[PnP] my first post - a few very noob questions

[Albert Sales]

Scott M <scottee.mac at gmail.com> wrote:
    Hi,

I apologize in advance if my questions are too newbie-ish. It's just
that resources are so llimited for what seems to be a really decent
system. I was hoping someone on this list might have some time to
share their thoughts about a few questions I have.

   
  Don't apologize, only evil friendly people here.. I mean, good friendly people.  We love questions and input, as well.  When you see a topic you have an idea on, drop it.  And if you get more questions, always happy to field them.  Sometimes, a simple question will help people identify something from their own game, or show an area that we've relaxed into house rules on.  Oh, and when I say we, you are now a part of we.
    

1) Can magic users wear armor and does it affect their ability to cast
spells? From my reading so far, I assume magic users can wear whatever
they like with no penalty. That seems strange to me.

  Yes, they can wear any armor they chose.  I use house-rules for maximum AV based on SB + StB, but I tend to be a really mean GM.  Going above that point adds 2x the difference to all rolls.  Also, some spells go poorly in some armors (fireball in quilted, heat in plate, etc).  I love peripheral damage
    
2) Are there any house rules to take OCV/DCV or the target's
agility/dex (or anything) into consideration when targeting them with
ranged weapons? It seems that an active person should be harder to hit
than say, a tree. So far it seems the only difference between
targeting a human and a tree, is that a human could choose to use his
shield if he has one (although I suppose he could dodge if he wanted
to give up his turn).
   
  And the tree is immobilized (-20), and huge (- more based on size).  Dodging actually has little effect on missile fire, I apply rules for speed (modifying range), but those are just me.  I add 1/2 the movement that phase to the distance for calculating the range of projectile weapons.  In throwing situations, I use Half the difference of DCVs (why would OCV be a factor?) as a roll modifier.

    
3) Are there any house rules to keep the all-mighty Status roll from
making or breaking a new character? It seems that so long as you make
a status of 3 or higher, you don't really need to spend any initial
increases on cash. So now you have both a cash advantage and a
skill/character point/experience point advantage over characters with
a status of 1 or 2.

4) Can I assume that most P&P GMs are VERY liberal with spell success
modifiers? It sure seems like the players can romp all over the NPCs
without them. As an example, "Abandon"; I like to assign a 5 to 10
penalty if the target is already leery of the caster, up to 25 if they
are already in combat. Meanwhile, I would consider a bonus of around
10 if the caster can cajole the target into a discussion to at least
consider "forgetting all your woes" before casting his spell.
   
  Magic is insanely powerful, but you need successes to advance it.  By the time the casters become "Overpowered" in my games, they have EARNED it.  If they can survive the failures and modified abysmals in the meantime.  It also leaves them with a lingering fear that.. hey... this guy could have a mana protection amulet... crap, I'm not getting possessed again!!
    

5) I do see ambush rules, but are there any rules (House or otherwise)
that dictate how soon two groups of travelers will see each other in
the wilderness? Or who will see each other first? The skills don't
seem to account for sensory perception very much – is that generally
ignored in games that you folks run?
   
  I think there is something about that in book 2 or 4, but not 100% sure.  I typically top-of-the-head using factors like Survival level and Empathy.  
    

Sorry if that's too much too fast. I'll take whatever kind of response
I can get.

By the way, I live in Tarpon Springs, Florida and am always looking
for interested gamers. We're going to the Necronomicon in October 5,
2007 at the Hyatt in downtown Tampa. A bunch of gamers get together
there each year. No P&P so far, but you never know what might show up
on the schedule.


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Tarpon Springs, eh?  I am related to half of Plant City, it seems.  Unfortunately, I'm across the country now.
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