Chrono Stars System

Creating a character and playing in the Chrono Stars System (CSS) is intended to be easy and fun, but because I am a garbage designer, it will probably be neither for a while.
==Character Creation==
===Your Character===
Being a story-based game, it's imperative that you give some thought to your character's personality and backstory. Who are they? What do they want out of life? What kinds of people do they like or dislike? What led them to becoming the person they are now?
===Race===
There are thirty-one playable races in Chrono Stars. Choose one that best fits the character you have in mind. They all have unique attributes that will impact how your character is played, such as bequeathing bonuses to certain skills and having special abilities.
===Class===
Your character's class impacts virtually everything else about your character, so it's suggested that you pick your class before anything else. There are 10 base classes in Chrono Stars:
: Beastmasters, users of nature magic that have an affinity for the wild and animals. (WIS)
: Brawlers, lightly-armored skirmishes that rely on their quick reflexes to carry them to victory. (STR/AGI)
: Engineers, those who create a variety of machinery and gadgets to solve whatever problem they face. (WIS/INT)
: Chronomancers, talented magic-users that bend the elements of the world to their will. (INT)
: Crusaders, zealous champion that employ both magic and weaponry to further their cause. (STR/CHA)
: Orators, gifted speakers that rely on their own skills or magically-amplified power words to get their way. (CHA)
: Scouts, stealthy specialists that sneak around to gather information and use hit-and-run tactics in combat. (AGI)
: Soldiers, heavily-armored frontlines fighters that are peerless in their mastery of weapons. (STR)
: Snipers, long-ranged fighters that prefer to stay out of harm's way and study their enemy before fighting. (AGI/WIS)
: Spiritmancers, those who call upon the aid of a deity during times of need and use divinely-given magic. (INT/CHA)
Your class choice also determines your four "defensive" stats for combat and other things in the game: Hit Points, Defense, Resistance, and Evasion. These stats can be further augmented by certain abilities and items, but you will receive "base" values for these stats based on your class.
===Statistics===
One of the most important gameplay functions of Chrono Stars is your character's statistics. These values govern many aspects of your character and should ideally reflect your character's actual character in some way (such as a bright character having a high Intelligence value, or a bodybuilder having a high Strength value).
There are five statistics: Strength (STR), Agility (AGI), Intelligence (INT), Wisdom (WIS), and Charisma (CHA). Generally speaking, these stats go from 0 to 10, with 0 being wholly unremarkable or even bad in that field and 10 being an unparalleled professional, such as an Olympic athlete or a peerless professor.
At level 1, you are given 10 points to allocate into your stats as you please. Excluding things such as racial bonuses to stats, given value in a stat cannot exceed 3+level. So a level 1 character can put a maximum of 4 points into one stat. They could have a stat that is at 5 due to a bonus perk of some kind, but they can only put 4 points into that stat.
It is recommended to prioritize your class' most important stats when allocating your stat points.
===Skills===
Skills are effectively things your character is good at. Due to the robust nature of Chrono Stars, you could have skills that are not necessarily listed here, provided that the gamemaster permits it. The remainder of this section will be dedicated to the 15 utility skills and 13 weapon skills in Chrono Stars.
Much like your statistics, you are given 10 skill points to allocate as you please, and you cannot put more than 3+level points into a skill. You could have a higher value than that in a skill due to racial mods, but there cannot be more than 4 points allocated into a skill -- either utility or weapon -- at level 1.
Every skill is governed by one of the five stats. They are as follows:
: STR: Climb, Jump, Swim
: AGI: Escape Artist, Open Lock, Stealth
: INT: Craft, Manipulate Device, Knowledge
: WIS: Heal, Perception, Track
: CHA: Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate
Stats and skills have important synergy that will be explained later, so it is recommended that you pick skills your character has good stats for.
Weapon skills represent how proficient your character is with a weapon. Having a high skill in a weapon will give you particular bonuses in combat or in actions pertaining to that weapon (such as identifying the quality of a sword). The weapon skills are:
: Bows, Crossbows, and Firearms for ranged weapons.
: 1H Maces, 2H Maces, 1H Axes, 2H Axes, 1H Swords, 2H Swords, Staves, Shields, Polearms, and Unarmed/Natural for melee weapons.
Weapon skills use the same skill points as utility skills, so allocate your points wisely.
===Race/Class Perks and Abilities===
Now that you've selected the basics of your character, you're ready to put in the bonuses your character gets from their race and class.
All races allow for you to add +1 to a certain stat, which will be listed on their race page. Depending on your character's circumstances, the gamemaster may allow you to have a different racial bonus to a stat (such as a wolfgang being raised by noctras and consequently having +1 to Charisma rather than Strength or Wisdom).
All races also have special perks to selecting that race. Most of the time, this will be +1 to a few skills and a unique ability you can choose when to use. Your race's page will tell you what special racial abilities you get and how to use them.
Classes all have something called class skills, which are simply a flat +1 to whichever skills are denoted as being class skills.
Classes also give you special abilities unique to that class. Some of these abilities are passive and will affect how you play, such as the Crusader's Ironguard ability giving a bonus to crusaders who wear heavy armor. Other abilities may require you to use them, and your class page will explain how to do so. These perks are called "baseline perks" because all characters of that class receive them.
Classes also have "tiers" of abilities that you must pick and choose from. At level 1, you choose 3 of the 5 "first tier" abilities. This allows for character customization; even two characters of the same class and race may play very differently by virtue of selecting different abilities. Abilities will always explain how they work and how to use them.
===Currency and Equipment===
You roll 5d10 to see how much money you have at the start of the game. You then buy weapons, armor, and any other items you wish to have. Be mindful of what will be most useful to your character or the group when purchasing items. All money you don't spend will stay with you after you finish making your character, so feel free to save up some cash.
==Leveling Up==
Every 100 experience points, your character levels up, gaining access to new abilities, improving their statistics and skills, and so on.
===Statistics and Skills===
Roll 1d4 for your statistics and roll 1d4 for your skills. You gain that many points to allocate into your stats and skills as you please, but you still cannot have anymore than level+3 points in a given stat or skill.
===Class Abilities===
When you level up, you get access to new tiers of abilities from your class. If none of the most recently-unlocked tier abilities are interesting to you, you may choose an earlier tier's ability instead.
===Race Abilities===
When you level up, your racial abilities will also improve in some way. You might even get access to new abilities.
==Skill/Stat Checks==
d20s are used for all skill checks in Chrono Stars, and the difficulty of the action you're performing determines what you need to roll in order to succeed. For example, something of average difficulty might require a roll of 10 or more to succeed. However, if you are particularly skilled at what you're attempting, you may get to roll more than one d20 to see if you succeed or not.
Your skill's entire value (ranks+any other miscellaneous modifiers) determines how many times you can roll a d20 to see if you succeed at the skill check. The stat attached to the skill (e.g. Strength for Jump, Swim, and Climb) determines the maximum amount of times you may roll.
For example, a character with a 5 in Stealth but a 3 in Agility could roll a Stealth check a maximum of 3 times even though they have a 5 in Stealth. Thus, it's important to improve the statistics that are attached to the skills you want your character to be good at.
Sometimes you may end up in a situation where you need to roll to see if you succeed at something, but what you're trying to do isn't covered by a particular skill. In this case, the gamemaster will tell you to make a stat check, such as a Strength check for trying to break down a door. In this case, your stat score is how many times you can roll a d20 to see if you succeed.
Sometimes in a skill check or a stat check, the gamemaster will impose a penalty or a bonus depending on the situation (such as a penalty for trying to do something in a rush or a bonus for a Knowledge check on something your character has studied for all their life). Such penalties/bonuses will be, for example, +2 or -2 to the end result of all of your rolls.
==Combat==
===Turn Order and Actions===
At the start of combat, all participants in the fight roll 1d20+Initiative modifiers to determine turn order.
Combat is divided into rounds, which are further divided up by turns. A round is effectively everything between your current turn and your next turn. Every individual creature has a separate turn.
Most of the time, in a turn, you may perform one of the following combinations:
#A full-round action. As its name suggests, this takes up your entire turn and is assumed to be something your character is doing for the remainder of the round (until their next turn).
#A standard action and a movement action. Standard actions include things like casting a spell or attacking with a weapon. Movement actions are, of course, moving around the battlefield (see below for rules on movement).
#A full movement action, where you spend your entire turn moving. Trying to flee from combat generally involves a full movement action.
===Movement===
Your character's speed (how far they can move in a single turn) is determined by their race and stats:
: Small bipedal races have a speed of 30ft. Small quadruped races have a speed of 40ft.
: Medium bipedal races have a speed of 30ft. Medium quadruped races have a speed of 40ft.
: Large bipedal races have a speed of 20ft. Large quadruped races have a speed of 30ft.
: You add your Agilityx5 to your movement speed (max +25).
: Wearing medium or heavy armor reduces your movement speed by the item's Armor value (max -10).
In addition, you can spend your entire turn moving (at the cost of not using any standard or full-round actions in that turn) to move double your speed (so a character whose speed was 30ft could move up to 60ft).
===Physical Attacks===
All physical melee attacks have an associated roll, such as 1d8. Unless you have an ability or item that demands otherwise, you add your Strength score to all physical melee damage done.
To perform a melee attack, you must be adjacent to your target (unless you are using a weapon that has extra range, such as a longspear).
All physical ranged attacks have an associated roll, such as 1d10. Unless you have an ability or item that demands otherwise, you add your Agility score to all physical ranged melee damage done.
Ranged weapons can be used at any distance within their range at no penalty, but ranged weapons require ammunition and must be reloaded. Some ranged weapons can be used multiple times before requiring a reload.
===Magical Attacks===
Magical attacks are governed by the user's "caster stat," which is determined by their class. Most often, it will be Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma. You add that stat to damage done with magical attacks from your class, or to determine the potency of your spell (such as how many turns its effects will persist for).
===Abilities===
Abilities that must be used to take effect take a standard action to use unless otherwise specified.
===Other Actions===
Some actions, such as taking a quick look around the battlefield, are free actions and do not take up your turn, even if they require a roll to determine the success of.
You can use items during a turn. Most item uses are standard actions unless otherwise noted.
===Defensive Stats===
Hit points are for soaking damage that the other stats did not mitigate or allow you to avoid. Reaching 0 or fewer hit points will knock you unconscious or possibly even kill you depending on the circumstances.
Armor is for mitigating physical damage, either melee or ranged. Heavy armor has the highest armor value of all armor, but it generally has low evasion and resistance to compensate.
Resistance is for mitigating magical damage. Magically-infused light armor such as cloaks tends to have the highest resistance value of all armor, but it generally has low armor to compensate.
Evasion is for avoiding attacks altogether, either physical or magical.
===Clash! [Fighting Another Creature]===
When two creatures are aware of one another and one makes an attack, the two will "clash". During a clash, the attacking unit must make an attack roll, and the defending unit must make a defend roll.
Attack rolls are 1d20+Weapon skill+Relevant attacking stat (generally Strength for melee, Agility for ranged, and Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma for spellcasters).
Defense rolls are 1d20+Relevant defense stat (generally Armor for physical attacks and Resistance for magical attacks)+Evasion+Shield skill (if equipped).
If the attacker's roll exceeds the defender's roll, the attacker rolls for damage. Damage will be mitigated by the defender's non-Evasion defensive stats (Armor or Resistance) by subtracting the defensive stat from the attacker's roll, but will always do at least one point of damage, even if the result would be 0 or lower.
If the defender's roll exceeds the attacker's roll, the defender suffers no damage.
If the attacker and defender both get the same result, the success goes to whichever rolled the higher number without modifiers (e.g. if the attacker rolled 9 and had a modifer of +3 and the defender rolled 10 and had a modifier of +2, the defender would succeed on account of rolling a higher number). If the two have the same modifiers, then they both reroll.
If the attacker rolls a critical hit (usually 20, but some abilities and weapons may allow for a wider range of critical hit-granting values), then their attack will deal double damage (or more, if the attacker has a weapon or ability active that calls for it). If the defender rolls a critical block (again, usually 20), then they automatically negate the attack. In the case of two 20s, they both roll again.
If the attacker rolls a 1 during the initial clash, then the attack automatically fails, and defender is allowed to make a counterattack. This counterattack does not cost anything and cannot be blocked using a defend roll. If the defender rolls a 1 during the initial clash, then the attacker automatically succeeds, and the attacker is allowed to make a second attack, called an attack of opportunity. An attack of opportunity cannot be blocked with a defend roll, so use it when you're given the chance to!
===Attacks of Opportunity===
Attacks of opportunity don't just happen when a defender fails a defend roll. They are also provoked when:
#A creature that is unaware of the attacker's presence is attacked (such as during an ambush).
#A creature that is knocked down or otherwise unable to defend itself is attacked.
#A creature is using or withdrawing an item (excluding Engineers' bombs and other tinkers) adjacent to an enemy. An example of this is using a potion or getting out a rope from their inventory.
#A creature is completely surrounded by enemies.
===Aiding Allies===
Allies who are near each other get a +1 bonus to defend rolls for each adjacent ally. "You watch my back, and I'll watch yours," in other words. However, this also applies to enemies, so try to split them up if you can!
===Elevation===
Sometimes the ground of a battlefield won't be perfectly level; for gameplay purposes, elevation differences will be calculated rounded to the nearest five-foot increments just like horizontal distance; a one-foot elevation difference will count as zero, whereas four-feet of difference will count as five.
Attackers gain a +1 bonus to their attack rolls when the attacker is at a higher elevation than the defender; however, unless the melee weapon has farther reach (e.g. a spear), melee attacks generally cannot be performed if the difference in elevation is greater than five feet.
Defenders gain a +1 bonus to their defend rolls when the defender is at a higher elevation than the attacker. Always seek out the higher ground!
If the elevated area is "steep" and is not gradual such as a hill or a slope, then traversing it will require a Climb check if the elevation exceeds your character's height. While climbing, you're prone to attacks of opportunity from your enemies. Climbing is part of your movement action, and more difficult surfaces to climb will require higher rolls to succeed.
Category:Original System