[Forge of Valor RPG] Setting and System Discussion

[Ashkhar Ben]

Hey guys, Ben here. You might have read up on Ashkhar Basic a few months back, when we were getting some feedback from the EN World community amid some public playtesting.

We were creating two systems side by side to see which stuck best for the Ashkhar setting, and we've settled on what had called the "Complete" version. We've playtested this system for the last two years or so, both internally and externally, and we're happy with the result. I'd like to put some of the general information here and answer any questions that you may have.

Setting

Forge of Valor RPG's setting is called Ashkhar, a continent with a wide variety of terrain types, six sentient species, dozens of cultures, and several unique religious ideologies. Ashkhar's been designed to feel immersive and relatable. We like to think of Ashkhar as Low or Middle Fantasy: there is little in the way of powerful supernatural forces, the Gods are silent, and Magic, called Control, is common but weak.

Each of the species has multiple cultures, while other societies are comprised of a panoply of sentient races. Despite humans (called onduril by the locals), there are the androgynous, magically inclined anduin, the impassioned and harsh grohlkin, the compact and pragmatic inohkshi, the gentle and giant koht, and the determined and insightful krolog.

The continent itself has been separated into major regions, such as the Titan's Steppe, the Shattered Lands, the Valtaquinn Peninsula, the Khor Sea, and many others. Each of the regions has just enough information to inspire interesting adventures and campaigns without drowning the GM and group in canon or detail.

System

Forge of Valor characters have three Attributes: Body, Mind, and Spirit. There are nine Skills, each pertaining to a different group of a character's abilities. Each of the skills has three sub-skills called Specialties which more accurately define particular actions. For example, the Skill Coordination relates to a character's hand-eye coordination, reflexes, and accuracy with ranged weapons. Within Coordination, there are the Agility, Dexterity, and Ranged Combat Specialties.

The Skills and Specialties are only loosely defined, so that a character can use one or a combination of multiple Specialties to attempt to complete a task or overcome an obstacle. For instance Ranged Combat would not only be pertinent to fighting with ranged weapons, but also could assist with crafting a bow.

Forge of Valor uses a 3d6 + modifier resolution mechanic. Combat uses opposed Rolls (with rules for the GM to waive or expedite them), and the difference between the attack and the defense is how much damage is dealt. The more accurate and effective the attack, the more deadly. Armor provides damage reduction, and weapons counter armor by providing bonus damage to the success of an attack roll.

Questions?

That's a quick overview for now, I'd love to answer any and all questions pertaining to Forge of Valor. Would there be any interest in hearing a play report of one of our current playtest groups? I look forward to the discussion!

 

[Ashkhar Ben]

I'll go over another aspect of the Forge of Valor system: Assets.

Assets

Assets are permanent talents that apply circumstantial bonuses both in and out of combat. Assets are categorized into Combat and Noncombat. Characters gain one of each per level, including first. Assets help to define a character's ability in more detail than its Skills and Specialties, such as giving the ability to successfully craft items without the need to roll, or providing an increase in a specific type of weapon's bonus damage.

Each of the six species has unique Assets reserved for members of their own kind. Many of these Assets expand upon the innate abilities of each species, such as providing the ability for grohlkin to regenerate lost limbs over time.

Here are the different types of Assets:

• Combat Assets
  • ​Defense Assets
  • Control (Magic) Assets
  • Melee Assets
  • Ranged Assets
  • Stealth Assets
  • Mounted Assets
  • General Combat Assets
  • Species Specific Combat Assets
• Noncombat Assets
  • ​Crafting Assets
  • Exploration and Movement Assets
  • Skill and Expertise Assets
  • Social Assets
  • Noncombat Control Assets
  • Species Specific Noncombat Assets

Many Assets have more advanced tiers, providing an extended or improved amount of advantage in a similar circumstance. Others expand upon the original abilities of the Asset. Higher Tier Assets require the character have taken the lower Tier Assets. For example, the Sword and Board Combat Asset looks like this:

• Sword and Board: You gain +1 Damage Reduction when wielding a melee weapon and shield simultaneously.
  • Sword and Board II: You gain +1 bonus damage with any attack while wielding a one handed melee weapon and light shield, +2 bonus damage with a medium shield, or +3 bonus damage with a heavy shield. Any damage derived from modifications to the shield, such as the Abrasive modification, does not go into effect.
  • Sword and Board III: You no longer take the combined dodge penalty from wielding both a shield and a weapon. Instead, you only take the greater of the two.

Assets are a core element of the Forge of Valor system, and provide a large amount of options to breathe life and nuance into a character. If Assets provide too much granularity for your group's taste, there are rules describing the impact of their removal, with tips for GMs to balance enemies and continue to engage players.

 

[Ashkhar Ben]

Here's the basics on how magic is treated in Forge of Valor.

Magic

Magic in Ashkhar is called Control, due to a magic-user's (controller) ability to control the world around them. Control is separated into three fields of study: Manipulating, Sculpting, and Weaving.

Manipulating is the act of influencing another person's mind. Manipulators can instill fear, create fleeting illusions, inflict pain, or completely block an enemy's senses. Talented manipulators are often in positions of political or social power.

Sculpting is controlling matter. Sculptors can shape, separate, condense, or move objects with sheer willpower. Sculpting is the most common form of control in Ashkhar: used for ripping an enemy's flesh off of his bones, sealing a companion's wound, working metal and stone, forging weapons, and improving one's strength or speed.

Weaving is guiding and shifting vohk energy. Weaving can condense energy to produce heat, gusts of force, magnetism, and restore an ally's stamina. Likewise, weavers can siphon an enemy's life force, fatigue opponents, extinguish flames, and even bend light.

 

[GMMichael]

Sounds awesome, Ben! Yes, post a "real play," or an audio clip might be cool too. And if you're going to press, some inspirational art would be cool to see!

 

[Ashkhar Ben]

Thanks Mike! Appreciate the positive feedback.

I'll clean up a recent gameplay report and post it here soon. In the mean time, do you have any questions about the system or the setting? I can make short responses for now until later this evening.

 

[Ashkhar Ben]

Extended Gameplay Example

Note: this is not an example of an actual playtest session, but rather an example used to illustrate multiple concepts in the framework of a conflict the characters experienced.

Example: Fighting the Vehlk

Toogan Harbeck, an ex banker krolog turned adventurer-smith, and Shrema Charbane, a koht beastmaster, have been traveling through the expansive Sertoh forest in the shadow of the Titan’s Steppe. The Sertoh is famed for its dangerous inhabitants. A powerful and highly feared tribe of humans known as the Vehlk haunt these woods, and often look for sacrifices to their death god Shanalah.

The GM describes the dense thicket of trees that Toog and Shrema have moved into. Shrema’s player decides to use her keen sense of smell and Rolls a Perceive (a Specialty of the Perception Skill used for the physical senses). The player Rolls three six-sided dice (3d6) and adds Shrema’s Perceive Roll Modifier (the number a character adds to a specific task’s Roll).

“Can Shrema’s sense of smell help?” her player asks the GM.

“Yes, Shrema’s smell can definitely help.” The player adds in a bonus to Shrema’s Roll from the Sense of the Divine Wind Asset, which gives her a bonus to smelling among other things.

Shrema Rolls a 22 Perceive after adding up her dice and bonuses. The GM compares the 22 Perceive against a group of Vehlk warriors’ Sneak (a Specialty of the Stealth Skill used to hide in shadows and avoid detection) that have been cautiously circling around the two adventurers. The GM Rolls for the Vehlk’s Sneak, getting a 19. “A slight gust of wind kicks the smell of human sweat, blood, and iron toward Shrema. She estimates there’s about 6 humans around her and Toog” the GM says.

“Prepare to fight…” Shrema hisses to Toog, who readies his arquebus.

“Go ahead and roll Order of Actions. Since Shrema successfully detected the tribesmen and warned Toog, neither of you are surprised,” the GM tells the players. Both of them Roll their Order of Actions (a Roll used to determine who acts first in combat). Shrema Rolls a 23 and Toog gets a 17. The GM Rolls for the Vehlk, who are the characters’ enemies. The GM gets a 14. “Shrema, your sense of smell really helped you out here. You go first.”

The player describes how Shrema charges with her spear toward the nearest tribesman, roaring animalistically. Her player says “I want to roll an Intimidate and show that I’m not afraid of them.” The GM gives the go ahead, and Shrema gets an 18 Intimidate (a Specialty in the Influence Skill) against the Vehlk’s 16 Resist (a form of mental or internal defense).

“The Vehlk that Shrema can see open their eyes wide in fear and flinch at her warcry. You get a +1 Advantage on your Attack.” (Advantage is given to those who have an upper hand in battle).

“Sweet, so with that and Shrema’s +1 Charge bonus” (a bonus from using the Charge Defined Action) “I got a 26 Attack with +8 bonus damage,” her player says. The GM Rolls a 20 Block for the Vehlk (a defense against Melee attacks).

Shrema’s attack of 26 - the Vehlk’s block of 20 equals 6 base damage (the difference of the attack and defense). The GM adds in Shrema’s +8 bonus damage (from her weapon and any other Assets and Techniques that she has), for a total of 14 damage. The Vehlk has 9 Stamina (physical health) and 5 Vitality (life force and energy), just enough to get knocked to 0 (unconscious).

“Shrema skewers the Vehlk through the torso, who slumps to the ground unconscious.”

“Nice!” Toog’s player says as Shrema’s player nods in success.

“Toog, it’s your turn,” the GM says. Since Toogan rolled a 17 behind Shrema’s 22, but still higher than the enemies’ 14, Toog gets to go next in the Order of Actions.

“Sweet. I want to Roll an Engineering” (a Specialty in the Knowledge Skill regarding crafting, materials, and strength of objects) “to see what I can tell about these warriors’ armor and weapons. I’m looking for some kind of weak point I can exploit,” Toog’s player tells the GM. The GM reasons that since this is something Toog has to actively try to discern amid the combat, it will consume one of his two actions. Sometimes, a Knowledge Roll might not consume an action.

“Go ahead and roll your Engineering.”

“Since Toogan has Natural Smith: Armor, can I use that to gain Advantage on the Roll?” Toog’s player asks. The Natural Smith: Armor Asset is a Noncombat Species specific asset, reserved for Krolog, his species.

“Sure that makes sense. Add +2 to your Roll.”

Toog’s player Rolls a 23 Engineering after adding up all of his relevant bonuses and Specialty modifier. The GM looks at the Gain Advantage Defined Action, which allows the character to gain Advantage through a variety of means; Toog's knowledge of armor in this case. Since Toog got a 23 (a good Roll), the GM thinks he gets a +2 Advantage Bonus.

“Toog knows that the Vehlk don’t have much in the way of steel, and he can tell that their armor doesn’t cover several vital spots. He gets a +2 bonus to his attack Rolls.” Toog, with his one remaining action, shoots his Arquebus at one of the Vehlk enemies. He rolls a 21 including his new +2 bonus from his Engineering Roll. The Vehlk tries to Dodge (the most common defense against Ranged attacks), and gets a 17. Toog deals 4 Base damage (21 - 17 = 4), and adds in his weapon’s bonus damage for a total of 11 damage.

“Toog takes aim, noticing a gap in the Vehlk’s thin armor, and shoots his arquebus at the enemy. It catches him off guard, practically dropping him to the ground in one shot. He’s badly wounded, but still up,” the GM describes.

“Dang, I really wanted to finish that guy off. I’ll use one of my Effort Tokens to get an extra action,” Toog’s player says. (Effort Tokens are an expendable resource controlled by the player to give themselves a one-time boost. They’re awarded by the GM for pursuing a character’s Motivations.)

“Okay, what do you do with your third action?”

Toog attacks the same enemy again, beating its Dodge Roll by only 1 this time. With his bonus damage, it is enough to put the wounded enemy down to -5 (the threshold for immediate death).

Shrema and Toog continue the battle against the Vehlk, eventually coming out victorious. During the battle, Toog was wounded by an enemy’s spear, bringing him down to 17 of 23 Stamina. Seeing as how they have a long, dangerous journey ahead of them, Shrema and Toog decide it is best to heal as much as possible before they continue.

Shrema Rolls a Nature (a Specialty in the Knowledge Skill) and gets a 26. She also has some bandages and alchemical remedies that assist her with the task, giving her a +1 to the total amount of Stamina restored. The amount of Stamina healed with a Nature Roll equals the Roll / 5 rounded down. 26 / 5 rounded down = 5. Because of the bandages and alchemy, Shrema restores a total of 6 Stamina, bringing Toog back up to 23 of 23.

 

[GMMichael]

In the mean time, do you have any questions about the system or the setting?

Yeah I do!

How did you decide to go with damage being determined by the excess of attack over defend? I think it's a brilliant mechanic, along with the damage bonuses from weapons, but it's one that is supported well by your 3d6 system, and poorly by a d20 system.

What's a specialty? How is it different from an Asset?

Assets look pretty loosey-goosey to me. Do you have an insurance policy to keep them from running amok, like D&D 3's feats?

What puts the upper limit on Control use? For example, D&D 3 used a spell-slots system for classes, and Modos RPG uses metaphysical damage to casters for each "spell" used.

 

[Ashkhar Ben]

Yeah I do!

How did you decide to go with damage being determined by the excess of attack over defend? I think it's a brilliant mechanic, along with the damage bonuses from weapons, but it's one that is supported well by your 3d6 system, and poorly by a d20 system.

Thanks! It is one of the things I really like about FOV. I always felt a disconnect while playing RPGs that used a different step or roll for determining damage after determining a successful hit. Some of the excitement is lost when you smash the opponent's defense with your attack, but then roll minimum damage.

I also think that it is somewhat more realistic, as it illustrates (abstractly, admittedly) that an accurate attack is just as or more important than attacking with a big, lethal weapon. An accurate attack with a big lethal weapon? Even better.

What's a specialty? How is it different from an Asset?

Specialties are sub-skills. The nine Skills are broad categories of actions, like Coordination or Control or Influence. Specialties are nested within Skills, to provide for greater differentiation of characters and how they went about accomplishing an action. The GM might call for the players to Roll something within the Influence Skill, and the player can decide that his character is going to attempt to succeed at the Influence via an Intimidate Specialty roll.

This character using Intimidate would have a different effect than a character who used Charm, or Convince (the other two Specialties within the Influence Skill). Any kind of action that's being attempted in Forge of Valor is described by one of the 27 Specialties (3 for each of the 9 Skills.)

On the other hand, Assets are permanent, very specific talents or traits that the character has acquired. For example, the character might have the "Haunting" Noncombat Asset, which causes people to feel uncomfortable around him, less likely to argue, and in general aid with various social interactions. Could this same effect be generated by Specialties? Yes. But the Asset provides all of the framework and effect without ever having to Roll, it just happens.

Assets look pretty loosey-goosey to me. Do you have an insurance policy to keep them from running amok, like D&D 3's feats?

I'm not quite sure I understand what you mean. If I'm concerned about their balance within the system as a whole? No. Can they become out of balance within a specific game? Possibly.

Since most of the more powerful Assets are grouped into Tiers (as the Sword and Board Asset was upthread), it is very easy for GMs to simply ban Assets with a tier higher than 1. If Assets in general are to be discarded, there are rules for how it impacts the game overall as well as how to tweak enemies to make them fall more in line with an Asset-free game.

But in general, after a couple years of playtesting with Assets, I'm very happy with them. If you're asking more about the potential bloat of the system with Assets, a la 3e Feats, it is something that I'm concerned about. Since I don't plan on releasing multiple iterations of the system, or too many expansions, I don't think that'll be an issue.

What puts the upper limit on Control use? For example, D&D 3 used a spell-slots system for classes, and Modos RPG uses metaphysical damage to casters for each "spell" used.

A few things. Any attempted Control has to be Rolled for. That right there limits the impact that a controller can have on a given scenario; they can't exceed their own ability. For example, lifting a thousand pound boulder with telekinesis would be quite difficult, and controllers that couldn't beat the TN even if rolling a natural 17 just can't do it.

Control also consumes a controller's Stamina. Stamina is a nebulous pool similar to hit points that illustrates a character's overall level of fatigue, superficial wounds, morale, and so forth. When someone uses Control, they burn an amount of Stamina based upon the difficulty of the task, and the number of times they attempted it. The amount of Stamina burned = TN / 10 rounded up.

For example, a character wants to use Sculpting to liquefy and purify a chunk of iron ore into a more manageable iron ingot. The GM sets the TN at 22. The character rolls his Control: Matter (the system word for Sculpting) and gets a 23, succeeding in his first attempt. He burns 3 Stamina (22 TN / 10 rounded up = 3).

Beyond this, Control itself is much less powerful than most other magic systems. Characters can't sling fireballs or transmute themselves into golems.

Thanks for all of the questions Mike, I'm loving it! Let me know if you have any more or want a different gameplay example. And to anyone else reading along, feel free to post questions or comments as well. I'm looking for your feedback and to develop a discussion. Thanks!

 

[Ashkhar Ben]

Hey guys, I'm back!

Let's talk more about Ashkhar, Forge of Valor's setting.

Today I'll give you an excerpt straight from the current manuscript about one of Ashkhar's major regions: the Khor Sea.

An inland sea with rough waters nearly a thousand miles long and six hundred miles wide at its thickest point. The Khor is filled with hundreds of small islands, most notably Tunahk, the capital of the Nakhim Unified Dominion. The Dominion controls the majority of the sea and its surrounding territory.

The Khor is temperate and known for dark, choppy water, heavily wooded islands, and a wide variety of landscapes that surround it. Small mountains and canyons to the southeast, the massive Aryun Forest to the west, the fertile Dale to the north, and the expansive Kayakhan Plains to the east.

Hundreds of ships traverse the Khor daily, bringing goods and travelers across the surrounding lands and out into the westward Hart Ocean. Due to its shallow and tumultuous waters, large predatory sea creatures are less common in the Khor than in the open ocean. While massive monsters may not dwell here, smaller yerohz, and a wide variety of votnuk, shark, and whale call the Khor's waters home.

--

I'll post a few more major regions like this in future updates. Feel free to post any comments or questions below, I'm more than happy to answer.

 

[Dethklok]

I always felt a disconnect while playing RPGs that used a different step or roll for determining damage after determining a successful hit. Some of the excitement is lost when you smash the opponent's defense with your attack, but then roll minimum damage.

I also think that it is somewhat more realistic, as it illustrates (abstractly, admittedly) that an accurate attack is just as or more important than attacking with a big, lethal weapon.

*Shakes Askhar Ben's hand*

Yes. Yes it is.