SRP: Simple Role Playing Rules

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Rules: Combat, Experience, Gear, Skills, Alchemy, Combat Charts

Basic Rules
Opposed Rolls
Contests, Challenges, and Simple Rolls
Research
Teaching and Training Books
Automatic Failure
Combat Related Rules

Opposed Rolls
For contests other than physical combat, the opposed roll system is used. The attacker/active character rolls for both sides (two sets of 2d6) or each participant rolls (2d6 each). The appropirate skill or ability (like PM vs. PM) for each character is added to their roll and if the attacker/active character rolls higher than the defender/passive character, the opposed roll succeeds.

Circumstance Bonuses: for roleplaying or thinking up good ideas, for situational advantages, etc. Bonuses range from +1 (minor) to +5 (overwhelmingly compelling).

Assistants can help in the contest as long as they have half (round down) the skill or ability of the primary. Each assistant gives a +1 to the roll, except for research tasks where each assistance gives a +2 to the roll. Opposed rolls using the damage bonus to represent strength use a minimum of +1 (even for +0 or -1 DAM characters assisting) or the damage modifer (ex. +4 for the minotaur).

Example, Rivo and Iho arm engage in a pig race. Rivo and Iho each roll 2d6 and add their Ride skill to the roll. If they tie, no one wins the contest. Example with circumstance bonus, two politicians orate the crowd to convince them to vote for one action or the other. One has skill 18 and rolls a 7 (25 total), the other has skill 15 and rolls a 5, with a substantial circumstance bonus of 3 (23 total). The 22 total wins and convinces the crowd.

Contests, Challenges, and Simple Rolls
The opposed roll rule is used for other types of non-combat contests. The Challenge is the total target roll that needs to be rolled by the chracter when not directly opposed. Usually a Challenge can be understood prior to the roll. Example, Horst is climbing in the mountains and gets to a particularly bad area. Horst guesses the Challenge will an 18, and decides his 16 skill (plus a d6) will should allow him to overcome the Challenge, so he attempts it.

For traps, concealment, locks and other contests, one side has already rolled their skill roll to generate a Challenge before the contest starts. Often a character cannot understand the Challenge difficulty prior to attempting. Ex. Andrea the locksmith has a skill 16 and rolls a 4 when creating a lock. Five years later, Lucien the thief trys to defeat the lock with a Devise of 18, and rolls a 1 and does not succeed. Another example is trying to perceive a hidden item in a room (already concealed with a total roll generated in advance.)

Simple Rolls are used to resolve situations with more complex variables and a broader range of outcomes. The procedure is that the current skill or under needs to be rolled to succeed. Example, Lucius is in a mass combat on horseback and attempts to jump over a ravine on horseback to attack those on the other side. A target number does not really match the very broad range of outcomes that a Simple Roll would, so the GM declares the situation a Simple Roll. Sometimes Simple Rolls can be further complicated with a difficulty (like -2 to the roll), but situations needing a difficulty modifier are rare.

Research (Pre-Draft)
Reseach is conducted similarly as Challenges above, except the benefit of assistance is higher and success is not immediate. EXAMPLES and more rules needed. +2 add for each assistant with at least half skill of primary? Would research use a points per turn in order to total toward the reseach goal of XX points. Can skill in the area being researched be a substitute for Reseach??

Teaching and Training Books

Teaching spells and Training skills can both be accomplished by using books instead of a teacher or trainer. See the appropriate spell for Teach Spell, and appropriate skill for Train Person on how to write books to do these things.

Automatic Failure

A roll of 20 is an automatic failure, regardless of skill, spells, abilities, etc.

Combat Related Rules
Initiative
Movement
Fatigue
Counters and Cards

Initiative
The leader in immediate vicinity with highest leadership skill opposed roll allows their side to attack first each round for the battle.

Movement (Draft)
Three types of move can occur in a round: minimum, normal, and run.

Minimum Move: A character can minimum move in a round up to 3 meters and still keep two actions.

Normal Move: A character wishing to move more than 3 meters in a round is reduced to one action that round. With a base movement of 3 (humans and goblins) a character has a base move of 30 meters in a round. To base movement add their Atheletics skill in meters and subtract 10% per fatigue effect of armor. Example, goblin warrior with Atheletics 10 and -2 Fatigue (Medium armor) would have a move of 32 meters per round (30+10 = 40 - 20% = 32).

Run: A character can run in a round, losing both actions and getting one short-term fatigue level (-1 all skills). Running movement rate is double normal move, with a minimum of 20 meters.Note: a character with 10 ENC (Jousting Plate and Shield, for example) cannot

Fatigue (Draft rules that are changing, see Gear)
Each fatigue level subtracts one from all skills. Two fatigue types exist, short term and long term. Short term fatigue usually occurs due to running or spells. Short term fatigue can be regained by five minutes of rest. Long term fatigue usually occurs due to lack of sleep (each 2 hours less than 6), 2 hours marching, exposure, etc. One level of long term fatigue is recovered for each two hours hours of comfortable sleep.

Enc./Fatigue (Draft)
Fatigue is number, clearly noted on character sheet. This number subtracts from all skill rolls. Fatigue number is based on armor weight categories. Medium is -1, Heavy -2, Very Heavy-3. Lack of sleep or other long term fatigue adds to this number as does short term activities like running or hits below zero add to short term. A simple table summarizes most ENC and fatigue effects, which do not really change round to round.

Fatigue and ENC Effects (all skills modified by the totals below)

Source

Fatigue Effect

Light Armor

-0

Medium Armor

-2 while worn

Heavy Armor

-3 while worn

Very Heavy

-5 while worn

Short 2 hrs sleep

-1 long term

Extra 2 hrs sleep

+1 long term

Long March (over 8 hrs)

-1 long term

Very Long (over 10 hrs)

-1 more long term

Unconscious (hits <1)

- 1 short term

Rest one round (no actions)

+1 short term

Sprint one round (double move)

-1 short term

10 rounds of combat (optional)

-1 short term

Counters and Cards
Counters: each counter has stats listed below.

Attack+Dam

 

Missile+Dam

 

Name

 

Hits

AP

Defense

Troop Card: List counter information, skills, spells/mana, major equipment, etc.

Attack+Dam

 

Missile+Dam

Skills:

 

Name

 

Mana/Spells:

Hits

AP

Defense

Equipment:

Bracketed defense is avoid, meaning on a success is all damage is avoided.


Copyright © 1997-2002 by Michael Derry, derry@jugenstil.com

Updated 14 MAY 02