I'm not a guild member but i'm haru's sister and i did take game development in college. I think the main problem my sis is having is trying to understand how the game mechanics work. for example, if there are no stats, will enemies still have HP? how will damage be decided? How do players level up? can a player keep old spells for non-fatal attacks? There needs to be rules in place for how the player can grow or be rewarded for their work. If the reward for overcoming obstacles is a new spell, it should be better than what they already have or it should be something new to keep the game feeling fresh. If a character is non-magical, what do they get for leveling up? Basically, if you're allowing others to create part of the game, whether it's characters, scenarios, or environments, there needs to be a guide telling them all the restrictions and how the game works. Otherwise, others start assuming things and adding their own stuff. If the game uses no stats, then it may be better to switch to a scroll type system for spells where you would purchase and learn spells. Item boosts or abilities are also good for this type of play style. It may also be good to tell how each ability affects the enemy. In video games, even if the game doesn't show you the stats, they are there. If you don't use them, then it may be better to have puzzles like in legend of zelda, where there is a trick for how to fight the enemy instead of chipping away at health. It's alot to think about and write out, but it should help to clarify what is and isn't allowed in the game. It's basically a game design document. (just leave out the story if you don't wanna spoil it.) Sorry for intruding. I'll go back to my cave now.
Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2019 6:32 pm
Xa44
ok just no to literally everything you say here you clearly know nothing about game design at all, ok, first going off the things actually related to game design your "cleric" example you fail to take in the fact that there is no stats so in a larger party or times when you have a big AOE attack go off you would want more heals and that wouldn't take away from what a person can do because that is one spell and the person who wanteed to play a healer would have more options(witch you underestimate how big that is) so they would still be stronger, and you point about forgetting old abilitys only proves my point of if you get stronger abilitys you toss out the old ones if every ability is equal then guess what you wouldn't wanna forget about them, also out of 1000 spells the chance of 2 people being similar is very low
most of the spells you list here are 1 too OP, or 2 don't actually have a effect that I can work into the system the way it is described
look and the bigger thing here is that you are just thinking about your stuff, I am trying to make this into a large TTRPG system that can be reused for years(and for manny people), if you are not ok with the way your character is going start over this system is not about getting stronger, I have none of the main story done if you do that it's fine, but I am not going to limit what people can do in the future because you want a strong character
Excuse me, but I'm pretty sure that I've been playing roleplay games since before you were born. No, you don't want to forget about old spells because they generally take less MP or whatever to cast, so they can be useful, but there are times when a player goes through their spells or inventory and suddenly gets to one that they had overlooked 3 turns ago. And yeah, I get that having one healing spell can be useful, but you should consider the fact that a cleric is normally designed to be able to take a beating. If anybody survives a AOE attack, it's going to be the cleric. And why couldn't a cleric have a healing spell that heals all allies within range (or earshot or something)? You also failed to mention that old spells could be replaced with newer stronger ones (or I believe you did say something about it not being allowed because more options is supposedly better). Yes, I'll admit that "Flood" is OP, but I said waaaay back when I first posted Terran's proposed abilities that it may be too gruesome to ever use. I didn't expect to ever have to use it because it's not loosing my lunch over. The "intangible" spell is something that would only be awarded at the very end of the RP when you reach max level, and it would likely have one use and a short limited duration. The restrictions placed on when and how a spell can be used makes it less op, and the fact that I said it goes last means that it shouldn't be available until after the final boss. (It's a freak'n mark of mastey. Something to set a goal to get to.) Do me a favor and look up "epic destiny" in any 4e D&D book & see what it offers. Yeah, if it's specific spells, then I can tweak them, but you haven't told me which spells are OP, (although you've combined some for your own list), and you are against levels for spells, not to mention the fact that you don't want to add restrictions to their use and I have no idea what the threshold is for normal power and OP power, as you haven't told me anything about how strong I should be at what points in the game. At least D&D has tiers and abilities available at certain levels to get a sense of what damage should be done when. And I have nothing against having options, but if the options available aren't tailored to the needs of the characters or the players, then what's the point of pursuing those options? Also, you may want to consider not deliberately offending me when me and Bored Reckless are the only players you currently have aside from yourself.
And please don't just say that my spells are OP, explain it in detail (the how or why) so I can fix them!
*EDIT: *reads flutflut's post* Thank you, Flutflut, for seeing what's feeding my frustrations. emotion_facepalm
I'm not a guild member but i'm haru's sister and i did take game development in college. I think the main problem my sis is having is trying to understand how the game mechanics work. for example, if there are no stats, will enemies still have HP? how will damage be decided? How do players level up? can a player keep old spells for non-fatal attacks? There needs to be rules in place for how the player can grow or be rewarded for their work. If the reward for overcoming obstacles is a new spell, it should be better than what they already have or it should be something new to keep the game feeling fresh. If a character is non-magical, what do they get for leveling up? Basically, if you're allowing others to create part of the game, whether it's characters, scenarios, or environments, there needs to be a guide telling them all the restrictions and how the game works. Otherwise, others start assuming things and adding their own stuff. If the game uses no stats, then it may be better to switch to a scroll type system for spells where you would purchase and learn spells. Item boosts or abilities are also good for this type of play style. It may also be good to tell how each ability affects the enemy. In video games, even if the game doesn't show you the stats, they are there. If you don't use them, then it may be better to have puzzles like in legend of zelda, where there is a trick for how to fight the enemy instead of chipping away at health. It's alot to think about and write out, but it should help to clarify what is and isn't allowed in the game. It's basically a game design document. (just leave out the story if you don't wanna spoil it.) Sorry for intruding. I'll go back to my cave now.
Purchasing scrolls for spells might be cool in that it allows us to cast spells outside of our elements, but I think Xa44 said something about not allowing scrolls at some point though. I also have no desire to learn non-darkness spells. (Some arcane is OK, but only because they fit in with his being a half-vampire.)
@Xa44, URealms does have some pre-existing materials or something. Although I was looking forward to seeing how your system functioned...
Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2019 9:35 pm
flutflut
I'm not a guild member but i'm haru's sister and i did take game development in college. I think the main problem my sis is having is trying to understand how the game mechanics work. for example, if there are no stats, will enemies still have HP? how will damage be decided? How do players level up? can a player keep old spells for non-fatal attacks? There needs to be rules in place for how the player can grow or be rewarded for their work. If the reward for overcoming obstacles is a new spell, it should be better than what they already have or it should be something new to keep the game feeling fresh. If a character is non-magical, what do they get for leveling up? Basically, if you're allowing others to create part of the game, whether it's characters, scenarios, or environments, there needs to be a guide telling them all the restrictions and how the game works. Otherwise, others start assuming things and adding their own stuff. If the game uses no stats, then it may be better to switch to a scroll type system for spells where you would purchase and learn spells. Item boosts or abilities are also good for this type of play style. It may also be good to tell how each ability affects the enemy. In video games, even if the game doesn't show you the stats, they are there. If you don't use them, then it may be better to have puzzles like in legend of zelda, where there is a trick for how to fight the enemy instead of chipping away at health. It's alot to think about and write out, but it should help to clarify what is and isn't allowed in the game. It's basically a game design document. (just leave out the story if you don't wanna spoil it.) Sorry for intruding. I'll go back to my cave now.
Lot of good questions, so let be explain First off HP is going to work similar to how it does in something like mutants and masterminds where it's not an HP but more of a saving throw to see if your character can take it(still working that out to more specific number) also a lot of enemys will have a higher "save" the player characters or lower for some but there are lots of big single target things that need that
Players gain EXP from manny sources like training befor sleeping finishing quests and killing monsters after enough is gathered you level up witch I don't really like the turm level up because all that happens is you learn a new spell and it doesn't really have the same feel as a level up
As for non-magical characters they do not exist, a big part of this is because lore(not useing magic in this world is like not useing technology in ours, it just doesn't really happen) and I have been trying to make sure there are a good number of spells for more physical characters, feel like a lot of lightning/fire spells work well for this because of there gimmicks
I really didn't intend to have people be adding things but more so say what they want to see and how I could get that to work
A scroll system would actually work really well but then you might just have a person who takes there 3 starting spells and spends all there gold on potions and camping gear and armour, might consider using this if I could find a way to make spells come at a stable rate and also get players to want to get more spells
And the PSCT thing is something that I probably should define better basically it is just : = condition ; = cost- that effects is done even if the spell is negated and will always happen instantly Range values = touch(must be touching), nearby(about 5ft away), range(about 20ft away), farway(about 50ft away), think of(endles range)
And DMG stuff there is a lot of and I need to read through to remember all of them Was something like Minor, lesser, avrage, higher, high, absurd
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Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2019 9:41 pm
Haru Yates
[ Purchasing scrolls for spells might be cool in that it allows us to cast spells outside of our elements, but I think Xa44 said something about not allowing scrolls at some point though. I also have no desire to learn non-darkness spells. (Some arcane is OK, but only because they fit in with his being a half-vampire.)
@Xa44, URealms does have some pre-existing materials or something. Although I was looking forward to seeing how your system functioned...
Scrolls would be cool but kinda just makes less sence in lore the more I think about it like why would dark town not just get a butt load of Conjure fortune spells and why would people in the light town sell dark scrolls
I do have magic items planned that will let people just use some spells unrelated to things
Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2019 9:42 pm
Xa44
Haru Yates
Xa44
Haru Yates
*cries* I want my character to be somebody who becomes strong, not some random joe-shmo who randomly one-shots a boss. There's something special in growing as a character. In being lovable. In learning and developing as a character. Your system needs to allow characters to grow stronger as they mature. Otherwise the game goes stale and the characters don't learn anything. He needs to make mistakes and learn from them, and he needs to practice his magic to get better and stronger. (Like any skill, you don't suddenly wake up and be good at it. It takes practice. Same goes for magic.) I know that that throws a wrench in game mechanics, but you can easily fix that by making some spells/abilities available only at certain levels.
ok so sorry if I sound mean but this is going to be a lot of reasons why your wrong first off simple thing is that having more options makes a character stronger and having spells that are just oh I can do the thing I did before but better so having more options and on top of that having more options VS a thing makes you stronger than just better abilitys in lower number, a great example of this is zoodiacs from YuGiOh zoo is know as one of the strongest decks but most of there monster have effects that are worse versions of other cards but because you can summon a zoo on a zoo using no resources the deck became tier 0 and a lot off there cards will never be unban, it might not seem like it but more options are way better than just more DMG, and because there is no limit to how many times spells can be used there would be no reason to ever use lower level spells, and if you wanted unice spells that no one but you could ever use for all of history I would need to make a custom spell creator and I do not have the resources to do that and have there be enough option to last forever because this system needs to be future proofed witch takes so many levels of design that you wouldn't really understand, more on how just making abilitys stronger does not work for systems like this take a look at kingdom hearts 358/ 2 days, Urealms live(something I take a lot from), and kid icarus uprising. in kingdom hearts days spells come in 3 levels for this example I will look at the healing spells, the level 1 heal is instant and heals very little the 2nt level heals over time but heals a lot more, and the 3rd level heals health over time faster and more but only in a small area, this is great design because it really make you think about what you value do you wanna do fast heals witch works great for physical builds or the slower heals because it is better value and you get hit less because you fight at range, Urealms has no leveling whatsoever and what abilitys are obtained at character creation that is it a big part of that is because Urealms is biased on doing 1-offs and that is why I am adding leveling at all because this will be longer but the only "solution to this problem" would be by doing like Urealms and make what spells you can get random, uprising is all built around what weapons and powers you pick up by the end you are not that much stronger than you are at the start
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 days uses panels (or slots) for equipping items, abilities and spells. Spells are used up like items (gone forever when it's used), and the stronger abilities aren't available at the beginning of the game. (Heck, you can't even use magic on your first mission). The number of combined items, spells, and abilities (including rings and things to boost stats) that you can bring with you on a mission is limited to the number of slots you've obtained, and you can't change it during a mission, so it's possible to run out of spells, forcing you to rely on melee abilities . On top of that, there are panels that have odd shapes and that link other panels to increase how many uses a spell has, or to double the effect of certain panels. From what I've seen of URealms, they often set firm restrictions on what race, class, and build you can pick from at character creation, as well as outlining aspects of their backstory for the players. This is essentially giving the players pre-generated characters to choose from. This is because players are less likely to become emotionally attached to a pre-generated character, and it gives the game master more control over aspects the story. This also makes character death easier to deal with because, "Oops, so-and-so died. Can anybody revive him? No? Guess we're leaving him there then! Buh-bye so-and-so!" Same goes for the no-level thing. It's because there is no point leveling up if you are only playing a single session. Restrictions on character creation are normally set before character creation begins. Sessions that do feature returning characters are normally written with those characters in mind, as they are expected to be there. A for Kid Icarus Uprising, Pit's character is already fairly developed, but he's never boring. And he is unique: he's the only angel (aside from Dark Pit) who can't fly, and yet he doesn't ever let that stop him from doing what he believes is right. As for gameplay, the game does introduce mechanics to balance out gameplay (such as not being able to run indefinitely). Many abilities you obtain in Kid Icarus are unlocked through a treasure board, meaning you have to meet certain objectives to obtain them. Same goes for the ability to use certain weapons. In my Kid Icarus game, I still have yet to unlock the Palutena Bow because my level as a player is not yet high enough to meet the criteria to unlock it. Pit's strength relies on the difficulty you choose, and the level of the actual player rather than the character. Better weapons can also be fused, giving players a chance to make even more powerful weapons. Going back to the abilities, you can't equip whatever you like either. You need to fit blocks (representing the ability) into a grid in order to equip it. If you don't choose carefully or use the spaces properly, then you won't be able to make the most of your powers. And powers/abilities DO have levels in Kid icarus; sometimes they increase the number of uses, sometimes it's the range or duration, and sometimes it's the actual strength of the power. Better abilities often take up more space in the grid, so it's not always worth it to sacrifice another ability for it. A better example of a game where the character's strength remains the same throughout the game may be the Legend of Zelda because power-ups tend to come from items and weapons, but even that game has a system that may be thought of as "leveling up" by awarding the player "pieces of heart" and "heart containers" to simulate Link's becoming tougher and stronger. The more hearts Link has, the more damage he can take and the longer he hold his own in a fight. (Even empty bottles can be thought of as a form of leveling up, as they allow the player to use more items without needing to replenish their supply, and larger wallets can allow a character to access other items that would have been beyond the player's grasp at an earlier point in the game. Currency in any game functions in much the same way unless you sit there farming it, and even that could be considered a form of a level up because you are gaining something through your effort.) In the end, it all boils down to strategy. You aren't going to equip something you are never going to use, and you aren't going to waste time learning a healing spell if there's a cleric in your party with the same spell. (If there's no cleric, then you may want to learn a healing spell or 2.)
Xa44
look I get the power gamer "I wanna be the strongest" thing but that is not what this is about the whole system is built to make things feel like a world, A LOT of the content of this is side quests and for things in the future a good mind set to have when thinking about your character think more about who are they friends with, more on the place they work at, or where did they go during the war because your character lived that.
sorry this is a lot but no, actually because there is no spell levels it is more diversity because you can take more different spells earlier on
I think you misunderstand my intentions. I have no desire to be OP. [Actually, I've been running an ongoing OP-character RP for about 10+ years now and our characters are still developing and learning. The key to making it work is balance.] I have absolutely no intention of making Terran the strongest character in the world, but I want him to develop as a character. (Character development.) Currently, your spell list isn't diverse enough to create a character that isn't a generic shadow user (no offense) and there's nothing memorable about something generic. Also, it is possible to have too many spells. If you have too many spells in your arsenal, players can forget or neglect abilities that they don't use often. It can also over-complicate a system by making some players sort though long lists of options just to remember what a certain spell does. (Like when you have 20 different ice cream flavours to choose from instead of 5. The choice is simple with only 5 unless you knew exactly what you wanted going into the ice cream shop in the first place.) Asside from that, most other RPs will expect you to explain why your darkness mage might know arcane spells or lightning spells or whatever other spells that are chosen outside your own element; Especially if it's going to be a believable campaign. (You said yourself that what happens in this RP may actually have happened or is happening in another universe, so things need to flow). In Terran's case, some arcane abilities can be explained by his being a half-vampire (creature of chaos).
Yes, Terran wants to get stronger, but only because he feels he needs to in order to destroy his father. Once that's done, he faces a new challenge: WTF to do with his life! (Sure, I said he'd been studying anatomy, but after this whole ordeal is over, he may have second thoughts. He may become depressed as he's lost his purpose. Or maybe he decides to remain by the sides of the friends/allies he's made! Or maybe the RP just ends along with the rest of the world.) In my experience, becoming powerful is not the end of the line for a character's development. I feel like I'm rambling now, so let's get back to the problem at hand.
But let's try to fix this. Here. This is what the spell set I've been arguing about looks like when broken down to it's barest bones:
Shadow Manipulation The ability to control & manipulate an existing shadow's size, shape, & length. Requires a light source & looses any effect in pitch-darkness. A room can not be made brighter by shrinking shadows.
****Shadow Manipulation will pretty much always be used at the same time as other spells, so it auto-fills 1 of 2 spells that can be used at the same time. (which is why I'm having this freak out). I'd always be in a position where I'd have to release one spell in order to use another. ... I don't care, it's worth it if this spell list works for you).
Darken Can be used to darken a room by extinguishing dim non-magical light sources, such as candle light or small torches.
Black-Out Extinguish light by blocking it out completely with a thick black shadow. This power may also extinguish some magical sources of light, & can resist light magic.
Tangible Shadow Ability to make shadows tangible & interact with them as if they are liquid matter. Shadow in this form can be thrown in the eyes of enemies to blind them, or used to choke or "flood" an enemy.***
***There! I combined 'flood' and 'Tangible shadow' for simplicity. Also Note that flood's flavor text looks a little something like this: "Darkness oozes from the enemy's every orifice as his bloated corpse fails to contain it." (I said it was gruesome, didn't I?)
Shadow Meld The ability to "cloak" or conceal oneself-or objects-in shadow by wrapping the shadows around him, or by sinking into the shadow as if it were a deep puddle. Terran can see through these shadows, but he can be found if he is stumbled over or bumped into (if he is not inside the shadow), or if the shadows are repelled or extinguished by a source of light.
Traverse Shadow Ability to move within shadows. Terran moves through shadows at a walking speed without being seen, or at a running speed while risking notice [like seeing movement out the corner of your eye]. Shadows must be connected to travel through.
Shadow Conjure Ability to create/conjure tangible shadows out of thin air. (See tangible shadow).
Wormhole Travel through shadows at any pace without penalty & use two connected shadows as if they were portals.
Shadowborn Temporarily become intangible.
Bind Ability to immobilize/bind or hold 1 target you can see through it's shadow. The strength of this ability relies on the caster's physical strength to hold a target. Caster's shadow must be connected to the target's shadow.
Shadow Capture Ability to move/manipulate 1 target you can see through their shadow. Relies on caster's magic to hold a target. Caster's shadow must be connected to the target's shadow. This ability is most effective when the target stands directly in the caster's shadow.
Shadow Prison Draw a target into the caster's shadow & entrap them in darkness. The prison is considered the caster's domain, and he may enter this domain to confront a captured target.** **If this spell can be countered or broken, it may cause damage to the caster.
Consumption Draw energy from a target trapped within Shadow Prison. Causes necrotic damage & heals caster by consuming the energy of the prisoner.* *If this spell can be countered or broken, it may cause damage to the caster.
Multi-Capture Use Bind on multiple targets at a time.(Max targets TBD.) Requires concentration/focus to maintain.
Shadow Conjure Conjure solid spear-like objects of shadow. These solid spikes are generally created in groups (multiples of about 4-7 at once), & are launched at a target as projectiles.
Conjure Blades Conjure swords of shadow. Functions like Shadow Conjure, but swords are stronger & more durable.
Obsidian Blade Conjure a Shadow blade/sword to use as a weapon in battle. The caster can change the blade from solid to shadow & back at will. (Or the blade may be replaced by a newly conjured blade instead).
Do the spells work better when I lay them out like this? (I'll have to fix the order for the sake of what happens when as he levels up...) And do they meet your criteria for creating spells? Placing restrictions on when a spell can and can't be used can give you better control over the game mechanics and prevent people from using a spell in a way that is unintended. If you need to place restrictions on how often some of my spells can be used (or for how long at a time), then let me know.
ok just no to literally everything you say here you clearly know nothing about game design at all, ok, first going off the things actually related to game design your "cleric" example you fail to take in the fact that there is no stats so in a larger party or times when you have a big AOE attack go off you would want more heals and that wouldn't take away from what a person can do because that is one spell and the person who wanteed to play a healer would have more options(witch you underestimate how big that is) so they would still be stronger, and you point about forgetting old abilitys only proves my point of if you get stronger abilitys you toss out the old ones if every ability is equal then guess what you wouldn't wanna forget about them, also out of 1000 spells the chance of 2 people being similar is very low
most of the spells you list here are 1 too OP, or 2 don't actually have a effect that I can work into the system the way it is described
look and the bigger thing here is that you are just thinking about your stuff, I am trying to make this into a large TTRPG system that can be reused for years(and for manny people), if you are not ok with the way your character is going start over this system is not about getting stronger, I have none of the main story done if you do that it's fine, but I am not going to limit what people can do in the future because you want a strong character
BTW, Of course I am thinking about my stuff, my character is important to me! And Im not asking you to limit what people do, nor am I trying to make terran the srongest. I just want progression and character development.
BTW, Of course I am thinking about my stuff, my character is important to me! And Im not asking you to limit what people do, nor am I trying to make terran the srongest. I just want progression and character development.
A character can develop without becoming stronger, actually wouldn't it just be better if he learned more in a literal sense because he can see stuff like politics involving the light town and other things like that, but also something to say is magic items
Also again sorry if I sounds mean I don't intend to be so I just kinda do
Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2019 7:33 am
Xa44
Haru Yates
BTW, Of course I am thinking about my stuff, my character is important to me! And Im not asking you to limit what people do, nor am I trying to make Terran the srongest. I just want progression and character development.
A character can develop without becoming stronger, actually wouldn't it just be better if he learned more in a literal sense because he can see stuff like politics involving the light town and other things like that, but also something to say is magic items
Also again sorry if I sounds mean I don't intend to be so I just kinda do
Thanks. But in the future just keep in mint that anybody would find this quote offensive:
Xa44
ok just no to literally everything you say here you clearly know nothing about game design at all
I do realize that characters can develop without becoming stronger, but information alone is not always enough to keep a player interested or motivated. There will always be different types of players with different goals and different play styles that you'll have to try to accommodate if you intend to create a system that others will want to use. For example, I like role-play scenarios where I can interact with other players and NPCs, but I also like to be able to attack and retreat (like a hit and run style character... because daggers do d4s for damage and sneak attack damage is the only thing that truly hurts). I personally favor maneuverability over heavy damage. In D&D, this type of character is considered a "striker" because they get in, they strike/attack, and then get the hell out of there before they get killed. Other players might go for a fighter-type where they have high HP because they are up in the enemy's face attacking like a powerhouse should. Mages generally use ranged attacks or attacks that affect the field, so they generally have a lower defense because they attack from a safe distance away. Clerics can also wear heavy armor in many rpgs because the party relies on them to boost their strength and morale, and to heal them when they need it; kinda like a paladin, but less gung ho. As for rewards, yes learning things is useful, but only if the info holds value for the character. A mage scholar may freak out over finding an ancient magic tome, but a fighter may open the book, flip it over a few times, and then chuck it over shoulder (or use it as an improvised weapon against a lesser enemy). You'll find players who want to become strong so that they can protect their friends (I'll protect you, fair maiden!" ), and will appreciate armor and weapons as prizes. Some players would rather sweet-talk their way out of a situation ("How dare you accuse me of thievery! I was simply admiring such fine craftsmanship, and I do intend to put it back when I am done with it!" ), and gain fame or status as a reward. Others will want to focus purely on healing or avoiding confrontations all together, being happy to obtain more spells to help them cheer on their allies from the sidelines, while others may prefer to sneak up and surprise enemies, accepting rewards that provide better maneuverability and other advantages to help them achieve this (such as a thief or an assassin). Your system doesn't have any "builds" for classes yet, but introducing a build can help determine what kind spells a character prefers, and how they plan to use them.
The other thing to consider is a character's motivation. The reason Terran wants to get stronger is because he isn't naive enough to think he can take down his father with the ability he has at the start. (You saw his proposed skill set, so you see how inexperienced he is. He's been in fights before, but nothing truly life-or-death.) He's the type that doesn't like unpredictability (hence the reason why I'm not too interested in giving him randomizer spells), he hates unpredictability. On the other hand, he's headstrong and stubborn, so he is still pursuing his father with the mentality of "I'll tear him apart with my bare hands if I have to, or I'll die trying" although even he knows that he'd likely be killed in that situation. Still, he's stubborn enough to let rage blind him like that, and determined enough to not stop.
Because let's face it: If Terran was strong enough to kill his father as he is at the start, he would have left home a long time ago and hired somebody to locate the man (using magic) so that he could have killed "that son of a b***h" by now. The only thing that was stopping him from that is his lack of experience that he refuses to admit.
Other characters might be motivated by a drive to help others and do the right thing (like a lawful good or chaotic good character). This motivation is easy for a DM/GM to work with because you know that if somebody need help, a character motivated by this is likely to step up because it's simply in-character. Some characters are motivated by rewards like weapons and armor (like a fighter), some are rewarded with seeing the goal reached, (they've made somebody happy or they've freed the helpless little animals from Eggman's contraption), or some are rewarded by getting a step closer to their goal (be it discovering that they are even closer to finding their target, or they obtain something that makes what they are doing easier to do.) Other characters may simply be motivated by treasure or large sums of gold.
Did you see where I tried to post and it didn't make sense because "tablet-fail"? (I deleted them. I only had 2% battery life left when I tipped your post. Was all I could do to say I liked that idea.)
Edit: Damn, I wanted to offer ideas on how scrolls might work, but I'm out of time! *off to work* (Sorry for typing so much*sweatdrop
Ok it really bothers me when people try to talk about things they aren't experienced in, sorry.
And again there will be magic items and some armour cost 88G, you can still improve in those ways but the way I think of it is like this
Why can't a person who is level 1 kill someone who is level 20, even if they just spam the same abilities, even a level 20 wis in D&D can kill a level 2 paladen without spells. Also I like the idea of you all going into harder areas and not die instantly because yoy didn't know that you would be randomly attacked by a wyvern in the lightning/wind town
Also I should mention that again a guy with 1 spell vs a guy with 100 spells who would win, having more options makes characters stronger, like how knowing 5 LV 3 spell in D&D gives you room for a lot of stuff like fireball, counter spell, ice blast(red dragons don't take fire DMG)
also about not having classes (1)Top Hat- cast a random spell either of one type or all types(decided at character creation) (19)Drain Mana- touch any living thing and absorb mana from it, then cast a random arcane spell (20)Raining Hats- drop 10 hats down from the sky in random locations, each hat will cast a random spell when it lands(hats are neutral party) (21)Multiroll- when a rendom spell is cast: pick one of 2 spells to cast (22)Fez- cast a random spell out of a pool of 10(the spells in this pool are decided at character creation, and can't be a legendary spell)
There is themed builds you can make just that they aren't put out in the open and anyone could use the spell without picking the class
Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2019 2:54 pm
Xa44
Haru Yates
Ok it really bothers me when people try to talk about things they aren't experienced in, sorry.
And again there will be magic items and some armour cost 88G, you can still improve in those ways but the way I think of it is like this
Why can't a person who is level 1 kill someone who is level 20, even if they just spam the same abilities, even a level 20 wis in D&D can kill a level 2 paladen without spells. Also I like the idea of you all going into harder areas and not die instantly because you didn't know that you would be randomly attacked by a wyvern in the lightning/wind town
Also I should mention that again a guy with 1 spell vs a guy with 100 spells who would win, having more options makes characters stronger, like how knowing 5 LV 3 spell in D&D gives you room for a lot of stuff like fireball, counter spell, ice blast(red dragons don't take fire DMG)
also about not having classes (1)Top Hat- cast a random spell either of one type or all types(decided at character creation) (19)Drain Mana- touch any living thing and absorb mana from it, then cast a random arcane spell (20)Raining Hats- drop 10 hats down from the sky in random locations, each hat will cast a random spell when it lands(hats are neutral party) (21)Multiroll- when a rendom spell is cast: pick one of 2 spells to cast (22)Fez- cast a random spell out of a pool of 10(the spells in this pool are decided at character creation, and can't be a legendary spell)
There is themed builds you can make just that they aren't put out in the open and anyone could use the spell without picking the class
for fez, instead of the spells being decided at creation, maybe they should be decided based on current level (if using levels) or current progression, through the game. if you are in the early part of the campain, you probably want spells that are more at the caster's level. that way, you dont get OP spells right off the bat, and it can still be an element the caster doesn't actually know. (so a fire mage may randomly cast a water spell that's just as powerful as their current fire spell). As for the spells at shops, instead of making the player decide between buying armor or spell, you could think of another currency or point system that trades for spells only. Kinda like AP, but maybe like...gold for equipment, and silver for spells? or you can be creative and do something like Crystalized Life Energy from defeated enemies!
As for the lv 1 beating a lv 20, I agree, it is possible. It may take longer, but it is possible. Having 1 spell against a guy with 100 spells, is probably suicide. Having too many spells can also be a burden at times when trying to decide what spell should be used when. So it may be useful to have stronger versions of spells that a player can choose at times so they can keep the old ones for non-lethal damage. (unless you can choose to limit your firepower so it wont be lethal, then you should put that in your rules.) It might be best to find ways to keep the player from entering the stronger areas if you want to keep the story more linear. when writing your ideas out, try to explain the how, why, and what, etc as much as possible. As you know, my twin sis is a stickler for details. annoyingly so. (i'm the twin, not the little sis that's joined to actually rp.) When i rp in forums, it's more casual. You guys are doing actual an RPG with rules, so i wont be joining you, but if you need any advice, ideas, or constructive criticism, let me know.
A scroll system would actually work really well but then you might just have a person who takes there 3 starting spells and spends all there gold on potions and camping gear and armour, might consider using this if I could find a way to make spells come at a stable rate and also get players to want to get more spells
You could make spell scrolls considerably more affordable than weapons, or you could also do spell books (tear out the page to cast), or books to permanently teach spells to the player. Introducing rituals or spells that are rare as scrolls might make them more desirable as well (such as a raise dead spells or something that you might consider OP). If it's rare or difficult to obtain, then the player may thing twice about using it up without a good reason. (save for a dire situation). Scrolls may also make it easier to use spells that don't really suit the character using it. Then I can stop saying, "When the hell would my character bother to have learned that spell?" (Terran knows nothing about wood or nature elements spells, nor would he take the initiative to learn about them, so a scroll would allow him to use a wood/nature spell without needing any prior knowledge of how it works.)
They can also be awarded as gifts, prizes, rewards, or--more sinisterly--curses with adverse effects on the party. Same goes for enchanted items. (side-effects)
Xa44
Ok it really bothers me when people try to talk about things they aren't experienced in, sorry.
It's not that I am not experienced. I have a different play-style when I'm a GM. Not all Game Masters are the same, and I'm still trying to understand your system, is all.
Xa44
And again there will be magic items and some armor cost 88G,
Pause here for a second. Just to be clear, how valuable is the currency? If I could gain some perspective, what's the min starting currency? Is it 0? 50G? Rolled? What's your exchange rate?
Xa44
you can still improve in those ways but the way I think of it is like this
Why can't a person who is level 1 kill someone who is level 20, even if they just spam the same abilities, even a level 20 wis in D&D can kill a level 2 paladen without spells.
Pretty sure you'd be pretty pissed off if your level 20 character got pwned by a level 1. The level represents what you've seen and learned in life, so it's unlikely that the kid who just stood up and said "never done this before, but what the hell, I'll give it a try," is going to be able to beat the guy that's been practicing for years. A master martial artist has learned to read their opponents moves and avoid or counter them. A noob is essentially still figuring out how to throw a proper punch if they have 0 EXP. This is also why many campaigns start their character out at around level 5. (Force Grey did that.) Because level one characters can potentially be killed by a bear in one shot. As for a person with no experience taking out somebody who has plenty of experience in combat, it's usually a fluke gone right, or a crit. (Critical role has a house rule where a crit automatically does max dmg. Caused a trap to massacure one of the players, who was none-too-happy about it. [Whil Wee-tawn is sadly now a red gooey paste...except for his foot, which the other adventurers left behind.])
I'm not saying it can't happen, though. My sis (Bored Reckless, playing as a pixie) managed to practically one-shot a boss level 1 because she crit using her most powerful daily spell. (Which is precisely why DMG says to use an enemy's most powerful spells as soon as you're able to in battle; because otherwise you may not get a chance to use them at all.) After that, the enemy's was dead before it could even get within attacking range on it's next turn. It's own fire did it in when it burst into flames for being bloodied...]
Point is that although it is possible to defeat somebody who is at a higher level, it's unlikely that a newbie will defeat a veteran.
I have a suggestion: Why not just scrap the leveling system all together? That way you can award abilities to your players as you see fit, and you don't have to worry about the level gaps and all the complicated mechanics that go along with it? It is technically possible to run a campaign without levels, especially with the proposed system.
Xa44
Also I like the idea of you all going into harder areas and not die instantly because yoy didn't know that you would be randomly attacked by a wyvern in the lightning/wind town
I know you don't like restricting your players, but having places with enemies too strong for your players is also a tactic used in many games to prevent players from going places you don't want them to go yet. It can prevent players from obtaining certain items too early in the game, and it can help keep players on the right track by forcing them to think about their strategy. Sometimes it's up to the player to know when they are in over their head and when to retreat. If you'd rather not see them die quickly, then do enough major damage to scare the pants off the party members. You are a GM rolling the dice behind the screen, so we don't know if you conveniently fudged the numbers to prevent the party's annihilation, but we will be damn thankful to have gotten away in one piece if we are smart enough to recognize and listen to a warning shot. Don't underestimate the players intelligence when it comes to fleeing a battle. You can also deter characters from going certain places by telling the players that their characters "get a strong sense of danger up ahead." If they choose to find out why, then scare them away. You may have to get a bit creative here.
Or better yet, simply don't give characters a reason to go to these places in the first place until you think they are ready to handle it.
Xa44
Also I should mention that again a guy with 1 spell vs a guy with 100 spells who would win, having more options makes characters stronger, like how knowing 5 LV 3 spell in D&D gives you room for a lot of stuff like fireball, counter spell, ice blast(red dragons don't take fire DMG)
Even "fireball" can be cast at a higher level for more damage. Thus, the spell does become stronger as you level up. https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Fireball#content Not to mention that this looks OP by your standards. (Check the attributes. range is 150', so it can damage a target up to 170' away. Does 8d6 [or half, if successfully save], and if you factor "logic" into the mechanics, then the targets are now all on fire, which would cause additional damage until they can put themselves out,or until they burn to death. Just saying.)
Xa44
also about not having classes
I said "builds", not classes. I've been assuming that they are there in some form or another, because that's basically a character's job. Bored Reckless is a rogue/thief, and my Terran is essentially a rogue/assassin, if you will. A thief's build would suggest if his abilities cater more towards that of a mugger or a cat burglar. (one is aggressive, the other avoids fights.)
Xa44
(1)Top Hat- cast a random spell either of one type or all types(decided at character creation) (19)Drain Mana- touch any living thing and absorb mana from it, then cast a random arcane spell
You haven't explained what mana is in the context of your RP system yet. Is it MP?
Xa44
(20)Raining Hats- drop 10 hats down from the sky in random locations, each hat will cast a random spell when it lands(hats are neutral party) (21)Multiroll- when a random spell is cast: pick one of 2 spells to cast (22)Fez- cast a random spell out of a pool of 10(the spells in this pool are decided at character creation, and can't be a legendary spell)
There is themed builds you can make just that they aren't put out in the open and anyone could use the spell without picking the class
Might I inquire further about these builds? What can we do to optimize our skills for the theme/build/direction we want our characters to develop in?
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