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196
Kajar Laboratories / Re: Chrono series and Tabletop RPGing!
« on: February 22, 2017, 08:25:51 pm »Yeah that would be interesting. Also events would focus on Zeal, I would allow characters that come outside of it because that would be one tiny planet if that was the only continent XD.
I've always taken the maps in Chrono Trigger to be representative rather than literal. I would say that there were other sky-islands besides those seen in the game; however, they weren't visited because they simply weren't relevant to the plot.
The different casting classes could represent different styles of magic. For example, you may be a bookish wizard who practices through having a wide variety and a better understanding of magic, or you could be a sorcerer who specializes more in magic, has less of an idea what they are doing and uses force of will for casting; or a bard who uses magic more as an art form and draws magic from the arts. You could also have artificers who represent more hard-nosed scientist/researcher types like Belthasar and the people of Kajar.
It would be harder to fit in druids, clerics, and paladins. Not sure how they would fit in, but I could see some among the Earthbound, perhaps some have discovered a type of magic that only comes from attunment to the natural world or some other force.
The game only showed us the final days of Zeal. We're told that it had previously focused on elemental magic, but the discovery of Lavos caused the entire culture to shift gears. By setting the campaign prior to that, you'd presumably have a society more akin to that of the Dragonians, who revered the elements and seemed to worship the planet itself as a divinity. That could be the basis for the divine caster classes.
I like the idea of seeing Zeal through the eyes of more "common people" rather than royalty. There are a number of interesting scenarios I can think of:
-Some of your party members are Enlightened Ones stranded somehow on the surface. The weather and cold make it difficult to even cast spells, and your only hope back home is to band with some Earthbound Ones. However casting aside such prejudices are not going to happen overnight. Furthermore one or more of your Enlightened One party members has the ability to sense if someone has magic-and you find that even among the Earthbound Ones there is evidence of perhaps some...activity between the two groups-or it could be that just as some people can be born without magic on the floating islands, so too can some Earthbound Ones just have the potential for magic.
An NPC mentions that "Long ago, the Enlightened Ones and the Earthbound Ones lived as one." This could be taken to mean a time before contact with the Frozen Flame, but I prefer to interpret it as sometime after the founding of Zeal but before the present day. The campaign could be set during such a time, with a definite social stratification of magical haves and have-nots, but without the severe classism shown in the game.
Also, the dichotomy might not have been as extreme in earlier times. The genetics for magical talent may have not yet died out among the Earthbound Ones. If the ability is carried in a recessive gene, it might pop up among families who haven't produced a magician for many generations. Enlightened Ones would be spellcasters more often than not, just as Earthbound Ones would mostly be nonspellcasters, but there could be some crossover.
In any event, adventurers in most campaign settings are seen as distasteful by the upper class; a necessary evil (regardless of the adventurers' actual alignment) to accomplish unsavory tasks. For that reason, an Enlightened adventurer might be viewed as barely above an Earthbound One by those who would otherwise be his social equals.
-Researchers begin to be concerned about how all the spells that make the floating islands rise and be habitable are taking a huge drain from the sunstone. Your party members are on an expedition to search for other sources of energy-hopefully another sunstone. Bonus if your party finds out there is no other sunstone and everyone has to come up with a solution.
There are 65 million years unaccounted for in the canon, with 3 million of those allowing for the existence of magic. That makes for a lot of ancient ruins to delve for any number of reasons. You could rework just about any published module to fit into that context.
-Extending the one above, Lavos is discovered, now your party members have to deal with the issue, support or think the nation is heading the wrong direction? Your party members may be dissenters, and each goes missing one by one, and you have to rescue one another and help stop the madness that is encroaching on Zeal.
-Mirroring Netheril, instead of the whole Lavos thing, Zeal is threatened to fall due to some jerk ass mages trying to attain godhood and take power from a god of magic-and succeed which actually ends up killing the deity and depriving the world of magic.
These two pretty much describe Zeal's final days as portrayed in the game.
The PCs could be followers of the Gurus, and are banished along with them.Lavos could be seen as a god of magic, since the Frozen Flame was responsible for humans' magical aptitude. Except instead of being killed, Lavos destroys the ones attempting to steal its power. Magic doesn't die, but most of its practitioners do, which has much the same effect.
Just curious, how would you class the cast of CT?
I wouldn't try to duplicate all their abilities one-for-one, as some are just too bizarre to explain; how does a nonmagical Ayla summon a giant dinosaur tail outside her own era? But with the house rules I suggested, here's how I'd do it. Where specific techs aren't mentioned, I feel they can be adequately represented by the given class's existing abilities or feats which are similar in function (Crono's Cyclone is Whirlwind Attack, for example).
Crono: Fighter with Weapon Focus and Weapon Specialization in katana. (In this setting, I would consider the katana to be a martial weapon rather than exotic.) Unique feats that allow him to cast lightning bolt, chain lightning, sunburst, and raise dead (Lightning, Lightning 2, Luminaire, and Life, respectively).
Barring unique feats, I'd have him as a fighter/sorcerer and just select electricity- and light-based spells.
Marle: Cleric of a nonspecific deity, with the healing and water domains. Unique feat that allows her to cast haste.
Lucca: Wizard (evoker) specialized in fire spells. Her guns would be reflavored crossbows.
Lucca might be better represented as an artificer, but I'm not familiar with that class since I didn't really care for Eberron's mechanics (absolutely loved the geopolitical setup though).
Frog: Paladin with his smite attacks reflavored as water spells and usable against nonevil foes. Frog Squash is one of those bizarre abilities I wouldn't try to replicate.
Robo: Warforged (yeah, Eberron) fighter with Improved Unarmed Strike, and Weapon Focus and Weapon Specialization in unarmed strike. Unique feats that allow him to cast mass cure light wounds, mass cure moderate wounds, chain lightning, fireball, and call lightning (Cure Beam, Heal Beam, Laser Spin, Area Bomb, and Shock, respectively).
Barring unique feats... I don't even know. A fighter/druid maybe? Robo's abilities are a real grab bag of odd stuff when translated to D&D equivalents.
Ayla: Monk with a unique feat that allows her to cast Charm Monster.
Magus: Wizard with Spell Focus and Greater Spell Focus in evocation, and Exotic Weapon Proficiency in scythe. (The scythe is normally a martial weapon, but doing it this way prevents the need to give him both Simple and Martial Weapon Proficiency.)
197
Kajar Laboratories / Re: Chrono series and Tabletop RPGing!
« on: February 20, 2017, 06:25:34 pm »
I'm a 3.5e man myself. Haven't tried 5e yet, but from everything I've seen, it's basically 3.5e Mk II, so I'd probably like it just fine. I'm fine with any edition, actually, just as long as it's not 4e. 
I think the kingdom of Zeal would make a cool campaign setting. Compared to other eras where magic is nonexistent or forgotten, you wouldn't have to jump through any hoops to explain why there are so many spellcasters. The time frame (malleable as it is) could be set prior to the discovery of Lavos, when the kingdom was more concerned with general magical research and thus sending adventurers to collect MacGuffins from ancient ruins would be all the rage.
The flavor and lore would mainly come from the Chrono series, but you could fill in some of the gaps by robbing ideas from the various Forgotten Realms supplements which describe the ancient empire of Netheril (a highly magically advanced society whose decadent elite lived on floating sky-islands until a great disaster crashed them... sound familiar?).
As you mention, point-based systems would probably be a better fit than class-and-level systems for recreating the hybrid characters seen in the Chrono games. However, I think 3.5e (and maybe 5e, but I'm not sure) could work just fine with a few house rules:
On a related note, I've always thought the world of Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen would make a great campaign setting. (I'm not familiar with the other games in the series.)
I think the kingdom of Zeal would make a cool campaign setting. Compared to other eras where magic is nonexistent or forgotten, you wouldn't have to jump through any hoops to explain why there are so many spellcasters. The time frame (malleable as it is) could be set prior to the discovery of Lavos, when the kingdom was more concerned with general magical research and thus sending adventurers to collect MacGuffins from ancient ruins would be all the rage.
The flavor and lore would mainly come from the Chrono series, but you could fill in some of the gaps by robbing ideas from the various Forgotten Realms supplements which describe the ancient empire of Netheril (a highly magically advanced society whose decadent elite lived on floating sky-islands until a great disaster crashed them... sound familiar?
).As you mention, point-based systems would probably be a better fit than class-and-level systems for recreating the hybrid characters seen in the Chrono games. However, I think 3.5e (and maybe 5e, but I'm not sure) could work just fine with a few house rules:
- Remove multiclassing penalties; in fact, you might want to give a minor XP bonus to multiclassed characters, to encourage multiclassing and to help offset the loss of raw power from doing so.
- Give all classes full BAB progression.
- Create some custom feats which evoke the flavor of techs, preferably ones which lend themselves to being used in combination with others.
On a related note, I've always thought the world of Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen would make a great campaign setting. (I'm not familiar with the other games in the series.)
198
Time, Space, and Dimensions / Re: Chrono trigger ending question (Is bugging me a lot; related to time travel)
« on: February 17, 2017, 01:36:44 pm »
What makes the conversation even more strange, is that Doan is standing right there the whole time. Lucca herself went and got him along with Marle's ancestors, which had to have happened after Lavos was defeated. Lucca had visited the new future and found Doan intact, so what reason was there to think Robo wouldn't also be fine?
I've always assumed that Robo was built sometime prior to 1999 AD due to his memories of there being lots of humans in Proto Dome. Atropos's assertion that he was created to spy on humans must be taken with a grain of salt, since she had been reprogrammed by the clearly delusional Mother Brain. Before Lavos awakened, Mother Brain was probably a benign program with no desire to eliminate humanity. Centuries of neglect most likely caused her to go mad and pass that madness on to her children. Robo was exempt from this reprogramming due to his being offline the whole time, possibly due to damage sustained during the Lavos disaster.
I've always assumed that Robo was built sometime prior to 1999 AD due to his memories of there being lots of humans in Proto Dome. Atropos's assertion that he was created to spy on humans must be taken with a grain of salt, since she had been reprogrammed by the clearly delusional Mother Brain. Before Lavos awakened, Mother Brain was probably a benign program with no desire to eliminate humanity. Centuries of neglect most likely caused her to go mad and pass that madness on to her children. Robo was exempt from this reprogramming due to his being offline the whole time, possibly due to damage sustained during the Lavos disaster.
199
Kajar Laboratories / Re: Text Based, Online, Multiplayer Fan Project
« on: February 10, 2017, 10:43:13 pm »
Sounds pretty cool. My main question is: how does leveling up work?
Are stat gains randomized, meaning you can end up with, say, a lousy hit point base which necessitates rolling up a new character and hoping RNG smiles on you this time around?
Or are the gains fixed, meaning you are rewarded for persistence rather than luck?
I ask because in my experience most MUDs use the former method, which always left a bad taste in my mouth when I realized that my character would end up being worthless, yet I had already spent too much time on him to simply abandon him.
Are stat gains randomized, meaning you can end up with, say, a lousy hit point base which necessitates rolling up a new character and hoping RNG smiles on you this time around?
Or are the gains fixed, meaning you are rewarded for persistence rather than luck?
I ask because in my experience most MUDs use the former method, which always left a bad taste in my mouth when I realized that my character would end up being worthless, yet I had already spent too much time on him to simply abandon him.
200
Other Topics and the Prerelease / Re: Leveraging Nostalgia
« on: February 05, 2017, 12:35:39 pm »
I generally hold a pretty low opinion of Square and their mishandling of the Chrono series as well.
However, the mobile game Final Fantasy Brave Exvius is currently having a Secret of Mana event where you can get characters from that game for your team. This is the first time FFBE has introduced characters from a non-Final Fantasy title, and it opens the door for them to do the same with Chrono Trigger characters.
So what? Assuming they even do that, it's just a glorified cameo appearance in an unrelated game.
Although it's totally playable without spending a dime, FFBE is microtransaction-driven game. One of the things you can spend money on is summoning more characters. They're randomly chosen, of course, to keep you buying until you get the one you're really after. I suspect Square may be using these events as a barometer for what people want to see—if sales skyrocket during the Secret of Mana event, they'll know there's interest in the series. The fact that they're reaching so far back into their library seems to suggest they are indeed trying to cash in on nostalgia.
It's a long shot, but hopefully they'll do a Chrono Trigger event which earns a zillion dollars, and Square will have unequivocal proof that the series is worth reviving.
However, the mobile game Final Fantasy Brave Exvius is currently having a Secret of Mana event where you can get characters from that game for your team. This is the first time FFBE has introduced characters from a non-Final Fantasy title, and it opens the door for them to do the same with Chrono Trigger characters.
So what? Assuming they even do that, it's just a glorified cameo appearance in an unrelated game.
Although it's totally playable without spending a dime, FFBE is microtransaction-driven game. One of the things you can spend money on is summoning more characters. They're randomly chosen, of course, to keep you buying until you get the one you're really after. I suspect Square may be using these events as a barometer for what people want to see—if sales skyrocket during the Secret of Mana event, they'll know there's interest in the series. The fact that they're reaching so far back into their library seems to suggest they are indeed trying to cash in on nostalgia.
It's a long shot, but hopefully they'll do a Chrono Trigger event which earns a zillion dollars, and Square will have unequivocal proof that the series is worth reviving.
201
Chrono / Gameplay Casual Discussion / Re: Schala's Intersection
« on: February 01, 2017, 05:05:58 pm »
It's possible that new construction has changed the intersection's appearance drastically in the seventeen years since the scene was filmed.
Hard to believe it's been that long...
Hard to believe it's been that long...
202
Time, Space, and Dimensions / Re: Theory: Time Eggs Break Time
« on: January 30, 2017, 01:14:36 pm »
That's a good theory. Although all else being equal, I'd wonder why Schala reincarnated herself in RD but cloned herself in CC.
203
Characters, Plot, and Themes / Re: Was Crono Supposed to Die?
« on: January 08, 2017, 06:50:19 pm »
My biggest question about the concept of retrieving younger (pre-Millenial Fair) Crono has more to do with gameplay than the actual story: what would the developers have done about him being knocked back to experience level 1?
It would kind of defeat the purpose of reviving your strongest character if he lost all his strength in the process. And this younger Crono wouldn't even know the rest of the party besides Lucca, which would thwart reviving him for sentimental reasons as well.
Perhaps the Chrono Trigger was originally meant to transfer the older Crono's memories into the younger one's head? So that he'd regain his previous level and rapport with the party?
It would kind of defeat the purpose of reviving your strongest character if he lost all his strength in the process. And this younger Crono wouldn't even know the rest of the party besides Lucca, which would thwart reviving him for sentimental reasons as well.
Perhaps the Chrono Trigger was originally meant to transfer the older Crono's memories into the younger one's head? So that he'd regain his previous level and rapport with the party?
204
Chrono Cross Modification / Re: not used location
« on: December 25, 2016, 04:34:36 pm »Just google for bangka boat.
Ah, that makes a lot more sense.
I'm glad I was somewhat close, at least.
205
Chrono Cross Modification / Re: not used location
« on: December 24, 2016, 07:16:38 pm »
Disclaimer: I am not fluent in Japanese.
Entering the katakana バンカーボート into Google Translate gives "bunker boat."
The same phrase can be seen in this picture:
https://www.chronocompendium.com/images/wiki/1/1a/100.jpg
コルチャのバンカーボート
Assuming the previous translation is correct, that gives "Korcha's bunker boat." We know Korcha is a ferryman, so my guess is "bunker" refers to the boat's purpose of carrying passengers and thus "ferry boat" would a more accurate translation.
Entering the katakana バンカーボート into Google Translate gives "bunker boat."
The same phrase can be seen in this picture:
https://www.chronocompendium.com/images/wiki/1/1a/100.jpg
コルチャのバンカーボート
Assuming the previous translation is correct, that gives "Korcha's bunker boat." We know Korcha is a ferryman, so my guess is "bunker" refers to the boat's purpose of carrying passengers and thus "ferry boat" would a more accurate translation.
206
General Discussion / Re: I Am Setsuna
« on: November 03, 2016, 04:46:54 pm »
http://store.steampowered.com/app/441830/
I haven't played it yet but it's on my wishlist. However, reviews seem to indicate that the battle system is as close as the game gets to Chrono Trigger. From the preview videos, it looks like the battles are lifted right out of CT except you can power up your techniques by letting your ATB gauge continue to fill even after your turn is ready. Depending on how well this is implemented I could imagine it either adding some strategic depth or coming off as needlessly gimmicky.
This is all just guesswork on my part, though. Hopefully someone who has actually played the game will chime in.
I haven't played it yet but it's on my wishlist. However, reviews seem to indicate that the battle system is as close as the game gets to Chrono Trigger. From the preview videos, it looks like the battles are lifted right out of CT except you can power up your techniques by letting your ATB gauge continue to fill even after your turn is ready. Depending on how well this is implemented I could imagine it either adding some strategic depth or coming off as needlessly gimmicky.
This is all just guesswork on my part, though. Hopefully someone who has actually played the game will chime in.
207
Characters, Plot, and Themes / Re: "Welcome back, Chrono Trigger."
« on: October 17, 2016, 06:42:58 pm »
Remember, though, that the DNA lock was in place because of the Prometheus Circuit. Before Serge became the arbiter, FATE probably didn't have to go through all that rigmarole when accessing the Flame.
208
Characters, Plot, and Themes / Re: "Welcome back, Chrono Trigger."
« on: October 17, 2016, 04:24:00 pm »
Maybe it was Robo / the Prometheus Circuit addressing him?
209
Chrono / Gameplay Casual Discussion / Re: The origin of the pendant?
« on: September 11, 2016, 05:24:00 am »
Yes, the whole thing is rather confusing. Baby Kid is clearly wearing Schala's Dreamstone pendant in the PS/DS ending cutscene of Chrono Trigger, but she doesn't wear it in Chrono Cross as one would expect of such a sentimental item. I suspect the pendant in the cutscene was simply intended to be visual shorthand to help establish Kid's origin and bridge the two games; in "reality" she was wearing the Astral Amulet. Or an even simpler explanation: it was the result of an oversight on the game developers' parts, or a miscommunication between them and the animation studio.
As for Kid holding her beaded necklace in the Chrono Cross ending cutscene, I think that was probably just meant to identify her to the audience; there's no mistaking such a distinctive item.
Although you raise an interesting point about the possibility of the pendant changing shape. Dreamstone items have been shown to be quite malleable. Just look at the many evolutions of the Ruby Knife: from knife to good Masamune, to evil Masamune, and finally to Mastermune. However, I seriously doubt Kid's beaded necklace was intended to be the Dreamstone pendant because no fuss is ever made about it in-game.
Both the concept art and the in-game sprite of the Dreamstone which Ayla gives to Crono depict a large chunk of red rock rather than a blue necklace. In any event, the circumstances surrounding Leah are so strange that I think it's impossible to draw any definite conclusions about her.
As for Kid holding her beaded necklace in the Chrono Cross ending cutscene, I think that was probably just meant to identify her to the audience; there's no mistaking such a distinctive item.
Although you raise an interesting point about the possibility of the pendant changing shape. Dreamstone items have been shown to be quite malleable. Just look at the many evolutions of the Ruby Knife: from knife to good Masamune, to evil Masamune, and finally to Mastermune. However, I seriously doubt Kid's beaded necklace was intended to be the Dreamstone pendant because no fuss is ever made about it in-game.
Both the concept art and the in-game sprite of the Dreamstone which Ayla gives to Crono depict a large chunk of red rock rather than a blue necklace. In any event, the circumstances surrounding Leah are so strange that I think it's impossible to draw any definite conclusions about her.
210
Chrono / Gameplay Casual Discussion / Re: The origin of the pendant?
« on: September 10, 2016, 05:29:30 pm »
I always assumed that Schala's (later Marle's) pendant was made by Melchior around the same time he made the Ruby Knife, since Masa mentions them both in the same breath. Leah's pendant is probably just an unrelated piece of decorative jewelry.
Then again, maybe it's not, and it has something to do with all the weird temporal events that happen to Leah... But without further clarification from the game's writers, I'd still go with the simpler explanation: just a pretty necklace.
As for the dimensional travel part, it's actually Kid's Astral Amulet which allows this, and the description of that item as being wooden precludes it from being Schala's pendant, which is made of Dreamstone.
Then again, maybe it's not, and it has something to do with all the weird temporal events that happen to Leah... But without further clarification from the game's writers, I'd still go with the simpler explanation: just a pretty necklace.
As for the dimensional travel part, it's actually Kid's Astral Amulet which allows this, and the description of that item as being wooden precludes it from being Schala's pendant, which is made of Dreamstone.