ABS12 Experience System Changes

All the changes from this page will be added to the complete master game page at A Basic System 12 (ABS12).

When I set the first version of exp points, kills and skills were the focus of my initial framework. I haven't used that system yet in my test plays. And I don't think that I want to.

I will change the experience point system to something else. Something based on scenes, acts, and story rewards. Rather than worrying about kills and skills, I will focus more on scene goals, staying true to the character, and facing conflict. In addition, points for completing each part of the story will be given.

This system focuses on the overall story, rather than actual specific results. It doesn't judge success over failure. It only judges if the story is being done

Experience
EP per Scene Goal reached
Characters receive 1 experience point if the purpose of a scene is completed. Does the scene add anything to the plot of the story? If so, award 1EP. If not, next time try to create scenes that add to the story. They can be beginnings, middle, or end type scenes that introduce, present, or finish conflict or the plot.

Experience

Per Scene
EP per Scene Goal reached
Characters receive 1 experience point if the purpose of a scene is completed. Does the scene add anything to the plot of the story? If so, award 1EP. If not, next time try to create scenes that adds to the story. The scenes can be beginnings, middle, or end type scenes that introduce, present, or finish conflict or the plot.

Character true to it's concept
If the character stayed consistently within the concept of the character within the scene then award 1EP. The character should have it's own voice. Playing a character well means playing it according to it's own rules and logic. Know your character and do stuff that makes sense to that character.

Conflict with opposition
If the character faced opposition with some hindering force within the scene then award 1EP to the character, despite the resolution of the conflict - either success, draw, or fail. Conflict is important to the story. Failing and coming to a draw are just as important to the story as success - maybe even are more important.

New Awareness about something important
Did the character learn something new that is important for the story. If so, award 1EP. Even if the character doesn't face conflict, if they learn something important about them, someone else, or something important in the story then award 1EP. This helps to award character knowledge, rather than materials gained in the story.

Per Act
Act completion
If an entire act is completed then award 1 additional EP. Finishing an act means progression within the story.

Per Story
Story completion
Award 2EP if the story had come to a climax and been resolved. Completing a story is a significant event.

PL Progression
Every 10 EP award a Power Level (PL). Every two PL, the DL will increase by one.

For the PL list, for now I remove the EP since I'm making it a flat 10 per PL.

PL - Description Level
0 - no Description
1 - 1
2 -
3 - 2
4 -
5 - 3
6 -
7 - 4
8 -
9 - 5
10 -
11 - 6
12 -

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ABS12: PL0 info added

All the changes from this page will be added to the complete master game page at A Basic System 12 (ABS12).

I added PL0 to the charts that I recently made.

Also I adjust this info near the bottom with the encounter information.

0 PL, 0DL represents an unlearned species. Only gives 1 to life, speed, and defense as well as the basic weapon, natural weapon, armor, and essential functional verbs not derived by training or development. Do not add any verbs derived from any kind of training. They do not receive such basic training until PL1.

ABS12: PL base statistics

All the changes from this page will be added to the complete master game page at A Basic System 12 (ABS12).

Instead of listing every creature by power level, I'd like to experiment having a base skill core for all creatures - which already is in the design - and create all the non-human's descriptions so that they can be created at any PL. Then I'll remove the PL encounter lists that I made per PL, leaving somewhat simple calculations.

I'll also need to make a conditions list such as zombify.

For now, I'll put the top one visual near the description list on top. And the numerical chart will go near the bottom near the entire the entire description list.

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ABS12: The anatomy of the combat numbers

All the changes from this page will be added to the complete master game page at A Basic System 12 (ABS12).

For this post, I wanted to look into what exactly the numbers in the formula mean. This is important to help determine how to describe actions.

Minor change

One other change I'm making is removing the PL from PL damage roll, PL Live, and PL defense, which don't seem to make sense anymore.

Verb Skill formula portions

1. Situation roll portion

The first roll 1d12, in every type of roll means the situation roll. Situations can vary from good to bad. The first random roll tells you how good current situation about the skill or combat.

Player should describe exactly how the character does something, not just what a character does. 

If a character uses a description verb to look for clues, then the player should explain exactly how the player will search for clues. Will they look through all the drawers and cupboards? Having explained how the character will search, the roll can then be performed to describe how lucky fate is with the character in performing the task.

Interpreting the numbers

A 1 is so bad that it's a fumble. A 12 is so good that it's a automatic success.

Describing the situation depends upon what type of action is being performed. Once you have that action in mind, you can describe the situation surrounding the action using adverbs and adjectives in similar degree to the the result rolled. The situation may be environmental. It may include actions of opposing characters. It may include the conditions of the character performing the action.

Above six becomes more positive.

Below six becomes more negative.

Here is a general adjective scale denoting quality and degree for the situation surrounding the how the action is performed.

If as in the prior example, if the character is looking through all the drawers and cupboards looking for clues, and the player roll a three - what does that mean?. A three is very bad. What could a very bad situation mean or look like when searching through cupboards and drawers? It might mean that the character rushes through the search doing a poor job of searching. It might also mean that despite ones great skill, something happens to be covering the thing that the character is trying to find. The first explanation is a more method based or quality of performance rational. Whereas the second one is luck based or quality of the environment. Either way, they both explain and describe a the situation that is very bad.

2. Learned description level and power level experience portion

Both the PL and DL portions are fixed. 

The PL represents experience as the character acquires more real world experience. Characters recognize patterns and appropriate methods just by watching life around them. The learn little tricks to help live even doing unskilled and untrained actions easier. They have life knowledge.

The DL represents learned skill. It represents actual study, practice, exploration, teachings, and education. They receive education formally or on the job.

The next portion of the formula appears in combat. It is a special kind of roll called the damage roll.

Offensive roll 1d12 + PL + DL + Damage roll

3. Why is the damage roll added to the offensive roll?

The damage roll represents how viscous and potentially damaging the attack, blow, or strike is. The damage roll is potential damage, rather than actual damage.It represents how deadly the strike could be - how much force and accurate the blow may be. Even with a little lesser luck, a very powerful attack my still do damage if the attack is powerful. Too much of a bad situation will make even a powerful attack miss. Yet a great situation might help a weak attack still hit and do damage depending on the defender's situation.

The lowest damage possible is 1. Even variable damage weapon will at least do 1 point of damage

In damages where even a roll of 1 is made out of 1d12/6, = is all one or the other. There is no fumble or automatic success from the damage roll. Your only trying to find the amount, in this case 1 or 2. It's either one or the 

Damage roll is countered with the armor value portion of the defense. The defender offsets the damage roll with their fixed defense which is made up of skill (DL) and experience(PL) plus any armor.

Damage Table

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ABS12: Character Creation Summary

All the changes from this page will be added to the complete master game page at A Basic System 12 (ABS12).

I just wrote up and added the character creation summary.

I also changed 'PL damage' to 'PL damage roll' in the combat rules, now that I have moved to variable damage. It just reflects the changes already made.

Character Creation Summary

1. Set power level to 1 unless you want to begin the game at a higher PL or 0 PL.
2. Pick a description out of the four currently available: fighter, magic user, thief, or healer.
3. Set your description level to 1.
4. This game considers all humanoid species equal in ability. Record one if you wish with your description. Humanoid species include humans, orcs, dwarves, elves, halflings, gnolls, goblins, hobgoblins, or kobolds. No benefit will be given for differing species selection.
5. Calculate your PL life. At PL 1, this should be 2 + description life bonus if applicable.
6. Record the PL1 defense which should be 2 + the defense for your description's armor.
7. Record your description's weapon damage.
8. Record your character's PL1 speed which should be 2 + any description speed bonus if applicable.

I also added the instructions for offensive roll as:
The attacker rolls twice. Once for the situation (the full amount) and once for the Damage roll calculation. Check the appropriate weapon or spell damage to calculate the PL damage roll amount.

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ABS12: Favorable, unfavorable, defense, damage, nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, definitions

All the changes from this page will be added to the master game page at A Basic System 12 (ABS12).

The first thing I need to do is add a mechanic for situations that are favorable or unfavorable.

Situations: Favorable and Unfavorable
There will be certain periods of times that because of environmental, tactical, strategical, setting, psychological, social, emotional, or other reasons actions will be done more easily or difficult. These reasons could be weather, lighting, slope of a hill, a distraction, slippery surface, being under a fearful state, fighting in water, fighting behind an object, or almost anything.

If more than one condition both favorable and unfavorable exists in a situation the total for favorable must be weighed against the total unfavorable.  This comparison will determine whether or not the conditions cancel each other out or leaves the character with a more favorable or unfavorable total situation. Therefore, situations can be balanced having no modifier, favorable, or unfavorable. Balanced situations roll normal with 1d12 for the action.

If they are not balanced, the character will be in a favorable or unfavorable situation and will roll two dice.

Favorable: the higher of 2d12
If situations and influences are determined favorable, then to show that advantage the character rolls two dice instead of just one. The higher of the two rolls is picked for the result, and the lower roll is ignored.

Unfavorable: the lower of 2d12
If situations and influences are determined unfavorable, then to show that disadvantage the character rolls two dice instead of just one. The lower of the two rolls is picked for the result, and the higher roll is ignored.

Also, an explanatory section needs to be added in the character section describing defense and damage.

PL Defense
PL Defense is the amount of protection that natural or worn armor provides to a character.

PL Damage
PL Damage is the character's amount of  primary melee damage done if they hit the opponent during melee combat.

For certain sections I added language that describes the elements as nouns, definitions, verbs, adverbs, and adjectives. I do so to help sculpt the system into a story writing system if possible

Descriptions are nouns. Descriptions are definitions in that they define what a character can do (skills: verbs) and how a character does it (PL bonus: adverb or adjective). It represents overall skill and expertise.
Skills are verbs.
Power Level and Description Level are adverbs and adjectives.


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