I've created a ruleset based loosely on the rules of Dwarf Fortress. I'm also going to be creating a campaign played in Maptool to give them a run.
The Campaign is copper age technology. More Details can be found at
I know that some people have made some GURPs rules system for this game, but that's not accessible for free, so that is why I made my own. It needs lots of work, I'd like to improve it until it really "feels" like dwarf fortress.
---Quality---
Quality of Effort:
Every action has a quality rating.
The quality rating of the action affects the result of the action. A high quality rating crafting action creates a high quality item.
An effort can never be more than two quality ratings above the quality of the tools used when doing the effort. This means a horribly quality sword can only provide an average effort outcome. Any effort that is at least four levels below the quality of the tool will have its quality level bumped up by one. This applies to confrontations as well. In the above example of a bad quality sword, if a player rolls a quality check with it and gets a 90, the roll will count as a 74, the maximum quality level he can get out of that crappy tool. Likewise with a player with an artifact that rolls a 1 will have that roll automatically adjusted to a 90, the lowest quality of effort an artifact can give. These figures are absolutes. There is no way to increase a bad sword past the maximum quality of effort of a 74, or an artifact below a 90. Modifiers are applied to the base of a quality of effort roll. They are the Skill matching penalty, the Material Quality Modifier of the tool used, and the Item Quality Modifier of the Tool used.
Quality of Effort Table:
Action Quality -Skill Roll --Item Quality -Item Quality Modifier
(1)Botched -0 to 6 --Not Usable -0%
(2)Horribly Done -7 to 10 --Horrible Quality -1% to 20%
(3)Badly Done -11 to 15 --Bad Quality -21% to 50%
(4)Poorly Done -16 to 25 --Poor Quality -51% to 80%
(5)Done -26 to 74 --Average Quality -81% to 105%
(6)Well done -75 to 89 --Good Quality -106% to 115%
(7)Finely done -90 to 134 --Fine Quality -116% to 125%
(8)Superiorly done -135 to 164 --Superior Quality -126% to 135%
(9)Exceptionally done -165 to 209 --Exceptional Quality -136% to 145%
(10)Masterfully done -210 to 269 --Masterful Quality -146% to 155%
(11)Legendary effort -270 to 330 --Artifact -156% to 165%
Quality of Effort Table Explained:
The first column is the number of the quality level and the action quality level name. The second column is the final, modified value that a roll would be to fit within that quality level. The third Column is the quality level name for items. The fourth column is the Item Quality modifier for items of that quality.
Material Quality:
Materials are of different uses for different tasks. Very light and strong Adamantium makes great armor, but when used for a war hammer a big chunk of heavy stone is much more effective. The material used in the item makes a great deal of difference on its effectiveness. A ceremonial sword isn't considered a real sword for a reason, after all. Furthermore, the exact formulas and methods in fabricating weapons can make a difference. As a result, a steel short sword may have 120% modifier in one weapon, but 111% in another. The suitability of the material for the task it is used for is tracked in the Material Quality Modifier.
Material Quality Modifier Table:
Material Quality Modifier:
20%-49% -Badly Suitable
50%-74% -Not Suitable
75%-90% -Barely Suitable
91%-119% -Suitable
120%-139% -Very Suitable
140%-150% -Perfectly Suitable
Material Quality Modifier Table Explained:
The first column shows the modifier percentage range, the second column shows the suitability of the material for it to fall in that range. These are not absolutes. A unsuitable material worked well might fit into the suitable category due to being worked by a master forge smith.
Example Material quality for Slashing Damage:
Rock 50%
Wood 55%
Copper 60%
Bronze 75%
Iron 100%
Steel 120%
Obsidian 130%
Adamantium 135%
---Skills---
Skill Points:
Skill points are used to bring a skill up another level. It is always one point to get to dabbling, and five total points to layperson regardless of a dabbling skill. Novice costs 11 total points, or layperson plus 5 points. After that, each level requires the amount of the previous one plus one. You can only gain one level of skill per game week. New levels above Dabbling need to have some plausable way you gained them, depending on the skill. Some laypersons may be that way by a book. Usually becoming a novice requires classroom instruction. Each level gives you it's level as a d15 in your roll to determine quality of an action. The Skill level table below shows the skill points required to move from one level to the next.
Skill Level Table:
Skill Levels-- Total To raise from previous Level
(1)Unskilled 0 N/A
(2)Dabbling 1 1
(3)Layperson 5 5
(4)Novice 11 5
(5)Entry 18 7
(6)Competent 26 8
(7)Skilled 35 9
(8)Proficient 45 10
(9)Talented 56 11
(10)Adept 68 12
(11)Expert 81 13
(12)Professional 95 14
(13)Accomplished 110 15
(14)Great 126 16
(15)Master 143 17
(16)High Master 161 18
(17)Grand Master 180 19
(18)Renowned 200 20
(19)Famous 221 21
(20)World Renowned 243 22
(21)World Famous 266 23
(22)Legendary 290 24
Skill Level Table Explained:
The first column is the number of the skill level and the skill level name. The second Column is the total skill points it would cost to reach that level. The next column is the cost it would take to increase it from the previous level.
Skill Matching:
A Steel Longsword is different than a Glass Hammer. Not only is the skill in forging a Glass Weapon different than forging a steel one, but forging a blade is different than forging a blunt instrument. Therefore when a skill has points attributed to it, it is always attributed to a specific object. There are then five categorizes of any use of that skill. The first is exact, which is doing exactly what that skill is in. The second is close, which is doing something of a nature that it is reasonable to expect it would be exact. Using a longsword made for you would be an exact use of Longsword, while using any regular longsword would be a close. Next is Related, which would be something where the basics could be the same. Using a knife when you are skilled with a dagger is an example. Next is Similar Nature, which would be using something that has some basic underlying similarities but isn't really that close. Finally is No skill at all, in which that skill will not apply. The Game master will make the determination in which category an action is taken when a player declares their action and relevant skills to the action. Any skill can have points attributed to it. It is up to the game master to determine if the skill is too broad and needs to be refined to a better match for an exact type, or if it is too narrow and needs to be broadened. It is very unlikely that the Game Master will make a Armor crafting skill be equal to "Armor Crafting-Forge in the Third room of the first factory making only steel Boots". It is likely that he will confine the skill to Armor Crafting-Wood Powered Forges- Solid Steel Objects. This may seem a little confusing, but basically if you describe to your game master exactly where your character supposedly learned the skill, he will generally tell you what is your exact match. Don't bug him for close matches, or become upset if something that was a close match in one place isn't in another. Close matches are situational because there are just too many variables to track in every situation. Perhaps you couldn't make that chain gauntlet as effectively because this anvil has wear and tear that makes it unusable for such a task. Perhaps the fuel for the fire isn't the same. There are many different reasons, but the bottom line is the GM's word is law.
Skill Matching Penalties:
Exact: None
Close: 90%
Related: 50%
Similar Nature: 25%
---Abilities---
Ability Levels:
Just like the Skill Levels, there are 22 Ability levels. All players start at their race's default ability levels, but are allowed to adjust them at the GM's discretion.
The three ways to get ability points:
Abilities come in three ways. Either you can spend the skill points required for a skill level times three to raise it, The GM can raise it for actions taken over the course of the game, or you can raise one for the standard cost of skill points but lower two chosen by the GM.
Standard Abilities:
Strength - Determines how strong you are.
Toughness - Determines how tough you are.
Stamina - Determines how long you can last.
Intelligence - Determines how smart you are.
Fortitude - Determines how strong your mind is.
Wisdom - Determines how effective at using information you are.
Agility - Determines how fast you are.
Reflexes - Determines how quickly you react to situations.
Dexterity - Determines how efficiently you move.
Derivative Abilities:
Speed - Based off of Agility and racial average. Your speed increases by 10% of the racial base for every point of agility beyond your racial average you gain, and decreases 10% of the racial base for every point you lose.
---Items---
Items and Maintenance:
Items take wear and tear every time they are used. Every week for standard items or after every combat for combat items, if a character does not have the skills appropriate to maintaining the item, the GM may make the character to make a maintenance roll for the item. If they are failed, the quality is temporarily reduced by one. If no attempt at maintenance is made, the GM may, at their discretion, apply two quality levels instead. If the item quality drops to botched/not usable, it is broken and cannot be used again until it is fixed. Artifact items do not need a maintenance roll, part of the aspect of being legendary! If an item is repaired, any quality of action lower than it's current quality will change the item. A higher level will not increase the quality of a broken item. You can only repair it to what it's max is. However, if a legendary action is done for the repair, the item will keep it's previous quality level but keep the special rules of maintenance for Artifact items.
---Combat---
Combat Ticks:
Every combat consists of a series of ticks. Every round a player has a number of ticks to spend based on his agility. The player with the highest reflexes goes first. He may chose to only spend a fraction of his ticks and spend the rest after player or enemy has spent theirs. The faster player can force the slower players to spend their ticks before he does. Some actions take more than a round of ticks. These actions will continue until stopped or until enough rounds have gone by that the ticks needed have been gathered. Multi-round actions always happen at the beginning of the round that they have enough ticks to occur in. A combat tick is about two seconds of combat,
Tick costs:
Movement -- A player can move his speed every tick.
Attacks -- An attack costs 6 ticks - Dexterity / 5 rounded up.
All actions take ticks. The cost will be determined when the action is declared.
Attack Combat:
The Attacker declares his action. The defender then picks his appropriate response to the action.
They both then roll their quality rolls, making any adjustments as necessary. The one with the highest quality effort is the one who was successful. If both are the same quality effort, the defender wins. If both can occur, The GM picks a quality level required for the action to be successful. An example of both being able to occur would be attacker decides to grab the wrist of the defender, and the defender decides to bite the attacker. They may both be successful, or only one might be successful, or they both might fail.
If an attack is successful, the area to be hit is determined. Damage is determined by rolling the weapon damage score and adding the material and quality modifiers to the result. This is then compared to the damage reduction of the armor with its material and quality modifiers for the area hit. If the remaining damage overcomes the body points of the struck area, it may go internal. If it does not, or can not, the damage inflicted determines the effect. A unit can suffer several bruses before the next becomes a minor wound. several minor woulds before any additional minor wounds become major. It can suffer several major wounds before the damage becomes tramatic. It can then suffer an amount of traumatic wounds. The amount it can handle is determined by the body points in the body part. If it suffers any wounds past its tramatic allowed, the wound is fatal.. Total of 1 bruise per Body Point are allowed before they become minor wounds. 1 minor wound per body point minus 1, 1 major wound per 2 bps, and 1 Traumatic wound per 4 body points. Allowed wounds are always rounded down.
Every wound can cause Minor Bleeding, Bleeding, or Severe Bleeding.
Wounds can also be Mildly painful, Painful, or Severely Painful.
Organs may either be harmed, Damaged, or Destroyed. Having organ damage can be fatal. The exact harm done to organs are determined by the GM based on direction of attack, damage of the attack, and what is hit.
Every round bleeding wounds lose some blood, and Painful injuries may cause unconciousness. Each creature has a unit of blood for every unit of weight. (Roughly a pint for every 15 lbs, for anyone curious) If a creature loses 1/3rd or more of it's blood, it will die of blood loss.
Consciousness Check:
Consciousness checks are made when appropriate. The check is generally made off of toughness, and generally looks for matching an average effort. The GM may change these at his discretion. He will inform you when one is needed.
Attacker Options:
Aggressive:
Guarded Attack -- The quality of the skill roll is done at a 90% modifier to attack combat advantage, but in the event of a counter attack or other action that delivers damage back, adds a 150% modifier any defensive action in response.
Attack -- Standard Attack
Aggressive Attack -- 120% modifier to the quality roll, but adds a 80% roll in the event the attacker needs to defend against a counter attack or other action that delivers damage back.
Berserk Attack -- Abandons any defense and adds a 170% modifier to the action quality roll. If Defender takes an aggressive action, it automatically hits with no quality roll allowed by the attacker.
Charge -- Gives an 80% modifier to defense advantage. Attack consists of knocking into the opponent. Strength or agility based attack. The weight of the attacker must equal the weight of the defender plus 10% for every point above what the defender rolled to knock the defender over. If the defender weighs less than the attacker, the weight difference subtracts 1 point for every 10% difference. If a dodge is attempted, the dodge skill of the defender is the sole determining factor with no positive or negative adjustments for weight for either side. Even a giant can be off balance while trying to prevent a mouse from running into them. As such, it is a standard roll. The weight difference may be substituted for strength difference at the choice of either party, however, if the defender chooses to substitute weight for strength, he forgoes any defensive action he may take. If the defender wins the defender stays standing. If the defender loses the defender falls to the ground. Either way the attacker has to make a check of his dexterity minus the difference in the quality of the roll and make a average quality roll or fall down to the ground.
Common Actions:
Grapple attack -- (with what to what. Strike or grab. If grabbed, throw, lockout, or twist. May also adjust grip from general hold to specific hold, or release specific hold back to general hold.)
Break Hold -- (If there is a hold)
Work with Partner while attacking(Aggressor)/blocking(Defender) -- Grants a -2 to combat advantage, but allows a re-roll for each person on either side that has at least novice skill in an exact match, entry skill in a close match, Competent skill in a Related match, Skilled in a Similar nature match, or Talented in no match at all. The re-roll starts at the same -2 modifier, but adds 1 for every 2 levels above in the determining skill, or subtracts 1 for every level below in the determining skill. The status of the match does not affect this. Example: A Proficient Short Sword works with a partner. He rolls a 7, the defender rolls a 12. The score of 5 is insufficient to beat the . Next to him is a talented Axe user. The axe user is talented, and therefore it doesn't matter if there is a match in the skill. Talented is one level higher than Proficient, so the axe user's modifier is -1. However, if the Axe User was using a short sword and only had axe skill, he would face a -8 (due to similar nature penalty) modifier. He was not high enough to take a automatic lower skill level check, although if he was he couldn't take that choice, since it would make him a dabbler and therefore not capable of using a skill that wasn't an exact match.
Defender options
Dodge - If successful, moves the person 5 feet in a direction chosen by an opponent, but attack fails. Will work on all attacks. May not be used by the player who initiates the attack round. If done on a charge, defender picks where to move the attacker. This may make the attacker fall off a cliff, although the same cannot be done to the defender. The skill is speed plus dexterity divided by 2 rounded to the nearest whole number. If there are ticks left, the appropriate amount of ticks to move 5 feet are subtracted. If none are available, the dodging player loses that many ticks in the next combat round.
Block - If successful, makes the attack fail. Shields add their quality rating divided by three to the modifier for the defensive roll, in addition to using the shield skill for the block maneuver. If blocking an attack with a weapon skill that is not the same weapon skill as the attacker, the attack is to be considered one level lower of a match for the weapon skill used for defense. This does not apply to shields.
Counter Attack -- Adds a -2 to the defender's combat modifier. If the defensive action is successful, an immediate attack occurs by the defender against the attacker. The attacker gets a free defend action with his shield skill if he has a shield, or with the skill of the weapon in his hand. Some attacks may negate the free attacker defense.
It is the GM's discretion of adding additional attacks or defenses, as well as what each of those do.
Martial Trance:
A Martial trance adds 1d6 to the effort quality for every additional enemy within a unit's movement range. This range is determined by multiplying the speed by the number of ticks. For example, a unit that has 10 ticks and a speed of 24 would gain a d6 for every unit in 240 feet.
Rage:
A Rage adds the skill level of d6s to the attack effort quality for the raging unit, but reduces the quality of effort for defensive actions by 50%. The unit must also only take actions that allows it to attack the target of the rage every turn.
---Erratica---
There are a few things not covered elsewhere. First, madness.
Madness takes three forms. Berserk rage, where everything nearby will be attacked, Melancholy, where deep sadness sinks in and suicide is attempted, and Babbling lunatic.
Madness checks are made from the Fortitude skill. Severe Mental trauma requires madness checks. Madness is not easily cured.
Second, Magic.
Magic functions as a manipulation of magical energies. Each person manipulates things differently. If you have a spell casting player, work with your GM to determine how many spells you can cast. Generally Magic users must make a fortitude check or fall unconscious every time they cast a spell, with a penalty for repeat spells. Since every spell is unique to each character, the exact quality of effort needed differs. Some magic users might also have magical focuses, which provide modifiers to their magic rolls.
Third, Armor Skill
Armor skill adds a quality multiplier to the armor damage reduction. it is -10% armor reduction for every level below 5 (so unskilled armor users multiply their armor reduction by 0.6) while it adds 5% to armor reduction for every point above level 5. (so a legendary armor user will have 1.85 times the armor reduction). This is on top of quality bonuses. Also, there is a weight addition/reduction for worn armor inverted on this. (+10% weight below 5, -10% above it)
Fourth, Weight
Weight affects your movement speed. The weight you are carrying / your max weight is applied to your agility when determining ticks. It also affects how fast you are normally able to travel.
---Sleep and Stamina---
Stamina is important because it determines how long you can go on little sleep, as well as affects how quickly actions that are close to your limits tire you out. Every time you spend more than half of your ticks in a combat, you gain a tiredness point. Every ten minutes of travel, you gain a tiredness point times the weight you are carrying / your max weight. This is applied every time the number equals 1. So if you are carrying ten pounds over your maximum weight, you gain a point every nine minutes of travel. If you are carrying only 10% of your max, you might gain a point every hour and 40 minutes. You lose a point for every minute you sit and rest. Every time you reach your stamina in in tiredness points, you gain a tiredness level. The levels are tired, very tired, and exausted. If you go above exausted, you fall on the ground, out of breath. You will remain this way until you can roll an average quality of effort off your stamina level minus your current tiredness points. (Not stamina roll)
Being well rested halves the rate you gain tiredness points. Being sleepy doubles the rate you gain tiredness points. Being very sleepy quadruples the rate. Every 10 minutes of being very sleepy a check against fortitude must be done. An average quality of effort or better is needed to prevent passing out. Every hour of very sleepy reduces the level of mental fortitude checks for this purpose by one. Every time the player enters a very sleepy state, all fortitude checks done the next day will be at a one level lower penalty. If this state is achieved for four times the number of days of the previous level, and additional -1 is added. So it would be a -2 if the player has been very sleepy four days in a row. -3 if the player has been very sleepy twelve days in a row. -4 if the player has been very sleepy 48 days in a row, exc. A single day of getting to bed before becoming very sleepy will reset all penalties.
I don't have good to hit location tables yet. What I am doing is allowing aiming in a size of the character divided by their weapon skill area. So a 4' tall dwarf with no skill hits randomly in a 4' space. Then I break it into High, low, and middle. I do a D5 and have 1 or 5 move up or down in the body. I keep narrowing it down until the area that is hit is determined. It is crude, but it works for now.
I plan to refine the rules as they are played. If anyone wants to join in, let me know. Also if anyone tries to use the rules and has suggestions for improvement, let me know.
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Topic: Osmlo Ospaz [Pen and Paper played in Maptool] (Read 2982 times)