So, a question for the masses....based on the monetary rules in Novus, what would be the base cost for hiring on extra help for a party and also for a party to be hired into classic adventure scenarios like caravan guard etc?

Howdy, if you are interested in how to use HARP attack tables with Novus 1e or 2e it's pretty simple.

There are Three factors that you'll have to customize: 1) the Novus attack sizes need Damage modifiers instead of Base Damage values, 2) Armor has to be assigned a Damage Modifier instead of an Armor Rating, and 3) the roll results on the HARP attack table.

1) The Novus Attack sizes already align with the HARP attack sizes. So really all you have to do is recalculate the HARP damage modifier into a 2d10 resolution mechanic by dividing it by 5 and do the same with the Damage Cap. So,

Huge +4 / 24
Large +2 /22
Medium +0/20
Small -2/18
Tiny -4/16

2) Armor works basically except that to properly balance with the 2d10 system rather than the d100 system you need to rebalance the base Armors as SL +2, RL +4, CH +6, SC +8, PL +10

3) The HARP attack tables use increments of 10 as tiers of damage. this will get a little wonky in a pure math sense to all we do is reinterpret them as each being 2 increments of +1, starting with +0.

so in Novus that would look like this:
(-4)-(-3)
(-2)-(-1)
+0 - +1
+2 - +3
+4 - +5
+6 - +7
+8 - +9
+10 - +11
+12 - +13
+14 - +15
+16 - +17
+18 - +19
+20 - +21
+22

Overall, this is really easy to implement in game. The one thing that you might want to be careful of is setting the base Defense as 13+modifiers rather than 15+ modifiers for PCs. I tapped this out at work so let me know if I missed anyhting!

So, I am currently typing out adventure scenarios. One of the elements I like to incorporate is a layered approach to rewards. So, I propose that we develop a foraging based ingredient/treasure that can be harvested from monsters. Earthdawn did an exceptional job of this: listing magical treasure that could be harvested from monsters. This has two effects: 1) it builds in a reason to hunt monsters either for missions or for PCs to do on their own, 2) it helps build the setting by adding a unique element to write the monsters into the mythos rather than just being generic encounters.
Examples: You could harvest chitin from Insectoids like Giant Wasps, Beetles & Ants, poison from spiders, the pelt of a giant cat (enchanted for Stealth?)...just simple things that add a layer to why you are adventuring.

Thoughts?

So, I've been reviewing the skills and the skill system of having a base skill, plus sub skill, plus specialty and have a few observations to offer:

-Why not just eliminate Acrobatics and make it a specialty of Athletics? Skills are "unlocked: from stats: which means you could essentially lump Acrobatics in as a specialty of Athletics and that would be more efficient than having a separate single use skill.
-For gameplay purposes I think it would be more player friendly to classify both Foraging & Survival as subskills based on environment, not region, then allow players to use their Home Region Lore skill to add to this. Characters are supposed to be travelers and explorers, basing the skills off of specific regions doesn't really reflect this IMO.
-Thievery: There is a bonus of +1 for every 4 ranks in skill to finding and building traps. Firstly, I think this should be +1/5 ranks if it's used. Secondly, I like the idea of using a "crossover" bonus for related skills to encourage diversification: so, why not make it a standard GM option so that players/GMs have a base mechanics to rely on? I can see a bunch of reasonable and practical applications.....

5 Ranks of Search adding +1 Tracking or Influence
5 Ranks of Survival adding +1 to Foraging or Tracking
5 Ranks of Streetwise adding to Stealth (in a city)

This approach further expands on the idea of unlocking skills from stats and encourages creativity while removing a roll. We have skill ranks maximums in place that would regulate this already (1 per 20 CP). Any thoughts?

<p>Just curious. I've been playing regularly using Roll20 for.....well, since 2017, and since COVID I've been upped to twice a week. I play in 1 game and GM the other. I started using Novus as a GM then migrated away from it as more players joined because they wanted to play Rolemaster (the game we grew up playing together). Has anyone been playing Novus regularly? If so, give us some stories and feedback!</p>
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