SPELLS & SWORDS
SKILLS AND SAVES
SAVING THROWS
Unlike premeditated Skill Checks, Saving throws are Reactions to particular
Magical Attacks or Life threatening Situations.
In some cases GM may decide to handle these as Skill Checks.
Roll 1D20 on the Saving Throw Table.
SAVING THROW TABLE
1D20 Result:
1-12 Failure
13+ Success
Note: a Natural roll of 1 is always a failure and a
Natural roll of 20 is always a success.
SAVE MODIFIERS
Humans get to reroll 1 Failed Saving Throw per Day
Dwarves get +4 vs Poison, Charm, Cold, Acid, Smells, Crushing Traps
Gnomes get +4 vs Mechanical Traps, Lies, Earth type Magics
Elves get +4 vs Disease, Paralyzation, Sleep, Aging, Fairy Magic
Halflings get +4 vs Death, Madness, Missiles, Drain, Blade Traps
Fighters get +4 vs Fear, Petrification, Breath, Gaze, Blindness, Swallow
Priests get +4 vs Control, Curses, Confusion, Polymorph, Fire
Rogues get +4 vs Falls, Blasts, Illusions, Capture Traps
Mages get +4 vs Spells, Fire, Rods, Staves, Wands, Scrying
Monsters get +X to all Saves, where X = their Total Armor Bonus
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SKILL CHECKS
-Players will encounter many non-combat situations requiring Skill Checks.
-All Classes will start with a few non-combat Skills.
-Note that a number of primary Combat Skills such as Strength, Toughness,
And Dodge can be used as Skill Checks in certain Situations.
-Roll 1D20 to make a Skill Check:
-A Roll lower than the Target Number indicates outright Failure or a
partial (Mixed) Success.
-A Roll that is equal to or higher is a Success.
-A Natural roll of 1 is always a failure.
-A Natural roll of 20 is always a success.
SKILL CHECK TABLE
Difficulty: Modified Roll required to Succeed (Target Number)
Easy 5
Moderate 10
Hard Skill 15
Heroic 20
SKILL CHECK TERMINOLOGY
-The proper Terminology for describing a Skill Check:
Example 1: Make a Hard Skill Check Modified by Leadership
Example 2: Make an Easy Skill Check Modified by Swift
MODIFYING SKILL CHECK ROLLS
-Levels in a Skill will add to the Roll.
-Some Attributes will add to a Skill Roll.
-Some Spell effects and Magic Items will add to a Skill Roll.
SKILL FAILURE INTERPRETATIONS
Examples of Bad results (Mishaps):
-You were crafting something and it breaks.
-The Seduction went poorly. You won’t get another chance.
-They Catch you in an Obvious Lie.
-You attempt to jump the Chasm but fall in.
-You burn the Turkey in the Oven.
-You totally do not see the Poison Needle trap.
-You try to Bend the Iron Bars of the prison, but they won’t budge.
SKILL PARTIAL SUCCESS INTERPRETATIONS
The GM may allow for this as a way to mitigate a Failure result. The
Attempt succeeds or can be retried but at a cost. The character must now
deal with a troublesome Condition or Complication such as:
-You don’t know the Lore off the top of your head, but you can research it.
-Fool some of the people some of the time.
-You jump the Chasm and barely catch the Ledge. Another Climbing or
Strength Check is required to pull yourself up.
-A Work in Progress: Several more Craft Checks required to build the item.
-You fiddle with the Lock but you hear the guards approaching. You will have
To Hide and try again later.
-You notice the Needle trap a second too late. Make a Dodge check to
Avoid the Poison Needles flying up at you.
-You make a Strength Check and are able to Lift the Heavy Gate, but you strain
your Back in the Process
SKILL SUCCESS
You get it on the first try. You know your stuff.
CONTESTED SKILL TESTS
This is where 2 Individuals are directly struggling over a single result.
Lets say they are Haggling. One Character has Haggle +5. The other Has
Haggle +3. Both roll 1D20. The first Characters adds +5 to his roll. The
other Character adds +3 to his roll. The Character with the higher Total
Wins the Contest.
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DETECTION TYPE SKILLS
Skills used for Discernment, Perception, Observation:
-The most noticeable of these is the Search Skill.
It is the bread and butter of Dungeon Crawlers.
Search is used for finding Traps, Secret Doors, and Hidden Treasure.
-The Alertness Skill is very much combat related and is used for detecting Foes,
Hidden or not, in any environment.
-Herbalism and Mycology are specialized. They are used to find and identify
Useful/Magical Herbs and Mushrooms, usually in Wild Settings.
-The Track skill is used to find Men and creatures by following their trails.
-Woodcraft and Survival Skills have a pathfinding component where the
Quickest, easiest, and safest Route is sought.
-The Investigation Skill is used to find Clues, and then piece them together.
-The Maze skill is used to find the exit or locations within a Labyrinth.
-The Puzzle skill is used to figure out a puzzle that is delaying the players.
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SOCIAL INTERACTIONS
Role Playing is not Method Acting. Dice rolls are a valid way to resolve a
Social Encounter.
NPC DISPOSITION
This describes the NPC's opinion of the Characters. It will not be Obvious
Persuasion Rolls will be modified by this Initial Attitude.
A successful Insight Check will reveal the Disposition of an NPC.
The Characters can try various things (Checks) to improve this Initial Reaction.
For example: Carousing, Jesting, Performing, Gifts, Streetwise, Etiquette, etc.
RANDOM NPC DISPOSITION TABLE
1D6 Attitude: Modifier:
1 Hostile -2
2 Skeptical -1
3-4 Neutral --
5 Open +1
6 Friendly +2
SOCIAL SKILLS
A typical Roleplaying session may involve several combat skirmishes.
It is also inevitable that Players will meet NPC's and Monsters who
would rater Talk than Fight. Combat rules can become highly detailed.
Likewise, Negotiations and acts of Persuasion can also be more complex
than a simple Skill Roll. Below is a list of Skills/Abilities that can
affect the outcomes of prescribed Social Interactions:
Appearance, Jest, Seduction, Haggle, Etiquette, Streetwise, Diplomacy,
Carousing, Disguise, Guile, Preach, Leadership, Debate, Inspiration,
Intimidation, Interrogation, Gossip, Intrigue, and Taunt
PERSUASION
After dealing with Attitude Adjustments, ultimately the players will have to
make a roll to persuade the NPC to give them what they want. This could
include: Information, Secrets, Lore, Rumors, Access, Favors, Money, Help,
Reduced Prices, Something for Free, To Borrow or Have an important Object,
Guidance, Directions, Release from Imprisonment, A Vow, A Promise, Employment,
Recruitment, Gold, Skipping the Line, etc.
PERSUASION ROLLS
The PC has to determine which Social Skill he is going to use to try to
Persuade the NPC. This requires some strategizing to pick the most appropriate
one. For example: The PC could be using Intimidation to Threaten
and Shake-down the NPC. The PC uses Streetwise to show the NPC they have much
in Common. PC uses Jest to Lighten the Mood and win the day with Wit. The PC
uses Gossip as a way to share not so Trivial Information in a Casual way. The
PC uses Etiquette to impress with the right combination of Manners. The PC
uses Guile to get what he wants using a carefully built structure of Lies.
The PC uses Intrigue to weasel his way into a Situation. The PC uses
Interrogation to Force the NPC into telling what he knows. The PC uses Haggle
to get a better price. The PC uses Disguise to Trick an unsuspecting NPC.
The PC uses Seduction to Distract the NPC or Lure them away. The PC may use
Inspiration to get a group of Crusaders to join them on their Quest.
MODIFIERS TO PERSUASION ROLLS
Mod: Example:
+2 Bribery (A Good Bribe or simply a fair compensation)
+4 Leverage (A Favor Owed. Family Ties)
+6 Blackmail (Threaten to reveal a Secret)
-8 Caught in a Lie
-2 Disturbing Appearance
+/- Unknown NPC Motivations
-6 Using an inappropriate Social Skill
PERSUASION IMPOSSIBLE
Some Guys just cannot be negotiated with. Having a Theological Debate with the
Evil High Priest is not going to get him to change his evil ways. You may
succeed in Distracting him for a Moment (Go for the Kill!) but that would be all.
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