Wednesday 10 June 2015

Masquerade of the Sundered Sky: a USR micro game


I've been knocking this around as an idea for a while now, so I thought it would make a nice micro-game for USR. You'll need the free USR 2.0 rules to play.

Welcome to the Masquerade

In the year 1578 a storm erupted over the continent of Tuscarro, turning the skies a fiery red. The clouds tore asunder, emitting a great bright swirl of light that appeared to reach towards the earth. That is when people began to change. Some inhabitants of Tuscarro began to alter their physique, becoming monstrous beings with a taste for blood and flesh. Each mutation was different - from squat, jibbering goblin-like beasts to giant, fat foul creatures who feasted on human bones.

War came to Tuscarro - a war between man and devil, or Monstrum, as they were called. But the Monstrum had the unholy ability to turn humans into one of them but spitting gobs of bile in their victims' faces. The generals realised that they had to equip their warriors with masks to prevent this from happening - specifically masks layered with a substance called 'selum' on the inside. The selum killed any bile should it leak into the mask.

But selum didn't come cheap, so this ingredient was reserved for only the most elite of the King's Guard - the Twilight Order. The Twilight Order, also known as Maskers to the lay-people, were tasked with going and slaying the Monstrum. Each Masker has a different ability, some are elite swordspeople while others specialist in poisons or assassinations. Together they are the kingdom's last hope against the growing forces of the Monstrum.


Types of Maskers

Below are archetype packages that you can use to create your Masker. They contain specialisms that are suited to that Masker type, but feel free to create your own.

Sword Masker
The toughest members of the Twilight Order are the Sword Maskers - soldiers who have honed their abilities with a one or two-handed blade. Sword Maskers are on the front line of a fight, using a unique martial art known as the Ballet of Blades, their deadly but graceful technique soon has their enemies in pieces.

Specialisms: Ballet of Blades (Action), Grim Veteran (Ego), Tactician (Wits)

Shadow Masker
Silent and stealthy, the Shadow Masker is the master of moving unnoticed and striking when least expected. They wear all black, including a black mask, and a hood to help conceal them.

Specialisms: Stealthy (Action), Acrobatics (Action), Bluff (Wits)

Arrow Masker
Adept at ranged combat, no matter the weapon, Arrow Maskers sit at the rear of a battle firing off deadly shots with supreme accuracy.

Specialisms: Dead Shot (Action), Perceptive (Wits), Tracker (Wits)

Poison Masker
Apothecaries by trade, Poison Maskers are proficient in the science of concocting potent poisons as well as healing remedies.

Specialisms: Create Poison (Wits), Healing Hands (Action), Medical Knowledge (Wits)

Brute Masker
Sacrificing stance and form for pure strength, Brute Maskers are generally large, muscular and can pack a punch.

Specialisms: Hideous Strength (Action), Intimidating (Ego), Built Like a Rock (Action)

Monstrum

The following are some examples of types of Monstrum that exist in the game.

Chitter
Action d6
Wits d6
Ego d6
Hits 7
Specialisms: None
Attacks: Bite +1
Description: Chitters are squat, hunched-back goblin-like creatures with tiny yellow eyes and penchant for flesh.

Gloam
Action d6
Wits d6
Ego d8
Hits 10
Specialisms: Incredible Stink +2 (Ego)
Attacks: Club + 2
Description: Gloam are fat, smells fleshbags with wide, open mouths and yellowing teeth. They are slow, but their noxious scent has been known to send warriors reeling.

Shrade
Action d8
Wits d8
Ego d6
Specialisms: Stealthy +2 (Action)
Attacks: Sneak attack +2
Description: Shrades are shadowy humanoids

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