NOVEL RPG Ideas

[Eldrad]

http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/index.php?topic=27983.0

In a Supers Campaign I am thinking about giving normal people 10 hitpoints

Have a basic power level  for the game being played.
Teen Supers – Here the players are young super powered beings with the problems of youth and the problems of superpowers. 20 hit points
Street Level – In this play level the players are against street thugs and mafia. There are a few superheroes and supervillains  lurking around but of equal too or greater than teen superheroes. 50 hit points
Four Color – This is you standard superhero comic book. In this level cars get throw around the place and building are leveled.  100 hit points
Epic – Here are the planet sized adventures where the planet, solar system, galaxy, or the very fabric of time and space is in danger. 500 hit points

Each D20 roll against a player that affect him/her subtracts from the Hit Points. Zero hit points is defeated, knocked out, or dead.

This would ONLY be tracked by the GM and the players would be told HOW damaged they were.


 

[redalastor]

I don't quite like the idea of having tons of hitpoints on supers. Supers generally aren't tough bastards, they are people who avoid all hits. Why not drain a stat like luck instead? When you don't have any more luck, you get a fatal hit. Near misses would be flesh wounds.

[Noclue]

Or how about hope. As long as the character has hope, they can find a way to continue fighting. But as soon as they despair, they start to lose. Then you could play all sorts of mind games (kill their wife and kids, or whatever) to make them vulnerable during a fight.

[redalastor]

Or how about hope. As long as the character has hope, they can find a way to continue fighting. But as soon as they despair, they start to lose. Then you could play all sorts of mind games (kill their wife and kids, or whatever) to make them vulnerable during a fight.

Maybe reaffirming their core values could improve hope. That way, we'd get those typical speeches heroes have to make during fights

[Noclue]

Yes! Spend a fate point and you can have et a soliloquy scene in order to refresh your hope pool.

[Vulpinoid]

I'd agree with a few of the sentiments here...

10 hit points is a nice manageable number. Scale it across all the levels.

Regular humans take regular damage, and do regular damage.
Teen Supers might do an extra two points of damage with each hit, but absorb an extra two points from each hit.
Street Level might do an extra four points of damage with each hit, but absorb an extra four points from each hit.
4 Colour might do an extra six points of damage with each hit, but absorb an extra six points from each hit.
Epic might do an extra eight points of damage with each hit, but absorb an extra eight points from each hit.

Working off the following

THE NOVEL RPG UNIVERSAL CHART

20   Perfection [DOUBLE MAXIMUM DAMAGE FOR WEAPON AND A SPECIAL EFFECT]
18-19   Extremely Good [MAXIMUM DAMAGE FOR WEAPON AND A SPECIAL EFFECT]
16-17   Very Good [MAXIMUM DAMAGE FOR WEAPON OR STANDARD DAMAGE PLUS A SPECIAL EFFECT]
13-15   Good [STANDARD DAMAGE FOR WEAPON]
9-12   Neutral [MINIMUM DAMAGE FOR WEAPON]
6-8   Bad [NO DAMAGE]
4-5   Very Bad [WEAPON BROKEN OR USER TAKES MINIMUM DAMAGE]
2-3   Extremely Bad [WEAPON BROKEN AND USER TAKES MINIMUM DAMAGE]
1   Disastrous [WEAPON BROKEN AND USER TAKES STANDARD DAMAGE]

Most weapons would be looking at a minimum damage of 1 to 3, a standard damage of 2 to 6 (roughly double the minimum), and a maximum damage of 4 to 12 (roughly double the standard).

This basic set up means that most weapons can kill with two or more really good hits, it also means that one level of super hero will easily beat a weaker level of super hero with two decent hits. When a vastly more powerful hero takes on a far weaker opponent they can probably wipe out their trget with a single strike.

Conversely, a regular human with a weapon will probably do negligible damage to a super hero when using the same type of weapon. The super hero is just that much better than them. They might need four or five decent hits to do any noticeable damage to a superior victim.

But everyone still uses that same 1 to 10 scale for their hit points.

Just an idea...

V

[Eldrad]

Hey thanks for the comments! I like it.

SO far there are no Attributes just cliches like below. You decide the power level which is most likely four color and then pick out a cliche and decide powers. It has been working without hit points and damage levels quite well using only the perceived effect or damage of the power AND the dice roll as a randomized to decide what effect and/or how much damage is done. If there were a large group of players I don't know if it would work as well. Soon there will be a large play test and I will post it.

Cliché

Here are a few Cliches List and a few suggested skills.

Absorber – You have the ability to absorb physical or energy damage and make yourself more powerful.
Acrobatic – You are a highly trained acrobat capable of doing incredible feats of crime fighting daring.
Amphibian – You are a hero with the ability to breath underwater and withstand the great pressures of the deep.   
Android – You are a highly advanced living machine of great power. You can h Angel – You are a divine being of great power. Most angels have wings.
Arachnoid – You are a hero with the powers of wall crawling and web spinning as well as incredible feats of agility and perception.

Battlesuit – You have a powerful battlesuit with sensor array, flight system, weapons systems, and super strength.
Bowman-You are a skilled archer with many arrows of different powers.
Brute – You are a super strong and super tough able to withstand huge amounts of damage.
Bullseye – You have the ability to throw or shoot any item and not miss.

Controller – You can control some kind of energy or force of your choice.
Contaminator – You touch either poisons, weakens, or diseases others.
Crazy – You are a hero or villain with a gimmick such as clown makeup, riddles, or something from arty to silly.
Cyborg -You are half man and machine of great power.

Detective – You are a costumed detective fighting against the underworld with your stealthy ability, fighting skill, and devices.
Density Control – You can control your density where you can become incorporeal or immovable.

And so on.