Thanks for taking a look, reader!

I've been kicking this one around in my head for a while, and I (probably) have more free time now, so I'd like to put this out here for you guys.

[i]You have traveled from distant lands to make it to the great stone pillar before you. You know that beneath this pillar lies the Witch's Heart: a mythical object said to grant the first who should touch it a single wish before crumbling to dust. Many have lost their lives in the depths beneath in an attempt to secure this wish. You, travelers, are but the latest of those who venture towards the perils of the Labyrinth. Why do you seek the Heart, and what skill gives you the courage to risk your lives? Success or failure is yours to achieve.[/i]

Now of course, that is just the story. What I want to show you more than that is the idea for a "game engine" of sorts.

You see, I want to illustrate each character's abilities through stats. These stats would be used as currency for your character's limits. For example, [b]Average Joe[/b] Isn't anything special, really. He is a Jack-of-All-Trades sort of guy. Starting off, his stats would look like this:

HP:{+}
BRAWN:{++++}
AGILITY:{++++}
WILL:{++++}
SPECIAL:{++}

ABILITY: {SPEAR PUNCH}

Now let's say [b]Joe[/b] is fighting against a guy who throws big rocks. He's been doing a pretty good job hiding behind some cover in order to avoid the rocks. Unfortunately, something caused him to get caught between hiding spots and there is a rock headed straight for him! He could probably punch through it with his SPEAR PUNCH ability, but that takes a lot out of him and he might need it later. He decides to jump out of the way instead, and spends a point of AGILITY to do so.

AGILITY:{+++-}

In short, an action that causes stress or strain needs a point spent. If a character reaches 0 in any stat, any additional actions they try to take with that will use the HP stat. For example, trying to use BRAWN to block a heavy blow when it is at 0 will use the HP stat instead. All stats except HP would be refreshed after a night's rest, with SPECIAL being refreshed by only half.

Abilities would be a special skill or power your character has. They use the SPECIAL stat. They might be anything from a fighting style to transforming into a wolf. The only stipulation is that you have to be able to describe it in three words or less. Exceptions [u]may[/u] be made upon request.

When creating characters, stat values can be distributed at will. You could end up with a character that looks like this:

HP:{+}
BRAWN:{+++++++++++}
AGILITY:{+}
WILL:{+}
SPECIAL:{+}

ABILITY: {HAM FIST}

Or this:

HP:{+++++}
BRAWN:{++}
AGILITY:{++++}
WILL:{+}
SPECIAL:{+++}

ABILITY: {PYROKINESIS}

So what do you think? I know that's a whole lot of things being thrown at you at once, but the general idea would be that I function as a Game Master of sorts, and describe results and environments. It won't be me against you, since I could simply say I win and be done with it. Instead, I want to present challenges and character interaction to tell a story. Of course, you may not even lose stats during the course of this RP. If you are clever enough you may not be put into a disadvantageous situation at all.

Anyway, thanks for reading this wall of text. If you have any questions, let me know and I'll answer them to the best of my ability!