Tuesday, April 9, 2019

The Stranger/The Gnome - LotFP Custom Class(es)


My classes so far have all been multi-purpose in nature; The Accursed covers berserkers, lycanthropes and Mr.Hyde types, The Monster covers most of the bestial humanoids such as ogres, orcs, half-giants and trolls, while the Ascetic rounds it out as a stand-in for the Monk, Cleric or Paladin. This class is similar in philosophy, hoping to cover the archetypes of stranger in a strange land fiction such as A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, Alice in Wonderland or John Carter of Mars as well as that of the Rock/Tinker Gnome. Unlike the others, I will be writing fluff sections for both of them, though the actual game statistics will remain unchanged. This is partially due to the fact that they're very similar, but also in acknowledgement of the fact that I couldn't come up with a name that would fit both of the archetypes at once.

The Stranger

          Strangers aren't from this place. Not in some pedestrian sense like from across the sea, or over some far horizon, but rather from another place entirely. They could be from a different time, a different planet or even something even more exotic like from another dimension entirely. Generally the place they are from is more technologically and socially advanced than the place that they find themselves.

          In comparison to others, most Strangers are pictures of health and comeliness, beneficiaries to advanced hygienic and medical products and services. Unfortunately, their lives often leave them ill-prepared for the difficulties of existence in times or universes outside of their own, and while they may be pretty and have nice teeth, most of them have not had to struggle to survive in the way the the place they now find themselves requires. Strangers are forced to rely on their educations and wits to survive in a strange and often bewildering land.

The Gnome
           A reclusive and secretive people, the Gnomes have sequestered themselves from the rest of the world so well that many forget that they even exist - just as they intended. Possessed with almost uniformly brilliant and curious minds, the Gnomes are naturally talented inventors, sages and craftspeople, but also anxious and somewhat paranoid. Wary of being taken advantage of by those larger and more brutal than themselves, the Gnomes bend many of their efforts towards being overlooked or otherwise hidden from the rest of the world at large. They jealousy guard their innovations from any proliferation outside of their fastnesses, which themselves are chosen for isolation, ease of obfuscation and defensibility. 

          The Gnomes are apart from the world, but they cannot leave it entirely; exiles and those stricken with wanderlust still trickle out over the generations, leaving the other races with little more than snippets of tall tales and singular devices of wonder to prove of their existence. Gnomes are perhaps half the height of Humans and are more finely featured and slighter than their Dwarven or Halfling cousins. Eyes and hair tend towards earth tones, most male gnomes have some form of facial hair, though not as uniformly as Dwarves.


Level
Experience
HP
Paralyze
Poison

Breath
Device
Magic
Skill Points
Gizmos
1
0
1d6
14
16
15
14
14
4
1
2
1,750
1d6
14
16
15
14
14
+1
1
3
3,500
1d6
14
16
15
14
14
+1
1
4
7,000
1d6
14
16
15
14
14
+1
1
5
14,000
1d6
11
12
14
13
12
+1
1
6
28,000
1d6
11
12
14
13
12
+1
2
7
56,000
1d6
11
12
14
13
12
+1
2
8
112,000
1d6
11
12
14
13
12
+1
2
9
224,000
1d6
9
10
12
11
10
+1
2
10
336,000
+2*
9
10
12
11
10
+1
2
11
448,000
+2*
9
10
12
11
10
+1
3
12
560,000
+2*
9
10
12
11
10
+1
3
13
672,000
+2*
7
8
10
9
8
+1
3
14
784,000
+2*
7
8
10
9
8
+1
3
15
896,000
+2*
7
8
10
9
8
+1
3
16
1,008,000
+2*
7
8
10
9
8
+1
4
17+
+112,000/lvl
+2*
5
6
8
7
6
+1/lvl
4
          *Constitution modifiers no longer apply


B/X & OSE Rules

Requirements
Minimum 9 INT
Prime Requisite
INT
Hit Dice
d6
Thac0 Table
As Rogue
Maximum Level
14
Armor
Any (appropriate to size if Gnome)
Weapons
Any (appropriate to size if Gnome)
Languages
Alignment, Common, Gnomish (if Gnome)

           Strangers/Gnomes are possessed of skills far in advance to the world around them, allowing them to invent objects and processes which seem almost magical to outside observers. Outside of their different selection of skills, the Stranger/Gnome's skills function exactly like those of a Specialist.

Skill
Use
Chemistry
Crafting poisons, drugs, explosives and more!
Engineering
Designing, constructing and repairing heavy or complex machinery.
Biology
Developing and using medical treatments, determining the abilities or habitats of monsters using autopsy or observation.
Statistics
Calculating probabilities, Making informed guesses (being given cold numbers by the Referee)
Scrounging
Finding exotic materials or metals for your various inventions.

     Gizmos are devices which Strangers or Gnomes have in addition to whatever inventions that they may build themselves over the course of the adventure. Gizmos are generally hand-held or easily portable. While the versions that Strangers possess may look very similar to products that exist within our universe, the Gnomes generally have devices which run on more exotic principles such as steam or magic. Gizmos are assumed to have nearly unlimited power unless the Referee decides it would be thematically or dramatically appropriate for it to not be so. Gizmos are not replaced or otherwise automatically repaired if they break, so they must be maintained and either hidden or defended from potential thieves. In the case of Strangers any Gizmos they have or eventually gain are either brought with them, retrieved from some hidden cache or jury-rigged, while in the case of Gnomes they were likely either stolen or smuggled from their homes before their exile or flight, with later additions being built from scavenged materials. Upon leveling, the Gizmo is considered to have been finished or otherwise gained during down time; a Gizmo can only be rolled once on the table, if the same result comes up, roll again.


1d12
Gizmo
1
Electric Light
2
Blowtorch
3
Firearm (More advanced than the rest of the world's if already present.)
4
Pair of Walkie-talkies
5
Power Drill
6
Chainsaw
7
Pressure Washer
8
Voice Recorder
9
Nail Gun
10
Taser
11
Theodolite
12
Arc Welder

4 comments:

  1. (Rolls a 6 and 3) Shop smart! Shop S-Mart!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. S-Mart's top of the line. You can find this in the sporting goods department. That's right, this sweet baby was made in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Retails for about $109.95. It's got a walnut stock, cobalt-blue steel, and a hair trigger. That's right... shop smart: shop S-Mart.

      Delete
  2. Sweet. Love seeing custom LotFP classes. Makes me want to make another one.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Do it. I adored your Immolated class and it partially inspired my Ascetic.

      Delete