General Rules

Difficulty of Tasks

Almost any task that a character attempts will have a difficulty level associated with it. This is determined by the GM, based on the situation, the character's condition, and the opposing actions of other people, creatures, or forces. The player rolls as normal, using the appropriate Attribute and Skill combination. If they roll equal to or over the difficulty, they succeed. If they roll under it, they fail. The GM does not have to require a roll for the task, provided the player provides a lucid, in depth, and entertaining description what they are attempting. But certain situations, like combat, tend to have more rolling than just character interaction. The difficulty of a task is assessed as below.

Modifiers

Many things can modify or affect a character's chance of accomplishing a deed. These can range from weather effects to wounds (for wound effects see below). It is the GM's choice whether they choose to asses a Step modifier, or a difficulty modifier. They tend to be subtly different and I tend to favor difficulty modifiers in general. The GM is free to asses their own modifiers for situations, but here are a few that I suggest:

Critical Successes

There are cases where a player will role better than average. In these cases, the character achieves a critical success. When a critical success is achieved, they may not only have succeeded in what they were attempting to do, but it either looked impressive, was more effective, or something additionally benign has occurred. Critical successes occur when a player roles the maximum value on all dice they are rolling for the action or task. When this occurs, the player may roll an additional 1d10 (called the bonus die) and add it to their total. If the bonus die rolls a 10, they may continue to roll and add its result to their total until it no longer rolls a 10. Note that if even with the bonus die roll, the result is insufficient for the Difficulty of the task, the character still fails. But their failure still looked good or was less negative in result than it normally would be (i.e. they get no penalty for trying again).

Critical Failure

Also known as a Botch, a Critical Failure is the result of some annoying or catastrophic error the character made. Whether it is stepping on their own shoe-lace and tripping, or accidentally firing a crossbow bolt into their friends back, they pay for their mistake (especially when their friend recovers). A Critical Failure occurs when all the dice the player is rolling come up ones. If a Critical Failure occurs while a character is in a contest of Skill (like Parrying a Blow) then they either are considered to automatically lose or their roll is assumed to be 1 (GM's discretion). The GM is free to be as nasty or as merciful as they feel. Generally it is preferred to let the situation dictate the results to advance the story. And if the GM can describe the result humorously they can kill the character's pride while leaving them intact. When GMing I usually prefer to add insult to injury rather than injury to injury. But not always...

Combat Rules

Combat Rounds

A Round of Combat generally last about 2 - 10 seconds of Game Time (as opposed to Real Time) or more if the GM is so inclined. No effort is made to pin it down to a specific duration and none should be. The nature of Role-playing lends itself to certain abuses and Time suffers most of the blows. For the purposes of cinematic combat, allow characters a degree of freedom in their choice of actions. By the same token, players should be reasonable about what they try to have their characters accomplish each round (no one can run a marathon or sing all the verses of "Ninety Nine Bottles of Beer on the Wall" in one Round; but they can start doing it and continue for many rounds).

Sequence of Actions

In Combat, who goes first may be crucial. Each character rolls their Reflexes and notes the result. The GM may roll once for all NPC actions, or once for each discrete group of NPCs, or once for each NPC (GM's fiat). Then the GM goes around and has all characters starting with those who rolled Lowest declare what they are going to attempt during the round (in secret notes, if need be). This is because they are the last to notice what everyone is doing. The Higher the Reflexes roll, the more lead time to observe before action is required. The GM should also describe in general detail what it looks like the NPCs are starting to do. Then characters and NPCs act in order of their Reflexes roll, Highest to Lowest. So the order is:

Actions

An action is a single discrete activity that a character attempts to perform. Drawing a blade, moving, attacking, casting a spell; each are considered an action. If the player is unsure, the GM will determine is an activity under question will take one action, several actions, all actions for one round, or require multiple rounds to perform. A character can attempt as many actions in a round as they wish. However, for each action beyond they first, the following actions receive a cumulative -1 to their Step. If an action has a zero Step, it cannot be performed in the current round. The character must either attempt a different action they still have a Step in or end their turn. Note that if the GM feels this rule is being abused (i.e. a character with a very high combat skill attempts 10 actions in a round) they should either add more penalties, enforce critical failures with vicious mercilessness, or allow a maximum of 3 (or whatever number) of actions per round per character.

Attacking

A character who wishes to hit a target with a Unarmed, Melee, or Ranged Attack is Attacking. The GM determines the appropriate Attribute/Skill combination and determines a Difficulty (but does not have to announce it). The player then rolls their dice and if they get equal to or greater than the Difficulty, they hit their target. If not, they miss (and may at GM's discretion, depending on crowding, hit an unintended target). It is assumed that attacking a normal or unaware target is an Easy Difficulty (2) and attacking an aware target is an Average Difficulty (4) (not always true for ranged weapons). This may be altered if the target is Defending (instead of simply taking the blow because they have no more actions or do not wish to act).

Defending

A Defense is an action that you declare when someone is attacking you but before the GM announces whether they hit you or not. A character who attempts to defend against an attack has essentially three options. They may (1) Dodge, (2) Parry, or (3) Block. Dodging indicates that the character is throwing themselves (maybe Acrobatically) away from a blow. It takes all remaining actions for a round (i.e. no further action may be made after a character Dodges) but is effective against all further attacks being made against you that round. Your Reflexes + Dodge roll becomes the new difficulty to hit you for all foes attacking (yes, even if it is very low, including a Critical Failure which counts as 1). A Parry (with a weapon) or a Block (with a shield) is simply considered a single action taken in a round. But they are each only effective against a single attack. Note that you cannot effectively parry a weapon with a limb (i.e. your arm) as you will likely take as much damage from the parry as you would from the blow. For a Parry, you roll your appropriate skill (Coordination + Melee Weapon). If you foe rolled lower than you, you defended successfully. If they rolled higher than you, you failed or were ineffective and their blow hit you. Blocking is essentially the same as Parrying, except that in addition to the Skill Pool (Coordination + Shield) a Shield also adds it Size Step to the roll (a bigger shield offers more protection). Other than this change, the defense is identical to Parry. Note that when defending against missile weapons you generally cannot parry a missile weapon (Difficulty is minimum of Heroic - even if you succeed, if your attacker rolls higher he hits you) and Blocking them is extremely tough unless you have a large Shield (minimum is Desperate - even if you succeed, if your attacker rolls higher he hits you). Therefore, the only really effective defense against missile weapons is Dodge (your roll equals attacker's Difficulty) or simply moving about quickly (+2 Difficulty to attacker's roll).

Moving

A character may cover their Move value in yards per turn as an action. If they wish to move more than that, they must make a Physique/Running Roll. Difficulty is 5, +2 for every full Move in yards or portion of that that they wish to run beyond the first. But every Move beyond the first is considered an additional action for the round, and thus removes one Step from their Physique/Running pool for rolling the result. Finally, the GM can assess additional Difficulty modifiers for uneven terrain, crowded passages, or blocked ground they have to cross. If they make the roll, they move their desired distance. If they fail the roll, they move only their normal movement. If they Critically Succeed they may run an additional Move in yards if they so choose. If they Critically Fail, they trip and fall and lose their actions for the round.

Aiming

If a character chooses, they may spend one action per round Aiming at a Target (whether they are planning on using a Ranged, Melee, or Unarmed attack - but they cannot change which type of attack they are planning on doing while Aiming). However, they may take no actions after they Aim, as it will interrupt their concentration and cause them to lose any accumulated bonuses. For each round they successfully Aim in, they gain a +1 Step to their Skill Pool for their next Attack on that Target. They may gain a maximum of +3 Steps (i.e. 3 rounds of Aiming) and no more. If they are successfully attacked and received one or more Wounds, they must make a Will roll against the Damage they received (i.e. the damage remaining after they subtracted their Physique roll) or they lose any accumulated bonus for Aiming. The GM may also require a Will for any other event they feel is sufficiently distracting (i.e. having a bucket of cold water poured over their head). Obviously, if the Aiming character's sight or view of the target is interrupted for more than a moment, then they lose their accumulated Aiming bonus.

Other Rules

Size

Size is a way of measuring interactions between objects. I assume that something that has a height, length, or diameter of 3' feet or something that is approximately 50 lbs in mass to be a Size one (i.e. about the size of a baby, a large cat, or a small dog). Anything smaller is Size 0. And I assume that for every additional 3' of height, length or diameter or for every additional 100lbs of weight (or fraction of either), the Size is +1. Therefore most adult humans have a Size of 2. The only reason for this Size rating is for comparing damage or attacks between small and large things. Generally, it is easy to ignore as you may not have hugely ranging attackers. But for every 2 Sizes of Difference between opponents, a few modifications may be taken into effect.

For every 2 Sizes larger the Defender is, the Attacker has a +1 Step to hit (easier to successfully Strike larger objects). Note that unlike normal D6 rules, no modification of Damage is made (unless GM wishes) because it is assumed that the target's ability to resist Damage is already taken into effect (i.e. a higher Physique). If this is not the case, then the Attacked does -1 Step of Damage to the Defender if they successfully hit (again, this -1 Step is per each 2 Size Difference).

For every 2 Sizes smaller the Defender is, the Attacker has a -1 Step to Hit (harder to Strike smaller objects). As above, no modification of Damage is suggested unless there has been no attempt to take the differences into account. I this case, the Damage Step is increased by +1 for each 2 Size Differences if the Attacker hits.

Size can also be used to measure the capacity for an object to inflict damage. In general, a GM can assume the Size of fire or stone x3, is equal to the amount of Damage it can do (in the fire case, each round).

Will Rolls

Will is an Attribute that is used for a variety of different purposes. Will can be used when resisting the effects of Social Skills (Persuade, Leadership, Beg). It can be used to combat the effects of fear (Horror Tests) or pain or distracting events. It can also be used when resisting the effects of magical attacks upon your person. All these situations boil down to a Will Test or a Contest of Wills.

A Will test occurs when the subject is responding to some stimuli. It can be reacting to a horrible site, trying to maintain their concentration against pain, or trying to resist the temptation of a bar if they're an alcoholic. Essentially, the GM sets a certain Difficulty and the character rolls their Will to see if they succeed or fail. If they succeed, they avoid the ill effects. If they fail, they suffer the consequences. Critical Successes or Failures are left to the GM to sort out.

• Horror Test: Roll higher than the Horror Rating or be -1 Step while exposed to this situation
  
  
• Pain Test: Roll higher than the Difficulty or be -1 Step while the pain lasts
  
  
• Concentration Test: Roll higher than the Difficulty or immediately fail whatever task you were concentrating on (i.e. Maintaining a spell or Aiming with a Ranged weapon and you received one or more Wounds - test against the amount of damage you received).

A Contest of Wills occurs when two persons are trying for dominance in a situation. However, a Contest of Wills does not necessitate that both roll their Will. Instead, it is possible that one rolls a Skill Pool (generally the "Attacker") and one rolls Will (generally the "Defender") (i.e. in the case of a Social Action being made on the character like trying to Persuade them to do something they don't want to do). In other cases, both individuals roll their Will. In all cases, who ever has the highest roll wins. If the winner also gets a Critical Success (or the loser gets a Critical Failure) then the effects are more pronounced. If the one with the lesser value gets a Critical Success but still loses, then the effects are reduced to a degree.

• Personal Magic Attack: If a spell is targeted specifically at you, then you and the caster roll Will. If the caster wins, the spell affects you. If you win, you resist the spell and nothing happens.
  
  
• Social Attack: When resisting a Social Skill, you roll Will and the "Attacker" rolls their Skill Pool. Whoever rolls highest wins.

Surprise

If characters are surprised by an ambush or the sudden appearance of something, they must all roll Reflexes against a Difficulty determined by the GM (base of 10 if the ambush was completely unexpected, base of 7 if there was some hint, base of 4 if they were expecting it). Any who fail may not act during the first round of combat as they are shocked. Alternately, simply give the side that is springing the Ambush a +10 to their Reflexes roll for Sequence to insure that they most likely go first.

Wounds, Damage, & Armor Rules

Wounds

Wounds are a way of measuring how damaged a character is in general. A normal human has 6 Wound Levels: Stunned, Injured, Wounded, Crippled, Incapacitated, and Dead. These affect performance and ability because of pain and loss muscular control over damaged limbs. One or more Wounds may be taken from an Attack or some other damaging source (a fall, a trap, a fire, etc..). The Wound Table explains the effects of the Wound Levels. Note that the negative modifier to Steps applies to the Physique roles as well.

Damage

Anything that does damage has either a specified amount of Damage or a Damage Step. Generally, an attacker does their Physique + Weapon Damage Step in Damage. In all cases, the recipient of the Damage rolls their Physique + Armor Step (referred to as a Toughness Roll). The results are compared using the table below. Note, if a player ever Critically Fails their Toughness Roll, then the GM simply assigns Wounds as normal (or, if cruel, may assign an extra Wound Level of Damage).

Armor

Armor affects a character in one of three ways. It adds to your Toughness Roll against one or more types of damage or attacks. It may, if it weighs enough, reduce your Reflexes Step as it slows your ability to react quickly. And it may, if very bulky, actually impede your motion and thereby reduce your Coordination Step. The table below elaborates.

Shields

Shields affects a character similar to Armor. Its Size adds to your Block Roll (see Defending above). It may, if it weighs enough, reduce your Reflexes Step as it slows your ability to react quickly. And it may, if very bulky, actually impede your motion and thereby reduce your Coordination Step. The table below elaborates.

Combat Example

The Encounter

Denir looked up the sheer rock face towards the cave at the top. That was where he would find the alabaster icon of Yanar, hidden for all these years. He eyes narrowed in the glare as he considered the dangerous climb.

Sweat dripped into his eyes and his arm began to burn with the effort of swinging the axe. Why wouldn't this thing just die? Denir only hoped the sounds of battle wouldn't draw any more of these things from the rocks.