Writing a ttRPG - Wyverns & Warrens (Pt 5 - Damage and Benchmarks) (Patreon)

(This article is not part of the content of this blog that is covered by the OGL 1.0a.)

I'm designing Wyverns & Warrens (WyvWar), an effort at a short, easy-to-learn, easy-to-play, fast-playing fantasy ttRPG that still has a depth of options. And I am doing that in weekly installments, exclusively for my paying Patrons!

Having settled on a core game mechanic (2d10+ bonuses against a Target#), and set a base set of what those Target #'s are going to be, I want to decide how to handle damage and tasks that call for more than a single die roll (possible from more than a single character) to complete.

I've grown more and more fond of the idea that when you make an attack, damage is determined using the lower of the 2d10 you rolled to attack, the higher of the 2d10, or both together, depending on what weapon/spell you're using. Having realized how low bonuses are going to be for this game, I'm currently thinking that the bonus you apply to attack also applies to damage. The better you are with a form of attack, the more damage you do with it.

There is a pretty hefty difference between those three damage ranges, especially when hopping up to add both d10s together. That's not a problem, as long as I'm aware of it. That highest level of damage may end up being reserved for special maneuvers. monsters, and siege weapons -- we'll see how it goes.

I have also decided to use that same concept for a different kind of 'damage' mechanic I am currently calling Complex Tasks and Benchmarks. Put simply, if a task is so difficult, complex, or expansive that it shouldn't be decided by a single die roll, it's a Complex task and Target # becomes the value you have to hit in order to make ANY progress toward success. You then add the value of the lower of your 2d10 (if the Complex Task is Challenging), or the higher of your 2d10 (if the Complex Task is Moderate), or both of the 2d10s (if the Complex Task is just Time Consuming). You total these values to reach a task Benchmark, which represents a level of having accomplished the task. Some Complex Tasks might have just a single Benchmark (at which point you have succeeded), while others could have 2, 3, 5, or whatever.

Complex tasks could be used for a huge range of encounters and tasks that aren't strictly combat. For example, if a tavern has caught on fire, and the PCs are trying to put it out, that could be a Challenging Complex task, as an issue not being resolved in a single round of activity and likely needing multiple people to deal with it. A character doing anything basic, like starting a bucket brigade, pulling burning material away from the tavern's structure, or hacking a fire break, just roll 2d10 and if they meet or beat the Target # add the lower of their d10s toward the Benchmark. A character who has water magic might use that, and get to add their water magic bonus to both the 2d10 roll to hit the Target #, and to the total they add to the benchmark. Someone with Profession: Firefighter (or however skills end up in this system) would definitely get to add that to their check and Benchmark total.

Further, the tavern fire might have a single Benchmark indicating it's been put out, or it might have events/consequences that occur at different Benchmarks, and/or when turn-based Timers go off. For example, a tavern fire encounter might have Target # 10, and Benchmarks at 20/30/40. At Benchmark 20, the tavern fire is no longer at risk of spreading to other buildings. At 30, it's largely put out and it becomes safe to be inside the tavern (such as if PCs were also searching for something). At 40, the tavern is entirely extinguished.

Each Benchmark might also have a Timer on it. For example, after 10 rounds if the first Benchmark has not been hit, the tavern might both spread to a second building, and erase 2d10 worth of the work done to extinguish it (as the fire worsens). After 20 rounds if the second Benchmark has not been hit, the fire spreads to the roofs of multiple buildings, and erase 2d10 worth of the work. After 30 rounds, if the third Benchmark has not been hit, the tavern collapses and is destroyed by the fire. Some tasks may have a Timer that indicates failure -- if you don't reach the first benchmark to disable the Evil Ritual before the Eclipse ends, you have failed to disable the ritual.

(I can already see I need a better term than 'work' for the numerical value PCs have done towards a Benchmark. 'Progress' seems like a likely candidate.)

(Searching the Warlock's Market for the legendary Gary Maiden, a reclusive sage who is supposed to know more about your quest? It's a Complex Task multiple characters can take part in, with various random encounters happening on Timers, and specific encounters occurring at specific Benchmarks. Art copyright Dean Spencer, used with permission.)

The idea is that this system is still one roll per PC action, still rewards people with bonuses, and is flexible enough it can be used for nearly anything the GM wants to be more than one die roll. Schmoozing at a party? A Complex Task with social skills adding bonuses, and a Timer for when rival diplomats win over the people you want to impress. A chase scene? Complex task with movement, tracking, and route knowledge skills adding bonuses, and a Timer for when the chased for escapes. (Or, maybe, both fleer and pursuer roll to see who hits the Benchmark fast, as a form of opposed rolls). Building a siege tower? Forging a sword? Building a trap? DISARMING a complex trap? All Complex Tasks.

Searching a jungle for a lost temple? Benchmarks for various clues, and Timers for random encounters with whatever is in the jungle.

You can even use it for something like mass combat, with various Benchmarks leading to squad-scale scenes where the PCs fight things using normal rules at specific moments in the battle. That could even use branching options at specific Benchmarks.

Obviously I'll need to formalize these rules and off some standard examples in the core rulebook, but this is where I'm starting.

Next Week: Time, Space, Scale, Distance, Movement, and Range!