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Post by providence13 on Dec 24, 2013 19:53:59 GMT -8
Magic as Skills and a point system: You could also handle the spell system similar to skills. Just call them magic disciplines, spells, or even magic skills. Some spells might have their own chart and effects just like the current skill system. Maybe it costs the same "magic points" as the level of skill you're trying to achieve. Maybe you can't spend more than your character's Rank.. Let's say you have a spell (skill) that allows you to track by smell. To emulate 1 skill point takes 1 mana point and you can use the chart on pg 55 (TME). A spell that picks locks would use the table on pg 48. If you're a 3rd Rank caster, then you could spend 3 points to get the "automatically opens padlock after 10 rnds" effect.
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Post by providence13 on Dec 24, 2013 20:36:56 GMT -8
In the Mall of Doom(!), it's hinted specifically said that a certain villain "has the rare mutation of dimensional duality.. Existing as 23 different people in various times, planes,etc. Some alternate forms being high priestess of a death cult, demon, a business tycoon, commander of legions, cruel sorcerer that rules a realm (powers in each reality are only usable in that world). Anybody with empathy, who manages to travel to another world and meet him in another form, would recognize the entity within if able to either touch or see the person or creature within one hundred paces." (This topic never came up when I ran MOD. It wasn't a direction I wanted my game to go at that time and there'd be no way for the players to even discover this info..) It sure looks like there will be a multi-genre approach to the Outland Arts rpg system. That's pretty darn cool! If that's the case, it'd be nice to have the same rules for each system. Early D&D had its Vancian magic system and a psionic (magic point) system. Kind of confusing, at the time. (In my opinion, a point system would have been great for that game; magic/psi- across the board.) Since mutational powers don't use the point system (not exactly), keeping the same system in this multi-genre approach, is a simple solution. Traits and Rank could handle most everything, just like they do now in TME. The company probably already has a system they've been kicking around. These are just my thoughts from what I've seen so far. Pure guesswork.
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Post by providence13 on Dec 24, 2013 20:57:08 GMT -8
here's the conversion of one high rank character instead (RANK 9) >>TME/Fantasy version<< Mind-0 / Cyborg / Considering the heavy physical alteration could be a half demon Mercenary / Mercenary END 116 STR 60 (+6 DMG, + 30% range) AGI 86 (-12 DV) ACC 34 INT 113 / table TME-1-3 gives +18 magical DMG and +90% range! WILL 83 / a lot of mana! PER 27 (+1 initiative) APP 9 ( still quite ugly!LOL, makes sense , i't a demon ) To determine the look of demons we could easily use the mutant tables. In this case he has "grey" skin, "rust" hairs and "smoke" eyes. Cool! SKILLS: Gambler 3 / pretty strange for a half monster but still possible! Lying 3 Stealth 2 Brawling 2 Driver 2 / could refer to terrestrial vehicles, while pilot could be converted into Sailor Bio technician 1/ I'll say " Herbalist", I like that. I took it from the options suggested by Providence13 to replace this skill. IMPLANTS: Cybernetic brain/ could become "transcendent mind". Apart from the huge INT bonus it could gain access to some rare spells. Force shield/ easily translated in a defensive spell. The implant gives -30 DV extra, pretty OP in my opinion. The counterpart should drain a lot of mana. Weapon arm, assault rifle/ well the possibilities are endless! I personally would translate this in a unique attack spell (not learnable by other races maybe). Pincer/ A huge pincer arm.... or the ability to change one hand shape into a big nasty claw Armor enhancement, extra protection VS lasers/ Demonic scales or similar, extra protection VS fire? Fun stuff! Like cyborgs in TME half demons( or "insert here class name") would be very powerful and well equipped with special abilities. What do you think guys? Awesome! Tons of good ideas here, maxstone. Mutant/Demonic appearance translates nicely. Even normal people could have artificial limbs. Maybe a faction of people don't have magic healers but they are skilled at crafting magical prosthesis.. Hurin, Nuada.. it could happen.
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Post by providence13 on Dec 25, 2013 8:22:30 GMT -8
Possible Character Types: Human: Standard Children of Men. Fast to breed and use their dwindling resources. They excel at spreading war and ignorance of what cannot be seen.
Changeling/Skinwalker: Something other than human left in the crib and raised among men. May have abilities or traits that reveal magical origins.
Animated/Simulacrum/Unborn: These beings were created as artificial beings. Golems, constructs, intelligent automata, mad scientist's monster, even the undead.
Fey/Sidhe: Elves, dwarves, pixies and all in the seelie or unseelie courts. Most have attributes that can be far above that of man and may command spellcraft.
Gifted Human: These people appear to be normal but manifest magical abilities. If they are lucky, a career as Mage is possible. Unlucky ones are burnt at the stake.
Accursed Being: Poor souls who have been horribly altered by exposure to magic. Some can command tremendous powers but it has cost them their humanity.
Beastman/Animal Spirit: Intelligent animals that walk and talk as a man. Some possess magical powers.
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Post by maxstone on Dec 25, 2013 18:13:59 GMT -8
You're right Prov, mana could complicate things a lot. Here's my idea to keep things TME-like : -Mana grows in relation to the statistic WILLPOWER ( depending on the starting class of the character it could be of the same value for pure mages, half of it for war mages , 1/4 or 1/10 for pure warriors.. ). In this way some mages would be naturally better than others at casting spells and not limited to the "twice per day, per rank" rule applied on mental powers in TME. It happens all the times, some character are better (rolled) than others. What if a war mage and a pure mage end up having the same spell at the beginning of an adventure? Say "fire orb", 3 times per day per rank. That would be rather unfair for the unlucky high WILL/INT/else pure mage! The poor guy just wants to go around spamming fire orbs all day, that's what he studied for after all! (LOL!) Plus, there's a big chance he wouldn't be very good in melee due to class stats modifiers . So... -Magic Skills like the aforementioned and hypothetical "acid arrow", should have a SET mana casting cost. Nothing complicated, every spell has it's own cost. At rank one or ten. When leveling up players can invest in W.E., or Magic Expert in this case, in that particular spell, category. Like in TME the same weapon can be 10 times deadlier in the hands of who knows how to use it, so it never gets old or useless. I don't like systems where as soon as you unlock "thunder LV2" the LV1 version becomes obsolete. I prefer having "thunder bolt" and "great thunder", one is quicker and good in small spaces, the other requires more time to cast but penetrates armors... a wise mage will chose a different approach every time. -Magic Skills like lock picking and tracking should work in the same way. As one invests skill points in those, he gets the opportunity to cast better version of the spells. This means that if I have the spell "open lock" at rank 3, I must pass an A* accuracy HC for basic locks (TME 1-39, page 48), and so on. To me this looks pretty simple, I think it could run smoothly!
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Post by providence13 on Dec 25, 2013 20:56:51 GMT -8
I like the thought of Weapon Expert skills for certain offensive spells. That would fit into the rules nicely. Excellent idea!
I guess casters could start off with a number of spells. (I don't mind the disparity of mutants with one mutation vs mutants with many.) They might then find some along the way; scrolls, books, standing stones, faeries. Shouldn't take longer than learning any new skill (Weeks to months). But to represent the caster always practicing and working through magical theorems and ideas, I like the Rank Gain Bonus chart. Just make the mutation entry, be "learned a new spell". It would also work for other character types.
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Post by providence13 on Dec 25, 2013 20:59:02 GMT -8
Hey maxstone, In relation to your war mage/pure mage, I think Caste could cover that one. Mage (Gifted Human, whatever it is called.), with a Fighter (Gladiator!) or Scribe background Caste. Now, you would get chances for different types of skills based on Caste; like it is now. There are no classes in TME and I hope it stays that way. Character Type (race), Caste (background) and skill picks. Then mutations, implants and weapons of course. Just a thought.
Magic items: Bonus to SV for weapons, DV for armor. Higher/more powerful effects could be extra damage, crit range modification, specific types of damage-on going or continual damage.. (Bonus initiative for spells like your faster thunderbolts-good one.) Holy weapons, flametongues, hammer of returning. Possibilities are endless. I'm getting too excited about a game that barely exists. But we almost have the details worked out. :-)
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Post by maxstone on Dec 26, 2013 6:00:06 GMT -8
Yes you're right!! With "class" I meant to say "caste". The system works perfectly fine as it is in TME.
Critical range modification sounds awesome!!! Man, we MUST be excited for this project. There's so much potential in it!
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Post by stibbons on Jan 4, 2014 3:02:45 GMT -8
A totally TME compatible fantasy game would be a very useful addition. We already have instances of mutants who can cross dimensional boundaries, imagine your excavator team sent through a portal on a mission by one of these (or sucked through by a mage on the other side). An experimental device or weapon might have accidentally created a cross dimensional fissure which the players come across while exploring ruins (they might not even notice until they got outside).
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Post by providence13 on Jan 4, 2014 7:52:29 GMT -8
I think that happened in an old Thundarr the Barbarian cartoon. thundarr.wikia.com/wiki/Moon_DialYeah, that would be cool! 350 yrs from now is a long time to invent crazy reality bending tech.
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