Hi I work on my FREE tabletop fantasy RPG called DrakeStrike which is set in the world of Farverden where there are 7 continents (Drakmar - Land of Dragons , Wirenwam - The most populated and largest land, Rastverar - Desert, Nihr - Dark wastelands, Valkir - Magical forest land, Underworld - A vast underground tunnel-network and Overworld - Floating land pieces and castles. The players can start and be in any of the continents. Anyway I currently work at the mechanics for the game.

- Stats mechanics -
All characters and creatures are called "Actor" in DrakeStrike
Actors have Hit points, Fatigue points and Magic points.
Actors have 3 combat stats which are Melee, Ranged and Special (Magic or other)
Actors have the attributes Strength, Vitality, Agility, Speed, Intellect, Wisdom, Luck and Charisma, In a attribute value; each point before 5 is a 1- modifier, 5 is neutral and each point after 5 is 1+ modifier. So a warrior with 7 strength has 2+ modifier.

Strength measures the physical power and has following effects in combat:
Mod affects Melee damage and Melee accuracy
Each 2nd mod affects All damage done

Vitality measures the toughness of the actor:
Mod affects Hp gained each level and Hp at first level

Agility measures the action to dodge and precision:
Mod affects Ranged and Melee defenses and Ranged accuracy
Each 2nd mod affects All accuracies

Speed measures the movement and reflex:
Mod affects Reflex (If higher than attacking enemy's reflex then you may attack before as a free action)
Each 2nd mod affects Movement speed

Intellect measures the knowledge and mind power:
Mod affects Special damage and accuracy
Each 2nd mod affects Ability points each level (Can't become negative effect)

Wisdom measures the ability to argument knowledge:
Mod affects Mp each level and at first level and Special defense

Luck makes the life easier:
Mod affects Item rarity and Critical hit chance

Charisma affects appearence:
Mod affects Melee defense and Many social actions

Do you think i should combine some attributes or simplify the system?
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Abilities - All actors have 6 abilities, 3 chosen by class and 3 by race. Abilities are similar to attributes but have more different effects and actors are given 1 ability point each level. Abilities give usable effects that cost Fp, passive effects and a non-combat effect at specific ranks of abilities. Example: A dwarf monk has the class abilities Martial arts (Unarmed combat), Spirituality (Spiritual combat) and Priesthood (Healing and religion combined), he has also the racial abilities Nobility (Morale and Diplomacy combined), Engineering (Gun combat and Construction crafting) and Gluttony (Extra food effects)

What do you think about this mechanic, should it be simplified or remain as it is?
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Combat features
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Wounded status - When an actor reaches 1/4 Hp it will be "wounded". A wounded actor are a easier target for enemies due to that some usable abilities may only be used against wounded enemies, wounded actors sometimes have advantages too, they may have a usable ability such as selfdestruction or triggering a rage. Actors that face wounded enemies may use them as meat-shields if about the same size. A meat-shield takes damage instead of the carrying actor but a critical hit may wound the shield bearer instead.

Fatigue system - Fatigue is very important in DrakeStrike, if you run out then you may hurt yourself a bit. All straining actions cost Fp (Swinging a blade, jumping or running etc.) Food and some potions restore Fp. If you run out of Fp then you must restrain from taking a action in one turn or you will be hurt 10 + level*d6 + any negative Fp. Reaching a 100- Fp results in instant-death but it would mostly not happen because 100 is a high value in DrakeStrike.

Combat styles - There are 3 different attack types in DrakeStrike which are Melee, Ranged and Special. There are accuracy, defense and damage for each one. The accuracy must beat the opposite defense (Melee vs. Melee, Ranged vs. Ranged or Special vs. Special) in a 1d20 roll in order to deal damage.

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Map system
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The map is divided in 2.54cm*2.54cm grid and there should be coloured maps for each area in the game. A medium sized actor is 1x1 square large. Miniatures are 2d and made of paper

Well what do you think about my first thoughts?
Visit DrakeStrike.webs.com if you are interested to help to design the game!
The game will be free downloadable PDF on the site

I forgot to tell what the players do
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There are players and a Game master (GM). There are no specific goal and the players explore the world, completing quests and fight enemies. The game has a large world map where the players do not have their miniatures instead they have small markers on the large map. They can face random encounters on the map and if they reach a new area (which are marked on the map) then they will reach a normal area map where they have the miniatures. There are many areas from graves to flying castles. Exploring new areas give Experience points or even items as reward which deepens on the area and difficulty to reach that area. There are a 3 layers for the world map which are Sky (Highest layer) Ground (Mid layer) and Underground (Lowest layer). Flying actors may explore the Sky layer (Dragons, Harpies etc.) but for those that can't fly there are mounts and vehicles.

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Unique creatures of Farverden
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I've created some creatures that are unique to Farverden.

Earth hand-------
A large hand that burrows under the ground and then strikes adventurers
These giant hands are low to mid-level creatures that are common in large gardens or forests. The Earth hands can not eat at all (Doesn't have a mouth either) but they can slam with high power.
Height: 2m

Strider--------------
Striders are large lice-like herbivores that are common in swamps.
I got inspiration from the Silt-striders from Morrowind but you can face these vermins in the wild
Height: 5m-12m

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Race ideas
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Here is a list of races that are playable in the game:

Human
Ork (Pig like humanoids)
Orc (Troll like humanoids)
Dwarf
Elf
Lycan (Werewolf humanoids)
Gnome
Halfling
Genie
Drakekin (Dragon-like humanoids)
Elknar (Elk-like humanoids)
Automaton (Mechanical humanoids)
Rabfolk (Rabbit-like small humanoids)

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Class ideas
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Here is a list of class ideas:

Warrior
Guardian
Death-Knight
Templar
Monk
Rogue
Assassin
Archer
Oracle (Spellcaster with scouting)
Wizard
Sorcerer
Witch-hunter (Fey-slayer)
Gladiator
Lord (A weak actor that use his soldiers instead of him in fight)
Adventurer (Balanced class that can do almost anything decent)
Trickster

What do you think?

UPDATES-----
I'm going to have the Hellborn race (Demon) and the Forsaken (Undead) as playable races.
More classes: Druid, Crusader, Paladin, Duelist and Necromancer

Hi Gustav,

That's an impressive list!

Do you have any accounts of playing it, anywhere? And how would you say it differs to other RPG's, or what features it focuses on that other RPG's don't focus on much or at all?

Sorry but I don't understand what you mean with "do you have any accounts of playing it".
The core-ruleset is not complete yet, this is just a thought how the game should be. DrakeStrike have a unique travelling system where you travel first on a world map and when you reach an area then you pick the map for the area and travel on that map instead. DrakeStrike focuses more on the gameplay rather than roleplaying but still DrakeStrike got roleplaying. Also a new feature struck into my head: One player can be Drake master (DM), unlike GM the DM's role is to kill the players by using enemies, to make the battles fair (so the DM don't send dragons at level 1) is solved by creating a leveling system for the DM. The DM gets experience when summoning enemies and then he unlocks more and better enemies to control. The DM also got a specific hero that he can equip and upgrade in stats, this hero is always a powerful enemy (Archdemon or Elder dragon etc.)

New races--------
Goliath and Ogrin, both are large races. Ogrin has a boost in Luck attribute while Goliath is more in Vitality

Class ranks--------
While achieving higher ranks in abilities, the class rank will increase, giving additional bonuses
Example: The Necromancer becomes the Lich King rank at the highest possible which increases frost resistance and shadow damage while Oracle becomes World watcher at the highest possible which increases sight radius and light damage
ALL classes has the same amount of ranks but all have different names and effects

More classes-------
Animist (Animal mage) and Sailor

World features----------
I've written in the first post that you should be able to switch layers (Air, ground and underground) and I have decided now that you can also explore underwater for ancient kingdoms and sunken ships and large sea creatures such as Kraken and Leviathan!
-Well how do I do when i switch layers later on when i can play DrakeStrike?
Well you take the same map but the one with the layer that you want to explore.

Singleplayer rules---------------
It is possible to play singleplayer in DrakeStrike. It will be specific rules for that

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DrakeStrike will deliver a unique tabletop RPG experience

Visit my website Drakestrike.webs.com if any want to join the DrakeStrike design team
Remember that the rules will be 100%FREE so have something to look forward to
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Discuss the mechanics here if theres something that confuses you or if you have a suggestion!

Can all who read this thread please post what you think about this

Thank you

Hi again, Gustav,

Well, usually in the first thoughts forum you ask about any problems your having with desiging the game?

I'm kind of guessing right now what you want is some enthusiasm for your project - it seems like a grand idea! But of course were all designers too and were all wrapped up in our own projects. You might not get many people go 'That's awesome and I'm gunna head over and help you make it cause I wasn't making anything myself'. And indeed, the connections forum here is the one to use for getting more team mates, anyway.

Or if I'm totally off base in that, it is true that for this first thoughts forum it's less about describing the grand ideas and more about describing any problems you have implementing the grand ideas into physical mechanics. Do you have any problems we could try to help you out with?

I've got this feeling you've got all these exciting ideas and from your perspective that is enough and so it makes me seem a wet blanket?

It appears as if the RPG is supposed to feel like a video game.  Is that your intent?

It appears as if the RPG is supposed to feel like a video game.  Is that your intent?

Hi again, Gustav,

Well, usually in the first thoughts forum you ask about any problems your having with desiging the game?

I'm kind of guessing right now what you want is some enthusiasm for your project - it seems like a grand idea! But of course were all designers too and were all wrapped up in our own projects. You might not get many people go 'That's awesome and I'm gunna head over and help you make it cause I wasn't making anything myself'. And indeed, the connections forum here is the one to use for getting more team mates, anyway.

Or if I'm totally off base in that, it is true that for this first thoughts forum it's less about describing the grand ideas and more about describing any problems you have implementing the grand ideas into physical mechanics. Do you have any problems we could try to help you out with?

Don't worry about the grammar.  Foreigners tend to stick to the textbooks.  Native speakers, like me, tend to disregard grammatical structures because no matter how much another person's English is warped, we still understand what the other person is trying to say.  Take, for instance, how many of us speak on the internet: "Zomg lol...nah rly ur fukin retarded!!!111oneeleven".  The point I'm trying to make is that your attempt at correctness is refreshing and strains the limits of my cognitive functioning as little as possible.

I like the fact that you're very clear on what you are trying to accomplish.  What you are doing reflects the gameplay preferences of modern RPG audiences, and I'm certain the general consensus considers this style of play as role-playing.  I consider Morrowind an RPG, Oblivion too, as well as World of Warcraft and even Diablo.  Technically, any game in which you assume an avatar could be considered role-playing - the term is so nebulous - but what really seems to define a game as role-playing are certain recognizable elements of the game that are not necessarily directly related to how you assume a character's identity.  If you trace the path of RPG progression over the years, you'll notice that video game RPGs were initially modelled after pen-and-paper RPGs (hit points, leveling up, armor class, attributes, etc.), so it appears to me as if the best criterion for defining a role-playing game is really, "How much alike is it to Dungeons and Dragons?".

Sorry, first thing that sticks out at me...

Orc and Ork

Why have two races with such similar names? You've got an endless assortment of names available, hundreds of mythical names for creatures, then there's literally an unlimited number of names that you could make up. Why pick two spellings of the same word?

Are the pig-like humanoids related to the troll like humanoids? Why not call the troll-like humanoids "Trolls"?

Sorry, I know it's just a stupid thing to pick at but it was the first thing that leaped out at me.

I really figured that someone who hadn't thought about something like that probably hadn't thought about a lot of the deeper issues of game design and I'd love to hear your thoughts before I start bombarding you with deeper design questions.

Vulpinoid wrote:
Sorry, first thing that sticks out at me...

Orc and Ork

Why have two races with such similar names? You've got an endless assortment of names available, hundreds of mythical names for creatures, then there's literally an unlimited number of names that you could make up. Why pick two spellings of the same word?

Are the pig-like humanoids related to the troll like humanoids? Why not call the troll-like humanoids "Trolls"?

Sorry, I know it's just a stupid thing to pick at but it was the first thing that leaped out at me.

I really figured that someone who hadn't thought about something like that probably hadn't thought about a lot of the deeper issues of game design and I'd love to hear your thoughts before I start bombarding you with deeper design questions.

*sigh* a BIG problem!
I googled DrakeStrike and the name has already been taken so I have to make up a new name but the good thing is that the name was pretty bad and I haven't start writing the book yet.

So do you know a good name for the game that i can use otherwise the name should be Drake Legend

OK forget about Drake Legend because it was already taken too...
Drake-Strike is a name of some user on the internet as it appears to Google

OK from now, DrakeStrike is called Adventurers of Wirenwam or short AoW. This name is unique and will be the name of the game

Forget everything about game name and sorry for making so much posts about that.
But its name will be LichScape and now its decided.

Hej Gustav! (I'll stick to English to keep the other posters in the loop, but it's nice to see another Swede here.)

It seems you have a very clear view of what the world in the game is like and you have great enthusiasm for it, which is great!

I'm assuming the Orc = Orsh thing comes from Orcs being orcher in Swedish? In any case, I think you should go with a different spelling than Orc (Orch, Orsh, Orsch... there are many to choose from) to prevent confusion. Or, as was suggested upthread, use a different name.

As to your specific questions:

* I don't know of any game that treats map in quite this "computer gamey" way. It's an interesting idea.

* You shouldn't worry about being sued for having dragon-like humanoids. I'm pretty sure those were around long before D&D had them.

* You won't have any problems making the core rules available for free (assuming you distribute them in electronic form), but I wouldn't expect to make a living selling supplements. (Or the core game, for that matter - few RPGs are that successful.)

* You could make Charisma more interesting in combat by having intimidation or encouragement buffs key off of it: a warrior-type with high Charisma might be able to frighten his enemies into fighting less efficiently and a leader character could make his allies fight better (much like a Warlord in D&D4). With a relatively low number of other things that tell characters apart mechanically, I don't think eight attributes are too many.

* Regarding race-restricted classes, I personally prefer to have all classes available to all races. It allows for more interesting combinations (like the Dwarf Monk in your example), and if some are less effective than others players will stay away from them on their own (if combat optimization is what they're after). However, if there is some specific facet of a race you want to focus on and think it would work best as a class, that's not something I would have a problem with if I played the game. I just don't like things like "halflings can't be warriors because they're small".

Ok, thank you for the answers and about the "orsh" thing, yes. I have always in my life said "Orsh" rather than "Ork" and its probably from "Orcher" but I will not change the name of the traditional Orc race in the game but the pig one that I called Ork will be changed.

And now about the answers:

The dragon-like humanoids will be called Draconian.
I will distribute the core rules on the official site for free.
Thanks for the Charisma tip
Then i should make all classes available to all races even if some sounds ridiculous (or very interesting) like the Machinelike Automaton being a druid or the big fat and strong Ogrin who is a bard etc.

How will the world map/sub-map mechanics work? Will the smaller, location specific maps be drawn by the DM, or provided by the game? If your intending on making them part of the product, how will they be distributed? I don't think its a bad idea, I just think that, logistically, it would be a lot to try and accomplish. Also, if the DM is drawing the maps, then are is options limited somehow by his DM XP, it seems like being able to control the environment a fight or trap or whatever is set in will have a huge impact on the outcome and the options available to the "actors."

Okay i explain to you about the map system: The World map is a large map divided into 7 lands which are Drakmar, Wirenwam, Rastverar, Nihr, Valkir, Overworld and Underworld and each land are divided into smaller continents and in the continents there are areas marked on specific places. When you are in one of the lands then you have a map of the land and the land is divided in different countries and you have the map for the country that you are currently in. On the map you can move a distance per day based on your movement speed and each day you roll 1d20 to see what happens in a random encounter (battle, travelling merchant, potion bag etc.) When you reach an area that is marked (a cave marked on the map is a dungeon as example) then you pick the map for the specific area and explores that area instead. When combat occurs then the actors are converted into miniatures on a grid and after the battle if they survives then they are converted back to markers where they where before the battle.

About the DM and the traps question: The DM and the GM are different roles. The DM is optional because his role is to kill the players while the GM focuses on creating a good game and about the DM XP is that there should be free traps to use (but they are very weak) and there should be free creatures that cost no XP. He can only spawn enemies when the actors reaches specific areas that he sets out but he can only use these markers a limited amount of times per area (so he can't spam the best dragons all the time at high level) The DM does not draw the areas he is just a enemy/trap/hazard controller. DM = Dragon master while GM = Game master. If there are no DM then the GM spawns enemies of the same level as the highest level actor in the party.

Feel free to ask if you have any other question!

Gunnox wrote: Drake-Strike is a name of some user on the internet as it appears to Google

But still I haven't really start to write the book yet and DrakeStrike is a worse name than LichScape (The new name)

Awesome... I'd be really interested in seeing the GM/DM thing in play. So.... thats a lot of maps to draw/have/etc...

A question about the GM/DM split: are these roles taken on by two different players, or different roles for the same person? I.e., is it the same person being GM part of the time and DM part of the time, or is the GM one player and the DM another? (Personally, I think the latter sounds like a very cool idea - having one player being the over-all game guide while another portrays the enemies of the PCs could remove some of the tension from the GM role* in traditional RPGs.)

* I know that "GM role" is a loaded term here; I'm using it in a very general sense.

Answer: The DM and the GM are different players.

DM info: The DM watches the game while the players are not in battle so he can plan attacks. Some abilities affect the DM if there are a DM in the game session like the Foretell usable ability which forces the DM to tell what he should do the next 3 turns of a specific creature (and he must perform the actions that he tell) The DM will be just as mighty as the PCs if they have about the same gaming skill. The DM can never lose a game while the players can never win a game because there are always a quest to complete (and the players can make up their own quests) The DM wins when all the players are dead but most non-noob players will survive a good time before dying but level 1 is the most dangerous level.

All of you that are interested about the game should know this: The site is going to be deleted by me (drakestrike.webs.com) and I will continue on Lichscape.webs.com instead because the game is no longer DrakeStrike. Tomorrow i will work on the Lichscape site. THE NAME HAS JUST CHANGED SO NO WORRIES THAT THE GAME WILL MAKE MAJOR CHANGES BECAUSE THAT WOULD NEVER HAPPEN.
Remember that feel free to ask questions about Lichscape in this thread!

Is it just me but should the DM have a unique PC that he has, this PC is a enemy to the other PCs and has only one life as the players have. This PC increases in levels as the DM does when buying creatures and traps. Please don't get any villain vs. players idea because the players in LichScape aren't heroes, they are just completely normal people that just want to adventure. The DM PC can be revived with enough points if he/she dies but that rarely happens because this characters have creatures by his side so he isn't alone. The PC can be summoned by the DM when he wants that and can be recalled after 10 turns of battle, this turn limit can be reduced by buying with points (making it even more interesting)
What do you think about this idea??? Good, bad or decent? Tell your option!

I don't think Charisma should affect appearance, because if your game hits big, charisma would definitely be trolled. Trust me, I know.

You are right and the Charisma description will be changed but i don't know what to write about Charisma, "affecting personality" maybe?

How about charisma helps you change the price for things, or help you become more favorable with certain people, no innuendo intended, if your rpg has them, because charisma doesn't only mean looks. Charisma, also, in a greater sense, is more about being more persuasive.

Thanks for the info! Is there anything else you have noted to sound strange/wrong/whatever that I have written then feel free to tell or if you have any question about the game.

Normally when people talk about Charisma in the real world, and what it originally represented (mostly) in D&D as well, they're talking about a person's leadership ability. Since its such a combat focused game leadership and the attraction of followers could be a very viable route to go for making Charisma a trait that people will care about. Also, is it really necessary?

Gunnox wrote:
UPDATES-----
I'm going to have the Hellborn race (Demon) and the Forsaken (Undead) as playable races.
More classes: Druid, Crusader, Paladin, Duelist and Necromancer

TehCodr wrote:

Gunnox wrote:
UPDATES-----
I'm going to have the Hellborn race (Demon) and the Forsaken (Undead) as playable races.
More classes: Druid, Crusader, Paladin, Duelist and Necromancer

I think that Crusader and Paladin are a bit redundant, and you only want so many classes to choose from, or too many people would be stuck choosing what class they want to play

From Wikipedia from the RPG attribute article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attribute_(role-playing_games) : Charisma, A measure of a character's social skills, and sometimes their physical appearance
And thats probably why i wrote that charisma affects appearance but still I will write something else in the finished book.
Anyway, do you think charisma can affect the Xp you gain but if I put that bonus in intellect then intellect will be overpowered with that ability bonus each 2nd modifier? I think this will solve the underpowered charisma's combat effect so charisma is important to all who wants to level faster yes I still know that charisma affects outside combat but still its somewhat underpowered. Charisma will affect the chance that new party members want to join when you visit a town and also shop prices, conversation and hire price for henchmen
What do you think?

Ok, I've finally made up the complete skill system. To make each race and class unique, each one of them has their unique skill with its own ranks and abilities! The alignment (Good, Chaos, Evil, Neutral or Order) also has its own skill. The order skill offers abilities such as "Judgment" or "Lawful veil" while evil offers "Dark cloud" or "Mean vengeance" as examples. As the race skill increases in rank the player can choose different race paths (Orc can choose to become Chaos orc at rank 30 which gives increased life regeneration or Dark orc which gives huge shadow resistance as example)

And with the map system, you have all the maps in one single book and you can mark your own areas by writing on the world map.

I've got a question: How can I make it fair in the Hp, Mp, Fp progression of other actors? I'am using a dice based progression but how can I make it balanced?
Another question: Can I get sewed if I use the Balrog name on one of my demons?
And once again sorry for my bad English and if the questions are stupid, I'm just 14 years old and live in Sweden...