Thread 96690918

Also post cool art

Video game tards need to stay in their baby video game board.

>>96690918 (OP)
Arcanum own system is just 1d20 checks for everything, with each "point" of skill being actually 4 and worth 20% for checks.
So all you need to do is a modified d20 roll and damage rolls for spells

>>96691187
*rolls for attacks

Either way, the game is almost painfully simple mechanically and retards who still didn't notice, 25 years later it's just 1d20 non-stop are either dumb or never played the game for longer than a single playthrough

>>96690918 (OP)
What >>96691187 said.
It's a roll-under system. You need 1d20 for basic checks and a set consisting of d4, d6, 2d10 and d12 for damage rolls, with vast majority of damage rolls being modified 1d10 roll (ranging from -3 to +5, but the bottom is always 1). In fact, if you squint, all you need is 1d20 and 2d10 to play Arcanum.
Unless you have expert training (or mastery for magic), actual success roll is capped at 95%. You can not have basic success lower than 5%
Sheet is already provided with the game, along with how sub-stats scale, so you can work that out easily.
Each 10 on tech aptitude is -1 modifier to spell rolls difficulty, each 5 on magick aptitude is +1 damage MODIFIER (which is a spell-specific multiplier to damage, not a direct bonus damage - aptitude 5 Harm does 6 damage, aptitude 100 Harm does 40)

>>96691319
Oh, right:
AC is just a flat modifier to attack chance, expert ignores 10 AC, mastery ignores half/15 (whichever higher)
DR is just a flat % decrease of incoming damage, half of damage dealt is also used for item durability damage
Called shots are a long list of effects, but really, nobody uses that shit ever. If you insist, you can check here: https://arcanum.fandom.com/wiki/Called_shots
It's basically 2 additional d100 rolls with a fixed penalty to attack chance (unless expert training)

That's literally it.

>>96691347
Called Shots to legs are completely busted.
>80% chance to simply deal more damage
>20% chance to either knock down or knockdown and cripple the target
At a price of -15 hit chance, this is just fucking nothing, especially if you fight in melee

>>96690918 (OP)
Hard to say since, the obvious answer is d20 roll-under based on attributes and 4d-d12 for skills and weapons. However, the system of the video game is flawed by itself. Getting a bunch of levels just to meet the requirement for the ability sucks. Maybe it should be just skills points instead of levels. And technological disciplines are very handicapped. A player will feel awful after crafting an item, equivalent of which he can just buy or find, not to say, the corresponding spell is probably more powerful.

So, yeah, you kind of need your own d20 systems and reinvent contents of the game. I worked on one, with action points and shit, but it yet to be completed.

Recently, I played YZE-homebrew of Arcanum with friends as a test, but had to it postpone due to another campaign.

>>96690918 (OP)
Earthdawn?

>>96690918 (OP)
Isn't there this setting (don't remember if it was official or full on homebrew) made by some Thief fanboy that explicitly stated that he doesn't really like Arcanum and will add stuff from Thief to make it more appealing to himself?

I'd try that one

>>96691593
>and 4d-d12 for skills and weapons
They are still d20
Skills are not 0-5, they are 0-20, with each point increasing it by 4. Hence why certain backgrounds give you those weird fractions, or why they talk about giving +3, but you end up with what looks like 3/4 isntead.
Weapons are almost exclusively d10, with either small cap on the max damage or big bonus on the max damage, with STR flat bonus added after the damage reduction (which is why 20 STR is so big in melee builds)

>>96691817
I know, but why directly take mathematics from the game? There is nothing elegant or fitting for the table-top play in it. Hell, it was even bad for the vidya itself. I believe that when you adapt a CRPG of the Silver Age to TTRPG, you need to concentrate not on the mechanics aspect, but what impression it gives. Since the most important thing about your Fallouts, Planescapes, and Arcanums is not the system but the immersion. Systems of these games were simultaneously both convoluted and easily exploitable, while having more promise than actual content.

>>96691016
Piss off, furfag.

>>96690918 (OP)
I've always wanted to run an Arcanum TTRPG. Something to keep in mind is that the actual video game's system is pretty shit. The only reason the game is so popular is because it had great writing and story building. The game's mechanics are quite bad and would be especially bad for a long term ttrpg. I'd probably go for something like genesys. I saw some people mention Victoriana is a system that might work too. Here's a link: https://files.catbox.moe/d0altz.pdf

Personally I'd probably use Genesys but the game's combat is a slog unless you min max. I'd have to find a way to make it less annoying.

>>96692045
>but why directly take mathematics from the game?
Because the math used in this game is fully functional and so simple, it can be directly ported into tabletop format
>There is nothing elegant or fitting for the table-top play in it
Did you just claimed that rolling 1d20 fr attack is bad in TTRPGs?
>I believe that when you adapt a CRPG of the Silver Age to TTRPG, you need to concentrate not on the mechanics aspect, but what impression it gives
Oh, so you are not only a mathlet, but also an Idea Guy that wants to talk about bullshit rather than solve problems at hand
OP asked for system, not feelings. Follow the fucking instruction, dumb twat

>>96695445
TAnd for a second I thought I speak with a player and not obvious nogames with boring rage baits.

>>96692045
If mechanics don't matter than just use FATE. bing, bang, boom, you're welcome.

>>96695922
Your second post is even more pathetic. Why this thread angers you so much, you want to derail it?

>>96690918 (OP)
Just use Savage Worlds. While it presents itself as a do-anything setting it's mostly for Wild West or Steampunk-Fantasy which is exactly what Arcanum is.

>>96695956
How does Savage Worlds handle magic?

>>96695932
My second post? I've posted one thing, you fuckin' fungo.

>>96690918 (OP)
The really really big problem with Arcanum is crafting.

Maybe you use a P&P implementation of the /vidya/ rules, or maybe you use d20 or GURPS or FATE or AGE or whatever the fuck you want.

Combat? Easy. Spells? Easy. Guns? Easy.

The problem is the weird crafting bullshit. Are you going to do like the game and limit it to a handful of pre-statted items, or are you going to try and have more fun and create a generic crafting system?

>>96696724
lolwut

>>96696704
You take an Arcane Background edge (edges are feats by another name), choosing Magic, Faith, Psionics, or Gifted as your theme.
Depending on which one you took, you train a related skill and get between 1 to 3 powers and between 5 and 15 Power Points to use them.
You then define the trappings of your powers buy combining your character's theme with the defaults of the background type you chose.

>OP asks for an Arcanum style game, obviously meaning mechanics for steam machines, crafting, magic and possibly even magic/tech clashing
>autists think he means what die to roll to hit

>>96697335
nice try OP.

>>96697335
>possibly even magic/tech clashing

Honestly, the way the game handles it is fine. Strong tech weakens nearby magic, strong magic causes a change of tech failing, potentially catastrophically.

>>96690918 (OP)
I ran a heavily inspired by Arcanum game in WEG D6. There is a Steampunk fan made supplement that adds decent rules for guns and stats for mechs/airships/planes.

Casting spells pretty much follows the regular rules, however on failures (of 1 or more) minor bad things will happen. At 5 or more, moderate bad things. And 10 or more, major bad things. I would use the d10,000 wild magic table (The Net Libram of Random Magical Effects By Orrex) and then just went through and picked out whatever effects sounded fun to affect them. If technology was involved while casting, I'd usually forgo the random effect and just have an appropriate amount of chaos happen. Gun fire from enemies are briefly more accurate because the bullets now sprout pixie wings and home, airships fall from the sky because the engine turned into a squid, or the train they were riding in twists into a shambling fire and metal slag elemental.

The great thing about the WEG D6 magic system is you are given only a handful of spell examples and are encouraged to create your own. The math formula may look scary, but once the autism kicks in it will make sense. Players will want to cast bigger and more powerful spells since the only real drawback was the spell having a high difficulty so it would just fizzle out. But NOW, they gotta be careful cause shit can get crazy.

>>96697456
It would be easyish to do in Genesys. Maybe some red dice for tech/magic.

>>96703205
While I would use a different ruleset for it, this is the right approach. Create a table that tracks the volume of technology around vs. the power of the magic. Volume of tech would need to be a bit loose and up to the GM tracking it. But, in the end, it would still be casting spells in a tech heavy area has a chance of damaging nearby tech and causing spell failure, and tech just exploding or worse in magic-heavy areas.
Like trying to fire a gun in world's version of Rivendale would just be a jam/backfire machine, whereas trying to cast a healing spell while in the engine room of a train would just fail outright and have a chance of throwing a piston.

>>96703139
Do you have a link to the supplement by any chance?

>>96690918 (OP)
Not too familiar with Arcanum, but isn't that basically Castle Falkenstein?

>>96706379

Not really. Castle Falkenstein is "ooh, what if there was magic in Victorian times? Wouldn't that be fun?" and Arcanum is "The Sword Coast had an industrial revolution, and technology literally causes magic to stop working and vice versa."

Basically magic and tech are mutually exclusive in Arcanum, and a lot of the game's plot and worldbuilding revolves around how that is shaping society and the future.

>>96690918 (OP)
Clothing is technology.

>>96695445
Yes, d20 resolution is obviously bad. Please join the rest of us in the current millennium.

>>96696724
I was skeptical about the game but this sold me on it

>>96697335
The only part of any game that matters, yes.

>>96690918 (OP)
Are there any other settings or media that does what Arcanum did with basically Tolkein inspired universe thrown into the industrial revolution? I love this stuff.
Do I have to be the one that legally risks it and makes my own story?

>>96711607
Okay there's Victoriana by Cubicle 7. Not sure what else there is.

>>96711665
>Victoriana by Cubicle 7

Looks neat. Is it in a trove anywhere?

>>96711776
Not that I know of sadly. Sorry.
I think The Iron Kingdoms that used to be owned by Privateer Press also counts as magic and steampunk technology being pushed together.

>>96711776
It’s on coffee pdf or scribd. I found it on google. Can post later.

>>96711776
It’s literally here >>96694271

>>96711939
Lol, thanks.

Idea: the Dresden Files RPG is FATE with an elaborate magic system involving a combination of artifacts, preset spells, and on-the-fly magic (less powerful).

...And honestly, I think you could adjust the magical artifact and pre-made spell rules for technology. Instead of 5 elements, have Disciplines (maybe the 8 from the game, maybe combine some of them, like healing and enhancement potions).

The Laundry Files for CoC has relatively complex magic rules as well, though I think that they're much more suited for Arcanum's technology than it's magic. Is there a CoC with "D&D style spells"?

>>96712385
Further: part of Dresden Files magic is "the catch", where every magical feat (super strength, regeneration, etc) has some specific weakness (cold iron, silver, whatever). Maybe technology more powerful than the magic in question always fulfills the catch.

>>96711607
See >>96706379
>Castle Falkenstein

>>96690918 (OP)
>>96691625
FASA has 1879, which uses the same system as Earthdawn 4E.

Savage Worlds has lots of stuff you could tack on, too.

Victoriana is also a viable option. The latest version is D&D5E-derived, but 2e & 3E used a d6 dice pool system.

Iron Kingdoms also comes in a 5E flavor and an older 2d6 + mods variety.

The best system to use for Arcanum would be one where you run across a map, then run across a map, then run across a map, then have a five minute conversation, then all the players grab an ice pick and try to guess where the autism is located on their brains and jab it as hard as they can with the ice pick

Has anyone actually run a game of with arcanum as the setting? I'd be interested to know how it went.

>>96711607
>>96711665
>>96711776
>>96711788
>>96713725
Alright is there any more fantasy steampunk industrial revolution stuff out there that I can sink my teeth into to be named?

Some absolute retard made an Arcanum tabletop years ago and then removed it from the internet. When I emailed him asking for it he said, "I'm working on a new version" to which I said, "I want the old one" and he never responded.

He also never made that new version.
Fucking cunt.