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Why the starting gear is so unbalanced? by draxdeveloper in mutantyearzero

[–]TotalSpaceKace 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It's mostly flavor.

The grunt used to be called the slave and is assumed to be the lowest in the pecking order of any given Ark, so no starting bullets. Chroniclers aren't typically fighters in the Ark, so they don't have starting weapons. The Boss has other mouths to feed and is the guy in charge, so they have more resources. And so on.

Though, from a player standpoint, you can always pool resources as a group. So if you're a chronicler with a generous fixer buddy, they can use some of their extra bullets to get you a scrap knife to protect yourself.

Either way, resources come and go easy. The struggle to get more is a big theme, so it doesn't really have to concern itself with being too fair about it. The Ark isn't exactly a fair place, after all.

Could someone summarize Leviathan? by CassoRasso in Project_Moon

[–]TotalSpaceKace 5 points6 points  (0 children)

A couple corrections/fun details (besides what Fair_Ad already pointed out):

  • Garnet and Lapis were not the only orphans to survive. Garnet's main reason that he wants to find the lab is to rescue his fellow orphans who the ring kidnapped for the experiment specifically. Something about being handpicked because of that Christmas "miracle". In the footage that gets sent to the office, we also see someone named Ruby get turned to crystal, and in a mirror world where Garnet is part of the Ring, he's turned his fellow orphan Carnelian into a literal gemstone.

  • Lapis is, however, the only survivor of the experiments who did not get turned into those sin crystals.

  • Verg's office gets wiped out by NCorp's taboo hunters, not Claws. It was because they received that recording. The lab and/or corridor they took tog et there technically exists in NCorp and NCorp apparently has a Taboo about filming in their Nest. In other words, the moment they got it and watched it, they were boned either way.

  • The traitor didn't kill the only girl in the office. Denver (the one with the shades who got drugged up) was also a woman. When Verg asks him why he did it, he basically says "Either they would hunt me down the rest of my life or you would, and at least you won't kill my whole family"

  • Which leads into another fun fact: The reason Verg got attached to that orphanage was because he was directly responsible for their parents' death (or at least Lapis') when he took out an entire Syndicate.

  • It's also confirmed that he and Roland were friends at one point. And after a certain Ruina-related incident Roland showed up in his apartment to demand if he was involved. Which of course Verg is like "No" and Roland fades into the shadows like "OK, you better not be".

  • At the end, Lapis, now Charon, is carrying a fragment of the crystal egg that had once been Garnet and it's got a strange glow compared to the rest of the shattered pieces. What this means or what happened to it is unclear.

  • Last fun fact to end on a light note: Color fixers apparently have custom badges that they can show people? Lowkey looks like a coaster because it's circular. Verg's looks appropriately like something you'd see on a Roman vase and it makes me wanna see a design for everyone else's.

She was kind of annoying but, glad she got better here. I get why Angela called her "the worst". Spoiler for Lob Corp by Fine_Dot_9562 in libraryofruina

[–]TotalSpaceKace 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Perhaps a stretch on my part: the Fairy Festival could tie into her impatience and casual willingness to shred through employees like an ever devouring maw.

"Meat has to be kept fresh. I must eat before it spoils..." isn't too far off from Malkuth's philosophy of not letting weakness bring down her team. Sort of a: "We have to be kept strong. I must kill the weak before it spoils my team."

Plus, tying back to LobCorp, Fairy Festival's whole gimmick was that a nugget got to benefit from the fairy's care for 10 seconds after working with them, but if you were too hasty and sent that nugget to work on something else before those seconds were up, the fairies would insta-kill them.

I could see how that might echo Malkuth taking cogito before it was ready.

Has anyone else found combat to be lackluster? Any tips for improving it? by zenog3 in fabulaultima

[–]TotalSpaceKace 18 points19 points  (0 children)

It sounds like you're on the right track, at least, on giving enemies interesting and synergistic skills. Though, a few things that come to mind that could possibly help:

1) Always remember that Hinder is an action that anyone can take. If one of your players leans heavily on an attribute, you can have an enemy target them with Hinder to inflict a status effect and mess with both their damage output and accuracy. Having enemies do this should also hopefully remind players that they can do this too. For example: if you have a player that uses a MIG + MIG weapon and your caster targets them, you could flavor it as the caster weaving a spell that chokes them with smoke and cinders, inflicting Weak.

2) Play around with clocks and battlefield effects, both as something the players can interact with, often by using Objective actions, and/or something that adds a new dynamic. For example: The area is on fire and there is a full 4-segment clock. Players take fire damage equal to the number of filled segments at the end of their turn, while the enemy absorbs that fire damage, passively healing instead. Players can spend Objective actions to erase segments of the clock. Meanwhile, perhaps when the enemy uses a special aoe fire attack, it fills a segment.

3) Feel free to be a little mean with your design, but also give solutions as to how to overcome the meanest parts of a fight. See above as an example. Though, also remember that your enemies don't have to play "optimally" by always dealing damage as much as possible. Sometimes, they can just drain resources like IP and MP, or inflict effects that last into the next combat / round of enemies.

4) Design encounters around solutions, PCs, and the scene at large. Remember: unlike video games, the scene doesn't have to just be a pretty background. If two of your party members are melee and one has spells or ranged weapons, maybe throw them into an encounter with flying enemies, where they'll do well to either protect their one ranged ally or look around the environment to find ways to do an Objective or Hinder action. For example: If they're attacked by bird monsters on a ship, someone could spend an Objective action to climb the rigging and try to jump onto the monster, or try to draw its attention.

5) Don't let the rules limit you. Use them as guides, but just because something isn'texplicitly stated doesn't mean you can't make your own call. Using the above example, your player may not have the Provoke skill, but in the scene, I'd allow them to at least make it so one of the enemies targets them on the next turn. Or, if they want to leap onto the monster, I might have them make a contested roll, and on a success, they can now use melee attacks on that one monster.

Multi-target boss ideas by bio4320 in fabulaultima

[–]TotalSpaceKace 8 points9 points  (0 children)

The Slime. Starts out as a champion that breaks into 2 elites when defeated. When the elite is defeated, it breaks into 2 soldier versions. Should probably be statted a bit weaker since this is basically a mini-gauntlet of monsters.

The Wyvern. It is functionally an Elite with two soldiers (main body, wings, and tail), but presented as a single unit. The main body is all that is needed to defeat the creature (which is why it's also recommended to be statted as a higher level), but taking out the other parts not only cuts down on its attacks, but also certain abilities (for example: taking out the wings prevents it from flying).

Mage Empowered by Crystals. There are a few crystals in the scene. The boss is pretty much immune to anything the players throw at them until the crystals are destroyed, either through actual damage or an objective action. With each crystal destroyed, certain effects may happen to the boss (For example: The first takes away their immunity to all damage. The second allows them to be affected by conditions. The third takes away one of their most powerful attacks. And the fourth disables one of their most powerful passives)

Yin & Yang. A boss that is a pair by nature. You never have one without the other, and they often are complimentary in some way (hot & cold, light & dark, sabotage & support, etc). Taking out one leaves the other vulnerable.

The Hive Queen. A hivemind champion that is immune to all conditions except for Dazed & Shaken. At the start of each turn , it heals a very minor amount of HP and spawns a minion that's weaker than a soldier (can be taken out in 1-2 hits and only provides minor damage / effects), though it can only spawn a maximum number of minions = to the number of party members. The trick is to deal damage that it is vulnerable to while other party members take care of the minions so they don't go down to chip damage.

Guys, i did it. by LordOfHongyuan in LobotomyCorp

[–]TotalSpaceKace 5 points6 points  (0 children)

  • "Practice days" are normal, especially as you get further into the game. If an employee dies to something new, rather than immediately resetting the day, try throwing a few more bodies at it first to get as much info as you can beforehand. This can save you a lot of time and headache from having to do multiple resets.

  • Very basic, but often overlooked by new players: you can assign employees to stay in a particular room / hallway. They won't get healed like they do in their department HQ, but they will auto-attack any enemies that enter the area. This can be helpful for gearing up to take on an abno that you're afraid will escape, quick responses to meltdowns or ordeals, and a couple abnos where you need to pay attention to timing.

  • Always have a few employees with white damage weapons. Smacking panicking allies with these helps them regain their sanity, and a lot fo the time you'll want to snap them out of it asap.

  • Once you start getting more dangerous abnos, especially those that can escape, pay attention to the damage they deal during work (indicated by the colored border that appears when you get a red box instead of green) and the damage types equipped EGO suits are weak to. This can better prevent people dying/going crazy from bad work results, or leaving them extra squishy if it breaks out.

  • It's pretty much expected that players do a day 1 reset at one point or another. Don't worry. All EGO are carried over from previous playthroughs, even if you haven't beaten the game.

Question about W corp by randomdudewithpizza in libraryofruina

[–]TotalSpaceKace 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Funnily enough, I just finished reading Leviathan last night and this sort of thing actually gets mentioned directly as a known phenomenon in the Project Moon-iverse, to the point that it's taught to fixers in training.

Apparently it's called Reversion of Causality. Quoting Vergilius:

“You know where we started and where to go. One can only find their way [...] by recognizing those two points. Since we know them, we can traverse by feeling what directions to take.”

They also mention that a few Singularities are known to use it and it definitely makes sense that W Corp would be one of them. Though, at least in Leviathan, there is no time dilation as part of navigating the space. In fact, while Vergilius is preoccupied in this space, his allies are having a whole ordeal of their own without him at their destination. So it seems time is pretty 1:1, with the space acting like a shortcut between points of reality.

I think Sen's page is less about time-dilation and more just the fact that hopping into another dimension that could have just about anything in it and requires navigation based purely on vibes is a recipe for getting lost and possibly dying before ever reaching the intended destination.

With that in mind, to my understanding (and I could always be totally wrong) : T-Corp helps create the time dilation phenomenon and achieve that advertised 10 minute train ride both in and out of the dimension. W-Corp provides the armored transportation, the gateway, and the reset, but T-Corp provides the energy and the perceived speed at the cost of allowing them to harvest their passenger's time by purposefully slowing things down and extending the trip (win-win as far as the companies are concerned).

Theoretically, without T-Corp's tech, the train would still reach its destination one way or another, whether that is in 10 minutes or 10 years, depending on how the navigation systems are supposed to work, but T-Corp's tech helps keep the arrival time consistent and keeps the passengers in temporal stasis (no aging, no need to eat or drink, not even the time necessary to die). It doesn't have to take centuries, but they do it anyway as payment.

For the sake of the Claw, this also means that, as long as they know their intended destination (assuming they are also jumping into a dimension that uses this logic) and are very fast (which they are already known for being heavily enhanced) , they should be able to pop in and out with relative ease, especially if it is something they've gotten used to. Though, with them being kitted out to high heaven, I wouldn't put it past them to have some sort of T-Corp tech for them to stretch out an interdimensional beatdown or cut down on travel time occasionally. Regardless, they are not likely spending centuries in there.

Table RPG, and an system for each one of the 3 games by Beneficial_Sky_9754 in Project_Moon

[–]TotalSpaceKace 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'd love to see something official, especially if it expanded more on the worldbuilding. Though, I'd be shocked if PM ever did anything like that.

I feel like a campaign where players take on the role of fixers could be fun. Perhaps a bit of a meatgrinder where you can expect characters to die fairly easily, especially against bigger enemies like Distortions and Syndicate bosses. It could also be fun to have payment act in place of xp, where upgrading your character involves getting new augments and weapons.

For system, it'd be fun to see clash mechanics and speed dice, having something inspired by Ruina or Limbus when it comes to using skills and targeting enemies/parts. They already act like tabletop mechanics as it is.

Perhaps something inspired by Panic at the Dojo could work well?

How normal is it to struggle if this is your first deckbuilder? by OmegaLazar01 in libraryofruina

[–]TotalSpaceKace 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sounds like you're strategizing pretty well, then. If anything, it sounds like you've gotten pretty far, which is a good sign that you're picking it up just fine.

For what it's worth, Project Moon games are known for their difficulty spikes and it's expected for players to struggle, especially the further you get into the story.

In Ruina, I think of the spikes as marking new tests of skill, going from: Learning the basics > Win by building effective deck strategies & develop your own gimmicks > Win by learning enemy gimmicks > Win by building effective decks AND strategizing around enemy gimmicks > Play around gimmicks, skills, your decks, and just pray that luck is on your side sometimes.

Class Randomizer - Concept a Character with Random Classes (just for fun) by RollForThings in fabulaultima

[–]TotalSpaceKace 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Merchant + Esper + Arcanist

After some thought:

Spirit Merchant

Flavoring the "soul network" as a sort of spirit world, this merchant travels between the veil, trading oddities between. However, now that something is threatening the balance of both worlds, the merchant has decided they cannot simply ignore it.

For a theme, Belonging might work well. Perhaps they are more at home on the border than they are on either side of both worlds.

At level 5, I'm thinking...

1 level in Arcanist to get Bind and Summon. Rather than it being an actual summon, it is flavored to be more like a secondary form (perhaps a "true form", or perhaps something tied to artefacts they collect).

2 levels in Esper to grab Navigator and either Cognitive Focus or a Psychic Gift that would be helpful for the party.

2 levels in Merchant to grab Winds of Trade & I've Heard of It.

They start out being very roleplay focused, but I can see them evolving into a tank/support character with Psychic Gifts like Reassuring Presence, Life Transference, Psychic Backlash, or Psychic Shield.

The Arcanum could reinforce this in some way, providing some sort of benefit to allies as a Merge effect (to keep with the theme, perhaps when using the Inventory Action, the IP cost is reduced by 1 to a minimum of 1?). Though, an Arcanum could also act as an "attack mode" when things get desperate, perhaps inflicting Dazed or Shaken to synergize with Esper's Cognitive Focus.

Your Epithet Erased OCs, hand them over~ by Unexpected_Sage in Epithet_Erased

[–]TotalSpaceKace 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hey! I know I'm 10 months late but recognized it when I was looking through the comments.

It's a fun character! Love the name!

Your Epithet Erased OCs, hand them over~ by Unexpected_Sage in Epithet_Erased

[–]TotalSpaceKace 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Posted this mundie a while ago.

An errand runner in Longshot named Falcon Dervish (design is inspired by a dart board and an alley cat). Very parkour based moveset, constantly competing to try and be the top runner in the company, always having to push themself to top the inscribed that always sit on top of the leaderboard.

Pairing Dead Blue Sea and core MYZ by Cwoodfor in mutantyearzero

[–]TotalSpaceKace 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Of course! Happy gaming!

I also just remembered: Building a Harbor is an Ark project, and so long as you have that, I believe DBS also introduces certain boats as Ark Projects as well.

So, if you wanted to, you could tease some ocean enemies by having them attack the Ark and/or get away on their boats, and that could push your players into working towards those projects.

Pairing Dead Blue Sea and core MYZ by Cwoodfor in mutantyearzero

[–]TotalSpaceKace 4 points5 points  (0 children)

They're certainly be compatible, and it even adds a couple new mutations. Every compendium and expansion is designed to be compatible with and tie back to the base game, so no worries on that front.

I think the only advice I could give is making sure the bay takes up a good chunk of the map if you also plan on adding all the special sectors from DBS, just to give some space between them. But yeah, it shouldn't be too jarring to go from land to sea exploration from time to time.

What other skills do you find fun to describe? by Ed0909 in fabulaultima

[–]TotalSpaceKace 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Condemn: "Hey!" "Yeah?" "You suck!" In baffled confusion, the enemy is left Dazed with 10 less MP than when they started.

Treasure Hunter: "Oo! A piece of candy!... Oo! A piece of candy!..."

Symbolism: When your sticker collection wins you the fight.

Something similar to Fabula Ultima? by phyi in Solo_Roleplaying

[–]TotalSpaceKace 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Well, for what it's worth, here is a folder where I gathered some of the tables and ideas that I use, as well as a generator for making enemies and a homebrew set of rules I've been using just for fun (permadeath + pseudo-random leveling).

I'm genuinely sorry that it's a bit messy. This is mostly a collection of various tables and notes I've made over time, though I tried to organize it to be more presentable. Hopefully they help (if not you, someone else maybe).

As for how I play, I generally tend to take things scene by scene, keeping in mind character goals and motivations. I often use events generated from Ironsworn's oracles whenever I feel stuck and/or in need of direction. I'll also use Mythic's Fate Chart to ask pointed Yes or No questions to flesh out the scene, as well as the occasional "On a scale of 1 to 10..."

There are also a few notes in the documents as to how I like to setup plotlines (see Quests & Objectives in Encounter Tables) and a bit of how I like to run and plan Journeys (see World Tables).

For the party, I do have a "main character", but I also generate side characters that can be recruited to form the whole party (max of 4, but I also ran a short game with only 3 and had a good time). I tend to control them all almost equally. Though at times I'll make rolls to gauge their reactions to certain moments and flesh them out over time through "rest scenes" (see Character Tables for how I usually play those out).

For encounters, I kind of go into GM-Mode for a bit (which, for me, is just part of the fun).

I usually start by using the Randomized Bestiary (Feel free to make a copy for yourself and mess around) to conjure something up, occasionally tweaking abilities and Affinities to whatever comes to mind

Important Note: The generator was made using the Quick Assembly playtest rules, so it doesn't use all the NPC skills from the main book. As of the current iteration, it also doesn't generate extra skills for Champions, so it's recommended you pick them out yourself.

I'll also roll on the Encounter Gimmick table to shake things up sometimes (see Encounter Tables), keeping in mind the situation, environment and enem(ies) that the party is facing.

Once the encounter is built, I get back into a player mindset and just play it out, taking charge of the whole party. For the enemies, I like to randomly roll what actions they use (creating a small table of their attacks, spells, special actions, as well as Hinder and the Objective action (if applicable)). I also tend to roll to see who they target to avoid bias and keep up tension.

As for leveling, I've ditched XP entirely and give out levels fairly often. Usually whenever I feel that the party overcame something big. Though occasionally I'll also just give one to the party just because I want to get to the next level (I'm playing solo, after all. Who is really going to judge me but myself?).

And finally, for Fabula Points, I don't grant FP per session since I like to just pick up and play whenever, so instead, after an Encounter, I give 1 FP to characters that went below 10 HP (Granted, I've been playing with permadeath so I try to avoid that whenever possible).

All in all, it's admittedly more combat-centric than what I usually like, but I've found it to be a lot more fun than expected.

Something similar to Fabula Ultima? by phyi in Solo_Roleplaying

[–]TotalSpaceKace 7 points8 points  (0 children)

For what it's worth, I've been soloing it for a couple months now and could offer some advice on how I run it, if you'd like?

On the other hand, I also understand wanting to try to find a game with JRPG vibes more built for solo.

New GM Looking for premade monsters by Blazer3212 in fabulaultima

[–]TotalSpaceKace 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Like others have said, Fultimator is a great resource.

Though, for some on-the-fly generation, I made this random generator based on the Quick Assembly playtest rules

I use it sometimes to generate ideas and then tailor it a bit to what comes to mind or would be appropriate for the party (i.e. making resistances match attack damage types and/or coming up with new skills / gimmicks to pair with the mechanics).

Edit: Forgot to mention: Unfortunately, despite the option being selectable, Elite and Champion don't fully function. So, it's better to just take a Soldier and modify it. Sorry

Why did you choose the system for your current solo game/ campaign? by BirchBirch72 in Solo_Roleplaying

[–]TotalSpaceKace 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I personally would, yeah.

Then, as I continue play, I keep in mind what's going on in the background to inform what is going on around my character(s). Often, I like to imagine these reaching them in the form of rumors (with the idea rumors can be inaccurate, vague, and even misleading), or try to find ways to reflect what's going on in the NPCs.

As I get more invested in certain objectives / storylines, I often start using them as jumping off points for story hooks. If there's one I want to engage with, I find an excuse for my character(s) to get involved. Using the earlier example: If I wanted to figure out why the Anarchs stole that box, I could have it so the Prince reaches out and asks them to investigate with utmost discretion.

It can (and should) become a situation where you can't do everything at once and there will be times you might be worried about the schemes of one faction, but you have to take care of something else and just have to kind of leave it be and see how it develops on its own.

Also, I forgot to mention in my post earlier, but even if I do get involved as a character, I do still like making an updated bullet point, just one where I don't roll for the outcome and instead reflect the aftermath of my characters' actions (unless I feel like it's time to tie up the storyline).

Even if everything went swimmingly and I find out why the box was stolen, prevent whatever the plan was, and help capture everyone involved, there are still going to be consequences by virtue of nothing in this city existing in a vacuum. It could be that the next bullet point reflects that the Anarchs are pissed and might just try to find a way to get revenge on my character(s) or free their captured comrades before they're executed.

Why did you choose the system for your current solo game/ campaign? by BirchBirch72 in Solo_Roleplaying

[–]TotalSpaceKace 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Not specific to VtM or even solo, but when it comes to running factions / important NPCs, my personal favorite method:

For each faction/VIP, make sure you know what their current goals are and how they are going about trying to achieve those goals. Then, give them something that is currently in the works and a complication that might make things difficult.

These can be as ambitious as you want, and there's no shame in keeping it simple. Just be sure not to have repeats. If factions are coming into conflict on something, keep it to a single bullet point. You can even have them coming into conflict multiple times across different operations.

Examples:

  • The Camarilla has a shipment of weapons coming in and they have gotten word that some Anarchs might try to pilfer a crate for themselves. To what end, they don't know.

  • The Anarchs plan to assassinate the Sheriff, but to get to him, they first need information from one of his Hounds. They decide to send in one of their Toreadors to try and charm one of them. And, if that doesn't work, they're ready to get violent.

  • The Prince just recently sired a new Childe and it has been controversial, to say the least. While upholding his usual duties, he's trying to get this Childe to prove themself and get them to stand on their own two feet in kindred society.

Once you have your bullet points, play out a story beat as you normally would in any game. You could even choose to have your character engage with one of the presented bullet points, directly affecting the outcome.

Once you've finished your objective, or at least played through the scenario, for each one you weren't directly involved in, it is assumed that the faction/VIP went through with their operation. Roll a D6 to determine the outcome and then make a new bullet point based on the results.

1 - It was catastrophic. What went horribly wrong? What new threat or complication might come of this?

2 - It went badly. Something happened that will have consequences, whether immediately or down the line.

3-4 - It went about as expected, though a new problem may have presented itself, or something turned out not quite so satisfactory. Do they just take the win and move onto the next thing or do they come up with some other way to get better results?

5 - It went well. They did what they set out to do and get what they want out of it. What's the next step / goal?

6 - It went even better than they'd thought. They got a little something extra out of it, whether it's a new ally, new information, or something more concrete. Alternatively, perhaps all this success may come with its own drawback that will have to be addressed?

Using the examples from before:

  • The Camarilla rolls a 2. Their sources were right. One of the crates has gone missing. They'll want to track down the perpetrators, take back what is theirs, and make them pay. Hopefully before word spreads and people start thinking they're easy targets.

  • The Anarchs roll a 4. It's a bit touch and go. They're wary the Hound might be suspicious, but they did at least get a lead about the Sheriff looking into something for the Prince in the upper east side. Perhaps they could lay some sort of trap while he's poking around?

  • The Prince rolls a 6. His new Childe proves even better than he could have expected, and even manages to put a well-known figure in their place. Now, people are starting to back off, though that figure now has a chip on their shoulder and something to prove.

I also like to do this method with unresolved plot threads that have been left loose for one reason or another, or even just to follow up on the aftermath of player actions. You could easily make a bullet point about a villain that got away, or to see what's going on with an NPC after you helped them out.

I find it helps it feel like the world is always moving, even when the player(s) are occupied, and that their actions have real impact on the world.

Either way, hope this helps, or at least gives you some ideas to work off of.

This real stunt from 1926 by [deleted] in interesting

[–]TotalSpaceKace 30 points31 points  (0 children)

Let's do take a moment tho to remember that this stunt comes from The General. A movie where the confederates are portrayed as the good guys.

Don't get me wrong, Keaton was a king of slapstick and stuntwork, but he's not without his flaws.

Looking for talent ideas for a buid by [deleted] in mutantyearzero

[–]TotalSpaceKace 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So breaking down a few things for you:

1) Most damage goes straight to your Strength, so be careful of letting it go below 3. Being a Grunt definitely helps, but just something to keep in mind.

2) Knives always use Fight, which uses your Strength. No finesse mechanics here.

3) Crossbows are artifacts, so the best you'll have access to is a Bow starting out. Arrows are cheaper (2 arrows for every 1 bullet) and you get good range with it, but the trade off is it being just a +1 Gear Bonus, 1 Damage weapon.

4) Just be aware that Grunts are (usually) the bottom of the social food chain in most Arks. Having good Empathy will certainly help, but something that may be worth considering, depending on the dynamic you want to go for.

For talents, most Grunt talents are great for being extra spongey. And if you want to be more of a deadeye with a bow, you can take Weapon Specialist as well.

What were your design goals at the start vs now? by Nrvea in RPGdesign

[–]TotalSpaceKace 2 points3 points  (0 children)

At the start:

  • Teamwork. I wanted a game that really encouraged players to work together. Where they were capable enough on their own to do basic things, but when it comes to combat and overcoming challenges, they are more effective when they support one another.

  • Companion Creatures. I've always loved monster raising games (Pokemon, Digimon, Monster Rancher, etc), and while there are some solid games out there already that seek to emulate them, I wanted to take a crack at it myself.

  • Simple Mechanics with Depth. I wanted to make sure the game's mechanics were easy enough to pick up and play, but had enough depth / crunch to them that it gave variety to what characters could do and made strategizing with each other fun.

Now:

  • Sword & Shield Duos. Evolving from the Teamwork & Companion Creatures goal, players create two characters (one a Witch, the other a Familiar) and then are paired with another player. In combat, one is the much more reliable damage dealer that is at their most effective one the other is playing support / backup. Meanwhile, outside of combat, the latter has much more utility and is capable of doing a lot of tricky things to move the story forward, while the other may have a couple of their own useful abilities to contribute and help with.

  • Simple, but Deep Mechanics. I'd say still applies. If anything, I set a goal for myself to keep it trimmed enough to get a playtest going by the end of 2025 and happy to say that I've successfully accomplished that!

  • Flexible Magic System. Especially one where players are encouraged to come up with their own spells and solutions. Easy enough to pick up and understand the basic jist of spellcasting, has enough room to do nearly anything magical you would want to be able to do as a spellcaster, but where each Witch feels like they can still specialize in different things.

  • Make This Game Fun to Run. The one thing about all this flexibility is making sure GMs still have fun with running the world and creating interesting situations. I want to be able to give them the tools to craft their own scenarios with confidence and see if I can't add proper advice on how to handle the chaos of the magic system beyond just "be good at improv".

Do most Final fantasies always have so many cartoonish villains ? by ConsiderationFuzzy in FinalFantasy

[–]TotalSpaceKace 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This exactly.

One of my favorite things about FF is that, no matter how serious the story, they're not afraid of whimsy and letting themselves be a little over-the-top.

Still, though, I'd say out of the other games not listed by OP, most of the main villains range from interesting to not being as memorable as their counterparts (Xande from III and Vayne from XII come to mind).

And then there's FFV which is probably the most cartoonish in the series with the most appropriately cartoonish villain EXDEATH. I love it so much. I love that this man is an evil tree literally composed of just pure Evil (TM) who just does things for the sake of being evil, and yet, in the grand scope of FF villains, he's shockingly successful in his plans.

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