1. No Ability Scores: Ability Modifiers
Blue Rose does away with the familiar 3-18 range of ability scores, replacing them with the standard ability modifiers. So an above-average hero may have a Strength of +2, while a sickly person has a Constitution of -1. As in d20, the average remains +0. These are the exact same modifiers used in other d20 System games; Blue Rose just cuts out the middleman of using the numerical scores to determine the modifiers, making it that much easier to rate any character's abilities.
2. No Elves or Dwarves: Backgrounds
The various fantasy races found in the Player's Handbook do not exist in the world of Aldea. In their place are various backgrounds, both human nations and cultures and non-human peoples. These include the Vata, heirs to an ancient and mystic past; the Sea-folk, at home both on land and in the water; the Night People, descendants of warrior-slaves of the Sorcerer Kings, and the Rhydan, intelligent animals possessed of psychic gifts. Each background grants specific game benefits to shape a hero.
3. No Character Classes: Heroic Roles
Likewise, the familiar character classes from the Player's Handbook are not found in Blue Rose. In their place are three heroic roles: adept, expert, and warrior. All heroes fill one of these three roles, and heroes may mix roles as well, having levels in two or even all three. Roles provide the most basic framework of a hero's capabilities, which are further defined by the following:
4. No Class Abilities: Feats
Feats in Blue Rose take a preeminent place in defining a hero's capabilities. Instead of standard class abilities, players can choose from a wide menu of feats to customize their heroes. This allows each role to become any of a dozen or more different types of heroes, depending on what feats a player selects. For those looking to create heroes quickly, pre-made paths of feats are provided, ready to go, or you can mix and match your feats to create the hero you want to play.
5. No Hit Points: Resistance
Borrowing from the Damage saving throw system from Green Ronin's award-winning Mutants & Masterminds RPG, Blue Rose does away with the hit point system for tracking damage. Instead, characters and creatures have a Resistance score measuring their overall toughness, which is used to make Resistance saving throws to resist harm from attacks. No need to roll and add multiple damage dice, or to track declining hit points.
6. No Spellcasting: Arcana
Rather than the spells lists familiar to d20 players, Blue Rose has its own system of arcana: mystic talents which dedicated adepts develop into a variety of skills for sensing and shaping the forces of nature. Arcana are used much like skills, but unlike skills many arcana can fatigue their user, and rapid or frequent use of the arcane arts can exhaust even a skilled adept. Even non-adepts may possess some arcane talents and develop their related skills, although rarely to the degree of the true masters of the art. Wielders of arcana must beware, however, there is a temptation to misuse the arcane arts. The siren call of sorcery has seduced more than one adept to the ways of Shadow.
7. No Experience Points: Advancement
Blue Rose uses levels for hero advancement and improvement, but doesn't track things like Experience Points. Instead, when the heroes have completed a major goal or overcome a major challenge in the series, the Narrator can reward them with an improvement in level, and all the benefits that come with it.
8. No Miniatures: Descriptive Combat
Much of d20 combat focuses on tactical elements: squares of movement, fighting space, and attacks of opportunity. Blue Rose removes these elements in favor of more fast-paced and fluid conflicts. Heroes are encouraged to do things which might be unwise in a more tactically-driven system. Blue Rose combat also tends to remain a personal struggle, since adepts lack the kind of "artillery" found among d20 spellcasters. Still, watch out, because some sorcerers still have quite a few nasty tricks up their sleeves!
9. No Law, No Chaos: Light and Shadow Nature
Blue Rose does away with the standard nine-alignment system, replacing it with three alignments: Light, Twilight, and Shadow, and the characteristics of Light and Shadow Nature and Calling.
Everyone has a calling, a purpose or a goal in life. Everyone also has two sides, a light nature and a shadow nature—two different paths to reach their calling. Some choose to emphasize one nature over another, but both are always there, and sometimes we choose to yield to our repressed nature. These elements help provide Blue Rose heroes with their motivations and internal struggles.
10. No Challenge too Great: Conviction
Heroes in romantic fantasy are often called upon to overcome great challenges. When they need to, heroes in Blue Rose can draw upon the strength of their Conviction. This is a resource available to all heroes, improving as they improve in level, and replenished by acting in accordance with their calling and natures. Players spend Conviction to allow their heroes to accomplish things beyond their normal abilities, to push them to the limit, to fight on when all else seems lost. With the power of Conviction, players in Blue Rose have a tool that puts more control over the story into their hands.
Frågan är hur det är att spela Romantic Fantasy, egentligen, men det kan säkert tänkas funka. Själv hoppas jag att det blir lite åt Dunsany-hållet.
