I've got mine!

You guys are geniuses! I love you, all of you! And the best part: I've got a Starwars RPG session scheduled on Wednesday. My little finger is telling me that this is going to change shape into an awesome first Fantasy Craft initiating session!

Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. I've got one last holiday week... Hell, I'm gonna enjoy it!  

PS: This is going to stay on the front page of my website news for at least a month!

I dunno if FantasyCraft has been delivered to Mongoose yet, and I don't know if it's too late, but I have to mention something. If it is going to be a hardcover release, could it please please please be the same kind of binding as for the latest prints of Spycraft 2.0? You know, the articulated one and not the old kind from which pages wouldn't stop coming off.  

[Sample Archeologists]

Fearless Jim, I knew it! Well, here it comes.

The Archeologist is an expert class for Spycraft 2.0, freely inspired from d20 Dark Matter’s Field Antiquarian and Hollow Earth Expedition … as well as other obvious sources.
Sample Archeologists: Lara Croft, Benjamin Gates, Daniel Jackson, Indiana Jones, Dirk Pitt, etc.

Prerequisites
Cultures: 6+ ranks.
Search: 4+ ranks.
Feat: World Traveler.

You are an academic passionate about field work, and you’re ready to go as far as necessary to extinguish your – actually inextinguishable – thirst for knowledge. You are a rugged, independent individual with strong beliefs – though strange from time to time. You will certainly refuse to ally with a financier or militaries whose bad intentions you suspect, preferring to go adventuring alone, only with your talents, your backpack and quiet a dose of sheer luck. Because you have put your life in danger so many times – and survived to tell your adventures – you’ve acquired a reputation of great explorer, daring tomb raider … and unstoppable charmer!
Favored Attributes: Intelligence and Charisma are your main assets, but you cannot allow any flaw in any attribute if you hope to live old.
Vitality: 1d10 + Con modifier per Level.

Class Skills
Acrobatics, Analysis, Athletics, Blend, Cultures, Mechanics, Medicine, Networking, Notice, Search, Security, Survival.
Skill Points per Level: 6 + Int modifier.

Core Ability
Sense of humor: Even in worse situations, your spirituality helps you carry on. You benefit from a stress damage resistance equal to your Charisma bonus (minimum 1). This resistance also applies to any of your allies who can see or hear you.

Class Abilities
Globe-Trotter: To go to the end of your research, you have to be able to communicate with locals, even on the other side of the globe. At level 1 and every 3 levels thereafter (4, 7, and 10), you gain one additional Cultures focus or forte.

Talisman: You are so often confronted to death and unexplainable – something some people don’t hesitate to call supernatural – that you’ve become a little superstitious and/or mad, like so many of your kind. Choose among your Possessions one common item or gear pick to become your talisman. If you ever loose, get confiscated, or are voluntarily separated from your talisman for more than one hour, you lose your Sens of humor, Amazing looks, “I’ve seen so many things”, and “That was really close…” abilities until you get it back.

A talisman? Seriously, what for?
Well, the talisman is there for two reasons.
First, for flavor. You must not see the talisman as a magical artifact, but rather as an object with a strong emotional value that you cherish a lot. An example of such a talisman would be Indiana Jones’s hat, to retrieve which he almost got his hand crushed under a stone door.
The second motivation behind the talisman is game balance. Whatever the care I build it with, the Archeologist is a “house-made” expert class. The talisman is some kind of power valve. If, as a GC, you have accepted this expert class at your table but you consider it, after all, a little bit too powerful or versatile, the talisman should give you a leverage to adjust the balance. But be careful not to abuse it: troubles tied to the talisman must spice the game … not slow it down. And as always, do never frustrate a player!

Archeologist’s Eye: By dint of seeing antiquities, you can authenticate them in the blink of an eye. Starting from level 2, your Analysis/Appraise and Analysis/Authenticate checks don’t have the Gear (Appraisal Kit) or Gear (Authenticate Kit) tag anymore. If you still possess the corresponding kit, you can increase your error range by +2 to make the check in 1 round instead of 1 minute. Finally, when you appraise or authenticate a rare or damaged object, the error range of your Analysis checks raise only by half the normal increase (rounded up).

Survival Instinct I. An uncaring Archeologist is as good as dead. During an exploration, your life is of course threatened by antediluvian traps, but also sometimes by truly alive foes. From level 3 on, you gain a +1 chance bonus on all saves, Defense, Notice, Search and Security checks in relation with traps or to spot an ambush. Further, when you spend an action die to boost such a throw, you roll and add the result of two dice instead of just one.

Survival Instinct II: At level 6, your chance bonus raises to +2. Further, your Security/Disable checks don’t have the Gear (Mechanics kit) tag anymore. If you still possess the kit, you can raise your error range by +2 to divide the necessary time by 10 (minimum 1 round). This doesn’t apply to checks with the Gear (Electronics kit) tag.

Survival Instinct III. At level 9, your chance bonus raises to +3. Further, all adjacent allies also gain the bonus, but they lose it as soon as they get away from you.

Anything Useful. You don’t choose when to face danger, neither do you foresee what you’ll have ready to face it then. At level 4, the penalty you suffer when you drive a vehicle for which you don’t possess the appropriate focus, or when you use a weapon you’re not proficient with, is reduced by half (including penalties induced by the UNF and QKY qualities).

“That should do it…”: Even in most specialized domains, you know how to deal with what’s most urgent. At level 5, when you attempt a Medicine/First Aid check on a character that has lost at least 1 wound point, you can ignore the DC raise. Further, when you attempt a Mechanics/Repair check, you can reduce the Project Investment tag from Moderate to Low. As a counterpart, the bandages you applied or the reparation you made are only temporary and will fail after 1d100 minutes (secretly rolled by the GC), unless you get a critical success.

Amazing Looks. When you have company, your teaching side easily overcomes you. Beginning at level 7, when you’re the leader in a directed skill check, the synergy bonus you provide your allies raises by your Charisma bonus (minimum 1). Further, you can raise your error range by +2 to accomplish the test in only twice more time than usual (instead of 10 times).

“I’ve seen so many things”: At level 8, your reputation precedes you … as does your boastfulness! Clearly, with such a culture, you can blow the minds of even the most bored persons. You can substitute your Cultures skill to any Impress check, but your error range raises by +2.

“That was really close…”: At level 10, you know death so well that some kind of romance seems to have grown between you two … but god knows how, you always manage to avoid her ultimate grasp. Anytime a danger should randomly target a member of the party, you actually become the target. Further, once per mission, when you’re reduced to 0 wound point or less, you’re considered dead or missing. Still, you come back to consciousness or magically reappear five minutes later, saved by your good fortune. The effect that should have killed you is simply cancelled (damage as well as other secondary effects, if any) but the violence of the shock or the tremendous effort you had to make leaves you fatigued (as always, if you were already fatigued before, you become exhausted). If, in the meantime, someone has the occasion to examine your body, a simple Medicine (Wis) check, opposed by your Bluff (Cha) check, suffices to notice you’re still faintly breathing.

“That was really close…” the come-back of TGCM*?
That’s clearly not the goal! Like a revolving door campaign, the use of “That was really close…” requires a bit of work. The player or the GC doesn’t have to explain how the character survived, but just to make the “divine intervention” look plausible, if not realistic (after all, it’s a game!).
For example, when Indiana Jones falls from a cliff while on a tank, his miracle come-back clearly denotes a use of this ability (or an awesome Reflex save). Similarly, someone being shot in the heart can have his life spared thanks to the bible, the police badge, or the wallet he keeps against his chest.
* Ta Gueule C’est Magique: Shut the fuck up it’s magic!

How to become an Archeologist
You’re not born Archeologist. Even if most prerequisites are accessible, some base classes will achieve them more easily than others. Particularly, the Explorer, the Scientist, and the Scout are all excellent candidates, with the exact flavor, and a more or less pronounced taste for the intellectual or physical aspects of the job. The Faceman, the Pointman, and the Snoop are also good candidates, but the flavor is certainly less present.

Advancement
Yeah, what feats for my Archeologist? There are several possibilities.

If you’re fond of “intellectual field work”, you would like to focus on your skills. Basic and Advanced Skill Feats will be your better assets. Particularly, Photographic Memory and Talented are two excellent choices (but to be taken at first level).

If you rather enjoy the “ranger” side, Basic Combat Feats will be very useful to you; particularly those that will help you weather the storm, like Great Fortitude or Iron Will. As well, one or two Unarmed, Ranged or Melee Combat Feats would give you a little more fighting capability.
And in the “useful for everyone” style, Chance Feats are able to get you out of trouble quite often, Gear Feats will help you use your backpack to its best, Terrain Feats will specialize you in certain exploration types, and Covert Feats will help you work sneakily. Also notice that the Animal Partner feat fits perfectly for many Archeologists.

What about other Expert Classes?
There, you can use some other abilities, complementing your owns. Naturally, you will think of few Guide levels. Yeah, but not much. Instead, the Field Analyst, the Inventor, and the Schemer will put ahead your “I can do anything” side. Conversely, the Stuntman, the Tactician, and the Triggerman will boost your fighting skills.

Table XX: The Aecheologist
Level   BAB   Fort   Ref   Will   Def   Init   Wealth   Gear                    Class Abilities
1         +0    +0     +1    +1    +1    +1     1          1E, 1S                Globe-trotter (1 culture), sense of humor, talisman
2         +1    +0     +2    +2    +1    +1     2          2E, 1S                Archeologist's eye
3         +2    +1     +2    +2    +2    +2     2          2E, 1S                Survival instinct I
4         +3    +1     +2    +2    +2    +2     2          2E, 1S, 1V           Anything useful, globe-trotter (2 cultures)
5         +3    +1     +3    +3    +3    +3     3          2E, 2S, 1V           "That should do it"
6         +4    +2     +3    +3    +4    +4     3          3E, 2S, 1V           Survival instinct II
7         +5    +2     +4    +4    +4    +4     4          3E, 2S, 1V           Amazing looks, globe-trotter (3 cultures)
8         +6    +2     +4    +4    +5    +5     4          3E, 2S, 1V, 1W     "I've seen so many things"
9         +6    +3     +4    +4    +5    +5     4          3E, 2S, 2V, 1W      Survival instinct III
10       +7    +3     +5    +5    +6    +6     5          3E, 3S, 2V, 1W      Globe-trotter (4 cultures), "that was really close"

Tell me what you like/dislike about it.

Talking about Indiana Jones, I just discovered this topic few days ago, while I - ironically - just finished an Indy-like archaeologist Expert Class two weeks ago or so. It's already available on the (french) website I co-handle.

If anyone is interested, I can post an English version of it here ... but I should warn you: I'm not quite good at writing current English (especially when I try to translate French expressions) so your eyes might bleed when you read it.

One of my players just decided to make his character a Firebrand. So I read more carefully the PDF I just glanced over at first, and I noticed something maybe a little "too much". At level 8, the Firebrand gets the captivating quality. I just didn't looked deep enough the first time, but captivating is a monstrous quality! The DC to avoid being fixated is just far too high for most NPCs and the consequences of that condition are close to being dazed for a while.

So, what did I miss? There must be something because, as such, the ability doesn't feel right. If I read correctly, the NPC doesn't have a chance to stop being fixated unless he takes any damage or a teammate succeeds in a (DC 30!) Tactics check. I would say that if the victim's allies are under attack, the effect ends as well, at least when it originates from a Firebrand. I imagine the captivating quality was made for vampires and other succubus. But the Firebrand's ability should be a little less ... supernatural. Don't you think?

Excellent expert class otherwise, this ability is really the only thing that annoys me. But else, I like it a lot - it clearly fills a niche - and my aforementioned player too.  

Communiqué from HQ: new Spycraft operational manual, Declassified: SHADOW PLAY, is available at friendly local gaming depots everywhere. Check your nearest handler for availability. Full dossier available here. End transmission.
 
(Plain English - Spycraft Declasified: Shadow Play is available at gaming stores everywhere this week! Pick yours up today!)

How come this doesn't appear on the front page of the website?

Well, my players and I are impatiently waiting for Fantasy Craft to be published. In order to keep them busy meanwhile - and also to introduce FC to the french role-playing community - , I've been translating some of the previews I could find on the website. The ones on the wiki seem to be most recent and provoked quite an excitement among the readers. But I'm now taking a look at previews from the "Product Page" of FC and I have the feeling that some of these are rather outdated. The Assassin base class is there for a long time and still displays "old" mechanics (like Gear), the Captain link is dead (but this one is on the wiki)...

Anyway, is it possible to do something about that if that's not too much too ask? I don't think that there are much outdated stuff except for the Assassin, but I'm not sure ... Whether you have time for it or not, thank you in advance and make that FC is ready for GenCon!!! 

I'm reopening this topic because I've been confronted to the same issue as Ferretz. I don't include much fights in my World on Fire scenarii. Most of the time, there is a long, painful investigation, dreadful scenes in which the villains have the advantage and the agents are practically at their mercy (with sometimes pretty nice turnarounds), and at last a confrontation, not necessarily during the final scene. But still, even with so little fights, I've found the Damage Save rules a little... "double painful".

Why? Because you have two steps to determine whether a standard NPC is down or not. First, you have to roll a die, then, if he survives, you have to keep track of accumulated damage. That may be the rule of Spycraft 2.0 that I'm less comfortable with. Replacing hp-tracking with Damage Save is great, especially with objects. But then, why on earth keeping track of damage for NPCs? I feel like it's taking all the smoothness of the Damage Save concept off.

Right now, my players are facing fifteen guerrilla fighters in a new episode's introduction scene in South America. I really, really don't want to keep track of damage. Remembering which of the fifteen bad guys are dead is already hard enough, so I'm in desperate need of a quick but fair house rule that would spare me some time. I've come up with an idea, which might look like some of the suggestions previously presented here (yes yes, I've read the whole topic first), but I still would like to have your opinion anyway.

For situations like that (with too many foes), the DC of standard NPC's Damage Save becomes 15 + 1/2 damage, but damage doesn't stack. I'm currently mastering at low level (PCs just reached level 4), so I realize I would have to modify that rule of thumb if I want to keep using it at higher level, with something like 15 + 1/4 TL (rounded down) + 1/2 damage.

But even if we don't talk about high levels, what do you think of it? Is this rule playable, am I missing something completely? Would it be better/even easier to use something like 10 + damage (still not stacking) instead? I'm listening to your advice and critics. Thanks.

Thank you gentlemen. 

Quick question about that. One of my players swears he saw somewhere that, contrary to Burst, damage from multiple Autofire hits adds up and is applied only once to the target (which means less chances to miss a Damage Save but better DR penetration). Can anyone confirm or... ?

Thanks.

Is there any chance we could pre-order the PDF? And/or even the print?

[Mechanical Engineering]

Interesting. Comparing to most of the previous answers, I don't have much to offer. Though, here it is :

• Mechanical Engineering: I have a Ph.D., with specialty in aeronautics and aerospace. I'm also teaching technology and materials science.
• Civil Engineering: Though not my specialty, I have some notions on the topic, including in the field.
• France: The country where I was born, where I still live and work, and which I'm not always proud of, especially recently. I guess I can give a biased but critical point of view on almost anything related to France history, geography, politics, etc. I also know few things about Reunion island (tropical, Indian ocean island, east of Madagascar), where my wife is from.
• Germany, England, Benelux, Italy: Neighboring countries, so I can't say I'm a specialist, but I've been there several times and I know one thing or two that might be useful. Same thing for the EU as a global entity and other European countries, though with less accuracy.

There might be other topics, but these are the main ones.

Thanks, I kind of forgot this detail. It changes a lot of things, though, and Let's deal is suddenly less ugly. What about suit, then?

No, you're absolutely right. I should have been more specific. Actually, the player is also using this horrible Fixer power : let's deal.  After a common discussion, we decided that spending 2 action dice should be enough to consider that the 15 to the DC is added after the use of this power (which otherwise would give automatic victory to the character). The question is, when he decides to use let's deal and suit together, and I use 2 actions dice to "counter" it, are the two powers expanded or not?

For few more details, my agents are currently in mission in Mitrovica, a highly unstable city north of Kosovo, close from the new and not-recognized-yet border with Serbia. They are dealing with an underground nationalist organization called Ibarhvac, whose supposed boss (or high-ranking member) recently killed two other agents of the agency (Pitfall actually) and severely wounded one. The team of five is on his tracks. Three of them are currently breaking into his mansion to search for evidences, while the two others were trying to create a diversion by forcing him to play at Mitrovica's only casino, the Royal Palace Hotel.

Except that Lazarevic, thanks to two successful Sense motive checks, saw through their deception (because of a little detail) and captured the two agents. One of them - a woman - has tried to bribe one of Lazarevic's two bodyguards but failed, because he is totally lawful to his boss (and because of my 2 action dice, ouch), and now she's trying again with the second one ! The thing is, she doesn't have cash anymore, and the player wanted to use the suit power for the first guard already. When I decided to "immune" the guy, he decided not to use suit after all.

The roleplaying is nice, the player is absolutely not trying to abuse of his power (he suggested that both guards are immune after I spent the two dice), but I still would like to know how this is covered by the rules. I think the answer should be somewhere on the roplaying part. How would you play the suit ability? Is it something you must mention when you talk to the guy you're trying to bribe (like "I don't have money, but I'm working for Pitfall and they have a lot of assets"), so that is expanded whether it succeeds or not, or is it something that takes place afterwards (like a phone call to the agency for immediate refunding), so that it's not expanded 'till it has effectively been used ? 

Hi,

I have a question about the suit power that gives the ability to make a bureaucracy check at the minimal cost, once per mission, without paying its cost. When the player uses it, if the GC decides to make the target immune to bribe by spending 2 action dice, would you say that the power is wasted - though I wouldn't call making the GC spend 2 action dice a waste of power - for the mission or not ?

Thanks in advance for your answers.