Clo's Really Ultra-Lite RP (Big WIP)

[Clovis]

Greetings CotH! Clovis here. Former Guild Leader of The Frostbrand Marines and most common Dungeon Master for their events! Roll based RP combat has always had a spot in my heart, but it's always been an uphill battle to find a system where we could still have rolls without all the BS. The long waits between emotes. The feeling of dread when you roll a 2 out of 100 - still leaving you hoping that the next guy will roll a 1. Did I mention the length?

At it's worst, an rp event could attract as many as 15 people to play, and if everyone had their turns, it could take as long as 3 to 5 hours. Hell, even after that long we may not of been able to finish the entirety of the scene. Yes, players typing their emotes quicker is always helpful, but it doesn't make that much of a dent without having something done to deal with the rolls.

In events with more than 5-10 people, depending on the length of the event I had originally planned, I would ask players to form groups of two, on one large occasion, three. They picked their partners, and when it was their turn, both characters emoted their attacks together, and one player rolled for them. It did help speed things up, but I want a way that will give us that level of speed without forcing players to team up against their will (Though I still may use groups in the future).

After going through some Ultra-Lite rp systems like GRUPS ultra-lite and Risus: The Anything RPG, and borrowing/tweaking/flat-out-stealing some ideas, I've begun work on 'CotH Ultra-Lite'. Just a neat, painfully simple system to allow for fair, quick roll combat and roll-focused rp events. I should warn ahead that the way this works, is essentially giving the Dungeon Master larger amounts of control regarding what's happening. Obviously, this is better left for Dungeon Masters who are not biased against any players, else there may be some drama-mongering. I figure it's much easier for a group of people to trust their characters with one player in charge than it is for them to trust their characters with the entire group.

Again, this is a major Work In Progress.

Dah Rolls:

/roll 1-6 (Or /roll 6)

"Well, that....sounds.....simple?"

It is! Pretty much, when YOU are attacking something in PvE combat, you do a /roll 6. The thing being attacked does not roll defense. Even numbers are GOOD. Odd numbers are [EVIL WICKED BAD. The higher the even number, the better the result for you! The lower the odd number, the more epic your failure is!

1: "My failure shall shame my bloodline for generations! Seppuku is the only option!" (Crit Failure)
2: "I barely hit him! Yay!" (Minor Dmg)
3: "It's like I'm really blind!" (Miss)
4: "I stabbed dah bastard!" (Normal Dmg)
5: "I missed by a hair!" (Pitiful Dmg)
6: "A crit hitter is me!" (Crit Hit)

When YOU are being attacked by something in PvE, you roll for defense. The thing attacking you does not roll for offense.

1: "Why do I feel a breeze on my brain?" (Double Damage)
2: "That was way too close for comfort!" (Drained Stamina)
3: "Oh god, not in the ovaries!" (Hit)
4: "Leet dodging/blocking/parrying skills, yo!" (Avoid)
5: "That stings!" (Glancing Blow)
6: "COUNTERATTACK, MOFO!" (Counterattack)


In PvP, the person being attacked ALWAYS rolls. Never the person attacking.

How does health work?

There is none!

*Crickets*

Basically, it's all in the DMs hands to decide just how much damage you've endured. And yours too. As your character gets damage, it's your call to say if you think your character has had enough to be KO'd. If your character somehow endures over 9000 /roll 1 defense rolls somehow, expect the DM to call you out.

If you think a DM is wrong to assume your character would pass out after one or two /roll 1 defense rolls, you can argue your case OOCly. Ask a GM for their input. Think of the HP system as a highly modified trust system.

How does healing work?

Same as attacking. Obviously, because there is no HP, the overall effectiveness of a heal is in the DMs hands. I -would- like Healers to feel a bit more 'involved' however. So healing can have certain reactions to Critical Hits and Critical Fails. Buffs and Debuffs/Magic Shields work the same way. At the discretion of the DM.

1: "I'm a doctor, not a killer!" (Crit Fail heals will damage the caster. Rolling more than three 1's during a battle can critically KO the healer.)
2: "You might need some stitches!" (Weak Heal)
3: "Oh wow I screwed that spell up." (Minor Debuff)
4: "On the plus side, sexy scars!" (Minor Buff)
5: "I can kiss your boo-boos if that helps!" (Pitiful Heal)
6: "DAH POWAH!" (Multi-Target Heal + Damage/Debuff nearby Enemy.)

How does dying work?

More often than not, when a DM says you're character is too damaged to keep fighting, that will always mean they're in a weakened, non-KO'd state. They simply cannot attack and can barely move, but can still talk weakly. A DM will say if you're KO'd. A KO'd character cannot do anything and must be healed after combat to get back up.

Death works like normal on CotH. No Pre-Event Character Warning = no Death.

Soulstones follow normal CotH rules. In non-death events, Soulstones can be used to revive a KO'd player with a quarter of their health.

How do complex spells work?

WIP Spells

Spoiler:

Life Tap: Take Damage to increase damage of next attack.

Damage over Time spells: Once cast, slowly do damage to the enemy over the course of other players turns. By the time the DoT casters next turn comes, they would need to recast the DoT. The damage is minor.

Stealth: Like normal CotH rules, stealth isn't 'turning invisible'. Attacking from a stealthed position does grant double damage, however.

Stuns: Will usually stun the enemy for as long as the DM says so - normally for the next two players turns. Sometimes longer.

Roots: Prevent the target from moving for X turns. Can still attack.

Sleep/Incapacitate: 'Stun' the enemy for X turns. Attacking will wake them up.

Vanish: Temporarily put up a smoke screen or distraction to get into a stealthed position.

Mind Control: TBD

Fade: Makes you partially non-corporeal. Lasts X turns. Very vulnerable to magic damage.

Mind Soothe: Removes Enrage effects.

Shadowfiend: Deals extra damage on casters turns. Lasts for 3 of the casters turns.

Hand of Reckoning: Minor damage ranged attack. Gets the enemies attention on you.

Lay on Hands: Very powerful heal. Only used once per event.

Hand of Protection: Immune to physical damage for X turns. Cannot attack.

Righteous Defense: Commands attention of small group of enemies.

Repentance: TBD

Counterspell: Silences for X turns.

Evocation: Channels for X turns. Provides additional damage on next attack for each channeled turn.

Spellsteal: Attempt to duplicate enemies last magic attack. Effect varies.

Raise Ally: Counts as a resurrection spell. Cannot be used in battle.

Army of the Dead: Requires corpse dust. Summons 10 undead minions. Lasts only until the DK's next attack. Requires separate attack rolls.

Mind Control:

Spoiler:

1: Backfires - lose your own will for 1 turn.
2: Stun enemy for 1 turn.
3: Failure.
4: Control enemies body for 1 turn. Cannot use magic/special spells.
5: Root enemy for 1 turn. Can still attack.
6: Dominate Mind. Must /roll 6 every turn. Must get a 2,4, or 6 to continue dominating mind. Lasts 5 turns max.

Repentance:

Spoiler:

1: Backfires. Paladin is stunned for a turn.
2: Sleep for 2 turns.
3: Failure
4: Stun for two turns.
5: Failure
6: Enemy becomes stricken with guilt (If possible) and will not attack for 3 turns. Can still defend.

Other Stuff: Obvious I still have things to cover like feats, traits, special stuff like that. But for now, I'm going to leave this as is and wait for any opinions/ideas/criticisms/ect before continuing, as I've pretty much drained my brain juice dry on this so far. So basically, this is a big ol' WIP, but definitely usable in it's current form.

So, please, if you're interested, help me evolve this by mentioning spells that should be given special attention, tweaks and modifications for the rolls/HP/healing system, and ideas for future stuff.


"Wait. Wait. Why wouldn't I just do trust?"
Not everyone likes trust, and not everyone trusts one another. While this system has a lot of trust elements, I'm trying to make it take all the good of trust (Speed, neatness, simplicity) and mix it with the good of Rolls (Fairness/Degree of randomness, control, finality).

"So if I roll a 6, I'm god. But if I roll a 1, I'm dead?"
No. That was just me being dramatic. Sure, 1's and 6's are big deals, but they aren't insta-kill anything. Unless the DM, well...

"What if we don't have a DM?"
In the event you want to use this for say, a one on one rp fight with no DM, then it's pretty much just a matter of trusting each other to stay true to verdict the rolls issue.

"I DON'T LIKE YOUR DAMN SYSTEM. THIS LOOKS STUPID AND ILL-PLANNED."

Up yours!

On that note, yes, I was in a rush to type this all down since I had a brief moment of inspiration. I plan on making this more neat as time goes on and I have experience with it.

[Psycho]

Looks promising.

[Dae]

Now, call me biased, as I like healing classes, and a bit unknowledgeable about how CotH handles healing in battle, as I have participated in admittedly little combat on this server, but I feel a bit uncomfortable with the idea that if I were to heal, I'd wind up with a 1/3 chance of doing harm to my subject.
In a critical failure, I could definitely see something like that happening, but if a spell blows up in your face, I'd imagine it would more likely do something to the caster before the target.

Of course, part of why I generally avoid combat is because it entails tedium, and this could very well help to remedy the issue.
Thank you, Clovis, for this effort.

[Rigley]

Now, call me biased, as I like healing classes, and a bit unknowledgeable about how CotH handles healing in battle, as I have participated in admittedly little combat on this server, but I feel a bit uncomfortable with the idea that if I were to heal, I'd wind up with a 1/3 chance of doing harm to my subject.
In a critical failure, I could definitely see something like that happening, but if a spell blows up in your face, I'd imagine it would more likely do something to the caster before the target.

Of course, part of why I generally avoid combat is because it entails tedium, and this could very well help to remedy the issue.
Thank you, Clovis, for this effort.

Actually looking over it I believe there are only two 'bad heals' which would damage the target. Granted, depending on the character I'm not even completely keen on that, heh. Perhaps with a paladin in the middle of combat, but perhaps something could be factored in for characters who are dedicated healers? (feats/traits/etc perhaps?)

[Kirabo]

I like it.

Do go on, mister Clovis.

[Clovis]

I'll do a little edit after work (Half day!). Perhaps 1 will result in a point of damage to the caster and a 1-2 turn silence?

Still like the idea of a 3 causing some sort of debuff. Though open to suggestions.

[c0rzilla]

I like it in general, and I understand the need for balance. But, I just don't understand how Light can accidentally hurt the caster during heals, or...anyone really. Unless they were undead.

I suppose balance > sense?

[Aphetoros]

It's a mana burn. Despite it being based on faith, a priest's magic still uses mana as mana is the ability of a person to manipulate magical energies (from what I understand.) AKA their capacity for magic at any given time.

[Clovis]

Like I said, I'm open to suggestions regarding how best to punish failed rolls for healers. The issue is that using say, a 'Silence' effect sort of takes healers out of the action. In the case of damage, it's easier to say they suffer damage from failed heals due to 'losing their concentration', which would....weaken them some how?


.....SUGGESTIONS PL0X. Getting hurt for a botched heal in /roll rps tends to be the norm, however.

[Rigley]

Aaaah.

I may have misread the first time, as I had the impression the damage would affect the target, not the caster. I'm much better off with that; kinda feel that anything negative should come back onto the healer more than anyone else, as while manaburn may be a bit more understandable I don't really see the light causing a negative effect on its target save an incompetent healer.

EDIT: Personally silence seems the best to me, as you could say that the caster was unable to regain their concentration. Or something.

[c0rzilla]

Yeah, I like silence too. Perhaps a healer could choose whether it's damage, or silence? I can see a shaman or druid getting nipped by a natural discharge or something.

[Xigo]

Heal critical failure
1 - The heal has failed so terribly, that whatever force that powered the heal has turned against its wielder! Whether it's the Light abandoning the priest, or the Spirits ignoring the shaman, he/she may not use spells on his/her next turn.

[Clovis]

So, after todays trial event, I learned a few things.

Even with a small group, things were still slower than I would of liked.

Even using 'Pairs'* and having one person roll for two people, things were still slower than I liked.

People roll 1's and 3's -A lot-.

* The 'Pairs' system is something I wanted to introduce to speed up events with lots of people.

It involved taking two players from the group and having them team up ICly during their attacks. I would annouce that it was their turn and they'd do a dual emote together detailing their attacks. Usually, one person would roll for both players benefits.

However, having two people roll is fine. The extra person doesn't really effect time that much.

[Rigley]

I'd suggest doing pairs a la just having two turns at once; especially since there may be instances where a player may have an issue with another rolling for him.

Aside from that; do your enemies have a set amount of health? It may be good to test out how large of a mob a group can take in good timing.

[Aphetoros]

People roll 1's -A lot-.

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