Monster World

[improvking]

MONSTER WORLD

Playing The Game

Monster World is a tabletop roleplaying game, loosely inspired by D&D! To play, you need two pairs of d10s, some Map Tiles, players with Character Minis, and a DM with the required computer program. ...Yes.

Its actual rules do not exist, but it's a tabletop rpg that requires the DM to use a computer. It's horrifically math-intensive. Fortunately, ALL of the math is on the DM's side of things (and also entirely handwave-able, cough). Players just need to pick their character's Race, Class, and maybe a couple pieces of Gear for flavor.

The usual plot of a game is "a lovely fantasy kingdom was taken over by A Horrible Demon-Guy-Maybe, and some wandering heroes are asked to defeat him". The DM plays both the usual Narrator Role and actively opposes the players - the Final Boss is supposed to be a DMPC and trying to "win". In Monster World, "DM" is short for "Dark Master" - which is the title that refers not just to the guy running the game for the players, but also to that Final Boss character. The players play the wandering heroes, naturally.

Dice Use

Two 10-sided dice are used. The red die represents the "tens"-column, and the white die the "ones"-column. Rolling low is better, with results 01-09 counting as a "critical" success and the result 00 counting as a "super critical" success. Result 99, meanwhile, is always a critical failure.

Dice are rolled to determine contests. This can be simple combat (can you stab better than your opponent can resist-stabbing?), or against a percentage the DM has declared. The percentages are things like "this enemy has an aura with a 50% chance of x, roll below 50 to resist" or the Map Tile check.

Map Tiles

The playing field for Monster World is made up from various Map Tiles, representing things like towns, or forests, fields, or a section of The Castle, etc. Each tile has a certain risk associated with it - for example, a forest tile tends to have a high chance of monsters attacking. Various sections of the Castle may have a trap to avoid or escape from, and every castle tile has a chance of the Dark Master showing up. This check is made whenever the characters move from one tile to another. Castle tiles also carry an ongoing once-per-turn chance for the Dark Master to appear - don't head to The Castle if you're not prepared to face the Final Boss!

Numbers? Oh No!

No worries, only flavor! The quick version: (Abilities: Strength, Speed, Wisdom, Courage), Hit Points, Mana; Level, Experience; higher number = better for all these; resurrection possible (PCs only); Dark Master starts off very OP compared to PCs, muck about for Experience and Level up. The rest of this section is fluff - nice stuff to know if you're interested, but nothing important. Skip or read on as desired!

There are certain "Abilities" common to all Races in Monster World. These are a character's Strength, Speed, Wisdom, and Courage ratings; every character or monster also has a Level and Hit Points (or "HP"). Spellcasters and "the Magical Races" also have access to Mana. Strength is physical might, affecting things like melee damage and lifting ability; Speed is, well, speed, affecting things like dodging and turn order; Wisdom is mental acuity, affecting things like judgment calls and spellcasting; Courage is strength of spirit, affecting things like overcoming fear and resisting malign magic or temptations. Hit Points are for tracking how close to dying your character is or isn't, while Mana is fuel for spellcasting.

All of these are represented by numbers, and unlike in dice-rolls, higher is better here. Don't worry about the numbers themselves too much - for flavor purposes, most adventurers at Level 1 will have Abilities somewhere between 8 (pretty bad) up to mid-20s (very good), and have HP somewhere in the 20s or 30s. Mana only matters for dramatic purposes, such as a character resorting to the risky tactic of converting their HP to Mana. HP is a matter for player judgment: if your character never runs low, that's not very exciting, but if your character is constantly dying, that could get annoying! If an adventurer dies, they can be revived in any town for a negotiable fee; some Classes can also cast a resurrection spell at higher levels.

Level numbers matter a little bit because it's a good way to compare power levels, such as when sizing up possible opponents. For example: all adventurers begin the game at Level 1, while the Dark Master begins the game at Level 7. Monster levels are determined when they spawn, based on the Map Tile they spawn from. Over time characters gain Experience, which will increase their Level. A higher Level increases their Abilities and HP, and unlocks more of their Class features. Monsters cannot gain Experience or Levels.

Winning the Game

The Dark Master (character) cannot directly attack the adventurers before they enter The Castle. However, the Dark Master always knows when heroes have arrived in the kingdom, and will act against perceived threats. There is nothing to stop the Dark Master from influencing monsters to attack in their stead, or causing other difficulties. The game is won if the adventurers defeat the Dark Master - but lost if the adventurers can no longer act.

Races

There are seven Races to play from! Each has its own perks and drawbacks.

Birdtail

A race of bird-people, they have an innate ability to fly. They are charismatic, and have an advantage in social contests. They cannot use armor, including shields.

Dwarf

Low Wisdom, but high Strength. They tend to be quite physically sturdy. They can always wear armor, regardless of class restrictions.

Elf

High Wisdom, but low Strength. They are adept at social contests, having both natural charisma and a small measure of magic boosting it. They're able to use "Elf"-quality gear. Make for good Magicians.

Half-Elf

With both Human and Elf in their ancestry, Half-Elves are a mid-point between the two. Their Wisdom is above the Human average, but not as high as an Elf's - their Strength is below the Human average, but not as low as an Elf's. They can have either a magic-based or an innate boost to their charisma, granting them an advantage in social contests. They can also use "Elf"-quality gear.

Hobbit

They suffer from some size penalties, being rather small - but their Strength is exempt from any size-penalties. They have high Speed, and make for good Thieves.

Human

Average in every way, Humans have no unique bonuses but also suffer from no unique penalties.

Pixie-Fairy

High Wisdom; they are innately magical, always counting as "Spellcasters" regardless of their true class (aka they always have access to Mana), and are magically able to fly. They are small enough to suffer an array of penalties (and bonuses!) due to size.

Classes

BARD	BEAST TAMER	DIABOLIST
ENCHANTER	ILLUSIONIST	MAGIC GUNMAN
MAGICIAN	MARTIAL ARTIST	MERCHANT
THIEF	WARRIOR	WHITE WIZARD

There are twelve classes to choose from! Each has its own "features" - which can mean quite a few different things, from special attacks to specific spells to versatile skills. Feel free to make up features that fit the Class's vibe and sound cool. All classes start with nifty features ready to use at Level 1 - but even more (and much better!) features are unlocked as a character Levels up.

The adventurers will most likely need to fight the Dark Master eventually - but there are many different ways for them to gain their valuable Experience. Don't forget to try things besides combat! Monster World isn't supposed to be a dungeon crawl.

Classes also determine what sort of Gear your character can use. Pets, a type of ally unique to the Beast Tamer and Diabolist classes, cannot use any Gear.

Only "Spellcaster" classes have and can use Mana.

Bard

Gear: can use Equipment, and must have a musical instrument. Spellcaster.

Bards are excellent in social contests. They can also work "aura" magic - by playing music they can afflict or bolster others within a given radius of themselves with various emotional states. They know many old stories and songs, and have great skill at deciphering riddles.

Beast Tamer

Gear: can use Weapons, Equipment - and most class features rely on their Pets.

The Beast Tamer starts the game with no Pet, but can attempt to tame a monster in combat - if successful, an attacking monster will become friendly to the Beast Tamer and fight by their side until death (sadly, monsters cannot be resurrected, even friendly ones) or until dismissed. A dismissed monster will leave their Tamer's side, but remain a friendly npc who may be encountered again. As monsters can't increase their Level, it might eventually be in both the Tamer's and monster's best interests to tame a new monster and dismiss a low-leveled one. Beast Tamers may only have two Pets at a time.

Diabolist

Gear: can use Armor, Equipment - and most of their class features require a summoned imp. Spellcaster.

The Diabolist can summon a wide variety of imps. Imps can be used as Pets (attacking in the Diabolist's stead), or as self-aware magic effects - while Diabolists are Spellcasters, the only spells they can cast revolve around imps (summoning, controlling, banishing, etc). They have access to a wider array of spells via the imps they summon (which sometimes requires that they first convince or mind-control the imp). Diabolist class features often involve multiple steps, but the more complex the activation requirements the more powerful the end result.

Enchanter

Gear: can use Equipment. Spellcaster.

Enchanters cannot cast typical spells - the usual offense, defense, and healing magic is forever beyond them. What they can do is imbue objects with various short term effects - whether enhancing a shield's defense score or wreathing a sword in flame, they are very useful as a support class.

Illusionist

Gear: can use Weapons, Equipment. Spellcaster.

Illusionists tend to wield knives or daggers more often than magic implements. They specialize in tricking the eye and mind, slipping out of sight despite having no cover and assuring you that these are not the droids you're looking for. Never accept monetary payment from one, it won't stay actual money for long. (Bartering with an Illusionist is less risky, but still a very bad idea).

Magic Gunman

Gear: can use Weapons (guns only), and Equipment ("Magic Bullets" count as Equipment, and are required).

Magic Gunmen are NOT spellcasters; but because they use "Magic Bullets" they're able to pull off a lot of special/trick shots - their guns fire a mix of actual-bullets and bullet-shaped-spell-effects. They typically have steady hands and a good eye (particularly for spotting things from a distance).

Magician

Gear: can use Equipment. Spellcaster.

Magicians are mostly concerned with offensive magic - throwing explosions or lightning at their problems. (Yes they can do other things with their magic - not nearly as well though.)

Martial Artist

Gear: none. (No, not naked, just no items that affect their capabilities in any way.)

Experts in unarmed unarmored combat. While they aren't spellcasters, their spiritual techniques have been known to produce near-magical results.

Merchant

Gear: can use Equipment.

Merchants are well-travelled, having plenty of knowledge to draw on for things such as identifying mysterious items, deciphering strange writing, and gathering information. They always turn a profit in towns, and outside of town can provide their companions with useful mundanities such as bedrolls or bandages. They are a liability in combat, but truly shine in social contests.

Thief

Gear: Weapons, Equipment.

Experts in moving quickly, quietly, and unseen, Thieves are also experts at getting into and out of places they oughtn't. This includes others' pockets!

Warrior

Gear: Armor (including shields), Weapons.

Warriors can both block and dish out a lot of damage. On occasion Warriors have been found to belong to some ancient order, one either noble or sinister; but most Warriors are well-equipped fighters pure and simple.

White Wizard

Gear: can use Equipment. Spellcaster.

White Wizards are primarily concerned with magical healing and protection. They can also use their knowledge to weaken others' defenses - and, perhaps the biggest draw, they are eventually able to resurrect the dead. They cannot cast truly damaging magic however, and are unlikely to win any battles unaided.

Gear

"Gear" doesn't refer to stuff that provides little to no benefit - your family's signet ring? not Gear. Your shoes? not Gear. The invisibility hat? definitely Gear. There are a few odd exceptions - everything Elf-made is just a little bit magical, and provides at least minor bonuses to those attuned to such things (aka Elves and Half-Elves). If your shoes are Elf-made, then yes, ok, your shoes count as Gear. The average character will have two or three pieces of Gear, but they don't have to have any. Try to avoid having your character use more than three pieces of Gear at a time.

All Gear fits into one of three categories: Armor, Weapons, or Equipment.

"Armor" includes full-body suits of armor, and shields; helmets are either part of a full-body suit or non-existent (aka they're included or excluded purely based on aesthetic preferences). Very few Classes can use Armor - but a Dwarf can use Armor no matter their Class (yes, even if they're a Martial Artist, Dwarves are just like that).

"Weapons" covers all handheld melee or ranged weaponry. Magic staffs are not Weapons - but a non-magical big ol' stick might be, if it's sturdy enough to thwack somebody with more than once. (Do not thwack anything with a magic staff, it will break.)

"Equipment" covers all Gear items that aren't Armor or Weapons. Magical items such as amulets or staffs come under this heading, as does anything considered Gear purely because Elves made it.

coding frankensteined from something by killthecake.