STRENGTH - raw physical power, athleticism, physique DEXTERITY - quickness, reflexes, balance, agility, coordination CONSTITUTION - physical toughness, stamina, resistance to disease/injury/ toxins/system shock, endurance CHARISMA - presence, charm, influence, strength of personality, seduction (also modifies results for Reaction Rolls/Henchmen/Morale) INTELLIGENCE - intellect, problem solving, reasoning ability PSYCHE* - mental toughness, strength of will, magical focus, psychic resistance PERCEPTION* - observation, awareness, intuition, insight Abilities (Max score = 18 including bonuses) -------------------------------------------- Roll 4D6 and reroll 1's. Drop the lowest die roll. Do this 7 times and arrange as desired. 3 = -3 penalty 4-5 = -2 penalty 6-8 = -1 penalty 9-12 = No adjustment 13-15 = +1 bonus 16-17 = +2 bonus 18 = +3 bonus * WISDOM has been split into two new abilities, PSYCHE and PERCEPTION: ------------------------------------------------------------------- PSYCHE is the main attribute of Magic-Users and can also be used to augment Saving Throws against certain types of magicks and effects. PERCEPTION is primarily used to see if the PC has noticed a physical occurrence or effect, e.g. a glint of light reflecting from the window of a tower or that one of the ork head statues in the row is actually that of a live orc spying on the party. It may also be used for such things as a bonus to an insight check to see if an obscure meaning was understood fully or to a roll to disbelieve an illusion, etc. * Bend Bars/Lift Gates: STR 16-17 = 1(D6) STR 18 = 1-2(D6) "Bend Bars" assumes soft iron bars. "Lift Gates" refers to vertically moving gates such as a portcullis. Only one attempt can be made. Example: A set of iron bars drops from the ceiling trapping the character in a dead end. The character attempts to Lift Gates, which can be attempted only once for this particu;ar portcullis. If the attempt fails, the character can then try and Bend Bars enough to be able to squeeze through and escape. This may also be tried only once for this portcullis. * Force open a locked, barred, or magically held door: STR 18 = 1(D6) This assumes a dungeon-sized wooden door. Only one attempt can be made. * CON of 13+ = no system shock roll for surviving trauma CON of 9-12 = 60%-90% chance of survival HIT POINTS ---------- All characters begin with maximum hit points at first level. At each new XP level, PCs may receive the maximum hit points allowed(D6 + class and any CON modifications they are due) OR hit points may be rolled for. When rolling for hit points, roll a D6 and. . . If character CON = 9-13, anything less than a 3 is read as 3. All other numbers are read as they fall. If character CON = 14-16, anything less than a 4 is read as 4. All other numbers are read as they fall. If character CON = 17-18, anything less than a 5 is read as 5. All other numbers are read as they fall. * Normal Men/0-level Fighters have D6 hit points. * Important NPCs who are unclassed/unleveled will have more hit points than a "Normal Man". HEALING AND DEATH ----------------- Natural healing per day = XP Level/2 rounded up. So a 5th level PC would naturally heal 3 hp/day. At Zero Hit Points: Characters(and important NPCs) are unconscious or barely conscious at 0 hp, but they are still alive down to -3(plus CON bonus) hp. So, a character with a +2 CON bonus will still be alive at -5 hp. At -6, they will be dead. At zero or below, the character must make a TOUGHNESS Saving Throw roll(Add CON bonus to roll) at the beginning of each new round if they are not given first aid (first aid can be given by anyone and stabilizes the character at 1 hit point so that they can begin to heal naturally). Each failed Save means that the character loses another point that round and moves closer to eventual death. If the PC rolls three successful Saves(which need not be in consecutive order) before falling low enough in health to die, the character will automatically stabilize, even without aid. Hit points will be reset to 1 and remain stable until natural healing begins or magical healing is given. AVERAGE LIFESPAN OF CHARACTER RACES ----------------------------------- Human = 85 Hobbit = 100 Ork = 70 Gnome = 400* Dwarf = 250** Elf = 1000+(?)*** * When Gnomes die, they turn into common natural things (a toadstool, a riverstone, a bed of moss, a small plant, a tree stump, etc) within D6 days. ** When a Dwarf dies, its body is laid to rest in the Hall of the Ancestors where it slowly turns to stone over the next few centuries. Its spirit goes to the Halls of The Builder. *** When an Elf dies, its spirit slips completely back into the Faerie World and its body slowly fades away over the next 9 days. It sometimes happens that an elf will return to the physical world(reincarnate) after a number of centuries if the conditions are right and interest has been renewed in the physical. Memories of its past life will only appear as dreams, random imagery, and fragmented pieces of inexplicable knowledge' to the rein- carnating elf. ------------------------------------------------------------------ All PCs are assumed to have all manner of basic 'adventure-y skills': reading/writing(except barbarians), riding, climbing/caving, swimming, hunting/foraging/basic survival, tying knots and rigging, building a normal cottage, sailing a small boat, etc. Character race/class indicates related skills that are commonly known (fighters know fight-y things, dwarves know crafty things, etc). Characters will also have backgrounds which will give them additional skills (merchant, sailor, blacksmith, student, etc). For things requiring special skills: Whenever they do something for a substantial length of game time, they can gain that as a skill. If they are on a sailing vessel crossing the sea, they can say that they help sail it. If they do that, just write down Sailing. If they buy a bunch of books on alchemy and read them over the winter, along with laboratory equipment for experimentation, write down Alchemy. PCs are assumed to gain leadership ability in proportion to their level and other skills. If they know how to fight, they can lead fighting men. If they know academics, they can function as the dean of a university... --------------------------------------------------------- * NAME LEVEL (Lord, Wizard, Thief, etc) is considered to be 9th level for all PCs/NPCs. At 4th level, they are considered "HEROES". At 8th level, "SUPERHEROES". * Many Men-At-Arms, castle garrisons, town guards, etc, will be Normal Men/ 0-Level Fighters, except in hostile border areas where they will be Level 1. Veterans will be Levels 1-2, with Junior Noncoms being Levels 2-3. Lieu- tenants are around Levels 3-4. Company Captains and Senior Noncoms(Master Sergeants) are Levels 4-8. A Royal Castellan in charge of a strategic keep or castle will be around Levels 6-9. Well-known knights of the realm will be level 6+. * Mercenary companies will typically have a base of 1st level fighters, as they fight often and in many campaigns. The Company of the Blue Wyvern is a very famous and long-lived mercenary company, and has a base of 2nd level fighters. Their current commander is level 11. * Village Clerics/Priests will be around Levels 2-3. Bishops/Town Clerics will be Levels 6-9, Archbishops/Head Clerics/High Priests will be Level 10+. Tribal Shaman/Witchdoctors will usually be around Levels 4-8. * By the end of Lord of the Rings, Frodo Level 6, Samwise and Merry Level 5, Pippin Level 4. Aragorn when first met, Level 10. At the end of the Lord of the Rings, Level 14. Gimli, Level 8. Legolas, Level 10. * Famous Generals/Mercenary Captains, Commanders of Knightly Orders, Regional Heroes, Infamous Outlaws, the core members of the Black Company, the Sheriff of Nottingham and the like will be Level 9+. * Many of the Knights of the Round Table, Robinhood, Sinbad, Solomon Kane, Zorro, and Theseus, as well as Powerful Lords of the campaign world would be Level 12+. * A Powerful Wizard or the Court Wizard of a powerful king would be Level 11+. * Legendary Heroes(King Arthur, Lancelot, Merlin, Achilles, Hector, Perseus, Odysseus, Heracles, John Carter, and Conan) would be Levels 14-20. * Level 20 is about the upper limit for PCs, at which point they either become a Legendary NPC of the campaign world or leave the Prime Material Plane altogether to become Quasi-Deities.