Valor original system ideas/discussion/feedback

[Behold_the_Void]

So yeah, this thread went in an entirely different direction, and one that I like.

My roommate and I have been working on a tabletop system for the better part of three years, which is designed with a more shounen anime feel in mind, as well as a free, modular system where you can do just about anything so long as anything doesn't involve taking more primary actions than you are given in a combat round or instakilling someone.

System is still in beta, most of the rules thus far are combat based but we are starting to expand and get the noncombat rules up and running, we're just... not very far into it yet >_>

You can download it here: http://oblivionscorner.com/blogs/media/blogs/all/valor086.doc

I appreciate all feedback and comments, negative or positive. I want to market this system when it's complete, so everything helps.

[UglyPanda]

Could you show some people the rules first? Right now, nobody can see the rules unless they're part of the beta.

If you don't let people who aren't going to play see the rules, you're only going to get playtesters with a bias. Then you end up with something like Pathfinder's playtests where half the players don't listen to the other half.

[Behold_the_Void]

Could you show some people the rules first? Right now, nobody can see the rules unless they're part of the beta.

If you don't let people who aren't going to play see the rules, you're only going to get playtesters with a bias. Then you end up with something like Pathfinder's playtests where half the players don't listen to the other half.

Not a bad idea, in all honesty. See link in first post.

[The Demented One]

Exalted. Look at Exalted for ideas.

[UglyPanda]

Things that might not be in the game*:
-Walking up walls or on water
-Weather of any kind, whether it be an ability or a terrain effect
-Combining attacks to make them stronger. From what I can tell, combining attacks only makes them more accurate in this game
-Finishing moves
-Animals, either enemies or pets
-Sound as a mechanic. Characters can turn invisible, but there is no rule for listening for them.
-Being really small. I can't find any rules for creatures that are smaller than a square (Fairies and such).


*Can't be sure, I'm only skimming.

[Shademan]

how about the power....to move you?

[oxybe]

how about the power....to move you?

psh. what kind of lame power is heart... (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway)

but seriously: open your browser on one of your days off, go to the TVTropes website and start browsing. you should find more then a few ideas there alone.

[Chrono22]

Play the guilty gear series. That's a treasure trove of cool anime-styled powers.

[npc revolution]

how about the power....to move you?

I see what you did there :smallamused:
how 'bout the power to kill a yak from 200 yards away, with mind bullets!!

[Tiki Snakes]

I see what you did there :smallamused:
how 'bout the power to kill a yak from 200 yards away, with mind bullets!!

That's Telekinesis, Npc Revolution.

[Dust]

With the same "I'm only skimming as I post this" disclaimer as UglyPanda, I did find a few things. It was a tough read though, given that the book is esentially 65 pages of pure combat rules that make a few problems instantly jump to the fore.

My personal gaming group would eschew this system, as a small group of players (say 4) will probably wind up with characters that constantly step on the toes of the other, with one or more players being noticably weaker than the rest. Since the book doesn't give any sample characters or suggested guidelines, the first time your group plays through the system it'll be very much spotlight-centric on whatever player picked up the rules the fastest, and was thus able to built the most cost-effective and powerful combos. Furthermore, there's a handful of abilities in this game that would cause INCREDIBLE table disputes, such as Violent Aura, which deals damage every round to allies as well as enemies.

I decided to build a rather odd sort of character, a humongous blubbery demon-type who could eat through inanimate objects, use his tremendous bulk to shrug off lesser attacks and push his enemies around. Ramming Attack helped fill this criteria, and I managed to load up on defensive techniques before realizing that the game doesn't actually possess many rules for characters outside of this mysterious fighting arena they seem to be forever locked in. Alright, so no need to pick up some sort of Devour Stuff ability to handle basic survival - especially since I just decided my character is immortal - because the rules for hunger state that all I need to do is munch on whatever my character considers 'food' and I immediately erase all valor penalties due to hunger. I'd still like to be able to make that ability as a combat maneuever. Perhaps some type of advanced grapple with an ability drain effect - but alas, I was unable to find a way to build this either.
I decided his extra bulk would make it harder for enemies to dodge and duck and weave around him, but Threatening Zone is esentially worthless, as Difficult Terrain will be negated by 90% of characters and enemies, and 100% of SMART or DANGEROUS opponents.

Next on the list was to do a shapechanger, but I realized that I could never be a TRUE shapechanger and be able to shuffle around my attributes; I could only create a set number of (EXPENSIVE) alternate forms. Next.

Finally, I considered something simple; a Berserker. I looked up the flaw and it boggled me even at first glance. The description for the Berserker flaw reads as follows; "Whenever you drop into critical health, you enter a rage. During the rage, if you move, every space of movement must take you closer to at least one enemy. If at all possible, you must use a Damage Core technique every turn while raging, even if this means attacking an ally. If you are healed to the point that you are no longer in critical health, the effect ends."
Assume that all enemies are dead, but Berserker of course continues. The character does not HAVE to move, he can simply stand there forthing in a mad rage while his allies get the hell out of the area. Presumably this lasts until the character either dies, has one of his allies get close enough to heal him without also being in range of the Berserker's insane compulsion to shoot them, or if he's really lucky, he possesses the Passive Healing active skill, Fast Healing, or something similar.
I noticed in your note that this has recently been changed a couple times, thus explaining the odd wording.

The rules for Disarming are rough as well - if your foe has a powerful weapon and you have a free hand, then you're golden. Yours now. Otherwise, it takes an average character less than a full turn to retrieve his equipment. I'd imagine this would be demoralizing after sinking a significant points into 'improving' this. If this is an anime fight, I'd like to be able to knock my opponent's weapon far enough away that he can't reach it and counterattack a split-second later.

Either way, I'm instantly put off by the system - though again, this is due probably to not putting enough time and effort into reading it thoroughly and understanding the rules completely. While Valor certainly has potential, I believe it would be best played by a group of players who sat down and anayzed the system for several days, designed a combatant, and then entered a ladder-style battle royale against one another. Anything else will cause frustration.

[jseah]

XD Given yet again the same "skim through" disclaimer...

From the previous posts, it sounds like you need some out of combat rules to cover stuff.

Would it be possible to make abilities for non-combat related things?
(I can see potential massive abuse of the Portal thingy + a maze or some way of conjuring walls)

**********************

I mean, I can see this system working for a Bleach or Negima style universe.

It probably fits to a tee, since it appears to draw ít's inspiration from them.
Level-focus. (instead of tactics or strategy-focused)
Named attacks. Signature moves.
Conventions of battle. (holding back? >.>)
Auras?!

It probably doesn't fit much else, but it wasn't meant to, I think.

[Sir_Ophiuchus]

Reading your rules beta through (no skimming for me, haha!!), I have some comments and suggestions. I hope you don't take any of these personally, they're just what came to mind as I read. As such a lot of them are just typoes and nitpicking, but I presume those are helpful when creating an RPG too. I also have some notes on the feel of the system, based on my impressions of it as a whole. I hope you don't mind my taking the opportunity to do this.

General nitpicking and rules notes

Health increments – if a character is incapacitated, does the health increment they receive after a scene add from zero or merely reduce the negatives? In other words, can I receive a health increment and still be incapacitated?

In general, do I round numbers in this game up or down? It's not made clear in any examples except in one specific instance much later. You need to explicitly state a general rule.

“You cannot gain more than 8 points from flaws at first level, this number increases by 2 every level.” Should read: you cannot gain more than eight points from flaws at first level, and no more than two of the remaining points each time you level up. As written it implies that you can gain 8 of your flaw points at first level, ten at second level, and so on.

Compulsion: the character's specific compulsion should be defined when the flaw is taken, not just picked off-the-cuff each time it activates. If done well this could really flesh out a character.

Malevolent entity: the entity possessing the character should be defined when the flaw is taken (or at least determined by the GM, if the player has decided his character doesn't know what it is).

Mode restriction: should read “your different modes restrict the use of your skills”

Challenge: “If the challenge is broken, both challengers lose 2 Valor, and the one who broke the challenge loses 4 Valor.” Does the one who broke it lose 6 or 4 Valor in total, then? Also, "challenger" usually means the person who initiates a challenge, not any person involved in it. You might use the word "combatants" instead.

Effect capture: “its creator”, not “it's creator”

Can Recharge be used on the same effect more than once? In other words, if I have enough stamina, can I just keep an effect active until I run out by recharging it every three turns?

Seal: roll against “a secondary ability chosen when the technique is created”. As written, it's uncertain whether you mean the technique “Seal” or the technique you're trying to use “Seal” on.

Swift Step: spend half of your Dexterity or Aura in Stamina. Do you get to choose, or is it whichever's lower? Again, rounded up or down?

Mount: “you cannot use any other companion skills when riding your companion as a mount”. Does that mean that if my companion is both Flying (a companion skill) and a Mount (a companion skill) it can't fly while I ride it?

Discrete Aura: this should be “Discreet Aura”. A discrete aura, strangely, would be one entirely separate from its owner.

Protector needs rewording. It should be made more obvious that you choose the person you protect when selecting the ability, that the damage they receive has to be from a foe, and that you have to try, at least, to protect them. (I'm having nightmares of some sort of Stockholm Syndrome relationship between two powergaming characters, where one tortures the other for bonuses!)

Collateral Limit: the line should read “there is a chance that a large area may be destroyed when you use the technique”

Final Limit: Don't use infinity symbols. Seriously. Apart from anything else, that means any technique that uses Final Limit costs “negative infinity”, which is (a) abusable, and (b) silly. Just say that the cost of a technique that uses Final Limit is always zero.

In the Combat section, insert a semicolon in this sentence as shown: “Thus, if you wish to attack someone, you and the defender both roll; if you succeed your attack hits, if your opponent succeeds they dodge the attack.”

Rough Terrain: “Some terrain is rough, flavor text flavor text.” You need to fix this. Also, is rough terrain the same as difficult terrain? Pick one form of terminology and stick to it.

“obstacles can provide cover bonuses” You should perhaps mention that the “Battlefield Effects” section describes the actual size of these cover bonuses and how they are applied. I wouldn't have known that without reading the book cover-to-cover.

Charging: ambiguous name – I presumed this meant you ran at an enemy and attacked them. Why not call it “Charging up”?

Cover: likewise an ambiguous name – For example “I use Cover to cover you, even though you're behind cover”. Maybe call it something like Body Shield?

Hunger: if a character “receives food in battle”, how long does it take to eat it? A turn? A round? Longer?

Overall impressions

I do like what you're trying to do here - ultimately, it's to create a system that isn't tied down by any particular setting. Unfortunately, I think there's a problem with how you've implemented it. Your decision to keep it setting-free is admirable, but it is still bound by its genre conventions (shounen anime), and you've managed to erase any discussion of that from the text.

Looking through the notes I made as I read, you referred to shounen anime conventions at least five times throughout the text, and described the feel of the system as being inspired by this. Actual reference to what they are is scattered through the book (a few notes in the GM and players' sections on how Valor is lost and gained) and minimal.

I really feel that you need to take a page or two and talk about the philosophy of shounen anime and its conventions. What is considered most important in shounen anime? What styles of play may be appropriate? What styles of storytelling and narration (both for players and GM) are genre-appropriate, and how can the players and GM work to incorporate these? Ultimately, what is the "buy-in" for the players? As written, a player can do something like sneak attack while the villain monologues and rationalise away the Valor penalty as being "worth it", or not bother to flesh out the details of his powers and attacks and how they work for him. This seems to go against the spirit of the game, and I feel that a section discussing the philosophy and rationale behind the system would be extremely valuable while still allowing complete freedom of setting and GM flexibility as regards the feel of a particular story. Apart from anything else, this will protect the users of your product from your implicit assumptions: you've based the feel of the game on what you think shounen anime is like, and its structure reflects this. Unless users understand how you interpret it, they will presume their own interpretations are upheld by the system and "not get it" when they aren't.


I hope you don't mind me perhaps getting more into your system than you expected - I'm aware you came here just asking for ideas for powers. That being said, I hope my impressions (and nitpicks) will be useful to you and that you may be able to take them on board in crafting what looks like an interesting and usable niche roleplaying system. Feel free to PM me if you want to discuss any of these points further, or just reply here and I'll check the thread.

Thank you.

[Doomboy911]

I'd definitely play this but would this game have mechs? Also for cool abilities perhaps delve into science fiction as well perhaps have classes based off certain kinds of anime perhaps have a transformation ability like they had in ronin warriors or sailor moon.Special items that allow body changes like one piece or naruto. Never forget the godzilla though.

[Behold_the_Void]

Things that might not be in the game*:
-Walking up walls or on water
-Weather of any kind, whether it be an ability or a terrain effect
-Combining attacks to make them stronger. From what I can tell, combining attacks only makes them more accurate in this game
-Finishing moves
-Animals, either enemies or pets
-Sound as a mechanic. Characters can turn invisible, but there is no rule for listening for them.
-Being really small. I can't find any rules for creatures that are smaller than a square (Fairies and such).

*Can't be sure, I'm only skimming.

Walking up walls/water are good ideas, I've been meaning to do water-walk for awhile and just haven't gotten around to it. Weather and more combo-focused rules too. Finishing moves are basically Ultimates, animals as enemies are built like anything else, pets are Companion rules. I like the sound idea, I'll fiddle with that. Really small I can probably do something for as well.


psh. what kind of lame power is heart... (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway)

but seriously: open your browser on one of your days off, go to the TVTropes website and start browsing. you should find more then a few ideas there alone.

Basically the first thing we did when we started this system :P


With the same "I'm only skimming as I post this" disclaimer as UglyPanda, I did find a few things. It was a tough read though, given that the book is esentially 65 pages of pure combat rules that make a few problems instantly jump to the fore.

My personal gaming group would eschew this system, as a small group of players (say 4) will probably wind up with characters that constantly step on the toes of the other, with one or more players being noticably weaker than the rest. Since the book doesn't give any sample characters or suggested guidelines, the first time your group plays through the system it'll be very much spotlight-centric on whatever player picked up the rules the fastest, and was thus able to built the most cost-effective and powerful combos. Furthermore, there's a handful of abilities in this game that would cause INCREDIBLE table disputes, such as Violent Aura, which deals damage every round to allies as well as enemies.

I decided to build a rather odd sort of character, a humongous blubbery demon-type who could eat through inanimate objects, use his tremendous bulk to shrug off lesser attacks and push his enemies around. Ramming Attack helped fill this criteria, and I managed to load up on defensive techniques before realizing that the game doesn't actually possess many rules for characters outside of this mysterious fighting arena they seem to be forever locked in. Alright, so no need to pick up some sort of Devour Stuff ability to handle basic survival - especially since I just decided my character is immortal - because the rules for hunger state that all I need to do is munch on whatever my character considers 'food' and I immediately erase all valor penalties due to hunger. I'd still like to be able to make that ability as a combat maneuever. Perhaps some type of advanced grapple with an ability drain effect - but alas, I was unable to find a way to build this either.
I decided his extra bulk would make it harder for enemies to dodge and duck and weave around him, but Threatening Zone is esentially worthless, as Difficult Terrain will be negated by 90% of characters and enemies, and 100% of SMART or DANGEROUS opponents.

Next on the list was to do a shapechanger, but I realized that I could never be a TRUE shapechanger and be able to shuffle around my attributes; I could only create a set number of (EXPENSIVE) alternate forms. Next.

Finally, I considered something simple; a Berserker. I looked up the flaw and it boggled me even at first glance. The description for the Berserker flaw reads as follows; "Whenever you drop into critical health, you enter a rage. During the rage, if you move, every space of movement must take you closer to at least one enemy. If at all possible, you must use a Damage Core technique every turn while raging, even if this means attacking an ally. If you are healed to the point that you are no longer in critical health, the effect ends."
Assume that all enemies are dead, but Berserker of course continues. The character does not HAVE to move, he can simply stand there forthing in a mad rage while his allies get the hell out of the area. Presumably this lasts until the character either dies, has one of his allies get close enough to heal him without also being in range of the Berserker's insane compulsion to shoot them, or if he's really lucky, he possesses the Passive Healing active skill, Fast Healing, or something similar.
I noticed in your note that this has recently been changed a couple times, thus explaining the odd wording.

The rules for Disarming are rough as well - if your foe has a powerful weapon and you have a free hand, then you're golden. Yours now. Otherwise, it takes an average character less than a full turn to retrieve his equipment. I'd imagine this would be demoralizing after sinking a significant points into 'improving' this. If this is an anime fight, I'd like to be able to knock my opponent's weapon far enough away that he can't reach it and counterattack a split-second later.

Either way, I'm instantly put off by the system - though again, this is due probably to not putting enough time and effort into reading it thoroughly and understanding the rules completely. While Valor certainly has potential, I believe it would be best played by a group of players who sat down and anayzed the system for several days, designed a combatant, and then entered a ladder-style battle royale against one another. Anything else will cause frustration.

As this is still very much in development, I admit the out-of-combat rules aren't as expansive as I wish they were, our major thing was the basic combat system as that's always the most complex and concrete. I have begun expanding that with the scene information which I intend to greatly expand, sample characters will definitely be included. The GM manual right now is a fraction of what I intend to make it, as this is still an "in-development" system we're still fleshing out the more concrete mechanics. I believe the scene system has a great potential to be a robust out-of-combat system (out of combat skills will also be added ideally in the next update), but I just need to get it fully fleshed out and explained.

For some of your build notions, the devour thing would likely make use of a lot of the special damage core modifiers like Drain and Debilitating Strike. Threatening Zone will likely apply to flying people if you, yourself are flying.

The shapeshifter is actually very much doable, the "Mode Shift" skill, as well as Illusory Disguise, is designed to do just that, though it does require a certain investiture in skills, which can be offset with the Mode Restriction Flaw (which also needs some wording fixes so it can be used more effectively and not penalize you.)

Yeah Berserker has been a constant thorn in our side, we've been revising it pretty much every edition for awhile now. Generally a Berserker, though, would be a Strength/Guts build with a lot of melee and damage boosts.


Reading your rules beta through (no skimming for me, haha!!), I have some comments and suggestions. I hope you don't take any of these personally, they're just what came to mind as I read. As such a lot of them are just typoes and nitpicking, but I presume those are helpful when creating an RPG too. I also have some notes on the feel of the system, based on my impressions of it as a whole. I hope you don't mind my taking the opportunity to do this. General nitpicking and rules notes Health increments – if a character is incapacitated, does the health increment they receive after a scene add from zero or merely reduce the negatives? In other words, can I receive a health increment and still be incapacitated? In general, do I round numbers in this game up or down? It's not made clear in any examples except in one specific instance much later. You need to explicitly state a general rule. “You cannot gain more than 8 points from flaws at first level, this number increases by 2 every level.” Should read: you cannot gain more than eight points from flaws at first level, and no more than two of the remaining points each time you level up. As written it implies that you can gain 8 of your flaw points at first level, ten at second level, and so on. Compulsion: the character's specific compulsion should be defined when the flaw is taken, not just picked off-the-cuff each time it activates. If done well this could really flesh out a character. Malevolent entity: the entity possessing the character should be defined when the flaw is taken (or at least determined by the GM, if the player has decided his character doesn't know what it is). Mode restriction: should read “your different modes restrict the use of your skills” Challenge: “If the challenge is broken, both challengers lose 2 Valor, and the one who broke the challenge loses 4 Valor.” Does the one who broke it lose 6 or 4 Valor in total, then? Also, "challenger" usually means the person who initiates a challenge, not any person involved in it. You might use the word "combatants" instead. Effect capture: “its creator”, not “it's creator” Can Recharge be used on the same effect more than once? In other words, if I have enough stamina, can I just keep an effect active until I run out by recharging it every three turns? Seal: roll against “a secondary ability chosen when the technique is created”. As written, it's uncertain whether you mean the technique “Seal” or the technique you're trying to use “Seal” on. Swift Step: spend half of your Dexterity or Aura in Stamina. Do you get to choose, or is it whichever's lower? Again, rounded up or down? Mount: “you cannot use any other companion skills when riding your companion as a mount”. Does that mean that if my companion is both Flying (a companion skill) and a Mount (a companion skill) it can't fly while I ride it? Discrete Aura: this should be “Discreet Aura”. A discrete aura, strangely, would be one entirely separate from its owner. Protector needs rewording. It should be made more obvious that you choose the person you protect when selecting the ability, that the damage they receive has to be from a foe, and that you have to try, at least, to protect them. (I'm having nightmares of some sort of Stockholm Syndrome relationship between two powergaming characters, where one tortures the other for bonuses!) Collateral Limit: the line should read “there is a chance that a large area may be destroyed when you use the technique” Final Limit: Don't use infinity symbols. Seriously. Apart from anything else, that means any technique that uses Final Limit costs “negative infinity”, which is (a) abusable, and (b) silly. Just say that the cost of a technique that uses Final Limit is always zero. In the Combat section, insert a semicolon in this sentence as shown: “Thus, if you wish to attack someone, you and the defender both roll; if you succeed your attack hits, if your opponent succeeds they dodge the attack.” Rough Terrain: “Some terrain is rough, flavor text flavor text.” You need to fix this. Also, is rough terrain the same as difficult terrain? Pick one form of terminology and stick to it. “obstacles can provide cover bonuses” You should perhaps mention that the “Battlefield Effects” section describes the actual size of these cover bonuses and how they are applied. I wouldn't have known that without reading the book cover-to-cover. Charging: ambiguous name – I presumed this meant you ran at an enemy and attacked them. Why not call it “Charging up”? Cover: likewise an ambiguous name – For example “I use Cover to cover you, even though you're behind cover”. Maybe call it something like Body Shield? Hunger: if a character “receives food in battle”, how long does it take to eat it? A turn? A round? Longer? Overall impressions I do like what you're trying to do here - ultimately, it's to create a system that isn't tied down by any particular setting. Unfortunately, I think there's a problem with how you've implemented it. Your decision to keep it setting-free is admirable, but it is still bound by its genre conventions (shounen anime), and you've managed to erase any discussion of that from the text. Looking through the notes I made as I read, you referred to shounen anime conventions at least five times throughout the text, and described the feel of the system as being inspired by this. Actual reference to what they are is scattered through the book (a few notes in the GM and players' sections on how Valor is lost and gained) and minimal. I really feel that you need to take a page or two and talk about the philosophy of shounen anime and its conventions. What is considered most important in shounen anime? What styles of play may be appropriate? What styles of storytelling and narration (both for players and GM) are genre-appropriate, and how can the players and GM work to incorporate these? Ultimately, what is the "buy-in" for the players? As written, a player can do something like sneak attack while the villain monologues and rationalise away the Valor penalty as being "worth it", or not bother to flesh out the details of his powers and attacks and how they work for him. This seems to go against the spirit of the game, and I feel that a section discussing the philosophy and rationale behind the system would be extremely valuable while still allowing complete freedom of setting and GM flexibility as regards the feel of a particular story. Apart from anything else, this will protect the users of your product from your implicit assumptions: you've based the feel of the game on what you think shounen anime is like, and its structure reflects this. Unless users understand how you interpret it, they will presume their own interpretations are upheld by the system and "not get it" when they aren't. I hope you don't mind me perhaps getting more into your system than you expected - I'm aware you came here just asking for ideas for powers. That being said, I hope my impressions (and nitpicks) will be useful to you and that you may be able to take them on board in crafting what looks like an interesting and usable niche roleplaying system. Feel free to PM me if you want to discuss any of these points further, or just reply here and I'll check the thread. Thank you.

Going point by point for this one.

-Health Increments: Will clarify, after battle you are set to 0 and then receive a health increment.

-Rounding: Always round up, bigger numbers are exciting. Am still looking for a good spot to stick this, probably right up at the top.

-Flaw SP: Will amend, thank you.

-Compulsion: That's how it's supposed to work, will clarify in the description.

-Malevolent Entity: Ditto above.

-Mode Restriction: Will also amend.

-Challenge: Challenges can be broken by people not involved in the challenge, if one of those involved breaks it, it's a 6-valor hit. Will clarify and amend language.

-Effect Capture: Why do I always make that mistake I know better grargh

-Recharge: Yes you may, will clarify.

-Seal: Ancient text from when Seal was still a Technique core, will repair.

-Swift Step: Energy cost is supposed to be based on which attribute you're using, will clarify.

Mount: Basically that needs to have a list of skills that don't work with it or do, since it's kind of situational. In general though you can have a flying mount.

Discreet Aura: Blargh will fix

Protector: Dang it I thought I closed the loopholes eons ago. Obviously not. Will fix.

Collateral Limit: Will fix.

Final Limit: Noted, will fix.

Combat description: Will also fix.

Rough Terrain: Oh jeeze I thought I got that. Will fix.

Obstacles: Hngh ditto this.

Charging: Good idea, I think I shall.

Hunger: Probably a fast action, hunger rules are ancient and need revision.

As for the philosophy of how the game is to be played, DEFINITELY something I'm trying to get together. As I mentioned above, we've been really focused on fleshing out the combat and are just now putting the out of combat system together, which is likely going to be the main focus point when we hit the 0.9 phase.

Honestly, this helps a lot, I may just change the focus of the thread entirely if I'm getting feedback like this.


I'd definitely play this but would this game have mechs? Also for cool abilities perhaps delve into science fiction as well perhaps have classes based off certain kinds of anime perhaps have a transformation ability like they had in ronin warriors or sailor moon.Special items that allow body changes like one piece or naruto. Never forget the godzilla though.

Mecha is a bit fiddly and is slated for the first splat book release. We don't have classes, but transformations do exist in the system.

[TC X0 Lt 0X]

Found the thread after looking to see if there was a updated Rulebook to the Shounen System. Yeah I have a copy of the old rulebook =P

It was a interesting read to see the differences between the old system and the new system. But what I noticed between both is that it lacks rules dealing with Size.
It seems to me that there is nothing that can be applied to show the differences between a 2 PCs/NPCs. And I don't mean in minor size differences. I'm talking about the difference, lets say, between a normal human and a 20-foot long dragon. There are the Swarms, but they don't apply well to anything that isn't "Swarm-Like", like the 20-foot dragon. Would one go about by simply having the dragon take up a appropriate amount of squares on the field to represent it? In which case I did not spot any description on the size of a square (though size can probably be treated in a manner of perspective based on the size of PCs). And past the space it takes up, are there any relevant modifiers to any stats that should be applied? Does it threaten everything adjacent to the squares it is in?

I also noticed that down in the GameMaster's Guide in the NPC Section in makes repeated references to Minions, with no description on how Minions are constructed like Soldiers or Elites.

If I ended up jumping over anything then please inform me. Overall though I like the improvements to the system and can't wait to see the final product.

EDIT:
BTW, does anyone have any premade monsters/NPCs that they can post up somewhere? It wouldn't be too hard to make some but is very time consuming.

[bosssmiley]

Exalted. Look at Exalted for ideas.

What has the OP done that you hate him so much? Exalted is a classic case of failed design: a massive amount of character options, but the vast majority of them either suboptimal or outright meaningless in the face of particular "win button" combos.

Exalted is a "how not to", rather than a "how to". :smallannoyed:

[dragonfan6490]

psh. what kind of lame power is heart... (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway)

but seriously: open your browser on one of your days off, go to the TVTropes website and start browsing. you should find more then a few ideas there alone.

You are a cruel and vile person. That is horrible advice:smallwink:, he'll never get back to the forums. I just got back by prying myself away after two hours. :smallbiggrin: