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View Full Version : Feat-based, Classless System.



Samurai Jill
2009-01-07, 11:19 PM
Like it says. I'll be idly refining this outline over time, but the basic idea is to take the 3.5 D&D classes, chuck out the 'class' and 'level' and even 'ability scores' and 'skill ranks' bits, make some attempt to rebalance them, and replace just about everything with feats: Feats, feats, and more feats, only feats, beautiful, glorious feats. Only I'm calling them 'abilities'. Anyways-

This is very much a work in progress, but I'll post again when I have something more coherent in place. For now, just some vague, scattered outline pieces. Unless stated otherwise, bonuses associated with a given Ability replace, not stack with, their prerequisites. Format is: Ability (Prerequisite A, Prerequisite B, Prerequisite C, etc.)...

BASIC DICE MECHANIC:
You have two sides in a basic conflict. Each has a number of bonuses and penalties- Penalties are never actually deducted from one side's assets, but instead applied as a bonus to the other.

The size of die used is the maximum which is no larger than the sum of BOTH side's assets.
{table=head]Total assets | dice
0 to 5 | d4
6 to 7 | d6
8 to 9 | d8
10 to 11 | d10
12 to 15 | d12
16 to 17 | d4 + d12
18 to 19 | d6 + d12
20 to 21 | d8 + d12
22 to 23 | d10 + d12
24 to 25 | 2d12
[/table]
Both parties roll this die and add the result to their assets- the result is Partial Success for whomever has the higher total. If the winner can repeat their victory (using a single roll,) this becomes a Total Success. Initial ties go to the stronger party, or 1d6 is rolled to decide.
Total and Partial Success for one party implies Total and Partial Failure for the other respectively.



Example: A character needs to make an Endurance test for recovery against 2 Moderate Injuries (-1 each) and 1 Critical Injury (-4), for a total obstacle of 6, while the character has Greater Endurance and Superb Resilience for a +9 bonus to the test. The die size for (6 vs. 9) is d12.
Results are:
Character roll of 5 (+ 9 = 14.)
Injury roll of 1 (+ 6 = 7.)
Further (none needed, success is automatic.) Total Success.
The character may stabilise 1 Critical and 2 Moderate Injuries (that is, all of them.)

Open tests are made when no fixed difficulty or specific opposing force or party exists. You roll a die matching the size of your own assets. To try for Partial Success, roll 3 dice, adding the first two and subtracting the third- this determines the basic obstacle you can meet. For Total Success, discard the worst positive roll, and for Partial Failure, discard the negative roll. Total Failure never occurs on Open tests.


Example: A character wishes to make a Prayer test to gain a bonus on her crafting tests for the next day. The character has Improved Charm and Greater Faith for a +6 bonus to the test, in addition to Devout Supplication for +2, and is willing to bid 5 Luck on the outcome: total assets of +13. She rolls 3d12 for +8, +9 and -9, giving an obstacle 25. The character needs Total Success, so she discards the +8 for a result of 14- enough for a +2 bonus the next day.




BIDDING LUCK:
Luck is earned by living up to the tenets or beliefs defined for your character- sticking to a given principle or trait even when it comes at a cost.

Luck can be 'bid' on tests to increase your asset pool: the Luck bid is only lost in the event of Partial or Total Success, so it's never wasted. You may bid up to 5 points of Luck on a given test, and may accumulate up to 1 point of Luck at a time for every Ability you take.

ADVANCING ABILITIES:
Every test the character makes can earn XP for any single Ability- of the player's choice- invoked in the process. Total Failure earns 2 XP, while Partial Success or Failure earn 1 XP- Total Success earns NO XP. No Ability may earn XP more than once during a given scene or encounter- however, the best of all results may be taken.

{table]5 XP | Learn a new Ability which lists this as a direct prerequisite (a 'child'.) This requires at least one scene or encounter where the Ability COULD have been used.
1 XP | Transfer up to 4 XP to any ancestral Ability
1 XP | Transfer up to 4 XP to a direct child Ability[/table]

Abilities can also be rescinded- or lost- if:
A. They have not been invoked in any recent scene or encounter,
B. Have had all their XP transferred to other Abilities, and
C. Are not a prerequisite for any other existing Ability of the character.
Rescinded Abilities give the player 5 General XP in return. General XP cannot be spent directly, but increase XP gains from other tests by 1 point per point until exhausted.

Attribute Abilities:

Endurance- physical toughness, stamina and staying-power.
Brawn -raw physical strength and muscular development.
Reflex -ability to react quickly and coordinate action.
Intellect -capacity to perform abstract problem-solving.
Charm -ability to intuit and shape emotional state.
Spirit -sheer presence, force of personality and willpower.

Lack of Ability: You gain a minimum bonus of +2 to all tests based on such Abilities, but also suffer a -4 penalty until you take the Ability itself.

Basic:
You no longer suffer a -4 penalty to Basic tests, but retain a +2 bonus.

Improved: (Basic, At least 3 Abilities based on it) OR (Natural Basic)
You gain a +3 bonus to Basic tests. Natural versions of this Ability always use the latter requirements.

Greater: ((Improved, at least 6 Abilities based on it, 1 Related) OR (Natural Improved, 1 Natural Related))
You gain a +4 bonus to Basic tests. Natural versions of this Ability always use the latter requirements.
Related for Endurance: Spirit, Brawn
Related for Brawn: Endurance, Reflex
Related for Reflex: Brawn, Intellect
Related for Intellect: Reflex, Charm
Related for Charm: Intellect, Spirit
Related for Spirit: Charm, Endurance

Supreme: ((Greater, at least 9 Abilities based on it, 3 Related) OR (Natural Greater, 3 Natural Related))
You gain a +5 bonus to Basic tests. Natural versions of this Ability always use the latter requirements.
3 Related Abilities mean: 1 Improved Ability AND 1 separate Basic (or better) Ability.


e.g, in order to acquire Greater Brawn, I must have either Reflex OR Endurance. To acquire Supreme Brawn, I must have either Improved Endurance AND Reflex, or Improved Reflex AND Endurance.

DIRECT COMBAT

Combat consists of 2 separate tests- Initiative and Tactic. All are based on Reflex.

When combat begins, an Open test (Partial Success as standard) for Initiative is made. Those involved on each side are ranked by their results and paired off, with the best on one side facing the worst on the other. If a given side is outnumbered, opponents are matched as evenly as possible, with those who did worst in Initiative receiving extra opponents first- In practice, it is impossible for more than 4 normal-sized opponents or so to fight a single character. Once opponents are matched, whoever had the higher Initiative result may determine their starting distance as desired (but NOT Brawling.)

The two most basic Tactics are Offence and Defence- others can be learned as separate Abilities. You script your Tactic 3 moves in advance without advance declaration- only when the round begins do you announce which was chosen.
{table]Outcome | Offence result | Defence result
Total Success | Critical Injury | Change distance 2 steps
Partial Success | Moderate Injury | Change distance 1 step
Partial Failure | Slight Injury | No effect
Total Failure | No effect | No effect
[/table]
Every Tactic that a given character attempts each round imposes a -3 penalty to subsequent tests, and only one is possible against a given opponent- this is known as an Action Penalty.

Distances in combat are as follows:
{table]Brawling: | Long weapons suffer a -3 penalty, short weapons gain a +2 bonus.
Close: | The shorter weapon suffers a -1 penalty.
Arm's Length: | A shorter weapon suffers a -2 penalty during Offence (-4 for long vs. short.)
Out of Reach: | Tactic is impossible.
[/table]
Fighting in close confines, such as a narrow corridor, stairwell, or underground passage makes staying at Arm's Length impossible, and if no avenue of retreat is available (such as when surrounded,) moving back becomes impossible. If a character is knocked prone, getting up is considered a change of 1 step in distance.

Penalties (to all use) and bonuses (to offensive melee Tactics) are as follows:
{table]Weapon Weight | None | Brawn | Improved Brawn | Greater Brawn | Supreme Brawn
Heavy | -4 | -2 | 0 | +1 | +2
Normal | -2 | 0 | 0 | +1 | +1
Light | 0 | 0 | 0 | +1 | +1
[/table]
Light weapons suffer a -1 penalty to all Tactics tests. Missile weapons are automatically considered to keep melee weapons Out of Reach until Brawling begins.

Slight Injury imposes a -1 Action Penalty that round when incurred (except through bleeding.) Every 3 Slight Injuries convert to Moderate Fatigue from bleeding. Slight injury disappears after the encounter.

Moderate Injury imposes a -4 Action Penalty when incurred (except through bleeding,) a -1 Action penalty each subsequent round, and inflicts Slight Injury from Bleeding each round thereafter. It imposes a -1 penalty to recovery tests. Every 3 Moderate Injuries convert to Critical Injury.

Critical Injury requires an immediate Endurance test for recovery to avoid incapacitation and makes further action that round impossible. It inflicts Moderate Injury from bleeding each round thereafter, and imposes a -4 penalty to recovery tests. An incapacitated character may be coup-de-graced, and will die if they sustain another Critical Injury.

Fatigue is a form of Injury which disappears once recovered, rather than merely stabilising, and never causes bleeding.

Each hour after injury is sustained, a recovery test, based on Endurance, must be made. Injuries can only Stabilise once the character has a chance to rest and and tend his or her wounds. Once wounds have stabilised, daily recovery tests are made to remove Stable Injury entirely: these require full rest on the part of the character without physical strain of any kind for the day. Strenuous physical activity of any kind requires an immediate recovery test to avoid opening injuries, as if newly sustained.

Total success- you may render one Critical and 2 Moderate Injuries Stable.
Partial success- you may render one Moderate Injury Stable.
Partial failure- none of your injuries stabilise.
Total failure- one Stable Injury inflicts further Injury through bleeding.




Traditional Monk Abilities


Serenity (Improved Spirit)
You gain a +1 bonus to all Spirit tests, or +2 against mind-affected magic.
Serenity is incompatible with Rage or Passion.

Open Chakra (Serenity, Endurance)
You gain the ability to channel your life-force, (or Chi,) at will for productive purposes. You regain Chi points matching twice your Endurance bonus per day, and can store up to triple your Endurance bonus at any time.
Any active Ability based on Open Chakra consumes 1 Chi when used, and you may freely expend 1 Chi as a bonus to any Endurance test you make.

Meditation (Serenity, Intellect)
Several hours of restful, introspective calm- while not asleep- allows you a +1 bonus to all Intellect or Spirit tests for the next 12 hours.

Chi Strike (Greater Empty Hand, Open Chakra)
You may suffer a -1 penalty to your melee positioning test to gain a +2 enchantment bonus on your unarmed attack tests- in addition, you may make ranged attacks while unarmed (optimal range 5 paces or less), with a -3 penalty. These attacks affect incorporeal opponents at no penalty.

Greater Chi Strike (Chi Strike, Meditation)
You gain a +4 enchantment bonus to your unarmed attack tests, and may make ranged unarmed attacks (optimal range 15 paces) at a -1 penalty.

Ultimate Chi Strike (Greater Chi Strike, Improved Purity)
You gain a +5 enchantment bonus to your unarmed attack tests, and may make ranged unarmed attacks at no penalty. You no longer suffer a positioning penalty when using Chi Strike, and may use this Ability at no cost to Chi.

Purge (Purity, Chi Strike, Great Endurance)
You may permit either yourself or a willing subject (with physical contact) a second Endurance test against poison, disease, persistent injury or any other harmful persistent condition that permits an Endurance test to remove. You may attempt a Purge once per day per point of Endurance bonus, but you must wait at least an hour between such applications.

Greater Purge (Purge, Improved Purity, Clarity)
You now apply your Spirit as a further bonus to all Purge tests, which may also be used to remove Spirit-resistable conditions or effects from the subject or yourself.

Purity (Open Chakra, Improved Endurance)
You gain a +2 bonus to all Endurance tests against disease or exposure. In addition, you may expend up to your Endurance bonus in Chi per day as a bonus to recovery tests against injury or poison.

Improved Purity (Purity, Great Spirit)
You gain a +4 bonus to all Endurance tests against disease or exposure, and a +2 bonus to all Spirit tests against mind-affecting magic. In addition, you may expend unlimited Chi as a bonus to recovery tests against injury or poison.

Timeless Body (Greater Purge, Great Endurance)
You never accumulate further age penalties to your Abilities, and you are also considered immune to disease or exposure.

Clarity (Meditation)
You gain a +2 bonus to all Intellect tests after Meditation, and a +3 bonus to all tests against mind-affecting magic. In addition, you gain a further +1 bonus to all Reflex or Spirit tests following Meditation.

Greater Clarity (Clarity, Great Spirit, Purity, Improved Intellect)
You gain a +4 bonus to all tests against mind-affecting magic. In addition, you may forfeit sleep in favour of Meditation, and gain a +2 bonus to all Reflex or Spirit tests following Meditation.

Final Clarity (Greater Clarity, Improved Purity, Acumen)
The benefits of Meditation become permanent and passive, and you are now considered immune to mind-affecting magic. You permanently gain the benefits of the True Seeing and Foresight spells: invisibility, concealment or darkness have no effect upon you, you cannot be taken by surprise, and you gain a +2 bonus to all Acumen, Insight or Initiative tests.

Transcendent Self (Final Clarity, Timeless Body, Supreme Spirit)
You are now considered an incorporeal creature, (though you may, if desired interact with the physical world as normal.) You never die from natural causes, never need to eat, drink, void, or sleep, and are immune to all harmful effects that an Endurance test permits resistance against. If you are destroyed, you leave no physical remains.


Traditional Barbarian Abilities:

Fast Movement (Endurance, Reflex)
You gain a +2 bonus to initial positioning tests in combat, and your base travel rate is improved by 20%. This Ability functions only when no more than lightly encumbered.

Stamina (Improved Endurance, Fast Movement)
You gain a +3 bonus to tests against drowning, suffocation, exhaustion or exposure.

Uncanny Dodge (Improved Reflex)
You gain a +3 bonus to initiative and positioning tests against opponents who take you by surprise, provided you are no more than lightly encumbered.

Resilience (Brawn, Improved Endurance)
You gain a +1 bonus to all Endurance tests against physical injury, and +1 versus poison or disease.

Greater Resilience (Resilience, Greater Endurance)
You gain a +3 bonus to all Endurance tests against physical injury, and +2 versus poison or disease.

Superb Resilience (Greater Resilience, Supreme Endurance)
You gain a +5 bonus to all Endurance tests against physical injury, and +3 versus poison or disease.

Rage (Brawn, Endurance)
You gain +2 to Brawn and Endurance tests and +1 to Spirit tests, but suffer -1 to Reflex tests, and cannot use any Intellect or Charm-based Abilities. This effect lasts the remainder of the encounter, or until you sustain Critical Injury- whichever is sooner.
At the end of a Rage, you must make an Endurance test against the duration of your Rage in rounds:

Total Success- you suffer no ill-effect.
Partial Success- you sustain Slight Fatigue.
Partial Failure- you sustain Moderate Fatigue.
Total Failure- you sustain Critical Fatigue.
In order to end a Rage early, you must make a similar Spirit test with at least Partial Success. You may not Rage more than once per day, and Rage is incompatible with Serenity.

Greater Rage (Rage, Improved Brawn, Great Endurance)
Your bonus to Brawn and Endurance increases to +3, and to Spirit, +2. You gain a +2 bonus to your recovery tests versus injury during or after Rage, but a -1 penalty to attempts to end it. You may now Rage twice per day.

Tireless Rage (Greater Rage, Stamina, Resilience)
Your bonus to recovery tests versus injury after or during Rage increases to +5, and you may continue Rage even when you sustain Critical Injury, provided you have Total Success in recovery. You may now Rage as many times per day as your Endurance bonus.

Indomitable Rage (Great Brawn, Supreme Endurance, Tireless Rage, Masterless Will)
Your bonus to Brawn and Endurance during Rage increases to +5, and to Spirit, +3. You may now Rage at will, ignoring Injury penalties entirely, but cannot willingly end your Rage.

Masterless Will (Greater Endurance, Improved Spirit, Greater Rage)
You gain a further +3 bonus to Spirit tests against mind-affecting spells, and total immunity to mind-affecting spells that permit Spirit tests for resistance during Rage.


Traditional Paladin/Cleric Abilities:

Faith [Deity] (Spirit)
You gain a +1 bonus on Prayer tests to the Deity in question. Faith is incompatible with Covenants.

Greater Faith [Deity] (Faith, Improved Spirit, at least 2 Prayer-based Abilities)
You gain a +3 bonus on Prayer tests to the Deity in question.

Supreme Faith [Deity] (Greater Faith, Greater Spirit, at least 5 Prayer-based Abilities)
You may now apply your Spirit bonus directly on Prayer tests to the Deity in question.

Grace (Greater Faith)
You may apply your Faith bonus, instead of bidding Luck, to any test where your personal survival is directly at stake. In addition, you gain a +1 bonus to any test where Luck is bid.

Divine Aristeia (Grace, Supreme Faith)
For the duration of a single encounter, you may may apply your Faith bonus, instead of bidding Luck, to all active tests of any single type. You may only apply this Ability once, after the permanent death of a character with whom you had a positive pre-existing Relationship, and during a scene directly opposing those primarily responsible for that death.

Aura of Grace (Grace, Supreme Faith, Supreme Spirit)
All allies within 10 paces, (including yourself,) enjoy a +1 morale bonus to all Spirit or Endurance tests in your presence as long as you are not unconscious, stricken, possessed or otherwise incapable of independent action. Your aura of Faith can no longer be concealed or suppressed in any fashion.

Sense Aura[Type] (Divine Grace, Acumen)
An Acumen test with at least Partial Success allows you to sense whether a given character is subject to Rage, Passion, Serenity, Balance, sacred Faith or a profane Covenant. The type of Aura you are sensitive to must be chosen for Ability of this kind you take.
The difficulty is 5 + the Spirit bonus of the subject, with a test bonus for each Ability the subject possesses based off the aura in question, and a -2 penalty for every 10 paces' distance. This Ability is a form of divination and may be countered accordingly.
Sense Aura is normally passive in effect, but gains a +2 bonus if you actively concentrate upon locating such an aura: Two such tests will also pinpoint the heading of a hidden subject. If multiple such subjects are present, each is tested separately, but only one may be pinpointed.

Prayer (Charm, Improved Spirit)
You may call upon a chosen God or Goddess in which you have Faith to intercede on your behalf. Any Prayer requires a Charm test against the difficulty of the request- unless noted otherwise, only Total Success confers the request. (Details of test difficulty are specified under each Prayer-based Ability.)
Failing a Prayer test imposes a -2 penalty to all further Prayer tests (up to -10.) Success on a subsequent Prayer Test removes 1 point of such penalties.
Recent or past actions likely to displease the Deity in question may apply a further test penalty (ranging from -1 for slight up to -10 for exceptional displeasure.)
The effects of multiple Prayers, either from one person or several, do not stack upon a given subject.

Entreaty (Prayer, Greater Suasion)
You may actively seek to sway your chosen Deity to intercede on your behalf using normal dialogue options- you hear no replies, and may not employ Mock, Daunt, Deceit or Trivia, but can otherwise state your case normally, and gain your Faith (but not Charm) bonus to any test. All test difficulties are otherwise as for Prayer.

Devout Supplication[Deity] (Faith, Entreaty)
You may extend the length and effectiveness of your Prayer- via ritual dance, chanting of sutras, earnest prostration, self-flagellation or whatever is appropriate to the creed of your faith. A full hour provides a +2 bonus to your Prayer check, several days without rest provides a +3 bonus, and months of ceaseless supplication provide a +4 bonus.

Choral Supplication[Deity] (Devout Supplication)
You may improve the effectiveness of your Prayer by joining with other faithful in a single supplication. The test made is based on whichever member of the group has the highest overall Prayer bonus, but he or she receives a bonus to the test based on the total Prayer bonus of all other members:
{table]+1 to +4 | +1 Prayer bonus
+5 to +12 | +2 Prayer bonus
+13 to +32 | +3 Prayer bonus
+33 or more | +4 Prayer bonus[/table]
Only faithful capable of Devout Supplication contribute their full bonus- all other members merely add +1 to the total, and only the leading member can make an explicit Entreaty.

Blessing (Prayer)
This Prayer allows you to endow a chosen subject, tool or implement with greater skill, luck or excellence in use.
{table]Bonus to a single test in next hour: | 2 x (bonus desired + 1)
Bonus to all such tests for next day: | 3 x (bonus desired + 2)
Permanent bonus upon an implement: | 5 x bonus desired
Indefinite bonus to subject under Dictum: | 2 x (bonus desired + 2)[/table]

Accurse (Prayer)
This Prayer functions identically to Blessing, but applies penalties instead of bonuses.

Manna from Heaven (Prayer)
This Prayer allows you to summon or augment food and water. This Prayer only works if such food or drink is otherwise unavailable due to circumstances beyond the reasonable control of those afflicted. Test difficulties are as follows:
{table]Food/drink for one: | difficulty 2
Food/drink for two or more: | difficulty 5
Food/drink for a host of hundreds: | difficulty 8
An eventual increase in the harvest, seasonal rains, fishing for the year: | difficulty +1
Slight augmentation/improvement (muddy to clear, stale to fresh, etc.): | difficulty +1
Removal of poisons, contaminants, soiling or putrefaction: | difficulty +3
Transmutation from one form to another (water to wine, bread to meat): | difficulty +5
Multiplication of existing food or water: | difficulty +5
Appearance from thin air: | difficulty +7[/table]

Lay on Hands (Prayer, Greater Faith)
This Prayer allows you to stop bleeding, heal injury, purge poison or disease and banish fatigue. The difficulty matches that of the Endurance test the subject would require to overcome the condition in question, and you cannot use Lay on Hands upon yourself.

Authority (Prayer, (Improved Charm OR Greater Faith))
You may use this Prayer as a substitute for any Daunt or Suasion check against a given subject, provided you can convey it's broad intent in one or two words. If the test succeeds, you can refine your meaning in another sentence or so.

Smite (Blessing, Greater Faith)
This Prayer allows you to bring the wrath of your Deity directly to bear upon the Undead, any character with a standing Covenant or otherwise identified as unequivocally wicked by the tenets of your Faith.
The difficulty matches that of a melee attack test against the victim, which you must make simultaneously: If both succeed, the attack test result advances by one category, and any Injury is dealt twice.

Imbued Blessing (Blessing, Greater Faith)
You may now treat your Blessing bonuses to implements as an enchantment bonus, and any use of Smite has a minimum enchantment bonus matching your Faith bonus.

Turn Undead (Accurse, Authority)
This Prayer allows you to repel, banish or destroy the undead with an outstretched hand or symbol of faith (for a +1 bonus.) The base difficulty of the test is 5 + (2 x Spirit bonus) (of the undead in question,) with a -2 test penalty for each 10 paces' distance. There is no limit on the number of undead in range that may be turned in one attempt, provided you are aware of their individual presence.

Total Success- undead fall to pieces in the face of a searing white radiance.
Partial Success- undead sustain Moderate Injury and cower, stunned, for two rounds.
Partial Failure- undead sustain Slight Injury.
Total Failure- undead are unaffected.

Dictum (Lay on Hands, Authority, (Blessing OR Accurse))
This Prayer allows you to subject the victim to a binding, long-term agreement or oath which they must fulfill, as per the same conditions for full dialogue resolution, following a successful use of Authority. The difficulty matches that of a normal Daunt test, and requires physical contact with the subject as a final condition following agreement, burning an invisible holy symbol into the subject's flesh (this may be seen with standard divination spells.)
You may optionally (and freely) bestow the effects of either a Blessing or Accurse Prayer upon the subject for as long as this Dictum remains in effect, provided you knew the Prayer beforehand.

Resurrection (Lay on Hands, Grace, Dictum, Supreme Faith))
This Prayer allows you to return a person from the dead. The base difficulty is 10, with modifiers as follows:
{table]Remains are fully intact and present: | -3
Time has elapsed since death: | +1 per 3 rounds or full day, up to +5 each
Body is starting to decay: | +3
Only a fragment of body remains or is present, or body is severely decayed: | +6
Body is wholly absent: | +9
Subject has been dead for longer than natural lifespan: | +1[/table]
Resurrection will cause the subject to recover from any Injuries they had sustained just prior to death- if they have been dead for longer than a day, they are removed entirely. Subjects must be willing to return to life, which is impossible if they have died from natural causes.


Traditional Witchdoctor/Necromancer Abilities:

Covenant[Patron] (Sacrifice, Knowledge of the Cosmos)
You establish a direct relationship with a power of the underworld in exchange for greater power in their service.

In order to establish a Covenant, you must decide upon the power of your Patron, between 1 and 10- the more powerful, the more likely it can grant you favours and the easier it is to contact, but the more sacrifice it will require and the more power it will hold over you. A Patron of power 1 is a minor imp or spirit, a Patron of power 5 or 6 is a demon major of some standing, a Patron of power 10 is a full-fledged God.
{table]Power | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 or 12 | 13 to 15 | 16+
Maximum Number of Covenants: | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 09 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20
[/table]
Bargain tests involved for a Covenant come in 3 forms: Contact, Negotiation and Extension- The value of Sacrifice you commit to making, plus your Spirit bonus, constitute the basic terms in your favour.
{table]Contact | Used once, to allow opening of negotiations. The base difficulty is 10 minus your Patron's power. Sacrifice is immediate- no time limit applies.
Negotation | The base difficulty is 10, +2 for each Covenant you've already established, +1 per day of time to make good on terms, minus your Patron's power. The Patron will either bestow the new Covenant-based Ability at the end of the time allowance, or seek to collect the contractor in lieu of other payment (this will also occur if the contractor refuses to negotiate.) Patron's power is a test bonus.
Extension | Used to ask more time to fulfil a contract. Terms are per Negotiation, but all difficulties are cumulative, and your Patron's power is now a test penalty.[/table]
Patrons of power 5 or less must manifest as characters in their own right, and come to negotiate and collect on their Bargains in person- if physically destroyed during their appearance, all Covenants with that Patron are then nullified. Details for manifested Patrons can be found under the Summoning ability.
Patrons of power 6 or more are more aloof, and do not personally reply during Covenants- the character will only know if a given Bargain test succeeded at the end of the time negotiated. They have a divine rank matching 2 x (power - 5)), and cannot be resisted.
Covenants are incompatible with Faith, Balance, or Covenants with any other Patron.

Greater Covenant[Patron] (Covenant, Improved Bargain, at least 3 Covenant-based Abilities)
You gain a +2 bonus to all subsequent Bargain tests during Covenant. You may also, if desired, select 1 trait from the following list, both now and whenever you take a Covenant-based Ability (this imposes a -2 penalty to your Bargain test.)
{table]+1 to Intellect tests
+1 to Spirit tests
+1 to Charm tests
No need for sleep, half food or water requirements
+3 bonus against Exposure
+3 bonus against Fire
+3 bonus against Cold
+2 bonus against Lightning or Paralysis
Fast Healing (recovered Injuries never open)
Immunity to Disease and Poison
A 1d6-years-reduction in age (never below prime)
Any Natural Ability without Natural prerequisites
[/table]
In addition, the effective power of your Patron is increased by +1 (+2 for Patrons of power 4 or more. This will not change the Patron's nature as either summoned or aloof.)

Dread Covenant[Patron] (Greater Covenant, (Corrupted OR Mutilated), Supreme Spirit, at least 6 Covenant-based Abilities)
You gain a +5 bonus to all subsequent Bargain tests during Covenant. You may also, if desired, select 1 trait from the following list, both now and whenever you take a Covenant-based Ability (this imposes a -2 penalty to your Bargain test.)
{table]+2 bonus against Charm-based Abilities
+2 bonus against Intellect-based Abilities
+2 bonus against Spirit-based Abilities
Immunity to Bleeding or Fatigue
No need to eat or drink, suffocation limits x10
+4 bonus to all tests against Injury
Immunity to Illusion
Regeneration (all Injuries considered Fatigue)
Any Improved Attribute
Supreme Beauty
A 2d6-years-reduction in age (never below prime)
[/table]
In addition, the effective power of your Patron is increased by +2 (+3 for Patrons of power 7 or more. This will not change the Patron's nature as either summoned or aloof.)

Sacrifice (Improved Spirit)
You may consecrate the blood of a living creature to your chosen Patron in exchange for greater powers. The bonus you gain to your Bargain check
{table]Death of an animal: | +3 (ritual only)
Slight Injury (blood of a person): | +1 (ritual only)
Moderate Injury (blood of a person): | +2 (ritual only)
Critical Injury (blood of a person): | +7 (ritual only)
Death of a person: | +10 (or +15 if ritual)
Agonised death of a person: | +10 + (Knowledge of Anatomy bonus x 2)
Multiple sacrifices: | +1 per extra +10 value, up to +3
Mass sacrifice: | +1 per extra +100 value, up to +3
Sacrifice of thousands: | +1 per extra +1000 value, up to +2
Willing sacrifice | +2
Soul itself (must be willing and Enthralled) | +5
[/table]
Sacrificial victims must be physically helpless but still alive at the time, and only one session of Sacrifice may count toward a given Bargain. Ritual sacrifice requires at least an hour's prior preparation with a suitable altar, paraphernalia of worship, and bloodletting implements, ready at the time appointed for the Patron's collection.

Sealed in Blood (Sacrifice, Covenant, Great Spirit)
You may now inflict Slight Injury upon yourself (using any sharp implement) to age 1d6 years and add 1d6 + your Spirit bonus to your Bargain test during Covenants. Any Ability listing Sealed in Blood as a direct requirement mandates use in this fashion at least once. In addition, you may use Sealed in Blood to add a 1d6 bonus to any Spirit test, without ageing, once per day.

Mutilated[Patron][Form] (Greater Covenant, Sealed in Blood, Improved Endurance, Patron power 6 or more)
You gain a permanent bonus on all subsequent Bargain tests with your Patron by Sacrificing a portion of your own body. Multiple Mutilations may be taken over time, but only one of any given form, and while their Bargain bonuses stack, all other effects do not. A standard Endurance-based recovery test against the Injury inflicted is required, but you may not gain assistance from any other Abilities when doing so. Only Total Success bestows the Mutilation, which cannot thereafter be healed or restored in any fashion short of rescinding all Covenants with the Patron in question.
Each successful Mutilation grants a +2 bonus (up to +5) to all subsequent Endurance tests against Injury (including Mutilation) and a +1 bonus to Spirit or Intellect tests against illusion (up to +5.)
{table]An eye | +2 | Moderate Injury | Poor Sight
One or two fingers | +1 | Slight Injury x2 | None
The other eye | +4 | Moderate Injury | Blindness, +2 to Acumen tests
The ears, nose, lips, breast | +1 | Moderate Injury | -3 to appearance-based tests if visible
Any large area of skin stripped | +2 | Critical Injury | -2 to appearance based tests if visible
An entire hand | +2 | Moderate Injury | No offhand weapon, -2 to manual labour
The other hand | +4 | Moderate Injury | No use of weapons, -5 to manual labour
The feet | +3 | Moderate Injury x2 | Crippled
An entire arm or both legs | +3 | Critical Injury | As above x2, Greater Resilience
The tongue | +3 | Moderate Injury | Mute, +3 to Daunt and Deceit tests
The groin | +5 | Critical Injury x2 | Sterile, +1 to Spirit tests
[/table]
Finally, you may now inflict Mutilations upon sacrificial victims, mirroring those dedicated to your Patron, as a bonus to your Bargain tests with that Patron. The victim must be alive for each to apply, and gains no benefit from the ordeal.

Corrupted[Patron] (Greater Covenant, (Sealed in Blood OR Patron power 5 or less,) at least 5 Covenant-based Abilities)
You forfeit an aspect of your own soul to grant an effective +4 bonus to your Patron's power. If you die, every Covenant established with your Patron is a -1 penalty to raising attempts.

Binding Covenant (Improved Intellect, Binding)
You now apply your Intellect bonus on all Bargain tests during negotiation of a Covenant, provided your Patron's current power is lower than the number of Covenant-based abilities you have earned, and your Patron's power is no longer a penalty during Extension tests. Finally, you gain a +2 bonus to Bind Summoned creatures.

Summoning (Covenant, Binding Covenant, original Patron power 5 or less)
You may now call upon your Patron for any personal service you desire. The process is similar to that for establishing a new Covenant, but instead of asking for a new ability, you Bargain for a particular task or deed to be performed during the time allowance specified. In addition to the normal Bargain tests, a subsequent Binding test (Spirit + Intellect bonus against Patron power) must be performed: Partial or Total Failure implies the Patron escapes into the world after the deed is performed.

Summoned Patrons initially have (5 + (starting power x 2)) in personal Abilities, at least half of which must be Covenant-based, and are considered outsiders. As they are not living creatures, they are considered immune to electricity, paralysis, bleeding, fatigue, exposure, disease, poison, shock or pain, hunger, thirst or any other effect which permits an Endurance test to resist. Two Critical Injuries will destroy them physically: If their body is destroyed during Summoning, their subsequent power for Bargain purposes is reduced by 1, and they may not manifest again until the end of the time allotment (this will never cause loss of existing Covenants.)
Their past history and circumstances of death must be detailed as for any other character- this does not fall within the same player's control.

Lesser Summoning[Individual Subject] (Greater Covenant OR Summoning OR original Patron power 6 or more)
You may now bind an additional Summoned creature into your service- similar to your Patron, but at least 3 points lesser in power. Once the terms of Bargaining have been agreed upon with your Patron, the creature remains in your service indefinitely- there is no time limit, but Binding tests must be made each day, and the creature cannot be dismissed. This Ability must be taken separately for every creature in your service, and if physically destroyed, the corresponding Ability is rescinded.

Creatures brought into the world with Lesser Summoning need not be detailed as full characters- they are assumed to be unequivocally hostile to other life forms and will attack them indiscriminately if Binding ever fails. They have no other desires or goals, and may not possess any Abilities based off Improved Charm, Improved Intellect or Improved Spirit. Such creature are unaffected by darkness or illusion, as they sense living creatures directly by their life aura.

Raise Undead (Lesser Summoning)
You may now raise an Undead creature from the corpse of a fallen character. The process is similar to Lesser Summoning, but no Bargaining with your Patron is required- instead, you simply perform a Binding test against 5 + (2 x the Spirit bonus of the fallen character.) Success means the character is now a summoned creature inhabiting it's former body and acting exclusively in your service, failure means the character cannot be raised in this fashion.

Souls do not return willingly to their corpse, and this makes it impossible for the character to return to life. They may not possess any Attribute beyond Basic or Improved, lack Endurance entirely, and any Abilities must have their prerequisites met under such conditions. Heavily decayed corpses may not possess any Attribute beyond Basic, and their bodies continue to decay at their natural rate.
Unlike summoned creatures, there is no limit to the number of Undead that may be raised and commanded in this fashion.

Raise Greater Undead (Raise Undead, Dread Covenant)

Unlike Raise Undead, Raise Greater Undead does require Bargaining, but with the creature itself, rather than your Patron. The creature is considered to have power matching double it's Spirit bonus (which limits it's allowance of initial Abilities from life,) and Binding is still required, with consequences similar to Lesser Summoning in the event of failure. The creature does not speak, only one test is required, and unlike Lesser Summoning, you need not take separate Covenants for each such creature raised.
In addition, Greater Undead may have a number of other traits which improve their longevity or power. Each such trait raises the difficulty of the Binding test:
{table]Cannibal- the creature may feed on living flesh to stave off decay. Feeding (equivalent to ritual Sacrifice) is required at a rate of 1 point per point of personal power per day- accumulating a requirement in excess of 10 causes normal decay to set in. This trait does not allow the creature to actually reverse decay or to heal Injuries. | Difficulty +3
Preserved- the creature may possess Attributes in excess of Basic or Improved, and heal Injuries as though it had Supreme Endurance. | Difficulty +6
Spectral- the creature is considered incorporeal, and never decays, though it takes Slight Injury each round in sunlight. It's attacks deal only fatigue damage, but Moderate damage inflicts a -1 Spirit penalty, and Critical damage inflicts a -2 Spirit penalty: If total penalties exceed the victim's Spirit bonus, her or she dies. Spectral creatures are always Preserved. | Difficulty +10
Pristine- the creature appears intact and whole, precisely as it did in life, with all of it's desires and goals intact. Pristine Undead are both Preserved and Cannibal. | Difficulty +15
[/table]

Harm (Covenant, Sealed in Blood)
You may now seek to inflict Injury upon living creatures within 10 paces as a standard action. This requires an opposed Spirit test against the victim:

Total Success- you inflict Critical Injury.
Partial Success- you inflict Moderate Injury.
Partial Failure- you inflict Slight Injury.
Total Failure- the victim is untouched.


Suggestion (Covenant)
You may now add your Spirit bonus at will to any single Favour test made against a chosen victim within earshot. Suggestion may not affect a given subject more than once per day (nor any character who was also within earshot of a prior Suggestion made,) and may be countered as standard for a mind-affecting spell. Failure automatically increases Mistrust.

Possession (Suggestion, Binding, Greater Covenant)
You may now use two successive Suggestion tests to try and assume complete control over the given subject. No terms are spoken, and the first test must have Total Success.
The second determines final effects.

Total Success- You gain complete control over the subject's physical actions.
Partial Success- As Total Success, but must be maintained each round. The ongoing struggle is obvious.
Partial Failure- The subject is stunned for one round as they break free.
Total Failure- No effect on subject.

Limitations on use are otherwise as for Suggestion. Possession of a subject requires total concentration on your behalf for as long as Possession is maintained- you may take no other actions, are considered incapacitated, and sense only what the victim senses as if you inhabited their body. Even total success requires fresh tests with at least Partial Success each hour, or the spell is broken.

Enthrallment[Subject] (Possession, Corrupted, Supreme Covenant)
Any successful Possession may now, instead of effecting direct control over the victim, provide a permanent +4 bonus to all subsequent Favour, Argument, Suasion, Daunt, Deceit, Flatter or Mock tests against that subject (including those toward further Suggestion, Possession or Enthrallment.) Enthrallment of a given victim must be taken as a separate Covenant specific to that subject, requires suitable XP, and may be taken multiple times, for any combination of single or multiple victims. Effects are cumulative. If the subject dies, the ability is permanently lost.
If you can successfully convince an Enthralled subject to consent to it, Possession allows you to inhabit the victim's body permanently. Your old body dies and the victim's soul is displaced as if killed.

Samurai Jill
2009-01-09, 05:47 PM
Yeah, I'm probably gonna have to put this on hold for a while. I have some rough divine magic mechanics outlined, but they need to be trimmed a bit, and I'd like to come up with some dialogue options.

Samurai Jill
2009-01-13, 06:25 PM
Witchdoctor/necromancer is done. Sort of. This even rougher and more long-winded than what I came up with for the paladin/cleric, but hopefully I'll be able to trim it down a bit later, and the rest of the classes should be more conventional (and, hopefully, shorter.)
This is the definitely-evil side of divine magic, so be warned this is borderline-BoVD territory (though I don't think there's anything explicit.) The entire concept revolves around doing nasty things in pursuit of power, so it operates very differently from the faith mechanics. I'm worried that more of the Abilities are concerned with acquiring power than actually using it, so I'll try to work on that later.

Samurai Jill
2009-01-19, 07:00 PM
Some expansion on general combat/injury/recovery/dice-rolling mechanics have been added. I have a general idea of how to work out the rogue/ranger and general sense/mobility/practical knowledge skills, but it may take some time.

Maerok
2009-01-21, 07:21 PM
Well now this just seems like an entirely different game. :smallbiggrin:

But I like it so far, haven't read through all of it.

Samurai Jill
2009-01-21, 09:11 PM
Yeah, pretty well... I'm just hoping the outline would be familiar enough to make people feel at ease. In many respects, I'm simplifying the BW system and shifting it toward something a little easier to work with.

I don't really recommend reading through all of it until it's in better shape, but the monk/barbarian should be reasonably straightforward now.