- Thread starter
- #681
This style takes time, too, but it's cute (I think).
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Welcome to My (Flat) World
- Thread starter Legendary Sidekick
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This style takes time, too, but it's cute (I think).
Ireth
Mythic Scribe
That awkward moment when you have a crystal-clear idea in mind for the introduction of a new character to the game, only you don't want to get rid of the ones you're already playing. Nor do you want to just add a character, because two PCs is quite enough for now, and who knows what'll happen when we get to Roku-Roku and they reunite with their daughter, whose status as a PC or NPC is moot at the moment. :/
- Thread starter
- #683
Oh well.
Funny you're thinking about Flat Earth. Taking a break from the game gave me time to think clearly on what I want for a system that's simple, but without all of the characters looking the same. Long story short, the classes just need one difference.
I was working on the favorable/unfavorable rolls before, then I started taking the simple idea and making it into a complex monster, which defeated the purpose. What I'll do instead is have different success/fail numbers for different classes or attack types, and when you roll success you have options about striking one target or more than one. Damage is determined by me.
As long as you know the numbers for your own character, the system is decently balanced and simple on the players' end.
The base is:
1-6 = fail
7-9 = neutral
10-20 = succeed
How characters will be different (without getting into numbers)…
Melee Classes
Amazon = aggressive
Shield Maiden = defensive
Weapon Specialists
Samurai = powerful first attack w/ katana
Huntress = stealth-mode attack w/ bow
Unarmed Classes
Fighting Nun = combo bonus
Brawler = pro wrestler
Versatile Classes
Preacher = prayer: RP can support party
Pirate = swashbuckler: RP can PO enemy
Magic Classes
Mentalist = mind-reading & telekinesis (advantage: feats of strength)
Pixie = flight & tiny body (see body-types)
If I get around to an art update, I'll keep feats differentiation ultra-simple and match the look to the character stats. I'll get into the numbers later, but basically, if you're human you'll either be STR or DEX.
Human Body-types
Larger Body-type = advantage in strength & health (stealth and health for a fat mentalist)
Smaller Body-type = advantage in agility & stealth
Winged Body-types
Tiny Body-type = adv. in stealth, disadv. in health, strength: impossible, agility: infallible
Human-turned-Valkyrie = Diana will find out!
Funny you're thinking about Flat Earth. Taking a break from the game gave me time to think clearly on what I want for a system that's simple, but without all of the characters looking the same. Long story short, the classes just need one difference.
I was working on the favorable/unfavorable rolls before, then I started taking the simple idea and making it into a complex monster, which defeated the purpose. What I'll do instead is have different success/fail numbers for different classes or attack types, and when you roll success you have options about striking one target or more than one. Damage is determined by me.
As long as you know the numbers for your own character, the system is decently balanced and simple on the players' end.
The base is:
1-6 = fail
7-9 = neutral
10-20 = succeed
How characters will be different (without getting into numbers)…
Melee Classes
Amazon = aggressive
Shield Maiden = defensive
Weapon Specialists
Samurai = powerful first attack w/ katana
Huntress = stealth-mode attack w/ bow
Unarmed Classes
Fighting Nun = combo bonus
Brawler = pro wrestler
Versatile Classes
Preacher = prayer: RP can support party
Pirate = swashbuckler: RP can PO enemy
Magic Classes
Mentalist = mind-reading & telekinesis (advantage: feats of strength)
Pixie = flight & tiny body (see body-types)
If I get around to an art update, I'll keep feats differentiation ultra-simple and match the look to the character stats. I'll get into the numbers later, but basically, if you're human you'll either be STR or DEX.
Human Body-types
Larger Body-type = advantage in strength & health (stealth and health for a fat mentalist)
Smaller Body-type = advantage in agility & stealth
Winged Body-types
Tiny Body-type = adv. in stealth, disadv. in health, strength: impossible, agility: infallible
Human-turned-Valkyrie = Diana will find out!
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Mystagogue- Thread starter
- #685
There is, Devora. I plan to start episode 3 in September. But for now, choose a class and give me a rough idea of the look so I can draw your character.
This style takes time, too, but it's cute (I think).
Just saw this image. Nice one
- Thread starter
- #687
Some thoughts I'm having during the Flat Earth summer break…
1) Start episode 3 in September (ideally, with JRFLynn back online after her crazy August stuff is all set).
2) Plan on an 8-episode run (ideally, 1-2 months per episode).
3) Take what worked and develop my next RPG (for which I'm already making notes, but as Wreck-It Ralph says, "one game at a time").
1) Start episode 3 in September (ideally, with JRFLynn back online after her crazy August stuff is all set).
2) Plan on an 8-episode run (ideally, 1-2 months per episode).
3) Take what worked and develop my next RPG (for which I'm already making notes, but as Wreck-It Ralph says, "one game at a time").
- Thread starter
- #688
Jotting ideas for the next game gave me a bit of clarity for THIS game. As far as combat goes, a randomizer is a randomizer. The only reason I'm even changing it at all for this game is to see how player posts end up when you KNOW whether you hit or got hit as soon as you roll.
For almost every character, rolls will look something like this:
Melee/Unarmed: ≤5 failure; ≥10 success
Ranged/Magic: ≤4 failure; ≥12 success
Difficulty of enemies will push those number higher, and you may have noticed the success target is twice the fail target (or thrice in the case of ranged/magic). That ratio will be consistent.
EDIT - In case it seems like there's no real advantage to ranged/magic attacks, I should probably note that if the enemies lack ranged attacks and the player shoots from a safe position, the player won't get hit even if a "failure" is rolled.
Some classes (two, I think) will have lower success targets, but I'll try to keep things simple so you're always rolling for the same targets in the same battle (and in most battles). If you switch from a ranged style to a close combat style, then there's two sets of numbers you need to deal with.
For almost every character, rolls will look something like this:
Melee/Unarmed: ≤5 failure; ≥10 success
Ranged/Magic: ≤4 failure; ≥12 success
Difficulty of enemies will push those number higher, and you may have noticed the success target is twice the fail target (or thrice in the case of ranged/magic). That ratio will be consistent.
EDIT - In case it seems like there's no real advantage to ranged/magic attacks, I should probably note that if the enemies lack ranged attacks and the player shoots from a safe position, the player won't get hit even if a "failure" is rolled.
Some classes (two, I think) will have lower success targets, but I'll try to keep things simple so you're always rolling for the same targets in the same battle (and in most battles). If you switch from a ranged style to a close combat style, then there's two sets of numbers you need to deal with.
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- Thread starter
- #689
What I did on my summer vacation…
Here's a panoramic shot my wife took on the Kangamangus Highway…
My daughters about to explore the caves…
My youngest and I going through the Lemon Squeezer…
…and the two older ones in "You Gotta Be Kidding." It's not a roomy cave, so I did some rock climbing, rather than chance having to call a rescue team to get me out from under a rock. I had gone through every cave when I was 12, though, so I knew my daughters could fit easily.
Here's a panoramic shot my wife took on the Kangamangus Highway…
My daughters about to explore the caves…
My youngest and I going through the Lemon Squeezer…
…and the two older ones in "You Gotta Be Kidding." It's not a roomy cave, so I did some rock climbing, rather than chance having to call a rescue team to get me out from under a rock. I had gone through every cave when I was 12, though, so I knew my daughters could fit easily.
- Thread starter
- #690
I updated the Class Acts thread, and tried to make subtle differences between the classes. Every class gets two bonuses, the better bonuses being those used for die rolls you can't use all the time. There's also a third bonus for each class that gives the GM a bit of leeway.
I tried to come up with bonuses that let you play the class as you have been.
Combat rolls will either be:
FAIL (get hurt)
NEUTRAL (nothing happens, with the exception of a few classes)
or SUCCESS (hit the enemy, use an item, etc.)
Does it work if I tell you:
Melee/unarmed: fail ≤6, success ≥10
Ranged/magic: fail ≤5, success ≥12
…and from there, you do the math?
So if I play an amazon with a two-hander, a 9 hits. When charging, I get to reduce the success target by 2, so a 7 hits when I charge! (Bonuses stack, unless players prefer them not to for some reason.)
See Class Acts thread for bonuses.
The idea is for you to always know whether you hit an enemy or got hit. However, only the GM post tells you if killed the enemy or got KO'd.
I tried to come up with bonuses that let you play the class as you have been.
Combat rolls will either be:
FAIL (get hurt)
NEUTRAL (nothing happens, with the exception of a few classes)
or SUCCESS (hit the enemy, use an item, etc.)
Does it work if I tell you:
Melee/unarmed: fail ≤6, success ≥10
Ranged/magic: fail ≤5, success ≥12
…and from there, you do the math?
So if I play an amazon with a two-hander, a 9 hits. When charging, I get to reduce the success target by 2, so a 7 hits when I charge! (Bonuses stack, unless players prefer them not to for some reason.)
See Class Acts thread for bonuses.
The idea is for you to always know whether you hit an enemy or got hit. However, only the GM post tells you if killed the enemy or got KO'd.
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Ireth
Mythic Scribe
So, to get this straight... Diana's fail target is actually <5 when she uses a shield. And Vincent's success rate is either >7 or >10, depending on how long he charges spells. Right?
- Thread starter
- #692
Yes… does it make sense?
Bear in mind that some enemies will be more difficult, so the base will be higher. But the numbers used in the first example is what I'll use for the first battle. Low rolls are guaranteed hits for enemies, where before, players could roll badly, but the enemies could still miss. I'm pretty comfortable with players normally having a 20-30% chance of getting hurt, and having limited ability to drop that number even lower. (The pixie has a 10% chance of getting swatted out of the air on her first charge turn.)
Also, I forgot to mention how to charge spells, but my thought is this:
Charge spell: success charges spell level to II
Charge additional rounds: neutral increases charge level to III, success releases spell
I feel like it's too easy if you can charge a spell with a neutral roll… because why wouldn't you? But I also feel like once it's charged, a neutral roll should let you keep the charge going, and you deserve a more powerful spell if you take that risk and have to wait more than one round for payoff.
As a player who's using magic, does that make sense?
I do give the shield maiden a defensive move that works with neutral rolls, but neutral means she's blocking an attack, so I can justify that.
Bear in mind that some enemies will be more difficult, so the base will be higher. But the numbers used in the first example is what I'll use for the first battle. Low rolls are guaranteed hits for enemies, where before, players could roll badly, but the enemies could still miss. I'm pretty comfortable with players normally having a 20-30% chance of getting hurt, and having limited ability to drop that number even lower. (The pixie has a 10% chance of getting swatted out of the air on her first charge turn.)
Also, I forgot to mention how to charge spells, but my thought is this:
Charge spell: success charges spell level to II
Charge additional rounds: neutral increases charge level to III, success releases spell
I feel like it's too easy if you can charge a spell with a neutral roll… because why wouldn't you? But I also feel like once it's charged, a neutral roll should let you keep the charge going, and you deserve a more powerful spell if you take that risk and have to wait more than one round for payoff.
As a player who's using magic, does that make sense?
I do give the shield maiden a defensive move that works with neutral rolls, but neutral means she's blocking an attack, so I can justify that.
Ireth
Mythic Scribe
Makes sense to me!
- Thread starter
- #694
Fate
As much as I hate to post new rules than immediately abandon them, I swear it's for the right reasons…
Devor recently posted a link to the Fate Core System. I downloaded the PDF, and I liked what I saw.
The die-rolling is different from the d20 thing, but I honestly don't care how many sides are on the die. A randomizer is just a tool to determine whether your luck is good or bad.
What DID convince me that Fate's a good fit for this game is that the whole point of making a change is that I want players to tell me whether or not they strike their target(s) or get hit, and the whole idea of the Fate system is just that:
Players RP their characters, and get a degree of creative control.
So I was already planning on play-testing anyway. Rather than make an attempt to post a bunch of rules, I'm going to run the play test as both a player and a GM. (That's how I ran the first play-test, with Hanako as my character, and she was equal in power to other PCs.)
If the Fate system works, then I plan to stick with it, as I have an idea for my next RPG and the Fate PDF came with examples for that genre (superhero theme).
So I'll run this play-test as I did with Phil and Reaver in the original play-test (which you couldn't see if you weren't a mod—the Flat Earth forum was hidden at the time)…
I'll start my character first so other players can do what I'm doing as a player. Because this isn't a system I made up, I'll post a link to the Fate Core System PDF (which is REALLY long!!!) and reference pages if there's a need for that.
Anyone who wants in on the play-test is welcome. I'll post the Play-Test thread soon with a character creation page. Since a character can start with 10 of 20 skills, I'll be sure to mention the 10 my character doesn't take.
There are 18 skills in the PDF. The two I'm adding are Flight and Magic, and I'm also adding innate abilities for the mentalist and pixie classes. Other classes can be played as normal Fate characters (there is no class system in Fate), but I'll merely suggest a skill that each class would likely be above average in. To preserve the spirit of Fate's design, I won't force players to choose a class or play a class with the suggested skills.
As much as I hate to post new rules than immediately abandon them, I swear it's for the right reasons…
Devor recently posted a link to the Fate Core System. I downloaded the PDF, and I liked what I saw.
The die-rolling is different from the d20 thing, but I honestly don't care how many sides are on the die. A randomizer is just a tool to determine whether your luck is good or bad.
What DID convince me that Fate's a good fit for this game is that the whole point of making a change is that I want players to tell me whether or not they strike their target(s) or get hit, and the whole idea of the Fate system is just that:
Players RP their characters, and get a degree of creative control.
So I was already planning on play-testing anyway. Rather than make an attempt to post a bunch of rules, I'm going to run the play test as both a player and a GM. (That's how I ran the first play-test, with Hanako as my character, and she was equal in power to other PCs.)
If the Fate system works, then I plan to stick with it, as I have an idea for my next RPG and the Fate PDF came with examples for that genre (superhero theme).
So I'll run this play-test as I did with Phil and Reaver in the original play-test (which you couldn't see if you weren't a mod—the Flat Earth forum was hidden at the time)…
I'll start my character first so other players can do what I'm doing as a player. Because this isn't a system I made up, I'll post a link to the Fate Core System PDF (which is REALLY long!!!) and reference pages if there's a need for that.
Anyone who wants in on the play-test is welcome. I'll post the Play-Test thread soon with a character creation page. Since a character can start with 10 of 20 skills, I'll be sure to mention the 10 my character doesn't take.
There are 18 skills in the PDF. The two I'm adding are Flight and Magic, and I'm also adding innate abilities for the mentalist and pixie classes. Other classes can be played as normal Fate characters (there is no class system in Fate), but I'll merely suggest a skill that each class would likely be above average in. To preserve the spirit of Fate's design, I won't force players to choose a class or play a class with the suggested skills.
- Thread starter
- #695
I updated the Class Acts thread to reflect how Fate's skills work. Since it's not yet tested, meaning I'm not yet committed to Fate, I won't go crazy with rules updates. However, I do have plans for leveling, so let say this much to current players:
There's a leveling system which will allow you to learn 1 new skill and/or improve existing skills.
For example, you can learn magic even if you started the game as a non-magic character. Also, since Diana is gradually growing wings, FLIGHT is a skill she shouldn't have a the start of episode 3, but she can learn it after the episode.
If we stick with Fate, players who completed episodes 1 and/or 2 will have 1 or 2 levels worth of skill points at the start of Episode 3. I already know exactly how that will work, but as I said, I want to make sure Fate is the official Flat Earth system before I get into all that.
There's a leveling system which will allow you to learn 1 new skill and/or improve existing skills.
For example, you can learn magic even if you started the game as a non-magic character. Also, since Diana is gradually growing wings, FLIGHT is a skill she shouldn't have a the start of episode 3, but she can learn it after the episode.
If we stick with Fate, players who completed episodes 1 and/or 2 will have 1 or 2 levels worth of skill points at the start of Episode 3. I already know exactly how that will work, but as I said, I want to make sure Fate is the official Flat Earth system before I get into all that.
- Thread starter
- #696
Drawn on a post-it note with a shitty free pen: characters who have appeared in Flat Earth and Dragon's Egg! That's Baldhart lifting a guy, Nissa flying bare-assed, Hanako backfisting teeth out of a large thug, and Addison looking PO'd 'cause she's got nothing to do.
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- Thread starter
- #697
PS- Let's keep all discussion here, and only RP in the play-test thread from now on. (No worries about previous discussion. RP starts on page 5, and that's fine.)
All right, let the games begin.
@Ireth, Fortuna was the first name I typed when I sat down to name him.
@Ireth, Fortuna was the first name I typed when I sat down to name him.
Ireth
Mythic Scribe
*rubs hands together* I'm in!
Ireth
Mythic Scribe
Gah! My first roll in the new system and I flub it. That 1u1 ought to be a 4u1. My 4 key sticks half the time, so when I typed it, there was nothing in front of the u, and the site inserted a 1. Should I go with that, or roll again?