Destiny Machinist (Obsolete System 2)

Destiny Machinist : Duels of the Sauhp'sian Knights is the name of a proposed fighting system/video game made by Paorou-sama. The game revolves around the battles of the Knights/Wizards of Ayepeessee, as well as their insight into the eldritch mysteries of Destiny.

It utilizes a single deck of tarot cards (both minor and major arcana) called the Destiny Stack, as well as Poker-like elements, using card combinations and comparisons to determine victories.

History
- prior to 06/13/13 - Destiny Machinist's rules follow the obsolete format.

- 06/13/13 - Version 0.5 - new system is duel (one on one) only. It removes the Auspice rules and goes for a fate/extra + poker battle system.

Characters
The characters of this game are based off the Sauh'psian mythos, prominently featuring the Knights of the Round. Character sheets here.

Game System
The game system is similar to poker, in that a player must use or combine cards with numerical values, comparing them with an opponent's own combinations to win rounds. The point of a game is to reduce your opponent's health to zero before he can do the same to you.

The game centers around the single deck of tarot cards, known as the Destiny Stack, and the Battle Spread, the order in which the tarot cards are laid out during combat.

Important Terms

 * Player - Participant in the game. This also translates to the character and vice versa.
 * Health - The Life/Vitality of a character. Reducing this to zero means the character can no longer fight and loses the match.
 * Max Health - A character's health cannot be more than this amount. The health at the start of the match.
 * Energy - Stamina/Chi/Ammunition. The ability to utilize actions. With this at zero, your character is essentially an impotent, sitting duck.
 * Max Energy - Same as Max Health, A character's energy cannot be more than this amount. The energy at the start of the match.
 * Destiny Stack - A deck of tarot cards shared by all players of the game. When cards are drawn from this stack, they are called potencies. This is shuffled every start of the turn.
 * Potency/ies - Refers to tarot cards held by each player.
 * Potency Threshold - a numerical lower limit on how much potencies one can hold. Characters start with potencies equal to this value. If at draw phase, they have less potencies than this value, they draw until they have a hand equal to the threshold. If not, they simply draw one more card.
 * Energy Spending/Expenditure - The use of energy to activate an ability. Simply tick off a box or take away a token, whatever style you choose to represent it
 * Action - What your character does during a round.
 * Basic Action - Action using a single card, and its numerical value, and declaring a basic action type.
 * Maneuver - Actions specific to characters, each have basic types and sometimes involve multiple cards.
 * Attack - An ability that inflicts damage or harms the opponent. This can mean Energy, Health, or even Potencies.
 * Defense - An ability that mitigates or avoids damage done by attacks.
 * Recharge - An ability that allows you to restore health, energy or even potency. As a basic action, it restores health.
 * Significator - An aspect of the character that provides ongoing benefits for as long as it is in play. However, it can be reversed, granting penalties instead.
 * Resting - An option that allows a player to take no action this turn, and restore energy to its max energy value.
 * Aspect Ability - When using basic actions, each card has its own set of abilities, depending on its suit and rank.

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HOW TO PLAY ===='''=== First, each player must select a character. (or design one, but I haven't designed character creation yet)

Then they flip a coin to decide who goes first during draw phase.

I. Omens Phase
Status effects that take place during the beginning of the turn take effect.

At the beginning of the turn, players must declare if they are changing, adding or discarding their significators. In the case of changing or discarding, the significator is removed.

Significators can only be discarded if they are upright, or if a status effect/maneuver removes them.

Discarded significators are put into the discard pile.

Shuffle the discard pile into the Fate Pile.

II. Draw Phase
The player that last won a karmic shift draws first. If they possess less potencies than their threshold, players draw cards from the Destiny Stack until they meet the number. If not, they simply draw one card.

III. Planning Phase
Players place their cards face down on the battle spread, representing their actions. They may place cards down as Basic Actions or Maneuvers, for as long as they have the energy to do so.

All maneuvers and basic actions fall under three Action Types:
 * Attack - This action deals damage.
 * Defense - This action prevents damage.
 * Heal - This action restores health, energy, or potencies.

By default, all action types deal with the health stat. Specific Character's maneuvers and innate abilities may change this.

Players may place their significators face down on the battle spread, if they have no significator in play.

IV. Revelations Phase
Significators are revealed if they are not already revealed. Their abilities take effect if they have not yet taken effect. Players both declare how much energy they've used, and reduce their energy points accordingly.

They start dividing their face down cards according to rounds, pairing their actions according to the order in which they were put on the field.

If a person has put down more actions than his opponent, these unpaired actions take place in what are called extra rounds.

RESTING
Players may instead declare that they are resting this round. In that case, no actions are taken (they have no cards face down), and they are restored to max energy at end of combat. If an enemy has taken action this turn, all his actions are extra rounds.

V. Combat Phase
Combat is resolved by round.

Each round, both players declare their basic action or maneuver, then reveal their cards.

Their action's numeric values are then modified according to aspect ability rules, or any bonuses bestowed by innate or significator abilities.

After this, both actions are compared according to their action types and numerical values. This is called the Round Comparison.

Refer to the list below to resolve each round:
 * 1) Attack on Attack - Both players deal the total numerical value of their cards as damage to the opposing player. The player with the lesser total numerical value has his card/s reversed.
 * 2) Attack on Defense - The attacker only deals damage if he beats the numerical value of the defender's card/s. He deals damage equal to the difference between the pair's numerical values. If the defender has a higher numerical value, the attacker's card/s are reversed.
 * 3) Attack on Heal - The attacker deals his card/s' full numerical value in damage to the healer. The healer heals life by his card/s' full numerical value. The Healer's card/s are reversed.
 * 4) Defense on Defense - Nothing happens.
 * 5) Defense on Heal - Defender is reversed. healer heals life by his card/s' full numerical value.
 * 6) Heal on Heal - Both players heal their life by their card/s' full numerical value.

After Round Comparison, the maneuver abilities trigger, unless specifically stated to occur before round comparison.

Unless stated otherwise, all attacks, defenses and recharges affect only the health/life attribute.

Players repeat this process until they have done all their actions.

In the extra rounds, actions simply resolve:
 * Attacks deal their full numerical value in damage.


 * Defenses do nothing.
 * Heals restore life by their full numerical value.

If a player has rested this turn, their energy is restored to its max energy value at the end of combat.

BASIC ACTIONS AND THEIR ASPECT ABILITIES
All characters can attack using whatever card they wish, relying on their numeric values and declaring a basic action type. In this case, the aspect ability of each card is activated prior to round comparison, providing bonuses in combat depending on the card type:
 * Major Arcana : The well known 'faces' of the Tarot Deck. As basic actions, they provide no inherent bonuses, but they can go beyond the numerical value of 11. The exception to this rule is The Fool, which has the effective numerical value of its' round opponent's own numerical value plus one. (If an opponent has a numerical value of 10, the fool's value this turn is 11.) If the Fool is played during an extra round, nothing happens.
 * Wands : The wands are representations of passion and power, and if used for healing or attacking, gain a +1 to their numerical value.
 * Swords : the swords are representations of conflict and tension, and if used for attacking or defending, gain a +1 to their numerical value.
 * Cups : The cups are representations of compassion and intuition, and if used for defending or healing, gain a +1 to their numerical value.
 * Pentacles : The pentacles are representations of wealth and work, and if not reversed, restore one energy point.
 * Royalty : All royalties have an effective numerical rating of 11. They have their suit's bonus.

MANEUVERS
All characters have a list of card combinations called Maneuvers. These are powerful abilities that make each character unique, giving them an edge over their opponents. In this case, each card's aspect abilities do not take effect, giving way for the maneuver's own set of abilities.

Maneuvers are usually multiple cards that make up a single action. In this case, the total numerical value of the cards is used for that round's comparison. However, some maneuvers may modify this rule.

VI. Karmic Shift
Players now count how many cards have been reversed during the combat phase. The person with lesser reversed cards gains a Boon this turn and the person with more reversed cards gets a Penalty.

If both players have the same amount of reversed cards, no boon or penalty is applied.

Boons:
 * If his significator is reversed, he turns it upright.
 * Restore life equal to the total numeric value of his reversed cards.
 * Restore energy equal to the total number of his reversed cards.
 * He gains Blessed X, where X is the total number of his reversed cards.

Penalties:
 * If his significator is upright, it is reversed.
 * Lose life equal to the total numeric value of his reversed cards.
 * If he has more than one energy point, Lose energy equal to the total number of his reversed cards.
 * He gains Cursed X, where X is the total number of his reversed cards.

VII. End Phase
Move all cards on the battle spread, except for significators, to the Discard pile.

Start a new turn by returning to the Omens Phase.

STATUS EFFECTS TABLE
Unless stated otherwise, you may not have more than one instance of a status effect.
 * Damage over Time (Poison, Burning, Freezing. etc.) (X) - Player takes X health damage at the beginning of the turn. Can stack if each instance is of a different type. Lasts for 3 turns.
 * Bleeding - Player takes 1 health damage at the beginning of the turn, and additional 1 damage for every attack he performs. Can stack up to 3 times. Each application of bleeding renews the entire stack. Lasts 3 turns.
 * Regenerating (X) - Player heals X damage at the beginning of the round. Lasts 3 turns.
 * Energy Sap X - Player loses X energy points at the beginning of the turn. Each application removes previous instances of Energy Sap or Energy Surge. Lasts 3 turns.
 * Energy Surge X - Player gains X energy points at the beginning of the turn. Each application removes previous instances of Energy Sap or Energy Surge. Lasts 3 turns.
 * Cursed (X) - The player's potency threshold is reduced by X. Each application removes previous instances of Blessed or Cursed. Lasts 3 turns.
 * Blessed (X) - The player's potency threshold is increased by X. Each application removes previous instances of Blessed or Cursed. Lasts 3 turns.
 * Weakened X - all attacks performed by this character have their numerical value reduced by X. Each application removes previous instances of Weakened or Strengthened.Lasts 3 turns.
 * Strengthened X - all attacks performed by this character have their numerical value increased by X. Each application removes previous instances of Weakened or Strengthened. Lasts 3 turns.
 * Exposed X - all defenses performed by this character have their numerical value reduced by X. Each application removes previous instances of Exposed or Fortified. Lasts 3 turns.
 * Fortified X - all defenses performed by this character have their numerical value increased by X. Each application removes previous instances of Exposed or Fortified. Lasts 3 turns.
 * Impaired X - all heal actions performed by this character have their numerical values reduced by X. Each application removes previous instances of Recovery or Impaired. lasts 3 turns.
 * Recovery X - all heal actions performed by this character have their numerical values increased by X. Each application removes previous instances of Recovery or Impaired. lasts 3 turns.
 * Stun - Your next action does not trigger, as if it was never played. The opponent's action during that round resolves as if it were an extra round. Stun lasts one round, which can transfer across turns. Declaring that you are Resting during revelations phase nullifies this.
 * Incompetent - the next action/maneuver performed has its numerical value halved, rounded up. As long as it has not been triggered, duration is indefinite.
 * Immune (X) - X can be either a numeric value, a suit, a royalty-type, or 'major arcana'. Any maneuver or basic action that utilizes a card against a character immune to its card type does not trigger, as if stunned. Lasts indefinitely.
 * Seal (X) - X can be either a numeric value, a suit, a royalty-type, or 'major arcana'. If you possess any cards of the chosen type, you must reveal and discard them upon acquisition. Lasts Indefinitely.