I figure it's finally time to cover the really basic stuff about Aelsif. Make it clear how this game actually, you know, works. This is just the really vital stuff. There's other mechanics like damage reduction that aren't covered.
Aelsif resolves actions with a die roll, as most tabletop games do, but it's got rather a lot more there than other games. It starts off simple enough. You roll a D20, you add a modifier, meet or beat a number called a difficulty class or DC to succeed. We've all done this in a million games, we know how to roll a D20. Here's where it gets different.
1. There are rewards for rolling an extra amount above most DCs, and penalties for rolling an extra amount lower. The number is usually 10. An arming sword thrust that rolls 25 against armour class of 15 scores a critical hit and deals double damage, for example. Meanwhile, a fireball that rolls 10 against a reflex defence of 20 has no effect when if it had rolled 11-19 it would have dealt half damage.
2. Daily Dice. You get a pool of extra dice from various sources you can add to checks. However, you only have so many per day before you run out, and you need to rest for 24 hours to get them back. Everybody has daily dice, as you get a free-floating daily die for every character level, which is always a D6. However, since it takes a full day of rest to restore them, you still need to be very careful using them.
3. Daily Dice recovery. If you fail a check, you can expend daily dice to boost your roll in an attempt to recover from your failure. However, when using daily dice like this, they are automatically minimized and will only provide you a single point each, making this extremely inefficient and only suitable for emergencies.
4. There are no automatic successes or failures in this system. If you can succeed on 1, you will never fail and you're only rolling to see if you hit the bonus mark.
5. Failure on 20 is a bit different. If you fail on 20, you get to reroll. This roll is another D20, which is added to your previous roll. If this brings you to the DC, you are treated as if you just barely met the DC. If not, and you rolled another 20, you get to roll a third time and so on until either you succeed or you roll anything other than a 20. Remember, the odds of a single 20 is 5%, the odds of two 20s is 0.25%, the odds of three 20s is 0.0125%, and so on. This won't happen often.
6. Rushed checks exist. Rushing a check means giving up your D20 roll to do the check faster. This, for example, lets you attack twice in a single action or lets you pick a lock in one round (six seconds) instead of one minute (10 rounds), but obviously this can only be done on very easy checks.
7. Advantage and disadvantage. Advantage is sometimes given by a special ability. This allows you to roll all dice used in the check twice and take the higher roll, where disadvantage has you roll all dice twice and take the lower roll. Advantage also allows you to retain a die roll (but only one) when rushing a check, where disadvantage causes rushed checks to fail automatically. Again, this affects the D20 roll and any daily dice you used in the check.
9. Taking 10. Taking 10 means skipping the die roll and taking a flat value of 10 in its place, automatically succeeding on any check you could have made on 10. This can always be done, but you are never told the DC of a check so you don't always know if that'll work. If you have advantage, you take 15 instead. If you have disadvantage, you take 5.
10. Taking 20. Taking 20 is like taking 10, but better. Except you can only do it when you're not under duress, and by default it takes 10 times as long as a normal check. With advantage, it only takes 5 times as long. With disadvantage, 20 times.
In combat, time is measured in discreet 6-second rounds. During each round, everybody gets a turn to make a flat number of actions, which is 2 by default but may be more or less depending on effects they have active. Haste adds an action, slow removes an action, the two cancel eachother out. Bonus move lets you make another action just to move in a way given by the effect, bonus attack lets you make another action just to attack, so on. Otherwise, there's nothing special about these actions.
Turn order is determined by initiative. This is a simple roll of D20 plus character level, with no adjustment. Characters who tie decide by character level, and if that is the same roll a D20 as a tie breaker. If you roll higher you can still go later than an opponent if you want, and get a bonus to all attack and all defences of +1 for each opponent you choose to go later than.
Some actions are multi-actions, meaning they count as more than one action. For example, casting fireball takes two actions by default, where reloading a musket takes four actions. If this is more actions than you have in a round, you will continue into later rounds. Some multi-actions can be interrupted and resumed where they left off, such as reloading a musket. Others cannot be interrupted and will fail if they are, such as casting a spell, and these require concentration checks if you move, take damage or are otherwise distracted. Some non-interruptable multi-actions allow you to perform some other actions during them, slowing them down but not stopping them, with movement being the thing most commonly allowed.
This brings us to attacks of opportunity. All characters have the ability to make a single attack of opportunity each round. This is an attack you can make in response to a condition being met, even if it's not your turn. All mutli-actions provoke an attack of opportunity, as does moving into an enemy's melee range or through a choke point they can hit with a ranged weapon that they have specifically designated before hand, such as a doorway. Some attacks may also provoke an attack of opportunity by default, such as an animal's bite, and attacks that take multiple actions or otherwise provoke an attack of opportunity can never make an attack of opportunity themselves. This means a character who has no attack that doesn't provoke an attack of opportunity can never make an attack of opportunity despite technically having one.
It's time to cover attack resolution, in brief. Basically, all attacks are a standard check, with the DC being equal to a value on your opponent called a "defence". Most attacks are targeted attacks, so they go after standard defence, which is called armour class to avoid confusion. Some produce a special effect like grappling or knockdown despite being a targeted attack, and use the combat manoeuvre attack and defence. Area of effect attacks that deal HP damage instead target their reflex defence. Mundane physiological effects like poison, disease, fatigue and damage to strength, dexterity and constitution instead target their fortitude defence. Mental effects like fear, madness, lethargy, compulsion and damage to intelligence, charisma and faith instead target their will defence. No attack inherently targets two defences, but some effects may only make an attempt if another attack hits, like poison on a blade only triggers if the blade hits the target.
Standard attack and armour class:
Standard attack targets armour class normally, and is contributed to by size, class levels, either strength or dexterity (sometimes other attributes), weapon focus, perks and many other factors. Armour class is contributed to by size, dexterity, natural armour, actual armour, your helmet, your shield and if you choose to guard you also get contribution from class levels and weapon focus. If you fail to meet this defence by 10 you are subject to the momentum mechanic for that opponent but otherwise suffer no penalty. Exceeding the roll, however, can produce a critical hit that deals extra damage. Depending on the weapon you may need to beat their defence by 5, 10 or 20 and you may deal 2x or 3x damage. All weapons targeting Armour class may produce a critical hit, if no critical is listed then it requires beating the DC by 20 and deals 2x damage.
Combat manoeuvres:
Some special attacks, such as grapple, trip, sunder, charge, tackle and plunge all target a single opponent, but produce a special effect instead of simply doing damage. These have their own attack and defence as a result, called "combat manoeuvre bonus" and "combat manoeuvre defence", though if they deal damage they only use CMB and target AC, such as with sunder, charge and plunge. Attack is modified by class levels, strength and size. Defence is modified by class levels, strength, dexterity and size. Both of these, larger characters receive a bonus and smaller characters receive a penalty. Success by 10 or more produces an increased result, failure by 10 or more triggers the momentum mechanic, but otherwise success is success for combat manoeuvres.
Special attack and defence:
Special attack is far simpler in terms of variables. The only bonuses to special attack are your relevant ability score (determined by the attack) and perks. Special defences, which are reflex, fortitude and will, are primarily contributed to also by relevant ability scores (dexterity for reflex, constitution for fortitude and faith for will), as well as perk bonuses. Success by larger values never produces greater results for special defence, but failure only results in reduced effect rather than no effect. Failure by 10 or more results in no effect, however, and triggers the momentum mechanic.
In combat, characters build momentum with repeated successes. Every attack they land against a given enemy targeting any defence gives them a +5 to hit that enemy targeting any defence, which does not stack but keeps going until you miss, target somebody else or combat stops. A character who is already moving gets a bonus move action each round until they stop moving. A character whose defence has trumped an enemy's attack by 10 or more gets a +10 to that defence against the same enemy until they're hit on that defence or combat ends, which also does not stack.
Momentum exists outside of combat, too. If you succeed a skill check, you get a free bonus D6 on your next use of that skill, but only if you use the skill right away without doing anything else significant or waiting for too long (defined by the skill). Each success allows you to keep this going, but it does not stack.
Some creatures have pseudo-momentum. This takes the form of offensive bonuses that they get until they miss an attack and/or defensive bonuses that last until their defence is breached. Reset mechanics vary. When this is the case, only the bonus that failed is eliminated. For example, a monster may have trip momentum, giving them a +10 bonus to trip until they fail a trip attempt. If that monster also has armoured momentum, giving them a +10 natural armour bonus to armour class until somebody hits them targeting armour class, and somebody does hit their AC, they will lose their natural armour bonus but they'll retain their trip bonus. If they miss a trip attempt, they'll lose their trip bonus but they'll retain their AC bonus.
To defeat pseudo-momentum, you need to make an opponent fail a check they have momentum on or succeed a check they have momentum against. For example, if an enemy has an AC bonus from monster momentum, using a lethargy effect (targeting will) may lower their AC far enough to nail them once, and that'll disable their momentum so you can hit them. Or you can pile on daily dice to just overcome their AC and tag them once so you'll be able to hit them reasonably from then on.
Additionally, some creatures have a defence bonus that is bypassed by a particular kind of attack, which also cancels that bonus. For example, if you take the Vital Protection perk, you get a DR 5/Silver that is lost if you take damage from a silver weapon. You can restore this DR by expending two actions and 5 vitae, a resource derived from blood, details further below. That means you'll resist an iron dagger, but not a silver bullet, and once that silver bullet hits you the iron dagger will work as normal.
Damage takes until the end of a round to "set in", normally. If you receive healing (regeneration doesn't count) after taking damage in a round, the damage is retroactively reduced by half even if the healing is only a single point. Alternately, you can make an immediate first aid check to half the damage you received at any point in that round. Additionally, if combat ends and a character is still at positve HP, this also retroactively reduces the damage they took that round by half. These methods do not stack.
So if you get shot with a revolver for 6 damage, then get healed by 3HP, this will retroactively half the damage and then heal 3HP, completely healing the wound. Or you can make a first aid check immediately, and that will also give back 3HP. Or, if instead of being healed or trying first aid, you immediately shoot the opponent in the head with a musket and blow their brains out, you'll also get 3HP back, but only if that ends the encounter.
You have six primary attributes, which determine derived stats.
Strength: Melee attack (if higher than dexterity), melee damage, thrown weapon damage, some ranged weapon damage (bows, mostly), carry weight.
Dexterity: Melee attack (if higher than strength), thrown and ranged attack, dodge bonus to AC, reflex defence, modifies skills.
Constitution: Hit points, aura points, vitae, fortitude defence.
Intelligence: Skill points, proficiency points, modifies skills.
Charisma: Spirit points, modifies skills, used as a sanity mechanic.
Faith: Negative energy resistance (positive energy resistance for undead), will defence, modifies skills, used as a sanity mechanic.
All of these are used for class abilities, except constitution. But as constitution modifies some of the most important and universal stats in the game, it's usually your second or third most important stat.
These stats are determined either using a point buy system or by rolling dice. We're presently reconsidering the details of these two mechanics, sorry, so that's all for now except that (before race and trait bonuses) 12 is the average for NPCs and creatures and 14 is the average for PCs.
Spirit is an automatically replenishing expendable resource used for most class abilities. You have a default spirit total equal to your full charisma score, so usually between 5 and 10, up to a maximum of 25 before perks and class abilities. Spirit replenishes automatically, the rate is determined by the environment but is normally 10/round. Hot, wet environments are best and can drive that rate up to 20/round. Cold, dry environments with little life are the worst and can drive that rate down to 0. This quick rate of restoration means that usually a minute or so of waiting will bring spirit back to full, and while that's a very long time in combat it means spirit-only abilities like cantrips are functionally infinite if you aren't under pressure. You can also restore spirit and boost spirit regeneration by consuming a number of drugs, most notably alcohol, which restores large amounts even in small doses. So carrying around a flask of spirits will restore your spirit as well as boost your spirits. (Ba-dum-tish.)
Aura is a replenishable expendable resource used for most class abilities. You have a default aura total equal to 20 plus your constitution score, so usually between 25 and 30, up to a maximum of 40 before perks and class abilities. Aura only replenishes if you rest or take a consumable stimulant, which will restore it over time. It only takes an hour of rest to restore 10 aura points, and an average cup of coffee will get you the same amount over the same period of time. Still, stimulants stack and you can get slow, but useful, regeneration out of something as safe and mundane as coffee, one wonders how much AP you get back from something stronger. I mean, if you don't mind that everything stronger has negative health effects and is addictive.
Vitae is a non-replenishing expendable resource that by default is only used as a fast, effective means of restoring spirit and aura points. There is no limit to how much vitae you can have in your person. It can be burned at will to restore spirit at 10/point, and aura at 1/point, which is obviously useful, but the problem is vitae doesn't come back on its own.
So, how does one get vitae, then? Well, vitae is in the lifeblood of living creatures. It decays quickly in dead meat and is destroyed by cooking, so only the freshest and rarest will do if you want to eat a cow like a normal person. But perhaps, instead, you want a better source. Maybe that wolf asked for it when it came after you. Maybe it's totally right to stab it through the heart and drink from its wound. Maybe the same can be said of a highwayman, it's still self defence if you're sucking blood from their neck, right?
Maybe there are some perks you can use. Let's see... You can use your own blood (Autophagy). You can pull it from an opponent you wound (Bloodshed). Even your own wounds (Greater Bloodshed). There's more you can do with vitae than just restore spirit and aura. It can give you occult powers (Various). It can give you damage reduction only silver can break (Vital Protection). It can let you see in the dark, but you'll be blinded by bright light (Adopt the Dark). It can make your mental attributes stronger at night, but your physical ones weaker in the day (Night Person). It can make you move faster in moonlight, but slower in daylight (Nightwalker). It can make you take double damage from fire, but gain 5 points of resistance to cold, electricity, corrosion and concussive damage (Beast Blood). It can give you access to a variety of occult magic that only works at night, but the sunlight will burn your flesh (various, requires Beast Blood, damage is not doubled by Beast Blood). You can use vitae to convert negative energy into positive energy, but if a cleric casts a spell targeting unholy creatures it will apply to you as if you were unholy (Sacred Blood). You gain more vitae from all sources, but it'll drain over time (Blood Thirst). You can sense vitae, allowing you to tell how much vitae a creature has and giving you a bonus to detect creatures with large amounts of vitae, but strong sources of vitae become intoxicating (Blood Sense). You can hide your amount of vitae from those using Blood Sense, but doing so steadily drains your vitae and prevents you from using it (Hidden Blood). There's far more than this, you could make an entire build out of vitae alone if you invest heavily enough.
There's many, many perks exclusive to making better use of vitae, but remember, you need blood. Lots of blood. Drink deep and gain great power. Nothing suspect about that, right?
Skill is a simple system in and of itself. You get a number of points per level, you can put them in any skill. There is no cap to how many can be invested into a single skill at any one time, but the skill itself cannot exceed 20 ranks. These are added to checks using that skill. Simple.
But then we have the subskill system, where you invest skill points into a given use of a skill to gain bonus dice that can only be used for that use of that skill, and reset like all daily dice with a full day's rest. These are capped at your rank in the main skill, thus they have a hard cap at 20.
Proficiency is also a simple system in and of itself. To be able to apply basic attributes in the use of a particular piece of gear, you need to be proficient. Focus makes you slightly better at using that particular item in some way. Greater focus is the same, but for a different use of the item. Spell focus allows you to use the item for magic, for armour it just nullifies spell failure. You must have proficiency to get focus, you must have focus to get greater focus, and you must have greater focus to get spell focus. For armour and shields, there are weights. You must have the same investment in a lower weight to get it in a greater weight, IE, you must have light armour focus to get medium armour focus. Some ranks and some pieces of equipment take more than one point, each taking 5 or 10 to max out. Simple.
But then, language is also a proficiency. You must invest first to be able just to recognise a language group. Then, you must invest again to recognise the specific language and some words here and there. Then more investment, you can speak the language passably. A bit more, and you're fluent. DO. THIS. FIRST. It is absolutely vital you invest in a language, you don't get one for free, and it takes 10 points to max one out. (Always 1-2-3-4 for base level, familiarity, proficiency and fluency.)
We hate XP. Normally we do quest levelling. Our XP system is very standard, most notable thing is it uses group levels, groups are defined by active participants and if the group isn't challenged you don't get squat. Otherwise, XP is both a crutch and a fiddly pain in the ass so we don't use it.
Anyway, character levels are so simple and commonplace I don't need to explain the basic concept. Number what is how experienced you are. Got it? Alright, good, not coming back to that.
1-5: Regular Joe, Jill, Jane, Jim-Bob-Billy-Buck. Random loser. Nothing to see here.
6-10: Low level.
11-20: Mid level.
21-40: High level.
41-79: Epic level.
80: Soft cap.
81-179: Please make a new character.
180: Hard cap.
As you level, you gain the following benefits:
1. A daily D6 to add to any check you want.
2. Skill points each level, equal to 1/2 your intelligence score, rounded down.
3. Proficiency points each level, equal to 1/2 your intelligence score, rounded down.
4. Advancement of class features.
5. +1 HP every even-numbered level.
6. A perk every 5th level.
You can only advance character levels if you have a class level to advance. You may only advance a class level if you have a class that isn't at 20 levels yet. You may only acquire a new class through story events or training (which is kindof a story event, I guess), and that always gives you 1 level in that class to start with. However, you may not acquire a class in the same archetype, and there are only 9 archetypes. (Hence the hard level cap of 180.)
Classes are integral to a character's being. They're an essential part of who a character is. They're not the majority of your character, or even a plurality, but they're significant. Being a blood knight isn't just a power set, it's a sadistic streak that runs to your core. Being a crusader isn't just smiting infidels and shouting "DEUS VULT!", it's a self-righteousness that pervades everything you do. Getting a new class is more than picking up a new set of powers, it's picking up new character traits that change who your character is as a person. As 20 is the top of mid level, to be high level you need a second class in a second archetype. That means that eventually, your character needs to change. They need to undergo, shock and alarm, character growth.