Game Mechanics

Now for the boring stuff (at least, for most people.) In an effort to make this a fast flowing but fair game, a highly simplified stat system has been worked up. It goes like this:

You have three stats to be worried about : Physical Prowess (PP), Mental Capacity (MC), and Divine Favor (DF). Anything you try to attempt will be checked by one of these stats using a dicebot. The dicebot will roll a dx where x is the number in that particular stat.
For example you wanted to climb a tree. You have a PP score of 4, so you'd have the dicebot roll a d4. You get a 3 and the tree has a check of 2, since it's a pretty durn easy tree to climb. Congratulations, you just climbed a tree.

Fettle (also known as constitution, hitpoints, etc.) concerns how much damage you can take before you die. Multiply your PP by 2 to get this number.

Damage is incurred much the same way as a PP check, like climbing the tree, except the tree can fight back. Both combatants would do a PP check, and the difference is the damage incurred to the loser. To make things easy on you, the player, the GM (game master) will make alterations to the NPC's (non-player characters) stats for situations like you sneaking up on them or them sneaking up on you.

Creating your Character

Alrighty, this is where it gets fun. First of all, you should think up things for your character like his or her name, background story, and divine affiliation(that is, which deity/deities your character prays to, if any). Keep in mind that it is hard to please more than one deity at a time as they all have their own agenda.

Now is a good time to think about goals. Your character will have some goals in life, and you, the player, will have some goals for your character as well. They don't even have to agree, but goals help shape the action of the game.

All characters start out with 4 for each of the stats (PP, MC, and DF.) Even if your character has not affiliated him or herself with a deity, there is SOMEONE looking out for you. You just might not like who it is. You can raise these stats at character creation by using your pelf, which gives you two extra points. (see below for more on pelf)

Upon character creation, you also get a handy-dandy pelf which can be cashed in for a variety of things. Mostly, you'll use your pelf for raising your stats. Every pelf is worth 2 points. You might also want to spend your pelf on some extraordinary background that would probably give you some sort of advantage in the game as a whole (i.e. being the son of an elder.) You can also gain pelf throughout the game for various reasons, usually in the guise of rewarding you. When you have a stat total above 15, you can spend a pelf on a Tarjumân, which is basically a moody hintbook for the game. There are other things you can spend pelf on, too, like advice from an oracle, an NPC ally, and even immortality, but they, too, have stat requirements and pelf costs which are far above what a beginning character would be able to achieve soon or have variable costs depending on the situation.

A note on Luck :: as a free spirit in this crazy world, Luck visits who it may, when it may. To help determine this statistically, a beginning character rolls a d5 -2, giving you a possible bonus of -1 to 3. This bonus is applied to all your checks. As your stats get better, your luck bonus will have a greater spread. You have the advantage of knowing as a player what your character's luck is that day, so you can be prepared for it, somewhat, in your actions. Remember, though, to try not to make OOC (out of character) actions because of you luck bonus.

� Susan Duffey, 2006.