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My Little Pony: Absolution (Discussion and Technical Stuff)

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KarlKadaver Stupid Man Suit Wearer from Just offscreen... Since: Apr, 2011
Stupid Man Suit Wearer
#1: Mar 7th 2012 at 10:39:48 AM

This is the My Little Pony: Absolution Discussion and Technical Stuff page.
Here's the signup.

Here, we will discuss plot elements, game mechanics, and perhaps some general silliness. Whatever suits our fancy. That's what a discussion page is for, right?


To start, each pony has base stats. Base stats affect your d100 rolls for checks, including hitting and dodging. These stats are as follows:
Earth Pony
Strength: 8
Endurance: 12
Magic: -6
Willpower: -2
Speed: 4
Stealth: 0
Perception: 4
Knowledge: -4

Pegasus
Strength: 8
Endurance: 12
Magic: -6
Willpower: -2
Speed: 4
Stealth: 0
Perception: 4
Knowledge: -4
Their stats are basically the same as an Earth pony's, but they have the Flight skill.

Unicorn
Strength: 8
Endurance: 12
Magic: 10
Willpower: -2
Speed: 4
Stealth: 0
Perception: 4
Knowledge: -4


You may have seen me mention "Aspects," and that they have something to do with your Cutie Mark. Here is the explanation of Aspects (I'm paraphrasing for the sake of simplicity):
Every pony who has a Cutie Mark represents a certain Aspect energy. For example, Marshmallow Cream has a talent for making good deserts, so she would recieve the benefits of Aspect of the Artisan or Aspect of the Baker as a result, she has a permanent Knowledge bonus and a Training bonus. The GM chooses what Aspect bonus each pony gets (based on their Cutie Mark and talent). If a pony is violently murdered, the Aspect "Stone" can be harvested from their rear hip region, between their flanks. When an Aspect stone is harvested it acts as an Accessory and only grants bonuses when it is held or equipped.
We'll try not to let anypony be violently murdered.
Let's talk about Unique Skills (Blessings). Every student, once they graduate, is given their Goddess's Blessing, a Unique Skill that only they can use. The Unique Skills are:
Magic: Celestia's Faithful Student: Twilight's Student can sacrifice Initiative (Much like the Apprentice Skill "Reading From the Book") to emulate any skill (Except Desperation Attacks) of any ally nearby. He or she has a 30% chance to succeed the first time they emulate a spell or ability and cannot Critically Fail. Their chance for success increases by 2% with every successful casting. Maximum success rate is 90%. This ability carries over between battles.

Honesty: Applebuck: Roll Endurance against enemy. On success, Applejack's Student delivers a kick that ignores Defense from Armor and Stuns Target for 1d4 rounds of combat while dealing 2d12*4+Students's Strength physical damage. A Critical Hit deals bonus damage equal to half Target's Current HP. Failure deals 1d4 normal damage to the student and they lose their next action.

Generocity:The Art of the Dress: Roll Perception against (Enemy's CR*5)+25. On success, Rarity's Student can analyze enemy armor for weakness for 1d4 rounds of combat. All allies' physical attacks ignore 1/2 defense from Armor for the duration that The Art of The Dress is in effect.

Loyalty: Coolness, Awesomeness, and Radicalness: If Rainbow Dash's Student fails any Stat Checks, he or she can sacrifice Initiative in order to succeed during their turn (Including Desperation Attacks). Their d100 rolls for her next turn are increased by 20 (this bonus does not count toward Criticals).

Laughter: Party Time!: As long as Pinkie's Student has ammunition for his or her Party Cannon (Determined before combat. Roll 1d4 for ammunition. Ammunition does not carry over in between combat.), Party Time can be used. They sacrifices Initiative to prepare the Party Cannon and fire it at the end of the round. All allies and enemies roll Endurance (Pinkie's Student's CR*5) to determine success. Every ally that succeeds their Endurance check gain +20 to their d100 rolls for 1d6 rounds of combat. Any allies that fail gain no positive effects from Party Time. All enemies that fail their Endurance checks have their d100 rolls reduced by 10 for the turn the Party Time is initially used. The enemy gets no positive effects for succeeding. Pinkie's Student gains an extra action at the end of the round as if she rolled Natural 100 for Initiative. Party Time can only be used again when the effects of the previous one wear off. Allies' d100 rolls, when effected in this manner, do not count toward Criticals. Pinkie Pie's Student does not gain any stat boosts from activating Party Time!

Kindness: If that's okay... : Roll Stealth against enemy encounter's highest Perception. On success, Fluttershy's Student cannot be the target of any action against him or her for 1d4 turns, but can still be targeted by allies. During the time that If that's okay… is in effect, Fluttershy's Student cannot perform attacks and cannot cast offensive spells.


Every Class also gets its own skills to start, but they won't be covered until a later post.

edited 7th Mar '12 11:30:57 AM by KarlKadaver

Give the world the best you have and you will get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you have anyway.
EightStar Chaotic Order from the Everfree Forest Since: Feb, 2012
Chaotic Order
#2: Mar 7th 2012 at 11:24:55 AM

"Oh how I've waited for this..."

I'll further complicate things by telling everypony how the character creation works behind the scenes. You won't have to worry about the technical details, but I like to show off.

So we know my character's a Unicorn:
Strength: 8
Endurance: 12
Magic: 10
Willpower: -2
Speed: 4
Stealth: 0
Perception: 4
Knowledge: -4

As an Apprentice, her stat adjustments are:
Magic: +8, Willpower: +4, Perception: +2, Knowledge +2

So that makes it:
Strength: 8
Endurance: 12
Magic: 18
Willpower: 2
Speed: 4
Stealth: 0
Perception: 6
Knowledge: -2
That's it for stats. *Pats his hooves together.* Now, onto skills and such.

Apprentices start with a Magic Book and Mage's Orb to start them with some magical power and some spells. The book contains 4 spells, 3 level zero spells, and 1 level one spell. So I'd look at my knowledgable GM and say; "I'm a support caster, and I like ice magic, what would work best for me?" He'd show me a list of spells he suggests, and I'd go ahead and choose what I want.

So I've got my spells chosen:
Level 1 Frost Armor, which allows me to encase an ally in frosty chunks that take damage before my ally does.
Level 0 Frost Bolt, for those dangerous situations.
Level 0 Life Invigoration, which allows me to boost Strength and Endurance on an ally.
Level 0 Air Rush, which allows me to increase an ally's Speed.

Other than that, I have one other skill, and that's Reading from the Book, which is good for starting mages, allowing me to turn a failed cast into a success!

With the 50 gold that an apprentice normally starts with, I'm trading it in for a Rank 1 non-combat skill training, and I'm taking the Knowledge-based skill Lesser Potion Making.

Then I write down how many Hit Points and Mana Points I come with, which for Apprentice is 4 and 12, and then make note that I gain 2 and 4 each level.

Lastly, and this is the best part about classes, I keep track of how many Class Points I need to earn to complete a class. As an Apprentice, I need to earn 30 CP, and I earn CP by successfully applying my magic. Once I reach 30 CP, I then am done with the class, and can move on to a higher level of that class, (or to any other class that I meet the requirements of.)

Done! Though, there is one thing he forgot to mention...
Since Pegasus and Unicorns have an advantage over Earth Ponies, they have a reduced XP gain, (meaning they level slower.) Which makes sense in ways I won't bother to get into, but it goes hand in hand with systems like the Wizardry 8 games, where classes have different XP requirements.

Err, anyway, Pegasus have a -15% gain, and Unicorns have a -20% gain base. This can be off-set with "background options." Background options include things in your character's past that would affect their adventuring carreer later on. Such as phobeas, different forms of training, etc.

I'm not too hugely concerned with it, so I'm going to say that in her past, she was great on her own, but not great with teachers or authorities, giving her the Own Authority background. This means that if someone else has a leadership skill, it won't affect her. However, she can affect the rest of the party with any leadership skills she gets. It only gives me a +5% XP offset, so I'm up to -15%, and that's fine with me.

Okay, complete. My character's done. Can't wait to play. ^_^

edited 7th Mar '12 11:30:18 AM by EightStar

TimewarpVortex - Role-Play Without Mercy
Jimmmyman10 cannot into space from polan Since: Mar, 2011 Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
cannot into space
#3: Mar 7th 2012 at 11:40:06 AM

-Reads above post-

help

Go play Kentucky Route Zero. Now.
KarlKadaver Stupid Man Suit Wearer from Just offscreen... Since: Apr, 2011
Stupid Man Suit Wearer
#4: Mar 7th 2012 at 11:42:45 AM

[up][up] You forgot about your Aspect.

Also, as a Student of Generosity, Mystic Heart receives +8 to her Perception and Magic stats. (For those who care, this increases her CR by 1. This applies to all Students Of Harmony.)

[up] Don't worry about it.tongue Eight Star and I will handle all that mumbo-jumbo. All you guys will have to do is roleplay.grin

edited 7th Mar '12 11:45:00 AM by KarlKadaver

Give the world the best you have and you will get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you have anyway.
EightStar Chaotic Order from the Everfree Forest Since: Feb, 2012
Chaotic Order
#5: Mar 7th 2012 at 11:50:43 AM

Right, Aspect. There are two aspects that would really fit her, the Aspect of Magic, or the Aspect of the Enchanter, which is what I'm going with. The Aspect of the Enchanter would buff my Magic by 1/2 my CR, (which is where that comes into an important view for us,) and it will also give me a +5 bonus to using any of the Enchanting skills (non-combat,) and an extra +25 when training to improve my enchanting skills.

Yes, as an adventurer, you're fairly easy with the pony-ness. You just pick out what kind of non-combat stuff you like to do, and it all goes on from there. As a Unicorn, you can also pick two spells. Both level zero, but two can be quite helpful.

TimewarpVortex - Role-Play Without Mercy
Bindlestick Aww, son of a bitch from Mad Hole, country of the Screamers Since: Feb, 2011 Relationship Status: Anime is my true love
Aww, son of a bitch
#6: Mar 7th 2012 at 1:03:25 PM

...I am suddenly very intimidated by this system.

"You have more than enough potential. So tell me what is the one wish that would make your soul gem shine." -Mitt Romney, probably
KarlKadaver Stupid Man Suit Wearer from Just offscreen... Since: Apr, 2011
Stupid Man Suit Wearer
#7: Mar 7th 2012 at 1:05:27 PM

[up] Don't be. It's very simple once your characters are made (I was able to pick it up in an couple hours of playing). I'm working on yours right now and will post it soon (modified stats and all!)

Besides, the GMs will handle all the math for damage and such.

edited 7th Mar '12 1:10:46 PM by KarlKadaver

Give the world the best you have and you will get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you have anyway.
KarlKadaver Stupid Man Suit Wearer from Just offscreen... Since: Apr, 2011
Stupid Man Suit Wearer
#8: Mar 7th 2012 at 1:46:31 PM

Flash Bang, Student of Laughter

CR: 4 (You don't need to worry about this)
HP: 4 (This might seem low, but I'll get to that)
MP: 12 (+30 for Mana Orb. All Apprentice-Classes start with a Mana Orb)

(Remember, your stats count toward your d100 rolls. If they're negative, it's not that terrible)
Strength: 8
Endurance: 12 (This counts toward your total defense, which is why having low HP isn't that bad of a thing)
Magic: 20
Willpower: 2
Speed: 12
Stealth: 0
Perception: 14
Knowledge: -2

Aspect: Aspect of Fire. Bonus to Magic (which has already been applied), +25% to Fire-based spells

Starting Spells:
Lvl 0 – Minute Zap (Lightning 1d4+1) 2MP
Lvl 0 – Light (Creates Light) 2MP (If you stop thinking about the spell, or have lexx than 1MP, the light goes out.
Lvl 0 – Project Sound (Produces Sound) 2MP
Lvl 1 – Flame Bolt (Stream of Fire) 8MP

Skills:
Reading From The Book - If you fail to cast a spell, you can read from the Book to automatically succeed. Can only be applied if you fail to cast a spell. (For the purposes of the RP, anytime that your character fails to cast a spell, you will automatically Read From The Book)
Party Time - See Opening Post for Skill Description

Desperation: (To perform a Desperation Attack, roll 1d100 against percentage remaining HP. The lower your HP, the higher chance you have of performing Desperation)
Party of One - Roll Desperation. If successful, Pinkie Pie's student gains the effects of Party Time! (increased d100 rolls for 1d6 rounds and an extra action at the end of her turn) She cannot use the Party Time! skill to affect allies and enemies while Party of One is in effect. If he of she fails her roll and her HP is below 30%, they lose their action for that turn, as if they rolled a Critical Failure for Initiative (due to sadness).

edited 7th Mar '12 8:36:06 PM by KarlKadaver

Give the world the best you have and you will get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you have anyway.
KarlKadaver Stupid Man Suit Wearer from Just offscreen... Since: Apr, 2011
Stupid Man Suit Wearer
#10: Mar 7th 2012 at 8:34:45 PM

[up] It's funny you should mention that. Eight Star has literally books of rules in PDF form.

Sometimes, he lets me see them.tongue


Dust Whirl, Student of Honesty

CR 2 (For those who are curious, your CR is determined by adding all of your stats and dividing by 16. Round down to the nearest whole number.)
HP 15
MP 1

Strength: 22
Endurance: 24
Magic: -6
Willpower: -2
Speed: 7
Stealth: 0
Perception: 6
Knowledge: -4

Aspect: Aspect of Wind: Bonus to Speed, +25% to Wind Based Spells

Fighters don't have any starting spells. (You might get skills to compensate.)

Skills:
Mastery In Combat - If you roll a Critical hit, you may choose to "trade it in" to learn a new Level 1 Combat skill.
Snap Kick - Allows you to make an extra attack against another target in melee other than your narmal target. Dive-Bomb - Deals Charging Damage * 1.5 Applebuck - See Original Post for skill description

Desperation: Stampede: Roll Desperation. On success, Applejack's Student Summons 2d10+8 cattle, sheep, or chickens (Roll 1d6 to determine the animal. 1,2 = Cattle, 3,4 = Sheep, 5,6 = Scootaloos Chickens). All enemies who fail to dodge receive damage according to the Animal's Charge+Trample Damage * 2d10+8 (the number of animals summoned).

edited 8th Mar '12 11:24:23 AM by KarlKadaver

Give the world the best you have and you will get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you have anyway.
Carciofus Is that cake frosting? from Alpha Tucanae I Since: May, 2010
Is that cake frosting?
#11: Mar 7th 2012 at 10:29:10 PM

Nice! But didn't we say that he can be a Fighter? If possible, of course.

But they seem to know where they are going, the ones who walk away from Omelas.
EightStar Chaotic Order from the Everfree Forest Since: Feb, 2012
Chaotic Order
#12: Mar 8th 2012 at 2:55:33 AM

[up][up]Yeah, needs more... Fighter. :P

With the game nearing publication, I'm fidgety about who gets to see the pdf files.

edited 8th Mar '12 2:56:40 AM by EightStar

TimewarpVortex - Role-Play Without Mercy
KarlKadaver Stupid Man Suit Wearer from Just offscreen... Since: Apr, 2011
Stupid Man Suit Wearer
#13: Mar 8th 2012 at 5:57:56 AM

[up],[up][up] Whoops. It was late and I was tired. And inhaling gas fumes...

I'll make the appropriate edits. Sorry.

EDIT: Fixed Dust Whirl's Character Sheet.grin

edited 8th Mar '12 6:46:47 AM by KarlKadaver

Give the world the best you have and you will get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you have anyway.
KarlKadaver Stupid Man Suit Wearer from Just offscreen... Since: Apr, 2011
Stupid Man Suit Wearer
#14: Mar 8th 2012 at 12:11:25 PM

Two for the price of one!


Clock Work, Student of Kindness

CR: 3
HP: 12
MP: 4

Strength: 8
Endurance: 14
Magic: -6
Willpower: 10
Speed: 4
Stealth: 8
Perception: 8
Knowledge: 3

Aspect: Aspect of the Builder. Bonus to Knowledge, 25% to Earth-based Spells

Skills:
Multi-Tasker: Allows the Student to use any Misc. Skill once per day that they do not currently possess. This does not affect Goddess’s Blessings or Desperations
If That’s Okay… - See Original post for Skill description

Desperation: Stare Master - Roll Desperation. On success, Fluttershy’s Student cannot be the target of any status effects or attacks until the encounter ends or her percentage of HP becomes greater than it was when Stare Master was activated, but is still able to attack and cast spells of his or her own. They also gains an extra action as if they rolled a Natural 100 for their Initiative. If they fail, they become affected by Fear until they succeed a Willpower check (CR*5+10. Rolled before taking an action).


Chess Master, Student of Magic

CR: 3
HP: 8
MP: 8

Strength: 8
Endurance: 12
Magic: 18
Willpower: -2
Speed: 4
Stealth: 2
Perception: 4
Knowledge: 4
Aspect: None – Blank Flank: Blank Flanks receive their aspect once they complete an in-game adventure that "shows them their special talent."

Skills:
Jack’s Luck – May reroll a d100 roll every 6 in-game hours. Player must accept the new roll regardless of its value. (Player’s Choice)
Celestia's Faithful Student – See Original Post for Skill Description

Desperation:
Meltdown: Meltdown can only be activated when Twilight's Student’s HP has been reduced to 50% or less and he or she has been in combat for 5 or more rounds. For every round of Initiative, roll as you would for a Desperation Attack. On "success", Twilight’s Student loses Initiative and at the end of turn casts "Meltdown". Meltdown deals Neutral Elemental damage to all allies and enemies equal to 1d6*Player’s CR+Magic and deals bonus damage to any who have elemental weaknesses. Has a 20% chance to cast Random Polymorph. After the attack, Player’s HP is immediately reduced to -1 (Unconsciousness). On a turn that Twilight's Student’s HP is less than 50%, but Meltdown is not activated, they may take their action normally after rolling Initiative. If their HP is reduced to 0 (Half-Consciousness), Twilight’s Student can subtract half of their Willpower from their Desperation roll to avoid activating Meltdown. When Twilight's Student’s HP is reduced by Meltdown, they cannot be "Flash Healed".


Whew! A couple more to go!

edited 9th Mar '12 6:08:06 AM by KarlKadaver

Give the world the best you have and you will get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you have anyway.
Bassetete Since: Jul, 2011
#15: Mar 8th 2012 at 4:57:46 PM

Ooh, cool.

And you're actually publishing a roleplaying system, Eight?

EightStar Chaotic Order from the Everfree Forest Since: Feb, 2012
Chaotic Order
#16: Mar 9th 2012 at 5:12:40 AM

Indeed I am. We're working on making a video to put it up on Kickstarter to get the last of the needed funding, (which isn't too terribly much.)

The system is one of those "universal RPG systems," but I've set out to do it right. There's a sort of maximization in versatility while still keeping balance.

TimewarpVortex - Role-Play Without Mercy
KarlKadaver Stupid Man Suit Wearer from Just offscreen... Since: Apr, 2011
Stupid Man Suit Wearer
#17: Mar 9th 2012 at 6:19:08 AM

Ohmygosh! I just realized that I forgot to give Mystic Heart her Desperation Attack.

*snicker* You're going to like this...

Desperation:
This Is Whining!: Roll Desperation. On success, all enemies within earshot gain Fear status. The enemy's Willpower is reduced by 10*Rarity's Student's Challenge Rating if they are opposite gender from him or her. If this attack fails, Rarity's Student becomes the target of all attacks for the next round.

Eight Star and I have joked that the player should get +10 to their Desperation roll if they roleplay it.tongue

Give the world the best you have and you will get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you have anyway.
KarlKadaver Stupid Man Suit Wearer from Just offscreen... Since: Apr, 2011
Stupid Man Suit Wearer
#18: Mar 9th 2012 at 7:47:18 AM

Two more!


Ninja Star, Student of Rainbow Dash
CR: 3
HP: 10
MP: 6

Strength: 8
Endurance: 20
Magic: -5
Willpower: 6
Speed: 8
Stealth: 5
Perception: 8
Knowledge: -2

Aspect: Aspect of the Ninja. Bonus to Stealth, +5 to Rogue Skills (rolls)

Skills:
Greedy Hands – Add 5% to all money “found”.
Critical Blow
Pick Locks
Find Traps and Secrets
Pick Pockets
Sneak
Hide
Coolness, Awesomeness, and Radicalness – See opening post for Skill description

Desperation:
“Sonic” “Rainboom”: As long as Rainbow Dash's Student’s HP is greater than 50%, “Sonic” “Rainboom” can be used. Roll Desperation. On success, Rainbow Dash’s Student leaves combat for 2 turns. During this time, he or she cannot be attacked or be the target of any spells or status effects. On the third turn, they return to combat, dealing 2d20*2+20 Sonic Damage to all enemies. After this effect, roll Endurance against player’s CR*5+25. On success, they perform another “Sonic” “Rainboom” that adds another 2d20*2+20 (“Double” “Rainboom”) Sonic Damage. If combat ends during the two turns that Rainbow Dash is out of combat, she gains 0 XP for the encounter. (Damage Type is adjusted depending on the race of Rainbow Dash’s Student.)


True Blade, Apprentice of Eight Star
CR: 3
HP: 15
MP: 1

Strength: 17
Endurance: 18
Magic: -4
Willpower: 0
Speed: 8
Stealth: 2
Perception: 10
Knowledge: -2

Aspect: Aspect of the Swordsman – Bonus to Strength, +5 to combat rolls

Skills:
Mastery In Combat - If you roll a Critical hit, you may choose to "trade it in" to learn a new Level 1 Combat skill.
Eight Star’s BlessingLook! I’m Taunting You!: In any round that Eight Star’s Apprentice goes first based on Initiative, he or she has the option to use Look! I’m Taunting You! Roll for Willpower against target enemy. If successful, target enemy must target Eight Star’s Apprentice or forfeit their action for that round. If player chooses, he or she may use this ability against multiple enemies by rolling Willpower against each enemy with -10 added to her Will roll for each successive enemy.

Desperation:
It’s Making Fun of Your Mother!: Roll Desperation. On success, Eight Star’s Apprentice may cause target enemy to target anything within sight distance. Target enemy can roll Perception against player’s CR*5+30 to counter this effect and target player instead.

Give the world the best you have and you will get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you have anyway.
randomtropeloser Since: Jan, 2001
#19: Mar 9th 2012 at 3:00:46 PM

Eveything looks good to me, I'm looking forward to starting.

KarlKadaver Stupid Man Suit Wearer from Just offscreen... Since: Apr, 2011
Stupid Man Suit Wearer
#20: Mar 9th 2012 at 8:52:48 PM

I'm usually not online during the weekends.

However, we may be able to begin as early as Monday, if everyone is okay with that.

Give the world the best you have and you will get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you have anyway.
randomtropeloser Since: Jan, 2001
#21: Mar 10th 2012 at 11:16:36 AM

That's fine. One question though, as a pony who values titles over names, what should my character refer to Eight Star as?

KarlKadaver Stupid Man Suit Wearer from Just offscreen... Since: Apr, 2011
Stupid Man Suit Wearer
#22: Mar 10th 2012 at 11:18:14 AM

[up] I think Master Eight Star will do. Rather than students, like the Mane 6 have, Eight Star has apprentices.

Give the world the best you have and you will get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you have anyway.
randomtropeloser Since: Jan, 2001
#23: Mar 10th 2012 at 12:07:28 PM

That's what I guessed. I kind of like the unintentional fridge brilliance of having the pony who would seemingly be the most devoted to order being chosen as the apprentice of chaos.

edited 10th Mar '12 12:08:35 PM by randomtropeloser

neopie Cessant Sinner in Red from The Land of Heat and Rednecks Since: Nov, 2009 Relationship Status: Gay for Big Boss
Cessant Sinner in Red
#24: Mar 11th 2012 at 1:21:21 PM

I should really take a look at this system and stat out Ninja Star. Or completely miss that you did it for me.

edited 11th Mar '12 1:21:44 PM by neopie

I ship it.
EightStar Chaotic Order from the Everfree Forest Since: Feb, 2012
Chaotic Order
#25: Mar 11th 2012 at 1:58:59 PM

Also, a better look at Mystic Heart.

TimewarpVortex - Role-Play Without Mercy

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