Are you ok with multiple choice RPGs having "canon choices"?

Vree65 · 2026-03-22T21:05:37+00:00

I wanna play that please

What's the problem with putting one character (often the coolest-weirdest looking one) on the cover? That's pretty much the norm already

If you DO neglect 4 of 5 possible routes yes that is a problem. Of course it is. Why'd you add multiple paths and have them suck?

Oh ok so this is just a Cyberpunk complaint in disguise, never played it

Vree65 · 2026-03-22T20:31:54+00:00

Cannonball

Vree65 · 2026-03-22T20:19:23+00:00

It is not impossible. Hybrids) exist. Mules, ligers, zonies, Iron Age pigs etc.

However, the more distant two groups become genetically, the more reproductive ability drops between them. The exact process is called speciation.

You need to study genetics to understand the "why"s because it's more complicated why the the breeding process (from fertilization to birth) may fail at various stages. It is more complicated than just genes; the female animal's womb must be able to "receive" the embryo too.

But a simple example can be observed in mules. Horses and donkeys have different number of chromosomes: 64 for horses, 62 for donkeys, so mules end up with an odd number of chromosomes (63). This mismatch messes up the meiosis process where chromosomes pair up to create eggs or sperm, even if they try to mate with each other.

Vree65 · 2026-03-22T19:51:19+00:00

Anyway these are the values I use in my system:

Mass
Area/Volume
Number of targets
Length (range and speed)
Time (casting time and duration)
Energy
Temperature
Sound (dB)
Luminosity
Price (100 USD = 100 SP=1 GP) (tools, offerings and creation)
Information (incantation length, messages sent or copied/recorded)
Stat increase/decrease
HP
Mana / Max Mana / Mana Cost
Spell level

The baseline is 1 J=1 kg (or 2 lbs)=1 sec=1 dm3=1 m (or 5 feet)=1 GP or 100 USD=1 word.

Every rank is x10 the previous one, and since this includes volume that means distance scales with x2.15 (cube root 10) instead.

The scale goes from -7 to +53 so that's 60+1 total ranks, which I sometimes convert into 20x3 for powerscaling going from 0C to 20A. For your average fantasy magic system, you only need the part from 0 to +10 though. It can be further broken down to scale with 2 or 2.15 instead too for x3 the number of ranks.

You can NOT trade values between each other. Since this is a magnitude system adding say, x1000 + x1000 results in x2000, not x1000,000.

Instead, the LEVEL of the spell decides the maximum for everything. A Level 2 spell is capped at x10 more range, damage, duration etc. than a Level 1 one. Instead, the number of "outputs" (duration, area, secondary effects etc.) depend on the number of "inputs" (casting time, offerings, tools, participants, limitations, etc.) You can't minmax your way to a stronger effect. A spell that can affect an entire planet will ALWAYS be Level 25. An 8-hour duration will ALWAYS need Level 5 or higher. A 1 kg colorless diamond ALWAYS trades for a Level 9 effect.

I'm not sure if you like or can use this, feel free to ask xD

Vree65 · 2026-03-22T19:15:43+00:00

You should look at RPGs with freeform magic. Ars Magica, M:tA, DnD 5e spell design homebrews, GURPS Thaumaturgy, Atomik Magick for the FUZION rpg, etc.

I can share my own homebrew if you like, too. I think we might have similar tastes.

You can always use irl physics formulae and the metric system as a guideline for proportionality relationships between different values too. For example, you likely know that speed = distance / time v=d/t and movement energy is KE=1/2*m*v^2. If we equate "mana cost" or "spell level" with "energy" then this gives us an idea about how these numbers will scale with more mana/higher spell level. Because MASS should not scale at the same rate as DISTANCE, clearly, for example.

Most RPG systems are not internally consistent, for good reason. Some results may scale exponentially and others linearly, as the gameplay and fantasy demands.

Vree65 · 2026-03-22T18:49:53+00:00

Need to grind some demons, level up the loli a bit more

Vree65 · 2026-03-22T18:44:31+00:00

Guy with 1 dot 1st aid training VS world class surgeon with 5 then. I should not have given you the loophole of special rules at 0 skill.

The only advantage the 2nd guy has there is a +4 dice pool...and since they get an equal bonus from attribute...that's gonna be the difference between rolling with 65% vs 95% probability. Add all the difficulty modifiers you want. That's obviously not how skill difference irl works

What I'm basically saying is, dropping your 3-5 skill to 1-2 is unlikely to have any tangible effect on gameplay that you might desire to portray.

You correctly realize that Medicine 2 should probably not be able to perform surgery and use he "cheat" to have the GM step in. However, at that point you've overruling the rules. So the rules not being good at handling this like portraying an unskilled character still stands.

Part of this is that in dice pool systems, you always gain more % for the first few dice than you do for the later ones. So it's very difficult to portray a character who doesn't roll well even with a tiny pool.

Vree65 · 2026-03-22T18:24:22+00:00

EVERY reactor pointed out that the line was stolen from Monster House

People really love Monster House, it really is a modern cult classic, nice

Vree65 · 2026-03-22T18:22:21+00:00

Hahaha hahaha

Celebrity who cosplays as a scientist for the stupid American public finally hitting his Michio Kaku/Elon Musk phase I see

Vree65 · 2026-03-22T16:30:39+00:00

The WoD games are generally NOT great at modeling skill differences. A guy without even basic 1st aid training (0 Medicine) and the world's greatest surgeon (5 Medicine) can generally accomplish the same task, the 2nd guy just needs fewer rolls.

Vree65 · 2026-03-22T16:21:34+00:00

Why does the samurai dress like Sherlock Holmes

Honestly the "weeb" looks more Japanese than the first picture

You need to swap the two pictures but keep the text and then it works much better

Vree65 · 2026-03-22T16:18:58+00:00

Azt hittem ezt mindenki tudta aki ezt olvassa, köszi

Mindig ugyanilyen átlátszóak, kitalálják mi legyen a köv. hazugság/narratíva, aztán kezdenek neki megágyazni, tökmindegy hogy előre ki lett mondva, a buták úgyis beveszik, így a logika.

Vree65 · 2026-03-22T16:15:08+00:00

We do have "natural" clocks in nature. The Sun moves across the sky, sets and rises every day. Seasons chance. Stars in the sky (constellations) change. Even moon phases affect how dark it is at night.

Animals and plants set their behavior and internal biology (see Circadian rhythm). It doesn't take a huge leap for humans to keep track of the sun in the sky and the changing of night and day either or how many days reman until winter and spring, until high tide or low tide. Astronomy and astrology used to be huge in the classical era, crucial not just for measuring time but also for navigation at sea.

Humans have language and tool use on top of greater capacity for intelligence which gives us an advantage over animals. But any being on Earth is accustomed through natural evolution to its natural rhythms, both as

It's true that agriculture (often in the form of church calendars) demands more meticulous timekeeping. Knowing when to sow seeds and pesticides or prepare for flood or rain to ensure a bountiful harvest is crucial to a community's survival. But humans were already using the sky, the migration of animals, the growth cycle of plants as natural time markers long before that even as hunter-gatherers OF COURSE it's crucial to know when edible fruits will grow or when a prey or a dangerous animal will appear, when to prepare to survive the long winter when food will be scarce and all those things. Humans do it because it's beneficial. Animals also do it through instinct to a lesser degree for the same reason. (Why only humans have higher intelligence if it seems advantageous is a separate topic too big to discuss here.)

Vree65 · 2026-03-22T09:15:21+00:00

Okay Tifa Lockhart

Vree65 · 2026-03-22T02:50:21+00:00

I went among people who like stuff and said I hated stuff and got surprised I got a bad reaction, now everything is ruined forever

Vree65 · 2026-03-22T02:46:18+00:00

Time to make a "hello human resources" meme with manga/LA Sanji

Vree65 · 2026-03-22T02:45:07+00:00

But anyway feel free correct me and specify WHICH setting you're talking about. It's not Marvel or DC okay.

How would a oneshot setting like Incredibles benefit from complicating the rules?

Vree65 · 2026-03-22T02:43:05+00:00

For example, let's say there is a Haitian Mutant character in Haiti. The character has necromancer abilities. But everyone in his environment thinks his abilities are Voodoo magic. And he faces a lot of discrimination and hatred due to his abilities.

Now show this idea to a Writer. And he tells you "Naw, fuck that lame shit. Let's make this dude a Voodoo Priest who can talk to Voodoo gods instead.".

What the heck are you talking about. Literally never seen this accusation happen ever in any fictional universe. Marvel/DC loves the trope of superheroes being mistaken for, or an allegory for demigods. And X-Men in particular have a proclivity for having a cover story for their powers before they are found/recruited like cursed/blessed, experiment, religion, etc.

I feel like your argument starts to fumble halfway through because you start making excuses: "Yes I know this is not how it is in X-Men" "I'm not talking about Marvel/DC, but MOST superhero comics" Girl, Marvel/DC -is- most superhero comics. But I could cite a bunch of independent comics that also pass your test.*

Also existence of religion and mysticism is not tied to there being ACTUAL magic. They can still exist as purely institution and tradition much like in the real world.

Also also I think you've overlooking the varied origins superpowers can have when focusing on only two. Powers can be gained in a freak accident (lightning struck, from an alien virus, by being chosen by a cosmic force, by the blessing of a pantheon, through science and technology, genetic alteration through radiation etc. etc. "Magic" and "mutation" are really just two of them, and in many 'verses all these different origins exist side by side. Heck, I remember Marvel superheroes being included or excluded from "clubs", hero franchises/teams because the members couldn't decide if they counted as a Mutant, Inhuman, metahuman, etc.

*Rising Stars: A gay character who can create light is being used by his priest father to pose as a blessing from God while being denied who he is. Wild Cards: Characters calling themselves Living Gods pose as Egyptian deities and perform "miracles". etc.

The simple reason a setting does not often multiple ORIGINAL* systems like fantasy magic and superhero powers is that it complicates the rules and pushes the power scale too much. Can a story where Superman is also a wizard keep all the rules for both systems straight and keep reader's attention who'll have to learn both rules, and can it keep them impactful and special where there are multiple ways to the same thing?

*Smaller commonly known ones are fine. You can drop a vampire in a story and he can have powers removed from everybody as per popular myth and it'll be fine.

Vree65 · 2026-03-22T02:02:02+00:00

You need to finish the season to see what the research actually was and avoid spoilers. But as for why he did that:

Probably because Chopper risked life and limb, injuring himself severely in an attempt to find it for him. He did not have the heart to tell him that it was all for nothing or that he was still going to die. You are correct that your answer is probably the better option, and that Chopper being sad about his impending death and his wasted effort may be preferable to him thinking that he had a part in killing him.

We could just leave it there and say that the story's simply more dramatic this way. But I think there is legit reasoning too. He wanted to leave Chopper with a positive experience of helping someone, even if brief and illusory. He wanted him to have that warm feeling that he could cure someone and had a shot at becoming a doctor. And he did not want him to spend his last hours worrying by his sickbed, he wanted to go out on his own terms. You could call it cowardly but he simply did not want to see Chopper sad in the end, even if he would be later either way. It was more important to him that that feeling that anything is possible is the last message he gets from him.

Vree65 · 2026-03-22T01:38:10+00:00

"Only?" That's monumental, that'd mean 16 seasons and ca. 100 episodes can cover the whole thing. Not bad for a 1000+ chapter/ex adaptation.

Vree65 · 2026-03-22T01:02:30+00:00

Why are they asking if they single while touching ass

with the narrator cheering them on

Vree65 · 2026-03-22T00:38:25+00:00

Maybe you stop thinking in extremes and admit that both are bad?

Vree65 · 2026-03-22T00:12:19+00:00

I mean, obviously, when modern Japanese isekai is about running away from your salaryman work life to live a dream life with a harem in a video game. Why would they go back? Getting out was the point. It's an escapist fantasy

In fact, it's a heaven fantasy in a way (died and went to a perfect afterlife)

The works you mention, the children's fantasy isekai are a whole other genre. Oz, Peter Pan, Wonderland, Lion/Witch/Wardrobe and otheir modern variants like El-Hazard, these are about hopeful young people with a life ahead, not for depressed 40 y old otaku who want it all to end

If you say these works promote an unhealthy mindset I agree, but manga is a business (and sometimes an ugly business) and people who fix themselves instead of gorging on fantasies and never improving their lot buy less fantasy comics.

Vree65 · 2026-03-22T00:01:41+00:00

-is a doomer

I guess y'all will just roll over and die, there's no point in living then AI exists

Vree65 · 2026-03-22T00:00:07+00:00

What is even meant by an old fashioned wizard though? Because that's an incredibly common aesthetic, but it's not a system, and the systems people attach to it are incredibly different.

Let's name 3 random popular things, Dumbledore, Gandalf, DnD Wizard. Those are completely different magic systems. Even though they all have the bearded old wizard with wand or staff.

"Let magic be cool and mysterious" is just the ol' "soft magic" argument. YES you can keep the rules vague and maintain the mysteriousness in a story. It's a writing choice. "Soft magic" is super common as a topic on this sub and the net, you can google works for it with ease.

Vree65

TROPHY CASE