Furre!
by Talzhemir (last edited October 11, 2006)
based on Pocket Universe by Talzhemir and Jeff Dee
(c) UNIGames, 1999 Used by permission.
WHAT IS `ROLEPLAYING' ABOUT?
Well...Roleplaying is much more than just being
in-character. It's also about respecting the shared
reality (the "Continuity"). The goal is not to "win",
the goal is to participate in an ongoing story that's
meaningful and makes sense to all the players. Playing
by a set of rules makes this easier.
In Furcadia, we make a distinction between two kinds of
Let's Pretend. The most popular and common one is "Freeform";
we call it "Persona Play" because all it requires is taking
the very first step towards roleplay: choosing to play a
Persona. The other is "Strict Roleplay" (using capital R
helps to indicate it's a little different than the many
casual definitions of `roleplaying').
If you haven't officially agreed to any kind of limit to
your character's power or background, then what you're
doing is Persona Playing. It doesn't mean that you can't
have a very coherent adventure, or that you have no
background or that what you're doing is in any way
inferior to any other form of roleplay. It simply means
that the standard is (of necessity) relaxed.
We say "Strict Roleplaying" to mean playing in a
well-defined world ("Continuity"). It's unlikely that
you'll find "serendipitous" (spontaneous, instant) Strict
Roleplaying. RP takes alot of absorption of source material,
familiarity with conventions of play. RP is quite fragile; it's
heavily disrupted by mentioning OOC things. Because of this need
for more control, there's alot of Roleplaying in Furcadia, but
it tends to take place in private areas, and, at this time,
Furcadia's Staff has no time to monitor or regulate it. Nor do
we wish to. :)
If you want to maintain higher standards, you need to
be in a controlled environment, for example, your own Dream
or a Dream controlled by a Group. The extra work involved in R
oleplaying pays off in that you tend to get a more interesting
experience, and it makes possible the use of character sheets,
rules, and dice, all of which are optional on Furcadia. If you're
looking for RP, we recommend taking the effort to find and join
an RP Group.
The goals, setting, and rules of a Group may be explained
in a web document called a Charter. Furcadia's website includes
links to Groups that demonstrate, through their Charter, that
they can contribute to the game. There are four categories:
Social Groups, Persona Play Groups, Roleplay Groups, and
Adult Groups
CHARACTER GENERATION
1. Choose your Type
Possible choices:
Mythicals: Dragon, Phoenix, Gryffe
Mundanes: Equine, Canine, Feline, Musteline, Lagomorph, Rodent, Sciurine
Your stats don't need to reflect your race, but you can do so if you
wish. The base for all stats is 8.
2. Attributes
The next step in making this character is to decide how
to spend 10 points between the four Attributes. You
may not add more than 4 points to any one. Here are the
four Attributes and what they mean:
Physique, Deftness, Intellect, Willpower
Physique (PHYS) Physical strength, fitness, and health.
Deftness (DEFT) Manual dexterity, speed, reaction time, and agility.
Intellect (INTL) Intelligence, intuition and education.
Willpower (WILL) Personality and appearance, as well as
fortitude, empathy, and resistance to mental assault.
Individual aspects of stats (such as appearance, for Willpower, or Hit
Points for Physique) can be raised or lowered with Advantages and
Disadvantages. You may lower a Base to 7 to acquire 2 Advantage Points.
3. Advantages and Disadvantages
You can choose up to 5 points worth of Advantages. For every
point of Advantage, the character must have at least 1 point
of Disadvantage.
[The following character Advantages give further abilities:
VampFurre, Mage, Faerie_Furre, WereFurre, Psion, and Demifane.
They are currently beyond the scope of this document.]
EXPLANATIONS
DISADVANTAGES ("disads")
* Addiction_Alcoholic (2 Points)
* Addiction_Clothes (1 Point)
* Addiction_Collectibles (1 Point)
* Addiction_Euphorics (2 Points)
* Addiction_Smoking (1 Point)
* Addiction_Ostrixes (1 Point)
* Addiction_Raptors (1 Point)
* Age_Kid (1 Point)
* Deaf (2 Points)
* In_Debt (1 Point) You live in a rented room. Start with X1/2 coins.
* Hard_of_Hearing (1 Point)
* Illiterate (1 Point)
* Oathbound/Code (1 Point)
* Poor_Vision (1 Point)
* One_handed (1 Point)
* Tailless (1 Point)
* One-legged/Slowed Move (1 Point)
* Wanted (1 Point)
* Mute (1 Point)
* Foreign (1 Points)
* Uneducated (1 Point) Start with 3 Hobbies and 1 Job.
* Homely (1 Point)
* Dense (2 Points) Base INTL is decreased by 1 point.
* Fragile (1 Points) Hit Points are decreased by 2 points.
* Weak (2 Point) Your base PHYS is decreased by 1 point.
* Slow Reflexes (1 Point) -1 to your Initiative result.
* All_Thumbs (1 Points) All hand-eye skills (including weapon skills)
are performed at a -4
* Clumsy (1 Point) Base DEFT is decreased by 1 point.
* Poor (1 Point) Start with only X1/5 coins.
* Unknown (1 Point) Orphan of unknown pedigree.
* Mindmute (1)
* Mindwhipped (2 Point)
* Mindslave (3 Points)
* Drone (2 Points, Bugge Only!)
ADVANTAGES
* Boss (-2 Points) You are the head of 3 to 20 NPCs.
* Skyship (-1 Point) You own a flying ship.
* Night-vision (-1 Point) Feline Furres still need to
purchase this Advantage, or else they are limited to ordinary vision.
* Eagle_vision (-2 Points) Range penalties are 1 point lower.
* Super-keen_Smell (-3 Points) needed to be able to track someone by scent.
* Foreign_Nobility (-1 Points)
* Beautiful Singing Voice (-1 Point)
* Respected (-1 Point)
* Celebrity (-2 Points)
* Natural-born Mimic (-1 Point)
* Contortionist (-1 Point)
* Garrison (1 Point)
* Lucky (1 Point) Make Serendipity rolls at a +1.
* Attractive (1 Point) +1 in any roll where handsomeness/beauty would be a factor.
* Gorgeous* (3 Points) +3 in rolls where handsomeness/beauty would be a factor.
* Sharp (2 Points) Add 1 to base INTL.
* Hardy (1 Point) +2 Hit Points.
* Toughness (3 Points) 1 point of natural "armor" vs physical and energy damage.
* Strong (2 Points) +1 to base PHYS.
* Small Stature (1 Point) (This is an Advantage because there is a
-2 penalty to hitting you with a missile weapon.)
* Large (1 Point) +1 to Hit Points.
* Quick Reflexes (1 Point) +1 to Initiative
* Clever fingers (1 Points) +1 to rolls such as carving, painting, etc.
NEVER applies in combat.
* Ambidextrous (2 Points)
* Graceful (2 Points) +1 anywhere balance is a factor, including Dodge
but not any other Combat-related scores/rolls
* Wealthy (1 Point) Start with 1000 instead of 500 Coins. You own a house
or a small business with home attached. You get up to 3
employees/dependents.
* Rich (3 Points) Start with 2000 instead of 500 Coins. You own a small
estate. You get up to 6 employees/dependents.
* Lesser House (1 Point, Furres Only)
Your Pedigree is 11. Likely possibilities:
House Kithain (Raideth) Felines; descended from sea raiders.
House Kelmothand (Malcom) Semi-aquatic Mustelines; dates back to
the Kingdom of Tellish.
House Kosani (Lithe) Rodents, mostly Mice; famous as a banking family.
House Broderick (Aldric) Canines.
House Keung (Kosh) Tigers; trace their lineage to exiled Taigorian
warlord Jiyarr Keung.
* Furre Greater House (3 Points, not available to Bugges)
This Advantage doesn't mean as much in Drakoria as in Kasuria.
Your Pedigree is 12. Likely possibilities:
House Yasmeen (Raideth) Equines; famed for their opulent quarters.
House Kavillaur (Malcom) Heavyset Mustelines; dates back to the
Kingdom of Tellish.
House Sabine (Lithe) Feline; stereotypically swashbucklers,
and connoisseurs.
House Carthamine (Aldric) Lupine/Vulpine (Wolves and Foxes)
Rivals to Giovarri; Lord Dragar ti'Carthamine rules
Aldric.
House Giovarri (Kosh) Dominated by Wolves. The most prestigious
Canine clan.
* Wyrmme Greater House (3 Points, Wyrmmes Only)
Your Pedigree is 12. There is only one Wyrmme Great House:
Imperial House Kaut
* Highborn (2 Points, Wyrmmes only)
Your Pedigree is 11. Wyrmmes do not have Lesser Houses. They must
come from the following famous heroic Bloodlines:
Tragauth, Margaith, Hellikaun, Yarsha (It's possible that a
Furre might have a Highborn Wyrmme ancestor but a Furre
child amongst Wyrmmes would be such a disgrace that they could
never use it for status in Drakorian society.)
* Educated* (-1 Point) +1 level on the Skill Slots chart.
* Scholar* (-3 Points) +2 levels on the Skills charts
* Pet_Dracosaur (-1 Point)
* Pet_Scarhawk (-1 Point)
* Pet_Kiwi (-1 Point)
* Pet_Ostrix (-1 Points)
* Pet_Minidrake (-1 Points)
* Pet_Watchwyrm (-1 Points, Furres only.)
* Wyrmme Heritage (-1 Point)
* VampFurre (-3 Points)
* Faerie_Furre (-3 Points)
* WereFurre (-3 Points)
* Mage (-3 Points)
* ElvenFurre (-2 Points)
* Demifane (-2 Points)
* Psion (-2 Points)
4. Skills
The number and level of skills you start with is based on
your character's Intellect.
SKILL SLOTS
INT
7 1 Job, 2 Hobbies
8 1 Job, 3 Hobbies
9 2 Jobs, 2 Hobbies
10 1 Vocation, 1 Job, 1 Hobby
11 1 Vocation, 2 Jobs, 1 Hobby
12 1 Vocation, 3 Jobs, 1 Hobby
13 2 Vocations, 2 Jobs, 1 Hobby
POSSIBLE SKILLS
Easy Skills (-1 penalty for use without having the skill)
WEAPONS (based on DEX) Specify a weapon type: Axes, Blades, Bludgeons, Flails,
Staves, Spears, Thrown Blades, Thrown Spears, Whips, Slings, Bows, Crossbows,
Shield Use
BODY SKILLS (based on DEX)
Acrobat, Climber, CourtlyDancing, EscapeArtist, OstrixRider, ScarhawkRider
Stealth, ValgorianDance, Bitefighting, Clawfighting, Fisticuffs,
Kickfighting
HOME SKILLS (based on INT)
Cooking, Matchmaker, Physicker
Hard Skills (-4 penalty for use without having the skill)
STREET SKILLS
(based on DEX) Lockpicking, Pawmagery, Pickpocketing, Forgery
(based on INT) Detective, Disguise, Streetwise, Voicetricks
COLLEGE KNOWLEDGE (based on INT)
Alchemist, Architect, Cartographer, Astrologer, Astronomer, Etiquette,
Heraldry, History, Religion, Shipwright
BARD SKILLS
(based on DEX) Reedwind -Reedwinds can only be played by Equines.
Drummer, Flute, Harper, Lute, Pennywhistle, Recorder, Trumpet
(based on INT)
Composer, Jester, Poet, Singer, Ventriloquist
KNOWLEDGE CRAFTS (based on INT) Baker, Birdtrainer, Boater, Brewer, Butcher,
Distiller, Dyer, Farmer, Falconer, Fuller, Gambler, Glazier,
Merchant, Miller, Sailor, Survival, Tanner, Teamster, Tinker, Vintner
HANDICRAFTS (based on DEX) Armorsmith, Basketweaver, Blacksmith, Bowyer,
Carpenter, Cartwright, Chandler, Cobbler, Cooper, Coppersmith, Finesmith,
Fletcher, Glassblower, Illuminator, Jeweller, Leatherworker, Locksmith,
Netmaker, Oculist, Paintersketcher, Potter, Ropemaker, Saddler, Sculptor,
Spinner, Stonemason, Tailor, Weaponsmith, Weaver
LANGUAGES
KASURIA: The base language of Kasuria is Kasurian.
OLDE WORLD: Alemans (Alemanish States), Anglish (Albion), Barabic (Barabia),
Erish (Eriu), Criptic (Aegypt), Espallish (Espallia), Frrench (Frrance),
Kantenganese (Katenga Tribal Lands; many dialects), Kohazzi (Kohazzah),
Latalian ("the scholar's tongue"), Portigese (Portiga),
Pawlish (Mountain Lands of Vorsava), Rrussian (Moscavy),
Taigorian (Taigorian Lands), Valgorian, Therian (Catolia),
Croadan ("gutterspeech")
DRAKORIA:
Buggish, High Drakorian, Low Drakorian, Smargish, Glimmerish
WRITING (based on INT) Therian, Barabic (used for Barabic and Kohazzi)
Taigorian (used for Taigorian), Magian
5. Finishing Touches
HIT POINTS
PHYS HP
7 5 an elderly person with fragile bones
8 6 a child or younger teen, a typical phoenix
9 8 a typical musteline, rodent or lagomorph
10 10 a typical canine or feline
11 13 Indiana Jones, Lara Croft. A typical equine or dragon.
12 17 Conan the Barbarian, Wonder Woman
13 22 The Terminator, Metropolita
UNARMED DAMAGE
*Typical Furres don't do much damage to one another
with their fists.
PHY 1-2/3-8/9-10 on a d10 roll
7 0/1/1
8 1/1/1
9 1/1/2
10 1/2/3
11 2/3/4
12 2/4/6
13 3/5/7
INITIATIVE
DEF 1-2/3-8/9-10 on a d10 roll
7 0/1/1
8 1/1/1
9 1/1/2
10 1/2/3
11 2/3/4
12 2/4/6
13 3/5/7
MOVE
DEF inches/diamonds in 1 Round
7 3
8 4
9 5
10 6
11 7
12 8
6. POSSESSIONS
MONEY
Each character starts with 500 coins, unless
they have taken the Poverty Disadvantage.
RESIDENCE
It is assumed your character rents but does not own a place to live.
(Money for this doesn't need to be tracked.)
STARTING EQUIPMENT
If a weapon is wielded 2-handed, reduce its PHYS requirement by 2. If
the character's PHYS is too low, subtract one point from their
effective weapon skill per point they fall short. All costs are in
Coins.
Axes Cost Hit Dmg PHYS
Hatchet 35 +1 2/4/6 8
Light Axe 70 +1 3/5/7 9
Wood Axe 95 0 4/6/8 10
Battleaxe 160 0 5/7/9 11
War Axe 215 -1 6/8/10 12
Great Axe 330 -1 6/9/12 13
Blades Cost Hit Dmg PHYS
Long Knife 25 +3 1/2/3 5
Foil 35 +4 1/2/3 7
Short Sw. 70 +1 3/5/7 7
Cutlass 95 +2 3/5/7 9
Sword 125 +1 4/6/8 10
Longsword 195 +1 5/7/9 11
Bastid Sw.255 0 6/8/10 12
Greatsw. 375 0 6/9/12 13
Bludgeons Cost Hit Dmg PHYS
Baton 20 +5 0/1/1 5
Club 20 +4 1/1/2 7
Mace 45 +3 2/3/4 9
Morningstar55 +2 2/4/6 10
Warhammer 95 +2 3/5/7 11
BattleMace195 +1 5/7/9 13
Flails Cost Hit Dmg PHYS
Lt. Flail 55 +2 2/4/6 7
Flail 125 +1 4/6/8 9
Hvy.Flail 255 0 6/8/10 11
War Flail 480 -1 7/10/13 13
Staves Cost Hit Dmg PHYS
Staff 20 +4 1/2/3 9
Quarterst. 45 +3 2/4/6 11
Iron Staff 95 +2 4/6/8 13
*Stave always require 2 hands.
Spears Cost Hit Dmg PHYS
Javelin 25 +3 1/2/3 7
ShortSpear 55 +2 2/4/6 9
Pitchfork 125 -2 6/8/10 11
Spear 160 0 5/7/9 12
Trident 215 -1 6/8/10 12
Pike 330 -1 6/9/12 14
Whips Cost Hit Dmg PHYS
Whip 15 +4 1/1/1 7
Cat o' 20 +2 1/2/3 8
9 Tails
Bullwhip 30 +2 2/3/4 9
*Whips cannot be used 2-handed.
THROWING WEAPONS:
Range = 3+character's PHYS - weapon's PHYS requirement.
(Staves and whips can't be thrown.)
MISSILE WEAPONS:
Slings Cost Hit Dmg PHYS RANGE
Light 5 +1 1/1/2 7 18
Medium 15 0 2/3/4 9 24
Heavy 65 -1 3/5/7 11 30
Bows Cost Hit Dmg PHYS RANGE
Short 70 +1 2/4/6 8 18
Medium 125 +1 3/5/7 9 24
Long 255 0 5/7/9 11 30
Xbows Cost Hit Dmg PHYS RANGE
Light 335 +2 5/7/9 9 30
Medium 75 +1 6/9/12 11 36
Heavy 940 0 8/11/14 13 42
*Crossbows require an action to reload
after the action in which they were shot.
They can be fired 1-handed but require
two to reload.
RANGE MODIFIERS FOR THROWN & MISSILE WEAPONS:
Range Modifier
Point blank (adjacent square) -2
2-4 0
5-8 -1
9-16 -2
17-32 -3
33-64 -4
AMMO:
Sling stones 1 coins per 5
Arrows and Quarrels 5 coins per 3
ARMOR:
Armor softens the impact of attacks in battle.
The DEFT limit is the maximum DEFT a character
may use while wearing that armor (affects
initiative and all DEFT skills such as attacks
and Dodges).
Armor Cost Phys/Enrg. DEFT
Leather 75 +2/+1 13
Studded 100 +3/+2 12
Scale/Chain 400 +4/+3 11
Full Plate 1200 +6/+4 9
Helmet Cost Phys/Enrg
Cloth Cap 10 +0+0
Leather Cap 20 +0/+0
Chain Coif 40 +1/+0
Metal Cap 60 +1/+1
Full Helm 100 +2/+1 (-1 to perception type rolls)
Helmet bonuses are added to the character's overall armor.
Shields Cost Parry Hits PHYS
Small 100 +1 6 8
Medium 200 +2 9 10
Large 400 +3 12 12
*Shields require one free paw, and have a PHYS
requirement. For every point by which a character
does not meet that requirement, they suffer a -1
to their Shield skill total.
--------------
* Pocket Universe Damage Table *
ARMOR
DAM 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0
3 3 2 2 1 1 1 1 1
4 3 3 2 2 2 1 1 1
5 5 4 4 3 3 2 2 2
6 5 5 4 4 3 3 3 2
7 7 6 6 5 5 4 4 3
8 7 7 6 6 5 5 4 4
9 9 8 8 7 7 6 6 5
10 9 9 8 8 7 7 6 6
11 11 10 10 9 9 8 8 7
12 11 11 10 10 9 9 8 8
13 13 12 12 11 11 10 10 9
14 13 13 12 12 11 11 10 10
* This table does *not* follow the
Pocket Universe formula precisely.
Small changes were made to produce
a smoother progression of numbers.
--------------
GAMEMASTERING
DIFFERENT FLAVORS OF RP
Within the category of "Roleplayers", there are many
different ways to RP. One of the most crucial decisions a
Roleplaying Group has to make, is what kind of RP to support,
encourage, and enforce prevent future confusion and conflict,
each Group or GM shoulds to decide
-what, and how much, every participating player can
be expected to have read
-what "mature themes" are permitted- what kind of
language (profanity, explicit) is acceptable
-what circumstances obligate a character to die
-whether or not to permit OOC questions relevant to
your own or another question.
-how Combat is to be handled.-how Injury is to be handled.
-how Captivity is to be handled.
The best roleplaying seems to grow out of a single
unified basic philosophy and level of strictness, instead
of having varying levels of strictness for all the different
features. There are MANY different "optimums" not covered
here. You should consider devising your own "formula", of
course, for your own Group. Here are three possibilities:
Cool 1: "Except for what the game world does not permit, I
control my character almost completely." This level of Cool
keeps the suspense, violence, and tragedy limited to what
you might see in a Saturday morning adventure cartoon.
Your character can't die under Cool 1.
Cool 2: "I exist in the Continuity. I have partial control
of my character." This is the level of adventure you can
expect from a prime-time TV show or a PG movie. Under
Cool 2, your character can't die unless you choose to let it.
Cool 3: "I embrace my destiny, and I shall live like a hero
in a chaotic world." Under Cool 3, your Furre may be killed
without your permission. The action is *still* limited to
what is "PG" but the flavor of the game can be much more
grim. This is the kind of action you might expect in a
horror movie. At Cool 3, your character dies if that is
what circumstances and chance dictate.
EXPERIENCE
Awarding Experience Points
For a game with a GM: 1-3 points may be awarded per session.
Portraying the character, 1 point
Surviving lethal combat, 1 point
Furthering plot & reinforcing continuity, 1 point
For a persistent game generally run by a bot:
A player may commend another player's RP for
portraying the character, furthering plots, and/or
reinforcing the continuity. A player may commend
another player up to once every 2 weeks. Players
may not commend characters from their own IP.
Commendations translate into experience points
by the following schedule:
1 ----> .5
2-3 ---> 1
4-6 ---> 1.5
7-10 --> 2
11-15 -> 2.5
16+ ---> 3
Spending Experience Points
Skill Slot Costs: Cost to upgrade from previous level
Attribute+0 (a hobby) 1
Attribute+1 (a job) 2
Attribute+2 (a vocation 3
Attribute+3 4
Attribute+N N+1
DICE
Furre! only requires 2 10-sided dice for each player.
Dice are simulated on Furcadia! using the Roll command. Just
type:roll XdY where X is the number of dice and Y is the
number of sides.roll XdY+Z where Z is added to the total
also works. ROLL XdY will tell you the specific results,
which is useful herebecause it matters if your roll
"doubles" in Furre.
--------------
COMBAT
In an online game, the attacker poses what their character is
attempting, then relevant die rolls are made. Then it is the
defender who poses the outcome.
INITIATIVE
Combat is accomplished in "Rounds", made up of "Turns".
Each player rolls a d10, and translates this to one of three
Initiative numbers. At the start of each Round, players
announce what they are doing, in order from worst to best
Initiative. They take their Turns in order from best to
worst. A furre may hold their Turn indefinitely,
interrupting to pre-empt the Turn of anyone without an "older" saved
Turn. (They may not save up more than one Turn.)
DEFT 1-2/3-8/9-10 on a d10 roll
7 0/1/1
8 1/1/1
9 1/1/2
10 1/2/3
11 2/3/4
12 2/4/6
13 3/5/7
ACTIONS
A Turn may consists of Actions (things that require
a die roll), and Movement. A Furre may do things
other than what they Declared, at a penalty of -4 to all Actions.
Movement may include trivial things like picking up a weapon,
drawing a weapon, etc. A change in location of up to 4 squares
is permitted (no diagonal movement). Movement may be done either
before or after the die-roll Action(s) but it may not be broken up
into Move-Act-Move.
IMPORTANT: DOUBLES ARE CRITICALS
Any roll of doubles is either a critical success or
critical failure. (Use `ROLL' instead of the `roll' command.)
Players who "overextend" by daring to take
too many Actions, etc., are risking a greater chance of rotten
consequences. Roll a d10.
CRITICAL SUCCESSES
ROLL
1 Target's armor damaged, losing -1/-1 before attack damage is applied.
For no armor, use 2.
2 Attacker gets an extra Action after this one, with no further
Multiple Action penalty.
3 Target falls down, requiring a full Turn to get up again.
4 Target gets only 1/2 normal armor protection (round down) vs this attack.
5 Target takes its own PHYS roll in damage; its armor does count towards damage.
6 Target drops something. If nothing is droppable, use 3.
7 Free Head Shot. Target gets only Helmet value for armor.
If any points get through, target must roll their PHYS-2
on 2d10 to stay conscious. (They can make regular rolls to
regain consciousness.)
9 Target disarmed. For no weapons, use 3.
10 Roll twice & combine.
CRITICAL FAILURES
1 Strike wrong target (Target's player chooses.)
Roll 2d10 to get 10-new target's Defense Modifier to hit.
2 Target gets a free roll to hit.
3 Attacker falls down. Takes a full Turn to get back up.
4 Weapon jammed. Takes a full Turn to unjam it.
If not possible, defaults to 5.
5 Attacker takes its own PHYS roll in damage. Its armor
counts.
6 Attacker drops something. Defaults to 7.
7 Weapon stuck. Roll damage. You must roll that amount
or higher on your PHYS roll to free the weapon.
It takes a full Move to try.
8 Attacker's armor is damaged, losing -1/-1 protection.
9 Attacker off-balance, and loses 1 point of Defense
until they take their next Turn.
10 Roll twice & combine.
KNOCKOUT
A character that takes over 1/2 their remaining hits in one blow
falls unconscious.
ATTACK ACTIONS
Punching. The player rolls 2d10. To hit, they must roll:
(DEFT + Punch Skill Plusses - Opponent's Melee Defense) or lower.
If successful, they roll d10 to determine one of the three
possible Unarmed Damage amounts. This is compared on the
Total Armor table, to find the points of damage that get
through.
Kick. The player rolls 2d10. To hit, they must roll:
(DEFT + Kick Skill Plusses - Opponent's Melee Defense) or lower.
If successful, they roll d10 one level higher on the Damage
chart (for example, a character with PHYS 11 has a Damage
roll of 2/3/4). This is compared on the
Total Armor table, to find the points of damage that get
through.
Melee Weapon Attack. The character rolls 2d10. To hit, they must roll:
(DEFT + Weapon Skill Plusses - Opponent's Melee Defense) or lower.
If successful, they roll d10 for the weapon's Damage. This is compared on the
Total Armor table, to find the points of damage that get
through.
Missile Weapon Attack. The character rolls 2d10. To hit, they must roll:
(DEFT + Weapon Skill Plusses - Range Modifiers - Opponent's Missile Defense)
If successful, they roll d10 for the weapon's Damage. This is compared on the
Total Armor table, to find the points of damage that get
through.
COMBAT MANEUVERS
Multiple Actions -2 to each Action
Avoid Armor -1 to hit per point of armor worn.
Desperation +2 to PHYS (recalculate damage), +2 Damage levels,
-2 on all skill checks and defense until
they take their turn the next Round.
Disarm -2 to hit, inflicts no damage. On a successful roll,
target must roll their PHYS-1 or less on 2d10 or else
drop the object specified. Picking it up again requires
Movement.
Full Defense Character sacrifices their full Action to receive a +2
to their Defensive Value. This lasts until they take their
next Turn.
Death Blow An attacker may attempt to slay their opponent instantly
by scoring a hit on a vital organ. The difficulty penalty
is -8. If the death blow hits and inflicts any damage past the
target's armor, the target must roll their PHYS or less on
2d10 at a penalty of -1 per point of damage inflicted. If
the roll fails, the target dies instantly. If the roll
succeeds, the target is left bleeding 1 hit point per combat
round, either until htey die or are healed.
(Note to paper-game GMs: NPC's should only use death blows in
pivotal plot-critical duels.)
Grapple Attacker rolls to hit using the Grapple skill.
On a successful hit, the attacker gets the defender in
a hold. A grapple inflicts no damage but if the Grapple roll
is successful then the victim is completely immobilized.
They may perform no Actions (no headbutting, no biting,
no psionic tricks, no magic, etc.) A grappler may "squeeze"
to deal their PHYS roll in damage to their victim. Squeezing
takes a full Turn. The defender may either attempt to
break free or counter-grapple on their own Action (these
are both counted as Movement). To break free, the defender
rolls their PHYS roll. The attacker rolls their PHYS roll
to resist the escape. If the defender rolls higher, then
they escape the grapple, and may take their full Movement
and Action(s). A successful counter-grapple enables them
to use their full Action to inflict PHYS damage. A Grapple
may be attempted at a -3 penalty to hit, to put the opponent
in a hold from which they can do nothing but attempt to
escape.
Two-weapon Style ("Florentine") Characters may carry two 1-handed
weapons, one in each hand. The two weapons may both be used to
attack, at a penalty of -1 to hit with each. Attacks beyond this
incur the normal Multiple Action penalties. A wepaon in the "off
hand" suffers an additional -1 penalty to hit, and the PHYS requirement
of off-hand weapons is increased by two points.
BITE (information to come)
TRIP (information to come)
OFFENSIVE ASSIST (information to come)
DEFENSE VALUES
This is a tricky chapter but it's crucial to correct execution of combat:
Every character has a Melee Defense Modifier and Missile Defense Modifier.
This is a number subtracted from an opponent's chance to affect you. Some
Defense Modifiers can come from several possible places; the player may
choose which one to use. To calculate a Defense Modifier, add the relevant
Attribute+Skill and subtract 10. (If the character is VERY bad at it,
the Defense Modifier can even give the opponent a bonus to hit them!)
Defense Type Legal Sources
MELEE DEFT+Dodge, DEFT+Shield, DEFT+Weapon, or DEFT+Kick.
(Add Parry Bonus if using a Shield.)
MISSILE DEFT+Dodge or DEFT+Shield
TAKING DAMAGE
When you have less than half your hit points (ignore fractions), you are
Heavily Injured, and receive a -3 penalty to all physical Actions
and all Actions requiring attention, such as spellcasting or
psionics. (Initiative, Damage, etc. are unaffected.)
For all attacks, add the points from Armor and
Helmets together, plus 1 if the character has Toughness,
then compare rating to the amount of damage taken, to
find the number of points that get through.
(Copy the relevant line onto the character sheet.)
Total Actual Damage Taken
Armor 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
1 1 1 3 3 5 5 7 7 9 9 11 11 13 13
2 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
3 0 1 2 2 4 4 6 6 8 8 10 10 12 12
4 0 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
5 0 0 1 2 3 3 5 5 7 7 9 9 11 11
6 0 0 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
7 0 0 1 1 2 3 4 4 6 6 8 8 10 10
8 0 0 1 1 2 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
WAKING FROM UNCONSCIOUSNESS
A character must roll their remaining PHYS+2 or less on 2d10. This
takes place between Turns, starting with the end of the Turn in which they
went unconscious.
HEALING
A character normally heals one hit point per day of rest. Magical
healing is not very powerful in the Furre! universe. A character can
receive magical healing only once per day, whether it is a potion or a
character attempting a spell. Further attempts (by the same mage or by
others) have no effect.
Roll d10: 1-2, gain 1 HP. 4-8, gain 3 HP. 9-10, gain 5 HP.
One psihealer may also make a separate attempt to heal.
Roll d10: 1-2, gain 1 HP. 4-8, gain 2 HP. 9-10, gain 3 HP.
For each 2 points the psihealer heals, they receive 1 point of damage
on their own body (round down). As with magic, further attempts have
no effect.
DYING
A character whose total remaining hit points fall below zero is dying.
A dying character loses an additional hit point per minute from blood loss.
Bleeding can be stopped by a successful INT+PhysickerSkillPlusses roll.
When the character's hit points drop to the negative value of their original
Hits, they are dead.
IC versus OOC
These abbreviations stand for In Character and Out Of Character.
IC refers to the appearance, feelings, possessions, events, and
so forth of your character. OOC refers to your real-life self.
(*IC and OOC were invented by Talzhemir in 1994 for the LambdaMOO
RPG. Prefacing speech with them was first coded for her by Malcolm
"Marat" McDowell, and popularized on MUSHes by Brian "Dusk/Monk/Kynwal" Holmes.)
Dividing things into IC and OOC is the heart and soul of roleplaying.
Players try to keep up an illusion, a shared "reality" called a
"continuity". Each Group runs its own Continuity, and in one
Continuity, all others don't exist. They aren't parallel dimensions,
you can't get from one of them to another. It's good etiquette to
keep OOC things as hidden as possible while playing. For instance,
you should walk out of everyone's "sight" before you log off.
OOC SPEECH
In an all-IC area, it's sometimes necessary to address everyone
on the OOC level. One convention is to put your OOC speech in
parentheses. Please keep OOC chatter to a minimum, and please
keep it relevant to the RPG and all the players. It's not
considered acceptable to use it for announcing the winner of
an ongoing football game, OOCly hugging your pals, etc., etc..
If a /whisper will do, use that instead! In a private scene,
you can relax the above somewhat.
ONLINE TIP: Please be careful when you use pronouns. They're
potentially confusing and it wastes time to ask someone what
they meant by "you" and "it".
EMITS
In a private scene in your Dream, or when you are running a
game online as a GM, you can also do scene-setting poses,
things that aren't your own character's doing. This kind of
narration is called an "emit" or an "attributed spoof". It's
also good to relieve the repetitiveness of every pose beginning
with your own name.
emit A cool wind ruffles your hair. Melissa sighs and gives back the flower...
[*] A cool wind ruffles your hair. Melissa sighs and gives back
the flower...
--------------
ROLEPLAYING ETIQUETTE
Your Group may or may not follow these conventions. They are
useful for helping to preserve the continuity and making play more fair.
SECRETS, AND YOUR DESCRIPTION
It's okay to say that you're a vampire in your description
in Persona Play, even though there is no visible "virtual" clue.
You're just "jumpstarting" the action by letting other players
know, Out Of Character, what you are like. In Roleplaying,
though, giving away In Character secrets is considered twinky
because it's spoiling the surprise.
In Roleplaying, your name and nature are normally only
known to those to whom you have introduced yourself. If you
want to Roleplay, it's better not to write in the names of
organizations to which you belong, IC. If you want to be
open about your identity, get creative. For example, you
might wear your faction's heraldic colors, or a medallion
or ring, and describe their insignia.
In a roleplaying description it is acceptable to write out
your entire Longname. It's less acceptable to write "Jojoba
likes to think about jousting." or "Jojoba is Daniel's father."
--How would anybody ICly know? We'll go so far as to assume that
if your longname is in your description, you're well-known enough
that folks could ask around and get your first and House name,
then go to the Pala Mestra (Hall of Living Memory, sort of like
a village library) and look up the rest.
If you are Roleplaying somebody secretive, it makes good
sense not to put in your longname. If you are Roleplaying
somebody "famous" (has the Reputation Advantage; see Advantages
later on), it makes good sense to put in your longname and maybe
even habits you have that are common knowledge: "Jojoba can
often be found nursing a Dark Beer over at the Glaive."
BEING PRESENT
If you're walking about in an "IC" region, you're present.
Consent doesn't allow you to be an OOC observer rather than a
participant. Although many roleplayers don't mind OOC observers,
we respect the wishes of the majority, who feel that if you aren't
contributing to the scene, you should leave.
Amongst skilled veteran RPers, it's a common unspoken rule
etiquette that you should let each person speak once, before
speaking again. If you lose interest and stop posing/speaking,
the others may very well halt, and you'll have wasted their time.
A TIP: Pose Quickly, Don't Multiworld. The credibility of
your pose is strongly helped by responding with decent speed.
It may surprise you that a speedily returned pose or emote
conveys more excitement than an adjective describing your
character's agitated state. To convey being interested in
someone, also, write faster. Shorter poses/speeches also
communicate excitement. If you have a "slow connection", and
your poses are held up by genuine lag, please be sure to tell
other players. They'll usually understand. On the other hand,
multiworlding is not acceptable an excuse. Please don't lag
because you're busy in another scene or playing another game!
As always, common sense and courtesy are the important things here.
CONTINUITIES
Roleplaying "with a capital R" automatically assume
that you are playing in a "Continuity", a consistent
train of events, where what you Roleplayed yesterday
leads to what happens today, and what you Roleplay today,
shapes what will happen tomorrow. Continuity also
includes what things do and don't already exist in the
game world.
It's frowned on in Roleplaying to invent your own
character classes, supernatural beings, major personalities,
factions, major history, special powers, and so on. Yet,
there is room for creativity. Suppose you invent the
Knights of Talthybia, who are immune to VampFurre bites,
regenerate extremely fast, and are famous as destroyers
of the Undead.
There are repercussions to this background. For
example, players of older VampFurre probably should be
made familiar with the Knights' existence. It's wise to
ask for approval from the Group or GM first. Perhaps
they will refuse because it implies events not in line
with the known Continuity. Group or GM are in no way
obligated to approve the Knights of Talthybia concept.
The Group or GM should not be expected to negotiate or
review the possibility of a new kind of character.
For those who play in Goldwyn, our "default" Continuity,
the Dragonlands, is in effect, and it's the only valid
Continuity for Goldwyn. For example, in the Dragonlands,
there are evil monstrous-looking Quarter Dark Primes, but
there are no `demons'. "Demons" and anything like "hell"
are not "according to canon" part of the official
Continuity, and therefore, don't exist there.
THEFT
In Roleplaying (as opposed to Persona Play), anything
that's dramatically important should be done with a die
roll. Pickpocketing is one of them, because a failed
attempt could have all kinds of IC consequences (like
getting arrested and losing a paw if you happen to be
in Barabia). A Group might specify that a Group-sanctioned
Judge be present for an action such as theft.
Being willing to permit your Furre to be imperfect
and not immediately notice pickpocketing and going out
of your way to let other players have fun are two of
the traits that will build you up in others' eyes.
Sometimes you even get a chance to be creative and
express something about your Furre's personality. Are
they carrying a lutepick? a bookmark? souvenir coins
from religious pilgrimmages? good luck charms?
Unless a Group rule says otherwise, an attempt at
theft is something to which the victim's
player must consent when Roleplaying. Circumstances and
die rolls determine the rest. The consequences if the
thief is caught, are also something to which the player
does not get a choice about consenting. In-character
actions yield fair in-character consequences.
Roleplaying is more "hardball" than Persona Play, and
an important principle is that other players should be
given the opportunity to use the abilities they ICly possess.
PROPERTY
If you create a personal place, it's really up to
the Group to give it a "seal of approval" before you
can declare that it exists in the Group's continuity.
If your furre is a poor traveller with twelve copper
pieces to his good name, it might violate Continuity
for him to own a palace with a huge marble spa.
PROPERTY DAMAGE
Affecting other furres' property is generally
only done with the permission of the Group or a GM.
Most Groups don't want to have to deal with this
kind of behind-the-scenes interaction. Some Groups
would make the would-be arsonist make die rolls in
their presence to hint whether or not they get
caught or if there were witnesses, etc., etc.. In
general, though, this is the kind of Roleplaying to
avoid, because it usually forces alot of different
people to put in time and effort.
PARENTHOOD
Normally, in-character actions should lead to
in-character results. In this specific case, though,
it is good RP etiquette to insist that a player's
OOC permission must be given before having their
IC children.
This control doesn't normally extend to
descendants of your offspring. The players of
your IC children have complete control over
whether or not they have their own kids, and
these will all be your IC descendants.
RAPE
Many players feel that rape is too offensive
to be a topic in a roleplaying game, and, out of
respect for those who have experienced it, or
whose loved ones have experienced it, they choose
to ban it from their continuity. It is our
experience that it can sour the atmosphere . Rape
events that are not roleplayed-out still have a
way of leaking out into the continuity, by simply
being mentioned, as background or offstage events.
It's well past Furcadia's PG-13 rating, into R or NC-17.
No player should ever feel obligated to go
through this kind of plotline or scene. Furcadia
doesn't encourage or condone it, and if you feel
uncomfortable about RP, you should stop immediately.
DEATH
Death in an online game can cause surprising
amounts of damage to OOC relationships. It also
hurts a Group's Continuity, where living characters
hold the storylines together like a net. You may
notice that the Furre! game tends to be nonlethal.
When death does occur, it's generally no accident,
and should be given its dramatic due. That means
a character doesn't come back from being dead
without the intervention of either the Group or
the GM. Note that if a character dies in one
Group, they might still exist in the Continuity
of another. By default, every Group gets its
own Continuity, and Continuities are completely
independent.
THE RETCON RUILE
Retcon is short for 'RETroactive CONtinuity.'
Sometimes a player makes a mistake, for instance
posing that they polish their sword when the sword
was dropped elsewhere earlier. The polite thing to
do is for the player to make a quick OOC
announcement that the previous action didn't
occur, and for other players to go on.
(Acknowledge the retcon with PRIVATE pages please.)
You can only Retcon something that just
happened. You can only Retcon your OWN actions.
The purpose of a Retcon is not to explore a
tree of possibilities relying on different
decisions or let a player make up for an action
that results in something they don't like. The
purpose of a Retcon is to repair damaged
continuity as quickly and smoothly as possible.
Retcons can't be used to "take back" an action
with a dice roll involved. Whether you succeed,
fail or fumble, that action has already taken
place in the game's continuity.
THE TIMESTOP RULE
The moment a fight breaks out, a Timestop
needs to be called. This is to prevent players
from calling in their buddies (even if they
have in-character means to do so!). Anybody
can demand a Timestop. Then, actions are
taking place in slow motion. If others happen
along, it's automatically assumed that they're
too late. Once the fight has ended all
participants who wish, may depart unseen,
unhindered. The Timestop rule prevents
fights from growing so big they take forever.
WHEN SOMEBODY WON'T "PLAY RIGHT"
Furcadia's Staff won't be the authority
figures when you Persona or Roleplay. If your
furre walks into a restaurant and uses a
flamethrower to set all the tables on fire
but nobody reacts to this IC action, we won't
do anything. Furcadia doesn't force anybody
to Roleplay or Persona Play.
If you're serious about having things
make sense, you need to get with a group of
players who have granted somebody the authority
to take action guarding their Continuity.
In Furcadia, these are our Groups.
If you all belong to the same Group
and using a flamethrower in-character is
acceptable, then you might lodge a complaint
with your fellow players. Groups shouldn't
generally be counted upon to be rules
enforcers; the object is for players to
decide in a mature fashion amongst themselves
whenever possible.
If you find that someone is doing things
such as routinely acting on information they
shouldn't have In Character, or doing things
their character wouldn't be able to do, you
may report them to your Group and refuse to
play with them. A Group is like a union, preserving
the Continuity and keeping up standards of gameplay.
THE SERENDIPITY RULE
This is for when you want to decide whether or
not a non-combat prop is present in a scene. In a
game that has a GM, the GM may choose to call for a
Serendipity Roll rather than arbitrarily make
something up. This is because sometimes GMs like
to be surprised right along with the players.
This rule is mainly intended for use online
where the setting is handled more by a cooperative
consensus. A Serendipity Roll should only be made
once per scene, and you must explain what your
character is searching for, and get the assent
of all those present BEFORE you try to make the
roll. After the scene, the prop is gone; do not
keep it and add it to your character sheet.
Roll 2d10 and on an 11 or less, the item is there.
Add +1 for each point of INTL above 10 to spot the item,
but subtract 1 for each point of INTL below 10.
Modifiers:
-ubiquitous to the setting but
there's a chance of failure
(a pencil or pen in an office;
a pinecone in a forest) +6
-appropriate to the setting and
not necessarily in full view
(a yearbook in a student's
bedroom; a teddybear in a
household with a child) +3
- item is somewhat common
but not especially appropriate
or inappropriate (an onion
in a refrigerator) +0
-common but somewhat
inappropriate to the setting:
(a telephone book in a car),
or, common but with a more
specific requirement (a
white rose) -3
-inappropriate to the setting
but it's possible (a silver
dagger or letter opener in
the attic) -6
ON BEING A BETTER PLAYER
Remember that roleplaying is a bit more than
wearing a mask, it's running a subprogram in your mind.
The events that happen in the game cause very real
emotions, with accompanying physiological hormonal
effects. How strong this is, varies greatly, depends
on the player, the character, the situation, etc.
In general, though, if you experience sadness, joy,
excitement with others, you can expect to feel a
real kinship with them. Pretend-battles can lead
to real friendships.
WHEN YOUR OWN RP MAKES YOU MISERABLE
Sometimes you may feel locked into an action by
your character's nature. You might find yourself roleplaying
out a course of action even though it makes you, the player,
deeply unhappy. This is called "Hanging yourself on the
Tree of Roleplaying," and we don't think it's healthy or
necessary. As a Roleplayer you have a reasonable obligation
to uphold the Continuity, but you also have an obligation to
yourself to... Have a good time!
Roleplaying "martyrdom" may get you attention but
"method-acting", throwing yourself utterly into their pawsteps,
isn't the point of the game. Roleplaying is discovering and
portraying your character's "hooks" and having "character
developments" over time. Sometimes you lose old "hooks" and
sometimes you gain new ones. The best roleplaying is finding
the compromise between that which makes you, as player, happy
yet makes your character's story dramatic and satisfying.
WHAT IS THE "CONSENT RULE"?
Persona Play is Furcadia's default and it has one main rule,
called the Consent Rule. Very simply: If somebody poses or says
something that implies your cooperation, you can act like it
didn't happen. This document, though, is not about how to
conduct Persona Play. This book is about Roleplaying.
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