'Welcome to Shining Heights. We trust you enjoy yo-'
The rest of the cheery roadsign is missing due to some explosive force.
The city of Shining Heights is as tall as its name promises, a curious mesh of enormous skyscrapers and layered roads, littered with underground tunnels and train tracks that hark back to the days when it was a mere mining town. A city of promise and prosperity, a shining beacon in the modern age.
Or it was. The smoke steadily rising, the chunks taken out of building silhouettes, and most of all, the oppressive silence. A city should be heard from miles away.
These days, the only times you hear it is when the gunfire gets concentrated enough.
Two weeks ago, we were attacked. We don't know who they are, or why they're so aggressive. We just call them the Fallen Angels. Once ordinary human women, given superhuman power by some kind of nightmarish cybernetics and followed by their similarly cybernetic soldiers, the Fallen Saints. The police couldn't stop just one of them. The army struggled to contain four. There are at least eight.
We're running out of time to save this city... hell, we're running out of time to save ourselves...
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Fallen Angels is a concept I've played with for some time, and recently started adapting into something that could work as an RPG. Since you fine people have done more than a few, I thought I'd throw out the basic system and see if anyone has thoughts for improvement - and if there's some interest, try running it. I'll add before we start that this will be a non-ero project; sex might occur, but it's not in the core concept or rules. That said, female characters may have more options to play with than male ones.
When the dice start rolling, it'll be on a 'successes' system; a certain number of six-sided dice will be rolled based on skills and stats. Each roll of a '1' or a '6' will be a success, and each '6' allows for another dice to be rolled. Damage will operate in a more traditional fashion of rolling dice and adding the scores together.
Origins
Stats
Skills
Imperfect and WIP. Any input much appreciated...
The rest of the cheery roadsign is missing due to some explosive force.
The city of Shining Heights is as tall as its name promises, a curious mesh of enormous skyscrapers and layered roads, littered with underground tunnels and train tracks that hark back to the days when it was a mere mining town. A city of promise and prosperity, a shining beacon in the modern age.
Or it was. The smoke steadily rising, the chunks taken out of building silhouettes, and most of all, the oppressive silence. A city should be heard from miles away.
These days, the only times you hear it is when the gunfire gets concentrated enough.
Two weeks ago, we were attacked. We don't know who they are, or why they're so aggressive. We just call them the Fallen Angels. Once ordinary human women, given superhuman power by some kind of nightmarish cybernetics and followed by their similarly cybernetic soldiers, the Fallen Saints. The police couldn't stop just one of them. The army struggled to contain four. There are at least eight.
We're running out of time to save this city... hell, we're running out of time to save ourselves...
-------------
Fallen Angels is a concept I've played with for some time, and recently started adapting into something that could work as an RPG. Since you fine people have done more than a few, I thought I'd throw out the basic system and see if anyone has thoughts for improvement - and if there's some interest, try running it. I'll add before we start that this will be a non-ero project; sex might occur, but it's not in the core concept or rules. That said, female characters may have more options to play with than male ones.
When the dice start rolling, it'll be on a 'successes' system; a certain number of six-sided dice will be rolled based on skills and stats. Each roll of a '1' or a '6' will be a success, and each '6' allows for another dice to be rolled. Damage will operate in a more traditional fashion of rolling dice and adding the scores together.
Origins
Each character picks an origin. As well as affecting starting gear, location and storyline, each origin has its own set of bonuses and penalties.
CIVILIAN
Harmless: less likely to be the target of lethal violence from most NPCs. You're just not a big concern.
Not cut out for this: penalty to all combat rolls with untrained skills.
SOLDIER
Trained for war: Soldiers never treat human weapons and vehicles as untrained skills and gain a bonus to all combat rolls.
Target: more likely to be aggressively attacked by hostile NPCs.
POLICE OFFICER
Authority figure: NPCs are more likely to give aid and useful information.
Duty: It goes both ways. A cop's job in this city isn't easy.
GANG MEMBER
Scoundrel's luck: once per encounter, may request two dice rolls. Whichever is more favourable will be used.
Criminal: NPCs are less likely to look on you favourably.
CIVILIAN
Harmless: less likely to be the target of lethal violence from most NPCs. You're just not a big concern.
Not cut out for this: penalty to all combat rolls with untrained skills.
SOLDIER
Trained for war: Soldiers never treat human weapons and vehicles as untrained skills and gain a bonus to all combat rolls.
Target: more likely to be aggressively attacked by hostile NPCs.
POLICE OFFICER
Authority figure: NPCs are more likely to give aid and useful information.
Duty: It goes both ways. A cop's job in this city isn't easy.
GANG MEMBER
Scoundrel's luck: once per encounter, may request two dice rolls. Whichever is more favourable will be used.
Criminal: NPCs are less likely to look on you favourably.
Stats
Note: There is no XP in Fallen Angels; instead, using a skill will help to improve it. Your stats will also improve, though at a much slower rate.
Body: a measure both of physical strength and resilience. Allows for more damage in CQC and soaks some damage types.
Mind: intelligence! Improves ability to hit stuff, and helps for working out unfamiliar devices and equipment. Also allows for 'knowledge' rolls - passing a test will offer a hint in a tricky puzzle or situation.
Agility: provides a boost of both accuracy and damage to ranged combat and provides a measure of the ability to dodge attacks.
These three all interact to some degree. A Body-heavy character will be tough, hit hard in close combat and be able to wield bigger weapons. A Mind-orientated character will be accurate and good with skill checks, but their damage and resilience will be lacking. An Agility character will be an excellent gunslinger and able to weave around attacks, but has a glass jaw if actually hit. Currently looking at starting characters having five points to assign. Each point gives one extra dice for skill checks, and increases a damage dice by one size (so a marksman with Agility 1, using a gun that does D6 damage, will go up to doing D8 damage).
Vitality: health. If vitality hits zero, you aren't necessarily dead, but you're too close to it for comfort. Most attacks will work against vitality. Note that particularly severe injuries may do permanent damage.
Energy: drained by some attacks and certain actions (can be spent to boost strength for carrying something, for example). Fatigue falling to zero will render you unconscious.
Willpower: Willpower is a measure of one's ability to withstand mental stress. Drained by traumatic situations, severe injuries and very rare attacks. Willpower reaching zero does not mean game over, but it will mark a sharp change in gameplay of some kind.
For the three 'HP' stats, I have it in mind that everyone starts with the same (20 in each?). Vitality does not regenerate naturally; medical attention is needed to heal serious injuries. Energy slowly regenerates, but resting will raise it to maximum most of the time. Willpower is improved by personal triumphs.
Body: a measure both of physical strength and resilience. Allows for more damage in CQC and soaks some damage types.
Mind: intelligence! Improves ability to hit stuff, and helps for working out unfamiliar devices and equipment. Also allows for 'knowledge' rolls - passing a test will offer a hint in a tricky puzzle or situation.
Agility: provides a boost of both accuracy and damage to ranged combat and provides a measure of the ability to dodge attacks.
These three all interact to some degree. A Body-heavy character will be tough, hit hard in close combat and be able to wield bigger weapons. A Mind-orientated character will be accurate and good with skill checks, but their damage and resilience will be lacking. An Agility character will be an excellent gunslinger and able to weave around attacks, but has a glass jaw if actually hit. Currently looking at starting characters having five points to assign. Each point gives one extra dice for skill checks, and increases a damage dice by one size (so a marksman with Agility 1, using a gun that does D6 damage, will go up to doing D8 damage).
Vitality: health. If vitality hits zero, you aren't necessarily dead, but you're too close to it for comfort. Most attacks will work against vitality. Note that particularly severe injuries may do permanent damage.
Energy: drained by some attacks and certain actions (can be spent to boost strength for carrying something, for example). Fatigue falling to zero will render you unconscious.
Willpower: Willpower is a measure of one's ability to withstand mental stress. Drained by traumatic situations, severe injuries and very rare attacks. Willpower reaching zero does not mean game over, but it will mark a sharp change in gameplay of some kind.
For the three 'HP' stats, I have it in mind that everyone starts with the same (20 in each?). Vitality does not regenerate naturally; medical attention is needed to heal serious injuries. Energy slowly regenerates, but resting will raise it to maximum most of the time. Willpower is improved by personal triumphs.
Skills
Not having a skill doesn't prevent you from using it - you are just limited to only having a relevant stat roll. An unskilled science roll will at best tell you that something is probably corrosive, while the same roll with high science could tell you exactly what chemical is being used. Otherwise, for a skill check, the number of dice rolled will be equal to the skill level + the relevant stat level. Starting out, a character would have 10 points to spend.
As a rule, skills will automatically be used if it makes sense. Investigate a lab, and Caution and Science rolls will automatically be made for you and included in your results.
Science (Mind): enables identification of substances, analysis of fancy gadgets, computer hacking and and other Highly Technical things.
Medical Training (Mind): Allows for emergency treatment and first aid, although you'll always be limited by available equipment...
Caution (Mind or Agility): a combination of perceptiveness and intuition. Helps you spot traps and hidden enemies.
Social (Mind): a measure of your ability to get useful information and help from people, as well as being able to detect lies.
Covert (Agility): the ability to be stealthy and generally do stealthy things.
CQC (Body or Mind): brawling, martial arts, knife-work or baton training, it all adds to your ability to hit people and do damage up close.
Small arms (Mind or Agility): pistols to assault weapons, derringers to sniper rifles. Note that Angel weapons are always treated as untrained until studied.
Heavy weapons (Body or Mind): Machine guns, rockets, vehicle mounted weaponry. Note that Angel weapons are always treated as untrained until studied.
Dodge (Agility): Ability to avoid attacks of all kinds.
Driving (Mind or Agility): Although a little trial and error can generally help make something go forwards and backwards... it helps if you know what you're doing.
As a rule, skills will automatically be used if it makes sense. Investigate a lab, and Caution and Science rolls will automatically be made for you and included in your results.
Science (Mind): enables identification of substances, analysis of fancy gadgets, computer hacking and and other Highly Technical things.
Medical Training (Mind): Allows for emergency treatment and first aid, although you'll always be limited by available equipment...
Caution (Mind or Agility): a combination of perceptiveness and intuition. Helps you spot traps and hidden enemies.
Social (Mind): a measure of your ability to get useful information and help from people, as well as being able to detect lies.
Covert (Agility): the ability to be stealthy and generally do stealthy things.
CQC (Body or Mind): brawling, martial arts, knife-work or baton training, it all adds to your ability to hit people and do damage up close.
Small arms (Mind or Agility): pistols to assault weapons, derringers to sniper rifles. Note that Angel weapons are always treated as untrained until studied.
Heavy weapons (Body or Mind): Machine guns, rockets, vehicle mounted weaponry. Note that Angel weapons are always treated as untrained until studied.
Dodge (Agility): Ability to avoid attacks of all kinds.
Driving (Mind or Agility): Although a little trial and error can generally help make something go forwards and backwards... it helps if you know what you're doing.
Imperfect and WIP. Any input much appreciated...