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Ludivine's Ghost (TTRPG Rules)
2 years ago
LUDIVINE'S GHOST HAUNTS ME TO THIS DAY
A simple pickup-and-play tabletop game, based on Apocalypse World and its derivatives. Some design goals:
Simple
Rules-lite
Offers complexity if needed
'playable with one hand' (No need for stat tracking beyond what you can remember off the top of your head. No need for maps, etc.)
Mechanics
Clocks instead of HP - Recognizing that loss-by-TF is a thing, HP is instead represented by clocks. Your clock tends to start at 1 PM, and instead of damage, your clock increments by so-and-so amount. If your click hits 12 PM (Midnight), you're done for.
Mechanically, this gives you effectively about 11 HP. Curses and pacts and so on can permanently increment your clock, making your rollbacks and resets turn back to 2 PM or 3 PM, for example. Classes are more tanky simply by virtue of their feats and damage reduction.
Playing around that - We can understand the following: 1d4 = 2.5 damage, 1d6 = 3.5 damage, 1d8 = 4.5 damage, 1d10 = 5.5 damage.
Rarely, 1d12 = 6.5, 1d20 = 10.5, or 10 vs 11.
We can understand that a 1d20 is effectively a 50/50 one shot.
Therefore, if the average attack is 1d6, then it takes 3 average attacks to down a player (3.5 x 3 = 10.5~)
TF can be thought of as increments. Each tick of the TF effect deals 1 clock tick, or 1 damage. We can think of it as happening each turn, or every time something happens. For example, consider the threat of becoming a werewolf. Each step towards the bad end, losing your mind in ferality, is 1 tick of the clock. We can represent this in the fiction with each TF stage, like growing fur.
Consider:
Instead of increasing the 'damage' / ticks dealt by each TF stage (which you could), why not try letting other TFs increment for their own ticks? Or perhaps the enemy is fucking the player, dealing their damage alongside the TF.
1 Tick = TF stage +1, 7-9 roll result, very weak attack. But try to avoid damage here.
1d4 ticks = Goblin attack
1d6 ticks = Bandit attack
1d8 ticks = Orc attack
1d10 = Ogre attack
1d12 = Boss attack. This can instakill from full HP, be careful!
1d20 = Apocalyptic attack
Extrapolate from there.
Note that aside from the clock ticks, the harm as established is shaped like itself. If you're tied up, then yeah that can tick your clock, but you're also tied up. Similarly, being untied doesn't roll back your clock, your clock only rolls back when you're specifically told to roll it back.
ROLLING IN LUDIVINE'S GHOST
Same rules as Apoc World and derivatives.
10+ = Great result, full success, no caveat.
7-9 = Success but with complication--Partial success.
6- = Failure! GM decides. If you wanna be brutal, ALSO reduce their clock by 1
As per other APOC WORLD games, you can consider some of these complications and failures:
Offer a hard choice between two outcomes for the player to choose
Give them the worse version of their intended result
Expose them to a counterattack (Simply deal 1dX damage from the enemy in question)
Increment one of their threats / clocks (They have a TF ongoing? Go ahead and tick their clock by 1)
Etc.
REGAINING TIME
Rolling back your clock is a bit more esoteric than just recovering HP. But basically any magic that dispenses with harm will usually roll back time. For example, curative magic will not only heal wounds but dispel curses and so forth. Some potions can also roll back, via undoing the last source of harm entirely, or by a bit. Such as by stating 'roll back your clock by 1 tick and undo the last harm by a proportionate amount' or 'roll back all ticks inflicted by your last harm, as well as the harm's effect'
Sometimes the GM will be charitable and just roll back your clock by some amount as well, but that should only be a bit, and only rarely.
For the most part, your most reliable way to roll back time is to roll back 1 tick whenever a threat is dealt with (a battle, a trap, etc.), maybe make that 1d4 if it was a battle, or roll back all the way when taking a long rest or out of danger for a while.
STATS IN LUDIVINE'S GHOST
So we know clock stuff, what about stats? How to roll? Just roll 2d6 if the thing you're trying to do is risky and there's stakes involved. Don't roll 2d6 for every step on a staircase or something, that's goofy. Don't roll if there's no meaningful chance to fail, or consequence for failure. Instead, just do the thing.
You have 4 stats for your character, assign them the following values if you're just making it: +2, +1, +0, -1. Roll using that stat's value added to your base 2d6, so 2d6+2 or 2d6-1. As far as which stats are relevant to your roll... That depends on your character! A character sheet has the 4 listed stats on it. So refer there, not here. The unique arrangements of their stats and what they stand for gives characters some fancy customization.
Your character also deals a certain amount of harm, based on what ability they use and/or their character sheet. Refer to that when you're reducing the enemy's clock. But understand that that value is called Harm, same as the Harm that a given type of enemy can inflict to you.
So, Clocks, Harm, and Stats are your important attributes aside from whatever your character sheet has to say about the matter.
ROLLS AND ABILITIES
To clarify: you act, y'know making a regular roll, when the spotlight's on you and the table is waiting to see what you're going to do or how you're going to act. Generally, when you do your thing, that resolves your turn of sorts and the action switches to elsewhere.
Reacting, however, is more like when the enemy is acting upon you and there should be a roll, but monsters don't roll. So you need to roll to see if you successfully fend off ('save') vs the enemy's move. Note that this doesn't count against you as a turn per say, for what it's worth.
First, understand that you can just use a regular, generic, basic, whatever roll to do something. This is a 2d6 roll and has no special attributes.
Second, when you're trying to harm something, that's called an attack and while you still roll 2d6 to hit, you might have to roll something else or inflict a certain amount of ticks to the enemy's clock or so forth. But understand that an Attack is a class of roll which is modified by rolls and so on.
You may also discern, which is when you roll an intellectual stat to ask a question of your choice. The GM will give you an answer.
Aid is also something you can do, which doesn't require a roll, increases your ally's roll by giving it advantage/+1, but exposes you to the harm/consequences if it goes poorly. It's generally an action.
Finally, if you're going blows to blows with the enemy, sometimes you can ask to trade damage (if reacting or acting vs an attack), taking the harm without a roll but inflicting your own harm in return.
But those are all edge cases and caveats. Most of the time, you roll basic. Sometimes, you attack. Rarely, you do the other stuff.
If you feel like you should be able to react to an attack, or a spell, or a TF effect, go ahead and speak up! A roll is almost always fair game, and the best part is when you have even more chances to fail miserably.
OPTIONAL FUN
If someone rolls a 12 or higher, they could see a 'critical success': give them the even-better-than-expected outcome if you want, GM!
If someone rolls a 2 (Snake eyes), that could be a 'critical failure': this could spell disaster! But make it fair.
If you want to be cruel, make players' clocks increment by 1 tick every time they take a turn, outcome be damned.
BALANCE CONSIDERATIONS
First, understand that the average harm is dealing 3-ish ticks per hit. This includes PCs and NPCs.
Know that within the scope of 10-ish harm coming from each side of the field (allied and enemy), each round, that means it's okay to offer players 'free harm healing' at the expense of their turn. Suppose 1 Harm without the need to roll or 3 harm with a roll (say if they cast a spell)
You can inflict penalties onto players' stats, as opposed to simply dealing ticks of harm. -1 to a stat is a decently debilitating debuff and can be inflicted onto each stat once, without being unfair. This kind of 'debuff' can be healed like ticks, perhaps a spell can heal this instead of 1d4 harm or whatever is the otherwise established effect.
So for example, roll 2d6+2-1 is 2d6+1.
Healing should be harder to come by and more limited than dealing damage. Consider other effects independent of the mechanical harm, like a 'silence' debuff that prevents the victim from casting spells.
These can all be inflicted as part of a TF's progression but do try to be reasonable with the severity of the effects. I recommend saving your worst effects for after a few ticks into the TF's duration.
TFs can state that they last for 'until X amount of ticks is dealt, 1 by 1 each turn', or 'until cured' or whatever other kind of stipulation you want. Think of them like a 'damage over time' tool!
THINGS THAT AMUSE ME
Sticks and stones deal 1 ticks
Some guy trying to kick your ass deals 1d4 ticks
A monk, a knife, and a sword walk into a bar and deal 1d6 ticks each
That big-ass sword that eats virgins for breakfast deals 1d8 ticks if you're man enough to hold it.
Shit like 1d10 ticks and higher is only dealt by badass dudes and not some freaking player unless your sheet specifically says you'd do that.
But otherwise, players deal like 1d4/1d6/1d8 ticks, depending on if they're a weak-ass wizard getting into a barfight or a daemon hunter with a burning blade.
Some bandages heal like 1d4 ticks, but it's not easy to put on
Some healing potion heals like 1d6 ticks, but it's not easy to come by and not cheap
That guy who always brags about going to 'Magic School' could probably heal you for 1d4 ticks if you hold still and don't make him nervous
Your fellow PC could probs heal you for 1d6 ticks in a pinch.
None of this will heal you if it doesn't make sense. Bandages don't heal freaky ears.
THINGS THAT SCARE ME
I don't really have to do 1d6 ticks to you up front, I could deal the maximum amount (6) by electing to do it over time. The first point pops off instantly and each point pops off per turn or so on. If it were like 2d4, I could deal 2 ticks per turn instead of 1, for a total of 4 x 2 = 8.
Resolving the harm's fictional effect (like bondage, bleeding, so forth) doesn't necessarily resolve the ticks to the clock. But healing the ticks should always resolve the fictional effect. So a healing spell doesn't just adjust that clock number and nothing else, it should have an effect on the character. So if it's not to cure a specific fictional effect as part of the clock rollback, don't bother casting the spell because that doesn't make sense.
In general, the fictional effect isn't always harm, and a fictional effect doesn't necessarily carry harm--But the harm/ticks are always inflicted with a fictional effect! So casting a spell to give someone wolf ears isn't necessarily harm or going to do anything. But casting a spell to inflict harm as a player, must intend to actually have an effect that'll sensibly do harm.
Remember:
A breather is when the threat is dealt with. Every player regains 1 tick on their clock, doesn't matter if it was an actual battle, trap, high-stakes social situation, or a jumpscare.
If the breather was after a fight, make that 1d4 ticks.
A short rest is when everyone agrees to sit down and chill out for a bit. This will make everyone regain 1d4 ticks. Or whatever makes sense.
A long rest is when everyone's safe for a while and gets their shuteye, their bearings. This rarely happens DURING a session unless it's a longer-paced one. But generally a long rest can be assumed between sessions, if nothing's really happening. So if that rest was long, make the clocks reset to their rightful place and clear the debuffs to stats and so forth, along with fictional effects that make sense.
One more thing. Remember that the threat, ticks to the clock, and fictional effects are usually intertwined. But if it's a long rest situation and you got turned into a goo girl or some such, then you aren't technically in any danger if your transformation's stabilized and you still have leave of your senses and so forth. Therefore, you can clear the harm or whatever without the removal of the fictional effect. Work with the GM to sort out how that affects your sheet and stats and so forth.
Keep that transformation. It's yours now, friend.
YOUR CLOCK STRIKES MIDNIGHT. NOW WHAT?
If your clock hits Midnight, you get bad ended. Resolve that and play that out as needed. After that, it's generally good manners to wait until the threat that did you in is resolved. So suppose the boss disposes of you, but then the party defeats the boss. Then you can start talking with the GM and players about how to revive, reform, recover, replace, or otherwise resolve your character's dilemma. Any plot device or whatever is fine for this manner, shoot you can even heal after a battle if you want!
The main threat is really if all players get bad ended and no one's there to save them. In which case, that really spells a party wipe.
THE BIG CLOCK
Besides the players' clocks, there can be one big Clock which represents the progression and culmination of the threat at large (IE, an incoming invasion, the fortress's impending self-destruction, etc.)
This clock can be incremented instead of player clocks.
This clock doesn't have to move in sync with turns or rounds taken in battle or in-session in general, but it can.
Instead, the clock should increment 'based on what makes sense' and what steps the players take to roll back the threat or, alternately, progress the threat forward.
Once it hits midnight, the threat as established culminates; reap the consequences.
Feel free to discard the clock, roll it back, or change the nature of it once it resolves; this clock entirely belongs to the GM!
THINGS THAT AROUSE ME
A monster hunter has Athletics, Willpower, Knowledge, and Charisma as their 4 stats. Their fifth stat is Violence and that is +3.
That guy who really likes DND has 6 stats (you know which) and can set the extra 2 as +0 and +1. Throw them a couple extra stat points to distribute as they see fit
People that are kinda lazy with sheets can have Strength, Dexterity, Knowledge, Charisma as their stats.
Or maybe Vigor, Speed, Smarts, Social. Stuff like that.
Enemies that fight in big groups start their clocks at around 9 PM.
Enemies that fight in small groups start their clocks at around 6 PM.
Solo enemies start their clocks at 1 PM.
You can give enemies a second healthbar, simply by starting them at AM instead of PM. So an enemy that starts at 1 AM has something like effectively 23 HP. Good luck!
Try to avoid 'second healthbars' and just alter the amount of enemies and damage reduction and so forth, though.
Damage reduction can be in terms of free 'damage negations', like one or twice per battle... Or flat reduction to each time ticks are imposed on the clock. So you know.
Monsters don't have stats like Strength or Lust or whatever. Don't do that or make them roll. Instead, reword and rework their features to play off of the player... Instead of a monster rolling strength to hit, let the player roll to block or evade that.
You don't need stronger weapons to deal more direct harm. Simply let them inflict other/extra effects in the fiction. For example, an enchanted blade might capture the slain's souls so that you may interrogate them. Or maybe the attack sets things aflame, ignores armor/protection, or so forth.
Don't take any of this stuff you read after ROLLS AND ABILITIES as hard canon rules or something. It's just to give you a feel for the numbers and options.
SCHEMATICS FOR CLASSES
Tackle classes from this kinda POV:
Give warriors opportunities to reduce damage taken or increase damage dealt.
Let spellcasters have more opportunities to affect the fiction and non-mechanical related aspects. These include invisibility, teleportation, illusion, that kinda stuff.
Come up with 3 to 5 starting feats or whatever for the class you wanna make.
Give 'em a good mix of passive stat increases, boosts to rolls, once-per-battle/session powers, new kinds of rolls they can make, and so on.
The player and GM can work together to make a sheet that'll make sense and fit well with the planned session.
For example, GM wants to make a session where folks turn into werewolves. That's dope. We can use existing character sheets or new ones for the session. The GM has this kind of prep in mind:
Paranoid Hunter
9 PM (Lost in the woods)
1d4 Harm (Hunting Rifle)
Some human in over their head. Will shoot at loud noises. Might attack the players even if they show themselves and 'prove' they're human, by figuring they're probably werewolves if they're out this late. Might be alone or as a hunting party.
Pack Bitch
6 PM (Rather runty)
1d6 Harm (Claws)
This werewolf is low in the pecking order. Either recently turned, particularly weak, or of low breeding quality. Either found skulking alone or in service of the Alpha.
Alpha Werewolf
1 PM (A real beast)
1d10 Harm (Big claws)
A really big werewolf. Usually commands a pack in battle.
Lycanthropy
This effect deals up to 1 Tick to the victim's clock per scene. It's a bit of a slow burner so players can try to find a cure. All werewolves inflict this, but the Pack Bitch's version can be cured by regular healing. Alpha Werewolf bites can only be cured by a special recipe, which must be sussed out.
Threat: Bad ending will turn you into a 'NPC' until resolved: A Pack Bitch at 6 PM that deals 1d6 Harm.
Stages: Fur, wolf ears, tail, increased size, snout, so forth.
One shouldn't prepare overly much prep, because who knows what direction the game will take! Prep should be focused on interesting and novel ideas, as well as some barebones mechanics. So, with these in mind, why not offer some thematic character sheets or playbooks for the players to choose from?
Imagine you presented the players the options to choose between these books, in private:
A Folk Healer class which can prepare lycanthropy cures with the right ingredients and prep. Other features include healing in general.
A Priest class which has access to stronger, instant healing but must adhere to certain rules of conduct (ie no inflicting harm, or a chastity requirement). Also able to cure lycanthropy with a ritual.
A Werewolf Hunter class that can track quarry, use a variety of weapons, and inflict a lot of harm with attacks.
A Town Guard who has more durability / damage reduction than the average sheet, along with some investigation-related abilities
A Villager who might have average or mediocre stats and so on, but perhaps has some niche ability or special connection to the werewolves, which might benefit the party if made use of.
...A Werewolf Traitor, someone already infected with Lycanthropy and waiting to reveal themselves so as to doom the party! (Cruel no?) It could very well be that the Traitor can still work with the rest of the party to resolve the quest, but will be forced to turn into a NPC werewolf (and play that out) if clock is reduced to Midnight or some such.
I'll be sure to detail what sheets in general look like at some point, but these are some more suggestions to keep in mind. As LUDIVINE'S GHOST is tailored for one-shots, customized sheets and content keep things fresh!
SCENARIOS FROM THE TOP OF MY HEAD
Merging Animals
PREMISE:
A strange infection grips the nation, spreading from animal to animal. This zoonotic disease, pathogen unknown, is making animals savage. Savage animals then attack and -merge- with humans! It is a monstrous thing to behold, but the results are half-beast, half-human hybrids, walking on two legs... But with none of the humanity, only a desire to help more of their quadrupedal comrades claim human bodies!
VICIOUS VERMIN
CLOCK: 11 PM (Easily dispensed with)
HARM: 1 TICK (A weak bite or scratch)
This is a small animal that fits in the hand, like a rat. While weak, it might approach in numbers or sneak in from behind/beneath. Consider allowing this creature a special attack that'll let it pierce the player's armor/protection if the player fails their save.
PACK BEAST
CLOCK: 9 PM (Comes in groups)
HARM: 1d4 TICKS (Savage animal attack)
Dogs, hyenas, and such that not only show feral ferocity, but can work together. Their intelligence is greater than base animal intellect; they are able to work together to scale walls, distract players and use tactics. If a Pack Beast attacks a victim alongside other animals/beasts, let 1 Pack Beast deal maximum damage (4) instead of rolling.
BIPEDAL BEAST
CLOCK: 6 PM (Fights alongside other bipeds and pack beasts)
HARM: 1d6 TICKS (Wields a weapon once used by victim)
Might carry arms and armor. Once humanoids, but transformed into beasts by virtue of the virus/curse/so on. They are as intelligent as a human and able to use any device that a humanoid can use, even if they might not look it. However, they are NOT able to inflict 'Monstrous Merge', as they are already created by the effects of a Monstrous Merge on another creature.
You might grant each of them a feature based on the animal that they're based off of. Maybe uncanny speed from a gazelle, a terrifying roar from a lion, or so on.
AMBUSH PREDATOR
CLOCK: 4 PM to 6 PM (Depending on the size of the predator)
HARM: 1d6 or 1d8 TICKS (Depending on the size of the predator)
Big cats and crocodiles and so on. This kind of creature relies on surprise, so you may want to let it dish its first attack onto the player at either maximum damage, or without allowing them to react with a save. If the animal succeeds in inflicting harm, it will continue to attack players to capitalize on this. If it fails or feels outnumbered / threatened, it will simply try to escape. This animal does not cooperate as closely with other beasts, but can still participate in tactics by attacking players that are separated or distracted. Distracted is an easy way to score a 'free' hit.
GIANT ANIMAL
CLOCK: 1 PM (As big as it is durable)
HARM: 1d8 TICKS (Bear attack, rhino charge, etc.)
All beasts have minor regenerative properties, which you might exaggerate or amplify for the sake of difficulty. However, the Giant Animal's ability to take blows lets that property really shine. Let this creature roll back its clock by 1 tick with each of its turns, you should also demonstrate as much to the player: bruises fading, vigor returning, etc.
Even if reduced to Midnight, the beast might get back up after a sufficient amount of time spent recovering. And of course, it has the properties like the base animal, such as a hippo's barrel-busting bite or a rhino's ability to batter through a door.
BEAST MASTER
CLOCK: 1 PM
HARM: 1d8, 1d10, or 1d12 (May use its own claws or a heavy weapon like a machine gun)
A BIPEDAL BEAST that functions as pack leader for the other beasts, two-legged or four. Serves as a good boss encounter. The BEAST MASTER might be wearing armor that reduces all harm taken by 1. Might be hiding in an opportune location, like on top of a roof and wielding a sniper rifle. Perhaps surrounded by lesser beasts which prevents the player from getting through to them easily.
They will tend to use two types of weapons... Either their unarmed attack, or preferably their actual weapon. Think about giving them something fun and overkill, maybe an RPG.
As an extra feature, you might give them some kind of COMMAND ability--Which can increase a target's harm dealt by 1, or make them roll maximum harm when inflicting it, or so on, in addition to or instead of what they'd usually do on their turn.
VARIATIONS
CIVILIAN - You might find it fun to add regular people or some such, to convey the threat level. Normal humans can be taken down in one hit, allowing VICIOUS VERMIN and especially PACK BEASTS to swiftly merge into them, becoming bipeds! This will create even more threats for the PCs to deal with, so players are left with the choice to protect civilians from harm or stay far away from them and leave them to their fates.
FLYING PEST - As per VICIOUS VERMIN, but impose a -1 penalty or even disadvantage if the player tries to hit it, as it can fly.
TO CLARIFY...
Beasts have regenerative potential due to their nature of their transformation. You may use that fact if you want to minimize the amount of blood in a session set in a modern battlefield.
Beasts are sapient but have no inclination towards mercy, negotiation, or talking. Their primary goal is to ravage and assimilate others.
Beast regeneration can be represented as 1 Tick per each of their turns if you want, or a flat 1 reduction to ticks taken from weapon-related harm.
MECHANICS FOR THE SCENARIO
Monstrous Merge
This particular type of transformation can be inflicted by any quadrupedal animal on this list. When the animal connects with a melee attack, it forgo damage in order to sacrifice itself, thereby merging with the player. This only applies if the attack would have dealt harm. The player will then start to take 1 Tick on their clock every one of their turns, as they undergo a very intense transformation towards the shape of a bipedal beast. Cracking bones and shifting flesh makes it difficult to move; if the player tries to do anything while under this effect, they do so with disadvantage. (Roll twice, take worst result). The kind of beast they become is the same as their attacker, effectively letting the 'sacrificed' beast take control of their body if the Clock hits midnight; replace the PC with a Bipedal Beast NPC. (Set to starting/max Time)
This transformation is difficult to cure, but things like exorcisms have a shot. Curing it will separate the animal from the host/victim, putting the animal back into play and reset to its starting Time.
GUNS OR WHATEVER
Sometimes, you want Harm and so on to be fixed based on the character. However, this scenario may benefit from specific guns-and-ammo rules.
Claws and bites and so on are based on the size and viciousness of the animal.
A melee weapon like a billy club or a knife deals 1d4 ticks.
A sidearm like a pistol deals 1d6 ticks.
SMGs might deal 2d4 ticks or 1d8 ticks.
A standard issue rifle used by the military deals 1d10 ticks, or 1d6+1d4 ticks.
Machine guns deal 3d4 ticks or 1d12 ticks. Shotguns too.
A RPG deals 1d20 ticks. Or something.
Tazers and tranqs deal 1 tick. If they deal any ticks after armor etc. is resolved, let them inflict their stunning effect.
Bipedal beasts are stronger, therefore deal +1 tick or 1d6 ticks with human melee weapons.
Bipedal beasts are less adept with guns, therefore deal -1 tick or a smaller damage die with such weapons.
AMMO is simple. Your gun either has ammo, or is out of ammo. You're only out of ammo if the GM specifically tells you that you are, as a result of a bad roll (usually a fail), or if the GM offers you the chance to be out of AMMO in exchange for a better outcome on a 7-9 choice.
If a gun's out of ammo, you'll need to find some for that kind of gun, or get a different gun. AMMO can be swapped between players, meaning that a player can make themselves OUT OF AMMO to let another player have ammo, if they have the same kind of gun and so forth.
Generally players shouldn't each be lugging around more than 2 or 3 guns, so let them track that as they must.
DEALING DAMAGE TO MULTIPLE FOES
We have guns with a high fire-rate, and pack enemies. It might be necessary to discuss how harm is distributed among them, in such cases.
For the most part, you distribute your damage among the foes. You can roll up all ticks dealt and distribute damage as you see fit among the targets. A gun that can hit multiple targets is usually one that rolls multiple dice; SMGs and Heavy Machine Guns, for instance. It might make the most sense to pick which target takes which dice's damage.
So for instance, a SMG might inflict 2d4, therefore 1d4 to each of 2 enemies. Or the AR might inflict 1d6 damage to 1 for and 1d4 to another, if on full-auto.
For an attack that's more of an explosion, roll everything once then distribute damage among targets in the blast, as you and/or the GM sees fit.
ITEMS?
Bandages probably heal 1d4 Ticks.
More specialized first aid, or such first aid dispensed by a trained professional like a nurse or EMT, might heal 1d6 instead
If a trained pro (a doc) is supervising healing, overseeing medication, and so on, that might add another tick of healing to the base amount or increase the die by 1 size
Crazy regenerative super soldier serums derived from beast blood (NOT SAYING SUCH THINGS EXIST COUGHCOUGH) might heal 1d8, 1d10, or even 1d12 ticks. But the side-effects are risky.
Otherwise, you'll probably need to be treated multiple times over multiple short rests (seeing as how conventional healing takes time) to return to your starting clock value.
You might find ammo that makes your bullets burn or blow shit up. Or hinders beast regeneration. Stuff like that. It's usually consumed by a use, and might work until that gun is out-of-ammo.
Bulletproof vests reduce harm/ticks taken from an attack by 1, flat rate.
The whole she-bang like a helmet to go with, etc. will reduce harm taken by 2, instead. But this imposes mobility restrictions.
If you have a riot shield or something, maybe this is an extra, separate reduction of 1 tick of harm taken, and it might let you react to block & riposte attacks rather than simply dodge them. But that'll require a hand to use, so you can't really wield the bigger weapons at the same time.
OTHER MECHANICS
They would go here, if I think of some.
Note that the following playbooks are all for baseline humans, so they don't necessarily need any extra tidbits or level up mechanics. However, if it makes sense, feel free to award extra feats for a player's sheet, if they learned a new trick or something.
These humans have these four stats:
Body, to fight in melee, perform athletics, resist toxins, and resist physical transformation
Senses, to shoot real good and pick up on clues and social cues.
Brains, to figure stuff out, operate items, and generally do specialized stuff like medicine and repairs and so forth.
Will, to intimidate or seduce, to maintain sanity, to keep cool under pressure, to resist despair, desire, and mental transformation.
PLAYBOOKS
RIOT COP
Deployed en masse during the first waves of the infection, before the nature of the disease was fully understood. Nothing prepared them for this.
FEATS
Riot Gear - Start off with full riot gear, which reduces harm taken from firearms and melee attacks by 2, flat. However, this hinders mobility. Wearing just the vest only offers 1 flat rate harm reduction, but imposes no mobility cost. You also start with a shield that takes a hand to use, but having it in hand further reduces that conventional harm taken by 1.
Riot Grenades - You start the campaign with 3 uses of special grenades. You get 1 extra grenade at the start of each session. Grenades can be spent to produce smoke, tear gas, loud noise, and bright light. If this feels like an attack, roll once and deal 1d4 ticks of harm to EACH target in the blast, separately.
Riot Arsenal - Begin the campaign with 3 guns, all have ammo. One of them is a sidearm, like a pistol or a tazer. Another is a kind of shotgun, either normal or purposed with less-lethal rounds. The third is a weapon of your choice and imagination, have fun 🙂
Deescalation - You are trained in crowd control. Your unarmed attacks deal 1d4 damage and you can grapple beasts or put someone in a headlock. When you block attacks, like a punch with your forearm or a shot with your shield, you can counterattack on a 12+ roll. Inflict harm with your weapon, at no cost to yourself.
MEDIC
Any kind of healing role like EMT, nurse, even doctor would go well here. These professionals were some of the first victimized by the infection.
FEATS
First Aid Kit - You start the campaign with 3 uses of your First Aid kit and get an extra use at the start of each session. First Aid can be used to produce special bandages or whatever specialized tool you need to heal an injury. You can administer these yourself or give them to others, either way they will heal 1d6 ticks of Harm.
Healing Pro - If you're administering healing, or overseeing someone administer the healing, then make that 1d8. It doesn't matter if it's one of your First Aid kit items or another item.
Diagnosis - A good look at someone and you can figure out what's wrong with them and how to treat them, those sorts of questions. Ask the GM if you need to, take +1 to the relevant roll if you act on your answer. You can also just ask the GM the ticks remaining on an enemy's clock.
The Basics - You don't start off with much else for protection. But you can begin your campaign with a sidearm like a pistol or a tazer.
WOODSMAN
This guy has been prepping his whole life for a world-ending scenario, looks like they got exactly what they wanted.
FEATS
Legal Arsenal - You begin the campaign with 5 guns, all of them have ammo. One should be a sidearm like a pistol, but all should be weapons that could be reasonably legally acquired by a civilian of the United States.
Extra Ammo - At the start of each session, give any one of your guns ammo, if they were out of ammo. You may also do so again, at will, one time per session.
Illegal Arsenal - You begin the campaign with 1 extra weapon that shouldn't reasonably, conceivably be acquired in a legal manner by a civilian. Have fun with that. It also starts with ammo.
Survivalist - You can use Brains to roll to track animals' trails, know the location of important installations, purify water and detect poison, and so forth.
You get the idea. Here are some other class ideas:
Researcher
Marine
Spec Ops
VIP
Etc.
Generic Smutty Fantasy Setting
PREMISE:
Darkness and corruption spread across the land, whispering evil into the hearts of men and making monsters emerge from the depths of obscurity. With darkness comes cruelty and hunger, with corruption comes lust and desire. But brave heroes have come forth to meet the darkness with the lights of their hearts--To fuck and fight the forces of evil!
PLAYBOOKS
Every hero is of two natures... Their main class, and their subclass/domclass. Their main class is their usual, presentable, buttoned-up nature... Such as Druid or Cleric or Paladin or Fighter. Their 'off-class', however, is a reflection of their true nature. Whore-Lord, Healslut, Pole Dancer, and so on. As heroes get stronger and level up, they take new feats from both classes in equal measure. Generally, sub/dom-class on an even level, main class on an odd level.
To create your character, pick a main-class and take the 3 starting feats from that, then an off-class and the 2 starting feats from that. This list includes starting feats and learned feats, or 'advanced feats'.
The base amount of harm you deal is 1d4, but this may be modified by your classes. Increasing size by 1 means upgrading 1d4 to 1d6, 1d6 to 1d8, etc.
You get five stats instead of 4. Assign them with these values: +3, +2, +1, 0, -1 as you see fit.
Three of these stats are from your main class and two are from your off-class.
If you have the relevant stat, you can do what you want to do. So if a stat is Arcana, you can cast spells or research magic. Otherwise, just use your closest relevant stat.
SOME MAIN CLASSES...
Fighter
STATS: Fight, Defend, Move
FEATS
Martial Weapons - Increase harm die by 1 size. You start off with multiple weapons of your choice, or one pimped-out weapon with a cool effect.
Pretty in Armor - You can wear light armor, which reduces relevant harm ticks by a flat 1, without penalty. You can wear heavy armor, which instead reduces harm by 2, but gives you -1 to Move while worn.
??? -
ADVANCED
Riposte - Inflict Harm as a free counterattack, when you roll to Defend and score a 12+.
Swift Moves - Reposition yourself and/or the enemy, instantly and to your liking, when you roll to Move and score a 12+.
???
Wizard
STATS: Arcana, Melee, Run
FEATS
Battle Magic - Increase Harm dealt with magic by 1 size. You can always roll Arcana to inflict harm with spells, or counter/reflect/dispel magic.
Cast Spells - Roll using Arcana to cast spells of your choice. Refer to the list below!
Spell List - Pick some of these as spells you know:
Fireball, Lightning, Invisibility, Magic Missile, Light, Mage Armor, Summon Monster, Acid Spray, Chilling Touch, etc.
Their effects are exactly as they sound like.
Ranger
STATS: Archery, Nature, Run & Hide
FEATS
Bond with Nature - You may roll using Nature to cast a nature-themed spell such as roots that entangle, speaking to animals, and healing mist. You can also use Nature when tracking, interacting with beasts and so forth.
Skillshot - You can target specific body parts with Archery, not only inflicting harm but also the relevant effect, like disarming or tripping.
Quick Feet - You can wear light armor, which reduces Harm taken from most attacks by 1. Whether or not you wear it, you move swiftly.
More main-classes
More main-classes II
More main-classes III
SOME OFF-CLASSES...
Whore-Lord
STATS: Command, Dominate
FEATS
Bottom Bitches - You have two slutty servants that obey your whims, unless your command is extremely degrading, in which case you might need to roll to Command them. They are weaklings and go down in one hit, but they will execute your will to the best of your ability.
Recruit - You may roll to Dominate a weak(ened) enemy, forcing them to serve you as loyally as your Bottom Bitches. Their stats will degrade and become inferior, but they will still serve nicely!
ADVANCED
Perfect Command - On a 12+ when Commanding, the outcome is particularly exceptional... Your servant has done a splendid job!
Punishment - You can roll to Dominate a servant like you're about to inflict harm or attack them. However, their clock is instead ROLLED BACK for the amount that it would've been pushed closer to Midnight, healing them.
Masochist
STATS: Suffer, Beg
FEATS
Savor Suffering - Instead of blocking or evading harm, you can Suffer it, embrace it even. On a partial or full success, you will not take Harm, but you will take any other effects as established; ie, you still bleed or get thrown.
Harm Reduction - When you take harm, and it exceeds 3 ticks, reduce it by 1.
ADVANCED
True Suffering - When you Suffer, on a 12+, roll back your clock equivalent to the amount of harm that you would've taken.
Harm Reflection - Harm Reduction now also inflicts that same 1 tick you would've suffered back onto the attacker. The nature of this redirected harm is supernatural but commensurate with the attack; describe it
GENERIC SMUTTY FANTASY SETTING ENEMIES
Kobold
9 PM, 1d2 Ticks
Everyone loves these slutty shortstacks. They burrow, tinker, make traps, and suck dragon dick.
Sex Cultist
LEADER: 6 PM, 1d6 Ticks
ACOLYTE: 9 PM, 1d4 Ticks
Sure it's all the sex you could want, but you gotta give over your soul to chaos? Hello?
Barbarian
SLAVE: 11 PM, 1d2 Ticks
WARRIOR: 6 PM, 1d8 Ticks
BERSERKER: 6 PM, 1d12 Ticks
WARLORD: 1 PM, 1d12 Ticks
Slaves grovel and serve as meat shields, warriors fight in bands, berserkers seek out targets in single combat, and warlords either have a good laugh in the back or lead from the front.
Bandit
9 PM or later, 1d4 Ticks
These guys are wanted and desperate. Most have knives, some have swords and axes, and one guy has a crossbow. Oh and they haven't fucked in days
Kitsune
6 PM, 1d4 Ticks
They will use illusions to waste your time, seduction to distract and disarm, and if all else fails, summon monsters or flames to lay waste.
You get the idea. Pick two numbers for the stats and think up some interesting things for them to do. It's like putting together a salad... But you need THE SAUCE!
THE SAUCE
This world continues to fall into anarchy and corruption. So toss some afflictions into the mix!
Tentacle Touch
Progression: Slimy skin, turning purple, dissolving bones, noodly arms, suction cups
Threat: Becoming a helpless pile of tentacles.
This affliction spreads by contact with an infected victim's tentacle. Should that tentacle inflict 1 or more ticks, the victim is also infected, spreading from the point of contact. Each turn the victim takes, they will take 1 Tick and drop something they're holding, as their limbs progress towards tentacleification. If the victim's clock is 6 PM or later, they will take -1 to strength and mobility-related rolls while infected. Easy to cure.
Cock Tongue
Progression: Mouth becomes a pussy and tongue becomes a penis. Different variants, different penis.
Threat: Speechless
This affliction spreads by infected fluids reaching the oral area. Starting from the victim's next turn, every time they try to speak, drink a potion, or cast a spell, they will take 1 Tick and their disease progresses. They can avoid progression by minimizing oral movements, but oral sex will exacerbate the changes. If that take 3 ticks because of this affliction, it becomes semi-permanent: The victim no longer takes Ticks from progression as the oral genitalia are now fully formed. However, they will now take penalties towards rolls using said oral motions: -1 if their cock-tongue is small/canine, disadvantage if medium/humanoid, and complete inability to do said potion-chugging, spellcasting, or speech if penis is large/equine. This disease is easily cured.
Shroom Disease
Progression: Itchy spots, reddish spots, white spots on red spots, allergies, then full-blown ERUPTION into a bunch of erogenous, phallic mushrooms.
Threat: Becoming an immobile mass of mushroom cocks.
This affliction spreads by spores in the air. When someone inhales them, the stuff will suffuse through their system and bloodstream. Upon a successful infection this way, the GM rolls a dice... Ideally 1d8 or larger. Keep track of this number, and let the roll be secret or public, your move. This number is how many turns it will take until the victim's infection blooms. Every time the victim takes a turn, the minor symptoms of the infection will manifest more and more, but only on the final turn do all the mushrooms erupt from their body. When they take this turn, the victim will take Ticks to their clock equal to the that roll. So if they rolled a 10, they'll take 10 ticks on that 10th turn, instantly. This obviously ignores armor and so forth. Even if the victim survives this harm, they will become immobile, rooted in place to the spot where they erupted. This disease is easily cured, until the mushrooms erupt.
You get the idea. You can also throw in things like crazy curses, sexual weaknesses, cursed/enchanted items, and so forth. The idea is to start with a vanilla base and then throw in whatever smuttery you want, seasoning to your table's taste!
WIP
A simple pickup-and-play tabletop game, based on Apocalypse World and its derivatives. Some design goals:
Simple
Rules-lite
Offers complexity if needed
'playable with one hand' (No need for stat tracking beyond what you can remember off the top of your head. No need for maps, etc.)
Mechanics
Clocks instead of HP - Recognizing that loss-by-TF is a thing, HP is instead represented by clocks. Your clock tends to start at 1 PM, and instead of damage, your clock increments by so-and-so amount. If your click hits 12 PM (Midnight), you're done for.
Mechanically, this gives you effectively about 11 HP. Curses and pacts and so on can permanently increment your clock, making your rollbacks and resets turn back to 2 PM or 3 PM, for example. Classes are more tanky simply by virtue of their feats and damage reduction.
Playing around that - We can understand the following: 1d4 = 2.5 damage, 1d6 = 3.5 damage, 1d8 = 4.5 damage, 1d10 = 5.5 damage.
Rarely, 1d12 = 6.5, 1d20 = 10.5, or 10 vs 11.
We can understand that a 1d20 is effectively a 50/50 one shot.
Therefore, if the average attack is 1d6, then it takes 3 average attacks to down a player (3.5 x 3 = 10.5~)
TF can be thought of as increments. Each tick of the TF effect deals 1 clock tick, or 1 damage. We can think of it as happening each turn, or every time something happens. For example, consider the threat of becoming a werewolf. Each step towards the bad end, losing your mind in ferality, is 1 tick of the clock. We can represent this in the fiction with each TF stage, like growing fur.
Consider:
Instead of increasing the 'damage' / ticks dealt by each TF stage (which you could), why not try letting other TFs increment for their own ticks? Or perhaps the enemy is fucking the player, dealing their damage alongside the TF.
1 Tick = TF stage +1, 7-9 roll result, very weak attack. But try to avoid damage here.
1d4 ticks = Goblin attack
1d6 ticks = Bandit attack
1d8 ticks = Orc attack
1d10 = Ogre attack
1d12 = Boss attack. This can instakill from full HP, be careful!
1d20 = Apocalyptic attack
Extrapolate from there.
Note that aside from the clock ticks, the harm as established is shaped like itself. If you're tied up, then yeah that can tick your clock, but you're also tied up. Similarly, being untied doesn't roll back your clock, your clock only rolls back when you're specifically told to roll it back.
ROLLING IN LUDIVINE'S GHOST
Same rules as Apoc World and derivatives.
10+ = Great result, full success, no caveat.
7-9 = Success but with complication--Partial success.
6- = Failure! GM decides. If you wanna be brutal, ALSO reduce their clock by 1
As per other APOC WORLD games, you can consider some of these complications and failures:
Offer a hard choice between two outcomes for the player to choose
Give them the worse version of their intended result
Expose them to a counterattack (Simply deal 1dX damage from the enemy in question)
Increment one of their threats / clocks (They have a TF ongoing? Go ahead and tick their clock by 1)
Etc.
REGAINING TIME
Rolling back your clock is a bit more esoteric than just recovering HP. But basically any magic that dispenses with harm will usually roll back time. For example, curative magic will not only heal wounds but dispel curses and so forth. Some potions can also roll back, via undoing the last source of harm entirely, or by a bit. Such as by stating 'roll back your clock by 1 tick and undo the last harm by a proportionate amount' or 'roll back all ticks inflicted by your last harm, as well as the harm's effect'
Sometimes the GM will be charitable and just roll back your clock by some amount as well, but that should only be a bit, and only rarely.
For the most part, your most reliable way to roll back time is to roll back 1 tick whenever a threat is dealt with (a battle, a trap, etc.), maybe make that 1d4 if it was a battle, or roll back all the way when taking a long rest or out of danger for a while.
STATS IN LUDIVINE'S GHOST
So we know clock stuff, what about stats? How to roll? Just roll 2d6 if the thing you're trying to do is risky and there's stakes involved. Don't roll 2d6 for every step on a staircase or something, that's goofy. Don't roll if there's no meaningful chance to fail, or consequence for failure. Instead, just do the thing.
You have 4 stats for your character, assign them the following values if you're just making it: +2, +1, +0, -1. Roll using that stat's value added to your base 2d6, so 2d6+2 or 2d6-1. As far as which stats are relevant to your roll... That depends on your character! A character sheet has the 4 listed stats on it. So refer there, not here. The unique arrangements of their stats and what they stand for gives characters some fancy customization.
Your character also deals a certain amount of harm, based on what ability they use and/or their character sheet. Refer to that when you're reducing the enemy's clock. But understand that that value is called Harm, same as the Harm that a given type of enemy can inflict to you.
So, Clocks, Harm, and Stats are your important attributes aside from whatever your character sheet has to say about the matter.
ROLLS AND ABILITIES
To clarify: you act, y'know making a regular roll, when the spotlight's on you and the table is waiting to see what you're going to do or how you're going to act. Generally, when you do your thing, that resolves your turn of sorts and the action switches to elsewhere.
Reacting, however, is more like when the enemy is acting upon you and there should be a roll, but monsters don't roll. So you need to roll to see if you successfully fend off ('save') vs the enemy's move. Note that this doesn't count against you as a turn per say, for what it's worth.
First, understand that you can just use a regular, generic, basic, whatever roll to do something. This is a 2d6 roll and has no special attributes.
Second, when you're trying to harm something, that's called an attack and while you still roll 2d6 to hit, you might have to roll something else or inflict a certain amount of ticks to the enemy's clock or so forth. But understand that an Attack is a class of roll which is modified by rolls and so on.
You may also discern, which is when you roll an intellectual stat to ask a question of your choice. The GM will give you an answer.
Aid is also something you can do, which doesn't require a roll, increases your ally's roll by giving it advantage/+1, but exposes you to the harm/consequences if it goes poorly. It's generally an action.
Finally, if you're going blows to blows with the enemy, sometimes you can ask to trade damage (if reacting or acting vs an attack), taking the harm without a roll but inflicting your own harm in return.
But those are all edge cases and caveats. Most of the time, you roll basic. Sometimes, you attack. Rarely, you do the other stuff.
If you feel like you should be able to react to an attack, or a spell, or a TF effect, go ahead and speak up! A roll is almost always fair game, and the best part is when you have even more chances to fail miserably.
OPTIONAL FUN
If someone rolls a 12 or higher, they could see a 'critical success': give them the even-better-than-expected outcome if you want, GM!
If someone rolls a 2 (Snake eyes), that could be a 'critical failure': this could spell disaster! But make it fair.
If you want to be cruel, make players' clocks increment by 1 tick every time they take a turn, outcome be damned.
BALANCE CONSIDERATIONS
First, understand that the average harm is dealing 3-ish ticks per hit. This includes PCs and NPCs.
Know that within the scope of 10-ish harm coming from each side of the field (allied and enemy), each round, that means it's okay to offer players 'free harm healing' at the expense of their turn. Suppose 1 Harm without the need to roll or 3 harm with a roll (say if they cast a spell)
You can inflict penalties onto players' stats, as opposed to simply dealing ticks of harm. -1 to a stat is a decently debilitating debuff and can be inflicted onto each stat once, without being unfair. This kind of 'debuff' can be healed like ticks, perhaps a spell can heal this instead of 1d4 harm or whatever is the otherwise established effect.
So for example, roll 2d6+2-1 is 2d6+1.
Healing should be harder to come by and more limited than dealing damage. Consider other effects independent of the mechanical harm, like a 'silence' debuff that prevents the victim from casting spells.
These can all be inflicted as part of a TF's progression but do try to be reasonable with the severity of the effects. I recommend saving your worst effects for after a few ticks into the TF's duration.
TFs can state that they last for 'until X amount of ticks is dealt, 1 by 1 each turn', or 'until cured' or whatever other kind of stipulation you want. Think of them like a 'damage over time' tool!
THINGS THAT AMUSE ME
Sticks and stones deal 1 ticks
Some guy trying to kick your ass deals 1d4 ticks
A monk, a knife, and a sword walk into a bar and deal 1d6 ticks each
That big-ass sword that eats virgins for breakfast deals 1d8 ticks if you're man enough to hold it.
Shit like 1d10 ticks and higher is only dealt by badass dudes and not some freaking player unless your sheet specifically says you'd do that.
But otherwise, players deal like 1d4/1d6/1d8 ticks, depending on if they're a weak-ass wizard getting into a barfight or a daemon hunter with a burning blade.
Some bandages heal like 1d4 ticks, but it's not easy to put on
Some healing potion heals like 1d6 ticks, but it's not easy to come by and not cheap
That guy who always brags about going to 'Magic School' could probably heal you for 1d4 ticks if you hold still and don't make him nervous
Your fellow PC could probs heal you for 1d6 ticks in a pinch.
None of this will heal you if it doesn't make sense. Bandages don't heal freaky ears.
THINGS THAT SCARE ME
I don't really have to do 1d6 ticks to you up front, I could deal the maximum amount (6) by electing to do it over time. The first point pops off instantly and each point pops off per turn or so on. If it were like 2d4, I could deal 2 ticks per turn instead of 1, for a total of 4 x 2 = 8.
Resolving the harm's fictional effect (like bondage, bleeding, so forth) doesn't necessarily resolve the ticks to the clock. But healing the ticks should always resolve the fictional effect. So a healing spell doesn't just adjust that clock number and nothing else, it should have an effect on the character. So if it's not to cure a specific fictional effect as part of the clock rollback, don't bother casting the spell because that doesn't make sense.
In general, the fictional effect isn't always harm, and a fictional effect doesn't necessarily carry harm--But the harm/ticks are always inflicted with a fictional effect! So casting a spell to give someone wolf ears isn't necessarily harm or going to do anything. But casting a spell to inflict harm as a player, must intend to actually have an effect that'll sensibly do harm.
Remember:
A breather is when the threat is dealt with. Every player regains 1 tick on their clock, doesn't matter if it was an actual battle, trap, high-stakes social situation, or a jumpscare.
If the breather was after a fight, make that 1d4 ticks.
A short rest is when everyone agrees to sit down and chill out for a bit. This will make everyone regain 1d4 ticks. Or whatever makes sense.
A long rest is when everyone's safe for a while and gets their shuteye, their bearings. This rarely happens DURING a session unless it's a longer-paced one. But generally a long rest can be assumed between sessions, if nothing's really happening. So if that rest was long, make the clocks reset to their rightful place and clear the debuffs to stats and so forth, along with fictional effects that make sense.
One more thing. Remember that the threat, ticks to the clock, and fictional effects are usually intertwined. But if it's a long rest situation and you got turned into a goo girl or some such, then you aren't technically in any danger if your transformation's stabilized and you still have leave of your senses and so forth. Therefore, you can clear the harm or whatever without the removal of the fictional effect. Work with the GM to sort out how that affects your sheet and stats and so forth.
Keep that transformation. It's yours now, friend.
YOUR CLOCK STRIKES MIDNIGHT. NOW WHAT?
If your clock hits Midnight, you get bad ended. Resolve that and play that out as needed. After that, it's generally good manners to wait until the threat that did you in is resolved. So suppose the boss disposes of you, but then the party defeats the boss. Then you can start talking with the GM and players about how to revive, reform, recover, replace, or otherwise resolve your character's dilemma. Any plot device or whatever is fine for this manner, shoot you can even heal after a battle if you want!
The main threat is really if all players get bad ended and no one's there to save them. In which case, that really spells a party wipe.
THE BIG CLOCK
Besides the players' clocks, there can be one big Clock which represents the progression and culmination of the threat at large (IE, an incoming invasion, the fortress's impending self-destruction, etc.)
This clock can be incremented instead of player clocks.
This clock doesn't have to move in sync with turns or rounds taken in battle or in-session in general, but it can.
Instead, the clock should increment 'based on what makes sense' and what steps the players take to roll back the threat or, alternately, progress the threat forward.
Once it hits midnight, the threat as established culminates; reap the consequences.
Feel free to discard the clock, roll it back, or change the nature of it once it resolves; this clock entirely belongs to the GM!
THINGS THAT AROUSE ME
A monster hunter has Athletics, Willpower, Knowledge, and Charisma as their 4 stats. Their fifth stat is Violence and that is +3.
That guy who really likes DND has 6 stats (you know which) and can set the extra 2 as +0 and +1. Throw them a couple extra stat points to distribute as they see fit
People that are kinda lazy with sheets can have Strength, Dexterity, Knowledge, Charisma as their stats.
Or maybe Vigor, Speed, Smarts, Social. Stuff like that.
Enemies that fight in big groups start their clocks at around 9 PM.
Enemies that fight in small groups start their clocks at around 6 PM.
Solo enemies start their clocks at 1 PM.
You can give enemies a second healthbar, simply by starting them at AM instead of PM. So an enemy that starts at 1 AM has something like effectively 23 HP. Good luck!
Try to avoid 'second healthbars' and just alter the amount of enemies and damage reduction and so forth, though.
Damage reduction can be in terms of free 'damage negations', like one or twice per battle... Or flat reduction to each time ticks are imposed on the clock. So you know.
Monsters don't have stats like Strength or Lust or whatever. Don't do that or make them roll. Instead, reword and rework their features to play off of the player... Instead of a monster rolling strength to hit, let the player roll to block or evade that.
You don't need stronger weapons to deal more direct harm. Simply let them inflict other/extra effects in the fiction. For example, an enchanted blade might capture the slain's souls so that you may interrogate them. Or maybe the attack sets things aflame, ignores armor/protection, or so forth.
Don't take any of this stuff you read after ROLLS AND ABILITIES as hard canon rules or something. It's just to give you a feel for the numbers and options.
SCHEMATICS FOR CLASSES
Tackle classes from this kinda POV:
Give warriors opportunities to reduce damage taken or increase damage dealt.
Let spellcasters have more opportunities to affect the fiction and non-mechanical related aspects. These include invisibility, teleportation, illusion, that kinda stuff.
Come up with 3 to 5 starting feats or whatever for the class you wanna make.
Give 'em a good mix of passive stat increases, boosts to rolls, once-per-battle/session powers, new kinds of rolls they can make, and so on.
The player and GM can work together to make a sheet that'll make sense and fit well with the planned session.
For example, GM wants to make a session where folks turn into werewolves. That's dope. We can use existing character sheets or new ones for the session. The GM has this kind of prep in mind:
Paranoid Hunter
9 PM (Lost in the woods)
1d4 Harm (Hunting Rifle)
Some human in over their head. Will shoot at loud noises. Might attack the players even if they show themselves and 'prove' they're human, by figuring they're probably werewolves if they're out this late. Might be alone or as a hunting party.
Pack Bitch
6 PM (Rather runty)
1d6 Harm (Claws)
This werewolf is low in the pecking order. Either recently turned, particularly weak, or of low breeding quality. Either found skulking alone or in service of the Alpha.
Alpha Werewolf
1 PM (A real beast)
1d10 Harm (Big claws)
A really big werewolf. Usually commands a pack in battle.
Lycanthropy
This effect deals up to 1 Tick to the victim's clock per scene. It's a bit of a slow burner so players can try to find a cure. All werewolves inflict this, but the Pack Bitch's version can be cured by regular healing. Alpha Werewolf bites can only be cured by a special recipe, which must be sussed out.
Threat: Bad ending will turn you into a 'NPC' until resolved: A Pack Bitch at 6 PM that deals 1d6 Harm.
Stages: Fur, wolf ears, tail, increased size, snout, so forth.
One shouldn't prepare overly much prep, because who knows what direction the game will take! Prep should be focused on interesting and novel ideas, as well as some barebones mechanics. So, with these in mind, why not offer some thematic character sheets or playbooks for the players to choose from?
Imagine you presented the players the options to choose between these books, in private:
A Folk Healer class which can prepare lycanthropy cures with the right ingredients and prep. Other features include healing in general.
A Priest class which has access to stronger, instant healing but must adhere to certain rules of conduct (ie no inflicting harm, or a chastity requirement). Also able to cure lycanthropy with a ritual.
A Werewolf Hunter class that can track quarry, use a variety of weapons, and inflict a lot of harm with attacks.
A Town Guard who has more durability / damage reduction than the average sheet, along with some investigation-related abilities
A Villager who might have average or mediocre stats and so on, but perhaps has some niche ability or special connection to the werewolves, which might benefit the party if made use of.
...A Werewolf Traitor, someone already infected with Lycanthropy and waiting to reveal themselves so as to doom the party! (Cruel no?) It could very well be that the Traitor can still work with the rest of the party to resolve the quest, but will be forced to turn into a NPC werewolf (and play that out) if clock is reduced to Midnight or some such.
I'll be sure to detail what sheets in general look like at some point, but these are some more suggestions to keep in mind. As LUDIVINE'S GHOST is tailored for one-shots, customized sheets and content keep things fresh!
SCENARIOS FROM THE TOP OF MY HEAD
Merging Animals
PREMISE:
A strange infection grips the nation, spreading from animal to animal. This zoonotic disease, pathogen unknown, is making animals savage. Savage animals then attack and -merge- with humans! It is a monstrous thing to behold, but the results are half-beast, half-human hybrids, walking on two legs... But with none of the humanity, only a desire to help more of their quadrupedal comrades claim human bodies!
VICIOUS VERMIN
CLOCK: 11 PM (Easily dispensed with)
HARM: 1 TICK (A weak bite or scratch)
This is a small animal that fits in the hand, like a rat. While weak, it might approach in numbers or sneak in from behind/beneath. Consider allowing this creature a special attack that'll let it pierce the player's armor/protection if the player fails their save.
PACK BEAST
CLOCK: 9 PM (Comes in groups)
HARM: 1d4 TICKS (Savage animal attack)
Dogs, hyenas, and such that not only show feral ferocity, but can work together. Their intelligence is greater than base animal intellect; they are able to work together to scale walls, distract players and use tactics. If a Pack Beast attacks a victim alongside other animals/beasts, let 1 Pack Beast deal maximum damage (4) instead of rolling.
BIPEDAL BEAST
CLOCK: 6 PM (Fights alongside other bipeds and pack beasts)
HARM: 1d6 TICKS (Wields a weapon once used by victim)
Might carry arms and armor. Once humanoids, but transformed into beasts by virtue of the virus/curse/so on. They are as intelligent as a human and able to use any device that a humanoid can use, even if they might not look it. However, they are NOT able to inflict 'Monstrous Merge', as they are already created by the effects of a Monstrous Merge on another creature.
You might grant each of them a feature based on the animal that they're based off of. Maybe uncanny speed from a gazelle, a terrifying roar from a lion, or so on.
AMBUSH PREDATOR
CLOCK: 4 PM to 6 PM (Depending on the size of the predator)
HARM: 1d6 or 1d8 TICKS (Depending on the size of the predator)
Big cats and crocodiles and so on. This kind of creature relies on surprise, so you may want to let it dish its first attack onto the player at either maximum damage, or without allowing them to react with a save. If the animal succeeds in inflicting harm, it will continue to attack players to capitalize on this. If it fails or feels outnumbered / threatened, it will simply try to escape. This animal does not cooperate as closely with other beasts, but can still participate in tactics by attacking players that are separated or distracted. Distracted is an easy way to score a 'free' hit.
GIANT ANIMAL
CLOCK: 1 PM (As big as it is durable)
HARM: 1d8 TICKS (Bear attack, rhino charge, etc.)
All beasts have minor regenerative properties, which you might exaggerate or amplify for the sake of difficulty. However, the Giant Animal's ability to take blows lets that property really shine. Let this creature roll back its clock by 1 tick with each of its turns, you should also demonstrate as much to the player: bruises fading, vigor returning, etc.
Even if reduced to Midnight, the beast might get back up after a sufficient amount of time spent recovering. And of course, it has the properties like the base animal, such as a hippo's barrel-busting bite or a rhino's ability to batter through a door.
BEAST MASTER
CLOCK: 1 PM
HARM: 1d8, 1d10, or 1d12 (May use its own claws or a heavy weapon like a machine gun)
A BIPEDAL BEAST that functions as pack leader for the other beasts, two-legged or four. Serves as a good boss encounter. The BEAST MASTER might be wearing armor that reduces all harm taken by 1. Might be hiding in an opportune location, like on top of a roof and wielding a sniper rifle. Perhaps surrounded by lesser beasts which prevents the player from getting through to them easily.
They will tend to use two types of weapons... Either their unarmed attack, or preferably their actual weapon. Think about giving them something fun and overkill, maybe an RPG.
As an extra feature, you might give them some kind of COMMAND ability--Which can increase a target's harm dealt by 1, or make them roll maximum harm when inflicting it, or so on, in addition to or instead of what they'd usually do on their turn.
VARIATIONS
CIVILIAN - You might find it fun to add regular people or some such, to convey the threat level. Normal humans can be taken down in one hit, allowing VICIOUS VERMIN and especially PACK BEASTS to swiftly merge into them, becoming bipeds! This will create even more threats for the PCs to deal with, so players are left with the choice to protect civilians from harm or stay far away from them and leave them to their fates.
FLYING PEST - As per VICIOUS VERMIN, but impose a -1 penalty or even disadvantage if the player tries to hit it, as it can fly.
TO CLARIFY...
Beasts have regenerative potential due to their nature of their transformation. You may use that fact if you want to minimize the amount of blood in a session set in a modern battlefield.
Beasts are sapient but have no inclination towards mercy, negotiation, or talking. Their primary goal is to ravage and assimilate others.
Beast regeneration can be represented as 1 Tick per each of their turns if you want, or a flat 1 reduction to ticks taken from weapon-related harm.
MECHANICS FOR THE SCENARIO
Monstrous Merge
This particular type of transformation can be inflicted by any quadrupedal animal on this list. When the animal connects with a melee attack, it forgo damage in order to sacrifice itself, thereby merging with the player. This only applies if the attack would have dealt harm. The player will then start to take 1 Tick on their clock every one of their turns, as they undergo a very intense transformation towards the shape of a bipedal beast. Cracking bones and shifting flesh makes it difficult to move; if the player tries to do anything while under this effect, they do so with disadvantage. (Roll twice, take worst result). The kind of beast they become is the same as their attacker, effectively letting the 'sacrificed' beast take control of their body if the Clock hits midnight; replace the PC with a Bipedal Beast NPC. (Set to starting/max Time)
This transformation is difficult to cure, but things like exorcisms have a shot. Curing it will separate the animal from the host/victim, putting the animal back into play and reset to its starting Time.
GUNS OR WHATEVER
Sometimes, you want Harm and so on to be fixed based on the character. However, this scenario may benefit from specific guns-and-ammo rules.
Claws and bites and so on are based on the size and viciousness of the animal.
A melee weapon like a billy club or a knife deals 1d4 ticks.
A sidearm like a pistol deals 1d6 ticks.
SMGs might deal 2d4 ticks or 1d8 ticks.
A standard issue rifle used by the military deals 1d10 ticks, or 1d6+1d4 ticks.
Machine guns deal 3d4 ticks or 1d12 ticks. Shotguns too.
A RPG deals 1d20 ticks. Or something.
Tazers and tranqs deal 1 tick. If they deal any ticks after armor etc. is resolved, let them inflict their stunning effect.
Bipedal beasts are stronger, therefore deal +1 tick or 1d6 ticks with human melee weapons.
Bipedal beasts are less adept with guns, therefore deal -1 tick or a smaller damage die with such weapons.
AMMO is simple. Your gun either has ammo, or is out of ammo. You're only out of ammo if the GM specifically tells you that you are, as a result of a bad roll (usually a fail), or if the GM offers you the chance to be out of AMMO in exchange for a better outcome on a 7-9 choice.
If a gun's out of ammo, you'll need to find some for that kind of gun, or get a different gun. AMMO can be swapped between players, meaning that a player can make themselves OUT OF AMMO to let another player have ammo, if they have the same kind of gun and so forth.
Generally players shouldn't each be lugging around more than 2 or 3 guns, so let them track that as they must.
DEALING DAMAGE TO MULTIPLE FOES
We have guns with a high fire-rate, and pack enemies. It might be necessary to discuss how harm is distributed among them, in such cases.
For the most part, you distribute your damage among the foes. You can roll up all ticks dealt and distribute damage as you see fit among the targets. A gun that can hit multiple targets is usually one that rolls multiple dice; SMGs and Heavy Machine Guns, for instance. It might make the most sense to pick which target takes which dice's damage.
So for instance, a SMG might inflict 2d4, therefore 1d4 to each of 2 enemies. Or the AR might inflict 1d6 damage to 1 for and 1d4 to another, if on full-auto.
For an attack that's more of an explosion, roll everything once then distribute damage among targets in the blast, as you and/or the GM sees fit.
ITEMS?
Bandages probably heal 1d4 Ticks.
More specialized first aid, or such first aid dispensed by a trained professional like a nurse or EMT, might heal 1d6 instead
If a trained pro (a doc) is supervising healing, overseeing medication, and so on, that might add another tick of healing to the base amount or increase the die by 1 size
Crazy regenerative super soldier serums derived from beast blood (NOT SAYING SUCH THINGS EXIST COUGHCOUGH) might heal 1d8, 1d10, or even 1d12 ticks. But the side-effects are risky.
Otherwise, you'll probably need to be treated multiple times over multiple short rests (seeing as how conventional healing takes time) to return to your starting clock value.
You might find ammo that makes your bullets burn or blow shit up. Or hinders beast regeneration. Stuff like that. It's usually consumed by a use, and might work until that gun is out-of-ammo.
Bulletproof vests reduce harm/ticks taken from an attack by 1, flat rate.
The whole she-bang like a helmet to go with, etc. will reduce harm taken by 2, instead. But this imposes mobility restrictions.
If you have a riot shield or something, maybe this is an extra, separate reduction of 1 tick of harm taken, and it might let you react to block & riposte attacks rather than simply dodge them. But that'll require a hand to use, so you can't really wield the bigger weapons at the same time.
OTHER MECHANICS
They would go here, if I think of some.
Note that the following playbooks are all for baseline humans, so they don't necessarily need any extra tidbits or level up mechanics. However, if it makes sense, feel free to award extra feats for a player's sheet, if they learned a new trick or something.
These humans have these four stats:
Body, to fight in melee, perform athletics, resist toxins, and resist physical transformation
Senses, to shoot real good and pick up on clues and social cues.
Brains, to figure stuff out, operate items, and generally do specialized stuff like medicine and repairs and so forth.
Will, to intimidate or seduce, to maintain sanity, to keep cool under pressure, to resist despair, desire, and mental transformation.
PLAYBOOKS
RIOT COP
Deployed en masse during the first waves of the infection, before the nature of the disease was fully understood. Nothing prepared them for this.
FEATS
Riot Gear - Start off with full riot gear, which reduces harm taken from firearms and melee attacks by 2, flat. However, this hinders mobility. Wearing just the vest only offers 1 flat rate harm reduction, but imposes no mobility cost. You also start with a shield that takes a hand to use, but having it in hand further reduces that conventional harm taken by 1.
Riot Grenades - You start the campaign with 3 uses of special grenades. You get 1 extra grenade at the start of each session. Grenades can be spent to produce smoke, tear gas, loud noise, and bright light. If this feels like an attack, roll once and deal 1d4 ticks of harm to EACH target in the blast, separately.
Riot Arsenal - Begin the campaign with 3 guns, all have ammo. One of them is a sidearm, like a pistol or a tazer. Another is a kind of shotgun, either normal or purposed with less-lethal rounds. The third is a weapon of your choice and imagination, have fun 🙂
Deescalation - You are trained in crowd control. Your unarmed attacks deal 1d4 damage and you can grapple beasts or put someone in a headlock. When you block attacks, like a punch with your forearm or a shot with your shield, you can counterattack on a 12+ roll. Inflict harm with your weapon, at no cost to yourself.
MEDIC
Any kind of healing role like EMT, nurse, even doctor would go well here. These professionals were some of the first victimized by the infection.
FEATS
First Aid Kit - You start the campaign with 3 uses of your First Aid kit and get an extra use at the start of each session. First Aid can be used to produce special bandages or whatever specialized tool you need to heal an injury. You can administer these yourself or give them to others, either way they will heal 1d6 ticks of Harm.
Healing Pro - If you're administering healing, or overseeing someone administer the healing, then make that 1d8. It doesn't matter if it's one of your First Aid kit items or another item.
Diagnosis - A good look at someone and you can figure out what's wrong with them and how to treat them, those sorts of questions. Ask the GM if you need to, take +1 to the relevant roll if you act on your answer. You can also just ask the GM the ticks remaining on an enemy's clock.
The Basics - You don't start off with much else for protection. But you can begin your campaign with a sidearm like a pistol or a tazer.
WOODSMAN
This guy has been prepping his whole life for a world-ending scenario, looks like they got exactly what they wanted.
FEATS
Legal Arsenal - You begin the campaign with 5 guns, all of them have ammo. One should be a sidearm like a pistol, but all should be weapons that could be reasonably legally acquired by a civilian of the United States.
Extra Ammo - At the start of each session, give any one of your guns ammo, if they were out of ammo. You may also do so again, at will, one time per session.
Illegal Arsenal - You begin the campaign with 1 extra weapon that shouldn't reasonably, conceivably be acquired in a legal manner by a civilian. Have fun with that. It also starts with ammo.
Survivalist - You can use Brains to roll to track animals' trails, know the location of important installations, purify water and detect poison, and so forth.
You get the idea. Here are some other class ideas:
Researcher
Marine
Spec Ops
VIP
Etc.
Generic Smutty Fantasy Setting
PREMISE:
Darkness and corruption spread across the land, whispering evil into the hearts of men and making monsters emerge from the depths of obscurity. With darkness comes cruelty and hunger, with corruption comes lust and desire. But brave heroes have come forth to meet the darkness with the lights of their hearts--To fuck and fight the forces of evil!
PLAYBOOKS
Every hero is of two natures... Their main class, and their subclass/domclass. Their main class is their usual, presentable, buttoned-up nature... Such as Druid or Cleric or Paladin or Fighter. Their 'off-class', however, is a reflection of their true nature. Whore-Lord, Healslut, Pole Dancer, and so on. As heroes get stronger and level up, they take new feats from both classes in equal measure. Generally, sub/dom-class on an even level, main class on an odd level.
To create your character, pick a main-class and take the 3 starting feats from that, then an off-class and the 2 starting feats from that. This list includes starting feats and learned feats, or 'advanced feats'.
The base amount of harm you deal is 1d4, but this may be modified by your classes. Increasing size by 1 means upgrading 1d4 to 1d6, 1d6 to 1d8, etc.
You get five stats instead of 4. Assign them with these values: +3, +2, +1, 0, -1 as you see fit.
Three of these stats are from your main class and two are from your off-class.
If you have the relevant stat, you can do what you want to do. So if a stat is Arcana, you can cast spells or research magic. Otherwise, just use your closest relevant stat.
SOME MAIN CLASSES...
Fighter
STATS: Fight, Defend, Move
FEATS
Martial Weapons - Increase harm die by 1 size. You start off with multiple weapons of your choice, or one pimped-out weapon with a cool effect.
Pretty in Armor - You can wear light armor, which reduces relevant harm ticks by a flat 1, without penalty. You can wear heavy armor, which instead reduces harm by 2, but gives you -1 to Move while worn.
??? -
ADVANCED
Riposte - Inflict Harm as a free counterattack, when you roll to Defend and score a 12+.
Swift Moves - Reposition yourself and/or the enemy, instantly and to your liking, when you roll to Move and score a 12+.
???
Wizard
STATS: Arcana, Melee, Run
FEATS
Battle Magic - Increase Harm dealt with magic by 1 size. You can always roll Arcana to inflict harm with spells, or counter/reflect/dispel magic.
Cast Spells - Roll using Arcana to cast spells of your choice. Refer to the list below!
Spell List - Pick some of these as spells you know:
Fireball, Lightning, Invisibility, Magic Missile, Light, Mage Armor, Summon Monster, Acid Spray, Chilling Touch, etc.
Their effects are exactly as they sound like.
Ranger
STATS: Archery, Nature, Run & Hide
FEATS
Bond with Nature - You may roll using Nature to cast a nature-themed spell such as roots that entangle, speaking to animals, and healing mist. You can also use Nature when tracking, interacting with beasts and so forth.
Skillshot - You can target specific body parts with Archery, not only inflicting harm but also the relevant effect, like disarming or tripping.
Quick Feet - You can wear light armor, which reduces Harm taken from most attacks by 1. Whether or not you wear it, you move swiftly.
More main-classes
More main-classes II
More main-classes III
SOME OFF-CLASSES...
Whore-Lord
STATS: Command, Dominate
FEATS
Bottom Bitches - You have two slutty servants that obey your whims, unless your command is extremely degrading, in which case you might need to roll to Command them. They are weaklings and go down in one hit, but they will execute your will to the best of your ability.
Recruit - You may roll to Dominate a weak(ened) enemy, forcing them to serve you as loyally as your Bottom Bitches. Their stats will degrade and become inferior, but they will still serve nicely!
ADVANCED
Perfect Command - On a 12+ when Commanding, the outcome is particularly exceptional... Your servant has done a splendid job!
Punishment - You can roll to Dominate a servant like you're about to inflict harm or attack them. However, their clock is instead ROLLED BACK for the amount that it would've been pushed closer to Midnight, healing them.
Masochist
STATS: Suffer, Beg
FEATS
Savor Suffering - Instead of blocking or evading harm, you can Suffer it, embrace it even. On a partial or full success, you will not take Harm, but you will take any other effects as established; ie, you still bleed or get thrown.
Harm Reduction - When you take harm, and it exceeds 3 ticks, reduce it by 1.
ADVANCED
True Suffering - When you Suffer, on a 12+, roll back your clock equivalent to the amount of harm that you would've taken.
Harm Reflection - Harm Reduction now also inflicts that same 1 tick you would've suffered back onto the attacker. The nature of this redirected harm is supernatural but commensurate with the attack; describe it
GENERIC SMUTTY FANTASY SETTING ENEMIES
Kobold
9 PM, 1d2 Ticks
Everyone loves these slutty shortstacks. They burrow, tinker, make traps, and suck dragon dick.
Sex Cultist
LEADER: 6 PM, 1d6 Ticks
ACOLYTE: 9 PM, 1d4 Ticks
Sure it's all the sex you could want, but you gotta give over your soul to chaos? Hello?
Barbarian
SLAVE: 11 PM, 1d2 Ticks
WARRIOR: 6 PM, 1d8 Ticks
BERSERKER: 6 PM, 1d12 Ticks
WARLORD: 1 PM, 1d12 Ticks
Slaves grovel and serve as meat shields, warriors fight in bands, berserkers seek out targets in single combat, and warlords either have a good laugh in the back or lead from the front.
Bandit
9 PM or later, 1d4 Ticks
These guys are wanted and desperate. Most have knives, some have swords and axes, and one guy has a crossbow. Oh and they haven't fucked in days
Kitsune
6 PM, 1d4 Ticks
They will use illusions to waste your time, seduction to distract and disarm, and if all else fails, summon monsters or flames to lay waste.
You get the idea. Pick two numbers for the stats and think up some interesting things for them to do. It's like putting together a salad... But you need THE SAUCE!
THE SAUCE
This world continues to fall into anarchy and corruption. So toss some afflictions into the mix!
Tentacle Touch
Progression: Slimy skin, turning purple, dissolving bones, noodly arms, suction cups
Threat: Becoming a helpless pile of tentacles.
This affliction spreads by contact with an infected victim's tentacle. Should that tentacle inflict 1 or more ticks, the victim is also infected, spreading from the point of contact. Each turn the victim takes, they will take 1 Tick and drop something they're holding, as their limbs progress towards tentacleification. If the victim's clock is 6 PM or later, they will take -1 to strength and mobility-related rolls while infected. Easy to cure.
Cock Tongue
Progression: Mouth becomes a pussy and tongue becomes a penis. Different variants, different penis.
Threat: Speechless
This affliction spreads by infected fluids reaching the oral area. Starting from the victim's next turn, every time they try to speak, drink a potion, or cast a spell, they will take 1 Tick and their disease progresses. They can avoid progression by minimizing oral movements, but oral sex will exacerbate the changes. If that take 3 ticks because of this affliction, it becomes semi-permanent: The victim no longer takes Ticks from progression as the oral genitalia are now fully formed. However, they will now take penalties towards rolls using said oral motions: -1 if their cock-tongue is small/canine, disadvantage if medium/humanoid, and complete inability to do said potion-chugging, spellcasting, or speech if penis is large/equine. This disease is easily cured.
Shroom Disease
Progression: Itchy spots, reddish spots, white spots on red spots, allergies, then full-blown ERUPTION into a bunch of erogenous, phallic mushrooms.
Threat: Becoming an immobile mass of mushroom cocks.
This affliction spreads by spores in the air. When someone inhales them, the stuff will suffuse through their system and bloodstream. Upon a successful infection this way, the GM rolls a dice... Ideally 1d8 or larger. Keep track of this number, and let the roll be secret or public, your move. This number is how many turns it will take until the victim's infection blooms. Every time the victim takes a turn, the minor symptoms of the infection will manifest more and more, but only on the final turn do all the mushrooms erupt from their body. When they take this turn, the victim will take Ticks to their clock equal to the that roll. So if they rolled a 10, they'll take 10 ticks on that 10th turn, instantly. This obviously ignores armor and so forth. Even if the victim survives this harm, they will become immobile, rooted in place to the spot where they erupted. This disease is easily cured, until the mushrooms erupt.
You get the idea. You can also throw in things like crazy curses, sexual weaknesses, cursed/enchanted items, and so forth. The idea is to start with a vanilla base and then throw in whatever smuttery you want, seasoning to your table's taste!
WIP
