Z-Wolf RPG

[Draz74]

So I woke up in the middle of the night, having dreamed about RPG mechanics even though I haven't worked on RPG mechanics in a long time. I still like most of the work that's gone into my homebrew system "CRE8", but I'm now considering making some fundamental changes to it that would make it a new system.

Z-Wolf Dice System

I'm naming the new system Z-Wolf, mostly because zwolf is the German word for 12 and the system will be d12-based. But the Z-Wolf can also become the system's "mascot" if I can come up with some catchy art for her.

The reasons for using a d12 instead of a d20 are minor but threefold: (1) it's underused, (2) I find dodecahedrons more aesthetically pleasing than icosahedrons, (3) it makes small bonuses to die rolls more significant.

The "normal" die roll in Z-Wolf is to roll 3d12 and take the middle result. Then, just like the d20 system, you add a number to the die result and compare the sum to a Target Number (TN) to determine success or failure.

Rolls can also be "boosted" (like Advantage in 5e) or "dragged" (like Disadvantage in 5e). Unlike 5e, boosted and dragged do not cancel each other out; if both apply, the "normal" 3d12 roll is replaced by just a straight d12.

[Draz74]

Character Progression

"Normal" character progression covers Levels 1-8, while Levels 9 and up are "epic" progression.

Instead of classes, this system has Kits, which you pick and choose as you level up. You get two Kits (one of which can represent a non-human Ancestry) at Level 1, and additional Kits at levels 3, 5, 7, and 9. Kits often give permanent boosts to important stats or make a pretty fundamental change to the way your character operates.

Combat-spells and martial combat "maneuvers" are represented by Feats. You get 1 Feat at each level, up to Level 8. Human characters can also take the Human Paragon Kit (at level 1 or later) to gain a bonus Feat.

Any miscellaneous abilities the system tracks are represented by Talents. You get a number (3?) of extra "background" Talents at Level 1, plus one Talent each level, and unlike Kits or Feats, Talent progression continues past Level 9 and on to infinity. [Epic] Talents can only be taken at epic levels, in fact.

[Draz74]

Combat Actions

I'm doing away with Standard Actions, Swift Actions, and Movement in combat and commandeering Pathfinder 2e's system with some tweaks. So on your turn in combat, you just get 3 Actions, and only one of them can be a [Strike] (main attack). Only one of them can be Striding (normal movement up to 30 ft), but when you Stride, you can make a Speed Check using your character's Speed stat, and on a success, you gain a 4th Action that turn.

[Draz74]

Karma Points

CRE8 had a system of gaining and spending "Momentum," based on 3.5e's Psionic Focus system but for all characters rather than just psionics. However, the default rules (without any special abilities) for gaining Momentum were somewhat cumbersome and I was never quite happy with them. So instead of those rules for gaining Momentum, I'm going to co-opt and adapt the Hero Points system from Mutants & Masterminds.

Character flaws and liabilities (including driving motivations, relationships with NPCs, etc.) are going to be freely chosen instead of structured as Talents or something. Whenever the GM feels that such a liability has caused a significant setback to the PC, the PC gains a Karma Point.

Karma Points can be spent in a few ways, but the main one is to spend one to gain Momentum in combat. (Others include gaining an additional Stamina Point—the resource that determines when a character needs a Long Rest—or Boosting a saving throw that the character is about to roll.)

Antagonist NPCs don't have Karma Points for the GM to keep track of, but can freely "spend" Karma Points by granting a Karma Point to a PC.

[Draz74]

Btw, I don't really have a structure planned for how I'm presenting these ideas for Z-Wolf, so feel free to comment on any ideas along the way. Comments will give me direction of what to talk about.

[Draz74]

Limitations of Magic in Combat

CRE8 gave characters a Magic Points Pool among their stats, and they spent Magic Points in order to cast spells. The overarching idea was to make it so that spellcasters could cast slightly more than one full-powered spell per Short Rest. Having a good Willpower Save was advantageous on a spellcaster because it helped recharge during a Short Rest without spending as many Stamina Points.

I'm thinking of ditching Magic Points as a stat that needs to be tracked and just having a binary condition for whether a spellcaster is drained of most of their magic reserves (until spending a Short Rest and a Stamina Point). This would not only simplify character stats, but would force me to simplify the most complicated part of CRE8: all the options a [Spell] Feat had for enhancing it by incrementally adding Magic Points to its casting process.

So under this system, [Spell] Feats would be divided into [Basic] uses of spells and [Advanced] uses of spells. A character who is Suffused with magic can use their [Basic] uses of spells freely. After using an [Advanced] spell use, however, the character needs to make a (fairly difficult) Willpower Save, losing Suffused status on a failure (until the next Short Rest). Until they are Suffused again, they can't use another [Advanced] spell. Some special abilities would allow characters to freely use certain [Basic] spell uses even when not Suffused, so that (at least at higher levels) spellcasters don't have to resort to plinking away with a crossbow after casting an [Advanced] spell.

I do think the Concentration rules in 5e are pretty elegant, so I'm strongly considering adding those as another limitation of magic in Z-Wolf. For certain buff spells, for example, I could see [Basic] uses being restricted to consuming Concentration while [Advanced] uses are Concentration-free.

[Draz74]

Musing on Vitality System changes

CRE8, like D&D, had Weapons differentiated (in Impact, their equivalent of Damage stats) by different die sizes: d4, d6, d8, d10, d12. Then, on a normal "hit," the target lost Vitality Points (the equivalent of Hit Points) equal to the Impact rolled.

I'm considering changing Impact rolls to be a 3d12-take-middle-result, just like most other rolls in Z-Wolf, with a bonus to the die roll for "bigger" weapons. This would produce much larger Impact numbers than the previous system on average, though, which leaves three options.

• Accept that characters will run out of Vitality Points much faster.
• Give characters a bigger Pool of Vitality Points than they had in CRE8.
• Make it so Impact is meaningful in "beating" the target's Armor Value, but has no effect on how many Vitality Points are lost on a Hit. A Hit would cause a constant amount of damage, maybe 3.

Context for the Above Musings: Attacks System

Since most of you won't be familiar with the Attacks Resolution System from CRE8, I'd better spell it out. It's a little more complicated than some RPGs, because it's supposed to produce a variety of consequences to attacks to spice up combat.

Five-step process:

1. Attack is declared and Impact is rolled
2. Determine whether target is Vulnerable
3. Target makes Saving Throw against attack's Accuracy stat
4. Apply Primary Effects of attack
5. Apply Secondary Effects of attack if Impact beat target's Armor Value

Most of that hopefully makes sense. A character is "Vulnerable" if they are Surprised, Dropped, Unconscious, etc., or if they are low enough on Vitality Points that this attack would reduce them to zero (or lower).

Attack Result:	"Miss" (not Vulnerable and Saving Throw succeeded)	"Hit" (Vulnerable OR Saving Throw failed)	"Crit" (Vulnerable AND Saving Throw failed)
Primary Effect of Attack:	No effect	Vitality Damage	Vitality Damage + attacker inflicts Hazard
Secondary Effect if Impact Beat Armor Value:	Small constant amount of "attrition damage" to Vitality	Vitality Damage + attacker inflicts Hazard	Target is Dropped

Hazards (for normal, physical attacks) include effects like knocking a target Prone, pushing them around the battlefield, negating their current action on an opportunity attack, or pushing them further along the Wounded condition track if certain conditions are met. Less-physical magic effects typically have alternative Hazards they cause.

[Williamnot]

The reasons for using a d12 instead of a d20 are minor but threefold: (1) it's underused, (2) I find dodecahedrons more aesthetically pleasing than icosahedrons, (3) it makes small bonuses to die rolls more significant.

Sweet, sounds good to me. 12's sound nice to me.

The "normal" die roll in Z-Wolf is to roll 3d20 and take the middle result.

Why?
(assuming you meant 3d12 instead of 3d20) This feels really clunky. Also, if you're pushing your rolls closer to the middle of the 1-12 range, there's hardly ever going to be much variety. The only thing that will really dictate whether you fail or not is your bonuses, because you'll almost always get a 5, 6, 7
I see where you wanted to go with this, I just don't think it's really worth the extra effort. Maybe I'm missing something.

Instead of classes, this system has Kits, which you pick and choose as you level up. You get two Kits (one of which can represent a non-human Ancestry) at Level 1, and additional Kits at levels 3, 5, 7, and 9. Kits often give permanent boosts to important stats or make a pretty fundamental change to the way your character operates.

Combat-spells and martial combat "maneuvers" are represented by Feats. You get 1 Feat at each level, up to Level 8. Human characters can also take the Human Paragon Kit (at level 1 or later) to gain a bonus Feat.

Any miscellaneous abilities the system tracks are represented by Talents. You get a number (3?) of extra "background" Talents at Level 1, plus one Talent each level, and unlike Kits or Feats, Talent progression continues past Level 9 and on to infinity. [Epic] Talents can only be taken at epic levels, in fact.

I like this idea, but it needs some more clarification. Do some Kits have prerequisites, representing abilities that can only be unlocked if you truly commit to a path to the end? Or are they all available for choosing, even at first level? Why are combat spells Feats? What defines a combat maneuver in this system? What are talents geared towards if Kits are supposed to replace classes?

It just needs some more defining before I can really have an opinion on it.

So on your turn in combat, you just get 3 Actions, and only one of them can be a [Strike] (main attack). Only one of them can be Striding (normal movement up to 30 ft), but when you Stride, you can make a Speed Check using your character's Speed stat, and on a success, you gain a 4th Action that turn.

I like this, it makes a lot of sense. But what do you do with your other actions? The Strike implies that you can make weaker attacks in addition to it, is this something you can do?

Character flaws and liabilities (including driving motivations, relationships with NPCs, etc.) are going to be freely chosen instead of structured as Talents or something. Whenever the GM feels that such a liability has caused a significant setback to the PC, the PC gains a Karma Point.

So inspiration in DnD, but with a few more uses? I suppose it could work, but the way inspiration is right now, it's really just a footnote to all the other mechanics. I'll be interested to see what you do with this.

I'm thinking of ditching Magic Points as a stat that needs to be tracked and just having a binary condition for whether a spellcaster is drained of most of their magic reserves (until spending a Short Rest and a Stamina Point).

So under this system, [Spell] Feats would be divided into [Basic] uses of spells and [Advanced] uses of spells. A character who is Suffused with magic can use their [Basic] uses of spells freely. After using an [Advanced] spell use, however, the character needs to make a (fairly difficult) Willpower Save, losing Suffused status on a failure (until the next Short Rest). Some special abilities would allow characters to freely use certain [Basic] spell uses even when not Suffused, so that (at least at higher levels) spellcasters don't have to resort to plinking away with a crossbow after casting an [Advanced] spell.

I really like this idea, however you would probably need to fiddle a little bit so that Basic spells aren't too weak to be ignored for the Advanced spells, but not so strong that nobody ever casts Advanced spells because it's not worth it.

Also, what's limiting the use of Advanced spells? You imply that there's something, but never directly mention it. Is it spell slots or something?

I do think the Concentration rules in 5e are pretty elegant, so I'm strongly considering adding those as another limitation of magic in Z-Wolf. For certain buff spells, for example, I could see [Basic] uses being restricted to consuming Concentration while [Advanced] uses are Concentration-free.

This is me whining about flavor but I prefer to imagine Concentration as "this magic can be knocked away with some damage" rather than "if we smack the guy using magic he'll stop". Just make magic feel more tangible that way, idk. Maybe you could extend this flavor and make it so if you cast a concentration spell on someone else, they're the one who has to take the damage, then your constitution save dictates if your magic was strong enough to survive it. IDK, just throwing it out there, do with it what you will.

[Draz74]

Ability Scores

CRE8 and Z-Wolf simplify the character sheet by having no Ability Scores in the traditional sense.

Skills List

1. Athletics
2. Brawn
3. Charisma
4. Dexterity
5. Gadgetry
6. Glibness
7. Knowledge
8. Nature
9. Perception
10. Stealth

Saving Throws List

1. Fortitude
2. Reflex
3. Willpower
4. Defense

Fortitude is like Fortitude saves in other systems (or Con saves in 5e), but it also helps determine how many Vitality Points a character has.

Reflex is much more limited for resisting attacks than Reflex or Dex saving throws in other systems; it is limited to attacks that truly only have to "touch" a character (where a shield would serve no purpose), or things like avoiding eye contact with a basilisk or avoiding falling in a pit. So something like a fireball or dragon's breath would target Defense, rather than Reflex. However, Reflex tries to stay as relevant as other saving throws for all characters by being the stat that determines Initiative order.

Willpower is for resisting mental or spiritual effects, like Will saves in other systems or mental-based saves in 5e. It also helps spellcasters have more "endurance" with their magic, as detailed a few posts up.

Defense is for resisting most physical attacks. It is the main stat that Shields add to.

[Williamnot]

Musing on Vitality System changes

CRE8, like D&D, had Weapons differentiated (in Impact, their equivalent of Damage stats) by different die sizes: d4, d6, d8, d10, d12. Then, on a normal "hit," the target lost Vitality Points (the equivalent of Hit Points) equal to the Impact rolled.

I'm considering changing Impact rolls to be a 3d12-take-middle-result, just like most other rolls in Z-Wolf, with a bonus to the die roll for "bigger" weapons. This would produce much larger Impact numbers than the previous system on average, though, which leaves three options.

I think the original system would be more interesting, because smaller weapons would more often require a hit to deal any damage, reflecting the armor. Larger weapons, while they didn't hit properly, could have clipped the armor and dealt some small damage pretty easily.

I do think armor should still play into how difficult it is to hit someone, rather than just reducing secondary damage, but perhaps that's how it already works and I'm misunderstanding something.

[Draz74]

Why?
(assuming you meant 3d12 instead of 3d20) This feels really clunky. Also, if you're pushing your rolls closer to the middle of the 1-12 range, there's hardly ever going to be much variety. The only thing that will really dictate whether you fail or not is your bonuses, because you'll almost always get a 5, 6, 7
I see where you wanted to go with this, I just don't think it's really worth the extra effort. Maybe I'm missing something.

I did mean d12 instead of d20, thanks for the catch.

I assume most people will play my system using a VTT, where the computer can automate the "clunkiness." Like other RPG systems with a bell-curve-dice-distribution, this is to make the system feel less swingy and make small dice modifiers more impactful.

Your concern is noted, though. Maybe I'll explicitly make a variant rule for non-VTT play where the straight d12 can be used.

I like this idea, but it needs some more clarification. Do some Kits have prerequisites, representing abilities that can only be unlocked if you truly commit to a path to the end? Or are they all available for choosing, even at first level? Why are combat spells Feats? What defines a combat maneuver in this system? What are talents geared towards if Kits are supposed to replace classes?

It just needs some more defining before I can really have an opinion on it.

Absolutely! I'll post some samples soon.

To answer one question immediately, there are definitely prereqs on a lot of Kits that can't be taken until higher levels.

I like this, it makes a lot of sense. But what do you do with your other actions? The Strike implies that you can make weaker attacks in addition to it, is this something you can do?

Hopefully this system can make all the oft-forgotten combat options more appealing, although some of them (like Help and Total Defense) might need to cost 2 Actions to use so they don't get spammed too often as characters' third action on a turn.

If nothing else, there's always the Step action that can fill in otherwise-unused Action (move 5 ft in non-difficult terrain without provoking Opportunity Attacks).

Special abilities like Dual Wielding will allow making additional weaker attacks beyond your one Strike per turn.

So inspiration in DnD, but with a few more uses? I suppose it could work, but the way inspiration is right now, it's really just a footnote to all the other mechanics. I'll be interested to see what you do with this.

One major difference from 5e Inspiration is that more than one Karma Point can be saved up.

You're right, it's just a footnote in 5e, and I want it to be more than that. It's a very important and involved mechanic in M&M, so that's why I'm modeling it on that system.

I really like this idea, however you would probably need to fiddle a little bit so that Basic spells aren't too weak to be ignored for the Advanced spells, but not so strong that nobody ever casts Advanced spells because it's not worth it.

Also, what's limiting the use of Advanced spells? You imply that there's something, but never directly mention it. Is it spell slots or something?

Thanks for catching the omission. You can only cast an Advanced spell if you were Suffused. Suffused is like one big Spell Slot. No other Spell Slots to track in this system.

This is me whining about flavor but I prefer to imagine Concentration as "this magic can be knocked away with some damage" rather than "if we smack the guy using magic he'll stop". Just make magic feel more tangible that way, idk.

If I understand what you're trying to say here, it makes sense for a few manifestations of magic that are more physical, like Mage Armor or something, but not for a lot of other kinds of magic.

I think the original system would be more interesting, because smaller weapons would more often require a hit to deal any damage, reflecting the armor. Larger weapons, while they didn't hit properly, could have clipped the armor and dealt some small damage pretty easily.

I do think armor should still play into how difficult it is to hit someone, rather than just reducing secondary damage, but perhaps that's how it already works and I'm misunderstanding something.

Let me know what you think once you see the Attack Effects Table, particularly the "attrition damage" component.

[Draz74]

I like this idea, but it needs some more clarification. Do some Kits have prerequisites, representing abilities that can only be unlocked if you truly commit to a path to the end? Or are they all available for choosing, even at first level? Why are combat spells Feats? What defines a combat maneuver in this system? What are talents geared towards if Kits are supposed to replace classes?

It just needs some more defining before I can really have an opinion on it.

Let me know if there are some character concepts you'd particularly like to see Kits, Feats, and Talents for. I designed so many for CRE8 that I'm not sure where to start, in providing samples.

I think the original system would be more interesting, because smaller weapons would more often require a hit to deal any damage, reflecting the armor. Larger weapons, while they didn't hit properly, could have clipped the armor and dealt some small damage pretty easily.

The more I think about it, the less I like the "automatic 3 damage" system. Still undecided whether to use d12s for Impact, though. If I do, I will inflate the number of Vitality Points characters have quite a bit, so that they can handle a few d12-based hits.

[Williamnot]

I did mean d12 instead of d20, thanks for the catch.
Let me know what you think once you see the Attack Effects Table, particularly the "attrition damage" component.

Assuming that you meant the table that was in the post itself, I did see it. I worded my thoughts on it poorly, let me rephrase.

The original system as I understood it would have done the same thing as the 3d12 idea, but with less attrition. With the 3d12, larger weapons would have gotten a bonus to reflect how much better they are at the attrition. But you note that characters would be taking more damage. I liked how the original system would have small weapons dealing little to no attrition damage, and large weapons dealing decent damage. 3d12 idea sounds like small weapons would be dealing decent damage, and large weapons would be dealing more damage.

The Z-Wolf system sounds really cool so far and really fun to play. Once it's ready, I'll probably take it for a spin with some friends.

[Draz74]

Assuming that you meant the table that was in the post itself, I did see it. I worded my thoughts on it poorly, let me rephrase.

The original system as I understood it would have done the same thing as the 3d12 idea, but with less attrition. With the 3d12, larger weapons would have gotten a bonus to reflect how much better they are at the attrition. But you note that characters would be taking more damage. I liked how the original system would have small weapons dealing little to no attrition damage, and large weapons dealing decent damage. 3d12 idea sounds like small weapons would be dealing decent damage, and large weapons would be dealing more damage.

The Z-Wolf system sounds really cool so far and really fun to play. Once it's ready, I'll probably take it for a spin with some friends.

Gotcha, thanks for the clarification. Well I definitely want the bigger weapons to do attrition damage through armor more easily, so we're agreed on that.

Thanks for the encouragement!

[Draz74]

XP Parcels?

In CRE8, when different character abilities had no mechanical synergy but were especially flavorful together, I would encourage taking them together using "XP Parcels." This meant that Kits, in addition to their prerequisites, had "optional requirements" that, if you met, you got a one-time bonus quantity of XP to get you closer to the next character level.

I'm questioning keeping this system because one of my playtesters really didn't like it. He wasn't a fan of XP as a mechanic in general, preferring milestone-based character progression. He also had the valid point that this system, if run strictly, would make different characters level up at different times within the same party. Which isn't how most groups are used to doing things.

So I'm wracking my brain for a different system, of what could be granted besides XP for flavorful ability synergies that should be encouraged. (One example: elves being proficient with longbows. That's not an ability they all have by default in this system, but it's something I'd like to mildly encourage.)

Perhaps something with how often characters can gain Karma Points? Maybe there's a ceiling to how many Karma Points a character can have at once, like 2, and Kits' optional requirements could boost that number? I'm just spitballing here so far, so suggestions are welcome.

[Draz74]

Spoiler: Sample Kit: Wizard

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[Core] Kit
Prerequisites: Lore of Arcana Talent; must be literate.
Benefits:

• Spellcrafter Level +1
• Gain a bonus Talent with the [Buff] or [Seed] tag.
• Gain a synergy bonus to your Willpower Save, based on how many ranks of the Knowledge Skill you have.
• When you finish a Long Rest, you may immediately re-train one of your Feats. Both the Feat you lose and the Feat you gain must have the [Spell] tag and must be inscribed in a tome you have access to during your long rest.

Drawback:

• Armor Aversion: If you wear armor or wield a shield, you suffer a penalty to your Spellcrafter Checks and the Accuracy of your spell attacks. This penalty is equal to the armor's and shield's penalties to Athletics, Dexterity, and Stealth skills, plus 1 if you are wearing armor, plus 1 if you wield a shield.

Spoiler: Sample Kit: Dwarf

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[Core] [Racial] Kit
Prerequisites: No other [Racial] Kits. This should be a character's first Kit.
Benefits:

• Gain a +2 racial bonus to your Fortitude save.
• Your saving throws vs. poison and intoxication are Boosted.
• Darkvision: Treat nonmagical darkness as dim light.
• If you wear heavy armor (or chainmail) that incurs a penalty to your Speed, and you are proficient with that armor, ignore that penalty.
• Your Athletics or Brawn skill checks to maintain your footing are Boosted.

Drawbacks:

• Incur a -2 penalty to your Speed.
• Incur a -2 penalty to your Glibness skill.

XP Parcels:

• Gadgetry Skill 3 ranks; (Artisan Talent selecting brewing, stonemasonry, or some variety of metalsmithing OR Engineering talent).
• Favored Enemy talent (selecting giants, goblinoids, or orcs).
• Axe Master Kit OR Hammer Master Kit.

Spoiler: Sample Kit: Thief

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[Core] Kit
Prerequisites: Dexterity Skill 1 rank; Stealth Skill 2 ranks.
Benefits:

• Coast Number +1
• Gain two bonus Talents, which must have the [Skill Trick] tag.
• Train an additional Skill.
• You may Coast Dexterity and Stealth skill checks, even under pressure.

XP Parcels:

• Improvisation Feat
• Athletics Skill 4 ranks; Gadgetry Skill 3 ranks; Lockpicking Talent; Steady Climber Talent.

Spoiler: Sample Kit: Blade Master

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[Core] Kit
Prerequisites: Warrior Level 4; Weapon Focus talent selecting Heavy Blades.
Benefits:

• Warrior Level +1
• Vitality Points +4
• Gain a feat bonus to your weapon Impact with [Heavy Blade] weapons. This bonus is equal to half your level, rounded down, to a maximum of 4.

XP Parcels:

• Brawn Skill 5 ranks; Cleave Feat; Expert Parry Feat.
• Base Reflex Save +4; Dexterity Skill 2 ranks; Expert Parry Feat; Flurry Attack Feat.

[Draz74]

Spoiler: Sample Feat: Smite

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[Assault] [Core] Feat
Prerequisites: Warrior Level 1; Charisma Skill 2 ranks.
Activity: 1 Action [Strike]
Effect:
Expend Momentum to make a weapon attack or use the Charge special attack. Add +2d4 to the attack's Impact.

Spoiler: Sample Feat: Energy Blast

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[Core] [Spell] Feat
Prerequisites: Spellcrafter Level 1; one applicable Talent with the [Seed] tag.
Applicable Seeds: Acid, Air, Cold, Earth, Fire, Lightning, Radiant, Water, Weave
Activity: 1 Action [Strike]
Effect [Basic]:
Make a spell attack against one creature or object. This attack has the following features:

• Ranges: 30 / 60 / 120 ft
• Impact Modifier: +2
• Damage Type: depends on [Seed] used to craft the spell; see below
• Opposed By: Defense save; Armor Value
• Bleed Number: 1
• Hazard Menu: standard options
• Special: the attack deals splash damage (i.e. the target can choose a creature or object within 5 ft of it to also be a target of the attack).

Seed Effects [Basic]:

• Acid: The attack deals acid damage.
• Air: The attack deals bludgeoning damage.
• Cold: The attack deals cold damage.
• Earth: The attack deals bludgeoning and slashing damage.
• Fire: The attack deals fire damage.
• Lightning: The attack deals lightning damage.
• Radiant: The attack deals radiant damage.
• Water: The attack deals bludgeoning damage.
• Weave: The attack deals force damage. The attack's Impact is Dragged.

Effect [Advanced]:
As [Basic], but you may choose to enhance the spell attack in one of the following ways:

• The attack's Ranges increase to 60 / 120 / 300 ft.
• The attack's Impact is Boosted.
• The attack can target more than one creature or object. All targets must be within 30 ft of each other, and for each target, make a Spellcrafter Check (TN 6 + number of targets); on a failure, that attack is wasted. Each target (for whom the Spellcrafter Check succeeds) can choose an additional creature or object within 5 ft to be targeted via splash damage, but a given creature or object can only be the subject of splash damage once.

Seed Effects [Advanced]:

• Acid: The attack has Bleed Number 4.
• Cold: Until the start of your next turn, targets' Speed checks are Dragged.
• Lightning: Choose one of the following effects:
  
  • The attack deals thunder damage rather than lightning damage.
  • The attack(s) do not cause splash damage.
  • Targets made of metal or wearing primarily-metal armor have their Defense saves against the attack Dragged.
• Weave: Attacks are always at least a Hit.

... yup, Spells are still going to be the most complicated part of the system.

[Draz74]

Spoiler: Sample Feat: Evoke Fortune

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[Core] [Spell] Feat
Prerequisites: Spellcrafter Level 1.
Applicable Seeds: Luck, Mind, Radiant
Passive Benefit: Gain a +1 feat bonus to your Spellcraft Checks.
Activity: 1 Action
Effect [Basic]:
Attempt a Spellcraft Check (TN 15) to grant Momentum to one creature within 30 ft.
Seed Effects [Basic]:

• Luck: You can use your Awesome Check in place of your Spellcraft Check.
• Mind: If you are the target of the spell, choose one of the following effects:
  
  • Automatically succeed on your Spellcraft Check.
  • Casting this spell does not provoke Opportunity Attacks.
• Radiant: If the target of the spell is within 5 ft of you, casting this spell does not provoke Opportunity Attacks.

Effect [Advanced]:
As [Basic], but you can cast the spell even if you do not have one of its Applicable Seeds active. If a target is Shaken, the spell (if successful) can remove the Shaken condition instead of granting Momentum. In addition, choose one of the following effects:

• The spell's range increases to line of sight.
• Your Spellcraft Check is Boosted.
• Activity becomes 2 Actions instead of 1 Action. Automatically succeed on your Spellcraft Check.
• Target up to 6 creatures. All targets must be within 30 ft of each other, and within the spell's normal range. Make a separate Spellcraft Check for each target. If using this option, there are limitations on Seed Effects:
  
  • Luck: You can only use your Awesome Check in place of your Spellcraft Check on one target.
  • Mind: The Minds Seed Effects do not function if the spell targets creatures other than yourself.
  • Radiant: The Radiant Seed Effect does not function if the spell targets more than one creature.

Spoiler: Sample Feat: Heroic Surge

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[Core] [Luck] Feat
Prerequisites: (Coast Number 7; one Feat with the [Luck] tag) OR Soloist Kit.
Activity: Free
Effect:
Once per round on your turn, expend Momentum to take an extra Action, which can even be a second [Strike] Action.

Spoiler: Sample Feat: Dodge

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[Core] [Counter] [Grace] Feat
Prerequisites: Coast Number 5; Athletics Skill 2 ranks.
Passive Benefit: Gain a +1 feat bonus to your Reflex save.
Activity: Reaction or Free
Effect [Basic]:

• Reaction: When you are targeted by an attack that is opposed by a Defense save, you may use your Reflex save instead. If your save against this attack succeeds, you resist the attack's effects.
• Free: As above, but using this effect without using your Reaction requires expending Momentum.

[Draz74]

Spoiler: Sample Talent: Lightning Seed

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[Core] [Seed] Talent
Prerequisites: none
Benefit:
You can spend 1 Action to activate this Seed. You are enabled to cast spells using their Lightning Seed options, until you activate another Seed or become unconscious.

Spoiler: Sample Talent: Light Armor Proficiency

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[Core] [Proficiency] Talent
Prerequisites: none
Benefit:
You are proficient with light armor (and chainmail).
Normal:
Wearing light armor nonproficiently incurs a -2 penalty to Speed and a -2 penalty to the Accuracy of your attacks.

Spoiler: Sample Talent: Lockpicking

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[Core] [Skill Trick] Talent
Prerequisites: Dexterity Skill 2 ranks; Gadgetry Skill 1 rank.
Benefits:
If you spend at least 5 minutes picking a lock using thieves' tools, you can use your Gadgetry Skill (Uncapped) and can Coast the check. If you have at least 4 ranks of Gadgetry Skill, you can use your Dexterity Skill in place of your Gadgetry Skill to pick locks.
Normal:
Using Gadgetry to pick a lock is Capped, and cannot be Coasted.

Spoiler: Sample Talent: Fireball

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[Core] [Metamagic] Talent
Prerequisites: Spellcrafter Level 3; Energy Blast feat; Fire Seed talent.
Benefit:
When you cast Energy Blast using the Fire Seed, you can expend momentum and consider the spell [Advanced] to affect the spell attack in the following ways:
Ranges: 90 / 180 / 300 ft
Targets: all creatures and objects within a 15-ft-radius Burst (plus Splash Damage)
Impact Modifier: +2; Impact is also Boosted

[Cluedrew]

The "normal" die roll in Z-Wolf is to roll 3d12 and take the middle result. Then, just like the d20 system, you add a number to the die result and compare the sum to a Target Number (TN) to determine success or failure.

Rolls can also be "boosted" (like Advantage in 5e) or "dragged" (like Disadvantage in 5e). Unlike 5e, boosted and dragged do not cancel each other out; if both apply, the "normal" 3d12 roll is replaced by just a straight d12.

That is a lot of dice, although once you have them scanning three dice for the middle value should go pretty fast. Point of clarification a normal role is roll 3d12 and take middle (then add modifier and stuff), does a boosted roll then roll 2d12 and pick higher or roll 3d12 and pick higher? And I'm assuming the opposite is true of dragged.

I do like how boost and dragged combine to make a roll more swingy.

[Draz74]

That is a lot of dice, although once you have them scanning three dice for the middle value should go pretty fast. Point of clarification a normal role is roll 3d12 and take middle (then add modifier and stuff), does a boosted roll then roll 2d12 and pick higher or roll 3d12 and pick higher? And I'm assuming the opposite is true of dragged.

I do like how boost and dragged combine to make a roll more swingy.

2d12 for Boosted and Dragged.

[Draz74]

I've been musing about Z-Wolf just a little bit in spare moments and it occurs to me that, if I make low-Impact attacks apply a penalty to the d12 roll rather than just being a +0 die bonus (and scale higher-Impact attacks accordingly, reducing their bonuses), I might be able to get away with not re-vamping the Vitality Points scaling of characters. I can't tell if I'm just being lazy about figuring out VP scaling, though. Does it feel too bad to apply penalties to every unarmed/dagger attack you make? Is "1d12-3, to a minimum of 1" too clunky?

For the record, the CRE8 formula for VP was "your base Fortitude save bonus + twice your Level + 5." Plus what you get from warrior-style Kits. And the big reason I don't want to re-scale it is because increasing the per-level and base amounts of VP you get would make your Fortitude save less important in determining your VP, which is something I liked about the old formula. I could double it, I suppose, without making the formula too complicated.

I'm liking M&M-style Karma Points for this system more and more, the more I think about them.

[Draz74]

I see a lot of talk in current threads about the rules for regaining used abilities. Resting rules vs "per-encounter" abilities and such.

Z-Wolf has Short Rests and Long Rests, similar to 5e except that Short Rests are 10 minutes long rather than an hour. Spellcasting-Suffused-ness and Vitality Points reset on a Short Rest. Also, a few rare physical special abilities (like Toughness feat) will require Exerting, which is a once-per-Short-Rest spending of a Stamina point mid-encounter. Together with Momentum, these Short-Rest-based abilities fulfill the role of "per-encounter" powers.

As a side note, I'm thinking gaining Momentum might require two Karma Points. Just so that it's not spammed constantly as the way to spend Karma Points.

Long Rests are still 8 hours (including 6 hours' sleep for most races), and reset your Vitality Points and Stamina Points. Since all types of characters use Stamina Points to refuel themselves, everyone will need Long Rests periodically. But since the ways to spend Stamina Points within an encounter are very limited, most characters can't "nova" and need a Long Rest after just one fight! Long Rests also give a chance to heal more serious Wounded conditions (and things like Diseases and Slow Poisons can get better or worse during a Long Rest). But healing the Wounded condition requires a successful Fortitude Save, so negative conditions can outlast a single Long Rest and require multiple days to recover from.

[Draz74]

So far, Z-Wolf Initiative is pretty much identical to 5e Initiative, including the part where you don't have to track your initiative number (just its relative order) after the initial steps of combat.

Is it worth having a more complicated initiative system, so that I can have abilities that move you up or down in the initiative order?

[Draz74]

Yesterday and this morning, I'm hard at thought about how to track money and buying and selling in Z-Wolf.

I want something relatively simulationist, where purchases and sales still matter to your character sheet unless they're really small, and where rolling dice can represent haggling or the whims of supply and demand. But not full bean-counter mode like D&D where every gold piece found demands a character sheet update.

I've got a fairly happening reddit thread going on the subject, but I'll still take suggestions here if anyone has invented or can point me to a genius system.

[Draz74]

Proposal:

When you buy or sell, you roll d6s equal to your Wealth score. 1-3 = failure, 4 = neutral, 5-6 = success.

Buying: you lose Wealth equal to (the item's Price rating - your successes), to a minimum of zero.

Selling: you gain Wealth equal to (the item's Price rating - your failures), to a minimum of zero, and a maximum of (Price rating / 2), rounded up.

Anyone see any glaring problems with this?

[Draz74]

I'm thinking maybe Perception is too useful of a skill at present, and I should divide it into Perception and Insight. Leading to 11 total skills in Z-Wolf.

Torn about whether, if I do that, I should up the number of Skill Ranks characters get at each level from 5 to 6.

5 already feels like a lot for Animals, for example (since they don't typically invest any ranks in Charisma, Glibness, Gadgetry, Dexterity, or Knowledge). But 5 is already spread thin for characters like Rogues and Rangers.

[Draz74]

My friend is saying, instead of making Insight its own skill, I should just use the worse of Charisma or Perception skill.

Then there could be talents that modify the situation, like something that lets typical Rogue-types just use Perception, without having to put ranks into Charisma.

I'm very tempted by the idea of not adding an 11th Skill.

[Draz74]

Alternative: replace Charisma in the skills list with Insight, then add Talents that let you apply your Insight skill to leadership/relationship-building applications.

EDIT: I tried working along these lines for a few days, but I wasn't liking the missing Charisma skill. So I'm back to (probably) going with a Skills List of 11 (Athletics, Brawn, Charisma, Dexterity, Gadgetry, Glibness, Insight, Knowledge, Nature, Perception, and Stealth), and expanding characters to 6 Skill Ranks per level.

Typical Beasts (who don't want Charisma, Dexterity, Gadgetry, Glibness, or Knowledge) can then still max out the six more beast-like Skills. And Rogues will still have hard choices to make, since they want 7 archetypical skills (Athletics, Dexterity, Gadgetry, Glibness, Insight, Perception, Stealth) but can only invest heavily in 6.

[Draz74]

I'm perplexed by how to fit a Healing spell into the Basic/Advanced Spell system without obviating the need for resting.

I could make it drain Stamina Points from the target, but that leads to the party just wanting to take a night's rest after an hour or so of (sloppy) adventuring, which is not a paradigm I'm trying to encourage.

I'm wondering if maybe the healing spell should only have an Advanced version... But at that point, is it even worth taking if the Advanced version isn't way overpowered?