Naturally, I did not stop thinking about the process over the last 12 months, and I believe I have made a few advancements.
1. There are only four core Abilities needed to define any character.
Abilities:
1. Intelligence: used to solve problems and learn.
2. Charm: used in social interactions.
3. Athletics: used in various physical trials.
4. Perception: used to assign value to sensory input.
Originally, I wanted more Abilities to define the characters, but it is obvious that is unnecessary and inefficient. When looking at the actual Trials (dice rolling) to overcome obstacles, humans use all their traits(under any given ability) in combination to succeed. Athletics uses speed and strength, Charm uses looks, moxie, and speech, etc. The deciding factor for me was that a character in a tough situation would use any and all in the same trial/encounter to succeed and trying to boil down the exact trait the character is using is just splitting hairs and needlessly bogs down the rules.
The actual defining of what any given Ability score represents in the character is the role of the player. The lead trait of that character's Charm may be good looks, but the secondary trait of a quick wit is doubtlessly used in many situations. The player defines the character, but this does not change the mechanics of the game. Whether the player defines their character as more good looking than humorous, or more quick than strong has no impact on whether the character is successful against a Trial, where all their effort is used. It does have a large impact on how the story is told, and how the character is perceived by others. For instance, a good looking character will get more attention from a distance, but and engaging character will have more impact in conversation. Each player decides their characters role, and the GM makes the story around them.
2. The game mechanic.
Trials
Trials are the actual dice rolling to determine success in an encounter. The example here is spellcasting.
The spellcaster determines the total number of dice they can roll in a skill test to cast a spell. As with all skill tests, there are three components that add to the total:
1. Relevant Ability dice: Intelligence for Elemental casting (for instance).
2. Relevant Skill dice: There may be more than one and they stack. Vocal Channeling plus Semantic Channeling plus Focus Channeling.
3. Relevant Knowledge dice: If our Mage was casting a fire spell, then Fire Magic knowledge dice could be added here.
The roll is made, and if the Target to cast the spell is reached with the roll, the casting was successful. In our example, a mage is casting a fire spell. He has 5d6 Intelligence, 3d6 Vocal Channeling skill, 2d6 Semantic Channeling skill, 2d6 Focus Channeling and 3d6 Fire Magic knowledge. A breakdown of his roll:
1. Intelligence: 5+5+5+4+2=21
2. Vocal: 2+3+4=9
3. Semantic: 2+4=6
4. Focus: 2+3=5
5. Fire Magic: 6+6+3=15
Total=56, which is greater than the 50 pt Target to cast the spell. The spellcaster is successful.Had this been a combat, the two combatants would roll and compare their totals to see who won and by how much, as I demonstrated some time ago in an earlier post.
The Rule of Karma and Fatigue, or The rule of Ones and Sixes:
During the Trials in any particular encounter, when a one is rolled on any die, that die is removed on any future Trials in that encounter only. This represents fatigue and/or low moral-confidence. Roll all sixes in any roll of a Trial (note the mage in the example above had five such rolls), then any lost die from that roll set due to the fatigue/moral are immediately rolled and added to that Trial. Moreover, if all the die in a roll of all sixes are already present, then the character gets a Karma reaction (based on which roll in the trial was maxed out).
This sounds complicated perhaps, but can be a fun 'game within the game'. Note: all dice are restored after each encounter during the break between encounters, whether that encounter is a combat or a haggling foray in the market. The characters will naturally regroup before moving on.
3. Spells are simple in concept, but perhaps complex in casting.
Targets for spells are high. Spellcasting is difficult, and successful casters quickly learn any skills that will aid them. Note in our example, the mage is using 3 relevant skills, and would have missed the Target without them. Had the mage been unable to speak, or move, or had lost their focal item, then failure would have been more likely. That is why each aspect of a spellcaster's skills and knowledge are so important. any one of them can be the difference.
Some spell examples:
Flame
Knowledge: Fire
Target: 50
Casting time: 1 round
Effect: produces a small flame at the end of the fingertip that is exactly like a candle flame, except that the fingertip is not burned.
Maint: 1d6/turn
Mend
Knowledge: Weaving
Target: 50
Casting time: 1 round
Effect: causes the fibers of any non-living organic substance to reconnect where the caster touches. The higher the number is over the Target, the more seamless the repair. Must be recast for each type of material (cloth, leather, wood, etc). Multiple recastings on the same seam will improve the mending.
Maint: 1d6/turn
Blow
Knowledge: Air Magic
Target: 50
Casting time: 1 round
Effect: a channeled blast of air sufficient to blow out a candle at 10 feet distance. This can be in any direction from the tip of the caster’s finger (or lips), so it could be used to levitate a feather, as the force can be modulated.
Maint: 1d6/turn
Dig
Knowledge: Earth Magic
Target 50
Casting time: 1 round
Effect: digs/burrows a four inch deep, four inch in diameter hole in any earthen surface (soil or stone) every turn where caster touches.
Maint: 1d6/turn
Flash
Knowledge: Light
Target: 50
Casting time: 1 round
Effect: causes a flash of bright light from the palm of the caster. If in melee, this can stun an opponent.
Cannot be maintained.
These are examples of the simplest spells. More complex ones would have higher Targets.
4. Bonuses, Bumps and Pips:
Regardless of what task the character is trying to achieve, they will use a very wide selection of conditional modifiers to assist them. All characters (not just spellcasters) can gain magic-based skills (many of what used to be Feats) to assist them consistently, spell-like skills that work when a Trial is passed, and various items that will assist them only when used. For instance, a Bard could sing a rousing song that could prevent the Rule of Fatigue, or aid the Rule of Karma. A shrine could bless a character to have +1d6 on every Trial where they pronounce a Deity's name at the start of the Trial. Another example is a root, that when eaten gives 2d6 Strength boost to the Athletics ability. The possibilities are very wide open and allow for more tools for the GM to tell the story. Of course, players will be alert to chances to help there character and more focused on discovering these possibilities, which is hopefully, more true to the Darwinian concepts behind this game.
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