Skip to main content

Auto-treasure, batch 1

So here's a thing. Having tired of the thug-o-matic for the time being, I've turned my attention to something that'll automatically generate treasures based on DF8. It randomly picks a bunch of items and embellishments with total values within a range I provide (in this case, $1000 to $5000), spits out the list and grand totals, and I come up with suitable prose. Here's a bunch, which seem to have ended up no more than slightly Vancian. I don't think it's quite accounting for everything yet, but it's at least partly there:

A high-quality if well-used piece of leather armor, dyed a deep, dull blue but marked with an indelible bloodstain over the heart. It carries an unmistakable chill with it, but allows the user to cast the Cool spell. Leather armor; Fine quality, Stained (CF -0.1), Dyed (average), Aura Of Cold; Cool enchantment. $4,380; 7.5 lbs.

An articulated, albeit mundane and inert, prosthetic hand, inlaid extensively with tiny beads of glass and glazed ceramic in shades of yellow and red. Prosthetic Hand, Inlay (cheap, extensive). $3,200, 1 lb.

A pair of magnifying lenses held in a large, hinged, v-shaped frame, suitable for perching on one's nose. The frames are gilded, inlaid with a curling, wave-like pattern in pale blue enamel, painted with tiny fish and birds around the waves, and decorated with long braided silk tassels which double as ties to keep them on the user's face. Corrective Spectacles, Gilding, Inlay (cheap, extensive), Painting/Enamel (minimal), Fringe (expensive). $4,425.00; 0.5 lbs.

A plumbata which leaves a shower of tiny sparks when it moves and allows the user to speak with remarkable powers of persuasion. Plumbata, Visible Trail (Sparkling Motes), Silver Tongue enchantment (cast only). $4,040, 1 lb.

A solid necklace made from bronze, covered in geometric patterns of red enamel and inlaid with the crude shapes of hammers and spears picked out in flecks of polished marble. The torc is somewhat worse for wear, with some of the exposed bronze gone green with age. Average Bronze Torc, Painting/Enamel (extensive), Inlay (cheap, extensive), Corroded (CF -0.25). $1,788, 2.25 lbs.

An iron strongbox divided into small cubicles. It carries with it the faint scent of decay, but provides the user with flaming hands while the moon is waning. Strongbox, Iron, Compartmentalized, Scent (Decay), Burning Touch (Time Restrictions (Waning Moon)). $4,725, 18 lbs.

Comments

Iron Llama said…
Unfortunately, it's a bit of a mess. I started by leveraging the Access database I assembled to write DF13 with. However, VBA is clearly not the right language for it. I'm all but resigned to porting it to Java, and if I'm doing that, I may as well change the database back end to something like MySQL, and the whole thing smacks of effort.

For those of you not from a technical background: since the prophecies from the ancient scrolls aren't compatible with duotronic circuits, I'll need to reroute sub-light power through a matrix to regenerate the dilithium crystals before I can get the warp drive back on line.
Douglas Cole said…
I need an Alien'o'matic and an Army Ranger o' Matic for my GURPS Alien Menace campaign!

Popular posts from this blog

Car Wars Minis, Third Batch

Still having a go at these, trying out some new ideas. The short version is that having the right tools and materials is still key, but I've got a way to go with some other stuff. I think this one looks better in person than as a picture. A couple of shades of blue here with a blue wash and drybrushed metallic blue on some components. Oh, and purple spikes. I didn't even try to figure out something clever to do with the windshield. I'm finding that it's hard to make yellow work, but this one wasn't too bad. I initially tried masking the area for the blue stripe with tape, but it pulled off the paint instead. Had to do a swipe with a broad brush, which isn't great but worked better than I expected. Another one that looks better in person than on film. Tried to do a few different shades of green, which wasn't entirely successful. Probably my best out of this batch. I credit the red wash, which ended up being kind of glossy and goes well with the copper accents

Car Wars Minis, Second Batch

They say it's a poor craftsman who blames their tools. Is it a poor craftsman who gives them credit when things work out? If so, I am that craftsman. After my first round of not-great miniature painting, I ran off some more CW minis and tried more painting, this time digging up my well-hidden actually-for-minis paints (as opposed to the standard craft store acrylics I used the first time around), which I had more than I thought I did, and limited myself to my tiniest brushes. I also watched a few more YouTube videos about painting minis just to get a better feel for what it looked like when people did that. How did it come out? Still not great, but better. The first of batch #2 and by a considerable margin the worst. Involved some ill-advised dry brushing and the metallic paint I used for the weapons and I didn't thin the metallic paint I used on the weapons and side windows, losing all the detail in the process. This one...is actually OK. The thinned blue and purple paints gi

Charcuterie Bard

A few days ago, I dropped this random gag:   I shall make a character for an RPG who has powers related to artistic creativity, but instead of music and song, they come from arranging cheeses and cured meats. A charcuterie bard. — Turhan's Bey Company (@turhansbeycmpny) December 21, 2021   But then I remembered that there's absolutely precedent for food-based magic:  So, then, obviously we can have food-based bards in GURPS, right? The best approach I see is modifying the Enthrallment skills (p. B191). However, rather than requiring Public Speaking at 12+ as a prerequisite, a charcuterie bard requires Cooking and Professional Skill (Food Stylist) at 12+; see Ferrous Metal Food Fighting Guy for a bit on the latter. The skills are used by preparing and feeding an audience with tasty, tasty foods. The elements of food in question cost a minimum of 1% of COL per target, though higher quality ingredients provide a bonus (use costs and reaction bonuses for styling, GURPS Low-Tech