifeless place(2). How strange he is!

Physt warns of the terrible creatures in the Badlands. We wish him well and continue on our way, leaving to his work of purifying the land. We will meet again, I am sure.

The Badlands stretch endlessly in all directions. It is beautiful in a bleak, desperate sort of way. I would not want to live here, but it has been a fascinating visit.

We come across a site of slaughter. Five men killed by a Horror attack, three days ago(3). They then moved west, the same direction we were headed. We found food, but left it, as it might have been tainted. in the carnage, we find a small green crystal with runes carved into it. A strange curio to say the least. Their equipment is interesting, but the astral pollution prevents us from making a detailed investigation.

We find a different spot to camp, though it is not as distant as we might like. As the night sets in, a creature of swirling wings and fangs fell upon the camp. Ting was on watch and charged to meet the creature. The swarms are devious and relentless, latching onto Ting with ravenous hunger. The creatures are like krilworms, but more vicious and enormous. They also stink intensely(4), so we wisely move camp.

The next day we come across another scene of horror. An ork was gruesomely displayed on a long speak with a flapping pennant. I consulted with Elmod and Honeysuckle and determined that the Horror that killed those men was a gestalt Horror - many small creatures forming into a big, dangerous one(5). After discussion, we decide that Elmod should cast a spell to re-live the final moment of one of the poor wretches' life(6).

The dwarf saw a swarm of horrifying children. They merge together to form a massive beast. He fights bravely with his friends, but is overcome by the creature. The biting faces that cover its body snap and snarled. The Horror grew knives for fingers and tore the dwarf apart(7).

The Horror apparently knows us, as it spoke to us by Name in his vision. The Horror claimed that it would continue to kill travelers until we find and confront him(8). Our duty is clear - we must locate and kill this fiend. I found his tracks and we continued southwest.

At night we made camp.(9)

*     *     *

(1) So this is what they are doing - chasing after a hidden city. Great.
(2) There is something incredibly endearing about this. Foolish, utterly foolish, but endearing.
(3) This doesn't sound like the work of a Horror, though there are enough of them out there.
(4) Reason 587 to never go to the Badlands.
(5) So this sounds more like a Horror, though like nothing even Zamrica has heard of before.
(6) I will never understand why every Nethermancer seems to think this is a good idea.
(7) No sleep for me tonight.
(8) We need to keep an eye on this situation. 

(9) Received and edited by Ela Pono

This session continued the setup from the previous session, increasing the tension and sense of foreboding. There was also some foreshadowing for a few different plots. It's going to get dark and its going to get weird.

Since this plot is still happening, I'm going to leave it there for now.

Earthdawn 4E: Part 4 - Math and Reducing Complexity

This is an ongoing series about Earthdawn Fourth Edition. Introduction and Index.

Everything contained here is the work of a fan and not associated with FASA Games.

A brief warning: this is going to rapidly descend into the realm of letters as numbers, but nothing will be terribly complex. The goal is to explain how some of the changes to Earthdawn Fourth Edition (ED4) were made for the game to be more accessible to players who are not mathematically inclined. Also, by understanding the new, underlying math, there is significantly less need to use the characteristics table during character creation. Except for carrying capacity.

Fans of Earthdawn are likely familiar with the underlying math which has been a part of the system since day one. Use of the Fibonacci sequence for legend point costs creates a natural increase which scales just right. The step number is also the average result of the dice used (don't forget to account for bonus dice if doing this at home). Once multiple dice are used, they also tend to create a normalized distribution, though not all steps were created equal in this regard. Thus the monkeying with D20s and D4s in Third Edition and ED4. Even the result table roughly equates to standard deviations of results.

Towards these ends, the role math plays in the system and how it is used was a factor under significant scrutiny during the development of ED4. The first and perhaps most significant change was to the Result Level Table. It was off-putting to many existing and potential players and GMs to consult a table to determine your degree of success. This step takes just long enough that it can slow the action down. Also, you have to have the table nearby at all times. 

The applied fix was to remove result levels and instead use successes. Making the difficulty number is one success and every 5 above it is another success. The magic number 5 was selected for three primary reasons: 1) It roughly maps to the old result levels, which gives an experience with little noticeable difference, 2) manipulating multiples of 5 in your head is rather simple for everyone, and 3) it feels natural.

Moving from there, the base value provided by additional successes tends to be +2 to something. Not everything, but we wanted a standard number to use for as much as possible to reduce the amount which needs to be looked up. Instead, it is a case of remembering the exceptions - of which there are few and largely relegated to spells. Different standard numbers were playtested with 2 and 3 coming out as the best for gameplay. Ultimately 2 was selected because manipulating multiples of 2 is easier than multiples of 3.

The next table to tackle was the characteristics table. Here it was a case of identifying simple formulas which mostly align with the old results. The goal behind this was to allow people who noticed the underlying math to use derive all of the characteristics without the need to reference the table. Actual formulas weren't provided for space reasons and playtester feedback included the phrase "... and then my eyes glazed over..." more than once. Here are the underlying formulas:  

Step Values: Attribute/3 (round up) + 1 [This was not changed]
Defense Values: Attribute/2 (round up) +1
Unconsciousness Rating: Toughness * 2
Death Rating: Unconsciousness Rating + Toughness Step
Wound Threshold: Toughness/2 (round up) + 2
Recovery Tests: Toughness/6 (round up)
Mystic Armor: Willpower/5 (round down)

There are a lot of different manipulations going taking place and there is no expectation for these to be internalized out of the gate. However, GMs who can become comfortable with these will find it significantly easier to generate accurate NPCs on the fly (for Wound Threshold, treat it like a Toughness Defense +1).

Next on the list is Durability. The way this talent was written in previous editions (e.g. 7/6) was frequently a source of confusion to new players and frustration to those who were not good at math. Familiarity cures the former, but the latter is only exacerbated by taking multiple disciplines. Navigating the treacherous shoals of Durability rules with multiple disciplines if your first discipline is not Warrior (or something else with 9/7) can turn ugly.

Turning it into a function of the discipline solved many of these problems by simply providing the best value available for a given circle. It was a little complex to some players during playtest, but infinitely better than previous executions and ultimately no more difficult than taking the highest defense value of those available.

Using the death rating from durability created a second set of calculations and feedback for this was negative from newer players, particularly when getting involved with multiple disciplines. Instead of basing the boost to death rating off of Durability, it was changed to the highest circle. This is a simple value to determine regardless of the number of disciplines a character possesses and how convoluted their Durability ratings and ranks are.

Final formulas for unconsciousness and death ratings are below:

Unconsciousness Rating: Toughness * 2 + (Durability Rating * Durability Rank)
Death Rating: Unconsciousness Rating + Toughness Step + Highest Circle

Since it essentially comes out The end result is easy for the mathematically inclined to perform in their head and also reduces the complex manipulations (yes, basic multiplication is complex for some people) in favor of simple addition. This is a case where understanding the underlying math and how death rating relates to unconsciousness rating can greatly simplify operations.

The final numbers which were played with are in magic. Dispel, learning, sensing, and thread weaving difficulties were all simplified a great deal. Sensing difficulties (from spells) in particular are much easier since they are always based on the circle of the effect instead of maybe the circle or maybe the effect test from the spell. They are based on Circle and a static modifier, as seen below:

Dispel Difficulty: 10 + Circle
Learning Difficulty: 5 + Circle
Sensing Difficulty: 15 + Circle
Thread Weaving Difficulty: 4 + Circle
Reattuning on the Fly Difficulty: 9 + Circle

It is worth noting reattuning on the fly is specifically one success greater than the basic thread weaving difficulty. The static modifier for thread weaving is 4 instead of 5 based on feedback from playtesting. It was just enough of a difference for a spellcaster to be confident at any given circle of weaving the thread, with karma providing the boost to help with reattuning on the fly or reaching for an additional success on the thread weaving test.

Earthdawn 4E: Anatomy of a Discipline 21 - Wizard Part 2, Talents

This is the twenty-first 4E Anatomy of a Discipline, an ongoing series about Earthdawn Fourth Edition. Introduction and Index.

Everything contained here is the work of a fan and not associated with FASA Games.

A great deal of the flavor for a spellcaster comes from their spell selection and Wizard is no exception. However, one of the goals for Earthdawn Fourth Edition (ED4) was to make talents more relevant to spellcasting disciplines. To do this, the discipline talents and talent options were evaluated for how appropriate they are and how useful they are.

As has been said before and will undoubtedly be said again: Wizards are all about the magic. This is their primary theme and is not about casting spells, which they are no more adept than other spellcasters, but about manipulating magic in other ways. Even their sub-themes are just extensions of their primary theme. Their use of astral space is to further understand and research magic. The other major aspect to the discipline is their academic nature. This too is a sub-theme to their overall mastery of magic. Their dedication to learning about magic extends to knowledge in general, often leading to a professorial air. Along with the petty academic infighting which inevitably follows.

Journeyman discipline talents were shifted around as part of the general spellcaster update: everyone gets Willforce and Hold Thread. Though Wizards get it a circle earlier since it has been their thing previously. Willforce is a talent every spellcaster is going to take and there is no reason to think otherwise. Having it as a talent option prevented karma use in ED3, but with those changes it was effectively removing another talent option (we all know one talent option is going to be taken by Enhanced Matrix). This is basically embracing the inevitable.

This seems like a reasonable place to discuss Patterncraft. Specifically, why it got a name change. The simplest reason is I detested the name Read and Write Magic. It is dull and I would constantly forget about it. It also wasn't a particularly illustrative name for what it actually did. It lets you learn spells and used a terminology holdover from D&D to do so, but what it could do was never limited to just this task. Just mostly limited to it. So, it got a new, sexy name and with this a new image of what it can do. Most of the new functionality hasn't been included yet as this edition is still in its infancy, but there are plans for this little talent.

In their discipline talents, they see the addition of three new talents. This is among the most new talents, if not the most, for any discipline. Astral Interference, Dispel Magic, and Tenacious Weave are all new to ED4 and build on their primary theme of being the masters of magic. Astral Interference continues their proud tradition of being incredibly effective against other spellcasters, this providing a blanket penalty to all spellcasting (Wizards, naturally, have a countermeasure).

While Dispel Magic is technically new, it is basically the spell with some bits torn off. The talent has been reduced to working only on other talents and spells. This is due to two primary factors. The first is limiting the scope of what Wizards are about: magic. This extends to primarily spells, but also talents. What it doesn't include is anything outside of this, such as creatures and especially Horrors. Creature powers are somewhere between natural and magical, but they are definitely a different beast than the magic learned by adepts. Horrors are the specialty of other disciplines and it stepped all over the expertise of those disciplines. The other factor is Dispel Magic as it was simply wore too many hats. It could do too much and was too useful. This meant everyone had it and it could solve too many problems all on its own. The current form is still quite good, but no long the sonic screwdriver of Earthdawn.

The final addition of the three is Tenacious Weave. It is simply a layer of protection against Dispel Magic which can be added. This was added to the game to introduce another layer of interaction between talents on the measure and counter-measure side. Also, it has a really great name.

One other talent was added to their discipline talents: Suppress Curse. While Dispel Magic no longer functions against everything magical, Wizards are tenacious when it involves overcoming obstacles related to magic. This talent is about their growth and adaptation; developing a new tool.

Despite these additions, the number of actual cuts were rather small. Read and Write Language was moved to talent options since it isn't really necessary to be literate in more languages than officially exist. Book Memory was moved as well, though this was because it has often been seen with some disfavor - it simply may never come up in a game and it isn't particularly crucial to any theme. While it supports the idea of an academic or a researcher, they will have access to all of their books littered around them whenever they choose. Thus making it the perfect candidate for a talent option. Book Recall was cut entirely - it is no longer in the Player's Guide. Finally, Resist Taunt was moved to talent options since it supported the academic sub-theme, without really contributing meaningfully to the primary theme of magic.

From here, the discipline talents were reorganized to make the discipline more focused on their key curriculum. Dispel Magic and Research define their approach to magic: mastery through knowledge. Astral Sight seems like it fits within this paradigm, and it does, however it doesn't fit quite as well as the other two for the basics which every Wizard leaves home knowing. Another reason to move Astral Sight to second circle is otherwise Nethermancer and Wizard start to look very similar and they have enough in common as it is. This clearly separates what each of them is about.

Steel Thought was moved a little earlier since it is difficult to claim mastery over magic if there isn't much you can do about the spell being cast at you. It also works to show their growing strength of will in dealing with these powers.

Naturally, talent options also fell under the dread gaze of redevelopment. These have been used to either further support the primary theme(s), or to explore different sub-themes. At this point, there weren't many talents left for exploring magic, but there were plenty for the acquisition of knowledge and petty academic in-fighting. Also, the best kind of in-fighting.

First, the cuts. Detect Trap, Detect Weapon, Lip Reading, and Orbiting Spy are the sum of the cuts made. Two of these are simple: Detect Weapon and Lip Reading were removed as distinct talents. Detect Trap was rolled into Awareness as long as you have the ability to disable them, and this is not a task Wizards should be undertaking. It's frighteningly dangerous. Orbiting Spy fits their theme of information and it is rather magical, however it also traffics with spirits. This was a line which was drawn to differentiate disciplines - Wizards simply do not deal with spirits, it is something the discipline cannot work around. This serves to preserve the flavor of Elementalists and Nethermancers, and set Wizards apart. Despite all of their efforts, there are somethings which they cannot do.

Avoid Blow, Diplomacy, Etiquette, Hypnotize, Power Mask, and True Sight are all new to the list. Technically Power Mask and True Sight were just moved from Warden, but their role with regard to magic means they are appropriate earlier. Avoid Blow was added to work with their spells which previously provided this function. Since Wizards have a social function, though very erudite and civilized, they needed some more talents to support this. Etiquette is obvious since it also plays into the theme of knowledge: learning about other cultures. Diplomacy is their potential role as peacemakers (someone has to keep the department from falling apart) and it has implied airs of wisdom. Hypnotism is an application of their knowledge of how the mind works, then exploiting it.

One talent, Evidence Analysis, was shifted from being available at first circle to Journeyman. There are two reasons for this. First, the information provided by the talent is too powerful to be available so soon. It has little in common with what Novice talents offer and a great deal more in common with what Journeyman talents offer. The second is the earlier circle makes it available to the Wizard before and at a lower cost. While the talent is thematic and appropriate to a Wizard, it isn't the core of their discipline. Where it is essentially everything a Scout is about.

Wizards have a diverse and versatile selection of spells, with a particular focus on screwing with opposing spellcasters. Their talents show a dedication to the art of magic which is second to none, and a strong knack for knowledge. If the idea of a classical wizard appeals to you, then this may be the right discipline.

Novice

First Circle

• Dispel Magic
• Patterncraft
• Research
• Spellcasting
• Wizardry

Abilities

• Durability 3

Second Circle

• Astral Sight

Third Circle

• Tenacious Weave

Abilities

• Karma: Action tests to recall information (including Knowledge tests)

Fourth Circle

• Steel Thought

Journeyman

Fifth Circle

• Astral Interference

Abilities

• Book Mage: 1 Strain, the Wizard gains +5 to a Thread Weaving test for Reattuing on the Fly if they are looking at the spell in their grimoire.
• Karma: Spend a karma point to change the range of a spell you are casting from "self" to "touch".

Sixth Circle

• Willforce

Seventh Circle

• Hold Thread

Eighth Circle

• Suppress Curse

While Wizards have multiple themes, their discipline talents are almost all focused on supporting their primary theme of magic. They have all of the basic spellcasting talents shared by all spellcasters: Hold Thread, Patterncraft, Spellcasting, Thread Weaving (Wizardry), and Willforce. Their sole non-magic related talent, Research, defines how it is they go about their particular style of magic.

Their other discipline talents all reflect their interaction with magic on a basic level. Astral Interference, Dispel Magic, and Tenacious Weave manipulate the nature of spells, though Dispel Magic will also function against talents. This fact is important to remember and can be used to disable the abilities of other adepts. Air Dance, Astral Interference, Earth Skin, Gliding Stride, and Wood Skin (among others) are all susceptible to Dispel Magic.

The other two talents, Astral Interference and Tenacious Weave, are almost exclusively useful against other spellcasters, which somewhat defines where they are most effective. While Dispel Magic offers a remedy for spells, Astral Interference is a preventative treatment against spellcasters in the area. Tenacious Weave is a counter-measure against Dispel Magic. Typically this won't need to be used, unless there are opposing spellcasters. It is worth mentioning all Wizards should be careful with the flight spell in combat if they are opposed by anyone with Dispel Magic for non-specific reasons. Tenacious Weave is important in these situations.

Suppress Curse also operates in this spectrum. It works against all hostile magic, but has other limitations. This expands the tools available to Wizards when neutralizing magic. Steel Thought is the final piece of their defensive capabilities against magic, working against effects before they become active.

Their final discipline talent, Astral Sight, is important in how it allows them to study astral space. It also provides a side benefit of giving a small bonus to some spells when they have astrally sensed the target. For Wizards, knowledge is power.

The karma abilities at their disposal reflect two of their themes. First, the ability to improve information recall at third circle plays up their theme of knowledge. While it doesn't improve their researching abilities, it does mean they gain more from having a diverse array of knowledge skills. At fifth circle they gain a karma ability which can augment their spells, like all spellcasters. The Wizard's ability is a little more subtle in use than other spellcasting disciplines and more thematic as to how they approach magic. Instead of making things better in a particular way, they actually change the nature of a spell. There is some particular synergy here when it is combined with the Elementalist ability, allowing two targets to benefit from a spell such as Displace Self, or Flight.

At fifth circle they also gain their Journeyman ability, which continues to play on their theme of being researchers. It also works with the overall goal to bring grimoires from the background and into gameplay. Since the Wizard theme isn't quite as specific and evocative as other spellcasters, their ability reflects more their flexibility when it comes to applying spells to solve a problem. As long as they have their grimoire at hand, they have a significant advantage when it comes to reattuning spells on the fly, effectively reducing the difficulty to simply weaving a thread.

• Arcane Mutterings - The primary uses for this talent are either gaining an advantage in social interactions or preventing a conflict before it breaks out. Either of these can be appealing to a Wizard, particularly if they want to contribute to social interaction without being a social character.
• Awareness - Odds are reasonable every character will pick this up at some point. They already have a high perception and it's always a good idea to notice things. This talent received a name change and general face lift for ED4. The mechanical changes include an expanded scope was and the Strain was eliminated. This was done because there wasn't a general counter-measure to abilities such as Stealthy Stride. The Strain was removed because it didn't quite make sense - the measure doesn't cost Strain and most of the usage is passive. Originally the Strain was introduced to prevent players from spamming Search tests, though this kind of situation is generally best left to the table and some good GM advice.
• Book Memory - This is an interesting talent and there isn't anything quite like it. Given how few disciplines have access, it should likely be considered. It doesn't require a great deal of investment for it to be useful either.
• Conversation - If you are interested in playing a social Wizard, this should be the talent to get you started. The duration for this talent was increased from hours to days. This was done to differentiate it more from other social talents, particularly First Impression. It now fills the role of a long term social talent, rather than the short term usage for First Impression. They are each useful in different areas.
• Creature Analysis - Given their ability to cause both mystic and physical damage, this talent can provide valuable information to maximize damage output. In addition, knowledge is power in any conflict. The action type for this talent was changed from Standard to Simple. The reasoning is straight forward: unless you are watching the creature outside of combat, using your action for this information isn't generally worth the action. Odds are, unless there is some crucial information, your action is better spent doing something proactive. This change allows for the talent to be done in addition to this, since you are already paying the costs in Legend Points, Strain, and the opportunity cost associated with not taking a different talent.
• Etiquette - Typically this will be second talent for a character wishing to pursue a social path. It can also be the first if your game takes you to enough exotic and unfamiliar locales.
• Item History - If no one in your group has this talent, someone needs to have this talent. Even if one of your allies does, it is still worth considering picking up for its use with thread items, but also to gain information with mundane items. If you intend to take Evidence Analysis later, this is the perfect companion. 
• Read and Write Language - For most characters, the skill will suffice just fine. Some like to have the ability to pick up a new language on the fly as needed, which is where the talent shines over its mundane counterpart. This talent tends to benefit research oriented characters most.
• Speak Language - Similar to Read and Write Languages, except this tends to benefit social characters most.
• Standard Matrix - Realistically, this is the first talent option everyone will take. Even with the free matrices, you are here for the spells.

Outside of actually playing and figuring out which talents will best fit your character, play style, and the campaign you are a part, there are a few different generic "builds" which can help show off themes and different decisions. The builds I will be looking at are the erudite, professor, voyager, and jack-of-all-trades.

The Erudite is interested primarily in knowledge and magic. Even more so than the average Wizard. They will focus most on what other information they can gather and how it can be applied to the situation. Games which feature investigation, mysteries, and puzzles will benefit this type of character greatly and they work more behind the scenes to put all of the pieces together. Later, they will also be able to affect some misdirection to help in these endeavors. For this, Book Memory, Item History, Read and Write Language, and Standard Matrix will likely be the most helpful talents. Of those, Read and Write Languages can easily be replaced most likely for Awareness, though the social talents could also be of use.

While "professor" may sound like they are interest in research, they are actually social creatures. These characters aren't going to be generally useful when fast talking someone, but if allowed considerable time, they can adapt to most situations and slowly build consensus and support. They are likely to find Conversation, Etiquette, Speak Language, and Standard Matrix the most useful. Of those, Speak Language can be switched for any of the other talents as needed.

Voyagers want to get out into the world to find some forbidden knowledge. They are generally the most prepared for trouble and well suited for a life of crawling around in kaers. Towards these ends, Arcane Mutterings, Awareness, Creature Analysis, and Standard Matrix will be the talents of choice. Of these, Arcane Mutterings can be switched for Item History if it is unlikely the former social talent will ever be of use.

As usual, the jack-of-all-trades wants to contribute and to get screen time. They will want Awareness, Book Memory, Conversation, and Standard Matrix. Book Memory may seem the odd talent out, but it is also a talent to which few other disciplines gain access. This means if it comes up, it will be your time. This being said, depending on the needs of the group Book Memory and Conversation can be switched out for whatever is most likely to be useful (probably Item History).

• Avoid Blow - By this point you will know if you need this talent or not. With two spells which support its use and encounters likely to only get more dangerous, this is a talent which is almost certainly worth considering for any PC. Avoid Blow no longer requires a greater level of success to be used against ranged attacks. This change was made because it was a detail which added nothing to the game and was largely forgotten.
• Diplomacy - If you have Conversation, odds are reasonable you want to consider this talent.
• Enhanced Matrix - Just as in the previous tier, this is the first talent option you are going to take.
• Evidence Analysis - If your game ever has mysteries which need to be solved, think of this as a shortcut. It is worth considering for most characters as it is likely to come up in most games. Odds are reasonable you will know if your game qualifies or not by this point. Even if other characters have this talent, it is still worth picking up as more information never hurt an investigation.
• Hypnotize - This potent talent goes perfectly with the other social talents, or is even useful all on its own. If you take this talent, be prepared for your companions to make snide remarks. The action type for this talent was changed from Standard to Sustained to reflect the mechanics better.
• Lifesight - One of the best uses of this talent is when paired with Mystic Shock as they both take advantage of being able to operate through walls. Other than this, it is still useful for the additional information it can gather which may be unavailable by other sources. While this talent didn't actually change, it did become more useful by virtue of the limitations placed on interacting with astral space. Specifically, you can no longer see through solid objects with basic Astral Sight.
• Mystic Pursuit - This is another talent which falls under the category of "check to see if anyone in your group has this talent". Odds are reasonable someone will it, though if no one does it is worth considering. It is often unexpectedly useful. This used to be know as Direction Arrow and Direction Sense, which is about the extent of the changes.
• Power Mask - If you are playing in an intrigue laden game, there is likely value in being able to conceal your power from others. However, if crawling around in kaers most of the time, it isn't likely to be as useful. This talent was given a Strain cost of 1 because it is powerful enough to warrant it. Also, this encourages characters to not necessarily have it active at all times. Though with a sufficiently high rank, it is very cheap to do so anyway.
• Resist Taunt - Socially inclined characters will absolutely want this talent, while others should consider it from the variety of social debuffs which are available.
• True Sight - Most useful against Illusionists, this still has value against the variety of talents which take advantage of minor illusion magic. The function of this talent was updated to reflect the new illusion mechanics, which now include talents.

Erudites add a few powerful talents to their repertoire, which also extend their capabilities into new areas. Enhanced Matrix, Evidence Analysis, Power Mask, and True Sight are the talents which help this build the most. Power Mask conceals information from others (since erudites know the true power of knowledge) and True Sight helps defeat various attempts at misdirection.

Professors continue down the social path even more so at Journeyman. They gain access to a social talent which allows them to be the department mediator, to help get what they want (in way which is a little creepy), and prevent others from getting what they want. These talents are Diplomacy, Enhanced Matrix, Hypnotize, and Resist Taunt.

The voyager continues down their path and expands their ability to deal with adversity. Talents for them are Avoid Blow, Mystic Pursuit, Enhanced Matrix, and Lifesight. Of these, Lifesight can be exchanged for a variety of options (including those from Novice, if they are appealing) depending on the need. Given their proclivities, Resist Taunt will help when the going gets tough, though Evidence Analysis and True Sight may help with finding the knowledge in the first place.

Jack-of-all-trades has some hard choices, but there are a few talents which rise above the rest due to how useful they are in the majority of games and situations. For them, Avoid Blow, Enhanced Matrix, Evidence Analysis, and Resist Taunt will bring the special combination of value and screen time which these characters are about.

For a discussion over the general themes of the Wizard how they can function in game, see the Third Edition Anatomy of an Wizard.