Darkening Skies - Q&A

Grey

Grey

Dialectical Hermeticist
This is a thread where you can tell me what you think of the game; system, setting, anything at all.


I thrive on feedback and constructive criticism, so if there are things you don't like let me know why so I can examine them, maybe fix them. If you think something is broken, tell me and I'll try to fix it. If you're not sure why something is how it is, tell me and I'll try to explain. If you want to know more about something, ask. If you like something, do let me know, and why. It all goes towards making a better game.
 
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I like the game and system and fluff, but I'm not too sure about the success rolling. It's difficult to succeed at even mundane tasks as the possibility of even a single success seems somewhat daunting.


I mean, I'm not sure if an additive numeric system like D&D would work (i.e. roll your skill/attribute and add your attribute/skill in order to meet a target number), or even something like L5R (roll your skill/attribute and keep a number of die equal to your attribute/skill).


I know the success die system allows for an easier term of variance with regards to succeeding or failing, and to be honest, I quite like that. But I think it's just the target number that qualify a success make it somewhat harder. For example, I'd like to roll a governance check with Olimak (purely a hypothetical situation). Now, that's my governance (which means I have to roll a 10 on a d12 to succeed) and roll my intellect (which is a 1, which means I roll a single d12). It just seems much more than likely that I won't succeed on that roll. If I had nothing in that skill, it'd be damn near impossible. I'm not really complaining that the game is going to be too difficult, I'm just saying that the curve for roll success is more often than not, going to end badly unless you're REALLY good at something.


Eh, but maybe I'm just being a baby about it. I just thought you might like to know is all.


Oh, and if this sounds like bitching, it's not meant to be. It's more concern, and an attempt at constructive criticism.
 
I can understand your concern, especially in this setting since it is more high-power.


However, that you'd struggle to succeed at that with only 1 in each is basically the point. You've got a better change than someone who knows nothing, but it's still not your area of expertise. I've had pretty good results with this system in all standard playtests, but your concern is noted. If it looks like a problem I'll consider revising the difficulty scale.


You do mean specifically for DS, right?
 
Like I said, it's mostly only a concern. I haven't actually had any problem with it, but then again, I haven't played the new system all that much in excess. I'd see it being more of a problem for those who try and be jacks of all trades and masters of none.


I meant for the Strange Times systems, but now that I think about it, it does mean most characters will have to specialize in order to be any good, and promotes better inter party relations, rather than one asshole who does everything great forever and minmaxes like a fucker.
 
I like it, to be honest. Coming from Exalted where a single character can minmax the rest of the party into obscurity, I like not being TEH UBER-BESTEST AT EVERYTING EVAR!!!!


Mechan is a real generalist, jack-of-all-trades at the moment, but he has a good grounding to be able to advance into the areas he's interested in. Also, it helps explain why he's such a walking disaster area!


Captain Hesperus
 
After looking over this game and simply adoring it. I've decided to throw myself at you guys again and make a character :3


That's how much I like it!
 
Phrixyalaste said:
After looking over this game and simply adoring it. I've decided to throw myself at you guys again and make a character :3
That's how much I like it!
Click to expand...
I am intrigued to hear your concept! Welcome aboard!

[QUOTE="Captain Hesperus]I like it, to be honest. Coming from Exalted where a single character can minmax the rest of the party into obscurity, I like not being TEH UBER-BESTEST AT EVERYTING EVAR!!!!
Mechan is a real generalist, jack-of-all-trades at the moment, but he has a good grounding to be able to advance into the areas he's interested in. Also, it helps explain why he's such a walking disaster area!


Captain Hesperus

[/QUOTE]
Much appreciated, Cap.
 
On first read, the system looks very nicely done. The die-rolling mechanic does seem like it would tend toward very low numbers of successes even with high skill, but that's just a gut reaction without any mathematical basis. Past that initial worry I really like the setting, and especially the magic system. It isn't often you see a setting where necromancers are known for their respect for the dead!


Now, to try and get a character worked out...
 
Dragnar said:
On first read, the system looks very nicely done. The die-rolling mechanic does seem like it would tend toward very low numbers of successes even with high skill, but that's just a gut reaction without any mathematical basis. Past that initial worry I really like the setting, and especially the magic system. It isn't often you see a setting where necromancers are known for their respect for the dead!
Now, to try and get a character worked out...
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While you are right about low-success numbers, you never need more than two successes. And characters of sufficient skill are assumed to have two successes automatically. I am, however, pleased to hear you like the setting. Do note that the setting presented in the .pdf, while the core setting, is not the one we'll be using.


Think of Crucible: Dark age as the Exalted Core, and Crucible: Darkening Skies as Shards of the Exalted Dream.
 
Right, right. Sounds like Darkening Skies is... Effectively, the same setting but years in the future, with magic having gone from suppressed to extremely prevalent and used everywhere. Right?
 
I'm under the understanding it's more... an alternate setting? Like, if Kelen suddenly exploded and turned into Shaydensea.
 
Silvertongued said:
I'm under the understanding it's more... an alternate setting? Like, if Kelen suddenly exploded and turned into Shaydensea.
Click to expand...
Kind of? It started out as an alternate timeline, but then I reshuffled the cosmology a bit.
 
Dragnar said:
Right, right. Sounds like Darkening Skies is... Effectively, the same setting but years in the future, with magic having gone from suppressed to extremely prevalent and used everywhere. Right?
Click to expand...
More or less, I suppose. Taking the default setting and cosmology and advancing it into the future leads to a magepunk noir setting I call Dismal Skies. Infernal Scions, Trolls, Elementals, and Treefolk can't exist in the default setting as they do here.
 
Aha, got it. So, the Dark Age setting is not supposed to have happened in the past of Darkening Skies, just something similar? Alright then, I'll make sure not to make any assumptions based on that!
 
Best thing to do. Sorry for any confusion.


I'm going to go and be sad that the default setting hasn't caught on nearly so well.
 
Well, from what I can tell it takes Witchery and diabolism and changes them from pacts made with extra-natural entities into heredity (if heavily diluted) traits which come as a result of mixed human-supernatural ancestry. Or...to put it another way, it's like taking Vampire the Masquerade, and then replacing vampires entirely with a sort of dhamphir.
 
Alright friends and neighbours, Thread 2 incoming.


- Please mark your location at the top of your post. If you're not sure where you are, ask me.


- Where possible, try and use the new tabs system to divide IC and mechanical content. You don't have to if you really don't want, but fuck me, it is so much neater I am in love.


Finally, some rule clarifications by example:


A normal roll:


Jim's character Arela wants to translate an Old Imerian document found in a Magocracy era ruin. This is a mental task based on deduction and memory, and so the Attribute to be used is Intellect. Arela has Intellect 3, so Jim's dicepool is three d12s. The text is the personal research journal of a Communer, so the relevant Skill is Lore. Arela has Lore 4, which means the Difficulty of the roll is 11 - 4 = 7. Jim points out that Arela has been travelling with Eoin's Communer, Weaver, for some time now, and may be better able to discern relevant details thanks to his influence. The Historian allows this to apply half, rounding down, of Arela's Intuition to the roll. Arela has Intuition 4, and so her dicepool is now 5 d12s.


Jim rolls 5d12 and turns up two elevens, a two, a three, and a six. This is two successes, enough for a standard success. Arela gleans that the Communer was working on biomagical mining equipment.


A Combat Roll


Guy has a speed of 4 and a Dexterity of 3, so his Combat Pool is 7.


Short has a speed of 5 and 2 Dexterity, so his Combat Pool is also 7.


However, Short is faster, so he goes first.


Short decides to swing his club at Guy, and elects to use 4 of his Combat Pool to do so.


His Melee Offence rating is 6, and Guy, who is trying to dodge, has a Dodge Rating of 6.


Since these are equal, both must roll 9 to succeed.


Short rolls his 4 dice, and gets three successes.


Guy, not knowing how successful Short was, is paranoid enough to roll 5 dice to dodge. He gets four successes.


Guy has dodged!


Now Guy has two dice left, and Short also has 2.


Guy retaliates with his sack of rocks, rolling his 2 dice that are left. He has a specialty, (Rock Sack), which adds 1 die to the his roll. His Offence Rating is 9, and Short's Dodge Rating is only 6.


Now, Short must roll 10 to dodge, and Guy's superior skill means he only needs to roll 8


To Guy's horror, he only rolls 1 success, while Short rolls 2 and successfully dodges.


A new round of combat begins. Short will go first again with his refreshed Combat Pool of 7.


Guy has a better feel for Short's skills now, and next turn he'll be using his 7 dice to deliver a savage rock sacking.


 
COMBATANTS


Guy


Strength 3


Dexterity 2


Fitness 3


Athletics 3


Melee 4


Parry 3 (Cudgel)


Evasion 2


Speed: 6


Offence: (Melee) 6


Defence: 5


Dodge: 4


Combat Pool: 8


Anders


Strength 4


Dexterity 3


Fitness 2


Athletics 3


Melee 3 (Cudgel)


Parry 2


Evasion 3


Speed: 5


Offence: (Melee) 6


Defence: 5


Dodge: 6


Combat Pool: 8


[line][/line]


First Round of Combat.


Guy has Speed 6, over Anders' Speed of 5, and therefore acts first.


Guy decides to use half of his combat pool (4) in an attack. His Offence is 6. Importantly, Anders does not know this Anders, seeing the attack coming, decides to Dodge. His Dodge is 6. Since these Ratings are equal, the mutual Difficulty is 8. This is the first clue the characters have as to their relative ability.


Guy's roll turns up 8,6,10,7. Two successes. Anders doesn't know that, of course, but the GM mentions the blow is solid, and is definitely going to hurt if it hits.


Anders decides to roll 5 dice from his Combat Pool out of paranoia, and gets 8,3,8,6,12. Three successes!


Both players are informed that Anders' neatly sidesteps the blow.


Now Anders' will act. He rolls his remaining 3 Combat Pool to attack Guy. He gains +1 die for his Cudgel specialty, so the roll is actually 4 dice. He rolls 4,12,12,7.


Since his Offence is 6, and Guy elects to use his Defence of 5 to Parry, the difficulty is 8 again. Two successes for Anders. Guy rolls his remaining combat pool of 4, +1 for his Cudgel specialty in Parry. 5 dice, which roll 6,8,4,12,3. Two successes! Guy skillfully parries the blow.


Second Round of Combat


Guy goes first again. He makes another conservative swing at 4 dice, rolling 6,7,12,4,. Only one success. Anders is more confident about his ability now, and Dodges at only 4 dice. 9,5,2,4 means one success. Another good dodge.


Anders knows his own Fitness is low at 2 - in character, he knows he tires quickly enough. So he wants to end this fight soon. He rolls 4+1 for specialty and gets 6,11,12,7,3, two successes.


Guy defends with his remaining pool, and rolls 7,6,2,10. Only one success. Therefore, the attack succeeds by 1 success.


He suffers a blow to the left forearm, dealing the Cudgel's damage (4) and half of Anders' considerable strength (2). Six Condition Damage. That's going to hurt - fortunately, Guy is wearing a padded leather coat. Not ideal, but enough to blunt the force a little. Only 3 damage makes it through. This is enough to apply a -1 Modifier to Guy for the next Round.


Third Round of Combat


Guy took a hit last round, meaning all his rolls are at -1. He decides to defend himself and try to recover, maybe take a swing if he feels it'll pay off.


Anders' can feel himself tiring, so he makes a mighty swing of 6 +1 dice. Today the dice hate Anders, and give him 7,2,9,10,7,7,5. Two successes. Not that Guy knows that.


Guy defends himself with 6+1, but loses the +1 due to his injury dice and makes another (9,2,3,12,10,3,) good parry.


Guy decides he can afford to retaliate and rolls his last 2 dice, -1, for a roll of 12, while Anders tries to defend against this unexpected assault and does so with 11,3.


Fourth Round of Combat


Guy decides to break the pattern and hit hard with 6 dice, now his injury penalty has faded. 2,1,7,2,9,9 vs. Anders attempt to block with 4 dice - 5,6,1,4. Well shit Anders, what have you done? Two successes is full damage to a limb, lets say Anders' left arm. 4 for the cudgel, + 3 for Guy's Strength. Halved by the padded coat that Anders' is also wearing, rounded up, that becomes 4. Anders' arm is broken. If he tries to use his left arm, that's a -3 penalty. Merely compensating for the injury puts him at -1 anyway.


Anders, injured, enraged, and knowing he's tiring, makes a brutal 4 dice attack of 10,1,6,11.


Guy, surprised, tries to parry and thanks to his specialty gets 6,12,10.


Fifth Round of Combat


Guy attempts the same tactic, hammering his wounded opponent with six dice 5,2,6,3,5,9.


Anders, tiring, is now at -1 from his entire combat pool due to fatigue, and -1 to rolls due to his injury. He has to roll 3 dice just to manage a 2 die dodge and is left with only 4 dice instead of 5. Luckily the roll of 6,11 is enough to dodge. He decides to feint, for 2 dice, and after penalties only has 1 success. Guy, taken aback, defends perfectly.


And plays into Anders' plans.


Anders then rolls his remaining 3 (post-penalty) dice. Because Guy has no Combat Pool left, Anders' has one automatic success. And then rolls 10,11,7. Three successes, a half-Strength blow to the body further mitigated by the padded leather. Guy falls back, winded, at -2 for the next Round after the club to the belly and -4 Condition.


Sixth Round of Combat


Guy, winded but cocky, knows he's going to start to tire soon. Anders' is stronger than him; this has to end before he gets lucky. He rolls his entire pool, -2 for the injury, for six dice 7,8,10,9,5,11.


Four successes.


Anders' is now at -2 to his pool for fatigue. His new pool is 6, and rolls are -1 for his injury. Desperately he rolls all he has to try and defend. 6,1,6,10,4,


Now he'll be winded for the next Round. He's down


Seventh Round


Guy is now -2 CP for Fatigue because he hit his threshold, and made an all-out attack last turn, but at least he's not winded anymore.


Anders is -3 CP, for a pool of 5, -1 due to his broken arm, and -2 due to being winded last round.


Even rolling his entire pool, that's only 2 dice to defend.


Guy presses his advantage 12,10,6,8,12,2.


Anders tries to defend himself - 1,7.


There's a cracking of ribs and Anders falls to the ground, coughing blood. He has lost 11 Condition and is bleeding internally for 2 Health per Round.


Guy has lost only 7 Condition and no Health.


Guy does the merciful thing and finishes Anders off.


A week later, Guy dies of dysentery.


That too way longer than I expected, because they kept rolling either horribly or too well, but that is what you get when they're evenly matched.
 
Everyone still in game gets:


10XP


Ywen has earned about 7 Logos Points.


Heresh has definitely gained about 11, if not more, I'll be checking.


Lenore & Urral have damned well raised their Ascension by 1, and should contact me about their next Expression.


Red Right Hand pt. 1


Phew, that thread, eh?


16 XP for everyone.


L'amnia, Srikha, and Heresh get an extra 2, for some very pleasing and often understated writing.


Mechan recieves 3 more for being.... Mechan, at full intensity.


Ichabod gets 4 for a combination of catching up, and excellent etiquette.


No bonus XP for the Infernals you're like fucking broken as it is goddamn. Urral is well on her way to Ascension 4, though.


Red Right Hand pt. 2


+4XP for all


Magi best be trackin' they own Logos Points.


Lenore is gonna get Wrath'd the fudge up soon.
 
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From Prow to Stern, Top to Bottom


Foredeck


Midships - Lower Deck Access stairs


Bridge - Lower Deck Access stairs


Central Gangway - runs length of ship; accessed either side are crew quarters.


Lower Gangway - runs length of ship; accessed either side are Galley, Infirmary, Sail Access.


Mechan's Workshop, under the prow, end of Lower Gangway.


Cargo Holds, four of them.


Engine Room, takes up lower rear quarter of the ship.


Mechanics


Outer Hull: Collectively 400 Condition, Soak 5


Armoured Hull Plates: Soak 7 +25 Condition


Levitation Plates: Soak 4, Condition 80 each.


Interior Bulkheads: Soak 5, collectively approx 500 Condition.
 
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Is this of any use?


1708_weatherlight_full.jpg



It's an approximate deck plan of this:


wallpaper_weatherlight_1024x768.jpg



Which is pretty much what we're running around on, right?


Captain Hesperus
 
Yes, that was an unexpected find. I did a search for Weatherlight deck plan and, boom. I'd hazard a guess that the ship's Magneto-drive plates are located around the area of those four gold/yellow fins amidships as well as beneath the bulbous 'air intakes'.


Captain Hesperus
 
Is it cool if I post the XP Chart here?


XP Costs:


Attributes: 15, 20, 25


Skills: 6, 3, 6, 9, 12, 18


Specialities: 5
 
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