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 Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 11:11 am
NPG is, like any living thing, constantly growing and changing. As new circumstances arise, new ways of playing evolve, and new ideas come into the guild, the rules will occassionally need to be updated. No worries - core gameplay will remain unchanged, but every now and then little tweaks and modifications will be posted here.
Because of this, it's important for players to check this thread on a regular basis (I recommend checking it at least once a week) to make note of any significant changes to things. I hope updates aren't that frequent, but you never know...you players have a nasty tendency towards the unpredictable. wink
If you have any suggestions for ways we could better streamline the role-playing experience or enhance the guild, PM me and I'll consider it. If nothing else, I'll post the best ideas in this thread's Poll just to get a feel for what the other players think of your idea.
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Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 10:32 am
7/24/08
Affected Game: Sphere
Change: Unseen Passage, Silence, Shadow Form, Cloak, and Shroud have all been combined into a single Stunt called Cloak.
Reason: The pre-requisite chain to get to Shroud was too long and complex. Characters who use cloaking powers are just working their way towards true invisibility anyway, so making their journey confusing doesn't help things. Besides, no one levels those pre-requisite Stunts anyway. It makes things much simpler (and players spend the same amount of Power Points) to just combine all 5 stunts into one.
Cloak
Cost: 1 for ranks 1 & 2; 2 for ranks 3 & 4; 3 for rank 5
Pre-Requisite: None
Use: 1 Mana + 1 per rank (burn)
Modifier: Guile
Target: Self
Range: Personal
Duration: Until the character does something to call attention to himself - may also be ended deliberately (rank 5 ends when the character takes a breath)
Description: The sneaky proclivities of the character allow him to bend Mana in subtle ways to hide his presence and endow him with a variety of stealthy abilities.
Effect: The power of this Stunt grows with rank and each rank retains the effects of previous ranks (for example, a character invoking rank 3 cloak would automatically invoke ranks 1 & 2 at no additional cost).
• Rank 1: Targets who are not actively looking for the character will be unaware of his presence until he does something notable to make his presence known (such as attacking or otherwise calling attention to himself) or is unable to make himself a part of the background scenery.
• Rank 2: Sounds made by the character are eliminated for as long as this Stunt's effect is sustained.
• Rank 3: The character’s aura darkens and becomes visible just enough to blur the character’s face and form, effectively concealing his identity, muffling sound, covering scent, and suppressing body heat. He takes on the appearance of a blurry shadow with glowing eyes surrounded by swirling smoke. While in this form, the character recieves an Agility bonus equal to his Guile score and cannot be perceived by any sense other than sight or sensing his aura. Additionally, all Guile feats receive an extra d20.
• Rank 4: Reduces the character’s movement speed by half but allows him to become stealthed; while not truly invisible, the character is completely hidden, appearing only as a blurry outline to the very perceptive. Any target whose Perception is equal to or greater than the character's Agility (keeping in mind the bonus offered by Rank 3) may make a Perception+Awareness feat to see him. This Stunt’s effect is broken the instant the character does something to call attention to himself (such as attacking or making a loud noise). The Stunt’s effect may also be ended deliberately whenever the character wishes.
• Rank 5: The character becomes truly invisible and may not be detected by any means for as long as he is able to hold his breath (Stamina = minutes + 1 minute w/ a Stamina+Athletics feat). The only way for a character under the influence of this Stunt to be detected is if his actions (such as bumping into someone or speaking loudly) cause them to sense his presence.
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Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2008 8:42 am
PEOPLE!
I want to thank you all for your patience as we trek through the misty forest and onward to the mountain of Awesome, but before we get there, we have to adjust several things.
For those of you who are new here, please understand that Newpark Games is an ongoing "trial and error" fix-it-as-we-go type of process and we're always trying different things in order improve the way the game is played. This is not the first version of Sphere, nor the NGP gaming system. A lot has been modified in order to accommodate the use of these Forums, but because of that other problems have arrived.
The balloon battle has been a bit tedious, and is slowing down (Some people aren't taking their necessary turns), but it's the first time any type of battle system had been attempted here, and it is very important to see how things are playing out so we can make adjustments.
You all have been a part of the initial testing process and we thank you for helping us out. We'll continue to work on a final agreeable system, which should NOT affect the characters (I know you've all been working on) in a negative way or in such a way that you'd have to start over.
Please continue to play in the NPG Academy as we make these adjustments and we'll begin playing SPHERE very soon. Thanks again for your patience, it'll be worth it...
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Posted: Sat Jul 26, 2008 1:20 am
7/26/08
Affected Game: ALL
Change: All feats are made with 1d20 instead of 2d20.
Reason: This dice server is incredibly generous. This coupled with the fact that almost every feat roll combines two skills, stats, or a stat & a skill make failing a feat almost impossible when rolling 2d20. While this might seem like a good thing, it quickly loses its shine when encounters drag on endlessly because no one can hit anyone else.
7/26/08
Affected Game: ALL
Change: Criticals Successes no longer occur on a natural 20 and Critical Failures no longer occur on a natural 1. The Critical Threat system has been altered as follows:
There are 4 levels of success when considering a feat:
Critical Success
Success
Failure
Critical Failure
Whether your character succeeds or fails initially depends on his feat roll (1d20+Modifier = 15+). A natural 20 always equals success: no matter how crazy the odds or difficult the manuever, a roll of 20 means success no matter what. Conversely, a natural 1 always means failure no matter what.
After rolling for success or failure, the player has the option of rolling 1d12. This roll is called a Dare roll. The option to roll Dare is available for every feat. If this roll is successful, it will move the Feat's initial result up one degree on the success scale; meaning it can turn a failure into a success or a normal success into a Critical Success. But if this roll fails, it moves the Feat's result down one degree on the success scale; meaning it can turn a success into a failure and a normal failure into a Critical Failure.
By default, a roll of 12 means success and 1-11 means failure. However, this is where the character's Luck score comes into play. Critical Threat = 13 - the characte'rs Luck score. So, since Luck naturally starts at 1, players must roll a 12 to succeed on a Dare roll. However, a Luck of 3 would mean that 10, 11, and 12 would mean a successful Dare.
Keeping in mind that a 20 can never fail, it is always in a players best interest to roll Dare if he gets a natural 20. Even if he fails his Dare roll, his feat will still succeed since 20 never fails. On the flipside, a natural 1 prevents the character from rolling Dare as his feat has nowhere to go but down since 1 can never succeed.
Reason: It's a cool mechanic that off-sets the tendency of this server to dole out lots of 20s and gives players the chance to boost their successes beyond their nomral level or succeed even if they fail - at a risk that actually makes Luck a stat worth having.
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Posted: Sat Jul 26, 2008 1:38 am
7/26/08
Affected Game: ALL
Change: In character creation, several Secondary Stats have been modified to give players a greater advantage:
Life is now Stamina x 10 = total Life
Constitution = 1/2 Stamina + Will. Being attacked while resting no longer foregoes Armor.
Spirit = 1/2 Power + Intellect. Being attacked while meditating no longer foregoes Armor.
Defensive Limit: 1/2 Agility + 1/2 Perception. This number indicates that maximum number of Defense Feats a character may make before his next turn begins.
Critical Threat = 13 - Luck (see above post for more information)
Reason: Life was too low. Players could easily be killed in 2-3 solid hits. Maximum armor (for beginners) would only add another hit - maybe. This will help keep players alive longer.
Constitution and Spirit increases will see to it that rests don't have to lost an absurd amount of time, but still do not offer bonuses significant enough to merit attempting to rest while combat is going on.
Defensive Limit gives a concrete number of times a character may Defend against attack. This allows for those facing multiple enemies at once to be overwhelmed (as one would be) and doesn't leave things up to the ever vague "Judge discretion".
Critical Threat...again, see the above post.
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Posted: Sat Jul 26, 2008 10:48 am
I think this will work.
If once we get into the game and realize that 1d20 for Players isn't enough and the Balloon senario was just a fluke, we can always throw the extra d20 in later...
Now the secret NPG gnomes that stock the forums by moon light will begin cobbling the rest of the shoes...
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Posted: Sat Jul 26, 2008 5:52 pm
7/26/08
Affected Game: Sphere
Change: Skill points now cost 75 Exp to raise instead of 100.
Several changes for races:
• Humans: +3 Skills (instead of +4), +1 Will, +1 Luck. Guts may be used once every real-world week (instead of month).
• Atlanteans: This race has been removed.
• Bosek (Formely Trolls): Name change. Durability grants a life bonus of Stamina x 12.5 (instead of 7.5) and Strength/Stamina both max out at 12 instead of 10.
• Drow: +3 Skills (instead of +4), +1 Agility, +1 Perception
• Dryad: +500 Experience (instead of assorted bonuses) to spend before the conclusion of character creation. Bonuses choosen must fit the Dryad's nature, form, and ultimate purpose.
• Dwarves: +3 Skills (instead of +4), +2 Stamina (instead of +1 Stamina, +1 Will)
• Elves: +3 Power Points (instead of +2), +1 Charisma, +1 Agility
• Fomorians: +3 Power Points (instead of +2), +1 Charisma, +1 Power
• Gnomes: +10 Gold to start (instead of +20), +1 Skill and Power Points (instead of +2 Skill points), +1 Intellect, +1 Luck
• Kindre: Tribes with Skill bonuses received +3 (instead of +4). Tribes with Power bonuses received +3 (instead of +2). Issus received +1 Intellect in addition to water breathing. Navish received +1 Power in addition to limited flight. Rhodiran received +1 Skill Point, +2 Strength, and +1 Stamina (instead of +2). Tetsude received +2 Skill Points (instead of +1 Stamina), +3 Physical Defense, and +1 Intellect (instead of Will)
• Machina: +3 Skills (instead of +4), +1 Stamina, +1 Intellect
• Misrahi: +3 Power Points, +1 Stamina, +1 Power (instead of Luck)
• Nubians: +3 Skills (instead of +4), +1 Charisma, +1 Luck. Removed Dream Magic racial Advantage and replaced it with Dreamer's Daring: "Once per real-world week, a Nubian may automatically succeed on a Dare roll."
• Orcs: +3 Skills (instead of +4), +1 Strength, +1 Stamina
• Vampiir: This race has been removed.
• Zu: +3 Power Points, +1 Intellect, +1 Power
Arcane Aptitude change: Zu may inherently know three Rank 1 (neophyte) Spells from any branch of Magic. These three Spells may all come from the same branch or a mix of different branches.
Those of you who have already made characters can keep your old bonuses. These changes apply to all new characters.
Reason: Stats should be the most expensive thing to raise since they directly affect primary skills. Skills shouldn't be much mor expensive than Power Points (which are relatively expensive given their disposability).
Races needed a bit more balancing to convert fairly from the old system to the NPG system.
I like the idea of Atlanteans be so mysterious and alien that they're more like friendly monsters native to Tortuga than anything else. They're not playable characters and they don't leave the water for extended periods of time. Makes the most sense for them. They're not opposed to mankind (well, most of them anyway), but they're definitely not interested in participating in the affairs of the Dry World.
Vampiir are the creatures designed by Malice...and they rule over Moribund with an iron fist. Their society is sequestered from the rest of Men and though they may have designs on conquering other worlds, but they're cowards at heart and stick mostly to their home world where their power is absolute. It doesn't make sense for a Vampiir to find altruism and want to help people when his upbringing and culture teaches him violence and betrayal. It makes even less sense for an aristocrat to want to go dungeon diving and live an adventuring lifestyle. Sure there's the occasional odd duck, but not enough to make them included as a playable race. Besides, their advantage is too great over other races to make them available.
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Posted: Sun Jul 27, 2008 10:49 pm
eek Excuse me while I spend my extra gained power point! mrgreen
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Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2008 11:17 am
7/28/08
Affected Game: Sphere
Change:
In light of the new dice rolling system, a few changes have been made to certain Stunts/Spells:
Description of the Daredevil Advantage has been modified slightly:
Daredevil
Cost: 1
Pre-Requisite: Luck > 3
Level: No
Description: The character is exceptionally good at taking wild chances and not only surviving, but succeeding with flying colors.
Effect: Any time an added Difficulty is imposed on a non-combat feat of a physical nature, the character receives an additional d20 to make the feat roll with.
Serpentine Strike has been modified.
Serpentine Strike
Cost: 1
Pre-Requisite: Agility > 4
Use: 2 Mana; burn
Modifier: Combat - Melee
Target: Other
Range: Touch
Duration: One attack
Description: An attack is made so quickly the eyes can scarcely follow it. An after-image of the attack trails behind in its wake.
Effect: Defensive feats against this Stunt are made at +3 Difficulty per Stunt rank. Those with a Defense+Perception less than the attacker's Combat-Melee+Agility cannot defend themselves.
Cantrip successes are now cumulative:
Cantrip
Cost: 2
Pre-Requisite: Charisma > 3, Craft > 4
Level: Yes; max 10
Description: Using his performace skill to weave Mana into the desired shape, the character can cast spells at no cost
Effect: Any spell the character knows may be cast at 0 Mana cost using a dance, song, or other performance piece that shapes Mana so long as the Spell’s rank does not exceed the rank of this Advantage. An amount of d20 equal to the Spell's cost must be rolled and each must display a success (with the character's Charisma+Craft as the modifier) in order to invoke the spell. These successes are cumulative and the character may continue attempting to cast a Cantrip each post/turn so long as he does not stop inbetween rounds. Spells with a Chant requirement may be cast, but the requirement must still be observed - the time normally spent chanting is instead spent singing, dancing, etc.
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Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 4:56 pm
7/30/08
Affected Game: Sphere
Change:
Ki Blast has been nerfed slightly; it no longer deals Elemental Damage and there is a cap on how much it can be pumped full of Mana.
Ki Blast
Cost: 2 for rank 1; 1 for every rank afterwards
Pre-Requisite: Power > 3
Use: 3 Mana per d20; burn
Modifier: Power
Target: Other
Range: 50 feet
Duration: One blast
Description: By focusing the raw power of his aura into the palm of his hands, the character is able to unlease a devastating wave of destructive force.
Effect: D20 to invoke this feat must be purchased with Mana; none are automatically granted. For each successful d20 rolled, the attack will deal 10 points of Physical damage to all enemies in a straight line from its point of origin to the end of its range. The maximum number of d20 that may be purchased in one use of this Stunt is equal to the Stunt's Rank x 3.
Reason: Ki Blast was more powerful than every first rank Thaumaturgy spells, cheaper to cast, and cheaper to purchase. A power-mage could forsake Thaumaturgy for Ki Blast and be better off.
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Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 10:02 am
7/31/08
A new Stunt has been added for all you DPS mages out there:
Trance; Dynamo
Cost: 1
Pre-Requisite: Will > 3
Use: 1-10 Mana (commit)
Modifier: None (no Feat is required to activate this Stunt)
Target: Self
Range: Personal
Duration: Until character drops trance intentionally or by being damaged
Description: The character is able to enter a quasi-meditative state where his body acts as a conduit for raw Mana, pumping vast amounts of power into his magical attacks.
Effect: Increases the damage (the main type of damage the spell does, be it physical, elemental, biological, or magical) of all attack Spells by 1d4 per Mana point committed when invoking the Trance. The maximum number of Mana that can be committed to this Trance is equal to the character's Power score.
A few notes about this Stunt:
• The character may enter the Trance at any time as a free action whether it is his turn or not.
• Only one Trance may be invoked at a time.
• If damaged while holding a Trance, the character may make a Will+Knowledge feat. If he succeeds, the Trance remains in place. If he fails, he drops it and cannot resume that particular Trance for the remainder of the scene.
Reason: Trances are like Stances for mages...they'll provide continued effects that help place them on a more level playing field with other characters. This one was added to help out those mages who focus on dealing lots of damage.
Be on the lookout for more Trance type Stunts that will be of specific benefit to mages.
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Posted: Wed Aug 06, 2008 10:14 am
8/6/08
Affected Game: All
Change:
A change has been made to resting and recovering Mana. Armor bonuses now apply if attacked while resting. Also, Mana does not recover constantly - it only recovers when resting. A meditation (Will) feat, however, will effectively double the rate at which Mana regenerates.
Recovering Life: Life recovers at a rate equal to the character's Constitution for every 5 minutes spent resting. This rate is doubled when the character has been treated by a Medicine feat. If attacked while resting, the character cannot defend and takes double damage. Life and Mana also recover completely when the character spends at least 6 hours sleeping.
Recovering Mana: While resting, Mana recovers at a rate equal to the character's Spirit for every 5 minutes spent resting. This rate is doubled when the character is actively meditating via a Will feat. If attacked while resting/meditating, the character cannot defend and takes double damage. Life and Mana also recover completely when the character spends at least 6 hours sleeping.
Reason: There was no need to conserve Mana as one's Spirit could easily restore any lost Mana in one round. Only the most powerful spells could possibly deplete one's Mana enough to warrant conservation. With this change, players will need to be more tactical about when they use their Mana...also, quaffing potions to recover lost Mana becomes a viable strategy; yet you don't have to rely on carrying around a bunch of potions to maintain your reserves of power.
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Posted: Thu Aug 07, 2008 11:41 am
8/7/08
Affected Game: Sphere
Change:
The Karma Advantage has been made slightly more useful:
Karma
Cost: 1
Pre-Requisite: Luck > 3
Level: No
Description: Even when things are bad for the character, they seem to turn around fairly quickly. His life is hallmarked by balance between ups and downs.
Effect: Each time the character rolls a 1 on a feat roll, his Critical Threat score is reduced by 1. Once he rolls a Critical Success, his Critical Threat score returns to its default number.
Reason: With Dare in place, critical failures are probably less common than rolling a 1, which makes Karma slightly less useful than it would be without Dare in play. With this change, the Advantage is improved.
Affected Game: Sphere
Change:
The (Skill) Control, Mastery, and Specialization powers have been altered slightly. (Skill) Control now costs 3 Power Points to purchase instead of 1, (Skill) Mastery now can be used every real-world week instead of in-game day, and (Skill) Specialization now costs 1 Power Point to purchase instead of 3.
(Skill) Control
Cost: 3
Pre-Requisite: None
Level: No
Description: Due to much training, the character exercises a great deal of control over a particular skill. Even when he (rarely) fails at this skill, he does so gracefully. The player chooses the one skill which this Advantage affects upon purchasing it.
Effect: It is impossible for a character to botch a feat roll related to the target skill. Magic and other effects can negate this Advantage, but left to his own devices, the character will never use this skill clumsily.
(Skill) Mastery
Cost: 2
Pre-Requisite: None
Level: No
Description: As one of few true experts in this field, even tasks others would find difficult come as routine to the one that has this Advantage. The player chooses the one skill which this Advantage affects upon purchasing it.
Effect: Once every real-world week, the character may automatically succeed on a single feat that utilizes this skill so long as the feat does not have a Difficulty placed on it.
(Skill) Specialization
Cost: 1
Pre-Requisite: None
Level: No
Description: The character is exceptionally adept at using a certain skill and is very likely to succeed when using it. The player chooses the one skill which this Advantage affects upon purchasing it.
Effect: Any time the character uses target skill in relation to an appropriate feat, the character receives an extra d20 in addition to the amount she’s currently allowed to roll.
Reason: I don't know why more people don't take advantage of these powers. They're pretty phenomenal, especially if you attach them to your combat abilities. Can you imagine being able to make a Dare feat on every attack or defense roll without fear of a critical failure? Yeah, that's pretty spectacular...hence why it should cost quite a bit more. smile
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