Final Fantasy Zero: Design Diary continued

[I'm A Banana]

Speaking of which, to clarify what I am reading; how often does init get rolled? Once per "combat" as in 3E; or once each round? I had assumed once a combat, but not so sure now.

It's once per combat. That sets the initiative of your first turn.

Ok, I got the idea that if he then waits with his second action, he restores/maintains a base init of 26; where I am getting lost is in the "attack and wait" part. Assuming he attacks on "6", would not this immediately reduce his init, thereby ending his actions this round, or is it because he still has an effective init of "1" (6-5=1) that allows the "wait" action to occur now, and wash the attack's init mod?

Aaah, I see. The modifiers apply after you take your turn. So, on 6, he gets a turn, and afterwards, his total modifiers are applied to his initiative. If an attack is -5 and a partial wait is +5, it nets out to a 0 modifier, keeping his initiative the same.

As another example, someone with a 13 Init could, in theory, cast a spell with a delay time of 20. He'd cast the spell at 13, but his init the next round would be -7, forcing him to wait for a full round (raising it up to 3). He wouldn't loose the casting of the spell, but he might loose future actions.

So, yeah, don't apply the modifiers until after you take your turn.

 

[Mark Causey]

Will you mitigate ultra powerful spells or metamagic with Initiative modifiers?

 

[Cynlas]

If an attack is -5 and a partial wait is +5, it nets out to a 0 modifier, keeping his initiative the same.

Right, but aren't those two different "actions"?

On an init of 6, how is he getting to perform two distinct actions at this initiative turn (an attack (partial action) followed by a wait (partial action))? Yes, a partial wait action performed on their next available turn would "wash" the previous attack, but how is this happening this turn?

Is the "partial wait" being used as "free action"?

As I understand what has happened, the sample char started with an init of 16. On their turn (at 16), they did a full action wait, changing their init to 26/6, creating a second action for them this round. When turn "6" comes around, they then perform a partial attack, reducing their init to 21/1.

Now where the confusion is:

Option A) According to my understanding, they would not get to do a follow-up partial wait until next round, at turn 21, thereby restoring their init to 26/6 at that time.

Option B) From what I am reading you to say is, on this same round, where the char already did a full wait and a partial attack, that they are also able to perform a partial wait; allowing them to begin the next round with their 26/6 initiative.

My question, if "B" is correct, is "Why does the char get to perform a third action on the same beginning round?"

New theory; are you veiwing 1 Full Action = 2 Partial Actions; and each initiative turn (such as 26 and 6) grants a character a "Full Action", therefore at any initiative turn a character can perform two "Partial Actions" or one "Full Action"? If so, where do "Standard Actions" fit in (as Partials?)?

Just trying to get it straight in my noggin..

 

[Enchelion Derabdur]

Each "slot" in the initiative order counts as a full round in normal D&D terms (if I am reading this right), so on 6 he used a standard action to attack, and then waited as a move-equivalent action... am I right?

 

[Cynlas]

Yeah, that is what I am starting to think. Not sure why it didn't "click" earlier. Still, will see if that is what KM is intending.

 

[Ulden Throatbane]

I'm very impressed with the work you've done so far. I can't wait to see the next installment.

/thumbs up

 

[Mark Causey]

I can't wait to see your experience system, Kamikaze Midget. I'm going to compare it to this:

http://www.lawfulneutral.com/sweet20/xp.html

 

[I'm A Banana]

Each "slot" in the initiative order counts as a full round in normal D&D terms (if I am reading this right), so on 6 he used a standard action to attack, and then waited as a move-equivalent action... am I right?

You got it. Each turn that a character gets in FFZ is the equivalent of a D&D character's "round of actions," in which a character can perform a move-equivalent and a standard action (or some kind of combination thereof). FFZ labels them "partial" and "standard" actions, largely because moving is a lot less important in abstract combat, but they're the same thing. Whenever your turn comes up in initiative, you get those actions.

After you take your turn and use up your actions, the initiative modifiers apply. And if your initiative is high enough to grant you a second turn, and you've only taken one, you get that second turn, too. And after that second turn, the initiative modifiers apply for the actions you took on your second turn.

Each turn grants you a window to do a "set of actions." And when that window is over, the actions you performed will dictate how soon you get to go again, based on how much they delay.

Will you mitigate ultra powerful spells or metamagic with Initiative modifiers?

FFZ Epic Magic may take millennia to cast....just think of how long it was taking Sephiroth to summon Meteo for those kinds of effects.

But epic magic in FFZ is something like an artifact in a standard D&D game -- you're going to want to think long and hard about what it does to the story before you have people going around using it.

I can't wait to see your experience system, Kamikaze Midget. I'm going to compare it to this:

http://www.lawfulneutral.com/sweet20/xp.html

....I think you'll like what FFZ has in store for you, then.

 

[Ulden Throatbane]

Hmm...I just got an insane idea-using the FFZero system in the Planescape setting. However, the plot I have in mind violates a huge amount of the setting's "canon" so I don't want to talk too much about it.

 

[Cynlas]

Each turn that a character gets in FFZ is the equivalent of a D&D character's "round of actions," in which a character can perform a move-equivalent and a standard action (or some kind of combination thereof).

Cool. Thanks for the clarification KM.

Hmm...I just got an insane idea-using the FFZero system in the Planescape setting. However, the plot I have in mind violates a huge amount of the setting's "canon" so I don't want to talk too much about it.

Violates which cannon? Either way, I'd not worry too much about it; I have been integrating FFZ into my current D&D campaign as the "crunchy" bits are released without detriment. When the whole is released, I will start anew with a fresh world for running FFZ; but until then, it works out pretty good so far. Though I suppose leaping Dragoons running amok in Sigil may present a clash in style...like Pipi Longstocking at a Goth convention

As our group is taking a short D&D break to let one of our players try his hand at GMing (playing SPAM-2E), I haven't had a chance to introduce the new init system yet (and it will have to be (minimally) modified somewhat due to no current Agility scores or the intended equipment modifiers). Depending on how long he wishes to take with SPAM, we will either resume the campaign, or start the FFZ campaign (depending on the level of completeness by then). No rush KM, just looking forward to launch date (I preferr qual to quant anyday)