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Any D&D/D20

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[NullForceOmega]

Might still have some useful ideas, after all, the Z fighters power is directly derived from their mastery of martial arts, well, all of them except Goku and Gohan.

[MrWiggles]

I've tried for ten years to make a  dbz combat systems. I couldnt get anything to work. Started with InstantFuzion. And sprung from there, with other systems. We tried a d20 system, as well... it was the heyday of d20 so why not. BESM 2e, Thrash and a series of original series. The best system we had, was this neat series of effects you applied every combat round. There was a selection and you pick a few of them, and had this knock back system, that was used to fling folks away, or slam into the ground and it translated into making craters... It was awesome but it had a lot of flow issues.  Combat took way to longer, and part of the feeling that we were going for with dbz was speed and intensity.

[Neonivek]

Which is why my first intent was to immediately simplify it down to its basic elements of choreography.

Looking towards failed attempts I could easily see where the faults are... As well as what people wanted to maintain.

For example the biggest issue with the majority of them is Ki inflation... and power inflation.

Another is defense... Just flat out defense.

I don't think I'll use a level system (though... honestly it really could work...)

---

The combo flow I intend is that characters attempt to knock a character off balance through standard attacks (or specialized Ki attacks)... THEN when vulnerable use Ki attacks.

I want the most simple system to function before I overly complicate it.

The issue I am currently tackling in my mind is damage calculations. SURE right now I am only dealing with three intensities of attacks... But what IS the damage? Half-strength, Full-Strength, Double-Strength... But that isn't a good risk versus reward.

Chaff enemies are easy enough to think through. They take full damage from all attacks, even off-balance attacks.

---

Wish I had someone to work or brainstorm with but that is how things work.

[Jimmy]

So next up in my kobold/lizardfolk necropolis dungeon we have:

• A hallway filled with a sonic damage will saving throw trap that requires a puzzle to disarm
• A secret passage sized for small creatures, with medium creatures taking squeezing penalties (-4 AC, -4 to hit) and a greater shadow inside it
• A flooded hallway (difficult terrain) with a spectre guarding it
• A bunch of rooms with loot, including a potions storage room
• A treasury vault that's opened only when you turn four key simultaneously
• A trap the soul trap on a giant sapphire inside this vault, plus a golden egg that explodes in a fireball when you get within 15 ft.

Should be a fun week next week.

[Cthulhu]

I think Exalted would be the best system to do dragonball Z in.  It would take some doing, but it was tailor-made for anime style overpowered demigods throwing buildings at each other and shit.

Speaking of which, I'm playing Asura's Wrath and it's really making me jones for some Exalted.  It's an old PS3 game that basically feels like the lead designer wanted to just make dragonball z and the publisher said "no, it has to be a video game and it can't be dragonball z" and the guy was like "okay i promise i'll make a video game and i won't just make dragonball z" but then he did it anyway.

It's pretty dope actually.  The story and acting are laughable but that's part of the over-the-top charm of it.  It apes anime to the point of missions being "episodes," where levels end on cliffhangers, and you get previews of what's going to happen in the next level (next time on dragonball z!).

The gameplay itself is basically an ugly CGI anime with quick time events, interspersed by rudimentary beat-em-up gameplay that feels like it was added grudgingly.  I would've actually enjoyed it if they skipped that and it was all cutscene.

It is pure exalted though.  You're one of eight demigods, and the other seven betrayed you to steal your daughter's power, you wake up 12,000 years later and you've been made into a mythical demon while the seven demigods use the world as their playground.  Basically God of War vs Berserk, delivered via Dragonball Z.  Pretty fucking dope tbh fam

And basically exactly what an exalted campagin should look like, if you're looking for inspiration.

[BlackFlyme]

I knew how brutal the last part of this book would be, but holy shit. We have to go through an entire siege, mostly by ourselves, against waves upon waves of orcs. No rest. If we even try to rest, we fail. We have to light beacons so others know the town is in danger, and for illumination since it's night. Just hordes of orcs, half-orcs, and hired mercenaries. There's even a part where a dozen of them come at you, while buffed by a Skald who chucks axes at you from high ground. If you threaten the Skald, he casts invisibility and continues to harass the party from safety. While still playing his music. Even playing music, his stealth will be too high for a bunch of level threes to find him.

We have no NPC help. There's only one time an NPC helps, and that's only if you became friends with him earlier in the Adventure Path. Some citizens in town even tried attacking us, blaming us for the siege.

The Paladin/Oracle and the Witch are out of spells, channels, and Lay on Hands, I'm almost out of bombs, the Barbarian is low on Rage, we're only about 2/3rds of the way through the siege at best, and the Gunslinger is fucking ecstatic. Praise be to the Boomstick, because it's all that's keeping our sorry asses alive right now. Well, that and the orcs are too stupid to spread out so they aren't all decimated by shotgun fire.

[Cthulhu]

What are you playing?  I hope it's a video game,c ause that sounds like a horrible slog in real life.

[Neonivek]

I think Exalted would be the best system to do dragonball Z in.

You cannot equate power to system functionality.

Exalted combat is closer to Bleach then it is to Dragon Ball Z with its attacks that have "Rule lawyer"-esk effects. That is a anime I could imagine someone bending Exalted around to work with... Heck you could just insert most of the Bleach characters into Exalted pretty elegantly all things considered.

As for the "Best System"... if I had to chose one... I'd chose Mutants and Masterminds and probably change the scale a bit. That is the closest to matching the show...

[Cthulhu]

You're gonna have to do a better job of describing what you mean because I have no idea what you're saying there.

[Neonivek]

You're gonna have to do a better job of describing what you mean because I have no idea what you're saying there.

The idea that Exalted is the best system from Dragon Ball Z is entirely based around the fact that Exalted is among the highest "power level" of all RPGs to date... and... That is pretty much it other then mana.

That and other superficial details that don't hold up to scrutiny such as the fact that Exalted has supernatural martial arts... Something Dragon Ball Z doesn't have for the most part (One energy attack does not a supernatural martial art make)

Now one could adapt the combat system... But that is horribly broken until the third game... and the third game does have a system that COULD be used with Withering and killing attacks. Yet that is kind of where it ends.

It doesn't really need much more details. It is kind of just flat out a bad system to use.

---

I'll put it this way... When they suggested using Exalted they were probably like "Ohh Goku is total a Solar or Sidereal"...

But a DBZ characters are more like Terrestrial Blooded with their powers ramped up to the heavens... Yes even Beerus.

[BlackFlyme]

What are you playing?  I hope it's a video game, cause that sounds like a horrible slog in real life.

Giantslayer. Same one as the 'DC 25 Perception or get coup-de-graced' I complained about before.

Across two sessions, we've cleared an angry mob of citizens, a tavern, four different houses full of orcs, the tower with the Skald and his 'roid-raging minions, and three waves of orcs with the help of the NPC at a gatehouse. In those waves were bombardiers, and we had little room to maneuver from behind the barricades. 10ft radius bombs, too.

Fuckers all have Ferocity, so they take forever to go down.

[Jimmy]

I'm gonna need a few room themes, specifically about a dozen of them. Any ideas?

I've already used most trade themes (forge, cobbler's, tannery, jeweller's, stonemason's, etc) and this is going to be more of a residential/noble quarter themed area. Immediate thoughts for themes of the rooms are libraries and trophy rooms, but anything else?

[scriver]

Servan'ts quarters, guard barracks, wine cellars?

[Harry Baldman]

You can look up medieval house types, such as this one or maybe something like this. The architecture of actual medieval houses seems fairly uncomplicated for the most part. Alternatively look up floor plans for 19th century mansions with their trophy rooms and drawing rooms and conservatories and what have you, which are a lot more recognizable to modern architectural sensibilities. Should have a public space and a private space in the back for organization and that kind of thing. Make it not have a wine cellar, but instead an undercroft!

[Jimmy]

Some of the rooms I've already used:

2a: Coal Room
2b: The Furnace
2c: Forge Hallway
2d: The Firing Kiln
2e: Jeweller’s Workshop
2f: Stoneworker’s Workshop
4: Training Yard
4a/b: North/South Guard Post
4c: Officer’s Quarters
4d: Guard Barracks
4e: Weaponry
4f: Armory
4g: Prison Watchpost
4h: Prison Cells
4i: Torturer’s Antechamber
4j: Torturer’s Workshop
5a: Alchemist’s Laboratory
5b: Communal Baths
5c: Private Baths
5d: Worker’s Bunks
5e: Children’s Bunks
5f: Communal Privy
5g: Brothel
5i: Mess Hall
5j: Kitchen
5k: Taproom
5l: Trapsmith’s Workshop
6: Temple
7a: Meatlocker
7b: Wine Cellar
7c: Potion Storage
8a: Glassblower’s Workshop
8b: Weaver’s Workshop
8c: Trader’s Shop
8c2: Trader’s Storeroom
8d: High Priest’s Quarters
8e: Acolyte’s Bunks
8f: Tannery
8h: Cobbler’s Workshop
8i: Chandler’s Workshop
8k: Treasury Vault

Still got about a dozen rooms to fill out in the noble's quarter, but I'm starting to run low on ideas. Conservatory is a good one, music themed one might be good too. It's an underground lizardfolk necropolis so greenhouses or gardens are out. Drawing rooms and trophy rooms are good though, library's an obvious given for the upcoming lich fight...

[edit]...laundry, ewery, ballroom, gallery...[/edit]