Views on the empire. People of the land.
SETTING - work in progress

Merchants: The empire is both a blessing and a bane. Its soldiers keep trade routes safe and goods accessible to all. Profit margins are low however and a tradesman must work as hard as the next man.

Mercenaries: Life is hard for those in the trade. Work is scarce as most land is secure and employment is mostly found in the vanishing frontiers. The imperials employs us in these dangerous lands as cheap enforcers while keeping their own safe. Soon there will be nothing for the likes of us.

Scholars: It's an age of enlightenment. There is all the peace and prosperity necessary for research and development. From those of us dedicated to the arcane to the curious of the past, it really is a golden age for reason.

Nobles: Freedom is no longer...We may be rich and powerful but that is exactly why the empire watches us so closely. Not that they fear us...They fear what we may do to each other. So our hands are bound and we are slaves of our own nobility.

Criminals: It is as if we don't exist! Of course we keep ourselves discrete and useful. The imperials are obsessed by the arcane and we have no problem reporting on offenders. I guess that as long as we don't get greedy they will just keep ignoring us. I guess its ok.  ¶ 2:33 p.m.

  Skills: Discipline
MECHANICS - ROUGH

Alchemy: Knowledge of formulae and laboratory operations in order to produce chemicals. Alchemists have limited Lore: herbal and lore: wild knowledge’s. Users: mages, apothecaries

Animal handling: Users: stablers, farmers.

Appraise: ability to correctly or approximately determine object value. Users: merchants, grave robbers

Barter: Negotiation and acquisition techniques for favorable trade operations. Users: merchants

Bluff: art of deceiving and lying. Users: merchants

Cooking: Capacity to create meals of refined taste. Users: servants

Arcane (craft):

Brewing (craft):

Traps (craft): the knowledge of creating devices aimed at maiming or killing by surprise. Users: hunters, rogues, tomb raiders.

Disguise: Ability to make one's structure appear different. Users: spies

Empathy: Capacity to sense motives in others. Users: healers

Engineer: Discerning other constructs motives and intentions by interpreting signs, gestures and general attitude. Users: masons.

Farming: Ability to successfully seed and harvest plants. Users: farmers

Fishing: Knowledge of the waterways and capturing its. Users: fishermen

Gamble: Ability to understand and manipulate games of chance in ones favor. Users: rogues

Heal: Understanding of structures and how they function. The healer specializes in renewing and recovering a damaged structure. Users: healers

Hunting: The tracking and following of animals. A hunter understands how to engage animals successfully. Users: hunters

Leadership: Ability to inspire and lead. The leader allows the group to excel beyond normal by creating a willpower poll that everyone can draw from. Users: nobles, soldiers.

Literacy: Knowing how to decipher the coding of the intellect. Most constructs have a minimal literacy. Users: scholars.

Elemental (lore): How nature works is of paramount importance to farmers or anyone traveling in the wild. The possessor of this lore understands weather and its intricacies. Users: farmers, rangers.

Animal (lore): Knowledge of the fauna of the land. Those with it can recognize species of animals and also have a limited understanding of their natures and habits. Users: hunters, rangers

Common (lore): Generic lore of those living in urban areas. It is what every civilized being knows. Includes a very rudimental literacy. Users: anyone

Herbal (lore): Knowledge of the flora of the land. Those with it can recognize species of plants and trees and also have a limited understanding of their natures. Users: rangers, alchemists

Noble (lore): A specialized lore in the dealings and operations of nobility. Users: nobles, servants

Underworld (lore): A specialized lore dealing with all behaviours and activities that are antisocial in nature. Users: rogues

Wild (lore): Knowledge of nature and its behaviour. This is a general lore skill which includes limited herbal, elemental and animal lore’s. Users: hunters, rangers

Meditation: Meditation allows the construct to devote its intellect to the sole purpose of fuelling the spirit with power. This allows willpower to be regained. Users: mages

Prospecting: Inspection and investigation of soils and rocks for the purpose of determining mineral contents. Users: miners

Research: Intellect and discipline methods of achieving a previously unknown conclusion or ability. Users: scholars

Speech: Knowing how to verbally influence other contracts by presenting a charming argument. Users: nobles

Spell cast: Capacity to exert will over reality in order to render magic. Users: mages

Urban spot: The ability to deduce and interpret sensory information based on an urban environment. Users: guards

Wild spot: The ability to deduce and interpret sensory information based on a wilderness environment. Users: rangers

Survival: Those with survival know how to find minimal nourishment and shelter in the wild. The construct doted with this skill is capable of minimal sustenance in the wild. Users: rangers

Tactics: Knowledge of military operations specifically the engagement and movement of units in the battlefield. Users: guards

  ¶ 6:33 p.m.

  Skills: Control.

MECHANICS - HALF

Skills:

Control:

Acrobatics: Precision in structure control. Using it involves a simple roll versus a target difficulty. This depends on how hard the maneuver to be attempted is and can be modified by existing conditions. Such movement are completely inaccessible to those who lack the skill. Examples: Back flips, tumbles, climbing. Users: jesters, thieves.

Athletics: Measure of sustainability in structure control. Unlike acrobatics, the skill of athletics involves the direct manipulation of structure power. A simple roll determines how long can a straining activity be maintained or how successful it is. Those without athletics have no knowledge on how to pace themselves, or how to harness their power, tiring easily. Examples: running, jumping, lifting. Users: messengers, soldiers.

Blunt weapons (combat): Structure combat using kinetic bladed or blunt weapons. These are usually maces, axes or any such weapon that depends on impact force to do damage. Such weapons are considered as offensive and parries are extremely difficult to do. Examples: cleave, bash. Users: Heavy infantry, peasants.

Bows (combat): structure control precision in handling bows. Users: archers, hunters.

Crossbow (combat): structure control precision in handling crossbows. Users: cavalry, guards

Daggers (combat): handling of small bladed weapons. Users: rogues, bowmen

Pole arms (combat): usage of large poled weapons. Users: pike men, guards

Swords (combat): effective usage of large bladed weapons. Users: infantry soldiers, bandits

Unarmed (combat): structure handling in unarmed combat. Users: rogues, innkeepers

Armourer (craft): crafting metal/alloys and leather into armours and repairing existing ones

Blacksmith (craft): crafting metals into usable tools and repairing existing ones. A blacksmith has very limited metal working abilities. A blacksmith also has very limited armorer and weaponsmith knowledges

Calligraphy (craft): writing with precision and thought.

Carpentry (craft): working wood to produce furniture or any other object made of wood.

Fletcher (craft): working wood to produce bows and arrows. A boyer/fletcher has limited carpentry and leather working knowledge.

Gem cutting (craft): working gems into jewels. A gem cutter has very limited mining and jeweller skills.

Jeweller (craft): jewellers work precious metals and gems into valuable jewellery

Leather (craft): working animal skins to produce leather, string and derived tools. A leatherworker has a very limited knowledge of armouring and tailoring.

Mapmaking (craft): ability to draw accurate maps of the environment. A mapmaker is a very limited calligrapher

Tailor (craft): works fabrics into clothes or decorative pieces. A tailor also has limited weaving skills.

Weapons (craft): crafting metal and alloys into weapons and repairing existing ones

Weave (craft): a weaver produces quality fabrics be it from wool or plant fibers. He has a limited farming knowledge

Dress wounds: capacity of effectively control injury in structures. Users: healers,

Lock pick: ability of opening locking mechanisms. Users: rogues, thieves

Metal work: ability of transforming ore into metals and alloys. Users: miners, blacksmiths

Mining: capacity of successfully digging minerals. A miner has limited forging and prospecting knowledge. A miner also has very limited engineering know-how. Users: miners, prospectors.

Palming: Ability of stealing without notice. Users: rogues, thieves

Riding: ability to effectively ride mounts. Users: messengers, cavalry

Stealth – urban: hiding and moving without being noticed in a artificial surrounding. Users: rogues.

Stealth – wild: hiding and moving without being noticed in a natural environment. Users: hunters, rangers

Taunting: Procedure of displaying structure power for the purpose of forcing the opponent to spend will. Users: pit fighters, skirmishers.

  ¶ 4:54 p.m.

  System details.

MECHANICS - Advanced

System details.

The construct:

So named is the character. The construct is the fabric which contains both body and spirit in communion.

The body:

The body is the most basic element of any construct. With Its inherent limitations, a body consists basically of structure and the intellect. These two give a measure of how powerful the body of the character is.

Structure is the physical capacity of the body. The higher it is the stronger and more durable the body. Intellect is the mental capacity of the body. The higher the intellect, the more mentally powerful it is.

The body details:

Each element of the body defines not only its inherent strength but also the power of the spirit it holds.

The structure value directly determines how much damage it can handle. The intellect value, in turn, determines how resilient it is. The combination of both the ratings, which are rarely dissociable, determines just how much the body can endure.

The spirit:

The spirit represents the anaemic force behind a body. Although the body exists and interacts, it is nothing but a lifeless piece of flesh without the presence of a spirit. Like in the body, the spirit comprises two parts each responsible for handling the separate parts of the body.

Control is the spirit handler for the structure. The greater the control capacity of a spirit the better will he be able to use the structure’s capacities. Discipline is, in turn, the spirit handler for intellect and derived functions of the body.

The spirit details:

The spirit, being the conscience behind the body, is what makes it move. Spirit determines just how much willpower the character really has to handle reality. This willpower is used as fuel for everything the construct has to handle and basically measures how strong the spirit is. It is however not independent and, in fact, receives its energy from the body. In that manner, the body’s intellect is responsible for regenerating the willpower of the spirit. It also limits the amount of willpower that can be spent in actions.

As a construct gains in experience, both body and spirit gain power.

But because they are forged together, spirit has its skills closely tied to the body. For the mundane construct, the spirit is mistaken for the body and so, control has skill points determined by structure and likewise for discipline. Specifically, a character starts with skill points equal to six times its structure value and with each skill limited by that value. The same principle applies for intellect.

In the end, the body is able to attain strength by increasing its structure and intellect rating while the spirit ages and thus gains willpower as well as control/discipline skills.

Basic mechanics:

Spirit rating: The spirit rating is the average of its control and discipline rounded up. It determines how much willpower the construct has.

Willpower: Determined by spirit, it is used by the construct for everything from preventing damage to performing actions.

Life: A constructs life is determined by its structure rating. This is the real physical energy of the body. Injury to life means that it begins to die and as such the construct begins to disassociate. The immediate consequence of this is a penalty to all action equal to the amount lost. Eventually the construct is no longer able to link this body to the spirit and so the fabric is lost and death occurs.

Initiative: This rating is determined by the spirit rating and determines how efficient a spirit is in making the body act.

Fate: A constructs fate is determined randomly by a D6.

All body and spirit ratings range from 1 to 12.

All spirit skills range from 1 to 12.

A factor of rolling 2D6 is used to determine fate results.

Interaction and advanced mechanics:

Simple actions:

In order to exert body control, a spirit must sum his base (control or discipline rating) to his skill and add to it fate results. The total obtained value is always a measure of how good the construct actually did. We can ascertain this by seeing how the character did in our scale of success. It goes from 0 (minimum possible) to 36 (highest possible) and is divided in leaps of 6. Each leap connects a score to a result. In such, constructs who can score up to 12 are only apprentices, and capable of little, while those scoring 30 can achieve great feats. The scale is rated as follows:

6 – Very easy

12 – Easy

18 – Moderate

24 – Hard

30 – Very hard

36 – Impossible

All actions have an associated score needed for them to succeed.

Ex: Cancer has a control rating of 10 and an acrobatics rating of 6 for a total of 16. He attempts an easy jump manoeuvre meaning he needs to score at least 18. He rolled a 5 on his fate results and this means he performed the action with a score of 10+6+5= 21. He beat the score needs of 18 and so performed above average, enough for an easy jump. Had he tried a hard back flip (24) instead, the same score would not have been sufficient.

Modifiers:

All things being equal the above said works perfectly. Actual conditions, however, vary and doing an easy jump can become quite challenging if overburdened. Likewise, a hard back flip can become easier if one has time to prepare and is in no stress whatsoever. For this reason modifiers are used to customize the scoring needs of a particular action.

Modifying an action works easily enough if one considers that each leap in the scale actually increases difficulty by one step. An action is easy but existing conditions make it harder is a simple step of adding a leap (6) to the scoring needs. If it’s a minor change add 1 or 2. If the conditions are appalling, add 12 or more points. It all depends on the sensibility of the GM and it’s his call to make.

Example: Cancer is trying to convince a shopkeeper to give him a deal on a purse. He is role-playing the situation but requires a barter action to see how good his words sound. The GM considers the trader slightly experienced and sets the SN at 12.

Situation 1: New customers are always arriving and distracting the shopkeeper from the Cancer’s well laboured barter. This would make the deal harder to close, about 4 points harder making the SN 16.

Situation 2: Imagine the purse Cancer is trying to get is something the shopkeeper is trying to get rid of for ages. He is desperate to sell it and so isn’t being too picky about the price. Barter would be easier and SN should be modified by -5 making it 7.

Willpower usage:

A construct can, most of the times, elect to apply itself thoroughly on a particular action. This is done by spending willpower to improve the score obtained on an action. The construct, due to its heroic nature, can always extend, in this way, beyond normal constructs limitations. The only limitation is that of the body itself and because of this, the maximum will he can apply is equal to his intellect rating.

Examples:

Situation 1: As before, Cancer attempted an acrobatic manoeuvre and obtained a score of 21. This is not enough for a Back flip which has SN of 24. Cancer really needs to perform it with success so he elects to spend 3 willpower points. His previous 21 are now 24 due to the added 3 will and he succeeds in his task.

Situation 2: Same action but the GM states that a modifier of +6, due to wind power, applies. The SN changes to 30 and Cancer is now 9 points away from it. His intellect is 4 and so he can only spend 4 willpower on the action making the score 25. This is not enough to succeed on the acrobatic attempt and he really should not have tried it in the middle of a tornado.

  ¶ 6:19 p.m.

  Tales and Fables II SETTING - ROUG

First Age, The dawn of the empire:


Dagonar was gone and his lands were occupied by Liensin, the stage was set for the birth of civilization in the world. But it was as ready to receive it as it had been for Dagonar... Liensin had a fight coming but unlike others, he had an edge. He possessed an educated knowledge of magic and had a veteran army hardened by the deadliest of foes. Elements that allowed him and his hand to do virtually anything, unchallenged. It was so that the empire began, taking land by force, invading and bringing the holy order of Liensin to those that had known only chaos. The more it grew the mightier it became and in time, it spread through half of the known world bringing civilization, knowledge and wellbeing to all who where within.  ¶ 11:47 a.m.

  Tales and Fables I:
SETTING - ROUGH

Tales and Fables I:

Long ago, the land was ravaged by constant tribal wars for dominance. During these dark times one warlord managed to gain the upper hand.

It is told that Dagonar, whose primal motivation resided in slavery and opression, achieved hegemony and expanded rapidly creating what was known then as the first organized form of nation. The world however was not yet prepared for such control and several foreseeing entities united to form a counter force primarily based on the power of magic. Heading them was a powerful magician named Liensin. He and his trusty followers - then known as The Hand - managed to gather a massive force of common men. The hordes of Dagonar were eventualy defeated and an order was born in the world. This was the seed of what was to become The Empire.  ¶ 11:13 p.m.

  Introduction The "DARK" RPG is a project that started forming in my mind some seven years ago. In my second university year I was running a Vampire campaign. By that time there was a general consensus that everyone would like to try some sort of medieval RPG. The prime choice was falling upon AD&D, seeing as it was a game with extreme reputation, well known because of its computer inspired games. I personaly did not like several things about AD&D:

-I do not like the memorizing of spells prefering the mana oriented aproach.
-I do not like the existance of metahumans such as elves, dwarfs, and so on.
-I hate the lack of skills and further roleplay oriented features in AD&D or lack there of.
-I think the level system has its values but absolutely despise the fact that some abilities simply pop up at table dictated levels.

So, due to player preassure I started running AD&D but my own modified version of it. I called it "SUPER AD&D ENHANCED" for fun. The modification eventualy grew, expanded and gained its own name: DARK.

Today, the game embodies a system based on what i consider is best in all the RPG game systems i tried out. This merging was refined and perfected through years of playtesting with my RPG group.
I will go on the game world later.  ¶ 1:31 p.m.

  Hello World! This is where i hope to post news about the RPG i am developing with the help of two of my friends. Hope anyone who reads this finds it interesting enough to keep accessing for news. :)  ¶ 1:14 p.m.