SMWallace
2015-08-29, 04:10 PM
The main rules of the game are described here. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?380561-Welcome-to-the-Digital-World-Homebrew)
Basically, I'm hoping to expand the game with some optional rules, and I'm looking for ideas and critiques of my own thoughts. Note that this should basically be the Unearthed Arcana of the game, and none of the optional rules presented should impose any authority on people playing the normal way; ideally, also, the optional rules won't rely upon one another to work, so people can pick out things they like and discard that which they don't.
The primary additional rules I'd be implementing would be those pertaining to the abnormal sorts of Digivolution. You know, Mode Change, Blast Evolution, DNA Digivolution, Armor Digivolution... Those. Also, I'll probably want some more definitive rules on advantages and status effects, since it's pretty much entirely "GM wings it" at the moment.
So, here's what I've got. There isn't much room to change the base system, but feel free to critique it if it makes you happy. What I'm mainly looking for is the merciless tearing apart of my optional rule ideas, and suggestions for how to fulfill the concept of the optional rule in a better way.
So, here I go with my current ideas for optional rules:
1) Anti-Paragon Dice: Under the normal rules, humans only have a variable die size for their Paragon Trait, while other rolls are at a fixed die size. Under these optional rules, the Anti-Paragon trait also develops its own die size, but this increases only temporarily. Humans increase the size of their Anti-Paragon dice any time they willingly emphasize their Anti-Paragon trait through actions and words. This is not the same as admitting your flaws, or acting as you normally would encumbered by the personal weakness. Rather, this is making a choice to bring out that part of yourself fully and embrace it, such as when Tai was willing to accentuate his reckless and insensitive side in order to force Greymon to Digivolve, shouting at Greymon to obey him and throwing himself in harm's way just to make Greymon protect him. This allows a measure of increased competence for the human, but his Paragon Trait's die is lowered by the same amount as the Anti-Paragon's is increased, limiting regular evolution by their partner. If using the Dark Digivolution optional rule in conjunction with this one, then if your Anti-Paragon die becomes larger than your regular Paragon die, your Digimon will automatically undergo a Dark Digivolution.
2) Dark Digivolution: Dark Digivolution is what happens when a human's Anti-Paragon Trait completely overwhelms their Paragon Trait and causes their Digimon partner to evolve the wrong way. If you are using the Anti-Paragon Dice optional rule, this happens automatically to a Digimon when their human partner's Anti-Paragon die exceeds their Paragon die. If not using that optional rule, it's the GM's prerogative to call for a Dark Digivolution when the human partner excessively emphasizes their Anti-Paragon Trait to their partner's detriment. A Dark Digivolved Digimon is one stage higher than their normal maximum, and is treated as three levels higher than the minimum for that stage. The exception is if they're already Mega-level, in which case they gain six effective levels. While powerful, Dark Digivolutions come with a major drawback: the Digimon becomes entirely unable to tell friend from foe, even attacking their own partner if they don't have a more pressing target. Regardless of if the Anti-Paragon Dice rules are being used or not, this process resets the Paragon Die to 4, forcing your Digimon into the In-Training stage. (If using the Anti-Paragon Dice rule, your Anti-Paragon Die is also reset to d6.) This can be raised back to d6 (and thus the partner can re-attain Rookie level) just through rest, but in order to raise the Paragon die all the way back to normal, the human must admit to the error of his previous actions and perform a symbolic action with or pertaining to the Digimon partner to represent growing back in the right direction.
3) DNA Digivolution: two characters of the same Digivolution stage and character level can DNA digivolve under very specific circumstances, as defined by the GM, depending on whether he prefers DNA Digivolution as a regular source of power (like in Adventure 02) or as a once-or-twice per campaign major power boost. DNA Digivolution results in an extremely powerful Digimon one stage higher than each of its base Digimon, unless those Digimon are already Mega, in which case the DNA Digivolution is treated as four levels higher than the base Digimon. DNA Digivolved Digimon get two actions per round instead of one (each player of the original Digimon getting one action), have a number of traits equal to the sum of the base Digimons' number of traits, possess their effective level again in HP, and split apart when beaten rather than becoming available to finish off (though the base Digimon will go to their lowest available stage and only have one HP, needing food and rest to recover).
4) Mode Change: Mode Changes are either identical to normal Digivolution if they change the Digivolution stage, or add one die and trait to the character if they stay at the same level. These rules also generally apply to Blast Digivolution.
5) Armor Digivolution: DigiElementals or DigiEggs can allow Armor Digivolution. This is identical to normal Digivolution, but don't require the partner to have an advanced Paragon Trait and can't be nullified by things that normally block Digivolution. However, an Armor Digivolution's stats are limited to before they would gain the next stage, and unlocking an Armor Digivolution does not grant the bonus die for first unlocking a stage. In almost all cases, Armor forms are treated as Champions. The only canon exception is with Golden Armor Digivolution, which is treated as Mega, but other exceptions could exist in your game.
6) Super Ultimate: This is an optional rule regarding the incredible Super Ultimate form, the fabled state beyond Mega. Such power has truly massive requirements: even the four gods of the Digital World DNA Digivolving together still results in a "mere" Mega. In order to Digivolve to Super Ultimate, a character must be level 35 or higher, have defeated 30 or more Mega-level Digimon, have at least seven bonus traits in their Mega form, and have access to the setting's purest source of Digivolution; in most settings, this will be something like having the "Light of Digivolution" all to themselves. A Super Ultimate Digimon gets as many traits as its Mega form had, gets an additional twenty HP, and gets a +2 to all dice rolls. A Super Ultimate is permanently at that form and level, never changing again unless deleted. A Super Ultimate is not merely the Big Bad or Big Good of a campaign; beings as strong as Super Ultimates warp the entire cosmos by their very existence, and indeed would treat even the gods of the Digital World as mere playthings. Include in your game only with utmost caution.
7) Advantages: Minor advantages (fighting a hungry enemy, or severe elemental terrain imbalance imbalance like a fire Digimon fighting an ice Digimon over a lake of lava, or especially appropriate attacks like an attack that uses smell to stun against a creature with powerful smelling ability, or effective tactical scenarios like ambushes) give the one with the advantage a bonus die or take a die from the pool of the disadvantaged one, depending on circumstance. Major advantages (almost always things specifically tailored to an enemy, like having your enemy poisoned with something designed for their exact species) either grant or take two dice from the pools. These benefits can stack, but it'd be a rather exceptional circumstance (Yukidarumon afflicted with Yukidarumon-specific curse ambushed by fire Digimon on rock platform above lava lake!?).
That's about what I've come up with for now. Tear it apart, tell me what would make them better, suggest your own. Thanks in advance for helping me make the game's optional rules better!
Basically, I'm hoping to expand the game with some optional rules, and I'm looking for ideas and critiques of my own thoughts. Note that this should basically be the Unearthed Arcana of the game, and none of the optional rules presented should impose any authority on people playing the normal way; ideally, also, the optional rules won't rely upon one another to work, so people can pick out things they like and discard that which they don't.
The primary additional rules I'd be implementing would be those pertaining to the abnormal sorts of Digivolution. You know, Mode Change, Blast Evolution, DNA Digivolution, Armor Digivolution... Those. Also, I'll probably want some more definitive rules on advantages and status effects, since it's pretty much entirely "GM wings it" at the moment.
So, here's what I've got. There isn't much room to change the base system, but feel free to critique it if it makes you happy. What I'm mainly looking for is the merciless tearing apart of my optional rule ideas, and suggestions for how to fulfill the concept of the optional rule in a better way.
So, here I go with my current ideas for optional rules:
1) Anti-Paragon Dice: Under the normal rules, humans only have a variable die size for their Paragon Trait, while other rolls are at a fixed die size. Under these optional rules, the Anti-Paragon trait also develops its own die size, but this increases only temporarily. Humans increase the size of their Anti-Paragon dice any time they willingly emphasize their Anti-Paragon trait through actions and words. This is not the same as admitting your flaws, or acting as you normally would encumbered by the personal weakness. Rather, this is making a choice to bring out that part of yourself fully and embrace it, such as when Tai was willing to accentuate his reckless and insensitive side in order to force Greymon to Digivolve, shouting at Greymon to obey him and throwing himself in harm's way just to make Greymon protect him. This allows a measure of increased competence for the human, but his Paragon Trait's die is lowered by the same amount as the Anti-Paragon's is increased, limiting regular evolution by their partner. If using the Dark Digivolution optional rule in conjunction with this one, then if your Anti-Paragon die becomes larger than your regular Paragon die, your Digimon will automatically undergo a Dark Digivolution.
2) Dark Digivolution: Dark Digivolution is what happens when a human's Anti-Paragon Trait completely overwhelms their Paragon Trait and causes their Digimon partner to evolve the wrong way. If you are using the Anti-Paragon Dice optional rule, this happens automatically to a Digimon when their human partner's Anti-Paragon die exceeds their Paragon die. If not using that optional rule, it's the GM's prerogative to call for a Dark Digivolution when the human partner excessively emphasizes their Anti-Paragon Trait to their partner's detriment. A Dark Digivolved Digimon is one stage higher than their normal maximum, and is treated as three levels higher than the minimum for that stage. The exception is if they're already Mega-level, in which case they gain six effective levels. While powerful, Dark Digivolutions come with a major drawback: the Digimon becomes entirely unable to tell friend from foe, even attacking their own partner if they don't have a more pressing target. Regardless of if the Anti-Paragon Dice rules are being used or not, this process resets the Paragon Die to 4, forcing your Digimon into the In-Training stage. (If using the Anti-Paragon Dice rule, your Anti-Paragon Die is also reset to d6.) This can be raised back to d6 (and thus the partner can re-attain Rookie level) just through rest, but in order to raise the Paragon die all the way back to normal, the human must admit to the error of his previous actions and perform a symbolic action with or pertaining to the Digimon partner to represent growing back in the right direction.
3) DNA Digivolution: two characters of the same Digivolution stage and character level can DNA digivolve under very specific circumstances, as defined by the GM, depending on whether he prefers DNA Digivolution as a regular source of power (like in Adventure 02) or as a once-or-twice per campaign major power boost. DNA Digivolution results in an extremely powerful Digimon one stage higher than each of its base Digimon, unless those Digimon are already Mega, in which case the DNA Digivolution is treated as four levels higher than the base Digimon. DNA Digivolved Digimon get two actions per round instead of one (each player of the original Digimon getting one action), have a number of traits equal to the sum of the base Digimons' number of traits, possess their effective level again in HP, and split apart when beaten rather than becoming available to finish off (though the base Digimon will go to their lowest available stage and only have one HP, needing food and rest to recover).
4) Mode Change: Mode Changes are either identical to normal Digivolution if they change the Digivolution stage, or add one die and trait to the character if they stay at the same level. These rules also generally apply to Blast Digivolution.
5) Armor Digivolution: DigiElementals or DigiEggs can allow Armor Digivolution. This is identical to normal Digivolution, but don't require the partner to have an advanced Paragon Trait and can't be nullified by things that normally block Digivolution. However, an Armor Digivolution's stats are limited to before they would gain the next stage, and unlocking an Armor Digivolution does not grant the bonus die for first unlocking a stage. In almost all cases, Armor forms are treated as Champions. The only canon exception is with Golden Armor Digivolution, which is treated as Mega, but other exceptions could exist in your game.
6) Super Ultimate: This is an optional rule regarding the incredible Super Ultimate form, the fabled state beyond Mega. Such power has truly massive requirements: even the four gods of the Digital World DNA Digivolving together still results in a "mere" Mega. In order to Digivolve to Super Ultimate, a character must be level 35 or higher, have defeated 30 or more Mega-level Digimon, have at least seven bonus traits in their Mega form, and have access to the setting's purest source of Digivolution; in most settings, this will be something like having the "Light of Digivolution" all to themselves. A Super Ultimate Digimon gets as many traits as its Mega form had, gets an additional twenty HP, and gets a +2 to all dice rolls. A Super Ultimate is permanently at that form and level, never changing again unless deleted. A Super Ultimate is not merely the Big Bad or Big Good of a campaign; beings as strong as Super Ultimates warp the entire cosmos by their very existence, and indeed would treat even the gods of the Digital World as mere playthings. Include in your game only with utmost caution.
7) Advantages: Minor advantages (fighting a hungry enemy, or severe elemental terrain imbalance imbalance like a fire Digimon fighting an ice Digimon over a lake of lava, or especially appropriate attacks like an attack that uses smell to stun against a creature with powerful smelling ability, or effective tactical scenarios like ambushes) give the one with the advantage a bonus die or take a die from the pool of the disadvantaged one, depending on circumstance. Major advantages (almost always things specifically tailored to an enemy, like having your enemy poisoned with something designed for their exact species) either grant or take two dice from the pools. These benefits can stack, but it'd be a rather exceptional circumstance (Yukidarumon afflicted with Yukidarumon-specific curse ambushed by fire Digimon on rock platform above lava lake!?).
That's about what I've come up with for now. Tear it apart, tell me what would make them better, suggest your own. Thanks in advance for helping me make the game's optional rules better!