Aetherfall ttrpg prototype

[u/marvintheking10]

I am in the main prototype stages of my ttrpg where i will be looking for editors and artists soon to help flesh out my system more. I have a discord server with progress reports, balance changes, and upcoming playtests. If your interested in giving it a lookover this is the prototype core rules). It is lacking in the art department for now and the layout and wording could be better but that's my gameplan with getting editors and artists. Any art i currently have is from one good friend of mine who helps when he has time

Currently this is just the prototype rulebook. I am working on the main rule book where almost all of the edits and changes will be going into with the prototype only being updated if huge changes happen or something is completely unbalanced and needs fixing for players.

Aetherfall is a modular tabletop RPG in containing a multitude of crafting systems for every combat type, bases, gear, potions, creatures/npc's. This system is built for every playstyle with no hard set classes. This system uses a action economy similar to pathfinder but uses 4 actions instead of 3. Light weapons use 1 action per attack, medium uses 2, and heavy uses 3. Spells use 2 at a minimum but heavy magic weapons(like big staves) use 3. You use yhe same 4 action economy during defense as well to block and dodge so you have to use your actions intelligently

There are no missed attacks in Aetherfall. Every attack is assumed to hit and survival depends on how well you dodge, block, or have the armour values to shrug the hit off. Skills and spells are built from modular parts. For example when making a spell you choose a essence(element of spell), a cast(where you spell originates from in the world), a shape(how your spell fires or interacts with the world), an effect(what your spell does to the thing it interacts with), and enhancements(upgrades to further improve a spell). There is a similar system for every other form of combat

Magic called Aether flows through all living things.The creator of this world descended down and gave us this power but with one condition, Danger is coming. Nobody knows what but it is set to arrive in 5 years time. Can people master control over the Aether in this time?

[u/Cryptwood]

You forgot to include your pitch for your game. A quick paragraph or two that gets people excited about your game, the aspects of your game that you are passionate and/or proud of.

[u/marvintheking10 → u/Cryptwood]

This is true, I was just afraid of adding too much and scaring people away from having to read huge paragraphs

[u/Digital-Chupacabra]

Looking though your prototype it's hard to read, a google doc would be much easier to read and work with.

Aetherfall is a modular tabletop RPG in containing a multitude of crafting systems for every combat type, bases, gear, potions, creatures/npc's.

Interesting.

This system is built for every playstyle with no hard set classes.

So I can be a textile merchant? Or a blacksmith? What about a midwife? I would assume not and that you mean any combat oriented play style, similar to pathfinder or modern D&D.

You use yhe same 4 action economy during defense as well to block and dodge so you have to use your actions intelligently

Do I have to pick between attack and defense? e.g. spend 3 to attack and then 1 to defend?

There are no missed attacks in Aetherfall. Every attack is assumed to hit

So why would I defend? What intensive is there to not build a character who tanks hits and is able to save all their action points for attack?

Skills and spells are built from modular parts. For example when making a spell you choose a essence(element of spell), a cast(where you spell originates from in the world), a shape(how your spell fires or interacts with the world), an effect(what your spell does to the thing it interacts with), and enhancements(upgrades to further improve a spell). There is a similar system for every other form of combat

Is this what you meant by crafting system? How does it work for something other than spells?

Magic called Aether flows through all living things.

The force.

---

You've talked a lot about the mechanics of the game and a little of the setting, but nothing about the actual game itself.

What are your answers to the Big 3 questions?

1. What is your game about?

2. What do the characters do?

3. What do the players do?

[u/marvintheking10 → u/Digital-Chupacabra]

Also, another apply for why a player won't just go into spending all the upgrades on armor and defenses for their characters, so they don't have to block a dodge. In doing so, you have less points to spend when crafting and upgrading to do more damage. If you spent all of your upgrades and having more hp, you will now do mid Damage for it. Which in the end, that's just a tank in any other rpg game and if that's what you want to do, you can.

[u/marvintheking10 → u/Digital-Chupacabra]

while my message here doesn't answer it. All of the information at the beginning of my document does mostly answer these questions.

What is Aetherfall?

Aetherfall is a modular tabletop RPG inspired by RPG inspired many kinds of anime and modular games like noita and Spellsmasons

Aetherfall takes place in the world Aetheria. Magic called Aether flows through all living thing here whether you are an archer that shoots arrows, a soldier whos mastered the blade, or a brawler who punches people for fun. Plant life contains traces of Aether and even innanimate objects can be infused with it. But all of this power came with a cost.

The creator of this world descended down and gave every this power but but with with one on condition, Danger is coming. Nobody knows what but originally it was set to arrive in 10 years time and It has already been 4. ady Can people master control over the Aether in this time?

There are no missed attacks in Aetherfall. Every swing lands, every spell fires. Survival depends on swing lands, every spell hre how well you dodge, block, or if you simply have enough armour to shrug the hit off. Skills and spells are built from modular parts like stances, actions, effects, runes combined together to create amazing effects

Magic in Aetherfall is more than casting a fireball Everyone contains magic and not having any is almost a Death Sentence. While Having more Aether than another is great, The Ammount of Aether one contains does not determine your Strength.

Aetherfall Contains A hybrid casting combat system If you use a sword and you were to make a magic skill where you slash your sword and send a projectile of light out, the the dan damage will not scale the same as a spellcaster, Instead the damage will scale with whatever stat your weapon uses for its damage bonuses. You would only be limited by how many times you could cast.

Plans for Aetherfall

My plans for Aetherfall are simple. I want to treat it like I am writing a book. once I release the core rulebook hopefully containing 150-250 pages. I want to immedieately start working on the next Release. the core rulebook will take place 6 years before the "Danger" arrives. for an Expanded Guide I plan to release more content, add more skill slots to cast or use more diverse skills/spells. maybe add more Paths to invest into. and lore wise when i release the Expanded Guide I plan to add more lore to the world and add a reason all of these additions were added. For example it would take place now 2 years before the "danger" arrives. I want to continue the story this way adding more lore drops and expansions for as long as possible.

For the rest of the questions.

Yes you can literally be a housewife or taxtile merchant. Realistically these are mainly roleplay based but yea you can make a character that does that by building into what my system calls "paths". To make it easier to explain think of skyrim upgrade trees. Nothing hsrd set butnyou invest where you want into your build. Though my system doesent use trees and its mostly upgrades you can spend points on that you get from leveling up to mske doing specific tasks better with one of the psths having sn upgrade for buying and selling.

Yes the same 4 you use for attack are also used for defense. They recharge at the begining of all of your turns. It's autobalances itself, i'm hoping it's where light weapons have more chances to block and dodge attacks. Medium can attack once and still have two actions to block and dodge for defense. And heavy weapons attack warrants and have one action to block and dodge.

If your physical weapons like swords, for example, you follow a similar system for spells. You choose a foundation(stance), a motion(how you swing your sword). An outcome( what happens to the people hit by your sword). And refinements( same as spells list of upgrades to make abilities better).

Every attack is guaranteed to hit. That's why you choose to block or dodge. What this means is unlike other ttrpgs you do not roll a dice to see if you hit your target. Whatever you do will hit your target. Unless your target is able to block or dodge. Weapons have durability, and when you block an attack, your weapon takes durability damage. When you Dodge you roll an amount of default equal to your agility modifier and armor bonus/armor upgrades

[u/marvintheking10 → u/Digital-Chupacabra]

To go back into being whatever you want to be. Because of the path system that I have, you literally could be what you wanted to be. For the full release of the core robot, there will be a more advanced kind of base crafting system that allows you to get squares/spaces that you can purchase specific base things in there. You could literally put a blacksmith upgrade/space in one of the spaces which you can use to craft things. I eventually plan on adding a shop. Mechanic for players, so they can sell their own stuff to n p cs that come by using either a dice rolling system or even through role play. When they are at their base of operstions

[u/__space__oddity__]

What’s the point of having 4 actions to attack with a light weapon per turn when I auto-hit anyway?

That’s just 4x damage with extra steps.

[u/marvintheking10 → u/__space__oddity__]

Who says you're gonna be attacking only one creature in combat. Also, everything has action requirements. So when you have a light weapon you have more freedom with your action economy and what you can do. Like for example a lot of people playing a light weapon probably like to be a rogue like player. On top of taking an action to attack, it would also take an action to take the hide option to go into stealth. Awesome... i'm thinking of doing it more pathfinder style where you don't get free movement on your turn. You have to spend an action to use your total movement if I did that, having a light weapon also helps your economy a lot more. In what you can do

[u/__space__oddity__]

Also whoever came up with this flipbook thing, STOP.

It’s a pain in the arse to read, especially on mobile. ESPECIALLY for an RPG rulebook that I don’t read page by page like a novel, but where I need to flip back and forth when using it as a reference. This is the publishing equivalent of grabbing the testicles of the reader and squeezing them really hard.

[u/marvintheking10 → u/__space__oddity__]

That's my fault I wanted to do it cause. D n d did something similar for their online rulebook. The I don't know how you're having issues cos. When i'm on mobile, I don't really have any issues with it. I just swipe my finger and it switches to the next page perfectly fine. That is my fault though Maybe I'll do a regulsr set of pages Nd not a flipbook thing