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The basic concept is you play a "character" based of the player's actual combined Chinese/Greek zodiac.
Races
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B6r6KFirefQVMmE5YzAxOTItOTE0MC00MjZhLTk5YT ctODczYmJiNDJhNDMz
Classes
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B6r6KFirefQVMWY0NGIyOGQtM2FmZS00NzYyLWJkMD MtN2FjNjY2MmQyNzVm
So far the races and classes are not balanced with core pathfinder. And for xp the characters should be treated as 1 level higher (or the EL of the encounter one lower).
Yin/Yang determines whether you channel positive (yang) or negative (yin) energy for feat/abilites (like channel energy) and spells (like cure or inflinct spells).
Your Chinese element grants you the related oracle mystery and you Greek sign grants a related elemental cleric domain. The mystery and domain spells are added as bonus spells to your spells known list.
RPG Superstar 2012 Top 32
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I did something similar. I used a game specific zodiac for the month. My setting had 13 major gods, each represented as a year. Next, which elemental plane was closest to the prime plane (changed every 2 years). And finally, which alignment plane was closest (changed every 5 years). Each selection had 3 choices a player could chose from. This was before Pathfinder added traits.
Example: Slayer {Leo}(+1 to confirm critical), Lightbringer {LG god}(+1 on Will saves from undead abilities), Fire (fire resistance 5), and CE plane (+2 on saves vs. poison)
Updated and/or fixed typos on races and classes.
You choose spells from the Cleric and Wizard lists and choose a mental stat for casting and for abilities gained from your mystery and domain.
I've seen this before, I was the one who called out the gender flaw with this, back when yin/yang determined gender. That said, I'm still a Tiger with enough fire to end a continent. I think I'll be an adept. Good saves: fort/will. My martial weapon will be the Earth Breaker, because revolvers are exotic. I'll fiddle with skills and spells later. I'll be casting with Charisma.
Did you see the post I made on /tg/?
Yeah, I was going to avoid mentioning the site, for social reasons.
Well I've updated since then obviously, what do you think?
Interesting, but I probably wouldn't want to build a character using it more than once, I'd probably just want to go back, and play the old character.
An example for those that need or want one; my character is a Rat with Wood mystery and Earth domain, yang orientation, and the Warrior class.
Also there is multiclassing or prestige classes.
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Just wanted to stop by and mention that there is already an RPG out there with the name Zodiac. It is much different than your concept (being that it is a Final Fantasy RPG) but I thought you should know so that there isn't confusion by the names.
Updated both documents, overhauled yin/yang, domains, and added class ability info.
So I would be a Rat with Waves and Caves (a pretty paradox). I'll go with Magus and mostly ice-themed revelations (plus Punitive Transformation, I adore that revelation). I'll cast with Intelligence.
How do the Yin/Yang inclination affect the character build?
Yang = positive energy
Yin = negative energy
You automatically all cure (yang) / inflict (yin) spells for whatever levels you can cast and also will effect the channel energy feats that I've yet to make.
All right, so yang I am.
@Wolfen: Any chance you can edit the OP and make the link work? I'm on a "smart" phone right now so cutting and pasting the address is a pain...
Yep that works, thanks Wolfen. Unfortunately these google.docs don't open well on my smartphone...I'll have to wait till I'm at a computer...
Been busy for a while, getting geared up to start working on this again so please keep coming with the input.
Working on Feats (This is a rough draft of the table).
Not sure if this is enough or do I need more?
One feat I am currently mulling over is a Natural Attack feat that will grant a natural attack based on your race, depending on your race you may be able to take it multiple times to get different natural attacks.
The original links don't work for me and the new link requires permission.
I dunno. It seems like a fairly complicated game, but it could also maybe be something I would play. There is lots of book-keeping here, but I don't mind.
I am not sure why your warrior is so bad at defending himself and the wizard is so great at it. That seems odd to me and it makes it hard to visualize the game in my head. Are maguses all wizard kung-fu masters who can't throw a punch to save their lives? Meanwhile, warriors are like sword-kings and shit but can't avoid things as well as their less-physically-inclined team member. I just don't understand what maguses and warriors are like.
That said, I think that I want to call your magus and your warrior classes balanced against eachother. The Adept seems like it may suck, though. In the late game, melee will become less and less of an option for the adept as its BAB falls behind. At that point, he will just wish he had the skills and spells and saves of the magus. Maybe the extra hit point will offset this, but I see that as the weakest class going forward and I would always prefer playing the warrior and magus mechanically (either avoiding combat entirely to favor spells and survival or become Mr. Animal companion raging sneak attack guy).
As for feats: why would you choose hunters bond over animal companion? If you mean for this to only be the alternate "party buffing" class feature then take off the handle animal prerequisite. Or can you just get two animal companions this way? Or can you just take animal companion like 10 times (like you can for armor training apparently)? There needs to be a lot of rules clarifications in the feats document, I think.
Those are just my thoughts. I think a lot of this stuff is cool and could make for a really bizarre and unique game.
I dunno. It seems like a fairly complicated game, but it could also maybe be something I would play. There is lots of book-keeping here, but I don't mind.
I am not sure why your warrior is so bad at defending himself and the wizard is so great at it. That seems odd to me and it makes it hard to visualize the game in my head. Are maguses all wizard kung-fu masters who can't throw a punch to save their lives? Meanwhile, warriors are like sword-kings and s@&! but can't avoid things as well as their less-physically-inclined team member. I just don't understand what maguses and warriors are like.
That said, I think that I want to call your magus and your warrior classes balanced against eachother. The Adept seems like it may suck, though. In the late game, melee will become less and less of an option for the adept as its BAB falls behind. At that point, he will just wish he had the skills and spells and saves of the magus. Maybe the extra hit point will offset this, but I see that as the weakest class going forward and I would always prefer playing the warrior and magus mechanically (either avoiding combat entirely to favor spells and survival or become Mr. Animal companion raging sneak attack guy).
As for feats: why would you choose hunters bond over animal companion? If you mean for this to only be the alternate "party buffing" class feature then take off the handle animal prerequisite. Or can you just get two animal companions this way? Or can you just take animal companion like 10 times (like you can for armor training apparently)? There needs to be a lot of rules clarifications in the feats document, I think.
Those are just my thoughts. I think a lot of this stuff is cool and could make for a really bizarre and unique game.
Since every other aspect of character creation was dominated by astrology, I wanted a broad but multifaceted option for players making their characters aside from feat selection. And I took the up and down of abilities to the original generic classes and exaggerated them. The whole game is meant feel archetypal, for each character to have mythic legendary quality. Chosen by or direct agents of fate/destiny.
If I were to give the Warrior all good save what would I take away?If I were to take away the Magus' good save what would replace them?
Sorry about the animal companion feat, I had a derp moment.
The feat chapter will get filled out, it is just a lot of work and I have very little free time.
Updated; added bracketed yin [negative]/Yang [positive] where it seemed appropriate, changed the yin/yang distribution for more diversity, removed animal companion as I forgot about hunter's bond (*derp*).
New links in case old ones don't because of revised upload
Races
Classes
Feats
Took a nerf hammer to the Classes, changed Warrior to a quarter caster (but still gets cantrips) and Adept to half caster, and reduced everyones spells per day and spells known down to reasonable levels.
Some ideas for archetypes I've been kicking around;
One would be replacing your weapon group proficiency with the soul knife's mind blade class feature, it would scale damage wise different with each class (magus worst [1d4/1d6/1d8], adept medium [1d6/1d8/1d10], warrior best [1d8/1d10/2d6]) and blade skills would be granted at the same levels.
Another would be replacing armor proficiency with the aegis' astral suit (magus can only form only astral skin, adept can only form astral armor, warrior can only form astral juggernaut), with the same customization points and options.
I am not sure why your warrior is so bad at defending himself and the wizard is so great at it. That seems odd to me and it makes it hard to visualize the game in my head. Are maguses all wizard kung-fu masters who can't throw a punch to save their lives? Meanwhile, warriors are like sword-kings and s$*# but can't avoid things as well as their less-physically-inclined team member. I just don't understand what maguses and warriors are like.That said, I think that I want to call your magus and your warrior classes balanced against each other. The Adept seems like it may suck, though. In the late game, melee will become less and less of an option for the adept as its BAB falls behind. At that point, he will just wish he had the skills and spells and saves of the magus. Maybe the extra hit point will offset this, but I see that as the weakest class going forward and I would always prefer playing the warrior and magus mechanically (either avoiding combat entirely to favor spells and survival or become Mr. Animal companion raging sneak attack guy).
I've mulling this over quite a bit. I hope that reducing spell power for all the classes helps with this. It seems by making this a game where I worked on the concept first and worried about balanced as an after thought I exacerbated the ivory tower elements of the core game. For example if a magus took evasion, mettle, and what ever the fort version of that would be and then the improved versions. That would be 6 less spellcaster feats the magus can take, if you added iron will, great fort, and lightning ref than that 9 less feats. And the magus gets the least amount of bonus feats so every choice carries more weight.
Now everyone knows there is nothing wrong with playing against type, but most players have been trained by years of 3.0/3.5/pathfinder to optimise or get left behind/die.
Tired of the same old weapons and armor? Try the Soulknife and Aegis Archetypes!
I think things are a little more reasonable in imagining the flavor now, but I still think the adept is lagging behind pretty hard. 3/4 BAB is a pretty hard pill to swallow at higher levels. Maybe give them the three good saves and the highest amount of skills instead?
Just my thinking on the matter.
Was told the link didn't so here is a new one.
Archetypes