CODNDVN:
Court of Darkness and Dragons: CODVN but it has some DND/ttrpg mechanics!
We already have virtue stats, imagine if you could actually use them in gameplay.
For example: āThereās an enemy party trying to hurt your consort!ā
āGentlemen, this is all a misunderstanding.ā (Roll for Persuasion: bonus depending on your Charisma score.)
āDo it, thenā you canāt.ā (Roll for Intelligence: bonus depending on your Wit score)
⦠say nothing, and beat the shit out of them the old fashioned way. (Roll for Strength: bonus depending on your Integrity score)
Continuously picking options prioritizing learning magic? Let that unlock some options to use magic later on in the story.
For example: āThereās an enemy party trying to hurt your consort!ā
Cast Fireball. (MAGIC CHECK)
Pick up a magical item? Let that have story implications!
Example: While previously investigating, you found an ancient tome. From picking it up, you gain +(0.25)X% on all magic attacks (X being your magic proficiency, which is dependent on your previous choices). You also unlock some special magical attack options, that you wouldnāt have access to otherwise.
For example: āThereās an enemy party trying to hurt your consort!ā
Cast Fireball, lighting up the enemies like gasoline. (MAGIC CHECK)
[TOME OF VANE EXCLUSIVE] Cast Death Kissā a cloud permanently enshrouds the enemy, slowly poisoning them. (MAGIC CHECK)
You can still keep the endpoints of the story, point A and point B, the same, for the sake of the greater narrative. But mechanics like this? Mechanics like these would open up what can happen in between those endpoints. With some strategically thought out writing, you could even minimize the in world implications you donāt want, while still allowing for a wider variety of more fun storylines.
Basically, this post was inspired by me wanting to have the option of just fucking mercing ops when battles come up. Like, IRL, there are people who do physical training for fun. Whose to say MC didnāt do self defense training as a hobby? Whose to say, while an enemy is charging up a spell, MCās instinctive response isnāt to just fucking tackle him, American football style?
That, and how variable MCās proficiency with magic seems to be across different consort paths. Without getting into heavy spoilers, hereās an example: In Lanceās path, MC uses magic in a big fight, and she uses it pretty damn effectively. Meanwhile, at the equivalent story beat in Guyās path, she doesnāt seem to be capable of spells of that caliber quite yet.
With this model, the player had a little more agency. If you want to basically be a pseudo barbarian class, you couldā never take interest in magic, max out Integrity (aka Wrath), pick up sexy weapons/items that boost your strength. You also have the option of doing the complete opposite, and going for more of a mage/wizard buildā go to class, max out your Wit (and/or Mystery), pick up sexy weapons/items that boost your magic/arcana.
What do yāall think?













