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Table of Contents CHAPTER 1: BASIC CONCEPTS CONCEPTS .......................... ........................................ ............................ ........................... ........................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ .................. ....3 CHAPTER 2: CHARACTER CHARACTER CREATION................................ .............................................. ........................... ........................... ........................... .......................... ........................... ............................ ................ .. 4 Attributes: .......................... ........................................ ........................... ........................... ............................ ............................ ........................... ............................ ............................. ............................ ............................ ......................... ...........4 Resolving a conflict with Attributes ....................................... ..................................................... ............................ ........................... ........................... ............................ ............................ ............................ .............. 5 Special Abilities............................ .......................................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ........................... ........................... ............................ ............................ ..............6 Values ........................... ......................................... ........................... ........................... ............................ ............................ ........................... ............................ ............................. ............................ ............................ ............................ ................ .. 9 CHAPTER 3: EQUIPMENT EQUIPMENT AND PROVISIONS PROVISIONS ........................... ........................................ ........................... ............................ ............................ .......................... .......................... ..................... .......12 Carrying Capacity:........................... ......................................... ............................ ............................ ........................... ........................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................. ....................... ........ 13 Weapons and Armor: .......................... ........................................ ........................... ........................... ............................ ............................ ........................... ........................... ............................. ............................. .................... ...... 13 Adventuring Equipment:................. Equipment:.............................. ........................... ............................ ............................ ........................... ........................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ......................... ...........14 Wealth Level: ........................... ......................................... ............................ ............................ ........................... ........................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................. ................. 15 CHAPTER 4: COMBAT .......................... ........................................ ........................... ........................... ............................ ............................ ........................... ............................ ............................. ............................ .................. .... 16 Rolling Dice........................... ........................................ ........................... ............................ ............................ ........................... ........................... ........................... ............................ ............................. ............................ .................... ...... 16 Combat Zones ........................... ......................................... ............................ ........................... ........................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................. ................. 16 Turn Order (Surprise) ............................ ........................................... ............................. ............................ ............................ ............................. ........................... .......................... ............................ ............................. ................. 16 Turns ............................ .......................................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ..............16 Injury and Death (Three strikes and you’re out) ................... ................................ ........................... ........................... ........................... ........................... ........................... ............................ ................ .. 17 Tracking Strikes and Injuries on the Character Sheet .................. ................................ ........................... ........................... ........................... ............................ .............................. ..................... ...... 18 Terrain features ........................... ......................................... ............................ ........................... ........................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................. ............................. ........................... .............19 Combat Example .......................... ........................................ ............................ ............................ ........................... ........................... ............................ ............................. ............................. ............................ ......................... ...........19 CHAPTER 5: ADVENTURING ADVENTURING ............................ .......................................... ........................... ........................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ .................. .... 21 Obstacles........................... ........................................ ........................... ............................ ........................... ........................... ............................ ............................ ........................... ........................... ............................ .......................... ............21 Poisons.......................... ........................................ ............................ ........................... ........................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ..............22 Disease........................... ........................................ ........................... ............................ ............................ ........................... ........................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ..............23 Falling ........................... ........................................ ........................... ............................ ............................ ........................... ........................... ............................. ............................. ............................ ............................ ............................ ..............24 CHAPTER 6: CHARACTER CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT DEVELOPMENT............................. ........................................... ........................... ........................... ........................... ........................... ............................ ..................... .......25 Scope .......................... ........................................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ........................... ........................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ................ .. 25 Experience points........................... ......................................... ........................... ........................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ......................... ...........25 CHAPTER 7: SUPPLEMENTAL SUPPLEMENTAL RULES....................... ..................................... ........................... ........................... ........................... ........................... ............................ ............................ ....................... .........27 Dwarves .......................... ........................................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ........................... ........................... ............................ .......................... ............27 Elves ........................... ......................................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ........................... ........................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ................ .. 27 CHAPTER 8: BESTIARY.................................... ................................................. ........................... ............................ ............................ ........................... ........................... ............................. ............................. .................... ...... 28 Acknowledgements:
Playtesters include Brett Andersen, Adam Howat, George Olshanski, Gordon Olshanski, Benjamin Johnson, Nicholas Johnson, and Philip Carpentier. Thank you for taking a look at this manuscript. All feedback is welcome. Forums are at www.grippingtales.com. www.grippingtales.com. Legal Notice:
All text is copyright by David Olshanski. Art: Claudio Pozas, Storn (www.stornart.com ( www.stornart.com ), and Amanda Webb Some art by Storn is available via Creative Commons, Attribution, Non-Commercial Non-Commercial agreement. All other work is copyrighted by the artists and used with permission. If you have any questions, please contact
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Table of Contents CHAPTER 1: BASIC CONCEPTS CONCEPTS .......................... ........................................ ............................ ........................... ........................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ .................. ....3 CHAPTER 2: CHARACTER CHARACTER CREATION................................ .............................................. ........................... ........................... ........................... .......................... ........................... ............................ ................ .. 4 Attributes: .......................... ........................................ ........................... ........................... ............................ ............................ ........................... ............................ ............................. ............................ ............................ ......................... ...........4 Resolving a conflict with Attributes ....................................... ..................................................... ............................ ........................... ........................... ............................ ............................ ............................ .............. 5 Special Abilities............................ .......................................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ........................... ........................... ............................ ............................ ..............6 Values ........................... ......................................... ........................... ........................... ............................ ............................ ........................... ............................ ............................. ............................ ............................ ............................ ................ .. 9 CHAPTER 3: EQUIPMENT EQUIPMENT AND PROVISIONS PROVISIONS ........................... ........................................ ........................... ............................ ............................ .......................... .......................... ..................... .......12 Carrying Capacity:........................... ......................................... ............................ ............................ ........................... ........................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................. ....................... ........ 13 Weapons and Armor: .......................... ........................................ ........................... ........................... ............................ ............................ ........................... ........................... ............................. ............................. .................... ...... 13 Adventuring Equipment:................. Equipment:.............................. ........................... ............................ ............................ ........................... ........................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ......................... ...........14 Wealth Level: ........................... ......................................... ............................ ............................ ........................... ........................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................. ................. 15 CHAPTER 4: COMBAT .......................... ........................................ ........................... ........................... ............................ ............................ ........................... ............................ ............................. ............................ .................. .... 16 Rolling Dice........................... ........................................ ........................... ............................ ............................ ........................... ........................... ........................... ............................ ............................. ............................ .................... ...... 16 Combat Zones ........................... ......................................... ............................ ........................... ........................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................. ................. 16 Turn Order (Surprise) ............................ ........................................... ............................. ............................ ............................ ............................. ........................... .......................... ............................ ............................. ................. 16 Turns ............................ .......................................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ..............16 Injury and Death (Three strikes and you’re out) ................... ................................ ........................... ........................... ........................... ........................... ........................... ............................ ................ .. 17 Tracking Strikes and Injuries on the Character Sheet .................. ................................ ........................... ........................... ........................... ............................ .............................. ..................... ...... 18 Terrain features ........................... ......................................... ............................ ........................... ........................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................. ............................. ........................... .............19 Combat Example .......................... ........................................ ............................ ............................ ........................... ........................... ............................ ............................. ............................. ............................ ......................... ...........19 CHAPTER 5: ADVENTURING ADVENTURING ............................ .......................................... ........................... ........................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ .................. .... 21 Obstacles........................... ........................................ ........................... ............................ ........................... ........................... ............................ ............................ ........................... ........................... ............................ .......................... ............21 Poisons.......................... ........................................ ............................ ........................... ........................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ..............22 Disease........................... ........................................ ........................... ............................ ............................ ........................... ........................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ..............23 Falling ........................... ........................................ ........................... ............................ ............................ ........................... ........................... ............................. ............................. ............................ ............................ ............................ ..............24 CHAPTER 6: CHARACTER CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT DEVELOPMENT............................. ........................................... ........................... ........................... ........................... ........................... ............................ ..................... .......25 Scope .......................... ........................................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ........................... ........................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ................ .. 25 Experience points........................... ......................................... ........................... ........................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ......................... ...........25 CHAPTER 7: SUPPLEMENTAL SUPPLEMENTAL RULES....................... ..................................... ........................... ........................... ........................... ........................... ............................ ............................ ....................... .........27 Dwarves .......................... ........................................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ........................... ........................... ............................ .......................... ............27 Elves ........................... ......................................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ........................... ........................... ............................ ............................ ............................ ................ .. 27 CHAPTER 8: BESTIARY.................................... ................................................. ........................... ............................ ............................ ........................... ........................... ............................. ............................. .................... ...... 28 Acknowledgements:
Playtesters include Brett Andersen, Adam Howat, George Olshanski, Gordon Olshanski, Benjamin Johnson, Nicholas Johnson, and Philip Carpentier. Thank you for taking a look at this manuscript. All feedback is welcome. Forums are at www.grippingtales.com. www.grippingtales.com. Legal Notice:
All text is copyright by David Olshanski. Art: Claudio Pozas, Storn (www.stornart.com ( www.stornart.com ), and Amanda Webb Some art by Storn is available via Creative Commons, Attribution, Non-Commercial Non-Commercial agreement. All other work is copyrighted by the artists and used with permission. If you have any questions, please contact
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CHAPTER 1: BASIC CONCEPTS What this game is about
Dichotomy is a tabletop roleplaying game; if you don’t know what a tabletop roleplaying game is, then ask whoever gave you these rules to explain. The rules are designed to be easy to learn, for speed of play (particularly with play-by-post style games), and to focus on character growth, exploration, and logistics rather rather than looting and killing. The game is written for play in the style of Sword and Sorcery. Sorcery. These adventures focus mainly on personal battles rather than than world-endangering matters. The game is geared toward traditional medieval fantasy. Dichotomy is designed for a group of about 4-6 players. One participant serves as the Game Master Master or "GM"; the other participants are referred referred to as "players". The GM has a special special role in that the GM is responsible for establishing scenes, acting as a referee, and playing the roles of the minor characters in the game. Each player is responsible for creating a character with a personality and Values. Values. The player player decides how their their character acts or reacts to various scenes scenes described by the GM. The characters created by the players are called Player Characters (PCs), while the characters or monsters created by the GM are called Non-Player Characters (NPCs). The game is played with the characters experiencing a series of adventures which may be pre-planned by the GM or arise organically out of the characters characters Values. The GM determines the the pacing of adventures, adventures, depending on the scope of the game game that the GM and players wish to to participate in. A game might last for a one-shot session, it could last for 10 sessions over a few weeks, or it could be an ongoing epic lasting a year or more. Rolling the dice
Dichotomy uses two 10-sided dice rolls for resolving most actions during game play. You'll add a relevant attribute score to each of the two dice, and try to meet or exceed a Target Number (TN) on each of the two rolls. rolls. A die roll of "0" counts as 10, which is the best possible roll. roll. If both of the sums exceed the Target Number, it is a Total Success. If the sum exceeds the TN for one roll but not the other, it is a Partial Success (or in rare cases a Partial Failure). If neither roll exceeds the TN that is a Failure. Example: David David wants his character character to pick a lock on a treasure chest. His Finesse attribute attribute is 7 and and his Technical attribute is 8. David's first die rolls a 6, added added to his Finesse attribute attribute of 7 is a sum of 13. David's second die roll is a 1, added to his Technical attribute of 8 is a sum of 9. Comparing the results of the two dice rolls to TN of 10, David achieved a partial success. Since it was a partial success, success, the GM says “You will not be able to open the lock without ruining your lockpick in the process… do you still want to open the chest?” While the standard TN is 10, there are many cases where the TN is higher or lower. An attempt to pick a complex lock might have TN of 12 or more. An attempt to break down a rickety rickety door might have have a TN of only only 8. When there is a conflict between a PC and an NPC, the Player always rolls the dice whether they are attacking or defending. When there is a conflict between two PCs, The attacker rolls the dice—the TN is the sum of 5+the defender's attribute. In the case of a PC vs. PC conflict, there will be two different TNs, one for each attribute.
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Option: GM Rolls some Dice
Having the players roll the dice helps keep the players engaged and lets the GM concentrate on running the adventure and playing the NPCs. If you are playing by post on the internet, or if the GM wants to have a direct hand on the dice for dramatic reasons, it is fine for the GM to make the rolls for the NPCs, using the TNs just as if the player were rolling.
CHAPTER 2: CHARACTER CREATION Attributes: There are 3 pairs of attributes, each is ranked on a scale from 1-10. Within each pair of attributes, you must distribute 11 points. Each attribute must fall within the range of 1-10. When you are finished, you will have distributed a total of 33 points. An attribute pair is referred to as a dichotomy. Many players prefer to roll 1d10 for the first attribute of each dichotomy and calculate the second attribute by subtracting from 11. Unless you are absolutely determined to play a particular type of character, it is often best to roll your attributes and see what kind of character you get. Finesse vs Power: Perhaps the most important defining dichotomy for your character. A character with a high Finesse is often more observant, precise, and coordinated. A character with a high Finesse attribute is skilled at attacking from range, and likewise is better able to dodge ranged attacks. Power is a measure of raw physical or spiritual strength and fitness. A character with a high Power attribute is often physical, strong, and handy. A character with a high Power attribute excels at defending themselves and dishing out damage in close-up combat. Martial vs Spiritual: If your character ever finds themselves in a situation that can only be solved by violence, then this pair of attributes comes in play. This dichotomy measures a character's competence with martial weapons, such as swords, axes, and shields, against their spiritual or magical aptitude. Spiritual power is used for wielding magical powers, and for maintaining one's composure when faced with the unexplainable. A character with a 10 Martial /1 Spiritual might be a hulking brute like Conan or a wiry martial artist. A character with 1 Martial/10 Spiritual might be a frail old wizard or a young psychic prodigy. A high Spiritual score doesn’t necessarily mean that a character is religious; it could just as easily represent a character with psychic or magical powers. Natural vs Technical: This dichotomy measures a character's affinity for nature against their Technical aptitude. A high Natural attribute is good for wilderness survival and identification of plants and animals. A high Technical attribute is useful for opening locks, disarming traps, knowledge of construction and architecture, and familiarity with the trappings of civilization.
Example: Susan wants to create a character that is highly attuned to nature, slightly better at using a bow and arrow than sword, and more likely to wield a weapon than magic. Susan assigns the following points to her Attributes: Finesse 6/Power 5, Martial 8/Spiritual 3, Natural 10/Technical 1. Using Attributes:
In most cases, you'll describe what your character does, and the GM will relay the results of your activity. The GM is expected to be a fair and impartial arbiter of the players’ actions. In certain circumstances, the results may be determined by rolling the dice. The GM will determine which two attributes are most applicable to the situation and the player must attempt to beat the TN by rolling the dice and adding the appropriate attribute. If the player rolls a pair of 10's, then it was a critical success. A critical success is at least as good as a total success, and in addition may give the character some additional bonus; for example, a character disables a trap—a critical success means that the trap was not only disabled, but it could be re-armed afterward, or caused to trigger under different circumstances. The GM should not require dice rolling for simple tasks--if a PC wants to kick down a door, it should eventually collapse with no dice rolling required. If the PC wants to kick down a door on their first try, the GM may call for a dice roll. If a PC wishes to bribe a corrupt official, it should work with no dice rolling. If a PC wishes to bribe an honest official, it will fail with no dice rolling required. The GM should only require a dice roll when the actions of the PCs may result in multiple possible outcomes based on the attributes of the PC. The GM should be careful never to call for a dice roll if the GM is not willing to play with all possible outcomes of the roll. If an essential clue is hidden in a desk drawer, then the players should find the essential clue without rolling any dice.
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Resolving a conflict with Attributes
Social Skills
The GM is the ultimate authority on which attributes are rolled to resolve a conflict. A good player describes their actions so that their best attributes come into play. The chart below shows some typical attribute combinations for overcoming challenges. Looking at the first two rows in Table 1-1, you can see there are two ways of getting past a locked door—Finesse/Technical or Power/Technical. If your character has a high Finesse, they should try to pick the lock, with a high Power they should try to kick the door down.
What if the character tries to sweettalk someone, or bluff their way ou t of a sticky situation? In Dichotomy, the GM adjudicates all social interaction by using their judgment to decide how NPCs respond to the Player Characters. This is an aspect of the game where player skill is very important--if the character needs to come up with a clever lie, the player better be on their toes!
Whenever possible the GM should adjudicate rolls with Technical/Natural and Finesse/Power. The Martial/Spiritual attributes are typically only used during combat. The GM should never arrange a contest in which both sides of a dichotomy are challenged on the same roll; for example no action should be decided by a Power and Finesse roll, or by a Natural and Technical roll.
Standard tasks that make a decent challenge for a party of 4 adventurers should usually have TN of 10. A TN of 12 is a very serious challenge, and a TN of 14 is about the highest that a task should be. Table 1-1 Sample Actions and Attributes Action
Attributes Rolled
Failure
Partial Success
Total Success
Break down a locked door
Power & Technical
Door cannot be breached
Door is broken down after considerable time, perhaps attracting unwanted attention.
Door is opened quickly
Pick a lock
Finesse & Technical
Lock is jammed
Lock is opened after considerable time and with evident tampering, possibly ruining the lockpick.
Lock is opened quickly and without trace
Notice a trap in a dungeon
Finesse & Technical
Trap is overlooked
Part of trap is discovered, perhaps the trigger, but not the weapon.
The entire trap is discovered including the trigger and weapon.
Decipher a diagram written in unknown language
Finesse & Technical
You draw the wrong conclusions
You gain a partial understanding of the text
You are able to understand the gist of the document
Notice a roadside ambush
Finesse & Natural
Ambush is not noticed
Part of ambush is spotted, ambushers are alerted
Complete ambush is discovered, tables can be turned on the ambushers
Find a route through a wilderness
Finesse & Natural
You get lost
You eventually find your way, or find a dangerous route
You quickly find the safest route
Climb a cliff
Power & Natural
Fall a long distance, climb cannot be finished
Climb takes a long time with some scrapes, some climbing equipment may be lost
Climb is quick and successful
Fight with a sword
Power & Martial
Your attack fails to harm the opponent
You inflict 1 hit of damage on your opponent
You inflict 2 hits of damage
Burn a distant opponent with pyrokinesis
Finesse & Spiritual
Your attack fails to harm the opponent
You inflict 1 hit of damage on your opponent
You inflict 2 hits of damage
Avoid getting shot by a crossbow
Finesse & Martial
You suffer 2 strikes
You suffer 1 strike
You avoid the attack
Avoid the chilling touch of a ghost
Power & Spiritual
You suffer 2 strikes
You suffer 1 strike
You avoid the attack
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Special Abilities After a player has determined a character's attributes, the next step is to select their Special Abilities. A character usually starts with 3 special abilities, one from each of the three dichotomies, but over time acquires up to a total of 9 special abilities (see Chapter 6, Character Development). A character can have only 1 special ability for every 3 full points in the associated attribute. The application of Power and Finesse abilities will make more sense after reading Chapter 4, Combat. FINESSE ABILITIES: Alertness: You are alert to the sounds, sights, and smells of nature. You notice ambushes by people or animals, it is virtually impossible for anyone to sneak up on you or eavesdrop without your knowledge. When Turn Order is determined (See Chapter 4, Combat), you go first even if the party is ambushed or surprised. If your opponent is unaware, your first attack in the combat counts 1 hit above and beyond whatever you normally roll. Covering Fire: You distract or frighten enemies with your Finesse attack. You designate a single ally to protect—and when that ally is targeted by any opponents' Finesse attacks, your ally suffers 1 less strike. Alternately, you can designate an enemy-occupied zone, and all allies targeted with Finesse attacks originating from that zone suffer one less strike of damage. You must make an attack with your Finesse attribute to use this ability. The protection of Covering Fire lasts until your next turn. Deadly Aim: You take your time to carefully aim for a vulnerable part of your opponent. You give up a Finesse attack during this round, (using up the Action Points as if a Finesse attack was made), and designate a target for a Finesse attack. Next round your Finesse attack against the designated target scores two hits above and beyond whatever is normally rolled. Double Shot: You attack two opponents at once with your Finesse attack. Roll your attack as normal and apply it to two opponents. Both opponents must be located in the same targeted zone. Mobility: Once per turn you can move to any adjacent zone without spending action points. If you are held by an opponent, you can use this ability to break free, (though you don't get the free movement when breaking free). Point Blank : You are able to use your Finesse attribute instead of Power attribute when attacking someone in the same combat zone. You must still use your Power attribute to defend yourself from an attack in the same combat zone. POWER ABILITIES: Cleave: You are able to attack two opponents at once with your Power attack. Roll your attack as normal and apply it to any two opponents in your zone. If used with a Spiritual attack, this ability represents the attack radiating out from the character and striking two opponents. Defender: You are able to provide protection to allies in your immediate vicinity. If an ally in your combat zone is targeted by any Power attack, they suffer one less hit of damage while they remain in your combat zone. You must make an attack with your Power attribute in order to use this ability. The defensive bonus only lasts until your next turn. An allied character can only claim the benefit of one Defender bonus, even if two or more characters use the Defender ability in the same zone. Locked in Combat: You force an opponent to fight you and keep other opponents from getting away. You must attack an opponent with your Power attribute to activate this ability--if you achieve at least a partial success, then on your opponent’s next turn any attack they make must be directed at you and it must use their Power attribute. Even if your attack fails, all opponents incur an extra +1 action point penalty if they attempt to leave your combat zone. Short-Range Attack : You use Power instead of Finesse when attacking into any adjacent combat zone. If you are using a Martial Power attack, this is usually something like throwing an axe, hammer, or javelin at your foe. You can also use Power & Spiritual attacks into an adjacent zone using this ability. Smite: If your Power attack achieves at least one success, your attack was powerful enough to do an additional hit of damage. For example, a partial success that would normally inflict only 1 hit inflicts 2 hits. Tough as Nails: The “Recover” action only costs 2 action points instead of 3 (See Chapter 4, Combat for more details on the "Recover" action.) When rolling to avoid the effects of poison or disease, you count one success above whatever you normally roll.
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MARTIAL ABILITIES: Using Special Abilities
If a character is in a non-combat situation where a Special Ability comes into play, the GM should in most cases simply assume that the character was successful in the endeavor. If the situation is extremely challenging, the GM can ask the player to roll the dice as normal, but the player may count one success above and beyond whatever was rolled. A character without a Special Ability can still attempt most mundane actions, such as climbing a cliff, finding a trap, or looking for clues—though they are not guaranteed a success. Some actions can only be attempted if your character has the appropriate Special Ability, this includes the Spiritual Special Abilities Speak with Animals, Linguistics, and possibly others at the GM’s discretion.
Acrobatics: You have a talent for keeping your balance, swinging from chandeliers, leaping over tables, landing gently after a fall and similar acrobatic feats. When rolling to determine the results of falling, you can count one success above whatever you normally roll. Climbing: You have a combination of strength, determination, and daring that lets you climb nearly anything--including trees, sandstone bluffs, tower walls, glaciers, or limestone caves. With proper equipment, your character can even climb things that would normally be unclimbable, such as frozen waterfalls. Destructive: Few barriers will prevent you from reaching their goals. You kick down doors, smash open chests, and break through barricades. You can also perform feats of strength like moving a heavy boulder, bending metal bars or lifting a gate. Escape Artist/Contortionist: You are double-jointed, or simply very flexible. You can escape from bonds and have no problems navigating small crawlspaces. Stealthy: You are able to sneak up on opponents or lie in a mbush. You could disappear into shadows in an alley or sneak past a sleeping guard dog.
Swimming: You are skilled with swimming, fighting while underwater, holding your breath, and keeping your footing while fording rivers. SPIRITUAL ABILITIES: Biokinesis: You have the ability to harm or heal through touch using pure spiritual energy. You can use this ability to inflict harm on a living opponent in the same combat zone using your Power attribute. Outside of combat, with about 10 minutes of concentration, you can use this power to heal an ally. You can remove an Injury, a Serious Injury, remove poison, cure a disease, or re-attach a severed limb. Using this ability to cure someone is draining, and you suffer an Injury for your effort. If a character has been "killed" within the last half hour, you can bring them back to life, though this effort takes a full hour and you suffer two Injuries for your effort. A person brought back in this way is still seriously injured and just shy of dying. (See Injury and Death in Chapter 4 for details on injury and healing.) Clairvoyance: You have the ability to see a location, object, or person using extra-sensory powers. This vision is limited by local conditions, so looking inside a safe would show nothing, as it would be completely dark. The distance that clairvoyance works is dependent upon your familiarity with the location, object, or person. If you are unfamiliar with the target, you can only see things a very short distance away, within about 20 meters. If you are moderately familiar with the target, such as an acquaintance, a possession, or a place visited, you can see the location up to about 1000 meters away. If the target is intimately familiar, a keepsake, family member, or home, the target is visible at any distance. This ability works even if you are in darkness or blinded. Dowsing: You have the ability to locate a well known object, person, or substance. If you attempt to locate a general object or person rather than a specific one, then you locate the nearest one of that kind. This power will also guide you on the most direct path to that object or person. This power has a range of 1000 meters. If the target is intimately familiar, a keepsake, family member, or home, the target can be located at any distance. Version: 2013-08-20
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Exorcise: You can banish evil spirits and cleanse an area of bad energy. In combat, you can use this Ability with a Finesse or Power attributes to banish outsiders—creatures such as skeletons, ghosts or demons. Any Power or Finesse attack against these foul creatures does 1 hit of damage above and beyond whatever you roll. See Chapter 7: Monsters for more information about the outsiders. This ability can also be used to cleanse an area of evil, or banish a spirit that possesses a character. Cleansing an area of evil or banishing a possessing spirit is strenuous, and you suffer an Injury for your effort. Psychometry: You are able to learn about an objects history simply by touching or handling the object. Typically only the most recent history is uncovered, as well as any particularly significant events. This power can be used on corpses, in order to learn the cause of death. This power can also be used on magical items, in order to identify their powers. Pyrokinesis: Your have the ability to ignite fires with the power of your mind. This power can be used to create a small glowing ball of fire in midair, with illumination as bright as a torch or lantern. This is a versatile power that can be used with Finesse or Power attacks, showering nearby opponents with a jet of flame, or hurling a flaming ball of fire against distant opponents. Telekinesis: Your have the ability to move objects with your mind. You can lift, move, and manipulate objects that weigh around 25 pounds or less. It is impossible to do fine or controlled movement, such as forcing dice to fall in a particular direction, or land a roulette ball in a particular slot--but simpler things like opening a door, pulling a rope, or tipping over a bottle are all reasonable. Additionally, you can release a lot of energy at once in order to shove or harm an opponent with a Finesse attack. When you achieve a partial success when using this ability, you inflict one hit of damage. With a total success you inflict one hit of damage and shove your opponent into an adjacent zone. This power can be used to knock opponents off of cliffs or bridges. Telepathy: You are able to mentally communicate with a willing participant in direct line-of-sight. The target must share a language with you. This communication is no faster than ordinary conversation, though it is completely non-verbal. If the target also has Telepathy, all of the communication happens instantaneously. A telepath can shield the minds of allies in the same combat zone using this ability; shielding minds is a miscellaneous action that uses 1 action point. Telepathy can also be used to read the mind of an unwilling target, or release a person from mind control; although these u ses require at least 10 minutes and the telepath suffers an injury in the process. NATURAL ABILITIES Orienteering: You have a knack for route finding and for avoiding natural hazards. Your character has an eye for finding the best line up a mountain or for the shortest route across a valley. A character skilled at orienteering can often notice potential natural hazards such as avalanche, deadfalls, quicksand, and flash floods. You are unhindered by rough terrain such as dense underbrush or talus fields. Physik: You have an understanding of anatomy and medicinal herbs. You can use this knowledge to identify causes of death, identify diseases, and find and apply medicinal herbs used for treatment of diseases, poisons, and infections. You can handle such varied tasks as setting broken bones or assisting in childbirth. When administering aid to a character to remove poison or cure disease, your patient can add +2 to their roll to avoid bad effects. If you have access to proper medicinal herbs, your patient can also count one success and beyond whatever they normally roll to remove the bad condition. (See chapter 7 – Adventuring for more information about poisons and diseases) Sense Motives: You have a knack for "reading" people. If your character engages an NPC in conversation, they are able to quickly pick up on subtle vibes in the NPCs mannerisms. You can identify characters that share similar Values with you even if you've only had the briefest meeting. If you have a longer conversation, you can also identify one Value that you do not share in common. Speak with Animals: You are able to communicate with animals. This ability doesn't make the animals any smarter, though it may make them a bit friendlier. You can usually tell if an animal is motivated by Hunger or if it is Territorial (See Values below).
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Survival: You are adept at wilderness survival. You can identify safe food and water, forage for food, and find ways of adapting to extreme environments. You can usually build or locate a safe shelter with natural terrain and flora. Tracking: You are good at noticing things like broken branches, footprints, and other traces that creatures have passed by. You can use this talent to track people or animals, or to determine clues about whom or what has passed through an area. This power is also useful in urban environments, with your character relying more on intuition and observing pedestrians rather than looking for broken branches. TECHNICAL ABILITIES: Architecture: You have a keen eye for architecture and can discern unusual construction such as secret rooms, sliding walls, and unsafe construction. Disable Device: You can disarm security devices such as locks and traps. You can also sabotage devices such as loosening a wagon wheel so that it will come off at a later time, or cause a rope-bridge to unravel. Find Traps: You notice dangerous traps and security devices such as tripwires, alarms, and booby traps. You also have a sense for noticing magical or mystical dangers such as cursed burial grounds or mummy's treasures. Investigative: You can quickly find and identify important clues. If there is a desk with numerous papers, your character can quickly identify which papers, if any, are relevant to an investigation. If there is a stack of books, your character could quickly find which page is dog-eared, and why that page is important. If there are business records, you can identify fraudulent transactions or suspicious customers. Linguistics: You have a knack for languages—it isn't that you know every language, but you are lucky enough to understand the languages that you encounter, or you are gifted enough that you can very quickly pick up a language after listening to native speakers or after perusing a textbook. You can make sense out of hieroglyphics and texts written in dead languages. Mechanics: You are familiar with how things work--particularly technical things. You understand how to operate things as varied as sailboats, floodgates, siege weapons, air-exchange mechanisms, and clockwork devices. Designer’s Notes
The Power/Finesse abilities all directly influence close or ranged combat. Every character will have some nifty tricks they can do in battle--but no more or less than any other character. There is more to the game than combat, and characters with high Finesse will have plenty of opportunities to sneak past guards and disarm traps, while characters with high Power will be able to kick down doors and p ull survivors from raging flood waters. Your character doesn’t need a special ability to perform heroic feats outside of combat—as long as you describe an action that can be resolved with an Attribute check that plays to your character’s strengths. The Spiritual abilities generally provide interesting problem-solving opportunities, with the exception of Pyrokinesis, which is primarily combat-related. Exorcise and Telekinesis have situational usefulness in combat. Martial abilities are meant to overcome obstacles and solve problems. These are all distinctly non-magical abilities. All of these abilities are grounded, non-magical in style. For example, “Stealth” may seem more like a Finesse ability than a Martial ability, but its inclusion with the Martial abilities is indicative of its non-magical categorization, rather than it being associated with someone who specialized in either ranged or close combat. The Natural/Technical abilities cover a broad range of abilities, generally meant for problem-solving. Every character will get a few of these, regardless of their combat focus. Most of the powers are selected primarily for their chance to provide interesting role-playing opportunities. They are meant to provide solutions to problems, without short-circuiting the adventure your GM has designed. The abilities were distributed in order to facilitate creating characters in a variety of medieval fantasy archetypes. For example, a "ranger" might have Double-shot, Stealthy, and Survival; a "paladin" might have Defender, Exorcise, and Sense Motives; a "wizard" might have Point Blank, Pyrokinesis, and Linguistics. Version: 2013-08-20
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Values Values are your character’s problems, connections, duties, and loyalties. Your character can recognize similar Values in other characters or NPCs. Recognizing similar Values in NPCs can provide vital clues for how to negotiate with them, seduce them, or anger them. Your character also earns Experience Points by fulfilling or betraying their Values. Every Player Character starts with 2 Values. After completing an adventure, your character receives 2 Experience Points for each Value they’ve fulfilled during the course of the adventure. A character earns 3 experience points when they betray a Value. Betraying a Value represents a turning point in a character’s life, and is followed by a latent period when the character must “find themselves” before they can select a new Value--they cannot select a replacement Value until they have finished another adventure.
Values
No character is strictly limited by their Values--there even may come a time when they must betray a Value. Values indicate what is important to the character. Betraying a Value provides for quick Experience points in the short term, at the expense of a chance for additional Experience points in the next adventure.
One of Sonny’s Values is to act as Guardian to his family. Sonny has a brother that is always getting into trouble. Each time Sonny rescues his brother from a predicament, he receives 2 experience points. Eventually, however, Sonny gets fed up with his brother and refuses to help him. Sonny receives 3 experience points for betraying his Value, but he also loses the Guardian Value. Eventually, Sonny will be able to select a new Value, or even take the same Value again, after he has had time to reflect on the consequences of his actions. Your character has the ability to recognize Values shared with other characters. Your character must observe or interact with another character for a period of time in order to recognize similar Values. An intense interview would likely provide enough time to identify someone’s Values, as would a long evening of dinner and conversation, or a few days of casual contact while travelling together on a small ship or carriage. Jason’s Values are Love and Faith, Carly’s Values are Faith and Greed. They’ve met each other briefly several times, and know some of the same acquaintances. One evening, at a party, the two of them have a long conversation, at the end of which, they each recognize that they are motivated by Faith. Jason and Carly may believe in completely different faiths, but they recognize the shared Values in each other. After each adventure, you should let the GM know which Values you’ve fulfilled or betrayed. The GM will make the final call about whether your character’s behavior was sufficient to be rewarded. It is usually a good idea to consult the GM about your Values during the adventure. Uses of Experience Points are described in Chapter 6: Character Development. If you have a Value that you neither fulfilled nor betrayed, you can take the opportunity to select a new replacement Value. List of Values
The following is a list of Values. You should consult with your GM before you finalize the selection of your character’s Values. Bloodlust: What is best in life? To crush your enemies and see them driven before you! You relish combat and do not rest when there are foes to be defeated. Your bloodlust is rewarded when you continue to fight after being seriously injured. To betray this Value, you must refuse a fair fight or show mercy to a foe. Callous: No good deed goes unpunished. The world is an awful place, and you do your part to help those misguided fools realize that only the fittest survive. People should look out for themselves, and expect the same from others. Your callous behavior is rewarded when your selfish behavior puts other at risk, when you betray someone who had faith in them, or when you convince someone to use their power for personal gain. To betray this Value, you must be the recipient of a benevolent and selfless deed, or you must perform a good deed with no ulterior motive or reward. Cautious: Let’s face it; discretion is always the better part of valor. The world is a dangerous place and people are likely to get hurt. You are rewarded when you overcome a hostile encounter using other means besides violence, or when you flee a dangerous situation without putting up a fight. To betray this Value, you must take a reckless risk or leap into combat. Conscience: You have a soft spot for those weaker or downtrodden. You are rewarded when you fight on behalf of someone who is in danger and cannot save themselves, or when you find someone in a miserable situation and change their life for the better. To betray this Value, you must ignore a request for help. Deception: You want to present a false image to other people. When this Value is selected, you character selects another façade Value. When other characters have the same Value as your façade, they will believe you have that Value. You will not recognize that Value in others, however. Only another character with the Deception Value can tell that you are also Deceptive. You are rewarded when you fulfill some other Value through lies or deception. To betray this Value, you must “come clean” about your deception. Version: 2013-08-20
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Exploration: You want to go boldly go where nobody has gone before. You'll climb a mountain that's never been climbed, explore a valley that's never been mapped, or enter a dungeon from which nobody has returned alive. You are rewarded for going someplace exotic where you’ve never been before. This could be any place that is avoided by common folk, or it could be travel to a foreign country or experiencing a different culture. To betray this Value you must remain in familiar surroundings for an extended period of time, even when provided the opportunity for travel. Faith: You are devoted to a higher power or personal code of conduct, such as a dietary restriction or daily meditation at sunrise and sunset. You are rewarded for converting people to your belief, for destroying institutions of opposed faiths, or for holding fast to your code of conduct even in the face of hardship. To betray this Value you must break your code or renounce your faith. Fame: "You must be the worst pirate I've ever heard of." "But you've heard of me!" You crave attention and love the spotlight. You are rewarded when you do something noteworthy. Pulling people out of a burning building, saving a town from bandits, or negotiating a peace between rival kingdoms all accomplish this Value. To betray this Value you must let someone else take credit for your deed. Freedom: You are fleeing from some form of bondage or slavery; it could be a painful memory or you could be on the run from the law. You are rewarded whenever you escape imprisonment or when you free slaves or prisoners. Finding evidence to prove a convicted person innocent fulfills this Value, as does freeing someone from indenture or usury. To betray this Value you must deliver someone into bondage or into the hands of the law, or you must ignore an imprisoned person or creature when you have the means to set them free. Greed: You are always looking for a quick buck or dreaming of the next big score. You are rewarded when you acquire a treasure or a huge payday. To betray this Value you must donate everything you own to charity except what you can carry lightly. Guardian: You have a ward, someone who depends on you for security and protection. You are rewarded when you have to make a decision influenced by your ward, or when you have to rescue the ward from trouble. To betray this Value you must sever your relationship with the ward or allow the ward freedom and responsibility. Hedonism: You crave earthly delights; it could be a fondness for alcohol, fine food, music, gambling, or other pleasures of the flesh. A simple craving for a particular vice could satisfy this motive; for example you might have a weakness for a particular vintage of wine, or you might collect sketches by a particular artist. Honor: You have a sense of doing what's right and keeping your word, even if it puts you on the wrong side of the law. Your may be honor-bound to do whatever is necessary to fulfill your responsibilities. They may even have a duty to uphold the law or to a particular guild that they belong to. You are rewarded for acting responsibly or "doing the right thing" when it involves social risk, hardship or physical danger. To betray this Value, you character must shirk your duty or behave dishonorably. Hunger: A creature motivated by Hunger is driven by survival instincts to eat and procreate. This Value is used for NPCs and Monsters. See Chapter 8: Bestiary for information on Monsters. Love: You will do anything for love, vowing to find a loved one that has gone missing, acting as a matchmaker, or even engaging in seduction or wooing a lover. The relationship between John Brown and Queen Victoria, or the relationship between Sir Walter Raleigh and Queen Elizabeth are examples of characters motivated by Love. You are rewarded when you Version: 2013-08-20
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do something romantic, when you unite a couple or family, or when you persuade someone to follow their heart. To betray this Value you must abandon your love or refuse to help star-crossed lovers. Mission: You have a personal mission. You could be looking for a lost family member, finding the Holy Grail, or freeing a community from unfair taxation. You are rewarded every time you complete a major part of your mission. You "betray" this Value by abandoning or completing your mission. Power (influence): You crave power, be it in land, title, or influence. You are rewarded when someone becomes indebted to you or under your control, when you gain a title or deed, or when you ruin a rival. This can sometimes be accomplished altruistically by saving a loyal person's life, but it can also be accomplished through blackmail, usury, or more sinister methods. To betray this Value you must relinquish your power and position. Revenge: You have been wronged and cannot rest until you get revenge against your enemies. You are rewarded for gaining personal revenge on those who wronged you. You are also rewarded for meeting out revenge on behalf of someone that is unable to get revenge on their own. To "betray" this Value you must forgive your enemy or let them go unharmed. Sadist: This creature wants to inflict pain and suffering on others. This Value is used for particularly vile NPCs and Monsters. See Chapter 8: Bestiary for information on Monsters. Territorial: A Territorial creature protects a territory, nest, feeding ground, or other type of area from intruders. This Value is used for NPCs and Monsters and is unsuitable for Player Characters. See Chapter 8: Bestiary for information on Monsters. Truth: You are obsessed with k nowledge, discovery, and truth. You feel a sense of joy when you unravel a mystery. You want to share what you know with the world. You have a strong aversion to lies and deceit. You are rewarded whenever you uncover a falsehood, solve a mystery, reveal a secret, or gain some storehouse of knowledge. To betray this Value you must pass up an opportunity to gain more knowledge.
Designer’s Notes
The primary purpose of the Values is to provide an extra dimension to social interaction. It is sometimes difficult for a GM to communicate through an NPC without over-acting or descending into caricature. With Values, a PC may have insights into an NPC with similar Values--the GM can tell a player what motivates the NPC, and that may provide a springboard for role playing. The secondary purpose of the Values is to provide a minimum of guidance in role-playing a character, especially for people who are new to role-playing games. No player is bound to any course of action based on their Values, and in fact characters gain Experience Points for betraying Values. Ideally Values will provide a bit of emotional heft to the decisions that the players make for their characters. Additionally, every NPC should have 1-2 Values in order to provide a very quick guide for the GM on how NPCs might react when the PCs do something that surprises the GM. The third purpose of the Values is to earn Experience Points. Experience Points are used to earn connections and to reward players for extended play (See Chapter 6: Character Development). Some players would rather have their characters aspire to accomplishing personal goals—rather than amassing a high body-count and a barn filled with gold coins. Even in the most traditional fantasy role-playing games, players feel a sense of accomplishment when their character built a stronghold or purchased an inn and then retired from a life of adventure. Of course those players eagerly created another player in order to keep playing, but the sense of closure to an adventuring career was very rewarding. Creating new Values is strongly discouraged, because the introduction of additional Values will dilute the characters chances of matching Values with NPCs.
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CHAPTER 3: EQUIPMENT AND PROVISIONS Carrying Capacity: Logistics and planning are an integral part of an expedition or adventure. Do you need to bring provisions for a trip across a wasteland? Do you need to bring torches, ropes, and climbing gear to explore deep subterranean caves? Every character is assumed to have clothing, weapons and armor, but additional adventuring equipment is limited by a character’s carrying capacity. Carrying capacity is calculated by averaging Martial and Power attributes and adding 1 (round up), giving each character a capacity between 2 and11. For example, a character with Power 4 and Martial 7 has a carrying capacity of 7.
Weapons and Armor: Your character is assumed to be carrying weapons and armor appropriate to their station and ability. This basic equipment does not count against your carrying capacity and can be written directly into your character’s description. A character with a higher Power ability is probably wearing chainmail armor, and possibly carrying a shield or two-handed sword. A character with a higher Finesse ability probably wears lighter armor such as leather armor and carries a fine bow. For the most part, you can assume that your character is equipped with a ranged weapon, a melee weapon, a shield or off-hand weapon, and armor appropriate for their adventuring lifestyle. If you wish to carry additional weapons or armor, these extra pieces of equipment will count against your carrying capacity. Table 3.1 indicates some appropriate weapons and armor depending on your character’s attributes. These are only suggestions and you are free to use your imagination to come up with new equipment or novel combinations of gear. In rare circumstances your character may have lost their equipment because they have been imprisoned, or perhaps they intentionally left their weapons and armor behind, as they would when attending an elegant reception or fancy ball. Typically, a character that has been stripped of weapons and armor suffers a -4 penalty on all Martial attacks and defenses, and they cannot make ranged attacks unless they acquire some improvised weapons to throw. A character with poor quality or improvised equipment suffers only a -2 penalty on Martial attacks and defense rolls. Table 3.1 Example Weapons and Armor Attributes
Martial 1-4
Martial 4-7
Martial 6-10
Power 1-4
Gnarled staff, short bow, robes
Short spear, recurve bow, bracers, buckskin armor
Rapier and main-guache, composite recurve bow, studded leather armor
Power 4-6
Short sword, heavy crossbow, buckler, quilted armor
Halberd, yew bow, studded leather armor
Dual swords, longbow, chain shirt, iron greaves
Power 6-8
Oaken cudgel, light crossbow, linden wood shield, hide armor
Saber, shortbow, kite shield, chainmail hauberk
Heavy maul, crossbow, iron bracers, brigandine armor
Power 8-10
Cold-iron scepter, sling, heraldic shield, engraved steel cuirass
2-handed Sword etched with runes, light crossbow, scale armor
Battleaxe, light crossbow, steel shield, embossed platemail armor
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Adventuring Equipment: Every character that goes out on an adventure can be assumed to be carrying a backpack, pocketknife, toiletries, and other bare necessities. Your character may want additional equipment depending on the circumstances they are likely to encounter. Although each item listed below may have several components, it counts as one “item” for purposes of determining how much your character can carry. A character can carry more than one of the same items, such as several days worth of rations if the character intends on a long overland journey. Bedroll: A wool blanket used for sleeping when a bed is unavailable. The underside of the bedroll typically has a heavier cushion to provide a better sleeping surface and thermal insulation. A bedroll is thin enough that it can be easily rolled up and tied to a backpack when traveling. Block and tackle: When attached to a rope, a block and tackle provides a mechanical advantage for lifting or moving heavy objects. A block and tackle is used in construction and sailing, but it may also be used in rescue situations to lift an unconscious person. Cold Weather Outfit: This clothing consists of a thick wool pants, shirt, and hat, a heavy cloak, and oiled boots. This outfit is useful for travel in high altitude or arctic terrain. Fishing Kit: This kit consists of a length of fishing line, several hooks, a knife, and pliers. While it is primarily used for fishing, in an emergency it can be used to create a tripwire, to snag an object some distance away, or in an emergency it can be used for sutures. Grappling Hook: When attached to a rope, a grappling hook can be thrown and hooked on a tree, ledge, or window. A grappling hook typically has 3-4 prongs and can be thrown about 30 feet. Journal, quill, inks: This is a small booklet for making notes, writing maps, keeping track of interesting discoveries, and reflections of the day’s events Lantern: This is a metal lantern that sheds a decent amount of both light and heat. It has a glass (whatever) and holds a pint of oil. This comes with a pint of oil, spare wicks, and a flint and steel. It takes about a minute to fill and light a Lantern. A pint of oil burns for about 4 hours. Manacles: These are heavy metal b ands for the legs and wrists, connected by a chain, and are excellent for keeping prisoners in check. Medical Kit: This is a collection of medicinal herbs, salves, and bandages. A kit includes enough ingredients to treat five people for poisons or diseases, and an unlimited number of minor scrapes and injuries. When using a Medical Kit on a patient, they receive a bonus of +2 on any rolls to resist poisons or diseases. Mess kit: This is a pot, cutlery, seasonings, spices, and other culinary tools necessary to make bland food a bit more palatable. Musical Instrument: This is a small drum, flute, fiddle, or some other musical instrument. It can be used to while away the time and entertain your companions. Oil: This is 3 pints of kerosene, each in a stoppered vial. Each pint of oil burns vigorously (though not explosively). Pitons and hammer: These short metal spikes can be pounded into cracks in rocks or masonry in order to provide anchor points for ropes, to provide handholds and footholds, or occasionally to jam a Technical device such as a door. Pole, 10-foot: This sturdy pole has many uses, such as prodding things you don’t want to touch, for propelling a boat across shallow bodies of water, and jumping across dykes Prybar: This is a heavy bar that can be used to break open doors, locked boxes, and even jail cells. Rations: These are high-calorie rations such as dried meat, dried fruits, cheese, or flatbread, and can keep a person nourished and healthy for 2 days. Rope: This is a sturdy, 50-foot long hemp rope. It is sufficient for mountaineering and spelunking. Shovel: This heavy shovel can be used for digging trenches, latrines, and uncovering buried treasure. Spyglass/Lenses: This is a hand-held telescope; it can be used for orienteering or navigation, and in a pinch a magnifying lens can be used to start a fire. A spyglass typically comes in a cloth-lined wooden carrying case and includes a mirror. Tarpaulin: This is a sheet of waterproof cloth that can be used to construct a makeshift shelter from the elements, or draped over objects. A tarpaulin comes with enough rope to make an improvised tent. Version: 2013-08-20
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Toolkit: This is a collection of basic craftsman’s tools including wrench, chisel, and hammer, as well as finer tools for picking locks. Torch: A torch is a short wooden rod between 1 and 3 feet in length. One end of the torch is tightly wound with a rag soaked in pitch or kerosene. The entire thing weighs about 2-3 lbs and burns for about an hour. In most cases, a torch is not particularly dangerous when used as a weapon, but swarms of insects and other vermin are kept at bay by open flames. Torches are also popular weapons in the hands of angry villagers. Water skin: This is a bladder or pouch that holds a full d ay’s supply of water. In temperate climates and towns your character should have ample opportunities to refill a water skin at lakes, creeks, springs, fountains, and wells. Woodsman’s Axe: This is a sturdy axe designed for chopping down trees and cutting firewood.
Wealth Level: Wealth in Dichotomy is extremely abstracted, it isn’t necessary to keep track of exactly how many coins your character is carrying; rather Dichotomy uses a scale that represents a “standard of living”. This scale doesn’t represent actual wealth, but rather it represents a character’s lifestyle. The Wealth Level is determined by the GM for each character, based on the character’s activities and the Player’s vision of the character. In Dichotomy, Wealth Level is as much about how NPCs perceive your character as it is about your characters purchasing power. Regardless of a character’s Wealth Level, they are always able to muster up whatever ordinary supplies they might need to go on an adventure. Wealth Level is not an indication of absolute wealth; a destitute character may have donated their money to charity, invested it, or have it otherwise tied up in land and business. An affluent character may be living on borrowed funds, or squandering the last remains of a recent windfall. If a player wishes, they may change their character's wealth level in-between adventures. Destitute: A destitute character is just barely scraping by. Their clothes may be threadbare, they can barely afford accommodations, and they only spend money on absolute necessities. A destitute character typically cannot afford to pay bribes; likewise they cannot buy treasure maps or unusual artifacts. A destitute character is more likely to be sought out by NPCs looking to hire people for dangerous or risky jobs. Other destitute characters will have, at times, a certain camaraderie that they wouldn’t share with wealthier individuals. A destitute character is less likely to be targeted by swindlers or thieves. A destitute character is typically welcomed in seedy taverns while a character with more wealth is viewed with suspicion. Comfortable: A character with a comfortable level of wealth is able to buy good meals, stay at modest inns, and has enough spending money left over to buy trinkets or information. A character with a comfortable level of wealth can periodically go to a fancy ball if they are accompanied by an Affluent character, and likewise they can sometimes fit in seedier parts of town if they are in the company of destitute companions. A comfortable character is most likely to gain acceptance in an artisan’s guild. Affluent: An affluent character spends money freely. They wear fine clothes and live in ritzy neighborhoods. Affluent characters may find themselves invited to elegant balls, operas, or similar events. An affluent character can typically buy whatever trinkets strike their fancy. Affluent characters are unlikely to receive job offers, but they may be asked to perform charity work. An affluent character is far more likely to be granted an audience with a noble or allowed into a rare-books room at a library. An affluent character is more likely to be targeted by robbers, con-artists, and thieves.
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CHAPTER 4: COMBAT Most of your character's actions are resolved by describing what you'd like to do, but there are times when simple talking and negotiation is not enough and your character may resort to combat. Combat is the negotiation of last resort. This chapter contains the rules for engaging in combat.
Rolling Dice During combat, the Players and GM take turns describing the actions of their characters. On the players turn, they will roll the dice for attack actions. During the GM’s turn, when Non-Player characters attack, the Players make defensive rolls to avoid the attacks. The GM never rolls dice in combat. Combat rolls are the same as normal attribute rolls with one exception. During combat, when attacking or defending, a roll of a 1 is always a failure, and a roll of 10 is always a success.
Combat Zones In Dichotomy, the Game Master provides a map with zones to display the positions of all of the combatants, as well as terrain and other features. Combat is a strategic game involving positioning, tactics, and a bit of luck. There are vinyl battlemats made especially for wargames and role-playing games, or you could use a dry-erase board or simple paper. Tokens, counters, or miniature figures are used to identify the combatants. See below for some sample zones. The GM may rule that certain zones provide a bonus on attack rolls, defense rolls, or both. For example, a character on a balcony may gain a +1 bonus on all Finesse Attack or Defense rolls. A character taking cover behind a tree may gain +1 on all Finesse Defense rolls. With Power attacks, a zone usually provides an advantage to the defender against anyone entering the zone. For example, a zone bordered by a creek or at the top of a stairway might provide a +2 bonus on Power rolls to attack or defend against anyone who must cross the creek or climb the stairs. Combat is abstracted enough that a battlemat and miniatures are not required. If you have a battlemat and miniatures, you can certainly use them.
Turn Order (Surprise) During combat, all characters on one side of a conflict take a turn, and then all of the characters on the other side take a turn. The sides alternate taking turns until combat until both sides agree to stop fighting, or until only one side remains. In most cases, the Player Characters have a chance to act as a team before any Non-Player characters. If the players are ambushed, then the Non-Player characters often get to act first. The GM determines if anyone was surprised or caught off-guard, and which team goes first. On the very rare cases when two Player Characters both try to do something at the same time, they each roll 1d10 plus Finesse—the highest total goes first.
Turns When your turn comes up, you have 3 action points that you can spend. Different actions cost different amounts of points. You cannot take the same action twice during your turn. You can take actions in any order. A turn represents about 20 seconds. Attack (1-3 action points)
Whether you are swinging a sword, shooting an arrow, or bringing your spiritual powers to bear, the Attack action is the bread-and-butter of combat. A Power/Martial attack costs one action point. A Finesse attack costs one extra point, and a Spiritual attack also costs one additional point. Thus, a Finesse/Martial or Power/Spiritual attack each costs 2 action points, and a Finesse/Spiritual attack costs 3 action points. The Finesse attribute is used when you attack or defend across battle zones. The Power attribute is used for attacking or defending within a battle zone.
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Defend (3 action points)
You do nothing but defend yourself; all defensive rolls are made with a +4 bonus. Move (1 action point per zone)
When you use a Move action, you move from one zone to another. It costs 1 action point for each zone you wish to move. Thus, you can move up to 3 zones. If you are moving into or out of an enemy occupied zone, it costs one extra movement point. E.g. moving out of an enemy occupied zone and into another enemy occupied zone costs 3 action points. If you have only one action point remaining, but your last move requires 2 or 3 action points, you are allowed to finish your. If you move through 2 clear zones (spending 2 of 3 action points) and try to enter a third zone that is occupied by an enemy, this would normally cost 2 more action points, but you are allowed to finish the move even with only one action point. Recover (3 action points)
If you suffered a strike, this action removes one of your strikes (see Injury and Death below). This action cannot be used to recover from Injury. Note that a character with the Tough as Nails ability only spends 2 action points to remove a strike. Miscellaneous (1+ action points)
Some actions during combat do not fit into one of the above actions. Kicking open a door, drinking a potion, and attempting to negotiate all are considered miscellaneous actions. In most cases this takes 1 point, but depending on the circumstances it could take 2 or more points. Saying a few words or signaling an ally can be done freely without using any action points.
Injury and Death (Three strikes and you’re out) Player Character health is tracked in sets of 3 strikes. When a character suffers 1 or 2 strikes, they can quickly recover. A character that has taken one or two strikes could be considered knocked off balance, confused, winded, or having some minor scrape. The character hasn’t suffered any lasting harm at this point. These strikes can be removed using the recover action (see below), and these strikes are automatically removed when a character has rested for a few minutes (after combat has finished). If a character suffers three or more strikes, they are injured. This is a real physical or psychological injury that takes a full night’s rest to recover. Once a character is injured, they can take up to 2 more strikes, but a third strike results in a serious injury. A serious injury takes a full week of rest to recover. Even after a serious injury has healed, a character may walk with a limp, or suffer pain for weeks afterward. If a character has both an injury and a serious injury, then they can suffer 1 or 2 strikes, but a third strike either kills the character outright or permanently ends their adventuring career. If the character is alive, they can no longer take any actions during the combat. A GM may decide that a character lives for a few hours… long enough to express some last wishes, or the GM may decide that the character will eventually recover from their wounds--but they may be physically crippled or psychologically traumatized and unable to continue a life of adventure. A player character cannot suffer more than an injury or a serious injury in a single round, regardless of how many strikes they suffer. The strikes against a PC are always tallied at the end of a round, and any strikes that put them past an injury or serious injury milestone are ignored. A PC could suffer 6 or more strikes in a single round, but they would only suffer an injury for the first 3 strikes. If a character has an injury and 2 strikes, and they suffered 3 more strikes in a single round, the PC sustains a serious injury, and the excess strikes are not be counted. NPCs typically do not suffer injuries or serious injuries unless the GM includes them for dramatic reasons or plot development. NPCs health (or willingness to fight) is expressed in “hits”. A weak opponent like a goblin may have only 1 hit, while a large or dangerous opponent like a giant may have 10 or more hits. When an NPC runs out of hits they are out of the combat, but what that exactly means is determined by the GM. An NPC that has lost all of their hits could be running away, unconscious, mortally wounded, dead, or anything else the GM deems appropriate. Taking a Dive
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any more actions for the remainder of the combat. All opponents assume that your character is dead and turn their attention elsewhere. It’s likely that a character who takes a dive can avoid getting killed during the combat, but unless they are rescued by their companions they may still end up in a dire situation or even dead. Alexa and Benny are attacked by a pack of hungry wolves. Benny suffers a serious injury and takes a dive. If Alexa is able to drive away the wolves, Benny will eventually recover from his injuries. If, instead, Alexa is forced to flee and leave the body of Benny behind, then the wolves will probably eat Benny. If, instead of wolves, Alexa and Benny surprised a black bear and her cub, then the bear might actually leave Benny alone if he took a dive and Alexa ran away. If Alexa and Benny encountered bandits, the bandits might strip Benny’s body of valuables, but leave him to eventually recover.
Tracking Strikes and Injuries on the Character Sheet The top of the character sheet (see the back of the manual) has 4 circles for tracking strikes, injury, and serious injuries. I recommend using pennies or similar markers to track your character’s health. The first two circles are used for tracking strikes—these markers are added and removed frequently during the course of a combat. The third and fourth circles represent the injury and serious injury, and take some time to heal. See the example below for how to track your character’s health. Table 4.1 Tracking Strikes and Injuries
Strike 1 Round 1
Strike 2
Injury
Serious Injury
Charlotte and some companions are in a dangerous fight. During the first round of combat she suffers 2 strikes. She puts markers in the “strike 1” and “strike 2” circles. In the second round of combat, Charlotte uses the Recover action to remove 1 strike. She removes a marker from the “strike 2” circle.
Round 3
In the third round of combat she suffers 2 more strikes, resulting in an injury. She puts a marker in the “injury” circle, and removes markers from the “strike 1” and “strike 2” circles (the extra strike doesn’t carry over). After suffering an injury or serious injury, the “strikes” are always removed.
Round 4
In the fourth round of combat she suffers 1 strike. She puts a marker in the “strike 1” circle.
Round 5
In the fifth round of combat she suffers 4 strikes, resulting in a serious injury. She puts a marker in the “serious injury” circle and removes markers from the “strike 1” and “strike 2” circles.
Round 2
Round 6 After Combat
In the sixth round she suffers 2 more strikes, putting markers in the “strike 1” and “strike 2” circles. One more strike and Charlotte’s adventuring career will come to an end. At this point the player running Charlotte decides to take a dive. Fortunately, Charlotte’s companions win the battle and revive her.
After 24 hours
Immediately after combat, the 2 strikes are removed, but Charlotte retains the injury and serious injury. Strikes are always removed immediately after combat.
After 1 week
In 24 hours the injury will go away but she is still seriously injured. In one week, the serious injury is removed.
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Terrain features Some battle zones may have terrain features that provide a bonus or penalty to any creature occupying the zone. A position of high ground, like a watchtower, usually provides a +2 bonus on Finesse attacks. A narrow crawlway might impose a penalty of -3 on Martial attacks. A patch of dense fog may impose a penalty of -4 on Finesse attribute. Some terrain features may inflict only a temporary or conditional penalty. A steep staircase might provide a bonus of +1 to Power attribute when entered from above, and a penalty of -1 to Power attribute when climbing up from below. A temporary penalty typically lasts for only one round.
Combat Example The Player Characters, Alexa and Benny, are walking on a wooded trail through some foothills. As the path skirts a steep outcropping of rock, a footpad holding a sword steps out from a small cave and demands "This is our road, you'll pay us your money or your life." Two more footpads are standing at the top of the bluff, their loaded crossbows pointed at Alexa and Benny. The GM quickly sketches the situation, indicating the positions of Alexa, Benny, the three footpads. The GM jots in the various battle zones (1-6), and indicates that zone 6 has an advantage for high ground, giving the footpads a +1 bonus on Finesse rolls, Martial rolls, and Power rolls against anyone climbing up from Zone 5. Alexa Benny Footpad +3 +7 TN 10 Finesse Finesse/Martial +8 +4 Power Finesse/Spiritual TN 9 +9 +3 TN 11 Martial Power/Martial +8 TN 10 Spiritual +2 Power/Spiritual Smite Pyrokinesis 3 hits Notes Note that Alexa and Benny's attributes are expressed as modifiers to dice rolls, while the Footpad's attributes are expressed as Target Numbers. Round 1
On the first round of combat, Alexa uses 3 action points to move to Zone 3 (1 point to move to zone 2, and 2 more points to enter the enemy-occupied zone 3). Alexa charges down the trail, saying "I don't negotiate with bandit scum". Benny uses 3 action points to make a Finesse/Spiritual attack against a footpad in zone 6 using his Pyrokinesis ability. Benny rolls a 7 for Finesse plus his attribute 7 for a total of 14, next Benny rolls a 2 for Spiritual plus his attribute 8 for a total of 10. The footpad’s Finesse/Spiritual TN is 10. Benny equaled or exceeded both of the footpad's TNs, resulting in total success. The footpad suffers 2 hits. (The footpads normally have a Finesse/Spiritual TN 9, but the high ground advantage in Zone 6 increases the footpad's Finesse TN to 10.). Benny furrows his brows in concentration --the air bursts into flame around one of the footpads, burning the bandit. The footpad in zone 3 attacks Alexa with a sword, so Alexa needs to defend herself from a Power/Martial attack. Alexa rolls a 2 for Power plus her attribute 8 for a total of 10, next Alexa rolls a 6 for Martial plus her attribute 9 for a total of 15. The footpad’s Power/Martial TN is 11. Alexa beat one of the footpad's TNs resulting in a partial success. Alexa suffers one strike. The footpad lunges at Alexa and she narrowly deflects his sword with her shield. One footpad in Zone 6 attacks Alexa with a crossbow. Alexa must defend herself against a Finesse/Martial attack. Alexa rolls an 8 for Finesse plus her attribute 3 for a total of 11, next, Alexa rolls a 5 for Martial plus her attribute 8 for a total of 13. The footpad's Finesse/Martial TN is 12. Alexa beat one of the footpad's TNs resulting in a partial success, so Alexa suffers 1 more strike bringing her to a total of 2 strikes. (If the footpad did not have the high ground advantage for occupying zone 6, Alexa’s Finesse roll would have been a success against a TN 10). The footpad's crossbow bolt grazes Alexa's calf, forcing her to split her attention between the footpad in front of her and the footpad on the outcropping.
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The wounded footpad in zone 6 shoots a crossbow bolt at Benny. Benny must defend himself against a Finesse/Martial attack. Benny rolls a 6 for Finesse plus his attribute 7 for a total of 13, next Benny rolls a 3 for Martial plus his attribute 3 for a total of 6. The footpad's Finesse/Martial TN 12 (just like it was for Alexa). Benny beat only one of the footpad's TNs resulting in a partial success, so Benny suffers 1 strike. The second footpad shoots a crossbow bolt at Benny, who barely dodges aside and is visibly shaken by the near-miss. Round 2
On the second round of combat, Alexa swings her axe at the footpad in Zone 3 using her Smite ability. Alexa rolls 9 for Power, plus her attribute 8 for a total of 17, next Alexa rolls a 4 for Martial, plus her attribute 9 for a total of 13. The footpad in Zone 3 has a Power/Martial TN 11. She beat both TNs resulting in a total success . Since she used her Smite Ability, that is 3 hits and the mighty blow knocks the footpad out of combat. With her remaining 2 action point she clambers the slope to Zone 5. The footpad crashes to the ground under the mighty blow of Alexa’s battle axe. Alexa turns her attention to the footpads and begins scrambling up the steep slope. Continuing the second round of combat, Benny tries to burn the injured footpad again with Pyrokinesis. Benny rolls 3 for Finesse, plus his attribute 7 for a total of 11, next Benny rolls a 1 for Spiritual, plus his attribute 8 for a total of 9. The footpad's Finesse/Spiritual TN is 10. Benny beat one TN resulting in a partial success. The wounded footpad had already suffered 2 hits, and one more hit is just enough damage to drop the injured footpad. The air crackles with fire and a footpad falls to the ground, his charred armor still smoldering. The remaining footpad is on the verge of panic, but he fires another crossbow bolt against Alexa. Alexa defends against a Finesse/Martial attack. Alexa rolls a 5 for Finesse plus her attribute 3 for a total of 8, next Alexa rolls a 2 for Martial plus her attribute 8 results in a 10. The footpad’s Finesse/Martial TN is 12. Alexa's did not meet or beat either TN, resulting in a failure--Alexa suffers 2 more strikes. Since Alexa had 2 previous strikes, this footpad’s arrow inflicts an injury. Alexa has taken 4 strikes so far, but the fourth strike is not carried over. (Actually, even a partial success would have resulted in an injury; the extra "strike" is overflow that is not counted.) Alexa is unable to raise her shield in time and the footpad’s crossbow bolt sinks into her shoulder. Round 3
On the third round of combat, Alexa uses 2 action points to move into zone 6 and her third action point to make a Power/Martial attack against the footpad with her Smite Ability. Alexa rolls a 3 for Power, plus her Attribute 8, resulting in 11, next Alexa rolls a 9 for Martial, plus her attribute 9 for a total of 18. The footpad’s Power/Martial TN is 13 (The footpad’s TN is 2 higher on account of the high ground bonus to Power and martial attacks, next round the Power/Martial TN will be its normal 11 for Alexa). Alexa achieved a partial success, which due to her Powerful Attack ability results 2 hits of damage to the footpad. The footpad still has 1 hit remaining. The footpad blocks Alexa’s blade with his crossbow, but he is staggered by the blow. Benny concentrates and uses 3 action points to make another Spiritual/Finesse attack against the last footpad with his Pyrokinesis ability. Benny rolls a 2 for Finesse plus his attribute 7 for a total of 9, next, Benny rolls a 5 for Spiritual plus his attribute 8 for a total of 13. The footpad's Finesse/Spiritual TN is still 10. Benny beat one TN resulting in a partial success. The footpad takes 1 more hit- just enough to drop the last remaining opponent. The last footpad staggers forward and falls, his tumbling body rolls down the steep slope, finally coming to a rest near the path. At the end of the battle, Benny’s 1 strike immediately goes away, but Alexa’s injury will last for 24 hours. If Alexa and Benny get into another fight within that time, Alexa will be seriously injured if she sustains 3 more strikes.
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CHAPTER 5: ADVENTURING There are many dangers that adventurers can encounter in their travels: poisonous monsters, exotic diseases, falling into ravines, swimming in flooded caves, and many others. A few sample obstacles are listed in this chapter; as well as rules for dealing with sample poisons, disease, and a table to calculate damage from falling. The GM is encouraged to create new poisons, diseases, and other hazards as needed for their games.
Obstacles Dramatic tension comes from characters encountering obstacles on their way to achieving their goals. While many of the hazards listed below include example skill checks to overcome the obstacles, it is important not to have a game that relies too much on dice rolling. One of the things that sets tabletop role playing games apart from other types of games and computer role playing games is the free-form problem solving that player can use to overcome challenges. If your players come up with a clever solution to a problem, it's often best to have it work without calling for a dice roll. As a GM, a huge part of your job is to come up with obstacles for the characters to overcome or bypass. It's important for you to be flexible in your ideas, because the players will come up with solutions to obstacles that you hadn't considered. Don't force the players to guess the one solution that you had in mind, instead it is your job to decide whether the player-proposed solution seems reasonable enough. It is often safer to overcome obstacles with thoughtful play and problem solving, rather than relying on ability checks which could result in the loss of resources, or injury, or even death. Table 5-1 Obstacles Hazard
Description
Mechanics
Avalanche-prone mountainside
This mountainside is covered with scree and loose rocks.
A character can make a Natural/Finesse check (DC 12) to find a safe path across the mountainside; the Orienteering ability provides a free success on this roll. A partial success results in a small rock-slide; characters should roll on the Falling Damage table (see below) as if they had fallen 10 feet. A failure on the check results in a major rock-slide, characters should roll on the Falling Damage table as if they fell 40 feet. Alternately, the party could avoid the mountainside completely, but this adds an extra day to their travel time.
Covered Pit trap
This is a pit trap, 10 feet across and 10 feet deep. The bottom of the pit has a number of sharpened spikes. The top of the pit appears to be ordinary earth, but it is only a thin layer of dirt held up by a hinged wooden cover. When 20 or more pounds are placed on the cover, it collapses, dropping the victim into the spiked pit.
Characters searching for traps by prodding the ground with a 10' pole or moving slowly can find the trap with a Finesse/Technical check (TN 10). Otherwise, the first character(s) to step on the pit trigger the trap and fall in, suffering an injury. Once discovered, the pit can be disabled with a Finesse/Technical check (TN 12), or characters could leap across the gap with a Power/Technical check (TN 10), or ingenious characters might drag a log or ladder across the pit and avoid risk altogether.
Eccentric Librarian
This librarian is about 45 years old, slight build, and wears thick horn rim spectacles. He wears a worn woolen tunic with leather patches on the elbows. He knows that a particular rare book holds the information the party is looking for.
The librarian values Exploration and Truth, and he is highly suspicious of greedy and violent types; the librarian will refuse to provide information if threatened or bribed. On the other hand, the librarian has great respect for the quest for knowledge and exploration, and any request for information that appeals to the values of Exploration or Truth will quickly gain the librarian’s assistance. For example, if the information in the rare book will allow for entrance into an ancient and unexplored tomb, or if the information will reveal a secret past about a noble that is trying to keep his family history secret.
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Table 5-1 Obstacles (Continued) Hazard
Description
Mechanics
Locked Treasure Chest
This is a sturdy chest made of oak with iron binding. It has an ornate lock and a heavy clasp.
The chest can be bashed apart with a Power/Martial check (TN 10), although that likely ruins any fragile valuables inside. The lock can be picked with a Finesse/Technical check (TN 12).
Secret Door
This is a wooden panel disguised to look like a normal wall. It can be unlocked by pressing a hidden button disguised to look like a knot in the lower corner of the panel.
Finding the secret door and mechanism for opening it requires a Finesse/Technical check (TN 12); achieving a partial success results in finding the door, but not the button. If the characters are aware of the secret door by following a map or information from an NPC, then Finesse/Technical check drops to TN 8.
Shady Informer
This sly gossip hangs out at a working-class dive. Her clothes are tatters and she wears no jewelry. She has information that is important to the party. Her motives are Greed and Conscience. She is boisterous and good-humored while chatting with Destitute characters, but shy and reserved when dealing with Affluent characters.
If questioned in the presence of an Affluent character, she will demand a hefty bribe and then tell a believable lie. She will not divulge the true information as long as there is an Affluent character present. If she is questioned by a mix of characters of Average and Destitute wealth level, she’ll reveal her information if provided a modest bribe or if the characters can appeal to her Conscience… perhaps her information can be used to help some disadvantaged people in the community. If the shady informer is questioned by only destitute characters, she’ll volunteer her information freely.
Sump
This low point in a natural cave system is completely submerged in stagnant water. It is a narrow, twisting crawlway, only about 3 feet wide and 20 feet long. The party must pass this obstacle if they want to proceed further into the cave.
Navigating blindly through this passage requires a Finesse/Natural check (TN 12), though a character with either Swimming or Escape Artist can count a free success for each Ability. If a character can follow a rope or leader through the passage, the Finesse/Natural check drops to TN 8. A partial success results in an injury with successful passage; a failure results in an injury without passage through the sump. If the sump were wider but longer, the GM might instead call for a Power/Natural check to pass. Depending on nearby elevations, a party might lower the water level in the sump with a siphon or bucket brigade.
Poisons Characters are exposed to poison in a number of ways. Injury poisons take effect when a character suffers an injury from a poisonous monster or from a poisoned weapon. A character can be poisoned from traps, like a poison pin trap on a chest, contact poison smeared on a door handle, or brushing up against a poisonous plant. A character can be exposed when inhaling poisonous gas; some particularly dangerous gasses do not even need to be inhaled. Poisons require rolling a Martial/Natural check twice. The first roll is made immediately upon exposure or injury; the second roll is made one hour later. Every poison has four effects. Each failure on the Martial/Natural check to avoid poison results in suffering one of the effects. The effects are applied in order and the effects are cumulative. Note that a player gains +2 on the second Martial/Natural check if the character is treated with a medical kit or with the Physik ability (or +4 if they have both benefits.)
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Table 5-2 Example Poisons Poison Type
TN
First Failure
Second Failure
Third Failure
Fourth Failure
Giant Spider venom (from spider bite)
10
No effect
Paralysis 1 hour
Paralysis 23 hours
Injury
Concentrated Giant Spider toxin (from trap)
12
Paralysis 1 hour
Paralysis 23 hours
Injury
Injury
Sprite sleeping arrow toxin
14
No effect
Sleep 1 hour
Sleep 7 hours
Lose memory of previous 24 hours
Poison Dart Frog Toxin
10
Injury
Injury
Injury
Injury
Violet fungus spores
12
Unable to use spiritual abilities for 1 hour
Injury
Unable to use spiritual abilities for 23 hours
Injury
Disease Characters are usually exposed to disease though the bite of an infected creature, such as a zombie, or by ingesting or coming into contact with some filthy substance. Unlike poison, diseases usually are not apparent until a 24 hour gestation period has passed. When a character is exposed to disease, they must roll a Martial/Technical check. A total success on the first roll means that a character has completely resisted the disease, otherwise the character is infected. An infected character doesn’t naturally heal (they cannot remove injury markers) as long as they are infected. An infected character makes another Martial/Technical check every 24 hours until they achieve a total success. Any partial success result indicates the character does not get better, doesn’t heal, but doesn’t suffer additional injury. A total failure results in an injury and possibly additional effects based on the disease. Note that if a character is infected, the player gains +2 on all Martial/Technical checks if the character is treated with a medical kit or the Physik ability (or +4 if they have both benefits.) Table 5-3 Example Diseases Disease
TN
Causes
Symptoms/Effects
Blinding Sickness
11
Immersion in sewer water.
A character that takes 1 injury is blind until the disease is cured, a character that suffers a third injury is permanently blinded and retires from adventuring
Slimy Rot
14
Touching a slime monster
A character suffering from slimy rot has their flesh turn slowly into slime. A character that suffers a third injury dies or suffers one or more amputations.
Plague
12
Getting bitten by plaguecarrying rats or close contact with flea-infested rat-nest
A character that takes even 1 injury from this disease is incapacitated with painful black boils and unable to move until the disease is cured or has run its course.
Rage Fever
13
Getting bitten by a zombie or hellhound
A character that suffers a 3rd injury as a result of Rage Fever dies and rises from death as a zombie.
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Falling Whether your character leaps from a balcony, falls into a covered pit, or is thrown off the side of a bridge—falling can result in injury or death. When a character falls, they typically roll a Martial/Natural check if they are in a wilderness situation like a ravine or cliff, or else they roll a Martial/Technical check if they are in a castle or dungeon or other manufactured environment. Table 6-3 indicates the result of a fall onto a hard surface, depending on the results of the check. If a character intentionally jumps, you should give them a +2 modifier on each of their dice for their check. If a character falls into water, or crashes into a softer surface (like underbrush or deep snow) you can calculate the fall as if it were one step lower (less dangerous) on the chart. A character that has “fallen prone” requires one extra action point to stand up and suffers 1 strike if they are in a combat situation. Table 5-4 Falling Damage Distance Fallen
TN (Martial/Natural)
Failure
Partial Success
Total Success
5-15 ft.
8
Injury
Fallen prone
No harm
16-30 ft.
10
2 injuries
Injury
Fallen prone
31-60 ft.
10
3 Injuries
2 Injuries
Injury
61-99 ft.
12
Death
3 Injuries
2 injuries
100+ ft.
12
Death
Death
3 injuries
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CHAPTER 6: CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT Character growth and development depends on the scope of the game. The scope of the game is typically proposed by the GM, for the GM will need to develop intrigues and NPCs. A game might be designed to be played in a single session on a weekend, or it could be designed to be played a series weekly sessions over a few weeks, or it could be a long campaign designed to be played over the course of many months. Dichotomy is designed for characters to have between 1 and 9 special abilities. At most a character can have 1ability for every 3 full points of an attribute. Abilities should be distributed fairly evenly between the 3 dichotomies—if a character has 2 abilities from the Martial/Spiritual axis, and 1 ability from the Power/Finesse axis, they must select at least one more power from the Power/Finesse axis before they select a 3rd power on the Martial/Spiritual axis. Players can select abilities in any order, as long as they take no more than one power for every 3 points in the associated attribute, and as long as no other dichotomy has fewer abilities.
Scope Three sample game scopes are described below. The GM is encouraged to choose one of these or design a scope tailored to the desires of the gaming group. Regardless of how the scope is determined, the GM should communicate the scope of the game before the players begin creating characters. The Trilogy
In a Trilogy, the GM has a plot designed to unfold in 3 acts, and the players are encouraged to create characters that undergo a change during those 3 acts. The Players are encouraged to plan to betray at least one Value at some point during the Trilogy. The GM and players should work together to figure out which Values are appropriate to the plot. For example, a character may start out as coward, but during the second act of the Trilogy they betray their cowardice and begin acting Bravery. Another character may start out with a conscience, but during the first act they suffer a crisis and leave someone in a miserable situation, later, during the third act, the character finds their conscience again and redeems the wrong they allowed during the first act. The Trilogy is a shorter game, and the GM may perhaps let the characters start with more than 3 abilities, and possibly only earn 2-3 more during the course of the game. The Adventure Path
In an Adventure Path, the GM has a plot designed to unfold in up to 9 parts. The players typically create a character with only 1 special ability, and they add a new ability as each “chapter” is completed. The Sandbox
In a Sandbox game, the direction of the game should be determined by the Character’s Values. The GM is encouraged to look at the character’s Values closely when planning events, intrigues, and adventures. The GM may have a grand plot in mind, and they may have several smaller plots or intrigues, but in general, it is best to let the Players decide what is important to their characters. A good GM may have several plots available, and give the characters a chance to pursue the ones they find most appealing. A Sandbox game is similar to an Adventure Path, with characters gaining a new power at the conclusion of each chapter, but once a Character has adventured for a time with all 9 abilities, the characters begin to lose abilities as age and experience take their toll. Players are encouraged to develop additional characters such as cohorts or children that could take up the mantle as the original character grows closer to retirement. A Sandbox game may or may not have a specific ending point. A sandbox game might end with the b irth or collapse of an empire, the salvation or destruction of the world or the players may wish to continue to play with the dynasties created by their Characters.
Experience points There is more to life than adventuring, and Experience Points are a way to round out your character. It is often rewarding for players to know that their characters are connecting with their communities, such as earning respect or fame, owning a business, and starting a family. It is usually not very exciting to role-play these events, and can sometimes even be awkward, so Experience Points are a mechanism for players to reward their characters with connections, without getting in the way of
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the action. Players are encouraged to discuss these connections with the GM, so that the GM can work the connections into the game world if appropriate. The list below indicates some connections that can be purchased with Experience Points. At the GMs discretion, you can also “buy up” an existing connection with additional Experience Points, using common sense as a guide to what’s appropriate in the game world. When a player uses Experience points to purchase a connection for their character, it isn’t like going to a supermarket to acquire a mate or a house—using Experience points represents community involvement or family activities that normally take place off-stage in a heroic adventure. You don’t need to role-play your character changing diapers, painting fences, and raising barns. Table 6-1 Experience Point cost for Connections Connection
XP
Description
Cottage
5
A small place to live, a country cottage or a city apartment. It is cozy, but just barely big enough for a small family.
House
10
A larger domicile, with enough space to entertain occasional guests, it has some private area such as a study or den..
Manor
25
A grand estate, with one or two outbuildings. A manor includes servants such as a butler, maid, cook, and groundskeeper.
Tower
40
A fortified structure, including a small number of guards in addition to the staff of a manor. A Tower likely includes an armory and possibly even a dungeon.
Farm
10
This is a small farm, sufficient to keep one’s family provided for upon retirement. A small pawnshop or antiques store could also be purchased at this level.
Shop
20
This is a shop, such as a pub, smithy, brewery, bookstore or market. It likely has a few employees that can run the business if the Character is busy on an adventure.
Business
30
This is a larger establishment, such as an inn, a winery, or theater. The business may have a dozen or more employees.
Minion
5
A squire or other hireling that handles common tasks.
Cohort
10
This is a highly skilled person that can handle a great deal of responsibility. A cohort is a trusted companion that can also take up the reins of adventure if the Player Character needs a break or decides to retire from adventuring. A cohort usually doesn’t take an active role in an adventure, so a player isn’t running 2 characters at once, but a cohort is often available if something tragic happen to the PC.
Followers
15
This is a group of minions that, depending on the Player Character, can act as bodyguards, advisors, entourage, gossips, and otherwise act as toadies to the Player Character.
Notoriety
5
The character is famous (or infamous) in a neighborhood or small village.
Famous
10
The character is famous (or infamous) within a county or city. They might be a council member, or otherwise hold a position of prestige or respect.
Renown
20
The character has considerable renown in a region. They may be a city mayor, advisor to a ruler, head of a guild, a sought-after guru, or similar respected position. The character may be the subject of works of art such as song, paintings, or sculpture.
Legendary
40
The character is possibly a regional leader, such as a lord or lady. They might be a confidant of an emperor or king. They are probably well known in their usual haunts, but anywhere the character travels they are likely to run into people who have heard of them or legends of them… of course the further away the Character travels the more likely the legends are exaggerated. A legendary character may find themselves challenged by upstarts trying to prove themselves, or sought after by scholars or petitioners.
Companion
5
A companion is an NPC that doesn’t travel with the Player Character, but provides intimate companionship and advice. A companion could be a bartender, librarian, or some other person that the Player Character has established a relationship with. For a famous companion, double the XP cost.
Spouse
10
A marriage partner is like a companion above, but this time it’s official. For a famous spouse, double the XP cost.
Dependant
5
A dependant is typically a child, progeny or adopted, or some other person that depends on and likely admires the Player Character.
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CHAPTER 7: SUPPLEMENTAL RULES The rules assume that player characters are human. Many fantasy games support demi-humans, such as dwarves and elves. These supplemental rules can be used to cover those races. Non-human characters are restricted in their Attribute allocations. Non-humans are required to select at least 1 racial-specific Ability from the appropriate dichotomy as one of their first 3 ability choices. A demi-human is free to select more than one of their racial-specific abilities if they so desire.
Dwarves Dwarf characters must take a minimum of 4 in Power, Martial, and Technical attributes. Dwarf characters speak their own language Dwarven, as well as Common. Dwarves can see in absolute darkness just as well as daylight. Dwarves are slow and stocky, and cannot move more than 2 zones in a single combat round. Dwarf characters are required to take one of the following abilities when they choose their first abilities from the Martial/Spiritual dichotomy and the Natural/Technical dichotomy. Power Ability Dwarven Fortitude: Your character's great fortitude lets them shrug off minor annoyances. It takes 4 hits to cause an injury. If they are already injured, it still only takes 3 more hits to become seriously injured. If you are seriously injured, it still takes only 3 more hits to kill your character or end their adventuring career.. Martial Ability Stone Shape: When using your bare hands, your character has the ability to shape stone as if it were wet clay. It takes concentration to activate the power, and physical effort to do the sculpting. Skilled dwarven craftsmen can create works of art using stone shape, but even an unskilled dwarf can dig a hole through a 1-foot-thick stone wall in about 10 minutes. Using stone shape, a dwarf can push handholds into a stone wall, gaining all the advantages of the Climbing ability, although only when climbing stone. Technical Ability Stonecunning: Your character has a keen eye for stonework and can discern unusual construction such as secret rooms, sliding walls, covered pits, and unsafe tunnels. You can also tell, from touching worked stone, approximately how old the construction is, as well as unusual properties or composition of the stonework. You can tell if stone is likely to contain valuable ores, gemstones, fossils, or other foreign matter. You can tell if a statue was created by a sculptor or through magical means such as by the gaze of a medusa.
Elves Elf characters must take a minimum of 4 in Finesse, Spiritual, and Natural attributes. Elf characters speak their own language, Sylvan, as well as Common. Elves can see in twilight just as well as daylight. Elf characters are required to take the following abilities when they choose their first abilities from the Martial/Spiritual dichotomy and the Natural/Technical dichotomy. Finesse Ability Tree Stride: You can step into a living tree and out of any other living tree within 100 yards and direct line of sight. Both the origination tree and destination tree must be alive and sufficiently large, (at least 4 feet high and 3 feet in diameter). Any reasonably bulky foliage can be used if a tree is not available. You can step directly into an enemy occupied zone with no additional action point cost. If you are leaving an enemy occupied zone, you still incur an additional 1-action point cost. Spiritual Ability Shape Plants: Your character can reshape living plants without harming them. Living plant matter bends to your will at a touch. With time and effort you can create a spiral stairway out of a tree’s branches, leading to the tree’s upper reaches. You are limited by mass and inertia; it is much easier to create an archway through the slender branches of a thorny bramble, than to create a tunnel through a giant redwood. This ability can also be used to pass through vegetation without hindrance or leaving a trace. In most cases, the plants quickly revert to normal after your passing, but if you take your time and concentrate, you can make the changes stick—at least until the plant’s natural growth slowly changes your creation. Natural Ability Commune with Nature: Your character can enter a trance-like state and commune with plants such as trees and grasses. You can tell about large disturbances in the natural order, such as armies on the march, geothermal activity, dammed rivers, introduction of exotic species, and environmental toxins. This ability doesn't allow for finely detailed information such as the passing of a handful of people, or the location of a single shallow grave.
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CHAPTER 8: BESTIARY This chapter describes a few common fantasy beasts and opponents. Note that most creatures have a primary attack (p) and one or more secondary attacks (s). If there is no such indication, then the creature does not have that attack method, though the stats may be needed when the creature is attacked. For example, a grizzly bear does not make Finesse attacks, but it can be targeted by Finesse attacks.
Basalisk
This legendary reptile is sometimes called the "king of the serpents" because it has a white crown-shaped crest on its head. It is an 8-legged lizard, its torso is about 4 feet long, its neck 3 feet long, and its serpentine tail about 7 feet long. Its body is low to the ground, but it rears back on its 4 hind legs to attack, rising up to almost 5 feet and balancing itself with its tail. The most fearsome aspect of the creature is its ability to turn living creatures into stone statues with its gaze. Finesse/Martial: 12 (p) (Stoning Gaze) Finesse/Spiritual: 10 Power/Martial: 10 (s) (Bite) Power/Spiritual: 8 Hits: 6 Values: Guardian (when protecting young) Abilities: Turns flesh to stone with gaze: The Finesse/Martial attack inflicts +1 hits on any opponent. A character who suffers an Injury from the Finesse/Martial attack is turned to stone. A character that is blind (or blindfolded) is immune to the stoning gaze, but suffers -5 penalties on any other attacks or defenses. A character that averts their gaze reduces their damage from the stoning gaze attack by 1, but suffers -3 penalties on all other attacks and defenses. Ecology: Basalisks primarily live underground and can see in darkness. They are usually solitary creatures except when mating, though they sometimes gather in groups to bask in the sun or around a geothermal feature. A mated pair remains together for about 3 months until their eggs hatch (usually a clutch of 4-6 eggs). Once the eggs hatch, the basalisks separate, each followed by half of the offspring. The offspring take about 4 years to reach maturity. Young basalisks have target numbers 2 lower for all attributes.
The unusual basalisk survives on a diet of stone. It prefers eating statues of formerly living creatures, though it can eat natural stone. Ancient tomes report that the statues created by a basilisk may be just about any form of mineral-basalt, marble, limestone, or sandstone; perhaps temperament or environment determines the composition. Rare basalisks can produce statues of quartz, jade, or other minerals. Basalisks are fairly intelligent creatures, and sometimes live in a symbiotic relationship with dwarves, as dwarves are immune to the basalisk’s stoning gaze. The saliva of a basalisk turns stone into a flesh for consumption. This saliva can be harvested from a dead basilisk and bottled and used to restore to flesh up to 2 creatures that have been turned to stone.
Gargoyle
Gargoyles appear to be winged humanoids made of stone. They often have demonic features such as horns, spiked tails, talons, fangs, and leering eyes. They can be the color of slate, granite, marble, or even sandstone, depending on where they lair. Finesse/Martial: 12 (8 when attacking) (s) Finesse/Spiritual: 10 Power/Martial: 12 (p) Power/Spiritual: 10 Hits: 4 Values: Territorial, Fame Version: 2013-08-20
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Abilities: Flying, Mobility, Stone Form Ecology: Gargoyles are magical creatures. Their bodies are made lightweight stone similar to pumice. They eat and drink rarely, often going for months without feeding. They have excellent night vision, and can see in absolute darkness. Their Stone Form ability lets them merge with stone and enter a stasis like state. Sometimes they merge completely into the stone, other times they’ll just leave their head exposed, presumably to watch over their surroundings. Gargoyles are nearly indistinguishable from statues or ornamentation. Gargoyles are often tempted to guard important stone buildings by means of ritual magic known only to the highest members of the Masonic guilds. Other times, gargoyles will adopt buildings of their own choice, such as cathedrals, opera houses, towers, and other imposing structures. Gargoyles primarily guard their buildings against intruders, but some gargoyles take their job even further, repairing roofs and bell-towers, replacing broken masonry, and even sometimes carving artistic designs. Gargoyles have a strong sense of pride in their building, and among gargoyles it is a point of pride to roost among the largest and most opulent structures. Gargoyles have been known to come to blows with other gargoyles over which one has the better roost. Some gargoyles go feral, retreating into the wilderness and roosting on pillars of rocks or cliff sides.
When roused to attack, they often spring from the stone and attack with surprise. In combat, gargoyles make use of their flying and mobility to attack from above. Their primary attack Power/Martial, attacking with talons and fangs. They sometimes will throw loose rocks or other objects, attacking poorly with Finesse/Martial. They rarely speak unless approached respectfully by someone with an expertise in Architecture.
Goblin
Goblins are small hunched humanoids, standing about 3 feet tall. They have mottled green and brown skin, providing excellent camouflage in woods or plains. They have long, hooked noses, beady eyes, and large hands. They walk with a hunched-over gait and sometimes use their hands in addition to their feet for locomotion. Finesse/Martial: 10 (p) (stones or darts) Finesse/Spiritual: 9 Power/Martial: 11 (s) (club or knife) Power/Spiritual: 8 Hits: 1 Values: Greed, Power Abilities: Speak with Animals Ecology: Goblins near human settlements are usually encountered in small groups of hunter-gatherers, but further away from civilization there are large tribes of hundreds or even thousands of goblins.
Goblins have a natural affinity for animals. They often ride wolves into battle, and they use magpies and crows as scouts and spies. They’ve been encountered with boars, bears, giant spiders, raccoons, and just about any other wild animal. Goblins are socially attuned to power and hierarchies. Goblin leaders expect to be treated with respect, and lower-class goblins treat their superiors with deference. Goblins are often enslaved by more powerful creatures, such as Orcs, and they naturally fall into line. Goblins can be greedy--they are easily tempted by valuable trinkets, clothing, or other goods. Goblin leaders gain +2 to all attributes and have 3 hits. Goblin Shamen have 2 hits, they gain +2 to spiritual attributes and can curse opponents (Finesse/Spiritual or Power/Spiritual attack). Most goblins speak their own language, but goblin leaders and shamen are often fluent with many languages. Goblins that are enslaved by Orcs or Giants or Humans can usually understand simple commands in their master’s language.
Human (Footpad, Militia, or Zealot)
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Power/Spiritual: 10 Hits: 3 Values: Callous and Greed (footpad) or Territorial (militia) or Faith (zealot) Ecology: Footpad: These human outlaws prey on travelers and merchants. They often wear leather armor and they carry any sort of weapons they can get their hands on. They resort to a life of crime sometimes because they would rather not take on an honest job, and other times because they simply like bullying and robbing ordinary citizens. A rare few footpads are driven to a life of crime out of economic desperation. Militia: These humans are often average citizens who perform their civic duty by working as guards, soldiers, or peace officers. They have some basic training and equipment, often crossbows and pole-arms. City guards often carry whistles to call other militia for assistance. City guards and peace officers often walk their beats in pairs. Some militia are vulnerable to bribes or other distractions. Zealot: These humans are dedicated to a religion or cult. They often guard sacred sites and temples. They may be in service to a priest or cult leader. Zealots wear clothing and holy symbols appropriate to their religion. Depending on the religion, they may be armed with spears, clubs, or falchions. They may also have slings or crossbows if the situation warrants. Sometimes zealots under the influence of a leader march in a mob with torches and pitchforks.
Orc
Appearance, usually a full paragraph Finesse/Martial: 10 (s) Finesse/Spiritual: 8 Power/Martial: 12 (p) Power/Spiritual: 9 Hits: 3 Values: Bloodlust, Revenge Ecology: something about native environment, life cycle, motives
Skeleton
A skeleton is a corpse, reduced to mostly bones and sinew, held together by supernatural forces. Adventurers who have fought skeletons report them as wielding bows and black arrows. A lack of vital organs makes skeletons very resistant to Martial attacks. Being supernatural undead creatures, Skeletons are vulnerable to Exorcism. Living animals have an instinctive fear of undead. The touch of a skeleton imparts a deathly chill to living opponents. Finesse/Martial: 17 Finesse/Spiritual: 12 (p) Power/Martial: 14 Power/Spiritual: 9 (p) Hits: 4 Values: Territorial Ecology:
Skeletons are created by necromancers or liches, and obey the commands of their creator. Sages speculate that skeletons do not actually have bows and arrows, but the actual attack is supernatural in origin and it is only perceived as bow and arrows by their victims. When destroyed, the corpses of skeletons crumble apart, with no trace of bows or arrows. Even victims of skeletons do not suffer puncture wounds, but instead suffer blackened necrotized flesh. Some people report skeletons that attack with flaming arrows, or even hurl balls of flame from their hands. Version: 2013-08-20
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