RPG Campaign: Price of Power
Back and forth, back and forth... But in the last week, I've actually made some progress, at least.
So I had a campaign idea I wanted to follow up on, but it's been a struggle to get anywhere with. I started with some scene-setting imagery in mind a while back. On further thought, it might be interesting to have people who aren't such celebrities, so that's ceased being a "requirement." Rather, the PCs are survivors of the climactic battle of a war - possibly from either side or even just on the scene at the time. Whatever the case, they've inherited a degree of supernatural power. That power, though, has a sort of dark side to it.
The first part of the campaign is likely to be learning about that power, through personal experience and witnessing of others. Then things develop from there.
One huge hurdle had been even picking an RPG system. Similar to my sources of inspiration, I want a system that allows heroic mortals to stand above the rank-and-file, but empowered mortals/creatures to be a whole other level above that. It's something you, arguably, can do in most systems with various artificial limits. I thought about limiting people to level 3 in a d20 system, giving empowered individuals a template that allows progress beyond that point, but that isn't very clean either. Really, Exalted fits best thematically, having those tiers built in, but that system is sort of a nightmare to learn and keep track of with its charm-based design. So... I probably could use any system I'm reasonably familiar with, but any would be work. On one of my hikes, I asked myself why not use Unisystem or the home-brewed Aeranos system we've been using that sort of evolved from it. I thought back on my dislikes about Unisystem...
1) It's got a lot of holes in it, especially with supernatural power interactions. But then, I was planning to rework a campaign-specific magic and power set anyway.
2) Unisystem combat seemed to break down at higher attribute/skill numbers, becoming incredibly lethal to characters in a more normal range. And that... actually struck me as a bit of a benefit in this case.
So I've started working with the Aeranos system to make it work.
I need to add a couple skills, modify some specialties and disadvantages, tweak some numbers, and replace a magic system that wasn't fully flesh out yet. Oh, and I have to actually write up some more solid setting information. No pressure.
I've only started on magic, though I'm looking at a simpler system in general, so I hope it doesn't get me too bogged down. Rather than a huge spell list or on-the-fly system, I'm borrowing conceptually back from some of the Unisystem metaphysics sets, coming up with a list of powers, each with a small number of sub-abilities. "Elemental Fire" can do three or four different effects, for example.
I've started with a few campaign-specific specialties:
- The main one grants some additional points to attributes, skills, and specialties. Characters without that boost could attain the same ranks with experience, but it's a good initial bump, modeling the "heroic mortal" tier more or less.
- Then the second one grants access to a set of supernatural powers. Kit suggested "Entropy" but I think I'm going with the slightly shorter "Chaos." So such gifted characters get a pool of refreshing Chaos Points and a few other bonuses. Then I'm designing Chaos to interact with other things as well, like the magic system. Using those powers actively is a big benefit in a number of ways, but it also builds up a form of debt that can be used by the GM to compel actions or situations. That's the backlash, as it were. There are ways to resist, but they're generally temporary.
- And I figure a third, optional specialty, can cover the social aspect. Not everyone may want to play a renown hero, but the option is there. That's a sort of power that isn't really covered by rules.
Magic is still coming along at present, but I'm dividing it into Mystic Arts (mage-style effects taught by a Republic school) and Divine Blessings (granted powers by the patron deities). Then there are Chaos powers, but those stand along in a sense. The Empire, meanwhile, has largely done away with "magic." I'm undecided on whether to make Blessings for non-humans too. Hmm.
So far, in Arts, I'm doing the four elements. Each gets a basic single-target attack, though Chaos points modify them differently. Then they branch out a bit on other effects:
- Fire: area fireball, quench/bolster flames
- Air: levitate, flight
- Earth: stone shaping, armor buff
- Water: purify/heat/push water, breathe water
They're not really meant to model total control of an element or offer a ton of abilities, but mostly to have some in-game use and some potentially "neat" societal use.
I'm still pondering just how many Arts to make at this point.
So I had a campaign idea I wanted to follow up on, but it's been a struggle to get anywhere with. I started with some scene-setting imagery in mind a while back. On further thought, it might be interesting to have people who aren't such celebrities, so that's ceased being a "requirement." Rather, the PCs are survivors of the climactic battle of a war - possibly from either side or even just on the scene at the time. Whatever the case, they've inherited a degree of supernatural power. That power, though, has a sort of dark side to it.
The first part of the campaign is likely to be learning about that power, through personal experience and witnessing of others. Then things develop from there.
One huge hurdle had been even picking an RPG system. Similar to my sources of inspiration, I want a system that allows heroic mortals to stand above the rank-and-file, but empowered mortals/creatures to be a whole other level above that. It's something you, arguably, can do in most systems with various artificial limits. I thought about limiting people to level 3 in a d20 system, giving empowered individuals a template that allows progress beyond that point, but that isn't very clean either. Really, Exalted fits best thematically, having those tiers built in, but that system is sort of a nightmare to learn and keep track of with its charm-based design. So... I probably could use any system I'm reasonably familiar with, but any would be work. On one of my hikes, I asked myself why not use Unisystem or the home-brewed Aeranos system we've been using that sort of evolved from it. I thought back on my dislikes about Unisystem...
1) It's got a lot of holes in it, especially with supernatural power interactions. But then, I was planning to rework a campaign-specific magic and power set anyway.
2) Unisystem combat seemed to break down at higher attribute/skill numbers, becoming incredibly lethal to characters in a more normal range. And that... actually struck me as a bit of a benefit in this case.
So I've started working with the Aeranos system to make it work.
I need to add a couple skills, modify some specialties and disadvantages, tweak some numbers, and replace a magic system that wasn't fully flesh out yet. Oh, and I have to actually write up some more solid setting information. No pressure.
I've only started on magic, though I'm looking at a simpler system in general, so I hope it doesn't get me too bogged down. Rather than a huge spell list or on-the-fly system, I'm borrowing conceptually back from some of the Unisystem metaphysics sets, coming up with a list of powers, each with a small number of sub-abilities. "Elemental Fire" can do three or four different effects, for example.
I've started with a few campaign-specific specialties:
- The main one grants some additional points to attributes, skills, and specialties. Characters without that boost could attain the same ranks with experience, but it's a good initial bump, modeling the "heroic mortal" tier more or less.
- Then the second one grants access to a set of supernatural powers. Kit suggested "Entropy" but I think I'm going with the slightly shorter "Chaos." So such gifted characters get a pool of refreshing Chaos Points and a few other bonuses. Then I'm designing Chaos to interact with other things as well, like the magic system. Using those powers actively is a big benefit in a number of ways, but it also builds up a form of debt that can be used by the GM to compel actions or situations. That's the backlash, as it were. There are ways to resist, but they're generally temporary.
- And I figure a third, optional specialty, can cover the social aspect. Not everyone may want to play a renown hero, but the option is there. That's a sort of power that isn't really covered by rules.
Magic is still coming along at present, but I'm dividing it into Mystic Arts (mage-style effects taught by a Republic school) and Divine Blessings (granted powers by the patron deities). Then there are Chaos powers, but those stand along in a sense. The Empire, meanwhile, has largely done away with "magic." I'm undecided on whether to make Blessings for non-humans too. Hmm.
So far, in Arts, I'm doing the four elements. Each gets a basic single-target attack, though Chaos points modify them differently. Then they branch out a bit on other effects:
- Fire: area fireball, quench/bolster flames
- Air: levitate, flight
- Earth: stone shaping, armor buff
- Water: purify/heat/push water, breathe water
They're not really meant to model total control of an element or offer a ton of abilities, but mostly to have some in-game use and some potentially "neat" societal use.
I'm still pondering just how many Arts to make at this point.
How many Arts? A million! Okay maybe not as much but instead maybe enough to cover what magic -can- do in the setting? Can magic make plants wither or grow? Then an Arboreal Art. Can magic affect the weather from rain to sun to storm with winds? How's about mess with minds? Transmogrify living beings into different animal forms and shapes? Talk to the dead? Divine the future? Scry upon distant spaces? Walk through walls? Be rendered invisible? Magic to counter other magics? I think you get the hint :)
ReplyDeleteIndeed, that's the question I'm mulling over. Arts are fundamentally "what magic is understood as capable of and taught to do" in this setting. Most Arts having some form of attack makes some sense simply by virtue of a setting that has recently come through a major war. Darn straight those academics tried to find ways to weaponize their studies. Then Chaos sort of amps that up, breaking some "rules" for those who have access to it. But... (unempowered) magic isn't meant to be a big factor in the world. I'm debating a form of necromancy. I probably want some sort of light/dark effects, which may include limited illusions or invisibility. I probably want an item-enchanting Art. I'm not sure about a basic arcane Art, as so little non-Chaos-infused magic is lasting/permanent, I'm not sure a technique for dispelling or detecting would really be that necessary. I might do a sending/scrying/traversal Art. In part, I think I need to sit down with some spell lists and consider. ;)
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