D&D 4E Throwing ideas, seeing what sticks (and what stinks)

[Gilladian]

Now you can simply key power results to these result values. MANY powers simply do nothing on both types of failure, and have an effect on both types of success, but most do at least have some bigger effect on a Complete Success. I've removed the concept of 'critical hit' here as well, since it seems a bit redundant, though you could retain that. Instead I have put in place an 'Expect a Vitality Point to obtain a Critical Effect if you got Complete Success' rule (actually I just thought of that, scribble scribble).

I presume you mean "expend" not "expect" in the quote above. How about you can expend a Vitality Point on ANY roll to move it "up" one spot on the chart? Turn a critical failure into a limited failure, etc...

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

I presume you mean "expend" not "expect" in the quote above. How about you can expend a Vitality Point on ANY roll to move it "up" one spot on the chart? Turn a critical failure into a limited failure, etc...

Yeah, I've written a few different possible use-cases for Vitality Points around that sort of thing. One interesting question is whether or not that should just be an open list of things anyone can do, or if perhaps those are the sorts of things that should be relegated to class features? (at least some of them). For example, being able to amp up the effects of spells might not be a bad little class feature for a Wizard, etc. Other people can pick up boons that grant access to powers that are spells, but Wizards can jack up their success level by one, and maybe sorcerers can jack up their damage by one dice, and illusionists can jack up (or add?) certain other effects, etc.

Sadly d20 (or d20-like) systems have already a HUGE repertoire of these sorts of options that you could factor into a system. Its really more work to weed out what you don't want than it is to lard in more stuff! At least that's what I'm finding...

 

[Gilladian]

LOL! Yes, there's a LOT of d20 stuff out there. Don't forget to let fighters do something. Heal themselves more, perform more powerful fighter stunts, etc... I hate that the poor fighter always gets relegated to "the normal guy" stuff. Certainly, they should have the right to buy into critical successes, if not elevate failures.

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

LOL! Yes, there's a LOT of d20 stuff out there. Don't forget to let fighters do something. Heal themselves more, perform more powerful fighter stunts, etc... I hate that the poor fighter always gets relegated to "the normal guy" stuff. Certainly, they should have the right to buy into critical successes, if not elevate failures.

Mighty Defender​	Level: 1 Major​
Association: Knight​	Prerequisites: None​
Description: Your expertise in melee combat allows you to thoroughly control the space around you with your weapon.
Benefits: You may use an opportunity action against an opponent whom you have placed the engaged condition on, you don't expend your one opportunity action per round when you do this. Each time you hit an opponent with one of these attacks, the opponent's current move action ends immediately, or they suffer disadvantage on whatever attack they are currently making. You may still use opportunity in the normal way once per round.

In Your Face​	Level: 1 Major​
Association: Knight​	Prerequisites: None​
Description: Enemies ignore you at their own risk. When they attempt to do so they quickly regret it.
Benefits: Whenever you attack an opponent you may inflict the engaged condition on that opponent. If the opponent makes any attack which does not include you as a target it will take 4 points of damage. This increases to 8 points at legendary tier, and 12 points at Mythic tier. This condition ends at the start of your next turn. Shield Expert​ Level: 1 Major​ Association: Knight​ Prerequisites: None​ Description: You know how to get the most out of a shield. Benefits: When an enemy hits you with a melee attack, and you are equipped with a shield, you may reduce the damage from this attack by 5 points, or 10 points at Legendary, or 15 points at Mythic levels. The shield becomes effectively useless once this move is performed. After the end of the fight you may repair your shield temporarily by passing an INT check at a DV equal to the level of the opponent who's attack you used shield expert against. If the shield is magical then you pass this check automatically.

Two-handed Weapon Expert​	Level: 1 Major​
Association: Knight​	Prerequisites: None​
Description: When you pick up a two-handed weapon you are extremely deadly.
Benefits: You gain a +2 permanent bonus to all damage with melee weapon attack powers when using a 2-handed weapon. This increases to +3 at Legendary and +5 at Mythic levels. Mounted Combat Expert​ Level: 1 Major​ Association: Knight​ Prerequisites: Riding​ Description: You are an expert in mounted combat. Benefits: If you are involuntarily dismounted, you may make a DEX check to avoid becoming prone. In any situation where a rider would normally become involuntarily dismounted you may make a DEX check to remain mounted, unless your mount becomes prone, in which case you are always dismounted as normal. You do not suffer the penalties to attacks and defenses which are normally suffered by characters when mounted. Note that you may not utilize this boon's benefits when mounted on any mount with which you do not also have the riding boon. These are the current set of boons available to a knight at 1st level. There are of course others you could take instead (various martial associated boons, racial boons, and perhaps some background ones).

 

[Tony Vargas]

"In Your Face!"

What is it about the power format that lends itself to names like that?

...

I miss powers. ;(

 

[MoutonRustique]

[sblock]

Mighty Defender​	Level: 1 Major​
Association: Knight​	Prerequisites: None​
Description: Your expertise in melee combat allows you to thoroughly control the space around you with your weapon.
Benefits: You may use an opportunity action against an opponent whom you have placed the engaged condition on, you don't expend your one opportunity action per round when you do this. Each time you hit an opponent with one of these attacks, the opponent's current move action ends immediately, or they suffer disadvantage on whatever attack they are currently making. You may still use opportunity in the normal way once per round.

In Your Face​	Level: 1 Major​
Association: Knight​	Prerequisites: None​
Description: Enemies ignore you at their own risk. When they attempt to do so they quickly regret it.
Benefits: Whenever you attack an opponent you may inflict the engaged condition on that opponent. If the opponent makes any attack which does not include you as a target it will take 4 points of damage. This increases to 8 points at legendary tier, and 12 points at Mythic tier. This condition ends at the start of your next turn. Shield Expert​ Level: 1 Major​ Association: Knight​ Prerequisites: None​ Description: You know how to get the most out of a shield. Benefits: When an enemy hits you with a melee attack, and you are equipped with a shield, you may reduce the damage from this attack by 5 points, or 10 points at Legendary, or 15 points at Mythic levels. The shield becomes effectively useless once this move is performed. After the end of the fight you may repair your shield temporarily by passing an INT check at a DV equal to the level of the opponent who's attack you used shield expert against. If the shield is magical then you pass this check automatically.

Two-handed Weapon Expert​	Level: 1 Major​
Association: Knight​	Prerequisites: None​
Description: When you pick up a two-handed weapon you are extremely deadly.
Benefits: You gain a +2 permanent bonus to all damage with melee weapon attack powers when using a 2-handed weapon. This increases to +3 at Legendary and +5 at Mythic levels. Mounted Combat Expert​ Level: 1 Major​ Association: Knight​ Prerequisites: Riding​ Description: You are an expert in mounted combat. Benefits: If you are involuntarily dismounted, you may make a DEX check to avoid becoming prone. In any situation where a rider would normally become involuntarily dismounted you may make a DEX check to remain mounted, unless your mount becomes prone, in which case you are always dismounted as normal. You do not suffer the penalties to attacks and defenses which are normally suffered by characters when mounted. Note that you may not utilize this boon's benefits when mounted on any mount with which you do not also have the riding boon. These are the current set of boons available to a knight at 1st level. There are of course others you could take instead (various martial associated boons, racial boons, and perhaps some background ones).

[/sblock]

Dude!

Post your system already! These look perfect for a "slimed 4e" - I need to seeeeeeee!

 

[Ameoboid]

Any updates recently? Read through about half the thread and have high hopes for a 4E resurgence in this format.

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

Dude!

Post your system already! These look perfect for a "slimed 4e" - I need to seeeeeeee!

Yeah, lots of people are really saying they want to see it. Eeeeeeyyyyyyy! Something is great until everyone ELSE gets a look at it, darn critics! The best work is unpublished! I'm great, I am the most self-amusing fool there is! Anyway, yeah, I think I just need to look into what license needs to be stuck to the thing. Not that I'm really picky, but I'd rather do it (more-or-less) 'right' if I do it at all...

 

[MoutonRustique]

Any updates recently? Read through about half the thread and have high hopes for a 4E resurgence in this format.

Not recently - I've hit upon an idea that, evidently, is more of the stink than the "stick" kind... but it's kinda stuck with me all the same! That bastard idea!

This isn't much of a "system building thread" - it's rather more a: "random idea thread". Although there is a good deal here that could be used to build something... I think?

Feel free to throw something at this "wall" if you've an inkling to.

I'll probably become a bit more active in a few days. (hopefully)

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

Not recently - I've hit upon an idea that, evidently, is more of the stink than the "stick" kind... but it's kinda stuck with me all the same! That bastard idea!

This isn't much of a "system building thread" - it's rather more a: "random idea thread". Although there is a good deal here that could be used to build something... I think?

Feel free to throw something at this "wall" if you've an inkling to.

I'll probably become a bit more active in a few days. (hopefully)

Well, I have some CRAZY ideas. How about a game where each character is a deck of cards and you play them a little bit like playing M:tG? A fight would then be a bunch of interrupt stacks. You'd say get to play specific cards from your hand, and it would be up to you to explain what the resulting narrative was (and maybe you could have some sort of reservation system where you could have a couple 'picked cards' that you could hold out of the deck to drop as you want, so you could steer the plot a bit more).

I'm kinda stuck in my thinking on this idea at the level of abstraction. Just how high level would this sort of game be? Would a whole combat just be the play of one set of cards? Could whole scenes of all sorts be that abstract? Or even MORE abstract (at which point things become very different from existing RPGs in general and more like table top games)?

Of course this COULD be reminiscent of 4e, with the right design choices, but it wouldn't be THAT close a cousin, most likely. It could be utterly different too. It certainly wouldn't be a classic d20 type of game...