[Genetic System (d20 - variant)] Task as Conflict

[Wormwood]

A few years ago I put together a d20 variant due to a specific design request for a Firefly series RPG. This has since evolved into a generic OGL system, a process I described briefly here. The most recent incarnation is something I've been playtesting, using a setting called Dragon's Gate. Recently I've added a new rule, allowing characters to assist each other, and themselves by supporting actions.

The basic mechanic is listed here. In a nutshell, by selecting an action that would benefit the outcome of a later action in some new way, a character may add a +5 bonus by rolling over the current total of bonuses. This gets slightly more complex with magic, but on the whole, the mechanic can allow the players to deconstruct a difficult task into a series of actions to help build up to the task. For very important tasks, this can even include aiding future attempts to aid.

This factored into an antagonist design for the Dragon's Gate setting, called Wyverns, these are draconic beings on the scale of natural disasters. The weakest require a DC 75 to affect in any meaningful way (but only meeting that DC is required). This is high enough to require a great deal of effort: seeking powerful prophecies, enhanced weapons, allies, ancient secrets, and strange magical chicanery. But, unlike a traditional heroic adventure where the GM sets up all those pieces, in this case the players drive how they want to defeat the Wyvern.

Based on that principle I ran a town which was undersiege by a Wyvern. After an initial combat against a pair of decay breathing dragonettes created by the Wyvern, I listed a series of DCs, all based on different possible goals that the PCs might try, and indicated that I would provide new DCs if they want to try anything off that list.

Sneak into the Fort - DC 40
Convince the trapped townsfolk you are friends - DC 35
Sneak out with the nobles in the fort - DC 40

Scare off the dragonettes - DC 50
Defeat the dragonettes - DC 60

The later two were ways to enable all the townsfolk to escape (the PCs were hired to get the nobles out, but several of the PCs were commoners, so I knew that saving everyone would appeal). Of course sitting above all of this was the DC 75 task of defeating the Wyvern. The players elected to defeat the dragonettes. The dragon-kin seer / healer, with help from others in the party as well as careful preparations of his own cast a powerful Vision (a magic skill), giving a prophecy that the party would save all the townsfolk, giving a +7 to achieving that goal as long as it was still possible. This was to be a powerful effect, giving a bonus to nearly everything the PCs tried.

Immediately after, the Brood, Mercy (short for Mercenary), prepared to enter a frenzy (using the Ferocious skill). He aided himself with intimidate, but failed to do so with hunting. Then the others (two Sidhe) used their sorcery to improve both Mercy's strength and to aid his eventual use of Ferocity. Finally, Mercy activated ferocity to add yet another bonus to his Natural Weaponry skill. The humanoid canine went berserk becoming a pillar of rage and death, slaying the dragonettes as Mercy reached the desired DC. That session ended with a backlash by the Wyvern, and a catching of breath after the martial and sorcerous powers released.

The next session concerning the town involved convincing the fortress nobles to allow entry to the PCs. In this case the two sidhe took the lead (as the town was a sidhe town). The dragon-kin tried to help additionally, but failed to assist. However, by using bluff and illusion skills to make both sidhe appear as nobles (one is, the other is a commoner theif / illusionist), the heroes were able to talk their way into the fortress. Those skills aided the final impress role of the noble PC.

One inside, the PCs easily found the noblewoman and her children, who they had been sent (by her father-in-law) to save. They had wagons enough to get themselves and the nobles to safety. But with nearly 50 surviving townsfolk, they would be forced to walk if they wanted to escape. That meant risking attack from both the Wyvern, and any newly created dragonettes when night fell.

With little time to wait and the PCs getting low on magical power, there was a hurried discussion. A variety of ideas were discussed, with me being asked about difficulties for each. I worked these out either using my chart or (for magic skills) from the rules laid out for magical effects. Ultimately, the players decided to cast a 30 foot illusionary bubble to keep the escaping townsfolk invisble from the dragonettes. The noble aided the illusionist this time and she was able to dig up enough magic to build the bubble and decieve a few dragonettes who appeared.

Then, as it realized it's prey had gone, the Wyvern begain to writhe (it looked like a mile long serpent in the sky, with heads at both ends and catfish whiskers all along its torso), casting bolts of destruction energy all around. One bolt headed towards the caravan. Mercy and the thief worked together here, using his Drain skill to assist in weakening the bolt. Then the thief, Diedre used the Counter skill to shunt the bolt into the ground (using earth / grounding energy) kicking up a dirt and stones, but leaving the caravan unharmed. (Specifically this required a 30 DC in short notice, with enough magical power to use it.)

Exhausted and drained, the caravan made their slow way back to the city. Fortunately, the invisibility held until they were close enough to be safe from bandits and the like. The PCs were rewarded by both their noble patron, and the friends and family of the townsfolk they saved. And more importantly they gained the support of one more noble house for their expedition. Now they must convince more. I'm looking forward to using this approach for the court sessions, setting new DCs for gaining the support of a house, as well as undermining or strengthening it in the political theater of the Sidhe capitol.

The general feed back from the players has been positive, while the system itself is somewhat complex, the actual use of aiding actions was recieved well at first, and then embraced by the players. I've been pleased by how it seems to move the focus of the game, letting everyone do things that are heroic or important. I also rather like the flexibility it gives the GM. Rather than crafting an adventure, I simply need to set some interesting outcomes, and build the rest as a dialogue between myself and the players. In a way, it nicely separates the GM as adversary from the GM as referee. The DC is the adversity, not the GM.

So how does this idea seem to you? Do you see any problems that might form by using this approach? Do you think this will continue to work for long-term actions, such as multiple sessions devoted to defeating the Wyvern?

   - Mendel S.

[Meadslosh]

I believe that I understand your basic point: by beating a smaller DC set by your own abilities and skills (which presumably represents the exceptional use of those powers and skills), you earn a cumulative bonus toward a much larger "event" DC.

I rather like this idea. It reminds me of Shadow of the Colossus (in both that you have to take lots of little actions to achieve a much larger goal and that you're playing "ordinary" heroes who have some fighting chance of overcoming awesome {like looking at the Sun from space, not like a hot dog} challenges).

However, I'm having a very difficult time understanding every nuance of the system, however, due to all of the new skills and glossary terms being thrown around.

The one thing that is keeping me from really understanding what is going on is how the DC to earn a bonus to the event is determined and how it is beaten. It would seem from your explanation of the basic mechanic that you must beat your own skill rank, which doesn't make sense. Roll ANYTHING, even a 1, and you've beaten your own skill rank.

May I suggest the following? Let the players determine the DC that they want to roll against, whether it be 5, 10, or 15 + attack bonus/skill bonus. By beating a +5 DC, they get a bonus of +1 to the event DC. By beating a +10 DC, they get a bonus of +3. By beating a +15 DC, they get a bonus of +5. The final numbers are for you, the designer, to decide. FAILING these DCs should penalize the bonus to beating the event DC, however.

Anyhow, if I'm wildly misunderstanding these mechanics, please, let me know.

[Wormwood]

The one thing that is keeping me from really understanding what is going on is how the DC to earn a bonus to the event is determined and how it is beaten. It would seem from your explanation of the basic mechanic that you must beat your own skill rank, which doesn't make sense. Roll ANYTHING, even a 1, and you've beaten your own skill rank.

Actually it's beating the current non-magic bonuses on the action. So, yes, the first time you aid yourself you are guaranteed a +5 (this loosely takes the place of take 10, take 20 rules - although there are still some vestiges). And the next you must deal with DC that has increased by 5 (and so on). Failure simply means that that approach to aiding has failied, possibly with other consequences. I'm working on this, it makes things more fun if the consequences happen during the process, rather than due to a final failure on the "event DC".

With the Genetic System, the skill bonuses tend to be larger, so a +5 is reasonable. And part of the fun is that for the highest DC events you need to not simply aid the main roll, you start needing to find strange magics, and ways of getting a few powerful assists which become lesser events in their own right. I'd prefer interesting complications from failure, rather than a direct penalty. Especially because a penalty would actually make it easier to try again and so frankly much less interesting.

This splitting apart of actions to assist could make defeating a hurricane sized dragon into the ultimate goal of 2-3 sessions, but with the break down and story structure coming naturally from the players. What makes this exciting, is that a series of player generated tasks actually come together to build a specific high level outcome (agreed upon by all), which is ultimately something we expect from conflict resolution.

As a head's up, this playtest has been moving along. At present the characters are manipulating a oligarchal political system to pass a measure which will fund their quest. This has meant a series of DCs based on different houses and their votes in the senate. I'm hoping to conclude that phase tonight, and then revise the rules before coming back to the quest proper.

  - Mendel S.