Wow, this is really good! It keeps up with the simpicity of Shadowdark, and adds just the necessary to run a dolmenwood compaign. Congratulations!
About ancestries:
- I think Moss Gnome ends up overlapping their talent with dwarf's Stout. If you want to emulate Mosskin resilient, you could maybe give them advantage on CON checks against natural hazards and toxins?
- Batfolk's talent is a bit anthithetical to the Shadowdark ethos of keeping darkness a dangerous threat. A suggested change: "you can see perfectly objects and creatures that are producing audible sounds , even in total darkness".
- I know goatfolk is just beastman's brutal, but it would be cool if they had a natural horn weapon that increases in damage as they level up.
I don't have a deep knowledge about the lore of Dolmenwood, but, if cats are just like their real-life counterparts, their stat block could have lower CON, INT and CHA. Usually, animals have -3 in those stats, smart/charming ones like velociraptors have -2 and REALLY smart ones like great apes have -1/+0.
But these are minor, personal preferences. Overall, it's a really nice hack!
Okay, I did some testing, and found some problems with armor:
Basically, if someone has enough BTM and invest at least 350 creds in armor (kevlar and helmet), they become immune to everything but rifles. I know it's not the most viable thing, but it's certainly possible, specially with the point distribution at character creation. I know armor is mean to protect, but I don't like the idea of someone being straight up immune to an SMG spray in the face using just kevlar and being a sturdy guy.
The armor breaking rules could work, but I think it's too punishing and doesn't stand up for too much time. My idea would be to spend armor points to negate damage equal to its remaining points (same to BTM, but this would heal just like normal wounds), or just straight up ignore the damage taken (still not sure, though). It's not very realistic, but it can keep light armor still relevant against a sniper rifle and add the tension of decision-making about burning resources to keep yourself alive.
That's exaclty what I was looking for: a rules-light cyberpunk system, without too much abstraction (like Neon City Overdrive) and less gritty (like CY_BORG, althought it's my second favorite of the genre)!
Things I'm missing, though, are vehicle (combat/chase) rules and how to create enemies/NPCs (including drones or robots). A way to convert prices from CPR and CP2020 to improve the equipment list would be intersting, too!
All in all, great job! Hope you keep updating it!
Hmm gonna have to disagree about a handgun being easies to use than a sword in a fight. It's definitely much easier to threat, hold off and hurt someone with a pistol than with a sword, since you just have to move your finger and get a chance to severely injure or kill someone (I say that as someone who already fought in a sword fight. They are tough to even move!)
Otherwise, yeah. Thosr uses for First Aid make sense. It's just my CoC head thinking something else.
This. This is (almost) exactly what I was looking for! A simple, flexible horror game, easily adaptable horror system for my games. Easy to teach, easy to run.
I do have few things to point out, though:
I really don't get the logic of weapons. Why does a sword makes you more menacing (and durable in combat) and helps you in Fight Rolls, but a bow doesn't? Also, there are no rules explaining what should be done if the contestants have the same value of Menace/Escape (which might be common, supposing that these Stats usually have pretty close numbers).
Also, since you can get straight up killed in a fight, and not fall dying on the floor, I don't see much reason for getting First Aid..
About Stress and Panicking: I like the idea of you getting better at something because you are panicking (adrenaline can make miracles), but if characters spend stress to do so, they might never gain a scar at all, unless they witness some real lovecarftian horror to immediately get a scar. MAYBE another interesting approach would be if they could GAIN stress in order to panic and get benefits. This way stress wouldn't be missinterpreted as a simple stat that you can spend to get bonuses, but a risky resource that you only should rely on in moments of despairing, life-or-death situations.
Hey! First of all: gosh, I've fallen in love with this system! Its so simple, yet has so much flavour to it! The chapters are a pretty neat approach for a class-like thing, but it has so much customization and lets the characters change their approach to the world as it changes them (and some of them are so creative) You've done a wonderful job here, and I hope you can give us more of this (please add more runes for the enchanter, I need it!).
That said, I have a few questions regarding some balance issues and text clarifications:
First - The ranger, soldier and sorcerer tales state that you (can) start with a bow, but doesn't clarify if that's a shortbow or longbow. Which was it supposed to be?
Second - If a level 10 character has 10 tales that gives them the combatant feature, they will have +10 to hit and damage (ideally giving them a minimum amount of 15 to hit and damage). Isn't that... a bit much? That way, someone would hit almost always and deal at least 30 damage in one round, which is more thant enough to to obliterate a 10HD creature, which theoretically have a maximum of 80 HP, in 3 ROUNDS! Isn't that a way this could be nerfed, like putting a limit to the bonus?
Third - It really seems like the sorcerer is a weaker version of the wizard? At least at level 1, wizards start with 2 more spells than sorcerers, and with a wider variety of them, since they can access different schools of magic, plus sorcerers' chaos magic is WAY more dangerous than wizards' and happens more frequently (wizards do not get mishaps until level 2, while sorecers have this possibility since level 2). I really enjoy the concept that sorcerers' innate magic is more unstable, but they could pass the feeling of being more powerful than the acquired magic of wizards. Something like: MD are only spent on a (5 or) 6, but you roll Dooms on a (4) 5 or 6.
Sorry for the chunk of text, I'm just excited about the system and can't stop analysing it! Again, good job here and thanks for the answers <3
Hi,
Wonderful job you did here! This system is amazing! Simple, but very solid and atmospherically creative.
I just have one question: on the items description, as well as in the optional rules gazette, it's implied that ranged weapons need to reload. But there is no description for ammunition rules, or a correspondent item. Is ammo an item? Does reloading requires an action? Does the assault rifle need to reload twice?
Hey, nice game! This is one of the best OSR, In the Odd inspired RPGs I've ever seen! The combats are so simple and fun at the same time!
I just got one rule question: When you use a soul to level up, what exactly do you level up and how much does it level up? One point on a stat you wish? Or you level everything at the same time? Shouldn't Resilience get higher too?
again, amazing game you made!
