vagabond-rpg

[vagabond-rpg]

The World of VAGABOND

No one remembers much from before the Great War as much of what was known has been lost to the years. This was the most grueling conflict ever recorded in human history. This century long conflict between the nations began after Emperor Tymann XII died to mysterious circumstances in the year 18XX. The provinces under his rule would then collapse into war as they all fractured into their own nations who would bicker incessantly over trade routes and territories until it escalated into full scale war, thus beginning the Great War. This conflict would produce great technological and industrial advancements that all aimed to innovate the act of killing which saw the humble cities of old grow into massive urban centers composed of giant factories and crowded tenements, while the countryside farms and mining towns struggled to provide adequate crops and materials to support the big cities while their fields were trampled over or ransacked by both enemy and allied soldiers.

Though peace would eventually crawl forth from the trench-scarred fields of No Man's Land which led to a tenuous alliance between the Powers that Be and a treaty was finally signed during the gentle autumn of 191X. Though not a month later would calamity strike again in an event referred to as The Night of Screaming Flame.

One stormy night in late autumn, the sky suddenly filled with red lightning and the regular rolling of thunder was replaced by nightmarish sounds like a wailing choir of the damned as giant stony structures fell from the heavens like meteors and planted themselves into the earth as if they had stood there for eons.

The following winter would mark the beginning of the sightings as people claimed to see lights in the sky around these structures as well as creatures whose appearance could not accurately be described. These sightings and phenomenon would increase in frequency until they were commonplace. The countryside would become uninhabitable as monsters roamed freely and so more and more moved to the cities which grew into gigantic fortresses while the lands outside decayed into thick wilderness and wasteland.

The great nations would shrink into individual city-states that still uphold their alliance and communicate with one-another via a massive network of telegraphs and radios while goods are traded between cities via armored convoys or zeppelins. Which leaves the world in the state it is in today with humanity resigning themselves to the grand Fortress-Cities and the world outside only ever ventured members of the Merchant's Guild who travel city-to-city to exchange good, and Treasure-Hunters who scavenge the ruins of abandoned cities hoping to uncover an artifact that will get them enough money to move out of the cramped slums.

#table top game development #table top role playing game #table top games #amatuer writer #sci fi and fantasy #science fiction #lovecrafian #eldrich horror #post apocalyptic #dark fantasy #worldbuilding #fictional world #rpg

[vagabond-rpg]

The Unnatural Philosophies

It is unknown where the force called "magic" by laymen truly comes from. Most theorize that it is some otherworldly force from beyond our understanding, an unfathomable and esoteric alien intelligence that can be accessed though macabre ritual by those mad enough to reach out past humanity's placid island of ignorance into the black seas of infinite incomprehensibility. While other, more skeptical, thinkers believe that this "magic" is the pinnacle of all natural sciences that certain humans and otherworldly entities use to warp the laws of physics on a whim.

Either way, the Occult Philosophy of magic is a mysterious and dangerous discipline and those who practice it rarely come away unchanged, mentally or physically, as manipulating the fabric of space and time rarely comes without its consequences.

The practice of magic is heavily looked down upon as most believe it stands as the antithesis of all things natural and poses a tremendous danger to both the user and those around them as magic is an inherently volatile and unwieldy force which could result in anything from mass casualties to catastrophic dimensional anomalies. Practitioners of magic are also prone to madness, random violence, and horrific mutation as a result of their minds being addled with eldritch knowledge and bodies being used to warp space and time around them.

Many acquire and use magic through the use of alien artifacts uncovered near the structures left over from the Night of Screaming Flame or by contacting one of the denizens of the blackened void beyond the screaming stars. This has resulted in cults of mad heretics and apostates gathering in the wilderness to summon dark eldritch entities forgotten by time that promise immense arcane power. Curiously, it seems most unearthly and nonhuman creatures that exist in our world seem to have an innate understanding of magic such as the Serpent People who dwell within the Buried City of R'luh, to the cephalopodic Piscodaemons who haunt the ancient ruins upon the western shores, to even the flying Polyps; masses of everchanging flesh found near spatial anomalies.

There are even rumors of books known as Grimoires which contain all the necessary knowledge of theoretical physics, high mathematics, and esoteric sciences one would need to utilize to access the occult force of magic. These books are often written in such a disjointed and unorganized way that it requires years to even begin to scratch the surface of how to perform the most novice of spells and often result in the reader falling deeper and deeper into madness.

#lovecrafian #eldrich horror #worldbuilding #table top game development #table top role playing game #table top games #rpg system #rpg #dark fantasy #science fiction #sci fi and fantasy

[vagabond-rpg]

Character Creation, Player Skills

After generating your character’s stats, the next step is to choose their skills. Every character chooses 5 skills, with an additional skill of their choosing added at level 6, that make up the core of how they play.

Armor,  Light: Light armor is the cheapest and has no negative effect on agility-based checks.

Armor,  Medium: Medium armor is the most popular among wanderers and it provides the best protection at a decent price. Medium armor does affect agility-based checks with a -2 debuff.

Armor, Heavy: Heavy armor provides the best defense at an extremely high price though its popularity has fallen out of fashion since the invention of the firearm. Heavy armor has a -3 debuff to agility-based checks

Armor, Power: Power-Armor is an armored exo-skeleton which uses a sophisticated system of hydraulics and mechanics to enhance the wearers strength. Originally created as an experimental military project at the tail end of the Great War it was eventually scrapped when the war ended until the designs were adopted by the Paladins, mechanically augmented zealots hellbent on ridding the world of the supernatural. Once equipped, it cannot be removed. It grants +4 to Strength and DF but -4 to all forms of agility based checks and makes stealth virtually impossible.

Assassin: Multiplies the your attacks damage while in stealth by 2, does not apply once you have been discovered.

Berserker: You become consumed by a violent rage when you enter combat. Damage you take and damage you deal get a +2

Blade, Long: Long blades include: sabers, spadroons, broad swords, kriegsmessers, and great swords. Long blades are usually resigned as a back-up weapon with many preferring to carry a pistol and only resorting to the sword when the gun runs out or jams

Blade, Short: Short blades include: cutlasses, backswords, knives, and messers. Alomst every carries some form of short blade for work or defense as they are far cheaper and less unwieldy than longblades.

Bludgeon: Bludgeoning weapons are the cheapest option for self-defense and include: axes, clubs, maces and hammers. These weapons do have an advantage against foes who are heavily armored

Brawler: You spent a lot of your time showing pushy bar-flies and mouthy sailors what you're made of. Your bare fists are like that of stones and your kicks can fell trees, unarmed damage is upped to 1d6+STR

Charlatan: You gain a +2 modifier when making speech checks were you attempt to lie or decieve.

Daemonology: You spent your days pouring over occult manuscripts and ancient bestiaries in an attempt to accrued all the knowledge you could on the otherworldly entities who stalk the wilderness and wastelands. You can make a knowledge check when encountering a monster to identify it and its weaknesses

Duelist: Replaces your dodge with a parry and riposte maneuver which allows you to interrupt an enemy attack and follow-up with an attack of your own. Can only be used with long blades and short blades.

Dungeoneering: You get a +2 to Awareness checks when in dungeons. This can aid in detecting traps, secret doors, and hidden passages.

Etiquette: You get a +2 to speech checks when interacting with aristocracy and nobleman.

First Aid: Make a knowledge check to treat the wounds of you or your party members to regain 1d6+INT HP.

Hospitality: You get a +2 to speech checks when interacting with commonfolk.

Infiltration: Allows you to pick locks and break into buildings without detection by making a knowledge check or a stealth check.

Inquisitor: +2 damage to Occultists and Sorcerers

Marksman, Archery: A bit old-fashioned but gets the job done. Allows your character to use bows and crossbows.

Marksman, Pistols: Any wanderer worth their salt carries at least a pistol with them. Pistols include: the common Revolvers and the state of the art magazine-fed "Broomhandle Pistols". Revolvers can be fired once per round and need to be reloaded after 6 shots while Broomhandle Pistols and other Semi-Automatic pistols can be fired twice per round and need to be reloaded after 12 shots but do have a high chance to jam when rolling a critical fail.

Marksman, Rifles: Rifles are common amongst military and mercenary alike. Rifles include: Bolt-Action Rifles, Lever-Action Rifles, and Semi-Automatic Rifles. Much like pistols, Semi-Automatic rifles jam upon a critical failure. Rifles can also be affixed with a bayonet which means a wielder can use their rifle like a spear if they were to run out of ammo.

Nimble: Allows you to reroll failed dodge attempts and negates the +2 damage dealt to you when you fail a dodge roll twice

Outdoorsman: Your ability to survive in the wilderness. Allows you to locate food in the wilderness and if you get lost you may request a directional hint from the DM

Pilfering: Allows your character to steal items and pickpocket without the need for making a stealth check

Technology, Electronics: Your character's knowledge of electronic devices such as radios, lights, alarms, and a myriad of other gadgets and gizmos. You can repair or disable electronics if you succeed a knowledge check

Technology, Machinery: Your character's knowledge of motors, engines, firearms, power armor, and other sorts of machines. You can repair or disable machines if you succeed a knowledge check

#table top game development #table top role playing game #table top games #rpg #rpg system

[vagabond-rpg]

Character Creation: Statistics and Progression

Creating a character in Vagabond is extremely quick with all your really needing to do is roll stats, pick skills, and assign your saving throw values. Leveling up is at the discretion of the DM, usually after felling powerful monsters, getting out of situations unscathed, or finding treasures. When you level up, you get an increase to HP and your stats. This is done by rolling a D4, results equal to or greater than your current modifier increase it by 1 but they cannot exceed +5. Example, one of your modifiers is +4, you roll a D4 and get a 4, now it’s +5. At level 6, players may choose an additional 6th skill if they do choose. All Characters have a maximum level of 12.

There are 7 stats in Vagabond:

Strength: A measure of your physical strength, modifier is added to any melee attack rolls.

Agility: A measure of your coordination, speed, and accuracy. Modifier is added to any stealth saving throws, dodge saving throws, or ranged attack rolls

Fortitude: Your ability to withstand pain and hardship. Modifier is added to your HP total as well as saving throws against ailments such as poison, infection, and other negative statis effects

Arcana: Your awareness of all things occult and unnatural. Modifier is added to both rolls to cast and resist magic with your Magic Saving Throw acting as your DC.

Insight: Your ability to read the room and to see through deception. Added to awareness saving throws

Personality: A measure of your way with words, added to speech saving throws.

Intellect: Your character's ability to acquire and apply knowledge, used primarily for Knowledge checks.

These make up the baseline of your character.

Saving throws are another aspect of your character which determine the how easy it is for them to succeed certain things. The number values for Saving Throws are 16, 15, 14, 13, 12,11 and are assigned at the player's discretion to determine what they are better at. Saving throws decrease by 2 in value every third level.

Poison/Infection (+FORT): Whenever a player receives an ailment, they must roll higher than the number they assigned to determine if they are afflicted or not

Stealth/Dodging (+AGIL): Whenever a player wants to try to avoid being seen they must roll higher than their Stealth saving throw in order to succeed. This saving throw is also used for dodging as whenever an enemy attacks a player can attempt to make a dodge roll however if they fail they will take +3 damage. Dodging can also be replaced with Parrying which allows the player to interrupt the attack and deliver a follow-up attack but it requires the Duelist skill

Magic (+ARCN): As mentioned before, this determines how good you are at casting spells and resisting magic so it is suggested that Arcanists should make their Magic Saving Throw as low as possible

Awareness (+INS): A player can choose to roll Awareness at any time and it can be used to see through lies, deception, concealed traps, and arcane illusions.

Speech (+PRS): Similarly to Awareness, a player can roll for Speech at any time and this allows them to try to charm, intimidate, coerce, or haggle.

Knowledge (+INT): Rolled when the player wishes to apply what they know to a situation. Often used when recalling lore, or when dealing with machinery or electronics

The last stats a player has is their HP, DF, and TH. Your HP is your base health points with your starting HP being 8+FORT and it increases every level by your FORT modifier. Your DF on the other hand is your Defense which is determined by the armor you are wearing, monsters will have to roll higher than this value in order to score a hit on you. Finally Your To-Hit score is simply your accuracy with a weapon you are skilled in with weapons you are unskilled in not getting this bonus. So when you make an attack, you add your to-hit to your attack roll to increase your chance of success. Your to hit score goes up by one every fourth level with the maximum possible TH modifier being +3

#table top game development #table top games #rpg #rpg system #character creation #game development

[vagabond-rpg]

An Introduction to VAGABOND

Hi. I've been a fan of writing and roleplaying games of various forms for as long as I could comprehend my surroundings. And I thought it'd be a nice little creative challenge to create my own RPG system for uses in table-top games or even computer games if I ever actually learn how to code.

The system harkens back to the golden age of RPGs, rules-lite without being devoid of substance with heavy influences from the systems utilized in the Moldvay Basic D&D sets and the Call of Cthulhu system.

Instead of classes, a character has 4-5 skills that make up their talents with the player able to make what-ever they want. From Arcane Gun-Slingers to an Exorcist clad in mechanically enhanced Exo-Suits. The players are the game so I believe that player agency should be key and that trying to lock players into overly-strict systems that limit that agency is rather silly. And if making your own custom character is daunting then there will be a handful of pregenerated builds for you to utilize or take inspiration from.

Combat will be quick and brutal with players being able to deal out death with anything from a giant slab of iron that one could barely call a sword, to a C96 Mauser, to even occult magicks.

Instead of individual initiative there is team-based initiative, think like the original Final Fantasy. But combat is only one of several ways to resolve conflicts as there's not guarantee if a party will make it out alive as I intend for combat to be just as deadly to the players as it is the monsters to promote creative thinking and solutions.

I have a rough draft of the document in the works but things will need to be ironed out before I feel like actually posting the real deal. Suggestions are welcomed and encouraged :)

#table top game development #table top games #rpg #table top role playing game #dark fantasy #amatuer writer #just spitballing here