Concept sketch for cRPG mechanic

[Lagi]

Due to interesting discussions on this forum, I would like to share and hear opinion about my concepts about cRPG mechanic. I try to keep it as briefly as possible, so there is no introduction or number value for each aspect I write about.

 

All I write below is like wishlist for system mechanic in cRPG (like P:E) I would like to play.

 

 

1. Atributes. Every attributes have also minor drawback.

 

Phisical - Strenght. How big, how much can endure, how much can lift a character. Combine Strenght and Constitution. With every point character is heavier, so he lose moving speed.

 

Agility. Speed (move and attack), precision (hit chance), how good is with manual activity (skills). Because of character more rapid movement (faster attacks, dodges) it getting tired faster - less Stamina for every point.

 

Perceptivity. Spoting hidden places, secret doors, traps, sneaking enemy. Affect thievish action (sneak, pickpocket, lockpicking). Hearing every rustle must be frightening, every point decrease Morale.

 

Reason - Inteligence. Spellcasting. Chance to identified items. Knowledge about enemy (statistic, health), number of experienced gained, chance to succesfully use magic device. Other just don't understand the true meaning of your strange behavior, easier become Insane and gain Mental Disease.

 

Will. Piety. Charisma. Mental resistance to fear, pain, fatigue, mind effects. Trading ability. Chance to persuade the NPC. Every point increase chance for berserker stance from wound recieved (Player lose control at character, which mostly go melee into combat).

 

 

2. Class/skills

Character classes/profesion are list of skills, feats and abilities the character can gain. There is no limit for gear character can wear or use (armor, weapon, magic device) because of class he choose. However some abilities or skills (available for specyfic class) can favor or be necessary for some items.

 

Persuade skill: Every not-so-important NPC have some random type of class, race or gender that they don't want to speak with. Important for plot NPC may speak only with specyfic character. Priest refuse to speak with mages, bard refuse to speak with male, authorities refuse to speak with rogues, knight will only speak with nobles, merchants will not speak with thieves.

 

Thanks to that, its no longer enough to have high speaking/trading skill for one person in team.

 

 

3. Experience is gained by:

• (mostly) completing task/quest
  
• (once) meeting and (once) killing firsttime encounter monsters/enemy,
  
• (once) opening new type of locks,
  
• (once) disarming new traps,
  
• (once) reading new books.
  
• For each point of wounds inflicted by the enemy (firendly fire or environment (lava burns, drowning) doesn't count) will grant exp (little compare too other factors).
  

No-levels. Every amount of exp can be spend to develop character. Rising atributes or skills will cost more for every point.

 

 

4. Bars:

 

Health - depends strictly from Phisical attribute. Every attack that couse at least 1 point of wound will also inflict random injury effect (broked boned, pain, bleeding - depending on the weapon).

 

When HP reach 0 - character die. HP doesnt rise with exp, but some skills can boost a few point. HP regenerating very slowly, but only when medical aid was provided to wounded character (bandage, healing ointment, disinfected wound (fire, alcohol), surgery).

 

Stamina - come from Phisical and Will. Decreases from damaged character recieve, skills he use, spells cast and other exhausting activity. Stamina renewed from the food eaten and sleeping.

 

When Stamina reach 0, character is unconsious. If unconsious character is still affected by tiring factors (drowning, suffocation, hits) then they Health is decreasing.

 

Morale - depends from Will attribute. Decreased from every wound that any party members recived, another fleeing ally, dead ally, encounter of terryfing monsters (huge, undead), powerful spell casted or magic items in character possesion. Morale points renewed when character is no longer in combat or frightful situation.

 

 

When reach 0 then character is fleeing from battle (Player lose control over character).

 

When character is still affected by scary conditions and Morale drop below 0 to some bufor then character gaining Mental Disesase (fobia, addiction, self-mutilation, Nightmares, hallucinations).

 

If Morale drop below bufor (minus Morale value) - character is implayable - become non-acting NPC, extremly easy to pickpocket (and kill).

 

Morale : 1______________ character in control

0 : (- Morale/2)________ _ character run from combat (lose control)

(- Morale/2) : (- Morale)+1_ character get mental disease

(- Morale) or lower_______ character is insane

 

 

5. HIT

 

Against every attack character have two saves, Deflection and Dodge:

 

Deflection - consist of protection from shield, plate pieces of armor (cuirass, bracers, helmet), weapon parry (mainly character combat skill).

 

Deflection can be different for each attack type. F.ex. Ghost can have unattainable Deflection against normal attacks. Shields can grant more Deflection against range and breath (area) attacks.

 

Attacker test his Hitting ability (To hit: Physical attribute, weapon penetration and combat skill) against Deflection.

 

 

Dodge - depend on Agility and skill, highly penalize from burden. Attacker have no influance on victim dodge chance.

 

 

 

Every succesful attempt, move the avoiding character radomly to one (left/right) side (better visualisation when character avoid breath attack, missle or Gigants club) and consume some Stamina.

 

Dodging should work like defence chance for weaker character (mage, rogue, or against monstrous enemy).

 

For every attack to opponent, first is checked Deflection, when not succesful, then Dodge. Any succes, negating attack. Both failure result in hit.

 

 

6. DAMAGE

 

Every weapon deal some amount of damage, which is not affected by character Phisical attribut (!). This way its easier to balance high damage inflict from enormous characters (dragons, gigants) and strong character will not kill armed enemies with bare hand.

 

Each hit inflicts wounds and fatigue to target.

 

Weapon damage - Armor Reduction = number of wounds

points deal to victim (subtracted from Health bar). Every attack that deal at least one point of damage, will cause some random aditional wound effect (broked boned, pain, bleeding, disarm, fall down).

AND

 

Weapon damage = Stamina decrease

.

 

Depends of damage type diferent Reduction is in use. When victim is hit by dragon fire breath, instead of Armor Reduction there would be Fire Resistance. But still when is succesfuly hit, the Stamina is deacresing, no matter how resistant is victim.

 

There is no hit locations, however wound effects suggest that attack hit leg, arm, head etc. (f.ex. "finger lost", "crushed foot"). Attacker can not choose the location he would like to aim.

 

 

7. WEAPON and ARMOR

 

Weapon statistic:

• Range (spear > sword > knives & fist) its determine the iniciative of first strike, with longer range you hit sooner. Also when character hide behind obstacles it may provide additional advantage.
  
• Attack speed (time between attacks) is decreased by high agility.
  
• Burden (required Physical) every point lacking to meet threshold, increasing attack time. Prevent mages from using two handed axe.
  
• Weapon damage (interval X to Y)
  
• Weapon penetration - just "to hit" bonus against victim Deflection
  
• Damage type (normal, fire, electricity, cold, gas, acid, poison).
  

Armor statistic

Armor provide deflection and damage reduction.

 

Pieces of armor like helmet, gauntlets, boots, shield provide only deflection. While main armor (jacket, chainmail, cuirass) provide additionaly reduction. No armor layers like leather plus chain plus plate.

 

Every thing character wear have burden value, which summed give penalty to moving speed, skill check and dodge save. Additionally after some threshold the stamina will decrease with every move. Burden not exactly represent the weight of items, its rather general encumberenced from size, shape, weight and handling. So 2 kg sword can give more burdens that 5 kg leather armor.

 

8. Magic balance

 

Magic can boost weapons and armor, but they bizzare effects deacresing user Morale, leading to insanity.

More powerful magic device (wand, staff, orb), need a lot of knowledge to activate.

Spells are difficult to conceive (required Reason (mage) or Will(priest)) and exhausting (consume Stamina).

[JFSOCC]

While I don't agree with the specific examples you've given on how you balance the stats, I do think that stat drawbacks might be interesting and could be considered.

[Orogun01]

I concur, drawbacks are something that helps me define character and helps me roleplay. I'm fond of your system in particular because it apparently lets me role play as Sherlock Holmes.

[aluminiumtrioxid]

Extremely good core principles, somewhat sloppy end results.

 

Great for a weird fantasy game (with some horror thrown in), not so good for PE.

 

Will post ideas to improve it.

[SophosTheWise]

Why do people always rename stats that have already been established for a long, long time?

[aluminiumtrioxid]

^Since "Phisical" (more like Physique, innit?) is str+con, and Reason is int+wis, these are justified imo.

[SophosTheWise]

^Since "Phisical" (more like Physique, innit?) is str+con, and Reason is int+wis, these are justified imo.

 

Ok, yes. That's true, didn't read it thoroughly enough. Still, I think combining those things isn't really good. Intelligence and wisdom aren't the same thing at all, same for endurance and strength.

[aluminiumtrioxid]

^It's good if you know what you're doing. In a combat-heavy game, it's pretty stupid to have a Physique ability instead of separate str+con entries, but otherwise, the idea has merits (there are very few frail strongmen and exceptionally healthy wimps I know of). I was never a big fan of Wisdom as an ability, so Reason and Will sounds good to me (the only reason we had Wisdom is the cleric anyway, which I've always found a redundant class). These abilities would work quite well in a Lovecraft-inspired dark fantasy game though. It could perhaps use a social attribute (let's call it Presence), since using Will to persuade people sounds rather off.

[Lagi]

aluminiumtrioxid - Physique is indeed better name. I have not know good word in english. Anyway Strenght is also fine.

 

What for are atributes in RPG?

All characters in game must have some necessary statistic for other characters to interact with them. f.ex. We need know how tough are enemies when we hit them. We need to test something to see if guard spot our sneaking ranger. We need to know how much someone can carry or how fast it is etc.

 

Everybody is saing that: "every attribut have to be usefull!", but its hard to achieve if we stick with D&D rules.

 

D&D attributes are bad, but everybody used to it and treat it like sacred cow.

 

In D&D mechanic Int and Wis are basicaly for the number of spells. Endurance (Con) is number of hit points. Strenght and Dexterity are OP stat, that you must have. While Charisma is dropstat, that everyone would like to set on zero. (Will combine your personal charm and stubborn just for this reason to avoid "dropstat".)

 

What should you test in situation of spoting something? There is no Perception. Rule Book told you to check Int. witch is inaccurate. What if deer is making a test to find the presence of hunter? Deer is hard to sneak. Should deer use his Int? If so then deer are really smart.

 

Strong person are bigger and heavier. They can lift more, carry more and take more beating. F.ex. horse is bigger than human and horse resist bigger amount of poison than human. Its natural that with increase of body mass come together force and endurance.

 

Gameplay wise: in D&D when someone playing as stupid, clumsy warrior they maximize STR and CON. In this concept he would only carre about STR (Phisique or whatever you would like to call it) and because of increasing cost of every point, he would not have abnormal value for STR compare to other atributes.

 

Moreover, attributes that was submitted, have use for all types of character. Even simple, melee tank will need some Will [to overcome wound effect (Pain) and not get frighten before battle start] or Reason [to gain more exp. and use magic device].

[SophosTheWise]

^It's good if you know what you're doing. In a combat-heavy game, it's pretty stupid to have a Physique ability instead of separate str+con entries, but otherwise, the idea has merits (there are very few frail strongmen and exceptionally healthy wimps I know of). I was never a big fan of Wisdom as an ability, so Reason and Will sounds good to me (the only reason we had Wisdom is the cleric anyway, which I've always found a redundant class). These abilities would work quite well in a Lovecraft-inspired dark fantasy game though. It could perhaps use a social attribute (let's call it Presence), since using Will to persuade people sounds rather off.

 

I don't agree with you on the physique thing. For example marathon runners have an extremely good constitution but they are not weight lifters by far.

You're right with the wisdom thing, although I think we could just use wisdom and intelligence in its original sense, meaning wisdom is needed for a dialogue option with a good decision.

[aluminiumtrioxid]

You don't necessarily want a realistic system. You want a system which makes sense in context of the game world. For example, in a lovecraftian horror game, there is little reason not to have a Physique ability - the most important fights are won by cleverness and information gathering, full-on confrontation with the creatures of the Mythos is lethal. Having a Wisdom score is also not needed - human beings are utterly insignificant from a cosmic standpoint, while Wisdom implies a higher understanding.

[Lagi]

Constitution (which in this cease is another word for physique - IMO) in D&D stand for number of Health Point. HP represent the amount of beating character can endure, before die.

 

http://www.d20srd.or...constitutionCon

 

Marathon runners do NOT have well build body and can not withstand lots of damage.

 

How do you thing which one will better withstand the effects of the street fight?

[Orogun01]

The one whose ancestors were bred for manual labor?

[Lagi]

 

I am sorry, maybe this picture is not so obvious. White dude is marathon runner while black one is a sprinter.

 

Here is better pic: