[RPM] Critique My Conversion of Ritual Path Magic to Fate Core

Hey, all!

I haven't been around much since I've been experimenting with Fate Core. Don't worry. I haven't left you guys, but I have been enjoying trying out another system. This is for those of you who have both an understanding of Fate Core and GURPS's own Ritual Path Magic system. I did my best to convert the spirit of RPM into a system of magic for Fate Core since it was the one big thing that I was reeeaaaaally missing from this new system.

Quote:

Fate Core RPM will use the Lore skill, and the standard Lore skill will be replaced by a better-named Knowledge skill. Lore is rolled against a Divine (+10) opposition, which takes a second. There are a handful of advantages that can be created to offset this opposition. Consecrated Space, Connection with the Subject, Taking Extra Time, and also Using a Known Ritual. While not one of the standards, a Relevant Material Component advantage would also be appropriate. On the other end of that, the difficulty of the ritual being cast is also added to the opposition. It is anything from Mediocre (+0) for a spell like Light to Divine (+10) for a spell like Resurrection. The opposition can never exceed Divine (+10) total for rolling. The end total of the opposition is also equal to the number of rolls that must succeed in order to overcome the ritual. However, longer rituals are danger, and each successive roll after the first garners a -1 to the Lore skill in question. Example: Jermaine wants to cast the Heal ritual on his buddy Lewis. His skill in Lore is Good (+3) and the opposition of the Heal ritual is Superb (+5). Luckily, he still has his Consecrated Space from earlier, and creates another advantage on that in just a second. Furthermore, he has a Connection with the Subject since his buddy Lewis is right there with him, and he is also Using a Known Ritual. Since he has both some time and money to spend, Jermaine will be Taking Extra Time and using his Relevant Material Component. With success, that completely whittles down the Lore opposition to just the opposition of the ritual, which is Superb (+5). He'll take six hits of stress to reduce that to Fair (+2), which is a lot more manageable for his Lore skill. Jermaine takes his time and rolls, and he gets a final total of Good (+3), which is a success. He rolls again and gets a final total of Mediocre (+0), which is a failure and also means that he must pay the difference in stress hits. Since Jermaine used up all of his stress earlier, he'll have to take a mild magical consequence. It's not ideal, but he's still in better shape than Lewis. So he rolls again and gets a total of Fair (+2), which is a tie, meaning that he will succeed the ritual with a cost. Lewis is feeling much better, but his last mild consequence is still recovering as the cost.

Please critique this, ask me to clarify something, or tell if it's rather good. If it's rather good, then I'll run with it. I think one of its biggest problems already is that it's still rather complicated, but I'd like to think that it's still functional. If this is working, I think I'd obviously add some stunts in the way of Ritual Adept that would stand in for the space, connection, and time bonuses (and maybe an extra one for material components).

Thanks!

[RPM] Critique My Conversion of Ritual Path Magic to Fate Core

Question and Feedback on Hireling Spyke

Last night I was fortunate enough to be out with my girlfriend and spot the Original (out of print) Spyke Munchkin Vinyl Figure. He comes with a special card that reads:

Hireling Spyke
Place Spyke on the table. At the start of your turn you may rotate Spyke to face any opponent. This opponent may not play any cards that affect you while Spyke has his Eyes on Them.

Obviously the one Hireling in play at a time rule would apply but I can't fight the instinct that there should be something special for this figure/card (and the figure's owner) considering the owner spent the money to obtain it just like anyone who receives a boon from the iOS/Android App.

However there are specific sidebars in the Munchkin rules that stipulate that use of those Level Counter Apps is not cheating... its using the rules.

Given that the investment for a Level Counter app is about $5 and the investment for any of the Vinyls currently in print is $20 is feels like Spyke (and any other figure) should be the sole property of the person who invested in him... a true hireling in a sense.

I've combed every rules pdf (Spyke did not come with his own rules) and the errata and found nothing to suggest Spyke should be treated any differently than any other hireling but like I said it feels counter intuitive for me to have spent the money on him to in turn see him used by an opponent fortunate enough to have drawn my card from the door pile.

I have seen one suggestion that you treat Spyke like a promo and his owner can replace one door in his hand with the Spyke Door Card on the initial deal of the cards.

The logical point is that many Munchkin accessories come with cards, but that doesn't mean the purchaser is entitled to hoard those cards only because they bought them. Plus, having a card as powerful as Hireling Spyke at the beginning of the game as a guarantee, especially in games with few players, would be pretty unbalanced.

That said... Munchkin has never been about balance. Its has, in my experience been about getting away with what you can get away with (like masking more than 5 cards in your hand to avoid charity). I'd like to see something that provides at least a minimal benefit to the owner of the figure like:

Until Hireling Spyke is put into play by the use of his card, the original owner of the figure may use Hireling Spyke once to run away and sacrifice him to avoid bad stuff automatically. This action cannot be chosen after a run away dice roll has been cast.

Just looking for thoughts or guidance here and some sort of official ruling. I can't be the only one who sees a figure going totally unused (most of the time) in the event that several expansions are in play due to their being a single card for Spyke in the deck along with the limited frustration of investing $20 to have your buddy use your figure against you. No one thinks you should have to put the temporary tattoos in a pile and draw for them.

Question and Feedback on Hireling Spyke

Car Wars Online resources

My brother found this online and shared it with me. I felt the need to share it farther.

Here is a link to a online resource that will let you build any wheeled vehicles and trailers. You can print out their version of a Vehicles record sheet and Vehicle construction sheet. You can search existing designs by class and/or other tags

http://ift.tt/1hyXv1g

It looks like it will handle Cycles, Trikes, Reverse Trikes, Cars, Race Car, Car Trailer, 10-Wheeler, Semi Tractor, Semi Trailer, or Bus.

It does not look it will handle Boats, Hovers, Helicopters, Tracked Vehicles or planes.

What other Online resources have you found and are willing to share?

Car Wars Online resources

Elf racial talent: Forest Guardian question

Hello my friends. I just need a confirmation here.

The DF3 states: "elves may buy up to four levels of a racial Talent (forest guardian) during character creation".

Does that means that players can't use earned points to improve Forest Guard Racial Talent later on?

Elf racial talent: Forest Guardian question

Harsh Realism for Attacks Affecting Defenses

I had a thought on a possible harsh realism rule that might help address the problem of players of melee fighters in GURPS feeling like it is sub-optimal to do anything other than take attack maneuvers or move so they can take attack maneuvers. Before I get into the actual proposal, I want to make clear that I realize that it is not always sub-optimal to take other maneuvers--like evaluate, feint, beat, grappling (especially with Technical Grappling), etc.--but typically the odds seem to work out that it is better to just attack unless skill is moderately low to low or a difficult location needs to be targeted. Also, I have read The Last Gasp from Alternate GURPS II and I think it does a great job of tackling this problem from the standpoint of how fatiguing real fights are which results in pauses in the action so people can catch their breath.

That said, there is another reason that people do not just attack-attack-attack in a fight: any attack opens you up a little to a counter-attack or an attack from someone else, especially when you consider the one-second almost simultaneous action of GURPS turns. As a result of this, I propose a new Harsh Realism rule to model this (please note that I realize that I am not a master of any martial art and that my proposed rule is based on my observations, logic, and limited personal experience with martial arts instruction and sparring):

Harsh Realism for Attacks Affecting Defenses

Realistically, even properly executed attacks compromise the attackers defenses to some degree. With some exceptions, this will work out as follows:

1) Making a Melee or Ranged attack will result in a penalty of -2 to parries with the attacking weapon or hand and -1 to all other active defenses against all attacks until the start of the attackers next turn.

For melee attacks this represents the weapon/hand being brought out of the guard position and the other defenses being inhibited slightly by the required change in body mechanics to make a standard attack (examples: stepping or rotating into an attack making dodging more difficult, slightly lowering/moving of a shield to allow an attack, the inability of an off hand to defend the attacking hand's side well, etc.). For a ranged attack this represents the moment of stillness, predictable motion, and concentration required to make a normal ranged attack as well as the body mechanics required which make it harder to use other defenses at the same time.

2) Committed Attacks options still do not allow the attacking weapon to parry, but now give a -3 to all other active defenses until the start of the attackers next turn.

3) Defensive attacks: the +1 to one active defense in exchange for the normal damage penalty is cumulative with the new defense penalties. This means that a defensive attack allows a block, dodge, or parry with a different weapon at no penalty or parrying with the attacking weapon at -1. Using a defensive attack to allow a parry with a Parry U weapon after attacking with it results in a -2 to parry with that weapon and -1 to all other active defenses (as per a normal attack with a normal weapon).

4) Defensive ranged attack: a defensive ranged attack is now allowed. This results in same defensive options as the defensive melee attack, but the penalty is -2 to the attack roll instead of damage. This represents moving erratically while firing for an increased dodge, concentrating on shooting less to not leave an opening of some other kind, holding a weapon at an odd angle to take better advantage of a shield, etc. This option is cumulative with the -2 to bow and shield skills for firing a bow while having a ready shield.

5) Feints penalize the parry of the attacking weapon by -1 until the start of the next turn but do not penalize the other active defenses. This is to simulate that the feint is not a full attack and to make it more attractive compared to a regular attack action.

6) Beats give the normal penalties for attacks that a normal attack action does in this new rule. This is because a beat is a full-strength attack unless it is paired with a defensive attack option (I realize this makes beats even worse than they currently are when compared to parries, but I can't come up with a justification for them to not be penalized like a normal attack. I am tempted though, just for balance, to give a beat the same penalties as a feint above and call it good).

7) Missed Grapple attempts penalize the hand(s) that attempted the grapple by -1 while all other defenses remain unpenalized. Exception: grapple attempts with legs or the body (for constriction attacks) penalize dodge by -1 as well as any attempts to parry with the legs or body, respectively.

8) Ready maneuvers penalize the parry of the involved limb by -1, all other defenses are unpenalized. At GM discretion parrying with a limb involved in a ready maneuver may cancel the effect of the ready (example: parrying with an arm being used to ready a crossbow or draw a bow may result in progress being lost).

9) Moving more than 1/2 your encumbrance adjusted move penalizes parry and block by -1. Sprinting or moving with enhanced move penalizes parry and block by -2, dodge by -1. These penalties are because of the difficulties of maintaining a guard position while moving quickly and the additional difficulty of dodging while sprinting.

10) All penalties from an opponent using deceptive attack, riposte, counterattack, and other attack maneuvers that penalize the defender's defenses are cumulative with the above penalties. Example Robert attacks Bruce with his broadsword. Until his next turn, Robert's parry with his broadsword is at -2, all other active defenses are at -1. Bruce then deceptive attacks Robert for a negative -2 penalty to Robert's defenses. If Bruce hits, Robert would parry with his broadsword at -4 and all of his other defenses will be at -3.

I have not play tested this, it may in fact be overly harsh. My hope though is that these rules will result in more defensive attacks and/or evaluate maneuvers, followed by better deceptive attacks, feints, etc., as well as grapples. The object will be to make sure the attack connects in order to either end the fight or at least cause shock penalties, thus mitigating the defensive penalties that the attacker takes. My impression is that combat with deadly weapons tends to be cautious unless it is done by a style that intentionally trains its practitioners to be aggressive, so I hope this models this as well as slowing-down combat.

One other option that I have thought of is to only apply the additional penalties to attack maneuvers if the attacker takes two attack maneuvers in a row. So there will be no penalty on defenses after the first attack maneuver of a flurry, but if the attacker takes an attack maneuver on his immediate next turn, he starts taking penalties. This makes initial attacks not so dangerous, but continuing to press the attack can be risky.

Thoughts?

Harsh Realism for Attacks Affecting Defenses

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[RPM] Ritual Builds — Double-Checking

In addition to my how do I handle magical items struggle with adopting RPM into Dungeon Fantasy—or, let's be honest, the real struggle is adopting RPM into anything that involves actual players, because players do crazy and unpredictable stuff—I have a number of possible / proposed rituals that I'd like to get folks' opinions on in terms of mechanical integrity. These are all cooked up by my players, and while I'm still floundering around trying to get my RPM feet under me, I need some help double-checking (or triple-checking) them to confirm that they aren't pulling one over on me.

Heavy Shot

Spell Effects: Strengthen Matter
Modifiers: External Damage
Greater Effects: 0

Makes a missile fired from a gun heavier, denser and more deadly, punching through armor and flesh. At the moment of impact, the projectile becomes considerable more weighty, increasing damage accordingly. Replaces bullet damage with 3d+3. [Ed. This character uses a pair of S&W Number 3 revolvers in .44 Russian. The normal damage is 2d pi+, so this slightly-less-than-100% improvement is how they're claiming a Lesser effect.] This is intended to be a one-shot conditional spell.

Casting: Strengthen Matter (+3), External Damage 3d+3 pi+ (+3). 6 Energy.

[Ed. I'm very iffy on this one. Strengthen effects don't explicitly allow for increasing the damage of an attack, so I don't understand why this wouldn't be a Lesser Transform effect. Or even something related to Create Matter. I don't want to really get into the ballistics of it all, though—I just want to make sure that the effect they're after is being achieved in a mechanically sound way. On top of that, "Ammunition Charms" per RPM are linked damage that has to separately penetrate the target DR, not jacked-up natural damage of the ammunition itself—if I understand that right, it means this ritual should be priced based on External Damage 1d+3 pi+ as linked to the original 2d, but that doesn't make conceptual sense. So I'm lost about what to do with this.]

Better Armor

Spell Effects: Lesser Strengthen Matter
Modifiers: Altered Traits, Duration
Greater Effects: 0

Add DR 3 [Ed. a 100% improvement over the character's usual DR 3 armor] to existing Armor. A good "before dungeon" spell.

Casting: Strengthen Matter (3), Altered Traits DR 3 (15), Duration 6 hours (5). 23 Energy.

[Ed. I can't find anything wrong with this one, so feeling okay about it.]

Conjure Armor of the Old Knight

Spell Effects: Greater Create Matter, Lesser Control Matter
Modifiers: Altered Traits, Duration, Subject Weight
Greater Effects: 1 (x3)

Conjures a suit of detailed and majestic armor that falls over the caster's normal, flexible and concealable armor, allowing it to layer. Additionally, Control Matter allows the armor to move in a natural way (lesser effect), thus supporting its own weight and not limiting mobility. Does not cover shooting arm or either hand.

Casting: Create Matter (6), Control Matter (5), Duration One Hour (3), Weight 30 lbs. (1), Altered Trait DR 6 (30), Greater Effect 1 (x3). 99 Energy

[Ed. I'm not convinced that the "support its weight and not inhibit mobility / cause layering penalties" is a Lesser effect for a suit of armor... but maybe it is. (I mean, the armor's going to move that way anyway when the character moves, so maybe that's a natural way for it to move?) I also don't understand the Weight modifier's presence. Is that necessary for the Control effect to apply the conjured armor? If so, are we assuming that this suit of armor weighs less than 30 pounds?]

Conjure Cover

Effects: Lesser Create Matter
Modifiers: Weight
Greater Effects: 0

Creates a wall in front of the caster to provide some cover.

Casting: Create Matter (6), Weight 1,000 lbs. (4), Duration 10 Minutes (1). 11 Energy.

[Ed. I don't understand anything going on here. How is conjuring a half-ton wall out of thin air a Lesser Effect? If it's "Use the material in front of you to form into a wall," then I could understand maybe a Lesser Transform effect or some sort of Control effect, but this is clearly conjuring something from nothing. Even assuming "Lesser Create," does it need to have a Lesser Transform added in order to shape it into a wall? Also, what material is he conjuring? How many yards does it cover? How thick is it? How tall is it? What's its DR and HP for penetration purposes? What? How? Huh?]

Reload!

Effects: Greater Create Matter
Modifiers: Weight, Duration
Greater: 1

Refill all guns with magical bullets that last up to 10 minutes.

Casting: Create Matter (6), Weight Under 10 lbs. (0), Duration 10 Minutes (1). 21 Energy.

[Ed. Okay. I get this one. I'm okay with this. You're talking 2d pi+ bullets, so even if the need to account for External Damage (2d pi+) comes into play, that's at the 0-cost threshold for external damage.]

I have one more ritual from this guy that I'm fuzzy on, but I need to get clarification from him on one of the particularities of it before I can even intelligibly ask a question about it.

[RPM] Ritual Builds — Double-Checking