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## a game of martial mastery and high energy action

**Full Release 0.1d** ___ Lowered attack Reflex to 1 Removed some skills Reordere text {{skipCounting}} \page {{toc,wide # Contents - ### [{{ BASIC SUMMARY}}{{ 1}}](#p3) - #### [{{ WHAT DO I NEED TO PLAY?}}{{ 1}}](#p3) - #### [{{ PLAY NOTE}}{{ 1}}](#p3) - ### [{{ CHARACTER COMPONENTS}}{{ 2}}](#p4) - #### [{{ ATTRIBUTES}}{{ 2}}](#p4) - #### [{{ PRIMARY ATTRIBUTES}}{{ 2}}](#p4) - #### [{{ PHYSICAL}}{{ 2}}](#p4) - #### [{{ MENTAL}}{{ 2}}](#p4) - #### [{{ DERIVED ATTRIBUTES}}{{ 2}}](#p4) - #### [{{ ENERGY}}{{ 2}}](#p4) - #### [{{ SKILLS}}{{ 3}}](#p5) - #### [{{ SKILL LIST}}{{ 3}}](#p5) - ### [{{ ITEMS}}{{ 4}}](#p6) - #### [{{ Miscellaneous}}{{ 4}}](#p6) - #### [{{ Encumbrance}}{{ 4}}](#p6) - #### [{{ Armour}}{{ 4}}](#p6) - #### [{{ Weapons}}{{ 4}}](#p6) - ### [{{ ACTION RESOLUTION}}{{ 5}}](#p7) - #### [{{ Skill Checks}}{{ 5}}](#p7) - #### [{{ Wild Action}}{{ 5}}](#p7) - #### [{{ Kiai}}{{ 5}}](#p7) - #### [{{ Enhancement Value}}{{ 5}}](#p7) - #### [{{ Passive Success}}{{ 5}}](#p7) - #### [{{ Critical and Fumble}}{{ 5}}](#p7) - #### [{{ Target Numbers}}{{ 5}}](#p7) - #### [{{ Extended Checks}}{{ 5}}](#p7) - #### [{{ Success Thresholds}}{{ 5}}](#p7) - ### [{{ COMBAT}}{{ 6}}](#p8) - #### [{{ Rounds}}{{ 6}}](#p8) - #### [{{ Phases}}{{ 6}}](#p8) - #### [{{ Facing}}{{ 6}}](#p8) - #### [{{ Enhancement Value}}{{ 6}}](#p8) - #### [{{ Kiai}}{{ 6}}](#p8) - #### [{{ Relaxing}}{{ 6}}](#p8) - #### [{{ Actions and Reactions}}{{ 6}}](#p8) - #### [{{ Active Character}}{{ 6}}](#p8) - #### [{{ Resolution Order}}{{ 6}}](#p8) - #### [{{ Action Declaration}}{{ 6}}](#p8) - #### [{{ Excess Cost}}{{ 6}}](#p8) - #### [{{ End Of Round}}{{ 6}}](#p8) - #### [{{ Movement}}{{ 7}}](#p9) - #### [{{ Attack}}{{ 7}}](#p9) - #### [{{ Attack Resolution}}{{ 7}}](#p9) - #### [{{ Defense Resolution}}{{ 7}}](#p9) - #### [{{ Damage}}{{ 8}}](#p10) - #### [{{ Action Linking}}{{ 8}}](#p10) - #### [{{ Health Thresholds}}{{ 8}}](#p10) - #### [{{ Saving Grace}}{{ 8}}](#p10) - ### [{{ ENERGY USAGE}}{{ 9}}](#p11) - #### [{{ Sparks}}{{ 9}}](#p11) - #### [{{ EV Boosting}}{{ 9}}](#p11) - #### [{{ Energy Skills}}{{ 9}}](#p11) - #### [{{ ShinKi}}{{ 9}}](#p11) - ### [{{ REIKI (Spirit Energy)}}{{ 10}}](#p12) - #### [{{ Using Reiki}}{{ 10}}](#p12) - #### [{{ Losing Reiki}}{{ 10}}](#p12) - #### [{{ Special Techniques}}{{ 10}}](#p12) - ### [{{ GM TIPS}}{{ 11}}](#p13) - #### [{{ Character Progression}}{{ 11}}](#p13) - #### [{{ Sparks}}{{ 11}}](#p13) - #### [{{ Play Tier}}{{ 11}}](#p13) - #### [{{ New Skills}}{{ 11}}](#p13) - #### [{{ Descriptions}}{{ 11}}](#p13) - #### [{{ Magic Items}}{{ 11}}](#p13) - #### [{{ Creating NPCs}}{{ 11}}](#p13) - #### [{{ Group Combat}}{{ 11}}](#p13) - #### [{{ MONSTERS AND SPIRITS}}{{ 12}}](#p14) - #### [{{ Sparks}}{{ 12}}](#p14) - #### [{{ Spirit Skills}}{{ 12}}](#p14) - #### [{{ EXAMPLE MONSTER}}{{ 12}}](#p14) - #### [{{ SPECIAL ATTACKS}}{{ 13}}](#p15) - #### [{{ Iterative Attacks}}{{ 13}}](#p15) - #### [{{ TRANSFORMATIONS}}{{ 13}}](#p15) - #### [{{ MAGIC}}{{ 13}}](#p15) }} {{skipCounting}} \page

## BASIC SUMMARY **Weapons of Body and Soul (WBS)** is a game with moment based martial arts combat. It is designed to represent Shonen and Xianxia type stories involving body and spiritual enhancement as well as learning various techniques to enhance your capabilities beyond human limits. A standard adventure could involve you travelling from place to place like a Ronin and helping people as you go in exchange for goods and/or services. You could instead have it all take place in a central Hub location with your characters being sent out on missions. Perhaps even having the adventure come to you. This was inspired by various Shonen stories as well as WireFu style stories like Journey to the West. The mechanics of **WBS** are designed to act as a framework that can be easily modified depending on if you want a more realistic setting with slow recovery and gritty fights or a power fantasy game with frequently strong characters. Changing these aspects can be done relatively easily by just tweaking a few numbers. **WBS** is primarily a combat focused Roleplaying Game designed for players with an intermediate level of experience. If you have not had much experience with RPGs you may have difficulty understanding some mechanics in this game. If you have played other RPGs, you will likely find this to be different from what you normally expect. The focus of the game is on being a Martial Artist in a land of mythology, where demons and beasts roam and humans can manifest the energy of their spirit to defend themselves and to achieve great physical prowess. While the primary focus of the game is on combat, the end goal is not about gaining loot. It is about mastering your skills and learning to overcome challenges, becoming greater than you were and achieving your goals. Even in the genre, combat isn’t necessary for all characters to excel at. It is recommended for all characters to be able to defend themself but you can also provide support as a Sage type with knowledge in different fields, a Shaman who manifests their energy into healing magic and wards to stop Spirits, or even a crafter that keeps the equipment in shape and makes various potions and poultices. ### WHAT DO I NEED TO PLAY? To play WBS, you need a few things: - This rule book - A character sheet to keep track of your character - A number of dice ranging from D4-D12. It is recommended to have 10 of each size for the group. Having a Hex map (or octagonal) and miniatures will also assist in playing the game. ``` WHATS MISSING The current release of WBS you are reading is unbalanced and incomplete. I have done my best to keep things balanced and it is playable as is but playtesting will show what I may have missed. Magic Mechanics and Natural Recovery need to be added ```
## setting and adventure focus In WBS, the typical setting is based around fantasy Asia in an older time period. This means smaller villages, infrequent shopping hubs, travellers usually carrying the minimum necessities, and bandits walking the woods. Spirits, Demons, and Magic or usually known about even if the stories are not accurate. Adventures can vary from working out of a central hub and taking on missions assigned to he players, the player characters simply travelling arounnd on their own goals, or even a campaign long escort quest leading you to new locations every session. It is encouraged for GMs to customise the setting to their liking deciding on frequency of supernatural elements, laws and social etiquette, what kind of healing and recovery is available, or even changing the time period to a more modern setting by adding skills. ## character beats and stories When making a character, remember that they are more than just a set of skills and mechanics. You can make your character stand out more and feel unique by coming up with personality traits, quirks, flaws, and items they like to carry. Remember too that this system expects you to be descriptive in your character actions. A weapon listed as "Short Piercing Melee" could be a dagger but it could also be a thorned baton, a razor wire, or even extendable claws. Similarly attack can be differentiated by being descriptive, even making a change such as describing a "Strong Closed Fist" attack as a series of punches instead of one strong punch can go a long way to getting a feel for a character and their motivations and training. It also helps to have an idea of yor character's motivation on why they adventure, why they train, and any long and short term goals they may have. Talk with other players and the GM if you need inspiration, help the story along.

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# **CHARACTER COMPONENTS** ___ A Character is made up of multiple mechanical components as well as descriptive flavourful ones. These mechanics include Attributes, Skills, Items and Techniques. Most of these are improved by spending XP. A suggested XP value for a new character is 150 XP. ## **ATTRIBUTES** ___ Attributes are divided into Primary and Derived Attributes. Primary are your Core Stats and Derived are secondary functions that are mostly passive benefits. ## PRIMARY ATTRIBUTES ___ Primary Attributes are divided into Physical and Mental Attributes. Their value starts at 1. ___ The XP Cost to increase a Primary Attribute is the new value +1.

## PHYSICAL Physical Attributes represent what your character can do with their body. They are also added together to determine your total **GenKi**. #### STRENGTH is used to determine Melee Damage, Encumbrance Capacity, and Health. It can also be used when performing Skill Checks that involve physical force. #### CONSTITUTION is used to determine Damage Reduction and Stamina. It can also be used when resisting effects that impact your fortitude, such as a poison and exposure to disease. #### DEXTERITY is used to determine success with an Attack as well as Speed and Reflexes. It can also be used when performing Skills that require precise movement and maneuverability. \column
## MENTAL Mental Attributes represent what your character can do with their mind, personality and willpower. They are also added together to determine your total **ReiKi**. #### SMARTS is used to determine Reflexes. It can also be used when making Skill Checks involved around knowledge, medicine, and science. #### CHARISMA is used to determine Stamina. It can also be used when expressing the force of your personality, such as when trying to manipulate others or motivate through leadership. #### WITS is used to determine Health and Defense. It can also be used when resisting effects that impact your mental state, such as hypnotism and fear.

## DERIVED ATTRIBUTES Derived Attributes are based on two connected Primary Attributes and add them as a bonus. Their value starts at 0 and may not be increased higher than the value of either connected Attribute. The XP Cost to increase a Derived Attribute is the new value.

#### HEALTH (Strength+Wits) is used to determine a threshold for how much Damage you can take and still fight. Further Damage can cause real injury. The bonus is Strength + Wits #### SPEED (Dexterity)/2 is used to determine how far you can move when performing a Walk or Dash action. If you have 0.5 movement, allow +1 Hex of movement for every second Dash Action you take. The bonus is half of Dexterity. #### REFLEX (Dexterity+Smarts)/2 is used to determine how many Actions you may take in a round and how frequently you act. You have Ticks equal to this score. The bonus is the average of Dexterity+Smarts (Round Down) #### STAMINA (Constitution+Charisma) is used as a resource you can spend for various bonuses. It is also used for long term labour and fighting. Listed on Page 6. The bonus is Constitution+Charisma. \column *EXAMPLE: Player A has Physical Attributes: Strength 3, Constitution 2, Dexterity 4 and Mental Attributes: Smarts 2, Charisma 4, Wits 3. This makes their Derived Attributes: Health 6, Speed 2, Reflex 3, Stamina 6. They can increase their Derived Attributes by up to 3, 2, 1, and 3 respectively. Note that Speed and Reflex use half of the Primary Attribute for the limit.* ## ENERGY Separate to Primary and Derived Attributes, each character has Energy. If a mechanic says to spend Energy, it may be spent from GenKi or Reiki. The use is explained later but their calculation is below. These are only increased through specific Skills, not directly from XP like other Derived Attributes. #### GENKI GenKi is a character's Physical Energy. It is primarily used when boosting your Physical Attributes. ___ Calculated as (Strength + Constitution + Dexterity) * 1. #### REIKI ReiKi is a character's Spiritual Energy. It is primarily used when performing performing Special Techniques. ___ Calculated as (Smarts + Charisma + Wits) * 6. ___ {{pageNumber,auto}} \page ## **SKILLS** Skills are split into Core Skills and Sub Skills. Core Skills are general categories of skills and Sub Skills are more specific uses. Sub Skills start at 0 and increasing Skills costs XP equal to the new value. Every 3 ranks in a group of Sub Skills gives 1 rank to the Core Skill. #### TIER LIMITS When building a character, your Attributes and Skill Ranks have a limit depending on the chosen Play Tier. The Tier is chosen by the GM depending on the kind of game they wish to run and how powerful they want characters to be. \column ### TIERS **EXPERIENCED** (TIER 1) This represents the average person in the real world. ATTRIBUTE LIMIT: 5 / RANK LIMIT: 3
**ADEPT** (TIER 2) This represents the naturally gifted and specialty skills. ATTRIBUTE LIMIT: 10 / RANK LIMIT: 6
**EPIC** (TIER 3) This represents those who go beyond human limits. ATTRIBUTE LIMIT: 20 / RANK LIMIT: 10
**MYTHIC** (TIER 4+) This represents near infinite growth beyond measure. ATTRIBUTE LIMIT + RANK LIMIT: INFINITE

## **skill list** Skills are divided further to help for categorisation. Combat Skills are typically only used during combat and have specific combinations with Skill Checks. Non Combat Skills are the skills you use outside of combat when attempting to overcome obstacles, solve puzzles, repair objects, and other tasks.

#### NON COMBAT SKILLS ##### PHYSICAL These represent your basic physical feats. Used when performing skills that require direct action. | CORE | SUB | |:-|:-| | ATHLETICS | Jump, Balance, Endurance | | STEALTH | Hide, Disguise, Misdirect | | AGILITY | Quiet, Tumble, Finesse | | PERCEPTION | Listen, Sight, Scent | | MARTIAL | Stances, Techniques, Tactics | ##### SPIRITUAL These represent your training in supernatural and spritual awareness. Used when dealing with discipline. | CORE | SUB | |:-|:-| | FOCUS |Meditation, Concentration, Awareness | | SUPERNATURAL |Spirits, Energy, Magic | ##### MENTAL These represent your studies in academic fields. Used when performing skills that require skilled knowledge. | CORE | SUB | |:-|:-| | STUDIES | Chemistry, Academics, Biology | | MATERIALS | Plants, Fabrics, Minerals | | CRAFTSMANSHIP | Armourer, Construction, Mechanics | ##### SOCIAL These represent your ability to talk and understand people. Used when talking and understanding is best. | CORE | SUB | |:-|:-| | CULTURE | Politics, Religion, Hierarchy | | APPROACH | Charm, Professional, Gossip | | DISCUSSION | Negotiation, Deception, Intimidation | | DEDUCTION | Etiquette, Insight, Appraisal| \column #### COMBAT SKILLS ##### WEAPONS These are chosen based on what you currently have equipped and how you wish to try to perform the action. | CORE | SUB | |:-|:-| | HAND | Fist, Palm, Claw | | LEG | Foot, Knee, Shin | | MELEE | Short, Medium, Long | | RANGED | Thrown, Assisted, Unassisted | ##### TACTICS These are combined with a Weapons Skill when performing a combat action. | CORE | SUB | |:-|:-| | STRIKES | Straight, Swift, Strong | | DEFENSES | Dodge, Block, Parry | *EXAMPLE: Player A wants to put a focus on social skills and knowledge. All the Sub Skills in Approach are increased to 3 for a total cost of 18 XP. This also gives Core Skill ranks of 3, giving a +6 bonus on any Social check using these Approaches. They also put a rank in each other Social Skill costing 9 more XP and giving each category +1 Core Skill Rank. With the 24 XP spent on Attributes, this brings the total to 51 XP leaving 99 XP to spend on other Skills and Derived Attributes.* {{pageNumber,auto}} \page # ITEMS ___ Characters have items, even if it is just clothing. Items are set into various categories. How much they have and what kinds is up to the GM, though players are expected to describe what items they have. ## Miscellaneous For most basic items, assume that characters have a list of objects that they carry in their day to day lives. Unless they are in a situation where resources are scarce or they may have lost items, assume that they have everything they need within reasonable limits. Miscellaneous items do not add to Encumbrance unless notably bulky. ## Encumbrance Encumbrance represents the total bulk of gear you are carrying and wearing. You have a safe capacity equal to your Strength. For every 2 points that your current Encumbrance is over your Base Strength, your Agility and Constitution are lowered by 1. Your Strength is lowered by 1 for every 3 points of total Encumbrance. These reductions also lowers your GenKi total. ## Armour Armour has three statistics: Damage Reduction, Soak, and Encumbrance. **Damage Reduction (DR)**: This is added to other Damage Reduction you have, such as your Constitution. Usually represents how much of your body is covered by the Armour and how much it interferes with an incoming attack. **Soak**: Reduces the value of Critical Effects from an incoming attack such as Penetration or Stagger. Usually represents the hardness of the Armour. **Encumbrance**: The total weight and bulk of your Armour, determined by DR and Soak. Armor has an Encumbrance of 1 for every 1 point of DR and 2 points of Soak. When worn instead of being carried around, the Encumbrance is halved. This may be modified by special or magical materials.
*EXAMPLE: Iron Plate Armour covers the whole body and is made of a durable material. It has a DR and Soak of 8. This gives a Total Encumbrance of 12 (8 from DR, 4 from Soak), lowering Strength by 4. When worn it has a Current Encumbrance of 6, though Strength is still lowered by 4 from the unmodified Encumbrannce. If you had a Base Strength (before reduction) of 4, Agility and Constitution would be lowered by 1 each. This gives a total Attribute reduction of -6, lowering your GenKi and Derived Attributes. If your base Strength was 3 or less, you would need to use a boost (such as an Enhancement Value) to move faster than a crawl.*
*EXAMPLE: A Sword is a Medium Slash Weapon. When used to attack, the Reflex Cost is increased by 1. It also increases the damage die by 1 size category (D6-D8), can hit 1 extra hex away, and adds 1 Penetrate die of the new modified size. It normally would have 1 Total Encumbrance, but it can be made into a very sharp sword by increasing the Encumbrance by 3 and adding 3 more Penetrate dice. Even carrying it around would give the modified sword an Encumbrance of 3, added to your armour.* \column ## Weapons Weapons modify the Reflex Cost and Damage Die of an attack, as well as adding one or more Critical Effect dice. The options for Weapon and Damage Type are listed below. ### MELEE | TYPE | DAMAGE | REFLEX | RANGE | |:-|:-|:-|:-| | SHORT | +0 Size | +0 Reflex | 0 | | MEDIUM | +1 Size | +1 Reflex | 0-1 | | LONG | +1 Size | +2 Reflex | 1-2 | ___ Range determines how many hexes away your attack can strike when resolving (Range 0 is an adacent Hex). ### RANGED | TYPE | DAMAGE | REFLEX | SPEED | |:-|:-|:-|:-| | THROWN | +1 Size | +0 Reflex | *2 | | ASSISTED | +1 Size | +2 Reflex | *5 | | UNASSIST | +2 Size | +2 Reflex | *10 | ___ Prokectile Speed is **15 + (Weapon Enc - Ammo Enc) x Modifier**. ### DAMAGE Weapons also choose a Damage Type, this determines the Critical Effect die and potentially alters the Damage Die. Slash and Bash have the same size Damage and Effect Die, Pierce and Crush lower the Damage Die and increase the Effect Die by 1. For Ranged Weapons the Damage type is instead applied to Ammunition. ___ | TYPE | CRITICAL | DAMAGE | EFFECT | |:-|:-|:-|:-| | SLASH | Penetrate | +0 | +0 | | PIERCE | Penetrate | -1 | +1 | | BASH | Stagger | +0 | +0 | | CRUSH | Stagge | -1 | +1 | ___ **ENCUMBRANCE** A weapon has an Encumbrance of 1. You may add additional Critical Die by increasing Encumbrance by the same amount. Weapons that are carried, not equipped, have a current Encumbrance 1 lower than normal. One stack of 6 Ammunition counts as a single weapon when determining Encumbrance.
*EXAMPLE: A Yumi Bow is an Assisted Ranged Weapon with a strengthened frame and has a Total Encumbrance of 3. It comes with a batch of 6 Pierce Arrows for an additional Encumbrance of 1, lowered to 0 when in a quiver. The Damage die is increased by the bow and decreased by the Pierce effect giving a final Penetrate die size of +2 (Pierce makes D6 become D4 Damage and D8 Penetrate. The Bow increases it again back up D6 and D10). The bow will hit with a Strength Modifier of 4 and the arrows move with a Speed of 25 **(15 + (3 - 1)x5)***
**WEAPON BREAKAGE** ___ When the Penetration value + total Damage of an attack is less than the Soak of the object struck, the weapon used takes one stage of damage. Ammunition is affected instead of the Weapon. **Cracked**: A cracked weapon drops another stage when compared to the Soak OR Damage Reduction of the target and is considered broken. **Broken**: A broken weapon no longer applies it’s Critical Effect Die to damage rolls. A broken weapon that drops another stage is Shattered. **Shattered**: A shattered weapon no longer functions. {{pageNumber,auto}} \page # ACTION RESOLUTION ## Skill Checks When making a Skill Check, you combine the ranks of two Sub Skills, the connected Core Skills, and an Attribute to give your Skill Modifier. The two Sub Skills must be from different Core Skills. This modifier is added to the roll of 1D6. The final result is compared to a Target Number (TN) and if you meet it you succeed. Rolling under the TN does not necessarily mean failure, it instead can cause you to take longer or potentially take injury. ## Wild Action Before rolling, you may choose to use Wild Action. When you do, you lower the Skill Modifier by 4 and add 1D6 to your roll. You may keep doing this until your remaining Modifier is 3 or less. Some TNs may only be possible when using Wild Action. ## Kiai Once per check, you may use a Kiai. This costs 1 Energy and adds 1D6 to the Skill Check. When used during combat, a Kiai increases the Reflex Cost of the action by 1. ## Enhancement Value If a Skill Check involves a Physical Attribute, you may choose to use an Enhancement Value. This is a value of 1 or 2 and costs Energy equal to the chosen bonus. This increases your Physical Attributes by the same value. When used out of combat this bonus lasts for 4 seconds and can be activated again every 4 seconds. If used in combat, you decide at the start of the round. ___ *NOTE: You may combine Wild Action, Kiai, and EV on the same Skill Check.* ## Passive Success If a character is making a Skill Check and their total modifier is equal to or higher than the TN, they can choose to skip rolling and instead succeed. This can speed up play for actions that would otherwise be bogged down by rolling constantly. ## Critical and Fumble If the face of a die is it's highest face value it is considered a Critical Die. A Critical die adds a bonus to the result. This can be as simple as making a task easier for others that follow, making it require fewer resources, or even finding something extra. In some circumstances it may also allow you to roll another die and add it to the final result. +X Critical Range expands the range of the Face Value needed. If a die has it's Critical Range increased enough to include 1 on the die, then it both Crits and Fumbles. ___ A Die the rolls a 1 instead Fumbles. A Fumble is removed from the roll and is not counted towards the total result. ___ ## Success Thresholds When making a Skill Check, if your result would get you high enough for a different Target Number you may have succeeded with extra benefits. Usually this would be simple things similar to Critical Effects such as being faster, using less resources, a bonus to a future check or even finding something that otherwise would not have been there. The GM decides if this has any benefit and how much higher you must roll. \column *EXAMPLE: Player A has come across a tree blocking the entrance to a shrine. This could be resolved with Strength but the tree is tangled with rocks and grass, potentially knocking other things down if things go wrong. The GM decides this is a Puzzling difficulty for an Experienced character, giving a TN 20. Player A and the GM agree to use Endurance (2) combined with his knowledge of Plants (1) and Strength to forcefully remove key points while holding the tree steaady. This gives a modifier of 6, even with 1D6 rolling a 6 it would not be enough. Player A chooses to use Enhancement for a 2 point bonus and a Kiai making the check 2D6+8 costing 3 Energy. By spending 1 point of Stamina to use All In they can maximise the dice giving a total of 20 allowing them to succeed quickly with some exertion.* ## Extended Checks Extended Skill Checks use the Skill Clock system. A Skill Clock consists of a number of segments. Every Skill Check takes up an amount of time and is made against a spread of Target Numbers. How long you want the task to take and how many segments are filled on a successful check can change.
*EXAMPLE: A PC wants to craft a new blade. The GM decides the fastest part is smelting the metal and makes that 1 Segment. Forging the Blade takes 2 segments and The Handle crafting is 3 segments. It is also decided that each Segment takes 2 hours of time. The difficulty is determined by the material used and how basic the item is, in this case it's a basic Iron sword so the GM sets the difficulty to Experienced Tier Easy Difficulty.* **Sword Smithing** Segments Required - 6 Time Taken - 2 Hours 15+ = 2 Segments 10-14 = 1 Segment 5-9 = 0 Segments <5 = -1 Segment Rolling 15+ on each check would still make it take at least 6 hours. *Alternatively, you can break the segments down into chunks to treat separately. Using the previous example: Instead of needing 6 total Segments, you need 3 Segments to Forge the Blade and 2 Segments to Forge the Handle with 1 final Segment to combine them. Each of these are treated separately and could require different Sub Skill combos, even with people working on the Blade and Handle at the same time. Of course, a fancier blade with more Critical Die or made from Special Materials should take longer or have a higher TN for the PC to achieve.* ## Target Numbers The listed Target Numbers are for Tier appropriate challenges of various difficulties. Adept Tier challenges should be restricted to what you would expect an expert in their field to come across. Even if Players are playing in Adept or Elite Tier, a challenge of a lower Tier does not increase in Difficulty (An Experienced Tier challenge is always an Experienced Tier challenge). | DIFFICULTY | Experienced | Adept | Elite | |:-----------|:-----------:|:-----:|:-----:| | Trivial | 05 | 17 | 35 | | Easy | 10 | 24 | 45 | | Average | 15 | 31 | 55 | | Puzzling | 20 | 38 | 65 | | Complex | 25 | 45 | 75 | {{pageNumber,auto}} \page ### STAMINA ## spending stamina Stamina can be spent to activate temporary bonuses. • **LAST GASP** - When your received Damage has exceeded your Health and you are not yet unconscious, you may spend Stamina at the start of a round to act for the round. This is spent each round that you choose to be active. • **STRAIN** - You lower the Reflex Cost of an Action by 1. This is spent when declaring the Action even if it would be interrupted. • **ALL IN** - When making a Skill Check or Damage Roll, maximise the result of up to 2 dice. These dice do not Explode. This is spent when resolving an Action and may be used multiple times on the same check. • **ENERGY RECOVER** - You may take a Recover Action (Reflex Cost 1) to recover your Genki pool. You recover 10% of your Total Genki with a minimum of 1. This is spent when the Action resolves. ## losing stamina Stamina can be lost without gaining a benefit. If you reach 0 Stamina, you are unconscious until some is recovered. • **FATIGUE** - When you are performing physical feats for a long time you begin to lose Stamina. This includes Heavy labour lasting more than an hour or Marching for multiple hours. • **EXHAUSTION** - You naturally lose Stamina during a fight. At the end of every third round of combat (12 seconds) you lose 1 point of Stamina. • **STAGGER** - Some attacks can cause Stagger. This causes you to lose 2 Stamina when the attack is succesful. ## recovering stamina Stamina is recovered by resting. This is usually 1 point of Stamina for every 10 minutes of resting. This can be adjusted based on whether or not you have sufficient food, your level of accommodation, or even things like the weather and the terrain you are in. Being outside in a desert is harder to rest in than a comfortable bed inside a hut. Stamina may also be recovered faster with magical items, special foods, or character relevant ways the GM may deem appropriate. Though alternate means of recovery should be limited in frequency and use.
These uses of Stamina and ways to lose it are not an exclusive list. If the GM and players can find creative uses of Stamina as a resource then it will help make the game your own. {{pageNumber,auto}} \page # COMBAT {{wide Combat in WBS is tactical and crunchy. It is heavily recommended to use a Hex grid (or Octagonal) to keep track of locations of characters, obstacles, and projectiles. Each Hex represents 1 meter of space. }} ## Rounds A round of combat takes place over a period of 4 seconds. A round is split into a series of Phases and Ticks. ## Phases A Round in combat consists of four Phases, one per second. Reflexes are divided across the four phases following this pattern: Phase 2 -> Phase 4 -> Phase 1 ->Phase 3->Phase 2... and so on for each Reflex you have. Any part in a phase where a character has a Reflex point is referred to as a Tick. Phases then resolve going from left to right, Phase 1 to Phase 4. ___ A single Phase can have multiple Ticks as long as they are divided according to the pattern. (i.e. Player A has 3 Reflexes, this means that Player A has a Tick to use during Phase 1, 2 and 4. Player B has 5 Reflexes and thus have two Ticks on Phase 2 and one Tick on Phase 1, 3 and 4)". ___ At higher tiers, the amount of Phases in a Round is increased. Adept has 8 and Elite has 12. Fill them in following 1A -> 1B -> 1C -> 2A etc. ___ A Round is always 4 seconds no matter how many Phases there are in the round. ___ | | | | | | |:-:|:-|:-|:-|:-| | REFLEX ORDER|3|1|4|2| | PHASE ORDER |**1**|**2**|**3**|**4**| ## Facing During a round, a character has a Facing. This is made of a 180 degree arc, 3 joined hexes used mostly for Attacks. A character that is attacked from behind is unable to use Active Defense. ## Enhancement Value At the start of the round, each character decides if they are using an Enhancement Value (EV). This value is used until the start of the next round and increases the Upkeep Cost by this amount. ## Kiai During any Action that involves a die roll, you may perform a Kiai to roll an additional 1D6. This increases the Reflex Cost by 1. Kiai may also be used to improve an Active Defense. During Upkeep you pay 1 additional Energy for each Kiai die you used during the round. Kiai may be used once per action. ## Relaxing At the start of the round, a character may instead choose to Relax. This lowers their Physical Attributes by 2 for the Round and reduces the Upkeep Cost by 1. ## Actions and Reactions Characters can perform both Actions and Reactions. Actions must wait until you are Active to resolve. Reactions resolve immediately and delay being Active by the Reflex Cost. \column ## Active Character The character that has the most remaining Ticks in a Phase is considered the Active Character. When a character is Active, they resolve their previous action (if any) and then declare their next action. Multiple characters can be active on the same Tick. ## Resolution Order If there are multiple Active Characters then their Actions resolve depending on the type of Action.
**Quick** - Any Action made Quick, usually by reducing the Reflex Cost to 0 or after performing half of a Move You may only Resolve one Quick action early, another declared action resolves normal.
**Movement** – Any character that is resolving their movement.
**Attacks** – Any character that is resolving their attack.
**Other** - The GM will need to adjudicate other actions.
After Actions have Resolved, the Active Character(s) then declare their next Action in the order that they resolved. ## Action Declaration Each Action has a Reflex cost. When declaring an Action, a number of your Ticks equal to this cost must pass before your action resolves. After declaring an action you choose a Facing. ## Excess Cost Be careful when declaring actions that have a higher Reflex Cost than you have Ticks remaining. Actions use Ticks in the next round to count the resolve and you are unable to use Active Defense yourself until you become the Active character. ## End Of Round At the end of each Round, characters take a brief pause to readjust themself for the next flurry of action. After the last Tick has passed, any actions with 1 Tick left resolves (usually actions with a Reflex Cost of 1). Every character pays an Upkeep cost with Energy (Genki or Reiki). The base Upkeep Cost is always 1. This is increased by 1 for every Kiai die used in the round, and by the EV if any was used. If a character Relaxed, the Upkeep Cost is reduced by 1. If a character only performed 1 Major Action per Tier it is also reduced by 1. These can reduce EV and Kiai costs. ## Movement Your Speed Attribute determines how far you can move in combat. If you are using EV, Speed increases by half of the value. The following list of Actions are how you move. ___ **WALK** (Reflex 0/Quick) - Move up to half of your Speed ___ **RUN** (Reflex 1) - Move up to your Speed ___ **SPRINT** (Reflex 2) - Move your speed on each Tick until Active
When you use a Movement Action, you may move half of the total Movement value on the Tick it is declared. If you do not move the rest when you would resolve, your next declared Action resolves as if it was Quick Action. {{pageNumber,auto}} \page ## Attack When performing an Attack, you choose a Weapon Type and a Strike Type. These determine the Reflex Cost and Damage Die. ___ **Strike Type** is one of three options: Fast, Strong, or Standard. ___ **Weapon Type** is either the Weapon you are wielding or one of multiple Unarmed Types. {{descriptive ##### DICE SIZE CHART **D4-1 - D4 - D6 - D10 - D12 - D12+1** ___ *D12+1 Crits on 11-12 and D4-1 Fumbles on 1-2* }} ### Strike Type Strike Type determines the base Damage Die of your attack. ___ All Strikes have a Reflex Cost of 1 modified by Weapon Type. .
**FAST**: D4 (Resolves Quick)
**STANDARD** D6 (No Modifier)
**STRONG** D8 (You May Parry Only)
### Weapon Type Weapon Type modifies the Damage Die and Reflex Cost, as well as other modifiers such as range or speed. #### Hand Weapons | TYPE | DAMAGE | REFLEX | EFFECT | |:-|:-|:-|:-| | FIST | +0 Size | +0 Reflex | N/A | | PALM | -1 Size | +0 Reflex | +1D6 when Blocking | | CLAW | -1 Size | +0 Reflex | +1 Critical Range | #### Leg Weapons | TYPE | DAMAGE | REFLEX | RANGE | |:-|:-|:-|:-| | KNEE | +1 Size | +1 Reflex | 0 | | FOOT | +0 Size | +1 Reflex | 0-1 | | SHIN | +2 Size | +1 Reflex | 1 | #### Melee Weapons The modifiers of Melee Weapons are listed in Equipment #### Ranged Weapons Ranged Weapons come in three categories: Thrown, Assisted, Unassisted. The modifiers are listed in the Equipment Section and detailed further here. Thrown Weapons use Weapon Encumbrance and Ammo Encumbrance as two separate value to determine Speed. Unassisted Weapons require Reload (Reflex 5) **Damage Type**: Is determined by the chosen Ammunition. A standard group of 6 ammunition comes under the same Encumbrance. **Encumbrance**: A Ranged Weapon has an Encumbrance Score like a Melee Weapon. This is added to the Ammunition Encumbrance to determine the total effective Strength Modifier for Damage. **Speed**: Each Ranged Weapon has a travel speed. This is how many hexes it moves at the end of each Phase. The attack roll is performed once and the attack continues in a line until it successfully strikes a target. \column *EXAMPLE: A Throwing Dagger has a Weapon Encumbrance of 1 and an Ammunition encumbrance of 1. This gives it a Speed of 15 anda Damage Modifier of +2. You could make it easier to throw by increasing the Weapon Encumbrance, make it top heavy by increasing the amount of Critical Die and the Ammo Encumbrance, or a mix between the two.* ## Attack Resolution When resolving an attack, make a Skill Check using the chosen Skills and Dexterity. Choose a target in Range and in your current Facing. A Ranged Weapon instead travels in a chosen line. If there is a valid target, they may choose Basic Defense or an Active Defense option to use against the incoming attack. This sets the TN for your Skill Check. If your Skill Rolls ties with the TN, your Damage is halved before any Damage Reduction. ___ If your Reflex Attribute (modified with Relax or EV) is higher than the target's Reflex + Perception Ranks, then the target lowers their Basic Defense by the difference between the two. ## Defense Resolution When an Attack in your Facing would resolve against you, you may choose to use an Active Defense. Active Defense is a Reactive Check with a Reflex Cost and delay your own Action Resolution. Otherwise it is rolled against your Basic Defense. #### Basic Defense Even if you choose not to use an Active Defense, as long as you can see the attack, you have Basic Defense. Your Basic Defense is calculated by adding **(Dexterity + Wits)/2 + 4 + Awareness Ranks** #### Active Defense Your three Active Defense options are listed below. Active Defense costs 1 Reflex plus the Weapon Modifier. If you are currently resolving an Attack you must use the same Weapon. ___ **PARRY**: When using Parry you add your Parry Ranks + Weapon Ranks to your Basic Defense. This Defense applies against all Attacks until you are Active. ___ **BLOCK**: When using Block, your Damage Reduction (DR) is increased by Weapon Ranks + Block Ranks + Strength. Palm adds +1D6 for each Damage Die it would roll on an attack. This Defense applies against all Attacks until you are Active. ___ **DODGE**: When using Dodge you add your Wits/2 + Dodge Ranks + Speed if you are currently using a Movement action. This Defense applies against all Attacks until you are Active.
NOTE: Remember to add Core Skill Ranks when counting the ranks in a Sub Skill ## Damage If your attack is successful, you deal damage to the target. The damage dealt is 1 Die + Strength, with 1 additional Die for every 4 ranks in the chosen Skills (including Core Skills). The size of the Damage Die is determined by the chosen Strike Type, and modified by the Weapon Type. The Target reduces the final result by their Damage Reduction. {{pageNumber,auto}} \page ### DAMAGE REDUCTION A character reduces incoming damage by Damage Reduction. By default this equals Constitution + Armour DR + Block Defense. ### Critical Effects If an Attack Die or Damage Die rolls a Critical Result, it gets rolled again as a Critical Effect die. Each Critical Effect die can be rolled as either Penetrate, Stagger, or Knockback. If multiple Critical Effect die of the same type are used, they are totalled together. You may choose a different Effect for each die. **PENETRATE**: When rolling Penetrate Die, the target lowers their DR for the attack by the rolled value. **STAGGER**: This is added to the final Damage roll (after DR is used). The target makes a Skill Check (Endurance + Concentration + Wits) against the Total roll as the TN. If the target fails the Skill Check, they lose 2 Stamina. **KNOCKBACK**: This is added to the final Damage roll (after DR is used). The target makes a Skill Check (Balance + Stance + Dexterity) against the Total roll as the TN. If the target fails, they are treated as a Ranged Attack with a speed of 1 for every 10 Damage rolled (before DR is used). They only travel for 1 Phase.
NOTE: Remember to reduce the Critical Effect rolls by the Soak Value of the Target. ## Action Linking Action Linking is mostly used to represent combo strikes and techniques. When declaring Link Actions, choose a combination of Attacks, Movement, Defenses, and others. All Linked Actions have Reflex Cost reduced by 1. Linked Attacks must be resolved in the chosen order. Movement and Reactions like Active Defense may be resolved on any Tick value delaying the Resolve of the next Attack. If the Reflex Cost has been reduced to 0, they resolve immediately on any Tick as Quick. Once the final Attack has Resolved then the Link Combo has ended, even if you have other actions unresolved. Prepare is a good Action if you wish to wait and see what happens next in combat.
**Link Points**: For each rank purchased in the Link Skill, increase your Link Points by 2.
**Link Activation**: To Activate a Link, you take the Prepare Action (Reflex Cost 1). When it resolves, you may declare Link Actions with a total Reflex Cost up to your Link Points. ## Health Thresholds When a character receives damage, it is added to the damage already taken and compared to the Health Attribute. ___ If the taken Damage is equal to or higher than their Health Attribute, the character is considered to be out of combat and may remain active in the fight by spending a point of Stamina each round. When spending Stamina they may act normally. ___ If the damage is double the Health attribute then they are unconscious. Spending Stamina allows consciousness. ___ If the damage is triple the Health attribute, the character is forcibly unconscious and will likely by considered dead without direct medical intervention. ## Saving Grace If a character would be taken over their Health Threshold from Damage, they can choose to stay conscious by disabling a limb. They are still considered unable to fight, and medical help may be required to make it function. Allow 2 or 3 limbs for more damage. {{pageNumber,auto}} \page # ENERGY USAGE ___ Energy is split into two resources, GenKi and ReiKi. For most characters these are just spent when paying for Energy Costs, however there are ways to make them another viable mechanic for PCs and notable NPCs. Sparks, Energy Skills, and Special Techniques.
Access to all of these are optional for the GM to use and can be used independent of each other if desired. ## Sparks When a character has their true inner power awakened, they are given a Spark. The chosen Spark increases the multiplier for their GenKi and ReiKi, increasing their available amount to use. It also allows an improved use of Enhancement Value with GenKi.
UNAWAKENED ___ The level of power of a character that isn't awakened. This should be most NPCs and should be PCs until they have accessed a boost through a point in the story. ___ **GenKi** = (Strength + Constitution + Dexterity) * 1 ___ **ReiKi** = (Smarts + Charisma + Wits) * 6
MONK ___ The Monk Spark works best for characters that train body and mind. They have a decent physical boost. ___ **GenKi** = (Strength + Constitution + Dexterity) * 2 ___ **ReiKi** = (Smarts + Charisma + Wits) * 8
WARRIOR ___ The Warrior Spark works best for characters that train the body almost exclusively. The highest physical boost. ___ **GenKi** = (Strength + Constitution + Dexterity) * 3 ___ **ReiKi** = (Smarts + Charisma + Wits) * 6
MAGE ___ The Mage Spark is the opposite of the Warrior. Dedicated almost entirely to spiritual power. ___ **GenKi** = (Strength + Constitution + Dexterity) * 1 ___ **ReiKi** = (Smarts + Charisma + Wits) * 10
## EV Boosting Once a character has a Spark, including Unawakened, they have access to a boosted EV. This is determined by their Core GenKi, which is half of their Total GenKi. You have acces to an EV of 1 for every 5 in Core GenKi. You can always use the EV of 1 or 2 like any character. If your remaining GenKi drops below your Core GenKi, your Core GenKi is lowered to the same amount. During End of Round, if you have Peak or Damper you may change your Core GenKi by 1 per Tier. You may Relax while using EV Boosting.
*EXAMPLE: Player A has the Monk Spark and 5 in each Physical Attribute. This gives a Total GenKi of 30 and a Core GenKi of 15. When using EV, they can use up to 3 instead of 2. If their Core GenKi would increase to 16 they can use an EV of 1, 2, or 4. They are not able to use an EV of 3 until their remaining GenKi drops to 15, lowering Core GenKi when it does.* \column ## Energy Skills If a character can find a trainer, they can learn GenKi Skills and ReiKi Skills. These increase your pool, as well as helping you control better and giving more options. They are purchased as Skill Ranks but do not have a Core Skill. Ranks purchased are added to the Attributes for determining total GenKi and ReiKi. ___ ### GenKi Skills **EFFICIENCY**: This lowers the amount of GenKi spent by 2 per rank. This applies to Upkeep Cost and Technique Cost and any other use that may come up.
**CONTROL**: This is used to Channel Genki (1 Reflex) or alter your Core GenKi value (1 Reflex) for 1 per rank.
**PEAK**: This affects how high your Core GenKi can go with Control, increasing by 5 per Rank.
**DAMPER**: This affects how low your Core GenKi can go with Control, decreasing by 5 per Rank.
**KIAI**: This allows you to get more impact with your Kiai. When adding a Kiai, you may add 1 additional die per rank. This increases the Upkeep Cost by 1 per die. ___ ### ReiKi Skills **POTENCY**: This lowers the amount of ReiKi spent by 1 per rank to a minimum cost of 1. This applies to Technique Costs and any other use that may come up except for UpKeep.
**CHANNEL**: When taking a Channel action (Reflex 1), you Channel 1 extra ReiKi for each rank.
**AURA**: This acts as a passive amount of Channeled ReiKi equal to Ranks. Channeling adds on top of this.
**SHAPING**: When performing a Shaping action (Reflex 1) you Shape equal to ranks. When performing a Channel action, you Shape equal to half of ranks.
**CONCENTRATION**: When you would lose Channeled ReiKi, the amount lost is lowered by Ranks. ## ShinKi ShinKi represents a character's Life Energy. If you do not have enough ReiKi to pay an Energy Cost you may instead take ShinKi. Every 1 point of ShinKi covers 2 points of ReiKi. For every point of ShinKi a character has, their Health is lowered by 1. The new value is used when calculating Damage against Health and can make a character go down if the new Health is low enough. This does not count as taking Damage, and can only be recovered by resting for a significant period of time. {{pageNumber,auto}} \page # REIKI (Spirit Energy) ___ *GM NOTE: Access to Special Techniques and ReiKi Skills should be limited as a plot reward, such as finding a mentor.* ___ ReiKi is the term for Spirit Power, this is possessed by all people but only truly usable by some. The basic use of ReiKi is to pay for Energy Costs without lowering GenKi. It is also used to pay for Special Techniques, such as energy blasts, flight, healing, or even telepathy. ## Using Reiki ReiKi used to pay for Upkeep does not need to be Channeled. To use ReiKi for Techniques it must be Channeled (Reflex 1). Each Channel Action let's you Channel an amount of ReiKi equal to 1 + 1 your Ranks in Channel. When spending ReiKi, you spend the Cost minus your Ranks in Efficiency to a minimum cost of 1. If you have Ranks in the ReiKi Skill "Aura" you always count as having that much ReiKi Channeled. ReiKi used from Aura is still spent out of the pool, it just doesn't need to be Channeled.
## Losing Reiki When you take damage, you lose Channeled Reiki (if any) equal to the damage taken. This is lowered by 1 for every rank you have in the ReiKi Skill "Concentration". ___ During End of Round, you lose any Channeed ReiKi higher than your Concentration Ranks unless you spend 1 point of Stamina. Lost Reiki is not spent and remains in the ReiKi pool.
## Special Techniques The primary use of ReiKi is to pay for Special Techniques. Special Techniques are supernatural abilities that convert your Spirit Power into Physical Manifestations. This is not a comprehensive list and it is encouraged for a GM to change what is presented in this list as well as coming up with their own. You may improve individual Techniques by purchasing ranks in Efficiency for that Technique starting from 0.
{{descriptive #### Technique Name *XP Cost* ___ **ReiKi Cost:** :: Channeled ReiKi required **Shape Cost:** :: Shaping Points required **Reflex Cost:** :: Reflex required after Channeling/Shaping **Effect:** :: Describes the Mechanics of the Technique Description of Technique }}
{{descriptive #### Reiki Charge *10 XP* ___ **ReiKi Cost:** :: 1-10 **Shape Cost:** :: ReiKi Cost **Reflex Cost:** :: 1 **Effect:** :: Increases Strength by 1-10 for the next Skill Check including Block, Damage or other Passive Score checks. The most basic of ReiKi techniques. The user gathers Channeled Energy into their hand, leg, or body parts to enhance their physical strength temporarily. }} *EXAMPLE 8 9 10* \column {{descriptive #### Reiki Overcharge *20 XP* ___ **ReiKi Cost:** :: N/A **Shape Cost:** :: N/A **Reflex Cost:** :: N/A **Effect:** :: Spend 1 Point of Stamina when using ReiKi Charge to use more than 10 ReiKi as a bonus on Strength An improved version of ReiKi Charge. It puts strain on your system pushing it to the limit granting a massive boost. }}
{{descriptive #### Reiki Fling *20 XP* ___ **ReiKi Cost:** :: 1+ **Shape Cost:** :: N/A **Reflex Cost:** :: N/A **Effect:** :: Turn your ReiKi Charge into a projectile with Speed equal to ReiKi spent on this Technique. Use some ReiKi to propel your charged Energy towards your opponent. The more power, the faster it travels. }}
{{descriptive #### Reiki Burst *20 XP* ___ **ReiKi Cost:** :: N/A **Shape Cost:** :: N/A **Reflex Cost:** :: N/A **Effect:** :: When Resolving an Attack improved by ReiKi Charge you may lower the Charge boost to increase the Range 1-1 Use energy to increase the range of your attack. }}
{{descriptive #### Self Healing *20 XP* ___ **ReiKi Cost:** :: 1+ **Shape Cost:** :: N/A **Reflex Cost:** :: 2 + 1 Continuous **Effect:** :: Spend Reiki to heal an equal amount of Damage. You may continue spending for 1 Reflex per action. Using your ReiKi, you can recover injury from your body. This Technique is what allows legendary heroes fight armies. }}
{{descriptive #### Heal Other *20 XP* ___ **ReiKi Cost:** :: 2+ **Shape Cost:** :: N/A **Reflex Cost:** :: 2 + 1 Continuous **Effect:** :: Spend Reiki (2-1) to heal half the amount of Damage on another Target at Range 0. Range may be increased multiple times by spending 1 ReiKi for 1 Meter. Using your ReiKi, you can recover injury from your body. This Technique is what allows legendary heroes fight armies. }} {{pageNumber,auto}} \page # GM TIPS ## Character Progression Characters should gain XP to spend to improve themselves as they progress through the story. At the end of each story “chapter”, or when a plot point has been closed, each character should gain 3 XP to spend as they want. A character also gets a bonus of 1-3 XP to be spent on Skills or Attributes that they focused on during the chapter. If a PC has a mentor of sufficient skill, they can improve for half the normal XP cost. Gained XP should also increase for PCs when they increase in Play Tier. ## Sparks Sparks give characters access to GenKi Skills and a higher amount of GenKi and ReiKi. If you want to introduce the mechanic to the game, it is suggested to add it as a story reward. Either when you want to introduce a new method of scaling characters without increasing the play tier, or as a reward for PCs choosing to search out a trainer. You can also start them with the Unawakened Spark and GenKi skills before getting the Awakened Spark later in the plot. ## Play Tier Play Tier determines various aspects of the game, including Attribute and Skill limits as well as what TN to use for Skill Checks. If you feel Players are approaching the limits on the skills they want to increase, it may be time to increase the Play Tier one step. It is suggested to do so at the end of a major Story Arc, such as the defeat of a recurring villain. While it acts as a hard limit for PCs, you can make NPCs more skilled or challenging by building them at a higher tier. You could allow characters to improve beyond the Tier in one or two Core Skills but it should require dedicated training, a lot of time and increased XP costs. ## New Skills The Skill system allows you to easily modify and change what skills are available to players. If you wanted to play a more modern game with less supernatural elements, you could tweak the available Knowledge skills or you could even add an entirely new skill set approrpiate to the time or setting you want. *COMPUTING Wiring, Gadgetry, Programming
By combining the appropriate skills with these new skills, you could allow for the creation of Circuits, Motherboards, or even Robots.* ## Descriptions Encourage players to be descriptive when making Equipment and Techniques. Describing their Weapon outside of a stat block or what type of fighting style a character uses helps make them feel unique. \column ## Magic Items A simple way to make Magic Items is to craft existing from Magic Materials. This could be done by making the materials "Light Weight" lowering the Encumbrance by a value. Alternatively you could give it a bonus such as increased Soak, granting Special Properties or even giving access to a Special Technique by itself. *EXAMPLE 11* ## Creating NPCs There is currently no NPC list, so here is a basic guide on statting up NPCs quickly.
Set Physical Attributes to: 4,3,2
Set Mental Attributes to: 4,3,2
Choose one Core Skill as Excellent: Set Sub Skills at 3
Choose three Core Skills as Great: 1 Sub Skill at 3, others at 2
Choose two Core Skills as Average: Set Sub Skills at 2
Choose two Core Skills as Okay: 1 Sub Skill at 2, others at 1
Other Core Skills have 1 Sub Skill at 1
Set Derived Attributes to 3,2,1,1 ## Group Combat When dealing with a group of NPCs in combat, keeping track of individual Reflex and actions can begin to feel tedious. Here are a few suggestions on how to alleviate some of the issue. **Individual Swarming**: When encountering a group, you only control the actions of a few enemies at a time. When the PCs take one out, another steps out from the crowd to take their place. This works best when it is supposed to be a battle of attrition to wear down characters rather than expecting any one individual to defeat the PCs. It is best to decide beforehand what the threshold will be before the NPCs scatter whether it's a certain amount defeated, or a certain time passing. NPC strength is better on the lower side, preferably where PCs need to use some resources to fight but not necessarily push themselves hard. **Group Tactics**: When dealing with a group trained to fight together, they are still treated as individuals with single resolutions. This works best when NPCs come in groups of 3 or more with the same statistics and declaring the same actions. Tactics will revolve around circling an opponent, readying the same action, and striking at the same time. When the attacks resolve, roll a single attack check using the highest skill and attribute among the group (if different), with a bonus based on other attacks resolving simultaneously. This is up to you to decide but should stay relatively small, such as adding some of the skill ranks of other members of the group. If Energy is spent, it is spent from a group pool. Enhancement Value is still based on individual GenKi. As each member of a group is taken down, the attacks should weaken accordingly. {{pageNumber,auto}} \page ### PLAY NOTE Remember that you can make the game your own. This is just a framework to run your own game. If you want power enhancement to be more frequent you can make changes such as speeding up recovery of GenKi increasing how much Efficiency applies, or how much GenKi characters have access to. It is still recommended to keep Core GenKi the same if you increase total GenKi so change the calculation as needed (If you double GenKi then Core GenKi should be one quarter instead of one half. If you want to keep powers more restricted, you could change recovery of GenKi to 15 minute breaks instead of using Stamina, and changing Stamina recovery to hour long breaks or even overnight resting. Other options for balance could be changing the XP costs. If you want less focus on combat, consider raising the XP cost of Combat Skills by 1 so it is cheaper to raise non combat skills. Halving the cost of Special Techniques will make players more likely to purchase them. Conversely increasing the cost will encourage them to seek out a trainer for the mentor bonus discount. Similarly, you can have XP spending only allowed during “training”, allowing the mentor bonus for most skills and attributes as well as techniques. {{pageNumber,auto}} \page ## MONSTERS AND SPIRITS ___ Monsters is a misnomer, representing NPCs that might be considered Spirits, Demons, or even Aliens depending on your choice of setting. They are not inherently good or bad, just different. They are built like regular NPCs with some minor differences. This includes special traits and different Sparks. ## Sparks Monsters have access to different Sparks from regular characters. They only use a single Energy Pool which counts as both GenKi and ReiKi. The Formula for JaKi and SeiKi uses all Physical and Mental Attributes of the character as well as the Multiplier. A Monster Spark character can spend Stamina instead of Energy. 1 Stamina pays for 5 Energy per Tier. ### JaKi Impure Energy. This is best used for neutral alignment or relatively mundane Monster type characters. JaKi recovers like GenKi.
It uses a Multiplier of x2.
### SeiKi Pure Energy. This is best used by minor spirits normally found at altars and shrines, such as those that grant blessings or curses, or guidance through a forest. SeiKi recovers like GenKi. In Upkeep, a character with SeiKi recovers 1 Stamina per Tier.
It uses a Multiplier of x1.
### YoKi Evil Energy. This is best used by the truly evil and powerful characters that lead others in battle or take in armies by themself. YoKi is the most powerful but recovers like ReiKi. Users rely on spending Stamina to cover Upkeep and Technique costs.
It uses a Multiplier of x3.
## Spirit Skills Spirits do not have access to GenKi and ReiKi Skills, instead they access their own Skills. Ranks are added to the Energy Formula. ___ The following Skills act the same for a Spirit ___ **Peak** **Damper** **Control** **Shaping** **Concentration** **Channel**
The following Skills are different or unique
**EFFICIENCY**: This lowers the amount of Energy spent by 2 per rank with no minimum cost.
**BARRIER**: The character has a Soak value of 1 for every Rank.
**AURA**: This acts as a passive amount of Channeled Energy equal to Ranks. The character may always use an EV up to this value.
**DURABILITY**: The Character counts as having 1 extra Health per Rank when comparing to Damage.
Spirits do not have the Kiai Skill and can only add 1 die per Kiai. \column ## EXAMPLE MONSTER ### GOBLIN (130+ Points) The lowest of the demons. This is not one made for combat, it's instead made for mischief and subterfuge. Their control of Energy is minimal mostly used for sustaining though they still have a thick skin. In combat, they rely on attacking in groups as even an Unsparked Human could defeat one if sufficiently skilled.
**PRIMARY** STR -2 CON -3 DEX -4 SMRT -2 CHA -4 WIT -3
**DERIVED** HLTH -6 STM -10 REF -4 SPD -4
**Total JaKi** 50 **Core JaKi** 15-25
**SKILLS** **Stealth** (3) - Hide 3/Disguise 3/Misdirect 3 ___ **Agility** (2) - Quiet 3/Tumble 2/Finesse 2 ___ **Perception** (2) - Listen 2/Sight 2/Scent 3 ___ **Strikes** (2) - Straight 2/Swift 2/Strong 2 ___ **Defenses** (2) - Dodge 2/Block 2/Parry 2 ___ **Discussion** (1) - Negotiation 1/Deception 2/Intimidation 1 ___ **Focus** (1) - Meditation 1/Concentration 1/Awareness 2 ___ **JaKi** - Efficiency 2/Barrier 3/Damper 1
Then choose a single rank in each other Skill as appropriate
As written, this gives a monster that is well set up for being stealthy and remaining hidden. It is resistant to blades with a Soak of 3. Damper of 2 and Efficiency of 2 let's it have a constant EV of 3 putting it's basic Attributes above normal human strength, and it can go up to 5 in desperate situations. Stamina of 10 also gives it room to fight for multiple rounds if necessary. ### ORC (150 Points) On the other end, we have the Orc. A brute made for nothing but conflict and hunting. They track their prey and overpower them.
**PRIMARY** STR -5 CON -5 DEX -4 SMRT -2 CHA -2 WIT -2
**DERIVED** HLTH -9 STM -8 REF -4 SPD -4
**Total JaKi** 60 **Core JaKi** 30
**SKILLS** **Melee** (1) - Medium 3 ___ **Ranged** (1) - Unassisted 3 ___ **Strikes** (1) - Strong 3 ___ **Athletics** (1) - Endurance 3 ___ **Perception** (1) - Scent 3 ___ **Discussion** (1) - Intimidation 3 ___ **Focus** (1) - Awareness 3 ___ **JaKi** - Efficiency 3/Aura 2/Barrier 3/Durability 3 ___ **Special Technique** - Self Healing
This relies on constant heavy weapon use and brute force. DR 11 with Soak 3 and Self Healing 2-6 gives great survivability. {{pageNumber,auto}} \page ## SPECIAL ATTACKS Creating a Special Attack gives a cost efficient version of attacking with ReiKi Charge. A Special Attack is built with XP during downtime. If taught by a Mentor, it qualifies for a discount. A Special Attack must be activated like a Technique (Reflex 1) and adds ReiKi Charge to the damage if any. If a Special Attack with Speed has Damage remaining after striking an object, it continues travelling in the same direction. #### TOTAL COST The XP Cost of a Special Attack is the ReiKi cost before any cost reductions are taken into account. Modifiers can increase XP cost #### DAMAGE DIE You can add Damage Die by increasing the ReiKi and Shape cost. DIE SIZE - ReiKi/Shape **1D4** - 3/1 **1D6** - 4/2 **1D8** - 5/3 **1D10** - 6/4 #### CRITICAL DIE You can add bigger Critical Die of your choice for a cheaper Cost. **1D6** - 3/1 **1D8** - 4/2 **1D10** - 5/3 **1D12** - 6/4 #### SPEED You can add Speed to your Attack to go further than Range 0. ___ 1 ReiKi for 1 Speed #### SPECIAL MODIFIERS These are modifiers you can apply to Special Attacks. ___ **INNER POWER** +4 XP Cost You may Channel GenKi up to 20% of Total GenKi as Trait Points. Trait Points may be spent on Damage, Critical, Speed, and Channel Force as if it was ReiKi. GenKi Efficiency applies to Channeled GenKi. For every 5 Trait Points used, the Area of the attack increases by 1. You may decrease this by spending 1 Trait Point per Meter. This may be taken up to 5 times increasing the Maximum GenKi value each time.
**CHANNEL FORCE** +1 ReiKi Cost A Modification of Channel ReiKi that increases Damage. Every point of ReiKi increases Damage by 1. Every second use increases Shape Cost by 1. This may be taken multiple times.
**AREA** +1 ReiKi Cost A Special Attack has a diameter of 0 +1 Meter for every point. If the Attack does not have Speed, you may choose to have it Surround or Spread. Spread deals damages to everything in a direction of your facing. Surround damages in all directions with you as a center. Increasing Surround again costs 2 points instead.
**LIFE DRAIN** -1 ReiKi Cost Lower ReiKi Cost by 5 and give a ShinKi cost of 1. This also lowers the ReiKi required to be channeled by the same amount. This may be taken multiple times.
**EFFICIENCY** +X Rank Cost Efficiency Ranks may be purchased starting at 0. Every Rank adds to your current Efficiency Ranks. You are still required to Channel the amount of ReiKi before Efficiency is applied. ___ *NOTE: Even with Efficiency, Techniques have a Minimum of 1.* \column ## Iterative Attacks When learning a new Special Attack, you may base it off an Attack you already know. An Iterative Attack has the same properties as the base attack, but only spends half of the XP for each of those properties. This is reduced again with a Mentor. You then add any new properties for the regular XP cost. ## TRANSFORMATIONS A trope of the genre is the ability to change form temporarily or to gain a power boost through a power up or transformation. One way to do this with Spirits and Monsters is to describe the form changing as they incrase their Core Energy and get closer to their highest value. Another option is to use Story Based Transformation and Boosted Power Ups. These are GM Optional and recommended to be major plot rewards or limited story pieces.
Transformations and Power Ups are built using a pool of Temporary XP which is spent as if all Attributes and Skills are starting at 0. The purchased Ranks and Techniques are added to what the character already has. ### Story Based This is best used for major story events and saved to be a last chance resort. A trigger may be needed, such as being possessed, drinking a mysterious potion, or an emotional trigger like a loved one being brought near the brink of death. It is best used only once during a story arc and when activated it should fully heal the character of all damage, recover all energy, and lasts for the entirety of just one scene. Attributes and Skills increased during the boost should increase GenKi and ReiKi. ### Boosted This is best used when you want a Boost available multiple times in a story for short periods of time. When Activating the Boost, it should have a Reflex Cost. End of Round Upkeep Cost should also include a cost of ShinKi or Stamina, as well as the generally increased costs from a Boosted EV with higher GenKi. ## MAGIC *(This will be detailed more later)* This bests represents Techniques that involve manipulation of energy through incantation rather than personal control. It is recommended you save this for NPCs to utilise, and generally involve Skill Checks to achieve rather than Channeling ReiKi. {{pageNumber,auto}} \page **EXAMPLE 7** *Player A has the Monk Spark and 5 in each Physical Attribute. This gives a Total GenKi of 30 and a Core GenKi of 15. When using EV, they can use up to 3 instead of 2. If their Core GenKi would increase to 18 they can use an EV of 1, 2, or 4. They are not able to use an EV of 3 until their remaining GenKi drops to 17, lowering Core GenKi when it does.*
**EXAMPLE 8**: *Player A has Channeling of 1, Shaping of 2 and Aura of 2. To use ReiKi Charge, Player A can channel 1-10 ReiKi depending on the bonus they want to add to their Strength. With an Aura of 2, they always count as having 2 ReiKi Channeled so only need to spend 1 Reflex for a Shape action if they want a bonus of 2. For a higher bonus, they will need to spend Channel Actions to gather 2 extra ReiKi at a time up to a total bonus of 10. With 2 Shaping Ranks, they can Shape 1 ReiKi during the same action it is Channeled. To get a bonus of 10 would take 8 Reflex: 4 Channel Actions for +8 ReiKi and 4 Shaping, 3 Shaping Actions for +6 Shaping, and then 1 Reflex to activate the Technique. You can hold the Shaped ReiKi until you choose to activate. When ReiKi Charge is activated, ReiKi is spent and the next Strength check has the bonus applied.*
**EXAMPLE 9**: *Alternatively, you could choose to only use some of your Channeled ReiKi to activate ReiKi Burst. After using 4 Channel Actions you can choose to activate ReiKi Burst using your 4 Shaped ReiKi for a bonus of 4. This would cost you 4 Reiki and leave you with 6 Reiki Channeled plus your Aura Ranks of 2 for a total of 8 remaining. If you had Ranks in Efficiency, you would have even more remaining as you spent fewer ReiKi.*
**EXAMPLE 10**: *Player A has Channeled 10 ReiKi. For 2 Reflex they can activate Self Healing spending up to 10 ReiKi and healing that much Damage. They may continue to activate Self Healing for 1 Reflex, spending any remaining Channeled ReiKi including their Aura ranks. If they had any Ranks in Efficiency, the most ReiKi efficient use is to spend only their Efficiency Ranks + 1 per action which would cost only 1 ReiKi each use.*
**EXAMPLE 11**: {{descriptive ##### SPIRIT WARDS A small paper tag written with a script and blessed by a priest. When placed on an object this prevents the object from being touched by spirits if their Energy is below a given amount. May also be placed on a door or other opening to prevent entry from spirits. The strength of a Ward is a limit for each Spirit, by combining multiple Wards you can fend off many Spirits of below the Threshold. 5 Wards of Power 20 can hold off up to 100 Energy of Spirits with 20 or less. }} {{pageNumber,auto}}

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