Post by logan9a on Oct 16, 2019 15:50:20 GMT
ANY TIME, ANY WHERE
OVERVIEW
This is a classless, skill-based system. This means that the type of character you wish to play is determined entirely by what skills you take at character creation, and by that we mean how many points you put into those skills. As you progress you may find yourself picking up completely new skills, even if they are not written on the character sheet. For example: you may have built a “detective” style character and then find that you’ve learned how to perform knot tying. Knot tying isn’t on the character sheet by default, but it does not mean you can’t learn it.
CORE MECHANICS
Roll 1d100 and try to get equal to or below the skill you’re using to succeed. Anyone can try any skill even if they have no “points” in it. The minimum value a skill can start at is equal to whatever your Learn stat is, unless there is a number written in brackets next to the skill printed on the character sheet, in which case you would use the higher of the two.
RESULTS
Critical: divide your skill by 10, then round down.
-60/Quarter: divide your skill by ¼ OR subtract 60 from it, whichever’s better for you.
-30/Half: divide your skill by ½ OR subtract 30 from it, whichever’s better for you.
Success: equal to or less than your skill value.
Failure: above your skill value.
Fumble: divide your skill by 10, then round down and add 90. Rolling 100 is always a fumble.
Using the character sheet on Roll20 calculates everything for you automatically – no need to do maths.
LEVELLING UP
Whenever you succeed at a skill, put a check next to it. At the end of the session you will roll all checked skills and try to fail them, i.e. roll over what the value of the skill is. If you fail a skill, roll 1d6 and increase the value of the skill by that amount.
Increasing a stat (Willpower, Learn or Essence) works similarly. You must first get a check in the stat. To gain a check in Willpower or Essence, the GM must call for a Willpower/Essence roll of X3 or less (this means rolling equal to or less than your Willpower/Essence multiplied by 3). Gaining a check in Learn requires you to succeed in a skill that is at your Learn value (any skill you have no points in uses your Learn as base, unless the number in brackets is higher). At the end of the session you must roll 2d6 and get a 7, then roll 1d100 and attempt to get more than your stat multiplied by 5. If you do both of these things successfully, your stat goes up by 1 to a max of 20. If you rolled double 1s on your 2d6, your stat instead decreases by 1.
STATS
Willpower: represents your total Hit Points. Also used to make certain things “go” and resist harmful effects.
Learn: minimum value of any skill. Used when trying new skills.
Essence: represents your total Magic Points. Used in other magic-related instances. Also your starting Hero Points.
SANITY
Sanity is your “mental” Hit Points. The lower this is, the crazier your character becomes. Sanity checks work similarly to how normal skills do: roll 1d100 and try to get equal to or below your Sanity score (max of 99) to succeed. Adjust your sanity score accordingly (GM will tell you all of this) and then add the amount of Sanity lost towards a specific category. Sanity categories include seeing or experiencing things like Human Gore, Demons and Space/Time Distortion, to name but a few. Once you max out a Sanity category, you are no longer affected when experiencing it. If you lose 5 or more Sanity at once, you must make a Willpower X3 roll or “fight, flight, freak, freeze” (d4 determines which one, then d20 determines for how many rounds).
If you reach 0 Sanity, your character dies/becomes an NPC/is no longer playable.
CARDS
In a typical 3+ player session, each person will draw 4 cards from the deck. These cards have unique features that can help (or hinder) you during the game. You cannot have more than 4 cards at a time. You must discard down to 4 before playing a card. You may also trade (but not give) cards with other players provided your characters have a reasonable way of communicating with each other. Cards also determine initiative; either heroes or villains go first (GM draws a card at the start of a round and that determines who goes first and what, if any, special things happen). Lastly, whenever you fumble, the GM may decide to draw a card from the fumble deck instead of coming up with whatever cruel thing that happens to you.
COMBAT
There are two types of combat: normal and heroic. This is determined by the GM and determines what effects the cards drawn for initiative have. Each round is akin to 5 seconds. The GM will announce who goes first and what, if any, special things occur. Most things you can do require an action, which you get one of. Some things, such as dropping an item, are a free action. You can move as a “simple action” up to 3m (or sprint up to 10m as an action). Performing the “approved action” (GM reads this off the card drawn for initiative) for the round allows you to draw a card.
Combat is meant to be quick. Spending too long on your turn may result in you just standing there dumbfounded and losing your turn. This simulates the chaotic nature of a real fight and separates the veterans from the rookies.
HERO POINTS
Hero Points allow you to reroll the last thing you rolled, whatever that may be. They can also be used to completely negate an attack made against you, ignoring any damage/effect done to you. In some instances, such as explosions, you cannot completely negate the damage. Instead you can only reroll the damage done to you and hope to get lower. You are generally allowed to hear the result of what will happen before deciding if you wish to spend a Hero Point.
Hero Points have a cap of 20. If you already have 20 and you get more, the excess Hero Points go into Hero Overflow. Every 50 Hero Overflow unlocks a new, special ability for you.
You will generally get between 1-3 Hero Points at the end of the session (typically 3 unless the GM feels not much was done, in which case you will get less). You can also earn Hero Points through certain cards.
MAGIC
Magic works the same way as skills do. However, most spells have a Magic Point cost associated with them, as well as other prerequisites depending on the spell. In some instances you may be required to make a Willpower roll before casting a spell if Magic is “difficult” to use where you are (GM will inform you of this). Subtract the appropriate number of Magic Points when you successfully cast a spell. If you fail to cast a spell, you lose half the number of Magic Points that the spell costs. If you fumble, you lose the full amount. Failing the Willpower roll does not cost you any Magic Points. Getting a Crit in a spell is how you progress to more powerful spells. More information on magic and spells can be found on the forums (or ask the GM).