Dark Overhaul

[kxjubilee]

Ok I should explain the reasoning and name before I get into the details. After having compared this game to others like Shadowrun and D’n’D, I have realized that growth is heavily limited, there isn’t enough power in the game there for removing morality on the player’s side of the game, and that enough isn’t done to separate Super Powers from everyday skills. In anticipation of people saying that this would cause people to kill NPCs I have named it Dark for that reason and Overhaul since this is a redesign of the logistics and workings of the game.

The first and most important thing that bugs me is that a hero with super strength is born with the peak human strength and beyond, or develops that strength over night with out working out. The same goes for the other Abilities. So a new modifier is added one for Durability and another for the other Abilities to represent the Super Human potential that they possess.

New Modifiers
Super Human Durability
Cost = Modifier # + Base Durability #
True Cost = Cost * 3 - Stones Paid for Base Durability
Super Human Ability (Purchased separately for each ability other then Durability and Intelligence)
Cost = Modifier # + Base Ability #
True Cost = Cost - Stones Paid for Base Ability

Options
+1 Modifier # to can be improved on super human level

Explanation
So what you do is add the modifier number to your base ability and find out the cost then from that cost you subtract the amount you already paid for your base ability. This would allow you to increase your base ability over time to Peak Human there by bring you to your maximum ability over time. However this only lets the player increase the base ability and not the modifier to the ability. The Option allows the player to improve modifier by increasing the overall ability through lines. This leads me to the next important change.

Improving Abilities
Improving your abilities from 1 to 2 and 2 to 3 will still cost 10 lines per point added. However it was stated that with the above rule that it is now possible for people that possess a Super Human ability with the new option can increase their own Super Human ability beyond the human maximum. Doing this however increases the lines needed based on the cost it would have during character generation. How ever instead of 10 lines per white stone it now will cost 20 lines per white stone. In order to take advantage of this option a player must have bought 1 level of the modifier with the option, other wise they my only improve their ability by improving their base ability to 3 and adding the modifier. Below is the new cost to improve abilities on the Super Human Level.

4 to 5 30 | Lines
5 to 6 30 | Lines
6 to 7 30 | Lines
7 to 8 90 | Lines
8 to 9 90 | Lines
9 to 10 90 | Lines

Note: If the GM wants to they may multiply these line requirements by 3 for people that wise to increase their Durability in this way.
Note: Also before a player can raise their modifier number they must raise their base ability to peak human first.

Actions
The first thing that will be changed for actions is how deadly the game is. This rule doesn’t just affect combat actions but all actions that carry ability bonuses. Ability bonuses will now be counted as free stones. The reasoning behind this is that the player is already paying stones to try the action. This is based off of what I experience when I try something; say I am punching at something I don’t feel any more tired by putting more strength behind the attack if I don’t throw more attacks.
The reason that I have made this change is that I really see wolverine attacking for more then 2 or the pages at a time with his full attack. Though we all know that it is better for him to not use his agility if the person is in armor and use his claws allowing him to fight at his full power for 3 to 4 pages at a time. This would not affect actions that use the ability as it’s action # such as running an those; for these the energy will still come out of the character’s reserve. For characters like Hulk, Spiderman, Colossus, Juggernaut, Thing, and others that get their power from their stats can fight longer. This will also affect characters like Jean Grey, Professor X, and other characters whose powers are improved by their high abilities. Also people like Jubilee, Dare Devil, Mr. Fantastic, Beast, and others that have the actions that can benefit from their abilities however moderate that they are.

Note: GM’s can add a house rule that the players can only add free stones from abilities that are less or equal to the energy that they but into the action from their own energy reserve. For Characters like Hulk, Spiderman, Rouge and others that get their power from their high abilities and not from skills are allowed to pay from their own energy reserve half of the extra ability that they wish to add. The stones that are used may not exceed the combined skill and ability.

Say that Rouge is going to attack a Sentinel.

Rouge puts two stones into Close Combat and two free stones from her Strength into the attack.
She wants to try and take it out faster so she adds 3 more stones from her strength into the attack and then adds the reaming 3 stones of the strength to the attack. The result is 10 stones in her close combat that she can shift to defense or leave in the attack. If she is flying and she wanted to combine the stones from flight with her attack she would still have to pay the 3 stones of her strength to get her full strength of 8 into the attack since flight doesn’t have a Strength bonus.

Note: This hasn’t yet been play tested yet so I am not sure on the affects this will have it is just an idea.

Also while we are on actions Super Powers would now take their own section that is separate from the more natural skills. This would also carry over to modifiers as well. For example since I used Rouge in the last one, we will use her again.

Actions
Close Combat: 3
(Strength or Weapon)
-X-men Multi Style
Ranged Combat: 2
(Weapon)
Leadership: 4
Social Skills: 4
-Streetwise
-Blue Collar
-Professional Criminal

Modifiers
Mutant, Human Appearance
Team Affiliation: X-Men
Wealth: 0

Super Powers
Actions
Steal Superpower
Flight: 5

Modifiers
Toughness: +8
No 2x from Firearms or Projectiles
Nullifies Armor Penetration
Super Human Strength: +5
Super Human Agility: +2
Super Human Speed: +2
Super Human Durability: +1
Mental Defense: +1

By using this system powers no longer limit the number of non-super skills one can take and GMs no longer need to limit players on the number of non-super skills that their players take. Though it does become important to look at where a modifier such as reflexive dodge comes from. Also GMs should limit the number of Super Actions that a hero can have with out using Copy Ability/Action/Modifier or steal Super Power. Looking at a few of the characters they seem to carry no more then 4 or 5 super actions each. Now Power armor would have to have its own sheet since it’s “Power” are not super nature at all and can carry a lot of different things, though I am looking at ways to modify those rules as well by having the armor analyze the battle providing a bonus to the attacks instead of having their own attack skill ratings other then weapons.

If this is well accepted I will keep working on this, and if there is anyone that would like to help me play test these rules please let me know. I have a few ideas that will make characters like Cyclops more powerful but also give them a way to lower the damage they deal with out lowering the energy placed into the attacks as well, and this would give players the ability to choose morality with out losing over effectiveness in battle. Though I will save it till I know people are interested in this set of rules.

[Kaimontfendo]

Hmm... I'm not quite sure how to feel about this. I somewhat agree about separating superpowers from skills, but it does lead to a few problems. Most notably, things that can be learned can also be superpowers. For example, Forge's Inventing. If he get power suppressed (by his own gun?) does he lose the action entirely because "it's a power"? or does he get to keep it because "it's a skill"? Neither option really seems fair to me.

As a general rule, I'm always rather hesitant to make any changes to the MURPG rules. The system is rather light on rules in many places, but it also helps a lot. Besides, with a lot of house rules floating around, and each GM feeling that different rules should apply, it's easy to very quickly become confused when playing multiple campaigns with different GMs.

[kxjubilee]

I thank you for you response on this. I new that this was going to be the way that a few people felt. That tells me that haven't hit the nail yet so I will keep working on this part. Forge is someone that I hadn't though about when working on this. I will have to look at him closer at him and work on making him better. Right now I have the idea of creating a modifier that is a power that adds free stones to skills to represent that is the mutants power.

I will also share my Power Armor idea. Power armor will now have it's own sheet and will no longer have it's own Range Combat and Close Combat ratings. The player will have to have the Specialization of Power Armor Combat for each, though the Power Armor can be equipped with a computer to provide stones to either of these. The normal Targeting mod for power armor will handle the range combat thought the close combat one will be twice the cost of the range targeting mod. Power armor would still be limited to 9 weapons.

Anyway I will keep working on this set rules and try to clean them up some more.

[kxjubilee]

Dark Overhaul 2

Ok this installment I will handle the issue of mutants like Forge, as well as rewrite the rules for using ability bonuses, as well as the effortless ability modifiers I have seen used a few times. On to the first part of this article.

The problem with mutants like Forge is that their mutant power only effects a single action that normal humans can do. The more I thought about the more Psycho-Centric Power Template started to come to mind as a possible solution. The problem with this solution is that darn it is expensive. This problem with Forge is actually based in the fact that there is no limit on action numbers for normal humans or special characters with no special power for that action. My solution is making a modifier that adds free stones when the character performers the action that they designate for this power. Now this should only be allowed to be added to normal human actions other then Ninja, range combat and close combat. Allowing these actions to be improved by this would be too unbalancing. Also while these stones are free they are still limited by the actions actual AN.

Improved Action
Modifier # + 2
-applies to a single action
-provides modifier # of free stones up to link action’s AN

So for Forge give him something like say Improved Invent / Technology 4. This now gives him over half his AN for free, and gives him the ability to create more things that are easier for him to make. This would also cost him only 8 white, since he combined his two actions, though using the Dark Overhaul Super and Non-Super Action rules there is no need to combine them and these modifiers would still be two separate modifiers. This can also be combined with Computer, Vehicle Operation, Dance, and other actions that the GM sees fit that any normal human can have.

The problem arises with Magic and exceptional humans. These are people like Mantis and Dr. Strange. They are listed as Human though I should say Magic, Masteries, Telepath, and other Actions normally restricted to the Super Human do not qualify for these options.

Now onto the new version of Dark Overhual’s ability bonus rules, these rules over rule the original version in the first post. The original modification to this rule was confusing and still not as open for power as I originally thought. These new rules are more simple I believe and allow for more power for cheaper.

Actions that allow for Ability Bonuses now don’t require the player to pay the full price of their wanted ability. Here are the new prices to get the free stones added to their action.

stones of ability : cost
1-3 : 1 energy
4-6 : 2 energy
7-9 : 3 energy
10-12 : 4 energy

Now people like Spiderman and the Thing can use more of their high abilities with less energy being used.

Spiderman puts 2 energy into close combat and then pays 2 energy and puts all 5 of his strength into close combat and pays another 2 energy for all 6 of his agility to put into close combat. Though if he wanted to he could use only 4 of his agility and Strength, or pay only 1 energy and use 1-3 of his ability.

Now on the note of the effortless abilities that I have seen used a few times with this rule. They would provide you with free stones of the ability not stones from your energy reserve that you pay to get the free stones. So for some one with a strength of 6, an effortless strength of 2, and a close combat of 2; would look like this.

2 energy into close combat, 2 free strength
-or-
2 energy into close combat, 2 energy for up to 6 free strength not combinable with the 2 free from effortless
-or-
2 energy into close combat, 1 energy for up to 3 free strength not combinable with the 2 free from effortless

One last addition, energy.
This rule will add a new ability called energy. Durability will now only cost x1 where energy will cost x2. Energy will give you your regeneration rate and energy * 3 will give your max energy reserves. For those that wise to use the Intelligence rule, the GM should only allow it for characters that will not be using force to solve problems, though some one with the fairy blood should be allowed this rule regardless, using the special intelligence rule will remove the need for the player to even buy any levels in energy. A character like Jean Grey could use the intelligence rule, though people like Mr. Fantastic and Magneto would no longer be able to use it. The reason for this is that most of Jeans powers are her mental capacity, where Read Richards and Magneto normally use what physical power they have in a fight and throw a few punches, Jean hardly throws any punches in a fight.