Post-magic-maid rules

This version uploaded on April 27, 2016.

These rules originally distilled from "Rivet," by Viral games. They have been significantly amended in the effort to adapt them to a different setting than was provided the original.

This game uses d6, d8, d12, d20, and a standard poker deck with jokers (54 cards).

#### Basic check system:

Each character has six attributes:

Int
Str
Dex
Cha
Wll
Lck

The player assigns two of these attributes to be rolled with d6, two to be rolled with d8, one to be rolled with d12, and one to be rolled with d20.

Whenever a character makes a check, the GM decides which two attributes are relevant, the player rolls the two relevant dice, and adds the rolls together. This is the base check value.

There are four difficulty tiers: 10, 15, 20, and 25. Roll equal or higher than the number, and you succeed in that tier. (No, silly, tiers don't stack; you hit in only one tier.)

Don't forget, the GM always has the right to ignore, change, or add to any rules pertaining to any mechanic.


#### Character Creation

Assign two attributes to roll with d6, two to roll with d8, one to roll with d12, and one to roll with d20. You cannot later reassign which attribute is rolled with which die. (However, your dice can be improved over the course of advancement; see the Advancement section.)

Choose two of your attributes; they must be different attributes. These attributes will receive a +1 bonus whenever they are rolled.
Then, choose one of your attributes. It may not be one of your attributes rolled with a d6, but it otherwise may be one of the attributes you chose previously to receive a +1 bonus. This attribute will receive a +1 bonus whenever it is rolled, potentially in addition to an earlier +1 bonus. At this point, your character will have either +1 in three different attributes, or +1 in one attribute and +2 in another attribute.

Choose two ability bonuses. Ability bonuses take three forms: the single-ability bonus, the double-ability bonus, and the passive ability bonus, as described below. These two ability bonuses may be of the same type, or two different types. These two bonuses, chosen during character creation, may not be applied to the same ability.

# Single-ability bonus

Single-ability bonuses are applied to any one action that a character can be expected to roll dice for. Examples include fighting with a particular weapon, painting a picture, arguing law, fishing, refining a poison, cutting down a tree, or running quickly. There is no difference in the set of skills to which single- and double-ability bonuses are applied: any skill that receives a single-ability bonus may also, at a later time, receive a double-ability bonus.

Up to three single-ability bonuses can be applied to one ability. The first single-ability bonus an ability receives awards a +5 bonus when using that ability. The second single-ability bonus awards an additional +3 bonus when using that ability (for +8 total). The third single-ability bonus awards an additional +1 bonus for using that ability (for +9 total). No more than three single-ability bonuses can be applied to any one ability.

# Double-ability bonus

Double-ability bonuses are applied to two actions that a character can be expected to roll dice for. Examples include riding a particular mount, sculpture, picking pockets, weaving, mixing drinks, hammering nails, or swimming long distances. There is no difference in the set of skills to which double- and single-ability bonuses are applied: any skill that receives a double-ability bonus may also, at a later time, receive a single-ability bonus.

A double-ability bonus awards a +2 bonus to two different abilities; one double-ability bonus may never be used to award two +2 bonuses to the same ability. An ability may receive +2 from a double-ability bonus no more than two times (for +4 total).

# Note:
Given the limit of three single-ability bonuses and two double-ability bonuses per ability, any one ability may receive at most five total bonuses: three single-ability bonuses (+9 total) and two double-ability bonuses (+4 total), for a total of +13. As described below, abilities acquired through passive ability bonuses do not receive single- or double-ability bonuses, but are advanced by acquiring additional passive ability bonuses.

# Passive ability bonus

A passive ability bonus is applied to abilities a character has that do not provide a direct bonus to die rolls. For instance, a character may have of having strong social connections in a particular area, or having natural damage reduction, or the ability to walk on water. Abilities gained through passive ability bonuses may necessitate additional die rolls at the GM's discretion (for instance, having to roll to activate damage reduction), but they do not provide bonuses to die rolls. An ability acquired through a passive ability bonus may not also receive single- or double-ability bonuses: such abilities are instead strengthened by receiving additional passive ability bonuses.

Remember, no ability may receive more than one bonus at character creation. For instance, Two single-ability bonuses cannot be applied to the same ability, and a double-ability bonus cannot be applied to an ability that also receives a single-ability bonus.


#### Advancement

Level-ups will be awarded at the GM's discretion.

Each time your character levels up, you may advance your character in one and only one of the following ways:

1) Advance an ability in one of the following ways:
* Apply a single-ability bonus to one ability. This may be a new ability.
* Apply a double-ability bonus to two abilities. One or both of these abilities may be new.
* Gain a new passive ability bonus or strengthen an existing passive ability bonus.

2) Advance an attribute specialization.

3) Advance a die using a die advancement point. These are gained by advancing other abilities or attribute specializations, as described below.

## Ability advancement

A player may level a character up by applying single- or double-ability bonuses to the character's abilities, as described in the Character Creation section. At this point, a player may choose to apply a single-ability bonus to an ability that has not yet received any bonuses, essentially gaining a new ability. Similarly, a player may choose to apply either of the two +2 bonuses awarded by a double-ability bonus an ability that has not yet received any bonus. Additionally, a player may choose to gain a new passive ability bonus, or strengthen an existing one along a GM-approved progression. Remember, a passive ability bonus may not receive single- or double-ability bonuses: an ability acquired through a passive ability bonuses is strengthened by applying additional passive ability bonuses.

## Attribute specialization advancement

A player may level a character up by advancing that character's specialization in a particular attribute. If the player chooses to level a character up in this way, then the character is given a +1 bonus to any roll made with that attribute. Attribute specializations are cumulative; if character's specialization in a given attribute is advanced twice, then any roll made with it is given +2. No attribute specialization may be advanced more than three times.

During character creation, your character received in total three +1 bonuses to attributes. These bonuses do not count towards attribute specialization advancement, and any attributes with bonuses from character creation may still be advanced three times. This means that a character may have at most a +5 bonus to rolls made with a particular attribute: that attribute received +2 during character creation, and three attribute specialization advancements over the course of levelling up.

## Die advancement

If a character has earned a die advancement point (see below), that character's player may level the character up by spending that die advancement point to increase the size of a die the character uses when rolling a specific attribute. When a die is increased using a die advancement point, it increases according to the following track: d6 -> d8 -> d12 -> d20 -> d32, etc. Of all the character's attributes, only attributes that are rolled with the smallest kind of die can be increased by spending a die advancement point. Before a character has spent any die advancement points, this means that only attributes rolled with a d6 can be advanced; if both of the attributes that are rolled with a d6 are advanced, then any of the four attributes that are rolled using a d8 (but only those four attributes) can be advanced; the next time the player spends a die advancement point, any of the remaining three attributes that are rolled with a d8 (but only those three attributes) can be advanced; and so on.
Remember, spending a die advancement point to advancing a die is a level-up action; if a player advances a die during a level-up, that player may not additionally gain any bonuses.

#Acquiring die advancement points

Die advancement points are acquired by repeatedly applying ability bonuses to the same ability, or by repeatedly advancing the same attribute specialization. Every ability to which three bonuses (whether a mix of single- and double-ability bonuses or multiple passive ability bonuses) have been applied, as well as every attribute specialization that has been advanced three times, awards a character one die advancement point. If a character has at least one die advancement point, the player may level the character up by spending one die advancement point to increase the die used to roll one of the character's attributes, as described above.

Bonuses acquired at character creation do not count towards the three-bonus requirement for earning a die advancement point. For example, if a player applied a +5 bonus to swordfighting at character creation, the player must then, in the course of levelling up, apply two additional single-ability bonuses and a +2 from a double-ability bonus, or two +2 bonuses from a double-ability bonus and one additional single-ability bonus to swordfighting in order to earn a die advancement point from that ability. (Because that ability was already the target of a single-ability bonus at character creation, it is not possible to apply more than two additional single-ability bonuses.) Abilities acquired through passive ability bonuses function similarly: abilities acquired as passive ability bonuses at character creation must still be advanced three times (by applying additional passive ability bonuses to that ability) before the character earns a die advancement point from that ability. If an ability is acquired after character creation (through either single-, double-, or passive ability bonuses), then acquiring that ability counts as the first of three bonuses for that ability. For example, if a character does not have any bonuses to swordfighting after character creation, and then applies three single-ability bonuses to swordfighting over the course of levelling up, the character will

Similarly, attributes bonuses from character creation do not count towards die advancement points: their attribute specialization must be advanced three times over the course of levelling up in order for a character to earn a die advancement point from that attribute specialization. Accordingly, if an attribute has +1 from character creation, its specialization must then be advanced three times (for a total +4 bonus on that attribute) before a character has earned a die advancement point from advancing that attribute specialization.

#### Magic

Let's say you can do magic. If you can, then you can roll a d6 whenever taking an attack of defense action. The results of such a roll are as follows:

1: +- 1 wound
2-5: + to roll
6: nothing

#### Blitz Points:

Each character begins with three Blitz Points. Every round at the start of their turn, before they have rolled anything, they may declare that they're burning a blitz point. When they do, they draw seven cards.

If you draw an Ace, then your first roll this round is an automatic 25. If you drew more than one ace, you get to use the first one, and you can give the others away.

If you draw a Joker, then every character that goes after you this round, enemies included, gets an automatic 25 on their first roll.

Each face card you draw gives you a bonus d8 to be used this round. All cards drawn when using a Blitz Point must be returned to the deck and the deck shuffled before any player uses another Blitz Point.

Any time a player rolls the highest value on both dice during a check, that player's character gains a Blitz Point.


#### Initiative / Actions

When you do something, and no one is prepared to stop you (for example, aiming a ready crossbow at you or waving a knife in your face), you act, and then draw a card. Then, everyone else who will participate in the ensuing action draws a card. Highest cards go first (aces high).

If you draw a Joker, you decide who goes first, and who goes last. If both Jokers are drawn, the last Joker drawn gets to choose.

This order is persistent for the length of the encounter.
After turn order is determined, the cards are returned to the deck, and it is shuffled.

On your turn, you can take an action. If you try to take more than one action, every action including the first incurs a -5 penalty to the result. This penalty is cumulative: your second action is at -10, your third at -15, etc.

An action may be assisted. If an action is assisted, then the assisting roll much exceed the action's roll by two success tiers in order to boost your action by one success tier. Every additional success tier in the assisting roll is an additional success tier in the original roll.
Examples: a result of 10 assisted by a result of 20 counts as a 15-tier result for the action. A result of 10 assisted by a result of 25 counts as a 20-tier result for the action.

# Contested actions

When two actors are competing simultaneously for opposing goals, it doesn't always make sense for them to take turns trading blows. For example, if two characters are both holding onto an item and struggling to wrest it from the other's grasp, both characters act simultaneously, and one action will prevail over the other. When the GM decides that such a situation has arisen, both characters make a roll and compare the result of their rolls against each other.

The result of the roll is determined by the difference between the number of success tiers that each respective roll achieves. For instance, if one side has a success in the 20 tier and the other side has a success in the 10 tier, the side with a result of 20 is considered to have a second-tier (15-tier) success. Remember, any roll less than 10 is considered a tier-0 success.

#### Wounds / Healing

# Wounds

A character has a two wound tracks, "blunt" and "rending." Each track has with four tiers, corresponding to the four difficulty tiers:

Blunt:
slight (10): 4 wounds
moderate (15): 3 wounds
heavy (20): 3 wounds
unconscious (25): 1 wound

Rending:
slight (10): 3 wounds
moderate (15): 2 wounds
heavy (20): 1 wound
mortal (25): 1 wound

If someone makes an attack against you, you take a wound in the same tier as their attack roll. If you receive a wound in a tier you're maxed out on, you take a wound in the next-highest tier.

When you take the "unconscious" wound in the "blunt" track, your lights are knocked out, and you are at the mercy of your assailant.

When you take a "heavy" wound in the "rending" track, then you must get it healed or you will die in ~8 hours.

When you take the "mortal" wound in the "rending" track, you must receive immediate medical care or die shortly thereafter (~1 minute).

# Healing

One "slight" wound on either track, or one "moderate" wound on the "blunt" track is healed automatically every hour a wounded character rests.

Other wounds are healed by taking an action to roll Int & Dex in an effort to heal a wounded target.

A success in the 15 tier removes one "moderate" wound from the "rending" track.

A success in the 20 tier removes one "heavy" wound from the "rending" or "blunt" track. Remember, a "heavy" wound on the "rending" track must be treated within ~8 hours, or the wounded character will die.

A success in the 25 tier removes one "unconscious" wound from the "blunt" track, thereby restoring the character's consciousness; or one "mortal" wound from the "rending" track. Remember, a "mortal" wound on the "rending" track must be treated within ~1 minute, or the wounded character will die.