I. Character Attributes
A 1d3 (1d6 halved and rounded up) is rolled to determine each of your player character's attribute scores. There are four attributes: Prowess (PRO), Fortitude (FOR), Presence (PRE), and Magic (MAG).
Prowess: physical strength, finesse, and agility
Fortitude: endurance, physical toughness
Presence: charisma, cunning, leadership
Magic: your aptitude for using magic
II. Hit Dice & Inventory Slots
Each PC starts with one Hit Die (HD). These are rolled when the character is wounded to determine if the wounds are fatal. Every character starts with 10 + their PRO for Inventory Slots. They are used to carry items and to track the amoung of stress a PC accumulates.
III. Action Rolls | Saving Throws | Opposed Rolls
When the success of an action is uncertain, a 1d20 is rolled and the score from the relevant attribute is added. A result over 15 is a success. A saving throw is an action roll to determine if a PC is able to resist an effect or react quickly enough to avoid harm. Sometimes a PC's action is counteracted or resisted by an NPC. In that case, both sides make an action roll (NPCs use their Skill score). The side with the highest result wins, in the event of a tie, I will decide the outcome.
IV. Buffs & Breaks
Some situations can give a PC Buffs and/or Breaks on their action roll. These cancel each other out. For example, if PC has 2 Buffs and a Break, the Break cancels out one of the Buffs,
resulting in the final roll only being affected by 1 Buff and no Breaks. When making the action roll, for each Buff or Break the player rolls a d6 (in addition to the normal d20). If the d6s rolled are Buffs, the highest roll among them is added to the final result. If the d6s are Breaks, the highest roll among them is subtracted from the final result. NPCs do not roll Buffs or Breaks.
V. Inventory & Stress
A PC has a number of inventory slots equal to 10 + their STR score. Most items take one
slot to carry but some items, like weapons or armor, take up multiple slots. Some actions and situations, like pushing the PC, cause a PC to receive Stress. Each instance of Stress takes up an inventory slot. A PC cannot carry more items or Stress than they have inventory slots. Spending a day resting in a safe location removes all stress.
VI. Pushing A Character
Before making an action roll, if their character has at least one empty inventory slot, players
may choose to push their character to receive a Buff on the roll. If they do so, the PC takes
a Stress. A player may choose to push their character multiple times on a single roll, as
long as they have sufficient empty inventory slots to take the Stress.
VII. Combat
Combat is played in rounds. Each round:
1. Establish combat order. Roll a d6 for each side to determine the combat order this
round; the side that rolls highest goes first. In case of a tie, the PCs go first.
2. Each side acts. When a character can act they may move around and take an action. This action may be attacking, casting a spell, making a second move or any other action deemed reasonable by the GM.
CLOSE COMBAT
To hit in close combat, the attacking and the defending creature make an opposed PRO roll.
The winner deals their weapon's damage to the opposing side. In case of a tie, the attacker
wins.
RANGED COMBAT
Shooting or throwing something at a target works mostly the same as close combat except that a defender cannot respond in kind unless they move close enough.
CRITICAL HIT
If a creature rolls a 20 on the d20 during their attack, it counts as a critical success. This means
the creature deals double their weapon damage to their opponent, even if the opponent still wins the opposed roll. Creatures who are the target of a ranged attack cannot score a critical hit.
WORN WEAPONS
If a PC rolls a 1 on the d20 during their attack, their weapon becomes worn. A worn weapon
has its damage reduced to 1 until it is repaired. A worn weapon is repaired after a day of rest, or by spending Supply.
MORALE
NPCs have a Morale score. The GM should make a Morale roll when something manages
to shock the NPCs (they meet more resistance than expected, their leader is killed etc.).
To make a morale roll, roll 2d6. If the result is higher than the Morale of the NPCs, they
will flee or attempt to parley.
DAMAGE & ARMOR
If a creature takes damage while they're wearing armor, the damage first reduces their
Armor points. If no Armor points remain they take the remaining damage as Wounds. Some
attacks or effects may deal Wounds directly and ignore a creature's Armor.
SHIELDS
Wielding a shield reduces incoming damage by 1, but never reduces the damage to below 1.
VIII. Hit Dive & Death
Each time a creature receives Wounds they roll their Hit Dice (HD). Each HD is a d6. If the
result is less than or equal to the Wounds they have accumulated the creature dies.
IX. Rest & Healing
Spending a day resting in a safe location heals all Wounds, repairs Armor, and restores worn
weapons. If a PC wants to restore their weapon or Armor during an expedition, they can do so
by using Supply.
X. Time
Time is tracked using three measurements:
Round - 10 seconds: in-game, used during combat. A round is enough time for a PC to
perform an action like casting a spell or attacking.
Turn - 10 minutes: in-game, used while exploring an adventuring site. A turn is enough time for a party of PCs to search a dungeon room, pick a lock or do any other significant activity. Each turn, the GM rolls a d6. On a result of 1, an encounter occurs.
Watch - 4 hours: in-game, used when travelling the overworld. A watch is enough time
for a party to travel about 6 miles, hunt for food, or explore the area around them. Each
watch, the GM rolls a d6 to determine if a random encounter occurs.
XI. Advancement
Once a PC earns XP equal to 1000 x their current HD, they automatically spend it to gain
a HD (i.e. a PC with 3 HD would need to earn 3000 XP, after they gained their third HD, to
gain their fourth). When a PC's HD increase they may choose
one of the following:
1. Increase one attribute by 1 point. No attribute can be increased above 8.
2. Learn a new spell.
A PC cannot have more than 12 HD. If they would gain their thirteenth Hit Die they retire
from adventuring
XII. Rewarding XP
At the end of each session the GM rewards each character XP based on the gold value of
the non-magical treasure they brought back safely (1 GP = 1 XP), and 25 XP per NPC Hit Die
of each monster they defeated or outsmarted.
Spellcasting
To cast a spell the caster must have at least one empty inventory slot to receive Stress, one
hand free, and must be able to speak.When a PC attempts to cast a spell they must make a MAG roll. A successful roll means the spell is cast and they take one Stress. If the PC fails the roll, the spell is not cast and the PC gains no Stress.
If the d20 rolled a result of 1, roll on the Blunders table to determine an unforeseen effect.
If a PC takes a full turn to cast a spell, they still receive a Stress but do not have to make a MAG roll and automatically cast the spell successfully.
NPC Spellcasters:
Whenever an NPC attempts to cast a spell the GM makes a roll just like a PC would but uses
the NPC's Ability score instead of MAG. The X value of spells they cast is half their Skill rounded up. NPCs don't receive Stress and do not roll on the Blunders table. Unless otherwise stated, NPC spellcasters can only cast each of their spells once each day
Equipment
Most items take one slot to carry but some items, like weapons or armor, may take additional slots to carry.
Gold:
When treasure is sold, it is converted into gold pounds (GP). These do not take up inventory slots. PC's are assumed to carry a small amount on their person to spend on small purchases and have the rest of their wealth stored somewhere else.
Supply:
Supply is an abstract item representing basic gear a PC brought with them and costs 5 GP.
At any time during a session a PC may trade a Supply they carry for any simple commonly
available item, which they then note in their inventory. It is up to the GM which items can be acquired using Supply and which should be bought separately. Supply can also be used to repair Armor and restore worn weapons during an expedition. One Supply can be used to restore 2 Armor points or one worn weapon; this process takes one turn. Generally Supply is used to obtain food and comparatively simple items. Gold is used for weapons, armor, ammo, and more advanced stuff like vehicles and specialized items.
Ammo:
Ammo is an abstract item representing the ammunition a PC brought with them for their
weapon. Players do not keep track of individual arrows, bullets, or charges but must roll a d6 at the end of combat in which their PC used a ranged weapon. On a result of 1, they only have enough ammunition left for one shot after which the Ammo is removed from their inventory.
Light:
To light the way during the night or in dark places below the earth PCs need a light source.
Torch - Burns for 6 turns (1 hour).
Lantern - Burns for 18 turns (3 hours) but
requires a separate flask of oil.
Electric - Runs for 36 turns (6 hours) but requires batteries.
Non Player Characters
The allies and adversaries PCs can encounter
are described using the following statistics:
Skill - An NPC's Prowess, Fortitude, Presence, and Magic distilled into one value. The GM
adds this to any action roll the NPC makes.
Hit Dice (HD) - The amount of d6s the GM
should roll when an NPC becomes wounded. An NPC with 0 HD dies when it takes
any Wounds.
Armor - The amount of damage an NPC can
take before it starts rolling its Hit Dice.
Morale (ML) - An NPC's odds of giving up during battle.
Possible attacks and/or special abilities the NPC might have.
NPCs cannot push themselves and cannot gain Stress.
Reaction:
When an NPC's reaction to encountering the PCs is not obvious, roll 2d6 and consult the
table below.
2-3 Hostile | 4-5 Unfriendly | 6-8 Indifferent | 9-10 Friendly | 11-12 Helpful
Hirelings
NPCs can be hired to help PC's during their adventures. To create a hireling roll a d4 to
determine their Skill, give them 1 HD and a weapon. A hireling has 10 inventory slots. Experienced hirelings might possess spells and a higher Skill, at the GM's discretion. A hireling can be hired for 1 GP per Skill a day. If a hireling is hired to fight alongside the PC's in combat they also require half a share of whatever treasure the party obtains. Each PC can hire a number of hirelings up to their PRE score