User:Leziad/Rogue City/Rules

=Rogue City Rules =

Character Creation

 * Select a race and background.
 * Determine your primary attributes, all start at 1. You have 5 points to distributes among any of them, to a maximum of 4 in each attributes.
 * Determine your aspects, all start at 1. You have 4 points to distributes among any of them, to a maximum of 3 in each attributes.
 * Apply skill points, you begin with 7 to distributes among any number of skills, to a maximum of 3 ranks per skill.
 * Select perks, you have 5 perk points to spend.
 * Fill your character sheet, adding modified wounds, movement speed and wealth points.

Starting Characteristic

 * Wound: Every character start with 3 wounds.
 * Speed: Every character start with a speed of 5 hexes.
 * Wealth Point: Every character start with 2 wealth points, and one wealth point in their wealth pool.

Races
Selecting a particular race has only a few benefits, you gain a single racial perk for free (listed under the race description) and may make you eligible for racial organizations and special traits perks.

Deeka
Wealth of the Elite: Deeka have +1 wealth point. Deeka gain an additional +0k1 when using a wealth point to influence a sway or impress skill challenge.

Elves
Greater Affinity: Elves start with a free rank in watch and sway. Elves are resistant to [nature].

Goblins
Bottom Rug: Goblins start with a free rank in sneak and never suffer from consequences when failing or losing a [aura] challenge.

Humans
Bold and Tough: Humans start with a free rank in willpower and an additional wound.

Shells
Artificial Body: Shells does not need to breath, eat or drink. Shells are resistant to [fire].

Thralls
Unliving Capacity: Thralls are resistant to [entropy] and may move an additional hex.

Xeno
Every Size and Shape: Xeno gain 2 extra perk points, but must spend them in [Xeno] perks only.

Background
Background grant a single background perk, you also gain a background subtype which affect perk prerequisite abilities.

Cherished Child [Nobility]
You were born with a silver spoon, always given what you wanted and when your tutors passed away they all gave to you and nothing to your siblings.

Rich: You gain an additional wealth point.

City Sweeper [Underworld]
You are a no better than rat, everyone underestimate and ignore you because you occupy some indignant job. Well they couldn't be wronger.

Ignored: Once per session you may count as unseen as a reaction.

Guild Member [Guild]
You are a proud member of one of the guild of Rogue City.

Guild Membership: You gain a free [Guild] perk you meet the prerequisite of.

Punk [Underworld]
You spent you youth on the street, you always seem to know what going on and here the hot stuff.

Street-Born: You start with a free rank in streetwise.

Thug [Underworld]
You worked for the mob bosses since before you remember, you know how to speak with criminal elements of the society.

Underworld Relationship: You may reroll your highest dice in any [aura] challenge with an actor with an [underworld] background.

Attributes
Fitness

Mobility

Mental

Perception

Aspects
Primal

Essence

Aura

Skills based on Primal

 * Melee (Fitness): A combat skill, it is the skill that determine how good you are in melee.
 * Marksmanship (Perception): A combat skill, it is the skill that determine how good you are in ranged combat.
 * Acrobatics (Mobility): Acrobatics is all about movements such as jumping, tumbling around and standing balanced on small surface (amongs other things).
 * Athletics (Fitness): Athletics is the kill governing how fast you can run, and for how much time.
 * Willpower (Mental): The skill used to test courage and resistance to mental effects.

Skills based on Essence

 * Academic (Mental): Knowledge of engineering, medicines and science.
 * Logic (Mental): Problem solving, deduction and everything tied to logic.
 * Security (Mind): Opening locks, hacking or bypassing any kind of security.
 * Sneak (Mobility): Stealth, stalking and escaping silently.
 * Watch (Perception): Perceive dangers or details, spotting traps and observers.

Skills based on Aura

 * Deceive (Mental): Lie, disguise or feign ignorance.
 * Empathy (Perception): Read other people emotions, detect lies or understand their psyches.
 * Impress (Fitness): Intimidate or attract adoration.
 * Streetwise (Perception): You know a lot about what happen around town, who is the mob boss or who take bribes.
 * Sway (Mental): Convince someone of something.

Membership: [Guild]

 * Prerequisites:
 * Benefits:
 * Enemy:
 * Favor:

Membership: Blood Witches [Guild]

 * Prerequisites: Can cast spells, Blood Magic 1 rank.
 * Benefits: You gain one spell with the [blood] tag at the start of each session.
 * Enemy: Crimson Wing
 * Favor:

Membership: Crimson Wing [Guild]

 * Prerequisites: 5+ wounds, melee (1+ ranks)
 * Benefits: You may replace your basic weapon tool with a Chainblade (Melee Tool, Greatweapon) at the start of each session. Once per session after killing a mutant you may regain one wealth point.
 * Enemy: Blood Witches, Dust Vagabonds
 * Favor: (Know the Mutant, Slay the Mutant) If you ever willingly help a mutant, you are forced to pay 3 wealth. If you can't, you lose the benefit of this perk until you can pay your dept to the Crimson Wing.

Membership: Dust Vagabonds [Guild]

 * Prerequisites: Sneak (1+ ranks)
 * Benefits: Once per session you may call upon the favor of your guild, recover 1 wealth point and gain useful informations on your current quest.
 * Enemy: Crimson Wing
 * Favor: (Spare a Coin) Once per two session, the DM may force the member to pay 1 wealth point. If he don't or can't he may not use the benefit of this perk until the end of the next session.

Membership: Golden Leaf Assembly [Guild]

 * Prerequisites: Deeka, 5+ Wealth Point
 * Benefits: When you spend a wealth point, roll a d10. On 9-10 you do not lose your wealth point. You automatically succeed any wealth check for luxury items.
 * Enemy:
 * Favor: (Poverty not Allowed) If you end a game with no more wealth point in your wealth pool, you may not use any benefits granted by your membership to the Golden Leaf Assembly until the end of the next session.

Actions
Ever actor or group of actors have 2 half action and a reaction per scene.

Half-Action can be...
 * Combined into a full-action.
 * Used to move around.
 * Used to declare a action challenge.

Reactions can be...
 * Used to flee a combat (or all combat)

Rolling
To determine if an action is successful you must roll a challenge. There are X type of challenge:
 * Opposed Challenge: Pit you against another character or NPC. (example: Fighting)
 * Threshold Challenge: Pit you against a static threshold you must beat.

Once the challenge determined, the dices must be rolled. Rogue City use a dice keep system, which mean you must roll X dice and keep the Y lowest. X is the action primary attribute while Y is the aspects associated with that action. You need to determine an action G/P before you can roll.

As/At

 * When you attempt an action, is it covered by a skill? If yes, use that skill As/At attributes.
 * Otherwise determine them with the Game Master's help.

Aspects

 * An action associated guts, courage and recklessness will be using primal.
 * An action associated with strategy, cunning and subtle will be associated with essence.
 * An action associated with charm, social skills, or behavior will be associated with aura.

Attributes

 * An action relying on active physical efforts to succeed will be associated with fitness.
 * An action relying on fast paced movement, dexterity and grace will be associated with mobility.
 * An action relying on fast thinking, education or smart will be associated with mental.
 * An action relying on being able to perceive it surrounding and react to it will be associated with perception.

Bonus Calculation
After the As/At is determined you need to make bonus calculation. You need to calculate ACTS and your bonus calculation pool.


 * If you have the advantage thanks to an events outside of your control (plenty of cover in a firefight, etc) add your [A] bonus.
 * If you have a perk, spell or any other effects granting you a bonus to your action, add your [C] bonus.
 * If you have tools that make the action easier/possible, add your [T] bonus.
 * If the action was a skill and you have ranks in that skill, add your [S] bonus.
 * Subtract any penalties from status effect.
 * Add all the bonus together and subtract the penalty, add the total to your G/P.

Opposing Challenge

 * Roll X dice, it should be the action primary attributes + any bonus rolled dice from your bonus calculation pool
 * Set aside the lowest Y dice. Y, it should be the action aspect plus any kept dice granted by the bonus calculation pool.
 * Compare each dice kept with your opponent's,in order from the lowest to the highest.
 * If any dice is lower than your opponent's, you score one success. If you opponent's is higher, he score one success. If both dice are equal, the dices cancel each others. Each kept dice that are unopposed grant you automatically one success.
 * Whoever have the most successes win. The effect of a success (and the number of them) depend on the particular action, the most success you score higher than your opponent the better.

Threshold Challenge

 * The GM set a difficulty threshold and the number of successes required to pass.
 * Roll X dice, it should be the action primary attributes + any bonus rolled dice from your bonus calculation pool
 * Set aside the lowest Y dice. Y, it should be the action aspect plus any kept dice granted by the bonus calculation pool.
 * Compare each dice kept with the threshold, in order from the lowest to the highest.
 * If any dice are lower or equal to the threshold, you score a success.
 * If you have enough successes you pass the threshold challenge.

Difficulty Threshold
Difficulty threshold are between 1-10, 1 being the hardest and 10 being the easiest. A difficulty threshold establish how hard it is to score a success.


 * (10) Trivial: Very mundane thing like opening a unlocked door, you don't need to roll Threshold Challenge with a difficulty of 10.
 * (9) Routine: Mundane things that are hard to botch, such as a job at a factory or moving light items around.
 * (8) Very Easy: Actions that are not slightly challenging, like breaking a paper wall.
 * (7) Easy: Actions that are easy enough, such as hitting a medium sized target in a firing range at a good distance.
 * (6) Normal: Actions that are moderately difficult, such as lockpicking a normal lock or bashing open a wooded door.
 * (5) Challenging: Actions that prove to be a challenge even for someone skilled, such as jumping from a balcony to the balcony on the other side of the street.
 * (4) Difficult: Actions that are actively difficult, such as bashing a stone door open.
 * (3) Harrowing: Actions that are not only difficult, but extremely taxing.
 * (2) Extreme: Actions that are extremely difficult, such as shooting a minuscule sized target at long range with heavy wind.
 * (1) Almost Impossible: Actions that shouldn't be possible but may, such as jumping from a flaming zeppelin and hit the ground unharmed.

You also need to establish how many successes are required to pass the check, it is usually based on the length of an action. Particularly hard action


 * 1 Success: Bashing open a door, or most instantaneous actions.
 * 2 Successes: Jumping from roof to roof for a whole scene.
 * 3 Successes: Breaking into a vault with many locked doors.
 * 4+ Successes: Very very difficult actions.

Failing a Threshold Challenge
When an actor, particularly a player character fail a threshold check the action fail. If the check carried consequence for failure (such as jumping from roof to roof or sneaking around a base with hostages) the GM may also decided to add one or more of the following penalties:


 * The actor is fatigued, this mostly apply to physically taxing challenge.
 * The actor is shaken, this mostly apply if the challenge had grim consequences for failure (such as an hostage being shot because of your failed sneak attempt).
 * The actor take a single wound. This may apply to dangerous action, with some chances to get hurt.
 * The actor take X wounds, minus one for each success he scored during his challenge he failed. X is set by the GM. This may apply for very dangerous action with serious chance to get hurt.
 * The actor become dazed, this can happen in a variety of situations.

Combats
Combat is a Opposing challenge between 2 actors, usually one player and one NPC (or group of NPCS). Combat is divided in two category: Melee and Ranged. An actor may initiate combat with a target actor within his line of sight as a half-action, the targeted actor may:

1) Fight: Combat take place normally.

2) Escape: Instead of opposing each combatant melee/marksmanship the escaping actor may use his athletic (melee)/acrobatics (ranged) skill. If the escaping actor score at least one success above his opponent he escape and may not be targeted by combat next scene. Escaping require a reaction, no many how many combat you escape you only burn a single reaction.

When fighting normally, each successes an actor have it opponent inflict one wound. An actor brought to 0 wounds as a result combat is disabled.

If an actor is targeted multiple times, he will participate in all combats independently, but if he attempt to flee he must do so for each combat he participate in.

Melee Combat
Melee combat must be declared when adjacent to the targeted actor. It typically fought in a chaotic fashion,

ACTS

 * [A] Advantage: If you have the advantage, add +1k0 to your bonus calculation pool. If you have a great advantage add +1k1 instead.
 * [C] Competence: The bonus granted by competence depend on the ability that granted it.
 * [S] Skill: See skills for information based on skill ranks.
 * [T] Tools: Appropriated tools grant a +1k0 bonus to your bonus calculation pool, some tools may grant different [T] bonus however.

Each letter of ACTS never stack with itself, you use whichever bonus you choose.

(Example, if an ability would grant you a +1k0 [C] bonus and a spell would grant you a +1k1 [C] bonus they do not stack, you must decide to apply one of your choice to your bonus calculation pool.)

Status Effects
All status effects except disabled last only one scene. Multiple status effects of the same name don't stack together, if an actor would be shaken and fatigued, fatigued and shattered or shaken and shattered he lose these status and become broken instead,


 * : -1k0 to all rolls.
 * : You may not take reactions.
 * : You cannot take actions.
 * : -1k0 on all [primal] rolls.
 * : During opposed challenge, actions that use [particular effect tag] have their first success negated. In threshold challenge, obstacles that use a [particular effect tag] have it threshold increased by 1.
 * : You may only take reaction and half actions this turn.
 * : -1k0 on all [essence] rolls.
 * : -1k0 on all [aura] rolls.
 * : As long as you are unseen you cannot be targeted by actions, you lose this status effect if you target an actor.

Movement
An actor may move at a half action once per round, or run as a full action. Every actor can move up to 5 hexes with a half-action, unless modified by a spell or perk.

Running
An actor may attempt to run, covering greater terrain as a full-action. Running require an athletics threshold challenge, with the threshold based on terrain.


 * Flat Terrain Such as a stone pavement, road or floor: Easy
 * Irregular terrain such as a broken floor, rocks or forest: Challenging
 * Dangerous terrain such as planks on rooftop, slippery surface and a cavern with wet irregular floor: Harrowing

You move an 2 extra hexes for each success you score in your threshold challenge, you only fail an athletics check if you score 0 success and may suffer consequences if you were on dangerous terrain.

Position
Position in rogue city is not a big deal, although we assume the GM and players use some kind of hexgrid to represent the approximate position of a character an actor. Position is used to calculate range, there is 3 type of range categorized by the number of hexes between the character and the actor. Walls, doors and other obstacles cut your range, any character not within your range is unseen.


 * Adjacent (1 Hex): You may declare most action at this range, such as lockpicking, melee combat, basing. You may not declare ranged combat when adjacent.
 * Short Range (2-5 Hexes): You may declare social actions up to this range or closer.
 * Medium Range (6-10 Hexes): You may declare ranged combat at up to this range or closer,
 * Long Range (11-20 Hexes): Sniping distance, you may declare assassination against a target at this range or closer.
 * Extremely Long Range (21-40 Hexes): You have sight of the actor, but interacting become difficult

Playing without an Hexgrid
It is entirely possible to play without an hexgrid, the GM simply need to state the range a particular actor is from your character. Instead of moving on hexes, an actor may use an half-action to get one range closer (once per scene). If the actor run, he may get 2 range closer instead of one.

Wealth Points
Wealth points represent the player character's wealth and materials. A player character start with all his or her wealth point at the start of each session and may spend them for equipment, temporary boosts among s other things.

Using and Regaining Wealth Points
As far as Rogue City is concerned, your character don't have a static equipment list. Instead you use wealth points on the fly as a reaction, it may represent a bribe, a special marksman bullet you brought earlier, a potion of healing you kept hidden on yourself and so on.


 * You may use a wealth point to gain a tool for a particular. The tool grant you +1k0 to your challenge for 1 wealth point. The tool vanish after the challenge is resolved, consumed, broken or unusable after it use. If you spend 2 wealth points instead you may keep the tool until the end of the session.
 * Restore a single wound for 1 wealth point (bandages, healing potion, etc.).

You may regain a single wealth point by:


 * Finishing a quest and being rewarded.
 * Looting!
 * Stealing a precious item.

Wealth Pool
A player character can acquire a lot of money, and thus gain a wealth pool. A wealth pool represent saving, accumulated treasures and items. A character's wealth pool maximum size is equal to her maximum wealth points per session. Instead of spending a wealth point normally, a character may elect to spend a wealth point in his pool. Doing so has the same effect, but forever remove the point in the character's wealth pool.

You may gain points in your wealth pool by:


 * Being greatly rewarded after a quest.
 * Looting a great treasure.
 * Stealing a very precious item.
 * Ending a session with all your wealth point.