USFPutty
12-04-2008, 01:28 PM
By popular demand! (I know a hint to move the conversation to the appropriate forum when I read it).
So, the 'couple of things' I started working on with d20 Star Wars started as a couple small pieces of paper with variant healing rules (the default is terrible, as it generally puts an injured character out of action for too long for my tastes, and essentially makes Healing skills pretty marginal) and the like, and sort of evolved into a rather expansive project.
Let me preface all of this by saying: I like complex rules systems. I prefer a higher degree of realism and active play around the rules. That being said, I usually determine what I want the system to do, work out the math under the system to do it, then try to refine it down to a generally simple mechanic you can deploy in game without a slide rule.
The healing rules are actually still pretty small. It boiled down to using margin of success to determine additional efficacy of healing gear. I still stick with a limit to how many times medpacs (1/8 hours) or medkits (once per injury) can help, as you can only bandage so much, and overdosing on stims is exceptionally dangerous. I'm still in the process of working on a mechanic for accelerated medpac use, overdose, and system shock.
Basically, it was set up where use of the medkit (a portable first aid kit) did nothing but allow you to stabilize characters and perform a couple of other minor tasks. I adjusted this to: (DC 10, 1d4 VP + 1/2 MoS) or (DC 15, 1 WP + 1/4 MoS). Or something like that; I don't have it with me right here. But you get the point.
The single use, more expensive Medpac states that it's essentially automated, but I imagine a skilled medic could manually utilize its contents to greater effect. So, automated, you get (1d6+1 VP) or (1d2 WP). Operated by a medic, it's (DC 15, 1d8 VP + 1/MoS) or (DC 20, 1d4 WP + 1/4 MoS).
Again, medkits can only be used once per injury (or, to keep it simple, once per 24 hours / rest period) and medpacs once every 8 hours (more often possibly with severe consequences/side effects once I develop the overdose/shock system).
Another big one was the gimping many folks have noticed with the Force. I handled this in two ways.
First, addressing the skills issue (Jedi who can use the Force but do NOTHING ELSE are ridiculous; also, not all Jedi are geniuses just to have enough skill points to use the Force), I decided to divide the mechanic. Force using characters get a seperate pool of Force Skills based on the class' Force facility. It is generally well-documented that Consulars are more Force-heavy, Guardians are more combat heavy, and Sentinels (if you do that sort of thing) are in the middle. So, skills look like:
Jedi Consular: 8 + Wis Modifier / Level
Jedi Sentinel: 6 + Wis Modifier / Level
Jedi Guardian: 4 + Wis Modifier / Level
The Force is intuitive, not scholastic. INT should not have so critical a place in determining your connection to the fabric of the universe.
Second, the VP gimp. Guardians especially face a serious problem using Force skills in combat where losing VPs threatens them pretty substantially. So, Force Power pool. Based off of the VP pool, but working pretty much like the skills:
Jedi Consular: 1d8 + Wis Modifier / Level
Jedi Sentinel: 1d6 + Wis Modifier / Level
Jedi Guardian: 1d4 + Wis Modifier / Level
Again, Jedi Consulars may get the short end of the stick in straight combat, but their Force powers are superior. Likewise, the Guardian can engage in frontline lightsaber combat and still use Force powers, but they're still primarily to augment the battle capabilities of the class.
Then you just switch the VP cost to FP (Force Pool? Whatever.) and you're good to go. BUT. Sometimes the Force winds people. And I wanted to still work in a mechanic for using VP in Force use. So, it worked like this: In a low-rent version of Force Points, the Force character can sack VP to increase the result of a single Force skill use. They may only increase the result by 1, plus 1 for every 3 Force-User levels (to a maximum of 7 at level 18), and the costs become more demanding the more one tries to call the Force to their will:
1st Level - +1 Adjustment - 1 VP Cost
3rd Level - +2 Adjustment - 2 VP Cost
6th Level - +3 Adjustment - 4 VP Cost
9th Level - +4 Adjustment - 8 VP Cost
12th Level - +5 Adjustment - 16 VP Cost
15th Level - +6 Adjustment - 32 VP Cost
18th Level - +7 Adjustment - 64 VP Cost
This created an interesting balance, I felt. A Guardian fighting a Consular (for whatever reason) has more VP, and can 'push' more often having more endurance. However, the Consular's superior Force skill training means having to 'push' less often, and not as hard as the Guardian, protecting their inferior VP supply. It also makes the ability more 'powerful' as the character advances, but the costs mount dangerously at the most developed levels.
I'm still testing some of this, but so far, I've been able to put the characters in a hurt locker with the judicious use of Kath Hounds in a ruin on Dantooine.
Next Episode - Space Rules Retread: My Ball and Chain
So, the 'couple of things' I started working on with d20 Star Wars started as a couple small pieces of paper with variant healing rules (the default is terrible, as it generally puts an injured character out of action for too long for my tastes, and essentially makes Healing skills pretty marginal) and the like, and sort of evolved into a rather expansive project.
Let me preface all of this by saying: I like complex rules systems. I prefer a higher degree of realism and active play around the rules. That being said, I usually determine what I want the system to do, work out the math under the system to do it, then try to refine it down to a generally simple mechanic you can deploy in game without a slide rule.
The healing rules are actually still pretty small. It boiled down to using margin of success to determine additional efficacy of healing gear. I still stick with a limit to how many times medpacs (1/8 hours) or medkits (once per injury) can help, as you can only bandage so much, and overdosing on stims is exceptionally dangerous. I'm still in the process of working on a mechanic for accelerated medpac use, overdose, and system shock.
Basically, it was set up where use of the medkit (a portable first aid kit) did nothing but allow you to stabilize characters and perform a couple of other minor tasks. I adjusted this to: (DC 10, 1d4 VP + 1/2 MoS) or (DC 15, 1 WP + 1/4 MoS). Or something like that; I don't have it with me right here. But you get the point.
The single use, more expensive Medpac states that it's essentially automated, but I imagine a skilled medic could manually utilize its contents to greater effect. So, automated, you get (1d6+1 VP) or (1d2 WP). Operated by a medic, it's (DC 15, 1d8 VP + 1/MoS) or (DC 20, 1d4 WP + 1/4 MoS).
Again, medkits can only be used once per injury (or, to keep it simple, once per 24 hours / rest period) and medpacs once every 8 hours (more often possibly with severe consequences/side effects once I develop the overdose/shock system).
Another big one was the gimping many folks have noticed with the Force. I handled this in two ways.
First, addressing the skills issue (Jedi who can use the Force but do NOTHING ELSE are ridiculous; also, not all Jedi are geniuses just to have enough skill points to use the Force), I decided to divide the mechanic. Force using characters get a seperate pool of Force Skills based on the class' Force facility. It is generally well-documented that Consulars are more Force-heavy, Guardians are more combat heavy, and Sentinels (if you do that sort of thing) are in the middle. So, skills look like:
Jedi Consular: 8 + Wis Modifier / Level
Jedi Sentinel: 6 + Wis Modifier / Level
Jedi Guardian: 4 + Wis Modifier / Level
The Force is intuitive, not scholastic. INT should not have so critical a place in determining your connection to the fabric of the universe.
Second, the VP gimp. Guardians especially face a serious problem using Force skills in combat where losing VPs threatens them pretty substantially. So, Force Power pool. Based off of the VP pool, but working pretty much like the skills:
Jedi Consular: 1d8 + Wis Modifier / Level
Jedi Sentinel: 1d6 + Wis Modifier / Level
Jedi Guardian: 1d4 + Wis Modifier / Level
Again, Jedi Consulars may get the short end of the stick in straight combat, but their Force powers are superior. Likewise, the Guardian can engage in frontline lightsaber combat and still use Force powers, but they're still primarily to augment the battle capabilities of the class.
Then you just switch the VP cost to FP (Force Pool? Whatever.) and you're good to go. BUT. Sometimes the Force winds people. And I wanted to still work in a mechanic for using VP in Force use. So, it worked like this: In a low-rent version of Force Points, the Force character can sack VP to increase the result of a single Force skill use. They may only increase the result by 1, plus 1 for every 3 Force-User levels (to a maximum of 7 at level 18), and the costs become more demanding the more one tries to call the Force to their will:
1st Level - +1 Adjustment - 1 VP Cost
3rd Level - +2 Adjustment - 2 VP Cost
6th Level - +3 Adjustment - 4 VP Cost
9th Level - +4 Adjustment - 8 VP Cost
12th Level - +5 Adjustment - 16 VP Cost
15th Level - +6 Adjustment - 32 VP Cost
18th Level - +7 Adjustment - 64 VP Cost
This created an interesting balance, I felt. A Guardian fighting a Consular (for whatever reason) has more VP, and can 'push' more often having more endurance. However, the Consular's superior Force skill training means having to 'push' less often, and not as hard as the Guardian, protecting their inferior VP supply. It also makes the ability more 'powerful' as the character advances, but the costs mount dangerously at the most developed levels.
I'm still testing some of this, but so far, I've been able to put the characters in a hurt locker with the judicious use of Kath Hounds in a ruin on Dantooine.
Next Episode - Space Rules Retread: My Ball and Chain