My first shot at writing a RPG [WIP]

[Munkerz]

And it's for a fantasy setting (surprise!).

Well, for starters I'm a complete newbie here, so hi everybody (and hopefully this is the right place to be posting this stuff)^^
I've played a few role-playing games in the past, though not many. I have most experience in the Star Wars Saga Edition game (GMing & playing), a little in D&D 3.5 and 4E (GMing in 4E only).

The intention of this project is to design a fairly rules-lite system for most any fantasy role-playing game, with an extensive list of skills and a classless set-up.
I also plan to write a simple setting that I hope to establish later, though I want the mechanics down first.

You have a basic array of attributes (Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma, and Luck), a skill list, and equipment slots. Like in fallout 1 and 2, skills will have a base value determined by simple mathematics (attribute A + (/2 of attribute B) for example).
Then each skill has ranks; you can buy up ranks with Skill Points (SP), and depending on the skill it will increase a set amount per rank. For example, a skill increases by 3 points per bought rank, and the character in question has 2 ranks, they have rating 6 (plus their base) in that skill. Then equipment may also change your total skill rating.
So a complete example of a skill would be:
(attribute A 1 + (/2 of attribute B)) + (Increase per rank x rank) + equipment bonus = total.

I'm also considering the usual defences as skills, rather than derived stats. So Reflex, Fortitude, Will, or whatever the finalized defences are, they can be specialized in via skill training. And because each skill has a different base calculation and increase per rank, I can scale them appropriately.

So far, I think the percentile system (2d10) would be best suited for the skill set-up; otherwise it may need a significant amount of dice (or a few big ones, like 2d20) to keep some element of chance considering the changers per level with the few experiments I've done. Having said that, how much should it be down to chance?

Any thoughts on what I've brainstormed so far?

[Rob Lang]

Welcome to 1KM1KT - you've come to the right place!

Everything I would say, I've already blogged.

[Munkerz]

Thanks and thanks
I had read through that already actually. I figured to do some research into free RPGs and browse the boards a bit before posting.

I'm bouncing between two not-so-established settings right now, in fact they're just concepts right now.

One is a dark fairytale, taking inspiration the video game series Fable, and the films Brothers Grim, The Dark Crystal, and pan's labyrinth (to name a few).
With a world of fantastic and exaggerated creatures that like to hide out in woodlands and caves for the most part, maybe sometimes certain ones run out a kidnap children turning them into more of whatever they are (referring to Hobbes here).

The other is a rather generic setting to start with, war of the races, orcs (or some other monstrous race that I may design) as the bad guys. But then after the war is won there's a bi ol' role reversal where humans end up even more of a monster than the orcs (once again, possibly a place-holder name). The general age when compared to out time-line would be early to mid medieval, with some technology quirks such as single-shot flintlock pistols.
This is more of a back story, though it makes it clear the non-humans are a down-trodden people, and that's part of a setting.

As it stands, the dark fairytale has a tighter grip on my interest right now. It's just a general setting I find interesting.

[Sanglorian]

[Munkerz]

I own a copy of the most recent edition of World of Darkness, and I completely forgot about it until you brought up Vampire. Unfortunately I never did get round to actually using it, but it'll be worth going through again. And I downloaded the two you linked me, I'll look through them later.

Luck was kinda thrown in, and I've been questioning it. I do feel that overall it is fairly unnecessary. I only added it after adding gambling as a skill; but at the same time, if you want to gamble, just roll it. So I think they're both off.

As for the setting/ equipment, if I go dark fairytale, it could take place in just about any age. But the relevance of equipment would depend on the campaign. If it's run as (a very quick example) children playing in the woods and something happens, then their goal is to survive and escape the forest, then equipment has no relevance beyond improvisational and maybe what they find. However, maybe players could also take the role of characters who hunt such things. Going around, trying to make the world safer for people, either by fighting and killing the magical creatures, or by making treaties.
The word fairytale gives allot of freedom to create a setting, it's just finding a place for the players.

And you helped quite allot, cheers~

[Starglim]

[Munkerz]

Well taking a rather large turn from my original concept, I've somewhere along the line started moving towards a survival fantasy.
Rather than developed governments, human settlements are dotted around each with their own self-enforced laws. Settlements are cut off by natural dangers, and with humans being quite low food-chain wise, it's all that more dangerous.
Players are likely to take on the roles of hunters, and it would be their job to go out and find food, water and other supplies for their settlement (or guard others while they do so), and to also defend from the nasties that may launch an attack (beasts, or bandits for example).

Things that inspired this idea: Apocalypto (Film), Monster Hunter (Video Game), Mouse Guard (Comic & RPG).

Things of note:
Percentile System
2d10
Hunger, thirst, and tiredness mechanics
Prompts the players to gather the necessities for survival, and rest appropriately.
Strict carrying limits
Stops the players from gathering too much.
Progress-by-doing development
Each skill requires a certain amount of points to develop, points gained by using the skill in question.

Now with what I have in mind, that horrible stereotype "my home village was destroyed by a big bad monster" may actually work, though not as a background I figure. It would put the players in a more real survival-based environment as they'd have no (sort of) safe place to rest, while they make their way to a new settlement maybe.

Skills
Here's what I have so far.

Skills will be rated from 1 to XX, to succeed in the use of a skill you roll the percentile dice and aim to get the same or less than your total score of the skill in question.
For the sake of development, skills will be listed as attack, defence, and general.
Attacks work in contested rolls against defences (highest roll wins, but must be within the boundaries of their skill). General skills usually aim to beat a static target number.

Weapons (Attack)
Skills with weapon groups apply when making an attack. They effect your chance to hit, as well as the potential damage of an attack. If an attack hits, you apply the result of that roll as damage (plus any bonus or penalty granted by the used weapon). Weapons have an attack mod stat (effecting the skill only, not the roll result), and a damage mod stat (effecting the damage total after the roll).

Short Blades
Long Blades
Heavy Blades
Bows
Blow Darts
Axes
Halberds

Social (Attack)
Persuasion
Deception
Intimidate

Defences (Defence)
When you are attacked, it's a contested roll of Reflexes versing the appropriate weapon skill.
Fortitude is a contested defence versing negative conditions in a critical stage (dehydration for example).
Resolve is a contested roll versing the appropriate social skill.

Reflexes
Fortitude
Resolve

Survival (General)
Traps
Tracking
Jumping
Climbing
Swimming
Cooking
Medicine/ First Aid

Crafting (General)
crafting skills here

Character Information.

Character Profile:
Name, Gender, Age, and Description.

Vitals:
HP,
Determined by a base number (TBD), and a character's constitution score.

Hunger,
Percentile (0-100%). The less hungry you are, the better you'll perform. Recover by eating.

Thirst,
Percentile (0-100%). The less thirsty you are, the better you'll perform. Recover by drinking.

Tiredness,
Percentile (0-100%). The less tired you are, the better you'll perform. Recover by resting/ sleeping.

Attributes:
Attribute name and attribute value.
Attributes have yet to be finalised.

Skills:
Skill name,
Self explanatory.

Base formula and base total,
Base formulas will be similar to that of the Fallout games, taking the attributes and showing how to work out the base using them: (STR x DEX) /2 (rounded down to the nearest whole number), for example.

maker showing uses until next increase,
10 (TBD) hollow circles on display, for each successful use of a skill one of these circles is filled, and for a failed attempt, fill two. Once all 10 are filled increase the skill's total by 1.

increases,
How many points a character has improved a skill by on top of their base.

Total,
Base + Increases.

Equipment:
Weapon Slots,
A character can have one weapon of any kind equipped with a free hand, beyond that they need some way of attaching it to their person. No matter how many weapons a character has equipped, they can use no more than two one-handed weapons at a time.

Armour Slots,
Head, Body, Arms, Legs, Feet, Hands.
Armour improves damage reduction, but tends to penalize reflex defence.

Scabbard Slots,
By equipping a scabbard, you open up another weapon slot. Back: two medium/ small, or one large. Waist: two medium/ small. Arms: two small (one per arm). Legs: two small (one per leg). By having a weapon in a scabbard, you may draw it as a reaction to combat starting, otherwise you'd have to rummage your inventory (taking up your entire turn).

Inventory:
Item Name,
Self explanatory

Item Description,
A larger space by the item's name for a brief description.

Item Weight,
How much an item weights. When your total inventory weighs more than your characters carrying limit, they become encumbered and cannot move (three-quarters of a characters carrying limit halves their movement). Equipped items still impose their weight on your carrying limit.