RPG basics

ID:265081
 
Sep 16 2001, 7:47 am
Time for the stupid question of the day.

I am not especially well-versed in RPGs, yet I think it's likely that my first BYOND project will be an RPG. As such I've been designing a combat system for one (based on some of what I posted in the "Hit points: Bane or boon" thread), only I'm finding as always that simple formulas are often the hardest to come up with. The simpler I try to make this system, the more variables I come up with. To give you an idea:
  • Combat-readiness (Rd) figures into most calculations on how a blow is delivered or defended against, but how it figures in is a tricky question, and there's something to be said for factoring it directly into as few values as possible. Standard Rd is 0, with values so far ranging slightly positive or negative on the order of 1 or 2.
  • It's generally hard to separate factors such as strike precision (Pr), the chance of missing (Ams), the chance of dodging the strike (Ddg), and so on.
  • The weight of a weapon (weapon.Wt) and the strength of its wielder (St) are factors affecting both the speed of an attack (Asp) and the strength behind it (Ast), both of which figure into some sort of calculation on the momentum of a strike. I've been uncertain from the beginning whether to figure Ast as a force/weight value or as a percentage.
  • I've been using a "caution" variable (Ca, a percentage) to affect precision and strength calculations, but it seems so tied in to combat-readiness that I'm thinking now of just making it some sort of pre-attack modifier to readiness (Rd+=Ca) and hit strength (Ast+=1-Ca).
I'd show you some of the formulas I'm working on but they're already a little overcomplicated. The bottom line is that I'm working from scratch here.

I'd like to know if there are any good RPG design references out there, like pages that go into detail about common systems for determining the effects of complex attacks. Searching hasn't yielded much so far, but I think I'd have a much easier time working on this if I had some background material to go on.

Lummox JR
Sep 16 2001, 11:12 am
Heh, welcome to the world of RPG design! You might want to look at how some existing PnP (Pen and Paper) systems do it. Or do a net search for rpg desing. Webrpg might be a good place to start.

Good luck!

-James
Sep 16 2001, 11:14 am
Lummox JR wrote:
Time for the stupid question of the day.

I am not especially well-versed in RPGs, yet I think it's likely that my first BYOND project will be an RPG. As such I've been designing a combat system for one (based on some of what I posted in the "Hit points: Bane or boon" thread), only I'm finding as always that simple formulas are often the hardest to come up with. The simpler I try to make this system, the more variables I come up with. To give you an idea:
  • Combat-readiness (Rd) figures into most calculations on how a blow is delivered or defended against, but how it figures in is a tricky question, and there's something to be said for factoring it directly into as few values as possible. Standard Rd is 0, with values so far ranging slightly positive or negative on the order of 1 or 2.
  • It's generally hard to separate factors such as strike precision (Pr), the chance of missing (Ams), the chance of dodging the strike (Ddg), and so on.
  • The weight of a weapon (weapon.Wt) and the strength of its wielder (St) are factors affecting both the speed of an attack (Asp) and the strength behind it (Ast), both of which figure into some sort of calculation on the momentum of a strike. I've been uncertain from the beginning whether to figure Ast as a force/weight value or as a percentage.
  • I've been using a "caution" variable (Ca, a percentage) to affect precision and strength calculations, but it seems so tied in to combat-readiness that I'm thinking now of just making it some sort of pre-attack modifier to readiness (Rd+=Ca) and hit strength (Ast+=1-Ca).
I'd show you some of the formulas I'm working on but they're already a little overcomplicated. The bottom line is that I'm working from scratch here.
I'd like to know if there are any good RPG design references out there, like pages that go into detail about common systems for determining the effects of complex attacks. Searching hasn't yielded much so far, but I think I'd have a much easier time working on this if I had some background material to go on.

Lummox JR


What about DND?
Sep 16 2001, 11:16 am
No.
Sep 16 2001, 11:27 am
In response to Air _King
Air _King wrote:
What about DND?

Never played it. My background in RPGs is exclusively in a few simple computer games like Lord of the Rings, Rogue, and Nethack. There might have been a few others in there.

Lummox JR
Sep 16 2001, 11:31 am
In response to Jmurph
I checked out WebRPG, but really found nothing there--nothing I could find without going through extensive searching, anyway.

Problem with a lot of these sites is that they seem to assume a strong background in tabletop RPGs, which I don't have. Still, combat formulas are not beyond my comprehension; what I really need is to find a site with extensive, accessible info on that sort of thing.

Lummox JR
Sep 16 2001, 12:01 pm
In response to Lummox JR
That and we're all sick of everyone using D&D stats for everything.
Sep 16 2001, 12:17 pm
In response to Foomer
Foomer wrote:
That and we're all sick of everyone using D&D stats for everything.

Well, the combat system I have in mind will try to be realistic, with few hit points, most damage blocked by armor.

These are the basic stats I have in mind:
  • HP: Hit points, low, based on Constitution and body size
  • St: Strength. Ability to wield weapons, armor, shields.
  • Co: Constitution. General toughness.
  • Ag: Agility. Quickness in battle.
  • Dx: Dexterity. Skill with hands; not used in battle.
  • Rd: Readiness; a battle-time stat. 0 is normal.
There would of course be other stats unrelated to battle, but I haven't much fleshed that out yet. Right now I'm just focusing on a combat system.

Lummox JR