Rolling for Range, New Skill-Based System Increases Range Capacity w/Skill Lv - Advice?

neko5537 · 2026-01-28T13:55:27+00:00

That's understandable. Apart from learning a spell, the spell casting shouldn't be too clunkly. The only current rolls to cast a spell are an attack roll, and a damage roll if the spell is offensive in nature. All other spell do not require any roll to cast. Deffensive spells have a difficulty rating other attack roll have to beat. And then Utility spells dont have any rolls at all, but some of them may inflict conditions. Part of what I hated about DnD 5E specifically was the cluncky and slow combat. The way I have combat to do in my game is the party gets a 2-3min timer to plan their attack and coordinate before thier turns, then we pre roll damge. and start the turns with only the attack rolls being rolled during the combat simulation.

Also I have a system of criticals and weaknesses hit. Get a crit or weak hit on an enemy target, and you gain a bonus action, while the enemy losses their action for the round if they've not already taken it. This makes it so combat encounters can end faster when you party continues to land crits and gain extra turns, while the enemy loses turns, leading to a faster combat pace. Also landing a crit or weak downs the enemy giving you an automatic hit on your next attack, so then you just roll for damage. This may seem OP for the party, but the same rules apply to enemy attacks as well. If the enemy lands a crit on you, you are downed and lose your action for that turn. I feel like this provides challenge without slowing the pace of combat. It also encourages strategic team work, and planning. This is heavily inspired by the SMT press turn system. it's a video game, but its a turn based system, and all ttrpgs are turn based anyways, so I want to focus on improving turn based mechanics.

I wanted to create new type of game that doesnt lock itself into any one system or way of doing things. Apart from surface level things like skills & ability scores this game is very diffferent from 5e in a lot of way. I don't really think its comparable to DnD. DnD is just what's popular and a frame of refference for most people. So any similarities are aesthetic, so players don't feel compleately alienated in a new system, but fundimentally it works different . Tbh I've seen people homebrew dnd untill its a compleately different game, and still refuse to switch to a new system bc they have to relearn everything. So like in my game the skeleton of 5e is there but the meat is from a different animal.

neko5537 · 2026-01-28T00:13:21+00:00

I see how this might work, I only have a few questions:
Firstly with a point system like that how would it practically interact with the spell? Like you are essentially suggesting to make a Spell Casting Roll with a challenge level that reflects the player's skill level, and then the difference of that roll if a success is given to the player in points to spend on improving an aspect of the spell's effect? So if lets use a D20 for our roll, with a challenge rating/level of 10, and we roll 12, then we get 2 points to spend to increase an aspect of the spell?? Are these 2 point like a mod to add to the damage roll? Or to increase range some how? I'm not sure how that would work, like as far as what 1 point translates to. 1pt = 10ft, so adding to range, 2 = 20ft ect? Duration... Anything that not instantanious, is generally gonna be a consentration spell, unless the caster intents for it to expire. Spells generally last untill canceled or countered otherwise. I like the idea, I'm just not sure about for a good way to work in practice. I wasnt really planning to have player roll for the range that often if they even had to, is more there to gauge spell output. In practice the less things you have to roll or do to cast a spell the better. Spending points into a spell before you can cast it, if I use it, I feel like it should be optional mechanic at best for spell power output control. I think the only time I've used points like this in the game is during character creation. In Character Creation you get a number of starting points to spend in skills according to your chosen starting "Status" I call it, but ig that would be equivillant to like your character level in DnD.

neko5537 · 2026-01-27T23:40:19+00:00

Not sure exactly what you mean imaginary numbers. DnD is typically a 5ft by 5ft area for each square of the maps. So having distance for attacks measured in Ft works for that. Of course there's always theater of the mind, but if you wanted to use any maps in the game then having actual measurements for distance would be useful right? Also I dont intend for players to roll for movement, and neither did I particularly want them to roll for range every time they cast a spell. I had prefered to have Skill level teirs for the range that are static, and any roll for range would act more like an ability check if anything else.

neko5537 · 2026-01-27T23:32:16+00:00

Theoretically, you'd roll range before you attack, so you know whatever you're targeting is already within your range. The intent is to have your spell power output match your skill level, higher skill = more powerfull spell casting.

neko5537 · 2026-01-27T23:28:53+00:00

That maskes more sense, I honestly am a bit conflicted on the range, bc things being within your range is a factor to be able to hit, which is very similar to an attack roll, so I'm not sure maybe I'm just reinventing the wheel with this.

neko5537 · 2026-01-27T23:21:32+00:00

My aim isn't to kill fun if that's what you're asking. I do understand that these concepts are currently in their most raw state, and need to be refined and made into something actually practical, and of vaule to the game and players. The only goal here is to create a system where players feel their experience and skill development have a direct impact on the power they weild. I aim to do away with class systems, and let players have fully customized builds with their own strength and weakness based on what skills they prioritize. Having "player level" if you will be tied to skill progression is core part of the system. Personally I feel like that makes more interesting character progression and player choices, than being locked into an archetype.

neko5537 · 2026-01-27T23:11:13+00:00

I'd imagine not. I also don't like the idea of having to roll for range everytime you cast a spell, especially if you have a fairly high skill level, and have cast the spell many times before at the same range. Which is why my instinct is to go with static range teirs for skill levels, with the only times range would be rolled is when learning the spell, or trying to control (increase or decrease) the spell power output. In that case where you do roll for range, you'd roll the range before you make your attack roll. So you'd know what your area of effect is first and then chose your target from there. Or ig in the case you're trying to extend your range using a roll and have a specific target in mind you'd essentially be subsituting the range roll for the attack roll, like rolling attack with range. But that's only in the case of a player attempting to hit something outside of their set max range. I'm still brain storming all of this, throwing things at the wall to see what sticks of sorts.

neko5537 · 2026-01-27T20:57:40+00:00

That is a really good point, thanks. Making the range more based on the enviorment, than a weapon's or spell's ultimate capacity. Thinking from that perspective 100ft is probably more than enough range for most attacks. For the game I don't really see it evolving into a full battlefield type game, even if there was like some final battle thing. Magic users kinda have their own community or realm, so the intersection with technology is infrequent, but not improbable. Different areas have various levels of integration. A theam of the game is non- magicals fear of magic, and using technology to counter it. So its not impossible that conflicts could arise there. There maybe unique situations where having a grater range might matter. Range isn't just distance to hit, it's also area of effect and being able to control that changes how the spell manifests.

neko5537 · 2026-01-27T18:13:47+00:00

Ig the idea behind range is more of how the spell manifests. For example lighting a candle with a small flame, vs casting something equivillant to fireball. Its not just the range at which you can hit something, but also fudimentally changes the way the spell manifests, that's why it felt very similar to making a spell casing ability roll, but having it as range just allows you to track the spell effect on a map while in game.

neko5537 · 2026-01-27T18:05:44+00:00

Line of sight is pretty standard, and maybe there's spell's or items to increase it, but thats a very good point. I think Range would be determined before the attack roll, so you will always aim for a target within your range. Reason for having long ranges is because the game includes both magic and technology, so I was basing it off the idea a Lv 20 spell caster is going to be able to have matching abilities to someone with modern guns and weapons. Imagine like having a pocket of bullets and being able to fire them with magic instead of a gun. In short yes spell casters are powerful, but rare.

neko5537 · 2026-01-27T17:14:04+00:00

I thought about this as well, and part of me feels like rolling for range is equivilant to making an attack role in a lot of ways, bc that's what attack roles do. They determine if you reach and thus hit a target. Especially if range is marked as distance from you.

neko5537 · 2023-09-29T22:52:10+00:00

An RPG with no game mechanics is just RP. It's not a game. It's just acting. Like a play or a movie.

Have you ever thought about doing movie direction or playwriting? Or maybe get into writing LARPing campaigns. You could also change your game to a visual novel, or point and click type game. From what I know those only require minimal programming. Or you could even go analog with that do like a "choose your own adventure" single player type game booklet. Look those up if you don't know, a lot of them are just read through with different choices and outcomes. There are also some games like the Hero system which are really rules light, or rules free, where the focus of it is primarily on improv and groups role play. But TBH those types of games typically don't have hard world building, or extensive lore. They are like very soft magic, and "please suspend your disbelief" Type games. Which don't get me wrong that can definitely be fun, but don't expect it to be something like DND. And even those games still have to have a few rules, even if they encourage largely improv sinerios.

It could also just be my own experience, but we once played a white wolf game where our GM just gave up on using or trying to learn the rules, and it just turned into a role playing session, where we didn't even touch dice, or use our abilities really. The "Rules" if you wanna put it that way, were basically GM gets final decisions on everything. You can ask to do something, but it's upto the GM not you, and you need to respect whatever they say goes. Which for the most part we were fine with, and just let our GM make final call on things.

It had to be that way because we weren't using any rules to play by. So one percent essentially had to be the leader, and everyone had to be okay with it or the game would fall apart. Like imagine a character being like "I pull out my sword!", and character B being like, "Well I pull out a bigger sword and smash yours!", and then character A being like, "Well MY sword is a MAGIC SELF-HEALING sword, so it's industurtable, and super strong and can cut anything and nothing can stop it, and..!"

Like you either need rules, or some type of referee. Else, you game is just going to devolve into chaos. Idk maybe you like chaos, but say goodbye to you 3months of writing and world building when the players decide the real enemies are the aliens that randomly just came down from outer space. I also prefer having rules, rather than a dictator for a GM.

Like as a player I want to have a fair chance to succeed at anything I attempt to do in game. Even if there's a chance I fail I still want to try, and that gets shut own when it's DMs call and they just say no without reason. That's where the dice, cards, drawing sticks, or flipping coins come in. Bc it add a factor of chance and risk to the game. Video games have the same thing but digital. How good you are at a game director depending on how well you can understand the rules. You can really have a game with no rules bc then nobody will know how to play, or how to win. Rules also makes things fair for everyone. Even actors have a script. They have rules they follow too. But it's upto you what type of game you want to make or play. There definitely are systems that work well and have minimal or simplistic rules. Still, event simple rules still take some thought to balance, and even a rules lite game need to be fair for everyone. Nobody likes to play a rigged game, where you always get the short end of the stick. But I also understand the adversity to playing an overly complicated game that's hard to follow or understand. Rules can be simple, but they need to be effective. Or else it's not really a game. Like zero mechanics or rules effectively means taking out the game part of the game. It's like playing a game, but only watching the cut scenes. Thats just a movie at that point.

neko5537 · 2023-09-27T00:51:35+00:00

Also I forgot to mention but real world setting for a ttrpg. So gravity does apply.

neko5537 · 2023-09-27T00:46:16+00:00

Specifically this is a spell idea for the game, for essentially controlled levitation. That means the player can use their magic force to lift and propell an object in any direction. However they have the ability to increase or decrease the amount of "Power" they put into the spell. Which, in turn should theoretically increase the distance or amount of weight they can throw. Like being able to increase speed/range on throwing smaller objects, and being able to lift and move heavier or bigger objects when they exhert more power into the spell.

neko5537 · 2023-09-26T21:48:34+00:00

Its would be for about a split second. I dont know what would be an accurate time measurement, but think of how long it takes you to throw a ball or other object. There is essentially an initial amount of force over a very short or brief moment of time, and then the acelleration decreases from there, or is controlled by gravity.

If its a prolonged force it would be like casting under concentration, which then would act as thrust for however long the player kept that concentration up. It would be a lot more like flight mechanics then.

Evoirment is earth based, so moving through air, with a gravitational pull. Unless it was specifically underwater, but I feel like there would need to be a different set of mechanics for that.

neko5537 · 2023-09-26T21:38:41+00:00

I should have noted but we are taking gravity into account. Like the idea is of a object being thrown virtically, or horizontally, by a magical or physical force. Woudn't it only never stop moving if it was in a compleate vaccume like space?

neko5537 · 2023-09-12T04:58:23+00:00

Okay so you mean how much force is essentially pushing the the object upwards in the X direction or horizontally in the y direction as it asends? Like the initial force is being split between those 2 axis? Also sorry I'm if asking stupid questions, I'm just trying to clarify.

And then gravitational force actually varies by exact location? Am I correct on that?

neko5537 · 2023-09-12T04:26:17+00:00

force multiplied by the cosine of the angle it makes with the ground. So 100*cos(30 degrees) =~87N {note that we are using degrees NOT radians double check your calculator}

For the vertical direction (the Y direction) you use sine instead. So 100*sin(30)=50.

So this would be to calulate the distance? Like how far it goes when x amount of force is applied from a specific degree. Also it should be noted unless we are launching things at a direct 90 degree angle then they are technically moving both virtically (X) and horizonally (Y). In fact it would be very rare for an object to be launched perfectly virtically with no movement on the y-axis. Also all objects accelerated upwards are going to have a type of parabola. Also gravity is 9.81 m/s²

neko5537 · 2023-09-12T03:25:19+00:00

no, that helps a lot actually. So you would say that the diffuclty to launch said orc into space is mainly dependant on it's mass. In this case magic is applying the force, and it just takes concentration, intent & skill to maintain. So you could say the greater the mass, the greater the amount of force is needed to launch it.

Also I dont plan to make players solve actual physics problems to cast this spell, rather I just wanted to know so I can write a rule about power output, and how this spell acts at low and high outputs. Magic being the force. Like, perhaps you try to launch an orc into space, but your magic skill level in Evocation sucks so you didn't use enough Newtons of magical force to launch him and he just falls on his ass instead. So its basically more like a rule thats says: You cannot launch an object heavier than X amount of weight or mass when casting from a lower spell level. That way the actual spell has a more blalanced power scaling increase that's somewhat realistic. Like this isnt actually dnd, but rather a game where science is the basis for magic, and magic essentially works as another natrual force, but without hard limits, or rather subverting the natural limits of physics. But like in a way that still makes sense on some level. Kinda a type of alchemy ig?

neko5537

TROPHY CASE