The basics of

FFRE
Free Fudge-light Roleplaying gaming Engine
by
Peter Knutsen
Goodie Points.................................................................................................................... 2
GP Values.............................................................................................................................. 2
GP Distribution..................................................................................................................... 3
Basic character types.......................................................................................................... 3
d!enturers........................................................................................................................... 3
"!eryday people..................................................................................................................... 3
Politicians# $obles and %erchants........................................................................................ 3
GP distribution e&ample........................................................................................................ '
General principle........................................................................................................... '
ttributes........................................................................................................................... '
ttribute !alues...................................................................................................................... '
Differences bet(een the )uman se&es - ttributes............................................................... *
+ub-ttributes.................................................................................................................... ,
Differences bet(een male )umans and female )umans - sub-attributes............................. -
.reati!ity# /efle&es and Balance............................................................................................ -
/oleplaying............................................................................................................................ -
d!antages......................................................................................................................... -
Per0s................................................................................................................................... 1
+0ills and 2ores................................................................................................................ 33
+0ill .osts........................................................................................................................ 32
4ses of the s0ill cost system................................................................................................. 32
bout 2ores..................................................................................................................... 33
+0ill +peciali5ations.............................................................................................................. 33
/oll Difficulty.................................................................................................................. 33
/D modifiers....................................................................................................................... 3'
The outcome.................................................................................................................... 3'
6pposed /olls..................................................................................................................... 3'
+pecial 6pposed /olls......................................................................................................... 3*
The Tas0 /oll.................................................................................................................. 3*
The Time +cale................................................................................................................ 3*
2uc0 Points...................................................................................................................... 3,
+pellcasting...................................................................................................................... 3,
Talents................................................................................................................................. 3-
7umbles................................................................................................................................ 3-
2ife 7orce......................................................................................................................... 38
"nchantment................................................................................................................... 38
9n!estments.......................................................................................................................... 31
+pecial or obscure "nchantments........................................................................................ 31
Po(ers.............................................................................................................................. 31
.ombat............................................................................................................................ 2:
%elee.................................................................................................................................... 2:
;ounds............................................................................................................................... 2:
)itpoint loss........................................................................................................................ 23
4narmed .ombat............................................................................................................... 23
/anged .ombat................................................................................................................... 23
Piercing Damage.................................................................................................................. 23
9nitiati!e............................................................................................................................... 22
Durability and <uality ;eapons......................................................................................... 22
%o!ement........................................................................................................................ 22
+tamina /eco!ery................................................................................................................ 2'
Physical Discomfort =PD> and %etabolic Disruption =%D>............................................ 2'
Perception........................................................................................................................ 2'
Perception /olls................................................................................................................... 2*
ttitude /olls................................................................................................................... 2*
Da55ling................................................................................................................................ 2,
Gender !s +e&...................................................................................................................... 2-
.haracter d!ancement.................................................................................................. 2-
+0ills..................................................................................................................................... 2-
/an0..................................................................................................................................... 28
/eputations?7ame............................................................................................................... 21
Popularity............................................................................................................................. 3:
+trength# +tamina and 6!er(eight?4nder(eight =and %etabolism>................................. 3:
Gender transitions............................................................................................................... 33
6ther factors........................................................................................................................ 33
+pecies Pac0ages.............................................................................................................. 33
The 4bermensch 7actor =4%7>.......................................................................................... 33
+0ill .ost calculations..................................................................................................... 33
2ores.................................................................................................................................... 3,
page 3 ? 3, of @77/" Basics@ - !:3:
Character Creation
Goodie Points
To create a character in 77/"# you must first 0no( ho( many Goodie Points you are
allo(ed for the creation process.
This is normally decided by the players# (ho discuss the issue among themsel!es# trying to
reach a consensus on the GP amount# but some groups may prefer to let the G% decide
instead. lso if the players are unable to achie!e consensus# the G% must decide upon the
amount of GPs =(hich (ill be easier for him if he (as present (hile the players debated#
but some groups may prefer to discuss the issue a(ay from their G%>.
Goodie Points measure general competence. T(o characters of the same GP !alue may be
!ery different# in terms of (hat abilities they ha!e spent their points on. 6ne character can
be a superb (arrior but socially inept# (hereas the other can be clumsy and inelegant (ith
(eapons but a sil!er-tongued diplomat. This means that one cannot say that for an
ad!enturing party of four 8: GP characters# a single enemy (orth 32: GP (ould be a great
challenge - because the members of the party may ha!e put most of their points into
martial pro(ess# (hereas their 32: GP enemy is a master of stealth# assassination and
(ilderness s0ills# so that if they confront each other in direct combat# the four-man party
(ill (in easily# (hereas if the enemy gets the chance to attac0 them co!ertly# perhaps
snea0ing into their camp at night# he (ill eliminate them effortlessly.
7urthermore is it possible to spend oneAs points un(isely# such that one gets reduced
benefit from them# due to the synergies that e&ist bet(een many abilities# for instance
bet(een ttributes and +0ills. 6ne cannot therefore say that all 3:: GP characters are of
eBual competence. +ome may ha!e been created inefficiently. 6n the other hand# the
system is constructed such that abusi!e degrees of optimi5ation cannot be achie!ed. This
remo!es the need for the G% to ha!e the po(er to reCect player-created characters
@because they (ere optimi5ed@. 6ne can =and often should> optimi5e for something in
particular# so as to build a character (ho e&cels at something that one thin0s it might be
fun to e&cel at# but the rules ma0es it impossible to build a high-po(ered generalist. ny
gi!en GP sum that allo(s the creation of a high-po(ered generalist allo(s the creation of a
much more high-po(ered specialist.
9t is often o!erloo0ed# but the real purpose of point-based character creation is to pro!ide
equal opportunity. 9f one player can create a gi!en character# then all other players can create
one (ho is exactly ali0e# rather than being at the mercy of dice# or ha!ing to go into a
comple& negotiation process (ith the G%# from (hich some players may emerge (ith
better deals than others# due to possessing superior G% manipulation s0ills or by
e&ploiting a decade-spanning friendship (ith the G%.
GP Values
': GPs is sufficient to create an ordinary person. 9t allo(s the creation of a character (ith
a!erage attributes# s0ills sufficient to hold a Cob# get along in daily life =Dri!e# .oo0ing#
/eading> and ha!e a hobby or t(o# and also buy some personal possessions# a )ome and a
Dob =a source of /egular monetary 9ncome that is reduced in cost by the attachment of a
s0ill roll reBuirement and a time reBuirement>.
Perhaps ,-E of the entire population has a GP !alue bet(een 3* and '*. %odern setting
characters tend to(ards being (orth a fe( GPs more# on a!erage# because of higher
+trength and +i5e =due to better diet# in terms of regularity and protein content> and
generally greater (ealth =larger and better )omeF more "BuipmentF more li0ely to ha!e a
regular Dob>.
3: GPs (ould be a mar0edly inferior person# perhaps someone (ho has a handicap and is
other(ise a!erage =chec0 out t(o of my characters# Klaus 4ldtmann and sbrand the
+tutterer# for e&amples of handicapped characters (ho are very far from being a!erage># or
Cust a person (ith little education and !ery limited finances.
2: GPs is for creating a very miserable person.
,: GPs creates a .ompetent $ormal# heAs some(hat similar to the ': GP character# but
his s0ills (ill tend to be higher# or he (ill be richer and ha!e more things or other
social?e&ternal benefits# or he may ha!e generally higher attributes# or one or t(o special
innate abilities.
8: GPs creates a @Dunior@ d!enturer or a Very .ompetent $ormal. 8: Goodie Points are
enough for Buite a lot# and some groups may find that they prefer P.s (ith this relati!ely
lo( le!el of po(er. There are certainly enough points to differentiate the characters strongly
from each other# but 8: GP ad!enturers must be careful about (hat challenges they ta0e
on# they can easily bite off more than they can che(# e!en if (or0ing as a group# e!en if
cooperating perfectly.
3:: GPs is the generally recommended starting !alue for a party of P. ad!enturers
=although 8: and 32: GPs# also potentially a lot of fun# are also on the GrecommendedH
list>. 3:: GPs creates highly competent characters# and e!en a small party composed of
such people is a force to be rec0oned (ith# especially if the party is !ersatile# (ith a
character for e!ery type of conflict =combat# stealth# magic# social - although medicine and
healing may be !ery useful as a fifth type>.
32: GPs creates @"&perienced@ ad!enturers or !ery competent and po(erful settled
indi!iduals. t this starting point !alue# it begins to become Buite !iable to run solo
campaigns# i.e. one player and one G%# but a party of 32: GP characters can also be fun#
if the players are mature enough to gi!e the characters bac0grounds and personal
ambitions.
3':# 3,: and 38: GPs represent higher and higher degrees of competence. 9t should be
pointed out that as the GP !alue of a character goes up# his competence# his general
po(er# goes up quickly. 9n many (orlds# the most po(erful indi!idual# e!en if he is the
page 2 ? 3, of @77/" Basics@ - !:3:
supreme dictator of an entire planet# might be easily creatable (ith a budget as lo( as 22:
GPs# mostly spent on social po(ers. 9f such an indi!idual costs more than 22: GPs# it (ill
probably be because he has !ery strong magical or psionic po(ers# in addition to his social
po(ers.
lthough the recommendation is 8:# 3:: or 32: GP P.s# it is possible to ha!e fun# long-
lasting campaigns e!en (ith P.s of much higher GP !alues. 77/" is designed so that high-
point characters a!oid the tendency to loo0 ali0e# or gro( ali0e# as seen in so many other
systems. But it does reBuire some maturity of the players# to handle 3': or 3,: GP P.s.
GP Distribution
To actually create the character# you distribute your Goodie Points bet(een four
categoriesI ttributes# d!antages# Per0s and +0ills. Jou start out by deciding on a
preliminary distribution# but as you start using the character creation spreadsheet#
spending your points# you (ill almost al(ays find that your preliminary distribution (as
slightly (rong# and then you (ill (ish to go bac0 and re-allocate your points# e.g. shifting 2
or 3 points from d!antages to +0ills. 4nspent Goodie Points are lost.
GPs are con!erted into the four sub-point types according to non-linear formulae. This
means that if one (ishes to create a s0ill-hea!y# or attribute-hea!y character# then one can
seriously @pump@ up that one category. The four sub-point type categories are Ps
=ttribute Points># DPs =d!antage Points - or aD!antage Points># PPs =Per0 Points> and
+Ps =+0ill Points>.
)ere are some e&cerpts from the @GP to sub points@ document# utili5ing the current
con!ersion formulae.
GP AP DP PP SP GP AP DP PP SP
: : : : : *: 33: 31' 3,, 3'A32:
* 2 3 , 3*: ** 332 231 '*, '2A88:
3: , 8 3, 3A:-: ,: 3*, 288 **1 *2A88:
3* 32 3- 33 2A33: ,* 382 3'3 ,-' ,'A38:
2: 2: 21 *2 'A2:: -: 23: ':2 8:3 -,A8':
2* 3: ', 83 ,A8': -* 2': ',8 1', 1:A81:
3: '2 ,, 338 3:A32: 8: 2-2 *31 3A3:' 3:,A'::
3* *, 13 3,* 3'A-3: 8* 3:, ,3* 3A2-- 323A'3:
': -2 323 223 2:A3:: 1: 3'2 ,1- 3A',* 3'3A1,:
'* 1: 3** 288 2,A**: 1* 38: -8* 3A,,1 3,2A33:
9t is generally not allo(ed to spend more than *:E of the GPs on ttributes or
d!antages# or more than ,:E of the GPs on +0ills# or more than -:E of the GPs on
Per0s. This prohibition goes for both P.s and $P.s# in fact it is a general principle of
77/" that $P.s are subCect to the e&act same rules and limitations as the P.s are.
$ote that the GP-KDP formula is scheduled to be re!ised# so that it matches the GP-KP
formula# ma0ing the P and DP columns identical.
ttribute Points are used to purchase the 32 primary attributes. d!antage Points are used
to buy intrinsic d!antages# and sub-attributes are raised (ith d!antages Points# not
ttribute Points. Per0 Points are used to buy social ad!antages# also called e&trinsic
ad!antages. +0ill Points are used to purchase s0ill-li0e acBuirable traits.
Basic character types
9n any gi!en campaign (orld# there (ill be three basic categories of characters# although
hybrids also e&ist.
Adventurers
%ost players (ill create ad!enturer characters =(arriors# courtesans# priests# bards# (i5ards>#
as opposed to e!eryday people =ba0ers# to(n council members# labour sla!es>. 7or
ad!enturers# one should put fe( points into Per0s# since one can al(ays later try to (in
(ealth and lands through high-ris0 ad!enturing. Dust get enough Per0 Points to buy the
ad!enturing eBuipment you need. ;hen starting the campaign# o(ning lots of land# or a
large home# or tonnes of furniture and sla!es# is Cust a burden any(ay... This means that
ad!enturers (ill ha!e most of their GPs spent on ttributes# d!antages and +0ills.
Everyday people
These characters# usually built on 3:-*: GPs# ha!e fe( points in ttributes =so that their
attribute !alues are normal# or !ery close to normal> and d!antages =because they are
rarely intrinsically unusual in any (ay># but ha!e most of their points spent on +0ills and
Per0s# usually shared e!enly bet(een the t(o# or mostly e!enly. s the GP !alue goes up#
"!eryday people begin to be suitable for ad!enturing# and some groups may enCoy a
campaign (ith ,: or -: GP e!eryday people# Cust to try something different# but e!eryday
people built on 3:-*: GPs (ill pretty much e&clusi!ely be $P.s.
Politicians, Nobles and erchants
These are characters hea!y in +0ills and very hea!y in Per0s# often built on ,:# 8:# 3:: or
e!en more Goodie Points. 9t may be a good idea to gi!e a Politician type character an
@edge@ in the form of a !ery high ttribute =9ntelligence or .harisma are the most
common# although any one attribute can help># or t(o or three high ones =;ill (ould be a
good third choice># or gi!e him some useful d!antage# in addition to lots of Per0s and
+0ills# to Custify his position and also help him hold on to it. These character types are
rarely created by players =but they are often fun# useful and important $P.s># although for
some groups it may be fun to try a political campaign instead of an ad!enturing campaign.
lso some players may (ish to create ad!enturers (ith a Per0-component# for instance a
0night is a $oble# rich (ith high social status and a feudal holding# but he may also go
ad!enturing. Thin0 of this as a hybrid character type.
page 3 ? 3, of @77/" Basics@ - !:3:
GP distribution e!a"ple
player might (ish to create a 0night. )e decides that the concept is someone (ho has a
small amount of social po(ers# albeit still more than the a!erage ad!enturer# and is also
!ery highly trained both in combat# in officer-type military s0ills and in the courtly arts#
and (ho has reasonably good attributes# reflecting coming from a healthy genetic stoc0
=i.e. not too inbred> and ha!ing eaten a regular and protein-rich diet as a child. The player
group ha!e agreed on 3:: GPs per character# so this player decides to put 3: GPs into
Per0s# , GP into d!antages# 3' GP into ttributes and *: +P into s0ills. That yields *3
ttribute Points# ' d!antage Points# 3, Per0 Points and 3'A32: +0ill Points.
;hile creating the character# the player finds out that 3, Per0 Points is too little to get all
the e&pensi!e eBuipment# and the ready cash (hich his character concept needs# so he
mo!es * GP from ttributes to Per0s# so that he no( has 31 ttribute Points and 33 Per0
Points. 2ater again he finds that he needs a bit more attribute points# and that he is (illing
to reduce some s0ills# so he mo!es * GPs from +0ills to ttributes# so that he no( is bac0
at *3 ttribute Points and has 2,A**: +0ill Points.
A General principle
77/" tends to(ards splitting things up. %any abilities do not always come together# e&ist
together# become acBuired together. 7or these types of abilities# it should be possible for a
character to ha!e one (ithout being forced to ha!e =i.e. pay for> the other. 6ne e&ample is
that it is possible to ha!e a great !ocabulary in a foreign language (hile still spea0ing it
(ith a !ery thic0# noticeable accent# (hereas the opposite is also possibleI )a!ing a !ery
limited !ocabulary in a foreign language# but being able to pronounce the (ords as
perfectly as a nati!e spea0er (ould. second e&ample is charisma and physical beauty.
+ome people ha!e one but not the other. third e&ample is a beautiful appearance !s a
se&y appearance - some characters ha!e one# some ha!e the other. luc0y fe( ha!e both#
but most people ha!e neither =they are average>. 6r ta0e the split bet(een gility and
De&terity - many other /PG rules systems lump them together# causing all sorts of
problems.
People reading about 77/"# or using 77/"# should 0eep this !ery much in mind. Dust
because most /PG systems lump together all sorts of abilities# one should not assume that
77/" does the same.
Attributes
This is the first of the four categories. 77/" has 32 ttributesF they are abilities (hich are
!ery basic# !ery general. 7undamental abilities. "&cept for +trength# they are all 3::E
genetic# meaning that they are immutable# they cannot be trained. 6nce a character has
matured# his attributes are as they are# and the only change possible is do(n(ard =either
temporary or permanent># due to disease# inCury# curses and similar.
The 32 ttributes are di!ided into four groups# solely as a con!enience. They areI
Athletic. +trength# De&terity# gility
#ou$hness. +i5e# .onstitution# )ardiness
%ntellectual. Perception# 9ntelligence# ;ill.
Spiritual. .harisma# 7aith# Psyche
Stren$th. The general muscle strength of the character. 4nli0e the other attributes#
+trength is trainable.
De!terity. The hand-eye =and foot-eye> coordination of the character. )o( precise his
mo!ements are (hen interacting (ith e&ternal obCects# li0e using (eapons or tools. lso
includes fine control of the facial musculature =to feign or conceal emotions> and the !ocal
apparatus =to precisely control and shape uttered sounds>.
A$ility. The grace and precision of the character (hen he mo!es his entire body# e.g. (hile
dancing or using a martial arts s0ill# or dodging an attac0.
Si&e. The genetic si5e of the character# i.e. his bone thic0ness and density and his frame
si5e. +i5e is only one component of a characterAs %assF the others are %usculature =deri!ed
from +trength> and the 7at modifier =usually 5ero# representing a normal amount of bodily
fat>. The +i5e component of a characterAs %ass includes all organs e&cept muscles# and an
a!erage amount of fatty tissue.
Constitution. The stamina and resistance of the character.
'ardiness. The damage-resistance of the characterAs body. )ardiness cannot !ary as much
from the norm as the other attributes.
Perception. )o( a(are the characterAs mind is of its surroundings. This does not include
sensory acuity.
%ntelli$ence. )o( smart the character is# ho( fast he learns intellectual s0ills# ho( fast he
thin0s and ho( (ell he remembers. 9t corresponds Buite (ell to the score generated by
education-neutral and culture-neutral intelligence tests# the ones that best measure the so-
called @g-factor@.
(ill. The characterAs self-control and stubbornness.
Charis"a. )o( charming the character is. )is ability to ma0e a good impression and
manipulate others. lso his potential for learning social s0ills. .harisma is normally used
to manipulate people into liking oneself# but it is eBually useful (hen one (ishes to induce
other emotions# such as fear or a(e.
$ote that .harisma does not include beauty# nor bodily se&iness.
Faith. The characterAs connection to di!ine and semi-di!ine po(ers =high 7aith can also
represent a connection (ith e!il po(ers# such as demons or e!il gods - there is nothing
particularly @good@ about a high 7aith !alue># although a general high optimism and !ery
positi!e outloo0 on life can Custfy a 7aith rating of '# in an atheist# maybe e!en a *. 7aith
forms the basis for the deri!ed statistic 2uc0# meaning that belie!ers tend to be luc0y more
often than non-belie!ers.
Psyche. The characterAs affinity for the non-Di!ine supernatural forces# such as personal
magic# psionics# or Cust general si&th sense-type abilities.
Attribute values
The !alues of most of the attributes in 77/" are demographically Buantified# meaning that
it is stated e&plicitly ho( common they are in the general population. The suchly
Buantified attributes are De&terity# gility# .onstitution# Perception# 9ntelligence# ;ill#
.harisma# 7aith and Psyche.
page ' ? 3, of @77/" Basics@ - !:3:
7rom the 77/"-Discussion mailing list# in the 7iles rea# %+ ;ord 2::: documents can
be do(nloaded that sho(s the attribute distribution for a @random sample@ of 3:A:::
indi!iduals# for any one of the attributes mentioned abo!e. 2oo0 in @7iles?6ther@# then
do(nload the @random distribution@ document. mong those 3:A::: numbers there is one
-. .an you find itL That document is a po(erful e&ample of ho( e&tremely rare -As are.
+trength is not Buantified both because it is se&-dependent =male )umans ha!e a higher
a!erage than female )umans> and because it is trainable. +i5e is not Buantified because it
is dependent both on the se& of the character and on the childhood diet. )ardiness is not
Buantified because the !ariety is lo( - people tend to strongly cluster around the a!erage#
much more so than (ith the other attributes.
Value De)inition Fre*uency Attribute Point
Cost +APs,
Value
: Very 2o( :.:::3E =or 3 in 3::A:::> -3, :
3 2o( :.'3E =or 3 in -::> -32 3
2 Belo( !erage ,.-E =or 3 in 3*> -3 2
3 !erage -*E =or 3 in '> : 3
' Good 3*.8E =or 3 in ,> ' '
* )igh 2.2E =or 3 in ''> 3, *
, Very high :.3'E =or 3 in -::> 3, ,
- "&tremely )igh :.::3E =or 3 in 3:A:::> ,' -
8 )uman ma&imum :.::::21E =or 3 in 3.* million> 3:: 8
1 +uper)uman none does not e&ist 1
Values lo(er than : are possible# but represent seriously debilitating handicaps. Values
higher than 8 should not e&ist at all in the population of a realistic (orld# (ithout the
inter!ention of strong magic# cybernetic implants or genetic engineering. They are not
needed - one can ma0e a perfectly percepti!e +herloc0 )olmes by gi!ing him Perception 8#
and 2eonardo da Vinci does not need more than 9ntelligence 8. 9t is only for unrealistic
characters that one needs go get into 1As in attribute !alues.
+trength and +i5e is pri5ed differently for male )umans and female )umans# and
)ardiness has a price all of its o(n. The ma&ima for +trength and +i5e also depend on the
se& of the character.
Value "ale 'u"an )e"ale 'u"an
Stren$th Si&e Stren$th Si&e
both 'u"an se!es
'ardiness
Value
: -2- -38 -3, -2- -83 :
3 -8 -' -32 -8 -32 3
2 -2 -3 -3 -2 -8 2
3 : : : : : 3
' 3 2 ' 3 1 '
* 32 8 3, 32 3, *
, 2- 38 3, 2- - ,
- '8 32 ,' - - -
8 -* *: 3:: - - 8
1 3:8 - - - - 1
9t is hopefully e!ident# from the abo!e tables# that 77/" empo(ers the players to create
distinctly non-a!erage characters.
6n the first page of the @Price 2ist@ document is a huge table listing costs for ttributes#
and also for +ub-ttributes. 2ater in that document one can find costs for other
d!antages# and also for Per0s.
;hen one creates an 77/" character# all attributes automatically start at a !alue of 3# thus
one only has to do something if one (ishes to change a !alue. /aising an attribute to
abo!e 3 costs you ttribute Points# (hereas lo(ering an attribute to belo( 3 gi!es you
more ttribute Points to spend else(here.
This =second> concept is often referred to as @compensatory points@ - you get compensation
for reducing or remo!ing an ability from your character# because it is assumed that if no
compensation (as gi!en# !ery fe( players (ould !oluntarily choose to (ea0en their
characters - 77/" is not designed for ideal players# but for real players.
Di))erences bet-een the 'u"an se!es . Attributes
s sho(n in the table abo!e# 7emale )umans must pay a bit more to raise +trength and
+i5e# but they also get more compensatory points for lo(ering +trength and +i5e# relati!e to
)uman males. This encourages players slightly to(ards creating female )uman characters
(ho# on a!erage# ha!e a lo(er +trength and +i5e than male characters# (ithout outright
pre!enting the creation of Buite strong and large female )umans.
There are also limits on ho( high +trength and +i5e may be. %ale )umans may ha!e
+trength as high as 1 and +i5e as high as 8# (hereas female )umans are limited to
+trength 8 and +i5e , =+trength is the only attribute that can be higher than 8# in a realistic
(orld>.
9t may loo0 as if female )umans are inferior to male )umans# but one should 0eep in
mind that 77/" is not a system intended for combat-hea!y campaigns - or indeed for
campaigns hea!y in any one type of conflict - it is ta0en for granted that the P.s (ill
naturally get in!ol!ed in a !ariety of conflict types# so that no one type of ability e!er gets
to be the most useful and desirable.
9t is therefore in no (ay the case that 77/" ma0es female )umans un(or0able as P.s in a
lo(-tech or fantasy genre campaign. 9n fact# +i5e is# by far# the least useful of the 32
attributes# and +trength is a !ery good candidate for the second least useful.
page * ? 3, of @77/" Basics@ - !:3:
Sub.Attributes
4nder some of the ttributes there are a number of sub-attributes. These are bought (ith
d!antage Points =DPs> rather than ttribute points. +ub-ttribute is eBual to the
@parent@ ttribute unless the player ta0es steps to change the !alue =buy it up# or sell it
do(n>. +ub-ttribute !alues that differ from the !alue of the @parent@ ttribute are
unusual# thatAs (hy they are bought (ith d!antage Points instead of ttribute Points.
Stren$th is di!ided into t(o sub-attributes# 2eg +trength and rm +trength =in many
places# these are called 4pper Body +trength and 2o(er Body +trength# but that is a
mista0e and all instances of this (ill be corrected e!entually># and both can be trained.
Parent +trength =i.e. neither> may be interpreted as the strength of the characterAs
abdominal musculature.
De!terity is di!ided up into .ombat De&terity =for melee# ranged and unarmed combat
s0ills># %anual De&terity =for using tools# and for manual thief-type s0ills># 7acial De&terity
and 6ral De&terity =representing fine control of the facial musculature or the !ocal
apparatus# respecti!ely>.
Si&e has one true sub-attributeI 2eg 2ength. 9ts sole use is to modify the characterAs speed#
the longer legs the faster the character can mo!e. "arlier# a characterAs Pace (as deri!ed
simply from +i5e =and from gility># as it (as assumed that there (as a perfect correlation
bet(een a characterAs +i5e and the length of his or her legs.
9n addition to 2eg 2ength# one may gi!e the character some degree of 6!er(eight or
4nder(eight# representing an e&cess of bodily fat# or an amount of bodily fat smaller than
the usual =e!en to the point of ma0ing the character be +e!erely nore&ic>. That is not#
strictly spea0ing# a +ub-ttribute# ho(e!er.
Constitution has se!eral +ub-ttributes. /esist Poison# /esist Disease# /eco!ery and
7itness. /eco!ery represents the bodyAs ability to heal itself of hitpoint loss and ;ounds#
the higher /eco!ery the faster you reco!er from inCuries. 7itness has only one purpose# to
determine the +tamina of your character# +tamina is eBual to your 7itness cubed# then
modified for high or lo( ;ill =M?- 3:E per point ;ill is higher or lo(er than 3>. 7itness is
one of a !ery fe( that sub-attribute that can be trained# i.e. through regular physical
e&ertion# almost all the others are 3::E fi&ed# once the character reached maturity.
Perception has t(o 0inds of sub-traits. 6ne is a sort of +ub-ttribute# because it modifies
Perception only for a single +ense# or for a group of +enses. 4sing that rule# one can lo(er
or raise Perception-for-one-+ense by as much as 2 points relati!e to the base Perception
!alue. 9t represents a character (ho pays an inordinate amount of attention to the stimuli
pic0ed up by one particular sense# or a particular sense group# e.g. a Blind person (ho
notices e!erything he hears and smells. This is called +ensory 7ocus.
The other is sensory acuity. 6ne can purchase sharper or duller senses for oneAs character.
There is no limit do(n(ards# one can e!en sell a(ay a +ense entirely# i.e. create a Deaf or
Blind character# but if creating an ad!enturer it is ad!ised to confine oneself to a small
reduction# representing a character (ith mildly impaired !ision# hearing# sense of taste and
smell# or sense of touch# to a!oid ma0ing an unplayable character. 6n the other hand#
77/"As iconic character# a completely Blind genius called Klaus 4ldtmann# could be a lot
of fun in the hands of a mature player.
4p(ards# )umans may not ha!e senses more than 2 le!els sharper than the )uman
norm. +harper senses than that are reser!ed for animals.
%ntelli$ence has many sub-attributes. They areI Ani"al =the potential for learning ho( to
understand animals# i.e. lo(-intelligence creatures># %nterpersonal =the potential for
learning ho( to understand other peopleAs emotional states and ambitions - this (ould
include intelligent non-)uman species# e.g. yeti# or space aliens# or "l!es># /in$uistic =the
potential to comprehend and internali5e language-li0e structures># /o$ical =the potential to
learn and understand mathematics and other logical structures># ne"onic =the ability to
internali5e facts-hea!y bodies of 0no(ledge# such as Biology and )istory - this does not
represent Photographic %emory or the ability of an 9diot +a!ant# or mnemotechniBues or
rote learning# but rather actual understanding># usical =the potential to appreciate and
perform music># ystical =the potential to understand and manipulate supernatural forces
such as magic># Spatial =the potential to analy5e# !isuali5e and comprehend spatial
relationships# useful (hen learning chess# physics# tactics and strategy># #hin0in$ +peed
=ho( fast you thin0 - each t(o points of Thin0ing +peed abo!e a!erage lets you thin0 t(ice
as fast. Thin0ing +peed represents only ho( fast the character reaches a conclusion# the
quality of the conclusion depends on his s0ills# or on his base 9ntelligence or on some
rele!ant +ub-ttribute of 9ntelligence>.
(ill has four sub-attributes# /esist 7ear# /esist Pain# /esist %anipulation and /esist
.ontrol. The last t(o are resistance to(ards social manipulation =bribery# seduction# et
cetera> and against supernatural forms of mind control# such as psionics and magic.
gility# )ardiness# .harisma# 7aith and Psyche ha!e no +ub-ttributes.
ll true sub-attributes# e&cept 7itness# follo( one of a small number of @cost schemes@.
Ne- .1 .2 .3 .4 56 54 53 52 51 57
Very .heap -2 -3.* -3 -:.* : 3 3 3: 3: 3::
.heap -3 -2.* -3.* -3 : 3.* '.* 3* '* 3*:
$ormal -' -3 -2 -3 : 2 , 2: ,: 2::
.ostly -, -'.* -3 -3.* : 3 3: 3: 3:: 3::
"&pensi!e -8 -, -' -2 : ' 32 ': 32: '::
.ombat De&terity and /eco!ery from .onstitution are bought up and sold do(n
according to the "&pensi!e ro(.
/esist Poison and /esist Disease# all the four subs of ;ill# 2eg 2ength# 2eg +trength# and
%anual De&terity# are all bought according to the $ormal ro(.
7acial De&terity and Vocal De&terity are bought according to the .heap ro(.
nimal# %nemonic# %usical and %ystical 9ntelligence# and Thin0ing +peed =also under
9ntelligence># are bought according to the Very .heap ro(.
page , ? 3, of @77/" Basics@ - !:3:
+ensory 7ocus# +ensory cuity and 7itness are bought after other cost tables# (hich can be
found in the Price 2ist document.
The cost of raising or lo(ering 9nterpersonal# 2inguistic# 2ogical and +patial 9ntelligence#
and rm +trength# depends on the se& of the character.
Di))erences bet-een "ale 'u"ans and )e"ale 'u"ans . sub.attributes
;hen it comes to +ub-ttributes# 2ogical 9ntelligence and +patial 9ntelligence is slightly
more e&pensi!e for female )umans than for male )umans# (hereas they get more
compensatory points if they sell it do(n. 7or male )umans# 2inguistic 9ntelligence and
9nterpersonal 9ntelligence is slightly more e&pensi!e to buy up# compared to male
)umans# and they get more compensatory points for selling it do(n.
4pper Body +trength# li0e base +trength# is more e&pensi!e for female humans to buy up
than it is for male )umans# and they also get more compensatory points for selling it
do(n# but 2o(er Body +trength costs the same for both se&es# because the @3:E stronger@
difference lies in the arm strength.
7or male )umans# 2ogical 9ntelligence and +patial 9ntelligence are bought according to
the Very .heap ro(# 9nterpersonal 9ntelligence and 2inguistic 9ntelligence are bought
according to the .heap ro(# and rm +trength is bought according to the $ormal ro(.
7or female )umans# 9nterpersonal 9ntelligence and 2inguistic 9ntelligence are bought
according to the Very .heap ro(# 2ogical 9ntelligence and +patial 9ntelligence are bought
according to the .heap ro(# and rm +trength is bought according to the .ostly ro( =it is
the only sub-attribute that utili5es this ro(>.
Creativity, Re)le!es and Balance8
These three are not sub-attributes# but rather deri!ed stats. The base !alue for .reati!ity is
the lo(est of the characterAs Psyche and his base 9ntelligence. This base !alue can then be
sold up or do(n# using the @$ormal@ cost ro( from the sub-attribute table. The final !alue
indicates ho( effecti!ely creati!e the character is. .reati!ity can be said to consist of t(o
components# Psyche is the @(ild idea generator@# and 9ntelligence is the @moderator@ (hich
analy5es the @(ild ideas@ and finds fla(s in the fla(ed ones# passing through only those
that ma0e sense. The end product is a characterAs effecti!e .reati!ity# and therefore a
character (ith high Psyche can be roleplayed as (ildly imaginati!e# but if his 9ntelligence is
lo( =and he has no bought up .reati!ity> then his ideas (ill be impractical# often fla(ed.
There are t(o deri!ed stats for refle&es. 6ne is /efle&es =Body># it is the lo(est of .ombat
De&terity and Perception. The other is /efle&es =%ind># and it is the lo(est of Thin0ing
+peed and Perception. They are collecti!ely bought up and sold do(n according to the
@$ormal@ cost ro( from the sub-attribute table# e.g. if the player buys a M3 bonus# then it
applies to both /efle& ratings.
Balance is a deri!ed stat that tells ho( (ell the character does at# (ell# balance tas0s. 9t is
eBual to gility# plus the /efle& modifier. =7or purposes of 7leetness# Balance is regarded
as being an gility-)ea!y acti!ity# thus hea!ily modified. This is e&plained under
@%obility@>.
Roleplayin$
9t is important that players roleplay their characters according to their mental stats# and
li0e(ise the G% must do so. character is no more intelligent that his stats says he is.
2ogical 9ntelligence is particularly important (hen it comes to formulating comple& plans#
and .reati!ity is important for being inno!ati!e and @thin0ing outside the bo&@. Thin0ing
+peed also suggests (hether the player should roleplay his character as @Buic0@ or @slo(@.
very @Buic0@ character (ill seem intuiti!e to others# e!en though he actually does analy5e
things thoroughly.
.reati!ity ser!es t(o purposes. 9t is used for long-term in!ention Tas0s# mechanically# li0e
if a mage (ants to research a ne( +pell# and it is also used in the in-play phase# as a
guidance for the player# in a non-mechanical (ay =the player simply loo0s at the number
on his character sheet# and then plays his character accordingly>. 9f he playus his character
as smarter or more creati!e than (hat he paid points for# the G% must (arn him# and if
he persists in ha!ing his character beha!e in a contra-realistic fashion# the G% must
penali5e the player for @bad roleplaying@.
Advanta$es
9n 77/"# all traits bought (ith d!antage Points =DPs> are called d!antages# but for the
purpose of this document# it has been deemed helpful to distinguish bet(een those
d!antages that are +ub-ttributes and those that are not# segregating them into different
chapters.
77/" contains many more d!antages.
ppearance has a base !alue of 3 =in this it resembles an ttribute> and can be bought up
as high as 1 for male )umans and as high as 3: for female )umans. 9t also costs slightly
less to buy up for female )umans than for male )umans# (hereas male )umans get more
compensatory points for selling it do(n. ppearance represents the beauty and
attracti!eness of the face# and the hair and s0in. 9t is independent of culture# both because
scientific findings support uni!ersal =i.e. species-(ide# planet-(ide> standards of
attracti!eness# and because cultural beauty standards canAt (or0 in a point-based character
creation system.
Se! Appearance +costs in DPs,
6 4 3 2 1 7 9 : ; < 46 44
male -8 -' -2 : 3.* - 3' 28 *, 332 - -
female -' -2 -3 : 2.* * 3: 2: ': 8: 3,: -
page - ? 3, of @77/" Basics@ - !:3:
+e& ppeal represents different things in female and male )umans. 9n female )umans# it
is !ery clearly defined as a cur!aceous# se&y body. 9t has a base !alue of 5ero# and characters
may then purchase a bonus# or ta0e on a penalty.
female (ith a +e& ppeal bonus (ill tend to ha!e some(hat larger breasts# but e!en
more so the shape and positioning of her breasts (ill be more alluring# and most of all her
(aist-to-hip ratio (ill be closer to the ideal. beautiful female )uman# one (ith high
ppearance# appeals =mostly> to the romantic instincts of heterose&ual males# homose&ual
females# and bise&uals of both se&es# (hereas a se&y female )uman# one (ith one or more
le!els of +e& ppeal# appeals =mostly> to the carnal instincts of heterose&ual males#
homose&ual females and bise&uals of both se&es.
+e& ppeal in males is !aguely defined as some sort of @animal magnetism@. 9t is used to
e&plain a(ay those males (ho are good at seduction# but (ho ha!e neither a high
+eduction s0ill# nor a high .harisma# nor a high ppearance# nor any applicable 79%# nor
any other Bualities that can e&plain his success rate =such as high 9ntelligence# or high
social s0ills# et cetera...>.
7eminine 7at Deposits is an d!antage (hich costs 5ero points. lmost all females ha!e it.
Those (ho donAt loo0 distinctly frea0y. 2i0e(ise# males (ho have 77Ds loo0 frea0y. 77Ds
add one 7at 4nit =a mass amount# deri!ed from +i5e> to the characterAs (eight# and
subtract one from 7leetness. 9t primarily represents a thic0er layer of subcutaneous fat# and
fat deposits on the hips and behind. 9n a typical modern female )uman =of +i5e 3># her
77Ds (ould mass a total of * 0g. 7emales pay less for +e& ppeal than male )umans# but
for females (ithout 77Ds# as (ell as for males (ith 77Ds# +e& ppeal is a lot more
e&pensi!e.
79%# 7irst 9mpression %odifier# is any factor (hich generally modifies your first
impression# but (hich is neither ppearance# nor +e& ppeal# nor .harisma. "&amples of
79% can be an unpleasant bodily odour# or a pleasant !oice. 79% can# ob!iously# be either
negati!e or positi!e. ny 79% has an applicability# for instance 4npleasant Voice does not
apply if you 0eep your mouth shut# nor does Pheromones gi!e any bonus if you are tal0ing
to someone o!er the telephone. +ome d!antages and Disad!antages are accompanied by
a recommendation that you should also buy a certain amount of 79%# for instance a Very
7at character should ha!e a negati!e @is 7at@ 79%. 9n some cases# you may be reBuired to
purchase it. +ome other d!antages# such as +tuttering# already ha!e a built-in 79%# and
you should not buy a separate 79%. The reason for this is that +tuttering is a !ariable
handicap. 9f the +tuttering character ma0es a good 7luency roll# he ma0es a decent first
impression# unimpeded by his handicap# (hereas if he 7umbles his 7luency roll# he ma0es
a very bad first impression.
The 7at 4nit# 74# is a unit of %ass deri!ed from the characterAs +i5e. character may ha!e
one of four degrees of under(eightI Thin# +0inny# nore&ic and 2ethally nore&ic.
cBuiring a fifth degree means that you die. "ach degree subtracts one 7at 4nit from your
final %ass.
9f a character is under(eight# he or she gets a M3 bonus to 7leetness# regardless of the
degree of under(eight - it is assumed that )umans canAt become seriously under(eight
(ithout also e&periencing some loss of muscle tissue - this is (hy the 7leetness bonus does
not go up as a character becomes more and more 4nder(eight. 7leetness is e&plained later
in this document# under %o!ement.
6!er(eight also comes in le!els. There is no upper limit# but the first le!els go as follo(sI
.hubby# 6!er(eight# 7at# Very 7at# "&tremely 7at. The first le!el adds one 7at 4nit to
your %ass# the second adds t(o =total># the third adds four# the fourth adds eight# and so
forth. "ach le!el of 6!er(eight has a specific 7leetness penalty. "ach le!el of 6!er(eight is
also accompanied by a recommended 79% !alue# but this must be modified according to
the culture# e.g. a medie!al culture does not stigmati5e the o!er(eight to the same degree
that the present day ;estern culture does. The recommended 79% !alues in the table in
the Price 2ist document are appropriate for a medie!al setting.
star!ing character li!es off his bodily fat# gradually dropping do(n the
@6!er(eight?4nder(eight ladder@ to(ards 2ethally nore&ic. 77Ds may also be @eaten@
this (ay# and indeed that is the biological purpose of them. 3 0ilogram of bodily fat has a
food !alue of 32 "nergy 4nits. %ost characters eat bet(een 2.* and * "4 per day#
depending on the %etabolism stat. 7or a +i5e 2# 3 or ' character =representing a medie!al
female# a medie!al male or a modern female# or a modern male# respecti!ely># one 7at 4nit
is appro&imately '# * or , 0ilograms.
%etabolism is a statistic that determines ho( much food# (ater and o&ygen a character
needs per day. 9t is the a!erage reBuirement# a character (ho is !ery acti!e needs more#
(hereas a character completely at rest =i.e. in bed# e!en more so if unconscious> needs less.
The base !alue is 3# and one gets compensatory points for raising it =because it is a
Disadvantage to need more food# (ater and o&ygen># and one pays points for lo(ering it
=and there is a limit to ho( lo( it can be>. character needs an amount of food per day
eBual to his %etabolism in "nergy 4nits ="4>. 3 "4 is eBual to -*: 0ilocalories# or
appro&imately 3::: 0iloCoules. ;ater and o&ygen are measured in @!irtual "4s@. 9f a
character temporarily becomes more or less acti!e# the food# (ater and o&ygen
reBuirements should Cust be adCusted on an ad hoc basis# but if the character undergoes an
actual lifestyle change# it is appropriate to change his %etabolism stat. %ale )umans tend
to ha!e a higher %etabolism than female )umans =largely a function of higher +trength#
and lac0 of 77Ds>. .hildren and teenagers need a lot of food relati!e to their si5e#
compared to adults.
Distincti!e 7eature is anything that ma0es you stand out from a cro(d. ThereAs a
subsystem for creating any Distincti!e 7eature =D7># based on the magnitude of the
7eature =bright red hair ma0es you stand out less in a cro(d# than being three meters tall
and ha!ing glo(ing yello( eyes> and the concealability of the 7eature. +ome D7s#
combining lo( magnitude (ith high concealability# are (orth no points# but they should
still be listed on the character sheet# because they flesh out the character# helping to
page 8 ? 3, of @77/" Basics@ - !:3:
indi!iduali5e him =and can still# under rare circumstances# be incon!enient>. )eAs not Cust
a 0night# heAs a 0night (ith bright red hair and a faint lisp. D7s are culture-dependent# and
hence %agnitude and .oncealability depend on the default culture of the campaign (orld
=s0in colour is a good e&ample of this - imagine a $egro# first in 3:
th
century +candina!ia#
then in 3:
th
century +painI ;here (ill he stand out the mostL>. +ome D7s should also
result in 79%s# e.g. a !ery se!ere 2isp is sufficient to also ta0e a -3 79% for the character#
and (orth the compensatory points>.
There is a more comple& subsystem for creating ddictions. n ddiction is defined by
se!eral traits# such as ho( common the substance is. 9f a substance is !ery common# or !ery
rare# the disad!antage of being ddicted to it is greater =because you are either tempted
constantly# or else itAs immensely difficult to find a dealer so you can satisfy your cra!ing>.
9f the substance is more e&pensi!e# or difficult to stop ta0ing# or has immediate-usage or
long-term side effects# or is illegal# the point !alue of the ddiction also goes up. This is
dealt (ith by each trait adding or subtracting ddiction 2e!els. The final ddiction 2e!el
then translates into a DP !alue. The Price 2ist contains finali5ed (riteups for the most
common drugs# li0e lcohol# %ariCuana# Tobacco# )eroine and .ocaine# and a bunch of
less common ones.
ll characters ha!e a Preferred 2e!el of 9nto&ication# @P2 9nto&.H The reason for this is that
if the G% as0s the players if their characters indulge in the ale# (hen they are !isiting a
bar# the players are !ery li0ely to say no# because they suspect that something is about to
happen# and they do not (ish to be incon!enienced by ha!ing their characters be slightly
drun0. To deal (ith this metagame thin0ing problem# all characters are @born@ (ith a
certain Preferred 2e!el of 9nto&ication =usually applying to alcohol# although cannabis and
Bat are possible alternati!es in some cultures>. The base !alue is 3# indicating that the
character prefers to reach and maintain a %edium le!el of 9nto&ication# but the player may
buy do(n or sell up the 2e!el# to as lo( as : or as high as ,# indicating that the character
disli0es the effects of alcohol and ne!er uses it# or that he tends to go straight for a state of
se!ere inebriation. P29nto& is only in!o0ed (hen the characters are in an into&icating
place# e.g. a ta!ern# inn or party# it does not apply to sitting around the campfire. lso if
the characters ha!e !alid reasons to suspect that sobriety is useful# their players are allo(ed
to declare that their characters drin0 less than they normally (ould =especially if said
character is not ddicted to lcohol># or e!en that they do not drin0 at all. nd note that
such situations occur freBuently during ad!enturing.
There are many (ays to gi!e a character an impro!ed memory. /aising %nemonic
9ntelligence helps (ith achie!ing understanding of facts-hea!y bodies of 0no(ledge such as
)istory and to a lesser e&tent Biology# but there are ad!antages that help characters to
recall information faster# or retain information for longer# or to be better able to
remember specific types of information =faces# or gossip# or music>. ThereNs also a list of
ad!antages that gi!es $ear Perfect /ecall and Percept /ecall# pertaining to a single area
such as %usic or 9mages or $umbers# and there is %nemonic 7ocus (hich gi!es a bonus
to(ards rolls to recall particular 0inds of information - %nemonic 7ocus is usually caused
by the characterNs lifestyle or an obsession he has# and is thus Buite cheap# (hereas $P/
and Perfect /ecall are caused by inborn neurostructural differences# and thus costs a lot of
points =they are also# though# a lot more po(erful>.
6ne can ma0e oneAs character more or less 9nsane. 77/" does not ha!e the usual
beha!ioural disad!antages =e.g. Bad Temper# 9ntolerant of "l!es> because they are
problematic in a role playing gaming conte&t =unli0e physical and social disad!antages#
they are under the playerAs control rather than the G%As control># but actual 9nsanities are
a!ailable. The more se!ere ones are not recommended for player characters# though# but
they may be useful and fun in $P.s. 6ne can start (ith temporarily reduced +anity =so
that one can later reco!er bac0 to the ma& !alue> or (ith a reduced +anity ma&imum =so
that the distance bet(een oneAs normal state# and the straitCac0et# is smaller# so to spea0>#
or (ith the ability to regain +anity faster or slo(er than normal# or (ith one or more
actual 9nsanities# (hich 77/" incorrectly refers to as $euroses. "&amples of $euroses are
Phobias =one only gets compensatory points for Phobias that are +e!ere and .rippling.
9ndiana DonesAs @phobia@ of sna0es is classified as Tri!ial# two steps belo( +e!ere>#
6bsessions and .ompulsi!e Beha!iours. "ach $eurosis is (orth one or more $eurosis
Points =or 5ero# in many cases# for the $euroses that can be assumed to ha!e little impact
on the characterAs general !alue and functioning - e.g. 9ndiana DonesA @phobia@># and for the
first three $Ps# 3 compensatory DP is gi!en for each. The ne&t three $Ps are (orth half a
compensatory DP each# and the ne&t t(o pairs of $Ps are (orth half a compensatory DP
each. character more insane than that gets only one half e&tra compensatory DP# this is
to a!oid encouraging the creation of !ery insane characters.
There are many# many# many more d!antages and Disad!antages in 77/". They can be
found in the Price 2ist document# do(nloadable from the 77/"-Discussion mailing list.
Per0s
d!antages and ttributes are traits that are intrinsic to the character =inside the
character# as opposed to e&ternal># and that the character is also born (ith =(ith some
e&ceptions# such as +trength# 7itness and 6!er(eight?4nder(eight# but generally such
d!antages change only !ery slo(ly# reBuiring at best se!eral ;ee0s# and more li0ely many
%oons# to change in rating>. +0ills are also intrinsic but are acBuired rather than inborn.
Per0s# on the other hand# are e&trinsic. They e&ist outside of the character# they are social
ad!antages. +ome are acBuired# (hile others are @inherited@# e.g. your father (as the 0ing#
and since youAre his first-born son# you inherit the title upon his death. Per0s are
characteri5ed by being able to disappear real fast under certain circumstances. 7or instance
if a ban0 goes ban0rupt# you may lose a lot of money# or if there is a re!olt# you may lose
your /oyal title and po(ers.
"&amples of Per0s are "&tra +tarting .ash# "&tra +tarting "Buipment 7unds# /egular
9ncome# 9ncreased +ocial +tatus# 9ncreased 2egal /ights# .ontacts# /eputation and
Popularity. %any of these may also be @sold do(n@# granting you compensatory points.
page 1 ? 3, of @77/" Basics@ - !:3:
The monetary unit in 77/" is the penny =d# denarius>. +ome campaigns may (or0 better if
dollars or credits are used# but !ery often it is easier for the players to Cust tal0 about
pennies# e!en though their characters 0eep accounts in 0roner# gold coins or credits. The
base starting !alues are 3:d in cash =or cash-li0e obCects# such as hac0-sil!er and Ce(elry>
and 3:d of starting eBuipment funds. 6ne spends the eBuipment funds to purchase
eBuipment for oneAs character# and unspent funds are lost upon game start.
6ne can buy up +tarting .ash and "Buipment 7unds. 4sually one buys them up in (hole
le!els# each le!el multiplying the !alue by '# (hich means that if you buy 3 le!els of e&tra
starting cash# you start the game (ith ,':d in cash instead of 3:d =because 3:d '
3
O
,':d>. The cost of a le!el of "&tra +tarting .ash# or "&tra +tarting 7unds# depends on the
setting.
6ne can also buy /egular .ash 9ncome# or /egular 7ood 9ncome# representing such
things as stoc0 in!estments# a Cob# or o(nership of a farm. To a /egular .ash 9ncome# one
can attach !arious multipliers# raising the 9ncome in e&change for something# such as the
reBuirement of a ;ee0ly s0ill roll# and?or the need to spend some hours per ;ee0
attending something =performing (or0 at a (or0 place# or standing in the Bueue at a
(elfare office>. The combination of those t(o can represent the holding of a Cob. 6ne can
also pay Per0 Points to buy more 2e!els of 9ncome.
3d is roughly the eBui!alent of P32# Q8# 32 euros or 3:: Danish 0roner. 9n medie!al
settings it is the eBui!alent of a strong =not debased> sil!er penny.
nother Per0 is the 4nit# meaning that one has a group of 7ollo(ers. This can be as little
as one badly trained sla!e# or as much as a legion of highly trained# highly moti!ated# ultra-
loyal /oman soldiers.
%any Per0s are unsuitable for ad!enturers# because they are only useful in a particular
geographical location =all your contacts may be in 9reland# for instance# so if you tra!el to
"gypt they are useless# e&cept perhaps if you are someho( able to send mail o!er such a
long distance# and recei!e replies># or because they tend to burden the character do(n =you
canAt bring a (hole 2egion (ith you into a dungeon># but they are useful for $P. creation#
and smaller Per0s are also !ery appropriate for player characters.
+tatus and 2egal /ights are separate stats# (ith a base !alue of 3# either able to go as lo( as
-2 or as high as 1. +tatus is the cheapest# and is not too important. 9t determines ho( you
are addressed# and (hom you can marry =and ha!e affairs (ith - thereAs a bit more @(iggle
room@ in that regard># and ho( much general respect you get =e!erything else being eBual>.
The important factor# and the e&pensi!e one# is 2egal /ights. 9t has a huge influence on
court proceedings# e!en accusations. 9n many societies# it is impossible to accuse someone
(ith higher 2/ than oneself of doing anything - all charges are automatically dismissed.
%odern society has a tendency to(ards @all are eBual before the la(@# therefore the span of
2/# from top to bottom# is narro(er than in a medie!al society. 9n a modern society# the
2/ range goes only from 3 to *# instead of from -2 to 1. The pagan Vi0ing society had mild
legal-egalitarian tendencies# so there the span goes only from : to ,# slightly (ider than the
modern one.
.ontacts are built according to a simple system# (here the .ontact type =9nformation#
Dealer# Trader# Teacher...> determines a base .ontact 2e!el# and !arious added traits
=increased +0ill# increased 2oyalty> then add more .ontact 2e!els. The final .ontact 2e!el
then translates into a Per0 Point !alue.
6ne may also purchase a Per0 called .onnected. 9t co!ers a specified rea# (ith the cost
depending on the si5e of the rea - being .onnected in a Village-si5ed rea costs a lot less
than being .onnected in a Gala&y-si5ed rea. .onnected hal!es the cost of all .ontacts =it
reduces the .ontact 2e!el by '# (hich is the eBui!alent of di!iding the final PP cost by 2>.
.onnected has no effect after game start# but all characters should ta0e it if they (ould
benefit from it# during creation# because its purpose is to encourage the creation of
characters (ho ha!e .ontacts in a limited area# rather than scattered all o!er the uni!erse.
/eputations and Popularities li0e(ise co!er a specified rea# (ith the si5e of the rea
influencing the cost. 9t costs more to be Popular in all of 7rance# than it costs to be Cust
Popular in a particular suburb or Paris. 2i0e(ise ha!ing a /eputation for being e&tremely
intelligent costs more if the /eputation is @!alid@ in all of "urope# rather than if it is
specific to 2ondon or Bornholm. /eputations and Popularities also ha!e a %agnitude#
defining ho( Kno(n or Popular you are. rating of 3 (ould be a tiny /eputation or
Popularity =tiny in the sense that it is small# (ea0# but it is still @better@ than no /eputation
or Popularity at all># (hereas a rating of 8 (ould be an immense /eputation or Popularity.
Popularities can also be negati!e# and /eputations can be for something bad - in either
case# one gets compensatory points for creating a character (ith such traits =although not
many>. 9t is possible that there is no one ali!e# currently# (ith any /eputations of 8# or a
Popularity of 8 or -8. dolf )itler (ould be a good e&ample of someone (ith a Planet-(ide
Popularity of --# (hereas Dosef +talin rates only a -, =because his crimes ha!e not been as
(idely publici5ed as )itlerAs>.
"&tents can also refer to subsets of populations. 7or instance# .ordo!a is a .ity ="&tent 2>#
so a character can be Popular orha!e a /eputation in all of .ordo!a# but instead he could
ha!e a Popularity or /eputation rating (ith a subset of .ordo!aAs population# such as all
the De(s or all the non-%oslems# or all those not born in the city# or all the sailors. +imply
do(ngrade the "&tent rating appropriately =i.e. to "&tent 3 or e!en "&tent :>.
.haracters also automatically get /eputations# if they ha!e high ttributes or !ery high
+0ills. This is called uto-7ame# and (or0s according to a table =found in the Price 2ist
document>. nyone (ith a rating of , or more in an ttribute# or 8 or more in a s0ill# gets
some uto-7ame. 6ther traits# such as a !ery high +ub-ttribute or high ppearance# also
causes uto-7ame. The person creating the character can pay Per0 Points to buy this uto-
7ame do(n# representing the fact that the character has al(ays @0ept a lo( profile@. This is
useful for thie!es (ho may ha!e high De&terity and 9ntelligence - itAs easier operating if
page 3: ? 3, of @77/" Basics@ - !:3:
youAre not 0no(n to ha!e high innate potential in those areas. nd itAs e!en more rele!ant
if one has high s0ills# such as +tealth and 2oc0pic0ing.
+ince /eputations and Popularities ha!e /atings# G%s may sometimes (ant to @roll for
them@# as if they (ere attributes. There are no rules for this =currently># but it is a
possibility.
9t is e&pensi!e but possible to purchase the Per0 of being a leader of an area. This can be
as small as a 0nightAs free# or as !ast as a Galactic "mpire. The cost depends on the si5e of
the area that one controls. 6ne can also buy control of some =or allR> of the Votes in a
particular assembly. The cost depends on ho( large a percentage of the !otes one controls
=the cost goes up steeply> and according to the importance of the assembly - a !illage
council is cheap but an imperial council is e&pensi!e. 7or maCor decisions# a 2?3# 3?' or
e!en a complete maCority may be reBuired# instead of a regular =*:.3E> maCority# that is
one reason to ha!e more than half the !otes. nother reason is that !otes may be lost.
/epresentati!es (ho are under your control at game start may e!entually abandon you# if
you pass la(s that they disli0e# so you gradually lose !otes =you may then either accept this
loss# or try to gain more !otes># and they may also be assassinated# or bribed a(ay from you
=from the party you control>. 9f there is an election =this is not a gi!en - not all councils are
democratic># some or all of the !otes are remo!ed# and you gain ne( ones according to
your Popularity# the Popularity of your party# the Popularity of your cause# or a
combination of them.
)ome is also a Per0. 9t is bought in )ome 2e!els# (hich you total up and translate into a
Per0 Point !alue. The basic 3 )ome 2e!el is a , sBuare meter abode. dded )ome 2e!els
then increase the si5e of the area under your control =it matters little (hether it is a house
that you o(n# or a house that you rent# as long as you ha!e a claim on it and cannot easily
be thro(n out>. 6r impro!e it in some other (ay# such as adding fortifications or secret
features =doors# passages# escape tunnels>. .reating a normal apartment or !illa is !ery fast
and easy# (hereas if one (ishes to create a large# strong fortress (ith all sorts of secret
features# the process can ta0e a bit of time.
Jou can buy 7a!ours# representing the fact that high-ran0ing indi!iduals =bbots# Du0es#
"mperors> feel that @they are in your debt@. The cost depends on the political influence of
the $P.. 7a!ours represent maCor reBuests# but should still be 0ept (ithin the possible.
The character approaches the $P. and as0s for help# and if the $P. pro!ides the help#
the 7a!our has been spent. /eally massi!e help may cost 2# 3 or e!en more 7a!ours.
problem that often occurs in roleplaying gaming is characters (ho ha!e s0ills that lets
them produce something# li0e smithI (eapon s0ill that lets a character# if he is sufficiently
s0illed# forge s(ords that are durable# (ell-balanced and !ery sharp# or a Bre(ing s0ill
(hich may let a character create magical potions. +uch acti!ities reBuire do(ntime# and as
many campaigns are ad!enturing-focused# it may be difficult for that character type to e!er
get to utili5e his s0ills. $o realistic solutions e&ist for the in-game problem# but during
character creation# any character (ith a @production@ type s0ill may purchase a Per0 called
.raft. This in!ol!es spending a number of Per0 Points =in :.* PP increments># (hich then
translate into .raft Points according to a formula that ta0es into account the le!el of the
s0ill. This means that a character (ith a lo( s0ill must pay a lot of Per0 Points to get Cust a
fe( .raft Points# (hereas a character (ith a high s0ill gets many .raft Points for Cust a fe(
Per0 Points.
These .raft Points can then be spent during character creation to @purchase@ !arious items
tat the character is capable of ma0ing. They are paid for (ith .Ps instead of being paid for
(ith money =pennies>. This means that a genius smith can start the game (ith a brilliantly
forged broads(ord# for the cost of only a !ery fe( Per0 Points# e!en though normally he
(ould ha!e had to pay many Per0 Points to boost his "Buipment 7unds up to a le!el
(here the s(ord (ould be affordable. =+0ill le!el reBuirements are enforced# e.g. no one
can use the .raft character creation rule to forge a %aster Buality s(ord if his s0ill is lo(er
than ,>.
By allo(ing characters to start (ith self-made items# according to their s0ill le!els# they get
a chance to pro!e the (orth of those s0ills to the other party members# thereby increasing
the chance that the other party members (ill e!entually allo( them do(ntime so that they
can further utili5e their s0ills.
9t should be pointed out that the intent behind the .raft rule is to remo!e all random
aspects from character creation =e!en though this is not 3::E achie!ed - 6ld characters
must still go through ging /olls># so that it is possible to create demo characters that can
be used @off the shelf@.
There are many more Per0s than mentioned here# they can be found in the Price 2ist
document# do(nloadable from the 7iles area of the 77/"-Discussion mailing list at
JahooGroups.
S0ills and /ores
+0ills and 2ores are the fourth and last category on (hich one spends Goodie Points. GPs
spent here con!ert into +0ill Points# +Ps.
+0ills are rated acBuired abilities# meaning that there is a rating associated (ith them# such
as +(ord '# Barter * or .artography 2.
2ores are binary acBuired abilities# meaning that you either ha!e them or you donAt.
+ometimes there e&ist a @ladder@ of 2ores# (here one 2ore is a prereBuisite for another# e.g.
you cannot learn $o ccent =the ability to spea0 a specific foreign language (ithout any
accent at all> before you ha!e learned ;ea0 ccent =the ability to spea0 a specific foreign
language (ith only a faint accent# as opposed to a !ery strong# pronounced and noticeable
one># and li0e(ise you must learn ;ear 2ight rmour before you can learn ;ear %edium
rmour.
page 33 ? 3, of @77/" Basics@ - !:3:
+0ills sometimes @cap@ each other. 7or instance one may not utili5e a Physics s0ill that is
more than t(ice as high as oneAs %athematics s0ill. 2i0e(ise# 7irst id may not be higher
than 2natomy# and .ritical )it may not be higher than 2natomy either. %ost
(ilderness s0ills may not be higher than 2 the rele!ant Terrain s0ill =e.g. TerrainI ;oods#
TerrainI %ountains# TerrainI Desert># the e&ceptions are .amping (hich is capped at 2.*
=this is more generous than for the regular ;ilderness s0ills> and +ur!i!al (hich is capped
at 3.* =a Buite harsh cap# but suitable>.
+0ills can also sometimes substitute for each other. 7or instance# TacticsI 2and may
substitute for TacticsI ;ater at ?3# meaning that a character (ho lac0s TacticsI ;ater# but
has TacticsI 2and ,# can function as if he had TacticsI ;ater 2.
"ach s0ill is entitled to a speciali5ation# a narro(er area of speciality# for instance the
+(ord s0ill may be speciali5ed in Broads(ord# the Barter s0ill may be speciali5ed in +la!es
or .ombat Gear# or the .artography s0ill may be speciali5ed in +mall-+cale %aps#
%edium-+cale %aps or 2arge-+cale %aps =or in Dungeons>. 9f one is using the specialty of
oneAs s0ill# it counts as if it is one le!el higher.
S0ill Costs
+0ill Points represent the total sum of training and e&perience =a combination of training
time and training Buality - 2:: hours of self-training are# perhaps# as efficient as 3:: hours
of training under an inferior teacher or *: hours of training under a talented teacher or
2* hours of training under a talented teacher (ho gi!es all his attention to you> that the
character has had in his or her entire life time. They are all spent on particular +0ills and
2ores.
ll s0ills start at a base !alue of 5ero# and are bought up from there. s0ill rating of 2 may
be labelled pprentice# a rating of ' may be labelled Dourneyman# and a rating of , may be
labelled %aster. "&perienced ad!enturers# and gifted or highly educated non-ad!enturers#
often ha!e s0ills much higher than ,# but there are no formal labels for such s0ill le!els -
they (ere called different things in different te&ts# so they are officially nameless.
practical limit (ould be a s0ill of 32 or maybe 33# for a character (ho combines !ery
high innate aptitude (ith an obsessi!e decade-spanning training regime# in a single s0ill.
The cost of a s0ill depends on the !alue of t(o or more rele!ant attributes# because higher
attributes mean that you learn faster - you need less training to impro!e. highly de&trous
person masters the art of loc0pic0ing faster than someone (ith less nimble fingers.
.alculating the cost of any one s0ill is a computation-hea!y process. The character creation
spreadsheet ta0es care of it all# but some players may (ish to 0no( the gory details of the
system. They can read it by s0ipping to the end of this document# (here it is described in
full detail in the appendi&.
SDescription of the s0ill cost calculation process cut# and mo!ed to the appendi&T
The rest of you# the normal readers# can Cust read on.
s stated abo!e# all the calculations are done by the character creation spreadsheet.
human can easily create an 77/" character (ithout ha!ing fully understood ho( the
system (or0s# because the rules are intuiti!e. 9t is intuiti!ely ob!ious that +trength#
De&terity and gility affects the learning of melee (eapon s0ills# that De&terity and
Perception affect the learning of missile (eapons =(ith rm +trength also playing a small
=3?-> role for bo(s># and that 9ntelligence# ;ill and Perception affect ho( fast you learn
science s0ills =and 9ntelligence and ;ill# (ithout Perception# affects ho( fast you learn
other 0no(ledge s0ills>.
lso# the character creation spreadsheet creates t(o s0ill sheets for each character# one
intended for in-game usage# (here Cust the s0ill names and s0ill le!els are listed# and one
intended for character ad!ancement# i.e. that (hich is done after each session# (hich in
addition lists numerous stats =PT# PV# Difficulty# .omple&ity and original +P cost># and
also lists the cost for the ne&t si& le!els of the s0ill
=ses o) the s0ill cost syste"
There are t(o (ays one can buy a s0ill for a character. 6ne is to buy a certain s0ill le!el.
The character creation spreadsheet then tells you ho( many +Ps that (ill cost.
The other is to pay a certain amount of +Ps# and then the character creation spreadsheet
tells you (hat s0ill le!el that (ill get you. +Ps beyond the cost of buying the gi!en s0ill le!el
go to(ards purchasing the ne&t higher le!el# so that nothing is lost.
This second option is much more po(erful than it might seem# because you can use it to
define Training /egimens# and then subseBuently apply those Training /egimens to
characters. Jou can# for instance# define 4+ rmy Basic Training =@Boot .amp@> as gi!ing
3:: +P in 7irst id# *:: +P in GunI /ifle# 3:: +P in +tealth# and so forth. ;hen these +P
amounts are applied to indi!idual characters# some (ill benefit much and some (ill
benefit little# according to their attributes# for instance characters (ith high 9ntelligence
benefits much from the 7irst id training# characters (ith high De&terity benefits much
from the Gun training# and characters (ith high gility benefits much from the +tealth
training.
+uch !alues can be deri!ed from the 77/" Teaching?Training rules =currently only
co!ering study under a teacher - they donAt deal (ith self-training# nor learning solely from
boo0s# yet>. To use this system# you plug in !arious stats# such as the s0ills of the Teacher
=both his le!el in the s0ill being taught# and his Teaching or Training s0ill# depending on
(hether itAs a largely mental or largely physical s0ill># the resources spent# the number of
students in the class# and other things# and out comes an amount of +Ps per hour of
tuition. Jou then decide ho( many hours of tuition is spent on each subCect# and that
gi!es you the final amount of +Ps.
page 32 ? 3, of @77/" Basics@ - !:3:
6ne can use this po(erful method to create a character by defining is life path# i.e. start by
defining (hat type and Buality primary school he attended# then secondary school# then
college# then army officer training. +tuff li0e that. 9t is e!en possible to create a random life
path system# (here each entry on the roll table gi!es a certain amount of +Ps to(ards
specified s0ills.
About /ores
2ores are binary s0ills# i.e. they ha!e no rating. character either has or has not a 2ore.
But 2ores also ha!e a couple of special features. 6ne is that many 2ores (or0 as enhancers
on s0ills. 7or instance the 7irst id s0ill is normally only good for dealing (ith simple
inCuries# li0e treating basic burns# splinting simple fractures# and bandaging (ounds that
bleed slightly. 6ne can learn one of t(o 2ores to @enhance@ the 7irst id s0ill. The
Battlefield +urgeon 2ore adds some ne( abilities to the 7irst id s0ill# but it also renders
the cap from the natomy s0ill more se!ere. $ormally oneAs effecti!e 7irst id may not be
higher than 2natomy. ;ith the Battlefield +urgeon 2ore# (hen one is using the ne(
abilities added by that 2ore# oneAs effecti!e 7irst id s0ill can be no higher than
3.*natomy. Battlefield +urgeon is appropriate for medie!al campaigns. The other 2ore
is called Paramedic# and is more appropriate for modern campaigns =although one can
learn both 2ores - they add slightly different abilities>. 9t has the same effect on the cap
from natomy# changing it to 3.*natomy.
+imilarly# there are 2ores that enhance the Physics s0ill# such as Thermodynamics#
/elati!ity Physics# <uantum Physics and 7T2 Physics =this last one has not been
disco!ered yet# in our (orld>. They also ha!e the effect of rendering the cap from
%athematics more se!ere. The +eduction s0ill is normally applicable to only one se&# but a
character can learn the 2ore of Bise&ual +eduction to become able to use his +eduction
s0ill on both se&es.
This leads me to the second (ay in (hich 2ores are special. %any of them represent
inventions# discoveries# the results of research. 6f course some 2ores do not. The +cript 2ore
simply represents the character ha!ing acBuired familiarity (ith a particular alphabet =such
as 2atin# .yrillic or 6gham># and the ;ea0 ccent and $o ccent 2ores represent ha!ing
learned ho( to pronounce foreign (ords correctly and spea0 the language (ith the correct
intonations and rhythm. They cannot be researched# rather they can be taught# and some
can also be practiced =it is easy to practice ;ea0 ccent and $o ccent# but Buite difficult
to decode the meaning of a foreign alphabet>.
But some other 2ores can be researched. Thermodynamics is a good e&ample# and so are
the !arious +pells from the spellcasting magic system =each +pell is a 2ore># and also the
many 2ores (hich impro!e spellcasting such as the series of 2ores for 7ast-.ast and for
+ilent .ast?$o Gestures .ast?+tealth .ast. These 2ores can be learned from a teacher# or
studied from a boo0# but if no teacher or boo0 is a!ailable# one must resort to in!enting
them on oneAs o(n# e!en though it is much less efficient. This means that each such
9n!ention 2ore should ha!e some additional stats# detailing ho( difficult it is to in!ent
=+pells tend to be easy to in!ent# (hereas the higher spellcasting 2ores# as (ell as the
higher physics enhancers# are exceedingly difficult - +tephen )a(0ings has spent the last
se!eral decades trying to research out the 2ore of <uantum Gra!ityR># and also some
modifiers on the actual in!ention process# detailing ho( long the in!ention ta0es# (hat
the /oll Difficulty is# (hat to roll for =often a combination of rolls for a rele!ant sub-
attribute of 9ntelligence# rolls for general 9ntelligence# rolls for rele!ant s0ills =%agic
Theory# maybe> and rolls for .reati!ity># and so forth. $one of this 2ore 9n!ention
structure has been created yet# ho(e!er# but it (ill consist of one or =more li0ely> se!eral
Tas0s.
#he Roll echanic
The roll mechanic is based around rolling a number of d32s eBual to the tested rating# i.e.
the s0ill le!el or the attribute rating# or some other trait such as the Durability of a
(eapon# or the Popularity of a character or the %orale of a 4nit.
S0ill Speciali&ations
7or s0ills# if you are using your speciali5ation of your s0ill# you roll one e&tra d32. 7or
instance# a character (ith +(ord =Broads(ord> * rolls *d32 (hen using a longs(ord#
shorts(ord or t(o-handed s(ord# but (hen using a broads(ord he rolls ,d32. 7or a fe(
s0ills# it might be impossible to find a speciali5ation that is not unacceptably (ide. The
standard e&ample is +eduction. +eduction =;omen> is simply too broad# e!en for a
character (ho might (ish to seduce either se&# depending on the situation =perhaps a
female agent (ho seduces men as part of her (or0# but (omen for fun>. 9n those cases#
there can be no speciali5ation.
!alid speciali5ation should# at the most# co!er 3?3 of general usage. 6ne can be found
for most s0ills# for instance there are four general s(ord types. Barter can apply to many
categories of goods. +eduction is one of a !ery fe( unfortunate e&ceptions.
7or attributes# a parenthesis after the attribute name refers to a sub-attribute# not a
speciali5ation. 7or instance De&terity =%anual> ' says only that the character has a %anual
De&terity of ' - his .ombat De&terity may be 3 or 3 or 1# and his 7acial De&terity may
li0e(ise be any !alue# (e can not 0no( this unless it is stated some(here else. +ome
groups use condensed character sheets =and G%s often use such sheets for minor $P.s>
(here a sub-attribute is only mentioned if it is different from the parent attribute. 9f the
!alue of a sub-attribute is not mentioned# it means that it is eBual to the parent attribute.
6ther traits ne!er ha!e parentheses after their names.
Roll Di))iculty
Jou roll the specified number of dice# !ersus a /oll Difficulty# /D# gi!en by the G%. This
can be a number as lo( as 2 =/D 3 (ould mean automatic success - there (ould be no
need to roll at all># or as high as 38.
page 33 ? 3, of @77/" Basics@ - !:3:
8 is the standard /D. 9t corresponds to an unmodified roll in most other systems. 9t is
used in situations that are difficult# (here there is a chance of failure e!en for the trained.
/D , is used in easy situations# /D ' in routine situations# /D 2 in !ery easy situations.
/D 3: is used in !ery difficult situations. /D 32 is the highest /D (here there is an actual
chance of success. 9t is poison. .haracters# e!en the e&tremely s0illed# should fear such
situations# and do their best to a!oid using their s0ills in them. The chance of a 7umble is
very high for /D 32. "!en /D 33 is dangerous.
/Ds of 33 and higher cannot succeed. Their usage is that as the /D goes up# the
probability of the (orst 0inds of 7umbles also goes up. /D 38 guarantees the (orst 0ind of
7umble possible.
2i0e(ise# as the /D goes do(n# the probabilities of the (orst 0inds of 7umbles go do(n.
7or /D ,# the (orst 0ind of 7umble becomes impossible. 7or /D *# the (orst and the
second (orst 0ind becomes impossible. 7or /D 2# you cannot 7umble# the (orst that can
happen is that you fail.
The $e(bie +heet document contains a table of /Ds. The Game Tables document also
contains an /D table# but it is out-of-date# as it (as created at the time (hen the roll
mechanic (as based on d3:s rather than d32s and has not been updated since =(ell# a
partial update is on my hard dri!e. 9t (ill be finished and uploaded e!entually>.
RD "odi)iers
Various factors may alter the /D. This can lo(er /D 33# 9mpossible# to /D 32# Barely
Possible# but it can also raise /D 33 to /D 33# 9mpossible.
+ome characters are born (ith Talents for specific s0ills or s0ill categories. Talent lo(ers
the /D by 3# or 2 or 3 if the Talent is %aCor or "&treme. 2i0e(ise characters can be born
(ith 9ncompetences# (hich may be $ormal =Cust @9ncompetence@># %aCor or "&treme# and
they raise the /D by 3# 2 or 3.
+pecial eBuipment may also lo(er the /D# such as a pair of loc0pic0s that are perfectly
shaped# or a (ell-balanced s(ord# or a spellcasterAs 7ocus =more on 7oci# (hich are Buite
important for spellcasters# under @+pellcasting@>.
.ircumstances can affect the /D too. 7leetness far abo!e or belo( the norm =5ero> gi!es a
bonus or penalty to certain s0ills. +ome s0ills are gility-)ea!y =e&amples are Dodge and
+tealth> and gain the larger bonus# the one that come into force e!en for relati!ely normal
7leetness !alues. 6ther s0ills are gility-%edium =melee (eapon s0ills# e.g.> and gain the
smaller bonus# the one that only comes into force for e&treme !alues of 7leetness. The
concept of 7leetness is e&plained further do(n# under @%o!ement@.
7inally# a character may (or0 faster or slo(er at a tas0# to raise or lo(er the /D. %ore on
that under @Time +cale@# belo(.
#he outco"e
$o(# roll the dice.
9f one or more dice sho(s the /D or higher# count them. Jou ha!e +ucceeded# more or
less. The number of dice sho(ing the /D or higher is your degree of +uccess# and is
codified 3+# 2+# 3+ and so forth. The highest possible degree of +uccess is your rolled
rating# e.g. if your s0ill is +(ord =Broads(ord> *# you canAt get more than * or , +uccesses#
depending on (hat s(ord type youAre using.
2+ is a normal success. 9t corresponds to @ma0ing the roll@ in most other systems. Jou do
the Cob# but not in a fantastically brilliant (ay.
3+ is a partial success. Jou do the Cob# but in a limited (ay.
3+ is a Good +uccess# '+ is a Great +uccess# and so forth.
9f none of the dice sho(s the /D or higher# you ha!e either failed or 7umbled. 7ind the
highest die. 9t doesnAt matter if se!eral dice sho(s this same number.
9f the highest die is only 3 lo(er than the /D# then congratulationsR Jou ha!e only failed#
not 7umbled. This is codified f-3 =not 7-3>.
9f the highest dice is 2 lo(er than the /D# you ha!e gotten a %inor 7umble# codified 7-2.
9t is a 7umble# but itAs not too bad.
9f the )D is 3 lo(er than the /D# youA!e gotten a %edium 7umble# 7-3. 9f the )D is '
lo(er than the /D# youA!e gotten a %aCor 7umble. 9f the /D is * lo(er than the /D#
youA!e gotten a Grand 7umble.
9f the )D is , or more lo(er than the /D# youA!e gotten a Disastrous 7umble.
The math-literate (ill be rather unconcerned# reali5ing that the (orst 0inds of 7umbles
become extremely unli0ely as soon as your s0ill reaches a decent le!el# pro!ided the /D isnAt
insanely high.
6ne can use this roll mechanic for se!eral things. The 77/" $e(bie +heet describes
se!eral (ays. )ere# only three (ill be mentioned.
>pposed Rolls
This is !ery simple. T(o characters roll# not necessarily for the same s0ill or against the
same /D. The one (ho gets the most +uccesses (ins. )is success degree eBuals the
successes that he rolled# minus the successes that the opponent rolled =the opponent s
page 3' ? 3, of @77/" Basics@ - !:3:
regarded as ha!ing rolled 5ero successes if he fails or 7umbles>. lso if one 7umbles# he
suffers the conseBuences of it =bro0en (eapon# or similar>. 9f it is a tie# in a situation (here
a tie is highly improbable# the 77/" $e(bie +heet specifies ho( one finds the (inner.
Special >pposed Rolls
This is li0e an 6pposed /oll# e&cept that if one character should fail or 7umble# his failure
degree is subtracted from the success of the other. This means that if one character rolls 2+
and the other rolls 7-2# the (inner is regarded as ha!ing rolled '+. This is used for Barter
rolls. There are no special conseBuences of 7umbling# other than that you magnify your
opponentAs success degree.
#he #as0 Roll
This mechanic is used for acti!ities (hich may be completed in a !ariable amount of time#
such as pic0ing a loc0# casting a spell or repairing something =beyond the simplest patch
Cobs - fi&ing a punctured bicycle tire is not a Tas0# because it is not !ariable duration# but
fi&ing something comple&# li0e a space ship engine# is>.
Tas0 has an /D# Cust li0e an ordinary roll# but it also has a Goal and a Time 9ncrement.
The goal is the amount of Progress that is needed to complete the Tas0. The Time
9ncrement is ho( long each roll cycle ta0es. 9t may be 3?3:: +econd# , %inutes# 3* Jears#
or any other fi&ed amount of time.
"ach .ycle# the character rolls. 9f he gets any +uccesses# he sBuares that number of
+uccesses and adds it to his Progress# e.g. if he rolls 3+# he adds 3 to his Progress# if he rolls
3+ he adds 1 to his Progress. 9f he rolls f-3# he adds no Progress. 9f he rolls 7-2# his Progress
drops to 5ero =if doesnAt matter if it (as already 5ero># but suffer no other ill conseBuences.
9f he rolls 7-3 or (orse# an actual 7umble occurs# something that Buite li0ely ma0es it
impossible for him to continue the Tas0.
9n this (ay# Tas0 rolls are safer than ordinary rolls# because nothing unpleasant happens if
an 7-2 occurs.
6nce the Progress reaches or e&ceeds the Goal# the Tas0 is completed. The $e(bie +heet
contains a rule for determining e&actly (hen in the last Time 9ncrement the Tas0 (as
completed# e.g. if one needs precise results such as @7inished in * 3?' time 9ncrement@.
#he #i"e Scale
77/" has a single Time +cale# (hich is used throughout the system. 9t stretches from
infinitely small time increments to infinitely large ones. s you go smaller and smaller# the
progression is predictable# but the high end of the scale is not suchly defined.
The middle end of the scale# containing the steps used most freBuently# goes li0e thisI
3?3: s
3 +econd
, +econds =3 /ound>
3 %inute
, %inutes
3 )our
' )ours
2' )ours =3 Day# although such @3 Day@ acti!ities (ill usually be spread o!er 2-3 days>
3 ;ee0 =a total of 3,8 )ours - again# acti!ities (ill li0ely be spread out o!er 2-' (ee0s>
3 %oon =' ;ee0s>
, %oons
3 Jears
3* Jears
-* Jears
3:: Jears
3A2:: Jears
,A::: Jears
Belo( 3?3: second# each Time 9ncrement is Cust 3: times smaller# so it goes 3?3:: s#
3?3A::: s# 3?3::A:: s. The high end has no such fi&ed progression# although one can be
made if desired. 9t is no(here defined (hat the step after ,A::: Jears is# as it has ne!er
been needed.
%any acti!ities can be @plugged in@ to this Time +cale.
lso# (ith many acti!ities# one can hurry or (or0 more slo(ly. Trying to do an acti!ity one
Time 9ncrement step faster raises the /D by 2. 9f an acti!ity normally ta0es 3 %inute and is
/D -# then one can try doing it in , +econds by rolling !s /D 1.
6ne can also try to hurry a lot# by rolling !s an /D * steps higher than the standard. 9f
successful# one completes the Cob 2 Time 9ncrement +teps faster than normal# e.g. the
acti!ity is completed in 3 +econd instead of 3 %inute# but the /D is 32RR
2i0e(ise one can (or0 more slo(ly# lo(ering the Time 9ncrement one step in e&change
for an /D 3 lo(er# or lo(er the Time 9ncrement three steps in e&change for an /D 2
lo(er.
There are some acti!ities (here one cannot (or0 faster or slo(er. .oo0ing is a good
e&ample. %a0ing a meal ta0es the time it ta0es# and the completion time simply cannot
!ary by a significant factor.
;ith Tas0s# one can choose oneAs (or0ing speed for each .ycle# e.g. one can (or0
normally the first .ycle# then if one begins to feel confident# one can s(itch to (or0ing
faster. 2ater again# one can change oneAs mind and go bac0 to normal speed# or e!en slo(
speed.
page 3* ? 3, of @77/" Basics@ - !:3:
The purpose of this mechanic is to let highly s0illed characters do things faster# e.g. pic0
loc0s faster# or repair starship engines faster# (hile at the same time also gi!ing less s0illed
characters an impro!ed chance of success# if they are (illing to sacrifice time.
/uc0 Points
ll characters ha!e some 2uc0 Points# (hich their players =or the G%# in the case of
$P.s> can spend# either to purchase re-rolls of already made rolls# or else to lo(er the /D
of rolls that ha!e yet to be made# or to purchase re-rolls in ad!ance =this is cheaper than
purchasing them after-the-fact>. 2uc0 Points are regained slo(ly in realistic settings# and
faster in less realistic ones.
2uc0 is normally generic# useable for e!erything# but spected 2uc0 is another possibility#
for instance a character may ha!e one or more points of .ombat 2uc0# or +pellcasting
2uc0# useable only in such situations. "!en more focused 2uc0 is possible# for instance
@2uc0 that only (or0s (hen trying to pic0 up Blondes@. spected 2uc0 is optional# but is
in 0eeping (ith the mood and atmosphere of the Urth setting# (here characters often
suspect each other of being luc0y in general or (hen it comes to particular types of
enda!ours.
%n.Ga"e Rules
Spellcastin$
9n the default 77/" magic system# spellcasting is di!ided into 2' /ealms# each of (hich
belongs to one of four .ategories
Cate$ory Real"s ?
Nature a$ic nimal# Body# 2esser )ealing# Plant# +hapechange# ;eather ,
Ele"ent a$ic ir# Dar0ness# "arth# 7ire# 7rost# 2ight# ;ater -
Grey a$ic .ombat# Defence# Di!ination# "motion# 9llusion# %etamagic -
Blac0 a$ic .urses# Demonology# )orror %agic# $ecrmancy '
$ature %agic is referred to# by some characters# as @Green %agic@# and a !ery fe( ta0e this
tradition to the e&treme# by referring to "lement %agic as @/ainbo( %agic@ or @%ulti-
hued %agic@.
%etamagic is the /ealm that deals (ith magic# i.e. it contains spells such as Detect %agic#
Disrupt %agic# naly5e %agic and so forth. Thin0 of %etamagic as @tool magic@# the tools
@carried@ by a @magic-mechanic@. The names of the other realms should be more or less self-
e&planatory.
2esser %agic is called that because there used to be a fifth .ategory# called ;hite %agic#
accessible only through the Di!ine %ethod of casting =the Di!ine %ethod could access all
fi!e .ategories# (ith /Ds depending upon the nature of the Di!ine casterAs religion =e.g.
(hether itAs nature-themed or %ind-themed or anti-$ecromancy># (hereas the rcane
%ethod could access only the four other .ategories# but (ith unmodified /Ds># but
Di!ine spellcasting has since then been remo!ed from 77/"# any e&cercise of Di!ine
magic no( ta0es place through Po(ers. The ;hite .ategory contained three /ealmsI
Greater )ealing# id and Bless. Greater )ealing (as intended to be Buite po(erful# able
to heal serious ;ounds pretty fast# (hereas 2esser )ealing (as intended to be less
spectacular# mostly speeding up the bodyAs natural healing process. The Bualifier @lesser@
has been retained because it alerts people ne( to 77/" to the fact that 2esser )ealing
might no be as po(erful as# e.g.# the healing magic found in DVD.
"ach /ealm is a s0ill# (hich is learned normally =i.e. you can learn it from a teacher# or
from a boo0# or you can practice it although you absolutely and firmly do need an e&ternal
source for the first s0ill le!el> and (hich is Difficulty 3: =)ard> and .omple&ity :
=$ormal>.
;ithin each /ealm there e&ists a number of +pells# each of (hich is learned as a 2ore.
"ach spell is Buite easy to learn# the difficulty# the hurdle that ensures that magic is rare#
lies in learning the /ealm. 9t is ob!ious from this that characters are li0ely to 0no( most# if
not all# of the spells in their /ealms. 9f you ha!e mastered 2ight %agic# youAd tend to 0no(
all the 2ight +pells.
=9t may be helpful# for some# to thin0 of each +pell as @enhancing@ the /ealm s0ill by
enabling the character to use the /ealm s0ill to cast the +pell. 6thers may find this line of
though to be pointless# or e!en confusing>
+pells are di!ided into si& le!els# co!ering the (hole span of magic pro(ess# from simple
and tri!ial .antrips to a(e-inspiring ;onders. The +0ill Point cost of learning a spell
depends on the 2e!el# i.e. it ta0es 32 times as long to learn a ;onder spell as it does to
learn a .antrip spell.
The ptitude formula for any /ealm s0ill is hea!ily influenced by Psyche ='?-># and
some(hat influenced by ;ill =2?-> and 9ntelligence =this means that highly intelligent
characters are not al(ays good at learning magic>. The PT formula for any +pell is mostly
based in 9ntelligence =2?3> (ith some influence from ;ill =this means that mages (ith
high 9ntelligence are more li0ely to 0no( all the spells in their /ealms than mages (ith
a!erage 9ntelligence are>.
"ach +pell is cast as a Tas0# (ith the Goal =here called Po(er> and /D depending on the
le!el of the spell. 9n addition# for each casting .ycle a number of +pell "nergy Points
=+"Ps> must be e&pended by the caster. This means that the more s0illed one is# the fe(er
+"Ps one tends to pay per spell. 7inally# each spell le!el is associated (ith a 7umble die#
this is the roll you ma0e if you get a 7umble during the casting process# i.e. roll 7-3 or
(orse.
page 3, ? 3, of @77/" Basics@ - !:3:
$ote that the normal Time 4se rules do not apply to spellcastingF instead some slightly
different ones are used. lmost all spells ha!e a base .asting .ycle of 3 /ound =,
seconds>.
/ Spell /evel RD Po-er SEP@Cycle Fu"ble Roll
3 .antrip - 2 3 3d,
2 %inor 8 ' 2 3d8M2
3 %edium 1 8 ' 3d3:M'
' %aCor 3: 3, 8 3d3:M,
* Grand 33 32 3, 3d8M1
, ;onder 32 ,' 32 3d,M33
9f a 7umble occurs# a roll is made on the +pellcasting 7umble table# (hich has four
columns# one for each 7umble se!erity =7-3# 7-'# 7-* and 7-,>.
characterAs +"Ps do not increase as he gains more e&perience# they are fi&ed. The effect
of e&perience is instead to allo( you to generally cast spells in fe(er .asting .ycles# thus
cheaper in terms of +"Ps. characterAs +"Ps are deri!ed from Psyche (ith a minor
influence from ;ill and 9ntelligence.
There are also other benefits from a higher s0ill# in particular the chance of 7umbling is
reduced. The fear of 7umbles is intended to be the primary @limiter@ of magic - a mage (ill
not fri!olously cast spells for (hich he has a high chance of 7umbling. 7or an apprentice#
casting a %inor spell is a daunting tas0# fraught (ith ris0# (hereas for an archmage casting
a %inor spell is completely routine.
7or almost all spells# each .asting .ycle has a base time of 3 /ound. "&ceptions are noted
in the spell list =or rather# (ill be noted# as the spell list has not been (ritten yet>.
6ne can apply !arious .asting 6ptions. These are +lo( .ast# 7ast .ast# $o Gestures
.asting and +ilent .asting. The later t(o combined are referred to as +tealth .asting.
+lo( .ast and 7ast .ast are mutually e&clusi!e.
"ach .asting 6ption is applied on a per .ycle basis# meaning that you can change your
mind later in the .asting Process. "ach 6ption modifies the /D and multiplies the +"P
cost per .ycle. 2ores can be learned (hich impro!es your ability to use .asting 6ptions#
for instance initially 7ast .asting is !ery difficult# raising the /D and multiplying the +"P
cost by a huge amount. But by learning a @ladder@ of 2ores# the character can gradually
reduce those penalties until 7ast-.asting only raises the /D by 3 and doubles the +"P cost.
similar principle applies to $o Gestures .asting and +ilent .asting. The last 2ore
enables the character to @+tealth .ast@ at a total penalty of only M3 /D and doubled +"P
cost. 7or +lo(-.asting# it al(ays lo(ers the /D by 3 =it is the only casting option that
lo(ers the /D# the others raise it># but initially it triples the +"P cost. 6ne can learn a
2ore to get rid of this tripling# though.
The PT formula for most casting option 2ores is hea!ily influenced by ;ill (ith some
influence from Psyche.
6ne may also use a 7ocus to lo(er the /D. 7ocus is a magic item# an "nchanted obCect#
(hich lo(ers the /D of spellcasting attempts. 7ocus can apply to a single specific spell
or to all magic# but most 7oci apply to one .ategory# one /ealm# t(o or three /ealms or
t(o .ategories. 7oci come in fi!e grades# lo(ering the /D by 3# 2# 3# ' or * points.
standard 7ocus (ould be 2nd or 3rd grade and (ould apply to one .ategory. 7oci for t(o
/ealms# and e!en more so 7oci for a single /ealm# are li0ely to be of higher grade#
although *th grade 7oci are e&tremely rare.
#alents
.haracters can be born (ith Talents for particular types of magic# such as a specific /ealm
or a specific .ategory. 9n fact there are d!antages representing Talents (ith any one s0ill#
and (ith narro( and broad s0ill groups. Talent lo(ers the /D of s0ill rolls by 3# or
more for a %aCor or "&treme Talent# (hereas an 9ncompetence raises the /D by 3# or
more for a %aCor or "&treme 9ncompetence.
/egular s0ill Talents are not officially appro!ed of# though# meaning that they should get a
cost multiplier# because they are convenient.
The intent behind 77/" is that if one (ishes to create a character (ho is a good melee
fighter# or rather a character (ith the potential to become a good melee fighter# then one
should buy up De&terity# then further raise the .ombat De&terity sub-attribute. That (ay#
one gets (hat one (ants =higher aptitude for combat s0ills> but one also gets a lot of
secondary benefits# ones that one did not acti!ely (ish for# such as increased aptitude for
other De&terity-based s0ills.
Talent# on the other hand# (ould be a (ay to gain a boost only to a specified area of
endea!our# (ith no positi!e @spill o!er@ into other areas. That is unrealistic# and hence it is
recommended that Talents be allo(ed only at e&tra cost# li0e 2 or 3 of normal cost.
)o(e!er Talents for magic should be allo(ed at normal =not raised> cost# since other(ise
all mages (ould ha!e the same de!elopmental potential for all types of magic# because the
PT formula is the same for all /ealms. 9tAs much more fla!ourful if occasionally someone
is born (ith a Talent for 9llusion magic# or an 9ncompetence (ith "lemental magic.
Fu"bles
+pellcasting 7umbles can ha!e a (ide !ariety of unpleasant results. "&tensi!e tables are
being de!eloped. 6ne 7umble outcome is that the caster loses the ability to e!er cast spells
from the particular /ealm used# or e!en the (hole .ategory (hich the spellAs /ealm
belong(s to. This loss may be temporary =that could be the effect of 7umbling a lo(er le!el
spell> or permanent =if 7umbling a higher le!el spell>. "!en (ithout the ability to cast the
spells# though# the character may still teach the /ealm s0ill to others# and he may also
9n!est spells =see belo( under @"nchantment@>. 6ther conseBuences are e&treme physical
page 3- ? 3, of @77/" Basics@ - !:3:
e&haustion =+tamina loss># unconsciousness# ging =the accumulation of 6ldness Points -
each 6P results in an ging /oll> or loss of 2ife 7orce =see the @2ife 7orce@ section belo(>.
+ince 7umbles# or more specifically the fear of 7umbling =(hich is very CustifiedR> is the
primary @limiter@ of magic# the (ise mage pays close attention to the /D of his spellcasting
rolls. )e (ill freely cast spells (hen the /D is fa!ourable relati!e to his s0ill# but he (ill
cast more difficult spells only grudgingly# and the most difficult spells of all he (ill refuse
to cast# e&cept in dire emergencies.
/i)e Force
This is a strictly limited resource# and also a personal one. JouAre born (ith a certain
amount# and it is yours to use. There is no maCor reason to hold on to your 2ife 7orce#
other than not being sure ho( to optimally spend it =characters (ho (aste their 2ife 7orce
on silly proCects are ridiculed by other characters# and it is therefore common to (ait until
one is some(hat mature# before spending oneAs 2ife 7orce># and the fear of 2ife 7orce-
draining creatures such as +hades and ;raiths =(ho are common in some (orlds but rare
in others# but (ho tend to be encountered much more often by ad!enturing mages than
by sedentary @To(er %age@ types>.
characterAs 2ife 7orce is deri!ed from four attributesI .onstitution# ;ill# Psyche and
7aith. The a!erage person has 3.: Points of 2ife 7orce. spellcaster built on around 8:
GPs (ill tend to ha!e around *.: points of 27. more po(erful caster# built on 3:: GPs#
(ill ha!e around ,.* points of 27# and a 32: or 3': Goodie Pointer may start (ith as
much as 8.* points of 2ife 7orce.
2ife 7orce is 0ept trac0 of in :.3 increments. 9t might be slightly more con!enient for some
to Cust multiply all !alues by 3: to get rid of decimals# but not doing so maintains the
general 77/" scale# (here 3 is a!erage# and any(ay a characterAs 2ife 7orce changes only
!ery rarely so it really isnAt necessary.
There are many (ays for characters to choose to sacrifice their 2ife 7orce to render magic
permanent in some (ay.
6ne is to simply render a spell permanent# after it has been cast. That tends to cost :.3 27
per spell# regardless of the spell le!el# meaning that it is best applied to high-le!el spells.
nother is to create and enhance a 7amiliar. This is done by finding an animal and
befriending it. Then one or more 7amiliar 2e!els are spent?sacrificed# the first simply
ma0ing the animal into the characterAs 7amiliar =if the animal consents to this># and
further le!els enhancing !arious aspects of the animal# such as ma0ing it more intelligent#
enabling it to spea0# creating a sensory or telepathic lin0 bet(een the 7amiliar and the
character# or e!en turning a second =or third or fourth> animal of the same type into an
additional 7amiliar (ith identical special abilities. The first t(o le!els costs :.3 27 each#
the ne&t t(o le!els costs :.2 27 each# the ne&t t(o le!els costs :.3 27 each# and so forth.
There are t(o standard (ays to ma0e a 7amiliar# one is by using spells from the $ature
/ealm# the other is through a 2ore called Bind 7amiliar# (hich e&ists to enable mages to
bind 7amiliars e!en (ithout 0no(ing $ature magic.
third (ay to get a 7amiliar is through the use of some 0ind of personal Po(er. %ore on
that further do(n.
Enchant"ent
common and popular (ay to spend 2ife 7orce is through "nchanting obCects. 9t is a
Tas0# in many (ays similar to spellcasting e&cept that there is no +"P cost. 9t is not !ery
ris0y =the /Ds are Buite mild># as long as one doesnAt try for "nchantments of too high a
2e!el relati!e to oneAs "nchantment s0ill# and it does not ta0e a lot of time. The later bit is
because (here most other fantasy /PG systems use huge time costs as the @limiter@ on the
creation of permanent magic items# 77/" uses 2ife 7orce instead. /emo!ing the need to
use time as the @limiter@ also mo!es "nchantment into the realm of P.-feasible acti!ities#
(hereas in other systems magic items can only reasonably be made by $P.s.
/ Enchant"ent /evel RD Goal #i"e %ncre"ent
3 Tri!ial , 2 3 /ound
2 %inor - ' 3 %inute
3 %edium 8 8 , %inutes
' %aCor 1 3, 3 )our
* Grand 3: 32 ' )ours
, rtifact 33 ,' 2' )ours =total>
Before an item can be "nchanted# it must recei!e the @6pen@ "nchantment# (hich is 3st
le!el and costs :.3 2ife 7orce. 6nce this is done# the acti!e "nchantments are put into the
items. But before it can be used# one must @.lose@ the item# (hich is a second 3st le!el
"nchantment# also costing :.3 27. 6nce the item is closed# it can ne!er be 6pened again.
+ince each "nchanted item costs :.2 27 in addition to any acti!e "nchantments# there is
an incenti!e to put all the desired "nchantments into the same item# rather than
spreading them o!er a multitude of items# (ith one "nchantment in each. lso one must
consider carefully (hat to put into the item# since one cannot later go bac0 and put in
more "nchantments.
The most popular type of "nchantment# by far# is the 7ocus# (hich aids in spellcasting by
lo(ering the /D of spellcasting rolls. 7ocus can apply to any scope# from a single spell
and all the (ay to all of magic# but the most common 7oci apply to one /ealm# t(o or
three /ealms# one .ategory or t(o .ategories. 7ocus can be of a grade from first to
fifth# lo(ering the /D of spellcasting rolls by the grade. %ost 7oci are second or third
grade# although 7oci of more limited scope =especially single /ealm 7oci> of fourth grade
are also some(hat common.
9tems can also be created (hich lo(er the /D of other s0ill rolls# including the
"nchantment s0ill. This (ay# one can create +(ords of Perfect Balance# or Boots of
page 38 ? 3, of @77/" Basics@ - !:3:
+tealth. The "nchantment costs less 2ife 7orce if the item @pertains@ to the s0ill# for
instance a pair of Boots of +tealth are cheaper to ma0e than a /ing of +tealth.
9t is also possible to "nchant (eapons to cause more damage# either against e!eryone# or
against a large# small or tiny group of enemies# or e!en against a particular indi!idual.
9n both these cases# /D lo(ering and e&tra damage# the "nchantment is easier =the 2e!el
is lo(ered# or the 2ife 7orce cost is reduced# or both> if it applies to a thro(n (eapon than
if it applies to a melee (eapon or a missile launcher# and e!en easier if it applies to a
missile.
%issile launchers# thro(n (eapons and missiles can also ha!e their range impro!ed. gain
itAs easiest to "nchant a missile# greatly enhancing the range for little cost.
;eapons can also be made to fly to the controlling characterAs hand upon his command.
This normally has a !ery short range =32 meters# or , he&es># but the range can be
enhanced at a higher 27 cost.
There are many such "nchantments that can be put into items. The @"nchantments@
document contains them all# and also condensed rules for ho( they (or0.
%nvest"ents
9n!estments may be of special interest. They are a sub-class of "nchantments (hich
enables the item to cast a particular spell a number of times per time unit. By paying more
2ife 7orce# the item can get more charges# or the spell can get a longer Duration or a
longer /ange. "ach time an 9n!estment must be used# an cti!ation roll must be made
=other "nchantments (or0 automatically# reBuiring no roll>. This is usually 3d32 !s /D -#
but more 2ife 7orce can be paid to ma0e the item more reliable# raising the cti!ation roll
to 'd32# *d32 or e!en more. $ormally it ta0es 3 /ound to cti!ate an item# but this can
be speeded up to 3 +econd or 3?3: +econd# or slo(ed do(n to 3 %inute or , %inutes.
"ach 9n!estment consists of a number of 9n!estment 2e!els. The first 92 simply enables
the item to cast the spell# e.g. if the spell is of %inor =2nd> spell le!el then the item can cast
it t(ice per Day# but if it of %aCor ='th> spell le!el then the item can cast it t(ice per
%oon. 7urther 9n!estment 2e!els then add more charges# increase /ange# increase
/eliability and so forth. 9n!estments can also be gi!en @disad!antages@# costing negati!e
le!els but ma0ing the item less desirable in some (ay. 7inally# the number of 9n!estment
2e!els is multiplied by a factor depending on the le!el of the in!ested spell# and that is the
2ife 7orce cost of the 9n!estment. The le!el of the "nchantment also depends on the le!el
of the in!ested spell =but not on the number if 9n!estment le!els>.
+ome of the most popular 9n!estments are ones that enables the item to cast the @2ight 9@
.antrip si& or t(enty times per day =this is because if one has such an item# then one can
get a @reading light@ (ithout ha!ing to learn the 2ight /ealm - most mages incorrectly
percei!e the 2ight /ealm as being Buite useless# e!en though it contains some Buite
po(erful spells such as the %edium spell @7lash 9@ and the %aCor spell @2ight Bolt 9@># and
also on (eapons =particularly s(ords> one that enables the item to cast one of the spells
@7ire ;eapon 9@# @7rost ;eapon 9@ or @+par0 ;eapon 9@ t(o or si& times per day on itself#
ma0ing the item cause 3 e&tra damage per +uccess# fla!oured according to the element of
the spell =fire type damage# frost type damage# or electricity type damage>.
Special or obscure Enchant"ents
There are highly speciali5ed "nchantments too# such as the Battle 9tem "nchantment#
(hich can be used to re-create such legendary items as the 6riflamme or the r0 of the
.o!enant# items that enhance large armies of soldiers# by raising their %orale# gi!ing them
/esist 7ear bonuses# and other such benefits.
There are also rules for ho( craftsmen can ha!e an easier time "nchanting obCects that they
ha!e made themsel!es# because for certain "nchantments =mostly those affecting (eapons
and armours># in such a case# the 2e!el of the "nchantment is reduced by one. The 2ife
7orce cost remains the same# but the effect is that a craftsman can "nchant items e!en
though his "nchantment s0ill is not !ery high.
nother rules encourage the "nchanting of large items# such as a 3:-ton standing stone. 9t
is cheaper to "nchant a !ery large obCect. $o one says all magic items ha!e to be portable#
and stationary magic items are !ery appropriate for the fantasy genre ambience.
ll of the "nchantments# and rules pertaining to the subCect# are a!ailable in the
@"nchantments@ document# in summary form =and there is a lot more e&planatory te&t
no( than there used to be>.
Po-ers
These are bought as d!antages during character creation# (ith the cost depending on the
lowest of t(o or three attributes. Po(ers are di!ided into t(o types# Passi!e and cti!e
Po(ers. Passi!e Po(ers tend to be cheaper. cti!e Po(ers ha!e Po(er Points# (hich must
be spent to actually use the Po(ers# and are then regained slo(ly. The number of Po(er
Points for any gi!en Po(er is determined by the highest of the rele!ant attributes.
Po(ers are also di!died into .ategories# li0e <uasi-Psionics# Bio-7eedbac0# Psionics#
Di!ine Po(ers# $ature Po(ers# "lement Po(ers and /oyal Po(ers.
<uasi-Psionics are lo(-0ey passi!e abilities# not realistic but very common in fiction and
/PGs# especially Danger +ense and "mpathy. They are based on the attributes of
Perception and Psyche.
Bio-7eedbac0 Po(ers are "&citation# /ela&ation and "ndurance. They are Buite realistic#
for instance Vi0ing ber5er0ers ="&citation> and 9ndian faBuirs ="ndurance and /ela&ation>
e&hibit them# but in spite of this they are less commonly represented in fiction and /PGs
than <uasi-Psionics are. They are all cti!e Po(ers.
page 31 ? 3, of @77/" Basics@ - !:3:
Di!ine Po(ers are both cti!e and Passi!e. common Passi!e Po(er is +ense
)oly?un)oly. common cti!e one is Turn 4ndead. Po(ers of )ealing are also found
in this Po(er .ategory.
Po(ers all come (ith a rating# of (hich the minimum is 2. There is no such thing as
buying a Po(er (ith a rating of 3# either the rating is 5ero or is it 2-or-higher. 7or some
Po(ers# you simply roll a number of d32As eBual to the /ating# this is ho( Danger +ense#
"mpathy# +ense )oly?un)oly and Turn 4ndead (or0s. 6ther Po(ers include lists of
(hat each Po(er rating allo(s the character to do# for instance it reBuires a certain
minimum rating to be able to 7i& a %inor ;ound. But e!en in such cases# rolls are often
made# (ith the number of d32As determined by the rating of the Po(er.
Po(ers are al(ays bought at character creation# but for some Po(ers and?or in some
(orlds# a character may need to @unloc0@ his Po(ers by learning a @ladder@ of 2ores# one
2ore enabling him to utili5e each rating le!el# starting (ith rating 2. These 2ores
represents the characterAs ability to understand and control his Po(er. =9t may be fun to
also allo( a 2ore for rating 3# representing !ery fic0le control>.
s stated earlier# Po(ers may be a third (ay for a character to get a 7amiliar. $ature
Po(ers is one such option# allo(ing a Druid character to get a 7amiliar# e!en though he
has nothing to do (ith spellcasting. /oyal Po(ers is another# letting a 0ing get a strong#
loyal hound# or an enhanced mount. This costs 2ife 7orce as normal# but reBuires neither
spells from the nimal %agic /ealm nor the @Bind 7amiliar@ 2ore.
Po(ers can also allo( a sort of "nchantment# (ithout the character ha!ing to learn the
"nchant s0ill. This may be Bless 9tem for a Di!ine Po(er# or 9mbue 9tem for a /oyal
Po(er. The 2ife 7orce cost is as normal# e&cept that the character does not ha!e to pay for
6pen and .lose. To mitigate this# certain limitations should be in placeI character using
Di!ine Po(er to Bless an 9tem may Bless only one item per %oon. 6ne should note that
this still (ill tend to lead to the character Blessing many items (ith one effect each# (hich
is !ery different from ho( characters (ill use "nchantment. The 9mbue 9tem Po(er from
/oyal Po(ers may only be used by an item carried and used by the 0ing himself# for a long
period of time prior to the 9mbuing.
Co"bat
elee
.ombat consists of 6pposed /olls. The attac0er rolls for his attac0 s0ill# and the defender
may roll for his (eapon s0ill to parry# or for the Dodge s0ill or use a +hield. single
(eapon s0ill co!ers both attac0 and defence# and it is legal to speciali5e in Parry# but not to
generally attac0.
9f the attac0er gains more successes than the defender# he rolls a number of damage dice
eBual to the uncountered successes. s an e&ample# let us say that the attac0er rolls *+ and
the defender rolls 2+. 3+ remain uncountered# and the attac0er us using a broads(ord#
(hich has d3: as the damage dice. The attac0er then rolls 3d3: to determine ho( much
damage he does. 6uchRR
ll characters ha!e a To-Be-)it rating# abre!iated TB). The base TB) depends on
acharacterAs gross +i5e category =all )umans ha!e the same +i5e category - to get a different
base TB) you must be as small as a young child or as large as a Troll># modified by
7leetness =e&plained under @%obility@> and this can then be boosted by (ielding a shield.
$o s0ill is reBuired to get a TB) bonus from a shield# only to acti!ely use the shield to
parry (ith.
rmour has an V# rmour Value# and the V is multiplied by the number of successes#
and then subtracted from the damage total. 9n our e&ample# (e can assume that the
defender is (earing hea!y leather# (hich is V 2. )e thus gets to subtract 3+ =the
attac0erAs successes> 2 V O , hp of damage.
+o the attac0er may roll 3* for damage# from (hich (e subtract ,# and 1 hp of damage
goes through.
But thereAs more. %any (eapons ha!e some ability to pierce armour# P. 7or broads(ords#
this is 3 =P 3 is good# but not spectacular>.
The second uncountered attac0 success lets the attac0er subtract 3P from the defenderAs
armour. The third uncountered attac0 success lets the attac0er subtract a further 2P
from the defenderAs V. The fourth uncountered success lets him subtract a further 3P
from the defenderAs V# and so forth. This is pre-calcualted# and sho(n on the character
sheet in table form =up to -+ on the character sheet# but Game Tables contains a table that
goes higher# for use in those rare cases (here it is needed>.
9n this case# the attac0er got 3 uncountered successes# so he gets to subtract 3 from the
defenderAs V. 3 V remains# so the defender ta0es 3* - 3 O 32 hp of damage.
(ounds
character (ho loses hitpoint in combat may become ;ounded. 9f he ta0es damage
eBual to or e&ceeding his )ardiness attribute# in a single blo(# he has recei!ed a %inor
;ound. 9f the damage eBuals or e&ceeds t(ice his )ardiness# he has recei!ed a %aCor
;ound. Damage of three times )ardiness causes an 9ncapacitating ;ound# damage of
four times )ardiness is li0e(ise 9ncapacitating but also renders the character Dying +lo(ly
- he (ill die after a period of time eBual to his .onstitution , %inutes. Damage of fi!e
times )ardiness renders the character Dying /apidly# he has too little time left for
mundane medical aid to (or0# as he (ill die in .onstitution 3 /ound. Damage of si&
times )ardiness instantly 0ills the character.
;ounds cause a penalty to all physical /D rolls due to the degradation of the body
structure - muscles# tendons and bones are damaged# ma0ing it more difficult for the
character to mo!e properly. This is one general penalty to all physical rolls# rather than
page 2: ? 3, of @77/" Basics@ - !:3:
specific penalties depending on (hat body part the ;ound is in# as 77/" does not use hit
locations. This /D penalty to all physical rolls is called @impairment@.
9n addition to impairment# ;ounds also cause pain. ;hen a character is fighting# he is
assumed to be some(hat @adrenalinic@. )is bloodstream is thic0 (ith adrenaline and
endorphins# so he is unaffected by the pain. But once he lea!es the adrenalinic state# and
that usually happens (hen the fighting is o!er# he recei!es a pain /D penalty to all rolls
=not Cust physical rolls># (hich is cumulati!e (ith the impairment penalty. The pain-caused
penalty can be temporarily reduced or negated (ith a mundane or magical pain0iller# or by
a ;ill =/esist Pain> roll.
%inor ;ound causes M3 /D of impairment and M3 /D of pain. %aCor ;ound
causes M3 /D of impairment and M3 /D of pain. n 9ncapacitating ;ound causes M- /D
of impairment and M- /D of pain. ll ;ounds must be 0ept trac0 of# because each must
be dealt (ith separately =an application of the 7irst id s0ill# or one of the 7i& ;ound
spells# deals only (ith a single ;ound># but the default rule is that a character is only
penali5ed by his (orst ;ound# e.g. a character (ith t(o %inor ;ounds and one %aCor
;ound recei!es M3 /D from impairment and M3 /D from pain# not M* to each.
n optional rule ma0es ;ounds cumulati!e# ho(e!er. )ere# they are renamed to %inor#
%edium and %aCor ;ounds# and cause M3# M2 and M' impairment and pain. 9f this
optional rule is used# a character (ith t(o %inor ;ounds and one %aCor ;ound (ould
recei!e M' /D from impairment and M' /D from pain.
;ound also cause blood loss# meaning that the character loses one or more points from
the Blood stat per time unit. %inor ;ounds cause little bleeding and are easy to staunch
(ith the 7irst id s0ill. The 7irst id s0ill can also be used to alle!iate the impairment
from ;ounds. This does not ma0e the ;ound go a(ay# but temporarily remo!es or
lessens the impairment# e.g. for as long as the character (ears a splinter. 7irst id applied
to a ;ound also speeds up the healing process.
'itpoint loss
.haracters lose hitpoints from (eapons too# (hether they become ;ounded or not# and
this is 0ept trac0 of. )itpoint loss represents general battering# and a character (ho drops
belo( 5ero hitpoints gets penalties. 9f he drops lo( enough# he may e!en become Bleeding
and Dying# but one can ne!er Die 9nstantly Cust from hitpoint loss.
ThatAs ho( standard melee (eapons# those that cause @(ounding@ damage# (or0s.
4narmed attac0s and blunt (eapon attac0s (or0 differently. They are described under
4narmed .ombat belo(. Piercing attac0s# (hich usually mean arro(s and spears# also
cause damage in a different (ay# they are described under Piercing ttac0s# after /anged
.ombat.
=nar"ed Co"bat
7ists# feet and most blunt (eapons =clubs and sta!es# but not maces> instead cause +tun
damage. There is no hitpoint loss here# nor any ;ounds# instead if the rolled damage
e&ceeds a multiple of the characterAs +tun 7actor =a deri!ed stat># the character becomes
+tunned or e!en 0noc0ed out. 9f the rolled damage does not e&ceed 3+7# nothing
happens. This means that a character can stand and ta0e tiny fist blo(s all day long#
(ithout any ill effect.
4narmed attac0s# and light blunt (eapons# can of course be used to @coup de grace@
helpless opponents# and if the %artial rts rules are used# characters may learn +tunts that
transforms the damage done from +tun damage to ;ound Damage. =6ther +tunts allo(s
the character to stri0e more than once per /ound# or disarm the opponent# or cause more
damage# or get a bonus to the /efle& roll to determine initiati!e>.
Ran$ed Co"bat
ll ranged (eapons# (hether thro(n or missile (eapons# ha!e a /ange 9ncrement. ttac0
spells also ha!e /9s.
7or missile (eapons# there are four range categories. .lose range is e!erything (ithin 3 /9#
%edium range is e!erything bet(een 3 /9 and 2 /9# and shooting at a target at %edium
range causes a M3 /D penalty. 2ong range is e!erything bet(een 2 /9 and ' /9# and the
penalty is M2 /D. "&treme range is e!erything bet(een ' /9 and 8 /9# and the penalty is
M3 /D. This is also ho( attac0 spells (or0.
7or thro(n (eapons# there are only three range categories. +hort range is# again# up to 3
/9# and at no penalty. %edium range is bet(een 3 /9 and 2 /9# and gi!es a M3 /D penalty.
But 2ong range is bet(een 2 /9 and 3 /9 and causes a M3 /D penalty.
nother (ay of putting it is to say that there is no 2ong range for thro(n (eapon# but that
they s0ip o!er it =and thus o!er the M2 /D penalty> and go directly from %edium range =M3
/D> to "&treme range =M3 /D>.
This last is the method used on the spreadsheet-generated character sheet =at least ne(er
!ersions - older output may loo0 different># (here all the range categories are pre-
calculated.
Piercin$ Da"a$e
piercing attac0# (hich usually means an arro( or a spear =thro(n or used as a melee
(eapon> or a 0nife attac0 =stab># (or0s slightly differently. Jou roll for damage as usual#
but the target doesnNt lose as many hitpoints as the rolled !alue. /ather the rolled !alue is
used only to figure if the target is ;ounded.
rro(s and 0ni!es cause only 3 hp of damage# and spears cause 2 hp of damage. This
means that a character can go through a hail of arro(s# !irtually unscathed# as long as
none of them hit !ital spots =i.e. inflict ;ounds upon him>.
page 23 ? 3, of @77/" Basics@ - !:3:
%nitiative
9nitiati!e is rolled only in the first /ound# although characters (ho enter combat later roll
at the time (hen they enter combat. 9t is a /efle&es =Body> roll =although sufficiently
magical combat may (arrant a /efle&es =%ind> roll instead> and depending on the
outcome Buality# the character may be allo(ed to act freely in the first /ound# or he may
be limited in his options for one or t(o /ounds if he rolls badly enough. Those characters
(ho may act do so in order of roll Buality# i.e. if one rolls 3+# one rolls 3+ and one rolls f-
3# they go in order of 3+# 3+ and f-3.
The ability to stri0e first is useful# especially if the opponent rolls so badly for 9nitiati!e
that he gets an /D penalty on his defence roll or e!en becomes incapable of defending#
but after the first /ound initiati!e is not really important# this is (hy initiati!e is not
rolled for at the beginning of every /ound# it (ould add e&tremely little to the game# (hile
costing a lot of time. +ome (eapons are inherently faster =both length# (eight and type
influences this# e.g. a long# light thrusting (eapon is much faster than a hea!y# short#
s(ung (eapon> or slo(er than the norm# thus gi!ing a modifier to 9nitiati!e rolls.
Durability and Auality (eapons
ll (eapons ha!e a Durability rating. 9n theory# all non-(eapon obCects also ha!e a
Durability rating# but this is not !ery formali5ed. ;hen a 7umble occurs# in combat# the
character (ho 7umbled may be instructed by the .ombat 7umble Table to ma0e a
Durability chec0 for his (eapon# to see if his clumsy usage of it causes it to become
damage# or e!en brea0 apart =usually such a brea0age is repairable>.
This opens up for one (ay in (hich (eapons can be of abo!e-standard Buality. ;eapons
made of better alloys# or by craftsmen of abo!e-a!erage s0ill# or both# ha!e a higher
Durability# (hereas (eapons made of inferior alloys# or by inferior craftsmen# or both#
ha!e a Durability lo(er than the norm.
nother (ay for (eapons to be of high Buality is if it has an /D bonus. This is Buite
po(erful# but a W3 /D bonus is not a game-brea0er. +uch (eapons are ob!ious candidates
for "nchantment# though =all (eapons (ith Buality bonuses are# but ones (ith /D
bonuses most of all>.
third (ay is a damage bonus# for instance normally a broads(ord does d3: damage per
+uccess. But if it (as made by a brilliant smith# it might do d3:M3 damage per success.
/anged (eapons can ha!e an /D bonus# Cust as melee (eapons# but they can also ha!e an
impro!ed /ange 9ncrement. 9f both the missile launcher and the missile used ha!e an
impro!ed /ange 9ncrement# then the impro!ement stac0 =multiply them>. 9ncreased
Durability is not too useful for ranged (eapons# but one should assume that ones of !ery
high Buality do ha!e at least a minimal Durability bonus relati!e to normal (eapons.
ove"ent
7leetness is a deri!ed statistic. 9t is not an d!antage# because it can not be modified
directly (ith d!antage points. The base !alue is deri!ed from the ratio bet(een the
characterAs 2eg +trength and the characterAs +i5e. Various other traits then raise or lo(er
7leetness# for instance if the characterAs rm +trength eBuals 2+i5e# 3 is subtracted from
7leetness because the huge bul0 of arm and torso musculature (eighs do(n the character.
9f a character has 77Ds# 3 is subtracted from 7leetness. 6!er(eight and 4nder(eight also
affect 7leetness. "ncumbrance from carrying eBuipment# (earing armour# (ielding a
shield# or (ielding a hea!y (eapon# also lo(ers 7leetness.
9n a nod to the .elts# fighting (hile nude gi!es a M3 7leetness bonus =nudity means no
clothing# or nearly so# and no armour - but a shield does not in!alidate the nudity bonus>.
9n earlier !ersions of 77/"# fighting in bare feet also ga!e a M3 7leetness bonus#
cumulati!e (ith any nudity bonus# but that rule has been dropped.
The a!erage 7leetness !alue for a male )uman is :# (hereas for female )umans =because
of the 77Ds> the a!erage is -3. Positi!e 7leetness gi!es bonuses to a lot of things# including
increased mo!ement speed# slo(er +tamina e&penditure# and a bonus to 9nitiati!e.
$egati!e 7leetness has the opposite effect. Values close to 5ero ha!e small effects# !alues
farther a(ay from 5ero ha!e larger effects.
=9t should be mentioned that a change is being planned# of altering the a!erage 7leetness
to become 3# so as to ma0e it correspond better to the standard 77/" scale - this (ill be
achie!ed simply by adding 3 to all old 7leetness !alues. 9t has not been implemented yet#
though>.
+0ills are also di!ided into three categoriesI Those that are not influenced by gility =or
minimally influenced# such as gility ha!ing 3?- influence> - these are most of the s0ills in
77/"# those that are lightly influenced by gility# and those that are hea!ily influenced by
gility. /olls for @ra(@ gility falls under this last category
s soon as a characterAs 7leetness !alue is a couple of points abo!e or belo( 5ero# the
character starts to recei!e a bonus or a penalty to gility-)ea!y s0ills. s his 7leetness
becomes more e&treme# the bonus or penalty to gility-)ea!y s0ills goes up# and he also
starts getting a bonus or penalty to gility-%edium s0ills.
Thin0 of 7leetness as a sort of "ffecti!e gility. 6ther /PG systems (ould tend to simply
gi!e a character a temporary penalty to his gility attribute if he (as hea!ily encumbered#
or something li0e that# but 77/" does it this (ay instead# so that a characterAs gility ne!er
changes.
lso important is Pace. This is a basic stat# deri!ed from a characterAs gility and from a
characterAs 2eg 2ength# a sub-attribute of +i5e =and thereby# by definition# eBual to the
characterAs +i5e unless something (as done during character creation to change it>. The
a!erage Pace# deri!ed from gility 3 and +i5e =2eg 2ength> 3# is '# meaning that the
page 22 ? 3, of @77/" Basics@ - !:3:
character can mo!e ' )e&es per =, +econd> /ound# if mo!ing at a ;al0 speed. =3 he& is 2
meters>.
ThereAs a large range of mo!ement speeds a!ailable. 6riginally there (ere only +lo( ;al0#
;al0# 7ast ;al0# Dog# /un# +print and %ad Dash. But later it (as deemed necessary to
include t(o more mo!ement speeds# DogM and /unM# because it is often the case that a
character is fit enough to mo!e for Buite some time at a /un speed# e.g.# but if he opts to
+print then he (ill fatigue !ery Buic0ly. The problem (ith this is that it is fairly common
for a character to ha!e +tamina sufficient to mo!e for a prolonged period of time at a /un
speed# so to differentiate these very fit characters from those (ho are merely fit# the /unM
speed (as in!ented. DogM (as in!ented for similar reasons.
"ach mo!ement speed has a multiplier to Pace# e.g. if a character is mo!ing at a ;al0
speed then he mo!es 3Pace he&es per /ound# if he mo!es at Dog speed# he mo!es
3.-Pace# if he mo!es at /un speed he mo!es 2.*Pace# if he mo!es at %ad Dash speed
then he mo!es at 'Pace. lso associated (ith each mo!ement speed is a 7atigue
9ncrement# this is ho( much time it ta0es you to burn one 7atigue 9ncrement. 7or
;al0ing# it is 3 )our# for Dogging it is , %inutes# for /unning it is 3 %inute and for
Dashing %adly it is 3 +econd. The !alue of one 7atigue 9ncrement depends on your
7leetness. character (ith ordinary 7leetness =:# or close to :> has a 7atigue 9ncrement of
3: points of +tamina# (hereas a character (ith a high 7leetness =* or ,> may ha!e a
7atigue 9ncrement of , points of +tamina. This means that if both these characters first
;al0 for 3 )our and then Dogs for 38 %inutes# one (ill ha!e burns ': points of +tamina
and the other (ill ha!e burnt 2' points of +tamina - both ' 7atigue 9ncrements.
=$ote to self# the abo!e 7leetness and 79 !alues are pure guesses# !erify e!entually>
This ser!es to let fit characters mo!e for long periods of time# thereby approaching real
(orld possibilities such as the running of multiple marathons =i.e. t(o or three times '2.2
0m in one day> - ama5ing as it sounds there are actually a fe( people ali!e (ho can do this.
;al0ing 7ast is not at all efficient compared to Dogging. Jou get only 3.'Pace instead of
3.-Pace# yet you burn 7atigue t(ice as fast =79 of 3 %inutes instead of , %inutes>. +o (hy
(ould anybody ;al0 7astL 6ne reason is that (al0ing is a stable# bounce-free mode of
locomotion. This means that many acti!ities are possible (hile you ;al0 =e!en if you
;al0 7ast># but as soon as you s(itch to Dogging# they get penali5ed or become completely
impossible - this includes mo!ing on slippery surfaces# or (al0ing bac0(ards on an
imperfect surface =on a perfect surface# it should be perfectly safe to Jog+ bac0(ards>. lso#
mo!ing at a Dog speed =or faster> is noticeable. 6n a side(al0# youAll attract more attention
if you Dog than if you ;al0 7ast.
7or o!erland mo!ement# any type of Terrain is gi!en both a Terrain Difficulty and a
Terrain Type. 6ther /PG systems may dictate that there are three types of 7orestI 6pen
7orest# $ormal 7orest and Dense 7orest.
77/" instead says that the Terrain Type is 7orest# but lea!es the G% free to choose any
Terrain Difficulty from DT 3 to DT 8. $aturally# 7orest canAt be DT 3 or DT 2# and e!en
the (ildest Cungle canAt be DT 8# but it is preferable to lea!e such things up to the G%#
rather than to dictate it through rules.
DT3 is Very Good terrain# li0e a /oman /oad =this is pretty much the only terrain type
that Bualifies as DT3 in a medie!al setting>. 9t is not functionally different from DT2#
Good Terrain# e&cept for !ery bad (eather conditions# in (hich DT2 =(hich could be a
road> becomes temporarily more difficult (hereas DT3 stays DT3.
DT3 is normal - but still easy - terrain. path# or a bad road# or a plain# or maybe a !ery
open forest on flat land.
DT' and * are +lightly 9mpeding and 9mpeding terrain.
4p until this stage# the only effect of DT has been a mo!ement speed multiplier and a
7atigue 9ncrement multiplier =e.g. on DT3 and DT2# you burn 3 79 only e!ery -* %inutes
if you ;al0# rather than the usual e!ery ,: %inutes>.
But for DT,# DT- and DT8# your mo!ement speed depends on your s0ill (ith the terrain
type in Buestion# e.g. TerrainI ;oods# TerrainI Desert or TerrainI %ountains. This is to
differentiate characters# into those (ho are some(hat @at home@ in the general terrain
type# and those (ho are not. The higher your s0ill is# the less the terrain impedes you.
There is also a special rule for characters (ho lac0 s0ill in the particular terrain type# they
are regarded as ha!ing a terrain s0ill le!el of :.*.
+o any map dra(n for use in an 77/" campaign should include DT designators for all
maCor terrain features# e.g. any forest should be gi!en a DT rating# or se!eral different ones
for different parts of the forest. Very tall and difficult mountains can usually safely be
classified as DT8. ;here other systems (ould Cust classify them as completely @impassable@#
the 77/" rules lets characters progress through DT8 terrain at a very slo( speed =the
higher the DT is# the more li0ely the mo!ement speed is to represent an a!erage speed#
seen o!er time# but (hich actually brea0s do(n into periods of standstill and periods of
relati!ely rapid progress># sufficiently slo( that it is !ery (orth(hile to see0 out passes and
suchli0e.
ThereAs a rule for ho( a character may assist others# effecti!ely @lending@ them his s0ill if
they lac0 it. This can be used for Terrain s0ills =that (as the intent># but also for the
.limbing s0ill. This (onAt let a /anger-type character led a party of city slic0ers through
the (ilderness as fast as he (ould be able to mo!e if he (as alone# but on the other hand
his presence (ill let them mo!e faster than they could if they (ere (ithout him.
page 23 ? 3, of @77/" Basics@ - !:3:
Sta"ina Recovery
The rules for reco!ering +tamina are Buite comple&# but this is necessary because there is
no other (ay =at least the designer can not see one> for ma0ing a realistic system (hen
+tamina must al(ays be lost in a deterministic =totally non-random> fashion.
character has a daily allotment of +tamina /eco!eries. "ach such utili5ed /eco!ery lets
him regain a +tamina 4nit =not the same as a 7atigue 9ncrement># (hich is 3?1 of his ma&
+tamina =this number (as chosen because it is a neat fraction of 3,# the amount of
+tamina had by an a!erage )uman - playtesting may re!eal that it is easier to us a +tamina
4nit of ma&?3:>.
The llotment is 2 rests of 3 )our# 2 rests of , %inutes# 2 rests of 3 %inute# a total of 8
)ours of sleep =sleep does not need to be consecuti!e# but if it is# ma&imum benefit is
deri!ed> and 3 %eals each lasting 3: %inutes. 7or tactical reasons# characters should
utili5e their longer rest periods first# if possible# so that they ha!e the shorter periods in
reser!e.
This may sound metagamey# but itAs the best that can be produced.
$ote that in most situations# there is no need to 0eep trac0 of +tamina. lso# the higher
+tamina a character has# the fe(er there (ill be of such situations. 6f particular interest is
the character (ith the lo(est +tamina in the party - he sets the limits for ho( the party can
tra!el.
Physical Disco")ort +PD, and etabolic Disruption +D,
People may confuse these t(o concepts# initually. But try not to# they are Buite different in
terms of importance.
Physical Discomfort is a (ay of abstracting distracting unpleasantries. 9nstead of ha!ing
one rule for sleep depri!ation# another for thirst# a third for hunger# a fourth for fatigue
and a fifth for insect bites# all of these Cust gi!e PD. PD adds up# and as it e&ceeds certrain
treshold !alues# the character begins to recie!e /D penalties to all his rolls. This is in part
due to a desire for realism# and in part to encourage players to ha!e their characters behave
in a realistic fashion - ma0e the characters try to not s0ip meals# try to get enough sleep#
and so forth.
%etabolic Disruption is the scary bit. %any of the things (hich gi!e PD also gi!e %D. But
accumulating %D is much (orse. 9t causes temporary =but hard-to-reco!er-from> loss of
attribute ratings# reduces the speed at (hich a character regains +tamina# reduces the
ma&imum +tamina capacity# reduces the characterAs /esistance to(ards Diseases =.on
=/es. Disease>># and se!eral other important things.
)itting %D is a recipe for disaster# so characters should try !ery hard to a!oid it.
7ortunately# %D does not accumulate easily# it reBuires either !ery ad!erse circumstances#
or else determined effort on behalf of the characters.
Perception
77/" has Perception ratings for all normal )uman senses# and ideally any character (ho
has a non-standard +ense should also ha!e a Perception rating for that. But for the sa0e of
simplicity# senses such as )earing and Vision normally only ha!e one rating# e.g. a
character capable of both normal-spectrum !ision and infrared !ision has only one
Perception =Vision> rating# rather than one Perception rating for normal spectrum =also
called @!isible light@ - the (a!elengths from red to purple> !ision and one for infrared
!ision.
7or Vision# )earing and Touch# each character has a capability code line# (hich indicates
(hich spectra he can percie!e. 7or Vision# the line potentially loo0s li0e thisI yxuVir#
but since )umans can only see @Visible@ 2ight# then for them the line loo0s li0e thisI
---V--
y stands for the ability to see gamma-rays
x stands for the ability to see &-rays
u stands for the ability to see ultra!iolet light
V stands# naturally# for the ability to see !isible light
i stands for the ability to see infrared light
r stands for the ability to see radio (a!es
7or hearing# the bloc0 for )umans loo0s li0e thisI -H--.
i stands for the ability to hear infrasound =elephants appear to ha!e this ability>
' stands for the ability to hear @hearable@ sounds =freBuencies of 2: )5 to 2: 0)5>.
u stands for the ability to hear ultrasound
U stands for the ability to hear high ultrasound =very high freBuencies. 77/" arbitrarily
defines this as freBuencies abo!e 3:: 0)5# but it may turn out that thereAs good reason to
set the limit at another point# li0e 8: 0)5 or 32: 0)5 - if so# the G% should Cust do that>
7or the sense of Touch# the bloc0 for )umans loo0s li0e thisI PrTePa.
Pr stands for the ability to feel pressure
Te stands for the ability to feel temperature differences
Pa stands for the ability to feel pain
9t may seem absurdly elaborate to ha!e this amount of detail# since all )umans (ill loo0
the same =--V---# -H-- and PrTePa># but the reason is that not all the characters (ill
be )umans. "!en if none of the players opts for playing dolphins# lpha .entaurians or
intelligent dogs# the G% may !ery (ell need to ha!e such e&otic creatures as $P.s# and
therefore the system should accommodate them.
fourth bloc0 is not officially supported# but still e&ists as an option. 9t deals (ith detailed
colour perception. The designerAs preference is to abstract out colour perception to a single
rating# e.g. Cust say that someone suffering from red?green colour blindness =the most
page 2' ? 3, of @77/" Basics@ - !:3:
common form# the one (hich laypeople belie!e canAt occur in (omen> has a -3 /D penalty
to .olour Vision rolls# instead of the more comple& =but also more correct> definition
(hich is that he is unable to distinguish bet(een red and green - they loo0 the same to
him. But for those (ho (ant the e&tra detail# thereAs a colour spectrum bloc0 too#
although room (ill ha!e to be made on the character sheetI ROYGIBV# standing for /ed#
6range# Jello(# Green# 9ndigo# Blue and Violet.
part from the complication of this# (hich the designer deems unnecessary# there is also
the problem of ho( to actually handle a character (hose colour perception bloc0 says# e.g.#
-OY-IBV. %a0ing him unable to see red# and unable to see green# (ould be (rong =this
is ho( it (or0s for the three officially supported bloc0s - e.g. -H-- means that you are
unable to percei!e infrasonics and all ultrasonics>. /ather he can percei!e them both# but
cannot discern bet(een them. Perhaps the best solution# for those fe( (ho (ant this le!el
of detail# is to use numbers instead of -As# e.g. 1OY1IBV to signify that for this character#
the colours designated 3 loo0s the same. This is useful if a character has two colour pairs
that he canAt discern# e.g. =to in!ent a condition that probably does not e&ist in the real
(orld> 1221IBV - a character (ho can percie!e red and green# but canAt tell them apart#
and (ho can also percie!e orange and yello( but canAt tell them apart# but (ho is perfectly
capable of discerning bet(een the t(o pairs of red?green and orange?yello(.
gain# this is an option# and# in the designerAs opinion# using it does not enhance the
game at all.
Perception Rolls
+ome characters ha!e a +ensory cuity modifier# rated as -3# -2# -3# -'# M3# M2# M3 and so
forth =a modifier less than -' means @no sense@# as in Blind or Deaf>. This translates into an
/D modifier# starting at M3 /D for a -3 acuity modifier# and -3 /D for a M3 acuity
modifier# and then for each le!el of acuity modifier# the /D bonus or penalty doubles.
=)umans canAt ha!e acuity modifiers higher than M2 - higher !alues are reser!ed for
animals# and for magically# genetically and technologically modified )umans>.
This /D modifier is then (ritten ne&t to the Perception score for each sense# e.g. a
character might ha!e Perception '# +ensory 7ocus M3 )earing# +ensory 7ocus -3 Vision#
+ensory cuity M3 )earing and +ensory cuity M3 Taste =not +mell>. )is Perception rolls
(ould then loo0 li0e thisI
Vision 3
)earing *M3 =remember# M3 means that you lower the /D by 3>
Taste 'M3
+mell '
Touch '
The /D modifier# if any# is then applied to all /Ds for Perception rolls. This is much more
po(erful than it seems. 9magine a Dog# (ith )earing $M8. 9t doesnAt matter (hat its
Perception its# it is !irtually guaranteed to hear all sounds because of its sharp sense of
hearing. That is as it should be. 2i0e(ise a percepti!e person (ho is nearly blind. )eAll pic0
up only the star0est =!ery high /D> !isual stimuli. The roll mechanicAs use of /Ds that are
orthogonal to the rolled-for trait means that e&tremely star0 and e&tremely (ea0 stimuli
are shifted strongly to(ards auto-success and auto-failure.
/Ds are based on stimuli magnitude =e.g. the loudness of a sound> and then modified for
distance. Perception rolls belong to a special class of rolls# called @safe rolls@# because there
are no consequences for 7umbling. Jou roll only to find out if a person notices something#
not discerning bet(een f-3 and 7-,# nor bet(een +uccess degrees - 3+ is as good as 3*+R
Because altering /Ds can shift sounds from o!er to under the @percie!ability@ barrier# or
from under to o!er it# attenti!eness does not affect /Ds# rather it is simulated by applying
a multiplier or di!isor to a characterAs Perception rating. 7or instance# if a character (ants
to pay special attention on one +ense# then for the purpose of that +ense# his rating is
temporarily increased by a percentage# (hile the rating for his other +enses are temporarily
reduced by another percentage.
$o rules e&ist# as of this moment# for subliminal perception# that is for stimuli (hich are
so faint as to be impossible to notice consciously for the character# but (hich ne!ertheless
affect the character on the unconscious le!el.
Attitude Rolls
;hen characters first meet# an ttitude /oll is made if an $P. is in!ol!ed =if t(o $P.s
meet# both ma0e an ttitude /oll>. The rules do not reBuire P.s to ma0e ttitude rolls#
but P.s should beha!e appropriately (hen meeting beautiful# charming or se&y $P.s for
the first time.
The base number of dice is the .harisma of the character. To this# any applicable 7irst-
9mpression-%odifier !alue is added =e.g. if the first encounter is a phone con!ersation# a
pheromone-based 79% does not apply>. 6ther modifiers may apply depending on the
situation.
There are three types of situations in (hich ttitudes are formed. Those that are highly
se&ually charged# those that are some(hat se&ually charged# and those that are not se&ually
charged at all. n encounter can ha!e one degree of charge from one point of !ie(# and a
different degree of charge from another point of !ie(.
situation is not se&ually charged if the character forming the ttitude is not se&ually
oriented to(ards the character he or she forms the ttitude to(ards. s an e&ample t(o
(omen meet. 6ne (oman is heterose&ual# so for her the situation is not se&ually charged.
9t ma0es no difference to her if the other (oman has a se&y =or decidedly non-se&y> body#
and the ppearance of the other (oman ma0es little difference =unless she is e&tremely
beautiful or e&tremely ugly# the difference rounds to a M: modifier>.
page 2* ? 3, of @77/" Basics@ - !:3:
)o(e!er the other (oman may be bise&ual or homose&ual# instead of heterose&ual. 9f so#
for her the situation is either some(hat se&ually charged or highly se&ually charged. ;hich
one it is depends on the circumstances. 7or instance if it is a business meeting# the
tendency (ould be to(ards some(hat se&ually charged# (hereas if it (as an encounter at a
bar# it (ould tend to(ards highly se&ually charged. .haracters themsel!es can also attempt
to @shift@ the charge by their beha!iour# for instance some characters may try to transform
a some(hat se&ually charged situation into a highly se&ually charged situation.
+tereotypically# men do this more often than (omen. .haracters may also try to @lo(er the
charge@. +tereotypically# it is (omen (ho are most li0ely to do this.
9t is impossible to transform a situation from se&ually charged to not se&ually charged.
+imilarly# no matter ho( hard the bise&ual or homose&ual (oman from the e&ample tries#
she canAt transform the encounter situation into a se&ually charged one# from the other
(omanAs point of !ie(# e!en one that is only some(hat charged# because the other (omen
simply is no more se&ually attracted to(ards her than she is to(ards an office chair.
.haracters may also resist attempts by other characters to alter the se&ual charge of the
situation. Generally this is handled (ithout dice# by the G% or the player ta0ing into
account the personality# bac0ground and goals of the $P. or P.. %ost often# such
changes are resisted =pretty much eBually (ell by both se&es# contrary to stereotypes># but
once in a (hile such a transformation attempt is accepted by the other character =@9
thought this (as going to be a business meeting# but... +ure# 9Ad li0e a glass of (ine@>.
bonus from the +e& ppeal ad!antage =or a penalty from the negati!e +e& ppeal
disad!antage> applies only to highly se&ually charged situations.
character (ith ppearance that is not 3 gets a bonus or penalty. This bonus tends to be
!ery small for situations that are not se&ually charged# meaning that e&cept for characters
(ho are e&tremely ugly# or e&tremely attracti!e# the modifier rounds to 5ero. The bonus is
higher in some(hat se&ually charged situations# so it does not round to 5ero for characters
(ho are significantly belo( or abo!e a!erage. 9n highly se&ually charged situations# the
bonus applies strongly.
Appearance hi$h se!ual char$e lo- se!ual char$e no se!ual char$e APP
-3 -' -2 -3 -3
: -3 M3 -3 :
3 -2 -3 M: 3
2 -3 M: M: 2
3 M: M: M: 3
' M3 M: M: '
* M2 M3 M: *
, M3 M3 M3 ,
- M' M2 M3 -
8 M* M2 M3 8
1 M, M3 M2 1
3: M- M3 M2 3:
33 M8 M' M2 33
The /D of the ttitude roll depends on the situation# on the conduct of the other
character# and on any preCudices held by the character. Keep in mind that /Ds are !itally
important in 77/" - e!en a !ery charming and handsome character canAt consistently get
good ttitudes if he beha!es in !ery inappropriate (ays# so as to raise the /D. 2i0e(ise# an
ugly or lo(-charisma person isnAt automagically scre(ed# if he approaches people in a
thoughtful and polite manner.
The more successful the roll is# the more the character li0es the other character. 9f the roll
7umbles# the character may become !erbally hostile# or e!en physically hostile for se!ere
7umblesR
Da&&lin$
This is a special ability (hich !ery attracti!e characters ha!e. 7or all characters# a Da55le
+um is calculated# and if this e&ceeds certain thresholds# the character can Da55le# %ega-
Da55le# Giga-Da55le or e!en 4ltra-Da55le. There has probably ne!er been a person# in the
entire uni!erse throughout all of time# (ho (as sufficiently attracti!e to be able to 4ltra-
Da55le# but that does not Custify not ha!ing rules for itR
The Da55le sum is found by adding up .harisma# the highest ppearance bonus =the one
for @high se&ual charge@# eBual to P-3> and any applicable 79% =this means that characters
(ith 79%s may be able to Da55le in some situations# and unable to do so in other
situations> and twice the +e& ppeal bonus. s an e&ample# a character (ith .harisma *#
no applicable 79%s# ppearance - and 3 le!el of +e& ppeal (ould ha!e a Da55le sum of
*M:M'M2O33.
+ometimes a particular character may find a negati!e 79% adorable# for instance a lisp# in
(hich case it does not apply e!en though it normally (ould =e.g. the lisping character is
spea0ing># or the character may e!en ha!e a fetisch for the 79%# rendering it positi!e. This
is e&ceedingly rare# though# as one should 0eep in mind that 79%s represent serious
de!iances from normality. lisp has to be !ery se!ere before it (arrants a 79%.
Da55ling only (or0s to(ards others (ho are se&ually oriented to(ards the character# e.g. a
Da55le-capable male can Da55le homose&ual males# heterose&ual females and bise&uals of
both se&es.
9t is also possible to e&ecute a 7ocused Da55le against one particular person. This
represents a medium grade flirt# it is neither o!ert nor particularly subtle. This raises the
characterAs Da55le sum by 3*E to(ards that person# but reduces it by 3:E to(ards others
=an o!ert 7ocused Da55le should recei!e a modifier higher than M3*E# (hereas a subtle
7ocused Da55le should recei!e a modifier lo(er than M3*E# ob!iously>.
9f the Da55le sum is bet(een 8 and 33# the character can Da55le.
page 2, ? 3, of @77/" Basics@ - !:3:
9f the Da55le sum is bet(een 32 and 3'# the character can %ega-Da55le.
9f the Da55le sum is bet(een 3* and 2:# the character can Giga-Da55le.
9f the Da55le sum is 23 or higher# the character can 4ltra-Da55le.
+tatistical analysis of the distributions of .harisma# ppearance# 79% and +e& ppeal
among female )umans suggests that 3 in -::: are capable of Da55ling generally =more
females can Da55le if they 7ocus># 3 in * million can %ega-Da55le# 3 in 2-.8 billion
=2.-83:
3:
> can Giga-Da55le and one in 33: billion billions =3.33:
2:
> can 4ltra-Da55le.
The analysis has not yet been performed for male )umans# but since high ppearance is
rarer# and positi!e +e& ppeal is much rarer# males (ho can Da55le are rarer than females
(ho can.
There are no rules for (hat happens (hen a character is Da55led. 9t should be roleplayed
as a general state of confusion# distraction and fascination. Gi!en that Da55le-capable
female )umans are rare# and Da55le-capable male )umans e!en rarer# the effect should be
Buite po(erful.
;e see attracti!e people all the time on tele!ision# and in mo!ies# but there are (holly
different norms for beauty in real-life !ersus tele!ision !ersus mo!ies. 9n real life# the
a!erage ppearance is something li0e 2.8 for male )umans and 3.2 for female humans#
but in tele!ision the a!erage is higher# and in mo!ies it is much higher =easily as much as
an a!erage of - for female )umans and an a!erage of *.* for male )umans - chec0 out
some of the biggest male mo!ie stars some day... many (ill turn out to ha!e surprisingly
symmetrical faces>. 6ne might assume that this pre!alence of media beauty renders us
immune# or at least resistant# to @lo(er@ le!els of ppearance# but the fact is that e!en if
one has Cust seen a bloc0buster mo!ie (ith an ppearance - =or 8R> leading lady# meeting
an ppearance , (oman on the streets (ill be a po(erful e&perience - because oneAs
instincti!e e&pecations are based on those (omen that one has actually physically met.
The Da55ling rules# and indeed the more general ttitude /oll rules# are intended for use
in real-life encounters (here t(o-(ay communication is effortless and not bothered by any
degree of lag =e!en the minimal lag bet(een "arth surface and 2una ="arthAs %oon>># and
(ith high-resolution !isuals. 9f any of these factors are altered =or e!en remo!edR># the rules
(ill ha!e to be modified. This can usually be done on an ad hoc basis# although if the
campaign features a particular type of communication a lot# such as te&t chat or email# the
G% should (or0 out ne( rules beforehand.
Gender vs Se!
77/" di!ides characters into t(o se&es and four genders =at least for )umans and other
)umanoids - this di!ision ob!iously (ill not (or0 for all species>. 6ne se& is %ale# (hich
is di!ided into the genders of %an and Boy# and the other se& is 7emale# (hich is di!ided
into the genders of ;oman and Girl.
The purpose of this is to a!oid debates about (hether young characters are inable to
seduce or not. $on-pedophilic characters =(ho donAt ha!e the se&ual ad!antage> are
oriented solely to(ards %en# ;omen or both# and can not be seduced by Girls or Boys.
7or female )umans ="l!es# D(ar!es# lpha .entaurians and so forth# may differ># the
definition is one of age and presence of 77Ds. !ery young (oman is classified as a Girl#
if she lac0s 77Ds. ;hen she gains them# and heterose&ual men - and homose&ual (omen
and bise&uals - (ill react to her as if she is a ;oman# regardless of her actual age. 9f she
reaches a certain age (ithout gaining 77Ds =!ery late teens> she (ill face social
conseBuences - other people e&pect her to ha!e 77Ds# but she donAt# so she is freaky. 6n
the other hand# a Girl (ithout 77Ds faces no social conseBuences# because it is not
expected of her to ha!e 77Ds. The onset of puberty# in (omen# depends a lot on diet
Buality# both in terms of regularity =getting three meals a day# absence of famines> and
Buality =mostly protein content# although lac0 of !itamins and minerals may also play a
role>. 9t is also hypotheti5ed that pollution (ith chemicals that resemble female se&
hormones are responsible for some girls entering puberty !ery earl# today. 9n a modern day
campaign# assume puberty starting bet(een the age of 32 and 33 in most girls# and lasting
3 or 2 years. ;hen itAs o!er# sheAs a ;oman. 7or medie!al campaigns# it occurs later.
+ome(hat later among nobles and free =.eltic?+a&on?Vi0ing> farmers# later again amount
peasants# and latest of all in urban populations. )istorically# females desperate to a!oid
arranged marriages ha!e star!ed themsel!es to pre!ent the onset of puberty and?or the
gaining of 77Ds. 9t (or0ed =pro!ided the female in Buestion had a sufficient combination
of desperation and discpline> but may ha!e caused irre!ersible damage.
7or male )umans# the criteria are not as ob!ious. )eight# !oice# musculature# all matters.
ssume it occurs bet(een the age of 32 and 3*# and ta0es one or t(o years. +ome people
may bal0 at the idea of a 33 year old @%an@ capable of seducing a (oman# but if he has the
height# musculature# !oice# and appearance of maturity# then she (ill be unable to tell
(hether heAs 33 or 3* or 3-. !ery fe( may e!en be able to pass as older than that.
Character Advance"ent
9tAs important for e!eryone to understand that character ad!ancement is almost purely an
intragame e!ent. lmost all other /PG systems ha!e character ad!ancement depend on
metagame factors# often to the point (here characters canAt ad!ance by doing things that
(ould cause ad!ancement in our (orld# such as going to schoolR
S0ills
9n 77/"# if you (or0 at a Cob# any 0ind of Cob# or do anything =design /PG rules systems#
or debate on 4senet in your o(n language or a foreign one> else# you accumulate
"&perience Points# albeit very slo(ly# to(ards raising specific s0ills.
Deciding to dedicate yourself to impro!ement# for a period of time# means that the
training rules 0ic0s in. ThereAs a (hole page of these# for training or studying under a
teacher# (here many factors are totalled up# to produce a final Buality of the teaching
process =measured in Teaching "fficiency Points - T"Ps>. This !alue then translates into a
page 2- ? 3, of @77/" Basics@ - !:3:
certain amount of +Ps per )our. )o( long the character spends in school depends on the
game (orld and on his priorities =he might ha!e to choose# e!entually# bet(een paying for
food or paying for tuition>.
+ome factors influencing the final T"P !alue are the s0ills of the teacher =both his
Teaching s0ill - or his Training s0ill instead if itAs a physical s0ill - and his s0ill in the
subCect being taught# e.g. Physics or +eduction or +portI +occer or 2anguageI 9talian># the
number of students !ersus the teacherAs .ommand s0ill =the ability to super!ise a large
number of people># the ptitude span in the class =itAs less efficient if the class spans the
(hole range from retards to geniuses># the resources spent and the discipline of the
students =e.g. primary school pupils !s military academy students>.
/ules for self-training# and for learning from boo0s# (ill also be needed# but they ha!e not
been created yet. They (ill probably loo0 some(hat similar to the Teaching rules.
ll the abo!e is 3::E pure intragame.
But there are some added rules. Technically they are optional# but 9All be using them# and
(ill ad!ise other G%s to also use them. They boil do(n to @heroic gro(th@. ;hen any
character# P. or $P.# engages in a difficult conflict =relati!e to the characterAs specific
pro(ess - or his general pro(ess for a grander# more strategic conflict># he earns s0ill
e&perience points# to(ards ad!ancement in the s0ills he used during the conflict# in
proportions determined by ho( much he used each s0ill.
This is a good idea for se!eral reasons. 7irst of all# if the characters =please notice ho( 9
donAt tal0 about the players - because they donAt exist (ithin the game (orld# and thus they
are not of rele!ance> are engaged in freBuent conflicts =(hich most P.s (ill be> and they
often find those conflicts to be challenging# they (ill feel a desire to ta0e brea0s from the
conflictual lifestyle and train# either under a teacher or by themsel!es.
@)eroic gro(th@ (ill reduce that pressure# so that boring training periods become less
freBuent.
lso note that the G% can tailor the rate of @heroic gro(th@ for his (orld. 9Ad prefer a
some(hat lo( rate# so that P.s and $P.s earn only relati!ely fe( e&perience points for
engaging in conflicts. This is because a too rapid @heroic gro(th@ (ill feel unrealistic.
Based on the abo!e# one (ould classify the concept of @heroic gro(th@ as an 3::E
intragame phenomenon.
But @heroic gro(th@ is (here the G% can gi!e e&perience point bonuses and penalties# for
players (ho e&hibit particularly good or bad roleplaying. 9 define good roleplaying as
ha!ing the character beha!e in an inefficient fashion due to his personality - it is the
opposite of al(ays ma0ing the decision of ma&imal efficiency. Bad roleplaying is (hen a
player has his character do things (hich may threaten the (illing suspension of disbelief of
the other participants# such as utili5ing out-of-character 0no(ledge# or ha!ing his character
beha!e in a manner contrary to pre!iously established personality# (ithout a good reason.
9f @heroic gro(th@ is not used# then characters only earn e&perience points for (or0 and
training# and this means that thereAs no(here to include bonus or penalty points for
e&ceptionally good or bad roleplaying. lso 9 fa!our the roleplaying bonus or penalty to be
a lump sum of e&perience points# rather than a percentage bonus or penalty to the
@o!ercoming conflict@ points# because there may be some sessions (here the P.s engage in
!ery fe( conflicts# and thus if they earn a minimal @conflict@ bonus# then a *E or 3:E
roleplaying bonus of this minimal @conflict@ bonus (ill be microscopical indeed.
nother thing one can do# (hich 9Ad (ant to try out# is to include a @player attended the
session@ bonus to the heroic gro(th. This is to re(ard players (ho actually sho( up. 6ne
can go further and gi!e an e&tra bonus (hen a player has attended * or 3* sessions in a
ro(. problem (ith this approach is that it# unli0e the abo!e things# treats P.s differently
from $P.s. That is unfortunate# but necessary.
6ne reason for gi!ing an @attendance@ bonus is that some players donAt ta0e the campaign
too seriously. 9Ad be inclined to Cust thro( such players out of the campaign# if they canAt
gi!e good reasons for their non-attendance =9 much prefer to G% for people (ho ta0e
their roleplaying seriously and gi!e it a high priority>. But the other reason is that there
(ill be some sessions in (hich the P.s donAt really engage in any conflicts# or at best a
couple of minor ones. $ormally# that (ould mean that the only character ad!ancement
(ould be the @roleplaying bonus@. n @attendance bonus@ mitigates this situation
some(hat.
Ran0
.haracters (ho are members of hierarchical organi5ations# such as religious orders =The
Druids# The KnightAs Templars# The +ecular .atholic .lergy# The ssassinAs Gild> must
purchase /an0 (ith /an0 Points. During character creation# /an0 Points translate from
Per0 Points on a 3I3 basis. The reason they e&ist as a distinct type of points is that once the
campaign begins# Per0 Points are no longer 0ept trac0 of# but /an0 Points =and also 7ame
Points and Popularity Points - defined further do(n> are.
"ach hierarchical organi5ation has some !alues. 9t prefers some 0inds of members to
others. This may be e&plicit# out in the open# tal0ed about# or it may be implicit# not
tal0ed about but possibly =although not al(ays> still understood on some le!el - at least by
senior members. 4sually this has to do (ith attribute !alues.
n organi5ation is said to prefer certain attributes# to some degree. 7or instance# a Thie!esA
Gild (ould greatly =999> prefer 9ntelligence# (ould prefer =99> De&terity# gility# ;ill and
Perception# and (ould slightly =9> prefer +trength and .harisma. 6ther attributes are
unimportant.
9t is !ery rare for organi5ations to disli0e high !alues in any attributes. ".g. only a fe(
organi5ations (ould actually not (ant highly intelligent characters to ad!ance - if a smart
page 28 ? 3, of @77/" Basics@ - !:3:
character has a hard time ad!ancing# in a real life organi5ation# it is almost al(ays because
he utilizes his high 9ntelligence in a fashion that feels threatening to the more senior
members# not at all because he is highly intelligent. +uch a situation (ould be simulated by
his threatening actions?beha!iours causing him to lose /an0 Points.
6ther factors may also be preferred# or e!en disli0ed. +ome organi5ations are open to only
one se&# (hile others may allo( in both se&es but prefer one of them for ad!ancement
purposes. +tatus can also matter# for instance a high-+tatus character is li0elier to ad!ance
to a high ran0 in the .hurch than a lo(-+tatus character# e!erything else being eBual =and
note that e!erything is not al(ays eBual>.
$o(# each character has a Personal d!ancement "ase +um. 7or the a!erage character#
this is Cust M:.
7or each preferred attribute that is a !alue other than 3# subtract 3 from it# then if the
attribute is slightly preferred# Cust use the result as is. 9f the attribute is preferred# then
double the !alue# or if the attribute is greatly preferred# multiply it by four.
6ther factors ha!e# for each organi5ation# a defined modifier# for instance being female
might gi!e a M2 to P"+# being bise&ual might gi!e a M3 to P"+# and so forth.
dd up all these P"+ !alues# one for each rele!ant attribute =the !alue may be 5ero or
negati!e># and also those caused by other factors.
$o(# in the Price 2ist there is a table that translates the P"+ into a /an0 Point cost per
/an0 4nit. 7or a !ery lo( P"+# far belo( 5ero# the cost per /an0 4nit may be as high as
22 /Ps. 7or a !ery high P"+# the cost per /an0 4nit may be as lo( as 3 /P. 7or a P"+
!alue close to 5ero# the cost per /an0 4nit is about 3: /Ps.
This is because the @collecti!e consciousness@ of the organi5ation @(ants@ some members to
ad!ance and (ants others to not ad!ance =these later people canAt be 0ept from ad!ancing#
but at least the collecti!e consciousness does not @propel them for(ard@>. %embers (ith
high !alues in preferred attributes are seen as attracti!e and useful to ha!e in positions of
leadership. lso popular members# (hich is (hy .harisma should almost al(ays be a
preferred attribute. 6rgani5ations in (hich high .harisma doesnAt boost your P"+# at
least slightly# should be !ery rare.
ll organi5ations ha!e a /an0 table. modern military has a Buite comple& /an0 table#
but it (ill do as an e&ample. The first /an0 Tier is for Pri!ates# that is from /ecruits to
Pri!ate 7irst .lasses. "ach le!el of /an0 in the first Tier costs 3 /an0 4nit.
Then comes the second /an0 tier# the $.6s# from .orporals to the most senior
+ergeants. "ach le!el of /an0 in the second Tier costs 2 /an0 4nits.
Third tier are the 6fficers# from 2nd 2ieutenants to .olonels. "ach le!el of /an0 in the
third Tier costs 3 /an0 4nits.
The fourth tier are the Generals# from Brigadier Generals to Generals ='-starred> and
possibly %arshals =* stars>. "ach le!el of /an0 in the fourth Tier costs ' /an0 4nits.
The /oman .atholic .hurch has as the first Tier %inor 6rders and then Deacon =the
first )oly 6rder># then as second Tier comes Priest up to the ran0 Cust belo( bishop.
Third Tier is from Bishop and up to .ardinal. 7ourth Tier has only one ran0I Pope.
6ften hierarchies ha!e more actual /an0s than there are formal ran0s. 4sually this is
done by di!iding a formal ran0 into a @Cunior S/an0T@# a @S/an0T@ and a @senior Sran0T@. This
is to smooth out ad!ancement.
.haracters earn /an0 Points by doing things for the hierarchy# in public. The @in public@
part is important. 9t a member of the ssassinAs Gild secretly 0ills the leader of the Thie!esA
Gild# and does not tell any senior ssassins about his deed# then he earns no /an0 Points
for it. 9tAs about public deeds. This e!en allo(s characters to cheat# claiming credit for
things done by others. That is# after all# perfectly realistic.
.haracters may earn ran0 simply by dedicated ser!ice# at a lo( rate# or e!en at a much
lo(er rate simply for being a member =@accumulating seniority@># but the best (ay to earn
ran0 points fast is by going out and doing missions. This can be traditional ad!enturing#
or something more diplomatic or scholarly.
Various /an0 le!els grants social po(ers# such as the right to bapti5e or e&communicate# or
some 0ind of income of monies or food. They do not need to be paid for during character
creation =(ith Per0 Points># and they are automagically gained (hen the character reaches
that ran0.
There are a bunch of Per0s in the Price 2ist# such as @9nitiated Priest@ and the li0e. These
are intended for use in campaigns (here the )ierarchy system is not used.
Reputations@Fa"e
6utside of roleplaying gaming# a primary moti!ation for ad!enturing is to gain fame#
ideally eternal fame. 9n fact that (as the main goal of the Vi0ings. )ot chic0s =preferably
9rish># rich lands to farm# and lots of sil!er# all that (as a lot of fun# but the main goal (as
to gain a name that (ould li!e on after oneAs death# in songs and stories.
Jet in roleplaying gaming campaigns# fame tends to be binary. character is either famous
or heAs not. 4sually he starts out (ithout fame# and then he earns the status of @7amous@.
nd then (hatL ;here does he go from thereL ;hatAs there to stri!e forL )eAs done.
Therefore 77/" trac0s /eputations on a scale. character may ha!e many /eputations.
"ach has an "&tent# defining the area it co!ers# and a %agnitude# defining ho( strong it is#
page 21 ? 3, of @77/" Basics@ - !:3:
and a @fla!our@# indicating (hat the character hs famous for =a character may be famous for
se!eral things# thus ha!ing se!eral /eputations>.
This is (here the no(-famous character can go# this is (hat he can stri!e forI 7ame
co!ering a greater area# and 7ame of a greater magnitude. +lain a TrollL 60ay# then the
ne&t step (ould be to slay fi!e Trolls. Then t(enty. Then a Dragon.
7ame Points =7Ps - not to be confused (ith /an0 Points?/Ps> are earned for public deeds -
and can of course also be @stolen@# if a character manages to steal the credit for a deed
performed by another. character may also ha!e se!eral identities# in such a case
/eputations are ob!iously 0ept trac0 of separately.
The Price 2ist contains a table sho(ing multipliers for "&tent and %agnitude. Great 7ame
costs many 7Ps# and 7ame co!ering a large area also costs many 7Ps. 9f you (ant both# itAll
be really e&pensi!eR
$ote that all /eputations must ha!e a @fla!our@. character is ne!er Cust 7amous. )eAs
always 7amous for something =but that something can be @is a celebrity@# that (ould be !ery
appropriate in a modern setting# (here most famous people are famous solely because they
are famous# to the e&tent that their original remar0able deed is completely forgotten by
11.11E of the population. But also note that this particular fla!our of 7ame has a !ery
short half-life# compared to other more solid types of 7ame - such characters# (ithout
remar0able abilities# must constantly compete (ith each other for attention from the
gossip media# in order to stay 7amous>.
Popularity
This (or0s rather a lot li0e /eputation# but is more e&pensi!e to raise. The ans(er to
$iccolo %achia!elliAs Buestion is that it is better to be lo!ed than to be feared# but that it is
bloody difficult to get people to lo!e you.
Popularities can also be negati!e# ma0ing you generally disli0ed# or e!en hated. Good (ays
of doing this is to rape little children# or point out# on 4senet# that the most popular
roleplaying gaming practices are stupid.
gain# itAs about public deeds. .haracters can also frame each other# that is set up
situations so that it loo0s as if somebody else has done something !ery bad =or good>. 9f it
succeeds# the !ictim loses =or gains> Popularity.
Stren$th, Sta"ina and >ver-ei$ht@=nder-ei$ht +and etabolis",
These should mostly change automatically as a character undergoes a lifestyle change#
handled by the G% on an ad hoc basis# although the player is al(ays allo(ed to complain#
if he feels that change is occuring too fast or too slo(# or is not occuring (hen it should# if
is occuring (hen it should not.
9magine a sedentary# scholarly (i5ard. )e has gained a fe( pounds# and does not ha!e
much (ind. But as he (or0s (ith hea!y boo0s a lot# his rm +trength is reasonable. )e
sits a lot# though. $o(# he begins ad!enturing# (hether from his o(n free (ill or because
circumstances force him to it. 9f the ad!enturing is at all e&erting# he (ill gradually
impro!e# although slo(ly - often !ery slo(ly# in terms of loosing e&cess fat =going from
6!er(eight to .hubby in the course of , %oons or so - faster if there is little food# then
from .hubby to $ormal in a couple of %oons# and then maybe e!en from $ormal to
Thin in another couple of %oons># and impro!ing his 2eg +trength and his +tamina.
Try to thin0 in terms of pressure. This is probably not biophysically sound# but it (ill do
for roleplaying gaming purposesI The body de!elops (hen it is pressuri5ed into it. ;hen a
character pushes himself to the limit se!eral times# (ithin a short time frame# the body
@reali5es@ that it needs to @build up@ a bit. 9ncrease the number of muscle fibers# increase
the number of capilaries =tiny blood !essels># and so forth.
There are t(o types of pressure. 6ne is intense pressure. Jou only ha!e to lift a hea!y
(eight se!eral times on a fe( occasions# before you build up muscle tissue. The other is
less pressure. 9f you start (or0ing harder# e!en (ithout going to e&tremes# your body (ill
build up# but more slo(ly. 9f the (i5ard from abo!e too0 up staff fighting# and trained '
hours a day initially# then , hours a day after a moon or so# and finally 8 hours a day# heAd
de!elop physically much faster than 9A!e outlined in the abo!e scenario.
%ost of the time# the G% can Cust eyeball it.
9f more @precision@ is desired# there are some useful tric0s.
%uscle tissue can be accounted for in 0ilograms. rm muscle tissue =also includes chest
and shoulder muscles> (eigh =rm +trength rm +trength>?2 0ilograms. Based on this#
the G% can simply decide that the character gains a ertain amout of muscle tissue per
(ee0 of @buildup acti!ity@# and then (hen the character reaches a muscle mass eBui!alent
to the ne&t higher le!el of rm +trength# he has gained it. 2eg muscle tissue li0e(ise
eBuals =2eg +trength 2eg +trength>?2 0ilograms =this lea!es out abdominal musculature -
unfortunate# but unli0ely to cause serious harm># and can be trained the same (ay# on a
(eight basis. The t(o )umans se&es do not de!elop muscle tissue (ith the same ease.
simplified - and probably not !ery correct =although it (ill do for game purposes> - rule is
to say that (omen build up rm muscle half as fast as men# and 2eg muscle -*E as fast as
men.
+tamina is deri!ed from the .onstitution =7itness> sub-attribute# (hich is accounted for in
:.* increments during character creation. 7or character de!elopment purposes# ho(e!er# it
may be useful to increase =and decrease> it in :.3 increments# so as to reflect gradual
de!elopment =or degredation>. There are probably no differences bet(een the )uman
se&es in terms of ho( dificult it is to de!elop a higher +tamina - it is easy for both se&es.
The reason male and female athletes are segregated is due to 77Ds =e&tra encumbrance>#
and to differences in hip structure =this is abstracted into 77Ds in 77/"# (hich is a
page 3: ? 3, of @77/" Basics@ - !:3:
simplification as (omen lac0ing 77Ds still ha!e a hip structure geared to(ards child birth#
as opposed to high @male-type@ mobility># and for some sports also differences in rm
+trength.
6!er(eight?4nder(eight can - and this is hopefully ob!ious - simply be accounted in
0ilograms of e&cess fat =this can be negati!e# of course># especially if %etabolism is ta0en
into account. /emember that 3 0ilogram of e&cess fat eBuals 32 "nergy 4nits of s0ipped
food. +o if one is not a stic0ler for accuracy# one can simply account for (eight loss =or
gain> in terms of energy usage !s energy inta0e.
T(o factors must be ta0en into account# thoughI 9f the body does not get enough food# it
(ill s(itch to a reduced metabolism after a (hile. The character feels less energetic# tires
more easily and so forth. This complicates energy input?burn calculations some(hat# but
can be ignored in almost all campaigns.
The other issue is that of female characters. 77Ds are# it must be emphasi5ed# mostly
located on the hips and posterior# but breasts easily account for a Buarter of a 0ilogram#
and more for a large-busted (oman. There is also a layer of fat beneath the s0in =men ha!e
such a layer too# but itAs much thinner> (hich ser!es to gi!e the (oman a feminine loo0.
This means that (eight loss for female )umans can be problematic# in terms of (here the
fat is lost from. But again# this causes problems only in e&treme cases# and can thus be
ignored for game purposes. 9n most cases# if a (oman manages to go from 6!er(eight =2
le!els of o!er(eight> to Thin =3 le!el of under(eight> and in the process her breasts are
reduced by one full @cup si5e@# then in the eyes of almost e!eryone# her attracti!eness is
improved.
(oman actually losing her 77Ds (ould be a rare occurence =outside of prolonged and
se!ere star!ation situations - remember that an a!erage medie!al (oman has 77Ds (orth
'8 "nergy 4nits# and an a!erage modern (oman has 77Ds (orth ,: "4s># although it
does seem to the designer as if some top female athletes ha!e lost most of their
subcutaneous fat# thereby gaining a masculini5ed appearance =chiefly female runners>. 7or
most (omen# loss of 77Ds should probably ne!er occur before they ha!e become Thin
=most athletes are Thin - not +0inny>. t the latest# 77Ds should disappear after the
character has @achie!ed@ a state of normal =not +e!ere> nore&icness.
2osing +e& ppeal is more li0ely# but still not a gi!en. 9t bears repeating that +e& ppeal
has to do mostly (ith the (aist-to-hip ratio# and a (oman losing (eight is more li0ely to
impo!e in that regard than she is to @deterioate@.
Death by star!ation occurs# at the latest# (hen the character needs to loose more "&cess
7at# due to an imbalance bet(een energy usage and food inta0e# but is at a state of
@+e!erely nore&ic@ and has lost 77Ds =if female>. 9f it occurs before# it is because of disease
=a star!ing character is !ulnerable# as simulated by the %etabolic Disruption rules# as
described earlier> or lac0 of proteins or micronutrients =!itamins and minerals - this is also
%etabolic Disruption>.
%etabolism should be temporarily modified e!ery time the character undergoes a
temporary lifestyle change# and be permanently modified e!ery time a character undergoes
a permanent lifestyle change# or if his rm +trength# 2eg +trength# .on =7it> or "&cess 7at
changes significantly. 9t is possible to 0eep trac0 of %etabolism in :.3 increments# but it is
not recommended# it is Buite unli0ely to be (orth the trouble.
Gender transitions
This is only really rele!ant in longer campaigns =on the other hand# 77/" lends itself !ery
(ell to such campaigns>. Dust eyeball it. ;hen the time is right# pro!ided the character has
eaten sufficient food# it happens. The boy become a man# or the girl becomes a (oman.
"&treme and prolonged physical stress =such as ad!enturing> may delay the transition# but
can !ery rarely pre!ent it or derail the process. Diseases may also delay it.
>ther )actors
9t is important to 0eep in mind that characters e!ol!e naturally in 77/". 6ther systems#
such as G4/P+# (or0 something li0e thisI The P.s do a mission# maybe they catch a
maCor !illain after a couple of sessions. They get some re(ard .haracter Points =.Ps> for
this. $ormally these (ould go to(ards ad!ancing the s0ills used during those sessions# but
the G% decides that the P.s ha!e befriended the local chief of police# so they get him as a
.ontact# but paid for out of their bonus .Ps.
That means that their s0ills ad!ance less than they other(ise (ould ha!e.
$ot so in 77/". Points are a(arded separately. 9f t(o characters both engage in the same
conflict# they both gain the same amount of @heroic gro(th@ bonus points# assuming the
conflict matched their stature =@heroic gro(th@ should be reduced drastically for characters
engaging in conflicts that are too easy>. 9f one then also befriended a police chief# then he
also gets that man as a functional .ontact# in addition to the s0ill ad!ancement - he does
not lose s0ill ad!ancement for this.
The reason is that it is natural and realistic for him to gain the police chief as a .ontact. =9t
doesnAt matter if the $P. is (ritten do(n on the character sheet as a .ontact or not - the
G% 0no(s that the police chief is some(hat inclined to help that P. in the future>.
9f a character sells do(n his .ash# during character creation# then he gets compensation
only for his starting situation# (hich is temporary. )e is not under any sort of @curse of
po!erty@ (hich ma0es it more difficult for him to hold on to money than it is for other
characters. nd so it is (ith all Per0s.
Species Pac0a$es
This is a collection of attribute cost modifiers# ad!antage?disad!antage cost modifiers#
actual ad!antages and actual disad!antages (hich# if ta0en together (ith no modifications#
get a cost discount# (ith the discount being greater the more @traits@ there is in the species
pac0age.
page 33 ? 3, of @77/" Basics@ - !:3:
s an e&ample# let us e&amine the current !ersion of the D(arf species pac0age# (hich 9
use in my Urth campaignsetting =other settings may use different pac0age# although 9 li0e
to thin0 that 9 ha!e built a pac0age that manages to simulate the archetypical semi-modern
fantasy D(arf># trait by trait. These costs for each trait are tentati!e !alues# as that part of
the system is not finished yet.
significant part of (hat ma0es up a species is the (ay its attribute a!erages differ from
those of )umans. To achie!e this# in a point-based system# (ithout being hea!y-handed
about it =particularly ta0ing into account the coarsegrainedness of the 77/" scale># the
costs of buying up and selling do(n attributes are modified.
7or D(ar!es# gility costs more. secondary effect of this is that you get more
compensatory points if you @sell do(n@ gility. .onstitution gets a @flat@ M3 bonus to the
final !alue# (hich can also be described as a modified cost table. )ardiness is slightly less
e&pensi!e than in )umans# and ;ill is cheaper too.
D-ar) 4 3 2 1 7 9 : ;
gility -3, -' : * 2: '* 8: 32*
.onstitution -2- -32 -3 : ' 3, 3, ,'
)ardiness -28 -- : 8 32 -2
m&
-
;ill -8 -2 : 3 32 2- '8 -*
'u"an 4 3 2 1 7 9 : ;
gility -32 -3 : ' 3, 3, ,' 3::
.onstitution -32 -3 : ' 3, 3, ,' 3::
)ardiness -32 -8 : 1 3,
m&
- -
;ill -32 -3 : ' 3, 3, ,' 3::
The costs of the other 8 attributes# including +i5e# are the same as for )umans.
s is hopefully e!ident# the modified cost schemes (ill induce# in players creating
D(ar!en P.s =and in G%s creating D(ar!en $P.s># a slight tendency to(ards selling
do(n gility# and to(ards buying up .onstitution# )ardiness and ;ill# compared to
(hen creating )umans.
9t may seem strange to some# but in reality the a!erage D(arf and the a!erage male
)uman (eighs the same. 9tAs Cust that the D(arf is shorter# and thus has more mass per
centimeter of height =he has a higher Body %ass 9nde&# or B%9>.
Tentati!e# ra( !alues of these attribute-cost modifying d!antages areI
odi)ier Cost
gility cost raised -2 DP =for the used cost scheme>
.onstitution Bonus , DP =!ery tentati!e !alue>
)ardiness cost lo(ered 8 DP =!ery tentati!e !alue>
;ill cost lo(ered , DP =for the proposed cost scheme>

Total so far is 38 DP.
9n addition to these# there are other cost-modifying traits# and also some regular
ad!antages.
D(ar!es get a M:.* bonus to the final !alue of the .onstitution =7itness> +ub-ttribute.
.ombined (ith the M3 bonus to the final !alue of base .onstitution# this means that the
a!erage D(arf has more than 3.3 times as much +tamina as the a!erage )uman ='.*
3
!s
3
3
>. 9n fact the a!erage (ill be slightly higher# because D(ar!es also ha!e a slightly higher
a!erage ;ill# and high ;ill gi!es a bonus to +tamina. The M:.* bonus to 7itness might
cost :.* DP.
D(ar!es also get a flat -3 penalty to their final 7leetness !alue# and a flat -3 penalty to the
+i5e =2eg 2ength> attribute. D(ar!es arenAt fleet-footed and tend to(ards ha!ing short legs.
The first trait might cost -3 DP# the second one -:.* DP.
They also get a flat M3 bonus to 9ntelligence =%nemonic># (hich might cost 3 DP# and a M3
to )eat Tolerance and a M3 to .old Tolerance# each of (hich might cost :.* DPs.
Then they ha!e the "&panded %nemonic )ori5on ad!antage =)umans may also buy this
ad!antage normally>. 7or normal humans# memories begin to fade after , %oons# and are
almost gone after 3 Jears. But for those (ith this ad!antage# memories are retained (ith
good clarity for 3 Jears# then they begin to fade# and they are almost gone after 3* Jears.
This costs 3 DPs.
D(ar!es ha!e 9nfrared Vision. This might cost * DPs.
The ma&imum ppearance is lo(ered. The a!erage D(arf is not the slightest bit uglier
than the a!erage )uman# itAs Cust that they donAt e!er produce any super models. !ery
hesitant guess is that the final !alue of this trait# lo(ering the ma&imum ppearance by 3#
(ould be -, DPs.
D(ar!es are also born (ith a Talent for the (hole .ategory of "lemental magic# i.e. the
/ealms of ir# Dar0ness# "arth# 7ire# 7rost# 2ight and ;ater. ;hen they try to cast spells
from these /ealms# the /D is 3 lo(er. .ombined (ith the cheaper ;ill# this means that
D(ar!en mages are common# and D(ar!en elementalists are particularly common.
ccording to the rules that are current as of this moment =late %ay 2::'># such a Talent it
(ould cost 2: DPs# but that cost is really geared for character creation# (here a player
(ould only ta0e such a broad Talent if he intended to ma0e use of it# and an appropriate
cost for a species might be 8# 3: or 32 DPs.
D(arf 7emales do not need 7eminine 7at Deposits. +ince it is not normal for a D(arf
female to ha!e 77Ds# one (ho has them (ould be regarded as freaky.
page 32 ? 3, of @77/" Basics@ - !:3:
D(ar!es are 9ncompetent (ith the Dumping s0ill. The current cost for creating a character
(ho is 9ncompetent (ith Dumping (ould be : DPs# but again the cost for a species should
differ. Perhaps an appropriate cost (ould be -:.* DP or -3 DP. lso D(ar!es should ha!e
an 9ncompetence (ith the crobatics s0ill# perhaps e!en a %aCor one =not sure yet>.
ll in all# the sum of the !alues of the d!antages in the D(ar!en species pac0age might
be something li0e 33 DPs.
further detail in the species creation system is that the more traits a species pac0age
contains =including traits (ith a cost of 5ero># the greater the DP cost of the species
pac0age is reduced. %ore traits mean that the cost is reduced by a greater and greater
percentage. This ser!es to shift the cost closer to 5ero# (hether the cost (as a high positi!e
!alue or a high negati!e !alue.
The purpose of this is to encourage players to accept playing @genetically normal@
specimens. 9f this rule (as not in place# then players could Cust peruse species pac0ages#
and say @;ell# 9 0inda li0e the D(ar!en pac0age# but 9 (ant to play a (impy mage# so 9Ad
li0e to play one of those !ery fe( D(ar!es (ho happens to be born (ithout the gene that
raises the a!erage .onstitution and the a!erage )ardiness. That should lo(er the species
pac0age cost# rightL@
Wrong# in the case of 77/". Players are =almost completely> free to choose to play realistic
mutants# e.g. D(ar!es lac0ing the Talent (ith "lemental %agic# or D(ar!es lac0ing the
gene that ma0es ;ill cheaper. But as soon as a player de!iates from the species pac0age
mandated by the setting# he loses the cost discount for @number of traits@. +ince this cost
discount is often Buite big# ':E# *:E# ,:E or in some cases higher# itAs often not (orth
it# and the player decides that he might as (ell play a genetically normal D(arf after all.
The D(ar!en species pac0age# described abo!e# contains 3- traits in all# so it (ould be
discounted by something =this is also a tentati!e !alue> li0e ,-E# reducing the cost from
33 DPs to 33 DPs.
#he =ber"ensch Factor +=F,
The species creation system is not safe to gi!e to players so that they can create their o(n
species. 4nli0e the 77/" character creation system# there is huge potential for abuse. 6nly
mature players and mature G%s should create their o(n species.
"!en then# the designer has deemed it prudent to include a little bit of @chec0s and
balances@ in 77/". "ach trait# in the species pac0age# (hich alters the cost of an attribute#
or gi!es a @flat@ bonus or penalty to the final attribute !alue# also has a modifier to the
4bermensch 7actor =4%7>. 7or instance# if a species has slightly cheaper ppearance than
)umans# then that might count as M3 4%7. 9f the species has slightly cheaper De&terity# it
might count as M3 4%7# or M, 4%7 if De&terity is t(o steps cheaper.
The 4%7 total then con!erts into a cost in DPs (hich is added to the cost of the species
pac0age# but after the discount for @number of traits@. The 4%7 rule ser!es to encourage
the creation of species (ho are generally balanced# in the sense that if one attribute is
made cheaper# then another ought to be made more e&pensi!e.
4sually 4%7 does not cost many DPs# but for a species (ith great genetic potential it can
cost a do5en DPs.
The D(ar!en species pac0age# abo!e# is fairly balanced in terms of 4%7. 9t may cost a
further 3 or 2 DPs# though# for a total cost of 32 or 33 DPs to play a D(arf# and get all the
direct benefit d!antages# and also get to purchase attributes and sub-attributes according
to the D(ar!en @price list@.
Appendi!es
S0ill Cost calculations
This section of 77/" is e&pected to ha!e such an intimidating effect on potential players
that it (as decided to cut it out from the regular te&t# and place it in an appendi&.
33 or the 32 ttributes may affect s0ill learning speeds. "ach has a one-letter acronym.
S +trength
D De&terity
A gility
Z +i5e
O .onstitution
W ;ill
I 9ntelligence
P Perception
Y Psyche
F 7aith
H .harisma
=)ardiness does not affect the learning speed of any s0ills. 9ts acronym is HA>
"ach s0ill has an ptitude Bloc0# consisting of - letters =ne!er more# ne!er fe(er>#
indicating (hich attributes affect the s0ill. $o less than 2 attributes# and no more than *#
affect the learning speed of any gi!en s0ill.
IIIIIWW means that for this s0ill# 9ntelligence determines *?- of the learning speed# and
;ill determines 2?- of the 2earning +peed. DDDAASS means that the (eighting is 3?-
De&terity# 2?- gility and 2?- +trength.
Jou simply add up all the attribute !alues# then di!ide by -# to get the characterAs ptitude
=PT># (hich is the basic !alue used to determine s0ill learning speed =and thus the cost in
+0ill Points>.
page 33 ? 3, of @77/" Basics@ - !:3:
character# Dac0# may ha!e an 9ntelligence of *# a ;ill of 2 and a Perception of 3. )e tries
to learn a s0ill (ith an PT Bloc0 of IIIIWWS# '?- 9ntelligence# 2?- ;ill and 3?-
Perception. ;e then add ' times 9ntelligence# 2 times ;ill and 3 time Perception# or
*M*M*M*M2M2M3 O 2-. ;e di!ide this by - to get 3.8,. That is his ptitude for learning
this s0ill. The a!erage ptitude is 3# so for this character# this s0ill =IIIIWWP is typical of
+cience s0ills> is slightly easy to learn. )e learns it slightly faster than the a!erage person
(ould.
But deri!ing the PT is not Buite as simple as that. Jou must also factor in the +ub-
ttributes. 9n many cases# the +ub-ttribute is simply eBual to the parent ttribute# in
(hich case it can be ignored =you Cust use the parent>.
ll s0ills ha!e a +ub-ttribute influence line# (hich e&plain the subs that influence that
particular s0ill. +ome +ub-ttributes ne!er influence s0ills =for instance those under ;ill
or .onstitution>. 7or the rest# the codes are as follo(sI
US - 4pper Body +trength
LS - 2o(er Body +trength
MD - %anual De&terity
CD - .ombat De&terity
FD - 7acial De&terity
OD - Vocal De&terity
CV - cute .olour Vision =under Perception> M +ensory 7ocusI .olour Vision
SH - cute )earing M +ensory 7ocusI )earing
ST - cute +ense of Taste?+mell M +ensory 7ocusI Taste?+mell
=+eparate codes for Taste and +mell (ill be added later>
SV - cute Vision M +ensory 7ocusI Vision
An - nimal 9ntelligence
IP - 9nterpersonal 9ntelligence
Li - 2inguistic 9ntelligence
Lo - 2ogical 9ntelligence
Mn - %nemonic 9ntelligence
Mu - %usical 9ntelligence
My - %ystical 9ntelligence
Sp - +patial 9ntelligence
+ensory 7ocus is the d!antage that one can purchase to get a specific bonus to Perception
for a single +ense. 7or the purpose of s0ill ptitudes# it is cumulati!e (ith the bonus for
an cute =i.e. sharper> sense.
There is also a (eight code# a letter from A to D.
A means that the +ub-ttribute has 2*E (eight
B means that the +ub-ttribute has *:E (eight
C means that the +ub-ttribute has 3::E (eight
D means that the +ub-ttribute has 2::E (eight
.ontinuing our e&ample (ith Dac0# the s0ill he (ishes to learn is Geology =(hich#
con!eniently# is IIIIWWP>. The +ub-ttribute 9nfluence 2ine for Geology currently saysI
CV:C Mn:A. =The (hole s0ill list is supposed to undergo an e!entual re!ision# changing
many of the !alues# so a year or t(o from no(# the line may say something different from
CV:C Mn:A>.
CV:C means that .olour Vision has full =3::E> influence. Dac0 happens to ha!e a M3
+ensory 7ocus (ith .olour Vision# so (hene!er he is ma0ing a Perception =.olour
Vision> roll# his Perception is regarded as being ' instead of 3.
)ere# (e need to find the difference bet(een Dac0As base Perception and his Perception
=.olour Vision>. That difference is M3. ;e then multiply this by the (eight =3::E> to get
M3. ;e then add M3 to his Perception to get '. 7inally# (e replace the Perception !alue in
the PT calculation (ith the appropriate one# i.e. 5+5+5+5+2+2+ is replaced (ith
5+5+5+5+2+2+4. ;e no( get 28# and di!iding by - (e reach an PT of '# slightly
impro!ed because Dac0 is good at noticing subtle colour differences.
Dac0 also has a M2 bonus to %nemonic 9ntelligence# so that (hene!er he ma0es
9ntelligence rolls to remember something# he rolls as if he had 9ntelligence - instead of
9ntelligence *. The difference bet(een the parent and the sub is M2# and (e multiply the
difference (ith the (eight =2*E> to arri!e at a result of M:.*. ;e then add this result to
the 9ntelligence rating used in the PT calculation# so that it is changed from
5+5+5+5+2+2+! to 5.5+5.5+5.5+5.5+2+2+!# (hich gi!es 3:. ;e di!ide by - to
arri!e at '.28# Dac0As actual PT.
+o# no( (e ha!e the ptitude. )o( do (e use itL
;ell# it is used in three (ays. The first is to calculate the 2earning +peed# /S. That is Buite
simple. Jou sBuare the PT# then you di!ide by 1. .on!eniently# this gi!es the a!erage
person =PT 3> an 2+ of 3. Dac0As PT sBuared is 38.3-# and di!iding by 1 (e get 2.:'.
Dac0 learns slightly more than t(ice as fast as the a!erage person.
The second number (e deri!e from the PT is the Plateau Value# the PV. 7or most s0ills
this is simply PT rounded do(n. But some s0ills are .omple& or Very .omple&#
subtracting 3 or e!en 2 from the PV. 6ther s0ills again are +imple or Very +imple# adding
3 or e!en 2 to the PV. %ost s0ills are neither# ho(e!er# so the PV is simply PT rounded
do(n. That is the case (ith Geology# Dac0As PT is '.
The third number deri!ed from PT is the Plateau Value multiplier# the PV".
The pre-Plateau Value multiplier is al(ays 3.* =at least for almost all )umans. +ome
creatures# as (ell as )umans (ith particular and se!ere learning disabilities# may use a
different pre-PVm# but for 11.11E of all humans the pre-PVm is 3.*>.
page 3' ? 3, of @77/" Basics@ - !:3:
The post-Plateau Value multiplier# the pPVm# is 2.: for most )umans# but some use a
slightly smaller or larger !alue =3.8# 3.1 or 2.2* are most common>. Dac0As# ho(e!er# is 2.:.
The Plateau Value multiplier# the PVm# is calculated by ta0ing the difference bet(een the
pPVm and the pre-PVm# and multiplying it by the decimal portion of the PT# e.g. the
PT minus the PT rounded do(n. Jou then subtract the result from the pPVm to get
the PVm.
Dac0Ns pPVm is 2.: and his pre-PVm is 3.*# so the difference is :.*. The decimal portion of
his PT of '.28 is :.28. %ultiplying :.* and :.28# (e get :.3'. ;e subtract this from the
pPVm =2.:> and get 3.8,. ThatAs Dac0As PVm# Plateau Value multiplier# for this particular
s0ill =Geology>.
60ay# these four acronyms are some(hat difficult to tell apart# so hereAs a re-capI
PV Plateau Value
pre.PV" pre-Plateau Value multiplier
PV" Plateau Value multiplier
pPV" post-Plateau Value multiplier
+0ills also ha!e a Difficulty# indicating ho( generally difficult they are to learn. $ormal
s0ills are Difficulty ,# )ard s0ills are Difficulty 3:# Very )ard s0ills are Diff 3*. )igher
Difficulties are possible but rare. "asy s0ills are Diff '# Very "asy s0ills are Diff 2.
Difficulties are linear# meaning that a Difficulty ' s0ill ta0es 2?3 the times to learn that a
Difficulty , s0ill# if all other factors are the same.
Geology is Difficulty 3:. That is typical of science s0ills.
;e no( 0no( e!erything (e need about Dac0 in order to calculate ho( many +0ill Points
it costs him to buy any gi!en le!el of the Geology s0ill.
)is PT is '.28# but we donAt need his PT any more# (eAre done (ith it. Dac0As player may
(ant to reference the PT to get a general sense of ho( easy it (as =ho( easy it felt> for
Dac0 (hen he learned Geology =since an a!erage person has# by definition# an PT of 3.:
for all s0ills>.
;e can also @discard@ the .omple&ity of the s0ill# since that (as only needed to calculate
the PV.
;e do need these stats# ho(e!erI
)is 2+ is 2.:'
)is PV is '
)is pre-PVm is 3.*
)is PVm is 3.8,
)is pPVm is 2.:
The Difficulty of the s0ill is 3:
The cost of the first le!el of the s0ill eBuals the Difficulty# multiplied by 3:# then di!ided
by the 2+# then rounded do(n. 3:3: O 3::. 3::?2.:' is '1.33# (hich (e round do(n to
'1 +P.
That fitsR
Dac0 is supposed to learn Geology slightly more than twice as fast as the a!erage person =2.:'
times as fast# to be precise>. 7or the a!erage person# the first s0ill le!el =Geology 3> (ould
cost 3:: +P# because 3:3:?=2+> O 3:: +P# so (e see that things are (or0ing as they
should.
60ay# on to the second le!el. 4ntil (e reach the Plateau Value =PV># each ne( le!el costs
3*:E of (hat the pre!ious le!el costs# rounded do(n. +o (e say '1 +P 3.* O -3 +P. The
third le!el costs -3 +P 3.* rounded do(n# (hich is 3:1 +P.
$e&t le!el (e reach the PV# so instead of multiplying by the pre-Plateau Value multiplier#
(hich is 3.*# (e multiply by the Plateau Value multiplier# (hich is 3.8,. +o the fourth
le!el costs 3:1 +P 3.8, O 2:2 +P.
Beyond the PV# each ne( s0ill le!el costs the price of the pre!ious le!el multiplied by the
post Plateau Value multiplier# then rounded do(n. +o the fifth le!el costs ':' +P# the
si&th le!el costs 8:8 +P and the se!enth le!el costs 3,3, +P.
This is (hy it is a significant ad!antage to ha!e a pPVm Cust *E smaller than that of the
a!erage person - it allo(s you to impro!e your s0ills to high le!els much more easily. 9t
should also be easily understandable (hy ha!ing a pPVm of 2.2* is Buite a handicap =e!en
though such a character may be playable# if he has high attribute !alues>.
The total cost for a Geology s0ill of 3 for Dac0 (ould then be '1 M -3 M 3:1 O 233 +P.
The total cost for a Geology s0ill of , (ould be 233 M 2:2 M ':' M 8:8 O 3A,'* +P.
The total cost for a Geology s0ill of 8 (ould be 3,'* +P M 3A,3, M 3A232 O ,A'13 +P.
This really needs to be compared (ith a person (ho has a!erage attributes# one (ho has 3
in 9ntelligence# ;ill and Perception# and (ho has a M: to Perception =.olour Vision> and
a M: to 9ntelligence =%nemonic>.
+ince his ptitude is simply 3.:# the calculations get a lot easier. )is 2+ is 3 =3
2
?1O3># his
PV is 3# and his PVm is 2.:# same as his pPVm.
+o for him# an a!erage person# the first le!el costs 3:: +P# the second costs 3*: +P# the
third costs t(ice as much as the second# 3::# because (eAre no( at the PV# the fourth costs
page 3* ? 3, of @77/" Basics@ - !:3:
,::# the fifth costs 3A2::# the si&th costs 2A'::# the se!enth costs 'A8:: and the eighth
costs 1A,::# for a total of 31A3*: +P.
=oteI The character creation spreadsheet seems to ha!e a bug# in that it (ould multiply by
3.* for the third s0ill le!el# for the PT 3.: character# and multiply by 2.: only for the
fourth and subseBuent s0ill le!els. The correct interpretation of the rule is the one in this
document# ho(e!er# the PVm should be 2.:# and not 3.*# for PT 3.::>
There is a special rule for (hat happens if a characterAs ptitude for a particular s0ill is
lo(er than 3. That rule is necessary# because other(ise negati!e PTs (ould result in high
2earning +peeds# since sBuaring a negati!e number gi!es a positi!e result. 9 (ill not go into
it here# since it is e&ceedingly unli0ely for a )uman to ha!e an PT of less than 3 e!en in
Cust one s0ill. The special rule (as originally created to ma0e it extra difficult for dogs to
learn such s0ills as PhysicsR =9 0id you not# that was the original creati!e impulse for this
rule>.
$ote that this special rule is# apparently implemented in neither the character creation
spreadsheet nor the +0ill .ost %aster Table spreadsheet. 9 thought it (as# but upon testing
it# it seems to not be the case.
/ores
The cost of a 2ore eBuals the Difficulty multiplied by 3:# then di!ided by the 2+# and
finally rounded do(n. The 2+ eBuals the PT sBuared then di!ided by 1. But unli0e
+0ills# 2ores ha!e PT bloc0s consisting of only three attributes# e.g. IIW or IID# instead
of DDDAASS or IIIIIWW. 9t follo(s from this that you di!ide the sum of the attributes
by 3# rather than by -# to get the ptitude.
page 3, ? 3, of @77/" Basics@ - !:3: