RPG Laboratory -

RoL (v3) - DRAFT

J.K.Mosher — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:52:37 -0600

Okay, I've done some tweaking. Combined elements of
Rol(v1) and RoL(v2)for what i'm hoping is the final
incarnation, at least in regards to the basic rules,
and game flow.

Quick Points:
1) We have "Classes" called Disciplines.
These are pretty generic, give starting skill bonuses.

2)Conditions have returned from RoL(v1).
There is no scale, this time the Hero is either
Bleeding or not. All Conditions modify rolls, though
some modify more rolls then others.

3)Still no artwork . . . I'm working on it,
but currently I'm out of practice . . . I'm hoping
to include some black line drawings at least on the cover.

Feedback?
I'm kinda iffy about using the pamphlet format. I like it,
and feel it does give RoL something different from other
small RPG's that are full pages.

But the issues . . . is the Text TOO small?
Does it flow in a meaningful or useful manner?
Is the wording clear, or to cumbersome?
After reading the entire booklet did I miss anything?

Thanks and Enjoy :)

Well I am not dead

oversoul — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:53:20 -0600

I did not believe anyone thought so but I wanted a catchy title. Anyway I am still around and still work on my games, unfortunately I am also now running my own business and that eats up almost all of my time. I usually only have time to think about my games with a few minutes a week to actually work on them.

Well I now find myself with a little more time on my hands...finally, si I thought I would begin posting some again. How frequently I have no idea, but I have a tablet on the way so maybe I can squeeze some stuff out more often.

My most recent thoughts have been on BIG BEERS, small pretzels. back when I hade a small but active yahoo group we where discussing the probabilities of beer cap randomizers. By my testing I feel that a cap has a roughly 25% chance of landing face up. The aerodynamics of a cap tends to want to land face down. I am remulling over how much this will affect the game. I already include pretzels for rethow option. Given how many rethrows a player is allowed is only dependant on how many pretzels they have...and how full their bellies are. DO I need to change anything at all.

I also keep toying with my two setting for BBsp, Zombies ATE my kinfolk, and All Faeries MUST Die!! I am great at creating worlds, but when it comes time to creating adventures..I suck...

ANyway enough ranting for now.

6d6

MiTern — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 11:08:17 -0600

I am working on a solo rpg that uses many 6 sided dice because they are easy to obtain for most people, a pencil and paper.
The rules will be one page (double sided). It is kind of based on "Wall-e" and "The Brave Little Toaster".
Here is the background story; A nerdy, kinda lazy, sort of genius tech decides to make a little robot to help him around his studio apartment. You are that little robot and must accomplish the task(s) he sets before you.
The game; 6d6 is the robots name (the tech is into Star Wars). He has 6 'batteries' that have six charges each. Two batteries are used for Movement (i.e. getting to a certain place), two batteries are used for Attack (performing a task) and two batteries are used for Defense (protecting operating systems or work done). It is a MAD system (Movement, Attack, Defense) with 12 points assigned to each. The batteries can be moved at the cost of one point. For example, 6d6 after working a while has Movement:2, Attack:7 and Defense:12. He decides to move a battery from Defense to movement. So he now has Movement:7 (one point was lost in the move), Attack:7 and Defense:6.
There will be different scenarios or episodes. In the beginning they will be easy like; "Find the Pages to the Report" or "Put Away Clean Clothes". Then there will be medium difficulty like; "Make Flavored Noodles" or "Clean the Studio Apartment". Then difficult like "Bring the Tech's Lap Top to Him" or "Go to Sick Tech and Drive Him Home".
I have learned a lot about game mechanics by reading the great games on here and need to read more before deciding how the actual game play will work. I am looking into the games that increase levels as certain actions are performed or items found. There has been some trial and error. For example, at one point I was wondering how difficult it would be to teach an average person a number system based on 6... very hard by the way.
I like creating games from time to time. I mainly like playing them. You can find a game I created at http://www.pagat.com/invented/u-g-o.html

Pond

SheikhJahbooty — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 22:33:45 -0600

This is a fake RPG made for a game that Kumakami is playing over on the 1km1kt forums.

Here

What's with the huge blocks of grayed out error text?

J.K.Mosher — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 11:38:24 -0600

Just wondering if anyone else is noticing the blocks of error text that show up when you log in, or try and use the Most Popular and leaders links?

Thanks.

A Return and A Declaration

Archaetus — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 18:03:28 -0600

It was several years ago when I first stumbled across this great site. Back then, I was on here as Joxeta, and I had started a project that, to all intents and purposes, had shut down.

I'm not thinking many people will remember that project, but now that I'm in college, I have more time to work on the things I actually want to work on. This includes two very specific PnP RPGs.

The first is my personal re-envisioning of the third edition of Dungeons and Dragons and it's revision, lovingly called 3.5. Many steps have been taken on this project, but it is still a work in progress. As such, I will post the materials on this site to get feedback, gather playtesters, etc. When this game is completed, I intend to try and keep it as a free system for all to enjoy. It borrows elements from both "homebrew" and official sources, all with permission from the original authors. Mostly, it's a project in making D&D more of a game that "I'd really like to play".

The second project is an updated (from the days of Joxeta) and reworked version of my personal PnP RPG system: Chronicles. The system is designed to be balanced, customizable, and flexible. Hopefully, it will also be seen as a unique endeavor and not as a "rip-off" of other great ideas. As the project advances, I will post updates here for everyone to follow.

And so, I'd like to say: I'm back and I intend to work on and complete these projects and share them with the lovely community of RPGLabs.

Cheers,
Archaetus

Scythe RPG 7th draft

crusader131 — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 22:57:16 -0500

My rules are nearing completion, so i'm ready for it to be playtested by someone not already familiar with the system.

I've had some success with my own group, but i've always been there to fill in the gaps as we play. This will be my chance to see if the game can stand on its own, without me there to babysit.

The spell list is mostly complete, it's plenty full for some testing, but more could be added.

The rules are all in one big word file, rather than split up between topics.

My biggest concerns,

Level Balance: Are end game characters balanced with each other, or does combat break down?

Skills and Spells: Are the skill sets uniquely useful. Do they have an interesting play style. Is the Vigor cost for each reasonable for the level at which they will be used?

Inventory: Are the weapons and armor effectiveness and cost balanced?

Consistency: Are the terms used consistent, or do some terms creep in that are different and have no explanation, such as Spirit or Endurance (elements of the older versions of the rules, before terms were finalized).

Yo Dawg, I heard you like Spooky Beans

SheikhJahbooty — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 17:08:06 -0500

So I put spooky beans in your Spooky Beans so you could play Spooky Beans with spooky beans.

Meme info, here.

Well Halloween is coming up and considering that you won't be able to get a copy of Spooky Beans until next year (early next year, one would hope), I think we'd better make ourselves some more fun randomizers, head on over to Chapter 13 Press, and download Spooky Beans promos for our Halloween parties.

Just get a sack of jumbo lima beans and draw a skull on one side of each one.

The real question is, How many of these skully little beans will I have to mail to "Dregg" Carpio and Ben Morgan before they send me back a copy of their game?

It doesn't really take me long to draw each skull and jumbo limas are cheap, like a buck or two for a whole sack. If you cornered me at a convention and I just happened to have a pocket full of spooky beans I would probably part with them at a rate of 5 for a buck.

So what is that? A hundred. If I mail 50 spooky beans to each dude, do you think they will send me a complementary game?

Then they could go to their significant others and say, "Honey, I sold a copy of my game today. I got these beans."

And she would scream, "What are we suppose to do with beans?!"

"But they're spooky beans," and they get tossed out the window, and the next day a creepy beanstalk sprouts. It wouldn't be giant or anything because they're just lima beans, but it could still be creepy.

Or maybe they're hooked up with cool chicks who would see the beans and stop just as they are about to throw them out the window and say, "Oh they have adorable little cartoon skulls on them."

Plus, from that point on they could literally say, "The game publishing industry pays beans."

I was going to draw something on the other side, but it seemed best to just have skulls, so it would be easier to count successes that way.

Hey...

kroozer101 — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 05:02:59 -0500

Hello! I'm glad you're reading this, it means that one more person is looking at my kinda-work. "Kinda-work", because this is my first venture into creating an RPG. It's only a half-baked idea that's slowly coming together. Join me in this magic journey and laugh when I inevitably fail, won't you?

Update 1 on Starfaring Renaissance

SheikhJahbooty — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 23:55:11 -0500

So I've been thinking about how to make the random sorts of notes in Starfaring into a coherent game.

Two things

One

I've pretty much decided I want to do this percentile.

One of the randomization methods introduced in Starfaring was calculator button mashing. Just mash the buttons on your calculator until you get a value greater than 1, and then read the first two digits after the decimal place.

The game also kind of assumes you have normal dice. I figured that enough gamers today have d10s that I can just drop anything that requires d6 and replace it with a percentile resolution system for everything.

Plus, it's not as if it's hard to get a random number from 1 to 100 from well, anywhere. Playing in the car? First two digits on the license plate of the next car to pass you. No cars on the road? Pull out your phone. Mine is the cheapest one in the Verizon store and it has a stopwatch. Use the hundreds of seconds.

Two

Characters in Starfaring had four attributes and that was pretty much it.

Mentality - 3d6x10 (no real information how to use this stat in play)
Physique - 3d6 (no real information how to use this stat in play)
Health - 3d6 - Basically Hit Points (no real information how to use this stat in play, not even how much damage a handgun does)
Psionic - 3d6, plus 1d6 for psi stamina (how many times you can use a psi power before being exhausted) and 1d6 for psi recovery (how many days rest to recover all one's psi stamina)

Since these characters are supposed to be on a crew roster, meaning since a player is expected to control a ship and have several crew members to play, I see why a character is simply a name, crew position, and four numbers.

Sample Stat block:

Lcdr. Belica Beck, Mess Management, M:70 P:10 H:10 Psi:3(1,3)

So my challenge is to create a statblock that is useful in play, meaning if you have a crew member on an away mission, you can get a random number from 1 to 100 and that will tell you if your crewmember was able to hit a target with a blaster or something similar. The statblock I create should be at most twice as big, meaning I wouldn't object to two lines, one for stats, and another for binary traits (you have them or you don't), where you could put your alien philosophy, commando training, or cybernetic multi-spectrum visor.

Mentality is kind of a stand out attribute. It's the only one that you multiply by 10. The reason is never explained but I'm assuming it's because it looks more like an IQ score that way, and just like IQ, most characters will have a Mentality between 70 and 130.

Because Mentality stood out to me, I thought it might be interesting if characters in the game were only measured in terms of "intelligence", so I started looking up modern ways people measure intelligence.

CHC Theory is the most modern and scientifically rigorous model of human cognitive abilities. It has even influenced modern IQ tests. And some of this is really cool. As a GM you could ask for a roll on Crystallized Intelligence to see if a particular character would know how to fix something. A roll on Visual Processing could mean the difference between hitting a target and missing one. A roll on Reaction Time could be used to determine initiative.

But some of the other cognitive abilities are just too much, too detailed. CHC proposes measuring what you know (Crystalized Intelligence) and how well you are able to access what you know (Long Term Memory and Retrieval). That would make a seriously annoying game. "OK, you rolled to see that you do indeed know how to fix the warp core, but now roll to see if you can remember it in time." While that does indeed happen in real life all the time, knowing that you know something but can't get it off the tip of your tongue right now, is annoying when it happens, so why have it in a game? And CHC Theory measures things that I don't use anymore, never mind things that people in the future won't use anymore. Short Term Memory? Unless I am physically using my mouth and ears to communicate with you, an increasingly rare state of affairs today, I will never use my short term memory. I cut and paste everything.

In fact Selmer Bringsjord, Director of Rensselaer AI & Reasoning (RAIR) Laboratory, has criticized these type of tests as tests of our computational ability, and as such, fairly irrelevant today and increasingly irrelevant in the future. We'll have computers to do this type of thinking for us. Creativity and ingenuity will be the hardest things to program into a machine, so those things will be the things we do furthest into the future.

Hmmm, so I could go with a model of intelligence that is less empirical. The first that comes to mind is the Howard Gardner thing, Multiple Intelligence Theory. That works really well for the game in that there is a Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence recognized by this theory so we have an attribute to use in physical conflicts.

In fact:

Spatial - all technical tasks, piloting, repairs, etc.
Linguistic - translation, oration, etc.
Logical-mathematical - data manipulation, remembering, etc.
Bodily-kinesthetic - any primarily physical task
Musical - probably of limited use in a sci-fi setting unless you need to stop a Zentradi invasion or play a Slim Whitman song to explode some Martian heads.
Interpersonal - all social tasks
Intrapersonal - all internal tasks, dealing with stress, exploring one's own motivations, etc.
Naturalistic - medical and xenobiological tasks

That starts to look like a big stat block though. And psionic powers were part of the original Starfaring, so maybe we'll have to add Psychic Intelligence. We could make psionics optional, but honestly, they are cool so the default for most game groups would be to include it. That's 9 attributes and possibly a line of binary traits like Memory Symbiote, or Archaeologist. Maybe too much. I'll try it because I like how it seems to work.

The other option I can think of would be the Robert Sternberg thing, Triarchic Intelligence. That would only be 3 attributes, Analytical, Creative, and Practical. That makes for a much less cluttered statblock and there's even space for a Psychic Intelligence if we want to include one. The only problem with this is that we tend not to think of tasks as falling into these categories. For example we think of a social situation. But to use these attributes smoothly we would need to think of a situation as being puzzling, requiring Analitical Intelligence, or novel, requiring Creative Intelligence, or familiar, requiring Practical Intelligence.

That's pretty much it, for my progress on this game. I did make a few funny one panel comics in the same vein as the original artwork in Starfaring, just using funny fonts and win dings and what not, but not many and they aren't as good as if I found some crackpot to draw the stuff for me. I'll share them in a future update when I have some more.

Diceless Mechanic Concept

Onix — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 20:00:08 -0500

I don't usually do well with diceless. I like my dice but the concept of going without is intriguing. The problem with diceless is that without a randomizer things tend to be predictable or they're some kind of a bid system which doesn't really intrigue me. I recognize that they probably work just fine, it just doesn't tickle my fancy.

This is mostly just a concept, it's not ready to be used but it's a start. I propose a diceless system where each character has skills and each skill has a number of methods that confer either bonuses or tricks. A skill like swordplay would have a method of "Power Blow" and a trick like "Disarm". There would have to be more, I'm just giving a flavor for what might be possible.

Each turn, a player selects five methods or tricks from his character's skills. The player writes them down on a sheet of paper. Alternatively they could have methods and tricks written down on small slips of paper and just select 5 of them. An opposing player or NPC (or possibly groups of NPCs, mobs and groups would have their own methods and tricks) has five methods and tricks selected for them by a player or GM.

On their turn, all the players reveal their list. Action resolution is judged based on the pluses and minuses from the chosen methods and tricks. Some tricks might directly disable specific methods. Like a trick of Sidestep could counteract Power Blow (now I'm really just making this up).

Each turn the player can substitute two methods or tricks from their list of five. This way they can react to the other players if their list isn't working.

The idea is 2/3rds like a CCG and 1/3rd like paper scissors rock. It would take a lot of research to get all the methods and tricks right and a minimum number of them would have to be determined for a proper amount of variation.

It would end up making the game highly strategy oriented which I'm fine with. Ideally several different skill's methods and tricks could be combined in a single turn for even more variability. Things like a shield skill could have a "Push" method that can be used with the "Power Strike" method. A Knife skill could have a "Throw" trick that could also be combined.

How does that sound?

Magic Evasion

crusader131 — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 02:43:08 -0500

I'm considering a system of magic that allows for multiple ways of evading harm.

1. Will~ Using your force of will and magical training, you can put up a defensive ward that is instinctive and simply moves the enemy spell around you, or makes it vanish entirely. This is the fluffy explanation of Magic Defense.

2. Agility~ Spells that take physical form, such as fireballs, can be evaded, blocked, dodged, etc.

3. Counter Spell~ Casting a spell that acts as a barrier or shield to absorb the damage instead of you.

The problem:
How to write it in. Do i segregate the defense types by their Magic School, or should it be treated on a spell-by-spell basis? Also, should it be done at all? Should i leave Will as the only magic defense and say Agility be left to physical defenses? Should counter spells be used only on your turn? Or perhaps make Counter Spell a skill that can be learned, like a Riposte?

I'm looking for opinions.

Old School Renaissance of Starfaring

SheikhJahbooty — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 23:01:54 -0500

I think I might need to write an old school revival of the very first space opera RPG, Ken St. Andre's Starfaring.

The game was very strange. I don't really think I'm going to do much other than fix it, and add a solitaire section / competitive writing section (something along the lines of De Profundis, so you could write your "ship's log" and treat it as a game of sorts, and if you were doing it with other people, you could challenge each other in certain ways word use challenges, character arc challenges, plot challenges, etc.)

One of the stand out features of the game was the really strange and often funny artwork. I should really call them comics. Like one of the characters is having an affair with a tentacle monster, and then there's one where another crewmember is saying that humans and tentacle monsters can't breed, and she's like, Oh I hope that's true, but she's obviously pregnant.

Now I'm not a comic artist, so I'll have to find artwork I can use. I can't just grab whole strips of Starslip, although that would kind of be the right feel. Or maybe I can make funny comics with the right sci-fi icon or win-ding font.

Survive . . .

J.K.Mosher — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 20:31:39 -0500

This is an INCOMPLETE DRAFT of what I have for
character creation. There is probably about 5 more pages
of info I am still working on, but in an effort to show I am working on this, I felt it worth while to post
what I have as I have it.

Pending on feedback, and any errors found I hope to finish
character creation by the end of the week, which then puts me into the hard part . . . Action resolution :)

Wish me luck :)

08/18/2011
Finished Character Creation (minus a character sheet)
(SurviveDraft2)
Still items to tweak, and spelling to correct, but
this should be it for character creation.

Next update will be when I have a character sheet,
action/event resolution and event tables created.

Enjoy,
J.

Natives of the Ring

JPMullen — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 03:29:13 -0500

So... we have established that our Humanity has sailed onto this abandonded Ring (If I haven't told you about this, that means I've been going out of order, and skipped over the very important History of the Ring step.), and have started inhabiting it.

However, we do have a LOT of ring... and maybe the project was abandonded, but that doesn't mean the Ring was left empty. Oh no.

For example, you have Trolls.

Taller than a man, smaller than a giant, colored a light grey, and often has studs and stones embedded in their skin both for protection and for tribal identity, Trolls are an evolving race. They live in the spaces that operate between the surface and Niflheim. They are primitive, in general comparison, lacking star gear, cities, or technology more advanced than a musket, but they are resourceful, they don't have enough signature to detect with ship sensors, and they are strong.

Efforts to Communicate with trolls has not met with much success. It's not that the Trolls don't have language, but their tribal groups have many, many languages, and due to their nomadic nature, humanity hasn't been able to really study them long term. While they have crafting villages, there doesn't seem to be any trade tongue. In general, Trolls consider humans outsiders, invaders, and are hostile and suspicious of humans.

Then, of course, you have Dragons. Kinda. Sorta.

You have your W.Y.R.M.s . Long, drilling machines that occasionally burrow out of the surface of Midgard, and spew molten rock in part of a long term plan of construction. In general, disabling a Wyrm only solves the problem temerarily, until the Forge sends forth another one to continue the plan. While the Gods can occasionally request a WYRM be sent to the surface, for the most part, the WYRM's continue on an ancient plan of building up the surface of the innermost platforms. WYRMS are considerer for the most part more like rare natural disasters than real threats.

Then you have the Giants Wyverns. Large Birdlike Pet, if left fully grown and in an open enviroment, they can easily dwarf the Giant's themselves, their winged shadow blotting out half a mile in any direction. While not particularly invulnerable, they are fast healing, and part of the problem is that it's hard to find a vital spot to hit on a full grown one. Fortunatly, fully grown ones are pretty rare, and the Giants love of adding cyberwear to anything useful tends to stunt most of the Wyverns. However, the addition of cyberwear tends to make them more deadly, with energy and elemental weapons, and armor plating.

... there will be more things. YOu have to have a Space Kraken, although I am not sure what form it is to be given. You have Witches, who are lost to FATE. You have the Giantists, humans who feel Cyberware is cool, and want to become more like the powerful giants. You have Dark ELF's, which are horrible things. You have the Raven Monsters of Hugginn and Muninn. You have Hel's Maidens, the Dvergr who have been altered to serve her. So on and so on.

More Blather: Options for D6

JPMullen — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 02:58:33 -0500

So... while i am thinking about it, here is the direction I want to go with some of the options in OpenD6... just to keep my wheel turning even though I've been distracted this week from progressing too much.

Wild Die - Out. Out, out, out. OMG, I absolutely HATED the Wild Die. Just flat out we'll call anything that is two steps needed for a success a botch, and anything that is two steps above what is needed a crit, and just leave it at that.

It's not that the Wild Die is all that bad, I suppose. A lot of people liked it. I just don't like the thing. It makes things too chaotic for me, and I really don't think it adds as much as it takes away from the game.

Health Levels - I think we'll stick in an extra Wounded and Seriously Wounded for the players. It worked for White Wolf, and I don't see an issue giving people more wound levels.

No Hit Points - However, I do think that the charm of the original Star Wars system was that it didn't bother with hit points, but used descriptors to tell you how messed up you were. I am very much in the favor of this.

New Project . . .

J.K.Mosher — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 23:27:28 -0500

Okay I haven't been as active as I would have liked these last several months, but the bug of creativity has gotten me again (though up here it could be a mosquito).

I was on 1km1kt.net reading the boards seeing what others have been upto when I noticed a post about Survival Games. Now these are not the Horror Survival/Apocalyptic Survival games, but a true RL survival style game.

This is an interesting idea, and I have dived into it.

Currently I am still in the development "phase", working on game mechanics. I have several ideas and the guys from 1km1kt have been a fountain of good advice and options.

So the basics.
1) It will use a "point bid" resource style system, coupled with a dye roll, and a "situation" cost. Issue with the dye roll . . . do I give all the players a dye roll, or just the GM? As most of the situations will be group resolved, I'm having a time incorporating a roll for each character.

2) Still working out some creation guidelines, including the use of professions, skills, and backgrounds. One, more or all these items may vanish as I consolidate my thoughts.

3) Setting and events rules have yet to be addressed, and as is my nature I am working on the layout as I work out mechanics :)

I'll post samples as I get more finished/outlined.

TTYL
J.

RoL:SA - PressGanged

J.K.Mosher — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 21:20:42 -0500

A third module for the Story Arc version of RoL.

Focused on some of the military compaign you have
been forced to join.

Can really use some feed back as to how this
module plays, as I have had little time besides
trying to proof (which probably needs to be done again)
reading them for errors.

I plan on working a few more, so feed back on
how it plays, and what could be "tweaked" for the
series as a whole would be VERY VERY welcome :)

Enjoy.
J.

Plotting out Character Templates

JPMullen — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 18:41:25 -0500

Half-Elf Hacker (Can access Alfiemr, the virtual world of the ELF, Weak FATE ties, Partial Magic User, Mechanical Strength)
Skald (Knowledge/Perception Base. Diplomatic archtype)
Shield Bearer (Strength Based Fighter. Starts with light weapons and a mobile force field. Represents traditional Shield Maiden, Strong Fate Ties)
Viking (Dexterity Based Raider. Equipped with Physical Damaging weapons. Represents a more modern looking Raider archtype)
Volva (Perception Based Character. Full Magic User, Strong Fate ties)
Longboat Pilot (Technical based character, has access to a Longship. Rocketjock archtype)
Giantism Reformist (General Hero Base, Cyberware, Strong Fate Ties)
Dvergr (Dwarf/Robotic Archetype. Mechanical Expert. Weak Fate Ties)

...

My current thoughts about FATE...

Most of the time, characters in the D6 games get Fate Points, which allow them to double their dice pool to perform an action. Characters in this game can buy a advantage/disadvantage that modifies their ability to use Fate points.

A Normal Character is not particularly loved or hated by FATE, and uses Fate points as normal. They gain Fate Points, as normal, at an end of an adventurer, and they start new adventures with at least 1 fate point, if they started with none.

A Character Weak in the ties of Fate do not start off with a Fate Point, and do not gain fate points for completing goals. However, in compensation for lacking of Fate Points, their actions are assumed to be part of the designs of fate, and thus can never be botched. Through exceptional means, they can still be awarded Fate points at the DM's decision.

A character Strong in the ties of Fate start of with two fate points, and receive them back whenever they spend them in a appropriately Saga-like fashion. Basically, you treat them like Force Sensitive characters from the Star Wars D6 game, but with a different ideological stance. Things that are considered appropriate are...

Oathbounding onseself when they are making diplomatic measures.
Not retreating even in the face of certain death.
So on and so on...

...

I need to come up with about 3 more templates, to make the choices a little bit more well rounded. I probably should include a thief/hacker archetype, and I probably am missing a couple of concepts... however, I almost have enough to start placing together the templates for casual play.

[SA] D6 and Energy Types

JPMullen — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 10:38:08 -0500

So.. Let's start with Space Aesir, shall we? The simple thing about SA is that I figure I'd use the OpenD6 system, as it helps evoke the right feel. It worked wonderfully for Star Wars, I am sure it'll work wonderfully here.

However, it is going to need some tweaks to get the kinds of feel that I want done right to be done. It's going to need a Runic Magic system, representing some players (Particularly Elven characters) access to the FATE's Nanosystem. It's also going to need a Runic Word system in place that allows players to upgrade equipment and get neat stuff. After that, it's really a question of templates and tweaking the core system so that it works the way I wish it to.

One of those tweaks is in the combat system, actually. In open D6, there is no difference in the kinds of damage one takes. A Blaster Bolt does the same kind of damage as a Bullet which does the same kind of damage as a Fire, or nerve gas, or whatever. This just won't do. For many reasons. Main reason is that I feel that What you are being attacked with should be important.

So I am going to type all damage. All Damage falls into four categories.

- Physical. Axes, Bullets, and Vibroweapons typically all fit into Physical damage. Falling and Falling Rocks included.

- Energy. Blasters, Plasma, Lightsabers, and lightning bolts all fall under Energy.

- Elemental. Fire, Heat, Cold, Acid, Radiation and things that are typically generated by a Magical attack or a Natural Phenomenon fall under this category.

-Nano. Attacks that take place on the microscopic level. Nanite Swarms, Gas, Chemical, and Germ warfare typically fall under Nano.

....

In game, you can have immunity types (I have yet to price these, but as I think it's mainly a monster thing, I may never need to price properly) so that, for instance, your Giant is immune to Elemental Types (Which works for a race that can stand up to the Harsh Radiation of space). Also all armor typically is rated in two of the 4 armor types (At the same level. So Nanochain would protect against Physical and Nano attacks, the ForceBuckler would protect from Physical and Energy. The Envirocloak would protect from Nano and Energy, and so on. These Protections can be expanded upon by using the Runic Word system which is designed to provide that D&D "Equipment Improves over time" feel.

It's a little more of a hassle for players, because now they have to remember which type of attack they are suffering and add their proper defense to their Strength attribute, but I feel that in the long run, it should be worth it.

Deciding on Directions...

JPMullen — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 21:17:31 -0500

So, it's been a long time since I last posted, and for that I apologize. Shortly after posting the first alpha of The Volume of Secrets, I was ill for about a month, and didn't really have any energy to post more. However, I am back, and I figure this out of all times would be the best time to restart thoughts.

Right now, I have two thoughts on which type of games I would like to finish up and actually run.

The first is Space Aesir. I intend on using the OpenD6 system, and basically it's a reaction to what was a game that could have been much better, Too Human. I just deeply think that Too Human took the wrong road, and I've done a re imagining to do Space Vikings right.

Space Aesir is going to be a game where you play the survivors of two separate but biologically compatible humanoid species (Humans for all purposes) that survived the destruction of their home worlds. The Gods (Odin, Frey, and most of the others) sacrificed their humanity so that they could guide sleeper ships across the stars looking for a new home. By and by they got into a war with the Giants, led by Loki, and Loki surrendered, and agreed to serve Odin in return for a cease fire. Odin agreed, only if Loki would provide him with a place to stay. Loki finds a incomplete Ringworld, and claims it for all the people, human and giant alike. Unfortunately, this ring world has a flaw, one of the orbiting rings is slowly spiraling inward, and eventually will cause the destruction of the whole ring... however, for now, the gods returned their people to the surface of one of the half rings, and the giants took another, and they settle down while the gods look for a new solution using information from the alien NORN.

The Players are not gods at all, but humans, and deal with human things on the surface. Sometimes they will challenge the gods and the design of FATE (Not the system, but an anagram for Future Augmented Terrestrial Evolution, the program that is designed to predict everything that happens on the planet). Things to do will be political maneuvering, raiding the homeland of the Giants for materials that can't be got on the one ring, and defending against such raids. In that way, it's more like a generic Space Fantasy.

The hurdle here is that I want to replace the Metaphysic magic system with a more traditional rune casting type system, and I want to make equipment matter. Equipment is a bit of a hurdle, as OpenD6 works best when it's vague about abilities. I am starting to get ideas on how to work it out, though.

----

The other project that I started and is finished system wise, but it still needs polish and playtesting is Pony Town Adventures. Yes, it's pretty much a MLP-Inspired game.

It basically is a Social-Conflict RPG where combat is not how you resolve situations. The characters play 'ponies' (that is defined as pretty much any ungulate, and includes things like Zebras, Elephants, Deer, and Giraffes) who try to solve "The Big Problem". Ponies tend to get depressed when they fail, and if things don't go their way, they get 'heartbroken' and throw a depressive fit. Game makes use of lots of tokens and tag concepts, and is designed with episodic play in mind.

The big hurdle has been the power section, and generating a list that is both useful and non-combat orientated. This has been a challenge for me.

Two years pass...

voidgere — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 00:50:45 -0500

...in a blink. Well, development has continued in my long absence. Things have gotten a bit more refined and the mechanics have streamlined and have (i feel) reached a level of polish that I am comfortable with.

Several rounds of grueling playtesting has been performed and I still have one more round to go. My artist has gotten off his rump and replaced 90% of my place holder graphics with originals.

I am currently creating the PDF version of the book for download but have also teamed up with Blurb.com to offer hardback (color) and softback (black/white) at cost for those who enjoy the feel of a good book. I will be offering the digital version for free. Not trying to get rich here, just looking to share my vision.

You can visit www.arsarcanumrpg.phpnet.us to see what has been converted, but I will be posting the full document here when completed.

I owe you guys for keeping me focused at a time where I could barely see. Its this website that played a large part of seeing this through to the end.

Skeleton

SheikhJahbooty — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 16:35:16 -0500

So Jon's started a contest.

It involves making a combat oriented board or role playing game out of a winter sport, like from the winter Olympics. So far it seems we're calling it blood bowl-ify, and of the sports he mentions in that blog entry, the one that screamed to me, "This should already involve hand-to-hand combat." was the sport called Skeleton.

But it doesn't seem to be working out.

I mean it looks cool 4 tracks that braid together, merge, branch, etc. and 4 ... skeletoners? go down this track and duke it out. If you run out of track before they kill each other, you could just shuffle cards you've passed and deal more track, or you could just declare the first guy to reach the end the winner. That all sounds great.

But I don't think I'm offering enough meaningful choices in terms of mobility. With these cards the way they are now, you don't reach a branch that often. You're just kind of stuck on your track taking pot shots at the guy in the next track and if the guy in the next track is a really good shot then you're hoping your track will braid off in a way to put someone else between him and you.

So I don't know. I may work on this idea some more. I may scrap it and work on just one big track, to make kind of a spy hunter / skeleton game out of it. Skeleton Hunter? It's kind of discouraging so I may get distracted ad just wander off to do something else.

But I thought I'd show you guys in case you thought, "That's super cool looking, it could work if you try this." or if you thought, "Yeah, J. That's rubbish, you should totally give up, but send me EPS files of those cards, not for any reason. I'm totally not going to take them and make an awesome bobsledding game out of them or anything ;-)"

Mahjong

SheikhJahbooty — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 04:02:48 -0500

Hey,

I understand that some people have demonstrated an interest in using Mahjong to play a role playing game, but for those that don't own a Mahjong set, that can be the costliest investment in RPG randomizers since you were at the hobby store buying all those specific colored dice to play Bacchanal. (Oh and then replacing broken wine glasses before the second session.)

So I have devised a way to make a Mahjong set out of 5 sheets of card stock.

Here is the PDF, in case you're interested.

Note: Now that we can have Mahjong pieces there's no reason for Better Mousetrap to have all the fun. We can make up our own, different Mahjong games.

Skills

crusader131 — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 01:48:41 -0500

Common skills, such as Crafting Skills, that have you rolling D10’s against a Difficulty Rating (DR) work this way: Roll a certain amount of dice equal to your Skill’s Rank. Each die you roll gives you a chance of succeeding. You must roll equal to the DR or higher to succeed. All you need is one good roll. Increased Ranks give you more dice to roll, which increases the possibility of success. If none of your dice hit the mark and one or more of them are a 1 that is a Critical Failure. If one or more of your dice hit the mark, even if one of them is a 1, you still succeed. If one of the dice is a 10 and none are a 1, that is a Critical Success and will double the effectiveness of the product of your skill, and increase its market value within the game.

When attempting a Common skill check (Not applicable to Tactical, Combat, Advanced Combat, or Magical skills) that you’ve not learned, but wish to perform, your character may do so at a negative skill Rank, otherwise known as Rank 0. To roll for success or failure as Rank 0, roll 2d10, and the lower of the two dice determines your success, not the higher of the two.

Innate Skills: Cunning, Eloquence, First Aid, and Perception. These are considered those skills which any intelligent being have at least a rudimentary skill with. Every character begins with one rank in each of these, in addition to their starting 3 Skill Points at level 1.

Cunning ~ This is the ability to solve puzzles, mental challenges, mysteries, and overcome other characters’ logic or persuasion. Roll 1d10 per Rank. 5 Ranks. Costs a full turn to solve quandaries. Countering Eloquence is a defensive action.

Eloquence ~ This is the ability to persuade non-player characters to do things, such as lower prices on merchandise, or accept a peace treatise, or let your character in a restricted area. Eloquence may also be used to seduce, intimidate, and recruit. Roll 1d10 per Rank of Eloquence versus your opponent’s Cunning roll to determine if your target is persuaded favorably. 5 Ranks. Costs 1 Action.

First Aid ~ This is the ability to help an ally that has been injured. It is not as effective as actual medical attention or healing spell, but will do in a pinch and requires nothing more than a few strips of cloth for bandages. First Aid cannot cure the Near Death status! Roll 1D4 Healing per Rank. 5 Ranks. Costs 1 Action and 1 Bandage.

Perception ~ This is the ability to spot things, such as hidden doors, booby traps, concealed weapons, camouflaged enemies, footprints in the dirt, or mysterious clues in tapestries or books. Roll 1D10 per Rank. 5 Ranks. Costs 1 Action.

Common Skills

Adventuring~ Exceptional ability to climb difficult surfaces, swim, use ropes, and map reading. Roll 1D10 per Rank. 5 Ranks.

Alchemy~ Crafts potions and poultices from herbs and minerals. Difficulty Rating (DR) of the potion or remedy is determined by the recipe itself. Roll 1D10 per Rank. 5 Ranks. Costs a full turn and Materials.

Blacksmithing~ Crafts tools and weapons from raw materials. Repairs damage done to weapons and armor. DR of the tool or weapon is determined by the recipe for the weapon. If the attempt fails, you may reuse the materials. If the attempt fails by a roll of 1, the materials are unusable. Repairs restore 1 point per Rank to the weapon or armor till the original status is restored. Critical Success on repairs will increase the tool or weapon’s effect and value. Roll 1D10 per Rank. 5 Ranks. Costs a full turn and materials.

Cooking ~ This is the ability to make edible food. If the attempt is failed, the food is ruined and considered inedible. Difficulty Rating is determined by the recipe. Roll 1D10 per Rank. 5 Ranks. Costs a full turn and required materials.

Masonry~ Rank 1: Crafts carts and wagons, Rank 2: Single story structures, Rank 3: Multi story structures, Rank 4:castles and fortifications, Rank 5: siege weapons and machines with multiple moving parts. Costs materials and Actions determined by the instructions.

Performance~ Rank 1: Story telling, Rank 2: Singing, Rank 3: Dancing, Rank 4: Songwriting, Rank 5: playing an instrument. Costs a full turn and sometimes materials.

Wilderness~ Rank 1: Identifying Tracks and Trailblazing, Rank 2: Identifying edibles, Rank 3: Identifying Poisons, Rank 4: Identifying Antidotes, Rank 5:. Costs 1 Action.

Surgery~ Requires First Aid Rank 5 and Surgery Tools. This is the ability to help an ally that has been injured. It is more effective than First Aid, but requires Surgery Tools and Bandages. Surgery Rank 5 can cure the Near Death status! Roll 1d6 Healing per Rank. After performing Surgery, your tools will be contaminated and need to be cleaned. Using contaminated tools in Surgery risks causing an Infection in the wound if any of the dice rolled come up a 1. 5 Ranks. Costs 2 Actions and 1 Bandage.

Slight of Hand~ Take one object from another person, or place an object on another person, without them knowing. Perform a parlor trick, making an object disappear and reappear. Opposed by a successful Perception check. Costs 1 Action.

Traits

crusader131 — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 01:43:52 -0500

Each Trait increases your Attributes with each level your character gains. Don’t forget to add them each time your character Levels up. Some Traits grant abilities instead of Attribute bonuses. This is the core set of Traits, available to any Character Race. Individual races have their own additional traits which may be chosen instead, or mixed and matched to provide further individualized character concept.

Level 1
Well Fed +1 Vitality
Strong as an Ox +1 Strength
Hunter’s Path +1 Dexterity.
Bullied at School +1 Agility
Cunning as a Fox +1 Mind
Healer’s Heart +1 Will

Level 4
Well Spoken +1 Rank to Eloquence. Once.
Quick Witted +1 Rank to Cunning. Once.
Observant +1 Rank to Perception. Once.
Tender Touch +1 Rank to First Aid. Once.
Learned +1 Rank to any Common Skill. Once.

Level 6
Enduring + 2 Vitality
Tough as Nails +1 Protection (mitigates all physical Damage types)
Quick Handed +1 to Melee Attack
Eagle Eye +1 to Ranged Attack
Hypnotic +1 Magic Attack
Swift as a Serpent +1 Defense
Spiritual +1 Magic Defense
Valiant +1 Morale

Level 8
Ironsides +2 Protection (mitigates all physical Damage)
Tactician +1 Defense and Magic Defense
Thunder Fists +1 Weapon Die for Melee attacks. Stacks with Critical hits. Once.
Wondrous Marksman May re-roll one missed Ranged attack per encounter.
Enchanted Critical successes with spell casting allow you to instantly cast one different spell at no Action Point cost.
Scholarly +1 Rank to any Common Skill. Once.
Perceptive +1 to Perception and Cunning rolls.
Healer’s Touch +1 to First Aid and Surgery rolls.
Graceful +1 to Eloquence and Performance rolls.
Siren May instantly Rank up Eloquence to maximum at no cost.

Level 10
Nigh Immortal +50 Health and Spirit.
Berserker May take from one’s own Health to add to the destructive power of Melee Damage. Health is subtracted whether the attack is successful or not.
War Veteran May instantly Rank up one Combat skill to maximum at no cost.
Archmage May instantly Rank up one Arcane, Elemental, or Conjuring Spell to maximum at no cost.
Saintly Any Re-Animated or Demonic who stand within 1 space of you will be harmed for 10d10 Damage each turn.
Otherworldly Mystic Magic Spells no longer consume Spirit.

Making a Character

crusader131 — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 01:40:47 -0500

On your copy of the Character Sheet write down your name in the blank space next to Player, then write down the name of your character in the blank space next to Name. Either choose a race from the available Races list, or invent your own, then write it down in the blank space next to Race. The default Race for Characters is Human. Pick your Character’s gender, male, female, asexual (robots, lizards, etc…), and write that down in the blank space next to Gender.

The blank space next to Class is for you to describe your Character’s role or occupation in the fantasy world you choose to play in. You can choose almost any role conceivable, warrior, wizard, priest, healer, hermit, traveler, tradesman, blacksmith, architect, ambassador, warlord, squire, assassin, pilot, farmer, miner… the options are virtually limitless. The only suggestion I would make is that you pick a role that is in some way realistic, that means you can’t play a god, a ghost, or some other thing that breaks the rules of nature in ways Player Characters weren’t meant to behave in the realm of mortals.

In the blank space next to level you should put a number corresponding with the Level of your Character, so you can keep track of its strength. Generally a new character would start out at Level 1, but some groups may choose to start their characters out stronger than that. For a Level 1 Character, your total amount of Experience would begin at zero, and gradually go up from there while you play. If you are starting out as a higher level character, Experience should still begin at zero.

To the right of the character and player information is a box labeled Description. In this box you may write anything about your Character, namely physical appearance, history, goals, etc… However you may wish to write more about your Character than may fit in this small box and you are perfectly free to do this on a separate sheet of paper.

Under the Character Information fields and the Description box is the Combat Information section, which we will leave till later. Beneath that are the Attribute Information and Equipment fields. Each of the Attributes are written in an abbreviated form such as the following: (Vit)ality, (Str)ength, (Dex)terity, (Agi)lity, (Min)d, and (Wil)l. Every character starts out with at least 1 point each on Vitality, Strength, Dexterity, Agility, Mind, and Will. Additionally, you are given 40 Attribute Points to distribute on these six Attributes as you desire.

In the black box to the right of the Attributes are Toughness, Mobility, and Actions. Toughness is a special Trait granted at a certain level, or based on Racial benefits, and otherwise remains empty. Mobility is determined by Race as well, the average Human moves up to 30 feet per Action, which translates to 6 Spaces per Action (Spaces are defined at a ratio of 1:5, either one Space equals five feet, or one inch equals five feet). Unless otherwise directed, write 30’ in the box labeled Mobility. Actions are also determined by Race, the average Human has only 2 Action Points per turn, so unless otherwise directed, write 2 in the box labeled Actions.

To the right of the black box is the Equipment field. Equipment helps protect your character from harm, fight other characters, perform miscellaneous actions, or alter your character’s appearance. Equipment is purchased at Character Generation from the item list with a set amount of Gold Crowns determined by the Moderator. It is suggested that this amount be around 150 Crowns for Level 1.

Head is for hats, helmets, circlets, hoods, and other things worn on the head. Body is for armor, robes, shirts, vests, and other things worn on the torso, shoulders, or waist. Main Hand is for any weapon or item held in your character’s dominant hand, left or right. Offhand is for any weapon, shield, or item held in your character’s other hand. The four Accessory slots are for anything else that is less easily categorized, such as eye glasses, earrings, bracelets, necklaces, cloaks, rings, boots, or anything else wearable. The Knapsack is never included here.

Below these is the Knapsack field, where you write down any items that aren’t equipped or carried in hand. They can be pulled out at a moment’s notice and used, but doing so uses an Action. Each field is divided into two parts. The first part has the Name and Quantity, the second part is for the Description, what the item does.

Below the Knapsack is the field for Skills and Traits. First is the blank space for Skill Points. Every character starts out with at least 3 Skill Points, and gains 3 more each Level. Granted to each character are four Skills considered to be innate to all humanoid beings: Cunning, Eloquence, First Aid, and Perception. When you learn a new Skill, fill in the first circle as shown with the other four skills. Each Rank that you gain in a skill will be shown by how many circles are filled. To the right of the Skill field is the Trait box. In here you may write down the Traits you pick for your character at the Level they gain them.

Going back up to the Combat Information fields now, we find the boxes labeled Health and Spirit. Each Character gets a 10 point increase to Health and Spirit each Level. Now look at your Vitality score and add that to your Health and Spirit, then write that down in both the Health and Spirit boxes, perhaps with a line dividing the box in half. On one side you should have your maximum value for these, and on the other side will be your current value, which will go down and back up as you take damage and are healed. Bear in mind that some skills, blessings, curses, and traits will affect your Health or Spirit separately from each other and separately from your Vitality, so you do not want to confuse them when you tally your values for Health and Spirit.

To the right of these is Fate. Fate is special, allowing you to manipulate the dice rolls to some degree, and as such is a non-replenish able resource. When starting a new character, Fate should be equal to the character’s level.

Below Fate is a box labeled Critical. Critical tells us two things: firstly on what number rolled the character will make a Critical Hit, and secondly by how much the character’s Damage is multiplied. Criticals are not inherent to anyone, but are trained through certain skills, so unless your character has one of these skills, leave this box empty.

To the right of these are three rows, the Attack row, the Damage row, and the Defensive row. The top row is the Attack row, and it shows us the character’s skill at Melee combat, Ranged combat, and Magic combat. Melee and Ranged Attack both share Dexterity in common as their base value, but there are skills and traits that boost each individually, so make sure you add those bonuses to these boxes and not to your Dexterity. Magic Attack uses one of two Attributes as its base value, depending on the type of spell you are using. The most common arcane spells will use Mind as their base Attack value, but divine spells will use Will as their base Attack value. You might want to draw a line that divides the box in half to keep these separate if you use more than one Attribute for your Magic Attack base.

The middle row is the Damage row, and it shows us the character’s overall deadliness and effectiveness in combat and spell use. Melee Damage uses Strength as its base value, whereas Ranged Damage uses Dexterity as its base value. Add to these any weapons you may be using. With Ranged Damage, the thing to remember is that the more accurate your Attack is, the more Damage you will do. Magic Damage, as with Magic Attack, will utilize either Mind or Will as its base value. Add to this any items that may enhance your magic powers.

The bottom row is the Defensive or Protective row, and it shows us the character’s overall ability to either evade being hurt, or to shrug off the Damage. Protection is your character’s Toughness added to the Armor it has equipped. This can be increased by some Skills and Traits. Defense uses Agility as its base value, and is your character’s evasive, alertness, and parrying ability, and can be used to avoid physical and in some instances magical Damage. Magic Defense uses Will as its base value, and is your character’s supernatural resistance to Damage, a sort of ambient aura of protection that may ward off damage from magical and in some instances physical damage.

This only covers the initial aspect of character creation, not the full options such as Traits, Skills, and Equipment.

Scythe Glossary of Terms

crusader131 — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 01:37:11 -0500

Action points are used whenever a character moves, attacks, shouts, or performs some other time consuming action. When all the Actions are used up, that character’s turn is over. All Human characters have 2 Action points. Action points are not gained when leveling, and points cannot be spent to increase them.

Agility is a character’s swiftness and reflex, their ability to evade being hit, or defend against hits. Agility is applied to the Defense ability.

Defense is important to everyone as it determines the character’s guard against Melee and Ranged attacks, and some Magic attacks. This is checked by rolling a 20-sided die and adding Defense. If your total is higher than your opponent’s then you successfully defended the attack.

Dexterity is the character’s skill with his hands; this usually translates to Melee and Ranged accuracy, but might also apply to certain crafting skills as well. Dexterity is applied to the Melee and Ranged attack abilities.

Eloquence. Mind over Will. That is the essence of this skill in the sense of oral persuasion. There are other skills that your character may learn that involve different approaches to controlling people, but Eloquence is a general skill that everyone has, like fighting or shooting. Roll 1d10 per Rank of Eloquence versus your opponent’s Cunning roll to determine if your target is persuaded favorably.

Fate is a character’s luck or ability to change random outcomes. Each Level that a Character gains grants that character an additional point of Fate. Players may use a point of Fate to re-roll misses, roll additional Weapon Dice, or any other means of altering a challenged outcome. Each use of Fate costs one point, however, unlike Spirit, Fate cannot be recovered. Once Fate is used, it is gone forever (unless the Moderator decides otherwise). Characters get 1 point of Fate per Level.

Health is the Character’s physical endurance of battering and bruising, the ability to withstand pain and injury before being rendered unconscious or dieing, such as in combat or torture. You do not put points on Health, instead Health increases 10 points per level. When Health reaches zero, the Character will enter a Near Death state, collapses to the ground, and cannot take any action whatsoever. To recover lost Health, use First Aid, Healing Poultice, Health Potion, Healing Touch, or rest for a full turn without taking any action or having detrimental action taken against you. After resting roll 1D6 to determine the amount of Health that is restored.

Level depicts a character’s overall strength. The higher the Level, the stronger a character is. Each Level that you gain grants one additional point to Fate.

Magic Dice are the number and sides of dice you roll to determine Damage or Healing effect dealt by a magic spell. The dice are determined by the spell you use.

Melee rates the character’s skill in hand-to-hand combat. This is checked by rolling a 20-sided die and adding Melee Attack. If your total ties or is higher than your opponent’s then your attack hits successfully. If your attack is successful, then you roll your Weapon Dice and add your Strength to determine how much Damage your attack dealt.

Mind is important for those who wish to use cunning to overcome challenges, or for those who want to use psychic powers or magic to assault their foes with. Mind is applied to Magic Attack and Magic Damage.

Mobility determines the distance which a character may travel each turn. Mobility does not increase when leveling.

Near Death. While in a Near Death state, the character must undergo Recovery attempts every turn. Each turn, roll 7 or higher on a 1D10 per Level to stay alive. If you roll less than that then you fail the roll, and your failures stack up. If your failed rolls equal your Level, your character dies permanently (at which point a Necromancer may seek to re-animate your corpse).
Example: Bartley, a Level 1 character in a Near Death state may roll a d10 to stay alive. If he fails once, he dies. But Winston, a Level 5 character may roll 5d10, attempting to roll 7 or higher on at least one or more dice. If he fails a total of five times he dies. The point is to survive hanging on the brink of death till an ally can come to your aid.
Fate points may be spent to automatically bring your character back from a Near Death state, but remember, your Fate points are limited, and once they are used, they are gone.
Someone with an appropriate Potion, Healing Rank 5, Surgery Rank 5, or immersing your body in a Pool of Life can recover you from your Near Death state.

Player Character (PC) is the persona which a player adopts or uses when engaging in the imaginary world. Every PC is defined by their Attributes, Skills, Traits, and Equipment. Players may also describe their character in other ways, to add flavor and fullness to what would otherwise be a mere collection of facts and figures.

Protection is determined by Toughness and the equipment a character may have on him, and protects from physical damage. Some Armor may have special enhancements which protect from magic and other forms of damage. Protection does not increase when leveling, and points cannot be spent to increase it.

Skills are abilities that characters are either born with or have learned. Each Rank of a Skill costs more than the Rank before it. First Rank is 1 Skill Point, second Rank is 2 Skill Points, third Rank is 3 Skill Points, fourth Rank is 4 Skill Points, and fifth Rank is 5 Skill Points.

Skill Points. Characters begin with 3 Skill points, which may be used to learn special skills, be they combat related, magical, innate or common. Three (3) more Skill points are awarded per level gained. Note that you are not required to spend these points as soon as you can, but can even wait for several levels till you spend them if you wish, saving up to train higher Skill Ranks. Skill Ranks may also be bought with Gold, but the cost is 1000 Gold Crowns per Skill Point. Upon reaching Level 10, the level cap, characters will also gain a new Skill Point for every 1000 Experience points they gain. In this way characters that have reached their physical limits may continue to learn new things.

Spirit is a sub-group of Health, and one directly affects the other. You do not put points onto Spirit or Health, instead your character will gain 10 points of Health per level, which increases the maximum value for Spirit by 10 points as well. Spirit is affected by minor injuries, such as bruises, contact sports, hunger, thirst, exposure to harsh elements, and lack of sleep. Casting spells and using advanced combat skills also deplete Spirit. A character’s state of emotion and morale may also affect Spirit; if your team lost a sports game, another character close to your character just died, or if you just found out your arch enemy is your father, you may lose Spirit points. If Spirit reaches zero, then you lose 1 point of Health, thus lowering the maximum amount that your Spirit can reach, and Spirit then resets to the highest possible amount. Spirit can be recovered by eating, resting, seeking shelter, a rousing speech, etc… Once Spirit is recovered past your current maximum Health, you regain 1D10 Health per Level, and Spirit is reset to zero. If Health is recovered by Healing, First Aid, or some other method, Spirit is reset to its maximum as well.

Strength is the Character’s ability to do physical damage in melee, and carry objects in the Knapsack and on his person. There are 12 Knapsack slots total, not counting the Equipment slots, however items of like kind may be stacked in the same slot, such as Crowns and potions. The ratio of Strength to slots is 3:1. So a character with 36 Strength may access all 12 slots of his inventory, whereas a character with 18 Strength may only access 6 slots of his inventory.

Traits are special descriptors of a character that also add bonus points to Attributes and skills, or grants extra abilities. Characters gain new Traits at level 1, level 4, level 6, level 8, and a final Trait at level 10. Traits marked as Once only happen on the level they are given, otherwise they kick in each time the character levels up. Some traits grant abilities which can be used as often as the circumstances allow.

Vitality is the base value which Health and Spirit are based upon. Everyone starts out with at least 1 Vitality, and may add points to it as they level up, adding their Vitality to Health and Spirit.

Weapon Dice are the number and sides of dice you roll to determine Damage dealt by an attack. Unarmed Damage rolls a d4, otherwise the dice are determined by the weapon you use.

Will is important for everyone because it determines a character’s resolve to remain in combat against overwhelming adversity and defend against magic and psychic attacks, as well as faithfulness not to be persuaded by another character’s Eloquence.

Scythe Design and Play Ethos 01

crusader131 — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 01:34:38 -0500

Level 1
A player character at level 1 is weak. That’s a given. But the level 1 character is not intended to be worthless, incompetent, or a nobody. Players can conceive their characters as being members of the city guard, a low ranking noble, or even a graduated wizard. If for some reason the level 1 strength of a character does not suit the player’s concept of that character, players may start their characters out at a higher level, and accept tougher challenges and risks starting out.

There is also the concept of level 0 which may be introduced to the players early on, giving them something below level 1 to compare their characters to. Level 0 has only 30 starting Attribute points, 1 skill point, and no traits. This is commonly useful for young children, weak adults, and wild animals.

Free Design Utility
Players should be able to create their own content for their own games, including spells, skills, items, armament, monsters, etc… A well designed utility or template would help players to make their own content while making sure player made content does not become unbalanced and overpowered, or deviate too far from the intended spirit of the game.

Attributes
They grow as characters grow. They are numerical representations of abstracted realities. People grow, they get stronger, the learn, become more intelligent, fulfill their hidden potential, etc… That’s what leveling up is. I stopped levels at 10 because I was running out of ideas between 10 and 20. Why run a game on so long that I’ve run out of ideas for characters? At some point it just becomes fluff and meaningless powergaming, which is what I want to avoid. So I stopped character advancement at 10. The game is balanced at that point, it works, it is in perspective. Attributes are limited however. This I don’t like. They lack the out of combat utility that D&D abilities have. Intelligence is so much more than a magic attack. Wisdom is more than a magic defense. I don’t even have charisma, Mind is just magic attack, Will is just magic defense. Dexterity has nothing to do with crafting or climbing, agility has no effect on movement speed, and strength does little more than do damage and carry stuff. Vitality is just added to Health and Spirit. I’d like to adopt the D&D utility of Ability scores and bonuses, but I’m afraid it would be counter intuitive, take up too much space on the character sheet, take too much explaining, and wind up being a broken mechanic when compared to the rest of the game’s mechanisms. I just don’t think in those terms, and while my game does have multiple mechanics running, rather than one unified mechanic, they don’t get in each others’ way.

BRP and Character Scale

Onix — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 12:21:37 -0500

I'm a big fan of BRP because of the granularity of the numbers and there's no need for the GM to come up with difficulty numbers every time a character wants to roll (is this a moderate difficulty or a hard difficulty). I'm sure that's not a big issue for most but it suits what I want in a system. But also the roll doesn't take any addition to test for success, only a comparison, which makes rolling quick and easy.

There are two problems with BRP. One is that contested rolls are pass/fail and not very interesting. I've come up with my own modification to BRP that makes contested rolls work. (I break up rolls into degrees of success)

The second problem that eluded me for a long time was scale. Because BRP is based on a percentile die roll you can only test against a stat between 1 and 100. That normally 100 defines the limit that a human can achieve naturally. But what about non-humans or augmented humans that pass the 100 mark? I've never seen a way of handling that well. I've been comfortable with numbers up to 800 because of the way I've been handling contested rolls but even that isn't perfect.

I was thinking of opening up the use of a 1d1000 by using three d10s but I wasn't sure how to show which die was the 100s place, which one was the 10s place and then the 1s place without custom dice. Then I realized I didn't have to.

Instead of worrying about the 1s place, which would have very little impact on the result of the vast majority of rolls, why not just roll a percentile against the two largest digits? If my attribute is 740, just roll against a 74.

To do this right however, you'd have to have a way of saying you were rolling on a different scale. My first thought is to give the scales letters. An attribute 99 and lower is an A scale. 999 and lower is a B scale. 9999 and lower is a C scale.

One of the problems that crop up is if I have a attribute of 130 and I roll against the two largest digits instead of a sure thing, I now only have a 13 percent chance of success! Contested rolls between B class characters don't make sense either at low B scales either.

This is where things have to bend a bit because a B scale skill test is not the same thing as a A scale skill test. The difficulty of the B scale skill test has to be greater than the regular A scale. A B scale test is something that some animals could do or usually a motorized device would do. For example, a Horse would have low B scale strength and speed. A car or truck might have mid B scale strength. A cheetah or antelope might have low B scale reflexes.

All in all a B scale test is 10x harder than an A scale test. A C scale test is 10x harder than a B scale test. According to the rolls, a B scale attribute or skill would not be challenged at all by an A scale test and so rolling isn't needed except for in contested rolls. For example if a human (A scale) has to carry another human they would have to take strength or endurance tests periodically. A horse (B scale) is not challenged by this and would not have to roll.

So far strength is easy to explain on the different scales. Things like agility or reflexes are a little harder to imagine but not impossible to explain.

So what happens if a B scale character is rolling against an A scale character? It would seem like there should be very little contest between them but that's not necessarily the case. If you have a high A (90) and a low B (130) the spread isn't that much. In that case the contested rolls would happen on the A scale. This makes it unlikely that the B scale character would fail (I count a natural 00 as an automatic failure). If using a system like the one I use for passing rolls progressively then this works very well and the A scale character can still challenge the B scale character.

I realize that not everyone will be interested in this but it's something I've been bumping into as a problem in what I want to do with my game and if I can get the explanations down clearly, I think it would work. It does make things a bit more complicated but once the initial concept is clear to the player it would be very easy to use.

How would you explain this? If you were going to use it (feel free if you want to) would you tweak it? How so?