Waterbrick Down

Thanks Lord Duvors for all the ideas! Let's start with character creation: I think the changes to smarts/skills is ok, the trick is to make each attribute equally viable for a given build I think the attribute/skill caps are fine. The only downside is if we ever have effects that directly impact those scores, i.e. something like "Weakened: -5 to target's Strength attribute" it can't be offset. The multi-player pool I'm not too worried about as the intention was to limit all pools (including group pools) to 10 dice maximum. The Spirit attribute is still a tough one. It feels weird for each character to have the ability to already cast spells, but without a full class system it's difficult to get around without making all Attributes start at 0. We could make it such that Spirit can be spent on more generic "powers" that include both martial and spell-like effects, but that's fairly easy to create a bloated system and I think takes away from some of the unique aspects of spell-casting. On to mechanics: Missing attribute checks is indeed an oversight, glad someone caught it Thanks for fixing frightened. The intention is to include positive effects, but I liked Flipz idea from way back in that only one positive/negative status condition can be active at a time on a character, so I haven't figured out how to best balance for that yet. Regarding movement, I've got to be honest, when I designed this system, I really wasn't expecting large battle maps. The biggest grid I ever imagined was 4x4. Granted after observing the test quest, I now see how the larger space can definitely add new fun elements, but I wasn't planning on it originally. That being said I think as far as movement goes, I'm not a fan of tying it to weapons. To some extent it makes all the weapons too similar, mechanically most weapons are able to effectively hit something within 4 squares. I will grant, currently the system as is, does not provide much balance between ranged weapons and melee weapons. Generally in most systems melee weapons have an edge by doing more damage than ranged weapons, but in this system they all do the same. Perhaps if we made range modify the combat check, i.e. the further a character is away, the defender starts with more Skill dice. In that case we could roll movement into the Skill attribute similar to vitality. Concerning the items, you're right about the shield generator and cloaking generator. I like the change to Plasma Potion Spells: Elemental blast is a typo, it should be 4 squares. Adjacent should be connected. The idea is the spell scales from single target to AOE. Obfuscate is a generic "cantrip" for all the types of magic characters. It's more for roleplay than a exact mechanical benefit, hence why it's in minutes instead of rounds, it wasn't meant for combat. Quantum Transposition could be used to flee a battle. Kinetic Weapon is the appropriate substitute for "Natural Weapons" Transmute Matter is another roleplay spell hence why the duration is listed in minutes. In this magic system all effects are intended to be codified. Where in Heroica 1.0, magic users could use the "spellcasting" trait to simply cause generic effects, in this system, if there's isn't a spell for it, it cannot be performed. On to a new system: Classes. While not necessary, I think they can add more variability and potential flexibility in combat with specific actions. The current intention is that anyone could swap back and forth between the classes, but would be rewarded for sticking with a class by eventually being able to mix and match traits/actions between classes and "create" their own custom class. I've listed some rough classes for the time being:

Arthur checks the bed to see if it had been disturbed yet. "I don't know whether to be worried or relieved there isn't another body."

Arthur unlocks Ezra’s door. “Galaxy-class service, remember?” Arthur smiles.

Arthur follows Emily. "Hopefully Mr. Parry is simply a sound sleeper."

Slow and steady.

"I'm simply saying I don't believe I would have suspected a murder upon this vessel in the first place, someone merely taking food and cutlery back with them to their cabin would not have raised my suspicion or if they had requested a midnight snack. My duties entail just those sorts of requests."

"Agreed, if he hasn't joined us yet, I fear the worst." "Let's not jump to conclusions until we check in on him." "I wouldn't have suspected any of our guests were capable of such a horrific act, Blue Star cruises likes to ensure their clientele is of the highest caliber. Do you keep such questionable company Dr. Seymour?" "Certainly."

“As I’ve been saying, to break into his room.” “Why not take a knife from the dining room? A teapot simply doesn’t make sense.“

"Did you not hear the letter, someone wanted to work with him, not kill him. If it was a premeditated murder, why here on the ship and again, why the teapot? It makes more sense that someone was after Mr. Peck's technology and things didn't go as planned, they panicked and attacked him with what was at hand."

"I haven't said it wasn't murder, only that it may not have been premeditated. If it were, why a teapot? Also, do we know specifically that Mr. Peck didn't bring the teapot back to his room himself?"

"When you put it that way, it does seem unlikely, but might I suggest a slight variation. Perhaps this wasn't an intended murder. Given the letter, perhaps the assailant merely meant to take advantage of the black-out to steal something from him and didn't expect him to still be in the room when they entered. From there they struggled, the pot was broken and subsequently used as a weapon." "If we've combed over everything, might I suggest we head for Mr. Parry's room?" Arthur prepares to head off to Ezra's room.

"I figured the stab in the back meant he was caught unawares, but perhaps your theory holds some water. I still have my key and if both his and yours are accounted for, that would leave your theory about Peck knowing his murderer or the black-out theory the only options. Assuming of course neither you or I are the murderer... We also have Mr. Parry to worry about. I do hope he hasn't befallen the same fate."

"Not that I'm aware of, but the security system does shut down in the event of a powerfailure to prevent passengers from becoming trapped. So his assailant may have snuck in during the black-out."

Arthur searches for Mr. Peck's room keys to see if he still has them on his person.

"Did the pot shard covered in blood come from the teapot originally or was it from a different pot?"

Arthur tries to remember whether the doors automatically lock or unlock during a power outage. "Considering the stab wound, Mr. Peck must not have seen his assailant, which means they either entered during the black-out or had access to a key."

"Perhaps it might make sense at some point to transport the body to the kitchen, the cold storage should keep it from smelling too bad." Arthur inspects the body as to whether the stab was to the corpse's front or back.

"Either Mr. Peck was up late, or preferred to sleep in his day clothes, which means he passed early in the night..." "Perhaps out of courtesy for the dead, you should read it Ms. Young before elaborating." Suspecting the same, Arthur looks into the bathroom expecting it to be similar to the state of the closet.

Arthur prepares to offer to open the door as Oliver rams into it. "Mr. Hudson, if you could please refrain from damaging the ship, that would be appreciated." As Gabriella opens the door, the smell of blood enters the hall. Arthur's eyes widen slightly at the grizzly scene, "Gods!" The steward's shock lasts only for a minute as passengers start stuffing into the rooms to examine things. "Please ladies and gentlemen, I really must ask you to take care not to disturb anything." "Mrs. Dawson, please!" "Indeed." Arthur turns to Bennett, "Captain, are we able to get a message to the authorities?" Arthur nudges open the closet door to inspect inside and intending to see if Mr. Peck was still in the same clothes as last night or had changed.

"Precisely, we must ensure both are well. They're near enough it won't make too much of a difference." Arthur moves toward Mr. Peck's room

"Agreed, it may get a bit tight squeezing everyone into the hall at once, but it's probably safer to keep everyone accounted for."

Arthur furrows his brow at the engineer's ambiguities, "But why would someone shut down the FTL? Aside from the inconvenience and some slight injuries... are they trying to sabotage Blue Star's reputation?"

"Ah I see," Arthur smiles slightly, scratching the back of his head, "Well, as I said it's been a few years, since I was on the technical side of things, but in training they give us a basic run-down of a ship's systems in case we need to cover for another department in the event of an emergency or fatality." "I'd recommend you reach out to our corporate HR upon our website or the planet office once we reach Alpha Centauri. I can however see to to the Krug." "Perhaps I missed something, but how do we know it wasn't some sort of mechanical failure. While I do not doubt your mechanical attentiveness this is Blue Star's only FTL equipped vessel, it's more of a gimmick than a reliable tried and true technology for them."

"I can try, but that was 10 years back and you know what they way about 'military grade equipment', the cheapest you can get for the bare minimal functionality. Blue Star corporate's outfitted this ship with some of the most high tech accommodations money can buy, also means you may need a phd to fix any of it." "Mrs. Dawson, please know that Blue Star will conduct an investigation to the fullest extent and will look to come to arrangements with any who wish to file formal complaints."

"Mr. Peck? Mr. Parry? Damn. This is not good." Arthur inspects the door trying to determine whether or not the electronic key system would work or if they'd have to return with a tool.