Spes Magna Games

It’s something every candidate promises to do, but most of them are lying. Just about everything costs more because of taxes. Is it too much to ask that game systems not include taxes as well?

“Wait a minute,” you might be thinking. “What on Oerth are you talking about?”

I’m talking about skill and feat taxes built into the 3.5 system. These taxes require you the player to purchase certain skills or have certain feats to do neat things. To a certain extent, this is unavoidable (much like real taxes). After all, the 3.5 system isn’t free-form. It provides mechanics to quantify and resolve character actions for a variety of tasks. On the other hand, the system itself seems to spawn new taxes. Let’s look at one example.

Improved Feint lets your PC feint in combat as a move action for the cost of two feats (including the prerequisite). Unless your character is human or a fighter, this feat is unavailable at 1st-level. Is the ability to feint as a move action really something that ought to cost two feats (and, for many characters, require your PC to be at least 3rd level)?

I don’t think so. I think characters should be able to do more for less. This is part of the reason why I’ve written Fencing & Firearms to include universal feats and to give you more bang for your BAB. It’s also why I’m borrowing some OGL from True20 and implementing these modifications to the way skills work.

Calculated Risk
You can take a calculated risk on one check to make a follow-up check easier. You accept a -5 penalty (or +5 DC bonus) to the first check in exchange for a +5 bonus (or -5 DC penalty) to the second check. The two checks must be related and the first, penalized check cannot be a check on which you take 20.

For example, a character faces a difficult climb. He uses Search to look for handholds along the climb route, taking a -5 penalty against the DC set by the DM. If successful, he finds a suitable route and gets a +5 bonus on a Climb check.

Or, another example: The party is split up by a chasm and are fighting orcs on both sides. The wizard has been cornered on the other side of the chasm from the rogue. The fighter accepts a -5 penalty on his Acrobatics check to move through one orc’s space in order to get a +5 bonus on the check to leap across the chasm to help the wizard.

Calculated risks require some narrative imagination and common sense adjudication by the DM.

Fast Task
You reduce the time needed to complete the check by accepting a -5 penalty to check or a +5 bonus to the check’s DC. If the check is normally a full-round action, it becomes a standard action. An standard action becomes a move action, while a move action becomes a free action. For checks requiring time in rounds, minutes, or longer, reduce the time needed by 25 percent per -5/+5 modifier, to a maximum 75% reduction.

For example, using Bluff to feint in combat is usually a standard action. A character could accept a -5 penalty to his check in order to feint as a move action.

Or, another example: Opening a lock is normally a full-round action. If the rogue is in a hurry, he can use fast task to use Disable Device to pick the lock as a standard action. Of course, he first wants to search for traps, normally a move action. Using fast task, he can use Perception to look for traps as a free action.

Simultaneous Tasks
You can accept a challenge in order to perform two checks simultaneously. To attempt simultaneous checks, make the challenge check, followed by a second check using the same or a different trait. Your secondary check suffers a –10 penalty or a +10 increase in Difficulty. The combined task requires the same time as the longest normal task, so if both tasks require a standard action, you accomplish the simultaneous use in a single standard action rather than two.

For example, a character being grappled by ogre can use simultaneous tasks to use Escape Artist to get out of the grapple and then use Bluff to create a distraction. Both actions take a single standard action to accomplish.

These sorts of changes to the game accomplish two goals important to Spes Magna Games. First, these changes maintain compatibility. We’re not completely re-inventing the wheel. Fencing & Firearms can be used with 3.5 and Pathfinder. Second, these changes give players more options without imposing a tax on skill points and feats.

Well, I wasn’t quite sure what direction we wanted to go, but I’ve decided that Spes Magna Games will produce Pathfinder-compatible products. We don’t have anything for sale…yet. Instead, our first product, Rewarding Roleplaying, is provided as a bonus to everyone who subscribes to our Quid Novi? newsletter. Our second product, Fencing & Firearms, should be available for download by Quid Novi? subscribers on January 10, 2010.

Here’s the stat block for a standard 3.5 orc:

Orc, 1st–level warrior: CR 1/2; LA +0; Medium humanoid; HD 1d8+1; hp 5; Init +0; Spd 30 ft.; AC 13 (+3 armor), touch 10, flat-footed 13; Base Atk +1; Grp +4; Atk Falchion +4 melee (2d4+4/18–20) or javelin +1 ranged (1d6+3); Full Atk (same); Space/Reach 5 ft./5 ft.; SA —; SQ darkvision 60 ft., light sensitivity; AL CE; SV Fort +3, Ref +0, Will –2; Str 17, Dex 11, Con 12, Int 8, Wis 7, Cha 6.
Languages: The language an orc speaks varies slightly from tribe to tribe, but any orc is understandable by someone else who speaks Orc. Some orcs know Goblin or Giant as well.
Skills and Feats: Listen +1, Spot +1; Alertness.
Possessions: Falchion, studded leather, javelin.

When converting our orc to Fencing & Firearms, these are the areas that need to be addressed:

* AC: Armor works differently in F&F. It has a lower armor bonus, but converts lethal to nonlethal damage. Also, BAB adds to AC.
* Grp: F&F uses a combat maneuver system. The orc gets two new stats as a result.
* Atk: The attack bonus is changed to a DC.
* Fort, Ref, Will: These are changed to DCs.

Here’s the adjusted orc (the changes are in bold):

Orc, 1st–level warrior: CR 1/2; LA +0; Medium humanoid; HD 1d8+1; hp 5; Init +0; Spd 30 ft.; AC 13 (+1 BAB, +2 armor), touch 11, flat-footed 12; L2N 3 points; Base Atk +1; CMS 15, CMAC 14; Atk Falchion 15 melee (2d4+4/18–20) or javelin 11 ranged (1d6+3); Full Atk (same); Space/Reach 5 ft./5 ft.; SA —; SQ darkvision 60 ft., light sensitivity; AL CE; SV Fort 14, Ref 11, Will 9; Str 17, Dex 11, Con 12, Int 8, Wis 7, Cha 6.
Languages: The language an orc speaks varies slightly from tribe to tribe, but any orc is understandable by someone else who speaks Orc. Some orcs know Goblin or Giant as well.
Skills and Feats: Listen +1, Spot +1; Alertness.
Possessions: Falchion, studded leather, javelin.

Let’s examine these changes:

* AC: The orc’s BAB is added. This counts as a dodge bonus. In F&F, studded leather provides a +2 armor bonus.
* L2N: Studded leather also converts 3 points of lethal damage to nonlethal damage. This might seem like extra bookkeeping for the DM, but it isn’t. When running F&F fights, I don’t track nonlethal damage for most foes. Instead, I adjudicate on-the-fly whether the foe is dead, dying, or just unconscious once its hit points are gone.
* CMS: This is the orc’s combat maneuver score. If the orc attempts a combat maneuver against a PC (such as a bull rush), the orc’s CMS is the DC the player must equal or beat using his PC’s combat maneuver defense bonus to resist the maneuver.
* CMAC: This is the orc’s combat maneuver AC. It is the DC a player must equal or beat to affect the orc with a combat maneuver used by the player’s PC.
* Atk: Each attack has an attack score. When the orc attacks a PC, the player makes a defense check. If he equals or exceeds the orc’s attack score, the attack fails.
* SV: Each saving throw is a DC. When using a spell that permits a saving throw against the orc, the player must make a magic check against the appropriate saving throw score. If the player equals or exceeds the score, the spell takes affect.

So, you ask, how long did it take to convert the standard orc to an F&F orc? Well, it took me about two minutes including the time to add the bold-face formatting codes. For my face-to-face group, I converted all of the monsters on the first level of The Lost Vault of Tsathzar Rho in about 15 minutes, including the time it took to type up a quick reference table that summarized the changes on one easy-to-use page.

 Any questions?

Earlier, I mentioned that Fencing & Firearms has players roll their own fate. When I introduced this to my face-to-face group, a couple of the players were mildly confused, but even my most hidebound player adapted quickly enough. Here’s a look at how this change to combat works:

Attacking And Defending
PCs make their attacks just like they do in the standard rules. Their opponents, however, do not. Each time an enemy attacks a PC, the character’s player rolls a defense check. If that defense check equals or exceeds the attack score of the enemy, the attack misses.

To determine a creature’s attack score, add 11 to the creature’s standard attack modifier (the number it would use, as either a bonus or penalty to its attack roll, if it were attacking using the standard rules). For instance, an ogre has a standard attack modifier of +8 with its greatclub. That means that it’s attack score is 19.

To make a defense check, roll 1d20 and add any modifiers that normally apply to your Armor Class (armor, size, deflection, and the like). This is effectively the same as rolling d20, adding your total AC, and then subtracting 10.

* Attack Score: 11 + enemy’s attack bonus
* Defense Check: 1d20 + character’s AC modifiers

If a player rolls a natural 1 on a defense check, his character’s opponent has scored a threat (just as if it had rolled a natural 20 on its attack roll). Make another defense check; if it again fails to avoid the attack, the opponent has scored a critical hit.

A foe may have a threat range greater than one. For example, the foe could wield a longsword (normal threat range 19-20). In a case such as this, the foe scores a threat if the defense check falls within the same range as the normal threat range. To continue the example, a longsword has a two digit threat range. Thus, a natural 1 or 2 on a defense check scores a threat with a longsword.

Jeremiah Dawes and his comrades are facing down an ogre. It hurls a javelin at Jeremiah. The ogre’s attack score with its javelin is 12 (11 + 1 attack bonus). Jeremiah has a 12 DEX and is protected by a shield spell, giving him a +5 defense check bonus. Jeremiah’s player rolls 1d20+5 and gets a 13 total. The ogre misses!

When a PC attacks an opponent, he makes an attack roll against the opponent’s AC as normal.

The procedure is only slightly different using using combat maneuvers such as bull rush or grapple. Every PC has a combat maneuver bonus (CMB) and a combat maneuver armor class (CMAC).

Saving Throws And Save Scores
NPCs and other opponents no longer make saving throws to avoid special attacks of player characters. Instead, each creature has a Fortitude, Reflex, and Will score. These scores are equal to 11 + the creature’s Fortitude, Reflex, and Will save modifiers.

Any time you cast a spell or use a special attack that forces an opponent to make a saving throw, instead make a magic check to determine your success. To make a magic check, roll 1d20 and add all the normal modifiers to any DC required by the spell or special attack (including the appropriate ability modifier, the spell’s level if casting a spell, the adjustment for Spell Focus, and so on).

If the result of the magic check equals or exceeds the appropriate save score (Fortitude, Reflex or Will, depending on the special ability), the creature is affected by the spell or special attack as if it had failed its save. If the result is lower than the creature’s Fortitude, Reflex or Will score (as appropriate to the spell or special attack used), the creature is affected as if it had succeeded on its save.

* Magic Check: 1d20 + spell level + ability modifier + other modifiers vs. save score
* Fortitude Score: 11 + enemy’s Fortitude save modifier
* Reflex Score: 11 + enemy’s Reflex save modifier
* Will Score: 11 + enemy’s Will save modifier

Jeremiah counters with cause fear. He has a 16 CHA and this is a 1st-level spell, giving Jeremiah a +4 on his magic check. The ogre’s Will score is 12 (11 + 1 Will save modifier). Jeremiah’s player rolls 1d20+4 and gets a 10 total. Jeremiah fails his magic check, and the ogre is only shaken for one round.

If a player rolls a natural 20 on a magic check, the creature’s equipment may take damage (just as if it had rolled a natural 1 on its save).

Spell Resistance
If a PC has spell resistance, his player makes a spell resistance check against each incoming spell that allows spell resistance. A spell resistance check is 1d20 plus the PC’s spell resistance, minus 10.

The DC of this check is equal to 11 + the attacker’s caster level, plus any modifiers that normally apply to the attacker’s caster level check to overcome spell resistance (such as from the Spell Penetration feat). That value is known as the attacker’s caster level score. If the spell resistance check equals or exceeds this number, the spell fails to penetrate the PC’s spell resistance.

To beat a creature’s spell resistance, a player makes a caster level check (1d20 + caster level) against its spell resistance, just as in the standard rules.

* Spell Resistance Check: 1d20 + SR – 10
* Caster Level Score: 11 + attacker’s caster level + modifiers

Jeremiah has been affected by spell resistance from a 9th-level caster, granting SR 21. A 5th-level sorcerer casts magic missile at him. Jeremiah’s player rolls 1d20+11 against DC 16 and gets a 23 total. The sorcerer’s attack is stopped by Jeremiah’s SR.

Neat, huh? 🙂

Next post, I’ll show you how easy it is to convert a monster to F&F style.

‘Tis the season to be jolly, and all that. Things’re going to slow down a bit here until after December 27, but that doesn’t mean nothing’s happening.

Quid Novi?, Issue 2, is ready to go, and it is sitting in the automailer’s queue. While I’m out of town this weekend with family, the Internet will work it’s magic and deliver the newsletter to subscriber in-boxes on-schedule. Which reminds me: If you’re not a Quid Novi? subscriber, you should be. Subscribers get the newsletter, bonus material, and (once we go live with our sales) they’ll get a subscriber discount as well.

Fencing & Firearms is just about done. It should be available for subscriber download early January 2010.

Spes Magna Games is hitting the convention circuit (as long as it doesn’t involve leaving town). There will be Spes Magna events at Con-Jour in late January and at OwlCon in early February. If you’re in Houston, stop by and say, “Salve!”