DwD Studios
How much do characters grow mechanically?
Thu, 11/01/2012 - 10:54pm | 
DwD Studios
(copied here from forums)
In other words, how many times can they increase 'statistics' before they hit a ceiling
We originally had a more complicated graduation for ability score increase that made it tougher to advance at the upper end of the % spectrum, but dropped it because we didn't feel it gave us anything in the way of FUN. So yes, you can advance beyond 100%. This is cool for players because it allows them to attempt ridiculous actions that have huge penalties and still succeed, creating memorable stories. However, it can prove complicated for GMs trying to challenge players who do that. As a GM, you can impose some restrictions if you'd like to add more realism to your game. Share your ideas with us here on the forums if you decide realism trumps player-simplicity in your setting (some settings are more gritty!)
Skills are a different matter. There is a hard level limit of 6 for any skill. Levels 1-2 represent a novice or journeyman status. Levels 3-4 represent a professional or specialist level of achievement. Levels 5 and 6 become increasingly more expensive to purchase but represent the true achievement of the dedicated master.
Tags: Primary / Secondary Skill Bonus and the Warrior Skill?
Thu, 11/01/2012 - 8:00pm | Harrison
Hey there--I noticed that on the character sheet, the level bonus for the Warrior skill applies to both Meless and Ranged. However, the P/S bonus is split between the two. Just to be clear, if I choose Warrior as my primary skill, do I need to assign my +20 primary bonus to either melee or ranged, and not both?
Warrior skill is indeed a bit unusual since it has two scores. You select the P/S bonus per skill, not per score. Therefore, if you decide the "Warrior" skill is primary (+20) or secondary (+10) to your character concept, that P/S bonus applies to both scores in that skill.
The effects of the transform spell
Thu, 11/01/2012 - 1:15pm | mort
The transform spell lets your transform one living thing into another, but does not really touch upon what comes with it.
If a character is transformed into an orc, does he get its physical stats? Its body points? Its mental stats? Access to any special abilities, such as the petrifying gaze of a medusa?
And, more importantly, can he cancel its effects before the spell runs out, and can he continue casting spells in his new form?
Likewise, how much control does the caster have over these effects?
Great question,
Transformation is a bit open to GM interpretation as far as how to handle each type of transformation. Here's one way to judge it that I use (your methods may vary):
- you gain the physical appearance of the new form
- you gain the STR and DEX of the new form
- you gain the BP, INIT, MOV rate/method of the new form
- you gain any natural DR of the new form
- you gain any natural non-magical attacks of the new form (score, damage, effects, etc.)
- you retain your own memories
- you retain your own control
- you retain your own LOG and WIL
- if your new form has hands and a mouth you can still cast spells in your new form
Transform doesn't heal you. Damage carries between transformed states. If you're down by 17BP and transform into an ogre, you are still down by 17BP. If transforming causes your accumulated damage to exceed your form's BP maximum, you drop.
It's up to the GM how adjudicate complex situations. For instance, if a character has his STR boosted by an Aid spell and is then transformed into a creature with high STR, is his new STR still aided? Things like that are difficult to judge and should be the responsibility of the GM.
Elves and armored Spellcasting
Thu, 11/01/2012 - 12:51pm | mort
Elves have the special ability to cast spells in any armor. Does this allow them to ignore the usual penalty of not being able to cast spells in armor for which they do not meet the strength requirement, or is it a reference to another rule I have not found?
You got it right, mort. Elves don't have to worry about armor preventing them from casting spells. Yes, any elf spellcaster who can afford the gold to purchase plate armor can cast spells.
Print on Demand? Or Print Edition?
Thu, 11/01/2012 - 7:20am | jasales
I NEED printed books. Capitalized NEED. :)
That way I can buy the books and give them to my gamers.
Thanks for the excitement, Jasales. We want to provide a POD option of some sort. Right now we're working on getting quotes for doing a print run of books and then perhaps doing a kickstarter project so folks like you who want them can pre-order and fund the release. It's all preliminary, but it looks like that's the direction we're leaning.
EDIT: 11/12 Now that the game as been out for a couple of weeks we are finalizing any edits and will make a POD option available through RPGNow in the next week or two. There is a topic in the forums "BBF Edits | Final Call" if you have any edits to discuss.
Help printing the Printer-Friendly as a booklet
Mon, 10/29/2012 - 2:15pm | DwD Studios
(Originally asked on G+ by Brock Cusick)
If one were to print the print-friendly version in booklet format, where is the best place to break up the [sections]? The issue is that 82 pages doesn't divide nicely into units of 4, so I was wondering if you had any experience with printing the PDF into a good size number of sections.
Simply ignore the first two pages. Those are just to provide a lite cover if you're printing double-sided conventionally. If you're printing in a booklet form, either 2 blank pages need appended to the end (not worth doing) or you should not print the first two pages.
Multi-Action Clarification
Mon, 10/29/2012 - 11:46am | DwD Studios
(originally asked by Andrew Scott on G+)
Multiple actions -- Is a hard limit reached by reducing the skill in question to 0? If that's the case, could a minotaur attack me three times on its turn, max? Tangentially, are creatures capable of making multiple attacks or do they follow the minor NPC rule??
Yes a hard limit is reached when you multi-action down to 0%. The automatic success/failure rule (page 26) only applies to actions with a "reasonable" chance of success. Something with a 0% chance to succeed isn't reasonable.
Regarding critters: Creatures can indeed take multi-actions. Many have more than one type of attack shown in the list, and they get multi-action penalties if they use more than one just like a PC would. Only minor NPCs are bound to the one-attack-only rule. It's so we can have fun mopping up the floor with mooks now and then. Wimpy creatures like goblins and kobolds tend to lack the skill to pull off more than one attack anyway, so it's pretty universal.
Creature guidelines
Fri, 10/26/2012 - 6:15pm | gills
Is there a guideline for creating creature abilities. I want to convert a sand giant's "sand blast" ability from 4e to BBF.
Actually - there is in fact a system for balancing special abilities. It's called the Effects Factory - a process for creating special abilities, poisons, traps, etc. It derives a rank value. Unfortunately, it hasn't been shared yet. Look for it in the pages of Decahedron Magazine in issues to come.
For now, all I can suggest is to re-skin an ability belonging to another creature whose rank is similar to the creature you're creating.
The summon spell 1/day is limiting
Fri, 10/26/2012 - 5:59pm | gills
I have players that save their summon spell and end up not usuing it in a final encounter (for whatever reason). It seems very limiting if you can only cast something once per day.
Yep, sometimes the opportunity never comes up or the need just isn't strong enough to pull out the big spells. A spell's usage is an important part of balance. Spells like this are a gamble like that, but when you suddenly are able to supplement your 4-character party with a sizable force of 20 orcs, you'll be glad you used it.
If you'd prefer to give the summoners in your party more use of their spell, consider adding the following optional rule. Change the usage to "special" instead of 1/day and allow the spellcaster to summon only a number of ranks worth of creatures equal to twice his spellcaster level per day, divided up as desired. Thus, a level 5 spellcaster could summon a two rank 2 creatures (which totals 4 ranks) during an encounter, but then still have 6 ranks worth of creatures to summon that day. This is similar to how the spell functioned in the beginning before play testing evolved it to the form it was published.
Repel seems very powerful
Fri, 10/26/2012 - 10:09am | gills
I was playtesting your game and used repel to destory a bunch of rank 1 goblins. I have 2 levels in caster. It seems broken. It might be better served to allow the destruction of enemies at higher levels, maybe 4+
A level 2 spellcaster would not be able to destroy rank-1 creatures. The rank must be less than half. Even at level 6, you may only destroy up to rank-2 creatures.
It's also worth noting the caster may choose to destroy, he is not required to. Use your characters moral code as a guideline.
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