Welcome to the Rules!
Tiny Dungeon 2e (2nd Edition) is a minimalistic tabletop roleplaying game that delivers a satisfying gaming experience without books upon books of rules and options. These rules actually work pretty well for online PBP games as well. Below you'll find a summary of the rule system for those new to Tiny Dungeon.
The Core Mechanic: The Test
The core mechanic that runs Tiny Dungeon 2e is called a Test, which is a roll of 2d6 from your Dice Pool. For complex actions, the Game Master will usually require you to make a Test to determine if you succeed at what you’re doing. Tests are successful if you roll a 5 or a 6 on any of the dice rolled in your Dice Pool, unless otherwise noted by the Game Master.
The Game Master, and certain Traits selected at Adventurer Creation, can grant you Advantage in situations. This will allow you to roll 3d6 from your Dice Pool instead of 2d6 for that particular Test, increasing the odds of success!
Other situations, at the Game Master’s discretion, may put you at a Disadvantage. When at a Disadvantage, you will only be able to roll 1d6 to resolve your Test. It is important to note that if the situation, trait, or Game Master (or any source) imposes Disadvantage in a situation, even if you would normally have Advantage due to a particular Trait, you still roll 1d6 for that test. Magical items that grant Advantage are the only things that supersede this—if a magic item grants you Advantage, you will always have Advantage for that situation. Why? Because magic. That’s why.
In the long and short of it: Disadvantage overrides Advantage (unless the Advantage is granted by a magic item.) That means if you have Disadvantage on a roll, and Advantage on the same roll, you only roll 1d6.
Players will make tests most often in three different situations:
- in overcoming an obstacle
- in making a resistance test, called a Save
- in combat
Obstacle
Obstacles are challenges that usually require a Test to overcome. Obstacles may include attempting to barter with a shopkeeper, pick a lock, search a room for a hidden item, or resolve a conflict with words rather than swords. The Game Master may determine your roleplaying is sufficient in overcoming the obstacle and grant you immediate success without having to Test; however, in most situations, a Test will be necessary to determine the outcome.
Saves
Obstacles may arise that require you to make what’s called a Save Test in order to prevent something from happening to you. For example, you need to successfully leap out of the way as a trap springs, or you’re climbing a rope when it snaps and could potentially fall. Save Tests also are used to stabilize yourself if you begin a turn at 0 Hit Points. Save Tests are just like regular Tests, and unless otherwise noted by the rules or the Game Master, you roll 2d6 to resolve your Test. A 5 or 6 on any of the rolled dice represent a successful Save. Some Save Tests can be a life or death scenario—these are called Save or Die Tests. Should you fail the Save Test, your character is killed. Period. There is no preventing it.
Combat
Combat is a little more complicated. There are several tests that might be done as part of Combat.
- Initiative:
The Game Master will usually announce when Combat is about to begin by requesting an Initiative Test. All players will roll a standard 2d6 Test. Any player who is successful on their Initiative Test takes their actions before opponents, and anyone who fails takes their actions after their opponents. The Game Master does not need to roll Initiative, instead going based on the results of the player character Tests. - Attacking:
Attacking is just another type of Test, and the Obstacle is your enemy. Usually, you’re going to be using the weapon you have Mastered to attack. Any weapon type you have Mastered allows you to roll an Attack Test with Advantage, or 3d6. If you are simply Proficient with the weapon you’re wielding, your Attack Test is a standard 2d6 Test. You have Disadvantage for Attack Tests while wielding weapons you are not Proficient with— this includes unarmed combat and improvised weapons.
Combat Rules
During your turn, you have two Actions. You can choose to move, attack, and generally not be useless with these Actions. If you move, that is one Action. If you attack, that is one Action. You can use both Actions to move or use both Actions to Attack if you wish. Other Actions include sheathing or unsheathing a weapon, grabbing an item, and giving an item to an ally.
Movement
Movement is defined by announcing your intentions to move from one location to another; the Game Master determines whether or not you can cover enough ground to get there with that Action. We talk about ranges later, but as one action, you can move to an adjacent range.
AttAcking
Attacking is the most important aspect of Combat. First and foremost, if you are attacking an enemy, you must be within range of your enemy to do so. Your sword may be sharp, but it isn’t going to hit that demon that’s 25 feet away from you. Getting within range will require you to move if you are using a melee weapon. Once you’re in range, you can attack! Attacking is just another type of Test, and the Obstacle is your enemy.
Damage
On a successful Attack Test, you deal 1 of point damage to your enemy if you have a Light weapon and 2 points of damage if you have a Heavy weapon, unless your Game Master says otherwise. Game Masters are encouraged to reward roleplaying at all times, so a particularly detailed description of an attack may score more damage to your enemy, if the Game Master so decides.
Other Actions
Two special Actions you can perform in Combat are Focus and Evade.
- When you choose to Focus, the next time you attack, your Test is successful on a roll of 4, 5, or 6, increasing your chances of hitting the enemy. Your Focus Action remains in effect until you choose to attack or until the end of combat, so the Action can carry over to other turns. There is no benefit to stacking Focus Actions.
- When you choose to Evade, until the start of your next turn, you can Test 1d6 when you are successfully hit by an enemy. If your Test is successful, you evade the attack and do not take damage.
Weapons and Damage
Light Melee Weapons have the benefit of only requiring one hand to wield. This frees you up to do other things with your other hand, such as grab a potion. Examples of Light Melee Weapons include daggers, short swords, hammers, and staves. If it’s a weapon you can swing with one hand, it’s probably a Light Melee Weapon. Light weapons do 1 damage. They can be held in one hand. There is no limit on how many attacks a light weapon can make in a round (except your number of actions).
Heavy Melee Weapons require you to wield them with both hands due to them being cumbersome or just so… heavy. Examples of Heavy Melee Weapons include great swords, war hammers, polearms, spears, and two-handed flails. They do 2 damage. If you make an attack with a heavy weapon, you may not attack with any other weapon, spell, or item this turn. Heavy weapons are held in two hands.
Melee weapons may only attack in the CLOSE range band. Heavy weapons may attack in the NEAR range band with disadvantage.
Ranged Weapons require one or two hands to hold, and one or two hands to operate. Examples of Ranged Weapons are slings, crossbows and longbows, throwing knives, and more. Ranged Weapons may attack something near or far without penalty. If used against a close target, you suffer Disadvantage on the attack. Ranged weapons must be reloaded after being fired (which takes an action).
Cinematic Ammo: At the end of every fight, have each player make a Test for each ranged
weapon they used. Anyone who fails is out of ammo until they do something to refill their supply. Characters can share ammo with allies who have failed (allowing them a re-Test),
but if they do, both must test for Cinematic Ammo with Disadvantage.
Combat Ranges
There are three ranges in the game:
Close
Near
Far
Each range is defined from the perspective of a character (Erin’s character has enemies in her close range, and I have enemies in mine, but they are not the same close range.)
Close range is a sword's length from one another. Near is within around 5m. Far is everything else still in sight that is too distant to be a part of the combat. Characters can use an action to move one range band.
Hit Points
Hit Points are determined by your selected Heritage, and they reflect the punishment your
body can take before you lose consciousness. In Combat, every successful hit deals 1 or 2 points of damage unless otherwise noted by the Game Master. Tiny Dungeon 2e recognizes that a well-placed dagger can be just as deadly as getting hit by a greataxe. Ultimately, the final blow is the one that counts.
Recovery
You need at least 6 in-game hours of uninterrupted sleep every day to regain your strength. If you manage to obtain 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep, you will fully restore any lost Hit Points to your maximum. You otherwise regain 1 Hit Point for every hour of sleep.
When asleep, Adventurers are unconscious. If something is going on around them, they are less likely to be aware of it, and have Disadvantage when making a Test to see if something wakes them up.
How to Die
The dying process begins when you’ve taken enough damage to reduce your Hit Points to 0. Hit Points cannot be reduced below 0. At this point, you’re knocked unconscious, and without further assistance, you could succumb to your wounds and die.
If you are at 0 Hit Points at the start of your turn in Combat, you can only make a Save Test to stabilize yourself. A successful Save Test will bring your Hit Points up to 1 and ends your turn. If you fail this Save Test, you get one last chance at surviving on your own—at the start of your next turn, make one last Save Test, at Disadvantage. If you fail this final Save Test, your Adventurer dies.
While you are unconscious, any ally can attempt to stabilize you by making a Save Test as an Action on their turn, providing they are adjacent (or Close) to you. On a success, you are restored to 1 Hit Point and your next turn will start as a normal turn. Additionally, any items or abilities that could potentially heal you while you are unconscious—such as the Healer Trait or healing potions—can be used by allies to bring you back from the brink.
If a character dies, unlike normal Tiny Dungeons 2e, there are no means of resurrection possible.
Hiding and Sneaking
Attempting to hide or sneak around is performed simply by making a standard Test with 2d6. If the Test is successful, you are hidden, or your actions went unnoticed. Note that you can’t simply hide in plain sight, so you need some sort of cover or concealment to hide. It is up to the Game Master to determine if you are in a situation where you could potentially hide.
Allies and enemies alike can also make a standard 2d6 Test to locate someone—or something—that is hidden. Hiding during Combat uses an Action, as does searching during Combat. These Tests can only be done during your Turn while in Combat.
Magic
There are four kinds of spell-casters that the Characters can be.
The Illuminated
Ordained by the Light to fight the Dread and protect the People from the Living Darkness, the Illuminated have a range of miracles that they can perform. These are usually light-related, or holy in nature. A Paladin might 'smite' a foe with a powerful attack that not only slays him, but burns his blood into molten gold, for example. A High Priest might lay on hands and administer a sacrament of blessing upon a village caught under a curse.
The primary way a character with the Illuminated Trait can get access to these miracles is by earning 'Grace' during play. Heroic actions and adherence to the Creed can generate these points of Grace. Each point of grace translates as a single die added to a die pool. When they want to perform a miracle, they tell the DM what they want to do, and roll their full Grace pool. The DM is the final arbiter of what is possible with a Miracle from the Illuminated.
The Illuminated are pretty powerful, but they live under the requirement of acting in accordance with the Faith. Should they depart from the faith, they might fall under the effect of a curse, sometimes called a Sin Brand. until they have redeemed themselves, they cannot access miracles and might suffer disadvantage on certain actions.
Witchcraft or Wizardry
The Arcane is not an unintelligent energy used dispassionately by magic-users. Instead, it is a maelstrom of swirling eddies, all with ambitions and drives. It is by selecting these energies - called demons by those who practice the craft - and housing them inside one's brain that, through the right rote mudra and incanted words, magic is enacted upon the world.
Beginning play with the Witch/Wizard trait grants a character the understanding to manipulate two sorts of demons that make up two spells. More knowledge can be gained by finding magic scrolls, books on magical theory, or taught directly by another witch or wizard. The Witch/Wizard can prepare one of each spell they know, storing the energies in their head until the moment of casting.
Casting a spell requires overcoming an obstacle. Success means the spell functions as it should, and d failure might mean it goes very wrong.
NB: If anyone had not yet caught on, this is the Vancian Caster magic-user class.
Druidism
Life and death, while seen as mundane, are potent magics. The Druidic order know this, not worshiping life and death, but instead meditating upon it and becoming in tune with nature. Druids take on the role of guardians of the natural order. Druids can summon creatures or nature itself to fight for them or act on their behalf. Many are the tales of a swamp of bees chasing off Forest Goblin interlopers, or a bear that found and destroyed a band of dreadful undead creatures. Some druids can also take and use animal features, like low-light vision or ultrasonic hearing.
Each day, a druid starts with 3d6 Druidic dice. They can use an action to create an effect and choose to roll one, two or three dice to enact their magic on a success. Unlike Witchcraft, failure has no negative consequences.
Dread Magic
The Enemy uses Dread Magic - a mix of necromantic and exsanguination arts that produces powerful, terrible effects. No Character controlled by the players can have Dread Magic. Learning such spells is a crime against the natural order and marks an individual as an enemy of the Light.
