I’m posting initial fighter header concepts and welcome feedback. First, some things to keep in mind:
- These are REALLY subject to change. A lot. Do not get all wrapped up in a character concept based on a skill or even a header still being there in 3 years.
- Specific numbers are vague estimates and particularly subject to change when I run the math, do some balance experiments, and work on statting. They’re more there to give you a general idea of magnitude at this point.
- See previous post for an explanation of the Focus/per battle/per event system.
- See top of header list for notes about what all fighters get for free, and consider the headers not as standalone things, but in combo with open skills and other headers.
- Bear in mind that in this system, I am trying to shift the burden of keeping the fighters up back to the healers, so fighters do not get a ton of defenses or self-healing or infinite free armor refits. This is on purpose and part of the core VM skill philosophy.
- This will be a high starting CP game, and you will be able to start with a whole bunch of skills.
- There will also be many enticing add on headers, racial headers, divine bloodline headers, etc. And you will get some of those headers for free. So your core class skills will only be part of the package, and are very focused on combat. RP skills, utility skills, and flavor skills will tend to come from other sources. I anticipate many people may buy 30-80% of their skills from other headers.
- Punch traits here mean traits which most common defenses (parries, avoids, etc) will not work on, and which will affect nearly everything even if it is otherwise immune to stuff.
Here’s the kind of feedback I’m looking for:
- I would LOVE to hear which headers you personally find most and least appealing. This is a great way to tell which headers still need work. (I may even post a poll on this at some point.) Even if you’re not a “rules person,” post and tell me which specialties you’d take if you were playing a fighter!
- Please tell me if you see a header that you feel is a “must have” that people would be shooting themselves in the foot not to take. I want PCs to be able to choose headers based on preference and concept without feeling like they NEED to take header X to be effective.
- Let me know if any headers look particularly over or under powered overall, or seem to be missing something key they would need and not be able to easily make up with an open skill or a second specialty.
- I am less interested in feedback on specific skills, since the skills are all still very much in development and WILL change once I run some math, and more on overall header feedback. That said, if you see a skill that you find particularly exciting or problematic, feel free to let me know. Just bear in mind that there aren’t a lot of specifics given on the skills here, and what specifics there are are likely to change, so don’t get hung up on those.
- Let me know if I’m missing anything you think is key for fighters to have, or if there’s a key ability you think should be in Open skills rather than in specialty headers, or if the converse is true and there’s something that appears too often, etc…Overall distribution of skills/effects stuff is good.
Some rules about feedback:
- No specific skill proposals, please. Getting those from PCs is weird and conflict-of-interest-y. General “What about skills like…” or “This header seems to be missing X kind of skill” type feedback is fine.
- No arguing a specific point back and forth. It can dominate comments unduly. Make your point and MAYBE do ONE rebuttal if you really can’t help yourself. Then let it go. I will delete comments that are rathole-ing too deep (even if they’re otherwise fine and wonderful), just to keep this thread uncluttered so I can refer to it more easily when making revisions (because I really do value your feedback!).
- Try to keep each point brief. I’ll ask you for more detail if I don’t get it. This makes for easier reference when I come back to make revisions.
- Feel free to ask questions! Like “Have you considered…” or “How will this work?” I’m happy to answer in most cases.
Again, bear in mind I am going to be making a lot of changes over the next few years, and these may be unrecognizable by the time they’re finalized.
Mages and Healers are coming later. I started with fighters to get my grounding in these rules because fighters are what I’m most familiar with, but I promise I have lots of fun stuff in store for the other classes as well!
Here they are!
Fighter Headers (Sketchy Vague Drafts)
All Fighters:
- Get all 0 CP skills for free
- Can buy Open Fighter Skills regardless of specialty
- Get 2 free Specialty headers (their choice)
- Can buy additional Specialty headers (CP cost TBD)
0 CP Skills (Free for all fighters)
- +2 Vitality (+ base 2 = 4 starting Vitality)
- Full Weapon Style of choice (sword/board, 2 weapons, 2 hander/polearm, bow & sword)
Open Fighter Skills (Available to all Fighters)
- Armor (physical or dex) (Base 2 pts)
- Extra Armor – Increases armor value 1 pt (3 total)
- Refit Armor (dex or phys) – Unlimited between battles; Per battle, refit 1x for free (1 min), then costs 1 Focus to do again (still takes 1 min).
- Disengage (1x/per battle, then 1 Focus)
- Parry (2 Focus) (Limit 3x/battle)
- 3 Damage (per battle; buy up to 4x, then 1 Focus) (works w/bow or melee)
- Healer Imbue (paired skill) – Full heal, gain 2 Protection, OR 1x 3 Damage (your choice) when healer calls Imbue by X (key trait TBD)
- More Vitality – buy up to 2x (up to 6 total)
- Resist Fear (1x/battle, then 1 Focus)
Fighter Specialties
(Fighters get X (2?) Specialty headers for free, then can buy more)
Skirmisher
- Backstab – 3 Damage By <Punch Trait> from behind (per battle; more for 2 Focus ea; buy up to 3x)
- Waylay – Stun (2 Focus) (behind only)
- Purge Root, Slow, Maim Leg (& take dam) (1 Focus)
- Agony (1 Focus)
- Death from behind (per event; buy up to 3x)
Ranger
- Purge Root, Slow, Maim Leg (& take dam) (1 Focus)
- Stabilize at 1 min instead of dying (per event; buy up to 3x)
- Avoid (per event; buy up to 3x)
- Maim (per battle; up to 3x; more w/1 Focus)
- Heal 3 to Self (per event; up to 3x)
Warrior
- Maim (per battle; buy up to 3x; then 1 Focus)
- 5 Damage OR 3 Damage By <Punch Trait> (2 Focus)
- 1x Per event – No effect to uncalled so long as you don’t call an attack or smart defense
- Reduce called damage – take half (rounded up) on first hit (1x/battle; buy up to 3x)
- Healer’s Best Friend (get healing pool can use to top off when take healing effect)
Champion
- 5 Damage OR 3 Damage By <Punch Trait> (2 Focus)
- Each battle, pick a target & do +1 to all called attacks vs. that target
- Purge Weakness, Maim Arm, or Silence & take damage (1 Focus)
- 3x 4 Damage OR 3x 2 Damage By <Punch Trait> burst vs. 1 opponent (per event; buy up to 3x)
- Reduce Death to Unstable (per event) (buy up to 3x)
Netherblade
- Frenzy to self and swing nothing but 3 Damage (per event; buy up to 3x; effect ends when Frenzy ends)
- Damage self, then swing double that damage at opponent (must stay up; comes out of Vitality, not armor) (per battle; buy up to 3x)
- Death, but then take an Agony & that arm is Short Maimed (per event; buy up to 3x)
- Focus on sword, take Agony, call Imbue; now have 2x Agony, Maim, or 2 Damage (Per battle; buy up to 3x; only imbue one at a time)
- 5 Dam by <punch trait>, but take 3 Dam by <punch trait> (2 Focus)
Sword Dancer
- Disarm (2 Focus)
- Riposte – “Reflect by Riposte” to 1 melee damage attack (per event; up to 3x)
- Lucky – Reduce Death to unstable (per event; buy up to 3x)
- If you do a trademark pose/stance, sword flourish, or personal tagline before battle, come in w/Guard vs. Called Melee (1x/battle)
- Call out a specific opponent, or do a stance/flourish/tagline at them (they don’t have to notice) & gain a Double 5 Damage OR Double 3 by <punch trait> against them (per event; buy up to 3x)
Bloodblade
- Blooding the Blade – On willing or helpless Exalted, call Waste 1 Vitality (by weapon) & then Diagnose [PC Bloodline], then Imbue to Blade. (Once you have a bloodline imbued in your blade, can use any skills that draw on that bloodline; lasts until you reset per battle skills or until used (whichever comes second, so if you don’t use it in a battle it sticks around); can only carry 1 bloodline on a given blade at a time.) (Prereq for all other Bloodblade skills)
- Blooded Strike – 5 Damage By <Punch Trait> (Dawn, Iron, Fire) (2 Focus)
- Blood Calls to Blood – 3 Damage By <Punch Trait> (Forest, Ocean, Dawn) and heal 3 to self (2 Focus)
- Bloodbind – Short Paralyze (Winter, Mist, Dusk) (2 Focus)
- Bloodwrack – Agony and Drain (Ocean, Mist, Dusk) (per event; buy up to 3x)
- Bloodbreak – 3x Maim OR Agony (Iron, Fire, Winter, Forest)
Bladebound
(Has Nether Link with sword) (Has some kind of cool magic weapon (divine, Fae, draconic, spirit, whatever) with its own powers) (Can buy up to 5 skills in this header, but not all)
- Immune to Destroy
- If deathstrike opponent, gain 3 Damage attack (Limit?? Or consequence if do too many, like Frenzy? Or first X are free, then Focus?)
- If deathstrike opponent, heal 2 (per battle for free, then 1 Focus; buy up to 3x)
- Physically block spells w/sword
- +1 to called damage vs. specified opponent type (from list: undead, Titan, Kami/Sprites, Disaster, etc) (call as “to X”)
- Can choose to call attacks by trait (from phys/ment/meta/elem)
- Resist Disarm; if you lose it or is stolen, will always find its way back to you (may take time) (can grab it if nearby and already going spirit for any reason); If someone else has it, can Disarm <Weapon> by gesture
- If parry (physically or with skill) an attack with the weapon, can call Absorb and then call that attack on someone else (except Inflicts/Imbues, double/triple/chained, or by punch traits; can’t be from friend) in same battle. (Per event; buy up to 3x)
- 10 Damage 1x/event (buy up to 3x)
- Call Ambient Parry by Weapon to a Deathstrike on you 1x/event (even if unconscious/paralyzed/etc) (buy up to 3x)
Archer
- Fight sword & bow (including bow parry without needing to restring)
- Shoot 15(?) arrows & then refit for 1 min or spend 1 Focus for instant refit
- Focus on a foe w/drawn arrow for 10 seconds & do 5 Damage By <Punch Trait> (2 Focus)
- Triple 5 Damage (per event; buy up to 3x)
- Agony (1 Focus) Double 3 Damage (2 Focus)
- By Your Name 5 Damage (per event; buy up to 3x)