RPG in dominons world

[Tyrian]

The world of dominions is rich, with many different civilisations, organisation and details. So I think it is possible to create a pen and paper RPG in this world (and some characters like Bogus make me think there is actually something like this )

There is an amateur system on the net than may be adapted to make this RPG ( http://parleferetparleverbe.free.fr/ ) but it is actually in French. The system is relatively simulationist, with rules for cultural differences. It has no class or level and it is based on evolution by skills.

For recreate dominions world with system, many things are to do:
- French to English translation (and I am not very efficient for this work )
- Magic theory and rules need some adaptations
- Clerical power are entirely to remake
- Races must be make (Ulmish, Firebolg, Partholonians, Centaur, ...)
- Ethnies by races (Vanheim and Sidhe for Partholonians for example)...
- Organisation (Crystal mage, Sage, Inquisition...)
- Rule for heroic power based on reputation (it is an important aspect of Dominions world, I think).
- Standard spell
- Bestiary
...

As you can see, this adpation need important work to recreate the totality of dominions world.

Who are interested?

[Endoperez]

Magic theory and rules comes from Ars Magica. When you create logs, you'll see the AI pondering about "vis" instead of "gems", because Ars Magica uses vis. Paths of magic, magical skill and knowledge of spells with which to use it being independent of each other, magical resource with which to boost your power, spells causing fatigue instead of burning "spellpoints", etc etc. Ars Magica was penned to make mages the only real power, and non-mages are given minor role as thugs or companions. Thugs are what they sound like, and companions can be anything from bards to knights to clerics. I haven't had the chance to play it, but I understand each magus character has couple of companions and a group of thugs, and each player controls all of these. I.e. all mages have bodyguards, and no one has to be a spy or a military leader, you get couple of those for every mage.

I'm not sure if Ars Magica could be adapted to make non-mages play a bigger role. I guess just giving all the same amount of skills and such to start with would work out okay, since magic takes more skillpoints (or whatever they are called in Ars Magica) than companion characters have... That would make the mages apprentices instead of masters.

There are also few other things that would have to change. Ars Magica had area under different auras: the (Christian God's) dominion, the infenal, fae and wild/magic/neutral. Dominion would be Order/Drain, and I'm a big hazy on these bu I think infernal would be misfortune and fae turmoil. These would be changed so that there would be multiple divine beings with different dominions. Scale effects for Growth/Death, Order/Turmoil, Fortune/Misfortune and perhaps Heat/Cold would have to be done. Magic/Drain or similar was already in: spellcasting was a bit harder on villages, difficult in cities and VERY hard to do in/near big cathedrals, due to dominion being stronger in areas with more people and in churches.



Mages founded covens (personal laboratories, a library, housing for the thugs and craftsmen, storagerooms... almost a small village/fortress) in the areas where magic was easy to use, or where magical resources (vis = gems) are plentiful, i.e. where there are magic sites.


I don't think there are powers that are based on reputation, but instead there should be spesific abilities which increase reputation. Like, if you're really good at torturing people and hurting people, you'll get benefits similar to "legendary cruelty": you can instill fear in your enemies.

[Tyrian]

There are some differences with Ars Magica. The Forms aren't the same, and the logic behind the Arts are really differents.

The Arts in Ars Magica are Creo (creation), Perdro (destruction), Muto (alteration), Intellego (perception) and Rego (control/manipulation). With this logic, some spells can be combinaison of differents Arts or Forms. This seems difficile with Dominions Arts.

For the Aura, I'm totally agree, this is the dominions effects .

If I propose the PFPV system, it is because it offers a good system to hightlight differences between civilisations. And he have the advantage to be accessible for everyone, at the difference of Ars Magica. Furthermore, the PFPV system is a little less unbalanced in mage favor, due to difficulty to upgrade magical skills.

You have a great knoweldge of Ars Magic for someone doesn't play.

For special heroic ability, I think it is an interessant aspect in Dominions. All concept of Dominions is based on this. The Pretendant are sort of heroic ability. It is because they can convince people to believe in their godly power they became god and linked with their dominions. I think special heroic ability are of the same nature.

[Endoperez]

Thanks, I've read the Ars Magica rules and would've played if I had the chance.

I guess I'm just a little skeptical of this PFPV system. I know nothing about it, it would have to be translated - would it really be that much better to go with it than some other, more readily available system? Allowing for differences between civilizations is good, though. Unfortunately, race differences are harsher in Dominions world. It's one thing to be from, say, Man or Marignon, and another to be a Caelian of any tribe. Or C'tissian. IMHO, allowing play between mixed races is one of the most important things the system needs. I mean, even if the playing areas would be centered between few nations, just having Jotunheim in allows for Vaetti and Jotun - and that's a big difference.

The Ars Magica system of one character, lots of thugs could work well. Or perhaps I'm just thinking in Dominions terms, where mages should always have bodyguards and non-mage heroes need units just to stay alive.

That's an interesting theory about "faith makes might". It could be represented by group of powers only available at higher levels, and you could only get and/or improve them a few times. Or perhaps they should just scale with your level.
Heh, actually it would make for a pretty good explanation of Dungeons & Dragons powercurve. "What do you mean you raided the Troll King's palace? When you left the village last Summer you had never even seen a sword!" "Oh, just ask around. EVERYONE knows what I've become, and as they say, stories grow in each telling."

[Tyrian]

I have tested PFPV system with another univers. PJ creation is very long but very versatile. No artificial system like class or level. Races can be very different (more than in Ars Magica, that are centered on human).

For the campaign system of Ars Magic, it's an interestant system for important group.

[LDiCesare]

Why not use the dom rules to start with? They are explained very clearly, except maybe for morale, but you could do all combat with some d6.
This system looks overly complex to me (tactil perception != dexterity, different from other perceptions and agility, among others), and the site is a bit vague here and there. The weapon skills are many and specialised, so one couldn't change weapons the way any Dom super combatant does when you equip him with a sword instead of its spear for instance. An experienced spearman is totally useless with a sword or even a partisan under this system.
So this provides a list of skills, with a nice experience system for it. But the magic system should be reworked, so why not use the dom3 system as is? You only need to adapt the spell research system. Of course, dom system is combat oriented, and not as flexible as that described in this game, but I don't think it would be that hard to pick which magic school and path can be used to create an illusion.

[Endoperez]

If we use anything based on Dominions system, advancement would be from items, not skills. Having a Katana or an Enchanted Sword instead of a Spear would give 2-to-3 point difference. There would have to be something non-mages could learn that did more than increase attack or defence.

Tricks like disarming or tripping (D&D-inspired, I know), or perhaps innate abilities like berserk or reinvigoration or luck.

Fatigue would also be a problem - unlike Dominions battles, ones the first guys go unconscious there's no one left to kill them.

[Tyrian]

Dominions system is great for combat only. There isn't any skills systems. No evolution system (only 5 levels is short for a RPG). RPG isn't only combat.

So the dominions system is very inadapted in his actual state.

An advantage of the PFPV system is uniformity. All aspects are simply rule by skills. No strange system like D&D with many classes particularity, attack systems classe based, feats and so one.

The system only demand Two D6. For the caracteristics number, it is a good way to simulate racial and sex differences.

For the combat system, an experienced warrior must have skills in many weapons, and it isn't hard to obtain. The weapons skills haven't a hight difficulty, so evolution in these skills are quick. And it is logical than a specialized warrior aren't good with weapons wich he never uses. Futhermore, some skills can be altered, a system in a RPG is rarely without modification by the GM

For the dom magic system, it has a flow for a RPG: mage can't evoluate without massive vis ( Endoperez) quantity.

[quantum_mechani]

For adding the skill part of a dominions RPG, I'd consider using an adaptation of this rule set that's in development:
Foresight

As far as I can tell it looks open to the public for play testing.

[Zeldor]

But how does it all go with copyright issues and so on? Dominions is based on mythology and so on but I still think it has some copyrighted things.