Attacking and Check Mechanic Thread

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Introduction/ Class Mechanic Thread:

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Wounds and Hit Point Mechanic Thread

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I have the basics on the corruption mechanic for my roleplaying game. At the moment it is quite simple.

Basically, performing a corrupt act, which is basically described as anything that is self serving while being hurtful to someone else, dishonorable, extremely manipulative, and so on grants a certain number of corruption points. The severity of the corrupt attack depends on how many points are granted. Corruption points are removed  by performing honorable actions.

Whenever a character collects a certain number of corruption points, that might gain a level of corruption. Depending on what level of corruption the character has, they may have to make increasingly difficult resolve checks to resist performing corrupt actions or performing selfless or honorable actions. At maximum corruption, the character is forever and completely irredeemable and will always chose the corrupt and dishonorable action.

In addition to personal corruption, there is a type of corruption for each form of magic: Arcane Corruption for Telsmarand Sorcerers and Natural Corruption for Fey Naturalists.

Arcane Corruption is strictly physical. The constant use and overcharge of the self damaging magic causes the bodies of sorcerers to break and deform. For example, the hands of a sorcerer might lose the hair and become increasingly calloused at minor corruption, become hairless , rough and flakey at severe corruption, and become deformed and claw-like at total corruption. Arcane Corruption is limb based, depending on which body part is used to channel spells. Therefore, a sorcerer can have hideously deformed hands but the rest of their body would be relatively unscathed. Arcane Corruption is gained by pushing magic beyond healthy limits and suffering serious backlash. Arcane Corruption accumulates slowly, but is not reversible by any means.

Arcane Corruption might have some game play effects on channeling spells with certain limbs, but that is still in the works.

Natural Corruption is the nastiest corruption of all, because it is both physical and mental. It happens when a Fey draws more magic from the land than is available. For each point of additional energy drawn from the environment, the character gains a point of natural corruption. Characters with natural corruption have their physical appearance warp into more animalistic features and their nature becomes more feral and based on instinct. The character begins to make resolve checks to attack in controlled intelligent manners, and begins taking penalties to intelligence. At total corruption, the character essentially becomes an animalistic werewolf like creature, and is no longer suited as a player character.

How is this for a corruption system? Does it need more in game effect, or less? Should it be used as a requirement for certain abilities and classes? Should personal corruption have a good counterpoint, like an honor scale, so characters can have a buildup of good karma so their mistakes mean less?

It sounds good as-is.  In my opinion, it would be best to continue illustrating the effects of corruption rather than make it more complicated in its processes (class contingencies, etc.).

Leovaunt wrote: Whenever a character collects a certain number of corruption points, that might gain a level of corruption. Depending on what level of corruption the character has, they may have to make increasingly difficult resolve checks to resist performing corrupt actions or performing selfless or honorable actions. At maximum corruption, the character is forever and completely irredeemable and will always chose the corrupt and dishonorable action.