Well, folks, I know writing stories is fun and all, but what I have to suggest today may throw a new curve into the combat-based roleplaying we’re used to- for those interested. I’m not here to suggest a plot (I wouldn’t know what I could possibly bring up, that hasn’t been used before), but rather, to introduce a relatively simple battle system that makes fighting NPCs more interesting. If you’ve got an RPG idea with a fighting-centered theme, this is for you. People more interested in sub-plots like love on the battlefield: sorry, not so much. Below sits five minutes (or less) of reading material about how to play. For the most part, it’s pretty flexible and self-explanatory. However, it is NOT set in stone. The point is simplicity, but I'll edit as needed.
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Here is the battle system a couple friends and I laid out. You’ll need a deck of normal playing cards to use this. https://www.random.org/playing-cards/ (RANDOM.ORG - Playing Card Shuffler)
1. THE CARDS
2. IF (Situational)
3. WEAPONS
4. ELEMENTAL ADVANTAGES
5. LEVEL-UP
6. CRITICAL STRIKE
7. PROFILE
1. THE CARDS:
Cards are events that happen during the battle. You draw two cards, pick the one you want, and give the other to your opponent. Yes, that means you’ll usually get the better deal, as is the case with most action heroes. Both of you start off with a certain number of FP, aka Focus Points. They’re like Hit Points, except you don’t get injured while fighting your opponent; you use your focus to block and parry attacks. This is different, because once FP hits 0, the loser lets down his guard and is stricken by the finishing blow. The winner relaxes his focus and is restored to full FP. That means even if you’ve got to have another fight directly afterwards, you could take it.
Ace: Will serve as a one damage marker UNLESS you pick the Ace of Spades, in which case you will perform your Critical strike (to be decided by players and approved by their peers.)
2: Does two damage.
3: Does three damage.
4: Does four damage.
5: Does five damage.
6: Does six damage.
7: Does seven damage.
8: Does eight damage.
9: Does nine damage.
10: Does ten damage.
Jack: Cuts enemy’s current FP in half.
Queen: Restores entire FP, it's like a second wind. Queen ALWAYS gets first move.
King: Decide who gets the other card that was drawn, then discard the King and automatically use the next card. It’s a gamble each time.
Joker: Imitates the effect of any other card.
2. IF:
-You beat your opponent at the end of the battle, you are instantly restored to full FP. In these fights, you don’t flat-out get stabbed, rather you chip away at the opponent’s focus until he hits 0, where he lets his guard down. Just think of Cloud and Sephiroth smacking away at each other with their swords. The FP for both is draining.
-Your opponent beats you, you accept it. Someone else will have to rescue you- better hope there’s an ally nearby.
-You and your opponent both get cards that take one another to 0 or below, draw again. Repeat as many times as necessary.
-You find that dividing FP gives you or your opponent half a Focus Point, always round up.
-You draw two Kings, discard one and re-draw.
3. WEAPONS:
You have them, and your foes have them, in all shapes and sizes. You make them unique by choosing their perks, which give you an edge in battle. There are really only two perks to choose: Dodge or do x2 Damage.
x2 DAMAGE: Allows you to double the damage of the number card you assign it to. Becomes x4 damage if weapon trinity advantage is used.
DODGE: Makes you immune from the number card you pick it to be. NOTE: Dodge negates ALL damage, even that from the x2 Damage perk.
NORMAL WEAPONS: You may have up to two perks for these weapons. It could be one x2 Damage, two Dodges, simply nothing, whatever. We trust you’re mature enough to be fair in the cards you assign any perks to, and not go overboard (such as choosing 10 and 9 together).
SACRED WEAPONS: These are stronger, to accommodate for the fact that they do NOT an edge over another weapon. You may have up to three perks for these weapons, and each also has a Unique Ability- which you decide. Since they’re typically better, they’re inaccessible until you’ve Classed Up (discussed below). Taking all perks and abilities into account tends to be cumbersome anyway, without prior experience with Normal Weapon fighting.
Again, moderation please. No 8, 9, and 10 together for perks.
You are permitted to have any number of weapons that you can realistically carry; however, if you have multiple weapons, always indicate which one you are starting with. You can only use one at a time. It is CHEATING to draw two cards first, then decide “I want to switch weapons” because you noticed the draw gave you a good deal if you did. Switch weapons first, then draw.
4. ELEMENTAL ADVANTAGES:
Many of us Pokemon fans also favor other shows and games with concepts of elemental attribute, whether it's Avatar, Naruto, or Final Fantasy. This system similarly incorporates the Four Elements of Nature. If the game you have in mind isn't set in a world of elementals, think of these as four personality types instead. A Fire personality is nurturing but hot-tempered, an Earth personality is sensible but stubborn, a Wind personality is free-spirited but scatterbrained, and a Water personality is considerate but impressionable (though with all cases, there are exceptions).
Bottom line: your elemental attribute gets applied to your weapon, unless it's a Sacred Weapon.
FIRE gains x2 against Earth (Fire scalds Earth)
EARTH gains x2 against Wind (Earth blocks Wind)
WIND gains x2 against Water (Wind churns Water)
WATER gains x2 against Fire (Water douses Fire)
The weapon reveals the user’s elemental attribute. Please note that there is no damage resistance (like water vs water).
5. LEVEL-UP:
Every card battle you fight will result in a level-up. You’ll gain 2 extra FP for each fight you win. FP is the only thing you ever gain. At some point, you have the option to CLASS UP, which will allow you a bonus of five FP and access to Sacred Weapons. HOWEVER, any further leveling will result in +1 FP per level instead of +2. In a nutshell, staying little lets you grow faster; becoming bigger makes you tougher, but level up slower.
6. CRITICAL STRIKE:
Every player character gets to trigger their super attack if they draw the Ace of Spades. It can be comprised of anything you want, whether it’s auto-damage or luck of the draw. However, as with the power of your weapons, we ask you to be moderate about the effect. By definition, it should be the strongest attack in your arsenal, but it shouldn’t be able to kill Satan in one blow. An example is given below.
7. PROFILE:
This is how you should look in battle preparation. At the game’s beginning, EVERYONE STARTS AT LEVEL 1, WITH 12 FP. Enemies can be at any FP.
You: (Character's name.)
Focus Points: (Base FP will gradually grow higher as you get better.)
Critical strike: (Name a super attack and explain the battle conditions here.)
Weapons: (Weapon name, perks, and if applicable, Unique Ability.)
EXAMPLE: Mr. Hero Guy
Focus Points: 30
Critical strike: Ultra Smash (Draw until you have three number cards. The total sum is the damage dealt.)
Weapon: Hero Sword (Provides Dodge to all 5’s. No Unique Ability.)
***
Here is the battle system a couple friends and I laid out. You’ll need a deck of normal playing cards to use this. https://www.random.org/playing-cards/ (RANDOM.ORG - Playing Card Shuffler)
1. THE CARDS
2. IF (Situational)
3. WEAPONS
4. ELEMENTAL ADVANTAGES
5. LEVEL-UP
6. CRITICAL STRIKE
7. PROFILE
1. THE CARDS:
Cards are events that happen during the battle. You draw two cards, pick the one you want, and give the other to your opponent. Yes, that means you’ll usually get the better deal, as is the case with most action heroes. Both of you start off with a certain number of FP, aka Focus Points. They’re like Hit Points, except you don’t get injured while fighting your opponent; you use your focus to block and parry attacks. This is different, because once FP hits 0, the loser lets down his guard and is stricken by the finishing blow. The winner relaxes his focus and is restored to full FP. That means even if you’ve got to have another fight directly afterwards, you could take it.
Ace: Will serve as a one damage marker UNLESS you pick the Ace of Spades, in which case you will perform your Critical strike (to be decided by players and approved by their peers.)
2: Does two damage.
3: Does three damage.
4: Does four damage.
5: Does five damage.
6: Does six damage.
7: Does seven damage.
8: Does eight damage.
9: Does nine damage.
10: Does ten damage.
Jack: Cuts enemy’s current FP in half.
Queen: Restores entire FP, it's like a second wind. Queen ALWAYS gets first move.
King: Decide who gets the other card that was drawn, then discard the King and automatically use the next card. It’s a gamble each time.
Joker: Imitates the effect of any other card.
2. IF:
-You beat your opponent at the end of the battle, you are instantly restored to full FP. In these fights, you don’t flat-out get stabbed, rather you chip away at the opponent’s focus until he hits 0, where he lets his guard down. Just think of Cloud and Sephiroth smacking away at each other with their swords. The FP for both is draining.
-Your opponent beats you, you accept it. Someone else will have to rescue you- better hope there’s an ally nearby.
-You and your opponent both get cards that take one another to 0 or below, draw again. Repeat as many times as necessary.
-You find that dividing FP gives you or your opponent half a Focus Point, always round up.
-You draw two Kings, discard one and re-draw.
3. WEAPONS:
You have them, and your foes have them, in all shapes and sizes. You make them unique by choosing their perks, which give you an edge in battle. There are really only two perks to choose: Dodge or do x2 Damage.
x2 DAMAGE: Allows you to double the damage of the number card you assign it to. Becomes x4 damage if weapon trinity advantage is used.
DODGE: Makes you immune from the number card you pick it to be. NOTE: Dodge negates ALL damage, even that from the x2 Damage perk.
NORMAL WEAPONS: You may have up to two perks for these weapons. It could be one x2 Damage, two Dodges, simply nothing, whatever. We trust you’re mature enough to be fair in the cards you assign any perks to, and not go overboard (such as choosing 10 and 9 together).
SACRED WEAPONS: These are stronger, to accommodate for the fact that they do NOT an edge over another weapon. You may have up to three perks for these weapons, and each also has a Unique Ability- which you decide. Since they’re typically better, they’re inaccessible until you’ve Classed Up (discussed below). Taking all perks and abilities into account tends to be cumbersome anyway, without prior experience with Normal Weapon fighting.
Again, moderation please. No 8, 9, and 10 together for perks.
You are permitted to have any number of weapons that you can realistically carry; however, if you have multiple weapons, always indicate which one you are starting with. You can only use one at a time. It is CHEATING to draw two cards first, then decide “I want to switch weapons” because you noticed the draw gave you a good deal if you did. Switch weapons first, then draw.
4. ELEMENTAL ADVANTAGES:
Many of us Pokemon fans also favor other shows and games with concepts of elemental attribute, whether it's Avatar, Naruto, or Final Fantasy. This system similarly incorporates the Four Elements of Nature. If the game you have in mind isn't set in a world of elementals, think of these as four personality types instead. A Fire personality is nurturing but hot-tempered, an Earth personality is sensible but stubborn, a Wind personality is free-spirited but scatterbrained, and a Water personality is considerate but impressionable (though with all cases, there are exceptions).
Bottom line: your elemental attribute gets applied to your weapon, unless it's a Sacred Weapon.
FIRE gains x2 against Earth (Fire scalds Earth)
EARTH gains x2 against Wind (Earth blocks Wind)
WIND gains x2 against Water (Wind churns Water)
WATER gains x2 against Fire (Water douses Fire)
The weapon reveals the user’s elemental attribute. Please note that there is no damage resistance (like water vs water).
5. LEVEL-UP:
Every card battle you fight will result in a level-up. You’ll gain 2 extra FP for each fight you win. FP is the only thing you ever gain. At some point, you have the option to CLASS UP, which will allow you a bonus of five FP and access to Sacred Weapons. HOWEVER, any further leveling will result in +1 FP per level instead of +2. In a nutshell, staying little lets you grow faster; becoming bigger makes you tougher, but level up slower.
6. CRITICAL STRIKE:
Every player character gets to trigger their super attack if they draw the Ace of Spades. It can be comprised of anything you want, whether it’s auto-damage or luck of the draw. However, as with the power of your weapons, we ask you to be moderate about the effect. By definition, it should be the strongest attack in your arsenal, but it shouldn’t be able to kill Satan in one blow. An example is given below.
7. PROFILE:
This is how you should look in battle preparation. At the game’s beginning, EVERYONE STARTS AT LEVEL 1, WITH 12 FP. Enemies can be at any FP.
You: (Character's name.)
Focus Points: (Base FP will gradually grow higher as you get better.)
Critical strike: (Name a super attack and explain the battle conditions here.)
Weapons: (Weapon name, perks, and if applicable, Unique Ability.)
EXAMPLE: Mr. Hero Guy
Focus Points: 30
Critical strike: Ultra Smash (Draw until you have three number cards. The total sum is the damage dealt.)
Weapon: Hero Sword (Provides Dodge to all 5’s. No Unique Ability.)