Grod_The_Giant
2012-06-10, 09:05 PM
The Promise:
No books! No math! No prep time! No more than 15 minutes to make a character and start rolling!
Design Philosophy
STaRS is, at its heart, an attempt to create a lowest-common-denominator RPG system without drowning in rules. It started off very simple, because I didn't have the time, expertise, or inclination to do anything else. It stayed simple because, well... simple is good. Don't get me wrong, I like games like D&D, but the more I play RPGs, the more I start to appreciate simplicity. Too often, I've observed the argument that "well, it makes sense that you could do that, but there's a specific feat/advantage/spell/charm/class feature/power/buzzword that explicitly lets you do so, and I don't want to render it useless, so..." Mutants and Masterminds did a good job with its hero points/extra effort system, but it just doesn't go far enough.
My primary goal is for STaRS to sidestep that attitude entirely by simply not having a big list of feats/advantages/spells/charms/class features/powers/buzzwords. This leads to the secondary design goals (but primary marketing points): a system that's extremely flexible, and extremely easy to learn. I'd like it to be good for beginners. And I'd like it to encourage creative thinking and roleplaying, not just squatting on a grid and using pre-written abilities.
Mechanics
A STaRS character is defined by two sets of attributes: Abilities and Skills. These attributes are rated from a 1 (barely competent) to a 10 (perfection). When attempting to resolve an action, a player rolls a ten-sided die— a d10 in gaming parlance. If the number he rolls is less than his score, he succeeds. For example, Grognar the Barbarian has a Swordfighting Skill of 8. When he swings at a nearby orc, his player rolls a d10, coming up with a 6. This is less than his Skill, so the attack is successful.
While Abilities and Skills may be scored from 1 to 10, such extremes are rare. For most characters and settings, traits should be limited to between 8 and 3.
Abilities, as in most systems, represent a character's raw physical and mental capabilities. They are used in situations where skill is irrelevant-- such as when trying to break down a door or sprint across a room-- or when a relevant skill is lacking, such as when attempting to dodge an incoming attack. The eight abilities are:
Agility-- Physical and hand-eye and coordination.
Awareness-- Perceptiveness and insight.
Charm-- How well you can talk to others and convince them to listen to you.
Smarts-- Covers both common sense and “book learning.”
Speed-- Reaction time and physical speed. Tests of raw Speed might include sprinting across a room, or trying to react faster than an opponent.
Strength-- Raw physical strength.
Vigor-- Your ability to withstand physical exertion and damage.
Will-- Your ability to withstand mental exertion and damage.
A character could, conceivably, have multiple sets of Abilities. For example, a hero who could assume a different form might have a different set of physical Abilities. Vehicles always have their own abilities, although they generally lack mental Abilities such as Awareness, Charm, Smarts, or Will.
Abilities are ranked on a scale of 1-10, where a 5 is average, a 1 is barely able, and a 10 is superhuman perfection.
Skills represent everything else. Anything a character might be trained at or naturally gifted at can be a skill. Sword-fighting could be a skill, as could Fast-Talking, Stealth, or Fire Magic. The DM is ultimately in charge of decided what, exactly, is covered by a skill, but they should be fairly broad. A Martial Arts skill, for example, could cover both attacking and parrying melee attacks. Skills don't need to be incredibly specific, but it's equally bad to make them too broad. "Analytical Chemistry" is too specific to be worth the investment, but "Science" is likely to be effective in far too many situations.
Each Skill must be Linked to an appropriate Ability. A melee combat Skill like Swordfighting, for example, could be Linked to Strength or Agility. A Fast-Talking Skill might be linked to Charm. Your rank in a Skill starts at your rank in the linked Ability, and additional points may increase that.
A character who lacks an appropriate Skill may attempt to use an Ability in its place, albeit with a penalty. Usually, this penalty is 2 points, but it may be less for an easy task— such as using Strength to climb a wall— or more for a particularly difficult task— such as using Smarts to operate on an injured ally. The points may either be added to the d10 roll (making it higher than normal) or subtracted from the Ability score (making it lower than normal), whichever the player finds easier.
Traits and Items represent more tangible character resources. A magic sword, an all-terrain vehicle, the ability to fly-- all fall under the broad category of Traits and Items. As a general rule, a Trait is an inherent ability of a character, and cannot be removed, while an Item is a piece of outside equipment, whether that be a simple pistol or a high-tech battle suit.
Like Skills and Abilities, there are three ranks of Traits and Items-- Major, Minor, and Trivial.
Major Traits and Items add completely new talents, or benefit existing ones. Examples include:
A new or exotic talent which is not or cannot be controlled by a skill, such as the ability to walk through walls or teleport.
An unusual or armed vehicle or a sidekick of some description.
An item which provides a one-rank bonus to a single Skill, or a trade-off between Abilities (a bonus to one, and a penalty to another). Armor, for example, might provide a +1 bonus to Vigor and a -1 penalty to Speed.
Minor Traits and Items are related to Skills. Examples include:
A new or exotic talent which is governed by a Skill or Ability. Examples might include super-strength (based on Strength), fire magic (based on a "Fire Magic" Skill), telepathy (based on a "Telepathy" Skill), and so on.
A weapon or shield may also fall into this category or Trivial, depending on its cost, rarity, and uniqueness.
An item which provides a trade-off between Skills. A shield, for example, might provide a +1 bonus to a "Block" Skill but a -1 penalty to an attack Skill.
Trivial Traits and Items are either widely available or almost purely flavor-related. If not written on a character sheet, they can generally be easily obtained (if setting-appropriate). Examples include:
Commonplace items, such as a cell phone in a modern game, or a hammer in pretty much any setting.
Talents which rarely have significant in-game effect, such a perfect pitch or immunity to cold weather.
Gameplay
In play, the players roll all the die. When they attempt an action, they roll an offensive skill (such as Fast Talking). When an opponent attempts an action against them, they roll a defensive skill (such as Insight).
Not all actions are equally difficult. Players and Game Masters should work together to chose a power-level for the game in general, and their heroes in particular. Particularly easy actions, such as a super-strong hero trying to break down a wooden door, may be given a one-rank bonus. On the other hand, especially difficult tasks, such as a frail wizard trying to break down the same door, may be rolled at a one-rank penalty. One-rank bonuses should also be awarded for clever tactics and good roleplaying. Similarly, a one-rank penalty can be used to "excuse" an action which would not normally be possible, such as attacking multiple foes in a single action, or using an Smarts roll in place of a more specific Chemistry skill.
Combat
No story is complete without conflict, be it verbal or martial. Like most RPGs, combat in STaRS is divided up into rounds. During each round, a character may take a single action, such as attacking, moving, or using a Skill. At the Game Master's discretion, certain actions, such as drawing a weapon or drinking a potion, may not consume enough time to be considered an action. Conversely, certain actions, such as attempting to hack a security system, may take more than one round. Full and partial actions may be combined-- a character might draw his weapon and attack in a single action, or run across a room and take cover under a table.
In each round, characters may take their actions in order of Speed. In the case that two or more characters have equal Speed, the characters should randomly determine the order of action, most likely via a die roll.
An average human character-- that is, one with an Average-ranked Speed-- can move approximately thirty feet in a single action, although this can be adjusted based on the desired power level. Each additional rank of Speed doubles this movement speed. However, a character may attempt to cover a greater distance by making a successful Speed check. (Within reason; an average human might be able to run a hundred feet in a round, but he won't be able to run a mile no matter how hard he tries). These checks can, as usual, be made at a one-rank bonus or penalty.
As a general rule, one or two successful attacks against an NPC are sufficient to incapacitate them. A tougher enemy might require more successes to take down. To make a villain particularly dangerous, require that attacks against them be made at a -1 or -2 penalty.
When a player character is successfully attacked by an NPC, one Ability is damaged. Physical weapons usually damage Vigor, while social or mental attacks usually damage Will. When an Ability is damaged, the player makes a check. If he succeeds, he "shrugs off" the blow, and it is ineffective. If he fails, he takes an ongoing -1 penalty to the Ability until he receives first aid, healing magic, or takes time to recover on his own.
Optional rule: For more dangerous games, omit the Ability check after taking damage. Every successful attack inflicts a -1 penalty, no questions asked. For an extremely lethal game, either increase the penalty, or apply the same rules to player characters as are applied to non-player characters— a single successful attack is enough to kill or incapacitate!
An Ability reduced to Crippled leaves the character alive, but nearly helpless. A character with a Crippled Will has no courage, no resolve, and cannot help but to obey orders. One with a Crippled Vigor can barely act, if he is still conscious. When an Ability would be reduced below Crippled, the character is either rendered unconscious, or-- more likely-- permanently damaged. In all but the most light-hearted games, a character whose Vigor is reduced below Crippled is dead.
Character Creation
Character creation is a simple process. Players have 50 points to assign as they see fit to Abilities, Skills, and Traits and Items. Major Traits and Items cost 2 points, Minor cost 1, and Trivial are free (though more than 5 Trivial Traits are probably unnecessary).
For example, a character might have the following attributes:
Marshal John Wild
Abilities- 40 pts
Agility 6
Awareness 4
Charm 5
Strength 5
Speed 5
Vigor 5
Smarts 5
Will 5
Skills- 7 pts
Gunfighting 7 (Agility-linked)
Riding 7 (Agility-linked)
Fast-Talking 6 (Charm-linked)
Animal Handling 6 (Charm-linked)
Brawling 6 (Strength-linked)
Survival 5 (Awareness-linked)
Harmonica 6 (Charm-linked)
Traits and Items- 3 pts.
2pts— Horse ("Jimmy")
1pt— Trait: Can emphatically sense the feelings of animals
Trivial— Spencer Carbine, Colt Peacemaker, Bowie knife, horse tack, camping supplies
Future Goals/Thoughts
I'd be very interested in working out an alternate system for success/failure rolls, possibly involving coin flips-- given that the system requires no books or lists, freeing it from die dependence would render it completely portable.
An better name? I really wanted to work something out for QUEST, but the best I could come up with was QUick and Easy Storytelling Technique, which sounds awkward and artificial.
Original Ranks table
Ranks and Success Chances
{table=head]Rank|Minimum d10 roll|Chance of Success
Blessed:|2+|90%
Good:|4+|70%|
Average:|6+|50%
Poor:|8+|30%
Cursed:|10|10%[/table]
No books! No math! No prep time! No more than 15 minutes to make a character and start rolling!
Design Philosophy
STaRS is, at its heart, an attempt to create a lowest-common-denominator RPG system without drowning in rules. It started off very simple, because I didn't have the time, expertise, or inclination to do anything else. It stayed simple because, well... simple is good. Don't get me wrong, I like games like D&D, but the more I play RPGs, the more I start to appreciate simplicity. Too often, I've observed the argument that "well, it makes sense that you could do that, but there's a specific feat/advantage/spell/charm/class feature/power/buzzword that explicitly lets you do so, and I don't want to render it useless, so..." Mutants and Masterminds did a good job with its hero points/extra effort system, but it just doesn't go far enough.
My primary goal is for STaRS to sidestep that attitude entirely by simply not having a big list of feats/advantages/spells/charms/class features/powers/buzzwords. This leads to the secondary design goals (but primary marketing points): a system that's extremely flexible, and extremely easy to learn. I'd like it to be good for beginners. And I'd like it to encourage creative thinking and roleplaying, not just squatting on a grid and using pre-written abilities.
Mechanics
A STaRS character is defined by two sets of attributes: Abilities and Skills. These attributes are rated from a 1 (barely competent) to a 10 (perfection). When attempting to resolve an action, a player rolls a ten-sided die— a d10 in gaming parlance. If the number he rolls is less than his score, he succeeds. For example, Grognar the Barbarian has a Swordfighting Skill of 8. When he swings at a nearby orc, his player rolls a d10, coming up with a 6. This is less than his Skill, so the attack is successful.
While Abilities and Skills may be scored from 1 to 10, such extremes are rare. For most characters and settings, traits should be limited to between 8 and 3.
Abilities, as in most systems, represent a character's raw physical and mental capabilities. They are used in situations where skill is irrelevant-- such as when trying to break down a door or sprint across a room-- or when a relevant skill is lacking, such as when attempting to dodge an incoming attack. The eight abilities are:
Agility-- Physical and hand-eye and coordination.
Awareness-- Perceptiveness and insight.
Charm-- How well you can talk to others and convince them to listen to you.
Smarts-- Covers both common sense and “book learning.”
Speed-- Reaction time and physical speed. Tests of raw Speed might include sprinting across a room, or trying to react faster than an opponent.
Strength-- Raw physical strength.
Vigor-- Your ability to withstand physical exertion and damage.
Will-- Your ability to withstand mental exertion and damage.
A character could, conceivably, have multiple sets of Abilities. For example, a hero who could assume a different form might have a different set of physical Abilities. Vehicles always have their own abilities, although they generally lack mental Abilities such as Awareness, Charm, Smarts, or Will.
Abilities are ranked on a scale of 1-10, where a 5 is average, a 1 is barely able, and a 10 is superhuman perfection.
Skills represent everything else. Anything a character might be trained at or naturally gifted at can be a skill. Sword-fighting could be a skill, as could Fast-Talking, Stealth, or Fire Magic. The DM is ultimately in charge of decided what, exactly, is covered by a skill, but they should be fairly broad. A Martial Arts skill, for example, could cover both attacking and parrying melee attacks. Skills don't need to be incredibly specific, but it's equally bad to make them too broad. "Analytical Chemistry" is too specific to be worth the investment, but "Science" is likely to be effective in far too many situations.
Each Skill must be Linked to an appropriate Ability. A melee combat Skill like Swordfighting, for example, could be Linked to Strength or Agility. A Fast-Talking Skill might be linked to Charm. Your rank in a Skill starts at your rank in the linked Ability, and additional points may increase that.
A character who lacks an appropriate Skill may attempt to use an Ability in its place, albeit with a penalty. Usually, this penalty is 2 points, but it may be less for an easy task— such as using Strength to climb a wall— or more for a particularly difficult task— such as using Smarts to operate on an injured ally. The points may either be added to the d10 roll (making it higher than normal) or subtracted from the Ability score (making it lower than normal), whichever the player finds easier.
Traits and Items represent more tangible character resources. A magic sword, an all-terrain vehicle, the ability to fly-- all fall under the broad category of Traits and Items. As a general rule, a Trait is an inherent ability of a character, and cannot be removed, while an Item is a piece of outside equipment, whether that be a simple pistol or a high-tech battle suit.
Like Skills and Abilities, there are three ranks of Traits and Items-- Major, Minor, and Trivial.
Major Traits and Items add completely new talents, or benefit existing ones. Examples include:
A new or exotic talent which is not or cannot be controlled by a skill, such as the ability to walk through walls or teleport.
An unusual or armed vehicle or a sidekick of some description.
An item which provides a one-rank bonus to a single Skill, or a trade-off between Abilities (a bonus to one, and a penalty to another). Armor, for example, might provide a +1 bonus to Vigor and a -1 penalty to Speed.
Minor Traits and Items are related to Skills. Examples include:
A new or exotic talent which is governed by a Skill or Ability. Examples might include super-strength (based on Strength), fire magic (based on a "Fire Magic" Skill), telepathy (based on a "Telepathy" Skill), and so on.
A weapon or shield may also fall into this category or Trivial, depending on its cost, rarity, and uniqueness.
An item which provides a trade-off between Skills. A shield, for example, might provide a +1 bonus to a "Block" Skill but a -1 penalty to an attack Skill.
Trivial Traits and Items are either widely available or almost purely flavor-related. If not written on a character sheet, they can generally be easily obtained (if setting-appropriate). Examples include:
Commonplace items, such as a cell phone in a modern game, or a hammer in pretty much any setting.
Talents which rarely have significant in-game effect, such a perfect pitch or immunity to cold weather.
Gameplay
In play, the players roll all the die. When they attempt an action, they roll an offensive skill (such as Fast Talking). When an opponent attempts an action against them, they roll a defensive skill (such as Insight).
Not all actions are equally difficult. Players and Game Masters should work together to chose a power-level for the game in general, and their heroes in particular. Particularly easy actions, such as a super-strong hero trying to break down a wooden door, may be given a one-rank bonus. On the other hand, especially difficult tasks, such as a frail wizard trying to break down the same door, may be rolled at a one-rank penalty. One-rank bonuses should also be awarded for clever tactics and good roleplaying. Similarly, a one-rank penalty can be used to "excuse" an action which would not normally be possible, such as attacking multiple foes in a single action, or using an Smarts roll in place of a more specific Chemistry skill.
Combat
No story is complete without conflict, be it verbal or martial. Like most RPGs, combat in STaRS is divided up into rounds. During each round, a character may take a single action, such as attacking, moving, or using a Skill. At the Game Master's discretion, certain actions, such as drawing a weapon or drinking a potion, may not consume enough time to be considered an action. Conversely, certain actions, such as attempting to hack a security system, may take more than one round. Full and partial actions may be combined-- a character might draw his weapon and attack in a single action, or run across a room and take cover under a table.
In each round, characters may take their actions in order of Speed. In the case that two or more characters have equal Speed, the characters should randomly determine the order of action, most likely via a die roll.
An average human character-- that is, one with an Average-ranked Speed-- can move approximately thirty feet in a single action, although this can be adjusted based on the desired power level. Each additional rank of Speed doubles this movement speed. However, a character may attempt to cover a greater distance by making a successful Speed check. (Within reason; an average human might be able to run a hundred feet in a round, but he won't be able to run a mile no matter how hard he tries). These checks can, as usual, be made at a one-rank bonus or penalty.
As a general rule, one or two successful attacks against an NPC are sufficient to incapacitate them. A tougher enemy might require more successes to take down. To make a villain particularly dangerous, require that attacks against them be made at a -1 or -2 penalty.
When a player character is successfully attacked by an NPC, one Ability is damaged. Physical weapons usually damage Vigor, while social or mental attacks usually damage Will. When an Ability is damaged, the player makes a check. If he succeeds, he "shrugs off" the blow, and it is ineffective. If he fails, he takes an ongoing -1 penalty to the Ability until he receives first aid, healing magic, or takes time to recover on his own.
Optional rule: For more dangerous games, omit the Ability check after taking damage. Every successful attack inflicts a -1 penalty, no questions asked. For an extremely lethal game, either increase the penalty, or apply the same rules to player characters as are applied to non-player characters— a single successful attack is enough to kill or incapacitate!
An Ability reduced to Crippled leaves the character alive, but nearly helpless. A character with a Crippled Will has no courage, no resolve, and cannot help but to obey orders. One with a Crippled Vigor can barely act, if he is still conscious. When an Ability would be reduced below Crippled, the character is either rendered unconscious, or-- more likely-- permanently damaged. In all but the most light-hearted games, a character whose Vigor is reduced below Crippled is dead.
Character Creation
Character creation is a simple process. Players have 50 points to assign as they see fit to Abilities, Skills, and Traits and Items. Major Traits and Items cost 2 points, Minor cost 1, and Trivial are free (though more than 5 Trivial Traits are probably unnecessary).
For example, a character might have the following attributes:
Marshal John Wild
Abilities- 40 pts
Agility 6
Awareness 4
Charm 5
Strength 5
Speed 5
Vigor 5
Smarts 5
Will 5
Skills- 7 pts
Gunfighting 7 (Agility-linked)
Riding 7 (Agility-linked)
Fast-Talking 6 (Charm-linked)
Animal Handling 6 (Charm-linked)
Brawling 6 (Strength-linked)
Survival 5 (Awareness-linked)
Harmonica 6 (Charm-linked)
Traits and Items- 3 pts.
2pts— Horse ("Jimmy")
1pt— Trait: Can emphatically sense the feelings of animals
Trivial— Spencer Carbine, Colt Peacemaker, Bowie knife, horse tack, camping supplies
Future Goals/Thoughts
I'd be very interested in working out an alternate system for success/failure rolls, possibly involving coin flips-- given that the system requires no books or lists, freeing it from die dependence would render it completely portable.
An better name? I really wanted to work something out for QUEST, but the best I could come up with was QUick and Easy Storytelling Technique, which sounds awkward and artificial.
Original Ranks table
Ranks and Success Chances
{table=head]Rank|Minimum d10 roll|Chance of Success
Blessed:|2+|90%
Good:|4+|70%|
Average:|6+|50%
Poor:|8+|30%
Cursed:|10|10%[/table]