This is never a fun part of the game design process, but it must needs be done… it’s time to try to break my game. Yeah, it’s not even close to done yet (or even in draft form really), but I have enough of it down in my notes and head to have a go at wrecking the whole thing… Let’s go with Thor vs. the Spawn of the Midgard Serpent, shall we? Let’s take this thing out and see how it handles the tough terrain… I’m not going to give the Midgard Serpent’s spawn Resolve.
Thor, the Thunderer (200 CPs)
Armor +5; Fighting +10; Might +10; Precision +6; Stamina +10
Focus +6; Resolve +8; Warding +5; Call Lightning +10 (Energize Weapon; Control Weather; Flight)
Intuition +6
Carries Mjolnir, a +11 weapon; this deals +21 damage in melee, +17 damage when thrown (up to 10 units)
When he energizes Mjolnir, it deals an additional +2 damage (+23 melee/+19 thrown)
He wears Norse Battle Armor +5.
Spawn of the Midgard Serpent (200 CPs)
Invulnerable +9; Fighting +9 (Bonus Attack); Might +10 (Strike); Focus +8 (Lore); Warding +8; Intuition +9 (Nature); Poison +11; Speed +6
Setup: Having learned that the Midgard Serpent has spawned progeny across the multiverse, Thor has undertaken a quest to find these progeny in their nests and destroy them before they set out to wreck untold destruction on the realm of mortals. That sounds Thor-y, doesn’t it?
Being Thor, he arrives in the chamber, calling out to the serpent to face him… and it does! It’s time for sequence! They start 12 units (120’) apart.
• Thor rolls 8+6=14 and the Spawn (we’ll call him Mid) rolls 8+9=17.
• Mid goes first, slithering across the chamber towards Thor. It travels 3+6 (its speed) =9 units. It’s now almost in melee range.
• Thor uses his turn to energize his hammer, preparing for total pwnage… or so he hopes.
• The serpent travels 2 more units (to close for melee) and takes a -2 penalty to his attack (FYI, I’m thinking you can move up to your total movement- everyone gets a base of 3 units per turn- taking -1 to your attack for each unit you move. Since Mid has this base 3 + his speed of 6= 9, he could travel up to 9 units and still attack… he only needs to move 2 to get in melee, so he does and then bites at -2). He rolls 11+9-2=18 to hit, and Thor rolls 9+10=19 to evade. Thor dodges the lunging bite of the serpent.
• Thor swings his hammer at the thing’s head. He rolls 4+10=14 to hit, and Mid rolls 6+9=15 to evade. Right away, Thor will spend a Resolve point, using his call lightning to drive the attack home, now striking at +24, and hitting by +9. Rolling for damage, he gets 11+23+9=43 damage, and the serpent’s invulnerability soaks 11+9=20 of this. Thor deals 23 wounds, leaving the serpent at 177.
• Mid bites again, getting 7+9=16, and Thor rolls 6+10=16. The serpent barely hits. For damage, it rolls 9+10+10=29 damage, and Thor rolls 3+5=8 to soak. He suffers 21 wounds, leaving him at 179. He has to roll to resist the poisonous bite of the serpent. I’ll use static 7 for the poison, giving it a total DR of 16. Thor rolls stamina, getting 8+10=18. He easily fights off the poison (the benefit of having stamina +10; it’s REALLY hard to poison you…).
• Thor’s quite willing to spend Resolve here, and brings forth another thunderclap as he lets Mjolnir fall upon the serpent’s head… he rolls 9+10+10=29 to hit, and the serpent rolls 8+9=17 to evade. Thor hits by +12; rolling for damage he gets 10+23+12=45 vs. the serpent’s soak of 5+9=14. Thor deals an impressive 31 wounds, leaving the serpent reeling at 146.
• The serpent is feeling the fight turning against him, and decides to try a new strategy… he’s going to bite while also trying to hit Thor with a tail swipe. He’ll need some good rolling to pull this off, but it’s worth a try. He rolls 7 on the die to hit with the bite, and Thor rolls 4+10=14 to resist. He’ll use 7 of his 9 fighting points to bump his attack to 14 and hit, adding the other 2 to his tail strike roll; he rolls the tail strike, getting 10+2=12 to hit; Thor only rolls 5+10=15 to evade this and does so (his fighting is so high that the serpent is going to have trouble breaking up attacks like this… he’ll stick with the bite from here out). For the bite attack, he rolls damage, getting 3 (ugh!) +10+10=23 damage, and Thor rolls 11+5=16 to soak. He deals only 7 wounds, leaving Thor at 172 wounds. Thor has to attempt to resist the poison again, and rolls 7+10=17. The DR is 16, so he barely shrugs it off.
• Thor’s been spending his resolve like water, so he’ll continue… he spends his third resolve point to invoke more storm power, and will also put a fourth resolve point into channeling his own stamina into damage. He throws himself into the mightiest swing he can muster, hoping to deliver a death blow (although I think this is very unlikely…) He rolls 10+10+10=30 to hit, and Middy rolls 7+9=16 to evade. Thor hits by +14. For damage, he rolls 5+23+10+14=52, and the serpent rolls 2+9=11 to soak. Thor doesn’t finish it, but he does deal 41 wounds, leaving the serpent feeling the pain at 105 wounds.
• The poor serpent is starting to feel a little hopeless… a lucky strike against the god of thunder would sure brighten up his day! He bites again, rolling 7+9=16 to hit, and Thor rolls 6+10=16 to evade. The bite barely lands; for damage, Mid rolls 8+10+10=28, and Thor rolls 4+5=9 to soak. This is a good hit, and Thor suffers 21 wounds, leaving him at 151. He has to try to stave off the poison again, and rolls 5+10=15… and fails! He suffers 1 more wound from the poison (ech) and is now at an even 150 wounds, with a little of the serpent’s poison in his system.
• Thor has no reason to change his strategy… this is working just fine! He calls another thunderclap, rolling 11+10+10=31 to hit, and the serpent rolls 3+9=12 to evade. Thor hits by +19. For damage, he spends his sixth resolve point, dealing 7+23+19+10=59 wounds, while the serpent rolls 6+9=15 to soak. Thor deals another 44 wounds, leaving the serpent at 61 wounds.
• It’s the end of the round, so Thor has to roll to soak the poison. He rolls 7+10=17, and ends the poison.
• The serpent goes to bite again, getting 8+9=17 to hit; Thor rolls 7+10=17 to evade. The serpent barely hits. Thor could use a Resolve point to have his intuition (+6) help him evade the blow, but why bother? He’s winning pretty handily at present… he’d rather have the resolve for offense right now. For damage, Mid rolls 9+10+10=29 wounds, and Thor’s armor soaks 9+5=14 of those; he takes 15 wounds, leaving him at 135. He has to soak the poison, and rolls 10+10=20, easily resisting the poison and ending its onset.
• Thor will use his final two resolve points here… one on the attack, one on damage. He rolls to attack, getting 9+10+10=29 to hit, and the serpent rolls 10+9=19 to evade. Thor hits by only +10… for damage, he rolls 4+23+10+10=47 vs. the serpent’s soak of 3+9=12. Thor deals 35 wounds, leaving the serpent at 26 wounds.
• The serpent rolls 5+9=14 to hit, and Thor rolls 9+10=19 to evade. He’s just toying with the snake now, as the creature stumbles around, trying to regain its bearings…
• Thor calls lightning, standing back to finish the creature with pure lightning; he rolls 8+6=14 to hit with the lightning bolt, and the serpent rolls 6+8=14 to defend. Thor barely hits with the lightning bolt, and rolls for damage, getting 9+10=19 vs. the serpent’s warding of 2+9=11… he deals only 8 wounds, but is just as happy to humiliate as finish. Mid is down to 18 wounds.
• The Spawn of the Midgard Serpent takes a frantic bite, rolling 8+9=17, but Thor easily beats its strike away with his hammer, rolling 12+10=22…
• Thor now brings Mjolnir around, rolling 5+10=15 to hit, while the serpent rolls 5+9=14 to evade. He hits by +1. For damage, Thor rolls 6+23+1=30 damage, and the serpent rolls 4+9=13 to soak. It suffers 17 wounds, leaving it at 1 wound!
• Flailing about in absolute misery, the serpent takes a final lunge, rolling 8+9=17 to hit; Thor rolls 7+10=17 to evade. The serpent barely strikes, rolling 5+10+10=25 damage vs. Thor’s soak of 7+5=12. Thor takes 13 wounds, leaving him at 122 wounds.
• Thor brings Mjolnir down on the creature’s back, rolling a natural 2, and fumbling! The serpent has been feigning being unable to defend itself, and leads Thor into overconfidence… now it gets a free resolve point to use on its next strike due to the botch.
• The serpent rolls fighting and adds its might +10 to the attack, rolling 5+9+10=24 to hit, and Thor rolls 8+10=18 to evade. The serpent hits by +6… for damage, Middy rolls 10+10+10+6=36, and Thor rolls 6+5=11 to soak. He suffers 25 wounds from a vicious bite, and is now down to 97 wounds. He has to attempt to soak the poison again, rolling 11+10=21 to easily stave off the toxin.
• Thor swings his hammer again, somewhat miffed at the serpent for attempting to psych him out… he rolls 6+10=16 to hit, and Mid rolls 8+9=17 to evade… this thing just won’t die!
• The serpent bites, rolling 7+9=16 vs. Thor’s evade of 9+10=19. He won’t be fooled again!
• Thor swings, getting 9+10=19 vs. its defense roll of 4+9=13… that should do it. Thor hits by +6, rolling damage 10+23+6=39 vs. Mid’s invulnerability soak of 4+9=13. He deals 26 wounds, leaving the serpent at -25 and D.E.A.D. Thor ends the fight with 97 wounds.
Analysis:
• I like it that a botch on an attack roll gives the target an automatic resolve point to use on the next action. That makes a lot of sense, and can turn the tide of a fight quickly with a few bad rolls.
• I tried to break the game- and failed! Even when dealing with 200 CP creatures, the dice still matter- a lot.
• Resolve is HUGE. Thor was able to lay the smack down early due to liberal use of Resolve points. If you don’t buy resolve, you’re missing out on one of the cooler aspects of combat (at least, I think so).
• The serpent was a little bland, in general. I’d like him to have a constriction attack of some kind or some way to wear down Thor other than just the bite and poison… a constriction attack tied to his might that gives the target penalties and gives him bonuses might have been nice. I’ll put that on my play testing list…
• This was a pretty long combat (10 rounds), and I was happy not to have to roll sequence or determine order more than once… we got going, and just kept taking turns. It was a reasonable rotation, and it kept things moving.
• I totally forgot that speed should give you bonus actions several times during combat! Mid would have been able to take several (6) multi attacks with full fighting on both (a tail slash and a bite both at +9 simultaneously due to its great speed). I’m still confident that Thor would have won, but it would have been a little closer. It really bites that I forgot to do that… 6 more attacks; on average he would have hit maybe three, dealing about 15 wounds each time… so Thor would probably have suffered about 45 more wounds, and the fight would have been a lot closer.
Monday, December 27, 2010
Friday, December 24, 2010
The Messari
The messari have been my ‘big bad’ for decades. They’ve been the master manipulators that pull all the strings in my games.
The messari exist beyond time and space. They’re not really demons, because demons are still restricted to the same rules of basic physics (at least in my imagination- I can’t say about the real ones), whereas the messari aren’t. They are sort of an entire race of Kang the Conquerors mixed with Mind Flayers and Cylons- their realm (the Ethereal? Limbo?) is the common glue that binds together all times and places equally… no, that’s not right. It’s not really a glue- it’s more a subtle force that pervades all things- it’s the evil version of the force (and not just the dark side- more the ‘anti-force’).
Their power comes from fear- they serve a creature I’m calling the Devourer (for lack of a better term) who feeds on psychic energy. The more powerful and painful the energy, the bigger the meal. Simultaneously, the messari felt their power waning as the worlds became more settled- people were comfortable across time and space. A general feeling of security had pervaded all realms, and the messari were starting to feel the pinch. In fact, their realm itself was going to cease to exist. They were all going to die. Once mankind became completely free of all worries for his future- once a form of utopia existed in a sufficient number of realities- the ether ends, and the messari die. Just gone.
So, they can’t let that happen. They devise a plan. Or rather, a series of plans. They sow discontent among mortals. Jealousy of their goddess; rivalries with their neighboring worlds; fear of an alien invasion, and set the wheels in motion. Let everything fall apart. Chaos reigns. After the dust settles, all hope for a perfect world has been lost, replaced by suffering and hopelessness.
MMMMM. Now that’s good eating.
The messari bounce back to their home realm, and chill there. Whenever they feel mankind starting to get his druthers on and feel good, they just send a team to wreck havoc and let slip the dogs of war, and all is sunshine and buttercups for them (metaphorically- the messari hate both sunshine and buttercups with equal passion).
The messari become the ultimate bottom feeders. Psychological cockroaches.
But it’s been twenty years. The Children of the Reckoning are coming to adulthood. They are different than their forebears. You see, the Reckonings had a consequence that the messari did not expect; each of these cataclysms (the death of Yahalla, the implosion of the sun, the destruction of Meridian) released a pulse of energy that actually changed people- magically, genetically, spiritually, psychologically. They can become super-heroes, or wield great magic, or master psionic disciplines- in new and different ways than ever before. The messari don’t know why this is happening, and it’s definitely a side-effect they’re not happy with, and the whole thing could muss up their plans.
Frack it all. They just created heroes.
The messari exist beyond time and space. They’re not really demons, because demons are still restricted to the same rules of basic physics (at least in my imagination- I can’t say about the real ones), whereas the messari aren’t. They are sort of an entire race of Kang the Conquerors mixed with Mind Flayers and Cylons- their realm (the Ethereal? Limbo?) is the common glue that binds together all times and places equally… no, that’s not right. It’s not really a glue- it’s more a subtle force that pervades all things- it’s the evil version of the force (and not just the dark side- more the ‘anti-force’).
Their power comes from fear- they serve a creature I’m calling the Devourer (for lack of a better term) who feeds on psychic energy. The more powerful and painful the energy, the bigger the meal. Simultaneously, the messari felt their power waning as the worlds became more settled- people were comfortable across time and space. A general feeling of security had pervaded all realms, and the messari were starting to feel the pinch. In fact, their realm itself was going to cease to exist. They were all going to die. Once mankind became completely free of all worries for his future- once a form of utopia existed in a sufficient number of realities- the ether ends, and the messari die. Just gone.
So, they can’t let that happen. They devise a plan. Or rather, a series of plans. They sow discontent among mortals. Jealousy of their goddess; rivalries with their neighboring worlds; fear of an alien invasion, and set the wheels in motion. Let everything fall apart. Chaos reigns. After the dust settles, all hope for a perfect world has been lost, replaced by suffering and hopelessness.
MMMMM. Now that’s good eating.
The messari bounce back to their home realm, and chill there. Whenever they feel mankind starting to get his druthers on and feel good, they just send a team to wreck havoc and let slip the dogs of war, and all is sunshine and buttercups for them (metaphorically- the messari hate both sunshine and buttercups with equal passion).
The messari become the ultimate bottom feeders. Psychological cockroaches.
But it’s been twenty years. The Children of the Reckoning are coming to adulthood. They are different than their forebears. You see, the Reckonings had a consequence that the messari did not expect; each of these cataclysms (the death of Yahalla, the implosion of the sun, the destruction of Meridian) released a pulse of energy that actually changed people- magically, genetically, spiritually, psychologically. They can become super-heroes, or wield great magic, or master psionic disciplines- in new and different ways than ever before. The messari don’t know why this is happening, and it’s definitely a side-effect they’re not happy with, and the whole thing could muss up their plans.
Frack it all. They just created heroes.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
And About the World(s)...
I keep thinking about how the various incarnations of the game may be linked- what are the common themes that reverberate between the supers and fantasy (and other) settings- for example, what ties Knights of the Falling Stars to Arvandoria/Del Anon and to the worlds of the supers game? I know that light/dark and good/evil are sort of universal fantasy/adventure conflicts and those are easy enough to use as the common theme linking the various games, but it’s a bit trite. Okay, it’s exceptionally trite.
Then it hit me. Ruins.
Del Anon has been my fantasy world for 20+ years, and I’ve spent that time fleshing it out a little at a time. I’ve always assumed that Del Anon meant ‘the land between’, a not-so-subtle borrowing from both Tolkien’s Middle Earth and the Norse concept of earth as the middle of creation.
Now, I’m only an English teacher and not a linguistic; however, I want there to be some veracity to the way that my fictional language of Old Gallan (as close as my fantasy world comes to Latin) is represented. I know that Del means ‘land’ in Old Gallan, although Anon has a more negative connotation than “between”. In fact, another realm I was working on for a bit I called “Del Marev”, and that feels more like “middle” to me. If Del Marev was the old world (before the Reckoning of the fantasy game) was the same way that Meridian (the city in the middle) was the ‘old world’ before the Messari attack that fostered the creation of Nativity… there’s my link. A virtually utopian world that has been destroyed from within, cast into ruins. The heroes of this world (whatever world it is) need tremendous resolve (hence the title) to fight back the darkness and restore the world to its previous glory- or even better yet, find a new glory.
And my map backs it up.
Previously, I’ve published a map of Del Anon- but it was only half the map I had drawn all those years ago (probably 1998 or so), and I’ve never been quite sure why I had a second side to the continent- I never knew what it was. Now I think I know…
The eastern continent (the side you may have seen somewhere) is the remains of Del Marev, ripped apart through its interaction with the Barrens. The western continent is the ruins of Arvandoria, the faerie land. In short, the eastern lands are darker and more brutal, the western lands more magical and mysterious.
Arvandoria once had this series of towers that once linked the magical nexus points of the realm, keeping its magical energy humming nicely- unfortunately, those are all broken. The great cities of man from Del Marev? About ¾ are now desolate ruins inhabited by all nasty things… which is a shame, considering the libraries, magical devices and incredible treasures that were once held there.
Oh, and the Supers game? It has the ruins of Meridian buried beneath Nativity; it has the ruins of the Citadel of Tomorrow sitting under the frozen north… and I think it might have other ruins. Valhalla, the seat of the Norse gods? Yeah, it’s been wrecked. Atlantis? A ravaged war zone. Mount Olympus? Not a bad place to visit if you can stomach a little nuclear radiation. In fact, the planet that the Messari took over and used as a staging ground for their first invasion of earth- Mars- yeah, it’s been pretty well trashed as well. Too bad, too, with all those incredible Martian artifacts that are now buried under millions of miles of red sand…
And you don’t even want to know about the Five Systems (formerly the Six systems)… the biggest sun imploded, and the huge black hole at the center of the star cluster threatens to wipe everything out… including the ruined planets hovering on its fringes that may hold the secrets to closing the black hole forever, if heroes can get to them, and survive the horrors they present.
I’ve been playing with these worlds for about 20 years, so let’s make that our starting point. It’s been 20 years- for all of them. All worlds suffered a Reckoning that reverberated across time and space. All things were affected. The great source of power (the most powerful sun, the one true goddess, he who sees all things) was destroyed, and the ripple effects were felt everywhere.
And the Messari were behind it all...
Then it hit me. Ruins.
Del Anon has been my fantasy world for 20+ years, and I’ve spent that time fleshing it out a little at a time. I’ve always assumed that Del Anon meant ‘the land between’, a not-so-subtle borrowing from both Tolkien’s Middle Earth and the Norse concept of earth as the middle of creation.
Now, I’m only an English teacher and not a linguistic; however, I want there to be some veracity to the way that my fictional language of Old Gallan (as close as my fantasy world comes to Latin) is represented. I know that Del means ‘land’ in Old Gallan, although Anon has a more negative connotation than “between”. In fact, another realm I was working on for a bit I called “Del Marev”, and that feels more like “middle” to me. If Del Marev was the old world (before the Reckoning of the fantasy game) was the same way that Meridian (the city in the middle) was the ‘old world’ before the Messari attack that fostered the creation of Nativity… there’s my link. A virtually utopian world that has been destroyed from within, cast into ruins. The heroes of this world (whatever world it is) need tremendous resolve (hence the title) to fight back the darkness and restore the world to its previous glory- or even better yet, find a new glory.
And my map backs it up.
Previously, I’ve published a map of Del Anon- but it was only half the map I had drawn all those years ago (probably 1998 or so), and I’ve never been quite sure why I had a second side to the continent- I never knew what it was. Now I think I know…
The eastern continent (the side you may have seen somewhere) is the remains of Del Marev, ripped apart through its interaction with the Barrens. The western continent is the ruins of Arvandoria, the faerie land. In short, the eastern lands are darker and more brutal, the western lands more magical and mysterious.
Arvandoria once had this series of towers that once linked the magical nexus points of the realm, keeping its magical energy humming nicely- unfortunately, those are all broken. The great cities of man from Del Marev? About ¾ are now desolate ruins inhabited by all nasty things… which is a shame, considering the libraries, magical devices and incredible treasures that were once held there.
Oh, and the Supers game? It has the ruins of Meridian buried beneath Nativity; it has the ruins of the Citadel of Tomorrow sitting under the frozen north… and I think it might have other ruins. Valhalla, the seat of the Norse gods? Yeah, it’s been wrecked. Atlantis? A ravaged war zone. Mount Olympus? Not a bad place to visit if you can stomach a little nuclear radiation. In fact, the planet that the Messari took over and used as a staging ground for their first invasion of earth- Mars- yeah, it’s been pretty well trashed as well. Too bad, too, with all those incredible Martian artifacts that are now buried under millions of miles of red sand…
And you don’t even want to know about the Five Systems (formerly the Six systems)… the biggest sun imploded, and the huge black hole at the center of the star cluster threatens to wipe everything out… including the ruined planets hovering on its fringes that may hold the secrets to closing the black hole forever, if heroes can get to them, and survive the horrors they present.
I’ve been playing with these worlds for about 20 years, so let’s make that our starting point. It’s been 20 years- for all of them. All worlds suffered a Reckoning that reverberated across time and space. All things were affected. The great source of power (the most powerful sun, the one true goddess, he who sees all things) was destroyed, and the ripple effects were felt everywhere.
And the Messari were behind it all...
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Art Direction
In my first blog entry, I wrote about how all of the elements of the game should fit together cohesively… and then I spent the next 20 or so entries talking purely about mechanics. I figured it was time to talk about something other than number crunching. How about the world?
I spent some time today reading over an unpublished section of the novel I’ve written (I really will get that finished some day- it just needs a week of solid editing and it should be done- I just never get around to it), and started to think about the visuals of the story. How does this thing look if it’s a graphic novel? That’s what I want out of the visuals for the game.
I started thinking about the Stephen Fabian drawings from the old AD+D Manual of the Planes- they had this soft, ethereal quality that I really like, and that I don’t see much of in contemporary games. I don’t know if the feel of the art is at all dated, but I’d like to capture that softer, Charles Vess sort of feel to the world. Very soft and textured.
Of course, I write all this as if I can just start whipping off these incredible drawings modeled on some of the greats in fantasy art. I don’t presume that for a second. However, I think that my drawing may be a little too cartoony and simple for where the game should go, and I either need to learn how to draw differently and push myself in new directions, or find an illustrator who can do these drawings for me. Since this is not a money-making operation of any great shakes, I think I’m going to be stuck doing the illustrations myself.
It will be fun to rough out some concept art and see where this goes…
I spent some time today reading over an unpublished section of the novel I’ve written (I really will get that finished some day- it just needs a week of solid editing and it should be done- I just never get around to it), and started to think about the visuals of the story. How does this thing look if it’s a graphic novel? That’s what I want out of the visuals for the game.
I started thinking about the Stephen Fabian drawings from the old AD+D Manual of the Planes- they had this soft, ethereal quality that I really like, and that I don’t see much of in contemporary games. I don’t know if the feel of the art is at all dated, but I’d like to capture that softer, Charles Vess sort of feel to the world. Very soft and textured.
Of course, I write all this as if I can just start whipping off these incredible drawings modeled on some of the greats in fantasy art. I don’t presume that for a second. However, I think that my drawing may be a little too cartoony and simple for where the game should go, and I either need to learn how to draw differently and push myself in new directions, or find an illustrator who can do these drawings for me. Since this is not a money-making operation of any great shakes, I think I’m going to be stuck doing the illustrations myself.
It will be fun to rough out some concept art and see where this goes…
Monday, December 20, 2010
Wounds and Levels
For the sample heroes so far, I’ve used their CP total as their wound total, since this is the ballpark of where characters should end up. This is pretty reasonable. Every CP you add to your character total is +1 wound you can take before you risk being knocked out. A dragon built on 150 CPs also has 150 wounds. A young watchman built on 5 CPs also can take 5 wounds. Simple enough.
However, I also like the idea of stamina being linked to your wounds. Originally, I was going to go old school D+D style, and have you roll your wounds every level. Each time you advance in level, you roll 2D+ stamina, adding this to your wounds total. On average, most characters would end up with wounds roughly equal to their CP total anyway, although characters with high stamina would end up with higher wounds. For example, a level 10 character (100 CPs) would have:
100 wounds with the first method I talked about.
An average of 110 wounds with Stamina +3 (average roll of 7+3=10 each level for 11 levels).*
An average of 77 wounds with Stamina +0 (average roll of 7+0=7 each level for 11 levels).*
An average of 165 wounds with Stamina +8 (average roll of 7+8=15 each level for 11 levels).*
* level 0 has to count as a level, since you would roll your health at 0 and again at 1… it’s not like a creature built on 1-9 CPs has no wounds at all!
With the random method, a dragon built on 150 CPs (level 15) with Stamina +8 is going to have between 150 and 300 wounds, with an average of 225. That’s a LOT of wounds, but it makes sense that a dragon will have a lot more wounds. Creatures with high stamina should have more wounds.
The real issue I have with this is the concept of levels. The game feels like it’s moving away from levels as an important concept. No abilities are tied to levels or level progression, and I don’t see any need for levels as a part of the progress of the game. For example, here’s the CP progression I’ve had in mind as I’ve worked:
0-9 CPs = Novice, Beginner
10-29 CPs= Apprentice, Initiate, Rookie, Tenderfoot (New heroes start at 10 CPs)
30-59 CPs= Adept, Street Level, Name-level
60-99 CPs= Expert, Hero (Most superheroes start at 60 CPs)
100-149 CPs= Master, Super-hero
150-199 CPs= Paragon, Legend, World Class
200+ CPs= Godlike
This puts Superman in the 150-175 range, and the members of the Fantastic Four, as well as most X-Men, in the 60-99 range. Most Justice Leaguers and the top Avengers (Hulk, Thor, Iron Man) would be in the 100-149 range I’d think. My models of Wolvie and Cap ended up at 99 CPs, and they both felt just about right. Is 99 the cap for a mortal character? That’s kind of a cool concept; your character (if a mortal) cannot proceed past 99 CPs. You’d have to argue then that Superman and the Hulk are not mortal characters, but in some senses they are immortal- or as close as we’re likely to get. Hmmm. I’ll think on this more…
I still don’t know how to solve the wounds issue; I like random generation for wounds, but I don’t see the benefit of putting levels in the game. If you have wounds completely tied to stamina, then everyone is going to have to have some stamina… and wounds are going to stay pretty low. If you have the ability to deal upwards of 25 wounds in a single strike (and most heroes will before too long), 50 wounds is not all that much.
You could go Marvel FASERIP style and have wounds tied directly only to the total of your physical abilities, but then you run into another set of problems; by tying your stealth to your intuition instead of your precision, you just cost yourself 2 wounds. Is stealth a physical or mental ability when you buy it independently? It gets too hard to figure out, and the cost to get there isn’t worth the variety you get in the exchange.
I think that keeping wounds tied to your CP total is the most reasonable solution. Being built on 200 CPs inherently gives you a lot of health. I’ll go with that for now, although the 10-year-old gamer in my heart still wants random health determination… I could always include sidebars for ‘house rules’ allowing you to roll your health randomly, and including ‘levels’ as part of that … every 10 CPs, you roll 2D+ your stamina and add this to your total wounds. This is easy enough to add, gives you more options as a player, and doesn’t unbalance things in either direction. To determine wounds for enemies, just take (7 + stamina) x (level +1)… since you would roll for wounds at level 0.
However, I also like the idea of stamina being linked to your wounds. Originally, I was going to go old school D+D style, and have you roll your wounds every level. Each time you advance in level, you roll 2D+ stamina, adding this to your wounds total. On average, most characters would end up with wounds roughly equal to their CP total anyway, although characters with high stamina would end up with higher wounds. For example, a level 10 character (100 CPs) would have:
100 wounds with the first method I talked about.
An average of 110 wounds with Stamina +3 (average roll of 7+3=10 each level for 11 levels).*
An average of 77 wounds with Stamina +0 (average roll of 7+0=7 each level for 11 levels).*
An average of 165 wounds with Stamina +8 (average roll of 7+8=15 each level for 11 levels).*
* level 0 has to count as a level, since you would roll your health at 0 and again at 1… it’s not like a creature built on 1-9 CPs has no wounds at all!
With the random method, a dragon built on 150 CPs (level 15) with Stamina +8 is going to have between 150 and 300 wounds, with an average of 225. That’s a LOT of wounds, but it makes sense that a dragon will have a lot more wounds. Creatures with high stamina should have more wounds.
The real issue I have with this is the concept of levels. The game feels like it’s moving away from levels as an important concept. No abilities are tied to levels or level progression, and I don’t see any need for levels as a part of the progress of the game. For example, here’s the CP progression I’ve had in mind as I’ve worked:
0-9 CPs = Novice, Beginner
10-29 CPs= Apprentice, Initiate, Rookie, Tenderfoot (New heroes start at 10 CPs)
30-59 CPs= Adept, Street Level, Name-level
60-99 CPs= Expert, Hero (Most superheroes start at 60 CPs)
100-149 CPs= Master, Super-hero
150-199 CPs= Paragon, Legend, World Class
200+ CPs= Godlike
This puts Superman in the 150-175 range, and the members of the Fantastic Four, as well as most X-Men, in the 60-99 range. Most Justice Leaguers and the top Avengers (Hulk, Thor, Iron Man) would be in the 100-149 range I’d think. My models of Wolvie and Cap ended up at 99 CPs, and they both felt just about right. Is 99 the cap for a mortal character? That’s kind of a cool concept; your character (if a mortal) cannot proceed past 99 CPs. You’d have to argue then that Superman and the Hulk are not mortal characters, but in some senses they are immortal- or as close as we’re likely to get. Hmmm. I’ll think on this more…
I still don’t know how to solve the wounds issue; I like random generation for wounds, but I don’t see the benefit of putting levels in the game. If you have wounds completely tied to stamina, then everyone is going to have to have some stamina… and wounds are going to stay pretty low. If you have the ability to deal upwards of 25 wounds in a single strike (and most heroes will before too long), 50 wounds is not all that much.
You could go Marvel FASERIP style and have wounds tied directly only to the total of your physical abilities, but then you run into another set of problems; by tying your stealth to your intuition instead of your precision, you just cost yourself 2 wounds. Is stealth a physical or mental ability when you buy it independently? It gets too hard to figure out, and the cost to get there isn’t worth the variety you get in the exchange.
I think that keeping wounds tied to your CP total is the most reasonable solution. Being built on 200 CPs inherently gives you a lot of health. I’ll go with that for now, although the 10-year-old gamer in my heart still wants random health determination… I could always include sidebars for ‘house rules’ allowing you to roll your health randomly, and including ‘levels’ as part of that … every 10 CPs, you roll 2D+ your stamina and add this to your total wounds. This is easy enough to add, gives you more options as a player, and doesn’t unbalance things in either direction. To determine wounds for enemies, just take (7 + stamina) x (level +1)… since you would roll for wounds at level 0.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Fight!
Let’s have these heroes (from last post) fight a big spider…
Creatively-Named Big Spider (30 CPs): Fighting +4; Might +4 (Strike); Stamina +3; Invulnerable +2; Wall Crawling [2]; Poison +3; Stealth +3
The spider deals +8 damage (might doubled based on strike) when it lands a successful bite attack.
Anj and Mim enter a tomb, looking for a particular book that Mim has heard tell of… and as they step into the cobweb-filled entryway, a spider lurking in the shadows overhead attempts to get in position to launch a surprise attack…
It rolls stealth, getting 8+3=11. Neither Anj nor Mim has Intuition, so they both roll 2D unmodified to notice; Mim rolls 9, and Anj rolls 11. Since ties go to the attacker, the spider succeeds (barely), and is able to get a free attack at +3 (its stealth rating).
The spider attacks Anj, rolling 5+ 4 (fighting) +3 (stealth) =12 to attack. Anj rolls 10+4=14 to parry. She manages to get her sword up in time, blocking the bite of the spider as its mandibles excrete a green poison that drips on her gloves... It’s time to roll sequence.
Anj rolls 9; Mim rolls 7; the spider rolls 7. That will be the order.
• Anj swings her sword, rolling 8+4=12 to hit; the spider rolls 7+4=11 to defend. She hits by +1. For damage (without any magical boosting so far), she rolls 6+5+1=12 damage. The spider rolls 6+2=8 to soak. She deals 4 wounds, leaving the spider at 26 wounds.
• Mim boosts Anj’s Might to +4.
• The spider goes to bite, rolling 10+4=12 to bite (fighting). Anj rolls 7+4=11 to defend. The spider hits by +1. For damage, it rolls 8+ 8 (might + strike) +1 (bonus from attack) =17 wounds. Anj rolls 7+3 (her armor rating) = 10 to soak. She suffers 7 wounds, leaving her at 13 wounds. She has to roll to resist the spider’s poison. We’ll use static 7 for that, although we could roll it; she has to resist its total rating of 10 (7+3). This poison will tic up to 3 times, although if she successfully resists it (rolling 11 or better on any tic), she ends the effect. She rolls 7 +3 (Stamina) =10, and fights off the poison this round, although it will still tic 2 more times.
• Anj holds her action to after Mim… she will drop to that position for the rest of the scene, acting after Mim does.
• Mim uses his turn to Energize their weapons.
• On her turn (after the delay), Anj swings her sword, using one of her Resolve points now that her Might is boosted (adding this to her attack for a great cleave). She rolls 10 +4 (fighting) +4 (Might) = 18 to hit. The spider rolls fighting to defend, getting 12+4=16. She only hits by +2 because the spider’s defensive roll was the best it could be… although she would have missed without the use of the Resolve point. For damage, she rolls 6+10+2=18 wounds. The spider rolls to soak, getting 7+2=9. It suffers 9 more wounds, leaving it at 17 wounds.
• On its turn, the spider bites her again, rolling 7+4=11. If it had Resolve points, it would start using them… Anj rolls to defend, getting 6+4=10. It hits by +1. For damage, the spider rolls 4+8+1=13, and Anj rolls 8+3=11 to soak. She suffers 2 more wounds, leaving her at 11 wounds. Since it’s the end of the round, Anj also has to roll to resist the poison again, and rolls 11+3=14. She not only withstands the poison, but her roll is good enough to shake off the effect altogether. The spider can inject poison again, but not until its next action… the poison technically tics at the end of the round, after all other actions are finished.
• On his turn, Mim uses his healing on Anjelica, rolling 5+4=9 wounds. She recovers 9 wounds, putting her back up to 20 wounds (her starting total). That’s Mim’s only chance to heal this scene.
• On her turn, Anj is feeling good, and wants to end this fight; planning to use another Resolve point to cleave, adding her might to her fighting; she rolls a natural 2!. She automatically fails, but doesn’t have to spend the Resolve point. (That rule will have to specifically be spelled out- you don’t have to declare Resolve point use until all dice have been rolled).
• On its turn, the spider attacks again, rolling 4+4=8, and Anj rolls 6+4=10 to defend. She successfully evades the spider’s bite.
• On his turn, Mim finally gets to fire an arrow, and will use a Resolve point to apply his knowledge of spider physiology (Lore) to his fighting attack roll. He rolls 5+2+4=11 and the spider rolls 5+4=9 to defend. Mim hits by +2. For damage, he rolls 4+4+2=10 damage, and the spider rolls 6+2=8 to soak. He deals 2 wounds, leaving the spider at 15 wounds.
• Anj will try again with her Resolve… she rolls 8+4+4 (might) =16 to hit; the spider rolls 11+4=15 to defend. Again, the Resolve point helped her to overcome a great defensive roll. For damage, she spends another Resolve point to add her Fighting to damage (leaving her with 1 Resolve point for the scene), rolling 5+10+4+1=20 damage; the spider rolls 6+2=8 to soak. She deals 12 wounds, leaving the spider badly damaged with only 3 wounds remaining.
• On its turn, the spider bites, rolling 7+4=11 to hit, but Anj rolls 8+4=12 to defend, and the spider misses.
• Mim fires another arrow, rolling 9+2=11 to hit, and the spider rolls 4+4=8 to defend. He hits by +3. For damage, Mim rolls 7+4+3=14. The spider soaks 7+2=9, meaning that it suffers 5 wounds; this drops it to -2 wounds, and it falls.
Analysis:
• The heroes had a relatively easy time of it. Anj ended up at about half of her wounds, but a single heal (although that was all he had), got her back to full, and she never took damage again.
• The use of Resolve points made a big difference. They hit three times when they would have missed without Resolve points. That’s another 1-2 attacks the spider would have been able to make without them.
• Mim doesn’t deal a lot of damage, but he’s not built to- he’s a support character. I think that he can be fun to play, and his use of Lore in combat situations (through Resolve) makes him a viable combatant, and a useful member of the team. The fact that he has a mesmerize spell he never used (and which would almost surely have been successful) means that they could have feasibly faced two of these spiders at once; mathematically, this one spider was a challenge equal to their abilities; two spiders would have been far beyond their comparative level, but the way the two heroes are balanced makes them potentially tough enough to win.
• Giving Resolve to villains is the difference between an average and very capable adversary. As a general rule, common foes are going to have no resolve at all. Goblins, zombies, spiders, robots- no resolve for them.
Creatively-Named Big Spider (30 CPs): Fighting +4; Might +4 (Strike); Stamina +3; Invulnerable +2; Wall Crawling [2]; Poison +3; Stealth +3
The spider deals +8 damage (might doubled based on strike) when it lands a successful bite attack.
Anj and Mim enter a tomb, looking for a particular book that Mim has heard tell of… and as they step into the cobweb-filled entryway, a spider lurking in the shadows overhead attempts to get in position to launch a surprise attack…
It rolls stealth, getting 8+3=11. Neither Anj nor Mim has Intuition, so they both roll 2D unmodified to notice; Mim rolls 9, and Anj rolls 11. Since ties go to the attacker, the spider succeeds (barely), and is able to get a free attack at +3 (its stealth rating).
The spider attacks Anj, rolling 5+ 4 (fighting) +3 (stealth) =12 to attack. Anj rolls 10+4=14 to parry. She manages to get her sword up in time, blocking the bite of the spider as its mandibles excrete a green poison that drips on her gloves... It’s time to roll sequence.
Anj rolls 9; Mim rolls 7; the spider rolls 7. That will be the order.
• Anj swings her sword, rolling 8+4=12 to hit; the spider rolls 7+4=11 to defend. She hits by +1. For damage (without any magical boosting so far), she rolls 6+5+1=12 damage. The spider rolls 6+2=8 to soak. She deals 4 wounds, leaving the spider at 26 wounds.
• Mim boosts Anj’s Might to +4.
• The spider goes to bite, rolling 10+4=12 to bite (fighting). Anj rolls 7+4=11 to defend. The spider hits by +1. For damage, it rolls 8+ 8 (might + strike) +1 (bonus from attack) =17 wounds. Anj rolls 7+3 (her armor rating) = 10 to soak. She suffers 7 wounds, leaving her at 13 wounds. She has to roll to resist the spider’s poison. We’ll use static 7 for that, although we could roll it; she has to resist its total rating of 10 (7+3). This poison will tic up to 3 times, although if she successfully resists it (rolling 11 or better on any tic), she ends the effect. She rolls 7 +3 (Stamina) =10, and fights off the poison this round, although it will still tic 2 more times.
• Anj holds her action to after Mim… she will drop to that position for the rest of the scene, acting after Mim does.
• Mim uses his turn to Energize their weapons.
• On her turn (after the delay), Anj swings her sword, using one of her Resolve points now that her Might is boosted (adding this to her attack for a great cleave). She rolls 10 +4 (fighting) +4 (Might) = 18 to hit. The spider rolls fighting to defend, getting 12+4=16. She only hits by +2 because the spider’s defensive roll was the best it could be… although she would have missed without the use of the Resolve point. For damage, she rolls 6+10+2=18 wounds. The spider rolls to soak, getting 7+2=9. It suffers 9 more wounds, leaving it at 17 wounds.
• On its turn, the spider bites her again, rolling 7+4=11. If it had Resolve points, it would start using them… Anj rolls to defend, getting 6+4=10. It hits by +1. For damage, the spider rolls 4+8+1=13, and Anj rolls 8+3=11 to soak. She suffers 2 more wounds, leaving her at 11 wounds. Since it’s the end of the round, Anj also has to roll to resist the poison again, and rolls 11+3=14. She not only withstands the poison, but her roll is good enough to shake off the effect altogether. The spider can inject poison again, but not until its next action… the poison technically tics at the end of the round, after all other actions are finished.
• On his turn, Mim uses his healing on Anjelica, rolling 5+4=9 wounds. She recovers 9 wounds, putting her back up to 20 wounds (her starting total). That’s Mim’s only chance to heal this scene.
• On her turn, Anj is feeling good, and wants to end this fight; planning to use another Resolve point to cleave, adding her might to her fighting; she rolls a natural 2!. She automatically fails, but doesn’t have to spend the Resolve point. (That rule will have to specifically be spelled out- you don’t have to declare Resolve point use until all dice have been rolled).
• On its turn, the spider attacks again, rolling 4+4=8, and Anj rolls 6+4=10 to defend. She successfully evades the spider’s bite.
• On his turn, Mim finally gets to fire an arrow, and will use a Resolve point to apply his knowledge of spider physiology (Lore) to his fighting attack roll. He rolls 5+2+4=11 and the spider rolls 5+4=9 to defend. Mim hits by +2. For damage, he rolls 4+4+2=10 damage, and the spider rolls 6+2=8 to soak. He deals 2 wounds, leaving the spider at 15 wounds.
• Anj will try again with her Resolve… she rolls 8+4+4 (might) =16 to hit; the spider rolls 11+4=15 to defend. Again, the Resolve point helped her to overcome a great defensive roll. For damage, she spends another Resolve point to add her Fighting to damage (leaving her with 1 Resolve point for the scene), rolling 5+10+4+1=20 damage; the spider rolls 6+2=8 to soak. She deals 12 wounds, leaving the spider badly damaged with only 3 wounds remaining.
• On its turn, the spider bites, rolling 7+4=11 to hit, but Anj rolls 8+4=12 to defend, and the spider misses.
• Mim fires another arrow, rolling 9+2=11 to hit, and the spider rolls 4+4=8 to defend. He hits by +3. For damage, Mim rolls 7+4+3=14. The spider soaks 7+2=9, meaning that it suffers 5 wounds; this drops it to -2 wounds, and it falls.
Analysis:
• The heroes had a relatively easy time of it. Anj ended up at about half of her wounds, but a single heal (although that was all he had), got her back to full, and she never took damage again.
• The use of Resolve points made a big difference. They hit three times when they would have missed without Resolve points. That’s another 1-2 attacks the spider would have been able to make without them.
• Mim doesn’t deal a lot of damage, but he’s not built to- he’s a support character. I think that he can be fun to play, and his use of Lore in combat situations (through Resolve) makes him a viable combatant, and a useful member of the team. The fact that he has a mesmerize spell he never used (and which would almost surely have been successful) means that they could have feasibly faced two of these spiders at once; mathematically, this one spider was a challenge equal to their abilities; two spiders would have been far beyond their comparative level, but the way the two heroes are balanced makes them potentially tough enough to win.
• Giving Resolve to villains is the difference between an average and very capable adversary. As a general rule, common foes are going to have no resolve at all. Goblins, zombies, spiders, robots- no resolve for them.
Let's Make Some Heroes
I guess that I can start a little play testing now… I’m going to go with fantasy characters first. I’ll go with a team of two heroes, and try to maximize their compatibility so that they support each other well. They are both built on 20 character points, making them low level, but not starting characters; they have a little experience.
Note: I’m going to put the total bonus next to rated abilities, but for any ability that does not have the default CP cost, the math will be in brackets; the first number is the CP investment, the second number is a magical bonus.
The first hero is…
Anjelica, a sword-wielding human champion.
Fighting +4; Might +2 or +4 [2/4]; Stamina +3; Armor +3; Resolve +4 [4/+1 shift from being human)
Limitation: Code of Honor (-2 CPs)
Carries a two-handed sword +5 [10]; Wears Chain Mail Armor +3
Without Mim’s magic, Anj has Might +2 and her sword deals +5 damage; after Boost Might, her sword deals +9 damage; with Boost Might and Energize Weapon, her sword moves to +6 [10/2], dealing a total of +10 damage.
The second hero is…
Mim, a Gnome Bard
Fighting +2; Precision +2
Focus +2; Lore +4 (Boost Might; Energize Weapon; Heal; Mesmerize); Resolve +2
Limitation: Vow to protect libraries, books and learning.
Carries a short bow +3 [4]; with Energize Weapon it becomes +4 [4/2].
Strategy: Anjelica immediately engages the most powerful foe. If there are multiple foes, Mim attempts to mesmerize the second most powerful (or more if they are mooks). Mim’s next priority is to Boost Might on Anjelica, then to Energize both his bow and her sword (which he can do on a single turn). Thereafter, he starts plunking away with his bow, stopping to heal if Anjelica takes considerable wounds.
I really like that Mim, as a bard, ties all of his magical abilities to his Lore. He is not a conventional caster at all; he doesn’t actually have an attack spell in the traditional sense; his magic is all tied to his ancient knowledge. His fighting is relatively low, but his Resolve allows him to use his lore of creatures and their physiologies to target weak points during the fight if needed (taking +4 to a fighting roll) and attacking with his bow at +6 for 1 or 2 turns.
Even with low-level heroes, you can really customize them and get very fiddly with the points in building the heroes. You need to work out ahead of time what your stats are going to be based on the different variables (to speed play), but even a half dozen different options aren’t too hard to figure out and have at the ready. You can still easily fit a character on a 3x5 card, even with all the options you could have.
Note: I’m going to put the total bonus next to rated abilities, but for any ability that does not have the default CP cost, the math will be in brackets; the first number is the CP investment, the second number is a magical bonus.
The first hero is…
Anjelica, a sword-wielding human champion.
Fighting +4; Might +2 or +4 [2/4]; Stamina +3; Armor +3; Resolve +4 [4/+1 shift from being human)
Limitation: Code of Honor (-2 CPs)
Carries a two-handed sword +5 [10]; Wears Chain Mail Armor +3
Without Mim’s magic, Anj has Might +2 and her sword deals +5 damage; after Boost Might, her sword deals +9 damage; with Boost Might and Energize Weapon, her sword moves to +6 [10/2], dealing a total of +10 damage.
The second hero is…
Mim, a Gnome Bard
Fighting +2; Precision +2
Focus +2; Lore +4 (Boost Might; Energize Weapon; Heal; Mesmerize); Resolve +2
Limitation: Vow to protect libraries, books and learning.
Carries a short bow +3 [4]; with Energize Weapon it becomes +4 [4/2].
Strategy: Anjelica immediately engages the most powerful foe. If there are multiple foes, Mim attempts to mesmerize the second most powerful (or more if they are mooks). Mim’s next priority is to Boost Might on Anjelica, then to Energize both his bow and her sword (which he can do on a single turn). Thereafter, he starts plunking away with his bow, stopping to heal if Anjelica takes considerable wounds.
I really like that Mim, as a bard, ties all of his magical abilities to his Lore. He is not a conventional caster at all; he doesn’t actually have an attack spell in the traditional sense; his magic is all tied to his ancient knowledge. His fighting is relatively low, but his Resolve allows him to use his lore of creatures and their physiologies to target weak points during the fight if needed (taking +4 to a fighting roll) and attacking with his bow at +6 for 1 or 2 turns.
Even with low-level heroes, you can really customize them and get very fiddly with the points in building the heroes. You need to work out ahead of time what your stats are going to be based on the different variables (to speed play), but even a half dozen different options aren’t too hard to figure out and have at the ready. You can still easily fit a character on a 3x5 card, even with all the options you could have.
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