A Loosely 40k Based System

[JNAProductions]

Stats are as follows:

Weapon Skill
Ballistic Skill
Magic Skill
Strength
Toughness
Wounds
Initiative
Bravery
Save

Spoiler: Weapon Skill (WS)

Show

How well you whap others with your whapping stick (or other melee weapon). Starts at 3, costs 5 points per stat up, max is equal to one and one half times your level, rounded up.

Spoiler: Ballistic Skill (BS)

Show

How well you hit with ranged weapons. Starts at 3, costs 8 points per stat up, max is equal to twice your level.

Spoiler: Magic Skill (MS)

Show

How good you are with magic. Starts at 3, costs 10 points per stat up, max is equal to twice your level.

Spoiler: Strength (S)

Show

How strong you are and how hard you hit. Starts at 3, costs 5 points per stat up, max is equal to your level plus two.

Spoiler: Toughness (T)

Show

How tough you are. Compared to Strength when wounding. Starts at 3, costs 12 points per stat up, max is equal to your level plus three.

Spoiler: Wounds (W)

Show

How many hits you can take before destruction. Starts at 3, costs 20 points per stat up, no max.

Spoiler: Initiative (I)

Show

How fast you are. Helps determine turn order. Starts at 3, costs 5 points per stat up, max is twice your level.

Spoiler: Bravery (B)

Show

How brave and disciplined you are. Starts at 3, costs 7 points per stat up, max is triple your level.

Spoiler: Save (Sv)

Show

How likely your armor is to protect you. Typically determined solely by gear.

Spoiler: Upgrading Stats

Show

Each stat costs one more point to upgrade than it did last time. So, let's say you have BS 3 and 30 points to spend. You could upgrade to 4, costing 8 points, then 5, costing 9, and finally 6, costing 10, having spent 27 points.

Spoiler: How Stats Work

Show

Most stats work as a dice pool. WS, BS, MS, S, I, and B all are dice pools.

WS, BS, MS, and B, you roll a number of d10s equal to your stat. For each roll that equals or exceeds the target number, you score one hit or success.

WS is special, in that you must divide it into Offensive and Defensive each round. Your Offensive WS is the number of dice you roll, while the Defensive WS is your target number to be hit by an opponent's WS or BS.

S, you roll a number of d10s equal to your stat. For each roll that equals or exceeds the target's T, you score one wound. For each wound taken, you may roll a save (armor, cover, or invulnerable). Different save types stack-so, for instance, a person obscured by a low wall and wearing heavy armor is allowed both a cover and armor save.

I, you roll a number of d10s equal to your stat, then select the highest one. Turn order is highest to lowest, with ties going to whoever has the higher I stat. (In case of tied I, roll off.)

Sv is special, in that lower is better. It is denoted as X+, where X is your target number. Each wound suffered, you must roll equal to or over your save to avoid taking the wound.

Spoiler: Gear

Show

Spoiler: Armor

Show

Lightest Armor-10
9+ Armor

Light Armor-50
7+ Armor

Medium Armor-100
5+ Armor

Heavy Armor-500
3+ Armor

Heaviest Armor-1000
2+ Armor

Square cost for Invulnerable save armor.

Spoiler: Ranged Weapons

Show

AP is Armor Penetration. If the AP of a weapon is equal to or lower than the armor save of an enemy, their armor is ignored.

Light Gun-10
S2 AP- Medium Range
Rapid Fire-fires two shots in close range

Light Pistol-10
S2 AP- Short Range
Pistol-Can be used as a SUser AP- Melee Weapon

Medium Gun-50
S4 AP8 Medium Range
Rapid Fire

Medium Pistol-50
S4 AP8 Short Range
Pistol

Heavy Gun-200
S6 AP5 Medium Range
Rapid Fire

Heavy Pistol-200
S6 AP5 Short Range
Pistol

Infernus Gun-600
S8 AP3 Medium Range
Rapid Fire

Infernus Pistol-600
S8 AP3 Short Range
Pistol

Godhammer Gun-2000
S10 AP2 Medium Range
Rapid Fire

Godhammer Pistol-2000
S10 AP2 Short Range
Pistol

Spoiler: Melee Weapons

Show

If armed with two melee weapons, gain +1 to your WS. If one of them is a specialist weapon, gain no bonus. If both are specialist, gain +2 instead.

Maul-50
S+2 AP8

Sword-100
SUser AP6

Axe-200
S+1 AP4
Unwieldy-Gain a minus 2 penalty to all initiative rolls when using this weapon (so your maximum roll is an 8 with an Axe)

Lance-50
SUser AP8
Charge!-Gain +1 Strength a -2 AP on the charge

Power Fist-1000
SX2 AP3
Specialist Weapon, Unwieldy

Lightning Claw-800
S+3, AP6
Specialist Weapon

Spoiler: Leveling Up

Show

You gain 15 points each level up, and start with 15 at level 0 (so level 1 has you at 30 points). You may upgrade stats, or purchase special abilities. Available special abilities are in the next spoiler.

Spoiler: Special Abilities

Show

To be done later

Spoiler: Magic

Show

To be done later

---

Right-o, so the basics of the system are made! Currently, there aren't many options to diversify characters, so I'm all ears for suggestions on new equipment, special rules, possibly more stats that are less combat-centric.

But, as a combat engine, does this seem like it works?

[Kaskus]

One comment based on a cursory read through...

I noticed the skills/stats have scaling costs. This tends to lead to characters buying skills they don't have due to those being cheaper compared to skills they already have points in. This leads to all characters becoming more similar to eachother over time. You may want to incentivize/mandate specialization and weaknesses somehow to keep that from happening.

[JNAProductions]

Any advice on how to achieve that?

[Kaskus]

1. Archetypes / occupations that make some skills cheaper and others more expensive.

2. Don't scale the costs at all.

3. Getting more complicated:
A background system that bundles discounts, bonuses, penalties and/or restrictions. Let players pick x number of backgrounds, which together would determine which abilities are easier or harder to learn.

4. Advancement through experience. Perhaps the gm gives a list at each level for what skills can be purchased based on how the characters approached challenge a (bookkeeping warning)