Getting ready to try out these rules in a series of one-shot adventures with my regular gaming group. They'll be using these as written other than a more genre-appropriate background table and archetypes which I hope i'll have ready for the game tonight..
This is the
Grim Hack Expanded. Its basic premise is that these are rules-lite and
career-less rules for adventuring in any roleplaying genre. This includes
character creation, skill use, combat rules, and character advancement. Complete magic and non-human rules will come
at a future date.
These rules
will cover adventuring genres from very beginnings of mankind to its far
future. Middle-ages, western, modern combat, science fiction, and investigative
adventures are all covered here. What isn’t are the more fantasy areas such as
magic and psionics, but as these rules are compatible with Warhammer Fantasy
Roleplay 1st edition, these subjects can be covered there, and with
minor adjustments, 2nd edition, and even the newer Warhammer 40000
rules by Fantasy Flight Games (maybe with not-quite-so-minor adjustments).
Magic rules for my Crown’s Hold campaign may be found here.
This current iteration of the Grim
Hack uses skills and spells as written in WFRP 1st edition unless
otherwise noted. A skills re-haul is forthcoming.
In time, I also want to alter some
things so players only need d6s and d10/%s.
Character Creation:
Attributes:
Attributes are
what you role against to see if you are successful with their related tasks and
skills. A characters attributes are represented thusly:
Mv
|
MS
|
RS
|
S
|
T
|
W
|
Agi
|
Dex
|
Cn
|
Int
|
WP
|
Fel
|
FP
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Movement (Mv): This determines how far a character
may move in an appointed time. In a combat round, this roughly translates to
how many 5 foot squares may be traversed at a non-running pace. At a run or a
charge, the amount of squares moved is doubled.
Melee Skill (MS): This attribute represents the
characters ability in melee combat. This covers activities and skills such as
sword fighting, fisticuffs, wrestling, and disarming opponents.
Ranged Skill (RS): This attribute represents the
characters ability in fighting with ranged weapons. This covers activities and
skills such as shooting with firearms, bows, crossbows and throwing things.
Strength (S): This attribute represents the
characters physical strength and the amount of damage inflicted in melee
combat. This covers activities and skills such as tests involving physical
power, athletics, climbing, swimming, lifting and carrying. A high strength can also help to intimidate
others.
Toughness (T): This attribute represents the
characters physical resilience and endurance, as well as damage mitigation. This
covers activities and skills such Poison and Disease tests, consuming alcohol,
and how long one can hold their breath, or do strenuous activities such rowing
and carrying heavy loads.
Wounds (W): This attribute represents the amount
of damage you can take and depends upon the Strength and Toughness attributes.
Agility (Agi): This attribute represents the
characters ability in controlling their own bodies and their swiftness in
action. This covers activities and skills such as dodging incoming attacks,
combat turn order, acrobatics, dancing, riding, and many stealth activities.
Dexterity (Dx): This attribute represents the
characters ability in their fine motor skills. This covers activities and
skills such as picking locks, disarming traps, creating and repairing items,
forgery, piloting, and performing sleight of hand tricks.
Cunning (Cn): This attribute represents the
characters ability in thinking on their feet and how quickly they can do it. This
covers activities and skills such as noticing hidden items, disguising or
hiding themselves or objects, tracking, orientation and navigation, gambling,
wilderness survival and street smarts, and most artistic activities.
Intelligence (Int): This attribute represents the
characters ability in learning and recalling academic knowledge. This covers
activities and skills such as knowledge and lore skills, languages, literacy,
history, various technological skills,
demolitions, science and research, , first aid and medicine, animal care, evaluate, learning magical spells, cryptography,
cartography, and similar skills that require serious brain power to accomplish.
Will Power (WP): This attribute represents the
characters ability in exerting their will through strength of mind and keeping
calm in stressful situations. This covers activities and skills such as Fear or
Terror tests, spell casting and using psionic abilities, spell resistance,
sensing magical items or activity, riding animals, sailing, and other
activities that require a steady hand.
Fellowship (Fel): This attribute represents the
characters ability in dealing with other sentient beings. This covers
activities and skills such as how non player characters (NPCs) react to you,
bartering, singing or acting, influencing others actions, seducing or interrogation, handling animals, information
gathering, and success in politics.
Fate Points (FP): Fate points represent your characters
ability to escape the consequences of your actions. When a character feels the
need to alter their destiny, say when a critical result comes up with the
something unpleasant such as decapitation or long fall with a sudden and fatal
landing, a Fate Point may be spent to somewhat allay these. The main caveat is
that the player must describe convincingly what could have happened instead of
what the dice rolled. Being knocked unconscious and sporting a disfiguring scar
may be more desirable than a cold, unmarked grave or dinner for wandering
scavengers.
Rolling for attributes:
Movement (Mv): Roll d3+2
Wounds (W): Is the first digit sum of the of
Strength plus Toughness attributes. For
example: a Strength of 23 and a Toughness of 37 would result in a Wound score
of 6 (23+37=60).
Fate Points (FP): d2+2
All other skills: Roll 2d10 + 20
Strength Bonus (SB): The amount of damage you inflict in
melee combat is equal to the first digit of your Strength attribute. For example: with a Strength of 34, you
would add 3 to your damage roll.
Toughness Bonus (TB): The amount of incoming damage you can absorb without
taking off of your Wounds score is equal to the first digit of your Toughness
score. For example: with a Toughness
score of 40, you would subtract 4 from an incoming attack damage of 7, thereby
only subtracting 3 from your total wounds.
Attribute flip (optional): Now that you have a characters attributes rolled up,
they may be a little scattered in areas of expertise, so if you have an idea of
the type of adventurer you want to play, the scores of two attributes may be
switched with one another. This may only be done once per character.
Note: A ‘Free Raise’ is included in the career
archetypes which gives you a choice to add +10% to one of 3 attributes.
Roll for Natural
talents:
Natural
talents are inherent abilities that are the result of ones upbringing or just
the luck of good genetics. These are only
available at character creation! If the rolled talent effects an attribute,
it does not count against the attribute’s maximum value when it comes to
character advancement detailed later. Roll once on this table to find your
character’s natural talent. A second roll may be attempted at the cost of one
Fate point. This trade may only be done once, and a duplicated result is ignored
with the Fate point still being lost.
Roll d12
1
|
Acute hearing
|
You gain +20% to your Cunning in
regards to Listening.
|
2
|
Ambidextrous
|
No disadvantage when using your
off-hand. You gain +20% to your Dexterity in regards to activities needing
two hands.
|
3
|
Excellent vision
|
You gain +20% to your Cunning in
regards to Searching or Noticing.
|
4
|
Fleet footed
|
Your Movement becomes 5, unless it was
already 5, then it becomes 6.
|
5
|
Hardy
|
Add +3 to your Wounds attribute.
|
6
|
Indomitable Will
|
You gain +20% to your Will Power in
regards to resisting Charm, Fear, and Terror.
|
7
|
Resistance to Disease
|
You gain +20% to your Toughness in
regards to resisting Diseases.
|
8
|
Resistance to Poison
|
You gain +20% to your Toughness in
regards to resisting Poisons.
|
9
|
Lightning reflexes
|
You gain +20% to your Agility in
regards to Turn Order.
|
10
|
Luck
|
Once per adventure, the GM secretly
rolls a d6. You can adjust any roll by 1 or 10% this amount of times.
|
11
|
Very resilient
|
Your Toughness becomes 40, unless it
was already 40, then it becomes 50.
|
12
|
Very strong
|
Your Strength becomes 40, unless it was
already 40, then it becomes 50.
|
Note: This table may change in the
future, particularly in regards to the needs of the campaign or genre.
Roll for Character’s
Background
This table
represents what the character did before they decided to become and adventurer.
Each background has a random bonus of 1d10 addition to one attribute, a skill, some
starting money, and an item or two for the character. The additional points
gained on the attribute does count
against its maximum value.
Roll d20
Roll
|
Career
|
+d10
|
Skill
|
Equipment
|
Gp
|
1
|
Artist
|
Cn
|
Art, Musicianship, or Sing
|
Paints & Brushes, Lute, or throat
lozenges
|
3d6
|
2
|
Beggar
|
Fel
|
Begging
|
Tin cup, crutches
|
2d6
|
3
|
Boat Builder
|
Int
|
Boat Building
|
Saw, planer
|
3d6
|
4
|
Brewer
|
Int
|
Brewing
|
Keg of ale
|
2d6
|
5
|
Busker
|
Fel
|
A performance skill*
|
Tin cup, colorful but ragged clothing
|
2d6
|
6
|
Carpenter
|
Dex
|
Carpentry
|
Hammer, nails, saw
|
3d6
|
7
|
Chef
|
Cn
|
Cook
|
Kettle, spices
|
2d6
|
8
|
Farmer
|
T
|
Agriculture
|
Rake or hoe
|
2d6
|
9
|
Fisherman
|
WP
|
Fish
|
Fishing pole, bait (x5)
|
2d6
|
10
|
Fortune Teller
|
Fel
|
Fortune telling
|
Crystal ball, carved bones, or tarot
deck
|
2d6
|
11
|
Geologist
|
Int
|
Metallurgy
|
Shovel
|
3d6
|
12
|
Jeweler
|
Dex
|
Gem cutting
|
Loupe, fine chisel
|
4d6
|
13
|
Mapmaker
|
Cn
|
Cartography
|
Compass
|
2d6
|
14
|
Mason
|
Int
|
Stone working
|
Hammer and sturdy chisel
|
3d6
|
15
|
Merchant
|
Fel
|
Haggle
|
Hand cart
|
4d6
|
16
|
Miner
|
S
|
Mining
|
Pick axe
|
2d6
|
17
|
Rancher
|
WP
|
Animal Handling
|
Shepherd’s crook
|
2d6
|
18
|
Smith
|
Int
|
Smithing
|
Sturdy hammer
|
3d6
|
19
|
Tailor
|
Dex
|
Tailor
|
Sewing kit
|
2d6
|
20
|
Diverse background
|
|
|
Roll twice on this table, ignoring any
duplicates, including this result.
|
|
* Performance refers to skills used in
busking. These are: acting, clown, comedian, fire eating, jest, juggle, and
mime.
Adventurer Archetypes
The
following is a list of the more common adventuring archetypes found in fiction,
history, and gaming. These can easily be added to depending on the campaign.
These archetypes start with the skills and equipment found on a typical
character that demonstrates a basic competence in their field.
The
archetypes also allow for a one time choice to add 10% to one of three
attributes important to the character’s play type.
These are
merely examples, archetypes may be added or ignored as needed. To make new archetypes,
the only real guideline suggested is a fairly even amount of skills between the
archetypes offered.
Warrior
Description: This is a character made for close-in melee combat and getting
splattered with gore. Examples include medieval knights and thugs, modern
martial artists, mob enforcers, and futuristic space assault troops.
Free Raise: Melee Skill, Strength, or Toughness.
Skills: Disarm, Dodge blow, Ride – horse, Specialty weapon - two-handed, Strike
mighty blow.
Starting equipment: Genre appropriate ranged weapon, Genre appropriate medium
armor, horse w/ saddle and bridle, shield, two-handed weapon,
Soldier
Description: Troopers used to fighting
with their fellows, and doing so smartly, as the politicians who sent them to
fight just don’t give a shit about cannon fodder.
Free Raise: Ranged Skill, Toughness, or Will
Power.
Skills: Consume alcohol, Dodge Blow, First
aid, Specialty weapon – firearms, street fighting
Starting equipment: Genre appropriate
ranged weapon, Genre appropriate light armor, Heavy Boots, Helm, Uniform or
tabard
Hunter/Ranger
Description: Stalkers of the woods, big
game hunters, they sneak and kill whatever they can damn well find.
Free Raise: Ranged Skill, Agility, or Cunning.
Skills: Silent move rural, concealment
rural, marksmanship, ride – horse, set traps, tracking
Starting equipment: Compass, Genre
appropriate long ranged weapon, heavy
boots, horse w/ saddle and bridle, and
salt lick.
Thief/Spy
Description: From James Bond to the Grey
Mouser, these sneaky bastards get by with a combination of skills, smarts, and
complete untrustworthiness.
Free Raise: Agility, Dexterity, or
Cunning.
Skills: Silent move urban, concealment
urban, streetwise, street fighting, pick lock, disarm traps
Starting equipment: Genre appropriate short ranged weapon, concealable melee
weapon, Genre appropriate thieves’ tools, soft soled shoes, and dark,
non-descript clothing.
Diplomat/Leader
Description: The face of any adventuring
party, able to manipulate people with a wink or knowing nod. He negotiates,
haggles, investigates, and gets all the romance.
Free Raise: Intelligence, Will Power, or Fellowship.
Skills: Charm, etiquette, flee, public
speaking, seduction
Starting equipment: Fancy clothes, horse
w/ saddle and bridle
Mystic/Wizard
Description: Wizards, warlocks, sorcerers,
cultists and all types of nefarious supernatural prestidigitators. How can they
do what they do? “Magic, m******
f******!”
Free Raise: Agility, Intelligence, or Will
Power
Skills: Arcane Language – magic, cast
petty magic, cast battle magic level 1, magic sense, read/write.
Starting equipment: Robes, staff,
spell-book or equivalent, writing implements, 6d4 Magic Points.
Skills:
Skill use: Things a character can attempt to do
without specialized training is the prevue of the Game Master. Depending on
whether the GM desires a gritty, realistic campaign, or a heroic one wherein
the characters can perform difficult feats easily, the GM has last word on
which actions require an attribute roll, or specialized training. A character
from the equivalent of a medieval society, would surely need some sort of
training to use a computer found in a crashed spacecraft, while one from a 21st
century level of technology would be hard pressed to know how to tan a hide or
load and use a matchlock firearm.
Critical successes and failures: Critical successes and failures
occur whenever doubles are rolled on a skill check. If the roll is successful,
the doubles are a critical success, meaning the skill was performed
spectacularly and the GM will decide what the result is depending on the
particular circumstances. Conversely, if doubles are rolled on a failed check,
something disastrous happens. Again, the GM decides exactly what this entails.
Combat changes:
Number of Attacks: There is no Attack attribute in the
Grim Hack, characters get a single attack per round. However, an extra melee
attack can be attempted at -30% Melee Skill, a third can be attempted at -60%
skill. Multiple ranged attacks can only occur when the ranged weapon has a rate
of fire higher than once a round. A single roll is made, and a die is rolled to
see how many rounds actually hit, damage being rolled separately for each. For
example, most automatic weapons have a rate of fire of either one or d3.
Critical successes and failures: Doubles rolled on a successful Melee
Attack nets you a second attack, if the second attack is also rolled doubles, a
third attack may be attempted. A critical failure you lose your next attack.
A crit on a parry, you do not lose your next
attack, while on a fumble you drop the parrying weapon/shield and must spend a
round to pick it up.
A crit on a
ranged attack, a second d6 of damage is added, while on a fumble you lose your
next attack due to dropping the weapon, a jammed round, etc.
Exploding damage: on a maximum roll of “6” damage on
a parry, an additional die may be rolled after a second successful parry roll
(as one would for an attack). Damage beyond what has been thrown at you, is
inflicted upon the attacker.
Character
advancement:
While adventuring, make
note of any meaningful successes (i.e. rolls that actually have negative
repercussions if they are failed) made from rolls off of characteristics, only
a single success counts for any particular statistic. Multiple successes only
count for one advancement attempt. At the end of the session or adventure, roll
d100 for each of these noted characteristics. If the roll is higher than the
characteristic’s current value, add d6 points to it, up to the max value
allowed.
Maximum characteristics: The maximum and particular characteristic can be
raised is +40% over the starting score. Any attribute bonuses from Natural
Talents or acquired skills do not count against these maximums. In the
future, these values will be changed for non-human races as they are added.
Wounds: A
Wound point is gained whenever a character gets knocked down to zero wounds and
survives the encounter. The maximum value for Wounds is 10.
Learning Skills: To learn a new skill, one must pay
whatever fee the instructor requires or spend an amount of time studying, etc.,
then roll against the related attribute of the desired skill. If successful,
the skill is learned, if unsuccessful, learning it may be attempted again after
investing again in time and money, however, each additional attempt a +10%
cumulative bonus is applied. For example, Erik the Reaver spends a month’s
study time with “Bentley’s Lock Picking
Primer, Revised Edition” and spent money on lockpicks and furnishing his
Inn room door with multiple locks to practice on and he fails his Dexterity
check, he can try again after more study time and investment in better (or
simpler) locks, but this time he gets a +10% bonus to his target number. His
Dexterity is 33, so he needs, after the first failure, to roll below 43 to
learn Lockpicking successfully. If he fails again, his target number will be
53.
Acquiring Magic Points: 2d4 MPs are gained when learning the
Petty Magic skill, and 4d4 MPs each when first learning a casting skill at
levels 1-4. To clarify, magic points are gained when Cast Spells: n Magic level x skills are gained, only counting at the first level power level
they are received. So Cast Spells: Battle Magic level 1, 4d4 MPs are gained,
but when a character later gets Demonology level 1, they do not receive any
more MPs until the first time they reach a second level tier of spellcasting. On face value, it may look like spell-casters
will advance in power/spells more rapidly than in WFRP, but it is dependent on
whomever is teaching them these skills, whether they will teach them or not.
Good reason for earning favor with people.
