http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Introduction ......................... 3 Movement ............................. 12Chapter One: Character Offensive Action: Making a Hit! . 12Creation ................................ 4 Defensive Action: Controlling Character Profiles ................... 5 The Hit! ................................. 13 Build .................................... 5 Assigning Damage .................. 13 Intellect ............................... 5 Attack Summary ..................... 14 Temperament ....................... 5 Critical Successes .................... 14 Ability Scores ......................... 6 Offensive Critical Success ........ 14 Rage .................................... 6 Defensive Critical Success ........ 14 Precognition .......................... 6 Effects of Damage .................... 15 Grace ................................... 6 Unconsciousness and Death ..... 15 Rank Descriptors .................... 6 Instant KO ............................. 15 Finding Ability Scores ............. 7 Completing the Combat ............ 15 Classes ................................. 7 Victory Rush .......................... 15 Brawler ................................ 7 Healing ................................... 16 Shooter ................................ 7 Healing Conscious Characters ... 16 Mentalist .............................. 7 Healing Unconscious Characters 16 Combat Ranks ........................ 7 Recovery ................................ 16 Offensive Combat Ranks ......... 7 Guided Recovery .................... 16 Defensive Combat Ranks ........ 8 For Conscious Characters ........ 17 Determining Class .................. 8 For Unconscious Characters ..... 17 Skills and Xceptions ................ 9 Natural Recovery .................... 17 Rage Skills ............................ 9 For Conscious Characters ........ 17 Precognition Skills ................. 9 For Unconscious Characters ..... 17 Grace Skills ......................... 10 Fight for Life Check ................ 17 Xceptions ............................. 10 Chapter Three: The XceptionalChapter Two: The Game World ..................................... 18System ................................ 11 The 1950's Campaign ............... 18 Combat ............................... 12 The Modern Campaign .............. 19 Initiative ............................. 12 Other Worlds ........................... 19 Turn Order ......................... 12 The Treasure Seekers

Campaign .............................. 19

Chapter Four: The Game Appendix A: Equipment ........... 26Master ................................ 20 Appendix B: Skill Descriptions . . 27 What is an RPG? ................... 20 Appendix C: Xception Combat Challenges ............... 20 Descriptions ............................ 28 Example Enemies ................ 21 Appendix D: Xample The Stat Block .................... 21 Xceptionals ............................. 30 Combat Strategy ................. 22 Appendix E: Advancement Advancement ....................... 23 Tables .................................... 31 Special Effects ...................... 23 Appendix E: Character CreationXample Story: Recipe Party ... 24 Summary ............................... 34

Xceptional Character Sheet .... 35

Xceptional RPG version 1.1 February 2010is CC:BY-SA 2010 by Jeff Moore

Licensed under the Creative Commons: Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

c b aOnly free software was used in the production of this document.

Artwork was drawn with GiMP 2.6: http://www.gimp.org/Layout was done with Open Office 3.1: http://www.openoffice.org/

This work is dedicated to my girl, Mendi.Thank you for your patience.

Thanks to Rob Lang, of the Free RPG Bloghttp://www.thefreerpgblog.com.

His Free Guide to Organizing Your RPGwas used in the production of this work.

Visit me at: http://dreamsanddragons.blogspot.com/

ceptional Table of ContentsXX

2

INTRODUCTION

Xceptional is the RPG of super adventure where people with spectacular powers called Xceptionals struggle to survive in an atmosphere of resentment and hate.

This document contains all the rules you need to play as a super powered Xceptional. In the pages that follow you will find a simple game system, an introduction to the world of the Xceptionals, character creation rules that include the special powers (called Xceptions) that set the player characters apart from the rest of the world, rules for combat, and character advancement.

Xceptional's roll under skill system is simple and versatile. It uses a pair of standard six-sided dice in a unique way but resolves all action the same way ... Multiply natural Ability by developed Skill to find a Target number. Roll this number or less to succeed.

There are no charts or tables to reference during play and the most complex math used is simple multiplication, where the highest numbers being multiplied would be 5x5.

Combat uses the same roll under system as all other action but introduces a unique damage allocation mechanic that adds new strategy to the otherwise simple system.

Key to the Xceptional system is the d5 and the 5x5 die roll. Xceptional uses only the sugar cube shaped dice with six-sides common to most board games. All rolls in Xceptional use a unique interpretation of the standard six-sided die called the d5. The d5 is a roll of a d6 (a six-sided dice) where the six is interpreted as zero.

WHAT'S INSIDE

Chapter One covers Character Creation. It contains everything you need to create and evolve an original character in the world of Xceptional.

Chapter Two covers The Game System. It contains the basics of the d5 and the 5x5 (two d5's multiplied together) roll under skill system. It also includes rules on Combat, Controlling Damage, Healing, and Recovery.

Chapter Three covers The Xceptional World. It takes a look at the default setting for the Xceptional RPG and talks about playing the game in that setting as well as in other settings.

Chapter Four covers The Game Master. It looks at how to play a role-playing game, how to track information in a guided improvisation or story adventure, and offers some advice on combat strategy, as well as character advancement and creation.

Also inside is the Xample Story: Recipe Party. A sample adventure set in the 1950's Xceptional Campaign World.

3

CHAPTER ONE: CHARACTER CREATION

Characters are the constructs through which the players interact in the game world. Information about a character is needed to understand the character's capabilities. Creating a Character generates this information.

A Quick overview of the Character Creation Process:

The first step in character creation is defining a character Profile. A profile is a simple template answering the most basic questions about a character's physical, intellectual, and emotional aspects.

Next, a character's Profile enables the player to determine the character's Ability Scores. Ability Scores narrow down the information from the Profile, providing numerical values that the game system uses to determine chances of success or failure.

The third step in character creation is to choose a Class for the character. A character's Class is a categorization that helps to define the character's role in combat. For this reason Class is also called, Combat Class.

Class is used to find Combat Ranks that determine a character's proficiencies in battle. Combat Ranks are used in combination with Ability Scores to determine the chance of success when attempting Offensive or Defensive Actions in combat.

The next step in character creation is to choose some Skills that determine areas of developed interest for the character. Skill Ranks like Combat Ranks combine with Ability Scores to determine a character's chance of success when using the Skill.

Choose some Xceptions for the character and character creation is almost complete. Xceptions are special maneuvers or powers that characters can invoke to bend the rules and give them a strategic advantage in combat.

Finally, pick a Name for the character. Players should also think about how their characters came to learn the Skills that they possess and what sorts of adventures they have had in the past.

Roll or Choose

Each Step in the Character Creation Process is defined in more detail in the pages that follow. For every step in the creation process the player has the option to Roll or Choose.

For quick character creation with little fuss, Xceptional characters can be generated completely at random.

Alternatively, players may select each piece of character information from the choices provided.

Finally, players may opt to combine the two approaches, rolling some information about their characters randomly while choosing others pieces of information to suit their preference.

4

Character Profiles

Character Profiles are composed of 3 Aspects. These Aspects help to define the character's strengths and weaknesses in the game:

Aspect 1: BUILD

Build is a reflection of a character's body type. Player Characters come in one of two Builds:

Quick - the character is more agile than strong;

or

Powerful - the character is more strong than agile.

Aspect 2: INTELLECT

Intellect is a reflection of a character's process of assimilating knowledge. Player Characters come in one of two Intellects:

Theory - The character learns through a cerebral method, processing information more internally than externally;

or

Practice - The character learns through a hands on method, processing information more externally than internally.

Aspect 3: TEMPERAMENT

Temperament is a reflection of a character's personality type. Player Characters come in one of two Temperaments:

Bold - the character is more impulsive than careful;

or

Cautious - the character is more careful than impulsive.

PROFILE CREATION

The combination of Build, Intellect and Temperament forms a Character Profile.

Players can simply choose a value for each of the Aspects in their Profile, or they can roll a d5 to determine the Aspects randomly.

A player's Character Profile grants bonuses that will increase the values of their Ability Scores.

5

Ability Scores

These are scores that measure a character's physical and mental aspects. The same three Ability Scores are used to define every character and creature in the game.

Rage (R)

● force, physical energy, power, strength, vigor

● frenzy, passion, fury, blood lust

Rage is the representation of a character's physical power, strength, and lust in battle. It is the key Ability of Brawlers.

Precognition (P)

● forethought, canniness, caution, intelligence, perception

● psychic power, clairvoyance, intuition, second sight

Precognition is the representation of a character's mental power, knowledge, and psychic potential. It is the key Ability of Mentalists.

Grace (G)

● agility, nimbleness, dexterity, finesse, suppleness, balance

● allure, beauty, comeliness, elegance, dignity, refinement

Grace is the representation of a character's physical presence and control. It measures coordination and manual dexterity as well as general physical appearance and charisma. Grace is the key Ability of Shooters.

RANK DESCRIPTORS

Ability Score / Skill Rank Descriptors

1 – Decent (Basic Skill, Average Ability)

2 – Capable (Skilled, Above Average Ability)

3 – Brilliant (Expert Skill, Excellent Ability)

4 – Amazing (Highest Skill, Unequaled Ability)

Player Character Ability Scores begin above the average with a score of 2 (Capable) and may increase from there to a maximum score of 4 (Amazing.)

6

Finding Ability Scores (and Random Profile rolls)

Based on Character Profile find the scores for each of the three Abilities (Rage, Precognition, and Grace.) Every Ability begins with a score of 2 and is increased from there.

BUILD: Quick or Powerful?

[0-2] Quick (+1 to Grace)

[3-5] Powerful (+1 to Rage)

INTELLECT: Theory or Practice?

[0-2] Theory (+1 to Precognition)

[3-5] Practice (+1 to Grace)

TEMPERAMENT: Bold or Cautious?

[0-2] Bold (+1 to Rage)

[3-5] Cautious (+1 to Precognition)

After adding the bonuses to the three Ability Scores as indicated by their Character Profiles, characters will have a total of 9 points assigned to Ability Scores with no score smaller than 2 or larger than 4.

CLASSES

Combat Classes are special designations that define a character's strategic role in tabletop combat.

BRAWLER - Brawlers specialize in close combat. - Brawlers begin play with Strike and Parry Ranks of 1.

SHOOTER - Shooters specialize in ranged combat. - Shooters begin play with Aim and Dodge Ranks of 1.

MENTALIST - Mentalists specialize in psychic combat. - Mentalists begin play with Focus at a Rank of 1.

COMBAT RANKS

Combat Ranks work exactly like Skill Ranks and are used instead of Skill Ranks when performing Offensive and Defensive Actions.

Offensive Combat Ranks

Strike – Use this Offensive Combat Rank to "Make a Hit" when attacking an adjacent target. Such attacks might include use of a melee weapon, or boxing, or brawling.

Aim – Use this Offensive Combat Rank to "Make a Hit" when attacking a distant target. Such attacks might include use of a ranged or thrown weapon, or even projected super powers.

7

Focus – Use this Offensive Combat Rank to "Make a Hit" with a mental or mystical attack. Any visible figure, distant or adjacent, can be a target of this attack. Focus cannot be used unskilled.

Defensive Combat Ranks

Parry – Use this Defensive Combat Rank in response to a successful Hit made against you by a Strike attack action.

Dodge – Use this Defensive Combat Rank in response to a successful Hit made against you by an Aim attack action.

Resist – Use this Defensive Combat Rank in response to a successful Hit made against you by a Focus attack action.

DETERMINING CLASS

To find your character's Class answer the following:

Is one of your Ability Scores a 2?

"No." - consult Table A.

"Yes, and it's Rage." - consult Table B.

"Yes, and it's Precognition." - consult Table C.

"Yes, and it's Grace." - consult Table D.

TABLE A (Roll or choose):

[0-1] Brawler[2-3] Shooter[4-5] Mentalist

TABLE B (Roll or choose, on the appropriate sub table):

Precognition is 4 Grace is 4

[0-1] Shooter[2-5] Mentalist

[0-3] Shooter[4-5] Mentalist

TABLE C (Roll or choose, on the appropriate sub table):

Rage is 4 Grace is 4

[0-3] Brawler[4-5] Shooter

[0-1] Brawler[2-5] Shooter

TABLE D (Roll or choose, on the appropriate sub table):

Rage is 4 Precognition is 4

[0-3] Brawler[4-5] Mentalist

[0-1] Brawler[2-5] Mentalist

8

SKILLS AND XCEPTIONS

Skills work like Combat Ranks, and represent areas of interest and developed proficiency for a character. Complete Skill Descriptions can be found in Appendix B on page: 27.

Xceptions are the special abilities that bend the rules and give characters an edge in combat. Xception Descriptions can be found in Appendix C on page: 28.

Selecting Starting Skills and Xceptions

Newly created characters begin play with 5 Skills each with a Skill Rank of 1, and 2 Xceptions also each with a Rank of 1. If you are rolling randomly, reroll duplications.

Roll or Choose: One Skill for each of the three Ability Scores.

Roll or Choose: One Skill for the key Ability Score for your Class.

Roll or Choose: One Skill for one of the other Ability Scores that is not a key Ability Score for your Class.

Roll or Choose: Two Xcpetions.

Rage Skills

[0] Climb

[1] Courage

[2] Intimidation

[3] Jump

[4] Muscle

[5] Survival

Precognition Skills

[0] Guile

[1] Heal

[2] Nature

[3] Perception

[4] Repair

[5] Technology

9

Grace Skills

[0] Balance

[1] Diplomacy

[2] Performance

[3] Pilot

[4] Sex Appeal

[5] Thief

Rolling Xceptions: First Roll to see which alphabetical subgroup an Xception belongs to, then roll again to find the Xception.

Xceptions: A-F [0-1]

[0] Amplify

[1] Blitzkrieg

[2] Dampen

[3] Deadly Attack

[4] Deflection

[5] Flight

Xceptions: I-S [2-3]

[0] Invisibility

[1] Knockback

[2] Mind Control

[3] Phasing

[4] Sidekick

[5] Speedster

Xceptions: S-X [4-5]

[0] Stun

[1] Teleport

[2] Xceptional Defense

[3] Xceptional Healing

[4] Xceptional Offense

[5] Xplosion

Completing a Character: Give the character a NAME and add other details to complete character creation. Look at the Xample Xceptionals in Appendix D on page 30 for some character ideas.

10

CHAPTER TWO: THE GAME SYSTEM

d5 - a d5 is a roll of a dice where 6 is read as 0 (zero.)5x5 roll - a 5x5 roll is two d5 rolls multiplied together.

Ability Scores range from 1 to 4.Skill Ranks range from 1 to 4 and U (Unskilled.)

Ability Score multiplied by Skill Rank equals Target.Roll Target or less on a 5x5 roll to succeed in a task.A roll of 0 always succeeds. A roll of 25 always fails.

Rank Shifts - under certain circumstances, Skill Ranks may have a +1 or -1 Rank Shift applied as a bonus or penalty bythe GM. This results in the following range of Targets:

Targets Table

Ability of 1 Ability of 2 Ability of 3 Ability of 4

Weak -1 0 1 2

Unskilled 0 1 2 3

Skill of 1 1 2 3 4

Skill of 2 2 4 6 8

Skill of 3 3 6 9 12

Skill of 4 4 8 12 16

Skill of 5 5 10 15 20

Weak - This result only occurs when a character attempts an Unskilled Task and the GM has applied a Negative Rank Shift. When attempting a Weak Task, the target is Ability Score -2.

Unskilled - any skill with no Ranks assigned to it is Unskilled. When attempting an Unskilled Task, the Target is Ability Score -1.

Skill of 5 A Skill Rank of 5 is only possible when a Skill Rank 4 has been boosted by a Positive Rank Shift.

The 5x5 Roll (A closer look at the Targets.)

-1 1 in 6 17% 4 19 in 36 53% 10 28 in 36 78%

0 11 in 36 31% 5 21 in 36 58% 12 30 in 36 83%

1 12 in 36 33% 6 23 in 36 64% 15 32 in 36 89%

2 14 in 36 39% 8 25 in 36 69% 16 33 in 36 92%

3 16 in 36 44% 9 26 in 36 72% 20 35 in 36 97%

How do I roll a -1?

If a character with an Ability Score of 1 attempts a WEAK Task, the Target to succeed is -1. There is a special rule for this. Read the "-1" as, "Roll -1 die." Attempt your task roll with only 1d5. Since a roll of 0 always succeeds, if you roll 0, the task is successful.

11

COMBAT

Initiative

Combatants roll Initiative on 1d5. (Roll one six-sided die and count the six as a zero.)

Turn Order

To determine a character's place in the turn order, add the Initiative die roll to the character's Precognition Ability Score. Combatants take turns in order from highest to lowest.

In the event of a tie, PC's (Player Characters) act before GM controlled NPC's (Non-Player Characters.)

Movement

On their turn a character can move up to their Initiative roll plus their Grace Ability Score in inches on the tabletop.

Following Movement a character can attempt an Offensive Action.

Offensive Action:

MAKING A HIT!

After moving a character can attempt an Offensive Action (Strike, Aim, Focus) if they have a legal target.

To succeed at an Offensive Action, the player must roll:

"Combat Rank in Offensive Action" X "Ability Score relative to the Combat Rank" or less with a 5x5 roll.

Success is referred to as Making a Hit.

For example: To Make a Hit with a Strike Rank of 2 and a Rage Ability Score of 3, the player would need to roll (2 x 3 =) 6 or less on a 5x5 roll.

Once an attacker Makes a Hit, the target must roll to Control the Hit.

12

Defensive Action:

CONTROLLING THE HIT!

Controlling the Hit is a Defensive Action. Defensive Actions (Parry, Dodge, Resist) are attempted after an enemy has successfully Made a Hit against a character.

To succeed at a Defensive Action, the player must roll:

"Combat Rank in Defensive Action" X "Ability Score relative to the Combat Rank" or less with a 5x5 roll.

Success is referred to as Controlling the Hit.

For Example: to Control the Hit made against them with a Focus Offensive Action, the player with a Resist Rank of 1 and a Precognition Ability Score of 2 would need to roll (1 x 2 =) 2 or less on a 5x5 roll.

Defensive Actions are paired with their Offensive Action counter parts. Defenders must use the Defensive Action relative to the Offensive action that Made the Hit when attempting to Control the Hit.

Use Parry to Control the Hit from a Strike attack.

Use Dodge to Control the Hit from an Aim attack.

Use Resist to Control the Hit from a Focus attack.

ASSIGNING DAMAGE

A character who has been the successful target of an Offensive Action has Taken a Hit. A character that has Taken a Hit must reduce one of their three Ability Scores by 1. An Ability Score reduced by Taking a Hit is: Damaged. If any Ability Score is reduced to 0 the character is rendered Unconscious.

When a character succeeds in a Defensive Action, they Control the Hit. If the Defender Controls the Hit, they choose which of their Ability Scores to Damage.

If the Defending character fails in their Defensive Action, they do not Control the Hit. If the Defender does not Control the Hit, the Attacker chooses which Ability Score the Defender must reduce.

13

ATTACK SUMMARY

Attacker rolls to Make a Hit.

Is the attack roll equal to or lower than:

Offensive Rank X Ability Score?

NO: The Attacker's turn ends and the turn passes to the next player in the initiative order.

YES: Defender rolls to Control the Hit.

Defender rolls to Control the Hit.

Is the defense roll equal to or lower than:

Defensive Rank X Ability Score?

NO: Attacker selects which of the Defender's Ability Scores to reduce by 1.

YES: Defender selects which Ability Score to reduce by 1.

CRITICAL SUCCESSES

If an Offensive or Defensive Action is successful AND the 5x5 roll shows DOUBLES (both dice show the same number) the action produces a Critical Success.

Offensive Critical Success

If the result of an Offensive Action is a Critical Success, the Attacker has Made a Double Hit.

The Defender of a Double Hit must attempt two Control the Hit rolls as though they were the target of two simultaneous successful attacks.

Defensive Critical Success

If the result of a Defensive Action is a Critical Success, the Defender has Blocked the Hit.

If a Defender has Blocked the Hit, the Hit is completely eliminated and no Ability Score is reduced; no Damage taken.

14

The Effects of Damage

When an Ability Score is reduced by a Hit, this immediately impacts the Damaged character's effectiveness in battle. When rolling Offensive and Defensive combat actions always multiply the Combat Rank by the current (damaged) Ability Score.

UNCONCIOUSNESS AND DEATH

If an Ability Score is reduced to a value of 0, the character is rendered Unconscious.

If any single Ability Score is reduced to a value of less than 0, or if any two Ability Scores are ever both equal to 0 at the same time, the character is Dead.

Instant KO

If any one Ability Score suffers the Damage of two Hits from a single Offensive Action, the defender is rendered Unconscious even if no Ability Score has been reduced to 0.

An unconscious character, with no Ability Score of less than 1, will regain consciousness moments after the combat ends.

COMPLETING THE COMBAT

After a character has made an Offensive Action, and the target of that action has had an opportunity to perform a Defensive Action in response, the current player's turn ends, and play is passed to the next character in the turn order.

After all characters in the turn order have had an opportunity to take Offensive Action as described above, the Combat Round ends and a new round begins.

Return to the top of the Combat Sequence and roll new Initiatives for all participants. Continue this pattern until all combatants on one side or the other have been eliminated from the combat.

Once the Combat Encounter has ended all participants on the WINNING side of the conflict gain an immediate Victory Rush.

Victory Rush

Characters (Not Unconscious) get a Victory Rush after winning a combat, instantly regaining 1 point to a Damaged Ability Score of their choice.

15

HEALING

Each successful application of the Healing Skill will remove the effects of one Hit. (Increase the current value of the lowest valued Ability Score that has had its value reduced through damage by +1.)

Healing Conscious Characters

The first time the Healing skill is used on a conscious character in a given day, resolve the test normally. The second time the Healing skill is used on the same conscious character in the same day, the skill test suffers a negative rank shift.

No more than two attempts at using the Healing skill on a single conscious character can be made each day regardless of the success of these attempts.

Healing Unconscious Characters

Only one attempt to heal an unconscious character can be made in a day. This attempt suffers a negative rank shift.

An unconscious character who has had all Ability Scores restored to a value of 1 or greater will regain consciousness immediately following the successful application of the Healing skill. -- No further use of the Healing Skill can be applied to this character for the rest of the day.

A character can still benefit from Recovery (Guided or Natural) even if the maximum number of attempts to heal the character have been reached for that day.

RECOVERY

Each night a character can recover from damage through rest. There are two types of recovery: Natural and Guided Recovery.

Guided Recovery

Any patient who has been successfully treated with a Guided Recovery (Healing) Test will benefit from Guided Recovery. A character that has not been successfully treated by a Guided Recovery Test will recover according to the rules for Natural Recovery.

16

Guided Recovery for Conscious Characters

Guided Recovery can be attempted on each patient once per day before sleep. (This is independent of the limit on Healing Skill Tests listed above.) Guided Recovery is a Healing (Precognition) Skill Test. Successful application of the Guided Recovery test to a CONSCIOUS patient restores 1 Hit to the character's lowest damaged Ability Score over night.

Guided Recovery for Unconscious Characters

Guided Recovery for Unconscious Characters works the same as indicated above, but the skill check suffers a negative rank shift.

Natural Recovery

Without benefit of skilled healing, a character's body still struggles to recover and regenerate itself naturally.

Natural Recovery for Conscious Characters

Conscious Characters who have not benefited from the successful application of Guided Recovery (Healing) can attempt Natural Recovery by rolling a Survival (Rage) Skill test.

This test suffers a negative rank shift (Guided recovery is easier on the body.) but if successful, Natural Recovery restores 1 Hit to the character's lowest damaged Ability Score over night.

Natural Recovery for Unconscious Characters

Unconscious Characters who have not benefited from the successful application of Guided Recovery (Healing) can attempt to Fight for Life by rolling a Survival (Rage) Skill test.

If the Fight for Life check is successful, the character immediately attempts a Natural Recovery check as if they were a Conscious Character. (See: Natural Recovery for Conscious Characters above.)

If the Fight for Life check is failed, the character is Dead.

An Unconscious character, who has all Ability Scores with values of 1 or more, will regain consciousness following Natural or Guided Recovery.

Note: Sidekicks will not die unless the character possessing the Sidekick also dies. Consider a "dead" Sidekick as only unconscious.

17

CHAPTER THREE: THE XCEPTIONAL WORLD

The default world setting of the Xceptional RPG is a place where people (called Xceptionals) possess fantastic powers. Xceptionals live in a struggle to prove themselves in a world ruled by more common men.

On July 8, 1947. an alien spacecraft exploded in the sky above Roswell New Mexico. About a year later the first Xceptionals began displaying the signs of super abilities (Xceptions.) Inexplicably the vast majority (over 90%) of individuals effected by this phenomena were women. Although the appearance of Xceptionals was concentrated in and around the Roswell area initially the effect spread outward from there. By the late 1950's reports of Xceptionals had spread to the east coast of the United States.

During the 1950's Xceptionals were regarded with fear and superstition, and as the majority of Xceptionals were women and women of the 1950's were struggling to rise above their status as second class citizens, Xceptionals found themselves persecuted with extreme prejudice.

To add to this tension most of the men effected by Xceptions were driven insane by their power and became violent and murderous.

Most women who found themselves with power, kept it secret. The handful of women who did reveal themselves wore masks and costumes to conceal their identities. A group of such women who called themselves the Xceptionals (and thereby coined the common name for these powers and the people possessing them) fought against super insane madmen while avoiding capture and dissection by the government.

Many of the first Xceptionals who survived passed their abilities on to their children, and although women still seemed to be favored by the power, more men emerged with powers and later generations of male Xceptionals did not suffer from the insanity of their forefathers.

The 1950's Campaign

Playing in the 1950's campaign setting, players will take the roles of Xceptional women (with maybe the rare solitary male character) fighting against insane madmen and hiding the truth from their friends and family while avoiding capture and persecution by the government.

A dangerous world where women have very few rights and privileges. The existence of Xceptionals threatens to further damage gender relations, pushing the world towards the dark ages. Only the heroic actions of the players can prevent this.

18

The Modern Campaign

This world is more like the heroic world of superheroes in the comic books we read today. Female Xceptionals still outnumber males by roughly 3 to 1, but male heroes are prominent (as are female villains.) Players seeking a more traditional superhero game should play Xceptional in the modern campaign.

The key difference in play in the Xceptional World as compared to other superhero worlds is in the origin of the characters' super powers. Players will have inherited their powers from their parents (most likely their mother) and lived with the reality of a super powered parent their entire lives.

Players should consider who their super parent was. Was the parent a hero ... a villain? Is the parent still active? Maybe the character began their career as their parent's sidekick. These sorts of considerations should flavor character creation in the modern campaign.

OTHER WORLDS

Xceptional should be generic enough to be played in most modern settings. In fantasy settings the skill Technology could be changed to Magic to describe a measure of mystical knowledge and study. In addition, games set in a fantasy or science fiction setting might consider the Treasure Seekers Campaign option.

The Treasure Seekers Campaign

In the Treasure Seekers Campaign players begin play with NO XCEPTIONS and do not earn or improve Xceptions as they gain Advancements. Instead, items are collected during role-play that grant the users of the items the benefits of Xceptions.

It is even possible to mix Treasure Seeker and standard Xceptional characters in the same campaign. In traditional fantasy troupes, Wizards tend to shun the use of weapons and armor. A player in a fantasy campaign wishing to emulate this, could gain Xceptions (Spells) through earned Advancements, while suffering a restriction in their use of equipment.

Example items for the Treasure Seekers Campaign can be found in Appendix A: Equipment on page 26.

19

CHAPTER FOUR: THE GAME MASTER

What is an RPG?

A Role-Playing Game is a set of guidelines for participation in the activity of guided improvisation. This improvisation is generally intended to simulate an adventure story.

All but one player creates a character to represent their role in the story, while one special player, called: The Game Master, supplies the narrative voice, and takes the roles of all other characters that the telling of the story might require.

Game rules provide guidelines for how well characters can perform certain actions. This lets players know what their characters are good at doing and where their characters will struggle to succeed. Dice are used to randomize the results of these actions and create a sense of suspense and uncertainty.

The Game Master creates a basic outline for the story to follow but allows the players to determine their actions in response to the situations presented. This can frequently take the story in unexpected directions, so the story outline must be fluid, and the key to being a good Game Master is quick thinking, and the ability to adapt the story to fit the actions of the players.

In addition, the Game Master must present challenges for the players: problems to solve, and enemies to defeat. The story need not be completed in a single session of play, and the players will bring the same characters back for the next session, and the one after that, and the one after that. Once a story has been completed, a new story can begin, all comprising the collected adventures of the same group of characters.

COMBAT CHALLENGES

The most common challenge that a Game Master can present to players is combat. Combat is structured in turns and involves strategy and uncertainty. It is combat that transforms the improvisational activity of role-playing into the act of playing a game.

The Game Master will need to have notes on the enemies that the players must face, these enemies can be created quickly by selecting Ability Scores, Combat Ranks, and Xceptions for the enemies.

Enemies created by the GM for use in challenging the players need not (and most likely should not) follow the rules for Character Creation.

20

EXAMPLE ENEMIES

3 Thugs, 211, 1-U, 1UU, Speedster 1 (knife)

2 Henchmen, 223, U-1, UU1, Xceptional Offense 1 (gun)

Boss, 343, U2U, 121, Flight, Regeneration

Everything the GM needs to know to run a combat is provided in the information above. This kind of short hand is commonly used to help keep notation concise and manageable.

Being consistent in the way information is presented and organized will make designing and documenting Combat Challenges quick and easy.

Information organized as in the examples above is called a "Stat Block."

THE STAT BLOCK

[a] The Number of enemies appearing (optional if there is only one.)

[b] A Name descriptor for the enemy.

[c] The enemy's Ability Scores.

These are always presented in the order: Rage, Precognition, Grace. This order can be easily remembered if you consider the starting character of each Ability Score: R = Rage, P = Precognition, G = Grace. Together they create the mneumonic: RPG (Role-playing Game.)

[d] Offensive Ranks listed in order of associated Ability Score.

[e] Defensive Ranks listed in order of associated Ability Score

[f] Xception name and rank for each Xception

Also included in parenthesis after the Xception is Equipment that grants the Xception if that applies.

Examine the STAT BLOCK for the Thugs in the Example:

[a] The first information we find is the number 3. That means that 3 Thugs are present as part of the combat challenge.

21

[b] The name, "Thugs" appears next. This name could have been anything, it's meant to be a basic descriptor of the type of challenge being encountered.

[c] Next is the number 211. This number presents the Thugs' Ability Scores in order Rage, Precognition, then Grace. Rage is 2. Precognition is 1. Grace is 1.

[d] Now comes Offensive Combat Ranks in the order of related Ability Score. Strike is related to Rage, Focus is related to Precognition, and Aim is related to Grace. The number shown for the Thugs is 1-U, so the Thugs have: Strike 1; Focus -; Aim U.

U stands for Untrained. An Untrained Rank is rolled against a target number of Ability Score -1. For the Thugs that would be Grace -1 or 0. But, since the Thugs are not armed with guns, it is unlikely they will use their Aim skill at all (as that would mean throwing their knives at the enemy and loosing them.)

A dash means not allowed. You will only see this value for Focus as it is the only Combat Rank that cannot be used at all without training.

[e] Defensive Combat ranks again in order of related Ability Score are next. These are: Parry, Resist, and Dodge. In the case

of the Thugs, they have: Parry 1, Resist U, and Dodge U.

[f] Last are Xceptions. Thugs are normal people with no special powers, but because these Thugs carry knives they are granted the Xception of Speedster at Rank 1.

Remembering the order of the Ability Scores (Rage, Precognition, then Grace) makes reading and recording information for combat challenges a simple chore.

Using Stat Blocks will make the job of GM much easier.

COMBAT STRATEGY

Choosing which Ability will take damage is an important aspect of combat strategy. In the example, Thugs have Ability Scores with values of 1. This means that one failed Defensive Action can see a Thug defeated and unconscious.

When fighting against stronger enemies, sometimes it is more important to reduce a character's strengths than to simply reduce their lowest score. Because Ability Scores are multipliers, a single reduction in an Ability Score of a higher value can greatly diminish an enemy's effectiveness.

22

ADVANCEMENT

After the players have played their characters in a few sessions, the GM should award the players an Advance. Advances are the way that a character grows. This growth is a huge part of the appeal of the game. Players enjoy seeing their characters evolve and improve as they play in game after.

Advancements should not be given out after every session, but rather every few, or in response to the completion of a particularly engaging story arc. The GM should gauge this for their specific group and their personal situation. A group that only gets to play once a month for example might receive Advancements from the GM more often to prevent the game from feeling stagnant over the long period of play.

For the specific effects of Advancement refer to the Advancement Tables in Appendix E on page 31.

SPECIAL EFFECTS

In the example story, "Recipe Party" a boss villain is introduced and the adventure describes his actions as "... he holds out a hand shooting a piercing beam of light that burns the pavement of the street below." But the character doesn't actually possess an Xception matching the described ability. The ability is a descriptor that defines the way the character's Combat Ranks in Focus manifest. This is known as a Special Effect.

Special Effects can be anything that helps to bring what a character does into focus. Some special effects will help to explain the existence of a specific Xception. (Weapons, Armor and other such equipment are examples of this kind of Special Effect.) While others will just provide flavor to what the character does (like in the example from the Recipe Party.)

For ideas on how special effects can be used to explain and expand upon the range of powers available take a look at the Xample Xceptionals in Appendix D on page: 30.

23

Players reading this who do not wish to take the job of GM, are strongly encouraged to skip this section. Part of the fun of playing as a character in a Role-Playing Game is in the discovery, and the anticipation that comes from not knowing what will happen next.

This section contains a story outline example. It is meant to assist the GM in guiding the other players of the game through their first adventure story. For players who are not the GM, this section is more fun if its contents are discovered through the action of actually playing the game.

This story, "Recipe Party" is set in the 1950's Campaign option of the Xceptional World. Characters are assumed to be mostly women of the 1950's who have discovered that they possess special abilities (Xceptions.)

A "Recipe Party" is secret code used by women with Xceptional Powers to gather together in secret outside the prying eyes of their husbands or the law.

The GM should allow the players to greet each other and introduce their characters to one another. Then, explain that the characters have met in a dark alley under the pretense of a "Recipe Party" to go on patrol wearing scandalous skin tight hero costume attire.

During Patrol the group will hear a nearby alarm ringing. The GM should tell the players that they hear the alarm and ask for their reaction.

The alarm is a robbery at a jewelry store. As the characters arrive (assuming they went to investigate the alarm) they see two thugs emerging from the store, one armed with a crowbar the other a knife. A third thug is behind the wheel of a sedan his first action in the combat will be to retrieve a revolver from the glove box of the car. He will move from the car and shoot with the gun if he is able in the second initiative sequence.

1 Thug, 211, 1-U, 1UU, Speedster 1 (knife)

1 Thug, 211, 1-U, 1UU, Stun 1 (crowbar)

1 Thug, 112, U-1, UU1, Xceptional Offense 1 (revolver)

The thugs are currently yelling at each other because the get away car has stalled and will not start. The thug with the crowbar also carries a sack containing valuable stolen jewelry.

24

ample Story: Recipe PartyXX

The GM should describe the scene and allow the players to describe how they wish to react. Once combat has started, have everyone roll for Initiative and begin the first Initiative Sequence.

The GM should continue combat until two of the Thugs have fallen, then interrupt combat with the following event:

"A man appears on the edge of the roof of the jewelry store. He wears shiny gold tights with a large red gem set in the center of his chest. 'I knew you IDIOTS would screw this up!' He screams as he holds out a hand shooting a piercing beam of light that burns the pavement of the street below. 'It seems I must handle these WOMEN myself ... prepare to face the horror that is ... THE JEWELER!!"

The Jeweler, 343, U2U, 121, Flight 1, Xcept Healing 1

Continue the combat. Halfway through their first Initiative Sequence against the Jeweler, the GM should let the players know that they hear police sirens in the distance.

After their second full Initiative Sequence fighting the Jeweler, a single police car with 2 police arrives.

2 Police, 223, U-1, UU1, Xceptional Offense 1 (revolver)

If the GM decides that the players are having an easy time against the Jeweler and his thugs, then have the police assume that the players are part of the robbery. If on the other hand, the players are in trouble against the Jeweler it will be clear to the police that the players are fighting to stop the robbery and the police will step in on the side of the players.

After the battle, if the police were on the players' side, they will still want to take them in for questioning. The GM should let the players know that going in with the police would be a really bad idea.

Players should decide whether to run or fight, or be taken into custody (the GM should discourage this last option.) GM and players should discuss options and react as their characters would to bring this encounter to some sort of conclusion.

If possible, the Police will not allow the players to leave the scene with weapons or the loot from the jewelry heist. If the players do manage to make off with some of the weapons this is okay, after a few Advances these low rank weapons will become inconsequential and the players will abandon them in favor of their own abilities.

25

APPENDIX A: EQUIPMENT

Weapons, armor, magic items and other such possessions magical and technological in the Xceptional game system grant the user Xceptions at various ranks. Below are some examples of equipment.

Bardic Musical Instrument (Amplify or Dampen) - can choose one or the other effect, must roll a successful Performance Skill check to use.

Off-Hand Weapons (Blitzkrieg) - fighting two-handed with a short sword or dagger in an off hand would earn this benefit, must have a Grace of 4.

Automatic or Rapid-fire Burst Weapons (Blitzkrieg) - Machine guns, etc.

Reach Weapons (Speedster) - Spears or Pole Arms.

Heavy Weapons (Deadly Attack) - Two handed weapons such as Claymores or Battle Axes, also heavy guns or blasters, cannot be combined with Shield or Off-Hand Weapons.

Heavy Armor (Deflection) - Platemail, heavy chain, or futuristic armors. If combined with Shield improve the Rank +1.

Shield (Deflection) - Does not combine with Heavy Weapons or Off-Hand Weapon.

Stim Paks or Energy Drinks (Regeneration) - take right before battle to gain the effect.

Guard Dog or Mechanical Golden Owl (Sidekick) - an animal companion, a Wizard's familiar, or a robot or droid.

Fast Weapons (Speedster) - a dagger used as a primary weapon or a rapier.

Blunt Weapons (Stun) - Billy Club, Staff, Gladiator's Net, Bull Whip, Mace or Hammer, also Pepper Spray.

Light Armor (Xceptional Defense) - Leather or light chain armors.

Medical Kit, Magic Potion (Xceptional Healing)

Medium Weapons (Xceptional Offense) - Swords, Bows, most guns.

Grenade or Magic Wand (Xplosion) - use Aim to throw a Grenade or Focus to fire a Magic Wand.

Standard and Magical Items

Standard items are assumed to possess the listed Xceptions at Rank1. Magical or special items could have higher ranks in their listed Xceptions or have additional Xceptions added to them.

26

APPENDIX B: SKILL DESCRIPTIONS

In the Skill Descriptions below, the Skill name is followed by its related Ability Score in parenthesis.

Balance (Grace) - use this skill to walk a tight rope, or do other things that require a character to be light on their feet.

Climb (Rage) - use this skill to scale sheer surfaces and vertical terrains.

Courage (Rage) - use this skill to face danger without loosing your cool.

Diplomacy (Grace) - use words and moving oration to influence others.

Guile (Precognition) - use to out think an opponent, play chess or solve a riddle; a measure of intellect and cleverness.

Heal (Precognition) - Use to restore damaged Ability Scores to healthy conditions (see Healing.)

Intimidation (Rage) - Influence others by presenting a frightful presence.

Jump (Rage) - use to leap over things.

Muscle (Rage) - use to perform feats of Strength, force open doors, lift heavy objects, open jelly jars, etc.

Nature (Precognition) - use to interact with nature, identify plants, find food and water in the wilderness, ride horses, or soothe the heart of a wild beast.

Perception (Precognition) - Use to notice things, to spot important details or hear a quiet sound.

Performance (Grace) - influence others through artistic expression be it dance, acting, singing or playing an instrument.

Pilot (Grace) - use to control vehicles, wagons, cars, buses, airplanes, rocket ships.

Repair (Precognition) - use to fix broken things, can also apply to crafting or constructing things from spare parts.

Sex Appeal (Grace) - use to influence those who might be attracted to you. This skill can often be used to transcend barriers of language and racial/species biases.

Survival (Rage) - use to recover from near fatal wounds or to resist damage under environmental conditions of extreme heat, cold, or toxicity.

Technology (Precognition) - use to work with technology such as computers or microwave ovens.

Thief (Grace) - use to open locks, pick pockets, or perform other actions requiring a very steady hand and highly developed hand/eye coordination.

27

APPENDIX C: XCEPTION DESCRIPTIONS

In many of the Xception Descriptions below, Ranks in the Xception determine how frequently the character can use it. This is not meant to imply that the Xception only works part of the time, but is instead intended to illustrate how frequently the Xception has a notable impact on the outcome of a battle. Xceptions with high ranks can impact combat most of the time, while lower ranked Xceptions sway the outcome of a battle much less often. Initiative roll based limitations only effect the use of the Xception while in combat.

Amplify - Before Initiative is rolled, choose a number of friendly targets equal to your Ranks in Amplify (this can include yourself.) Targets gain a Positive Rank Shift on all Xceptions until the end of the Initiative Sequence.

Blitzkrieg – Perform two Offensive Actions on your turn. You can only use this Xception if your unadjusted Initiative roll is equal to or lower than your ranks in Blitzkrieg.

Dampen - Before Initiative is rolled, choose a number of enemy targets equal to your total Ranks in Dampen. Targets suffer a Negative Rank Shift on all Xceptions until the end of the Initiative Sequence.

Deadly Attack – Once on your turn, following a non-critical success, you can declare that your Offensive Action roll was a Critical Success. You can only use this Xception if your unadjusted Initiative roll is equal to or lower than your ranks in Deadly Attack.

Deflection – Once per Initiative Sequence, following a non-critical success, you can declare that your Defensive Action roll was a Critical Success. You can only use this Xception if your unadjusted Initiative roll is equal to or lower than your ranks in Deflection.

Flight - Your character can fly 50 MPH per Rank in Flight. In combat, your character is considered to be Airborne. Airborne characters add their ranks in Flight to their Initiative roll to determine their place in the Turn Order and to their Movement.

Airborne characters cannot be the target of a Strike Offensive Action unless their opponent is also Airborne. You can only use this Xception if your unadjusted Initiative roll is equal to or lower than your ranks in Flight.

Invisibility - Your character can become Invisible. In combat your character can be perceived up close but not from any distance. Your character cannot be the target of Aim Offensive Actions and can only be targeted by Focus Offensive Actions if adjacent to the attacker. You can only use this Xception if your unadjusted Initiative roll is equal to or lower than your ranks in Invisibility.

Knockback – Once on your turn, following a successful Offensive Action where you Control the Hit, you can declare that your target has been Knocked Back. A character that is knocked back is moved directly away from the attacker 1d5+5 inches. You can only use this Xception if your unadjusted Initiative roll is equal to or lower than your ranks in Knockback.

28

Mind Control - Once on your turn, following an Offensive Action where you Control the Hit, you can declare that your target is Taken Over. You inflict no damage, but instead gain an immediate Offensive Action with the character Taken Over. Control of the character ends after your turn. You can only use this Xception if your Initiative roll is equal to or lower than your ranks in Mind Control.

Phasing - The character can shift Out of Phase passing through enemies, and becoming immune to attacks. The out-of-phase character cannot impact the normal world. Declare your Out of Phase state at the start of the Initiative Sequence after you roll Initiative. Before rolling Initiative, your character is not Out of-Phase. You can only use this Xception if your unadjusted Initiative roll is equal to or lower than your ranks in Phasing.

Sidekick - The player has a constant companion: Sidekick, 222, 1-1, 222, Xception 1. Ranks in Sidekick can add new Xceptions or improve existing ones. (A Sidekick cannot have a Sidekick)

Speedster – Your character can run 50 MPH per Rank in Speedster. In combat add your rank in Speedster to your Initiative roll to determine your place in the Turn Order and your Movement.

Stun – Once on your turn, following a successful Offensive Action, where you Control the Hit, you can declare that your target has been Stunned. A Stunned character looses their next turn. You can only use this Xception if your unadjusted Initiative roll is equal to or lower than your ranks in Stun.

Teleport - Before Initiative is rolled, choose a number of friendly targets equal to your total Ranks in Teleport (this can include yourself.) Targets disappear from one location on the tabletop and reappear at another.

Xceptional Defense – Once per Initiative Sequence, you can reroll a failed Defense Action roll possibly turning the failure into a success. You can only use this Xception if your Initiative roll is equal to or lower than your ranks in Xceptional Defense.

Xceptional Healing - your character can give up an Offensive Action to remove all Hits from a single target (including yourself.) You can only use this Xception a number of times per day equal to your ranks in Xceptional Healing.

Xceptional Offense – Once on your turn you can reroll a failed Offensive Action roll possibly turning the failure into a success. You can only use this Xception if your unadjusted Initiative roll is equal to or lower than your ranks in Xceptional Offense.

Xplosion - The character can produce an explosion with their Offensive Action. The explosion inflicts 1 Hit to the target plus 1 Hit to every character adjacent to the target. The Hits are automatically Controlled by the Defender and no roll to Control the Hit is made. A character using a Strike Action or using Focus on an adjacent target, will also suffer a Hit from the explosion! You can only use this Xception a number of times per day equal to your ranks in Xplosion.

29

APPENDIX D: XAMPLE XCEPTIONALS

The following Xceptionals are all legal as newly created under the character creation rules, and are suitable for play. Players will need to roll their Skills randomly as these are not included.

Blasting Shooter, 234, U-1, UU1, Knockback 1, Xplosion 1This Shooter is a power house able to blast multiple enemies or knock dangerous threats away. As a Shooter the character can attack targets at range using ranks in Aim. This could be blasts from their hands, eye beams, a sonic scream, or any other sort of ranged special effect.

Flying Shooter, 324, U-1, UU1, Flight 1, Speedster 1Flight and Speedster are complimentary. Their benefits stack. Flight is only applied if the character is Airborne, but Speedster works all the time. As a Shooter, the character can attack targets using ranks in Aim. This could be explained as, lightning from the sky, heat vision or any other sort of ranged special effect.

Ghost Mentalist, 243, U1U, UUU, Dampen 1, Phasing 1This Mentalist has ghost powers able to pass through walls and to become untouchable in combat. The Dampen Power is a perfect choice for a phasing character because it is activated before initiative is rolled while the character is still in phase and able to effect the normal world.

Hulking Brawler, 423, 1-U, 1UU, Deadly Attack 1, Deflection 1The one two punch of Deadly Attack and Deflection produces a powerful up front fighter with a combination of super strength and invulnerability.

Psychic Mentalist, 243, U1U, UUU, Mind Control 1, Xceptional Healing 1This Mind Controller can turn enemies against themselves and heal damaged friends.

Savage Brawler, 423, 1-U, 1UU, Amplify 1, Sidekick 1 (Pet Tiger: Deadly Attack 1)The Savage Brawler is a jungle warrior with a pet tiger. Use Amplify to boost the tiger's Deadly Attack for extra punch.

Skilled Shooter, 324, U-1, UU1, Xceptional Att 1, Xceptional Def 1The Skilled Shooter is all about accuracy, and the combination of Xceptional Attack and Xceptional Defense allows this character to succeed where other characters may fail.

Stretching Mentalist, 333, U1U, UUU, Deflection 1, Stun 1Stretching powers work as well at range as they do close up, so we have chosen a Mentalist for the Focus Combat Ranks that can be applied in close combat and ranged combat equally. The rubber like body of a stretching character is super resilient so we have chosen Deflection to represent this resistance to damage. A stretching character can wrap their arms legs or body around enemies to entangle them causing them to loose their turn and we have chosen the Stun Xception to represent this.

Super Speed Brawler, 423, 1-U, 1UU, Blitzkrieg 1, Teleportation 1Blitzkrieg allows the Super Speed Brawler to make two attacks per turn instead of just one. Teleportation allows the character to "run" to any spot on the battlefield in the blink of an eye.

30

APPENDIX E: ADVANCEMENT TABLES

A character has Combat Ranks as indicated on the Combat Rank Advancement Table that corresponds with their Class.

As a character Advances their Combat Ranks improve. A newly created character has Combat Ranks equal to those indicated for a character with 0 (zero) Advances.

As the group meets to play the GM will award "Advances" to the players. Advances add up, so the first time the GM awards an Advance the characters will have 1 Advance; the second time the GM awards an advance the characters will have 2 Advances ... etc.

It is recommended that the GM award Advances to the characters in a play group approximately every second or third game session.

A character cannot advance more than 20 times. A character with 20 Advances is said to be: Maxed Out.

In the Combat Ranks Tables that follow a "U" is used to indicate a Combat Rank that is "Unskilled."

The Focus Combat Rank is special in that it is exclusive to the Mentalist Combat Class and cannot be used by the Brawler or Shooter Classes at all.

BRAWLER CLASS COMBAT RANKS

Advances Strike Parry Aim Dodge Focus Resist

0 1 1 U U - U

1 1 1 U U - U

2 1 1 U U - U

3 1 2 U U - U

4 1 2 U 1 - U

5 1 2 U 1 - U

6 2 2 U 1 - U

7 2 2 1 1 - U

8 2 2 1 1 - 1

9 2 3 1 1 - 1

10 2 3 1 1 - 1

11 2 3 1 1 - 1

12 3 3 1 2 - 1

13 3 3 1 2 - 1

14 3 3 2 2 - 1

15 3 4 2 2 - 1

16 3 4 2 2 - 2

17 3 4 2 2 - 2

18 4 4 2 2 - 2

19 4 4 2 2 - 2

20 4 4 2 3 - 2

31

SHOOTER CLASS COMBAT RANKS

Advances Strike Parry Aim Dodge Focus Resist

0 U U 1 1 - U

1 U U 1 1 - U

2 U U 1 1 - U

3 U U 2 1 - U

4 U U 2 1 - 1

5 U U 2 1 - 1

6 U U 2 2 - 1

7 1 U 2 2 - 1

8 1 1 2 2 - 1

9 1 1 3 2 - 1

10 1 1 3 2 - 1

11 1 1 3 2 - 1

12 1 1 3 3 - 2

13 1 1 3 3 - 2

14 2 1 3 3 - 2

15 2 1 4 3 - 2

16 2 2 4 3 - 2

17 2 2 4 3 - 2

18 2 2 4 4 - 2

19 2 2 4 4 - 2

20 2 2 4 4 - 3

MENTALIST CLASS COMBAT RANKS

Advances Strike Parry Aim Dodge Focus Resist

0 U U U U 1 U

1 U U U U 1 U

2 U U U U 1 1

3 U U U U 1 1

4 U 1 U 1 1 1

5 U 1 U 1 2 1

6 U 1 U 1 2 1

7 U 1 U 1 2 1

8 U 1 U 1 2 2

9 U 1 U 1 2 2

10 U 1 U 1 2 2

11 U 1 U 1 3 2

12 U 2 U 2 3 2

13 U 2 U 2 3 2

14 U 2 U 2 3 3

15 U 2 U 2 3 3

16 U 2 U 2 3 3

17 U 2 U 2 4 3

18 U 2 U 2 4 3

19 U 2 U 2 4 3

20 U 3 U 3 4 4

32

SKILLS AND XCEPTIONS ADVANCEMENT TABLE (ALL CLASSES)

Advances Rank1 Skills Rank2 Skills Rank3 Skills Rank4 Skills Rank1 Xcptns Rank2 Xcptns Rank3 Xcptns Rank4 Xcptns

0 5 0 0 0 2 0 0 0

1 4** 1 0 0 1** 1 0 0

2 5* 1 0 0 2* 1 0 0

3 4** 2 0 0 2 1 0 0

4 5* 2 0 0 1** 2 0 0

5 4** 3 0 0 2* 2 0 0

6 5* 3 0 0 2 2 0 0

7 5 2** 1 0 1** 3 0 0

8 4** 3 1 0 1 2** 1 0

9 3** 4 1 0 1 2 1 0

10 3 3** 2 0 2* 2 1 0

11 2** 4 2 0 1** 3 1 0

12 2 3** 3 0 1 3 1 0

13 3* 3 3 0 1 2** 2 0

14 3 3 2** 1 2* 2 2 0

15 2** 4 2 1 2 2 2 0

16 2 3** 3 1 1** 3 2 0

17 1** 4 3 1 1 2** 3 0

18 1 4 2** 2 1 2 3 0

19 1 3** 3 2 0** 3 3 0

20 0** 4 3 2 0 3 2** 1

*Add one new Skill or Xception as indicated at rank 1. **Advance one Skill or Xception of this rank as indicated to the next higher rank.

33

APPENDIX F: CHARACTER CREATION SUMMARY

PROFILE - Create a Profile for your character :

Roll Build: [0-2] Quick, [3-5] Powerful.

Roll Process: [0-2] Theory, [3-5] Practice.

Roll Temperament: [0-2] Bold, [3-5] Cautious.

ABILITY SCORES - Use your Profile to find Ability Scores :

Rage, Precognition, and Grace equal 2 plus Profile bonuses.

Quick: +1 to Grace, or Powerful: +1 to Rage.

Theory: +1 to Precognition, or Practice: +1 to Grace.

Bold: +1 to Rage, or Cautious: +1 to Precognition.

CLASS - Determine your Class based on Ability Scores :

All Scores are 3: [1-2] Brawler, [3-4] Shooter, [5-6] Mentalist.

Rage is 2 and Precognition is 4: [0-1] Shooter, [2-5] Mentalist.

Rage is 2 and Grace is 4: [0-3] Shooter, [4-5] Mentalist.

Precognition is 2 and Rage is 4: [0-3] Brawler, [4-5] Shooter.

Precognition is 2 and Grace is 4: [0-1] Brawler, [2-5] Shooter.

Grace is 2 and Rage is 4: [0-3] Brawler, [4-5] Mentalist.

Grace is 2 and Precognition is 4: [0-1] Brawler, [2-5] Mentalist.

COMBAT RANKS - Record Combat Ranks for your Class :

Brawler: Strike and Parry =1, Aim, Dodge, Resist = U.

Shooter: Aim and Dodge = 1, Strike, Parry, Resist = U.

Mentalist: Focus = 1, all others = U.

SKILLS - Roll 1 Skill for each Ability Score :

Rage Skills: [0] Climb, [1] Courage, [2] Intimidation,[3] Jump, [4] Muscle, [5] Survival.

Precognition Skills: [0] Guile, [1] Heal, [2] Nature,[3] Perception, [4] Repair, [5] Technology.

Grace Skills: [0] Balance, [1] Diplomacy, [2] Performance,[3] Pilot, [4] Sex Appeal, [5] Thief.

Brawlers roll 1 additional Rage Skill.

Shooters roll 1 additional Grace Skill.

Mentalists roll 1 additional Precognition Skill.

Brawlers roll a final Skill under: [0-2] Precognition, [3-5] Grace.

Shooters roll a final Skill under: [0-2] Rage, [3-5] Precognition.

Mentalists roll a final Skill under: [0-2] Rage, [3-5] Grace.

XCEPTIONS - Roll 2 Xceptions - reroll duplicates :

[0-1] Roll Xceptions: A-F, [2-3] Roll Xception: I-S,[4-5] Roll Xception: S-X.

A-F Xceptions: [0] Amplify, [1] Blitzkrieg, [2] Dampen, [3] Deadly Attack, [4] Deflection, [5] Flight.

I-S Xceptions: [0] Invisibility, [1] Knockback, [2] Mind Control,[3] Phasing, [4] Sidekick, [5] Speedster.

S-X Xceptions: [0] Stun, [1] Teleport, [2] Xceptional Defense,[3] Xceptional Healing, [4] Xceptional Offense, [5] Xplosion.

34

Xceptional Ch

ara

cter S

heet

Nam

e A

dvan

ces

Cla

ss

Bu

ild

Quick

Powerfu

l

Inte

llect

Theory

Practice

Tem

pera

men

t

Bold

Cau

tious

Tem

pla

te

Ab

ility S

core

s

Co

mb

at R

an

ks

Skills

Xce

ptio

ns

Eq

uip

men

t an

d N

ote

s

RAGE

PRECOGNITION

GRACE

Strik

e

Parry

Fo

cus

Resist

Aim

Do

dg

e

Clim

b

Cou

rage

Intim

idation

Jum

p

Muscle

Survival

Guile

Heal

Natu

re

Perception

Repair

Technology

B

alance

D

iplomacy

Performan

ce

Pilot

Sex A

ppeal

Thief

Am

plify

Blitzkrieg

Dam

pen

Deadly A

ttck

Deflection

Flight

Invisibility

Knockback

Min

d Con

trol

Phasin

g

Sidekick

Speedster

Stu

n

Teleport

Xcptn

Defen

s

Xcptn

Heal

Xcptn

Offen

s

Xplosion

Enter a world of super adventure where people with spectacular powers called Xceptionals struggle to survive in an atmosphere of resentment and hate.

ceptional is a Supers RPG that combines the simplicity of a class/level based character advancement model with the versatility of a skill based system.

Xceptional's unique system for damage control adds a level of strategy to combat not present in other rules-lite systems, and the random character creation option allows players to start playing right away!

All you need are two or three friends and a pair of six-sided dice.

XX

Xce

ptio

nal is C

C:B

Y-S

A 2

010 by Jeff M

oore. Licen

sed under th

e Creative C

omm

ons A

ttribution

-Share A

like 3.0

:http://creativecom

mon

s.org/licenses/by-sa/3

.0/