Legends of Today RPG

Last night on twitch.tv/time2tabletop I got the opportunity to start bringing Legends of Today to life! This was a first Open Legend game for all the players and one of the first RPGs ever for 2 of the players. With that in mind I simplified out the magical races and just focused on 'normal' characters. So this was a proof of concept for the modern setting, not the idea of including magic. I learned a few things: 1. Loose notes are good notes. I kept the things the players liked best and skipped anything they didn't. 2. Fights in Open Legend can be brutal! This might be luck, but last time I ran OL, the party ran right over the opposition. This time, I immediately exploded the dice in a big way against a PC. They were knocked unconscious immediately. 3. Unsurprisingly, there is a big difference between a Power Level 7 and Power Level 5. The attacks made at Power Level 7 proved unstoppable against Level 1 players. I took note of the names the players wanted to use bu...

Some places have drawn more attention than others. Big cities like New York, London, Seattle, Los Angeles, all are popular with the magical. especially those that want to learn about or benefit from the mundane world. Similarly, some wild places are very popular. The Amazon. The Rocky Mountains. The Pacific Northwest. There are greater concentrations of magical beasts there than elsewhere. Los Angeles You take the bus to work. Everyone in LA has a car, except you. As a college student, you just can't afford a car and rent. The bus is always full of magical people; most of them can't get a driver's license. Today there's an Orc dressed in a pretty traditional tribal getup. They might be attending a rally or protest; they may even be doing a television interview or acting in a movie as an extra. Orcs are always extras. There's a Halfling sitting in one of the seats at the front of the bus. If they weren't at ninety degrees to you, you wouldn't even see t...

Setting a power level for your campaign helps you tell players what the story will be about and how powerful their characters will be. The power level of a campaign can change over time and as characters level up. You can start your game at any character level. A level 1 'World level' game could be about heroes just learning about their powers and responsibilities. A level 3 'Steet level' game could be about poweful magical forces attacking a small community that the players defend using their considerable skill. Street Level Concepts Young adults learning to cope with magic and power in their normal lives. A neighborhood in Brooklyn has been targeted by a fiend that encourages deadly pacts. Local Level Concepts The small town of Nowhere, NM is beset by werewolves and skinchangers. Feister College has started studying magical beasts and is recruiting researchers for their dangerous work. Nation Level Concepts A team of magical people that seek to en...

This campaign focuses around a Legendary team that uncovers secrets. This could be handled quietly using stealth, hacking and magic to accomplish the objective, but if things get hairy, this team has the firepower to end any conflicts. The Infiltrator campaign focuses around a team, so one of the most interesting parts of the design can be the Headquarters or kind of team.  An Independent team might make their own decisions, choosing targets based upon personal vendettas or clients that come to them.  A Government team might be out to end exceptional threats, looking to cover up or exterminate magical problems or rogue agencies.  A Corporate team could be sponsored by a company or agency, but their mission is civilian. It might be interested in learning about magic or trying to uncover the secrets of a corrupt government. Character Concepts Hacker The Hacker focuses on using computers and networks to gain access to the data they need. They may not be the bes...

New Perks Magic Resistant : You are exceptionally difficult to charm or affect with magic. Once per game session when someone targets you with an Extraordinary bane they have Disadvantage 1 on their roll. New Flaws Antiquated: You have trouble keeping up with the world of today. Things change so quickly, you  find yourself out of date. Doubting: You actively disbelieve in magic. The presence of magical creatures hasn’t made the world better; you would rather they all just went away. Mundane : You don’t feel the presence of magic in the world. Being without the spark that allows one to learn magic yourself, you find it difficult to comprehend. Magic passes you by without notice. Technically Impaired: You have difficulty working with technological devices. The more complicated things are, the harder they are for you to use. New Feats Minor Seeming Cost: 1 point Prerequisites  1 in any Extraordinary Attribute Description You have a minor ...

In ancient times, Atlantis was the most beautiful of cities. Across the Earth is was known for being a safe haven, a place where humans and magical people could interact and live in peace. Atlantis was the city of magic, art and beauty. The Fall of Atlantis When human civilization began to swell and grow, aggressively rolling across the world, Atlantis became a target. Being a center of learning and understanding, it cultivated an inclusive and liberal attitude among its people that encouraged peace and shared understanding. This was so contrary to the human views of the time that they sought to destroy it. Atlantis came under heavy attack from all sides. An island kingdom, it was attacked from the seas in every direction. Many people from Atlantis fled, hiding throughout the world and infiltrating the civilizations that feared it so. The Fall of Atlantis was near. This was the catalyst for the forming of the Veil. As the Veil was woven, the magical people plucked the city of...

The AstralNet is a Dwarven creation that parallels the Internet. Using it magicals can communicate without crossing over mundane channels. There are a variety of apps and websites that link to the AstralNet for easy access. The AstralNet doesn't have the same information resources as the Internet but it does support a number of chat and messaging programs, bulletin boards and other information sharing resources. Magic spellbooks and reference guides have been scanned and shared online as well as guides to many beneficial and dangerous magical beasts. The AstralNet is also a source of jobs and tasks for entrepreneurs. These range from legal jobs that require magical skill to illegal black or wet ops. AstralNet servers are large, heavily enchanted computers. They are kept safely and securely deep within the Earth where only Dwarves go. 

The AstralNet is a Dwarven creation that parallels the Internet. Using it magicals can communicate without crossing over mundane channels. There are a variety of apps and websites that link to the AstralNet for easy access. The AstralNet doesn't have the same information resources as the Internet but it does support a number of chat and messaging programs, bulletin boards and other information sharing resources. Magic spellbooks and reference guides have been scanned and shared online as well as guides to many beneficial and dangerous magical beasts. The AstralNet is also a source of jobs and tasks for entrepreneurs. These range from legal jobs that require magical skill to illegal black or wet ops. AstralNet servers are large, heavily enchanted computers. They are kept safely and securely deep within the Earth where only Dwarves go. 

Threats are everywhere. Legends of Today need Threats to face. Governments While it's simple enough to imagine that governments fear the magical, it's really specific segments of the government that may deal with magical threats. Department of Immigration The natural choice to control magical beings in the country, Immigration has suddenly become faced with beings it has no chance of controlling. Some magicals work with Immigration, especially Trolls who don't think of national politics as such. Bureau of Investigation The BI is in charage of threats to the nation. The sudden return of magic definitely qualifies. Some of its senior members may be magical, or advised by the magical, so this may be more of a targeted witch hunt or vendetta instead. Department of Defense/military Weaponizing magic and the magical would be an incredible coup. Scarier to contemplate is that this government is not the first to bring magic to the battlefield. Corporations Corpora...

Open Legend makes a fantastic, fast-moving story engine but the story that you tell is yours. This is a game setting that could be used to play at several different levels of influence and power. Power Levels A 'street' level game about young adults learning to cope with magic and power in their normal lives. (Stranger Things ) A 'local' level game where the players work to protect and understand their community of magicals, dealing with exotic threats and mundane predjudices. (Buffy) A 'nation' level game could have the players battling enormous magical threats while being chased by the government under the threat of jail or dissection. (X-Files) A 'world' level game pits the players against magical forces that will destroy the world if they are not stopped. The governments of the world seek to control and shackle the players at every turn. (Avengers) See more Campaign Power Levels Here are a few campaign concepts: Infiltrators The par...

Legends of Today characters are powerful, proactive forces in the world. They understand the world is more than the mundane. For some characters, this might just be a feeling that motivates them to explore the world, but for others, they themselves are magical, powerful beings that cannot be restrained by the mundane world. Legends of Today is an Open Legend RPG setting.This means that while a character's may define them as a person, their experience, their capabilities; it does not affect the statistics that they can be assigned. For Legends of Today, play the character that you want to play. Races The Races of Legends of Today are limited only by your imagination. The magical people of the world represent all the races of lore, while the mundane are exclusively human. Remember that Race choices in Open Legend are cosmetic in terms of character attributes. Ss and flaws are particularly appropriate to each race, as listed below, but the race you play should be something you ...