Introduction and Overview

Alundra is an action RPG. In fact, it has many similarities to Legend of Zelda, which is why we are altering Radien's Triforce system for use in AlundraRPG. Basically, the game focuses on a single character, with no stats to speak of; rather, his abilities are modified by the tools and equipment he acquires throughout the game.

Players in AlundraRPG will be able to allocate a set number of points to various different stats and skills. In AlundraRPG and also in Zelda, you must acquire certain tools to perform certain actions. For example, you cannot push huge stone blocks in Ocarina of Time with the Silver Gauntlets. Similarly, Alundra cannot pick up large boulders until he obtains the Power Glove. In AlundraRPG, your equipment will modify your stat. For example, you may have a base lift skill of two. If you equip the Power Gloves, you may modify it to three, allowing you to pick up heavier things.

Most skill numbers will affect whether you are or not able to accomplish a feat. If you do not have a skill level in walk/jump of at least two, you cannot jump above a certain height on sandy ground. If you do not have a walk/jump level of at least four, you cannot walk on hot lava. Perhaps you may try, but you can incur serious damage for doing so. If you don't have a skill level and want to try anyway, you may, but with a serious penalty to your chances of succeeded, such that you shouldn't even try unless it is an emergency.

In any situation where time is of the essence, such as in battle, character turns will come up randomly. What is more important than any kind of initiative is your reaction points. These determine how many actions you may take during a turn, and how long each action will take to execute.

The game system is being refined and developed now, so while not all of the details are worked out, you can read on to get a better idea of how this is all going to work!

Assigning Base Stats

When you begin to create your character, you will get 9 stat points to divide between the four basic stats: Strength, Vitality, Precision, and Wisdom. Your Stats will determine how well you can perform certain tasks. Each stat is also relegated to a specific weapon class. Following are descriptions of all four stats:

Strength
While physical power is part of the Strength stat, this stat also refers to finesse and bodily control — the kind needed to focus one's power onto a specific target.
In battle, Strength will help you to equip Light Melee weapons, which are usually Short-Range. It also helps you to deal more damage with physical attacks, regardless of weapon.

Vitality
Virtues such as endurance and vigor are both part of Vitality. Where Strength would allow you to lift a boulder and throw it, Vitality would be used to carry it around all day! Vitality is beneficial for withstanding heavy physical strain over long periods of time.
In battle, Vitality is used to equip heavy melee weapons, which are often Medium-Range. It also helps increase your HP, regardless of weapon.

Precision
When you encounter a tangible problem that beefiness alone doesn't solve, Precision will come into play. Whether leaping across a chasm or hitting a switch with a thrown pebble, tasks that require great accuracy will benefit from Precision.
In battle, Precision is used to equip most Long-Range weapons, and also some tiny piercing weapons. It also increases the accuracy of your attacks, regardless of weapon.

Wisdom
When brawn and reflexes are inconsequential, knowledge and intelligence come into play. Greater understanding helps your character to overcome bizarre and paranormal situations. In a land where one's dreams might turn against them, Wisdom is also the mind's first line of defense against any psychological onslaught.
In battle, Wisdom is used almost exclusively for equipping magic scrolls and books, and learning the magic spells they provide. It is also used to determine how effective your spellcasts are, even when you don't have a book or a scroll equipped.

Alternative Starting Package:
A later section in this system document covers the subject of Skills. If you would like a character that starts off as particularly Skill-oriented, you may trade 1 stat point for 2 skill points. You may only do this once. You can find out more about skill points later on, in the Skills section.

Stat Proficiency

In previous sections, you've heard references to such things as attack accuracy and attack damage, and what players will need to do to raise these. All of these derived numbers are listed under a separate category on the character sheet called "Proficiency." It may sound like a fancy header, but it's basically a miniature GM cheat-sheet.

Following are the four numbers under "Proficiency." Note: when the phrase "bonuses from items" is used, it means all equipped and held items. This doesn't include bonuses from stored weapons, tools, and armor.

Attack = Strength + bonuses from items
This proficiency counts as added damage whenever your character lands a blow with a physical weapon.

Defense = bonuses from items
This number is subtracted from the damage received, each individual time a character is hit by a physical attack. The only way to gain Defense is through items. Vitality does NOT raise Defense, since it already raises HP.

Hit = (Precision + bonuses from items + 4 ) / 10
This number is expressed as a percentage on the character sheet. It tells the exact likelihood that the character will hit with any physical attack, not including any dodging the defender(s) may attempt. The GM can check attacks by rolling equal to or below the target number on a D10 — additionally, a roll of "10" always misses, and a roll of "1" always succeeds.

Sorcery = Wisdom + bonuses from items
This number is added to the damage inflicted by any magic spell your character casts. It also usually increases the effectiveness of spells that don't deal damage as part of their effect.

Skills

Once stats are allocated and Proficiencies calculated, you can move on to Skills. Skills, in general, help you "Do Stuff," such as pick up boulders and jump across chasms.

Skills complement Stat points. There are eight skills that anyone can improve in, regardless of who they are or what items they have acquired. However, each skill is linked to a Stat, and you cannot raise the skill beyond the value you have for that Stat. For instance, "Lift/Throw" is a "Strength"-type Skill. So, if you have Strength of 2, then your Lift/Throw Skill cannot be higher than 2.

"Personal" Skills are abilities than can be enacted without the use of items, though some might benefit from items at one point or another. If your character is capable of a Skill that no one else excels in, his or her presence will certainly become valuable in various situations during the campaign! Keep this in mind when choosing where to allocate your skill points.

At character creation, all characters start with 4 skill points to allocate.** Each skill point raises a Skill by 1 level, and they can't be saved for later use. All skills begin at zero before skill point allocation. As mentioned before, you can't raise a skill higher than the Stat it is based on. By leveling up during the game, characters can gain points to spend on more Skills.

**If you took the "alternative starting package" referred to at the end of the previous section, then your character will begin with 6 skill points, and only 8 stat points to allocate.

Following is a list of the eight Personal Skills:

Additional skills will be listed in a later section. That's it for Skills for the time being.

Battle Meters

If you've gotten this far then you must have already allocated your stats, meaning it should now be possible to determine your battle meters.

Strength determines your Max Charge.
Your Max Charge is exactly equal to your Strength stat. Unlike the other meters below, Max Charge doesn't contain expendable points. Instead, it represents the maximum level of power you can build up for a single Charged Attack.
Note: All weapon classes are capable of Charged Attacks — even books and scrolls! However, many are limited as to how much they can be charged, even if your Charge Meter has more capacity than your weapon.

Vitality determines your maximum number of Hit Points (abbrev: HP).
Calculate HP by taking your Vitality stat and adding 8, which results in your base Max HP. Characters will be able to find Life Vessels as the adventure progresses, which each permanently increase Max HP by 1 point. These are usually be rewarded for great accomplishments, but there may be some that are available in more mundane locations.

Precision determines your number of Reaction Points (abbrev: RP).
The number you get at the start of each battle is exactly equal to your Precision. Reaction Points are used to give your character bonus actions (known as Reactions) during battle. Once you've spent them, they don't automatically return until the battle ends, but they are important in battle nonetheless.

Wisdom determines your maximum number of Magic Points (abbrev: MP).
Your base maximum Magic Points is equal to your Wisdom stat. Characters will be able to find Magic Seeds as the adventure progresses, which each permanently increase Max MP by 1 point. Each Magic Point represents the capacity to cast one spell. Those with zero Wisdom cannot use magic spells — at least, not under normal circumstances.

Gaining Levels

The importance of character levels in this system is not large. Currently, the only reward you get for gaining a level is an extra Skill Point to allocate. Levels will usually be given as rewards for defeating major enemies.

Weapon Classes

The Alundra RPG system contains weapon classes — however, there is no need to pre-decide which types you want your character to be able to use. This is because your ability to equip weapons in a certain weapon class is determined by the stat that weapon class uses. So, if you want to use a certain weapon class, put points into the Stat which is used by that weapon class! Following are the five basic weapon classes:

This weapon class contains quick, short weapons that are used to deal damage by attacking an enemy's weak points. Swift, decisive swings are required in order to maximize damage, hence its reliance on physical strength. Since up-close combat is quite straightforward, Light Melee weapons give +1 to Hit.

Charged Attacks in this weapon class usually grant increased power for dealing extra damage to a single target, and are also swift to hit their mark once the attacker finishes charging.

In the world of Alundra RPG, weapons that make use of chains and spikes (such as the unique ball-and-chain style weapon known in this world as the "heavy flail") are the most popular form of heavy offense. This makes them heftier and more difficult to use, but unlike a warhammer, giant chain weapons can sweep through large groups of enemies at once. The other upside to this weight is that a Heavy Melee weapon also grants the user a stronger defense.

Unlike a Light Melee weapon, a Heavy Melee weapon is so weighted down that one's endurance is more important than the power behind one's attack swing. Heavy Melee Charged Attacks are usually slow to hit, but in return, they are capable of striking groups enemies in one sweeping blow.

This weapon class encompasses all thrown and drawn projectile weapons. Since ranged projectiles are usually small in size, the point of impact is even more important than it would be with Light Melee weapons. Being physical objects, they also require a steady hand, hence the importance of Precision.

Ranged weapons are generally weaker than other weapon types, but they can hit from distances that normal weapons couldn't. Their Charged Attacks usually either allow the wielder to fire off multiple charged projectiles at once, or embue special properties to a projectile before it is released.

If interpreted in a literal sense, Arcane weapons are not really weapons — they are materials that can aid one attempting to control a specific element through magical means. However, it is usually necessary to equip them as weapons, so they are treated as such.

While it is possible to cast spells in combat without outside aid, a book or scroll will significantly increase the potency of spells of a specific element. However, Arcane weapons can grant you Charged Attacks as well — similar to Charged physical attacks, but with spells instead of weapons. The effects of these charged spells vary per Element.

In a land where true magic-users are rare, some of the most valuable objects you can find are enchanted items — usually wands — intended to grant limited magical power to one who doesn't actually practice magic. The magic produced is usually a focused volley of elemental power, such as a ball of ice or a bullet of fire. They do not require a Wisdom rating to be equipped, but they act as a type of projectile attack, which means that it will take Precision rolls in order to land a hit with them.

In exchange for this versatility, the downside of Artifact weapons is that none of the user's stats can be utilized to enhance the damage it deals. The only way to increase damage with an Artifact weapon is to perform a Charged Attack. The nature of Charged Attacks vary per Artifact weapon.

Wand-type Artifact weapons grant the wielder +1 Wisdom. This of course doesn't increase the damage the wand itself deals, but spells cast while you have a wand in hand will be slightly more powerful.

More coming soon!