Special Attack Questions
twztdwndpipe:
I'm looking for tips on developing a system, based almost entirely on fighting, (preferably 1v1)
After getting through alot of my ideas, and 86ing the ones that didn't work well I've came to a major problem. What is the real idea behind a special attack of some sort? I have multiple character types, Dealing with all sorts of weapons. I just can't seem to come up with ideas for how a special attack would be worth anything. Each character would have 4 or 5 special attacks. So I can't just UP the DMG of each. That would be pointless. 5 Different degrees of damage. I feel like I'm missing something. Also, I have a combo system, so multiple attacks wouldn't hold any value. Any help?
johnthedm7000:
Just off the top of my head, without knowing much about your system:
If your game allows for tactical movement, special attacks that allow "free" movement in addition to doing damage, could hold some value for positioning and "getting the drop on" adversaries.
If your game has two separate means of measuring hitting and damaging, then have high accuracy low-damage attacks and vice versa. You need to run a lot of math on these to make sure that they're balanced (ie. they do similar levels of damage overall) especially as your game is all about combat, but these attacks can be implemented well and give a character different levels of effectiveness over different types of foes.
If your game has non-damage conditions like "immobilized" or "distracted", have some special attacks that inflict those conditions on another.
Having attacks which end up boosting a character's stats for a short time, like a "defensive" attack that's lower damage but that grants a bonus to avoid or resist damage, or a "set up" attack that provides a bonus to a future attack.
Having attacks which allow you to "bend the rules" of the system. Perhaps the game has a cover system, but only lets you use allies and terrain as cover, this attack could allow you to use enemies as cover. Or perhaps you gain some sort of immunity or resistance to a terrain feature or damage type after using an attack.
Just some ideas really quickly-without knowing more about the system, I can't give you much more than that.
twztdwndpipe:
Lol, sorry for the brief description.
The idea I have is to keep the game focused on mainly action. Less of this "REAL" stuff I keep seeing everywhere. Wall Running, Devil May Cry style multi-aim. Things like that are possible.
I have came up with a few different "Status ailments" lol
Thank you for the High Accuracy / Low Damage idea. You said it would require alot of math to balance. I have the worst time with math. If you could link me to an example, or give an idea. That would be great.
Basically in my Idea. The max stat is a 10.
HP max would be 10,000 thought to keep things interesting.
Atk */10
Combo */10
Def */10
Break */10
Balance */10
Those are the basic attributes for battle. More may come, some may go.
A friend and I put together an rpg on the most basic stats and basic concept just for jokes. My players also aren't the best at math. So I try to keep the players from calculating anything. Stats are determined by a D10.
I have a feeling someone is gonna throw a fit about the simplicity being a waste of time....
twztdwndpipe:
Forgot to say thank you for the help! Sorry!
Ron Edwards:
Hi there,
I think your question about a special attack's purpose is very important. I suggest that you examine whether you're falling victim to a legacy rule.
Most RPGs have critical hit rules. It may interest you to know that "natural 20!" with special damage effects was not actually a rule in early forms of D&D and related games; it was found in the (roughly) 5% fumble and 5% critical rules of RuneQuest and a few other games. It was ported into D&D play as a house-rule and may have first appeared textually in the Arduin Grimoire. (I do not know the precise history of the rule; if someone has researched it, I'd love to know about the results.) Since then, it's been included rather slavishly in many systems.
However, what about a combat and damage system which already accounts for high, possibly lethal or maiming damage? When I played Champions, we often rolled upwards of 12d6, even 15d6 for damage. With that many dice, the strong bell curve produced consistent results - but sometimes, just enough to notice, you'd get a balls-out damage roll that produced, say 60+ STUN on 12d6. To hit in Champions, you roll 3d6 seeking to equal or be under a target number. I noticed in discussions with many players across many groups that few, if any, treated 3 as a mechanical critical or an 18 as a mechanical fumble, i.e., directly affecting the damage roll. We almost all house-ruled special Color into such rolls, but since the damage roll already operated as its own "critical" or "just a graze" via the magnitude and curvature of the roll results, there wasn't much need to shoehorn in a connection to the to-hit roll.
It may be that you already have a desirable, dramatic, and consequential damage system in place. In that case, the best way to look at "special hits" is to say, if you end up with a highly-effective damage effect through the existing system, then you got a special hit, with no need for further designated mechanics.
Best, Ron
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