[Factor12] High Fantasy RPG Playtest


Other RPGs

Liberty's Edge

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber

Factor12 is homebrew high fantasy RPG currently in the playtest phase. Set in the world of Aerde, where an omnipresent energy source called the Nexus flows, Factor12 brings new twists to the fantasy genre of games.

Some of the game’s highlights:

1) Competency & Competency Dice: Most actions in Factor12 are resolved by a Skill Roll utilizing one of twelve Skills. Each Skill is assigned a Competency, which gives a static bonus as well as assigning a Competency Die. Whenever you roll a Skill Roll in Factor12, you roll 2d12 plus your Skill Total against a Difficulty Rating (DR). Competency Dice some in under four circumstances: (a) the acting creature spends a Nexus Point to roll it, (b) the acting creature has an ability to roll it without spending a Nexus Point under the circumstances of the Skill Roll, (c) in the case of a possible Deuce (fumble), or (d) when scoring an Ace (2 12’s on the 2d12). In the case of (a) or (b), the Competency Die may be substituted for one of the 2d12; the roller takes the highest two dice. In the case of a potential Deuce, the roller rolls the Competency Die and only fumbles if the die also rolls a 1. In the final case, an Ace, the Competency Die is added to the 24 and Skill Total. The result is that a creature with a higher Competency in a Skill fumbles less, gets better criticals, and can keep his dice rolls more consistent when it matters most.

2) Choices: Just in building a PC, players choose Species, Culture, Traits, Archetypes, Talents, Competencies, Skill Ranks, Signs, and Loci. With millions of possible combinations, building a character that piques your interests and is different from others you’ve played is easy and fun. More than that, however, the game attempt to avoid trap choices by making Talents and Loci scale up with your character; there are no “trees” of choices pigeonholing your choices. Factor12 wants players to make choices after the characters are created too, offering a variety of tactical options that matter.

3) Modularity: In making the choices during character creation, you are able to pull together a number of different resources in building your character without sacrificing usefulness in a variety of roles. Anyone can be the group’s healer, regardless of Archetype choice, for example. Any PC can be decent at fighting, talking, exploring, or using Nexus for magic. What if I want to suck at something? Yeah, that concept is possible too, even at high levels. Advancements also take place modularly, with new abilities coming in bite sized pieces and Levels coming every few Advancements. Adding a new Locus or Talent brings that ability in at a Level-appropriate version that allows you to be awesome at what you want to be awesome doing. Loci scale in cost with power level and Talents which allow you to make Loci more useful or powerful scale both in cost and power level with the character’s growth.

4) Universality and Consistency: Nexus Points universally power abilities requiring tracking. They’re designed to recover at a decent enough rate to avoid the 10 minute workday but limited enough to avoid the Nova every fight syndrome. Competencies, Talents, Skills, and Loci are designed to scale at appropriate times during character progression on a consistent and balanced basis. Attack and Defense scale with Skill level, and Damage never gets too far out of hand.

5) Taking the magic out of shops and putting it back into the hands of the adventurers. With the Nexus prevailing in different ways in different creatures, skilled adventurers are able to recover components of the creatures they face to create their own unique magic items. Gold, gems, and other treasures are there to hire your followers, invest in new gear, spread your fame, and build your strongholds.

Link to playtest version 1.1

Discord discussion link

Community / Forums / Gamer Life / Gaming / Other RPGs / [Factor12] High Fantasy RPG Playtest All Messageboards

Want to post a reply? Sign in.
Recent threads in Other RPGs