Using JAGS for fantasy Power Level and race and species creation

JAGS is a free downloadable universal role-playing game found at http://mchacon8.wixsite.com/jagsrpg. It also can be purchased in book form.

Test played Reviews: JAGS Revised
JAGS: NPC list & skills
JAGS: Creating wild west creatures
JAGS: A) OGL 5e SRD conversion to JAGS
JAGS: first batch of directly converted wild west creatures
JAGS melee reach
JAGS: Difficulty Modifiers in more common language
JAGS: dice rolling: Skills, Attributes, Resistance, degrees of success
Using JAGS for fantasy Power Level and race and species creation

JAGS wild west bestiary

Brown Bear

Mountain Lion, Cougar, Puma

I wanted to collect a bunch of page numbers that are useful for JAGS fantasy games. I'm doing so for both a record for me for easier location and for anyone wanting to create species, races, and creatures. I'll then in the next post maybe try to recreate the basic fantasy races from the 1st edition into the JAGS Revisied edition, to make using them easier.

JAGS Revised References

Character Points and Archetype Points
JAGS allows several different degrees of power within the game. These levels of power are found in JAGS Revised on p 27.

JAGS Fantasy p 1 has some similar notes. In it it mentions 8 points is the normal amount for building races/species. 24 points would be a powerful race/species.

If I combined the two charts what would it look like?

The fantasy book mentions that the power levels are Basic Points (BP) and the races are Fantasy Power Points (PP). So I've equated:

Basic Points (BP) to Base Character Points (CP)
Power Points (PP) to Archetype Points (AP)

JAGS Fantasy and JAGS Revised Point systems

	J Fantasy BP	J Revised CP
Beginner (High school)	30 BP	30 CP
Inexperience but competent	50 BP	50 CP
Experienced adventurer	75 BP	75 CP
Heroes	100 BP	100 CP
Greater Heroes	150 BP	150 CP
	J Race	J Race PP	J Revised AP
Beginner (High school)	Minor traits	4 PP	0 to 8 AP
Inexperience but competent	Basic race w/ minor item	8 PP	8 AP
Experienced adventurer	Powerful race w/ unusual powers	12 to 16 PP	8 to 16 AP
Heroes			16 AP
Greater Heroes	Really powerful fantasy race	24 PP	16 to 48 AP

JAGS Omnibus References

Note of that Innate Powers are used to build races JAGS Omnibus p 47.

Notes on building races pp 49 to 50

Innate Power details pp 51 to 126

Overview p 51

Body types pp 52, trait list 71 to 75

Body sizes pp 60, size list 76 to 78

Natural attacks pp 65

Animal traits pp 79 to 83

Body powers pp 84 to 89
Strength p 90
Speed p 91
Appearance/Social p 92
Bio Defense pp 93 to 99
Bio Weapons pp 99 to 113
Movement pp 114 to 118
Defensive Innate pp 118 to 120
Senses and Perceptions pp 120 to 122
Limbs p 123
Mutations pp 123 to 125
Weaknesses pp 125 to 126

ABS12: Hill Giant, giant scorpion, and skelify

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

Here is the newest additions to the species list. The first giant makes the list. Also there is one additional alteration - skelify - making a species into an animated skeleton.

I also went ahead and ran off a new set of species list for the main game page since I had patched together a few different charts and it was starting to look messy.

[click to enlarge]

Skelify The claw (bone) damage is based on the size of the original species. They loose all skills, all swimming ability, and winged powers of flight, They cannot think because they are missing brains. Rather they are animated by magical means. They may have a weapon if the species has hands.


A Basic System 12 (ABS12)
Index of my blog

Looking at OGL Playable Species, aka Races

This is part of somewhat a informal series comparing Open Gaming License (OGL) data from various gaming systems. The prior posts in this comparison were looking at the Abilities & Skills and basic stat blocks from the OGL games.

1) Attributes, skills, and special gifts
2) Looking at OGL stat data: Black Bear

In this post, I wanted to compare the stat bonuses of common, and lesser common but popular, gaming playable species normally called races. I normally like to call them species because it gets weird for me when referring to less-than-human-like species. Species where hybrids are more difficult for me to imagine.

Stable Between Games

Humans - In all of the systems, a humans is the most flexible of the races.
Dwarf - In all of the games, a dwarf is sturdy and resilient.
Elf - In all of the games, an elf is quick.
Halfling - In all of the games, a halfling is quick.
Orc - In all of the games, an orc is strong.
Goblin - In all of the games, a goblin is quick.
Angel - These are normally wise and charismatic.
Demon - These are normally intelligent and hideous.

Differ Between Games

Gnome - Really vary between games.
Vampire/Dhampir - Somewhat vary between games.

My Evaluation of the Playable Species

Although there is a core trait-consistent group of playable fantasy species, a few of them aren't as standardized. Quick trait seems to be the most common type of non-human species. Quickness is normally important in games for initiative and long range attacks.