I had a fun premise for a character building system. Each time you level up (or start at level one) you gain access to a new class. A class consists of a 4x4 grid with tetris pieces* on it representing different abilities.

Being a certain class confers certain things by itself, but you could swap out abilities on the grid for abilities you have from other classes (or possibly your race, or magic items you have), and rotate and rearrange your pieces to your heart's content. In the game, you could do this swapping at the same time that a wizard might prepare his or her spells in other games.

I feel like character mutability isn't something that is explored much in table top games, and it seems to me like something that could really liven up a game.

The problem, as I alluded to the title, is justifying it in a narrative. The idea was taken from final fantasy, so I asked myself how it was justified there, and as it happens it really isn't. When a character changes class their clothes just appear out of nowhere, they suddenly become incapable of touching certain weapons, or forget magic spells or combat manoeuvres that only moments earlier were natural to them.

I already have a world that justifies this in a way that I find really dissatisfying (think of the matrix) I feel like there is potential for a very fun system here, but I don't know where to begin with the world. Any thoughts?

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* Not just actual pieces from tetris, but you get the picture. Brick configurations.

Quote from: Doccit;738324I had a fun premise for a character building system. Each time you level up (or start at level one) you gain access to a new class. A class consists of a 4x4 grid with tetris pieces* on it representing different abilities.

Sounds too gimmicky even for my tastes, but I guess it could work.

Quote from: Doccit;738324The problem, as I alluded to the title, is justifying it in a narrative. The idea was taken from final fantasy, so I asked myself how it was justified there, and as it happens it really isn't. When a character changes class their clothes just appear out of nowhere, they suddenly become incapable of touching certain weapons, or forget magic spells or combat manoeuvres that only moments earlier were natural to them.

Yeah, well, this sucks. At least if you assume the transition is instantaneous and happens without any downtime; if you're running with this assume-a-new-skillset-in-a-flash-of-light, and want the experience to be deliberately videogamey, the "Matrix" explanation, or something like it (spells and special abilities as cerebral engrams programmed by way of magic, nanotechnology or whatever) is definitely the way to go.

If you want a more trad, lifelike game universe, you need to assumke downtime for (re)training.

Quote from: Doccit;738324The problem, as I alluded to the title, is justifying it in a narrative. The idea was taken from final fantasy, so I asked myself how it was justified there, and as it happens it really isn't. When a character changes class their clothes just appear out of nowhere, they suddenly become incapable of touching certain weapons, or forget magic spells or combat manoeuvres that only moments earlier were natural to them.

Fluff-wise, you're channeling powers from the heroes of old, which is why you can only have so many at a time (Until you become experienced enough in the use of the powers to understand them for yourself...).

The clothes, just go with the rule of cool.

I suspect the reason character mutability, in this sense, isn't used much in TRPG's as in JRPG's, is due to the gameplay emphasis. The majority of the game play in a JRPG is in the battle system, and they're generally all single-player games, so class changes add a lot of tactical flexibility, which both widens the scope of the adversaries that can be used and gives the player something to tinker with.
In a TRPG, though, you usually have a party of players with you, and more things to do, plus there isn't a strict fighting / playing divide. The other characters provide the skills that a mutable party would otherwise be needed for.

I dunno, I may not be fully understanding what it is you're trying to do. So you want characters to change powers and skills after each adventure?

Off hand I can envision two ways to justify this.

First, it sounds similar to the TV show "Dollhouse". I only saw a couple episodes of it and didn't care for it but the idea of people who change personalities has potential I suppose.

Second, you could go the route of "Dreampark." Your players are playing people in the near future who are involved in a worldwide RPG game playing sport. Thus each game can be different and their base skills and powers can change.

There are other possibilities, such as a virtual reality world or dream scape.

I like that channeling powers from the heroes of old idea a lot Ladybird. I was thinking before that the players might be attaching or detaching pieces of their soul, and this is a good idea for where the other pieces can come from.

Coincidentally, the virtual reality world was what I had before Doughdee. To cut a long story short, the players were computer programs. Some the minds of real people uploaded, and some just fabricated by a programer. It just didn't feel to me like it worked very well with what I was trying to do.

Also out of interest Butcher, was it the grid and tetris pieces that seemed too gimmicky, or the idea of socketable abilities?

Quote from: Doccit;738362Also out of interest Butcher, was it the grid and tetris pieces that seemed too gimmicky, or the idea of socketable abilities?

The grid and Tetris pieces, definitely. Even D&D spells are "socketable" abilities.

You know, another route you can take is to run some sort of futuristic giant-robot game. The PCs mostly stay the same but they get to design mecha that can change. As time goes on old models get chewed up and new technologies and weapons become available.

Just a thought.

All the characters are sorcerers, and swap out powers by summoning and then dominating entities/spirits/demons/whatever you want to call them. Need to pick locks? Summon a thief spirit, etc.

But you can only dominate so many, and if you need ability X you need to sacrifice another one to get it.

As you gain in power, you can summon more powerful entities, but you can only "possess" a fixed number of them.



You could do the same basic thing with magic items, or in a transhumanist sci-fi setting with skill downloads, etc.