X ceptional Table of Contents

Introduction ......................... 3
Chapter One: Character
Movement .............................
Offensive Action: Making a Hit! .
12
12
Chapter Four: The Game
Master ................................
What is an RPG? ...................
Combat Challenges ...............
Example Enemies ................
The Stat Block ....................
20
20
20
21
21
Appendix A: Equipment ...........
Appendix B: Skill Descriptions . .
Appendix C: Xception
Descriptions ............................
Appendix D: Xample
Xceptionals .............................
26
27

28

Creation ................................ 4
Character Profiles ................... 5
Build .................................... 5
Intellect ............................... 5
Temperament ....................... 5
Ability Scores ......................... 6
Rage .................................... 6
Precognition .......................... 6
Grace ................................... 6
Rank Descriptors .................... 6
Finding Ability Scores ............. 7
Classes ................................. 7
Brawler ................................ 7
Defensive Action: Controlling
The Hit! ................................. 13
Assigning Damage .................. 13
Attack Summary ..................... 14
Critical Successes .................... 14
Offensive Critical Success ........ 14
Defensive Critical Success ........ 14
Effects of Damage .................... 15
Unconsciousness and Death ..... 15
Instant KO ............................. 15
Completing the Combat ............ 15
Victory Rush .......................... 15
Healing ................................... 16
30
Combat Strategy ................. 22 Appendix E: Advancement
Advancement ....................... 23 Tables .................................... 31
Special Effects ...................... 23 Appendix E: Character Creation
Xample Story: Recipe Party ... 24 Summary ............................... 34
Xceptional Character Sheet .... 35
Xceptional RPG version 1.1 February 2010
is CC:BY-SA 2010 by Jeff Moore
Licensed under the Creative Commons: Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Shooter ................................ 7
Mentalist .............................. 7
Combat Ranks ........................ 7
Offensive Combat Ranks ......... 7
Defensive Combat Ranks ........ 8
Determining Class .................. 8
Skills and Xceptions ................ 9
Rage Skills ............................ 9
Precognition Skills ................. 9
Grace Skills ......................... 10
Xceptions ............................. 10
Chapter Two: The Game
System ................................ 11
Combat ............................... 12
Initiative ............................. 12
Turn Order ......................... 12
c b a
Healing Conscious Characters ... 16
Healing Unconscious Characters 16
Recovery ................................ 16
Guided Recovery .................... 16
For Conscious Characters ........ 17 Only free software was used in the production of this document.
For Unconscious Characters ..... 17 Artwork was drawn with GiMP 2.6: http://www.gimp.org/
Natural Recovery .................... 17 Layout was done with Open Office 3.1: http://www.openoffice.org/
For Conscious Characters ........ 17
For Unconscious Characters ..... 17 This work is dedicated to my girl, Mendi.
Fight for Life Check ................ 17 Thank you for your patience.
Chapter Three: The Xceptional
World ..................................... 18 Thanks to Rob Lang, of the Free RPG Blog
The 1950's Campaign ............... 18 http://www.thefreerpgblog.com.
The Modern Campaign .............. 19 His Free Guide to Organizing Your RPG
Other Worlds ........................... 19 was used in the production of this work.
The Treasure Seekers
Campaign .............................. 19 Visit me at: http://dreamsanddragons.blogspot.com/

2
INTRODUCTION
Xceptional is the RPG of super adventure where people with
spectacular powers called Xceptionals struggle to survive in an
atmosphere of resentment and hate.
This document contains all the rules you need to play as a super
powered Xceptional. In the pages that follow you will find a
simple game system, an introduction to the world of the
Xceptionals, character creation rules that include the special
powers (called Xceptions) that set the player characters apart
from the rest of the world, rules for combat, and character
advancement.
Xceptional's roll under skill system is simple and versatile. It
uses a pair of standard six-sided dice in a unique way but
resolves all action the same way ... Multiply natural Ability by
developed Skill to find a Target number. Roll this number or less
to succeed.
There are no charts or tables to reference during play and the
most complex math used is simple multiplication, where the
highest numbers being multiplied would be 5x5.
Combat uses the same roll under system as all other action but
introduces a unique damage allocation mechanic that adds new
strategy to the otherwise simple system.
3
Key to the Xceptional system is the d5 and the 5x5 die roll.
Xceptional uses only the sugar cube shaped dice with six-sides
common to most board games. All rolls in Xceptional use a
unique interpretation of the standard six-sided die called the d5.
The d5 is a roll of a d6 (a six-sided dice) where the six is
interpreted as zero.
WHAT'S INSIDE
Chapter One covers Character Creation. It contains
everything you need to create and evolve an original character
in the world of Xceptional.
Chapter Two covers The Game System. It contains the basics
of the d5 and the 5x5 (two d5's multiplied together) roll under
skill system. It also includes rules on Combat, Controlling
Damage, Healing, and Recovery.
Chapter Three covers The Xceptional World. It takes a look
at the default setting for the Xceptional RPG and talks about
playing the game in that setting as well as in other settings.
Chapter Four covers The Game Master. It looks at how to
play a role-playing game, how to track information in a guided
improvisation or story adventure, and offers some advice on
combat strategy, as well as character advancement and creation.
Also inside is the Xample Story: Recipe Party. A sample
adventure set in the 1950's Xceptional Campaign World.
CHAPTER ONE: CHARACTER CREATION
Characters are the constructs through which the players interact
in the game world. Information about a character is needed to
understand the character's capabilities. Creating a Character
generates this information.
A Quick overview of the Character Creation Process:
The first step in character creation is defining a character
Profile. A profile is a simple template answering the most basic
questions about a character's physical, intellectual, and
emotional aspects.
Next, a character's Profile enables the player to determine the
character's Ability Scores. Ability Scores narrow down the
information from the Profile, providing numerical values that the
game system uses to determine chances of success or failure.
The third step in character creation is to choose a Class for the
character. A character's Class is a categorization that helps to
define the character's role in combat. For this reason Class is
also called, Combat Class.
Class is used to find Combat Ranks that determine a
character's proficiencies in battle. Combat Ranks are used in
combination with Ability Scores to determine the chance of
success when attempting Offensive or Defensive Actions in
combat.
4
The next step in character creation is to choose some Skills that
determine areas of developed interest for the character. Skill
Ranks like Combat Ranks combine with Ability Scores to
determine a character's chance of success when using the Skill.
Choose some Xceptions for the character and character
creation is almost complete. Xceptions are special maneuvers or
powers that characters can invoke to bend the rules and give
them a strategic advantage in combat.
Finally, pick a Name for the character. Players should also think
about how their characters came to learn the Skills that they
possess and what sorts of adventures they have had in the past.
Roll or Choose
Each Step in the Character Creation Process is defined in more
detail in the pages that follow. For every step in the creation
process the player has the option to Roll or Choose.
For quick character creation with little fuss, Xceptional
characters can be generated completely at random.
Alternatively, players may select each piece of character
information from the choices provided.
Finally, players may opt to combine the two approaches, rolling
some information about their characters randomly while
choosing others pieces of information to suit their preference.
Character Profiles Aspect 3: TEMPERAMENT

Character Profiles are composed of 3 Aspects. These Aspects
help to define the character's strengths and weaknesses in the
game:
Aspect 1: BUILD
Build is a reflection of a character's body type. Player Characters
come in one of two Builds:
Temperament is a reflection of a character's personality type.
Player Characters come in one of two Temperaments:
Bold - the character is more impulsive than careful;
or
Cautious - the character is more careful than impulsive.

Quick - the character is more agile than strong;

PROFILE CREATION
or
The combination of Build, Intellect and Temperament forms a
Powerful - the character is more strong than agile. Character Profile.

Aspect 2: INTELLECT
Intellect is a reflection of a character's process of assimilating
knowledge. Player Characters come in one of two Intellects:
Theory - The character learns through a cerebral method,
processing information more internally than externally;
Players can simply choose a value for each of the Aspects in
their Profile, or they can roll a d5 to determine the Aspects
randomly.
A player's Character Profile grants bonuses that will increase the
values of their Ability Scores.

or

Practice - The character learns through a hands on method,

processing information more externally than internally.

5
Ability Scores Grace (G)

These are scores that measure a character's physical and mental agility, nimbleness, dexterity, finesse, suppleness, balance
aspects. The same three Ability Scores are used to define every
character and creature in the game. allure, beauty, comeliness, elegance, dignity, refinement

Rage (R) Grace is the representation of a character's physical presence

and control. It measures coordination and manual dexterity as
force, physical energy, power, strength, vigor well as general physical appearance and charisma. Grace is the
key Ability of Shooters.
frenzy, passion, fury, blood lust

Rage is the representation of a character's physical power,

strength, and lust in battle. It is the key Ability of Brawlers. RANK DESCRIPTORS

Ability Score / Skill Rank Descriptors

Precognition (P)
1 Decent (Basic Skill, Average Ability)
forethought, canniness, caution, intelligence, perception
2 Capable (Skilled, Above Average Ability)
psychic power, clairvoyance, intuition, second sight
3 Brilliant (Expert Skill, Excellent Ability)
Precognition is the representation of a character's mental
power, knowledge, and psychic potential. It is the key Ability of 4 Amazing (Highest Skill, Unequaled Ability)
Mentalists.
Player Character Ability Scores begin above the average with a
score of 2 (Capable) and may increase from there to a maximum
score of 4 (Amazing.)

6
Finding Ability Scores (and Random Profile rolls) CLASSES

Based on Character Profile find the scores for each of the three
Abilities (Rage, Precognition, and Grace.) Every Ability begins
with a score of 2 and is increased from there.
BUILD: Quick or Powerful?
Combat Classes are special designations that define a
character's strategic role in tabletop combat.
BRAWLER - Brawlers specialize in close combat.
- Brawlers begin play with Strike and Parry Ranks of 1.

[0-2] Quick (+1 to Grace) SHOOTER - Shooters specialize in ranged combat.

- Shooters begin play with Aim and Dodge Ranks of 1.
[3-5] Powerful (+1 to Rage)
MENTALIST - Mentalists specialize in psychic combat.
INTELLECT: Theory or Practice? - Mentalists begin play with Focus at a Rank of 1.

[0-2] Theory (+1 to Precognition)

COMBAT RANKS
[3-5] Practice (+1 to Grace)
Combat Ranks work exactly like Skill Ranks and are used instead
TEMPERAMENT: Bold or Cautious? of Skill Ranks when performing Offensive and Defensive Actions.

[0-2] Bold (+1 to Rage) Offensive Combat Ranks

[3-5] Cautious (+1 to Precognition)
After adding the bonuses to the three Ability Scores as indicated
by their Character Profiles, characters will have a total of 9
points assigned to Ability Scores with no score smaller than 2 or
larger than 4.
Strike Use this Offensive Combat Rank to "Make a Hit" when
attacking an adjacent target. Such attacks might include use of
a melee weapon, or boxing, or brawling.
Aim Use this Offensive Combat Rank to "Make a Hit" when
attacking a distant target. Such attacks might include use of a
ranged or thrown weapon, or even projected super powers.

7
Focus Use this Offensive Combat Rank to "Make a Hit" with a TABLE A (Roll or choose):
mental or mystical attack. Any visible figure, distant or adjacent,
can be a target of this attack. Focus cannot be used unskilled. [0-1] Brawler
[2-3] Shooter
Defensive Combat Ranks [4-5] Mentalist

Parry Use this Defensive Combat Rank in response to a

successful Hit made against you by a Strike attack action. TABLE B (Roll or choose, on the appropriate sub table):

Dodge Use this Defensive Combat Rank in response to a Precognition is 4 Grace is 4

successful Hit made against you by an Aim attack action.
[0-1] Shooter [0-3] Shooter
[2-5] Mentalist [4-5] Mentalist
Resist Use this Defensive Combat Rank in response to a
successful Hit made against you by a Focus attack action.

TABLE C (Roll or choose, on the appropriate sub table):

DETERMINING CLASS
Rage is 4 Grace is 4
To find your character's Class answer the following: [0-3] Brawler [0-1] Brawler
[4-5] Shooter [2-5] Shooter
Is one of your Ability Scores a 2?

"No." - consult Table A.

TABLE D (Roll or choose, on the appropriate sub table):
"Yes, and it's Rage." - consult Table B.
Rage is 4 Precognition is 4
"Yes, and it's Precognition." - consult Table C. [0-3] Brawler [0-1] Brawler
[4-5] Mentalist [2-5] Mentalist
"Yes, and it's Grace." - consult Table D.

8
SKILLS AND XCEPTIONS Roll or Choose: Two Xcpetions.

Skills work like Combat Ranks, and represent areas of interest Rage Skills
and developed proficiency for a character. Complete Skill
Descriptions can be found in Appendix B on page: 27.
[0] Climb
[1] Courage
Xceptions are the special abilities that bend the rules and give
characters an edge in combat. Xception Descriptions can be [2] Intimidation
found in Appendix C on page: 28. [3] Jump
[4] Muscle
Selecting Starting Skills and Xceptions [5] Survival

Newly created characters begin play with 5 Skills each with a Precognition Skills
Skill Rank of 1, and 2 Xceptions also each with a Rank of 1. If
you are rolling randomly, reroll duplications.
[0] Guile

Roll or Choose: One Skill for each of the three Ability Scores. [1] Heal
[2] Nature

Roll or Choose: One Skill for the key Ability Score for your [3] Perception
Class. [4] Repair
[5] Technology
Roll or Choose: One Skill for one of the other Ability Scores
that is not a key Ability Score for your Class.

9
Grace Skills Xceptions: I-S [2-3]

[0] Balance [0] Invisibility

[1] Diplomacy [1] Knockback
[2] Performance [2] Mind Control
[3] Pilot [3] Phasing
[4] Sex Appeal [4] Sidekick
[5] Thief [5] Speedster

Rolling Xceptions: First Roll to see which alphabetical Xceptions: S-X [4-5]
subgroup an Xception belongs to, then roll again to find the
Xception.
[0] Stun
[1] Teleport
Xceptions: A-F [0-1]
[2] Xceptional Defense
[3] Xceptional Healing
[0] Amplify
[4] Xceptional Offense
[1] Blitzkrieg
[5] Xplosion
[2] Dampen
[3] Deadly Attack
Completing a Character: Give the character a NAME and add
[4] Deflection other details to complete character creation. Look at the Xample
[5] Flight Xceptionals in Appendix D on page 30 for some character ideas.

10
CHAPTER TWO: THE GAME SYSTEM
d5 - a d5 is a roll of a dice where 6 is read as 0 (zero.)
5x5 roll - a 5x5 roll is two d5 rolls multiplied together.
Ability Scores range from 1 to 4.
Skill Ranks range from 1 to 4 and U (Unskilled.)
Weak - This result only occurs when a character attempts an
Unskilled Task and the GM has applied a Negative Rank Shift.
When attempting a Weak Task, the target is Ability Score -2.
Unskilled - any skill with no Ranks assigned to it is Unskilled.
When attempting an Unskilled Task, the Target is Ability Score
-1.

Ability Score multiplied by Skill Rank equals Target. Skill of 5 A Skill Rank of 5 is only possible when a Skill Rank 4
Roll Target or less on a 5x5 roll to succeed in a task. has been boosted by a Positive Rank Shift.
A roll of 0 always succeeds. A roll of 25 always fails.
The 5x5 Roll (A closer look at the Targets.)
Rank Shifts - under certain circumstances, Skill Ranks may
have a +1 or -1 Rank Shift applied as a bonus or penalty by -1 1 in 6 17% 4 19 in 36 53% 10 28 in 36 78%
the GM. This results in the following range of Targets:
0 11 in 36 31% 5 21 in 36 58% 12 30 in 36 83%
Targets Table 1 12 in 36 33% 6 23 in 36 64% 15 32 in 36 89%
2 14 in 36 39% 8 25 in 36 69% 16 33 in 36 92%
Ability of 1 Ability of 2 Ability of 3 Ability of 4
3 16 in 36 44% 9 26 in 36 72% 20 35 in 36 97%
Weak -1 0 1 2
Unskilled 0 1 2 3 How do I roll a -1?
Skill of 1 1 2 3 4
If a character with an Ability Score of 1 attempts a WEAK Task,
Skill of 2 2 4 6 8
the Target to succeed is -1. There is a special rule for this. Read
Skill of 3 3 6 9 12 the "-1" as, "Roll -1 die." Attempt your task roll with only 1d5.
Skill of 4 4 8 12 16 Since a roll of 0 always succeeds, if you roll 0, the task is
successful.
Skill of 5 5 10 15 20

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COMBAT Offensive Action:
MAKING A HIT!
Initiative
After moving a character can attempt an Offensive Action
(Strike, Aim, Focus) if they have a legal target.
Combatants roll Initiative on 1d5. (Roll one six-sided die and
count the six as a zero.)
To succeed at an Offensive Action, the player must roll:
Turn Order
"Combat Rank in Offensive Action" X "Ability Score relative to
the Combat Rank" or less with a 5x5 roll.
To determine a character's place in the turn order, add the
Initiative die roll to the character's Precognition Ability
Score. Combatants take turns in order from highest to lowest. Success is referred to as Making a Hit.

In the event of a tie, PC's (Player Characters) act before GM

controlled NPC's (Non-Player Characters.)
For example: To Make a Hit with a Strike Rank of 2 and a Rage
Ability Score of 3, the player would need to roll (2 x 3 =) 6 or
Movement less on a 5x5 roll.

On their turn a character can move up to their Initiative roll Once an attacker Makes a Hit, the target must roll to Control
plus their Grace Ability Score in inches on the tabletop. the Hit.

Following Movement a character can attempt an Offensive

Action.

12
Defensive Action:
CONTROLLING THE HIT!
Controlling the Hit is a Defensive Action. Defensive Actions
(Parry, Dodge, Resist) are attempted after an enemy has
successfully Made a Hit against a character.
To succeed at a Defensive Action, the player must roll:
"Combat Rank in Defensive Action" X "Ability Score relative to
the Combat Rank" or less with a 5x5 roll.
Success is referred to as Controlling the Hit.
For Example: to Control the Hit made against them with a
Focus Offensive Action, the player with a Resist Rank of 1 and a
Precognition Ability Score of 2 would need to roll (1 x 2 =) 2 or
less on a 5x5 roll.
Defensive Actions are paired with their Offensive Action counter
parts. Defenders must use the Defensive Action relative to the
Offensive action that Made the Hit when attempting to Control
the Hit.
13
Use Parry to Control the Hit from a Strike attack.
Use Dodge to Control the Hit from an Aim attack.
Use Resist to Control the Hit from a Focus attack.
ASSIGNING DAMAGE
A character who has been the successful target of an Offensive
Action has Taken a Hit. A character that has Taken a Hit must
reduce one of their three Ability Scores by 1. An Ability Score
reduced by Taking a Hit is: Damaged. If any Ability Score is
reduced to 0 the character is rendered Unconscious.
When a character succeeds in a Defensive Action, they Control
the Hit. If the Defender Controls the Hit, they choose which of
their Ability Scores to Damage.
If the Defending character fails in their Defensive Action, they do
not Control the Hit. If the Defender does not Control the Hit, the
Attacker chooses which Ability Score the Defender must reduce.
ATTACK SUMMARY CRITICAL SUCCESSES

Attacker rolls to Make a Hit. If an Offensive or Defensive Action is successful AND the 5x5 roll
shows DOUBLES (both dice show the same number) the action
Is the attack roll equal to or lower than:
produces a Critical Success.
Offensive Rank X Ability Score?

Offensive Critical Success

NO: The Attacker's turn ends and the turn passes to the next
player in the initiative order.
If the result of an Offensive Action is a Critical Success, the
Attacker has Made a Double Hit.
YES: Defender rolls to Control the Hit.

The Defender of a Double Hit must attempt two Control the

Hit rolls as though they were the target of two simultaneous
Defender rolls to Control the Hit. successful attacks.

Is the defense roll equal to or lower than:

Defensive Rank X Ability Score? Defensive Critical Success

NO: Attacker selects which of the Defender's Ability Scores to If the result of a Defensive Action is a Critical Success, the
reduce by 1. Defender has Blocked the Hit.

YES: Defender selects which Ability Score to reduce by 1. If a Defender has Blocked the Hit, the Hit is completely
eliminated and no Ability Score is reduced; no Damage taken.

14
The Effects of Damage
When an Ability Score is reduced by a Hit, this immediately
impacts the Damaged character's effectiveness in battle. When
rolling Offensive and Defensive combat actions always multiply
the Combat Rank by the current (damaged) Ability Score.
UNCONCIOUSNESS AND DEATH
If an Ability Score is reduced to a value of 0, the character is
rendered Unconscious.
If any single Ability Score is reduced to a value of less than 0,
or if any two Ability Scores are ever both equal to 0 at the same
time, the character is Dead.
Instant KO
If any one Ability Score suffers the Damage of two Hits from a
single Offensive Action, the defender is rendered Unconscious
even if no Ability Score has been reduced to 0.
An unconscious character, with no Ability Score of less than 1,
will regain consciousness moments after the combat ends.
15
COMPLETING THE COMBAT
After a character has made an Offensive Action, and the target
of that action has had an opportunity to perform a Defensive
Action in response, the current player's turn ends, and play is
passed to the next character in the turn order.
After all characters in the turn order have had an opportunity to
take Offensive Action as described above, the Combat Round
ends and a new round begins.
Return to the top of the Combat Sequence and roll new
Initiatives for all participants. Continue this pattern until all
combatants on one side or the other have been eliminated from
the combat.
Once the Combat Encounter has ended all participants on the
WINNING side of the conflict gain an immediate Victory Rush.
Victory Rush
Characters (Not Unconscious) get a Victory Rush after winning
a combat, instantly regaining 1 point to a Damaged Ability Score
of their choice.
HEALING
Each successful application of the Healing Skill will remove the
effects of one Hit. (Increase the current value of the lowest
valued Ability Score that has had its value reduced through
damage by +1.)
Healing Conscious Characters
The first time the Healing skill is used on a conscious character
in a given day, resolve the test normally. The second time the
Healing skill is used on the same conscious character in the
same day, the skill test suffers a negative rank shift.
No more than two attempts at using the Healing skill on a single
conscious character can be made each day regardless of the
success of these attempts.
Healing Unconscious Characters
Only one attempt to heal an unconscious character can be
made in a day. This attempt suffers a negative rank shift.
16
An unconscious character who has had all Ability Scores
restored to a value of 1 or greater will regain consciousness
immediately following the successful application of the Healing
skill. -- No further use of the Healing Skill can be applied to this
character for the rest of the day.
A character can still benefit from Recovery (Guided or
Natural) even if the maximum number of attempts to heal the
character have been reached for that day.
RECOVERY
Each night a character can recover from damage through rest.
There are two types of recovery: Natural and Guided Recovery.
Guided Recovery
Any patient who has been successfully treated with a Guided
Recovery (Healing) Test will benefit from Guided Recovery. A
character that has not been successfully treated by a Guided
Recovery Test will recover according to the rules for Natural
Recovery.
Guided Recovery for Conscious Characters This test suffers a negative rank shift (Guided recovery is easier
on the body.) but if successful, Natural Recovery restores 1 Hit
to the character's lowest damaged Ability Score over night.
Guided Recovery can be attempted on each patient once per day
before sleep. (This is independent of the limit on Healing Skill
Tests listed above.) Guided Recovery is a Healing (Precognition) Natural Recovery for Unconscious Characters
Skill Test. Successful application of the Guided Recovery test to a
CONSCIOUS patient restores 1 Hit to the character's lowest
damaged Ability Score over night. Unconscious Characters who have not benefited from the
successful application of Guided Recovery (Healing) can attempt
to Fight for Life by rolling a Survival (Rage) Skill test.
Guided Recovery for Unconscious Characters

If the Fight for Life check is successful, the character

Guided Recovery for Unconscious Characters works the same as immediately attempts a Natural Recovery check as if they
indicated above, but the skill check suffers a negative rank shift. were a Conscious Character. (See: Natural Recovery for
Conscious Characters above.)

Natural Recovery
If the Fight for Life check is failed, the character is Dead.

Without benefit of skilled healing, a character's body still

struggles to recover and regenerate itself naturally. An Unconscious character, who has all Ability Scores with
values of 1 or more, will regain consciousness following
Natural or Guided Recovery.
Natural Recovery for Conscious Characters

Note: Sidekicks will not die unless the character possessing the
Conscious Characters who have not benefited from the Sidekick also dies. Consider a "dead" Sidekick as only
successful application of Guided Recovery (Healing) can attempt unconscious.
Natural Recovery by rolling a Survival (Rage) Skill test.

17
CHAPTER THREE: THE XCEPTIONAL WORLD
The default world setting of the Xceptional RPG is a place where
people (called Xceptionals) possess fantastic powers. Xceptionals
live in a struggle to prove themselves in a world ruled by more
common men.
On July 8, 1947. an alien spacecraft exploded in the sky above
Roswell New Mexico. About a year later the first Xceptionals
began displaying the signs of super abilities (Xceptions.)
Inexplicably the vast majority (over 90%) of individuals effected
by this phenomena were women. Although the appearance of
Xceptionals was concentrated in and around the Roswell area
initially the effect spread outward from there. By the late 1950's
reports of Xceptionals had spread to the east coast of the United
States.
During the 1950's Xceptionals were regarded with fear and
superstition, and as the majority of Xceptionals were women and
women of the 1950's were struggling to rise above their status
as second class citizens, Xceptionals found themselves
persecuted with extreme prejudice.
To add to this tension most of the men effected by Xceptions
were driven insane by their power and became violent and
murderous.
18
Most women who found themselves with power, kept it secret.
The handful of women who did reveal themselves wore masks
and costumes to conceal their identities. A group of such women
who called themselves the Xceptionals (and thereby coined the
common name for these powers and the people possessing
them) fought against super insane madmen while avoiding
capture and dissection by the government.
Many of the first Xceptionals who survived passed their abilities
on to their children, and although women still seemed to be
favored by the power, more men emerged with powers and later
generations of male Xceptionals did not suffer from the insanity
of their forefathers.
The 1950's Campaign
Playing in the 1950's campaign setting, players will take the
roles of Xceptional women (with maybe the rare solitary male
character) fighting against insane madmen and hiding the truth
from their friends and family while avoiding capture and
persecution by the government.
A dangerous world where women have very few rights and
privileges. The existence of Xceptionals threatens to further
damage gender relations, pushing the world towards the dark
ages. Only the heroic actions of the players can prevent this.
The Modern Campaign
This world is more like the heroic world of superheroes in the
comic books we read today. Female Xceptionals still outnumber
males by roughly 3 to 1, but male heroes are prominent (as are
female villains.) Players seeking a more traditional superhero
game should play Xceptional in the modern campaign.
The key difference in play in the Xceptional World as compared
to other superhero worlds is in the origin of the characters' super
powers. Players will have inherited their powers from their
parents (most likely their mother) and lived with the reality of a
super powered parent their entire lives.
Players should consider who their super parent was. Was the
parent a hero ... a villain? Is the parent still active? Maybe the
character began their career as their parent's sidekick. These
sorts of considerations should flavor character creation in the
modern campaign.
19
OTHER WORLDS
Xceptional should be generic enough to be played in most
modern settings. In fantasy settings the skill Technology could
be changed to Magic to describe a measure of mystical
knowledge and study. In addition, games set in a fantasy or
science fiction setting might consider the Treasure Seekers
Campaign option.
The Treasure Seekers Campaign
In the Treasure Seekers Campaign players begin play with NO
XCEPTIONS and do not earn or improve Xceptions as they gain
Advancements. Instead, items are collected during role-play that
grant the users of the items the benefits of Xceptions.
It is even possible to mix Treasure Seeker and standard
Xceptional characters in the same campaign. In traditional
fantasy troupes, Wizards tend to shun the use of weapons and
armor. A player in a fantasy campaign wishing to emulate this,
could gain Xceptions (Spells) through earned Advancements,
while suffering a restriction in their use of equipment.
Example items for the Treasure Seekers Campaign can be found
in Appendix A: Equipment on page 26.
CHAPTER FOUR: THE GAME MASTER
What is an RPG?
A Role-Playing Game is a set of guidelines for participation in the
activity of guided improvisation. This improvisation is generally
intended to simulate an adventure story.
All but one player creates a character to represent their role in
the story, while one special player, called: The Game Master,
supplies the narrative voice, and takes the roles of all other
characters that the telling of the story might require.
Game rules provide guidelines for how well characters can
perform certain actions. This lets players know what their
characters are good at doing and where their characters will
struggle to succeed. Dice are used to randomize the results of
these actions and create a sense of suspense and uncertainty.
The Game Master creates a basic outline for the story to follow
but allows the players to determine their actions in response to
the situations presented. This can frequently take the story in
unexpected directions, so the story outline must be fluid, and
the key to being a good Game Master is quick thinking, and the
ability to adapt the story to fit the actions of the players.
20
In addition, the Game Master must present challenges for the
players: problems to solve, and enemies to defeat. The story
need not be completed in a single session of play, and the
players will bring the same characters back for the next session,
and the one after that, and the one after that. Once a story has
been completed, a new story can begin, all comprising the
collected adventures of the same group of characters.
COMBAT CHALLENGES
The most common challenge that a Game Master can present to
players is combat. Combat is structured in turns and involves
strategy and uncertainty. It is combat that transforms the
improvisational activity of role-playing into the act of playing a
game.
The Game Master will need to have notes on the enemies that
the players must face, these enemies can be created quickly by
selecting Ability Scores, Combat Ranks, and Xceptions for the
enemies.
Enemies created by the GM for use in challenging the players
need not (and most likely should not) follow the rules for
Character Creation.
EXAMPLE ENEMIES
3 Thugs, 211, 1-U, 1UU, Speedster 1 (knife)
2 Henchmen, 223, U-1, UU1, Xceptional Offense 1 (gun)
Boss, 343, U2U, 121, Flight, Regeneration
Everything the GM needs to know to run a combat is provided in
the information above. This kind of short hand is commonly used
to help keep notation concise and manageable.
Being consistent in the way information is presented and
organized will make designing and documenting Combat
Challenges quick and easy.
Information organized as in the examples above is called a "Stat
Block."
THE STAT BLOCK
[a] The Number of enemies appearing (optional if there is only
one.)
21
[b] A Name descriptor for the enemy.
[c] The enemy's Ability Scores.
These are always presented in the order: Rage, Precognition,
Grace. This order can be easily remembered if you consider the
starting character of each Ability Score: R = Rage, P =
Precognition, G = Grace. Together they create the mneumonic:
RPG (Role-playing Game.)
[d] Offensive Ranks listed in order of associated Ability Score.
[e] Defensive Ranks listed in order of associated Ability Score
[f] Xception name and rank for each Xception
Also included in parenthesis after the Xception is Equipment
that grants the Xception if that applies.
Examine the STAT BLOCK for the Thugs in the Example:
[a] The first information we find is the number 3. That means
that 3 Thugs are present as part of the combat challenge.
[b] The name, "Thugs" appears next. This name could have
been anything, it's meant to be a basic descriptor of the type of
challenge being encountered.
[c] Next is the number 211. This number presents the Thugs'
Ability Scores in order Rage, Precognition, then Grace. Rage is 2.
Precognition is 1. Grace is 1.
[d] Now comes Offensive Combat Ranks in the order of related
Ability Score. Strike is related to Rage, Focus is related to
Precognition, and Aim is related to Grace. The number shown for
the Thugs is 1-U, so the Thugs have: Strike 1; Focus -; Aim U.
U stands for Untrained. An Untrained Rank is rolled against a
target number of Ability Score -1. For the Thugs that would be
Grace -1 or 0. But, since the Thugs are not armed with guns, it
is unlikely they will use their Aim skill at all (as that would mean
throwing their knives at the enemy and loosing them.)
A dash means not allowed. You will only see this value for
Focus as it is the only Combat Rank that cannot be used at all
without training.
[e] Defensive Combat ranks again in order of related Ability
Score are next. These are: Parry, Resist, and Dodge. In the case
22
of the Thugs, they have: Parry 1, Resist U, and Dodge U.
[f] Last are Xceptions. Thugs are normal people with no special
powers, but because these Thugs carry knives they are granted
the Xception of Speedster at Rank 1.
Remembering the order of the Ability Scores (Rage,
Precognition, then Grace) makes reading and recording
information for combat challenges a simple chore.
Using Stat Blocks will make the job of GM much easier.
COMBAT STRATEGY
Choosing which Ability will take damage is an important aspect
of combat strategy. In the example, Thugs have Ability Scores
with values of 1. This means that one failed Defensive Action can
see a Thug defeated and unconscious.
When fighting against stronger enemies, sometimes it is more
important to reduce a character's strengths than to simply
reduce their lowest score. Because Ability Scores are multipliers,
a single reduction in an Ability Score of a higher value can
greatly diminish an enemy's effectiveness.
ADVANCEMENT
After the players have played their characters in a few sessions,
the GM should award the players an Advance. Advances are the
way that a character grows. This growth is a huge part of the
appeal of the game. Players enjoy seeing their characters evolve
and improve as they play in game after.
Advancements should not be given out after every session, but
rather every few, or in response to the completion of a
particularly engaging story arc. The GM should gauge this for
their specific group and their personal situation. A group that
only gets to play once a month for example might receive
Advancements from the GM more often to prevent the game
from feeling stagnant over the long period of play.
For the specific effects of Advancement refer to the
Advancement Tables in Appendix E on page 31.
23
SPECIAL EFFECTS
In the example story, "Recipe Party" a boss villain is introduced
and the adventure describes his actions as "... he holds out a
hand shooting a piercing beam of light that burns the pavement
of the street below." But the character doesn't actually possess
an Xception matching the described ability. The ability is a
descriptor that defines the way the character's Combat Ranks in
Focus manifest. This is known as a Special Effect.
Special Effects can be anything that helps to bring what a
character does into focus. Some special effects will help to
explain the existence of a specific Xception. (Weapons, Armor
and other such equipment are examples of this kind of Special
Effect.) While others will just provide flavor to what the
character does (like in the example from the Recipe Party.)
For ideas on how special effects can be used to explain and
expand upon the range of powers available take a look at the
Xample Xceptionals in Appendix D on page: 30.
X ample Story: Recipe Party
Players reading this who do not wish to take the job of GM, are
The GM should allow the players to greet each other and
introduce their characters to one another. Then, explain that the
characters have met in a dark alley under the pretense of a
"Recipe Party" to go on patrol wearing scandalous skin tight hero
costume attire.
strongly encouraged to skip this section. Part of the fun of
playing as a character in a Role-Playing Game is in the discovery,
During Patrol the group will hear a nearby alarm ringing. The GM
and the anticipation that comes from not knowing what will
should tell the players that they hear the alarm and ask for their
happen next.
reaction.

This section contains a story outline example. It is meant to

The alarm is a robbery at a jewelry store. As the characters
assist the GM in guiding the other players of the game through
arrive (assuming they went to investigate the alarm) they see
their first adventure story. For players who are not the GM, this
two thugs emerging from the store, one armed with a crowbar
section is more fun if its contents are discovered through the
the other a knife. A third thug is behind the wheel of a sedan his
action of actually playing the game.
first action in the combat will be to retrieve a revolver from the
glove box of the car. He will move from the car and shoot with
This story, "Recipe Party" is set in the 1950's Campaign option of the gun if he is able in the second initiative sequence.
the Xceptional World. Characters are assumed to be mostly
women of the 1950's who have discovered that they possess
1 Thug, 211, 1-U, 1UU, Speedster 1 (knife)
special abilities (Xceptions.)
1 Thug, 211, 1-U, 1UU, Stun 1 (crowbar)
1 Thug, 112, U-1, UU1, Xceptional Offense 1 (revolver)
A "Recipe Party" is secret code used by women with Xceptional
Powers to gather together in secret outside the prying eyes of
their husbands or the law. The thugs are currently yelling at each other because the get
away car has stalled and will not start. The thug with the
crowbar also carries a sack containing valuable stolen jewelry.

24
The GM should describe the scene and allow the players to
describe how they wish to react. Once combat has started, have
everyone roll for Initiative and begin the first Initiative
Sequence.
The GM should continue combat until two of the Thugs have
fallen, then interrupt combat with the following event:
"A man appears on the edge of the roof of the jewelry store. He
wears shiny gold tights with a large red gem set in the center of
his chest. 'I knew you IDIOTS would screw this up!' He screams
as he holds out a hand shooting a piercing beam of light that
burns the pavement of the street below. 'It seems I must handle
these WOMEN myself ... prepare to face the horror that is ...
THE JEWELER!!"
The Jeweler, 343, U2U, 121, Flight 1, Xcept Healing 1
Continue the combat. Halfway through their first Initiative
Sequence against the Jeweler, the GM should let the players
know that they hear police sirens in the distance.
After their second full Initiative Sequence fighting the Jeweler, a
single police car with 2 police arrives.
25
2 Police, 223, U-1, UU1, Xceptional Offense 1 (revolver)
If the GM decides that the players are having an easy time
against the Jeweler and his thugs, then have the police assume
that the players are part of the robbery. If on the other hand,
the players are in trouble against the Jeweler it will be clear to
the police that the players are fighting to stop the robbery and
the police will step in on the side of the players.
After the battle, if the police were on the players' side, they will
still want to take them in for questioning. The GM should let the
players know that going in with the police would be a really bad
idea.
Players should decide whether to run or fight, or be taken into
custody (the GM should discourage this last option.) GM and
players should discuss options and react as their characters
would to bring this encounter to some sort of conclusion.
If possible, the Police will not allow the players to leave the
scene with weapons or the loot from the jewelry heist. If the
players do manage to make off with some of the weapons this is
okay, after a few Advances these low rank weapons will become
inconsequential and the players will abandon them in favor of
their own abilities.
APPENDIX A: EQUIPMENT
Weapons, armor, magic items and other
such possessions magical and
technological in the Xceptional game
system grant the user Xceptions at
various ranks. Below are some examples
of equipment.
Bardic Musical Instrument (Amplify
or Dampen) - can choose one or the
other effect, must roll a successful
Performance Skill check to use.
Off-Hand Weapons (Blitzkrieg) -
fighting two-handed with a short sword
or dagger in an off hand would earn this
benefit, must have a Grace of 4.
Automatic or Rapid-fire Burst
Weapons (Blitzkrieg) - Machine guns,
etc.
Reach Weapons (Speedster) - Spears
or Pole Arms.
Heavy Weapons (Deadly Attack) - Two
handed weapons such as Claymores or
Battle Axes, also heavy guns or blasters,
cannot be combined with Shield or Off-
Hand Weapons.
Heavy Armor (Deflection) - Platemail,
heavy chain, or futuristic armors. If
combined with Shield improve the Rank
+1.
Shield (Deflection) - Does not combine
with Heavy Weapons or Off-Hand
Weapon.
Stim Paks or Energy Drinks
(Regeneration) - take right before battle
to gain the effect.
Guard Dog or Mechanical Golden
Owl (Sidekick) - an animal companion,
a Wizard's familiar, or a robot or droid.
Fast Weapons (Speedster) - a dagger
used as a primary weapon or a rapier.
26
Blunt Weapons (Stun) - Billy Club,
Staff, Gladiator's Net, Bull Whip, Mace or
Hammer, also Pepper Spray.
Light Armor (Xceptional Defense) -
Leather or light chain armors.
Medical Kit, Magic Potion (Xceptional
Healing)
Medium Weapons (Xceptional Offense)
- Swords, Bows, most guns.
Grenade or Magic Wand (Xplosion) -
use Aim to throw a Grenade or Focus to
fire a Magic Wand.
Standard and Magical Items
Standard items are assumed to possess
the listed Xceptions at Rank1. Magical
or special items could have higher ranks
in their listed Xceptions or have
additional Xceptions added to them.
APPENDIX B: SKILL DESCRIPTIONS
In the Skill Descriptions below, the
Skill name is followed by its related
Ability Score in parenthesis.
Balance (Grace) - use this skill to walk
a tight rope, or do other things that
require a character to be light on their
feet.
Climb (Rage) - use this skill to scale
sheer surfaces and vertical terrains.
Courage (Rage) - use this skill to face
danger without loosing your cool.
Diplomacy (Grace) - use words and
moving oration to influence others.
Guile (Precognition) - use to out think
an opponent, play chess or solve a
riddle; a measure of intellect and
cleverness.
Heal (Precognition) - Use to restore
damaged Ability Scores to healthy
conditions (see Healing.)
Intimidation (Rage) - Influence others Repair (Precognition) - use to fix
by presenting a frightful presence. broken things, can also apply to crafting
or constructing things from spare parts.
Jump (Rage) - use to leap over things.
Sex Appeal (Grace) - use to influence
those who might be attracted to you.
Muscle (Rage) - use to perform feats
This skill can often be used to transcend
of Strength, force open doors, lift heavy
barriers of language and racial/species
objects, open jelly jars, etc.
biases.
Nature (Precognition) - use to
Survival (Rage) - use to recover from
interact with nature, identify plants, find
near fatal wounds or to resist damage
food and water in the wilderness, ride
under environmental conditions of
horses, or soothe the heart of a wild
extreme heat, cold, or toxicity.
beast.
Technology (Precognition) - use to
Perception (Precognition) - Use to
work with technology such as computers
notice things, to spot important details
or microwave ovens.
or hear a quiet sound.
Thief (Grace) - use to open locks, pick
Performance (Grace) - influence
pockets, or perform other actions
others through artistic expression be it
requiring a very steady hand and highly
dance, acting, singing or playing an
developed hand/eye coordination.
instrument.
Pilot (Grace) - use to control vehicles,
wagons, cars, buses, airplanes, rocket
ships.
27
APPENDIX C: XCEPTION
DESCRIPTIONS
In many of the Xception Descriptions
below, Ranks in the Xception determine
how frequently the character can use it.
This is not meant to imply that the
Xception only works part of the time, but
is instead intended to illustrate how
frequently the Xception has a notable
impact on the outcome of a battle.
Xceptions with high ranks can impact
combat most of the time, while lower
ranked Xceptions sway the outcome of a
battle much less often. Initiative roll
based limitations only effect the use of
the Xception while in combat.
Amplify - Before Initiative is rolled,
choose a number of friendly targets
equal to your Ranks in Amplify (this
can include yourself.) Targets gain a
Positive Rank Shift on all Xceptions
until the end of the Initiative
Sequence.
Blitzkrieg Perform two Offensive
Actions on your turn. You can only use
this Xception if your unadjusted
Initiative roll is equal to or lower than
your ranks in Blitzkrieg.
Dampen - Before Initiative is rolled,
choose a number of enemy targets
equal to your total Ranks in Dampen.
Targets suffer a Negative Rank Shift
on all Xceptions until the end of the
Initiative Sequence.
Deadly Attack Once on your turn,
following a non-critical success, you can
declare that your Offensive Action roll
was a Critical Success. You can only
use this Xception if your unadjusted
Initiative roll is equal to or lower than
your ranks in Deadly Attack.
Deflection Once per Initiative
Sequence, following a non-critical
success, you can declare that your
Defensive Action roll was a Critical
Success. You can only use this Xception
if your unadjusted Initiative roll is
equal to or lower than your ranks in
Deflection.
Flight - Your character can fly 50 MPH
per Rank in Flight. In combat, your
character is considered to be Airborne.
Airborne characters add their ranks in
Flight to their Initiative roll to
determine their place in the Turn Order
and to their Movement.
28
Airborne characters cannot be the target
of a Strike Offensive Action unless
their opponent is also Airborne. You can
only use this Xception if your unadjusted
Initiative roll is equal to or lower than
your ranks in Flight.
Invisibility - Your character can
become Invisible. In combat your
character can be perceived up close but
not from any distance. Your character
cannot be the target of Aim Offensive
Actions and can only be targeted by
Focus Offensive Actions if adjacent
to the attacker. You can only use this
Xception if your unadjusted Initiative
roll is equal to or lower than your ranks
in Invisibility.
Knockback Once on your turn,
following a successful Offensive Action
where you Control the Hit, you can
declare that your target has been
Knocked Back. A character that is
knocked back is moved directly away
from the attacker 1d5+5 inches. You can
only use this Xception if your unadjusted
Initiative roll is equal to or lower than
your ranks in Knockback.
Mind Control - Once on your turn,
following an Offensive Action where
you Control the Hit, you can declare
that your target is Taken Over. You
inflict no damage, but instead gain an
immediate Offensive Action with the
character Taken Over. Control of the
character ends after your turn. You can
only use this Xception if your Initiative
roll is equal to or lower than your ranks
in Mind Control.
Phasing - The character can shift Out
of Phase passing through enemies, and
becoming immune to attacks. The out-
of-phase character cannot impact the
normal world. Declare your Out of
Phase state at the start of the
Initiative Sequence after you roll
Initiative. Before rolling Initiative, your
character is not Out of-Phase. You can
only use this Xception if your unadjusted
Initiative roll is equal to or lower than
your ranks in Phasing.
Sidekick - The player has a constant
companion: Sidekick, 222, 1-1, 222,
Xception 1. Ranks in Sidekick can add
new Xceptions or improve existing ones.
(A Sidekick cannot have a Sidekick)
Speedster Your character can run 50
MPH per Rank in Speedster. In combat
add your rank in Speedster to your
Initiative roll to determine your place in
the Turn Order and your Movement.
Stun Once on your turn, following a
successful Offensive Action, where you
Control the Hit, you can declare that
your target has been Stunned. A
Stunned character looses their next
turn. You can only use this Xception if
your unadjusted Initiative roll is equal
to or lower than your ranks in Stun.
Teleport - Before Initiative is rolled,
choose a number of friendly targets
equal to your total Ranks in Teleport
(this can include yourself.) Targets
disappear from one location on the
tabletop and reappear at another.
Xceptional Defense Once per
Initiative Sequence, you can reroll a
failed Defense Action roll possibly
turning the failure into a success. You
can only use this Xception if your
Initiative roll is equal to or lower than
your ranks in Xceptional Defense.
29
Xceptional Healing - your character
can give up an Offensive Action to
remove all Hits from a single target
(including yourself.) You can only use
this Xception a number of times per day
equal to your ranks in Xceptional
Healing.
Xceptional Offense Once on your
turn you can reroll a failed Offensive
Action roll possibly turning the failure
into a success. You can only use this
Xception if your unadjusted Initiative
roll is equal to or lower than your ranks
in Xceptional Offense.
Xplosion - The character can produce
an explosion with their Offensive
Action. The explosion inflicts 1 Hit to
the target plus 1 Hit to every character
adjacent to the target. The Hits are
automatically Controlled by the
Defender and no roll to Control the Hit
is made. A character using a Strike
Action or using Focus on an adjacent
target, will also suffer a Hit from the
explosion! You can only use this
Xception a number of times per day
equal to your ranks in Xplosion.
APPENDIX D: XAMPLE XCEPTIONALS
The following Xceptionals are all legal
as newly created under the character
creation rules, and are suitable for play.
Players will need to roll their Skills
randomly as these are not included.
Blasting Shooter, 234, U-1, UU1,
Knockback 1, Xplosion 1
This Shooter is a power house able to
blast multiple enemies or knock
dangerous threats away. As a Shooter
the character can attack targets at range
using ranks in Aim. This could be blasts
from their hands, eye beams, a sonic
scream, or any other sort of ranged
special effect.
Flying Shooter, 324, U-1, UU1,
Flight 1, Speedster 1
Flight and Speedster are complimentary.
Their benefits stack. Flight is only
applied if the character is Airborne, but
Speedster works all the time. As a
Shooter, the character can attack targets
using ranks in Aim. This could be
explained as, lightning from the sky,
heat vision or any other sort of ranged
special effect.
Ghost Mentalist, 243, U1U, UUU,
Dampen 1, Phasing 1
This Mentalist has ghost powers able to
pass through walls and to become
untouchable in combat. The Dampen
Power is a perfect choice for a phasing
character because it is activated before
initiative is rolled while the character is
still in phase and able to effect the
normal world.
Hulking Brawler, 423, 1-U, 1UU,
Deadly Attack 1, Deflection 1
The one two punch of Deadly Attack and
Deflection produces a powerful up front
fighter with a combination of super
strength and invulnerability.
Psychic Mentalist, 243, U1U, UUU,
Mind Control 1, Xceptional Healing 1
This Mind Controller can turn enemies
against themselves and heal damaged
friends.
Savage Brawler, 423, 1-U, 1UU,
Amplify 1, Sidekick 1 (Pet Tiger:
Deadly Attack 1)
The Savage Brawler is a jungle warrior
with a pet tiger. Use Amplify to boost the
tiger's Deadly Attack for extra punch.
30
Skilled Shooter, 324, U-1, UU1,
Xceptional Att 1, Xceptional Def 1
The Skilled Shooter is all about accuracy,
and the combination of Xceptional Attack
and Xceptional Defense allows this
character to succeed where other
characters may fail.
Stretching Mentalist, 333, U1U, UUU,
Deflection 1, Stun 1
Stretching powers work as well at range
as they do close up, so we have chosen
a Mentalist for the Focus Combat Ranks
that can be applied in close combat and
ranged combat equally. The rubber like
body of a stretching character is super
resilient so we have chosen Deflection to
represent this resistance to damage. A
stretching character can wrap their arms
legs or body around enemies to entangle
them causing them to loose their turn
and we have chosen the Stun Xception
to represent this.
Super Speed Brawler, 423, 1-U, 1UU,
Blitzkrieg 1, Teleportation 1
Blitzkrieg allows the Super Speed
Brawler to make two attacks per turn
instead of just one. Teleportation allows
the character to "run" to any spot on the
battlefield in the blink of an eye.
APPENDIX E: ADVANCEMENT TABLES BRAWLER CLASS COMBAT RANKS
Advances Strike Parry Aim Dodge Focus Resist
A character has Combat Ranks as indicated on the Combat Rank
Advancement Table that corresponds with their Class. 0 1 1 U U - U
1 1 1 U U - U
As a character Advances their Combat Ranks improve. A newly 2 1 1 U U - U
created character has Combat Ranks equal to those indicated for
3 1 2 U U - U
a character with 0 (zero) Advances.
4 1 2 U 1 - U
As the group meets to play the GM will award "Advances" to the 5 1 2 U 1 - U
players. Advances add up, so the first time the GM awards an 6 2 2 U 1 - U
Advance the characters will have 1 Advance; the second time
7 2 2 1 1 - U
the GM awards an advance the characters will have 2
Advances ... etc. 8 2 2 1 1 - 1
9 2 3 1 1 - 1
It is recommended that the GM award Advances to the 10 2 3 1 1 - 1
characters in a play group approximately every second or third
11 2 3 1 1 - 1
game session.
12 3 3 1 2 - 1
A character cannot advance more than 20 times. A character 13 3 3 1 2 - 1
with 20 Advances is said to be: Maxed Out. 14 3 3 2 2 - 1
15 3 4 2 2 - 1
In the Combat Ranks Tables that follow a "U" is used to indicate
a Combat Rank that is "Unskilled." 16 3 4 2 2 - 2
17 3 4 2 2 - 2
The Focus Combat Rank is special in that it is exclusive to the 18 4 4 2 2 - 2
Mentalist Combat Class and cannot be used by the Brawler or
Shooter Classes at all. 19 4 4 2 2 - 2
20 4 4 2 3 - 2

31
SHOOTER CLASS COMBAT RANKS MENTALIST CLASS COMBAT RANKS
Advances Strike Parry Aim Dodge Focus Resist Advances Strike Parry Aim Dodge Focus Resist
0 U U 1 1 - U 0 U U U U 1 U
1 U U 1 1 - U 1 U U U U 1 U
2 U U 1 1 - U 2 U U U U 1 1
3 U U 2 1 - U 3 U U U U 1 1
4 U U 2 1 - 1 4 U 1 U 1 1 1
5 U U 2 1 - 1 5 U 1 U 1 2 1
6 U U 2 2 - 1 6 U 1 U 1 2 1
7 1 U 2 2 - 1 7 U 1 U 1 2 1
8 1 1 2 2 - 1 8 U 1 U 1 2 2
9 1 1 3 2 - 1 9 U 1 U 1 2 2
10 1 1 3 2 - 1 10 U 1 U 1 2 2
11 1 1 3 2 - 1 11 U 1 U 1 3 2
12 1 1 3 3 - 2 12 U 2 U 2 3 2
13 1 1 3 3 - 2 13 U 2 U 2 3 2
14 2 1 3 3 - 2 14 U 2 U 2 3 3
15 2 1 4 3 - 2 15 U 2 U 2 3 3
16 2 2 4 3 - 2 16 U 2 U 2 3 3
17 2 2 4 3 - 2 17 U 2 U 2 4 3
18 2 2 4 4 - 2 18 U 2 U 2 4 3
19 2 2 4 4 - 2 19 U 2 U 2 4 3
20 2 2 4 4 - 3 20 U 3 U 3 4 4

32
 SKILLS AND XCEPTIONS ADVANCEMENT TABLE (ALL CLASSES)
Advances Rank1 Skills Rank2 Skills Rank3 Skills Rank4 Skills Rank1 Xcptns Rank2 Xcptns Rank3 Xcptns Rank4 Xcptns
0 5 0 0 0 2 0 0 0
1 4** 1 0 0 1** 1 0 0
2 5* 1 0 0 2* 1 0 0
3 4** 2 0 0 2 1 0 0
4 5* 2 0 0 1** 2 0 0
5 4** 3 0 0 2* 2 0 0
6 5* 3 0 0 2 2 0 0
7 5 2** 1 0 1** 3 0 0
8 4** 3 1 0 1 2** 1 0
9 3** 4 1 0 1 2 1 0
10 3 3** 2 0 2* 2 1 0
11 2** 4 2 0 1** 3 1 0
12 2 3** 3 0 1 3 1 0
13 3* 3 3 0 1 2** 2 0
14 3 3 2** 1 2* 2 2 0
15 2** 4 2 1 2 2 2 0
16 2 3** 3 1 1** 3 2 0
17 1** 4 3 1 1 2** 3 0
18 1 4 2** 2 1 2 3 0
19 1 3** 3 2 0** 3 3 0
20 0** 4 3 2 0 3 2** 1

*Add one new Skill or Xception as indicated at rank 1. **Advance one Skill or Xception of this rank as indicated to the next higher rank.

33
APPENDIX F: CHARACTER CREATION SUMMARY
PROFILE - Create a Profile for your character:
Roll Build: [0-2] Quick, [3-5] Powerful.
Roll Process: [0-2] Theory, [3-5] Practice.
Roll Temperament: [0-2] Bold, [3-5] Cautious.
ABILITY SCORES - Use your Profile to find Ability Scores:
Rage, Precognition, and Grace equal 2 plus Profile bonuses.
Quick: +1 to Grace, or Powerful: +1 to Rage.
Theory: +1 to Precognition, or Practice: +1 to Grace.
Bold: +1 to Rage, or Cautious: +1 to Precognition.
CLASS - Determine your Class based on Ability Scores:
All Scores are 3: [1-2] Brawler, [3-4] Shooter, [5-6] Mentalist.
Rage is 2 and Precognition is 4: [0-1] Shooter, [2-5] Mentalist.
Rage is 2 and Grace is 4: [0-3] Shooter, [4-5] Mentalist.
Precognition is 2 and Rage is 4: [0-3] Brawler, [4-5] Shooter.
Precognition is 2 and Grace is 4: [0-1] Brawler, [2-5] Shooter.
Grace is 2 and Rage is 4: [0-3] Brawler, [4-5] Mentalist.
Grace is 2 and Precognition is 4: [0-1] Brawler, [2-5] Mentalist.
COMBAT RANKS - Record Combat Ranks for your Class:
Brawler: Strike and Parry =1, Aim, Dodge, Resist = U.
Shooter: Aim and Dodge = 1, Strike, Parry, Resist = U.
34
Mentalist: Focus = 1, all others = U.
SKILLS - Roll 1 Skill for each Ability Score:
Rage Skills: [0] Climb, [1] Courage, [2] Intimidation,
[3] Jump, [4] Muscle, [5] Survival.
Precognition Skills: [0] Guile, [1] Heal, [2] Nature,
[3] Perception, [4] Repair, [5] Technology.
Grace Skills: [0] Balance, [1] Diplomacy, [2] Performance,
[3] Pilot, [4] Sex Appeal, [5] Thief.
Brawlers roll 1 additional Rage Skill.
Shooters roll 1 additional Grace Skill.
Mentalists roll 1 additional Precognition Skill.
Brawlers roll a final Skill under: [0-2] Precognition, [3-5] Grace.
Shooters roll a final Skill under: [0-2] Rage, [3-5] Precognition.
Mentalists roll a final Skill under: [0-2] Rage, [3-5] Grace.
XCEPTIONS - Roll 2 Xceptions - reroll duplicates:
[0-1] Roll Xceptions: A-F, [2-3] Roll Xception: I-S,
[4-5] Roll Xception: S-X.
A-F Xceptions: [0] Amplify, [1] Blitzkrieg, [2] Dampen,
[3] Deadly Attack, [4] Deflection, [5] Flight.
I-S Xceptions: [0] Invisibility, [1] Knockback, [2] Mind Control,
[3] Phasing, [4] Sidekick, [5] Speedster.
S-X Xceptions: [0] Stun, [1] Teleport, [2] Xceptional Defense,
[3] Xceptional Healing, [4] Xceptional Offense, [5] Xplosion.
Xceptional Character Sheet
Name Class Advances
Template
Build Intellect Temperament
Quick Theory Bold

Powerful Practice Cautious

Ability Scores
RAGE PRECOGNITION GRACE

Combat Ranks
Strike Focus Aim

Parry Resist Dodge

Skills
Climb Guile Balance

Courage Heal Diplomacy

Intimidation Nature Performance

Jump Perception Pilot

Muscle Repair Sex Appeal

Survival Technology Thief

Xceptions
Amplify Invisibility Stun

Blitzkrieg Knockback Teleport

Dampen Mind Control Xcptn Defens

Deadly Attck Phasing Xcptn Heal

Deflection Sidekick Xcptn Offens

Flight Speedster Xplosion

Equipment and Notes
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0:
Xceptional is CC:BY-SA 2010 by Jeff Moore.

Enter a world of super adventure where

people with spectacular powers called
Xceptionals struggle to survive in an
atmosphere of resentment and hate.

X ceptional is a Supers RPG that

combines the simplicity of a class/level
based character advancement model with
the versatility of a skill based system.
Xceptional's unique system for damage
control adds a level of strategy to combat
not present in other rules-lite systems,
and the random character creation option
allows players to start playing right away!
All you need are two or three friends and
a pair of six-sided dice.