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“I’ve got your back. Always.” The Wingman (or woman) values their team over individual talents.
Partners at Home by Express Monorail
Wingman
“I’ve got your back. Always.”
The Wingman (or woman) values their team over individual talents. They might be part of a military unit, a paranormal team or half of a close partnership. Whether through training, a shared history, or natural synergy, a wingman increase the effective of their allies, protects them and knows how to save things when they inevitably screw up.
That doesn’t mean they’re not their own person. Quite the contrary, these characters often compliment or contrast highly with the rest of their team. They’ve got a unique past and set of abilities, but they’re almost always willing to put their team first.
Examples include Robin, Dr. Watson, and Chewbacca.
Starting Feature
You’ve got your friends back, and sometimes that means making sure people focus on you while they get their butts out of the way. Whether you prefer to blast with a gun or swing a huge sword, it should draw your enemies ire, giving your allies a moment to flee.
Benefit: You gain the Cover Fire power.
Cover Fire Wingman Attack You unleash a wide, but weak attack, to anger as many foes as possible.
Encounter * Martial, Weapon
Standard Action Close blast 4 or Close burst 1
Target: Each creature in blast or burst
Attack: Highest ability modifier vs. Reflex
Hit: Highest ability modifier damage and the target is marked until the end of your next turn.
Special: This attack is a close blast when used with a melee weapon or a close burst when used with a melee weapon.
Additional Features
Level 5 Feature
Your experience with your allies has made it clear you need to look out for them. Your always looking over their shoulders and ready to step in if they need you to loom nearby.
Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus to Intimidate and Perception.
Level 10 Feature
Your allies represent a wealth of skills and knowledge but everyone needs a little help now and then. You’re always willing to lend a hand, and have gotten adept at assisting even in areas where you don’t normally shine.
Benefit: When you successfully use Aid Another the bonus increases to +3, instead of the usual +2.
Optional Powers
Level 2 Utility Power
Your allies are always getting themselves into trouble. If they’re not pointing their guns where they don’t belong, then they’re probably running their mouths. It’s up to you to smooth things over.
Quick Save Wingman Utility 2 I think what my associate meant to say was. . .
Encounter * Martial
Immediate Interrupt Close burst 5
Trigger: An ally in the burst makes a bluff or diplomacy check
Effect: The ally can reroll the check with a +2 bonus.
Level 6 Utility Power
Sometimes a missed opportunity opens up options for another person. You’ve learned to work in concert with your allies so that when they fail, you can respond doubly quick.
Sudden Opening Wingman Utility 6 As the enemy ducks under the magical bolt he twists, revealing to you the hole in his armor.
Encounter * Martial, Weapon
Immediate Reaction Close burst 10
Trigger: An ally in the burst misses with an attack
Effect: You make a basic attack against the missed enemy. You have combat advantage against the enemy for this attack.
Level 10 Utility Power
Even though it seems like you’re always cleaning up after your allies you wouldn’t trade this team for another. Your allies inspire you. When they succeed, your chances to succeed raise in response.
Call to Glory Wingman Utility 10 You see a spray of blood fly across the battlefield and you surge forward to finish the job.
Daily * Martial, Stance, Weapon
Minor Action Personal
Effect: Until the stance ends, whenever an ally you can see scores a critical hit, the critical hit range of your weapon doubles until the end of your next turn.
Sure, I can fix that. In fact, I’ve got a few ideas on how to make it better…
Mechanic by Slagheap
Mechanic
Sure, I can fix that. In fact, I’ve got a few ideas on how to make it better.
The mechanic is the first person you turn to when you have something that needs fixing. They’re the guy that’s going to fix your armor, the scientist that will find the hidden aliens, and the genius who can build a plane out of some junk in your garage.
Mechanics can be found in all settings, whether they’re scrounging in a post apocalyptic wasteland, hidden away in a government facility, or sweating in a space shuttle’s engine room. When they’re in the field, they’re the first people to think outside the box or make something out of nothing.
Examples include MacGuyver, Forge or Kaylee from Firefly.
Starting Feature
When pressed for resources your mind spins and you soon start breaking down whatever around you into its component parts. With a few minutes and handful of common items, you can come up with exactly what you need.
Benefit: Once a day, you can create a piece of Mundane Equipment worth 100 gp per your level. At 11th level you can choose to instead create a magic item of your level -10. Creating the item takes one minute for every 50 gp of its value.
Additional Features
Level 5 Feature
You have a basic understanding of the world works. As you constantly disassemble and rebuild things, you learn more and more that was never found in any textbook.
Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus to Mechanics and Science.
Level 10 Benefit
Magic is just science that people don’t understand. You’re beginning to unlock what makes all these wizards tick. With a bit of time, you can mimic any of their effects.
Benefit: You can cast Arcane Rituals and make Alchemical items of your level -2 or lower. You use mechanical parts for your components.You use Mechanics instead of Arcana for Rituals and Alchemical recipes.
Optional Powers
Level 2 Utility Power
Sometimes armor just needs a quick patch in the right place to keep your allies safe. You’ve always got a little bit of kevlar or leather to make things right.
Quick Patch Mechanic Utility Power 2 You quickly tie down some spare material over the tear in your ally’s armor until you can fix it properly later.
Encounter * Martial
Minor Action Melee 1
Target: One ally
Effect: The target gains temporary hit points equal to 5 + your highest ability modifier.
Level 6 Utility
You always keep a few chemical compounds on you for field repairs. Some of them also make powerful lubricants and solvents.
Release Bonds Mechanic Utility 6 You reach into your pocket and pour a vial of acid on your allies webbed boots. The webbing melts away, leaving your allied unscathed.
Daily * Martial
Minor Action Melee 1
Target: One ally who is restrained or immobilized.
Effect: The target is no longer restrained or immobilized.
Level 10 Utility
Hitting enemies consistently is one the fastest way to end an armed conflict quickly. To meet this end you’ve developed a sensitive targeting sensor that makes aiming easier. Any sudden movement can knock it out of alignment, unfortunately.
Targeting Sensor Mechanic Utility 10 You line up a small optic unit with a laser target and then balance it with your weapon. Your allies can follow its aim to keep their trajectory.
Encounter * Martial, Stance
Minor Action Close burst 10
Effect: Until this stance ends, you and any ally in the burst gains a +1 power bonus to attack rolls. This stance ends if you move.
One possible theme for 4e Modern Fantasy… The analyst is constantly examining a situation. They know what’s out of place, what looks weak, and notice when things change…
Detective by ollarte.ollie
Analyst
“What’s this bit of cloth here? This shouldn’t be here. It’s different, that makes it important.”
The analyst is constantly examining a situation. They know what’s out of place, what looks weak, and notice when things change. They can be a detective, an interrogator or even an archaeologist – there are a number of fields that would develop these skills.
Of course, as a hero, you stand high above your peers. You see things nobody else sees, and have learned to apply your skills in combat, taking out opponents with intelligence and tact.
Modern Examples include Batman, Dick Tracy and Indiana Jones.
Starting Feature
Your mind is your most powerful tool. Every action has some consequence, and every mystery a trail. You’ve known how to find the important clues, and you rarely make mistakes.
Benefit: Whenever you make an active Perception check to search, roll twice and take the highest result.
Additional Features
Level 5 Feature
You’ve become so used to finding the hidden truth, you often notice things when you’re not even actively searching. Even a person’s face tells you more about what’s really going on.
Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus to Insight and Perception.
Level 10 Feature
You’ve becoming more accustomed to fighting as a unit with your allies, and they’ve learned to follow your lead when you find an enemy’s weakest point. You strike hard, leading the way for a succession of blows.
Benefit: Whenever you have Combat Advantage against an enemy, any allies adjacent to you also have Combat Advantage against that enemy.
Optional Powers
Level 2 Utility Power
Your enemy announces their attacks to you with every step and reflex. You’ve learned how to predict their next blow to stay mobile in combat with minimal risk to opening yourself up to enemy counters.
Predict Blows Analyst Utility 2 Left hook, step forward, thrust with the knife. I see the pattern now.
Encounter * Martial, Stance
Immediate Reaction Personal
Trigger: You are missed by an attack.
Effect: Until this stance ends, you gain a +2 power bonus to defenses against Opportunity Attacks.
Level 6 Utility Power
Your skills at targeting the enemy’s weak points are improving. You know that when you really focus on the task at hand, it’s near impossible to stop you. Even when the enemy takes you by surprise, you get your shot.
Never Miss Analyst Utility 6 You take your shot and the enemy dodges at the last moment. Even though you didn’t hit them dead on, the attack still grazes their arm.
Daily * Martial, Stance
Minor Action Personal
Effect: Until this stance ends, when you miss with an attack power you deal your Highest Ability Modifier damage to the target.
Level 10 Utility
It can be hard to read the supernatural and the abominable. Certain enemies can get into your head or try to keep you out of the action. You’re the master of your own body, and can logic yourself out of many situations.
Force of Will Analyst Utility 10 This doesn’t make sense. This is my ally, not my enemy. I will not allow myself to be controlled!
Daily * Martial
Immediate Reaction Personal
Trigger: You fail a save vs Dazed, Domination or Stunned.
Effect: You reroll your saving throw with a +2 power bonus.
Dread, the RPG. Dungeons and Dragons 4e (Midgard). Modern Assembly. And Project Ninja Panda Taco!
One of the things I always want to do at conventions is to try games that I’ve never played before. This doesn’t always happen, though, as I do love GMing and teaching games (and I’m prone to volunteer for such things – see GenCon Report 2). However, at GenCon I managed to pull this off even with my excessive Marvel Heroic running.
Dread
Thanks to the fabulous D20 Blonde, I got to play in an incredible game of Dread. For those not following the latest story in D20 Monkey, Dread is a horror game with no dice. Whenever you want to do something outside of your normal skill set or notice something out of the ordinary, you pull a block out of Jenga Tower. The same is true if two characters are competing with each other. Each players pulls a block one after the other until someone backs down or the tower falls. If you knock the tower over your character is dead. Maybe not right away, but the GM may kill you off at any moment.
It’s a story-driven game. In our case, that meant an upbeat, rather comical first half that felt very much like I was playing Fiasco. The second half was a lot more serious, with every pull being watched with horror. It probably helped that I had an amazing group to play with, including Philippe Menard, Kate Kirby, Brian Patterson, Anna Walker and Jason Slingerland.
The mechanic that I really liked is the way character creation worked. There are pregenerated roles that people can pick from as the base of the character that are already linked to the story. In this case, it was circus-themed, so there were characters like the Ringmaster, the Dog Faced Boy and the Daredevil. Once your character was selected, you were give a questionnaire (created specifically for this character in this story) that you would answer to flesh out who you were playing. That way each character is tied to the story in specific ways, but also your own. It was very cool.
Dungeons & Dragons 4e (Midgard)
Now this might not seem like a new game. Anyone who reads Stuffer Shack knows I’ve played D&D 4e a fair amount. However, I did get to do something new with it at GenCon. I ran a game for one of the patrons of the Midgard Bestiary, which is now available, but was not at the time. I had created a lower paragon scenario just for this session. It was a bit of a dungeon crawl with a little mystery tied to it, in an area of Midgard that hasn’t really been explored by the adventures yet (by the way, The Midgard Campaign Setting is now available).
This was my Saturday Night activity that I had scheduled for four hours until Midnight. About an hour and a half in we started our first combat. It was awesome. Everybody games differently and I can assure that it never takes my players that long to stab something at home. It wasn’t that the players were dragging their feet either; they were just having a ton of fun interacting with the world and each other. It was highly entertaining and a great example of how 4th edition is not a tactical minis combat game, unless you want it to be. I ended up running three extra hours over and still had to cut some things to get to the final fight.
Modern Assembly
My Modern Assembly playtest went less well. I must be getting better at pitching because a set of beta rules that allows 4e fans to play in a modern fantasy setting pulled in four people who had never played D&D 4e before. I don’t generally mind teaching 4e to people, but that wasn’t really the point of the playtest. I wanted to test the new rules. There was also a big difference between the maturity levels of the players involved, which happens sometimes with con/pick-up groups. Still, I think people had fun, but it just wasn’t what I wanted. I was disappointed.
Project Ninja Panda Taco
I was very fortunate to meet the very nice Jennifer Steen at GenCon this year. You probably know her as the host of Jennisodes (when do I get my interview Jenn?:P ) but she’s also the designer of Kickstarter success Project Ninja Panda Taco.
We sat down with a few other fine folks to test drive the game. You play both a Mastermind (created by you with input from other players) and a minion. Each turn, two masterminds go head to head as one tried to stop the other’s nefarious plot. Each Mastermind pitches an awesome benefit that the minions will get should they choose to help them. Each minion you get to help you provides a small bonus to your roll. Each Mastermind rolls and the highest total wins that round. Play continues around the table so everyone has an equal amount of time playing their minion and mastermind. Whoever completes the most steps in their evil project wins!
One of the things that surprised me was the lack of good guys to foil your Mastermind. The ideas of bad guys fighting the bad guys was a lot of fun, but I wanted to know how this came to be, so I asked Jenn. She said:
“Masterminds can be good guys and take over the world doing good! During playtesting I had everyone make three characters, which created too many issues. Having a Mastermind and using that character during play against the other players made the game much smoother. Character creation was faster and players can jump between two characters easily. Having more than that made it confusing.”
Good answer! I certainly recommend this very silly game that doesn’t take long to bring the laughs and can be played in under an hour. Watch projectnpt.com for updates. The expected release date is currently in December or January of this Winter.
There are 809 Backgrounds on the Wizards of the Coast Compendium. Here’s a small list of those that will most easily translate into a campaign with modern options.
There are 809 Backgrounds on the Wizards of the Coast Compendium. That’s a lot of options. Depending on the setting your using, any may be appropriate. Here’s a small list of those that will most easily translate into a campaign with modern options.
While I don’t want to replicate current options, these 809 options aren’t quite enough. We need a delivery system for our two new skills, and backgrounds are a better sacrifice to most players than a feat. The following backgrounds are specifically designed for Modern characters to gain the Mechanics or Science skill.
Airman by John Kroll
Airman
Type: Occupation
Setting : Modern
You served in your nations airforce or as a commercial pilot, learning the ins and outs of several kinds of planes. You came to know the sky well, and can read it for signs of a storm and heavy winds.
Associated Skills: Mechanics, Nature
Laborer
Type: Occupation
Setting : Modern Your a skilled member of trade that requires training, but doesn’t generally require advanced education. You might in construction, an electrician or a mechanic.
Associated Skills: Athletics, Mechanics
Physician
Type: Occupation
Setting : Modern
Years of schooling and real world experience has given you real knowledge of modern medicine. You know how to treat the wounded, analyse illness and prescribe modern pharmaceuticals.
Associated Skills: Heal, Science
Scientist
Type: Occupation
Setting : Modern
You’re a skilled academic researcher, in one of many fields, though you’ve learned a bit of everything. You’ve learned to analyse your environment, observe the details and direct this information into conclusions about the world.
Associated Skills: Perception, Science
BMW Motorcycle Stuntman by Magius Design
Stuntman
Type: Occupation
Setting : Modern
You’re a trained professional in the world of stage and screen. You can take a hit, and make the fall realistic. You’ve been behind the wheel of a number of vehicles and know how to maneuver them at high speeds.
Associated Skills: Acrobatics, Mechanics
Techie
Type: Occupation
Setting : Modern
Gadgets are like a natural extension of your hand. You might be a professional in Information Technology, an amateur hacker or just be addicted to cutting edge tech.
Those of you who follow my work with the Gamer Assembly know I’ve been working on a rules module for D&D 4e…
Those of you who follow my work with the Gamer Assembly know I’ve been working on a rules module for D&D 4e that I’ve been calling Modern Assembly. I took a bit of a break on things to play with the Marvel RPG and get the Midgard Bestiary Kickstarter rolling, but now I’m back!
Modern Assembly is being designed with a few goals in mind:
Keep as much of the currently available 4e content as straight-out-of-the-box useful as possible.
Only create what needs to be created, with a focus on mechanics that are modular and/or easily incorporated.
Support as many variations of modern fantasy as possible.
Themes are used to add Modern Ideas to existing classes. We introduced the Faceman and the Fated in this way.
Modern Skills can be obtained through Backgrounds. It’s been condensed into just two skills, Mechanics (which covers Engineering and Advanced Driving) and Science (which covers computing).
That gives us enough mechanics to play the game, but not quite enough for a good playtest document. I’ll be working on Backgrounds, at least 4 more themes, and Vehicles before my scheduled playtest at GenCon. Look for more posts on the subject soon.
In the mean time, I’d love some comments on what to do about the name. Modern Assembly doesn’t exactly sound like a guns vs. dragons type game. It sounds almost like a UN simulation.
The end game should help you run Modern Fantasy settings like Buffy or Blade, but also post apocalyptic scenarios like Reign of Fire.
I’m leaning towards “Dwarves with Shotguns”. What do you think?
Knowledge drives these characters, and its their knowledge that makes them feel safe and strong.
remember to thank all the books you haven’t read over the past three years by osiatynska on Flickr
Academic
Books are the light that warms the human race. Whether paper or electronic, it is our shared knowledge that allows us to stand among gods.
Knowledge drives these characters, and its their knowledge that makes them feel safe. They may be ordinary people – such as a scholarly student or brilliant professor. Others still are linked to the fantastic, such as a paranormal expert or a sage of the occult.
While they might start out as introverted and bookish, they soon find themselves flung into adventure where they put their learning to good use.
Examples include Rupert Giles, Henry Jones Sr., and Temperance “Bones” Brennan.
Starting Feature
Research is the key to your success. You’re always reading when you have the chance, and find the best resource is from the source. To that end you’ve committed yourself to learning new languages, a task that you continue to work at throughout your career.
Your skills at research also help you find the most helpful pieces of information quickly. Using what books you have on hand, and your vast stores of knowledge, you come up with a quick tip to give your allies the advantage they need.
Benefit: You gain a new language. In addition, whenever you make a successful Monster Knowledge check against a creature, you and your allies gain combat advantage against that creature until the end of your next turn.
Additional Features
Level 5 Feature
Your continuous studies have gained you a wealth of knowledge, even picking up bits and pieces from the fields that are not your focus.
Benefit: You gain a new language. In addition, you gain a +2 to bonus to all of the following skills if they are untrained: Arcana, Dungeoneering, History, Mechanics, Nature, Religion, Science and Streetwise.
Level 10 Feature Using knowledge to fight the strange and fantastic has become second nature to you now. While things may seem frightening at first, you know the only fear is the unknown. A little knowledge makes things much more manageable.
Benefit: You gain a new language. In addition, whenever you make a successful Monster Knowledge check against a creature, you and your allies gain +2 versus Fear attacks and saves from that creature.
Optional Powers
Level 2 Utility Power
You have a knack for figuring things out. When things are at their most critical, and failure seems imminent, that is often when you get your true inspiration.
Applied Knowledge Academic Utility 2 You pour over the clues, straining your mind to get the answers you need. In your distracted state you spill a vial of acid, and all seems lost until the chemical reaction takes you in a surprisingly new direction.
Encounter * Martial
Free Action Personal
Trigger: You roll a skill check and dislike the result.
Effect: You roll the check again taking the new result.
Level 6 Utility Power
In your pursuit of knowledge social skills were not often prioritized. You recognize the power of words however and can showcase your knowledge to win people over.
Confounding Facts Academic Utility 6 When the chief investigator finally turned to you, you turned to science, spilling out a list of information that bewilders the inspector into respecting you.
Encounter * Martial
Standard Action Personal
Effect: You make either an Arcana, Dungeoneering, History, Mechanics, Nature, Religion, Science or Streetwise Check and use the result in place of a Diplomacy check.
Level 10 Utility Power
Your allies really should read more. Instead, they depend on you to shout out that they’re doing it wrong when trying to ward off the latest ill effect via flailing their arms.
Insightful Suggestion Academic Utility 10 “Stop! Drop! And Roll!”
Daily * Martial, Reliable
Immediate Reaction Close burst 10
Trigger: An ally in the burst fails a save against an effect.
Effect: Make a Monster Knowledge check against the creature who applied the effect. If successful, your ally rerolls the save with a bonus equal to your highest ability score modifier.
Thanks to the fabulous 
Now this might not seem like a new game. Anyone who reads Stuffer Shack knows I’ve played D&D 4e a fair amount. However, I did get to do something new with it at GenCon. I ran a game for one of the patrons of the Midgard Bestiary, which is 
I was very fortunate to meet the very nice Jennifer Steen at GenCon this year. You probably know her as the host of 
