Flinging Ite' and Fighting Dragons: Ite' in Fantasy (The Magic Connection)

Intro

I have been designing a fantasy campaign of late, my first one using the HiBRiD system.  HiBRiD uses a scale based on ten fold increases in mass to quickly determine if an object can affect another. (I shared it here). This works well for genres that are based in reality where mass, physics, and the laws of thermodynamics are relevant. For other genres, this system may seem to fall short or even be broken. A point of Ite' can be used to increase the scale of an attack's damage by one level, but this really just represents the small chance the attack hits just the right spot at just the right time. Multiple points of Ite' do not reflect the effects of an attack being magically upgraded to the point of destroying increasing larger enemies; they merely reflect the increase the likelihood the attack successfully causes damage.

Having never been designed for fantasy (or superheroes, for that matter), the fantasy genre is really going to test the rules. At first glance, I originally had many concerns the system would crack under a genre where all rules of physics can be thrown out the window in an instant. I began to think that the ability to throw gobs of Ite' would allow the destruction of any foe, big or small, thereby destroying one of the many challenges of the genre, specifically fighting epic fantasy creatures. 

Though Ite' can be used this way, it doesn't truly preclude use of the HiBRiD rules for fantasy however. I will be playtesting it for sure, but for now, let's take a look at a classic: The Hobbit. 

An Example

When Bard the Bowman brings down Smaug the Great Dragon with his single Black Arrow, this would seem either impossible or not a challenge at all from a HiBRiD system standpoint. The dragon would easily be a scale of 4 to 5, putting it 3 to 4 levels higher than human according the Ite' and mass rules. This would make it either impossible for players with too little Ite' or ridiculously easy with too much Ite'. While it could happen, if the party is using their Ite' to elminate challenges in this manner left and right, then the director has failed to sufficiently challenge the players. Of course, this is true of the system for any genre, fantasy included, .

So How To Keep the Challenge Alive Using HiBRiD?

Magic. Of Course. 

I just want to be clear. Magic is NOT Ite'. Ite' is NOT Magic. The two are like oil and water. Magic, unlike Ite', can break the laws of physics and scale.  Ite' is not magic nor is it designed as a magic system or a magic substitute to break the laws of physics; it only increases the likelihood of something occurring that can occur naturally.

Let's Go Back to Our Example

Bard was not firing some OSR/DnD bland “+5” arrow garbage; he was firing the Black Arrow (note the Proper Name). The Black Arrow was a magical heirloom that he, Bard, had never lost. The arrow incited a soliloquy by the hero just before he fired it. Kind of heroic, no? The arrow had the ability to break scale rules because it was magic, but the hero still needed to be heroic and do the job. A point of Ite' could have been spent to have a random thrush hear the mumblings and speaking of a nameless little hobbit to his dwarven compatriots and carry the message of the weakness of Smaug to Bard; a point of Ite' could allow Bard make the nigh impossible shot!

The Crunch

To reflect the above example and allow magic and Ite' to work together, I would propose the following:

1. In the spirit of HiBRiD, all magic items must have their effects clearly and specifically defined so that they have meaning and purpose. The HiBRiD game has NO general  +1 sword or somesuch. Every item must have a purpose and break a specific, defined law of physics or scale.

2. Ite' cannot be used to allow casters to break the casting rules of the system. It can be used to increase the results of task rolls and savings throws et cetera but other uses like maxing out damage, maximizing spell effects, or affecting the mechanics of the spells in any way will not work. It also cannot be used to break rules of class (if they are being used) or genre. It can not be used to give magical abilities that are not specifically allowed in the Genre Description. 

Conclusion

Oil and water do not mix, but adding a surface active agent such as soap can make a fantastic, stable, and enjoyable mixture. The same can be said of magic and Ite'. The two do not mix naturally in the system as designed. But, like everything else in HiBRiD, with the director and players providing the right "soap", you and your gamers can create a stable enjoyable mixture of your own...

 

Use the example and two guidelines above as a guide for the use of HiBRiD for fantasy games. Since fantasy is not really a part of the original design of the core rules they still need to be tested. If anyone wants to playtest the new genre and has questions, thoughts, feedback, or issues, drop me a line here or on Twitter. I would love to hear of your Grand Adventure!!

HiBRiD Things for Your Game #6: Firearm Crunch (Reflecting Real World Details On HiBRiD Firearms)

In my previous entry, I described an alternative system that may be substituted for most current d20/OSR based game systems. But what about mixing genres? Even back in the days of classic D&D, Gygax and friends were mixing Metamorphosis Alpha and Gamma World into their fantasy settings. Nowadays, cross-genre gaming is a forgone conclusion.

I always felt that the firearms rules for most OSR/d20 systems were a bit anemic and decreased the scariness of firearms (unlike, say Cyberpunk 2020 or Morrow Project). Sure books like Ultramodern Firearms, The Armory, and Guns, Guns, Guns (G3) tried to fill the gap, but they just didn't seem to match the aesthetic I was looking for.

As a result, when using the various systems I have shared here, you can add this one. It is the system used in HiBRiD, slightly tweaked to fit with OSR/2D20 games. By using the d10s, I wanted to accent the difference between firearms and other weapons, and reflect the real "punch", both physiological and psychological that firearms make when characters wielding them enter the battle.  Adding the Armor rules accentuates this as well. It puts the threat of firearms back into the campaign without completely overpowering them.   

The Basics

In the HiBRiD game, all firearms inflict ballistic damage determined by a number of d10s in the damage code. To keep things simple, the damage codes are as follows:

• small handgun 1d10 (5)
• medium handgun 2d10 (10)
• large handgun 3d10 (15)

• sport rifle 3d10 (15)
• carbine rifle 3d10 (15)
• assault rifle 3d10 (15)

• submachine gun/machinenpistol 2d10 (10)
• shotgun,shot 3d10 (5) (-1d10/10m is standard but the player can adjust the choke with director's guidance)
• shotgun,slug 3d10 (15)
• sniper rifle 6d10 (30)

• light machine gun (SAW) 3d10 (15)
• medium (mounted or crew served machine gun) 4d10 (20)
• heavy (crew served) machine gun 5d10 (25)

Assumptions

This serves most people for most games, especially for players of HiBRiD games who are more about action and less about crunchy details. In the true HiBRiD spirit, however, everything is modular. Having many friends and gamers who love their guns, I created a kit a number of years ago for reflecting in the rules some of the favorite gun and ammunition characteristics they like to reflect in their characters, both realistic and cinematic.

In general, the damage codes assume the following:

·    The average mass of a round that used in all of the commercially available rounds for weapons of each category

·         The average damage inflicted by a variety of commercially produced weapons in each category.

·         Rounds are standard lead core ball ammunition types.

Some assumptions made by the rules assume the following:

·         The average human will bleed out in 100 seconds when struck by a critically successful hit.

·         There is no such thing as “stopping power” when struck by a round of ammunition.

·         Multiple bullets increase the likelihood of a hit.

·         Changes in shape of a bullet affect the damage code or effective range of a round

Modules

When reflecting specific desired traits of a handgun or bullet type, regardless of type, apply the following rules:

·         To determine the damage code for a favorite firearm, use the following equation, rounding all decimals up:

o    Average Damage = caliber (in mm) X muzzle velocity (in m/s)/1250 to determine average damage

o    Damage Code (#d10s)= caliber (in mm) X muzzle velocity (in m/s)/6250

·         Teflon coating adds +1d10 (5) against hard targets and prevents ricochet

·         Brass and steel core bullets negate 1d10 (5) points of armor

·         Tracer rounds are treated like a 2 or 3 round burst, adding a +2 to hit

·     Laser Sighting negates the multiple action penalty against one opponent of the player's choice and makes an aimed or called shot a standard action instead of an involved action.

·         Ballistic Bullets extend the Effective Range of a bullet by 20%.

·         Changes in the shape or mass of a bullet increase the damage code by 1d10 (5).

·    No bullet has an increased “stopping power”. The only thing that will stop an attacker is either complete loss of blood to the brain or the psychological effect of being struck by a bullet via a Presence attack. If you wish to reflect “stopping power, you need to drop the target to 0 STUN using standard game mechanics or spend a point of Ite'.

·         If you wish to reflect “knockback”, you can purchase the "Knockback" Cinematic Aspect and apply it to a specific type of weapon as described in the Aspect description.

HiBRiD Things for Your Game #5: Damage Codes

Prior to my detour into the world of bug-based rpgs and teen angst from my most recent posts, I mentioned how much I enjoy the hit-then-damage mechanic, but that I also like to emphasize mobile, active actions subtly while at the same time keeping the tension and threat of death more overt. In order to do this,  and in order to counteract the war of attrition that I came to hate in more traditional games, and could potentially be created by the rules in my previous post,  I wrote the following damage system to fine tune the balances.

To make intensify OSR/d20 games, shorten combat scenes, and simplify damage, substitute the following rules for your damage system for weapons (This system does not apply to damage inflicted by spells, as it hasn't been playtested in that arena as of yet.):

The Crunch

All weapons are assigned a damage code in the following notation, NdS (M), where

•            N=the number of dice
•             S=the number of sides
•            M=the average amount of damage inflicted by the roll 

To determine the damage code, instead of the using the weapon damage of the given system, look up the weapon damage in your preferred reference document and find the damage inflicted. Next, convert this damage to a number of d6s as follows (Any +s listed for the damage inflicted in the reference document must be dropped before using the table): 

• 1d6 (3): 1d3/1d4/1d5
• 2d6 (6): 1d6/1d8/1d10/2d3/2d4/2d5
• 3d6 (9): 1d12/1d20/2d6/2d8/3d4 
• 4d6 (12): 2d10/3d6 
• 5d6 (15): 2d12/3d8/4d6
• 6d6 (18): 3d10/4d8 
• 7d6 (21): 3d12 
• 8d6 (24): 4d10 
• 9d6 (27): 4d12

For hand-held weapons, as an alternative method for determining a weapon's damage code independent of any source book, for every 30 cm of weapon length,  a handheld weapon does 1d6 (3) points of damage.

• If the weapon is designed to be used 2-handed, add an additional 1d6 (3) to this.
• If the weapon is designed to be used 2-handed, double the damage bonus for the striker’s Strength
• If the weapon is bladed, add an additional 1d6 (3) to this.
• If a metal-shod bludgeon, add +2 to the damage code. 

Implement in Play

To use the system, once you have the weapon codes (determined from either of these methods), players have a choice to roll or do average damage. Players receive an attack roll modifier of +2 if they use a description in the following format (or a similarly colorful format) to describe their actions: 

I [slice/cut/bludgeon/et] his [body part] for [average] points of damage instead of “I roll to hit” or I attack”. If the attack sets up the player for the next round's attack, the director may also apply and additional +2 modifier if the action is smooth, heroic, and feasible.

One final note on using with the previously posted armor system: The original armor design I posted was designed for the damage of the OSR/d20 reference documents, and based on those damage systems. To use the same armor system for these damage codes when calculated using the alternative method, you will need to use the Armor Values.

That’s it. Now stop  reading, go out, and slay some villains!

HiBRiD Things for Your Game #4: Vitality is Bizaare: (A HiBRID Genre Description)

Before I go back to game mechanics for your own OSR/d20 games, I am going to make another detour.

I was recently inspired by the game Life is Strange, a Square Enix computer/platform game where you play a teenage girl having to make decisions that effect the world around her. The story is fantastic, and after listening to the Monkey In The Cage guys, I decided to watch a few Let's Plays. The story moved me so much, that I wrote a real quick Genre Description for anyone wanting to make characters that might fit within the game and play it on the tabletop.

One thing about the game is that it is definitely NOT designed as a typical FPS or stealth-based combat game, though there are several scenes in the game that fall into that category. The world is dark and emotional while at the same time poking fun at teen angst. It approached me as a great roleplaying environment, so I once again tested the Creation Rules and wrote the following Genre Description.  

Genre Description: Vitality is Bizaare: A Teen Angst RPG

The World

The world of Vitality is Bizaare is a basic, rules-light genre where players play high school students in a Pacific Northwest art school in the small town of Cajun Cove, USA. filled with pretentious artist types, rainy days, and hidden psychopathic adults. This is a low-heroic level setting featuring minor telekinetic abilities, psychoperceptive abilities, and correspondent abilities.

The People

Every student suffers from a form of teen angst, which is the source of the single mystic power they possess. All adults in the game possess at least one dark secret, however, some have more than one.

The Heroes

CHARACTER STATS

Characters have 6 attributes that default to the following values:

STR     0        WILL   0       HEIGHT= Player’s Choice (168 cm is average)

RSIL    0        INTL   0        MASS= Player’s Choice (70kg is average)

RFLX   0        PERC   0       

The remaining default stats are as follows:

STUN= 10 + RSIL X 5

PHYS= PHYS + 10

ARMV= 0

Action Move   = 20 m/round

Action Load   = 10 + STR KG   

Action Range = 10 m + 1m/PERC

ORIGIN TRAITS:

All characters are of Human Origin

SKILLS:

All characters possess the six skills listed below. Characters assign a rank to each of these skills (+5, +4, +3, +2, and +1) and adds the indicated attribute to determine their ACTION LEVELS with each skill.

• Cute Cool Popular = RANK + RFLX (Anything having to do with what is trendy, cool and now and fashionable)
• Jock = RANK + STR (Anything having to do with sports or underage drinking)
• Geek = RANK + INTL (Anything having to do with technology, comic books, non-dramatic movies, or gaming of any type)
• Stoner = RANK + RSIL (Anything having to do with drugs, the 60s, the 70s)
• Pretentious Artist = RANK+WILL (Anything having to do with old movies, the fine arts, or the performing arts)
• Shy = RANK+PERC = Anything about the real world outside of school + 1 Field of Knowledge, Player’s Choice

POINT POOLS

All players receive the following:

ASPECT POINT POOLS

There are no point pools for Aspects in this Genre. Instead, each player may select one of the following aspects for their character:

• (M) Read Thoughts: Can read the surface thoughts of a target within  action range
• (M) Read Feelings: Can read the emotions of a target within  action range
• (M) Read Memories: Can read and search the memories of a target within  action range
• (M) Read Perceptions: Can read the perceptions of a target within  action range
• (M) Read Emotions: Can read the emotions of a target within  action range
• (T) Telekinetic Blast: Inflicts 2d10 (10) Points of damage and be used to move a mass of 200 kgs roughly
• (T) Telekinetic Control: Inflicts 2 points of damage and can be used to move a mass of 2 kg very finely
• (C) Temporal Jaunt: Can move back through time and change the outcome of one action
• (C) Jaunt: Can instantaneously move from a location to another within line of sight
• (C) Precognition: Can see into the future over a desired 20 second time frame and ask 2 questions about the results of things that happened in that time frame.
• (C) Post cognition: Can look into the past over a desired 20 second time frame and ask 2 questions about the results of things that happened in that time frame.

Any Aspect with an (M) in the list above is a Mentalic Aspect. These Aspects inflict 2d10 (10) points of STUN on your character each time they are used.  Line of sight is not required to use these aspects.

Any Aspect with a (T) in the list above is a Telekinetic aspect. These Aspects inflict 1d10 (5) points of STUN on your character each time they are used. Line of sight is required to use these aspects.

Any Aspect with a (C) in the list above is a Correspondent aspect. These Aspects inflict a point of negative Ite’ on your character each time they are used. This point of Negative Ite’ may be used by the director to confound something in your character’s storyline as the game is played. Once this has happened, the director will make you aware. You may then erase the point of Ite' from your character sheet.

ATTRIBUTE POINT POOL

10 Attribute Points (The player spends 10 points between the standard 6 attributes. Each point spent increases an attribute by +1)

ITE' POINT POOL

3 points of Ité may be given to players for use during play of the game, if using the Ité Gaming Engine™

CHARACTER CREATION STEPS

1.     Determine your height, weight, and appearance

2.     Spend your Attribute Points (10 points)

3.     Calculate your skill ACTION LEVELS (Ranks and add the attributes)

4.     Choose your Aspect

5.     Calculate your remaining stats

6.     Describe your character’s home

7.     Describe your character’s relationships with his/her prominent family members.

ACTION RESOLUTION

Standard HiBRiD rules apply. To play the game, players roll a d20 and add a single modifier to the roll:

• Add the ACTION LEVELS if using a skill
• Add the relevant attribute for any other action

Every character gets 1 action per round with no penalty. Attacking an opponent counts as a single action. Rounds last 10 seconds, roughly. Multiple actions increase all task roll difficulty ratings by 2 times the number of actions.

• Any opponent may oppose an action taken against them with a task roll unless surprised.
• Ties go to attacker/initiator of an action.
• If damage is scored, average may be take or the number/types of die may be rolled.
• Damage scored is subtracted from STUN. When STUN=0 or less, creature is unconscious and begins to bleed to death, losing 1 point of PHYS/round until dead. There is no hospital in Cajun Cove
• Armor subtracts number of points of damage from wounds equal to the ARMV. For example, if your character is attacked for 5 points of damage and it is wearing armor with an ARMV of 2, only 3 points are subtracted from the victim's STUN.

HiBRiD Things For Your Game #3: HiBRiD Insect World (A HiBRiD Genre Description)

Hey all!

I know I said I was going to continue with my damage discussion this entry, but...

...I was back from vacation ten minutes when I saw a tweet from @PinkDiceGM asking for a game where players could play bugs. Since I am in the process of writing the Character Creation Guidebook, I decided to take a few minutes to test the new book and wrote the following abbreviated Genre Description for just such a campaign.

Anyone interested in playing this game, let me know and I will send you a character sheet and an abbreviated version of the HiBRiD rules and the Ite' Gaming Engine with which to try it. If anyone is interested, I will publish the first expansion: Arachnids on this blog as well.

Enough with that...Enjoy!

Genre Description: Bug World

The World

The HiBRiD Insect World is a basic rules-light genre where players play standard-sized insects living their lives in and around a small pond in a temperate climate right here in our own little world. There is no magic in this microcosm. Bugs can be squashed or eaten in an instant.

The People

Any player can play any bug they can imagine. Maybe a rhinocerous beetle that escaped from a zoo? Maybe a leafcutter ant that hitched a ride in a baby stroller. Maybe the bug is a a lab-created mutant. Whichever bug the player wishes to play, any special abilities characteristic to that bug must be reflected by purchasing those abilities with aspect points. If a player wants to play a dragonfly, for instance, the Fly aspect will need to be purchased, otherwise the dragonfly character does not have that ability.

The Heroes

CHARACTER STATS

Characters have 6 attributes that default to the following values:

STR     0        WILL   0        LENGTH= 5 cm

RSIL    0        INTL   0        MASS= 5 g

RFLX   0        PERC   0       

The remaining default stats are as follows:

STUN= 10+RSIL X 10

PHYS= PHYS + 10

ARMV= 2

Action Move   = 1 m/round

Action Load   = 10 x STR GRAMS      

Action Range  = 1 m/Extreme = 10 m

ORIGIN TRAITS:

All bugs have the following origin traits:

1. All bugs can all crawl; any other mode of movement must be bought with aspect points.

2. All bugs have an exoskeleton. This means they all have the following traits

• They are immune to falls of any height
• All insects have a default ARMV of 2

3. Perception: Bug characters favor one sense over the others. Players must choose one of the following:

• Compound Eye-Can see opponents 360; never surprised
• Sonic Perception-Can sense sonic disturbances and vibrations outside normal human range
• Smell-Can sense/taste poisons/opponents/toxins/mates at extreme Range

SKILLS

Bugs have the five skills listed below. Characters assign a rank to each of these skills (+5, +4, +3, +2, and +1) and adds the indicated attribute to determine their ACTION LEVELS with each skill.

• Eat = RANK + RSIL (Anything having to do with eating/being eaten)
• Kill = RANK + STR (Anything having to do with killing/being killed)
• Poo = RANK + INTL (Anything having to do with making/managing poo)
• Mate = RANK + RFLX (Anything having to do with mating except resisting pheromones)
• Resist Pheromone = RANK+WILL (Anything having to do with resisting the pheromones of another bug)

POINT POOLS

All players receive the following:

ASPECT POINT POOL

30 Aspect Points to buy “Bug Powers”. Each bug power is listed below using the following format: (Cost) Name (DESCRIPTION). Each power has a grade of 1 (except camouflage, which is ungraded) when bought. Spending additional points equal to the cost on a power upgrades it by 1 and extends the ability of the power as described.(Again, except the camouflage power, which may not be upgraded).

• (2) Armor (1/GRADE)
• (5) Scurry +1m TO MOVE/GRADE
• (5) Fly 1KM/HR/GRADE, must rest each hour and eat body weight in food to continue to fly
• (5) Sting +1D10 (5) + POISON (Buy specific type or poison has no game effects other than disturbing color) 
• (5) Bite         2D10 (10)
• (5) Strength load X 10/GRADE
• (5) Leap 20 x LENGTH/GRADE
• (5) Swim 1m/ROUND/GRADE
• (5) Poison (Burn) inflicts 1d10(5) per grade burns 1 gm of material/GRADE
• (5) Poison (Acid) inflicts 1d10(5) per grade burns 1 gram of material/GRADE
• (5) Poison (Odor) creates odor that nauseates (Opposed TASK ROLL VS TARGET’s RSIL,  Add GRADE to roll)
• (5) Poison (Coagulant/Anticoagulant) inflicts 1d10(5) /GRADE
• (5) Poison (Anaphylaxis) inflicts 1d10(5) /GRADE
• (10) Pheromone-Mental attack to command a bug to do a one word command and nothing else within 1 m
• (10) Pheromone Range Extension (Extends the range 1m/GRADE)
• (10) Call Swarm - can call 1d100 bugs to your aid/GRADE
• (10) Camouflage IMMOBILE CRIT NEEDED TO DETECT (NO GRADE)

ATTRIBUTE POINT POOL

10 Attribute Points (The player spends 10 points between the standard 6 attributes. Each point spent increases an attribute by +1)

ITE' POINT POOL

3 points of Ité. Used during the game, if using the Ité Gaming Engine™

CHARACTER CREATION STEPS

1. Write down your 3 origin traits
2. Spend your Attribute Points (10 points)
3. Calculate your skill ACTION LEVELS (Ranks and add the attributes)
4. Buy Your Bug Powers (30 Aspect points)
5. Calculate your remaining stats
6. Write a description
7. Describe your home

ACTION RESOLUTION

Standard HiBRiD rules apply. To play the game, players roll a d20 and add a single modifier to the roll:

• Add the grade if using an aspect
• Add the ACTION LEVELS if using a skill
• Add the relevant attribute for any other situation

Every character gets 1 action per round. Attacking an opponent counts as a single action. Rounds last 10 seconds, roughly.

• Any opponent may oppose an action taken against them with a task roll unless surprised.
• Ties go to attacker/initiator of an action.
• If damage is scored, average may be take or the number/types of die may be rolled.
• Damage scored is subtracted from STUN. When STUN=0 or less, creature is unconscious and begins to dry up, losing 1 point of PHYS/round until dead or pheromoned (a bug must have the Pheromone-HEAL) power to do this.
• Armor subtracts number of points of damage from wounds equal to the ARMV. For example, if a bug is attacked for 5 points of damage and it has an ARMV of 2, only 3 points are subtracted from the victim's STUN.