A Paladin on the Hellmouth

[Michael S. Miller]

Okay, I’ve got a million other gaming things to think about, but this one has gripped me today. I’ve been watching a lot of Buffy lately (Thank God for DVDs), as well as reading critical analyses of the show. My wife would kinda like to run the Eden Studios’ game. Well, indie game junkie that I am, I started to think which indie games would work well for Buffy. Inspired by the Middle Earth thread, I think Paladin is the best choice. Here would be my take on it:

Order: The Scoobies

Minor Laws
Never use Animus for trivial reasons.
Never hurt another Scooby’s feelings.
Never refuse a plea for help.

Major Laws
Never kill a human being.
Never let it get away. (“It” is anything which hurts/kills people)

Unbreakable Laws
Never betray another Scooby.

Like in the Fellowship example, each role within the Gang would define their Animus differently.

The Slayer: Slay, Beat People Up, Have Slightly Precognitive Dreams, Heal Quickly

The Watcher: Watch -- er, I mean -- Know Things, Cast Ritual-Laden Spells, Slightly Inept Slayage, Lessen Damage {“Tweed. It’s better than Kevlar.”)

The Witch: Cast Powerful Ritual-Laden Spells, Do Instant Magic (TK, and the like), Heal (not much)

The Zeppo: Boost Morale with Witty Repartee, Get Out of the Way, Occasionally Lucky Slayage, Identify the Source of the Problem (not always reliable)

The Vampire w/ a Soul: Beat People Up, Grit Teeth and Take Anything Short of a Stake to the Heart, Know Demon Stuff

Also, I’d say that only the Slayer and the Vamp w/ Soul have the Ability “Arms.” The others would have Research, Magic and Charm, respectively.

I’d really be interested in hearing people’s feedback on this, as my Buffy-lore is limited mainly to the early DVD episodes and the current season.

[lumpley]

Yay!

I'd swap the don't betray a Scoobie and the don't kill laws.  They actually do betray each other once in a while, and...

SPOILER

...when Faith and Willow kill people, it's definitely Unbreakable territory.

END SPOILER

There's also the Former Demon (Know Demon Stuff) and the Government Stooge (Arms, Know Demon Stats, Beat People Up, Heal Pretty Quickly).

-Vincent

[Ben Morgan]

Don't forget the Werewolf: Convey Complex Thoughts and Concepts With a Single Word, Heightened Senses, Advanced Healing, Rip People Up (another unreliable one).

[lumpley]

I intended really hard to not forget the werewolf. Dang.

Totally completely off-topic: he'd've never put up with season six. He'd've kicked all their asses for them.

Buffy Paladin is my current top choice for games I'd like to play but probably won't get to.  I hope someone does, like you Michael for instance, so vicarious thrills for me!

-Vincent

[Clinton R. Nixon]

I don't know how I missed this, Michael, with all my Buffy-loving self. I think the idea presented in the Fellowship thread would work well for this. (It's something I need to include in Paladin 2nd edition.) I also think the "betray Scooby" and "kill a human" laws need to be switched, but otherwise, this should work great.