Editing Super Mario RPG (section)

==III. Mechanics==
===Core Mechanic===
The primary mechanic is a dicepool system similar to [[Shadowrun]]: when performing any sort of test or check, roll Xd6, where X is the character's most pertinent stat to the task at hand as well as any additional modifiers such as from equipment or power-ups (note that total mods cannot exceed the value of the stat). A die that rolls a 4-6 counts as a "success" or "hit," and the successes are totaled and compared against a threshold or an opposing test. If the threshold is met, the check is successful. The more net hits, i.e. the more hits rolled above the threshold or opposing test, the greater the degree of success. As GM, you can decide if you wish to implement the rule of "exploding dice" (a die that rolls a 6 counts as both a success and a free reroll).

'''Example:''' A character finds a strange mushroom growing just outside a power plant, and he wants to know what it is. To identify the mushroom, it would be a Smarts check; if he has 3 Smarts and is carrying a book on flora and fauna, which the GM rules is a +1 modifier for the test, he rolls [3+1]d6 = 4d6. The threshold for the test is (secretly) established at 1. In this case, no successes means the character can't immediately find the mushroom in his book or can't jog his memory enough to remember it at this time. One success means the character properly identifies the mushroom as a Volt Shroom, while two successes would both identify the mushroom and offer more exact information, particularly its function (renders a character or object electrified for a period of time).

====Team Tests====
Even Mario rarely works alone, so relying on comrades, friends and partners is a fruitful experience. If a character needs help from another with a test, be it forcing a door open, doing extensive research in a library or forcing a character's opinion, a '''team test''' may be employed. Denote one character to be the primary actor who will perform the test normally. All other helpers roll the same test except against a flat threshold of 1 success instead of the original test's difficulty. For every helper that passes the assistance test, add one die to the primary actor's dicepool. Combine the total numbers of successes afterwards, not counting the one needed to pass the assistance test; for every three successes rolled, add an extra die to the primary actor's dicepool. Then the primary actor may proceed with the test as normal with the extra bonus dice.

===Equipment===
There are no strict classes in Super Mario RPG; all a character has to do is literally pick up an item and go. If a character is carrying a hammer, then he can use special melee techniques; if he promptly drops the hammer and picks up a magic wand, he can cast spells as a wizard. Characters have their own inherent techniques, and some weapons can bequeath a unique technique themselves. Armor is somewhat similar: put on a spiked shell, and you both improve your defense and protect yourself from above. Don a caster's robes, and your inherent magic flows more freely, to say nothing of potential enchantments and functions of the robe itself. In many cases, equipment can be enchanted or refined beyond an item's baseline; the refinement can be represented as reduction or improvement of built-in stats, addition of extra stats, spells or features, and so on. Also, a character's gear can be just as individual as the character himself; players are encouraged to describe their equipment and image, how all the pieces fit together to paint the picture of an elegant Boo belle with a glittering rose brooch pinned to her "hair" or a burly, fierce-looking Koopa with a scratched shell and two wicked hammers or anything else in between. In this game, you are what you wear, and there is little to no penalty for changing roles, although some characters will naturally be more proficient at certain roles than others. Of course, your character may not even need equipment when it comes to combat; fists of fury or a good jump or tackle are all a character needs, and perhaps a character can cast spells without the need of a focus (although it can't hurt to use one). It's up to you what you character needs (or wants).

Here is a basic list of common pieces of equipment that can be expected. It's not at all comprehensive, but it's a good baseline of what you can wear and use. As with all other things in this system, don't be afraid to make your own equipment and play things by ear with how to apply your gear.

* '''Melee Weapons:''' For those who like to get up close and very personal with their opposition, melee weapons will, more often than not, use Power when used against an enemy. The almighty hammer is one of the most popular implements to use, in no small part because it's the favored weapon of a certain mustachioed duo, but other popular items include swords, daggers, axes, pikes, and knuckle-dusters.
* '''Ranged Weapons:''' If one prefers to hang back at a distance and peg her enemies with projectiles, these tools are just the ticket; in combat, their attached attribute is Speed. Common ranged implements include the bow (complete with arrows), slingshots, javelins, even just hucking a rock off the ground if need be.
* '''Magic Foci:''' Most characters in the Mushroom World have an inherent affinity with the latent magic of the world; more often than not, these varied foci can help more easily draw out and emphasize this magical connection, allowing for the casting of spells with either the Smarts or Coolness stat, whichever is most pertinent to the character. The most common focus is a magical wand, but others include staves and books, the latter of which will probably have spells already in them for easy access. In a pinch, even a wand or tome makes for a semi-decent melee weapon.
* '''Armor & Robes:''' Beyond common decency dictating that one shouldn't go trotting about in the nude, it makes practical sense for a character to wear at least ''something'' when adventuring. From the clothes on their back to flexible leathers to chunky fullplate to magical robes and everything in between, people can quickly tell the sort of person a character is not only by the weapon they wield, but also the protection they wear. Magic robes (or equivalent, such as charms) more than likely will provide some bonus to spellcasting, as a rule of thumb; as a baseline, a basic, no-frills enchanted magic robe offers +1 Smarts/Coolness towards spellcasting, with no other bonus. Another rule of thumb is that depending on what sort of armor he's wearing, expect some amount of tradeoff between Toughness and Speed; for example, a basic set of Maple Leather armor grants +1 Toughness in exchange for -1 Speed, while a full suit of Mushroom Fullplate provides +3 Toughness at the expense of -2 Speed for as long as he wears the armor. Also, not every race can wear the same protection as another; for example, only a Koopa can reliably wear a Koopa Shell, and a Toad's Mushroom Fullplate will just look silly on a Goomba (unless the Goomba gets a suit [or helmet] tailormade for him).
* '''Badges:''' That mystical, magical and all-around fantastical Badge is a piece of swag that a character wears on their person that inspires them to greater heights and to do more things (if only because it looks nice and the character in question just has to fit the part). Badges can grant passive bonuses, teach new special abilities, even change a character's clothes in an instant. They can be traded at badge vendors or found around the world; a fair number of people even stake their entire careers on finding -- or stealing! -- Badges, the rarer the better. Any given Badge requires '''Badge Points (BP)''' to be equipped (commonly, a badge is rated anything from 0-2 BP). Wearing multiple Badges adds their BP values together into a single value. A character can equip up to her Coolness stat's worth of BP in Badges; she cannot equip over this value's worth. For example, if Madam Kalypso Koop has 5 Coolness, then she can only equip 5 BP's worth of Badges. She can wear three 0BP, one 1BP and two 2BP Badges all at once with no issue, but if she attempts to wear another 1BP Badge, it won't work unless she either improves her Coolness or removes a badge that would put her over her 5BP budget. Here are a few example Badges:
**''Spiked Shield (1 BP):'' Protects your character from damage from spikes.
**''Power Charge (1 BP):'' Teaches the Power Charge command. ''(Power Charge [1 FP]: Spend the turn supercharging your inner strength, granting a temporary +2 Power bonus towards your next action.)''
**''Flower Power (2 BP):'' +3 FP
**''Brains & Brawn (5 BP):'' +1 Power, +1 Smarts
**''Magic Flower Make-Up! (0 BP):'' You're a magical girl! At least, you're dressed like one.
**''Berserker's Badge (2 BP):'' +3 Speed when you're below 25% HP.

===Items===
Aside from equipment, there are also innumerable items to be stored in satchels and backpacks, waiting for just the right time to use them. For the purposes of this section, "items" refers to consumables and triggered items, similar to potions and scrolls in any other game. Some items can be used multiple times, but unless mentioned as such, assume these items are one-and-done. It's up to you just how clever you can be with your items. The following is just a few examples of items you can find and use in the Mushroom World.

*''Mushroom:'' Restores 5 HP
*''Honey Syrup:'' Restores 5 FP
*''KeroKero Cola:'' Restores full HP across all party members
*''1-Up Mushroom:'' Upon KO, automatically revives the character with 10 HP
*''Able Juice/Refreshing Herb:'' Cures one character of status ailments
*''Dizzy Dial:'' Renders a single enemy, well, dizzy, stunning them for 1-2 turns
*''Sleepy Sheep Bell:'' Jingling the bell puts all subjects to sleep until disturbed; resist with a Heart (2) test
*''Star Storm:'' 5 damage to all enemies
*''VoltShroom Energy Drink:'' For 2 turns, take two standard actions instead of one
*''Chuckle Blend:'' This special coffee blend from the Beanbean Kingdom permanently improves a character's Speed by 1.

===Currency===
Even in the Mushroom World, money can make the world go 'round. In this case, the currency in question is the ever-present '''Coin ($)'''. This shiny chip made of solid gold that jingles ''"da-ding"'' every time you pick one up can be found everywhere, almost literally. They're hidden throughout the world, monsters carry them, selling the spoils of adventure nets a pretty pile of them, to say nothing of working a 9-to-5 to earn a nice bundle of them. The entire Mushroom economy revolves around Coins, and fortunately, it's a very stable currency, despite all the mounds of money that somehow gets injected into the market any time a new treasure trove is discovered. Concerns about counterfiting have come and gone in the past. Many a soul prides himself on his Coin count, to the point where they'll even war against others for them. Exchange rates with other kingdoms can be humbling -- ask about the Mushroom:Beanbean rates -- but it's no less respected abroad. Indeed, Coins are something of a universal currency nowadays. There are other, unique currencies that may come up over the course of an adventure, like the rare, green-colored Frog Coins, but for the most part, one shouldn't have to worry about those too terribly much.

Different stores can charge different prices for different items, depending on what they have in stock. A good baseline to keep in mind is that basic restorative items run for $5-10, general aggressive items can run $10-20, and basic weapons and armor can run anywhere between $25-50. Enchantment and refinement of items and equipment can start from the base price of the item and quickly skyrocket from there if you're not careful.

===Combat===
There can be no story without conflict, and sagas in the Mushroom World are no exception. Functionally, combat is no different from any other series of checks. The Mario games lend themselves to fast-and-loose, narrative combat, so miniatures and grids shouldn't be required for games, although there is no rule saying they can't be used. A combat round lasts five to six seconds, for the purpose of moderation.

====Hearts & Flowers====
A character's Health Points (HP) represents her current vitality and endurance. Unless denoted otherwise, HP is equal to the combined values of her Heart and Toughness stats (e.g. if she has 5 Heart points and 5 Toughness points, then she has 10 HP). If she is reduced to 0 HP, then she is knocked out (KO'd): any effects she was sustaining promptly end, and she cannot move or act unless either a partner revives her somehow or the combat ends, at which point, in the case of the latter, she automatically revives with only one HP. The main ways to restore health are with restorative items (Mushrooms, etc.), finding special places in the world (shrines or springs) or just a good night's sleep. It's worth noting that apart from the supernatural spirits and powers of necromancy, death is a relatively uncommon occurrence in the Mushroom World, despite what the rampages of a certain Italian duo would have you believe. Unless the concept of death is pertinent to the situation at hand, then assume that all encounters are to KO.

A character's Flower Points (FP), named for the iconic Fire Flower, represents her energy and knowledge towards using special techniques or spells. Unless denoted otherwise, FP is equal to the combined values of her Heart and Coolness stats (e.g. if she has 5 Heart points and 4 Coolness points, then she has 9 FP). Using a special technique or spell (hereafter known as "specials") costs a certain amount of FP, depending on the complexity and intended effect of the special, regardless of whether or not the special was successful. If the character runs out of FP or does not have enough for a given special's required investment, then she cannot use that special. FP does not auto-regenerate except in special circumstances, and just like HP, the main ways to manually restore FP are with items (Syrups, etc.), special locations in the Mushroom World, and a good night's rest.

====Initiative & Actions====
To determine initiative, all participants in the combat roll a Speed check and add the hits to their Speed score for their final initiative. In the event of a tie, the higher Speed wins. Everyone goes once in a single turn, unless a power-up or other bonus permits extra actions or entire turns for that character; in that case, everyone takes their turn, then the character with extra actions or turns goes again until all extra actions are used, after which the turn actually ends and the next one begins.

There are two types of actions that a player can take: standard actions and free actions. Move actions are omitted from the game for the sake of simplicity, though a GM may choose to add them for more particular actions like sustaining commands or more specific movement. A standard action is the bulk of significant activities in a combat: attack, defend, use an item, swap equipment, and so on. Every character has only one standard action per turn. Free actions are non-significant actions that take little to no effort, such as talking, activating bonuses from equipment or power-ups, and so forth.

====Attacking & Defending====
Depending on the weapon of choice of a character, the primary stat rolled to attack will change. A melee fighter will usually use '''Power''', a caster will use '''Smarts or Coolness''', and a ranged combatant will use '''Speed'''. Whatever the stat used, the attacker rolls a opposed check with that particular stat against the defender's stat of choice (depending on the defensive action taken) and counts the total hits. Regardless of the defense used by the defender, if the attacker scores more net hits, the attacker wins the engagement. The attacker then does damage equal to his primary stat plus any damage modifiers, subtracted by the opponent's total Toughness; note that if the defender's total Toughness is greater than the total attack value, then the attack -- even if successfully hit -- is absorbed and does no damage.

A defender, when under attack, may choose one of three defensive tactics as a contextual response (four, if you count "doing nothing"): '''guard''', '''dodge''', and '''counter'''. 
*If he chooses to '''guard''', he will attempt to absorb the brunt of the damage with an active defense; he rolls '''Toughness''' as his stat in the opposed test, and if successful (i.e. the defender has equal or more net hits), he reduces the attacker's damage by his Toughness plus his total hits. If he fails, he takes damage as normal. If he chooses to defend as part of his standard action for the turn, then his defense is boosted; his base stat becomes '''[Toughness x 1.5 (round up)]''' for the opposed test.
*If he chooses to '''dodge''', he will try and avoid the attack altogether, be it by darting away or ducking and weaving; his stat of choice for the opposed test is '''Speed''', and if successful (i.e. the defender has equal or more net hits), the attack misses entirely and the defender takes no damage. If the attacker wins, then the defender takes damage as normal. If he chooses to take evasive action as part of his standard action for the turn, his reactions are heightened; his base stat becomes '''[Speed x 1.5 (round up)]''' for the sake of the opposed test.
*If he chooses to '''counter''', then he will attempt to actively respond to the enemy attack with his own. The defender responds with his own attack check against the attacker (using the most pertinent attack stat). If the defender wins the test, then the attacker's attack is deflected, and the defender hits the attacker directly for his net hits' worth of damage, ignoring Toughness. If the attack is a spell or spell-like ability and the defender is a caster himself, he will instead attempt to '''counterspell''' and dispel the offending spell with his own magic; he handles the defense test with his casting stat (Smarts or Coolness) instead of Toughness. If the attacker wins, the defender takes full damage resisted only by his ''base'' Toughness value. Not all attacks can be countered.

====Engagements & Enemies====
Because there's not an overt emphasis on movement or exact positioning of individuals in a combat situation, it can get easy to lose track of which enemies you can affect at any given time with a particular action. Fortunately, the game keeps track of individuals or groups of individuals as '''engagements'''. An engagement is a set of individuals in close enough proximity that they constitute a sufficient grouping of individuals for the purposes of targeting, enemy strength, and area-of-effect abilities. For example, the party of PCs in sufficiently close proximity counts as one engagement (the player engagement, for all intents and purposes). The party can be fighting a horde of pirate raiders, but the group of eight pirates may be split up into three engagements (3-3-2 or 4-3-1 or any other mix) that surround the party from all sides. Alternately, there can be an engagement of foot soldiers in front of the party, and directly behind the infantry would be another engagement of just one soldier in a portable Bullet Bill nest. An AoE effect, unless specifically noted to apply to multiple engagements, will work on one engagement of enemies at a time, like a smoke bomb blinding a group of baddies (or even the entire enemy force if the bomb is detonated in the player engagement).

Generally, there are three classes of enemy that players will battle against: '''grunts''', '''rivals''' and '''bosses'''.
*Grunts are the rank-and-file mooks that most heroes either run past or stomp on with little effort; they are almost universally weaker than any given PC, falling within one or two, maybe three attacks. However, what grunts lack in power, they usually make up for with numbers. Grunts will try to overwhelm the enemy with volume more than quality. Sometimes, bands of grunts can be lead by a rival or two, maybe even a boss. The grunts are most dangerous because they're very good at playing the numbers game.
**There's a special type of enemy formation known as the '''swarm'''. This is represented by a tight bundle of mooks that count as one unit, attacking all at once, such as a swarm of Mini-Goombas or a pile of Fuzzies bouncing all over the place. Their stats and attack power are generally equal to the number of enemies in the swarm; when they take damage, the swarm weakens as it loses numbers until there's nothing left.
*Rivals are considered the equal of PCs, generally equal in power and capability. They offer an even fight and can test how well a team works as a unit and their overall chemistry. Rivals can be friendly competitors, cutthroat adversaries or glory-seeking wannabes. Rivals are built almost identically to PCs and usually equal the number of PCs present in a fight, give or take. The rivals are most dangerous because the hardest fight to win is a fair fight.
*Bosses are beings of exceptional might that, on a one-to-one comparison, outstrip a PC's powers almost wholesale. Bosses can be huge, very well-equipped, exceptionally clever or otherwise carry an air of authority and power that makes all others tremble. Parties will be forced to work together to outsmart a boss, exploit its weakness(es) and topple the mighty foe before they are overwhelmed. Unless they have lackeys, bosses generally operate solo but make up for it with elevated stats and powerful specials, along with unique tactics and gimmicks that make the fight all the trickier. The boss is most dangerous because their immense strength can overwhelm even the mightiest of heroes if they're not prepared.

===Specials and Abilities===
As previously mentioned, a special technique (be it a spell or physical attack) usually costs Flower Points to use. The question is, what exactly can your character do? To put it another way, does your character have a specific list of commands they can use?

Well, yes and no.

Super Mario RPG permits for modular and freeform play, not just in equipment and changing classes, but also in what a character can do in the world. Unlike the video games, there are no hard limits in what a character can do in a pencil-and-paper game; while Mario may not be able to grab his Bob-omb buddy and hurl them at an enemy to explode on contact via fastball special, you can. A lot of the time, this can happen at no cost to anyone. However, for the purposes of checks and balances, some of the fancier moves you can do will require you to spend FP to do it. If you narrate a particular action that sounds like it can fall under a particular technique, your GM may ask you to spend some FP before you attempt the action. Like all things, this falls to GM discretion and moderation and whatever he/she thinks requires using FP. For the most part, you should only expect to be spending FP in combat.

A good way to think of what can cost FP is to start with a basic command tied to your equipment; in this case, we'll focus on the Hammer's Smash -- the basic melee attack. The base command on its own doesn't cost anything -- it's as simple as it gets. However, if you want to add a qualifier to that base command to do something more, that may come at an FP cost. For example, to turn the Smash into the Power Smash -- a Smash with +2 Power -- will add a cost of 1 FP, if only because it's a straightforward, singular improvement to the attack. Another variant you can make is the Piercing Smash -- a Smash that ignores the enemy's Toughness -- also for a cost of 1 FP. By comparison, you can create the Serial Smash, which lets you make successive Smash attacks against a single enemy repeatedly for as long as you keep scoring at least one success at -1 Power per successive swing. It's a potent attack, but that creates a whopping 3 FP cost for the skill; an attack like that is no joke. These "qualifiers" -- prefixes and suffixes to the base command -- are a quick way to judge if an attack you have in mind will cost FP or not. They can also be stacked together, if you choose, for a far more potent attack, but it adds the FP costs together into a cumulative cost.

It must also be within reason that the character performing the special can reasonably understand the idea behind a would-be special and not be able to do it just because the player wants to. You can make up attacks as you go, but it should also stand to reason that certain attacks like the previously-mentioned Piercing Smash come only with experience or tutelage.

Characters themselves can begin the game with and learn specials of their own, unique of any equipment they use. Most of the time, they have a flat FP cost depending on the ability, though the cost only applies in combat; for example, a Boo's Outta Sight racial special costs 2 FP in combat. Characters can learn all different kinds of specials, from ki attacks to enchanting songs to tattling on their enemies and finding out their abilities to just plain hulking up. If sufficiently justified, a character can begin the game with a number of specials of their own, such as an opera singer with varied songs that buff the party or debuff the enemy, with more songs to be learned in the future. It's usually a feat of note when a character learns a unique special.

Also, there can be specials unique only to a particular item or piece of equipment. These specials can't be moved or tampered with (usually) and make a piece of equipment that much more unique. As an example, the fabled Sun-Kissed Claymore, found only in the depths of a temple somewhere in the Dry Dry Desert, has the special power Sun Spit [3 FP], which casts a lance of burning sunlight from the end of the sword at an enemy for 3 unblockable damage; this is in tandem with the sword's latent light-casting glow when unsheathed.

====Status Effects====
The following is a short list of example status effects that can be inflicted over the course of a game. Most of these are applicable within the scope of combat and usually wear off after the end of a fight. You have the option of having these effects apply in the overworld as well. In combat, when using an attack that applies a status effect, the number of net hits the attacker succeeds with is the number of turns the victim is afflicted with the status effect. Items, unless stated otherwise, have a default duration of 3 turns. Some status effects are more common than others, and some characters -- player and NPC alike -- may be immune to certain status effects. You can create a special attack that inflicts a status effect, similar to creating any other special attack, but status effect powers usually carry a cost of 2-3 FP, depending on the severity of the status effect. Most status effects can be healed with a restorative item like an Able Juice or Refreshing Herb, or any other method of restoring vitality, such as a good night's sleep.
* [[Lamenters|Blind]] - The character is blinded and cannot see. Apart from any overworld effects, on any attack test, the range on scoring a success is 5-6 instead of 4-6.
* [[Dwarf Fortress|Burn]] - The character is on fire and takes 1 damage every turn for its duration.
* [[Tzeentch|Confusion]] - The character has a 50% chance of targetting a friend with an attack.
* [[Skaven|Dodgy]] - The character's reflexes and reactions are sharper; they may double their Speed further when dodging attacks.
* [[Adeptus Mechanicus|Electrified]] - The character is surrounded by an electric aura of power. If the character is struck, the attacker will take 1 damage.
* [[Chaos|Fear]] - The character is quaking in their boots as their Power and Toughness are halved.
* [[Valhallan Ice Warriors|Frozen]] - Turning into a life-sized popsicle, the character cannot move, attack, or defend.
* [[Dreadnought|Heavy]] - The character's Speed drops to 1, but their Power increases by 2.
* [[Khaine|Huge]] - Become huge! Power is doubled, but Speed is halved.
* [[Grey Knights|Light]] - The character's speed increases by 1, but their Power drops to 2.
* [[Squats|Mini]] - Become tiny! Toughness is halved, but Speed is doubled.
* [[Nurgle|Mushroom]] - The character is turned into a mushroom! They regain 1 HP per turn, but cannot move or attack.
* [[Derp|No Skills]] - The character is unable to utilize any FP-consuming moves, whether from a mental block or some other inhibiting effect.
* [[Blood Ravens|Payback]] - The character reflects half of all damage they take back at the attacker.
* [[Venenum|Poison]] - The character is suffering from debilitating poison, taking 1 damage every turn for the duration.
* [[Empire|S'crow]] - The chracter is transformed into a scarecrow! They cannot move or attack, and they can only use FP to attack or defend.
* [[Dark Angels|Stat DOWN]] - Decreases one of your stats by 1.
* [[Sisters of Battle|Stat UP]] - Increases one of your stats by 1.
* [[Squats|Stun]] - The character is unable to act, whether knocked loopy, paralyzed, or similar.

===Character Progression===
If the players successfully complete an encounter or a story arc or any other significant event, they are rewarded with experience. In Super Mario RPG, experience is represented by '''Star Points (SP)'''. Like their Paper Mario namesake, Star Points follow the trend of coins in the platformers: collect one hundred (100) points to gain a level. Depending on the difficulty of an encounter and stage of the campaign, Star Points earned will scale based on said difficulty; you can only earn so many SP from Goombas before it's time to move on to stronger foes. A sufficiently balanced encounter should expect to award 3-5 SP per enemy and anywhere in the range of 15-30 SP per boss encounter, usually 20.

With each level, a character's stats will randomly grow in different categories; for every core stat, roll 1d6, gaining a point in that stat on a 5-6. Following the trend of the SNES game, the player also receives one free bonus point that she may spend on any stat of her choice. ''Optional rule:'' every fifth level, a character may also gain a new Perk. See the '''Perks''' rules above for details.