Outdated Rules Thread - Ignore

[CJ]

Here are the basics of battle. Hold on to your hat, cause it looks complicated..But dont worry, you get used to it.

Pitch is fighting a mirror image of himself. Priority is determined by the GM, and for the sake of convinience, let's pretend they see fit to give the real pitch first dips.

ACTING
Action is necesarry to get anything done. Doing anything uses Act points, which you start out with 3 of. As a general rule, doing anything takes 1 act point. these are the exceptions:

-- Special abilities take 2 or even 3 points, depending on the ability. However, once you 'master' the ability, the act usage will go down

-- Some weaponry causes the Act usage to go up. This will be mentioned in its description.

-- Complicated or unfamiliar items use 2 Act points the first time you use them.

-- Dodging and Defending do not take Act, unless you use a skill to bolster them.

-- Under certain conditions, Act usage will go up or down


TURN ORDER
Starting now, I'm going to experiment with a new way of doing Initiative.
From now on, every character will be able to send only one character into battle. The other will be kept in reserve, but this doesn't mean they're useless! This has been seen to work funfully so.
Also, this is common knowledge by now, but Speed no longer determines turn order. This is up to the GM's discression based on their own perceptions, even if they're flawed. This is why Spyke always goes last even though his Speed is getting nice =D

EXAMPLE
PLAYERS CHARS
Bob: Rabbit the Swift, Trigger
Matt: Jack Turner, Pulse
George: George, Carmen
Candice: Lady, McGuiness
Michelle: Calibur
Sally: James Kox, Dr. Indigo
GM: Generic Enemy, Generic Enemy, Koopatrol

Each picks one player to send in (Except the GM, who can send whoever he blasted well likes)
Players Chosen: Rabbit, Pulse, George, McGuiness, Calibur, James Kox

Init: Rabbit, GE, Calibur, James, GE, McGuiness, Pulse, George, Koopatrol
Reserves: Trigger, Jack Turner, Carmen, Lady, Dr. Indigo


People get their turns one at a time as per the usual. Reserve characters gain half their max Act on the turn of the one going in for them. If you still have Act and are on the active roster, you can fight, period. It doesn't matter who's turn it is.

Turn 1, Round 2! Rabbit is up again. Rabbit is hurt! So Bob decides to switch him out with Trigger, leaving Rabbit is benched. Also, Sally decides to switch in Dr. Indigo because the allies are getting hurt and need a healer. Rabbit, Trigger, Indigo, and James all expend an Act, but after that it's just fine.



This seems vague and hurried I know, but class is almost over =D It will hopefully get more elaborate later. I hope this system will make certain things easier to do and others possible at all to impliment.

[CJ]

Pitch has a few options here...He can attack, he can use an item, or he can use his special ability, Corruption. None of his items will help him at the moment, and his Corruption skill probaly wont do much good either, so he chooses to attack.
He rushes forward and slashes with his blade...

DETERMINING IF ATTACKS WORK
Those who are being attacked have two choices. They can brace themselves for the attack and lower the damage, or they can attempt to dodge. If the dodge fails, you take full damage.
When dodging, you subtract Accuracy from Speed and multiply the result by 2. The number you get is the chance that the attack will miss. Whether you dodge, fail a dodge, or Defend, Armor is always factored in normally, affecting the damage the spell/weapon/item has. It does not, however, weaken the stat behind it in any way, shape, or form.

When defending, you subtract Defense/Sp Defense from Power/Sp Power.

Lets say it decides to defend. 20-15=5. So, the monster takes 5 damage. Nice and simply. The damage of Pitch's sword is added to this damage, and then the defensive ability of the enemies armor, if any, is subtracted from the sword. A negative power does nothing.

Now let's pretend it tries to dodge. This is where it gets a tad tricky...
When dodging, your Speed stat and the enemies Accuracy become the important stats. Your Speed stat divided by 3 is what I call your 'Unbreakable Dodge Chance'. No matter what, come hell or high water, no one can take this percentage chance of the attack outright missing away from you. This stops eagle-eye characters from ever having a 100% hit rate.
LIkewise, the Accuracy stat is divided by 10 to create an Unbreakable Hit Chance (counted from the top down) and by 5 to create an Unbreakable Crit Chance (Likewise counted from the top down). This stops speed-demon characters from ever having a 100% dodge rate.
When dodging, subtract attacker's Acc from the dodgers Speed and multiply by 2. Your percent chance at dodging an attack is this number, OR the Unbreakable Dodge Chance, whichever is higher.
If Acc is higher than Speed, then Spd - Acc becomes the increase in Crit chance, still counted from the top down.

If Speed or Acc is higher than 100, the formula for Unbreakable Crit/Dodge/Hit rate changes.
The formula for Unbreakable Dodge becomes Speed/5+13.
The formula for Unbreakable Hit becomes Acc/10+10
Unbreakable Crit is set to 10, period.


HEALING RULES
Healing moves work differently. Rather than having a stat that decreases the healing, which would be dumb, you have a stat that increases it. The caster of the spell contributes 2/3 of his/her SPwr II, and the reciever of the spell contributes 2/3 of his or hers, counting SPwrII Bonus.
EXAMPLE
Joe Somethingorother (30 SPwrII) uses Lifespark (+4 FIRE Healing move) on self!
30*.66 + 30*.66
39 base stat, meaning +3 Bonus.
Joe recovers 46 HP!

EXAMPLE II
Joe Somethingorother is at it again, this time using Lifespark on the notably slow healing Amazoness, Jill Somethingelse (10 SPwrII)
30 *.66 + 10*.66
26 base stat, meaning +2 Bonus. Note that in this case, healing a loser like Jill actually dragged his power DOWN substantially. This is why even if you don't have any healing moves, you should really consider keeping your SPwrII fairly high anyway. It's not there just so you can dump it into Power!
...Got on a rant there. Sorry.
Jill recovers 32 HP! Dat's just what she gets fo bein' a woman. Wit' goirly pahts.



ELEMENTAL OF HEALING SPELLS

If the elemental of a healing spell matches a resistance you have, it is applied in the following way.
If the target ABSORBs the elemental of the spell, the healing is doubled.
If the target NULLs or HALVEs the elemental of the spell, the healing is nulled or halved.
If the target is WEAK AGAINST the elemental of the spell, the healing causes half the normal healing in damage.


RANGE

Power, defense, speed, and technique aren't the only important things in a brawl. Range is important as well. After all, it doesn't matter if you're faster, if they're a mile away. A shorter range weapon, however, is also easier to bring to bear than a long range one, giving it an advantage on the counter attack if the initial strike misses. Range factors into priority and attack. The ranges are as follows;

0 Personal - Personal range attacks literally strike those who are touching you. They effectively have 0 range. This includes things like auras or biting, which have less range than even a punch.

1 Martial - Martial range attacks include punches, kicks, or other such moves that extend from the body but only barely.

2 Martial+ - Martial+ range attacks include punches, kicks, or other such moves, which extend from the body and include a booster such as claws, fist weapons, or daggers, or bursts of energy from the hand that do not travel.

3 Melee - Melee attacks are attacks made with averagely large weapons, such as swords, hammers, or even very very long claws.

4 Melee+ - Melee+ attacks are attacks made with larger than average weapons, such as zanbato or spears. Generally, if a weapon REQUIRES two hands, it will be in about this range.

5 Long Range - Long Range attacks are attacks made with a bow or gun, or attacks done with magic, while at standard distance.

6 Long Range+ - Long Range+ attacks are attacks made from very far away with a bow or gun. Attaining this range requires an already long range weapon or attack, and the user of said weapon/attack must actively move away from the battle. This range also applies to attacks made with a long range weapon from above or below the target.

[CJ]

EFFECTS OF EQUIPMENT ON DAMAGE

Weapons and armor have a set Power. This number is added to or subtracted from damage AFTER all other calculations are done. This is probably the most simple part of the system.

Accessories that increase defense or power actually refers to the stat. If it means the actual damage after calculation, it will say 'damage' instead of 'power/defense'

So a Power Jewel (increases Power by 5) would increase the power STAT by 5. and a Warrior Gauntlet (Increases damage by 5) would increase the damage done, after calculation.

[CJ]

SHIELDS

Shields are complicated. You can use them to help you dodge OR help you defend. Setting up a shield defense takes 1 Act, and lasts a whole round. Shields will stop ALL damage done to you during that round from certain types of damage. A shields capabilities are mostly based on logic. A wooden shield would be unable to block Fire type damage. A steel shield would have a hard time dealing with water, because it would rust.
Note that setting up a Shield defense robs you of your ability to Dodge. Also note that some attacks will bypass shields, so be careful ok?

Now onto the other use of shields...They can be used to help you DETER attacks slightly so you can more easily dodge them. This basically just means your Evade chance will go up when you have it (but not your speed). Using a shield as a Buckler will not break it no matter what attack you use it to deter, because it doesnt fully go against the attack, only touching it enough to change its path.
Here's how Bucklers relate, numberwise, to dodge chance:
If there is an increased chance of Dodging, Bucklers increase that chance further. If there is an increased chance of Critting, Bucklers decrease that chance slightly.


ANTIBUCKLERS
There are also Antibucklers, usually a goggle, occular, or laser sight of some kind, that has the exact opposite effect. They can be used passively to slightly increase hit chance, or be used to take a Full Aim action. Full Aim is basically a sniper type pose where you fixate every ounce of yourself into aiming. When under Full Aim, attacks WILL hit, period. Every time you use it though, the base Acc bonus of the Antibuckler lowers until it eventually breaks. Full Aim also renders you unable to Dodge or Defend, so you have to use it sparingly and cautiously. Full Aim bypasses Full Defense IF the bonus to the Antibuckler is at least 10% higher than the bonus of the Buckler.
Numberwise, here's how that pans out in Dodge attempts.
If there is an increased chance of Dodging, Antibucklers decrease that chance. If there is an increased chance of Critting, Antibucklers increase that chance.


Again, its not as confusing as it looks =p Its just logic given form, really! have fun ^^

[CJ]

Using ACT Out of Turn!

Ok, so you know that every Turn your Act replenishes, but that isnt to say you can only do things on your 'turn'. You can move any time you wish, and can accomplish various things by using Act in such a manner. Here are some examples. Remember, if you reach 0 Act, things can get nasty for you, so try not to do too much...Please note that if multiple units attempt to do something at the same time, the one with the higher speed will do it first.

INTERRUPT: You can interupt an enemies special attack if it requires charging by giving them a good thwap, or if you're just plain that awesome, intercept an attacker and knock them on their ass..

HEALING: If you take a nasty knock, you might consider healing yourself out of turn might prevent your destruction, especially if theres another enemy to contend with.

COUNTER: You can expend an act once you take damage in order to attack immedietly afterwards, possibly catching your enemy off guard. But keep in mind many attacks may leave you unable to counter...

MOVE YOUR ASS: Those blessed with Movement abilities (Lvl 2 Jump, Lvl 1 Run, ect.) can use them to get the hell out of the way if things get dicey and it looks like your knock knock knocking on Heaven's door. This can be an instant dodge, or it can at least increase chance of evasion. Keep in mind that anyone without movement skills is considered to have them at Level 1/2, which isn't usually enough to move out of the way of an attack.

These are just a couple examples. Experiment!



INTERRUPTING
The best defense is a good offense, at least if you have the higher Speed. If an enemy is attacking you or an ally, you can choose to give them a nasty surprise and attack at the same time, hopefully knocking them out of their own attack, while at the same time striking good and hard yourself because they were caught offguard. Interrupt attempts have two possible outcomes;

Interrupter's Priority (Speed) is higher than that of the attacker - SUCCESS
Attacker's Priority (Speed) is higher than that of the interrupter - FAILURE

If multiple people are attempting an Interrupt at the same time (provided they are in proper position to do so), then all of the attackers with higher Speed than the Interrupted will succeed, and all those with lower Speed will fail. These two groups will be calculated seperately as group attacks (or single attacks, if only one succeeds/failed)

EXAMPLE -
Bob (40 Speed), Rex (20 Speed), and Saffi (15 Speed) attempt to Interrupt Zomgosaurus (30 Speed)
Only Bob has higher Speed, so his attack is calculated as a successful Interrupt attack of the Zomgosaurus. After this is all resolved, Rex and Saffi will attack at the same time, but it will be treated and calced as a normal group attack.


If multiple people attempt to Interrupt but are NOT in proper position to group attack, then the first one to post is the one who gets calced, and the rest get their Act back.

In the case of a Success....


ATTACKER, INTERRUPTED
When a target is Interrupted successfully, they have several choices.

Power Through - Continue the attack and hope for the best. You will take full damage from the attack that Interrupted you, and the Interrupters Unbreakable Crit will apply (roll d100 just for this). This isn't really much of an option unless you have No Flinch.

Multitask - Dodge or Defend the attack with half Speed/Defense/SDefense. If you successfully dodge, or reduce stat damage to O with your defense, you can continue the attack, though with halved base power, thereby saving the Act. Otherwise, you still get stopped, but you don't waste an Act aborting.

Pull Your Punch - Spend 1 Act to put the old brakes on, and then react to the attack normally.

Note: If multiple people attempt to Interrupt you, it follows the standard rules for Group Attacking. You can react in the above ways, and it's effects will apply to the standard reactions to group attacks.



The other possibility is that of a failed Interrupt, in which case...


ATTACKER, NOT INTERRUPTED

Fairly simple, the only wrench in the works is whether the target of the enemy's attack is the one interrupting, or if it's one of their friends.

If the Interrupter is not the actual TARGET of the attack being interrupted, then that's that. The target reacts normally to the attack, and the enemy then reacts normally to the attack meant to Interrupt them.

If the Interruptor IS the actual target of the attack being Interrupted, things get more dire. They get back the Act they used to Interrupt, but they instantly take full damage of the attack they failed to stop, as well as being open to the attackers Unbreakable Crit chance (roll a d100 solely for this purpose)
Note: The exception to this rule is if YOU fail but someone ELSE manages it. Then you just finish the attack after the resolution, and it is calced normally.

[CJ]

MECHS

Mechs have their own stats. When you use a Mech, you take on its stats until the mech has been disabled. Also, the stats of a mech are different from the stats of a character...For instance, mechs dont have a Special Power II. They just have a Special Power stat, and this stat is used for all abilities that dont use the Power stat. Note that making a mech with HELPFUL abilities is pretty freaking hard anyway, so chances are you wont really miss the stat.
Some mechs can also be equipped with things. Keep in mindSthough that armor made for human-sized beings won't fit, and weapons and shields may be too small to work right.

System Power: Rather than HP or MP, mechs have System Power, which is sort of a cross between the two. Doing anything takes System Power, and if this falls to 0 the mech is disabled until it recharges somehow. Being attacked doesn't generally harm system power.

Durability: This is a series of values that represent the durability of the various parts of your mech. Each part has it's own rating, and the ratings are fractions. The first fraction is how much "HP" that part has, and the second is how much damage is lowered by. The second value can be damaged by any effect that normally damages armor.

Standard 'parts' of a mech are R. Arm, L. Arm, R. Leg, L. Leg, Body, and cockpit. if your cockpit has 0 Armor Rating, you can be attacked, SO BE CAREFUL.
If attacked directly while in a mech, you can't dodge and your Defense will be halved. Special Defense will be unaffected, but Area of Effect moves focused on you will be intensely damaging and unavoidable, as all the energy will be contained inside.

ACT: The Act of a robot isnt an actual value, its a modifier that you add or subtract from your own. when you 'exaust' yourself in a mech, you arent actually getting tired, you're pushing the machine to its limits, and it needs time to cool off. In fact, if you Exaust your machine, you can hop out of it and act normally. Note that doing this will use up Act, as will hopping back in. Also, leaving your mech untended is a bad idea, as it makes it unable to defend or dodge things, and makes it very susceptible to critical hits.

Power: This is the physical power of a mech. They have their own power rating, and no matter how strong you are, it wont affect the Mech's power. Also, any equipment you're using to boost your power wont affect the mech.

Special Power: This value is actually the MAX power of a mech. When you attack with a special weapon, you decide the power output you want to use. The more power you use, the more SP you lose when using the attack. Note that some attacks have a minimum and maximum special power required to use them.

Defense: Only mechs that are built with defensive systems have this stat. Of course, the criteria for 'defensive system' is pretty loose. If your mech has arms even, it will have a Defense rating...


Special Defense: Only mechs that are built with special defensive systems have this stat. The criteria for special defense, however, is much tougher. Thus, many mechs are very susceptible to magical attacks.

Speed: This value is actually a modifier that you subtract or add to your own. This represents the fact that if you're quick, but your mech is slow, you'll react moderately when dodging or getting the initiative.

Accuracy: This is the same as Dodge. Its a modifier that you add or subtract to your own...You can be a crack shot, but if your systems are clunky and hard to use, you'll miss a lot.


ATTACKS MADE BY MECHS
Attacks made by mechs have a few defining characteristics. How durable the weapon is, how much damage they do, element, whether they're physical or special, and if they're special, the minimum and maximum Special Power you can put into them.
Damage dealt by special attacks may seem low, but thats because instead of adding the Special Power and Damage, you multiply them together. But also, special attacks use a large amount of system power (HP

[CJ]

And oh they are. Guns have 5 stats, but luckily, once you assign numbers to them, you don't have to worry about it anymore. It gets much simpler once you crunch the numbers.
Each stat has a number next to it, and a description of it's effect, as well as the base stat (what it means to have 0 in the stat). The number is the amount of points you have to put into that stat to increase it by 1.
Attacks made with a gun use Power for accuracy and Accuracy for power. This represents the fact that guns are pretty much point and click, but you need to have enough power to handle the kick and keep your aim true to hit at all. On the flip side, precice aiming is the only way to boost the damage of a bullet if you manage to hit in the first place. It's fuzzy logic, but...well...Just report the stats like that, okay? It's easier on everyone.

There is also a restriction on stat dumping in guns. Once the highest stat is 3 levels higher than the next one below it, it will cost 1 extra point per level to increase it. Once a stat is 6 higher, it will take 2 extra per level. Once a stat is 9 higher, it will take 3 extra per level, ect ect ect.

If you start out with a gun, it will have 30 points and come with two spare clips.

Spread(4): Powerful yet expensive stat. Allows shots fired to hit multiple enemies. The base is, of course, 1 enemy. (Basically, every four points spent lets you hit one more enemy). Extra enemies take only the weapon damage, not the base stat behind it.

Pierce(2): This stat gives the effect of piercing one point of armor per level, basically guaranteeing that at least that much of the damage will get through. The base is 0. (Basically, ever 2 points spent lets you pierce one point of armor)

Power(1): Basic damage of the bullets, plain and simple. The base is 0. (Basically, every point spent translates into one damage of the gun)

Rapid(3): How many shots can be fired per round, Act permitting. The base is 1. (Basically, every 3 points adds one more shot allowed per round)

Clip(3): How many attacks can be made with the gun before one must reload. The base is 3. (Basically, ever 3 points gives you one more attack before you reload)

*Special thanks to Spyke for helping me in the general putting together of this rule set.
** Also, thanks to Helen for giving me an idea to change the definition of Clip, to make it make more sense (3 round clips are crazy IRL). Instead of a number of bullets, Clip represents a number of attacks.


THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN LASERS AND BULLETS
There are a few subtle but definate differences between guns that fire energy blasts, and guns that fire metal slugs. Laser guns deal "magical" damage, while slug throwers deal physical damage. This means that Lasers use the Special Defense stat, and are affected by Veil and Reflect status. Bullets use the Defense stat, and are affected by Shield status.

'Clips' also differ. In a laser, the clip is basically just a battery, so no matter what you make it out of, the damage doesn't differ. This also means that clips can be recharged rather than you having to make a new one. A clip in a slugthrower is just a container for bullets, but the bullets are each made of the same thing the clip is, so different kinds of them will have different effects on the gun. Slugthrower clips can't just be refilled, and can at best be recycled to make a new one.
The final difference is that Lasers are made using different parts. Lasers use a Power Source and can be fitted with gems or other such focii. Slug throwers use a Propellant, usually either an explosive or a magnet system, to launch bullets.


UTLIZING THESE DIFFERENCES
In Summary, these are special rules that only apply to guns;
Clips can be filled with any bullet you like, but must be specially made for said bullets. You can even make different kinds of bullet out of different things and put them in the same clip! While very small changes, such as etching a rune into some of the bullets, will cause no harm, very different bullets (such as making some rounds explosive), will require a specialized clip.
Basically, for every different kind of bullet you intend to fill it with, the clip itself will be slightly harder to make, and bullets will fire at the same rate you put them in. You must have every bullet you intend to place in the clip ready when you are making it.

Applying gems or things very much like them, when applied to a gun, take up a certain amount of space, and give the gun special 'Gem Levels' which can be applied to either Spread or Power. You must place these gems in odd numbers, and the gems must be compatible. You won't really know the full effect of the gem until the gun is finished, but generally you get the gem's Level in Gem Levels applied to Spread or Power, and the gun takes on that gem's elemental.
In the case of multiple gems, the gems are added together and Averaged in 2's with a +1 to each level in twos, and the Elemental shifts. The final level is rounded up or down.
IE;
Level 1 Fire gem + Level 2 Thunder gem + level 2 Fire gem
becomes
Level 2.5 ?? Gem + Level 2 Fire Gem
becomes
3.25 ?? Gem. Rounded to 3.

[CJ]

RIDING RULES
These are the rules for riding other creatures in battle. Without the proper proficiencies, it's quite a messy affair... Proficiencies in riding are considered passive skills. Furthermore, when using out of battle training to learn them, they incur no stat penalties, but require a mount to practice with. If the mount is sentient, they must also pay the Hour cost of this training time, but will be considered a training partner for purposes of reduction.
To be a candidate to be a 'Mount', a creature must have four or more legs, and/or naturally walk in such a way that there is an adequately large horizontal plane directly above their legs to host a rider.
To be a candidate to be a 'Rider', a creature need only walk completely upright, and have arms and legs of relative length to their 'trunk'. Certain beings who have these traits may still simply be too big for certain mounts, or for that matter any.

-Traits Of The Pair-

The follow rules apply to both rider and mount.
-- Mounter and Rider are considered a single 'target' in battle, and share a turn as well. This fact even applies when calculating Area of Effect. If the Mount moves, the rider obviously goes with them. They still act seperately and use their own Act.
-- SPwrII, for purposes of being healed, is averaged between the two. SDef as well is averaged between the two.
-- When attacked, mount and rider choose Dodge or Defend seperately. The following bonuses and penalties apply depending on this combination.
--- If mount Dodges and rider Defends, the mount's dodge chance is halved.
--- If mount Defends and rider Dodges, the rider's dodge chance is halved.
--- If both Dodge and the mount succeeds, the rider will instantly succeed as well, and can preform a Surprise counter.
--- If both Defend and the rider reduces base stat damage to 0, the mount will take no damage.
-- It takes 1 Act from the rider and 1 Turn of both staying still for the rider to get properly mounted.
-- Rider and Mount cannot attack the same target at the same time.

-Traits Of The Mount-

The following rules apply to the mount.
-- All equipment of the rider applies against the mount's Maximum Armor count, including weapon and shield. Quadrapedal mounts have an extra Power Bonus worth of weight they can carry, but must keep all four feet on the ground to keep it in effect.
-- All actions while carrying a rider take standard Nonproficiency Penalty. In addition, all actions require double Act.
-- Once mounted, the creature will not act unless instructed to. This does not apply to sentient mounts.


-Traits Of The Rider-

The following rules apply to the rider.
-- Movement skills besides Jump cannot be used, and even Jump is halved. Any ability that requires personal feats of movement cannot be used.
-- All actions taken while riding take standard Nonproficiency Penalty. In addition, all actions require double Act, and one hand must be open at all times to guide the mount and remain steady atop it.
-- Commanding your mount to do something costs 1/2 an Act and gives the action very low Priority.
-- BLUDGEONING or ROCK damage sufficient to get through your armor forces you to make a Power check versus the attack to remain mounted. If your mount has a saddle, you get a +10 "buckler bonus" to this roll. If for some reason your mount attempts to buck you off, you make a Power check against them, and again, gain a +10 bonus if they are wearing a saddle. Even if successful, no action can be taken after one of these checks until the next turn of combat.




-Skills For Mounts-
The following are standard Passive Traits that can be taken by Mounts.
Ignore Weight - Each level in this allows the mount to ignore 1/4 of the rider's equipment weight, capping at level 4 where all weight will be ignored. This does not in any way affect the mount's Maximum Armor Weight.

Carry Rider - The first level in this negates the Nonproficiency Penalty on actions taken. The two following levels negate the extra Act requirement for Physical and Special actions.

Accept Command - Allows the mount to accept more complicated commands, and removes the 1/2 Act and Priority penalty.
Level 1: Possible Commands; Move (will run in the direction the mount is facing), Attack (will attack the nearest target they percieve to be a threat)
Level 2: Possible Commands; Move Where (move to a specified place by the shortest route possible, expending any number of Act it requires), Attack Who (will attack the specified target, no matter where they are, if it is possible)
Level 3: Possible Commands; Move Where How (Move to a specified place in a specified manner), Attack Who How (Attack a specified target with a specified move), Guard To (Mount will stay in place and attack anyone who comes close), Return To (Mount will return to any place they have been before if it is possible for them to get there), Rally Whistle (Calls mount to the rider, as long as they are not more than one World Unit away) Mount will now follow commands even if the rider is not on their back.


-Skills For Riders-
The following are standard Passive Traits that can be taken by Riders.

Active Riding - The first level negates the Nonproficiency Penalty on actions taken. The second level negates the additional Act cost of actions.

Dynamic Mounting - Allows the rider to mount instantly by landing on any mount, without the use of Act outside of what is used to get them into such a position.

Dynamic Riding - The first level negates the halving of Jump ability. The second level allows the rider to use mid-air movement skills directly from their mount, and add the mount's Movement Skill to their own Jump. The third level allows the rider to use midair movement skills from the back of their mount while they are moving themselves, adding their skill level to that of the one the rider uses.

Sticky Ride - The first level allows the rider to use both hands while riding, and grants a further +10 to Antibuckler Bonus versus attempts to dismount him if he has one hand free anyway. The second, third, and fourth levels add +10 each to Antibuckler Bonus versus attempts to dismount them, whether they have one hand free or not.

Special Ride - The first level allows the rider to ride a mount even if they are using a method of motion that would normally interfere with the practice (such as wings, or a Koopa traveling in his shell).

Command - Levels mimic that of Accept Command, only the commands apply to any Mount. This also, however, requires a 'breaking in' period.
It takes 3 commands for the mount to start accepting level 1 commands.
The mount must recieve all level 1 commands before it can accept level 2 commands.
The mount must recieve all level 2 commands twice before it can accept level 3 commands.

Animal Empathy - Allows a rider to befriend nonsentient creatures and make mounts of them. This passive takes a full slot, and activation of it requires that the rider remain atop the mount for a number of Buck attempts equal to the mount's level. Upon activation, the rider makes an SDef check versus the mount, and if it wins, the beast is theirs to ride. If it fails, they must remain atop the mount again, though their effective level for number of Buck attempts that must be survived is cut in half every time an SDef Check is made, minimum of 1. The attempts need not be survived subsequently, but every successful buck lowers the rider's "score" by 1.
If the intended mount ignores the rider, they can act normally, but take standard penalties for carrying a rider (except for being unable to act without a command).
If the intended mount is Charmed by the rider, they get a free SDef check, and the mount's effective SDef is halved for future ones as long as the Charm lasts. This effect may also occur if the rider offers the mount sufficiently well-loved food, items, or treatment, provided the mount is receptive to it.
If the intended mount is Manipulated by -anyone- or Confused, buck attempts survived will not count and no checks can be made.

[CJ]

Gangbanging - If multiple attackers wish to attack at the same time, they must do so at the same time. They must also attack from different directions, which requires movement about the field and the opponent not to Move himself until all are in position and the attack commences.
The target must respond to all attacks in the same way, and only one action can be taken in response to them in most cases (see exceptions below)
In any case, the attacks are resolved in order of Priority, even though they 'occur' all at the same time.


Dodging - The target dodges normally, as if there were no other attackers. If they Dodge successfully, then the attacking character will strike the character opposite them, possibly Interrupting them if the attacker doesn't either use an Act to halt the attack, or the attacked target successfully dodges the same attack the intended target did.
Note: This ally interruption is, obviously, void if that character has already finished his attack, but they still take damage.
Note 2: Buckler Bonus, if any, will only apply to one character attacking them.

If the target FAILS their dodge, then their Speed when calculating the next one is cut by 1/4. This is cumulative for every failed dodge, but a successful one will reset the 'counter'.



Defending - Calculated normally, but Defense stat is cut for each attack position.
Front: Normal.
Sides: 2/3.
Back: 1/2.



Responding with Act (AKA: The Action Hero Defense) - If the target feels they have a keen eye, a quick hand, and something to prove, or if they're just really really stupid, they can attempt to Interrupt any number of targets attacking them. They must have higher Speed than anyone attacking them, and must successfully identify which of their enemies will strike first. If they successfully do this, it is a Surprise Attack against that target, and they are Interrupted.
They then try to guess who will attack second, third, fourth, until all attackers have either been Interrupted or they guess wrong and suffer a Surprise Attack from the real attacker. Once this happens they're pretty much screwed.


Responding with Act in a Less Suicidal Way (AKA: The Jacky Chan Defense) - If the target has higher Speed than anyone attacking him, and has a Movement skill that allows it, they can simply get the hell out of the way. It will be treated as a successful Dodge of all attackers.


Responding with Act in a Less Suicidal Way 2 (AKA: The Keanu Reeves Defense) - If the target has higher Speed than anyone attacking him, and has an attack usable at a moments notice that deals AoE or multiple enemy damage, they can respond by using that attack instead. If the attack is AoE, it must either have a radius of effect equal to the number of attackers, or be centered on the user such as a Spin Attack. If it is multi-hit, it must be able to hit as many people as are attacking. Whoever doesn't get hit will get a full power attack.
Action Hero Correlary - Combo attacks cannot be used in these interrupts, unless they happen to be AoE (See: Keanu Reeves Defense)

[CJ]

MECHS

Mechs have their own stats. When you use a Mech, you take on its stats until the mech has been disabled. Also, the stats of a mech are different from the stats of a character...For instance, mechs dont have a Special Power II. They just have a Special Power stat, and this stat is used for all abilities that dont use the Power stat. Note that making a mech with HELPFUL abilities is pretty freaking hard anyway, so chances are you wont really miss the stat.
Some mechs can also be equipped with things. Keep in mindSthough that armor made for human-sized beings won't fit, and weapons and shields may be too small to work right.

System Power: Rather than HP or MP, mechs have System Power, which is sort of a cross between the two. Doing anything takes System Power, and if this falls to 0 the mech is disabled until it recharges somehow. Being attacked doesn't generally harm system power.

Durability: This is a series of values that represent the durability of the various parts of your mech. Each part has it's own rating, and the ratings are fractions. The first fraction is how much "HP" that part has, and the second is how much damage is lowered by. The second value can be damaged by any effect that normally damages armor.

Standard 'parts' of a mech are R. Arm, L. Arm, R. Leg, L. Leg, Body, and cockpit. if your cockpit has 0 Armor Rating, you can be attacked, SO BE CAREFUL.
If attacked directly while in a mech, you can't dodge and your Defense will be halved. Special Defense will be unaffected, but Area of Effect moves focused on you will be intensely damaging and unavoidable, as all the energy will be contained inside.

ACT: The Act of a robot isnt an actual value, its a modifier that you add or subtract from your own. when you 'exaust' yourself in a mech, you arent actually getting tired, you're pushing the machine to its limits, and it needs time to cool off. In fact, if you Exaust your machine, you can hop out of it and act normally. Note that doing this will use up Act, as will hopping back in. Also, leaving your mech untended is a bad idea, as it makes it unable to defend or dodge things, and makes it very susceptible to critical hits.

Power: This is the physical power of a mech. They have their own power rating, and no matter how strong you are, it wont affect the Mech's power. Also, any equipment you're using to boost your power wont affect the mech.

Special Power: This value is actually the MAX power of a mech. When you attack with a special weapon, you decide the power output you want to use. The more power you use, the more SP you lose when using the attack. Note that some attacks have a minimum and maximum special power required to use them.

Defense: Only mechs that are built with defensive systems have this stat. Of course, the criteria for 'defensive system' is pretty loose. If your mech has arms even, it will have a Defense rating...


Special Defense: Only mechs that are built with special defensive systems have this stat. The criteria for special defense, however, is much tougher. Thus, many mechs are very susceptible to magical attacks.

Speed: This value is actually a modifier that you subtract or add to your own. This represents the fact that if you're quick, but your mech is slow, you'll react moderately when dodging or getting the initiative.

Accuracy: This is the same as Dodge. Its a modifier that you add or subtract to your own...You can be a crack shot, but if your systems are clunky and hard to use, you'll miss a lot.


ATTACKS MADE BY MECHS
Attacks made by mechs have a few defining characteristics. How durable the weapon is, how much damage they do, element, whether they're physical or special, and if they're special, the minimum and maximum Special Power you can put into them.
Damage dealt by special attacks may seem low, but thats because instead of adding the Special Power and Damage, you multiply them together. But also, special attacks use a large amount of system power (HP

[CJ]

USING VEHICLES
Boarding - Simple enough. Climb in and get going! Boarding takes an Act if done in battle, but outside of it it's basically free.
Driving - Driving is easy! It takes half an Act to hit the gas and another to hit the breaks or turn. As long as you don't turn, you can continue going in a straight line as long as your gas holds out, and you will travel the Move Rate of your vehicle once per turn, expending one point of gas every turn. You can lay off the gas as a free action. If this happens, or you run out of gas, you will roll to a stop after one turn of motion, during which Impact is halved and you gain none of the usual dodge bonuses of motion.
Dismounting - As long as the vehicle isn't moving, getting off/out is easy enough. It costs an Act in battle and is free outside of it. If the vehicle is moving when you jump off, or are knocked off, you take damage equal to half the vehicle's Impact from rolling to a stop. An Accuracy check can be made to tuck and roll VS the Impact, which will halve the damage again, as long as either the dismount was voluntary or the attack that caused it didn't deal Knock Down or Stun.


DANGERS OF DRIVING
Tickets aren't the biggest danger of a vehicle in combat conditions. The following are things you just might end up dealing with...

Explosion: Any vehicle with an engine...Most of them at least. There is a cumulative chance every time the engine block, usually located in a particular side of the vehicle, that the engine will blow. Various vehicles will have different amounts of time between that fatal blow and total system failure, which manifests as a Priority check between your Speed and the vehicle's Volatility stat (the first number). If you win this, you escape and then just have to outrun the AoE of the blast. If you fail this, the vehicle explodes with you inside it. The AoE of the explosion is equal to the Size of the vehicle, and the base stat is the second number in the Volatility stat. Getting caught in the exploding car is an instant crit on this attack. If it blows up while you're outside, and you don't attempt to outrun the blast, you can Defend it normally with SDefense. Unless stated otherwise, vehicle explosions deal Fire damage.

'Bucking': Bucking is a profoundly painful experience that occurs when you're moving and then you aren't with too little intermission between the two. Bucking has a certain chance of occuring any time your Impact stat while driving is overcome by the Power stat of an attacker from the front, or the Defense of a defender you strike. If bucked, you will be thrown the movement rate of your vehicle and take damage equal to the Impact it was going. You can only Defend this if you have an aerial defending passive, but you can attempt a Dodge with your Power stat averaged with your Accuracy stat versus the Impact of the vehicle to halve damage. If the distance you're thrown is less than your Run skill AND your Jump skill, you are immune from damage but are still thrown. What you hit determines the "element" of this damage, usually Rock, Plant, or Water.
On a critical Buck, you have the misfortune of landing right in your vehicle and are run over by it if it's breaking isn't good enough to stop before it reaches you.

Losing Control: This isn't always the worst thing in the world, but it can be nasty. The standard loss of control occurs when you fail the check required to preform actions while driving. You simply veer either to the left or right (d2 to see which way). Some Stunts have unique 'Loss of Control' reactions that occur if you fail them. These can range from rolling the car to crashing to the ground, and will be noted at the end of the action's desc. IF they aren't, the veer is assumed.

Being Attacked: If the vehicle currently has 0 HP or less, you are open to being attacked from outside the vehicle. If someone manages to get into the vehicle with you, they likewise can attack you. If attacked from outside, a Dodge or Defense can be attempted, but Speed for a dodge will be halved, and Defending causes the car to swerve if in motion. If attacked from the direction the car is moving in, Impact will be added to the base stat of the attacker, unless it is a gun or magic. Being struck with a Knock Up or Knock Back, whether from outside or inside, may threaten to knock you right out of the vehicle, which is treated as a Buck with a modified distance (the distance the Knock had)




VEHICLE STATS

Travel Speed: This is how far the vehicle travels on the world map in how many hours, and with how much gas. This means -nothing- in battle.
Terrain: A small list of what terrains that the vehicle can travel easily on. This means nothing in battle, but Travel Speed is halved on terrains not supported. Terrains marked with a star will actually double the speed, and those marked with an X can't be traveled on at all. 'Air', 'Aquatic', and 'Subaquatic' are special Terrain types that can't be traveled on unless marked, and mean that the vessel can fly, float, or travel underwater respectively.
Size: Simple. A number usually 0-4 that shows the size of the vehicle. This determines the AoE of ram attacks made with the vehicle. 0 means that the vehicle is too small to have AoE, as does .5, though a .5 may have AoE on certain other attacks...
Examples;
0 - A scooter
.5 - A motorcycle
1 - A standard car
2 - A van or truck
3 - A tank
4 - A truck
5?? - A passenger aircraft??


HP: This number will seem rather small. It is the number of times the vehicle can be struck before attacks will start striking the driver ( be careful about this. Attacks from the front that connect with the driver have the vehicle's current Impact stat put behind the base). No matter how threadbare it gets, it will still be ridable until the engine goes kaput, though once it goes into negatives, every point downward cuts the stats by 1/MaxHP, stopping when current HP negative is equal to the max HP of the craft. Hitting something with sufficient force to stop the car deals 1 damage as well, if the thing that stopped it wasn't already an attack.
Combos deal as much damage to the car as the Act they spend.
Fuel: The amount of fuel a standard canister will provide, in number of actions it can take before running out. This is a combination of fuel economy and tank size. Fuel reduces by 1 every round the vehicle is used and every time the ignition is cut, as well as when the vehicle is used to travel between battles or after missions. After missions, the fuel is used up once every time it travels it's speed's distance.
Engine Volatility: The lower this number the better. This is the cumulative chance per attack that an attack made on the portion of the vehicle that contains the engine will cause that engine to explode. This chance, unless stated otherwise, is doubled if the engine is struck with a Fire attack. The engine has to be attacked -specifically- from a direction it is vulnerable from. AoE attacks won't hit the engine with enough concentrated force to risk an explosion.
Engine Stability: This will be a fraction. The first number represents the effective Priority of the vehicle when it decides to explode, which must be beaten by your own to escape the vehicle before that happens, which is an instant Crit. The second number is the Base Power of the explosion, with a Bonus as if it were a spell, the bonus being multiplied by the amount of remaining fuel.

Ignition: This stat will be a negative number, and is subtracted from Speed when determining Priority on actions that require starting the vehicle. This can be negated by leaving the engine running, but this uses up Fuel. Starting or stopping the vehicle is a free action, but it instantly expends 1 Fuel if you turn it off again. Doing this while NOT under attack cannot be Interrupted and pretty much negates the need for this stat.

Impact: An expression of the size, speed, and horsepower of the vehicle, or more accurately, an expression of how much force is behind it once it gets going. This serves as the Power stat of the vehicle when it rams someone (which is considered a martial arts attack made by the car). If struck from the front while moving by a Power higher than this number, or if it hits a Defending enemy with a Defense higher than this number, the vehicle is stopped outright, and every point higher the stopping stat is becomes a % chance of the driver being thrown clear of the vehicle. The Power behind Cutting weapons is considered halved for this purpose. If the attack used has a Knockback chance, the base stat put against the Impact is multiplied by the distance the knockback would normally be, or at the very least negates the halving of stat behind Cutting weapons.
Every full Move Action (traveling as far as it can in a single action) the vehicle takes in a straight line without stopping adds this stat to itself, stacking as many times as you do this.
If the vehicle is struck from the front or strikes a target, but isn't stopped, it's Impact will still be reduced by the Power or Defense of the thing it strikes. The above rule continues to work, so the loss isn't permenant as long as you don't keep going too long.
NOTE: In the above, all instances of 'Power' can be replaced with 'Special Power' if the attack type used is Rock/Earth.

Tread: The traction of the vehicle, which allows it to stay on the road or in some cases avoid being flipped like a pancake. If struck from the front while moving, the Impact of the vehicle is added to this number. When struck physically, a Power check is made against this number, where a success rolls the vehicle. Another Power check is required against HALF this number to roll it back over. If an attack has a Knockup chance, the base stat for the attack is multiplied by the distance they would normally be knocked, and Impact is no longer added to Traction if it would be.
NOTE: Again, a Rock/Earth type attack can force this check, and uses SPower instead of Power.

Maneuverability: This number is the amount by which Speed is reduced when attempting a dodge, and it's Bonus is how many panels the vehicle will travel after a turn or stop action is made before the vehicle turns or stops. Dodges can only be attempted while the vehicle is in motion.



VEHICLE ACTIONS

Actions taken while driving a vehicle are very limited, especially if you're driving. There are two kinds of actions, Stunts and Standard. Stunts are actions you preform using the vehicle itself. Stunts include any action that manipulates the vehicle itself, or that are specially statted for use on a vehicle. Standard actions are ...Standard things that you do while you just happen to be riding. Standard actions in particular are limited.
Each vehicle has a few Stunts that can be preformed as long as you have the proper Vehicle level. These moves usually require an Accuracy Check versus the move's difficulty. Standard Actions require an Accuracy check against the move's level times 20, with a normal attack considered a level 1/2 move. Different vehicles have different limitations, but in general, any move that depends on motion, or any stance can't be used at all, and any that requires both hands, or requires mental commands from the user has a doubled difficulty. Special Stunts bought with ability slots don't generally require a check.
Accuracy for these attempts is multiplied by how far your Vehicle Skill is beyond the required level (which is one for a Standard Action). Failure causes a Loss of Control, either the standard swerve or something especially nasty depending on the vehicle and Stunt.
The difficulty of these checks is halved if you are just a passenger.
Actions made by a passenger have the difficult of the check halved, but Vehicle skill doesn't matter. Failure also only wastes half an Act rather than causing a Loss of Control.
If the passenger doesn't stick at least his upper body out the window, his Accuracy will be halved for any physical attacks he makes.. Sticking your neck out this way, however, also leaves you open to attack.

Attacks made while on a speeding vehicle will have the Impact of the vehicle added to their Power, but magic and projectiles are unaffected damage wise.




TRANSPORTATION

When used out of battle, vehicles make a nice ...Well...Vehicle. They can be used to rapidly traverse wide distances of whatever medium they are built to traverse. Traveling this way gives one a sort of tunnel vision, and it isn't the best way to find things. You don't generally make the discoveries one would make on foot, though you still generally find the really big things. Flying is an even better way to find such things, expanding your effective range of vision for such things by the distance you're upward in all directions, but again, you can't find anything smaller than a building this way.