For roguelikes the D&D and other table top systems are not perfect. They work but I would like a system that's RL specific. An RL system takes into account the control system as well as combat/game mechanics. My system links the stats directly with the controls. You don't have strength or melee, but rather a bump stat, you don't have agility or dexterity, but rather a shoot stat.
NOTE: I do not take into account 'to hit' rolls. I do not use them. Armor, resistances and being faster and fleeing are your defenses. There is no, "you miss" nonsense, that's not my style.
Stats
-Bump: melee attack stat with special effect if any...
-Armor: %blocked, magic attacks can ignore armor.
-Move: How many moves, depends on your timing system.
-Shoot: ranged attack stat with special effect.
-Throw: If it's important to your game, you might have a throw stat, but for me certain things are throwable and do damage based on their weight.
Status
-Health: Start at 9999 and count down like Gauntlet. Eat food to restore health.
-Mana: Reduce this when a magic item is used, it slowly clicks up. You can sit and wait for mana to regenerate but then you are wasting health at one tick per turn...
-Special Effects: Poisoned, stunned, confused, blinded, regenerating etc....
Slots (each slotted item will alter the basic stats).
-Armor, weapon, ranged weapon, magic item, accessory, etc...depends on your game.
Special Effects
-Each item slotted can have a passive special effect on the wearer, each item used from inventory can have a special effect and a target (other, self). Like heal, invisible, fly, polymorph, etc...
The controls are thus:
-WASD = Move in four directions. Bump attack, open doors.
-Arrows = Shoot in four directions. You might us 'f' or 's' plus the arrows to shoot and use just arrows to move.
-Numbers = Equip/Use items in one screen inventory. Meaning inventory is only 9 slots.
-Space Bar = Use slotted magic item.
-T = throw or throw away something.
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Example character panel
Uncle Jo Health: 8245
Bp Ar Mv Sh Energy: 45%
4 2 6 0
Hand: Flamberge (+4,0,0,0), Fire
Worn: Light Shirt (0,0,+2,0)
Item: Shield (0,+2,0,0)
Inventory:
1. Holy Potion
2. Azderzzcoo Scroll
3. Empty
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Note your 'slots' can also be a Race and Class giving stats and special effects, like above the 'move' stat should only be 2 if you are looking at the gear but humans will all start with move 4.
Example:
-Race Slot: Human (0,0,+4,0)
-Class Slot: Fighter (0000), May Use Heavy Weapons
You can use that slot system for all kinds of things, like....
-Mutation: 4 Arms (+2, 0, +2, +2*) *applies only if ranged weapon is equipped
So that's one way to do it, some people might want to do the WoW/ToME4 system where you activate abilities and what not, you can modify this to that system as well but I enjoy a more gear/slot type of system.
Anyway I hope that helps people, I've not made a game with this yet but the system is sound. Anything that links actual controls to the stats is cool by me, it's just much simpler to see what's what that way.
Note the game Demon Hunt is a HUGE influence on this system.
Good luck.
