• Modules
• CODEX v3

Description

I intend CODEX to eventually use an original setting. It is to be set on a primitive (early rennaisance) planet that finds itself as a battlefield for an advanced race after a colony ship full of refugees crashes on it. Technology beyond the American Civil War/Boer Wars will not be available to the player to any large degree because of the damage the refugees suffered to their tech base. The villains will be under no such disadvantage.

Module Version

0.0.0

T-Engine version

3.0.0 alpha11

Author

nbrown0@gmail.com

Last update

Not yet available

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To do list

• Equipment limitation and "ready slots"
• Combat system
• Revamp skill system
• New magic
• All new monster list
• All new object list
• All new artfact list
• Quests

Thoughts and Musings

This is where I will put freeform musings on the design of the module. Please comment. I don't have the sort of gaming experience that would permit me to tell a great idea from a stupid one.

One thing I want to do is avoid the supremacy of light weapons. Since the fractional speed system can apply to take full advantage of fractional extra blows. Blows based on dexterity and strength should max at two blows with a third from weaponmastery and perhaps a fourth from some submasteries using light weapons. I'd like to have two weapon fighting as well with the off hand weapon getting a single blow. I'd also like to enhance criticals, allowing most monsters to be knocked out or instakilled and use submasteries and backstabbing primarily to boost critical hits. If monsters are placed on equal footing with respect to criticals that necessitates some defensive skills. Weaponmastery and submasteries could effect your opponent's ability to score criticals as well as your own combat. Dodge could effect your oppopnent's ability to score criticals even on failed dodges. Some weapons will have two subtypes (ie staff-mastery will probably let you get get an extra virtual weapon out of your spearbut)

Hmm. I want to make the skill budget for all classes similar. Actually, I think I want to go classless. If a warrior has four skills to push (weaponmastery, submastery, either shield or two weapon mastery, and dodge) a pure mage should also have four skills to push. Assume one ranged skill. That makes five skills. I therefore want five mage skills. I want to let a mage master three schools so I need two other mage skills. I'm thinking fast casting and sixth sense. Melee combat is going to need to be competative with magic in terms of damage. I'm going to force mages to rely on devices for utilities just like everyone else which should hopefully simplify balancing things. I also, because of the technology level, want ranged weapon specialists to be possible. I'm not sure how to make that take enough skills. I don't envision a general archery skill, just specific masteries. Right now I envision Bow, Crossbow, Sling, Throwing, Pistol, and Rifle. The low tech weapons will have easier ammo availability early on. Later exploding ammo will be available. The thrown weapons will benefit from very low breakage and shorter swap times, and include grenades. Firearms will have ammo difficulties early on even if you can get the guns. If a soldier uses rifle, weaponmastery, whatever submastery I use for bayonets, and throwing he's still two skills ahead of a warrior or mage. I'll think about it.

Discussion

BucketMan: That could make for an interesting world. You might consider taking a look at Dragonball T. It's still under development, but it does a few of the things you're proposing:

• Light vs. heavy weapons: No multiple hits/round based on weapon weight at all, so heavier hitting weapons hit heavier, period.
• Ambidextrous fighting, with each hand capable of using barehanded, weapons, or firearms in any combination (Ability based. If you'd like to experiment with it, use wizard mode to give yourself the appropriate abilities.)
• No class system at all. Everything is completely skill based, and skills are learned in-game from storyline quests and paying to take classes, so you gradually develop as a 'class' as the game progresses.

Other misc thoughts:

• How are you going to justify the existence of magic in you world? From your description, I wouldn't have guessed it would have magic at all.
• Could we have the option of playing both refugees as well as natives? As different species, you could easily justify having totally different skill and ability sets. You could even have different end-game goals.
• Speaking of which...what *is* the end-game goal? Exterminate the refugee invaders? Escape from the planet?
• If you do go classless, you may solve the problem of having to come up with additional mage skills. A lot of people will want to mix and match. Though, I suppose you'll have to make a point of there being either enough variety of skills, or few enough skil points, that it's not feasible for every player to always get everything he could possibly want.
• 'Faster casting' as a skill could potentially be very neat if it were balanced properly. For instance...if it's a one-time purchasable ability, you pay some number of skill points, and then all your spelling casting is 20% faster, for example. Or maybe, have a separate ability for each of your three magic schools. That would be fine. But...if it's a skill, then the more skill points you invest in it, the faster your casting becomes, right? Say...one percent faster casting for each point of skill? At 50 skill, all your spells complete in 50% the time, thus twice as fast as with zero skill.
• What are the three magic schools you have in mind?
• What would 'sixth sense' do?
• Could you give us a general outline of 'how magic will work?' I can think of a lot of possible mage skills, but they may or may not make any sense with your system. For example, how about a 'meditation' skill that determines mana regeneration rates?
• Regarding mages and warriors having an equal number of skills to invest in...you could have 'other' options as well. For instance, skills that aren't really 'mage' or 'warrior' skills at all, but are useful. If a mage has less skills to invest in, they'd have more points to spend in those 'other' skils.
• Finally...remember that you don't have to make things like the ToME module. You don't have to have a 'dodge' skill, or a 'submastery' skill, or anything else that exists by default. Never feel like you have to come up with something for an existing skill to *do*. If you don't like it, get rid of it.

Atarlost: I'll look into dragonball T. Taking your other points in order:

• Magic is in the setting because I want it there. It's not normally done, but It mangles physics no more than inertialess drive, FTL, and telepathy. The setting is still going to be harder than Star Trek or Star Wars.
• There are basically five races. There is a native species, three genetically modified subtypes of humanity from a very old colony, and a fourth genetically modified subty[e of humanity that is recently arrived (the refugees). The refugees are playable. Another faction of the same subspecies (those they are seeking refuge from) is pursuing them. Your goal is to break into their planetary HQ and kill their leader. Classic *band engame. Your enemies will be the pursuing faction of the advanced race, mercenary cannon fodder hired onplanet, and mercenary mages hired onplanet.
• I expect people to mix and match, but I want the pure mage and pure warrior to both be viable, and I want both to have an equally tight skill point budget.
• I plan "fast casting" as a skill, but I intend it to max at 20%-25% at max skill.
• I don't have three schools in mind. I have seven. I want the player to be able to max three schools out of six. They are "Thermomancy", "Chronomancy", "Chemomancy", "Biomancy", "Kinemancy", mind magic (needs a greek name), and counter-magic. I intend the skill point budget to be tight enough to make the player pick and choose. I hope to make them all as equally tempting as possible. Thermo will be something like fire and water now. Chronomancy gets the old temporal and conveyance schools plus time and gravity attacks. Chemomancy gets poison attacks, limited weapon/armor enchanting, and T3 style potion alchemy. Biomancy gets healing, self boosts, and something resembling Melkor's Curse. Kinemancy gets you force attacks, sound attacks, and probbaly something defensive. Mind magic gets another set of self boosts, confusion, and stunning attacks. Contermagic gets various stuff to protect you from enemy magic. I intend lots of multi-school spells so that three schools are more than three times as powerful as one school.
• Sixth-sense is going to give automatic knowledge out to a max of 11 spaces. You will see passages and monsters but not items nor traps. It will also allow you to cast spells out of LOS at an increased fail rate. Increasing the skill will decrease the increrase in fail rate and increaase the radius from 2 to 11. Monsters that use magic can have the same ability to cast out of LOS so rods of detect monster will be important for anyone who doesn't take this skill. I intend to tweak the availability and activation time of detection so this isn't a must have.
• Magic will divided into schools or realms. You're basically tapping into the same realm that makes FTL possible for energy and using that energy to make changes in the mundane world. You are limited by your knowledge and your ability to channel power. I had intended the latter to be stat based. I intend to merge spell points into a general fatigue system.
• I think the balance of extra skills will favor mages already. Everyone will need disarming and devices, but mages won't need stealth. Warriora will need to sneak up on their foes to avoid being shot, but mages will be able to just kill things. (yes, I know that's the opposite of normal *band thinking) I've trimmed all the other extras because I don't think they're appropriate. I may actually make devices unskilled, zero fail items like scrolls.
• I think I've already trimmed the default skill tree pretty mercilessly. Everything still there is there for a reason. I'll take another look after I review DBT and post more thoughts so it might change.