CORE RULES ~ CHAPTER V
V. Game mechanics
V.1. Time
Time is measured in turns and is applied to combat or whenever any other non-combat situation requires it. One turn equals 6 seconds. For any other circumstance time is measured in days, hours and minutes.
Effects, consequences or results that occur within a turn are considered simultaneous and take place conventionally at the end of the turn.
V.2. Size
Size is relevant for some rules: the dimension of a being helps or hinders success at certain actions or goals. Humans are considered medium size.
Any other being is measured starting from the base size of humans. There are 3 sizes bigger and 3 sizes smaller as follows:
The size directly affects specific game mechanics such as movement, load capacity, combat and magic.
V.3. Movement
Every being has a base movement rate (MOV) which is measured in meters per turn (m/turn). Every being has the effective movement rate resulting from an adjustment according to the score of Control.
The baseline for humans is a MOV of 8 m/turn; a score in Control above it will grant a bonus while a score below it generates a malus as follows:
Unless otherwise stated, the MOV is affected by the size as follows:
Dogs can have different sizes, according to the race. If the GM has the MOV of a medium size dog (e.g. 16m/turn), then he can derive the MOV of a small dog starting from the medium-size one (e.g. 8m/turn).
V.4. Load capacity
The ability to bear weight is linked to the stats of the character. The load capacity for any medium-size being is measured via the Load Threshold (LOADT) as follows:
LOADT = Build x 3kg
Unless otherwise stated the standard to define the LOADT according to the size is the following:
Every character has a burden based on the weight borne (including clothing, equipped and carried items). The maximum burden allowed is calculated according to the character’s Build as follows:
Any character with a score of 1 in Build is unable to carry any load except clothing. For any weight heavier than the allowed maximum capacity, the character falls in the Overloaded status.
A character with Build 6 is able to act as light/medium/heavy burdened, thus meaning that he can carry a weight up to 3 times his LOADT (6x3 = 18kg) and, in case he wears or brings a weight heavier than 54kg, he will be Overloaded. The following table shows the max limit of load for every score of BU allowed where ‘n/a’ stands for any case not allowed by a score in Build not high enough:
The character is not able to carry any load heavier than the maximum allowed in the Overloaded status. When the character wears a weight heavier than this limit, he cannot act, move or perform any action.
Each burden status has the following consequences on the character's movement:
V.5. Reaction
For any situation where a character is facing a new experience or something that is shocking to him, he has to perform a Reaction check to determine his overall position. The GM requires such a check when a character is in a situation where instinct drives the reaction: this happens mainly when someone is ‘surprised’ or is asked to act ‘under pressure’.
Hereby some cases to better define what ‘instinct-driven reaction’ could mean: whenever a character is in a position where he undergoes a drastic change such as when he is in dialogue with another character who attacks without any warning (for the ‘surprise’ concept). Or when a character is asked to perform when the situation does not allow him to act calmly, for example when he has to do a task in a limited time (picking a lock in few turns) or in a context that is not appropriate (searching for an item in combat, and this details the ‘under pressure’ concept). A casualty of a member of the group during a fight is another usual ‘shocking’ concept.
The reaction check requested by the GM is the comparison of the score of SOM against the result of 1d10:. If the roll is higher than SOM, the check is failed; if it is equal or lower than SOM, the check succeeds.
A success on a reaction check enables the character to act normally, as if the ‘shock’ doesn’t affect him. A failure results in a loss of the turn for the character: he will only act from the following turn onwards.
Characters with a SOM of 10 (Exalted) always succeed a reaction check. Characters with a SOM of 1 (Panicked) succeed only with a roll of 1.
Hereby a non-exhaustive list of cases for a Reaction check in combat:
when ambushed;
when the first allied character falls;
when more than half of the allies die;
when one is cornered;
when a single character is attacked by 2 or more enemies.
Hereby a non-exhaustive list of cases for Reaction check in non-combat:
when a character is obliged to perform an action in a limited time;
when a character suffers a threat (verbal or physical);
when a character witnesses an act strongly contrary to his Morality;
when a character has to carry out an act contrary to his Morality.
V.6. Sequence of the game
Every participant to the action is asked to declare his action(s) in the turn; the declarations are in ascending order of State of Mind, from the character with the lowest score up to the highest one.
In case of tie, the characters follow the ascending order of Empathy, then of Perception, then the result of a 1d10 roll.
Any character involved in the actions of a turn who is unaware of what is happening (i.e. surprised or unconscious) will not be part of the declarations for that turn, he will act only in the next turn.
An ambush takes place: 3 hooded figures attack a group of 4 characters. The characters are trying to unlock a door to enter a house: 3 of them are standing around the fourth who is using his ES Tamper to open the lock of the door. The 3 characters are not surprised since they are doing nothing else other than guarding the fourth, while the fourth character is surprised because he is concentrating on picking the lock. In the first turn only 3 characters are involved in the action declarations while the fourth one can decide to stop his activity or keep on trying to open the lock. In the following turn, all of them can be part of the action declarations, even if the fourth can decide to keep on trying to use Tamper.
Once the order of declaration is established in the first turn, this is maintained and updated (in case of changes in SOM) for the whole event. New characters jumping into the action are inserted in the previously established order.
The declaration and the execution of the action are done at the same time unless otherwise defined by the GM.
Four characters (PC1, PC2, PC3 vs NPC4) are involved in the action: according to characters’ scores, the sequence is: PC1-NPC4-PC2-PC3. The turn develops as follows:
PC1 player declares “two melee attacks against NPC4” (his ES score is high enough for 2 actions in the same turn).
The GM declares that NPC4 “defends two times with the shield versus PC1” (his ES score is high enough for 2 actions in the same turn); the 2 actions between PC1 and NPC4 are executed.
PC2 player declares “to hide and move silently behind NPC4”: the action is executed.
PC3 player declares “cast a spell of shocking bolt to NPC4”: the action is executed.
V.7. Performing an action
Without any specific indication in the ES description, the score of an ES defines the number of actions a character can perform in a turn:
The result of a check, called Action Resolution Check or ARC, is based on the following formula:
ARC = KS score + US score + ES Adj. + Other adj. (optional)
where the ES Adjustment is based on the following ‘core table’ of the mechanics while the other (optional) adjustments are bonus/malus defined by the GM at his discretion (see Bonus and malus application).
For every score of the ES, the player rolls the corresponding die to that score and defines if the result of the ES Adjustment:
If the result is equal or lower to the character’s ES score, the result of the roll itself is the value of the adjustment.
If the result of the roll exceeds the score of the character’s ES score, the difference between the ES score and the result of the die is the negative modifier to be applied within the ARC formula.
The ES Adjustment is based on the roll of a die according to the score of the ES of the performer in the table below. The lowest ES Adjustment is the ‘Min adj’ in the table, while the highest ES Adjustment is the ‘Max adj’, or the maximum value a player can get from the die roll: the same value of the ES.
A character with a score of 5 in ES Tamper wants to open a lock on a chest. The Action Resolution Check is against threshold (average, i.e. 9 – for further details see next paragraph) and the result of the character’s check is the outcome of the score in Control (which is 7), of the score in Accuracy (which is 4) and the adjustment of the ES (the GM applies no other adjustments). The player rolls 1d8 (die corresponding to the score of 5 in Tamper) and gets 5. The result of the ARCT is 7+4+5=16: the character succeeds the ARCT (the result is higher than the threshold). In case the roll of the die is, for instance, 8, then a malus of -3 impacts the ARCT (the ES score is 5 and the difference with the roll is -3). In this case the result of the ARCT is 7+4-3=8: the outcome is below the threshold, hence the check is failed.
The second type of adjustment within the formula of the ARC is any bonus/malus deriving from external factors; the GM adds modifiers that represent the context in which the check is carried out based on an evaluation of the full picture. For further details see Bonus and malus application.
V.8. Action resolution checks
Once it is clear how to calculate an ARC, the result can be used in 2 ways.
In-game actions require a check which is resolved against either a threshold, called ARCT (Action Resolution Check ‘Threshold’) or an opposed check (done by another character), called ARCO (Action Resolution Check ‘Opposed’).
An ARCT has to be compared against a fixed value, a threshold:
Value of ARCT < > Threshold
Otherwise for an ARCO, the value is against the result of a check of another character who is countering the action. In this case, the second character has to perform a check and compare his result with the first one:
Subject 1 value of ARCO < > Subject 2 value of ARCO
The success in the action is granted if the result is higher than either the threshold or the opposite check. For tie or lower result, the check is failed.
The thresholds are fixed values, each of them corresponds to the level of complexity of the action performed. The GM defines for every check the level of complexity and the subsequent threshold:
V.9. Bonus and malus application
Any check could be carried out in ‘standard’ conditions (i.e. a situation which has no peculiar features), however the GM can apply additional modifiers in cases with deviations from the ‘standard’ circumstances.
When an ARC is required, the GM evaluates any element that may affect the situation; the sum of all these elements (playing either a positive or a negative factor) is the factor called ‘Other adjustments’ in the ARC.
The modifier of ‘Other adjustments’ is a value either positive or negative resulting by three main drivers: advantages/disadvantages of the situation (see below), difference in size (see Melee attacks), other specific rules (like the malus for an inadequate armor – see ES description).
The calculation of the ‘advantages/ disadvantages’ modifier is the result of a +1 per single advantage and of a -1 per single disadvantage.
A PC is at the top of a staircase and the opponent is on the stairs below; this situation grants a +1 modifier against the opponent. If, on top of that, the PC is exalted (+1) and is under the effects of a spell that enhances his capabilities (+1), the overall bonus increases to +3. In case the opponent is on his knees because he lost his balance in the previous turn, then a malus of -1 is counted on any ARCO on his side.
In case the GM is in front of a situation of a huge advantage of the character, he may consider a +2 instead of +1 (the same for a huge disadvantage). The application of a double value for a single advantage, however, should be considered exceptional.
Non exhaustive list of possible advantages:
the character is fighting in a higher position than the opponent;
the character is affected by a spell which grants a bonus of +1;
the character is exalted (and ideally the action in line with his Path).
Non exhaustive list of possible disadvantages:
the character is on the ground, prone or supine in combat;
the character is in a state which provides a malus (e.g. panicked);
the character wears an armor with a low score in ES Trained in Armor.