Post by CJ on Jul 2, 2006 1:39:24 GMT -5
People seem to have a tendency to put 0, or very close to it, in a stat in order to dump 20 into another that they actually use. In order to curb this, I'm introducing new legislation.
Let it be known that the 'average' number for any stat is considered to be 10. This is the number that any average joe walking on the street will have. The exception would be, perhaps, children, or certain races. This doesn't mean I'm going to outright restrict people from putting 0-9 as stats, but it does mean that there should be certain penalties for being below average in the dangerous situations that PCs in this game live in. Note that an original character has 140 stat points to distribute, meaning that they have more than enough to be well above average in all stats.
Okay, here goes.
Oh, and keep in mind that these rules apply if for some reason your stats are LOWERED below 10. I'll also list some other things that may apply even if the stat in question is higher than 10.
Just for fun, I'm also putting down what it means to have 200 in a stat, the absolute max.
Power
Physical strength. It doesn't just mean your ability to bash a head in.
If this number falls below 10, the character is severely weak, like a small child. Weapons that usually take one hand may take two, the exception being very small weapons like daggers, and armor will be very difficult to wear (this is actually not a new thing, because your Power stat determines how much armor you can wear).
If this stat actually reaches zero, the character has no physical power whatsoever and can hardly even move his arms. Even cloth or leather armor will be unbearably heavy, and even a very small weapon will take two hands to wield, including shields. It's more likely at this point that you either lack a physical body or are severely handicapped.
200 Strength means... You're lifting mountains and throwing them at people, playing tiddly winks with Redwoods, and bending steel by looking at it. You stud...
Special Power I
Destructive power in your very soul. This is one stat that does actually occur as a zero sometimes, such as in the case of a child, or perhaps a barbaric tribe. Drakalfos Acolytes are purged of all dark karma, and thus suffer from the 0 SPwr restrictions. This does NOT have to be a 0 if your character comes from a 'realistic' world. Think of the stat as magical 'potential' rather than actual ability in practice. If you're a robot, think of it as negative programming rather than soul.
If this falls below 10, any attacks you make that aren't -purely- physical will be severely weak and deal half damage (After all other calculations). Even magic from items will be halved if it it isn't purely helpful in nature.
If this falls to 0, you're either a very holy person or kind of dim. Your spirit is very quiet and mostly stays packed into your head, unless you're using it to do helpful things. Offensive items with too much magic involved will fizzle in your hands and become useless. Magical armaments will similiarly fail and become simply mundane objects. There are of course exceptions, but this is the 99% true rule. 'Holiday' items or Heroism/Villainy crystals will still work, because they are powered by ... Outside forces.
200 Spwr? Your magic is so powerful that it's visible. You can't take a step without kicking up sparks, using artifacts thousands of years older than you is second nature, and even the simplest spell can level a building under your casting.
Special Power II
Healing power in your soul. Same as the above, mostly. Drakalfos Berzerkers actually have a 0 in this stat, and therefore suffer the consequences.
If this stat falls below 10, you are either a dastardly engine of destruction or just a really unhealthy person. Bad Status effects that you incur will pretty much have their wicked way with you, and Good Status effects that you're given will quickly run out of juice. Your natural healing capabilities are drastically low.
If this stat falls to 0, you have all the healing capability of a zombie. Any item or medicine/potion that is even remotely magical fizzles out when used by or on you. You're extremely difficult to heal, and bad status effects will last half again as long as they would have, while good ones will simply bounce off you.
200 SPwrII? You're an immortal. Your body heals like all get out. A short nap is enough to recouperate you from death's door, attackers will often find their attacks healing up before they're finished, and you can bring an ashed being back to life by feeling bad about it hard enough.
Defense
Physical toughness. This number represents your overall physique and ability to take punishment.
When this number falls below 10, you have roughly the toughness of a child. If you fall down, you'll skin your knees and possibly cry about it. Taking damage of any physical nature has a possibility of knocking you on your ass, and if an attack already carries that possibility, it is greatly enhanced.
If this number hits zero, you're pretty much made of paper stuck together with toothpicks. Your flesh is as destructible as your bones are brittle. Any armor you wear becomes half as effective (the first number only), because the impact of being struck is too much for you, layer of metal or no layer of metal. Any physical bad status effect chances are doubled, and any physical damage carries the definite possibility of being knocked around like a rag doll.
200 Defense? You're an unmovable juggernaught. If gravity freakishly reversed and the planet landed on you, you wouldn't notice. Your body is tougher than any armor, attacks are liable to damage the one preforming them, and the Unstoppable Force politely moves around you for fear of destroying it's reputation.
Special Defense
The power of your soul and to a lesser extent your body to deflect damage of a less physical nature.
If this number strays below 10, your 'aura' becomes very thin and weak, and you have very little spiritual presence when at rest. Magical armor won't respond to you, losing all supernatural abilities and halving it's bonus to Magical defense. Also, the likelihood of magical status effects being afflicted increases, and elemental resistances you have are decreased by a step.
At 0, you have the will power of a rock. Magical armor becomes normal armor, losing the second number in it's defense, and accessories become useless baubles. Furthermore, when spells are cast on you, the casters SPwr bonus will be applied twice,and elemental resistances are lost entirely.
200 SDef? You're the spiritual equivilant of a folded titanium panzer. Your willpower is tangible. You can frolic through a supernova, laugh off a divine smiting, and sleep through setting off that pesky nuke under your pillow.
Speed
Your physical speed and mental reaction time.
When this goes below 10, you start to move like you're in slow motion. Your Move skills are all cut in half (meaning that if you don't have the skill, it becomes 1/4 rather than 1/2), and anything that normally takes time will take twice as long.
If this plummets to 0, you have all the agility of a rock and equally good reflexes. Besides Dodging becoming a faroff dream, you have a 25% chance of actually failing to Defend when under attack. You also lose any Buckler type bonuses you have to avoid damage, and Movement skills hit 0. You can only walk slowly, because the muscles of your legs at this point resemble tapioca pudding.
200 Speed? Your daily jog is measured in lightyears. You could win a race against a laser beam. Wanna see me run to that mountain and back? Wanna see me do it again? Your dodging leaves people wondering if you were ever really there in the first place, and boy you dodge plenty.
Accuracy
Your sight and hand-eye coordination.
When this goes below 10, you're not very good at... Seeing stuff. You're liable to instead slap yourself in the face if you try to grab something. Processes that require good motor skills are doomed to failure.
When this hits 0, you're blind. Literally, you can't see a blasted thing.
200 Acc? You're the most steady handed, eagle eyed, attentive person on the planet. Rather than sheep jumping over a fence, you count photons passing through your pupils. You can tie sailor knots in a strand of hair. You can remove the wings from a fly at 500 feet and give it accupuncture from 10.
Let it be known that the 'average' number for any stat is considered to be 10. This is the number that any average joe walking on the street will have. The exception would be, perhaps, children, or certain races. This doesn't mean I'm going to outright restrict people from putting 0-9 as stats, but it does mean that there should be certain penalties for being below average in the dangerous situations that PCs in this game live in. Note that an original character has 140 stat points to distribute, meaning that they have more than enough to be well above average in all stats.
Okay, here goes.
Oh, and keep in mind that these rules apply if for some reason your stats are LOWERED below 10. I'll also list some other things that may apply even if the stat in question is higher than 10.
Just for fun, I'm also putting down what it means to have 200 in a stat, the absolute max.
Power
Physical strength. It doesn't just mean your ability to bash a head in.
If this number falls below 10, the character is severely weak, like a small child. Weapons that usually take one hand may take two, the exception being very small weapons like daggers, and armor will be very difficult to wear (this is actually not a new thing, because your Power stat determines how much armor you can wear).
If this stat actually reaches zero, the character has no physical power whatsoever and can hardly even move his arms. Even cloth or leather armor will be unbearably heavy, and even a very small weapon will take two hands to wield, including shields. It's more likely at this point that you either lack a physical body or are severely handicapped.
200 Strength means... You're lifting mountains and throwing them at people, playing tiddly winks with Redwoods, and bending steel by looking at it. You stud...
Special Power I
Destructive power in your very soul. This is one stat that does actually occur as a zero sometimes, such as in the case of a child, or perhaps a barbaric tribe. Drakalfos Acolytes are purged of all dark karma, and thus suffer from the 0 SPwr restrictions. This does NOT have to be a 0 if your character comes from a 'realistic' world. Think of the stat as magical 'potential' rather than actual ability in practice. If you're a robot, think of it as negative programming rather than soul.
If this falls below 10, any attacks you make that aren't -purely- physical will be severely weak and deal half damage (After all other calculations). Even magic from items will be halved if it it isn't purely helpful in nature.
If this falls to 0, you're either a very holy person or kind of dim. Your spirit is very quiet and mostly stays packed into your head, unless you're using it to do helpful things. Offensive items with too much magic involved will fizzle in your hands and become useless. Magical armaments will similiarly fail and become simply mundane objects. There are of course exceptions, but this is the 99% true rule. 'Holiday' items or Heroism/Villainy crystals will still work, because they are powered by ... Outside forces.
200 Spwr? Your magic is so powerful that it's visible. You can't take a step without kicking up sparks, using artifacts thousands of years older than you is second nature, and even the simplest spell can level a building under your casting.
Special Power II
Healing power in your soul. Same as the above, mostly. Drakalfos Berzerkers actually have a 0 in this stat, and therefore suffer the consequences.
If this stat falls below 10, you are either a dastardly engine of destruction or just a really unhealthy person. Bad Status effects that you incur will pretty much have their wicked way with you, and Good Status effects that you're given will quickly run out of juice. Your natural healing capabilities are drastically low.
If this stat falls to 0, you have all the healing capability of a zombie. Any item or medicine/potion that is even remotely magical fizzles out when used by or on you. You're extremely difficult to heal, and bad status effects will last half again as long as they would have, while good ones will simply bounce off you.
200 SPwrII? You're an immortal. Your body heals like all get out. A short nap is enough to recouperate you from death's door, attackers will often find their attacks healing up before they're finished, and you can bring an ashed being back to life by feeling bad about it hard enough.
Defense
Physical toughness. This number represents your overall physique and ability to take punishment.
When this number falls below 10, you have roughly the toughness of a child. If you fall down, you'll skin your knees and possibly cry about it. Taking damage of any physical nature has a possibility of knocking you on your ass, and if an attack already carries that possibility, it is greatly enhanced.
If this number hits zero, you're pretty much made of paper stuck together with toothpicks. Your flesh is as destructible as your bones are brittle. Any armor you wear becomes half as effective (the first number only), because the impact of being struck is too much for you, layer of metal or no layer of metal. Any physical bad status effect chances are doubled, and any physical damage carries the definite possibility of being knocked around like a rag doll.
200 Defense? You're an unmovable juggernaught. If gravity freakishly reversed and the planet landed on you, you wouldn't notice. Your body is tougher than any armor, attacks are liable to damage the one preforming them, and the Unstoppable Force politely moves around you for fear of destroying it's reputation.
Special Defense
The power of your soul and to a lesser extent your body to deflect damage of a less physical nature.
If this number strays below 10, your 'aura' becomes very thin and weak, and you have very little spiritual presence when at rest. Magical armor won't respond to you, losing all supernatural abilities and halving it's bonus to Magical defense. Also, the likelihood of magical status effects being afflicted increases, and elemental resistances you have are decreased by a step.
At 0, you have the will power of a rock. Magical armor becomes normal armor, losing the second number in it's defense, and accessories become useless baubles. Furthermore, when spells are cast on you, the casters SPwr bonus will be applied twice,and elemental resistances are lost entirely.
200 SDef? You're the spiritual equivilant of a folded titanium panzer. Your willpower is tangible. You can frolic through a supernova, laugh off a divine smiting, and sleep through setting off that pesky nuke under your pillow.
Speed
Your physical speed and mental reaction time.
When this goes below 10, you start to move like you're in slow motion. Your Move skills are all cut in half (meaning that if you don't have the skill, it becomes 1/4 rather than 1/2), and anything that normally takes time will take twice as long.
If this plummets to 0, you have all the agility of a rock and equally good reflexes. Besides Dodging becoming a faroff dream, you have a 25% chance of actually failing to Defend when under attack. You also lose any Buckler type bonuses you have to avoid damage, and Movement skills hit 0. You can only walk slowly, because the muscles of your legs at this point resemble tapioca pudding.
200 Speed? Your daily jog is measured in lightyears. You could win a race against a laser beam. Wanna see me run to that mountain and back? Wanna see me do it again? Your dodging leaves people wondering if you were ever really there in the first place, and boy you dodge plenty.
Accuracy
Your sight and hand-eye coordination.
When this goes below 10, you're not very good at... Seeing stuff. You're liable to instead slap yourself in the face if you try to grab something. Processes that require good motor skills are doomed to failure.
When this hits 0, you're blind. Literally, you can't see a blasted thing.
200 Acc? You're the most steady handed, eagle eyed, attentive person on the planet. Rather than sheep jumping over a fence, you count photons passing through your pupils. You can tie sailor knots in a strand of hair. You can remove the wings from a fly at 500 feet and give it accupuncture from 10.