Final Fantasy Zero: Design Diary continued

[I'm A Banana]

You got that right, Cynlas! Bard (from Edward's HIDE the songstress of FFX-2) and Dancer (from FF5's !Flirt to FFT's potent boogies) combine into one pop-a-rific class....though I'll probably be making it more "classic bard, student of the magic of music" rather than the very Jap-apt but totally wierd pop star of FFX-2....which was hilarious, but come on...

 

[Cynlas]

...though I'll probably be making it more "classic bard, student of the magic of music" rather than the very Jap-apt but totally wierd pop star of FFX-2....which was hilarious, but come on...

Thank you!!! The "X" series was not one of my (or my wife's) favorite additions to the FF universe... (lets just say we are very glad we rented X-2 before/instead-of buying.)

Just thought of something; it isn't really part of the FF series (as far as I can tell), but are you going to be working in any kind of "job" mentality into the jobs? For example, when one plays a "samurai", one typically envisions a warrior following a particular code (Bushido) and thereby acting in a distinct manner; yet in FF, the "Samurai" job comes across as a simple warrior variant. Is there going to be a noticable difference in the play of say, a Knight and a Samurai, in FFZ (that is not based on tactics/mechanical distinctions)? Yes, they are both "honorable" jobs, but the codes/philosophies typically are distinct enough that the "flavor" of the classes is not necessarily reliant upon the class features. Given the social-transparency of most FF games, a samurai and knight operate together without any seeming difference or rationale expected in more "traditional" fantasy settings (which try to feature strong distinctions in cultures)

 

[I'm A Banana]

I've been very careful to make sure that the role of the class in the world is reflected in their abilities. So the knights fullfill a very "defensive military" role in many of the worlds. Thier honor and nobility comes from their close connection to the important figures -- they are the king's guards, they are the palace troops, they are the defenders of the vault, because no one does it better.

The samurai, however, are the ones you send off to battle. Their concept is one of "sword-fu" sort of the idea that using a weapon is an esoteric, magical art rather than a simple tool. They are perhaps the leaders of the military forces, able to understand the subtle magic of conflict and steel in a way that no other troop really can. Not only that, but they are some of the most effective warriors in the game, with their broad selection of heavily damaging bushido techniques and their ability to incapacitate many troops. Their code is one that is representative of your nation to a foriegn land. They are the best of the best, and so are held to a higher standard in combat and in war than most others.

The knights defend the nation at home. The samurai represent the nation's military strength abroad. Which means that they can certainly have some similarities, but that they aren't really the same role at all. They also have distinctly different abilities, from the knight's defensive talents and ability to break the body and mind of an attacker to the samurai's offensive talents and ability to use their sword to call down meteors.

 

[Cynlas]

That works.

...use their sword to call down meteors.

Heh!

 

[I'm A Banana]

Yeah, give me a few weeks to get my new computer, and the Thief will be up shortly thereafter.

 

[Cynlas]

Kewl...

 

[I'm A Banana]

I've somewhat shifted gears in the interest of pumping out as much content as possible -- I've dropped the fluff/advice sections of the job descriptions.

They WILL be there, in full glorious form, but I want to worry first and foremost about working them as game elements, and then as pretty pdfs.

So here's the promised theif.

And, a little bonus, here is the crusader for your viewing pleasure.

I'm going to put up the Dragoon and the Red Mage next.

I've also managed to change some wording ("attributes" instead of "ability scores") and change the limit system slightly (limits will, from now on, be awarded by Orisha rather than by your job -- I wanted Orisha to play a larger role than they had to this point). I'm also changing around some of the skills, and Each of the drafts also includes a preview "stat block." Which means that, with the thief, crusader, white mage, and black mage, you could officially run a 1st level adventure!

You know what that means, right?

That I am INCHES away from having a complete sytstem. I need to get the skills and feats and awards and items polished up in a codified format, and finish a monster or three, but this bad boy is very close to being ready to playtest.

In fact, if someone wanted to generate some 1st level characters and post their stat blocks to the thread, it would be possible. Even recommended....

 

[Cynlas]

SWEEEEEEEET....

I just noticed your update. I'll see what I can do as soon as I clear my current plate of job apps and stuff .

If I kill off the PCs quick enough next week, I could even get them started on the ffz camp... (JK)

B

 

[Cake Mage]

initiative

I've been following this off and on for a while now and am very interested in seeing its completion. I have a quick question, not sure if its been answered or not though.

I'm still not sure how the initiative system works (so far since I know its still work in progress). Its not the same as 3.5 D&D becuase there are delays and what not. Is it like White Wolf's Exhalted Join battle system where there are speeds and delays on a "tick" system?

 

[Cynlas]

In fact, if someone wanted to generate some 1st level characters and post their stat blocks to the thread, it would be possible. Even recommended....

Ok, how 'bout an odd-ball: Durloch, the Dwarf Occultist (I did do an elvann crusader, then noticed you already had a sample crusader, so ...)

Name: Durloch the Old
Concept: Expert Elder
Quote: "Ha! Foolish Chit. This mountain is no pile of inert rubbish, it is a towering inferno of power! Here, let me show you..."
Stat block:
LV1 Dwarf Black Mage
Medium Humanoid (Dwarf)
Agi +1; Senses Perception +0
Languages Common and Dwarven
Defense 11, flat-footed 10, touch 11; Armor 0
Hp 5
Limits Adamant Guard
Resistance +0
Special Defense None
Melee Staff -1 (1d4-1)
Ranged As Spell
Atk -1
Atk Options None
Special Actions Wizardry
Mag +4
Mp 3
Spells level 0*
Attributes Str 8(-1), Dex 12 (+1), Con 14 (+2), Int 16 (+3), Wis 10 (+0), Cha 13 (+1)
SQ Adaptable (Hume racial trait)
Feats Tactical Strike
Skills (Rank 3) Craft (Stone) +7, Endurance +6, Scribe +7, Use Magic Device +5, Knowledge (Magic) +7
Posessions Staff, Robes
Habitat Temperate Mountain
Elemental Attunement The dwarf gains +1 to damage caused by all Earth spells.

****
I tried to follow the block used in you samples, though cut a few things that I couldn't create, such as the "awards" for defeating poor old Durloch. Also, do you have a spell list for the Whm and Blm like the Crusader has? Anyway, check over the stats, as I wasn't entirely sure which stats actually got modified by ability scores, and went off the racial conversion rules you had posted earlier for the most part. Also, rather than roll the abilities, I broke my preference and used the standard array you provided in an earlier chapter to be more useful for illistrative purposes.