Thursday, September 17, 2015

Interlocking Character Generation System v1.0

Hey there wastelanders~ 
You're in for a treat.  I've been developing this neat new method of creating a unified party of characters with interlocking backstories.  It simultaneously generates NPCs and locations to fill your wasteland with! 

I call it the ICGS.  This is the first version (That first link was a .docx;  Here is the PDF)- it'll go through its first round of testing with a group of players on Monday, but you all get a special sneak preview of the first completed version.  (Shhhh... don't tell my players!)  It's based off an interesting system used by the Smallville RPG, with some modifications and genrefication to fit the Fallout:Equestria feel.

Below is a basic flowchart of the progression through the phases, which will make more sense if you actually read through the document.  

Also, one of my more thorough editors finally got back to me with some edits on the 'final' version of the front-half of the core rulebook.  Mostly typos and clarifications, but I've fixed them and updated a PDF and a word doc version to replace what's currently posted. Expect the links to have the corrected files in the next 24 hours.  You can find a list of the corrections and changes in the changelog text file, under the link of the same name. 

Thursday, September 10, 2015

September Updates

Hey There! 
Friendly system creator checking back in.  Still unemployed, but I'm now organized enough to start working again. 

System Updates:
1. Final Book, Part II -
I lost all of my monster sheet templates, completed or otherwise, when I swapped over to the new computer, so I'm working on getting one of my hard drives from the old rig interfaced as a portable to get those back.  Before I could properly back up the files, the CPU fizzled out, soo... yeah. 

The "monster manual" is the only thing that's changing significantly out of this portion of the doc other than GM reference tables and a little bit of expansion to the GM assistance section.  I'll post an incomplete version of that back half based on what I currently have in the next hour or so, since I'm apparently just bad at recovering lost sectors from my existing backups. 

2.  Roll20 - I'm looking for a few good bronies (or pegasisters, as the case may be) to create a character sheet with relevant mechanics that is usable on the popular online RPG hosting site, Roll20.  Here is a link for those of you who haven't heard of the site; basically it's a free to use GM tool for running games through the internet.  It involves some coding, which is why I've put it off. 
When this is complete, I intend to host at least one campaign on there a week. If someone was to complete this for me, I can guarantee that I would run at least a one shot and possibly a personal campaign for you and up to 3 friends. 

3.  PH is completed.   What a long, strange ride it has been.  The final adds from PH will be encompassed in the splat book, mostly because I'm working on cybernetics and vehicles there.   

4.  New work has begun on Cybernetics, Dragons, Shadow Magic and Vehicles.  I am considering adding Yaks, but frankly I'd be just as happy to say the ornery bastards were all wiped out in the megaspell exchange.  If you have any questions about these topics, feel free to drop me a line below. 

That's all I for now folks.  Thank you for your patience. 

Monday, May 4, 2015

Brief Update - Magic Acquisition and Sales


Hello every-being.  This isn't another monster sheets update.  Instead, I've been working on updating some other aspects of the system, including expanding the background items available and making the word document less horrible to look at. 

I've got a new editor (who, funny enough, was one of my alpha testers), who has been working on hyperlinking and breaking out sections of the original document for me - more on that in the coming weeks as it develops.

But I've also gotten some questions from a local game about magic - specifically, purchasing magic.  So I sat in front of a white board with some relatively smart bronies who've played the system and we worked out a purchasing rate for magic.
That kid with the balloon was there before I started working, I swear.


So we have a unified system of purchasing magical services now:
Assuming you can find a unicorn or alicorn who knows it to cast the spell, a single casting of any given spell has base cost of 

Strain Cost *(Spell Level4)*10 caps
(For zebra recipes, replace strain cost with ingredient rarity level and add the cost of any special ingredients)

For a (unicorn magic) talisman capable of producing that spell's effect, add 3500 caps for the use of the Talisman Creator spell and the raw materials.  Again, this assumes you can find one pony who can cast the spell and another who can obtain the necessary talisman-sized gem and cast Talisman Creator.

For teaching spells, the cost of a teacher is

(Strain Cost *(Spell Level + Level Requirement)2)*10 caps
That's the monetary cost, at least. It doesn't factor in precursor spells; you need to have already learned those to learn a spell anyway. But remember: learning spells also takes time.

With a competent teacher, you can learn a spell well enough to cast it on your own after
(Spell Level + Strain Cost)^2 hours.

That works for zebra magic too; recipes can be learned from teachers in (Spell Level +Ingredient Level)^2 hours, assuming the special ingredients, if any, are readily available.  If they're not available, good luck learning the recipe! (That would make for a pretty good fetch-quest, I think...)

That's all for now.  With luck, I'll be posting again before the end of the month.  Without it... well, wish me luck.

Saturday, December 6, 2014

Monsters, Mutants and Manticores - 12

Why hello there Fillies and Gentlecolts.  Here's a look at what I've gotten finished of late: 



Timberwolves – Terrifying constructs formed of the natural wild magic of the forest and the earth, timberwolves are fierce and territorial creatures that guard their home-forest against creatures big or small – even those without hostile intent.  The wounds caused by timberwolf claws and teeth embed small fragments of magic that tamper with and prevent most forms of magical healing.  The wolves themselves cannot be destroyed by conventional weapons or blunt force, and fear only destructive magics and fire. 



       Oakami -- Take about 5 timberwolves apart and put them back together as one great big wolf, and you get an oakami.  These gigantic animate wooden wolf-golems can crush a pony just as easily beneath their paws as they can within their splintered maw! 


(The Oakami will not be included in the first book.  This one is a blog exclusive!)
(More to come next week!)