Chapter 1 - Introduction

The Skill System

Discussion

Remember, this is just a discussion of the chapter, not the text itself. If you want to read the chapter itself, look for the PDF button either at right (for large screens) or at the bottom (for smaller screens).

Capacity

The number in the box is how many dice you roll. That is your training.

1. Apprentice
2. Journeyman
3. Master

If all the dice come up 6's, you did something brilliant! There is a moderately exploding dice mechanic to see how brilliant, and you can get some really high rolls. You also gain 1 XP in this skill immediately!

If all the dice come up 1's, you critically failed. Something bad happened, like completely missing a parry and leaving yourself wide open. When you roll a critical failure, your result is 0 and you do not add your skill. It doesn't matter how good of a cook you are, because the top fell off the salt shaker, dumping the whole container into the food.

On any other result, you add your skill level.

Like D&D, your level comes from experience, except that each skill has its own experience.

Experience

XP Table

XP	+
0-5	0
6-9	1
10-15	2
16-24	3
25-36	4
37-53	5

-

It keeps going to +9, and it's on your Character Sheet! This table is used constantly, so you'll get the first few levels memorized really fast!

At the end of a scene, the skills used in this scene each get 1 XP. It doesn't matter if you succeeded or failed, but you have to know if you succeeded or not.

Bonus XP

The GM may award "Bonus XP" to players for critical thinking, creative role-playing, planning, rescuing others, solving puzzles, and achieving goals. At the end of a chapter, you have hit one of those goals and gain Bonus XP. The end of the chapter is also when you can distribute earned Bonus XP into whatever skills you like to customize your character and give their skills a slight bump moving into the next chapter. This encourages players to consider what might be coming in the next chapter. Some turning point has been reached, and you will need to consider how you want to distribute this.

Modifiers

Situational modifiers are handled as dice. Just add a die for each source of advantage or disadvantage. Disadvantage dice cancel out one of your highest rolled dice, and advantage dice cancel a low die.

So if your usual roll is 2d6+4, and the DM gives you an advantage die, then you roll all 3 dice and drop the lowest. Add the rest as normal. Advantage dice increase your average roll, reduce critical failures, and increase the chance of brilliant results. Fixed modifiers like your skill level do not change your chances of critical or brilliant results. This means if you want to change those, you need to get more training, or find situational modifiers. These come from playing your character, not building your character!

If both advantages and disadvantages apply to the same roll you get inverse bell curves which really adds to the drama!

Why do this?

When you are used to rolling close to 7 all the time, it's because you know what your character is capable of. Training dice set up a natural variance that makes the results feel realistic.

When two situational modifiers clash, you either succumb to your penalties or rise above them and embrace your advantages. This is the inverse bell curve. The 7 you were used to rolling isn't even possible anymore! The chances of getting close to 7 is slim. The whole probability curve goes upside down. It's either something really good, or really bad! Situational modifiers clash like this only in the most dramatic moments, and this mechanic adds to the suspense and drama.

You can use the link below if you want to see the pretty graphs! This tool currently only supports a single advantage or disadvantage, but the mechanic doesn't have a limit. The "EXT" button gives you a graph with 4 advantages and 4 disadvantages.

Explore training and XP combinations!

Attributes

As training and experience go up, this will increase your attributes. If your knowledge of chemistry goes up, your Logic increases. If your dancing just hit level 3, your Agility goes up. Players decide what attributes they want to improve through the skills they practice. Additionally, your skill training will significantly change your attributes right at character generation. You are what you do.

Attribute scores use the same experience table as skills to determine your attribute level. You won't add this to skill checks. Instead, attributes drive other aspects of the game, such as saving throws, and are covered in the next chapter. Your skill's XP starts at the attribute's score. This means, skills you pick up later in life start with a little more experience than if you had learned it as a kid!

The system emulates going through life, picking up experiences here and there, exploring different cultures and learning new styles. Your abilities go up accordingly. Everything else in the game reuses this base mechanic. No levels, no classes, no restrictions.

You can get all the details by clicking the Preview button with the PDF icon.