I’m working on concepts for a Final Fantasy based installment of my Session Zero zine (BTW, Issue 2 has been uploaded and is awaiting approval by DriveThru RPG).
I want to do “Limit Breaks” from Final Fantasy VII, which were sort of like super attacks in that game that you had to build up to by taking damage. I’m thinking about creating modified versions of the basic moves and some spells which must be “activated” with a point of Break. Here’s what I have so far… any and all comments are welcome!
First, the “Basic Outcomes” of dice rolls needs the following outcome added:
Double ones: Hold 1 Break
Second, the End of Session moves gets modified as such:
When you reach the end of a session, lose all held Break and choose one of your bonds…
Finally I’d have a list of the Limit Break Moves. This is the modified Hack & Slash:
Double Cut ~ Requires held Break to activate
When you make two furious swipes with your melee weapon, expend 1 Break and deal your damage, then roll+STR.
On a 10+, you deal your damage to the enemy again and avoid their attack. At your option, you may choose to do +1d6 damage but expose yourself to the enemy’s attack.
On a 7–9, you deal your damage to the enemy again and the enemy makes an attack against you.
Count 6- as 7-9
If the enemy is unaware or defenseless, just deal your damage again instead of rolling.
A Limit break for a wizard might be:
Meteorswarm ~ Requires 2+ held Break to activate
When you call upon the power of the cosmos against your enemies, expend 2 Break and deal 2d6 X your level damage to all enemies present, then roll+INT.
On a 10+, the cosmos hears your call and your allies are unharmed.
On a 7-9, it rains fire and rock; you and your allies take that damage as well.
Count 6- as 7-9
Noth of these need tweaking, and yeah Meteorswarm can be really powerful, but it requires you to roll 2 “snake eyes” in the same session to charge it…
What are your thoughts?
I thought of this after I left my office… for clarity Double Ones should read: per 6-, plus hold 1 Break
A 7-9 shouldn’t result in a TPK…
For the Meteorswarm’s 7-9 maybe: it rains fire and rock; you and your allies take d6 damage as well.
Looking forward to the next Issue!
Right off the bat I’m against the idea. But convince me otherwise. What I can say is that you’re approaching this the wrong way. Make moves that work on their own which may improve I provide alternatives when Break is spent. Maybe you don’t get to choose- maybe when you’re at breaking point, whatever you do is going to have a different outcome. Avoid and keep to a minimum moves that do not have roleplaying effects. The wizard has an otk/tpk nuke. Sure. Sounds impressive but it’s actually a bore as a GM and any party member having just an everything dies button. At least in DW.
Camilo Suñer, yes I agree with what you’re saying IF I’m playing straight DW. But my zine is about paying homage to something from popular media.
The potions and rings as presented in Issue 2 (which I had hoped would be live today but I’m still waiting for DriveThru RPG approval) feel out of place for straight DW, but are right at home in Skyrim (the source of inspiration for that issue).
I would never use what I proposed above for straight DW, but for a session meant to evoke memories of Final Fantasy VII they feel appropriate. (Also, the comment I added about 4 hours ago acknowledges that that’s overkill and “fixes it”.)
As a GM who is setting up a “Final Fantasy VII” session with players who fondly remember that game I’d HOPE my wizard got the chance to Break (no pun intended…who am I kidding, of course pun intended) out a Meteorswarm. In about 18 months of DW I’ve only seen snake eyes rolled a handful of times. One player (who happens to be playing the Wizard) rolling it twice in the same session is an event that I feel should be rewarded with a ton of meteors lol.
WOW, I JUST got the e-mail from DTRPG. Issue 2 is now live!
drivethrurpg.com – Session Zero Issue 2 – The Barrow
hell yes, totally badass way to make the heroes feel powerful in reaction to an imminent threat, and the flavor is spot on.
in going with the “feel” of ff7, what would you think of a slow accumulation as a reaction rather than just when rolled?
ex: when you roll a 7-9, you allow the gm to instead make a hard move and accumulate BREAK. when you accumulate BREAK= to your LIMIT (wis, for examples sake) you unleash your LIMIT BREAK.
on a 6-, as 7-9 only a hard move is made by the gm automatically.
with this they can have a tactical choice with risk/reward in addition to low rolls, and you can ramp up the encounter ad necessary to make it feel like the ff7 over the top craziness
Brandon Reinert I like that Idea. I was trying to make it as simple as possible with the single line added to the “Outcomes” and wanted as little bookkeeping as possible, but I really like that “Hard Choice”. Also, the Limit meter in FF7 represented your growing anger at taking damage, so basing the Limit on Wisdom (I think Wisdom rather than WIS because you will accumulate Break faster this was than with snake eyes) is spot on! I’d definitely need more playtesting for balancing though. 2 snake eyes by the Wizard in 1 session is pretty rare, so I didn’t mind the power level of Meteorswarm. I’ll have to run some numbers.
Thanks for your input, you’ve given me some things to think about!
I was thinking about this on the way to work…
Maybe the Limit is 5+WIS rather than Wisdom. Also, in an attempt to make it not so transparently FF7, I’m thinking about calling it “Breaking Point” rather Limit, and the “currency” to charge it “Anger” (because I want to create a commercially viable product).
A character’s Breaking Point is 5+WIS. When a character reaches his or her Breaking Point (by the already established methods for gaining Anger), that character gains access to an Anger Surge (or whatever, I don’t know what to call it yet…).
I’m picturing (but not married to) a spell-like list of Anger Surges with levels and requirements:
Double Cut would be a level 1 Anger Surge, usable by anyone.
Meteorswarm would maybe be a level 7 or 9, usable only by the Wizard.
Holy Blast level 5 maybe, usable by Cleric and Paladin.
All of that is just contemplation right now. Lots of work to do on it.
The rolls seem unnecessary especially since the 6- is not a failure. Just let them spend the hold for the effect.
That’s a good point Nick Nunes, especially since it’s something you “build up to” (Not in original post, but in the discussions).