Class: The Reaper

Hostargo aims to be different than the classic "holy trinity" of RPG design, offering players a variety of classes that - as far as I know - haven't had their core concepts utilized in such a way. Between the obfuscation-master Duster and the ever-mobile Vessel, there's hopefully a new opportunity available for even the most veteran of RPGers. However, Hostargo also aims to provide a class for every player style, and as a tactics-focused game, one of those play styles is simply "the action gamer".

The Reaper is a standard "DPS" class; there's no hiding that. Attack or damage focused characters are pretty much a necessary option for any combat-focused game. What we can do though, is use the opportunity to make some of Hostargo's special combat mechanics shine.

Weapon skills are a generic tree that any character can progress in. So for the Reaper we offer an array of different skills that still fit the "assassin" playstyle. These include poison use, such as sleep, illness, or hallucination, and security, for getting into the places where an assassin needs to go. Standard? Yes. Familiar? You bet. But this gets the player thinking outside of just maxing their weapon skill by including progression options that help out the party in other ways.

Critical hits are also a standard RPG idea, but in Hostargo, any time a player "Aces" on a combat roll, they get to choose an Ace effect. The player chooses from a delicious menu of extra effects such as moving their target, crippling a limb, or even hitting another target. Because of this core mechanic, Reapers can have abilities that play off of that idea, adding to the menu or even improving effects that are already there. In addition, the class's core progression tree includes options for spending Luck (the in-game meta resource) to automatically score a critical hit.

While not built into the class's core skills and abilities, there are plenty of interesting opportunities for the Reaper when paired with one of the game's six "Callings" (which all characters do). Tech Adepts can hot-swap weapon mods, Animancers can enchant their weapons with magical effects, and socialites can stop the whole show by forcing the enemy to surrender.

While the Reaper is certainly one of the least unique Hostargo classes, it is still an exciting one to design. It dives deep into some of the game's exciting combat features, such as critical hits, weapon mods, and battle morale. Not everything needs to be "different" after all - sometimes you just want to shoot things!

Class: The Eddy

When things are looking grim, and your opponents have the situation under control, your options are often depressingly slim. But sometimes all it takes for a good comeback is a little chaos added to the mix. Whether stirring up trouble or turning the tides of battle, an Eddy is always there to add new variables to the equation, opening doors to opportunities where there where none before.

I like to think of the Eddy as a neutral judge; someone attempting to balance the scales. A good Eddy needs great power - enough to bring back the party's chance to succeed from zero to hero. As great powers tend to do, however, there is a cost, or in this case a simple drawback. While Eddies have the ability to introduce new elements into the scene, they can only do so if that element acts a neutral or third party agent. An unexpected NPC shows up, the lights go out, or traffic starts jamming up. These effects drastically change the situation the PCs find themselves in, but must effect their opposition in the same way.

While largely a meta-gaming ability, an Eddy's shear chaotic force of will is often sited as the source of these intrusions. With Luck (the in-game resource) and a bit of creative thinking, an Eddy's player can attempt to make these "random events" happen. The GM is free to add to and balance the player's ideas to ensure they are truly "third party", but after a bit of back-and-forth, the story will take an odd turn, hopefully giving the players the additional opportunities they need to succeed.

Such chaos is not always desired, however, especially when events are actually going well for the party. In these cases, an Eddy is largely not needed. But if that's always the case, you're probably not playing a very fun game, are you?

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Side note about progression: The Eddy also gains a skill tree about "danger avoidance". This helps them cause chaos without destroying themselves in the process.

Class: The Duster

The game world is constantly observing the player characters, viewing their interactions, forming opinions, and reacting accordingly. Most of the time, the characters want to put their best persona forward, as to be viewed in the best light. Other times, they might not want to be viewed at all. Controlling how the world sees the PCs can greatly impact how they respond to them. Enter the Duster, one of Hostargo's must unique classes.

A Duster's job is essentially information security. They put good information out front, and hide anything the party wants kept secret. They are responsible for hiding character actions, such as movement through hostile territory, the motives for asking for information, or simply covering up any collateral damage the party might have caused. In addition, they boost public opinion of the group's organization, talking up their heroics or even fabricating stories to serve a purpose.

Dusters have two paths for progression: Obfuscation and Spotlight. Obfuscation is a skill that can be used for any action regarding stealth, diversion of attention, or fabrication of information. Spotlight is an ability that can boost the social actions of other characters. Both of these core functions provide the class with a unique role in the party, no matter what kind of calling the Duster is backed by.

Having a Duster in the party means the characters will have a much easier time controlling encounters, avoiding unwanted trouble while driving a straight path towards their goals.

The Six Stats & Cultures of Oriya

Oriya is a land with a diverse set of cultures. These groups of people are spread over the whole map, but can generally be found in certain areas. Since I want characters in my game to not be from the city of Hostargo, it's important to have the other cultures of the world represented in character creation.

To do this, I will eventually have a page or two about each culture, but in order to make the process of character creation simple and smooth, I want the character's "upbringing", or culture, to influence one of their core stats. I have six cultures and six stats, so this matches up nicely.

City Slickers have to be quick on their feet, both figuratively and literally. Even the members of "high society" have a certain amount of street smarts, and even the less fortunate citizens have to play politics in their daily lives. Characters who choose the City Slicker upbringing are granted +1 Wit.

Mountaineers live in a rough environment. The low temperatures, rocky terrain, and scarce resources force these people to be adaptive and resilient. Characters who choose the Mountaineer upbringing are granted +1 Grit.

Islanders from the Eastern Isles respect family, tradition, and intelligence as their main virtues. These seafaring people are proud inventors and craftsmen, always leading the world in technological and magical advancements. Characters who choose the Islander upbringing are granted +1 Spirit.

Nomads are always on the move. As they travel, they experience more than the average denizen of Oriya, gathering knowledge from all edges of the map. While strong and social in their own way, Nomads are best known for their wide perspective and deep understanding of the workings of the world. Characters who choose the Nomad upbringing are granted +1 Comprehension.

Outlanders live on the edges of what most could consider "normal" society. They live in wild lands, often remote enough that even the occasional visiting nomad is a rare and exciting event. They pride themselves in their physical prowess, hunting great beasts and conquering their naturally dangerous environment. Characters who choose the Outlander upbringing are granted +1 Constitution.

Cliff Dwellers are a social people, always trading stories as often as they are goods. Their ports act as a transaction point between many other cultures of the world, so they rarely have issues maintaining productive relationships with their neighbors. Characters who choose the Cliff Dweller upbringing are granted +1 Charisma.

These stats are lined up in a 3x3 grid and added together to form a character's potentials, with each of the six stats directly affecting three potentials. This grid plus the explanations above drive a nice balance of options, between background story and mechanical bonus, for players as they start to create their characters.

Planning Hostargo Content Creation

Hostargo is at the stage now where am I only tweaking rules & mechanics every so often. Fine-tuning these rules is important, but I need to move beyond the initial how-to-play and get to the actual meat of the game. Planning this out ahead of time will help me keep the content consistent and balanced.

I have 6 "classes" that serve as roles characters play in their party. No two players should be the same class, since there should be no need to double up on a given role. I have 6 "callings" that can be non-unique (as in, two players can play with the same calling) and I need to ensure that these are generic enough to not shoe-horn a given role, but also be fun and creative enough to be an interesting addition to a character. Finally, I have 36 combinations of these two ideas that require a single "combined" special ability designed specifically for that combination.

To accomplish this, the class abilities must be completely decoupled from any special abilities a character might have. This means they should likely be focused on skills, or at least specific actions these classes should be "better at" in some way. Callings, on the other hand, should leave room for two players to both have the same ability, but use them in different ways. This means the calling ability tree should be geared towards ideas that encourage creative use. The 36 abilities need to be a combination of these two ideas that makes each pair feel unique and empowering.

Once I have these, I can move the rest of the "cool ideas" I might have to be items and magic runes (items that grant abilities). This strategy gives me both a solid core and room for customization in the characters.