Game rules
We are using the Barbarians from the Ruined Earth rule-set using the Black Hack alternate D & D rules. It is a simplified version of the game.
Basic rules are using a d20, and other die for damage depending on class and gear. Enemies to not makes rolls, other than to try and damage the players. Disadvantage and advantages rules are rolling an additional d20, and picking the best roll for advantage, or worst roll for disadvantage.
Saves:
Saving throws are all stat based. As are to hit rolls. Rolling 1 is a critical success, while rolling 20 is a fumble!
Str saves-Physical harm that cannot be dodged.
Dex saves-Physical harm that can be dodged
Con saves-Poison, diseases, and death
Int saves-Resisting spells and magic...expect for below.
Wis saves-Resisting deception and illusions
Cha-Resisting all forms of charming effects
TIME & TURNS
There are two important types of tracked time: Rounds and Turns. Rounds are
used during combat and fast-paced scenes of danger and Turns are used when
exploring and adventuring. A GM may advance the clock as needed, substituting
Turns for Hours, Days or even Months, should the adventure require it. As a rule
of thumb a Round is 6 seconds and a Turn is 1 Minute (or 10 Rounds)
MOVEMENT & DISTANCE:
Barbarians uses a modified version of distance found in The Black Hack (see
below). Rather than track precise numbers, six abstract ranges are used for
measuring distances: Close, Nearby, Not So Nearby, Far Away, Distant, and Way
Far Away. On their turn every character can move somewhere Nearby as part of
an action, performing that action at any stage of the move. They can forgo their
action and move somewhere Not So Nearby instead. Moving Far Way would
take two full actions. Anything beyond Far Away can be classified as Distant and
would take three moves to get to. This system is designed to support the narrative
‘theatre of the mind’ style of play, and is less concerned about tracking squares and
fiddly distances. For converting existing movement rates or measures (for spells or
areas of effect) use the following as a guide:
Close: 0-5'
Nearby: 6-30'
Not so Nearby: 31-60'
Far Away: 61-120'
Distant: 121-300'
Way far away: 301+'
INITIATIVE
When combat breaks out, all characters roll 1d20 (enemies are lumped into a
single group initiative, however the GM can roll a separate d20 for boss/powerfultype
enemies). Once all dice are rolled, the character (or enemy) with the lowest
roll goes first. Once that character has taken their turn, initiative continues in a
clockwise fashion from that character’s right.
Targets that roll a 1 on initiative gain Advantage to their first attack roll. Targets
that roll a 20 are caught off guard and suffer Disadvantage to any rolls that round.
Initiative is rolled once per combat.
ENEMY HD
Hit Dice (HD) determine an enemy’s level, hit points, and the amount of damage
it deals. Each HD is a d8 and the number of HD an enemy has is equal to its level.
That number of HD is rolled to determine its hit points. If you desire enemies to
be tougher, don’t roll for HP and simply give them the maximum amount allowed
(i.e., a 3 HD creature would have 24 HP).
ATTACKING, DEFENDING & DAMAGE
When a character attacks an enemy, the character
must roll below their STR stat for a Melee Attack,
or DEX for a Ranged Attack. When an enemy
attacks, the character must roll below their STR
against a Melee Attack and DEX against a Ranged
Attack to avoid taking damage. A GM will often
give the stat required for the test. The damage
an attack deals is based on the character’s class
or the number of HD an enemy has.
To make a Melee Attack an opponent must be Close.
Ranged Attacks against Close opponents are possible,
but the attacker suffers Disadvantage. Enemies deal
damage based on their HD; refer to the Enemy
HD table. Ranged weapons, unless specified,
cannot shoot beyond Far Away.
When a target (be it a player character, NPC, or
enemy) takes damage, it is subtracted from their
total hit points.
TWO-HANDED WEAPONS/DUAL WIELDING
Larger, more deadly weapons or a weapon in each hand are handled simply by
adding +2 to any dice rolled with them. They deal additional damage, but are also
harder to hit with.
FULL AUTO FIRE
A character can fire firearms or laser weapons on full automatic (that have this
feature). This increases the damage by +3, but also adds +3 to the attack roll and
increases the usage die from 1-2 to 1-4.
CRITICAL SUCCESS
If a player making an attack rolls a 1, they double the result of the damage dice they
roll. If they roll a 20 when avoiding an attack, they take double damage. Reduction
Points for armor (pg 9) function normally. When a character rolls a 20 on making an
attack they fumble, and the GM comes up with a situation that best fits the scenario.
This could be something as simple as stumbling and falling prone, the character’s
weapon slipping from their hand, or the enemy getting a free attack on them. If a
character rolls a 1 on dodging an attack, they get a free attack on the enemy.
RESISTANCE
There are many powerful beings and creatures in the Ruined Earth. Many of these
beings have Resistance to a certain type of damage (or all types of damage). A
creature only takes half damage from something they have Resistance against. This
info will be given in a creature’s description.
DEATH & DYING
When a character is reduced to zero HP, they are taken Out of Action (OofA),
they are unconscious and cannot take any actions. When the fight is over or they
are out of danger, a character that is OofA rolls on a table to see what happens
to them. If they survive, they gain 1d4 HP. If the fight is lost or the body is unable
to be recovered, the OofA characters are lost forever!
POWERFUL OPPONENTS
When characters are fighting monsters/enemies
with 2 or more HD than they have, these
opponents are considered more powerful and
a tougher fight. All affected characters suffer
Disadvantage to attack and dodging rolls against
these adversaries.
If the groups combined HD is double that of
the creature, the Disadvantage is negated as
this represents the group working together and
spreading the adversary's attention.
MOOKS
Mooks are foes that are there to be mowed through and to make the heroes feel
epic and powerful! Mooks should die in one hit, as long as they take at least 1
point of damage (they may be wearing armor, have protective shielding, etc.). Give
mooks HD, as it will determine their damage die against the heroes.
HORDES
When there are several mooks banding together to attack their foe (attacking as
one), their overwhelming numbers make it hard to move out of harm’s way. The
defender rolls with Disadvantage to avoid a horde’s attack. The mooks, if the attack
is successful, roll damage with Advantage. A horde can have up to 20 members. For
each HP of damage done to the horde, a mook is killed. When it is down to 3 HP or
less, the horde is treated as individual mooks.
HEALING
Characters can gain HP from spells and abilities. They can never gain more than
their maximum and can never go below zero. When healing a character who is
OofA, just start at zero and count up as determined by the spell or ability. That
character is now back on their feet and no longer OofA.
RESTING
When characters rest for one hour, they may roll 1 HD die associated with their
class and regain that many HP (this can be done once per day). After eight hours
of sleep a character regains another HD of HP.
ADVANTAGE and DISADVANTAGE
A GM may decide that a particular course of action or task has a higher or lower
chance of success. The GM will ask a player to roll an additional d20 when making
a test. Tests that are easier will be given Advantage, the lower result is used.
Harder or more complicated tasks, on the other hand, suffer Disadvantage, the
higher result is used.
A GM is also encouraged to give players rewards for coming up with clever
attacks, ideas, or ways to protect against injury by granting Advantage on attack
and defense rolls.
EXPERIENCE
Adventurers learn through defeating and overcoming obstacles. Killing one crazed
wastelander won’t bring a revelation of learning to someone. Surviving a Sorcerer’s
Pain Gauntlet and thwarting a nefarious ritual, completing a quest for a group
of villagers or simply living to tell the tale are the things that bring perspective
and growth. The old experience system has been completely discarded. For every
session/dungeon dive/quest/major event the character survives they gain a level.
The GM will decide which, and it’s recommended that this decision remains more
or less a constant throughout the campaign. The GM should be clear and upfront
with the players so they know where the goalposts are.
GAINING LEVELS
When a character levels up, their maximum HP increase by rolling the HD for the
class. The player should also roll a d20 for each Stat; if the result is higher than the
Stat, that Stat increases by 1. Each class has a Stat (or two) they may roll twice for
(see class info). This is only done if the first roll was a failure.
TRAPS
Traps are devices set up to deter intruders from advancing into a location, warn
defenders of hostiles, or guard valuable objects and locations.
Unless expertly crafted, traps always have telltale signs of being present. Whether
it’s the holes lining the wall that will release poison darts, the slightly raised spot
on the floor that is a pressure plate to trigger a spike trap, or the off-color section
of the floor that will fall away revealing a pit trap, all are noticeable if the player
characters are taking their time and examining their surroundings. However,
taking time to look for traps means there is a chance of a random encounter.
If the group is running blindly down a hall, then they must succeed at an
Wisdom check to notice the trap.
Player characters should be encouraged to come up with clever solutions to
disarm a trap, but if tinkering is desired characters can disarm a trap with a
successful Intelligence check (those who are not technologically inclined suffer
Disadvantage on this roll).
Assign traps a HD amount. This will be used to highlight the trap’s complexity
(don’t forget to use the Powerful Opponent rules) and determine
damage.
ENCUMBRANCE
A character can carry a number of items equal to their STR with no issues.
Carrying over this amount means they are encumbered and all attribute tests
are taken with Disadvantage. Additionally, movement is limited to somewhere
Nearby. Characters simply cannot carry more than double their STR.
Note: Bundles of 5: Torches, potions (of same kind), rations, scrap, etc. all can
have a quantity of 5 and count as 1 item for inventory purposes.
CLASS WEAPONS
When using a weapon not listed in a character’s class, combat tests have
Disadvantage.
Armor & Shields:
Armor reduces damage depending on the type. Shields are one use items
that can absorb one or two hits. Armor prof is depended on class,
and gives disadvantage if the user is not prof.
DESTINY POINTS
Each character begins the session with
one Destiny Point. Characters can earn more by doing things
that are dramatic or awesome, depending on GM's reaction
and other player's reaction.
Destiny points have several options:
Reroll a failed roll (including
Defense roll).
Roll with Advantage (must be declared before any rolling occurs).
Reroll Out of Action result, however the player must take the new roll, even
if it’s worse.
Instantly gain a second wind: roll a number of HD equal to half your level,
regaining that number of HP (i.e., a 4th level Barbarian can spend their
Destiny Point to roll 2d10, adding that amount to their current HP).
USAGE DIE
Any item listed in the equipment section that has a Usage die is considered a
consumable, limited-use item. When that item is used, on the following round its
Usage die is rolled. If the roll is 1-2 then the usage die is downgraded to the next
lower die in the following chain:
d20-d12-d10-d8-d6-d4
When you roll a 1-2 on a d4 the item is expended and the character has no more of
it left.
VEHICLES
Vehicles have HP and Reduction Points. Unlike people, these do not recover with
rest (or not being used). Only the Scavenger or Sorcerer can fully repair a vehicle.
When shooting a projectile weapon out of a moving vehicle, a character suffers
Disadvantage to their roll. If an enemy is shooting at a character in a moving
vehicle, the PC has Advantage to their defense roll. If a vehicle reaches zero HP, roll
1d6. If the result is 4-6, the vehicle is salvageable and can be repaired. If the result is
a 1-3, the vehicle is destroyed. Driving a vehicle consumes a character’s full action.
Attempting tricky maneuvers will require a DEX check.
CHASES
Car chases are handled similar to combat. The driver(s) rolls Initiative against
the opponent, as does any target that is attacking. If successful, the characters go
before their opponents, those that fail go after.
When a chase starts, the GM determines the arbitrary length between the cars
(say 5). The character (driver) must succeed on a DEX test. If successful, they gain
one number in distance, either moving farther away from the opponent (if they
are being chased) or one number closer (if they are chasing). If the driver fails the
roll, they lose one number in distance, allowing their opponent to gain on them or
move further away in the chase. When the counter is at 0, the cars have caught up
and the chase is over. If the counter reaches 10, that means the car being chased
has escaped.
LITERACY
All humanoids are only literate if their INT is 13 or over. Death Priests, Sorcerers,
and Vek are always considered literate, no matter their Intelligence score.
LANGUAGES
All PCs understand and speak Common and one other language, regardless of their
INT score. A PC can speak/understand a third language with an INT of 14 or
higher and a fourth with an INT of 17 or higher.
Language Ideas:
Old World languages (i.e., Gaelic, Spanish, German, Mandarin, etc.)
Vek
Various Beastmen languages
Thieves Code
Various monster languages
BUYING EQUIPMENT
Eight powerful Sorcerers and Sorceresses rule over the Ruined Earth, and each
has adopted a color of clay to mold their coin in. Made in kilns enchanted with
Stupendous Science and Sorcery, these coins are marked with the emblem of the
ruling Sorcerer or Sorceress and are as strong as any metal; they cannot be broken,
shattered, or faked. Every new character starts with 1d10x10 ceramic coins (choose
the color of whatever territory you want them to begin in) with which to buy any
additional equipment not given by their class. The color of the ceramic for the coins
are: white, red, gold, black, green, purple, and blue. Some kingdoms will take the
currency of another, while others will not. There are exchanges, but exchange rates
can vary widely. GM has final arbitration on all of this and the state of their world.
Both Standard Gear and the weapons generator are located on pg 59.
Feel free to create your own kingdoms, but for ease here are the Great Eight
Sorcerers of the Ancient Americas:
Tygham the Fearless – Ruler of the Swamps – Green ceramic coins
The Ice Emperor – Ruler of the Frozen North – Purple ceramic coins
Vyconia the Rapturous – Ruler of the South – Red ceramic coins
Technodabbler the Artificial – Ruler of the Sands – White ceramic coins
Mazmogar the Ignominious – Ruler of the Blighted Lands – Terracotta
ceramic coins
Skullator the Deathless – Ruler of the East – Gold ceramic coins
Sagittaria of the Thousand Eyes – Ruler of the West – Blue ceramic coins
Octagon the Calculating – Ruler of the Lands Below – Black ceramic coins
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:58, Thu 16 July 2020.
