General RPG Rules DiscussionDiscuss the rules of any game except D&D or Pathfinder, such as Arcana Evolved, Mutants & Masterminds, Star Wars Saga, d20 Modern, and the like.
Hey, how's this project going anyway? I see there are a few more things to look at already, so look at them I will. Any major ka-chings or stumbling blocks lately?
Hey, how's this project going anyway? I see there are a few more things to look at already, so look at them I will. Any major ka-chings or stumbling blocks lately?
Right now, I am prepping the Skills & Combat preview. I don't expect any stumbling blocks in this section -- a lot of this is just codifying house rules I used for 3e, plus updated saving throws, plus a simpler method for dealing with combat maneuvers. So lots of cut & paste, editting, and rewriting are the course of the day.
I think it will be a pretty good document when done.
RC
__________________ [A]ny good dungeon will have undiscovered treasures in areas that have been explored by the players, simply because it is impossible to expect that they will find every one of them.
RCFG - My free mostly-OGC OGL game! RCFG is intended to be a fusion between OS & NS playstyles, giving the advantages of SRD-based gaming coupled with quick character and adventure generation and an Old School feel.
Right now, I am prepping the Skills & Combat preview. I don't expect any stumbling blocks in this section -- a lot of this is just codifying house rules I used for 3e, plus updated saving throws, plus a simpler method for dealing with combat maneuvers. So lots of cut & paste, editting, and rewriting are the course of the day.
I think it will be a pretty good document when done.
RC
Cool. I think that the skills and combat stuff is what I'm looking forward to seeing the most. I've seen you post some discussion about your skills and combat rules before, and they always sounded pretty interesting as an alternative to tactical combat with minis.
__________________ It's a big world out there. Go tear it up.
Cool. I think that the skills and combat stuff is what I'm looking forward to seeing the most. I've seen you post some discussion about your skills and combat rules before, and they always sounded pretty interesting as an alternative to tactical combat with minis.
Thanks. I hope you like what you see, when it is posted.
RC
__________________ [A]ny good dungeon will have undiscovered treasures in areas that have been explored by the players, simply because it is impossible to expect that they will find every one of them.
RCFG - My free mostly-OGC OGL game! RCFG is intended to be a fusion between OS & NS playstyles, giving the advantages of SRD-based gaming coupled with quick character and adventure generation and an Old School feel.
When a character has plenty of time and is faced with no threats or distractions, the character can take 20. In general, this means that the character is well rested, at his peak, and can control most variables. It is actually possible to do better under these circumstances than when performing under time limits or stress. Instead of rolling 1d20 for the skill check, roll 1d6 and add the results to 16; use the resultant number (from 17 to 22) as your roll.
Taking 20 does not mean that the character is simply trying until he gets it right, nor does it assume that the character fails many times before succeeding. Instead, the character is making his best stab at a single attempt, considering as many variables as possible before proceeding. Generally, this means that the skill attempt takes at least two minutes, and may take considerably longer (at the GM’s discretion).
It is, of course, possible for a player to simply roll until he gets a 20, but this means that he must take the consequences of any failed skill check, the result might still be lower than if the character took 20, and the roll might take a considerable amount of time.
Preview: How do I know how long it takes to make a belt buckle? (Sidebar)
Craft skills allow characters to make items, generally at half the cost the item is typically sold for. Usually, the DC for making these items runs between 5 and 20, depending upon the complexity of the item. Assume a crafting time of 1 day to three months or more, depending (again) upon the complexity of the item.
Some rulesets attempt to give you a formula that you can use to determine exactly how long it takes to craft any given item. RCFG doesn’t do this; crafting proceeds at the rate that the GM says it does. The GM is encouraged to listen to the players, and to attempt to make a reasonable ruling.
In the long run, though, the GM cannot be expected to know how long it takes to make a bow, or a suit of armour, or a belt buckle, and his ruling is final. If it seems like the crafting process is taking longer than it should, or that it is going incredibly swiftly, then there is some other factor influencing it, like a run of good or bad luck.
Generally speaking, trying to meticulously determine how long it takes to craft anything is more time consuming and difficult than any benefits gained by so doing.
This skill is used to control flight via wings, magic, or other means. A character gains no ability to fly simply by having this skill, nor can a character make any use of this skill without the ability to fly (or at least glide). Characters who can only glide take a –4 penalty on fly skill checks.
A creature can use the fly skill in order to gain a combat advantage against other flying creatures. Trying to gain combat advantage is an action, but all other flying creatures in the melee can make a fly skill check as a reaction. Any creature whose fly skill check is higher than another creature’s fly check gains a +2 bonus to attack rolls. The highest fly check gains a +4 bonus to attack rolls (this does not stack with the +2 bonus).
__________________ [A]ny good dungeon will have undiscovered treasures in areas that have been explored by the players, simply because it is impossible to expect that they will find every one of them.
RCFG - My free mostly-OGC OGL game! RCFG is intended to be a fusion between OS & NS playstyles, giving the advantages of SRD-based gaming coupled with quick character and adventure generation and an Old School feel.
Skills like Craft, Perform, and Profession make it possible for characters to earn a living without adventuring. While there are no extended rules for this within RCFG, the GM is encouraged to look at the rules for what NPCs in various professions make as wages, and reward the PCs accordingly. Certainly, having a profession (or similar skill) can be used to allay the costs of “down time” between adventures!
That said, the GM should also remember that NPCs have an initial advantage over PCs in almost every profession. This advantage is based on several factors:
Existing workspace/shop/supplies.
Existing customer base – a startup business usually makes less than an established one.
Existing social network – known professionals are usually supported by their community, using a network of friends, family, and business contacts.
In some cases, marketing oneself as a professional requires admission into a guild or other professional association, which may or may not be easily attained.
For this reason, most PCs who both work and adventure will either have to hire an overseer and labourers to build their business while they are away, or will have to hire themselves out as intermittent journeymen.
Busking and begging (usually using the Perform skill) may also be regulated, or subject to guilds, gangs, and assigned spots. A percentage of the gross take might be payable on a daily basis to a local boss who “owns the corner” where begging takes place.
Overall, these considerations are not to discourage players from considering business ventures for their characters. Rather, they are offered as a means both to prevent players from assuming that working requires little more thought than a skill roll to generate lucre (in which case, why adventure at all?) and to ground the PCs in the campaign world’s various guilds, criminal gangs, and professional associations (as appropriate). In addition, it makes it possible for the GM to make such contacts available as a form of “treasure” for adventuring!
__________________ [A]ny good dungeon will have undiscovered treasures in areas that have been explored by the players, simply because it is impossible to expect that they will find every one of them.
RCFG - My free mostly-OGC OGL game! RCFG is intended to be a fusion between OS & NS playstyles, giving the advantages of SRD-based gaming coupled with quick character and adventure generation and an Old School feel.
That's a pretty cool little snippet. Do you have some examples of what NPC tradesmen should earn in a given period. Just for two professions that might be of interest to adventurers, how about a scribe (a good wizardly profession), an apothecary (good for a druid, ranger or wizard), and a blacksmith...?
__________________ It's a big world out there. Go tear it up.
This skill allows a character to identify, modify, and spells, although it does not grant a character the ability to cast spells if that ability is not otherwise possessed. In addition, Spellcraft is used when attempting to dispel or counter magic, as well as to disable magical traps, glyphs, and wards. Finally, Spellcraft ranks may also be added as a bonus when making a Reasoning save to learn a new spell.
__________________ [A]ny good dungeon will have undiscovered treasures in areas that have been explored by the players, simply because it is impossible to expect that they will find every one of them.
RCFG - My free mostly-OGC OGL game! RCFG is intended to be a fusion between OS & NS playstyles, giving the advantages of SRD-based gaming coupled with quick character and adventure generation and an Old School feel.
There is now a teaser preview up on my website for the 2nd preview.
Weapon skills are used somewhat differently from standard skills. When a character purchases a weapon skill, his skill ranks are directly added as modifiers to attack rolls, damage, or Armour Class, as described below.
I'd be interested in feedback.
RC
__________________ [A]ny good dungeon will have undiscovered treasures in areas that have been explored by the players, simply because it is impossible to expect that they will find every one of them.
RCFG - My free mostly-OGC OGL game! RCFG is intended to be a fusion between OS & NS playstyles, giving the advantages of SRD-based gaming coupled with quick character and adventure generation and an Old School feel.
There is now a teaser preview up on my website for the 2nd preview.
Weapon skills are used somewhat differently from standard skills. When a character purchases a weapon skill, his skill ranks are directly added as modifiers to attack rolls, damage, or Armour Class, as described below.
I'd be interested in feedback.
RC
I just checked out your preview teaser. There are some interesting ideas there. I am reminded of the GURPS All-out-attack options for accuracy or damage from some of the fighting styles.
The attack modes are a great way to introduce tactical choice without having to implement flashy powers for a plain fighting man and I like that aspect.
One thing about D&D combat that always bugged me was the lack of sufficient options for defensive fighting. Your system addresses that issue which is good thing.
Things to consider:
1) If a skill rank has a value of 1 which can be used for attack, AC, or damage, remember the relative value of a +1 (5%) to either hit or defense compared to its relevant damage value. A +1 to hit is significant at every level of play whereas a single point of damage loses value as levels and hit point pools increase. In a GURPS like system where damage threshold doesn't increase with fighting skill, such a trade off would be more valuable.
2) The table is a bit intimidating for a D&D like combat system. I can envision constant referencing to determine what modes are available and trying to remember what weapons have an ACP and hit/damage/AC calculation for switching weapons/modes for a combat with many foes. You may have better skills for juggling these numbers on the fly than others do.
Overall I like the idea but at a glance there seems to be too many dependent, shifting modifiers to track for a fast paced combat.
The attack modes are a great way to introduce tactical choice without having to implement flashy powers for a plain fighting man and I like that aspect.
Thanks. I thought so, too. I started using this system with 3.0/3.5, and found it to be simple to use, and a great deal of fun for the players.
Instead of looking at a table during combat, a weapon line is added to the combat sheet, with predetermined modifiers. It works quite well. Since it is tactical without minis, it also sped up combats at my table. Considerably.
Especially with the other changes that will be in RCFG......
RC
__________________ [A]ny good dungeon will have undiscovered treasures in areas that have been explored by the players, simply because it is impossible to expect that they will find every one of them.
RCFG - My free mostly-OGC OGL game! RCFG is intended to be a fusion between OS & NS playstyles, giving the advantages of SRD-based gaming coupled with quick character and adventure generation and an Old School feel.
I like how you've taken the Arcana Unearthed or Arcana Evolved take on witches and incorporated some of that (and expanded on it) for your Sorcerer class. That seems like a good fit.
Scrapping feats like Power Attack and co. (and putting them in the hands of, well, all) is a great idea, IMO.
The races are really quite elegant - even if Dwarven Wizards give me fits - and by that I also mean to imply that the way the abilities and saves are set up is neat, and flexible. I can see how creating or modifying races should be a snap, and quite fun, with this system. That's a plus, as well.
[ Probable nitpick: it takes more XP to get from 13th to 14th than from 14th to 15th. ]
Uncanny Presence seems rather powerful. Mainly because it's an 'at will power' I suppose. But then, compared to Wizards, they are second-rate casters, so. . .
I'd really have to go over the Sorcerer and Wizard a few more times to see if they're particularly 'balanced' (ah, how loathed can a word be, I wonder). But either way, their abilities and accompanying flavour are good, and will go some way, I imagine, toward supporting the kind of 'feel' it seems you're wanting to focus on with this game.
Thank you for your comments. Very little is "set in stone" at this time; there may be tweaking to do here and there.
I am glad that a sense of the type of game I am going for has emerged. I am hoping that, for those not interested in the same type of game, bits and pieces of RCFG might serve as a "toolkit" of sorts to adjust other editions. Weapon skills, for example, found their genesis in 3.0/3.5 as a means to de-emphasize the grid (and thus speed combat) with a great deal of success.
I do envision 2e kits as being adjustable for use with RCFG, as well as 3e prestige classes. I might have to invent a kit to example adjustment; I can use prestige classes that are already OGC. This material will be in the GM book.
RC
__________________ [A]ny good dungeon will have undiscovered treasures in areas that have been explored by the players, simply because it is impossible to expect that they will find every one of them.
RCFG - My free mostly-OGC OGL game! RCFG is intended to be a fusion between OS & NS playstyles, giving the advantages of SRD-based gaming coupled with quick character and adventure generation and an Old School feel.
Hey RC - I finally found time to glance at your previews, and I'm pretty intrigued. It look alot like the direction I was going in, particularly with more emphasis on tiered play and ability saves. I'm printing it out now so I can study it a bit closer.
Hey RC - I finally found time to glance at your previews, and I'm pretty intrigued. It look alot like the direction I was going in, particularly with more emphasis on tiered play and ability saves. I'm printing it out now so I can study it a bit closer.
Cool!
RC
__________________ [A]ny good dungeon will have undiscovered treasures in areas that have been explored by the players, simply because it is impossible to expect that they will find every one of them.
RCFG - My free mostly-OGC OGL game! RCFG is intended to be a fusion between OS & NS playstyles, giving the advantages of SRD-based gaming coupled with quick character and adventure generation and an Old School feel.
Combat takes place in rounds, where each round lasts approximately six seconds of game time. Rounds are further divided into “phases” of unspecified length. Combat follows this sequence:
1. Surprise is determined. All, none, or some portion of both sides of an encounter can be surprised. Surprise may be partial or total.
a. Surprise occurs when one or more creatures fail to succeed in a Perception save (the DC being set by the Stealth check of their opponents). If the save fails by 5 or more, it is total surprise; otherwise it is only partial surprise. The GM may determine at any point that a Perception save isn’t required to avoid surprise, either for the PCs or their opponents.
b. A creature which is totally surprised cannot take any action or reaction, and has a –4 penalty to Armour Class. A creature is totally surprised for only one round; the next round the creature is only partially surprised.
c. A creature which is partially surprised cannot take any action, but can take reactions. A partially surprised creature cannot trade actions for additional reactions. A partially surprised creature has a –4 penalty to Armour Class. A creature is partially surprised for only one round; the next round the creature is no longer surprised, and can act normally.
2. In the first and each subsequent round of combat, all combatants roll initiative.
a. Initiative is rolled by rolling 1d10 + Dexterity modifier + Weapon Speed modifier + any additional modifiers.
b. If a creature’s previous initiative roll was a negative number, it gains a cumulative +4 bonus to its initiative roll for every negative initiative in an unbroken series. Thus, a creature who had three negative initiative roll results in a row would gain a +12 bonus on its fourth roll. If this roll results in a positive number, it gains no bonus on its next initiative roll. If that roll is a negative number, its bonus on the following initiative is +4 (not +16).
3. Combatants act in initiative order (highest to lowest).
a. At each combatant’s first initiative phase, the combatant is allowed to take one action.
b. After their first action, a character may be allowed an additional action if his initiative score was higher than 10. Subtract 10 from the initiative score, and the character can take an action on that phase as well. If the new phase is still higher than 10, repeat until the combatant’s last phase is 10 or lower. For example, a combatant whose initiative was 24 would act on phases 24, 14, and 4.
c. Combatants with negative initiative do not get to act.
d. Reactions and free reactions may be taken at any time, so long as the combatant is not totally surprised.
e. Surprised creatures (totally or partially) do not roll initiative.
4. When everyone has had a turn, steps 2 and 3 repeat until combat ends.
__________________ [A]ny good dungeon will have undiscovered treasures in areas that have been explored by the players, simply because it is impossible to expect that they will find every one of them.
RCFG - My free mostly-OGC OGL game! RCFG is intended to be a fusion between OS & NS playstyles, giving the advantages of SRD-based gaming coupled with quick character and adventure generation and an Old School feel.
__________________ [A]ny good dungeon will have undiscovered treasures in areas that have been explored by the players, simply because it is impossible to expect that they will find every one of them.
RCFG - My free mostly-OGC OGL game! RCFG is intended to be a fusion between OS & NS playstyles, giving the advantages of SRD-based gaming coupled with quick character and adventure generation and an Old School feel.
One of the reasons adventurers sometimes bring dogs with them is that dogs have an excellent sense of smell, allowing an adventuring group access to a better Perception save than the individual characters possess. In this case, if the dogs make their Perception save, it can be assumed that the adventurers are reasonably alert, and cannot be more than partially surprised by the appearance of monsters.
Of course, humanoids and some other creatures might keep dogs or other guard animals for the same purpose.
Sometimes a creature intentionally calls attention to itself. This is called luring, and occurs in one of three basic ways:
1. The creature pretends that its condition is different than what it actually is. Like a killdeer, it might pretend to be wounded to draw predators away from its nest. Or it might pretend to be wounded to draw scavengers in as prey.
2. The creature pretends to be something other than what it is. An anglerfish has a glowing lure that draws in other fish, seemingly offering them an opportunity to eat. Some monsters pretend to be something other than what they are with similar purpose. Usually, in this case, a Perception save or a Knowledge skill check is used to reveal the creature’s true identity before it is too late....
3. The creature is bait for an ambush. Three orcs argue loudly in the corridor to act as a lure for the adventurers they know are in their caverns. Hidden nearby, though, are a dozen alert orc warriors, waiting for a chance to strike at anyone attracted by the bait.
Just as monsters may use guard animals, adventurers may use a loud noise as bait to draw monsters from their lair, and to keep attention focused on the obvious characters. Meanwhile, the rogue is poised for a sneak attack....
Wise players will not assume that things are always as they seem. The wisest players will utilize the tricks of the enemy against them, drawing creatures into ambushes or areas where they can be combated more effectively! Rather than discouraging such attempts, the GM should actively encourage the PCs in these endeavours.
__________________ [A]ny good dungeon will have undiscovered treasures in areas that have been explored by the players, simply because it is impossible to expect that they will find every one of them.
RCFG - My free mostly-OGC OGL game! RCFG is intended to be a fusion between OS & NS playstyles, giving the advantages of SRD-based gaming coupled with quick character and adventure generation and an Old School feel.
Dude, I got 1 response in...5 days?...to my (admittedly vague) thread. You're on page 3 of yours. No sympathy here. If you want me to respond faster, come on down here and finish my daughter's doll cradle.
Dude, I got 1 response in...5 days?...to my (admittedly vague) thread. You're on page 3 of yours. No sympathy here. If you want me to respond faster, come on down here and finish my daughter's doll cradle.
EDIT: Although, to be honest, I was hoping to get some lurkers to de-lurk.
RC
__________________ [A]ny good dungeon will have undiscovered treasures in areas that have been explored by the players, simply because it is impossible to expect that they will find every one of them.
RCFG - My free mostly-OGC OGL game! RCFG is intended to be a fusion between OS & NS playstyles, giving the advantages of SRD-based gaming coupled with quick character and adventure generation and an Old School feel.
![[RCFG] RCFG Ongoing Development!](http://www.enworld.org/forum/iconimages/general-rpg-rules-discussion/rcfg-rcfg-ongoing-development_ltr.gif)
- and by that I also mean to imply that the way the abilities and saves are set up is neat, and flexible. I can see how creating or modifying races should be a snap, and quite fun, with this system. That's a plus, as well.
I suppose. But then, compared to Wizards, they are second-rate casters, so. . .
If you want me to respond faster, come on down here and finish my daughter's doll cradle. 
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