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Melevolence
A Total Mess Of A Man
- Joined
- Sep 29, 2016
- Location
- Maine, USA
Hello to all you stank bitches! I have been toying with the idea of creating a superhero themed pen and paper roleplaying system for a year or so now and have only really just begun to put ideas and thoughts down on paper. The problem is I'm uncertain exactly how I wish to do said system and was seeking advice and peoples thoughts on some concepts I've been leaning towards.
I've looked at a couple of established superhero themed rpg systems for inspiration and concepts I could possibly borrow and implement into my own. Incidentally many are interesting but aren't exactly what I had in mind (Such as Heros Unlimited, Truth & Justice and a couple others).
Firstly my big desire is to create a rather freeform character creation. I have often stepped away from games like D&D or Pathfinder because character creation feels a bit too static and progression itself to be lack luster and rather samey. I've grown to dislike the stat generation systems (Such as roll some dice and hope you don't roll like shit, have a set of numbers you allot to the stats you want, etc). It also feels like characters are often TOO swiss army knife in general which breaks all sense of immersion to me (Have had more games than I can count where everyone in the party can do the same tasks as a specific class with equal or even better proficiency, which is...*yawn*).
For character creation I was leaning on something akin to GURPS where a point system is used to create your character. You use these points to generate your initial stats, purchase abilities, skills and traits for your character. I loved the idea that purchasing particular traits could refund you points if they are negative in nature (Such as being vain, arrogant, clumsy, etc) and having those means they MUST play into your character during sessions (Can't just stack up on negatives for extra points). Those negative qualities could later be 'removed' by paying points later on (Which show a character changing over time. Like an initially lone wolf character could learn to be a team player and such).
The next thing I had to consider was what dice to use. I ended up settling on a D20 though I have toyed with the idea of using a 'reverse' system where you want to roll equal to or lower than your target roll. Your target roll for actions will depend on the stat that'd be tied to such an action plus any modifiers you might have through skills, equipment, etc. A very basic example would be if a super strength type of character wished to break down a wall, they'd roll using their Strength stat. In this example let's say their Strength was 8 and they also have Super Strength which adds a +1 modifier to such an action. This character would need to roll a 9 or less to succeed in busting the wall. Of course modifiers on the other end could apply (Maybe the wall is reinforced so it generates a -1 to the character's roll, meaning in the above example they'd need an 8 or less). 1's would be crits, 20's failures, etc.
I've always been a tad annoyed by difficulty checks which is why I think the above system is nifty. I much prefer characters having more certainty in doing tasks. Sure it removes the "WOAH! I can't believe I did that!" type of situations when you succeed in a task you honestly had no business succeeding in...while said situations CAN happen I feel it'll be a lot less in this one. I like the idea of each hero having a defined role that others can't always step on their toes when it comes to it. A Batman like character should be getting sucking at stealth or hacking by a character that has no real skills in that but just so happens to be equally good because the system allows it and breaks flavor.
Probably the most impossible idea I've had is the system allowing for complete custom power creation by players. I'd make pre-made powers that'd be in the core rules for people who want to have quicker play without having to feel like they're doing math homework while creating a power yet I want that freedom to be a possibility. It'd be so difficult to balance and it's likely a pipe dream (I'm no mathmagician, so it's likely I'd never be able to do this without severe assistance).
Anywho that's sort of the ideas I've had milling around and I've scribbled down in a notebook over the past couple months. I've more I could dive into but I'll stop here just for now. If anyone has any ideas/suggestions I'd love to hear them and I'll gladly answer any specific questions if you've got em. Just want to spitball a bit and try to figure it all out XD
I've looked at a couple of established superhero themed rpg systems for inspiration and concepts I could possibly borrow and implement into my own. Incidentally many are interesting but aren't exactly what I had in mind (Such as Heros Unlimited, Truth & Justice and a couple others).
Firstly my big desire is to create a rather freeform character creation. I have often stepped away from games like D&D or Pathfinder because character creation feels a bit too static and progression itself to be lack luster and rather samey. I've grown to dislike the stat generation systems (Such as roll some dice and hope you don't roll like shit, have a set of numbers you allot to the stats you want, etc). It also feels like characters are often TOO swiss army knife in general which breaks all sense of immersion to me (Have had more games than I can count where everyone in the party can do the same tasks as a specific class with equal or even better proficiency, which is...*yawn*).
For character creation I was leaning on something akin to GURPS where a point system is used to create your character. You use these points to generate your initial stats, purchase abilities, skills and traits for your character. I loved the idea that purchasing particular traits could refund you points if they are negative in nature (Such as being vain, arrogant, clumsy, etc) and having those means they MUST play into your character during sessions (Can't just stack up on negatives for extra points). Those negative qualities could later be 'removed' by paying points later on (Which show a character changing over time. Like an initially lone wolf character could learn to be a team player and such).
The next thing I had to consider was what dice to use. I ended up settling on a D20 though I have toyed with the idea of using a 'reverse' system where you want to roll equal to or lower than your target roll. Your target roll for actions will depend on the stat that'd be tied to such an action plus any modifiers you might have through skills, equipment, etc. A very basic example would be if a super strength type of character wished to break down a wall, they'd roll using their Strength stat. In this example let's say their Strength was 8 and they also have Super Strength which adds a +1 modifier to such an action. This character would need to roll a 9 or less to succeed in busting the wall. Of course modifiers on the other end could apply (Maybe the wall is reinforced so it generates a -1 to the character's roll, meaning in the above example they'd need an 8 or less). 1's would be crits, 20's failures, etc.
I've always been a tad annoyed by difficulty checks which is why I think the above system is nifty. I much prefer characters having more certainty in doing tasks. Sure it removes the "WOAH! I can't believe I did that!" type of situations when you succeed in a task you honestly had no business succeeding in...while said situations CAN happen I feel it'll be a lot less in this one. I like the idea of each hero having a defined role that others can't always step on their toes when it comes to it. A Batman like character should be getting sucking at stealth or hacking by a character that has no real skills in that but just so happens to be equally good because the system allows it and breaks flavor.
Probably the most impossible idea I've had is the system allowing for complete custom power creation by players. I'd make pre-made powers that'd be in the core rules for people who want to have quicker play without having to feel like they're doing math homework while creating a power yet I want that freedom to be a possibility. It'd be so difficult to balance and it's likely a pipe dream (I'm no mathmagician, so it's likely I'd never be able to do this without severe assistance).
Anywho that's sort of the ideas I've had milling around and I've scribbled down in a notebook over the past couple months. I've more I could dive into but I'll stop here just for now. If anyone has any ideas/suggestions I'd love to hear them and I'll gladly answer any specific questions if you've got em. Just want to spitball a bit and try to figure it all out XD