User summary:
FFRPS, the Free Fantasy Role Playing System, was developed with several design goals in mind. Primarily, it was free, with rules that attempted to be intuitively simple. A secondary goal to enable "paperless" play (via software) was not particularly successful. The game is interesting inasmuch as it was intended only as a partial replacement for TSR's Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. Major portions of FFRPS used the AD&D ruleset without modification. Other portions of FFRPS were completely new material. It can thus be viewed as either a large-scale "variant" rule set for AD&D or as an independent game that borrows heavily from AD&D. Either interpretation is correct, depending upon focus. An add-on component of science and technology was contemplated but not produced.
The major ways in which FFRPS was innovative surrounded character and NPC creation and the implementation of magic within a campaign. It is safe to say that in nearly all other respects it was a near-clone of AD&D. Characters in FFRPS were required to be human. They had two types of Characteristics--Primaries and Secondaries. Six Primaries were defined: Strength, Intelligence, Faith, Dexterity, Constitution, and Charisma--usually ranging from -2 to +2. Primary ranks were purchased from a point pool. Three Secondaries were defined: Mana, To Hit Armor Class 0 ("THAC0"), and Hit Points. Secondary ranks were derived values. Characters' proficiency was noted in several "levels": Adventuring Level, Combat Level, Magic Level, and Piety Level. Secondary Skills were deleted in favor of a narrative character background.
Magic was reworked to use a mana point system, with spells placed in schools. Some spell parameters (range, duration, area-of-effect) could be varied at casting time. Spell Levels were somewhat dynamic based upon desired outcomes. However, every spell cast had a potential of failure, determine using a complex formula. Spell targets were allowed saving throws using a complex formula.