Monitors: a first draft

So, I got bored.

You know what's not boring? Spacefaring cyborg reptile secret agent wizards.

Introducing Monitors

I've already outlined this game, but let's recap:

In a vast universe of squabbling galaxies, trouble can erupt at any moment: calamities, rebellions, coups, trade disputes, accidental hyperevolution, accidental necromancy, dimensional fluxes, awakening the sleeping armies of the lost Ghkrat, dreams becoming real, enthusiastic postgraduate researchers carelessly building an unstoppable army of invincible robot armchairs – the possibilities are endless. No conventional task force can be assembled in time.

In this unimaginably distant future, heroic teams of spacefaring reptiles maintain the tenuous peace between squabbling mammalian empires. No drifting wreck is too sinister, no jungle world too unexplored, no asteroid belt too pirate-infested for these fearless trouble-shooters. With modern technology and ancient wizardry, they preserve the fragile web of intergalactic civilisation. Only their hardy poikilothermic bodies can survive nanotech implants, arcane infusions and the harshness of intergalactic deepjumps. They are the Monitors.

Our intrepid bands of anthropomorphic armoured cyborg warlock lizards will confront a wide range of troubles, many of them violent. They may have to battle anything from a million-strong sea of rock-grubs, through entire ships full of parasite-possessed parrotfolk, down to a gang of vicious pirate jellyfish or a single giant robot.

This is, as noted above, entirely a first draft of the thing. Any or all of it is subject to change.

Hypothetical Mechanics

I'm basing this game loosely on the BRP system. It's going to be skills-based, and generally involve rolling under your skill to achieve success. I've not yet decided whether to use d20, d100 or something else for success rolls.

I feel that inherent properties should have some bearing on competence, something which BRP doesn't especially do, so I'm looking at a Stats + Skills system for rolls. If I go with d20s, then it would probably be something like trying to roll under (Stat + Skill - Difficulty). While most skills will tend to be associated with particular stats, I want that to stay flexible to handle different sitations; a scientific skill might be rolled on Education to evaluate something, Coordination to perform a procedure or Mind to instruct someone else.

Attributes

Stat	Default	Summary	Uses
Agility	4	Sense of balance, flexibility and grace	Dancing, weaving through laser beams, tightrope walking
Coordination	4	Manual dexterity and hand-eye coordination	Defusing, massage, hitting, aiming, juggling, surgery
Education	4	Ability to recall trivia, facts, techniques, quotes and theories	Pub quizzes, study, pop culture references, blagging, imposture
Mind	4	Reasoning ability, patience and strength of will	Crosswords, debates, resisting con artists, not giving up, staring contests
Perception	4	Awareness of surroundings	Spotting clues, overhearing gossip, realising you’re in a simulation
Reaction	4	Speed of mental or physical response to events	Dodging attacks, blinking, catching a dropped plate, retorting, playing Snap
Strength	4	Ability to exert physical force	Lifting, hauling, climbing, wrestling, breaking, pulling back over cliff edges
Toughness	4	Fitness, pain tolerance, immune system and physical resilience	Hiking, holding breath, resisting drugs, taking a punch

I'm not sure yet how stats will be generated. The current default value of 4 (for Monitors and equivalent NPCs) is pretty much arbitrary, and based on d20. This would give PCs a 20% chance to succeed at an average task with no appropriate skills whatsoever, which seems pretty reasonable to me.

There's at least one other "stat", Speed, but I'm not expecting that to vary significantly between characters. My initial thought here is to just a have a few broad categories of relative speed, which cover anything from lumbering fungus-mounds to speeding hoverbikes. Something like: Glacial, Very Slow, Slow, Average, Fast, Very Fast, Supersonic.

Skills

Skill	Usual Stat	Summary	Uses
Administration	Education	Accounting, bureaucratic procedures, filing, loopholes, organisations, office politics, paperwork	Spot corruption, exploit procedures, identify appropriate contacts, play officers against each other, apply for grants, forge permits, guess where documentation is kept, interpret jargon
Archaeology	Education	Excavation, artefacts, sites, papers, scholars, recent prehistory, patterns of use and change	Spot likely sites, deduce routes and resources, identify buildings and artefacts, know relevant academics, explain abandonment, date materials, perform excavation
Art & Craft [type]	Any	Make, decorate, modify, arrange, perform	Knitting, blacksmithing, painting, hairdressing, writing, dancing, singing, flower-arranging, carpentry
Artillery	Coordination / Mind	Vehicle-mounted or platform-mounted weaponry	Coordination for manual, Mind for computer-assisted
Astronomy	Education	Constellations, eclipses, comets & meteors, star names, orbits, star science, life cycles	Guess planetary properties, identify star systems, deduce origin of interstellar matter
AV Technology	Education	Photography, recording, manipulation	Take clear photos, video events, record scandalous conversation, conceal message in song, fake photo
Bargain	Mind	Negotiating, haggling	Barter services, hire a guide, sell equipment, buy cheap goods
Biology	Education	Botany, cytology, ecology, genetics, histology, microbiology, physiology, zoology, paleontology	Develop vaccine, identify creature, understand food chain
Brawl	Agility	Hand-to-hand fighting	Punch, wrestle, kick, headbutt, bite, restrain
Chemistry	Education	Substances, chemical interactions, synthesis, analysis	Neutralize explosives, synthesise chemicals, identify unknown substances
Climb	Strength / Agility	Climb, balance	Climb a tree, shin along a beam
Computing	Education	Assembly, software, data, security, theory and personalities	Build server, write program, follow data flows, track hacking attempt, hack system
Conceal	Perception	Legerdemain, camouflage, covert placement	Carry a weapon undetected, hide a vehicle, apply camo makeup, place a bug, make a hidden cache, stash incriminating evidence away from the cleaners
Cybernetics	Education	Identify, understand and use cybernetics and robotics	Use robotic surgery bay, synch with battlecruiser, pilot scout mech
Disguise	Perception	Change appearance, posture, voice, costume, scent, bioreadings	Impersonate an individual, adopt a persona, avoid recognition, theatrical effects, fancy dress, leave red herrings
Dodge	Reaction	Avoiding physical dangers	Avoid falling rocks, attackers, grenades
Drive [type]	Reaction	Drive, evaluate and perform basic maintenance on vehicles; types at GM's discretion	Tail a getaway car, drive a boat through rapids, get a tank out of soft sand, dock with an alien spacecraft
Electrician	Mind / Coordination	Evaluate, fix, patch or sabotage electrics and electronics	Hotwire vehicle, fix motor, short-circuit machine, reroute burglar alarms, disable robot
Explosives	Education / Coordination	Assemble, prepare, identify, detonate, defuse, demolish	Blow the bloody doors off, demolish bridge, spot suspicious package, disarm missile
Fast Talk	Reaction / Mind	Bluster, bully, startle, overawe, disdain, fob off, charm, distress, bluff	Excuse trespass, bluff past a guard, get a signature, obtain an invitation, avoid a fine, borrow a car
First Aid	Mind / Coordination	Revive, splint, soothe, de-sting, bandage, resuscitate, Heimlichise	Stop choking, treat burns, stop bleeding, splint a limb, administer painkillers
Geology	Education	Rock types, basic paleontology, minerals, mining, landscapes, seismology, vulcanism, terrain stability, water sources	Locate mineral seams, predict eruption, find water, identify fossil
Gravity	Education	Cope with, manipulate and understand variable gravity	Work effectively in high or low gravity, use gravity to pull off combat tricks
Handgun	Agility	Shooting, maintenance, identification	...
Heavy Weapons	Strength	Bulky and unwieldy weapons, often mounted or gyro-supported	Autocannon, missiles, flamethrowers
Hide	Perception	Avoid pursuit, surveillance or patrols	Lurk in bushes, evade CCTV, disappear into a crowd
History	Education	Knowledge of current events and historical past	Identify obsolete technology, recognise historical figures, identify heraldry, recall political scandal
Jump	Strength	...	...
Language [type]	Education / Perception	Listen, speak, read, write, analyse	Converse, understand gossip, read inscriptions, appreciate poetry, impress crowd
Law	Education	Legal systems, emergency services, cases, personalities, institutions	Conduct a case, impersonate police, avoid charges, recall criminal cases, draw up contracts
Light Weapons	Coordination	Infantry weapons	Rifles, blasters, sniper rifles, grenade launchers
Listen	Perception	Hearing, listening, eavesdropping	Detect an intruder, locate a songbird, pick out password
Locksmith	Coordination	Locks, clockwork, hotwiring, doors and windows, puzzle boxes, physical traps	Open doors, copy keys, disassemble items, hotwire cars
Mechanical Repair	Coordination	Evaluate, fix, patch or sabotage structures or physical machinery	Reroute plumbing, repair fence, fettle engines, cannibalise machinery, patch hulls, reinforce viewports
Medicine	Education	Preventative care, surgery, medication, epidemiology, disease, poisons, parasites	Treat poison, treat disease, give vaccinations
Melée Weapons	Agility	Knives, swords, clubs, flails, lightsabres, gauntlets	...
Navigate	Mind	Positioning, route-finding, memorising, map and chart use	Pinpoint your location, find your way, memorise turns made by your kidnappers' vehicle, map an area
Occult	Education	Myths, artefacts, magical practices, tomes, sorcerers, spirits	Recognise names, perform rituals, identify artefacts, identify a practitioner's traditions, guess intentions
Operate Heavy Machinery	Mind	Understand, drive and maintain construction equipment, engines, boilers, large machinery	Operate jump engines, repair a heating system, use a crane
Perform [type]	Perception	Music, drama, oratory, dance, mime, web design, flower arranging	Show off, put on a performance, evaluate a performance, earn a living
Persuade	Mind	Convince someone to accept a particular idea or stance	Reconciliate enemies, get long-term asssistance, successfully plead innocence
Physics	Education	Forces, materials, electromagnetism, optics, radiation, space-time	Design devices, predict flows in hydraulic system, understand experiments, baffle laser alarms
Psychology	Perception	Reactions, motives, character and intentions	Sense suspicion, anxiety, concealment, over-eagerness
Research	Mind	Archives, references, fact-finding, googling, online tracking	Find a document, track a person's online activity, locate relevant references
Ride	Agility / Reaction	Any riding beasts, cycles, hoverdiscs, or similar light vehicles	Control a frightened animal, weave through trees
Scent / Taste	Perception	...	Trace gas leak, detect alien, anticipate chloroform, notice drugged coffee, appreciate wine
Sneak	Agility	Move, work or talk without undue noise	Slip past guards, talk in class, quietly remove wheels from car full of mobsters
Spot Hidden	Perception	Secret doors, ambushers, tripwires, clues, disguises, concealed weapons	Find spots of blood, recognise repainted car, spot feet under bulging curtain
Swim	Strength / Toughness	....	Escape from sharks, swim against a current, rescue drowning person
Throw	Agility / Strength	....	Agility for accuracy, Strength for distance
Track	Perception	Locating, following, identifying tracks, concealing tracks	Incorporates use of trackers, IR trails and other physical tracing technologies
Xenology	Education	Knowledge of cultures, linguistics and artefacts	Guess use of bizarre artefact, know taboos, identify obscure species

Skills with a [type] category I'm thinking will be used with specialities. The exact breadth of the specialities are up to the GM; they might decide to ignore specialities entirely. As an example, the Drive skill might have very broad specialities, like Space, Air, Land, Sea and Burrowing; or alternatively Sail, Steam, Draught (animal-drawn), Motor and Gravitic. You could also break it down further: Automobile, Train, Sailing Boat, Powered Boat, Submarine, Tunneller, Draught Vehicle, Aeroplane, Balloon. For very large vessels (battleships and the like) this skill alone wouldn't be enough to control them; you might combine them with leadership-type skills to direct a crew, rely on Computing to have the ship pilot itself, and so on.

It is, at first glance, a very long list of skills, but in my defence, it's not as long as the BRP list than inspired it. In particular, I've decided to forego skills for individual weapons, and create broad skill groups instead. To some extent that's weird because this game will probably be rather more combat-heavy than, say, Call of Cthulhu. Looked at another way, it makes sense for that reason: the adventure genre gives people rather more leeway with adapting to different weapon types without worrying about exactly how good you are with a particular size of club.

To Do

Obviously there's loads I haven't done yet, not least coming up with some version of a magic system. Expand skills to include some magical options? Have specific, esoteric spells that can be learned? Some combination of the two? I dunno.

I'll also need to think about things like more detailed mechanics, likely stat and skill ranges, how stats and skills balance, whether I want skills to be comprehensive or a nice bonus, progression (if any), injury... at the moment I'm slightly inclined to just have Bad Things reduce stats directly, which would impair associated skills and eventually leave someone ineffective. It would also avoid having secondary stats. We'll see.

At the moment this is a very skills-heavy system, but there's always the niggling thought that I could go entirely the other way and cut things down to a small number of broad skills. I miiiight end up trying that, just to see what happens. Anyway, it's late.

Opinions, comments and suggestions would be much appreciated.