Adversary Templates: LUG and LANK (Freebie)

Sometimes, you just need a quick and simple adversary. While building one from scratch is great, you don't always have the time or energy for it. Today's blog entry introduces a shortcut for adversary creation for when you need one: Templates.

In the context of this (and likely future) blog entries, adversary templates are a very basic set of stats for a certain kind of foe that are intended to be easy to alter and customize on the fly. All you need to do to use one is grab the template, choose an extra ability or two, and you have a functional enemy to drop anywhere you need. Anything marked as Variable can be changed in accordance to the fiction you want to attach to your new adversary. For example, if you use the Lug to create a ponderous Knight of the Sacred Chain, their Home Region would be in the Wistful Dark.

Of course, you can ignore what you don't need or assign more fiction to the adversary or tweak it further as desired. You might even used the time you save on their basic stats to come up with custom abilities for them.

Featured this week are a pair of related adversary templates often seen working together in pairs: the big Lug and the wiry Lank. In their untouched state, they are meant to be native humans (if very odd ones), but you could give them a species ability to make them a different member of the folk if you like and both have suggestions on how to make them into other sorts of creatures as well.

 

Some suggestions on using the Lug and the Lank together...

• Members of a troublesome trio 
• Bumbling minions for a master villain
• Twin guardians of some temple or treasure 

 

LUG

A violent oaf. Use this template when you need some hired muscle, a lumbering threat, or a big bully.

Menace Level

• Boss

Rank

•  4

Type Main/Sub

• Variable

• Variable

    

Size

• Large

Allegiance

• Variable

Home Region/Habitat

• Variable

Traits: Big, Strong, Dense, Oafish (+2 Might, +2 Grit, -2 Insight, -1 Aura)

• Might [12] (P)

• Deftness [9] (P)

• Grit [11] (P)

• Insight [6]

• Aura [7]

Combat Values

• Hearts [3]

• Attack [+3]

• Speed [Normal]

• Defense Rating [14] (+4 Brazen Defense Ability, +1 Standard Shield, -1 Large)

Gear

• A Mighty/Arc (Crescent Maul) or Mighty/Lash (Chain Flail) combination weapon
• Standard Shield 

Communication Methods

• Low Speech, Variable

Tactics

• Variable, but Lugs are usually bullies at heart, using their attacks to try and take down weaker members of a group to help thin out their numbers.

Miscellaneous

• Indicators - Foes that have been crushed by mighty blows, angry stomping, the occasional guffaw.

• Roleplaying Notes - Lugs are single-minded as a rule. Even the smartest among them would rather be ruthlessly direct than employ any amount of etiquette or finesse.

• Customization - Besides the Abilities you choose for them, you might give a Lug some sort imbued weapon or shield. You can also increase their rank to make them a more difficult opponent.

Abilities  

• Lugs always have the Champion's Brazen Defense elective ability, which gives them an improved defense. This can be replaced with the Chompa's Blubbery Hide ability to make a more overtly monstrous Lug.
• As a Rank 4 Adversary, Lugs should have 2-4 Abilities total. the Champion's Brute, The Gruun's As Tough as the Look make for good choices. The Battle Princess's Passion's Fire or the Murder Princess's Frost Blade could be reskinned to represent different forms of elemental attacks for them as well. 

Yield

• Any equipment the Lug has on hand is there for the taking if they are defeated.

Reskin

• You can change a lot based on what Abilities you give a Lug. For example, mechanical Lugs can be created by giving them Abilities from Drones.

 

LANK

A scrawny troublemaker. Use this template when you need a speedy trickster or cackling toady.

Menace Level

• Boss

Rank

•  4

Type Main/Sub

• Variable

• Variable

    

Size

• Medium

Allegiance

• Variable

Home Region/Habitat

• Variable

Traits: Wiry, Clever, Frail, Annoying (+2 Deftness, +2 Insight, -2 Grit, -1 Aura)

• Might [9] (P)

• Deftness [11] (P)

• Grit [6]

• Insight [11] (P)

• Aura [7]

Combat Values

• Hearts [3]

• Attack [+3]

• Speed [Fast]

• Defense Rating [16] (+4 Bulwark of Disdain, +2 Fast)

Gear

• A Master/Arc or Master/Drawn Combination Weapon.
• 10 units of Ammunition if the latter is chosen. 

Communication Methods

• Low Speech, Variable

Tactics

• Variable, but Lanks generally like to use hit and run tactics to annoy and harry their foes rather than face them head on.

Miscellaneous

• Indicators - Foes struck down by multiple wounds, annoying cackling, the sound of someone shuffling about impatiently.

• Roleplaying Notes - Lanks are nearly always petty and cruel. They will not miss a chance at a rude wisecrack or mean-spirited gesture.

• Customization - Besides the Abilities you choose for them, you might give a Lank some sort imbued weapon or special ammunition. You can also increase their rank to make them a more difficult opponent.

Abilities  

• Lanks always have the Murder Princess's Bulwark of Disdain and Mange Bandit's Stray's Step Abilities, granting them a higher defense and making them Fast. 
• As a Rank 4 Adversary, Lanks should have 2-4 Abilities total. The Raider's Free Runner and the Sneak's Flanker are good choices for them. You might also give them some Sage Abilities like Hocus Pox or Eldritch Explosives if you want them to be troublesome warrior-mages.

Yield

• Any equipment the Lug has on hand is there for the taking if they are defeated.

Reskin

• You can change a lot based on what Abilities you give a Lank. For example, giving them some of the Insectoid Aspects that Bellzuub has access to is a great way to create a bipedal bug warrior. 

Legacy Gems (Freebie)

Additives are one of my favorite bits of the BREAK!! core rules. They engage the Crafting system, players can request them after a fashion (with the help of the Research your next adventure Downtime action) and GM's can introduce ones they like and their own personal creations into the game - these are great avenues of expression for the players and game master alike.

 

Inspiration is sometimes hard to come by though. So I wanted to propose a fairly simple idea one can use as a springboard: additives modeled after Calling abilities. As you are using an existing Ability for its imbued benefits, it cuts your work in half as you don't need to worry too much about coming up with new mechanics and just focus on the bit of fiction that's attached to them. 

 

Some additional guideline:

• These are most useful you draw from Callings that are not present in the party already, as they will grant access to powers and tools that the players have no other way of attaining and won't step on anybody's toes.
• It is probably best to stick to Basic Elective Abilities when choosing what to model these off of.
• For the sake of simplicity, I'm going with a cost of 50 Coins for items that grant explicitly magical abilities, and 25 Coins if the abilities they grant are more mundane.

I'm calling these particular Additives...

 

LEGACY GEMS

These are small stones left behind when someone with great power or purpose passes on in a dramatic or sudden fashion. Their wishes, desperation, and final thoughts congeal into some form of unique magical substance. Given the strange nature of their origin they can be found all over Outer World.

 

PALADIN'S TEAR (Based off the Battle Princess Ability Compassion Cure)
A small crystal said to have been shed by a fallen knight that failed their sacred duty. It can grant a great healing power.

• Eldritch: Imbued Items allow you to remove a psychological, physical, or magical Ailment from someone you care about.
• Attempting this Ability during a fight requires you to spend your action.
• This Ability cannot be used for situational Ailments: Toppled, Restrained, and Overburdened.
• Requires and Aura Check
• Success: The Ailment is removed
• Failure: The Ailment remains, you cannot make any further attempts to cure it. 
• 50 Coins Per Unit 

 

TRICKSTER'S TRINKET (Based off the Sneak Ability Many Masks)

This purplish gem was created when a famed charlatan paid the ultimate price when one of their schemes was exposed. Within it lies the power to deceive. 

• Empowering: Imbued Items grant you an Edge on all rolls involving acting out different personas to fool others. You might even be able to trick people you know if your face is covered.
• You have an Edge When attempting to create Alter-Egos during Reputation Management. 
• 25 Coins Per Unit 

 

INKY PRISM (Based off the Sage Ability Glowing Ink)

This jet black stone was found in a bit of spilled ink near a fallen sage's grimoire.  It can imbue a brush or pen with an endless supply of oddly glowing ink.

• Eldritch: Imbued writing or painting tools can create luminescent ink to write or draw with rather than using conventional ink.
• This ink glows as brightly as a torch, but vanishes after a day.
• This ink can also be thrown on an enemy up to 1 Battlefield Area away with a successful Attack Roll.
• The ink does no damage, but prevents enemies from hiding in the shadows.
• Targets that are vulnerable to light may suffer other ill effects at your GM's discretion. 
• 50 Coins Per Unit 

 

VALOR STONE (Based off the Champion Ability Valiant)

A scarlet gem born from the droplets of blood left behind by a mighty warrior felled by trickery rather than proper battle. Within it lies the power to deny fear.

• Empowering: Imbued Items grant you an immunity to the Terrified Ailment.
• You can help allies defend against the Ailment by shouting encouraging words. Those within Earshot gain an Edge on their roll to resist, or remove, the Ailment. 
• 25 Coins Per Unit 

 

 

 

Our mailing list and some fanmade BREAK!! resources

Hey everyone, we have a bonus entry today. I wrote a bit about our plans for the new year, and I just wanted to add some more to that.

First up, we are going to try and start using our mailing list more often to not only send updates on START but also to (eventually) announce some fun bonuses we want to make available for download at the store. If you did join our mailing list, make sure to double check your spam folders and marks us as "not spam" so you can catch all our future e-mails.

Secondly, I wanted to shine a light on some neat resources that fans of the game have made: 

Nboughton has created a fantastic BREAK!! character sheet app  that allows you to make character and adversary sheets. You can also export them as Json files. The adversary sheet also has a particularly useful additional function that allows you to turn them into PNGs for easy reference.

Studio Quagg's BREAK!! resources is home to a big project called the Helical Expeditions, which will eventually include a short adventure for every region of Outer World. There are also other standalone short adventures, some home-brewed species, a link to the big page of custom adversaries from the BREAK!! discord and a set of rules for skyship races.

Haon-Yan World has a variety of notes for a custom BREAK!! setting, including a very fleshed out Bestiary with some great, ready-to-use adversaries to peruse.

Finally, Grim is working on a dedicated adversary creator. While very much a work in progress, it is shaping up to be a very useful tool. 

These and even more great projects and resources can be found and discussed at our official discord server, so please feel free to join us there! I try to be active there as well, and talk about whatever I happen to be working on at the moment.

Anyway, thanks for reading. See you all next week with your regularly scheduled freebie!

High Technology of Outer World (Setting)

Ancient technology is inescapable, even in the fractured era that is Outer World's 4th Aeon. Folk live amongst the dilapidated structures of the old kingdoms and the scars left behind by their follies. Entire species exist thanks to forgotten bio-sorcery. No matter where you stand, the Sun Machine - or its absence - is impossible to ignore. 

For many, these things have the same weight as any natural feature of the landscape might. Drawing water from an ancient irrigation system isn't so different from doing so from a river or spring, assuming it's safe to drink. But others look upon them more curiously. There are earnest efforts to re-learn the workings of these devices and use that knowledge to create new ones.

Such things are referred to as "high technology", to differentiate it from "common technology" - the sorts of things that are easily created and maintained by the means and techniques that are more accessible to the common folk.

Scholars and crafters acknowledge a few categories of high technology. These distinctions are not perfect, as contemporaneous techniques often inform one another and old know-how  provides the foundation for innovation, so there are many cases of overlap. But they remain a helpful way to talk about the myriad of disciplines that have emerged in Outer World's history.

Pre-Historical Technology- These forms of technology existed before Outer World itself had come to be. They are the least understood of any known disciplines.

The Creator left behind a few relics upon his departure. While most of these are records and other documents, some are small devices of understated appearance but  incomprehensible power. Most of these are under the dedicated protection of Old Iron or the Unterkin of Lost Crystal.

Wonder Werk is a catch all term for the creations of the legendary Wondersmith. They range from bizarre creatures and intricate toys to impossibly grand structures like the Sun Machine. Thanks to the sheer scope of the Wondersmith's ability, the only things that truly unite their handiwork is a color scheme of gold and scarlet, the fact they never degrade without outside interference, and that they are, as far as anyone knows, impossible to replicate. Con artists are fond of selling counterfeit Wonder Werks, which only further obfuscates their nature to the layman. 

Great Kingdom Technology - The three great nations of the 3rd Aeon each made great leaps in technological advancement, but took most of their knowledge along with them into ruin. That said these are still the most researched and best understood of the high technologies.

Magitech was an Akenian discipline that married mundane crafting with arcane teachings. It has its origins in the devices created to defeat the Divine Rulers in the 2nd Cataclysm and it advanced considerably during the 3rd Aeon. In addition to their arcane nature, magitech is also often elegant and aesthetically pleasing due to the preferences of Akenian culture. While it is fondly remembered and researched for the most part, there are numerous scars on the surface of Outer World whose origins lie in this potent but dangerous technology.

Bio-Sorcery has its roots in surgery and medicine, rather than gadgetry. The favored art of the empire of Calian, this discipline famously lead to "flesh warping" - the craft of altering and creating organic beings. A controversial practice even in its time, Bio-Sorcery is responsible for dangerous monsters intended to be used as war machines and more benign developments, like magical prosthesis.

Puretech began as the Technocracy of Gley's answer to Magitech and Bio-Sorcery, but flourished when researchers discovered how to make powerful fuel out of congealed mana. Puretech devices are generally bulky and austere (at least compared to Akenian Magitech) but their ease of use and less overt dependence on the arcane make them a bit more broadly usable. Many personal vehicles and handheld tools are descended from this discipline.

Outsider Technology - Technology whose origins are from beyond the stars are known as Outsider Technology. 

Startech came to Outer World along with the Rai-Neko in the form of tools and relics from their place of origin. Sleek and efficient by nature, it is often considered something of a halfway point between Magitech and Puretech in spite of being related to neither. While most Rai-Neko have a basic understanding of its workings, only a specially trained few are able to reliably maintain it.

Otherworld technology is a debated curiosity among Outer World scholars. While many of the relics dimensional strays bring with them are quite novel and have some use, most of it is unimpressive and banal in comparison to the accomplishments of the other high technologies. The entertainment devices are extremely popular however, and even the harshest critic of them has to admit that tooling about with a Game Gal Advance is pretty fun. 

One final note must be made, and that is on the Outer World's understanding of magic and casting. This craft is invaluable to most high and even common technology, but exists alongside it rather than within it. Most scholars agree that one must understand or at least respect the importance of magic if they are going to study the high technologies seriously.

BREAK!! in the new year!

Hey everyone! I know I usually use the blog for freebies - which I still will - but I thought I'd take this week to talk about some things we have coming down the pipeline. We've actually been working on several new things for BREAK!! and I want to talk about a few of them.

 

01 - START

A table-ready adventure

Kickstarter pre-launch page >

 

 

I have to admit we had some hiccups with this one. I had a whole scenario written out that, while I still really like, we agreed didn't make for a good first adventure. So we went back to an older concept and worked with that, creating a set of adventures that start out with something simple and gradually open up into a grander quest. There is a lot of new material for both old fans and novices alike, including rules for party dynamics, new species, and a fleshed out area you could use as the focus of an entire saga. A link to the pre-launch page for START's kickstarter should be right here on the side of the blog if you're interested.

 

 

 

02 - GENUS

Playable exotic lifeforms

 

 

  

Folks on the discord have seen me go on about this one. This is a supplement filled with Species/Calling combos that didn't quite fit in the main rulebook. They are similar to monster classes in other games and provide a different sort of play experience from normal callings (and one another). For example, Fairies mostly focus on support but are also the games first Tiny playable characters. Joining them are War-Mechanoids, Immortals, Dragons, and the shape-changing Ohku. Also included is setting information and new adversaries to help contextualize these newcomers' place in Outer World.

 

Genus is entirely drafted and has some preliminary illustration and layout. It shouldn't take as long as START did to finish (hopefully) so I'm hoping we can tell you all more about it soon.

 

 

 

03 - BIOMES

Mana rich environments

  

This is what I'm currently developing (with Grey making some excited sketches) - my hope is that it'll be a fairly sizeable book about the unique landscapes and ecosystems of Outer World. This will include an expanded look on travel, strange hazards, settlements, and creatures unique to the various corners of Outer World.

 

We have a few others things in the works as well, including some play-aids, those scenarios I wrote for START we didn't end up using, and maybe even a big surprise or two. Hopefully we can reveal those when the time is right.

 

Anyway, that's it for the first blog post of the year. Stay tuned for another freebie next time around. 

 

River Village Tikuto (Freebie, Settlement)

Settlement

River Village Tikuto

One of many villages along the Deynali River, Tikuto is fairly typical of what you’d expect from a fishing town in the Sol Alliance. While very prosperous and mostly peaceful, it is not without its oddities  - making a great spot for beginning an adventuring career.

Settlement function & size

Hamlet, Population 100 (or so)

Mostly a place where fish are caught and sold, Tikuto is also a popular stop for those traveling between the coastal city of Zenith and the Sol Alliance’s capital city, Aeon. Tikuto always gets a lot of visitors around the time that Radiket is being held.

Governance

• Most of the town’s decisions are made via community vote, with the Speaker as a mediator. The Speaker can also call upon the authorities in Aeon, but is very reluctant to do so.

Notable Residents

• Brassa is the town’s protector and best fisher. While well meaning and mostly fair, she is loud and aggressive to a fault. She and her band strut about Tikuto, helping out and occasionally bullying travelers who Brassa might think are trouble.

• If you need stats for Brassa, she is a Promethean Custrel (From the Followers section of the core rules) with a Mighty Weapon. Her cronies are also Custrels of random species.

• Brassa wears Medium Armor made from various fish scales. It actually smells a bit, but no one dares tell her.

• Speaker Talki is Tikuto’s spiritual leader. It is her job to meet with and provide updates to Sol Alliance officials and maintain some sort of order. This has led to a lot of stress when dealing with some of the brasher townsfolk.

• If you need stats for Talki, she is a Human Scholar (from the Followers section of the core rules) with the Everyday Divination Sage Ability.

• Pheeka, the eccentric owner of the aptly named Pheeka’s Fishing Shop.

• Lucky, a Rai-Neko Guide.

• Once the owner of a Pride Coast Ranch, Lucky lost everything after a streak of bad fortune. He’s been spending time in Tikuto plotting his next big move after drifting through much of the Blazing Garden. Getting cozy with a bunch of adventurers seems like a good way for him to reclaim his formerly wealthy lifestyle.

• Charming, Foolish (+2 Aura, -1 Insight)

• Might: 6, Deftness: 6, Grit: 7, Insight: 5, Aura: 8

• Attack: +0, Hearts: 2, Defense: 10 (Unarmored)

• Abilities: Wayfarer (Guide) Hunter’s Blood, Oldtech Proficiency (Rai-Neko Species Abilities)

• Anyone who appears rich or makes consistent displays of wealth will have an advantage when attempting to recruit Lucky.

 Services

• The communal cauldron in the center of the village always has some hearty concoction boiling within it. While intended for hungry townspeople, travelers are welcomed to a free bowl’s worth (enough to nourish one for the day) and a cup of coffee under most circumstances. In addition, a pavilion is set up for those with no permanent homes to rest - this area is usually well kept but is subject to some policing by Brassa and her lackeys if it gets too crowded or rowdy. (Basic Room & Meal, though no charge)

• Tikuto locals will usually be selling extra fish caught that day to travelers (You can roll a few times on the Fishing tables to see what they have) and also sell baskets of Pini Beans as Trade Goods for a standard price.

• A few folk in Tikuto raise and sell Shellstomps. They are a popular way to get around the area!  

• Pheeka’s Fishing Shop is famous worldwide and one of the main reasons anyone goes out of their way to visit Tikuto out. Pheeka herself is well regarded, often considered to be the heart of the town itself in spite of her numerous eccentricities.

Local Flavor

The people of Tikuto are lively and hard working, ready to share the fruits of their labor with one another. Celebration is common, especially when one of the fishers makes a lucky catch. They are staunch believers in the Dawn Orthodoxy and the Sol Alliance, and are a bit suspicious of detractors of those two things.

The town is built in a practical manner, many of the structures on stilts so they can sit along or even within the Deynali river even when it floods a bit. There are plenty of shady spots to rest in as well.

 Troubles

A monstrich has caused quite a ruckus lately, stealing fish and injuring townspeople who try to stop it. It even threw Brassa around for a bit, so even she has to admit someone else might need to handle this one.

One fisher claims to have seen a strange looking structure floating in one of the broader parts of the Deynali. He claims it only stays afloat for a little while and sinks back into the water afterwards, which is why no one else has seen it.

Wandering gourmand Neesha has grown bored of the dishes she normally eats and has come to Tikuto in search of new meals. She will pay handsomely for any exotic fish others can provide. She especially loves globfish and will compensate two-fold for those.

A group of adventurers blew all their money at Radiket and have been loafing around Tikuto, taking advantage of the town’s hospitality and occasionally bullying people. Speaker Talki doesn’t want to send a missive to Aeon to deal with them, so she might ask another party to talk some sense into them.

Pheeka’s Fishing Shop

Near the edge of town and so close to the Deynali that people often joke it’s about to fall in, Pheeka’s shop is Tikuto’s premier spot for fishing supplies. Well, technically it’s the only one, but it is impressive nonetheless.

Shopkeeper

• Pheeka is an eccentric old woman who will gladly help out amateur and professional fishers alike. (Assuming they don’t cause any trouble, that is!)

• She keeps her ear close to the ground and can act as a source of good information for adventurers she’s taken a liking to.

• Pheeka has been the town’s oldest member since the other elders were children - that’s because she’s an Undead Merchant (from the Core Rules) who is very well preserved! She doesn’t carry the bomb they normally do though, since the townsfolk will rush to her defense if need be.

Inventory

All items are standard price

• Fishing Rod (Common Rural Good)

• Pheeka Custom (Functional Arc Weapon/Fishing Rod)

• Crawly Chub (Bait)

• Sunvine Floaty (Coracle)

• Fried Fish Sandwich (Rations)

• This is a new item Pheeka provides. The recipe was provided to her by an Otherworlder!

• Flat-Hats (Blackout Goggles)