TUNNELS AND TROLLS SIMPLIFIED

Tunnels & Trolls (T&T) is a class and level-based fantasy role-playing game where players assume the roles of
warriors, rogues, or wizards in a magical land. T&T uses only six-sided dice. Combat is abstract, but the game in general
has a high mortality rate. Supposedly that’s part of the fun.

The Attributes
There are six prime attributes in T&T that affect your character’s success when trying to do things. Those
attributes are: Strength (ST), Intelligence (IQ), Luck (LK), Constituion (CON), Dexterity (DEX), and Charisma (CHR).
Conceptually, they cover the same general areas as you’d expect them to, but it’s worth noting that your CON is also
effectively your hit points, meaning, how much damage you can take before you’re dead, and ST powers spells. You’re
supposed to roll them randomly, but instead you’re getting a pool of 69 points to allocate among the six of them. At this
stage, no prime attribute may be lower than 8, nor higher than 18. Write them in pencil, because they’re going to change,
possibly during character creation, and again as you gain levels. (And at that point, it may be possible to rise above 18.)

Kindred
Kindred (Kin) is the T&T term for “race.” There are six to choose from for PCs. Some of them have modifiers to
the prime attributes as rolled, and maybe some special abilities:

Humans Attributes as rolled You are one

Dwarves ST and CON x2, CHR x 2/3 Short, stocky, bearded
Elves IQ and DEX x3/2, CHR x2, CON x 2/3 Human-sized, but slender and with pointy ears
Halflings ST x ½, CON x2, DEX x 3/2 Shorter than dwarves, pudgy, but make good sneaks
Fairies ST and CON x1/4, LK and DX x3/2, CHR x2 Tinkerbell-sized; can fly (as long as not over-burdended)
Leprechauns ST x ½ , DX, IQ and LK x 3/2 All PCs are wizards, and hate weapons larger than a
bread knife; limited teleport

Classes
Warriors If you have to ask… Receive double the protection listed for all armor and shields
Rogues Scoundrel, not thief Can use any weapon or learn any spell, but very hard to find teachers for spells
Wizards Career spellcasters Min IQ of 10; casting spells uses ST as fatigue, which restores faster than
wounds, limited to small weapons (2D or less damage) or a quarterstaff; is
allowed to wear armor

Combat Adds
Also called Personal Adds or just Adds, this is the total you add to your dice rolls in combat. You calculate your
Adds by adding one point for each point an “exceptional” ST, LK, and/or DEX attribute (an attribute higher than 12) has
above 12. However, those same attributes work the reverse if they are exceptionally low (an attribute lower than 9),
reducing Adds by one point for each point below 9. When making a missile attack with a thrown or ranged weapon, note
that Adds due to your DEX – whether positive or negative – are doubled.

Gold and Gear

You’ll start the game with 120 gold pieces (GP) to spend on gear (weapons, armor, other provisions).

Other
Level: You start at first level (Level 1). As you gain experience, you earn Adventure Points (AP), which lead to
increasing your level. Increasing your level allows to you to increase attributes.
Languages: All PCs know Common, and non-humans also know their native tongue. For each point of
exceptional IQ (above 12), you can learn another language. (Non-humans need an IQ above 13.) The other languages
you know will be determined randomly.
Height and Weight: You can pick these as long as they’re within reason. If we need to know yours and you
haven’t picked them, we’ll roll randomly.
Weight Possible: This is equal to your ST x 10. We’re only going to pay attention if things start to look strange.
Speed: In instances in which is matters, assume your base speed is 10. If you have exceptional Adds from ST
and DEX greater than any penalties from the same attributes, your base speed is 12. Conversely, if your Adds from those
attributes have a negative total, your base speed is only 8.
Spells: If you’re a wizard, you begin knowing all Level 1 spells. Only wizards start the game knowing spells.
Combat
Combat in T&T is fairly abstract compared to most – especially more recent – RPGs, but not without some sense
of order. Each turn amounts to two minutes in length, with approximately 90 seconds of sizing up the enemy, assessing
the immediate tactical situation, observing the enemy’s current condition, and maneuvering for position surrounding
roughly 15-25 seconds of an actual exchange of blows. To manage combat, follow this sequence each turn:
1. If any combatant is likely to have successfully ambushed an enemy, the GM resolves that attack immediately.
2. Any combatant using magic (i.e., casting a spell) specifies the spell to be used. The GM determines first, then the
players determine and announce their spells, then the GM announces his spells. The effects of the spells may be
handled immediately (e.g., ranged damage spells) or throughout the battle, depending on the nature of the spells.
3. Any missile combat is handled, provided shooters have both range and a clear target. Missile attacks are based on
DEX, modified by range and any partial cover, as opposed to being integrated with the melee.
4. If there is any movement to be made, it occurs at this time. Note that there is no need for tactical movement, so in
effect movement effectively is one of the two types:
a. Attempting to close the distance to engage in melee in a future turn.
b. Attempting to maneuver to engage a subset of combatants (or single combatant) as separate from the main
fray. In most cases, both sides must agree to be separated, but the GM may rule on exceptions.
5. Melee Combat occurs and is resolved.
6. Any effects of poison are resolved. As with missile combat and many spells, attacks with poison must also specify a
target. Only if a target is damaged from the initial attack, as determined in the stages above, will s/he then suffer
further effects poison.

Saving Rolls
In place of specialized saving throws (such as vs. magic, or petrification, or wands, etc.), most attempts to avoid
misfortune are handled as a 2d6 roll called a Saving Roll, in which you add your LK to the roll and want to get as high as
possible. The more challenging the misfortune, the higher the target number that needs to be rolled. Two complications:
 If you roll doubles, you get to roll again and add that initial double to the result. Moreover, you may continue to
re-roll and build on the results until a roll that isn’t doubles.
 A roll under 5 is an automatic failure, regardless of the attribute. However, doubles under 5 still allow a re-roll,
so your odds of staying below the minimum go down if you roll snake eyes or a pair of twos.
Missile attacks are handled as a Saving Roll, but your DEX is used instead of your LK (but all Adds still apply).
Moreover, any attribute roll requested by the GM is handled as a Saving Roll, so if the GM asks you to make an IQ roll to
avoid getting lost in the woods, or a CON roll to avoid getting sick, you’ll do so by rolling 2d6 and adding it to your IQ or
CON, respectively.

Magic and Spell-Casting

Although too complex to detail here, magic in T&T is pretty simple. Here are some basics to know:
 Spells require minimum levels to learn, but also may have minimum IQ or DEX requirements to cast.
 Casting a spell requires the temporary expenditure of ST. For wizards (only), this cost may decrease as the
wizard gains levels above the level of the spell s/he wishes to cast. For some spells, it may instead or also
increase the duration or enhance the effects.
 In combat, only one spell may be cast by a character per turn.
 Some spells have a range, other don’t. Some spells can be cast on other characters, some can’t.
 Having a staff, which any wizard can create, can reduce the ST cost for a spell. Sometimes other items can be
enchanted in place of a simple piece of wood. Touching another wizard’s staff is in poor taste, on the verge of
being “verboten,” but won’t blow up or harm the offender. However, really powerful staffs may reject being
touched, or may take control of a weaker wizard.
 Casting a spell is simple: If you have the requisite ST (and any reequirements in the event they’re applicable),
you simply declare what you’re doing at the appropriate time, and with the GM play out the effects at the
appropriate point in the sequence.