Moving discussion from old thread.
quote:
"For instance: ...and every time you killed a certain kind of opponant..."
Isn''t that just another Exp-For-Murder system?
Yes, but he wants alternatives to the standard system; in other words, the D&D/FF one.
quote:
I''d love to see a system like this, designed from the ground up, without using a SINGLE D&D CLICHE. I challenge all game developers for the rest of history to be original when making games... are you up to it?
Yup, although there are plenty of things from D&D that I''ll be reusing in most game, ''cause I like them.
But I''ve been wondering whether I was up to it, myself, so here goes...
By the way, this is a system that I designed for the game I''ll be making a few years from now, whenever I finally finish my current project. There''s little that''s terribly radical about it, but I don''t think I''ve ever seen a system like this actually implemented.
For starters, characters have no basic attributes (Stregnth, Dexterity, Intelligence, etc.). This is because I simply don''t want them in this game. They don''t really fit the system.
Instead, characters have a LOT of skills. Every single individual time you swing that sword (be it a success or failure), pick that lock, cast that spell, or flee from combat (much to the disappointment of some of you action/realism fans, this one will be an advanced turn-based RPG; sorry!), the skill associated with that action (and there''s a skill associated with EVERY conceivable action, even social interaction!) will be increased using the formula skillLevel*=(1+(x/10)).
In the equation above, x=1 if you have a 75% chance of succeeding at striking your targer, persuading the nobleman, etc.. If your skill level gives a higher rate of success, x is lowered to a minimum of .1 at 100% success, while if your skill level gives a lower level of success, x is raised to a maximum of 3 at a 25% rate of success or lower. Some skills require certain minimum skill levels in other skills to begin learning, and while one-half of all spells (healing and damaging spells are all together; none of this cleric/wizard business) are learned automatically once one''s Magic is high enough, the other half must be bought or found. I''ll discuss magic in a minute.
Your characters get 100 HP, but these HP do not rise, ever, except possibly slightly, and only with the aid of certain rare magical items. In addition, your character''s armor have HP, and these are more of a real determining factor in character durability.
Finally, your character has DP (dodge points), and these are the heart of the defense system. DP go up with usage, although the rate at which they rise is somewhat lower than that at which other skills rise. A "starting" character gets 10 DP, and DP regenerate at a rate of one point per turn. Your maximum and current DP are also affected by your current HP: if your HP are 50% of their maximum, the said starting character has only 5 maximum DP.
I shall explain. When a character is attacked, they must choose whether and how to dodge. There are three modes of dodging, with one keyboard/joystick key assigned to each one. You can attempt a normal dodge, a serious dodge, or an all-out dodge. When you are attacked, you must tap the appropriate dodge button as you are about to be struck to avoid the attack. If you time it just right, the dodge is more effective. Your DP are what keep you alive, so you want to be careful to move characters far away from the actual melee when their DP start to get low.
I''m making the specifics up as I go along, so it may need some tuning, but here''s a summary of how it works for people who don''t wear armor*(see footnote, far below):
No dodge : You don''t even try to dodge, or (most likely) are too wounded to. Attacks against you always hit, except in the case of mental influencing effects, which are resisted based on your Will skill.
Normal dodge : A reasonable attempt to get out of the way when struck at. 1 DP, penalty to attack''s accuracy rating (system is close to D&D base attack bonus or THAC0 in that it''s not percentage based and is slightly randomized, less so as levels rise; just multiply the numbers in the d20 system by 5 and make the randomization 1-100, and you''ve got it) equal to maximum DP. If you time it just right, the penalty to foe''s accuracy is 1.5 times max DP, and if you time it absolutely perfectly, the penalty to foe''s accuracy is 3 times max DP.
Serious dodge : You put some effort into it; leaping back quickly or jumping over the attack are both examples of a serious dodge. 2 DP, penalty to assailant''s attack equal to 1.5 times your maximum DP. Good timing: 2x max DP, perfect: 3x max DP.
All-out dodge : You leap away from the attack, twisting madly to avoid it. Nobody can keep up this sort of thing for very along, especially not while attacking, too. Your AP (action points) take a minor penalty whenever you do this, and it costs 5 DP. In exchange, your foe''s accuracy is penalized by 4x your maximum DP. Good timing: 6x your maximum DP, Perfect timing: Only 3 DP spent, 12x your maximum DP.
Good? Personally, I like it, although the exact figures may need some re-balancing. You will, of course, be able to make weak, moderate, and strong attacks with your weapon or fists, which will cost varying amounts of AP. as per ChronoCross or Xenogears.
Damage will not, of course, rise exponentially with level growth, although DP and attack accuracy will.
How about it? A battle of attrition, in which you pit your best dodges against your foes'' best attacks. Sound good?
Right, almost forgot the magic system. Magic is element-based on the eight elements, which are Fire-Good, Fire-Evil, Air-Good, Air-Evil, Water-Good, Water-Evil, Earth-Good, and Earth-Evil. Spells use one element or a combination of two or more (some of the strongest spells combine all eight). There are about 800 spells. Really. No, I don''t have them designed yet, but I''m confident in my methods and besides, I may be able to work up a real design team if anyone around here is impressed with Pentaverse once it''s done.
Magic is divided into ten levels. To cast magic of a certain level, you must have MP equal to ten times that spell''s level. All characters start with 10 MP. Spells cost MP equal to their spell level squared. MP regenerate up to 50% of maximum at a rate of 10% of MP per minute, and regenerate further at a slower rate, which is greatly speeded by good rest.
Another quirk: if you have current MP greater than or equal to 50 times a spell''s level, then you can cast it for free. Really!
When casting a spell, you must choose to focus on a certain aspect of that spell (power, range, casting time, AP cost), and the skill associated with that aspect will rise, as will your maximum MP, which, like DP, don''t rise on quite the same scale as other skills.
Good enough for everyone? My current RPG project uses a reworked murder system with a few D&D "cliches" (Personally, I think it''s incredibly well done, especially for a first game), so I didn''t post it here, but if anyone wants to see that, too, I''d love to describe it.
(* Those who do wear armor apply a constant penalty to their opponents'' attack accuracy, which is based on the armor''s level of cover and the Armor Use skill of the person wearing it. In addition, the heavier the armor you''re wearing, the less DP you get. A character wearing the heaviest armor, full plate, has his maximum DP reduced by half while he wears it. The very lightest armor reduces DP by 10%. When it really comes down to it, the type of armor (or whether you wear armor at all) is really a stylistic/gameplay choice in this game, since the game will most likely be balanced so that all defense styles are nearly equally effective.
Oh yeah, and if you equip a shield, it reduces enemy accuracy, too, and both the armor defense value and the shield defense value "stack." Almost forgot.)
"Ph''nglui mglw''nafh Cthulhu R''lyeh wgah''nagl fhtagn!" - mad cultist, in passing
