Jamie's Guide to Cool Ability Effects

[Rolina]

Freeze Ray is chemical, since it'd use liquid nitrogen or something like that.  You'd have acidic attacks and flamethrowers doing the same thing.
Ballistics has both conventional and explosive weapons, like guns and grenades.
Energy includes things like electric weapons, your stock standard sci-fi energy blasters/phasers, lightsabers, etc.

Dark Matter bombs are getting into godmode territory.

In terms of damage types:

Ballistics has:  Physical, Explosive
Chemical has:  Fire, Ice, Acidic
Energy has:  Electric, Light, Raw Energy

If we're using the djinn system, it's best to go by the energy source - so the Ammunition for Ballistics, the Battery/amplifier etc for Energy, fuel tank for Chemical, etc.  Instead of djinn, they'd be addons for your weapons.  We'd have to totally ditch the using djinn and the summons, though, since they'd not make too much sense for a pure scifi setting...

[Aile~♥]

True, true. But then we're left without a fourth element! Whatever shall we do?

Actually, Freeze Ray could be Energy, too, since it could drain heat energy from the target to relocate it elsewhere...

[Salanewt]

Biological? It could probably fit quite nicely with your science fiction RPG ideas.


So yeah, it might be worthwhile to point out that using different ability types (like Summon, Gaia, Eddy, etc.) with various abilities could probably change them in various ways depending on what effects they have.

[Tetsuya the Azure Blade]

I was also considering a mecha-combat based version, too.

A Goldensun mecha game? Now, that's a game I'd play the living crap out of, that it is.

I assume they're piloting Super Robots, right? I just can't imagine a Real Robot genre GS mecha game.

Right, that's it. Since I can't do my FF6 mod (my pc freezes when I use safe mode, and my FF6 hacking tools only work in safe mode) I'm gonna start making that, if no one else will, that I will.

The GS based FF6 game can wait.

True, true. But then we're left without a fourth element! Whatever shall we do?

What about Thermal? That's the only one I can think of.

[Rolina]

Thermal tends to use Chemical or Ballistic means to trigger the thermal reactions.  Biological isn't something you can do without it affecting you as well - it just won't work on a small scale combat situation.  Apart from Ballistics, Energy, and Chemical, can anyone think of some kind of fuel source for tech that'd work with small scale skirmishes?

I suppose each weapon option could also come with unique abilities, but we cannot use summons - you'd have to change it so that you manually recharge the item.  I really cannot see how summons would work in it.

No, not in robots.  I figured it'd be on foot, with like, guns and stuff.  Sticking with the scifi theme, you'd have energy field generators for armor and stuff, since you know, bullets and all kinda go through chainmail.

Everything would be an EPA, and instead of attack it'd be like Aim or something.  Different weapon types also have different trends, even if they have another element due to equip options.

Classes wouldn't be classes, but rather the name of your weapon configuration.  Assuming each character sticks to one weapon type, they'll also have associated tactics.

Ballistics guy would have armor piercing capabilities - most of his attacks would have defense penetrating properties, even if he uses rounds that deal energy damage.  He'd have very low AP, but skills cost very little AP as well.  Rarely has more than single target abilities.
Energy dood would have moderate AP, and skills would be varied based on how much they drain the battery.  Can have splash damage, may cause some delusion.  AoE for splash damage is typically less than Chem Guy, but doesn't diminish as bad.
Chem guy has a lot of AP, but attacks tend to take a lot too.  Often has splash damage, often induces ailments (enflammed, chemical burn, frozen, etc...).  Probably has the highest damage variance though, and splash damage is likely diminishing.

Sonics could work as a fourth type.  Concentrated sound can do damage, and it's actually been weaponized IRL as well...

As such, if we're going from focused to spread damage, the order would be:  Ballistic, Energy, Chemical, Sonic.  Further left, the more damage but less targets, further right, the less damage, but more targets... or something.  Alternatively, aliens.

You know, if we did a Star Wars game, we could use the Force as the fourth damage type. Just saying. :3



AP/PP would not be gained at levelup, unlike every other stat save for luck.  Instead, these are native to the weapon, and modified by configuration.  After all, this is ammo, and your configuration determines things like the size of your clip and what not.

[Durza]

Psychological would also be an option. Hypnosis, confusion, etc.

As for the ? effects, I remember I tried to use them a while back. Nothing happened, but it was just putting them on abilities and using them, not actually checking code.

[Rolina]

...How does that work with guns, Durza?

[leaf]

Pretty much. I was also thinking of making a Paper Golden Sun, though. Or a version where characters fight with guns, and so PP is replaced by ammo. I was also considering a mecha-combat based version, too. All of those require completely restructuring the Djinn system, and a lot of monotonous class editing, and a lot of item and ability replacement, as well.

A scifi RPG!  I'd totally play the hell out of that!  Where PP is actually AMMO, Battery Energy, and fuel for chemical weapons like flamethrowers!

FUND IT!

You seriously need to play super robot wars (super robot taisen in the states). I think it's what jamie was referring to when he mentioned the TBS RPG.

[Rolina]

Wait... why is it Super Robot Taisen in the states, but Super Robot Wars over in japan?  Wouldn't it be the other way around?

[Shinigami]

@PP=Ammo: I actually thought of a similar concept around the time I completed Resident Evil 4... Just thought no one would like/appreciate the idea...
@PP=Ammo: Why don't ye actually make a thread for this? Seems pretty reasonable idea for a hack. Also for 4th damage type why not use melee which would be affected by the strength of the characters (unlike, for obvious reasons, firearms)?

[leaf]

Wait... why is it Super Robot Taisen in the states, but Super Robot Wars over in japan?  Wouldn't it be the other way around?

Apparently, legal issues with the tv show "robot wars." So we're given an example of gratuitous japanese as a result.

[Rolina]

That's cute.  Like Bearmon and Kumamon.  Bearmon in Japan, Kumamon in US... and you'd expect it to be the other way around.

@Shini: Actually, I've requested a topic split... still waiting for it.

[Durza]

...How does that work with guns, Durza?

Flashbangs, sonic pulses, stuff like that. Also unorthodox tactics like shouting boo so your enemy misses...

[Rolina]

...I am not going to allow one element exclusively for standard status ailments. >_>

[Aile~♥]

May as well continue posting here since Kain HASN'T SPLIT THE TOPIC YET like we asked him to.

Anyway, I think a workable element system would be Ballistic, Energy, Chemical, and Mystic. Mystic is for the few non-sci-fi like abilities, things like telekinesis and suchlike. As such, most enemies are weak to Mystic (it replaces Jupiter), but Mystic is a very rare element (even the "Mystic" party member is really just a jack-of-all trades with a few Mystic abilities)

[Rolina]

Yeah, see, that's the problem... I hate throwing mystic into sci fi.  Having a sort of alien tech with an unexplainable power source does the same thing, but you keep the sci-fi thematics without going into science fantasy.

[Tetsuya the Azure Blade]

We could go with biotic implants that let the biotics user do something like telekinesis, though, that we could.

Y'know, like in Mass Effect, there's party members that have 'em, like Jacob and Jack, in 2.

[Rolina]

Implants work more for equipment, not entire weapon types.  Basically, like how KoTOR does them.  I want to keep psychic powers and stuff out of this if at all possible.  When you start getting into psychics, mystics, and magic, you start treading onto the realm of fantasy.

[Aile~♥]

I know. I'd prefer to leave magic out of this, too. But until the editor allows us to change party members around, we need four damage types.

I suppose we could make Explosive a separate damage type from Ballistics, but that seems kind of forced.

[leaf]

Certain telekinetic abilities can be explained as simply a type of energy manipulation that uses an as-of-yet undiscovered particle. Through the use of a bio-technological interface, one can exert precise commands with sheer concentration and thought. The interface translates the electrical impulses in the brain into a type of stimulus that will directly affect the particles' trajectory and displacement.

Sound science fiction-y enough to you? If you define something's properties well enough, anything can be science fiction. You can justify flat-out magic with science if you try hard enough - especially if there are super-advanced ancient civilizations involved. What was merely day-to-day technology in their time (perhaps even used as a toy!) is so complex that it could only be considered powerful magic in ours, even though there may be a perfectly legitimate reason for it to work.