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Knight
 
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The Eldriss do seem powerful but considering that Warriors cannot afford to sit still, if they do then every half-hour they must engage in ritual combat or become enraged. Combine this with the restrictions that will be (presumably) placed on Scholars and Infiltrators from their mission orders and we have what I see as a viable new character group.
I fully expect to see PC Warriors engaging in mock duels and katas and Scholars engrossed in pieces of technology and interesting plot items as everyone around them runs around screaming ("Do you mind, I'm trying to work here"). I don't expect to see Infiltrators, except when they slip up and we kill, loot and bury them  .
However, Eldriss tech - especially weaponry - scares the bejeezus out of me.
RW: James "Spook" Strelok (KIA)/Dmitry (KIA)/Major Thomas Mortimer (Probably Dead)/Samuel Nyx
PD: Gaspar Lebeau, the awesome gunsmith.
Serenity: Gonner Hendershot/Adelai Niska/Crew
The Brass Hand of Dr. Martell: Colonel Arthur Frosting (ret. dec.)/Crew
RL: I'm real. Are you?
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Champion
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I'd have to sit and think more, but their complete lack of access to Psi is a significant kick in the teeth.
Maybe they can rely on the other players to protect them up, cast heals on them and tele them out of danger - or maybe the other races will just tlet them die.
Oh, and 4 hits per loc really isn't that awesome when you don't have access to level two psi-powers.
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Champion
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My main thoughts centre around...- I can't see the reasoning for Scholars to be immune to inhale damage.
- The 2/3rds reduction on non-com skills threatens the Swiss Army Knife plot hoover. Although I do recognise this is the point of the class.
- I'm hoping Unarmed combat is a general purchase skill in the new rules.
- I have no idea what cut-throat fatal is or why warriors are immune to it.
- Visisshields are going to see a lot of NPC's packing infra-red.
- Ranged Fatal will turn into a plot shotgun.
- The regen effect of Eldriss weapons bypasses the resource management aspect of the game. Unless this is balanced by Eldriss being unable to use native weapons. Although I still think this will adversely impact the typical Sunday morning, hmm, not a lot of bullets left.
- The knockdown effect of Eldriss weapons is going to prove seriously unfun for the crew or result in a lot of NPC's immune to knockdown.
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Champion
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I suppose it's also worth noting I see no issue on a PvP front, native or eldriss, if one wants to take out the other it's pretty much going to happen. Certainly if I come for you you'll be unarmed, you won't be facing me and you won't see it coming. 
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Wag
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I'm hoping Unarmed combat is a general purchase skill in the new rules. I thought this was a bit out of place, given riftworld has previously avoided any kind of damaging unarmed combat. I have no idea what cut-throat fatal is or why warriors are immune to it. I assume it means 'calling fatal due to catching them flat-footed,' (i.e. not fatal due to the fatal skill) Ranged Fatal will turn into a plot shotgun. Bear in mind lots of things are immune to fatal already The regen effect of Eldriss weapons bypasses the resource management aspect of the game. Unless this is balanced by Eldriss being unable to use native weapons. Although I still think this will adversely impact the typical Sunday morning, hmm, not a lot of bullets left. Remember we have always had psi that regenerates anyway. Actually, I thought this was a good contrast to the natives, and shows how much more high tech the eldriss are.
------ <insert really amusing sig here>
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Wag
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| Unarmed combat has always been specifically subdual only. I specifically asked that question pre Read Me (I was playing a thug). Why would that change? Reduction on all non combat skills seems over powered to me. Why would the same person get reductions on such widely different skills? They arent actually more intelligent than humans after all... How about getting the reduction on a named specialist area? Agree about immunity to inhale damage. Why? I'm slightly concerned about the nano-swarms being open to abuse. These will need careful regulation. Surprised there are no Eldriss psi users. Jon - cut throat fatal is usually manifest as someone teleporting behind someone and cutting their throat, for which the official damage is fatal to the torso. My query on that is how warriors will know the difference between this kind of accidental fatal and the 'I spent lots of RP on a skill called fatal' fatal?
- _____________________________________________________
- Riftworld:
Lyria; Morgan Doosh; 'Spanners'; Tamarind of Ruunar - Artificer: Lady Evron (Survivor!)
- M&M: Miss Emily Mortimer
- Blood Red Roses: Miss Audhild Godwinson
- Crusades: Jumanah Amal
- Odyssey: Julia Tiberillus, 'Ridea', of the Cruentus Anatidae
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Squire
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Sarah (9/30/2009)
Surprised there are no Eldriss psi users.
Well only the really old white seers have psi-like powers but considering their anathemea to anything warp related I can't see why they would even tolerate anyone with the ability in other castes so have no doubt weeded out anyone with the possibility a long time ago. Mind this is just what I got from the explanation of their attitude to warp stuff and may be miscommunication.
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Riftworld: Drifter - Westlitside Defender Ashandria - Nanolord
Artificer: Lady Kerrigan Di Canto - Head of House
Maelstrom: General Korupin - Governor of Schaffhausen
Serenity: Crew/Djinn Toby
Waypoint: Crew
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Champion
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Throat cut Fatal is in the rulebook, in the Damage Calls in Close Combat:
"If a target is unconcious, mindless or otherwise unable to act (not counting stasis effects), a throat-cut-Fatal can be enacted, instantly causing Fatal damage to the Head. For safety, it is preferred that the physical action is on the shoulder rather than the throat itself."
(Basically it is the CC equivalent of the point-blank-fire rules.)This insinuated itself into Teleport attacking because of an occasion where the victim was busy trying to persuade the pcs of something when he was ported behind and oblivious, was throatcut, judged fair enough by the reffing at the time. This has never translated to a bona-fidi attack skill in all combat as most enemies are usually too mobile and alert for it. It is good for getting windbags....
Warriors are immune to this due to physiological protection of the arteries and other vital tubes, vertabrae and nerves there, that normal human(oid)s have. I envisaged deep repositioning and cartiligious covering and reinforcement, essentially leaving the throat no more vulnerable than a normal Loc.
The immunity to Inhale damage is a normal Eldriss trait, again something that has always been written in since the time they appeared years ago and by principal I see no reason for them not to have. They have had millenia more than anyone else in colonising and 'terra-forming' varied worlds and it didn't seem unreasonable that a good survival trait to have either developed or even possibly been engineered into them was a tougher more tolerant breathing apparatus. Not to mention that they have been fighting Tsunamians for millenia and might consider letting their population get gassed in their beds as a bit inefficient.
The 2/3s reduction on all non-comb skills..well I think this possible point of proliferation is covered by the toughness they will have in actually aquiring Rp.
An interesting twist on the weapons concern - it's humans who won't be able to use Eldriss weapons..(the codes are not on the normal sheet and for a reason)...is this an incentive to be nice to your Eldriss in a crisis? I know it smacks of Lawgiver, but if you are going to steal, steal from the best. Of course this gives human techs another avenue to explore: how the hell do these Eldriss weapons work and can I hack them so I can use them?
Their lack of Psi, possibly combined with their society being fundamentally not an aggressive one, (just perhaps stubborn), is the only reason the Tsunamians have managed to engage them in a millenia-spanning war with any success.
Unarmed combat is to be restricted to the Eldriss Warrior class. Human martial arts arguments aside, in this system a normal person cannot inflict damage equivalent to a sword in the gut. This part of their class falls into the Beserk Killing Machine section. And again, they have always had this.
Ranged Fatal as plot shotgun. Violence has rarely solved the problems in RW games, but is more usually a side-effect. Plus how many people want to lose Bdpts. I assume the Neurodisruptor is the issue here. I always viewed it as a classic piece of Scholar gear - out in the wilds studying some native species, needs easy-to-use protection without the need to leave a carpet of lions and tigers and bears...and just in case something goes wrong, optional fire. In fact just a better version of what the Needlegun does.
Still not shaking that conviction that we stat 'upwards' to counter pcs or allied npcs I see. Still re-iterating that whilst we might throw a one or two existing harder sods in to counter a lack of our number at certain events in an emergency, like when rude buggers don't turn up with no warning (-which I hasten to add has not happened for quite a while now -) the hardness or percieved hardness of NpCs is subservient to the established character of their type, cult or whatever. We don't tweak to counter, for example, the Screaming God Cult is not suddenly going to 'grow' a new monster that resists Knockdown. This is Riftworld, not GW.
Take Rackman - terrifying reputation and not unreasonably so, but when he was alone and not with a horde, he was by no means undefeatable (if a tad immortal).
Others, in earlier games include stuff like the way Pcs were horrified by how tough Screaming God Cult were, when they are actually less tough than many Typical Twisted. Sure they have either Fatal Blow or Ambidex and they ignore the K.O. rule and mindfx in their insane froth, but they are Bdpt weak (compared to bestial Twisted), rarely wear armour and can't fire guns. This is the character of their Cult. Tentaclades are Tentaclades and if I use an extra one here and there because we lack a horde, I won't lose sleep about it. You can always try giving in.Not too heroic, but practical sometimes. By the way, I don't mind telling you that the Dance of Nightmares is actually untargeted and random (well it is aimed, vaguely at the group) usually by my technique of watching my feet, move till I get to someone and that's the unlucky sod. 
This is relevant to the Eldriss - whilst I understand that you need to guard against 'system-breakers', I'm not going to 'tame' them down till they are just like other riftworlders, because they would be no more alien than the westers are to the Citiers.
There is nothing said about comparing relative 'intelligence' of Eldriss and Humans, but Scholars in a particular way, 'receptive'.
Being terrified of some of their tech is exactly how you should be.
What does occur to me is this is an opportunity at Booking Time - not only with balancing the game but also avoiding last-minute-mission-brief headaches - it might well be best if I set a maximum limit on Eldriss Pcs at each event, where on-the-gate, unbooked surprise players are not allowed to be Eldriss at all. If I make it clear in the rulebook that any Eldriss players always need to be prebooked, it might save a lot of grief.
I'd have to see how to work this with any existing/established Eldriss player who might show or prebook after the max is already hit at following events, perhaps allowing a couple of spaces reserved for this. I'll have to think on that.
All of which may not be an issue, given how I think the Eldriss are going to be quite a challenge to play and therefore not a hugely popular choice.
We've only ever had what, two or three Cyberates and that seems to just be from a props/kit issue for people. I might also be fascist on the kit design, like the Braceblades which need to be vambrace-style mounted and not just normal swords and make sure people have the Concussion weapon that odd shape and not just 'another toy laser'. The commitment to playing one is going to be high, basically and it is only because the player base has continued to impress me with the 'maturity' of approach, (with which we have definitely been lucky and I hope helped by the 18cert.), that I think someone could potentially make an Eldriss character work if given to choice in Char. Creation. And to be honest, they were just too cool to leave out.
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- Come to Riftworld:the sun never shines, tomorrow is not a better day, but you can drink and swear all you like. That's when we attack.-
"We make ritual noise, we weave the fabric of dreams..."
Bugger it, I was supposed to be having a break from this stuff...oh well....
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Champion
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Fain2 (9/30/2009)
Still not shaking that conviction that we stat 'upwards' to counter pcs or allied npcs I see.Not upwards essentially, but you are unlikely to run an event which lacks any challenge to the players. I suspect we would not have seen so many spined wolves last time if we hadn't anyone with close combat skills, similarly I doubt I would have been shot in the head twice with an S4 before I got a second shot off at the winged god cultists if there weren't characters that could deal with that. Neither of those encounters were particulary dynamic for my character builds at the time.
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Champion
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Sure, we like to keep some fun in it (kind of the reason for it all afterall), and try gauging if we are really pagging the pcs into the ground to detriment of their enjoyment, but I don't go around checking if your Medics are actually in range before setting up an attack on a patrol, or even if they have enough juice to treat all the casualties that may occur. If I had already decided the attackers at this point should include a vengeful Darker Angel because the plot has developed to that point, I do it. It's rarely about what I think the players can cope with on site, but getting the writing of the plot developments cohesive. What I mean is the root of avoiding the need to stat up is to try and make any kind of NPC involved some kind of challenge or interesting in some way at the point of creation, not on the spur at the event. Like keeping a cohesive system of metaphysics, so you don't get some ludicrous cartoon of a monster who comes out practically invulnerable because mr x isn't there with the mystic-obscure-wang-sword of silver that no-one could possibly know about, but could be legitimately scary in a comprehensible or at least confrontable way. End of the day, you can stand, flee, dive behind cover or even plead for your life. If you've run out of heavy weapons or the guy with Fatal Blow isn't there, I'd suggest you do that when faced by a Big Bad in the woods.
Take specifically the Spined Wolves at the last event. Sure it was probably at the back of my mind remembering that at least some of the pcs had cc skills, when I wrote them in, but the composition of that group was essentially determined at the write and what I thought was appropriate to their cult mission and when they went for the players I honestly never checked to see if there were cc fighters present. Harsh as it might seem, most of the pcs have learned lessons IC as well as OC about what are good survival tactics. Take the whistles: they were not always present or used as efficiently as they came to be in later events (down to a fine art amongst some pcs) and I know for a fact that there would have been more deaths and late arriving medics at these events than happened. The players adapted to the tough conditions, rather than me needing to 'tone up/down'.
But I'd never deny there is some give and take in the running.
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- Come to Riftworld:the sun never shines, tomorrow is not a better day, but you can drink and swear all you like. That's when we attack.-
"We make ritual noise, we weave the fabric of dreams..."
Bugger it, I was supposed to be having a break from this stuff...oh well....
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