Basic

=Basic Rules=

These are the base rules for the game. This section will cover the base Attributes and ratings for your character. As well as basic rules for rolling to perform Actions, Saves, and Skills.

Attributes
There are 6 main Attributes that affect your talents, skills, and rolls you make toward actions. Most skill, talents, and abilites will be a combination of one of these Attributes and the skill ranks or another ranking listed by the talent or ability. The main Attributes are:


 * Strength (STR): this attribute is a measure of how strong your character is. This is the Main Attribute for those who follow the Path of War. It also contributes to your Melee Damage.
 * Constitution (CON): this attribute is a measure of how healthy and resilient your character is. This Attribute contributes to your Total HP, various Saves, and is a good all-around Attribute for all characters of all Paths.
 * Agility (AGI): this attribute is a measure of your character's nimbleness and manual dexterity. It is both hand-eye coordination and physical grace. This is the main Attribute for those who follow the Path of Shadow. Additionally, this is the primary attribute that combines with most Combat skills. If you intend on making a combat-oriented character, it is good to have a high AGI.
 * Intelligence (INT): this attribute is a measure of how smart your character is. It is the Main Attribute for those who follow the Path of Magic and the Path of Mind. It also contributes to your skill points, but Knowledge and Technical skill point pools, and only at Character Creation. Physical skills are a contribution between STR and AGI (detailed later in the Skills section)
 * Wisdom (WIS): this attribute is a measure of how wise your character is. It is the main attribute for those who follow the Path of Piety. Additionally, it contributes to your Willpower, which helps you resist various mind-effecting spells, drugs, and psionics.
 * Charisma (CHR): the Attribute is a measure of your guile and persuasiveness. This attribute contributes to various social, performance, and artistic skills.

Attribute Bonuses
Your Attribue will be your Attribute Bonus as well. However, on your character sheet, you have 3 colums:  Base, Adjusted (Adj), and Total. Base can never change. Whatever points you put into the Attribute at character creation is fixed for the life of your character, so choose wisely. Adjusted(Adj) is any modification you make to the attribute via experience progression (detailed in Character Progression), magic items, or cybernetics. Total is the total of Base and Adjusted. It is also what you will use whenever a Skill, Path Talent, Secondary Attribute, or anything else needs an attribute to add to its formula.

Attribute Maximums
At Character Creation, your Base Attribute cannot exceed 6. After Character Creation, Base is fixed and cannot change, but you can only adjust, or put points into Adjusted, equal to half of your Base (rounded up). For example, your Strength is 5. This means you can put up to 3 points into your Adjusted. This is cumulative from all Adjusted and progression sources, meaning a total of 3 points from character progression, magic items, and cybernetics. This essentially sets any character's maximum Total Attribute (and Attribute Bonus) to 9. This is the maximum for all available Races (detailed in Character Creation).

Secondary Attributes
Secondary Attributes are attributes that depend on the Main Attributes to determine their score. It is usually the combination of 2 Main Attributes, but sometimes combines a Main Attribute with a skill. The 2 Secondary Attributes are:
 * Perception (PER): this is a measure of how aware your character is. The GM will often have you roll your Perception (PER) to see if you notice hidden objects or people, or to see if you notice clues important to the story. Perception (PER) is determined by combining your Intelligence (INT) and Wisdom (WIS).
 * Willpower (WILL): this is a measure of your character's mental resistance. You will roll this when trying to resist mind-affecting spells, drugs, or psionic powers. Willpower (WILL) is determined by combining your Intelligence (INT) or Wisdom (WIS), whichever is higher, with your Constitution (CON).
 * Save vs Consciousness (SvCNS): this is a measure of how well you resist physical shock and can remain conscious.  Along with resisting Concussive Damage, you will use this to resist physical affecting spells, poisons or drugs (unless they're the really nasty kind that skip straight to Save vs Death), and resisting highly damaging blows.  If ever you fail a Save vs Consciousness, you fall unconscious unless the spell, poison or drug states otherwise.  To determine your SvCNS, multiply your Constitution (CON) by 2.
 * Save vs Death (SvDTH): as the name implies, this roll saves you from dying. This is usually the last roll your character will make and is usually the last in a sequence of resisting damage, bleeding, dying and all other sorts of nastiness.  If at any point you fail a Save vs Death, you die.  Your Save vs Death (SvDTH) is equal to your Constitution (CON).

As mentioned in the description, these Secondary Attributes will be used to either notice something or resist mind-altering affects. Perception checks will be done like skill checks. Willpower resists will be done like other Saves (vs. Death or vs. Consciousness).

Additional Attributes
The last bit of Statistics for your character rounds out their ability to do certain things. The following attributes are not Primary or Secondary, but just extra information about what your character can and cannot do that you can reference at a glance.
 * Initiative (IR, for Initiative Rating): this important stat tells you how many actions you can take in a combat round as well as providing the base for your Initiative Roll that lets you know what order you will go in during combat. To determine your initiative, add your Agility (AGI) and your Perception (PER). This is your Initiative Rating. See the Combat section for more details.
 * Damage Mod: This will come directly from Strength (STR), Agility (AGI), Intelligence (INT), or Wisdom (WIS). Which bonus you use depends on the weapon you are wielding, the Path you follow, or what kind of magic you are using. See the specific sections in Combat, Paths, or Magic.
 * Encumbrance: This represents the weight you can carry in pounds without being encumbered. Essentially, this is a "light" load. From here, it increases by 50 pounds, twice. Medium load is Encumbrance + 50. Heavy (Max) load is Encumbrance +100. To determine Encumbrance, add your Strength, multiply it by 1.5, and then multiply the result by 12. For example, a character with a Strength of 4 would do the following equation:


 * (4 (STR) x 1.5) x 12 = 72


 * Max Lift: this represents in pounds how much your character can lift off the ground and above their heads. This formula is a bit easier, especially after you calculate your Encumbrance. Your Max Lift is equal to your heavy Encumbrance + 100, or your Encumbrance +200.
 * Size: There are many sizes of creatures and humanoids in the game, but your character will only be 1 of 2: Small or Medium. Your Size will be listed by your chosen race in their description.
 * Movement: This is fairly standard is and only increased by your Run skill or decreased by your Size. Since characters can only be 1 of 2 sizes, they will either have a base speed of 20 feet per action for Small races, or 30 feet per action for Medium races. To go faster than your base, again, it will be modified by your Run skill detailed under Skills.  There are 3 levels to run: Normal (which is the base and is a fast walk, just sort of a Jog), Jog ( base x 2, and is jogging speed), and Run (base x 3, and is a fast run, sprinting for most).  Each represents how far/fast you can move in one action.  Run is the maximum you can move in one action, unless you have the Running skill, which will increase it to x5.
 * Jump: this is how high you can jump vertically and horizontally (separated by a " / "). This is determined either by your Athletics or Acrobatics skill.
 * Legend: this is a measure of how famous your character is in the world you are playing. There is no maximum to this attribute, but of course, the higher it is, the more famous you are. Legend points are awarded by the GM when you do something that will garner you fame, fortune, praise, or hatred (Legend works both ways). Various Backgrounds will raise your Legend. How NPCs react to your Legend is completely under the control of the GM and is detailed here.

How to Play
First you will need a few things. Look around you and scrounge the following items. You have two options:

If you like the feel of pen and paper...
 * Character sheet, you can print one from here
 * Pen or pencil (choose wisely)
 * 8-12 six-sided dice (aka d6's)

If you laugh at those who not only Role-Play in the Dark Ages, but Play in them as well... Once you have gathered these items and have a ready and willing group (including 1 GM, at minimum), then you are ready to proceed.
 * A link to this Google Doc Character Sheet
 * A laptop or tablet (choose wisely)
 * 8-12 six-sided dice, or a dice-rolling App/Program approved by your GM

Character Creation
First you'll need to make your character.

Returning to the Attributes and Stats above, you'll start with a number of points to distribute amongst your Main Attributes that will contribute to the rest of your character.

You GM will decide between 3 levels: Low, Standard, Epic

If your GM chooses Low, you will start with 45 points to distribute between your 6 attributes.

If your GM chooses Standard, you will start with 60 points to distribute between your 6 attributes.

If your GM chooses Epic, you will start with 80 points to distribute between your 6 attributes.

After your GM chooses the number of points to distribute, you will then "buy" your Main Attribute points. After you distribute these points, you will choose your Race, Path, and assign points to your Skills. All of this is detailed under Character Creation.

Basic Play
After you have your character made it's time to being to play.

To sum up, everything in the game comes down to some type of roll, of which there are 3 types: Contested, Tested, and Damage/Healing. For Contested and Tested rolls, the roll will depend on Success(es). For Damage/Healing rolls, they are just a total.

Success
Technically, one success is a successful performance of the skill/ability. However, the more successes you have (especially on Contested Rolls), the better the skill/ability performs. On Tested Rolls, you only need to meet the Tested Number (TN).

Contested Rolls
These are rolls where the player rolls a skill or ability and their opponent/target also roll a skill or ability usually in opposition to, or contesting, the player's roll. Prime examples of Contested Rolls are:
 * Combat (attack and defense)
 * Contested Skills (such as Stealth and the observer's Perception)

For any Contested Roll, who ever rolls the most Successes, wins. To determine success, the Initiator/Attacker rolls the number of d6's for their appropriate skill and the Reactor/Defender rolls the number of d6's for their Defense (detailed in Defense) or appropriate opposing skill. Both count the numbers of 5's and 6's that appear. The one with the most wins that Contested Roll.

Tested Rolls
Tested rolls are usually out of combat Skill rolls. Because they are usually done out of combat, the Success is a bit easier to achieve, but a Tested Number (TN) that must be met or exceeded or the roll fails. Prime examples of Tested Rolls are:
 * Skill checks
 * Saves

Tested Rolls as it pertains to Skills, are handled similarly to Contested Rolls in that the Player rolls a number of d6's equal to the Skill (or sometimes Ability) and sums the total of the dice showing. You have to meet a certain Tested Number (TN). See the chart below.

Now, these are just guidelines and not set measures. The GM can adjust these at any time depending on the difficulty or ease of the task performed.

The other type of Tested Roll is used most often in Saves (See Resisting Damage, Unconsciousness, and Death and Magic and Psionics for how and when to Save). In this case, the TN will be a bit higher, but since you are totaling the dice, it shouldn't be any harder to achieve.

Save vs Consciousness (SvCNS) and Save vs Death (SvDTH) have set TNs that increases as damage is done (again see See Resisting Damage, Unconsciousness, and Death for more detail). Saving against Magic and Psionics depends on the spell or power used as it will be determined by the sub-skill under Magic or Psionics. To determine this, use this formula:


 * 20 + Magic/Psionic Skill + Ranks in Specialization (depending on spell) + Attribute Bonus (depending on Path)

And that is the TN you have to meet or exceed. Each sub-skill will tell you its Primary Save, but in general, if it affects the character physically is a Save vs Consciousness. If it affects them mentally, spiritually, or metaphysically, it is a Save vs Willpower.

Damage Rolls
Damage Rolls are much like Tested Rolls in that you total the dice as they appear. However, there is no TN to achieve. Each weapon, unarmed strike, or damaging Magic or Psionic will have a number of dice listed (e.g. 3d6). You will take that number of dice, roll, and total the result.

The Exploding Die
As you've gathered from the above rules, everything in the game depends on rolling a number of d6's. Regardless of how many you are rolling at any given time, 1 of those d6's will be your Exploding Die. You can designate any of your dice as the Exploding Die, but it is best to use a die of a different color as your Exploder.

The Exploding Die will allow for exceptional rolls. Here's how it works. If the die you designate as your Exploder shows a 6, count it as a success and then roll it again. If it shows as a success again (4-6 or 5-6 depending), then you get 2 successes from that 1 die. If you did not score a success, the original 6 still counts as a success. If you rolled another 6, count it as another success and roll again. If you keep rolling a 6, keep counting each additional success and roll again until you do not get a 6.

So, it is possible (though unlikely) that you can roll on your Exploder 6, 6, 6, 6, and 5. In this case that one die would count as 5 successes. This is in addition to any other success you may have rolled on the other dice. And any other 6's are just successes. Only the Exploder can be rolled again if it shows 6.

Conversely, if on your Exploder you roll a 1, the opposite happens, as well as other things.

If you roll a 1 on your Exploder, subtract 1 success from any you scored on any other dice. Then, roll the Exploder again. If it shows anything other than 1, you are safe. If you roll another 1, subtract another success and roll again. Like with rolling multiple 6's, you will continue to roll until you stop rolling 1's.

For example, you roll 7d6 and score 3 successes, but your Exploder rolled a 1. You are now at 2 successes and must roll the Exploder again. On the second roll, you rolled a 1 again. You are now at 1 success and must roll again.

Now, if because of this your number of successes become negative, then you have critically fumbled and must consult the charts below.


 * NOTE: the negative numbers on the charts below is your "adjusted" number of successes. Thus, the higher the negative number, the worse the result on the table.

Damage and Saves do not Explode. This only counts on skill checks. However, as detailed in the Combat section, any additional successes on an Attack roll contribute to extra damage. But the Damage dice themselves DO NOT explode.