Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 vulkhar Jan 20, 2008 17:34:57	Well, about myself, I am a dedicated roleplayer and an ardent dilettante concerning different game systems since the time when telephone receivers where hanged on modems to connect to other PCs. My rl play experience is mainly with Call of Cthulhuh and that awful german system dsa, but I really fell in love with WotC's visualization of Rules Mechanics (there is no worse monster then the one the GM can't imagine...) and Backgrund Worlds. I studied the course of D&D 3 and 3.5e' s evolution joined one or two nice pbp-adventures and finally stumbled upon CO-Board. Guys, you are major avatars of rule-nerdism and I adore you! Well so much for the socializing, let's get to business. From what I understood from the short description of this board, this is the place to get good advice for finetuning the crunch of an adopted setting. Now, there is one game world, I would really like to use, anyone knows the web comic Girl Genius? If not, google and enjoy I just love this setting, where Mars, the Americans and the West Pole seem to be about equidistant from Europa, where Master Paynes Travelling Heterodyne Show bests the apocalyptic weirdnesses, that haunt the county sites, while things go constantlantly bunk inside the head of the ruling elite, their clanks or their Jagermonster constructs Well, a lot of this world seems to convert easily into D&D-terms, especially if Eberron sources are used: Genius Girl herself, the Heterodynes, the Wulfenbachs and the Royals are all portrayed clearly as Epic-Level artificers. clanks are unawakend, constructs are awakened effigy creatures, blimps and bound-elemental skyboats seem to have no big difference in their mechanical relation to the gamesworld, besides that the one are more bulky and the others sport a flashy ring around them. "The Spark" sounds to me, kind of like a herited Template that gives a ragelike effect for charisma, but I am also pondering looking more closely into action-point-specific feats. I don't think the plot line has developed enough, to decide how Castle Heterodyne can be explained most sparkling rules-wise. So much for the beef, now... One BIG problem I had with D&D since I first encountered it, is the Vancian Magic System. Its rigidity and predictability has it strong assets in mathematically balancing character levels in magic-rich campaigns (even if CO-Boards is even better in unbalancing them again - which would not be half the fun it if weren't such a challenge.) but to my taste it is a bit sterile. Magic (or Mad Science) does not have so many chances to go awry, as scroll mishaps, like failed diplomatic checks vs summoned outsiders, can be easily avoided by simply not using higher-level scrolls and not trying planar bindings without proper preparation. Magic items come convenient-sized as scrolls, wands or dress and easily fit into haversacks and cheap magic compartments. Now if there is one decisive idea in SteamPunk and Mad Science, then it is the idea, that the bigger, unwieldier and the more prone to causing accidents devices get, the more powerful they become. Now, in D&D there is absolutely no advantage in carrying around large unwieldy devices besides weapon and armor. I think, this is something I would like to change. The best point to start that, I think, is by designing some new feats for the artificer. I think of something along this line: Prototype Engineer: You can reduce the XP-costs of any spell-trigger item you produce by allowing an increasing chance of a scroll mishap, every time the item is activated. x% cost reduction -> y% mishap chance. Sturdy Mechanic: You can reduce the scroll mishap chance on any item made with the Prototype Feat by doubling its gp costs (without increasing appropriate xp-cost) and increasing it one size category. As this size increase is not balanced for melee purpose, reach and damage are not affected by this size increase (should this ever come in question) x% mishap reduction per size increase (maybe not linear) Clank Engineer: You can reduce the XP-costs of any permanent magic item by having the item roll for scroll mishap in a given frequency: 1/year -> x% cost reduction, 1/month -> x2% cost reduction ....... 2/turn -> xn% cost reduction. O.K., those are my ideas, so far. Now I would love some advice from the real sparks around here.... Thanks Vulkhar
#2 argulfraster Jan 21, 2008 16:55:25	Girl Genius is coming out in GURPS format, so I suppose I might steal a PDF of that somewhere and reverse-engineer it.
#3 mr_seth Mar 30, 2008 20:28:50	Alternate idea - make a way to eliminate XP costs for crafting, with base failure rates based on feats, complexity of item, and craft check. Or, to put it more succinctly... Fr = (C/D)-B Fr = Failure rate C = Complexity of item D = Degree of success on the craft check B = Feat bonuses A bit abstract, but the theory is sound. I think that you could make Madboy a sound base class with a little elbow grease.