Systems, Worlds, and Other

Resources Document of polymorph

Version 0.3
02.23.2021

©2020 – 9th Level Games

Use of this document requires authorization from 9th Level Games.
version 0.3 (living document) – February 2021

©2020 – 9th Level Games 1

polymorph
Polymorph is an RPG platform – it’s a not a universal rules engine, or even a game in
itself.

Polymorph is a tool kit and a set of development assets, that gives you everything
that you need to build your own Tabletop Roleplaying Games (TTRPG).
It is a framework that eliminates complex systems and esoteric rules mastery in favor
of an elegantly simple yet satisfying core mechanic – you are represented by a single
die, your die, and you always roll the same die to see what happens.

Polymorph can run games from traditional dungeoning and dragoning, to cartoon
princesses, to group games where you are a living algae in a tank. In fact, the
Polymorph rules won BEST RULES 2020 from the IGDN (under Mazes) and was
nominated for an ENnie Award for Best Rules and Product of the Year (Mazes and
The Excellents).

Polymorph builds on the past with its eyes to the future – creating a game system
that is the same whether you are playing it at the table, playing it online, watching
others play it on a stream, or recorded for later viewing.

RPGs powered by Polymorph are modern, rules-lite games designed to allow for
strong, narrative game play – but still holding onto the core crunch and fun of the
roleplaying game experience. Polymorph games are built using the same “you always
roll your die” mechanic – but with a specific game built to emulate and deliver the
experience for that game.

At its core, Polymorph provides a framework for resolving actions, creating interesting
characters that have mechanical differences, and provides a structure for building up
and emulating group stories. Each Polymorph Game brings to it some specific layers
that are important for emulating that story shape, for telling that kind of story.

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Don’t Hack the Core Mechanic
Polymorph has been created to provide a method for others, especially non-
traditional RPG game designers – to create tabletop RPGs that work mechanically
and work as the designer intends – without having to recreate the wheel every time.

In addition, the system is designed to make it easy for content creators (authors,
artists, etc.) that are outside of gaming to port their creations into the system.

The current landscape of Independent RPGs feature a large number of “hacks”. These
hacks sometimes force a game engine to do something that the engine wasn’t
designed to do. We urge you, as a creative, to leave the “mechanical core” of
Polymorph alone. It works. It works for a reason and has been playtested extensively.
It has been tested to allow creation built on top of the engine to run smoothly and
effectively. We hope that this framework doc will help you create a great game with
these tools.

Evolving Rules
Our goal is to make a system that answers all of the questions of roleplaying with a
minimum of rules. We want every rule to feel organic and intrinsic to the game. Our
hope is that this framework will be a guide that will lead you to “evolving” rules from
the core system to meet your specific needs – and that those rules should seem
obvious after being created – as they are natural extensions of the rules presented.

The Power of Names

When creating a Polymorph game – change the name of everything to match your
story, style, and setting. Names are powerful – simply changing the name of
something can evoke the right mind set for your game.

Rename the roles, the rolls, the abilities, the economies – that way, your ideas will
permeate your game. Where possible, we have tried to use “descriptive names” not
“evocative names” while describing things in this document (like Conflict Resolution –
which is called Blades in Mazes, Sword in The Excellents, Liquidate in Business
Wizards, and A Button in Arcade World).

©2020 – 9th Level Games 3

The Big Questions
Before we get any deeper into the idea of Games powered by Polymorph – we need
to start with the philosophy of roleplaying that inspired the creation of Polymorph.

A tabletop roleplaying game is a unique type of game and experience. While it may
share similarities, mechanics, and even systems with live action games, board games,
video games, and (most importantly) other storytelling games – RPGs are unique.

Players
Roleplaying games aren’t like other games. There aren’t really winners and losers. It’s
a skill, sort of. It’s a game about stories and characters. A combination of writing and
acting that isn’t like anything else. RPGs are about having a good time and exploring
an invented world with your friends.

All of the people involved in an RPG are players. As you play, you are going to share
the creation of a story together – through the actions of your characters. One player
leads the story - called the Emcee (MC) – and like an MC, acts as the host for the
game. The other players are the Characters (or PCs, Player Characters). Throughout
your RPG gaming you will play many characters. You may even take on the role of the
MC.

Defining the Game and the Fiction

How RPGs differ is a question for the ages, but 9th Level Games believes that RPGs
provide and define:

WHO? Provide something for the character “to be”. Defining a character is central to
the idea of roleplaying. Who am I in the story? How much control do I have over
myself and my surroundings?

WHERE. Defining a world, place, or genre that the characters exist in.

WHY. Giving your character motivations or controls to drive WHO and HOW. This can
be in the form of rules (e.g. you have a “drive” that makes you protect children) or
story (e.g. we are all antifascist revolutionaries in space)

HOW. Defining what it is the players “do”. A roleplaying game needs to define what it
is the game expects players to do. This is effected by genre and structure (a horror
procedural is very different than a horror character study). As part of HOW, we need
to define the story structure (see XXX), the game needs (XXX), and ultimately what
does a game look like.

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Not every game does all of these things (though we think they should) – but at a
minimum, a game defines WHAT YOU ARE and WHAT YOU DO. Everything else is
ultimately what makes games interesting, but not what it is to make it an RPG. Not
every game will answer all of these questions, that’s okay.

©2020 – 9th Level Games 5

The Role of the Emcee
When creating a Polymorph game – you need to decide how the game will be run
(and by whom). There are 3 standard answers to this question, and they will all shape
how a game is run and presented.

MC Lead (GMed)
MC lead games are the traditional RPG approach. MC driven games are best for High
Conflict games (games where the players are playing “against” the environment) and
High Exploration games (games with mysteries, exploration, etc.). MC Lead games
tend to reward MCs that prepare games and ideas ahead of time.

In an MC lead game – one player is the Maze Controller (Mazes) or Game Mistress
(The Excellents). This player is the final arbiter of the rules, and the “owner” of the
game. They invite the other players into their fiction, and are ultimately responsible
for the world and the game.

Shared MC (GMful)
Shared MC games are games where the player group takes turns running parts of the
games – either with each player having a part of the game to run, or each player
taking a section of the story.

Shared MC Games are great for situations where there is a lot of “improv”, but the
game will still essentially be a group versus an environment. Shared MCs are not good
for exploration or mystery – as those situations generally require a single “adversary”.

Another situation where a Shared MC format shines is where each player has an area
of the game world that they are responsible for. Imagine a game where you are the
crew of a ship, and each player acts as the MC for a particular “officer” – the
Navigator, the Purser, etc. When the players are interacting with that part of the
world, that player acts as the GM for that scene.

MC Less (GMless)
In some situations, a Polymorph game may be MC-less. This is the least common
model for Polymorph games, but they are a viable option. Most GM-less games are
about the interpersonal relationships of the players, and a game that focuses heavily
on the dynamics between the players may not need a MC. Additionally, games can be
created with a story driven set of prompts, an action clock, or similar mechanic that
the players are “playing against” where the mechanic is acting as a pseudo GM.

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Sharing in the Creation of the World
Some games will feature shared worldbuilding, but still have an MC player. The
Excellents or Business Wizards are both 9th Level Games that encourage the creation
of the game world and missions as a group activity. They are then played with a single
MC (Excellents) or a Shared GM (Business Wizards).

©2020 – 9th Level Games 7

Each World is its Own Game
Early on, we stated that Polymorph isn’t a Universal Game Engine. What we mean by
that is while all Polymorph games are similar – they are not the same set of rules for
every game. We firmly believe that the rules of each game are there to serve that
game and “universal rules” don’t properly address that.

In Polymorph, we encourage designers to think about the world/setting/genre/twist

that they want to explore – and to start there.

The Elevator Pitch

The best games are ones that can be explained quickly and easily to a player. In the
world of business, this is often called “the Elevator Pitch” – trying to get your idea
across to some in the space of time that you share an elevator with your audience.

When you have a sharp idea for an RPG, it should be easy to settle on an Elevator
Pitch. If someone is excited by your Elevator Pitch, they will most likely enjoy
themselves playing your game,

Examples of Elevator Pitches for Polymorph Games

- You are a mystical princess tasked with keeping your realm safe
- You are wizards that work at a crummy corporate job
- You are fantasy thieves in a world like Fast and the Furious, but instead of cars
you’re riding and stealing dragons
- You are proper Victorian Ladies teaming up to pilot a giant robot that punches
it problems
- You are professional wrestlers sent in by the UN to stop Turbo Dracula because
he has become immune to all weapons
- You are clone soldiers fighting an unwinnable, never-ending war against dark
cosmic forces

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Scope and Scale
Among the key decisions for a Polymorph game are: “what is the SCOPE of the Action
and Activity?” and “what is its SCALE?”

Scope is what the players “DO”. It’s also what they don’t do. Scope defines what the
field of play looks like. Scope defines what the players do from session to session,
game to game.

Examples of scope are:

• Players are adventures that go on missions to retrieve items of power
• Players are powerful figures in world government with the ability to start and
end wars
• Players are kids that have adventures in the creek behind their house

Scale defines the size of the playing field, as well as the size of the effect that the
players have on the world. How much of an effect can a player have on the world
around them?

Generally, scale is broken down to:

1) Individual: everything is happening to a single person/place/area.

2) Street: the players have the power to affect their immediate surroundings.
Their decisions affect a town or a neighborhood; the lives of hundreds.
3) City: the players have power over a town, city, or country. Their decisions affect
the lives of thousands or tens of thousands of people.
4) World: the players have the power of virtual gods – with the ability to affect an
entire planet. Their actions can affect history and the lives of millions or billions.
5) Cosmic: the players are essentially gods. They have the power to affect reality
itself, and their actions could destroy the universe.

Let’s look at SCALE as it affects single power decision. In our example, we are going to
punch something and then roll our Effect die.

Individual A punch does nothing.

Street A punch could hurt someone or possibly stop a low level threat.
City A punch can kill, or do serious damage to property.
World A punch kills, and could seriously damage invulnerable foes.
Cosmic A punch could move a moon out of orbit.

©2020 – 9th Level Games 9

polymorph Core
In a Polymorph game, each player character is controlled by a single die, and some
EDGES. Each character has a ROLE – which defines which die they ROLL.

Rule One – You only ever rule YOUR die.

Depending on their Role, a player will have a specific DIE to ROLL. This die will be a
d4, a d6, a d8, or a d10. No matter what happens – you will ALWAYS only ever roll
YOUR die. If you are a d4, you always roll the d4.

Each Die has advantages and disadvantages MATHEMATICALLY built into it.

Roles and Rolls

Within the core system, there are 4 basic roles. Each role has distinct strengths and
weaknesses, based purely on the math of rolling that specific dice.

Below you will find a description of the FOUR ROLES within a Polymorph Game. Each
of the Roles has strengths and weaknesses. As part of creating a Polymorph Game
you want to think about how to flavor these roles with your setting and game idea –
but remember that the mechanics behind the roles are not going to change (i.e. using
the Polymorph Resolution a d8 is always going to be the best at offense, etc.)

The four core roles are:

The Expert d4
The Vanguard d6
The Resolver d8
The Tank d10

The Expert
The Expert is the most cerebral of the character roles; focusing on thinking, talking,
and their senses over combat and action. The Expert uses their special skills more
than other roles, and they shine when they are rolling against Mental Activity.

They are “the best” at what they do – they roll their CLASS and CROWN far more
than other roles; and they can negotiate success often.

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When using a STARS economy, they have more Stars than other roles – allowing them
to take more direct control of their environment.

Choose the Expert if you want to:

• Be the best at something
• Use your smarts and instincts
• Solve problems
• Investigate and use perception
• Talk a lot
• Make decisions
• Use special abilities rather than basic combat

The Expert’s weakness lies in their ability to withstand danger (either in a Hearts
setting where they have few, or a Danger Check where they have a low roll) and in
combat roles in general. They are easy to hurt and require help or defense from other
players.

The Expert’s strength lies in using Class abilities, wisdom, perception, and their mind.
Secondarily, they are good at using skills and knowledge. Class is very important to
this role, as they will be referencing it often. They take center stage when the story
focuses on discovery, knowledge, and their particular skills or class.

©2020 – 9th Level Games 11

The Vanguard
The VANGUARD is the most active of the character roles - they are good at most
everything – physical action, combat, and skills. They shine when they are rolling
against MENTAL and PHYSICAL.

Choose the Vanguard, because you want to:

• Always be in the thick of it
• Be a decent fighter, and are okay with not being the best at it
• Be great at physical activities, like running and climbing

The Vanguard shines when the story focuses on action, especially if their Edges are
being called into play. By their nature, the Vanguard is a great fit to backup other
characters. The Vanguard’s biggest weakness is that everyone else is “better” than
they are at one specific thing, though everyone else also has bigger weaknesses.

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The Resolver
The Resolver takes center stage when the conflict starts. They are at their best in
combat scenes (or their equivalent). The Resolver is always in the middle of the action
during a battle, often acting on the offensive. They shine when they are rolling
CONFLICT.

Choose the Resolver, because you want to:

• Stab it, Kill it, Set it on fire!
• Be good at physical activities
• Survive a beating
• Dish out some hurt

The Resolver is best in conflict situation, and capable in Physical and Strength
situations. They are somewhat limited in the Mental department. Resolvers are a
good solo character, but they are also great team players.

Your greatest strength is on the offense. A warrior type with the fighter role is a beast
in combat. Take center stage when conflict is on the menu.

©2020 – 9th Level Games 13

The Tank
The Tank is the most defensive of the character roles. You are good in combat, and
especially good at brawn tests and health tests - STRENGTH. You do the most
damage (or effect) and have the greatest effect – but the Resolver is more accurate
or consistent.

Choose the Tank, because you want to:

• Soak up damage
• Be safe
• Defend the party
• Deal the most damage

The Tank is weakest when it comes to using their Class ability and Mental rolls. Unlike
the Expert who strives to utilize their Class bonus often, the Tank’s Class and Crown
come into the play the least.

A Tank’s strength is in their staying power. They are strong, hale, and hard to take
down. They can take multiple conditions and still be effective at most things. The
Tank is the safest of the characters, either having a lot of hearts or being great at
rolling against Danger.

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Rolling Dice
At the most basic level, when you take an ACTION or make a SAVE, you roll your die,
attempting to roll one of the numbers listed on your character sheet.

Polymorph is a “player active” game. That means that the MC NEVER rolls dice – only
the player characters. From this there are 2 primary types of rolls that players make –
ACTION ROLLS and SAVING ROLLS, or Actions and Saves.

An ACTION is a roll that a player makes to do something that they want to do. The
player describes the action that their character is trying to take, and the MC tells
them what kind of Action they need to roll against. Taking an Action is the primary
activity on a PLAYERS’ TURN.

A SAVE is a roll that a player makes to avoid something that the MC is doing against
them. A Save is almost always taken off turn – unless it is a response to an action. For
instance, the player opens a door, and the MC has them make a Save because the
floor falls out from under them.

Effect Rolls
In some games, a third type of roll is used the EFFECT. An Effect Roll is a secondary
roll used to determine how well something succeed (and sometimes how badly it
failed). An EFFECT determines the impact of something that the player has done –
such as Damage. Effect rolls are part of an action or save and can be affected by
EDGES, just like any other roll. Sometimes, an effect is simple – you hit something
with your sword, and you roll effect for damage. Sometimes, it’s more of a “pointer” –
with something like distance, size, or count.

Unlike Actions and Saves, Effect rolls are not about trying to hit specific numbers but
about trying to get high numbers and making dice explode. When you are rolling for
effect – when you roll your CROWN (the highest number on your die) it results in the
die “exploding.” When a die “explodes” you roll that die again and add the results
together. This larger number is the damage you do in combat. So, while larger dice
have a higher effect on average, smaller dice explode more often. This number can be
used to express danger, damage, distance, speed, or any other “effect” coming out of
your roll.

©2020 – 9th Level Games 15

Vantage
The primary way that you can affect dice rolls in Mazes is through VANTAGE –
positive effects are ADVANTAGED, and negative effects are DISADVANTAGED.
When you have VANTAGE - either good or bad - roll your die twice (or roll two of your
die if you have them).

If you have Advantage, you succeed if EITHER roll succeeds. If you have
Disadvantage, you only succeed when BOTH rolls succeed.

You can also gain ADVANTAGE and DISADVANTAGE on effect rolls. Since you are
not rolling against a target number, vantage is different.

When you have Advantage on an effect roll an additional die and take the higher
result. For a Disadvantaged Effect, roll twice and keep the lower result.

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The Core Moves
Whenever a PLAYER CHARACTER is taking an action, there are 4 Core “MOVES” that
a PLAYER can access/perform, and 2 Special “OUTCOMES”:

1 Class
23 Mental Activity
345 Physical Activity
4567 Conflict Resolution
56789 Strength of Body and Spirit
4/6/8/10 Crown (Special Circumstances)

Depending on which role you have, you will have different chances to perform these
actions.

Outcomes
Mental Action (Mental), Physical Action (Physical), Conflict Resolution (Conflict), and
Strength of Body and Spirit (Strength)

At the most basic level, when you take an ACTION or make a SAVE, you roll your die,
attempting to roll one of the target numbers listed on your character sheet for one of
the FOUR ACTIONS – Mental, Physical, Conflict, and Strength. Because of the
distribution of these numbers, each of the Roles is more or less likely to roll them -
resulting in each role behaving differently in the game.

Mental
Roll Mental Activity when you are testing knowledge, perception, and mental powers.
Mental also covers anything sensory – listening, seeing, remembering.

When you are trying to roll MENTAL ACTIVITY, you want to roll a 2 or a 3.

The Expert (d4) is the best at rolling MENTAL ACTIVITY.

Play a d4 if you want to be knowledgeable, smart, or perceptive.

Physical
Roll PHYSICAL ACTIVITY when you are testing any physical movements or athletic
activity – running, jumping, sliding, dodging, skulking. Physical is a character’s reflexes,
their agility and dexterity. In some settings (where combat is not the primary method
of conflict resolution, this could also cover types of fighting).

©2020 – 9th Level Games 17

When a character is testing PHYSICAL, they need to roll a 3, 4, or 5.

The Vanguard (d6) is the best at rolling PHYSICAL ACTIVITY.

Play a d6 if you want to be fast, agile, or sneaky.

Conflict
Roll Conflict whenever you are testing an action that is the “primary” conflict –
whether or not you are actually in conflict. This could be fighting, weapons, debate,
spell craft – it really depends on the game. In Mazes, this is called BLADES – because
Adventurers in dungeons tend to resolve issues with swords but this can be any type
of attack – bare handed, with a weapon, or with a spell. If you are trying to hurt
something (or avoid being hurt), then you want to roll CONFLICT.

When testing CONFLICT, you need to roll 4, 5, 6, or 7.

The Resolver (d8) is the best at CONFLICT, being more accurate than the Tank (who
does more Effect and can take more Danger).
Play a d8 if you want to focus on offense.

Strength
Roll against STRENGTH whenever you need to steel your resolve, resist pain and
disease, or show heart or bravery. Strength is both your body’s health and your overall
strength and endurance. Roll against Strength to save versus poisons, or to avoid
getting sleepy during an all-night watch.

When testing STRENGTH, you need to roll

a 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9.

The Tank (d10) is the best at rolling Strength. They also are the best at resisting
Danger and dealing out Effects.
Play a d10 if you want to dish out damage or to focus on defense.

A Note about the Expert: You may have noticed that an Expert can’t roll
STRENGTH naturally. They need to have it be a CLASS or CROWN bonus (see the
next page).

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Class & Crown

While you are making rolls against the Four Outcomes, there are 2 other results
possible – the Class and the Crown. Class is your core ability to do things, and Crown
is that last ditch effort, the luck and the grit.

Whenever you roll a 1, if the action is something that your Class can do – then it’s a
success. This is the CLASS BONUS.

Class is not like the other ACTIONS in that it’s a bonus, not a direct roll. You don’t try
to roll Class. Let’s say that you are looking for a thief in a crowded room. The MC calls
for a MENTAL roll. Normally, you would only succeed if you rolled a 2 or a 3. But if you
are playing a character whose Class would be good at spotting a thief in a crowded
room – like another Thief or a Cop – than you would ALSO succeed if you rolled a 1.

Every die has a “crown” – the highest number that the die can roll (a 4 for the d4, and
a 10 for the d10, etc.).

When you roll the CROWN of your die, what happens is based on the game.
Mechanically, the idea of the Crown is that it might work – based on something
established in the game.

In Mazes, the CROWN BONUS references the current DARKNESS (See MAZE page
pages 16-24). When rolling a Crown, if things are currently BRIGHT, you succeed. If it is
currently BLEAK, then you fail. While it is TORCHLIT, you succeed, but at some cost to
you.

©2020 – 9th Level Games 19

The Moment
There is no need for clear “time” or “turns” in a Polymorph game. In an effort to keep
the game more about rulings than rules, we are actively trying NOT to over explain
and over rule.

During play, the game will rotate between the Players taking action and the Players
reacting.

Each player gets a Moment.

Taking an action in game “spends” your Moment. A player’s Moment could be a roll, a
description, an action, or a spend.

The most important timing rule is that EVERYONE has an option to take a MOMENT
before anyone else gets another Moment.

Once the players have all taken (or passed) a Moment then, the Maze Controller
narrates the world, and any reactions that players may have.

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What are We Playing For?
In a Polymorph game, the players are generally motivated by a hard need. Unlike
many traditional forms of roleplaying, which are focused on long term storytelling,
Polymorph is very good at short form and one-shot storytelling. As part of the short
form model, setting out a concrete NEED is the easiest way to ensure that the players
will “stay on script”.

Having a NEED makes it easy for players to define characters that they want to play.
A Need makes it clear what the game is going to be about, and where appropriate a
Need can form the basis of an action economy (see below).

In some situations, instead of a NEED, we may establish a FEAR. Something that the
characters are preventing, stopping, escaping. In almost every way these are the
same things – it’s more a matter of shaping what the play experience is like.

Example Needs/Fears

In a game where we play Dinosaurs, the players need food. Everything about the
game is focused on the acquiring and devouring of food.

In a game where we play Psychic Dogs fighting Nightmare Horrors, our need is safety.
A place to live, a place to be warm, and a place to sleep. Defending our home is our
primary need.

In a Superhero game, our need could be seeking justice or keeping order. By defining
which we are going to have different game experiences.

©2020 – 9th Level Games 21

The Drive
If the CORE ROLL is the heart and soul of a Polymorph game – the spine is the
DRIVE. The Drive is the most “Gamiest” part of a Polymorph game. Drive is a physical
manifestation of the NEEDS and FEARS of the characters, married to their SCOPE.

The Drive in a Polymorph game is the core “activity” that the players will manipulate
through play. In most satiations, this drive will be abstracted into a number
(represented by tokens, dice, or something else) that will move up and down
throughout game play – giving the players a sense of what is going on in a game.

The Mission

At its most basic, DRIVE can be “missions”. In this form of Drive, the players are given
Missions directly from the MC or from another source. They have to complete the
Missions. The Mission has parameters that need to be achieved, and that is the spine
of the action.

The Mission format can be varied (in Business Wizards, the Mission is a list of threats
that need to be dealt with; in The Excellents the Mission is a specific action against a
“Big Bad”).

Bonds

Bonds are a formal way of creating Needs between the players’ characters and
between their characters and the world. Bonds can be informal (narratively created
and written down on index cards), or formal (specifically created for a game and the
players must choose from a pool).

Bonds tend to be written as a relationship between a character and another

character. When these BONDS are tested or activated in play, the players are driven
to act by those Bonds.

Bonds can be “resolved” by action in a game. When something occurs, which alters the
bond or brings it to closure – “resolve” the bond – and have the player replace it with a
new bond. In this way Bonds can be used to build relationships, express debts, etc.

Bonds can also be used as triggers for Conditions. By roleplaying a bond, the players
are “driving the story” and a reward can be to resolve a Condition. This is a great way

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to show negative needs (like an obsession or addiction) or to create “attitudes” that
can hit in play (like “a sense of decorum” or “thirst for justice”)

Example:
Cyrus has a bond to “protect Ayesha at all costs”. When something threatens Ayesha,
Cyrus has to act to protect her. Gasman has bond with the local street gang of “Keep
the Gang’s Secrets”. During play, Cyrus takes the condition “Stressed”. Since he is
hitting his bond by protecting Ayesha, the MC tells him to resolve STRESSED. At the
end of the adventure, Gasman has to break the gang’s secrets to help Cyrus keep
Ayesha safe. He resolves that bond and replaces it with “Cyrus Owes Me A Big One”.

Alignments

For games where the focus is more on interpersonal actions or politics, the players
could have Alignments – where the party and the characters have a stated
“worldview” that they are attempting to maintain. Alignments are like BONDS, but
without the additional mechanical effects (resolving, hitting).

McGuffins

A McGuffin is anything that drives the plot forward. In terms of Drives, a McGuffin is
an abstracted goal – getting the McGuffin moves the story forward. Some Polymorph
games are built on the acquisition of a McGuffin.

Drive Tracks

Finally, Polymorph Games can use a Drive Track to manage a game. At its heart, a
Drive Track is a number – tracked with tokens or a die. As the number increases or
decreases, the situation that the players find themselves in changes. Characters can
be motivated to want to increase or decrease the Track – to put themselves into
different spaces, or the track can be used as a resource (we’ll talk about them further
along). When used as a resource (either by the players or the MC), the value of the
Track can be spent to produce effects.

The standard drive track is “Darkness” from the Mazes game. In Mazes, whenever the
players take an action that is considered “dangerous” (such as going into a dark place,
splitting the party, or ignoring danger) they add a DARKNESS to the track. Depending
on the number of players, the track can affect how the party does on rolls.

©2020 – 9th Level Games 23

The Danger Economy
When the Characters are in trouble, is there a cost or penalty? Like most RPGs
Polymorph abstracts DANGER. Unlike most games, Polymorph works without Danger
as a motivator – and so multiple formats for emulating Danger in a game are possible
in the framework.

No Danger
In games where there is no real danger, or no real consequences to failure (other than
the failure), there isn’t a need to use a Danger Economy. In fact, the Excellents doesn’t
have any Danger Mechanics at all.

When you make this decision, remember that you are making the decision that the
only negative consequence in your game is failure to do something. Not having a
Danger Mechanic will lead to highly narrative games – since there is less drama tied
into failure.

Danger
If your game needs to have consequences to aggressive, dangerous, or bodily actions
– but doesn’t need anything discrete – the highly abstracted DANGER mechanic is a
good choice. Danger can be used alone or in combination with Conditions.

Whenever a character fails at a dangerous action or save, they acquire a DANGER.

Whenever a character receives a Danger, they need to make a Danger Roll (rolling
their die).

If they roll LOWER than their current DANGER, they suffer the consequence. That
consequence is set by the game (removal from a scene, death, working from home).
If they roll HIGHER than their current DANGER, they are fine and suffer no ill effect
other than the failure result (though they now have a higher Danger).

If they roll EXACTLY their DANGER, they “clear” all of their Danger with a dramatic
move.

The Danger Mechanic is very abstract, but also very balanced. It pushes a more
cinematic style of play, and choosing to use it is a signal to that cinematic style of
play.

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Hearts
When you need discrete control on the damage actions – like in a combat heavy game
– Polymorph has HEARTS. Each player starts the game with a number of Hearts
equal to the number of faces on their die (d10 = 10, d8 = 8, d6 = 6, d4 = 4). If Hearts
are being used, we also suggest the use of Conditions and the Star resource.

Whenever the character would “take damage” they lose hearts. This can be rolled
effects or stated Danger/Damage with a foe. In Mazes, each creature has a DANGER
rating – and that is the DAMAGE inflicted when you fail to save against them.

Every game that uses Hearts will also have a way of “regaining hearts” or Healing –
generally through taking a condition (see below), taking a rest, or having some kind of
refresh scene. In most situations, the idea is that you need a narrative reset to refill
your Hearts.

Conditions

Most any kind of Polymorph game can use CONDITIONS as a way to simulate
danger. A Condition is a tag that is placed against a character (or a Hazard) and that
has an effect.

The core rule of a Condition is that when you have a condition, if you take that
Condition again, you take the next Condition.

The easiest to parse conditions are effects that make your core rolls harder.

Stressed > You are disadvantaged on roles relating to MENTAL ACTIVITY, and you
cannot gain the CHARACTER Class Bonus.

Tired > You are disadvantaged on roles relating to PHYSICAL ACTIVITY.

Hurt > You are disadvantaged on rolls relating to CONFLICT RESOLUTION and
STRENGTH of BODY and SPIRIT.

©2020 – 9th Level Games 25

Other Types of Conditions

A Condition can also be used to provide abilities that are like Edges but are intended
to be limited in use or effect. Other Conditions can be used to simulate dangers that
do not express as “damage” in a classic sense – like sickness, paralysis, muted, blinded,
etc.

Endless Conditions are available and possible. Mazes uses Stressed, Tired, and Hurt –
but also uses DOWN, and has special use conditions like FROZEN or TURNED TO
STONE.

Defining Conditions for the Fiction

Ultimately, you will need to define Conditions for your game based on the fiction of
the game and what you think that you will need. In our experience, playtesting is a
great way to “find” what kinds of Conditions your game may need.

As an example, let’s say that you are working on a game about Garden Gnomes. You
realize that most of the traditional dangers don’t make a lot of sense for ceramic
gnomes, and after a playtest realize that you need a condition for “Broken”.

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Edges
A core tool in the Polymorph Framework is the idea of an EDGE.

An EDGE is an ability that a character has that gives them an “edge” in some way. It
could be ability, description, knowledge, access, power, or something more abstract.
At its most basic an Edge will either provide a character an ability to do something in
the game that others cannot do or will provide an advantage when the player is doing
something.

Edges can be specific, concrete things (I have a SWORD), or they can be more
abstract (I am CHARMING). In any case, they are “invoked” by players to gain ability
or advantage. This is a very powerful way of handling ALL skill and power abilities
with a minimal ruleset.

In some games, Edges are a defined list of abilities that the players select from. In
these types of games, the Edge is simple and defined. In other situations, an Edge is
more fluid – and generally, the player of the character names/writes the Edge.

The easiest Edge is a defined ability that gives the player ADVANTAGE when they roll
using it. For example, if I have the Edge BEAUTIFUL, I gain Advantage when I try to
use my Beauty to charm a person.

Defined Edges are great for world building and creating a sense of consistency and
control in a game. Defined Edges are a powerful tool for setting scale and scope.

Fluid Edges are great for creative and storytelling. Fluid Edges allow for depth and
breadth in character creation.

©2020 – 9th Level Games 27

Class
A Character’s Class is a special type of EDGE. Classes can either be DEFINED or
FLUID (it’s an Edge) but it is the CORE IDEA of a character. The thing that
differentiates Class from Edges, is breadth. A character can have multiple Edges that
do specific things, and a Class that stretches across them. The greatest benefit of a
Class is the Class Bonus and how that operates.

Games without Classes

In games without a clear Class option, the game designer needs a way to provide the
Class Bonus in that particular game space.

In The Excellents, you have a Beast Friend and in Savage Sisters a personal deity. In
both of those games, you always succeed when you roll a 1, but the narrative is
colored by the idea that you are being saved by “your beast friend” or “your god”.

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The Resource Economy
One of the biggest departures that Polymorph makes from other roleplaying games is
completely abstracting resources. In Polymorph there is no equipment, loot, or
possessions. Everything that the characters have is either an EDGE, a STAR or form a
RESOURCE POOL.

While not universal, our experience has been that players most enjoy that when they
make a SPEND of a Resource it results in success. As a general rule of thumb – you
get what you pay for – so when you make a spend from the Resource Pool or from
your own personal Stars, it just happens, no rolls required.

The Resource Pool

The Resource Pool (usually represented by a die or tokens) is a collection of things

that the players can use to take some narrative control of the story, to provide
Advantage, or to have an item needed to accomplish a task. In some situations, you
may use a RESOURCE TRACK (similar to a Danger Track) that has thresholds.

Defining what the Resource Pool looks like will depend on the setting. It makes sense
in a game about Looting Dungeons to have a TREASURE resource, but that doesn’t
make sense in a game about Space Robots, The US Senate, or Surviving Against
Horror Movie Slashers. But, in all of those situations, there is room for a system that
provides resources to the players.

These resources can be gained through play or play activities – e.g. treasure is gained
in Mazes (because the treasure is in the game) and Lesson Tokens are gained in The
Excellents (via a play activity, when you fail at an action you gain a Lesson.)

The players are allowed to “spend” the resources in the pool to:
1) Succeed at an action
2) Provide narrative control or resolution
3) Pay a cost

©2020 – 9th Level Games 29

Stars

Like Hearts in the Danger Economy, characters can have their own Resource
Economy – called Stars. Stars are spent like the party’s resource pool to pay costs or
to automatically succeed at something they can do (like fueling magic spells). Star
spends allow for a way for a character to have a dramatic or dynamic effect – without
overpowering the character all the time.

Stars are renewable (like Hearts) through taking a Condition or another action
stipulated in your game.

Stars are provided to characters in the reverse of how games provide Hearts.

Stars are given to players based on their Dice:

Die Stars
d4 4
d6 3
d8 2
d10 1

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Hazards
A Hazard is anything that prevents the Characters from progressing through the
story. Hazards can be MC characters, traps, monsters, environments – anything.
Creating Hazards can have resources like a player or can be powered or controlled by
the Danger Economy.

Hazard Hearts
A Hazard – whether it’s a character, a monster, a trap, or an environment – generally
has Hearts. Like characters, the Hearts of a Hazard represent how much physical
stress it can take before it is overcome.

So, Monsters have Hearts that show the damage they can take in combat before
dropping, but a locked door, a flaming wall, or a bridge of mental energy could have
Hearts as well. Hearts mean that the obstacle can be defeated through physical
violence. When attacks are successful against it, reduce the obstacle’s Hearts by the
Effect Roll.

When an obstacle runs out of Hearts, you can refill its Hearts by spending a resource
from the Danger Economy. When refreshing, reset Hearts to their starting value.

Hazards Danger
When creating an obstacle, you need to define the potential effect it could have –
called DANGER. Danger will mostly be the Damage that a Hazard inflicts in combat,
as a failure, or as a trap.

Unlike other things, this needs to be strictly defined, since the MC never rolls dice. A
Danger of 1 is low, a Danger of more than 5 is very dangerous.

When a player fails against a Hazard, they will usually either take the Danger in
damage, or suffer an appropriate condition.

©2020 – 9th Level Games 31

Hazard Stars
Hazards can be fueled by the DANGER ECONOMY in your game.
Similar to a player’ using Stars, a Hazard can utilize the resource generated by the
Danger Economy. In Mazes, this is powered by the DARKNESS.

Darkness can be viewed as special moves (like a Demon casting a spreading gloom or
a Dragon breathing fire), a spell (an evil wizard’s hex), or just something cinematic (a
ninja disappearing in a puff of smoke). When the MC spends Danger it should result in
something cool. Similar to when a player spends a Star – there isn’t a roll (and the
players aren’t allowed an immediate response). Spend the Danger, do the thing.

Hazard Edges

When you define a Hazard, in addition to Hearts and Danger – you give it Edges (as
you would a character). Since everything is player facing, most edges don’t provide
you Advantage but they may produce Disadvantaged rolls for the players, or provide
guideposts on how to spend your Danger Resource.

Many new hazards will have Edges that you think up. Think of these Edges as
descriptors or tags – they don’t require complicated descriptions, sometimes just an
evocative name is enough.

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Gather {DARKNESS}!
As the Maze Controller, you have a resource similar to the player’s TREASURE – called
DARKNESS. You can track Darkness with a d12 or tokens. The MC uses DARKNESS to
aid in telling the story, as a pacing mechanism, and as the “fuel” for obstacles and
monsters.

The MC will give the players {TREASURE} based on their story. While the Maze
Controller controls what rewards are possible, Darkness is created by the actions and
activities of the players.

DARKNESS is generated, by the following activities of the players:

• Entering the Darkness

• Provoking Violence
• Splitting the Group
• Ignoring Danger
• Allowing Time to Pass
• Having a Flashback

Entering the Darkness

This is both physical and metaphorical darkness – when the characters go into a
scene or area which is dark or unknown - where they don’t know what is going on –
they are increasing the Darkness. This is always the FIRST ACTION of a game – as
you have the party cross the threshold into the unknown, they will always be giving
the Maze Controller a Darkness.
D Provoking Violence
There is never a penalty for defending yourself, but when the adventurers choose
violence before other means of problem resolution – add a Darkness. Mechanically,
this means that when the party attacks a dungeon, the MC should have at least 1
Darkness to spend per “encounter.”

Splitting the Group

Put the fear of splitting up into their minds early, and the party will stay together.
Whenever the party splits into smaller groups, add a Darkness.

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Ignoring Danger
This is a catchall term for things that the party does where they seem to be ignoring
that they are in a dangerous situation. Making a lot of noise in a silent tomb - add a
Darkness. Running across an ancient rickety bridge in full armor – add a Darkness.
Sticking your hand into a statue of a demon’s mouth without inspecting it – add a
Darkness.

As the Maze Controller this is a powerful way to steer the actions of the characters
without railroading them through a maze.

Time Passes
Similar to Ignoring Danger – this is a catch all for wasting time, as well as being
passive. Whenever the party chooses to take actions that will either take a lot of time,
or where they decide to wait for something to happen – add a Darkness. The
Characters are the protagonists of the story – when they wait for things to happen,
they are giving you the ball and you get a Darkness. When they take actions (often
good, solid, proactive actions) that will take a lot of time to complete, we take a
Darkness to show that the “cost” of spending the time.

As an aside, we have found that threatening to take a Darkness for time passing is a
great way to get a party to decide on an action.

Spending Darkness
Before you tell the players anything – they will already be afraid of the Darkness. But,
what can the Maze Controller do with Darkness?

The first thing that you can do is to let it accumulate to create a negative situation for
the party (see the Rising Darkness below). The other use is to fuel the actions of your
obstacles - whenever you spend a DARKNESS you should feel free to apply FIAT.

Mostly, you will spend Darkness just as the characters spend {stars} and {treasure}.
These “Darkness Spends” are a way of creating custom actions within a Maze
(without creating additional rules to handle every occasion), as well as being perceived
as a fairer way to run a game. When you spend Darkness for player facing activities it
accomplishes three positive goals – one, it signals to the players that they are
succeeding (because you have to spend a resource to stop them); two, it helps to
reinforce the idea that Darkness is something they should fear; and finally, even
though you are throwing gas on their torches and shooting poison darts at them – it
feels fairer than just an outright “because I said so.”

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The Rising Darkness
DARKNESS isn’t just a resource – it’s a barometer of the danger and a way to provide
pacing and control to a story. As the Darkness rises, things are getting harder for the
characters. Over the course of a game, it will continue to rise and get more deadly.

Bright - Darkness Less than Party Size

While the DARKNESS is less than the number of adventurers, things look “BRIGHT” –
they are fresh, clear, and in relative control. While this is happening, they have full oil
lamps and full bellies. While the Darkness is under control like this finding a safe space
to heal and refresh is possible.

While it is Bright, the CHARACTERS succeed when they roll a CROWN.

Normal - Darkness at Party Size to less than Twice Party Size

If the current DARKNESS is equal to the number of players, or a number that is not
more than twice the number of players – things are NORMNAL.

There are no advantages or disadvantages when things are normal.

Bleak - Darkness is Twice Party Strength or more

If the DARKNESS is double the number of adventurers – then things turn BLEAK. Find
more ways to force the characters to make rolls at Disadvantage. Make their choices
bleaker and stranger.

When a CHARACTER rolls their CROWN (even if it would normally succeed), it is now
considered a failure.

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