I've been posting about my current campaign lately, and have more content coming down the pipe. I figured I should probably explain the basics of how it's running.
Character Creation
(For creating new characters during the campaign, after completing the intro adventure The Silver Chamber.)
Choose name, age, look, home, and past occupation. A character has knowledge and skills appropriate to their background, assuming broad competence.
Record possessions: clothes according to the character's social station, backpack, 3d6 motes of Dust, small knife, flint, tinder, one-handed melee weapon of your choice.
Choose 1 or roll 1d6 for further possessions:
Record any other common possessions and provisions appropriate to the character's background.
Skills & Skill Checks
Characters can do anything within their competence if they have the time and tools.
When competence is challenged or time or tools are limited, make a skill check. Roll 1d6 if the character is unskilled, 2d6 if skilled, 3d6 if an expert, 4d6 if a master; take the highest. If unopposed, 4+ is a success. If opposed, roll off; high roll wins, with ties that must be broken going to PCs.
Starting PCs should have several useful adventuring skills and may be experts in one or two things. Mastery requires experience.
To learn new skills or improve existing skills, spend time learning from instructors and manuals.
Burdens
Things that can burden a character:
- hunger
For each burden, a character takes -1 to skill checks involving feats of strength and agility.
Encumbrance
Characters can carry 5 items on their belt. Items on a character's belt can be retrieved quickly. Small items can be bundled together in a pouch.
Armor takes up belt slots equal to its AC: 1 for light, 2 for medium, 3 for heavy.
A backpack can hold 10 items. A backpack with 6 or more items in it is a burden. Packed items take time to retrieve.
Common sense determines what can and can't be carried on a belt or in a pack.
Survival
For every 3 days without food, a character takes hunger. Hunger is a burden. When a character eats their fill, they lose all hunger. If a character has 7 hunger, they die.
For every day without water, a character takes thirst. Thirst is a burden. When a character drinks their fill, they lose all thirst. When a character has 3 thirst, they die.
For every night without proper sleep, a character takes exhaustion. Exhaustion is a burden. When a character rests for a full day in a comfortable place, they lose all exhaustion. When a character has 7 exhaustion, they pass out.
Durability
When an item is used strenuously or for something it's not designed for, it loses durability. Most items have 3 durability. Excellent items have 4, crap items and fragile items have 1. Repairing an item costs half its purchase price.
Dungeons
Dungeon time is measured in turns, about 10 minutes each. When the party has a long conversation, navigates through multiple rooms, searches a location thoroughly, or gets in a fight, a turn passes.
Candles cast light for about 10' and last 6 turns. Torches cast light for about 30' and last 6 turns. Lanterns cast light for about 30' and last 24 turns per flask of oil.
Each turn, and whenever the party makes a lot of noise, roll for an encounter, usually 1-in-6.
Reactions
When an NPC's reaction is uncertain, roll 2d6.
Initiative
In combat, and whenever else order of action is uncertain, roll 1d6. Highest die acts first, then next-highest, until everyone's acted.
Combat time is tracked in rounds, about 6 seconds each. In each round, everyone gets 1 action, which they can use to do anything they could do in a few seconds.
Once everyone's acted, if the fight continues, a new round starts. Everyone rolls for initiative again.
Melee Combat
When two characters fight blade to blade, they make opposed skill checks. The winner hits and inflicts damage on the loser. On a tie, the characters clash dramatically.
Missile Combat
When an archer, slinger, or thrower takes aim at a target, they make a skill check to hit against the target's check to evade. Characters can evade missiles by sprinting, ducking behind cover, or blocking with a shield. If the archer wins, they hit and inflict damage on the target.
Damage
When a character takes damage, make a damage roll, 1d6 minus the character's AC.
Morale
NPCs have morale scores from 2 to 12; 7 is average for humans.
When morale is tested, roll 2d6 at the end of the round. On a roll over the character's morale score, they flee or surrender.
Individuals check morale when wounded. Groups check when first outnumbered, when reduced to half strength, and when their leader falls.
Weapons and Armor
Small weapons take -1 on damage rolls, minimum 1 before armor applies.
Two-handed weapons take +1 on damage rolls.
Polearms get a free attack against the first enemy to enter melee.
Crossbows take +1 on damage rolls, but take a round to reload.
Shields inflict -1 on enemies' attack checks and can block arrows.
Light armor is AC 1 and takes up 1 belt slot.
Medium armor is AC 2 and takes up 2 belt slots. Each day a character marches in it, they make a skill check or take exhaustion. Swimming is impossible in medium armor.
Heavy armor is AC 3 and takes up 3 belt slots. Each day a character marches in it, they take exhaustion. Stealth and swimming are impossible in heavy armor.
Healing
When a character gets treatment from a skilled healer and rests for a week, they're healed of all wounds.
A dying character can be stabilized with medical supplies and a skill check. This takes a turn. On a failure, the patient dies.
A character who's been stabilized from dying is out of commission until treated by a skilled healer for a month, and gains a distinctive scar.
Monsters
Creatures with strength and speed beyond human roll bigger dice for physical skill checks. The size of a creature's dice is its strength.
A dog or goblin has strength d4. A horse or gnoll has d8. A bear or ogre has d10. A giant or dragon has d12.
For each step below or above d6 strength a creature has, it takes 2 less or 2 more wounds to kill.
In addition to its strength, a monster's description includes its speed per round, its AC, its attacks, and its morale score.
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