Help Evaluate some Core Mechanics for an RPG

[Catullus64]

Abilities & Tests

Every difficult thing a character might attempt is represented by a test of one of ten abilities: Attack, Defense, Strength, Dexterity, Speed, Constitution, Perception, Willpower, Intelligence, and Charisma. Each of these abilities is represented by a number between 1 and 10.

As a player character, you begin with Attack & Defense scores determined by your class:

Class	Base Attack	Base Defense
Warrior	4	4
Ranger	3	4
Scoundrel	4	3
Laborer	3	3
Sage	2	3

You begin with Strength, Dexterity, Speed, Constitution, Perception, Willpower, Intelligence, & Charisma scores of 2. You have 10 discretionary points to allocate among these scores; each point raises a score by 1. You cannot raise a score above 6 using these initial discretionary points.

To test any ability, roll a number of six-sided dice equal to that character's ability score. Each result of 6 is called a success.

For most tasks, a single success is enough to accomplish whatever that task's goal is. For particularly complex tasks, the GM may require multiple successes to be scored; however, any number of successes represents some progress or partial achievement in that task.

When a Contest is called for, two opposing characters roll skill tests. Whichever rolls more successes wins the test. If a piece of text does not specify otherwise, both characters test the same skill. The GM adjudicates what happens in the event of a tie, but as a general rule the character that initiated the test loses ties. This is always the case for Attack & Defense, see the Combat section.

There are three kinds of bonuses or penalties that can be applied to tests. When they show up in game text, they will always be in Capital Letters:

1. Dice Bonuses/Dice Penalties modify the number of dice rolled for the test. They can never bring the total number of dice rolled below 1 or above 12 (there is one notable exception to this rule, see Kill Attempts in the combat section). Typically, the GM uses Dice Bonuses and Dice Penalties to model the difficulty of the task itself, or the benefits provided by assistance or special equipment.

2. Roll Bonuses/Roll Penalties modify the number needed for success on that roll. A Roll Bonus is applied to all the dice rolled as part of the test; a test with a Roll Bonus of +1 would count a success for each roll of 5 or 6. Roll Penalties work differently; they are applied only to the highest die result rolled. Roll Bonuses & Roll Penalties are typically used to represent the innate strengths & weaknesses of the character making the test.

3. Success Bonuses/Success Penalties modify the number of successes scored in a test. A success bonus does not apply if no successes are rolled to begin with. Likewise, if any successes are rolled, a Success Penalty cannot reduce the total number of successes below 1. They are the rarest type of bonus, but may be granted by special class features or magic.

[LecternOfJasper]

Having the success be *only* on a six feels painful. I've found that even in dice pool games where there's a 5-6 success chance it feels much worse in play to know that odds of one success are so low per die, especially when none of them succeed.

Otherwise, it seems reasonable so far, I may edit this after thinking about it more!

[Catullus64]

Having the success be *only* on a six feels painful. I've found that even in dice pool games where there's a 5-6 success chance it feels much worse in play to know that odds of one success are so low per die, especially when none of them succeed.

Otherwise, it seems reasonable so far, I may edit this after thinking about it more!

Worth considering. The classes generally have a wide list of "adventure verbs" to which they get a blanket +1 Roll Bonus, meaning that for a lot of your class's core theme activities, you are succeeding on 5 or 6.

For example, the warrior class, with the shortest verb list, gets +1 Roll Bonus to riding, speech-giving, jumping, throwing, intimidating, drinking, singing, dancing, repairing arms, battle-planning.

But your point may stand when it comes to the combat, where there are generally bigger dice pools (due to all weapons & armor modifying your Attack & Defense values) but not those key Roll Bonuses. Just be glad I abandoned the version of the system with success only on 8 of a d8!

[Catullus64]

Combat

Movement & positioning in combat comes down to four abstract ranges, Close, Nearby, Far Away, & Distant. When something is Close, it is within a few feet, and you can interact with it freely. Enemies must be Close for you to target them with melee attacks. When something is Nearby, it is within reach of a single movement, and can be targeted with missile attacks. When something is Far Away, it is within reach of a Run movement, and can be targeted with missile attacks at a small penalty. Something that is Distant is outside the current scope of the combat. To get Close to a Distant object or position, at least four Moves (or two Runs) are required.

To convert absolute measurements in feet into these four ranges:

Close	Nearby	Far Away	Distant
0-6 feet	7-60 feet	61-120 feet	121+ feet

When combat begins, all player characters test Speed. Those that succeed act before the enemy, deciding the order of their turns amongst themselves. Those that fail act after the enemy, also deciding the order of their turns amongst themselves. Once all combatants have taken their turns, this procedure repeats itself for another set of turns.

On each turn, a character may make one Attack, and take one Special Action. Some special actions may allow or require the foregoing of the Attack. You can take either your Special Action or your Attack first.

Spoiler: Attack Procedure (Close Combat)

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• The attacker declares an attack against a Close target.
• The attacker and the target roll a contest using Attack and Defense respectively; typically these values will be modified by weapons. The GM may grant additional modifiers based on circumstances; attacking a target from behind, either because it is unaware or already engaged with another foe in close combat, grants a +1 Dice Bonus.
• The attack is successful if the attacker wins the contest; the defender wins a tie.
• If relevant, Overpower & Retaliation effects are purchased & applied, see below
• If the attack succeeded, the attacker chooses whether to Wound or Kill the target.
• If the attacker chooses to Wound, the defender loses 1 Hit Point.
• If the attacker chooses to Kill, he rolls a test using his base Attack score (without modifiers for weapons). This test suffers a Dice Penalty equal to the defender's current Hit Points. If this penalty would reduce the effective Attack score to or below 0, the test cannot be attempted, and the attacker must Wound instead. This is an exception to the normal rule which states that Dice Penalties cannot reduce the number of dice rolled below 1. A target's Hit Point total can become negative, at which point Kill Attempts against that target begin to gain Dice Bonuses! If any successes are scored on this test, the defender is slain, or, in the case of a player character, subjected to a Serious Injury.

Spoiler: Attack Procedure (Shooting)

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• The attacker declares an attack against a visible target that is Nearby or Far Away, but not Close.
• The attacker makes an Attack test, with a modifier for the missile weapon he is using.
• If this test scores any number of successes, the attack hits. Overpower effects do not apply to missile attacks. Since this Attack is not contested by Defense, Retaliation effects also are not relevant.
• Each of the following conditions imposes a -1 Dice Penalty to shooting attacks, cumulative with one another: If the shooter takes one of the Move, Escape, or Change Weapons special actions on the same turn before the attack, if some object partially obstructs the target, if the target is Far Away, if any of the shooter's allies are engaged in close combat with the target. Shields and Armor may also impose further penalties.
• If the attack hits, then the Wound and Kill procedures are resolved in the same way as with close combat attacks

Spoiler: Overpower & Retaliation

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When an attacker or defender has a greater margin of success than is necessary to win the contest, they can spend those extra successes on effects called Overpower & Retaliation respectively. An attacker whose margin of victory is 1 success would not be able to spend that success on an Overpower, since that one success is necessary to hit. If the attack missed, but the defender scored no successes, the defender likewise cannot buy a Retaliation. You can purchase multiple effects if you have the successes to do so, but you cannot purchase the same effect more than once per attack. Overpower effects are purchased before Wound or Kill resolution. If you purchase multiple effects, you choose the order in which they apply.

Overpower Effects:

• Hammer Blow (1 Success): The target is treated as though you made a successful Knock Down attempt against it.
• Fearsome Strike (1 Success): The target loses 1 Morale Point.
• Sunder (2 Successes): Pick one weapon or armor being wielded or worn by the target, and test Strength. If you succeed, that item is destroyed.
• Savage Wound (2 Successes): If you choose to Wound the target, you inflict 2 Hit Points in damage rather than 1.
• Deathblow (2 Successes): If you are able to make a Kill attempt against the target and do so, the attempt gain a +1 Roll Bonus.

Retaliation Effects:

• Mock (1 Success): The attacker loses 1 Morale Point.
• Trip (1 Success): The attacker is treated as though you made a successful Maneuver attempt against it.
• Disarm (2 Successes): The attacker must drop the weapon with which it made the attack. Any creature that is Close may use a Special Action to pick it up again.
• Riposte (2 Successes): You may immediately make an out-of-sequence attack against the attacker. This special attack cannot Overpower, nor can it be Retaliated against.

Spoiler: Special Actions

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• Move: Move to a Nearby location. By foregoing an attack on that turn, you can Run and move somewhere Far Away instead. You cannot take this action while enemies are Close.
• Escape: This action may only be taken while enemies are Close. Test Speed. If you succeed, you may move to somewhere Nearby. If this new position has no enemies Close, you may immediately take a free Move action.
• Change Weapons: Change which weapons (or other equipment) you are holding.
• Maneuver: Make a Dexterity contest with one Close enemy. If you win the contest, you can move that enemy to any other position that is Close to you.
• Grapple: Test Strength, contested by one Close enemy's Strength or Dexterity. You must have one free hand to grapple. If you win, you grapple the target until you choose to end the grapple, or until the target uses a Special Action to beat you with another contest. While grappled, the target cannot take the Escape action, and neither of you can gain bonuses to Attack or Defend from weapons or shields.
• Predict: Test Perception. If you succeed, the next Attack against you suffers a -2 Dice Penalty.
• Knock Down: Make a Strength contest with one Close enemy. If you win the contest, the next attack against that enemy before its next turn gains a +1 Dice Bonus.
• Guard: Test Perception, and choose one ally Close to you. If you succeed, you can force the next attack against that ally before the start of your next turn to target you instead, provided that ally remains Close to you when the attack is made.
• Catch Breath: Test Constitution at a -1 Dice Penalty. If you succeed, you regain 1 lost Hit Point. Any Hit Points regained in this way are lost when combat ends.
• Gather Resolve: Test Willpower at a -1 Dice Penalty. If you succeed, you regain 1 lost Morale Point. Any Morale Points regained in this way are lost when combat ends.
• First Aid: Test Intelligence. To be eligible to give first aid, you must have a hand free, you must be Close to the ally to which it is administered, and neither you nor that ally can have an enemy Close. You must also forego your attack on the turn that you administer First Aid. Test Intelligence. You restore lost Hit Points to that ally equal to your number of successes. You can attempt First Aid on yourself, but at a -2 Dice Penalty. Hit Points gained in this way are lost at the end of combat.
• Inspire: Test Charisma. If you succeed, one Close or Nearby ally who can see and hear you regains lost Morale Points equal to your successes. Morale Points gained in this way are lost at the end of combat.
• Threaten: Test Charisma, contested by the Willpower of one Close or Nearby enemy that can see and hear you. That enemy loses Morale Points equal to your margin of victory.

Spoiler: Serious Injury

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If a player character is subjected to a successful Kill Attempt by an enemy, they are not immediately killed but instead subjected to Serious Injury. Determine randomly whether it is a Major or Minor wound, and whether it is to the leg, arm, chest, or head. Note and apply the effects of such an injury, and its Recovery value. If a character suffers the effects of the same injury twice, the effects are cumulative.

When characters rest, their Hit Points are fully restored, but their Serious Injuries may take longer to heal. At the end of each rest, a Seriously Injured character can attempt a Constitution test. Note the number of successes. Also at the end of each rest, one character can attempt to treat the wound with an Intelligence test, adding their number of successes to those of the Constitution test. A character can attempt to treat his own wounds, but does so at a -1 Success Penalty. When a character has accumulated successes (cumulative over the course of multiple rests) equal to the Recovery Value of the Serious Injury, he has recovered from the wound and no longer suffers its effects. A character with two injuries can choose to distribute his successes as he likes between the healing progress of either.

Player characters can have only two serious injuries at a time. If a character has two Serious Injuries and suffers another successful Kill Attempt, that character is slain.

Serious Injury Chart

Injury	Effect	Recovery Value
Minor Leg Wound	The character's Speed score is reduced by 1 until the injury is healed.	3
Minor Arm Wound	The character's Strength or Dexterity score (pick randomly) are reduced by 1 until the injury is healed.	3
Minor Chest Wound	The character's maximum Hit Points are reduced by 1 until the injury is healed.	4
Minor Head Wound	The character's Perception and Intelligence scores are reduced by 1 until the injury is healed.	4
Major Leg Wound	The character's Speed score is reduced by 1 until the injury is healed, and that character cannot Run.	5
Major Arm Wound	The character's Strength or Dexterity score (pick randomly) are reduced by 1 until the injury is healed, and they cannot hold anything in the afflicted hand.	5
Major Chest Wound	The character's maximum Hit Points are reduced by 1 until the injury is healed, and their Constitution score is reduced by 1.	6
Major Head Wound	The character's Intelligence, Perception, Charisma, and Willpower are all reduced by 1 until the injury is healed.	6

Spoiler: Morale & Shock

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Morale can be just as important as physical wounds in winning - or losing - a battle. A character's Morale points can be reduced in the following ways:

• Rules already listed in the Combat section (such as the Threaten special action, certain Retaliation & Overpower effects.)
• A character that suffers a Serious Injury, or is reduced to 0 Hit Points, suffers the loss of 1 Morale Point.
• A character that sees one of its allies killed or subjected to a Serious Injury must succeed on a Willpower test or suffer the loss of 1 Morale Point.
• Any spell, creature, or effect which specifies the loss of Morale points.

When a character's morale points are reduced to 0 in combat, he or she suffers a Shock. Unlike Hit Points, Morale Points cannot be brought below 0. Roll to see what that shock's effects are; that shock lasts until that character's morale points are raised above 0, or until combat ends. Out of combat, there is no mechanical effect to having 0 Morale Points; however, if a character enters combat anew with 0 Morale Points, he will have to immediately roll on the Shock table again and suffer the listed effect. Like Hit Points, Morale Points are fully restored upon resting.

Shock Table:

Result	Effect
1. Fatal Hesitation	You automatically fail your Speed tests to act before the enemy.
2. The Shakes	You suffer a -1 Dice Penalty to Attacks, and to all tests you make as part of Special Actions in combat.
3. Retreat	You cannot attack, and the only Special Actions you can take are attempting to escape from a Grapple, Move, or Escape. If you Move, you must Run. You must attempt to move away from enemies on your turn.
4. Rout	As Retreat, but in a panicked fashion that is demoralizing to your allies. All allies who can see or hear you when you suffer this Shock must test Willpower or suffer the loss of 1 Morale Point
5. Freeze-Up	At the start of every turn, you must make a Willpower test. If you score no successes, you cannot act that turn. Though you may still Defend yourself, you cannot make Retaliations.
6. Berserk	You flail about in confused fury. You cannot take Special Actions, but you must Attack each turn. The target of your attack is determined randomly from among your eligible targets, friend or foe. These attacks gain a +1 Dice Bonus, but you suffer a -1 Dice Penalty to Defenses. If there are no eligible targets, you simply waste your turn swinging at air.

Spoiler: Weapons & Armor

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Unless otherwise specified, a weapon requires one hand to wield. If a character wields two weapons, he may decide which to use for each attack or defense, but can only use one per test (with the exception of shields). To gain a Defense bonus from a weapon or shield (but not an armor) you must be aware of the attacker. Unless otherwise noted, a weapon applies its bonuses only to making an Attack or a Defense, and not to other tests of those abilities, such as Kill Attempts. Any effects which modify Attacks, Defenses, Retaliations or Overpowers apply only when made with that weapon.

Melee Weapons

• Sword: +1 Attack, +1 Defend. The Disarm & Riposte Retaliations cost 1 fewer success.
• Axe: +2 Attack. The Savage Wound Overpower costs 1 fewer success, as does the Sunder Overpower if you target a Shield.
• Dagger: +1 Attack. A Dagger does not lose its Attack bonus while grappling. Furthermore, if you are grappling with an opponent or attacking from behind, their Defense bonus from Armor (if any) is reduced by 1.
• Mace/Warhammer: +1 Attack. Against a mace or warhammer, the enemy's Defense bonus from Armor (if any) is reduced by 2.
• Spear: +2 Attack, +1 Defend. The spear can also be used as a missile weapon; in this case it functions as a Javelin, but can only target Nearby enemies.
• Staff: +1 Attack, +1 Defend. A staff grants a +1 Dice Bonus to Maneuver & Knock down tests when wielded in two hands.
• Two-Handed Sword: +2 Attack, +1 Defend. The Disarm & Riposte Retaliations cost 1 fewer success.
• Two-Handed Axe: +3 Attack. The Savage Wound Overpower costs 1 fewer success, as does the Sunder Overpower if you target a Shield.
• Two-Handed Mace/Warhammer: +2 Attack. Against a two-handed mace or warhammer, the enemy's Defense bonus from Armor (if any) is reduced by 2.
• Two-Handed Polearm: +3 Attack, +1 Defense.

Missile Weapons

• Bow: +2 Attack. Requires two hands.
• Sling: +1 Attack. Requires two hands. The sling suffers no penalty if the attacker takes the Move or Escape special action before shooting with it.
• Crossbow: +3 Attack. Requires two hands. After shooting a crossbow, the wielder must both forego an attack and take a special action on a subsequent turn to reload it.
• Javelin: +1 Attack. Can also be used as a close combat weapon.

Shields

• Small Shield: +1 Defend. Can be used to Defend simultaneously with a one-handed weapon, making their defense bonuses cumulative.
• Medium Shield: +1 Defend. Can be used to Defend simultaneously with a one-handed weapon, making their Defense bonuses cumulative. Missile Attacks against the bearer suffer a -1 Dice Penalty.
• Large Shield: +2 Defend. Missile Attacks against the bearer suffer a -2 Dice Penalty. The bearer suffers a -1 Dice Penalty to Speed tests.

Armor

• Light Armor: +1 Defend, cumulative with defense bonuses from weapons or shields. Missile Attacks against the wearer suffer a -1 Dice Penalty.
• Medium Armor: +2 Defend, cumulative with defense bonuses from weapons or shields. Missile Attacks against the wearer suffer a -1 Dice Penalty. The wearer suffers a -1 Dice Penalty to Dexterity tests.
• Heavy Armor: +3 Defend, cumulative with defense bonuses from weapons or shields. Missile Attacks against the wearer suffer a -2 Dice Penalty. The wearer suffers a -1 Dice Penalty to Speed, Dexterity, & Perception tests. The penalty to Perception tests can be removed by removing the helmet as part of a Change Weapons action, which also reduces the Defense bonus and Missile Dice Penalty by 1.

[Catullus64]

Classes

Your class determines the following:

• Your starting Hit Points, Morale Points, and Base Attack & Defense scores.
• What weapons, armor, & shields you can use.
• Special class abilities.
• Your class includes a number of adventure verbs: you gain a +1 Roll Bonus to tests revolving around the activities described by those verbs. These bonuses never apply to Attacks, Defenses, or tests made as part of special actions in combat.

Warrior
Hit Points: 8
Morale Points: 6
Base Attack: 4
Base Defense: 4
Weapons: All
Shields: All
Armor: All
Once per combat, a Warrior can make two attacks on his turn instead of one.
If an enemy makes a successful Kill Attempt against a warrior, the warrior can destroy one armor or shield he is wearing or wielding to negate the attack completely.
Adventure Verbs: riding, speech-giving, jumping, intimidating, drinking, singing, dancing, repairing arms, battle-planning.

Ranger
Hit Points: 7
Morale Points: 5
Base Attack: 3
Base Defense: 4
Weapons: Axe, Dagger, Spear, Staff, Two-Handed Axe, Bow, Crossbow, Sling, Javelin
Shields: Small, Medium
Armor: Light, Medium
Once per combat, the Ranger can make a shooting attack which ignores all penalties other than those from armor & shields.
Once per day, the Ranger can take two special actions on his turn instead of one.
Adventure Verbs: swimming, climbing, setting or disarming traps, spotting, tracking, foraging, navigating, building fires and shelters, recalling information about plants or wildlife, avoiding exhaustion, preparing food.

Scoundrel
Hit Points: 6
Morale Points: 6
Base Attack: 4
Base Defense: 3
Weapons: Sword, Dagger, Staff, Javelin, Crossbow, Sling
Shields: Small
Armor: Light
The Scoundrel gains a +2 Dice Bonus when making melee attacks from behind rather than the usual +1, and gains a further +1 Success Bonus to such attacks.
Once per combat, the Scoundrel may take an out-of-sequence Move or Escape action at any time, though it may not be a Run.
Adventure Verbs: lying, hiding, detecting lies, sneaking, listening for noise, opening locks, picking pockets, disguise, haggling, setting or disarming traps, climbing, jumping.

Laborer
Hit Points: 8
Morale Points: 4
Base Attack: 3
Base Defense: 3
Weapons: Axe, Dagger, Mace/Warhammer, Spear, Staff, Two-Handed Polearm, Bow, Sling, Javelin
Shields: Small, Medium
Armor: Light, Medium
Once per combat, the Laborer may regain 1 lost Hit Point or 1 lost Morale Point.
Once per day, the Laborer may ignore the effects of any Serious Injuries or Shocks for 1 hour.
Adventure Verbs: swimming, climbing, handling animals, farming, hiding, lifting, spotting, foraging, carrying, avoiding exhaustion, drinking, arguing, crafting, haggling, repairing, disguise, treating wounds, singing, dancing.

Sage
Hit Points: 5
Morale Points: 7
Base Attack: 2
Base Defense: 3
Weapons: Sword, Dagger, Staff, Javelin
Shields: Small
Armor: Light
Begins play knowing two spells of Knowledge Value 3 or lower.
When learning spells in subsequent play, the Sage treats their knowledge value as being lower by 2.
Once per day, may re-roll any number of dice from a spellcasting attempt, and gain a +1 Success Bonus to the same attempt.
Adventure Verbs: recalling lore, reading, writing, speech-giving, mathematics, etiquette, treating wounds, engineering, translating, arguing, advice-giving, performing religious rites.

Experience

At the end of each game session, your character gains 1 Experience point. You may bank your experience points or spend them between sessions. Each of the following options costs 1 Experience point:

• Increase your character's maximum and current Hit Points by 1.
• Increase your character's maximum and current Morale Points by 1.
• Increase one of your ability scores other than Attack or Defense (Strength, Dexterity, Speed, Constitution, Intelligence, Willpower, Perception, Charisma) by 1.
• Gain the ability to use one armor, weapon, or shield type. To do so you must possess one of the desired item type. You cannot learn to use Heavy Armor until you have learned how to use Medium; the same goes for Medium & Large shields. You cannot learn to use a two-handed melee weapon (Two-Handed Sword, Two-Handed Axe, Two-Handed Mace/Warhammer, Two-Handed Polearm) until you have learned how to use the one-handed equivalent (Sword, Axe, Mace/Warhammer, Spear, respectively).
• Pick one spell that you know how to cast: you gain a +1 Dice Bonus to all tests involved in casting said spell, and you reduce its Knowledge Value by 1, to a minimum of 1.
• Choose one of your class's adventure verbs, and increase the associated Roll Bonus from +1 to +2.

For 2 Experience Points, you may increase your Attack or Defense by 1.

Increases to your Hit Points, Morale Points, and Ability Scores may be purchased multiple times for each attribute. Each time you purchase an upgrade for one of these attributes, the cost to increase that attribute again increases by 1.