Everybody needs gear to help them get by, even if that gear is just a change of clothes and a bite to eat. The TherionRPG offers a basic equipment list, but of course players may expand these lists for their own games.
Prices are given in “Currency” (cn.); this generic label may be swapped out for a more specific one; coin denominations, shells, metal ingots, sparks of mana, credits, corncobs – whatever works for the game.
Weapons
Knife D: 2, 1 cn.
Shortsword D: 4, 6 cn.
Longsword D: 6, 20 cn.
Bow D: 4, ranged, 8 cn.
Arrows, quiver of 12 2 cn.
Spear D: 5, ranged, 4 cn.
Axe D: 8, 18 cn.
Armour
Leather Ar: 2, 6 cn.
Buff Jacket Ar: 3, 10 cn.
Scale Ar: 4, 25 cn.
Maille Ar: 6, 50 cn.
Breastplate Ar: 8, 100 cn.
Fullplate Ar: 10, 500 cn.
Gear
Rations, 1 day: ½ cn.
Rations, 1 week: 3 cn.
Clothes, set: 5 cn.
Fancy Clothes, set: 20 cn.
Pack: 2 cn.
Tent: 7 cn.
Sleeping Roll: 4 cn.
Writing Kit: 5 cn.
Lantern: 2 cn.
Oil Flask: 1 cn.
Candle: 1/10 cn.
Waterskin: 1 cn.
Skill Kit: 10 cn.
Skill Kit, +5% bonus: 50 cn.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
first draft: beasts
Any creature (and, perhaps, even some plants) may be encountered by a character, but only cetain beasts -- therions -- may be linked with. By forging a link, the two become effectively one and the therion's abilities join with those of the human character.
All therion possess their own stats, as characters do. Likewise they have hit points, which pool with those of the character when the link is being actively used. However, when in combat a therion's stat modifiers, as well as any special bond-granted modifiers, are added to those of the human character to create one pool. A therion's unique abilities also become accessible, within reason -- the human "half" of a link will not suddenly grow wings, but contact with a beast with resistance to flame will cause that resistance to be shared.
All therion possess a base attack of 5, though the exact form of the attack differs by beast type, and an effective "weapon skill" of 50% modified for Strength; a therion also possesses a special skill, chosen from the list below.
Small beasts have lower stats and deal only a base damage of 2, but gain two special skills.
Felid
Str: 3 Agi: 4 For: 2 Psy: 3 Attack: claws or fang Armour: 2 Dodge: 25%
Bond Skill: +1 initiative
Canid
Str: 3 Agi: 3 For: 3 Psy: 3 Attack: fang Armour: 2 Dodge: 40%
Bond Skill: +1 Armour
Avian
Str: 2 Agi: 5 For: 2 Psy: 3 Attack: claws or beak Armour: 2 Dodge: 60%
Bond Skill: +1 initiative (+2 if avian is non-volant)
Ungulate
Str: 4 Agi: 4 For: 2 Psy: 2 Attack: hooves or horns Armour: 3 Dodge: 40%
Bond Skill: +10% Dodge
Reptilian
Str: 3 Agi: 2 For: 5 Psy: 2 Attack: fang Armour: 3 Dodge: 20%
Bond Skill: +2 Armour
Ursid
Str: 5 Agi: 2 For: 4 Psy: 2 Attack: claws or fang Armour: 3 Dodge: 20%
Bond Skill: --
Draco
Str: 4 Agi: 3 For: 4 Psy: 4 Attack: claws or fang Armour: 4 Dodge: 25%
Bond Skill: --
Gryph
Str: 3 Agi: 4 For: 3 Psy: 4 Attack: claws or beak Armour: 2 Dodge: 40%
Bond Skill: --
Small Beasts
Felid: Str: 1 Agi: 3 For: 1 Psy: 3
Canid: Str: 2 Agi: 2 For: 1 Psy: 2
Avian: Str: 1 Agi: 3 For: 1 Psy: 2
Ungulate: Str: 2 Agi: 3 For: 1 Psy: 2
Reptilian: Str: 1 Agi: 3 For: 1 Psy: 3
Draco: Str: 2 Agi: 3 For: 2 Psy: 3
Gryph: Str: 1 Agi: 3 For: 2 Psy: 3
Special Skills
- +1 modifier to a stat
- +5 hit points
- increased damage: special attack (horn or horns, barbed tail, sabre fangs, etc) at 8 base damage
- increased base damage: +1 to base damage
- elemental attack: special attack, 6 damage, may be ranged
- flight (for non-avians)
- +2 Armour
- +10% Dodge
- +10% to attack skill
- elemental resistance (half damage)
- aquatic (shared with contact)
* special attacks have a 50% chance of success but may be modified by experience
All therion possess their own stats, as characters do. Likewise they have hit points, which pool with those of the character when the link is being actively used. However, when in combat a therion's stat modifiers, as well as any special bond-granted modifiers, are added to those of the human character to create one pool. A therion's unique abilities also become accessible, within reason -- the human "half" of a link will not suddenly grow wings, but contact with a beast with resistance to flame will cause that resistance to be shared.
All therion possess a base attack of 5, though the exact form of the attack differs by beast type, and an effective "weapon skill" of 50% modified for Strength; a therion also possesses a special skill, chosen from the list below.
Small beasts have lower stats and deal only a base damage of 2, but gain two special skills.
Felid
Str: 3 Agi: 4 For: 2 Psy: 3 Attack: claws or fang Armour: 2 Dodge: 25%
Bond Skill: +1 initiative
Canid
Str: 3 Agi: 3 For: 3 Psy: 3 Attack: fang Armour: 2 Dodge: 40%
Bond Skill: +1 Armour
Avian
Str: 2 Agi: 5 For: 2 Psy: 3 Attack: claws or beak Armour: 2 Dodge: 60%
Bond Skill: +1 initiative (+2 if avian is non-volant)
Ungulate
Str: 4 Agi: 4 For: 2 Psy: 2 Attack: hooves or horns Armour: 3 Dodge: 40%
Bond Skill: +10% Dodge
Reptilian
Str: 3 Agi: 2 For: 5 Psy: 2 Attack: fang Armour: 3 Dodge: 20%
Bond Skill: +2 Armour
Ursid
Str: 5 Agi: 2 For: 4 Psy: 2 Attack: claws or fang Armour: 3 Dodge: 20%
Bond Skill: --
Draco
Str: 4 Agi: 3 For: 4 Psy: 4 Attack: claws or fang Armour: 4 Dodge: 25%
Bond Skill: --
Gryph
Str: 3 Agi: 4 For: 3 Psy: 4 Attack: claws or beak Armour: 2 Dodge: 40%
Bond Skill: --
Small Beasts
Felid: Str: 1 Agi: 3 For: 1 Psy: 3
Canid: Str: 2 Agi: 2 For: 1 Psy: 2
Avian: Str: 1 Agi: 3 For: 1 Psy: 2
Ungulate: Str: 2 Agi: 3 For: 1 Psy: 2
Reptilian: Str: 1 Agi: 3 For: 1 Psy: 3
Draco: Str: 2 Agi: 3 For: 2 Psy: 3
Gryph: Str: 1 Agi: 3 For: 2 Psy: 3
Special Skills
- +1 modifier to a stat
- +5 hit points
- increased damage: special attack (horn or horns, barbed tail, sabre fangs, etc) at 8 base damage
- increased base damage: +1 to base damage
- elemental attack: special attack, 6 damage, may be ranged
- flight (for non-avians)
- +2 Armour
- +10% Dodge
- +10% to attack skill
- elemental resistance (half damage)
- aquatic (shared with contact)
* special attacks have a 50% chance of success but may be modified by experience
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
first draft: combat
Combat in the TherionRPG is fairly straightforward: calculate your percentage chance to hit, then roll percentile. If you succeed, subtract your target's Armour from the base damage you inflict; the target loses the remainder from their current hit points.
Let's break this down, shall we?
Initiative
Initiative is determined by a percentile roll, with the highest score acting first and so continuing on down the line. Initiative may be adjusted in the following ways:
+5% per Psyche modifier
some therion companions may give bonuses to Initiative
some spells or enchanted items may give bonuses to Initiative
Attacking
The base chance to hit a target is 30%. This value is modified in the following ways:
+5% per Strength modifier (for melee weapons)
+5% per Agility modifier (for ranged or thrown weapons)
+10% per point in an appropriate weapon Skill
So, for example, if a character had a +2 modifier for Strength, 3 points in Shortsword skill and was wielding a shortsword, their chance to hit would be 70%.
Dodging
Being able to get out of the way of an incoming attack is a good thing! That's where dodging comes in. A character's Dodge value subtracts from the attacks chance to hit, and is scored as follows:
+5% per Agility modifier
+5% per point in Dodge Skill
and some therion companions also affect Dodge.
So, if the above character with 70% chance to hit attacked with a shortsword and their target had a +1 modifier to Agility and 2 skill points spent on the Dodge skill, they would have a 55% chance to hit.
Armour
Your character's Armour stat is, as noted in the entry on character stats, provided by armour and other equipment, by a therion companion if applicable, and if magic is used in the campaign some spells may raise or lower Armour.
For example, a shortsword has a Damage of 6. If a successful attack is made against a character with an Armour of 3, 3 points of damage are dealt.
Mystic Armour
If used in a game, Mystic Armour works on the same principle as the Armour stat, lessening damage from spells and other magical sources.
Damage
Every weapon (and other sources of potential damage) possesses a Damage score. Barehanded, a human inflicts 1 hit point of damage. This base damage may be increased by:
+1 point per Strength modifier
some spells may augment damage dealt by individuals or objects
Healing and Death
If a character is dropped to 0 hit points, they fall unconscious and will lose one further hit point per round, unless treated, until they reach -(their Fortitude score), at which point the character dies.
With rest but no medical attention, a character will heal a number of hit points per day equal to their Fortitude modifier or a minimum of 1 hit point. Application of an appropriate medical Skill allows the recovery of the character's Fortitude in hit points per day. Healing items or magic, if applicable, can speed the process up considerably.
Poison
Rare poisons have unusual effects, such as paralysis or loss of stats; but most poisons cause a loss of hit points over a given period of time, such 2 hit points per round for five rounds. A character's Fortitude modifier can lower the damage caused by poison or even negate it entirely.
Let's break this down, shall we?
Initiative
Initiative is determined by a percentile roll, with the highest score acting first and so continuing on down the line. Initiative may be adjusted in the following ways:
+5% per Psyche modifier
some therion companions may give bonuses to Initiative
some spells or enchanted items may give bonuses to Initiative
Attacking
The base chance to hit a target is 30%. This value is modified in the following ways:
+5% per Strength modifier (for melee weapons)
+5% per Agility modifier (for ranged or thrown weapons)
+10% per point in an appropriate weapon Skill
So, for example, if a character had a +2 modifier for Strength, 3 points in Shortsword skill and was wielding a shortsword, their chance to hit would be 70%.
Dodging
Being able to get out of the way of an incoming attack is a good thing! That's where dodging comes in. A character's Dodge value subtracts from the attacks chance to hit, and is scored as follows:
+5% per Agility modifier
+5% per point in Dodge Skill
and some therion companions also affect Dodge.
So, if the above character with 70% chance to hit attacked with a shortsword and their target had a +1 modifier to Agility and 2 skill points spent on the Dodge skill, they would have a 55% chance to hit.
Armour
Your character's Armour stat is, as noted in the entry on character stats, provided by armour and other equipment, by a therion companion if applicable, and if magic is used in the campaign some spells may raise or lower Armour.
For example, a shortsword has a Damage of 6. If a successful attack is made against a character with an Armour of 3, 3 points of damage are dealt.
Mystic Armour
If used in a game, Mystic Armour works on the same principle as the Armour stat, lessening damage from spells and other magical sources.
Damage
Every weapon (and other sources of potential damage) possesses a Damage score. Barehanded, a human inflicts 1 hit point of damage. This base damage may be increased by:
+1 point per Strength modifier
some spells may augment damage dealt by individuals or objects
Healing and Death
If a character is dropped to 0 hit points, they fall unconscious and will lose one further hit point per round, unless treated, until they reach -(their Fortitude score), at which point the character dies.
With rest but no medical attention, a character will heal a number of hit points per day equal to their Fortitude modifier or a minimum of 1 hit point. Application of an appropriate medical Skill allows the recovery of the character's Fortitude in hit points per day. Healing items or magic, if applicable, can speed the process up considerably.
Poison
Rare poisons have unusual effects, such as paralysis or loss of stats; but most poisons cause a loss of hit points over a given period of time, such 2 hit points per round for five rounds. A character's Fortitude modifier can lower the damage caused by poison or even negate it entirely.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
further meanderings on beasts
Barely 24 hours and I'm already revising my plans ... ;3
Basic "types", whether large or small:
Felines
Canines
Ungulates
Reptilians
Avians
Draconics
Gryphs
Small types only:
Lagomorphs
Rodents
Large types only:
Ursids
... of course, if someone really really wants a midget bear (or giant hamster!) there's probably no reason to say no under most circumstances ~
I want dinosaur- and pterosaur-like critters but haven't decided yet how to deal with those ... maybe a variable "ornithodiran" category. Overlaps in a few places with other types, though. Hrm.
Small therion get an extra special ability to make up for their lowered stats. All critters will have an ability to have Weird Shit [tm] -- as soon as I work out the system ;3
Basic "types", whether large or small:
Felines
Canines
Ungulates
Reptilians
Avians
Draconics
Gryphs
Small types only:
Lagomorphs
Rodents
Large types only:
Ursids
... of course, if someone really really wants a midget bear (or giant hamster!) there's probably no reason to say no under most circumstances ~
I want dinosaur- and pterosaur-like critters but haven't decided yet how to deal with those ... maybe a variable "ornithodiran" category. Overlaps in a few places with other types, though. Hrm.
Small therion get an extra special ability to make up for their lowered stats. All critters will have an ability to have Weird Shit [tm] -- as soon as I work out the system ;3
first draft: skills
Skill Points
A starting character has a pool of 20 points to draw on in order to select skills. These points may be spent in the following ways:
Non-combat skills: Each skill point spent on a non-combat skill grants 10% towards any skill checks made; for example, spending two points on an Agriculture skill grants 20% towards skill checks involving Agriculture.
This kind of skill is meant to be fairly broad-based in nature, or at least widely applicable: Agriculture, Subterfuge, Economics, Carpentry. A character doesn't need to spend skill points to reflect their education, but for a specialized skillset or to be able to make practical use of knowledge in a trade or discipline spending points is advised.
Weapon Skills:
Spending a point on a skill dedicated to a specific weapon type grants a 10% bonus to hit with that weapon per point so dedicated. Three skill points spent on Skill: Swords means an extra 30% chance to hit with a sword when attacking.
Dodge Skill:
Likewise, the ability to Dodge can be bought up higher at a cost of one skill point per 5% bonus.
Skill Checks
Non-combat skills are used by rolling percentile dice. The base chance of success is 20%, plus the character's score in the skill in question. A completely untrained character may attempt a skill check using only their Psyche, with a 10% chance of success per Psy modifier.
A starting character has a pool of 20 points to draw on in order to select skills. These points may be spent in the following ways:
Non-combat skills: Each skill point spent on a non-combat skill grants 10% towards any skill checks made; for example, spending two points on an Agriculture skill grants 20% towards skill checks involving Agriculture.
This kind of skill is meant to be fairly broad-based in nature, or at least widely applicable: Agriculture, Subterfuge, Economics, Carpentry. A character doesn't need to spend skill points to reflect their education, but for a specialized skillset or to be able to make practical use of knowledge in a trade or discipline spending points is advised.
Weapon Skills:
Spending a point on a skill dedicated to a specific weapon type grants a 10% bonus to hit with that weapon per point so dedicated. Three skill points spent on Skill: Swords means an extra 30% chance to hit with a sword when attacking.
Dodge Skill:
Likewise, the ability to Dodge can be bought up higher at a cost of one skill point per 5% bonus.
Skill Checks
Non-combat skills are used by rolling percentile dice. The base chance of success is 20%, plus the character's score in the skill in question. A completely untrained character may attempt a skill check using only their Psyche, with a 10% chance of success per Psy modifier.
first draft: basic character stats
Attribute Stats
A Therion human character possesses four stats: Strength, Agility, Fortitude and Psyche. These stats serve the following functions --
Strength: hitting, lifting, carrying. about what you would expect. affects attacking and damage.
Agility: maneuverability, "grace" if you will. affects dodging.
Fortitude: ability to take physical punishment. affects hit points, resistance to poison.
Psyche: mental fortitude and awareness. affects initiative (and magic).
A starting-level character has a score of 1 in all four stats and 8 points to distribute amongst them. Human average for a stat is 3, and no stat may be raised higher than 5.
Modifiers: The modifier each stat offers is equal to the stat divided by two. The result is rounded to the nearest whole number. A stat of 1 results in a modifier of -1.
Hit Points
Starting hit points for a human (without factoring in a therion companion) are equal to 10 plus any Fortitude modifier.
Armour
The Armour stat reflects an ability to shrug off damage. A human, being a rather squishy thing, has an unmodified Armour stat of 0. Equipment (such as, obviously, armour), and similar additions raise the Armour stat; a therion companion likewise raises Armour when applicable.
Mystic Armour
In a game that allows magic, psionics, and similar antics, a Mystic Armour stat may be included. Mystic Armour reflects the character's ability to resist the effects of hostile enchantments (or what have you); its starting score is equal to the character's Psyche modifier and may be raised by special equipment or the effects of certain spells.
A Therion human character possesses four stats: Strength, Agility, Fortitude and Psyche. These stats serve the following functions --
Strength: hitting, lifting, carrying. about what you would expect. affects attacking and damage.
Agility: maneuverability, "grace" if you will. affects dodging.
Fortitude: ability to take physical punishment. affects hit points, resistance to poison.
Psyche: mental fortitude and awareness. affects initiative (and magic).
A starting-level character has a score of 1 in all four stats and 8 points to distribute amongst them. Human average for a stat is 3, and no stat may be raised higher than 5.
Modifiers: The modifier each stat offers is equal to the stat divided by two. The result is rounded to the nearest whole number. A stat of 1 results in a modifier of -1.
Hit Points
Starting hit points for a human (without factoring in a therion companion) are equal to 10 plus any Fortitude modifier.
Armour
The Armour stat reflects an ability to shrug off damage. A human, being a rather squishy thing, has an unmodified Armour stat of 0. Equipment (such as, obviously, armour), and similar additions raise the Armour stat; a therion companion likewise raises Armour when applicable.
Mystic Armour
In a game that allows magic, psionics, and similar antics, a Mystic Armour stat may be included. Mystic Armour reflects the character's ability to resist the effects of hostile enchantments (or what have you); its starting score is equal to the character's Psyche modifier and may be raised by special equipment or the effects of certain spells.
inspirations
Arguably I'm drawing inspiration for this little project from all over than damn place -- from novels to manga to video games to other rpgs.
There's an echo of the 3e druid and ranger and their animal companions; over in Final Fantasy-land there's Rinoa and Angelo in VIII and Shadow and Interceptor in VI, not to mention the Mediators, Beastmasters and their hordes in the Tactics games.
In fiction of all stripes, the trope of the traveler and their companion animal, often mystically linked, is so engrained that it's become a stereotype. It's even worse in certain strains of manga, if the companion in question is small and has Mysterious Powers [tm] --
But the overwhelming inspiration for the human-beast meshing in TherionRPG is to be found in the novel Tomorrow's Sphinx, written by Clare Bell. The mental bonding between Asu-Kheknemt and his young king, the two functioning as one individual, is a perfect example of what I'm trying to reflect in the mechanics for Therion.
There's an echo of the 3e druid and ranger and their animal companions; over in Final Fantasy-land there's Rinoa and Angelo in VIII and Shadow and Interceptor in VI, not to mention the Mediators, Beastmasters and their hordes in the Tactics games.
In fiction of all stripes, the trope of the traveler and their companion animal, often mystically linked, is so engrained that it's become a stereotype. It's even worse in certain strains of manga, if the companion in question is small and has Mysterious Powers [tm] --
But the overwhelming inspiration for the human-beast meshing in TherionRPG is to be found in the novel Tomorrow's Sphinx, written by Clare Bell. The mental bonding between Asu-Kheknemt and his young king, the two functioning as one individual, is a perfect example of what I'm trying to reflect in the mechanics for Therion.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
a few thoughts on combat and magic
Naturally, these are some of the very cloudy parts at the moment.
However, I'm leaning towards two actions being allowed in a round/turn/whatever-term-I-wind-up-using; one from the human and one from the beast. This may be an attack, a defense, or a miscellaneous action.
A defensive action would raise Armour by a certain amount that segment.
Miscellaneous actions for beasts would be fairly limited, unless the beast in question has special abilities. Miscellaneous actions for humans could include talking, manipulating objects, readying a weapon ...
Magic is something I want to have available but relatively low-key; flexibility, not reams of specific spells (shocking, I know!). Perhaps a pool of "mana points" to draw on per day, based off of a stat; perhaps something to be rolled for (I like the points idea better at the moment).
- How to gain magic? By a penalty to another mechanic. Whether it's lowering of the permanent health stat, one or more stat scores being lower than normal, or some other mechanic, magic always has a price.
However, I'm leaning towards two actions being allowed in a round/turn/whatever-term-I-wind-up-using; one from the human and one from the beast. This may be an attack, a defense, or a miscellaneous action.
A defensive action would raise Armour by a certain amount that segment.
Miscellaneous actions for beasts would be fairly limited, unless the beast in question has special abilities. Miscellaneous actions for humans could include talking, manipulating objects, readying a weapon ...
Magic is something I want to have available but relatively low-key; flexibility, not reams of specific spells (shocking, I know!). Perhaps a pool of "mana points" to draw on per day, based off of a stat; perhaps something to be rolled for (I like the points idea better at the moment).
- How to gain magic? By a penalty to another mechanic. Whether it's lowering of the permanent health stat, one or more stat scores being lower than normal, or some other mechanic, magic always has a price.
therion: beasts
The therion (beasts) are probably best described in broad categories, at least mechanics-wise. That would allow for maximum customization in-game for appearance, behaviour, and possibly even any special tricks.
The categories I'm looking at so far:
Feline
Canine
Avian
*Cervid
*Equid
Reptilian (Archosaurian?)
* these are really too narrow for my liking, but until I can think of suitable substitutes for Perissodactyla and Artiodactyla ...
And if I want to get fancy:
Draconian
Gryph
... though "draconian" at least could probably be lumped under Reptilian.
- Beasts may or may not be sapient depending on the specific game being played, but for the sake of the mechanics at least an ability to be well-trained is assumed
- Beasts will possess a basic attack and a special ability (rake, gore, etc etc)
- One possibility is smaller and larger beasts: smaller critters have lower stats but an extra ability
- "Exotic" abilities (special attacks unusual for the beast type, a spell, or stranger) may be gained by leveling/training/special items/special quests?
The categories I'm looking at so far:
Feline
Canine
Avian
*Cervid
*Equid
Reptilian (Archosaurian?)
* these are really too narrow for my liking, but until I can think of suitable substitutes for Perissodactyla and Artiodactyla ...
And if I want to get fancy:
Draconian
Gryph
... though "draconian" at least could probably be lumped under Reptilian.
- Beasts may or may not be sapient depending on the specific game being played, but for the sake of the mechanics at least an ability to be well-trained is assumed
- Beasts will possess a basic attack and a special ability (rake, gore, etc etc)
- One possibility is smaller and larger beasts: smaller critters have lower stats but an extra ability
- "Exotic" abilities (special attacks unusual for the beast type, a spell, or stranger) may be gained by leveling/training/special items/special quests?
stats
Always a tricky subject. I don't want to just borrow D&D stats.
One possible setup:
STR(ength): brute power; lifting, carrying, breaking, hitting
DEX(derity): ability to manipulate objects, tinker
AGI(lity): speed, maneuverability
FOR(titude): physical "oomph"; ability to roll with punches, survive poison and disease
MIN(d): cleverness, aptitude, ability to catch on fast
They could be rolled for (how many dice? what kind?) but a point-spread is appealing. Possibly starting with a certain number across all scores + a small pool of points to distribute, with a stat cap.
Other stats:
- Armour. Should it start at a certain value, or not? The former allows for a base Armour for a human and other options for beasts
- Attack Value. Should vary by mode of attack (weapon type, beast attack) if at all possible. Perhaps all beasts have a default value but some have a "special attack" as their particular trick.
- Hit Points. Or Wound Levels. Or something. This one needs the most thought of all, at the moment ... Two pools to track? A combined pool?
One possible setup:
STR(ength): brute power; lifting, carrying, breaking, hitting
DEX(derity): ability to manipulate objects, tinker
AGI(lity): speed, maneuverability
FOR(titude): physical "oomph"; ability to roll with punches, survive poison and disease
MIN(d): cleverness, aptitude, ability to catch on fast
They could be rolled for (how many dice? what kind?) but a point-spread is appealing. Possibly starting with a certain number across all scores + a small pool of points to distribute, with a stat cap.
Other stats:
- Armour. Should it start at a certain value, or not? The former allows for a base Armour for a human and other options for beasts
- Attack Value. Should vary by mode of attack (weapon type, beast attack) if at all possible. Perhaps all beasts have a default value but some have a "special attack" as their particular trick.
- Hit Points. Or Wound Levels. Or something. This one needs the most thought of all, at the moment ... Two pools to track? A combined pool?
the basics
The core idea of Therion is to be playing a human(ish) character who travels with one (or more?) creatures, battling other creatures -- and perhaps capturing them! -- exploring, treasure-hunting perhaps ... in many ways it's likely a hyperspecialized version of D&D, but who cares?
The main "game stats" will be those of the human character. The beast's stats are modifiers which are applied to those of the human during combat or similar situations: for example, an especially agile/dexterous critter may give a bonus to an appropriate stat in a situation where said critter could be roleplayed as actively aiding. A primate climbing or snatching small objects, a large beast helping to smash down a door ...
Equipment would work in a similar manner, where appropriate. So yes, a beast companion would work much like a big hungry version of a sword +2 ~
There will also be a "baseline" for critter stats for encountering and battling "wild" examples, as well as other potential encounters.
I haven't decided if skills will be included. Possibly just drawn from a pool of very generic umbrella groups, if at all. Likewise magic/psionics is not a given yet (but knowing me, pretty damn likely ...) but will at the least be included as an option.
There will be a limit to the number of therion you can have "active" with you at once! As soon as I decide what it is X3
Similarly, it will be possible to play as a lone human. Whether play as a lone therion will be possible I haven't decided yet.
The main "game stats" will be those of the human character. The beast's stats are modifiers which are applied to those of the human during combat or similar situations: for example, an especially agile/dexterous critter may give a bonus to an appropriate stat in a situation where said critter could be roleplayed as actively aiding. A primate climbing or snatching small objects, a large beast helping to smash down a door ...
Equipment would work in a similar manner, where appropriate. So yes, a beast companion would work much like a big hungry version of a sword +2 ~
There will also be a "baseline" for critter stats for encountering and battling "wild" examples, as well as other potential encounters.
I haven't decided if skills will be included. Possibly just drawn from a pool of very generic umbrella groups, if at all. Likewise magic/psionics is not a given yet (but knowing me, pretty damn likely ...) but will at the least be included as an option.
There will be a limit to the number of therion you can have "active" with you at once! As soon as I decide what it is X3
Similarly, it will be possible to play as a lone human. Whether play as a lone therion will be possible I haven't decided yet.
>startup
There's something amusing about the fact that, while I'm taking a break from D&D more or less to graze the pastures of Shadowrun, Anima and Pathfinder (among others), I find myself tinkering with an idea for a little game of my own.
On a certain website I've been tasked with offering suggestions for a "battle system"; whether I'll actually manage to make useful suggestions -- let alone have any of them come to fruition -- I have no idea; but pondering the one scrap I think I have (a human and an animal working together in combat, much like the animal companion of a druid or ranger in (A)D&D), I've felt the inklings of a roleplayable little game.
(hell, it could be even be reskinned as something Pokemon-like ;3)
By the time I'm finished, the Therion Project will probably be a substantial little brute. I'd like something as compact and slick as, say, Microlite d20 but I know myself too well for that *grins* What I'll actually do with the Project when finished, who can say ...
On a certain website I've been tasked with offering suggestions for a "battle system"; whether I'll actually manage to make useful suggestions -- let alone have any of them come to fruition -- I have no idea; but pondering the one scrap I think I have (a human and an animal working together in combat, much like the animal companion of a druid or ranger in (A)D&D), I've felt the inklings of a roleplayable little game.
(hell, it could be even be reskinned as something Pokemon-like ;3)
By the time I'm finished, the Therion Project will probably be a substantial little brute. I'd like something as compact and slick as, say, Microlite d20 but I know myself too well for that *grins* What I'll actually do with the Project when finished, who can say ...
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