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 Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2010 1:57 pm
TBO's Roleplay Battle System
VERSION 2!
~~~~~~~~~ Okay, you guys - are you ready for this? After months of planning and work, it won't exactly be long now. (She says with extreme hopefulness in her slightly strained voice.)Since I'm sure you're all curious, here's a preview of exactly how the new battle system is going to work. I'll break it down nice and simply for you. ~~~~~~~~~
First of all, here are some terms you'll need to be familiar with. Some are old, some are new.
SKILLS - POOLS - CLASSES - BASIC/SPECIALISED/CUSTOM - ROLLING - PARTICIPATION - POINTS
~~~~~~~~~
You ready? You sure? Got those words memorised? In that case, we'll move on...
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Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2010 2:00 pm
Now, I'm going to explain the system as simply as I can. Think of the battle system in layers.
* First, you have skills.Skills are what your character uses to fight or otherwise interact with the world and the people around them. That's all we'll say about them for now. * Skills are arranged into pools.Pools are groups of skills that fall under a similar category, have similar purposes or traits. For example, Close Combat skills focus on fighting in melee circumstances. Each pool generally holds 10-15 skills each. * Pools are arranged into classes.Pools then get combined together to form classes. Classes are what your character is in the bigger picture - for example, a Paladin, a Sorceress or a Super Epic Bunnygirl (which would probably be a magic/combat combo-class if it existed o3o).
SKILLS -----> POOLS -----> CLASSES ARE YOU WITH ME SO FAR? a. Yes --- Continue reading b. No --- Go back to the beginning and read it all again. c. I'm still not with you after reading 5 times --- ask a question in the thread.
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Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2010 2:07 pm
IF YOU CHOSE A:
Classes There are THREE types of class. BASICThese are classes open to everyone, including beginners, made up of THREE pools. A maximum of FIFTEEN skills may be learned. SPECIALISEDThese are classes open to more experienced characters/characters who have already completed a Basic class. They are made up of FOUR pools, with a maximum of TWENTY skills open to them. CUSTOMThese are EXCLUSIVE classes only open to the most experienced characters who have participated the most. Each is made up of FIVE pools for a maximum of TWENTY FIVE skills. They are made up of four pre-made pools of your choice, and the fifth you may customise to your heart's desire, choosing any skills you like to fill it up as long as they fit the description of the class. You may also request custom skills or try your hand at making some yourself.
BASIC ------> SPECIALISED -----> CUSTOM
ARE YOU STILL WITH ME? a. Yes --- Continue reading b. No --- Go back to the beginning and read it all again. c. I'm still not with you after reading 5 times --- ask a question in the thread.
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Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2010 2:25 pm
IF YOU CHOSE A:
SKILLS SKILLS are now learnt THROUGH PARTICIPATION, rather than simple time-based activity. This means no more posting every day to learn things! Instead, you MUST actually roleplay in order to advance your character. (Though note that any roleplay-related writings or roleplaying with an NPC also counts.) Each skill now comes with a number of posts required to learn it. You must keep count of the posts you make in order to learn. We reccommend keeping a counter at the bottom of your posts.Example 'HELLO my name is Nick Fairbreeze!' Nick Fairbreeze said. 'I'm really looking forward to trying my hand at some spear throwing! You wanna hear my battle cry?! OOOORRRRAAAAAAAAAAA~~' Strike - 1/2Not so hard so far, huh? Well, with the planned increase in the amount of battling in chapter 2, we were all in agreement that tighter classifications on skills were required. Here's the nitty gritty of what's been changed: * Certain skills now have USAGE LIMITS. E.g, "may only be used once per rp day, once per battle, twice per battle, once every 4 turns, etc."* Skill descriptions in general are now tighter and more specific, with fewer loopholes.* And here's the big one... SKILLS are now CLASSIFIED INTO TYPE for ease of use. You can see a prototype of this classification at work in the battle between Panda and Cressa.The four types of skill are: ACTIVE DIRECT, PASSIVE INDIRECT, ACTIVE INDIRECT, PASSIVE DIRECT.To make it even easier for you, I'll just snip the explanation I gave to the developers: Lorika A PASSIVE skill is a skill which is always working in the background on your character, for example a weapon proficiency.An ACTIVE skill is a skill which is performed by your character, for example an attack such as Strike.A skill which is DIRECT has an immediate effect on another character and must be rolled for, such as Boiling Torrent.A skill with is INDIRECT has no immediate effect on another character and need not be rolled for, again such as a proficiency or a trap.Together, we have 4 potential combinations - PASSIVE INDIRECT, ACTIVE DIRECT, ACTIVE INDIRECT, PASSIVE DIRECT. PASSIVE INDIRECT - This is a skill which is both passive and has no direct effect on another character, such as a skill which provides a roll bonus. ACTIVE DIRECT - The most common type of skill, this is a skill, usually an attack, which is used by your character and has an effect on another character.ACTIVE INDIRECT - This is a skill such as a trap where the skill is used actively but has no immediate effect on another character. Rolls are not usually required. PASSIVE DIRECT - This is actually a skill which is normally dormant but may be activated under certain conditions, such as Dodge or Sneak. It may or may not require a roll depending on the skill. I'm pretty sure you've all lost me by now, but please read the next post for examples of skills and classes.
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Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2010 2:58 pm
Examples of Skills:
REDUX
Name of Skill: Negation
Posts to Learn: 13
Type: Active Indirect
Description: An improved form of Dispel, this allows you to take those pesky spellcasters out of commission just long enough for everyone to recover from their spells' nasty effects.
Effect: Removes all magical effects within a five metre radius and prevents any magic, be it good, neutral or harmful, from being cast for 3 turns. May only be used once per battle.
Name of Skill: Soul Crush
Posts to Learn: 25
Type: Active Direct
Description: They think they've got the advantage on you, but no, you've got an ace up your sleeve. They're quite literally stunned at your power!
Effect: When you're surrounded by multiple enemies, this skill will let you attack each of them at the same time with one roll. (NOT one roll each!) This also allows you to Stun them for one turn.
Limits: 5x per day.
NEW
Name of Skill: Riposte
Posts to Learn: 9
Type: Active Direct
Description: A form of Counter specifically for bladed weapons. Riposte cannot be used unless your character is wielding such a weapon.
Effect: Riposte has all the same effects as Counter, but with the added bonus of crippling your foe's next attack by -2 for a single turn if it succeeds outright.
Name of Skill: Cold Blooded
Posts to Learn: 19
Type: Passive Indirect
Description: You've killed so many times the act has lost its meaning to you. Your blows are more effective against human-like creatures.
Effect: Character gains a perpetual +1 bonus against all humanoid characters (humans, angels, demons in human form, nymphs, elves etc.), but not demi-humanoids (merfolk, felids, centaurs, lizardmen etc.)
Examples of Pools: COMBAT
Combat Basics - Just as it says, the basics. Open to all combat-based classes.
Close Combat - Combat which is, as it implies, in close quarters; melee.
Ranged Combat - Killing at a distance. What could be better?
Dual Combat - For those of you unable to choose, dual combat gives you a mix of both close and ranged combat.
Stealth Combat - For the assassins among us, these skills provide hefty benefits.
SPIRITUALISM
Spiritualism Basics - yup, the basics
Enfeebling - Skills which inhibit your enemies.
Defending - Skills which produce shields, invincibility and some buffs.
Supporting - Skills which heal and buff your friends.
Redeeming - Skills which outright attack your enemies.
Examples of Classes: So far, we're still in the skills-and-pools stage of development, but I HAVE worked on a couple of classes in my free moments - specifically custom classes for my characters. Without further ado, I introduce to you Jessie's class. He's basically an Assassin (Specialised class) with extras.  Hailing from realms of darkness and deceit, Jessie is merciless in battle. Some would say unstoppable. He combines outward feats of skill and astounding dexterity with an inner stillness so refined and deadly it can cut like a blade.Combat Basics, Close Combat, Ranged Combat, Stealth Combat, Abyss Knight + 2/3 mod skillsAaaand, as an extra, here's Lorika's.  As the person in the highest echelon of ecclesiastical appointment within the Order, Lorika has demonstrated proficiency in the highest levels of holy magic. To her, the gates of life, death and transcendency are flung wide open.Spiritualism Basics, Defending, Supporting, Thaumaturgy, High Priestess + 2/3 mod skills
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Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2010 3:11 pm
Rolling
Designed by Maborofel! Redesigned rolls, now with Mathematics! 6-sided dice: 1,2,3=fail, 4,5=so-so, 6=great success 50% fail, 33% so-so, 16.6% great, in noobish 'hope I get lucky' fashion 8-sided dice: 1,2,3=fail, 4,5,6=so-so, 7,8=great success 37.5% fail, 37.5% so-so, 25% great see how failure rate dropped by 25% -of its original- while great success is about 50% more likely and so-so is about the same and for the 12:1,2,3=fail 4-7=so-so 8-12=great now fail=25%, so-so=33% and great=42% this makes failure pretty reasonable, all things considering, while so-so hits are still around the 33% area, and Great hits are now at a whopping 42%, perfect for the 'mastery' range it implies THE WHY:well, it's obvious that even masters can't plan for everything, that's why So-so is hovering near 33% Failure rate drops continually as the character gains skill and success rate rises as skill increases 1 - 10 skills: 6-sided dice
11 - 20 skills: 8-sided dice
21 - 25 skills: 12-sided dice
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Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2010 3:13 pm
Q&A
Q: What happens to skills you've already learned when you switch from a Basic class to a Specialized one, or a Specialized one to a Custom one? Do you lose the old skills to learn new ones, or what?
This really depends on how similar the basic class you worked through is to the Specialised class you end up choosing, ditto Specialised and Custom.
You have several options:
You COULD choose to start with a fresh, blank slate. If this is your choice, you could ask a moderator to count up all your skill points and then choose skills that use up those points down to your discretion.
If the Specialised class contains similar pools to your basic ones, you COULD keep the skills you've acquired from the pools which are the same and discard the rest.
It's suggested that a character stick to the same general concept rather than changing radically when advancing to avoid potentially dropping a ton of skills. E.g, a magician character shouldn't suddenly turn into a paladin when it advances to Specialised. Ditto when transferring to Custom, though obviously, as a Custom class, it's TOTALLY down to your discretion what pools you choose.
That said, as a further option, characters advancing to a similar class with different pools may have the opportunity to carry some skills not generally available to the class over, but THESE COUNT TOWARDS YOUR TOTAL SKILL LIMIT.
Sysv2 is meant to be much more flexible for users to shape their characters as they see fit, so really, there are a lot of things you could do. If in doubt, you can always ask a mod what your options are.
Q. So are characters only able to learn one skill at a time, or is it one per pool at a time or can you just learn ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING at once?
You can learn as many skills as you want at a time, but can only train one per post.
On a related note, and as part of the "no loopholes" thing, you can only train one character at a time and they MUST be involved in the post. So, Panda couldn't roleplay Rayne and have Panda's Ghost level up one of his skills. See what I mean?
Of course, if both your characters are involved significantly in a single post or a post is split into two, they each get to train up. As long as people are INVOLVED, you can learn. If you're not involved, you don't. This new system is all about participation.
On an even further related note, mods have the power to deduct points gained from spammy posts.
Q: On the final post of learning (say 2/2 on the counter) do they learn the skill as of that post, or do they learn it and it's available to use only after that post?
Skills are available for use as of the moment they're learned.
Might mean for some exciting twists in the middle of a battle, eh? >o
Q: Are there skills that automatically upgrade to a stronger variant skill when you change your classes?
This is not a feature of the new system. There IS an increase in skills with "stronger" variants, but I hesitate to describe them as such. They are separate skills which perform a similar function, but on a larger scale or with notable differences.
For example, the family of Dispel now contains both Negation and Greater Negation. New skills include Grounded and Greater Grounded. A large family of skills is now also devoted to leeching buffs off other characters - Divest, Full Divest, Sticky Fingers, Vampire's Touch and Vampire Drain to name but a few. Every one of these has differences, be they subtle or overt.
Think of it in Final Fantasy terms - just because you've got access to "Firaga" doesn't mean you always use it over "Fire." Each of the skills are different, with different contexts, pros and cons. You do not "graduate" a skill, if you get my meaning. There's no such thing as an "obsolete" skill. We've tried very hard to ensure that.
Q: I hate to bring this up, mostly because I've been a total slacker on this, but have you guys thought about weapon-specific skills?
Such as, well... I'll give a selfish example.
Meta has a fan called "Song of the Steppes", which would call forth a rumbling wind, like the sound of galloping horses.
Yeah, there are a couple of skills like this ^^ Riposte is the one thats prings to mind - a counter specific to swords/blades.
As for skills that are specific to a SPECIFIC weapon... I dunno, that could be an abuseable feature. Someone like you, who's specific and precise about their characters, would be fine with them, but I can see it going badly wrong if it were released to everyone. As this system is more based on the person/character, it's easily a feature that could be implemented for one or two people if they wanted it.
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Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2010 3:13 pm
RESERVED just in case I forgot something!
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Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2010 3:18 pm
Well, everyone, I thinks I've gotten all of the basics down. Read it and ask any questions you have!
I hope this is everything you guys wanted and more =D
PLEASE CONGRATULATE OUR HARDWORKING TEAM OF DEVELOPERS FOR GETTING IT THIS FAR! Without them, it most definitely would not have been done!
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Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2010 3:32 pm
even though we've been pretty lazy about it
AHEM!
I know I asked this earlier, but what happens to skills you've already learned when you switch from a Basic class to a Specialized one, or a Specialized one to a Custom one? Do you lose the old skills to learn new ones, or what?
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Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2010 3:34 pm
Maborofel I know I asked this earlier, but what happens to skills you've already learned when you switch from a Basic class to a Specialized one, or a Specialized one to a Custom one? Do you lose the old skills to learn new ones, or what? I actually tried to fit this in somewhere up there, but couldn't. I'm glad you asked, because now I can add it to the Q&A section, so at least it's up there ^^
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Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2010 3:37 pm
Wow! that is looking greater than ever. So glad you put a preview up ^.^
(gaia is hatin on me lol)
it'll be fun to put a character to that
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Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2010 3:48 pm
Panda Of The Twilight Wow! that is looking greater than ever. So glad you put a preview up ^.^ (gaia is hatin on me lol) it'll be fun to put a character to that HURRAY, I'm glad you think so! ^^ I figured as we're slowly getting round to wrapping things up, it would be nice to show everyone where things are and what it's all going to look like.
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Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2010 4:13 pm
XDD yeah, that's a good plan. It should make the next chapter interesting to say the least. well so long as one of the new monsters is godzilla and I can fry him with a Kamehameha -just kidding-
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Posted: Thu Sep 09, 2010 6:01 pm
So are characters only able to learn one skill at a time, or is it one per pool at a time or can you just learn ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING at once?
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