RPG Design Patterns

Class, Experience Points, Game Master, Generalized Contest, Gifts (“Talents”), Hit Points, Last Man Standing, Level, Point Spend Gauge, Race, Random Attribute, Rank, Skill

HARP characters have eight primary attributes (“stats”) of “Strength,” “Constitution,” “Agility,” “Quickness,” “Self-Discipline,” “Reasoning,” “Insight,” and “Presence.” These attributes range in value from 1 to 105. The values are set by one of three options:

1. Roll a d100 eight times, re-rolling any value less than 40 and assign the numbers to the attributes however desired.
2. Use a point-spend attribute system. In this case, every character starts with 550 points to spend on his attributes. The cost to obtain a given score is provided via a table lookup.
3. Use the method described in (2), but instead of giving every character 550 points, give the character a number of points equal to 500 + 10d10.

The final attribute values generated gives the player an initial number of “Development Points” with which to further customize his character.

Every HARP character has a profession (see the Class Pattern) of one of the following: “Cleric,” “Fighter,” “Harper,” “Mage,” “Monk,” “Ranger,” “Rogue,” “Thief,” and “Warrior Mage.” Each of these classes provides the character with a group of “favored skills” along with an initial starting rank for those skills. Gaining further ranks in a favored skill costs 2 Development Points per rank. Gaining ranks in a non-favored skill costs 4 Development Points per rank. Skill ranks cannot exceed a value equal to 3 times the character’s level plus 3 (see the Level Pattern).

Characters also have both a race and a culture which provide adjustments to the primary attributes. A character’s race is selected from the following list: “Human,” “Elf,” “Dwarf,” “Gnome,” “Halfling,” and “Gryx.” The available cultures are: “Dwarven,” “Gnomish,” “Sylvan,” “Nomadic,” “Rural,” “Urban,” and “Halfling.”

For combat situations, characters have an “Offensive Bonus” and a “Defensive Bonus.” The Offensive Bonus is comprised of the skill rank bonus of the weapon being used, adjustments for Strength and Agility, bonuses from any pertinent gifts, magical adjustments for weapons, and other environmental modifiers. The Defensive Bonus is derived from the character’s Quickness, armor, pertinent gifts, magical adjustments, and other environmental factors.

Combat attacks and maneuvers are performed by first making an “open-ended” d100 roll. The roll is called “open-ended” because any roll resulting in a value of 96 to 100 allows the player to re-roll the dice and sum the results. As long as the subsequent rolls fall into the range of 96 to 100, this process continues and the results accumulate. If the roll falls into the weapon’s “fumble range”, then the player makes another roll and consults a fumble table for effects.

Maneuvers (the use of skills) are made by making an open-ended d100 roll, adding the character’s bonus in the pertinent skill, and modifying it appropriately with environmental adjustments. If the result is 100 or greater, the character succeeds at his task.

Combat attacks are made by performing an open-ended d100 roll, adding the attacker’s Offensive Bonus, and subtracting the target’s Defensive Bonus. The attack lands if this “Total Attack Roll” equals 1 or greater. In this case, the size modifier of the weapon is added to derive the “Adjusted Attack Roll.” This value is used in a table lookup to determine the damage delivered to the target, which may include both a hit point deduction along with other traumatic effects (such as stun, bleeding, or other combat penalties).

Players declare actions before rolling a d10 for initiative. To the rolled d10 value are added adjustments for the character’s Quickness and Insight attributes along with environmental modifiers. Characters go in order of the highest sum to the lowest. This process is repeated at the beginning of every combat round, each of which is assumed to last for 2 seconds.

HARP rewards players through experience points. The total accumulated amount of experience points determines the character’s level (see the Level Pattern). This, in turn, determines the number of Development Points the character has to spend on skill ranks and additional classes and gifts. Experience points are awarded for good role-playing, good ideas, and anything else the GM wants to award. The largest experience point awards, though, are given for accomplishing goals. Goals can be either major or minor and can be either party or personal. In general, major goals are worth more than minor goals and party goals are worth more than personal goals. The number of experience points awarded is subjectively based on the game master’s assessment of the goal’s difficulty.