Richard Recruiting Rules Light Fantasy Game "MurderLite"
Feb 6, 2018 3:38:49 GMT -5
Admin Pete, mormonyoyoman, and 1 more like this
Post by Richard on Feb 6, 2018 3:38:49 GMT -5
Hi!
I'm just wondering if there be any interest in playing a simple, low-level fantasy game, using the following simple rules system (based on the VERY simple tongue-in-cheek "MurderLite" rules created by Evey Lockhart):
[Apologies for the length of this post. Most of this length is due to the lists of Advantages and Disadvantages - the actual core rules are quite short!]
Rules Light Fantasy Game
Character Generation
Step One: Race - Choose one from the following list.
Dwarf: Low Light Vision (ignore Dim/Dark Lighting penalties), Slow (Pace of 5"), Tough (start with a d6 Vigor).
Elf: Low Light Vision (ignore Dim/Dark Lighting penalties), Standoffish Outsider (-2 on reaction rolls), Agile (start with a d6 Agility).
Halfling: Fortunate (extra Luck Point/Encounter; may be combined with Luck/Improved Luck), Small (see Disadvantages), Good-Natured (start with a d6 Spirit).
Human: Adaptable (gain one extra Advantage).
Orc: Infravision (ignore lighting penalties as long as heat variations are present), Monstrous Outsider (-4 on reaction rolls), Strong (start with d6 Strength).
Rakashan [Cat Person]: Low Light Vision (ignore Dim/Dark penalties), Racial Enemy [Saurians], Bloodthristy (see Disadvantages), Claws+Teeth (extra level of damage for Unarmed attacks), Agile (start with a d6 Agility).
Saurian [Lizard Person]: Saurian Senses (tongue continually "tastes" air; +2 on Notice rolls, ALWAYS Alerted vs Stealth rolls), Racial Enemy [Rakashans], ODD Outsider (eats food live, solid black eyes don't blink: -2 on reaction rolls), Likes Warmth (-4 to resist cold), Claws+Teeth+Tail (extra level of damage for Unarmed attacks), Agile (start with a d6 Agility), Natural Swimmer (start with d6 Swimming and +2 on all Swimming rolls).
Step Two: Traits - Each Hero has five Traits: Agility, Smarts, Spirit, Strength and Vigor. The areas each Trait covers should be obvious. Each Trait starts as a d4, unless specified otherwise by the Hero's Race. Each player has eight (8) Advances with which to increase Traits, with each Advance spent raising a specific Trait by one die step [e.g. d4 to d6 to d8 to d10 to d12]. No trait may exceed d12. Absent powerful magic, Traits may not be increased once play begins.
Step Three: Skills - All PCs start with three (3) Skills at d4: Fighting (unarmed plus all common melee weapons), Shooting (all bows) and Throwing (all thrown weapons); Saurians also start with Swimming (see above). Each PC can start with three (3) additional skills of their player's choosing, taken from the Skill List below. Each of these chosen Skills also start at d4. As with Traits above, players have eight (8) Advances to spend to increase these Skills. No starting Skill may exceed its linked Attribute (see Skill List below) or d12. Skills may be increased above these limits during play (see below). A Note On Languages: Each Hero starts play knowing their own racial language plus Common (a trade language based on Human), unless the Linguist Advantage (see below) is taken; other Racial languages must be learned as Skills.
Boating (Agility)
Climbing (Strength)
Fighting (Strength)
Gambling (Smarts)
Healing (Smarts)
Intimidation (Spirit)
Investigation (Smarts)
Knowledge [Whatever] (Smarts)
Lockpicking (Agility)
Notice (Smarts)
Persuasion (Spirit)
Repair (Smarts)
Riding (Agility)
Running (Agility)
Shooting (Agility)
Spellcasting (Smarts) - Must take Wizard Background.
Stealth (Agility)
Streetwise (Smarts)
Survival (Smarts)
Swimming (Vigor)
Taunt (Smarts)
Throwing (Agility)
Tracking (Smarts)
Step Four: Background - Each player can choose two (2) of the Backgrounds from the list below, for which his/her PC must meet the noted qualifications. If a player wants an exceptional (if narrowly-specialized) PC, both chosen Backgrounds - with the exception of Champion and Holy Warrior - may be the same. Benefits stack as applicable.
Acrobat [Agility d8+]: +2 on all Agility rolls, +1 to Parry melee attacks if not encumbered.
Adept [Agility d8+, Spirit d8+, Fighting d8+]: May spend a Luck Point (see below) to remove one level of damage.
Champion [Spirit d8+, Strength d8+, Vigor d8+, Fighting d8+, must take Heroic Disadvantage]: In fighting Evil creatures, a Champion inflicts one extra level of damage on them and suffers one less level of damage from them (which can mean suffering zero damage).
Holy Warrior [As Champion above, but Spirit d10]: This character is so holy that - when fighting Evil creatures - he/she may spend a Luck point and then make a Spirit roll. On a success, all Evil creatures within Spirit game inches suffer a level of damage; on a raise (see below), all Evil creatures within range are destroyed.
Investigator [Smarts d8+, Investigation d8+, Notice d6+, Streetwise d8+]: +2 to all Investigation, Notice and Streetwise rolls.
Jack-Of-All-Trades [Smarts d10+]: Any time this character has to make an Unskilled roll (see below), he makes that rolls without the normal -2 on his dice.
Priestly Healer [Smarts d8+, Spirit d8+, Healing d8+]: +2 on all Spirit and Healing rolls; also, after making a successful Healing roll and spending a Luck Point, the character may immediately remove one level of damage (or equivalent degree of harm) from a patient whom they can touch. See Recovering Damage, below.
Scholar [two (2) Knowledge d8+]: pick any two (2) Knowledge Skills that are d8+; the character gets +2 on all rolls for those Skills.
Thief [Agility d8+, Climbing d6+, Lockpicking d6+, Notice d6+, Stealth d8+]: +2 to all Climbing, Lockpicking, Notice and Stealth rolls, as well as +2 to any Repair rolls related to traps or similar devices.
Wizard [Smarts d8+, Knowledge (Arcane) d8+, Spellcasting d6+]: After making a successful Spellcasting roll and spending a Luck Point, the character may deal one level of damage to all targets within Spirit game inches OR perform some other equivalent magical effect (GM discretion). If a Luck point is not currently available, a Wizard may voluntarily suffer one level of damage to power such an effect.
Woodsman [Spirt d6+, Stealth d6+, Survival d8+, Tracking d8+]: +2 to all Stealth, Survival and Tracking rolls.
NOTE: Unlike in some games, Skill bonuses for Thieves and Woodsmen are not restricted by environment.
Step Five: Disadvantages - Choose either one (1) OR two (2) from the following list:
Addict: Suffers one level of damage when deprived of substance until a dose is taken, may binge (Spirit to resist) and suffer same effect for at least a full day afterwards.
Anemic: -2 to Vigor rolls
Arrogant: Must humiliate opponents and always search out the Leader, in order to challenge he/she/it to a duel.
Bad Eyes: -2 to any Shooting and Throwing roll made at a target further away than five (5) game inches, has difficulty discerning fine detail/reading.
Bad Luck: One less Luck Point per Encounter.
Bloodthirsty: Never takes prisoners.
Clueless: -2 to all Knowledge and Smarts rolls.
Code of Honor: Always keeps word, generally acts like a Victorian-era gentleman/lady.
Curious: Wants to know everything about everything.
Delusional: Character has serious delusions that greatly effect his behavior.
Elderly: Strength and Vigor reduced by one (1) Advance each, but in exchange character has five (5) extra Advances for any Skills linked to Smarts.
Enemy: Character is being hunted by a Major Opponent.
Greedy: Character is obsessed with obtaining personal wealth, the bigger the potential reward, the lower he/she is willing to sink to get it.
Hard of Hearing: -4 to Notice sounds, says "Eh?" a lot in conversation.
Heroic: Must always help those in need (may be taken in addition to Code of Honor).
Illiterate: Can not read or write AT ALL (most Mooks have this Disadvantage).
Lame: -4 to all rolls requiring mobility, particularly all Climbing, Running and Swimming rolls.
Loyal: Character tries to never betray or even disappoint his friends.
One Arm: -4 to all rolls requiring two arms.
One Eye: -2 to all rolls requiring depth perception, particularly Shooting and Throwing.
Overconfident: Character believes he can do ANYTHING.
Phobia: Character is -4 to all rolls when in presence of the object of his/her irrational fear; fear object must be something at least occasionally encountered.
Small: Character is - at most - four (4) feet tall; character automatically takes one extra level of damage from any hit, as well as suffers other size-related difficulties.
Vengeful: Character HATES his opponents and NEVER forgets/forgives any slight.
Vow: Character has made a solemn pledge to a group, deity or religion; this should be something that regularly gets him/her into trouble.
Wanted: Character has a bounty on his head for a crime that carries the death penalty; bringing in his/her pickled head will suffice to claim the bounty.
Yellow: Character is a coward; -2 to reaction rolls from those who are aware, as well as -2 on all Spirit rolls to resist fear.
Step Six: Advantages - Choose the same number (one or two) from the list below as you chose from the list above. Obviously, taking an Improved level in anything listed below requires spending two (2) choices.
Alertness: +2 to all Notice rolls.
Ambidextrous: Character ignores -2 off-hand penalty.
Improved: May attack with a weapon in each hand without incurring a multi-action penalty.
Attractive: +2 to reaction rolls.
Improved: +4 to reaction rolls.
Beast Friend: Character has an animal companion (GM discretion) and may spend Luck Points on it.
Block: +1 to Fighting rolls to deflect attacks.
Improved: +2 to Fighting rolls to deflect attacks.
Brave: +2 to Spirit rolls.
Brawler: +2 to Fighting rolls for unarmed attacks.
Improved: damage dealt by successful unarmed attack is increased one level.
Brawny: damage from any hit is reduced one level, load limit is twice normal.
Charismatic: +2 to reaction rolls.
Combat Reflexes: Once per Encounter, character can recover from being Shaken (see below) without spending a Luck Point.
Improved: As above, but the recovery applies to everyone in his/her party who is currently Shaken.
Connections: Once per roleplaying Encounter, character can attempt to contact and then request help from powerful friends.
Counterattack: If a foe's Fighting roll to attack the character fails, character can immediately attempt a free Fighting roll of his/her own against that opponent.
Improved: As above, except if the character succeeds he inflicts an extra level of damage.
Danger Sense: Character gets a Notice roll at -2 to passively detect imminent danger.
Dodge: -1 to be hit by Shooting or Throwing attacks.
Improved: -2 to be hit by Shooting or Throwing attacks.
Elan: +2 to any roll upon which a Luck Point has been spent.
Extraction: With a successful Agility roll, ignore any one free attack imposed by withdrawing from combat.
Improved: As above, plus with a raise on the Agility roll, ALL free attacks are ignored.
Fast Healer: +2 on rolls to recover damage levels.
First Strike: May attack any one (1) foe who moves adjacent.
Improved: May attack ALL foes who move adjacent.
Fleet-Footed: +6 to all Running rolls.
Florentine: Character is specially trained in Fighting with a balanced weapon in each hand; +1 to Fighting, -1 to any gang-up bonus gained by foes.
Follower: Character has a Mook henchman.
Improved: Character has EITHER five (5) Mook henchmen OR his original Mook henchman is promoted to a Hero.
Frenzy: Character may make one extra Fighting attack per round at -2.
Improved: As above, but attack is made at no penalty.
Giant Killer: Character deals one extra level of damage to creatures of Large Size or larger.
Hard To Kill: Character ignores wound penalties.
Improved: Character has a 50% chance to ignore any damage which would reduce his wound track to "Dead."
Healer: +2 to Healing rolls.
Improvisational Fighter: Character ignores the normal -1 penalty for fighting with an improvised weapon.
Inspirational: +1 to all Spirit rolls of everyone in the party.
Killer Instinct: Wins any tied opposed roll, may reroll opposed die if it comes up "1" (unless this is part of a Snake Eyes roll).
Leader: May add a d10 Wild Die to any group roll made by members of the party.
Improved: May spend Luck Points on other members of the party.
Level Headed: In combat, draw two (2) cards and act on the better one.
Improved: In combat, draw three (3) cards and act on the best one.
Linguist: Character begins play speaking a number of extra languages (in addition to their two default languages) equal to their Smarts divided by two. In addition, character can roll their Smarts die at -2 to make themselves understood in any language in which they have been immersed for a game week.
Liquid Courage: Character's Vigor and Spirit increase by one die type each, for one hour after drinking at least 8 ounces of strong alcohol; character may also ignore one point of damage penaties (but the damage level itself applies). Drinking more to extend this effect leads to inebriation; -2 to Agility and Smarts rolls for 2d6 hours.
Luck: Extra Luck Point per Encounter.
Improved: Two (2) extra Luck Points per Encounter.
Mana [Wizard Only]: A Wizard with this Advantage gains three (3) extra Luck Points per Encounter, which may only be spent to power magic effects.
Improved: As above, except that the gain is six (6) extra Luck Points per Encounter.
Marksman: Character gains +2 to Shooting, as long as he does not move.
Martial Artist: Never considered to be fighting without weapons.
Improved: Unarmed attacks deal an extra level of damage.
Mighty Blow: If dealt a Joker during combat, all hits automatically do an extra level of damage.
Nerves of Steel: Character ignores one point of any damage penalty.
Improved: Character ignores two (2) points of any damage penalty.
Noble: Character is the offspring of a landed noble, with all the benefits (and restrictions) this implies.
No Mercy: Character may spend a Luck Point to increase the damage of any attack by one level.
Quick: In combat, character may discard any card drawn that is five (5) or lower and redraw.
Quickdraw: Character may draw a weapon as a free action.
Rich: Character begins play with an extra 1000 gold.
Improved: Character begins play with an extra 4000 gold.
Scavenger: Character can find a needed piece of mundane equipment once per Encounter without needing to spend a Luck Point.
Sweep: Attack all adjacent foes at -2.
Improved: As above, but at no penalty.
Tactician: At the beginning of combat, make a Smarts roll. For each success and raise, draw one card. For the rest of the combat, these cards may be given out to any party member in place of their own card draw.
Tough As Nails: Any hit taken is reduced by one (1) damage level.
Improved: Any hit taken is reduced by two (2) damage levels.
Trademark Weapon: +1 to Fighting, Shooting OR Throwing when using a SPECIFIC weapon.
Improved: +2 to Fighting, Shooting OR Throwing when using a SPECIFIC weapon.
Weapon Master: +2 to Fighting when attempting to parry an attack.
Improved: +2 to Fighting when attempting to parry an attack.
Step Seven: Buying Stuff - Your Hero now has 500 gold to spend (unless he took Rich or Improved Rich). [If this game gets off the ground, I will add an equipment list!]
Step Eight: Description - Describe your Hero and give him/her a name. Note down that he/she can move six (6) game inches per round (unless Advantages or Disadvantages say otherwise).
Your Hero is now ready to go adventuring!
Game Rules
Rolls: When trying to do stuff, pick an appropriate Skill or Trait and roll that die. Since your PC is a Hero, he or she gets a "Hero Die" (a d6) to roll as well. Roll both these dice, keeping whichever rolls better. If the result is a 4 or better, you succeed.
If your Hero does not have the right Skill, you can still usually roll a d4 (as well as your “Hero Die”) to make an attempt, but you suffer a -2 penalty on each die. This is called an Unskilled roll.
Exploding Dice: If you roll the maximum number possible on a given die, roll that die again and add the results together. You can keep rolling and adding as long as the die keeps exploding. If you roll 4 or more above the target number you need (usually a 4), you succeed with a raise. Normally this just means that you succeed really well. Sometimes it means something else.
Luck Points: You get two (2) Luck Points per Encounter. You can spend a Luck Point to reroll a poor roll. You can also spend a Luck Point to declare, “It just so happens that I have this totally useful, but mundane, item which we need." and have this statement be true. You can also spend a Luck Point to not be Shaken (more on that later). Finally, you spend spend a Luck Point to remove one level of damage from your Hero's damage track. You earn an extra Luck Points each time your Hero's Disadvantage(s) cause difficulties for him or her, either at your own instigation or at the whim of the GM. Unspent Luck Points can't be saved from Encounter to Encounter, so use 'em or lose 'em!
Initiative: In combat and other tense situations, it is important to know the order of actions. The GM draws a card for each participant and everybody acts in order of that card draw, counting actions down from ace to two. [NOTE: Since this will be a play-by-post game, during combat the GM reserves the right to post for any player who does not post an action within 24 hours of his count coming around.] Any Joker drawn is wild; if you get one, you can interrupt somebody else's action. That’s totally annoying and totally fun.
Attacks: Roll your Hero's Fighting, Shooting or Throwing. The target number of a Fighting roll is the result of your target's opposed Fighting roll. The target number of a Shooting or Throwing roll is 4 at that weapon's Close Range, 6 at that weapon's Medium Range and 8 at that weapon's Long Range. A success means the target is hit for one level of damage; each raise on the roll inflicts an extra level of damage.
Damage: Mooks are down for the count after any successful hit, regardless of the damage dealt. They may be dead, they may be injured, they actually be unhurt and simply cowering in terror. That sort of detail is determined after all the killing is done. But in any case they're out of this fight. Heroes and important Bad Guys/Gals are made of sterner stuff. They each have a damage track, with each success and raise on a hit moving the character one level down on this track. The levels are explained below:
"Armor" - Only if armor is worn; this level means the character's armor adsorbed or deflected the bulk of the attack, leaving him with only a bit of bruising.
"Heavy Armor" - Only if heavy armor is worn; as above, with the tougher armor blocking more damage.
"Ouch!" - You're bleeding, but it's nothing serious . . . yet.
"darn!!" - You're wounded; you suffer a -1 penalty to all rolls and are Shaken (see About Being Shaken, below).
"S**t!!!" - You're badly wounded; you suffer a -2 penalty to all rolls and are Shaken. Bandages and a strategic withdrawal are highly recommended!
"F**k!!!!" - You're bleeding out; you suffer a -3 penalty and are Shaken. Retreat/surrender and hope they have a good Healer.
"DEAD" - You're dead (unless you have Improved Hard To Kill and roll well or a Priestly Healer is handy).
Damage Recovery: A few minutes to rest will remove any checks from Armor levels of the track, assuming your Hero is actually wearing armor of that grade. An hour of rest will remove a check from the "Ouch!" box. Simple first aid, a day of rest, and a successful Vigor roll will remove a check from the "darn!!" box. Successful use of the Healing Skill and a week of rest will remove a check the "S**t!!!" box. Successful use of the Healing Skill and a month of total rest will remove a check from the "F**k!!!!" box. Magical healing from a Priestly Healer can immediately remove levels of damage and even raise the Dead (with the expenditure of two Luck Points); levels must be removed in order, from lowest to highest.
Shaken: Shaken Heros are stunned, freaked out, had the wind knocked out them, etc. They can only move and try to not be Shaken. To not be Shaken, make a successful Vigor roll. Not being Shaken anymore does not recover any damage levels suffered.
Minutia: If you attack or defend without a weapon against an armed fighter (and are not an Adept or Martial Artist), roll your Fighting die at one step down. For each raise on a successful attack, the victim goes an extra step down on the Damage Track. The GM may impose penalties between -1 and -4 for doing stuff that's more difficult than normal; GMs are mean like that. If your Hero isn't wearing Heavy Armor, mark out the Heavy Armor box on the Damage Track and pretend it isn’t there; ditto with the Armor box. Magic attacks and defenses use Spellcasting Skill, treated just like Fighting or Shooting (see also Wizard Background).
Getting Better: At the end of each Encounter, the participating players are polled on how each player performed. If your Hero did something that everyone agrees was awesome, then your Hero gains an Improvement. With one Improvement, a player can either open an appropriate new Skill at d4 OR raise an existing appropriate Skill by one die type. With two (2) Improvements, a player can choose an another Advantage (or Improved level of Advantage) OR buy off one Disadvantage, if their Hero took two of these (Heroes must retain at least one Disadvantage).
Concluding Thoughts: Monsters and Big Bads should totally break the character generation rules above. Encounters should be exciting, with lots of room for players to make bad decisions. Mooks do everything at d6, unless they’re bad at it. If there's no way to do a certain thing, players don't get to roll for it. Give the players many interesting problems. Have fun!
I'm just wondering if there be any interest in playing a simple, low-level fantasy game, using the following simple rules system (based on the VERY simple tongue-in-cheek "MurderLite" rules created by Evey Lockhart):
[Apologies for the length of this post. Most of this length is due to the lists of Advantages and Disadvantages - the actual core rules are quite short!]
Rules Light Fantasy Game
Character Generation
Step One: Race - Choose one from the following list.
Dwarf: Low Light Vision (ignore Dim/Dark Lighting penalties), Slow (Pace of 5"), Tough (start with a d6 Vigor).
Elf: Low Light Vision (ignore Dim/Dark Lighting penalties), Standoffish Outsider (-2 on reaction rolls), Agile (start with a d6 Agility).
Halfling: Fortunate (extra Luck Point/Encounter; may be combined with Luck/Improved Luck), Small (see Disadvantages), Good-Natured (start with a d6 Spirit).
Human: Adaptable (gain one extra Advantage).
Orc: Infravision (ignore lighting penalties as long as heat variations are present), Monstrous Outsider (-4 on reaction rolls), Strong (start with d6 Strength).
Rakashan [Cat Person]: Low Light Vision (ignore Dim/Dark penalties), Racial Enemy [Saurians], Bloodthristy (see Disadvantages), Claws+Teeth (extra level of damage for Unarmed attacks), Agile (start with a d6 Agility).
Saurian [Lizard Person]: Saurian Senses (tongue continually "tastes" air; +2 on Notice rolls, ALWAYS Alerted vs Stealth rolls), Racial Enemy [Rakashans], ODD Outsider (eats food live, solid black eyes don't blink: -2 on reaction rolls), Likes Warmth (-4 to resist cold), Claws+Teeth+Tail (extra level of damage for Unarmed attacks), Agile (start with a d6 Agility), Natural Swimmer (start with d6 Swimming and +2 on all Swimming rolls).
Step Two: Traits - Each Hero has five Traits: Agility, Smarts, Spirit, Strength and Vigor. The areas each Trait covers should be obvious. Each Trait starts as a d4, unless specified otherwise by the Hero's Race. Each player has eight (8) Advances with which to increase Traits, with each Advance spent raising a specific Trait by one die step [e.g. d4 to d6 to d8 to d10 to d12]. No trait may exceed d12. Absent powerful magic, Traits may not be increased once play begins.
Step Three: Skills - All PCs start with three (3) Skills at d4: Fighting (unarmed plus all common melee weapons), Shooting (all bows) and Throwing (all thrown weapons); Saurians also start with Swimming (see above). Each PC can start with three (3) additional skills of their player's choosing, taken from the Skill List below. Each of these chosen Skills also start at d4. As with Traits above, players have eight (8) Advances to spend to increase these Skills. No starting Skill may exceed its linked Attribute (see Skill List below) or d12. Skills may be increased above these limits during play (see below). A Note On Languages: Each Hero starts play knowing their own racial language plus Common (a trade language based on Human), unless the Linguist Advantage (see below) is taken; other Racial languages must be learned as Skills.
Boating (Agility)
Climbing (Strength)
Fighting (Strength)
Gambling (Smarts)
Healing (Smarts)
Intimidation (Spirit)
Investigation (Smarts)
Knowledge [Whatever] (Smarts)
Lockpicking (Agility)
Notice (Smarts)
Persuasion (Spirit)
Repair (Smarts)
Riding (Agility)
Running (Agility)
Shooting (Agility)
Spellcasting (Smarts) - Must take Wizard Background.
Stealth (Agility)
Streetwise (Smarts)
Survival (Smarts)
Swimming (Vigor)
Taunt (Smarts)
Throwing (Agility)
Tracking (Smarts)
Step Four: Background - Each player can choose two (2) of the Backgrounds from the list below, for which his/her PC must meet the noted qualifications. If a player wants an exceptional (if narrowly-specialized) PC, both chosen Backgrounds - with the exception of Champion and Holy Warrior - may be the same. Benefits stack as applicable.
Acrobat [Agility d8+]: +2 on all Agility rolls, +1 to Parry melee attacks if not encumbered.
Adept [Agility d8+, Spirit d8+, Fighting d8+]: May spend a Luck Point (see below) to remove one level of damage.
Champion [Spirit d8+, Strength d8+, Vigor d8+, Fighting d8+, must take Heroic Disadvantage]: In fighting Evil creatures, a Champion inflicts one extra level of damage on them and suffers one less level of damage from them (which can mean suffering zero damage).
Holy Warrior [As Champion above, but Spirit d10]: This character is so holy that - when fighting Evil creatures - he/she may spend a Luck point and then make a Spirit roll. On a success, all Evil creatures within Spirit game inches suffer a level of damage; on a raise (see below), all Evil creatures within range are destroyed.
Investigator [Smarts d8+, Investigation d8+, Notice d6+, Streetwise d8+]: +2 to all Investigation, Notice and Streetwise rolls.
Jack-Of-All-Trades [Smarts d10+]: Any time this character has to make an Unskilled roll (see below), he makes that rolls without the normal -2 on his dice.
Priestly Healer [Smarts d8+, Spirit d8+, Healing d8+]: +2 on all Spirit and Healing rolls; also, after making a successful Healing roll and spending a Luck Point, the character may immediately remove one level of damage (or equivalent degree of harm) from a patient whom they can touch. See Recovering Damage, below.
Scholar [two (2) Knowledge d8+]: pick any two (2) Knowledge Skills that are d8+; the character gets +2 on all rolls for those Skills.
Thief [Agility d8+, Climbing d6+, Lockpicking d6+, Notice d6+, Stealth d8+]: +2 to all Climbing, Lockpicking, Notice and Stealth rolls, as well as +2 to any Repair rolls related to traps or similar devices.
Wizard [Smarts d8+, Knowledge (Arcane) d8+, Spellcasting d6+]: After making a successful Spellcasting roll and spending a Luck Point, the character may deal one level of damage to all targets within Spirit game inches OR perform some other equivalent magical effect (GM discretion). If a Luck point is not currently available, a Wizard may voluntarily suffer one level of damage to power such an effect.
Woodsman [Spirt d6+, Stealth d6+, Survival d8+, Tracking d8+]: +2 to all Stealth, Survival and Tracking rolls.
NOTE: Unlike in some games, Skill bonuses for Thieves and Woodsmen are not restricted by environment.
Step Five: Disadvantages - Choose either one (1) OR two (2) from the following list:
Addict: Suffers one level of damage when deprived of substance until a dose is taken, may binge (Spirit to resist) and suffer same effect for at least a full day afterwards.
Anemic: -2 to Vigor rolls
Arrogant: Must humiliate opponents and always search out the Leader, in order to challenge he/she/it to a duel.
Bad Eyes: -2 to any Shooting and Throwing roll made at a target further away than five (5) game inches, has difficulty discerning fine detail/reading.
Bad Luck: One less Luck Point per Encounter.
Bloodthirsty: Never takes prisoners.
Clueless: -2 to all Knowledge and Smarts rolls.
Code of Honor: Always keeps word, generally acts like a Victorian-era gentleman/lady.
Curious: Wants to know everything about everything.
Delusional: Character has serious delusions that greatly effect his behavior.
Elderly: Strength and Vigor reduced by one (1) Advance each, but in exchange character has five (5) extra Advances for any Skills linked to Smarts.
Enemy: Character is being hunted by a Major Opponent.
Greedy: Character is obsessed with obtaining personal wealth, the bigger the potential reward, the lower he/she is willing to sink to get it.
Hard of Hearing: -4 to Notice sounds, says "Eh?" a lot in conversation.
Heroic: Must always help those in need (may be taken in addition to Code of Honor).
Illiterate: Can not read or write AT ALL (most Mooks have this Disadvantage).
Lame: -4 to all rolls requiring mobility, particularly all Climbing, Running and Swimming rolls.
Loyal: Character tries to never betray or even disappoint his friends.
One Arm: -4 to all rolls requiring two arms.
One Eye: -2 to all rolls requiring depth perception, particularly Shooting and Throwing.
Overconfident: Character believes he can do ANYTHING.
Phobia: Character is -4 to all rolls when in presence of the object of his/her irrational fear; fear object must be something at least occasionally encountered.
Small: Character is - at most - four (4) feet tall; character automatically takes one extra level of damage from any hit, as well as suffers other size-related difficulties.
Vengeful: Character HATES his opponents and NEVER forgets/forgives any slight.
Vow: Character has made a solemn pledge to a group, deity or religion; this should be something that regularly gets him/her into trouble.
Wanted: Character has a bounty on his head for a crime that carries the death penalty; bringing in his/her pickled head will suffice to claim the bounty.
Yellow: Character is a coward; -2 to reaction rolls from those who are aware, as well as -2 on all Spirit rolls to resist fear.
Step Six: Advantages - Choose the same number (one or two) from the list below as you chose from the list above. Obviously, taking an Improved level in anything listed below requires spending two (2) choices.
Alertness: +2 to all Notice rolls.
Ambidextrous: Character ignores -2 off-hand penalty.
Improved: May attack with a weapon in each hand without incurring a multi-action penalty.
Attractive: +2 to reaction rolls.
Improved: +4 to reaction rolls.
Beast Friend: Character has an animal companion (GM discretion) and may spend Luck Points on it.
Block: +1 to Fighting rolls to deflect attacks.
Improved: +2 to Fighting rolls to deflect attacks.
Brave: +2 to Spirit rolls.
Brawler: +2 to Fighting rolls for unarmed attacks.
Improved: damage dealt by successful unarmed attack is increased one level.
Brawny: damage from any hit is reduced one level, load limit is twice normal.
Charismatic: +2 to reaction rolls.
Combat Reflexes: Once per Encounter, character can recover from being Shaken (see below) without spending a Luck Point.
Improved: As above, but the recovery applies to everyone in his/her party who is currently Shaken.
Connections: Once per roleplaying Encounter, character can attempt to contact and then request help from powerful friends.
Counterattack: If a foe's Fighting roll to attack the character fails, character can immediately attempt a free Fighting roll of his/her own against that opponent.
Improved: As above, except if the character succeeds he inflicts an extra level of damage.
Danger Sense: Character gets a Notice roll at -2 to passively detect imminent danger.
Dodge: -1 to be hit by Shooting or Throwing attacks.
Improved: -2 to be hit by Shooting or Throwing attacks.
Elan: +2 to any roll upon which a Luck Point has been spent.
Extraction: With a successful Agility roll, ignore any one free attack imposed by withdrawing from combat.
Improved: As above, plus with a raise on the Agility roll, ALL free attacks are ignored.
Fast Healer: +2 on rolls to recover damage levels.
First Strike: May attack any one (1) foe who moves adjacent.
Improved: May attack ALL foes who move adjacent.
Fleet-Footed: +6 to all Running rolls.
Florentine: Character is specially trained in Fighting with a balanced weapon in each hand; +1 to Fighting, -1 to any gang-up bonus gained by foes.
Follower: Character has a Mook henchman.
Improved: Character has EITHER five (5) Mook henchmen OR his original Mook henchman is promoted to a Hero.
Frenzy: Character may make one extra Fighting attack per round at -2.
Improved: As above, but attack is made at no penalty.
Giant Killer: Character deals one extra level of damage to creatures of Large Size or larger.
Hard To Kill: Character ignores wound penalties.
Improved: Character has a 50% chance to ignore any damage which would reduce his wound track to "Dead."
Healer: +2 to Healing rolls.
Improvisational Fighter: Character ignores the normal -1 penalty for fighting with an improvised weapon.
Inspirational: +1 to all Spirit rolls of everyone in the party.
Killer Instinct: Wins any tied opposed roll, may reroll opposed die if it comes up "1" (unless this is part of a Snake Eyes roll).
Leader: May add a d10 Wild Die to any group roll made by members of the party.
Improved: May spend Luck Points on other members of the party.
Level Headed: In combat, draw two (2) cards and act on the better one.
Improved: In combat, draw three (3) cards and act on the best one.
Linguist: Character begins play speaking a number of extra languages (in addition to their two default languages) equal to their Smarts divided by two. In addition, character can roll their Smarts die at -2 to make themselves understood in any language in which they have been immersed for a game week.
Liquid Courage: Character's Vigor and Spirit increase by one die type each, for one hour after drinking at least 8 ounces of strong alcohol; character may also ignore one point of damage penaties (but the damage level itself applies). Drinking more to extend this effect leads to inebriation; -2 to Agility and Smarts rolls for 2d6 hours.
Luck: Extra Luck Point per Encounter.
Improved: Two (2) extra Luck Points per Encounter.
Mana [Wizard Only]: A Wizard with this Advantage gains three (3) extra Luck Points per Encounter, which may only be spent to power magic effects.
Improved: As above, except that the gain is six (6) extra Luck Points per Encounter.
Marksman: Character gains +2 to Shooting, as long as he does not move.
Martial Artist: Never considered to be fighting without weapons.
Improved: Unarmed attacks deal an extra level of damage.
Mighty Blow: If dealt a Joker during combat, all hits automatically do an extra level of damage.
Nerves of Steel: Character ignores one point of any damage penalty.
Improved: Character ignores two (2) points of any damage penalty.
Noble: Character is the offspring of a landed noble, with all the benefits (and restrictions) this implies.
No Mercy: Character may spend a Luck Point to increase the damage of any attack by one level.
Quick: In combat, character may discard any card drawn that is five (5) or lower and redraw.
Quickdraw: Character may draw a weapon as a free action.
Rich: Character begins play with an extra 1000 gold.
Improved: Character begins play with an extra 4000 gold.
Scavenger: Character can find a needed piece of mundane equipment once per Encounter without needing to spend a Luck Point.
Sweep: Attack all adjacent foes at -2.
Improved: As above, but at no penalty.
Tactician: At the beginning of combat, make a Smarts roll. For each success and raise, draw one card. For the rest of the combat, these cards may be given out to any party member in place of their own card draw.
Tough As Nails: Any hit taken is reduced by one (1) damage level.
Improved: Any hit taken is reduced by two (2) damage levels.
Trademark Weapon: +1 to Fighting, Shooting OR Throwing when using a SPECIFIC weapon.
Improved: +2 to Fighting, Shooting OR Throwing when using a SPECIFIC weapon.
Weapon Master: +2 to Fighting when attempting to parry an attack.
Improved: +2 to Fighting when attempting to parry an attack.
Step Seven: Buying Stuff - Your Hero now has 500 gold to spend (unless he took Rich or Improved Rich). [If this game gets off the ground, I will add an equipment list!]
Step Eight: Description - Describe your Hero and give him/her a name. Note down that he/she can move six (6) game inches per round (unless Advantages or Disadvantages say otherwise).
Your Hero is now ready to go adventuring!
Game Rules
Rolls: When trying to do stuff, pick an appropriate Skill or Trait and roll that die. Since your PC is a Hero, he or she gets a "Hero Die" (a d6) to roll as well. Roll both these dice, keeping whichever rolls better. If the result is a 4 or better, you succeed.
If your Hero does not have the right Skill, you can still usually roll a d4 (as well as your “Hero Die”) to make an attempt, but you suffer a -2 penalty on each die. This is called an Unskilled roll.
Exploding Dice: If you roll the maximum number possible on a given die, roll that die again and add the results together. You can keep rolling and adding as long as the die keeps exploding. If you roll 4 or more above the target number you need (usually a 4), you succeed with a raise. Normally this just means that you succeed really well. Sometimes it means something else.
Luck Points: You get two (2) Luck Points per Encounter. You can spend a Luck Point to reroll a poor roll. You can also spend a Luck Point to declare, “It just so happens that I have this totally useful, but mundane, item which we need." and have this statement be true. You can also spend a Luck Point to not be Shaken (more on that later). Finally, you spend spend a Luck Point to remove one level of damage from your Hero's damage track. You earn an extra Luck Points each time your Hero's Disadvantage(s) cause difficulties for him or her, either at your own instigation or at the whim of the GM. Unspent Luck Points can't be saved from Encounter to Encounter, so use 'em or lose 'em!
Initiative: In combat and other tense situations, it is important to know the order of actions. The GM draws a card for each participant and everybody acts in order of that card draw, counting actions down from ace to two. [NOTE: Since this will be a play-by-post game, during combat the GM reserves the right to post for any player who does not post an action within 24 hours of his count coming around.] Any Joker drawn is wild; if you get one, you can interrupt somebody else's action. That’s totally annoying and totally fun.
Attacks: Roll your Hero's Fighting, Shooting or Throwing. The target number of a Fighting roll is the result of your target's opposed Fighting roll. The target number of a Shooting or Throwing roll is 4 at that weapon's Close Range, 6 at that weapon's Medium Range and 8 at that weapon's Long Range. A success means the target is hit for one level of damage; each raise on the roll inflicts an extra level of damage.
Damage: Mooks are down for the count after any successful hit, regardless of the damage dealt. They may be dead, they may be injured, they actually be unhurt and simply cowering in terror. That sort of detail is determined after all the killing is done. But in any case they're out of this fight. Heroes and important Bad Guys/Gals are made of sterner stuff. They each have a damage track, with each success and raise on a hit moving the character one level down on this track. The levels are explained below:
"Armor" - Only if armor is worn; this level means the character's armor adsorbed or deflected the bulk of the attack, leaving him with only a bit of bruising.
"Heavy Armor" - Only if heavy armor is worn; as above, with the tougher armor blocking more damage.
"Ouch!" - You're bleeding, but it's nothing serious . . . yet.
"darn!!" - You're wounded; you suffer a -1 penalty to all rolls and are Shaken (see About Being Shaken, below).
"S**t!!!" - You're badly wounded; you suffer a -2 penalty to all rolls and are Shaken. Bandages and a strategic withdrawal are highly recommended!
"F**k!!!!" - You're bleeding out; you suffer a -3 penalty and are Shaken. Retreat/surrender and hope they have a good Healer.
"DEAD" - You're dead (unless you have Improved Hard To Kill and roll well or a Priestly Healer is handy).
Damage Recovery: A few minutes to rest will remove any checks from Armor levels of the track, assuming your Hero is actually wearing armor of that grade. An hour of rest will remove a check from the "Ouch!" box. Simple first aid, a day of rest, and a successful Vigor roll will remove a check from the "darn!!" box. Successful use of the Healing Skill and a week of rest will remove a check the "S**t!!!" box. Successful use of the Healing Skill and a month of total rest will remove a check from the "F**k!!!!" box. Magical healing from a Priestly Healer can immediately remove levels of damage and even raise the Dead (with the expenditure of two Luck Points); levels must be removed in order, from lowest to highest.
Shaken: Shaken Heros are stunned, freaked out, had the wind knocked out them, etc. They can only move and try to not be Shaken. To not be Shaken, make a successful Vigor roll. Not being Shaken anymore does not recover any damage levels suffered.
Minutia: If you attack or defend without a weapon against an armed fighter (and are not an Adept or Martial Artist), roll your Fighting die at one step down. For each raise on a successful attack, the victim goes an extra step down on the Damage Track. The GM may impose penalties between -1 and -4 for doing stuff that's more difficult than normal; GMs are mean like that. If your Hero isn't wearing Heavy Armor, mark out the Heavy Armor box on the Damage Track and pretend it isn’t there; ditto with the Armor box. Magic attacks and defenses use Spellcasting Skill, treated just like Fighting or Shooting (see also Wizard Background).
Getting Better: At the end of each Encounter, the participating players are polled on how each player performed. If your Hero did something that everyone agrees was awesome, then your Hero gains an Improvement. With one Improvement, a player can either open an appropriate new Skill at d4 OR raise an existing appropriate Skill by one die type. With two (2) Improvements, a player can choose an another Advantage (or Improved level of Advantage) OR buy off one Disadvantage, if their Hero took two of these (Heroes must retain at least one Disadvantage).
Concluding Thoughts: Monsters and Big Bads should totally break the character generation rules above. Encounters should be exciting, with lots of room for players to make bad decisions. Mooks do everything at d6, unless they’re bad at it. If there's no way to do a certain thing, players don't get to roll for it. Give the players many interesting problems. Have fun!
