[7:33 PM] nyghtingale
: Hey everyone! I’m Jay Mooers.. I am an artist and writer
[7:33 PM] nyghtingale: I’ve worked for many companies including Dynamite, DC and even Lucas Arts
[7:33 PM] nyghtingale: I currently have a Kickstarter campaign going for my new Table Top RPG called Fae.
[7:34 PM] nyghtingale: It’s a new game system where you play the monsters.
[7:34 PM] nyghtingale: You are what lurks in the shadows, or makes people get lost in the woods.
[7:34 PM] nyghtingale: The game takes place in modern day earth and the most important rule for Fae creatures is never get caught.
[7:35 PM] nyghtingale: The kickstarter has been running for a couple of weeks and we funded in less than a week. Still going strong I hope to keep hitting stretch goals and giving as much as I can to all the people who want to play.
[7:36 PM] nyghtingale: The link if you want to check it out is http://www.inked.pub/faegame
[7:36 PM] nyghtingale: (done)
[7:36 PM] HOO: A nice subversion of a common theme. Is Dynamite the magazine Dynamite?
[7:36 PM] nyghtingale: Comic company Dynamite
[7:36 PM] Dan the GMshoe: Thanks, @nyghtingale! The floor is open to questions!
[7:36 PM] HOO: okay. I don’t know them.
[7:36 PM] Catseye: I get a lot of the books from DYnamite
[7:36 PM] nyghtingale: Vampriella, Lady Death, Chaos, Red Sonja, John Carter
[7:37 PM] HOO: I know most of those
[7:37 PM] Catseye: Chaos is what I follow primarily
[7:37 PM] nyghtingale: I can draw a mean evil ernie
[7:37 PM] HOO: Mint!
[7:37 PM] Catseye: my favorite actually is Purgatori
[7:37 PM] HOO: do characters have classes?
[7:37 PM] nyghtingale: so you can pick from 35 starting races
[7:38 PM] nyghtingale: and then you choose a primary element for your character.. flame, aqua, terra, sky, flora, fauna or glamour
[7:38 PM] Catseye: Your game sounds interesting. Definitely a step beyond other games that have covered similar subject matter
[7:39 PM] nyghtingale: races include fairy type creatures, trolls, mogwai, banshees.. boogeys.. tons of different things
[7:39 PM] nyghtingale: skills are built up on a skill tree.. you climb to the higher powered abilities by spending points you earn while accomplishing things in your Fae life
[7:40 PM] Dan the GMshoe: So all of the creatures are Fae creatures?
[7:40 PM] nyghtingale: Yes, I am already working on a supplemental book to play human who mess in the affairs of Fae creatures
[7:41 PM] nyghtingale: the link shows lots of samples of races available.
[7:41 PM] nyghtingale: and everything is tied to the 6 stats.. strength, speed, wits, intelligence, sneak, and charm
[7:43 PM] nyghtingale: Once you sit down to play, the rules can be learned in about 15 minutes.. even at a noisy convention hall. Once you understand the basics, every ability follows the same rules.. and there are 175 different abilities to build and mix however you see fit.
[7:43 PM] Dan the GMshoe: How common are the Fae?
[7:43 PM] nyghtingale: its basic enough to be a gateway drug.. but complicated enough to make hardcore folks squeal
[7:44 PM] nyghtingale: not common.. they have areas where they congregate.. but through most of the world, they are scarce
[7:44 PM] Dan the GMshoe: What are relations like between the Fae species?
[7:46 PM] nyghtingale: All the Fae come from the land of Avalon and are ruled whether willingly or unwillingly by the Fae queens. Each race is a stand alone as far as family, but they often share similar goals in the human world and there is safety in numbers.
[7:46 PM] nyghtingale: If they are discovered in the human world, they are hunted down by the queens and punished with death.
[7:46 PM] Dan the GMshoe: Are there Seelie and Unseelie courts?
[7:48 PM] nyghtingale: There were in medieval times.. but the unseelie court has been almost snuffed out by the current rulers. Unseelie are now called Twilasmongers.. and they worship the queen of Chaos, Twilas. They are viewed as destructive villians to the Fae way of life.
[7:48 PM] nyghtingale: Yes, I’ve had partys of players that were Twilasmongers.
[7:49 PM] Dan the GMshoe: What is the Fae way of life?
[7:50 PM] nyghtingale: Depends on the Fae, but the general rule for the braver of Fae who leave avalon for adventure in the human world, is to get away with whatever they choose, so long as they don’t get caught.
[7:51 PM] nyghtingale: some races depend on stealing children to convert to their young… some like to dwell in homes and do chores in exchange for helping themselves to items around the house.. some dream of finding a way to coexist secretly
[7:51 PM] nyghtingale: some work for the queens hunting down twilasmongers, or searching for gifts to appease their rulers
[7:52 PM] nyghtingale: It’s really up to the GM and players what kind of a group they choose to build. Right now I have a campaign going where everyone is different but the one thing they all have in common is that they were captured to be experimented on and managed to escape.
[7:53 PM] nyghtingale: and now they are literally destroying the place and any poor folks who haven’t run away.
[7:54 PM] Dan the GMshoe: How powerful is a typical Fae PC?
[7:55 PM] nyghtingale: starting.. they aren’t too powerful.. but in general, a unprepared human can’t do too much when magic begins to get flung around. Some players build their characters to fight. but there are many other options available… this game isn’t a game about combat although it does happen.
[7:56 PM] nyghtingale: but the Fae can obviously grow in power..
[7:56 PM] nyghtingale: but with great power.. comes the chance of destroying your friends along with the enemies.
[7:57 PM] Dan the GMshoe: Are there any non-Fae supernatural beings in this setting?
[7:58 PM] nyghtingale: In the bestiary I mention a few things that hint at other kinds of monsters… and I do plan on introducing some other kinds in future expansions.
[7:59 PM] nyghtingale: There is an ability Lycanthropy than can be learned through the Fauna tree… and yes, it allows you to turn into a destructive beast. But specific werewolves will be woven in later.
[8:00 PM] nyghtingale: undead are mentioned and ghouls exist..
[8:00 PM] Dan the GMshoe: Are there non-sentient Fae monsters, then? And how extensive is the bestiary?
[8:01 PM] nyghtingale: Right now the bestiary holds about 100 different kinds of monsters.. and it stays kind of local to common monsters and monsters that might be lurking around the new england area, where the first sample adventures take place.
[8:02 PM] nyghtingale: but by no means to you have to adventure only in new england
[8:02 PM] nyghtingale: I just picked it as a jumping off point.. since the comic I based it off of “Autumn Grey” takes place in New Hampshire.
[8:03 PM] Dan the GMshoe: So the monsters are folkloric, like the Hodag?
[8:04 PM] nyghtingale: some are.. I researched a lot of different cultures folklore for races and creatures, and as it expands, I will add more cryptids and local creatures from other areas.
[8:05 PM] nyghtingale: all the races have a paragraph explaining where they come from in folklore.
[8:06 PM] Dan the GMshoe: Do the Fae have any vulnerabilities in common, like cold iron?
[8:07 PM] nyghtingale: yes. they can’t touch Iron, and iron weapons do extra damage. and every fae element has an element they are weak against, except glamour
[8:10 PM] Dan the GMshoe: Do the Fae use magic spells, or do they rely only upon intrinsic powers?
[8:12 PM] nyghtingale: It is up to the player how they use their abilties.. for example.. I have one player who can dig swiftly underground, and he chose to essentially eat the soil in front of him and release the soil from his trousers behind him. Some Fae use items to cast their affinities.. while others just wiggle a finger or do a dance.. it’s really up to the player.
[8:12 PM] nyghtingale: thats part of the flavor of making a character your own.
[8:13 PM] nyghtingale: I have an elfling in one group that wants to be one of Santa’s elves, and is on a mission to find a way north to santa’s workshop
[8:14 PM] Dan the GMshoe: So there’s no practical difference between casting a spell and using an intrinsic power?
[8:16 PM] nyghtingale: No. It’s more of a player preference. One exception is if the player chooses to be a worshipper of Queen Dawn, the queen of commodities, any time the player uses an item to cast their ability they get a bonus to their rolls.. but if the item isn’t available they get a penalty.
[8:19 PM] nyghtingale: it’s really about roleplaying the character to be what you want it to be.
[8:20 PM] nyghtingale: One character would cast fear on animals by throwing those little snap crackers at their feet.
[8:20 PM] Dan the GMshoe: I love those. 
[8:21 PM] nyghtingale: I used to be terrorized by those when I was little
[8:22 PM] Dan the GMshoe: Do you have a character sheet that we can see?
[8:23 PM] nyghtingale: sure
[8:23 PM] nyghtingale: here’s Zinkles! one of the pre-made characters I use for convention games
[8:24 PM] nyghtingale: he’s a 4 inch tall brownie and a quote, unquote Human expert
[8:25 PM] Catseye: seems simple enough
[8:25 PM] nyghtingale: he carries a flip phone as a backpack
[8:25 PM] nyghtingale: he’s very tech savvy for a Fae
[8:26 PM] nyghtingale: and here’s something a little bigger
[8:27 PM] nyghtingale: I wanted to keep this game simple enough so folks could just get together and play without a lot of prep. But I still wanted hard core players to build something unique
[8:29 PM] FreeGamer: Zinkles and Puddin’!
[8:29 PM] nyghtingale: coming up with good names is Key!
[8:31 PM] nyghtingale: so I’ve done most of the artwork. But some has been done by Jim Lawson of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fame, Rusty Gilligan who has worked for everyone.. from Heavy Metal to the spider man movies, and Ryan Santos who has done lots of work for collector card series and indie comics.
[8:32 PM] nyghtingale: here’s a piece I did and the lady in the picture is my wife…
[8:33 PM] nyghtingale: Rusty Gilligan picture
[8:33 PM] nyghtingale: Jim lawson illustration.. both of these have been colored by me.
[8:33 PM] Catseye: I like this much better than the White Wolf/Onyx Path take on Fae
[8:34 PM] nyghtingale: I played a lot of White Wolf back in the day.. I felt like the system was too complicated..
[8:35 PM] nyghtingale: and then when I was making the abilties.. I made sure there was a way to make a Fae that mimicked every super hero I could think of.
[8:35 PM] Dan the GMshoe: What is the task resolution system?
[8:35 PM] nyghtingale: you mean like experience?
[8:36 PM] Catseye: more of how you do things. the dice procedures
[8:36 PM] nyghtingale: There are two phases you exist in.. holding and conflict
[8:37 PM] nyghtingale: in holding.. abilities like flying and things you can do without attacking are more passive and behave a little different then when everyone is forced to roll initiative and go into conflict.
[8:38 PM] nyghtingale: In conflict, everyone gets a spot in line and it turns into a wheel. Once you have your turn, everyone else gets a turn before yours comes up again.. you can choose to hold your action on your turn and then call to take your turn after another’s action.. thus inserting yourself into a new spot on the wheel.
[8:39 PM] nyghtingale: If you cast something with a duration, or number of rounds.. it counts down 1 round each time your spot in the wheel comes up again. It’s easy to just check mark everyting on a list for a GM.
[8:41 PM] nyghtingale: All abilties are tied to either your stats or your opponents. If you are rolling against yourself, you must roll your stat number or lower.. if you are rolling against an opponent you must roll their stat or higher
[8:41 PM] nyghtingale: if you roll the stat number exactly twice, it causes a crit.
[8:41 PM] nyghtingale: Crits roll on a crit chart and something crazy can happen.
[8:43 PM] nyghtingale: in physical attacks, your speed is in direct competition with your opponents speed. determining how many hits you get.. damage per hit is determined by your strength.
[8:44 PM] nyghtingale: conflict ends when everyone chooses to hold on their turn, usually because one side has been defeated.
[8:44 PM] Dan the GMshoe: What kind of dice does the game use?
[8:45 PM] nyghtingale: 10 sided dice only.. all stats are 1-10. and all abilties level up from 1 to 10 determining how many dice you throw.. so casting a 10th level ability means you throw 10 dice.
[8:45 PM] Dan the GMshoe: What’s the relationship between stats and abilities?
[8:47 PM] nyghtingale: every ability is tied to a stat.. either the casters or their target.
[8:49 PM] Dan the GMshoe: I see stats are tied to skills as well, and it doesn’t look like skills have levels of their own. Is task resolution for skills based only upon the associated stat?
[8:49 PM] nyghtingale: and the level you cast the ability at determines how many dice you throw.. each successful roll increases the abilities power.
[8:50 PM] nyghtingale: when your character wants to do something you have a skill in, you can do a stat check, (roll your stat number or under) to accomplish the task.. difficulty variables may be added by a GM depending on the task.
[8:51 PM] nyghtingale: weapon skills mean you know how to use the weapon
[8:51 PM] Dan the GMshoe: What happens if you don’t have the appropriate skill?
[8:51 PM] nyghtingale: you can try. depending on the difficulty you can still accomplish it.
[8:52 PM] nyghtingale: example: you have a driving skill and it is tied to INT
[8:52 PM] nyghtingale: You have an int of 6, you roll a 5… yes, you can drive the vehicle
[8:53 PM] nyghtingale: if you don’t have a driving skill, I will ask you to roll an INT check minus 3 to try and drive…
[8:53 PM] nyghtingale: again, you have an INT of 6 and you roll a 5… because of minus 3 you have to roll a 3 or under… so you failed.
[8:54 PM] Dan the GMshoe: So when you’re making a skill roll, are you rolling a single d10?
[8:54 PM] nyghtingale: skills are more for negotiations with your GM
[8:54 PM] nyghtingale: Yes
[8:54 PM] nyghtingale: skill checks are one roll
[8:55 PM] nyghtingale: Puddin the troll is trying to grab a cliff edge to not fall.. I ask him to roll a STR check.
[8:55 PM] nyghtingale: He has a STR of 9, he rolls a 7, yay, he caught the cliff and pulls himself up…
[8:56 PM] nyghtingale: if he rolled a 9 (exact number) he can add a flourish like flipping up and landing on his feet
[8:56 PM] nyghtingale: If he rolled a 0 he failed and keeps falling
[8:56 PM] Dan the GMshoe: Is 10 a universal hard cap for stat levels? If so, how do you simulate truly superhuman creatures?
[8:57 PM] nyghtingale: players cap at 9 naturally.. and 2 for low
[8:58 PM] nyghtingale: when you build your character, your stats must be between 2 and 9, you have 30 points to spend on all 6 stats.
[8:59 PM] nyghtingale: potions, abilties, and magical items can alter stats up or down.. creating superhuman powers. some NPC creatures have stats above or below the player caps
[8:59 PM] nyghtingale: if you want to have a really high stat.. you must choose a really low stat.
[9:00 PM] nyghtingale: and in combat, since abilties are tied to stats.. finding an enemies weak stat can help you take control of the situation.
[9:00 PM] Dan the GMshoe: Does degree of success matter?
[9:01 PM] nyghtingale: in a stat check.. you have 3 rolls.. under or pass, exact or flourish, and over or fail.
[9:02 PM] nyghtingale: in abilities.. each successful roll either increases the duration of the ability, power, or range.. each ability description tells you what each success does.
[9:03 PM] nyghtingale: and rolling exacts in your abilities causes crits
[9:04 PM] nyghtingale: so almost all the time you’re rolling against your own stats or your opponents in just about every dice roll.
[9:05 PM] Dan the GMshoe: What is the effect of having a stat of 11, for example? And how would you roll a flourish?
[9:07 PM] nyghtingale: well, each stat affects your characters in other ways.. STR 11 adds +4 damage to each strike, SPD 11 means when you attack roll 11 dice, INT 11 means your max MP is even higher, WIT 11 means you regen far more MP, SNK 11 makes it nearly impossible for anyone to pull a fast one on you, and CHM 11 means you can pretty much tell everyone what to do
[9:09 PM] nyghtingale: A flourish is when you roll a skill or stat check exacltly.. and you aren’t granted any real bonus, but the GM may give you more information if it was an INT check, or let you jump ahead if it was a SPD check. Or let you pick both pockets if it is a SNK check.
[9:09 PM] Dan the GMshoe: Right, but how can you roll an 11 on a d10?
[9:10 PM] nyghtingale: you cant.. you roll a 10 and anything over 10 is a flourish
[9:10 PM] Dan the GMshoe: Ah, I see.
[9:10 PM] nyghtingale: or a 1 and anything lower
[9:11 PM] Dan the GMshoe: Is it even possible to fail with a score of 10 or better?
[9:13 PM] nyghtingale: yes, crit is a 50/50 good or bad..and you can still crit when you roll. But players don’t have a permenant 10 in any ability.
[9:13 PM] nyghtingale: using a magic item to increase a stat drains MP from it.. and you may get a lot of victories while it has power.. but that goes away faster than anyone really wants
[9:16 PM] Dan the GMshoe: So let’s look at combat… Tell me if I have this right: I have a 7 in SPD and my opponent has a 6 in SPD. I roll 7 dice and try to beat a 6 on as many as I can?
[9:17 PM] nyghtingale: yes.. and lets say you have a basic sword and no str bonus.. but you are skilled in the sword.. you do 1 point for hitting, 1 point for using a sword you know how to use.. so you do 2 HP per strike, so if you roll well you can do up to 14 hp of damage when you attack
[9:18 PM] nyghtingale: if it’s an iron sword and you are wearing gloves.. you do 3 hp per strike or in a perfect roll, 21 hp of damage
[9:19 PM] nyghtingale: anyone can use a weapon they are unskilled in but do not get the +1 for the weapon.
[9:20 PM] nyghtingale: if puddin was using the sword.. he has a +2 damage due to his high STR.. so he does 2 more damage per strike
[9:21 PM] Dan the GMshoe: How does armor work?
[9:22 PM] nyghtingale: there’s 2 kinds.. the kind that has its own set of HP and breaks when they are used up.. or the one that reduces damage.. like -1 per strike.. or – 1/2 round down per strike
[9:23 PM] nyghtingale: we do not live in medieval times.. so wearing armor is far less common in Fae. Usually Fae will make clothing out of what they can find.. or steal.. but some crafters like Menehune and Dwarves may make classic sets of armor.
[9:27 PM] nyghtingale: tomorrow I’ll be posting a full game video online too, so you can check out how it all works!
[9:35 PM] nyghtingale: if anyone is interested in the video feel free to reach out to me on Facebook or Instagram.. just search Jay Mooers… that’s me! also please check out the kickstarter! I’ve got the rulebooks, dice, figures.. original artwork, dm screens, cards.. and more things to come!
[9:35 PM] nyghtingale: If you’re just curious you can get the Full Rulebook PDF for a very low price!
[9:35 PM] nyghtingale: www.inked.pub/faegame
[9:36 PM] nyghtingale: it is fully funded and the game will be out by October.
[9:38 PM] nyghtingale: thank you guys and gals! any more questions?
[9:39 PM] nyghtingale: all right! good night
[9:47 PM] Dan the GMshoe: Sorry, @nyghtingale! Got distracted IRL for a bit there. My apologies!
[9:48 PM] Dan the GMshoe: Thanks very much for joining us!
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