Battle System Mechanics
ToC
1) Introduction
2) Basic Rules and Terms
3) Dice Pools
4) Augments
5) Chance Effects
6) Example Duel
The Battle System is a framework meant to give direction and support for all endeavors in Empyrean City. It is applicable to everything from Divining to Dueling and even Monster Training. The system's been built from the ground up so that all of the things an Empyrean has learned and discovered may be put to use during RP. It is designed to keep RP as free as possible while still giving a definitive answer to whatever situation one might be in.
Basic Rules and Terms
The basics of this system are fairly straightforward. It is based entirely on d100s and relies on percentages that affect the difficulty of an action. There are four types of actions that may be used during a duel or any event - the Base Actions: Castor Shells, Physical Actions, and Magical Spells, and the Augments (under which anything that isn't a Base Action falls).
The Base Actions are the actions that an Empyrean alters with Augments, making them harder or easier to do. Each Base Action will have a Base Percent - the difficulty of that action. These Base Percentages do not effect whether or not that action is hit. Instead, they are effected by the Augments that can (and will) be used.
An Augment is anything that does not fall under the Base Actions - these range from Mudras to Charms and include everything in between. It is the Augments that empower or deflate a Base Action's potency. They will never effect whether or not a Base Action hits, only how strong or debilitating it is.
It is important to note that the hit and block system of the Physical Education class is still in place. You are now rolling d100s instead of d10s.
Terms:
Base Action - the standard action with a set percentage difficulty (Castor Shells, Magical Spells, and Physical Attacks)
Augment - any action that does not fall under the Base Action category
Base Percentage - the difficulty value assigned to a Base Action
Augment Percentage - the effect an Augment has on a Base Percentage (is either a +x% or a -x% )
Augment Roll - the roll (made with a d100) that determines whether or not an Augment sucessfully alters the Base Action
Base Actions all have a Base Percentage that needs to be beaten in order for a chosen Augment to effect it. For example, the Base Action Punch was a difficulty of 30%. This means that a number equal to or higher then 30 must be rolled on a d100 during RP. However, you do not need to roll for a Base Action's Base Percentage if you are not augmenting it. You only need to roll if you're augmenting the action.
Augments alter a Base Action and determine how strong or weak it is. Because Base Percentages must be beaten in order to be successful, a negative ( -X%) Augment is a beneficial Augment whereas a positive (+X%) Augment is a debilitating Augment. This is important to keep in mind so that you do not accidentally assist your opponent or harm your allies.
For the Percentages assigned to the various actions, please refer to the individual Professor Posts in the Professor's Thread.
Also, as Empyreans grow they become better at the things they do and so get a natural bonus that makes Base Actions much easier. This Bonus applies to all Base Action Augment rolls so it is important to keep them in mind. This is the break down:
Stage Zero => -0%
Stage One => -5%
Stage Two => -10%
Stage Three => -15%
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Dice Pools - Actions and Augments.
Dice Pools are how many actions an Empyrean may take in one turn:
Stage Zero - 4 Actions
Stage One - 6 Actions
Stage Two - 8 Actions
Stage Three - 10 Actions
Augments and Base Actions are both actions - they both require time and effort to do. However, how these actions are alotted is entirely up the Empyrean. For a Stage Zero, he or she might choose three consecutive Base Actions or One Base Action supplemented by Two Augments or Two Base Actions with One Base Action being Augmented. However that doesn't mean you have to use all of your available action slots.
Be careful though, concentrating on too much at one time can be harmful as well and there are penalties for those who stretch themselves too thin:
Stage Zero - More then 2 Actions => +5% to all Augment Rolls
Stage One - More then 3 Actions => +5% to all Augment Rolls, More then 5 Actions => +10% to all Augment Rolls
Stage Two - More then 4 Actions => +5% to all Augment Rolls, More then 6 Actions => +10% to all Augment Rolls, More then 7 Actions => +15% to all Augment Rolls
Stage 3 - More then 5 Actions => +5% to all Augment Rolls, More then 7 Actions => +10% to all Augment Rolls, More then 9 Actions => +15% to all Augment Rolls
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Augments - Determining their Success
Many Augments have conditions on their use and will only be effective when used within those bounds so it is important to check and possibly make note (in the Empyrean's journal) of those conditions. Some even have negative effects should they be used incorrectly.
To determine the success of augments, follow these simple steps:
1) List the Base Action being augmented and the Augment that is being used. Do this for every augment you are using.
2) Total the values of the Base Percentage and the Augment Percentage.
example:
Stamina (35%)
+ Guyan Mudra (-3%)
--------------------------
32%
This new value is less then the original Base Percentage thus making it easier to complete said Base Action. Do this for each Augment you are using.
3) Make an Augment Roll - roll one d100 for each Augment/Base Action pair you've decided on. Your target number is the summed percentage. In the previous example, that value is 32.
4) Make sure to only use the one post for all your rolls. The order in which you list your Augment/Base Action pairs is the order in which the results of your roll will be read. Absolutely no editing the order! To roll multiple dice in the Gaia Dice Rolling feature, just total the number of dice you need to roll and put that number in the labeled box.
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Chance Effects
Chance effects are actions that have a chance at effecting an Empyrean. These vary with the action and usually result from spells, potions, or castor shells. Examples of chance effects are Confusion and Blindness. With either condition there is a chance of hitting either friend or foe. To determine whether or not and Empyrean attacks ally or enemy, make an additional roll (in the same post - label it like you label the Augment and Attack/Block rolls). If your result falls below the listed Chance Value then the Empyrean attacks an ally. If your result is above the listed Chance Value then the Empyrean attacks normally.
