Game Mechanics

Rapid Rules:
• Sub-attribute modifiers exist starting a score of 4.
• Saves are a method of determining an outcome of a potentially undesired effect happening to the character from an external influence.
   ° Preservation save: something outside the physical mechanics attacks a character; rolled on a d20, add sub-attribute score. Other influences, such as magic, can also be added.
   ° Feat save: use of an innate ability to overcome a challenge where skills do not apply; rolled on a d20, add sub-attribute modifier. Since this is purely a measure of the character's natural response, no other influences factor in for this result.
   ° Competition save: two or more parties fighting in conflict for a single effect; rolled on a d12, add sub-attribute modifier. Other influences, such as terrain, can also be added.
• Difficulty Challenge (DC) is the numerical representation of what must be overcome in a save.
• Perception is mechanic of deciding whether something is noticed or not.
• Group Feats are rare but used to test success for the entire group.
• Advantage and Disadvantage are the gaining or removal of dice from a feat action to increase or lessen the odds or potential.
• When rolling a d20, a “raw 20” is always a success, while a “raw 1” is always a failure.

All of this begs the question: how do all these numbers work to determine what happens in the game? The answer is dice are used to determine the outcome of attempted use of skills. Since nothing is absolute, statistics are used to determine the chance of success and failure. Most often this is performed by rolling 20-sided dice (d20); however, other dice are occasionally used.

For those math majors reading this, the system is not purely exponential. As mentioned in the Using Skills section above, the more skills applicable, the better the odds. In this case, it means more dice are used, usually one die per usable skill. Each die can have its own success or failure, meaning the results are not merely hit or miss but rather a gradient scale.

Let’s dive into some details that will help clarify how this works.

Modifiers

How to manage the extraordinary

As stated before, there will be times the entire score of a sub-attribute will be used and there are times it will require its modifier. Starting at a score of 4, a +1 modifier is gained. For each 2 points beyond that, another +1 is given when specified. This will always be calculated by the maximum regardless of current injury. However, there is an upper limit of +5 for modifiers from sub-attribute scores.

Score	Bonus
0 - 3	no modifier
4 - 5	+1
6 - 7	+2
8 - 9	+3
10 - 11	+4
12+	+5

Modifiers can be gained from three categories: attributes, skills, and other. Other usually means magic but it is a catch-all for anything that is not a attribute or skill. Size is the most common exception as monsters of large size gain modifier bonuses in the "other" category. The modifiers from each category are not stackable but are able to be negated when positive and negative values both apply. There are two concepts here. First, if more than one skill is used and the first gives a +1 modifier while another gives a +2 modifier, then only best can be applied – in this case one might assume it would be +3, but only +2 should apply. As the other concept, if there are negatives from a skill as some sort of offset of another benefit while another applicable skill grants a bonus, then these would be combined for a mutual offset. For example, if one skill caused a -1 penalty modifier while a simultaneous skill granted a +2, then the modifier would be +1.

Further, the application above only applies to each category. A sub-attribute might grant +1, while a skill grants +2 and a magical effect grants another +1. In this case the total modifier to the roll would be +4. Granted it could work the same way if the character were under a curse of some sort – sub-attribute +1, skill +2, curse -2 would yield a total of a +1 modifier.

Saves

Avoiding bad things happening

There are times when skills don’t apply and raw attribute value is used to determine a binary outcome; either it worked or not. The cases of multiple hits, multiple failures do not apply for saves.

These occur in three separate circumstances: preservations, feats and contests. All three use the same game mechanic by presenting a difficulty class (DC) to overcome. For preservation and feat saves, a d20 is rolled. For the preservation save, the whole value of the sub-attribute score is added to the d20 roll. Further, any skill bonuses and other (magical bonuses) are added to the roll. That summed value is compared against the DC, and if equal or better than the DC, it is successful; otherwise, it fails.

For feats (checks), only sub-attribute modifiers are added. No bonuses from magic rings or the like are included unless the item explicitly states it.The sum is compared to the DC for success.

However, for a competition save, the saves are made on a d12. Then only the sub-attribute modifier value is used, plus those skill and other bonuses for comparison.

A preservation save occurs when something outside the physical mechanics of combat attacks a character or monster. An example might be a charm spell attempting to put the victim to sleep. Being poisoned is another case where a preservation save would be used. Even an area-of-affect damage spell like fireball would call for a preservation save. The DC will be explicitly noted in the attacking effect.

A feat save (sometimes called a check) occurs when a character or monster uses its innate abilities to overcome a challenge, where skills are not necessary or simply do not apply. This must also be a success-fail event. An example might be breaking down a door or recalling an obscure but important memory. The DC is determined by the challenge and presented by the GM.

Finally, competition saves are when two or more creatures are trying to accomplish the same thing. In this case, the DC is determined by the save score of the others who are in direct opposition. An example might be if a loose dagger is on the floor and two persons want to get it, or when someone is holding shut a door while a monster is trying to break through. It is rare for more than two participants to be in a contest, but it could happen. Whichever contestant has the highest total score wins the action, such as gaining the knife or holding the door in the examples above. If, however, the result is a tie, then circumstance remains as it was, and the struggle continues (assuming all parties continue to struggle). Therefore, the knife would still be free, or the door in a mostly closed state.

As for actions in combat that result in a competition, there are a few seemingly minor details; however, they become very important to game-play and strategy. To pick up an item that is loose on the ground, free on a table or some other similar circumstance, there is a 10 feet movement restriction imposed for picking it up. Also, while not requiring an action, one must still have an action available to pick said item up. This merely means when it is a character’s turn, the item should be grabbed before taking an action rather than after, which also means an action causing an item to become loose or free cannot be instantly snatched up by the provoking character. However, the provoking character could walk to the item and occupy its space, effectively controlling that area, even though he or she cannot yet quite grab it.

At this point, any other characters in the area, who still have an action remaining for that round, could freely go get that item with the movement penalty reduced, and still have his or her action available. However, if the space of the item is controlled by another person and the item is still loose, then an action must be used to grab the loose item. Because the space is controlled by another, there would have to be a competition to see whether the attempt to grab the item worked. The sub-attribute to use would depend on the aggressor’s method of getting the item. If he charged pushing on the occupier of the space, then the GM would likely call for a Strength competition. If the aggressor performed a running slide and snatched it quickly before the occupier could respond, then the GM would probably have it be an Agility competition.

TAKE NOTE:

Preservation Save	d20 + subattribute score + other
Feat (Check) Save	d20 + subattribute modifier
Competition Save	d12 + subattribute modifier + other

Perception

Hey, what’s that?

Determining whether something is noticed or not is the mechanism of Perception. Yes, the sub-attribute. This is used for non-obvious circumstances. If a boulder is in the road, no one has to make a Perception check to know it is there. However, if a stealthy follower is trailing the group, then it would be needed.

Also, most Perception checks are performed in secret by the GM when it becomes pertinent. However, a player might ask to actively scan the area for anything unusual. The roll again should be made in secret by the GM, but a +2 bonus would be used on the roll. Also, keep in mind, there are skills which train up a character’s awareness.

As a game mechanic, this is nothing more than a Perception feat save against the DC of the thing to be noticed. For things that do not generate their own DC from skills or magic, a base DC used is 14. Conditions only apply if they are applicable. For example, mist would not be a factor for the friends cantrip.

Event	Base DC
Natural Creature Camouflage	Per Description
Magical Concealment	Per Description
Naturally Obscured	14
Skilled Stealth Hiding	4d6 + Agility
Unskilled Hiding	2d6 + Judgment Mod

 

Condition	DC Modifier
Darkness	+3
Dim Light	+1
Invisible Target	+6
Mist or Fog	+2
Slow-paced target(s)	+2
Three or more Targets	-2
Tiny Target (Size: 1))	+2

If the Perception check is used at the start of combat, due to an ambush, then those caught unaware are at disadvantage in the first round of combat. For Perception checks in a state of being asleep, refer to Restrictions in Combat.

Group Feats

Individuals helping the whole.

These are rare, but it is when the entire group succeeds or fails. An example might be avoiding quicksand. Even if one person gets caught by a failed save, the others could still help or have skills that quasi-translate to rendering assistance to others. To test this, every member of the group rolls the save against the DC. If over half the group (two of three, six of ten, etc.) are successful, then the entire group is able succeed against the hazard.

Advantage

Circumstances outside one’s control.

There are skills, magical effects and environmental circumstances which gives a character or monster an advantage on an action. Likewise, the converse can occur where one is at disadvantage. When this happens for skill actions, unless stated otherwise, a being with advantage is granted an extra die for the roll. The default for disadvantage removes a die. Should the applicable dice fall to zero because of disadvantage, then two dice are rolled using the worse score of the two. When die pools are involved, the extra die goes to each die pool.

However, in cases of physical combat, melee or range attacks, then there is another bonus or penalty. If at advantage when successfully striking an opponent, then an additional advantage crit is added, which means an additional 1 to 3 points of damage. This bonus or penalty of damage applies only to the primary attack. This crit is “non-exploding” so it cannot generate another crit. When at disadvantage, a “negative crit” applies, meaning 1 to 3 points are removed from the damage. If zero or a negative number occurs, then the attack acts as a miss, not allowing any other special powers or properties to transfer to the victim, such as infusion of ice. These special crits can only apply if one of the attack dice from one of the die pools successfully hit the target. Finally, on the damage component, it is applied by target, not by strike, meaning if multiple targets can be attacked at advantage, then those separate targets could each be inflicted with bonus damage. These details will become more clear in The Attack section of Combat Mechanics.

For other scenarios, where damage is not a component and an extra die for advantage has no meaning, such as on a save, then two d20s are rolled, taking the better of the two scores. Two dice are also used for disadvantage, again using the worst of the two scores. Of course, remember competition saves use d12s rather than d20s. This is the same when casting fire dart and many other axioms. While it would be rare, it a caster is at advantage and the effect does not force a save, a single success assessment, such as for the axiom appropriation, then the effect would be as if it had been cast with the next degree of oversiphoning for an axiom - or as costing one point less of Spirit if an invocation. For spells at disadvantage with no save or usable dice, then the caster must make an appropriate save as if having his or her concentration broken (DC:14) to successful birth the magic.

Advantages and disadvantages do not stack. If a creature has gained two advantages from multiple effects, that creature is still only “at advantage” and rolls one extra die, not an extra for each condition. The same is true for multiple disadvantages. However, if the circumstances and effects are such that a creature gains both advantage and disadvantage, then neither apply and the normal amount of dice are rolled. This is true even if multiple disadvantages apply while only one advantage occurs – and vice versa.

When having advantage or disadvantage along with another circumstance, such as a halfling’s chance skill, which allows a re-roll, then only one-die may be re-rolled. If both dice could be re-rolled, the player chooses one. As an example, if the halfling has advantage and rolls a 12 and a 1, then chance skill would allow the 1 to be re-rolled.

Raw Dice

Mathematical fairness.

There will be times that a character or monster mathematically cannot succeed or perhaps cannot fail. However, in the spirit or fairness and the recognition of dumb luck, the raw scores of 1 and 20 have special meaning. Regardless of the math, if a 20 is rolled on the die, it is considered a success. Conversely, any time score of 1 is rolled, it will be a failure. The chance skill, however, allows the first roll of a 1 to be re-rolled.