Post by Marrew on Jan 20, 2012 21:12:37 GMT -5
There is something I have been punting around that I thought I would share here and hopefully get get some constructive feedback on. But I guess explaining a few house rules I use are in order first.
1) I look at the SR equation as a 2 part math problem. The level x 5 plus a standard of 15. I have been keeping the SR levels the same as I always have but have used the standard of 15 as a variable. I will replace it with another relevant value if it exceeds 15, keeping 15 as the minimum. This really makes fights against fully stated major NPCs feel a lot different then the MR rated mooks which mostly use the base 15. At the same time it allows the higher attribute ranges to play against each other without changing the SR standards I am used to. I do this to reflect opposed rolls for my players so the only dice I roll is for HPT in combat.
2) To put the above rule in perspective I will explain my Magic Resistance rule. It is basically as per the book but I replace the 15 with the opposing WIZ score. So the wizard is using his/her INT plus die roll to overcome the targets WIZ score plus the difficulty level of the spell to be cast. I have been allowing the caster to spend extra WIZ to add to the SR on a point for point basis.
3) Another example would be missile fire against the players. I handle this by having them make a SPD (or LUCK) based SR using the archers DEX (or Marksmanship score) in place of the 15. Note that the SR difficulty range is reversed. So it would be a level 3 SR at point blank range, level 2 SR for medium range, and level 1 SR for long range.
4) Spite damage I view as temporary bruising and minor cuts or scratching that will help weaken combatants while fighting but are easier to recover from then the 'telling blows' of your opponent actually rolling higher and damaging you. So I record spite damage separately and allow it to heal at the same rate that WIZ is recovered. 1 per Turn spent resting or doing non-strenuous things. This extends the longevity of characters without the need for a lot of extra healing items.
5) Anytime Armor blocks damage, regardless of the amount, it losses 1 point of Armor rating. This will eventually allow combatants to chew through their opponents armor and do 'real' damage to them.
The above house rules have been play-tested for as long as I have been playing the 7.5 edition and seem to work very well so far. I plan on play-testing some rather extensive class reworking this weekend by using the following:
1) Warriors- instead of the armor doubling ability that they currently have they will each have a Combat ability equal to their starting STR score. The Combat ability represent points that the warrior may spend to add dice to the combat roll, increase their Armor rating, or add to combat stunts that they try in that round. They do so by implementing the 5 to 1 rule. This is an easy way to remember 5-2-1 as the cost breakdown for each of the above. 5 points per extra combat die (up to twice the starting weapon dice), 2 points per point of damage, or 1 point per add to SR throws. These can be mixed and matched in any way the warrior wants.
Example: Lets say that my human warrior Ayrioc has a Combat rating of 16. In his first combat round he wants to come out swinging strong with his Broadsword so he spends 15 Combat points to add 3 dice to his HPT roll. This leaves 1 point remaining that will remain unspent this round. In round 2 lets say he wants go defensive so he spends all 16 points to add an extra 8 to his armor value. In the 3rd round he mixes it up a little by adding 1 die to his HPT roll (by spending 5 Combat points) and an extra 5 to his Armor rating ( by spending another 10 Combat). This will also leave 1 point that will remain unspent. In the 4th round he will attempt to outmaneuver one combatant to focus on the one that is remaining so he will spend 6 points to add 6 to his stunt SR and then spend the other 10 to add 2 dice to has attack against the last combatant.
My hopes are that this will give Warriors more flexibility in how they approach each combat round.
2) Wizards- Instead of a long list of spells to choose from I propose an open magic system. Each Wizard will have an Arcane rating equal to their starting INT score. These can be spent using the 5 to 1 rule exactly like the Warriors do to achieve any spell effect that the wizard can imagine. 5 points per die of damage, 2 points per point of either damage or Characteristic score, and 1 point per add to casting throws (instead of the point per point WIZ expenditure mentioned above). The WIZ cost of each spell will be half of the amount of Arcane spent to achieve the spell result. I will use a WIZ cost of 2 as the standard WIZ cost of maintaining a spell over multiple rounds.
Examples: Using the Magus Ayrindor as an example with an Arcane rating of 18.
1- He could cast a Flame Bolt worth 3 dice of damage (15 Arcane Points) with 3 added to his casting roll for a WIZ cost of 8.
2- He could cast a Shield spell that will absorb 8 points of damage (16 Arcane points) and add 2 to has casting roll for a WIZ cost of 8.
3- He could cast a Vorpal spell on the Warrior's sword adding 2 dice of damage (10 Arcane points) with 8 added to his casting roll for a WIZ cost of 5.
4- He could cast a Strength spell on the same Warrior adding 9 to his STR score (18 Arcane points) for a WIZ cost of 9. He could maintain this by spending 2 WIZ points per round (but without the need for a casting SR).
5- He could cast a Charm spell in an attempt to befriend an enemy by adding 9 points to his CHR score (18 Arcane points) for a WIZ cost of 9.
6- He could attempt to paralyze an enemy by reducing their MR (or combat Adds for stated enemies) by 9 points (18 Arcane points) for a WIZ cost of 9.
7- He could summon a fire elemental to fight with a MR of 9 (18 Arcane points) for a WIZ cost of 9. He could maintain his summoning and have the elemental keep fighting for a WIZ cost of 2 per round as long as the elemental is still alive.
* Using a little extrapolation on the 5-2-1 cost you could get really inventive*
8- He could cast a Growth Spell on the Warrior to make him twice as tall (by spending 5 points of Arcane per doubling of size this would only cost 5 Arcane points) for a WIZ cost of 3. He could maintain this by spending 2 WIZ points per round (without casting SR).
9- He could cast a Growth spell on the Warrior to make him 4 times as tall (10 Arcane points as per above) for a WIZ cost of 5. He could maintain this by spending 2 WIZ points per round (without casting SR).
10- He could cast a Wink Wing spell and teleport 10 feet away (at a cost of 1 point per foot this would cost 10 Arcane points) for a WIZ cost of 5.
11- He could cast a Hidey Hole spell and turn both himself and the Warrior invisible (at a cost of 5 points per person this would cost 10 Arcane points) for a WIZ cost of 5. This could be maintained by spending 2 WIZ points per round (without a casting SR).
12- He could cast a Sneak spell on himself to slip past the guards that makes him both invisible and silent (at a cost 5 points per effect this would be 10 Arcane points) at a WIZ cost of 5.
13- And on and on, I hope that I am getting the principle across....
The spell level to be used for the casting SR would be calculated by using the Arcane spent on the Attribute table for levels. 0-9 Arcane points = a level 0 spell (a cantrip if you will), 10-19 Arcane points = a level 1 spell, 20-29 Arcane points = a level 2 spell, 30-39 points = a level 3 spell, etc, etc.
The number of spells cast and maintained, and/or the number of effects per spell that a wizard my use is equal to his class level. The effective Spell Level is increased by 1 per spell maintained while casting another one.
Examples: Using the 3rd level sorceress Krystara with an Arcane rating of 34.
1- She could cast a Freezing Blast that deals 3 dice of damage and lowers their MR (or adds) by 8 because of the freezing cold (15 Arcane for damage plus 16 Arcane for the 8 MR points equals a total Arcane cost of 31) while maintaining a Strength spell cast on the prior round for a total WIZ cost of 18 (16 for the Freezing Blast plus 2 for maintaining the spell). <spell level 4. 3 for the spell plus 1 for maintaining the prior spell>
2- She could summon a skeletal warrior with a MR rating of 16 (32 Arcane cost) and still maintain the Strength spell for a total WIZ cost of 18 (16 for the Summon and 2 to maintain the spell). <spell level 4. 3 for the spell plus 1 for maintaining the prior spell>
3- She could cause the skeletal warrior to burst into flame dealing an additional 2 dice of damage while shielding it from 5 points of damage (10 Arcane cost for the dice of damage plus 10 Arcane for the shield equals a total Arcane cost of 20) for a total WIZ cost of 12 (10 for the Bursting Flames and 2 to maintain the summon). <spell level 3. 2 for the spell plus 1 to maintain the summon>
4- She could could cast an Inspire spell to heal the skeletal warrior of 5 points of damage and strengthen it by adding 10 to its MR (10 Arcane points for the heal plus 20 for the points added to it's MR for a total Arcane cost of 30) for a total WIZ cost of 17 (15 for the Inspire spell and 2 to maintain the summon). <spell level 4. 3 for the spell plus 1 for maintaining the summon>
5- At no time could more then 3 spells or spell effects be combined in one round because she is a level 3 Wizard....
3) Rogues- would have a starting Arcane rating equal to their starting LUCK score. The Arcane rating is used just like the Wizard with the following exceptions:
1- The effective spell level is 1 higher to reflect a lack of training
2- The number of spells and effects maintained is equal to half the Rogue's class level (rounded up with a minimum of 1).
4) Paragons- Have a starting Combat rating equal to half their STR score and a starting Arcane rating equal to half their INT score. They are used exactly like the Warrior and Wizard respectfully.
In all cases the Combat and Arcane abilities may be raised just like attributes at a cost of 10 x current score. I will be adding Combat as a leveling trait for Warriors and Paragons and Arcane as a leveling trait for Wizards, Rogues, and Paragons.
I believe that covers what I will be trying this weekend. I will let you know how it turns out and would love to hear from the community about what they think of this. Thanks and have a great weekend.
1) I look at the SR equation as a 2 part math problem. The level x 5 plus a standard of 15. I have been keeping the SR levels the same as I always have but have used the standard of 15 as a variable. I will replace it with another relevant value if it exceeds 15, keeping 15 as the minimum. This really makes fights against fully stated major NPCs feel a lot different then the MR rated mooks which mostly use the base 15. At the same time it allows the higher attribute ranges to play against each other without changing the SR standards I am used to. I do this to reflect opposed rolls for my players so the only dice I roll is for HPT in combat.
2) To put the above rule in perspective I will explain my Magic Resistance rule. It is basically as per the book but I replace the 15 with the opposing WIZ score. So the wizard is using his/her INT plus die roll to overcome the targets WIZ score plus the difficulty level of the spell to be cast. I have been allowing the caster to spend extra WIZ to add to the SR on a point for point basis.
3) Another example would be missile fire against the players. I handle this by having them make a SPD (or LUCK) based SR using the archers DEX (or Marksmanship score) in place of the 15. Note that the SR difficulty range is reversed. So it would be a level 3 SR at point blank range, level 2 SR for medium range, and level 1 SR for long range.
4) Spite damage I view as temporary bruising and minor cuts or scratching that will help weaken combatants while fighting but are easier to recover from then the 'telling blows' of your opponent actually rolling higher and damaging you. So I record spite damage separately and allow it to heal at the same rate that WIZ is recovered. 1 per Turn spent resting or doing non-strenuous things. This extends the longevity of characters without the need for a lot of extra healing items.
5) Anytime Armor blocks damage, regardless of the amount, it losses 1 point of Armor rating. This will eventually allow combatants to chew through their opponents armor and do 'real' damage to them.
The above house rules have been play-tested for as long as I have been playing the 7.5 edition and seem to work very well so far. I plan on play-testing some rather extensive class reworking this weekend by using the following:
1) Warriors- instead of the armor doubling ability that they currently have they will each have a Combat ability equal to their starting STR score. The Combat ability represent points that the warrior may spend to add dice to the combat roll, increase their Armor rating, or add to combat stunts that they try in that round. They do so by implementing the 5 to 1 rule. This is an easy way to remember 5-2-1 as the cost breakdown for each of the above. 5 points per extra combat die (up to twice the starting weapon dice), 2 points per point of damage, or 1 point per add to SR throws. These can be mixed and matched in any way the warrior wants.
Example: Lets say that my human warrior Ayrioc has a Combat rating of 16. In his first combat round he wants to come out swinging strong with his Broadsword so he spends 15 Combat points to add 3 dice to his HPT roll. This leaves 1 point remaining that will remain unspent this round. In round 2 lets say he wants go defensive so he spends all 16 points to add an extra 8 to his armor value. In the 3rd round he mixes it up a little by adding 1 die to his HPT roll (by spending 5 Combat points) and an extra 5 to his Armor rating ( by spending another 10 Combat). This will also leave 1 point that will remain unspent. In the 4th round he will attempt to outmaneuver one combatant to focus on the one that is remaining so he will spend 6 points to add 6 to his stunt SR and then spend the other 10 to add 2 dice to has attack against the last combatant.
My hopes are that this will give Warriors more flexibility in how they approach each combat round.
2) Wizards- Instead of a long list of spells to choose from I propose an open magic system. Each Wizard will have an Arcane rating equal to their starting INT score. These can be spent using the 5 to 1 rule exactly like the Warriors do to achieve any spell effect that the wizard can imagine. 5 points per die of damage, 2 points per point of either damage or Characteristic score, and 1 point per add to casting throws (instead of the point per point WIZ expenditure mentioned above). The WIZ cost of each spell will be half of the amount of Arcane spent to achieve the spell result. I will use a WIZ cost of 2 as the standard WIZ cost of maintaining a spell over multiple rounds.
Examples: Using the Magus Ayrindor as an example with an Arcane rating of 18.
1- He could cast a Flame Bolt worth 3 dice of damage (15 Arcane Points) with 3 added to his casting roll for a WIZ cost of 8.
2- He could cast a Shield spell that will absorb 8 points of damage (16 Arcane points) and add 2 to has casting roll for a WIZ cost of 8.
3- He could cast a Vorpal spell on the Warrior's sword adding 2 dice of damage (10 Arcane points) with 8 added to his casting roll for a WIZ cost of 5.
4- He could cast a Strength spell on the same Warrior adding 9 to his STR score (18 Arcane points) for a WIZ cost of 9. He could maintain this by spending 2 WIZ points per round (but without the need for a casting SR).
5- He could cast a Charm spell in an attempt to befriend an enemy by adding 9 points to his CHR score (18 Arcane points) for a WIZ cost of 9.
6- He could attempt to paralyze an enemy by reducing their MR (or combat Adds for stated enemies) by 9 points (18 Arcane points) for a WIZ cost of 9.
7- He could summon a fire elemental to fight with a MR of 9 (18 Arcane points) for a WIZ cost of 9. He could maintain his summoning and have the elemental keep fighting for a WIZ cost of 2 per round as long as the elemental is still alive.
* Using a little extrapolation on the 5-2-1 cost you could get really inventive*
8- He could cast a Growth Spell on the Warrior to make him twice as tall (by spending 5 points of Arcane per doubling of size this would only cost 5 Arcane points) for a WIZ cost of 3. He could maintain this by spending 2 WIZ points per round (without casting SR).
9- He could cast a Growth spell on the Warrior to make him 4 times as tall (10 Arcane points as per above) for a WIZ cost of 5. He could maintain this by spending 2 WIZ points per round (without casting SR).
10- He could cast a Wink Wing spell and teleport 10 feet away (at a cost of 1 point per foot this would cost 10 Arcane points) for a WIZ cost of 5.
11- He could cast a Hidey Hole spell and turn both himself and the Warrior invisible (at a cost of 5 points per person this would cost 10 Arcane points) for a WIZ cost of 5. This could be maintained by spending 2 WIZ points per round (without a casting SR).
12- He could cast a Sneak spell on himself to slip past the guards that makes him both invisible and silent (at a cost 5 points per effect this would be 10 Arcane points) at a WIZ cost of 5.
13- And on and on, I hope that I am getting the principle across....
The spell level to be used for the casting SR would be calculated by using the Arcane spent on the Attribute table for levels. 0-9 Arcane points = a level 0 spell (a cantrip if you will), 10-19 Arcane points = a level 1 spell, 20-29 Arcane points = a level 2 spell, 30-39 points = a level 3 spell, etc, etc.
The number of spells cast and maintained, and/or the number of effects per spell that a wizard my use is equal to his class level. The effective Spell Level is increased by 1 per spell maintained while casting another one.
Examples: Using the 3rd level sorceress Krystara with an Arcane rating of 34.
1- She could cast a Freezing Blast that deals 3 dice of damage and lowers their MR (or adds) by 8 because of the freezing cold (15 Arcane for damage plus 16 Arcane for the 8 MR points equals a total Arcane cost of 31) while maintaining a Strength spell cast on the prior round for a total WIZ cost of 18 (16 for the Freezing Blast plus 2 for maintaining the spell). <spell level 4. 3 for the spell plus 1 for maintaining the prior spell>
2- She could summon a skeletal warrior with a MR rating of 16 (32 Arcane cost) and still maintain the Strength spell for a total WIZ cost of 18 (16 for the Summon and 2 to maintain the spell). <spell level 4. 3 for the spell plus 1 for maintaining the prior spell>
3- She could cause the skeletal warrior to burst into flame dealing an additional 2 dice of damage while shielding it from 5 points of damage (10 Arcane cost for the dice of damage plus 10 Arcane for the shield equals a total Arcane cost of 20) for a total WIZ cost of 12 (10 for the Bursting Flames and 2 to maintain the summon). <spell level 3. 2 for the spell plus 1 to maintain the summon>
4- She could could cast an Inspire spell to heal the skeletal warrior of 5 points of damage and strengthen it by adding 10 to its MR (10 Arcane points for the heal plus 20 for the points added to it's MR for a total Arcane cost of 30) for a total WIZ cost of 17 (15 for the Inspire spell and 2 to maintain the summon). <spell level 4. 3 for the spell plus 1 for maintaining the summon>
5- At no time could more then 3 spells or spell effects be combined in one round because she is a level 3 Wizard....
3) Rogues- would have a starting Arcane rating equal to their starting LUCK score. The Arcane rating is used just like the Wizard with the following exceptions:
1- The effective spell level is 1 higher to reflect a lack of training
2- The number of spells and effects maintained is equal to half the Rogue's class level (rounded up with a minimum of 1).
4) Paragons- Have a starting Combat rating equal to half their STR score and a starting Arcane rating equal to half their INT score. They are used exactly like the Warrior and Wizard respectfully.
In all cases the Combat and Arcane abilities may be raised just like attributes at a cost of 10 x current score. I will be adding Combat as a leveling trait for Warriors and Paragons and Arcane as a leveling trait for Wizards, Rogues, and Paragons.
I believe that covers what I will be trying this weekend. I will let you know how it turns out and would love to hear from the community about what they think of this. Thanks and have a great weekend.
