Gameplay Concepts

General

Note: Death and Taxes

Probably the most controversial gameplay element I'm going to include: Death currently is permanent.

However, death is probably going to be mostly optional in the first run of stories. Failure instead involves physical or emotional torture, either on a personal level or failing to stop a catastrophe.

The reason for this is clear: It's a lot better material for the character than dying. They have to deal with the results of their failure as well as any earlier burdens, and let's face it, it's fun.

Of course, death is most obviously not devoid in the story. But it will most likely be melodramatic, and as such the player who is about to lose a character will probably be embracing the experience. Indeed, characters who are on their path to death probably get some heavy bonuses, to go out in a blaze of glory. Near death experiences would probably work similarly but weaker, but a player probably knows which is which (and a DM definitely does). Characters who die should probably have a significant portion of their character arc complete, to avoid regrets. Note that characters don't NEED to die in a game of any length. At the same time, how many of your favorite longer stories have all of the major protagonists live to the end? If your answer isn't 'none,' get better taste.

Players who lose a character are encouraged to observe a session or two (depending on the length and frequency) without playing after the loss. This gives the other members and characters some time to react in-game, the player some time to focus on their new character, and the DM some downtime to figure out how to smoothly handle adding the new character. Often times, games under BLUE have a Stock Character go on a mission with them during this time while they try to figure out a new party member.

Note: Ill Equips to Act

Armors and weapons are going to be a bit different than some stuff you've seen before.

Let's go over armor first. As a form of censorship, most civilized races have underwear made of 'soul cloth.' It's a material that stretches and loosens on the form around it, meaning shapeshifters don't go entirely nude in front of everyone. Seeing how it connects to a person so well, I'd say it might mean one less damage in general. However, so many races use it might be easier to just say races like Undine, Raijuu, and Salamanders just take one more damage (and also recover slightly quicker).

From there, pretty much armors might grant a slight bonus (+1) while probably affecting agility a bit, but there won't be levels of it like iron to mythril or anything. Technorganic armor is common amongst the nekos (and might trickle to some other races): its sleek and lightweight design has no effect on agility, is by default better than anything before it (+2 if armor is +1), but at the same time slows recovery speed to it in part being organic (it's like an extra layer of soul cloth). Dryads have unique access to purely organic armor which is very hard to break through (+3 if armor is +1), though they recover incredibly slowly, among other adverse affects (this is not a big deterrent to them, though). Fields!

Weapons, meanwhile, will probably be broken up into various sizes rather than shapes. A small axe and a shortsword do the same damage in theory. There will be, of course, a million exceptions: Unique weapons may exist outside of the sizes and just get their damage defined on creation, there might be various spells and whatnot to increase base damage, and of course proficiency plays a role. Like the armor 'classes,' metals might be slightly better than like dead wood and represented as such, Dryads probably get a bonus for their organic weapons, but technorganic weapons haven't reallly been explored much (both in my thoughts and in the writing), as technorganic stuff is expensive and the technorganic races tend to favor disposable ammunition.

Character Creation

Character ideas start at the personality: What combination of Defining Traits is the most interesting to you? Chances are it won't be the same for everyone, and even then there's room for two characters with the same Defining Traits to be played differently, especially depending on their level. What their motivation is affects their actions just as much their Defining Traits, after all.

Motivations are very ranged in the default setting, some might want to change the world, some might be curious about particular subcultures (or culture in general), and some might just be doing it as a traditional rite of passage. Generally, though, all major (and as such player) characters are very driven, as the default setting's focus is on three organizations that want to change the world and being entirely neutral in it isn't easy to make interesting. Still, any organization can attractive for most motivations, it's the means to the ends.

The system is classless, the character is dictated by the player but there are often some suggestions for each race on their individual pages. More concrete stuff later? Probably not.

Concrete Stuff: Starting characters are assumed to be completely normal, so they come with five fields of abilities: Intelligence, Chakra, Magic, Agility, and Conviction. Each has two sub-fields. Ideally, a character is going to be average in everything and decently good at a few. Characters start with 24 points to put into their fields. Every field must have at least two points in it, no exceptions. Then spread your allocated points from your Intelligence/Chakra/Etc. fields into the further sub-fields. To increase a sub-field to five costs two points from your field pool and should generally be discouraged for Tier 2 characters anyway.

From there, defining traits should be selected, with a total of 5 points to spend here. No trait can be pushed past three at Tier 2, so they don’t become slaves to their desires. (See the Gods and everyone at Tier 5!) And should be chosen for an interesting character and story-telling.

Finally, for your physical/mental/attack traits, you have thirty points. This pool may also be allowed for you to purchase perks from. In general this is also for a human, so some races may have a much smaller pool, since they come with much more innate abilities. Flaws may also add into this pool!

Character Relations

In general, the default setting encourage the characters NOT to know the whole group (ideally six PCs). The idea behind the default campaigns is the party is a group of new BLUE recruits that just happen to eventually have to save the world. Furthermore, in many cases, some of these new recruits are spies planted by the Agents and HAZE, and while not trying to sabotage things definitely trying to keep tabs on BLUE and prioritizing their organization first. Those organizations are so huge and secretive that several can be sent from the same organization with different goals and not even know the others are also spies.

At the same time, first impressions are key. A character can start with a Rivalry or Kinship with another character that doesn't become known until their first encounter, at which point it becomes active. Or maybe the other character is covered under a defining Hatred or Loyalty. There's still tons of ways to cover characters relations even if they've just met for the first time, or haven't met in years.

Outside of the party, characters are currently allowed to play around with their families and friends a bit, but be aware that the DM will be more in control of them than the PC, and they might twist the characters from what you expected, especially with characters with a large number of them.

Stats

Intelligence

Standard int stat, Measure of one's ability to solve problems mentally. Has two substats, Cunning and Knowledge. Requires at least 2 points invested, one for each substat. This might not be used to determine anything specifically, but it will allow characters to understand to the physical world more quickly.

• Cunning is sort of one's instinctual intelligence. It represents the ability to figure out a short-term solution with no thought.
• Knowledge is largely learned intelligence. It's largely used for more large scale things that take time to deduce or design.

Note: The More You Know

The difference of the two should be fairly obvious, cunning is on the fly while knowledge requires thought. For instance, a character with high cunning might be able to notice the insignia on the ring an enemy is wearing, while it would take high knowledge to identify it.

Ideally characters won't try to check knowledge against anything outside their past or what they've encountered in the game, and much like magic (discussed later) the difficulty will probably vary at the DM's discretion. DMs are encouraged to keep highly technical or magical knowledge strictly off-limits for anyone who doesn't have knowledge in the fields, among others that will be determined later.

Agility

How well a unit can move. Has two substats, Speed and Flexibility. Requires at least 2 points invested, one for each substat. This number is used to determine the chance of dodging. At certain numbers a character might gain an extra action per turn.

• Speed is how fast a unit can go. This affects how far a character can move in and out of combat, be it running, flying, or swimming.
• Flexibility is how well a character can maneuver, acts similarly to dexterity. How easily a character is move or function physically in less than ideal situations, such as rough terrain or tight spaces.

Note: Go Speed Go

Speed is physical quickness whereas Cunning is mental. Even if a character is quicker mentally, they can often still be outperformed by a physically quick person in combat.

Magic

A defining trait of most people as they all have the natural power for it and know smatterings of how it works (unless they’re just stupid). It is divided into two traits, Usable and Reserve. Total magic is used to determine a character's mana pool.

• Dynamic is how much mana a person can use at once. This is the maximum mana they can use at one time for quick reactions and spells.
• Static is how much mana a person has access to. This is the full mana they have for rituals and protection.

Note: Mana Obscura

Right now the magic is largely freeform, in the sense of any school of magic you know you're able to manipulate in any form. However, different uses have different costs and difficulties at the discretion of DMs. Total Magic and level of skill add bonuses to the rolls. This whole system is in the works, I'm still a bit hesitant to have Latent/Learned as stats due to the possible confusion of overlap with Knowledge on the latter.

Chakra

How healthy a body is physically. It is divided into Passive and Aggressive traits. Total chakra is used to determine a character's health.

• Active is how strong a person is; how much damage they can dish out with their fists or weapons is decided by this trait. Each aggressive chakra point currently adds one damage to outgoing physical attacks.
• Passive is how healthy and robust a person is. With a higher passive chakra you're able to within stands blow easier. Each passive chakra point currently subtracts one damage from incoming physical attacks.

Note: Hulk SMASH

Standard objects require a certain total chakra to break through. I'll look over strength checks and whatnot in other systems at some point maybe?

Some rough numbers (out of the current 12 system):

• Glass - 2
• Wood (Dead) - 4
• Stone - 5
• Metals - 7
• Technorganic - 9
• Wood (Alive) - 10

Note that this doesn't really affect weapons or armors (as noted above), due to the fact they take on part of the field of the person wielding them. It IS easier to break a weapon (or anything) a person is holding than to actually cut through them, but it's still far harder than if the object is without them. Fields: Making everything more confusing since too long ago!

Conviction

How a character communicates themselves socially and in some cases psychically. It is divided in two substats, Charm and Will. This might not be used to determine anything in particular, but helps character charm or manipulate those around them (or resist the same).

• Charm is how much power your personality holds. A person with high Charm could waltz into a room and turn heads and maybe convince everyone they owned the place.
• Will is how much grasp a person has on themselves, how resilient they are to being swayed.

Note: Impediments

Some races have notable weaknesses as compared to the others, and although I've always flirted with representing them, I think it's probably time to incorporate it. Here's some out there. The idea might be that their weak stats cost some more to increase, whereas they either get a stat that's cheaper or just an advantage outside of stats. We'll talk about it six months from now.

Some ones that are notable:

• Android - worse Magic, better something?
• Asura - worse Magic, better something?
• Giant - worse Magic, better something?
• Troll (MAYBE (maybe only some)) - worse Intelligence, better something?
• Undine - worse Intelligence, better Magic?

Class Templates

Because you're tools.

Assassin

Assassins tend to focus on their Agility/Speed, Chakra/Active, and Intelligence/Cunning. They're built to hide in the shadows, strike, and disappear at the earliest convenience.

Sample Traits

• Weapon Mastery: Katana/Dagger - Weapons that facilitate stealth are useful to this class
• Support: Kunai/Smoke Bomb - Support attacks that rely on confusion help keep this class concealed
• Magic: Darkness - Even a slight control of shadows gives those who rely on stealth a great advantage.

Berserker

Berserkers tend to focus mostly on their Chakra/Active, Chakra/Passive, and Conviction/Will. They're built to be unstoppable physical forces.

Sample Traits

• Weapon Mastery: Sword/Heavy Weapons - If the character relies on a weapon, heavy weapons are a great choice for their increased power.
• Stance: Feral (if allowed) - This stance allows you trade evasion for wild sweeps, hitting clusters of opponents harder and more easily.

Cleric

Clerics tend to focus mostly on Mana/Static, Mana/Dynamic, and Conviction/Will. They're built to use the energy around them to support themselves and their allies.

Sample Traits

• Magic: Healing - The essential ability for clerics, of course.
• Magic: Binding - An expensive, late tier magic for the most part, but greatly powerful in helping friends and hindering foes.

Diplomat

Diplomats tend to focus mostly on Conviction/Charm, Conviction/Will, and Intelligence/Cunning. They're built to talk through any problem and avoid conflict.

Sample Traits

• Knowledge: Psychology - Characters in negotiation need to be able to predict how others react.

Mage

Mages tend to focus mostly on Mana/Dynamic, Mana/Static, and Conviction/Will. They're built to use the energy around them as destructive powers to reshape the world and devastate enemies.

Sample Traits

• Knowledge: Mana Theory - Heavy use of magic is augmented by underlying knowledge.

Monk

Monks tend to focus mostly on Charka/Passive, Chakra/Active, and Conviction/Will. They're built to understand battle and end it quickly and competently with physical attacks.

Sample Traits

• Knowledge: Anatomy - Knowing the strengths on one's own body and the weaknesses of enemies' is essential for efficiency.

Psychic

Psychics tend to focus on Conviction/Will, Conviction/Charm, and Intelligence/Cunning. They're built to use incredible mental powers to manipulate the world around them to their advantage.

Sample Traits

• Psychic - Necessary to use psychic abilities.
• Telepathy - Allows one to get a grasp on others' thoughts.
• Telekinesis - Allows one to move objects or manipulate energy with their mind.
• Greater Psychic - Allows psychic abilities to be harnessed to their full power.

Rogue

Rogues tend to focus on Agility/Flexibility, Agility/Speed, and Intelligence/Cunning. They're built to strike continuously and relentlessly, avoiding damage as they do so.

Sample Traits

Scholar

Scholars tend to focus on Intelligence/Knowledge, Intelligence/Cunning, and Conviction/Charm. They're built to understand the world around them with absolute certainty as much as they can and move beyond that as much as possible.

Sample Traits

Tiers

Tier 0

This is where we as normal humans sit. However, the only characters in the storyverse that fit into this tier are the inhabitants created by Metro City.

Tier 0 characters get 125% of experience, but they have such heavy penalties there is no reason for this to be used for any character. Additionally, they can only have one defining trait.

Traits Available at Tier 0

• Physical
  • Size
• Weight
• Mental
  • NONE
• Combat
  • NONE

Tier 1

This is where the average person sits within the storyverse. This is used largely for noncombat NPCs. In some games where the PC start as simple villagers, the game might start at this level, but due to the restrictions it is a poor idea to be used beyond a 'prologue' idea.

Tier 1 characters get 115% of experience, but they cap very early and have none of the advantages Tier 2 characters have. In addition, Tier 1 characters are restricted to a max of three Defining Traits, only one of which can reach Mid.

Traits Available at Tier 1

• Physical
• Mental
• Combat
  • NONE

Tier 2

This is where the average adventurer sits within the storyverse. In most games PCs will start here, and most of the NPCs that are involved are here or higher.

Tier 2 characters get 100% of experience, but have an experience cap. Tier 2 characters can have anywhere between two to five Defining Traits. Depending on the DM, Very High might be banned and/or a High might be required at this Tier.

Traits Available at Tier 2

• Physical
• Mental
• Combat

Tier 3

This is where an experienced adventurer sits within the storyverse. Some traits, such as Psychic, require a character to start in this tier, and as such might be banned from games.

Tier 3 characters get 80% of experience, but have an experience cap. Tier 3 characters work the same as Tier 2 characters in Defining Traits, but have experienced an event which has made one trait particularly high for them, requiring one Very High.

Traits Available at Tier 3

• Physical
• Mental
  • Psychic (Starting Only)
• Combat
  • Telekinesis (Starting Only)

Tier 4

This is where the average veteran adventurer sits with the storyverse. Most longer games will have the party end in this. Unless explicitly permitted, characters are generally banned from starting here and any traits that require the tier are offlimits during creation.

Tier 4 characters get 55% of experience, and have such a high experience cap that they should never reach it in the campaign. Additionally, the events they've been through have made them very resolute, requiring three Very High in Defining Traits.

Traits Available at Tier 4

• Physical
• Mental
• Combat

Tier 5

This is where only the most powerful characters sit in the storyverse. In general this is only achieved through special means, and it is discouraged to have multiple characters in this Tier in the story. One Tier 5 antagonist can be threatening, more loses the effect. One Tier 5 ally or PC can be compelling, more tends to be boring. As always, there are exceptions, of course.

Tier 5 characters get 20% of experience, but have no experience cap. Though they have great power, it has come from either years of dedication to something and/or tampering with more questionable forces, and these experiences have made they excessively resolute, requiring five Very Highs in Defining Traits.

Traits Available at Tier 5

• Physical
• Mental
• Combat

Note: Role and Playing Favorites

If a DM does decide to let a character (especially PC) make this transition, make sure the transition objectively it makes sense. Tier 5 characters are usually there because they want ultimate power; a character who just wants to settle down and live on a farm when this is over rarely would have any justification for doing it (although let's face it, it would be interesting in the cases it does). In general, if a PC is going to make this transition, it will probably be obvious from their personality in the beginning, even if the character (or even the player) isn't aware of it.

Note: Great Power Standard, Great Responsibility Optional

This should be super-obvious, but Tier has nothing to do with importance to the story. Any character who is Tier 5 is not automatically the focus no matter what side they're on; in fact, they usually become less important.

For a comparison, think of the role Dr. Manhattan ultimately played in Watchmen, when compared to Rorschach (as a protagonist) or Ozymandias (as an antagonist). Also, spoiler alert.

Note: Tiering Up

In general, going up a tier is more than just a change in stats, it's a dramatic event that touches and changes the character's very being. DMs are encouraged to work with their PCs to figure out when they want to move up a tier, and setting up a small arc revolving around the character for the transition.

• Tier 1 to Tier 2 is not that big of an affair, as Tier 2 is largely 'knows how to fight.' DMs can set up a battle or small dramatic scene for this transition, but anything long term is discouraged due to the disadvantages of Tier 1 in a party and how unimportant the step is, if it is even incorporated.

• Tier 2 to Tier 3, however, is generally a defining moment in a character's growth. A character who starts in Tier 3 generally has more backstory than a standard character, and a character who is leveling up usually gets a small event planned largely around them. The event should probably be heavier than anything the characters have faced before, and specifically taxing on the transitioning character, in general on both a physical and emotional level.

• Tier 3 to Tier 4 is usually equally defining. However, an important thing to note is Tier 3 has the highest mortality rate. This transition should be legitimately life-threatening if taken, and in general is only the result of a deeply traumatizing event, such as witnessing a massacre firsthand. Ultimately, these events are usually part of the planned plot rather than specifically character driven, because let's face it, DMs are asses.

• Tier 4 to Tier 5 is defining in a different way. In most cases, the jump only comes from hundreds of years of dedication to bettering themselves. They've sacrificed and experienced much during this time, and are in general detached from humanity. In some cases, this transition is done via dabbling in various fields to gain power quickly, and these characters are generally equally detached from the experience. As noted above, it's not really recommended for characters to go through this, especially multiple ones.