FFRE Corebook

8/11/2019 FFRE Corebook

1/36

The basics of

FFRE

Free Fudge-light Roleplaying gaming Engineby

Peter Knutsen

Goodie Points.................................................................................................................... 2

GP Values.............................................................................................................................. 2GP Distribution..................................................................................................................... 3

Basic character types.......................................................................................................... 3d!enturers........................................................................................................................... 3"!eryday people..................................................................................................................... 3Politicians# $obles and %erchants........................................................................................ 3GP distribution e&ample........................................................................................................ '

General principle........................................................................................................... 'ttributes........................................................................................................................... '

ttribute !alues...................................................................................................................... 'Differences bet(een the )uman se&es - ttributes............................................................... *

+ub-ttributes.................................................................................................................... ,Differences bet(een male )umans and female )umans - sub-attributes.............................

reati!ity# /efle&es and Balance............................................................................................ /oleplaying............................................................................................................................

d!antages......................................................................................................................... Per0s................................................................................................................................... 1+0ills and ores................................................................................................................ +0ill osts........................................................................................................................ 2

4ses of the s0ill cost system................................................................................................. 2bout ores..................................................................................................................... 3

+0ill +peciali5ations.............................................................................................................. 3/oll Difficulty.................................................................................................................. 3

/D modifiers....................................................................................................................... 'The outcome.................................................................................................................... '

6pposed /olls..................................................................................................................... '

+pecial 6pposed /olls......................................................................................................... *The Tas0 /oll.................................................................................................................. *The Time +cale................................................................................................................ *uc0 Points...................................................................................................................... ,+pellcasting...................................................................................................................... ,

Talents................................................................................................................................. 7umbles................................................................................................................................

ife 7orce......................................................................................................................... 8"nchantment................................................................................................................... 8

9n!estments.......................................................................................................................... 1

+pecial or obscure "nchantments........................................................................................ 1Po(ers.............................................................................................................................. 1ombat............................................................................................................................ 2:

%elee.................................................................................................................................... 2:;ounds............................................................................................................................... 2:)itpoint loss........................................................................................................................ 24narmed ombat............................................................................................................... 2/anged ombat................................................................................................................... 2Piercing Damage.................................................................................................................. 2

9nitiati!e............................................................................................................................... 22Durability and


2/36

Character CreationGoodie PointsTo create a character in 77/"# you must first 0no( ho( many Goodie Points you areallo(ed for the creation process.

This is normally decided by the players# (ho discuss the issue among themsel!es# trying toreach a consensus on the GP amount# but some groups may prefer to let the G% decideinstead. lso if the players are unable to achie!e consensus# the G% must decide upon the

amount of GPs =(hich (ill be easier for him if he (as present (hile the players debated#but some groups may prefer to discuss the issue a(ay from their G%>.

Goodie Points measure general competence. T(o characters of the same GP !alue may be!ery different# in terms of (hat abilities they ha!e spent their points on. 6ne character canbe a superb (arrior but socially inept# (hereas the other can be clumsy and inelegant (ith(eapons but a sil!er-tongued diplomat. This means that one cannot say that for anad!enturing party of four 8: GP characters# a single enemy (orth 2: GP (ould be a greatchallenge - because the members of the party may ha!e put most of their points intomartial pro(ess# (hereas their 2: GP enemy is a master of stealth# assassination and(ilderness s0ills# so that if they confront each other in direct combat# the four-man party(ill (in easily# (hereas if the enemy gets the chance to attac0 them co!ertly# perhapssnea0ing into their camp at night# he (ill eliminate them effortlessly.

7urthermore is it possible to spend oneAs points un(isely# such that one gets reducedbenefit from them# due to the synergies that e&ist bet(een many abilities# for instancebet(een ttributes and +0ills. 6ne cannot therefore say that all :: GP characters are ofeual competence. +ome may ha!e been created inefficiently. 6n the other hand# thesystem is constructed such that abusi!e degrees of optimi5ation cannot be achie!ed. Thisremo!es the need for the G% to ha!e the po(er to reCect player-created characters@because they (ere optimi5ed@. 6ne can =and often should> optimi5e for something inparticular# so as to build a character (ho e&cels at something that one thin0s it might befun to e&cel at# but the rules ma0es it impossible to build a high-po(ered generalist. nygi!en GP sum that allo(s the creation of a high-po(eredgeneralistallo(s the creation of amuch more high-po(ered specialist.

9t is often o!erloo0ed# but the real purpose of point-based character creation is to pro!ideequal opportunity. 9f one player can create a gi!en character# then allother players can createone (ho is exactlyali0e# rather than being at the mercy of dice# or ha!ing to go into acomple& negotiation process (ith the G%# from (hich some players may emerge (ithbetter deals than others# due to possessing superior G% manipulation s0ills or bye&ploiting a decade-spanning friendship (ith the G%.

GP Values': GPs is sufficient to create an ordinary person. 9t allo(s the creation of a character (itha!erage attributes# s0ills sufficient to hold a Cob# get along in daily life =Dri!e# oo0ing#

/eading> and ha!e a hobby or t(o# and also buy some personal possessions# a )ome and aob =a source of /egular monetary 9ncome that is reduced in cost by the attachment of as0ill roll reuirement and a time reuirement>.

Perhaps ,E of the entire population has a GP !alue bet(een 3* and '*. %odern settingcharacters tend to(ards being (orth a fe( GPs more# on a!erage# because of higher+trength and +i5e =due to better diet# in terms of regularity and protein content> andgenerally greater (ealth =larger and better )omeF more "uipmentF more li0ely to ha!e aregular ob>.

3: GPs (ould be a mar0edly inferior person# perhaps someone (ho has a handicap and isother(ise a!erage =chec0 out t(o of my characters# Klaus 4ldtmann and sbrand the+tutterer# for e&amples of handicapped characters (ho are veryfarfrom being a!erage># orCust a person (ith little education and !ery limited finances.

2: GPs is for creating a verymiserable person.

,: GPs creates a ompetent $ormal# heAs some(hat similar to the ': GP character# buthis s0ills (ill tend to be higher# or he (ill be richer and ha!e more things or othersocial?e&ternal benefits# or he may ha!e generally higher attributes# or one or t(o specialinnate abilities.

8: GPs creates a @unior@ d!enturer or a Very ompetent $ormal. 8: Goodie Points areenough for uite a lot# and some groups may find that they prefer Ps (ith this relati!elylo( le!el of po(er. There are certainly enough points to differentiate the characters stronglyfrom each other# but 8: GP ad!enturers must be careful about (hat challenges they ta0eon# they can easily bite off more than they can che(# e!en if (or0ing as a group# e!en ifcooperating perfectly.

:: GPs is the generally recommended starting !alue for a party of P ad!enturers=although 8: and 2: GPs# also potentially a lot of fun# are also on the recommendedHlist>. :: GPs creates highly competent characters# and e!en a small party composed ofsuch people is a force to be rec0oned (ith# especially if the party is !ersatile# (ith acharacter for e!ery type of conflict =combat# stealth# magic# social - although medicine andhealing may be !ery useful as a fifth type>.

2: GPs creates @"&perienced@ ad!enturers or !ery competent and po(erful settledindi!iduals. t this starting point !alue# it begins to become uite !iable to run solocampaigns# i.e. one player and one G%# but a party of 2: GP characters can also be fun#if the players are mature enough to gi!e the characters bac0grounds and personalambitions.

':# ,: and 8: GPs represent higher and higher degrees of competence. 9t should bepointed out that as the GP !alue of a character goes up# his competence# his generalpo(er# goes up quickly. 9n many (orlds# the most po(erful indi!idual# e!en if he is the

page 2 ? 3, of @77/" Basics@ - !::


3/36

supreme dictator of an entire planet# might be easily creatable (ith a budget as lo( as 22:GPs# mostly spent on social po(ers. 9f such an indi!idual costs more than 22: GPs# it (illprobably be because he has !ery strong magical or psionic po(ers# in addition to his socialpo(ers.

lthough the recommendation is 8:# :: or 2: GP Ps# it is possible to ha!e fun# long-lasting campaigns e!en (ith Ps of much higher GP !alues. 77/" is designed so that high-point characters a!oid the tendency to loo0 ali0e# or gro( ali0e# as seen in so many othersystems. But it does reuire some maturity of the players# to handle ': or ,: GP Ps.

GP DistributionTo actually create the character# you distribute your Goodie Points bet(een fourcategoriesI ttributes# d!antages# Per0s and +0ills. Jou start out by deciding on apreliminary distribution# but as you start using the character creation spreadsheet#spending your points# you (ill almost al(ays find that your preliminary distribution (asslightly (rong# and then you (ill (ish to go bac0 and re-allocate your points# e.g. shifting 2or 3 points from d!antages to +0ills. 4nspent Goodie Points are lost.

GPs are con!erted into the four sub-point types according to non-linear formulae. Thismeans that if one (ishes to create a s0ill-hea!y# or attribute-hea!y character# then one canseriously @pump@ up that one category. The four sub-point type categories are Ps=ttribute Points># DPs =d!antage Points - or aD!antage Points># PPs =Per0 Points> and

+Ps =+0ill Points>.

)ere are some e&cerpts from the @GP to sub points@ document# utili5ing the currentcon!ersion formulae.

GP AP DP PP SP GP AP DP PP SP: : : : : *: : 1' 3,, 3'A2:* 2 3 , 3*: ** 32 231 '*, '2A88:

: , 8 , A:: ,: *, 288 **1 *2A88:* 2 3 2A3: ,* 82 3'3 ,' ,'A8:2: 2: 21 *2 'A2:: : 2: ':2 8:3 ,A8':2* 3: ', 8 ,A8': * 2': ',8 1', 1:A81:3: '2 ,, 8 :A32: 8: 22 *31 A:' :,A'::

3* *, 1 ,* 'A: 8* 3:, ,* A2 23A':': 2 2 22 2:A:: 1: 3'2 ,1 A',* 'A1,:'* 1: ** 288 2,A**: 1* 38: 8* A,,1 ,2A:

9t is generally not allo(ed to spend more than *:E of the GPs on ttributes ord!antages# or more than ,:E of the GPs on +0ills# or more than :E of the GPs onPer0s. This prohibition goes for bothPs and $Ps# in fact it is a general principle of77/" that $Ps are subCect to the e&act same rules and limitations as the Ps are.

$ote that the GP-DP formula is scheduled to be re!ised# so that it matches the GP-Pformula# ma0ing the P and DP columns identical.

ttribute Points are used to purchase the 2 primary attributes. d!antage Points are usedto buy intrinsic d!antages# and sub-attributes are raised (ith d!antages Points# notttribute Points. Per0 Points are used to buy social ad!antages# also called e&trinsicad!antages. +0ill Points are used to purchase s0ill-li0e acuirable traits.

Basic character types9n any gi!en campaign (orld# there (ill be three basic categories of characters# althoughhybrids also e&ist.

Adventurers%ost players (ill create ad!enturer characters =(arriors# courtesans# priests# bards# (i5ards>#as opposed to e!eryday people =ba0ers# to(n council members# labour sla!es>. 7orad!enturers# one should put fe( points into Per0s# since one can al(ays later try to (in(ealth and lands through high-ris0 ad!enturing. ust get enough Per0 Points to buy thead!enturing euipment you need. ;hen starting the campaign# o(ning lots of land# or alarge home# or tonnes of furniture and sla!es# is Cust a burden any(ay... This means thatad!enturers (ill ha!e most of their GPs spent on ttributes# d!antages and +0ills.

Everyday people

These characters# usually built on 3:-*: GPs# ha!e fe( points in ttributes =so that theirattribute !alues are normal# or !ery close to normal> and d!antages =because they arerarely intrinsically unusual in any (ay># but ha!e most of their points spent on +0ills andPer0s# usually shared e!enly bet(een the t(o# or mostly e!enly. s the GP !alue goes up#"!eryday people begin to be suitable for ad!enturing# and some groups may enCoy acampaign (ith ,: or : GP e!eryday people# Cust to try something different# but e!erydaypeople built on 3:-*: GPs (ill pretty much e&clusi!ely be $Ps.

Politicians, Nobles and erchantsThese are characters hea!y in +0ills and veryhea!y in Per0s# often built on ,:# 8:# :: ore!en more Goodie Points. 9t may be a good idea to gi!e a Politician type character an@edge@ in the form of a !ery high ttribute =9ntelligence or harisma are the mostcommon# although any one attribute can help># or t(o or three high ones =;ill (ould be a

good third choice># or gi!e him some useful d!antage# in addition to lots of Per0s and+0ills# to Custify his position and also help him hold on to it. These character types arerarely created by players =but they are often fun# useful and important $Ps># although forsome groups it may be fun to try a political campaign instead of an ad!enturing campaign.lso some players may (ish to create ad!enturers (ith a Per0-component# for instance a0night is a $oble# rich (ith high social status and a feudal holding# but he may also goad!enturing. Thin0 of this as a hybrid character type.

page 3 ? 3, of @77/" Basics@ - !::


4/36

GP distribution e!a"ple player might (ish to create a 0night. )e decides that the concept is someone (ho has asmall amount of social po(ers# albeit still more than the a!erage ad!enturer# and is also!ery highly t rained both in combat# in officer-type military s0ills and in the courtly arts#and (ho has reasonably good attributes# reflecting coming from a healthy genetic stoc0=i.e. not too inbred> and ha!ing eaten a regular and protein-rich diet as a child. The playergroup ha!e agreed on :: GPs per character# so this player decides to put : GPs intoPer0s# , GP into d!antages# 3' GP into ttributes and *: +P into s0ills. That yields *3ttribute Points# ' d!antage Points# , Per0 Points and 3'A2: +0ill Points.

;hile creating the character# the player finds out that , Per0 Points is too little to get allthe e&pensi!e euipment# and the ready cash (hich his character concept needs# so hemo!es * GP from ttributes to Per0s# so that he no( has 31 ttribute Points and 3 Per0Points. ater again he finds that he needs a bit more attribute points# and that he is (illingto reduce some s0ills# so he mo!es * GPs from +0ills to ttributes# so that he no( is bac0at *3 ttribute Points and has 2,A**: +0ill Points.

A General principle77/" tends to(ards splitting things up. %any abilities do not alwayscome together# e&isttogether# become acuired together. 7or these types of abilities# it should be possible for acharacter to ha!e one (ithout being forced to ha!e =i.e. pay for> the other. 6ne e&ample isthat it is possible to ha!e a great !ocabulary in a foreign language (hile still spea0ing it

(ith a !ery thic0# noticeable accent# (hereas the opposite is also possibleI )a!ing a !erylimited !ocabulary in a foreign language# but being able to pronounce the (ords asperfectly as a nati!e spea0er (ould. second e&ample is charisma and physical beauty.+ome people ha!e one but not the other. third e&ample is a beautiful appearance !s ase&y appearance - some characters ha!e one# some ha!e the other. luc0y fe( ha!e both#but most people ha!e neither =they are average>. 6r ta0e the split bet(een gility andDe&terity - many other /PG rules systems lump them together# causing all sorts ofproblems.

People reading about 77/"# or using 77/"# should 0eep this !ery much in mind. ustbecause most /PG systems lump together all sorts of abilities# one should not assume that77/" does the same.

AttributesThis is the first of the four categories. 77/" has 2 ttributesF they are abilities (hich are!ery basic# !ery general. 7undamental abilities. "&cept for +trength# they are all ::Egenetic# meaning that they are immutable# they cannot be trained. 6nce a character hasmatured# his attributes are as they are# and the only change possible is do(n(ard =eithertemporary or permanent># due to disease# inCury# curses and similar.

The 2 ttributes are di!ided into four groups# solely as a con!enience. They areIAthletic. +trength# De&terity# gility#ou$hness. +i5e# onstitution# )ardiness

%ntellectual. Perception# 9ntelligence# ;ill.Spiritual. harisma# 7aith# Psyche

Stren$th. The general muscle strength of the character. 4nli0e the other attributes#+trength is trainable.De!terity. The hand-eye =and foot-eye> coordination of the character. )o( precise hismo!ements are (hen interacting (ith e&ternal obCects# li0e using (eapons or tools. lsoincludes fine control of the facial musculature =to feign or conceal emotions> and the !ocalapparatus =to precisely control and shape uttered sounds>.

A$ility. The grace and precision of the character (hen he mo!es his entire body# e.g. (hiledancing or using a martial arts s0ill# or dodging an attac0.Si&e. The genetic si5e of the character# i.e. his bone thic0ness and density and his framesi5e. +i5e is only one component of a characterAs %assF the others are %usculature =deri!edfrom +trength> and the 7at modifier =usually 5ero# representing a normal amount of bodilyfat>. The +i5e component of a characterAs %ass includes all organs e&cept muscles# and ana!erage amount of fatty tissue.Constitution. The stamina and resistance of the character.'ardiness. The damage-resistance of the characterAs body. )ardiness cannot !ary as muchfrom the norm as the other attributes.Perception. )o( a(are the characterAs mindis of its surroundings. This does not includesensory acuity.%ntelli$ence. )o( smart the character is# ho( fast he learns intellectual s0ills# ho( fast he

thin0s and ho( (ell he remembers. 9t corresponds uite (ell to the score generated byeducation-neutral and culture-neutral intelligence tests# the ones that best measure the so-called @g-factor@.

(ill. The characterAs self-control and stubbornness.Charis"a. )o( charming the character is. )is ability to ma0e a good impression andmanipulate others. lso his potential for learning social s0ills. harisma is normally usedto manipulate people into likingoneself# but it is eually useful (hen one (ishes to induceother emotions# such as fear or a(e.$ote that harisma does not include beauty# nor bodily se&iness.Faith. The characterAs connection to di!ine and semi-di!ine po(ers =high 7aith can alsorepresent a connection (ith e!il po(ers# such as demons or e!il gods - there is nothingparticularly @good@ about a high 7aith !alue># although a general high optimism and !erypositi!e outloo0 on life can Custfy a 7aith rating of '# in an atheist# maybe e!en a *. 7aith

forms the basis for the deri!ed statistic uc0# meaning that belie!ers tend to be luc0y moreoften than non-belie!ers.Psyche. The characterAs affinity for the non-Di!ine supernatural forces# such as personalmagic# psionics# or Cust general si&th sense-type abilities.

Attribute valuesThe !alues of most of the attributes in 77/" are demographically uantified# meaning thatit is stated e&plicitly ho( common they are in the general population. The suchlyuantified attributes are De&terity# gility# onstitution# Perception# 9ntelligence# ;ill#harisma# 7aith and Psyche.

page ' ? 3, of @77/" Basics@ - !::


5/36

7rom the 77/"-Discussion mailing list# in the 7iles rea# %+ ;ord 2::: documents canbe do(nloaded that sho(s the attribute distribution for a @random sample@ of 3:A:::indi!iduals# for any one of the attributes mentioned abo!e. oo0 in @7iles?6ther@# thendo(nload the @random distribution@ document. mong those 3:A::: numbers there is one. an you find itL That document is a po(erful e&ample of ho( e&tremely rare As are.

+trength is not uantified both because it is se&-dependent =male )umans ha!e a highera!erage than female )umans> and because it is trainable. +i5e is not uantified because it

is dependent both on the se& of the character and on the childhood diet. )ardiness is notuantified because the !ariety is lo( - people tend to strongly cluster around the a!erage#much more so than (ith the other attributes.

Value De)inition Fre*uency Attribute Point

Cost +APs

Value

: Very o( :.:::3E =or in 3::A:::> -3, : o( :.'E =or in ::> -2 2 Belo( !erage ,.E =or in *> -3 23 !erage *E =or 3 in '> : 3' Good *.8E =or in ,> ' '* )igh 2.2E =or in ''> , *, Very high :.'E =or in ::> 3, ,

"&tremely )igh :.::3E =or in 3:A:::> ,' 8 )uman ma&imum :.::::21E =or in 3.* million> :: 81 +uper)uman none does not e&ist 1

Values lo(er than : are possible# but represent seriously debilitating handicaps. Valueshigher than 8 should not e&ist at all in the population of a realistic (orld# (ithout theinter!ention of strong magic# cybernetic implants or genetic engineering. They are notneeded- one can ma0e a perfectly percepti!e +herloc0 )olmes by gi!ing him Perception 8#and eonardo da Vinci does not need more than 9ntelligence 8. 9t is only for unrealisticcharacters that one needs go get into 1As in attribute !alues.

+trength and +i5e is pri5ed differently for male )umans and female )umans# and)ardiness has a price all of its o(n. The ma&ima for +trength and +i5e also depend on the

se& of the character.

Value "ale 'u"an )e"ale 'u"an

Stren$th Si&e Stren$th Si&e

both 'u"an se!es

'ardiness

Value

: -2 -8 -3, -2 -8 : -8 -' -2 -8 -32 2 -2 - -3 -2 -8 23 : : : : : 3' 3 2 ' 3 1 '* 2 8 , 2 3, *

, 2 8 3, 2 - , '8 32 ,' - - 8 * *: :: - - 81 :8 - - - - 1

9t is hopefully e!ident# from the abo!e tables# that 77/" empo(ers the players to createdistinctly non-a!erage characters.

6n the first page of the @Price ist@ document is a huge table listing costs for ttributes#

and also for +ub-ttributes. ater in that document one can find costs for otherd!antages# and also for Per0s.

;hen one creates an 77/" character# all attributes automatically start at a !alue of 3# thusone only has to do something if one (ishes to change a !alue. /aising an attribute toabo!e 3 costs you ttribute Points# (hereas lo(ering an attribute to belo( 3 gi!es youmore ttribute Points to spend else(here.

This =second> concept is often referred to as @compensatory points@ - you get compensationfor reducing or remo!ing an ability from your character# because it is assumed that if nocompensation (as gi!en# !ery fe( players (ould !oluntarily choose to (ea0en theircharacters - 77/" is not designed for idealplayers# but for realplayers.

Di))erences bet-een the 'u"an se!es . Attributess sho(n in the table abo!e# 7emale )umans must pay a bit more to raise +trength and+i5e# but they also get more compensatory points for lo(ering +trength and +i5e# relati!e to)uman males. This encourages players slightlyto(ards creating female )uman characters(ho# on a!erage# ha!e a lo(er +trength and +i5e than male characters# (ithout outrightpre!enting the creation of uite strong and large female )umans.

There are also limits on ho( high +trength and +i5e may be. %ale )umans may ha!e+trength as high as 1 and +i5e as high as 8# (hereas female )umans are limited to+trength 8 and +i5e , =+trength is the only attribute that can be higher than 8# in a realistic(orld>.

9t may loo0 as if female )umans are inferior to male )umans# but one should 0eep inmind that 77/" is not a system intended for combat-hea!y campaigns - or indeed forcampaigns hea!y in any one type of conflict - it is ta0en for granted that the Ps (illnaturally get in!ol!ed in a !ariety of conflict types# so that no one type of ability e!er getsto be the most useful and desirable.

9t is therefore in no (ay the case that 77/" ma0es female )umans un(or0able as Ps in alo(-tech or fantasy genre campaign. 9n fact# +i5e is# by far# the least useful of the 2attributes# and +trength is a !ery good candidate for the second least useful.

page * ? 3, of @77/" Basics@ - !::


6/36

Sub.Attributes4nder some of the ttributes there are a number of sub-attributes. These are bought (ithd!antage Points =DPs> rather than ttribute points. +ub-ttribute is eual to the@parent@ ttribute unless the player ta0es steps to change the !alue =buy it up# or sell itdo(n>. +ub-ttribute !alues that differ from the !alue of the @parent@ ttribute areunusual# thatAs (hy they are bought (ith d!antage Points instead of ttribute Points.

Stren$th is di!ided into t(o sub-attributes# eg +trength and rm +trength =in manyplaces# these are called 4pper Body +trength and o(er Body +trength# but that is a

mista0e and all instances of this (ill be corrected e!entually># and both can be trained.Parent +trength =i.e. neither> may be interpreted as the strength of the characterAsabdominal musculature.De!terityis di!ided up into ombat De&terity =for melee# ranged and unarmed combats0ills># %anual De&terity =for using tools# and for manual thief-type s0ills># 7acial De&terityand 6ral De&terity =representing fine control of the facial musculature or the !ocalapparatus# respecti!ely>.Si&ehas one true sub-attributeI eg ength. 9ts sole use is to modify the characterAs speed#the longer legs the faster the character can mo!e. "arlier# a characterAs Pace (as deri!edsimply from +i5e =and from gility># as it (as assumed that there (as a perfect correlationbet(een a characterAs +i5e and the length of his or her legs.9n addition to eg ength# one may gi!e the character some degree of 6!er(eight or4nder(eight# representing an e&cess of bodily fat# or an amount of bodily fat smaller than

the usual =e!en to the point of ma0ing the character be +e!erely nore&ic>. That is not#strictly spea0ing# a +ub-ttribute# ho(e!er.Constitution has se!eral +ub-ttributes. /esist Poison# /esist Disease# /eco!ery and7itness. /eco!ery represents the bodyAs ability to heal itself of hitpoint loss and ;ounds#the higher /eco!ery the faster you reco!er from inCuries. 7itness has only one purpose# todetermine the +tamina of your character# +tamina is eual to your 7itness cubed# thenmodified for high or lo( ;ill =M?- :E per point ;ill is higher or lo(er than 3>. 7itness isone of a !ery fe( that sub-attribute that can be trained# i.e. through regular physicale&ertion# almost all the others are ::E fi&ed# once the character reached maturity.Perceptionhas t(o 0inds of sub-traits. 6ne is a sortof +ub-ttribute# because it modifiesPerception only for a single +ense# or for a group of +enses. 4sing that rule# one can lo(eror raise Perception-for-one-+ense by as much as 2 points relati!e to the base Perception!alue. 9t represent s a character (ho pays an inordinate amount of attention to the stimuli

pic0ed up by one particular sense# or a particular sense group# e.g. a Blind person (honotices e!erything he hears and smells. This is called +ensory 7ocus.The other is sensory acuity. 6ne can purchase sharper or duller senses for oneAs character.There is no limit do(n(ards# one can e!en sell a(ay a +ense entirely# i.e. create a Deaf orBlind character# but if creating an ad!enturer it is ad!ised to confine oneself to a smallreduction# representing a character (ith mildly impaired !ision# hearing# sense of taste andsmell# or sense of touch# to a!oid ma0ing an unplayable character. 6n the other hand#77/"As iconic character# a completely Blind genius called Klaus 4ldtmann# could be a lotof fun in the hands of a mature player.

4p(ards# )umans may not ha!e senses more than 2 le!els sharper than the )umannorm. +harper senses than that are reser!ed for animals.

%ntelli$encehas many sub-attributes. They areIAni"al=the potential for learning ho( tounderstand animals# i.e. lo(-intelligence creatures># %nterpersonal =the potential forlearning ho( to understand other peopleAs emotional states and ambitions - this (ouldinclude intelligent non-)uman species# e.g. yeti# or space aliens# or "l!es># /in$uistic=thepotential to comprehend and internali5e language-li0e structures># /o$ical=the potential tolearn and understand mathematics and other logical structures># ne"onic=the ability to

internali5e facts-hea!y bodies of 0no(ledge# such as Biology and )istory - this does notrepresent Photographic %emory or the ability of an 9diot +a!ant# or mnemotechniues orrote learning# but rather actual understanding># usical =the potential to appreciate andperform music># ystical=the potential to understand and manipulate supernatural forcessuch as magic># Spatial =the potential to analy5e# !isuali5e and comprehend spatialrelationships# useful (hen learning chess# physics# tactics and strategy># #hin0in$ +peed=ho( fast you thin0 - each t(o points of Thin0ing +peed abo!e a!erage lets you thin0 t(iceas fast. Thin0ing +peed represents only ho(fast the character reaches a conclusion# thequalityof the conclusion depends on his s0ills# or on his base 9ntelligence or on somerele!ant +ub-ttribute of 9ntelligence>.

(illhas four sub-attributes# /esist 7ear# /esist Pain# /esist %anipulation and /esistontrol. The last t(o are resistance to(ards social manipulation =bribery# seduction# etcetera> and against supernatural forms of mind control# such as psionics and magic.

gility# )ardiness# harisma# 7aith and Psyche ha!e no +ub-ttributes.

ll true sub-attributes# e&cept 7itness# follo( one of a small number of @cost schemes@.

Ne- .1 .2 .3 .4 56 54 53 52 51 57Very heap -2 -.* - -:.* : 3 : 3: ::heap -3 -2.* -.* - : .* '.* * '* *:$ormal -' -3 -2 - : 2 , 2: ,: 2::ostly -, -'.* -3 -.* : 3 : 3: :: 3::"&pensi!e -8 -, -' -2 : ' 2 ': 2: '::ombat De&terity and /eco!ery from onstitution are bought up and sold do(naccording to the "&pensi!e ro(.

/esist Poison and /esist Disease# all the four subs of ;ill# eg ength# eg +trength# and%anual De&terity# are all bought according to the $ormal ro(.

7acial De&terity and Vocal De&terity are bought according to the heap ro(.

nimal# %nemonic# %usical and %ystical 9n telligence# and Thin0ing +peed =also under9ntelligence># are bought according to the Very heap ro(.

page , ? 3, of @77/" Basics@ - !::


7/36

+ensory 7ocus# +ensory cuity and 7itness are bought after other cost tables# (hich can befound in the Price ist document.

The cost of raising or lo(ering 9nterpersonal# inguistic# ogical and +patial 9ntelligence#and rm +trength# depends on the se& of the character.

Di))erences bet-een "ale 'u"ans and )e"ale 'u"ans . sub.attributes;hen it comes to +ub-ttributes# ogical 9ntelligence and +patial 9nte lligence is slightlymore e&pensi!e for female )umans than for male )umans# (hereas they get more

compensatory points if they sell it do(n. 7or male )umans# inguistic 9ntelligence and9nterpersonal 9ntelligence is slightly more e&pensi!e to buy up# compared to male)umans# and they get more compensatory points for selling it do(n.

4pper Body +trength# li0e base +trength# is more e&pensi!e for female humans to buy upthan it is for male )umans# and they also get more compensatory points for selling itdo(n# but o(er Body +trength costs the same for both se&es# because the @3:E stronger@difference lies in the arm strength.

7or male )umans# ogical 9ntelligence and +patial 9ntelligence are bought according tothe Very heap ro(# 9nterpersonal 9ntelligence and inguistic 9ntelligence are boughtaccording to the heap ro(# and rm +trength is bought according to the $ormal ro(.

7or female )umans# 9nterpersonal 9ntelligence and inguistic 9ntelligence are boughtaccording to the Very heap ro(# ogical 9ntelligence and +patial 9ntelligence are boughtaccording to the heap ro(# and rm +trength is bought according to the ostly ro( =it isthe only sub-attribute that utili5es this ro(>.

Creativity, Re)le!es and Balance8These three are not sub-attributes# but rather deri!ed stats. The base !alue for reati!ity isthe lo(est of the characterAs Psyche and his base 9ntelligence. This base !alue can then besold up or do(n# using the @$ormal@ cost ro( from the sub-attribute table. The final !alueindicates ho( effecti!ely creati!e the character is. reati!ity can be said to consist of t(ocomponents# Psyche is the @(ild idea generator@# and 9ntelligence is the @moderator@ (hichanaly5es the @(ild ideas@ and finds fla(s in the fla(ed ones# passing through only thosethat ma0e sense. The end product is a characterAs effecti!e reati!ity# and therefore acharacter (ith high Psyche can be roleplayed as (ildly imaginati!e# but if his 9ntelligence islo( =and he has no bought up reati!ity> then his ideas (ill be impractical# often fla(ed.

There are t(o deri!ed stats for refle&es. 6ne is /efle&es =Body># it is the lo(est of ombatDe&terity and Perception. The other is /efle&es =%ind># and it is the lo(est of Thin0ing+peed and Perception. They are collecti!ely bought up and sold do(n according to the@$ormal@ cost ro( from the sub-attribute table# e.g. if the player buys a M bonus# then itapplies to both /efle& ratings.

Balance is a deri!ed stat that tells ho( (ell the character does at# (ell# balance tas0s. 9t iseual to gility# plus the /efle& modifier. =7or purposes of 7leetness# Balance is regardedas being an gility-)ea!y acti!ity# thus hea!ily modified. This is e&plained under@%obility@>.

Roleplayin$9t is important that players roleplay their characters according to their mental stats# andli0e(ise the G% must do so. character is no more intelligent that his stats says he is.ogical 9ntelligence is particularly important (hen it comes to formulating comple& plans#

and reati!ity is important for being inno!ati!e and @thin0ing outside the bo&@. Thin0ing+peed also suggests (hether the player should roleplay his character as @uic0@ or @slo(@. very @uic0@ character (ill seem intuiti!e to others# e!en though he actually does analy5ethings thoroughly.

reati!ity ser!es t(o purposes. 9t is used for long-term in!ention Tas0s# mechanically# li0eif a mage (ants to research a ne( +pell# and it is also used in the in-play phase# as aguidance for the player# in a non-mechanical (ay =the player simply loo0s at the numberon his character sheet# and then plays his character accordingly>. 9f he playus his characteras smarter or more creati!e than (hat he paid points for# the G% must (arn him# and ifhe persists in ha!ing his character beha!e in a contra-realistic fashion# the G% mustpenali5e the player for @bad roleplaying@.

Advanta$es9n 77/"# all traits bought (ith d!antage Points =DPs> are called d!antages# but for thepurpose of this document# it has been deemed helpful to distinguish bet(een thosed!antages that are +ub-ttributes and those that are not# segregating them into differentchapters.

77/" contains manymore d!antages.

ppearance has a base !alue of 3 =in this it resembles an ttribute> and can be bought upas high as 1 for male )umans and as high as : for female )umans. 9t also costs slightlyless to buy up for female )umans than for male )umans# (hereas male )umans get morecompensatory points for selling it do(n. ppearance represents the beauty andattracti!eness of the face# and the hair and s0in. 9t is independent of culture# both because

scientific findings support uni!ersal =i.e. species-(ide# planet-(ide> standards ofattracti!eness# and because cultural beauty standards canAt (or0 in a point-based charactercreation system.

Se! Appearance +costs in DPs

6 4 3 2 1 7 9 : ; < 46 44male -8 -' -2 : 3.* ' 28 *, 2 - -female -' -2 - : 2.* * : 2: ': 8: ,: -

page ? 3, of @77/" Basics@ - !::


8/36

+e& ppeal represents different things in female and male )umans. 9n female )umans# itis !ery clearly defined as a cur!aceous# se&y body. 9t has a base !alue of 5ero# and charactersmay then purchase a bonus# or ta0e on a penalty.

female (ith a +e& ppeal bonus (ill tend to ha!e some(hat larger breasts# but e!enmore so the shape and positioning of her breasts (ill be more alluring# and most of all her(aist-to-hip ratio (ill be closer to the ideal. beautiful female )uman# one (ith highppearance# appeals =mostly> to the romantic instincts of heterose&ual males# homose&ualfemales# and bise&uals of both se&es# (hereas a se&y female )uman# one (ith one or more

le!els of +e& ppeal# appeals =mostly> to the carnal instincts of heterose&ual males#homose&ual females and bise&uals of both se&es.

+e& ppeal in males is !aguely defined as some sort of @animal magnetism@. 9t is used toe&plain a(ay those males (ho are good at seduction# but (ho ha!e neither a high+eduction s0ill# nor a high harisma# nor a high ppearance# nor any applicable 79%# norany other ualities that can e&plain his success rate =such as high 9ntelligence# or highsocial s0ills# et cetera...>.

7eminine 7at Deposits is an d!antage (hich costs 5ero points. lmost all females ha!e it.Those (ho donAt loo0 distinctly frea0y. i0e(ise# males (ho have77Ds loo0 frea0y. 77Dsadd one 7at 4nit =a mass amount# deri!ed from +i5e> to the characterAs (eight# andsubtract one from 7leetness. 9t primarily represents a thic0er layer of subcutaneous fat# and

fat deposits on the hips and behind. 9n a typical modern female )uman =of +i5e 3># her77Ds (ould mass a total of * 0g. 7emales pay less for +e& ppeal than male )umans# butfor females (ithout 77Ds# as (ell as for males (ith 77Ds# +e& ppeal is a lot moree&pensi!e.

79%# 7irst 9mpression %odifier# is any factor (hich generally modifies your firstimpression# but (hich is neither ppearance# nor +e& ppeal# nor harisma. "&amples of79% can be an unpleasant bodily odour# or a pleasant !oice. 79% can# ob!iously# be eithernegati!e or positi!e. ny 79% has an applicability# for instance 4npleasant Voice does notapply if you 0eep your mouth shut# nor does Pheromones gi!e any bonus if you are tal0ingto someone o!er the telephone. +ome d!antages and Disad!antages are accompanied bya recommendation that you should also buy a certain amount of 79%# for instance a Very7at character should ha!e a negati!e @is 7at@ 79%. 9n some cases# you may be reuired topurchase it. +ome other d!antages# such as +tuttering# already ha!e a built-in 79%# andyou should not buy a separate 79%. The reason for this is that +tuttering is a !ariablehandicap. 9f the +tuttering character ma0es a good 7luency roll# he ma0es a decent firstimpression# unimpeded by his handicap# (hereas if he 7umbles his 7luency roll# he ma0esa verybad first impression.

The 7at 4nit# 74# is a unit of %ass deri!ed from the characterAs +i5e. character may ha!eone of four degrees of under(eightI Thin# +0inny# nore&ic and ethally nore&ic.cuiring a fifth degree means that you die. "ach degree subtracts one 7at 4nit from yourfinal %ass.

9f a character is under(eight# he or she gets a M bonus to 7leetness# regardless of thedegree of under(eight - it is assumed that )umans canAt become seriously under(eight(ithout also e&periencing some loss of muscle tissue - this is (hy the 7leetness bonus doesnot go up as a character becomes more and more 4nder(eight. 7leetness is e&plained laterin this document# under %o!ement.

6!er(eight also comes in le!els. There is no upper limit# but the first le!els go as follo(sIhubby# 6!er(eight# 7at# Very 7at# "&tremely 7at. The first le!el adds one 7at 4nit to

your %ass# the second adds t(o =total># the third adds four# the fourth adds e ight# and soforth. "ach le!el of 6!er(eight has a specific 7leetness penalty. "ach le!el of 6!er(eight isalso accompanied by a recommended 79% !alue# but this must be modified according tothe culture# e.g. a medie!al culture does not stigmati5e the o!er(eight to the same degreethat the present day ;estern culture does. The recommended 79% !alues in the table inthe Price ist document are appropriate for a medie!al setting.

star!ing character li!es off his bodily fat# gradually dropping do(n the@6!er(eight?4nder(eight ladder@ to(ards ethally nore&ic. 77Ds may also be @eaten@this (ay# and indeed that is the biological purpose of them. 0ilogram of bodily fat has afood !alue of 2 "nergy 4nits. %ost characters eat bet(een 2.* and * "4 per day#depending on the %etabolism stat. 7or a +i5e 2# 3 or ' character =representing a medie!alfemale# a medie!al male or a modern female# or a modern male# respecti!ely># one 7at 4nit

is appro&imately '# * or , 0ilograms.

%etabolism is a statistic that determines ho( much food# (ater and o&ygen a characterneeds per day. 9t is the a!erage reuirement# a character (ho is !ery acti!e needs more#(hereas a character completely at rest =i.e. in bed# e!en more so if unconscious> needs less.The base !alue is 3# and one gets compensatory points for raising it =because it is aDisadvantage to need more food# (ater and o&ygen># and one pays points for lo(ering it=and there is a limit to ho( lo( it can be>. character needs an amount of food per dayeual to his %etabolism in "nergy 4nits ="4>. "4 is eual to *: 0ilocalories# orappro&imately 3::: 0iloCoules. ;ater and o&ygen are measured in @!irtual "4s@. 9f acharacter temporarily becomes more or less acti!e# the food# (ater and o&ygenreuirements should Cust be adCusted on an ad hoc basis# but if the character undergoes anactual lifestyle change# it is appropriate to change his %etabolism stat. %ale )umans tendto ha!e a higher %etabolism than female )umans =largely a function of higher +trength#and lac0 of 77Ds>. hildren and teenagers need a lot of food relati!e to their si5e#compared to adults.

Distincti!e 7eature is anything that ma0es you stand out from a cro(d. ThereAs asubsystem for creating any Distincti!e 7eature =D7># based on the magnitude of the7eature =bright red hair ma0es you stand out less in a cro(d# than being three meters talland ha!ing glo(ing yello( eyes> and the concealability of the 7eature. +ome D7s#combining lo( magnitude (ith high concealability# are (orth no points# but they shouldstill be listed on the character sheet# because they flesh out the character# helping to

page 8 ? 3, of @77/" Basics@ - !::


9/36

indi!iduali5e him =and can still# under rare circumstances# be incon!enient>. )eAs not Custa 0night# heAs a 0night (ith bright red hair and a faint lisp. D7s are culture-dependent# andhence %agnitude and oncealability depend on the default culture of the campaign (orld=s0in colour is a good e&ample of this - imagine a $egro# first in : thcentury +candina!ia#then in :thcentury +painI ;here (ill he stand out the mostL>. +ome D7s should alsoresult in 79%s# e.g. a !ery se!ere isp is sufficient to also ta0e a - 79% for the character#and (orth the compensatory points>.

There is a more comple& subsystem for creating ddictions. n ddiction is defined by

se!eral traits# such as ho( common the substance is. 9f a substance is !ery common# or !eryrare# the disad!antage of being ddicted to it is greater =because you are either temptedconstantly# or else itAs immensely difficult to find a dealer so you can satisfy your cra!ing>.9f the substance is more e&pensi!e# or difficult to stop ta0ing# or has immediate-usage orlong-term side effects# or is illegal# the point !alue of the ddiction also goes up. This isdealt (ith by each trait adding or subtracting ddiction e!els. The final ddiction e!elthen translates into a DP !alue. The Price ist contains finali5ed (riteups for the mostcommon drugs# li0e lcohol# %ariCuana# Tobacco# )eroine and ocaine# and a bunch ofless common ones.

ll characters ha!e a Preferred e!el of 9nto&ication# @P 9nto&.H The reason for this is thatif the G% as0s the players if their characters indulge in the ale# (hen they are !isiting abar# the players are !ery li0ely to say no# because they suspect that something is about to

happen# and they do not (ish to be incon!enienced by ha!ing their characters be slightlydrun0. To deal (ith this metagame thin0ing problem# all characters are @born@ (ith acertain Preferred e!el of 9nto&ication =usually applying to alcohol# although cannabis andat are possible alternati!es in some cultures>. The base !alue is 3# indicating that thecharacter prefers to reach and maintain a %edium le!el of 9nto&ication# but the player maybuy do(n or sell up the e!el# to as lo( as : or as high as ,# indicating that the characterdisli0es the effects of alcohol and ne!er uses it# or that he tends to go straight for a state ofse!ere inebriation. P9nto& is only in!o0ed (hen the characters are in an into&icatingplace# e.g. a ta!ern# inn or party# it does not apply to sitting around the campfire. lso ifthe characters ha!e !alid reasons to suspect that sobriety is useful# their players are allo(edto declare that their characters drin0 less than they normally (ould =especially if saidcharacter is notddicted to lcohol># or e!en that they do not drin0 at all. nd note thatsuch situations occur freuently during ad!enturing.

There are many (ays to gi!e a character an impro!ed memory. /aising %nemonic9ntelligence helps (ith achie!ing understanding of facts-hea!y bodies of 0no(ledge such as)istory and to a lesser e&tent Biology# but there are ad!antages that help characters torecall information faster# or retain information for longer# or to be better able toremember specific types of information =faces# or gossip# or music>. ThereNs also a list ofad!antages that gi!es $ear Perfect /ecall and Percept /ecall# pertaining to a single areasuch as %usic or 9mages or $umbers# and there is %nemonic 7ocus (hich gi!es a bonusto(ards rolls to recall particular 0inds of information - %nemonic 7ocus is usually causedby the characterNs lifestyle or an obsession he has# and is thus uite cheap# (hereas $P/

and Perfect /ecall are caused by inborn neurostructural differences# and thus costs a lot ofpoints =they are also# though# a lot more po(erful>.

6ne can ma0e oneAs character more or less 9nsane. 77/" does not ha!e the usualbeha!ioural disad!antages =e.g. Bad Temper# 9ntolerant of "l!es> because they areproblematic in a role playing gaming conte&t =unli0e physical and social disad!antages#they are under the playerAs control rather than the G%As control># but actual 9nsanities area!ailable. The more se!ere ones are not recommended for player characters# though# butthey may be useful and fun in $Ps. 6ne can start (ith temporarily reduced +anity =so

that one can later reco!er bac0 to the ma& !alue> or (ith a reduced +anity ma&imum =sothat the distance bet(een oneAs normal state# and the straitCac0et# is smaller# so to spea0>#or (ith the ability to regain +anity faster or slo(er than normal# or (ith one or moreactual 9nsanities# (hich 77/" incorrectly refers to as $euroses. "&amples of $euroses arePhobias =one only gets compensatory points for Phobias that are +e!ere and rippling.9ndiana onesAs @phobia@ of sna0es is classified as Tri!ial# two steps belo( +e!ere>#6bsessions and ompulsi!e Beha!iours. "ach $eurosis is (orth one or more $eurosisPoints =or 5ero# in many cases# for the $euroses that can be assumed to ha!e little impacton the characterAs general !alue and functioning - e.g. 9ndiana onesA @phobia@># and for thefirst three $Ps# compensatory DP is gi!en for each. The ne&t three $Ps are (orth half acompensatory DP each# and the ne&t t(o pairs of $Ps are (orth half a compensatory DPeach. character more insane than that gets only one half e&tra compensatory DP# this isto a!oid encouraging the creation of !ery insane characters.

There are many# many# many more d!antages and Disad!antages in 77/". They can befound in the Price ist document# do(nloadable from the 77/"-Discussion mailing list.

Per0sd!antages and ttributes are traits that are intrinsic to the character =inside thecharacter# as opposed to e&ternal># and that the character is also born (ith =(ith somee&ceptions# such as +trength# 7itness and 6!er(eight?4nder(eight# but generally suchd!antages change only !ery slo(ly# reuiring at best se!eral ;ee0s# and more li0ely many%oons# to change in rating>. +0ills are also intrinsic but are acuired rather than inborn.

Per0s# on the other hand# are e&trinsic. They e&ist outside of the character# they are socialad!antages. +ome are acuired# (hile others are @inherited@# e.g. your father (as the 0ing#

and since youAre his first-born son# you inherit the title upon his death. Per0s arecharacteri5ed by being able to disappear real fastunder certain circumstances. 7or instanceif a ban0 goes ban0rupt# you may lose a lot of money# or if there is a re!olt# you may loseyour /oyal title and po(ers.

"&amples of Per0s are "&tra +tarting ash# "&tra +tarting "uipment 7unds# /egular9ncome# 9ncreased +ocial +tatus# 9ncreased egal /ights# ontacts# /eputation andPopularity. %any of these may also be @sold do(n@# granting you compensatory points.

page 1 ? 3, of @77/" Basics@ - !::


10/36

The monetary unit in 77/" is the penny =d# denarius>. +ome campaigns may (or0 better ifdollars or credits are used# but !ery often it is easier for the players to Cust tal0 aboutpennies# e!en though their characters 0eep accounts in 0roner# gold coins or credits. Thebase starting !alues are :d in cash =or cash-li0e obCects# such as hac0-sil!er and Ce(elry>and 3:d of starting euipment funds. 6ne spends the euipment funds to purchaseeuipment for oneAs character# and unspent funds are lost upon game start.

6ne can buy up +tarting ash and "uipment 7unds. 4sually one buys them up in (holele!els# each le!el multiplying the !alue by '# (hich means that if you buy 3 le!els of e&tra

starting cash# you start the game (ith ,':d in cash instead of :d =because :d '3 O,':d>. The cost of a le!el of "&tra +tarting ash# or "&tra +tarting 7unds# depends on thesetting.

6ne can also buy /egular ash 9ncome# or /egular 7ood 9ncome# representing suchthings as stoc0 in!estments# a Cob# or o(nership of a farm. To a /egular ash 9ncome# onecan attach !arious multipliers# raising the 9ncome in e&change for something# such as thereuirement of a ;ee0ly s0ill roll# and?or the need to spend some hours per ;ee0attending something =performing (or0 at a (or0 place# or standing in the ueue at a(elfare office>. The combination of those t(o can represent the holding of a Cob. 6ne canalso pay Per0 Points to buy more e!els of 9ncome.

d is roughly the eui!alent of 2# Q8# 2 euros or :: Danish 0roner. 9n medie!al

settings it is the eui!alent of a strong =not debased> sil!er penny.

nother Per0 is the 4nit# meaning that one has a group of 7ollo(ers. This can be as littleas one badly trained sla!e# or as much as a legion of highly trained# highly moti!ated# ultra-loyal /oman soldiers.

%any Per0s are unsuitable for ad!enturers# because they are only useful in a particulargeographical location =all your contacts may be in 9reland# for instance# so if you tra!el to"gypt they are useless# e&cept perhaps if you are someho( able to send mail o!er such along distance# and recei!e replies># or because they tend to burden the character do(n =youcanAt bring a (hole egion (ith you into a dungeon># but they are useful for $P creation#and smaller Per0s are also !ery appropriate for player characters.

+tatus and egal /ights are separate stats# (ith a base !alue of 3# either able to go as lo( as-2 or as high as 1. +tatus is the cheapest# and is not too important. 9t determines ho( youare addressed# and (hom you can marry =and ha!e affairs (ith - thereAs a bit more @(iggleroom@ in that regard># and ho( much general respect you get =e!erything else being eual>.The important factor# and the e&pensi!e one# is egal /ights. 9t has a huge influence oncourt proceedings# e!en accusations. 9n many societies# it is impossible to accuse someone(ith higher / than oneself of doing anything - all charges are automatically dismissed.%odern society has a tendency to(ards @all are eual before the la(@# therefore the span of/# from top to bottom# is narro(er than in a medie!al society. 9n a modern society# the/ range goes only from to *# instead of from -2 to 1. The pagan Vi0ing society had mild

legal-egalitarian tendencies# so there the span goes only from : to ,# slightly (ider than themodern one.

ontacts are built according to a simple system# (here the ontact type =9nformation#Dealer# Trader# Teacher...> determines a base ontact e!el# and !arious added traits=increased +0ill# increased oyalty> then add more ontact e!els. The final ontact e!elthen translates into a Per0 Point !alue.

6ne may also purchase a Per0 called onnected. 9t co!ers a specified rea# (ith the cost

depending on the si5e of the rea - being onnected in a Village-si5ed rea costs a lot lessthan being onnected in a Gala&y-si5ed rea. onnected hal!es the cost of all ontacts =itreduces the ontact e!el by '# (hich is the eui!alent of di!iding the final PP cost by 2>.onnected has no effect after game start# but all characters should ta0e it if they (ouldbenefit from it# during creation# because its purpose is to encourage the creation ofcharacters (ho ha!e ontacts in a limited area# rather than scattered all o!er the uni!erse.

/eputations and Popularities li0e(ise co!er a specified rea# (ith the si5e of the reainfluencing the cost. 9t costs more to be Popular in all of 7rance# than it costs to be CustPopular in a particular suburb or Paris. i0e(ise ha!ing a /eputation for being e&tremelyintelligent costs more if the /eputation is @!alid@ in all of "urope# rather than if it isspecific to ondon or Bornholm. /eputations and Popularities also ha!e a %agnitude#defining ho( Kno(n or Popular you are. rating of (ould be a tiny /eputation or

Popularity =tiny in the sense that it is small# (ea0# but it is still @better@ than no /eputationor Popularity at all># (hereas a rating of 8 (ould be an immense /eputation or Popularity.Popularities can also be negati!e# and /eputations can be for something bad - in eithercase# one gets compensatory points for creating a character (ith such traits =although notmany>. 9t is possible that there is no one ali!e# currently# (ith any /eputations of 8# or aPopularity of 8 or -8. dolf )itler (ould be a good e&ample of someone (ith a Planet-(idePopularity of -# (hereas osef +talin rates only a -, =because his crimes ha!e not been as(idely publici5ed as )itlerAs>.

"&tents can also refer to subsets of populations. 7or instance# ordo!a is a ity ="&tent 2>#so a character can be Popular orha!e a /eputation in all of ordo!a# but instead he couldha!e a Popularity or /eputation rating (ith a subset of ordo!aAs population# such as allthe e(s or all the non-%oslems# or all those not born in the city# or all the sailors. +implydo(ngrade the "&tent rating appropriately =i.e. to "&tent or e!en "&tent :>.

haracters also automatically get /eputations# if they ha!e high ttributes or !ery high+0ills. This is called uto-7ame# and (or0s according to a table =found in the Price istdocument>. nyone (ith a rating of , or more in an ttribute# or 8 or more in a s0ill# getssome uto-7ame. 6ther traits# such as a !ery high +ub-ttribute or high ppearance# alsocauses uto-7ame. The person creating the character can payPer0 Points to buy this uto-7ame do(n# representing the fact that the character has al(ays @0ept a lo( profile@. This isuseful for thie!es (ho may ha!e high De&terity and 9ntelligence - itAs easier operating if

page : ? 3, of @77/" Basics@ - !::


11/36

youAre not 0no(n to ha!e high innate potential in those areas. nd itAs e!en more rele!antif one has high s0ills# such as +tealth and oc0pic0ing.

+ince /eputations and Popularities ha!e /atings# G%s may sometimes (ant to @roll forthem@# as if they (ere attributes. There are no rules for this =currently># but it is apossibility.

9t is e&pensi!e but possible to purchase the Per0 of being a leader of an area. This can beas small as a 0nightAs free# or as !ast as a Galactic "mpire. The cost depends on the si5e of

the area that one controls. 6ne can also buy control of some =or allR> of the Votes in aparticular assembly. The cost depends on ho( large a percentage of the !otes one controls=the cost goes up steeply> and according to the importance of the assembly - a !illagecouncil is cheap but an imperial council is e&pensi!e. 7or maCor decisions# a 2?3# 3?' ore!en a complete maCority may be reuired# instead of a regular =*:.E> maCority# that isone reason to ha!e more than half the !otes. nother reason is that !otes may be lost./epresentati!es (ho are under your control at game start may e!entually abandon you# ifyou pass la(s that they disli0e# so you gradually lose !otes =you may then either accept thisloss# or try to gain more !otes># and they may also be assassinated# or bribed a(ay from you=from the party you control>. 9f there is an election =this is not a gi!en - not all councils aredemocratic># some or all of the !otes are remo!ed# and you gain ne( ones according toyour Popularity# the Popularity of your party# the Popularity of your cause# or acombination of them.

)ome is also a Per0. 9t is bought in )ome e!els# (hich you total up and translate into aPer0 Point !alue. The basic )ome e!el is a , suare meter abode. dded )ome e!elsthen increase the si5e of the area under your control =it matters little (hether it is a housethat you o(n# or a house that you rent# as long as you ha!e a claim on it and cannot easilybe thro(n out>. 6r impro!e it in some other (ay# such as adding fortifications or secretfeatures =doors# passages# escape tunnels>. reating a normal apartment or !illa is !ery fastand easy# (hereas if one (ishes to create a large# strong fortress (ith all sorts of secretfeatures# the process can ta0e a bit of time.

Jou can buy 7a!ours# representing the fact that high-ran0ing indi!iduals =bbots# Du0es#"mperors> feel that @they are in your debt@. The cost depends on the political influence ofthe $P. 7a!ours represent maCor reuests# but should still be 0ept (ithin the possible.The character approaches the $P and as0s for help# and if the $P pro!ides the help#the 7a!our has been spent. /eally massi!e help may cost 2# 3 or e!en more 7a!ours.

problem that often occurs in roleplaying gaming is characters (ho ha!e s0ills that letsthem produce something# li0e smithI (eapon s0ill that lets a character# if he is sufficientlys0illed# forge s(ords that are durable# (ell-balanced and !ery sharp# or a Bre(ing s0ill(hich may let a character create magical potions. +uch acti!ities reuire do(ntime# and asmany campaigns are ad!enturing-focused# it may be difficult for that character type to e!erget to utili5e his s0ills. $o realistic solutions e&ist for the in-game problem# but duringcharacter creation# any character (ith a @production@ type s0ill may purchase a Per0 called

raft. This in!ol!es spending a number of Per0 Points =in :.* PP increments># (hich thentranslate into raft Points according to a formula that ta0es into account the le!el of thes0ill. This means that a character (ith a lo( s0ill must pay a lot of Per0 Points to get Cust afe( raft Points# (hereas a character (ith a high s0ill gets many raft Points for Cust a fe(Per0 Points.

These raft Points can then be spent during character creation to @purchase@ !arious itemstat the character is capable of ma0ing. They are paid for (ith Ps instead of being paid for(ith money =pennies>. This means that a genius smith can start the game (ith a brilliantly

forged broads(ord# for the cost of only a !ery fe( Per0 Points# e!en though normally he(ould ha!e had to pay many Per0 Points to boost his "uipment 7unds up to a le!el(here the s(ord (ould be affordable. =+0ill le!el reuirements are enforced# e.g. no onecan use the raft character creation rule to forge a %aster uality s(ord if his s0ill is lo(erthan ,>.

By allo(ing characters to start (ith self-made items# according to their s0ill le!els# they geta chance to pro!e the (orth of those s0ills to the other party members# thereby increasingthe chance that the other party members (ill e!entually allo( them do(ntime so that theycan further utili5e their s0ills.

9t should be pointed out that the intent behind the raft rule is to remo!e all randomaspects from character creation =e!en though this is not ::E achie!ed - 6ld characters

must still go through ging /olls># so that it is possible to create demo characters that canbe used @off the shelf@.

There are many more Per0s than mentioned here# they can be found in the Price istdocument# do(nloadable from the 7iles area of the 77/"-Discussion mailing list atJahooGroups.

S0ills and /ores+0ills and ores are the fourth and last category on (hich one spends Goodie Points. GPsspent here con!ert into +0ill Points# +Ps.

+0ills are rated acuired abilities# meaning that there is a rating associated (ith them# suchas +(ord '# Barter * or artography 2.

ores are binary acuired abilities# meaning that you either ha!e them or you donAt.+ometimes there e&ist a @ladder@ of ores# (here one ore is a prereuisite for another# e.g.you cannot learn $o ccent =the ability to spea0 a specific foreign language (ithout anyaccent at all> before you ha!e learned ;ea0 ccent =the ability to spea0 a specific foreignlanguage (ith only a faint accent# as opposed to a !ery strong# pronounced and noticeableone># and li0e(ise you must learn ;ear ight rmour before you can learn ;ear %ediumrmour.

page ? 3, of @77/" Basics@ - !::


12/36

+0ills sometimes @cap@ each other. 7or instance one may not utili5e a Physics s0ill that ismore than t(ice as high as oneAs %athematics s0ill. i0e(ise# 7irst id may not be higher

than 2natomy# and ritical )it may not be higher than 2natomy either. %ost

(ilderness s0ills may not be higher than 2the rele!ant Terrain s0ill =e.g. TerrainI ;oods#

TerrainI %ountains# TerrainI Desert># the e&ceptions are amping (hich is capped at 2.*=this is more generous than for the regular ;ilderness s0ills> and +ur!i!al (hich is cappedat .* =a uite harsh cap# but suitable>.

+0ills can also sometimes substitute for each other. 7or instance# TacticsI and may

substitute for TacticsI ;ater at ?3# meaning that a character (ho lac0s TacticsI ;ater# buthas TacticsI and ,# can function as if he had TacticsI ;ater 2.

"ach s0ill is entitled to a speciali5ation# a narro(er area of speciality# for instance the+(ord s0ill may be speciali5ed in Broads(ord# the Barter s0ill may be speciali5ed in +la!esor ombat Gear# or the artography s0ill may be speciali5ed in +mall-+cale %aps#%edium-+cale %aps or arge-+cale %aps =or in Dungeons>. 9f one is using the specialty ofoneAs s0ill# it counts as if it is one le!el higher.

S0ill Costs+0ill Points represent the total sum of training and e&perience =a combination of trainingtime and training uality - 2:: hours of self-training are# perhaps# as efficient as :: hoursof training under an inferior teacher or *: hours of training under a talented teacher or

2* hours of training under a talented teacher (ho gi!es all his attention to you> that thecharacter has had in his or her entire life time. They are all spent on particular +0ills andores.

ll s0ills start at a base !alue of 5ero# and are bought up from there. s0ill rating of 2 maybe labelled pprentice# a rating of ' may be labelled ourneyman# and a rating of , may belabelled %aster. "&perienced ad!enturers# and gifted or highly educated non-ad!enturers#often ha!e s0ills much higher than ,# but there are no formal labels for such s0ill le!els -they (ere called different things in different te&ts# so they are officially nameless.

practical limit (ould be a s0ill of 2 or maybe 3# for a character (ho combines !eryhigh innate aptitude (ith an obsessi!e decade-spanning training regime# in a single s0ill.

The cost of a s0ill depends on the !alue of t(o or more rele!ant attributes# because higherattributes mean that you learn faster - you need less training to impro!e. highly de&trousperson masters the art of loc0pic0ing faster than someone (ith less nimble fingers.

alculating the cost of any one s0ill is a computation-hea!y process. The character creationspreadsheet ta0es care of it all# but some players may (ish to 0no( the gory details of thesystem. They can read it by s0ipping to the end of this document# (here it is described in

full detailin the appendi&.

SDescription of the s0ill cost calculation process cut# and mo!ed to the appendi&

The rest of you# the normal readers# can Cust read on.

s stated abo!e# all the calculations are done by the character creation spreadsheet. human can easily create an 77/" character (ithout ha!ing fully understood ho( thesystem (or0s# because the rules are intuiti!e. 9t is intuiti!ely ob!ious that +trength#De&terity and gility affects the learning of melee (eapon s0ills# that De&terity andPerception affect the learning of missile (eapons =(ith rm +trength also playing a small=?> role for bo(s># and that 9ntelligence# ;ill and Perception affect ho( fast you learn

science s0ills =and 9ntelligence and ;ill# (ithout Perception# affects ho( fast you learnother 0no(ledge s0ills>.

lso# the character creation spreadsheet creates t(o s0ill sheets for each character# oneintended for in-game usage# (here Cust the s0ill names and s0ill le!els are listed# and oneintended for character ad!ancement# i.e. that (hich is done after each session# (hich inaddition lists numerous stats =PT# PV# Difficulty# omple&ity and original +P cost># andalso lists the cost for the ne&t si& le!els of the s0ill

=ses o) the s0ill cost syste"There are t(o (ays one can buy a s0ill for a character. 6ne is to buy a certain s0ill le!el.The character creation spreadsheet then tells you ho( many +Ps that (ill cost.

The other is to pay a certain amount of +Ps# and then the character creation spreadsheettells you (hat s0ill le!el that (ill get you. +Ps beyond the cost of buying the gi!en s0ill le!elgo to(ards purchasing the ne&t higher le!el# so that nothing is lost.

This second option is muchmore po(erful than it might seem# because you can use it todefine Training /egimens# and then subseuently apply those Training /egimens tocharacters. Jou can# for instance# define 4+ rmy Basic Training =@Boot amp@> as gi!ing3:: +P in 7irst id# *:: +P in GunI /ifle# :: +P in +tealth# and so forth. ;hen these +Pamounts are applied to indi!idual characters# some (ill benefit much and some (illbenefit little# according to their attributes# for instance characters (ith high 9ntelligencebenefits much from the 7irst id training# characters (ith high De&terity benefits muchfrom the Gun training# and characters (ith high gility benefits much from the +tealthtraining.

+uch !alues can be deri!ed from the 77/" Teaching?Training rules =currently onlyco!ering study under a teacher - they donAt deal (ith self-training# nor learning solely fromboo0s# yet>. To use this system# you plug in !arious stats# such as the s0ills of the Teacher=both his le!el in the s0ill being taught# and his Teaching or Training s0ill# depending on(hether itAs a largely mental or largely physical s0ill># the resources spent# the number ofstudents in the class# and other things# and out comes an amount of +Ps per hour oftuition. Jou then decide ho( many hours of tuition is spent on each subCect# and thatgi!es you the final amount of +Ps.

page 2 ? 3, of @77/" Basics@ - !::


13/36

6ne can use this po(erful method to create a character by defining is life path# i.e. start bydefining (hat type and uality primary school he attended# then secondary school# thencollege# then army officer training. +tuff li0e that. 9t is e!en possible to create a random lifepath system# (here each entry on the roll table gi!es a certain amount of +Ps to(ardsspecified s0ills.

About /oresores are binary s0ills# i.e. they ha!e no rating. character either has or has not a ore.

But ores also ha!e a couple of special features. 6ne is that many ores (or0 as enhancerson s0ills. 7or instance the 7irst id s0ill is normally only good for dealing (ith simpleinCuries# li0e treating basic burns# splinting simple fractures# and bandaging (ounds thatbleed slightly. 6ne can learn one of t(o ores to @enhance@ the 7irst id s0ill. TheBattlefield +urgeon ore adds some ne( abilities to the 7irst id s0ill# but it also rendersthe cap from the natomy s0ill more se!ere. $ormally oneAs effecti!e 7irst id may not be

higher than 2natomy. ;ith the Battlefield +urgeon ore# (hen one is using the ne(abilities added by that ore# oneAs effecti!e 7irst id s0ill can be no higher than

.*natomy. Battlefield +urgeon is appropriate for medie!al campaigns. The other oreis called Paramedic# and is more appropriate for modern campaigns =although one canlearn both ores - they add slightly different abilities>. 9t has the same effect on the cap

from natomy# changing it to .*natomy.

+imilarly# there are ores that enhance the Physics s0ill# such as Thermodynamics#/elati!ity Physics# . They also ha!e the effect of rendering the cap from%athematics more se!ere. The +eduction s0ill is normally applicable to only one se but acharacter can learn the ore of Bise&ual +eduction to become able to use his +eductions0ill on both se&es.

This leads me to the second (ay in (hich ores are special. %any of them representinventions# discoveries# the results of research. 6f course some ores do not. The +cript oresimply represents the character ha!ing acuired familiarity (ith a particular alphabet =suchas atin# yrillic or 6gham># and the ;ea0 ccent and $o ccent ores represent ha!inglearned ho( to pronounce foreign (ords correctly and spea0 the language (ith the correctintonations and rhythm. They cannot be researched# rather they can be taught# and some

can also be practiced =it is easy to practice ;ea0 ccent and $o ccent# but uite difficultto decode the meaning of a foreign alphabet>.

But some other ores can be researched. Thermodynamics is a good e&ample# and so arethe !arious +pells from the spellcasting magic system =each +pell is a ore># and also themany ores (hich impro!e spellcasting such as the series of ores for 7ast-ast and for+ilent ast?$o Gestures ast?+tealth ast. These ores can be learned from a teacher# orstudied from a boo0# but if no teacher or boo0 is a!ailable# one must resort to in!entingthem on oneAs o(n# e!en though it is much less efficient. This means that each such9n!ention ore should ha!e some additional stats# detailing ho( difficult it is to in!ent

=+pells tend to be easy to in!ent# (hereas the higher spellcasting ores# as (ell as thehigher physics enhancers# are exceedinglydifficult - +tephen )a(0ings has spent the lastse!eral decades trying to research out the ore of # and also somemodifiers on the actual in!ention process# detailing ho( long the in!ention ta0es# (hatthe /oll Difficulty is# (hat to roll for =often a combination of rolls for a rele!ant sub-attribute of 9ntelligence# rolls for general 9ntelligence# rolls for rele!ant s0ills =%agicTheory# maybe> and rolls for reati!ity># and so forth. $one of this ore 9n!entionstructure has been created yet# ho(e!er# but it (ill consist of one or =more li0ely> se!eralTas0s.

#he Roll echanicThe roll mechanic is based around rolling a number of d2s eual to the tested rating# i.e.the s0ill le!el or the attribute rating# or some other trait such as the Durability of a(eapon# or the Popularity of a character or the %orale of a 4nit.

S0ill Speciali&ations7or s0ills# if you are using your speciali5ation of your s0ill# you roll one e&tra d2. 7orinstance# a character (ith +(ord =Broads(ord> * rolls *d2 (hen using a longs(ord#shorts(ord or t(o-handed s(ord# but (hen using a broads(ord he rolls ,d2. 7or a fe(s0ills# it might be impossible to find a speciali5ation that is not unacceptably (ide. Thestandard e&ample is +eduction. +eduction =;omen> is simply too broad# e!en for acharacter (ho might (ish to seduce either se depending on the situation =perhaps a

female agent (ho seduces men as part of her (or0# but (omen for fun>. 9n those cases#there can be no speciali5ation.

!alid speciali5ation should# at the most# co!er ?3 of general usage. 6ne can be foundfor most s0ills# for instance there are four general s(ord types. Barter can apply to manycategories of goods. +eduction is one of a !ery fe( unfortunate e&ceptions.

7or attributes# a parenthesis after the attribute name refers to a sub-attribute# not aspeciali5ation. 7or instance De&terity =%anual> ' says only that the character has a %anualDe&terity of ' - his ombat De&terity may be or 3 or 1# and his 7acial De&terity mayli0e(ise be any !alue# (e can not 0no( this unless it is stated some(here else. +omegroups use condensed character sheets =and G%s often use such sheets for minor $Ps>(here a sub-attribute is on ly mentioned if it is different from the parent attribute. 9f the

!alue of a sub-attribute is not mentioned# it means that it is eual to the parent attribute.

6ther traits ne!er ha!e parentheses after their names.

Roll Di))icultyJou roll the specified number of dice# !ersus a /oll Difficulty# /D# gi!en by the G%. Thiscan be a number as lo( as 2 =/D (ould mean automatic success - there (ould be noneed to roll at all># or as high as 8.

page 3 ? 3, of @77/" Basics@ - !::


14/36

8 is the standard /D. 9t corresponds to an unmodified roll in most other systems. 9t isused in situations that are difficult# (here there is a chance of failure e!en for the trained.

/D , is used in easy situations# /D ' in routine situations# /D 2 in !ery easy situations.

/D : is used in !ery difficult situations. /D 2 is the highest /D (here there is an actualchance of success. 9t is poison. haracters# e!en the e&tremely s0illed# should fear suchsituations# and do their best to a!oid using their s0ills in them. The chance of a 7umble isvery highfor /D 2. "!en /D is dangerous.

/Ds of 3 and higher cannot succeed. Their usage is that as the /D goes up# theprobability of the (orst 0inds of 7umbles also goes up. /D 8 guaranteesthe (orst 0ind of7umble possible.

i0e(ise# as the /D goes do(n# the probabilities of the (orst 0inds of 7umbles go do(n.7or /D ,# the (orst 0ind of 7umble becomes impossible. 7or /D *# the (orst and thesecond (orst 0ind becomes impossible. 7or /D 2# you cannot 7umble# the (orst that canhappen is that you fail.

The $e(bie +heet document contains a table of /Ds. The Game Tables document alsocontains an /D table# but it is out-of-date# as it (as created at the time (hen the rollmechanic (as based on d:s rather than d2s and has not been updated since =(ell# a

partial update ison my hard dri!e. 9t (ill be finished and uploaded e!entually>.

RD "odi)iersVarious factors may alter the /D. This can lo(er /D 3# 9mpossible# to /D 2# BarelyPossible# but it can also raise /D to /D 3# 9mpossible.

+ome characters are born (ith Talents for specific s0ills or s0ill categories. Talent lo(ersthe /D by # or 2 or 3 if the Talent is %aCor or "&treme. i0e(ise characters can be born(ith 9ncompetences# (hich may be $ormal =Cust @9ncompetence@># %aCor or "&treme# andthey raise the /D by # 2 or 3.

+pecial euipment may also lo(er the /D# such as a pair of loc0pic0s that are perfectlyshaped# or a (ell-balanced s(ord# or a spellcasterAs 7ocus =more on 7oci# (hich are uiteimportant for spellcasters# under @+pellcasting@>.

ircumstances can affect the /D too. 7leetness far abo!e or belo( the norm =5ero> gi!es abonus or penalty to certain s0ills. +ome s0ills are gility-)ea!y =e&amples are Dodge and+tealth> and gain the larger bonus# the one that come into force e!en for relati!ely normal7leetness !alues. 6ther s0ills are gility-%edium =melee (eapon s0ills# e.g.> and gain thesmaller bonus# the one that only comes into force for e&treme !alues of 7leetness. Theconcept of 7leetness is e&plained further do(n# under @%o!ement@.

7inally# a character may (or0 faster or slo(er at a tas0# to raise or lo(er the /D. %ore onthat under @Time +cale@# belo(.

#he outco"e$o(# roll the dice.

9f one or more dice sho(s the /D or higher# count them. Jou ha!e +ucceeded# more orless. The number of dice sho(ing the /D or higher is your degree of +uccess# and iscodified +# 2+# 3+ and so forth. The highest possible degree of +uccess is your rolled

rating# e.g. if your s0ill is +(ord =Broads(ord> *# you canAt get more than * or , +uccesses#depending on (hat s(ord type youAre using.

2+ is a normal success. 9t corresponds to @ma0ing the roll@ in most other systems. Jou dothe Cob# but not in a fantastically brilliant (ay.

+ is a partial success. Jou do the Cob# but in a limited (ay.

3+ is a Good +uccess# '+ is a Great +uccess# and so forth.

9f none of the dice sho(s the /D or higher# you ha!e either failed or 7umbled. 7ind thehighest die. 9t doesnAt matter if se!eral dice sho(s this same number.

9f the highest die is only lo(er than the /D# then congratulationsR Jou ha!e only failed#not 7umbled. This is codified f- =not7->.

9f the highest dice is 2 lo(er than the /D# you ha!e gotten a %inor 7umble# codified 7-2.9t isa 7umble# but itAs not too bad.

9f the )D is 3 lo(er than the /D# youA!e gotten a %edium 7umble# 7-3. 9f the )D is 'lo(er than the /D# youA!e gotten a %aCor 7umble. 9f the /D is * lo(er than the /D#youA!e gotten a Grand 7umble.

9f the )D is , or more lo(er than the /D# youA!e gotten a Disastrous 7umble.

The math-literate (ill be rather unconcerned# reali5ing that the (orst 0inds of 7umbles

become extremelyunli0ely as soon as your s0ill reaches a decent le!el# pro!ided the /D isnAtinsanely high.

6ne can use this roll mechanic for se!eral things. The 77/" $e(bie +heet describesse!eral (ays. )ere# only three (ill be mentioned.

>pposed RollsThis is !ery simple. T(o characters roll# not necessarily for the same s0ill or against thesame /D. The one (ho gets the most +uccesses (ins. )is success degree euals thesuccesses that he rolled# minus the successes that the opponent rolled =the opponent s

page ' ? 3, of @77/" Basics@ - !::


15/36

regarded as ha!ing rolled 5ero successes if he fails or 7umbles>. lso if one 7umbles# hesuffers the conseuences of it =bro0en (eapon# or similar>. 9f it is a tie# in a situation (herea tie is highly improbable# the 77/" $e(bie +heet specifies ho( one finds the (inner.

Special >pposed RollsThis is li0e an 6pposed /oll# e&cept that if one character should fail or 7umble# his failuredegree is subtracted from the success of the other. This means that if one character rolls 2+and the other rolls 7-2# the (inner is regarded as ha!ing rolled '+. This is used for Barterrolls. There are no special conseuences of 7umbling# other than that you magnify your

opponentAs success degree.

#he #as0 RollThis mechanic is used for acti!ities (hich may be completed in a !ariable amount of time#such as pic0ing a loc0# casting a spell or repairing something =beyond the simplest patchCobs - fi&ing a punctured bicycle tire is not a Tas0# because it is not !ariable duration# butfi&ing something comple li0e a space ship engine# is>.

Tas0 has an /D# Cust li0e an ordinary roll# but it also has a Goal and a Time 9ncrement.The goal is the amount of Progress that is needed to complete the Tas0. The Time9ncrement is ho( long each roll cycle ta0es. 9t may be ?:: +econd# , %inutes# * Jears#or any other fi&ed amount of time.

"ach ycle# the character rolls. 9f he gets any +uccesses# he suares that number of+uccesses and adds it to his Progress# e.g. if he rolls +# he adds to his Progress# if he rolls3+ he adds 1 to his Progress. 9f he rolls f-# he adds no Progress. 9f he rolls 7-2# his Progressdrops to 5ero =if doesnAt matter if it (as already 5ero># but suffer no other ill conseuences.9f he rolls 7-3 or (orse# an actual 7umble occurs# something that uite li0ely ma0es itimpossible for him to continue the Tas0.

9n this (ay# Tas0 rolls are safer than ordinary rolls# because nothing unpleasant happens ifan 7-2 occurs.

6nce the Progress reaches or e&ceeds the Goal# the Tas0 is completed. The $e(bie +heetcontains a rule for determining e&actly (hen in the last Time 9ncrement the Tas0 (ascompleted# e.g. if one needs precise results such as @7inished in * ?' time 9ncrement@.

#he #i"e Scale77/" has a single Time +cale# (hich is used throughout the system. 9t stretches frominfinitely small time increments to infinitely large ones. s you go smaller and smaller# theprogression is predictable# but the high end of the scale is not suchly defined.

The middle end of the scale# containing the steps used most freuently# goes li0e thisI?: s +econd, +econds = /ound>

%inute, %inutes )our' )ours2' )ours = Day# although such @ Day@ acti!ities (ill usually be spread o!er 2-3 days> ;ee0 =a total of ,8 )ours - again# acti!ities (ill li0ely be spread out o!er 2-' (ee0s> %oon =' ;ee0s>, %oons3 Jears

* Jears* Jears3:: JearsA2:: Jears,A::: Jears

Belo( ?: second# each Time 9ncrement is Cust : times smaller# so it goes ?:: s#?A::: s# ?::A:: s. The high end has no such fi&ed progression# although one can bemade if desired. 9t is no(here defined (hat the step after ,A::: Jears is# as it has ne!erbeen needed.

%any acti!ities can be @plugged in@ to this Time +cale.

lso# (ith many acti!ities# one can hurry or (or0 more slo(ly. Trying to do an acti!ity oneTime 9ncrement stepfasterraises the /D by 2. 9f an acti!ity normally ta0es %inute and is/D # then one can try doing it in , +econds by rolling !s /D 1.

6ne can also try to hurry a lot# by rolling !s an /D * steps higher than the standard. 9fsuccessful# one completes the Cob 2 Time 9ncrement +teps faster than normal# e.g. theacti!ity is completed in +econd instead of %inute# but the /D is 2RR

i0e(ise one can (or0 more slo(ly# lo(ering the Time 9ncrement one step in e&changefor an /D lo(er# or lo(er the Time 9ncrement threesteps in e&change for an /D 2lo(er.

There are some acti!ities (here one cannot (or0 faster or slo(er. oo0ing is a goode&ample. %a0ing a meal ta0es the time it ta0es# and the completion time simply cannot

!ary by a significant factor.

;ith Tas0s# one can choose oneAs (or0ing speed for each ycle# e.g. one can (or0normally the first ycle# then if one begins to feel confident# one can s(itch to (or0ingfaster. ater again# one can change oneAs mind and go bac0 to normal speed# or e!en slo(speed.

page * ? 3, of @77/" Basics@ - !::


16/36

The purpose of this mechanic is to let highly s0illed characters do things faster# e.g. pic0loc0s faster# or repair starship engines faster# (hile at the same time also gi!ing less s0illedcharacters an impro!ed chance of success# if they are (illing to sacrifice time.

/uc0 Pointsll characters ha!e some uc0 Points# (hich their players =or the G%# in the case of$Ps> can spend# either to purchase re-rolls of already made rolls# or else to lo(er the /Dof rolls that ha!e yet to be made# or to purchase re-rolls in ad!ance =this is cheaper thanpurchasing them after-the-fact>. uc0 Points are regained slo(ly in realistic settings# and

faster in less realistic ones.

uc0 is normally generic# useable for e!erything# but spected uc0 is another possibility#for instance a character may ha!e one or more points of ombat uc0# or +pellcastinguc0# useable only in such situations. "!en more focused uc0 is possible# for instance@uc0 that only

Documents

FFRE Corebook