Lost Demiurge
2010-06-03, 03:16 PM
Okay. So it's been a long time since I tried designing an original system. Let me throw something out here, and edit it as time goes on. This'll help me muse over it, and let you guys give me suggestions if you like.
CREATING YOUR CHARACTER
1. Choose a class.
Classes
Warrior - Mage Knight, Musketeer, Soldier, Swashbuckler
Scholar - Bargainer, Gadgeteer, Martial Artist, Sage
Rogue - Archer, Burglar, Ninja, Spy
Empowered - Avatar, Magus, Mentalist, Shapeshifter
ARCHERS – The rangers, skirmishers, and guerillas of the wilderness. Archers are skilled in ranged attacks, and most tend to pick up stealth and wilderness-related skills, in order to set up the perfect shot. Even under the worst conditions, despite all opposition, and no matter the odds, an archer can ALWAYS hit the target if he works hard enough.
AVATARS – Avatars are the chosen of a greater power, usually a diety, force of nature, or universal force. They work toward the goals of their chosen power, abiding by its code and gaining benefits from it. Avatars have mystical abilities granted by the power that fills them, and by serving their masters well, can gain more powers…
BARGAINERS – Bargainers are called witches, heretics, and occultists. Using magic gleaned from forbidden tomes, or rituals passed down from shamanic tribes, they call up lesser mystical entities and enter into pacts with them… By abiding these pacts, they are given the ability to call upon their pacted entity’s power. Given the right conditions, they can also summon up minor spirits to do small tasks. And if they find stronger entities in the course of their adventures, well, what’s one more pact…?
BURGLARS – The second story men, street thieves, grifters, and crooks of the world. Usually skilled in stealth and picking locks, they tend to come at problems with an indirect approach, and always, ALWAYS have a planned exit out of a bad situation.
GADGETEERS – Builders, craftsmen, and scientists who use their knowledge to make potent equipment, automaton guardians, and other fantastic and bizarre inventions. Of course, the knowledge to create can also be used to destroy… And as such, a good gadgeteer can useful when you want to end a siege, or bring down a mountain. Gadgeteers are trained in sciences, and usually have some skill in repairing their devices or disabling those of others.
MAGE KNIGHT – A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. A single incantation in the wrong hands, can double a man’s threat to his enemies. A single spell in the RIGHT hands, well… The Mage Knights are warriors who have mastered a simple trick, the art of calling elementals to bind their weapons. Combined with precise martial prowess, the Mage Knight is a fearsome foe and a valued ally.
MAGUS – Wizards, arcane students, and court mages can all call themselves Magus. Part of a trained brotherhood whose members can be found throughout the world, the Magus takes a scholarly approach to magic. All know the secret language of Arcane Runes, and trade spell scrolls written in these runes between themselves to acquire new secrets.
MARTIAL ARTISTS – Warriors who use either the simplest of weapons, or none at all. In addition to training their bodies, they train their minds in philosophy and ancient martial secrets, learning to unlock their full potential. Indeed, most martial artists worthy of the name have learned the trick to push themselves past mortal limits!
MENTALISTS – Illusionists, mystics, and those with a touch of “the talent”, Mentalists use the raw power of their mind to affect the people and world around them. Unlike most other mystics, their powers are subtle and hard to detect.
MUSKETEERS – Musketeers are warriors from an advanced culture. Comfortable either up close or at a distance, they use cutting-edge weapons and armor to defeat their foes. These items are often hard to replace in the field. As such, they obsess over their tools, taking the utmost care to keep them from breaking.
NINJAS – Assassins who have discovered mystical secrets, the ninja are an obscure and mysterious brotherhood. All are masters of stealth, and all are trained in the use of outlandish weapons… And all know secret hand signs that can be used to unlock strange and exotic powers!
SAGES – Wise men and women who study the world around them, and learn from every experience they witness or read about. If a sage doesn’t know how to do something, he knows at least three ways to do it by another method.
SHAPESHIFTERS – Folk who have learned the ancient ways of animals and beasts, and taken the final step of shedding their skins. All shapeshifters can access a single alternate form, and those who survive long enough may learn more as they go.
SOLDIERS – Soldiers can be found throughout almost all lands, bearing sturdy armor and heavy shields to guard themselves, while they use close combat weaponry to lay the foe low. The best soldiers NEVER die easy, and even the most tenacious foe may not be able to keep one down for long.
SPIES – Spies are good at fooling their foes, infiltrating hostile territory, and doing the unexpected. A good spy is always prepared for any situation… The best ones tend to carry all sorts of useful items in places hidden about their person.
SWASHBUCKLERS – Swift, light warriors who scorn heavy armor and fight using light weaponry. Their panache, style, and agility allow them to use nonstandard means of advancing upon their foe… Or if things go badly, help guarantee a dramatic exit.
2. Divide 10 points between the four traits below. You may not put less than 1 point, or more than 4 points, in each trait.
Traits
Build – General fitness, physique, sturdiness, and raw strength.
Grace – Nimbleness, agility, and coordination.
Heart – Willpower, empathy, and mental stability.
Mind – Cognition, memory, and overall senses.
3. Add in the trait boosts from your class, and record your class ability.
Class: Trait Boosts: Class Abilities
Archer: +1 Build, +1 Grace: I Didn’t Miss – Whenever you fail a ranged attack roll, you may pay a number of Focus points equal to the difference between your successes and the opposing number+1. This turns the roll from a miss into a basic success.
Rogue's Risk - You may spend 1 or more focus to add an equal amount of dice to all your Grace related die rolls for 1 turn. You may not add more dice than your unaltered Grace rating in this manner.
Avatar: +2 Heart: Power Overwhelming – You start the game with three powers related to your Empowering Entity. Discuss these powers with the GM, to work out the details. You may spend experience to purchase new powers, as the game goes on.
Magician's Might - You may spend 1 or more focus to add an equal amount of dice to all your Heart related die rolls for 1 turn. You may not add more dice than your unaltered Heart rating in this manner.
Bargainer: +1 Heart, +1 Mind: Sworn to Service – You start the game with a pact with one entity, and a power learned from that entity. Discuss the entity and the power gained with the GM, to work out the details. You may spend experience to learn new powers from any pacted entities as the game goes on.
Scholar's Sagacity - You may spend 1 or more focus to add an equal amount of dice to all your Mind related die rolls for 1 turn. You may not add more dice than your unaltered Mind rating in this manner.
Burglar: +2 Grace: Gone in the Blink of an Eye – You may escape a bad situation entirely, no matter where you might be. To activate this ability, spend a number of Focus points equal to the number of enemies in the scene and make an opposed Grace roll against the enemy with the highest Grace. If you succeed, you escape. If you fail, you don’t manage to flee.
Rogue's Risk - You may spend 1 or more focus to add an equal amount of dice to all your Grace related die rolls for 1 turn. You may not add more dice than your unaltered Grace rating in this manner.
Gadgeteer: +1 Grace, +1 Mind: Deus ex Machina – You start the game with one invention schema. Discuss the schema with the GM, to work out the details. You may spend experience to invent new schema as the game goes on.
Scholar's Sagacity - You may spend 1 or more focus to add an equal amount of dice to all your Mind related die rolls for 1 turn. You may not add more dice than your unaltered Mind rating in this manner.
Mage Knight: +1 Build, +1 Heart: Elemental Blade – You may spend 5 focus to imbue your weapon with an elemental aura of your choice, adding your Heart to the base damage of the weapon and switching its damage type over to the element in question. This effect lasts until the end of the scene, or until countered.
Warrior's Way - You may spend 1 or more focus to add an equal amount of dice to all your Build related die rolls for 1 turn. You may not add more dice than your unaltered Build rating in this manner.
Magus: +1 Heart, +1 Mind: Member in Good Standing - You start the game with one spell. Discuss the spell with the GM, to work out the details. You may spend money and experience to learn new spells from other Mages as the game goes on, and you are a recognized Mage... This may have benefits, depending upon the situation.
Magician's Might - You may spend 1 or more focus to add an equal amount of dice to all your Heart related die rolls for 1 turn. You may not add more dice than your unaltered Heart rating in this manner.
Martial Artist: +1 Build, +1 Mind: Fast Meditation – Spend a Focus point and a turn, choose a Trait, roll your Mind and add the successes to the trait number for a single roll using that attribute. If these successes are unused, they disappear after a minute’s time.
Scholar's Sagacity - You may spend 1 or more focus to add an equal amount of dice to all your Mind related die rolls for 1 turn. You may not add more dice than your unaltered Mind rating in this manner.
Mentalist: +1 Grace, +1 Mind: Subtle Power – You start the game with two mental powers of your choice. Discuss these powers with the GM, to work out the details. You may spend experience to purchase new powers, as the game goes on. Additionally, you may use your powers without giving any visible sign that you are the source of the power. To do this, pay triple the focus cost of the power.
Magician's Might - You may spend 1 or more focus to add an equal amount of dice to all your Heart related die rolls for 1 turn. You may not add more dice than your unaltered Heart rating in this manner.
Musketeer: +1 Build, +1 Mind: Spit and Polish – Glitches and Critical glitches never damage or break your personal equipment.
Warrior's Way - You may spend 1 or more focus to add an equal amount of dice to all your Build related die rolls for 1 turn. You may not add more dice than your unaltered Build rating in this manner.
Ninja: +1 Grace, +1 Heart: Mystic Signs – You start the game with one ninjutsu power. Discuss this power with the GM, to work out the details. You may spend experience to purchase new ninjutsu powers, as the game goes on.
Rogue's Risk - You may spend 1 or more focus to add an equal amount of dice to all your Grace related die rolls for 1 turn. You may not add more dice than your unaltered Grace rating in this manner.
Sage: +2 Mind: Polymath – You may spend 2 focus points to gain any skill at rating 3 for one turn. This skill adds to your die rolls in the same manner as a regular skill.
Scholar's Sagacity - You may spend 1 or more focus to add an equal amount of dice to all your Mind related die rolls for 1 turn. You may not add more dice than your unaltered Mind rating in this manner.
Shapeshifter: +1 Build, +1 Heart: Alternate Form – You start the game with one alternate form. Discuss this power with the GM, to work out the details. You may spend experience to purchase new alternate forms, as the game goes on.
Magician's Might - You may spend 1 or more focus to add an equal amount of dice to all your Heart related die rolls for 1 turn. You may not add more dice than your unaltered Heart rating in this manner.
Soldier: +2 Build: Walk it Off – Spend 3 Focus points and roll your Build. Each success made on this roll heals 1 point of your Endurance.
Warrior's Way - You may spend 1 or more focus to add an equal amount of dice to all your Build related die rolls for 1 turn. You may not add more dice than your unaltered Build rating in this manner.
Spy: +1 Grace, +1 Mind: Always Prepared – You have a number of small but handy devices hidden about your person and almost impossible to find with a search. You may spend 2 focus points to produce any small, cheap item that you wish.
Rogue's Risk - You may spend 1 or more focus to add an equal amount of dice to all your Grace related die rolls for 1 turn. You may not add more dice than your unaltered Grace rating in this manner.
Swashbuckler: +1 Build, +1 Grace: Traverse the Scene – You may instantly move to any point in the scene that could possibly be reached by using the scenery and your natural abilities. To activate this ability, spend a number of Focus points equal to either 1, or the number of enemies around you, whichever is greater.
Warrior's Way - You may spend 1 or more focus to add an equal amount of dice to all your Build related die rolls for 1 turn. You may not add more dice than your unaltered Build rating in this manner.
4. Choose two trait abilities from the following lists. NOTE! For every trait ability that you select, you must have at least a 3 in that trait. If you select two trait abilities from the same trait, then you must have at least a 6 in that trait.
Build Abilities
Go Go Go! – Spend 1 Focus ignore all encumbrance penalties to your movement for 1 turn.
Healthy - Your maximum Endurance is increased by 5.
Skilled Brawler – Whenever you make an unarmed attack and hit, you may pay 1 focus to give your fists or feet a base damage of 2.
Indefatigable – You may pay 4 Focus to shrug off natural or supernatural fatigue, sleepiness, or weakening effects.
Knockdown – Whenever you score a hit using a heavy weapon or your bare hands, and the number of successes rolled equals or exceeds the target’s Build trait, you may pay 1 focus to knock the target prone.
Sunder Item – Whenever your foe tries to defend against your attack and rolls a glitch or critical glitch, you may pay 4 focus to destroy one item that he is holding. If the foe holds nothing, then you may pay 8 focus to destroy his armor.
Grace Abilities
Disarm – Whenever you score a hit using a light weapon or your bare hands, and the number of successes rolled equals or exceeds the target’s Grace trait, you may spend 1 focus to disarm the foe of one weapon or shield.
Dodge – You may pay 10 focus to instantly avoid any single attack that would have normally hit you.
Missile Deflection – You may use any of your combat skills to parry missiles, at the cost of 1 focus per attempt.
Not Luck, Skill - You may pay 7 Focus to gain one action die.
Quick Draw – You may spend 1 focus to suffer no penalty when drawing a weapon and attacking within the same turn.
Rope Walker – You need not roll to keep your balance when walking a rope, or a narrow, straight ledge, at the cost of 1 focus per turn spent traversing the obstacle.
Heart Abilities
Courage – You may pay 3 focus to automatically resist any fear-based effect, or other mind-affecting power. No roll is necessary.
Magic Resistant – You may spend 2 focus to cancel out a single success of any power or spell targeting you.
Read the Tells – You may spend 4 focus to make a Heart + Mind roll when first meeting someone. If your successes exceed their mind trait, then you may ask the GM a number of questions about the individual equal to the margin of your success.
Stirring Speech – Spend a number of focus equal to the allies you wish to inspire, then roll your Heart. For every success that you gain on the roll, your allies regain 1 spent point of focus.
Stressful Recharge – Take 1-6 points of endurance damage that cannot be avoided by any means, or healed without rest. For each point of endurance damage taken, gain back that many focus points.
Well of Power - Your maximum Focus is increased by 5.
Mind Abilities
Connections – Pay 3 focus upon starting a scene to have an acquaintance in the area. This acquaintance will happily give you information and trade with you, but will not risk their life for you.
Element Friend - Choose an element. You may pay 1-6 focus to create some of that element. The more successes, the more of that element created. You may take this ability several times, with each ability representing a different element.
Linguist – Pay 2 focus to gain basic skill in speaking any language you encounter, for the duration of the scene.
Medical Master – Spend 2 focus when treating a comrade’s wounds. Instead of rolling your Mind + Medicine, treat every die that you would normally roll as a success.
Poison Immunity – You’ve spent the last few years developing an immunity to a particular poison. When poisoned you may pay an amount of focus equal to the poison’s rating to shrug off the condition with no ill effects.
Puzzle It Out – Whether through careful consideration of the facts or by requesting divine guidance, you have insight into things that most people don’t. Spend 8 focus and ask the GM a question to gain a hint. The more mysterious or hidden the answer, the more obscure the hint.
5. Calculate your Health and Endurance Pools
Pools
Endurance: Build + Heart x3
Focus: Grace + Mind x3
6. Depending on your class, you may start with one or more skills. See the list below.
Archer: Either Archery 4 OR Throwing 4.
Avatar: None.
Bargainer: Summoning 3
Burglar: Larceny 3 AND Stealth 3
Gadgeteer: Two of the following at Rank 2 - Alchemy, Carpentry, Leatherworking, Masonry, Medicine, Metalworking, Tailoring.
Mage Knight: One of the following at rank 3 - Axes, Brawling, Guns, Knives, Maces, Polearms, Staves, Swords
Magus: Arcane Runes 3
Martial Artist: Brawling 4
Mentalist: None
Musketeer: Guns 4 OR Swords 4
Ninja: Ninja Weapons 2 and Stealth 2
Sage: None
Shapeshifter: Brawling 2 and Dodging 2
Soldier: Armor 3 and Shields 3
Spy: Disguise 2 Perception 2 and Stealth 2
Swashbuckler: Acrobatics 2 Dodging 2 and Swords 2
7. Choose three skills. Set one of them at 3, the second best at 2, and the worst at 1.
Skills:
Acrobatics, Alchemy, Arcane Runes, Archery, Armor, Athletics, Axes, Brawling, Carpentry, Climbing, Disguise, Dodging, Explosives, Guns, History, Knives, Larceny, Leatherworking, Lying, Maces, Masonry, Medicine, Metalworking, Ninja Weapons, Perception, Polearms, Politics, Religions, Riding, Sailing, Shields, Spears, Staves, Stealth, Swords, Summoning, Survival, Swimming, Tailoring
8. Give your character a background and a name, and you're ready to play!
PLAYING THE GAME
Unopposed Rolls: To accomplish a task against something that is offering no resistance, roll a number of six-sided dice equal to your appropriate trait plus one appropriate skill, plus any bonuses and negatives from situational modifiers, spells, or other effects. Roll that many dice, and for every five or six that comes up on the dice, count one success.
1 Success equals enough to accomplish a task of average difficulty.
2 Successes are enough to accomplish a difficult task.
3 Successes are enough to do just about anything humanly possible.
4 Successes are enough to do anything humanly possible, and do it with style.
5 or more Successes are enough to do damn near anything that has even the slimmest chance of success.
Opposed Rolls: When trying to do something that affects another PC or NPC, that person may choose to make your task more difficult. Roll the appropriate amount of dice to your action and total the successes as normal. The PC or NPC will roll the appropriate amount of dice for his method of resisting your action, and total his successes. Then you must subtract your successes from his successes. In the event that this leaves you with 0 or less, your action fails.
The Rule of Ones: If your roll comes up with no successes and at least one “1” on the dice, then you have glitched. Something bad happens, as a result of your action. If your roll comes up with no successes and at least half your dice show “1”s, you have committed a critical glitch! Something REALLY bad happens.
Action Dice: You start with one action die every session. You gain action dice when you impress the GM, and when you hit plot goals. You may only spend one action die per turn. You can spend action dice to do the following things with action dice:
-On your turn, you can roll it, and gain back that many focus points.
-You can spend an action die to gain one automatic success in any roll. You must do this BEFORE you roll.
-You can spend an action die to reroll any roll. You can only do this AFTER you make a normal roll. When you do this, add the action die to the roll, and treat it like a normal die.
-You can spend an action die to cancel a glitch. It's still a failure, but it is no longer a glitch.
-You can spend an action die to downgrade a critical glitch to a regular glitch.
COMBAT
Combat: Sooner or later, something will try to kill your characters. At that point, things shift over into combat mode. These steps show how combat works.
1. INITIATIVE: All participants roll their Grace (plus any other bonuses), and add their successes to the basic number of their Mind trait. The GM counts down from the highest number. When the GM reaches a PC’s number, that PC gets to act. NPC’s act on their own number. (The GM may prefer to roll a single initiative for large groups of NPC’s of the same type. That tends to speed up things.)
2. ACTION: Once the count reaches a PC’s initiative, that PC may try to do something. The action that they take must be something that the PC can describe with a sentence or two. The acting PC only gets one action. Once the PC describes their action, the GM assigns any applicable bonuses or penalties, and tells them what kind of dice to roll, and whether it’s opposed or unopposed. If opposed, the GM rolls the appropriate dice. If unopposed, then the GM tells the player how many successes they’ll need to score to complete the action. Simple actions may not require any successes.
3. REPEAT: Once the group reaches the end of the round, start the initiative count over again. Do not reroll initiative, keep the same one from the last round. Continue this until combat’s done.
Combat-Specific Actions:
-Hitting: To attack a target with a melee weapon or your bare hands, roll an opposed roll of either (your build or your grace + the appropriate weapon skill) versus (their grace + either their appropriate weapon skill or their dodge skill.) If you get at least one success, you hit them. Add the total number of successes together, subtract theirs, and add the resulting number to the damage total.
Damage dealt by hitting someone is equal to 1/2 your build score (round down) plus the base damage of the weapon, plus the number of successes left over from your attack.
-Shooting: To attack a target with a ranged weapon, roll an opposed roll of (your grace + the appropriate weapon skill) versus (their grace + dodge skill.) If you get at least one success, you hit them. Add the total number of successes together, subtract theirs, and add the resulting number to your weapon’s base damage to see how much damage you dealt to the target.
Damage dealt by shooting someone is equal to the base damage of the weapon, plus the number of successes left over from your attack. Some ranged weapons may also allow you to add 1/2 your build score to the damage total as well.
-Spells: To attack a target with a spell or mental-based power, roll an opposed roll of (your mind + the appropriate skill) versus (The trait and skill determined by the GM. This will vary from spell to spell). The amount of damage dealt varies, and some spells don’t do damage at all, but have other effects.
Damage dealt by using a spell is equal to the spell’s base damage plus the number of successes left over from your attack. Some spells may also allow you to add 1/2 your heart score to the damage total as well.
-Powers: To attack a target with a natural ability that doesn’t involve hitting or shooting them, roll an opposed roll of (your heart + the appropriate skill) versus (The trait and skill determined by the GM. This will vary from power to power.) The amount of damage dealt varies, and some powers don’t do damage at all, but have other effects.
Damage dealt by using a power is equal to the power’s base damage plus the number of successes left over from your attack. Some powers may also allow you to add 1/2 your heart score to the damage total as well.
How Not to Die: When you take damage from any physical source, you may roll your build to resist it. When you take mental damage, you may roll your heart to resist it. Rolling in this manner is called a “Soak Roll”. Each success on the roll reduces the damage by 1. Any damage that is not reduced is subtracted from your Endurance. THE RULE OF ONES DOES NOT APPLY TO SOAK ROLLS. You cannot glitch or critical glitch a soak roll.
Armor adds dice to your soak roll. Most types of armor only protect against physical damage, and don’t do a thing against mental damage.
When you reach 0 endurance, you are knocked out. If you take damage that puts you into negative endurance, then you run the risk of severe injury. Every time your negative endurance count reaches a number equal to your (Build + Heart), then the GM will assign you an injury. When your negative endurance count reaches a total equal to your Endurace, then you die.
EQUIPMENT
Most forms of equipment and their exact details will be covered in the setting documents. General guidelines are provided below, for convenience.
Weapons: Daggers, clubs, and staves have a base damage of 1. Most one-handed weapons have a base damage of 2-3. Two-handed weapons usually have a base damage of 3-5. Many weapons have additional benefits and flaws, related to their form, bulk, and usage.
Armors: Light armor has a soak rating of 1-4, and heavy armor has a soak rating of 5-10. Most forms of armor have bulk penalties… If they are worn without the appropriate skill level, then they give die penalties to all non-soak combat-related rolls, and some non-combat rolls.
Superior Items: Some items give bonus dice when used appropriately to their function. A well-made rope may aid with climbing, or master crafted lockpicks may help you open a door.
EXPERIENCE
As you progress through an adventure, your character will gain experience points. You may spend experience points to improve your character in many ways. The various ways you can spend experience are listed below:
1. You may learn new skills. To do this, spend 5 experience points to learn a new skill. This new skill's rating is 1, until improved.
2. You may raise the rating of existing skills. To do this, spend experience points equal to three times a skill's current rating, to increase it by 1.
3. You may raise the rating of your traits. To do this, spend experience points equal to four times your trait's current rating, to increase it by 1. If you raised your Build or your Heart, increase your Endurance by 3. If you raised your Grace or your Mind, increase your Focus by 3.
4. You may learn a new Trait Ability. To do this, you must first have less existing trait abilities in that trait's category than the trait rating divided by 3. (Example: Sonny the soldier has a Build of 6. He may know two Build trait abilities. If he wants to learn a third Build trait ability, he must first raise his Build to 9.) Once your trait level is adequate enough to support another Trait ability, you may pay 8 points to learn the new ability.
5. You may learn a new power, spell, invention schema, mental power, ninjutsu power, or alternate form. To do this, you must be of a character class that can learn new powers, spells, schemas, etc... First consult with the GM as to the nature of the power, work out the details. Once that is done, pay 12 points to learn the new power.
CREATING YOUR CHARACTER
1. Choose a class.
Classes
Warrior - Mage Knight, Musketeer, Soldier, Swashbuckler
Scholar - Bargainer, Gadgeteer, Martial Artist, Sage
Rogue - Archer, Burglar, Ninja, Spy
Empowered - Avatar, Magus, Mentalist, Shapeshifter
ARCHERS – The rangers, skirmishers, and guerillas of the wilderness. Archers are skilled in ranged attacks, and most tend to pick up stealth and wilderness-related skills, in order to set up the perfect shot. Even under the worst conditions, despite all opposition, and no matter the odds, an archer can ALWAYS hit the target if he works hard enough.
AVATARS – Avatars are the chosen of a greater power, usually a diety, force of nature, or universal force. They work toward the goals of their chosen power, abiding by its code and gaining benefits from it. Avatars have mystical abilities granted by the power that fills them, and by serving their masters well, can gain more powers…
BARGAINERS – Bargainers are called witches, heretics, and occultists. Using magic gleaned from forbidden tomes, or rituals passed down from shamanic tribes, they call up lesser mystical entities and enter into pacts with them… By abiding these pacts, they are given the ability to call upon their pacted entity’s power. Given the right conditions, they can also summon up minor spirits to do small tasks. And if they find stronger entities in the course of their adventures, well, what’s one more pact…?
BURGLARS – The second story men, street thieves, grifters, and crooks of the world. Usually skilled in stealth and picking locks, they tend to come at problems with an indirect approach, and always, ALWAYS have a planned exit out of a bad situation.
GADGETEERS – Builders, craftsmen, and scientists who use their knowledge to make potent equipment, automaton guardians, and other fantastic and bizarre inventions. Of course, the knowledge to create can also be used to destroy… And as such, a good gadgeteer can useful when you want to end a siege, or bring down a mountain. Gadgeteers are trained in sciences, and usually have some skill in repairing their devices or disabling those of others.
MAGE KNIGHT – A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. A single incantation in the wrong hands, can double a man’s threat to his enemies. A single spell in the RIGHT hands, well… The Mage Knights are warriors who have mastered a simple trick, the art of calling elementals to bind their weapons. Combined with precise martial prowess, the Mage Knight is a fearsome foe and a valued ally.
MAGUS – Wizards, arcane students, and court mages can all call themselves Magus. Part of a trained brotherhood whose members can be found throughout the world, the Magus takes a scholarly approach to magic. All know the secret language of Arcane Runes, and trade spell scrolls written in these runes between themselves to acquire new secrets.
MARTIAL ARTISTS – Warriors who use either the simplest of weapons, or none at all. In addition to training their bodies, they train their minds in philosophy and ancient martial secrets, learning to unlock their full potential. Indeed, most martial artists worthy of the name have learned the trick to push themselves past mortal limits!
MENTALISTS – Illusionists, mystics, and those with a touch of “the talent”, Mentalists use the raw power of their mind to affect the people and world around them. Unlike most other mystics, their powers are subtle and hard to detect.
MUSKETEERS – Musketeers are warriors from an advanced culture. Comfortable either up close or at a distance, they use cutting-edge weapons and armor to defeat their foes. These items are often hard to replace in the field. As such, they obsess over their tools, taking the utmost care to keep them from breaking.
NINJAS – Assassins who have discovered mystical secrets, the ninja are an obscure and mysterious brotherhood. All are masters of stealth, and all are trained in the use of outlandish weapons… And all know secret hand signs that can be used to unlock strange and exotic powers!
SAGES – Wise men and women who study the world around them, and learn from every experience they witness or read about. If a sage doesn’t know how to do something, he knows at least three ways to do it by another method.
SHAPESHIFTERS – Folk who have learned the ancient ways of animals and beasts, and taken the final step of shedding their skins. All shapeshifters can access a single alternate form, and those who survive long enough may learn more as they go.
SOLDIERS – Soldiers can be found throughout almost all lands, bearing sturdy armor and heavy shields to guard themselves, while they use close combat weaponry to lay the foe low. The best soldiers NEVER die easy, and even the most tenacious foe may not be able to keep one down for long.
SPIES – Spies are good at fooling their foes, infiltrating hostile territory, and doing the unexpected. A good spy is always prepared for any situation… The best ones tend to carry all sorts of useful items in places hidden about their person.
SWASHBUCKLERS – Swift, light warriors who scorn heavy armor and fight using light weaponry. Their panache, style, and agility allow them to use nonstandard means of advancing upon their foe… Or if things go badly, help guarantee a dramatic exit.
2. Divide 10 points between the four traits below. You may not put less than 1 point, or more than 4 points, in each trait.
Traits
Build – General fitness, physique, sturdiness, and raw strength.
Grace – Nimbleness, agility, and coordination.
Heart – Willpower, empathy, and mental stability.
Mind – Cognition, memory, and overall senses.
3. Add in the trait boosts from your class, and record your class ability.
Class: Trait Boosts: Class Abilities
Archer: +1 Build, +1 Grace: I Didn’t Miss – Whenever you fail a ranged attack roll, you may pay a number of Focus points equal to the difference between your successes and the opposing number+1. This turns the roll from a miss into a basic success.
Rogue's Risk - You may spend 1 or more focus to add an equal amount of dice to all your Grace related die rolls for 1 turn. You may not add more dice than your unaltered Grace rating in this manner.
Avatar: +2 Heart: Power Overwhelming – You start the game with three powers related to your Empowering Entity. Discuss these powers with the GM, to work out the details. You may spend experience to purchase new powers, as the game goes on.
Magician's Might - You may spend 1 or more focus to add an equal amount of dice to all your Heart related die rolls for 1 turn. You may not add more dice than your unaltered Heart rating in this manner.
Bargainer: +1 Heart, +1 Mind: Sworn to Service – You start the game with a pact with one entity, and a power learned from that entity. Discuss the entity and the power gained with the GM, to work out the details. You may spend experience to learn new powers from any pacted entities as the game goes on.
Scholar's Sagacity - You may spend 1 or more focus to add an equal amount of dice to all your Mind related die rolls for 1 turn. You may not add more dice than your unaltered Mind rating in this manner.
Burglar: +2 Grace: Gone in the Blink of an Eye – You may escape a bad situation entirely, no matter where you might be. To activate this ability, spend a number of Focus points equal to the number of enemies in the scene and make an opposed Grace roll against the enemy with the highest Grace. If you succeed, you escape. If you fail, you don’t manage to flee.
Rogue's Risk - You may spend 1 or more focus to add an equal amount of dice to all your Grace related die rolls for 1 turn. You may not add more dice than your unaltered Grace rating in this manner.
Gadgeteer: +1 Grace, +1 Mind: Deus ex Machina – You start the game with one invention schema. Discuss the schema with the GM, to work out the details. You may spend experience to invent new schema as the game goes on.
Scholar's Sagacity - You may spend 1 or more focus to add an equal amount of dice to all your Mind related die rolls for 1 turn. You may not add more dice than your unaltered Mind rating in this manner.
Mage Knight: +1 Build, +1 Heart: Elemental Blade – You may spend 5 focus to imbue your weapon with an elemental aura of your choice, adding your Heart to the base damage of the weapon and switching its damage type over to the element in question. This effect lasts until the end of the scene, or until countered.
Warrior's Way - You may spend 1 or more focus to add an equal amount of dice to all your Build related die rolls for 1 turn. You may not add more dice than your unaltered Build rating in this manner.
Magus: +1 Heart, +1 Mind: Member in Good Standing - You start the game with one spell. Discuss the spell with the GM, to work out the details. You may spend money and experience to learn new spells from other Mages as the game goes on, and you are a recognized Mage... This may have benefits, depending upon the situation.
Magician's Might - You may spend 1 or more focus to add an equal amount of dice to all your Heart related die rolls for 1 turn. You may not add more dice than your unaltered Heart rating in this manner.
Martial Artist: +1 Build, +1 Mind: Fast Meditation – Spend a Focus point and a turn, choose a Trait, roll your Mind and add the successes to the trait number for a single roll using that attribute. If these successes are unused, they disappear after a minute’s time.
Scholar's Sagacity - You may spend 1 or more focus to add an equal amount of dice to all your Mind related die rolls for 1 turn. You may not add more dice than your unaltered Mind rating in this manner.
Mentalist: +1 Grace, +1 Mind: Subtle Power – You start the game with two mental powers of your choice. Discuss these powers with the GM, to work out the details. You may spend experience to purchase new powers, as the game goes on. Additionally, you may use your powers without giving any visible sign that you are the source of the power. To do this, pay triple the focus cost of the power.
Magician's Might - You may spend 1 or more focus to add an equal amount of dice to all your Heart related die rolls for 1 turn. You may not add more dice than your unaltered Heart rating in this manner.
Musketeer: +1 Build, +1 Mind: Spit and Polish – Glitches and Critical glitches never damage or break your personal equipment.
Warrior's Way - You may spend 1 or more focus to add an equal amount of dice to all your Build related die rolls for 1 turn. You may not add more dice than your unaltered Build rating in this manner.
Ninja: +1 Grace, +1 Heart: Mystic Signs – You start the game with one ninjutsu power. Discuss this power with the GM, to work out the details. You may spend experience to purchase new ninjutsu powers, as the game goes on.
Rogue's Risk - You may spend 1 or more focus to add an equal amount of dice to all your Grace related die rolls for 1 turn. You may not add more dice than your unaltered Grace rating in this manner.
Sage: +2 Mind: Polymath – You may spend 2 focus points to gain any skill at rating 3 for one turn. This skill adds to your die rolls in the same manner as a regular skill.
Scholar's Sagacity - You may spend 1 or more focus to add an equal amount of dice to all your Mind related die rolls for 1 turn. You may not add more dice than your unaltered Mind rating in this manner.
Shapeshifter: +1 Build, +1 Heart: Alternate Form – You start the game with one alternate form. Discuss this power with the GM, to work out the details. You may spend experience to purchase new alternate forms, as the game goes on.
Magician's Might - You may spend 1 or more focus to add an equal amount of dice to all your Heart related die rolls for 1 turn. You may not add more dice than your unaltered Heart rating in this manner.
Soldier: +2 Build: Walk it Off – Spend 3 Focus points and roll your Build. Each success made on this roll heals 1 point of your Endurance.
Warrior's Way - You may spend 1 or more focus to add an equal amount of dice to all your Build related die rolls for 1 turn. You may not add more dice than your unaltered Build rating in this manner.
Spy: +1 Grace, +1 Mind: Always Prepared – You have a number of small but handy devices hidden about your person and almost impossible to find with a search. You may spend 2 focus points to produce any small, cheap item that you wish.
Rogue's Risk - You may spend 1 or more focus to add an equal amount of dice to all your Grace related die rolls for 1 turn. You may not add more dice than your unaltered Grace rating in this manner.
Swashbuckler: +1 Build, +1 Grace: Traverse the Scene – You may instantly move to any point in the scene that could possibly be reached by using the scenery and your natural abilities. To activate this ability, spend a number of Focus points equal to either 1, or the number of enemies around you, whichever is greater.
Warrior's Way - You may spend 1 or more focus to add an equal amount of dice to all your Build related die rolls for 1 turn. You may not add more dice than your unaltered Build rating in this manner.
4. Choose two trait abilities from the following lists. NOTE! For every trait ability that you select, you must have at least a 3 in that trait. If you select two trait abilities from the same trait, then you must have at least a 6 in that trait.
Build Abilities
Go Go Go! – Spend 1 Focus ignore all encumbrance penalties to your movement for 1 turn.
Healthy - Your maximum Endurance is increased by 5.
Skilled Brawler – Whenever you make an unarmed attack and hit, you may pay 1 focus to give your fists or feet a base damage of 2.
Indefatigable – You may pay 4 Focus to shrug off natural or supernatural fatigue, sleepiness, or weakening effects.
Knockdown – Whenever you score a hit using a heavy weapon or your bare hands, and the number of successes rolled equals or exceeds the target’s Build trait, you may pay 1 focus to knock the target prone.
Sunder Item – Whenever your foe tries to defend against your attack and rolls a glitch or critical glitch, you may pay 4 focus to destroy one item that he is holding. If the foe holds nothing, then you may pay 8 focus to destroy his armor.
Grace Abilities
Disarm – Whenever you score a hit using a light weapon or your bare hands, and the number of successes rolled equals or exceeds the target’s Grace trait, you may spend 1 focus to disarm the foe of one weapon or shield.
Dodge – You may pay 10 focus to instantly avoid any single attack that would have normally hit you.
Missile Deflection – You may use any of your combat skills to parry missiles, at the cost of 1 focus per attempt.
Not Luck, Skill - You may pay 7 Focus to gain one action die.
Quick Draw – You may spend 1 focus to suffer no penalty when drawing a weapon and attacking within the same turn.
Rope Walker – You need not roll to keep your balance when walking a rope, or a narrow, straight ledge, at the cost of 1 focus per turn spent traversing the obstacle.
Heart Abilities
Courage – You may pay 3 focus to automatically resist any fear-based effect, or other mind-affecting power. No roll is necessary.
Magic Resistant – You may spend 2 focus to cancel out a single success of any power or spell targeting you.
Read the Tells – You may spend 4 focus to make a Heart + Mind roll when first meeting someone. If your successes exceed their mind trait, then you may ask the GM a number of questions about the individual equal to the margin of your success.
Stirring Speech – Spend a number of focus equal to the allies you wish to inspire, then roll your Heart. For every success that you gain on the roll, your allies regain 1 spent point of focus.
Stressful Recharge – Take 1-6 points of endurance damage that cannot be avoided by any means, or healed without rest. For each point of endurance damage taken, gain back that many focus points.
Well of Power - Your maximum Focus is increased by 5.
Mind Abilities
Connections – Pay 3 focus upon starting a scene to have an acquaintance in the area. This acquaintance will happily give you information and trade with you, but will not risk their life for you.
Element Friend - Choose an element. You may pay 1-6 focus to create some of that element. The more successes, the more of that element created. You may take this ability several times, with each ability representing a different element.
Linguist – Pay 2 focus to gain basic skill in speaking any language you encounter, for the duration of the scene.
Medical Master – Spend 2 focus when treating a comrade’s wounds. Instead of rolling your Mind + Medicine, treat every die that you would normally roll as a success.
Poison Immunity – You’ve spent the last few years developing an immunity to a particular poison. When poisoned you may pay an amount of focus equal to the poison’s rating to shrug off the condition with no ill effects.
Puzzle It Out – Whether through careful consideration of the facts or by requesting divine guidance, you have insight into things that most people don’t. Spend 8 focus and ask the GM a question to gain a hint. The more mysterious or hidden the answer, the more obscure the hint.
5. Calculate your Health and Endurance Pools
Pools
Endurance: Build + Heart x3
Focus: Grace + Mind x3
6. Depending on your class, you may start with one or more skills. See the list below.
Archer: Either Archery 4 OR Throwing 4.
Avatar: None.
Bargainer: Summoning 3
Burglar: Larceny 3 AND Stealth 3
Gadgeteer: Two of the following at Rank 2 - Alchemy, Carpentry, Leatherworking, Masonry, Medicine, Metalworking, Tailoring.
Mage Knight: One of the following at rank 3 - Axes, Brawling, Guns, Knives, Maces, Polearms, Staves, Swords
Magus: Arcane Runes 3
Martial Artist: Brawling 4
Mentalist: None
Musketeer: Guns 4 OR Swords 4
Ninja: Ninja Weapons 2 and Stealth 2
Sage: None
Shapeshifter: Brawling 2 and Dodging 2
Soldier: Armor 3 and Shields 3
Spy: Disguise 2 Perception 2 and Stealth 2
Swashbuckler: Acrobatics 2 Dodging 2 and Swords 2
7. Choose three skills. Set one of them at 3, the second best at 2, and the worst at 1.
Skills:
Acrobatics, Alchemy, Arcane Runes, Archery, Armor, Athletics, Axes, Brawling, Carpentry, Climbing, Disguise, Dodging, Explosives, Guns, History, Knives, Larceny, Leatherworking, Lying, Maces, Masonry, Medicine, Metalworking, Ninja Weapons, Perception, Polearms, Politics, Religions, Riding, Sailing, Shields, Spears, Staves, Stealth, Swords, Summoning, Survival, Swimming, Tailoring
8. Give your character a background and a name, and you're ready to play!
PLAYING THE GAME
Unopposed Rolls: To accomplish a task against something that is offering no resistance, roll a number of six-sided dice equal to your appropriate trait plus one appropriate skill, plus any bonuses and negatives from situational modifiers, spells, or other effects. Roll that many dice, and for every five or six that comes up on the dice, count one success.
1 Success equals enough to accomplish a task of average difficulty.
2 Successes are enough to accomplish a difficult task.
3 Successes are enough to do just about anything humanly possible.
4 Successes are enough to do anything humanly possible, and do it with style.
5 or more Successes are enough to do damn near anything that has even the slimmest chance of success.
Opposed Rolls: When trying to do something that affects another PC or NPC, that person may choose to make your task more difficult. Roll the appropriate amount of dice to your action and total the successes as normal. The PC or NPC will roll the appropriate amount of dice for his method of resisting your action, and total his successes. Then you must subtract your successes from his successes. In the event that this leaves you with 0 or less, your action fails.
The Rule of Ones: If your roll comes up with no successes and at least one “1” on the dice, then you have glitched. Something bad happens, as a result of your action. If your roll comes up with no successes and at least half your dice show “1”s, you have committed a critical glitch! Something REALLY bad happens.
Action Dice: You start with one action die every session. You gain action dice when you impress the GM, and when you hit plot goals. You may only spend one action die per turn. You can spend action dice to do the following things with action dice:
-On your turn, you can roll it, and gain back that many focus points.
-You can spend an action die to gain one automatic success in any roll. You must do this BEFORE you roll.
-You can spend an action die to reroll any roll. You can only do this AFTER you make a normal roll. When you do this, add the action die to the roll, and treat it like a normal die.
-You can spend an action die to cancel a glitch. It's still a failure, but it is no longer a glitch.
-You can spend an action die to downgrade a critical glitch to a regular glitch.
COMBAT
Combat: Sooner or later, something will try to kill your characters. At that point, things shift over into combat mode. These steps show how combat works.
1. INITIATIVE: All participants roll their Grace (plus any other bonuses), and add their successes to the basic number of their Mind trait. The GM counts down from the highest number. When the GM reaches a PC’s number, that PC gets to act. NPC’s act on their own number. (The GM may prefer to roll a single initiative for large groups of NPC’s of the same type. That tends to speed up things.)
2. ACTION: Once the count reaches a PC’s initiative, that PC may try to do something. The action that they take must be something that the PC can describe with a sentence or two. The acting PC only gets one action. Once the PC describes their action, the GM assigns any applicable bonuses or penalties, and tells them what kind of dice to roll, and whether it’s opposed or unopposed. If opposed, the GM rolls the appropriate dice. If unopposed, then the GM tells the player how many successes they’ll need to score to complete the action. Simple actions may not require any successes.
3. REPEAT: Once the group reaches the end of the round, start the initiative count over again. Do not reroll initiative, keep the same one from the last round. Continue this until combat’s done.
Combat-Specific Actions:
-Hitting: To attack a target with a melee weapon or your bare hands, roll an opposed roll of either (your build or your grace + the appropriate weapon skill) versus (their grace + either their appropriate weapon skill or their dodge skill.) If you get at least one success, you hit them. Add the total number of successes together, subtract theirs, and add the resulting number to the damage total.
Damage dealt by hitting someone is equal to 1/2 your build score (round down) plus the base damage of the weapon, plus the number of successes left over from your attack.
-Shooting: To attack a target with a ranged weapon, roll an opposed roll of (your grace + the appropriate weapon skill) versus (their grace + dodge skill.) If you get at least one success, you hit them. Add the total number of successes together, subtract theirs, and add the resulting number to your weapon’s base damage to see how much damage you dealt to the target.
Damage dealt by shooting someone is equal to the base damage of the weapon, plus the number of successes left over from your attack. Some ranged weapons may also allow you to add 1/2 your build score to the damage total as well.
-Spells: To attack a target with a spell or mental-based power, roll an opposed roll of (your mind + the appropriate skill) versus (The trait and skill determined by the GM. This will vary from spell to spell). The amount of damage dealt varies, and some spells don’t do damage at all, but have other effects.
Damage dealt by using a spell is equal to the spell’s base damage plus the number of successes left over from your attack. Some spells may also allow you to add 1/2 your heart score to the damage total as well.
-Powers: To attack a target with a natural ability that doesn’t involve hitting or shooting them, roll an opposed roll of (your heart + the appropriate skill) versus (The trait and skill determined by the GM. This will vary from power to power.) The amount of damage dealt varies, and some powers don’t do damage at all, but have other effects.
Damage dealt by using a power is equal to the power’s base damage plus the number of successes left over from your attack. Some powers may also allow you to add 1/2 your heart score to the damage total as well.
How Not to Die: When you take damage from any physical source, you may roll your build to resist it. When you take mental damage, you may roll your heart to resist it. Rolling in this manner is called a “Soak Roll”. Each success on the roll reduces the damage by 1. Any damage that is not reduced is subtracted from your Endurance. THE RULE OF ONES DOES NOT APPLY TO SOAK ROLLS. You cannot glitch or critical glitch a soak roll.
Armor adds dice to your soak roll. Most types of armor only protect against physical damage, and don’t do a thing against mental damage.
When you reach 0 endurance, you are knocked out. If you take damage that puts you into negative endurance, then you run the risk of severe injury. Every time your negative endurance count reaches a number equal to your (Build + Heart), then the GM will assign you an injury. When your negative endurance count reaches a total equal to your Endurace, then you die.
EQUIPMENT
Most forms of equipment and their exact details will be covered in the setting documents. General guidelines are provided below, for convenience.
Weapons: Daggers, clubs, and staves have a base damage of 1. Most one-handed weapons have a base damage of 2-3. Two-handed weapons usually have a base damage of 3-5. Many weapons have additional benefits and flaws, related to their form, bulk, and usage.
Armors: Light armor has a soak rating of 1-4, and heavy armor has a soak rating of 5-10. Most forms of armor have bulk penalties… If they are worn without the appropriate skill level, then they give die penalties to all non-soak combat-related rolls, and some non-combat rolls.
Superior Items: Some items give bonus dice when used appropriately to their function. A well-made rope may aid with climbing, or master crafted lockpicks may help you open a door.
EXPERIENCE
As you progress through an adventure, your character will gain experience points. You may spend experience points to improve your character in many ways. The various ways you can spend experience are listed below:
1. You may learn new skills. To do this, spend 5 experience points to learn a new skill. This new skill's rating is 1, until improved.
2. You may raise the rating of existing skills. To do this, spend experience points equal to three times a skill's current rating, to increase it by 1.
3. You may raise the rating of your traits. To do this, spend experience points equal to four times your trait's current rating, to increase it by 1. If you raised your Build or your Heart, increase your Endurance by 3. If you raised your Grace or your Mind, increase your Focus by 3.
4. You may learn a new Trait Ability. To do this, you must first have less existing trait abilities in that trait's category than the trait rating divided by 3. (Example: Sonny the soldier has a Build of 6. He may know two Build trait abilities. If he wants to learn a third Build trait ability, he must first raise his Build to 9.) Once your trait level is adequate enough to support another Trait ability, you may pay 8 points to learn the new ability.
5. You may learn a new power, spell, invention schema, mental power, ninjutsu power, or alternate form. To do this, you must be of a character class that can learn new powers, spells, schemas, etc... First consult with the GM as to the nature of the power, work out the details. Once that is done, pay 12 points to learn the new power.