Torandu (FUDGE based game design, need input)

Jacks Harroway · September 28, 2009, 07:34:44 PM

Now, I've been working on this for a while, and I think I have everything I would need to start a campaign. However, I still feel there is something missing, yet I can't put my finger on it. Any ideas?

((Think Final Fantasy Seven-ish world))

Torandu. This is a world of both Magic and Technology, merging together into a form of advanced Alchemy that affects all forms of our culture, whether it be medical, spiritual, or architecture. It is here, my brothers and sisters, that you find yourselves this very day, in a world as insane as any other, and yet more wonderful than most. It is here, on the island of Jordan, in a sleepy port-city of Huppon, that you hear me speak these words to you. Jordan, an uncharted island save for the coastal boarders, a place with the promise of discovery and adventure, of mystery and mayhem. However, very few have taken up this challenge as personally as you have. For that, I am eternally jealous at your courage, for even I have succumbed to fear of the unknown, preferring my warm bed and women to warlocks and creatures of unspoken origins. However, it is my hope that you, the takers of my failed challenge, instead succeed not only in trying, but in gaining wealth and knowledge beyond understanding.

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Main Setting: Island of Jordan
Start Setting: Small, sleepy trade town of Huppon
Possible Races: Human, Elve, Dwarf, Gnome, Morlock (Beast-Like Human, just for the Furries out there) (There will be no racial modifiers)
Objective: To be revealed in game

First, I should get you knowlegdable on Torandu's Magic, since that would be the only thing I really did from scratch, besides point formulas you'll see later. First of all, I should discuss the place magic is going to come from for spells, should you choose to use them. Basically, instead of pulling magic from the ether, you can tap into jewels (can you say "Materia?") that are linked to the elements. Those I should explain also. The lis will read as [Color - Element]. Basically....

Red - Fire
Dark Blue - Water
Light Yellow - Lightining
Dark Green - Wood
Light Blue - Freeze
Orange - Body
Black - Death
Light Brown - Earth
Light Gray - Air
Light Green - Mind
Reddish Brown - Animal
Dark Brown - Stone
Dark Yellow - Spirit
White - Ancient
Light Purple Shadow

These will fuel spells and such, such as making wood move as you want, or throwing a fire ball, or even causing earthquakes. The ability of control of the seperate elements will be counted as seperate skills, but all will count as more points than even Very Hard Skills, as they would take years worth of time to study and practice in and become skilled, even more so with multiple Elemental Skills. Magical Ability will not have to be a gift to use spells, but having the stone in your inventory will be.

Anyway, Magic will not have damage points. I'm too loose for that sort of thing. Instead, your level in that spell and what you do with it will affect how effective it is.

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These are the Attributes I'll be using for the campaign.

Charisma- How likeable you are to others.
Constitution- How long you can last, also called "Stamina."
Damage Capacity- How much damage you can absorb. (Effects Wounds)
Intelligence- How much you know, in general knowledge.
Reaction- How fast you can react and then move, i.e. aiming a weapon.
Reasoning- How easily you can understand a puzzle or situation.
Speed- How fast you can move, i.e. Running.
Strength- How much you can lift, how hard you can hit.

Now, I'm using a free-points, also called Objective Character creation, system of buying levels for skills and attributes. This was found using simple math.

7 = Superb
6 = Great
5 = Good
4 = Fair
3 = Mediocre
2 = Poor
1 = Terrible

x = Amount of Attributes or maximum number of Skills.
Always round up to the nearest whole number, i.e. 24.5 to 24, or 3.3333333 to 4.

(x*3)+(x/2) = Free points for Attributes
(x*3)+(x/2) = y, y/2 = Free points for Skills

For Attributes:
(8*3)+(8/2) = 28

For Skills, I have a maximum amount of 20 skills per character, so that would replace x in the formulae.
(20*3)+(20/2) = 70/2 = 35

When buying skills, the below charts should help with how many points you should spend on certain skill groups.

Extremely Broad Skills = Triple the points used
Moderately Broad Skills = Double the points used
Specific Skills = Normal points used

Cost of Skills in Objective Character Creation:
----------------------------------------------
.............|.Easy.|.Most.|.Hard.|.VH.|.Spell
Terrible ....|.Skip.|.Skip.|...1..|..2.|...3
Poor ........|.Skip.|...1..|...2..|..3.|...4
Mediocre ....|...1..|...2..|...3..|..4.|...5
Fair ........|...2..|...3..|...4..|..5.|...6
Good ........|...3..|...4..|...5..|..6.|...7
Great .......|...4..|...5..|...6..|..7.|...8
Superb ......|...5..|...6..|...7..|..8.|...9

Easy = Cost of GM-Determined Easy Skills
Most = Cost of Average Skill
Hard = Cost of GM-Determined Hard Skills
VH = Cost of GM-Determined Very Hard Skills
Spell = Cost of Spell Skills

1 attribute level = 3 skill levels.
1 gift = 6 skill levels.
1 gift = 2 attribute levels.

1 fault = 1 gift.
1 fault = 2 attribute levels.
1 fault = 6 skill levels.

Leveling will be executed like so, with the help of Fudge Points given after a game. However, if you are familiar to FUDGE, you should know that Fudge points are usually not used for leveling, but instead affecting rolls to go into your own favor. I do this to add some strategy and keep this from turning into "overpowered characters kill the goblins" night. Fudge points, in game, will increase the outcome of your roll by one per point, but you might want to save some for leveling. Or, you might want to save some to save yourself in a bad situation. Your choice.

The trade for FUDGE to EP is this.
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3 Fudge Points = 1 EP

Raising a skill from:....To:..............Costs:
‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑.....‑‑...............‑‑‑‑‑
...Terrible..............Poor.............1 EP
...Poor..................Mediocre.........1 EP
...Mediocre..............Fair.............1 EP
...Fair..................Good.............2 EP
...Good..................Great............4 EP
...Great.................Superb...........8 EP
...Superb................Legendary........16 EP + GM permission
...Legendary.............Legendary 2nd....30 EP + GM permission
...Each add'l level of Legendary:.........50 EP + GM permission

Raising an attribute:
‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑
Triple the cost for skills of the same level.

Adding a gift:
‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑
6 EP (or more) + GM approval.

Adding a supernormal power:
‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑
12 EP (or more) + GM approval.

A trait can only be raised one level at a time.

The below skills, gifts, and faults should adequately allow players to create their characters. If you are unsure about a skill, gift, or fault; or want to add one; ask me by PM or chat and I'll answer you as soon as possible.

Skills:

Animal Skills: Animal Care----Animal Lore----Animal Training----Bee‑keeping
Herding----Riding----Teamster----Veterinarian----etc.

Artistic skills: Aesthetics----Cosmetology----Culinary Arts----Literary
Arts----Performing Arts (music----theater----storytelling----jester----dance
etc.----and such skills as Choreography----Composition----Costuming
etc.)----Visual Arts (painting----drawing----sculpting----etc.)----and so on.

Athletic skills: Acrobatics----Aerial Acrobatics----Balance Skills
Boating----Climbing----Jumping----Pole‑vaulting----Running----Swimming
Throwing----Various Sports----Zero‑G Maneuvering----etc.

Combat skills: Ambush----Demolitions----Dodge----Punmanship----Quick‑Draw
Shield----Tactics----Throwing----numerous Weapon and Unarmed Combat
skills.

Covert skills: Acting----Breaking & Entering----Detect Traps----Deactivate
Traps----Disguise----Forgery----Infiltrate----Intrigue----Lockpicking
Pickpocketing----Poisoning----Shadowing----Shady Contacts----Sleight of
Hand----Stealth----etc.

Craft skills: Armory----Basket Making----Bowyer/Fletcher----Carpenter
Cooking----Knots----Leatherworking----Masonry----Pottery----Smith----Tailor
Weaving ‑ many others.

Dungeon‑delving skills: Avoid Traps----Fight----Find Secret Passages----Pick
Locks----Move Quietly----Run----Tell Believable Whoppers.

Knowledge skills (a skill can represent knowledge of a subject as
broad or narrow as the GM will allow): Alchemy----Alien Customs
Arcane Lore----Criminology----Cultures----Detective Fiction----Folklore
Geography----History----Literature----Occultism----Political Situations
Psychology----TV SitCom Episodes----Sciences (lots of these)----etc.

Language skills: Each individual language----Pantomime----Pick Up
Languages----etc.

Manipulative skills: Bamboozle----Bluff----Boot‑licking----Bribery----Con
Exhort----Fast‑talk----Flattery----Interrogate----Intimidate----Lying
Oratory----Persuade----Seduction----Street Gossip----etc.

Medical skills: Anatomy----Antidotes----Diagnosis----Doctoring----First Aid
Herb Preparation----Medicine----Nursing----Surgery----etc.

Merchant skills: Bargain----Barter----Business Sense----Evaluate Goods
Haggle----Innkeeping----Marketing----Salesmanship----Shopkeeping----etc.

Outdoor skills: Camouflage----Camping----Fishing----Forage----Herb Lore----Hide
Traces----Hunting----Mimic Animal Noises----Nature Lore----Navigation
Survival----Tracking----Wildcraft----Woodcraft----etc.

Professional skills: Accounting----Begging----Bureaucracy----Farming
Gambling----Law----Photography----Seamanship ‑ many others.

Social skills (Fellowship): Bar Etiquette----Camaraderie----Carouse
Choosing just the right gift----Control Libido----Flirting----Game
Playing----Hold your liquor----Make Amusing Faces or Noises----Matrix
Etiquette----Tall Tales----Uplift Spirits----Witty Insults----etc.

Social skills (Formal): Courtly Ways----Detect Lies----Diplomacy
Etiquette----Interviewing----Parley----Repartee----Rituals----Savoir‑Faire
Servant----etc.

Spiritual skills: Communing with nature----Fasting----Giving comfort
Listening deeply----Meditation----Patience----Theology----etc.

Technical skills: Computer Build/Repair----Computer Programming
Computer Use----Driving----Electronics----Engineer----Mechanic----Piloting
Repair Scoutship Systems----Research----Shiphandling----etc.

Urban skills: Barroom Savvy----Street Etiquette----Streetwise----Urban
Survival----etc.

Gifts

Absolute Direction----Always keeps his cool----Ambidextrous----Animal
Empathy----Attractive----Beautiful speaking voice----Bonus to one aspect
of an attribute----Combat Reflexes----Contacts in police force----Danger
Sense----Extraordinary Speed----Healthy Constitution----Keen senses
Literate----Lucky----Many people owe him favors----Never disoriented in
zero Gravity----Never forgets a name/face/whatever----Night Vision
Patron----Perfect Timing----Peripheral Vision----Quick Reflexes----Rank
Rapid Healing----Reputation as Hero----Scale----Sense of empathy----Single‑
minded ‑ +1 to any lengthy task----Status----Strong Will----Tolerant
Tough Hide (‑1 to damage) Wealth----etc.

Faults:

Absent‑Minded----Addiction----Ambitious----Amorous heartbreaker
Bloodlust----Blunt and tactless----Bravery indistinguishable from
foolhardiness----Can't resist having the last word----Code of Ethics
limits actions----Code of Honor----Compulsive Behavior----Coward
Curious----Finicky----Easily Distractible----Enemy----Fanatic patriot----Full
of bluff and bluster and machismo----Garrulous----Getting old----Glutton
Goes Berserk if Wounded----Gossip----Greedy----Gullible----Humanitarian
(helps the needy for no pay)----Idealist ‑ not grounded in reality
Indecisive----Intolerant----Jealous of Anyone Getting More Attention
Lazy----Loyal to Companions----Manic‑Depressive----Melancholy
Multiple Personality----Must obey senior officers----Nosy----Obsession----Outlaw
Overconfident----Owes favors----Phobias----Poor----Practical Joker----Quick‑
Tempered----Quixotic----Self‑defense Pacifist----Socially awkward----Soft‑
hearted----Stubborn----Quick to take offense----Unlucky----Vain----Violent
when enraged----Vow----Worry Wart----Zealous behavior----etc.

Action Resolution:

I'm going to use the 3d6 style of action resolution from FUDGE, which is rolling 3 Six-Sided dice and reading the results, using the below tabel to see what you got, and then adding or subtracting from your level to get the result.

Rolled: | 3-4 | 5 | 6-7 | 8-9 | 10-11 | 12-13 | 14-15 | 16 | 17-18
--------|-----|----|-----|-----|-------|-------|-------|----|------
Result: | -4 | -3 | -2 | -1 | +0 | +1 | +2 | +3 | +4

For Unopposed actions, this is all that will need to be done. One player rolling against a set difficulty. However, for opposed actions, the player will have to roll against the aggressor's result, whether it be an NPC or another player character, or some strange situation that has yet to come to mind.

Thats it. End of story. Or is it?

Torandu (FUDGE based game design, need input)

Jacks Harroway