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Friday, November 10, 2023

fantastic journeys, powered by BIRG

This is a hack of TFT and, to a lesser extent, GURPS. The main novelties are in the readiness/experience rules and in the injury and recovery rules. It's not quite complete, there's no list of skills or special abilities, but I think it's enough to share. Use your favorite list of skills and make up abilities if you want.

Characters have three attributes:

  • Dexterity (DX), used for physical rolls
  • Strength (ST), used for endurance and overpowering
  • Wits (WT), used for mental rolls.
Human characters have a minimum of 8 in each attribute.

Characters succeed at difficult tasks if a roll of 4d is less than or equal to their adjusted attribute. If they have a skill specific to the task, they roll 3d instead. A roll of 4 or less always succeeds, even if the attribute is adjusted to lower than this.

If two characters are directly opposed, they both make rolls. If both would succeed, the character with the higher roll does. On an exact tie, or if both fail, they are in a deadlock.

Readiness

Characters are scored on their readiness for action as follows:

  • Each useful skill is worth 1 point. skills judged to be extraordinary or unique are worth 2 points. Every increase to a skill above the level of its attribute is worth 1 point.
  • Attributes are worth 2 points for every increase above 8.
  • Extaordinary or unique abilities are worth 3 points.

Deduct 2 points if the character:

  • cannot speak a local spoken language.
  • cannot read any common form of writing.

Deduct 3 points if the character:

  • cannot more than one space in a round.
  • cannot do things that need two hands.
  • cannot discern their surroundings.
  • cannot detect movement near them.

Learning Skills

To learn a new skill or increase an existing one takes a number of days of frequent practice (or weeks of infrequent practice) equal to the character's readiness score. Extraordinary skills may only be learned from a teacher, and require half again as long to learn.

To increase any existing skill by adventuring, a character must earn one experience for every five points of their readiness score.

If they used the skill in question, a character earns one experience for surviving a fight, completing a dangerous journey or actions that win a stranger's trust.

Fights

Fights take place in rounds.

  1. Determine the order each side will act in. Characters taken by surprise do not act in the first round.
  2. Characters on the first side move.
  3. Characters on the other sid emove.
  4. All characters resolve their actions (if any).

In a round, a character may move no more than one space for every two points of DX. If they move more than one space for every four points of DX, they may not take other actions. If a character is in front of an enemy they may move no more than 1 space.

A character may fight hand-to-hand by moving into a foe's space. The target's chance to repulse them or draw a close weapon on them depends on their releative strength:

  • Weaker attackers are repulsed 3-in-6 and close weapons can be drawn 5-in-6.
  • Equal attackers are repulsed 2-in-6 and close weapons can be drawn 4-in-6.
  • Stronger attackers are repulsed 1-in-6 and close weapons can be drawn 3-in-6.

For attacks with hand weapons, adjust DX by:

  • +1 when the weapon is longer than the target's.
  • +2 when attacking from the side, or +4 from behind.
  • +2 if the attacker sets (does not move) with a pointed weapon against a charging foe.
  • -1 when held in the dominant hand only, and -4 when held in only the off hand.
  • -2 when wearing heavy kit or -4 when burdened.

For attacks with ranged weapons, adjust DX by -1 for every increment of range between the attacker and their target. Ranged weapons that can fire multiple shots adjust DX by +1 for every additional shot fired.

Damage

Track a character's level of fatigue upwards until it is greater than or equal to their current ST; all further fatigue is taken as hits.

Hits are always deducted from current ST. A character is disabled when their current ST is reduced to 1, mortally wounded if reduced to zero and slain immediately if reduced below that.

Attacks deal 1d hits unless otherwise noted. Unarmed, an attack has the same chance to deal 1d hits to its target as the attacker would to repulse them in hand-to-hand; otherwise, an unarmed attack deals 1d fatigue.

A character is disabled when their current ST becomes negative, or slain if it reaches their negative maximum ST. Any foe that could attack a disabled character may slay them without a roll.

Roll 1d to determine where an attack lands:

  1. Right leg
  2. Left leg
  3. Right arm
  4. Left arm
  5. Torso
  6. Head

If a character has cover from a missile attack, determine which parts of their body are covered; attacks to those body parts do not land.

An arm or a leg can take one hit for every two points of ST the character has; if that amount would be dealt by a single attack, the limb is disabled and no more than that amount of damage is dealt. A character struck in the head gains fatigue equal to the damage taken, unless they were wearing a hard helmet.

Arms and Armor

Cut-proof armor (like chainmail) reduces hits from attacks by 2 and rigid armor by (another) 2.

Edged or pointed weapons deal 1 additional hit to unarmored characters; negating this is the only purpose of armors that are not cut-proof. Keep track of any hits dealt by these weapons, as they will cause blood loss unless treated.

Blunt weapons always deal 1 fatigue in addition to any hits when they land; this is dealt even if the hits are reduced to zero by protection.

Large weapons roll 2d and discard the lower when used in two hands and the higher otherwise. Close weapons roll 2d and discard the lower when used in hand-to-hand and the higher otherwise.

Unconsciousness and Confusion

If character's fatigue is greater than their current ST, they must roll to remain consciousness. If a roll of 3d is greater than their current ST, they lose consciousness for at least that many minutes. If another roll of 3d is greater than their current ST, they remain unconscious for half as many hours.

After a blow to the head, may be confused and disoriented (adjust DX and WT both by -2). If a roll of 2d is greater than their current ST, they are confused for at least that many hours. If another roll of 2d is greater than their current ST, they are confused for half as many days. After this time is over, a character will have no memory or only unclear memories of it.

Injury and Recovery

A recovery roll is 3d under an injured character's current ST. If all limbs have been splinted and wounds cleaned, roll 2d instead. If the character has an open wound and rolls two or more 6s on a recovery roll, they develop an infection.

Binding wounds is a WT roll; a success adds the number rolled to their current ST for the purpose of recovery rolls only. If a wound is re-opened, it must be bound anew.

A character with open wounds may lose quite a bit of blood. Unless they succeed a recovery roll after a number of minutes equal to their current ST, they take half again as many hits as they lost to open wounds. If transfusions are available, they can restore ST lost this way. Otherwise, one of these points is restored for every two days of eating and drinking.

Characters make their first recovery check a number of hours after injury equal to their current ST. A successful roll restores 1 ST.

For a number of days equal to the roll, the character's injuries are inflamed and painful (adjust DX by -3 on all rolls). After this, restore 1 ST and make a recovery roll for 1 ST more. Restore 1 ST and roll for 1 ST more after days equal to the number rolled on the previous recovery roll. Once at full ST, permanently reduce the character's DX by 1 for every two failed recovery rolls.

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