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So, I've been slowly concocting a story idea.
First, I don't want to bother with the hassle of having to wait for everybody to put together an entire D&D character sheet. It means I have to double-check everybody's math, and I don't have any D&D books at my house, plus I think that having to conform to a character class just because the book says you have to is pretty stupid-- your character should be who your character IS, not a list of numbers.
So I asked around, and I was advised of a very simple homebrew system that I think I like-- mostly because it's similar to BESM, which I do have the book for, and enjoy.
STATS:
Characters only have three stats: Body, Mind, and Spirit, on a scale of 1-6. Points are distributed between them on a 1:1 basis, with adults typically having 10 points. Teenagers have 9, and exceptional adults have 11.
HIT POINTS:
Hit Points represent serious injuries; adventurers can basically deal with the cuts and scrapes they get into regularly, but in major battles and dire circumstances, even they can get badly hurt.
Hit Points are determined by (Body Stat) x (Spirit Stat) + (Mind Stat) + 10
So, a character with Body 4 and Spirit 2 and Mind 3 would have 21 HP.
MAGIC POINTS
MP works about the same way as every video game RPG there's ever been; it fuels magic powers and supernatural abilities for a certain point cost. Small magical effects, or medium magical effects in non-stressful situations, don't cost points, but casting powerful spells, or casting in stressful situations, does.
Magic Points are determined by (Spirit Stat) x (Mind Stat) + (Body Stat) + 10
So, a character with Body 4 and Spirit 2 and Mind 3 would have 20 MP.
SKILL POINTS
Skill Points represent how many skills your character has learned over the course of their life (See the skills section for spending skill points.) Most adventurers can be assumed to have enough proficiency with some skills to get by (for instance, most adventures know enough first aid to clean and bandage a wound, but not enough to suture one or perform surgery); skills bought with Skill Points represent things that your character is actively skilled in.
Skill Points are determined by (Body Stat) x (Mind Stat) + (Spirit Stat) + 10
So, a character with Body 4 and Spirit 2 and Mind 3 would have 24 SP.
SKILLS:
Basically, skills are skills are skills. Virtually anything can be a skill, so long as it's something that your character is capable of-- this might mean taking a personality trait as a skill, such as Bravery, or a personal passion or philosophy, like Romance or Stoicism.
Skills are placed on three tiers: Primary, Secondary, or Tertiary.
Primary Skills are skills that your character has spent nearly all their life perfecting; Primary Skills are rolled on three six-sided dice, and the Primary Tier Value is 2. It can hold 3 skills.
Secondary skills are skills that your character is practiced in, or picked up late in life, and are rolled on two six-sided dice, and the Secondary Tier Value is 1. It can hold 4 skills.
Tertiary skills are skills that your character is a novice in, but is familiar with, and are rolled on 1d6, and the Tertiary Tier Value is 0. It can hold unlimited skills.
Skill Points are spent on buying skills. for the following values:
Combat Skills: 3 + Tier Value
Combat Skills should at least be weapon-specific (Swords, Sword-and-Shield, Knife-fighting, Brawl), and include how to both attack and defend.
Magic Skills: 3 + Tier Value
Magic Skills should be focused on a particular area or type of magic, for instance, a particular element (like fire or wind), or a particular art (like enchantment or arithmancy). This doesn't necessarily mean spellcasting, either; this can represent a priest's ability to perform minor miracles through prayer (Supplication) or a fortuneteller's ability to give accurate predictions with a particular divination tool (Tarot Reading or Dowsing).
Trained Skills: 2 + Tier Value
Trained skills are anything that requires careful training, education, or rare natural talent, such as Charisma, Composition, Religion, Lockpicking, Medicine any of various craft or professional skills, and so on.
General Skills: 1 + Tier Value
General Skills are skills that can be picked up in everyday life, with practice and patience or natural talent. Cooking, Carpentry, Performance, Athletics, Stealth, or things along those lines.
Stat Points:
Any one stat can be increased by one point by spending 6 skill points. (This will increase Magic points and Hit points, but not Skill points).
ASPECT
Aspect is a short phrase, one or two words, that describes your character's core concept. It can be as general as your character's profession, such as Priest or Thief, or as specific as their nature, such as Gambler or Clodhopper or Genius. Having an appropriate aspect for a particular situation or skill is worth a consistent bonus.
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With that out of the way, the story I have in mind is something along these lines:
The world is currently embroiled in an ongoing war called the War of the Chapels. Each of the gods is fighting for dominance; by the next Winter Solstice, there will be a planar alignment that will boost the power of any divine being that comes to the focal point of the energy generated by the alignment. In turn, all the gods' followers are fighting to increase their influence on the Prime Material plane, in varying ways, to give them a better chance of emerging victorious. This results in border skirmishes, escalating competitions, and outright battles between faiths.
The PCs are a roving mercenary company, taking jobs as their fancy (and wallets) please.
Does this sound good? I'll flesh out more of the world once I get an idea for what kind of characters you guys might be interested in; I'll post more about the world in the RP forum if this is all okay.
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