Sunday, 23 April 2023

Scentfinder: of battles & battlefields

So, I said that, in Scentfinder, I wanted tactical-but-abstract positioning because I dislike playing on a grid in person... Let's see if I can make it work.


Actions are written following such format: 

[action cost] NAME (traits)
Triggers, requirements & effects, and in case of a roll:
Triumph results.
Success results.
Failure results.
Bungle results.


When a battle breaks out, two things must be determined:

First, what are the areas of conflict?

A typical battle will simply have three area : mêlée, allied backline & enemy backline, for insance.

But a fight in extremely close quarters could only have one area where all combatants are squeezed together, as well as groups wanting to represent more open or varied terrain could add sideline or fringe areas...

Their names are not important; what matters is that the battlefield is clearly defined, and that any environmental effect like terrain, opportunities for cover, & whatever else are assigned to the appropriate areas.

Second, who has initative?

At the start of a fight, players roll initative.

This is, by default, a Perception roll, but it could use any relevant skill provided GM & concerned players agree to it. Might could work in case of a fight breaking out in during some effort, Stealth could work if players are ambushing their enemies, Initimidate could be relevant for some sort of awesome charge... Feel free to use your imagination.

The result of the roll is treated as follows: 

  • [0] INITIATIVE
    Trigger: combat starts.
    Test an appropriate skill (Perception by default).
    T: act during the first initative phase; you can start combat one area away from your predefined starting position.
    S: act during the second initiative phase.
    F: act during the third iniative phase.
    B: act during the fourth intiative phase.

The 4 initiative phases will succeed one another each round.

NPCs act at fixed initative phases, after PCs in the same phase have acted. By default, lowest-rolling players act first in their own phases, but this order can be arranged between them.

The strategists & the indecisive can always Delay:

  • [0] DELAY
    Trigger: turn start.
    Act on a later initative phase of your choice this round & for the remainder of combat.

Note that a character regains 3 actions & a reaction at the start of their turn --not of the battle round-- & that they do not have any to spend before their first turn.
At the end of one's turn, suffer permanent damage if any & decrease their value, then decrease non-sustained effects' durations by 1: they dissipate whenever they reach 0.

 

Movement combat actions

Characters movements around the battlefield are represented though a variety of move actions:

  • [1] EVADE (move)
    Enemies have to spend one more action to affect you in mêlée (1 turn), unless their mêlée actions benefit from reach.

  • [1] FLANK (mêlée, move)
    Requirements: share an area with at least one ally.
    Test Agility vs WIL.
    T: your attacks against target enemy are Favoured & ignore 1 Impairment (circumstance, 1 turn).
    S: your attacks against target enemy are Favoured (circumstance, 1 turn).

  • [1] SHIFT (move)
    Move to an adjacent area.

  • [1] SNEAK (move)
    Requirements: Hiding.
    Test Stealth.
    T: move to an adjacent area, still Hiding; your attacks are Favoured (circumstance, 1 turn).
    S: move to an adjacent area, still Hiding.
    F: either lose this movement or stop Hiding.
    B: move to an adjacent area; stop Hiding.

Terrain

  • Difficult terrain: moving through (into, inside & out of) such areas requires spending one more action.
  • Hazardous terrain (Save, dx): each move action used in such areas requires making the listed Save to halve (Success) or ignore (Triumph) the listed die of damage.
  • Obstacle ([skill]): Shift is the only possible move action inside of such areas. Shifting through such areas requires Succeeding at the listed skill (sometimes Modified).
    • Examples: torrent (Might, Impaired); cross beams (Agility); rough & tumble (Might or Intimidation).
  • Uneven terrain: characters standing in such areas are permanently Staggered.


Combat actions

  • [2] ADMINISTER FIRST HELP (manipulate, mêlée)
    Requirement: available healing tools.
    Choose another creature at Death's Door or suffering from at least one instance of persistent damage. Test Medicine, Impaired (circumstance) if target is at Death's Door.
    T: reduce one instance of persistent damage to 0; or reduce 2 instances of persistent damage to half (rounded down); or, if target is at Death's Door, get them out of it at 5 HP.
    S: reduce one instance of persistent damage to half (rounded down); or, if target is at Death's Door, get them out of it at 1 HP.
    F: ¤
    B: +1 to one instance of persistent damage; or, if target is at Death's Door, they lose 1 regained action per turn at Death's Door.

  • [1] AID
    You prepare to help an ally in a particular course of action. Until your next turn, you can use a Reaction to Favour (circumstance) a relevant roll.

  • [1] ANALYSE (attack, concentrate)
    Test an appropriate knowledge skill, Impaired (circumstance) if target is of a rare kind.
    T: ascertain two aspects of the target (like Weaknesses, Resistances, Saves, methods of attacks, workings of a special ability...)
    S: ascertain one aspect of the target.
    F: ascertain one bit of information of mild helpfulness at the GM's discretion.
    B: ¤

  • [R] ARREST FALL (manipulate/move)
    Trigger: falling.
    Has the manipulate trait if grabbing a ledge with a free hand; has the move trait if stabilising using a form of flight.
    Test REF.
    S: stop falling, for as long as the method used is effective.
    F: ¤

  • [1] AVERT GAZE
    Saves against visual effects are Favoured (circumstance, until next turn), or ignore one Impairement on such Saves on subsequent uses (until next turn).

  • [1]/[2]/[3]/[6] CAST SPELL (attack, magical; manipulate/sonorous)
    Test your magic attack skill, as determined by your class.
    T: maxmise damage, effects last 3 turns & can be sustained.
    S: roll damage, effects last 2 turns & can be sustained.
    F: 1 damage, effects last 1 turn.
    B: ¤

  • [1] COMMAND (linguistic, sonorous)
    Target a creature that is your minion (does not act on their own).
    Test an appropriate skill (typically Charm, Intimidation or Nature, depending on your relationship with target).
    T: target gains 2 actions to spend during your turn, & you can use one more action to give them 3 instead.
    S: target gains 2 actions to spend during your turn.
    F: ¤

  • [1] CREATE  A DIVERSION (mental; manipulate/sonorous)
    Test Deception.
    T: become Obscured to all senses (2 turns).
    S: become Obscured to all senses (1 turn).
    F: ¤
    B: Diversions are Impaired (circumstance, 2 turns).

  • [2] DISABLE (manipulate, mêlée)
    Test an appropriate skill (Dexterity by default).
    T: progress 2 steps towards disabling target device.
    S: progress 1 step towards disabling target device.
    F: ¤
    B: hostile effect depending on target device.

  • [1] DISARM (attack, mêlée)
    Requirements: hold at least one weapon.
    Target a weapon held by a creature in the same area & use one of your held weapons.
    Test Dexterity.
    T: target weapon falls to the ground in an adjacent area.
    S: attacks made with target weapon are Impaired (1 turn).
    F: attacks made with the weapon used to Disarm are Impaired (1 turn).
    B: the weapon used to Disarm falls to the ground in an adjacent area.

  • [1] ESCAPE
    Test Agility or Might.
    T: end Restrained & Immobilised.
    S: end Restrained or Immobilised.
    F: ¤

  • [1] FEINT (mental)
    Test Deception vs WIL.
    T: target is Stunned against your actions (1 turn).
    S: target is Stunned against your next action.
    F: ¤
    B: target gains a bonus reaction only usable against you (1 turn).

  • [2] GRAPPLE (attack, mêlée)
    Requirements: have a free hand.
    Test Might vs VIG.
    T: target is Immobilised & Restrained as long as you dedicate one of your hands to holding them.
    S: target is your choice of Immobilised or Restrained as long as you dedicate one of your hands to holding them.
    F: ¤
    B: if target has a free hand & so chooses, they can Grapple you with an automatic Success.

  • [1] HIDE
    Requirements: benefit from some potential cover or obscurement against enemy senses.
    Test Stealth.
    T: until taking any action not requiring a Stealth roll, cannot be specifically targetted by anyone Failing to Seek. Can strike using Stealth (1 turn).
    S: until taking any action not requiring a Stealth roll, cannot be specifically targetted by anyone Failing to Seek.
    F: ¤
    B: Hiding is Impaired (circumstance, 2 turns).

  • [0/1] INTERACT (manipulate, mêlée)
    Interact with something in your area. Interactions merely implying a quick motion such as drawing a worn item to hold it in hand are free [0], involved or two-handed interactions such as drawing a Bulky item cost [1] action.
    Interacting undetected requires a Successful Stealth roll.

  • [1] INTIMIDATE (attack, emotion, mental, sonorous)
    Test Intimidation vs WIL.
    T: next turn, target must immediately make an Impaired Strike (circumstance),  Shift, or lose 1 action.
    S: next turn, target must immediately Strike, Shift, or lose 1 action.
    F: ¤
    B: Intimidating is Impaired (2 turns).

  • [2] KNOCKDOWN (attack, mêlée)
    Test Might vs REF.
    C: target becomes your choice of Immobilised or Staggered (2 turns)
    S: target chooses between being Immobilised or Staggered (2 turns)
    F: ¤
    B:  become your choice of Immobilised or Staggered (2 turns)

  • [1] POINT OUT (auditory, linguistic / manipulate / visual)
    Requirement: you Successfully Sought this turn.
    Communicate & assign traits as appropriate. Allies able to understand you gain the benefits of your last Seek action.

  • [1] PREDICT (concentrate)
    Test Perception vs WIL.
    T: choose a plausible course of action; target must use it or Feint against you next turn.
    S: GM tells you the target's most plausible course of action on their next turn; they can only lie if target immediately Feints against you next turn.
    F: ¤
    B: become Stunned against target's actions (2t).

  • [1] RAISE A SHIELD
    Benefit from the effects of held shield until next turn.

  • [1] RALLY (emotion, linguistic, mental, sonorous)
    Test Charm.
    T: dissipate any affliction affecting an ally (wether Basic or Intense) that required a WIL Save.
    S: dissipate any basic afflicition affecting an ally that required a WIL Save or downgrade such Intense effect to its basic version.
    F: ¤
    B: target Condition is Sustained, or becomes Intense.

  • [2] READY (concentrate)
    Choose a trigger & any [1]-cost action you could take: it becomes one of your possible Reaction uses until your next turn.

  • [1] REFOCUS (concentrate, magical)
    Test your Refocus statistic, as determined by your class.
    T: regain 2 FP.
    S: regain 1 FP
    F: ¤
    B: Refocusing costs [2] actions for the remainder of this turn.

  • [0] RELEASE
    One of your occupied hands becomes free: any effect depending on it being occupied immediately ceases; any object it was holding falls to the ground in your area.
    (As a free action woithout trigger, it can be done anytime before taking any other one, but not interrupting anyone else.)

  • [1] TAUNT (attack, emotion, linguistic, mental, sonorous)
    Test Charm vs WIL.
    T: target is Perturbed, their attack rolls against anyone other than you are Impaired (circumstance) & they cannot move away from you (1 turn).
    S: target's attack rolls against anyone other than you are Impaired (circumstance) & they cannot move away from you (1 turn).
    F: ¤
    B: Taunts are Impaired (circumstance, 2 turns).

  • [0] SAVE
    Trigger: you're in danger.
    Test VIG, REF or WIL, determined by the particular danger you're facing.
    T: avoid all damage & effects.
    S: receive 1 damage, & endure any additional effects.
    F: roll received damage & endure any additional effects.
    B: maximise received damage & endure any additional effects.

  • [1] SEEK (concentrate)
    Target one area you can percieve.
    Test Awareness.
    T: become able to target Hiding enemies in target area (til they sneak away).
    S: become able to target Hiding enemies in target area (til they sneak away).
    F: ¤
    B: Seeking in the same area is Impaired (circumstance, 1 turn).

  • [2] SHOVE (attack, mêlée)
    Test Might vs VIG.
    T: target is Staggered (2 turns) & your choice of Perturbed (2 turns) or displaced to an adjacent area.
    S: target chooses between being Staggered (2 turns) or displaced to an adjacent area.
    F: ¤
    B: you become Staggered (2 turns).

  • [1] STEEL ONESELF
    Test Awareness or Faith.
    T: reduce Faltering & Perturbed's durations by 2 turns.
    S: reduce Faltering or Perturbed
    's durations by 2 turns.
    F: ¤

  • [1] STRIKE (attack)
    Target a unit in an area you can hit.
    Test an appropriate skill vs an appropriate Save (REF by default).
    T: maximise damage.
    S: roll damage.
    F: 1 damage.
    B: ¤


  • [1] SUSTAIN SPELL (concentrate, magical)
    -1 FP
    Choose one of your active spells: its effects' duration doesn't count down at the end of their next turn.

  • [1] TAKE COVER
    Requirements:
     your area has potential cover.
    REF Saves & Stealth rolls are Favoured (circumstance) til next turn or til you attack.

Traits

Some traits only serve to qualify an action as other effects interact with them, but others have immanent effects. Below are a few of them as they apply to actions.

  • Attack: one cannot attack with the same skill twice in one turn.
  • Mêlée: this action can only target characters in the same area.
    • Reach: mêlée actions with this trait can target Evaded creatures normally.
  • Mental: only affects sentient creatures.
    • Emotion: an emotion action or effect is always mental.

Saturday, 22 April 2023

Scentfinder: of death's door

I love when characters fall on one knee & stare down death itself. That is when the true measure of a character's fighting spirit is made. I'm a bit sad to see TTRPG mechanics are often incompatible with these ideas, & I want to make death & dying mechanics compatible with it. 
I want falling at 0 HP to be a dramatic occasion, not a semi-optimised way of dealing with damage. 

So what happens when a character falls to 0 HP?

Well, now, they're at Death's Door.

Tuesday, 18 April 2023

Scentfinder: of magic, afflictions, boons & damage types

So... I'm partial against Vancian spellcasting; that is to say a magic system inspired by the works of Jack Vance which has spellcasters picking through a collection of predefined spell, & these spells being organised by levels of powers & cast by spending spell slots of dedicated levels acting as a resource of varying degrees of constraint depending on the system.

To put it plainly, I find it is a very specific way of handling magic & that it is thus relatively overused in the D&D roleplaying tradition, especially as systems of higher power level (like PF2, for instance) can easily make it a bookkeeping chore. And I think PF2 absolutely makes it a bookkeeping chore.

Vancian spellcasting is at its best, in my opinion, at low power levels, & when it represents a restrictive, tenuous or academic mastery of magic. I absolutely think making it the default for a game of epic fantasy like PF2 was a thoughtless decision made by force of habit.
And I have to commend the designers for confusely expressing a similar sensibility through the Focus Points system; because I'm going to steal that.

Monday, 17 April 2023

Scentfinder: of attacks & damage

Although I did not state it plainly in my previous post, perspicacious readers will have understood I want to make Scentfinder more player-facing than its main inspiration. Not only is conveying the feeling of constant action to the PCs something I like, it is also a key component of the transparency I try to foster, as clarity facilitates clever decision-making, especially since quite a few of PCs' reactive abilities require them to precisely know & understand their degree of success.

Saves & Strikes

So, when a PC is in danger, they Save:
  • [0] SAVE
    Trigger: you're in danger.
    Test VIG, REF or WIL, determined by the particular danger you're facing.
    T: avoid all damage & effects.
    S: reduce received damage to 1, & endure any additional effects.
    F: roll received damage & endure any additional effects.
    B: maximise received damage & endure any additional effects.

On the contrary, when a PC is on the offensive, they Strike:
  • [1] STRIKE (attack)
    Choose a weapon to use. Target a unit in an area you can hit.
    Test a relevant skill vs an appropriate Save (REF by default).
    T: maximise damage.
    S: roll damage.
    F: 1 damage.
    B: ¤
When you Strike an NPC (or Cast a spell on them), you're targetting one of their Saves. Most NPC Saves are neutral, but some could have Modifiers (circumstance, condition or item) Impairing or, rarely, Favouring your attacks against them.
Weapons & attack actions will have predifined skills that can be used to attack with them, and predefined target saves.
NPCs can use attacks as well as PCs, but their do not make rolls: relevant PCs Save & interpret their Successes as NPC Failures & vice-versa. Likewise, NPC Impairements are player Favours & vice-versa.

Damage & HP

So. A few assumptions & gross generalisations first.
  • Battles which are not supposed to be grueling challenges last about three turns. Two turns or lower doesn't left much room for changing tides, adaptability & tactics; four turns or more, especially in games as tactical as this one, feel more needlessly drawn out with each player around the table.
  • Thus, damage shall follow this design principle: the basic attack inflicts 1/3 of its victim's HP as damage.
  • So, d8 being the average classic damage die size (which range from d4 to d12), & its average being 4.5, so 5 (everything is rounded up unless specified), the basic HP will be 3 times that, so 15.
  • This base HP of 15 will be the default for both PCs & NPCs. Both could see this value modified, PCs through their class & NPCs through their level & characteristics (we'll see how in the NPC design post).
So here it is. In the barebones of Scentfinder, characters have 15 HP & attacks inflict approximately d8 (5) damage.
It follows that adapting to one's foe shall likely be the only way one could inflict exceptional damage.

Resistances, Weaknesses, & Immunity

  • Resistances, Weaknesses & Immunities have a corresponding damage type (or situation).
  • Resistance: -2 damage for each damage type the target is Resistant to in a damaging effect.
  • Weakness: +2 damage for each damage type the target is Weak to in a damaging effect inflicting at least 1 damage.
  • Immunity: a damaging effect is reduced to 0 if it only inflicts damage types a creature is Immune to. In case of partial Immunity to its various damage types, a damaging effect has its final damage halved, before applying any relevant Resistances or Weaknesses.
  • In specific situations, a creature could be considered simultaneously Resistant, Weak or Immune against one damage type, in which case every rule above applies.

 

Persistent damage

Persistent damage also carries some narrative weight & deserves its place in the game but was a bit fastidious to track as written in PF2. In Scentfinder, since the values are squashed, it opens up the possibility of using a simpler mechanic:
  • Persistent damage is inflicted rolling a damage dice; relevant Resistances & Weaknesses apply only to this initial roll.
  • A character inflicted with persistent damage only suffers this damage at the end of their turn, after which their persistent damage value is reduced by 1.
  • A creature can be inflicted with several persistent damage types, which stack distinctly from each other.
  • A character can spend an action to try & reduce one of their persistent damage values using an appropriate skill, to half their current value (rounded down) on a Success, to 0 on a Critical Success. 

Further posts will detail how classes & weapon design interact with this damage system.

Thursday, 13 April 2023

Scentfinder: of stats, skills, & saves

In Scentfinder,  the core rolling mechanic will be roll-equal-to-or-under-stat to succeed. Ill use the d20 & values are presented as such, but it could easily be converted to use a d100 as one fancies (1/20 being equal to 5/100). Rolls of 1 or 20 won't be natural critical results either, as the system already handles criticals elegantly enough.
 
How PCs & their stats improve through their progression is often central to a game's feel. It has to match the tone of the game & the supposed power PCs wield over their world.
In Gubat Banwa, PCs are warriors of legend; in Lancer, they're elite mecha pilots; in Trespasser, they're survivors killing not to be killed; in Blackbirds, they're destitues destined to play a role in the fate of the world. I never could be sure what exactly PF1 or 5E PCs were supposed to be; the scale changes a lot throughout leveling, a bit too uncontrolably to my taste.

What I think PF2 is most suited to -- & what I aim to make Scentfinder represent is casting PCs as tangible heroes. Members of the Fellowship of the Ring; powerful Darkest Dungeon II characters; Vermintide's Ubersreik Five. They're supposed to win this fight; they won't be killed by any one of their innumerable enemies. But one wrong move, one overconfident stumble in front of an accursed champion, & they're at death's door. The end of one is a tragedy, moreso as it could spell doom for all.

Here's how I've chosen to represent this.

Monday, 10 April 2023

Scentfinder: a manifesto

I - Where A Path Is Lost & Found

My rational brain insists indulging in these thoughts is a waste of time. However, these brainworms I call "thoughts" have been gnawing at the back of my mind through each houserule, each custom-made creature, each ruling & each hacking I have made in my weekly game for so long I have to excise them, lest they fully devour my mind.

 

I've been playing Pathfinder 2nd Edition (abridged as "PF2") for 3 years, on a weekly basis, in a total of 5 campaigns, 2 of wich I was game master in -- still am for one of them. I kind of wish I wasn't.