Conversion: Fantasy Rules into Star Frontiers

[CleanCutRogue]

Star Frontiersman webzine issue #5 is ready!



Released for public consumption... Issue #5. Head over to the StarFrontiersman page and have a download... let me know what you think.

- STAR FIGHTERS IN ALPHA DAWN
- DON’T TANGO WITH THE TANGLER
- ADVENTURE ON THE PLANET OF MYSTERY
- THOSE PESKY VIMH
- CITY TILES FOR ON-THE-FLY URBAN MAPPING
- THE ALIENS HAVE ARRIVED!
- AND LOTS MORE, READY TO USE!

 

[Mycanid]

OK, I have the document here for folks to take gander at. There are various notes to myself included in the document. There is plenty of room for other folks to contribute to this little project.

Okay sir! Grabbing it ... will post feedback later.

 

[Mycanid]

Okay smoot ... immediate, unimportant feedback. On page 5 of the text there is a floating box over the doc itself. I opened this in Word 2007, if any help.

Perhaps more germane to the subject at hand - I like the magic system as spelled out. Not too unbalancing, it seems.

I wonder what you think of the idea of expending xp to cast spells if one is out of spell points? Kinda like burning the natural resources in dire emergency. Make it very costly, but something which could possibly save the spellcaster's skin.... :\ Maybe in this case the xp system would be more like the karma system in the old Marvel SH game ... and maybe you would not want to go in that direction, though. Just a thought.

I really liked the re-working of the skills that you did. I think it is a good place to begin things.

 

[smootrk]

Okay smoot ... immediate, unimportant feedback. On page 5 of the text there is a floating box over the doc itself. I opened this in Word 2007, if any help.

Perhaps more germane to the subject at hand - I like the magic system as spelled out. Not too unbalancing, it seems.

I wonder what you think of the idea of expending xp to cast spells if one is out of spell points? Kinda like burning the natural resources in dire emergency. Make it very costly, but something which could possibly save the spellcaster's skin.... :\ Maybe in this case the xp system would be more like the karma system in the old Marvel SH game ... and maybe you would not want to go in that direction, though. Just a thought.

I really liked the re-working of the skills that you did. I think it is a good place to begin things.

Thanks, I like the way the basic skills worked themselves out as well.

I think your XP/Action Point type of idea is very good. Costly, but better than death certainly, and a judicious use of such a burning of an XP point could mean the difference between greater XP handouts later, based upon the way referees hand out experience, especially if the alternate XP handout rules from the StarFrontiermans webmag are used.

I really need to get busy with a Spell-skill idea or two, because once there are a few out there, some really interesting concepts with start to present themselves as well. Divine Bards, Roguish Warriors, Arcane Doctors, etc. Stuff like Paladins or Rangers will only be the beginnings of the creative character concepts that might come out of this free for all type of skill/character building method.

The recent StarFrontiersman webmag also has new Armor ideas that I need to look into closer, for their possible use in the mod. Also just to pat myself on the back, you can see not one, but two contributions by me in #5 Star Frontiersmans. http://www.starfrontiersman.com/PDF/SF05.pdf

 

[smootrk]

That text box, is just a place where i might copy text from a pdf, for me to refer to while I write the Fantasy or tweaked version for this project... just ignore it. Mostly just like a notepad of sorts while I work.

 

[CleanCutRogue]

I read through the document and really think it's great. I especially like the skills (I do like the athletic skills - there has to be a way for such characters to focus and hone their abilities other than pumping up their stats).

I have an idea... what about Sathar having mental abilities? Psionics. Mentalism. Whatever. Make them the only ones who have it or something... that way you don't have to make sure it's a balanced system cuz it'll be reserved for an NPC race. If you did this, it would make the Sathar seem more alien and strange, and make PCs fear their unknown abilities. Just an idea

 

[smootrk]

I read through the document and really think it's great. I especially like the skills (I do like the athletic skills - there has to be a way for such characters to focus and hone their abilities other than pumping up their stats).

I have an idea... what about Sathar having mental abilities? Psionics. Mentalism. Whatever. Make them the only ones who have it or something... that way you don't have to make sure it's a balanced system cuz it'll be reserved for an NPC race. If you did this, it would make the Sathar seem more alien and strange, and make PCs fear their unknown abilities. Just an idea

Ooooh, Sathar Mentalists... makes perfect sense, even for standard Star Frontiers games. The existing rules for mentalists should have bonuses for Sathar practitioners. I was envisioning Sathar Necromancers, but really their strengths lie in Enchantment/Charm and mental domination effects.

 

[CleanCutRogue]

Ooooh, Sathar Mentalists... makes perfect sense, even for standard Star Frontiers games. The existing rules for mentalists should have bonuses for Sathar practitioners. I was envisioning Sathar Necromancers, but really their strengths lie in Enchantment/Charm and mental domination effects.

True! I used to play D&D lots. My DM made Mindflayers horrific with their mental abilities. He had different castes, some of which could make your brain explode or worse!! Yeah... my character was scared to death. And psionics as a rules set was barred from PCs in his game... so defense against them was limited. That was the only D&D creature I ever remember having my character run away from!

-------- high level encounter:

DM: You see a great dragon flexing its muscles in the morning light, remnants of its last meal dangling in a visceral mess from its chin. It looks at you ominously.

ME: "Ho, Dragon! Breathe upon me if you must, I can take it!" *proudly slams fist against own breastplate in defiance*

-------- later

DM: You see a tall cloaked figure, mostly humanoid. It has several tiny tentacles coming out from the shadows of its pulled hood...

ME: I am SO out of here. I don't care what happens to the Princess. Maybe she can keep up with me, maybe she can't. I'm running!

 

[smootrk]

I think that when I do get around to designing the Sathar in a fantasy mold, I will endow them with all the major trappings of Ilithids, tweaked of course, so that they are original and distinct from Mind Flayers... but having all the 'alien' mind-controlling connotations that make the Ilithids such feared creatures.

 

[Mycanid]

.....

I have an idea... what about Sathar having mental abilities? Psionics. Mentalism. Whatever. Make them the only ones who have it or something... that way you don't have to make sure it's a balanced system cuz it'll be reserved for an NPC race. If you did this, it would make the Sathar seem more alien and strange, and make PCs fear their unknown abilities. Just an idea

Ooooo....

YES! Make it so!