Six Sided Sagas
™
Written and Designed by James Drake Hargrove Six-Sided Six-Sided Sagas is Copyright © 2003, 2004, 2005 by James Drake Hargrove
Introduction
Reasoning - This descriptor represents a character’s overall intellect. It is used whenever a character attempts to perform an action related to their intellect.
Six-Sided Sagas is intended to be a simple fantasy roleplaying system that t hat is easily adaptable to any setting that you may so choose to play in. The primary design goals of the system are ease of use an d the th e facilitation facilitation of fun. The The system as it is presented here may be reproduced for personal use and distributed without charge, c harge, provided that it is not altered in any way, shape, or form. In order to play a game using the Six-Sided Sagas rules, you will need access to so me pencils (or pens), paper, and several six-sided dice for each player. Outside of this the only requirements are a healthy imagination and a willingness to work cooperatively with others in an effort to have fun.
Perception - This descriptor represents a character’s perception. It is used whenever a character attempts to perform an action related to their ability to perceive the world around them. All players begin wi th a total of fifteen points to distribute amongst their character’s core descriptors. descr iptors. At this time, time, no core des criptor may have more than five or less than one point assigned to it. A player rolls one six-sided die for each point allocated to a core descriptor whenever their character attempts to do anything related to that core descriptor. For example:
Creating Characters
Richard’s character attempts to kick in a door. This task directly relates to a character’s strength. Richard’s character has three points allocated to the Strength core descriptor, so Richard rolls three six-sided six-sided dice when when his character attempts to kick in the door.
All characters created using the Six-Sided Sagas rules are defined by different types of descriptors. Descriptors are words and/or and/or numbers used to identify and quantify certain aspects of a character. The two primary types of descriptors used in Six-Sided Sagas are core descriptors and trait descriptors.
Once players have allocated these fifteen points to their character’s core descriptors, they may move onto the next step of creating a character as outlined below.
Core Descriptors Core descriptors quantify the basic physical and mental aspects aspects of a character. character. Ea ch character created using the Six-Sided Sagas system is initially defined by five such core descriptors as follow.
Trait Descriptors Trait Descriptors describe and quantify specific aspects of any given character, including cultures, nationalities, races, professions, and skill aptitudes. There is no definitive list of trait descriptors given their broad range of application, though the following list presents some common examples.
Strength - This descriptor represents the overall physical strength of a character. It is used whenever a character attempts to p erform an action related to their physical strength. Agility - This descriptor represents the overall physical prowess of a character. It is used whenever a character attempts to perform an a ction related to their physical prowess.
Acrobatic (Natural Aptitude) Bard (Profession) Elf (Race) High Elf (Culture/Race) Melee Combat (Skill Aptitude) Roman (Nationality) Soldier (Profession) Sorcery (Skill Aptitude) Swimming (Skill Aptitude) Thief (Profession)
Endurance - This descriptor represents the overall physical and mental fortitude of a character. It is used whenever a character attempts to perform an action related to their physical or mental fortitude.
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Trait descriptors ar e used in conjunction with core descriptors when a character attempts to perform a task to which they relate. Each trait descriptor that a character possesses that is related to a given action or task that said character is attempting to perform allows a player to roll three additional six-sided dice. For example:
The following list of equipment is provided as a point of reference for those players creating home-brewed fantasy settings using these rules. While not all-encompassing, this list includes pieces of equipment considered to be standard fare for many fantasy settings . Prices listed listed are in Coin s of the Realm.
Kurt’s character is attempting to pick the lock on a small chest. This task directly relates to a character’s physical prowess. Kurt’s character character has two point allocated to the Agility core descriptor, so Kurt rolls two six-sided dice when his character attempts to pick the lock. Kurt’s character also has the trait descriptor “thief”. This allows allows Kurt to roll an additional three dice when his character attempts to pick the lock, for a total of five dice. All players may choose five trait descriptors at this time. The exact nature of the chosen trait descriptors is left entirely up to the players, though the Referee can veto any trait descriptor that they think inappropriate. Once players have decided upon their choice of five trait descriptors and had these choices approved by the Referee, they may move onto the next step of creating a character as described below.
Hero Points Hero points grant players a degree of authorial control during actual play, allowing them to influence the course of game. That is, hero points are used by players to alter the course cours e of events in a game that utilizes the Six-Sided Sagas system. The many uses o f hero points are examined examined in later sections of these rules, for now all you need to know is that characters begin play with a total of 25 hero points.
Equipment Finally, players need to choose what equipment their characters will begin play with. Equipment is purchased with Coins of the Realm (a generic currency used to represent the standard currency in your favorite setting for purposes of character creation). All characters begin with onehundred coins to spend on equipment common to the setting in which the game will be played.
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Mi scel lan eo us E q uipmen t
C o st
Small Belt Pouch
1
Large Leather Backpack
5
Small Burl ap Sack
2
Large Burlap Sack
4
Hemp Rope (50' Length)
4
Hooded Oil Lantern
15
Ceramic Flask of Lantern Oil
5
Large Pit ch Torch
1
Tinder Box w/ Strik er
4
Wooden Stakes (6)
3
Metal Stakes (6)
5
Ca nvas Tarp (5'x9 ')
3
Bed R oll o r Blank et
4
S al t C ur ed Ra ti ons (1 d ay)
2
Uncured Rati on s ( 1 d ay)
4
Wat ers ki n (2 l it er c ap aci ty)
3
Metal F lask (1 li ter capacity)
6
Crude Metal Spyglass
30
Set of Lock Picks
20
Parchment, Ink, Quill, and Case
15
A rti cl es o f Cloth i n g
C o st
Common Common Cloth Tunic or Breeches
1 per
Fin e Clot h Tunic or Breeches
3 per
Armor Name
Defense
C o st
Leather Tunic or Breeches
5 per
Cl ot h P addi ng
End+ 2
10
Common Cloth Cloak or Cape
3 per
Soft Leather Armor
End+1d6
20
Fine Cloth Cloak or Cape
6 per
Studded Leather Armor
End+1d6+1
25
Heavy Fur Cloak or Cape
8 per
Ringmail Armor
End+1d6+2
35
Common Leather Boots ots or Sho Shoes
10/p 10/pai air r
Chainmail Armor
End+2d6
50
Fin e Leather Boots or Sho es es
15/pair
Field Plat late Armor
End+ End+2 2d6+2 d6+2
100
Girdle, Belt, or Clasp
2 per
Ful l Pl at ate Armor
End+3d6
150
Small Shi eld (Bu ckler)
Agi+2
20
Large Shi eld (Kite)
Agi+1d6
40
Tower Shield
Agi+1d6+2
60
Metal Gauntlets
Agi+1
20
Helm/Helmet
End+ 1
25/30
We ap on Na me
Damage
C o st
Blackj ack/Sap
St r+ 1
3
Dagger/Dirk
Str + 2
8
Clu b/C udgel
Str+1d6
6
Sho rt Sword
Str +1d6+1
15
Long Sword
Str +1d6+2
25
Great Sword
Str+2d6
60
Mace
Str +1d6+2
25
Morni ng Star
Str+2d6
60
Morning Star Flail
Str +2d6+1
75
War Hammer
Str +1d6+2
30
Light Crossbow
Per+1d6
80
Medium Crossbow
Per +1d6+1
100
Heavy Crossbow
Per +1d6+2
120
Short Bow
Per +2
40
Long Bow
Per +3
60
Halberd
Str +2d6+2
90
Javelin/ Spear
Str +1d6+2
40
Quarter St aff
Str+1d6
30
Alternate Creation Rules If you feel that the rules as presented here do not allow for the creation of suitably heroic characters (or, alternately, that they allow for the creation of characters that are too heroic), you may adjust the default number of points available for distribution amongst the core descriptors, the number of trait descriptors available to players, or anything anything else that you so choose to adjust (I promise that I won’t beat down your door for doing so). Some Referees may choose to set different point limits limits on core descriptors descriptors for certain races or cultures, cultures , require require specific trait trait descriptors descript ors to be taken, or even limit limit the starting funds of some characters. character s. Any such changes to these rules are perfectly acceptable, provided that the majority of players players are comfortable with them.
Basic Task Resolution Whenever a player wishes wishes their t heir character chara cter to perform an action or undert ake a task, they will need to roll some six-sided dice. There are two kinds of basic task resolution utilized in the Six-Sided Sagas rules - unopposed task resolution and opposed task resolution. -3-
Unopposed Task Resolution
performing. Once the dice have been rolled, the player totals all of the dice results. If the total of the dice results equals or exceeds the difficulty rating assigned to the action or task by the Referee, the character has successfully performed the action. For example:
Whenever a player player wishes their character t o perform an action that is not directly opposed by another character, the unopposed task resolution method should shou ld be used to determine the outcome of the character’s efforts. First, the player player will state the nature of the action that they wish their character to perform. The more detailed the player’s descrip tion of the action to be performed perfor med is, the better, as it will help the R eferee to better judge the situation. Once the player has described the nature of the action that they wish their character to perform, the Referee will assess the perceived difficulty of the action described and assign a difficulty difficulty rating to it. The following table lists s ome sample difficulty ratings for the Referee to consider. Perceiv ed ed Di Diffi cu culty
D if iffi cu cu lltty Ra Ra ti ti ng ng
Simple
No Roll - Auto Success
Easy
5-9
Average
10-19
Difficult
20-29
Near Impossible Impossible
Melissa rolls all seven six-sided dice and totals the results. The final total of the dice is 21. If this result equals or exceeds the difficulty rating that the Referee assigned to Olivia’s action of swinging over the small ravine on a vine, then Olivia has successfully done so.
Opposed Task Resolution Resolution Whenever a player player wishes their character t o perform an action th at is directly opposed by another character, the opposed task resolution method should be used to determine the outcome of the character’s efforts. An opposed task resolution check is not that different from an unopposed task resolution check, except that ins tead of pitting pitting their char acter’s abilities abilities against a static difficulty rating assigned by the Referee, players will be pitting their character’s abilities against those of another character. First, the player player will state the nature of the action that they wish their character to perform and roll a number of six-sided dice equal to the rating o f the core descriptor most relevant to the task, plus three extra extr a six-sided dice for for each trait des criptor that the character possesses which directly relates to the task. For example:
30+ No Ro ll - Auto F ailure
After the Referee has assigned a difficulty rating to the ac tion being performed by a character, character, the player whose character is attempting the action rolls a number of six-sided dice equal to the rating of the core descriptor most relevant to the task, plus three extr a six-sided dice dice for each trait descriptor that the character possesses which directly relates to the task. For example:
Rob wants his character, Jensen, to sneak past the guard at the entrance to the city jail. This action relates to Jensen’s physical prowess. Jensen has three points allocated allocated to his Agility core descriptor and has the trait descriptor “sneaking”. Rob rolls six six-sided dice, and obtains a total ro ll result of 18.
Melissa states that she wants her character, Olivia, to swing across a small ravine on a vine. Olivia has four points allocated to her Agility core descriptor and possesses the trait descriptor “acrobat”, so Melissa would roll a total of seven six sided dice.
After the aggressor (the player initiating the opposed action) has g enerated a total tot al roll roll result, the defender (the player of the opposing character) rolls a number of dice equal to the number of points that the opposing character (or creature) has allocated to the most relevant core descriptor, plus three additional dice for each relevant trait descriptor t hat the opposing character possesses. For example:
When a player rolls dice, the outcome o f the roll determines whether or not their character is successful at the action or task which they are -4-
The city guard in the aforementioned example is on the lookout for intruders. The guard has two points allocated to the Perception core descriptor descriptor and the trait descriptor “city guard”. The Referee therefore rolls five six-sided dice, receiving a total roll result of 14. Once both the aggressor and the defender have generated a total roll result, the totals are compared. If the aggressor’s total meets or exceeds the total generated by the defender, then the aggressor’s character successfully accomplishes the action that they were attempting. If the total generated by the defender exceeds defender exceeds the aggressor’s aggressor’s total, then the aggressor’ s character has been bested by the character that was opposing their action.
situational modifiers to any die roll made by a player. player. A situational modifier is, simply, a penalty or bonus applied to the amount of dice that a player rolls when their character is performing an action. For instance, if a player’s character is attempting to scale a cliff face in sunny weather, armed with pitons, a hammer, and rope, the Referee may grant the player an extra two dice to roll when determining the outcome of their attempt to climb the cliff face. Likewise, if a player’s character is attempting to scale a cliff face during a snowstorm, armed with only their two hands, the Referee may tell the player that they have to roll two dice less than they normally would to determine the outcome of their character’s climbing attempt.
Hero Points and Task Resolution
Combat Resolution
Players may expend hero points to increase their character’s chance of successfully performing an action. To do so, a player merely states that they are spending a number of their character’s hero points to bolster a task resolution roll, and subtracts the stated number of hero points from their character’s total number of hero points available. This statement must be made prior to prior to the rolling of any dice. For each hero point that a player opts to spend in this manner, they may roll one additional six-sided die when making a task resolution roll, damage roll, or armor roll for their character. Any hero points spent in this manner are forever gone, regardless of whether or not the result of the resolution roll favors the character. For example:
In a game utilizing the Six-Sided Sagas rules, combat is defined defined as any character character actio n whose express intent and immediate outcome if successful is to inflict damage damage to another character or creat ure. A combat encounter begins whenever an action intended to inflict damage to another character or creature is announced. There are two basic types of combat in a game that utilizes the Six-Sided Sagas rules - hand to hand combat and ranged combat . When a character attacks an opponent with their bare hands or with a melee weapon, they are considered to be engaging in hand to hand combat. When a character attacks an opponent opponent wi th a projectile weapon weapon or a thrown object, they are considered to be engaging in ranged combat.
Casey states that she wants her character, Anwar, to decipher an ancient scroll that he has obtained. This action relates directly to Anwar’s intellect, and unfortunately, he only has one point allocated to his Reasoning core descriptor. Prior to rolling any dice, Casey states that she will be expending expending three of Anwar’s A nwar’s hero points to bolster his chances of successfully deciphering the scroll. This allows Casey to roll four six-sided dice, rather than one, to determine whether or not Anwar’s A nwar’s attempt to decipher the scroll is successful. successful.
Hand to Hand Combat Hand to hand combat is resolved using the rules for opposed task resolution, the attacking character being directly opposed by the intended target of their attack. For instance: Keane’s character, Gaijin Hiro finds himself himself squaring off against a hopping vampire in a forest clearing. Oathbound Oathbound to destroy the undead wherever he may find them, Gaijin draws his katana and attacks the loathsome creature. Keane has stipulated that the sw ord-fighting ord-fighting style Gaijin utilizes is one that emphasizes grace and
Situational Modifiers The Referee may, at their option, impose -5-
speed, therefore Gaijin’s Agility core descriptor with a rating of four is the relevant descriptor in this combat. Gaijin also has the trait tr ait descriptor “Undead Hunter”, meaning that Keane rolls a total of seven six sided dice. Although hopping vampires aren’t the brightest creatures on Earth, they know that getting chopped in half isn’t pleasant. In this case, the hopping vampire in question has two whole dice allocated to his Agility core descriptor , descriptor , meaning the Referee will roll a total of two six-sided dice on behalf of the bloodsucker. The Referee rolls two six-sided dice and generates a total roll result of 10, while Keane rolls seven six-sided dice and generates a total roll result of 15. Gaijin’s attack against the hopping vampire succeeds.
enters the corridor ahead of Hedrick. Tom states that he wants Hedrick to shoulder his crossbow and fire on the surprised goblin. In the previous example, Tom has initiated combat against the goblin mercenary. Occasionally, combat will be initiated from hiding. Initiating combat from fro m a hidden hidden vantage point is know n as ambushing. ambushing. An example of an ambush follows: As a group of heroes in service to the city of Stronghold is patrolling the Gunarssön Gap, the Referee informs their players that suddenly, without warning, an arrow erupts from the surrounding s urrounding dense undergrowth and flies towards the heroes. h eroes. In the example above, the Referee (playing the role of a hidden adversary) has initiated combat against the group of heroes. As these examples illustrate, initiating combat is a simple matter of stating a character’s intent to cause harm first. first.
Ranged Combat Ranged combat is resolved using the rules for unopposed task resolution, as the target of a ranged attack is incapable of actively defending against it (unless the players and the Referee decide otherwise, naturally). For example:
The Combat Turn Explained Combat is divided into increments of time called turns. turns . Each turn represents the passage of one second of time in the game world. A player whose character is involved in combat takes a turn to resolve a single stated action per the basic rules for conflict resolution. For example:
Tim’s character, Lord Sidhain Chamberlain Smythe is firing a crossbow at his assailant who is currently charging him on horseback. Lord Sidhain has three dice allocated to his Perception core descriptor and the trait descriptor of “Deadly Aim”, allowing Tim to roll six dice when firing firing the crossbow at his assailant. The Referee decided that taking down a mounted assailant with a single crossbow bolt will be difficult difficult at best, best , and so assigns a difficulty difficulty rating rat ing of 20 to Lord Sidhain’s attack. Tim rolls six dice and generates a total tot al roll result result of 23 - Lord Sidhain’s bolt flies true and knocks the assailant from his mount.
Tom states that his character, Hedrick, is using a crossbow to attack an Ork that has just just emerged from a side tunnel into the room that Hedrick Hedrick occupies. Tom will use a single turn to resolve this stated action, determining whether or not Hedrick’s Hedrick’s attack is successful. successful. Similarly, in the example of an ambush given previously, t he Referee would use a turn to resolve the action of the hidden enemy, determining whether or not their arrow hits its intended target.
Initiating Initiating Combat Combat is initiated whenever any player, including the Referee, announces that a character under their control is attempting to harm a character controlled by another player (again, including the Referee). For example:
Taking Turns In Combat The character that initiates a given combat always takes their turn first. first. Indeed, the action that initiated combat is considered to be the first turn in any given combat by default. For instance, in the example of the ambush, the R eferee would take their
As Tom’s character, Hedrick, is carefully making his way down a corridor in the G oblin King’s King’s lair, the Referee informs informs Tom that an a n Ork mercenary -6-
turn first f irst and in the example of Hedrick attacking the Ork, Tom would take his turn first. Once the outcome of the initial combat action has been resolved, all players whose characters are affiliated with the character that initiated combat take a turn; beginning with the player seated to the immediate left of the player whose character initiated the combat engagement and progressing clockwise around the room and/or table. For example:
“Damage” on the weapon table found in the equipment section of these rules (t he exception being a punch or kick, which always always deals deals an amount amount of damage equal to a character’s Strength core descriptor). For example: Nick’s character, Juvat has successfully landed a sword blow with his rapier upon the person of his arch-nemesis, Javier Sandoval. The Referee and Nick agree that a r apier is effectively effectively a longsword, a weapon that deals “Str+1d6+2" points of damage. Nick rolls one six-sided six-sided die and adds 2, plus Juvat’s Strength core descriptor rating of 3 to the result of the die. The final total is a result of 8. Juvat’s attack potentially inflicts eight points of damage to Javier Sandoval.
A group of heroes has had the misfortune to run across a patrol of six Ork mercenaries behind enemy lines. Rather than take the chance that these Orks may ma y alert other enemy troops in the vicinity, one of the players controlling a hero decides to initiate hand-to-hand combat with the Ork patrol, hoping to silently kill them before they can alert any more mercenaries. Once the outcome of this initial action has been resolved, the first player sitting to the left of the player who initiated combat that controls a hero will take their action, followed by the first player to their left that controls a hero, and so on.
Whenever an attack strikes an armored target, there is a chance that the armor will reduce the amount of damage being dealt - possibly negating it altogether. Armor protects against a given amount of damage as indicated in the column entitled “Defense” on the armor table located in the equipment section of these rules. For example:
Note that, unlike other players, the Referee may control many characters at once and may take a turn for each ea ch such character during a combat. For instance, had one of the Ork mercenaries mercenaries from the previous example (characters that are controlled by the Referee) Refere e) initiated combat, the Refer ee would have have taken a turn for each of the other Orks, as well. After every char acter that is affiliated affiliated with the initiating character has had a turn taken on their behalf, the players of those characters that did not initiate combat may take their turns in the same fashion (i.e. proceeding in a clockwise fashion around the room and/or table).
Javier Sandoval in the previous previous example was dealt a nasty rapier blow by his arch-nemesis, arch-nemesis, Juvat. Luckily for Javier, Javier, he is wearing soft leather armor that protects him against “End+1d6" points of damage. The Referee rolls one o ne six-sided six-sided die and adds Javier’s Endurance core descriptor rating of 2 to the result of the die for a final total result of 5. Sandoval is protected against five points damage, thus he has sustained three points points of damage dam age from Juvat’s attack (8-5=3). Any damage sustained by characters in combat is subtracted from their hero point total, reducing the amount of authorial control that a player has at their immediate disposal, thus thu s reflecting the hindering nature of injuries. Non-player characters (characters controlled by the Referee) die when their hero point total is reduced to zero in this manner. Player characters, on the other hand, typically don’t die unless something really bad happens to them. Player characters are regularly roughed up but they don’t regularly die. Player characters are, after all, heroes - and what kind of hero goes around
Damage and Dying When a character is successfully hit by an attack, they may sustain damage. The amount of damage that a character sustains when they are successfully hit by an attack is determined by two factors - the weapon with which they are struck and any armor that they are wearing (or wielding, in the case of shields). Whenever a character’s attack successfully strikes its intended target, it deals an amount of damage as indicated in the column entitled -7-
getting themselves killed o n a regular basis? When When a player character’s hero point tota l is reduced to zero as the result of injury in combat, they’re merely knocked unconscious - not killed. As mentioned previously, the only time that a player character should fear death is when something really bad happens to them - and even then, the Referee should provide the characters an opportunity to extricate themselves from the predicament. That said, if a player doesn’t take advantage of these opportunities to save their character, character , acts against advice from from the Referee (“No, (“No, your character cha racter can’t leap over a fifty foot wide chasm - it’s impossible.”), or otherwise laughs in the face of imminent danger... well, their character deserves to die.
difficulty that the Referee assigned to the healing attempt. For example: Doug’s character, Darius Thorne, has been injured in combat to the tune of ten lost hero points and a nasty laceration across his belly. Thankfully, Darius’ traveling companion, Mortimer is a practicing physician (Mortimer possesses the trait descriptor “medical healing”). The Referee decides that the treatment of Darius’ wound is a Perception related action and assigns it a difficulty difficulty rating of 12. Mortimer has a Perception rating of 2 and, as previously mentioned, the trait descriptor de scriptor “medical healing” . Mortimer’s player rolls five six-sided dice and achieves a total roll result of 18, thus, Mo rtimer’s medical healing attempt restores six lost hero points to Darius (18-12=6) and significantly minimizes the discomfort he feels from his wound.
Gritty Injury (Option): If you want your campaign to be dark and gritty, ru ling that player characters die when their hero points are reduced to zero (like non-player characters do) is an easy way to establish this kind of atmosphere. atmosphere . It should also prompt players to be more cautious when making decisions that could effect their character.
Gritty Medicine (Option): An easy way to add a sense of grit to a campaign that utilizes SixSided Sagas is to stipulate that medical healing attempts falling short of exceeding an assigned character . In such difficulty rating further injure a character . instances, the character under the knife loses a number of hero points equal to the amount by which the total roll result falls short of the assigned difficulty rating.
Healing Injuries In Six-Sided Sagas, a character may heal their injuries (and regain lost hero points) in three different ways - they can rest for extended periods of time, they can receive medical attention, or they can be healed using magic. First, resting for an extended period of time is usually the easiest way to heal injuries and regain lost hero points. Every eight eight hours of uninterrupted sleep that a character receives, restor es two lost he ro points and heals a relatively minor minor wound. The T he more uninterrupted sleep that a character receives in blocks of eight hours, the more lost hero points they regain and the more injuries (or more serious injuries) injuries) they heal. In some instances, sleeping uninterrupted for eight hours at a time may not be an option traveling conditions may make such sleep impossible, or time constraints may make it impractical. In such instances, the preferred method of healing wounds is via simple simple medicine. A character that i s the subject of a medicinal healing attempt regains a number of lost hero points equal to the amount by which the practicing character’s total roll result exceeds the
As a rule, medicine may only be used to treat any given injury once - that is, a character cannot regain more hero points by having the same injury treated multiple times. Finally, the last healing option available available to a character is that provided by magic. Unlike resting for extended periods of time, magical healing is instantaneous - and unlike medicinal treatments, magic may be applied to the same wound multiple times and continue to produ ce results. That Tha t said, any use of magic has its own draw backs (explained later in these rules) - for now, now, though, we’re concerned with what happens when healing magic functions properly. properly. Magical healing works similar to medicinal healing - the casting character makes an unopposed check with the stated intent of healing another character’s injuries. If this roll is successful, the subject (the injured character) of the spell being cast regains a number of hero points equal to the amount -8-
by which the casting character’s total roll result exceeded the assigned difficulty rating.
Grigori theorized that magic is a nebulous catalyst that, when invoked, initiates transformation of subjective thought to physical reality. If Grigori is correct, his theory explains why the effects of magic and its mode of application vary so greatly from one individual practitioner to anot her. If magic magic is, indeed, a catalyst for transforming subjective thought into physical reality, itit has no discer nable form of its own (as yet identified, in any case). According to Grigori, this is the case - by default magic is not good or evil, black or white, necromantic or holy, elemental or formulaic - magic magic simply is, is, though it has the capacity to appear as any and/or all of these things given its unique nature. The truth is that the visible effects of magic aren’t actually magic in and of themselves, but subjective thought given form by way of magic, magic , thus such effects can be de fined in any manner that the wielder sees fit.
Magic and Theory In games that th at utilize Six-Sided Six-Sided Sagas, arcane energies are invoked and commanded by audibly reciting similarly arcane syllables that have been chained together together to form words. These words have themselves been chained together to form languages over the centuries, the end result of this linguistic evolution being that audibly emphasizing certain syllables, that are found in certain words, that appear in certain tongues can both invoke and control magical energy. Unsurprisingly, it isn’t by random chance that such invocations are referred to as “spells” by the uninitiated. These incantations may be recited from memory or read aloud from a written text to produce the desired results. That said, even very experienced practitioners of magic eschew reciting incantations from memory unless absolutely necessary, as the proper pronunciation pr onunciation and recital of the many arcane syllables that compose a spell is very important. As a series of unfortunate incidents has demonstrated, a mispronounced or incorrectly remembered syllable can alter the desired outcome of an incantation drastically, often times causing great harm to the individual performing the recital. All of that having been said, anybody can attempt the recital of incantations and - provided that an individual understands the language in which the incantations are written, can pronounce it properly, and can keep the words straight in their head they can even achieve the intended results. Why then do so few masters of the arcane arts exist in the world? Well, simply put, studying different languages and learning to apply them correctly correc tly is a very lengthy and involved process - indeed, indeed, th e complete and total total mastery of a single language may take an entire lifetime. As for the nature and origin of magical energy itself, many theories have been put forth , but the most widely wi dely accepted theory is that formulated by a practitioner known by the name “Grigori” appropriately called Grigori’s Law. Grigori’s Law states that magic is a singular energy that flows fr om a similarly singular source, with any differences in application or mode of operation being defined entirely by the practitioner.
Grigori’s Law (Option): By default it is assumed that player player characters ch aracters who wield magic are familiar with Grigori’s Law and its practical application. That said, if you’re aiming for a ‘heroic fantasy’ feel in your campaign, you may want to avoid that default assumption, instead breaking up spells into pre-defined ‘schools’ and/or ‘lists’ that represent the current level of arcane understanding unders tanding possessed by the populace of a given campaign setting.
Invoking From Memory Whenever a character recites an incantation from memory, their player states the intended effect of the spell and makes an unopposed Reasoning check against a base difficulty rating of 21 (naturally, the Referee may alter this difficulty rating depending upon the circumstances under which the incantat ion is being recited). If the total roll result generated by the player of the casting character meets or exceeds the final difficulty value assigned to the casting by the Referee, the spell effect effect occurs oc curs as it has be en described by the player. If the total roll result obtained by the player player of the casting character fails to meet or exceed the assigned difficulty value of the casting, the spell effect varies wildly from the intended result, as described by the Referee. For example: -9-
Keegan’s character, Jack Derringer, is attempting to t o invoke an old-fashioned magic fireball fireball from memory that will engulf his arch-rival, Duke Valencourt. Given the magnitude of the th e spell and its offensive combat combat potential, the Referee increases the difficulty difficulty rating of o f the casting to 25. Keegan must produce a total roll result of 25 or more to successfully shape a Valencourt-engulfing Valencourt-engulfing magic fireball. If Keegan fails to generate generate a total roll result that equals or exceeds the d difficul ifficulty ty rating of 25, 2 5, things will go horribly awry for Jack Derringer - luckily for Jack, J ack, he has four dice allocated to his Reasoning core descriptor and the trait descriptors of “spell weaving” and “eidetic memory”.
should always be magical - when describing the effects of a given incantation, get creative, detailed, and get weird! weird!
Spell Effects In Combat Spell effects that inflict damage to a target work a bit differently than physical attacks do. First, a successfully invoked spell effect that causes damage may not be defended against with normal armor (see below for more details). Second, a damage-causing spell effect always inflicts at least an amount of damage equal to the invok ing character’s Reasoning core descriptor. Finally, a damagecausing spell effect also inflicts additional damage equal to the amount by which the invoking character’s total roll result exceeded the assigned difficulty number. For example:
Invoking From Inscription As a rule, an incantation inscribed upon a piece of parchment or in a book is always more reliable than even a very experienced practitioner’s memory. Whenever a character attempts to recite an incantation from a writt en text, the player controlling that character makes an unopposed Reasoning check against a base difficulty rating of 13 (again, the Referee may see fit to adjust this difficulty rating based upon the specific circumstances surrounding a given casting attempt). If the total roll result generated by the player of th e casting character character meets or exceeds the final final difficulty value assigned to the casting by the Referee, the spell effect occurs as i t has been described by the player. If the total roll roll result obtained by the player player of the casting character fails to meet or exceed the assigned difficulty value of the casting, the spell effect varies wildly from the intended result, as described by the Referee (in the same manner a failed invocation from memory does).
Jack Derringer (from t he first example in this this section) has four dice allocated allocated to his Reasoning core descriptor, so his fireball will cause a minimum of 4 points of damage if successfully successfully invoked. Additionally, if Keegan generates a total roll result of 32 (a result that exceeds the assigned difficulty difficulty rating by 7 points) , Jack’s fireball will inflict an additional 7 points of damage to Duke Valencourt, Valencourt, for a combined total of 11 points of damage. As mentioned above, sspell pell effects that inflict damage cannot be defended against with normal armor - they can, however, be defended against in other ways. Both a spell barrier (described directly below) or equipment equi pment that has been fortif ied with spell effects (such ‘magic items’ are discussed in the following section of these rules) are both capable of protect ing characters from damage that is inflicted inflicted by the effects of a given spell. The aforementioned aforement ioned spell barrier barrier can defend against a set a mount of damage from any incoming spell effect that inflicts damage. These rules assume, for simplicity’s sake, that spell barriers mirror the defensive qualities of standard physical shields (as described via the armor table found on page three of this document) where protection from damage is concerned. Likewise, these rules assume that, once invoked, a spell barr ier will remain in place until the end of the combat encounter during which it is invoked or until its caster is killed (whichever occurs first).
About Spell Effects You may be wondering “What exactly happens when a character recites an incantation?”. The answer is that, if invoked correctly, the desired effect of the incantation as described by the player of the casting character (or, if using the previously mentioned optional rule, as described by a ‘spell list’) is produced without negative incident. If invoked incorrectly, the effect of a given invocation is an undesirable circumstance as described by the Referee. Finally, whether its effects are ultimately good or bad, the effects of a magical incantation -10-
Spell Enhanced Items
The small silver ring that was imbued to render its wearer invisible upon command does just that - renders its wearer invisible invisible upon command.
Although difficult, it is possible to imbue otherwise other wise normal items with spell energy - be stowing upon them permanent magical effects in the form of trait descriptors. For instance, a suit of chainmail armor that has been imbued with spell energy designed to p rotect the wearer from damage-causing spell effects may have the trait descriptor “protects “protects wearer from magic attacks” while a longsword that has been imbued with spell energy designed to inflict grievous wounds to goblins may have the trait descriptor “goblin slayer”. Imbuing items with spell energy is a simple matter of stating the spell effect that a character would like to imbue a mundane mu ndane object with, making an unopposed Reasoning check as if they were casting a spell, and paying a base cost of five hero points. Note that these hero points do not allow the player to roll extra dice on the Reasoning check they merely represent the cost of permanently imbuing an object with a bit of the caster’s manifest will. That said, the Referee may adjust this cost in hero points to reflect circumstances surrounding a particular imbuing if they so choose. For example:
Other spell effects fu nction as character trait descriptors usually do, conferring an additional three dice bonus to a checks that they relate to. For example: The longsword “goblin slayer” would allow a character to roll an additional three dice whenever the sword is wielded against goblins in combat (both when determining whether it hits and how much damage it causes w hen it hits). Finally, it is worth noting that some objects may be imbued with multiple spell effects, some of which function as written while others function as character trait descriptors. Such items are both rare and powerful, their imbuement costing a caster a great deal of time and energy.
Character Growth Over the course of a story arc, a character will grow and change as they interact with the world around them. To reflect this growth, the Referee awards players a number of hero points at the close of every story arc, as follows:
Anne’s character, Morgan Barrows, is attempting to imbue a small silver ring with spell energy that “renders its wearer invisible upon command”. Morgan is reciting a written incantation that was specifically specifically designed to produce just such an effect, so Anne would make mak e an unopposed Reasoning Reaso ning check with a difficulty rating of 13. Additionally, the Referee has decided that due to the powerful nature of this particular spell effect (controlled invisibility), Anne will have to expend a total of 11 hero points for the imbuing.
1. If the characters utt erly failed to to achieve any of the goals that they has set for th emselves at the opening of the story arc, then th e Referee should award them only five hero points each at that story arc’s close. 2. If the characters managed to achieve some achieve some of the goals that they set for themselves at the opening of a given story arc, then the Referee should award them 15 hero points each at the close of the story arc.
If a Reasoning check made on behalf of a character that is attempting to imbue an object with spell energy is failed, the results are handled as are the results of a failed Reasoning check made on behalf of a character casting a spell - only in this case, they might not be immediately aware of the adverse effects. Indeed, it is in this manner that the majority of so-called ‘cursed’ items come into existence (although so me such items are deliberately fashioned). Imbued spell effects function in one of two ways. First, some imbued trait descriptors merely function exactly as written. For instance:
3. If the characters managed to achieve all of the goals that they set for themselves at the opening of a story arc, then the Referee should award them 25 hero points each at that story arc’s close. Should a character ever find themselves with 30 hero points in reserve, they may cash in said 30 hero points to raise any given core descriptor rating by one. Similarly, they may spend 40 hero points to purchase a new trait descriptor. -11-
Finally, it is worth noting t hat hoarding hero points isn’t very productive - ultimately, characters earn more hero points by spending by spending hero points. points . The more hero points that a character spends, the more likely they are to accomplish their goals for a given story arc, thus the more mor e hero points they are likely likely to earn at that story arc’s conclusion.
(much as crows do) which has led some scholars to incorrectly theorize that they are possessed of a higher intellect. Dragons make their havens far from civilized lands, only occasionally being seen in such places (usually having been lured there by a surplus of shiny trinkets). Strength: 12 Agility: 7 Endurance: 10 Reasoning: 2 Perception: 4 Hero Points: 80-200 (varies with age and size)
A Bestiary The following is a short list of pre-defined antagonists (lifted ( lifted from the planned Epic™ setting) setting) for f or player characters to rumble with. These serve as examples of creatures common to many different fantasy roleplaying games.
Trait Descriptors: Flying, Breathing Fire, Locating and Hoarding Shiny Baubles Attack Damages: Bite (Str+6d6), Claw (Str+4d6) Natural Armor: End + 3d6 Special Attack: A dragon may breathe fire once per turn in lieu of a regular regu lar attack, inflicting inflicting 6d6 damage to any target within 30' of the blast direction.
Chimaera Description: A Description: A bovine-sized beast with the body of a lion and three heads - that of a dragon, a goat and a lion. Where these creatures come from is a mystery, though they were rumored to have been the result of a magical experiment gone awry in ages past. Though rare, the occasional traveler is unlucky enough to stumble across one in the wilderness.
Elf Description: A tall, slender, humanoid being with very pale skin and a gener ally ally unpleasant disposition. Elves are extremely long-lived, suffering from prolonged bouts of boredom which they seek to relieve by cruelly toying with shorter-lived races. The y are generally regarded as evil and/or mean-spirited folk, shunned by most other sentient races, and prefer to live amongst others of their kind in the wilderness as it affords them ample opportunities for mischief.
Strength: 4 Agility: 3 Endurance: 4 Reasoning: 1 Perception: 6 Hero Points: 30 Trait Descriptors: Leaping, Breathing Fire Attack Damages: Dragon Head Bite (Str+2d6), Lion Head Bite (Str+1d6+1), Goat Head Ram (Str+2), Claw (Str+1d6). Natural Armor: End + 2d6 Special Attack: The chimaera may breathe fire from its dragon head once per turn in lieu of a regular attack, inflicting 3d6 damage to any target within 10' of the blast direction. Note: Despite having multiple heads, a chimaera still only receives one attack per turn.
Strength: 3 Agility: 3 Endurance: 2 Reasoning: 4 Perception: 4 Hero Points: 22 Trait Descriptors: Elf, Marksmanship, Nature Lore Attack Damages: Punch/Ki Punch /Kick ck (Str) (Str ) or Per Weapon Weapon Armor: Per Armor Worn Special Immunity: Elves have a natural resistence to magic and may make an opposed task r esolution check to resist a spell effect that targets them. If successful, the magic effect dissipates without effecting the elf.
Dragon Description: A large, flying, fire-breathing, reptilian, monstrosity. Though minimally sentient in truth, dragons have an affinity for shiny baubles
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Ghost
Trait Descriptors: Warrior, Tactician, Fearless Attack Damages: Punch/Kick (Str), Long Sword (Str+1d6+2) or War Club (Str+2d6) Armor: Per Armor Worn Special Ability/Weakness: Ability/Weak ness: If fighting in numbers Orks will fight to the death until their immediate leader is bested in combat. Only after their immediate leader is killed and/or forced into submission will they consider surrender or retreat.
Description: The ethereal impression left behind by a being that has bee n violently violently shuffled off the mort al coil. Ghosts tend to manifest as the most intense emotion of the creature whose visage they project. The ghost of a dragon, for instance, would embody its bestial nature; while the ghost of a kind-hearted priest might embody their love for others. As such, the defining characteristics of individual ghosts vary wildly.
Credit and Disclaimer
Reasoning: 3 Perception: 5
Six-Sided Sagas draws inspiration from many previously published roleplaying game systems, primarily Over the Edge* from Atlas Games, Cell Entertainment’s Gemini*, Gemini *, and West End Games’ Ghostbusters RPG*.
Trait Descriptors: Incorporeal, Effect the Living Attack Damage: Strike the Soul (Rea) Notes: This is an example of an unfriendly, yet fairly harmless, ghost. Note that armor does not protect characters against the ghost’s attack and also that weapons cannot damage the ghost because it is incorporeal (hence, it has no hero points). These common ghostly traits, among other things, make such restless restl ess spirits challenging opponents. opponents . Use your imagination when creating ghosts - not all of them have the same attacks (some ghosts have been known to use telekinesis to effect their targets in combat) or the same attributes (some ghosts can become corporeal corpo real at will). Likewise, some of them may be quite friendly and even help player characters (indeed, allowing slain player characters to continue their adventuring as a ghosts might make an interesting premise for a campaign).
Ork Description: A stocky, brutish, and ugly hu manoid with a slightly green tint to its flesh. Given their appearance, Orks are often given short shrift by other sentient cultures - an unfortunate bias that often works to their advantage. Contrary to popular opinion, Orks aren’t at all stupid (in fact, they’re some of the best tacticians around).
Strength: 4 Agility: 2 Endurance: 3 Reasoning: 4 Perception: 3 Hero Points: 25
*Denotes a property not owned by or a ffiliated ffiliated with Six-Sided Six-Sided Sa gas. Such properties are owned by the companies indicated, and are mentioned here without express permission. Please, don’t sue me (I don’t have anything left to take, so it wouldn’t be worth your time, anyhow).
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