Advanced Mutant Future?

[MythAdvocate]

By Advanced Mutant Future, I mean having the same races, but allowing for differing classes and perhaps a skill/proficiency system. So an Android might be a Scientist, Soldier, or a Medic. Perhaps this can be handled with standard Mutant Future with a secondary skill system, or perhaps not.

Is there enough interest out there to make an Advanced Mutant Future rpg? Or is this niche filled by the many other post apocalypse rpg's out there?

What do you think?

[Malcadon]

I remember talk about classes and skills before, but it never went anywhere. Folks could not figure out where to start, or agree on how to go about it, as we all have varying opinions. Despite the stall in addressing this, I think there is a good deal of interest in the topic. The Mazes & Mutants sub-rules seem to be unpopular, if only for the lack of playable Androids, the lack of separation between races and classes, and a mutation system the feeds like spell slots. People just love the idea of playing an android wizard/scientist, or a half-elf fighter/thief/scientist.

Personally, I would rather have it so that you roll-up a character normally as per the MF rules, but as you gain experience points, you may allocate EXP to attributes and classes. As you gain levels in Fighter, you gain more to-hit, melee damage and hit point bonuses, and you get more attacks per round. The Thief class only improves your Thief's Abilities, like how the Tech-User class get better with figuring out artifacts, and the Magic-User class can cast more and better spells (for those players who like to play Thundarr-type settings), with none of them improving your combat abilities. On top of that, high and low attributes would effect the amount of EXP you'll need to get to the next level with the related class, in the same way prime requisites works. So a character with high STR and some levels in Fighter would not gain bonus EXP at the end of the game, but a discount to the amount of EXP needed to gain a level in Fighter. I have yet to figure out how to apply this system to saving throws. Classes might just add (by subtracting) bonuses here and there to your base MF save scores, as you progress. Personally, I would rather cap so players could focus on multiple classes, then to build on high-level, single-class characters.

To make the above work, you ether have to keep with the basic classes, or find a way to incorporate the "sub-classes" (Rangers, Druids, Paladins, etc.). I have thought of ways of making them work for the sake of other players, but I could to get them to work. In a systems were your combat abilities are tied with the Fighter class, were would the Ranger or Paladin fit in the mechanics? There was other issues of overlap. My bast idea with them was to make their EXP requirements so high, one would need all of their required attributes high just to off-set the inflated cost, to maintain their rarity. But for me, I don't even care for those classes, as I feel that "classes" are generalized concepts, instead of archetypes into themselves. That is, a Fighter is an open-ended warrior type that allows players to come up with their own archetype (amazon, barbarian, knight, etc.), while sub-classes are just specific archetypes.

My ideal classes are: Fighter, Thief, Healer, Tech-User, Esper, Magic-User, and Leader (of Men).

The Healer has skills and/or abilities that can be used to treat characters, and to test/treat food and water for contamination, much like a Cleric without being one. (I was never a fan of the Cleric class -- I would rather fold them into the Magic-User class, with a deity/spirit/demon lord/etc. as their instructor.)
A Leader (or "Leader of Men") are diplomats and military commanders. This class can bolster your retainers, give you followers, and provide you with other social benefits.

Mind you, all this was just a passing thought...

Oh, here are some links: Skill system ideas, classes, favorite race/type, and classes at the MF Wiki. I hope they would be would be helpful to anyone.

[Blood axe]

Gamma World ( 3rd?) had Enforcer , Examiner, Scout, Esper. We could have some basics along those lines.

[sniderman]

I always thought a "Mutant Future Compendium" would be a better idea. Kinda like Unearthed Arcana. Optional rules, classes, skills, and other stuff you could pick and choose to insert into your own MutFut games.

[Blood axe]

I always thought a "Mutant Future Compendium" would be a better idea. Kinda like Unearthed Arcana. Optional rules, classes, skills, and other stuff you could pick and choose to insert into your own MutFut games.

Id go for that. Lots of cool "house rules" and extras floating around out there. Be great to have them in one place, one book.

[Malcadon]

Id go for that. Lots of cool "house rules" and extras floating around out there.

Yeah, maybe someone should make website where anyone can throw their random ideas at, for anyone to pick-up and use. Maybe a Wikia system with ready-made stat templates, as well as a place to load files (including .txt, .doc, .pdf, etc.) and images — even features for live chat, blogging and social networking! I'm sure if someone creates a site like that, fans would all over it and making great use of it.

[Blood axe]

Id go for that. Lots of cool "house rules" and extras floating around out there.

Yeah, maybe someone should make website where anyone can throw their random ideas at, for anyone to pick-up and use. Maybe a Wikia system with ready-made stat templates, as well as a place to load files (including .txt, .doc, .pdf, etc.) and images — even features for live chat, blogging and social networking! I'm sure if someone creates a site like that, fans would all over it and making great use of it.

Malcadon, your site is great. Maybe we can get the best stuff together into one book/document. Im also a fan of Heavy Metal. (Den & Taarna are the coolest!)

[Blood axe]

An old thread, but Id like to bring it back to life.

I think Mutant Future could use an update. Plant characters need to be more in line with other character types, possibly a simple Class system, other future race types.
Im kicking around a few ideas now.

I am a big fan of Mutant Future, Gamma World, Metamorphosis Alpha, Mutant Epoch, gonzo Post-apoc RPGs.

MF is great for me, pretty simple & easy to play. I just think it could do with some tweaking. Maybe a second edition or a "Advanced " version, compendium, etc.

Some ideas I have in mind:
- Animals- a mutation/power that goes with their animal type. Birds get wings, Lion gets bite/claws, Porcupine gets quills, etc.
- Cyborg characters, possible other types as well.
- Minor Classes- Warrior, Tech, Scout, etc.
- Fix plant characters- plants characters as they are now seem completely different than the other types. I want to put them back with the other characters.
- Expand Mutations/Defects

[Malcadon]

I have given a lot of thought to advancements, classes, skills and backgrounds.The funny thing is that MF, with how the character generation rules work, can work without any system for character advancement, (but players still insist on gaining better stats) and its openendedness allows for a wide range of options on how to go about it. Here are some ideas I have been considering:

Instead of the usual leveled classes, PCs get backgrounds that provide a package for advantages, disadvantages, basic skill-sets, and starting equipment. The backgrounds need not have extensive rules to them — they could just be a basis for what type of character you are playing. For example, a Barbarian background would give a character and edge with survival and tracking, but the character would be at a disadvantage with technology, and would start out with crudely-fashioned gear (a mix of stone-age materials and old scraps). Backgrounds can be gained if a character spends enough time learning new vocations. That is, a character with a Farmer background can gain a Sailor background after a few seagoing adventures.

Also, instead of having the normal level-based advancements, characters can use EXP to buy skills and upgrades. The cost of a skill or upgrade would be based on skill's level or bonus, and the new attribute score. This would allow for more tailored advancements, and make it a lot less random. This system can also apply to classes, as following:

As an alternative, one could use classes as vary generalized archetypes like Fighter, Expert and Mentalist, instead of specific archetypes and professions like Bards, Rangers, Thieves and the like (Backgrounds can cover that). And best of all, since they can be worked to not cover the same improvements, a character can improve on them separately, so a player can take multiple classes and level them up individually by allocating the EXP the player wish to put in. That is, a Fighter class improves on combat (bonus HPs, to-hit, saves, attackers a turn, combat-related skills, etc.), and only on combat — no other class can improves upon combat. An Expert class can cover skills like thieving, swindling, trading, crafting, technology-use, and so on. Despite all the skills available to this class, an Expert can still cover only one field, with would likely be tied to one's background — this class is a means for proving skill ranks/bonuses, and not what skills you can or cannot take. And the Mentalist class covers all aspects of mental mutations, like Mental Attack and Defense bonuses, improvements to mutations and the like.

Skills don't need to be long and extensive. They could just be simple bonuses to curtain general tasks, like Jumping and Shooting, or allow a task that you can ether do or can't do, like Blind-Fighting (ignores penalties for impaired vision). Skills could even improve on how one uses one's mutations, if one is able to improve upon them. That is, you can improve upon the effectiveness of mutants like heat vision and mind-reading, but stuff like a flat, saggy ass or a dual cerebellum would not lend themselves to improvement (to the chagrin of Mikey and this nutcase).

And this is all the tip of the iceberg!

[LARS]

Hello
I just got this game. So maybe I shouldn't way in. I like the old school feel of the game but I could see skills being added. I also wouldn't mind a simple bonus method. As someone mentioned earlier like if your jumping it doesn't make you succeed but gives a better chance to the roll. l was toying with the idea of making a general skill list. Use intelligence to determine how many skill points the characters start with and then mod the table on page 14 EXPERIENCE LEVEL BONUSES to include +1 skill point. Thank you for your time and hard work everyone.