Background Information
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Mechanics
Skills
Each character possesses skills, ranked from 0 to 10. Most skills start with a rank 1 with the exception of skills in the Learning group, which start at 0 and can't be used until at least one rank in it has been gained. When a skill check is made, roll four six-sided dice or a number equal to the ranks you have in the skill, whichever is higher. To the rank in your skill, subtract one for each 1 or 2 rolled, and add one for each 5 or 6 rolled. If the final result is equal or greater then the difficulty (DC) of a task, it is a success. Rolling significantly above or below the target number may have additional effects beside basic success and failure, depending on the task in question. If two characters act in opposition to each other, such as when negotiating with each other, both roll the applicable skill and compare the result, with the character with the higher result emerging victories. Should both characters be tied, neither side has gained any advantage and usually the characters will simply try again.
An average amount of capability in a given skill equals the rank of 3, with 5 representing an expert. Higher values are rare and usually the result of much hard work and dedication of a character. Skills can also be modified by traits, which raise or lower their values, usually under specific circumstances.
Martial
Combat - The skill for personal combat, covering armed and unarmed fighting, archery, hunting and similar tasks.
Command - Needed for commanding ships and soldiers on a tactical and strategic scale.
Diplomatic
Persuasion - Used whenever characters try to convince each other of something.
Leadership - Leading and organizing large groups of people, be it a religious group, the workers in a business or a military unit.
Mercantile
Negotiation - Making deals and haggling about things, usually in an opposed check with another character.
Administration - Performing the clerical tasks, accounting and organizing of a business, a government or similar institutions.
Intrigue
Subterfuge - The art of lying through your teeth.
Espionage - Gathering information on your enemies and hiding your own secrets.
Learning
Moral Philosophy - The study of morality, ethics and how man should behave.
Natural Philosophy - The study of nature and it's phenomena.
Metaphysical Philosophy - The study of logic, causality, reason and the nature of the divine.
Religion - The religious lore of a specific faith.
Turns and Actions
During a turn, you gain a number of Action Points (AP) that can be spent on actions. There are two types of actions, regular actions and prolonged actions.
Regular actions require a fixed number of AP and Resources (see below) to be taken and have one or more skills and DCs associated with it. When taken, the associated checks are made and the actions succeeds or fails depending on the rolls. So, for example, a regular action might cost 1 AP and 1 Wealth to take and require a DC 4 Negotiation check. Some actions might be repeatable and can be taken again in later turns. Some actions can also have the chance to over-invest. In that case, a second price of AP and Resources is given and if spent, checks of the action will be rolled twice and the better result is taken.
Prolonged actions have no fixed AP cost and instead specify a cost of Resources per AP spent. Every time an AP is spent on a prolonged action, you roll the associated skills and add the result of that check to the progress of the action. Once the progress is equal or grater to the DC, the action concludes successfully. A prolonged action can not fail, but each turn in which it is actively worked on or has at least one progress, a random event might occur that can help or hinder the action. So, for example, a prolonged action might specify a cost of 1 Wealth per AP spent and a Administration DC of 20. If you decide to spend 2 AP on it, you have to expend 2 Wealth and can roll your Administration skill twice, adding the results together. If the total result is less then twenty, then a random event can occur for this action and you can spend further AP on it next turn to complete it then.
Resources
There are three kinds of Resources: Wealth, Goodwill and Secrets
Of the three, Wealth is the easiest to acquire and most universal. Wealth simply represents money, gold, trade goods or other forms of stored value and is used to pay for everything from the upkeep of your mansion to the bribes sent to an Emperor. More Wealth tends to be easy to acquire when you already have a lot of it and fairly difficult when you don't, so it is always advisable to keep a healthy reserve of it to weather unexpected problems. Bankruptcy is one way of losing the quest and occurs when you end a turn without any Wealth or assets that can be forcefully liquidated to generate the Wealth needed to pay for your expenses.
Goodwill and Secrets are tied to a specific person, group or institution, representing that they are willing to do you favors or that you can compel them to do so by extortion. You can gain Goodwill by dealing fairly with other people or doing them favors, while Secrets can be gained through espionage. Goodwill, once spent, tends to be gone for good, though having good relations to a group or person means that you might be passively generating Goodwill with them over time. Secrets on the other hand can be used as often as you like, but obviously the other party will greatly resent you for continuously extorting them. You can use Secrets instead of Goodwill for any action that requires it, but you should always be aware that doing so means that whatever you compelled the other party to do is done under duress, which means they will likely try to sabotage or hurt you in some fashion.
Relationships and Reputation
Every time you interact with other people or groups, it will be impacted by and impact in turn the relationship between you. This is tracked on a scale from -10 to +10, with positive values giving you bonuses when interacting with that party, while negative values giving penalties. Reputation is working in the same way, but tracks the opinion of large groups, such as the upper class of an entire city, or that of the population of a realm. When interacting with a person for the first time, your reputation in groups to which that person belongs influences their starting relationship to you.