High School Harem Comedy (Game System, PEACH)

[A Rainy Knight]

Two specialties, and Two antispecialties.

Specific scenarios where you are REALLY off, or on target.

They must coincide with your weak, and strong attribute, each having one of each if you choose to have them.

IE: Being good at valentines chocolate, and sabotage.

Being terrible at savory foods, and open combat.

I'm a little reluctant to include too many weaknesses in the game, since most systems that have them seem to end up encouraging players to take weaknesses that they'll always avoid in exchange for strengths they can easily use. I've always hated the "flaws" some people use in D&D, for instance.

Quick question: I thought of a few scenarios that involve the purchase of goods (The protagonist has set a date to come to the Sweets Shop that one of the girls runs in the absence of her parents). What would be a good way to adjudicate that? I know the obvious answer is to hand wave, but supposing the party is in a Persona type scenario where they find themselves in an antique shop buying old broadswords (maybe 10,000 to 50,000¥). How is that adjudicated?

At a glance I see the following as a possible solution: Rather than giving set cash values for anything, characters roll 1d6 not tied to any attribute, but certain Abilities can help like Connections, (because you know a guy who knows a guy) School Queen, (for obvious reasons as given in the description) or Contingency Plan, (because you just happened to have this wad of dough saved up). In all cases, the GM is the arbiter of any Spending Rolls you make.

In any case, your roll result determines the cash you have on hand at that moment in broad terms. The following price ranges make the most sense to me

D3:100-999¥
D6:1,000-9,999¥
D9:10,000-99,999¥

Multiple purchases in the same scene are at a cumulative -1 per purchase. Characters in Persona style games can do part time jobs after school to gain up to +3 (at a rate of +1 per night) on a purchase.

Right so I know it looks anal, but for situations like Persona or the like, which feature in large purchases, what do you guys think?

This seems a little too specific to deserve its own section in the rules, honestly. Of course, it seems like you have a nice little variant going on, and that's fine, but if it were me running a game when this came up, I'd just find a way to break it into the existing rolls. For instance, Skill to have done a part-time job beforehand, Allure to have charmed someone into buying it for you, Conflict to bully some lunch money out of kids, Luck to get a miraculous windfall, et cetera...

Anyways, it seems like Lentrax has dropped off the face of the Playground, but I'll probably have my own Mahou Shoujo up eventually. In the meantime, enjoy the new School Journalist and Sports Star archetypes!

Also, the Cuckoolander's Odd Affinity advantage no longer halves the roll in the event of an even result. After doing some breezy probabilities in my head, I decided that it doesn't need that handicap to be balanced with things like Big Gamble and Foresight.

[jamieth]

Oh, one question that I'll probably feel really stupid about asking, but still... The pdf people are talking about, can it be aquired by mere mortals? :-)

[Esprit15]

May not want Second Wind applying to your own penalties applied. Otherwise you can stack that with Tsundere's Personality Flip on a weak stat roll for an easy +3, before accounting for other penalties taken.

[Mutazoia]

Oh, one question that I'll probably feel really stupid about asking, but still... The pdf people are talking about, can it be aquired by mere mortals? :-)

It can if you PM me with an e-mail address to send it to.

[WalrusJones]

I'm a little reluctant to include too many weaknesses in the game, since most systems that have them seem to end up encouraging players to take weaknesses that they'll always avoid in exchange for strengths they can easily use. I've always hated the "flaws" some people use in D&D, for instance.

The idea behind them was that they would an overwhelming mechanical disadvantage, but, in the end, people always worked their way around them.

THE BEST FLAWS are the ones that leave you at the GM's mercy, flaws that make the player surrender small amounts of player control are both frightening, and good. IE: The great curse in exalted, any well written Gurps disadvantage, ETC.

Mechanical flaws, bad for mechanical games IMO... Those simply promote munchkining if you get any benefits. In games about roleplaying and having fun... They can be good. Mechanical limitations make roleplaying more fun and amusing, but ultimately, players matter more then mechanics.

[Durazno]

You're raising a good point about D&D flaws, but this might be a case where you can say "munchkins gonna munch." If a player's first impulse is to take an aspect of a thematic, character-driven system like HSHC and start gaming it for maximum mechanical advantage, it seems to me like you've kind of already lost them.

My main reason for suggesting something like that was that "non-romantic pursuits" is such a titanically broad arena that characters with high Skill stats might start to look like polymaths, especially if there's enough variety in the situations the GM throws at everyone. It might be nice if there's a mechanical representation of the idea that characters with low Skill stats don't necessarily just suck at life, you know?

[John Cribati]

I've noticed that the Archetype list is just one list, and that seems at odds with the Character Creation guidelines, which at least imply that each player picks One Personality and One (For Lack of a better word) Occupation. So maybe a line of demarcation of some sort is in order.

[A Rainy Knight]

@WalrusJones & Durazno: Fair points from both you. On second thought, I'll give it some consideration as to how exactly I want to work them into the system.

I've noticed that the Archetype list is just one list, and that seems at odds with the Character Creation guidelines, which at least imply that each player picks One Personality and One (For Lack of a better word) Occupation. So maybe a line of demarcation of some sort is in order.

Whoops! Where exactly does it imply that? Because my intention was to edit out every reference to personalities and classes when I changed the rules to get rid of them.

[John Cribati]

... I can't say, actually. Maybe it was just my mind making things up, then.

[The Rose Dragon]

My main reason for suggesting something like that was that "non-romantic pursuits" is such a titanically broad arena that characters with high Skill stats might start to look like polymaths, especially if there's enough variety in the situations the GM throws at everyone.

Actually, I think rather than introducing flaws, an idea to consider is dividing Skill into two (or possibly three) Rolls: Physique and Academics (and possibly Domestic, for stuff like cooking and cleaning). Then again, this might require changes to certain advantages, and picking a Strength and Weakness might work out differently when you choose from five Rolls instead of four.

[Durazno]

If you want to split the Skill stat, I think one possibility would be to explicitly give the GM the option to split it between X and Y different stats (say 2 and 4), depending on what's relevant to the setting and the story the harem is taking part in. Magical fightin' high-schoolers would have a different set of skills to choose from than mecha pilots, ordinary students or digi-destined. Or the GM might not care and ask each player "what are you good at?" then give the other players X points to divide among the skills the others chose.

[steelsmiter]

This seems a little too specific to deserve its own section in the rules, honestly. Of course, it seems like you have a nice little variant going on, and that's fine, but if it were me running a game when this came up, I'd just find a way to break it into the existing rolls. For instance, Skill to have done a part-time job beforehand, Allure to have charmed someone into buying it for you, Conflict to bully some lunch money out of kids, Luck to get a miraculous windfall, et cetera...

Thanks for looking it over! I hadn't thought about using the preexisting rolls, but that eases into the possibility of using a select number of Advantages rather than making it look contrived, since they're already based on preexisting rolls! That was a huge issue for me in creating the system for using money! How about I go back and edit/do a repost later to maybe refine/consolidate the ideas?

I've noticed that the Archetype list is just one list, and that seems at odds with the Character Creation guidelines, which at least imply that each player picks One Personality and One (For Lack of a better word) Occupation. So maybe a line of demarcation of some sort is in order.

Whoops! Where exactly does it imply that? Because my intention was to edit out every reference to personalities and classes when I changed the rules to get rid of them.

Actually you didn't have any that I saw, but the last version of the PDF that I saw was built around the assumption...

[Mutazoia]

Actually you didn't have any that I saw, but the last version of the PDF that I saw was built around the assumption...

Yeah...I noticed that the change in that line didn't get saved...It's fixed.

[WalrusJones]

Perhaps we could have an optional rule where people have to declare a "flaw of an archetype" when they start playing: Each archetype having a single flaw they are eligible for (Note, not having by default, eligible,) not that limits the players behavior somehow, forcing them out of doing certain twinkish behaviors.

IE: Being a Yandere qualifies you for one (Possessive-Obsessive.) which makes it so you cannot weasel out of a contest over the affection of the "protagonist" that they are aware of, bad at skill? Too bad, you are making those cookies. You cannot surrender in direct contests over the protagonists affection.

A Tsundere is eligible for one to succeed in a roll that fails on a 1 or 2 in order to accept a show of affection from the "protagonist," but gets a double reward on a 6. (You loose more then you get, and it causes you to loose out on a lot of well won victories.)

The point being that with this rule, the player needs ONE such flaw, and it comes from one of their two primary archetypes.

The goal being that it forces the players to bite the bullet and roleplay scenarios that they don't like, it makes it impossible to play perfectly.


This is really disorganized.... Ill fix it later.

[steelsmiter]

Wealth Tweaks

Spoiler

Show

Whenever a character needs to purchase something they may make a roll to determine the amount of cash they have on hand. Skill to have done a part-time job beforehand (or right after you've spent an afternoon on a part time job), Allure to charm someone into buying it for you (Protagonists in particular are known for spending without keeping track), Conflict to bully some lunch money out of kids, Luck to get a miraculous windfall, or any other situation that fits the attribute roll.

Certain Abilities can help like Connections, (because you know a guy who knows a guy) School Queen, (for obvious reasons as given in the description) or Contingency Plan, (because you just happened to have this wad of dough saved up).

Ok so I did have another question involving wealth though. Are these thresholds too high?

D3:100-999¥
D6:1,000-9,999¥
D9:10,000-99,999¥

[JBPuffin]

Perhaps we could have an optional rule where people have to declare a "flaw of an archetype" when they start playing: Each archetype having a single flaw they are eligible for (Note, not having by default, eligible,) not that limits the players behavior somehow, forcing them out of doing certain twinkish behaviors.

IE: Being a Yandere qualifies you for one (Possessive-Obsessive.) which makes it so you cannot weasel out of a contest over the affection of the "protagonist" that they are aware of, bad at skill? Too bad, you are making those cookies. You cannot surrender in direct contests over the protagonists affection.

A Tsundere is eligible for one to succeed in a roll that fails on a 1 or 2 in order to accept a show of affection from the "protagonist," but gets a double reward on a 6. (You loose more then you get, and it causes you to loose out on a lot of well won victories.)

The point being that with this rule, the player needs ONE such flaw, and it comes from one of their two primary archetypes.

The goal being that it forces the players to bite the bullet and roleplay scenarios that they don't like, it makes it impossible to play perfectly.


This is really disorganized.... Ill fix it later.

Okay, first...it's LOSE, not loose. Sorry, but that bugs men to the ends of the earth.

Second, I like the idea; it seems more like a very limited advantage, but if done well I'd enjoy seeing the results. Besides, these characters ought to be noticeably flawed, right?

Ties in well with an Undead archetype, too.

[Milo v3]

Okay, first...it's LOSE, not loose. Sorry, but that bugs men to the ends of the earth.

Me not men

[Esprit15]

Me not men

I don't know, I'm a man and it bothers me.

[steelsmiter]

Me not men

I don't know, I'm a man and it bothers me.

Ditto!! :D

[Vhael]

Me not men

I don't know, I'm a man and it bothers me.

Ditto!! :D

At risk of veering too far away from the topic of this thread, I will say that I am a man and it bother me as well.

[JBPuffin]

...Yes, that was totally intentional...

[A Rainy Knight]

Rule Variants

Team Gameplay and Cooperative Games

Spoiler

Show

They say that love is war, and sometimes a war calls for an alliance. The GM may optionally include scenes where the girls temporarily split into opposing teams. Further, the GM may choose to run an entire campaign with fixed teams; this method may even be used to allow for a cooperative game in which the players join forces to keep the protagonist out of the clutches of a whole host of scheming, nefarious suitors.

Team Rolls

In a team game, a typical scene consists of one Main Roll and one or more Assist Rolls. In each scene, each team nominates one of its members to attempt the Main Roll, and the remaining members all attempt the Assist Rolls. A Main Roll may be an unopposed roll, or it may be an opposed roll against the representatives from the other teams. Assist Rolls are often unopposed, but they may also be made opposed against the other teams’ representatives or assisting characters.

The results of the scene are dictated by the result of the Main Roll, which is modified by the results of the Assist Rolls. The GM determines what impact the Assist Rolls have - each team member who succeeds on an Assist Roll might grant modifiers, rerolls, or lower difficulties to the character attempting the Main Roll, or they might impose penalties on the opposing teams' representatives. If there are multiple Assist Rolls available, they might have different effects.

Cooperative Play

The GM may run a cooperative game in which the competition between the girls is replaced by a charming adventure in which the girls work together in pursuit of a common goal. Perhaps the girls of the Occult Club must join forces to keep those hussies over in the Light Music Club from stealing away their handsome new recruit. Perhaps the former rivals must all band together against a callous high school supermodel who suddenly sweeps onto the scene from her time abroad in Norway. Or perhaps the girls must use their talents and feminine wiles to help the protagonist keep the hot springs resort he grew up in from being demolished.

There are a few ways a GM could handle such a game. One option is to create a team of rivals using the standard character creation rules (or perhaps a single foe outfitted with additional advantages or bonus modifiers) and run a standard team game, with the rival team controlled entirely by the GM. The GM could also run a game where there is only one team and all Main Rolls are unopposed (but have a high enough difficulty to require strong cooperation between the girls). In such a game, the GM can use the team’s overall VP total as a metric for choosing between story branches and endings (or even entirely discard the VP system and use rolls solely as a mechanic for determining the outcome of story events).

Example of Play

Spoiler

Show

Akiko, Haruka, and Natsumi are determined to keep Takeshi from falling into the clutches of Kurumi, the manipulative yet gorgeous supermodel who just transferred into class. The big school dance is coming up, and they need to make sure that Takeshi goes with any one of them instead of Kurumi. The Main Roll is an opposed Allure against Kurumi to ask Takeshi out to the dance for 2VP. The Assist Rolls are a D5 Skill roll to help choose a flattering outfit which grants a +2 bonus to the character attempting the Main Roll and an opposed Conflict roll against Kurumi which imposes a -2 penalty on her roll if successful.

Akiko, the skillful and fashionable Ojou, successfully picks out a trendy French dress while Natsumi, the spiteful Yandere, ruthlessly takes a baseball bat to Kurumi’s kneecaps, leaving Haruka with a considerable leg up as she musters up the courage and speaks straight to her beloved’s heart. The girls’ team gains 2VP over Kurumi, but she’s not ready to throw in the towel just yet. This battle is won, but not the war...

Another Example of Play

Spoiler

Show

Miyako, Miyuki, and Mei are lending the protagonist a hand as he runs a bake sale in a last-ditch effort to save his grandmother’s failing hot springs resort. The main roll is a D6 Luck roll to find a customer with a big enough heart and wallet to make a donation to save the historic inn, and the Assist Roll is a D4 Skill roll to bake enough delicious sweets to draw more potential donors to the inn, granting the character attempting the Main Roll a free reroll for each success. Miyako’s brownies are suspiciously gritty, but Miyuki’s outstanding cream puffs grant Mei one reroll. Mei botches her first roll with a 1 on her d6, but with Miyuki’s reroll, she rolls a miraculous 6 and touches the heart of the local tycoon, saving the home of so many of the protagonist’s childhood memories and winning them all a special place in his heart!

Supernatural Archetype List

Spoiler

Show

To run a harem comedy with a touch of the supernatural, the GM may allow players to choose from the following list of archetypes in addition to the usual list when creating their characters.

Universal Monstrous Advantages

Spoiler

Show

The following list of advantages is available to all players in a supernatural game, to either create their own breed of monster from scratch or tweak one of the full archetypes below. All advantage choices from this list are subject to the GM approving them as reasonably fitting the concept of the monster girl.

Elemental Affinity: You're fundamentally disposed toward an element, whether that's fire, water, or... helium, maybe? Choose an element and two of the four rolls; you receive +2 on those two rolls in activities closely associated with your chosen element.

Solar Powered: Whether it's photosynthesis or photoelectric cells, being in the sunlight just perks you right up. Choose one of the four rolls; you receive +1 on that roll while in sunlight.

Touchy Spot: Let it suffice to say that your biology includes a bit of an inconvenient erogenous zone. Choose a body part; you receive +2 on Allure rolls and -1 on Skill rolls in scenes in which that part is touched.

Celestial

Spoiler

Show

“Love is truly the greatest blessing, Protagonist-kun.”

You are a blessed being from on high, whether that be an angel or a goddess. Your love for the protagonist is pure as the driven snow, and you will pursue him with all the warmth and compassion befitting a benevolent angel.

Blessed Comfort: Among your holy powers is your soft, healing touch. +2 on Skill rolls involving healing or caring for someone.

Compassion: You believe in peace, not conflict, and seeing others find happiness warms your heart greatly. Twice per episode, you may give +2 on another girl’s roll. If she receives VP as a result, you receive a VP bonus equal to half of what your target received, rounding up.

Purity: Your heavenly presence is not as marred and ridden with imperfections as many of your competitors. Three times per episode, you may take +1 on your weak roll.

Serenity: Your rise above the dirty tricks and fighting of your competitors to attain a peaceful state of enlightenment. Twice per episode, +2 on a non-Conflict roll if you had the option of making a Conflict roll instead.

Demon

Spoiler

Show

“I want all of you, Protagonist-kun... your body and your soul.”

You are a fiendish being of the Underworld, an accursed servant of the lords of Hell. You’re no stranger to the sin of lust, and you have plenty of temptations to dangle before the protagonist to draw him into your dark, loving embrace.

Faustian Pact: You can grant devilish gifts to your competitors, knowing all the while that the cost for a demon’s services is always greater than it first appears. Twice per episode, you may give +2 on another girl’s roll. On the next roll in which both you and your target participate, she takes -2 on her roll and you gain +1 on yours.

Speak of the Devil: They say that calling your name will cause you to appear, but when it comes to your beloved, you’re always ready to show up. +2 on Luck rolls involving being found by the protagonist.

Temptation: Your charms are the perfect tool for drawing the protagonist into your grasp, assuming you don’t put him off in the process. Twice per episode, you may take +2 on an unopposed Allure roll. If you are successful, you also take +1 on your next roll. If you fail, you take -2 on your next roll.

Torment: All that time punishing sinners has really taught you how to use people’s least favorite things against them. Twice per episode, you may inflict an additional -2 penalty on any girls using their weak roll (not including yourself).

Eldritch Abomination

Spoiler

Show

“I’m the chaos that always crawls up to Protagonist-kun with a smile~!”

You are an unspeakable elder god whose visage would drive mortals mad with but a glance. Luckily for the others, you’ve decided to take on the form of a cute high school girl, at least as long as your ineffable whims drive you to pursue the protagonist.

A Thousand Faces: You can manifest yourself as any number of unspeakable forms and avatars of enormous power while on this world, although most of them aren’t pretty. Twice per episode, by voluntarily taking a 1 on your d6 on any Allure roll, you may take a 6 on your d6 on your next non-Allure roll.

Crawling Chaos: You giggle with delight and thrive on the discord and conflict your competitors sow in their ruthless attempts to win the protagonist’s heart. +1 on rolls in any scene in which at least two other girls make Conflict rolls.

Shadow out of Time: A judicious bit of body-swapping and mental projection lets you send your competitors down the paths of your choosing. Once per episode, in a scene where multiple rolls are available to choose between, you may dictate which rolls all of the other girls must choose. Their respective players may still decide which advantages to apply to the chosen rolls.

Shining Trapezohedron: As the protagonist gazes into this artifact, you suddenly appear before him from the depths of space and time. Once per episode, you may appear in any scene, even if you failed a requirement to participate in the scene.

Vampire

Spoiler

Show

“Your scent is ever so delicious, Protagonist-kun… I don’t know if I can restrain myself any longer.”

You are an elegant creature of the night with a sinister beauty and a taste for human blood, but the protagonist has somehow become something more to you than an inviting meal. Your dark powers will be all you need to raise a glass of your competitors’ blood and make a toast to long life and happiness for you and your beloved.

Elegant Fiend: You have an air of class and sophistication that sets you apart from just any old monster. +2 on Skill rolls involving classy activities such as ballroom dancing, high fashion, proper etiquette, et cetera.

Lady of Darkness: Your true beauty can only manifest itself away from the irritating rays of the sun. +2 to Allure rolls during scenes set late at night or in near-total darkness.

Sanguine Kiss: You’ve planted your lips on enough necks to be able to do it alluringly as well as threateningly. +1 on Allure rolls involving kissing, and +1 on Conflict rolls involving close physical contact.

Vampiric Drain: You grow strong from the life force of your defeated rivals. Whenever you get the highest result on an opposed roll involving at least two other girls, you gain +1 on your next roll.

Catgirl

Spoiler

Show

"Come on, Protagonist-kun! Let's play nyaaow!"

Nyaa~! You're an adorable mix of girl and feline, with the cute little ears, fangs, and tail to show for it. You've found the lap that you'd like to curl up on for the rest of your life, and absolutely nothing is going to stand between a cat and a warm, comfortable place. Everyone had better be careful, because you aren't declawed!

Animal Affinity: You're a little bit animal yourself, so working with normal animals comes naturally to you. +1 on Luck and Skill rolls involving animals. This bonus increases to +2 when dealing with cats.

Cat Nap: You're always up for a little shut-eye, and you look amazingly cute all curled up. +2 on Allure rolls while asleep.

Catlike Reflexes: All that chasing the laser dot has really limbered you up. +2 on Skill rolls involving feats of agility or speed.

Hiss!: Arching your back is a little awkward, but you still look plenty mean when you get really angry. You may take +2 on any Conflict roll, but doing so imposes a -2 penalty on your next Allure roll.

Nine Lives: You have a knack for getting out of the stickiest situations without a scratch. Twice per episode, you may substitute a Luck roll for a Conflict roll.

More archetypes coming soon!

Quirks

Spoiler

Show

Sometimes the girls won't quite fit neatly into a couple of archetypes - something about them sticks out in particular in contrast to the rest of their character. These are "quirks," advantages that don't necessarily match with the overall style of your character.

During character creation, the GM may optionally allow players to choose one of their advantages from any archetype in the game.

[A Rainy Knight]

My first post is threatening to run over the character limit, so all variant rules are being moved to the above post with a link in the first post.

Also, please take a look at my new rules for cooperative games! They probably still need some more work, especially with regards to working in the advantages which are clearly aimed at a competitive game, but I think they're a good start with regards to broadening the range of games you could potentially play with this system.

Anyways, schoolwork has kept me away from this game lately, but I'm hoping to keep working at adding new things when I can.

[Mutazoia]

So it looks like the only actual updates were to add the team and co-op play?

[A Rainy Knight]

So it looks like the only actual updates were to add the team and co-op play?

That's correct.

[Moonbeam Funk]

Looks nice, though I'm personally inclined towards doing co-op episodes rather than entire games. These rules work perfectly well for either, so it's great to have them.

[Durazno]

I like the cooperative rules, too. One possibility that crosses my mind is having the adventure continue even after one of the characters wins protagonist-kun. If the players like the set of characters enough, it could be a way to craft a good sendoff and show that their lives don't totally revolve around the protagonist.

[Mutazoia]

That's correct.

ok thought so....that makes updating the PDF easier

[steelsmiter]

Rule Variants

Team Gameplay and Cooperative Games

Spoiler

Show

They say that love is war, and sometimes a war calls for an alliance. The GM may optionally include scenes where the girls temporarily split into opposing teams. Further, the GM may choose to run an entire campaign with fixed teams; this method may even be used to allow for a cooperative game in which the players join forces to keep the protagonist out of the clutches of a whole host of scheming, nefarious suitors.

Team Rolls

In a team game, a typical scene consists of one Main Roll and one or more Assist Rolls. In each scene, each team nominates one of its members to attempt the Main Roll, and the remaining members all attempt the Assist Rolls. A Main Roll may be an unopposed roll, or it may be an opposed roll against the representatives from the other teams. Assist Rolls are often unopposed, but they may also be made opposed against the other teams’ representatives or assisting characters.

The results of the scene are dictated by the result of the Main Roll, which is modified by the results of the Assist Rolls. The GM determines what impact the Assist Rolls have - each team member who succeeds on an Assist Roll might grant modifiers, rerolls, or lower difficulties to the character attempting the Main Roll, or they might impose penalties on the opposing teams' representatives. If there are multiple Assist Rolls available, they might have different effects.

Cooperative Play

The GM may run a cooperative game in which the competition between the girls is replaced by a charming adventure in which the girls work together in pursuit of a common goal. Perhaps the girls of the Occult Club must join forces to keep those hussies over in the Light Music Club from stealing away their handsome new recruit. Perhaps the former rivals must all band together against a callous high school supermodel who suddenly sweeps onto the scene from her time abroad in Norway. Or perhaps the girls must use their talents and feminine wiles to help the protagonist keep the hot springs resort he grew up in from being demolished.

There are a few ways a GM could handle such a game. One option is to create a team of rivals using the standard character creation rules (or perhaps a single foe outfitted with additional advantages or bonus modifiers) and run a standard team game, with the rival team controlled entirely by the GM. The GM could also run a game where there is only one team and all Main Rolls are unopposed (but have a high enough difficulty to require strong cooperation between the girls). In such a game, the GM can use the team’s overall VP total as a metric for choosing between story branches and endings (or even entirely discard the VP system and use rolls solely as a mechanic for determining the outcome of story events).

Example of Play

Spoiler

Show

Akiko, Haruka, and Natsumi are determined to keep Takeshi from falling into the clutches of Kurumi, the manipulative yet gorgeous supermodel who just transferred into class. The big school dance is coming up, and they need to make sure that Takeshi goes with any one of them instead of Kurumi. The Main Roll is an opposed Allure against Kurumi to ask Takeshi out to the dance for 2VP. The Assist Rolls are a D5 Skill roll to help choose a flattering outfit which grants a +2 bonus to the character attempting the Main Roll and an opposed Conflict roll against Kurumi which imposes a -2 penalty on her roll if successful.

Akiko, the skillful and fashionable Ojou, successfully picks out a trendy French dress while Natsumi, the spiteful Yandere, ruthlessly takes a baseball bat to Kurumi’s kneecaps, leaving Haruka with a considerable leg up as she musters up the courage and speaks straight to her beloved’s heart. The girls’ team gains 2VP over Kurumi, but she’s not ready to throw in the towel just yet. This battle is won, but not the war...

Another Example of Play

Spoiler

Show

Miyako, Miyuki, and Mei are lending the protagonist a hand as he runs a bake sale in a last-ditch effort to save his grandmother’s failing hot springs resort. The main roll is a D6 Luck roll to find a customer with a big enough heart and wallet to make a donation to save the historic inn, and the Assist Roll is a D4 Skill roll to bake enough delicious sweets to draw more potential donors to the inn, granting the character attempting the Main Roll a free reroll for each success. Miyako’s brownies are suspiciously gritty, but Miyuki’s outstanding cream puffs grant Mei one reroll. Mei botches her first roll with a 1 on her d6, but with Miyuki’s reroll, she rolls a miraculous 6 and touches the heart of the local tycoon, saving the home of so many of the protagonist’s childhood memories and winning them all a special place in his heart!

Supernatural Archetype List

Spoiler

Show

To run a harem comedy with a touch of the supernatural, the GM may allow players to choose from the following list of archetypes in addition to the usual list when creating their characters.

Celestial

Spoiler

Show

“Love is truly the greatest blessing, Protagonist-kun.”

You are a blessed being from on high, whether that be an angel or a goddess. Your love for the protagonist is pure as the driven snow, and you will pursue him with all the warmth and compassion befitting a benevolent angel.

Blessed Comfort: Among your holy powers is your soft, healing touch. +2 on Skill rolls involving healing or caring for someone.

Compassion: You believe in peace, not conflict, and seeing others find happiness warms your heart greatly. Twice per episode, you may give +2 on another girl’s roll. If she receives VP as a result, you receive a VP bonus equal to half of what your target received, rounding up.

Purity: Your heavenly presence is not as marred and ridden with imperfections as many of your competitors. Three times per episode, you may take +1 on your weak roll.

Serenity: Your rise above the dirty tricks and fighting of your competitors to attain a peaceful state of enlightenment. Twice per episode, by voluntarily taking a 1 on any Conflict roll, you may take +3 on a later roll. This ability may not be used with any Conflict roll that you initiate.

Demon

Spoiler

Show

“I want all of you, Protagonist-kun... your body and your soul.”

You are a fiendish being of the Underworld, an accursed servant of the lords of Hell. You’re no stranger to the sin of lust, and you have plenty of temptations to dangle before the protagonist to draw him into your dark, loving embrace.

Faustian Pact: You can grant devilish gifts to your competitors, knowing all the while that the cost for a demon’s services is always greater than it first appears. Twice per episode, you may give +2 on another girl’s roll. On the next roll in which both you and your target participate, she takes -2 on her roll and you gain +1 on yours.

Speak of the Devil: They say that calling your name will cause you to appear, but when it comes to your beloved, you’re always ready to show up. +2 on Luck rolls involving being found by the protagonist.

Temptation: Your charms are the perfect tool for drawing the protagonist into your grasp, assuming you don’t put him off in the process. Twice per episode, you may take +2 on an unopposed Allure roll. If you are successful, you also take +1 on your next roll. If you fail, you take -2 on your next roll.

Torment: All that time punishing sinners has really taught you how to use people’s least favorite things against them. Twice per episode, you may inflict an additional -2 penalty on any girls using their weak roll (not including yourself).

Eldritch Abomination

Spoiler

Show

“I’m the chaos that always crawls up to Protagonist-kun with a smile~!”

You are an unspeakable elder god whose visage would drive mortals mad with but a glance. Luckily for the others, you’ve decided to take on the form of a cute high school girl, at least as long as your ineffable whims drive you to pursue the protagonist.

A Thousand Faces: You can manifest yourself as any number of unspeakable forms and avatars of enormous power while on this world, although most of them aren’t pretty. Twice per episode, by voluntarily taking a 1 on your d6 on any Allure roll, you may take a 6 on your d6 on your next non-Allure roll.

Crawling Chaos: You giggle with delight and thrive on the discord and conflict your competitors sow in their ruthless attempts to win the protagonist’s heart. +1 on non-Conflict rolls in any scene in which at least two other girls make Conflict rolls.

Shadow out of Time: A judicious bit of body-swapping and mental projection lets you send your competitors down the paths of your choosing. Once per episode, in a scene where multiple rolls are available to choose between, you may dictate which rolls all of the other girls must choose. Their respective players may still decide which advantages to apply to the chosen rolls.

Shining Trapezohedron: As the protagonist gazes into this artifact, you suddenly appear before him from the depths of space and time. Once per episode, you may appear in any scene, even if you failed a requirement to participate in the scene.

More archetypes coming soon!

Quirks

Spoiler

Show

Sometimes the girls won't quite fit neatly into a couple of archetypes - something about them sticks out in particular in contrast to the rest of their character. These are "quirks," advantages that don't necessarily match with the overall style of your character.

During character creation, the GM may optionally allow players to choose one of their advantages from any archetype in the game.

My first post is threatening to run over the character limit, so all variant rules are being moved to the above post with a link in the first post.

Also, please take a look at my new rules for cooperative games! They probably still need some more work, especially with regards to working in the advantages which are clearly aimed at a competitive game, but I think they're a good start with regards to broadening the range of games you could potentially play with this system.

Anyways, schoolwork has kept me away from this game lately, but I'm hoping to keep working at adding new things when I can.

I'ma tweak my Dungeon Crawls right away!

[steelsmiter]

ok thought so....that makes updating the PDF easier

Can't wait!