Modos 2 - free demo

[GMMichael]

​

I have just uploaded Modos 2 - free demo to the downloads area.

Free, easy, ready-to-mod RPG.

This is the demo edition. The deluxe edition will include more art, powers, helpful sidebars, and appendices.

Unofficial website: modos-rpg.obsidianportal.com

I can only show you the door. You're the one who has to walk through it.

Here are a few features, in case you're wondering what's in store:

- The game revolves around two rules. 1) Role-play. 2) If you can't role-play it, roll a contest: your d20 versus the GM's d20. If your result is higher, you get a favorable outcome. (What's a favorable outcome? Use rule 1 to find out).

- Combat is fluid, simple, and tactical. You get three actions in a combat round, which can be used at any time, even in response to your opponents' actions. Maneuvering is essential in combat, so the rules assume you're doing it. If you'd like to try something creative, there are no map grids or movement speeds to hold you back.

- Modify, modify, modify. Change the Lists to match your campaign world. Tweak a single rule to slightly alter the feel of the game. Design your Hero Points to do what you want them to do. The game is a tool box for building the game that you want to play.

You can find the file here in the downloads section. Please use this thread for comments.

 

[GMMichael]

A Glimpse into Modding

My Skyrim game will be starting soon, and the rules module for it is taking shape. Here's a look at what's involved in writing a mod.

The first step was to decide what makes Skyrim feel like Skyrim. So I picked out different elements in combat, looked at the way armor adds up to provide a total bonus, perks, how magic works, and more.

Then I had to look at the base Modos 2 game and ask: which elements differ enough to require new rules to support them? Which rules should be removed or changed?

This brought me to where I am now. I have a list of discussion points that I want to make on how to use the new rules, and a list of the new rules themselves. They'll take some refining, but the major points are in place. Next I'll flesh out the discussion, make the rules crispy-clear, and attempt to make a decent pdf out of it so I can post it on the Modos unofficial website.

Here's the rough discussion outline (apologies for the formatting):
[sblock]Intro

Player-characters
Level=square root of skill points
Suggested racial perks
Altmer, mana
Argonian, water breathing
Bosmer, poison resist 2, disease resist +4
Breton, -1 magic damage
Dunmer, d4 fire resistance
Imperial, d8 bonus septims
Khajiit, weapon training (natural)
Nord, d4 cold resistance
Orsimer, martial artist
Redguard, poison resist 2
Skills
New list
Gained from rolling, skill books, training, misc
Perks
List – example conversions, removed perks
Max damage perks
Tough
Endurance
Mana
(other perks)
Remove attribute point, skill point, rename Stubborn
Gear
Carrying capacity
Armor rule
Scrolls, skill books, potions, alchemy
Enchantment – enchanting tables – gear enchantments can raise above level limit
Shrines
Standing Stones
Magic
Spell durations
Magicka (and max magicka)
Magic resistance
Fire damage
Cold damage
Electrical damage
Ward spells last for 1 round
NPCs
Scaling
Sample NPCs
Conflict
Bartering (non-extended)
Picking pockets: 1st roll- were you detected, 2nd roll, were you successful (quality contest?)
Extended conflict
General
Initiative – weapon speeds (magic already has an action cost)
Lockpicking
d8 vs. Lock max progress (10 per lock level)
Persuading

Physical
Actions table (attack, defend, change posture, cast novice spell, drink potion, sheathe/draw weapon, use scroll, use staff, apply poison)
Power attacks: special move perk becomes rule, but the number adds Stamina damage
Power attack breaks a block: blocked power attack does stamina damage instead of health damage (on a Pro, the power attack broke through)
Sprinting and Climbing
Mental

Metaphysical

Guidance
Scaling – five degrees, two per Modos level. 1 modos level <> 4 Skyrim levels
Distributing skill points
Vendor stock and cash
Werewolves
Vampires[/sblock]

And the rules catalog that grew with it:[sblock]
[table="width: 500"]
[TR]
[TD="width: 42"]Rule[/TD]
[TD="width: 154"]Name[/TD]
[TD="width: 263"]Description and Dependencies[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]100[/TD]
[TD]Encumbered[/TD]
[TD]Characters cannot exceed walking speed when weight carried > 10 x P score[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]100[/TD]
[TD]Locked Skills[/TD]
[TD](removed)[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]100[/TD]
[TD]Level up[/TD]
[TD]Gain damage pool perk, perk, and attribute point. First standard perk must be racial perk.[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]100[/TD]
[TD]Skill up[/TD]
[TD]Roll 20 for combat, 19-20 non-combat...[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]100[/TD]
[TD]Level [/TD]
[TD]Equals root of skill points[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]200[/TD]
[TD]Sprinting & Climbing[/TD]
[TD]Use stamina (d8) to measure progress and count toward a limit[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]300[/TD]
[TD]Helmet modifier[/TD]
[TD]A helmet that is one step better or worse than worn armor grants +1 or -1 to the protection roll. A helmet two steps away (or missing) changes the protection die by one type. Depends: scaling[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]300[/TD]
[TD]Disabled[/TD]
[TD]Only mostly dead. Stamina and magicka just result in Cons[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]300[/TD]
[TD]Natural healing (regeneration)[/TD]
[TD]Proceeds in steps: day, hour, 4 minutes, 1 minute, round, action[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]300[/TD]
[TD]Poison damage[/TD]
[TD]Poison damage ignores physical protection, causes vision penalty (-2), and does 1 extra point of damage for X rounds.[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]300[/TD]
[TD]Critical strike[/TD]
[TD]Roll d4 extra damage. Perks to increase.[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]300[/TD]
[TD]Poison resistance[/TD]
[TD]Poison resistance reduces the level of a poison, but not below 0.[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]300[/TD]
[TD]Paralysis[/TD]
[TD]Free non-action to resist, or X actions must be used as defenses[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]300[/TD]
[TD]Disease[/TD]
[TD]Non-action to resist AFTER COMBAT[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]300[/TD]
[TD]Damage, elemental[/TD]
[TD]Elemental damage ignores general physical protection[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]300[/TD]
[TD]Stagger[/TD]
[TD]Non-action to resist, or lose 1 action[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]300[/TD]
[TD]Max damage[/TD]
[TD]equals attribute score plus max damage perks[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]400[/TD]
[TD]Magic Durations[/TD]
[TD]day, hour, 4 min, min, round, action (immediate)[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]400[/TD]
[TD]magic resistance[/TD]
[TD]number indicates damage reduction or defense bonus (can reduce to zero)[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]300[/TD]
[TD]Power attack[/TD]
[TD]All character can use Special Move perk, but must spend amount on Stamina as well. Cannot exceed Stamina max damage.[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE][/sblock]

20-ish rules is relatively lightweight (compared to about 80 rules in the base game). I'm hoping the full mod will hit about 10 pages. Until then, happy gaming!

 

[GMMichael]

Low-level dragons are more viable in the Skyrim rules module than in the base game. This one is only level 5, but it does have a rule zero provision that it can fly (that comes with some flaws as well):

Dragon, blood 5
Dragons have the ability to take flying posture without a mount. Flaw: dragons have no hands, have significant difficulty sneaking, and more difficulty reaching into small spaces and between trees.
P 15, M 8, MP 12
H 27, S 12, M 20
Skills: magic (destruction) +7 (4), movement +6 (4), unarmed +6 (4), willpower +4 (3), detect +3 (4), concentrate +2 (3), knowledge (nature) +2 (3)
Perks: martial artist, weapon training (natural), novice destruction, sleepless, bonus action (unarmed), tough x3, mana x2
Gear: natural attacks d8, dragon scale (resist fire d8), dragon bone d8 (fortify natural armor 3)
Spells: flames 1 (-1), fire 3 (-7)

 

[GMMichael]

From the Skyrim Rules Module

Here's an example of a light-rules game: I just squeezed a character sheet for a Skyrim guardsman into a Tweet. Here's what it looked like before a little trimming.

Guard, City 2
Some guards, particularly those with important wards, scale in level the with PCs. The starting level guard is presented here.
P 13 (14), M 10, MP 8
H 17, S 14, M 8
Skills: one-handed +2 (1), block +4 (1), detect +1, persuade +0 (1)
Perks: resist cold d4, weapon training (one-handed), tough, endurance
Gear: steel sword d8, guard armor & helmet d4 (light), small shield (+2 block), iron dagger d6, steel gauntlet and boots


To pull this stunt off, I had to trim Character Concept and non-Equipment Gear from the sheet, but I was able to add a picture...and you know how many words that's worth

 

[GMMichael]

I completed my first, and definitely not last, rules module: Dragonborn Light. It's a freebie, for Skyrim fans who want to play fan fiction instead of writing it. It's also for anyone who wants a slightly more arcade-mode feel to their medieval fantasy.

Which means my drawing board is clear. So I'm setting a release date on Modos 2 Deluxe for Christmas 2018, which gives me plenty of time to work on art, more demo modules, and expanding the lists.

If you're a fan and have some suggestions, I'm all ears. I'm open to gear, power, and perk suggestions...maybe a few more NPCs...and even editorial things, like a section that needs better wording. Or if you're dying to become a world-famous playtester, let me know who's in your group and what you thought about the game, and I'll drop your names in so you can add Deluxe to your playtester-resume

 

[GMMichael]

Weekend One-Off

Whoever thought Orthanc was a worthless, old tower didn't look hard enough.

Here's a link to the Roll20 Con game, and the optional pre-gen characters.

https://app.roll20.net/lfg/listing/119586/raiding-orthanc

[TABLE="class: grid, width: 682"]
[TR]
[TD]Name[/TD]
[TD]Undolas Half-elven[/TD]
[TD]Nain, son of Noro[/TD]
[TD]Leod of the Riddermark[/TD]
[TD]Bungo Grubb[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Concept[/TD]
[TD]High-elf prince, master of blade and song[/TD]
[TD]Dwarf-captain, collector of artefacts[/TD]
[TD]Dunedain counselor to King Theoden of Rohan. Also called Milmir.[/TD]
[TD]Hobbit pipeweed farmer, and part-time adventurer.[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Goal[/TD]
[TD]Ensure that the mortals do not unleash another evil blight on the land.[/TD]
[TD]Collect as many artefacts as possible for his clan.[/TD]
[TD]Gather knowledge for the Rangers, assert royal claim on dangerous items.[/TD]
[TD]Become famous, to increase the prices of his pipeweed.[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Flaw[/TD]
[TD]Lost much of his hearing when a forest-troll shouted in his ear(s).[/TD]
[TD]Hates orcs. Dislikes elves. And men. Hobbits are okay.[/TD]
[TD]His dedication to kings skews his moral compass.[/TD]
[TD]Addicted to pipeweed.[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Hero Points[/TD]
[TD]To improve blade and song contests.[/TD]
[TD]To improve artefact knowledge and avoid unwanted movement.[/TD]
[TD]To improve leadership and resist fear.[/TD]
[TD]To avoid detection and add luck to defenses.[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]P[/TD]
[TD]10 (11)
[/TD]
[TD]11 (14)[/TD]
[TD]12 (14)
[/TD]
[TD]8[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]M[/TD]
[TD]14
[/TD]
[TD]9[/TD]
[TD]8[/TD]
[TD]11[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]MP[/TD]
[TD]8[/TD]
[TD]10[/TD]
[TD]11[/TD]
[TD]14[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Skills[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: right"][/TD]
[TD]Parry 1[/TD]
[TD]Concentrate 1[/TD]
[TD]Parry 1[/TD]
[TD]Willpower 1[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: right"][/TD]
[TD]Armed 2[/TD]
[TD]Detect 2[/TD]
[TD]Know (Scholar) 1[/TD]
[TD]Craftsman 2[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]Magic (cure 1) 1[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Perks[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: right"][/TD]
[TD]Tough (14)[/TD]
[TD]Stubborn (13)[/TD]
[TD]Mystic Ward[/TD]
[TD]Off the mark[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: right"][/TD]
[TD]Sleepless[/TD]
[TD]Owl's eye[/TD]
[TD]Fearless[/TD]
[TD]Backstabber[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: right"][/TD]
[TD]Quick reload[/TD]
[TD]Rage[/TD]
[TD]Dual Wielder[/TD]
[TD]Lucky day[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Gear[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]Puriel's Gift[/TD]
[TD]Flask of Endless Ale (1d8)[/TD]
[TD]Sauron's Rib[/TD]
[TD]Mithril key[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]Mail & leather plate d8 (-1)[/TD]
[TD]Field plate d10 (-3)[/TD]
[TD]Brigandine d6 (-2)[/TD]
[TD]Pipe[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]Elven bow d10[/TD]
[TD]Small shield (+2 parry)[/TD]
[TD]Bastard sword d8[/TD]
[TD]Short sword d6[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]Elven blade d8[/TD]
[TD]Battle axe d8[/TD]
[TD]Dagger d4[/TD]
[TD]Knife d4[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

 

[GMMichael]

"So what? Big deal."
[video=youtube;8MqJ3iGBdOo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MqJ3iGBdOo[/video]

From its inception, Modos RPG has been inspired by, designed for, and free to the RPG community. Which is, I hope, one (three) reason that it has been nominated for a 2018 ENnie Award! If you'd like to give back, swing by the ENnies voting booth and give it your “1” stamp of approval.

ENnie Awards: http://www.ennie-awards.com/vote/2018/ballot.php?category_id=10

Happy gaming!

 

[GMMichael]

The ENnie winners haven't even been announced, and I've already received a prize: Modos 2 downloads have doubled! I am so pleased to know that (crossing fingers) 300 people have a copy of Modos 2 and are enjoying it even half as much as I do.

If you have five spare minutes, please write a review here:
http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?598637-Modos-2

I'm anticipating two new releases of the game in December, and while the ENnie nomination was humbling, the game would really benefit from reviews. I have to take the reviews I receive from the games I run with a grain of salt, because they may not be impartial, and as GM, I know the game front to back. It could be a completely different experience for other GMs.

There's one more day to vote for your favorite free game of 2018. If you downloaded Modos 2 (free edition) and loved it, please make it known!

 

[GMMichael]

300!

In honor of reaching 300 downloads, here are a few new perks to play with:

Spear and Shield - Your natural physical protection increases by one die type when using a spear and shield in combat.

Not a Drop - Your hero point die type increases by one as long as none of your allies have become Mostly Dead in the current battle.

Stunning Physique - Your attacks cause one additional point of mental damage as long as you are wearing no armor (excluding helmets).

 

[GMMichael]

What's that? The free edition of Modos 2 hurts your eyes to look at it? Mine too. But hey, you get what you pay for. Here's a sample of what the deluxe edition will be offering:



I'm expecting a good 18 or so art pieces as well, for when all the words start to blend into each other.