|
Post by Elliot Kane on Feb 13, 2006 17:41:03 GMT
This is going to be a rules thread for the web based RPG system I am currently developing. I had to do something during my recent bout of RSI, and the majority of this constituted a lot of the 'something It is intended to be a modular system - in other words, it is a bare bones system that can be converted to use in any genre simply by adding a set of genre-specific rules. Being in large part a Fantasy fan, I have started by creating the base rules for a Fantasy setting. If I get interested enough to test the system, this is the set I will mainly be using. There is some number crunching, but most of it is done during the character creation process, and will not need much adjusting thereafter. A fair amount of the system also relies on the GM being able to give out bonuses as s/he sees fit to inventive players - which should not be a problem to any experienced GM. Without further waffle from me - the system begins
|
|
|
Post by Elliot Kane on Feb 13, 2006 18:00:51 GMT
Basic AbilitiesEvery character in the game will have 24 points to spread between the following four stats in any way they choose, so long as each stat has at least 1 point in it. This allows you to build a character who is fairly competent across the board, or one who has superb abilities in a couple of areas but is weaker in the others, according to how you like it. A human has a stat range of 1-10 in all four stats, though other races may of course vary. Right now, I'm only going to deal with humans, in order to keep the rules simple. The Four StatsStrength - is an indication of brute physical power. It will add to the damage you deal with melee weapons and other attacks where it might reasonably be expected to play a part. Multiplied by ten, it gives your Lift score, which is useful for moving heavy objects. Agility - is a combination of swiftness, reflexes, and hand-eye co-ordination. It adds to your Armour Rating. It increases the number of times you can attack in a round by 1 for every 5 points of Agility you possess. Multiplied by ten, it gives your Movement Speed which is very useful if you are trying to outrun something. Intellect represents your mental faculties - your ability to think and reason. In a Fantasy game you require a minimum of 5 points to cast spells, and multiplying the stat by ten gives you your Mana which is what you use to cast spells with. Endurance represents the physical robustness of your character. It is the least active stat, but multiplied by ten it gives you your Health Points, which are rather important as when they hit zero, your character is dead. So far, it seems fairly easy, right? Hopefully, it will stay that way
|
|
|
Post by Elliot Kane on Feb 13, 2006 18:52:44 GMT
Character SkillsWe all learn a number of skills throughout our lifetime, and there are far too many of them for me to create an exhaustive list. You might consider these to be example skills more than a complete list of everything your characters can do. The idea is not just to add flavour to the game, but also to create a set of abilities that will help the characters to survive. Each skill has a value from 1 - 5, with 5 being the best. These skills may be combined with your stats in various useful ways (Most of which I am not going to mention, as half the fun is working things out for yourselves to give you a final 'ability number' that the GM will match against a predetermined target number to see if you succeed in what you are trying to do. There are also many different combinations that might prove useful in any given situation. For example, if you are trying to out-swim the pull of a waterfall, you might argue that while the Swimming skill is obviously essential, the pull of the falls could be fought with Strength (Powering out of the way), Agility (Moving through the water with better efficiency) or Endurance (Hanging on in there until you can inch your way to dry land). You will only be allowed to use one active stat, but you can certainly pick the best one providing you can justify it in terms of what you are trying to do. Conversely, of course, not every stat is useful in every situation. It would be useless to try to use your Endurance to boost your Steath ability if you are trying to conceal your tracks from people who are after you, for example. Each character has 24 points to assign to Skills, as the player pleases. Any new ideas for skills should be checked with the GM first. Sample Skill ListRead/Write - the ability to read & write your own language. If there is more than one language used in the game, needs a separate skill for each one. Swimming - pretty obviously, the ability to swim. Useful if your characters are fond of staying alive in a Fantasy or wilderness setting. Climbing - the ability to climb. Shocking, huh? Not needed for ladders or simple obstacles. Open Locks - the ability to use lock picks, twisted bits of wire etc, and other ways of getting into those pesky locked chests without risking harm to the contents. Find/Disable Traps - a very useful precursor to Open Locks, mostly, though it has its uses in suspicious looking corridors also. Spellcraft - Used in the Fantasy game. There are five levels of spells, and you cannot use spells of a level that exceed your Spellcraft skill. Also requires at least one level of Read/Write. Stealth - allows all manner of sneaking, including hiding, moving silently and just being very hard to spot. Parry - useful skill, as it adds to Armour Rating on a point for point basis. Use (Weapon Type) - a series of skills that are important for anyone getting into a fight because they add to your Damage Rating on a 2x skill level basis. Obviously, if you are lacking an appropriate weapon, you get no bonuses from this skill. The Fantasy/Medieval versions of this skill are as follows (Each separate skill requiring its own points, of course): Swords, Daggers, Axes, Missile Weapons (Bows, Crossbows & Slings), Polearms, Blunt Weapons (Includes staves, clubs, maces etc) and Stars (Flails & Morning Stars). I am using types rather than specific weapons for the sake of simplicity, despite the lack of realism. Sailing - the ability to sail everything from a small boat (Level 1) to a large ship (Level 5). Singing - a combination of actual singing talent + voice training. Play (Musical Instrument) - choose an instrument. Tutoring - you may teach others any skill you know yourself, up to the level of your tutoring skill and your own level in the skill you wish to teach. Improving SkillsYou may improve your initial skills or learn new ones by finding a tutor or someone else who is willing to train you. Training takes time and often money or favours done for the tutor. There are no limits to the amount you can learn providing you have the time, money, and available tutors. No tutor can teach a skill beyond his own level, nor can he teach a higher level of skill than his ttutoring skill will allow. There is a huge difference between knowing something and being able to teach it.
|
|
|
Post by Gray Lensman on Feb 13, 2006 19:09:48 GMT
Looks like an interesting system so far, Elliot. I'd be willing to try a character out through it. Will Alignment be an issue here? If it is, I'd presume we're using your system?
|
|
|
Post by Elliot Kane on Feb 13, 2006 19:10:27 GMT
Armour Rating
This is an ability every character has, and an important one if you wish to avoid being damaged. It is a combination of abilities and actual armour worn. Depending on the genre of the game, there may be some variance in this equation, but mostly it will look like this:
Armour Type + Agility + Shield + Parry Skill = Armour Rating
Armour Type - is basically Light, Medium or Heavy. In Fantasy, Light armour would be leather or similar, Medium would be chain mail, and Heavy would be plate. The GM will tell you the Armour Type of any armour you find. Light gives +2, Medium gives +4 and heavy gives +6.
Agility - is simply your Agility score. It plays a huge part in how hard you are to actually hit sufficiently well to do damage.
Shield - is Small, Medium or Large, giving a bonus of +1. +2 or +3 respectively.
Parry Skill - is your Parry Skill level.
Example
Your character is wearing chain mail armour and carrying a small shield. His Agility is 7, his Parry Skill is 3.
He would thus have an Armour Rating of:
Armour Type (4) + Agility (7) + Shield (1) + Parry Skill (3) = Armour Rating (14)
Note that the maximum AR attainable is 24, without including magical, technological or other enhancements.
You will note that this value will mostly stay constant throughout the game, only adjusting due to special circumstances (Agility is not much use if your legs are caught in a trap, for example) or as you upgrade your armour.
|
|
|
Post by Elliot Kane on Feb 13, 2006 19:12:32 GMT
Steve - there will be no Alignment system. I want to keep things as simple as possible, for now, which means a bare bones system. If players want to add the bells and whitles later, for whatever reason, that's fine - but most things at this stage are optional. This is why I love modular systems. Anything you want can be added, but very little is needed
|
|
|
Post by Gray Lensman on Feb 13, 2006 19:13:33 GMT
Cool, then. Since we had a lot of discussion on it, seemed worth asking.
|
|
|
Post by Elliot Kane on Feb 13, 2006 19:48:21 GMT
Combat Attacks & Damage
The number of times you can attack in a single round (Atts/rnd) is your weapon speed plus any Agility bonus (+1 att/5 points of AG).
This obviously means small weapons attack much more swiftly, but attacking and doing damage are not the same thing.
Base number of attacks by weapon type is as follows:
Daggers - 3 attacks/round Swords - 2 atts/rnd Axes - 1 att/rnd Bows - 2 atts/rnd Polearms - 1 att/rnd, + First Strike (In other words, you get a 'free round' at the start before anyone else can act) Blunt Weapons - atts 2 Stars - atts 1
Note that this is a base, and can vary a lot, especially in the case of Bows. A sling or light crossbow would only get one att/rnd, a medium or heavy crossbow would only get 1/2 atts/rnd. (First round shoot, second round reload). A repeating crossbow would get the standard 2 - at least until the magazine ran out.
Damage Rating is calculated as follows:
(Strength + 2x Wpn Skill + Wpn Dam) - the AR of the opponent.
In other words, while your fast attacking dagger is wonderful against lightly armoured or no armoured opponents, it won't do much against a heavily armoured foe.
Base Weapon Damage is as follows:
Dagger - damage 2 Sword - dam 4 Axe - dam 6 Polearm - dam 4 Bows - dam 4 Blunt Weapons - dam 4 Stars - dam 6
Example
Your character has a Strength of 7 and an agility of 5. He has a dagger (And a Use Dagger Skill of 3), giving him a total of four atts/rnd. That's pretty good, but his damage might not be fantastic:
(Strength (7) + 2x Wpn Skill (6) + Wpn Dam (2)) - the AR of the opponent. = 15 - AR of opponent.
Remembering our medium armoured character from earlier had an AR of 14, this means that our swift dagger wielder is doing a grand total of 4 points damage to his opponent if they fight,
If he were using a sword instead of a dagger, he would have 3 atts/rnd, and would deal dam as follows:
(Strength (7) + 2x Wpn Skill (6) + Wpn Dam (4)) - the AR of the opponent. = 17 - AR of opponent.
In other words, our sword wielder is slower, but when he hits he is doing 3 pts of damage/hit against an AR of 14, for a total of 9 damage a round.
As you can see, the AR of an opponent is very imporant when you are working out which weapon to use.
Dual Wielding
You can of course use a weapon in each hand, but this means no shield may be used. It is also not possible to use a two handed weapon in each hand. Duel wielders must share any Agility bonuses to number of atts between their weapons, and do not gain them per hand.
However, combat is not that simple
There is a lot more to it than balancing out your Armour Rating (AR) and your Damage Rating (DR). No half way decent warrior only hits things without using his surroundings to advantage. There are a myriad ways of gaining bonuses, or otherwise stacking the odds in favour of your character.
Everything from kicking sand in someone's face to using your sword to reflect sunlight into their eyes can gain you bonuses - and that's only minor trickery. Be creative, and you'll be surprised how much those numbers can vary from round to round.
Shields are not much use if you're stabbed in the back, either...
Combat should never be just a number comparison - not unless you are doing it very wrong.
|
|
|
Post by Elliot Kane on Feb 13, 2006 19:49:11 GMT
Cool, then. Since we had a lot of discussion on it, seemed worth asking. I love my Alignment system. That doesn't mean I have to use it all the time
|
|
|
Post by SilvaShado on Feb 13, 2006 20:05:08 GMT
I like it so far, but have a few questions.
On armor, does your agility go down with the heavier armor? In D&D, heavy armor limits your bonus from agility.
On bow damage, do you add your strength to it?
And I'm not sure if I understand duel weilding. If you use two daggers, you get 3 attacks with each hand, but how does agility play into that?
|
|
|
Post by Elliot Kane on Feb 13, 2006 20:08:42 GMT
Magic
There are five levels of magic in the game, and despite this being a rather magic-weak system (Rather necessary in any game where your Health total is not going to increase except by the use of items or spells that give you temporary bonuses) magic can be the difference between life and death.
Not least because it's where the healing is.
To use a spell, you must have a level of Spellcraft equal to or greater than the level of spell. Many spells have stronger or weaker versions, and you may only use the versions that your character has learned, regardless of your Spellcraft level.
Here are a couple of sample spells. Obviously, GMs may invent as many others as they like, as this list consists of a few examples only to give you an idea of how the system is supposed to work.
Spells may be cast at the rate of 1/rnd
Heal - lvl 1 - costs 10 mana, heals 5 Health Heal - lvl 2 - costs 10 mana, heals 10 Health Heal - lvl 3 - costs 10 mana, heals 15 Health Heal - lvl 4 - costs 10 mana, heals 20 Health Heal - lvl 5 - costs 10 mana, heals 25 Health
Heat Blast - Lvl 1 - costs 10 mana, does 5 Health dam to target creature. Heat Blast - Lvl 2 - costs 10 mana, does 10 Health dam to target creature. Heat Blast - Lvl 3 - costs 10 mana, does 15 Health dam to target creature. Heat Blast - Lvl 4 - costs 10 mana, does 20 Health dam to target creature. Heat Blast - Lvl 5 - costs 10 mana, does 25 Health dam to target creature.
(Note that magical damage always ignores AR unless otherwise specified. That doesn't mean there aren't creatures out there who don't have reductions or immunities, though, be warned)
Armour - lvl 1 - costs 5 mana, adds 1 point to AR for the duration of a single combat Armour - lvl 2 - costs 5 mana, adds 2 point to AR for the duration of a single combat Armour - lvl 3 - costs 5 mana, adds 3 point to AR for the duration of a single combat Armour - lvl 4 - costs 5 mana, adds 4 point to AR for the duration of a single combat Armour - lvl 5 - costs 5 mana, adds 5 point to AR for the duration of a single combat
As a general rule, a higher level version of a spell will have better effects for the same Mana cost.
Some spells do not have lower level equivalents, but almost all low level spells have higher level equivalents.
Learning Spells
Is not a long or complicated process. Once you have found a scroll with the spell written on it, you must simply memorise the single word or short phrase that causes the spell to work. This is usually a matter of minutes rather than hours.
That said, there are more powerful spells that require a lot of setting up, and a lot more than just a handy phrase. They don't matter at this point, but they are something you should be aware of.
|
|
|
Post by Elliot Kane on Feb 13, 2006 20:17:21 GMT
I like it so far, but have a few questions. Which I will be happy to answer No. Your ability bonus is an absolute value, regardless of armour. Not only is it simpler that way, but it's also more accurate than a blanket heavy armour reduction, believe it or not. By the end of the Medieval period, the best plate armour was easier to move around in than many light or medium armours, simply because it was crafted to support much of its own weight. To be accurate, you would also have to factor in strength, because a very strong person would feel the weight of the armour less. So, as complete accuracy is virtualy impossible, I'm going with what is easiest Yes. Because you can set the pull according to how strong you are. If your character has an Agility of 5, he gets +1 attack in total, not +1 attack with each hand. Hope that helps
|
|
|
Post by Elliot Kane on Feb 13, 2006 20:19:18 GMT
As far as the Fantasy version is concerned - that is it, Ladies, Gentlemen and assorted others Everything the player needs to know, and pretty much everything the GM does too If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask
|
|
|
Post by SilvaShado on Feb 13, 2006 20:39:17 GMT
Thanks for answering my questions.
So, there's no leveling up, no gaining more HP or skill points or learning new spells. Hm... interesting. I wouldn't mind trying it out.
I kinda like that in combat, you don't have to have a feat to allow you to do this or that. You can just try it and the DM decides whether you can. Though it sometimes can be an advantage to have feats that make you better at it. I guess with your system, you could just make it a skill and have that bonus add to whatever maneuver you're trying.
An example would be tripping an opponent. Even in D&D, anyone can try it, but there is a feat that improves the ability. What skill would improve tripping an oponnent?
Maybe I'm getting too specific, but I am curious as to how this system would actually play out. It seems that a lot is up to the DM to create as the game progresses, and I know that can be quite challenging.
And just to let you know, Will and I would be interested in participating in an online game. I'd be doing all the typing, though, because with his visual impairment, it would be too taxing for him to keep up.
|
|
|
Post by Elliot Kane on Feb 13, 2006 21:46:46 GMT
Thanks for answering my questions. Any time You'll learn spells as you find them, but yeah, there's no levelling, no gratuitous stat increases, and no mysterious points you get to use on skills you've never used Always worked for me I hate any system where the rules are set in stone. The real world is a very flexible place, and I try to make my game worlds somewhat similar There are no numbers involved in trying to trick an opponent. If you are cunning enough, or working with others in teams, your trick will likely succeed. If you are blindingly obvious about it, you won't. The GM will simply decide if it works or not, and let you know That of the player If you just say, "I will try to trip him" chances are it won't work if he's at all experienced as a fighter. If you say, "I will throw dirt at his face, then trip him as he recoils" you have a much better chance of pulling it off. Basically, the cleverer you are, the better the likely results A huge amount of it is up to the GM, yes. I like very flexible systems, and I think that a web based game will hugely benefit from that approach. After all, you will have at least a day or two to work out your next actions, so there's no hurry for the player - nor for the GM to make decisions. Combat becomes a true role playing experience when the approach the player takes is more important than the number crunching, and that is all to the good, IMO No prob, Silva At the moment, I'm still ironing out the system, but if I get to play testing, you will both have the chance to see how well it works - or doesn't, as the case may be...
|
|
|
Post by SilvaShado on Feb 13, 2006 22:16:39 GMT
I see, so you have to really think and describe how you are doing something. Very challenging. I still think there should be techniques a person can learn, but maybe that can be treated more like skills.
I still question about not having a way to level yourself up. There should be ways to grow and improve, or else you'll be fighting the same types of things forever. Hp, stats and skill points should imrpove as you go through more and more encounters. You get better at doing something because you do it a lot or you get hardier as you survive tough encounters....
But then maybe something like that will come in when you apply a genre to the basic system. Is that when the concept of classes would come in?
Oh, and since I've been using a monk, I was wondering whether a character can fight unarmed? How many attacks per round and how much damage would that do?
|
|
|
Post by Elliot Kane on Feb 13, 2006 22:36:05 GMT
I haven't contemplated martial arts, yet. As noted, this is the basic system, to which much can be added. It's also very much a first draft idea, as it were, and needs play testing to see how well - or even IF - it will work. There are no classes, because they aren't needed. An awful lot of systems don't have them, and they all work well enough. If someone wanted classes, they could always add them quite easily. Levelling is something I have been thinking about. I'm not sure it's needed, but then I'm not sure it isn't either. I suspect I'll be more likely to create one shot magical spheres that up a single stat permanently by a single point or something. If I keep those to a minimum, the players are likely to be very careful in how they develop their characters... The system might turn out to be a complete failure in practice, or it might not. Guess it DOES need play testing... Only hope I can still remember how to write an adventure
|
|
|
Post by SilvaShado on Feb 13, 2006 23:01:55 GMT
Well, we'll be happy to help play-test.
Something this simple would be great for those who really want role-play and be creative. It'd give people the opportunity to be anything and do anything as long as they can think of it and the DM can work out how difficult it would be.
Maybe people would role-play leveling up. In other words, after so many encounters, a player believes their character is stronger and strength should go up a point. Or maybe they use a certain spell all the time so that they learn how to make it do more damage (go up a level).
Then I think about how some things are easier because of training. Having no classes can be a bonus in that someone could cast spells and fight, but then they wouldn't be better at either one than someone who has trained in a class that focus on spells or focuses on fighting.
Either way, I'm always cautious about leaving too much up to the DM to decide. I have been burned in the past by DMs who are selfish and want to win. Winning to them means being cruel to the characters. On the other hand, I think about what I would do trying to run this system and I believe I would be too generous in giving people the opportunity to do things and get more pwerful.
The problem is that more rules help balance things, but more rules makes it more complex.
Though ultimately, the system won't work if the DM and players don't agree and/or like how things are turning out.
|
|
|
Post by Gray Lensman on Feb 13, 2006 23:18:10 GMT
I'd likewise be willing to play-test this. The system seems to work for me on first glance, I think. It seems to cover the important things and isn't too complicated to work out. Also allows for a lot of roleplay and gameplay options, which to me is the most important thing. I'll throw together a sample character and see how it holds up. Probably will be done soonish.
|
|
|
Post by SilvaShado on Feb 13, 2006 23:43:08 GMT
I've started creating a character as well, and have a few qeustions.
What limitations are there when it comes to using missile weapons. Can they be used in close combat? Can you still use your parry modifier if attack? Can you use a shield with missile weapons?
Also does a character start off with some spells if they have chosen spellcraft? If so how many? 1 spell per rank in spellcraft or points in intellect?
Thinking about some new skills -
Tumble - being able to roll out of the way to avoid being hit, or tumble around an oppnent to get a better angle. Use when falling to reduce damage.
Survival - knowing how to survive in the wilderness. Knowing which way is north, how to find food, safe places to sleep, finding firewood, etc.
what about Listen or Hide skills?
Also, what does higher ranks in read/write mean? You know more languages or you're better at it?
|
|