I hear all the cool kids are writing LARP systems these days. This one is intended to be usable as a replacement for TT's current system. It has the following features:
- Class/level based. No multiclassing. This should make balancing possible.
- At will, encounter and daily powers, like D&D 4, so that you've usually got a decision to make about what to do.
- Healing surges, like D&D 4, because they're great for wearing the party out without having them suddenly implode.
- Global hitpoints and armour, because the effort of tracking twelve numbers at once in combat is poorly repaid by the quality roleplay of hopping around on one leg. If you even can hop around on one leg while the other's zeroed.
- Valtiel likes global hits and armour but locational damage - so the hit that takes you to zero also disables the location it strikes, and further hits disable locations. Knocking someone out with a blow to the arm feels wrong, somehow.
- NickTaylor doesn't. It results in more dropped weapons, more hopping around, and more headshots than would otherwise occur. I tend to rationalize this by observing that very few people are fit to engage in combat in the few minutes after having their arm broken; they're more likely to lie down, whimper about their arm, and try to avoid moving at all because every movement makes their arm hurt more.
- Compromise system? Taking an injury past your body hits puts you down. After the encounter you get up again, but that injury is still there until healed - a limp, an unusable arm, inability to run for torso/head hit. --Requiem
- Advancement, gaining about a shiny thing every other week, and about a level a term, up to eighth level. I think that the "loyalty scheme" aspect of granting experience is valuable in retaining players and reducing character turnover, and that this justifies the considerable extra effort of coming up with those shiny things.
- A blithe disregard for the concept of PVP, since victory seems to be determined far more by initiative than by mechanical abilities.
- No races. If you want to be an elf, by all means be an elf, but it has no mechanical effect. Flangey races may be implemented as classes.
Advancement
Characters start at level 1 with only their class features. I'd expect each level to have a list of about six shiny things (possibly subdivided into two Powers and four Feats, with Powers granting you extra abilities and Feats improving existing abilities - I'm going to try this subdivision unless and until someone persuades me it's really dumb), from which you choose three, one every two weeks of play. After eight weeks of play, instead of gaining a shiny thing, you Go Up A Level. Rejoice.
Basic abilities
Before they've taken any class, a character has 3 hits, 4 healing surges, and may not wield any weapons or use any armour. They are literate, numerate, and may speak Common and one other language of their choice. If they were proficient with a weapon, they would do SINGLE with it, but they couldn't ambidex with it.
Extra calls
- SLOW N: for the next N seconds you may not move faster than a measured walk.
- MARKING: Purely informational: the caller has made you their marked target, and you may suffer negative consequences for attacking someone other than them.
- [FULL] HEAL [no surge]: On taking this call, you may spend a healing surge and regain half your maximum hitpoints (round up). With the FULL qualifier, you instead regain all your hitpoints. With the "no surge" qualifier, you need not spend a healing surge to gain the hitpoints.
The Spell Cooldown
Some abilities are described as being "on the spell cooldown". After using such an ability, you may not use any other such ability for five seconds. This time is measured from effect call to effect call - you may begin the vocals for the next ability within this five-second period.
Classes, their abilities and advance schemes
/TnTGeneral - A few abilities which may be taken by any class at any level.
/TnTWarrior - Dumb grunt; strong, tough, with abilities to help them keep enemies away from their friends. Likely to be staring blankly at a wall right when you need them.
/TnTMage - Dress-wearing nancy who stands off and zaps enemies, interfering with their tactics or just popping their heads. Likely to be running away in an undignified fashion right when you need them.
/TnTSubterfuge - Shifty bastard you wouldn't want at your back. Stabs people to make them dead and/or ineffective. Likely to be hiding right when you need them.
/TnTWilderness - Smelly oik with a bow. Shoots people with arrows to make them dead and/or ineffective. Likely to be hiding right when you need them.
/TnTPriest - Holier than thou. Vends hitpoints and messes with the enemy. Possibly some buffs. Likely to have a strictural obligation not to help you right when you need them.
/TnTAlchemist - Smelly highly-educated individual. Vends hitpoints and buffs. Possibly some fighting. Likely to be stoned right when you need them.
/TnTWarlock
? - Magically-trained warrior. All the dress-wearing of a mage, all the grunting of a warrior.
/TnTPaladin
? - A warrior and a priest. What could possibly go wrong?
/Discussion - For general comments. Comments on individual classes go on the class page.
CategorySystem
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