Hyper 5ystem
HYPER 5ystem RPG Opposed rolls
Hyper 5ystem RPG is an experimental and minimal RPG system.
The goal of this system is to have a few general rules that can then
be supplemented by more specific rules based on the setting and
purpose (e.g., special rules for magic and prayers).
The mother rule
The main rule is that each character has only one starting base
value the 5 : this value will affect the chance of success for everything
the character has to do, whether these are skill checks, saving throws,
or tests of any other type, based on the type of resolution system
you have chosen.
But not only.
These 5 points also correspond to the character’s life points, so
if they are injured this value will drop, with consequences on all
subsequent tests that the character will have to undertake.
Tokens
The character has a number of expendable tokens initially equal
to 5. These tokens do not regenerate between sessions, but can
still be earned through some mechanisms that we will see later on.
However, there is an upper limit to the tokens that one can have,
which is equal to the current base value, which at the start is 5.
Play immediately
It is clear that, in practice, it is possible to play with the Hyper
5ystem in literally zero time, simply by noting down a 5 on a blank
sheet the character is ready to go.
Earning new skills
The tokens obtained by the character can be used to acquire new
skills.
At some point in the story the game master will ask if some
character is competent in a certain skill: whoever spends a token
will then be able to gain that skill and add it on their character
sheet. The player can also ask to have a skill if they feel they need
it at that moment, always spending a token.
It follows that, when everyone has run out of tokens, it will no
longer be possible to assign new skills.
Skill tests
When the game master (GM) believes that the character has a
test to pass, the GM makes the player roll 1d8, the result of which
will be added to the base value. If the result of this sum equals
or exceeds the success threshold decided by the game master, the
action will be successful, otherwise it will fail.
As an indication, here are the thresholds proposed for different
difficulty levels within this simple game system:
ˆ 8 - Very easy;
ˆ 11 - Easy;
ˆ 14 - Average;
ˆ 17 - Hard;
ˆ 20 - Very hard;
If a character has a specific ability that can be used to pass the
test they are called upon, the player will roll 2d8 instead of 1d8 with
the result that each of the two dice can result in a critical roll.
Whenever the result of a single d8 is 8, a critical roll is rolled.
In this case the player chooses whether to earn a token or roll an
additional d8 adding it to the sum obtained for the resolution of the
current test.
Alternatively, if a player has a skill that is relevant to the test,
spending two tokens before making the roll will result in an auto-
matic success for that test. If the player does not possess a relevant
skill, they can buy it (spending 1 token) and then spend additional
2 tokens to get the automatic success.
www.randomsanddragons.com
Adrian Chua (Order #35271918)
1
It is possible that the PC must compete against another PC or
NPC for the same action using the same skill (for example in a race)
or different skills (as in combat): in this case we have an opposed
roll. Therefore, the player that obtains the highest value wins the
confrontation. If both player obtain the same result and the situation
allows it, as in a race, there will be a tie, if a tie is not possible,
success will go to the defending player. For example in combat if
the attacker gets the same score as the defender, the latter will be
successful in blocking or dodging the attack.
In any case, if one of the two sides decides to spend the two tokens
for the automatic success, the other will not be able to oppose it in
any way. In this case, the first player to get the opportunity to
decide whether to spend the 2 tokens is the character who “caused”
the opposed roll.
Saving throw
Sometimes events happening during the game constitute a matter
of life and death: in these cases the game master may request the
player to make a saving throw. The saving throw is not a test tied
to a skill, so its success is verified differently. The saving throw
is always made by rolling 2d8, but unlike other tests, the test is
passed only if the value is equal to or less than the base
value. Also, if you roll an 8 on one of the dice, you get a fumble,
that is, you have to add another d8 to the result. Unlike other rolls,
the saving throw never results in the player earning tokens. On the
other hand, the player can still gain a success in the saving throw by
buying the automatic success at the cost of 2 tokens. In particular
cases, the game master can assign a bonus or a penalty to this roll
depending on the situation.
How to outline a character
The remaining characteristics of the character will be defined
during the game, at the exact moment in which it will be necessary to
do so: at that precise moment the detail will be put on the character
sheet and then fixed in the story.
Obviously nothing prevents the player from fixing some of these
details on the character sheet before revealing them. Nonetheless,
in general, the obligation is triggered when this information must be
provided and always when asked by the game master.
When the game starts, nothing is known about the character,
not even the name. The name will be decided by the player, when,
during the story, someone asks it: at that moment the name will be
written on the character sheet and this will then be fixed for the rest
of the story.
The same goes for any other physical detail: height, weight, build,
eye and hair color, facial hair, size, and anything else that can come
to your mind.
How to increase the base points
The player can increase the base points before the start of a new
session or at the end of the current one, by spending as many tokens
as their base value. For example, to increase the base valu from 5
points to 6, the player has to spend 5 tokens.
How to add bonuses to a skill
The player can add a +1 bonus to one or more skills at the start
or end of the session by simply spending a token for each skill they
want to improve. However, a skill’s bonus cannot be greater than
the player’s base value.
End-of-session rewards
The game master can at the end of the session give rewards to
the players in the form of tokens to spend in the game. However, at
any time,the amount of tokens owned by a character cannot exceed
the limit of the base value imposed by the rules above.
 2 Hyper 5ystem

Wounds, healing and death the opportunity to determine an additional character trait for each
player: the one that will have the most consensus will end up on the
During the adventure, a character can get injured, causing their PC’s sheet and obviously the player will have to take that detail into
base value (which, as we said, correspond to the character life points) consideration during their future games.
to drop. However, the player can use an action to spend a token and
completely heal their wounds. If the base value drop to zero or less
the character risks dying, in this case the player can immediately End of session
decide to spend a token to simply pass out – instead of actually
The end of the session is one of two moments in which a PC can
dying – until the end of the current fight or the critical situation that
increase his character’s base value and abilities. This action can take
caused the drop of life points, if they don’t then they will effectively
place either before or after the game master has awarded the final
die and lose immediately all their remaining tokens.
rewards.
In the event that the character is saved from death with the token
and then rescued, they will have to suffer a negative consequence,
chosen by the player and agreed with the game master. Such a Group reward
negative effect can be the loss of all the money, all the equipment or The game master at the end of the session will have to assign a
a serious injury, such as an impairment, an amputation, or even a reward in tokens, the reward will be the same for everyone, this can
psychological trauma of some kind. be for example one or two tokens to each player, or the game master
can give a group reward that the players will then choose how to
divide according to their needs. In any case, remember that each
What can you do with the tokens? (Recap) character cannot have more tokens than their base value.
ˆ Automatic success for any test (2 tokens);
ˆ Acquiring a skill offered by the game master (1 token); Reward for interpretation
ˆ Give a skill a +1 at the beginning or end of the session (1
token); Moreover, at the end of the session, the game master will award
ˆ Increase, at the beginning or end of the session, the base value one or two tokens that will go to the character who, according to the
by 1 (spending as many tokens as the base score); group, has done the best job in interpreting their character traits.
ˆ Completely heal from all wounds (if you are not at zero).
ˆ Save the character from death by making them fall License
unconscious.
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons “Attribution-
NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 Interna-
Turn-based mode tional” license.
At a certain point in the game, such as during combat, you will
enter the turn-based mode: this means that the players will make
their character act one at a time and then it will be the turn of
the game master who will make creatures and other non-playing
characters act. Within each turn, each character can do exactly two
actions, these can be attack, defend, or use an ability. The character
acts only in three cases: if it is their turn, if they are involved by
another character or NPC action, or if they wants to intervene in
someone else’s action (for example, to defend another character).
When it’s the turn of a character to act, if they still have any
action left for the current turn, they can only take one action. When
everyone has used up all their actions, the turn ends and a new one
begins.

Define the background of the character

At the beginning the character will not have a background, this
will also be a part to be filled in over time, just like for the skills and
any other detail of the player. Also in this case, it is the player who
decides when to define such details, but there must always be some
detail in the background of the character to explain any acquired
aspect, skill, power, or explain the possession of a certain object.
In any case, a player must always define a train in their back-
ground when they are asked about that by another PC or NPC. For
example, if some NPC sees a character picking a lock, they might ask
“Hey! But where did you learn to do that?” And the explanation
would end directly in the character’s story.
The same thing holds for the objects, for example some other
characters could ask “How did you get that shield?” Or “What does
that tattoo of yours mean?” And every explanation would always
go into the character’s story.

Personality of the character

One of the advantages of Hyper 5ystem RPG is the fact that
the player doesn’t have to worry too much about how to play their
character at first, only that it will affect the character later. The
personality of the character will in fact be defined as the story pro-
gresses, through both individual and group mechanics. At the end
of each session, the Master will be able to ask for a character trait
for each player and the player will provide one to be inserted im-
mediately on the sheet card. Subsequently the group will also have

www.randomsanddragons.com

Adrian Chua (Order #35271918)