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Old 11-21-2018, 08:10 AM   #11
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Default Re: New use for XP - Heroic Exploits

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Originally Posted by hcobb View Post
I could have missed something, but I'm fairly sure that my university didn't offer any alchemy training.

They're called talents, not skills for a reason.
I think there may be a few liberal art colleges that do teach that, actually. ;)

TBH, with very few exceptions, I assume that nearly all talents require study and training. That's how I will be running my games.
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Old 11-21-2018, 08:18 AM   #12
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Default Re: New use for XP - Heroic Exploits

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Will there be a cost associated with each use of these powers? Perhaps I'm misunderstanding something but from the other posts I gather that a character will purchase the Bless ability with some amount of XP -- sort of like purchasing a talent or spell. When the character uses the Bless ability, what sort of cost will it incur? Fatigue? more XP? Nothing? Or will there be an arbitrary limit on the number of times a power can be used within a particular duration?
My thoughts about initial XP costs is that they will escalate... cost will increase with each 'exploit' you choose. For example (and these costs may change), 500 XP for the first ability, 1000 for the second, 1500 for the third, etc.

As far as per-use costs, I haven't thought thru that yet, but I would expect that just like the Staff spells, some abilities will have them and some will not. Limited uses per day or per encounter are also possible. As stated previously, figuring out how to balance these powers will be key to making them a viable addition to the game.
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Old 11-22-2018, 01:24 AM   #13
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Default Re: New use for XP - Heroic Exploits

Honestly, while your concept has some merit on its own, it seems to me that you're piling complexity on a system not really designed to take it. In effect, pushing the system towards GURPS (Advantages/Disadvantages). Since GURPS already exists, and is a "pick and choose" system anyway (i.e., you pick the rules you want to use and ignore the rest), why not just play GURPS instead?

I say this NOT to be snarky, but to save you some time and trouble with TFT. Cidri is really just a splat-book away from GURPS anyway, and there's absolutely nothing to prevent you from running a GURPS campaign in the Duchy of Dran. In fact, that might be pretty darn interesting. You could take the basic Dungeon Fantasy system and plop in a couple of extra rules from the core system to get you where you want to go and be done in no time.
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Old 11-22-2018, 08:32 AM   #14
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Default Re: New use for XP - Heroic Exploits

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Honestly, while your concept has some merit on its own, it seems to me that you're piling complexity on a system not really designed to take it. In effect, pushing the system towards GURPS (Advantages/Disadvantages). Since GURPS already exists, and is a "pick and choose" system anyway (i.e., you pick the rules you want to use and ignore the rest), why not just play GURPS instead?

I say this NOT to be snarky, but to save you some time and trouble with TFT. Cidri is really just a splat-book away from GURPS anyway, and there's absolutely nothing to prevent you from running a GURPS campaign in the Duchy of Dran. In fact, that might be pretty darn interesting. You could take the basic Dungeon Fantasy system and plop in a couple of extra rules from the core system to get you where you want to go and be done in no time.
Honestly, I hear you. I love the low-overhead, gritty combat, limited character options aspects of the TFT ruleset. And, all evidence to the contrary, I'm really not trying to turn TFT into GURPS or any other game system. I am trying to solve for a few campaign-specific challenges, however, and this idea seems to hit the right notes for me at the moment. I'll be the first to admit that it may not ultimately work out, but I won't really know that until I have the concept more fleshed out. Plus I enjoy the mental exercise. ;)

I really appreciate all the feedback, though...positive as well as critical.
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Old 11-22-2018, 10:16 AM   #15
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Default Re: New use for XP - Heroic Exploits

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If you can access it, check out an article in the old Interplay Magazine, #5. It is called Iron Fist. I don't think you could use it as written, but it might provide some insight and food for thought. If you can't find it I can copy and post it.
Interesting... I didn't realize there was so much TFT content in Interplay magazine (we only had a few issues of Space Gamer back in the day). I'm learning new stuff every day... guess old dogs can learn new tricks.

One of the portfolios I want to create after 'Channeling' is some kind 'Mystic Monk' that would likely include something like the Iron Fist ability.
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Old 11-22-2018, 08:18 PM   #16
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Default Re: New use for XP - Heroic Exploits

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Originally Posted by TippetsTX View Post
Honestly, I hear you. I love the low-overhead, gritty combat, limited character options aspects of the TFT ruleset. And, all evidence to the contrary, I'm really not trying to turn TFT into GURPS or any other game system. I am trying to solve for a few campaign-specific challenges, however, and this idea seems to hit the right notes for me at the moment. I'll be the first to admit that it may not ultimately work out, but I won't really know that until I have the concept more fleshed out. Plus I enjoy the mental exercise. ;)

I really appreciate all the feedback, though...positive as well as critical.
Well, I for one appreciate your thought processes (and I'm particularly glad you didn't take my comment personally, as too many people would have). And I fully understand the "working out the challenges" idea -- been there and done that.

Any time someone publishes a thought piece, I look at it in terms of KISS and how TFT is structured, and thus my comment. When I look at an additional or alternative rule, I want it to be no more than a paragraph in length, to not have exceptions and unique features that require other rules to step aside, and to fit smoothly into the paradigm of the existing rule structure without upsetting the applecart via unintended consequences. Generally, in my experience, the more complicated the rule, the more likely that it will violate one of those principles, so that's why I kept on talking about KISS back in the early days of this forum.
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Old 11-23-2018, 09:51 AM   #17
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Default Re: New use for XP - Heroic Exploits

What are the costs for these quasi-spell abilities?

Your hero is balanced against another hero who paid three skill points for the Telekinesis spell because of what?
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Old 11-23-2018, 02:17 PM   #18
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Default Re: New use for XP - Heroic Exploits

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I hope you don't mind, but your post got me to thinking and I may have a tier of powers for what you're working on.

Call it mental powers or Psychic Channeling or what you will as a title

First tier ESP
Second tier telekinesis
third tier Long range ESP
fourth tier Magic Fist
fifth tier Teleport or perhaps Double Damage for the fourth tier effect

I leave the specific trigger(s) for these abilities to you.
Hope you can use it.
So one of my design goals is actually to not duplicate abilities currently covered by existing spells and talents. That said, I do think some kind of 'psychic warrior' portfolio would be cool.

Here's a list of the 'Heroic Exploit' portfolios that I have bouncing around in my head (please forgive the titles... they are just placeholders):
  • Magister (to replace the Staff spells)
  • Channeling (positive energy)
  • Mystic Monk (elemental fist, etc.)
  • Shadowborn (shadow powers)
  • Crow the Archer (multi-shot, trick shot, etc.)
  • Necromancer (negative energy)
  • Berserker (rage powers)
  • Gymkata (super acrobatics)
  • Skinwalker (totem-based shape shifter)
  • Deryni Rising (psionic powers)
  • Familiar Master (based on ideas from another thread)
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Last edited by TippetsTX; 11-29-2018 at 02:32 PM.
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Old 11-30-2018, 08:07 AM   #19
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Default Re: New use for XP - Heroic Exploits

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Originally Posted by TippetsTX View Post
So one of my design goals is actually to not duplicate abilities currently covered by existing spells and talents. That said, I do think some kind of 'psychic warrior' portfolio would be cool.

Here's a list of the 'Heroic Exploit' portfolios that I have bouncing around in my head (please forgive the titles... they are just placeholders):
  • Magister (to replace the Staff spells)
  • Channeling (positive energy)
  • Mystic Monk (elemental fist, etc.)
  • Shadowborn (shadow powers)
  • Crow the Archer (multi-shot, trick shot, etc.)
  • Necromancer (negative energy)
  • Berserker (rage powers)
  • Gymkata (super acrobatics)
  • Skinwalker (totem-based shape shifter)
  • Deryni Rising (psionic powers)
  • Familiar Master (based on ideas from another thread)
Rick Smith posted a thread in July along these lines.
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Old 11-30-2018, 08:30 AM   #20
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Default Re: New use for XP - Heroic Exploits

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Rick Smith posted a thread in July along these lines.
Thanks, I'll take a look.

UPDATE: There are certainly some surface similarities and even potential overlap in specific abilities that I may want a few of the portfolios to cover, but i think my approach has much more structure, versatility and variety (assuming it works out how I hope... fingers crossed).
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