System for Mortal Kombat

[Thinker]

I want to run a game like Mortal Kombat in a pen and paper game, but I need a system that would work well for it. The system should be good at handling several things:

• One versus one combat.
• Wide array of combat powers.
• Super-durable characters.
• Wuxia-like physical abilities.
• Travel between various planes.
• Easy-to-obtain self and/or group buffs.
• Easy-to-obtain blaster magic.
• Self/group teleportation.
• Good dodge mechanics.
• Balanced races, with recognizable differences in attributes between the races.
• Combat that can differentiate between fast/light hitting characters and slow/strong characters.
• Combos for stringing together attacks and/or abilities.

The system itself can be rules light, rules heavy, or somewhere in between. My group has used a wide variety of systems so we're not attached to a specific core mechanic. We're also open minded when it comes to learning new systems. I would also prefer incremental power gains, though if a system is good at other things, a big leap in power (like D&D's level system) could work.

If anyone else is familiar with the MK games and can think of other things that the system should cover, please make not of it. Any suggestions for systems would be appreciated.

[TheCountAlucard]

Burn Legend.

[Anxe]

Why not just play Mortal Kombat when you need to resolve a battle?

[Thinker]

Burn Legend.

I'm not sure what this is, but a cursory Google search makes it look like it's WW's next version of Exalted. I've played Exalted (1e and 2e) and previously thought it would work alright for a MK campaign, but distilling crunch from fluff became too onerous a task. What does Burn Legend offer? Are the mechanics married to the background like previous WW efforts?

Why not just play Mortal Kombat when you need to resolve a battle?

For the same reason we don't arm wrestle to resolve strength checks.

[TheCountAlucard]

I'm not sure what this is, but a cursory Google search makes it look like it's WW's next version of Exalted.

Not quite; it's a set of fluff and mechanics for an "alternate" setting, styled after fighting games, but still feeling Exaltedesque.

What does Burn Legend offer?

A setting and mechanics that marries Exalted and fighting games.

Are the mechanics married to the background like previous WW efforts?

Even if it is, it's stilll a good baseline.

[Anxe]

Damn. Now I wanna annoy my DM by asking if I can arm-wrestle him to break down the locked door.

[Thinker]

Not quite; it's a set of fluff and mechanics for an "alternate" setting, styled after fighting games, but still feeling Exaltedesque.

A setting and mechanics that marries Exalted and fighting games.

Even if it is, it's stilll a good baseline.

I will check it out, but I was hoping for something that wouldn't require a bunch of work to adapt. Thanks for the tip.

[TheWombatOfDoom]

Well, the first thing that comes to mind is the abilities of the fighters. Typically each person has different "moves" that they can do...couldn't combat be similar to how 4.0 set up their system with the moduled moves that you pick from and get certain ones a certain amount of times per day/encounter/round? Same with magic, actually.

I know soul calibur has the whole thing with weapons, where each weapon gives you a set amount of abilities. things like damage reduction, improved damage, healing, vampirism, and knock back. I don't know how you feel about that, but it could certainly be something you could incorporated.

In these fighting games, often each person has the same amount of hit points, it's the damage that's done that decides everything, and how well you do it. It could work like that in this too. That way everyone is super durable, and breaks down to who uses their abilities and combat enviornment the best. Basically, who uses rounds the best.

If you wanted to go with more of a real time feel, and since it's always going to be one v one, you could go with an action based combat instead of a round based combat. What I mean about this is people decide how many actions they get per round (15 seconds). Everyone typically gets 3, but if they take on certain abilities, they could add or subtract an action as a price or profit of the ability. Say each person can pick 5 abilities. One makes them more powerful, but at a cost makes them slower, so they lose an action. Then they're down to two. The rest of their abilities they could use to amp him up so that it's ok to have two actions instead of 3. Maybe they could add a speed boost to make them even again, and then they'd have less special abilities they could have.

I'll put out a chart for this action system, and then explain a bit:

Round time	1 Actions	2 Actions	3 Actions	4 Actions	5 Actions	6 Actions	7 Actions
1 second	o	o	o	o	o	o	o
2 seconds	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
3 seconds	-	-	-	-	-	o	o
4 seconds	-	-	-	-	o	-	-
5 seconds	-	-	-	o	-	-	o
6 seconds	-	-	o	-	-	o	-
7 seconds	-	-	-	-	o	-	o
8 seconds	-	o	-	-	-	o	-
9 seconds	-	-	-	o	-	-	o
10 seconds	-	-	-	-	o	-	-
11 seconds	-	-	o	-	-	o	o
12 seconds	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
13 seconds	-	-	-	o	o	o	o
14 seconds	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
15 seconds	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Ok...so this is a table of 1 to 7 actions. Ties go to the initial inititive. You can see that mainly on 1st and last actions. You'd go down the 15 one by one, so 1 second, everyone goes in order of roll, 3rd second 6 and 7 would go based on their inititive, then 4th, 5 would go and so on.

I made that chart a while ago for an idea I had...but I haven't gotten to get far on it. Still, I really like the implications of it being virtually 'real time'. I made it go up to 7 because, well, who knows!

[Arbane]

Legend of the Wulin would probably be good for this - as you might guess from the name, it's specifically designed for wuxia adventures. And I know of at least one GM who's already adapted it for a Shonen Fight Anime parody(ish) campaign.

[Fearan]

I'd probably second Legends of the Wulin. It's rather rules-lite, unlike Exalted, and it supports kun-fu fights rather well. Still, it has nothing to do with different races or teleportations, so YMMV

[Thinker]

Legend of the Wulin would probably be good for this - as you might guess from the name, it's specifically designed for wuxia adventures. And I know of at least one GM who's already adapted it for a Shonen Fight Anime parody(ish) campaign.

I'd probably second Legends of the Wulin. It's rather rules-lite, unlike Exalted, and it supports kun-fu fights rather well. Still, it has nothing to do with different races or teleportations, so YMMV

Thanks. I'll check it out. My game won't be a direct port of Mortal Kombat to pen & paper, but will be heavily influenced by it. Teleportation isn't strictly necessary, though having different races (or templates) would be nice.

[Arbane]

Thanks. I'll check it out. My game won't be a direct port of Mortal Kombat to pen & paper, but will be heavily influenced by it. Teleportation isn't strictly necessary, though having different races (or templates) would be nice.

The PDF of Legends of the Wulin is up on RPGnow. The print edition is 'soon'. It has been 'soon' for SIX FREAKING MONTHS NOW, AND I WANT MY PREORDERED COPY.

[lie]Not that I am bitter.[/lie]

In LotW, the default race is 'human', but a different 'race' would probably just work like a permanent Chi Condition - it gives a bonus to one ability, and a penalty to another. Funky special abilities like spitting poison or seeing in the dark would probably be better handled as special Internal Techniques (Chi-powered kung-fu moves.)

[TheWombatOfDoom]

Checking the OP, I realized you're looking for a system, not creating a system AROUND it. My bad. Ah well.