What system to use for a dark souls inspired game?

[MalcolmReynolds]

Hey playground

i'm faling in love with the game dark souls and think it could potentially transfer great to a tabletop format for a great experience.
however, i'm at a loss as to which system this would be based in.

the main points i would like to transfer into the game:
-one currency to rule them all. no gold and experience and whatever else, everything is done in one currency (souls, the name of this isnt exactly neccessary)
-very challenging, everything in the world can/wants to kill you. now, this could be done with just by increasing the cr of the enemies, making them tougher
-progression is non-linear, you increase one stat at a time. there are no classes, you want to wield powerful weapons you increase neccessary stats. you want to use sorceries, use right stats and purchase correct abilities.
-precise gameplay, little or limited randomness. with the difficulty of the game i dont want my players to have a great plan and then fail because of a fudged dice roll. i want minimal if any randomness, or controllable randomness i would say.

i am basically only familiar with dnd 3.5 and pathfinder (currently running a pathfinder campaign), and i feel that this type of system wouldnt work due to the sheer randomness and the focus on classes to give abilities. i've looked breifly into vampire the masquerade and we play a beat em up mutants and masterminds, whose gameplay i feel is right out, far too cartoony violence for the brutality i'm going for.

so, advice? what system should i look into?

[Gensh]

I think GURPS is a good fit:

Low hitpoints, increased only by investing in your Health stat
Only currency is character points
No classes
Rules account for designing magic weapons
Rolls are all 3d6, which yields a bell curve; i.e. average rolls are most likely


Now, it's been forever since I've looked at my books, so someone correct me if I'm wrong, but technically speaking, you only need the player book in order to play. The DM book gives you quite a bit more content - environmental hazards, how to simulate different time periods, etc - but is not strictly necessary. Beyond that, the Powers book was nice for expanding what players can do, though at the same time, a lot of it could easily be homebrewed. I didn't really concern myself with any of the other books, so I'm afraid I can't make any other suggestions there.

[rorikdude12]

GURPS. The real things needed to play are the player's book (GURPS Characters) and the DM book (GURPS Campaigns). GURPS Magic and GURPS Low-Tech, as well as GURPS Martial Arts, are some things I would recommend as supplements, but Characters and Campaigns are all you need. GURPS deals with gritty fun with hit locations, damage types, active defenses, and lots of fun. Good luck!

[Xefas]

Maybe look at Burning Wheel Gold (or Revised)?

No classes. All your skills increase by use. Swing your sword a lot? You get better with a sword. Stab a lot with a spear? You get better with a spear. Cast a lot of spells? Etc etc. If you wanna be extra good at those things, then you gotta increase the stats that they derive from, separately.

Combat is very involved for martial characters. You've got several stances, as well as positioning (which alters the effectiveness of various weapons and tactics), and a lot of options in how you attack. Light hits, strong hits, pushes, tackles, blocks, parries, counterstrikes, etc, etc. Everyone can use these options to some degree of effectiveness - it's not like D&D where Bull Rushing is never worth it unless you design your entire character around Bull Rushing. You've always got options, and your choices, as well as your ability to predict whats coming, always matter.

Fights are quick, brutal, and stressful. You want absolutely every advantage you can scrape together (beforehand and during). A fair fight is your worst enemy, and injuries matter a hell of a lot. Not only are they going to hinder you in the long term if you can't do something about them, but they can cause you to flinch and hesitate in the middle of combat - so bring friends. It definitely feels gritty and mean, which is why it reminds me of Dark Souls.

Outside of combat, there are plenty of ways for characters to poke dice rolls in their favor for really important stuff. And, even when you fail, your failure isn't binary - depending on your margin of failure, you can get compromises that let you get part of what you wanted, or keep your enemies from getting part of what they wanted. Not to mention, there are rules for characters enacting steps of a plan. If you logically progress from one roll to the next, you can build up bonuses along the way. It rewards characters for doing their research and planning ahead.