DIE RPG BETA v1diecomic.com/DIE RPG Beta v1.2.pdf · 2020-05-07 · In terms of future public Betas, I suspect the only major thing to be released will be tweaks and possibly the

DIE RPG BETAv1.2

INTRODUCTIONv1.2

Hey.

This Beta release is just a few tweaks I want to put into the world and let you take out for a spin.

These are just character sheets which have been adjusted so they use the same starting point as the current full DIE campaign game. The light character sheets have been removed, as the starting positions are now significantly lighter in choices.

I’ve decided having two separate sets of sheets for the campaign and the one-off game is going to be too complicated, so I’m bringing them together in a core sheet. If they don’t use the same sheets, it’d also be impossible (or at least impractical) for players in a one-off deciding to change their game into a campaign mid-point, which is an option I’d like to allow.

Bar the new rules that follow, all rules in 1.1 remain the same. The main changes you’ll see are:

1. All players’ characters start with a much reduced number of abilities and lower ability scores. This is equivalent to a level 1 character in the DIE campaign.

2. They increase in power rapidly across the one-off, gaining abilities between 1 and 3 times. This is not the same as how levelling up works in the DIE campaign, but simplified. By the end of the one-off, you’ll have a similar number of abilities as you had at the start of all previous editions of the Beta.

3. The Fool’s dice has been entirely reworked into a new method. This means the Fool has many more options and space for creativity. Dice no longer explode indefinitely if the fool’s dice in the pool (i.e. 6s cannot generate further 6s.). Rolling the Fool’s symbol no longer replaces the number beneath it, but is in addition to the number beneath it.

4. Losing wounds no longer leads to disadvantages. With weaker starting characters, this is overly punishing.

As well as bringing the game in line with the campaign, the reduced number of abilities means that character generation is quicker, meaning you can get into the main body quicker. Equally, a player is less overwhelmed by the available options at any point. They can play with their selection, then add more and learn at a steadier pace.

The characters’ six statistics are much lower than they are in previous versions of the game. I include guidance on starting with more powerful characters, but I wanted to at least suggest people try playing with more vulnerable characters.

DIE development is, as the above suggests, mainly on the campaign and the various elements left. Character classes are being honed in ways which I think are working, and the first campaign is now 12 parts in, and going well. It is a different beast to the DIE one-off, but has other strengths.

In terms of future public Betas, I suspect the only major thing to be released will be tweaks and possibly the Master as a playable character (and the antagonist not being a Master). We’re presently playtesting the larger campaign mode, but I suspect that won’t even be in Open Beta like this. Basically, it seems we’re on a road which is heading to an actual real commercial edition.

Thanks for your feedback on this so far – it’s been great. If you want to write, please write to [email protected] with feedback, or pop into the Discord (https://discordapp.com/invite/6rjwmvE) to talk. Folks are friendly.

In terms of the future, I am starting to think about how to publish this, as it does seem folks are into the idea of an actual edition.

In terms of everything else?

Hope things are as okay as they can be with you, wherever you are right now. It’s bleak and awful times, and I miss you all.

Kieron5.6.2020

CHANGES TO THE STANDARD DIE RULESTO RUN WITH V1.2 CHARACTERS

In the initial encounter, have the players face a number of Lesser Fallen equal to the number of players (i.e. no Greater Fallen). Players are significantly more fragile now.

For the sake of this playtest, do not use the rules for player injuries. As in, they do not suffer disadvantages if wounded simply from combat damage. If the narrative suggests a situation could hamper a player, as always, a character may suffer disadvantages.

The Master has higher statistics than the players, equivalent of Level 3. This is as they don’t advance throughout the game. If you are playing a game without stat advancement for players, you could consider playing a Master with the same statistics as the players.

REPLACEMENT FOOL RULE: FLUKES

The full new system for Fool’s symbols they draw on their dice is described on their sheet.

In short…

1. Whenever a Fool rolls a dice pool which includes the Fool’s dice, and does NOT roll a side with a circle on, you add a circle.

2. If you roll a circle, the Fool’s fluke happens. Delete all the circles bar one, and also add a cross to another side of the dice.

3. If the Fool rolls the cross, a negative thing will happen to either them or the people around them. All the crosses are also deleted.

In other words, this system will slowly build towards something good happening for the player. When that does, there is a chance for something bad to happen to the party, which will build until it happens. This is, as the “opponent gets buried alive under something unfortunate” line may

suggest, this is a power primarily inspired by that bit in Back to the Future where Biff gets his head stuck in the manure.

If the cross is rolled, select one of the flukes the Fool has selected and apply it against the group. Ask the Fool to strike it on the list, and select (or make up) a new fluke.

Yes, it’s possible that in certain situations a Fool may start making up positive flukes thinking the odds are that they will be rolling a cross, so effecting the party. This is 100% fine.

When a player gets to make up a fluke, there may be a tone discussion. It is a place for player creativity, but should align with the desired tone of all players (and the good taste). In extreme cases, the X-card is available.

Do not delete any symbols between adventures.

Clearly, if the player wants to use different symbols from either circles or crosses, feel free.

CHARACTER ADVANCEMENT

At several points in the game, the players’ dice bursts into life and the players gain new abilities. This is a levelling up moment, and an apposite moment to play a stirring burst of Ciara’s ‘Level Up’ if you of a poptimistic bent.

Why is this happening? As the players are overcoming struggles and acting, their DICE are attuning themselves to their owners, and vice versa.

When the group is first asked to level up, present the players with the advancement sheet (see page 6), which will tell them what reward they will get. The Master, it should be noted, does not advance. As the conduit to this world, he’s already aligned to it exactly.

If you’re playing the basic structure of DIE, depending on the level of sessions you have, this is where you should place your level-ups:

ONE-SESSION GAMELevel up: after the defeat of the initial fallen or your entrance into the fantasy world proper. (Optional)Level up: before the final confrontation.

TWO-SESSION GAMELevel up: after the defeat of the fallen or your entrance into the fantasy world proper.Level up: before the final confrontation.

THREE-SESSION GAMELevel up: after the defeat of the fallen or your entrance into the fantasy world proper.Level up at the climactic moment at the end of the second session.Level up: before the final confrontation.

FOUR-SESSION GAMELevel up: after the defeat of the fallen or your entrance into the fantasy world proper.Level up at the climactic moment at the end of the second session.Level up at the climactic moment at the end of the second session.Level up: before the final confrontation.

Essentially it is “At the end of every session, and just before the end”.

Previous Beta editions of DIE had a power rush from the off, with all the characters being hugely powerful immediately. In this version, they likely start as merely as good as anyone on Earth, (or better than anyone on earth within a limited field) with a handful of superhuman abilities. Instead, the longer they stay in DIE, they appear to gain more abilities. This can be folded into the narrative – there is an implicit question of how

powerful the players will be if they continue to stay here?

ALTERNATVES TO THE ABOVE ADVANCEMENT

POWERLESS

Don’t use advancement. Try with the characters as level 1 characters throughout. This is how I’m actually starting the actual campaign in the playtest. Works fine, and does make it easier for everyone. None of my group (all of whom have played DIE before) have objected to starting like this, and still had lots of fun. In a real way, reducing the number of abilities you have makes you focus in on things you can do with them.

POWER-CRAZED

Start with the characters at maximum power – as in, with all four advances and all the points for their stats. This is basically identical to how the characters were in the previous betas.

STAT-CRAZED

Starts with your stats at the maximum of 6 points spent, but only level 1 abilities. This means you have much greater chances of success, but aren’t overloaded with extra abilities to figure out.

ADVANCEMENT TABLE

Every time a player advances, they can increase one stat by 1, but to a maximum of 4. In addition, they gain the following ability, depending on your class.

Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4

Neo STARTAll your new gifts will require activation with Fair Gold, as per your original one.

PICK NEW MAJOR GIFTSelect one of the other abilities on your sheet.

PICK ONE OF THESE THREE MINOR GIFTSJetpack/Enhanced Vision/RadarThe gift can be used in the narrative appropriately.

PICK NEW MAJOR GIFTSelect one of the other abilities on your sheet.

Dictator START PICK A SECOND EMOTION FOR YOUR PALETTE

PICK A THIRD EMOTION FOR YOUR PALETTE

PICK A FOURTH EMOTION FOR YOUR PALETTEThe designer wishes all of these were as easy to do as the Dictator.

Godbinder START PICK A NEW LEVEL IN ANY GOD

PICK A NEW LEVEL IN ANY GOD

PICK A NEW LEVEL IN ANY GODThe designer is also fond of you, Godbinder. You don’t make it too hard.

Fool START A SECOND FLUKEMake up / select a second fluke. Choose whichever you wish when you roll your circle.

GAIN ‘FOOLS RUSH IN’Write on sheet and ask GM what it means.

GAIN ‘FOOL’S PREP’Write on sheet and ask GM what it means.

Emotion Knight START GAIN ACCESS TO EMOTION DRAININGAlso, increase max Creative Violence to 4.

PICK A GREATER ABILITYAlso, increase max Creative Violence to 6+.

CHOOSE A SECOND STANCE OR GREATER ABILITYYou may only have a single Stance active at once.

NOTES ON ADVANCES

Most of the choices on the sheet are explanatory, expanding the options the players pick from their character sheet.

For example, if a Neo gains a new gift, and selects Energy Blade, they gain it and all abilities (and further choices) beneath the Energy Blade.

You should include the activation of these powers into the narrative in the same way as the initial transformation into the DIE character.

There are some abilities which are new, lifted from the Campaign and included here.

Coo.

LESSER GIFTS

Lesser gifts are Neo abilities which, while requiring activation (and could be overcharged), do not provide a specific mechanic advantage.

They are described as an evocative noun, and you should discuss what it looks like and feels like. They provide only narrative options. For example, a Jetpack would allow the character to soar through the air and provide different approaches.

It should be stressed that narrative also impacts the mechanics. So you could rule that a character who is flying quickly with a Jetpack is harder to hit, so anyone trying to do so suffers a disadvantage. However, you could also rule that if you’re flying that quickly, attacks are harder for you as well.

FOOLS RUSH IN

Fools with this ability, if they initiate combat before the rest of the party have agreed to engage in combat, get one free extra action at the start of the combat.

FOOL’S PREP

Once per session, a Fool can declare an item they need, and they either have it with them (having luckily picked it up on a whim) or it’s in the nearby vicinity. The GM should feel free to ask questions.These are two of the abilities the Fool can pick up in the campaign game, and I wanted to see how you got on with them.

Adventurers’ lust for gold makes them all thieves, which makes the prejudice against rogues a little odd. They all do it. But everyone knows why people are suspicious about Neo…

The Neo’s magical technology needs to be activated by Fair Gold every day. It disappears every dawn. If they can’t find enough then all their gifts means nothing. They chase it. Some practically, some obsessively, most selfishly.

Adventurers all want gold but only Neo need it.

DON’T READ THIS BIT ALOUD. Hey, Player. You can make choices as the player or persona or both. No matter what, please select options as the sheet describes.

CLASS DICE: D10YOUR NAME:

EQUIPMENT

You start with all the following:

• A Dagger (or any pointy thing which stabs)• Another Close Weapon (short sword, a second dagger or • _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _)• A Ranged Weapon (shortbow, crossbow, pistol or

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _)• Leather Armour (Defence 1)

CORE MECHANIC REDUX

• Roll a number of normal D6 equal to your statistic plus (if directed) your class dice.

• Each 4+ is a success.• If the number of successes match or exceed the set difficulty

you fully succeed.• Each 6+ can also activate a single relevant Special. These

abilities are marked on your sheet with a bold Special.

COMBAT

• Generate Initiative: roll Dexterity Dice Pool. Characters with most successes act first.

• Combat Round: in initiative order, everyone does an action.

For more see Cheat Sheet or ask GM.

YOUR LOOK

Choose one of the following:

• Black Leather, studs and chrome• White leather, bleach and catsuits• Billowing black cloak and sinister scarlet eyes • Exposed metallic exoskeleton and vat grown muscle• Your own idea:

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

STATS

STRENGTHPhysicality, hand-to-hand combat, etc.

DEXTERITYDodging, ranged combat, initiative, etc.

INTELLIGENCEEducation, perception, spells, willpower, etc

CONSTITUTIONHealth, amount of damage you take, etc.

WISDOMUnderstanding, miracles, willpower, etc

CHARISMAPersonal skills, attractiveness, etc.

Assign your stats. All stats start at 2. You have 2 points to increase any stat(s) you wish. Underlined stats are ones most associated with this class.

GUARDGuard = Dexterity

HEALTHHealth = Constitution

DIFFICULTY TO BE HIT EMOTIONAL RESILIENCE

DEFENSIVE STATS

WILLPOWERWisdom + Intelligence

DEFENCESet from Equipment

RESETS AT START OF COMBAT LOSE GUARD BEFORE HEALTH

THE NEO

You always have an AI system and ability to access the Fair Field.

In addition, select one technomagical gift. Each is a tool which, as with other stated abilities, allows you to do anything that the gift would logically let you do. However, each must be activated with Fair Gold before its special abilities can be used.

Gun

(Replaces Ranged Weapon from Equipment. As in, can be fired as a normal gun before being activated.)You are in possession of an arcane gun, gifted to you from the Fair. Define its appearance: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Choose one of the below. When activated, you gain this special ability on its attacks.

Explosive(Special: apply individual hit — not whole attack — to another target in the vicinity.) Homing(Special: this individual hit — not the whole attack — bypasses Guard.)AI-Aided Targeting(Never has any disadvantages on a hit roll.)

Energy Blade

(Replaces close combat weapon from Equipment. As in, can be used as a normal blade before being activated.)You have a searing energy blade, Luke Skywalker. You may use Dexterity for its dice pool instead of Strength.

Define its appearance: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Choose one of the below. When activated, you gain this special ability on its attacks.

Intangible(Special: this individual hit — not the whole attack — bypasses Guard.)Searing(Special: if hit wounds, ignites target causing 1 wound per round until extinguished.)Neurosleep(Special: target is hit by a sedative. If number of times they are hit by a sedative ever equals their constitution, they fall into a natural sleep.)

Stealth Field

You can become virtually invisible at will. You will not be noticed unless someone is actively searching for you, and possibly not even then. You’re basically the Predator.

When activated:It’s hard to hit someone you can’t see. Gain +1 defence.

Teleporter

You can make short scale teleport jumps – 1-5m. These can be chained. Yes, you’re Nightcrawler from the X-Men.

When activated:It’s hard to hit a teleporter. Add one disadvantage to any attempt to hit you.

Pet

You have an awesome cybernetic pet.

Choose what animal it is: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Choose what its personality is like: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

When activated: Gain advantage on any task the animal could feasibly help with. It is also autonomous, capable of following instructions. Its defence value is the same as yours. If it suffers a wound it dematerialises, and reappears beside you. The wounds are transferred to the Neo.

Active

Active

Active

Active

Active

THE GOLD OF THE FAIR

All your gifts start the game deactivated, unable to use their special abilities. A single piece of Fair Gold is required to activate each one for the rest of the day. You’ll find a slot, likely in the back of your neck, where you can insert the coin.

What’s “Fair Gold”? You’ll know it when you see it. Ask your AI if you get stuck.

You should keep track of how many pieces of Fair Gold you possess. Maybe you’ll be passed tokens? That’d be nifty.

FAIR FIELD

As a core part of your enhancements, you’re able to access the magical Fair Field which connects many technological magics in the world of Die. You are able to interact with and subvert it. Imagine being a hacker in a fantasy world. Look for places where you can interact with the arcane technology.

The dice pool is based on your Intelligence. If you succeed against the difficulty, you bypass the problem. The dice pool has a Special: subvert the system according to your will for one action.

For example, the Neo faces a Fallen – a being which they can interact with via the Fair Field. The GM sets a difficulty of 2 to try and hack it. The Neo rolls three successes, one of which is a 6. The Fallen freezes and, with the 6, the player activates the Special, causing the Fallen to turn on its allies.

Once more, do feel free to ask your AI questions.

THE D10

Add the D10 to any dice pool when trying to achieve a task an active Gift would be of use in achieving.

As well as the normal meaning of the number (as in, a 4+ is a success, a 6+ can activate a special) if the result is a 0 (or, if the D10 you’re using has a 10 rather than a 0, a 10), the Gift uses up its charge. It deactivates and will require another Fair Gold to reactivate.

OVERCHARGE

All the Fair Gifts are capable of higher performance if fueled with extra gold. This is called Overcharge. A gift must be activated before it can be overcharged.

Say what you wish your equipment to do. The GM will set a cost in gold to achieve the task. On average, a single gold is enough to change one of the limitations.

For example, using the Teleporter to teleport the whole group a short distance would be one gold. Using the teleporter to transport yourself a long distance would be one gold.

If you wish to proceed with the task, you spend the gold, and roll your D10.

If it’s Odd, it works. If it’s Even, something goes amiss.

GIFTS OF THE FAIR

THE NEO IN BRIEF

Collect Fair Gold to spend to activate your fancy tech equipment and then spend more to use its fancier abilities.

THE DICTATOR

You read a sad story. You cry. Do you think that’s sinister, as if someone has taken over your emotions? Of course not. That’s just what art is. Anyone who’s ever met a Dictator would disagree.

By performing, they alter other people’s emotional states. Dictators play people like a musician plays a harp. They can pluck the strings. They can snap them.

In D&D terms, they are like Bards, if everyone was fucking petrified of bards.

EQUIPMENT

You start with the following:

• The Dictator’s Clothes (Defence 1)

In addition, choose one of the following options:

• A Rapier (Use Dexterity instead of Strength for its dice pool. Special: recover one Guard.)

• A Dagger and a Ranged Weapon (bow, pistol) including ammunition• Magical Death Touch (May use Dexterity instead of Strength for its

dice pool. This weapon is concealed and cannot be disarmed.)

YOUR LOOK


• Austere, severe angular outfits• Flamboyant, straight out of a stage show• Spectacular eveningwear• Your own idea:

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

STATS



CORE MECHANIC REDUX





COMBAT














DEFENSIVE STATS




This is a character class that has questions of consent buried right in the heart of it. You’re the character class who is most likely to prompt an X card, especially if you start to use your emotional control abilities on an unwilling player (assuming a thing is even possible in your game). Read the room.

Every artist has their favourite themes. Look at the Emotion Wheel below. Choose one of the spokes.

Write your choice to the right (each spoke’s core emotion is shown underlined, and that’s what you should write below):

BUILDING YOUR EMOTIONAL PALETTE

(The Wheel of Emotions was created by Professor Robert Plutchik in 1980. This Wheel is from Wikipedia’s entry on the Wheel of Emotions, which is public domain. Hurrah for Wikipedia! We’re working on our own version at the moment.)

1 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 2 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

3 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

4 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

THE DICTATOR IN BRIEF

Select one emotion and then think of clever and/or horrific ways to inflict them on people.

THE VOICE

When you control emotions, you merely speak commands aloud. But something gives you away and people know exactly what you are. What is it?

Strange facial scars (possible to whisper, visibly obvious)

Demonic, loud voice (impossible to whisper, not visibly obvious) Strange smells emerge from your mouth (not visible, scent lingers) Something else: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

PERFORMING WITH YOUR D4

If you want to try and influence another character, you roll a dice pool including your D4 (see next section). Note the results solemnly, and ceremonially pass the D4 to the affected player. Their character is now being influenced by your abilities.

If you want to use your powers on someone else, you must first reclaim the D4. You can do this instantly, and doing so ends that previous compulsion.

The Dictator is left to think of clever uses of all these emotions – the useful formula is choosing an emotion and a target.

For example, “Fear” and “me” could lead to someone running away from you. Or it could lead to their heart exploding in sheer terror. Go read the Emotion Scale section opposite and see what you’re getting into.

To create a compound emotion – as in, an emotion that lies between two of the spokes – you must possess and use the two emotions beside them. So, to actually make someone fall in love, you must have Joy and Trust emotions. As a starting Dictator has a single emotion, this will not be initially possible.

These emotions, while magically created, are real. While the target is likely aware that you have done this to them, it doesn’t make the emotion any less real.

THE EMOTION CONTROL DICE POOL

The Dictator is incredibly powerful. That’s the problem. While other characters struggle to gain enough successes, the Dictator’s problem is ensuring their powers actually do what they want them to do.

While your Emotional Control is a Charisma dice pool, it is NOT calculated like normal. The number on the D4 is the number of successes. Each other success you roll in the dice pool allows you to modify that, with each success allowing you to increase or decrease by one. You don’t need to use all your successes.

RESISTING YOU

Someone’s emotional resistance is measured by their Willpower. Willpower is equal to a character’s Intelligence plus Wisdom, so an average character has 4. In a combat situation, you’ll need to match their Willpower to permanently remove them from the combat, one way or another.

A character with high Willpower will not be entirely overcome unless you match or exceed their Willpower in successes, but they will certainly be influenced by the emotion. The stronger the emotion, the bigger the effect.

EMOTIONAL SCALE

The final number of successes is intensity. It’s rated on this scale. You may note the Emotion Knight player also uses this scale.

1 You feel it enough to influence you.2 You feel it intensely. It’s hard to do anything not related to it.3 Feeling it as intensely as most people ever feel it, except in extremis. Active compulsions. 4 If we’re talking love, more than you love your partner. 5 All consuming obsession. Often the further reaches of madness.6+ Supernaturally intense emotions beyond anything in reality.

If it matches or exceeds a target’s Willpower, in terms of effect, anything beyond 6 is very much in the GM’s control. Expect fireworks. Like all creators, while you can aim to have a certain effect on an audience, the audience will respond in their own way.

CRITICAL FAILURE

If you roll a critical failure, you are unable to to remove this emotional state. It’s permanent. You’ve broken someone. Oh dear.

A LITTLE EMOTIONAL NUDGE

If a Dictator has possession of their D4, and is in a situation where any subtle emotional manipulation may give them an edge, they may roll the D4 as part of their dice pool. The D4, rather than counting as a dice, can be used to increase any one dice in the dice pool by the amount the D4 rolls. It’s cute to put the D4 on top of the Dice you’re boosting, like a little hat.

There’s not much cute about your character, so enjoy it while it lasts.

THE FOOL

Always look on the bright side of life. Always look on the bright side of life. Always look on the bright side of life. Always look on the bright side of life. And if I don’t things will be worse.

Fools rush in... and their friends have to deal with the consequences.

YOUR LOOK

This can either be the same or different from “Your Style” over the page… Choose one of the following:

• Light fabrics, exposed skin, a big grin• Black leather, a deck of cards and fast fingers• A long cloak balanced between elegantly-wasted and scruffy• Your own idea:

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

EQUIPMENT

Whatever you wish to wear, it always counts as Defence 2. In addition, choose two of the following options:

• A fine and noble Longsword (Advantage when talking with regal sorts and those impressed by regal sorts.)

• A Rapier (Use Dexterity instead of Strength for its dice pool. Special: recover one Guard.)

• A Cutlass (Advantage when talking to with Underworld sorts and impressionable romantic sorts.)

• Martial Arts (May use Dexterity instead of Strength while fighting with no weapons.)

• A Pistol or other Ranged Weapon• Concealed Throwing Weapons (knives, throwing stars)



CORE MECHANIC REDUX





COMBAT




STATS











DEFENSIVE STATS




FLUKES

Choose one side of your D6. Draw a circle on it.

If you roll the circle, as well as the usual effects of the number underneath, some fluke of luck will happen. Choose it from the list NOW or make your own...

Your opponent is buried alive under something unfortunate. Your opponent gets talking and confesses something useful to you. Your opponent mistakes you for a long lost love. ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________

If you don’t roll the circle, add another circle over another number.

If you do roll the circle, pick a fluke to happen. Then, delete the circles bar one, and choose / make up a new fluke for next time. Also, add a cross to another side.

If the cross turns up, something unfortunate will happen either to you or (more likely) the people around you. You then delete all crosses.

If there’s no space on your dice to add another symbol, don’t.

THE FOOL’S D6

If your D6 is in your possession, it is added to a dice pool any time when the character is acting in a foolish, daring or cavalier fashion. In any dice pool which includes the Fool’s D6, you gain access to the following Special...

Special: roll another D6 and add it to the present dice pool.

In an exception to the usual Special rules, if that dice turns up a 6, you cannot use this special on it.

IF ALL ELSE FAILS

If you’re in a dire situation you wish to escape, hand your GM your D6. You (and possibly your friends) will get out of the situation via a piece of unfeasibly good luck.

The GM may return your D6 at any point, to create an entirely unfair event on a similar scale of awfulness.

If at any point before then you deliberately cause a plan to fail in a spectacular or amusing fashion, retrieve the D6 from the GM.

YOUR STYLE

Fools are, above all things, fools – charming or otherwise. However, as much as any other class, they also have their own approach and skills, and can appear to be something more like a traditional adventurer than the rest of the party. What style of fool are you?

Swashbuckler (Example Archetype: Han Solo, Errol Flynn) Choose another option from your equipment list and look the part.

A Trickster Wizard (Example Archetype: Rincewind, John Constantine)Can cast cantrip-styled minor magical spells (Max difficulty of 1). See what you can talk the GM into.

A Rogue (Grey Mouser. Garret from Thief.) Add the Concealed Throwing Weapons and thieves tools to your equipment.

SCHOOL’S OUT

Hey, look around the table! I’m willing to bet all those other nerds are still doing their homework. The Fool involves a few less choices, so you may still have some thumb-fiddling time. On the rest of the page are some exercises for getting into a suitably Foolish state of mind. If you’re already firmly connected with your inner fool, feel free to chill, or have a little snooze.

WHAT DO YOU LOVE?

Write a mark out of ten for each of the following, depending on how much you like them:

_ _ Birdsong_ _ Season 3 of Killing Eve_ _ Isolation_ _ Tiger King_ _ Gingerbread houses_ _ Homemade sourdough _ _ Zoom calls_ _ Goats’ cheese_ _ Animal Crossing: New Horizons_ _ Feet_ _ Disappointing your parents_ _ The Irishman_ _ Sitting down in public parks_ _ Christopher Lloyd_ _ Napoleon on the ‘Waterloo’ slides in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure

DRAW A PICTURE

What does this picture make you feel? Please write your answer below:

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

THE FOOL IN BRIEF

Act in a cavalier fashion to get access to your special powers, or give away access to your powers temporarily to get out of any trouble.

THE _ _ _ _ _ _ KNIGHT

These eight orders of Knights are the world’s greatest warriors, each devoted to a single emotion. Whether it be joy, hate, or fear: if they feel it, they can use it to fuel the power of their sentient, arcane weapons.

When consumed by their sacred sensation, they are incomparable warriors, capable of miraculous feats. Nothing can stand against their blades – armies, mountains, even ideas. They can defeat anything.

Except the passion which drives them.

YOUR LOOK


• Worn leather, a long cloak and a scowl• Gladiator gear, all skin, spikes and black leather• Covered head to foot, with a full helm showing only your eyes• Your own idea:

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

EQUIPMENT

You start with:

Your Arcane weapon (see next page).

In addition, choose one of the following:

• Chainmail (Defence 2) • Leather Armour (Armour 1), and a normal, non-magical Ranged

Weapon of your choice (bow, crossbow, throwing knives). The latter includes ammunition.



CORE MECHANIC REDUX





COMBAT




STATS











DEFENSIVE STATS




YOUR SACRED EMOTION

Your powers are driven by you feeling an emotion. Look at the Emotion Wheel on the third page.

Select the word that best fits your emotion (from the main coloured spokes only). It can be the one most related to your persona, or the one you think is most interesting to explore. Talk to your GM if you want to know more about what “interesting” may mean.

Now write that emotion into the blank space at the top of p1, to denote what the type of Knight you will be.

Now you’ve picked, fill in the other blanks on the third sheet. All three of these words are aspects of your Sacred Emotion.

If you are unsure what emotion to pick, “Rage” is a simple one to play.

THE ARCANE WEAPON

All the Emotion Knight’s special abilities are channeled via their arcane weapon. All arcane weapons, whatever their form, are sentient and can communicate with its owner (both audibly or with short range telepathy) and share a bond with its owner. It is also able to sense strong sources of its emotion in its vicinity.

Your weapon is... (choose one of the following):

SwordHammerTridentYour idea: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Your weapon’s main attribute is... (choose one):

Brutal (Special: if this removes a Health from your opponent, remove two Health instead.)Fast (Special: when removing a Guard from your opponent, remove two Guard instead of one.)Incredibly Elegant (Uses Dexterity instead of Strength for its dice pool. Special: recover two Guard.)

Your weapon’s personality is... (choose one):

AggressiveSarcasticCutsieYour idea: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

THE EMOTIONAL SCALE

Look at the Emotional Scale on the third page. Place your D8 at zero. Depending how intensely your character is feeling this emotion, the D8 will move up or down the scale. The further up the scale it is, the more intensely a character feels this, and the more likely it will be nearly impossible to do something unconnected to this emotion.

To stress: the emotion is generated from events in the fiction. For example, if you are a Terror Knight surprised by a monster, you are likely to be scared, which means your D8 will move up the scale.

You are not immune to your emotion. When you experience willpower level you will be overwhelmed by it.

EMOTIONALLY ENGAGED

When your d8 is above zero on the Emotional Scale, you gain Advantage on any attack the weapon makes. Your Stance is also activated. Your Emotional Stance is... (choose one):

Guard (Choose someone in vicinity. If they are attacked, you can choose to be instead)Ranged Attack (You can attack with your magical weapon at a range equivalent to a Bow.)Riposte (Any opponent whose attack fails to hit you gives you a free attack back at them.)

Feel free to describe how these abilities manifest.

CREATIVE VIOLENCE

If a player has two or more of an emotion they can expend it all to achieve an incredible feat. They pick up the D8 and hold it towards the centre of the table. Describe what you’re trying to do. You can defeat anything which fits one of the nouns on your current level, or below. (So for example, if you are level 3 you can defeat an army.) You are encouraged to interpret “defeat” poetically. This ability is about creative violence.

Then roll the D8. If you roll your emotion level or beneath, you suffer that number of wounds in achieving your goal. Replace the dice at the zero point on the scale.

As a starting knight, your maximum level of creative violence is level 2.

THE EMOTION KNIGHT IN BRIEF

If you’re experiencing your iconic emotion, you gain powers. Spend some of that emotion to fuel other powers. Use up all the emotion in a single burst to do really awesome stuff.

THESE ABILITIES MAY BECOME AVAILABLE AS YOU PROGRESS

GREATER ABILITY

If you activate a Greater Ability your D8 moves one step down theemotional scale. Your Greater Ability:

Decapitation Strike (This attack bypasses Guard. This attack can only target one individual.)Combat Frenzy (Apply the results of this attack to all enemies within 2m of the Knight’s position.)Duel (Choose one opponent. They cannot attack anyone else until you choose.)

EMOTION DRAINING

Emotion Knights can siphon their Sacred Emotion from a target character. If the character resists, this requires a Charisma roll with a difficulty of 1. For a success, and each success above it, a level of emotion is transferred from the target to the Knight. NB if a player is not experiencing that emotion, an Emotion Knight cannot siphon it.

A critical failure means the target can never feel emotion towards that source ever again. (For example, a peasant is petrified of a dragon. A Fear Knight tries to drain the peasant’s fear, but critically fails. The Peasant will never be scared of dragons again.) However, the Knight gets all the emotion the target feels.

Once you have chosen the core emotion for

your Knight (as described on page 2), now

fill in the following:

Great: ______________(The closest to the center)

Medium

: _____________(The m

iddle one in the spoke)

Minor: _____________

(The furthest from the center)

THE EMOTION

WHEEL

Level 0: Nothing

THE KNIGHT’S EM

OTIONAL SCALE

Level 1: _____________Greater and lesser abilities available. Gain advantage on attacks w

ith your weapon.

Level 2: _____________You could defeat: a m

ob, a blockage, a village, a w

eakness.

Level 3: _____________You could defeat: an arm

y, a mountain

range, a town.

Level 4: LostYou can defeat: a city, despair, som

eone you truly love.

Level 5: Consumed

You can defeat: a country, a religion.

Level 6+: Inhuman

You can defeat: a god, hope, yourself.

(The Wheel of Em

otions was created by Professor Robert Plutchik in 1980. This W

heel is from W

ikipedia’s entry on the Wheel of Em

otions, w

hich is public domain. Hurrah for W

ikipedia! We’re w

orking on our own version at the m

oment.)

Max. Level of Creative Violence

THE GODBINDER

You don’t believe in gods.

I mean, they exist. Obviously. You owe the Fire God for that time he burned that fortress, and you’ve got that favour from the God of the Wild when you saved her rainforest… but believe? That’s a strong word.

Really, no, you don’t really believe in gods. You believe in tools. Useful tools.

The Godbinder is the D&D Cleric as demonologist.

EQUIPMENT


Holy Warrior: Two-handed Hammer (Special: if a hit wounds, it does 2 against metal armoured opponents), heavy protection (Defence 2)Holy Man: Quarterstaff (Special: recover 1 Guard), robes or loincloth (Defence 1)Not Holy At All: Worn leather gear (Defence 1) – Dagger or Knuckledusters, Cigarettes or Pipe, Playing Cards, Advantage to sleight of hand tricks

YOUR LOOK


• Heavy-metal holy crusader, likely looking for trouble• Beatific holy person, looking for peace, probably• Wild tattoos, frenzied eyes, likely looking for drugs• Urbane street magician, likely looking for the gold in your pocket• Your own idea:

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _



CORE MECHANIC REDUX





COMBAT




STATS











DEFENSIVE STATS




Choose a total of one level from any of the gods below, and tick the box next to each one. (You have to choose level 1 in a god before level 2, and level 2 before level 3.) This defines how close your relationship is to the god. The higher, the closer you are (or at least the more leverage you have).

Each level comes with an associated Minor Miracle. Handy.

A Minor Miracle’s level is also its difficulty to cast. You will roll your Wisdom dice pool to do so, including your D12. (The D12 is added to your dice pool any time a miracle is influencing you. So if you have turned into a bear, you can include your D12 in your dice pool for bear tasks.)

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ , THE FIRE GOD

The Fire God is a god of destruction and creation, and often of fiery passion.

LEVEL ONEMinor Miracle: Fireblast (Ranged attack with fire – Special: if hit wounds, ignite opponent, doing 1 Wound per round until extinguished)LEVEL TWOMinor Miracle: Fireball (Ranged Area Attack – Special: if hit wounds, ignite opponent, doing 1 Wound per round until extinguished)LEVEL THREEMinor Miracle: Fire Armour (+1 to your Defence, a failed attack on you does 1 Wound to your opposition)

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ , THE GOD OF LIGHT

The God of Light is one of illumination, healing and inspiration.

LEVEL ONEMinor Miracle: Heal (Can heal a character within a short distance. Max 1 Wound healed.)LEVEL TWOMinor Miracle: Bless (Add 1 armour to all allies nearby. Add to all attacks: Special: Double Wounds Against Undead.)LEVEL THREEMinor Miracle: Divine Light (Ranged Attack, single target. Special: blind opponent. Special: double Wounds on this hit.)

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _, THE GOD OF THE WILD

Nature’s protector and the wild’s vengeance.

LEVEL ONEMinor Miracle: Animal Summon (Summon a single wolf-sized or smaller wild animal who’ll obey you for an encounter.)LEVEL TWOMinor Miracle: Furious Briars (Attack all enemies in close area to caster. Add Special: immobilize target. Requires a strength test to break free.)LEVEL THREEMinor Miracle: Transform into Beast (Change into a Bear or smaller beast. Your Constitution and Strength are increased to the level of your Wisdom.)

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ , THE GOD OF _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

LEVEL ONE_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

LEVEL TWO_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

LEVEL THREE_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

CONTRACT WITH GOD

At any point, you may hold your D12 to talk to one of the gods. You can then request an effect.

For effects akin to spells in a classical RPG, the GM will give you a difficulty for the Minor Miracle and you will roll a dice pool. These will be a little harder than the free Minor Miracles. You can only request Minor Miracles from gods that you have a level in.

Remember these can be one of the associated miracles on the left - so, for example, if you had one level in teh fire god, you could try and cast a Fireball. As said, it will be slightly harder - increase difficulty by one. Remember - see God Debt below if you fail that roll.

Major Miracles can be anything a specific god could conceivably do, with the payment demanded proportionate to the difficulty. You can talk to gods you have no relationship with, but you’re effectively someone they met at a party once calling up to ask a favour. It always helps if it’s on a subject they care about.

You will roleplay a short scene with the god, and a cost will be agreed. This normally leads to a quest, an objective and/or God Debt.

God Debt? Glad you asked.

GOD DEBT

If you fail a roll to cast a Minor Miracle, you have the option of accepting God Debt to succeed at 1 point of debt per success required. You may only take on as many points of debt in a single roll as you have levels in that relationship with the god (as in, if you have a level one relationship with a god you can only take on a single point of debt on any given attempt to cast a Minor Miracle). Each point of God Debt is held by the GM for each god, who can choose to call in the debt at any time.

The god will request an action and, if the player refuses, the player will suffer one Wound for every point of Debt.

Debt can also be removed if the player acts in a manner according to the god’s desires.

You should keep track of which gods you have Debts to in the box provided to the right of their names.

BREAKING PROMISES

If you have promised to do something for a Major Miracle and you choose not to do it, the spurned god immediately acquires God Debt according to the scale of the miracle broken (as ascertained by the GM). A god may hold onto the debt, or immediately use it to harm the Godbinder.

GOD HAGGLING

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THE GODBINDER IN BRIEF

Cast Minor Miracles which act like normal D&D spells, or actively barter with your gods for anything you want… at a cost.

Welcome to the third page, Godbinder, where we introduce another nine (count ’em!) gods to use.

As the GM has decided to pass you this, they’ve decided that they trust you – our friend the Godbinder – not to spend eight hours chewing over your choices.

This is also a useful reference for the sorts of Minor Miracles which may be possible. The difficulty will be one higher if it’s not already one of your free miracles. This is directed at both player and GM.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ , THE SEA GOD

God of the ocean, in both its stillness and rage.

LEVEL ONEMinor Miracle: Sinking Sands (All enemies nearby are slowed, suffering a disadvantage on active tasks. Special: a character is stunned, sinking into the mud.)LEVEL TWOMinor Miracle: Wall of Water (Summon a wall of water, shaped according to your will. Whatever number of successes you roll is the difficulty to cross it.)LEVEL THREEMinor Miracle: Drowning. (Any nearby enemies’ lungs start to fill with water. Counts as an attack with Special: bypasses guard.)

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ , THE ELDRITCH GOD

Gods beyond human imaginations, wrapping their cold tentacles around existence.

LEVEL ONEMinor Miracle: Sacrificial Knife (Summon an unholy blade. It can be used once to attack someone. Gain advantage on attack, and Special: if wounds it does one hit per round until dispelled.)LEVEL TWOMinor Miracle: Horrifying visions. (If you can make eye contact with someone, you reduce their Willpower by two for the length of a combat.)LEVEL THREEMinor Miracle: Summon Horror (Summon an abomination. It has 2 stats of 4, and abilities suiting its form. You do not control it.)

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ , THE FORGE GOD

God of craft, technology and all those who work by their hands and their mind.

LEVEL ONEMinor Miracle: Little Robot Friend (Summon a little robot friend who can perform tasks. He cannot fight. He has constitution 3 and defence 2.)LEVEL TWOMinor Miracle: Divine Hammer (Summon a magical hammer for length of combat. Uses Strength, but can attack at bow-range. Special: Knocks over target.)LEVEL THREEMinor Miracle: Big Robot Friend (Summons a larger robot friend who can perform tasks, including fighting. He has Strength 4 and Defence 2).

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ , THE FATE GOD

What will be, will be.

LEVEL ONEMinor Miracle: Forewarned (Can see imminent threats. Use Wisdom to generate your Guard instead of Dexterity. Reset Guard to maximum.)LEVEL TWOMinor Miracle: Our Destiny (Fate provides Wisdom. For this combat, all characters nearby at the moment of casting gain Special: this hit bypasses Guard.)LEVEL THREEMinor Miracle: Their Fate (You reveal an awful truth to one individual nearby. It counts as an attack, automatically stuns them for a round and has Special: suffers a disadvantage for rest of combat due to existential horror.)

MORE FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ , THE UNDERWORLD GOD

Some death gods are loving. Some are hateful. All have a place for us all.

LEVEL ONEMinor Miracle: Heal (Can heal a character within a short distance. Max 1 Wound healed.)LEVEL TWOMinor Miracle: Death Beam (Medium ranged attack. Has Special: lose one strength for length of this combat.)LEVEL THREEMinor Miracle: Skeleton Mob (Summon 10 awesomely stop-motion skeletons for a combat. They have no Guard and 2 Strength.)

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ , THE WAR GOD

The god of all those who fight for right. But might makes right, so…

LEVEL ONEMinor Miracle: Enchanted Weapon (Choose one weapon. It gains advantage in attacks until the end of the combat and Special: target suffers a disadvantage on next task.)LEVEL TWOMinor Miracle: Godly Frenzy (Swap your Wisdom and your Strength for the combat. Gain Special: opponent is overwhelmed by your fury, and is stunned for an action.)LEVEL THREEMinor Miracle: Heroic Leadership (All friends near you gain advantage in attacks until the end of the combat and Special: regain one Guard.)

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ , THE GOD OF EXCESS

God of one-more-drink-at-3am-on-a-school-night.

LEVEL ONEMinor Miracle: Party Hard (All individuals within arm’s reach all gain advantage on Dexterity tasks for a combat.)LEVEL TWOMinor Miracle: Sleep (Make all individuals in an area fall asleep. You need to match or exceed each target’s Wisdom in successes to affect them. They can be awoken.)LEVEL THREEMinor Miracle: Higher State of Consciousness (Become intangible for length of combat. Invulnerable to physical attacks. Can attack with psychic power, using Wisdom for the dice pool. Use target’s Wisdom as their defence.)

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ , THE STORM GOD

The angry and often paternal god of lightning. The elements unleashed and hostile.

LEVEL ONEMinor Miracle: Lightning Blast (Ranged attack. Special: does a 1-hit damage to anyone within arm’s reach of target.)LEVEL TWOMinor Miracle: Chain Lightning (Lightning bursts from the caster, attacking any close enemies. Special: does a 1-hit damage to anyone within arm’s reach of target.)LEVEL THREEMinor Miracle: Summon Storm (A room-sized storm persists for a combat. Every round, it attacks a random character in the space. Special: does a 1-hit damage to anyone within arm’s reach of target.)

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ , THE TRICKSTER GOD

I should be so lucky. Lucky, lucky, lucky in role-playing games.

LEVEL ONEMinor Miracle: Disguise (You can appear to be anyone you wish. You do not gain any of their abilities.)LEVEL TWOMinor Miracle: Distraction (A burst of light makes everyone in a room-sized area be startled. One disadvantage on all tasks. Adds Special: this attack blinds the target for a combat round.)LEVEL THREEMinor Miracle: Disappearing Trick (Teleport yourself to any place within sight.)

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DIE GAMESMASTER SHEETS

Print out all the following to run the game. Players, you’d be best not to read the following.

Who rules?

The Master is the magic user as a reality manipulator. Sometimes you change the laws of physics. Sometimes you change the laws of probability. Sometimes you change the laws of the game.

The rules rule.

And you rule the rules.

YOUR LOOK


• Weird robes• Your own idea:

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

EQUIPMENT

You start with both of the following:

• Quarterstaff (Special: recover one Guard)• Robes (Defence 1)

THE MASTER



CORE MECHANIC REDUX





COMBAT




STATS







All stats start at 2. You have 4 points to increase any stat(s) you wish. None can be higher than 4. Underlined stats are ones most associated with this class.




DEFENSIVE STATS




Can be added to all dice pools inside your dimension.

As the whole game happens inside your dimension, this means all rolls unless the narrative changes – for example, if the master loses their dice, if the dimension is secured by someone else, and so on.

The Master is in control of this dimension, to a lesser or greater degree. They have a limited ability to warp it during play.

The Master gets a number of Cheat Tokens equal to the number of other players.

As an action, the Master character can expend a token to do any one of the actions on the list. A Master must be present, observing or aware to use a cheat token.

• Escape enemies• Summon allies• Entirely negate an attack• Change laws of physics In a given area• Offer temptation• Change a major rule in the game for the duration of an encounter

The Cheat Tokens should be hidden from the players, but as the tokens are spent, pass them across the table so the players know your resources are being expended.

A Cheat Token spent offensively is an action. A cheat token spent defensively is not an action, and can be done in response to a situation.

If the players ever reach Level 4, gain two more points to increase your statistics. You still cannot increase a statistic above 4.

D20

CHEATING

LEVEL UP

Choose one of the sets of rules below. Alternatively, you can select one of the gods on the Godbinder profile and use all three of their Minor Miracles. (The Rules of Fire are identical to the God of Fire’s Miracles, for example.)

You can cast other spells which seem remotely aesthetically in line with your chosen area of expertise. For the present Beta, use any reasonably appropriate Godbinder Minor Miracle but increase the casting difficulty by one.

A Master uses an Intelligence Dice pool to try to cast these abilities. The number by each spell is the difficulty to cast them.

If in doubt just grab The Rules of Evil, as subtlety is an overrated virtue.

THE RULES OF EVILIf you’re going to be an evil overlord, you may as well really go for it. For all your bargain-shop-Sauron needs.

1) The Evil Eye Curse an individual to have one less strength than usual for the remainder of the combat.2) Torture BeamRanged attack (adds Special: disadvantage due to pain on all actions).3) Summon Lesser DemonSummons a great monster for the length of an encounter. It has Strength 3, Constitution 3, and all other stats are 2. It has flaming attacks.

THE RULES OF FIREThe Creative Spark turned brutally literal – some Masters turn to the elemental powers to attack their foes.

1) Fireblast Ranged attack with fire. Adds Special: if hit wounds, ignite opponent, doing 1 Wound per round until extinguished.2) Fireball Ranged Area Attack. Adds Special: if hit wounds, ignite opponent, doing 1 Wound per round until extinguished)3) Fire Armour +1 to your Defence, a failed attack on you does 1 Wound to your opposition.

THE RULES OF DREAMSDreams are famously reluctant to obey rules at all. But dreams are fantasy in their purest state, so of interest to a Master…

1) MimicChange your appearance to that of any individual. You gain no abilities of that individual. 2) SleepMake all individuals in an area fall asleep. You need to match or exceed each target’s wisdom in successes to affect them. They can be awoken.3) TerrifyTorment an individual with horrifying visions which cause real injuries. Special: Mistake a friend for a foe and attack them.

THE RULES OF RULESSome Masters have embraced the game they’re in, and choose to concentrate on tweaking the system. So Meta.

1) Cheeky Buff/NerfAll people armed with a weapon of the Master’s choice in the area get an advantage (or disadvantage) when attacking with that weapon until the end of the combat. 2) BanhammerBeam of meta-magic that damages the target. Attack has Special: until end of combat, for each wound suffered by this target, target suffers two wounds.3) Blatant CheatingA person at touch range gets two actions a turn for the length of the combat.

RULES LAWYERING

THE MASTER IN BRIEF

Spend your Cheat Tokens to break the rules in significant ways. Otherwise, you’re a wizard, Harry.

THE FALLEN

THE FALLEN

You have died in the realm of DIE. You are a monster, perhaps similar to one of the ones you’ve been fighting. You thought they were little more than undead zombies. Now you know better.

This may give you a new insight into their nature, and perhaps yours.

You are different from some of them in one key way: you are sentient, holding onto your consciousness and your free will.

For now.

You still have all the abilities on your front sheet.

You lose all your abilities on your second sheet.

FALLEN CLAWS

While it may appear to be your old weaponry, it’s changed. Whether you stab or shoot, it always works with these rules.

Many abandon the pretence, lose their weapons, and attack with claws sprouting from their body.

You now attack with this profile...

ClawsSpecial: if this attack causes a Wound the target is poisoned. (Lose one Wound per round until a character succeeds a Constitution test.)

If you provide the killing wound with your fallen claws to another persona-controlled character, you immediately come to life and regain all your abilities on your second sheet.

Pass the Fallen sheet to the player you’ve just killed. They’re Fallen now.

You instinctively know this to be true.

You are hungry for and jealous of what your peers possess.

This is the only certain way a Fallen can return to their living status.

Perhaps there’s other less murderous ones? You don’t know.

NOT JUST A MONSTROUS FACE

Fallen are monsters, but some are interesting monsters. Your new form gives you a new ability. Choose one:

Flight You are able to soar through the sky at a sprinting pace. Decide what this looks like – wings? Thrusters? Enormous blood-coated springs? You tell us.Intangibility You are able to move spectrally through objects that bar your path. This gives you no specific bonus to resist damage. What does it look like? Classic spectral? Becoming burrowing worms? You tell us.Size changing You can monstrously swell to four times your height or shrink to a tenth of your size. What does this look like? And sound like? And feel like?

SECOND DEATH?

You’re dead. You have no idea what happens if you die now.

When you think of it, there is a certain dread.

You know it’s not good.

THE FALLEN IN BRIEF

You are an undead monster. If you kill one of the other personas, you become alive again.

1. Say what you’re trying to do. If it may fail, the GM sets a Difficulty. 1 is normal. 2 is hard. 3 is impossible for an average human.

2. Collect a Dice Pool. This is a number of D6 equal to your relevant statistic. In some situations you may also add your Class Dice.

3. Determine if there’s anything which may make the task easier. For each Advantage add one six-sided dice to the dice pool.

4. Determine if there’s anything which may make the task harder. For every two Disadvantages add one to the difficulty. If there’s a disadvantage left, add one Bad Dice to the dice pool.

5. Any dice that is 4+ counts as a success. If the Bad Dice is 4+ one success is negated. If the number of successes equals or exceeds the difficulty, you fully succeed.

6. For each 6+ you can activate a single relevant Special a character may have.

7. If you roll no successes and at least one dice rolls a 1, it’s a Critical Failure.

1. Generate Guard (If not surprised, all characters set their Guard to maximum.)

2. Determine Initiative Order (Roll your Dexterity dice pool. The characters with most successes go first, the characters with least successes go last.)

3. The Combat Round (In Initiative order, everyone takes an action. An action is anything that can be reasonably completed in 5-10 seconds, understood cinematically. An action can normally be accompanied by moving a short distance. You can save your action for later in the round.)

4. Repeat Step 3 until combat is over.

1. Roll relevant dice pool, as per core mechanic. For close combat, this is usually Strength. For Ranged, this is normally Dexterity. For spells, it varies depending on what sort of magician you are.

2. The difficulty is equal to the Defence of the target.

3. If you match the difficulty, you score one Hit. For every further success, you score an additional Hit.

• Every Hit causes a character to lose either a Guard or a Health.• Unless otherwise stated, Guard is lost before Health.• If a Hit causes a character to lose Health it is called a Wound.• If you have lost Health, and have two Health left, you have a

disadvantage on all rolls. If you have one Health left, you suffer two disadvantages on all rolls.

• If a character reaches zero Health, they will fall unconscious and die at the end of a combat.

• If a character would ever be at less than zero Health, they die. Erk.

DAMAGE AND DEATH

ATTACK

COMBATTHE CORE MECHANIC

CORE RULES CHEAT SHEET

• Explain concept of DIE the RPG.• Ask what sort of characters they like to play in other games.• Discuss tone of game. Adventure? Horror? What rating?• Discuss possible themes and players’ reservations.• Introduce X-card.

• Previously On: ask the players to recap their personas. If they don’t say information required for the adventure, remind them.

• Ask questions about their teenage fantasy world and then use (and subvert) their answers in the game.

• Continue to ask questions about the personas’ real lives, as and when relevant. Use them in the game.

• Halfway through session decide if the game needs to be extended to further sessions or not.

• An hour before the end of the final session, remind the players the game is going to end.

• Always leave time before people have to leave to decompress together after the game.

• Voting process: ask each player if they want to end the game. The second one doesn’t, stop.

• If everyone agrees to go home, they go home.• If everyone agrees to stay, they stay.• Dead people don’t get a vote.• If they don’t come to an agreement, the fantasy world is destroyed.• If group is at an impasse, start the world ending. • When the world is about to end, tell the players and let them have

one more action.• Before you destroy the world, give the players one last chance to end

the game.

• All living players are back in the room they came from. Describe the scene.

• Ask each living player who went home how their experience with Die changed their life. Add a note to add weirdness to their choice afterwards.

• Ask each dead player how them being not at home changed their life. Also subvert.

• Ask each player who stayed what their life is like there. Add note about what happened at home when they’re away.

• Applaud everyone and have handshakes and high fives. Decompress and practise Aftercare.

• Explain setup (i.e. group of old RPG friends getting together down the line)

• Ask questions to players to generate personas’ identities. Make notes.

• Continuing asking questions until the group seems defined.• Look for the Core Drive of each persona.• Be sure to ask for name of the Fantasy World they used to play in.• When satisfied, tell everyone to leave the table. When they come

back, they will be playing their personas.

• Have a general chat then start the game.• Distribute the dice and character sheets.• As you give to each player bar the Fool say: “This is your die. There is

no other die like this in this whole game. This is special. This is yours.”• To the Fool say: “This is your die. This is exactly the same as every

other die in the game. There’s nothing special about this die at all.”• The Master keeps the D20. “And this one is mine.”• Get each player to read the introduction text to their character sheet

aloud.• Go through the steps on the sheet, getting them to fill in the details.• Ask all the players to pick up their dice, close their eyes, then lower

their dice to the table.• Tell them to open their eyes and say they’re somewhere else…

• Describe situation – players are in a dark fantasy version of the room they’re in. They are still their real human selves. The dice are in front of them.

• The Master’s persona grabs the D20, and transforms into their character.

• Use a Cheat Token to teleport away.• At any point, if a persona grabs their dice, they transform into their

character.• Shortly afterwards, Fallen arrive. (1 Lesser Fallen per player. If you

are starting with the option of more powerful starting players, add a Greater Fallen.)

• After the Fallen encounter, the players leave the area… and outside is their teenage Fantasy world. Say its name. End session.

PRE-SESSION CHAT INTO THE DUNGEON

LATER SESSIONS

THE FINAL ENCOUNTER

LEAVING THE DUNGEON

PERSONA GENERATION

CHARACTER GENERATION

GM SESSION CHECKLIST

• Given all you know, decide which archetype you want to give to each player.

• You have the Master.• If you have reservations, check in with players about your idea.

BEFORE CHARACTER GENERATION

This checklist is for the standard game of DIE. If you are playing with modified versions in the Arcana, some of it won’t apply.

FOOL (D6)Swashbuckling hero

• Adds class D6 to rolls when acting cavalierly.• Draws symbol on D6. If it doesn’t turn up, add another symbol. If it

turns up, a fluke they’ve chosen happens. If the symbol turns up, also add a negative symbol. If that turns up, the reverse of the fluke happens, and delete all negative fluke symbols.To get out of any trouble, gives D6 to GM.

• GM can later return D6 to put the group in trouble.• By deliberately messing up a plan, the Fool forces the return of the D6.

EMOTION KNIGHT (D8)Emotion-powered fighter

• Sentient weapon.• Chooses an emotion and then tracks how strongly they feel it on their

scale.• If greater than zero, has advantage on attacks with weapon and their

lesser ability is activated.• If uses greater ability, move the D8 one place down the scale.• If 2+ emotion can use Creative Violence. Expends all emotions. It

can “defeat” any of the words on the chart or below. Note: interpret creatively, but accurately. A mob is not an individual.

• Emotion Drain: siphon emotion from target if they are feeling it. If they choose to resist, it’s Knight’s Charisma versus Target’s Wisdom.

• A critical fail means that the target no longer can feel the emotion (at least, re: the same source) that was being drained. Knight takes all emotion though.

NEO (D10)Cybernetic rogues

• Has sentient AI and Fair Field Hacking (allowing you to influence Fallen). Roll Intelligence vs Wisdom to succeed. A Special to take control of the target for an action.

• Has Gifts of the Fair. Each must be activated with Fair Gold. You need coin tokens to give the Neo.

• Each Gift must be activated each day.• Adds D10 to pool when making rolls using the Neo’s active abilities. If

roll a 0, the Gift deactivates.• Overcharge: GM sets gold cost to achieve set task. If paid, roll D10. If

odd, it works perfectly. If it fails, GM gets to narrate what goes amiss. Note: does not mean fail.

GODBINDER (D12)Cleric, but bossier

• Holds D12 aloft to speak to any of the gods.• Godbinder chooses 3 points of relationships with gods. Each point

gives a Minor Miracle.• Barters with each god to do Major Miracles. Major Miracles can do

anything that god could do, but each will set a price. • To cast Minor Miracle role against difficulty. If has target,

simultaneously roll against their defences. • D12 added to any dice pool where a Miracle is affecting it.• Other Minor Miracles may be available if GM agrees god could do it.

Difficulty is one higher than on the sheet.• If you fail a Minor Miracle roll, you can instead take on god debt to the

god.• A god can request a player action. If player refuses, they take one

Wound for every point of God Debt to the god.

THE DICTATOR (D4) The Bard as horror character

• Dictator chooses emotions to form a palette.• Each Dictator has something which gives them away when using their

Voice.• Dice pool for using Voice has own mechanic. You roll D4 which sets

number of successes, while the Charisma determines how many points you get to make higher or lower.

• Number of successes is the level of Emotion they suffer (see Emotion Scale).

• A Critical Fail will mean the effect is permanent.• You pass D4 to GM (or other player) when using it. You can’t use the

Voice while someone else has your D4. You can recall D4 at any time.• The D4 can be added to any normal dice pool where emotional control

could feasibly give the character an edge. If so, the D4’s results can be added to any dice.

EMOTION SCALE (Dictator/Emotion Knight)

• 1-3: normal human emotions• 4-5: beyond normal human emotion• 6: intensity beyond all human experience

• For each level of emotion a character has, they suffer one disadvantage when doing something contrary to that emotion.

• At level 3 or above, they have powerful impulses. To resist, they must roll Wisdom against the level of emotion divided by 2.

• If Emotional Intensity is greater than a target’s Willpower (Wisdom + Intelligence) then they are overwhelmed and could even pass out (level 4) or die (level 5) or worse (6 and above).

THE MASTER (D20)The GM’s reality-controlling mage

• D20 can be added to any dice pool.• Has number of Cheat Tokens equal to number of other players. The

number resets at the start of every session.• You spend one token to cheat. Options: entirely negate an attack,

escape enemies, summon allies, change laws of physics In a given area, offer temptation, change a major rule in the game for the duration of an encounter.

• If used offensively, this is an action. If used defensively, it can be used at will.

• Master has to be present or watching to cheat.• Uses Intelligence to cast their spells. Level of the spell is its difficulty.

THE FALLEN • A persona’s character becomes Fallen when they die. • Keep all stats and abilities on first sheet, lose all on the second sheet.• If a Fallen kills another persona’s character the Fallen comes back to

life.• 1st death while Fallen = -1 stat. 2nd death = -2 stat. And so on.• Any stat reaching 1 or 0 remains true if they return to real world.

GM CHEAT SHEET FOR CLASSES

NOTES

Documents

DIE RPG BETA v1diecomic.com/DIE RPG Beta v1.2.pdf · 2020-05-07 · In terms of future public Betas, I suspect the only major thing to be released will be tweaks and possibly the