MagicWorld1932

Shadowrun/Monster Hunters 1932

a GURPS 4th ed. Magic World Adventure...

Base Rules: GURPS 4th ed. (B), Monster Hunters 1-4 (MH1-4), Loadouts: Monster Hunters (LMH), High Tech (HT), Low-Tech (LT), Magic (M), Thaumatology (TA), Powers (P). Some additional items from Action! 1 & 2 (A!1 and A!2), Dungeon Fantasy (DF) and GURPS Marital Arts (MA).

Basic Setting Assumptions: TL: 6 (+1 and even +2 through Weird Science)

Western Culture Familiarity

English language

Other common languages of the area - French, German, Chinese (Cantonese majority in the city's China Town, but Mandarin also spoken), Lushootseed (Native Tongue of local Salish tribes) and Japanese. Some additional uncommon languages (or recently rediscovered languages, with the return of magic, this languages were quickly 'discovered') include Sperethiel (Elven, discovered on an ancient scroll in the ruins of the Alexandra library), Runic (Dwarven, Rune based language, discovered on a stone tables in the Rocky Mountains of southern Canada), Or'zet (Orkish, discovered in cave drawings in the French Alps), Angelic ('Holy' tongue discovered on stone writings in Jerusalem), Abyssal (Demonic tongue discovered on stone writings in Jerusalem).

Other common cultural familiarity in the Seattle area include First Nations (Native Americans), Central Nations (Central America), South America, East Asian, South-East Asian, Pacific Islander and Australian (but there are others)

HOUSE and UPDATES RULES

Fate: All character begins each game session with 2 Fate Points. Fate Points allow the character to re-roll any one Skill or Attribute roll during a game, exactly like the Luck Advantage. So now regular Luck is reworked to grant +3 Fate Points (for a total of 5), Extraordinary Luck grants another +3 (8) and Ridiculous Luck grants another +4 (12 total!!).

Initiative: for the 1st round of combat, roll 1d6 + your Base Speed for order (keep fractions, minus load, etc.)

Cinematic Rules: Extra Effort in Combat (B357), TV Action Violence (B417), maybe some ideas from MA.

Magic: In 1932 Magic World setting is one of High Mana (see B235) and anyone can learn magic so long as they meet the other requirements. There are two main forms of Magic in the setting; Spell Casting (from GURPS Magic) and Innate abilities that are purchased as Advantages with the Magic (-10%) limitation attached to them. There is also Psychic powers (see MH1-40-48 for some good examples of these types of powers). I am using the Renegade’s Mage’s Unofficial GURPS Magic Errata (I will send the link if needed) with the following additional modifiers; Create spells have a duration of 24 hours. Invisibility ends instantly if the subject attacks, casts a combat spell, or otherwise does anything more violent than moving around, spying, and stealing. Reduce energy cost from 5/3 to 4/2 to compensate. Use ‘Matters of Immunity’ listed in the errata.

High Tech (6+): Alchemy and the Weird Science skills have allowed many high-tech or magic-tech devices to have been introduced to the setting. It is not unusual to see a zeppelin or aircraft based on the designs of Leonardo da Vinci in the skies of any major city. Psychic-Detecting goggles, experimental teleportation devices, elixirs that grant partial immortality, etc. are all talked about as if they are not only possible but have been made by someone, somewhere.

SESSIONS/FATE POINTS/XP

For a PBP game we can’t really use the regular rules for Luck, etc. about every hour so a ‘session’ is generally going to run on average 1 month of real-time. A session might end early but I will try not to run them more than 1 month long.

Fate points (luck) reset at the end of each session.

XP awards will be at the end of each session generally 2-4 points each session end. Players can spend these points as soon as they gain them.

At the end of each adventure I will also award some additional XP (not sure how much yet, let’s see how the game goes).

Brief Overview of the Setting

This setting is partially based on the discussion here on Tabletop Roleplaying Open, Shadowrun 1925, along with GURPS Thaumatology: Age of Gold although magic is much more prevalent.

The Basics…

• Its 1932. The Great Depression has devastated the world’s economy.

• Prohibition is still in affect although enforcement is weak, especially in Seattle.

• Magic returned to the world with a bang in late December 1890 with the Blood Sacrifice that happened during the ‘Battle’ of Wounded Knee (or as the natives called it the Great Ghost Dance Massacre).

• Magic probably existed before this, but it seems the world had forgotten it or it was too limited. There were rumors before the Great Ghost Dance that various explores (especially from the British Empire) were piecing parts of various legends together into the science of Alchemy. This has only advance further and now a lot of weird science is being created all over the world as more explore this “new” science. Today almost everyone knows at least a spell or two that they can call upon with a bit of focus.

• A massive Flu (called the Goblin Flu of 1891) is this setting's version of the VITAS plague leading to the arrival of the various Meta-Humans (called ‘Changelings’). At present about half the world’s population is made up of various non-Human sentient beings. This flu also effected many animals creating (or recreating) mystical beasts such as griffins and thunderbirds.

• Large parts of the west and central parts of old USA and southwestern-central Canada are partially or completely within the control of the Native American Nations. White men and non-Native peoples are second class citizens here. Non-native citizens require Passports to pass through on visit. This is a partial result of the Great Ghost Dance Massacre magical black lash that devastated the west coast and much of the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains. Native tribal lands (reservations) were spared these devastation and it is theorized that this magic also speed up their quick recovery from the last century of war with the USA and Canada.

• The only real ‘western’ city on the entire west coast of North America is Seattle. Most of the others were destroyed by magical storms and earthquakes when magic returned to the world.

• World War I was a bloody magic infused mess and many veterans who returned home scared by their experiences. Changelings were used extensively for bloody charges and suffered terribly during the war (not just in casualties but from prejudice).

• Racist (and now Specism) and Sexism are alive and well and yet many minorities and women rise above their supposed stations to seize that which they want.

• Psychic powers are also making an appearance. Some claim that it is simply another form of magic while other claim that it is an unrelated mystical power. The fact that specific anti-psychic drugs, etc. have no effect on magic and visa-versa had lead some credence to the later.

• With the return of magic there has also been the return of various mythical places and lands. A newly discovered island in the Atlantic Ocean is believed by many to be raised Atlantis, including ruins that are unlocking untold secrets. Around the world various sites and lost cities of advanced societies have been found where none were thought to exist before. This has caused something of an exploration crazy. Many of these places are haunted by monsters of course.

• Monsters and mythical creatures haunt all areas of the Earth, and many counties offer up bounties on them to help control the population of these creatures and to protect their own citizens. While some have traditional stories told of them by the locals others seem to appear at random (such that you might find a flock of griffins in the Rocky Mountains where no stories ever existed of them ever being there).

Schwarz Occult Investigations and Protection

Located in the Fremont neighborhood (mostly residential except near the ship channels, where the office is located). This agency is owned by one Adalbert Schwarz, a middle-age attractive elf male with a dark complexion and hair. He is friendly and good natured, and leaves the day to day business of running the agency to the players. His is a mage of some standing in the local community where he spends most of his time and the agency seems more like a hobby then a business that earns him any money. One unusual feature is that his left upper incisor tooth is stained charcoal black, and he often jokes that back in Germany his nickname was ‘dunkelzahn’ (dark tooth). Something he shares with anyone who ask as if it were some great joke…

Schwarz owns the Ashburg building, where the Agency is located on the 2nd floor. The building takes up most of the block and is four stores high.

The heroes will all have been hired to work for Mr. Schwarz as ‘Occult Investigations and Protection’ as Monster Hunters. The world is full of creatures that feed on the weak and innocent, and your characters are tasked with rooting it out and destroying it!!! The US government offers bounties on some of the worst and most dangerous of creatures and you work to collect these bounties (and to protect innocent people also of course).

Some example bounties (in GURPS dollars, divide by 10 for 1932 $)…

Albino Alligators $3,000 for an adult’s skin/body

Chupacabras $1,000

Feral Vampire $10,000

Werewolf $10,000

Wyven (unintelligent) $5,000

Zombie (and other basic or lesser undead) $150

Player Characters

• Abigail Jones - Orc Warrior who specializes in hunting Lycanthropes.
• Athena Conquest - Strikingly tall, strong and beautiful human adventuress with a special destiny - if only she knew what the hell it was!
• Philip Pala - Hard-boiled dwarf PI with a knack for trouble with spirits.
• Ssrathragata - Dusty desert lizard man who seeks the hidden.
• Felix Throttlebottom -- pipe-smoking greedy little gnome gadgeteer who couldn't get away from monsters even if he wanted to
• Grik Grak Ogre Gunman slingin' dual shotguns who likes to shoot straight