Pentru Timmy

This system is not the traditional system using dice. In fact, there will be no dice used in this one at all. However, some things need to be covered before we actually start making characters, the main one being the way this will all work. Your characters stats will be determined by a series of 5 card poker hands. They will, in fact, gain extra traits based on these, as well as having some derived attributes change. Jokers are left IN the deck. Drawing one requires you to draw another card, but you get an extra trait, determined by the GM.

To better understand how certain things will change, you will need to know all the hands you can get. Or at least ones that will come up, since some of these are not generally better or worse than anything else. In order, from least to greatest, are nothing, Ace High (Having no other usable hand, but a single ace), Pair (two matching cards), Jacks (A pair of Jacks), Two Pairs, Three of a Kind (Three cards with the same number), Straight (5 cards in numerical order, no matching suit), Flush (5 cards are all the same suit, not in numerical order), Full House (Three of a kind and a pair), Dead Man's Hand (two black Aces, two black 8s, and a Jack of Diamonds), Four of a Kind, Straight Flush (5 cards, same suit in numerical order), and the Royal Flush (10, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace of the same suit.)

PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES

The first step in character creation is physical attributes. There are five of these: Strength, Agility, Dexterity, Health, and Speed. Each of these will, obviously, have different effects. Strength is used for, well, feats of strength: pushing a boulder, for example. Agility is used for avoidance, primarily, but has other uses, as well. Dexterity is used to pick pockets, shoot a gun accurately, etc. A character would use Health for resisting poison or surviving some magic. Speed is used to determine combat order, among other things.

The cards drawn for this can be arranged in any order you wish, of course.

For every hand you get above nothing, you get one point toward special traits. These points can be used to purchase normal traits, as well, but special traits may be more valuable. Also, the hand you get determines your starting HP. Having nothing gets 8 HP, and each hand above that gives an additional 2 points. Having a royal flush or dead man's hand starts you with 40 HP.

MENTAL ATTRIBUTES

The next step is determining mental attributes. These are Perception, Willpower, Education, Intuition, and Charisma. Perception is used to hear, see, or otherwise pick up concepts. Willpower is the control over one's own mind. One's Education is used for more abstract ideas, while Intuition is used for things learned without formal education. Charisma is how your character reacts to the world and, more importantly, how it reacts to them.

As with physical attributes, the hand cards can be organized as you wish.

For every card you get above nothing, you get one point for special traits. These points can also be used to get regular traits.

SPECIAL TRAITS

Each has a point cost, and the points that can be spent are dependent on your hand for both physical and mental attributes. If the point cost of the trait is a single number, then that is the cost. If it's a point range or lists multiple numbers otherwise, read the description for what each cost means.

7 Adept: Your character is a natural conduit of magic. They can choose up to five touch or self-targeting spells from any arcane study tree. They can use these spells whenever with no cost. However, if they get a useless hand, they have to draw one more card. This card is the nonlethal HP damage they take, with an ace being 14. If this card is a joker, another card is drawn, which makes them take lethal HP damage. As these are not actual spells, but innate abilities, any negative effects for failing don't take effect. This can be taken with Tempest, but the penalties are in addition to the Tempest ones.

2 Ambidextrous: Your character can use both hands equally. There is no penalty for dual-wielding (unless of course you're trying to dual-wield two 2-handed weapons. If that's the case, however, the penalty is cut in half).

1-7 Arcane Blood: Your character comes from an ancient magic bloodline. You must choose a specific line of magic, however. The available lines are Blood Magic, Sorcery, and Tribal Magic. The number is the degree of concentration of the bloodline. If it is completely pure, it's 7. For each point less, there is less concentration of the bloodline. These bonuses are used when casting spells. How they're used depends on the spells, but remember that with great power comes great responsibility; if you fail with a high concentration of magic blood, the drawbacks can be dangerous. Only one arcane bloodline may be chosen, even if both parents have different ones; one will always overpower the other. However, one with arcane blood can still choose an arcane study. An average rank is used (rounded down) in the study if this is done. Typically, Arcane Blood is the minimum hand the character gets automatically, though this is up to the GM and the spell in question.

1 Giant: Your character is huge. This causes a loss of 1 level of agility, but raises strength by two levels. This cannot be chosen if it raises strength above an ace.

3 Natural Languages: Your character can learn languages fairly quickly. It just comes naturally. There is a requirement for this trait, however: your character must start knowing at least three languages at no less than two levels each.

1-7 Natural Tech Skill: For some reason or other, your character is a natural at taking things apart and putting them back together. When using tech skills, they gain bonuses (dependent on the skill in question). Cannot be taken with regular Tech Skill. Higher than 4 levels of Natural Tech Skill negate the need to perform basic tech tests. With 7, only very complex machines or dangerous situations need to be tested.

1 Pretty: Your character is exceptionally pretty in comparison to others and gets +2 on charisma tests when peacefully persuading people.

6 Quick Learner: Your character gains an additional 10% points in addition to the normal ones gained at the end of a session, a campaign, or a campaign arc, rounded up.

4 Quick Study: Can't be taken with Quick Learner. Learning new skills costs two fewer points, to a minimum of 1.

1 Small Frame: Your character is tiny. This lowers strength by one level, but raises agility and speed by a level. This cannot be chosen if it raises agility or speed above an ace.

3 Tempest: Your character can use one spell from any arcane study tree. This cannot be taken with Arcane Blood or Arcane Study, however. This is the only spell they can use. They draw 5 cards for this spell, regardless of any other circumstances that would raise or lower it. The downside is that they automatically cast it if they get surprised and it CAN affect them. The target is randomly selected from everyone in range of the spell. This includes themselves, even if the spell says otherwise. If it's a spell that drains HP and gives it to the caster, and it targets your character, you only take damage; it is not negated by healing, since you lose the healing effect when targeting yourself. If it is a continuous drain effect, it will simply be a continuous damage spell.

7 Veteran of the Wastes: Your character knows how to survive in the wastelands between civilizations. They can find things easily and they know how to make things. They get a free point each in Scavenging and Tinkering, among other benefits at the GM's discretion.

NORMAL TRAITS

The number of normal trait points you get is any transfered from special traits, plus Intuition and Education. Face card values are 11 for a jack, 12 for a queen, 13 for a king, and 14 for an ace. Negative traits may give you points now, but be prepared to roleplay them later and face the consequences.

1-5 Account: Your character starts with an additional 200$ per level of this trait, and they can always ask for more during the game. The GM may give them more if it's necessary.

-1 to -5 Addiction: Your character is addicted to something, be it drugs, sex, gambling, or something else. They have to do this at least once a day (at -1) to as much as five times a day (-5). If they don't, they get a -1 for each day spent without it (to a maximum of -5). Once this penalty reaches -5, the addiction level goes closer to 0 (from -5 to -4, for example) every three days, but the penalty stays at -5. Once the addiction reaches 0, the penalty gets one step closer to 0 each day. They do, however, have triple the risk of gaining other addictions if they lose an addiction. Note that more dangerous addictions are also at a higher penalty than normal; addiction to impaling oneself on a spear, for example, would probably net a -5, while even an extreme addiction to making paper flowers wouldn't likely net much higher than a -1. The GM may increase or decrease the times required to overcome addictions, though a character's Willpower should play a roll in the curing of the addiction if this is the case.

-1 to -5 Allergy: Your character is allergic to something. The points gained for it are a combination of severity and rarity of the offender. A peanut allergy that could kill you (in modern times) would be a -5, while an allergy to dragon blood that causes a severe rash is only a -1.

2 Apt Pupil: The character can know one more starting spell than normal. This can be taken up to 3 times.

3 Arcane Prodigy: When learning a new spell, your character needs to spend only half the time to learn it.

1-7 Arcane Study: Your character has learned magic, probably from a book or years of study. The more points spent in this trait, the more power spells have. Only one study may be chosen. The studies include, but are not limited to: Necromancy, Divine, Geomancy, Hexing, and Mimicry.

-2 Bad Ears: Your character is hard of hearing. This is a -2 with perception tests related to hearing.

-2 Bad Eyes: Your character is near- or far-sighted, or maybe their vision is dim. They could even have light-sensitive eyes. This is a -2 with perception tests related to sight without appropriate correction (glasses, sunglasses, dark ambient light, bright ambient light, etc.)

5 Blandness: Your character looks perfectly average. So average, in fact, that it is a lot harder to pick them out from a crowd. Cannot be taken with Pretty or Ugly.

-10 Blind: Your character can't see at all. Cannot be taken with Bad Eyes, and it's not recommended to take Bad Ears or Deaf.

2 Contortion: Your character can bend in unnatural ways. The GM can determine what you can and can't do. Just ask if they think it's plausible.

-5 Coward: Your character is scared of pretty much everything.

-4 Curious: Your character wants to learn things. A lot of things. Even if common sense demands they avoid it. What's down that other hallway, with all that fire burning at the end? Were those gunshots?

-6 Deaf: Your character can't hear at all. You probably should avoid giving them Bad Eyes or making them Blind, but either way, they can't take this with Bad Ears.

-3 Elderly: Your character is over 80 years old. They lose 2 levels of Strength and Health.

5 Familiar: Your character has a pet. This pet can share basic senses and understand simple commands. It also shares telepathy with your character up to fifty feet away. If your character has the traits Arcane Blood: Sorcery, Arcane Blood: Tribal Magic, Arcane Study: Hexing, Arcane Study: Geomancy, or Arcane Study: Mimicry, the effect of a touch, self-targeting, or any effect centered on the caster can be centered on the familiar, as well. This familiar can be any animal the GM allows, though it's typically a bird or small mammal. If the familiar dies, your character will have nightmares of it for a week, getting no sleep. In addition to the fatigue penalty, they will also have a -3 on ALL tests for the first half of that week.

-2 Greedy: Your character wants it all, and more. They take everything they think they can sell if they don't think someone might miss it. Or if they think they will miss it. That depends on the greedy person in question.

-1 to -5 Hate: Your character hates a certain group of people. The amount of points you get depends on how common that group is. If the entire campaign takes place in Chinatown and your character hates asian people or tourists, and that'll be a -5. If your character lives in a vault and hates outsiders, and they never leave that vault, it's most likely a -1.

-3 Horny: Your character wants sex. Constantly. Despite society in big cities being sexually open, your character is still looked down on.

-5 Illiterate: Your character can't read at all until they have mastered a language (5 levels of the appropriate language), and even then, they can only read the most basic words. This includes their native language.

-3 Impulsive: Your character does things without thinking. Common sense rarely comes into play. Impulsive characters are often also Curious.

-3 Limp: Your character has a severe limp. They move more slowly. This can be doubled if they have a missing leg instead and have to use a crutch. That applies other penalties, too, of course.

-2 to 5 Living Arrangements: Your character starts with money equal to 300 plus 100 times their level of Living Arrangements. -2 is homeless, while 5 is disgustingly rich.

-5 Loyal: Your character would take a bullet for their friends. Or recent acquaintances. Or people they just met and have only introduced themselves to.

1-7 Martial Arts: Can be taken for multiple martial arts, with each rank being the mastery of each.

-4 Mechanic's Bane: Your character breaks things. Often. The GM can have fun with this one. Keep that in mind.

-6 Night Terrors: Your character has horrible nightmares every night and gets almost no sleep. They almost constantly have a fatigue penalty. These dreams, however, are inspired by spirits, and do occasionally give useful information...if you can decipher the dreams.

-2 Overconfident: Your character rushes into danger because they think they can handle it. No matter what.

5 Pain Tolerance: Your character isn't as likely to feel the effects of pain. This is also a required trait for the Arcane Blood: Blood Magic trait to use blood arcana.

1 Performer: Your character is naturally gifted at performing. They get +1 to draws for performances.

-2 Poor Health: Your character has poor health and is often sick. This gives a -2 to some tests, at the GM's discretion.

1-5 Something Nice: Your character starts out with something nice, like an engraved pistol. The value of the item must be equal to or less than 250$ times the level of this trait. This trait can be taken multiple times for each item. The character does not get the remaining cash, however.

2 Stamina: Your character makes half as many Health draws when running and gets a +2 to most health draws. The GM has the final word on when this bonus applies.

5 Tech Skill: Your character often used technology before the start of their new adventuring career. They need to perform far fewer tech tests than others. The GM will know exactly when to perform the checks.

-1 Ugly: Cannot be taken with Pretty, obviously. Your character is very ugly. Your character gets -2 when trying to peacefully persuade people.

-3 Underage: Your character is under 15 years old. They lose two points each of Strength and Education.

-5 Unlucky: Bad things happen to your character. Very bad things. Often. The GM is allowed to have very improbably bad things happen to your character, depending on the situation, if you fail something. If you fail, you fail horribly.

SKILLS

Your points in Skills are any extra points from Traits and Education + Intuition + Willpower. Each skill has a linked attribute for those who do not have the skill, but those tests will be done with fewer cards (three fewer, to be exact). Skills can have up to 5 ranks unless otherwise stated. To use a skill, you draw a hand with as many cards as the related attribute plus the level in the skill. Skills each have different hands that are required, based on the difficulty of the specific task.

Academia (Education): Your character has taken specialized classes. This skill must be taken for each class if you want your character to have more than one, and it cannot be taken alone. The classes include: The Occult, Religion, Technology, and Technomancy. Study of the Occult is used when trying to identify magic, among other things. Religion MUST be taken by anyone wanting to be a priest, along with Arcane Study: Divine. Technology is used to identify the purpose of a machine. Technomancy is the study of using magic to power machines or machines to power magic.

Bluff (Intuition): Your character knows how to lie to people. Effectively, at least.

Bravery (Willpower): Your character is not quite as afraid as others.

Climbing (Agility): Your character can climb effectively. Your character automatically has one level of this.

Connections (Charisma): Your character knows people who can find things out or do things for them. Every once in a while, they may run into them. This should be taken for individual contacts who may be helpful, but it can be taken on its own, as a general way of finding a reliable person.

Cybercombat (Education): Your character can make computer viruses that target specific things on a computer.

Disguise (Intuition): Your character can pretend to be someone else. They'll need appropriate disguises, of course.

Dodge (Speed): Your character can, at the cost of their highest combat action, once per round, avoid a bullet, bolt, or melee attack. They must know where the shot comes from. The minimum to avoid a bullet is a queen, or one lower per level in this. The minimum to avoid a melee attack is a 9, or one lower per level in this.

Driving (Intuition): Your character can drive a car. Just because they have the skill to do so doesn't mean they won't run out of gas.

Faith (Willpower): This must be taken with the Arcane Study: Divine trait in order to use divine arcana.

Forgery (Dexterity): Your character can imitate writing for practically anyone.

Gambling (Intuition): This must be taken with the Arcane Study: Mimicry trait in order to use mimicked arcana.

Hacking (Education): Your character can hack into other computers. This is just to get into and do things on the other computer, as well as making programs. This does not include cybercombat.

Hardware (Education): Your character can make and repair computer parts, if they have enough spare parts and the tools to do so. A single card is drawn for this skill, with a regular target. This target number is reduced by the level in this skill.

Hexslinging (Perception): This must be taken with the Arcane Study: Hexing trait in order to use hex arcana.

Instrument (Intuition): Your character can play a musical instrument. This must be taken for each individual instrument your character can play.

Intimidation (Charisma): Your character can scare someone into doing things. Or not doing things.

Language (Intuition): Your character speaks another language in addition to their native language. Arcane classes may want to take additional languages so they can learn from arcane texts. These texts are typically in Welsh, Latin, Greek, or Swedish.

Local Knowledge (Intuition): Your character knows their area fairly well. This is generally limited to the district they live in, but the GM may allow you to have knowledge of another area if your character is new. Your character automatically has two levels of this.

Lockpicking (Dexterity): Your character can pick locks. Each level affects a level of lock.

Medicine (Education): Your character can do first aid. 4 or 5 levels and your character can do basic surgeries.

Melee Weapons (Agility): This must be taken for each class of melee weapon your character can use. The classes are knives, one-handed swords, two-handed swords, clubs, and improvised. The last category is used for things picked up, like signs, ladders, and anything else that wouldn't fit into another category. Clubs covers any heavy weapon, generally. Cannot be taken alone.

Persuasion (Charisma): Your character can convince someone to do something.

Ritual (Intuition): This must be taken with the Arcane Study: Necromancy trait in order to use necromancy arcana.

Quick Draw (Speed): This can be taken for any weapon, melee or ranged. Must be taken for individual weapon classes and cannot be taken alone.

Scavenging (Perception): Your character can find things that may be useful.

Shadowing (Agility): Your character can follow another without being noticed. While it does use agility for stealth, perception checks must still be made to follow them, as normal.

Shooting (Perception): This must be taken for each class of gun your character can use. These classes are pistols, rifles, shotguns, crossbows, heavy guns, and rocket launchers. Cannot be taken alone.

Singing (Intuition): Your character can sing. You never know when this might come in handy.

Sneak (Agility): Your character is sneaky.

Speed Load (Speed): Your character can quickly load pistols, rifles, and shotguns. This must be taken for individual classes, not all.

Teaching (Charisma): Your character can teach things to others. There is a -2 penalty to try to teach physical skills.

Tech Arcana (Education): This trait must be taken with Academia: Technomancy if you want to incorporate technology into your magic or vice versa.

Theft (Dexterity): Your character's a thief. They steal stuff. That's what this is for. Specifically picking pockets.

Throwing (Strength): Your character could be a master pie-thrower. The more levels in this, the more accurate a throw can be.

Tinkering (Dexterity): Your character is good at taking things apart, putting them together, and making new things. They can fix things, too.

CONDITION

Your character isn't just a collection of skills and traits. They have HP, too. Two sets, in fact: Lethal and Nonlethal. If lethal HP reaches 0, they're dead. If nonlethal HP reaches 0, they pass out and wake up with 1 nonlethal HP after a few minutes. They can continue to take damage, though all damage when non-lethal HP is 0 is considered lethal, meaning their lethal HP will go down even for what would normally be non-lethal damage.

Starting lethal HP is Health plus Strength. Starting nonlethal HP is Health plus Willpower. The minimum is 9, though, so even someone with 2 Strength and Health won't die getting hit by a pebble.

Pentru Sora Mea Mai Mică

This is for my little sister, since she wants to try tabletop gaming and a simple system has to be better than something complicated (not that this will be excessively simple).

Roll Stats


Roll a six sided die (1d6) for each of the following traits:
Strength
Health
Agility
Quickness
Mind
Hope
Charm
Acuity


Choose Traits


Pick one of the following traits for each point of the Mind stat plus the Hope stat.
Muscular - Increases Strength by one. Stats cannot be higher than 6.
Healthy - Increases Health by one. Stats cannot be higher than 6.
Agile - Increases Agility by one. Stats cannot be higher than 6.
Fast - Increases Quickness by one. Stats cannot be higher than 6.
Smart - Increases Mind by one. Stats cannot be higher than 6. Does not give more trait points.
Hopeful - Increases Hope by one. Stats cannot be higher than 6. Does not give more trait points.
Charming - Increases Charm by one. Stats cannot be higher than 6.
Perceptive - Increases Acuity by one. Stats cannot be higher than 6.
Persuasion - Gives an extra roll to persuade people (explained later).
Terrify - Gives an extra roll to scare people. (explained later).
Brawler - Gives an extra combat roll if fighting hand-to-hand or with a close range weapon (explained later).
Archer - Gives an extra combat roll if fighting from a distance (explained later). Applies to all ranged attacks, including magic and guns.
Resistant - Allows one extra wound per body part (explained later)
Bloodlust - Raises Quickness by 1 for each turn of combat (not permanent, explained later)
Arcane Background - There is more than one type of arcane background. Characters can only have one arcane background. Choose from the following. Allows trait points to be spent on spells in the appropriate background.

• Healer - Gives access to Healing spells.
• Caster - Gives access to Elemental spells
• Hexer - Gives access to Hex spells
• Blesser - Gives access to Blessings

Brave - Gives an extra roll to resist fear with Hope checks.
Artist - Can draw well.
Writer - Can write well.
Chef - Can cook well.

Money and Equipment


You start with 250s (s is the currency. That's the whole word for it.) to buy whatever you need. You get one standard outfit (Pants/Skirt, Shirt, Socks, Shoes)

Clothes
-Pants/Skirt - 2s
-Pants/Skirt, Dress - 6s
-Shirt - 1s
-Shirt, Dress - 3s
-Dress - 5s
-Dress, Fancy - 10s
-Socks - 1s
-Stockings - 2s
-Shoes - 3s
-Boots - 4s
-Hat (specify style when you write it) - 1s
-Glasses - 5s
-Bandanna - 1s
-Hospital Mask - 1s

-Cloth Gloves - 2s
-Leather Gloves - 3s

Weapons
-Knife - 1s - Causes 1 wound. Can be thrown.
-Gun - 15s - Causes 3 wounds
--Bullet (for 20) - 3s
-Bow - 4s - Causes 2 wounds
--Arrow (for 5) - 1s

Food
-Bacon (1 meal's worth) - 1s
-Lettuce (1 meal's worth) - 1s
-Bottle of Water (2 meals' worth) - 1s
-Juice Box (1 meals' worth) - 1s
-Bottle of Juice (2 meals' worth) - 2s
-Loaf of Bread (3 meals' worth) - 2s
-Spices (10 meals' worth) - 3s
-Herbs (10 meals' worth) - 3s
-Wine (Bottle) - 10s

Other
-Backpack - 8s
-Messenger Bag - 8s
-Watch, cheap - 3s
-Watch, fancy - 5s
-Pencil/Pen - 1s
-Notebook - 2s
-Deck of Cards - 1s
-Deck of Cards, Specialty* - 3s
-Frying Pan - 2s

*Specialty decks have a special print on them that makes them different from the common decks. There's nothing special about them statistically, they really just look different.

Don't forget a name!


How To Do Things


Just say what you want to do. Don't say if it succeeds unless there's no chance it would fail. If you're in a non-combat situation and all you're doing is walking over to someone and talking to them, you can do that. If you try to convince them to leave the door they're guarding, you'd do a Charm roll.

The rolls for stats are the number of dice you get to roll to try to get the target number for whatever you're trying to do. The target number wont always be the same. Harder tasks have harder targets to get. For example, trying to hit someone standing still at 20 yards with a gun may have a target number (TN) of 9. If your Acuity is 3, roll 3 6-sided dice (3d6) and use the highest. If the highest is 6, roll one more time for each six you rolled and add it to the original. Repeat until you don't have a 6.

So, let's say you rolled 3d6 and got 3, 1, and 6. You roll one more time and get a 3. Adding these together gets a 9, which would succeed. Now, lets say you got two sixes that first time (like 6, 3, and 6). You roll two more times, adding the first roll to the first six and second to the second. Say the second rolls were 2 and 6. Adding those gets 8 and 12, but you're not done, since you got another 6. You would add whatever you rolled the next time to the roll that got the 6, so a roll of 4 after that would add to the 12, giving a result of 16.

In addition to the target number, there's also a critical success number (CSN). This is generally twice the target number and makes the result even more successful. So for the above example, if your rolls were to add to 18 or higher, your damage with the gunshot would increase.

In combat, turn order is determined by quickness rolls, with the highest roll going first.

Some rolls, like Persuasion and Terrify, require opposed rolls. To persuade someone, you would roll your Charm roll versus their Mind roll. To terrify, it's whatever roll is appropriate for what you're doing versus their Hope roll.

How Wounds Works

When you take damage from an attack (wounds), it goes to whatever body part was hit. Each body part can take up to 6 points of damage. The body parts are:

• Head
• Throat
• Torso
• Left/Right Arm
• Left/Right Leg

Taking 6 points of damage to an arm or leg causes them to lose that arm or leg. To the head, throat, or torso kills your character.

Healing Spells (Arcane Background: Healer)

A healer can cast a total number of spells equal to their Hope number until they rest, gaining one spell per hour resting. For example, your Hope may be a 4. That means you can cast 4 spells per day. If you cast Mend 3 twice (so you can cast two more that day), then rest for an hour, you can cast 3 more spells. Healer spells succeed, no matter what, if they can.

Mend: Removes one wound.
Mend 2: Requires and replaces Mend. Removes two wounds.
Mend 3: Requires and replaces Mend 2. Removes three wounds.
Mend 4: Requires and replaces Mend 3. Removes four wounds.
Mend 5: Requires and replaces Mend 4. Removes five wounds.
Regenerate: Requires Mend 5. Restores a lost limb. Takes 24 hours. This limb starts with a wound level of 5.
Animate: Requires Regenerate. Removes one wound from a dead character, bringing them back to life. This counts as two spells.

Elemental Spells (Arcane Background: Caster)

Casters can cast as many spells as they want, but they have to make an Acuity roll, opposed by the target's Agility roll. So if you roll 3d6 and get 2, 4, 2, and they roll 2d6 and get 3, 5, the target avoids it.

Burn: Causes one wound from fire damage.
Frost: Causes one wound from ice damage.
Move: Causes the ground to change its shape. The exact amount of change and the size of the area changed is greater for more points of Mind. This can be used to block paths, make it harder to run, or erase a trail, among other things.
Gust: Forces everyone in a path from the caster back if they're under 150 lbs (68 kg). The path is longer and the weight goes up with higher Mind.
Pierce: A spike of earth shoots up from a natural surface, causing 1 wound wherever it hits if it hits. This spike stays after the spell's effect ends, but it's just dirt then, so it can fall. The height of the spike is higher with higher mind.
Assist: Raises quickness by 1 for each point of Mind for the target.
Focus: Makes the next spell twice as effective.

Hexes (Arcane Background: Hexer)

Hexes have a 50% chance of success. They can be used any number of times, but only in combat.

Soul Bond: For each two wounds you get, the person with this hex on them gains one. This hex lasts five turns.
Keep Still!: The one hexed with this loses one combat action. It only lasts for that action.
Move!: Lifts the hexed out of the hexer's way.
Plague: The one hexed with this loses two points of Health over 2 turns. After all three points are lost, it ends two turns later. If it lowers Health to 0, the target dies. This effect does not stack, so casting it twice won't lower Health by 4.
Intoxicating Touch: Touch the target, and the hex makes them lose a point each of Agility, Quickness, Mind, and Acuity. This lasts for two turns.
What's That?: The hexed turns around and can't defend themselves. This only works once in a fight, so use it wisely.
Paranoia: Lowers the hexed's Hope by 2. The effect is instant, but if it brings Hope to 0, the target flees.

Blessings (pending) (Arcane Background: Blesser)

Blessings have a 100% chance of success and can be used at any time, but they require the blesser to take a wound somewhere. They can also not be used on the sacrificed location of the blesser using them. So a blesser can use Divine Weapon on their right arm if they sacrifice on their left, but not their right.

Fix: Removes 2 wounds over two turns. This effect stacks. Requires the blesser to take a leg wound.
Protect: Protects the blessed from two wounds. Requires the blesser to take a head wound.
Perfection!: Raises all the blessed's stats to 6. Requires the blesser to take two wounds to the torso.
Divine Weapon: For the rest of battle, the blessed gets a sword that causes 3 wounds per hit. Requires the blesser to take two arm wounds.
Luck: The blessed cannot miss unless the target of their attack has some way of preventing it. Requires the blesser to take a throat wound.
Resurrect: Brings a recently dead target back to life at the cost of one of the blesser's arms or legs. The resurrected has no wounds and is fully healed.
Glue: Negates a wound for the blessed if they would lose that limb from that wound. Lasts for one wound or 3 hours, whichever happens first.

Damir

Damir are similar to humans, only a few feet taller with a more or less reversed culture, where gender plays an important role. For example, if a baby girl damir was born and didn't cry, she would be killed. However, if a baby boy damir was born and did cry, he would be killed. The reasoning for this, according to the damir, is that a woman must be strong and unafraid to defend herself, while a vocal male is destined to be destructive and use his strength to get his way.

Damir have ashy white skin with lavender-to-violet tones. They all have black hair that grows long to their shoulders on their heads and in short fuzz on a stripe down their back to their tailbones.  Their eyes range from black to white in shades of purple. The muscles of the males are heavier in their upper bodies making them good at hand-to-hand combat, while the females have stronger legs, making them superior if they have to fight with their feet or run. Several weapons have been developed that add blades that run alongside the female's legs that spring out and back when they kick, while males can excel with any handheld knife or sword.

One unusual trait about the damir is that they can shift the density of their skin, potentially making any part of their flesh as hard as bone, but to do so, they have to lower the density of 130% as much skin as they hardened. Hardening too much can cause the weakened areas to tear open.

Other information is pretty much the same as humans.

Omni-genre Tabletop RPG System

Last Edit: 12 Jan, 2014.

Character Creation

Name your character and decide what he or she does for a living. Knowing what your character does for a living can help you decide which way to go with later steps. Additionally, it's nice to decide what your character looks like. You could just say "Blue eyes, brown hair, five feet three inches tall, 105 lbs" or you could go into a lot of detail right away and use it to decide things that relate to game mechanics later, if you do so at all.

Pick three to five motivations for your character. Motivations are broken down into four categories: Beliefs, Histories, Goals, and Fears. They give characters a connection to the game world, and help guide the story. It is the GM's responsibility to make a character's motivations into story elements. It is the players' responsibility to make these motivations specific and clear to facilitate this. Generally, no more than two motivations should be of the same type to make this easy for the GM.

Beliefs are moral or ethical values for your character (or lack thereof), like "elves are scum and don't deserve to walk the same streets as me." Beliefs should be strong beliefs, not just a phase your character is going through. A well-formed belief alters how a character is played. For example, if one was playing a character that believed elves are worthless, they won't likely kiss every elf they encounter (unless they have some sort of elf-killing poison on their lips). A belief should be able to be questioned through the plot. Maybe this anti-elf character had their life saved by an elf, or maybe they find out they have elven heritage.
Histories are personal relationships with a person, place, group, or thing, like "He was a member of the illuminati until he informally quit last year." Histories should not be wasted on saying "X character is related to Y character, also played by me." A well-formed History can lead the plot in a whole new direction, or even add an entire subplot all its own.
Goals are long-term objectives for your character, like "I will rid this city of elves and make it look like I had nothing to do with it." These goals do not have to be accomplished in one plot alone. The same character may be brought back into a campaign world and continue on their quest to kill every elf in sight. A well-formed goal should never be something easy to accomplish; if it was, the character would likely have done it already.
Fears are the opposite of goals in function; they are what your character absolutely does not want to happen. It differs from fears listed as traits, which would affect play, in that these fears affect the overall game world. These things should happen and characters should work through them to get through the plot. Any fear that would motivate a character should be allowed, but as with everything else, it's up to the player and GM to have the character act on these. An example of a well-formed fear: "I will die at the hands of someone who loves me due to a misunderstanding." It covers what they are afraid of and would alter the way the character is played.

Divide 10 points between your character's four attributes: Body, Mind, Awareness, and Spirit. For game purposes, these are treated as special traits and exist to ensure the character is never completely unprepared for a given situation. Attributes must have at least 1 point, but no more than 4.


Body is used for things that are physically stressful, when there is exertion, or anytime one would have to, say, jump from a moving beam to another one.
Mind is used for quick thinking or situations which require logic. Can be used to convince people of things IF they are very logical and you're trying to show them benefits of whatever you propose. Spirit would still be used, as well.
Awareness is used to notice sounds, objects in the distance, and lies, among other things.
Spirit is overall force of personality and passion, and is used to convince people of things, among other possible uses of a strong personality.

Divide 20 points between your character's traits and assets. These can be anything the player likes that fits the game's setting, described in at most a short sentence. Like Attributes, these should have between 1 and 4 points. Do not be ambiguous (see sample characters). Traits and assets allow the player to (A) Describe their character, and (B) emphasize their strengths and weaknesses. Traits and assets should fit a character's class and background, but that isn't to say they didn't dabble in something else in their spare time, so long as it makes sense for the character. Some equipment can have an asset attached, particularly weapons and armor. The asset represents the skill in using them, and may have other effects at the GMs discretion.

If it exists in the game world, magic is listed in this section as well. Individual spells are listed, but the rules on how they work is up to the player to describe afterward. Obviously, effects are up to the GM's approval. Alternatively, magic can simply be a single asset, though this will require approval from the GM.


Traits and assets can also be 0-ranked. 0-rank skills cannot be improved. They are typically racial abilities or things that won't be used in rolls, like if a "reformed" demon character has to spend the first round of combat focusing on not reverting back into their old ways (Combat Sickness 0). It's up to the GM how to treat these traits, but most of these are more for flavor than for an actual effect on the game.

If the GM uses the optional HP rules, roll a six-sided die and add your Body rating to it to determine your starting Hit Points. If the game uses levels, and the starting level is higher than 1, roll for each additional level, as well, adding the your Body rating for each level.

Sample Characters

Der'vasen
HP 9/9

Der'vasen is an elven Dread Knight.

Belief: "Only a coward fights with magic or with a bow."
Belief: "Only the weak talk their way out of fights."
History: "Had to watch his wife and daughters be raped and murdered by the soldiers at Fort Paladrian."
Goal: "I will get my revenge on the humans of Ivory Hill, starting with the captain at Fort Paladrian."

Attributes: Body 4, Mind 2, Awareness 1, Spirit 3

Traits and Assets:
Darkly Charismatic 4 (People are more likely to follow him out of fear)
Silent Step 2
Greatsword 4
Intimidation 3
Tactician 1
Hatred for Humans 3
Armor Piercing 1 (Deals 1 point of additional damage after damage reduction from armor)
Warped Honour 2

Equipment: Greatsword, leather-reinforced clothing


Avenya

Avenya has pale blond hair and even lighter skin. She has heterochromia, with one blue eye and one green eye. She is a spy and mercenary who operates under the guise of a seller of an ambiguous product that she insists no one buys.

Belief: "There's nothing that money can't buy."
Belief: "If they can't be swayed by words or money, shoot them."
Goal: "I will earn my own ship and a home for my mother, Erynn, and my sister, Leigh, so they at least have a home on the moon."
Fear: "My family will be killed before I can achieve my goal."

Attributes: Body 2, Mind 3, Awareness 4, Spirit 1

Traits and Assets:
Former Mechanic 3
Deceptive 4
Pistols 4
Rifles 3
Intimidating 3
Family-Sensitive 1
Utilitarian 3

Equipment: Light Pistol, Communicator


Nelei (pronounced "Neh RAY")
HP 26/26

Nelei is a nyane hybrid, but doesn't know what kind as she is unsure of what her non-nyane parent was. She doesn't look like a child, instead looking like a preteen. Her arm and leg fur is softer and only half as long as a normal nyane and has streaks of violet in it. The parts closest to her hands have bloodstains from her trade as a blood apothecary, but she tries to keep the fur as soft as she can. She has one violet eye and one mango orange one, which is unnatural for any race. Her ears are smaller than a normal nyane and her head hair is nowhere near as exotic in color, simply being a shade of brown. It should be noted that while she has a knife with which to draw her blood for magic, she prefers to use her teeth.

Belief: "If a few people have to die to make me stronger, they're going to be remembered as martyrs for a good cause."
History: "She has never met her own parents, and doesn't know whether she was abandoned or orphaned."
Goal: "I will be known as a nyane when history remembers me, and not as a human."

Attributes: Body 2, Spirit 2, Mind 3, Awareness 3

Traits and Assets:
Heterochromia 0
Outcast of Her Own Race 2
Blood Sacrifice (spell) 4 (Sacrifices owns blood to heal another or vice versa. If casting on an unwilling target, the chance of success is penalized by target's Spirit score. The penalty is cut in half (rounding up) if Blood Control is used prior to casting. Requires the one sacrificing to have blood, but not the one being healed. The total HP transferred (in a 1-to-1 ratio) is no more than (rank)d6, so right now: 4d6 (4-24). Causes the one to sacrifice to lose (rank)d2-(rank) HP per turn from bleeding (4d2-4, 0-4) until the wounds are treated)
Knives 1
Blood Control (spell) 4 (Controls the flow of blood in the target. Doesn't do much on its own, but can be used to temporarily prevent or cause bleeding, doing (rank)d2-(rank) damage per turn: 4d2-4 (0-4). Obviously, the target must have blood.)
Hiding 2
Secretive 1
Appearance of Innocence 3
Flesh Mending (spell) 3 (Stops bleeding if successful. If used right after Blood Control, automatically succeeds. Only works on fleshy creatures. Blood is not necessary; however, this spell is purely cosmetic if the target has no blood.)
Blood Slave (spell) 3 (Only works on creatures with blood. Chance of success is a normal pass/fail roll with a penalty equal to the target's Mind score. If no Mind score is presented, it is assumed to be 2. Can only have one slave at a time, and control only lasts until the caster sleeps. The slave can think and remember what they've done while enslaved, and if it goes against their wishes, can fight back against the control (Mind check, penalty equal to the caster's rank in this spell). Success of this spell causes both the target and the caster lose blood at a rate of (rank)d2-(rank): 3d2-3 (0-3))

Equipment: A jagged knife, the robes of a priestess, an apron, and all the tools and herbs necessary to make common, non-magical salves and poultices.


Tir'vanil
HP 6/6

An elven wilder; a magic user who does not believe in the magic academies, and whose very existence is illegal because of this. To her, an assassin is a weapon, and no longer alive, so she feels no more sympathy for one she kills than she would for a broken sword. 

Belief: "Mages should all be free, but those that prove dangerous should be contained."
History: "Fled the forest when she was nearly killed by Red."
Fear: "I will be forced into the bondage of magic-fearing humans."

Mind 4, Spirit 2, Awareness 2, Body 2

Charismatic 4
Poison Dart (spell) 4 (deals 3 poison damage per turn (5 seconds) for a minute (12 turns). Target gets a new body roll to resist every turn. Effect ends when target either succeeds or dies.)
Restoration (spell) 4 (heals 4 HP and removes poison)
Chain Lightning (spell) 4 (deals 4 damage to the target, then passes to the nearest creature or conductive surface, dealing 3, then bounces again for 2, then again for 1)
Dagger 2
Dagger 2

Equipment: Two daggers, a robe, and a backpack.


Harry

Belief: "I will not accept my common ancestry, because my family is all weak!"
Belief: "Rage in battle is all that is important. And bloodshed."
Goal: "I will kill every last person who stands in my way as I hunt the person who turned my family against me."
History: "Harry was born into a perfectly normal rich family, but when he was sold out to save the family from taxes, he went into a rage and slaughtered those who came to take him."

Body 4, Mind 1, Spirit 4, Awareness 1

Greatsword Training 4
Not Afraid To Kill 4
Easily Angered 4
Bloodlust 2 (Unlikely to stop killing once he starts)
Greatswords 4
Light Armors 2

Equipment: A greatsword carved with primal designs, lightweight and low quality leather armor, furs

Character Advancement

Whenever a character does something spectacular, or when the story reaches certain GM specified checkpoints that would warrant it, he or she gains 1 point to spend in traits and assets. This point is spent immediately upon gaining the level. It cannot be used to gain equipment, but if the character has an appropriate related asset or trait, it can be used to improve existing equipment. It can also be used to raise HP, if that system is used. The player may be rewarded for playing negative traits well, which is why even negative traits have a positive value.

Action Resolution

Whenever an action being taken matters to the events of the story, the GM may ask the players involved to roll a d20. The base goal for success is 10, but this will be increased by the Difficulty trait of the task at hand, or anything else the GM sees fit. The player then adds appropriate traits and assets to his or her roll. The player's roll needs to exceed the target number for success. Only the players roll; if they are being attacked by an enemy, the enemy is treated as any other task. The GM may lower the target number if an applicable trait would do so, and the players are encouraged to do so as well. The GM may also penalize characters for a task for other reasons, like trying to jump from rooftop to rooftop in heavy plate armor, penalizing the score by the rating of said armor.

Examples:

Player: "Avenya shoots the elf in the face with her pistol." [Body 2, Pistols 4; +6 to the roll]
GM: "Roll it. You need a 16." (10 + Body 4 + Evasion 2)
Player: (rolls 11, then adds the 6 from Body and Pistols to get a 17.)
GM: "Avenya attempts to shoot the elf in the face, but misses. Luckily for her, she did hit his ear, suddenly making him a half elf."

Player: "Avenya jumps from the collapsing tower to the ship."
GM: (Rolls a 20-sided die, adding Avenya's Body score of 2. This is not enough to succeed, but she notices the Utilitarian asset and adds it to the score.) "The tower collapses a little too far to the left for Avenya to make it to the door of the ship, but she catches onto the wing as she passes it, avoiding the 400 foot drop."

Players can volunteer to fail a roll, as well. This provides no special benefits. However, the GM should take note of times when they volunteer to have traits or assets work against themselves, as they may be rewarded for it later with an advancement point.

Hit Points (HP)

Hit points are optional, so if the GM or players want to do away with this rule, they are free to. Instead, the GM can have the players roll against the attribute (the attribute would depend on the source of the damage) or take some effect from it. Alternatively, the GM may decide not to use either system, instead using logic to determine the outcome.

How a gunshot to the chest can play out:

HP system:
GM: "He shoots you in the chest, dealing 32 damage. You have 1 HP remaining."

Attribute Save System:
GM: "He shoots you in the chest."
Player: (rolls against character's Body attribute and fails)
GM: "You go into shock and soon die from blood loss."

Storytelling:
GM: "He shoots you in the chest."
Player: "Edward feels immense pain, then quickly bleeds to death. As he is dying, he tries to throw his magic dagger to Lyna."
GM: (Makes an attribute check for Body and Awareness, and a trait check for Juggler, failing with the first two, but succeeding with the last, implying the gun does not go skittering away on the floor) "Edward tries to throw the dagger to Lyna, but he's grown too weak. Instead, it ends up being caught by Sir Jarvis in the hand that's not holding the gun."

Did your HP reach 0? Don't worry, it's not over right then. Your character will remain alive, but unconscious, taking one point of damage each round. They are only dead if their HP reaches its negative maximum. For example, if Tir'vanil were to fall in combat, she could drop to -6 HP before she would be dead. Unconscious characters cannot avoid being hit while unconscious, and take 50% more damage. Damage is not reduced except by armor, whether natural or synthetic. The Body score does not reduce damage when unconscious.

Things Not Covered Elsewhere

Things not covered, like money, are either determined by traits and assets ("Wealthy 3") or by whatever is most convenient to the plot.

The rules do not cover damage, defense, or evasion in detail, nor should they. These are campaign and genre-specific, if they're included at all. All rules concerning them are up to the GM.

Remember that story trumps rules, and the GM has the final word. Starting points are up to the GM, as well. The numbers given here, however, are likely to balance play more than higher numbers, but different stories have different requirements. For example, a survival horror campaign will likely start with fewer points in order to increase the risk, while a superhero campaign may have double or even triple the points.

Incorporator

Incorporators are most commonly revenants, but any race (except ones that don't eat and the Dar Mien) can be one. They use small, hidden weapons, as larger ones might maim the organs. They also will never use poisons (with the exceptions of races that are immune to poisons). An incorporator will not kill without envy of a particular trait of the target in question (voice, sight, etc.). This is because they eat the associated organ (lungs, eyes, heart, etc.) in an attempt to steal that trait. Unlike anyone else, however, they do occasionally pick up that trait.

Incorporators are, logically, disliked in most societies. However, incorporators often form a portion of the elite of any group, especially in terms of music and money. Once they are caught in a lot of societies, they are executed publicly or left somewhere where something else will kill them (i.e., tied up in the woods in such a way they can't escape).

A kalo incorporator is the only one that doesn't have to eat the organs. However, they do destroy it; they drain its essence in their normal "eating" practices. They cannot, however, take abilities related to organs they don't have, like lungs. No other race can take things they don't have, either. For example, an aberil cannot take the ability to sing from the lungs (though they can, very, very rarely take it from the vocal cords).

Taloven incorporators do not eat the organs, per se; they absorb them in the appropriate place and the cells in the area study them and digest them, then average that organ with their equivalent to get 50% of the difference between the consumed organ and their own. While it nearly always successful, it can also cause "organ" decay of their own organ, instead lowering their own ability by 50% of the difference. This cannot be corrected the normal way, but it can be fixed by consuming more organs.

In science fiction settings, they cannot take abilities from synthetic organs and even trying to eat them makes them sick (the exact illness varies little by race, but usually involves vomiting and weakness in limbs).

An incorporator consuming another incorporator steals all ability gained from the particular organ they drain from. No incorporator can drain from multiple organs on the same person.

Incorporators do not kill in self defense; however, many are trained in forms of non-lethal combat (as in, they seek training because they are incorporators), so they are not defenseless. If they accidentally kill someone, they apologize by means of massive donations to the families of the victim or simply by seeking the authorities to judge them.

Incorporators cannot steal class abilities, like a conduit's absorption or a flux' phasing. They can, however, take any mechanical means of gaining an ability and use it, so some Incorporators are capable of also being hunters, since the PRE is technically not a class ability. However, it does take special training, as well as reprogramming and connecting it to the anatomy of the incorporator. All of this is negated if the incorporator is a voshi, since that is what voshi do by nature. Of course, the PRE would have to fit the incorporator, or be modified to do so.