Legendary Abilities

[Michael Hopcroft]

I'm not sure of the cost, but there ought to be a Silent Kill legendary ability for skulker types. This enables you to sneak up behind someone (like a sentry) and kill him without him uttering a sound by such means as strangulation, throat-slitting or a quick thrust to the heart.

I was thinking the cost would be roughly similar to Decapitating strike, because the essential effect would be the same (an instant kill). But it would only work if the target is completely unaware of your presence. if he spots, hears or detects you in any way (including by magic) you'll have to do him in the hard way, and there's a good chance he'll get some sort of signal out to his buddies before you can.

 

[simonh]

I'm not sure of the cost, but there ought to be a Silent Kill legendary ability for skulker types. This enables you to sneak up behind someone (like a sentry) and kill him without him uttering a sound by such means as strangulation, throat-slitting or a quick thrust to the heart.

This strikes me as being a fairly mundane tactic - anybody should have a chance at being able to do it.

Simon Hibbs

 

[halorix]

Armored agility
Requirements: STR 15, three combat skills at 50% or higher
Hero Points: 8
Your skill penalty caused by heavy armour is halved because of your great strength and tireless marching in full armour at every occassion.

 

[Arkat]

That's way too easy to get. Heck you could probably start with the prereq's already finished on a starting character.

I'm sure we will see more abilities in the Companion or Glorantha book.

 

[Utgardloki]

Ah, more like mythic feats (historical defintion rather than D&D). So more like Salmon Leap than Improved Intiative.


Yes - Improved Initiative would be _such_ a waste of a Legendary Ability. . .

How about a Lightning Strike legendary ability that grants you an extra Combat Action that occurs before anybody else's Combat Action, unless someone else also has Lightning Strike, in which case everybody with Lightning Strike takes their extra CA before the regular CAs.

I haven't decided what the prerequisites would be. I'd probably use the Initiative Skill discussed in another thread, because this ability was designed to work with that initiative system.

 

[Utgardloki]

The requirements for Armored Agility above aren't in my opinion, legendary, but I think there should be what I'd call "Expert Abilities" which are available for those with skills in the 50% - 90% range.

 

[B_Steele]

Man, many of you folks are going to be so happy when Legendary Heroes and the Player's Guide to Glorantha hit shelves...

...that's all I can say on the matter officially. But there are several LAs in those books that will make some of you smile VERY wide.

-Bry

 

[Dead Blue Clown]

(Saxon Violence!)

It occurs to me that Saxon Violence! would be a bitching campaign name, and one I must steal immediately.

 

[Rurik]

It occurs to me that Saxon Violence! would be a bitching campaign name, and one I must steal immediately.

I personally was planning a campaign along the theme of "Saxon Charity".

Or Perhaps "Mongol Peace Missionaries"

 

[simonh]

The ralios PDF supplement contains some very nice legendary abilities, not in rules terms but in terms of the special abillities attributed to some of the notable characters. e.g.:

Dichen the Liar - "Infantile Innocence", requires CHA 15, Influence 90%

On a successful opposed test of Influence versus Persistence test, if the character wins the target is overcome by protective instincts may not attack, or make any offensive actions against the character.


Simon Hibbs

 

[Exubae]

Dichen the Liar - "Infantile Innocence"

Its go a far better feel to it than 'generic-combat-moster-gross-out" ability, more style and character.

Warblers Song of Never Drunk
The ability allows user to sing while drinking, and at the same time remain stone cold sober no matter how much alcahol is imbided.

Wet and Windy River Travel
(ripped of from River Horse/Prax) Allows he user to instantaeous travel from one point on a river to another.

(Yep.. there poor but they're not just combat stuff)

Ki abilities from LofN where cool in that setting but they're a bit bland.

Agents of Law in a Strombringer campaign

Which reminds me the competition should be publishing the Lords of Law monograph soon.

 

[Durand Durand]

Armored agility
Requirements: STR 15, three combat skills at 50% or higher
Hero Points: 8
Your skill penalty caused by heavy armour is halved because of your great strength and tireless marching in full armour at every occassion.

I'd add an Athletics 75% skill req in there too, sounds, more about athelticism to me.

DD

 

[Durand Durand]

I'm busting to see what abilities would-be heroes might get from official books. The kind of things I'm looking forward to (and my expected minimums) are things something like these...

Quickdraw - Weapon 75%+, Dex 15+ - Self explanitory, would also work to reduce load times for missile weapons by one CA.

Salmon Leap - Swim 90%+, Con 15+ - Do spectacular leaps while swimming.

Daywalker (for UZ) - Pow 15+, Con 15+, Fire Rune - Walk and act in sunlight without penalty

Two with one blow - 2H Axe or Sword 90%+ STR 15+, ?? - If you do enough damage to sever a foes hit location completely and have additional damage unallocated, you can attack another adjacent foe on the backswing with a free CA doing only the remaining damage from the first attack.

Blood Magic - ?? - You may would yourself to gain temporary MP on a 1HP/1MP basis?

Does anyone else got ideas to contribute here?

DD

 

[Exubae]

Salmon Leap is Cool,

Daywalker two minds over this, the first every Zorak Zoran besrker is going to have a fire rune integrated to use the amastan's fire powers so theres potential to have legions of Troll beserker gangs wandering about during the day with no need for obsidian shades or Armburn solver potions.

Two with one blow. Quickdraw - They don't feel legendary, like most of the legendary abiliites in the core book they just feel munchkiny... More heroics, more flavour, less munchkin.

Blood Magic - Cool idea, this should be a skill or magic school ability, not sure about legendary Skill though

If I had to go with legendary abilities this kind of my taste of combat oriented ones (based of Cuchulain and the like):

Fight from Chariot Pole, Dex 15+, Athletics 65%+ - Fight/stand/balance on the pole at the front of the chariot as it hurtles along. Fighting skills are not reduced due to poor footing.

Shield Leap,Dex 14+ , Athletics 50%+ (Bought to mind by Salmon leap) leaping onto your opponents shield negating its use and giving him some extra ventilation in his great helm.


Paul

 

[Hoitsu]

Good, but those are way too easy to get, nothing "Legendary" about those.
Remember, those abilities are NOT mere feats, those are LEGENDARY ABILITIES!

Lets say:
Fight from Chariot Pole, Dex 18+, Athletics 90% and 8 hero points - Fight/stand/balance on the pole at the front of the chariot as it hurtles along. Fighting skills are not reduced due to poor footing. (This is not a very useful skill. i doubt that it is a very wise way to spend Hero Points)

Shield Leap,Dex 18+ , Athletics 80%+ martial arts 80%+ and 10 hero points (Bought to mind by Salmon leap) leaping onto your opponents shield negating its use and giving him some extra ventilation in his great helm.
User of this skill cannot wear metal armor while trying this skill.


These are requirements for LEGENDARY abilities, what you suggested was requirements for D&D feats. Maybe that latter one would be useful but that pole dancing thing is not useful at all.

Sorry about the harsh comments but i need to remind you what legendary means

 

[Utgardloki]

I think I have a few ideas that would qualify as legendary abilities, but haven't taken the opportunity to develope them yet.

I already posted my idea for Lightning Strike earlier, which grants an extra combat action that occurs before anybody else's CA (unless someone else also has Lightning Strike).

I'd to develop a Legendary Inventor ability which lets a craftsman make things that are advanced for her era, like Leonardo Da Vinci or Herodius. Even in the most archaic societies, there's room for those who are able to push the technological envelope.

Speed of Atlanta and Strength of Hercules seem like good ideas to base a legendary ability on. Perhaps they can allow a Hero Point to be spent on a burst of speed or strength, respectively.

Dragon Claw Strike could allow a Martial Artist to do double her normal damage, but perhaps only three times a day.

Whirlwind Strike is an idea adapted from D&D: make one attack against everybody within range, using all your Combat Actions for the round, even if you have more opponents than available Combat Actions. Take only a 10% penalty instead of the normal 20% penalty for a flurry of blows. If you also have Lightning Strike your attacks are guarenteed to come before anybody's who does not also have that ability.

Other rulebooks are probably a good source for coming up with ideas for legendary abilities, especially D&D and Exalted rulebooks.

 

[Exubae]

Sorry about the harsh comments but i need to remind you what legendary means

There is nothing legendary about the abilities stated in the rule book they're just 'power ups' they just feel like lame attempt to bridge the gap between D&D and to 'up' the munchkin level (or make the game emulate final fantasy x).

I worry they remove the gritty edge RQ.

D&D feats.

Only ever played AD&D 1st ed, after Unearthed Arcana was published I shifted whole heartedly to RQ2. So I'm a bit at a loss to the D&D Feats comment.

On Pole Riding (opposed to dancing)
Pole riding, a chariot pole is pole to which the horses are tethered (badly described by myself i admit) - it was the skill of knack of walking the pole from the chariot past the horses to stand in front of said horses while the chariot is hurtling along. From this pont the warrior would fight. It was a legendary feat amongst the Celts apparently, as was the Salmon leap.

Perhaps, I perfer Legendary Abilities that tie themselves with a mythos or culture as opposed to an excuse to power game.


Paul

 

[simonh]

Daywalker (for UZ) - Pow 15+, Con 15+, Fire Rune - Walk and act in sunlight without penalty

Neat Feats for the most part, but Uz don't get any penalties for operating during the day. Enlo do, they're automaticaly demoralized when out during the day.

 

[Durand Durand]

I understand the criticisms of abilites like Quickdraw or Two with one blow, but they have a pretty solid footing in reality and mythology.

Many weapons featured techniques for fast draw. I was thinking more of a fast gunman or Iaijustu master than D&D styles here. If you've seen footage of fast gunmen or Iaijutsu masters in action you'd pretty well know you wouldn't have a chance of doing it.

As for Two with one Blow, it was inspired by that old favourite story "Seven with one blow", the one about the tailor who slew seven flies with one blow (My personal record is 42, but I'm an Aussie and have an unfair advantage) and made a shirt that said so. The mythic inspiration was there.

Again, just off the top of my head, try these on for size...

Left foot Throw - Spear 90%+, STR 15+, DEX 15+ - No more than once per round you may throw a spear with your left foot using your regular skill and treating your STR as 5pts higher for calculating damage. This allows you to maintain your hold on other weapon/s.

Mountain King - Weapon skill 90%+, Dodge 90%+, POW 15+ (The Cool Factor) - You may fight from a seated possition with your chosen weapon without penalty, even dodging, never leaving your seat unless forced to give ground while dodging. You halve damage taken when calculating knockback.

In shadows step - Dodge 90%+, Athletics 75%+, Acrobatics 75%+ - Against an overextended opponent, as a free action, you may move behind your opponent in order to deny them the ability to parry your next CA, they may only dodge your attack.

DD

 

[Exubae]

I understand the criticisms of abilites like Quickdraw or Two with one blow, but they have a pretty solid footing in reality and mythology.

Apologies DD I didn't mean to pull a part the feats, its the design ethos/concept behind the legendary abilities that riles me. It has the potential to overturn game balance and also pull the focus of play squarley on to combat.

Quickdraw

Should really be a specialised skill, in the 'real world' iai is taught as part of a kenjutsu or in tandem with kenjutsu - so I suppose gun or other weapon should have a comparable skill.

Uz don't get any penalties for operating during the day.

Other than sunburn and bad tempered