Am I really sticking with this terrible name? Well, I challenge anyone else to come up with a better one (come on, it can't be that hard) and I'll take it.
Anyway, recapping the basics.
*Each player has a full deck of playing cards, jokers included (they're wild cards).
*Each suit has a purpose. Clubs are for brute force, Spades for finesse, Diamonds for intellect, Hearts for fortitude. Using a suit for something other than the intended purpose makes an action Difficult (see below).
*There are two situations where a player might play a card. Tasks involve a simple, unopposed challenge. Struggles are turn-by-turn situations involving other characters and inflicting damage. Tasks involve a set target number, Struggles involve opposed playing cards.
*Difficult actions require you to play two cards of the same suit and both must beat the minimum target number. Only the highest counts for determining the value of the card played.
---
So, lets try and hammer out a few more basic mechanics. As stated before, every PC gets a deck of cards. At the start of the game they each draw a hand of 5. When attempting an action the PC must play one or more cards. Unless a special ability is used only the highest card is counted, determining the Card Value of the action. This must meet or beat the Target Number of a Task or the opponent's Card Value in a Struggle. Ties in a Struggle will go to the PC (or to the defender in PVP).
The GM gets a deck as well, but that's going to work differently. I'll deal with that a bit later.
Anyway, so player's get their deck and their hand. Cards played are discarded and the player immediately draws enough cards to bring themselves back up to 5. Once a player draws their entire deck then they become disabled (unconscious, exhausted, stunned or whatever). If a player is forced to discard every card (deck and hand both) then they're dead.
If a player gets a chance to have a good, long rest then they can reshuffle their deck back together, take everything (hand, deck and discard pile) and reshuffle and draw a new hand of 5 cards. Typically this takes a rest at a very safe location (like a stay at an inn or hospital for instance) or magical healing.
---
Tasks
So, Tasks are pretty self-explanatory. It's any situation that a player must spend significant effort to try and resolve. Since a Task will consume some of a player's energy and fortitude (by whittling down their deck), there should never be any "easy" or "average" Tasks. Things like lifting a heavy bag or breaking a window are not things you should be expending cards for. Likewise, if a player could just keep trying over and over until they manage to succeed then don't bother making it a Task. Breaking down a door in one kick because you have to get into the room to stop an evil arcane ritual is a Task, battering a door to pieces over several rounds with your axe isn't. Here's some examples of suitable Tasks.
Clubs
*2: Hurl a heavy object (50+ pounds).
*3: Break down a wooden door.
*4: Topple a man-sized boulder.
*5: Break down a reinforced door.
*6: Bring a galloping horse to a stop.
*7: Hurl a large person (250+ lbs) over a chasm.
*8: Break down a stone door.
*9: Topple a stone statue.
*10: Break down an iron door.
*Jack: Topple a giant statue
*Queen: Keep a dragon from flying off by holding it by the tail.
*King: Break down castle gates.
*Ace: Topple a stone tower.
Spades
*2: Cheat at cards
*3: sneak past your average guards.
*4: Climb a smooth stone wall.
*5: Rob a merchant blind.
*6: Pass yourself off as a well known public figure.
*7: Run across a tightrope
*8: Sneak past a pack of guard-dogs.
*9: Steal from the king's vault.
*10: Steal something that someone is currently holding without them noticing.
*Jack: Sneak past a sleeping dragon.
*Queen: Sneak past an alert dragon!
*King: Run safely through a trapped corridor, blindfolded.
*Ace: Impersonate a god.
Diamonds
*2: Recall a useful, obscure fact.
*3: Spot an ambush
*4: Solve a complicated puzzle. Win a riddle contest.
*5: Identify an obscure spell or artifact.
*6: Win a court case.
*7: Interpret ancient runes.
*8: Memorize the contents of a large book.
*9: Outsmart an ancient intellect.
*10: Win a needle-in-a-haystack finding contest.
*Jack: Invent a new concept or device.
*Queen: Mentally reconstruct a situation or environment from it's remnants.
*King: Memorize an entire library of information.
*Ace: With time, invent a world-changing concept or tool.
Hearts
*2: Drink all night and awake bright and alert.
*3: Take a punch without flinching
*4: Consume rotten food and tainted water with no ill effects.
*5: Snort hot chili powder.
*6: Resist the effects of snake venom
*7: Resist torture without breaking.
*8: Touch a red-hot poker without flinching.
*9: Walk all night through a blizzard, naked.
*10: Survive an avalanche.
*Jack: Chug a mug of hemlock.
*Queen: Chug a jug of dwarven moonshine.
*King: Shake off the black plague.
*Ace: Resist the curse of a vengeful god.
---
Struggles
Obviously, most struggles are going to be fights. Battling a horde of orcs, wrestling a minotaur, slaying the Rock-Beast of Blood Mountain, etc. However, it can be used for pretty much any extended contest: a wizard's battle of wills with a summoned demon, a drinking contest, or a spirited debate. But let's be honest...mostly fighting.
In a struggle each character involved takes turns acting. During your character's turn you may take one action that requires playing a card (an attack for instance or a Task) and one action that doesn't (such as running to reach an enemy or closing a door). Of course you can also yell to your comrades, scream a battle cry or what have you at the same time. In most Struggles a turn is just a few seconds long, so any actions have to be something that could be accomplished in that amount of time (so you could break a door or jam a trap but not write a letter). Remember, once you've played your card(s) you need to draw enough to bring yourself back up to 5.
When a character is the target of an action during another character's turn they may play cards in response to the action to attempt to defend against or overcome the action. If the defending character has the highest Card Value then the action has failed and there is no effect. If the acting character has the highest Card Value then the action has succeeded. If the action is an attack of some sort then the defender suffers damage equal to the difference in the CV.
When you suffer damage you must discard cards from your hand or blindly from the top of your deck, one card for each point of damage inflicted. This works a bit differently for NPCs who don't have their own individual decks
Once everyone has had a turn a new round will begin. To determine turn order (assuming it's not obvious in the case of an ambush or sucker punch) everyone plays a card before combat begins. Turn order is based on suit (Spades, then Diamonds, then Clubs and last Hearts) and two or more character's with the same suit will act based on the card value. Ties will be broken by rock-paper-scissors. Keep these initiative cards out while the Struggle is going on so everyone remembers what order they're going in, they'll be discarded at the end of the Struggle. At the start of a new round any character may choose to play a new card to replace their current initiative card, discarding the old one.
That seems to pretty well cover the basic PC rules. Next I think I'll start tackling the classes. Since this is meant to be a simple game I'll stick with the basics: Warrior, Rogue, Mage, Priest.
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Saturday, June 15, 2013
The Unnamed Card Based RPG Part 1
TUCBR? Can't be much worse than GURPS or TORG...no, who am I kidding. It's a lot worse. Really need to get better at naming things.
Anyway TUCBR is a...wait. Wait. Wait. I've got it. Cards And Roleplaying Drama System. CARDS. I'm a genius.
So, CARDS is a simplistic, dungeon-crawly style rpg in the beer-n-pretzels style. To start with I'll go for the simple, four-class (warrior, rogue, mage, priest) game. Something you can pull out and play with a group of friends without a big fuss. By the way, I know that sort of thing is a dime-a-dozen (heck I'm already working on a different one myself). This fantasy game isn't a heartbreaker, it's more like one of those one-night stands that you know is a terrible idea but it happens anyway.
-----------------
The Basics
CARDS is meant to be played using a deck of playing cards. At least one deck per player, jokers in. The GM will need at least one deck himself (he may need more, I haven't quite worked it out). The gameplay is inspired a bit by games like Puzzle Quest and 10,000,000. I've always found the combination of RPG elements and puzzle gaming both addictive and intriguing. The "flow" of action produced by the accumulation of themed gems or squares or whatever is interesting, but extremely difficult to replicate outside of the computer environment.
The closest equivalent seems like it would be a set of playing cards. You've got four suits that can be used for thematic "elements" and the mechanics of drawing, holding and discarding card. My first thought was was actual elemental-style effects. Earth (clubs), Air (spades), Fire (diamonds) and Water (hearts). The cards being used for literal (water for a water-breathing spell) or figurative (earth for actions related to endurance, etc) invocations of the element. That's a pretty cool idea but I think I'll try and keep things a bit simpler and divide things by action.
*Clubs: Brute force. This covers inflicting damage, breaking stuff, moving objects, being scary, etc.
*Spades: Finesse. So, this would be evading attacks, sneaking about, disabling traps/locks and general trickery.
*Diamonds: Smarts. Being clever or cunning, noticing stuff, solving puzzles and riddles. Also generally things related to magic.
*Hearts: Fortitude. Resisting damage/poison/disease, courage, faith ,willpower.
So, how are they used. Well, I figure that action can be broken down into two general categories, you've got Tasks, which are challenges that involve a PC attempting to overcome passive or unthinking resistance. That's things like breaking objects, dealing with traps, finding a needle in a haystack, etc. Tasks have a set Target Number (2-10) based on how tough they are to handle and a suit (determining the appropriate card suite to handle the Task). So a lock might be rated 6 (S). To overcome the challenge the player must be able to play a Spade of 6 or higher to overcome the Task.
Then there are Struggles. A Struggle is a battle or contest involving active resistance and possible damage. In this case the opposing forces play cards of the appropriate suits (so the attacker might play a Club to try and harm their opponent, and the opponent may play a Heart or Spade to endure or evade the attack). If the attacker's card is higher they inflict damage equal to the difference in the card value. If the defender wins then obviously nothing happens.
Now, that's a bit harsh in some ways. After all, out of 54 cards there's only 13 of a given suit and it'd be pretty easy to find yourself completely unable to play anything of the appropriate suit. Well, nothing says that the only way to attack is with brute force...you could always try a clever trick or a swift kick. So, if you're trying to take an action using inappropriate suited cards it's possible but more difficult.
That brings up a new concept: Difficulty. Difficulty is separate from a Task's Target #. A TN is based on the inherent challenge of a Task, while Difficulty is caused by outside factors. Attempting to shoot a small target is a challenging Task no matter the situation, but doing it while blind drunk makes it Difficult. When something becomes Difficult you have to play two cards of the same suit capable of beating the TN. Only the highest card counts for determining the value of the action. If more than one factor is causing the situation to be Difficult then it adds an extra card to the minimum number. However, every complicating factor can only increase Difficulty by one card, no matter how severe.
Example: Bob has a hand full of Clubs: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. Great for fighting, but not so good for much else. Bob is trying to get into the Tomb of Domb. The front gates are sealed, but made of rotting wood, a 5 (C) task. (by the way, Bob doesn't get to know the TN ahead of time). Bob decides to play his 7 of Clubs, beating the task's TN and smashing through the door. The room beyond is guarded by a glowing Watch Orb, a giant crystal eye that casts it's gaze back and forth, searching for intruders and preparing to summon the tomb's guardians. Bob wants to sneak past (a 6 (S) Task) but doesn't have any spades, making the Task Difficult. So he gambles and plays a 5 and 6 of Clubs. The 6 beats the TN, but the 5 does not meaning bob has failed and he's been spotted.
Now, you may be wondering...how can brute force help you be sneaky? Really...it doesn't matter. When using inappropriate suits if you can come up with a good explanation for how it works then that's fine but if not then just go ahead.
So, now we've got the barest bones of a system. Next update I'll be thinking about making yourself a character and what you can bring to the table other than a bunch of cards.
Anyway TUCBR is a...wait. Wait. Wait. I've got it. Cards And Roleplaying Drama System. CARDS. I'm a genius.
So, CARDS is a simplistic, dungeon-crawly style rpg in the beer-n-pretzels style. To start with I'll go for the simple, four-class (warrior, rogue, mage, priest) game. Something you can pull out and play with a group of friends without a big fuss. By the way, I know that sort of thing is a dime-a-dozen (heck I'm already working on a different one myself). This fantasy game isn't a heartbreaker, it's more like one of those one-night stands that you know is a terrible idea but it happens anyway.
-----------------
The Basics
CARDS is meant to be played using a deck of playing cards. At least one deck per player, jokers in. The GM will need at least one deck himself (he may need more, I haven't quite worked it out). The gameplay is inspired a bit by games like Puzzle Quest and 10,000,000. I've always found the combination of RPG elements and puzzle gaming both addictive and intriguing. The "flow" of action produced by the accumulation of themed gems or squares or whatever is interesting, but extremely difficult to replicate outside of the computer environment.
The closest equivalent seems like it would be a set of playing cards. You've got four suits that can be used for thematic "elements" and the mechanics of drawing, holding and discarding card. My first thought was was actual elemental-style effects. Earth (clubs), Air (spades), Fire (diamonds) and Water (hearts). The cards being used for literal (water for a water-breathing spell) or figurative (earth for actions related to endurance, etc) invocations of the element. That's a pretty cool idea but I think I'll try and keep things a bit simpler and divide things by action.
*Clubs: Brute force. This covers inflicting damage, breaking stuff, moving objects, being scary, etc.
*Spades: Finesse. So, this would be evading attacks, sneaking about, disabling traps/locks and general trickery.
*Diamonds: Smarts. Being clever or cunning, noticing stuff, solving puzzles and riddles. Also generally things related to magic.
*Hearts: Fortitude. Resisting damage/poison/disease, courage, faith ,willpower.
So, how are they used. Well, I figure that action can be broken down into two general categories, you've got Tasks, which are challenges that involve a PC attempting to overcome passive or unthinking resistance. That's things like breaking objects, dealing with traps, finding a needle in a haystack, etc. Tasks have a set Target Number (2-10) based on how tough they are to handle and a suit (determining the appropriate card suite to handle the Task). So a lock might be rated 6 (S). To overcome the challenge the player must be able to play a Spade of 6 or higher to overcome the Task.
Then there are Struggles. A Struggle is a battle or contest involving active resistance and possible damage. In this case the opposing forces play cards of the appropriate suits (so the attacker might play a Club to try and harm their opponent, and the opponent may play a Heart or Spade to endure or evade the attack). If the attacker's card is higher they inflict damage equal to the difference in the card value. If the defender wins then obviously nothing happens.
Now, that's a bit harsh in some ways. After all, out of 54 cards there's only 13 of a given suit and it'd be pretty easy to find yourself completely unable to play anything of the appropriate suit. Well, nothing says that the only way to attack is with brute force...you could always try a clever trick or a swift kick. So, if you're trying to take an action using inappropriate suited cards it's possible but more difficult.
That brings up a new concept: Difficulty. Difficulty is separate from a Task's Target #. A TN is based on the inherent challenge of a Task, while Difficulty is caused by outside factors. Attempting to shoot a small target is a challenging Task no matter the situation, but doing it while blind drunk makes it Difficult. When something becomes Difficult you have to play two cards of the same suit capable of beating the TN. Only the highest card counts for determining the value of the action. If more than one factor is causing the situation to be Difficult then it adds an extra card to the minimum number. However, every complicating factor can only increase Difficulty by one card, no matter how severe.
Example: Bob has a hand full of Clubs: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. Great for fighting, but not so good for much else. Bob is trying to get into the Tomb of Domb. The front gates are sealed, but made of rotting wood, a 5 (C) task. (by the way, Bob doesn't get to know the TN ahead of time). Bob decides to play his 7 of Clubs, beating the task's TN and smashing through the door. The room beyond is guarded by a glowing Watch Orb, a giant crystal eye that casts it's gaze back and forth, searching for intruders and preparing to summon the tomb's guardians. Bob wants to sneak past (a 6 (S) Task) but doesn't have any spades, making the Task Difficult. So he gambles and plays a 5 and 6 of Clubs. The 6 beats the TN, but the 5 does not meaning bob has failed and he's been spotted.
Now, you may be wondering...how can brute force help you be sneaky? Really...it doesn't matter. When using inappropriate suits if you can come up with a good explanation for how it works then that's fine but if not then just go ahead.
So, now we've got the barest bones of a system. Next update I'll be thinking about making yourself a character and what you can bring to the table other than a bunch of cards.
Monday, June 10, 2013
Look, over there! A distraction!
So, you ever have a ton of stuff that you know you should be doing, stuff that you even really want to get done, but find yourself completely distracted by something new and trivial? Well I'm having that experience today. And I guess I'll go ahead and indulge.
Fortunately I've found a nice place that I'll be living soon, but I won't be moving for a bit less than a month and right now there's not a lot of packing left to do. Everything not currently in a box is something we'll need for the next 25 or so days. So after work I've got a moderate amount of time to myself again.
Now, what I should be doing is working on some updates and editing to Battle Royale. The game is on version 2.5 or three or something like that...adjustments are constantly being made and I'm constantly finding stupid mistakes that need correcting.
However, what has caught my attention is a new idea. A spontaneous burst of fairly random and useless inspiration for a new game system. Yes, another one. I've already got Battle Royale and Olde Skool as well as the half-constructed skeletons of the DICE and DRIVE systems hanging around in my head. Do I really need another micro-project? Apparently, yes.
So, I've decided to put off any new work on Battle Royale or Olde Skool until after I've settled into the new place and had a chance to rest and recover (thank god for new vacation days coming up soon). Partly this is because even if I don't finish these little projects give me new ideas and new ways of thinking about gaming which can be quite valuable for my larger projects. But I've also found that these bursts of inspiration can be sadly short-lived and if you don't jump when you have them then they might never return. So I'm jumping.
However, I'm going to try and make an effort to complete this one, it's small, it's simple and I find it oddly neat so I'd like to try and at least produce a rough facsimile of a game. To that end I'm harnessing the power of social pressure and posting my progress week by week, both to get possible feedback and to provide additional motivation for me to continue.
So, to that end I will begin posting the progress of my new RPG system...NAME COMING SOON...!
No, seriously. I have no idea what to call it. So far I just refer to it as a caRdPG. Because it uses playing cards you see...I'm not good with names.
Anyway. Expect more details to come.
Fortunately I've found a nice place that I'll be living soon, but I won't be moving for a bit less than a month and right now there's not a lot of packing left to do. Everything not currently in a box is something we'll need for the next 25 or so days. So after work I've got a moderate amount of time to myself again.
Now, what I should be doing is working on some updates and editing to Battle Royale. The game is on version 2.5 or three or something like that...adjustments are constantly being made and I'm constantly finding stupid mistakes that need correcting.
However, what has caught my attention is a new idea. A spontaneous burst of fairly random and useless inspiration for a new game system. Yes, another one. I've already got Battle Royale and Olde Skool as well as the half-constructed skeletons of the DICE and DRIVE systems hanging around in my head. Do I really need another micro-project? Apparently, yes.
So, I've decided to put off any new work on Battle Royale or Olde Skool until after I've settled into the new place and had a chance to rest and recover (thank god for new vacation days coming up soon). Partly this is because even if I don't finish these little projects give me new ideas and new ways of thinking about gaming which can be quite valuable for my larger projects. But I've also found that these bursts of inspiration can be sadly short-lived and if you don't jump when you have them then they might never return. So I'm jumping.
However, I'm going to try and make an effort to complete this one, it's small, it's simple and I find it oddly neat so I'd like to try and at least produce a rough facsimile of a game. To that end I'm harnessing the power of social pressure and posting my progress week by week, both to get possible feedback and to provide additional motivation for me to continue.
So, to that end I will begin posting the progress of my new RPG system...NAME COMING SOON...!
No, seriously. I have no idea what to call it. So far I just refer to it as a caRdPG. Because it uses playing cards you see...I'm not good with names.
Anyway. Expect more details to come.
Sunday, May 26, 2013
So much to do, so little time
Haven't had much time to post recently. Just found out that I'll be moving much sooner than originally planned so I'm scrambling to find a good place and get everything packed up (an RPG library is one of the most annoying things to transport).
Beyond that, I've been fairly busy with a few projects:
*Working on an updated version of Battle Royale, going to release a new version of the playtest rules soon and see how they're received.
*A small game called Olde-Skool. Essentially a simple, dungeon-fantasy game for the PDQ system.
*The aforementioned moving (anyone know any good places in the Eugene/Springfield area?)
*Striving for 100% completion of Unlosing Ranger vs. Darkdeath Evilman, I've just passed level 250,000.
I'll try and post a bit more soon in order to keep things going here.
Beyond that, I've been fairly busy with a few projects:
*Working on an updated version of Battle Royale, going to release a new version of the playtest rules soon and see how they're received.
*A small game called Olde-Skool. Essentially a simple, dungeon-fantasy game for the PDQ system.
*The aforementioned moving (anyone know any good places in the Eugene/Springfield area?)
*Striving for 100% completion of Unlosing Ranger vs. Darkdeath Evilman, I've just passed level 250,000.
I'll try and post a bit more soon in order to keep things going here.
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Thoughts on divine spellcasting: we need a miracle
So in most standard fantasy RPGs there's typically two types of spellcasting. The first is of course capital "M" magic, the ability to tap into some vast, powerful force and screw around with the laws of nature. The domain of wizards, sorcerers and magical beings. Whenever you're talking about something being "magical" it probably refers to this first flavor of spellcasting. Then you've got "divine" magic, that is power granted to a human by gods/spirits/cosmic forces. This is the one I wanted to talk about today.
You see, the problem with divine spellcasting is that it rarely feels very different from "standard" magic. The cleric and wizard of dungeons and dragons are an excellent example (although most fantasy games run into the same issue). The two classes themselves are pretty distinct: the wizard is some dude running around with a staff and nightgown while the cleric is an armored warrior-priest. But when it comes to using their actual powers things are pretty darn similar. Both have 9 "levels" of powers, both spend some time preparing their spells ahead of time and have a limited number of spell "slots" that they can use every day.
When it comes to the spells themselves there's some distinction, clerics can heal for instance and get a variety of "thematic" (ie holy/unholy/axiomatic/chaotic) spells that are extra effective against particular enemies. Wizards tend towards the more flashy and dramatic powers. However, when examined closely the differences are fairly slight and both spellcasters will likely have many spells in common (or close enough if you squint). In fact, because the cleric buffer and tougher than the wizard there's often an attempt to make the cleric's spells less directly effective and more focused on enhancing themselves and their friends.
If you think about it this actually makes divine spellcasting fairly...lame. I mean on the one hand you have a human chosen as the personal servant of a diety and granted superhuman capabilities to make their will manifest in the mortal world...and they're often less impressive than the guy who just studied a whole lot. (before I get a flood of comments, yes I'm aware most people consider the cleric/druid to be contenders for most powerful class, I'm speaking more of the perception rather than the fact and I'm talking about more than just D&D here). Shouldn't the guy who can call upon the wrath of Thor himself be pretty darn terrifying? Or at least pretty distinct from the guy whose powers come from reading lots of magic books?
So, in the interest of doing more than just complaining I'm trying to think of a system to do just that. And, as I mentioned a few weeks ago, I've been rewatching episodes of Hercules and Xena and it just so happens that the gods play a pretty hefty role in those shows. In fact, it's pretty common to see the gods granting favors and miracles for mortals but they do it in a very different way than the D&D style cleric. Rather than just turning their chosen mortal into a spellcaster they'll give them some kind of special relic or divine mcguffin which they can use to try and unsuccessfully take down the protagonist. So if the priest of Hera wants to call upon her she doesn't just give him a selection of powers, she'll give him a magic urn containing a demon lizard or a divine weapon. That's an interesting sort of divine intervention right there.
Still using D&D as the standard example the closest to that idea is probably the Warlock, they've got a small selection of specific powers that are effectively indefinite or at-will. And the distinction between the warlock and a cleric of one of the nastier powers is pretty small. So...something like that, but not necessarily that restrictive.
So, just brainstorming as to what this theoretical cleric might look like...say that they can call upon miracles at a place or time that is sacred to their god (by default at a consecrated temple). Most miracles will take the form of blessings, sacred objects and so on...not just spells in a clerics head but blessings or relics. These blessings last indefinitely, essentially permanent until a cleric chooses to swap them out for a new blessing.
So, lets say priests start with two blessings at first level, and this increases by one every odd level. Not that this is in no way attempting to be a useful or balanced system...I'm just throwing thoughts at the wall and seeing which ones are sticky. So you can have one miracle of your highest spell level, double that for the next lowest, four of the next lowest, etc. arranged however you like.
Ex: a third level cleric can have 3 blessings, one 2nd level blessing and two first level. A 12 level cleric has 7 blessings: one 6th level, 2 5th level and 4 4th level.
Of course if the cleric chooses they can have lower-level blessings but I don't imagine there's much point. The idea is a cleric with a small selection of potent powers, not a grab bag of random spells.
So, what is a blessing? Well essentially it's a spell that's effectively indefinite, assuming the spell was not instantaneous. Depends a lot on the spell though...some of the short duration spells would definitely be unbalanced as semi-permanent powers while others (like say summon monster) would work fine.
Ex: Huthbert, cleric of pelor, is preparing for a journey with his companion so he visits the temple. He's 1st level so he gets two blessings. First he lays his mace upon the altar in the beam of sunlight streaming through the window and asks for Pelor's blessing on the weapon. It takes on a slight golden sheen and becomes a +1 weapon (Magic Weapon). He then brings in his companions and saying a prayer annoints each one with holy water from the font (Bless), granting them courage for their journey.
So these blessings stay in effect until the priest decides to ask their god for a new set of blessings. Of course sometimes you just need to smite some infidels, so you could always request one-shot miracles...basically some kind of major, instantaneous spell-like ability that the cleric can call upon once and only once (until they return to a holy site to request new blessings). In general these one-shot powers should be big and more effective than other spellcaster's have access too. So calling down a pillar of holy fire should be more deadly than an equal level wizard spell...these would be the big, deadly powers you use on boss fights or when facing armies. Like normal blessings these should probably still have a physical expression...an orb containing holy fire, a vial of pelor's tears to bring back the dead, etc.
I doubt I'll ever try and actually create a "class" for this with D&D...balance in the system is precarious enough as it is. But it's a way to organize my thoughts. I've been pondering how to handle these sort of rules in some of the game systems I occasionally tr and throw together. So we'll see how it goes.
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Savaged Beholder
A few months back I decided to pit the Order of Magnitude against a classic D&D monster: a Beholder. Of course, by this time I had switched over to Savage Worlds, so I needed some appropriate stats.
Oh, speaking of which I'm actually editing and updating the Order's recorded adventures semi-regularly now. If you're interested I've moved them to a second website: http://the-order-of-magnitude.blogspot.com/
So, I checked the internet and unfortunately there's a lack of good Savage Worlds beholder stats, so I took it upon myself to create some. Perhaps for legal reasons I should refer to this as the "spherical, laser eye-beast"
Spherical Laser Eye-Beast (Wild Card)
Beholders (WC)
Agility-d6, Smarts-d10, Spirit-d8, Strength-d10, Vigor-d10
Skills: Fighting-d8, Intimidation-d10, Shooting-d12, Notice d12+1
Parry: 6, Pace: 5" Flying; Toughness: 12 (3)
abilities:
Size +2
Armor +3
Anti-Magic Eye: The beholder's large central eye projects a cone of anti-magic which prevents all spellcasting, automatically dispels existing spells and causes all magical items and constructs to stop functioning until removed from the area. This includes the beholder's eye beams.
Level-Headed: Beholders draw two cards and act on the best.
Eye Beams: The beholder has 10 eye beams, all of which have a range of 6/12/24. Only 4 beams can be directed at a single target. If the Beholder hits with a raise the victim suffers a -2 to resist the power.
Oh, speaking of which I'm actually editing and updating the Order's recorded adventures semi-regularly now. If you're interested I've moved them to a second website: http://the-order-of-magnitude.blogspot.com/
So, I checked the internet and unfortunately there's a lack of good Savage Worlds beholder stats, so I took it upon myself to create some. Perhaps for legal reasons I should refer to this as the "spherical, laser eye-beast"
Spherical Laser Eye-Beast (Wild Card)
Beholders (WC)
Agility-d6, Smarts-d10, Spirit-d8, Strength-d10, Vigor-d10
Skills: Fighting-d8, Intimidation-d10, Shooting-d12, Notice d12+1
Parry: 6, Pace: 5" Flying; Toughness: 12 (3)
abilities:
Size +2
Armor +3
Anti-Magic Eye: The beholder's large central eye projects a cone of anti-magic which prevents all spellcasting, automatically dispels existing spells and causes all magical items and constructs to stop functioning until removed from the area. This includes the beholder's eye beams.
Level-Headed: Beholders draw two cards and act on the best.
Eye Beams: The beholder has 10 eye beams, all of which have a range of 6/12/24. Only 4 beams can be directed at a single target. If the Beholder hits with a raise the victim suffers a -2 to resist the power.
- Puppet: As the Power, 10 minute duration.
- Telekinesis: As the power, lasts indefinitely so long as the eye remains focused on the target.
- Sleep: Make a Spirit roll or fall unconscious. Lasts 10 minutes or until forcibly awoken.
- Flesh To Stone: Resisted with Vigor, if the target fails make a hit location. Torso or head hits inflict complete petrification, limbs hit will only petrify the body part (making it unusable).
- Disintegrate: Inflicts 1d10 damage, plus 1d10 for every raise on the shooting roll. Ignores armor and anyone Incapacitated is turned to dust without a chance to make an Incapacitation roll.
- Fear: As the Power.
- Slow: As Sluggish Reflexes.
- Pain Beam: Inflicts 3d6 damage, 4d6 on a Raise.
- Death: Target must make a Vigor roll or become Incapacitated (rolling Vigor again to see if they survive).
- Paralyze: The target must make a Spirit roll become Paralyzed for 5 turns.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
The Element of Surprise
Random, silly thought which I have decided to transform into gamable material: A surprise elemental. A being of pure, raw unexpectedness which hails from the elemental plane of Surprisingness (few have been there, but they report that it certainly was not what they expected).
The stats here are for a "large" Surprise Elemental, bigger and smaller versions exist.
Pathfinder
Large Surprise Elemental
2,400 XP
N Large Outsider (elemental, extraplanar)
Init +10; Senses: Darkvision; Perception +11
AC: 19, Touch 16, Flat Footed 12 (+6 Dex, +1 Dodge, +3 Natural, -1 Size)
HP: 52 (8d10+8)
Fort +7, Ref +12, Will +4
defenses: DR 5/-, Elemental Traits, Cannot be surprised
Speed: 80 ft.
Melee: 2 Slams (1d8+2)
Special Attacks: Shocking Slam (1d8), Very Surprising, Sneak Attack (+1d6)
Space: 10 ft; Reach: 10 ft
Str-14, Dex-23, Con-12, Int 6, Wis 11, Cha 11
Base Atk +8; CMB +11; CMD 27
Feats: Dodge, Improved Initiative, Mobility, Spring Attack, Weapon Finesse
Skills: Acrobatics +15, Climb +9, Escape Artist+13, Intimidate +9, Knowledge (The Planes) +5, Perception +11
Special Abilities:
Very Surprising: Surprise Elementals cannot be surprised. No matter how prepared anyone is for the appearance of the elemental they are not actually ready for it. Surprise elementals automatically receive a surprise round during which no one else may act, except other surprise elementals. This occurs even if the elemental joins combat already in process, they receive an immediate surprise round then combat is resumed as normal. During this surprise round all other combatants are flat footed.
Shocking Slam: The surprise elemental's fists are very shocking, so obviously they inflict bonus electrical damage.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Savage Worlds
Agility d12+1, Smarts -d8, Spirit-d8, Strength-d4, Vigor-d6
Climbing d8, Fighting-d10, Notice-d6, Shooting-d8
Pace: 6; Parry: 7, Toughness: 5
Special Abilities:
PDQ
Good [+2] Large; Good [+2] Body Of Surprise; Good [+2] Surprising Movement; Expert [+4] Being Unexpected; Good [+2] Shocking Attack; Poor [-2] Large, Poor [-2] Body of Surprise
Body of Surprise: The elemental is composed of raw surprise, this Quality can be used to overcome any attempts to be prepared (defensive spells or powers, screwing with plans, laid traps, etc).
Surprising Movement: The elemental teleports, disappearing and reappearing somewhere unexpected.
The stats here are for a "large" Surprise Elemental, bigger and smaller versions exist.
Pathfinder
Large Surprise Elemental
2,400 XP
N Large Outsider (elemental, extraplanar)
Init +10; Senses: Darkvision; Perception +11
AC: 19, Touch 16, Flat Footed 12 (+6 Dex, +1 Dodge, +3 Natural, -1 Size)
HP: 52 (8d10+8)
Fort +7, Ref +12, Will +4
defenses: DR 5/-, Elemental Traits, Cannot be surprised
Speed: 80 ft.
Melee: 2 Slams (1d8+2)
Special Attacks: Shocking Slam (1d8), Very Surprising, Sneak Attack (+1d6)
Space: 10 ft; Reach: 10 ft
Str-14, Dex-23, Con-12, Int 6, Wis 11, Cha 11
Base Atk +8; CMB +11; CMD 27
Feats: Dodge, Improved Initiative, Mobility, Spring Attack, Weapon Finesse
Skills: Acrobatics +15, Climb +9, Escape Artist+13, Intimidate +9, Knowledge (The Planes) +5, Perception +11
Special Abilities:
Very Surprising: Surprise Elementals cannot be surprised. No matter how prepared anyone is for the appearance of the elemental they are not actually ready for it. Surprise elementals automatically receive a surprise round during which no one else may act, except other surprise elementals. This occurs even if the elemental joins combat already in process, they receive an immediate surprise round then combat is resumed as normal. During this surprise round all other combatants are flat footed.
Shocking Slam: The surprise elemental's fists are very shocking, so obviously they inflict bonus electrical damage.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Savage Worlds
Agility d12+1, Smarts -d8, Spirit-d8, Strength-d4, Vigor-d6
Climbing d8, Fighting-d10, Notice-d6, Shooting-d8
Pace: 6; Parry: 7, Toughness: 5
Special Abilities:
- Elemental: No bonus from called shots, fearless, immune to disease and poison.
- Invulnerability: Surprise Elementals take half damage from all non-magical attacks.
- Shocking Touch: Str+1d6
- Very Surprising: Surprise Elementals automatically get "the drop" on opponents when they enter combat, they also cannot be surprised.
PDQ
Good [+2] Large; Good [+2] Body Of Surprise; Good [+2] Surprising Movement; Expert [+4] Being Unexpected; Good [+2] Shocking Attack; Poor [-2] Large, Poor [-2] Body of Surprise
Body of Surprise: The elemental is composed of raw surprise, this Quality can be used to overcome any attempts to be prepared (defensive spells or powers, screwing with plans, laid traps, etc).
Surprising Movement: The elemental teleports, disappearing and reappearing somewhere unexpected.
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