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Skill Chess - A chess variant challenge

 I never player D'n'D (ok, only once, but I didn't like it very much). However, I like the magic and skill system that they use in order to give more power to a certain character. I wonder what kind of chess game we could have using something like that.

My idea (not finished, as you will see) is to give to each player, a certain credit to "learn" skills, or if you want, to build pieces with special powers. I divided these skills in the following parts:
 

So Skill Chess is a non check FIDE game, with these special powers added. The goal is to capture the king. However, the king can not learn and is not affected by any skill.


The cost list

The list has already enough skills (but more can be added, of course). The main problem to solve is to give the right cost to each one this powers. The hit skills already have a possible cost list, but not tested yet.

So the open questions, are:
 

 
This is the cost list (see notes below):

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                           *** COST LIST ***                                |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Skill Type     ExtraMove  Effect  Cost   Description                       |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                                                                            |
|   STATUS                                                                   |
|                                                                            |
| Diplomat           -        P            Cannot take or be taken           |
| Magnetic           -        P            Attract same color, repel others  |
| AntiMagnetic       -        P            Repel same color, attract others  |
| Gravity            -        P            Attract all pieces                |
| AntiGravity        -        P            Repell all pieces                 |
| Momentum           -        P            Continue to move (if possible)    |
|                                                                            |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                                                                            |
|   CAST SKILLS                                                              |
|                                                                            |
| become X           1        1            Becomes piece X for one move      |
| become Pawn        0        1            Becomes pawn for one move         |
| promote            1        P            Promote a piece                   |
| demote             1        P            Demote a piece                    |
| nMove Imunity      0        n            Becomes Diplomat for n moves      |
| expel Diplomat     0        1            Put Diplomat on an empty square   |
| teleport           1        1            Teleport piece to a empty square  |
| swap               0        -            Swap caster with other(not Kings) |
| push               0        1            Push piece 1 sq in valid direction|
| repel              0        1            Piece repels rookwise neighbours  |
| attract            0        1            Piece attracts rookwise neighbs   |
| slow               0        P            Piece takes 2 moves to act        |
| haste              -        -            Only way to revert slow           |
| nFreeze            0        n            Freezes a piece for n moves       |
| unfreeze           -        -            Freeze protection                 |
| stone              0        P            Piece cannot move or be taken     |
| flesh              -        -            Only way to revert stone          |
| ice                0        P            Target piece cannot move          |
| fire               -        -            Only way to revert ice            |
| hide               0        P            Piece becames invisible to enemy  |
| show               -        -            Only way to revert hide           |
| kamikaze           0        P            Selfdestruct if it takes piece    |
| moderation         -        -            Only way to revert kamikaze       |
| beserk             1        1            Piece moves twice                 |
| quakeBeserk        2        1            Piece moves three times           |
| create Obstacle    1        P            Puts an obstacle in an empty sq   |
| destroy Obstacle   1        -            Only way (& Bombs) to remove obst |
|                                                                            |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                                                                            |
|   HIT SKILLS                                                               |
|                                                                            |
| atomic Bomb        0        1      70    Explodes all neighbours & itself  |
| nuclear Bomb       0        1      50    Same, except pawns                |
| queen Missile      0        1     110    Fires in Q direction              |
| rook Missile       0        1      60    Fires in R direction              |
| bishop Missile     0        1      40    Fires in B direction              |
| knight Cannon      0        1      40    Fires in N direction              |
| chinese Cannon     0        1      60    Fires in chinese cannon direction |
| dabaaba Grenade    0        1      35    Fires 2 squares rookwise          |
| minister Grenade   0        1      35    Fires 2 squares diagonal          |
| royal Rifle        0        1      30    Fires 1 sq rookwise or diagonal   |
| wazir Rifle        0        1      17    Fires 1 sq rookwise               |
| alfil Rifle        0        1      17    Fires 1 sq diagonal               |
| berolina Rifle     0        1       9    Fires 1 sq diagonal forward       |
| forward Rifle      0        1       5    Fires 1 sq forward                |
| lateral Rifle      0        1       4    Fires 1 sq left or right          |
| back Rifle         0        1       1    Fires 1 sq backward               |
|                                                                            |
| shield lvl 3       -        1      25    Resists all except Bombs          |
| shield lvl 2       -        1      15    Resists a rif/grenade/cannon hit  |
| shield lvl 1       -        1       5    Resists a rifle hit               |
|                                                                            |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+

notes:

* Status cannot be used on the King and he is not affected by them.
* It's possible to have a multiple status piece (eg, Diplomat Magnetic Rook)
* Check Momentum Chess for Momentum Status
* Mag, AntiMag, Grav, AntiGrav attract/repel rookwise nearest neighbours.

* When casting, the player must say what spell it is, but not the target.
* If a piece with spells are taken, these spells are lost.
* Spells can be casted on any other piece, except for both Kings.
* Flesh (Fire) can be cast on another piece. If a player casts a stone (ice) spell on a piece with a flesh (fire) spell, both spells are neutralized.
* Protection spells do not waste moves, so they can be combined with other action at the same movement.
* In berserk states pieces can combine moves, casts or hits.
* Promotion and Demotion use the following relation: P<P<B=N<R<Q<Q

* Hit skills implies that the piece does not move.
 

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Written by Joao Pedro Neto. Copied from Joao's website to the Chess Variant Pages with permission.
WWW page created: May 27, 1999.