| Welcome to Apocrypha Of The End. We hope you enjoy your visit. You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free. Join our community! If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features: |
| 1. Mechanics | |
|---|---|
| Tweet Topic Started: Oct 23 2012, 12:45 AM (87 Views) | |
| Atrasileus | Oct 23 2012, 12:45 AM Post #1 |
![]()
Administrator
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
To resolve any conflict, roll a number of 12-sided dice equal to your skill or ability. Then, compare this score to the number you're trying to beat. No matter how crazy or impossible the attempt, you can always roll 1 die (unless specified otherwise -- explicitly -- in the text). Regardless of how many bonuses or powers you've accumulated, you can never roll more than 12 dice (unless specified otherwise -- explicitly -- in the text). This doesn’t apply to the GM; just Players. |
![]() |
|
| Atrasileus | Oct 23 2012, 08:40 PM Post #2 |
![]()
Administrator
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Target Difficulty If you're trying to move or manipulate an object, or to control a situation in some way, you roll against a target difficulty. Target difficulty goes from 2 (easy) to 6 (average) to 10 (extremely difficult) to 14 (impossible, but there’s no harm in trying -- you might pull it off). For example, if you're trying to open a locked door, and your Strength is 3, you roll 3 dice. The Director indicates that the lock is rusty, so the difficulty is 5 (below average). One of your dice shows a 9. That means that you were successful, and you bashed down the door. |
![]() |
|
| Atrasileus | Oct 23 2012, 08:43 PM Post #3 |
![]()
Administrator
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Resistance If you're taking action against another person or entity, then you're not going to roll against a Target Difficulty. You're going to roll against your foe. For example, if you're trying to punch a guy, and your Combat score is 4, you roll 4 dice. The guy's Combat score is 3, so the GM rolls 3 dice. Your highest number is a 10, and the other guy's highest number is a 7. That means that you hit. |
![]() |
|
| Atrasileus | Oct 23 2012, 08:45 PM Post #4 |
![]()
Administrator
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Damage Damage is the difference between the numbers in the event of a hit. In the aforementioned case, the guy rolled a 7 against your 10. That means that you inflict 3 points of damage against him. Of course, you will also want to add the damage from your weapon. If you're using a lead pipe (which has a damage rating of 1), that means you hit for 4 (3+1=4). If you hit him with a katana, that would mean you hit for 5, because that weapon has a damage rating of 2. |
![]() |
|
| Atrasileus | Oct 23 2012, 08:47 PM Post #5 |
![]()
Administrator
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Multiplies Here's the tricky part: if you roll multiples of the same number, you add the number of multiples to the number itself. For example, if you roll three 6s, that means that you rolled a 9 (3+6). Now, if you also rolled an 11, you would want to ignore that 9. But, in theory, you could roll some extremely high numbers this way. For example, if you roll four 12s, that means that you've rolled a 16. You can add multiples to actual numbers rolled. For example, if you roll 12, 10, 10, you can add two 10s together to equal 12. This means that you now have two 12s, which equals 14. Under certain conditions, you may decide that you don't want to use multiples. Let's say you're defending. The demon rolls 11, 10, 5, 4, 3. You roll 9, 9, 2. Since two 9s equals an 11, your high number ties with the GMr's high number. So let's look at the next number. The GM's got a 10 and you've got a 2. Uh-oh. You're about to take 8 points of damage. What can you do? Well, you can decide that you don't want the two 9s to count as an 11. Instead, you want to treat them as two 9s. That means that the GM's 11 is now compared to your 9 -- so you take 2 points of damage. You're still hit, but it's not nearly as bad as 8 points. |
![]() |
|
| Atrasileus | Oct 23 2012, 08:54 PM Post #6 |
![]()
Administrator
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Description Whenever you describe your actions in a memorable, dramatic, or exciting way, you get an extra die. It doesn't matter if your character is lifting a heavy object, examining a corpse, or emptying a clip at a demon. A good description earns you that extra die. This is known as “the cool rule”. Bear in mind that even though you can describe other characters or objects in the scene, you can't narrate the success or failure of your attempted action until after you roll the dice. So if your character is trying to bribe someone using the Crime skill, you can say that the other party is definitely interested, but you can't say that the attempt worked until after you roll your dice. Then, you can narrate what happens, whether it's good or bad, and the GM can then tell you what the repercussions are (he quietly lets you into the police station's records room, or he loudly calls for backup). If everyone in the group is extremely impressed by your creativity, amused by your comedy, or awed by your sense of drama, then you get two extra dice, not one. But it has to be amazing. this only happens once in a while. Maybe once per session, if you're lucky. Think of it this way: you're like someone who's telling a story for an audience. The more vivid (or dramatic, or amusing) your description, the more impact the story will have on the people who are listening. In this case, the audience is everyone else in the game. So, for their sakes, you may want to try making a habit of cool or fun descriptions. It doesn't have to be a lengthy paragraph of text that you recite each time you roll the dice. A lot of times, it's just taking a moment to visualize the scene a little more concretely. Use this as a chance to embellish the scene and give it some life. If a drug lord is trying to run your character over with a limousine, and your Disciple is trying to shoot him through the windshield, have some fun with the situation. You don't have to keep saying "I shoot him" each time you roll the dice. You can say that your Disciple does a backflip into the air as the limo passes underneath him, and you shoot down through the open sunroof, and bullets ricochet through the limo as the drug lord ducks and curses. Even if you roll the dice and you miss, it's still a memorable and an interesting scene that engages the other players at the table and keeps the momentum going. This can also apply to other facets of gameplay, such as the use of skills. Instead of saying, "I threaten him," or "I try to smooth-talk my way out of it," try saying what your character would actually say under such circumstances. Don't worry about whether it would work in real life -- just go with the flow and have fun. Feel free to describe the reaction of the person that your character is talking to! Just remember that you can't describe success or failure until after you've rolled the dice. And if you make the effort to imbue your descriptions with some flair, or drama, or menace, or humor, then don't ask anyone's permission -- just toss an extra die in there and roll 'em. |
![]() |
|
| Atrasileus | Oct 23 2012, 08:58 PM Post #7 |
![]()
Administrator
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Using Attributes Any time a character is challenged personally, he or she must perform an Attribute check. This is done by rolling a number of dice equal to the Attribute Score. If the highest die matches or beats the Target Difficulty, the roll is successful. If the highest die is lower than the Target Difficulty, the roll is a failure. The Target Difficulty will range from 2 (very easy) to 7 (average) to 12 (difficult) to 17 (theoretcially impossible). If the character's body is tested in some way, such as having to kick a door down or climb a wall, the character just make a Strength check. Combat is based on the Strength score. If the character's mind is tested in some way, such as having to recognize a disguised suspect in a crowd, or having to decipher a message written in a code, the character must make a Sense check. A character with a high Sense score will have more points to assign to his skill. If the character's spirit is tested in some way, such as having to withstand the hypnotic gaze of an angel, the character must make a Soul check. Spell casting is resolved using the Soul score. (The Attributes might be confusing at this point; they will be explained further in the Creation section, keep reading for now) |
![]() |
|
| Atrasileus | Oct 23 2012, 09:01 PM Post #8 |
![]()
Administrator
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Attributes vs. Skills Skills are described in more detail in the Character Creation section, but in brief, skills reflect what the Disciple used to do for a living. Attributes, on the other hand, reflect the character’s natural strengths and weaknesses. Though there’s a little overlap between skill checks and Sense checks, the rule of thumb is: if you need to be educated to pull it off, you’re talking about a skill check, not an attribute check; however, if it’s something that you have to figure out, then it’s a Sense check. For instance, if you see stripes on someone’s shoulder, you can’t make a Sense check to figure out his rank. You need a Military skill, or some other applicable skill. If you want to hack into a computer system, again, that’s not a Sense check; it requires a skill in Computers, or something similar. However, if you’re trying to catch someone in a lie, or if you’re trying to solve a logic problem, then it’s not a question of your character’s education: it’s a question of intelligence, and in that case, you make the Sense check instead. |
![]() |
|
| Atrasileus | Oct 23 2012, 09:04 PM Post #9 |
![]()
Administrator
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Opposed Attribute Checks There are times when you’ll engage in a non-physical conflict with another character. In these situations, make an opposed attribute check, based on the kind of interaction. If it’s intellectual, it’s an opposed Sense check. If it’s a test of wills, then make an opposed Soul check. For example, you may try to catch another character in a lie. In this case, make a Sense check against the other character’s Soul check. If you’re trying to convince someone to do something, make a Soul check against the other character’s Soul check. |
![]() |
|
| Atrasileus | Oct 23 2012, 09:07 PM Post #10 |
![]()
Administrator
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Using Skills When there is a situation where you think that your character's skill could come in handy, indicate to the GM that you would like to use it. The GM will tell you the difficulty, and you'll perform a skill check. If at least one of your dice equals or beats the difficulty, you have succeeded. Note that the roll is against a target difficulty, not against another character’s roll. For example, Skag, a Disciple, is trying to get some information out of a small-town sheriff. This is a challenge, because he's a law-enforcement officer, and he's not inclined to take her seriously. But Skag used to work is a bouncer at a nightclub, and she has an Intimidation skill at 3. So the player decides to use that skill to bully the sheriff into giving her the information. The GM rules that this is something of a challenge, for the aforementioned reason, and so the target difficulty is set at 9. The player rolls 3 dice, and gets 11, 7, 3. The 11 is higher than the established difficulty, so the attempt is successful. At this point, the player would then narrate what Skag said, and might even go so far as to describe the sheriff's response (or the GM could do it, using that opportunity to divulge the information that the player was after). Note that if the player had gone into detail and described the scene in an interesting way, then she would have rolled 4 dice for Skag, instead of 3. Because skills are general, and encompass a great deal of experience, it’s legitimate to use them in creative ways. If the character used to be an actor, and played a doctor on TV, it’s conceivable that he or she may know a few things about medicine. However, the GM will set the target difficulty higher in this case, because the character isn’t really an expert. That means that characters with different skills may have different target difficulties when attempting the same task. An experienced doctor or nurse would have a target difficulty of 7 (for example), but the aforementioned actor might face a difficulty of 11 or 12. |
![]() |
|
| Atrasileus | Oct 23 2012, 10:34 PM Post #11 |
![]()
Administrator
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Using Contacts During gameplay, you may decide to turn to your Contacts for assistance. For example, your Cabal may want to sneak onto an army base, but you’re wary of capture. If one of you had a skill in Military, or Crime, then it might be possible, but that’s not the case. So, you call up one of your Contacts, a lieutenant in the Army, and you ask him for help. As long as you’re not asking for an unreasonable advantage, there’s no reason this can’t work. If you were asking for access to guns or explosives or equipment, then the GM would be right in telling you that this is not possible. However, if all you’re asking for is a little help getting through a situation, then the use of a Contact is perfectly acceptable. However, if asking your Contact for such a favor becomes a habit, the GM may rule that the Contact becomes unavailable temporarily, or that the Contact begins to demand favors from your team before helping you out. These favors may put the Disciples in an awkward situation, or may even require them to break the law. If the GMr rules that the Contact is going to ask a favor in return, the player gets first crack at coming up with the specifics. The GM can then build an upcoming scenario around it (or work it into an existing scenario). Examples include intimidating a mob enforcer, stealing a valuable piece of software, and robbing a bank to retrieve incriminating documents from a safe deposit box. During gameplay, when you use a Contact, the narration of the exchange is described by the player, or the player can role-play the conversation out with the GM (or another player). |
![]() |
|
| « Previous Topic · S y s t e m · Next Topic » |
| Theme: Zeta Original | Track Topic · E-mail Topic |
12:47 AM Jul 11
|
Find more zetaboards themes at InkDropStyles.com






![]](http://z2.ifrm.com/static/1/pip_r.png)



12:47 AM Jul 11