However short that may be!
Yeah, you have two origins that you roll randomly when you first create your character and they will stick with you that character's entire lifetime.
However short that may be!
Wait..What..Random....
If you find something that ISN'T random... it's probably a typo
Wait..What..Random....
To quote from the book:
"We think the game is the most fun when you roll your two origins randomly and live with the results. If that's too random for you, try this: Roll one origin, and then choose another origin that you think compliments it (or choose one first and then roll the second.) If you really want to play something specific, ask your Game Master if you can pick your origins. But you're a big chicken." p 35, Rolling or Choosing Origins?
So it's highly recommended to randomly role both of your origins, but it's still up to you and your GM to determine if players can roll or choose.
And yes, the book really does call you chicken for wanting to select both of your origins.
My group ended up with an amusing grouping:
Android Rat Swarm (aka Rat-Voltron)
Hypercognative Gravity Controller
Mind Coercer Mind Breaker (Aka, 'The High-School Gym Coach')
Radioactive Yeti (Who was literally too dumb to live. His Int is a 3)
Are there toadmen?
I really want to play a toadman. But I don't want to pick my origins by hand 'cause that's lame.
Are there toadmen?
You can probably (re)flavor nearly any origin to include "toadman."
However, you could just say whatever you roll up is a toadman and just have no special toad-traits.
Also, origins are VERY "loose". Like hawkoid... while it implies hawks, it really just means "flying thing".
A seismic hawkoid could be a gargoyle (which looks nothing likie a bird), while a rat swarm hawkoid could be a cloud of mosquitoes. An android hawkoid could be a robot with a jetpack.
In the book they say a rat swarm felinoid could either be a swarm of rats that operates in feline shape (like a panther), or it could be a swarm of kittens.
If I was going to pick origins for a toadman, I'd go with some combination of Giant, Gravity, and/or Radioactive... optionally with any of the Psi origins like Mind Breaker.
None of these really dictate that you look like an animal, so you can make yourself whatever you want. Giant and Radioactive are perfect for giant toads - Gravity makes you immune to falling.
Or you could go Hawkoid-Gravity. Call the hawkoid flight "Jumping", combined with your immunity to falling, and you can literally jump as high and far as you want
There's an amphibious origin on one of the lists.
Where? Not seeing it as an origin in the core book, or on the list for the second expansion that was posted not to long ago (www.wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd/4...).
Too bad, that would be cool.
Amphibious + Ratswarm = Piranha
5. Aquatic Adaptation (Bio)
All that time you spent in the tub as a youngster is finally paying off!
Benefit: You can breathe water, and you gain a Swim speed equal to your speed
Overcharge: At any time, you can roll a d20;
10+: While this card is readied, you can mentally communicate with fish within a mile of you;
9 or less: While this card is readied, you think you can mentally communicate with fish within a mile of you.
Sorry I went back and checked myself, Turns out I imagined it.
Too bad, that would be cool.
Amphibious + Ratswarm = Piranha
No worries Rampant. I was kind of hoping you might have found a leak to the third list of origins.
Amphibian
Mutant Type: Dexterity; Bio; +2 to bio overcharge.
Skill Bonus (Level 1): Gain a +4 to Nature checks
Swim Speed (Level 1): You have a swim speed of 6
All-Around Vision (Level 1): You are never surprised.
Amphibian Critical (Level 2): When you score a critical hit, you let out a croak of triumph which dazes any creature adjacent to you until the end of your next turn.
Grasping Tongue (Amphibian Novice)
This thing isn't just for show, baby.
At-Will • Bio
Minor Action Melee 3
Target: One creature
Attack: Dexterity + your level vs. Ref
Hit: The target is pulled 2 squares.
Prodigious Leap (Amphibian Utility)
Gotta go.
Or is that an actual Gammaworld condition?
My group ended up with an amusing grouping:
Android Rat Swarm (aka Rat-Voltron)
Hypercognative Gravity Controller
Mind Coercer Mind Breaker (Aka, 'The High-School Gym Coach')
Radioactive Yeti (Who was literally too dumb to live. His Int is a 3)
I just playtested the Freesboro adventure. We did random origins, but I instituted a rule that no two players could have the same origin (and I'm glad I did, or we'd've had three Siesmics).
The results were:
Electrokinetic Android
Seismic Hypercognitive
Hawkoid Plant
Cockroach Giant
Pyrokinetic Engineered Human
Mind Breaker Rat Swarm
Hawkoid Plant
Cockroach Giant
Nice :D
Um does never surprised mean always acting in a surprise round or simply not granting CA during such a round.
Or is that an actual Gammaworld condition?
The rules are somewhat vague on certain things. The GW book includes a boiled down version of standard 4E rules, but doesnt include such things as Bull Rush, Grab, Charge, and other things that players often want to use. I don't believe surprised was one of the conditions listed.
But don't let that stop you - Stealth exists in the game as a skill, but there arent really any rules on it. So just use standard 4E stuff if something comes up thats not in the GW book. Thats what my group is doing.
Here's my off-the-cuff take, inspired by the Giant Toad stat block.Amphibian
Mutant Type: Dexterity; Bio; +2 to bio overcharge.
Skill Bonus (Level 1): Gain a +4 to Nature checks
Swim Speed (Level 1): You have a swim speed of 6
All-Around Vision (Level 1): You are never surprised.
Amphibian Critical (Level 2): When you score a critical hit, you let out a croak of triumph which dazes any creature adjacent to you until the end of your next turn.
Very Nice. Hope you don't mind me stealing that for my list of custom origins. I've got about 10 on the list now of my own. (Though now that I'm aware of the Far-Go list, I guess its 9, since Extraterrestrial will be getting replaced by the official 'Alien' origin.)
Um does never surprised mean always acting in a surprise round or simply not granting CA during such a round.
Or is that an actual Gammaworld condition?
I would say, yes, a character with All-Around Vision always acts in the surprise round.
Um does never surprised mean always acting in a surprise round or simply not granting CA during such a round.
Or is that an actual Gammaworld condition?
I would say, yes, a character with All-Around Vision always acts in the surprise round.
Maybe it would be better to use the D&D rule for "all-around vision" which is: "Enemies can’t gain combat advantage by flanking a creature that has all-around vision."
Page 82 "Surprise!"
Rulebooks are for sissies.
Just kidding. This is what I get for not looking things up.
Page 82 "Surprise!"
Rulebooks are for sissies.
True, the Rulebook / Sissy origin mix is pretty darn good. I particularly like how nice the Rulebook's Obscure Reference attack works with the Sissy's Whine About It utility power.