Really like the combat and spellcasting material here. Have a creature-prep question for you:
Given the guidelines you mention for NPC creation and the considerations you offer for what sort of combat abilities different npcs might have, if we have (say) an orc who can block, how many times (or how much fatigue) would you imagine giving a monster like that access to in combat against the PCs? A certain number, and the players can wear them out? Or functionally-infinite fatigue, and the PCs then need to change-up their tactics? I can imagine both being viable, but I wonder from your own play what you found to feel good at your table.
You could keep track of the orc's inventory and keep Fatigue in line with that, reinforcing the idea that NPCs are really the same as PCs
You could give NPCs 1, 1d4, 1d6 or even 1d8 empty slots to fill with Fatigue, as a way to quickly scale it.
But, most likely: give them functionally-infinite fatigue, because I personally had very few fights last more than 3 rounds. This stuff is *lethal*, so long-term Fatigue tracking for NPCs hasn't really come into effect yet on my end :)
Magic and Faith Dice do not get used up. They do have other resources tied to them, however; Magic incurs Fatigue (and that is a limited resource), and Miracles 'cost' Willpower.
You can technically only be in 'dodgeable' situations twice per round, as all attacks against you are 'summed up', and only the highest damage roll is used. Rounds are split in 'quick turns' and 'full turns', so there are two situations in which you can take damage that is dodge-able. There's no explicit rule forbidding multiple dodges. Dodges also incur fatigue, so I'd say dodging multiple times is allowed.
Hello! I have a question about the 4 options when a character is under attack. Is the chosen option intended to be a free reaction (besides the Fatigue costs, if any) or does it count as an action?
Getting attacked happens outside of the player's turn, so, without diving into 5E parlance too deep, let's call it a "reaction".
This means that Fighting Back can allow for 2 attacks in quick succession (You get attacked > Fight back, take damage, deal damage back > Your turn now, you can attack back)
Awesome awesome product, exactly what I was looking for for Cairn. The careers and skills are great as well as the training and arcane/divine magic. I'm looking to expand the practical magic effects out so they cover most spells, and then this will essentially be the exact system I wanted. Thanks for putting in the hard work!
Yeah, the practical magic effects can definitely be expanded quite a bit. I hope the base list gives enough fuel for your own ideas! I think, most importantly, the various bullets with each tag are there for inspiration - players should feel free to interpret 'open', 'read', 'charm' etc. however they see fit!
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Really like the combat and spellcasting material here. Have a creature-prep question for you:
Given the guidelines you mention for NPC creation and the considerations you offer for what sort of combat abilities different npcs might have, if we have (say) an orc who can block, how many times (or how much fatigue) would you imagine giving a monster like that access to in combat against the PCs? A certain number, and the players can wear them out? Or functionally-infinite fatigue, and the PCs then need to change-up their tactics? I can imagine both being viable, but I wonder from your own play what you found to feel good at your table.
Thanks for your time, and for your great work!
Glad to hear you enjoy it!
A couple of considerations:
Do Magic and Faith Dice ever get used up? And can you try to Dodge every attack that comes your way or only once a "round"?
Magic and Faith Dice do not get used up. They do have other resources tied to them, however; Magic incurs Fatigue (and that is a limited resource), and Miracles 'cost' Willpower.
You can technically only be in 'dodgeable' situations twice per round, as all attacks against you are 'summed up', and only the highest damage roll is used. Rounds are split in 'quick turns' and 'full turns', so there are two situations in which you can take damage that is dodge-able. There's no explicit rule forbidding multiple dodges. Dodges also incur fatigue, so I'd say dodging multiple times is allowed.
Wonderful thank you very much. Awesome stuff.
Wow, what a superb ruleset. Thanks for putting this out there!
Hello! I have a question about the 4 options when a character is under attack.
Is the chosen option intended to be a free reaction (besides the Fatigue costs, if any) or does it count as an action?
Getting attacked happens outside of the player's turn, so, without diving into 5E parlance too deep, let's call it a "reaction".
This means that Fighting Back can allow for 2 attacks in quick succession (You get attacked > Fight back, take damage, deal damage back > Your turn now, you can attack back)
Neat and quite clear now. Thank you!
Good stuff. Love the social conflict system and weapon skills.
Thank you!
Awesome awesome product, exactly what I was looking for for Cairn. The careers and skills are great as well as the training and arcane/divine magic. I'm looking to expand the practical magic effects out so they cover most spells, and then this will essentially be the exact system I wanted. Thanks for putting in the hard work!
Thank you!
Yeah, the practical magic effects can definitely be expanded quite a bit. I hope the base list gives enough fuel for your own ideas! I think, most importantly, the various bullets with each tag are there for inspiration - players should feel free to interpret 'open', 'read', 'charm' etc. however they see fit!
Love it! Where did you get the art?
The art is by the amazing https://twitter.com/Bertdrawsstuff!
How many pages is this?
33!