The Olde Realm

[Eldrad]

Session before last


Damien Ehrlich the Sage of the Purple Cloth and Kora the Barbarian were looking for a simple place to eat..

The city of Westfort was in a tussle again as city guards in great alert, church guards running around, and a group of Supernal Wizards all walking in a row towards the Church. Looked like another fight in this great city of over a million people.  People were panicking and rumors were flying.

The streets were starting to thin out as people began to hide away in their stone, wood,  and steel homes.

The Alchemist Theo saw Damon Ehrlich in the eatery and went to let him know that he really found his comments on Alchemy very interesting. They talked for hours. Then with Kora getting bored they decided the streets were quite enough to leave.

Just outside an assassin waited to slay Kora sent by her uncle who was quickly moving up in the political scene in the city and did not want his murderous Past known.

A massive attack went out towards Kora but she and Damon quickly dispatched the Assassin. Theo a mere alchemists stood in horror.

Stupidly the Street Guide that hired the assassin was hiding in the shadow and tried to run away after loosing his nerve.

Kora caught and beat the man until he talked. Kora knew what manor her uncle was renting.

She with Damon and Theo in tow went there and killed all her Uncle's men and her Uncle.

Damon then went to the king and explained that the city was under attack from many sides.

The Supernal want to open the Gates held by the church for a final war.

Old nobility hate the new Imperial King as they has lost much.

The New King son of the  Imperial blood himself is trying to make this city more law abiding. Between the great cities there is only death.

There are many sides to this world of the Olde Realm.

[Calithena]

What parts of this were the most fun for you? Why?

What parts of this were least fun? Why?

What parts did the game you were playing support? How?

What parts did the game you were playing hinder or get in the way of? How?

[Ron Edwards]

Hello,

Sean has asked some great questions for you. I'd also like to know what game system you were using, and how many people were playing.

Best, Ron

[Eldrad]

Running the game is the fun for me.

Getting GMs block is the least fun for me as well as not being able to get people together to game.

The game system is simple enough to support itself.

I have heard no complaints about the system.

The system I am using is a % based system.

Takes about 5 minutes to make a very detailed character . A  skill with no points added defaults to a 25%

Well here is the Character creation system.

The Olde Realm


Introduction
The Old Realm is a game that promises quick leveless character creation and fast and understandable rules. You can create a character in less than 5 minutes and be on your way playing in a fantastic world.

Character Creation
Age

Kid
Your a young early teen to pre-teen kid (10-15) who has no reason to be adventuring. You only start out with 25 points to spend.
Looks 30 (+5), Melee 20 (-5), Might 20 (-5), Stamina 20 (-5), Status 10 (-15), Will 15 (-10), Wealth 10 (-15) (-50 Total)

Youth
Your in your late teens to middle 20's (15-25) your just now beginning to figure out the world. You start out with 50 points to spend. Your abilities are all 25%.

Adult
Your in your late middle 20's to middle 40's. (25-45) You have some skills and abilities but some of your physical body is going down hill. You have 75 points to spend.
Action 20 (-5), Brawling 20 (-5), Looks 20 (-5), Perception 20 (-5), Stealth 20 (-5), (-25 Total)

Mature
You are in your late middle 40's to your early middle 60's. (45-65) You have 100 points to spend.
Accuracy 20 (-5), Action 15 (-10), Brawling 20 (-5), Looks 15 (-10), Melee 20 (-5), Might 20 (-5), Perception 15 (-10) (-50 Total)

Old
You are in your late 60's to middle 90's. (65-95) You have 150 points to spend.
Accuracy 15 (-10), Action 15 (-10), Brawling 15 (-10), Looks 15 (-10), Melee 15 (-10), Might 15 (-10), Perception 15 (-10), Stamina 15 (-10), Stealth 20 (-5), (-85 Total)

Ancient
You are in you late 90's or older. (95-up)You have 200 points to spend. 10% chance of being very ancient adds another 50 skill points and another 10-30 years to your age. Keep rolling until you fail.
Accuracy 10 (-15), Action 10 (-15), Brawling 10 (-15), Looks 10 (-15), Melee 10 (-15), Might 10 (-15), Perception 10 (-15), Stamina 10 (-15), Stealth 10 (-15), (-135)

More Experienced/Powerful PCs/NPCs will have +25 points for a somewhat experienced, +50 for a veteran of many adventures. A master will have +75 points.




Backgrounds

Skills

These are the 20 skill categories listed below. The most important rule to remember about skills is the average score is 25%. If someone has put no points in a skill it defaults to 25%. To use a skill you roll a % dice the score or lower to succeed. There may be modifiers directly to the Skill. For simplicity they are always in the 10s. For example you will never have a +8 or a –12 modifier. You would only have a +10 or minus –30 for example. You achieve a critical success on 1/10 or lower of your score. If you decide to specialize you must put the points only in one specialty and your critical successes are at 1/5 of the skill. A specialty only works for the one skill only not for the whole category. Example would be a specialty in dagger under Melee. A skill of 35(10 plus the base of 25%) would cost 10 points and now is a separate skill altogether. If melee would go up or down it would not affect the specialized dagger skill. If you roll higher than your score you fail to do the action you desired. A critical failure is twice your skill. For example a skill of 35 a critical failure would be a 70 or more. A 100 is a horrible failure. It is up to the GM to prescribe what happens.
01-20 Low         10
21-35 Average   25
36-50 Skilled     45
51-75 Expert      65
76-00 Master      85

Academic-This skill deals with all things scholarly and learned. This covers reading and writing at the skilled level. Example specialties: law, ancient history, ancient, foreign, and modern languages, science, various forms of occult lore, and any others that you can think of. 
Accuracy-This is your natural ability to aim, shoot and throw. Specialties would be a specific type of ranged weapon such as bow, crossbow, musket pistol, daggers, etc... 
Action-This is you speed, coordination, and dexterity. Example specialties climbing, acrobatics, running, combat speed (Initiative) etc. etc. This number is VERY important, as it is the number used to determine who goes first in close combat! If you are of average speed the only way to attack first is to sneak up on the quicker person or attack him/her from a distance.
Attacks per Round.
Low        01-20 x1
Average 21-35 x1
Skilled    36-50 x2
Expert     51-75 x3
Master    76-00 x4  (+1 every additional 25)
Animals-This is the knowledge of animal care and lore. Example specialties would be riding, ranching, shepherd etc... etc... 
Brawling-This is your raw hand to hand ability. Example specialties would be punch, brawling parry, kick, etc...etc...
Entertain-This skill is you raw ability to sing, act, and play an instrument. Specialties could be specific musical instrument, opera singer, thespian, etc... etc...   
Healer-This is the knowledge of healing wounds and curing maladies. Example specialties could be surgeon, barber, etc... etc...  A successful roll on healing provides 1-5 hit points of healing. If you have a proper medical kit or healing herbs you can heal 1-10 hit points.
Looks-This is you physical attractiveness. Some specialties would be cuteness, ruggedly handsome, sexy, etc... etc...
Melee-This is your raw skill with melee weapons such as swords, daggers, maces, and others. You may specialize by choosing a specific weapon.
Might-This is a measure of your raw strength. Specialties in this attribute are break down door, push, pull, and any others you think of. Your bonus to damage is Might /10.
Perception-This is your ability to notice the world around you. Many a quick warrior has gotten himself killed by not being perceptive. Specialties that some develop are see, hear, taste, touch, etc... etc...
Smith-This is your mechanical ability as well as you skill in figuring out how to build something. Specialties include blacksmith, locksmith (a favorite of thieves!), stone mason, carpenter, brewer, printer, basket weaver, trapsmith, the list could go on forever.
Social-This is your ability to interact with others. Specialties include leadership, seduction, con, intimidate, bribe as well as any others you could think of.
Stamina-This is you health and endurance. You divide the Stamina score by 2 to get hit points. Specialties include drink, resist cold/heat, resist poisons, the possibilities are endless.
Status-This is you station in society. Specialization  in this attribute will be only for a group or guild involved. Specialties include merchant rank, church rank, secret order's rank ect...
01-20 Low         Poor, slaves, foreigners, and scum
21-35 Average  Commoners and serfs
36-50 Skilled    Craftsmen and merchants
51-75 Expert     Guildmasters and noblemen
76-00 Master     Royalty
Stealth-This is your sneakiness and cunning. With this skill you can sneak around pick pockets palm objects. Specialties could be pick pocket, palm object, sneak, hide etc...
Street-This is the working knowledge of  lower class life. This skill also works as a social rank in the slums for obtaining goods and contraband. Specialties include thieves' guild rank, assassin's guild rank, fence, counterfeiting, prostitution, slavery, drugs, illegal magicks, or any other lowly professions or services. 
Wilderness-This is working knowledge of the wilderness and how to survive. The specialties in this include forest, wetland, tundra, desert, jungle, fire building, herbalist, hunting, trapping, and any others that you think of.
Wealth- This is you starting wealth.
01-20 Low         1-10 P
21-35 Average   10-100P
36-50 Skilled     100-1000P
51-75 Expert      1000-10,000P
76-00 Master      10,000-100,000P
Will-This is your mental strength. The ability to resist magicks and manipulations.  Specialties would include resist specific magick sphere, resist fear, resist torture, resist pain, etc...                                         
Specialties- You may pick out a specialty skill within a skill. This cost the same as a skill but it has tremendous benefits.  First in combat any critical success occurs on 1/5 your specialty skill instead of 1/10 of skill. As there are unlimited possibilities for specialties there is no list for them! You the players and game masters must make them up as you go.

[Eldrad]

A few Characters ready to play from the Occupation Documents.

You can see that the possibilities are endless. These are just suggestions for the skills the Player can create whatever he wants.

Are these samples of the rules clear and concise? Critiques please!



Hunter-
A hunter is one who makes his/her living by hunting wild game. One who does this illegally is called a poacher and is the bane of every gamekeeper.
Skills: Accuracy Specialties- (Long Bow or Rifle), Wilderness Specialties- (Tracking, Trapping)
Starting Equipment: Long Bow w/ 20 Arrows or Small Rifle w/ 10 Shots, and Dagger 

Beggar-
The Beggar is the eyes and ears of the street and the poorest and most wretched. Many Beggars are disfigured and/or handicapped. All are dirty and stink.
Skills: Entertain, Perception, and Social
Starting Equipment: Rags, Bowl, Rotgut, and Fleas and Mites

City Poor-
These are the very poor and uneducated low class people. Their life is a horrible one as they are victims all. Thieves or the town guard quickly steals any money gained. Still in their squalor they still can be quite happy and gleeful.
Skills as Background
Starting Equipment: Old dirty mismatched clothing, Stick or club, 10% dagger, 5% melee weapon of choice.

Peddler-
You are a seller of things merchant too poor to buy a cart or shop.  Usually trying to make a deal with some one. You are usually the target of thieves and corrupt guards.
Skills: Entertain, Perception, Smith, Social, Streets
Starting Equipment: Backpack 1-10 Pots and Pans 1-10 Soap Cakes, 1-10 Cigars 1-100ft, of Rope 1-10 tools (used) if you can think of other weird stuff to sell replace it on his list.

Street Guide-
These are the sorts who show newcomers a good time around town. This is of course as long as the suckers are paying. Some work with Thieves Guilds and sell their patens out for a cut of their cash.
Skills: Action, Brawling, Entertain, Melee, Perception, Social, Stealth, Streets,
Starting Equipment: Melee Weapon of choice, Leather Jack, Flashy Hat, and Jacket 


Burglar-
A specialized thief that breaks into houses and temples who not very good at fighting, but very good at stealth and locksmithing.
Skills: Action, Perception, and Smith Specialty (Locksmith)
Starting Equipment: Dark Cloak, Hip Sack, Cheap Lock Picks, and Hood Mask.

Fortune Teller-
You sometimes see the future. Most of the time you just tell them what they want to hear. Some times your really scare yourself with your accuracy.
Lately something is going terribly wrong you seem to feel the Bane moving into the city....
Skills: Academic Specialties (Fortune Telling) (Occult Lore), Healer Specialty (Folk Medicine), Perception, Will, and Spirit 


Pick Pocket -
Your quick with your hands and can pick a pocket with out notice. You lurk the streets looking for the fool who carries all his money carelessly.
Skills: Action, Perception, Stealth, and Specialty (Pick Pocket)



Bounty Hunter -
You are a hunter of wanted men. Most are weak street trash. Some are true challenges. You find your prey from the courthouse wanted posters.
Skills: Stealth, Streets, and Wilderness
Starting Equipment: Chain Shirt, Wood Buckler, 1-10 Shackles with Locks, Cloak (full of pockets)

Footman, Medium -
You are the slightly more experienced and more expensive fighting troops. You are the norm on a battlefield.
Starting Equipment: Chain Mail Shirt, Chain Mail Pants, Basket Helm, and Medium Metal Shield


Horseman, Medium -
You are the standard cavalry.
Skills: Animals Specialty (Ride)
Starting Equipment: Long Spear, Chain Mail Shirt, Chain Mail Pants, Basket Helm, Medium Metal Shield , Warhorse, Saddle, Saddle Bags

Swordsman - You are a professional duelist. You pick fights for gold. Your combats are rarely fatal as you stop at first blood. There are breeds of Swordsmen called Bloodswords who do kill all they fight after surrender. They are considered honor less dogs in the swordsmen's eyes.
Skills: Melee Specialty (Sword)
Starting Equipment: Fancy Outfit, Expensive Sword, Long Cloak



Warrior/Barbarian -
You are a primitive fighter from the great wildernesses in the Old Realm. You truly are half naked and barbaric looking with your primitive furs, bones, and leather work. Despite their primitive appearance many barbaric people are skilled smiths. Many barbarians tend to get into trouble in civilized areas and end up having to kill lots of people. The one who keep their cool tend to live longer and become adventurers.
Skills: Animals, Smith, Stealth, and Wilderness
Starting Equipment: Fur Cloak, Fur Outfit (only covering the bare minimum), Large Melee Weapon, Short Bow, 1-10 Arrows, Backpack, Tinder Box,

[Eldrad]

As you can see the system allows one to make very detailed characters in under 10 minutes.
I hate the game systems that take a long time to make a character.
I have seen many games killed  this way before they start.

The % system works very well and is simple and quick.

There also is a very simple and quick improvised magic system based on the eight elements I will discuss later.

[Eldrad]

Can anyone try making a few characters from the rules above?

Give yourself reasonable equipment and post it.