Introduction

Syncing Feeling is a TTRPG system that incorporates role-playing and character interactions into its gameplay. The system has extensive combat mechanics and options, and players will collaborate to attack together.  Outside of combat, the game will measure their bonds and they'll unlock new capabilities with those they share strong connections with.

The system supports any number of players, but is best with four to six players. Even-numbered parties are preferred, but the system includes functionality for Sync Pairs of up to three members. 

Link to Google Drive Folder: 

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1LCruvgCBiZrzEABadWy1g0AnAmFQG3u0?usp=dri... 

Syncing

Syncing is the core of Syncing Feeling. When characters Sync together, they will share their turns and fight side-by-side. Traditionally, Syncing is done in pairs, but it can also be done in trios. 

The characters must be in agreement for their turn, and need to have the same intent while taking that turn. So they must attack together, heal together, or do some other sort of supporting action together.

Syncing can be disrupted when the characters' emotions grow too intense or if their goals force them to split from one another. There are various actions they can take to mitigate the chance of Desyncing. 

When Desynced, characters are extremely vulnerable and aren't able to deal as much damage as when they're working in a Sync Partnership. Their options are limited, and they're easier to defeat.

Feelings

The feelings of characters are extremely important to the system, both in combat and outside of combat. Feelings are represented through a character's  Emotional Response. These responses are the ways a character handles the increased stress of a combat scenario on their psyche.

There are four types of Emotional Response. Enraged, Overwhelmed, Cautious, and Levelheaded.  Each response provides different passive effects on a character's rolls and abilities in combat. As a character's health drops below certain thresholds, their Emotional Response Level will increase.

If that level increases beyond the threshold of five, characters will Desync from one another. They can take actions while fighting to lower these levels, and their Sync Partner and other allies can also help reduce their Emotional Response Level. It is up to the team to manage their Emotional Responses to maximize the benefits of their abilities. 

Harmonics

Harmonics are the bonds that characters form with one another. Players will work together to come up with a Vow that their characters will make, and then try to follow that Vow in their interactions. As they do this and progress their dynamic, their Harmonics will level up.

The level of two characters' Harmonics will grant them access to special abilities they can use in battle when Synced. The higher their level, the more of these abilities they can use.  

The Harmonic Level between the characters can increase or decrease as they interact, depending on whether or not they go against their Vow. Generally, as they grow closer, they'll be better in combat.

Focuses

Focuses are the classes that Syncing Feeling utilizes. There are six Focuses in the game, and each one provides different moves that the characters can use in combat. They use these skills by spending an active resource known as Droplets, which are gained from being damaged and missing attacks.

The skills have a variety of effects and uses depending on the Focus and what the players do on their turn. They give each character the opportunity to differentiate themselves in a pair, and have a set of skills unique to them.

Combat Sheet

Syncing Feeling also includes a Combat Sheet that can be utilized while fighting to keep track of important information such as HP,  Droplets, Status, and it will do the math for various rolls that you may need to perform while in combat.

The sheet features multiple look-up boxes for the various skills, which will pull up all the necessary criteria. It also features pages that contain all of this information.

The combat sheet can be integrated with other sheets as long as you fill out the Harmonics section of the sheet and provide the link to the other sheet. From there, you can select the Sync Partner in the appropriate dropdown menu, and it will pull their data from the combat sheet.

Documentation

The documentation included is the Core Rules Document, the Focuses Document, the Harmonics Document, the Emotions, Sync Partnerships, and Sync Moves Document, a definitions index for the different mechanics, a template for the character sheet, and a template for the combat sheet.

The core rules will explain how to create a character, play the game, and the functions of combat. The other documents delve into the primary mechanics of the system in more detail.

Combat Sheet Notes:

- The sheet will calculate your HP, Resistance Rate, attack rolls, damage rolls, skill checks, saving throws, magic conjurations,  emotional response reductions, Harmony Points, starting Droplets, Stat Point Total, and automatically combine your resistance rate and initiative with your current Sync Partners if the dropdowns are filled in. These will do all of the math for you, and you do not need to do any additional math.

-The initiative will not automatically add your agility.

-The sheet will not automatically add Droplets

-The sheet will not automatically increase your Emotional Response Rate

-There are two drop-downs for Sync Partners. The first set above the HP are for who your current Sync Partners are, if any. This will help find your highest resistance rate and initiative, even if you are in a Sync Partnership with three members.

-The second dropdown will toggle which Sync Partner you want to display the info of. This way, you can switch between two partners if you're in a Sync Partnership with three members. 

-Moving things around on the sheet can disrupt the integration with other combat sheets, as well as the sheet's internal math.

-The sheet may have additional bugs or errors.

Disclaimers:

This was a project worked on during my classes, and I am an amateur Gamdev and TTRPG designer. Though I tested the system with people who I frequently play TTRPGs, there may be elements that need to be better-explained or that are imbalanced.

Syncing Feeling is a work in progress, and will receive updates as it goes on. The intent is for a collaborative system that melds roleplay with combat. The system uses many dynamic variables and has a large amount of contents, but its progression aims to help slowly lower players into the rules of the system and the various abilities they have access to.

Thank you for reading! Any feedback is welcome!