OTHERWORLDLY WARLOCKS
GENERAL RULES
SKILL CHECKS AND SAVING THROWS
Whenever a Character goes to do something that may have a Chance of
Either Failure or Success, The GM may deem it necessary to make a Skill Check or
Saving Throw. This is done by rolling one 20 sided die (1D20) and adding any
Modifiers. Bonuses give a positive Modifier. Penalties give a negative Modifier.
The result is determined by consulting the Action Resolution Table. First the GM must
determine the Difficulty of the Check. All Combat Attacks are considered
Medium Difficulty. All Saving Throws are considered Hard Difficulty.
If the modified roll is equal to or greater than the Target Number the action is
a success. If it is lower, the action is a Failure.
ACTION RESOLUTION TABLE
Difficulty: Target#: Notes:
Simple 4 -
Easy 6 -
Medium 10 Combat Attacks
Hard 13 Magic Saving Throws
Very Hard 16 -
Heroic 20 -
STAT MODIFIERS
Add the appropriate Stat to the Roll if there is one.
SKILL MODIFIERS
Presence or absence of a Specific Skill can modify the Roll.
Having an applicable Skill can give a bonus of +1 or more.
Not having an applicable skill may give a hefty penalty (-10) or make
the attempt impossible. For example, reading Elven when no one in the
Party can Speak Elven.
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CONDITIONS
Conditions modify Checks and Saves as well as Attack, Damage, and Death Rolls.
Positive Conditions are called Boons.
Negative Conditions are called Hinderances.
Conditions will also affect Attack and Damage Rolls made against the
Character, not just the ones made by the Character.
The GM will assign and Remove Conditions at his discretion.
HINDERANCES (HARMS)
Negative Conditions are called Hinderances (or Harms).
Negative Conditions can include: Stunned, Cursed, Encumbered, Injured,
Sickened, Blind, Deaf, Stressed, Dazed, Hungry, Thirsty, Angry, Confused,
Fatigued, Dehydrated, Cold, Hot, Itchy, Demoralized, Insane, Hurting,
Bleeding, Poisoned, Afraid, Spellburn, etc.
Each Negative Condition gives a -1 to all Checks and Saves.
Note that Wounds are not considered Hinderances.
Negative conditions can be assigned by the GM to turn a Failure into a
Partial Success.
BOONS
Positive Conditions are called Boons.
Positive Conditions include: Inspired, Blessed, Refreshed, Energized,
Luck, Good Morale, Manic, etc.
Each Positive Condition gives a +1 to all Checks, Saves, and Rolls.
Luck Boons will last 1D10 Hours or until a natural 1 or 20 is rolled.
Good Morale will last 1D6 Hours or until a Morale check is Failed.
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SAVING VS MAGIC
Important: All Saving Throws vs Magic are considered Hard.
Characters may make Saving throws to avoid the detrimental effects of
Spells and similar Magical Powers or Abilities.
Modifiers (Defenders Stat Bonus) to the Saving Throw will depend
on the type of Magic Used. If a Spell fits more than 1 of the below
categories, the GM will have to decide which category is to be used.
SAVING VS MAGIC STAT LIST
Type of Magic: Stat Modifiers to Save:
Mind, Spirit Will
Illusions Perception
Bolts, Rays, Blasts Reflexes
Immobilization, Binding Agility
Enchantment Wits
Disease, Sickness Tough
Poison Tough
Transformation, Petrification Reflexes
Area Affect Reflexes
Death, Slaying Will
Curses Strength
Traps Reflexes
Engulfment Strength
Projectiles Reflexes
Translocation Will
Cones, Bursts, Breath Reflexes
Observation, Scrying Perception
Fear, Control Will
Confusion, Madness Wits
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COMBAT
Treat Attack Rolls like Saves or Skill Checks.
Attack rolls are always medium Difficulty.
Add the Attacker's Attack (Agility) Modifier and Subtract the Defender's
Defense (Reflexes) Modifier.
Note that Shields provide a Defense Bonus, not an Armor Bonus.
DAMAGE ROLLS
Roll 1D20 and add any Damage Modifiers.
Subtract the Armor rating of the Defender.
Note that this is a Sliding Scale, not a simple Target Number.
DAMAGE TABLE
1D20 Result:
5 or Less Stunned (Hinderance)
6-15 1 Wound
16-19 2 Wounds (Plus 1 Bleeding Hinderance)
20-22 3 Wounds (Plus 1 Injury and 1 Bleed Hinderance)
23-24 4 Wounds
25 5 Wounds
26 6 Wounds
27 7 Wounds
28 8 Wounds
29 9 Wounds
30+ 10 Wounds
UNCONSCIOUSNESS/DEATH
Foes will simply Die after receiving a number of Wounds equal to or in excess
of their Wound Limit.
(For an Orc or Goblin might be 1 wound, For an Ogre it might be 8 wounds)
When a Hero or Major Villain reaches his Wound Limit and for
every wound sustained thereafter, roll 1D6 on the Death Table.
Apply Boons and Harms just like for a Skill Check.
If a Hero takes 4 or More Wounds in a Single Attack roll on the Death Table.
DEATH TABLE
1D20 Result:
3 or less Outright Killed
4-6 Mortal Wound (Dies in 3D6 Turns unless at least 1 Wound Healed)
7-9 Unconscious (1D6 Hours: Wakes with Wounds = 1 less than Limit)
10+ Keep Going
SURPRISE
The GM may require a Surprise Check.
Add the attackers Stealth and subtract the Defenders Perception from the Roll.
The Attacker gets First attack at +4 to Hit.
INITIATIVE
The GM will Rule on Initiative in all cases.
Simply go clockwise around the Table. Resolve Character Actions.
Foes attack as a result of complications or simply when the GM declares they do.
A Round is when every Character has had a Turn to act.
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ACTION RESOLUTION CHART
This can be used as a Worksheet to keep track of Multiple Modifiers.
Use plastic pawns directly on a copy of the Chart.
--First the GM will place a Pawn in one of the Difficulty Circles to
indicate the Target Number.
--If the roll is modified by a Stat place a Pawn on the Stat Column.
--Likewise if a Skill is appropriate place another Pawn.
--If any Weapons or Relics apply place another Pawn.
--Place a Pawn for the sum of Boons and Harms. Note that these negate each other.
--Place a Pawn on the Foe column to keep track of Mods used by a resisting Foe.
--Finally sum up all the previous columns to get a Mod Total to be added to the D20.
EXAMPLE: ATTACKING
Lets say the action is a PC attacking an Orc with a Sword.
--All attacks are Medium Difficulty so a Pawn is placed in the Target Circle.
--The PC has Agility+1 so place a Pawn on the +1 in the Stat Column.
--The PC has a Skill of Sword+1 so place a Pawn on the +1 in the Skill Column.
--The PC wields a Magic Sword+2 so place a Pawn on the +2 in the Relic Column.
--The PC was Blessed for +2 but also has a Bleed for -1 so place a Pawn on the +1 in
the Boon/Harms Column.
--The Orc has a Shield so place a Pawn on the -1 in the Foe Column.
--Add up all the above: Place a Pawn on the +4 in the Total Column.
--The Player roll an 8. Modified by +4 the result is a 12. This exceeds the Target
Number of 10 for medium difficulty, so the attack succeeds. Next roll for Wounds.
EXAMPLE: DAMAGE
Determining the Damage done by the preceding Attack.
--No Target Circle needs to be chosen. Damage is a Sliding Scale.
--The PC has Strength+2 so place a Pawn on the +2 in the Stat Column.
--The PC has a Skill of Sword+1 so place a Pawn on the +1 in the Skill Column.
--The PC wields a Magic Sword+2 so place a Pawn on the +2 in the Relic Column.
--The PC was Blessed for +2 but also has a Bleed for -1 so place a Pawn on the +1 in
the Boon/Harms Column.
--The Orc has Armor+1 so place a Pawn on the -1 in the Foe Column.
--Add up all the above: Place a Pawn on the +5 in the Total Column.
--The Player roll a 12. Modified by +5 the result is a 17. Looking at the Very Hard
Target circle we see that Damage rolls of 16+ result in 2 Wounds and a Bleed.
The Orc only had a Wound Limit of Two so he is automatically killed.
EXAMPLE: SAVING THROW
Our Intrepid PC is the Target of a Petrification Spell. If we look at the
Saving vs Magic Stat List, we see Reflexes will modify the Save.
--The Target Circle is Automatically Hard. The Target number is 13.
--The PC has Reflexes+1 so place a Pawn on the +1 in the Stat Column.
--The PC has no Skills that will help.
--The PC wears a Ring of Magic Resistance+2 so place a Pawn on the +2 in the Relic Column.
--The PC has no Conditions at this point so the Boons/Harms Column is empty.
--The Foe Column does not apply in this case so it is also left empty.
--Add up all the above: Place a Pawn on the +3 in the Total Column.
--The Player roll a 6. Modified by +3 the result is a 9. The PC is now a solid Rock.
Good thing his friend has a Dispel at the Ready.
EXAMPLE: SKILL CHECK
Our PC wants to jump across a 20 Foot Chasm. The GM determines that this is a
Feat of Heroic Level Difficulty which has a Target number of 20.
The GM determines that the Agility Stat is most appropriate.
--The PC has Agility+2 so place a Pawn on the +2 in the Stat Column.
--The PC has a Skill of Jump+1 so place a Pawn on the +1 in the Skill Column.
--The PC wears Boots of Speed. Because of this the GM decides to give the PC +2 in the
Relic Column.
--The PC drank a Potion of Luck for 4 Boons so place a Pawn on the +4 space in
the Boon/Harms Column.
--The Foe Column does not apply in this case so it is also left empty.
--Add up all the above: Place a Pawn on the +9 in the Total Column. The actual sheet only
goes up to +6 so you could put a pawn on the +6 and another on the +3.
--The Player roll a 11. Modified by +9 the result is a 20. Perfect. The PC makes the Jump
and saves the day!
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INTERPRETING SKILL CHECK TABLE RESULTS
This is the Realm of the GM to assess the degree of Success or Failure.
We will use a Pit Jumping Example:
--Fail by a large Amount: Down you go. Might be time to roll up a new Character
--Fail Narrowly: Not good. Make an Agility Check to grab onto the opposite
Ledge. Then make Strength Check to pull yourself up.
--Narrow Success: No Problem. That’s how it’s done.
--Succeed by a Wide Margin: Inspiring. The Characters jumping after you get +1
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COMPLICATIONS
These can occur according to GM whether the result is a success or a
failure, or can be used as a penalty to turn a Failure into a Success.
Something changes in the Narrative to the Character's detriment:
Guards show up, An Item is dropped or lost, the enemy gets to attack,
Ammo is used up, The Foe escapes, The rope breaks, The Fire Spreads,
The Water Rises, A Mishap, A Fumble, etc.
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HEALING
The Stunned Condition will go away in 1D10 Turns.
Healing a Wound will Remove all Bleeding Hinderances.
By themselves, Wounds will heal at a rate of 1 per day.
A Successful First Aid Check will Heal 1 Wound. If failed, First Aid will
no longer Heal unless there is a newer Wound. However it can be used again to
remove Bleeding Hinderances.
Medical attention will heal an extra Wound per day.
Complete Rest will also heal an extra Wound per day.
INJURIES
A special type of Hinderance that do not heal or take a long time to heal
without Magic. These are assigned at the GM's discretion.
Examples include: Amputations, Broken Bones, Burns, Magical Wounds
REGENERATION
A Creature with Regeneration heals 1 Wound per Turn or Minute.
They cannot be killed unless beheaded, burned up, disintegrated, etc.
They can reattach limbs quickly, but re-growing limbs usually takes longer.
Some regenerating undead can reattach their head but cannot regenerate
from Holy Water or Holy Magic.
Make sure to not reattach the wrong limb to the wrong spot.
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CASTING SPELLS
A Spell you know normally takes a turn to cast and costs 1 Power Point.
The caster must have his hands free and be able to speak.
If written in a Book or on a Scroll you are reading from, you can cast a
Spell that you don't know. This will take 1D6 turns and cost 2 PP.
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ENCUMBRANCE RULES
Encumbrance is how weighed down you are by your possessions.
It is measured in Encumbrance Points (EP).
Your EP Limit is = 10 + (2 x Strength).
The Porter Skill gives +3 to your EP limit.
The Encumbrance Table lists items and their EP costs.
The Overload Table gives penalties for being excessively Encumbered.
For every Hinderance a character has their Move Rate is
reduced by 10%.
OVERLOAD TABLE
Encumbrance: % Hinderances:
Lightly 50-100% 1
Moderately 101-150% 2
Heavily 151-200% 3
ENCUMBRANCE TABLE
Item: EP
Short Weapon 0.5
Weapon 1
Heavy Weapon 2
Light Armor 1
Medium Armor 2
Heavy Armor 3
Buckler 0.5
Round Shield 1
Kite Shield 2
20 Feet of Rope 1
1 Day Rations 0.5
Waterskin (1 Day) 0.5
Backpack 1
Blanket 1
10 Iron Spikes 1
10 Caltrops 1
Crowbar 1
Torch 0.5
Lantern 1
Tinderbox and Flint 0.5
Cloak 1
Book 1
Wand 1
Potion 0.5
Scroll 0.5
Compass 0.5
Scabbard 0.5
Holy Symbol 0.5
Large Sack 0.5
Big Helmet 2
100 Coins 1
Lockpick Set 1
Small Chest 2
Quiver & 20 Arrows 1
Wounded Comrade Size
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STATUS RULES
These describe conditions that are more complex than a simple Boon/Harm.
POISONS
When Poisoned, make a Save vs Death modified by Toughness.
A Strong Poison will Kill in 1D6 x 10 Seconds.
A Moderate Poison will Kill in 3D10 Minutes.
A Weak Poison will kill in 1D20 Hours.
Even if the Poison does not Kill, the victim will suffer
1D4 Hinderances for 1D4 Days.
IMMOBILIZED
Immobilized Characters can do nothing except possibly attempt to break
free from their bonds. This could be a Will, Wits, Strength, or
Agility check as determined by the GM.