"A long time ago, in ancient China, an evil general named Dragon Fist overthrew the old emperor in a coup and became the new ruler. Under his rule he created an oppressive regime, stamping out rebellion and consolidating his empire. Under the order of the Jade Emperor, several spirits were incarnated among men to restore peace to the land."
This is a new RPG I am starting with a completely different "game engine." Based on the wuxia genre of books and movies (think Hong Kong kung fu flicks), players will be able to choose from 3 classes, 5 elements (will be explained later), 11 skills, 9 fighting styles, and 12 weapons.
Most RPGs here borrow game mechanics from Sonny or Monsters Den, which is fine, but has the downside of becoming overly predictable. To address this, I have developed a system of combat utilizing playing cards. I'd like to demonstrate this system first before starting the game.
In this demonstration, I'll use the Brawl fighting style, which is the basic fighting style that thugs, soldiers, and those unversed in martial arts will use. We have two soldiers with 2 health, and basic attacks that deal 1 damage.
Each soldier has a deck of poker cards representing their moves. Number cards (2-10) represent their basic attacks, face cards their special moves, and aces their ultimate move. As you level up in this RPG, you will have the freedom to choose or even develop your own moves based on your fighting style, and build up your deck.
Now in order to deal damage to the opponent, one side must win a "bout" of 5 draws. To demonstrate this:
1st draw: Soldier #1 drew an 8. Soldier #2 drew a 4. Soldier #1 wins the draw. 2nd draw: Soldier #1 drew a 3. Soldier #2 drew a 6. Soldier #2 wins the draw. 3rd draw: Soldier #1 drew an 8. Soldier #2 drew an 8. Neither of them wins the draw. 4th draw: Soldier #1 drew a K. Soldier #2 drew a J. Soldier #1 wins the draw. 5th draw: Soldier #1 drew an Ace. Soldier #2 drew a 10. Soldier #1 wins the draw.
In this bout, Soldier #1 won the majority of draws, therefore, they get to deal damage. I choose the highest draw to become the damage dealer, which in this case is the Ace. In the Brawl fighting style, the Ace attack is the Strangle, which we'll say deals 2 damage in this case. Soldier #1 deals 2 damage to Soldier #2 and wins.
However, I will not reveal draws like this; instead, I will narrate them in a more active style. I might narrate this fight like this:
The two soldiers face each other, ready to battle to the death. Soldier #2 charges and attempts to throw a punch, but Soldier #1 side steps the attack, grabbing him by the throat and strangling him. The attack is fatal. Soldier #1 wins!
It might be a little complicated at first, but I have tested it thoroughly to make sure it works.
Name: sonic Level 1 rogue Experience: 0/100 Element:water Skill:art of war Fighting Style:8 trigrams Weapon:emei piercers B and i try to strike so fast they don't get a chance to strike back
Flame of the East Level 2 Fighter Experience: 2/150 Element: Fire Skill: Art of War Fighting Style: Snake Weapon: Staff Attributes: Body [4], Mind [1], Spirit [2]
You rush into the crowd along with BladeBreaker, using your Snake style martial arts. Singling out one of the thugs, you block his punch, then attack with a flurry of powerful strikes, using your knowledge of the Art of War to attack his weak points. You quickly move to another, dispatching him with several hits to his solar plexus, then blind another with your special Spitting Cobra strike.
All in all, you defeated 3 thugs, each of whom gave you 34 exp. You have leveled up! You have two attribute points you can spend on any attribute.
Name: Sonic Level 2 Rogue Experience: 0/150 Element: Water Skill: Art of War Fighting Style: Eight Trigrams Weapon: Emei Piercers Attributes: Body [1], Mind [3], Spirit [2]
You whip out your Emei piercers and rush over to the assassins to protect the abbot. Because of your superior speed and your quick weaponry, you go on the offense, twirling your piercers. This bout is especially long, as you use your circular, evasive footwork against his own formidable speed. You dodge and roll under his slashing saber, sinking one piercer into his arm, then quickly slitting his throat with the other, killing him.
The abbot is skilled in kung fu, taking on three saber wielding assassins at the same time, but you see an assassin sneaking up on him. In a sudden, spontaneous move, you run over, kicking him before he can attack the abbot. The assassin flies over but somersaults in the air and recovers. He throws a knife at you but you dodge it; you whirl your piercers around but the assassin is more skilled than the previous and parries them away with his sword. He jumps around, slashing away at your defenses and almost wounding you, but at the last second you dodge away, kicking away his weapon and sinking both piercers into his body.
All in all, you defeated two assassins, each of whom yielded 50 experience. Congratulations, you have leveled up! You have two attribute points you can spend on any attribute.
BladeBreaker Level 2 Fighter Experience: 32/150 Element: Metal Skill: Craftsmanship Fighting Style: Tiger Weapon: Hook Swords Attributes: Body [5], Mind [1], Spirit [3]
As the untrained thugs rout, you whip out your hook swords and rush to confront an assassin. You try to hook your swords together to hit him at longer range and keep him at bay, but it is unsuccessful. The assassin, who is faster than you, somersaults over your head and slashes. Luckily, you manage to whirl around and block the next few attacks. You hook his sword down to the ground with one of your hooks and slash at him with the other, but he is too quick and dodges your blows. Seeing that you are physically stronger than he is, he drops his sword and does a somersault backwards, jumping over the wall of the monastery and fleeing.
All in all, you fought one assassin, but he ran away. You gained 30 experience. He left behind his weapon, one saber, which you may switch with your hook swords. I wouldn't recommend it though.
BladeBreaker Level 2 Fighter Experience: 32/150 Element: Metal Skill: Craftsmanship Fighting Style: Tiger Weapon: Hook Swords Attributes: Body [5], Mind [1], Spirit [3]
You run out of the doors, intent on pursuing him, but the assassin is long gone. You do, however, find a bag on the ground with 20 taels in it (that's the currency of Ancient China).
After the fight, the abbot meets with the five of you.
"From the money BladeBreaker found, it appears to be coming from Changsha, some 100 miles away from here. I want the five of you, BladeBreaker, Sonic, Flame of the East, Gathering Storm, and Silent Step to go to our brethren in the Lotus Temple 60 miles from here and warn them of the danger, then go to Changsha to investigate."
Each of you get 100 taels (money) and bread to last you along the way. There are several modes of transportation to the Lotus Temple available, with different advantages and drawbacks.
A) By oxcart. You can get there in 4 days by oxcart with other visitors. It's not fast, but it's the safest way. B) By boat. You can get there in a day going downstream, if there are no storms or river pirates in the way. The fastest and most hazardous way. C) By foot. You can get there in 3 days, but you have a risk of meeting up with bandits. On the advantage though, you are able to visit the small taverns and shops along the way to purchase items and find information.
When you guys post your stats, please add Inventory: 100 Taels, Bread.
BladeBreaker Level 2 Fighter Experience: 32/150 Element: Metal Skill: Craftsmanship Fighting Style: Tiger Weapon: Hook Swords Attributes: Body [5], Mind [1], Spirit [3] Inventory: 120 Taels, Bread
The abbot replies: "It would probably be best if you split up so that if something happens, there's at least one person to bring the message." Just as you are about to leave, the abbot stops you. "Wait! Let me give you something." He hands you two books. "This is a book with the secret arts of the Tiger style, and this one is a manual on the deadly art of Dianxue. If you have time, you can read them and learn new and powerful moves."
As you travel, the first day starts to end, and you head to a tavern.
"Welcome," the owner of the tavern welcomes you with a small dish of stir-fried peanuts. You have a few options here:
A) You can purchase a room to rest for the night at a cost of 20 taels. Resting will cure any special conditions you have (poison, wounds, etc.), grant you a small amount of experience, and perhaps even a free item from the kindly tavern owner. B) You can train through the night in their courtyard to gain experience. C) You can read the books that the abbot gave you and learn new moves. D) You can buy some herbs, food, or wine from the tavern owner. E) You can do any combination of A-D. F) You can leave the tavern and continue in the night. It will lessen your journey by a day at the increased risk of running into bandits and wild beasts.
Since you said that we can do any combination of A-D, I will choose to read the books for a while (C), then buy a few herbs from the owner (D) for future purposes. Subtract the proper amount of Taels as needed.
Name: Gathering Storm Level 2 Monk Experience: 0/150 Element: Earth Skill: Soothsaying Fighting Style: Crane Weapon: Wind and Fire Wheels Inventory: 100 Taels, Bread, White Crane Manual, Nei Jin Manual Attributes : [2] Body, [3] Mind, [5] Spirit Chi Level 3: Can withstand blow to stomach, protect pressure points in arms and legs, withstand weak poison
You have your own books, one about the ancient art of the White Crane, and another about the power of Nei Jin. You read the White Crane manual, and learn a new move, Crane Grasps the Stick. From the Nei Jin Manual, you increase a Chi level. You are now capable of withstanding weak poisons.
After a long time of reading, you go to the tavern owner and ask to buy some herbs. Since you do not have the Herbal skill nor the Persuasion skill, the costs are a bit more expensive for you. Here's what herbs the tavern is selling.
A) Angelica Tonic Wine: Increases your body attribute by 1. 5 taels B) Chrysanthemum Infusion: Increases your mind attribute by 1. 5 taels. C) Codonopsis Tonic: Increases your Spirit attribute by 1. 5 taels. D) Antidote: A secret recipe which lessens fevers and heals poison. 10 taels. E) Staunching Powder: A secret recipe that can stop bleeding and heal heavy wounds within hours. 15 taels.
BladeBreaker Level 2 Fighter Experience: 82/150 Element: Metal Skill: Craftsmanship Fighting Style: Tiger Weapon: Hook Swords Attributes: Body [5], Mind [1], Spirit [3] Inventory: 120 Taels, Bread Chi Level 2: Can hit pressure point for momentary pain or to stop a wound from bleeding
You spend the night reading the books the abbot gave you, as well as practicing your Tiger style kung fu and your hook swords. From the night, you gained 50 exp., one Chi Level, and a new move: Tiger Swipe.
(BTW, it really doesn't matter where the space goes. In Chinese, Dianxue is two characters, but one word. So actually, it's proper to put it as one word.)
