[19:00] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Sure thing! I’m Ben Overmyer, art director for Silver Gryphon Games and the author of the epic fantasy RPG Ingenium.
[19:01] <+SGGKevinRohan> My name is Kevin Rohan and I’m the content director for Silver Gryphon Games and I contribute here and there to Ben’s awesome Ingenium system and to part of the setting for in the Core Book.
[19:01] *** jtbullet has quit IRC: Client exited
[19:01] *** Treasure has joined #rpgnet
[19:01] *** ChanServ sets mode +v Treasure
[19:01] <~Dan> (Welcome to #rpgnet, Treasure!)
[19:02] <+SGGKevinRohan> Hiya, Treasure!Β Thanks for coming!
[19:02] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Hi Treasure. =D
[19:02] <+Treasure> π hi
[19:02] <+SGGKevinRohan> So Ingenium is our fantasy setting and system.
[19:03] <+SGGKevinRohan> It operates off the Three Word system that Ben put together.
[19:03] <+SGGKevinRohan> That Three Word system applies to character creation, spell creation, and even item generation.
[19:04] <+SGGKevinRohan> It makes everything very fast to customize and adds character and a uniqueness to everything it touches from characters to the most mundane of gear.
[19:04] <+SGGBenOvermyer> We’re even kicking around the idea of using Three Words for monsters. Maybe if the Kickstarter is particularly successful, it’ll be in the game at launch. π
[19:05] <+SGGKevinRohan> I think that’s definitely something we can tease into it, Ben!Β It’s definitely been discussed.
[19:05] *** JP has joined #rpgnet
[19:05] *** ChanServ sets mode +v JP
[19:05] <+SGGKevinRohan> So instead of fighting a boring, and frankly cliche, Goblin, it might be a Stout Goblin Scout or a Heavy Goblin Skirmisher or something similar.
[19:06] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Aye. This is the first we’ve ever discussed it outside of the company.
[19:06] <+SGGKevinRohan> In doing so, it adds purpose to the monsters, inherent variety to their gear, and it can make some absolutely amazing encounters!
[19:06] <+SGGKevinRohan> It is!
[19:07] <~Dan> (Howdy, JP!)
[19:07] <+JP> (heya!)
[19:07] <+SGGBenOvermyer> (done)
[19:08] <+SGGKevinRohan> The Three Word system for character creation is pretty fast, but it’s pretty robust.Β Just this weekend I had a few friends put together characters in less than 15 minutes between the two of them…neither of them had ever seen the system before.
[19:08] <+SGGKevinRohan> And were only marginally familiar with the first edition of Ingenium.
[19:09] <+SGGKevinRohan> (done)
[19:09] <~Dan> Thanks, guys!
[19:09] <~Dan> The floor is now open to questions!
[19:10] <~Dan> I’ll start us off. What manner of fantasy would you say Ingenium falls under?
[19:10] <&Silverlion> So what beyond the three word system is unique about your setting?
[19:10] <&Silverlion> or system..
[19:11] <+SGGKevinRohan> I think Ben would be best to answer both of those questions!
[19:12] *** DreadPirateofGaming has joined #rpgnet
[19:12] *** ChanServ sets mode +v DreadPirateofGaming
[19:12] <~Dan> (I’ll go ahead and call for a question pause there, as I suspect those will take a bit to answer.)
[19:12] <~Dan> (Welcome to #rpgnet, DreadPirateofGaming!)
[19:12] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Ingenium is a mix of high fantasy and pulp fantasy. Magic is everywhere, though magic weapons and armor are rare.
[19:14] *** DreadPirateofGaming has quit IRC: Disintegrated: (Link: http://www.mibbit.com)http://www.mibbit.com ajax IRC Client
[19:14] <+SGGBenOvermyer> The world, called Eiridia, is made up of a ton of different cultures and races. I took a lot of inspiration from real-world historical cultures to create the various regions.
[19:14] *** SmittyB has quit IRC: Disintegrated: ChatZilla 0.9.90.1-rdmsoft [XULRunner 22.0/20130619132145]
[19:14] *** DrNate has joined #rpgnet
[19:14] *** ChanServ sets mode +v DrNate
[19:14] <+SGGKevinRohan> There are two continents in the setting, and both of them have a very different approach to magic. The main continent Galtharion is a magic intensive, high fantasy world.
[19:15] <+SGGKevinRohan> The next largest continent is Khathana, a continent that has shunned magic after powerful casters drove the continent into a magical iceage.
[19:15] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Aye. Galtharion and Khathana represent two different ways of building a setting – Galtharion is mine, and Khathana is Kevin’s. Both are woven into the general fabric of the setting, but each has a distinctive flavor.
[19:16] <+SGGKevinRohan> As far as a high fantasy setting, it gives INCREDIBLE latitude for players and GM’s…but traveling between the two can be quite a challenge for some parties…the culture shock can be pretty intense at times.
[19:16] <+SGGKevinRohan> Particularly when the party arcane caster gets a bounty placed on them after they are witnessed casting magic on Khathana.
[19:16] <+SGGKevinRohan> (done)
[19:17] <+SGGKevinRohan> (I need to turn this over to Ben for a bit, I have to take my daughter to softball practice, but I’ll be back!!!)
[19:17] <~Dan> (No problem!)
[19:17] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Silverlion, the system’s uniqueness isn’t limited to the Three Words. It also has an unusual approach to progression/character customization.
[19:18] <&Silverlion> So tell me what does a character look like mechanically
[19:18] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Your character is built on an initial group of about seven or eight abilities/traits called Talents. Some come from your Profession, some from your Race, and some are from a handful of freeform choices.
[19:19] <+SGGBenOvermyer> It’s a level-based game, and every level you get increases your attributes and lets you choose a new Talent or two.
[19:19] <+SGGBenOvermyer> At third level, you also choose a second Talent Pool, which gets you another batch of four to five Talents.
[19:20] <+SGGBenOvermyer> It’s very much a mix-and-match type of system, where you can be a magic-user who cross-skills into wearing plate armor and wielding a greatsword, or a mighty warrior who also focuses on traversing the noble courts.
[19:21] *** Le_Squide has quit IRC: Disintegrated: Revolutionary Monkey Chu-Chu
[19:21] *** Songtress has quit IRC: Disintegrated: ChatZilla 0.9.90.1 [Firefox 29.0/20140421221237]
[19:21] <+SGGBenOvermyer> There’s only one hard-and-fast limit imposed at character creation, and that’s that only someone who starts with magical ability can ever cast spells.
[19:21] <+SGGBenOvermyer> That’s not to say that a non-caster can’t use magic – they just can’t use spells.
[19:22] <&Silverlion> So what other magic is there they can use but spells?
[19:22] <+SGGBenOvermyer> If a Talent grants a magical ability, they can use that.
[19:23] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Like, say, being able to light things on fire at will.
[19:23] <~Dan> Are Talents like that common (for PCs)?
[19:23] <~Dan> Or in the setting as a whole, for that matter?
[19:23] <&Silverlion> So innate magic but not flexible spells?
[19:24] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Exactly, Silverlion.
[19:24] <&Silverlion> Makes me think of gurps “knacks” for some reason
[19:24] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Most Talents seem to have a touch of the unreal about them. That’s where the pulp fantasy part comes in – a lot of magic is never explained, it just IS.
[19:25] <+SGGBenOvermyer> So of COURSE that fountain is magically enchanted to always be pure and drinkable.
[19:25] <~Dan> In Khathana, are Talents like that distinguished from spellcasting?
[19:25] <+SGGBenOvermyer> That’s one of the magical architecture features of the Eiridian town of Summerfort.
[19:25] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Yes, Dan. Khathana is an odd place – there is magic there, but it’s at a low hum, rather than the vibrant blaze that is magic in Galtharion.
[19:26] *** Shadow has joined #rpgnet
[19:26] *** ChanServ sets mode +v Shadow
[19:26] <+Shadow> Hey all
[19:26] <~Dan> So if you can, say, naturally talk to animals, they aren’t going to burn you at the stake?
[19:26] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Think kindly old ladies in villages who are uncommonly good at curing illnesses.
[19:26] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Not if you hide it well enough.
[19:26] <~Dan> (Howdy, Shadow! Welcome to #rpgnet! Here for the Q&A?)
[19:26] *** Seht has joined #rpgnet
[19:26] *** ChanServ sets mode +v Seht
[19:26] <+Shadow> Yeah
[19:27] <~Dan> (In progress! Fire away with questions. Also, #rpgnet2 is open for general chat, if you like.)
[19:27] <~Dan> (Howdy, Seht!)
[19:28] <~Dan> How common are nonhuman races?
[19:28] <+SGGBenOvermyer> (done)
[19:28] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Very common, especially in Galtharion.
[19:28] <+SGGBenOvermyer> They make up between 15% and 75% of any given region’s population. In some isolated cases, 100%.
[19:29] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Elves and dwarfs, while present in the setting, don’t have their own cities like in most other fantasy settings.
[19:30] <+Shadow> Are the issues in 1st edition repaired in 2nd like non elemental spells?
[19:30] <~Dan> They’re fully integrated into human society?
[19:30] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Yes, Shadow. Every problem with 1st Edition is now fixed – at least, all the ones we know about!
[19:31] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Yes, Dan, though there is racism present in some cases. The kingdom of Redami is heavily prejudiced against Changed Ones, for example – catfolk, half-wolves, and wingfolk.
[19:31] <+SGGKevinRohan> (I have returned!)
[19:31] <~Dan> (wb!)
[19:32] <+SGGBenOvermyer> (that was quick!)
[19:32] <+SGGKevinRohan> (Spencer’s a small town, the field is only 8 blocks away!)
[19:32] <~Dan> What are some of the other races?
[19:32] <&Silverlion> Wingfolk is an odd name..
[19:33] <+Shadow> Now if somehow you guys don’t make the full amount you are hoping for will 2nd edition still happen
[19:33] <+Shadow> Wingfolk = Pixie
[19:33] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Kind of. Wingfolk are closest to angels in appearance.
[19:33] <+Shadow> Remind me of Windlings
[19:33] <+SGGBenOvermyer> There are eleven races in Second Edition.
[19:33] <+SGGKevinRohan> There are also half-wolfs and Catfolk.
[19:34] <+Shadow> all the races from 1st carry over correct?
[19:34] <+SGGKevinRohan> Shadow, there is a huge difference between the Windlings of Earthdawn and the Wingfolk of Eiridia!Β Ben is right with the Angelic countenance of the Wingfolk…standing as tall as Humans with feathered wings.
[19:34] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Humans, dwarfs, elves, half-wolves, catfolk, wingfolk, gargoyles, halflings, dryads, myconids, and satyrs.
[19:35] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Yes, all races in 1st edition are in 2nd.
[19:35] <~Dan> Myconids being mushroom-folk?
[19:35] <+SGGKevinRohan> Yes, though Ben has a different tack on them.
[19:35] <+Shadow> Yummy on pizza π
[19:35] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Myconids are not the usual mushroom people, no.
[19:35] <&Silverlion> Why didn’t you take out the more “common” races and stick with the odd things?
[19:36] <+SGGBenOvermyer> They’re very humanoid, and are basically spirits of darkness. They have mushrooms growing out of their skin.
[19:36] <+SGGKevinRohan> More humanoid than murshroom headed things that look like they belong in a Nintendo game…not that there’s anything wrong with that, just not the direction we went.
[19:37] <+SGGKevinRohan> If we don’t hit the goal on the Kickstarter, the book will be complete as far as text goes.
[19:37] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Silverlion, we put the common races back into the game for Second Edition because we wanted to give people something familiar to play with. Not everything needed to be New, but everything needed to be Awesome.
[19:37] <&Silverlion> COol
[19:37] <~Dan> Can you describe the core mechanic?
[19:37] <+SGGKevinRohan> But we will need to have an internal discussion as to how or if it will be released.
[19:38] <+SGGBenOvermyer> The core mechanic that almost every roll outside of damage is based on is a single d10 plus an Attribute score plus any other modifiers (such as those from Talents) versus a difficulty, or versus another character’s roll.
[19:38] <+SGGBenOvermyer> (done)
[19:38] <~Dan> So Talents take the place of skills?
[19:39] <+SGGKevinRohan> Talents *enhance* skills.
[19:39] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Talents are more than just skills.
[19:39] <~Dan> So there are skills as well?
[19:39] <+SGGKevinRohan> Everyone can do every skill, it’s just that the talents make things easier, better, and even add that touch of pulpy, innate magic.
[19:39] <+SGGKevinRohan> Skills essentially function off the attributes.
[19:39] <+SGGKevinRohan> If someone has a Talent for say, Poison craft.
[19:40] <+SGGKevinRohan> Then they get a bonus from the Poison Craft Talent that adds on to their Intelligence.
[19:40] <+SGGKevinRohan> Add that up, roll a D10, and add the two numbers together.
[19:40] <+SGGKevinRohan> If you fail, you fail, sometimes catestrophically, if you succeed, you succeed, and sometimes you succeed very well.
[19:40] <~Dan> Do bonuses from specific Talents improve over time?
[19:40] <+SGGBenOvermyer> But if someone’s doing something akin to an Acrobatics check from d20, they’re just making a Dexterity check in Ingenium, though they might get a bonus to that if they have an applicable Talent.
[19:41] <+SGGKevinRohan> Exactly.
[19:41] <+SGGKevinRohan> (done)
[19:41] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Some Talents have open-ended bonuses – they grow as your character grows.
[19:41] <+Shadow> open ended dice?
[19:41] <+SGGKevinRohan> Almost all dice rolls explode.
[19:41] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Yes, Shadow, all dice rolls are open-ended/can explode.
[19:41] <+SGGKevinRohan> If you score the highest number on the dice…8 on a d8, 6 on a d6, etc…you roll again and add the results.
[19:42] <~Dan> How specific are Talents? For example, is there a Talent for using bows, or is it a matter of Talents for specific types of shots with a bow?
[19:42] <+SGGKevinRohan> There are exceptions to that rule, but they’re pretty few and limited to things like Hit Points when your character levels and other similar traits and statistics.
[19:42] <+SGGKevinRohan> (done)
[19:42] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Talents can be either very narrowly focused or very broad.
[19:43] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Most broad Talents have a low numerical bonus, and most narrow Talents have a high numerical bonus.
[19:43] <+SGGKevinRohan> The Basic Talent Pools are very broad.Β As your character advances, you get into more advanced talent pools that let you really crank down on specifics for your character.
[19:43] *** MonkofLords has joined #rpgnet
[19:43] *** ChanServ sets mode +v MonkofLords
[19:43] <~Dan> (Howdy, MonkofLords!)
[19:44] <+SGGKevinRohan> (welcome!)
[19:44] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Since the system isn’t point-based, we tried hard to make sure all of the “crunch”Β Talents are basically equivalent in terms of power.
[19:44] <+SGGBenOvermyer> (Hi MonkofLords!)
[19:44] <~Dan> Are Attributes random, then?
[19:45] <+SGGBenOvermyer> No, Attributes advance at a set pace. At character creation, each PC sets a Primary and Secondary Attribute which advance faster (and start higher) than the others. The rest start at 1, which is 1 point above the mortal average of 0.
[19:45] <+Shadow> same as 1st there I believe
[19:45] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Race and Profession also modify Attributes.
[19:46] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Yes, Shadow, same as first for progression.
[19:46] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Though the new streamlined way of dealing with Professions is different from first.
[19:46] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Each Race and each Profession gives a +1 starting bonus to one Attribute.
[19:47] <+SGGBenOvermyer> (done)
[19:47] <+SGGKevinRohan> Professions are different from a traditional class system however.
[19:47] <~Dan> A +1 bonus seems fairly low, especially to distinguish between races. Any thoughts on that?
[19:47] <+SGGKevinRohan> Professions are what your character does and the talent pools become how they do it.
[19:47] <+SGGKevinRohan> (done)
[19:48] *** Silverlion has quit IRC: Ping timeout
[19:48] <+SGGKevinRohan> Mechanically, each race gets a special racial talent that is unique to that race…not other race enjoys those same perks. There are other General Talents that you pick up through advancement or at creation, and some of those are race-specific as well.
[19:49] <~Dan> Ah, I see.
[19:49] *** Silverlion has joined #rpgnet
[19:49] *** ChanServ sets mode +v Silverlion
[19:49] *** ChanServ sets mode +ao Silverlion Silverlion
[19:49] <~Dan> (wb, Sil!)
[19:49] <+SGGKevinRohan> Looking at the numbers, the races really aren’t that different…the difference really shines in the role-playing aspects of the system.
[19:49] <+SGGKevinRohan> (done)
[19:49] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Also…. Attributes cap at 15.
[19:50] <+SGGBenOvermyer> A +1 bonus is actually pretty good.
[19:50] <~Dan> Can you give us an overview of how combat works?
[19:50] <+SGGKevinRohan> I’ll take that one π
[19:51] <+SGGKevinRohan> So aside from surprise and ambush, let’s assume there’s a combat that’s started and everyone is aware of everyone else.
[19:51] <+SGGKevinRohan> So the first thing that happens is the players roll initiative for their characters.
[19:52] <+SGGKevinRohan> Initiative is a function of the character’s Speed attribute, which is usually a 6, and their Dexterity attribute.
[19:52] <+SGGKevinRohan> Roll the D10, add everything together.
[19:52] <+SGGKevinRohan> If a character has an initiative that is 10 points or more higher than the next closest enemy, then they enjoy certain perks through the round.
[19:53] <&Silverlion> (Grr…brownouts.)
[19:53] <+SGGKevinRohan> Weapon speed is also taken into account, and then it’s just a process of working through the stack.Β Characters get an attack, a movement, and a basic action on their turn, as well as free actions as deemed important.
[19:54] <+SGGKevinRohan> Some actions, such as a spell caster tapping for their source of energy take up their movement, drawing a weapon takes up some of that phase.
[19:54] <+SGGKevinRohan> It moves along pretty quickly, and it allows the players to be as concrete and tactical as they want or to play it fast an loose if they choose.
[19:55] *** Lassek has quit IRC: Ping timeout
[19:55] <+SGGKevinRohan> We use a combat board at my place, but you certainly don’t have to…that’s not hard coded into the rules, it’s just a preference for us.
[19:55] <+SGGKevinRohan> Now, to make things interesting, there are certain fighting styles that give some extra dimension to the combat.
[19:56] <+SGGKevinRohan> And talents that add something special to the combat scene as well, especially for the fighters and ranged combat specialists.
[19:57] <+SGGKevinRohan> Adding to all of that is the characters’ weapons and armor, constructed via the Three Word System, each material imparts a certain ability given the right circumstances, aiding everything from combat to spell casting.
[19:57] <+SGGKevinRohan> It sounds like a lot, but everything just…flows….it’s a beautiful thing, really.
[19:57] <+SGGKevinRohan> (done)
[19:58] <~Dan> How is damage determined, and how does armor work?
[19:58] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Armor has two main statistics – Evasion and Soak.
[19:59] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Evasion makes it harder to hit you, and Soak makes it harder to deal damage on a successful hit.
[19:59] <+SGGBenOvermyer> When you’re rolling against a target’s Defense, that’s the total of his armor’s Evasion and his Dexterity.
[19:59] <+SGGBenOvermyer> If you hit, then you roll the damage of your weapon.
[20:00] <+SGGBenOvermyer> You subtract the total Soak of your target from the damage rolled, and that’s what his Hit Points are reduced by.
[20:00] *** Treasure has quit IRC: Disintegrated: (Link: http://www.mibbit.com)http://www.mibbit.com ajax IRC Client
[20:00] <+SGGBenOvermyer> A successful hit will always do at least 1 point of damage, no matter how much Soak the target has.
[20:00] <+SGGBenOvermyer> (done)
[20:01] <~Dan> Does the degree of success on the attack roll affect damage?
[20:01] <+Shadow> that’s what open ended dice are for π
[20:02] <+SGGKevinRohan> Shadow, they definitely don’t hurt!
[20:02] <~Dan> Shadow: Well, I’d suggest that there are two different elements at play there.
[20:02] <+SGGKevinRohan> But, if you get a higher initiative roll as mentioned above, you do get a bonus to damage because you can get that shot placed better before the enemy can react.
[20:03] <~Dan> Hmm. That’s an interesting approach.
[20:03] <+SGGKevinRohan> And yes, there is a Boost mechanic as well.Β If you succeed by better than 10 against your target, some pretty cool things can happen.
[20:03] <+SGGKevinRohan> And that goes for spells, not just combat.
[20:03] * ~Dan nods
[20:03] <~Dan> Cool.
[20:03] <+SGGKevinRohan> *spells as well, not just combat
[20:03] <+SGGBenOvermyer> For one thing, a Boost is automatically worth 20 experience points.
[20:04] <+Shadow> now is there a mechanic for botching? (stabbing yourself, spell explodes in your face, etc)
[20:04] <+SGGKevinRohan> It’s rewarding the players that have used tactics–or just got super lucky, or both–to their best advantage.
[20:05] <~Dan> How does strength relate to damage?
[20:05] <+SGGKevinRohan> I’ll take Dan’s question while Ben answers Shadow.
[20:06] <+SGGKevinRohan> Strength adds directly to damage when using melee or thrown weapons.
[20:06] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Shadow, we generally leave that up to the GM’s discretion. However, there are a few Talents that have truly nasty effects if you roll badly.
[20:06] <+SGGKevinRohan> So if you have a 4 Physical Strength, you do an additional 4 damage with your strike.
[20:06] <~Dan> What attribute is used to hit in the first place?
[20:06] <+SGGBenOvermyer> One such Talent is Manablood, which makes it easy for you to cast powerful spells… but has a 10% chance of dealing that spell’s maximum damage back on you. Or, if it’s a healing spell, dealing the maximum amount as damage instead.
[20:06] <+SGGKevinRohan> But bows don’t do more damage if they are used by a stronger person…bows are only built so tough.
[20:07] <+SGGKevinRohan> (done)
[20:07] <+SGGBenOvermyer> (done)
[20:07] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Dexterity is used for To Hit rolls.
[20:07] <~Dan> Cool.
[20:07] <+SGGKevinRohan> There are some talents that modify that though.
[20:07] <~Dan> What are the attributes, by the way?
[20:07] <+SGGBenOvermyer> There are nine Attributes divided into three categories.
[20:07] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Body: Physical Strength, Endurance, Dexterity
[20:08] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Mind: Intelligence, Willpower, Awareness
[20:08] <+SGGKevinRohan> (I shall return!Β Practice is done!)
[20:08] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Spirit: Magical Aptitude, Charisma, Presence
[20:08] <+SGGBenOvermyer> (alright!)
[20:09] <~Dan> What is Presence used for?
[20:09] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Presence replaced Appearance from first edition.
[20:09] <+Shadow> and not a single one is a throw away π
[20:10] <+SGGBenOvermyer> It’s used to represent your character’s, well, presence.
[20:10] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Someone with a high Presence might be absolutely gorgeous, or incredibly confident.
[20:10] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Or terrifyingly hideous.
[20:10] <~Dan> How do you distinguish that from Charisma?
[20:10] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Yeah. Shadow is right: there are no dump stats in Ingenium.
[20:11] *** Lolth has quit IRC: Broken pipe
[20:11] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Charisma is your character’s ability to navigate social situations. If I were to compare the two, I’d say that Charisma is your active social skill, and Presence is your passive one.
[20:12] <+SGGBenOvermyer> (done)
[20:12] <~Dan> Ah, I see.
[20:13] <~Dan> So how does magic work?
[20:13] <+Shadow> When you talk to someone you use charisma, when someone spots you from across the room that’s your presence
[20:13] *** Acenoid has quit IRC: Disintegrated: ChatZilla 0.9.90.1 [Firefox 29.0/20140421221237]
[20:14] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Magic works in multiple ways, depending on what you’re using.
[20:14] <+SGGBenOvermyer> There is arcane magic and, now in second edition, divine magic.
[20:14] <+SGGBenOvermyer> I’ll start with arcane magic.
[20:14] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Arcane magic is divided into three types of spells: cantrips, sorceries, and rituals.
[20:15] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Cantrips are tiny little “crunchless” spells that are easy to cast and are mostly for flavor or clever players.
[20:15] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Rituals are very powerful spells that must be cast outside of combat with a lot of time and preparation.
[20:15] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Sorceries are the meat of arcane spellcasting. They’re built with the Three Words system.
[20:16] *** Serah has joined #rpgnet
[20:16] *** ChanServ sets mode +v Serah
[20:16] <~Dan> (Howdy, Serah!)
[20:16] <+SGGBenOvermyer> A sample sorcery could be a Lingering Bolt of Fire, which deals damage over time, has fire effects, and is a missile-type spell.
[20:16] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Where it gets interesting is that you can have multiple levels of each Word.
[20:17] <+SGGBenOvermyer> So, for example, you could have a Lingering (3) Bolt of Fire (2), which has two extra levels of Lingering and one extra level of Fire.
[20:17] <+SGGBenOvermyer> It makes the spell much harder to cast, but it’s also more powerful.
[20:17] <+SGGBenOvermyer> These sorceries aren’t built on the fly – you only know so many of them, and they’re built beforehand.
[20:17] * ~Dan nods
[20:18] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Also, you can only cast spells that are in your spellbook, but you don’t have to have your spellbook anywhere near you – as long as it’s undamaged, you’re good to go.
[20:18] <+SGGBenOvermyer> In addition, your “spellbook” doesn’t have to be a book.
[20:18] <+Shadow> so even if you are locked in a tower you can still summon the butterfly for help π
[20:18] <+SGGBenOvermyer> If you’re a gargoyle, you could carve your spells into your own skin, for example.
[20:19] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Heh, yes.
[20:19] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Now, as for divine magic…
[20:19] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Divine magic only has one type of spell, the Miracle.
[20:20] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Where arcane magic is focused on dealing damage and doing weird things to the environment, divine magic focuses on helping allies and hindering enemies.
[20:20] <+SGGBenOvermyer> We borrowed the MMORPG terminology of “buffs” and “debuffs” for these, as well as healing.
[20:20] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Fun sidenote there – arcane healing and divine healing are different.
[20:21] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Arcane healing causes the former wound/limb/whatever to glow a bright green for awhile after the healing is done.
[20:21] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Divine healing has no such side effect.
[20:22] *** Teller has joined #rpgnet
[20:22] *** ChanServ sets mode +v Teller
[20:22] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Both divine and arcane magic follow a similar path of casting.
[20:22] <~Dan> (Welcome to #rpgnet, Teller! Here for the Q&A?)
[20:22] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Arcane magic starts with a Tap check, which determines whether you gather the energy necessary to cast spells for this encounter.
[20:22] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Assuming you get the power you need, then you don’t have to do a Tap check for the rest of the encounter.
[20:22] <+SGGBenOvermyer> To actually cast an arcane spell, you then roll a Magic Use check.
[20:22] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Tap checks are based on Magical Aptitude, and Magic Use checks are based on Intelligence.
[20:23] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Divine magic works in a similar fashion, except the first check uses Willpower, and the second uses Charisma.
[20:23] <+Shadow> can you multiclass/profession?
[20:23] *** Teller has left #rpgnet
[20:24] <~Dan> (For someone named Teller, he didn’t say much.)
[20:24] <+SGGBenOvermyer> You can only ever have one Profession, so in that sense, no, you can’t multiclass.
[20:24] <+SGGBenOvermyer> But since Profession plays no role in your progression after character creation, that doesn’t matter much.
[20:25] <+SGGBenOvermyer> (so it seems)
[20:25] <+SGGBenOvermyer> (done)
[20:26] <~Dan> Are there different sorts of Arcane magic?
[20:26] <+xyphoid> so all divine magic’ healing/buff/debuff? do you have a standard fantasy pantheon thing going on?
[20:27] <+SGGBenOvermyer> All divine magic can be used by any devotee of any deity – there are no deity-specific miracles. At least, not yet.
[20:27] <+Shadow> next 10 backers? or 2000?
[20:27] <+Shadow> lol
[20:28] <+SGGBenOvermyer> The pantheon of Ingenium’s Eiridia setting is unusual. There are fewer gods than most other fantasy games, but the mythology surrounding each is richer.
[20:28] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Maybe at 110 backers we’ll add a deity-specific miracle, Shadow. =)
[20:28] <+SGGBenOvermyer> We have a cool Ritual planned for 100 backers.
[20:29] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Yes, there are different kinds of arcane magic.
[20:29] <+SGGBenOvermyer> The core rules only list out elemental magic, but our first stretch goal unlocks rune magic. There’s also gate magic, which we have planned for a setting splat book next year.
[20:30] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Gate magic is fun – it’s magic centered around traveling between time and space.
[20:30] <+SGGBenOvermyer> The time part is where we’re trying to balance it right now in our playtesting.
[20:30] <~Dan> So all arcane magic in the core book is elemental?
[20:30] <+Shadow> will there be mored adventures coming for ingenium, only a few now?
[20:30] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Yes, other than Life magic, Dan.
[20:31] <~Dan> What is the scope of the game’s bestiary?
[20:31] *** GoldenH has quit IRC: Disintegrated: Nettalk6 – (Link: http://www.ntalk.de)www.ntalk.de
[20:31] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Yes, Shadow. There are two more adventures planned for the Summerfort micro-setting, as well as an adventure that follows up on the introductory adventure in the second edition rules.
[20:31] <+SGGKevinRohan> (back)
[20:31] <~Dan> (wb!)
[20:32] <+SGGBenOvermyer> The game’s bestiary focuses primarily on standard fantasy monsters given an Eiridia treatment, but there are also a bunch of monsters unique to the setting.
[20:32] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Since Kevin’s back now, I’ll let him talk about the monster “Template” system.
[20:33] <+SGGKevinRohan> The Template system is a way to spice the monsters up a little.
[20:33] <+SGGKevinRohan> Ben and I had mentioned before that we were looking at applying the Three Word System to creatures and the Template system as it stands now is the basis for that.
[20:34] <+SGGKevinRohan> You can apply things like zombie, skeleton, vampire, lycanthrope, etc. to the creatures.
[20:34] <+SGGKevinRohan> Each Template applies a list of special qualities, both positive and negative, and usually a Template specific Talent.
[20:34] <+SGGKevinRohan> (done pending more questions on that)
[20:35] <~Dan> Can you give an example of a standard fantasy monster that’s gotten the Eiridia treatment?
[20:35] <+SGGKevinRohan> Ben, would you like to dish on Gryphons since they’re key to Khathana?
[20:36] <+SGGBenOvermyer> I would love to, though since you wrote them, I’ll let you gush about them. =)
[20:36] <+SGGKevinRohan> Heh.
[20:37] <+SGGKevinRohan> So, gryphons are key to Khathana…they come in multiple sizes, from the monstrous Mastiffs to the smaller house-cat sized Gryphons of Paradise found on the Hell’s Forge Islands
[20:37] <+SGGKevinRohan> They are used in aerial combat by the three Empires that are striving to take control of the continent, which leads to logistics issues like gryphon towers being scattered around the land.
[20:38] <+SGGKevinRohan> Gryphon carrier ships that can carry up to 300 of the beasts, plus riders, plus gear, plus provisions.
[20:38] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Gryphon carriers are absolutely terrifying.
[20:39] <+SGGKevinRohan> They retain their mythical intelligence, but they are more tactical, slightly domesticated, and absolutely lethal.
[20:39] <+Shadow> make them fly then its terrifying lol
[20:39] <+Shadow> heligryphon carrier π
[20:39] <+SGGBenOvermyer> well, Shadow, there’s always the floating city of Haven… but I won’t get into that just now. Have to keep SOME secrets!
[20:39] <+SGGKevinRohan> Gryphon mastiffs are the gryphons of legend, 8 feet tall at the shoulder, able to carry multiple riders, absolutely unable to be completely broken.
[20:39] <+SGGKevinRohan> Indeed!
[20:40] <+SGGBenOvermyer> (done, for my part!)
[20:40] <~Dan> Are there dragons?
[20:41] <+SGGKevinRohan> But it’s not just about the Gryphons…Goblins are crafty and devious, more so than any other setting, but they retain their fantasy fare cowardace.
[20:41] <+SGGKevinRohan> Ooooh…Dragons….Ben, I’ll let you answer the man π
[20:41] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Oh yes, there are Dragons.
[20:41] * ~Dan is, indeed, the Man.
[20:41] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Dragons in Eiridia aren’t like dragons in other settings.
[20:41] <+Shadow> and they think you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup π
[20:42] <+SGGKevinRohan> They are absolute terror.
[20:42] <+SGGKevinRohan> Huge, incredibly intelligent, and willing to let their plans unfold very, very slowly.
[20:42] *** jtbullet has joined #rpgnet
[20:42] *** ChanServ sets mode +v jtbullet
[20:42] <+SGGBenOvermyer> A live dragon hasn’t been seen in an Age of the world. They were the first sentient race on Eiridia, and they became so powerful and so corrupt that four of them became the only four truly evil gods in the setting.
[20:43] *** jtbullet has quit IRC: Disintegrated:
[20:43] <+Shadow> Now are there monster templates to help gms create their own monsters?
[20:44] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Not yet, Shadow, but we’re toying with the idea of making a Three Word system for monsters.
[20:44] <~Dan> So they aren’t obviously active in the setting? A bit like Gloranthan dragons in that respect?
[20:44] <+SGGBenOvermyer> The closest thing there is to a create-your-own-monster system we have is actually a web app for calculating Challenge Level.
[20:45] <+Shadow> no dragon riders of Eiridia, but certainly gryphon riders
[20:45] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Well, Dan, the metaplot for adventures set in Eiridia is that the Dragons are waking up.
[20:45] <+SGGKevinRohan> They’re not active, but they’re still dreaded.Β The last dragon seen on Khathana got the Three Empires to stop fighting each other to start a total war against the beast before it fled and went back into hiding.
[20:45] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Which is… well…. bad.
[20:45] <+SGGKevinRohan> VERY bad.
[20:45] <~Dan> Sounds like it.
[20:45] <~Dan> So are Dragons, like, kaiju-sized?
[20:45] <+SGGBenOvermyer> yes.
[20:45] <~Dan> Wow.
[20:45] <~Dan> Yeah, that’s bad.
[20:45] <+SGGKevinRohan> So very, very bad.
[20:46] <+Shadow> Gojira!
[20:46] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Kevin ran an adventure where the PCs ultimately faced off against one of the dragon-god-things.
[20:46] <+SGGKevinRohan> It was…brutal.
[20:46] <+Shadow> did any of them live?
[20:46] <+SGGBenOvermyer> The PCs managed to kill it, but not without causing a time paradox.
[20:46] <+Shadow> ah
[20:46] <+SGGKevinRohan> It was in First Edition, the PCs were 13th level, had over 1000 men at arms and yes…time paradox was involved.
[20:46] <~Dan> Wow.
[20:47] <+SGGKevinRohan> The men at arms were just basically to keep it busy for about 15 seconds so the PCs could have a hope and a prayer of surviving.
[20:47] <+Shadow> no is there a level cap? you guys had said attributes are capped at 15…
[20:47] <+SGGBenOvermyer> The PCs also managed to kill it using one of the errors in first edition, which has since been corrected.
[20:47] <+SGGBenOvermyer> There’s a soft cap at 25.
[20:47] <~Dan> Does the setting feature dinosaurs?
[20:47] <+Shadow> hardy cat warriors? π
[20:47] <+SGGKevinRohan> I was impressed they figured out how to exploit it actually…it was pretty awesome.
[20:47] <+SGGBenOvermyer> No, no dinosaurs in Eiridia.
[20:48] * ~Dan nods
[20:48] <+Shadow> could always create your own though
[20:48] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Yeah, we fixed the Hardy Catfolk Soldier problem, heh.
[20:48] <~Dan> Just curious. They seem to be a common feature in swords-and-sorcery-type settings.
[20:49] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Dinosaurs were a main feature of my other RPG, Vox Draconis, which was a very bad D&D clone I wrote in 1997.
[20:49] <~Dan> heh. π
[20:49] *** Seht has quit IRC: Disintegrated: I MUST GO, MY PEOPLE NEED ME
[20:49] <+SGGKevinRohan> There are some primeval places on the continents…I won’t say that they don’t exist…they just haven’t been mentioned…yet.
[20:49] * ~Dan nods sagely
[20:49] <~Dan> Mum’s the word.
[20:49] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Yeah, I will also plead the Fifth on dinosaurs in Eiridia.
[20:49] <+SGGKevinRohan> Ditto.
[20:49] <~Dan> Are there faeries?
[20:49] <+Shadow> well dr who even had a dinosaur episode, fades come and go, right now its still zombies and vampires, altho I refuse to let anyone be a sparly vampire
[20:49] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Yes, but they’re not mentioned in the core book, Dan.
[20:49] <~Dan> Demons? Lovecraftian horrors?
[20:50] <+SGGKevinRohan> It does mention fae races.
[20:50] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Yes to both of those.
[20:50] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Demons in Eiridia act an awful lot like demons from Supernatural.
[20:50] <+SGGKevinRohan> Hmmmm….lovecraftian horror + dragon….you know, because they need to be more vicious…
[20:50] <+SGGBenOvermyer> As for Lovecraftian horrors… let’s just say that there are things in the setting that are far older than the gods themselves.
[20:51] <+Shadow> close to earthdawn Horrors?
[20:51] <~Dan> Cool. π
[20:51] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Close to C’thulhu’s brethren. With them, I really tried to evoke a feeling of mystery and terror, so I don’t want to give away much.
[20:52] <~Dan> Now, as you both probably know, you are welcome to stay as long as you like, whether to answer more questions or just to hang out. For that matter, you’re always welcome to come by here for either purpose. π
[20:52] <~Dan> That said, in the “regular” time we have left, is there anything we haven’t covered that you’d like to bring up?
[20:52] <+SGGBenOvermyer> I would’ve been here more often the past few weeks if I hadn’t been so busy, Dan. =) I’ll try to drop by more often.
[20:52] <+SGGKevinRohan> That’s very appreciated Dan!Β We love talking with our friends in the RPG community.
[20:53] <~Dan> SGGBenOvermyer: Excellent. π
[20:53] <+SGGKevinRohan> Well, if it’s plug time…we have the Kickstarter of course…and if you like what you’ve been seeing, we’d appreciate getting the word around about that!
[20:53] <~Dan> SGGKevinRohan: Well, you’ve come to the right place. π
[20:53] <+SGGBenOvermyer> We’ve covered just about everything, other than pointing out the Kickstarter itself!
[20:53] <~Dan> Ah, yes. Link away!
[20:53] <+SGGKevinRohan> To help that, we created a Quick Start Guide for Ingenium 2.
[20:53] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Oh yeah, can’t forget that.
[20:54] <+SGGBenOvermyer> The Quick Start Guide has most of the rules present in Second Edition.
[20:54] <+SGGKevinRohan> Ben cut the book almost in half to show what we’ve done mechanically…it’s not pretty, and it doesn’t have all of the options for characters and the like.
[20:54] <+Shadow> (Link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/38245749/ingenium-second-edition-epic-fantasy-rpg)https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/38245749/ingenium-second-edition-epic-fantasy-rpg
[20:54] <+SGGKevinRohan> But it certainly gets the feel of the system so you know what you’re getting before you back us!
[20:54] <+SGGBenOvermyer> It doesn’t have any of the setting info, but it’s a good preview, and has almost as much content as First Edition’s full core rules.
[20:54] <+Shadow> one link for the kickstarter
[20:54] <+SGGKevinRohan> (Link: http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/129064/Ingenium-Second-Edition-Quick-Start)http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/129064/Ingenium-Second-Edition-Quick-Start
[20:54] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Thanks, Shadow!
[20:54] <+SGGBenOvermyer> And there’s the Quick Start.
[20:55] <+SGGKevinRohan> We’ve gotten a couple of reviews already! One from Megan Roberts at DriveThru RPG.
[20:55] <+SGGKevinRohan> And she is smitten with the system…an accomplishment considering she sees probably three to ten new systems a week as a reviewer.
[20:56] <~Dan> Speaking of reviews, I’m a long-time reviewer as well. Just let me know if you’d like me to add Ingenium to my queue when it comes out. π
[20:56] <+SGGKevinRohan> One from a featured reviewer who felt the game should be more tactical in nature, but that wasn’t quite the feel we were heading for, so all-in-all, both are positive for what we set out to do.
[20:56] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Yeah, as a game designer, it makes me giddy to see that almost everyone who plays Ingenium loves it.
[20:56] *** Silverlion has quit IRC: Disintegrated: Nettalk6 – (Link: http://www.ntalk.de)www.ntalk.de
[20:57] <+Shadow> Are there any conventions coming up where you guys will feature 2nd edition?
[20:57] <+SGGBenOvermyer> We’ll see about getting you a review copy when it’s out, Dan. =)
[20:57] <~Dan> Excellent. π
[20:57] <+SGGKevinRohan> It’s great!Β I have a host of gamers that come from different system backgrounds and so far, Ingenium, and Ingenium 2 now, is their favorite system.
[20:58] <+SGGBenOvermyer> We missed the boat on Gencon, unfortunately. However, we’re looking at other opportunities to bring Ingenium to a larger convention audience than we normally see. I’ll be running a demo game of Second Edition at Convergence in Minneapolis this year.
[20:58] <~Dan> Cool. π
[20:58] <+SGGKevinRohan> Shadow, we hit several conventions, and I2 will be at all of them.Β If I recall correctly, the next one we’re up for is Kant Con, and it will be run there for sure!Β That’s in Kansas City on July 18-20
[20:58] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Oh yeah, can’t forget KantCon!
[20:59] <+SGGKevinRohan> It’s preciously close to the expected release date….
[20:59] <~Dan> Thanks very much for visiting with us today, guys!
[20:59] <+SGGKevinRohan> We’ll fill backer awards BEFORE we have copies at the Con…hopefully we’ll have both versions of the book ready by then and the backer awards going!
[21:00] <+SGGBenOvermyer> Thanks for having us, Dan!
[21:00] <+SGGKevinRohan> thanks for having us, Dan!