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Lord_Drayakir
2008-01-15, 10:41 PM
Okay, before I start, I will say that I obviously do not intend any copyright violations, so if anything I can remove this.

Second, anyone should feel free to add. I started this idea a month ago, worked on a pitch of inspiration, and then dropped it due to boredom. I might pick it up again, but until I do, have fun, and add stuff if you want. Or critique. Whichever.

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Basic Rules:

Character Generation:

-Floating Roll- 4d6, pick best 3, re-roll smallest number
-Max HP first level, later roll normally+level to HP

Races: Human (as standard), Jagerkin (+4 to Strength, +6 to Constitution, -4 Charisma, ECL+3), Construct (similar to Necropolitan: increase HP to d12, no Constitution score, "undead" traits, ECL +1), Dimmers (+2 to Constituion, +2 to Wisdom, -4 to Charisma, ability to take Occultist class, Unnatural aura (-1 to enemy rolls), ECL +2), Chrons (+2 to Intelligence, +2 to Wisdom, - 4 to Constitution, 5% chance of character action failure, ECL +1)

Benefits: Roll 1d10, and consult the following table. You can pick a talent that is one higher or one lower than the one you rolled. Example: You roll a 4, which means you can pick either Emulator (3), Social Grace (4), or Wealthy (5). If you roll a 1 you "go down" to 10, then 1, then 2. If you roll 10, you can pick 9, 10, or "go up" to 1."

1- Combatant: increase BAB one step (.5/level to .75/level, .75 to level to 1/level, 1/level to 1.25/level (giving you a +1 to BAB every 4 levels)), free Weapon Proficiency and Weapon Focus with a weapon of your choice.

2- Scatterbrained: pick an ability. You get +1 to all checks/skills you have in that ability. For example, if you pick Wisdom, and you have Spot, Listen, Profession: Mechanic, and Heal, you would get a +4 to each roll you make with those skills. This can only be applied to skills that you have ranks in.

3- Emulator: if you spend a standard action observing someone doing a skill or a feat that requires an action, you can perform the same skill or feat within one minute of observing it. For example, if you see someone use the Perform: Singing skill with 5 ranks, you can perform it with 5 ranks + your own Charisma modifier. If you see someone use the Weapon Finesse feat, you can now apply your Dexterity bonus to your weapon (that meets Weapon Finesse requirements).

4- Social Grace: you gain a +1/level bonus to all social interaction skills (Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate). So, at level 6 you would gain a +6 bonus to Bluff, Diplomacy, and Intimidate.

5- Wealthy: you gain a monthly income of d% times 100ma from a business you own, or an estate of your family. So, supposing for the month of April you rolled a 57 on your d% roll, which would mean you made 5700ma.

6- Occultist: you can take the Occultist class, similar to Dimmers, with RP penalties, but no ECL. Also, you gain the ability to Banish: uses a spell slot to send a creature non-native to this dimension back to it's home, if it fails a Will save of DC=10+your Intelligence modifier+spell slot used.

7- Hypnotist: you gain several "gaze" attacks that are a full-round action that can be attempted on any intelligent creature, outside of combat. All of these use Will saves. Implant a Suggestion: unlike the regular spell, you can put a command in the person's subconsciousness, that acts as either the Bless or Bane spell targeting a single person (either a +1 to most rolls, or a -1 to most rolls). DC is 19+Charisma modifier, lasts for 1 hours/level. Weaken Mind : Similar to Implant a Suggestion, but instead gives target a -4 penalty to resisting Hypnotist skills. DC is 17+Charisma modifier, lasts for 1 hour/level. Strengthen Resolve: Similar to Implant a Suggestion, but gives target a +4 bonus to resisting Hypnotist skills, and this ability can be used on yourself. DC is 19+Charisma modifier. Charm: change a person's attitude to Helpful, regardless of previous attitude. DC is 15+Charisma modifier, lasts for 10 minutes/level. Sleep: acts as the spell, no HD limit. DC is 15+Charisma modifier, lasts for 1 hour/level Dominate: acts as the spell Dominate Person. DC is 13+Charisma modifier, lasts for 1 minute/level.

8- Faithful Companion: start play with an NPC under your control. The companion could be one of the following: Cohort, Animal, Steed, Clank, Biomech, Vehicle.

9- Strategist: you gain several abilities with which you can greatly affect any sort of combat, from one-on-one duels, to massive battles involving aerial navies, as long as you had time to prepare. Inspiration: when you fight alongside your allies, you all get a +1 bonus to all attack and save rolls. Leadership: you automatically receive the Leadership feat, and each one of your levels counts for 2. So, at level 7, with a +4 Charisma modifier, and a home base, you would have a leadership score of 20 (14 from levels, 4 from Charisma, 2 from having a base of operations). Recruitment Drive: you can make a special Diplomacy check if you want additional troops for a battle or a campaign. When you enter any sort of population center, you can make a Diplomacy check. The inhabitants of the place make a Will save of DC=10+1/4th of your Diplomacy Roll+your Charisma modifier minus 4 if you're recruiting for a campaign minus the town's population modifier (-1 for thorp, -2 for hamlet, -3 for village, and so on until -8 for a metropolis). For example, if you enter a small town, and make a Diplomacy roll of 23, with a Charisma modifier of 4, while recruiting for a campaign, the villagers would make a Will save vs. a DC of 11 (10+1/4th of 23 (5)+4 from Charisma, minus 4 for it being a campaign and another minus 4 for it being a village. Make each save for every population. Coordination: you devise a plan for instantaneous communication between your allies. This allows commands to be relayed immediately between you and your allies/troops, and you can apply your Inspiration ability to all of your allies. Battle Plan: you devise a plan for combat before an encounter that you are aware of. For every troop that you relay it to, they get a favored enemy of the opponent they are facing, as though they were a Level 5 Ranger (a +4 bonus to Bluff, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot, Survival checks, as well as a +4 bonus to damage rolls).
Logistics: when you prepare, you can give your allies a +25% increase in movement speed, be it for personal movement (+7 feet/round for normal movement) to moving ships (+5 miles/hour for a personal zeppelin)

10- Rare Spark: you start with one of a few very rare Spark talents which few others have. Adaptation, Time Control, Dimensional Manipulation, Aetheric Travel, Transmutation.

-Abilities are standard.

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Detailed Races:

Humans: Standard as in D&D. Extra feat, extra skill points.

Jagerkin: Gruff and powerful super-soldiers of the old Heterodyne family. They've become prolific through most of Eastern Europe, and are widely used as mercenaries by other Houses. They seek to find a Heterodyne heir, but understand that their search is probably futile.

Constructs: Humanoid 'people' made by skilled Sparks. Most of them are incapable of free-willed intelligence, but some of them were granted 'freedom' by masters, and thus, they learned to reproduce, using scavenged body parts, and lightning.

Dimmers: A race of shadow people from an alternate dimension. One of the Heterodynes experimented with trans-dimensional harmonics in his youth. The resulting explosion leveled quite a bit of area, but the result was a stable planar gateway to another world. The world of the Dimmers is similar to ours, however, technology never flourished there- instead, they rely on a free-standing thaumic (magical) field. At first, there was a large scale war between the Dimmers and the people of Earth, that resulted in the death of Agatha Heterodyne, Klaus and Gilgamesh Wulfenbach, and most of the cast from the Girl Genius comic book.

Chrons: The future of humanity. Brought to the past by an experiment of a Spark, these people are intelligent, well bred, know things of the future- and are sometimes incapable of changing it. It often happens that a Chron will attempt to do something, and be zapped by a bolt of temporal energy, due to that action being somehow detrimental of the birth of that Chron. They came here when a Spark of the future discovered the notes of the Spark of a past. They managed to open a stable gateway, and now, a temporal portal exists for them to travel through. Incidentally, no regular human has been able to pass through it to the future.


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Classes:

There aren't that many classes, but each one is very versatile.

Fighter: Almost identical to the standard fighter class, except he gets a fighter bonus feat every level. That's right, every level.

Erk
2008-01-16, 01:45 AM
A great idea that I have put some thought into myself, having set up a very similar environment for a game already. I suggest taking a gander at BESM D20 and maybe working from there, as it gives you a more appropriate framework from which to start.

First, the negative opinions:
ECL +3 on Jagers is really harsh, unless they get a hell of a lot of other benefits.
I don't really care for the "benefits" table idea myself: I think it hardwires too much of the character. I suggest making it a bit more "pick and choose". Here is my suggestion.


Girl Genius orients around sparks having the disadvantage of insanity. Most players are going to want to be sparks; therefore, giving sparks associated disadvantages seems appropriate to the game. This can then be linked out to other benefit groups, if you want... then it gets a lot like Besm, where one can buy extra powers by taking defects. Let's do it from scratch though. I am only gonna do this for sparks but if you like the idea, feel free to add more.

Also, because of time constraints, I won't add a list of spark talents; it looks like you have already brainstormed those anyway. For insanity, I'd suggest making minor and major insanities, based a bit on the Unearthed Arcana list but expanded and made a bit more amusing (eg. "anything the character creates with the Spark has to be in some way related to a particular mundane item. Choose this item when you create the character. Examples include: shoes, toothbrushes, chairs, nail clippers, sinks, et cetera").

read on:No spark level: no effect.

Spark level 0: Tiny spark
You have the faintest glimmer of the Spark. Almost no one should be able to notice it. It has left you quirky, though. Choose two of the following skills: bluff, gather information, performance, diplomacy. You get -2 on those skills due to your social quirkiness. Also, choose 1 Minor Spark talent.

Spark level 1: Trivial spark
Your spark is noticeable, but only when you make it obvious. It has left you notably odd. Choose 3 charisma- or wisdom- based skills, to which you take -2 on all checks due to quirkiness and general insanity, and choose 1 minor insanity. Also, choose 1 Major Spark talent.

Spark level 2: Lesser spark
This is probably the most dangerous level of Spark to be: you have enough Spark to be clearly insane, but not so much that you can easily defend yourself. -1 to either charisma or wisdom, and -2 to checks on 4 charisma- or wisdom- based skills, as well as 1 major or 2 minor insanities. Also, choose 1 major and 1 minor Spark talent.

Spark level 3: A spark worthy of respect
Nobody would accuse you of not being a madboy. Unless you are a girl, that is. +1 to intelligence, -1 to charisma and wisdom (or -2 to one of cha or wis). Also, -2 to checks on 5 cha- or wis-based skills, as well as 1 major and 2 minor insanities. Choose 1 major and 3 minor spark talents.

Spark level 4: Dangerous spark
Well, okay, all sparks are dangerous, but you're dangerous to other people as well as yourself. +1 to int, -2 to cha or wis and -1 to the other. -2 to checks on 7 cha- or wis-based skills, 2 major and 4 minor insanities. Chose 2 major and 5 minor spark talents.

You could go higher, it all depends on your tabulature of powers and insanities. This is by no means a rule, just a suggestion for how you might better leave spark powers in the hands of player choice. You can additionally "unsweeten" the pot by making spark disadvantages a bit smaller; remember that Agatha is a special case, and most of the sparks we have met in the comic are really quite crippled by their insanity. Consider Othar. Yecch.

paigeoliver
2008-01-16, 03:14 AM
If you actually want to avoid copyright infringement the best thing to do is not to use the name of the (I am assuming this is an Anime, or is it a comic book??) in the title of your game, and avoid using special words that only exist in the source material. What you still do is acknowledge that you got a lot of your inspiration from the source.

This was quite an issue I had to deal with when I published a "Slayer" class in a D20 book I did a while back.

Finally, you can't actually describe character generation itself, it is against the D20 license. Those 2 little lines where you list how the ability scores are generated and hit point totals, those are big no no's according to the D20 license. For anonymous message board content it doesn't really matter, but if you ever want to have a printed book then it really matters.

Also, in general D20 doesn't do random tables in character generation, it isn't a D20 thing. D20 character generation is about design and control it isn't about randomness (I honestly don't even know a lot of people who roll ability scores, everyone I know uses point buy). The stuff you have possible on the background table is to important to a character to have on a random table by D20 standards. Oh, and to add that step to character generation without describing character generation you slip it inside the racial descriptions.

Flame_Drake
2008-01-18, 01:43 AM
Its a webcomic (www.girlgenusonline.com), one of the few that has the same constant level of awesome as OotS.

Drake