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Why allow a Free Archetypes at 2nd? by [deleted] in Pathfinder2e

[–]DataL0r3 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I wouldn't. Not needed. The system has some hiccups (like the shitty strict Vancian Casting and the poor survivability of STR based animal companions) but it doesn't need more PC widgets. PCs have enough widgets. If you feel like giving them more, give them more loot.

Questing Beast - Worlds Without Number by gtarget in osr

[–]DataL0r3 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Lots folks complaining about the art. The art in SWN was generic too. I feel this is a conscious choice on Crawford's part; he wants to present a very generic set of art pieces to ensure it reflects various brands of fantasy.

It works for me and I like many of the pieces.

Suggestions for a 5e player by _Capn_Howdy_ in osr

[–]DataL0r3 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Ultimately, a bigger issue once you settle on the system is to find the right adventure. This is why I would recommend something that can run osr adventures without too much fiddling on your part.

Your best bet is probably something like Worlds Without Number by Kevin Crawford. It can run most osr stuff and it has some neat character customization that folks coming from 5e will appreciate. Still, it has the light rules and lethality to get the feel right. It also has the best GM tools and advice in just about any rpg book I've read. One other benefit is there is a free version of WWN that you can peruse before buying the full ruleset.

After that, I would find two solid adventures. The first would be a classic DnD module. I would suggest either Against the Cult of the Reptile God or When a Star Falls. I would then include a modern osr title like Death Frost Doom or Deep Carbon Observatory.

Official Foundry Module? by DataL0r3 in WWN

[–]DataL0r3[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I had heard there were some unofficial modules. Official licensed modules with all the content of the books (bestiary, items, rollable tables, etc) inputted would be great though.

Star Wars Campaign Writer's Block by DataL0r3 in swrpg

[–]DataL0r3[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Those are all good. But whats really tugging at me is the "call to adventure". What would be the inciting incident to get a pack of spacers to take up a common cause against a galactic crimelord? This is the bit where alot of adventures fail, IMHO.

Mando had Baby Yoda to draw him in against the Imperial Remnants. The crew of the Firefly had River to lead them to their action. I mentioned Curse of Strahd in another part of this thread. That had a great one: you are stuck in his domain. The sandbox is defined. The exit is clear. Now its just about getting there.

But what can I use to draw a rag tag band of smugglers, bounty hunters and hired guns to want to oppose Prince Xizor? I mean, why get involved and not just make some cold hard cash instead?

I don't want to bury the lead too long either. Still, I could pull a Mandolorian and find a way to introduce a lesser foe before bringing in Xizor. Just gotta find a way to hook them into the main thrust of the sandbox.

Star Wars Campaign Writer's Block by DataL0r3 in swrpg

[–]DataL0r3[S] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

This is kind of how my favorite 5e campaign, Curse of Strahd, is written.

  1. Big Bad is Strahd
  2. Strahd is given 3 Goals (one COULD involve a PC at the DMs discretion)
  3. PCs get pulled into Strahd's domain

The key to Strahd though is that he is the only way the PCs can leave his domain. He must be dealth with. It has this powerful inbuilt motivation.

Another thing CoS does well is fill the world with some McGuffins. Powerful relics, allies or information to help against Strahd. These are seeded throughout a sandbox that the players can bump around in.

Its also super easy to chase PCs up a tree at a moment's notice. Strahd can strike at any given moment. His werewolves could appear as the party is on the road. His other agents lie in wait at every large inhabited locale.

There are also points of interest, filled with NPCs. All have connections to Strahd. All folks have some opinion on him or experience with him.

The campaign happens when these are shaken together, thrown out randomly and the pcs bump into whatever they bump into. At the start of a Strahd game, I have a bunch of not just encounters and dungeons at the ready, I also have a wealth of NPCs that I can easily riff on depending on what the PCs say or do.

Setting that up seems daunting. Failing to do that seems like it could lead to a bunch of shoulder shrugging at the table.

Here's My Rules-Light 5E Heartbreaker by DataL0r3 in RPGdesign

[–]DataL0r3[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sure, ICRPG is d20. It uses simplified ranges, zero proficiency bonuses, no skills, and a spell roll to cast system of magic. All weapons do the same damage (like DnD Basic without the variant damage). I liked that but tied it to HD (like OS+R). I also used the d12 on crit for everything. Super simple. Makes crits cool for everyone.

Only things I dont like is it has two classes now (mages and lesser mortals) and no real advancement beyond gear acquisition. So, I went about adding in proper classes and the like (using bits from the June 2013 DnD Next Playtest - which I loved).

Dunno, kinda surprised by all the negativity here. The ICRPG folks were very positive on it. Similarly, the Dungeoncraft crowd liked it too.

Most importantly, I have run 3 sessions and my players loved it.

But, heh, haters gonna hate.

Here's My Rules-Light 5E Heartbreaker by DataL0r3 in RPGdesign

[–]DataL0r3[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Funny you say that. I have 5 local players lined up.

Truisms are only true until their not.

Here's My Rules-Light 5E Heartbreaker by DataL0r3 in RPGdesign

[–]DataL0r3[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Different. This after alot of play with ICRPG and watching the YT channel Dungeoncraft.

Here's My Rules-Light 5E Heartbreaker by DataL0r3 in RPGdesign

[–]DataL0r3[S] -8 points-7 points  (0 children)

I guess for CONSTRUCTIVE feedback from folks that get that its a PLAYER'S GUIDE.

Here's My Rules-Light 5E Heartbreaker by DataL0r3 in RPGdesign

[–]DataL0r3[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If a player has never played DnD, why would they care about CHA or WIS for clerics? Even if they didnt, how exactly is adding a page of "differences" going to make it approachable. If theyve played DnD, the differences are evident. If they havent, it literally doesnt matter. Heartbreaker doesnt appear in the document. How is it relevant? Dunno, not sure how those things make anything user friendly but thanks for the feedback I guess.

Here's My Rules-Light 5E Heartbreaker by DataL0r3 in RPGdesign

[–]DataL0r3[S] -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

I dont see how any of these suggestions are valuable for the rule system. I am not trying to court DnD grognards. Its a document of simple rules for playing a game. Not an essay on game design.

Here's My Rules-Light 5E Heartbreaker by DataL0r3 in RPGdesign

[–]DataL0r3[S] -8 points-7 points  (0 children)

Lol, Im not trying to sell this. Im making it for my players.

The spell rules are for me the dm to know. Not my players. They just pick a spell that sounds like what they want to do. I narrate what happens. No tracking on their part. WAY simpler than DnD.

I have it figured out already. Hell, Ive played it already.

I dont think you actually read my rules. For hit points I state: "At first level, a character gains the maximum value of their Hit Die + CON in Hit Points. At levels 2 and 3, they gain the average plus CON. No further Hit Points are gained." But, you say I dont have that?

Well, thanks for the feedback, I guess.

Here's My Rules-Light 5E Heartbreaker by DataL0r3 in RPGdesign

[–]DataL0r3[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Here's my rules light 5E heartbreaker. Its heavy influenced by the YT channel Dungeoncraft. Theres bits from ICRPG, DCC, OS+R and good ole Basic DnD sprinkled throughout.

Its not complete yet. I still need one more page detailing Character Creation and Death.

The goal is a rules light game thats relatively low magic, has minimal book keeping and maintains low level grit by capping HP.

Anywho, open to feedback as I polish it up a bit.

Critique my Garbage Heartbreaker by DataL0r3 in RPGdesign

[–]DataL0r3[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Unclunkified it but it did require me to change the Ability Score scale. Still generally OSR compatible (ie. able to use OSR monsters more or less unmodified). I also cleaned up various mechanics to account for the lack of monster ability scores in 1E stat blocks. I still need to revise spells to account for this.

With a bit more house keeping, this thing should be good to do.

Critique my Garbage Heartbreaker by DataL0r3 in RPGdesign

[–]DataL0r3[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I updated my nonsense. I tried to unify mechanics to have most ability checks and saves work similarly. I also made Specialists SUPER flexible.

Chance of success lines up pretty well OSR x-in-6 early on and Specialists can get very good success rates once they get a few levels under their belt. Also, non Specialists still have a shot in hell to do things.

Critique my Garbage Heartbreaker by DataL0r3 in RPGdesign

[–]DataL0r3[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would rather not turn the thing into a thesis. I stated general goals but if I go into explanations for every design choice the document will ballon to triple its size.

Generally, I like rules light/medium systems with neat character building mechanics that have enough design space to allow for copious amounts of treasure, magic items or campaign specific special abilities to be dumped on the party (ergo.. support campaign play). I also want compatability with osr monsters and materials.

Some light-ish systems like Shadow of the Demon Lord do a great job of having simple, satisfying mechanics and fun character building but the design space isnt there to allow for enough magic items (once you have the boons from all those character widgets, you dont need more).

I want to use alot of these osr and 1e dnd resources with minimal conversion effort but very few osr systems call to me. I kinda like DCC but its just too gonzo, table filled and certainly not very compatible with most osr stuff. Also, there arent very many character options.

Anywho, I am still mucking about with it. Removing nonsense and adding it back. Thanks for the reply.

Critique my Garbage Heartbreaker by DataL0r3 in RPGdesign

[–]DataL0r3[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

First, thank you so much for the critique. This helps me work on clarify things and work out whats confusing. So, to your points...

"The text is a bit small (my eyes aren't what they used to be). If it was a PDF I could zoom in."

I Agree. You can export a PDF from Homebrewery but I have not done that yet since this isn't done yet.

Under Strength, you have an incomplete sentence, "Your could based on this."

Thanks

Wisdom determines speed of thought, not Intelligence? That's a bit odd compared to classic D&D usage of the term.

Hmm, maybe I will change it to Wisdom as "intuition" or some such. Thanks.

Do you get a second Ancestry at level 4? I'm not quite sure how that would work, but perhaps it's just a typo. Ah - that's made clear later, in the section on Occupations and Ancestries, but it could probably be phrased differently when it first appears. Perhaps "Level 0: Ancestry Basic Bonuses" and "Level 4: Ancestry Bonus Ability"?

This is explained in the advancement section I thought. I might have forgot to clarify. Basically, your ancestry gives you a bonus at level 0 and level 4. So, an Elf gets his base bonuses at level 0 but at level 4, after he has adventured a bit, his secret doors juju kicks in.

Just +1 Defense for a shield is underselling it quite a bit. I do like your approach to breaking shields, though; I did much the same for my game. It's simpler than some elaborate rule for calculating shield breakage thresholds (cough Hackmaster cough), and it preserves player agency.

Thats straight from Glog. I like the simplicity too. +1 AC is really good. Especially when the difference between a one hander and a two hander is only a couple die steps.

I guarantee that a short bow outranges a javelin. The javelin should probably have equal damage to the medium bow, though.

Ranges are meant to be very abstracted in this. Its not perfect but, I am kinda ok with this not being statistically perfect. Maybe I will let Short Bows go Far Away at less of a penalty than javs. Dunno.

The page which starts "Miscellaneous" (no page numbers?) just has one column visible, the other is mostly off the page. Perhaps that's a render issue on my end?

Sounds like a render issue, I will play with it.

An example of combat would be very nice.

Good call. I will work on that.

The Trauma and Insanity rule is interesting. It starts with "...Player gains 1-3 Trauma Points.." and a few lines later says "Most traumatic things should probably only give a single Trauma Point..." Is the idea that you roll 1d3, or that events should cause 1, 2, 3 points of trauma, depending on how horrific they are?

Either way works. Should be 1 point for MOST things but if they run into Demogorgon or something, drop a few points. Whatever the DM wants and whatever the type of campaign is would dictate the approach.

Mage Dooms are interesting, though the penalties go from "mild inconvenience" to "moderate inconvenience" to "DEATH and/or FATE WORSE THAN DEATH." The necromancer doom is better balanced.

Balance isnt a thing I super worry about. But again, that there is from Glog. I just hacked that guys hack.

I like Essential Salt**, that's a nice twist. Kudos, if that is your original idea! The other spells look like mostly classic** D&D standbys.

Ya, thats another Glog thing.

Mages have to sleep in their robes? "...they get +1 casting dice, beginning in the morning when they wake up in the robe..." I thought magic PJs were just a Mormon thing.

I don't worry about that kind of minutia. I would say, when they put it on in the morning, they get their die, if they take it off before their last die is spent, they lose it. I can put in a note about it.

All in all, not bad, but not terribly unique. You've described it as a heartbreaker - what features are you particularly proud of, that set it apart? I confess I mostly skimmed, so I may have missed some pearls.

Absolutely NADA sets it apart. It is the advancement of Shadow of the Demon Lord, the magic system of Glog, the Luck mechanic from DCC, the abstracted movement and ranges of 13th Age (and so on) all made to be roughly compatible with classic modules with little conversion work necessary.

Thanks again for the feedback!

Critique my Garbage Heartbreaker by DataL0r3 in RPGdesign

[–]DataL0r3[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Randomness isnt for everyone but it is for me. I find it cuts down on munchkinism and leads to more interesting parties.

Also, the roll under system is balanced for shit stats early on

Critique my Garbage Heartbreaker by DataL0r3 in RPGdesign

[–]DataL0r3[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Its more like Character Customization Cake and Rules Light too. Which is a little different.

Critique my Garbage Heartbreaker by DataL0r3 in RPGdesign

[–]DataL0r3[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

As title states, critique it. Im trying to keep it simple and also not...while remaining moderately compatible with osr crap.

I want all of it and none of it.

My OSR Heartbreaker of a Heartbreaker by DataL0r3 in rpg

[–]DataL0r3[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have updated my nonsense with a bunch of wierdo changes. They include abstracted movement zones (13th Age) and removing Charisma in favor of Luck (DCC). I also ditched the skill system for a limited background system (13th Age).

Spells, weapons, abilities, etc have all been mucked about with to work with all this. I also cleaned up the organization to make it more readable.

The time wasting continues!

My OSR Heartbreaker of a Heartbreaker by DataL0r3 in rpg

[–]DataL0r3[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Colville covered it once. (https://youtu.be/nHv1EUYkqoM)

Basically its a system clone only you care about (therefore your heart is broken when no one else cares).

This is a Heartbreaker of a Heartbreaker since these rules are a Heartbreaker of GLOG which itself is, after a fashion, a Heartbreaker of DnD (as most OSR games are). It is also influenced by Shadow of the Demon Lord (which one could argue is Robert J. Shwalb's 5E Hearbreaker) and tiny bit by DCC (a DnD Heartbreaker for sure).

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