I've recently decided to create my own RPG system and slowly, but surely it's coming together. However, I need people to bounce ideas off of, so this is where I figure I can get some folks who are good enough with RPG's to do so. "Starlight" is just the working name for the system. I don't have a real one in mind yet.
SettingThe setting for the system is a futuristic setting. Interplanetary travel is not uncommon (though still expensive enough that most folks just conduct business on their own planet). However, magic exists (it did not come from Earth, but from a single planet/species). Due to magic, bio-engineering, and nanotech, the ability to use magic is present (though not necessarily common) in every major species. There are several intelligent species (including humans) about. Some contacts were peaceful, others were not. As such, alliances and wars occasionally pop up. Even wars between factions on a single planet still spring up, on rare occasions turning into interstellar wars.
Starlight is a point-build game due to the inherent flexibility in that system. However, there are some key differences.
Attributes and Capabilities have separate point pools. This way, you don't have to choose between good attributes or the ability to fulfill the character concept. You don't have to choose between being a great pilot and a high Dexterity/Intellect, for example.
Unlike Shadowrun and similar games, you won't be penalized for playing a non-human. Each base species will be balanced against one another mechanically, so there is no point cost for choosing a specific species. Each species has starting Capabilities, some of which are unique to that species. However, certain capabilities can be purchased to represent modifications from the base species (such as a human being modified to have a second pair of arms).
Also, unlike other point-buy systems, Starlight will have no Disadvantage system that will give points back. This too easily ruins characters, either by giving them massive problems that do not get outweighed by the benefits or by selected penalties that simply don't matter at all. Either way, it unbalances the character and affects the fun of the game, either for the affected player or the others.
Finally, despite being point-buy, there are still levels (but no classes). Everyone gains some hit points and build points when they reach a new level and every so many levels they gain an attribute point. This is the best solution I have for being able to advance both Attribute and Build points as a character progresses. If anyone has a better idea, I would be happy to hear it.
Attribute points must be spent immediately upon gaining them and are spent before anything else (other than choosing species) is done at character creation. The seven attributes are Strength, Dexterity, Endurance, Intellect, Intuition, Charisma, and Luck.1 At character creation, each attribute has a minimum score of -4 (-5 in an attribute is the same as having a 0 in most RPG's) with an average score being 0 and maximum being 4. Luck is the exception to this rule, starting at 0 (and cannot be lowered below that via racial penalties) and has a maximum of 8 before racial bonuses. Die rolls involving an attribute add the attribute score to the roll. Racial modifiers may increase a score above 4, but never decrease it below -4. A newly created character in a standard game should have 30 attribute points to spend.
Luck is probably the most difficult to explain of those. Similar to Edge in Shadowrun, you can spend points of Luck to get bonuses on a task. You can even spend multiple points on a single check and the bonuses stack. However, the rate of Luck return is slow (absolute fastest is 1point/hour, will likely be slower). Luck, by definition, can't be relied upon always.
There is a sub-stat called Energy. Energy regenerates at the rate of 1 point/round and is consumed by certain actions. For example, the Dodge action can be performed once per round, either avoiding a single-target attack or granting a bonus to resist an AoE (simultaneously, it moves you one space, yes, you can use it even if there is no attack, but you can't dodge an attack you're not aware of). It costs 52 Energy to use. While you could keep dodging attacks, pretty soon you will be too tired out to do it again. A little bit of rest fixes the problem. Energy has the same base value across the board, but it can be modified with certain Capabilities. Endurance also has a small impact on energy total.
Hit points are another important factor in characters. Each species has its own base hit point total. This is because of the differing biology; some species just have their vitals better protected than others and some are simply larger. This total is then raised or lowered, depending on the character's Endurance score. Again, certain capabilities can modify this total.
Capabilities are pretty much everything that makes something special. They can be gross physical traits (such as having a prehensile tail), skills (being a trained fighter pilot), or even just bonuses to particular acts (black belts in karate are probably pretty good at martial arts)
1I considered rolling Intuition into Intellect, but that would leave me with an imbalance between physical and mental attributes.
2Actual numbers may change.
The system is a D12 base. I wanted to keep randomness as a real factor, so the die had to be large enough so that the bonuses did not completely outstrip the random portion, but I also did not want the unpredictability of a D20.
Another thing a D12 lets me do is easily separate things for degrees of success (major fail, barely failed, barely succeeded, major success) The range for each level is 3 away from the target number. If the target number was 7, for example, a 7 would be what you would expect from a success while a 9 would be going beyond that. Likewise, a 2 would be significantly worse than just failing. The target number may change depending on training in that particular field. For example, a trained pilot may have a target number of 4 while someone who hasn't flown before would have one of quite possibly 10 (making a major success impossible). Keep in mind that the "target number" in this explanation is not the same as a DC in D&D, but rather the number needed on the die. The DC of a task would remain the same across the board for pretty much anyone (exceptions abound, like a character trying to make a good bargain with someone when their two species are at war)
Technology and Magic can both accomplish many of the same things (still a few unique things to each, however), but the costs involved differ significantly. Tech always requires money to obtain it and usually to maintain it, but it rarely has personal costs. However, it is vulnerable to certain attacks like hacking, radiation, or EMP's. Magic, on the other hand, always has personal costs involved and rarely costs money. This may be as small as using energy, or it may be as large as sacrificing a limb or hit points. The more powerful the spell, the higher the cost.
I will likely have an "interference" mechanic between tech and magic as well to prevent folks from gaining too much power by using both.
At this point I am looking for ideas for species Capabilities, in particular for Humans.
