RE: Eskero: The pen and paper RPG system
03-14-2013, 04:14 PM
I do plan to make all the PC's Aspects, and creating a deity as well as a domain was a real problematic endeavor since your domain determines which songs you can sing, and asking someone to come up with a new domain is asking them to also construct their ladder of growth, which even with some rather defined rules and templates might be tedious. I'm VERY open to suggestions in this regard, but right now the way I'm leaning towards is creating a lot of defined base sub-domains that come together to create a main domain out of 3 or so of them, so it'd be like picking and choosing your skill trees (Yawn's dream domain would be illusion, clouds, and night). The problem with this is the amount of work I'd have to do creating that many sub-domains to choose from and making them all relatively balanced, and maybe coming up with some unique curveballs in there so they aren't all just too samey to really matter.
There's also the issue of some classes using their domain differently, such as with Braves versus Alchemists. What would be the first level skill of the flame sub-domain? A projectile fireball that fits with alchemists or a flaming sword ability that fits with a brave?
So yeah, if anyone knows a not as tedious way to ask players to create their own domain and skills, that'd be fabulous.
And yeah, I was thinking something around the Aspect commissions. I wouldn't think that their power level is as defined as their deity by how broad their domain is, though I do want to encourage creative domains as opposed to someone just rolling up an Aspect of Flame. The whole choosing three or so sub-domains might help in that regard since maybe 2 domains would fall into the same neighborhood but a third would throw in a wildcard to make them think more about what domain they're creating with their combination.
Aspects are Aspects fo' life and even goes down through their blood to their children, though maybe a character's arc could be their quest to find a way to get around this contract and de-attach themselves from their domain. I think it'd be a pretty interesting epilogue for a changed ex-brave to try and fit back into society after turning into a bit of a monstrosity by their domain.
post-thought: Maybe sub-domains would just have skills that are more basic like for the previous example, "Create flame" would have a certain damage modifier, and while alchemists have the choice to create projectiles, braves have the ability to apply songs to their weapons and bodies (Aka flaming fists woo woo!). Maybe a system like this would help encourage creative solutions since the songs themselves need to be applied in certain ways and the different classes have basic rules about how they can use songs themselves.
There's also the issue of some classes using their domain differently, such as with Braves versus Alchemists. What would be the first level skill of the flame sub-domain? A projectile fireball that fits with alchemists or a flaming sword ability that fits with a brave?
So yeah, if anyone knows a not as tedious way to ask players to create their own domain and skills, that'd be fabulous.
And yeah, I was thinking something around the Aspect commissions. I wouldn't think that their power level is as defined as their deity by how broad their domain is, though I do want to encourage creative domains as opposed to someone just rolling up an Aspect of Flame. The whole choosing three or so sub-domains might help in that regard since maybe 2 domains would fall into the same neighborhood but a third would throw in a wildcard to make them think more about what domain they're creating with their combination.
Aspects are Aspects fo' life and even goes down through their blood to their children, though maybe a character's arc could be their quest to find a way to get around this contract and de-attach themselves from their domain. I think it'd be a pretty interesting epilogue for a changed ex-brave to try and fit back into society after turning into a bit of a monstrosity by their domain.
post-thought: Maybe sub-domains would just have skills that are more basic like for the previous example, "Create flame" would have a certain damage modifier, and while alchemists have the choice to create projectiles, braves have the ability to apply songs to their weapons and bodies (Aka flaming fists woo woo!). Maybe a system like this would help encourage creative solutions since the songs themselves need to be applied in certain ways and the different classes have basic rules about how they can use songs themselves.