Ruins of Khazan - A Rumbles RPG - Sign Up/System Test

[Nik Hasta]

Also added a new Mind-based Behavioural Ability:

BERSERK
Target becomes hostile to all nearby characters regardless of affiliation.

Mundane: Lash Out - On their turn, the target will attack the creature nearest to them in melee range with a Basic ATK action. As they are not compelled to move, if no enemy is in melee range and they do not move close enough to anyone to attack, then they will strike themselves for a flat 10 DMG. If they have default ranged Basic ATK, they will shoot the nearest creature to them. If they move on their turn, they will automatically attack the first creature they move close enough to strike as soon as they get in range. They can use Technique Actions as normal against other targets or defensively.

Honed: Enrage - On their next turn, the target will be compelled to move toward and attack the nearest enemy to them with a Basic ATK action. They also gain a flat +20 boost to DMG on Basic Attacks for the duration of this effect. They can use Technique Actions as normal against other targets or defensively. They are not compelled to use Dash Actions. If they cannot reach a target and/or attack another creature on their turn, they will strike themselves for a flat 15 DMG.

Epic: Frenzy - On their next turn, the target will be compelled to move and attack the creature nearest to them, spending all of their viable attack actions and the highest level Techniques at their disposal on offensive attacks toward that target. They will use Dash Actions to maximise range if required and will, if they have the option, use Area of Effect Techniques to hit the most number of targets possible. They gain a +30 boost to DMG on all attacks for the duration of this effect. If they are prevented from attacking a target on their turn (via being Grappled for example), they will strike themselves for a flat 25 DMG.

I think this one could be a lot of fun! ^_^

[Sharpandpointies]

Lash Out or Enrage on Krys could be amusing, as she potentially flails ineffectually on her ally with a Str attack, thanks to being too berserk to focus.

Frenzy would be potentially far less amusing.

[Sharpandpointies]

Have modified my tech in line with new rules.

[Postmania]

Seems unlikely I'll stick with the Dual Affinity I have without strength in Strength to make things worth it. Time to come up with a good Epic Body one.

[Nik Hasta]

Have modified my tech in line with new rules.

*Checks*

>_>

>_>

<0_0

*Does some maths*

Yeah that's a problem.

If you apply Control or Asceticism to a Persistent Technique, under the current rules you would technically have infinite Persistent Technique because even just Control eliminates the maintenance cost.

That's why Status Effects on Persistent Techniques need yet more work. I don't want to remove them completely but they are increasingly a source of problems.

Heat Death is going to get hit with the nerf bat Sharp, but I am grateful for your build choices highlighting the problem.

[Sharpandpointies]

See, this is why you WANT someone like me in the game. Why do you think I did that?

[Sharpandpointies]

More seriously, doing something like cutting out control is not the Nerf that you think it is. I’m willing to pay the price for heat death, and was willing to pay the price for heat death before there were any status effects. The big point about heat death is what it does for my counters/RAC.

[Sharpandpointies]

One possible way around this, is simply to disallow certain status effects with persistent techniques. For example, control should probably not be allowed with persistent techniques. Or, if allowed, it should have a lesser effect, like -5 on the energy cost rather than 15.

[Postmania]

Damn Sharp is good at breaking things.

[Sharpandpointies]

Damn Sharp is good at breaking things.

40 years of experience in PnP RPG’s will do that. Beadle is no slouch, himself, and Siriel as well.

In my case, resource management can be annoying. I prefer to get beaten up, or to beat up. So, if a game gives me ways to cut resource management out of the picture, I will take them.

So this next comment isn’t in regards to heat death, specifically. But there is a point to be made for the idea that adjusting the rules can only go so far. Players are inventive. They will find combinations that nobody has considered that will prove to be insanely potent. At some point, one has to accept that this is going to happen, and control them as the GM rather than trying to find a way to change the rules every single time. Changing the rules every single time will often end up with a bunch of rules that are extremely flat and dull, or rules that break themselves in other ways.

Again, this isn’t about heat death. Or the persistent technique situation. Obviously, there’s stuff that needs to be fixed, there. This is more of an idea that eventually the game rules will reach that point - they are not there now.

[Nik Hasta]

More seriously, doing something like cutting out control is not the Nerf that you think it is. I’m willing to pay the price for heat death, and was willing to pay the price for heat death before there were any status effects. The big point about heat death is what it does for my counters/RAC.

Glad to hear this won't be too unwelcome. Heat Death is a special case since it is (technically) borne of a Trait, even though the concept itself pre-dates the introduction of Trait/Technique combos that I would go on to introduce.

Come to think of it Sharp, you might want to make a direct reference to Heat Death in the Effect Description for "There Is A Truth In Granularity" just so it's clear that an entirely unique Technique structure is derived from the associated Trait.

Also, hadn't spotted you Trait-ing in Dizzy on all Counters until now. That's fun! ^_^

One possible way around this, is simply to disallow certain status effects with persistent techniques. For example, control should probably not be allowed with persistent techniques. Or, if allowed, it should have a lesser effect, like -5 on the energy cost rather than 15.

Yeah, my gut has been that designating whether abilities are Persistent viable would be the answer. The only problem is that that takes time and case-by-case assessment and I'm lazy and it's Friday night haha.

Game design is hard lads haha.

I thought by eliminating some of the really fucked up combos from the Persistent Technique remit, I could limit what one could do with them but, as ever the truism with GMing, players find ways to do odd things you don't think of.

[Postmania]

I'm unlikely to really do Dual-Affinity techs at this point (barring a rework of something) but can an attack with Dual Affinities have an Offensive Status Effect from the Primary Affinity and a Defensive Status Effect from the Secondary?

[Nik Hasta]

40 years of experience in PnP RPG’s will do that. Beadle is no slouch, himself, and Siriel as well.

In my case, resource management can be annoying. I prefer to get beaten up, or to beat up. So, if a game gives me ways to cut resource management out of the picture, I will take them.

So this next comment isn’t in regards to heat death, specifically. But there is a point to be made for the idea that adjusting the rules can only go so far. Players are inventive. They will find combinations that nobody has considered that will prove to be insanely potent. At some point, one has to accept that this is going to happen, and control them as the GM rather than trying to find a way to change the rules every single time. Changing the rules every single time will often end up with a bunch of rules that are extremely flat and dull, or rules that break themselves in other ways.

Again, this isn’t about heat death. Or the persistent technique situation. Obviously, there’s stuff that needs to be fixed, there. This is more of an idea that eventually the game rules will reach that point - they are not there now.

As we have spoken about in other areas, I am very much behind this. The game is not going to be completely unbreakable. Also, I do want to get to a point I think I'm done tweaking so we can start. My aim is not make system adjustments once the campaign starts, unless we find something really messed up.

And, as I have noted, I have made some truly wild gimmicks for some of the higher level NPCs/Bosses and potential encounters you can have in the game. I am trying to test and control so it's not obviously broken but some of it is pretty wild. The NPC I finished up today is such an obnoxious build and has some really cool tricks to pull.

I am very happy for players to get wild with their design and pushing the system here and there. But I have to address some of the obvious issues. Letting everyone potentially get permanent boosts or mechanics via infinite Persistent Techniques seems a bit too obviously fucked up so it's gonna go.

Though, technically, Kinu does have an infinite Persistent Technique but I'm inclined to let that rock because she Trait-ed for the ability, it only works on a Honed Persistent rather than an Epic and the abilities it confers are waay less powerful than Heat Death. That may come back to bite me a little but, like I said, happy to get a bit wild here and there XD

[Nik Hasta]

I'm unlikely to really do Dual-Affinity techs at this point but can an attack with Dual Affinities have an Offensive Status Effect from the Primary Affinity and a Defensive Status Effect from the Secondary?

Sure, that's fine. You would need to specify that the Defensive Status is being cast on Jane or her Target, since the implication is that all status effects flow toward the Target of the Technique.

Otherwise, yeah, that's cool.

[Postmania]

Sure, that's fine. You would need to specify that the Defensive Status is being cast on Jane or her Target, since the implication is that all status effects flow toward the Target of the Technique.

Otherwise, yeah, that's cool.

Oh interesting. So I wouldn't be able to do something like say, Offensive Body Technique Fling to enemy, while casting Defensive Spirit Technique Etc on myself

But I would be able to give a Defensive tech to whoever I attacked, if I wanted to