BtPG Saving Throws

Just like it says on the tin. Also, I put a persistent link to the most current version of the rules in my "Free Swag" links section, lower right.

Saving Throws

It often happens in the course of adventurous affairs that adventurous sorts must rely on divine providence, dumb luck, and the smiling of Fate herself to carry the day. These necessarily tense times are handled by Saving Throws. There is one base range of Saving Throws for all classes. These are modified by the attribute most related to the attempt and the class of the character.

Level	Roll Required (2d6)
1-3	12
4-6	10
7-9	8
10-12	7
13+	6

Modifiers

• + Relevant Attribute
• Class-based modifier +2
  • IF STR or CON are relevant attributes AND class is MIGHT
  • IF INT or WIZ are relevant attributes AND class is MAGIC
  • IF DEX or CHAR are relevant attributes AND class is MIEN

Some examples of relevant attributes:

STR anything related to pure muscle power

CON anything related to the character's vitality or anything that alters thr character physically, ie polymorph or petrification.

DEX anything that can be avoided by moving out of the way

CHAR there aren't many Saving Throws that benefit from CHAR

INT anything that affects, alters, or attempts to directly control the target's mind

WIZ any other spell or spell-like effect not specifically related to one of the other attributes.

A roll of “2” always fails, regardless of modifiers.

Saving Throws as Task Resolution

While it would lack the “feel” of the Good-At system, there is no reason Saving Throws could not be used to resolve more mundane situations, as well as life-or-death situations. It would be a simple matter of assigning the task a relevant attribute and making a Saving Throw. Want your Mien character to scale a wall? Make a Saving Throw with the DEX mod and class mod. Many tasks could come under more than one attribute, fostering the player to think like their character, seeking any natural advantage they could find in any given situation.

BtPG Overkill™ Table

It may have occurred to some of you that the amount of hp available to characters is quite small. I think that plays well with the combat system as a whole, plus it really fits with a grim-n-gritty S&S feel. Not to mention it speeds up combat. Now, before anyone gets ready to comment on that, let me say that this combat needs a little speed. Most opponents in combat are only going to score a point of damage 16% of the time. This is offset by tossing a few dice at the problem, but still, if everyone ran around with 30 or 40 hp it would take forever.

Still and all, I never intended it to stay "dead at 0" for PCs. I've always loved the way WFRP handled hit points, death, and critical hits. For as long as I have been trying to develop a complete game from Chainmail, I've been trying to implement a similar system. So, here it is, with a snappy name and all. Note that in most cases, the positive and negative mods will wash, or at least get close to it. I really wanted it to basically be a crap-shoot once a character is reduced to this point. He is at the mercy of the Fates.

I've updated the pdf to include this table. It is accessible from the link I provided in the previous post.

The Overkill™ Table

Whenever a player or important NPC is reduced to 0 hp they are essentially at the mercy of their attacker. Any active defense they can muster is wholly inadequate and my well be met with scorn and ridicule.

The following Overkill™ conditions are immediately in effect:

Defense Type is reduced by one category

The character no longer gains any benefit from DEX

Each time he suffers damage while at 0 hp, roll on the following table:

Roll Effect

0 > Invigorated Character's hp reset to 1hp and Overkill™ conditions no longer apply

1 Providence The character narrowly avoids a fatal blow.

2 Scarred The character is scarred permanently. There is a 50-50 chance of a +1 or -1 to CHAR.

3 Hobbled The character's DEX is reduced by -1. This may be either healed magically or through one complete month of rest.

4 Crippled As Hobbled, but may only be healed magically.

5 Dead The character is killed instantly.

6 + Ruined The character is not only killed, but his body is utterly ruined as far as any sort of resurrection is concerned.

Modifiers

• + CON
• + Armor (0 thru 6)
• + HD (not counting additional hp)
• – Damage suffered this round
• – Weapon Type (0 thru 6)
• – HD of opponent delivering Overkill™ attack

BtPG RPG Update

I've updated the pdf to include "Starting Good-Ats" and How to Read the Combat Table. The document has, in the footer, a version number and "rolling" date. These should help anyone interested in making sure they aren't looking at an older version.

Beyond the Pale Gate RPG

Actually, the previous links point to the most current version, I just repost the link for convenience.

Quite a Week

This has been a fantastic week for the blog. First off, I made my 200th post this week. I'm not sure if I ever thought I'd make it this far. Secondly, I just reached 10,000 hits. That is just amazing to me. I can not thank all of you enough for helping me reach these milestones. I know that without continued interest and support I would have never made it to this point. Finally, last but not least, I have at long last managed to get a workable system based off Chainmail put together. I am very happy with it and I hope all of you who are reading it are happy with it, as well.

Ok, enough celebrating. Let's get on with the next 200 posts, 10,000 hits, and maybe finishing Beyond the Pale Gate RPG and getting a supplement in the pipe.

BtPG Starting Good-Ats PLUS Combat Table Key

There were a few oversights in my rush to update for the weekend. The first one I want to address is this.

Starting Good-Ats

New character start with a number of Good-Ats equal to their Attributes (which will be 3,4, or 5). Note that this is the Attributes and not the amount of points spent on them.

These beginning Good-Ats should be relevant to the Attribute that granted them. So, a character of Mien might have Attributes of DEX+2, CHAR+1, INT+1. Two of his Good-Ats would be DEX related, one would be CHAR, and one INT.

It is a good idea to use these starting Good-Ats to reinforce the character concept. Taking cues from existing D&D classes is a viable option, but really anything that provides a mechanical hook to the role playing concept of the character is good.

Combat Table Key

I realized I forgot to put a key on the Combat Table.

A/B
 C

A=d6 Rolled
B=per xHD
C=Number needed to score a "hit". Each hit + 1 point of damage.

So, an 8 HD attacker wielding a Heavy Weapon attacks an opponent with a Defense Class of Armored. The entry on the Combat Table is:

1/2 (He rolls 1d6 per 2 HD)
 6   (He needs a "6" to hit)

This means the attacker will roll 4d6 and score one hit for each "6" rolled.

BtPG PDF Update

I have updated the pdf for my Beyond the Pale Gate RPG. The updated pdf includes the fundemental combat rules, the combat table, and the monster stats. With this update, this is a playable system. It is definitely still very rough, but the major systems needed for play are there. If you want to try it out, you'll still need access to some form of basic D&D, preferably the LBBs. You'll need it for things like treasure tables, spell lists, and equipment, for the most part. Those are all things I am going to be addressing as the project continues.

I especially want to work on spell lists unique to the BtPG experience. I feel so pretentious saying that, but I want to provide a unique magical environment for the game. That has always been a design desire of mine, and I think I am at least off to a good start with it here. I want the spells to reflect the idea that I put forward in the rules, about wizards tailoring a casting to achieve a variety of effects based on the efficacy of any particular spell. Sort of a combination of pre-defined spells and free-form casting.

If any of you read this pdf, please tell me what you think. If you actually manage to give it a try, I would love to hear how it handles for you. I know it is very raw, but I've seen enough one-man retros to know it is as complete as a lot of them out there. So, please, give it a look and let me know. I am very excited by this. I want to not only keep its development going, I want to make it the best game it can be.

BtPG RPG

OK, I know I said I wouldn't do this, but I'm an idiot. At first I thought this "project" would be a few of my ideas bolted onto someone else's system. It has morphed more into my take on a separate evolutionary branch of Chainmail. That's ok, because it's something I've been trying for years. Now, this thing has a life of its own. So, I've collected what all I have so far into one document.

The only thing, system-wise, missing at this point is combat. I have that, but I'm currently editing it to bring it more in line with my attribute/character rules. I may have it done this weekend.

Also, I've installed Dropbox. Sharing these writings of mine has been a major thorn in my side, so I'm hoping Dropbox simplifies things. If you do follow the download link, pleas let me know how your Dropbox experience went, so I can gauge how useful it will be moving forward.

And, now, I give you . . .

Beyond the Pale Gate RPG

There is updated stuff in here from the blog posts, it's not just the posts all collected and pdfed. Feedback would be awesome.