Simple Attack - Core Rules

Roll a d6 when the result of an action is up to chance:

• for skills, players describe their attempt and roll a d6. 3 or less fails, 4 and up succeeds as described by the GM. The skill becomes a named “Talent” on 6, so from now on 6s will crit for that character and they reroll 1s, but on two 1s the skill stops being a Talent. The skill becomes a “Flaw” on 1, so from now on 1s can hurt the user, they reroll 6s, and on two 6s the skill stops being a Flaw. A Talent or Flaw that stops being so won't change back. Skill results might last from one round to several hours.

• for combat initiative; highest goes first, PCs decide ties, and delaying changes the order. Preparation / an ambush adds 1d6, and gaps of 5 create surprise rounds where everyone who rolled high enough gets a free turn.

• for attacks, miss on 1. On 2 or up, hit for 1 damage. On every crit (rolling a 6) add 1d6 damage, which can explode (each crit adds a dice). Advantageous attacks (foe is stumbling, better position) crit on 5s too.

• for difficult attacks (firing past cover, punching armored skin) the miss chance is raised by 1 or more (with +1 miss chance they miss on 1 and 2) but crits still happen on 6. On near-impossible attacks 5s can fail, though not on crit rolls.

• Mages improvise magic 1 per day by describing what they want to happen, within limitations. Roll a d6, 3 or less fails, 4 and up works. On 6 they can choose to learn to cast that magic 1 per day, but each magic added lowers their hp by 1.

Instead of damage, some attacks give targets a -1 on relevant rolls for a time, which stack up to -4. 6s can still crit, but negatives apply to crit rolls too. Anyone can attempt to Grab or Trip (full turn action, on crit -1 for a round, use skill to escape) but advanced moves require training.

Area / AoE magic doesn't roll an attack (and often can't crit) but hits everything in the area for half the effect, rounded up. PCs reduce some AoE effects by tier, then spells like Resist Fire reduce more.

Throughout these rules, terms like [odd] and [tier] will be used in place of numbers, and these change as the character levels up:

• [lvl] or [level] refers to the character's level, a number between 1 and 20

• A 5th level character with [lvl] spells can have 5 spells

• At 10th level they can have 10 spells

• [odd] refers to how many odd numbered levels they have, a number between 1 and 10

• A 5th level character with [odd] damage would deal 3 damage

• At 10th level they would deal 5 damage

• [tier] refers to what Tier the character is at, a number between 1 and 5

• Levels 1 through 4 is Tier 1 … 5-8 is T2 … 9-12 is T3 … 13-16 is T4 … 17-20 is T5

• A 5th level character with [tier] attacks would have 2 attacks

• At 10th level they would have 3 attacks

Additive Effects

Abilities, weapons and magic can add to a result but will never stack. Any time you add, including for a crit, only add the best source.

• When a group of NPC minions gang up on a target, the GM rolls only once and adds the total number of attackers to the damage or effect. So when 5 NPCs gang up with their 2 damage attacks and hit, they deal 7 damage, not 10. If they all had advanced Grappler training and could give a -1 to their target, they would instead give a -4.

• If a PC makes multiple attacks in a turn against a single target, they can roll multiple times for a strongest crit or add the total hits. So a PC that deals 5 damage per hit and hits one enemy 5 times would do 10 damage, not 25 damage. Or they could deal 5 damage to 5 enemies.

• If a character adds 1d6 fire damage to attacks due to their powerful magical fire sword and also gets a crit on an attack roll for another 1d6 damage, they would only add the highest number of the two rolls. Don't forget that most damage rolls can explode to go higher! And the damage would still be typed as fire even if the fire damage isn't counted.

Defenses

Characters learn a Weak Defense every even level, like a sword user mastering their style, and must experience other attacks in conflict to learn Weak Defenses against them. Defense raises miss chance by 1 (in other words, miss on 1 and 2) and stops all crits, though limited-use True Strike magic can activate to counter this. Weak Defenses only work in one situation, such as against:

• a regional combat style

• clawed beasts

• one specific spell

• a type of social manipulation

After learning a group of Weak Defenses, characters can gain a Strong Defense with GM approval. Strong Defenses have fewer limitations, like defense against:

• all melee weapon users

• all wild animals

• all Harm spells

• any social manipulation

Strong Defenses don't come into effect against attacks by those who have that same Strong Defense, so their Weak Defenses may remain relevant.

Character Creation

A level 1 PC has 1 class level and 1d6+6 hp. Players can choose to start with 9 hp. They add 1 class level and 2 hp per level, to a max of 45-50 hp at 20th level.

At 0 hp, PCs are Knocked Out (KOed) for 1d6 rounds, then wake with [tier]d6 hp. After [tier] KOs in a day they remain out for 1d6 hours. While out, they can be woken, healed, killed, captured and so on. Players with a backstory can start with a related Talent or Magic. For a backstory with good plot hooks, they can't lose the Talent / the Magic won't cost hp. PCs start with basic items from their past and profession. Rather than providing bonuses, ordinary gear is useful like rope and other tools.

Core Classes

• Soldier resists [tier] mental AoE – they resist mental AoE effects like area fear spells and control magic equal to their Tier, which can reduce an effect to 0

• [lvl] per day they can add [tier] attacks – as long as no attack is a crit fail, they can add a number of attacks equal to their Tier once per round, Level times per day

• [odd] damage favored weapon – at 1st level this is only a 1 damage weapon like others, but at later levels this means higher base damage on hits, and can gain a crit

• Grappler resists [tier] mental AoE (same as Soldier)

• [lvl] per day they can add [tier] attacks (same as Soldier)

• learn Grapple Art every odd level (see the Maneuvers section below)

• Blitzer resists [tier] physical AoE – they resist physical AoE effects like area fire spells and cold magic equal to their Tier, which can reduce an effect to 0

• [tier] per day they can add [tier]d6 damage – before making an attack, they declare they will use this ability to add extra damage on a hit, which conflicts with crits

• [odd] damage melee attacks – at 1st level this is only 1 damage, but at later levels this means higher base damage on all melee hits, and can gain a crit

• Trickster resists [tier] physical AoE (same as Blitzer)

• [tier] per day they can add [tier]d6 damage (same as Blitzer)

• learn Magic Trick every odd level (see the Maneuvers section below)

• War Mage resists [tier] mental AoE (same as Soldier)

• True Harm, slow buff, fast debuff (see the Magic section below)

• Cure Mage resists [tier] mental AoE (same as Soldier)

• True Heal, fast buff, slow debuff (see the Magic section below)

• Day Mage resists [tier] physical AoE (same as Blitzer)

• fast harm and heal, True Buff (see the Magic section below)

• Night Mage resists [tier] physical AoE (same as Blitzer)

• slow harm and heal, True Debuff (see the Magic section below)

- Challenge Variant - when a player would have higher damage such as with a Soldier's favored weapon base damage or a Blitzer's [tier]d6 added damage, they must first roll a relevant skill to see if they get the full damage. For example, a Soldier might use Athleticism to move into a better position, or a Blitzer might use Roar to scare their foe. They don't need to roll the same skill every time, and often won't if the skill becomes a Flaw.

PCs can freely multiclass, with like abilities merging:

• a Soldier 5/Grappler 5 would have resist mental AoE 3, 10 per day +3 attacks, 3 damage favored weapon, and 3 Grapple Arts

• a Soldier 5/Blitzer 5 would have resists mental & physical AoE 2, 5 per day +2 attacks, 3 damage favored weapon, 2 per day +2d6 damage, 3 damage melee attacks

• a Soldier 5/War Mage 5 would have resist mental AoE 3, 5 per day +2 attacks, 3 damage favored, Level 5 (circle 2) True Harm, and Level 3 (circle 1) Slow Buff and Fast Debuff

Magic is draining, so Mages lack the extra mental energy to also be group leaders, business owners, or pursuing other such long-term goals and interests - though they can of course hire someone to do this job for them. Characters learn this if they try to become a Mage, and GMs enforce this to help help balance warriors and Mages at high levels.

Magic

Fast Spells use 1 action and only get 1 option per Circle. Slow Rituals can have 2 options per Circle, but need [circle] rounds to cast and fail if the Mage takes a crit, though the Mage can cast a Fast Spell or attack on any round they are not initiating or completing the Slow Ritual. True Mages can cast Spells and Rituals, accessing the Circles at their level and below. Fast or Slow Mages count as [level-circle]; no Spells at 1 Fast level, circle 1 at lvl 2, circle 2 at lvl 7, circle 3 at lvl 12 and circle 4 at lvl 18.

- Challenge Variant - when a player character would cast Spells or Rituals of their highest circle, they must first roll a relevant skill to see if the magic works as expected. For example, a War Mage might use Sword Dancing to channel the magic, or a Cure Mage might Perform Oratory to raise ally moral. They don't need to roll the same skill every time, and often won't if the skill becomes a Flaw.

Circles of Magic

• Circle 1 (levels 1 through 4) - effects are useful or interesting, never grand or very powerful

• short range 1d6 damage

• Circle 2 (levels 5 through 8) - effects are powerful and useful, but rarely lasting

• clear sight range

• room-sized AoE

• 1d6 rounds

• 2d6 damage

• Circle 3 (levels 9 through 12) - effects can change the game, adding important new options

• city range

• house-sized AoE

• 1d6 minutes

• 3d6 damage

• Circle 4 (levels 13 through 16) - effects are both powerful and lasting, though never permanent

• region range

• field-sized AoE

• 1d6 hours

• 4d6 damage

• Circle 5 (levels 17 through 20) - effects are always grand and can sometimes be permanent

• continent range

• town-sized AoE

• 1 day

• 5d6 damage

In other words, Circle 1 magic tends to be short range with a useful effect or 1d6 damage. Circle 2 spells can deal 1d6 damage at sight range, 1d6 damage with a room-sized AoE, 2d6 damage at short range and so on. Circle 2 rituals take 2 rounds to cast (starting on one and finishing on the next) but they can deal 2d6 damage with a room-sized AoE. Circle 3 spells can do 3d6 damage with a room-sized AoE at short range. Circle 3 rituals take 3 rounds to cast, the second round of which can be spent casting a quick Spell, and can do 3d6 damage with a house-sized AoE.

When magic moves beyond the limits of clear sight range at Circle 3, such as targeting someone in their city whom the Mage cannot see, Mages must have some link or connection to their target and the magic must travel a path to get there. This can include casting a spell at someone by burning a lock of their hair, harming an effigy of them or speaking their True Name. Targets sealed behind barriers are harder to effect, and some magics create arcane barriers to block all incoming magic.

Time lengths generally only work for effects, not for dealing damage, unless the magic is equal to magics that deal their damage all at once. For example, a spell that deals 2 damage every round for 1d6 rounds is balanced with a spell that deals 2d6 damage all at once. At higher Circles though, the more powerful effects possible mean that damage over time magic can be balanced, such as a Circle 4 spell that deals 3d6 poison damage every hour for 1d6 hours and which can be stopped with healing magic.

Remember that Mages improvise their magic 1 per day with a d6 roll. Each circle of a magic is learned separately, though Mages who have a version from any circle reroll 1s when improvising others. Mages cannot gain multiple uses per day of a magic at one circle through improvising, but can gain 1 use per circle and variants such as magic that has a similar effect using a different method. In most settings powerful magic like Invisibility starts at Circle 2 and up, but could be Circle 1 for weak variants or in settings where the magic is only useful. Widely known magic will have a counter at its circle, so if Invisibility is Circle 1 then See The Invisible should be Circle 1 too.

When Mages succeed at improvising below the regular circle, consider something close to what they wanted. A Circle 1 Invisibility spell might only affect small objects and follows other guidelines of the 1st Circle such as only lasting for one attack or a few seconds.

Mages who crit a lot when improvising learn more magic, at the cost of hp. Any Mage can choose to forget a learned magic when recovering daily uses. Also they lose extra magic over lengthy gaps from adventuring, only keeping [level] spells and rituals, or [level×2] if they write a spellbook. Losing magic recovers hp loss. Mages with less than [level] could train between adventures to gain up to that many. Magic is grouped by method and effect, not intention or result. Harm magic causes hp loss, yet some NPCs regain hp from elemental Harm. Heal magic restores life, but that positive energy may damage negative-energy undead. Buffs aid and Debuffs hinder, with Resist Element still a Buff on targets which heal from that element, and forced movement still a Debuff if Push saves someone. Below are ideas and suggested guidelines, not hard limits or an exhaustive list:

Harm Spells

• [Element] Orb [1-5]: single target, [circle]d6 [Element] damage on hit, can miss or crit

• Burning Orb 1: single target, 1d6 burning damage on hit, can miss or crit

• Burning Orb 2: single target, 2d6 burning damage on hit, can miss or crit

• Burning Orb 3: single target, 3d6 burning damage on hit, can miss or crit

• Burning Orb 4: single target, 4d6 burning damage on hit, can miss or crit

• Burning Orb 5: single target, 5d6 burning damage on hit, can miss or crit

• [Element] Burst [2-5]: [circle] AoE, [circle-1]d6 [Element] damage

• Burning Burst 2: room-sized AoE, 1d6 burning damage

• Burning Burst 3: house-sized AoE, 2d6 burning damage

• Burning Burst 4: field-sized AoE, 3d6 burning damage

• Burning Burst 5: town-sized AoE, 4d6 burning damage

• [Element] Storm 5: city range, town AoE, 4d6 [Element] damage

Harm Rituals

• [Element] Shroud [1-5]: single target at [circle] range, can miss, 1d6 [Element] damage for [circle] rounds on hit, each roll can crit

• [Element] Bomb [2-5]: [circle] range or AoE, [circle]d6 [Element] damage

• [Element] Armageddon 5: region range, town AoE, 5d6 [Element] damage

Heal Spells

• Cure [1-5]: single target, [circle]d6 healing, can miss against any who avoid

• Cure Burst [2-5]: [circle] AoE, [circle-1]d6 healing

• Curing Rain 5: city range, town AoE, 4d6 healing

Heal Rituals

• Slow Heal [1-5]: single target, 1d6 healing for [circle] rounds, each roll can crit

• Healing Wind [2-5]: [circle] range or AoE, [circle]d6 healing

• Raise Dead [2-5]: if target has been dead less than [circle], they can return to 0 hp

• Raise Dead 2: if target has been dead less than 1d6 rounds, they can return to 0 hp

• Raise Dead 3: if target has been dead less than 1d6 minutes, they can return to 0 hp

• Raise Dead 4: if target has been dead less than 1d6 hours, they can return to 0 hp

• Raise Dead 5: if target has been dead less than 1 day, they can return to 0 hp

Buff Spells

• Safe Landing 1: [lvl] falling targets float down to a surface without damage

• [Element] Sword [1-5]: caster creates and can wield [odd] damage energy weapon for [circle]

• Burning Sword 1: wield [odd] damage burning energy weapon for 1 attack

• Burning Sword 2: wield [odd] damage burning energy weapon for 1 round

• Burning Sword 3: wield [odd] damage burning energy weapon for 1 minute

• Burning Sword 4: wield [odd] damage burning energy weapon for 1 hour

• Burning Sword 5: wield [odd] damage burning energy weapon for 1 day

• Resist Element [1-5]: [lvl] touched targets reduce damage from one element by [odd] for [circle]

• See The Invisible [2-5]: [lvl] targets can see invisible objects / creatures for [circle-1]

• Transformation [2-5]: holding preserved flesh, caster gains NPC ability for [circle-1]

• Teleport [3-5]: caster and anyone touching teleport [circle-1] range with 1-in-6 chance of error, or [circle+1] range with 1-in-2 chance of error

• Teleport 3: clear sight range with 1-in-6 chance of error, region range with 1-in-2 chance

• Teleport 4: city range with 1-in-6 chance of error, continent range with 1-in-2 chance

• Teleport 5: region range with 1-in-6 chance of error, anywhere with 1-in-2 chance

Buff Rituals

• Bless 1: up to 1d6 targets gain 1 use of True Strike

• Shield Mind [1-5]: [lvl] targets reduce mental effects by [circle] for [circle] hours

• Invisibility [2-5]: [circle] targets become invisible for [circle], ends if target attacks

• Wings [2-5]: [lvl] targets can fly for [circle]

• Walk Dimensions 4: caster and anyone touching slip across dimensions

• End Seal 5: a sealed target you touch is unsealed

Debuff Spells

• Push [1-5]: target moved [circle]d6 feet away on hit, can miss or crit

• Siphon [1-5]: can miss, steal half the hp target you touch would heal for [circle], all on crit

• Counter Spell [2-5]: [circle-1] range, one spell stopped of same or less circle

• Hold [2-5]: can miss, target you touch suffers -[circle-1] penalty for 1 round on hit, on crit can't move for [circle]

• Hold 2: can miss, -1 penalty for 1 round on hit, on crit can't move for 1d6 rounds

• Hold 3: can miss, -2 penalty for 1 round on hit, on crit can't move for 1d6 minutes

• Hold 4: can miss, -3 penalty for 1 round on hit, on crit can't move for 1d6 hours

• Hold 5: can miss, -4 penalty for 1 round on hit, on crit can't move for 1 day

• Scare [2-5]: room AoE, targets suffer -[circle-1] penalty for [circle] rounds, flee if outmatched

• Seal Ability 5: can miss, target can't use ability for 1 minute on hit, on crit remain sealed until fixed

Debuff Rituals

• Hypnotize [1-5]: can miss, target follows harmless suggestion on hit, on crit controlled for [circle]

• Curse Fools [2-5]: [circle] AoE, targets suffer deadly luck for [circle]

• Deny Soul [2-5]: named target cannot return from death for [circle]

• Sleep Song [2-5]: [circle] AoE, targets fall asleep unless rested, wake if harmed or after [circle]

• Deny Escape [3-5]: [circle] AoE from touch, movement / teleport magic won't work for 1 day

• Seal Foe 5: can miss, trap unconscious target in crystal for 1 day on hit, on crit remain until freed

Seals are an example of a high-level magic effect. When a character is sealed, they cannot act until the seal is removed. Seals can effect an entire character, or just one aspect of them. If their ability to fight with weapons is sealed, they can do anything except fight with weapons; their training in doing so has been sealed within their mind. If one of their legs was sealed, they could not walk on that leg. Seals tend to be permanent and can often only be cured by equally powerful abilities.

Maneuvers

Allow players to design unique maneuvers based on their character. Below are ideas and suggested guidelines, not hard limits or an exhaustive list.

If a PC spends time training, often with a teacher, they can learn one maneuver even without being a maneuver-learning class. But this performs like a skill, failing them on a d6 roll of 3 or less, which they roll each time they try to use it.

Grapple Arts

Modify attacks / enhance character, most require minimum tier:

- Tier 1 -

• Expert Trip: crits also knock target prone / stop escape and cause -1 for 1 round

• Extreme Speed: give up attacks to triple speed for the round, can use to hide

• Reposition: 0 damage, move target 5 ft on hit, crits drop prone and add distance

• Wind Jump: close range direct flight, must land before next jump

- Tier 2 -

• Chi Blast: sight range attack, full action, 1 hp to use, [odd] damage, can miss / crit

• Focus: [tier-1] per day, rest 1 hour, heal [tier]d6 hp

• Grapple: 0 damage, on hit you and target have -1 while grappling, can't multi-target

• Target Limb: on hit, damage = rounds where target has -1

- Tier 3 -

• Chi Flight: 1 hp to use, can fly for [tier-1]

• Evasion: resist physical AoE by tier

• Sleeper Hold: on Grapple crit, target who is at -[6-tier] falls unconscious

• Stun Strike: crits can be half damage and 1 round where target cannot act

- Tier 4 -

• Chi Teleport: 1 hp to use, teleport to visited location

• Flower Meditation: rest 1d6 hours in sunlight, replace need to eat and sleep

• Mastered Style: on hit, unarmed damage equals attack roll

• Seal Limb: on Grapple crit, target who is at -[6-tier] can't use limb until fixed

- Tier 5 -

• Chi Bomb: 1 minute to use, spend 1 hp per 1d6 damage on hit, disintegrate on crit

• Immortality: no longer die due to age, remove age-related issues

• Puppetry: on Grapple crit, control actions from close range as if no penalty

• Seal Mind: crits can deal 0 damage, target can't use ability until fixed

Grapple Arts could become 1 tier lower when passed down in a martial arts world.

- Challenge Variant - when a player character would attempt a Grapple Art of their highest tier, they must first roll a relevant skill to see if the ability works as expected. For example, a Grappler might use Cloak Dancing to channel the ability or Acrobatics to get into a better position. They don't need to roll the same skill every time, and often won't if the skill becomes a Flaw.

Magic Tricks

Often mistaken for true magic, may be limited use / require items:

• Alchemist Fire: 1 per day / with resources, [tier] fire damage for 1d6 rounds, can miss / crit

• Assassinate: while unseen, 1 per day, all damage dice for one attack can crit

• Borrow: while unseen, 0 damage, pilfer small item on hit, on crit can take held item

• Brew Poison: with [tier] hours + resources, improvise Damage / Debuff spell

• Cook Meal: with [tier] hours + resources, improvise Heal / Buff ritual

• Courageous Speech: 1 per day / with a reason, listeners reduce fear penalty by [tier]

• Disguise Change: while unseen, change clothes in 1 round

• Extreme Speed: give up attacks to triple speed for the round, can use to hide

• Fake Death: 1 per day after others see you hit, they believe you're KOed / dead

• Fast Action: add 1d6 to initiative

• Glider: fall safely, glide long distances, fly with updrafts

• Goad: 1 per day / with a reason, target attacks only you for 1 min, can miss / crit

• Healing Potion: 1 per day / with resources, [tier] healing for 1d6 rounds

• Ice Cloud: 1 per day / with resources, room AoE, [tier] ice damage for 1d6 rounds

• Iron Will: resist mental AoE by tier

• Joke: 1 per day / within reason, can miss, on hit target has -1 for 1 round, on crit -[tier-1]

• Learn Defenses: 1 per battle, identify [tier] of a foe's defenses

• Lore Master: 1 per day identify all of an NPC's abilities

• Mental Counter: 1 per day negate mental crit on you

• Parry: 1 per day negate physical crit on you

• [Terrain] Parkour: move across a terrain type without slowing

• Quick Talent: your skills become Talents on 5 or 6

• Scare: 1 per day / with a reason, target avoids you for 1 min, can miss / crit

• Skilled: Talent won't stop being a Talent, rolls with +1

• Talker: 1 per hour, social skills add [tier]d6 damage that lasts 1 round, some foes aid you at 0 hp

• Tumble: give up attacks to gain defense against attacks you see coming and move

In some settings, items needed for a “1 per day / with resources” maneuver might be restricted; the resources must be obtained, and the result can be more powerful. For example, Alchemist Fire in a setting where the ingredients are illegal might deal [tier x2] fire damage for 1d6 rounds, but the character must go through a lot of effort to obtain the ingredients.

- Challenge Variant - when a player would use a Magic Trick, they must first roll a relevant skill to see if ability works as expected. For example, a Trickster might first Hide or Taunt their foe. They don't need to roll the same skill every time, and often won't if the skill becomes a Flaw.