I'm looking for a system mechanic that I could use in my homebrew campaign. I don't mind borrowing a mechanic from a well known system, like WFRP, DnD or WoD, but the truth is I am not that familiar with different systems to know where to look and I didn't like any of those that I found.
I know what I'm looking for though (most important features first)
- Classless system
And preferably character development without levels, that seems to be accompanying this process - Degrees of success
So the player after rolling can get not only botch-fail-succeed result, but, like in Storyteller, he can "fix a car just enough to roll to the garage", "fix it so it holds for a few months" or "fix it forever" - Light on the amount of rolling
I'd rather throw a one complicated roll than a couple simple ones. - Difference between high-risk-high-reward and persistent nudging tactics
For example, I would like a character with a massive unwieldy axe feel different from one with a handy and accurate cutlass. Also, a skilled character with a regular pistol should feel different from an unskilled one with a fancy pistol. Also, difference between a genius relying on a strike of brilliance and a hardworking, bit-by-bit craftsman. Repeat ad nauseum. - Fair amount of degrees of freedom
In DnD GM has only one degree of freedom - difficulty. In Storyteller - 3, dice pool, difficulty and target no of successes. I prefer the latter. - Passive defenses
The player do not has to sacrifice his attack to dodge, defenses should be at least reflexive, like WFRP dodge.
DnD, either edition fails on 1,2 and 5.
WFRP: fails 1,2,5
Storyteller (cWoD): fails 3 and 6 and after Revised it actually lost 4 as well (shooting a derringer should be easier than shooting a hand cannon, right, White Wolf?)
Storytelling (nWoD): now fails 2,4,5. It just replaced old issues with new ones.
The rest is not familiar to me enough to really judge, and most open source lightweight systems just simply lack the depth or no 2.