Monday, July 16, 2012

BESM 40K! An Alternate Approach to a Warhammer 40K RPG

     Okay, so a few years ago I pre-ordered Big Eyes, Small Mouth (BESM) 3rd Edition from Guardians of Order.  Almost immediately after that GoO announced that it was going bankrupt (totally a coincidence?).  Happily, the books were already ordered from the printers and White Wolf took over the rights.  After receiving both the printed and pdf versions I happily dived in and began enjoying this rather nice rules-light system.  The only problem I have with it is that it is a point-buy toolbox.  That's fine if you're running a game in a relatively modern period, but for other periods it's time to hit the design studio--hard.
     Now, I wanted to run some Warhammer 40,000 scenarios for my gamers but didn't like what I'd seen from Games Workshop (plus their reputation for over-priced merchandise).  So, I whipped out BESM and started designing away.  I decided that I would add a few of my own ideas to the basic WH40K world.  It would be "BESM 40K" instead.  Below is a class template for the Sisters of Battle Valkyrie (cool armored battle chicks with jump packs to enable maximum mayhem):

BESM40K Valkyrie Sister (Adeptes Sororitas)

Cost = 182 CP (106 without equipment)

ACV = 6 (7 ranged)
DCV = 6 (7 vs ranged)
HP =  55 (shock = 11; 21 in armor)
EP = 65

Stat Modifiers:
Body:    +1            (Body = 5)                                                              +10
Mind:    -            (Mind = 4)                                                                     -
Soul:    +2            (Soul = 6)                                                                  +20

Attributes                                 Notes                                                      CP
Attack Combat Mastery 1       +1 to ACV on all attacks                        +10
Aura of Inspiration 1                comrades get +1 on will saves                  +2
Combat Technique 2                Diving Attack, Two Weapons                   +4
Defense Combat Mastery 1    +1 to DCV vs. all attacks                         +10
Divine Relationship 2                                                                                +4
Energy Bonus 3                      +15 EP                                                      +6
Exorcism 2                             +2 to Exorcism rolls                                    +4
Healing 1                                 Heal 10 HP                                               +4
Ranged Attack (pistol) 3          +3 to all ranged attacks                              +9
Ranged Defense 3                   +3 to defense rolls vs. ranged                     +9
Massive Damage (pistols) 1    +1 damage multiplier with handgun shots     +4
Melee Attack (chainsword) 3    +3 to chainsword attacks                          +9
Melee Defense (chainsword) 3   +3 defending with chainsword                  +9
Mind Shield 2                          +2 to mental/psychic defense rolls              +4
Organizational Ties 2               Member of a Valkyrie Order                        +4
Sixth Sense 2                          +2 to rolls to sense Chaos energy nearby    +4
Special Movement (cat-like)                                                                     +2
Special Movement (wall bounce)                                                              +2
Telepathy 1                            Minor: only with other Valkyries                 +2

Skills:
Acrobatics 4                                                                                           +8
Military Sciences 1                                                                                  +2
Occult 2                                                                                                  +4

Disadvantages:
Marked 2                              full-body Valkyrie cult tattoos                     -2
Recurring Nightmares            frequent, moderate effect on lifestyle           -4

Equipment:
Power Armor                       (Sororitas Light Power Armor)               +56 CP
Jump Pack                          (Jump 4/item; 100m jumps                        +4
Bolt Pistols (2)                                                                                    +10
Chainsword                                                                                         +6

BTW, if you're not familiar with the Sisters of Battle (Adeptes Sororitas) then just go to YouTube and search on "sisters of battle tribute" for some cool videos.

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