RangerWickett
Legend
When Pathfinder 2nd edition was teased, I liked some of the mechanics, but ultimately my group didn't go for it. As I am an eternal tinkerer, I spent a few months brainstorming, and have now retooled what I liked and grabbed mechanics from other games. I've named this new ruleset Peril.
For a long time I've wanted a game that would create combats that felt more dramatic, rather than mechanical. Actual duels don't consist of you attacking while I stand still, then me attacking while you stand still; we're each trying to actively defend while setting up an opportunity to land a solid strike. However, every time I've played an RPG before that tried to model that sort of back and forth, the game played very slowly, especially when you have four PCs and several enemy creatures in the same combat.
I think I've cracked that nut. The trick is to imperil your opponent.
(Caveat: It is very much in pre-alpha state.)
There are six rule elements that distinguish Peril.
1. Action Economy. Two actions per turn, but (usually) no more than one for attacking.
2. Success Tiers. Rolls can critically succeed, succeed, fail, and critically fail.
3. Defense. Four defenses - Fortitude, Maneuver, Reflex, Will. Armor provides DR.
4. Saves. Characters get two or three saves, once-per-combat abilities that downgrade an attack against you one step (crit>success>miss>mishap), and then provide a temporary bonus to help turn the tide.
5. Poises. Six actions that telegraphy a threat. They might let you use a reaction or improve an attack on your next turn.
6. Criticals. Critical hits inflict temporary negative conditions.
For example, you might make a Basic Attack with your sword, then use the poise Commit. Commit has you choose a target and a weapon, and on your next turn, if you attack that target with that weapon, your attack is upgraded one step (mishap>miss>success>crit). Alternately, you might use the poise Defend, which gives you the ability to make opportunity attacks. Or you could Grapple them.
If you Commit, your opponent has to gauge the extra risk. They might think they can take you out, and so stay and fight. They might run away to safety. They might try to disarm or grapple you so you can't use that weapon. They might yell for their allies to gang up on you, or to grapple you so you can't reach them.
This is not the way 4E did it, where attackers have different offensive encounter powers and so have to switch up. Instead, the different defensive and reactive powers force people to reassess the value of different tactics. And some of the better tactics require a turn to set up.
Similarly, most monsters have attacks that create a sense of peril. A green dragon's breath weapon doesn't just slam you with damage, but gradually burns your eyes and blinds you if you don't take countermeasures. A troll that grabs you can rip your arm off next turn. Wolves will take the Defend action so if you attack one member of the pack, the rest can make opportunity attacks.
Then there are the saves, which turn a hit into a miss and then grant you some temporary advantage. For example, the barbarian You Made Me Angry save defends against Fortitude or Will attacks, then lets the barbarian begin their rage right away, or improves their rage if it's already active. The fighter Parry-Riposte save defends against a Maneuver or Reflex attack, then lets you move 5 feet and make an attack back.
Using a save is intended to feel dramatic, to be that moment in an action scene where the hero outwits the villain, dodges a deadly attack, and gets the upper hand. They're quick to resolve, but capture the feeling of actively defending that is so often missing from table top RPGs.
I've attached the first draft, which has stats for four PCs and four monsters - an alchemist, barbarian, fighter, and kineticist, and a green wyrmling, hydra, troll, and wolf. I reiterate, this is very much pre-alpha, and I'm sure some of the ideas I had won't work as well in practice as they seem in my head.
Matrix Sorcica and zztong, this is the system I mentioned over in the PF2 Actual Play Experience thread. If you or anyone else have any feedback, I'd appreciate it.
For a long time I've wanted a game that would create combats that felt more dramatic, rather than mechanical. Actual duels don't consist of you attacking while I stand still, then me attacking while you stand still; we're each trying to actively defend while setting up an opportunity to land a solid strike. However, every time I've played an RPG before that tried to model that sort of back and forth, the game played very slowly, especially when you have four PCs and several enemy creatures in the same combat.
I think I've cracked that nut. The trick is to imperil your opponent.
(Caveat: It is very much in pre-alpha state.)
There are six rule elements that distinguish Peril.
1. Action Economy. Two actions per turn, but (usually) no more than one for attacking.
2. Success Tiers. Rolls can critically succeed, succeed, fail, and critically fail.
3. Defense. Four defenses - Fortitude, Maneuver, Reflex, Will. Armor provides DR.
4. Saves. Characters get two or three saves, once-per-combat abilities that downgrade an attack against you one step (crit>success>miss>mishap), and then provide a temporary bonus to help turn the tide.
5. Poises. Six actions that telegraphy a threat. They might let you use a reaction or improve an attack on your next turn.
6. Criticals. Critical hits inflict temporary negative conditions.
For example, you might make a Basic Attack with your sword, then use the poise Commit. Commit has you choose a target and a weapon, and on your next turn, if you attack that target with that weapon, your attack is upgraded one step (mishap>miss>success>crit). Alternately, you might use the poise Defend, which gives you the ability to make opportunity attacks. Or you could Grapple them.
If you Commit, your opponent has to gauge the extra risk. They might think they can take you out, and so stay and fight. They might run away to safety. They might try to disarm or grapple you so you can't use that weapon. They might yell for their allies to gang up on you, or to grapple you so you can't reach them.
This is not the way 4E did it, where attackers have different offensive encounter powers and so have to switch up. Instead, the different defensive and reactive powers force people to reassess the value of different tactics. And some of the better tactics require a turn to set up.
Similarly, most monsters have attacks that create a sense of peril. A green dragon's breath weapon doesn't just slam you with damage, but gradually burns your eyes and blinds you if you don't take countermeasures. A troll that grabs you can rip your arm off next turn. Wolves will take the Defend action so if you attack one member of the pack, the rest can make opportunity attacks.
Then there are the saves, which turn a hit into a miss and then grant you some temporary advantage. For example, the barbarian You Made Me Angry save defends against Fortitude or Will attacks, then lets the barbarian begin their rage right away, or improves their rage if it's already active. The fighter Parry-Riposte save defends against a Maneuver or Reflex attack, then lets you move 5 feet and make an attack back.
Using a save is intended to feel dramatic, to be that moment in an action scene where the hero outwits the villain, dodges a deadly attack, and gets the upper hand. They're quick to resolve, but capture the feeling of actively defending that is so often missing from table top RPGs.
I've attached the first draft, which has stats for four PCs and four monsters - an alchemist, barbarian, fighter, and kineticist, and a green wyrmling, hydra, troll, and wolf. I reiterate, this is very much pre-alpha, and I'm sure some of the ideas I had won't work as well in practice as they seem in my head.
Matrix Sorcica and zztong, this is the system I mentioned over in the PF2 Actual Play Experience thread. If you or anyone else have any feedback, I'd appreciate it.
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