Second Hand: Info Thread

[Philip Overby]

Welcome to Second Hand, Mythic Scribes first chat+forum based game. A post-apocalyptic fantasy world, Second Hand is a game that put power in the players' hands. How do you ask? Well, the world is slowly "rebuilt" through your efforts and the choices of your characters. With input from your GMs (Reaver and I) we will take an inkling of an idea and see where it takes us. This game is the spirit of other such games as Fallout, Shadowrun, Dungeons and Dragons, and Arcanum and as such shows as The Herculoids and Thundarr the Barbarian.

1. What is Second Hand?

Second Hand is a game that takes place on the giant world of Supernal, a world almost completely obliterated by the moon crashing into it. Once a world burgeoning with life and on the cusp of a great renaissance of technology, art, and culture, it is now a world broken and in repair. Tribes have developed. Make-shift cities have sprung up. Only the strong survive.

2. How do I play?

Think of this as a video game, if you will. The game is played in chat, whereas your "menu" is the forum itself. If you need to look at your inventory, go shopping at stores, view maps, view anything else, the forum is your go to stop. Otherwise, the game is played live in the chat room. Each week, a time will be set convenient for all who would like to play, and then the game will take place then.

3. What are the rules?

The rules are very, very loose. Basically, the system is based on stats. All decisions, in-game are made by your GM rolling a 20-sided die, coupled with your stats. Stats are played off of each other. Because this is a chat-based RPG, we didn't want to make the system too intricate to make the players rely more on their role-playing ability.

However, each character is granted 35 points, which they can disperse between the following Stats.

1. Strength-for lifting, swinging melee weapons
2. Agility-for dodging, disarming traps, shooting bows
3. Stamina-for absorbing damage, dealing with endurance
4. Intelligence-for casting spells, figuring things out
5. Awareness-for tracking or finding things, shooting guns
6. Charm-for convincing someone
7. Luck-a catch-all skill that can determine random outcomes

You'll get an additional 5 points at Level 1 towards building ranks in your Skills and Equipment, which YOU (that's right you) come up with. Also, if any of your original 35 points are left over, you can use those towards your Skills and Equipment if you like.

Your Skills can be anything your heart desires, but must be approved by a GM beforehand. These Skills can be pumped up with Ranks, making them stronger.

Example: You have the Skill, Fire Arrow, Rank 1. You discuss it with your GM, that a Fire Arrow does fire damage and uses Intelligence as its base Stat. Your character's Intelligence is 5, your Skill Rank is 1, so 5+1=6. Your Fire Arrow is currently a 6. (why this is relevant is listed below)

The same goes for your Equipment. If you want a really cool sword called Elfbane, then you have to put points into designing it. If it's a Rank 3 sword, then maybe it has a +3 bonus against elves. As you get levels and money, you can buy new Equipment (or find it) and get new Skills.

Once you've decided your Stats, Skills, and Equipment, then you will select a race from our current list. This list is not the end-all-be-all list. If you have suggestions for future races, we're open to that. But this list for now will be our "go to" list.

(Cont.)

 

[Philip Overby]

4. How do I make a character?

a. First, choose a name. Easy right?

b. Next, each Character is given 35 Points to start at Level 1. They distribute those points amongst their Stats or for Skills (as listed above) The higher a Skill Rank, the more likely it is to work.

c. Choose a race from the list below.

(The elves were lucky (or unlucky): they became the most populous race on the planet after the Moon Crash. However, they are fairly different, so they only share the name "elf" because they all have the same originally bloodline.)

1. High elf-Classically regal and snobbish, they live in large cities with tall, opaque crystal towers, after the moon crash, they look down on the other elves that were devastated. They dress nicely and often wear fine silks. Most other races don't like the "generic" elves, as they call them. Stats: +1 Agility, +1 Intelligence/-1 Strength, -1 Charm

2. Forest elf-Feral elves that wear skins of animals and are quite uncouth. They've lost their homes mostly so they take to the cities as scavengers, digging through junk and trash to find their new lives. The few homes they have left in the woods are fiercely guarded and they will rob and kill anyone that ventures there. Stats: +1 Strength, +1 Agility/-1 Intelligence, -1 Charm

3. Jungle elf-Headhunters and cannibals, the jungle elves are extremely dangerous and rarely will live amongst other cultures. But since the moon crash, they've been appearing amongst other societies more often. They tend to take jobs as bounty hunters or rangers amongst civilized company. They file down their teeth from a young age, so their bite can be as dangerous as their weapons. Also fairly tall and lanky, ranging from 6-7 feet tall. Stats: +1 Awareness, +1 Stamina/-1 Strength, -1 Intelligence

4. Desert elf-Tribal in nature, they once roamed the deserts as warlords and warlocks. After the moon crash, many tribes were disbanded and the desert elves dispersed. They have dark-skin and dark hair. Tend to be very boisterous and affable and have since made their trade as wandering merchants in the various blasted cities. However, their war-like nature stays ingrained in them, so they have very short tempers and are quick to kill if insulted. They ride giant scorpions from town to town, so they have a slight resistance to insect poisons. Stats: +1 Charm, +1 Stamina/-1 Strength, -1 Agility

5. Mountain elf-Live in the Badlands and the rims of volcanoes, they raid the roads of the world after the moon crash. They swoop down from the cliffs on rocs, blasting their prey with rifles, pistols, and fuse-lit bombs. The smallest of the elves (3-4 feet tall), they live only off the road and avoid towns like the plague. If they do travel with others, they often shield their faces with elaborate masks. They're a caravan's worst nightmare, but if you get on one's good side, they can blow a hole in almost anything for you. Loyal to their friends, deadly to their enemies. Stats: +2 Awareness/-1 Strength, -1 Stamina

6. Dark elf-Chameleons in every sense of the word, they can naturally blend into any environment, their skin pigment changing. They often wear cloaks that reflect light and are experts at digging burrows in the earth with their long claws. However, they're blind like moles, so they're useless in big combat situations. Their ability to lie traps and sneak up on opponents though is a plus for them. Excellent assassins and spies, they can infiltrate almost any situation. Masters of poison, they have many ways to slick a blade or slip something in your drink. Solitary in nature, they rarely are seen with other dark elves. Stats: +1 Luck, +1 Awareness/-2 Strength

7. Dwarf-The master tinkerers of the world, a dwarf can build almost anything. They tend to use their ingenuity to build all sorts of contraptions and weaponry. After the moon crash, it's the dwarves that worked hard to rebuild the broken cities. It's not uncommon to see dwarves carrying sophisticated clockwork pistols or some new invention they came up with. They can create piecemeal armor and hap-hazard weaponry on the fly as well, using their surroundings to always keep them armed. But, this comes at a price, meaning a lot of their inventions have left dwarves with missing fingers and toes. However, they're still adept at standard forging and can fashion a good blade out of almost anything. Stats: +1 Intelligence, +1 Stamina, +1 Awareness /-3 Luck

8. Orc-When the moon crashed, the orcs suffered greatly. Most of their kind were wiped out. They've since become very solitary and sporadic in appearance. They've retained their greedy nature by hiring on as muscle or thugs for other more organized races. Cold, clinical and uncaring, the orcs are not to be trifled with. Typically have green, yellow, orange, or red skin with no hair at all. Most have abandoned their tribal culture and dress in whatever attire they need to blend into whatever environment they must. Also notorious hoarders. If you find an orc's stash, you may well have hit the jackpot. But most of the time they don't know what they have, as orcs aren't incredibly bright. Stats: +2 Strength/-2 Intelligence

9. Halfling-Not to be outdone by others, halflings don't let their size hold them back. Hard-nosed, brutal, and oftentimes grating, halflings are the wise-guys of the world. They have formed elaborate crime syndicates off the backs of other races and have parlayed their casino businesses into big money. They often overcompensate by using big weapons: guns, swords, or anything else, to make them look like the bad asses they think they are truly are. In a group, they'll beat you to death with bats if you cross them. As loners, their wise-cracking, short-fused, tough guys with little-man complexes. They're always well-dressed in tailored suits, no matter if they're poor or not. The saying goes "Never get on a halfing's bad side. Whichever side that is." Stats: +2 Luck/-1 Strength, -1 Charm

10. Hobgoblin-The gentlemen and gentle-women of the world, hobgoblins love to dress in top hats and suits and prance about with walking canes. A culture of "chance," hobgoblins tend to gamble on just about anything. Even decisions they make may be based on the flip of the coin. They love to have tea and have polite discussions about politics. However, their grotesque long noses and mouths full of jagged teeth tend to frighten off possible tea partners. All of their good manners don't mean anything if you cross a hobgoblin though. They won't hesitate to challenge you to a "gentleman's duel" where they will gladly put you six feet under with a pistol shot between the eyes. Stats: +1 Luck, +1 Awareness/-1 Charm, -1 Stamina

11. Pixie-These pixies aren't happy and they're not going to flutter around your head and sprinkle their dust on you. These pixies have dirty wings and live in rotted out trees and hollowed stumps in the forests. They practice black magic, summoning grubs, snails, slugs, and flies to do their bidding. They can be good, but only if it meets their needs. Pixies are never happy with one place to live, so if you can offer them a comfy spot, a pixie will do whatever they can to help you. Quick-witted and mischievous, they also won't hesitate to swindle someone for cash. Notorious for selling pixie dust as a "pick-me-up" some members of more responsible communities have hired "exterminators" to clean out the "pixie problem." Stats: +1 Intelligence, +1 Charm/-1 Strength, -1 Stamina

12. Slime-Appearing after the moon crash, not much is known about the "slimes" except that their sentient, psychic blobs that can blast you with magic or enter your mind. They all talk telepathically with each other and others, and can use one other psychic power. In an effort to blend in, they'll often wear hats or eyeglasses to pose as some sort of "humanoid." They tend to make excellent wizards, but some slimes have been hired as entertainers for children. Stats: +1 Intelligence, +1 Stamina/-1 Strength, -1 Awareness *Choose one bonus psychic skill.

(continued next post)

 

[Philip Overby]

13. Ursae-These bear-like humanoids stand at over 9 feet tall, but they're not all brawn. They are great warriors, philosophers, and craftsmen all wrapped into one. An Ursae will just as soon rip your arms off as discuss philosophy and theories on the moon crash. There are Dox (Grizzly), Sable (black), Arktos (polar), and Sorrel (brown) species, but all can be equally fearsome and thoughtful. They tend to wear elaborate armor or togas in more relaxed environments. Due to their imposing nature, they make big targets to hit, so in combat enemies may look on taking out the biggest threat first. And Ursae are almost always the biggest threat. Their hated enemies are bugbears, and they will try to kill them on sight. Stats: +3 Strength/-2 Agility, -1 Luck

14. Anubian-Massive dog-like people who have complex cultures and societies rivaling those of any other race. There are four types of Anubians: Wulf, Jhagaal, Kyoty and Fawks. Wulf society is very similar to the ancient Athenians and Spartans. Jhagaal are holy warriors, fighting for their own personal struggle or jihad as they call it. Kyoty are fun-loving pirate-types, very affable and roguish. The Fawks are like ronin, wandering samurai who travel the world seeking to learn about their inner-self while helping others.
Some people use renegade Anubians as witch hunters, due to their hatred of magic. When it comes to crafting solid, reliable weapons and armor, the Anubians are unmatched. They do nothing half-assed in this broken world. Stats: +1 Strength, +1 Stamina/-1 Intelligence, -1 Charm

15. Human-When the moon crashed, the humans fell the hardest. Once the most powerful race in the world with multiple kingdoms, they now number in the thousands. And when they fell from grace, they fell hard. Humans are largely ignored and not taken seriously in any context. They're often used as pack mules for other parties or are utilized for their first-aid abilities. Due to the utter lack of respect for humans, they have developed a huge chip on their shoulder, make them specialists when fighting one chosen race. The humans hope to make it back up the food chain again, but it's not looking good for them at the moment. They will flock to other humans as they have an innate desire to breed and bring the human race back to prominence. Stats: No Stat Bonus *1 Hated Enemy Skill (Bonus to attacking), *First Aid Skill (Able to Help a Wounded Friend)

16. Cidae(Drone)-The ant-like Cidae, or commonly called Drones, are an industrious group that were blasted away from their hive. Their eternal quest is to reunite with their Queen, and will attempt to do that by any means necessary. They are often manipulated by sinister forces to serve as hitmen and assassins based on the promise of information about their Queen. They have no loyalty to anyone and will kill other Drones if they meet them as they see them as competitors. With four arms for wielding weapons (preferable blunt ones), they are dangerous in combat. They are highly susceptible to magic though and will wilt under powerful sorcery. Also making great climbers, they can scale almost any wall with ease. Stats: +1 Strength, +1 Agility/-1 Awareness, -1 Intelligence *Can wield four weapons at once for extra attacks. *Weak to magic, so suffer -2 penalties when magic is cast against them.

17. Half-giant- These half humanoid, half giants are in fact, quite jolly by nature. Fiercely loyal to their "little ones," they'll protect their fellow party members to the death. They're massive at 9-12 feet tall and vary in hair and skin color(depending on what type of giant one of their parents were), and are quite slow. Also, it's hell finding equipment for them, so almost all weapons and armor are custom made. Luckily, half-giants can wield just about anything and crush someone's head with it. An angry half-giant is probably one of the most dangerous people to come across, but they are mostly affable and friendly, like to tell jokes, and are quite intelligent. Stats: +3 Strength/-3 Agility

18. Clockwork-Sentient automatons that function off a Ashudu stones (or "memory stones,") the clockworks are mechanical in every other way. They can be modded to any sort of function if they want, making them adaptable and changeable if they pay the money to get upgraded. The memory stone can be shifted to other mechanical bodies, but cannot function without being connected. (A player can have the option to have their consciousness put into an Ashudu stone upon their death, but have to make special arrangements with a clockwork specialist and a wizard beforehand.) Due to their extreme flexibility, the clockwork can be a master or jack-of-all-trades. However, if made with cheap materials, clockworks require lots of maintenance and have to be wound up every 22 hours. Stats: Adjustments are decided by the player and GM.

d. Once you've chosen your race, you design your own class. Be as imaginative as you want. Or you can choose an old standard such as warrior, wizard, or thief. However, classes have to be pre-approved by one of the GMs. You can decide what bonuses your specific class gets (extra starting Skills, Stat adjustments, starting Equipment, etc.) This game is all about flexibility, so be creative!

e. You also retain complete creative control over your character. Meaning if you use the character in our game, you are free to use him or her in your own stories.

 

[Philip Overby]

5. How does combat work?

Because this is a chat-based game, combat is very loose. The order of actions is determined by your GM. Then you decide what you want to do. Since your Stats dictate almost everything in the game, you make a series of "checks" based on your Stats and that of your opponent. There is no such thing as Hit Points. When you are hurt, your Stats take the hit. Therefore if you're wounded in your arm, your Strength make take a -1 penalty for a long time or a short time, depending how you role play the injury. Role-playing always outweighs Stat rolls. The decision is not final yet, but to keep the pace of the game going, all rolls will be made by the GM. Here is an example of combat of a Hobgoblin Gunslinger (Yark) vs. a High elf wizard (Landrel).

1. Yark has a Clockwork pistol (Rank 3) and has an decent Awareness (5). He has six shots in his gun. Therefore, all of Yark's attacks will have an 8 adjustment. Yark is not wearing armor (Stamina 4) and is pretty quick for his level (Agility 7) so that's what he uses to defend.

2. Landrel has no weapon but uses a spell called Fire Arrow primarily. Fire Arrow (Rank 4) has six charges (based on the number of Ashudu stones that Landrel has) and he has a decent Intelligence (6). So Landrel's attack adjustment is 10. He is wearing Ashudu Bracers (Rank 2) that grant him +2 to Stamina (for a total of 6). He's OK in his Agility (4).

3. Round 1, Yark gets the first action. He blasts Landrel from across the bar. The GM rolled 18. So 18+8=26. Landrel has to get higher than 26 to defend this attack. Unfortunately for Landrel, the GM rolled a 1. 1+6=7. So he failed miserably. He tried to block it with his Bracers, but Yark shot a bullet through his hand. Landrel will suffer a penalty to Strength and Stamina for the rest of the battle (and maybe longer) at -2.

4. Landrel's turn. He hurls a Fire Arrow with his good hand. He got 14. So 14+10=24. Yark, since he is quick, attempts to dodge. He rolled a 10. 10+7(Agility)=17. Not quick enough Yark. He takes the Fire arrow to the chest, causing his clothes to catch fire. Yark loses a turn (to put out the flame) or suffers a -1 Stamina penalty each round he is on fire. From the Fire Arrow's damage, Yark receives -1 Stamina for the rest of the battle.

5. If an opponent's penalties result in a score of 0, then the combat is over. Either the opponent is not capable of continuing due to his/her injuries, or is dead. As a general rule, for the first quest, players cannot die unless they are just completely crazy and reckless. We understand the game may take some getting used to, so we want the game to focus on the role-playing aspect on not how many hit points you have left or if you're going to die. You will only die if you willfully try to get killed.

So the above is how a basic combat round would go. Except the language will be more colorful, obviously. You play off one another's Stats and the roll of the dice only.

 

[Philip Overby]

6. What else do I need to know?

If you have questions, ask. You can PM either Reaver or I for any further info about the game.

In addition to what is listed above, the forum will be host to many different things. Including what is essentially your "Menu." This is a thread you create for your player and put as much information as you want about them. You can put your Stats, weapons, Skills, money, etc. all there so you can check it during the course of the game. It's also a place to show off your character. Since we are not playing against each other, viewing each other's character sheets is not a big deal.

We will also have "City" posts, where you can find maps, stores, and other info, as well as "Dungeon" posts which will slowly reveal the inner-guts of the dungeons as you crawl about them.

So essentially:

Chat=game-play
Forum=pause menu

Since the chat and forum work hand in hand here, it makes finding the info for the game as you play pretty easy.

7. When will we play?

Depending on the amount of players we get, we'd like to organize a time to play, just like old school games do. If for whatever reason you can't play on the designated time, but would still like to play, we may be able to work something out for you. PM us and let us know.

So, that's it for the Info! We'll be updating this as more questions arise and more players show interest. Look here for all your Second Hand knowledge!

Thanks and we hope you agree to play!

 

[Philip Overby]

This thread is now open to the public. Feel free to post any questions here or PM Reaver or I for any questions or thoughts!

 

[Ireth]

This sounds fascinating. Where do we post character info and such once we've made them?

 

[Philip Overby]

Hey, Ireth, glad you're interested. You can post your character information in the tentatively named "The Keep: Player's Respite." You can post most of your character information there and then get certain elements approved by Reaver or I. Let us know if you need any help.

 

[Ireth]

I'm not entirely clear on the idea of "skills". Are those like different kinds of magic things (e.g. fireball, lightning, etc.) or things like aptitude in smithwork, using a certain weapon, or solving riddles? And how do they relate to the Stats? I assume something like smithwork would have Strength for a base stat, while solving riddles would use Intelligence or Awareness, correct?

 

[Philip Overby]

Skills are whatever you want them to be. They can be magic, smithwork, whatever you'd like. It's up to you what they are. Part of this game is having the freedom to make your character however you want. So "Skills" are a sort of all-encompassing way to include these things.

For instance, if you use Smithwork, and put 1 point into it, it becomes Smithwork Rank 1. Perhaps the adjustment is Strength. If your character has a Strength of 8, then when trying to use Smithwork, you have to beat a Challenge (like in D&D). Maybe the Challenge rating for making an iron sword is 20.

Two rolls happen.

1. Challenge Roll: I rolled 6. So 20+6=26
2. Skill Roll: I rolled 12. So 12+(Str)8+(Skill Rank)1=21

So the attempt to make the iron sword failed. You would feasibly pump more points into your Ranks to make it easier to use your Skills.

Another example: Fire Arrow.

1. A wizard has Fire Arrow, Rank 6. Its Stat modification is Intelligence. The wizard has 12 Intelligence. That means he has 18 as his base.
2. He casts the spell at a goblin. The goblin needs to use Stamina to defend against the spell. The goblin's Stamina is 3.
3. Wizard rolls: 14. So 18+14=32
4. Goblin rolls. 3. So 3+3=6

The goblin is on fire and most likely dead.

Remember Skills, Equipment, and Class all have to be worked out with a GM. If you have questions regarding these things, you can post here or PM Reaver or I.

 

[Feo Takahari]

The stats seem a little unbalanced to me. For instance, if you rely primarily on bows, you can mostly ignore Awareness and completely ignore Strength in favor of pumping up Agility. (It also seems like there's no reason to put more than five points into skills, since you can instead put points into the relevant stats for an equal bonus that applies to more actions.)

 

[Philip Overby]

This is mostly a RP game, so the Stats are just a way to RP. You can design a character however you wish. If you want a min-maxed character, that's fine. I know when people played D&D they'd always max out their Strength and have like 3 Charisma. But Stats play more roles than just combat. So they come into play in other ways as well. Because this is a chat-based game, we didn't want the mechanics to play too big of a role, but they serve as more of as a "guide" for how to play your character.

The Skills also serve a RPing purpose as well. Throughout the game players are rewarded bonus points for good RPing. For instance, if someone has 2 Charm, but they constantly persuade people to do what they want somehow anyway, their Charm points will go up. I think of this more like the Elder Scrolls games. When you use an ability or Stat, they go up. If you don't, they stay the same.

 

[Feo Takahari]

In that case, I'd just like to ask about this:

"You can decide what bonuses your specific class gets (extra starting Skills, Stat adjustments, starting Equipment, etc.) This game is all about flexibility, so be creative!"

About how big should the bonuses from a class be? I couldn't help but notice that the first person to post a character sheet apparently gave herself a class bonus of +0!

 

[Philip Overby]

The bonuses for classes are about the same for races. You choose a class (whatever you want) and then the GMs decides what Stat bonuses they get. We're working a lot of the class bonus stuff behind the scenes, so it's not made evident on the character sheets that are posted. In the case of the one person that's posted so far, her adjustment was +1 Intelligence/+1 Awareness.

 

[danr62]

Do you gain levels? I saw that Phil mentioned gaining 5 extra stat points at level 1 for skills and equipment, so do you get more points for additional levels? How does a character gain levels?

 

[Steerpike]

If you want a min-maxed character, that's fine. I know when people played D&D they'd always max out their Strength and have like 3 Charisma.

I'm glad not everyone mix-maxes. There are creative ways in which you can discourage min-maxing as a DM

 

[Reaver]

Do you gain levels? I saw that Phil mentioned gaining 5 extra stat points at level 1 for skills and equipment, so do you get more points for additional levels? How does a character gain levels?

You gain levels after gaining experience points from completing quests and side-quests. After a set number of points, you'll go up a level and have more points to spend on STATS & SKILLS, as well as treasure which can be bartered or traded for Steel or items and equipment.

 

[danr62]

So you can only use points for equipment with the initial 35 points and the 5 points from the first level?

 

[Reaver]

You use the 35 points for Stats. If you have some left over points you can use them for skills. The 100 steel you start off with is for items & equipment.

Check out THE KEEP for great examples of how to make a character.

 

[Philip Overby]

Gaining "levels" is done by doing excellent RPing. That's the name of the game: RPing to the best of your ability. You may get bonus points for RPing throughout a quest in addition to "leveling up." I put that in quotes because there really are no levels, but you'll be rewarded for completing a quest with points you can distribute yourself. The points you are given throughout a quest are done by the GM only.

So to recap, you get the following:

1. 35 Points for Stats
2. 5 Points for Skills/Equipment (or if you have left-over points from the 35, you can plug them in here)
3. Extra points rewarded by the GM for good role-playing throughout the quest
4. 5 Points to be distributed by the player at the end of a quest

As Reaver mentioned, you can see some good examples of characters at the link he provided for The Keep.