(The OP is not quite complete, but will be soon!)
The year is 2156, two decades since mankind was devastated by a plague brought on by a bioweapon that proved far too effective. 10 years of brutal infection and rampant mutation virtually annihilated anything resembling order or structure as the whole planet was consumed in violent anarchy, mankind doing all it could to survive. Eventually humanity proved once again that it was more durable than steel-plated cockroaches, adapting even to this super-virus.
Some became cyborgs, man and machine merged into one. Surrendering portions of their humanity, they gained immunity to contagions in this evil air. Others were not so willing. Injured and strapped to hospital beds, mechanization was forced on them in the name of saving their lives. Exactly how much machine is outwardly visible varies. Some simply appear to have an artificial limb (make no mistake, there is many more machines under their flesh), while others look like actual robots (There's a brain in there somewhere, A.I isn't advanced enough to mimic a person). In any case, nearly all cyborgs are weaponized, a necessity in these violent times. A final note, the actual quality of the cybernetics depend on how far along through the 'Plague Era' they were mechanized. Early cybernetics tend to have a blocky, industrial look about them with things like exposed hydraulics and cables, and angular heavy armor plating. Later cybernetics look more advanced and tend to feature more plastics and smaller, rounded parts.
Some lucky ones towards the end of the 'Plague Era' were able to keep their humanity intact and resist the infection. Ordinary humans in today's time have nanomachines racing through their blood, exterminating contaminants while leaving the rest of the body intact. Said nanomachines are not cheap however. To look completely human is to display either immense wealth or extensive connections. As such, normal humans are a frequent target of looters and other scum. So most normal humans are armed with powerful nanotech weaponry and equipment to protect them.
Others naturally adapted to the virus, becoming mutants. There are three broad categories of mutants: Savages, Wretches, and Normals. Wretches are the least fortunate of the lot, suffering many less than beneficial mutations that leave them crippled and weak, though no longer affected by the virus. Things like merged fingers leaving their hands useless, atrophied limbs, misshapen bodies, and the like. Wretches are often executed as a mercy. Savages are in a similar boat. Monstrously mutated, these former humans have devolved into mindless beasts that exist to kill and destroy. The difference, is that savages are a huge threat to what remains of society, and what few governments remain pay handsomely for hunting them. Normals are similar to savages, but are smaller and weaker. A consequence of this is that to varying degrees they have held on to their rational minds. Exactly how these people have mutated varies widely, but the general rule of thumb is that Savages always have more powerful mutations. Normals are often looked upon with disgust by Cyborgs and Humans, seen as animals in some extreme cases.
In this violent new world, things had to be done to maintain order. Humanity's bloodlust needed to be quelled to avoid further wars, lest disasters like the Biobomb be repeated. Enter, Deathwatch. Often described as the successor to the gladiatorial games from ancient Rome, Deathwatch 'captures' lawless cities and walls them off. Then, using any existing surveillance they can they force the inhabitants to participate in any number of murderous, violent games, with the promise of freedom and cash prizes to the victors. Then, this is broadcasted to citizens in more lawful society. This serves two purposes: one, it sates the bloodlust of humanity's citizenry, and also clears looters from these cities to more easily allow governments to recapture them.
You, are a Killseeker. A participant in deathwatch. Exactly why you are participating varies. Perhaps you were simply trapped with the other inhabitants, or you were a rare Volunteer, that willingly puts their life on the line, in exchange for a slight edge. Either way, welcome to the games, kid...
Empty, for now...
Username:
Name:
Age:
Gender: (If you are mostly machine, list former gender)
Race: (Mutant, Cyborg, Human)
Appearance:
Bio:
Personality:
Killer Weapon: (explained lower.)
Gameplay Stats (To be explained below)
Weight class:
WS: BS: S: T: W: I: A:
Killer weapon stats:
Edge:
Deathwatch uses a simple system to resolve combat, though it may take a bit to grasp, once you understand it's rather fast.
Deathwatch uses a variety of statistics to determine what your character is capable of. And keep in mind, any time dice are brought up, you always roll a six-sided die, Deathwatch does not use any other size of die.
WS, or Weapon Skill, which determines your skill with melee weapons of any kind (Including your body).
BS, or Ballistic Skill, which is how good you are at shooting things or throwing things.
S, or Strength. Just how hard you hit people.
T, or Toughness. how hard it is to hurt you.
W, or wounds. How many times you can take damage until you die/are removed from combat.
I, or initiative, determines who strikes first in melee combat.
A, or attacks, determines how many times you can make an attack in melee. Guns have their own seperate number of attacks they can make.
Sv, or Save. This is measured in X+, where X is 2-6. When called upon to make a save, you roll a die. If you roll your save or higher when you are hit, you ignore the damage. You block the attack, it just grazes you, etc. All characters default to having a 4+ save.
To-Hit and To-Wound Tables
Statting Characters
First, you choose a weight class. Light characters are the size of average humans, Medium characters are big though still obviously human, and Heavy characters are giants, pushing ten feet tall on average (Note that humans cannot be heavy characters). This decides your starting statline, how many points you have to spend, the maximum number you can have in a stat, and what Edges are available to you (explained later).
Light, 6 additional points to spend
WS:2 BS:2 S:1 T:1 W:2 I:3 A:3
Medium, five additional points to spend.
WS:2 BS:2 S:2 T:2 W:3 I:2 A:2
Heavy, 4 additional points to spend.
WS:2 BS:2 S:3 T:3 W:4 I:1 A:1
You can distribute your extra points among your stats however you choose, however you cannot spend more than two points on any stat (WS and BS are an exception, you may spend three on either). Additionally, A and W cost two points to raise by 1, though you may still increase either stat twice. Under no circumstance can any stat be raised above 5.
Killer Weapons
Having a 'Killer Weapon' is what sets your Killseeker apart from the bags of meat you'll be crushing beneath your feet. It is a permanent weapon that cannot be taken from you, and in many cases will be all that stands between you and the enemy. More than mere weapons, these things are advanced, powered by varying sources to really put the hurt on. Perhaps your cyborg character's arm is capable of taking on the form of a chainsaw, plasma blade, and so on? While they are called Killer Weapons, they might not even be weapons. A mutant's poisoned talon, for instance. However, each of these things is limited in some manner. The plasma blades need to be charged, the chainsaw needs to cool down, and the poison for those talons needs time to be replenished. As such, you can't rely solely on these things. However, nothing is stopping you from smacking someone with an unpowered shock-baton for instance.
When you attack, you can choose whether your killer weapon is active. If it is, you get +2 to strength. Note that this CAN put you above any maximum, including the limits of your class and the hard limit of 5. Your killer weapon also grants either +2 to T, WS, or I, or +1 to A. The secondary bonus is determined At the creation of the Weapon, and cannot be changed. Additionally, all Killer Weapons ignore Saves.
Try to choose a secondary bonus that fits with the weapon. For instance, say your killer weapon is two energy blades? Perhaps a +1 bonus to A represents the flurry of attacks you make, or if you have a chainsaw halberd +2 I represents your increased reach, how you can hit the other guy first.
You can use your Killer weapon twice before it runs out of charge. At the beginning of any turn (Provided you didn't use your killer weapon on your last turn), you may roll a die. If you roll a four or greater, you replenish one charge of your killer weapon.
Your Killseeker has one more advantage, called an Edge. This represents what else makes you a feared combatant, aside from your Killer Weapon. Choose one when you create your character. If nothing here tickles your fancy, feel free to contact the GM and work out a custom Edge for your character. Keep in mind, this list is by no means complete at present. One final note, some may have Prerequisites or Restrictions. You must both Meet the Prerequisite, and avoid the restriction. For instance, Gearhead requires that you have at least 3 I, but is restricted to Heavy characters. Even if you have 3 I, if you are a heavy character you cannot take Gearhead.
It Will Not Die!
Requires: 3 or more T
Restriction: Light characters.
For whatever reason, your character is capable of recovering from catastrophic injury.
At the beginning of your turn, roll a D6 if you have less than your starting number of wounds. On a 4+, you restore one wound, up to your maximum.
Bottomless Weapon
Requires: None
Restriction: None
Your Killer Weapon has a larger energy reserve than most and is capable of more easily charging it, for whatever reason.
Your killer weapon may store three charges instead of two. additionally, the chance to recover charges is increased to 3+.
Gearhead.
Requires: 3 I.
Restriction: Heavy characters.
You have a personal vehicle, and the resources to get more...
You have a motorcycle, or an equivalent small motor-vehicle. While on the bike you have +1 T (cannot take you above 5), and + 1 I if it's in motion. Additionally, if the bike is destroyed for whatever reason, Deathwatch will supply you another (provided you are not on bad terms) as it wouldn't do if one of their combatants lost such an important gimmick. If you are wounded by a Killer Weapon while on a bike, the bike is destroyed.
Great Force
Requires: 4 or more S.
Restriction: none
You hit people really hard. That's it.
Whenever you inflict an unsaved wound against an opponent, they are dazed and reduced to 1 I until the end of the next turn. That is, if you didn't kill them outright.
Mighty Armor
Requires: 4 or more T, Cyborg.
Restriction: None.
You are covered in thicker armored plates than usual.
Pick one: Your save increases to 3+, or you may take saves against Killer Weapons.
Lucky
Requires: Human
Restriction: None
You are one lucky bastard.
Once per combat phase, you may reroll either a failed save or an opponent's successful To-Hit or To-Wound roll. You may only reroll one die this way. If your opponent can reroll their To-Hit or To-Wound rolls somehow, Lucky may instead be used to cancel their re-roll.
Hatred
Requires: None
Restriction: None
You are fueled by your hate, and attack with great enthusiasm.
Once per combat phase you may reroll any one failed To-Hit or To-Wound reroll.
Combat is fairly simple when you get to it.
Let's walk through a phase of combat, using two hypothetical characters:
Jack, Medium Cyborg:
WS:3 BS:2 S:4 T:4 W:3 I:2 A:2
Gator Tooth: +2 S, +2 WS.
Edge: Bottomless Weapon, Your killer weapon may store three charges instead of two.
Black Baron, Medium Human:
WS:3 BS:2 S:4 T:4 W:3 I:2 A:2
Gloves Off: +2 S, +2 T.
Edge: It will not die! At the beginning of your turn, roll a D6 if you have less than your starting number of wounds. On a 4+, you restore one wound.
Jack has murdered his way through deathwatch, and come to face the reigning champ, the Black Baron (Stop Starin'). It's Jack's turn, and the first step is to choose a target. Obviously, Jack chooses the Baron.
Now, the next step is to see if jack can feasibly reach his target. the Baron is only a couple yards away, so that's also true.
Now it's time to close in and attack! Jack rushes forward, eager to introduce the Baron's face to his cybernetic fist. Now, we take a look at our stats. First, we check Initiative to see who strikes first (It isn't his turn, but the Baron gets to strike back. He's not just going to let jack punch him in the face!). Both Jack and the baron have an Initiative of 2, so their attacks will strike at the same time. Neither one is quite quick enough to hit the other before he can retaliate.
Next, we check Attacks, to see how many blows the fighters will be able to strike on each other. Once again, they're evenly matched at 2 Attacks each. This means that each fighter will get to roll 2 attack dice. So we know in what order they will stike each other and how many times, the next step is to see if any of those attacks actually hit.
Now, we compare the Weapon Skill of the two fighters. Again, equal at 3 each. Next, we look at the To-Hit chart to see how high we'll have to roll our attack dice to successfully hit our opponent. The chart says that the number someone with WS 3 needs to hit someone else with WS 3 is 4+, which means that we will need to roll a four or better to hit the Baron, and because they're evenly matched the same is true for the Baron.
Now, we roll our dice. Jack rolls well, getting a 4 and a 6. Unfortunately, the Baron also rolls well, getting a 5 and a 4.
It would seem that both of the fighters have rolled well enough to hit eachother twice. But wait! We still aren't sure if those attacks actually dealt enough damage to matter. Now, we need to make an additional roll; a To-Wound roll. To do so, we must compare the Strength of the attacker to the Toughness of the defender. Once again, Jack and Baron are still evenly matched, with 4 Strength and 4 Toughness. Looking at the To-Wound chart, it says that the roll someone with 4 Strength needs to harm someone with 4 toughness is also 4+, meaning we'll need a 4 or more to actually hurt the Baron.
Both fighters hit two times, so they both get to roll two dice To-Wound. Jack scores well again with two 6s, but the Baron rolls nearly as good, with a 3 and a 6. Now, this means that Jack has scored 2 Unsaved wounds against the Baron, and The Baron has made one.
Now both fighters have one last chance to avoid damage, called a Save. Jack is a player character, so he has a Save of 4+, and Baron is a boss, so he has a 4+ save as well. Both of them get to make a a roll for each Unsaved Wound they have taken, and for each 4 they roll they ignore one Wound.
Unfortunately, they both fail their rolls, jack rolling a 2 whilst the Baron is exceptionally unlucky and rolls two 1s... This means that both of them lose two wounds. Looking at their stats, the two have 3 wounds each. Jack lost one, which puts him at 2, and the Baron lost two, which puts him at 1 wound remaining. Things are not looking good for the Baron, one more solid hit and he's dead!
The final step is to roleplay out what actually happened from the results of those rolls. Jack rushes in to deliver a punch, but the Baron retaliates just quick enough to deliver a mighty cross-counter as the two strike each other directly in the face (they both hit eachother and dealt a wound)! The Baron then tries to grab a hold of Jack, but Jack retaliates with a mighty headbutt, and while it hurts it certainly hurts the Baron a lot more(They were both hit, but only jack dealt a wound)!
Now, it's the Baron's turn. But the Baron has a trick up his sleeve; his Edge, It Will Not Die! The Baron is an exceptionally tough guy to bring down, so at the beginning of each of his turns, he rolls a die, and if he gets a 4 or higher he automatically gets 1 wound back. He rolls, and succeeds, leveling the playing field!
The Baron also has his Killer Weapon, which is a mighty, though temporary, boost to his abilities. The Baron picks his target (Jack), and chooses to move in to attack. Now, he must choose: Should he use his Killer Weapon? Well, Jack'll probably kill him if he doesn't, so yes! And nobody has made any rolls in the combat yet, so he does. Unfortunately for the Baron, Jack is given the option to activate his as well, and he does.
Now we take a look at the stats again. When you activate your killer weapon, you get a bonus to some of your stats. All Killer Weapons grant +2 Strength, but the Baron's Gloves Off Killer Weapon (Not techinically a weapon, but a temporary burst of anger and adrenaline that is treated as one) grants him +2 Toughness as well (His rage boosts his pain-tolerance), while Jack's Gator Tooth (an arm-mounted chainsaw built into his cybernetic arm that takes time to charge between uses) grants him +2 Weapon Skill (The Chainsaw easily bites through defenses, as well as making Jack an unnerving target).
Now, both fighters are ready to clash again! This time, Jack's improved WS means that he only needs a 3+ to hit the Baron now, while the Baron still needs a 4+ to hit Jack. They roll again, and Jack makes both of his rolls while the Baron only succeeds on one.
Now we compare Strength and Toughness again, and unfortunately for Jack the Baron's extra Toughness effectively means his Killer Weapon's boosted Strength is neutralized, while the Baron's boosted Strength allows him to harm Jack more easily. Jack still needs to roll a 4+ to hurt the baron, but the Baron only needs a 2+. So they roll, and fortune smiles upon Jack. While the Baron makes his roll, Jack makes both of his as well, and if you recall they both had 2 wounds remaining.
This means that the Baron has lost, as you cannot make saves against Killer Weapons.
The Baron charges Jack in a berzerk rage, but Jack manages to catch him in the arm with his chainsaw, Cutting it bad but not quite severing it. The Baron is uneasy, missing with a punch before Jack plunges his chainsaw into his gut, the thing retracting as he kicks him into the ground, gaping hole in his chest. While the Baron is out of wounds, he isn't quite dead yet. However, he can no longer fight and is completely at jack's mercy. Unfortunately, Jack is not the merciful type...
Now, to actually roll these dice we use Orokos, both as a means to roll and a means to roll fairly. First, simply make an account (A short, painless process).
Now, you'll see four text fields. Character is whoever character you are. Now in campaign, always put "Deathwatch, a Madworld/Anarchy Reigns inspired Roleplaying Game" without the quotation marks. Doing that saves your roll under that campaign, which allows me or anyone else to verify just what you rolled.
next, description. Utterly optional. Finally, place X#1d6 in the last one, where X is however many dice you are rolling. Finally, you can then copy the address of the page and post it. When combat begins, we will resolve all rolls in the OOC, with the IC post being a collab.
A final note: Character death is an extremely real possibility, and if you don't want to see them die you must play smart. If that bothers you, this game isn't for you. You are free to roll up a new character if you wish.
