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ManicMoe
2016-09-21, 02:33 PM
hi im makeing a simpel rule book third grader(8 years old) calles dragons, moster and adventures,
and i got a bit lost where to start and i was wondering if anyone had any good advice :)

i was planning to take it down to 3 classe- fighter, mage and ranger
The dice mostly unchanged
the stats to only - str - dex - wis

fights i wod have like this - u attack a goblin and the giblin have armor of 3 and you have to throw the d6 and throw higher to hit and then throw the d8 to see the damage.
Idk rellly if i whant to add skill checks or i dont really know how to do it simpler

im making it as a rule book so it can be picked up and be used by somone else.

and i was planning to add more rules as the groop of kids (3 kids) got more used to the game

https://scontent-amt2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t35.0-12/14438874_972622009533619_605082027_o.jpg?oh=7f081f 388571147bb75a5ef7928d8a39&oe=57E5B80D

the cover of the rule book

ShiningStarling
2016-09-21, 03:55 PM
Hi there! I'll see if I can help some.

The thing that you should think about first is what you want your players to do, and only after you know the things they will do will you need to make rules for them. If you only plan to have fights, then you may not even need rules for other things just yet.

The next thing to think about is what things they will do that you want to have rules for. If you think you don't want to make them worry about Skills, then just talk to them about opening locks and finding traps instead of rolling dice.

As for how you could handle Skills simpler than normal D&D, there are a few ways. One way is to just talk to them about it.

Another way is that they could pick it as a talent when they make their character. You could have a list of talents that act like skills, but instead of worrying about putting points in skills, they just say "My fighter is good at talking to people, and knows a lot of things.", and then when they need to know something or they need to talk to people, just remember that they are good at that.

Another way is to say that your abilities handle Skills. If you want to jump or swim, instead of using Skills you just use Strength, and instead of knowledge and spot and listen Skills, just use Wisdom.

I hope I helped, and I will try to help with any other questions you may have if you like :D

Good luck, Dungeon Master.

ManicMoe
2016-09-22, 09:18 AM
Hi there! I'll see if I can help some.

The thing that you should think about first is what you want your players to do, and only after you know the things they will do will you need to make rules for them. If you only plan to have fights, then you may not even need rules for other things just yet.

The next thing to think about is what things they will do that you want to have rules for. If you think you don't want to make them worry about Skills, then just talk to them about opening locks and finding traps instead of rolling dice.

As for how you could handle Skills simpler than normal D&D, there are a few ways. One way is to just talk to them about it.

Another way is that they could pick it as a talent when they make their character. You could have a list of talents that act like skills, but instead of worrying about putting points in skills, they just say "My fighter is good at talking to people, and knows a lot of things.", and then when they need to know something or they need to talk to people, just remember that they are good at that.

Another way is to say that your abilities handle Skills. If you want to jump or swim, instead of using Skills you just use Strength, and instead of knowledge and spot and listen Skills, just use Wisdom.

I hope I helped, and I will try to help with any other questions you may have if you like :D

Good luck, Dungeon Master.

thanks so much, that spaked my mind, i have been talking whit the kids today, and thay whanted costume moves XD like a backflip slash
and im planning to add more then fights after i warm them up :) ty for the help :smallbiggrin:

eleazzaar
2016-09-22, 10:17 AM
Have you looked at some simpler systems? Something like "Dungeon World", or "DnD Kids" would be a lot closer to the kind of thing you want.

JeenLeen
2016-09-22, 11:35 AM
How fleshed out are your rules thus far? Can you post them?

I think one difficult thing is to balance getting too complicated (frustrate the kids) and too simplistic (insult their intelligence.)
I'm going to suggest something borrowing from the Cortex system, or at least how I've interpreted it (read books, never played.)

Each class has a d8 in one stat. Fighters are d8 Str, mages d8 Wis, and rangers d8 Dex. This is what they are good at. They get a d6 and a d4 to put in the other stats; what they are decent at and what they are poor at. There, stats are simple.
When you use a stat, you roll your die. When attacking, everyone generally uses their best die. Fighters swing a sword hard: Strength. Mages cast a spell to shoot fire: Wisdom. Rangers shoot a bow or stab with fine-tuned accuracy: Dex.

Make someone's defense pretty static, but you can assume an AC 5 will be hit about half the time, since a d8 averages 4.5. Maybe have 4 types of enemies. Mooks and easy-to-kills are AC 2. The average foe is AC 4-5. Really tough foes are AC 6.
Or just make everyone AC 4 (so you can hit even with your bad die, just rarely), and toughness is HP.

For damage, the simplistic thing would be to roll your accuracy die again and that's the damage. So a fighter swings an ax. Rolls d8, and rolls high enough to hit. Now roll d8 to deal damage.

Simplistic pros: no modifiers. Your action determines your roll.
Not-insulting pros: the three dice sizes give some complexity, so feels like good learning. Also, indirectly teaches probability, so that's a cool thing parents would likely like.


I definitely like the skill suggestions given by ObliviMancer.
I also recommend either no spell slots, or each character chooses some "cool things" (use a better name) they can do X times a day (or battle, depending on tempo of the game). This could be the wizard charming someone, or doing an extra strong fireball. Or the fighter, um, doing some cool fighter-y thing. Or the ranger disarming and stealing his target's weapon. That way they aren't limited to just "roll to attack".

I'm going to think about using something like this for a game when my daughter's old enough to play.
OH---that reminds me. Look up the game Mermaid Adventures. There's a youtube video about it on the GameGeeks channel.


EDIT: after some thought, I see a downside of the above is that rangers would always be the best rogues (dexterity for lockpicking and other nefarious deeds), mages the best scouts (if perception is wisdom), etc. That's fine... but could be frustrating.
But just using RP or traits for skills sounds good. If you wanted to incorporate traits and stats, I could see that, if a trait applies to a stat, up the die-size by 1. So if your d6 Wis Fighter with the trait 'really observant' is scouting for stealthy foes, he rolls a d8 (d6 up 1 = d8). d8s stay d8s, though, since that's the good die. Or let it be d10 if you want. I guess it's okay either way, for contested rolls.

ManicMoe
2016-09-22, 12:39 PM
How fleshed out are your rules thus far? Can you post them?

I think one difficult thing is to balance getting too complicated (frustrate the kids) and too simplistic (insult their intelligence.)
I'm going to suggest something borrowing from the Cortex system, or at least how I've interpreted it (read books, never played.)

Each class has a d8 in one stat. Fighters are d8 Str, mages d8 Wis, and rangers d8 Dex. This is what they are good at. They get a d6 and a d4 to put in the other stats; what they are decent at and what they are poor at. There, stats are simple.
When you use a stat, you roll your die. When attacking, everyone generally uses their best die. Fighters swing a sword hard: Strength. Mages cast a spell to shoot fire: Wisdom. Rangers shoot a bow or stab with fine-tuned accuracy: Dex.

Make someone's defense pretty static, but you can assume an AC 5 will be hit about half the time, since a d8 averages 4.5. Maybe have 4 types of enemies. Mooks and easy-to-kills are AC 2. The average foe is AC 4-5. Really tough foes are AC 6.
Or just make everyone AC 4 (so you can hit even with your bad die, just rarely), and toughness is HP.

For damage, the simplistic thing would be to roll your accuracy die again and that's the damage. So a fighter swings an ax. Rolls d8, and rolls high enough to hit. Now roll d8 to deal damage.

Simplistic pros: no modifiers. Your action determines your roll.
Not-insulting pros: the three dice sizes give some complexity, so feels like good learning. Also, indirectly teaches probability, so that's a cool thing parents would likely like.


I definitely like the skill suggestions given by ObliviMancer.
I also recommend either no spell slots, or each character chooses some "cool things" (use a better name) they can do X times a day (or battle, depending on tempo of the game). This could be the wizard charming someone, or doing an extra strong fireball. Or the fighter, um, doing some cool fighter-y thing. Or the ranger disarming and stealing his target's weapon. That way they aren't limited to just "roll to attack".

I'm going to think about using something like this for a game when my daughter's old enough to play.
OH---that reminds me. Look up the game Mermaid Adventures. There's a youtube video about it on the GameGeeks channel.


EDIT: after some thought, I see a downside of the above is that rangers would always be the best rogues (dexterity for lockpicking and other nefarious deeds), mages the best scouts (if perception is wisdom), etc. That's fine... but could be frustrating.
But just using RP or traits for skills sounds good. If you wanted to incorporate traits and stats, I could see that, if a trait applies to a stat, up the die-size by 1. So if your d6 Wis Fighter with the trait 'really observant' is scouting for stealthy foes, he rolls a d8 (d6 up 1 = d8). d8s stay d8s, though, since that's the good die. Or let it be d10 if you want. I guess it's okay either way, for contested rolls.

atm im kinda stuck, im reading alot of sugestions and trying to pick somthing that can work. have been talking whit the kids on how they whant to play and they whant costume attacks XD like the warrior can do a back flip slash, the ranger can shooot an punch arrow that stuns, and the mage can summon a pikachu that shoots lightining one time and then poof away. as for skills imma go over that whit the kids when they make the character.

ManicMoe
2016-09-22, 12:44 PM
https://scontent-frt3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t35.0-12/14393417_973398856122601_1839117968_o.jpg?oh=80aed 06ebc1f61c168937439c84b5d41&oe=57E607ED

this is how far i am at making the rule book ( btw its in norwegian) i added a class and a stat cha the cleric cus the groop got bigger, its now 4 kids

JeenLeen
2016-09-22, 02:00 PM
atm im kinda stuck, im reading alot of sugestions and trying to pick somthing that can work. have been talking whit the kids on how they whant to play and they whant costume attacks XD like the warrior can do a back flip slash, the ranger can shooot an punch arrow that stuns, and the mage can summon a pikachu that shoots lightining one time and then poof away. as for skills imma go over that whit the kids when they make the character.

Those all sound cool, and could make sense as x time/day abilities. Maybe to keep the same number theme up, say a character can do a power tied to Strength a number of times equal to their Strength die (so 8 times/day for a Fighter's backflip slash.) This can reflect the exertion such takes. For the ranger, it could reflect how many special arrows they can carry into a given combat. For the mage, well, whatever fluff you want to justify the magical strength.

Mechanics-wise: I could see the 'this is more powerful' special moves either giving a bump up in die size (such as to d10) or (and this simpler so probably better) use D&D 5e's Advantage system. If doing a backflip slash, the extra strength and surprise it lends lets you roll 2d8 instead of 1d8, and you use the higher result.
Likewise with the pikachu. Or perhaps it auto-hits, then rolls 1d8 damage, since special.
For the ranger, I could see it being that if you hit the target, it stuns them.
...as I think about it, maybe each special move can do one of the following:

give advantage on attack and damage
auto-hit, then roll for normal damage
if hit, do max damage (example, roll d8, then do 8 damage if hits)
if hits, inflict some status ailment (stun, sleep, etc.)
if hits, cripples the foe so its main die size goes down (includes stuff like knock sword out of its hand, so now uses fists)
cripple a foe, so has harder time defending (includes cracking their armor). Their AC goes down by 1.
heals a player for d8 (gotta have healing in there somewhere--not just magic. Could be the fighter laughing off his wounds)

Of course, others apply, but that would cover the special moves you note and more.
I'm not sure all the above are balanced with one another. But they have some variety without being too complicated.


[IMG]
this is how far i am at making the rule book ( btw its in norwegian) i added a class and a stat cha the cleric cus the groop got bigger, its now 4 kids

While it's fine to add Charisma and a new class, I don't think it really adds much. How is a cleric different from a mage, beyond the name?
Also, once Charisma becomes a stat, that makes a lot of 'skill checks' more likely to depend on Cha instead of a trait or just talking it through. Which, although fine in some games, I think could diminish the quality of free RP in this one. Though I do admit that some players like RPing someone a lot more persuasive than they are, so a quiet kid might want to play as the con artist thief. ...eh... I guess my main question is what is the difference between cleric and mage.

ManicMoe
2016-09-22, 02:23 PM
While it's fine to add Charisma and a new class, I don't think it really adds much. How is a cleric different from a mage, beyond the name?
Also, once Charisma becomes a stat, that makes a lot of 'skill checks' more likely to depend on Cha instead of a trait or just talking it through. Which, although fine in some games, I think could diminish the quality of free RP in this one. Though I do admit that some players like RPing someone a lot more persuasive than they are, so a quiet kid might want to play as the con artist thief. ...eh... I guess my main question is what is the difference between cleric and mage.

healing, debuffs, buffing, aoe.

and cha i can understand wont really work

make is more singel target and utliity

JeenLeen
2016-09-22, 02:41 PM
healing, debuffs, buffing, aoe.

and cha i can understand wont really work

make is more singel target and utliity

I can see clerics focusing on that. Maybe just rename the stats? I think some video games use Piety, or something else for religious devotion, as a stat. Mages are based off wisdom, and clerics off piety.

I recommend not naming any stat Intelligence unless you want skills to be more stat-based. I like the idea of a smart Fighter, but it doesn't make a lot of sense if Int is the mage stat.

JeenLeen
2016-09-22, 04:25 PM
Upon thinking about this more, I built a simple system that I think is fairly complete. Please feel free to use any (or none) of it, as you wish.
And thank you for the inspiration and basic ideas!


All characters are basically build like this:

1. Assign dice to stats. These are what you roll when using Strength, Dexterity, or Wisdom. The one with the highest die is your main attack die.
2. Choose 2 traits. These describe things your character is good at, and generally impact non-combat actions.
3. Choose special moves. These are limited-use abilities you have.

There are no classes, but you can call a strength-based person a Fighter, a dexterity-based a Ranger or Rogue, and a wisdom-based a Mage.
---
Strength, Dexterity, and Wisdom – assign a d8, a d6, and a d4

Use strength when you try to attack someone with brute strength, break down a door, lift something heavy, or intimidate someone with physical violence.
Use dexterity when you try to do acrobatic moves, pickpocket or pick locks, or move quietly.
Use wisdom when you try to use magic, intuit the best path, or spot something others miss.

Traits – choose up to 2 traits for your character. These could be something like “gets along well with people”, “knows a little about everything”, or “really observant”.
If you apply a trait to an action you take, you either auto-succeed if no roll is required or up the die you use.
You don’t have to choose all your traits. You can declare an unknown trait later on in the game.

Basic Moves – all characters know some basic moves. These include a melee attack using their d8, a ranged attack using their d8, and Defend (effective +2 defense).

Hitting Someone – to hit someone, roll your attack die (usually d8). On a result of 4 or higher, you hit.
This includes physical attacks, as well as magical attempts to manipulate someone. For example, to hit with a sword or a Charm spell, you roll and must roll 4 or higher.
Then roll your attack die to deal damage. That is how much health points (HP) the creature loses.
Enemies who try to hit you must also roll a 4 or higher to hit you.
Design Note: this makes it possible, if hard, to hit someone with a d4. Some bosses might have a special trait that means they can only be hit on a 5.
Player characters have 20+Strength health.

Special Moves – your character can know some signature moves. Often, these are special attacks they can use in combat, but it can apply to other things as well. In general, a special move does one of the following:
• give advantage on attack and damage
• auto-hit, then roll for normal damage
• if hit, do max damage
• if hits, inflict some status ailment (stun, sleep, etc.)
• if hits, weakens the foe so its d8 becomes a d6 (includes stuff like knock sword out of its hand, so now uses fists, to crippling blows)
• if hits, weakens the foe so has harder time defending (includes cracking their armor). They are now hit on a 4 instead of a 5.
• heals a player for a die roll (gotta have healing in there somewhere--not just magic. Could be the fighter laughing off his wounds)
• if a move is not an attack, but a skill use, roll with advantage
You know a number of signature moves tied to your stats equal to half the die size. For example, if you have d8 Strength, you know 8/2, or 4, special moves. If d6, then 3. If d4, then 2.
You can only use signature moves a limited number of times between resting. The number of uses equals the die roll for that stat.

Sample Character
Rothar the Barbarian
HP: 28
Strength: d8 Dexterity: d6 Wisdom: d4
Traits: “Really scary dude” “Actually fairly well-read”

Axe Slash (d8 strength attack)
Throwing Dagger (d8 Strength attack)
Defend (only hit on a 6 or higher when using this)
Strength Moves OOOO OOOO
De-Arm – targets the enemy’s arm, nearly cleaving it off. Lowers their die size if hits.
Backflip Strike – does a backflip to add surprise & strength. Advantage on attack & damage.
Critical – if hits, does max damage.
Leadership – encourages allies to continue fighting. Heals d8 damage.

Dexterity Moves OOO OOO
Precise Strike – auto-hits, then does normal damage
Hamstring – if hits, reduces their movement to 0
“I know locks” – rolls using d8 if picking locks

Wisdom Moves OO OO
“It’s a flesh wound” – laugh off injuries to heal dice result damage
Intimidate Plus – acts extra scary. If hits, foe runs away in fear.

His traits mean that, if he needs to know something particular, it can turn out he’s read about it in the past.
Also, his trait about being scary helps him when he tries to do a base intimidation (roll d10 instead of d8) or when using his Intimidate Plus wisdom move, raising that d4 to a d6.

ManicMoe
2016-09-22, 04:41 PM
Upon thinking about this more, I built a simple system that I think is fairly complete. Please feel free to use any (or none) of it, as you wish.
And thank you for the inspiration and basic ideas!


All characters are basically build like this:

1. Assign dice to stats. These are what you roll when using Strength, Dexterity, or Wisdom. The one with the highest die is your main attack die.
2. Choose 2 traits. These describe things your character is good at, and generally impact non-combat actions.
3. Choose special moves. These are limited-use abilities you have.

There are no classes, but you can call a strength-based person a Fighter, a dexterity-based a Ranger or Rogue, and a wisdom-based a Mage.
---
Strength, Dexterity, and Wisdom – assign a d8, a d6, and a d4

Use strength when you try to attack someone with brute strength, break down a door, lift something heavy, or intimidate someone with physical violence.
Use dexterity when you try to do acrobatic moves, pickpocket or pick locks, or move quietly.
Use wisdom when you try to use magic, intuit the best path, or spot something others miss.

Traits – choose up to 2 traits for your character. These could be something like “gets along well with people”, “knows a little about everything”, or “really observant”.
If you apply a trait to an action you take, you either auto-succeed if no roll is required or up the die you use.
You don’t have to choose all your traits. You can declare an unknown trait later on in the game.

Basic Moves – all characters know some basic moves. These include a melee attack using their d8, a ranged attack using their d8, and Defend (effective +2 defense).

Hitting Someone – to hit someone, roll your attack die (usually d8). On a result of 4 or higher, you hit.
This includes physical attacks, as well as magical attempts to manipulate someone. For example, to hit with a sword or a Charm spell, you roll and must roll 4 or higher.
Then roll your attack die to deal damage. That is how much health points (HP) the creature loses.
Enemies who try to hit you must also roll a 4 or higher to hit you.
Design Note: this makes it possible, if hard, to hit someone with a d4. Some bosses might have a special trait that means they can only be hit on a 5.
Player characters have 20+Strength health.

Special Moves – your character can know some signature moves. Often, these are special attacks they can use in combat, but it can apply to other things as well. In general, a special move does one of the following:
• give advantage on attack and damage
• auto-hit, then roll for normal damage
• if hit, do max damage
• if hits, inflict some status ailment (stun, sleep, etc.)
• if hits, weakens the foe so its d8 becomes a d6 (includes stuff like knock sword out of its hand, so now uses fists, to crippling blows)
• if hits, weakens the foe so has harder time defending (includes cracking their armor). They are now hit on a 4 instead of a 5.
• heals a player for a die roll (gotta have healing in there somewhere--not just magic. Could be the fighter laughing off his wounds)
• if a move is not an attack, but a skill use, roll with advantage
You know a number of signature moves tied to your stats equal to half the die size. For example, if you have d8 Strength, you know 8/2, or 4, special moves. If d6, then 3. If d4, then 2.
You can only use signature moves a limited number of times between resting. The number of uses equals the die roll for that stat.

Sample Character
Rothar the Barbarian
HP: 28
Strength: d8 Dexterity: d6 Wisdom: d4
Traits: “Really scary dude” “Actually fairly well-read”

Axe Slash (d8 strength attack)
Throwing Dagger (d8 Strength attack)
Defend (only hit on a 6 or higher when using this)
Strength Moves OOOO OOOO
De-Arm – targets the enemy’s arm, nearly cleaving it off. Lowers their die size if hits.
Backflip Strike – does a backflip to add surprise & strength. Advantage on attack & damage.
Critical – if hits, does max damage.
Leadership – encourages allies to continue fighting. Heals d8 damage.

Dexterity Moves OOO OOO
Precise Strike – auto-hits, then does normal damage
Hamstring – if hits, reduces their movement to 0
“I know locks” – rolls using d8 if picking locks

Wisdom Moves OO OO
“It’s a flesh wound” – laugh off injuries to heal dice result damage
Intimidate Plus – acts extra scary. If hits, foe runs away in fear.

His traits mean that, if he needs to know something particular, it can turn out he’s read about it in the past.
Also, his trait about being scary helps him when he tries to do a base intimidation (roll d10 instead of d8) or when using his Intimidate Plus wisdom move, raising that d4 to a d6.



wow this is amazing XD i think this can be a really good start for the kids, and later add more advanced rules later on :D but the stats str, dex, and int when they need to do somthing they need to roll over a number? in the same way they do combat?

ManicMoe
2016-09-22, 04:48 PM
Upon thinking about this more, I built a simple system that I think is fairly complete. Please feel free to use any (or none) of it, as you wish.
And thank you for the inspiration and basic ideas!


All characters are basically build like this:

1. Assign dice to stats. These are what you roll when using Strength, Dexterity, or Wisdom. The one with the highest die is your main attack die.
2. Choose 2 traits. These describe things your character is good at, and generally impact non-combat actions.
3. Choose special moves. These are limited-use abilities you have.

There are no classes, but you can call a strength-based person a Fighter, a dexterity-based a Ranger or Rogue, and a wisdom-based a Mage.
---
Strength, Dexterity, and Wisdom – assign a d8, a d6, and a d4

Use strength when you try to attack someone with brute strength, break down a door, lift something heavy, or intimidate someone with physical violence.
Use dexterity when you try to do acrobatic moves, pickpocket or pick locks, or move quietly.
Use wisdom when you try to use magic, intuit the best path, or spot something others miss.

Traits – choose up to 2 traits for your character. These could be something like “gets along well with people”, “knows a little about everything”, or “really observant”.
If you apply a trait to an action you take, you either auto-succeed if no roll is required or up the die you use.
You don’t have to choose all your traits. You can declare an unknown trait later on in the game.

Basic Moves – all characters know some basic moves. These include a melee attack using their d8, a ranged attack using their d8, and Defend (effective +2 defense).

Hitting Someone – to hit someone, roll your attack die (usually d8). On a result of 4 or higher, you hit.
This includes physical attacks, as well as magical attempts to manipulate someone. For example, to hit with a sword or a Charm spell, you roll and must roll 4 or higher.
Then roll your attack die to deal damage. That is how much health points (HP) the creature loses.
Enemies who try to hit you must also roll a 4 or higher to hit you.
Design Note: this makes it possible, if hard, to hit someone with a d4. Some bosses might have a special trait that means they can only be hit on a 5.
Player characters have 20+Strength health.

Special Moves – your character can know some signature moves. Often, these are special attacks they can use in combat, but it can apply to other things as well. In general, a special move does one of the following:
• give advantage on attack and damage
• auto-hit, then roll for normal damage
• if hit, do max damage
• if hits, inflict some status ailment (stun, sleep, etc.)
• if hits, weakens the foe so its d8 becomes a d6 (includes stuff like knock sword out of its hand, so now uses fists, to crippling blows)
• if hits, weakens the foe so has harder time defending (includes cracking their armor). They are now hit on a 4 instead of a 5.
• heals a player for a die roll (gotta have healing in there somewhere--not just magic. Could be the fighter laughing off his wounds)
• if a move is not an attack, but a skill use, roll with advantage
You know a number of signature moves tied to your stats equal to half the die size. For example, if you have d8 Strength, you know 8/2, or 4, special moves. If d6, then 3. If d4, then 2.
You can only use signature moves a limited number of times between resting. The number of uses equals the die roll for that stat.

Sample Character
Rothar the Barbarian
HP: 28
Strength: d8 Dexterity: d6 Wisdom: d4
Traits: “Really scary dude” “Actually fairly well-read”

Axe Slash (d8 strength attack)
Throwing Dagger (d8 Strength attack)
Defend (only hit on a 6 or higher when using this)
Strength Moves OOOO OOOO
De-Arm – targets the enemy’s arm, nearly cleaving it off. Lowers their die size if hits.
Backflip Strike – does a backflip to add surprise & strength. Advantage on attack & damage.
Critical – if hits, does max damage.
Leadership – encourages allies to continue fighting. Heals d8 damage.

Dexterity Moves OOO OOO
Precise Strike – auto-hits, then does normal damage
Hamstring – if hits, reduces their movement to 0
“I know locks” – rolls using d8 if picking locks

Wisdom Moves OO OO
“It’s a flesh wound” – laugh off injuries to heal dice result damage
Intimidate Plus – acts extra scary. If hits, foe runs away in fear.

His traits mean that, if he needs to know something particular, it can turn out he’s read about it in the past.
Also, his trait about being scary helps him when he tries to do a base intimidation (roll d10 instead of d8) or when using his Intimidate Plus wisdom move, raising that d4 to a d6.



i think im going to take this idea and change a few numbers few things here and there.
il come back to you when i have made it

JeenLeen
2016-09-23, 08:31 AM
Cool. I look forward to seeing the product.

One thing I dislike about what I wrote is how it handles HP. In a sense, the difference between fighter, mage, and ranger is just flavor; there's no mechanical difference between blasting with a spell or shooting a bow. Thus, there's no reason a Str-based character should have more HP. However, I let HP be 20 + Str-die since people playing a fighter are more likely to be the front lines.

I realize I didn't have any words about movement per turn. I guess I'd assume each turn, you get a move action, a standard action (one of your Moves--might need to rename that since you don't do a Move on your move action), and a free action. Free actions are basically doing some minor thing, interacting with the environment, like opening a door, flipping a switch, picking something up, etc. This borrows heavily from 5e D&D.

There's also nothing for getting stronger as you progress. I could see putting some experience system in, where you can eventually learn more moves or up your die sizes. d10 should probably be the cap, and it be easier to up a d4 to a d6 than a d8 to a d10.
I know I have a copy of the Serenity RPG somewhere, which uses die sizes like this as stats. If I have time, I'll try to dig it up and check out how "leveling up" works. (If anyone reads this and can summarize Cortex leveling up, please do.)

And, as noted, this game doesn't handle skills well. But I'm assuming with kids it'll likely be more "raid the dungeon and get the loot/save the princess" than intensive detective work and diplomacy. The latter can certainly be part of it, but can likely be handled just by RP and traits.
One homebrew system a friend of mine had had a hidden Luck statistic. He'd reroll it each time a major arc started. That governed how good a mood or how likely folk were to respond well to diplomacy, when there was no outside interference.


EDIT add-on:
To better exemplify the signature moves, I could see a wizard having something like these as d4 Strength and d8 Wisdom:
Wisdom Moves OOOO OOOO
“I choose you!” – summons a pikachu. If hits, deals max damage. [summon vanishes after making the attack]
Charm – if hits, inflicts Charm status, making them a close and loyal friend
Large Fireball – fireball can hit multiple foes. Roll attack against each.
Lightning Bolt – auto-hits, deals normal damage

Strength Moves OOOO
Strong Back – he can carry a lot of weight, despite his low strength
Hidden Dagger – auto-hits, deals d4 damage

The strength moves give some extra auto-hits, and Strong Back is basically a trait you can invoke a few times a day for a special benefit. I could see this working with a wizard who carries a ton of books with him for research.
Hitting multiple foes is something else I could see adding as a special move option.


EDIT the SECOND:
Since Str die boosts HP, maybe Dex die is what you roll for Initiative, and Wisdom die... does something else as well? It does incorporate perception, which is pretty important, so maybe that's enough to semi-balance the three stats.
I can see making movement standard for all characters. Based on Dex kinda feels right, but that means others can never catch up to them. Best of Str or Dex seems good, too, but I feel that hurts Wisdom too much.

ManicMoe
2016-09-23, 04:01 PM
Cool. I look forward to seeing the product.

One thing I dislike about what I wrote is how it handles HP. In a sense, the difference between fighter, mage, and ranger is just flavor; there's no mechanical difference between blasting with a spell or shooting a bow. Thus, there's no reason a Str-based character should have more HP. However, I let HP be 20 + Str-die since people playing a fighter are more likely to be the front lines.

I realize I didn't have any words about movement per turn. I guess I'd assume each turn, you get a move action, a standard action (one of your Moves--might need to rename that since you don't do a Move on your move action), and a free action. Free actions are basically doing some minor thing, interacting with the environment, like opening a door, flipping a switch, picking something up, etc. This borrows heavily from 5e D&D.

There's also nothing for getting stronger as you progress. I could see putting some experience system in, where you can eventually learn more moves or up your die sizes. d10 should probably be the cap, and it be easier to up a d4 to a d6 than a d8 to a d10.
I know I have a copy of the Serenity RPG somewhere, which uses die sizes like this as stats. If I have time, I'll try to dig it up and check out how "leveling up" works. (If anyone reads this and can summarize Cortex leveling up, please do.)

And, as noted, this game doesn't handle skills well. But I'm assuming with kids it'll likely be more "raid the dungeon and get the loot/save the princess" than intensive detective work and diplomacy. The latter can certainly be part of it, but can likely be handled just by RP and traits.
One homebrew system a friend of mine had had a hidden Luck statistic. He'd reroll it each time a major arc started. That governed how good a mood or how likely folk were to respond well to diplomacy, when there was no outside interference.


EDIT add-on:
To better exemplify the signature moves, I could see a wizard having something like these as d4 Strength and d8 Wisdom:
Wisdom Moves OOOO OOOO
“I choose you!” – summons a pikachu. If hits, deals max damage. [summon vanishes after making the attack]
Charm – if hits, inflicts Charm status, making them a close and loyal friend
Large Fireball – fireball can hit multiple foes. Roll attack against each.
Lightning Bolt – auto-hits, deals normal damage

Strength Moves OOOO
Strong Back – he can carry a lot of weight, despite his low strength
Hidden Dagger – auto-hits, deals d4 damage

The strength moves give some extra auto-hits, and Strong Back is basically a trait you can invoke a few times a day for a special benefit. I could see this working with a wizard who carries a ton of books with him for research.
Hitting multiple foes is something else I could see adding as a special move option.


EDIT the SECOND:
Since Str die boosts HP, maybe Dex die is what you roll for Initiative, and Wisdom die... does something else as well? It does incorporate perception, which is pretty important, so maybe that's enough to semi-balance the three stats.
I can see making movement standard for all characters. Based on Dex kinda feels right, but that means others can never catch up to them. Best of Str or Dex seems good, too, but I feel that hurts Wisdom too much.

well i have kinda lost my spirit after i got a mail from work saying i cant do it cus its to much fighting and they dont whant the kids to start act out killing monsters

JeenLeen
2016-09-23, 04:19 PM
well i have kinda lost my spirit after i got a mail from work saying i cant do it cus its to much fighting and they dont whant the kids to start act out killing monsters

Wow. Bummer. But I can see some places being uneasy with it, not that I agree with it. And refluffing killing monsters to knocking them out or capturing them for a farm (like a pokemon reserve)--well, could you try asking if that would be acceptable?
Probably depends on if killing itself, or if violence or anti-roleplaying, is behind the ban.

And, just curious (and feel free not to answer): but is this at a daycare or something like that? I'd figured it was something you were making for your kid and their friends. Again, no offense taken if you don't want to answer personal questions over the internet. I understand.

For any interest: I wrote up some more rules.

Combat Rules
When combat starts, all characters roll Initiative by rolling their Dexterity die. If a tie, reroll. You act in order from highest result to lowest.

On your turn, you get three actions, which can be done in any order:
• Major Action – use a Move (attack, defend, or a Str/Dex/Wis Move)
• Minor Action – move. You can move up to 30 feet in a turn.
• Free Action – interact with an object. Includes things like opening a door, flipping a switch, or picking something up off the ground.

Hitting Someone – to hit someone, roll your attack die (usually d8). On a result of 4 or higher, you hit.
This includes physical attacks, as well as magical attempts to manipulate someone. For example, to hit with a sword or a Charm spell, you roll and must roll 4 or higher.
Then roll your attack die to deal damage. That is how much health points (HP) the creature loses.
Enemies who try to hit you must also roll a 4 or higher to hit you.
Design Note: this makes it possible, if hard, to hit someone with a d4. Some bosses might have a special trait that means they can only be hit on a 5.

Sneaky Stuff
• In general, to pick a lock or disarm a trap, roll Dexterity. If you roll 4 or higher, you succeed. (Some special cases may require a higher roll.)
• To pickpocket someone: the target rolls Wisdom. If they see you, you both roll Dexterity and your attempt succeeds if your roll beats theirs. If they don’t see you, roll Dexterity and you succeed on a 4 or higher.
• To hide or move quietly, roll Dexterity. The DM should secretly roll Wisdom for players to determine if they see someone. If the Wisdom roll beats their Dexterity roll, you see them.
o If someone is hidden, they can initiate combat by surprise. They act first in combat (they don’t need to roll initiative), and they have advantage in the first round of combat and attacks against them have disadvantage. (There is no “surprise round.”)

Traits can impact these rolls, increasing your effective die size.

ManicMoe
2016-09-24, 03:50 AM
Wow. Bummer. But I can see some places being uneasy with it, not that I agree with it. And refluffing killing monsters to knocking them out or capturing them for a farm (like a pokemon reserve)--well, could you try asking if that would be acceptable?
Probably depends on if killing itself, or if violence or anti-roleplaying, is behind the ban.

And, just curious (and feel free not to answer): but is this at a daycare or something like that? I'd figured it was something you were making for your kid and their friends. Again, no offense taken if you don't want to answer personal questions over the internet. I understand.

For any interest: I wrote up some more rules.

Combat Rules
When combat starts, all characters roll Initiative by rolling their Dexterity die. If a tie, reroll. You act in order from highest result to lowest.

On your turn, you get three actions, which can be done in any order:
• Major Action – use a Move (attack, defend, or a Str/Dex/Wis Move)
• Minor Action – move. You can move up to 30 feet in a turn.
• Free Action – interact with an object. Includes things like opening a door, flipping a switch, or picking something up off the ground.

Hitting Someone – to hit someone, roll your attack die (usually d8). On a result of 4 or higher, you hit.
This includes physical attacks, as well as magical attempts to manipulate someone. For example, to hit with a sword or a Charm spell, you roll and must roll 4 or higher.
Then roll your attack die to deal damage. That is how much health points (HP) the creature loses.
Enemies who try to hit you must also roll a 4 or higher to hit you.
Design Note: this makes it possible, if hard, to hit someone with a d4. Some bosses might have a special trait that means they can only be hit on a 5.

Sneaky Stuff
• In general, to pick a lock or disarm a trap, roll Dexterity. If you roll 4 or higher, you succeed. (Some special cases may require a higher roll.)
• To pickpocket someone: the target rolls Wisdom. If they see you, you both roll Dexterity and your attempt succeeds if your roll beats theirs. If they don’t see you, roll Dexterity and you succeed on a 4 or higher.
• To hide or move quietly, roll Dexterity. The DM should secretly roll Wisdom for players to determine if they see someone. If the Wisdom roll beats their Dexterity roll, you see them.
o If someone is hidden, they can initiate combat by surprise. They act first in combat (they don’t need to roll initiative), and they have advantage in the first round of combat and attacks against them have disadvantage. (There is no “surprise round.”)

Traits can impact these rolls, increasing your effective die size.


No it in a school, they r 8 years old