[HOE] New Arcane Background (long)

[David R Goecke <mightygecko@juno.com>]

(All right, I wrote this up in 3 hours, as a joke, but who knows....)

Arcane Background: Gamer

 History: The wasted west hardly seems the palce for funa dn games, yet
there is a new group on the rise that call themselves Gamers. Gamers have
been around for over on hundred years, since the 1960's. Gamers played
games, usually themed around fantasy or scifi. The games they played,
Role-Playing-Games, Miniture war games, and collectable card games, have
always been realativly harmless, despite the medias representations of
them. Many concerned parents and religious fanatics thought that these
games, particularly the first mainstream RPG Towers & Trolls, were linked
to the occult and satanism. It was entily untrue, but unfortunatly there
would be a bad bananna who would make a stink for the rest of the bunch
and do some thing stupid, like ACTUALLY attacking their friends with
swords during their simulated combat, or killing themselves when their
character died. But these were far a few between.
 Gamers had been a closly knit group of loners. they'd gather with a
small group of fellow gamers at least weekly to play there games.
Occasionally large Conventions for gamers we're held, where gamers from
all over the world could meet and swap stories and plot lines. THe
invention of the internet brought gamers even closer with online games
and forums for discussing their games.
 Not until after the big bang did gamers start to gain supernatural
abilities. During the week of the blast, the largest gaming convention,
Mega-Con, was being held in Las Vegas. THe blast killed most of the
attendants, but among the survivors was Shawn Hanson, 112 year old game
developer. The surviors took over the Excalibur hotel, and using the
weapons and armor stored within, they used their gaming experience to use
by conquering a a few of the surrounding blocks and defending their land.
When Silas came to power he began to show them how to harness radiation
magic, and many of the "Excalibur Knights" became "Wizards". While he had
no intention of really learning to use magic, Shawn Hanson paid carful
attention to the wizards progress, and the sharp old man began do wonder
and theorize. He wrote down all of his ideas in a tattered notebook. When
he died in 2083 of old age, he had the notebook clenched in his hands.
His attendant, a young wizard named Lacy, secretly took the notebook.
Eventually Silas' plans began to bother some of the Excalibur Knights.
The group attempted to escape the city, but many of them were cut down by
blasts of nuclear fire. Among the surviving escapees was Lacy, still in
possession of the notebook.
  Lacy and the reamining knights eventually split ways. Lacy quickly got
rid of his green robes when he saw how people were reacting to it, and
picked up a purple robe as soon as he found a Mentor willing to vouch for
him. Now lacy was truly living the life he always dreamed. Adventuring
slaying monsters, defending the weak. He had even gained the company of a
Templar, a Toxic Shaman, and a Shoalin monk. During the posses travels
they wound up lost in the Wizards Tower in Seatle. Lacy was very excited,
but a little embarassed about this. He knew exactly what the tower was
before the war, so he lead the group in. he had no idea what it had
become. Lacy's valuable gaming experience pleased the Game Master that
they finished his "Adventure" in a few weeks. The posse left as soon as
they had the chance, but Lacy decided to stay. He enjoyed playing the
game again, in another setting, with out as much risk. He began to really
look at the note left by the late Hanson and noticed some stronge
formulas in the dice rolls. Shawn had unknowingly began to tap into the
occult. Lacy began to experiment and play with these formulas, and
intensly studied the volumes of gaming books present in the tower, and
found something amazing. 
 The hunting grounds had been shaped by gamers for years. The imagination
and dreams of gamers across the world had created an energy within the
hunting grounds, and the spirits of gamers since the 1960's were also
among these energies. Lacy shared his findings with the Game Master (whom
he had befriended) and he was just as excited. They began to share this
information with some of the more "skilled" NPC's within the tower. With
his new knowledge, Lacy set forth into the Wastes, to play the hero once
again and teach a new generation of gamers.

To play the game:
 Gamers need to take Arcane Background: Gamer for starters, adn Academia:
Games nothing else is required. Gamers powers work like templar rewards.
There are 5 levels and a greater reward. A Gamer can start with as many
levels in any powers as he has levels of Academia: Games.
Gaining New Powers: 
 Improving a power costs double the new level, requires a like amount of
hours studying any sort of gaming book and the gamer needs to make a hard
(9) Academia: Games roll. Pass, the power is yours, fail, no power, but
you get your points back and can try again in 24 hours. If the gamer goes
bust on this roll, he gets no power, loses the points, and can't learn
anymore from that particular book. Greater rwards are gained when teh
gamer has a power at level 5, and anyone in his posse receives a legend
chip.

Edges:
Arcane Backgrounds: ??? Gamers can take other arcane backgrounds without
penalties, as long as the meet the requirments for the other AB. The only
exception is Blessed. It seems the church still isn't all that accepting
of gamers.

Hindrances:

Geek Physique -5: Gamers arn't really known for their physical prowess...
never have been actually. Any one with Geek Physique has a maximum
Strength and Vigor of d6, however they get 2 free levels of any knowledge
realted Aptitudes.

Big Words -3: you use big words a lot, which often makes touch wasters
annoyed with you, giving you -2 to any social interactions with them.
Now, before you think this is like Tin Horn, there's a catch. You use big
word, BUT you use them wrong. so you also have -2 to social interactions
with the educated, like Librarians.

The Powers:

D Whatever:
The gamer is capable of hurling dice at deadly speeds. The gamer must
make a throwin': balanced roll to hit the target. The level determines
how much damage the dice are capable of +STR. The power will only work
for a single die at a time and the die is burned up in the process.
level1: 1d4
level2: 1d6
level3: 1d8
level4: 1d10
level5: 1d12
Greater Reward: 1d20

Book Shield:
Gamers are able to defend tehmselves with gaming books. When holding the
book they gain the Defensive Bonus as listed by the level. Higher levels
also give the book an Armor Value, if held in a fixed position, such as
covering your head. Only gaming books can be used in this way, and they
only have power when used by the gamer.
level1: DB1
level2: DB2
level3: DB2 AV1
level4: DB2 AV2
level5: DB3 AV2
Greater Reward: DB4 AV4

GM:
GM stands for Game Master, the gamer in charge of taking his friends
through the adventure. The GM set up the world and reality of the
fantasy. Whatever he said was law. This power halps give that authority
to the gamer by giving him +1 to Leadership, Tale Tellin' and Bluff for
each level.
Greater Reward:

I'm Attacking the Darkness
"Why are you casting Arcane Arrow? There's nothing to attack here?"
"I'm attacking the darkness!" (*followed by laughter, snorts, and
squeals*)
Those are lines from a sketch that pretty much sumed up how most
role-playing game sessions went. Gamers found it hilarious. A gamer with
this power can negate 1 point of lighting penalties per level.
Greater Reward: The gamer can see in all but complete darkness as it it
were daylight

Screen:
Game Master used to set of cardboard screens to sheild important game
information from the prying eyes of her players. Now gamers can use the
essense of that to sheild themselves from the prying eyes of guards and
other people looking for them. Each level of screen gives the gamer +1 to
Sneak.
Greater Reward: If holding perfectly still for one action (without being
seen) the game can fade from site. This lasts as long as its the only
thing he does. He can't move, use a power, or any action no matter how
simple. However, it hides the gamer from ALL forms of detection, visual,
thermal, even scent.

Jargin Storm:
Gamers enjoy what they do, and they love to share the joy of what they do
with others. Over time, some gamers realized that not everyone finds
their games interesting, and the more they would talk about them, the
more they'd seem to fade to sleep. That can be used to a gamers advantage
of course. To use this power, the gamer must be able to speak. Everyone
withing listening distance must make an opposed roll with the gamer, the
victims spirit vs. the gamers Academia: Games. Should the game win, the
victim takes the appropriate amount of Wind list as per level. Higher
levels give the gamer a bonus to his roll. Ona side note, this doesn't
work on other gamers.
level1: no bonus, 1d6 Wind
level2: +2, 2d6 Wind
level3: +2, 3d6 Wind
level4: +4, 4d6 Wind
level5:+4, 5d6 Wind
Greater Reward: +6, 4d8 Wind

Can I Have a Fountain Brew?
Fountain Brew! Nectar of the Gods, and life blood of gamers. This popular
caffine loaded citrus soda was often the lone beverage at gamer
gatherings before the war. Since it's so hard to find today gamers have
learned to draw everylast ounce of energy from what little they can find.
Each level requires the gamer to drink a can of Fountain Dew before
taking effect. Once on, the power lasts for as many rounds as the gamer
has in levels of Academia Games. Effects cannot be stacked, so once in
effect, you can't get the benefits of another until the first ends.
Higher levels start to give the gamer cafine shakes.
level1: +2 to Quickness
level2: +2 to Quickness, +2 to Vigor
level3: +4 to Quickness, +2 to Vigor, -2 Deftness
level4: +4 Quickness, +4 Vigor, -2 Deftness, -2 Nimblness
level5: +4 Quickness, +4 Vigor, +2 Smarts, -4 Deftness, -2 Nimblness
Greater Reward: mmmmmmmm...... 6 PACK! Unlike the other levels, the
greater reward requies the gamer to drink 6 cans! Once you have the
greater reward, you may want to think about taking the chuggin' aptitude.
+6 Quickness, +6 Vigor, +4 Smarts, -4 Deftness, -4 Nimblness.

I wanna cast a spell!
Gamers tend to know a great deal about monsters from their games. Each
level of this power gives a Gamer a tast of that pool of knwoledge by
giving her a +1 to academia: occult per level.
Greater Reward: The game spirits guide the gamer towards finding the
weaknesses of powerful creatures. While it isn't given to them in a
vision or they are taken directly to the weakness, during their search
they may happen upon an old miner who survived tangling with the beast
and only survived by stomping on the creatures left toe. Be clever
Marshal.

All Nighter:
When gamers really get going, they can go days without sleep in order to
finish a campaign. Levels in this power give the gamer bonuses to his
vigor rolls, but only to resist sleep. some levels give the gamer extra
wind for as long as he has the power. And remeber the extra Wind is how
much they get TOTAL. He doesn't get 2 Wind at level2 AND 4  Wind and
level4. He has 2 total at level2, and 4 total at level4.
level1: +2 to Vigor Roll
level2: +2 to Vigor Roll, +2 Wind
level3: +4 to Vigor Roll
level4: +4 to Vigor Roll, +4 Wind
level5: +4 to Vigor Roll, +6 Wind
Greater Reward: +6 to Vigor Roll, +8 Wind

Pizza Man:
Food of gamers everywhere, pizza has been a staple in there diet for
years. The gamer can once a day call for a pizza, that will magically
appear in his hands within 30 minutes or less (roll 1d20+10). The gamer
must make a fair (5) Academia: Games roll to successfully summon the
pizza. The pizza does have a cost though, $20 worth of salvage, minus a
buch per raise. The pizza last for 24 hours before going bad. Any one
eating it suffers vomitting (lose 2d6 Wind) unless the the hungry brainer
makes a hard (9) vigor roll. Should the gamer go bust the pizza is bad
and he still has to pay for it.
level1: Feed 1d4 people
level2: Feed 1d6 people
level3: Feed 1d8 people
level4: Feed 1d10 people
level5: Feed 1d12 people
Greater Reward: Feed 1d20 people

Relics:

Shawn Hanson's Notebook: Though it is still carried by Lacy, should a
gamer ever get his hands on it, he will recieve +4 to rolls for learning
new power while studying it. If you go bust, you can still learn from
this book.

Shawn Hanson's Wheelchair: Hanson's wheelchair was kept in a place of
honor at the Excalibur, but during an attack by a tribe of angry muties,
the chair was lost. Anyone (not just gamers) sitting in the chair has a
+4 resistance to any sort of radiation, normal or supernatural.

Towers & Trolls 1st Edition: The first printing of the first role-playing
game is a valuable tool to any gamer. As long as the gamer has it, he
gains +2 to any academia: games rolls.

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