Bretwalda Ruleset/ Char Sheet

Ælfstan son of Osric (17)
The Young Warrior
Glory: 1 of 4
Shame: 0 of 0
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Attributes
Strength: 16+2 ->18 [+3]
Constitution: 15 [+2]
Dexterity: 13 [+1]
Intelligence: 9 [+0]
Wisdom: 10 [+0]
Charisma: 12 [+0]
Golden child, increase a Stat score by 2 [STR chosen]
HP = 8 + [CON] = 23
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Skills
Connect: 0
Toil: 0
Battle-Craft: 0
Lead: 0
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Inventory
-Three days of dried meat
-Leather sack
-Seax
-Sword
-Woolen Blanket
-Waterskin [gal]
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HOW SKILLS AND ROLLS WORK
To use a skill successfully, you must roll 2d6, add your skill level, and add the ability modifier that is most relevant. If you have not even level 0 in a skill, take a -1 penalty

If the total is greater than or equal to the difficulty of the check, you succeed. If less, either you fail outright, or you succeed in a way that does not help you, or are cheated of success by cruel wyrd.

Some skills have a double purpose, such that they might both be fitting for a particular end. while drawing a bow to slay a leaping deer might be both Shoot and Hunt. In such matters, your hero may use whichever skills seem best, as the QM thinks proper. If the skill seems close but not quite right, apply a -1 penalty to the skill check.

Skill List

Connect: To find friends in far places, to know who is master in a place, and to know who to seek when a certain thing is desired.
Craft: To build and repair all the things known to the English.
Exert: To swim, climb, run, lift, and exert your form mightily.
Gift: The English way of trading, gifting one thing for another, even if both know full well that it is a mercantile matter.
Heal: To cure the sick and mend a battle-bloodied ally. Great marvels of healing can be accomplished through a saint's prayers, but oftentimes only mortal help can be found for a friend.
Hunt: To take game with snare, arrow, and boar-spear, to know where it may be found, and to know the habits and manners of beasts.
Ken: To know what scholars know, such as the tongue of Rome and the history of men and all those things which are found in books.
Lead: To make men brave for war and obedient to kingly commands. One who can lead will get others to follow even when they fear it.
Notice: To see what is subtle and sense what is hidden, either in men's speech or in the deep weald's boughs.
Perform: To sing as the scop does and know the old stories, that you might give men courage and wisdom by your words.
Pray: Like the saints do in their holiness, knowing of God and of the Church and how both are to be served.
Reeve: Managing land and ceorls and thralls alike, seeing that work is done and the rent-feorm is gathered, and knowing much of the tricks of the low and the greed of the great.
Ride: To sit well on a horse, keep hale one's mount, and cure its sicknesses and wounds.
Shoot: Whether hurled spear or strung bow, all things that fly through the air may use this skill to discern their success.
Smite: To strike a foe with a fist or foot alone, and to wrestle and fight without weapons. This skill is useful in sport but oft a swift death in true battle.
Sneak: To prowl unnoticed, hide things so they cannot be found, travel without leaving traces, and to neatly open the great iron locks that the wealthy have upon their cupboards and chests.
Battle-Craft: To strike with a spear or sword or other instrument of war, and also such weapons that are thrown in battle.
Talk: To speak sweetly and wisely to another so as to persuade them that what you say is true. It is no galdrcraft, to control a man's mind, but it may persuade him to agree with your measure of a matter.
Toil: To plow fields, tend herds, weave cloth, hew trees, build halls, and do all those other things that an English man or woman must do as common daily labors. Toil oft overlaps with Craft in matters of building or shaping.
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Saving Throws
Saving throws are rolls prompted solely by the QM, situations will arise in which the Hero must escape some manner of danger or misfortune, Saving throws fall under 3 categories.

Physical: Resisting poison, test of endurance, strength, etc
Mental: Test of willpower, and spirit
Evasion: Test of nimbleness, speed, and any situations in need of swiftness.

To make a saving throw, roll a d20. If the number is equal to or higher than the subject’s saving throw score, then the save is a success, and the woe is avoided or mitigated. If it is less, then the save is a failure, and the full force of the trouble befalls the victim. A roll of 1 is always a failure, and a roll of 20 is always a success, no matter what modifiers may be applied to the throw.

A hero’s saving throws are equal to 16, minus their character level, minus the best modifier of two attributes. For Physical saves, these are Strength and Constitution. Mental saves use Wisdom and Charisma, and Evasion saves use Intelligence and Dexterity.

16 - [level] - [attribute modifier] = DC

Thus, a 3rd-level character with a Wisdom of 6 and a Charisma of 14 has a Mental saving throw of 12; 16 minus his level of [3], minus his Charisma modifier of [1]. If by some chance a hero has attribute penalties in both scores, the penalty worsens their throw
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Talents

Each important character will have a talent, an uncanny ability to shoot, a way with words, a knack for wise counsel, an indomitable will, etc. Talents are given out through QM discretion only. And if a Talent has been given out, the character who received it may not receive another one till they have advanced at a minimum 1 level.

Elfstan’s Talents
Swift of Hand: When swords rise to battle, yours is first to find the foe. You always win Initiative, unless your foe has this gift too.
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Combat

Battle is a thing of death, a warrior should not raise his blade unless he is willing to die for doing so. Wyrd is fickle. A reckless man is destined for an early grave. Battle is a measured risk, not a common recourse to use whenever some trouble arises.

When swords are drawn and spears raised the matter of initiative is most important. The QM may choose to roll initiative for each side or by individuals among the party depending on the situation.  The initiative roll is determined as such.

1d8 +[Dex modifier] = Initiative

Higher values go first, ties are broken by the actual dexterity attribute, and if still tied, the order will be dictated by QM. The results carry on through each round, it is not re-rolled each round

Sometimes a side may be ambushed, with foes springing upon them unawares. Such a surprise may require competing Sneak or Notice skill checks or the QM might decide that the situation is so utterly astonishing that no forewarning is possible without special Talent that guards against surprise. The more wary the subjects, the harder it is to surprise them.

If a side is surprised, they lose their first round of actions, while their foes may act normally. In the second round, Initiative is rolled as normal
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In each round, each participant gets a turn to act based on the Initiative order. There are four kinds of actions a participant may take in battle.

Main Action: Anything that can be accomplished in six heartbeats [seconds]. To attack a foe, brace a door being broken through, bind an ally’s wounds, rummage for a stored item in a chest or travel sack

Move Action: It lets a participant move 30ft, half if they must climb, swim, or navigate dangerous terrain. They must spend all their desired movement at once, they cannot move, take a main action then move again. If a participant is locked in melee combat and wishes to move, they must take a main action to disengage or else suffer a free attack [instant action] by the enemy. If a participant wishes they may spend their main action to gain a second move action

On-Turn Action: A quick thing done requiring little thought or effort. Performable at any time during a participant's turn. Examples include speaking, falling prone, readying an item, dropping something, etc.

Instant Action: A special action so swift it can occur even when it’s not a participant’s turn. Commonly a product of a participant’s Talent but not always. An enemy disengaging from combat without a Main action, giving away a free attack is an example of an instant action. If more than one participant uses an Instant action at the same time, they happen simultaneously.