Ashkhar Ben
2013-08-06, 01:49 PM
Hello everyone!
I've been a long time playground lurker, but just recently made this account. I look forward to your feedback and criticisms of the system that I and a few of of my publishing associates have been designing. There are currently two systems in design, the Ashkhar Complete system and the Ashkhar Basic System.
We are still pretty deep in the testing phases of Ashkhar Complete, but would love to see the full unrestrained feedback from hardcore players on Ashkhar Basic.
I will be updating this thread as often as I can with answers to questions and new content. Bear with me as for now I have little experience with vB code, and the site was written using a combination of wordpress and html.
Also I'm aware that there will more than likely be a host of editing and formatting issues; point them out when you can and I'll do my best to clarify or clean things up.
Enjoy!
Ashkhar Basic
This is the most basic version of Ashkhar. It allows a plethora of diverse characters within a very simple mechanical system. The bookkeeping for both the GM and the players is heavily reduced, yet the spirit of Ashkhar is still completely tangible.
A quick overview of the Ashkhar Basic RPG:
What makes it basic? The rules are simpler, combat is faster, and character creation is easier than the full Ashkhar RPG system.
What’s the system like? The system uses a d6 dice pool for each of the character’s skills. Everything, including combat and magic, are included in these skills.
Are there death spirals? Not particularly. The only exception is if your character is seriously wounded, it makes it harder for them to fight. This is typically rare.
Can I be a crazy powerful demigod superhero? Probably not, at least not with the rules as written. Ashkhar Basic steers more toward plausibility even by Earth standards. If you want to change the rules or scale down the difficulty for certain tasks, by all means go for it.
How many classes are there? None. Ashkhar is a classless system. Each character is a unique combination of his Attributes, Theme, Species, Skills, and Traits. Character creation takes a few minutes and can lead to very diverse and layered characters.
How many races are there? Ashkhar Basic allows players to play from six distinct species, each species having several sub cultures.
Can you describe Ashkhar’s setting? The primary continent of the known world, Ashkhar, is a varied and massive landscape that homes six intelligent species and countless beasts. The species are not homogenous, gods don’t roam the land, heroes are rare, and the common person always has a chance at killing even the most hardened fighter in his sleep. Magic, known as Control, is the process and manipulation of an omnipresent energy field known as Verahskel. Verahskel is recognized as the most basic, fundamental energy and particle of the universe. Ashkhar has a wide range of technology levels, culminating in some basic machines, but as a whole can be easily considered late medieval by Earth standards.
Steps to Character Creation
Quick Character Creation
Follow the steps below to create your own character for Ashkhar Basic. Each segment of character creation is explained in more detail in its section.
First Level
Create a character concept
Is your character a fierce warrior? An academic scholar? A charistmaic diplomat? There are no classes in Ashkhar Basic, and as such it is very easy for you to come up with complex or multi-layered concepts for your character.
Determine your character’s Attributes
Attributes are Body, Mind, and Spirit
One attribute is “Great” for your character. Rolls of 3 or higher are a success (3, 4, 5, 6)
One attribute is “Good” for your character. Rolls of 4 or higher are a success (4, 5, 6)
One attribute is “Okay” for your character Rolls of 5 or higher are a success (5, 6)
Pick a Theme
A general framework of your character’s goals, ideology, and morals. There is a list of themes in the Themes section, although you can easily create your own theme in collaboration with your GM.
Pick your character’s Skills
There are nine Skills: Control (Magic), Influence, Knowledge, Melee Combat, Movement, Perception, Ranged Combat, Resistance, and Stealth
The Skills are used to determine how good your character is at completing certain tasks
Each Skill, other than Control, begins with 1d6. If Anduin or Control Access Trait is taken, gain 1d6 and access to investment into Control
Total of 10d6 to invest into the eight or nine Skills. Maximum investment at first level is 4d6 (for a 5d6 max before species bonuses) into a single Skill
Pick your Species
The six species are: Anduin, Grohlkin, Inohkshi, Koht, Krolog, and Onduril (human)
Each of the species applies a few unique traits as well as provide an additional bonus die to apply into certain Skills
Pick two Traits
There are many traits, each of which applies a different bonus or advantage in a certain situation or to a certain type of action. Traits can be anything from having a haunting expression, being an excellent tracker, or excelling at a certain style of combat.
Select gear
Most characters in Ashkhar will carry some kind of equipment, weapons and armor being the most common that has a mechanical impact
Weapons can add a bonus to an attack roll (such as +1d6) as well as add to Bonus Damage (damage applied only if the attack is successful)
Weapons generally add a penalty to defense rolls while the weapon is being wielded (such as -1d6)
Shields can add a bonus to a defense roll (such as +1d6) as well as add damage reduction (DR)
Armor generally adds a penalty attack rolls while the armor is being worn (such as -1d6), but also adds to damage reduction (DR)
Calculate stats
The math shouldn’t be too hard for Ashkhar Basic
Tally up all of your dice pools for the various Skills
Apply any bonuses from Traits, Species, or gear
Calculate your Vitality
Vitality is equal to the number of dice in your Resistance Skill pool + 3 + level (mInimum of 5 at level 1)
Calculate your Fatigue
Fatigue is equal to the number of dice in your Resistance Skill pool + 3 + level (minimum of 5 at level 1)
Calculate your Attacks
Attacks are generally equal to the number of dice in your Control, Melee Combat, or Ranged Combat Skill pools + weapon or trait bonuses
Calculate your Defends
Defense is generally equal to the highest of your Melee Combat, Movement, Perception, or Ranged Combat Skill pool +/- weapon or trait bonuses and penalties
Calculate your Resists
Your Resist is generally equal to the highest of your Control or Resistance Skill pool
And you’re done with level one!
Every New Level
When your character accomplishes tasks, completes missions, and defeats enemies he will eventually Level Up
At every new Level, your character gains a new Trait and a new 1d6 bonus to a Skill
Attributes
Attributes
Every character has three natural abilities called Attributes: Body, Mind, and Spirit
Body: Your character’s Body is how physically strong, quick, and tough she is
Mind: Your character’s Mind is how smart, wise, and mentally capable she is
Spirit: Your character’s Spirit is how brave, noble, and stronghearted she is
When you first think of your character, think about how she would interact with the world. Is she fast and strong, but quick to lose her temper? Is she wise but feeble? Unfortunately, not everybody can be great at everything, so your character will be better at some things than others.
Once you’ve figured out how your character should act and feel, you need to rank how good he is at Body, Mind, and Spirit actions.
For example, a brave warrior who sometimes doesn’t think things through:
Great: Body
Good: Spirit
Okay: Mind
Or an explorer who wants to see the entire world, no matter the danger:
Great: Spirit
Good: Mind
Okay: Body
Or a wise philosopher who wishes to travel to distant lands and learn about other cultures:
Great: Mind
Good: Body
Okay: Spirit
Why do my Body, Mind, and Spirit ranks matter?
Every character is going to get himself into trouble, and when he does, he will need to make some Rolls to see what happens. Whenever a character takes an action doing something hard or is challenged, such as fighting, the player must roll.
Success is determined by the roll of the dice, and the rank determines what number on the dice is necessary to succeed.
Successes
Great: roll a 3 or higher (3, 4, 5, 6)
Good: roll a 4 or higher (4, 5, 6)
Okay: roll a 5 or higher (5, 6)
After you have your character’s Body, Mind, and Spirit figured out, you get to pick how her general concept, or Theme, and her training and talent, or Skills.
Themes
Themes
Your character’s Theme is his driving purpose, his morality, his goals, and his general concept. When a player role plays and keeps his character well within his Theme, the GM might grant him an Effort Token.
Effort Tokens provide a resource to the player to use when they really want to throw in some extra effort. Mechanically, the player can roll an extra +1d6 to a roll, mitigate a point of Vitality damage, get an extra action, or some other boost that the GM deems appropriate.
Here are some sample Themes to pick from, but we encourage you to make your own and be creative!
Sample Themes
Avenger: you seek vengeance against those who have wronged you personally or ideologically. Revenge can be a very compelling and dangerous life path.
Hero: you may or may not want glory, but you seek it out. You sacrifice your personal goals and aspirations aside to end oppression, tyrany, or persecution.
Hunter: you love the hunt, be it man or beast. You can’t feel at peace until you have finally captured or killed your quarry.
Protector: you vow to protect those in need of protection, whether they are your friends or not.
Champion: you come from a certain region, and want to bring honor and glory to your home.
Diplomat: you seek to end political strife and state-driven conflict. You wish to hold office and power.
Fighter: you love to fight, and will often fight even when it isn’t necessary.
Justiciar: your duty is to justice, your obligation to mete it out. Whether it be the law of the land or of your own principles, you deliver justice to both the wicked and the innocent.
Explorer: you want to explore Ashkhar and discover new places and creatures.
Throne Seeker: you want to become a recognized leader of your region, your species, or some new lands that you conquer.
Treasure Hunter: you are always on the prowl for the next big haul, be it a horde of gold or a rare artifact.
Slayer: you seek out a particular group or enemy type to end them once and for all.
Scholar: you want to learn as much as you can, either in a dusty library or deep in a cave.
Ideologist: you have an ideal, philosophy, religion, or government structure that you wish to spread and make prominent.
Healer: you want to heal and care for others.
Bear in mind that Effort Tokens should only be given out if the character is behaving as an exemplary individual within his Theme. A character can only hold on to one Effort Token at a time, and they fade each time a story arc ends or the character rests.
Effort Tokens can also be given out for players acting in character, good role playing, and all around making an enjoyable and immersive experience for all of the players at the table.
Skills
Skills
Skills represent your character’s training, talent, and overall ability when trying to complete certain actions. There are nine Skills, and they can be used in whichever creation combinations you can imagine.
When you first make your character, you get 10d6 to spread out among the nine Skills. You can only invest up to 4d6 in a single Skill (bringing the total Skill to 5d6).
The nine Skills are Control, Influence, Knowledge, Melee Combat, Movement, Perception, Ranged Combat, Resistance, and Stealth
Control: using magic to sculpt matter, weave energy, and manipulate minds all with a thought
Influence: charming, scaring, or convincing others
Knowledge: any form of information you might know or figure out
Melee Combat: physically fighting with your hands, feet, or weapons like swords and clubs
Movement: running, jumping, dodging, climbing, lifting, or any kind of moving
Perception: your five senses, as well as your gut instinct
Ranged Combat: throwing, shooting, or launching things in a fight
Resistance: how physically, mentally, and emotionally tough you are
Stealth: being sneaky, quiet, unnoticed, good with disguises, or lying
In order to complete a specific task, just think of what your character would do, and describe it to the rest of the group. In order to see if you actually succeed or not, you need to make some Rolls.
Rolls come in the form of rolling six-sided dice, abbreviated as d6. If your character is more skilled in certain actions than others, she might get to roll multiple dice. If she was rolling three six-sided dice, it would be listed as 3d6. Five would be 5d6, and one would be 1d6.
All of your skills (except for Control) start out with 1d6. Any time you invest extra training, or have natural talent in a certain skill, you gain more than just a single die. The more d6 you get to roll, the better and more consistent your character is at succeeding in those types of actions.
Why is Control different?
Control is using magic, and as such considerably more powerful than the other Skills. In order for your character to gain access to Control, he either has to belong to the Anduin species, or take a Trait that provides access to the Control Skill. Once this Trait has been selected (even at character creation) you can apply dice to the Control Skill.
Skills and Attributes
When your character is attempting to accomplish a task he must make a Skill Roll. The number of dice (d6) invested into that Skill are how many dice that the player can Roll. The nature of the task being attempted dictates what Skill it falls under. For example, trying to attack an enemy with a sword would fall under Melee Combat, while trying to lift a heavy stone would fall under Movement.
Each of the Skills has an associated Attribute with it. Based on your earlier ranking of your Attributes (Great, Good, Okay) the number showing on the dice determine the number of successes. For example, the Influence Skill is a “Spirit” action. Therefore, if a character had assigned his Spirit attribute as “Good”, every d6 showing a 4, 5, or 6 would be a success.
Control: Mind
Influence: Spirit
Knowledge: Mind
Melee Combat: Body
Movement: Body
Perception: Mind
Ranged Combat: Body
Resistance: Spirit
Stealth: Spirit
Species
Species
Anduin
Regal, beautiful, and long lived the Anduin are the most physically akin to the Onduril. They have an innate understanding and connection to Verahskel and can much more readily Control it, even at a young age. Physically they are typically lithe, age roughly double the speed of a man, and have skin and hair tones along the gold spectrum from pearlescent white to burnt ember.
Skill Bonus: gain +1d6 to either Perception, Control, or Knowledge
Species Trait: You automatically gain access to the Control Skill
Species Trait: You are nearly immune to mental manipulation through Control
Grohlkin
Grohlkin are a hard people that hail from hard lands. Alien in both culture and appearance, many Grohlkin are assumed to be malevolent or violent, although they are no more so than any of the other species. With enduring, sinewy bodies built to better survive the rugged deserts, caves, and mountains of their homeland, grohlkin possess natural combative and athletic ability. Hairless, but with a wide variety of variegated colors and patterns on their tough flesh, grohlkin can be hauntingly beautiful or enchantingly alluring.
Skill Bonus: gain +1d6 to either Melee Combat, Ranged Combat, or Movement
Species Trait: You gain a natural unarmed attack that adds a +1d6 to Melee Combat while not wielding any other weapons
Species Trait: You naturally regenerate 1 inch of lost limbs or body parts per week
Inohkshi
Standing at no more than waist high of the average man, inohkshi are a peculiar people. They care for nothing so much as practicality and pragmatism, making astute bankers, businessmen, explorers, and generals. They have a keen intellect, an eye for stealth, excessive patience and good overall kinesthetic awareness. Yet the inokshi's most famous trait is their inherent sense of direction, as such are prized scouts, navigators, and couriers. They range in olive skin tones typically with dark to dirty blonde, curly hair.
Skill Bonus: gain +1d6 to either Stealth, Ranged Combat, or Movement
Species Trait: You maintain your Stealth roll after attacking with no need to roll again
Species Trait: You are immune to getting lost unless you are moved while completely unconscious
Koht
A gentle people of massive proportions, the koht would be the most terrifying of opponents if they were led to war. While individuals do take up the mantle of violence, rarely do koht ever move in large force beyond the Titan's Steppe. Incredibly tough, with a rich culture favoring lore, song, and the power of the Divine Wind. Koht bodies are covered in feathery fur of nearly any color, even reds and blues, stand well over seven feet tall, and often weigh over 400 pounds. Their enormous chests give them melee prowess and huge lungs, allowing them to hold their breath many times longer than any of the other species.
Skill Bonus: gain +1d6 to either Melee, Knowledge, or Resistance
Species Trait: You can hold your breath for 30 minutes
Species Trait: You are immune to critical hits
Krolog
Stout and stubborn both physically and mentally, krolog equal most men's mass but are often no taller than four or five feet. Some of the best craftsmen, artists, warriors, and healers, krolog's intensity and constant pursuit of perfection make them a powerful ally, or a feared enemy. An immune system bordering on legendary status allow the krolog to operate in areas infested with disease, plague, and other filth that no other species can go. They have a wide variety of reddish brown skin tones, with hair color ranging from black to blonde.
Skill Bonus: gain +1d6 to either Influence, Resistance, or all Defends
Species Trait: You can move 5 feet as an immediate reaction once flanked (once per turn)
Species Trait: You are immune to natural diseases and viruses
Onduril (Human)
The onduril people are vast and varied, nearly covering the entirety of the continent in Ashkhar in some form. A penchant for drama, creativity, and violence, the onduril have made and broken alliances within their own major nations and those of the other species. They are the most industrious, always seeking the most effective and efficient ways to harvest crops, study verahskel, and win wars. They vary greatly in height, weight, and appearance, although the citizens of the the major nations all resemble one another more so than citizens of another.
Skill Bonus: gain +1d6 to either Knowledge, Melee Combat, or Stealth
Species Trait: You can select one additional Trait from the Traits list
Traits
Traits
Traits are the characteristics possesed by every character in Ashkhar Basic. Traits apply either a +1d6 bonus or some other advantage in certain circumstances. When you first make your character, you can select two Traits. Each time you level, you can select another Trait.
Aerodynamic Thrower: You can throw items, rocks, and other throwing weapons 20 feet farther than normal
Artist: Select one type of art that you specialize in, such as music, painting, sewing, sculpting, story telling, etc. You don’t need to roll when making high quality pieces of art.
Balanced: You don’t need to roll to keep your balance outside of combat or high intensity obstacles (such as an avalanche). When rolling in combat or a highly dangerous situation, you get a +1d6 bonus when rolling Movement to keep your balance.
Barrel Lungs: You can hold your breath twice as long as normal before having to roll. This stacks with the Koht’s natural ability.
Brave: You get a +1d6 bonus to Rolls when acting bravely, such as facing certain danger or standing up to your fears.
Climate Resistant: You can comfortably live in environments between 40 and 120 degrees Fahrenheit (5 to 40 degrees Celsius)
Climber: You don’t need to roll when trying to climb anything other than the most difficult surfaces, unless in a highly dangerous situation or combat. In such circumstances, you get a +1d6 bonus to Movement rolls when Climbing.
Combo Attack: The penalty for a second attack you take in a turn is reduced by 1d6. Therefore the penalty is -2d6 rather than the normal -3d6.
Control Access: You can consciously Control Verahskel, the universal energy that connects and constructs all matter in the universe. You automatically gain +1d6 to the Control skill once this trait is taken. If taken at first level, you are able to invest into Control per the normal skill rules.
Cowardly: You get a +1d6 bonus to rolls when trying to avoid danger, running away, or hiding from enemies. This typically does not apply to attacks.
Defense Expertise: the penalty to defends while wielding a weapon is reduced by 1.
Eat Anything: You can eat and drink just about anything organic, even if it is rotten, possibly toxic, or not normally edible, without becoming ill. Items which are poisoned or severely tainted in some way may still require a Resistance Roll.
Effective Maneuver: Select one maneuver, such as trip or disarm. You gain a +1d6 bonus when attempting this maneuver. This trait can be taken multiple times, each time it applies to a new maneuver. This trait does not apply to multiple bonuses on a single maneuver. This does not apply to Advanced Maneuvers.
Efficient Control: You burn one less Vitality when using Control to manipulate Verahskel. The GM may reason that regardless of your number of successes you still must burn at least 1 Vitality, in which case this trait would not apply.
Fast: You get a +1d6 bonus to rolls when running, swimming, or trying to move fast (this includes for rolls to determine your turn).
Forgettable: You have a very forgettable face, and it is difficult to describe you in any meaningful way. Things that you say and do are likewise unimportant to most people.
Free Runner: You can move freely through tight spaces, difficult terrain, variable height platforms, and otherwise restricted areas without rolling. While being chased or in combat, you must still roll but gain a +1d6 bonus.
Funny: You are naturally funny and most people enjoy your sense of humor. If trying to use laughter to befriend or calm someone with a difficult attitude, you get a +1d6 bonus to rolls.
Gifted Healer: You heal an additional +1 Vitality whenever healing yourself or an ally.
Good Looking: You are attractive to others, as such others are more likely to want to talk to you and help you. This can also assist with getting paid higher wages, or aid in serving as a distraction out of combat.
Hasty Repairs: You can temporarily fix and hold broken objects, weapons, and equipment together. Your repair takes an action or two, and lasts for a few rounds.
Haunting: You have a haunting expression with dead, expressionless eyes. People avoid you, are less likely to fight you, and some inherently fear you. Murderers and hard men respect you more than most.
Insightful: You have a knack for understanding context and subcontext within conversations, and can easily gather what someone really means rather than what they are saying. You must still roll against those who are deliberately lying or using Control to shield their intentions, but you gain a +1d6 bonus.
Iron Grip: You get a +1d6 bonus to rolls when trying to hang on to something, prevent getting disarmed, or any time your grip is involved (not attacks).
Leader: People want to follow you, and you gain a +1d6 to rolls when trying to inspire or give commands to others.
Long Shot: Your non Control ranged attacks double in effective range. This does not maximize the distance with which the attack can physically travel, rather the accuracy within the max range.
Magical Resistance: You gain 1 DR against all magical attacks, even those that normally ignore DR.
Martial Artist: You deal an additional +1 Bonus Damage with unarmed attacks.
Melt Away: When outside of a dangerous situation, you can blend in and disappear into a crowd or similarly high concealment area.
Memorable: People remember you, your actions, and phrases that you say.
Mounted Warrior: You can expertly control one breed of mount, such as horse, war ram, zorlicahn, aornael, raptor, etc. You do not need to Roll when in combat for basic commands of the animal.
Native: Pick an environment that you were raised in, such as urban, desert, forest, ocean, jungle, mountains, etc. You gain a +1d6 bonus to Knowledge, Movement, and Perception Rolls in this environment.
Phalanx: When fighting alongside an ally, you gain a +1d6 bonus to attacks and defends.
Protector: You get a +1d6 bonus to rolls when standing sacrificially in the way of attacks for others.
Quick: You can draw out a weapon or grab something within reach without consuming an action
Regenerative: You gain an additional 1 Vitality per day of natural healing, and an additional 1 Vitality every time you are naturally or magically healed.
Resilient: You gain one natural DR. This trait can not be taken multiple times, but its effects do stack with armor.
Scary: You get a +1d6 bonus to rolls when intimidating others to prevent a fight or to force someone to surrender.
Shoot and Scoot: You can move 5 feet for free after attacking. You can only do this once per turn.
Sleep Anywhere: You have no difficulty sleeping cramped in a cold corner of an alley, on a mountaintop, or an otherwise similarly uncomfortable place. You suffer no penalties when sleeping in loud, intemperate, or uncomfortable situations within reasonable limits. (For people without this trait, they do not regain their Vitality when resting in these conditions.)
Slow Metabolism: You only need to eat half as much as is typical for your species.
Smart: You get a +1d6 bonus to rolls when trying to learn, figure something out, or solve riddles and puzzles.
Smooth Talker: You get a +1d6 bonus when trying to charm, persuade, or get people to like you.
Sneaky: You get a +1d6 bonus to rolls when being sneaky, hiding, or moving quietly.
Stalwart Build: You can carry up to your own weight with no need to roll an Resistance or Movement
Sworn enemy: You get a +1d6 bonus to rolls when fighting a certain group, monster, or individual of your choice. This sworn enemy can’t change once selected.
Swift Shadow: You take no penalty to Stealth when moving your full speed. This does not apply to sprinting.
Tactical Mastery: The effect of Assists deal an additional +1d6 (either being Assisted or Assisting someone else).
Tireless: You can exert yourself for twice as long as normal without needing to roll Resistance. This does not apply to starvation or dehydration.
Tough: You get +1 to your Vitality and Fatigue. This can be taken multiple times; its effects stack.
Trustworthy: People inherently trust you and are more likely to confide in you secrets, information, or other helpful insight.
Tracker: You get a +1d6 bonus to rolls when trying to track someone or find something hidden. Common tracks that your character is familiar with require no roll whatsoever (GM discretion.)
Fatigue and Vitality
Fatigue and Vitality
Your character’s physical stamina, mental fortitude, endurance, toughness, and life force are described by his Fatigue and Vitality. Fatigue is your character’s overall current stamina. Fatigue applies when using Control, attempting Advanced Maneuvers, or when taking damage. Vitality is your character’s physical and mental health. Vitality applies primarily when taking damage. When your character loses Fatigue, he is either becoming exhausted or taking small or superficial wounds. When your character loses Vitality, he is sustaining serious bodily harm.
Fatigue: ethereal energy source, easy to restore, does not equate to true physical damage, can be used to absorb damage and use Control
Vitality: physical life force and health, difficult to heal, equates to serious physical or mental damage
Fatigue
Fatigue is equal to your character’s Resistance Skill pool + 3 + his level.
Your character is assumed to be at “full fatigue” when he is well fed, rested, and healed. As he takes damage from incoming attacks, traveling long distances, succumbing to natural hazards, or using Control, his Fatigue Value goes down. In game, your character is becoming weaker, more drained, and more exhausted as his Fatigue gets closer to 0. Once his Fatigue reaches 0, any additional damage that would normally lower fatigue now lowers Vitality.
After six hours of rest and at least some food and water, your character recovers all of his Fatigue. If he is unable to sleep well, does not get enough sleep, or hasn’t eaten in days, he does not regain his Fatigue. Fatigue can also be restored from the use of Control, although it is nearly impossible to create a “positive loop” using Control. In other words, a controller can’t use control to restore his fatigue ,as the amount he is burning is roughly equivalent to the amount he is restoring. There are exceptions, but in general this is the case.
Fatigue can be “healed” with a Knowledge roll. The amount of successes equate to the amount of Fatigue that is restored.
Vitality
Vitality is equal to your character’s Resistance Skill pool + 3 + his level.
Your character is assumed to be at “full vitality” when he is fully healthy, not bleeding, not dying of poison, and so on. Once his Fatigue is gone, damage from incoming attacks, traveling long distances, succumbing to natural hazards, or using Control lowers his Vitality Value. In game, your character is sustaining serious mental or bodily harm, and as his Vitality gets closer to 0 he is closer to death.
After six hours of rest and at least some attention to his wounds, your character recovers 1 Vitality. If he is unable to sleep well, does not get enough sleep, or has wounds that bleed or are infected, he does not regain his Vitality. Vitality can be restored form the use of Control, although it is exhausting and difficult to do so.
Vitality can be healed with a Knowledge roll. The amount of successes/2 rounded down equate to the amount of Vitality that is restored. For example a Knowledge roll with 5 successes would heal 2 Vitality.
Example of Character Creation
Example of Character Creation
Vayno is a young adventurer who is physically skilled and strong. His player thinks that he should be pretty strong and agile, pretty brave and amicable, but isn’t much of an academic thinker. His player assigns the following attributes:
Great: Body
Good: Spirit
Okay: Mind
This means that Vayno will succeed on Body related Skill rolls of 3+, Spirit related Skill rolls of 4+, and Mind related Skill rolls of 5+. After Vayno’s player has chosen his attributes, he considers how Vayno will interact with the world, what dreams and goals he has, and what his overall concept is. In Ashkhar this is called a Theme. For simplicity, we’ll have Vayno select one of the template Themes.
Explorer: expanding the known horizons, mapping out new regions, and discovering new lands. Vayno has a strong spirit and eagerly looks to explore the country. Whenever his player role-plays well, has Vayno explore a dungeon or a dark forest, or stay in character that matches his theme, the GM might give Vayno’s player an Effort Token.
Next he’ll need to decide what fields of expertise Vayno will specialize in. Vayno’s player has 10d6 to spend on his Skills. At first, all of his Skills (except for Control) already have 1d6.
Influence: 1d6
Knowledge: 1d6
Melee Combat: 1d6
Movement: 1d6
Perception: 1d6
Ranged Combat: 1d6
Resistance: 1d6
Stealth: 1d6
His player really wants Vayno to excel at Movement, since he is so strong and athletic. So, he invests the maximum of 4d6 into the Movement skill, bringing movement to 5d6.
Influence: 1d6
Knowledge: 1d6
Melee Combat: 1d6
Movement: 5d6 = 1d6 + 4d6
Perception: 1d6
Ranged Combat: 1d6
Resistance: 1d6
Stealth: 1d6
Dice remaining: 6d6 = 10d6 – 4d6
Vayno only has 6 dice remaining to invest in other skills. He wants to be a good scout and good at reading other people’s emotions, so Vayno’s player puts a couple of dice into the Perception Skill, bringing his Perception Skill up to 3d6.
Influence: 1d6
Knowledge: 1d6
Melee Combat: 1d6
Movement: 5d6
Perception: 3d6 = 1d6 + 2d6
Ranged Combat: 1d6
Resistance: 1d6
Stealth: 1d6
Dice remaining: 4d6 = 6d6 – 2d6
Now Vayno has 4 dice left, and he wants to be pretty well rounded. He puts some into Melee, Resistance, and Knowledge.
Influence: 1d6
Knowledge: 2d6 = 1d6 + 1d6
Melee Combat: 3d6 = 1d6 + 2d6
Movement: 5d6
Perception: 3d6
Ranged Combat: 1d6
Resistance: 2d6 = 1d6 + 1d6
Stealth: 1d6
Dice remaining: 0 = 4d6 – 4d6
Now Vayno’s player has used up all of his available dice for Skills. Vayno is starting to feel like a real character, great at Movement, pretty good at Melee Combat and Perception, and decent in Knowledge and Resistance. The rest of the Skills he can still attempt, but has less chance of success than at Skills he is well trained or talented in.
Next up is picking Vayno’s species. Vayno’s player wants to play a large, strong, friendly explorer and likes the culture and mythology of the Koht race. Therefore he’ll make Vayno a koht. This applies the following bonuses:
He can pick a +1d6 bonus to either the Melee, Knowledge, or Resistance skill
He picks Resistance, as it will help him to stay alive and keep pressing on
This brings Vayno’s Resistance skill up to 3d6
He can hold his breath for 30 minutes (awesome, and it goes perfectly with his explorer theme)
He is immune to critical hits
The last mechanical choice Vayno’s place will have to make are to select two Traits. Traits are unique, permanent bonuses that make characters a little more unique and flexible. Vayno should be able to climb really well and find new places that others wouldn’t be able to. He goes with:
Climber: Vayno doesn’t need to roll when trying to climb anything other than the most difficult surfaces
Tracker: Vayno gets a +1d6 bonus when trying to track someone or find something hidden
Finally, Vayno can pick out some of his equipment including weapons and armor. And there you have it, a brand new character in just a few simple steps. Vayno is great at climbing, pretty good in a fight, can hold his breath, find hidden locations, and even knows a thing or two about other cultures and languages. Perfect for an explorer of Ashkhar.
Gameplay
Gameplay
There aren’t many gameplay rules for Ashkhar Basic. The system is designed to still provide with a good amount of mechanical “crunch” and applicable tactics without overwhelming new players or players who prefer to play more fast and loose with the rules. The rules are here simply to serve as guidelines to provide a fun, streamlined game that keep things fairly grounded in the reality of Ashkhar. If your group and GM (Game Master) want to ignore some or all of these, or make changes to them, that is completely within your right.
Remember, the most important aspect of any role playing game is that the players and GM are having fun. If everyone is being creative and only occasionally rolling the dice when absolutely necessary, we think that’s great. If your group are hard core rules masters that want to build optimized characters, that is possible as well (although we’d recommend checking out the complete Ashkhar RPG rules if that is the case).
First we’ll define a few basic things that will help you wrap your head around Ashkhar Basic and the general premise of the system.
Basic Role Definitions
Players: the people playing the Ashkhar Basic game. Not to be confused with the characters.
Game Master (GM): the player that describes the setting, the environment, the people in the world, and makes rules judgments.
Character: the “role” that the player is playing; a single fictional character that interacts with the world of Ashkhar.
Non-Player Character (NPC): all of the characters played by the GM; the supporting cast, the bad guys, the townsfolk, and so on.
Basic Mechanics Definitions
Roll: a roll is any time your character is attempting to accomplish a task that isn’t automatically successful. The player rolls regular six sided dice (d6) and compares the face values with the relevant skill’s necessary success number to determine how successful the character was. This generally applies in combat or when facing obstacles. Rolls are generally between 1d6 -10d6. Rolls are made up of successes and fails.
Success(es): successes are any time that a d6 shows the minimum value as determined by the roll’s relevant skill and its related attribute. For example if out of four dice (4d6), two rolled above the minimum success number, the roll would be said to have “two successes.”
Fail(s): fails are the opposite of a success. If the face value of a d6 does not meet the minimum required number, it is considered a fail.
Difficulty: the general term referring to how many successes are necessary to surpass a certain obstacle. If a task has a Difficulty 4, it means that the character would have to roll 4 successes in order to accomplish it.
Assist: if one character helps another character to accomplish something, the assisted character gets an extra 1d6 to roll for the task.
Basic Combat Definitions
Combat: combat is any time that your character is fighting against enemies. Most of the time these enemies are other intelligent people, NPCs played by the GM, but sometimes may be monsters or beasts.
Rounds: rounds are a measurement of time (roughly 3-5 seconds), generally used in combat. Once every player and relevant NPC gets a turn, a new round begins.
Turn: a single character’s actions and impact during a round. Generally every combatant (characters, NPCs, enemies, etc) get one turn per round.
Actions: actions are specific mechanic tasks that combatants can attempt during their turn. Every character gets two actions per turn. Actions can be anything from making an attack to moving to using control to start a fire to bandaging a wounded ally.
Movement speed: generally the maximum distance something can move during one action in combat. For characters and most humanoids it is 30 feet, although ranges in Ashkhar Basic are more zone-specific and somewhat nebulous. We recommend using this simply as a rough guideline of how quickly a character can move.
Maneuvers: maneuvers are combat actions. The most basic of these is simply an “attack,” which requires nothing special other than an action during the attacking character’s turn. These are described in considerably more detail below.
Advantage: if one combatant possesses a better position, a flank, or some kind of advantage during combat, he gets a 1d6 bonus to rolls against his opponent.
Calculations
Fatigue: Resistance + 3 + Level (minimum of 5). For example a level 6 character with 4d6 Resistance would have 13 Vitality (4 Resistance + 3 + 6 Level)
Vitality: Resistance + 3 + Level (minimum of 5). Generally equal to your character’s Fatigue, although more significant.
Damage: (Attack Value – Defense Value) + Bonus Damage – Damage Reduction
Bonus Damage: the amount of additional damage dealt on any successful attack. This damage only applies if the Attack Value exceeds the Defense Value.
Core Mechanic
The basic fundamental mechanic of Ashkhar Basic is the d6 pool. Characters have a different number of d6 available to roll for each of the nine Skills as discussed in Character Creation. Whenever a character is attempting to accomplish some kind of task, the player must roll the number of d6 invested into the relevant Skill.
For example, Vayno the koht explorer wants to lift a heavy boulder that is blocking his path. He knows that it will be pretty tough, so he bends his knees, gets a good grip, and really puts his might into it. Lifting falls under athletic actions, which belong to the Movement Skill. The GM for Vayno’s game tells his player that he needs to make a Movement Roll.
Vayno has 5d6 to Movement, and there aren’t any specific traits or other bonuses that apply to him lifting. So, Vayno’s player rolls five dice and gets: 1, 5, 2, 4, 6. Since Movement falls under the Body attribute (which Vayno has ranked as Great) each d6 only needs to show a 3 or better to be counted as a success. From his roll we can see that Vayno got three successes and two fails.
The GM reasons that this boulder is pretty heavy, about 300 pounds, and gave it a Difficulty of 3. This means that it would require at least 3 successes in order to lift it. Vayno rolled the minimum number of successes, and so is able to barely lift the big rock and shove it out of the way.
If Vayno had only rolled two successes out of his 5d6, he might have been able to wiggle or shove or shift the rock, but not have been able to lift it. If a different character that only had 2d6 to Movement attempted to lift the rock, it would have been nearly impossible for them to do. If someone assisted this character, he would have been able to roll an extra 1d6. If it was a success, the two of them could have lifted it together.
Pooling successes: for certain actions, such as lifting a huge boulder or chopping down a tree or building a boat, multiple characters can pool all of their successes into a single difficulty. For example, if a group of players needed to lift a giant 1000 pound boulder, the GM would assign a Difficulty of 10. A single character would have nearly no chance at ever being able to move the boulder, without some kind of leverage or other tool. But, a group of four characters all decide to lift the boulder simultaneously and pool their combined strength to move it. Between the four of them, they roll over 10 successes, and as such are able to move the boulder.
This doesn’t always apply, such as attacking a single enemy or picking a lock. Pooling successes generally requires a task that multiple people can be actively involved with and make a combined effort.
Chipping Away Difficulty: for certain actions, such as deciphering a code or navigating to an unknown location, multiple rolls can be made to chip away at a task’s Difficulty. For example, if a task had a Difficulty 10, in theory the character could execute one success per roll over ten rolls. If a task is inevitable, this is generally fine and simply takes more time and hassle to be completed.
This doesn’t always apply, and should be used somewhat sparingly. If the GM approves it, he may consider a “minimum threshold difficulty” and then the task’s general difficulty. For example to decipher a code successfully, the GM reasons that at least three successes is necessary to even make sense of the next chunk, and only count that as a single success. If the character rolled four successes, he would count that as two; if the character rolled only two successes, he would count that as zero.
I've been a long time playground lurker, but just recently made this account. I look forward to your feedback and criticisms of the system that I and a few of of my publishing associates have been designing. There are currently two systems in design, the Ashkhar Complete system and the Ashkhar Basic System.
We are still pretty deep in the testing phases of Ashkhar Complete, but would love to see the full unrestrained feedback from hardcore players on Ashkhar Basic.
I will be updating this thread as often as I can with answers to questions and new content. Bear with me as for now I have little experience with vB code, and the site was written using a combination of wordpress and html.
Also I'm aware that there will more than likely be a host of editing and formatting issues; point them out when you can and I'll do my best to clarify or clean things up.
Enjoy!
Ashkhar Basic
This is the most basic version of Ashkhar. It allows a plethora of diverse characters within a very simple mechanical system. The bookkeeping for both the GM and the players is heavily reduced, yet the spirit of Ashkhar is still completely tangible.
A quick overview of the Ashkhar Basic RPG:
What makes it basic? The rules are simpler, combat is faster, and character creation is easier than the full Ashkhar RPG system.
What’s the system like? The system uses a d6 dice pool for each of the character’s skills. Everything, including combat and magic, are included in these skills.
Are there death spirals? Not particularly. The only exception is if your character is seriously wounded, it makes it harder for them to fight. This is typically rare.
Can I be a crazy powerful demigod superhero? Probably not, at least not with the rules as written. Ashkhar Basic steers more toward plausibility even by Earth standards. If you want to change the rules or scale down the difficulty for certain tasks, by all means go for it.
How many classes are there? None. Ashkhar is a classless system. Each character is a unique combination of his Attributes, Theme, Species, Skills, and Traits. Character creation takes a few minutes and can lead to very diverse and layered characters.
How many races are there? Ashkhar Basic allows players to play from six distinct species, each species having several sub cultures.
Can you describe Ashkhar’s setting? The primary continent of the known world, Ashkhar, is a varied and massive landscape that homes six intelligent species and countless beasts. The species are not homogenous, gods don’t roam the land, heroes are rare, and the common person always has a chance at killing even the most hardened fighter in his sleep. Magic, known as Control, is the process and manipulation of an omnipresent energy field known as Verahskel. Verahskel is recognized as the most basic, fundamental energy and particle of the universe. Ashkhar has a wide range of technology levels, culminating in some basic machines, but as a whole can be easily considered late medieval by Earth standards.
Steps to Character Creation
Quick Character Creation
Follow the steps below to create your own character for Ashkhar Basic. Each segment of character creation is explained in more detail in its section.
First Level
Create a character concept
Is your character a fierce warrior? An academic scholar? A charistmaic diplomat? There are no classes in Ashkhar Basic, and as such it is very easy for you to come up with complex or multi-layered concepts for your character.
Determine your character’s Attributes
Attributes are Body, Mind, and Spirit
One attribute is “Great” for your character. Rolls of 3 or higher are a success (3, 4, 5, 6)
One attribute is “Good” for your character. Rolls of 4 or higher are a success (4, 5, 6)
One attribute is “Okay” for your character Rolls of 5 or higher are a success (5, 6)
Pick a Theme
A general framework of your character’s goals, ideology, and morals. There is a list of themes in the Themes section, although you can easily create your own theme in collaboration with your GM.
Pick your character’s Skills
There are nine Skills: Control (Magic), Influence, Knowledge, Melee Combat, Movement, Perception, Ranged Combat, Resistance, and Stealth
The Skills are used to determine how good your character is at completing certain tasks
Each Skill, other than Control, begins with 1d6. If Anduin or Control Access Trait is taken, gain 1d6 and access to investment into Control
Total of 10d6 to invest into the eight or nine Skills. Maximum investment at first level is 4d6 (for a 5d6 max before species bonuses) into a single Skill
Pick your Species
The six species are: Anduin, Grohlkin, Inohkshi, Koht, Krolog, and Onduril (human)
Each of the species applies a few unique traits as well as provide an additional bonus die to apply into certain Skills
Pick two Traits
There are many traits, each of which applies a different bonus or advantage in a certain situation or to a certain type of action. Traits can be anything from having a haunting expression, being an excellent tracker, or excelling at a certain style of combat.
Select gear
Most characters in Ashkhar will carry some kind of equipment, weapons and armor being the most common that has a mechanical impact
Weapons can add a bonus to an attack roll (such as +1d6) as well as add to Bonus Damage (damage applied only if the attack is successful)
Weapons generally add a penalty to defense rolls while the weapon is being wielded (such as -1d6)
Shields can add a bonus to a defense roll (such as +1d6) as well as add damage reduction (DR)
Armor generally adds a penalty attack rolls while the armor is being worn (such as -1d6), but also adds to damage reduction (DR)
Calculate stats
The math shouldn’t be too hard for Ashkhar Basic
Tally up all of your dice pools for the various Skills
Apply any bonuses from Traits, Species, or gear
Calculate your Vitality
Vitality is equal to the number of dice in your Resistance Skill pool + 3 + level (mInimum of 5 at level 1)
Calculate your Fatigue
Fatigue is equal to the number of dice in your Resistance Skill pool + 3 + level (minimum of 5 at level 1)
Calculate your Attacks
Attacks are generally equal to the number of dice in your Control, Melee Combat, or Ranged Combat Skill pools + weapon or trait bonuses
Calculate your Defends
Defense is generally equal to the highest of your Melee Combat, Movement, Perception, or Ranged Combat Skill pool +/- weapon or trait bonuses and penalties
Calculate your Resists
Your Resist is generally equal to the highest of your Control or Resistance Skill pool
And you’re done with level one!
Every New Level
When your character accomplishes tasks, completes missions, and defeats enemies he will eventually Level Up
At every new Level, your character gains a new Trait and a new 1d6 bonus to a Skill
Attributes
Attributes
Every character has three natural abilities called Attributes: Body, Mind, and Spirit
Body: Your character’s Body is how physically strong, quick, and tough she is
Mind: Your character’s Mind is how smart, wise, and mentally capable she is
Spirit: Your character’s Spirit is how brave, noble, and stronghearted she is
When you first think of your character, think about how she would interact with the world. Is she fast and strong, but quick to lose her temper? Is she wise but feeble? Unfortunately, not everybody can be great at everything, so your character will be better at some things than others.
Once you’ve figured out how your character should act and feel, you need to rank how good he is at Body, Mind, and Spirit actions.
For example, a brave warrior who sometimes doesn’t think things through:
Great: Body
Good: Spirit
Okay: Mind
Or an explorer who wants to see the entire world, no matter the danger:
Great: Spirit
Good: Mind
Okay: Body
Or a wise philosopher who wishes to travel to distant lands and learn about other cultures:
Great: Mind
Good: Body
Okay: Spirit
Why do my Body, Mind, and Spirit ranks matter?
Every character is going to get himself into trouble, and when he does, he will need to make some Rolls to see what happens. Whenever a character takes an action doing something hard or is challenged, such as fighting, the player must roll.
Success is determined by the roll of the dice, and the rank determines what number on the dice is necessary to succeed.
Successes
Great: roll a 3 or higher (3, 4, 5, 6)
Good: roll a 4 or higher (4, 5, 6)
Okay: roll a 5 or higher (5, 6)
After you have your character’s Body, Mind, and Spirit figured out, you get to pick how her general concept, or Theme, and her training and talent, or Skills.
Themes
Themes
Your character’s Theme is his driving purpose, his morality, his goals, and his general concept. When a player role plays and keeps his character well within his Theme, the GM might grant him an Effort Token.
Effort Tokens provide a resource to the player to use when they really want to throw in some extra effort. Mechanically, the player can roll an extra +1d6 to a roll, mitigate a point of Vitality damage, get an extra action, or some other boost that the GM deems appropriate.
Here are some sample Themes to pick from, but we encourage you to make your own and be creative!
Sample Themes
Avenger: you seek vengeance against those who have wronged you personally or ideologically. Revenge can be a very compelling and dangerous life path.
Hero: you may or may not want glory, but you seek it out. You sacrifice your personal goals and aspirations aside to end oppression, tyrany, or persecution.
Hunter: you love the hunt, be it man or beast. You can’t feel at peace until you have finally captured or killed your quarry.
Protector: you vow to protect those in need of protection, whether they are your friends or not.
Champion: you come from a certain region, and want to bring honor and glory to your home.
Diplomat: you seek to end political strife and state-driven conflict. You wish to hold office and power.
Fighter: you love to fight, and will often fight even when it isn’t necessary.
Justiciar: your duty is to justice, your obligation to mete it out. Whether it be the law of the land or of your own principles, you deliver justice to both the wicked and the innocent.
Explorer: you want to explore Ashkhar and discover new places and creatures.
Throne Seeker: you want to become a recognized leader of your region, your species, or some new lands that you conquer.
Treasure Hunter: you are always on the prowl for the next big haul, be it a horde of gold or a rare artifact.
Slayer: you seek out a particular group or enemy type to end them once and for all.
Scholar: you want to learn as much as you can, either in a dusty library or deep in a cave.
Ideologist: you have an ideal, philosophy, religion, or government structure that you wish to spread and make prominent.
Healer: you want to heal and care for others.
Bear in mind that Effort Tokens should only be given out if the character is behaving as an exemplary individual within his Theme. A character can only hold on to one Effort Token at a time, and they fade each time a story arc ends or the character rests.
Effort Tokens can also be given out for players acting in character, good role playing, and all around making an enjoyable and immersive experience for all of the players at the table.
Skills
Skills
Skills represent your character’s training, talent, and overall ability when trying to complete certain actions. There are nine Skills, and they can be used in whichever creation combinations you can imagine.
When you first make your character, you get 10d6 to spread out among the nine Skills. You can only invest up to 4d6 in a single Skill (bringing the total Skill to 5d6).
The nine Skills are Control, Influence, Knowledge, Melee Combat, Movement, Perception, Ranged Combat, Resistance, and Stealth
Control: using magic to sculpt matter, weave energy, and manipulate minds all with a thought
Influence: charming, scaring, or convincing others
Knowledge: any form of information you might know or figure out
Melee Combat: physically fighting with your hands, feet, or weapons like swords and clubs
Movement: running, jumping, dodging, climbing, lifting, or any kind of moving
Perception: your five senses, as well as your gut instinct
Ranged Combat: throwing, shooting, or launching things in a fight
Resistance: how physically, mentally, and emotionally tough you are
Stealth: being sneaky, quiet, unnoticed, good with disguises, or lying
In order to complete a specific task, just think of what your character would do, and describe it to the rest of the group. In order to see if you actually succeed or not, you need to make some Rolls.
Rolls come in the form of rolling six-sided dice, abbreviated as d6. If your character is more skilled in certain actions than others, she might get to roll multiple dice. If she was rolling three six-sided dice, it would be listed as 3d6. Five would be 5d6, and one would be 1d6.
All of your skills (except for Control) start out with 1d6. Any time you invest extra training, or have natural talent in a certain skill, you gain more than just a single die. The more d6 you get to roll, the better and more consistent your character is at succeeding in those types of actions.
Why is Control different?
Control is using magic, and as such considerably more powerful than the other Skills. In order for your character to gain access to Control, he either has to belong to the Anduin species, or take a Trait that provides access to the Control Skill. Once this Trait has been selected (even at character creation) you can apply dice to the Control Skill.
Skills and Attributes
When your character is attempting to accomplish a task he must make a Skill Roll. The number of dice (d6) invested into that Skill are how many dice that the player can Roll. The nature of the task being attempted dictates what Skill it falls under. For example, trying to attack an enemy with a sword would fall under Melee Combat, while trying to lift a heavy stone would fall under Movement.
Each of the Skills has an associated Attribute with it. Based on your earlier ranking of your Attributes (Great, Good, Okay) the number showing on the dice determine the number of successes. For example, the Influence Skill is a “Spirit” action. Therefore, if a character had assigned his Spirit attribute as “Good”, every d6 showing a 4, 5, or 6 would be a success.
Control: Mind
Influence: Spirit
Knowledge: Mind
Melee Combat: Body
Movement: Body
Perception: Mind
Ranged Combat: Body
Resistance: Spirit
Stealth: Spirit
Species
Species
Anduin
Regal, beautiful, and long lived the Anduin are the most physically akin to the Onduril. They have an innate understanding and connection to Verahskel and can much more readily Control it, even at a young age. Physically they are typically lithe, age roughly double the speed of a man, and have skin and hair tones along the gold spectrum from pearlescent white to burnt ember.
Skill Bonus: gain +1d6 to either Perception, Control, or Knowledge
Species Trait: You automatically gain access to the Control Skill
Species Trait: You are nearly immune to mental manipulation through Control
Grohlkin
Grohlkin are a hard people that hail from hard lands. Alien in both culture and appearance, many Grohlkin are assumed to be malevolent or violent, although they are no more so than any of the other species. With enduring, sinewy bodies built to better survive the rugged deserts, caves, and mountains of their homeland, grohlkin possess natural combative and athletic ability. Hairless, but with a wide variety of variegated colors and patterns on their tough flesh, grohlkin can be hauntingly beautiful or enchantingly alluring.
Skill Bonus: gain +1d6 to either Melee Combat, Ranged Combat, or Movement
Species Trait: You gain a natural unarmed attack that adds a +1d6 to Melee Combat while not wielding any other weapons
Species Trait: You naturally regenerate 1 inch of lost limbs or body parts per week
Inohkshi
Standing at no more than waist high of the average man, inohkshi are a peculiar people. They care for nothing so much as practicality and pragmatism, making astute bankers, businessmen, explorers, and generals. They have a keen intellect, an eye for stealth, excessive patience and good overall kinesthetic awareness. Yet the inokshi's most famous trait is their inherent sense of direction, as such are prized scouts, navigators, and couriers. They range in olive skin tones typically with dark to dirty blonde, curly hair.
Skill Bonus: gain +1d6 to either Stealth, Ranged Combat, or Movement
Species Trait: You maintain your Stealth roll after attacking with no need to roll again
Species Trait: You are immune to getting lost unless you are moved while completely unconscious
Koht
A gentle people of massive proportions, the koht would be the most terrifying of opponents if they were led to war. While individuals do take up the mantle of violence, rarely do koht ever move in large force beyond the Titan's Steppe. Incredibly tough, with a rich culture favoring lore, song, and the power of the Divine Wind. Koht bodies are covered in feathery fur of nearly any color, even reds and blues, stand well over seven feet tall, and often weigh over 400 pounds. Their enormous chests give them melee prowess and huge lungs, allowing them to hold their breath many times longer than any of the other species.
Skill Bonus: gain +1d6 to either Melee, Knowledge, or Resistance
Species Trait: You can hold your breath for 30 minutes
Species Trait: You are immune to critical hits
Krolog
Stout and stubborn both physically and mentally, krolog equal most men's mass but are often no taller than four or five feet. Some of the best craftsmen, artists, warriors, and healers, krolog's intensity and constant pursuit of perfection make them a powerful ally, or a feared enemy. An immune system bordering on legendary status allow the krolog to operate in areas infested with disease, plague, and other filth that no other species can go. They have a wide variety of reddish brown skin tones, with hair color ranging from black to blonde.
Skill Bonus: gain +1d6 to either Influence, Resistance, or all Defends
Species Trait: You can move 5 feet as an immediate reaction once flanked (once per turn)
Species Trait: You are immune to natural diseases and viruses
Onduril (Human)
The onduril people are vast and varied, nearly covering the entirety of the continent in Ashkhar in some form. A penchant for drama, creativity, and violence, the onduril have made and broken alliances within their own major nations and those of the other species. They are the most industrious, always seeking the most effective and efficient ways to harvest crops, study verahskel, and win wars. They vary greatly in height, weight, and appearance, although the citizens of the the major nations all resemble one another more so than citizens of another.
Skill Bonus: gain +1d6 to either Knowledge, Melee Combat, or Stealth
Species Trait: You can select one additional Trait from the Traits list
Traits
Traits
Traits are the characteristics possesed by every character in Ashkhar Basic. Traits apply either a +1d6 bonus or some other advantage in certain circumstances. When you first make your character, you can select two Traits. Each time you level, you can select another Trait.
Aerodynamic Thrower: You can throw items, rocks, and other throwing weapons 20 feet farther than normal
Artist: Select one type of art that you specialize in, such as music, painting, sewing, sculpting, story telling, etc. You don’t need to roll when making high quality pieces of art.
Balanced: You don’t need to roll to keep your balance outside of combat or high intensity obstacles (such as an avalanche). When rolling in combat or a highly dangerous situation, you get a +1d6 bonus when rolling Movement to keep your balance.
Barrel Lungs: You can hold your breath twice as long as normal before having to roll. This stacks with the Koht’s natural ability.
Brave: You get a +1d6 bonus to Rolls when acting bravely, such as facing certain danger or standing up to your fears.
Climate Resistant: You can comfortably live in environments between 40 and 120 degrees Fahrenheit (5 to 40 degrees Celsius)
Climber: You don’t need to roll when trying to climb anything other than the most difficult surfaces, unless in a highly dangerous situation or combat. In such circumstances, you get a +1d6 bonus to Movement rolls when Climbing.
Combo Attack: The penalty for a second attack you take in a turn is reduced by 1d6. Therefore the penalty is -2d6 rather than the normal -3d6.
Control Access: You can consciously Control Verahskel, the universal energy that connects and constructs all matter in the universe. You automatically gain +1d6 to the Control skill once this trait is taken. If taken at first level, you are able to invest into Control per the normal skill rules.
Cowardly: You get a +1d6 bonus to rolls when trying to avoid danger, running away, or hiding from enemies. This typically does not apply to attacks.
Defense Expertise: the penalty to defends while wielding a weapon is reduced by 1.
Eat Anything: You can eat and drink just about anything organic, even if it is rotten, possibly toxic, or not normally edible, without becoming ill. Items which are poisoned or severely tainted in some way may still require a Resistance Roll.
Effective Maneuver: Select one maneuver, such as trip or disarm. You gain a +1d6 bonus when attempting this maneuver. This trait can be taken multiple times, each time it applies to a new maneuver. This trait does not apply to multiple bonuses on a single maneuver. This does not apply to Advanced Maneuvers.
Efficient Control: You burn one less Vitality when using Control to manipulate Verahskel. The GM may reason that regardless of your number of successes you still must burn at least 1 Vitality, in which case this trait would not apply.
Fast: You get a +1d6 bonus to rolls when running, swimming, or trying to move fast (this includes for rolls to determine your turn).
Forgettable: You have a very forgettable face, and it is difficult to describe you in any meaningful way. Things that you say and do are likewise unimportant to most people.
Free Runner: You can move freely through tight spaces, difficult terrain, variable height platforms, and otherwise restricted areas without rolling. While being chased or in combat, you must still roll but gain a +1d6 bonus.
Funny: You are naturally funny and most people enjoy your sense of humor. If trying to use laughter to befriend or calm someone with a difficult attitude, you get a +1d6 bonus to rolls.
Gifted Healer: You heal an additional +1 Vitality whenever healing yourself or an ally.
Good Looking: You are attractive to others, as such others are more likely to want to talk to you and help you. This can also assist with getting paid higher wages, or aid in serving as a distraction out of combat.
Hasty Repairs: You can temporarily fix and hold broken objects, weapons, and equipment together. Your repair takes an action or two, and lasts for a few rounds.
Haunting: You have a haunting expression with dead, expressionless eyes. People avoid you, are less likely to fight you, and some inherently fear you. Murderers and hard men respect you more than most.
Insightful: You have a knack for understanding context and subcontext within conversations, and can easily gather what someone really means rather than what they are saying. You must still roll against those who are deliberately lying or using Control to shield their intentions, but you gain a +1d6 bonus.
Iron Grip: You get a +1d6 bonus to rolls when trying to hang on to something, prevent getting disarmed, or any time your grip is involved (not attacks).
Leader: People want to follow you, and you gain a +1d6 to rolls when trying to inspire or give commands to others.
Long Shot: Your non Control ranged attacks double in effective range. This does not maximize the distance with which the attack can physically travel, rather the accuracy within the max range.
Magical Resistance: You gain 1 DR against all magical attacks, even those that normally ignore DR.
Martial Artist: You deal an additional +1 Bonus Damage with unarmed attacks.
Melt Away: When outside of a dangerous situation, you can blend in and disappear into a crowd or similarly high concealment area.
Memorable: People remember you, your actions, and phrases that you say.
Mounted Warrior: You can expertly control one breed of mount, such as horse, war ram, zorlicahn, aornael, raptor, etc. You do not need to Roll when in combat for basic commands of the animal.
Native: Pick an environment that you were raised in, such as urban, desert, forest, ocean, jungle, mountains, etc. You gain a +1d6 bonus to Knowledge, Movement, and Perception Rolls in this environment.
Phalanx: When fighting alongside an ally, you gain a +1d6 bonus to attacks and defends.
Protector: You get a +1d6 bonus to rolls when standing sacrificially in the way of attacks for others.
Quick: You can draw out a weapon or grab something within reach without consuming an action
Regenerative: You gain an additional 1 Vitality per day of natural healing, and an additional 1 Vitality every time you are naturally or magically healed.
Resilient: You gain one natural DR. This trait can not be taken multiple times, but its effects do stack with armor.
Scary: You get a +1d6 bonus to rolls when intimidating others to prevent a fight or to force someone to surrender.
Shoot and Scoot: You can move 5 feet for free after attacking. You can only do this once per turn.
Sleep Anywhere: You have no difficulty sleeping cramped in a cold corner of an alley, on a mountaintop, or an otherwise similarly uncomfortable place. You suffer no penalties when sleeping in loud, intemperate, or uncomfortable situations within reasonable limits. (For people without this trait, they do not regain their Vitality when resting in these conditions.)
Slow Metabolism: You only need to eat half as much as is typical for your species.
Smart: You get a +1d6 bonus to rolls when trying to learn, figure something out, or solve riddles and puzzles.
Smooth Talker: You get a +1d6 bonus when trying to charm, persuade, or get people to like you.
Sneaky: You get a +1d6 bonus to rolls when being sneaky, hiding, or moving quietly.
Stalwart Build: You can carry up to your own weight with no need to roll an Resistance or Movement
Sworn enemy: You get a +1d6 bonus to rolls when fighting a certain group, monster, or individual of your choice. This sworn enemy can’t change once selected.
Swift Shadow: You take no penalty to Stealth when moving your full speed. This does not apply to sprinting.
Tactical Mastery: The effect of Assists deal an additional +1d6 (either being Assisted or Assisting someone else).
Tireless: You can exert yourself for twice as long as normal without needing to roll Resistance. This does not apply to starvation or dehydration.
Tough: You get +1 to your Vitality and Fatigue. This can be taken multiple times; its effects stack.
Trustworthy: People inherently trust you and are more likely to confide in you secrets, information, or other helpful insight.
Tracker: You get a +1d6 bonus to rolls when trying to track someone or find something hidden. Common tracks that your character is familiar with require no roll whatsoever (GM discretion.)
Fatigue and Vitality
Fatigue and Vitality
Your character’s physical stamina, mental fortitude, endurance, toughness, and life force are described by his Fatigue and Vitality. Fatigue is your character’s overall current stamina. Fatigue applies when using Control, attempting Advanced Maneuvers, or when taking damage. Vitality is your character’s physical and mental health. Vitality applies primarily when taking damage. When your character loses Fatigue, he is either becoming exhausted or taking small or superficial wounds. When your character loses Vitality, he is sustaining serious bodily harm.
Fatigue: ethereal energy source, easy to restore, does not equate to true physical damage, can be used to absorb damage and use Control
Vitality: physical life force and health, difficult to heal, equates to serious physical or mental damage
Fatigue
Fatigue is equal to your character’s Resistance Skill pool + 3 + his level.
Your character is assumed to be at “full fatigue” when he is well fed, rested, and healed. As he takes damage from incoming attacks, traveling long distances, succumbing to natural hazards, or using Control, his Fatigue Value goes down. In game, your character is becoming weaker, more drained, and more exhausted as his Fatigue gets closer to 0. Once his Fatigue reaches 0, any additional damage that would normally lower fatigue now lowers Vitality.
After six hours of rest and at least some food and water, your character recovers all of his Fatigue. If he is unable to sleep well, does not get enough sleep, or hasn’t eaten in days, he does not regain his Fatigue. Fatigue can also be restored from the use of Control, although it is nearly impossible to create a “positive loop” using Control. In other words, a controller can’t use control to restore his fatigue ,as the amount he is burning is roughly equivalent to the amount he is restoring. There are exceptions, but in general this is the case.
Fatigue can be “healed” with a Knowledge roll. The amount of successes equate to the amount of Fatigue that is restored.
Vitality
Vitality is equal to your character’s Resistance Skill pool + 3 + his level.
Your character is assumed to be at “full vitality” when he is fully healthy, not bleeding, not dying of poison, and so on. Once his Fatigue is gone, damage from incoming attacks, traveling long distances, succumbing to natural hazards, or using Control lowers his Vitality Value. In game, your character is sustaining serious mental or bodily harm, and as his Vitality gets closer to 0 he is closer to death.
After six hours of rest and at least some attention to his wounds, your character recovers 1 Vitality. If he is unable to sleep well, does not get enough sleep, or has wounds that bleed or are infected, he does not regain his Vitality. Vitality can be restored form the use of Control, although it is exhausting and difficult to do so.
Vitality can be healed with a Knowledge roll. The amount of successes/2 rounded down equate to the amount of Vitality that is restored. For example a Knowledge roll with 5 successes would heal 2 Vitality.
Example of Character Creation
Example of Character Creation
Vayno is a young adventurer who is physically skilled and strong. His player thinks that he should be pretty strong and agile, pretty brave and amicable, but isn’t much of an academic thinker. His player assigns the following attributes:
Great: Body
Good: Spirit
Okay: Mind
This means that Vayno will succeed on Body related Skill rolls of 3+, Spirit related Skill rolls of 4+, and Mind related Skill rolls of 5+. After Vayno’s player has chosen his attributes, he considers how Vayno will interact with the world, what dreams and goals he has, and what his overall concept is. In Ashkhar this is called a Theme. For simplicity, we’ll have Vayno select one of the template Themes.
Explorer: expanding the known horizons, mapping out new regions, and discovering new lands. Vayno has a strong spirit and eagerly looks to explore the country. Whenever his player role-plays well, has Vayno explore a dungeon or a dark forest, or stay in character that matches his theme, the GM might give Vayno’s player an Effort Token.
Next he’ll need to decide what fields of expertise Vayno will specialize in. Vayno’s player has 10d6 to spend on his Skills. At first, all of his Skills (except for Control) already have 1d6.
Influence: 1d6
Knowledge: 1d6
Melee Combat: 1d6
Movement: 1d6
Perception: 1d6
Ranged Combat: 1d6
Resistance: 1d6
Stealth: 1d6
His player really wants Vayno to excel at Movement, since he is so strong and athletic. So, he invests the maximum of 4d6 into the Movement skill, bringing movement to 5d6.
Influence: 1d6
Knowledge: 1d6
Melee Combat: 1d6
Movement: 5d6 = 1d6 + 4d6
Perception: 1d6
Ranged Combat: 1d6
Resistance: 1d6
Stealth: 1d6
Dice remaining: 6d6 = 10d6 – 4d6
Vayno only has 6 dice remaining to invest in other skills. He wants to be a good scout and good at reading other people’s emotions, so Vayno’s player puts a couple of dice into the Perception Skill, bringing his Perception Skill up to 3d6.
Influence: 1d6
Knowledge: 1d6
Melee Combat: 1d6
Movement: 5d6
Perception: 3d6 = 1d6 + 2d6
Ranged Combat: 1d6
Resistance: 1d6
Stealth: 1d6
Dice remaining: 4d6 = 6d6 – 2d6
Now Vayno has 4 dice left, and he wants to be pretty well rounded. He puts some into Melee, Resistance, and Knowledge.
Influence: 1d6
Knowledge: 2d6 = 1d6 + 1d6
Melee Combat: 3d6 = 1d6 + 2d6
Movement: 5d6
Perception: 3d6
Ranged Combat: 1d6
Resistance: 2d6 = 1d6 + 1d6
Stealth: 1d6
Dice remaining: 0 = 4d6 – 4d6
Now Vayno’s player has used up all of his available dice for Skills. Vayno is starting to feel like a real character, great at Movement, pretty good at Melee Combat and Perception, and decent in Knowledge and Resistance. The rest of the Skills he can still attempt, but has less chance of success than at Skills he is well trained or talented in.
Next up is picking Vayno’s species. Vayno’s player wants to play a large, strong, friendly explorer and likes the culture and mythology of the Koht race. Therefore he’ll make Vayno a koht. This applies the following bonuses:
He can pick a +1d6 bonus to either the Melee, Knowledge, or Resistance skill
He picks Resistance, as it will help him to stay alive and keep pressing on
This brings Vayno’s Resistance skill up to 3d6
He can hold his breath for 30 minutes (awesome, and it goes perfectly with his explorer theme)
He is immune to critical hits
The last mechanical choice Vayno’s place will have to make are to select two Traits. Traits are unique, permanent bonuses that make characters a little more unique and flexible. Vayno should be able to climb really well and find new places that others wouldn’t be able to. He goes with:
Climber: Vayno doesn’t need to roll when trying to climb anything other than the most difficult surfaces
Tracker: Vayno gets a +1d6 bonus when trying to track someone or find something hidden
Finally, Vayno can pick out some of his equipment including weapons and armor. And there you have it, a brand new character in just a few simple steps. Vayno is great at climbing, pretty good in a fight, can hold his breath, find hidden locations, and even knows a thing or two about other cultures and languages. Perfect for an explorer of Ashkhar.
Gameplay
Gameplay
There aren’t many gameplay rules for Ashkhar Basic. The system is designed to still provide with a good amount of mechanical “crunch” and applicable tactics without overwhelming new players or players who prefer to play more fast and loose with the rules. The rules are here simply to serve as guidelines to provide a fun, streamlined game that keep things fairly grounded in the reality of Ashkhar. If your group and GM (Game Master) want to ignore some or all of these, or make changes to them, that is completely within your right.
Remember, the most important aspect of any role playing game is that the players and GM are having fun. If everyone is being creative and only occasionally rolling the dice when absolutely necessary, we think that’s great. If your group are hard core rules masters that want to build optimized characters, that is possible as well (although we’d recommend checking out the complete Ashkhar RPG rules if that is the case).
First we’ll define a few basic things that will help you wrap your head around Ashkhar Basic and the general premise of the system.
Basic Role Definitions
Players: the people playing the Ashkhar Basic game. Not to be confused with the characters.
Game Master (GM): the player that describes the setting, the environment, the people in the world, and makes rules judgments.
Character: the “role” that the player is playing; a single fictional character that interacts with the world of Ashkhar.
Non-Player Character (NPC): all of the characters played by the GM; the supporting cast, the bad guys, the townsfolk, and so on.
Basic Mechanics Definitions
Roll: a roll is any time your character is attempting to accomplish a task that isn’t automatically successful. The player rolls regular six sided dice (d6) and compares the face values with the relevant skill’s necessary success number to determine how successful the character was. This generally applies in combat or when facing obstacles. Rolls are generally between 1d6 -10d6. Rolls are made up of successes and fails.
Success(es): successes are any time that a d6 shows the minimum value as determined by the roll’s relevant skill and its related attribute. For example if out of four dice (4d6), two rolled above the minimum success number, the roll would be said to have “two successes.”
Fail(s): fails are the opposite of a success. If the face value of a d6 does not meet the minimum required number, it is considered a fail.
Difficulty: the general term referring to how many successes are necessary to surpass a certain obstacle. If a task has a Difficulty 4, it means that the character would have to roll 4 successes in order to accomplish it.
Assist: if one character helps another character to accomplish something, the assisted character gets an extra 1d6 to roll for the task.
Basic Combat Definitions
Combat: combat is any time that your character is fighting against enemies. Most of the time these enemies are other intelligent people, NPCs played by the GM, but sometimes may be monsters or beasts.
Rounds: rounds are a measurement of time (roughly 3-5 seconds), generally used in combat. Once every player and relevant NPC gets a turn, a new round begins.
Turn: a single character’s actions and impact during a round. Generally every combatant (characters, NPCs, enemies, etc) get one turn per round.
Actions: actions are specific mechanic tasks that combatants can attempt during their turn. Every character gets two actions per turn. Actions can be anything from making an attack to moving to using control to start a fire to bandaging a wounded ally.
Movement speed: generally the maximum distance something can move during one action in combat. For characters and most humanoids it is 30 feet, although ranges in Ashkhar Basic are more zone-specific and somewhat nebulous. We recommend using this simply as a rough guideline of how quickly a character can move.
Maneuvers: maneuvers are combat actions. The most basic of these is simply an “attack,” which requires nothing special other than an action during the attacking character’s turn. These are described in considerably more detail below.
Advantage: if one combatant possesses a better position, a flank, or some kind of advantage during combat, he gets a 1d6 bonus to rolls against his opponent.
Calculations
Fatigue: Resistance + 3 + Level (minimum of 5). For example a level 6 character with 4d6 Resistance would have 13 Vitality (4 Resistance + 3 + 6 Level)
Vitality: Resistance + 3 + Level (minimum of 5). Generally equal to your character’s Fatigue, although more significant.
Damage: (Attack Value – Defense Value) + Bonus Damage – Damage Reduction
Bonus Damage: the amount of additional damage dealt on any successful attack. This damage only applies if the Attack Value exceeds the Defense Value.
Core Mechanic
The basic fundamental mechanic of Ashkhar Basic is the d6 pool. Characters have a different number of d6 available to roll for each of the nine Skills as discussed in Character Creation. Whenever a character is attempting to accomplish some kind of task, the player must roll the number of d6 invested into the relevant Skill.
For example, Vayno the koht explorer wants to lift a heavy boulder that is blocking his path. He knows that it will be pretty tough, so he bends his knees, gets a good grip, and really puts his might into it. Lifting falls under athletic actions, which belong to the Movement Skill. The GM for Vayno’s game tells his player that he needs to make a Movement Roll.
Vayno has 5d6 to Movement, and there aren’t any specific traits or other bonuses that apply to him lifting. So, Vayno’s player rolls five dice and gets: 1, 5, 2, 4, 6. Since Movement falls under the Body attribute (which Vayno has ranked as Great) each d6 only needs to show a 3 or better to be counted as a success. From his roll we can see that Vayno got three successes and two fails.
The GM reasons that this boulder is pretty heavy, about 300 pounds, and gave it a Difficulty of 3. This means that it would require at least 3 successes in order to lift it. Vayno rolled the minimum number of successes, and so is able to barely lift the big rock and shove it out of the way.
If Vayno had only rolled two successes out of his 5d6, he might have been able to wiggle or shove or shift the rock, but not have been able to lift it. If a different character that only had 2d6 to Movement attempted to lift the rock, it would have been nearly impossible for them to do. If someone assisted this character, he would have been able to roll an extra 1d6. If it was a success, the two of them could have lifted it together.
Pooling successes: for certain actions, such as lifting a huge boulder or chopping down a tree or building a boat, multiple characters can pool all of their successes into a single difficulty. For example, if a group of players needed to lift a giant 1000 pound boulder, the GM would assign a Difficulty of 10. A single character would have nearly no chance at ever being able to move the boulder, without some kind of leverage or other tool. But, a group of four characters all decide to lift the boulder simultaneously and pool their combined strength to move it. Between the four of them, they roll over 10 successes, and as such are able to move the boulder.
This doesn’t always apply, such as attacking a single enemy or picking a lock. Pooling successes generally requires a task that multiple people can be actively involved with and make a combined effort.
Chipping Away Difficulty: for certain actions, such as deciphering a code or navigating to an unknown location, multiple rolls can be made to chip away at a task’s Difficulty. For example, if a task had a Difficulty 10, in theory the character could execute one success per roll over ten rolls. If a task is inevitable, this is generally fine and simply takes more time and hassle to be completed.
This doesn’t always apply, and should be used somewhat sparingly. If the GM approves it, he may consider a “minimum threshold difficulty” and then the task’s general difficulty. For example to decipher a code successfully, the GM reasons that at least three successes is necessary to even make sense of the next chunk, and only count that as a single success. If the character rolled four successes, he would count that as two; if the character rolled only two successes, he would count that as zero.