In reply to shady joker (msg # 3):
Never heard of it. And from your description (and the pdf), it doesn't appear to have anything to do with a generic dice RPG like this thread.
If anything, it looks more like the CONQUEST CARD GAME thread where you actually DO have monsters to utilize:
link to a message in this game
Which is not to be confused with an RPG, because it is not one. Though I suppose if your players wanted to spin tales about their nations and conquests you could do that. That'd be entertaining. But that's a conversation for another thread.
ROLLING DICE
Whenever you come across a task which requires you to randomly determine an outcome, you roll 1d20 and add the appropriate rank in the effective ability you wish to use to overcome the task. Typically, the GM will tell you which one applies based on what you're trying to do.
1d20 + ability rank vs. DC
The GM sets the difficulty class (DC). Failing a DC by 9 or less gets you a minor failure while beating a DC by 9 or less gets you a minor success. Major failures and major successes occur when you pass or fail by 10 or more.
If you fail AND roll a natural 1 (roll 1 on the die) is always a Major failure, even if it doesn't fail the DC by 10 or more. Conversely, if you succeed AND roll a natural 20 (roll 20 on the die) is always a Major success, even if it doesn't beat the DC by 10 or more. Natural 1s don't do anything if you still beat the DC and natural 20s don't do anything if you still fail the DC.
Minor failures and successes are usually immediate and circumstantial while major failures and successes are often somewhat more lasting.
Most encounters can result in victory from 3 major successes or failure from 3 major failures. 3 minor failures add up to a major one and 3 minor successes add up to one major success. Some failures may counteract successes and vice versa rather than improving the failure or success track, as determined by the GM.
<2: Subhuman
2-3: Pathetic
4-5: Poor
6-7: Very easy
8-9: Easy
10-11: Average (novice)
12-13: Difficult (apprentice)
14-15: Challenging (journeyman)
16-17: Arduous (expert)
18-19: Extraordinary (veteran)
20+: Incredible (master)
30+: Superhuman
40+: Demigod
50+: Cosmic
Examples:- Minor Success: You get one step closer to the goal, chisel one more bit of the enemy's armor off or manage to get at least one person's attention.
- Minor Failure: You fall one step behind, drop your tool nearby within reach or fade a little more into the background.
- Major Success: You leap up to the top or at least a few steps closer, break off a huge chunk of your target's armor or manage to get the entire room or most of the crowd's attention.
- Major Failure: You slip and fall fracturing your ankle, you drop your tool down and lose it forever, or anger the crowd that turns into an angry mob and attacks you.
ADVANTAGEOUS/DISADVANTAGEOUS CIRCUMSTANCESWhenever you clearly have a circumstantial advantage or disadvantage, the GM can assign a bonus or penalty to your roll. These usually range between +20 and -20 with anything better than +20 being things that you just automatically succeed at and anything worse than -20 being things that are just impossible given your circumstance. If you use an ability in a fashion that is not its normal intended use, the GM may rule that you get only half your normal rank bonus or enforce a penalty (or both or rule that you simply can't do it).
MULTIPLE SKILLSSometimes, multiple abilities apply to a given circumstance. For example, you may have an Acrobatics ability and a Weightlifting ability may be wondering which to use to jump as far as possible (given it requires both strength and agility to leap). In such cases, a character can still only roll one (usually the highest) but the GM may give them an advantage bonus if they have multiple abilities that could apply.
HERO POINTS
Hero points can be spent at any time to grant a +1 bonus to a roll.
- If you perform a task which directly enforces one or more of your ROLES, this bonus increases by +1.
- If you perform a task which directly enforces one or more of your TRAITS, this bonus increases by +1.
- If you perform a task with an ability that has a DEPENDENCY DISCOUNT, this bonus increases by +1.
- If you perform a task which will result in your immediate death should you fail, this bonus increases by +1.
- If you choose to spend the hero point BEFORE you roll, you double these bonuses to +2.
You start with 1 hero point and accumulate them over time. You can't have more hero points at once than 1/2 your level (or 1, whichever is better). The GM decides which of these bonuses apply and which do not.
ACTION SCENES
Actions scenes are moments of suspense that often involve danger. Whenever an action scene is initiated, players are restricted to taking their actions in turn order.
For PBP, this means you can only post once per time everyone else posts in turn order. After each post, all participants are EACH given 48 hours to respond at which point if they haven't responded they are skipped. That's 2 days PER player.
Everyone takes turns in performing a limited number of actions to whatever they would normally be able to do in just a few seconds. Typically, this means they make only one roll and can affect only one target. If a character attempts to accomplish multiple things or affect multiple targets, they must make multiple rolls. Each roll after the first accumulates a -1 penalty to ALL the rolls the character makes within their turn. This could even cause them to fail when they would've otherwise succeeded. This penalty increases to -2 per roll if you use the same ability more than once.
If you are in an action scene and someone or something attempts to affect you as the target (push you, grab you, damage you, persuade you or whatever) they roll against your ability that you would normally use to resist. You roll the ability that you would use to resist before you take your action. The GM may enforce a penalty or bonus based on how appropriate your choice is. However, players do not know what these bonuses and penalties will be until after they use an ability to defend. If a player chooses a completely inappropriate ability, a GM may even deem the task impossible to defend with (an autofail) but this is uncommon.
COOPERATIVE STORYTELLINGIf a GM allows, they may opt to let players perform some cooperative storytelling. This allows players to create an object, condition, creature or NPC and write it into a scenario that a GM has already set forth. Doing so requires that the player spend a hero point. Even though the player can conjure the object, the GM determines the object's stats (attitude, actions, abilities, weaknesses and ranks). Typically, the GM sets these things to be appropriate within the boundaries of the scene (and hopefully with the player's description of it as well, but the GM's scenario trumps player creations). If the GM rules that the conjured object is entirely inappropriate for the scene, they can overrule and negate the conjuration, but still take the hero point from the player just for the attempt. If the GM rules the object a particularly good idea, they may refund the player the hero point. This gives players some narrative control, but their degree of control is limited based on how well they cooperate and synergize with the story and how appropriate their ideas are to the setting.
NITTY GRITTY d20If GMs and players want a more complicated game, they can use the traditional d20 OGL combat rules with the following adjustments:
Ability Scores: There are no ability scores or modifiers. Instead of the modifiers, you use the ability rank of whatever ability you're using. This applies to skill ranks as well.
Races: The first 25 ability points for non-humans are pre-made by the GM to determine the character's race. The benefit of these abilities is that they have a separate latter rank from all their other abilities. The drawback is that players don't get to customize them, the GM does.
Classes & Leveling Up: You have no classes, though you may declare one as your profession. For every 25 ability points a character spends, they gain 1 level (and effective HD). Characters usually start at level 2 with 50 ability points. A character's effective "base saves", "base attack bonus", "caster level" and "skill rank" is equal to their ability rank in the most closely related ability (up to a maximum equal to their level). Which abilities can apply is determined by GM discretion. No ability rank can exceed 5 + your level. This restriction replaces the ability latter restriction.
Saving Throws & DCs: When you make a saving throw, you use the most closely related ability (possibly taking a penalty if it is not appropriate) OR 1/2 your level as the bonus (whichever is higher). Likewise, the DC to resist your effects is the same either DC10 + your rank with the ability or DC10 + 1/2 your level, whichever is higher. Death effects (even coup de grace) never instantly kill a target but instead deal their normal damage + an additional amount of damage if it otherwise would've killed the target. The additional damage is equal to the ability rank of the effect in question (or half the effect creator's level, whichever is higher).
Armor Class: Armor Class is called "defense" instead of AC. Armor bonuses are not added to defense, but instead grant the wearer a bonus to their Damage Reduction/-, even if they have no existing bonus. A creature's defense is always equal to 10 + the rank of the relative ability that they are using to defend themselves. If they take the total defense action it increases all your possible defenses by 4.
HP: Every creature starts with an amount of hit points based on its size and gains 5 additional hit points for every level they possess.
Fine: 1 hp; Diminutive: 2 hp; Tiny: 5 hp; Small: 10 hp; Medium: 25 hp; Large: 50 hp; Huge: 100 hp; Gargantuan: 250 hp; Colossal: 500 hp.
Damage: An attack that hits deals [weapon/spell damage] + 1 per point you beat the target's defense. If using an ability that is not meant to be used to damage targets or an improvised weapon, you deal half damage (after rolling). You may always attempt to perform a combat maneuver instead. If you do, the target takes half damage but is affected by your combat maneuver. If you wield a melee weapon with two hands, you deal +2 more damage than normal upon a hit. Spells that allow a saving throw for half damage instead make an attack roll with the appropriate ability against the appropriate defense of the target. If the target has no appropriate defense, then just use DC10 + 1/2 target's level as their defense.
Feats & Spells: Feats, spells and class features can be acquired as a cost according to the minimum possible level to acquire them:
Level 4 or less: 1 ability point
Level 5-9 : 3 ability points
Level 10-14: 6 ability points
Level 15-19: 10 ability points
Level 20-24: 15 ability points
Level 25+: 21 ability points
Spells: Spells don't have limited uses per day. Instead, spells deal nonlethal damage to the caster equal to the spell level x 5. A caster has a damage resistance to this specific damage equal to their ability rank in the appropriate spell, spell type or magic school that they have (minimum 1 nonlethal damage per spell level).
Prerequisites: In order to purchase a feat, spell or class feature, you must meet all the prerequisites. Class features have a prerequisite of all class features preceding it. Classes with a d10 or d12 HD also require Toughness while classes with spells also require a metamagic feat, item creation feat, eschew materials or combat casting.
Senseless: Ability score prerequisites are replaced with a minimum rank in the appropriate ability equal to half the ability score listed (at the GM discretion).
EXAMPLE CHARACTER
CHARACTER : Captain Ashira Ryker
LEVEL/POINTS : 6 [61/70 points]
HERO POINTS : 3
ROLES : Lawful good-hearted paladin seeking to protect her lands from goblinkind.
TRAITS : Pious, resolute, tough, honest, compassionate, wise
HIT POINTS : 60/60 hp
DEFENSES : Agility -7; Shield +6; Swordplay +2; Willpower +3
RESISTANCES : DR 5/- (breastplate)
TIER 3 SKILLS: [18 points] = Defense (Willpower) +3 (18 pts.); Defense (Agility) +1 (6 pts.)
TIER 2 SKILLS: [24 points] = Attack (Swordplay) +2 (6 pts.), Defense (Shields) +2 (6 pts.), Magic (Healing) +2 (6 pts.), Social (Persuasion) +2 (6 pts.)
TIER 1 SKILLS: [6 points] = Knowledge (Religion) +3 (3 pts.), Sense Motive +3 (3 pts.)
ABILITIES : [7 points] = Power Attack (1); Smite Evil (3 ranked up); Detect Evil (1); Lay on Hands (2)
EQUIPMENT : Breastplate (+5 DR/-, -5 Agility), Heavy Shield (+3 Shield, -3 Agility), Longsword (+5 atk, 1d8 dmg)
OLD NOTES
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Once you create a list of abilities and weaknesses for your character, the GM scales these abilities based on how vague or powerful each one is within their setting:- Tier 0 (Base Cost 1/3): Balancing on tippytoes, Throwing rocks, Loading Bows, Flu Resistance, Spellbook writing
- Tier 1 (Base Cost 1): Balance, Weightlifting, Crossbows, Disease Resistance, Fireball spell
- Tier 2 (Base Cost 3): Acrobatics, Athletics, Archery, Health, Fire magic
- Tier 3 (Base Cost 6): Agility, Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Evocation magic
- Tier 4 (Base Cost 10): Invulnerability, Super-speed, All Magic
Tier 0 and tier 4 are generally considered unacceptable. The player creates the abilities, but the GM labels their tier (which determines their ability cost per rank). A GM can reject an ability if it is too powerful, convoluted or simply doesn't fit the setting.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:29, Thu 21 Dec 2023.
