[Ashkhar] Blood on the Horizon: OOC and Set up

[Ashkhar Ben]

After several years of hard work, my system is pretty close to done.

I just wrapped up GMing two separate playtest games for my group of playtesters, and they each are starting fresh with new GMs. The GM inside of me is getting itchy, and since I haven't executed an online playtest for Ashkhar RPG yet, I figure I might as well get started.

I'm very interested to get feedback, as well as simply have a fun gaming using my system: Ashkhar RPG. You can read all of the rules in their entirety (although not 100% of the rules are complete/completely posted) here. The system itself is pretty simple: classless, 3d6 + mod, unified skill system for combat/exploration/social, and plug and play rules for added complexity. If you want to have more combat crunch, add Techniques. If you want further or more in-depth character motivation development, add Obligations. I'm willing to play with whatever chunk of rules (all the way up to the complete system) to those interested.

The campaign would take place in the connected setting: Ashkhar. A large continent defined by six sentient species (some familiar and some new) as well as a host of unique cultures and locations. I'm open to playing in any of the major regions: the Inohkshi Drowned Lands in the north west, the Sarroots Range to the north east, the Onduril Lowlands in central Ashkhar, the massive Titan's Steppe to the east, the midland Crater Sea, the Anduin Peninsula, the Cobalt Wood, the Fractured Lands to the south, or in the Grohlkin Hive Cluster to the southwest.

The system excels at tough but heroic adventures, handling combat, exploration, and social interaction well and evenly. There are certainly the most mechanical rules based around Combat, although they are all almost entirely optional. I'm hoping that I can get three or four players who would be interested in playing either PbP here on the boards or through Skype/Roll20/G+ or some other platform that is preferred.

As an added bonus, you'll be listed as a Playtester in the final published system, planned to be released in 2014. Shoot me a PM or respond below-thread if you're interested.

I look forward to gaming with you.

 

[fireinthedust]

I'll read up and give it a try

 

[Ashkhar Ben]

I'll read up and give it a try

Thanks! Feel free to PM me any questions that you have. Or you can email me at ashkharben [at] gmail [dot] com. Would you be interested in doing PbP or through Skype?

 

[fireinthedust]

pbp here only. My life is hectic, so I can't commit to solid times

The classless aspect reminds me of old choose-your-own style adventure path books.

I really like what I'm seeing.

I think I'd like to try a Wizard, but that curses every game I join for some reason...

I don't know what realm to be in. Really it's more the story that matters. If you've got a solid opening pitch, I'm game. I'm going to go with a white-haired man (handsome, athletic, real silver fox) who learned wizardry over many years of meditation (also yoga). I'll go with Energy and Matter. How many of those specialties do I get for just the basic game?

 

[Ashkhar Ben]

Alright, pbp works for me. Let me check if I can scrounge some of my other playtesters to post on here, most aren't EN World members so we'll see. If I don't get too many people, I'm open to you making/controlling as many characters as you can handle (my playtesters have done this in the past and enjoyed it.)

For the setting and what region of Ashkhar we should play in, my general default is in the central lowlands, mostly dominated by humans. The best nation/region to start out in is Teychente, which is made up of many semi-independent states which are ruled by guilds and churches of local patron saints. The region is constantly contracting and expanding with lots of different species/cultures coming and going, so good for a typical adventure type game.

As far as character creation goes, we can start off with just sort of the "bare bones" template (which is just Skills and Assets), or we can go a little more in depth with Skills / Specialties / Assets. The bare bones, Skills only version is as follows:

• Allocate your attributes: (Body, Mind, Spirit). One gets +2, one gets +1, one gets +0
• Allocate your skills: (Control*, Coordination, Influence, Knowledge, Might, Perception, Resistance, Stealth, Tactics)
  • *Control requires your first Combat Asset to be: Control Access, or you must be the Anduin species
  • Two skills get a +2 bonus
  • Four skills get a +1 bonus
  • Two skills get a +0 bonus
• Pick your Species, and apply Species modifiers (Attributes, Skills, and sometimes combat stuff)
• Select one Combat Asset (any that are relevant to your character, again going for the wizard/controller theme would be Control Access)
• Select one Noncombat Asset
• Select equipment (for a magic user a Control Channel is most important, although armor and weapons can come in handy as well)
• Do the math for Stamina, Vitality, and all of your Skill Bonuses

Does that make sense? Would you rather just do the nine Skills or do you want to go the full 9 skills/27 specialties?

 

[fireinthedust]

I think I'll go with a more athletic magic-user, but with an elementalist theme. I want to be able to heal people, but also move water, earth, air and fire like Avatar. Would that be possible? I'd say Control, so lots of spirit, but Body and coordination could also be good. I want him to be able to run up walls and dodge attacks like a ninja. That said, he's a really gentle kind of person (so I'll be able to do lots of damage, but will try to not hurt people: trip up, snare, etc, but not slay). Let's call him "jing". Travelling mystic.

Gonna look over the races, though I'm expecting human... meh, we'll see.

 

[fireinthedust]

Okay, you need to put up the races. I like what I'm seeing about Lohm humans (Onduril), but the Adurin have better species traits.

The -1 stat for humans means I'll either have to take a negative stat for mind, or I end up with effectively the same stats as I would anyway (2/1/0). Have you considered doing what 4e did, with no negative modifiers?

 

[Ashkhar Ben]

Sorry, for humans they don't have a negative any longer. Also attributes can't go negative, so if you put a 0 into an attribute that has a penalty, it simply stays at 0. I will respond in more detail when I free up in a few hours. But yes, all of those things you said are possible.

 

[Ashkhar Ben]

So I've been successful in persuading a couple of my friends, one who is an experienced playtester with Ashkhar. They both plan on posting soon but I noticed that [MENTION=51930]fireinthedust[/MENTION] 's concept sort of fit with one of the other players.

He will be playing an Iravar Arbiter, a tradition that hails from Lohm. It would make sense for him to be traveling with or at least associated with a mystic from the same country, possibly even the same philosophy.

Think it over and we will see what he posts here soon.

 

[Ashkhar Ben]

The second player has also decided to become a part of the Iravar Arbiters, but in the vein of a holy protector, more specifically to assist the primary Judge with his duties down in this new territory. So, there's a few ways that you guys can know each other or work together.

The first is obviously you're all from the same Hamal (school/church/dojo) and are instituting a new one down in the starting location. You could all be Iravar trying to deliver justice in a new frontier region that is undoubtedly without much justice.

The second is that the two players who both wish to play Iravar someone find and coordinate with [MENTION=51930]fireinthedust[/MENTION], perhaps as a local or a fellow traveler on the road. If all of you are coming from Lohm (where the Iravar are generally based out of), then the road south into Teychente would be a likely meeting place.

When everybody starts posting up, I'd like the three of you to discuss how you all know each other, what your relationships are to one another, and so on. Of course I'll help out with the setting information and how the Iravar function. But, I would like you all to at least have a professional affiliation with one another, if not ever having met one another.

I'll post more details about the starting location (a frontier city rapidly expanding in south eastern Teychente.)