Making a Roleplaying Base System (Extreme WIP, please help)

[sabs]

I don't know, I think that if you're going for a 100 levels.. you should stop, and go for none.

Switch to a skill system, and not a level system.

[fectin]

@fectin: I want the depth of GURPS with a moldeable fantasy setting (I want to say that it's like Eberron from D&D, but that was a very poorly-made campaign setting that I don't wish to model my own game after).

And yes, it's a pen and paper game. What would make it seem more like a pen and paper game?

Lots of levels means lots of work writing and lots of playtesting for balance. It also means a LOT of work for players. Either they spend a lot of time copying very minor bonuses from table lookups or they get option paralysis from picking which of the hundred-odd options they want this level. It actually works great for MMOs though, because people get minor bonuses to what they were already doing, the table look-ups happen automagically, and you can have non-integer bonuses, because it's all in the background anyway.


I'm not sure what "the depth of GURPS" means. What do you think are the two or three best parts of GURPS?

Otherwise, it sounds like your high level concept is "gaslamp fantasy with ninjitsu flavor and [GURPS depth]."

To me that says your functional requirements include a robust crafting system, a sort of schtick-based "magic", and a crunchy but fast combat system with a low lethality. You probably don't need a detailed social interaction system. You may or may not want rock-paper-scissors style balance. Plus whatever shakes out of [GURPS depth].


If you were doing a real rigorous or large scale design, I'd advise you to really work on each step (concept-> functional requirements-> performance requirements-> design-> test performance -> validate function) but even as a school project, just going through the motions will really help focus your effort.

Also, it will never be detrimental for you to have an idea how system engineering goes. It's an incredibly broadly applicable paradigm for designing systems (especially systems of systems), and good or bad application has real dollar effects like you would not believe.

[JigokuBosatsu]

What the fuck? Are you Autistic?

He's a high school senior writing his own RPG. Of course he's autistic!!!

[...You Lost Me]

Annnnnnnnnnnnnnd updates have happened! I'd like some more feedback on whether my proposed power levels made sense, and if the idea of EVERYTHING IS A PRESTIGE CLASS is a good idea.

Also, I'm starting to dislike my statistics array. I'm trying to make it so that magic and melee are governed by stats in different ways, but I don't know how to do that in a way that I like... suggestions?

[Blasted]

You've proposed power levels for 1 and 100, without specifying which god in question. Zeus? Ra? Abrahimic?
What's the practical difference between 1 and 2 that there should be slow advancement which is noticable? 2 and 3? and so on until99.

Besides the utter insanity which is your 100 levels of slow advancement, what do you actually want to acheive with your RNG?
They both have around the same number of discreet steps, but one has a flat distribution and the other is a pyramid. They have distinctly different affects.

I have no issue with the idea of selecting a new class every few levels.

Your thread title is stupid.

[Niles]

If you are set on having 100 levels, don't make level 1 the starting level for PCs. Make it 5 or 10 or something.

This gives you room to put bystanders and cannon-fodder on the level scale, and gives new PCs enough abilities to provide tactical interest without overloading the first level.

[For Valor]

Guys, don't be idiots. He has power levels for 1-15 (not 100) and he has examples to go with it. ...Youlostme, I'll give it a quick lookover when I get home. It looks decent.

[...You Lost Me]

mmyes, I have changed the level scheme. And I gave examples to the best of my ability, so it'd be awesome if you looked at those! Thank you kindly.

Also, I will change the thread title, seeing as it IS stupid.

[Blasted]

The new power levels make some sense, it's easy to see how they relate.
There is a big difference in the amount of levels spent at tier 2.
1st tier 3 levels, 2nd tier 5 levels, then back to 3 levels on 3 & 4.
I'd suggest making them all 3 or 4 levels, then having an advancement scheme which runs the same way in each tier.
ie.
2 Abilities
Feat
2 More abilities
Additional feat.

As an aside, I think that your method of adding classes to the base class would work extremely well with the various tier proposals floating around the IMHO forum, such as: http://tgdmb.com/viewtopic.php?t=51717

The stats themselves seem fine.
How do you see the base stats affecting the training stats?

Thanks for changing the title.

[...You Lost Me]

... You lost me. Are you saying I shouldn't do the 3-levels-per-rank thing?

Also, I will look at that tier page when I get back from school today. Is that the one where Frank posted a follow-up (It had something to do with commoner tiers... and I remember seeing the word blacksmith... I know that doesn't help a bit. I was just wondering if there were connecting threads)?

[Blasted]

I'm saying you should link rank to getting a new class, either using 4 levels to the rank or having 5 ranks of 3 levels. This means that everything is interlinked.
If that was your intention, then your second rank is off, having 5 levels (4 to 9 inclusive).

There were several threads on tiers. It was a hot topic for about a month. IT might be worth your while doing a search for 'tier' in the IMO forum.

[...You Lost Me]

Are you sure? I'm seeing this:
1. 2 Rank 1 Abilities
2. Feat
3. 2 Rank 1 Abilities
4. 2 Rank 2 Abilities
5. Feat
6. 2 Rank 2 Abilities
7. 2 Rank 3 Abilities
8. Feat
9. 2 Rank 3 Abilities

1-3, 4-6, and 7-9 is the breakdown. But maybe you're looking at something else... or maybe it doesn't even matter. I'm planning on making each "rank" 3 levels. Wherever my error is, I'll correct it. But we're on the same page concerning that now.

I'm looking at tier stuff right now... there is a lot. Woah. Will be reading through it.

Also, about the base stats and stuff. I was planning on having you add your base stat to your related training stat, which would produce some value that you used. Basic addition, because I dislike difficult math.

[Blasted]

1-3, 4-6, and 7-9 is the breakdown. But maybe you're looking at something else... or maybe it doesn't even matter. I'm planning on making each "rank" 3 levels. Wherever my error is, I'll correct it. But we're on the same page concerning that now.

Doesn't gel with

1-3. A: Base classes
4-9. B: Prestige Classes (they will have a different name, I promise!)
10-12. C: Awesome PrC’s
13-15. D: Ascension to Godhood.

You could easily make it do so.

[...You Lost Me]

ohhhhh I see. I meant that 1-3, 4-6, 7-9 was a pattern, and you would follow that to level 15 (I was too lazy to write out the whole thing, so I threw "etc..." on the end there). Base classes are 1 rank, decent PrC's are 2, awesomes are 1, and godhood PrCs are 1.

THAT IS ALL CLEARED UP!!!

Now, I've also got a request. I'm supposed to have a mentor for my project, and I really don't know who to ask. I trust quite a few of you guys to be honest and not cyberstalkery, but I can totally see that you wouldn't trust me. Still, I'm going to put this out here (and I'll put it in the OP too). Would any of you be interested in acting as my official project mentor? You'd need to give contact information to my overseeing panel so that they can ask you if this project is legitimate or not, how my progress is going, and whether or not you think my goals are reasonable.

It'd be great to get some help here, but I absolutely understand if you don't trust a random person on the internet with your personal information.

[Dean]

Fascinating. I declare this fascinating