Dragonbane - sort of a 5E lite RPG
Feb 7, 2024 10:08:13 GMT -6
Hans E Magnusson and hamurai like this
Post by Finarvyn on Feb 7, 2024 10:08:13 GMT -6
I'm really becoming addicted to Dragonbane (Drakar och Demoner) and thought I'd make some comments about the game system. As some have noted in the other thread, there are some similarities to 5E.
DoD has a similar 6 stats to D&D. (Runequest uses Size and Power stats, but DoD doesn't have any of those. The main difference is that Wisdom has been replaced with Willpower.
** Stats are 3-18. Roll 4, keep the best 3.
** CON becomes hit points. Clearly, characters are in danger from the get-go.
** WIL determines activation of powers. Spells have a WP cost. Other kewl powers have a WP cost.
Characters get kewl powerz based on Class and Kin (race). There are no levels, but characters can improve on individual skill numbers a little at a time.
Actions are limited.
** 5E has actions, reactions, bonus actions, and each have special rules.
** DoD has actions. If you haven't used your action you can react instead.
Actions (combat, skill use, etc) is a "roll low" system. It started as a percent chance to succeed (so, for example, 15% would be percentile dice 01-15) and in this version is a d20 roll (so, in the same example, 15% would be d20 roll 01-03). Nat-1 is a critical success, nat-20 a critical failure.
If you fail a dice roll you can "push" to get a re-roll. When you "push" a roll you suffer a condition, which means you check off one of your 6 stats and any skill used with that stat is at disadvantage. You have 6 stats, so you can push 6 times before a rest. Just one more resource to juggle, but a fun one.
There are 3 levels of rest, not so unlike 5E. You can "take a knee" once per short rest as an action to regain a couple of HP. There are also short and long rests, with different names but a lot of the same benefits of restoring WP and such.
Armor does damage reduction instead of changing one's AC. With low HP totals, however, armor becomes even more vital than in 5E.
DoD has "Boon" and "Bane" (advantage and disadvantage) that can occur in certain situations.
Monsters have interesting rules.
** They have an action chart. Roll and see what they do, can't do the same action twice in a row.
** Monsters don't miss. They are deadly. But they can sometimes be dodged or parried.
** Dodging or parrying sometimes works.
Monster info in the Bestiary is pretty minimal, which I like.
** A couple of basic stats. Much simpler than 5E.
** A table of monster actions. (Sort of a "DCC Spell Table" thing, but much shorter.)
** Wonderful artwork done by Johan Egerkrans. (Same guy who did the Vaesen RPG.)
More thoughts later.
DoD has a similar 6 stats to D&D. (Runequest uses Size and Power stats, but DoD doesn't have any of those. The main difference is that Wisdom has been replaced with Willpower.
** Stats are 3-18. Roll 4, keep the best 3.
** CON becomes hit points. Clearly, characters are in danger from the get-go.
** WIL determines activation of powers. Spells have a WP cost. Other kewl powers have a WP cost.
Characters get kewl powerz based on Class and Kin (race). There are no levels, but characters can improve on individual skill numbers a little at a time.
Actions are limited.
** 5E has actions, reactions, bonus actions, and each have special rules.
** DoD has actions. If you haven't used your action you can react instead.
Actions (combat, skill use, etc) is a "roll low" system. It started as a percent chance to succeed (so, for example, 15% would be percentile dice 01-15) and in this version is a d20 roll (so, in the same example, 15% would be d20 roll 01-03). Nat-1 is a critical success, nat-20 a critical failure.
If you fail a dice roll you can "push" to get a re-roll. When you "push" a roll you suffer a condition, which means you check off one of your 6 stats and any skill used with that stat is at disadvantage. You have 6 stats, so you can push 6 times before a rest. Just one more resource to juggle, but a fun one.
There are 3 levels of rest, not so unlike 5E. You can "take a knee" once per short rest as an action to regain a couple of HP. There are also short and long rests, with different names but a lot of the same benefits of restoring WP and such.
Armor does damage reduction instead of changing one's AC. With low HP totals, however, armor becomes even more vital than in 5E.
DoD has "Boon" and "Bane" (advantage and disadvantage) that can occur in certain situations.
Monsters have interesting rules.
** They have an action chart. Roll and see what they do, can't do the same action twice in a row.
** Monsters don't miss. They are deadly. But they can sometimes be dodged or parried.
** Dodging or parrying sometimes works.
Monster info in the Bestiary is pretty minimal, which I like.
** A couple of basic stats. Much simpler than 5E.
** A table of monster actions. (Sort of a "DCC Spell Table" thing, but much shorter.)
** Wonderful artwork done by Johan Egerkrans. (Same guy who did the Vaesen RPG.)
More thoughts later.