What is Legend?

[Archpaladin Zousha]

I've been hearing something called Legend was released recently and it apparently is the best d20 system since Pathfinder or something, but Wikipedia and TV Tropes, my usual sources of information for things like this are turning up blank. So I turn to the infinite wisdom of the Playground with these question: What is Legend? What's it about? How does it play? How does it hold up under Iron Liz's categories: Content (the flavor and setting of the game), Game Mechanics (how effective the rules are and how easy are they to learn), Character Creation (What options one has to make a character, how easy it is to translate a concept into a game character and how easy it is to make said character) and Game Mastering (how accessible the is game to new GMs and how easy it is for a GM to build and run plotlines/campaigns/encounters)? I'd appreciate any answers, as I may look into this as my next big RPG-related purchase. Thank you. :smallsmile:

[Urpriest]

There's a Legend thread on this forum, I'd look there first. The game was designed by Playgrounders, I'm sure they'd be tickled pink to hear that someone around here ran into the game from outside hype.

[Seerow]

I am Legend

[CTrees]

It's really quite a unique and interesting take on the d20 system. Menu much bigger change from 3.5 than pathfinder, and actually well balanced. I'd go with finding the thread here and checking it out.

[Hiro Protagonest]

Legend is wayyy better than Pathfinder.

You can spend your level 9 feat slot to grow wings. WINGS. PERMANENT, NO CATCH, WINGS.

You can also get an item at 5th level (when you first gain a greater item slot) that gives you the same thing.

You can also spend a feat at any level to gain the ability to use a swift action to turn all your movement that round into teleportation. There's another that grants tremorsense, and one that requires the tremorsense feat that gives teleportation twice per encounter.

Also, it's free. If you go through the older posts, you can also download all the donation prizes for free. Here's (http://www.ruleofcool.com/) the link, and here's (http://www.ruleofcool.com/page/4/) the first page with donation bonuses, as well as the character sheet prototype link near the bottom.

[Nohwl]

the tvtropes page for legend was here. (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/TabletopGame/LegendGameSystem?from=Main.LegendGameSystem)

[Mystify]

I've been hearing something called Legend was released recently and it apparently is the best d20 system since Pathfinder or something, but Wikipedia and TV Tropes, my usual sources of information for things like this are turning up blank. So I turn to the infinite wisdom of the Playground with these question: What is Legend? What's it about? How does it play? How does it hold up under Iron Liz's categories: Content (the flavor and setting of the game), Game Mechanics (how effective the rules are and how easy are they to learn), Character Creation (What options one has to make a character, how easy it is to translate a concept into a game character and how easy it is to make said character) and Game Mastering (how accessible the is game to new GMs and how easy it is for a GM to build and run plotlines/campaigns/encounters)? I'd appreciate any answers, as I may look into this as my next big RPG-related purchase. Thank you. :smallsmile:
Content:
The setting hasn't been explored in great detail yet, but I would consider that secondary to the system itself in any event. Much like D&D(probably moreso), it suitable to a wide range of settings and explicitly provided guidelines to customizing the content to your game.
Game Mechanics:
Its easy to learn,esp. coming from a D&D background. The rules are very effective, and offer a lot of options without overwhelming you. For instance, power attack and flurry are both options built into the system.
Character creation:
The character creation is great. You have 3(or 4) tracks. Each track is basically a coherent line of class features. A barbarian's rage is a track. Spellcasting is a track. Sneak attack is a track. Your classes offer a variety of tracks that you select from, which give you the basis of your abilities. If you want to multiclass, you simply trade out one of your tracks for a track from another class. You get everything that track would grant you. This offers a great deal of customization, allowing you to make a barbarian ranger in a wide variety of ways. There are also a selection of tracks not associated with the classes that you can multiclass into.
Special races work in the same way. They have a track associated with them, which you multiclass with. Want to be a dragon? You trade one of your tracks for the dragon track. Want to be a vampire, or a lich, or a construct? Same deal.
This approach is very well balanced, yet offers you tons of choices.
On top of that, you have feat selection, and possibly legendary abilities, to further customize your character. They also have the concept of a "Iconic feat", which a character can only get 1 of, but offers something very unique to the character.
It is very easy to do. If you are familiar with the tracks, you can select a few very quickly, and build a character around them. I was able to explain the system , help 5 people make characters for the first time, and have time for an encounter, all within a 2 hour timespan. And they all agreed that character creation would go much faster the second time around.
Game mastering:
That is its weak point at the moment, but not for long. The monster manual has not been published yet, so you have to make your own monsters. However, the monster creation follows the same rules of character creation, so designing a monster gives you an easy way to scale it to whatever level you deem appropriate. It is also easy to do, as making a character is. They are also working on guides to make magic items.

[Archpaladin Zousha]

Where's the thread here on the Playground for the game? I looked around the Role-playing section and am not turning up anything.

[Seerow]

Where's the thread here on the Playground for the game? I looked around the Role-playing section and am not turning up anything.

2 threads below this one as of when I checked.

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=231615

[Dusk Eclipse]

It is here in the d20 sub forum as it is based in the d20 system, actually I think it is a few spots under this very thread right now.

[Doc Roc]

Legend is wayyy better than Pathfinder.

You can spend your level 9 feat slot to grow wings. WINGS. PERMANENT, NO CATCH, WINGS.

You can also get an item at 5th level (when you first gain a greater item slot) that gives you the same thing.

You can also spend a feat at any level to gain the ability to use a swift action to turn all your movement that round into teleportation. There's another that grants tremorsense, and one that requires the tremorsense feat that gives teleportation twice per encounter.

Also, it's free. If you go through the older posts, you can also download all the donation prizes for free. Here's (http://www.ruleofcool.com/) the link, and here's (http://www.ruleofcool.com/page/4/) the first page with donation bonuses, as well as the character sheet prototype link near the bottom.

Donation prizes already released will always be free. We may have to sell the adventure path modules for a small fee to justify illustrating them, though, but it'll probably be a buck or two per module.

[Alefiend]

Just so there's no confusion, there are in fact two (2) RPGs named Legend. One is the GITP-member created one,which has been mentioned several times. The other is from Mongoose Publishing, as can be seen here (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/rpgs/legend.html).

[Archpaladin Zousha]

Just so there's no confusion, there are in fact two (2) RPGs named Legend. One is the GITP-member created one,which has been mentioned several times. The other is from Mongoose Publishing, as can be seen here (http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/rpgs/legend.html).

I was asking about the former, no worries. :smallsmile:

[afroakuma]

I've been hearing something called Legend was released recently and it apparently is the best d20 system since Pathfinder or something, but Wikipedia and TV Tropes, my usual sources of information for things like this are turning up blank. So I turn to the infinite wisdom of the Playground with these question: What is Legend? What's it about? How does it play? How does it hold up under Iron Liz's categories: Content (the flavor and setting of the game), Game Mechanics (how effective the rules are and how easy are they to learn), Character Creation (What options one has to make a character, how easy it is to translate a concept into a game character and how easy it is to make said character) and Game Mastering (how accessible the is game to new GMs and how easy it is for a GM to build and run plotlines/campaigns/encounters)? I'd appreciate any answers, as I may look into this as my next big RPG-related purchase. Thank you. :smallsmile:

Since you haven't been to the other thread yet, Zousha, I figured I'd come in here and give you the rundown. Especially given that the other thread is now filled with established fans and it's also my job. :smallcool:

Content
The game's setting is not out yet, but it was designed to accommodate fantasy and steampunk with relative ease. The first module breaks off in a wild new direction to demonstrate the game's ability to do even modern fantasy.

Game Mechanics
An improved version of 3.5, completely retooled to make an all-new game. If you've played that game, it'll be less difficult to get into automatically. However, given that it simplifies a great deal of what 3.5 did, it's far more approachable from the get-go. And boy does it ever get things done. New rules for social encounters and the derived Skill Games facilitate some innovative new gameplay ideas and reward powers in areas outside traditional combat.

Character Creation
Easily Legend's key selling point, with unbelievable flexibility matched by surprising balance between choices. The options available allow you to forge pretty much any idea you can conceive into a viable character. Vertical, rather than horizontal, is the style for multiclassing. This allows for integration of diverse elements without weakening your character.

Game Mastering
Well, it's all in the one book.

[Archpaladin Zousha]

Game Mastering
WOW, what is there to say about Legend for GMs...


http://images.icanhascheezburger.com/completestore/2008/11/6/128704928277356927.jpg

That.
I don't follow. :smallconfused:

[afroakuma]

Well, it's all in the one book. And they're putting up new GM stuff on the site all the time, which is of course helpful.

I just find that Legend was tremendously developed from the player side and is playing catch-up on the other end. Once it has a monster book, more items, and systems in place to assist GMs in developing new content, it'll be far better. At the moment, I personally find running Legend as written to be unsatisfactory.

Still better than running 3.5 :smalltongue: