System Reference

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Version 0.80

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 Table of Contents
1 Introductory
3 The Agent and Agent Sheet
5 Agent Sheet Front
6 Agent Sheet Back
8 Base Stats
9 Health
10 Skills
13 TABs
13 Powers
13 Karma
15 Actions
18 DAT
21 Progression Points
 What is this? Traits, Assets, and Burdens allow character
customization beyond what Attributes and Skills can
This document is the system reference guide for the offer. These can be designed to fit a Setting and meet the
D10/0 System. The D10/0 System is a flexible tabletop role requirements of a designer to encourage a variety of game
playing game system, which maintains a small rule set and styles. Karma further defines a character in a less discrete,
provides options for custom mechanics that fit a designer’s overall way . Karma can represent reputations, relations,
whims. The D10/0 System tries for flexibility, but is not backgrounds, history, and other more cosmic standings.
meant to be universal any shape or form. It aims to provide
a foundation to build upon and keep the rule conflicts to a The mechanics use strictly d10 or d100 rolls to keep the
minimum. number and variety of dice to a minimum.

Why the name “D10/0”? This system uses d10s and

d100s. d10 is the term used for ten sided dice and d100 is
Basics before anything else...
the term used for one hundred sided dice. d100s are often
The D10/0 System uses a few terms to describe
simulated by two d10s. There are no other dies used. The
common aspects of the system:
D10/0 name came about as a combination of the terms d10
and d100.
Game Master (GM) - This position serves as the
And briefly for those wondering what exactly a Tabletop liaison between the game universe and players. The GM
Role-Playing game is... Simply put: It is group story-telling is the facilitator of the game, the balancer, the equalizing
with an element of uncertainty with how the story is going force, and the arbiter in conflicts. What the players aren’t
to flow. To manage that uncertainty and provide structure, in direct control of is the GM’s domain: storyline flow, non-
this particular game uses various statistics, rules, and dice. player characters, and universe mechanics are examples.
The Game Master should be seen as a fellow collaborator
in the story as it is told, similar to a director of a movie.
The Difference Players should give plenty of material for the Game Master
to work with and aid in providing a more compelling
What makes this game system different that the others experience. But, the Game Master ultimately has the final
out there? The individual bits and pieces of the system deciding vote and should exercise such to maintain the
come together to give players, game masters, and designers integrity of the game for everyone’s enjoyment.
options in customization and flexibility. And this is done
while not losing the individual identity of the bits and Setting - The content that uses the D10/0 System.
pieces. Each piece has its own function and components A Setting contains all the information about a game’s
that are clear from others. While they do interact with each universe. A setting also contains any custom rules and
other that do so in clear ways and avoid trying to do the preferences in relation to the D10/0 System.
other component’s job.
Characters - The beings in the game’s universe:
Other Notable Bits Critters, monsters, active things, and intelligent beings.
Players control their own characters and always have a
There are ten attributes arranged in two groups of five: charater sheet to keep track of important information
One group of tangible aspects and the other intangible about them. Also, significant other characters in the game’s
aspects. This allows representation of a variety of universe may have some form of character sheet to keep
characters more explicitly by attributes with less special track of information.
cases and extra rules. For example, there’s a Strength and
Endurance attribute instead of a unified Body attribute. Attributes - The basic definition of a character.
This way one can have characters that are tough and There are ten attributes in two groups of five. Tangible
resilient but not physically strong, and characters that are attributes: Agility, Endurance, Intellect, Perception, and
strong but have trouble maintaining an extended use of that Strength. Intangible attributes: Focus, Spirit, Sense,
very strength. Or a character can be book-smart (Intellect), Beyond, and Charisma. Attributes are the rawest bits of
but lack wisdom (Sense). information about a character.

The Skill system uses branching trees to organize Health - The gauge and checklist of a character’s
base skills and branching specializations. Progression wellbeing. The numeric measurement is Health Points.
is weighted to make specialization an efficient means for The informative notes are Health Conditions.
narrow skill growth and generalization broadly useful but
costly. Skills use a larger numeric range than attributes so Skills - Skills determine a character’s ability to find
even small, incremental skill improvement is immediately solutions for problems. There are ten root skills that are
useful to a character. granted to a character and it is assumed that any character

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 has these skills. Additional branch skills are specialized
derivaties of a skill and are added as branches to the parent
skill. This combination of roots and branches forms a skill
tree.

TAB - Traits, Assets, and Burdens. TABs give a

character extra definition in tangible and explicit aspects.
Traits are matter-of-fact or balanced aspects. Assets are
good aspects. Burdens are bad aspects. TABs are often
used to encapsulate archetype abilities, the rules for
Powers, and other abilities that require more function than
what Attributes and Skills provide.

Powers - Powers are abilities that operate on their

own principles to grant a character special actions in the
game. Often Powers work with Attributes, TABs, Skills, or
even Karma with their own rules to create a set of actions
the character can use and define future potential. Most
powers make use of power points via power functions to
regulate what is and isn’t possible.

Karma - Information about the relations a character

has with the setting. These could be notable deeds,
reputations, or how the game universe simply feels about
the character. While Karma can work with TABs, it is less
clear cut. Karma often influences the game universe on a
more broad scale, less apparent to the character or even the
player. A TABs may give a character a bonus to finding X.
A Karma may put the character in more situations where
finding X is easier.

Actions - The things a character does. Technically,

anything a character does is considered an action.
Practically, only the signficant actions of a character a given
much attention. Actions are often the subjects of checks to
figure out what was the final result of the action.

DAT - Damage, Adjustment, and Threat. Damage is

the negative effect on Health. Adjustment can change the
nature of Damage. Threat is an action that could produce
Damage.

Progression Points - The system’s currency

for changing an agent. Progression Points grant a Game
Master a way to reward players for accomplishments.
These Progression Points allow a player to purchase
improvements for characters.

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 The Character multiply by 10: This is the standard for games where
physical combat is the more common type of conflict. A
different multiplier can be used to alter the difficulty and
Characters are the beings in the game’s world. They danger apparent in the game. Even other combinations of
can be people, monsters, critters, or things that have some Attributes can be used to better reflect the conflict aesthetic
sort of independent function. So whether it is the dramatic of the game.
hero, the quest giving king, or the party’s space ship with
some onboard automation... They are all characters. Record in Normal and Current fields: The Normal
Player Characters are the proxies players use to interact Health score indicates where a character’s health resides on
with the game’s universe. Information about a character average. Current indicates the current amount of Health,
is kept on a Character Sheet. Settings have rules to tell the which at creation is the same as the Normal.
player how to build a character for the game’s universe.
Determine Action Quota
Standard Player Agent Build Take average of Agility and Focus, rounding down:
This is the standard Attribute combination for games where
Process physical combat is the common type of confrontation.
Depending on the game, other Attribute combinations can
A setting should provide some kind character build be used to reflect the aesthetic of the game.
process for players to use, even if it’s just a clone of the
standard player character build process. Below is the Record in numeric field of Action Quota: This is
“standard” player character build process. These are a quick reference number for both Game Masters and
general steps to building a player character. players.

Fill in Action Quota circles to preference: This

Fill in the Character’s information block serves as a visual reference for the player. A player can
Choose a Name and Species: Names are first major arrange filed circles in groups in amounts that work with
bit of information about a character another character will commonly used actions and their costs.
get. Take your time, think of a good one, or if nothing else a
fitting one.
Choose TABs
What exactly “Species” is depends on the setting, but it Decide upon TABs to take and apply bonuses and
is the next significant bit information about a character. penalties: The setting determines what Traits, Assets,
It’s often what other characters in the game will perceive and Burdens are available and how many a character can
first. Species can simply be a major classification for the have. The setting can have a very modular, flexible route to
purposes of origin or plot. Or, it can involve receiving a allow a player to chose TABs, a random assignment, or even
unique blend of TABs, Karma, or even Powers that fully mandate certain TABs based on other aspects of an agent.
define a character as that species.
Calculate Skills
Write in Statistical information and Defining Circle two Attribute abbreviations in each Root
Aspects: Record all the various tidbits of information Skill: These two attributes will be the major contributors
pertaining to height, weight, age, and other descriptors to that Skill. If two attributes are the same value, choose
into Statistics. Defining Aspects are prominent, quick to the attribute which best reflects how the agent would use
discern, and/or uniquely apparent characterizations. that skill to solve problems.

Determine Attributes Calculate the Base rating by totaling the attributes

Every Attribute starts out at the minimum of “1”: for each Root Skill, count major contributor
Attributes typically are capped at 10, but special reasons attributes twice: Given average Attributes of “5”, the
can allow attribute scores in excess of 10. This isn’t average for a Skill is “25”.
common.
Spend a 100 Skill Points: See the Skills section for
Allocate 45 points to attributes as you please: 45 more information about how to spend Skill points and how
points is the standard amount. It provides enough points to branch more skills from root skills.
for player characters to be distinguished from the average
in the game world, but still force sacrifices be made for Record newly bought Skill ratings in the Adjust
very high scores in attributes. For reference, the average field: If nothing was bought for a Skill, put a “0” in the
Attribute score is “5”. Adjust field.

Calculate the Total rating by adding Base and

Determine Health Adjust ratings: Refer to the Skills section for more
Take the average of Endurance and Spirit, and information when calculating Base, Adjust, and Total

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 ratings for branch skills.

Adjustments - This section deals with Adjustments

Determine Karma from the DAT.
Karma is setting dependant. Karma, by its very nature, is
more subjective and reliant upon the game universe. There
are no standard rules for it when it comes to character
Power Blocks - The Power field contains the name of
creation. A good character background story can serve as a
a power and other information. The Normal field contains
determiner to what Karma a character should have.
the normal power points the character has for the power.
The Current field contains the current power points the
Determine Equipment character has for the power.
Equipment is reliant on the setting. It is recommended
that all player characters start out with the same rough total
value of equipment. Each character should be allowed to The Dude - The default diagram is a humanoid figure,
get basic equipment related to his or her chosen role in the but can be modified or replaced with better fitting figures.
party to facilitate and emphasize that role. The Dude has Regions, Bubbles, and Yellow and Red Zones.
Regions represent major portions of the agent. Bubbles are
Determine Adjustments multi-purpose fill-in indicators. Yellow Zones represent
Adjustments depend on equipment, character TABs, and regions of the agent that are non-vital points but critical for
other system components. Write down any found in the unhindered function. Red Zones represent vital regions.
field. The Dude is a multipurpose diagram for keeping relevant
information about a character. Examples are: Armor
Determine Actions coverage, injuries, and important item locations. Also, the
Significant Actions are recorded in the places given. Dude may be decorated to better represent the character’s
Actions worthy of being written down are attacks, power actual profile and appearance.
abilities, equipment functions, and even special uses of
Skills.
Action Slots - These ten slots list the character’s
significant actions. The Action field details an action’s
Character Sheet - Front Page description, effects, and source. The Cost field indicates
what the action costs to perform. The Check field indicates
Information Block - At the top of the front page, it
the kind of check and goal number an action requires.
contains basic descriptions about the agent.
Name - The character’s name or identification.
Game Info - Information about the game the character Skills - The Root Skills are written and spaced for branch
belongs to. skills to be branched beneath them. Base, Adjust, and Total
fields record the different ratings a skill has.
Species - The major classification of the character.
This could be race, animal species, class, nationality, or
character type depending on the setting.
Character Sheet - Back Page
Statistics - A place for statistical information. Age,
gender, height, and weight are some examples. Items - The assorted belongings carried by the character.
Another copy of the Dude provided for marking locations of
Defining Aspects - The general purpose catch all gear.
section for any additional information.
Progression Points - A field for Progression Point
accounting. Extra Skills - Extra skill fields provided for more
advanced characters.

Attributes - Attribute values are recorded here.

Traits, Assets, and Burdens - The discrete
defining points of the character.
Action Quota - A field is provided for the numeric
value of an agent’s Action Quota and a field of bubbles for
visual organization of Action Quota.
Karma - This section is for Karma information.

Notes - This section is for notes and other information.

Health Block - This block contains information about
a character’s Health.

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Name Game Info
Skill Tree Base Adjust Total
Athletic AG EN ST
Species Statistics Progression Points

Defining Aspects

Attributes Action
Quota Close AG FO ST
AG
Agility
FO
Focus Health Current
EN
Endurance
SP
Spirit

IN
Intellect
SE
Sense
Health Normal Health Conditions

PE
Perception
BE
Beyond
Domestic CH SE SP

ST
Strength
CH
Charisma Adjustments

Current Interaction CH SP ST

Power Normal

Current Navigation BE IN PE

Power Normal

Current
Ranged AG FO PE

Power Normal

Action Cost Check

Sensory BE FO PE

Society CH IN SE

Theory BE IN SE

Vocational EN IN SE

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 Items Extra Skills Base Adjust Total

Traits - Assets - Burdens Karma

Notes and Other Useful Information

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7
 Attributes Intangible Attributes
Intangible Attributes are aspects of a character that are
qualitative and ethereal in nature. You know they “exist”,
Attributes are the simplest and rawest expression of but can’t properly define them. Many of these attributes
what a character is capable of. They serve as the basis for are hard for others to discern, unless they are at one
Skills, TABs, and Powers. Is an agent strong or wise? A extreme or another.
charmer? Tough beyond mere mortal men? Attributes
answer these basic questions.
Focus - Coordination, concentration, and application of
The typical character has attributes within the 1- 10 the self. A measurement of a character’s control over the
range. Attributes above 10 are possible with exceptions. balance of body and mind.

Score Meaning Spirit - Courage, will, guts, fighting spirit, and/or faith.
Intangible compliment to Endurance, which measures a
0 Non-existent
character’s ability to persevere.
1 Barely noted
5 Average
Sense - The Anti-Intellect: Common sense, wisdom, and
10 Amazing
other bits of intelligence. A representation of a character’s
10+ Exceptional mind shaped by experience, hard lessons, and raw intu-
ition.
The Ten Attributes Beyond - Gut feelings, sixth senses, and beyond-the-
empirical perceptions. A character’s ability to garner useful
There are ten attributes in the D10/0 System and
information from non-empirical sources.
are arranged into two groups of five. One group is for
Tangible Attributes, while the other group is for Intangible
Attributes. Both groups contain complimenting tangible/ Charisma - “Strength” of character. A character’s
intangible pairs. ability to influence others, get attention, or inspire those to
follow the lead. Charisma isn’t tied to physical looks, but
presence.
Tangible Attributes
Tangible Attributes are aspects of a character that can
be measured in empirical ways or quantified. These are
aspects that are easier for others to notice and recognize.

Agility - Proficiency at physical control. Agility

encompasses flexibility, dexterity, speed, and motor
control.

Endurance - Physical durability and quality. This

incorporates construction, reliability, physique, and
efficiency.

Intellect - Empirical information processing ability.

Can be likened to book smarts, computational prowess, and
logical reasoning.

Perception - Ability to garner useful information from

empirical senses. Characters may have senses that give
greater range to detect from, but still rely on Perception to
make the sensory information useful. It doesn’t matter how
far you can see, if you can only process enough to pick out
one target nearby.

Strength - Physical strength and power. Strength can

determine a character’s physical force in a hit, carrying
capacity, and ability to brute force through situations.
Strength determines how hard you can hit, but not how
often.

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 Health or Damage work against a character’s Health. Settings
have means for health recovery by using natural healing,
medicines, or other procedures.
Health. Often taken for granted when you have it, not The standard Health Point recover rate per day (or the
so much when you don’t. The world a character is in can Setting equivalent) is the average between Endurance and
be unforgiving and lead to trials by fire. When things go Spirit. This amount is added to the Current Health Points
wrong, consequences happen and lead a character to be until it reaches the Normal. This rate can be doubled with
injured, get sick, or suffer more permanent disabilities. dedicated rest and relaxation, such as bed rate or staying
Despite that, injuries can be healed, sicknesses cured, and at a resort. This rate can be tripled with dedicated rest and
permanent disabilities overcome. And, it is not always bad medical care by knowledgeable professionals with plenty of
news. Health can become exceptional, so never discount a resources.
good night’s sleep and taking those extra steps to keep in
Health Conditions have their own recovery methods
good shape.
and times. While the character may feel good and be
Health is the overall well-being of a character. Health mostly functional, conditions like broken limbs and colds
Points show health in an all encompassing, number-based don’t heal overnight. Conditions recover on their own
fashion, a quantitative method. Health Conditions lists outside of what Health Points may say.
informative notes that provide details about a character’s
well-being that are specific and cannot be summed up
with numbers. Health Points have two fields: Normal Failing Health
and Current. Normal defines the typical Health points.
When a character’s Health Points fall below 0 (zero),
Current tracks the current health points.
the character is dying. A dying character can make checks
to avoid further degradation of health, but will have
difficulty performing actions. Characters that are dying are
Health Points out of the fight for all practical purposes. While characters
The standard method for starting Normal Health may be conscious and aware of events happening, any
Points for a player character is to take the average of a significant actions risk harming themselves more and are
character’s Endurance and Spirit, then multiply it by 10. done at great difficulty. Most characters at this point prefer
The Current equals the Normal at the beginning. to find a place to hide, or just want to lay down and not
Normal Health Points can increase by spending move for some time.
Progression Points. The standard increase by using Death
Progression Points is the average between Endurance and
Spirit (rounded up). Add this amount to the Normal health After passing a negative health point threshold, the
points to get the new Normal. character dies. This threshold is the negative value of a
charater’s Normal Health Points. What exactly “death”
The Health Range or “Dramatic Existential Alteration of Theoretical
Current In extraordinary Health, and may Happenings” means for a character is explained by the
Exceptional above setting. Death can be permanent or just an alternative state
Normal degrade over time. of being.
Current Typical Health Point level.
Normal is
Normal Average, everyday healthiness.
Current Suffering from Health Conditions
Injured below
Normal or received Damage.

On the Current On the edge between stable and

is
Brink 0 (Zero) Failing Health.
Current Health is failing and can develop
Dying below
0 (Zero) detrimental conditions.
Current Dead: Non-functional, moved on,
Dead below
-Normal ceased life functions.

Keeping Healthy
There are many things in the game universe that can
keep a character from having good health. Normal healthy
activities may not be enough when Health Conditions

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 Skills that all character have by default. The Base Rating for a
root skill comes from adding the attributes indicated by
abbreviations next to the skill. Two of these attributes are
A character will be tested at some point. A character’s circled to indicate they are major contributors and they are
actions sometimes require skill and checks based on these added twice when getting a Base Rating.
skills find out if and how they happen. Is the lock deftly A branch skill grows from either a root or another
picked in time or does it jam from incompetence? Does the branch skill and gains its Base Rating from the parent skill’s
character quietly creep around the courtyard without being Total Rating. Branch skills are written under their parent
detected or easily spotted by the first spotlight? Does the skill to reinforce this relationship.
character decipher that key phase out of the ancient texts On the character sheet there are three columns after a
that warns of the troubles to be faced in the next adventure? skill name. These fields are the different ratings of a skill.
Skills start out broad and general. Later on, a
character’s skill set becomes focused and branches out into
Skill Fields
refinement. A character can put forth effort to develop a
Base Starting rating in a skill. Derived from
broad skill set or focus down branches of skills to specific Base Rating Attributes or parent’s Total rating.
mastery. Either way, a character can develop skills through
using them in impressive ways or spend Progression Points Adjusted Changes in skill rating. The value
Adjust Rating determines the cost for an increment.
to carefully develop them.
Total Determined by adding Base and
Total
Using Skills (Rolling the dice) Rating Adjust ratings.
Skills use d100 or hundred sided die rolls. When an
Action requires a Skill Check, two ten-sided dice are rolled, Skill Points
with one die representing the ten’s position and the other Skill Points change a character’s Adjust rating. The cost
the one’s position. The number from the roll is compared to increase a rating depends on the current rating. Skill
to the Total rating of the skill. The difference between the points can be bought with Progression Points or granted by
two determines the result. Please refer to “Actions - Using the GM. When a player buys skill points with Progressional
Actions” section for more information. Points, he or she selects a root skill and receives skill points
Mechanically, all skills are treated the same when used. equal to the sum of the two major contributing attributes
When an Action needs a check, the best and most relevant of the root skill. These points can be used on the root skill
skill is found, the roll is made, and then compared to that or any skill branching from it. When a GM rewards skill
skill’s Total Rating. Judgement calls about which is skill points, they can either be directed towards a specific skill
is the most appropriate are left to the setting’s material, or a collection of skills. Skills points not directed towards a
players, and utilimately the Game Master to decide. specific skill can be saved and applied at a later time. These
reserve skill points are noted on the character sheet off
Roots and Branches to the side next to the skills or in the Notes section of the
The D10/0 Skill system makes use of a Skill Tree of sheet.
Root and Branch skills. There are ten root skills: Athletic, As the Adjust rating for a skill increases, the cost to
Close, Domestic, Interaction, Navigation, Ranged, increase the rating increases. For every 10 points in the
Sensory, Society, Theory, and Vocational. These root skills adjusted rating the skill point cost doubles.
are common to all characters and are always available.
They serve as the roots for new skills to grow from. Branch Exchange Rate
skills are skills the grow from another skill. These branch
Adjusted
skills are focused specializations of the parent skill. A
Rating
00 - 09 10 - 19 20 - 29 30 - 39 40 - 49
branch skill will have smaller set of things it pertains to in
comparison to the skill it branched from. Branch skills with Increment 1 Skill 2 Skill 4 Skill 8 Skill 16 Skill
the same parent specialize in different ways and don’t deal Cost Point Points Points Points Points
with the same things.
The Skill Tree that can develop depends on the setting. Skill Trees
Heavier settings could have a huge Master Skill Tree When a character starts out during creation, they start
that shows all the skills available and their arrangement. out with only the root skills. Skill points allow a player to
Broader trees grant more choices and deeper trees grant craft a skill tree of skills by buying skills that branch off the
more options for specialization. Lighter settings improvise roots and other branch skills.
and go with what the players and Game Master decides
is sensible enough. So long as the new branch skills are Initial Skill Tree Base Adjust Total
refinements of the previous, the on-the-fly approach can Root Skill 10 5 15
work well.
When a character has skills points, the player may
Skill Rating and Fields purchase a new branch skill by spending 1 skill point. This
The ten root skills on the character sheet are skills new branch gets its Base rating from the Total of its root.

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 Skill Tree Base Adjust Total Skill Improvement
Root Skill 10 5 15 Events in the game may prompt the Game Master
Branch Skill A1 15 1 16 to reward skill points. While Progression Points can
buy skill points, it may be prudent to reward exceptional
A player may decide to purchase another Branch uses of skills directly. There are many reasons for Game
skill off of either the root or the existing branch skill. For Masters to reward skill points to a player’s character: Good
example, the player could have bought one off of each. effective use of a skill that demonstrates developing ability.
Entertaining failures of a skill that showcase a lesson well
learned. And significant effort towards development
Skill Tree Base Adjust Total through education by the character or others. Most of these
Common Root Skill 10 5 15 examples justify a 1 skill point reward once a session.
Branch Skill A1 15 1 16 Other examples that are more extraordinary are
Branch Skill B1 16 1 17 Creative Extension, Masterful Repetition, and Surprising
Branch Skill A2 15 1 16 Discovery. These are major events that should warrant up
to 5 skills points.
This process can be repeated so long as a player has Skill point rewards can be specific to a skill or a branch
skill points to spend and there are relevant branch Skills of skills. This depends on if a particular skill was use solely
available to purchase. Skill trees rarely branch greater than or if a collection of skills was used to justify the reward.
five skills deep because skill specialization after a point
is not significant enough to justify a new branch skill. As Creative Extension - Using a skill in way either a unique,
shown, root and branch skills can have many skills that unusual, or envelope pushing manner.
branch off from them.
Example
Skill Point Spending They haven’t seen him. The other warriors are too busy
Skill Points can be spent in a variety of ways when looking for signs of which way the he went. He leans out enough
to see they are grouped together talking. He’s tired and worn
working with skill trees. One option is to spend points
from running and battling, but feels he can manage one more
to create a focused branching of skills that grants a high
Flash Strike. There too many warriors around for that to be of
overall rating to a very specific skill. In this example, this any use, unless... The very large oak tree; he notices how tall
grants an excellent Total rating for the Branch D skill with and massive it is. More importantly, he sees that it could easily
an efficient skill point cost. The drawback is lower ratings land on top of his pursuers. One Flash Strike, one very large oak
the further the charater has to fall back on parent skills tree, and one chance for a clean escape. He carefully sets up for
(Branch C, Branch B, Branch A, and the Root) because the the Flash Strike behind the tree to making sure to keep himself
branches are not applicable. hidden. A silvery ghosted arc appears and disappears before
him, intersecting the tree through. The great oak quietly moves
towards the his enemies. Not even the cracking or splintering
Focused Example Base Adjust Total of wood from the trunk is heard; a very clean strike. At only
Root Skill 0 10 10 the last moment, a warrior notices the odd growing sound of
Branch A 10 10 20 rustling leaves descending upon him. Not even enough time to
warn the others. The victor chuckles and runs off, figuring they
Branch B 20 10 30
had other more “pressing” problems than he.
Branch C 30 10 40
Branch D 40 10 50
Focused rating avoiding the higher exchange rates. Masterful Repetition - Practice makes perfect.
Dedication breeds excellence. Sometimes dedicated
Another option is spending points in one skill. The repetition will do the job of creatively twisting knowledge or
increasing skill point costs prevent it from getting the same uncovering something hidden inside.
high Total rating as the Focused Example. But, the key
benefit is that there is no cost to falling back since you can’t Example
falback any further. Hence, General Example provides After every mission and even after every meal, she goes
a decent overall general Total rating at higher skill point through her routine. Everyone just shrugs. That’s the way she
costs. is. She’s dedicated to her goal. The next step of her martial arts
training is to shatter a plank of wood with a single punch. At the
end of her routine, she prepares a single board. She stares at the
General Example Base Adjust Total board with a focused gaze that has yet to slice the plank in half,
Common Root Skill 0 25 25 much to everyone’s surprise. Every part of her body is ready for
For broad rating at the cost of higher exchange rates. the next move. She’s done this punch many times. Every time,
she has looked at an intact board afterwards. Everything is set.
These two examples show the extremes when applying She goes through the motions as every part of her body moves in
a fluid, flowing manner. The fist comes into flush contact with
skill points in a skill tree. Fifty skill points are used in both
board. At first, it all feels all too familiar. Then, something feels
examples. different. The wooden plank bows under the force and at the
apex fractures in two. For the first time, she can follow through

11
 the punch with a sense of accomplishment. A wry smirk on her Example branches: Driving, Riding, Charting, and Locate
face, “I guess I’ll need two boards for now on.”

Ranged
Surprising Discovery - Whether it is luck, natural talent, Contributing Attributes: Agility, Focus, Perception
or dormant skill, one can discover unexpected proficiency. Combative from a distance. Ranged combat.
Maybe it was a fluke, but one can’t argue with the results. Example branches: Bows, Slingshots, Firearms, Plasma
Cannons, and even Throw Rock.
Example
Pinned down under gun fire, he’s not the combative type.
Never fired a gun in his life. The enemy is getting closer as Sensory
the time between the cracks of gunfire and the thuds of bullets Contributing Attributes: Beyond, Focus, Perception
hitting the dirt around him get too close to distinguish anymore. Knowledge of environment, exploration, and manipulation
Something needs to happen. A rifle before him from a fallen of sensory perceptions.
soldier, he takes it. Loaded and ready to fire, at least to the Example branches: Scouting, Spying, Sneaking,
best of his knowledge. His back up against the retaining wall
Camouflage, and Detection.
providing him cover, he psyches himself up for the last stand.
They won’t take him alive, neither by his request or theirs. He
stands up, rifle seeking a target, and letting out his best battle Society
cry. The next moments seem to last forever in his mind as the Contributing Attributes: Charisma, Intellect, Sense
rifle finds its first mark. A gentle squeeze of the trigger, a clean Understanding of cultures, languages, methods,
follow through with the recoil, and an enemy drops. The muzzle
mannerisms, and politics of civilizations in the present and
of the gun pans to the next surprised enemy, a faint smoke trail
tracing the path. Another squeeze of the trigger, the recoil past.
ejects a spent casing, and another enemy falls backwards. With Example branches: Bureaucracy , Customs, Etiquette,
cold calculated precision, iron sights line up on the final, now Local Politics, and Russian.
confused, threat. His body engages in a strange automation
resulting in the final foe slumping to the side of road. Still
standing and can’t fathom why, he looks to see if reinforcements
Theory
Contributing Attributes: Beyond, Intellect, Sense
had come. He is alone. “Did I do this? ... ... ... My God. I did.”
Higher level knowledge, academic, and scholarly activities.
Example branches: History, geology, mathematics,
The Basic Skills engineering, and similar.
Athletic
Contributing Attributes: Agility, Endurance, Strength Vocational
Non-combative, physical activities Contributing Attributes: Endurance, Intellect, Sense
Example branches: Endurance Running, Gymnastics, Industrial activities, professions, jobs, and other
Weight Lifting, Sports, Yoga, and similar physical activities. applications of knowledge.
Example branches: Welding, Carpentry, Paramedic,
Close Electrician, and Engineer.
Contributing Attributes: Agility, Endurance, Strength
Up close and combative, or Close quarters combat.
Example branches: Blades, Sticks, Brass Knuckles, Kung
Fu, and even groin kicks.

Domestic
Contributing Attributes: Charisma, Sense, Spirit
Activities that aren’t industrial in nature.
Example branches: Household chores, art and crafts, many
hobbies, and amateur activities.

Interaction
Contributing Attributes: Charisma, Spirit, Strength
Activities, experiences, and knowledge about interacting
with others.
Example branches: Trading, Negotiation, Diplomacy, and
even Intimidation.

Navigation
Contributing Attributes: Beyond, Intellect, Perception
Skills that relate to movement, navigation, piloting, control,
and positioning.

12
 TAB Powers
TAB stands for Traits, Assets, and Burdens. TAB’s Powers are abilities that function outside of TAB’s,
describe the special abilities, advantages, disadvantages, Skills, and Attributes, and allow a character to perform
or conditional aspects of a character. TAB’s are tangible actions reliant upon special rules. Powers can implement
and measurable. Traits are neutral or balanced, related special abilities, unique professional aspects, magic
aspects that are bundled together. Assets are advantageous systems, natural abilities, and other mechanics that Skills,
and provide a benefit for the character. Burdens are TAB’s, or Attributes can not represent. Powers can be
disadvantageous and provide a detriment for the character. purely independent rule sets or depend upon Skills, TAB’s,
Attributes, or even Karma to function.
Traits provide matter-of-fact aspects or balanced
benefits and penalties to a character. Traits are usually Power Points is a currency used by Powers to control
self-contained packages of aspects that balance out the their use. Similar to Health Points, power points have a
good and bad. For example, a character could have the Normal and Current value. Normal represents the typical
trait “Long Tail” that reduces difficulty when balancing but number available and Current tracks the power points
increases difficulty when concealing identity and presents currently available. The Normal and Current values for
something to grab in hand to hand combat. The benefit is power points depends on the rules of the powers.
kept in check by the issues.
Traits can be granted during character creation or Powers make use of Functions upon power points:
bought later with Progression Points, if applicable. “Need”, “Gain”, “Drain”, and “Hold”.
“Need” checks to see if there are enough current power
Assets provide tangible benefits to a character. points.
Assets are often designed to be tiered, have costs, and/ “Gain” adds to current power points.
or requirements to regulate their benefits. Assets can be “Drain” subtracts from current power points.
acquired during character creation or bought later with “Hold” reserves power points and prevents Drain from
Progression Points. being used on them.
Assets can be as simple as conditional Attribute boosts,
be part of a greater rule-set for Powers, or have their own Example Power: Marksman Focus
rules. For example, a character could have the Asset A exceptionally trained marksman can develop refined
“Super Speed”. This Assets grants them the Power “Super abilities that put him or her above your average soldier.
Speed” and explains what abilities and how to use them. Or Using exceptional focus and perception, a marksman can
another example is “The Voice” which allows a character to perform brief feats of seemingly inhuman accuracy.
effectively double their Charisma score for a check once a Power Points - Normal: Average of Focus and
day to use raw Charisma to manipulate the masses. Perception
Power Points - Current: Starts at Normal. Gain
Burdens provide tangible detriments to a character. one point an hour rested until Normal reached.
Burdens are often designed to be tiered, have rewards, and/
or requirements to regulate their detriments. Burdens can Action - Snap Shot: Drain 1
acquired during character creation or later in the game. The Marksman can quickly take a shot quicker than
Burdens may be taken during the game to gain Progression normal with no change in accuracy. The next ranged
Points and/or as consequence to actions. For example, attack’s Action Quota cost is reduced by 1.
“One Arm” could be obtained after a grievous combat
injury destroyed a character’s arm. Or a character may Action - “That’s an easy shot!”: Drain 1+X
receive “Curse - Chronic Ailment” for the multitude of sins The Marksman’s extreme focus can grant them the
commited by the character that lead to crossing the wrong ability to make the calculations for the next shot in a
person. Burdens can even be “bought” off depending on the manner to reduce difficulty. The next Ranged attack is
setting. made with a 10 point difficulty reduction and additional
power points may be spent to grant an additional 10 points
While specific TABs rely upon setting material, light per power point spent.
settings can use improvisations to provide character
definition. Traits like “Type A-Personality” allows a Example: Spirit Shaman
character reduced difficulty (-1 / -10) in assertively By controlling the spirits that live in the world beyond-
convincing people to see things his way but increased but-nearby, the Spirit Shaman can perform feats of the
difficulty when trying to be kind or considerate. (+1/+10) supernatural to aid his or her quests.
The “That Didn’t Hurt” Asset provides a -1F Adjustment Power Points - Normal: Equal to Spirit.
to all damage. The “Space Cadet” Burden doubles the Power Points - Current: Starts out equal to Spirit,
difficulty for any Focus checks made to get the character’s Gain 1 point for every round concentrating.
attention when distracted. Simple mechanics and
descriptive names are recommended. Action - Barrier Shield: Need 3, Hold 3

13
 A quick incantation to the spirits (1 Action Quota directed by the Setting.
point) and the shaman can summon a moderate sized
energy shield that is held by the hand. The shield presents Reputation Stances are small notes about a
a defensive 25 difficulty that protects the shaman from character’s standing with various entities in the game’s
attacks. Any attacks that are prevented because of the universe. The subject or target of these stances can be
shield’s difficulty contact the shield. The shield blocks up to the character directly or indirectly, another character, an
25 points of damage before failing. When the shield fails, organization, or a large generalization. Reputation Stances
a Focus check determines if the Power Points held for the can be earned by activities in the game. A character
shield are kept or drained. may have performed a variety of errands reliably for a
number of people in a town. That character becomes the
Action - Spirit Lance: Need 1, Hold X or Drain X target of a reputation stance as being “Reliable” to the
If the shaman has the strength, he or she can focus town. Reputation Stances can already exist well before
energies into a projection of force at a target. This costs the character is even created in the game. A character
2 Action Quota points and makes use of the Ranged -> of a particular species not held in high regard may have
Shaman -> Energy Projection skill. If the projected energy difficulty with doing anything in the town as they are quite
misses it is release from the hold to the shaman next round. “Bigoted” towards the character.
If the projected energy hits, it is drained from the shaman These Reputation Stances can change due to game
and does a number of dies of damage equal to the power events. A character can become “Vindicated” by new,
points invested. shocking evidence of a crime being revealed to the public.
The people who regarded the character as a “Criminal” will
Karma change their stances towards the character with the new
evidence coming to light.
Karma in the D10/0 is a summation of how the game
universe regards a character. This can be deeds done,
significant events experienced, or reputations. Karma is
established at character creation and changed by events in
game.

Karma doesn’t give number based tweaks to a

character, but adds aspects that affect the game’s universe
in relation to the character. They can be goals or obstacles
to overcome. Karma can also deal with a character’s
reputation with individuals, groups, towns, organizations,
or even entire species. Karma can change in reaction to
circumstances presented during the game.

While implementation is very dependent on the

Setting, Karma make use of Karma Marks and Reputation
Stances.

Karma Marks are bits of information that outline

a character’s experiences, history, current situations,
and future circumstances. A character could have been a
witness to a traumatic event when young, and it has left a
mark on them that still affects them. Situations that are
similar to the traumatic event could resonate with that
character and greatly influence decisions. Playing these
karma marks out can be the goal of the game or could
reward the character with Progression Points.
A character who has served in the military may share
an unspoken kinship with other military personnel that
served in the same conflicts. This gives the character more
unique opportunities to talk to people that wouldn’t be
as forth coming to other characters. A character could be
Cursed by some old gypsy hex that makes the universe
occasionally force the character to answer for past wrongs.
This could have the character running into those he or she
has wronged in the past and spark a new problems.
Karma marks can change because of game events as

14
 Actions appropriate. It can add a dynamic element to the game so
the final results of actions occur in finer degrees rather than
strictly being pass or fail.
An Action is any activity a character has in the game
universe. Most actions just happen. Only significant
actions get extra attention. Actions can be subject to Degree Information
a Check, which is a combination of dice rolls and goal Positive Negative
Difficulty
numbers to determine if and how an Action occurs. Actions Degree Degree
done during a Strict Period are subject to an Action Point
cost. 0 Average Miss Miss
Almost
1(10) Tricky Minor Success
Using Actions Successful
Actions start when declared by the player when 2(20) Challenge Noted Success Noted Failure
allowed. Some actions have Checks to determine how well
or even if they are performed. The most common checks 3(30) Hard Well Done Fouled Up
are based on either attributes or skills. If an action can
feasibly use a skill, it usually does. Otherwise, it uses an 4(40) Worrisome Like a Pro Complete Klutz
attribute.
Dice and Rolling 5(50) Improbable Amazing FUBAR
Checks are resolved with two ten-sided dice. Checks Awe-Inspiring Awe-Inspiring
make use of roll-under mechanics. 6(60) Impossible? for all the right for all the wrong
• 1 x Ten Sided (0 - 9) - Single die for attribute checks. reasons reasons
Single or multiple dies for damage.
• 2 x Ten Sided (0 - 99) - Skill checks: A die represents Consolations and Agitations
the ones and a die represents the tens. Successes and failures are not always so absolute.
Sometimes when a character’s effort is great in the face
Degrees and Difficulty of great difficulty, they’ll still fail. But can receive some
When a check is made, either a d10 or d100 is rolled. Consolations. And sometimes when a character’s effort
The rolled number is compared to the attribute or skill is so poor for a ridiculously easy task, they’ll still succeed.
score. The difference between is considered the Degree of But this causes some Agitations. These are meant to add
Effort. another dimension to checks and provide side effects.
(Score) - (Roll) = Degree of Effort Consolations are beneficial side effects from a check.
While, these side effects don’t ultimately change the
The Degree of Effort determines the quality of effort overall bad result of the check to good, they can serve to
towards a character’s action. Positive effort is good, aid subsequent checks, alter the situation favorably, and
negative effort is bad, and neutral (0) effort is a miss. add other factors to reward the great effort put forth by the
Misses are when either canceling amounts of good and bad character.
happen or when neither good or bad happens. The greater Agitations are detrimental side effects from a check.
the degree of effort the greater the results are, both good or While, these sides effects don’t ultimately change the
bad. overall good result of the check to bad, they can serve to
The Degree of Effort does not immediately indicate a hinder subsequent checks, make the situation worse, and
success or failure. The effort is compared to a Difficulty add other factors to punish the terrible effort put forth by
number either known to the player or only known to the the character.
Game Master. If the effort is greater than the difficulty, the Overall, Consolations and Agitations should be
action is successful. If the effort is less than the difficulty, used when there are many other factors and variables
the action is a failure. If the effort is equal to the difficulty, surrounding a check that could and should be addressed.
the action is a miss. Average difficulty with no bonuses or And they can also be used to reward great efforts that fell
penalties is a “0”. ever so close to the goal and punish efforts that came way
For some actions, the Degree of Success or the Degree too close to failure.
of Failure can be measured.

(Degree of Effort) - (Difficulty) = Degree of Cumulative Effort

Success/Failure Some tasks are either so complicated, intricate, or
extensive that they require a lot of effort to complete. Many
If the result from the equation is still positive, it is a actions may be required to complete these big tasks. To
Degree of Success. If it is a negative, it a Degree of Failure. faciliate these situations, a cumulative total of effort is
With an average difficulty of “0”, the Degree of Effort be maintained between checks. This total can increase or
considered the degree of success or failure. This additional decrease depending on the results of efforts. Often the
metric adds overhead, so it should be used only when effort total is only increased, but for tasks where failures
can postpone or undo, bad efforts can subtract from the

15
 total. When the total meets or exceeds a goal number, the towards it and finished when the total points used toward
task is considered complete. the action reaches the cost. A piece of machinery could be
This is an advanced mechanic that introduces more very complex and require a bit of effort to use. Hence, it
complexity and bookkeeping. It is recommended that it may have a high action quota cost. The character using the
be reserved for significant tasks and situations. Smaller machinery would use action points from one round to start
goals (10/100) are useful for creating tension in dangerous and use points from subsequent rounds cumulatively to
situations. Larger goals (100+/1000+) are useful for long meet the cost.
term, complicated projects that require investment.
Action points can be reserved to perform reactions
Cooperative Effort when the initiative is elsewhere.
Some tasks can be approached with cooperative actions
made by multiple characters. With these tasks, the effort The Action Quota is determined by taking the average
from character actions can be applied in different ways to of Agility and Focus.
accomplish the goal easier. If two characters are directly
helping each other, the resulting efforts from their actions This is an example of action quota costs.
can be totaled together. If two agents are helping each
• Moving (Carefully), 1 meter 1 Action Point
other indirectly, the assisting character’s actions can reduce • Crawling Prone, 1 meter 2 Action Points
the difficulty of the task. • Drawing a weapon 1 Action Points
• Changing Stance (Carefully) 1 Action Points
• Running Agility value in meters 1 Action Points
Conflicting Effort • Reloading a Magazine 2 Action Points
When the actions of two characters conflict, their • Simple Close Attack 2 Action Points
efforts contest each other. For these situations, characters • Simple Ranged Attack 2 Action Points
take the resulting efforts from their actions and compare
them. The greater effort is considered successful. If more Action point cost are roughly based on the number
information is desired, Degrees of Success/Failure, and of “verbs” in an action. For example “Move”, “Run”, and
Consolations and Agitations can be derived during this “Draw” each cost one action point. A simple ranged attack
comparison. usually has two verbs: “Aim” and “Shoot”. Hence, a simple
ranged attack cost two action points. For each major
verb in an action or activity, it costs one action point. To
Overflow gauge the cost, examine the whole activity. For example,
When a roll from a check results in a number at either
reloading a revolver with a speed loader involves: Open,
end of a check’s range, “0” or “9” for 0 - 9 range checks
Clear, Load, and Ready. This would cost four action points.
and “00” or “99” for 00 - 99 range checks, an Overflow
Reloading without a speed loader may take quite some time
is possible. Depending on the context the check, another
longer depending on the setting.
roll is made after the degree of effort for the first roll is
calculated. If the first roll was a “0” or “00” only a positive
Action point cost can be modified with use of adverbs.
effort will be added from the second roll to the first. If
To “crawl” would be one action point, but to “crawl prone”
the first roll was a “9” or “99” only a negative effort from
would be two action points. A simple ranged attack ( “Aim”
the second roll will be added to the first. This process can
and “Shoot”) would be normally two action points, but a
repeat if another qualifying number is rolled.
careless ranged attack (“Shoot”) would cost only one action
This rule is optional and should only be applied if the
point. The use of adverbs changes bonuses or penalties to
context and circumstances of the check allow. Also, in
actions. An adverb that makes an action take more action
some situations, it is mathematically impossible to overflow
points could grant bonuses, while an adverb that makes an
in a particular direction. A character with a “10” attribute
action take less actions could cause penalties.
cannot overflow badly when a “9” is rolled on a check.
Hence, the overflow is omitted. When a character’s skill is
great, the bonus degree of effort from a positive overflow
may be moot in comparison to an already sufficient effort. Action Timing
But, it is understandable to roll this overflow for bragging There are two types of periods: Free and Strict.
rights and to find out the degree of overkill for a check.
Free Periods are when time is plentiful. Nothing
Action Quota forces careful tracking of actions and time. Action quota
The Action Quota gauges what a character can do and costs are not observed.
represents the usable increments of activity within a time
period. A character can use Actions Points towards actions Strict Periods are when time and actions need to
with costs. be accurately tracked and organized. Combat uses strict
A character is not limited to the action points from a periods. Strict periods are often used in tense situations
single round and can allot following rounds towards actions where the timing of actions can determine success or
with high costs. The action is started when points are used failure. Actions during strict periods cost Action Points.
Strict periods are divided into smaller Rounds. Within

16
these rounds, the Initiative shifts between all involved
and the round ends when the last participant has had the
initiative. Initiative determines when someone is allowed
to use action points to initiate actions. Strict periods can
contain many rounds with each round representing a
period of time. The standard length is 10 seconds.

Strict Period Structure

Round 1 2 3 4
Agent Agent Agent Agent Agent Agent Agent Agent
Initiative 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2

At the start of the strict period’s first round, the

character to receive initiative first is determined. The
standard method orders characters by highest action quota,
descending. Characters that tie can go simultaneously,
if feasible, with conflicting actions settled by checks as
they occur. If this is not possible, the tied characters
make checks against their Action Quota and the order is
determined from the results. When a character gets the
initiative, the action quota is refilled. Once that participant
chooses how to use action points, the actions are performed
and the initiative shifts to the next agent. This process
repeats in a cycle fashion until the strict period is over.

During an Agent’s Initiative

1. Receive initiative
2. Refresh action quota
3. Allot action points to actions initiated in previous
round
4. Allot action points to new actions
5. Perform actions
6. Reserve action points for Reactions
7. Pass initiative on

Bypass
Bypass is when a player decides to postpone taking
the Initiative until later in the turn. Sometimes when a
player is suppose to get Initative there is nothing useful
they can do at the moment. In this situation they can
bypass their Initiate until a later time, and even interrupt
before Initiative goes to someone else. This can be used
to strategically cooperate with other characters to perform
simultaneous actions or to interrupt at key moments.
While similar to a Reaction, this allows for an character to
take their full turn rather an a single reaction.

Reactions
Reactions are actions done by character that does not
have initiative in reponse to circumstances. Characters can
react to another’s action when they have enough remaining
action points and there is a viable reason. Reactions can
be proactive and declared beforehand on a character’s
initiative, which allows one to react immediately when the
conditions are met. Checks may be needed in situations
where there is a conflict of timing between two actions.
For example, if a character was expecting to shoot another
coming through the door, but the target was expecting this
and was ready to shoot first upon entry.

17
 DAT 3D(ST)
Variable Notation Examples
3 dies limited by Strength
DAT is three closely related components: Damage, 4D 4 dies of damage
Adjustment, and Threat. Damage is the direct negative, 2KD 2 Kilo-dies of damage
detrimental effect upon a character’s Health. This can 2MD(ST) 2 Mega-dies of damage limited by Strength
be Health Point damage or negative Health Conditions. 1D(CH) 1 dies of damage limited by Charisma
Damage often comes from weapons. Health conditions
can have damaging effects to a character which can be Damage Examples
permanent or temporary. Adjustment alters damage by
Threat Flat Variable
changing the amount. Threats are actions that can produce
Punch 0 1D(ST)
damage.
Pistol 5 1D
Damage Knife 0 2D(ST)
Health point damage has two factors: Flat and
Sledge Hammer 10 2D(ST)
Variable. Flat damage is a static amount. Variable damage
is an amount determined by rolling ten-sided dice. These Rifle 10 2D
dies can have their maximum amount “Limited” or have Energy Pistol 10 3D
other things done to model Threats. Notation can make Sniper Rifle 15 3D
use of metric prefixes when needed to indicate different Energy Rifle 20 4D
classes of damage.
Flat damage is the static components of a Threat, such
as the platform a weapon is based on. A rifle is going to
Adjustment
Adjustment changes damage. A character may
have a higher flat damage than a pistol due to the platform
have multiple adjustments that can stack and/or work
design. Heavy weight melee weapons may have a high flat
for different types damage. There are two types of
damage, since the mass of the weapon is more of a threat
adjustments: Flat and Repeating.
than the force of the user powering it.
Flat adjustments reduce or increase damage by a fixed
Variable damage often comes from the power behind
amount. Repeating adjustments reduce or increase damage
the Threat. For firearms, this is the type of round the gun
by a variable amount. For every 10 points of damage,
fires. A 9mm may only cause 1D, while a .44 Magnum may
the repeating adjustment applies to the total damage.
cause 2D, and 7.62mm NATO may cause 4D. For melee
Adjustments are processed in the order specified by their
weapons, this is the force the user puts into the weapon
notation from left to right. Flat adjustments are denoted
and how it is utilized. While a sword may be light, the
by a “F” after the number and repeating adjustments are
sharpness of the edge and the force behind it can cause
denoted by a “R” after the number.
multiple dies of damage, such 4D(ST), or 4 dies of damage
limited by Strength. This means that the maximum any die Adjustment Notation Examples
can roll is the Strength attribute score. -10F -2R -10 points flat and -2 for every 10 points
Notation depicts the damage from a threat: Static and -5R -5 points for every 10 points
Variable elements, Limitations, and Prefixes. Some Threats 1R +1 points for every 10 points
produce damage on whole different scale than normal. 5F -1R +5 points flat and -1 for every 10 points
For example, a handgun’s damage is hard to compare -1R -10F -1 points for every 10 points and -10 flat
the destruction of a tank’s main cannon and both are on
difference scales of damage. To support having different Adjustments are used to simulate the effects of armor,
classes of threats, metric prefixes help simplify damage TABs, and Powers. Hard armors that rely upon deflection
calculations. The prefix indicates the scale the die of and absorbing damage translate into Flat Adjustments.
damage is on. So while a handgun damage may be 5 + 1D, Soft armors that rely upon dispersing damage translate into
the tank’s main cannon is 5K +1KD or 5 Kilo + 1 Kilo-Die Repeating Adjustments. Certain TABs and Powers may
of Damage. The use of the prefix Kilo, indicates that the causes weaknesses or sensitivities in characters and can
tank’s main cannon is operating on a scale that’s roughly a actually increase the damage received.
1000 times stronger than the handgun.

Note About Zeros: A die can never roll a “0” or Threat

no damage. When a “0” is rolled, it means the die does Actions that can produce damage are Threats. Threats
maximum damage. Usually, the maximum damage each only cause damage when they are fully resolved.
die can cause is 10. Some circumstances, such as high
degrees of success in an attack or attacks that target critical The Threat Process
areas, can allow for Damage Overflows. Similar to Attribute 1. Action becomes a threat
or Skill check Overflows, the die is rolled again and the 2. Threatened targets determined
maximum damage for that die is added to the new roll. 3. Nature of the threat altered by other actions
4. Resolved threat produces damage, if any
This process can repeat, if another “0” is rolled.
5. Damage delivered and adjustments applied

18
 the desired threat. Burst Fire weapons have a single AP
Being Threatened Cost. Streaming Fire weapons have many AP Costs that
A group of adventurers are out to deal with a rowdy indicate the possible damage that can threaten targets
bunch of giants. One of the giants flings a boulder at one of based on how long a weapon is directed at the target.
the adventurers called “Bob”. The flung boulder is a threat.
Now Bob is Threatened. Unless Bob does something to get Spread determines how the Degree of Effort/Success
out of the way of the boulder or to change the nature of the from a Skill Check can alter the threat produced. Spreads
threat, he’s going to receive the attack unhindered. In this have Steps that Effort results from Skill Checks can reside
case, it is a very large rock hurled at high speeds towards within. The ranges (separated by “-”) and notations
him. (greater than “>”, less than“<”, equals “=”) in each spread
Determining the Nature of the Threat shows what resulting efforts applies for that step. If the
Janet is in a fire fight with the local fuzz. Seeing an effort can’t be placed into a step, the action has failed
opportunity, she gets out of cover and unloads her MP5 and doesn’t produce any threat. The size of step can vary
submachine gun in the direction of an officer. She rolls well in relation to the precision and accuracy of a weapon.
enough and threatens the officer significantly. Due to the Some weapons have a simple one step spread. Burst Fire
chaotic nature of burst firing a large number of rounds in weapons often use a number of steps derived from a rate
a short period of time, we have to determine how many of of fire to simulate the number of rounds being shot. With
those rounds come into contact with the officer to resolve the more rounds being shot, the possible damage increases,
the nature of the threat. Then, the damage the officer but an increased effort is required to put more shots toward
receives can be determined. the target due to recoil. Blast Fire weapons will operate
similarly, but will instead simulate the increased effort
Advanced Simulations towards concentrating more damage.
Advanced Simulations are rules to handle Damage,
Adjustments, and/or Threats that are not straight forward Amount shows how many attacks threaten a target
to determine. Some weapons and armors operate in a based on Spread and/or AP Cost. This can be a flat or
complicated manner and require additional systems to variable amount for either all or individual Spread Steps
properly simulate. This section has a few examples of such or AP Costs. Single shot actions often have only have one
Advanced Simulations to showcase how these can handled. entry for all components of the block. Burst Fire weapons
often have multiple flat amounts per spread step or can
WARNING: These are optional and are provided to even have variable amounts that are dependant on the AP
aid designers and players alike in figuring out simulations Cost.
to use in the game. Using these can quickly complicate
actions in a game and make actions take longer than Damage shows the amount of damage an action can
normal. So, please use with great care. produce. This can be a single field that applies one damage
notation to the entire action or even individual shots. It
Advanced Action Simulation Block can also vary per spread step, amount, and/or AP cost.
The Advanced Action Simulation Block contains the Burst Fire weapons will often have one damage notation for
information required to use an Action of a weapon with each successful shot indicated by the amount. Blast Fire
advanced simulation rules to determine threat. There are weapons have different notations depending on the spread
a few components to the block. A Title that indicates the step. Streaming Fire weapons have different damage
name of the action. The AP Cost indicates the how many notations dependent on the AP Cost. It is recommended to
action points are required based on the desired threat. avoid using variable damage on weapons that can have high
A Spread indicates how Skill Check Degrees of Effort/ Amounts to avoid excessive rolling.
Success can affect the resulting threat. The Amount shows
how many attacks (often shots) successfully threaten a Burst Fire
target. The Damage determines the resulting damage from Burst Fire weaponry operates by firing a number of
previous factors: AP Cost, Spread, and Amount. shots in succession in a short time. Some Burst Fire actions
have a set number of shots while others can vary. The
primary benefit that comes from Burst Fire is the increased
Title chance to hit targets multiple times because of the number
AP Cost (B + X) (B + X)’ (B + X)’’ of shots fired.

Spread > -S 1 - 10 11 - +S’

Three Shot Burst
Amount A A’ A’’
AP Cost 3 (2 base cost + 1)
Damage (F + VD) (F + VD)’ (F + VD)’’
Spread > -10 >0 > +10
AP Cost indicates how many Action Points must be Amount 1 2 3
allocated to perform the action. This cost can be a universal
cost that applies to the whole action or vary depending on
Damage 10 + 2D per shot

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 The Three Round Burst fires three shots from a
weapon. There is only a single Action Point cost. It has a
Shotgun Blast
three step spread. The purpose of the three shot burst is AP Cost 3
to not only get more shots fired, but slightly increase the
odds of hitting. Hence the spread starts out in the negative
Spread > -10 >0 > 20
effort range. This allows a character whose shot is a slightly Amount 1
off to at least get one successful hit. The amount shows
how many shots hit depending on the spread. Damage
Damage 5 + 1D 10 + 2D 15 + 3D
is applied for each successful shot. It uses both flat and
variable damage because the number of shots is low enough The Shotgun Blast fires a single shot of many smaller
to not make rolling excessive. The weapon action in this projectiles in a spray. There is only a single Action Point
example is based on the assault rifle’s three round burst. cost. The three step spread shows the various degrees
of success. There is only a “1” Amount as the blast is
considered a single shot. There are multiple damage
X Shot Burst (Rate of Fire: 5 per AP) sections dependent on the spread step. This simulates the
AP Cost 3 + X (3 base cost + X AP) results of a character’s ability to concentrate the threat
upon a target successfully, increasing damage.
Spread > -10 >0 > 10 > 25 > 50
Amount 1X 2X 3X 4X 5X Streaming Fire
Streaming Fire weaponry relies upon the time a
Damage 10 per shot character concentrates fire upon a target to determine the
amount of damage. Depending on the weapon, the longer
The X Shot Burst fires a variable number of shots concentration allow the character to hit with less effort.
depending on the Action Point cost. This represents the
time that the weapon’s trigger is held. There is still only
one Action Point cost for the action. The number of spread
Proton Stream
steps is increased to five to represent a higher rate of fire AP Cost 3 4 5
and the more chaotic nature of the weapon’s firing. Similar
to the Three Shot Burst, the first spread step uses negative
Spread >0
effort to give slightly off the mark characters a portion of Amount 1
successful hits. The next step size increases the required
effort. This represents the difficulty in making all the shots
Damage 5+ 2D 5 + 3D 5 + 4D
threaten a target. The amount uses a variable number of
hits based on the AP costs. Hence, an AP cost of (3 + 3) The Proton Stream is a single streaming shot that
means a “3” substitutes the “X” and multiplies with the produces more damage depending on the amount of time
number noted. For example: If a character performs the spent concentrating the stream on a target. The are three
action with a 3 + 3 AP Cost and gets a “11” positive effort AP Costs that relate to the damage produced. There is a
from the skill check, the agent would have successfully single step spread for this example. There is a single “1”
threatened a target with 9 (3 * 3) shots out of the 15 fired Amount as the action is considered to be a single shot.
(3 * 5). The damage is a flat amount due to the number There are damages to match the number of AP costs. The
of shots. The weapon action in this example is based on a weapon action in this example is based on an energy stream
fully automatic machine gun. from a particle cannon.

Burst Fire Adjustments

Adjustments operate on each individual attack or shot.
This means for the number of shots a burst fire weapon
fires the adjustment is applied to each individual shot.
While it is quite feasible to handle smaller amount burst
fire actions, this can become prohibitive with huge amount
burst fire actions. To handle this, the damage per shot
is calculated first, then the adjustment is applied to that
result. After determining the post adjustment damage, the
damage can be multiplied by the number of shots.

Blast Fire
Blast Fire weaponry operates by spraying at targets.
The spread helps determine resulting damage based on the
steps and how well the shot is concentrated on a target.

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 Progression Points
Progressions Points are the currency for developing
a character. Progression Points pay for changes
to a character. Progression Points are rewards for
accomplishing goals and notable feats: Save the town,
perform a spectacular feat, or even managing have the most
failed checks out of the group.

Progression Point rewards and costs can be tweaked

depending on the type of game wanted. Less points
rewarded and/or higher costs can slow down character
development to have slower paced games that are less high
powered. More points and/or lower casts will quicken
development and allow for higher powered characters. The
standard amounts are given below. These will provide a
middle of the road approach to character development for a
medium length campaign.

Progression Points can buy many character

developments, but purchases can be restricted or forbidden
to met the goals of the setting. Games focusing on keeping
the player characters fragile against tough creatures can
prevent the purchase of Health Point Increases. Games
that want player characters to deal with their past
transgressions can heavily restrict Karma buy-offs until
certain conditions are met.

Standard Reward Table

Degree Amount Example
Minor 1 A noteworthy game session event
Small 2 A very successful game session
Larger 5 A Successful mission completion
Major 10 A Successful story arc completion

Standard Cost Table

Item Cost Notes
Health Point Increase 5
Skill Point Purchase 5
TAB 5 - 10 Varies by TAB degree
Powers 10
Karma 1 - 10 Varies by value on Karma

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