The Odyssey System -- Stripped-down Hot Rod d20 rules

[Angel Tarragon]

Very cool logo.

 

[Pat]

Perception as an Ability Score: Replacing skills like Spot and Listen -- instead of a skill, something that everyone has.

The system sounds appealing. But why not make Perception a save?

Saves represent a character's ability to react in critical situations. Whether it's resisting torture, throwing off a disease, or dodging an eldritch blast, it's purely a response to a situation. React, not act. Do you notice that platoon of Nazis hidden in the underbrush? The GM makes the save for you. Are you surprised when they jump you? Make a save. This has the advantage that, unlike abilities, saves scale with level. And unlike skills, you're not entirely out of luck if you didn't train in it.

It won't cover active searching, but it's simple enough to leave Search tied to Intelligence (or even Wisdom). Active searching has more to do with training, diligence, and attention to detail than the ability to quickly apprehend and process information, anyway.

Wisdom works quite well as the basis for the save, since the ability covers both intuition and perception. Then just shift Will from Wisdom to Charisma. After all, Charisma encroaches on Wisdom's territory. While Wisdom is explicitly defined as willpower (as well as intuition and perception), Charisma is actual strength or force of personality. Linking a commanding presence and a stern resolve is probably even better than linking a keen intuition with willpower. One bonus is that even in combat-heavy games, Charisma would still have a use. No more dump stat.

This is slightly out of tune with the default d20 System, but it's probably a closer match than adding a new ability score and rearranging all the skills. Though since the focus is more on the reactive aspects, Notice or Alertness might be a better name for the save than Perception.

 

[GMSkarka]

The system sounds appealing. But why not make Perception a save? (...) but it's probably a closer match than adding a new ability score and rearranging all the skills.

I can't go into details yet (we're still ironing them out), but, briefly:

1) There will be "saves" based on ALL ability scores. So, yeah, there will be a "perception save."

2) We're actually leaning towards getting rid of Skills entirely. Everything based on ability checks (modified by character level), with situational bonuses and penalties based on whether or not a character's occupation would have trained them in particular area. (In other words, common sense -- a character with the "Doctor" occupation would get a bonus to any roll dealing with medical stuff, for example.)

Remember, the idea here is stripped-down --- WAY down, concentrating on a playable structure that still makes internal sense.

 

[Pat]

Moving towards Over the Edge, then. It's hard to comment intelligently on a system based on a few highlights after all, so I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

 

[Tim Gray]

A middle ground for skills would be what True20 did in the original version - I think it's been changed now. Taking a skill switches it on, and it's automatically at level + 3 (plus attribute).

I suppose one of the major design issues is the tension between lightening the load and compatibility with other forms of d20.

Like the idea of attributes essentially doubling as saves.

For feats, you could probably squish it down into a quite small number of general types without losing a lot of detail, e.g. Improve Save (specify). The most common probably being a bonus in a particular kind of situation, specified when taken. Then that's easily extended to include personality traits, if you like. (I suppose you could use skill-type feats to work alongside occupations to remove the need for skills as a major element - they'd allow hobby skills etc.)

Back seat designing is fun!

 

[Walt C]

A middle ground for skills would be what True20 did in the original version - I think it's been changed now. Taking a skill switches it on, and it's automatically at level + 3 (plus attribute).

I suppose one of the major design issues is the tension between lightening the load and compatibility with other forms of d20.

Current thinking is that the main system will be skill-less, but a skill system will be included as an optional rule. However, as Gareth said, the system is still being ironed out.

Walt

 

[GMSkarka]

For feats, you could probably squish it down into a quite small number of general types without losing a lot of detail, e.g. Improve Save (specify). The most common probably being a bonus in a particular kind of situation, specified when taken. Then that's easily extended to include personality traits, if you like. (I suppose you could use skill-type feats to work alongside occupations to remove the need for skills as a major element - they'd allow hobby skills etc.)

We're looking at folding feats into talents, since the core of the classless character system is the concept of dozens of talent trees, with players customizing, picking and choosing as they go.

Expect to see a lot of the nitpicky/proficiency-related/tactical feats dropped or streamlined into wider versions.

 

[tsadkiel]

Here's a question - what genres will the SRD cover?

 

[GMSkarka]

Here's a question - what genres will the SRD cover?

The SRD won't be "covering" genres, per se (similar to how the Modern SRD can be used for espionage, or pulp, or horror, or urban fantasy, etc. etc.). It's a toolkit, providing the complete rules system, applicable to any genre (and conversion guidelines for other d20-based systems).

The conversion rules are a big part of the SRD -- with those, converting any d20-based rule or stat block for use with Odyssey will be at-a-glance intuitive. If you want to use, for example, the core 3.5 edition spell system, you'll be able to port it over easily. If you'd prefer to use the True20 powers rules, you can do that.

 

[Scurvy_Platypus]

This might be mixing stuff up a bit, but...

I picked up your Modern Foe Factory, and think it's groovy. I've messed around a bit with using it for my d20 fantasy game.

Are you planning on doing something similar to the Foe Factory as a part of the system? And if you're not, will NPC generation be covered in the SRD and similarly simplified?

A really different question...

You guys put out a conversion for d20/Fate. Are you planning on doing an Odyssey/Fate conversion? Not knowing what Odyssey looks like, it's hard to say if such a thing would even be needed, but is such a thing even possible? I can't personally picture a scenario where I'd go d20 -> Odyssey -> Fate, but... I guess anything's possible.

Lastly...

I know it's not popular, but are you conversion guidelines going to include notes for BESMd20? The Anime SRD document is out there, and I know at least some folks (like myself) do get use out of BESMd20/Anime SRD.

I'm sure I'll be able to figure out conversions on my own, and I expect you're probably not. But I figured it was worth asking.