PDA

View Full Version : How to get a System Tested?



Conners
2011-05-19, 10:25 AM
I've created a simple system. The mechanics seem good and solid.... problem is, I've gotten to the stage of statting monsters and spells. That means, I'll need to do an amount of testing and statting--jobs that aren't hard, but time-consuming.

Do you know a way to appeal to testers? Some forum I can post on for help in getting people to make spells/monsters and tell me how things are unbalanced?

If there isn't, it means it'll take quite a while for my campaign to start, which may disappoint my players.


Thank you for any help you can give.


EDIT: Here is what we have of the system, so far:
Basics of Rolling: The dice used are 1d100, and potentially a 1d50.

Rolling natural 10 or less is always a Miss. Rolling natural 1 is a Critical Miss, and has worse repercussions (in combat, it means you miss the next round).

Rolling natural 90 or more is a Critical, it generally means instant success or a bonus to your success. Rolling natural 100 is a Super Critical, and has a greater success or bonus to success than normal criticals.

The Stats: Your main Character Stats, are as follows:


ATK
DEF
Guile
Sneak
Magic/Faith
Charm

ATK, Attack, represents your understanding of the art of killing people, as well as physical strength and natural weaponry (someone with big claws has higher ATK). With high ATK, you are good at making others bleed/hurt. You can also use this stat to give an ATK bonus to fighting men under your direct command.

DEF, Defence, the reverse of ATK. This is your capability to avoid being hurt, to not be hit or minimize damage when hit. Represents reaction time, quickness, and knowing what to do when attacked. You can use this stat to give a DEF bonus to fighting men under your direct command.

Guile, your cunning and perception and quick-thinking. This is used to spot assassins who are sneaking up on you, to tell if someone is lying and to find or find out things.

Sneak, your ability to move unseen or unnoticed. This is a lot to do with control of your body--it's movement, your breathing, placing steps exactly how and where you want to. Can be used to Sneak by people, up to people for Sneak-Attacks, to move across a trapped floor without activating anything you don't want to, and to stab through the cracks of a target's armour when Sneak-Attacking.

Magic/Faith. Some can use Magic, or are blessed to use some of their deity's/deities' divine power.
The Magic stat represents your knowledge of magic, your ability to use your energy to manipulate the world around you, to hold more power for your use. Magic can be used for combat, hurling spells at your enemy, but it can also have many general uses outside of combat: Scrying distant lands with your crystal ball; Creating magical items for those who serve you; Summoning other-worldly creatures to do your bidding. It is said that the possibilities for magic are endless.
The Faith stat is not only a matter of devotion to a deity (or deities) and their divine favour--it is also a matter of controlling your spirit. A bit different from arcane arts, one learns to channel the seemingly endless energy of their own soul, by the method of the god(s)/goddess(es) they worship. While Faith-magic has less immediate power, mages are exhausted long before clerics are. Outside of battle, Faithful are well-liked by the people, able to improve many lives by use of their abilities. Those who are thought dead, sometimes, are saved--useful in the case of important persons. It is known also that one of high faith, will bring their deity's/deities' favour to their land.

Charm has little power in combat, in some ways--but then, it's social strength might make it the most powerful stat--if used well. Charm is measure of how likeable and capable of manipulating people's emotions you are, usually through a mix of beauty and deep understanding of psychology (it is known for very plain or ugly people with high Charm to exist, however).
As for the use of Charm: The most common, and the simplest use, is to be well-liked by the people around you, making them more accommodating. Other uses include convincing people to do things they'd rather not, telling lies people will believe even when presented with the truth, throwing an insult home and bringing them to terrible anger, distracting them so they only focus on you, and anything else which fits.

Secondary stats include:

HP
DT
ARM
WP
Mana

HP, Hit Points, represents your ability to keep fighting, even when greatly pained (also that you have a lot of blood to spare). Your HP gets reduced when you take Wounds (see the Wounds section in Combat for details). When your HP hits zero or less, you are incapacitated.

DT, Damage Threshold, a measure of your size and toughness, how hard it is to wound you effectively. The smaller a creature is, the less damage it takes to wound it heavily or kill it. The bigger a creature is, the larger cuts need to be to make it bleed out dangerously, and the more power needed in a hammer blow to smash the larger bones. With a high DT, most injuries you receive will by minor, and with a low DT, a hit is more likely to be deadly.

ARM, Armour, this is the effectiveness of the armour you are wearing.

WP, Wound Penalties, the totalled up penalty you receive from Wounds.

Mana is for Magic, used by Wizards/Sorcerers/etc.. The amount of Mana you have is equal to your Magic score. Your Current Mana decreases when you use spells, recovering over time.

Combat: Defence, Armour, and Damage Threshold: It starts with Damage Threshold, which is called "DT". Most humans have a DT of about 20. Using the DT of a character, you work out their "Wounding Numbers". Example:

Minor wound: Anything less than your DT, but more than/equal to your DEF and ARM put together.
Wound: 20, equal to your character's DT.
Serious wound: 40, twice your DT.
Crippling wound: 60, thrice your DT.
Killing wound: 80, four times your DT.

These are your Wounding Numbers. You add Defence, called "DEF", and Armour, called "ARM" to your Wounding Numbers (Or "WNs" if you like :smallwink:). So with a DEF of 10 and ARM of 10, they'd look like this instead:

Minor: 20.
Wound: 40.
Serious: 60.
Crippling: 80.
Killing: 100.

DEF and ARM add directly to your WNs (Wounding Numbers).

DEF note: You lose your DEF bonus when Sneak-Attacked (see "Sneak and Sneak-Attacking" for details).

ARM Penetration: When hit by an anti-armour weapon or the like, the GM will make a call to reduce your armour's bonus, for that attack only, by: One quarter, one half, three quarters, or the whole thing.

An example would be a fighter in mail ("chainmail") being hit by a sledgehammer. Mail is flexible, so it offers just about zero protection against such blunt force... so the GM makes the ARM bonus 0 (reduced by 100%) for that attack.

For a second example, a knight in full-plate is hit by a military pick. The GM halves the full-plate's ARM bonus, because it's hit by an anti-armour weapon.

A lot of this is played by ear, of course. The players should make sure to point out logical points (ONLY logical ones) for why their ARM shouldn't be reduced, and why their enemies' ARM should be. Abusing this could result in rocks falling and everyone dying, of course: You are warned, players!

More explanation of how DT works will be found in the Wounds and Attack Rolls section.

Attack Rolls: We're only talking about physical attacks currently. Magical attacks will be handled in the Spells section.

For an attack, you use your ATK (Attack) stat, including modifiers (such as weapons, circumstance bonuses, etc.). You roll 1d100+ATK against your target's DT (including modifiers). So, let's use the numbers from before, in the, Defence, Armour, and Damage Threshold section. Our target numbers are:

Killing: 100.
Crippling: 80.
Serious: 60.
Wound: 40.
Minor: 20.

We roll a 19. The opponent blocks our strike, or it glances off their armour.
We roll 20, and give a Minor wound to the target.
Roll 59 and they receive a normal Wound, 60 and they get a Serious wound, 90 and they receive a Crippling injury, 100 and they are dead.

So, to sum it up: If you roll equal to or over a WN (Wounding Number), the opponent receives the wound. They can only receive one wound per attack, so start from the worst Wound and make your way down.


Miss: Roll anything natural from 2 to 10 and you automatically miss, no matter how large your bonus to roll was.

Critical Miss: Upon this, you not only miss on your attack, you also don't get to do anything the next round.

Critical: Roll 1d50 (no modifiers) and add it to your roll. Or, roll 1d100 (no modifiers), round up to an even number if you roll an odd one, then divide the result by two. Regardless, you add the number to your previous attack roll.

Super Critical: Roll 1d100 (no modifiers), and add the result to your roll.


See the Wounds and HP section for details on what these attack rolls are doing to your enemy.

Wounds and HP: Wounds are what they sound like: Injuries. When you get injured, you start to get penalized, as follows:

Minor: -2
Wound: -8
Serious: -16
Crippling: -32
Killing: They are dead, that's a pretty bad penalty.

These penalties apply to all of your Main Stats (ATK, DEF, Guile, Sneak, Magic/Faith, Charm).

You keep track of how many of which Wounds you have. If you have 3 Minor, 1 Wound, 2 Serious, that would be a total Wound Penalty (WP) of -46. So, if you had +20 to your ATK roll, normally, you now have -26 to your ATK roll, until you get patched up.

It is possible to receive negative scores from Wound Penalties.


When you receive a wound, it also does HP damage, like so:

Minor: -1
Wound: -4
Serious: -8
Crippling: -16
Killing: You don't need HP any longer...

So in the case of receiving 3 Minor, 1 Wound, and 2 Serious, that'd be a total of 23 HP Damage.

If your HP is dropped to 0 or less, you are incapacitated. This doesn't necessarily mean unconscious--it could mean that you just are too scared to get up, your body won't respond due to a stupor it has gone into, your legs have been hacked off so you can't stand up, or you could be genuinely unconscious/in-shock.


Taking too many wounds will start a stacking effect. When you receive your 4th Minor wound, you immediately add a normal Wound to the character. Upon your 3rd Wound, you add a Serious wound. When you take the 3rd Serious Wound, you add a Crippling Wound. And when you get the 4th Crippling wound, you receive a Killing Wound... and die!

Wounds you receive from the stacking effect are the same as wounds you receive normally, giving you WPs (Wound Penalties), lowering your HP, and can cause more stacking effects. Example, what happens when you receive a Minor wound when your character looks like this?:

Minor: 3
Wound: 2
Serious: 2
Crippling: 3
Killing: 0

Answer: It stacks all the way up, to your death.


Note: Does it seem like it'll get annoying, having to change your WNs every time you receive a Wound? You'll need to lower every one of them by 2, each time you take a Minor. Well, there's a quicker way of doing that. The WP total you have written down, -20? Instead, leave your WNs as they are, and add 20 to your enemy's attack roll. -20 to your DEF, +20 to your enemy's ATK, it has the exact same result. This ought to save you some time, unless you don't mind changing the WNs every time.

Sneak and Sneak-Attacking: To Sneak, in Combat, you need to roll against several enemies. The GM decides how many of them you are opposed to, depending on how many of them are likely to be paying attention to you. You will also receive bonuses, in your Sneak attempt, if the conditions are favourable. IE: If it is very dark (and the opposition can't see well in the dark), there is tall plant-life you can hide in, there are rocks to hide behind, the enemy is distracted, there's alot of fog which makes it hard to see--these are the sort of conditions you should strive for.

Once you've worked out how many people you are opposed by, you roll Sneak against their Guile. If your Sneak roll (1d100+Sneak+circumstance modifiers) is higher than their Guile roll(s) (1d100+Guile+circumstance modifiers), you slip into the shadows and they don't know where you have gone. You won't be able to make any further actions, that round. However, if you fail and one of the opposition's rolls is higher than your Sneak roll, then you remain seen and lose your action for that turn (you wasted it on a failed Sneak attempt).

If you slip into the shadows, you can usually leave the encounter with no chance of pursuit. You can also move to most any part of the battlefield unchallenged, sometimes--though you will move slower since you are Sneaking. Most of all, however, you can Sneak-Attack people!


To Sneak-Attack someone, you Hide in the shadows. Then, you must pick someone to attack. You must roll your Sneak against their Guile--also, if they have bodyguards, your roll is against their Guile too. If you fail, you make an ordinary attack against the target (or a Bodyguard could intercept you). If you succeed the roll, you continue with a Sneak Attack:

The attack roll is the same. However, you decrease the opponent's ARM score by your Sneak score (minimum result of 0). So, if you had 30 Sneak, and their ARM score was 40, they would have 10 ARM against your attack (their ARM returns to normal after the attack). Also, your target doesn't get their DEF bonus. So, if you have 30 Sneak, and your Target has 40 ARM and 50 DEF--when you Sneak-Attack them, they will have 10 ARM and 0 DEF.

Spells and Magic: With Magic, the arcane sort, you use Mana. Your Max Mana is equal to your Magic score (without Wound Penalties). Mana isn't penalized by Wounds, only your Magic bonus to rolls.

So, a wizard with 25 Magic who uses a 5 Mana spell and has a -10 WP will look like this:

Wizard
Magic: 20/25 - 10 = 15

The first part is your Mana, and your original Magic score. Then you add in the "- WP = X" for the end result of your Magic Bonus.


To use a spell is very similar to an attack, except for a couple of things. A spell looks like this:

[Spell Name]
Attack: [X+]Magic __ Casting Time: [X turns/Instant]
Targets: [X] __ Range: [Touch/Close/Mid/Far/Distant]
Mana Cost: [X] __ Price: [X gold pieces]
Element: [X] __ Availability: [Level X University]
Effects: [X]
[Description of the spell, for fluff and common-sense purposes]

So, let's review that.

Spell Name: The name of the spell...

Attack: What you roll to use the spell to attack people. So, if it was 20+Magic, and you had a Magic of 25, that'd translate into 1d100+45.

Casting Time: How many turns it takes to use the spell. If it's "Instant", then you can use it immediately, the same as a Fighter's attack. If it's 1 turn, you spend the current turn charging the spell, then can release it on the next turn.

Targets: How many people you can attack with the spell. If there are multiple targets, you roll against each of them.

Range: What range the spell is usable at. You might be able to use the spell at a longer range than listed, but the GM would apply a stiff penalty. Touch requires you to touch the target, Close is about 10 to 20 feet away, Mid is as much as twenty yards away, Far is about longbow distance, 100 yards about. Distant can be a few miles away, generally used for non-combat spells. Unless otherwise noted, a spell is just as effective at shorter ranges (the GM can impose realistic penalties, of course, such as getting as burnt as your target if you use a fireball at Touch Range!).

Mana Cost: This is how much mana it costs to use the spell. When you begin casting the spell, you lose the appropriate amount of Mana.

Price: How much the spell costs to buy from the Magic University.

Element: What element the spell has. Usually, Fire does extra damage, Electricity hits more targets, Ice/Cold penalizes targets, and next-to-no creatures have resistance to Energy.

Availability: What level of University is needed to have the spell in stock.

Effects: Any extra effects the spell has. Fire spells, if they do a Serious wound, tend to add extra wounds, for example. It can also list drawbacks or requirements, here.

Description: This is mostly just fluff. Of course, fluff can be used to convince the GM to give you a bonus on the roll, or to receive a penalty. Use spells sensibly!


Now that you understand how spells work, here is a list of them: Light Bolt
Attack: Magic __ Casting Time: Instant.
Targets: 1 __ Range: Mid
Mana Cost: 1 __ Price: Gained automatically.
Element: Energy __ Availability: Gained automatically.
Effects: None.
Fires a strange bolt made of light. Hurts the enemy in some way other than burning, cutting or bruising... No one is sure how.

Ki Blast
Attack: 70+Magic __ Casting Time: 1 turn.
Targets: 1 __ Range: Far
Mana Cost: 20 __ Price: 50.
Element: Energy __ Availability: Level 4 Academy
Effects: None.
Using an inner energy sometimes called "Ki", the wizard throws a glowing orb of their inner strength at the target, the orb bursting with a lot of force on impact! There are rumours of a stronger version, called, "kamehameha".


Candle's Breath
Attack: 30+Magic __ Casting Time: Instant.
Targets: 1 __ Range: Close
Mana Cost: 5 __ Price: 5 gold
Element: Fire __ Availability: Level 1 Academy
Effects: If it inflicts a Serious or Crippling wound, the target also receives a Minor wound the following turn (from burning).
The wizard holds a candle, or a similar lit flame. He then blows the flame in the direction of the enemy, sending a small torrent of flame at them.

Torch's Breath
Attack: 50+Magic __ Casting Time: Instant.
Targets: 1 __ Range: Close
Mana Cost: 10 __ Price: 10 gold
Element: Fire __ Availability: Level 2 Academy
Effects: If it inflicts a normal Wound or worse, the target also receives a Minor wound the following turn (from burning).
Similar to the "Candle's Breath" spell. This one works with larger flames, like that of a flaming torch, sending a larger stream of flame at the enemy.

Fire Toss
Attack: 20+Magic __ Casting Time: 1 turn
Targets: 3 __ Range: Mid
Mana Cost: 15 __ Price: 20 gold
Element: Fire __ Availability: Level 3 Academy
Effects: If it inflicts a normal Wound or worse, the target also receives a Minor wound the following turn (from burning).
The caster summons an orb of flame in their hand. They sweep their hand quickly, the flame rolling forward from the caster's hand--enveloping whoever is nearby.


Wizards' Static
Attack: 10+Magic __ Casting Time: Instant.
Targets: 2 __ Range: Close
Mana Cost: 5 __ Price: 5 gold
Element: Electricity __ Availability: Level 1 Academy
Effects: None.
The wizard rubs his hands quickly. Then, raising them and spreading his fingers, he jerks his arms forward. Electricity jumps forth, shocking enemies who are nearby.

Lightning Rod
Attack: 20+Magic __ Casting Time: Instant.
Targets: 3 __ Range: Close
Mana Cost: 10 __ Price: 10 gold.
Element: Electricity __ Availability: Level 2 Academy.
Effects: None.
The wizard claps their hands together, then outstretches them upwards, spreading heir body outward. Electricity jumps forth around the wizard, striking those nearby. This spell is known to be particularly effective against foes who are attacking the wizard.

Thunder Shock
Attack: 10+Magic __ Casting Time: 1 turn.
Targets: 5 __ Range: Mid
Mana Cost: 15 __ Price: 20 gold.
Element: Electricity __ Availability: Level 3 Academy.
Effects: None.
The caster brings their arms close, charging them with magical energy. After a moment, they spring their hands forward, quick as a whip, their palms opened wide. Lightning bursts forward from the wizard, shocking several targets. While a lot of targets are hit, the spell is weaker than some.

Shocking Grasp
Attack: 90+Magic __ Casting Time: Instant.
Targets: 1 __ Range: Touch
Mana Cost: 15 __ Price: 20 gold
Element: Electricity __ Availability: Level 3 Academy.
Effects: None.
Clutching one wrist tightly with their other hand, electricity is charged into the gripped hand. With sparks flying from the hand, the wizard grabs onto their enemy, unloading many volts into the target. This is a powerful spell, but is risky due to its close range.


Heal
Healing: Heals (1d100+Magic)/10 HP and Wound Penalties*. __ Casting Time: 1 turn
Targets: 1 __ Range: Mid
Mana Cost: 30 __ Price: 50 gold
Element: Flesh __ Availability: Level 4 Academy
Effects: None.
Wizards aren't known for healing people. The reason isn't inability... it's inefficiency. The way a wizard knits flesh is far more complicated than calling upon the power of the gods. However, the result is arguably more powerful.
*: IE: The wizard rolls 60+20, healing 8 HP and "-8" of Wound penalties. So if the target had -10 penalty from a Minor wound and a Wound, it would become a -2 instead (you could remove the Wound, too).

We will need creative persons to invent new spells, and test the current ones, to make sure that while they're powerful, they aren't stupidly/game-breakingly powerful.

Faith-magic: Faith magic is a little different from arcane magic. You don't use Mana, so you have a seemingly unlimited supply of it. However, as a trade off, spells tend to take more turns to charge, and overall the wizard's spells will seem more powerful. Faith-users are better healers, for the most part, however.

Other than that, the rules are pretty much the same. Here is the Faith spell list we have so far: Healing Hand
Heal: Heals (1d100+Faith)/20 HP and Wound Penalties*, rounded down with a minimum of 1**. __ Casting Time: 1 turn.
Targets: 1 __ Range: Touch
Price: Gained automatically.
Element: Healing __ Availability: Gained automatically.
Effects: None.
The will-user places their hands to the injury, focusing their spirit toward it. They help to slow the bleeding, scab the flesh over, and can, overtime, speed up the recovery process. Pain is also reduced, making it easier for the benefactor to keep in the fight.
*: IE: The cleric rolls 60+20, healing 4 HP and "-4" of Wound penalties. So if the target had -10 penalty from a Minor wound and a Wound, it would become a -2 instead (you could remove the Wound, too).
**: Except on a Miss or Critical Miss, then your spell fails.


Summon Lightning
Attack: 50+Faith __ Casting Time: 3 turns.
Targets: 1 __ Range: Far
Price: 20 gold.
Element: Electricity __ Availability: Level 3 Temple.
Effects: Can attack Bodyguards of the target as well, or people otherwise very close to the primary target.
The character prays to their deity/deities. When the cleric is filled with the power of their deity, they point at the target. A lesser bolt of lightning strikes at the target.

Bodyguarding: You are able to bodyguard other characters. To do this, you will, obviously, have to stay close to them.

Who you can attack: You can only attack those who are right up to you. What counts as being right up to you: They attack you, they try to attack the one you are bodyguarding, they attack another bodyguard, or they are being attacked by the one you are bodyguaring.
If a person you are able to attack has bodyguards, you may attack their bodyguards.

Living Shield: You are acting as a living shield for your charge(aka: the one you're protecting). If someone tries to attack them, you will intercept the attack--a dangerous but noble action... If there are several bodyguards, you may be allowed to split the attacks between you, via GM ruling. A bodyguard cannot protect their charge from a Sneak-Attack, unless they spot the Sneaker with their Guile roll.

Attacking Formation: Now, there is a potential weakness to Bodguarding. If the charge is sufficiently guarded (three to six bodyguards) it is impossible to attack him, until enough bodyguards have been incapcitated. However, your charge won't be able to attack anyone in this state... except with certain spells.
You can, however, become an Attacking Formation. What this means is, your charge can attack people as normal--however, the first attack aimed at your charge can't be intercepted (they have to expose themselves to attack). This works for ranged or melee attacks, both require you to leave a gap enemies can attack through.


So, to sum up Bodyguarding: You can use it to defend non-fighting characters, having the bodyguards soak up attacks. Or, you can use it to support a weaker fighter, taking the brunt of the force while still allowing them to get a few hits in.
Notably, Bodyguarding will restrict your movement. You can only attack people who are right up to you, so it means the enemy can manoevre freely to better positions, or attack targets who aren't guarded.


Flow of Combat: Note that this is partially GM notes, so I go into a bit more detail then might be liked. Anyways, it goes like this:

You work out who is able to attack.
If some people are surprised and don't know what's going on, they lose their attack for that turn.

If you're a barbarian with a sword and no other weapon, and your enemies are elves shooting at you from a hundred feet away--unless you throw your sword at them you don't get an attack that round.

If a character devotes all their attention to running away, they don't have time to make an attack that round.
----
Use your intuition for what makes sense. After you've worked out who can attack who:


Decide who attacks who.
We don't keep track of position on a grid, so it's a matter of story as to who is within striking range that round. Don't bother working things out in-depth--the whole point of this system is quickness and simplicity. Just have a general idea, like, "Everyone is within a 50 feet radius.... I'll just say everyone is within striking range of everyone".

Take character intentions into account. If the four fighters with large shields are charged to defend the princess, it wouldn't make much sense for the monsters to attack the princess freely, just because she is also nearby. When characters commit to guarding others, you have to attack their guards first.
Of course, if the guarded character attacks you with a melee weapon... they might become fair game for the next round (depending if it's a twenty foot pole or a two inch dagger).
----
Anyway, don't get too in depth with this either. Just make sure you have a general storyish idea of what's going on. Then, decide who attacks who.


After that, onto rolling.
Don't worry about initiative. Everyone just rolls their attacks. What if two people roll Killing Wounds against each other...? They killed each other at the same time, something commonly found in duels. Everything that takes place is easily explained fluff-wise.


Take note of situational changes.
This is easy. Just progression of the story of the fight.

One of the characters is incapacitated and dying? Take note of it.
If the other adventurers decide to run away, they better have someone big and strong who can carry their friend... or else their buddy is left to get eaten.

Is the giant running towards the elves who are pelting him with arrows? Well, he's going to get closer each round.
Don't worry too much about distance measurements in any exactness, again. Think of distance round-wise, like: "OK, it will take two round for the troll to climb the rock-face, then one round for him to run up to you. The round after that, he can attack you."

And just anything else worth noting. This is mostly just storytelling, so don't think of it too mechanically.


Rinse Wash and Repeat.
There you have the entirety of combat.




Monster/NPC/Adventurer Stats:

[Humanoid Monsters]
/Faith
[ HP ] [ ATK ] [ DEF ] [Guile] [Sneak] [Magic] [Charm] [ DT ]
Troll 60 44 24 28 28 00 -5 30
Troll: +45 HP, +30 ATK, +10 DEF, +10 Guile, +10 Sneak, -10 Charm, DT +10.
Minotaur 40 35 -5 0 0 00 -15 25
Minotaur: +30 HP, +30 ATK, -10 DEF, -10 Guile, -10 Sneak, -20 Charm, +5 DT.
Ogre 30 25 -15 -15 0 00 -25 25
Ogre: +20 HP, +20 ATK, -20 DEF, -25 Guile, -10 Sneak, -30 Charm, +5 DT.
Bugbear 30 19 5 15 10 00 -5 23
Bugbear: +20 HP, +14 ATK, +5 Guile, -10 Charm, +3 DT.
Gnoll 22 13 7 18 20 00 -7 22
Gnoll: +12 HP, +8 ATK, +2 DEF, +8 Guile, +10 Sneak, -12 Charm, +2 DT.
Hobgoblin 15 10 10 10 10 00 -5 20
Hobgoblin: +5 HP, +5 ATK, +5 DEF, -10 Charm.
Orc 20 10 -5 0 5 00 -10 21
Orc: HP +10, ATK +5, DEF -10, Guile -10, Sneak -5, Charm -15, +1 DT.
Goblin 16 -5 15 16 20 00 -1 15
Goblin: HP +6, ATK -10, DEF +10, +6 Guile, +10 Sneak, -6 Charm, -5 DT
Kobold 12 -5 20 14 25 00 -5 15
Kobold: +2 HP, -10 ATK, +15 DEF, +4 Guile, +15 Sneak, -10 Charm, -5 DT

[Elven Kingdoms]
/Faith
[ HP ] [ ATK ] [ DEF ] [Guile] [Sneak] [Magic] [Charm] [ DT ]
Elf Militia 11 17 21 11 12 00 13 19
Elf Criminal 10 16 20 23 22 00 13 19
Elf Guardsman 9 14 18 15 9 00 16 19
Elf Brawler 7 10 12 12 6 00 12 19
Elf Watchman 5 7 11 15 12 00 14 19
Elf Ruffian 3 6 10 5 9 00 10 18
Elf Civilian 1 2 6 10 4 00 13 18
Elf: -5 HP, +2 ATK, +6 DEF, +5 Guile, Sneak +4, +8 Charm, -1 DT.


[Human Kingdoms]
/Faith
[ HP ] [ ATK ] [ DEF ] [Guile] [Sneak] [Magic] [Charm] [ DT ]

King 20 32 38 20 10 00 35 20
Serial Mugger/Killer 30 40 30 30 40 00 0 20
Royal Guard 30 35 40 30 25 00 30 22
Knight 25 30 30 15 10 00 25 21
Warrior 25 25 25 15 15 00 14 21
Soldier 20 20 20 10 10 00 10 20
Noble 15 20 20 25 15 00 30 20
Bandit 17 16 16 16 18 00 2 20
Militia 16 15 15 6 8 00 5 20
Cutthroat/Murderer 15 14 14 18 18 00 5 20
Guardsman 14 12 12 10 5 00 8 20
Thug 14 10 8 5 5 00 0 21
Brawler 12 8 6 7 2 00 4 20
Watchman 10 5 5 10 8 00 6 20
Tribal 10 5 5 10 10 00 5 20
Ruffian/Punk 8 4 4 0 5 00 2 19
Farmer/Peasant 6 0 0 5 0 00 5 19


[Adventurers]
/Faith
[ HP ] [ ATK ] [ DEF ] [Guile] [Sneak] [Magic] [Charm] [ DT ]
Barbarian 30 30 20 10 15 00 10 22
Fighter 25 25 25 20 20 00 20 21
Ranger 20 25 20 30 25 00 20 20
Cleric 20 20 20 20 15 20 20 20
Thief 15 20 25 30 30 00 20 19
Warrior-Bard 15 15 20 30 25 00 30 20
Knight 25 30 30 15 10 00 25 21
Noble 15 20 20 25 15 00 30 20
Wizard 10 10 15 20 15 25 20 18
Sorcerer 20 20 20 20 20 30 20 20
Soldier 20 20 20 15 15 00 15 20
Priest 10 10 15 20 15 25 20 18
Outlaw 25 20 20 25 25 00 10 21
Paladin 30 25 25 20 10 15 20 20
Duellist 20 25 30 25 20 00 25 20
Foolish Youth 10 10 10 10 10 10 15 18
Assassin 15 25 25 30 30 00 25 19
Spell-Sword 25 25 25 20 20 15 20 20
Champion 30 30 30 25 15 00 25 21
Wise Man 10 10 10 30 10 30 30 18

BlackestOfMages
2011-05-19, 11:40 AM
you post your system rules here, and we give you feedback:smallbiggrin:?

valadil
2011-05-19, 11:51 AM
IMO the best way to get people to playtest your system is to write up a one shot that they can play through. I've read through homemade systems before, but never felt up to writing and playing a module in an unplayed and untested system. However, I would be up for killing an evening trying out a pre-written one shot.

That said, all that is speculation. My system is taking forever to get written and while I plan on posting it alongside a free adventure, I can't say that it's actually worked for me.

If you're specifically looking for feedback on monsters and spells, my only suggestion is to go with an adventure like I said, but include a feedback form that specifically asks about monsters and spells. Which was the hardest fight? Which was the easiest? What spell saw the most use? Were any spells ambiguously worded, allowing for players to exploit them? Etc.

Dr.Epic
2011-05-19, 12:36 PM
Some forum I can post on for help in getting people to make spells/monsters and tell me how things are unbalanced?

http://circleh.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/picard-facepalm1.jpg%3Fw%3D462%26h%3D362

Finding Players (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=51)

Doc Roc
2011-05-19, 03:39 PM
Let me recommend reading "The Art of Software Testing" By Myers. Really very good.

Totally Guy
2011-05-20, 02:41 AM
I don't understand the facepalm.:smallconfused:

I think you should appeal to your group for help. I think that giving thenm input would show that you appreciate their opinions and give them creative buy-in.

DragonOfUndeath
2011-05-20, 08:25 AM
The facepalm is because there is a Forum specifically called Finding Players which is used for numerous playtests on various things and there is a Homebrew Forum to help stat out monsters if that is what he needs

potatocubed
2011-05-20, 08:59 AM
I'm testing Fatescape by running games of it. I've already hit a whole bunch of problems that I didn't see coming. =/

I suggest just lining up your campaign and pressing 'go'. Tell your players that you'll be adjusting things as you go along - most people are okay with that if they know it's coming - and don't be afraid to drastically re-work things mid-encounter if it doesn't seem to be going the way you want. Kill all the PCs by accident? Say "Oops, that was an accident. Retcon?"

J.Gellert
2011-05-20, 09:35 AM
I'm testing Fatescape by running games of it. I've already hit a whole bunch of problems that I didn't see coming. =/

I suggest just lining up your campaign and pressing 'go'. Tell your players that you'll be adjusting things as you go along - most people are okay with that if they know it's coming - and don't be afraid to drastically re-work things mid-encounter if it doesn't seem to be going the way you want. Kill all the PCs by accident? Say "Oops, that was an accident. Retcon?"

This is what I am doing as well - throw the stuff at your players, they shouldn't mind unless they are perfectionists. You get to experience how things work first-hand, and if it's your friends, you know you'll get good feedback.

The only time one of my players groaned was when I changed the "mana" system across sessions and even that didn't last :smalltongue:

Conners
2011-05-20, 10:08 AM
@BlackestOfMages: I'd be happy to, since you're interested. Added it to the first post.


@valadil: Hmm... I should consider that. Problem is that over PbP games, even a one-shot can take a lot of time... Might need to run several groups at once, so as to speed up testing.


@Dr.Epic: Not sure how much luck I'll have with people looking for games. My own players don't want to tackle it, after all. Still, I may as well give it a shot.


@Doc Roc: Immediate reaction, "How will a book about software help with this?" Realization, "Books which are useful and logical, tend to work for a lot of subjects." I'll make sure to check it out. Thanks Doc.


@Glug: I think he might be acting superior.

Did ask if they would like to help me out... but, they don't seem to be interested. They do help out with testing, just that this particular thing doesn't seem to their liking (all I have to work with for the tests is a diceroller and notetab, of course--so the self-tracking required might put people off).


@DragonOfUndeath: Didn't expect testing would have such interest :smalleek:. Figured people usually liked to stay for a bit of discussion about a system, then leave before any number mashing. This forum is better than I expected (didn't expect it to be a bad forum, just didn't expect it to be so good).


@potatocubed: Yeah, that's why testing is a necessity--problems hit you from all sides you AREN'T looking, usually o.o".

Yes, I suppose I ought to do just that. The system isn't bad for adjusting on the fly, either. Thanks Potato!


@Firkraag: Funny you mention changing a mana system.. thinking I might need to do just that at the current rate o_o.



Thank you for the advice, fellows! If you are interested, I added the rules system I'm using, to the top post.

Dr.Epic
2011-05-20, 10:36 AM
I don't understand the facepalm.:smallconfused:

He's asking if anyone knows about a forum to test this stuff on a forum when people often tests these things. That's like being in a Chinese restaurant and asking people if they know where they can find a Chinese restaurant. It's like being in a screening of Transformers 2 and asking if there are any bad movies you can see.

Totally Guy
2011-05-20, 10:38 AM
I don't know where I'd go but I don't think I'd choose here. It's a bit dogmatic around these parts.

Conners
2011-05-20, 10:56 AM
It's like being in a screening of Transformers 2 and asking if there are any bad movies you can see. I'll compliment you for this line :smallbiggrin:.


I think you put it well, Glug. That's where a good part of my uncertainty stems from.