I think I finally have enough to write a fleshed out game system thread after much help from everyone. this post will house the table of content and eventually links to the varius part of the rules as they get fleshed out. for general discussion of the system, then please use this thread (http://www.thecbg.org/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?68862.last)
I'll probaly end up making a seperate thread for the game mechanic behind resolving action and conflict and use this one for game mechanics for character creation.
table of content
1. Introduction
2. Character creation
-----2.1. Character creation overview
-----2.2. Ability scores
-----2.3. Derived stats from ability score
-----2.4. Perks, Flaws and Traits
-----2.5. Spell casting ability
-----2.6. Spells known
-----2.7. Skills known
3. Optional character creation rules
-----3.1. Spell casting traditions
-----3.2. Mixing spell caster with non spell casters.
-----3.3. random traits
4. Game mechanics
-----4.1. Ability score effects
-----4.2. Spell Casting
-----4.3. Skill use
-----4.4. Combat
5. Optional Game mechanics
-----5.1. Resolve Points
6. The Campaign
-----6.1. Character Growth
-----6.2. Sample type of campaign
1. Introduction
Welcome to the Spellcaster rpg system (seriusly, I swear I'll try to think up a better name), a system meant to portray and help live in a world of magician and sorcerer, from the fireball flinging living firework show per profession, to the struggling apprentice that just wants to impress his crush through the use of an open ended character creation system. At the same time still run quik and easy through a simple system for resolving action.
But ultimately an aid for telling the stories of a people who just happens to have unusual abilities with all that follows.
2. Introduction and overview of the character creation process
All adventures starts and ends with the characters in it. and so shall the stories told with this system start with the characters.
Characer creation in spellcaster rpg (abrivated SpRPG from now on untill I figure another name) are done by buying ability and skills with a pre-determined amounth of points and putting them together to represent the character. Some of these are limited by a experience cap which limits the rank an ability can reach.
The process goes through 6 steps
1. Determening what kind of character you'll make, as fitting the campaign. having a rough framework makes the progress alot faster and talk over with the group how many stat points and character points a player have for building the character and what the experience cap is.
2. Assign stat points to the ability scores. Left over points are saved up for later advancement.
3. Buy Perks and Traits using character points, Flaws can be picked for extra Character Point. combination of these can be done to simulate a specific race or special training.
4. Buy ranks in spellcasting device ability using character point.
5. Construct and buy spells using character points.
6. Buy ranks in skills with character points.
7. finishing touch.
Players are free to spend Character point as they want on the different abilities and skills, suggested ratio for the different parts though is: 15-20% on traits and perks, 10-15% on skills, 35-45% on spells and 25-35% on spell casting technique.
The Amount of Stat point available at character creation depends on the campaign, suggested starting point for different power levels and experience cap are following:
40 stat points, 100 character points, experience cap 1: new/young apprentice spell caster. Everyday magic campaign
60 points, 200 character points, experience cap 3: Trained but inexperience spell caster. Low power fantasy campaign
90 points, 300 character points, experience cap 5: Adventuring spell caster. Fantasy adventure campaign.
2.1 The Ability Scores and the Assigning stat point to them
A characters inherent potential and the foundation of everything he can do is his ability scores, which is the 3 natural ability: Body, Will and Perception and the 3 arcane ability: Technique, Energy and Power.
Average Adult Value for the ability scores is set at 5.
The value of an ability score is based on the amount of Stat point spent on them.
The cost of increasing an ability score by one point, is equal to the new value and no stat can be lower then 1, see table below for reference of cost per value increase and total cost at a giving value.
Ability Value/ Stat Point cost/ Total Stat Point cost
1/ 1/ 1
2/ 2/ 3
3/ 3/ 6
4/ 4/ 10
5/ 5/ 15
6/ 6/ 21
7/ 7/ 28
8/ 8/ 36
9/ 9/ 45
Left over points is saved for later, when more stat points are gained for character advancement.
The Abilities.
Body: Body governs a characters physical capability. How much he can carry, his endurance and his agility.
Body affects how much physical force is putted behind a skill and what is physically possible within a skills result.
It is also the stat used to resist a physical affliction.
Derived stats from Body are Endurance, Toughness and mana pool
Will: Will governs a characters mental strength and fortitude. The ability to push oneself beyond limits, the mental fortitude to keep trying and sheer will power in general.
Will affect how well a character can perform despite injuries, how often he can retry a skill before giving up and the capability to perform action not normally possible with a giving skill level.
Derived stats from Will are Toughness and Control
Perception: Perception governs a characters ability to analyse a situation, discern differences and noticing objects.
Perception affects where ever or not a character can react to something, his ability to discern something in the distance and how much information he can get from gleaning at something.
Derived stats from Perception is Iniative modifier.
Technique: Technique governs how skilled a character is at casting spells. High technique allows more complex spells to be cast in shorter time.
Energy: Energy governs how much mana a character has available to cast spells with. High energy allows spells to be cast more often.
Power: Power governs how much mana a character can put into a spell. High Power allows a spell to be empowered more in shorter time.
Jot down how many Stat Point is left over, if any, then start calculating the derived stats.
Derived Stats
The base derived stats are as following:
Endurance: Endurance governs how long a character can keep going before getting tired is equal Body X 10. Certain action will drain endurance. A character will start suffering penalties when his endurance is drained below 0. see the rules for skills for more details
Toughness: Toughness governs how much damage a character can take before it starts to slow him down and is equal Body + (will/2). See the rule for combat for more details.
Iniative: Iniative governs who'll get to react to the others action during any competition and the chance of reacting to something sudden in time. It is equal to perception + (body/2). See the rules for combat for more details.
Control: Control governs how complex spells can be cast within a giving timeframe and is equal Technique + (will/2)
Mana: Mana is how much energy a character have to cast spell for and is equal (Energy X 10) + (Body x 5)
Potency: Potency governs how much mana can be spent on a spell within a giving timeframe and is equal Power + ((Body + Will)/4)
See the rules for spell casting for more details on Control, Mana and Potency.
2.4 Perks, Flaws and Traits
Perks, Flaws and Traits represents the features that sets one character apart from another and are used to represent feautures ranging from exceptional stamina training to racial traits for a character that isn't human and are bought using character points.
Choicing a collection of features to represent a race should be done with the gm to ensure a consistingcy with other characters of the same race, of done by choicing a pre-made racial pack.
Perks are features which give a specific benifit to the character with cost based on how usefull it is.
Examples includes: exceptional hearing, dark vision and human calculator.
some of them are limited by the experience cap, an entre that reads: experience cap +1, means that the skill can only be bought up to a max rank equal to that.
The cost of a perk with several ranks is equal to the same rank for an ability score, multiplied by modifier if any.
example: a skill that have cost Rank X 2 will cost 2 CP for rank 1, and 4 CP for rank 2, for a total of 6 CP. Decimals are allways rounded up.
Flaws adds penalties to the character in return for more character points, the amounth of character points pased on how severe the flaw is.
Examples includes: Phobia, sickly and amnesiac
Amounth of CP gained are calculated in the same way as cost are for perk.
Traits are features which have both drawbacks and benifits, some of them being free, others having a cost or give character points depending on wher ever the benifit of the penalty is greatest.
Examples includes: Size, Specialist and tentacle for arms.
(note, Traits might be removed if I can't figure a sufficiently large amounth to have this category)
All features are categorised into atleast one of these groups which affect when they can be gained after characer creation.
Racial: Represents feature inherent in a race.
Examples: flight, water breathing, cold blooded.
Trained: Represents ability that's gained through practise or honed talent.
Examples: increased endurance, quik draw, perfect pitch
Aquired: Represents features that the character gains due to circumstances, the specific condition needed to gain them after character creation depending on the feature in question.
Examples: Phobia, Iron stomach, resistant to pain.
Innate: Represents features gained from birth, that sets the character apart from an equivalent person of the same race with out these features.
Examples: Improved eyesights, ambidexterious, striking physical features.
See the rules for character growth for details on when features can be gained after character creation.
Format for Traits are as following.
Trait name.
Description: short description of the trait in general terms
Type: which of the following group above it belongs to. some can belong to multiply.
Effect: The traits game-mechanic effects.
Pre-request: pre-request, if any, needed before the trait can be picked.
Max Rank: must traits will have a hard cap on max rank and/or a cap based on the characters Experience Cap and are presented as: Max Rank / Experience Cap+x
Cost/points gained: how many CP it cost to buy the perk, or how many CP is gained from taking the flaw.
A list of features and example racial pack will eventually be added.
Improved Endurance
You have a higher endurance through training or birth.
Type: Trained or innate.
Effect: Add 5 to you endurance pool per rank.
Max rank: none / EC+2
Cost: Rank X 1,5
Improved Eyesight
You have been born with or giving with better eyesight then must.
Type: Innate or Racial for rank 1 and 2, Racial for any rank above 2
Effect: Your Perception is counted as being 1 higher per rank for the purpose of using your eyes.
Max rank: 5 / EC+2
Cost: Rank X 3
Sickly.
you catches diseases easier then must.
Type: Innate or Aquired.
Effect: Your body is considered to be 1 lower per rank, for the purpose of resisting diseases.
Max Rank: The Characters Body Stat.
CP gained: Rank x 1
(place hold for Spell casting ability)
2.5. Spell casting ability and device traits
Spell casting abilities represents characers training in the arcane art, based on his methods and affects the options and efficientcy a character have when he uses magic.
The default assumes the use of an implement or device, following the tradition of Harry Potters wand, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanohas' Devices and Lord of the Rings staffs.
See the rule for spell casting for details.
A characters arcane ability are be devided into two type: Arcane skill and Device trait
The arcane skills, which functions normally when the device is used during spell casting, but function at one-third rank, rounded down, if the character cast it unaided.
examples: Controll Enhancer, Power Enhancer, Quik Casting.
Device traits is ability tied directly to the device, and can only be activated with the use of the device, or by the device itself if it's sentient.
examples: A.I. level, Detection, auto caster.
Some of the arcane ability are limited by the experience cap, an entre that reads: experience cap +1, means that the skill can only be bought up to a max rank equal to that.
The cost of a Arcane Ability with several ranks is equal to the same rank for an ability score, multiplied by modifier if any.
example: a skill that have cost Rank X 2 will cost 2 CP for rank 1, and 4 CP for rank 2, for a total of 6 CP. Decimals are allways rounded up.
Format for Arcane ability are as following.
Ability name
Description: short description of the trait in general terms
Type: which of the following group above it belongs to.
Effect: The traits game-mechanic effects.
Pre-request: pre-request, if any, needed before the trait can be picked.
Max Rank: must traits will have a hard cap on max rank and/or a cap based on the characters Experience Cap and are presented as: Max Rank / Experience Cap+x
Cost: how many CP it cost to buy the ability
sample arcane ability
Controll Enhancer.
Increases the characters ability to cast complex spell.
type: Arcane skill
Effect: +1 to total controll per rank
Max Rank: Max rank equal to the controll ability score or Experience Cap+1, which ever is lowerst.
Cost: Rank x 5
Weaponry
Allows the device to be used as a weapon
Type: Device trait
Effect: adds +1 to the damage roll per rank.
Pre-request: The device must have a shape or form that allows it to be used as a weapon
Max Rank: 5
Cost: Rank x 1,5, + 0.5 point per rank for each range increasement.
(place hold for Spells known)
Creating the spell list.
The spells that a character knows are created from choising a basic spell type, which then have the ranks of the spells variable increased through the use of character point.
Higher level in a variable means that each mana point spent on that variable of the spells have a greater effect, while also increasing the controll cost of the spell.
The format for a spell is like so:
Name: what the type of spell is called
Description
Variable A name Variable B name Variable C name
Rank 1 Variable effect/cost Variable effect/cost Variable effect/cost
Rank 2 Variable effect/cost Variable effect/cost Variable effect/cost
Rank X -||- -||- -||-
Options: Additional effects that can be added to the spell apart from the variable.
Controll Cost to cast: the amounth of controll that's needed to cast the spell, based on its
Requered variable: these are the variable that the spell have to have at atleast rank 1.
Character point cost. an entry that reads cost/3, means that it takes controll equal to one-third of the cost to cast the spell. decimals are rounded up.
Controll to Maintain: in case the spell can be sustained, then this is how much controll it takes per round to keep it going, after the round it have been casted in.
See the rules for spell casting for details on how to use spells.
(place hold for Skills known)
Skill cover the training a character have in a non-arcane disipline, ranging from knowledge in one area to slight of hand.
(placehold for options character creation rules)
will start filling out when I get back form work later today and yeah...I can imagien character creation alone taking up alot of space ala besm and gurps. so will have the rest in a seperate thread when I reach that point to make it easier to navigate.