Alternate Core Documents

[Viewing_Glass]

Huzzah, progress!

Alright, so let's move down through the list of things we have:

• Feats of ridiculous strength (house towing prana)
  
  I'm not sure that's a unique feature of earth ponies, or if it was just because Big Mac has a STR 10 and Large Frame (And probably Strong Back, the perk that gives you +50 to your carrying capacity). Combine that with the effects of the 'love poison' (which I imagine enhanced his abilities so long as he was going to get to his schnooky-wookums) and that is a good explanation.
  
  Maybe a perk that let's them double or triple their carrying capacity for the purposes of dragging? Though, I'm actually surprised we don't have rules for the amount of weight a pony can drag.
• Mass earth movements (minecraft method)
  
  Solo, or with Raise this Barn?
• Temporary aviation (jetpacks)
  
  Ok, we need to answer how temporary and what rank of flight it gives. Flight 2 would put it squarely in the level 14 area (possibly lowered by one or two levels if it had an extremely short duration) as that is the level that a Unicorn can learn the Wings spell and gain flight 2. Flight 1 would be simpler, available at level 8 and could work similarly to a Bloodwing Talisman.
• Concept space for vehicles of various kinds
  
  Oooh, you don't think small, do you? Ok, so let's outline what type of vehicles we should be looking at. I can use my experience with the Stalliongrad game, my work as an engineer (RL) and my experience as a farmer (RL) to give us a rough materials list.

My initial thoughts are:

Tractor (Ground, possibly air)
Motorized Wagon (Ground)
Flying Wagon (Air, possibly in the same vein as Chitty Chitty Bang Bang).
Airship (Zeppelin!)
Mole Machine (Burrowing Underground)

Any other ideas on vehicles?

[Dimestream]

Idea! Since we've shifted away from the idea of REPLACING the invention mechanic with the idea of ADDING a 'flashy' way for Earth Ponies to strut their stuff, I would suggest this: Let's make it like MacGyver.Sure, Earth Ponies are good inventors and mechanics when they have time to sit down and design something. Thanqol wasn't really arguing that, I don't think. More of a "let's add something that we can do on the fly." I can see that sort of physics-and-common-sense-defying almost supernatural level of innovation having a limit. It'd be magic, after all, not a character trait. Some of the ideas already in the document had that kind of feel to them, like jimmying people's guns, or jury rigging things in a hurry rather than making new permanent items.

Adding an ability to supersede the normal times it takes to make things, in exchange for the items/solutions being temporary, seems like a fair trade to me. A gyrocopter hastily made from bicycles, ceiling fans, duct tape, and wishing REALLY HARD won't be as durable as one constructed in a proper shop. But it could be done, because Earth Ponies. Yes/no/pie?

[Viewing_Glass]

Yes, this sounds like an excellent idea. We can add that to the list as well. Perhaps having an item constructed in this fashion would have the 'Fragile' descriptor, having reduced HP/DT and be one or two critfails from falling completely apart.

[SilverlightPony]

Idea! Since we've shifted away from the idea of REPLACING the invention mechanic with the idea of ADDING a 'flashy' way for Earth Ponies to strut their stuff, I would suggest this: Let's make it like MacGyver.Sure, Earth Ponies are good inventors and mechanics when they have time to sit down and design something. Thanqol wasn't really arguing that, I don't think. More of a "let's add something that we can do on the fly." I can see that sort of physics-and-common-sense-defying almost supernatural level of innovation having a limit. It'd be magic, after all, not a character trait. Some of the ideas already in the document had that kind of feel to them, like jimmying people's guns, or jury rigging things in a hurry rather than making new permanent items.

Adding an ability to supersede the normal times it takes to make things, in exchange for the items/solutions being temporary, seems like a fair trade to me. A gyrocopter hastily made from bicycles, ceiling fans, duct tape, and wishing REALLY HARD won't be as durable as one constructed in a proper shop. But it could be done, because Earth Ponies. Yes/no/pie?

All of my yes.

[Dimestream]

Here's my suggestion: something that plays along with inventing instead of superseding it. And gives EP a few nice AHA moments when they can mechanic their way out of a situation.

Please note that I still have no problem with the way things currently are, but this is a bit of a compromise in trying to help Thanqol come up with a better way to go about what he's trying to do. It's based on his ideas, and still very much a work in progress, but it's here:

http://forum.fallout-equestria.com/view ... 9505#p9507

[Lost_Art]

I made a suggestion over in the other thread for giving them action hero manuevers, just a better tier of moving about than the standard rules of jump, climb, sprint etc

My intent not being for them to be flashy and amazing and requiring a point system but being more subdued, being able to pass certain obstructions at speed instead of having to sprint, stop, climb, drop and sprint again etc.

http://forum.fallout-equestria.com/view ... 8&start=21

[Thanqol]

I am currently short of opinions given the fact that I'm broadly in favour of any/all of the changes being discussed here. I'll have more to say when I think them through some more.

[Kkat]

Rule ideas and adjustments:

First, the questions:

• Should the spell Heal be changed from healing over the course of two turns to healing instantly? This will make Heal more valuable as a spell give ponies a good reason to have it over Restoration.
• Should Burst Fire and Auto Fire be changed so that you only roll once, gaining a "hail of bullets" bonus to the roll, and your degree of successes determine how many times you hit? (Possibly with a strength requirement boost for Burst/Auto actions?)

Adjustments:

• The Charisma penalty for attacks on the soul imposed by Cyberpony (rank 3) has been reduced.
• The text for alicorn/exotic creature armor (in the tiered weapons doc) has been revised.
• For particularly complex or unique inventions, GMs may require a rank two or three schematic.
• If the caster takes damage while casting Eldritch Knives, the spell is disrupted and the strain is lost.

[Viewing_Glass]

Question 1: Yes. Restoration fills the 'healing out of combat' area in basic spells, so it makes sense that heal should be instantaneous.

Question 2: No. This devalues full-auto and burst options in combat and makes those weapons less appealing to use. While this is a cool idea, I do not feel it is the right idea (as the weapons that use the Full-Auto option will need to be rebalanced, possibly the weapons that can use the burst option).

[Night Light]

Should the spell Heal be changed from healing over the course of two turns to healing instantly? This will make Heal more valuable as a spell give ponies a good reason to have it over Restoration.

Yes, heal is mechanically very awkward and changing it to instantaneous solves a lot of those problems, makes it a much more desirable spell to pick up

Should Burst Fire and Auto Fire be changed so that you only roll once, gaining a "hail of bullets" bonus to the roll, and your degree of successes determine how many times you hit?

As I've noted my opinion on this idea when it was brought up before, I won't bother going into it again, but I'd personally vote against it.

[*]For particularly complex or unique inventions, GMs may require a rank two or three schematic.
[*]If the caster takes damage while casting Eldritch Knives, the spell is disrupted and the strain is lost.[/list]

Good to see these rules we've been testing get added into the core docs.