C.O.R.E. -- Alien Fiction RPG

Thanks for the thread!

As a part of my summer project, I am developing an RPG to complement the novella that I am writing. Here is the gist: Cute aliens abduct humans to collect them, train them, and send them to fight other humans. The basic rules will come from the Chupa Open Roleplay Engine. (available for free from Archive.org ) These aliens are immortal and powerful on a cosmic scale -- but insanely bored.

I am going to assume here that the typical player character is Although both types of characters have the same stats, they are not equals. The aliens are indestructible and function on a higher level of consciousness, so human vs alien fights are pointless. The conflicts here will be Alien vs Alien using the humans as their pawns. Experience is rewarded entirely based upon laughs.

This is a mechanically straight forward system. Attribute + Skill + d10 roll vs a difficulty number. Stats range from 1 to 5, and difficulties range from 5 to 20. The difficulty number is a characteristic of the scene. Giving the stat to the scene prevents me from needing to calculate stats for hundreds of NPCs (and there will be hundreds at a time). Each attribute stat also establishes a separate hit point pool. When all of the hit points of any one attribute are exhausted, that character becomes incapacitated.

Let's start with those attributes.

In most C.O.R.E. games, the attributes are something like Body, Mind, Status, and Magic. In Alien Fiction, things are much weirder. Body stats are irrelevant as these creatures may assume any form that they desire. The Attributes here are Mind, Persona, Collection, and Cosmic. Attributes range from 1 to 5.

Mind is a measure of the alien's intelligence, creativity, and memory. For an intelligence which has already been around a billion years, memory is no mere dump stat. Although all aliens are smarter than any human, they rarely act like it. They are as subject to impulsiveness or stubborn mindedness as any other form of intelligence, and this can come off as being indistinguishable from stupidity. An alien might create the universe's most advanced encryption system but still set his password to "password". In other words, even hyper-intelligent beings can fail sometimes.

Mind attributes range from 1 to 5. This also sets the maximize size of Mental Power (or Mental Points or Mind hit points) During a contest of wills or a stressful mental challenge, Mental Power can be temporarily lost. When Mental Points drop below zero, the character becomes mentally exhausted and passes out for the remainder of the scene.

Persona is a strange combination of a Constitution and Charisma stat; it represents how the alien is perceived in the physical world. Honestly, I may just go with Physical or Social here instead for simplicity's sake.

Collection is a stat which represents the quality of the alien's collection of humans, his fleet of space ships, and any other items he might possess that could be considered valuable or collectible. An Alien with a Collection attribute of 4 or 5 would be considered wealthy. Collection is used when determining many things: if the alien's ship is the fastest, if the alien already owns some gadget which is needed in the story, if the alien is able to obtain the gadget through trade, and the quality of the human champion who is about to battle for the alien's glory. If we are not bothering to make stats for collected humans, this Collection stat is used in their place. The type of hit points derived from the Collection attribute are called Collective Energy.

The final attribute is Cosmic. This represents the power of the alien's unique special ability. Omnitech is the umbrella term for the powers of the aliens which are beyond human comprehension and therefore require no explanation, and that is where the Cosmic stat comes in. One example of an cosmic power is psionics. Another example is quantum tunneling. Another example is Sufficiently Advanced Technology Perceived as Magic (or just Magic for short). Another  example is Omni-Ultra-Uber-Hyper-Destructo-Flame. The type of hit points derived from the Cosmic Attribute are called Cosmic Energy. When Cosmic Energy is reduced below zero, the alien loses connection with the physical universe and metaphysically vanishes for the remainder of the scene.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:17, Mon 10 July 2017.

I could continue, but is anybody here to see it?

We haven't had new blood in a while but the threads here are great for holding ideas as placeholders. The idea of playing Cthulu just doesn't appeal to me so I'm not sure what to contribute.

I am here, I usually read anything new posted in this.  Though RL has killed my playing on RPOL.

Likewise, I read stuff that is posted here, and would comment if I felt a connection with the material or if specific questions were asked that I felt competent to suggest solutions for.

Regarding my own material, I've barely had time for playing my current games in the last couple of years. Finding time to develop new ones is pie in the sky right now.

thanks for the replies, folks

As mentioned above, I was thinking about changing the attribute to a much more basic list of Body, Mind, Persona, and Cosmos. Mind is still Mind. That has not changed. Persona no longer is an awkward combination of Body and Social. Body is its own attribute, and Persona is the social attribute of the system. Cosmos was previously named Cosmic, but I swapped that out with a noun. Previously, I had an attribute called Collection. That has been moved to the skill list.

The skills are combat, collection, fitness, nature, negotiation, skullduggery, supernatural, technology, and trivia. Every character has the same list of skills even if the points in a skill are zero. Actually, most characters will have zero in a lot of skills. They still have these skills for the purpose of using the Attribute + Skill + dice roll formula.

The Combat Skill covers all forms of fighting from bar room brawls to epic space battles, rap battles to world-shaping political conflicts. The situation and combination of which attribute is paired with the Combat Skill determines what form the combat takes.

Collection is a stat which represents the quality of the alien's collection of humans, his fleet of space ships, and any other items he might possess that could be considered valuable or collectible. Human characters can own collections, but those things will almost never effect the mechanics of the game. An Alien with a Collection Skill of 4 or 5 would be considered wealthy among her peers of other collecting aliens. Collection is used when determining many things: if the alien's ship is the fastest, if the alien already owns some gadget which is needed in the story, if the alien is able to obtain the gadget through trade, and the quality of the human champion who is about to battle for the alien's glory. We don't actually need to make stats for every human in the collection if we instead use the Collection Skill in their place.

Fitness Skill, this is a measure of general health and athletic capability. It is used to run from fights, hold breath, dodge, et cetera. You get the idea.

Nature Skill, here the character's knowledge of the natural world comes into play. The source of that knowledge could be book learning about biology and geology, or it could be survival methods learned from years of hands on experience roughing it in the wild. Nature may also be used to navigate while in unfamiliar places.

The Negotiation Skill means that the character knows how to converse, influence, persuade, and barter.

Skullduggery is a fun word which stands for all manner of illicit or illegal activities. The Skullduggery Skill is used when sneaking, surprising, pick pocketing, and cheating at cards. A character with Skullduggery points will also be streetwise.

Supernatural Skill, this is a degree of knowledge regarding magic or occult subjects.

The Technology Skill gets used a lot in Alien Fiction. It means that the character is knowledgeable about various forms of advanced technology and is able to utilize them. This skill may be used to diagnose specific devices or powers. Sidenote: Powers which use the Supernatural Skill are immune to analysis using the Technology Skill. The vice versa is also true.

The Trivia Skill represents all of the character's knowledge which doesn't fit under any other skill. It's mostly useless knowledge, but that is also the point. Trivia contests are quite popular in the universe, so perhaps the knowledge isn't altogether useless after all.

Let's talk about creating those characters. Creating such characters is often the intimidating aspect which leads even experienced roleplay gamers into turning down a chance to play in a rule system which is unfamiliar to them. It doesn't have to be that way. Some gamers actually prefer character creation to using their characters in an actual game. In the Alien Fiction RPG, you may certainly create a character by counting your points and strategically assigning them to stats, but the Backstory Method is easier and perhaps more fun.

The Backstory Method: Pick out one selection from each category. Choose one Childhood, one Education, one Passion, and one Profession. Each selection adds points to an attribute, a skill, or both. Your character begins with one point in each attribute and zero points in each skill. We'll speak again when you are done.


CHILDHOODS [+1 to an attribute, +1 to a skill]

Omni-Alien: You stand alone as a species of one. You may have developed in the cosmic billions of years ago, or you may have been forged in the flash of am imploding galaxy last week. Ultimately, you exist alone. Although your appearance may be anything you wish it to be (and subject to change), all forms are surprisingly sturdy. Through many eons of self-inflicted evolution, you have achieved a cosmic level of existence which transcends perhaps all other life forms (maybe). Cosmic +1, Collection +1

Avatar: You exist as the physical embodiment of something greater than yourself. Maybe a nebula forged to your represent itself before the masses. Maybe a parsec-spanning hive mind hatched you to wage war against its human infestation. You always will a face for something greater than yourself. Your physical body might be as weak as that of a mortal (or not), but the source of your power is immortal. Cosmic +1, Negotiation or Nature +1

God-Thing: Your family stands tall in the universe. Although you reign above mortals as a man stands over a sea monkey, your cosmic powers are at best the equal of the self-evolving omni-aliens. Cosmic +1, Supernatural +1

Drone: You may be a manufactured and faceless worker who exists only to serve in the fleet of your alien master, but it's still rude when somebody says that you. Drones tend to be monochromatic, thin limbed, and dark eyed bipeds, but these days, there are variations. Mind +1, Technology +1

Human (Normal): You are any dude or a chick. You will never be as powerful as an alien, but hey, you be you. Although there may be billions of trillions of humans throughout the universe, only you can be you. Persona +1, Trivia +1

Human (Academic Prodigy): Persona +1, choice of skill (technology, supernatural, or trivia) +1

Human (Child Laborer): Body +1, Fitness +1

Human (Mercantile Heir): Persona +1, Negotiation +1

Human (Military Brat): Body +1, Combat +1

Human (Monastic): Body +1, choice of skill (supernatural or fitness) +1

Human (Wild or Rural): Body +1, Nature +1

Human (Royal): Persona +1, Negotiation +1

Human (Street Urchin): Body +1, Skullduggery +1

Mutation: Recommended for mortal species like humans and drones, this means that random physical developments have set you apart from most or your kind. You might be shunned or admired for your abilities, but you are never fully trusted by your own kind. Cosmic +1, Skullduggery +1, you may never have a Negotiation skill higher than 3.

EDUCATIONS [+1 to an attribute, +2 to skills]

Trial and Error: Suggested as a best fit for immortal characters like avatars and omni-aliens, this means simply that you learned everything you know the hard way, through experimentation (mostly on lesser life forms). Mental +1, either Nature and Technology +1

Academic: You spent years toiling away performing busywork in an organized school system. You learned many useful skills but mostly useless knowledge. Mind +1, Trivia +2

Criminal: Body +1, Skullduggery +2

Laborer-Apprenticeship: Body +1, Fitness +1, either Negotiation or Technology +1

Military Schooling: Body +1, Combat +1, Fitness +1

Mystic: Mind +1, Supernatural +1, Fitness +1

What Education?: A socialite, drop out, or obsessive roleplay gamer. You might contribute to society one day, but for right now, you don't have time for that. Mind +1, Trivia +1, Nature or Skullduggery +1

PASSIONS [+1 to an attribute and +1 to a skill]

Collector: +1 Mind, +1 Collection

Dilettante: +1 Persona, +1 Negotiation

Sage: You are a bookworm or maybe a scrollworm or a data worm. You live to learn. Research into the mystical subjects is covered by the Occult Passion. Mind +1, either Technology or Trivia +1

Occult: Mind +1, Supernatural +1

Service: Persona +1, Negotiation +1

Sports: Body +1, Fitness +1

Survivalist: Body +1, Nature +1

Warrior at Heart: Persona +1, Combat +1


CAREERS [+2 to attributes, +2 to skills, usually]

Space Warlord: +2 Cosmic, +1 Collection, +1 Combat or +1 Technology

Academic: +2 Mind, +1 Technology or Nature, +1 Trivia

Con Artist: +1 Mind, +1 Persona, +1 Negotiation, +1 Skullduggery

Diplomat: +1 Mind, +1 Persona, +2 Negotiation

Entertainer: +2 Persona, +1 Fitness, +1 Technology or Trivia

Investigator: +1 Mind, +1 Persona, +1 Skullduggery, and instead of one more skill point, the Investigator gains a special +1 point bonus to ANY dice roll which involves noticing something, searching for something, or deciphering a clue.

Laborer: +2 Body, Fitness +1, either Combat or Trivia +1

Muscle (criminal): +2 Body, Fitness +1, Skullduggery +1

Mystic Warrior: +1 Body, +1 Mind, +1 Combat, +1 Supernatural

Soldier-Warrior: +2 Body, +1 Combat, +1 Nature

Trader (of humans mostly): +1 Mind, +1 Persona, +1 Collection, +1 Negotiation

Tactician: +2 Mind, +1 Combat, +1 Negotiation

Thief: +1 Body, +1 Mind, +2 Skullduggery

FREE POINTS
Now that you have your background established, you get to tweak your character. Two characters with identical backstories are still different people, and one will be slightly better at some tasks than the other. Place 1 additional point in any attribute you like and 4 fresh free points in any skill you like. Don't boost any single stat, be it attribute or skill, above a 5 though.

RULE OF 5: The limit for any particular stat is 5. Some rare combinations and choices might lead to a stat which adds up to greater than 5. In such cases, the extra points become more points in the Trivia Skill. If the Trivia Skill goes above 5, pick a skill specialization (more on that later).

POINT BUY METHOD
Instead of building a backstory and then placing free points, you may simply assign all of your points where you like. You begin with a base of one point in each attribute: Mind, Persona, Collection, and Cosmic. Mortal characters might never get a chance to use their Collection or Cosmic attributes, but they still possess at least one point in each as a measure of how much trauma they can resist from cosmic threats. All skills start with a base of zero. Add 7 points to attributes (with a max of 5 in each) and 8 points to skills (with a max of 5 in each).

Here is an example of a character build. We'll call him Lucifer. Lucifer was an alien character originally created by a friend, Pierre. Although he's another alien of emense cosmic power and can change his physical form at will, he usually appears as a snake. His hobby is hosting a trivia game show for which he abducts humans from across the universe and forces them to play.

Lucifer begins with 1 point in each attribute and zero points in each skill.

Body 1, Mind 1, Persona 1, and Cosmic 1

Lucifer was formed at the same instant that the universe came into existence, the big bang. This means we'll select the Omni-Alien option as a Childhood. Cosmic +1, Collection +1

Next, we need to pick out an Education. The Self Taught option looks appropriate but so does the What Education? option. Lucifer is flighty with little interest in boring formal education, and What Education also grants a bonus to the Trivia Skill, so we'll go with that. Mind +1, Trivia +1, Nature or Skullduggery +1. Lucifer is a sneaky snake, so we'll pick skullduggery over Nature.

It's time to look at his Passion. We could select Sage since Lucifer is interested in knowledge (specially trivia). He motivation, however, is entertainment. Service: Persona +1, Negotiation +1. He must look good in his legless suit and speak with a silver (forked) tongue.

This leaves his Career. Lucifer is both an Entertainer and a Space Warlord. Hmm, we will go with Entertainer first. He may gain the Space Warlord career later. This leaves the character with a likely path for growth and advancement later. Entertainer: +2 Persona, +1 Fitness, +1 Technology or Trivia. Obviously, we will pick Trivia over Technology.

Here are our tallies so far.
Body 1, Mind 2, Persona 4, Cosmos 2
Collection 1, Fitness 1, Negotiation 1, Skullduggery 1, Technology 1, Trivia 1

His Persona ended up larger than expected, but that's okay. The Persona isn't merely a measure of attractiveness. It also represents honor, fame, and intimidation all mixed together. Lucifer is famous even among the omni-alien for his show, and he's scary enough to intimidate many other cosmic beings. He's not the most metaphysically powerful with a Cosmos of merely 2, but he's more powerful than some. His scaly little body is particular weak by the standards of an omni-alien, so if he were to get into a scrap (how uncivilized), he probably couldn't live up to his scary reputation.

Anyone with a Cosmos Attribute over 1 gets to pick out a special power through which this power manifests. Lucifer can generate his own pocket universe in the form of a game show sound stage, and he has complete control over every aspect of that reality. He can project portals from this pocket universe into any region of the physical universe at will.

Lucifer is still entitled to his free points. He gets one more point for an attribute of his choice and four more skill points. He's supposed to be very intelligent, so we will boost his Mind Attribute first. Then we'll stick his skill points in his Technology Skill (+1 points), Combat (+1 point), his neglected Collection Skill (+1 point), and of course Trivia (+1 point).

As a beginning character, here are Lucifer's stats.
Body 1, Mind 3, Persona 4, Cosmos 2
Combat 1, Collection 2, Fitness 1, Negotiation 1,
Skullduggery 1, Technology 2, Trivia 2

We are left with a character who is combat weak, but that could actually be sort of funny. He talks a big game, but he cannot back it up. He has a respectable collection of captive humans, space ships, and maybe a moon where he breeds drones for his studio audience. He keeps his fitness is average condition to help compensate for his weak body. He's a little bit sneaky. He's very knowledgeable about technology and useless trivia. This is a character who is ready to play.