Carnage Amongst the Web

Can 3:16 be turned into a fun fantasy game? There is already a SF variant, so I will focus on a variant for the Swords & Sorcery genre. Here are my thoughts so far:

T0 change the military setting into a heroic Swords & Sorcery setting the 9 ranks are:

Rank – Gift
0. Worthy - Force Weakness
1. Respected - (highest FA) – Sneak (based upon the Scout rule)
2. Honored - (Highest NFA) Retreat (based upon E-Vac)
3. Famous - Warhorse (free movement, NFA D4/D4/x) + an extra 4-point weapon + Last Stand (based on Orbital Bombardement)
4. Celebrated - Barded Warhorse (horse + extra armour tick) + an extra 5-point weapon + Superior Tactics (see So Few)
5. Revered - One 6-point weapon + Invulnerable (Kinetic Armour) + Warband (Drop Ship)
6. Mighty - One 7-point weapon (Holy Avenger) + War! (Paradise Bomb)
7. Renowned - as Mighty with Massacre (Starkiller) + Deflect! (see So Few)
8. Legendary - Campaign ending weapon (not sure yet)

The 7 weapon ranks are:
pts roll
0 – 0
1 – 1
2 -  d4
3 – d6
4 – 2d4
5 -  2d6
6 – 3d6
7 – 2D20

PCs start with one 5-point weapon and one 4-point weapon. For example, a PC can start with a 5-point weapon that does D6/D4/x or D4/D4/1. And one 4-point weapon, for example x/2d4/x.

Double-handed weapons: In AD316 and Tribes players can choose to have a Shield and handweapon combination. If the player decides to skip the Shield and instead use a double-handed weapon he gets +1 bonus to the Kills roll.

For example: A 5-point one-handed sword does 1/2d4/x. While a double-handed sword does 1+1/2d4+1/x.

For Zero to Hero

To simulate the “from zero to hero approach” the players can start of with a level lower than 10. Below is the number of Strengths and Weakness a PC starts with at each level.

Level (=FA+NFA) Strengths Weaknesses
19 – 0 1 or 1 0
18 – 1 1
17 – 2 1
16 – 2 2
15 – 3 2
14 – 3 3
13 – 4 3
12 – 4 4
11 – 5 4
10 – 5 5
09 – 6 5
08 – 6 6
07 – 7 6
06 – 7 7
05 – 8 7
04 – 8 8
03 – 9 8
02 – 9 9
01 – 10 9

* The final Weakness for a PC is always “I’m no Hero”. This is the realisation that real heroes don’t exist and the PC certainly isn’t one – there is nothing left to achieve and thus the PC retires.
* Alternatively, the final Strength is “Attain Godhood”. The martial prowess of the PC has opened up a position in the Pantheon of the Gods

KILL THEM!
Enemies come in three grades. Enemies take a number of successes to neutralize:

Henchmen - Single success necessary, removes one Threat Token and causes # “kills”,

Leaders/Named (N)PCs – Two successes necessary, removes one Threat Token and scores 1 kill

‘Endboss’ enemies - The number of PCs = the number of successes necessary, remove a Threat Token for each success, scores 1 kill

Epic Enemies - 2x the number of PCs = the number of successes necessary, remove a Threat Token for each success, score 1 kill. A Strength cannot instakill this threat, but removes 3 Threat Tokens from its pool.

Players can join up in killing Endbosses and Epic Enemies. The players that removes the last Threat Token earns the kill. Endbosses and Epic Enemies are always fought in seperate encounters. Endbosses and Epic Enemies can have Abilities.

AND TAKE THEIR STUFF
PCs earn money after succesfully completing quests and missions. Money can be looted from dead enemies or earned from employers.

Loot/Treasure works as a free Leverage for the PC. After a succcesful Mission/Quest each PC earns 1 Treasure. The player decides if this Treasure is beneficial to FA or NFA. During the next Quest the player can “spend” his Treasure to gain a +1 bonus to an encounter. The player narrates how his acquired Treasure gives a benefit in the encounter. This Treasure bonus can be stacked on top of a +1 Leverage bonus.

If during the Development phase the player describes in a fun way how he spends the money on “earthly things” the +1 bonus is turned into one free re-roll (an extra Favour).

CAREERS

If players use a Flashback – either a Strength or a Weakness – they can describe a previous career the PC has done. This career grants certain benefits. A PC can only have a maxium of 4 previous careers. All careers give a +1 bonus to a stat when used in a situation were that specific career would be a benefit to the player character.

ASSASSIN/SLAYER
These covert killers are adept at sneak attacks, killing,  information gathering,  city  lore,  persuasion, poisons and lock picking.

BARBARIAN/SAVAGE
These characters come from the Northlands, the  Deserts  or  other  wildernesses  of  the Hyborian world.  They  have  natural  skills  in  wilderness  lore,  living  rough,  berserk  rage,  riding, intimidation,  natural  instincts  and  so  on.

BLACKSMITH/METALSMITH
Often  found  helping  alchemists build  their  inventions, these characters are skilled at weapon and  armour  making  and  repair,  metallurgy, and weapon  lore.

GLADIATOR/CHAMPION
Often  forced  into  life  of  professional  arena fighters,  the  gladiator  is  skilled  in  one-on-one tactics, exotic weapons, weapon  lore,  initiative and weapon  training. They are especially good at  fighting  in a style  ‘to please  the crowd’.

HUNTER/TRACKER
Rugged  outdoor  types  skilled  in  wilderness lore,  living  rough,  trapping,  tracking,  stealth and other similar pursuits. Agility  is  important to  a  hunter,  as  are  strength  and  mind  to  a slightly lesser degree.

MAGICIAN/SORCERER
Often  a  little  strange,  these  characters  are knowledgeable  of  esoteric matters  to  do  with astrology,  astronomy  and  ancient  lore.  There  are magicians  in  just about every city of Hyboria. Sorcery  is a  fast  track  to power but  it also brings  its own price.

MERCHANT/TRADER
These are not shopkeepers, these are wide travelled  adventurers, who  seek new  exotic goods to  sell  and  as  such  pick  up  a  range  of  useful skills  like  trading,  appraisal,  obtaining  rare  or unusual  goods,  persuasion,  city  lore,  knowledge  of  distant  places,  guild  membership.

MERCENARY/WARRIOR
These  are warriors who work  for  anyone who will  pay  for  their  services. They  tend  to  have skill  in  living  rough,  horse riding,  intimidation,  carousing,  and  even weapon  and  armour upkeep  and  repair.

NOBLE/COURTIER
Often holding homes  in  the city and estates or villas  outside  the  city,  these  characters  are  titled  and  have  some  authority  over  commoner people.  They  are  often  able  to  obtain  credit, have  high-ranking  contacts  and  are  skilled  in such  things  as  bribery,  dress  sense  and  etiquette.

PHYSICIAN/HEALER
Physicians are dispensers of potions and medicines  and  have  practical  skills  in  bonesetting, surgery  and  childbirth.  They  are  knowledgeable of plant  lore,  first  aid  and diseases.

PIRATE/BUCCANNEER
Rogues of  the sea, Pirates are skilled in climbing,  sea  lore,  navigation  by  stars,  and  boat handling  with  a  good  knowledge  of  far  ports and  islands. Pirates speak  their own language known as Sea-Tongue.

THIEF/ROGUE

Those  who  live  by  less-than-honest means  in the  streets  of  the  towns  and  cities.  They  will have skill  in such  things as city  lore, burglary, sneaking,  picking  pockets  and  are  likely  to have  guild  membership.

Keep it simple

There is a tendency when one starts to tinker with 3:16 to think up new rules to do things (I know as I do it myself). But in 3:16 narration is as important as rules.

In my campaign players get a bonus whenever they narrate stuff. For example, if a player fails his attack roll but narrates why his character failed then he gets a +1 bonus the next round. The same for my new Treasure rule. When a player narrates in a fun way how he has spend the treasure/loot he gained in the previous adventure he gets one free re-roll in the next adventure.

You could do the same with Race and Class. If a player roleplays the race and/or class of his character in a fun way then he gets one re-roll or +1 bonus he can use later.

A simple and easy rule. And therefore not as much fun for the GM as creating lots of specials and extra’s for all kinds of races and classes.

ADVENTURE GENERATOR

Here is also a very useful chart by Russell Bailey:

CHARACTER SHEET

Relevant link:

101 essential things in a sword and sorcery city

[Sword & Sorcery] Alternate non-humans

Elements of Sword & Sorcery?

This is what I have so far. Input is greatly appreciated.