Basic Tenets
hehe, ok fair enough.
While I was hoping to get some feedback on the general principles, I'll go ahead and do the basic tenets.
Bear in mind since I want this to be a community-developed project, all of this is open to discussion.
-Task Resolution: Leaning towards a d20. d20 is not a bad system and I have a strong feeling that Primus will draw heavily from it.
-Basic statistics: At the current stage there are six basic statistics, Strength, Agility, Vitality, Perception, Intelligence and Wisdom. You'll notice that there is no Charisma score. That is because of my intrinsic belief that the charisma of the character is best represented by the player's ability to roleplay and not by the score you roll with a 3d6. However, for people who are not into roleplaying, wisdom makes a good substitute under this system. More on statistics later.
-Classes: This is probably the most different from d20. The similarity is this: under both systems, you choose a class and that choice influences your character's growth. The other similarity is that both systems allow you to customize your character.
Essentially you choose a class path from the basic classes at character creation. Those are Warrior, Adept, Mystic, and Scout. Each class has a list of abilities that are class abilities. Some of them are class-specific abilities which means that that ability is only available to members of that class. If you wish to purchase a (for lack of a better term) 'cross-class' ability, you pay double the price for it.
Example Class Ability
Catalyst
Class: Adept
Type: Active
Effect: By channelling some of your own mana to a comrade, you may aid in his spellcasting. You may contribute any amount of mana to the other spellcaster's spell at a 2:1 ratio. (wording needs work, I agree)
If you are a little confused about how this will all come together, please continue reading.
As your character levels up, his secondary statistics (ie: health and mana) will be determined by your basic statistics and your level. As an example: if you have 10 vitality, at level 2 you would have 12 health (hit points). Those aren't exact real numbers, just an example.
I know you are thinking: "But a fighter should have more hit points than a mage! Under your system, the mage would have just as much as the fighter!"
A ha! Now we see passive abilities
Sample Passive Ability:
Toughness
Class: Warrior
Effect: Total Hit Points are increased by 5%.
In addition, your character earns Job Points (name taken shamelessly from FFT; concept is similar), which can be spent on class or cross-class abilities.
Now just having the ability is not enough for it to be used. This is where the concept of ability points comes in.
All characters have a certain amount of AP based on their current level. Using that AP the abilities must be equipped. (This can be done at any time that the character has access to a trainer) At least 40% of AP must be spent on class abilities. (You can't make an adept with all warrior abilities, though you can make an adept with a few warrior abilities) If you don't have enough abilities to equip, at least 40% must be spent on class abilities or left blank.
But I hate to bind characters to this sort of rigid class-structure so we need to talk about class changes.
At any time that you have access to a trainer in the class you would like to learn, you may switch classes to any new class that you qualify for. So I am a warrior who has been learning about the divine (picking up a few Mystic abilities) and now I feel that my true calling is to become a priest. I go to the local temple and am trained in the arts of the mystic. (maybe pay a fee to get this training) Now I am a mystic and any JP I amass may be spent on mystic abilities for normal price. (However warrior abilities now cost me double) Since this is the first time I have been a mystic, my initial AP setup will probably have the full 60% available set to warrior abilities, since that is where most of my strength lies currently. I would also equip as many mystic abilities as I have learned and leave the rest of my AP unused. Once I get some JP I come back to the temple and have the trainer teach me some mystic abilities. I use the rest of my AP on these newly aquired abilities and maybe even switch out some of my warrior abilities for mystic ones.
Since JP and XP are seperate (though related) it is theoretically possible to get huge amounts of JP without ever getting a level. Thus, there is a JP cap. Your character may only spend a certain amount of JP earned on any given class. For instance, perhaps if I am level 10, I can only spend up to 1000 JP on any given class abilities, no matter how many JP I amass. I'll just have to spend those extras on cross-class abilities! Anyway it is still balanced because you have to use AP to equip the learned abilities, and since those do not increase until you get a level up, you are stuck at a pretty even level of power regardless of how many JP you get. Although someone who has gotten a lot of JP will be more flexible.
Advanced Classes
Well there can't just be four classes. That would be boring. So there are more classes than just the basics. For instance, an adept who has been taking abilities related to the necromatic arts will eventually qualify to become trained as a necromancer, once he finds a trianer. A mystic who feels drawn to nature should seek out a grove to be trained as a druid. A warrior who feels somewhat divine but not so much that he wants to become a cleric would join the Order of Paladins and learn some amazing holy powers. He might even have a brief stint as a mystic or a cleric to boost his spellcasting abilities.
Next: More on Statistics, Weapons, and Armor
if so, I will gladly stick it back on the roster. At this stage of development it wouldnt hurt anything or make anything significantly more complicated.
