Brute Force: System Notes #1

These are some of the system developmental notes I've been writing for my next LitRPG project (to be written simultaneously with Archemi) - Brute Force, a LitRPG trilogy set in a survival/arena type game.

One of the things I learned from writing Archemi is that your system has to be water-tight before you start writing.

==Combat==

There are three combat modes: single PvPvE, in which the player fights monsters or other players using their own combat skills, legion-assisted combat (LAC), where the player fights with their Legions against enemies, and Legion-only combat (LvL), in which players pit their legions against one another.

EXP is earned differently in each case. In solo combat, only the player earns EXP; in assisted, EXP is split between players and their legions. In legion battles, only the legions earn EXP.

Players only gain Schema Points in single or assisted combat. Legions only gain new Abilities through assisted or legion-only battles. Skills and abilities can be trained outside of combat once gained, but legions require trainers to work with them to be able to level their abilities.

All players have nine lives. Legions only have one. Legions can be killed in PvPvE and arena matches.

==Experience==

Maximum level for players is Level 115. Very few people make it past Level 25 and lose all of their lives before then. The main reasons for this is are sheer bad luck, and lack of hand-to-hand combat training and experience. Another major cause is reaching Level 22 and gaining the ability to build Longneck Rifles. Silly players gain excessive confidence from the possession of a gun and place too much faith in the weapon without having the requisite sense and experience.

EXP in this setting is pretty basic. It follows an exponential curve: Lvl 2 is 5 points, Lvl 10 is 15 points, so on and so forth. Total max EXP is 1,816,473.

Schema point allocation has a linear curve, for a total of 14,022 points at Level 115. This reflects the importance of schema in the context of the game, as the ability to craft armor/weapons, Legion-centered gear, shelters, etc is vital to both survival and advancement.

==Learning & Skills==

There are two kinds of player learning: Organic Abilities and Schema.

Organic Abilities are skills you might already have, and/or abilities that you train to have. You pick up skills through effort and experimentation. These Organic Abilities are unscripted; that is to say, they do not explicitly exist within the game's system. However, the cultivation of skills and abilities is one of the main ways in which you attract an audience and gain Sponsors, so it worth picking a few of your skills and training them.

Every player, regardless of ability, starts out with three Skills automatically uploaded with their data:  Primitive Survival,  Primitive Combat, and  Primitive Crafting.

* Primitive Survival: You know how to light fires effectively and safely, make torches, purify water, and craft the following primitive tools: Hand Axe, Hammerstone, Flint Knife, Grass Twine, Walking Staff, Wooden Club, Clay Bowl, Lean-To, Firesticks.

* Primitive Combat: You know basic standing grapples, how to breakfall, and how to kick and punch without hurting yourself. 

* Primitive Crafting: You can identify commonly used raw resources and discern their basic properties. You know what tools you need to extract and process materials from raw resources.

These basic skills are also given to people who might have pre-existing knowledge of those abilities. In the instance of expertise - fighters, military personnel, engineers or mechanics - these basic skills inform the player how they can apply their real-world abilities to the game system.

Schematics are specialized crafting abilities you pick up by spending points. Each schematic teaches you how to make an item that allows you to progress within the game. These items include armor, weapons, structures, survival gear, combat enhancing drugs, medicines, and many other items and tools. There are thousands of schematics, and no one person has enough points to learn them all. If you were to add the point requirement of every Schematic, it would come out to 27,336‬ points.

Sub-Level 10, schematics are very survival-focused. From about Level 10 onward, schematics start to become more specialized and technical. Technical Schematics almost always have prerequisites. Smart players will figure out what kinds of items they want to specialize in, and focus on those crafting trees. Every level unlocks new Schematics, so it is advisable to keep a reservoir of spare Schematic Points.

Schematics cannot be unlearned and the points reclaimed, unless you find an [Amnesia Fruit]. Amnesia Fruit is a moderately rare drop from defeated wild legions. Amnesia Fruit allow you to forget a single schematic.

Some special schema are unlocked by defeating bosses.