PREAMBLE TO THE RULES

Do not let the length of these rules put you off. There's a lot of ground to cover but it's very easy to understand. The basic mechanic is to roll a d100. If the result is equal to or under your % in that Talent, Spell, or Defensive action, you succeed in the check; if it's above, you fail.

If you're familiar with RuneQuest, Call of Cthulhu, or Basic Roleplaying, you're already familiar with these rules, which is simply my application of Chaosium's d100 system.

I. BACKGROUND

In the coastal city of Bridge Town, on the continent of Eldamore, on a planet called Atlas, you run a one person detective agency out of an office hidden by magic. Having a concealed office was a very wise thing for you to do, as Bridge Town can be a dangerous place. It becomes especially dangerous for those who ask a lot of questions and make intrusive inquiries, and as Fate would have it, that's exactly how you make a living. What are the odds?

As a detective in a world of magic and monsters, you have a certain set of talents, abilities, and spells to overcome the various and sundry obstacles that prevent you from doing your job. The exact measure of these talents and abilities and spells is for you to decide.

II. TALENTS AND SPELLS

A. Talents
A talent represents knowledge or physical ability in a broad range of closely related skills. Whenever a Talent check or combat is called for in the game, a d100 is rolled. Rolling equal to or under the percentage you place in that Talent indicates a success. Rolling above that value indicates a failure.

B. Spells
You’re a private detective, not a magician. Along the way, however, you have learned to cast some spells that have proved helpful for someone in your line of work.

In gameplay, Spells work exactly as Talents. When you wish to cast a spell, you roll a d100 and if the number rolled is equal to or under your % for that spell, the spell is cast successfully. If the roll is above your score for that spell, it fails.

Spells are fueled by your Magical Power quality (MP, or just Power). Qualities are explained in section III. The MP it takes to cast a spell is listed in the spell’s description in parenthesis. Once your MP reaches zero, you cannot cast spells for the remainder of the day. Power automatically rejuvenates precisely at 12:01 a.m. each day. Very convenient, indeed.

C. Distributing Percentage Points in Talents and Spells
There are 15 Talents and 13 Spells to select from to develop your character. Choose 19 in any combination and assign the values listed below to them. Any spell not selected has a 0% chance of being cast successfully. Any Talent not selected has a 12% chance of being used successfully.


29,   32,   35,   38,   41,   44,   47,   50,   53,   56,   59,   62,   62,   65,   68,   71,   74,   77,   80



LIST OF TALENTS

Combat Talents:
_____

Sword -- your expertise at utilizing your trusted blade crafted from antediluvian steel. It does d10 base damage. If fighting with only the sword, you grip it with both hands, doing d10+2 damage.

Throwing Knife-- “How accurately can I hurl this throwing knife tucked at my hip?” you ask. The % you put here answers that question rather explicitly, I’d say. Its base damage is 1d6. Range: 30 feet. It can also be used in melee combat, doing 1d4 base damage.

Brawl -- Reflects your talent during those times when you must fight without weapons. Brawl is also used for Fighting Maneuvers (explained in its own section of the rules). When used to inflict damage, your fists, feet, elbows, etc. do 1d3 damage.
_____


Other Talents:

Athleticism -- covers diverse athletic feats such as swimming, jumping, climbing, running fast, feats of strength. It also helps your Dodge ability.

Awareness -- seeing things that are hard to find. Success at spotting, searching, listening, knowing the mood of a crowd or when stepping into a potentially dangerous situation.

Horsemanship -- controlling a horse and riding under extreme conditions, eluding pursuers; but more importantly, combat on horseback also falls under this Talent. When fighting from horseback, you will roll against the % of whatever Talent is lower--Horsemanship or the weapon you're using.

* If a person melee fights on horseback while their opponent melee fights standing, the character on horseback receives a +10% bonus to their weapon skill, AND the character on the ground receives a     -10% penalty to their weapon skill, for a total of a 20% difference.

* Dodging while on horseback is more difficult than Dodging while standing on the ground. If attempting to Dodge on horseback, treat a Hard Success as a Success and an Extreme Success as a Hard Success. A Success is a failure to Dodge while on horseback (the three levels of success are explained in the Combat section below).

Insight -- measures your intuitive understanding of people and things. Can you tell if someone is lying to you? Can you sense their true feelings by listening to their speech and examining their facial expressions? A high skill in this Talent helps.

Knowledge -- a general reflection of your intelligence, solid knowledge of a vast array of academic disciplines. A high % can help in many different areas in subtle ways.

Luck -- a reflection of how naturally lucky your character is. Does the rag of cloud over the full moon prevent the mugger from spotting your passing? It’s just a matter of luck.

Medicine -- Being a hardboiled detective, you know you’re likely to get banged-up a bit sticking your nose in where it may or may not belong. You begin play with a small bag of ingestible substances, salves and bandages that help treat wounds to a small degree. The bag contains three treatments. A failed treatment heals one point of Life. A successful treatment heals d4+1 Life, but more importantly prevents the same wound from causing additional damage (See IX. WOUNDS ... B. Life below).

* A span of four hours must pass between treatments of the same injury for the check to have a chance of being successful.

Skulduggery -- such diverse, mischievous acts as lockpicking, sleight of hand, breaking and entering, backstabbing, and other acts of roguery falls under this talent.

Speech (confrontational) -- all skills associated with speaking that can involve combative words toward the target, sometimes combined with a sarcastic panache that cuts right through the heart of your foe. These include interrogating, interviewing, and intimidating. These rolls *may* be contested against targets with an average or above intelligence.

Speech (non-confrontational) -- all skills associated with speaking that do not generally involve combative speech toward the target. These include bluffing, persuading, bartering, haggling.

Stealth -- skills that are germane to cautious movement and actions --- moving quietly, hiding, and tailing/tracking a subject are grouped under this Talent.

Thieves' Cant -- Like a lot of cities, Bridge Town has a large, vibrant and organized thieves' guild. Thieves communicate with one another in a language of their own. They have also developed secret signs, picture-codes that are scrawled on buildings and other structures that look like graffiti, but are in fact messages to those who have understanding. Your % in this Talent reflects how well you understand the language and symbols of thieves.





LIST OF SPELLS

Ball Lightning -- (X) deals Xd6 damage to a single foe or multiple targets (divided evenly), where X is the Power spent. Range: 120 feet.

Cloak of Night -- (3) Cloaks your presence, adding 20% to Stealth Checks. Lasts 5 GM posts.

Countermagic -- (X) This spell puts up a defensive magical barrier around the magician, or any person or object he wishes to keep magic from affecting. It is not impenetrable, however. X equals the Power spent casting the spell. For each Power point spent, any incoming magic has its % probability of being cast successfully reduced by 5%. Example: A sorcerer has cast a harmful spell at you. His % of success is 72%.  You successfully cast Countermagic, using 5 points of Power. The sorcerer's % chance of successfully casting the spell is now 47%.  Duration: 5 combat rounds.  Range: 50 feet.

Detect Magic -- (2) Surrounds source of magic in a purple aura. Duration is two GM posts.

Dispel -- (3+) Costs three Power Points to cancel sorcery on an object, and begins at three Power Points to cancel sorcery on an entity (hence, this spell also acts as Turning Undead). It's three Power to turn lesser undead, such as Skeletons, but more Power Points are required to turn more powerful undead, such as Vampires. The Power required to turn an undead will be given when encountered. A successful Dispel on an undead effects d4 creatures if more than one is present.

Dull -- (4) reduces damage of opponents weapon by 3. Lasts 10 GM posts.

Heal -- (X) Heals Xd6 points of damage where X is the Power expended. Costs more to neutralize poison/disease.

Mage Light -- (1+) Produces a mystical light just above your head that shines outward, enabling you to see 20' in total darkness. 1 Power spent lasts 3 GM posts. Each Power point spent above one increases duration by three and range by 20 feet.

Perception -- (3) Allows you to locate a specific thing you're looking for if it's in range of the spell at the time of casting, such as a trap, secret door, gold, stairway. The spell will guide you to the object. It works on objects only, not on living or undead creatures. Range: radius of 120 feet. Duration: 5 GM posts.

Protection -- (2+) For every 2 Power spent, add 1 point to armor protection. Lasts for 10 GM posts.

Read Magic -- (X) Read scrolls and runewriting, costs X Power. The more powerful the magic-user that wrote the scroll or rune, the more Power it will take to read. The Power needed will be given in the post. A successfully read scroll or rune enables you to add that spell to your repertoire, beginning at a base of 35%.

Scrutiny -- (3) Adds 20% to Awareness checks. Range: radius of 60 feet. Duration: 5 GM posts.

Tongues -- (2) Speak/Understand any formal, recognized language. This does not include Thieves' Cant. The spell lasts 5 GM posts.

Adjustments: You may, if you choose, increase one or two Talents/Spells by +4 and decrease one or two Talents/Spells by -4 points. The Talents selected to be decreased cannot be the ones at 12%. The Talent/Spell selected to be increased cannot be the one placed at 80%. You are free to not increase/decrease any Talents/Spells. You cannot increase/decrease a Talent/Spell twice (+8 or -8 points).





III. QUALITIES

You have four qualities in the game, Magical Power, Dodge, Parry, and Life. These are determined by either dice rolls, or in the cases of Dodge and Parry, derived from a Talent.

Magical Power: Determined by rolling 6d6/2, round up fractions.

Your Power score reflects the amount of magical energy your character has to cast spells in a given day. When it reaches 0 you can no longer cast spells till the clock hits 12:01 a.m., at which time your Power is restored.

Dodge: Starts at 20%.

Dodge measures how well you elude incoming attacks. It is one of two options to use to defend yourself during combat, the other being Parry. All of these options will be fully explained in the Combat section of the rules.

For now, let's generate your Dodge score. For each 5 point increment your Athleticism Talent is above 50, add 5 points to your Dodge base of 20. So, if your Athleticism is 59, your Dodge will be 25. If it’'s 62, your Dodge will be 30, etc. The possible range of your Dodge % is thus, 20-50%.

Note: If you decrease Athleticism -4 to increase another Talent by +4, your Dodge will be effected. Example: Your Athleticism is at 62 (making your Dodge 30%). You decide to lower Athleticism to 58% to increase another Talent by +4. This will make your Dodge 25%.

Increasing your Athleticism +4 may, likewise, increase your Dodge %. If you lowered a Talent by 4 to increase your Athleticism from 66 to 70%, your Dodge would increase from 35 to 40%.


Parry: Your ability to block a blow with either your sword or throwing knife.

Your parry % for a weapon is your Talent score with that weapon minus twenty. If you select 71% for your sword Talent, your Parry score with the sword is 51%. If you choose 48% as your Talent with the Throwing Knife, your Parry score with the Throwing Knife is 28%. If you choose to Parry as your defensive action in a round, you roll for one weapon, not both. As with Dodge, Parry will be fully explained in the Combat section of the rules.


Life: 3d6+10. The amount of damage you take before succumbing to your wounds.  When Life reaches 0, you have died. When generating your LIfe score, if you roll 6 or less on 3d6, you may re-roll. 7 or higher must be kept.


IV. SPECIAL ABILITY

Choose one:

Spell Affinity -- There's one spell you are particularly adept at using. After successfully casting the spell, roll a 1d6. A result of 4-6 indicates it cost you only one point of Magical Power.

Two-Weapon Fighting -- You're adept at melee fighting with both your sword and throwing knife. You roll for attack using each weapon every melee combat round. You can fight with two weapons without this Special Ability, but if you do, subtract 20% from your Talent for each weapon.

Fortuitous -- Three times per adventure you can reduce the result of any percentage roll by 15 points (Combat roll, Talent check, Spell check). This is declared after the roll.


V. DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY

If a character attempts an action that is either very easy or very difficult, the GM may elect to apply a Degree of Difficulty modifier to the PC’s Talent for that specific roll. This modifier is on a scale of -25 to +25, with a bonus of +1 to +25 applied for easy actions, and a penalty of -1 to -25 for difficult actions.

Example: Your Stealth Talent is 59%. You'’re attempting to sneak past a sleeping Goblin Sentry. The GM decides this is an easy task and assigns a +25 bonus to your Stealth Talent for the purpose of this one roll, temporarily making your Stealth Talent 84%.



VI. STARTING EQUIPMENT

You're a private detective, not a dungeon delver descending the depths of a 20 level underground maze. Hence, you travel light. Listed below is your starting equipment.

--Sword
This incredibly well-balanced piece of antediluvian steel feels as light as a feather in your hand, but packs the sizzling bite of angry lightning. Held in one hand it does d10 damage. Wielded in two hands, d10+2.




--Throwing Knife
Crafted by one of Bridge Town's finest blacksmiths, the Fireforge Knife is useful for throwing as well as being strong enough to act as a parrying blade. With a range of 30 feet, and doing d6 damage, it makes a useful bit of steel in anyone's arsenal. In melee, it does d4 damage.




--Brown Leather Trench Coat
Rain or shine, you can always be seen in one of these leather-distressed outer garments. Besides being fashionable, distinguishing the lady or gentleman as a connoisseur of the finer things in life, it also provides some protection against all manner of foul besmirchings that encroach upon the wearer. Absorbs two hits, as if armor, each round.

 --Lockpicks
Let's face it, there's a lot of scoundrels and evil-doers out there who like to keep the evidence of their crimes and depravities a secret, locked behind closed doors. With these nifty pair of lockpicks, you ensure you can get access to the incriminating evidence you'll need to get these rogues off the streets.

--Horse
Bridge Town is a big place. A city boasting fifteen bridges that connects the eastern and western halves over the semi-gorgeous Salmon River. In a big town you need a big horse to get around, and this fine stallion does just that for you.



--Medical Kit:  a small case attached to your belt. Contains three treatments. A successful Medicine check heals d4+1 Life. Failed, restores 1 Life.

--Money Pouch with Gold
You're a private detective, not a bank on two feet. You don't walk around with your whole life savings in your pocket. You do walk around with some spending gold, however. Roll 3d6+7. This is the gold you have in your money pouch. To give you a frame of reference, one gold piece on Atlas equates to 11 US dollars, which is about 10 euros, which is about 8.6 pounds. You get the idea.




MAGICAL MENTOR
You know a little magic. Who taught it to you? Choose your mentor.

1. A beautiful enchantress, with scarlet hair flaked with glittery gems of silver. Her eyes of blue are orbs capable of launching ships and plundering men’s hearts. She would be the perfect woman if she weren’t only one foot tall, and didn't have diaphanous wings stretching from her back. A fairy she is, and how did you ever come to meet her?

2. Some strange vagabond you met and conversed with one day down by the Salmon River. He showed you some things, and your arcane knowledge was off and running.

3. A half-goblin with a problem. He turned into a client. You never figured out what the other half of him was, but you did solve his case. In return, he taught you the basics of magic.

4. Someone of your own devising who's equally odd and fascinating as the above three.


VII. COMBAT

Initiative

It all begins with an Initiative roll, doesn't it? The answer is maybe.

What determines Initiative in this game is the type of attack the combatants choose. The types of attack are as follows, with the lower number taking precedent (or having Initiative) over the higher number.

1) Thrown weapons / Missile weapons used (throwing knives, bows, crossbows, slings)
2) Magic cast
3) Swords, spears (melee)
4) Daggers, clubs, impromptu weapons, such as bottles, mugs, etc. (melee)
5) Unarmed attacks, Brawling (melee)

In the case of a tie (both combatants using the same type of attack) a d12 is rolled to determine initiative order. The character that has initiative rolls for attack and damage, if any, and that damage is accounted for before the next character in initiative order takes their action.

A. Three Levels of Success

Whoever has initiative acts first, rolling for attack or to cast a spell.

In the case of a melee attack, the defender decides whether to Dodge or Parry.

If the recipient of an attack is not aware of their attacker, the attacker will get a bonus to their attack roll given the weapon being used, and the defender cannot perform a defensive act.

When making an attack there are four things that can happen. You Miss, you have a Success, a Hard Success, or an Extreme Success.

A Miss occurs when you roll above your Talent % on a d100 for the weapon being used.

A Success is when you roll equal to or under your Talent % for the weapon being used.

A Hard Success is when you roll half of your Talent % or less given your melee weapon.

An Extreme Success is when you roll one-fifth of your Talent % or less with your melee weapon.

All fractions are rounded down for Levels of Success purposes. Example: You have a Sword Talent of 69%. A Hard Success would be 34.5 or 34 (not 35) and an Extreme Success would be 13.8 or 13 (not 14).

B. Examples of Melee Combat, the Three Levels of Success, with Defender Dodging


Example I of Melee Combat, a Success with Defender failing Dodge, plus all the other Dodge results

Attacker: Let's say you have a Sword Talent of 65% and you're squaring off with a Rampaging Orc. You have initiative and roll a 33 for attack. This is a Success, but not a Hard Success or Extreme Success (A Hard Success would be 32, fractions rounded down).

Defender: The Rampaging Orc decides to Dodge. He has a Dodge % of 35. He rolls and the result is a 47. A Failure.

Result: You have wounded the Orc with your sword and now roll your Base Damage--d10+2 if you're holding the sword in two-hands, d10 if you're holding the sword in one hand. If the orc is wearing armor, its value is subtracted from your damage roll.

Rule: For a Dodge to be successful its Level of Success must be equal to or better than the Attacker's Level of Success.

* If the Orc had achieved a Success, Hard Success, or Extreme Success on his Dodge, he would have successfully avoided your attack with no other outcome.


Example II of Melee Combat, a Hard Success with Defender having a normal Success, plus all the other Dodge results

Attacker: The Orc attacks with his dagger, rolling a 28. His dagger Talent is 60%. This is a Hard Success--it's less than half of his Dagger Talent %.

Defender: You decide to Dodge and roll a 17. Let's say your Dodge % is 30. This is a Success.

Result: The Orc's Hard Success is better than your Success. The Orc has successfully struck you and now rolls for Base damage (d4). Your leather trench coat protects you from 2 damage, as if armor.

* If the Dodge had failed, and if the result here was a Hard Success vs. Failure, the Orc would have done full damage with the dagger (4 on a d4, no roll necessary), with your leather trench coat preventing two points of damage to your Life.

** If you'd rolled a Hard or Extreme Success on your Dodge, you would have avoided the blow.


Example III of Melee Combat, an Extreme Success vs all of the Dodge results

Attacker: It's your turn again. You attack, and roll a 12, less than one-fifth your Sword Talent % (65). This is an Extreme Success.

Defender: The Orc dodges, rolling a 10. His Dodge % is 35. This is a Hard Success.

Result: Your Extreme Success is better than the Orc's Hard Success. The attack is successful.  You have wounded the Orc with your sword and now roll your Base Damage--d10+2 if you're holding the sword in two-hands. D10 if you're holding the sword in one hand. The orc's armor would absorb some damage.

*However, if the Orc's Dodge was a Success instead of a Hard Success, this would have been your Extreme Success vs. his Success, and you would have done full damage with your sword, that's 10 on a d10 plus 2 if wielded with two hands for 12 (no roll necessary). The orc's armor would absorb some damage.

**If the Orc's Dodge was unsuccessful, making the result here Extreme Success vs. Dodge Failure, you would do full damage and the defender's armor protection is ignored.

*** The only way to Dodge (or Parry) an Extreme Success is to roll and Extreme Success as your defensive roll.


Now, let's move on to Parrying. It's works the same way as Dodging, with the exception your parrying weapon and the attacker's weapon may sustain damage and if the weapon takes more damage than its Life score, it will break.


C. Examples of Melee Combat, the Three Levels of Success, with Defender Parrying

Your sword is made from antediluvian steel is quite resilient. Its Life score is 11. Most standard swords have a Life of 8. Your Throwing Knife has a Life of 4.


Example I of Parrying

Attacker: The Rampaging Orc is still fighting you, our hero. The orc lunges with his dagger, rolling a 73--his % is 60; this is a Miss.

Result: In the case of the attacker missing, no roll is required from the defender (to Parry or Dodge).


Example II of Parrying. Regular Attack Success vs all of Defender's Parrying Outcomes

Attacker: It's your turn and you roll an attack of 49, under your sword Talent of 65. This is a Success.

Defender: The Orc decides to parry with his dagger. His Parry % is 40 (60-20). He rolls a 35, a Success.

Result: The Orc parries your attack. Since the Levels of Success were equal, both rolling a regular Success, no damage happens to either weapon.

* What if the Orc's parry failed? Your attack lands, and you roll for damage d10 or d10+2, subtracting the Orc's armor from the result.

** What if the Orc rolled a Hard Success, say an 18? This becomes attack Success vs. parry Hard Success. The Orc parries your attack and your sword suffers two points of damage. Its Life score drops to 9.

*** What if the Orc parried with an Extreme Success, a roll of 6. This becomes attack Success vs. parry Extreme Success. The Orc parries your attack and your sword suffers three points of damage, dropping its Life to 8.


Example III of Parrying. Hard Success vs all of Defender's Parrying Outcomes

Attacker: You roll a Hard Success for your attack roll.

Defender: If the Orc misses his parry attempt, like dodging, you do full damage (10 on a d10, no roll necessary) and subtract the Orc's armor protection from the result.

* If the Orc rolled a regular Success on his parry, this becomes attack Hard Success vs regular parry Success. You roll for damage (d10), the Orc subtracts his armor from the result AND the Orc's dagger takes 2 damage.

** If the Orc rolled a Hard Success for his parry, he blocks the blow and no damage is sustained to weapons.

*** If the Orc rolled an Extreme Success for his parry, this becomes Hard Success attack vs. Extreme Success parry. The Orc parries the blow and your sword sustains 2 points of damage to its Life, dropping it to 9.


Example IV of Parrying. Extreme Success vs. all of Defender's Parrying Outcomes

Attacker: Your blade made from antediluvian steel sings as you swing, scoring an Extreme Success, a roll of 3 on a d100.

Defender: If the Orc misses on his parry attempt, this is Extreme Success attack vs. failed Parry, you do full damage (10 on a d10, no roll necessary, plus any bonuses) and the Orc gets no armor protection.

* If the Orc had achieved a standard Success, this becomes Extreme Success attack vs. Success on the parry. You do full damage (10 on a d10, no roll necessary, plus bonuses). The Orc's armor is subtracted from the result and the Orc's dagger takes 3 damage.

** If the Orc had parried with a Hard Success, this is Extreme attack vs. Hard parry. You roll for damage (d10 plus bonuses), the Orc's armor is subtracted from the result and the Orc's dagger takes 2 damage.

*** The Orc succeeds in parrying the blow if he rolls an Extreme parry. Neither weapon takes damage in the case of Extreme attack vs. Extreme parry.






D. Missile Combat

Missile combat refers to thrown weapons or weapons shot by a bow or crossbow or hurled from a sling. You're a detective, not a projectile weapon specialist. You do, however, come equipped with a throwing knife which you, hopefully, have put some % points into to make it an attractive Talent.

Missile combat is conducted the same way as melee combat. You roll a d100 and compare it to your Talent with the missile weapon. If you roll equal to or under your %, you have struck your opponent.

Attacks fired from bows, crossbows, or slings cannot be dodged or parried. Attacks from thrown weapons may be dodged, but a Level of Success of one step or more higher than the attack is required to Dodge a Thrown Weapon. Thrown weapons cannot be parried with your Throwing Knife.

Example of Missile Combat

You've ventured into a dark alley expecting to meet a contact, but instead come face to face with a Deranged Vagabond. He charges you with his rusty dagger, but you win initiative by bringing to bear your throwing knife, and hurl it at him. Your talent with the Throwing Knife is 57%. You roll an 24, a Hard Success. The Vagabond tries to Dodge. He needs to roll an Extreme Success to avoid the knife (one step higher than your Hard Success) but only manages a 19, a standard Success given his Dodge of 20%. Your knife does 1d6 damage; the Vagabond wears no armor.

What follows is the result of a Thrown Weapon attack, the Dodge result, and the Damage, if any, from it.

Attack / Dodge Result / Damage:

Miss / No roll necessary / Nothing
Success / Fail or Success / Roll for weapon damage, armor counts
Success / Hard or Extreme / Dodge successful

Hard / Fail/ Maximum damage, armor counts
Hard / Success or Hard / Roll for weapon damage, armor counts
Hard / Extreme / Dodge successful

Extreme / Fail / Maximum damage, armor doesn't count
Extreme /Success or Hard / Maximum damage, armor counts
Extreme /Extreme / Roll for damage, armor counts


E. Magical Combat

The last example of combat to cover is magical combat. Not surprisingly, it works like the other forms of Talent checks in the game. You roll a d100 and compare it to your Talent % with that spell. If it's equal to or lower than your Talent score, it works (reduce your Magical Power by its Power cost). If the roll is above your score, your spell doesn't take effect, and you lose 1 point of Power.

Example of Magic-Use During Combat

You're squaring off with a Hobgoblin Bravo wielding a scimitar. You decide to win initiative by casting a spell, in this case it's the spell, Dull. Your Talent %  is 59. You roll a 38. Your spell takes effect, reducing the Bravo's damage with the scimitar by 3.

It's now the Hobgoblin's turn and he swings at you with his scimitar. You are free to take a defensive action, Dodge or Parry, but you cannot attack, having casted a spell for your turn. You try to Dodge but fail. The scimitar does d8 damage. The hobgoblin rolls a 5, but your spell reduces this to 2. Your leather trench coat absorbs the other two points of damage, and you escape the round without injury. It's now your turn and you can make an attack.

Magical Odds and Ends

Ball Lightning and other direct magical attack spells cannot be dodged or parried. Armor, however, does count against the total damage of the attack. Spells can be cast at anytime during combat, including melee, without penalty. This includes rounds where the magic-user has sustained damage. Casting spells on Atlas only involves the recitation of a complex spell formula aloud. As long as you can speak, you can cast spells. Wands, staves, scrolls, rods are not needed, but wands, rods, scrolls, and staves may store spells and act as a Power reducer.


VIII. FIGHTING MANEUVERS

If a character does something during combat other than trying to inflict harm on his opponent, it is a Fighting Maneuver.  These include:

- Trying to disarm an opponent
- Push, knock, or grapple an opponent to the ground
- Holding an opponent down while help arrives and countless other actions.

The Talent used for this action is the Brawl Talent. The defender of the Brawl Talent can Dodge or Hold Them at Bay (Parry). Fighting Maneuvers are tricky endeavors, and will likely come with a Degree of Difficulty modifier.


IX. WOUNDS AND ITS EFFECTS ON YOUR ...

A. Talents

If you're in pain you cannot perform at your optimum. If your Life is two-thirds its maximum value (damage has decreased your Life by one-third), your Talents are effected negatively by 10% (this includes Dodge, but does not include Luck, Medicine or Casting Spells).

This is cumulative and lasts until healed above the effected levels--i.e., if your injuries have reduced your Health to one-third its maximum value, the penalty becomes -20% to your Talents.

Example: You begin play with a Life of 18. You're involved in a combat and take six damage, reducing your Life to 12, two-thirds its original value. This temporarily reduces your Talents by 10%. This penalty will last until you heal one point to 13, which brings your Life above two-thirds of its maximum.

If in that combat you took 12 points of damage, reducing your Health to 6, your Talent checks are reduced by 20% until healed above the appropriate levels.

Note: If you’re wounded during combat the penalties to your Talents begin after combat has concluded. The adrenaline rush of combat compensates for the negative impact fresh wounds have on either your Melee Talents. This does not apply to your foes. If reduced below their original levels, it will effect their combat performance.


B. Life

If you take > = 5 points of damage from ONE ATTACK, you will continue to lose 1 Life point for every eight posts made in the game until that wound has been successfully treated.

Note: Failing your Medicine check will increase your Life by one, but it will not prevent you from continuing to suffer the ill effects of the wound mentioned here. Only a successful Medicine check will prevent future reductions in Life.

This is to reflect your character bleeding-out and his need for some type of quality medical treatment.

Everything in IX. WOUNDS ... applies to your enemies and friendly NPCs as well.





X. FUMBLES

If you roll a 100 on a d100 for any check you have “fumbled,” a mishap has occurred while you attempted that talent. The result of a fumble varies depending on the talent being tested. Like wounds, this rule applies to your enemies as well.


XI. TIME AND WHAT IFS

-After throwing your knife, you must explicitly state you're retrieving it if you want it back. This is not done "automatically." I cannot emphasize this enough--it must be stated by you as your PC's action. If you forget to do so, don't be surprised when your GM tells you you haven't a knife to throw when you try to use it in the next combat.

-On your initiative turn, you can move 30 feet and make an action. An action is defined as attacking with a weapon, casting a spell, or using a Talent.

-You cannot, in the same turn, attack and cast a spell and use a Talent in any combination of two or three.

-On your initiative turn, you can move a maximum of 60 feet but take no other action.

-On your initiative turn, you can run full blast for 90 feet, taking no other action.

-It takes a half-turn to withdraw your sword or knife should they be sheathed. Afterward, you can move or perform an action, but not both.

-Does your PC die at 0 Life? Yes, unless the blow that brought him to 0 was meant to subdue. The same applies to NPCs.

-You can do anything you wish to do. Well, you can run it by the GM, and he'll give you a probability. This probability is something your PC would have a "hunch" about or a "vague feeling" of and have a good idea about his/her chance of success, such as the Fighting Maneuvers.

This concludes the rules. Simple, heh?
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:30, Fri 02 Feb.