MRPG Cooldown

Spells, Activated Abilities, and various other effects in game all use the Cool Down System(TM) to avoid letting the player's over-use them. The basic system involves a counter. Since most abilities calling for a cool down are either used in or trigger combat, the cool down is measured in combat rounds.

Example: The Rogue in your party has a temper, and decides to use the Injure ability on a shopkeeper whom he has perceived to have wronged him. While the Injur affect definitely lands, this immediately triggers a combat instance. The Injure ability's cool down does not begin until the first round of combat.

Active vs. Passive

Every ability or spell has an Active Cool Down(the number of rounds it takes to use the ability again). Several also have a Passive cool down such as once per day, per week, per rest, etc. There are many effects that reduce or remove cool downs, but these only apply to Active cool downs. Passive cool downs do not consume slots.

PASSIVE COOLDOWNS CANNOT BE REMOVED/REDUCED If an ability says "once per week" it can only be used once per week.

Length

• A Cool Down or Cool Downs refer one or more things actively on a cool down timer.
• Cool Down refers to the number of Rounds currently left on the cool down. These rounds are measured in Ticks.

All abilities with a cool down have one listed in Rounds. This has to do with simultaneous cool downs., since you can only ever have so many going at once(most for spellcaster-related reasons).

Additionally, some abilities might add a "once per combat" or "X times per day" rule - these rules cannot be circumvented using the Limit Break technique. Various facets and pillars may add to these numbers. Let's also not discount the idea of potions.

Cool Downs tick at the start of the round. Whenever a new Round begins, each active cool down decreases by 1.

No ability will have a round cool-down greater than 20. You can use a d20 tap-down dice to keep track of your various cool downs. Using dice is a good way to represent it as it also helps players track, at a glance, active cool downs. WorldShapers: help your players out by reminding them at the start of the round to tick off their cool downs.

Limit Break

A Limit Break is when you push yourself to use a spell or ability that has not finished cooling down just yet. Picture it as straining or forcing yourself to go just a little further than you've gone before. It is up to the WorldShaper how far they want to enforce these rules, remember that "no limit breaks at all" is a perfectly reasonable alternative. Also note that you cannot, under any circumstances, limit-break an ability that is on a "per day" or "per combat" timer, only round timers.

The basic form of the Limit Break involves taking 1d10 damage per round left on the active cool down. This represents straining yourself to take the action. If the stakes are higher, pick a number and roll 1d20; if it lands on 1, take 1d10 for each ability currently on cool down. If it lands on the number, take no damage.

You can also [[MPNP Flourish]|Flourish]] a limit break. This would involve describing, in great detail, how much effort you are expending and how hard you are trying to do this thing. This can be combined with a standard combat attack Flourish if you are trying to use an activated ability in the process. The Worldshaper will decide based on the strength of your flourish how it goes. WorldShapers: remember that this sort of thing can go either way based on your two chief rules. If the stakes are very high, you could let the character take no damage, or double damage, or anywhere in between, bellow, above, or beyond.

Simultaneous Cool Downs

Every player begins with a base of 2 possible simultainious cool downs(the number of abilities they can have actively cooling down at a time). You may not use an active ability if you already have one on cooling down. Cooldowns are also called "slots".

Harmonies and Exigent Moirai do not have active cool-down components, only passive, and thus can be used even when no slots are available.

Magic Cool Downs

Base Spellcasting Cool Downs: Level Cool Downs: 3 3 + 1 6 3 + 2 9 3 + 3 12 3 + 4 15 3 + 5 18 3 + 6 21 3 + 7 24 3 + 7

Magic users are covered a bit differently from everyone else. Since it's assumed they are going to be casting a lot of spells with cool downs, they are going to need a whole lot more. But, mages get cool downs that are only used for casting spells. So, all cool downs are lumped together, and wizards just get a lot more. Any magic user begins with a base possible 3 simultaneous cool-downs on top of the base 3. Once 3 different spells are on cool-down, no more casting(this does not apply to spell-like abilities or spells cast from use-items). As a character levels, they gain additional cool downs at a rate of one every 3 levels. Talents are special activated abilities that work like magic spells, but use a regular cool down instead of a magic one.

Cool Down Outside of Combat

This is one place where the fast and loose rules of the game come into play. Let's assume that casting any spell requires at least some actions(waving your arms around like an idiot) and has a mental component requiring concentration in multiple phases. Think of it like recalling a short poem from memory combined with some light interpretive dance.

Casting one spell per round is easy, outside of combat, assuming that it takes a few seconds. The mage cannot just "cast every spell instantly because it's not combat". Assume that if a spell's cool down is, say 20 rounds, you probably can't cast it again for two or three minutes.

WorldShaper Notes: Just go with the standards, here.

See Also:

• Mage Wars RPG
• MRPG Activated Abilities
• MRPG Magic