Here's an interesting thought... whenever you increase a skill to exactly +10, you get a permanent +1 to that skill's base stat. Probably, in fact, every +5 after that should give you another +1, although I might hold off on that... going from +10 to +15 costs 65 points, which is more than the 55 points it costs to get a skill of +10, but I don't know if I want to reward specialization that much.
I like the idea of having some mouse sub-societies. Let's brainstorm some:
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So, it occured to me that I should have at least a few sub-cultures in the setting... groups of mice/rats that aren't considered normal, but aren't necessarily enemies, either. Some thoughts...
[list][*]Forest Folk: the furthest colony of the Empire was the one that colonized the great woods on the edge of the Fallows. When the Empire's borders started to contract, they were the first group cut off. Now they maintain little hidden villages up in the tree tops or down between the roots. They do a little trading with the Fallows, but mostly live their own lives and have practically their own language. Some tribes have actually begun to worship Hoorooru the Owl instead of simply hiding from him. Truffle-hunters from the Fallows try to avoid contact with the Forest Folk, simply because it's hard to tell ahead of time whether a given clan will welcome you, ignore you or attack you for trespassing.
[*]Deep Folk: every now and then a practically blind white mouse will stumble out of one of the Tzarchul ruins, apparently an exile from a mysterious underground kingdom. Rumor has it that the realm was established by a security-obsessed White Lord from the time of the First Ones and that his descendants still rule the lightless depths. Some of the learned mice of the Empire are particularly interested in stories that the priests of the deep folk have learned how to make plants grow without light, using some currently unknown magical technique.
[*]Gypsy Rats: the Rululi are a band of travelling entertainers, something like a cross between a circus and a clan of gypsies. There are only three such bands in the Fallows currently. The rats greatly prize their independence and freedom and are very distrustful of outsiders, especially mice. They have a secret language that they use amongst themselves. Some folk believe that the Rululi have learned to channel magical spells through their music, although most scholars of magic scoff at the idea. [/list]
Any comments or additional suggestions?
Okay, a rules summary for the Halloween game.
Stats: Agility, Brawn, Cleverness, Drive and Perception. Rated from -5 to +5, with average being zero.
Skills: Rated at zero and up.
Task Resolution: roll Stat + Skill + 2d10 vs difficulty. A roll of two ones counts as zero, while a roll of two tens counts as a 25.
If you don't have any skill at all in a skill that requires training, you only get to roll 1d10 and a 1 counts as a zero.
Movement Rate: Agility + 10 in paces per round.
Initiative: roll your Reaction skill (which is Per based); highest roll goes first.
Difficulty Ratings:
If you hit someone in combat, you'll inflict the base damage for your weapon, plus 1d6 per Success Level.
If you are reduced to zero Hit Points, you fall unconscious. If you go negative, you have to roll Drive + 2d10 vs the number of points you went negative.
Okay, I want to expand the magic system a little bit by adding Advanced Arts. These are expanded uses of the basic arts and you have to buy an Edge for each one. The basic arts represent powers that anyone who grew up with a high Magic rating would probably be able to figure out how to do. The advanced arts expand on those and represent special tricks that would require special instruction, talent and study/experimentation.
Taking an Advanced Art requires you to buy a special Edge and already have a minimum Skill Rating (not skill total) of 5+. They use the same skill as the basic art.
Manipulate: grasp and move a nearby object telekinetically, by channeling force through a mystic tendril. Levitation (Advanced): you have learned how to hold yourself above the ground by channeling force along mystic tendrils. Levitation is slow and requires you to remain near a solid object for your tendrils to grasp. Rats have a much harder time casting Levitation because of their larger size.
Spark: produce a small flame from the tip of a tendril that you can use to illuminate an area or burn something. Shock (Advanced): you can produce electrical charges with a tendril, which does less damage than fire but can stun, knock out or even kill foes outright with a good enough roll. You can also produce light that doesn't generate any heat or flame and is thus safer to use around flammable objects.
Search: search in a direction for a particular kind of object, any living creature, or any ongoing spells. Warning (Advanced): you can set up a spherical Search spell that surrounds you and moves with you, letting you know if anything that it is set to detect ends up near you.
Probe: insinuate a magical tendril into an object or creature to study their inner workings or magical aura. This is slow and doesn't have much range. Reshape (Advanced): you can reshape an object, rearranging its physical form from within. This is often used by artisans and healers. Reshaping an object in anything other than a general way will require a separate skill roll, usually Craft for inanimate objects and Medicine for reshaping living creatures without harming them.
Influence: subtly manipulate a target's emotional state. Compel (Advanced): enforce overt mental commands on a target.
Hm... some other possible arts:
Link: create an indirect magical connection between yourself and another person or object. As long as the link is maintained, you are always considered to be touching that target for the purposes of targetting them with any spells. A Link spell isn't quite an enchantment but can last indefinitely. Delve (Advanced): you can also see through their eyes and cast spells through them if they cooperate.
Animate: create an animating life force in an inanimate object, granting it some degree of mobility and intelligence. Unless you sever the spell, it will only last so long as the object remains within range of you. Greater Animation (Advanced): the "creature" created will have some degree of intelligence and possibly speech, depending on how well you rolled.
Intuition: diffuse your own magical aura over an area so that you pick up subtle, mystical signals from it, such as major events in the recent past, the presence of hidden dangers, or the attentions of uneasy spirits. This might well replace Warning. Ghostwalk (Advanced): you can actively try to conjure up images of specific past events that you are interested in so that you can get more details.
Finally starting to feel like working on this again.
Lakeshore: this province is ruled by Lord Davorian and covers the more prosperous areas along the lake shore. Not only does the Lakeshore region produce most of the fish for the Empire, its ports take deliveries of metal shipped from Fashor and shipments of grain from Haven to be exchanged for them. As a result, there are many wealthy importers in the Lakeshore region.
Most of the major ports here are small but bustling cities and very cosmopolitan. All breeds are welcome and even crows have been known to hang around the area, selling their services for food and shiny objects.
Population: Predominantly Common Mice, with a large portion of Common Rats and White Mice. Jumping Mice and Wild Rats are also found here, but usually have jobs as sailor or dockworkers. The province is ruled by a small handful of Imperial Governors (all Royal Mice) who generally split their time between running things here and attending court in the Imperial Palace. The position of Imperial Governor is a highly desired and tightly contested one, so a lot of infighting takes place between would-be candidates amongst the nobility.
Darin's Weal: a smaller province on the southern edge of the lake shore. A series of levies were intended to improve the moorage here, but have since fallen into disrepair. The land is technically ruled by Lord Ollen, but his personal forces are concentrated on defending his estates and can't be spared to patrol the rest of the province. As a result, petty brigandry and small bands of shrews are a constant threat; most of the smaller villages have been wiped out, with only the larger and well-defended ones remaining.
The region is prone to unrest and rebellion, although the Imperial Army is quick to stomp out disturbances that look like they might spread out of the region.
The most dramatic landmark in Darin's Weal is the great Titan's Bridge... an enormous structure that extends partway out into the lake, then comes to a sudden stop. It's purpose is unknown but it is obviously of ancient construction.
Population: predominantly Common Mice with Common Rats and Jumping Mice coming soon after. A small but thriving population of Wild Rats exists here as well. White Mice are rare and rather disliked; most either travel with guards or keep most of their fur covered in public.
Royal Expanse: this province includes the grand Imperial Palace and the Alabaster Temple of the church. The great city of Haven lies on its border, between it and the Imperial Heartland. This province is under the direct control of the Emperor, although he invariably farms off the actual duties to various minor nobles and rarely leaves the palace himself.
The roads here are kept in good shape and the plants are kept trimmed so that they minimize the wind without blocking the sun. Guardsmen wear well-shined armor with ornate decorations according to their rank.
Population: predominantly Common Mice and Common Rats serving a smaller population of White Mice and an even smaller population of Royal Mice. Jumping Mice make up a tolerated minority and mostly work as messengers and heralds. Wild Rats are distrusted and will generally be forced to leave if they try to stay for long.
The Heartland: the Heartland covers most of the productive fields in the Fallows. Grain-bearing plants grow huge here, with small roads between them for wagons to run. During the harvest season, harvesters climb up the stalks with baskets strapped to their backs, which they fill with grain. Large wagons are filled with seeds, most of which are eventually delivered to Haven with the cream of the crop going to the Imperial Palace. The Alabaster Temple owns a small set of fields that provide their own food and are worked under the supervision of the church. Lower-class priests and apprentices are often assigned to work the harvest.
Population: predominantly Common Mice, with some Common Rats and Jumping Mice. White Mice and Wild Rats are a small minority here.
Fashor: the rocky and relatively barren land on the far side of the lake. Fashor was colonized during the height of the Empire's expansion after an enormous source of metal was discovered there. Even today, ships laden with chunks of various metals make their way across the water to Lakeshore and return again with a hold filled with seeds and wines.
The mice of Fashor speak with a slight accent due to their years of separation and are strongly prejudiced against breeds other than true mice. In Fashor, non-mice are given the lowliest of jobs and are often kept on the verge of starvation or rebellion. White Mice are almost unknown; Fashor was colonized by commoners and common mice there occupy about the same tier as white mice in the Empire itself.
Fashor itself consists of several port towns and a number of scattered villages. Most of the construction is underground. Technically, they consider themselves to be semi-independent... that is, when they need aid from the Empire they think of themselves as dutiful citizens, and when the Empire demands taxes, they think of themselves as independent. Fashor once tried to declare complete independence several generations ago, but their lack of resources other than metal left them too vulnerable to starvation and an Imperial Governor was appointed. These days the position of Governor is largely ceremonial, with the individual towns running things their own way and just paying periodic bribes to the Governor's office.
Population: predominantly Common Mice, with a small population of oppressed Common Rats and Jumping Mice. A smattering of Wild Rats exist, but they are considered to be natural-born criminals and are subject to immediate enslavement or execution if they come to the attention of the authorities. Crows arrive occasionally, usually bearing messages or passengers from the other side of the lake, but they aren't particularly welcome and know to leave as soon as possible.
The Barbarian Clans: a number of tribes of "barbaric" mice and rats live out in the wildlands beyond the edge of the Empire. Many are nomadic, wandering through the rocky landscape seeking food in great circular paths that eventually take them back where they started. To the Empire, these barbarians are regarded as a single culture, but to the locals the wildlands are broken up into numerous small kingdoms and clans, many of whom are deadly enemies.
Magic and learning are rare. Most clans have at most a single mage, who would often be thought of as not even suited for apprenticeship in more civilized areas. Their shaman are the most skilled practicioners of Summoning and Binding in the known world, however. Because Summoning is impractical in more populated areas, most mages in the Royal Expanse don't even believe in spirits and discount the art entirely.
Population: Common Mice, Jumping Mice and Wild Rats, generally separated into single-species clans.
Okay, one thing about magic is balancing it properly.
At the current level it's a use-at-will power/skill with hard-coded results. The resistance roll for anything that could take out an opponent needs to be a skill, not a stat. Otherwise an experienced PC mage will easily wipe the floor with opponents.
Compel: Resisted with Resolve (Drive).
Influence: Resisted with Psychology (Perception).
Manipulate: Resisted with Brawn... and nothing else? Actually, it might not be resisted normally, but you could have a Brawn vs Brawn contest if they struggle for something.
Spark: Resisted with Evasion (Agility) when you try to hit someone with fire or electricity and they try to dodge. Otherwise the damage simply isn't enough to be really unbalanced unless you're talking about First Ones.
Shape: Normally requires touch and stillness... any serious resistance succeeds.
Probe: Not really resisted... if I allow mind-probes, that would doubtless by resisted by Resolve, but I don't really intend to allow them.
Actually, how about Influence resisted with Intuition (Perception). Your Intuition skill will cover stuff like sensing the presence of ancient magic, ghosts and subtle magical effects (such as the Influence spell).
Power Level is normally Magic + SL.
Influence: how potent the emotion is. You can manipulate their emotional state at will during a continued one, giving you bonuses to any interaction. With a concentrated one, it's only one emotion and you have to split the points between effect and duration but you get a few bonus points. I might dump the split bit, depends on what the chart looks like.
Compel: what you can prohibit or compel. During a continued one, you can give new commands and veto any action. During a concentrated one, it lasts longer but you can't change anything. It's also harder to resist.
Influence: PL determines the bonus/penalty.
Compel: PL determines what commands can be given.
Probe: PL determines what you can search for.
Manipulate: PL determines the effective Brawn.
Spark: PL determines the damage done.
Shape: PL determines how fast you can shape it (if at all).
PL 0 or less is pathetic and often can't do anything. PL 2-4 is good, 5-8 is great, 9+ is generally beyond most mages' capability. Should they resist your original roll or your final PL? Resisting PL would make Magic even more useful... probably too powerful.
Influence: should PL even matter, really? Or just SL? Would a First One be able to alter your emotional state at will? Or just have the alteration last a really long time? I need to work up a list of what things can be modified... the biggies to modify them are SL, PL, Magic and possibly other stats.
How did Blue Rose do emotion-control magic? Hm. They kept it simple and low-key.
Influence: Roll Influence vs target's Intuition. Target's emotional state changes as you wish, granting a +2 bonus to social rolls against them and altering their behavior accordingly. The effect ends PL minutes after you stop concentrating.
Concentrated Influence: Blasts them with raw emotion. Roll Influence vs target's Resolve. On a success, target acts as though they were overcome by that emotion for PL rounds. This can grant a +2 bonus for any action that the emotion would help or a -4 penalty for anything it would hurt. Afterwards, the target will almost always realize that they were being magically influenced.
Compel: Roll Compel vs the target's Resolve. Your last command lasts for PL minutes after you stop concentrating. SL (not PL, it's how much you beat their will by that matters) determines what sort of commands can be given.
Concentrated Compel: Slam a single, long-lasting command into their head. Roll Compel vs Resolve. Command lasts for PL hours.
Example Commands:
Concentrated Manipulate: blast someone with brute force. Brawn of Magic. You can push or pull... shoving to one side entails a -5 penalty. Nothing more complicated is possible.
Spark: hit them with fire damage equal to your PL/2. Remember that a sword does (Weapon Damage + Brawn + 1d6 x (SL-1)), so this isn't exactly impressive. You can attack once per round by rolling Spark vs their Evasion. This is best used for starting fires, not combat.
Concentrated Spark: hit them with a single burst of fire that does 1d4+PL, making it a weak attack but better than nothing.