STATS ARE FOR SISSIES: ALTERNATIVES TO TRADITIONAL GROWTH MECHANICS

author=Thiamor
I always liked stats, but wanted to use stats in a different way.

There being a limited number of people you can get in your party (duh), and each has 1 choice of a special stat in which increases more than the rest, while it lowers another stat (example: Defense raises, Agility or maybe Strength lowers and becomes their weak stat), and then there is a 'party leader' that you choose, that the other people's "special stats" are added into the leader's stats (whose stats are low without any additional stats added)


This would allow for a custom set-up for your leader. Any person you choose, can be a potential power house.

author=Craze

kentona
...and instead of menus we should use constellations! fuck yeah.

(this seems like a cool discussion, but somehow it comes across as yet another "craze sez do whatever it is that the game I am currently playing does". But that's cool because it means i don't have to play new games to get new ideas! carry on.)

Actually, karsuman and I have been working on variations of the trait system well before I became obsessed with Skyrim. =D Not that you could have known, but still.

I guess RPGs just can't get away from these things. And especially not computer RPGs since they're all about math. I guess you could abstract them into other things. And simplify things. (like some tabletop RPGs do. I mean tabletop RPGs have gone from different sizes of dice back to coin flips and all points inbetween)

Note 1: Each Trait can only be chosen once unless it says otherwise.
Note 2: Traits that can be ‘Activated’ once per day refresh at Dawn.

Select Two Of The Following:

Athlete
Your character is (even) more physically fit than you are. Once per day, if you find yourself in a chase situation, you may call a ‘PAUSE’ and reposition yourself anywhere within line of sight before calling a ‘RESUME’. This is useful if you are trying to catch or escape another character, although after using this ability to achieve the lead or close the distance, you will once again be reliant on your physical stamina and speed. Physically fit players are discouraged (but not prohibited) from taking this trait.

Self Defense
Your character has some extraordinary martial arts training or is simply exceptionally strong and tough. Once per day, you may call ‘SELF DEFENSE’ in response to an attempt to ‘MURDER’ you via a physical attack. This Incapacitates the attacker for one minute and leaves you unharmed. Self defense has no effect on a call of ‘SLAUGHTER’—you still die. See below. You cannot capture, kill or interrogate your attacker—the assumption with the use of this ability is that your physical prowess allows you to barely survive what would otherwise have been a fatal assault, but you are still terrified and still running away while the attacker is grounded. This ability cannot be used offensively.

Paramedic
Your character has professional training in performing first aid. Once per day, you can roleplay providing aid for ten minutes to save a character that is Dying from physical wounds. This ability has no effect on characters that are already Dead or characters who are dying from anything other than physical wounds. You must have a full-sized first aid kit (not one of the tiny, super-cheap ones) in order to use this ability.

Defensive Weapon
Your character is equipped with an expendable defensive weapon such as pepper spray, mace, a stun-gun, or a taser. If an assailant attempts to physically ‘MURDER’ or ‘SLAUGHTER’ you, you can call ‘DEFENSIVE WEAPON’ in order to survive, which Incapacitates the attacker for five minutes. (As noted above, those five minutes are meant to be used to run away. ) Using this ability exhausts your Defensive Weapon—this trait is effectively a one-time-use ability. The weapon this trait grants cannot be used offensively. You must have a realistic looking but safe prop of the appropriate type to use this ability.




The Killer Inside (THIS TRAIT MAY NOT BE TAKEN BY STARTING CHARACTERS)
Your character is willing to kill and suitably armed. To use this ability, you must have an object which resembles a knife enough to be used as a movie prop (but not enough to get you arrested), and is safe enough to accidentally strike someone without hurting them.
This weapon can and should be concealed. Once per day, if it is night time and there are no witnesses (that you can see) you may ‘Grab’ another character (hard enough to startle, not to hurt), brandish the knife and call ‘MURDER’ to kill them. Unless they have Self Defense, a Defensive Weapon, or some other, mystical form of protection, they are IMMEDIATELY Dying and should roleplay as such. This ability cannot be used defensively. You must have a realistic looking but safe knife prop to use this ability.

(Dying characters cannot move at all or stand, must lie on the ground, and can speak in only a choked whisper. They can take no actions of any kind (including calls and texting). After they spend ten minutes Dying, they are Dead and out of the game. Dying characters cannot be physically attacked further.)

Butcher (THIS TRAIT MAY NOT BE TAKEN BY STARTING CHARACTERS)
Prerequisite: The Killer Inside
Your character is a killing machine. You can now attempt to ‘MURDER’ other characters (see above) as many times as opportunities present themselves, using the rules above. Additionally, you can now attempt murder even in front of witnesses, although it must still be night time to use this ability and you must still have an appropriate “weapon” and be able to grab your target. This ability has an upper limit—you can only ‘MURDER’ one character per minute. Finally, once per day, you can call ‘SLAUGHTER’ to kill another character so brutally that Self Defense is worthless (use of a Defensive Weapon can still foil a ‘SLAUGHTER’ attempt).

Occult Scholar
Your character begins game with one extra spell from your magical tradition. Additionally, you can teach one extra spell per night, beyond the usual limit of only being able to teach or learn one spell per night. The spell must still be of your tradition.

Arcane Sage
Prerequisite: Occult Scholar
Select one magical tradition other than your own. You can choose your bonus spell from Occult Scholar from that tradition, but this does not allow you to learn spells outside of your primary tradition during gameplay—doing that still requires the Open Minded trait.

Open Minded
Your character can learn spells from outside of his magical tradition during gameplay. This ability does not allow you to learn any extra spells, or learn any spells outside of your magical tradition, at character creation.


Fast Learner
Your character can learn one extra spell per night, beyond the usual limit of only being able to teach or learn one spell per night. Additionally, the minimum time for you to learn a spell is reduced from one hours to ten minutes (or the length of the ritual, whichever is longer).

Locksmith
Once per day, by roleplaying for five minutes, you can pick the lock on a locked container. (As usual, text a member of the Plot Team to announce your use of this ability and to ask for the combination to the real-life, physical lock.) To use this ability, you must have realistic looking lockpick props, or at least an object that could reasonably used to pick a lock.

Hard To Kill
Your character spends one hour Dying instead of the usual ten minutes. During this time, you may crawl. All of the other usual limitations of Dying apply.

Will to Live
Once per day, while Dying, you can either send one in-game text message or cast one non-ritual spell, provided you have all of the necessary components. All of the other rules of dying (cannot move, crawl, call, stand, speak above a whisper, or take in-game actions and ten minutes after you start dying, you are out of the game) continue to apply.

Astral Hazing
Your character has a natural resistance to magical energies. Once ever, you can expend this trait to resist a spell effect targeting you. You lose this trait, and may not replace it—for all intents and purposes, your character is treated as possessing only one trait after using this one.

Indomitable
Your character has an unusually strong will. Once per week, you can activate this trait reflexively to resist the effects of one spell with the Mind Control keyword. After using this trait, you may not use it again for one full week.

Death Proof
Your character’s body and soul are strongly bonded to this mortal coil. Once per week, you can activate this trait reflexively to resist the effects of one spell with the Death keyword. After using this trait, you may not use it again for one full week.

Mundane
Your character does not begin with any spells (you must still select a magical tradition). You may not take the Occult Scholar, Fast Learner or Latent Talent traits. You may select two bonus Traits. (For a total of three traits, not including this one.)

Informants
You have spies, a private detective on the payroll, hidden cameras, or an information network. The Plot Team will periodically inform you of secret developments involving other characters that could impact your character, although these hints won’t always be entirely timely or perfectly clear. Although vaguely defined, this is intended to be as powerful a trait as all of the others, so if necessary remind the Plot Team that you have this quality. However, this trait does not allow you to be privy to conversations or events that characters have gone to magical or extraordinary mundane means to conceal.

Latent Talent
Your character does not start with a magical tradition or any spells. The Plot Team secretly decides your magical tradition and your starting spell; they will be revealed to you during gameplay. You may not take the Occult Scholar, Sinner, Fast Learner or Mundane traits. However, you gain the Open Minded trait for free along with one of the following traits (for a total of three traits, not including this one): Athlete, Self Defense, Astral Hazing, Indomitable, Death Proof.

Sinner
Your character has done horrible, horrible things in the past—details up to you. You may not set foot within line of sight of a church, no matter what. However, you gain The Killer Inside trait for free. Characters of the Enochian or Qabbalist traditions may not take this trait. Only one player character is allowed to take this trait, so be aware that this trait may be unavailable when you create your character.

So back to the adventure/RPG idea. Say you "tagged" lockpicking, driving and cooking. Now lockpicking is sort of an easy one. It would allow you to pick locks, that are impossible to get through for character without the skill/trait. Driving would maybe let you get away in a car chase scene or alterantively succeed in certain scenes where a person without the skill would fail. Cooking I just picked to have something to pick. But conceivably if the skill is in the game it'll have some use. Maybe you can cook up and hide a poison. Maybe you're able to impress a certain person with your skill.

Side-note: The thing is, the main thing I cared about in RPGs is all those crazy abilities you get to have as opposed to saying "Hey, I got myself +3 Precision. Don't I feel special?"