gr8artist
2014-07-27, 03:35 AM
I debated between the above title and "Christmas tree fix number 12" but thought this more clearly indicated my intent.
Help me brainstorm a rule-system or game mechanic that allows players to unlock magical item effects in a way that doesn't include items. Specifically, I'm leaning toward a "junction" system like FFVIII, where you form a bond with a spiritual entity and it grants you new perks and powers as you gain experience.
There's probably a dozen ways to do this, but here's what I have so far.
We start with our total WBL, and indicator of how much "non-class derived" benefits you should possess. We decide that we still want to give out some interesting gear, so we pick a portion of that to keep as "wealth" and redefine the rest as "abilities". I aimed at keeping wealth comparable to an equal level heroic NPC. The following table shows a quick assessment of WBL, wealth, and abilities at each level. Note that the values are rounded and fit to a better curve than the basic calculations came out to. First level is blank; you would have wealth as appropriate for your class and could not gain abilities until second level.
Lvl
Wealth
By Level
Wealth
X 1000
Abilities
X 1000
1
2
1,000
.75
.25
3
3,000
2.25
.75
4
6,000
4.5
1.5
5
10,500
7.5
3
6
16,000
11
5
7
23,500
15.5
8
8
33,000
20
13
9
46,000
25
21
10
62,000
31
31
11
82,000
37
45
12
108,000
43
65
13
140,000
50
90
14
185,000
65
120
15
240,000
80
160
16
315,000
100
215
17
410,000
120
290
18
530,000
140
390
19
685,000
165
520
20
880,000
190
690
Now that we know how many "ability points" a creature has at each level, we can start work on establishing a cost for the different perks and powers he can gain.
Simply put, each ability the character wishes to unlock or gain costs a number of points equal to 1/1000th the GP cost of an item or effect with the same benefit. For example, a magical +1 enhancement to your armor's AC bonus would cost 1 point; gaining a +2 enhancement bonus to Strength would cost 4 points.
Improved versions of abilities and perks cost only the difference, so going from +2 Strength to +4 would cost 12 points.
Some perks might be slightly more costly or cheaper than normal, especially if they have prerequisites (+1 base necessary before giving a weapon the flaming property) or would apply more frequently than normal (adding flaming to your attacks might have the benefit of flaming weapons and an amulet of mighty fists with the flaming perk). Alternatively, such abilities might include a qualifying circumstance, rather than be extra expensive (flaming property that only applied to magical weapons would be 6 points).
Now, each spirit would have a preset list of bonuses and perks it could give, so you couldn't just keep boosting one trait or stat beyond certain limits. Some spirits would have more of certain bonuses than others, so your choice of bonding plays an important role in your future development.
So no great deep overhaul; we're essentially just reflavoring a good portion of WBL into something you don't buy in a shop. The game moves forward without a lot of complication or need to rebalance, but you no longer need to worry as much about loot and store inventories.
Help me brainstorm a rule-system or game mechanic that allows players to unlock magical item effects in a way that doesn't include items. Specifically, I'm leaning toward a "junction" system like FFVIII, where you form a bond with a spiritual entity and it grants you new perks and powers as you gain experience.
There's probably a dozen ways to do this, but here's what I have so far.
We start with our total WBL, and indicator of how much "non-class derived" benefits you should possess. We decide that we still want to give out some interesting gear, so we pick a portion of that to keep as "wealth" and redefine the rest as "abilities". I aimed at keeping wealth comparable to an equal level heroic NPC. The following table shows a quick assessment of WBL, wealth, and abilities at each level. Note that the values are rounded and fit to a better curve than the basic calculations came out to. First level is blank; you would have wealth as appropriate for your class and could not gain abilities until second level.
Lvl
Wealth
By Level
Wealth
X 1000
Abilities
X 1000
1
2
1,000
.75
.25
3
3,000
2.25
.75
4
6,000
4.5
1.5
5
10,500
7.5
3
6
16,000
11
5
7
23,500
15.5
8
8
33,000
20
13
9
46,000
25
21
10
62,000
31
31
11
82,000
37
45
12
108,000
43
65
13
140,000
50
90
14
185,000
65
120
15
240,000
80
160
16
315,000
100
215
17
410,000
120
290
18
530,000
140
390
19
685,000
165
520
20
880,000
190
690
Now that we know how many "ability points" a creature has at each level, we can start work on establishing a cost for the different perks and powers he can gain.
Simply put, each ability the character wishes to unlock or gain costs a number of points equal to 1/1000th the GP cost of an item or effect with the same benefit. For example, a magical +1 enhancement to your armor's AC bonus would cost 1 point; gaining a +2 enhancement bonus to Strength would cost 4 points.
Improved versions of abilities and perks cost only the difference, so going from +2 Strength to +4 would cost 12 points.
Some perks might be slightly more costly or cheaper than normal, especially if they have prerequisites (+1 base necessary before giving a weapon the flaming property) or would apply more frequently than normal (adding flaming to your attacks might have the benefit of flaming weapons and an amulet of mighty fists with the flaming perk). Alternatively, such abilities might include a qualifying circumstance, rather than be extra expensive (flaming property that only applied to magical weapons would be 6 points).
Now, each spirit would have a preset list of bonuses and perks it could give, so you couldn't just keep boosting one trait or stat beyond certain limits. Some spirits would have more of certain bonuses than others, so your choice of bonding plays an important role in your future development.
So no great deep overhaul; we're essentially just reflavoring a good portion of WBL into something you don't buy in a shop. The game moves forward without a lot of complication or need to rebalance, but you no longer need to worry as much about loot and store inventories.