WFRP V2

[master]

Why the hell did they take out stuff? Especially if they are not planning a one big book has everything game like v1.

Did they get rid of the rat catcher career?

[blackprinceomuncie]

Rat Catcher is still in.

I imagine they took out the Class divisions because they don't actually expect anyone to roll random careers. That wouldn't "encourage roleplaying" after all.

Plus, when they get around to releasing splatbooks for the game that provide new (more uber) basic careers it means they only have to modify one chart, rather than four.

[master]

So what is the new magic system like.

[blackprinceomuncie]

You have a Magic characteristic that ranges from 1 (can cast spells) up to 4 (the normal max I think). It determines how many d10's you get to roll when you try to cast a spell.

Each spell has a casting number (range from ~3 to mid-30s). You must roll that number or higher on your casting check (whatever d10's you get to roll) to cast the spell. If you make a successful Channeling check (an Int-based skill) you can add your Magic characteristic to the roll. If you use spell components, those give you a +1 to +3 bonus as well.

So, if I had a Magic characteristic of 2, used +1 spell components and made a successful Channeling check, my spellcasting roll would be...

2d10 + 2 + 1 = X

If that number equaled or exceeded the casting number of the spell, then the spell goes off. There is no limit to the amount of spells or the level of spell a magic-user may cast per day (no spell points or spell slots or anything). If you know a spell, you can cast it each time you make a successful casting check.

Casting times can take part of a round or several rounds. IIRC, any disruption during casting automatically ruins the spell.

However, spellcasters are still limited in several ways.

1. - If you roll all 1's on your casting check, you must make a WP test or gain an Insanity Point. Low "level" casters suffer the most from this, as the chance of rolling "all 1's" is 10% when you only roll 1 die. As you are able to roll more dice, the chances of rolling all 1's obviously drop dramatically (1% when you roll 2d10, 0.1% when you roll 3d10, etc.).

2 - If you roll doubles, triples or quadruples on your casting check, "something bad" happens. Doubles indicate a Minor Chaos Manifestation (ex: Magical energy coursing through you causes you to lose 1 Wound), triples indicate a Major Chaos Manifestation (ex: A Daemon Imp appears and attacks you), quadruples indicates a Catastrophic Chaos Manifestation (ex: You are sucked into the Void).

So the more dice you roll, the less likely you are to get the "all 1's" penalty, but the more likely you are to suffer a Chaos Manifestation of some kind. Plus, the more you cast, the more likely it is you will not only have something bad happen to you, but have others around you get pissed-off that you're tampering with forces you cannot control.

The new rules also include rules for Ritual Magic. These work similarly to regular casting but require much more time, specific and difficult to find ingredients and conditions and can produce more powerful effects. For example, magic items are created through powerful Ritual magic. Rituals must be learned individually through study of magical grimoires. Usually, reading such tomes is associated with its own perils (gaining Insanity Points, being arrested for owning contraband books, etc.)

[master]

Would it be easy to convert monsters and treasure from the new game to the old game?

[blackprinceomuncie]

I would say, on a scale of 1-10 with ten being the most difficult, conversion of monsters would be....

Going from v2 to v1 would be a 2.

Going from v1 to v2 would be a 5.

(For reference I would say going from 1e to 3e would be an 8 and going 3e to 1e would be a 6).

The reason going from old to new is more difficult is that the designers made the mistake of giving monsters Talents and Skills (again, like d20 ), so if your conversion was completely BTB and "official" it could take some time and work. If you're not really worried about it and just convert the numbers, rather than creating a fully statted out conversion, I'd say it would be a 2 both ways.

NPCs might be a little tougher, but not much (call it a 3 both ways).

As for magic items, I can't really say. There are all of 2 magic items in the v2 book (yes 2!) so there's not much of a basis for comparison.

[drexlorn]

As I see it, magic is something you can't really have control over it.

It's a special approach worth a try I guess. What would we do to adapt this system to an house ruled AD&D magic system ?

Just a thought...

[Thoth Amon]

I still prefer v.1 WFRP. I have the main v.2 book and have read parts of it. Except for the magic system, I prefer v.1 completely. As usual, the old skool game has more flavor.

[WSmith]

I browsed the book in the local Borders. I hate the layout and presentation of the book. I will g back and read some of it when I have more time.

[foster1941]

I had the exact same thought -- looked over a copy somewhere (don't remember if it was a game-store or a bookstore) and was so turned off by the layout and presentation (plus it seemed way too thin -- like they were holding back material to include in supplements) that I wasn't even able to notice if I liked the rules or not. Considering I'll almost certainly never play this game again (as is I haven't played it since c. 1990) I think I'll just stick with my 1st ed. copy...

[mythmere]

I love the careers and the flavor, but like everyone else says, it's basically a d20 game now.

[WSmith]

Good this I passed on this one.