NPC Whymme
01-20-2002, 02:27 PM
In the last days of the old forums, somebody posted an idea for a game; it had to do with faeries sent to many worlds by their queen Titania in order to perform missions. I was at that moment thinking of a light-hearted swashbuckling game, and I really liked this idea. So, after consulting with the person who posted this idea (I'm sorry, but I've lost his name), I started making some notes. What you see below is what I have at the moment, including things that must be developed further. What do you think? Likes, dislikes? Any suggestions on what to add?
These are just the mechanics. I am working on a setting, but those ideas are not developed enough to present them to you all.
Whymme
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CHARGEN
To be worked out. Should include:
- Description of what the faerie looks like
- Seelie or unseelie?
- Choose powers and flaws. Choose at least one merit, one flaw, and as many merits as flaws. Merits and flaws should emphasise the character’s farieness (fariety?), instead of being the ‘one-eyed, limping, strong man with powerfull connections’.
- Skills. Give each player 15 points to spend on skills, any skill he wants (bit like Over the Edge)
Each magic domain (see ‘magic’, below) counts as one skill.
Merits / Powers (examples)
Glamour
Invisibility
Shapeshift (1 form / restricted number of forms / unlimited)
Talk to animals
Flaws (examples)
Vulnerability to iron (half or whole)
Always speaks the truth
Always keeps vows
If captured by humans, must fulfill three wishes
TASK RESOLUTION
Use a deck of 52 playing cards.
GENERAL
Players draw a number of cards equal to their skill. Compare the highest card against the difficulty. If you have several cards of the same suit, you can play them all and add their values.
FENCING
Simple: Both opponents draw cards; the person who draws the highest card, wins.
Elaborate:
- Draw until you have (3+ skill) cards.
- Determine initiative. Both opponents play a card; the one with the highest card wins. In case of a draw, next round starts.
- Attack. The person who won initiative can attack. Both attacker and defender play a card. If attacker wins, go to ‘determine damage’.
- Determine damage. Both players play a card. If the attacker’s card is higher than the defender’s one, attacker does damage.
- Participants can discard any of the cards left in their hands. Next round begins.
Multiple opponents (mooks):
As above, but
- Treat opponents as one, with skill equal to number of opponents.
- Difference in damage downs an equal number of opponents.
Other stuff:
- If the character who wins the initiative, then plays an attack card in the same suit, he can add the difference with which the initiative was won, to his attack card.
- If the character who attacked, plays a damage card of the same suit, he can add the difference between the attack and defence card to the damage card.
Needed: fencing manoeuvres.
Determine a number of manoeuvres. To reach them, attack and damage cards must be the same suit. Sum of their values should be equal to or higher than target number.
Example: Disarm (hearts 15). The initiative and attack cards must be hearts, and add up to 15 or more, to execute this manoeuvre.
These manoeuvres have a specified effect which can take place instead of the usual damage/soak round.
DAMAGE
Cap system? Every character has 15 hit points. Subtract damage from hit points. If a wounded character plays a card higher than the number of hit points remaining, the value of that card is equal to the number of hit points.
or: hit points = 10+stat.
When a character loses all hit points, (s)he passes out.
MAGIC
Choose a domain (roughly equal to forms in Ars Magica; so Domains can be Fire, Earth, Trees, and so on)
Spades = Create
Hearts = Control
Diamonds = Change
Clubs = Destroy
Determine what magic effect to accomplish Check with table to determine difficulty. Create table with difficulties (see Ars Magica).
Each alternative world has a different magic level. Level 0 means that there normally is no magic at all, while level 7 means that the world is full of magic.
When trying to perform magic, first say what you want to do. Determine the appropriate suit. Then draw a number of cards equal to magic level of the world + magic skill of the character. Add all cards of the appropriate suit to see if the target number is reached.
Optional: If not, the GM checks of which suit most cards were drawn and determines a magical effect on the target of the spell, based on that suit.
Example: The faerie Timas has a skill of 3 in the magic domain of water and is at the moment in a world with magic level 2 - a bit less than average. Timas wants to cross a brook, doing this by temporarily freezing the water. The GM considers this a Change 7 effect - Timas’ player must draw five cards (three for his skill, two for the world), drawing diamonds with a total of 7 or more. He draws the seven of hearts, the five and nine of spades, the six of diamonds and the king of clubs. Timas fails. The GM checks the cards that were drawn and sees that two spades cards were drawn, good for a ‘create’ effect of (5+9=) 14. He determines that the water level in the brook suddenly rises, making the brook flow over.
Spells that are not faerie-like don’t succeed. Lobbing a fireball at the target is not very faerie-like, so that cannot be done with faerie magic. Turning milk sour or making fallen leafs look like gold coins is much more so.
These are just the mechanics. I am working on a setting, but those ideas are not developed enough to present them to you all.
Whymme
--------------------------------------------------
CHARGEN
To be worked out. Should include:
- Description of what the faerie looks like
- Seelie or unseelie?
- Choose powers and flaws. Choose at least one merit, one flaw, and as many merits as flaws. Merits and flaws should emphasise the character’s farieness (fariety?), instead of being the ‘one-eyed, limping, strong man with powerfull connections’.
- Skills. Give each player 15 points to spend on skills, any skill he wants (bit like Over the Edge)
Each magic domain (see ‘magic’, below) counts as one skill.
Merits / Powers (examples)
Glamour
Invisibility
Shapeshift (1 form / restricted number of forms / unlimited)
Talk to animals
Flaws (examples)
Vulnerability to iron (half or whole)
Always speaks the truth
Always keeps vows
If captured by humans, must fulfill three wishes
TASK RESOLUTION
Use a deck of 52 playing cards.
GENERAL
Players draw a number of cards equal to their skill. Compare the highest card against the difficulty. If you have several cards of the same suit, you can play them all and add their values.
FENCING
Simple: Both opponents draw cards; the person who draws the highest card, wins.
Elaborate:
- Draw until you have (3+ skill) cards.
- Determine initiative. Both opponents play a card; the one with the highest card wins. In case of a draw, next round starts.
- Attack. The person who won initiative can attack. Both attacker and defender play a card. If attacker wins, go to ‘determine damage’.
- Determine damage. Both players play a card. If the attacker’s card is higher than the defender’s one, attacker does damage.
- Participants can discard any of the cards left in their hands. Next round begins.
Multiple opponents (mooks):
As above, but
- Treat opponents as one, with skill equal to number of opponents.
- Difference in damage downs an equal number of opponents.
Other stuff:
- If the character who wins the initiative, then plays an attack card in the same suit, he can add the difference with which the initiative was won, to his attack card.
- If the character who attacked, plays a damage card of the same suit, he can add the difference between the attack and defence card to the damage card.
Needed: fencing manoeuvres.
Determine a number of manoeuvres. To reach them, attack and damage cards must be the same suit. Sum of their values should be equal to or higher than target number.
Example: Disarm (hearts 15). The initiative and attack cards must be hearts, and add up to 15 or more, to execute this manoeuvre.
These manoeuvres have a specified effect which can take place instead of the usual damage/soak round.
DAMAGE
Cap system? Every character has 15 hit points. Subtract damage from hit points. If a wounded character plays a card higher than the number of hit points remaining, the value of that card is equal to the number of hit points.
or: hit points = 10+stat.
When a character loses all hit points, (s)he passes out.
MAGIC
Choose a domain (roughly equal to forms in Ars Magica; so Domains can be Fire, Earth, Trees, and so on)
Spades = Create
Hearts = Control
Diamonds = Change
Clubs = Destroy
Determine what magic effect to accomplish Check with table to determine difficulty. Create table with difficulties (see Ars Magica).
Each alternative world has a different magic level. Level 0 means that there normally is no magic at all, while level 7 means that the world is full of magic.
When trying to perform magic, first say what you want to do. Determine the appropriate suit. Then draw a number of cards equal to magic level of the world + magic skill of the character. Add all cards of the appropriate suit to see if the target number is reached.
Optional: If not, the GM checks of which suit most cards were drawn and determines a magical effect on the target of the spell, based on that suit.
Example: The faerie Timas has a skill of 3 in the magic domain of water and is at the moment in a world with magic level 2 - a bit less than average. Timas wants to cross a brook, doing this by temporarily freezing the water. The GM considers this a Change 7 effect - Timas’ player must draw five cards (three for his skill, two for the world), drawing diamonds with a total of 7 or more. He draws the seven of hearts, the five and nine of spades, the six of diamonds and the king of clubs. Timas fails. The GM checks the cards that were drawn and sees that two spades cards were drawn, good for a ‘create’ effect of (5+9=) 14. He determines that the water level in the brook suddenly rises, making the brook flow over.
Spells that are not faerie-like don’t succeed. Lobbing a fireball at the target is not very faerie-like, so that cannot be done with faerie magic. Turning milk sour or making fallen leafs look like gold coins is much more so.