Guazábara (Working title)

21 Aug, 2024

Guazábara RPG is a simplified RPG that uses a 20-sided die against a character's ability. This game's combat can be lethal. The Referee will award players for thinking outside the box. It is meant to be narrative-focused with simple mechanics, only rolling for risky situations against a character's ability score.

Credit

Written by Victor Gregory (TheVikkodamus) Text licensed under CC-BY-SA 4.0.

Inspiration

This game was inspired by Cairn, Chaos Reign, Dragonbane, Into the Odd, Liminal Horror, MÖRK BORG, and other system before them.

What Do You Need?

• This game needs 2-4 players and one acting as the referee.
• Pencil, Dice set, and piece of paper or Index Cards for character record keeping.
• A Battle map with mini figs or tokens that represent their character.
• Or use Theater of the Mind kind of play.

Game Mechanics

The Referee will narrate and present opportunities for players to interact with NPCs, monsters, and the world. Whenever a player character does something risky or uncertain, they will roll a d20 and aim for a result that is equal to or lower than their relevant ability score.

• Rolling a 1 is always a critical success.
• Rolling a 20 is always a fumble.

Test

A test occurs whenever a player character attempts a risky action, such as sneaking past a guard, or picking a lock. Examples of situations that require a test include:

• Checking for traps
• Forcing open a locked door
• Resisting a magical charm
• Being dishonest with an NPC
• Jumping across a chasm
• Attempting to continue combat after reaching 0 Hit Points

Boon and Bane

Boons and Banes modify the standard test roll in situations where a character has an advantage or disadvantage:

• Boon: Roll 2d20 and keep the lower result (2d20kl). This is used when the character has a favorable situation, such as using appropriate gear.
• Bane: Roll 2d20 and keep the higher result (2d20kh). This is used when the character is in a disadvantageous situation, such as when they have a condition affecting their ability.

Example: A character with an Agility of 12 is attempting to sneak past a guard in a poorly lit area. They have a cloak that grants them a Boon when sneaking. They roll 2d20 and get a 15 and a 9. They keep the lower result (9). Since 9 is lower than their Agility of 12, they succeed at the test and sneak past the guards.

Gear Assistance

When a player character uses gear that helps with a test, they will roll with a Boon. This roll is then compared against their relevant attribute to see if they are successful.

For Example: A character with an Agility of 12 is attempting to sneak past a guard in a poorly lit area. They have a cloak that grants them a bonus when sneaking. They roll 2d20 and get a 15 and a 9. They keep the lower result (9). Since 9 is lower than their Agility of 12, they succeed at the test. The player character can sneak past the guards and enter the ballroom.

Author's Note: Most Gear can help with a Boon, depending on the state of the item it can negate the boon. Thus, this will make the roll from 2d20KL to just rolling a d20.

Pushing Rolls

Whenever a player fails a Test roll, they have the option to push their roll, re-rolling the test but at a risk. If the player chooses to push, they must accept the new roll's result, and their character gains a condition.

• Conditions: These represent the strain or harm suffered by the character when pushing beyond their limits. The condition imposes a Bane on future rolls related to the affected ability until it is removed after a long rest or narratively appropriate recovery.

• Agility: Dazed
• Insight: Frustrated
• Might: Fatigued
• Willpower: Scared

Author Notes: A fumble roll cannot be pushed. However, when a spell caster rolls a fumble, they may sacrifice some of their Hit Points to activate their spell. The caster decides how much power to force into the spell, with the effect depending on the amount of Hit Points sacrificed. The Referee or Player can roll for the effect.

• d4: Minor effect (half damage/effect)
• d6: Regular effect (normal damage/effect)
• d8: Major effect (double damage/effect)

Dealing with Conditions

Conditions represent negative effects that hinder a character's abilities. They impose a Bane on all relevant tests. These conditions can be cured or mitigated with rest, specific items, or a successful spell.

Character Creation

Players will roll 3 six-sided dice down the line and note the results on their character sheet. All PCs begin with:

• three days' rations (one slot)
• A torch (one slot)
• 3d6 Gold Pieces

Generating Max Hit Points

Players will roll a d6 and add their MIGHT score to the roll to calculate Max HP.

What Abilities Do You Use?

BoneDust uses 4 abilities that represent each test in the game.

• AGILITY: Used for balancing, swimming, and fleeing.
• INSIGHT: Used for Charming, pierceving, and spellcasting .
• MIGHT: Used for crushing, lifting, striking, and grappling, and poison.
• WILLPOWER: Used for resolve, rituals, and resisting mental influence.

Combat

Players should avoid going to combat. This is dangerous! Characters will have to roll to see who goes first. If the character rolls a result that meets or is under their AGILITY score, they will go first. If the player is over their score, the enemy will go first.

Player Characters do not roll to hit when attacking. Both sides will automatically hit. They will roll the weapon's damage die. If the player character rolls a 1, this is a fumble. If the player character rolls max damage, it is a critical. Critical damage will bring down enemies or the player character's armor 1 tier down. A fumble roll means the enemy or player character's weapon will lose quality until the weapon is broken.

Whenever multiple Player Characters or enemies attack one target, they all roll their damage die and keep the highest result.

Movement

During Combat, Player Characters can move up to 40 feet or 8 squares on a battle map. In the BoneDust RPG, distances are simplified into three categories to make movement and engagement straightforward:

• Close: This represents anything within arm's reach, typically around 5 feet. It’s the range for melee combat and immediate interactions. Any creature or object in this range can be reached in one movement action.

• Near: This category covers short distances, generally 10-30 feet away. It includes quick movement across a small room or a short sprint. Ranged weapons like shortbows or thrown objects are effective at this distance. Engaging or disengaging from a Near distance requires one move action.

• Far: This represents anything beyond immediate reach, generally 35+ feet away. It covers large rooms, long hallways, or spaces where running is required to close the distance. Long-range weapons like longbows or spells are typically used at this distance. Moving from Far to Close or Near requires a full round of movement.

What can I do in a Round?

At the beginning of each round, PCs will declare their actions before any dice are rolled. PCs Take one action, which can be:

• Casting a Spell
• Attacking (roll damage)
• Making a second move
• Performing Another Reasonable Action

Weapons

When Reaching 0 HP

When a playable character reaches 0 Hit Points, they are knocked down. Referee will roll the Scar table and will inform PC of their injury. The Referee will then call for a MIGHT test.

• Critical Success: The character immediately gets an opportunity to counterattack or take a free action, potentially turning the tide of battle.
• Success: The character remains conscious and can continue fighting, using their Second Wind. They are still wounded and in danger, but not out of the fight yet.
• Failure: The character falls unconscious.
• Critical Failure: The character has one last moment of consciousness where they can say something, perform a single action (like throwing a weapon, passing an item, or giving a final instruction), and then they succumb to their injuries.
• Instant Death: If a character takes damage that reduces their Hit Points to a negative value, they die instantly.

Scar Table

How can I roll a d66? First Roll (Tens Digit): Roll a 1d6 and multiply the result by 10 to get the tens digit. Alternatively, you can treat the result as:

1 = 10, 2 = 20, 3 = 30, 4 = 40, 5 = 50, and 6 = 60.

Second Roll (Ones Digit): Roll a 1d6 again to get the ones digit. Combine the Results: Combine the two rolls to get a number between 11 and 66.

Example First Roll: You roll a 4. This means your tens digit is 40. Second Roll: You roll a 2. This means your ones digit is 2. Final Result: 42!!

Author's Note: Once a player character reaches 0 Hit Points, the referee will ask for a MIGHT test. If the player succeeds, they are injured but remain in the fight. However, they are in a precarious state. If they take any further damage that reduces their HP to a negative value, they die instantly.

Armor Damage Reduction

When a player character receives damage from an enemy, they will roll the die associated with their armor's tier to determine how much damage is reduced before noting their new current Hit Points.

If armor takes critical damage, roll the corresponding damage reduction and then decrease its tier down to the next die.

Armor Penalty

Armor plays a crucial role in helping Player Characters (PCs) navigate dangerous situations involving various factions or monsters. Different types of armor provide varying levels of damage absorption, allowing PCs to survive harsher encounters. However, not all armor is easy to move in; the bulkier the armor, the more it hinders movement.

How Many Items and Gear I can Carry?

Player Characters start with a number of inventory slots equal to their MIGHT score, or 10 slots if their MIGHT is less than 9. Encumbered characters suffer a Bane on all rolls and move at half their normal movement rate. If they are wearing medium armor, their movement is reduced to 30 feet. If they are wearing heavy armor, they cannot move at all.

Spells

Spell casters have learned the basic principles of spellcasting and rituals, but they are still dangerous to use. There are only two categories for spells in Guazábara, Rituals and Spells. Spells are instantaneous actions that require focus and vocal casting. They can be learned, memorized, and stored in scrolls or spellbooks. If a spell caster loses their (INSIGHT), the spell might fizzle out or misfire. The spell's effect lasts for one round or at the Referee's discretion.

Rituals are lengthy and elaborate ceremonies. These can range from an hour to a full day, depending on the complexity and significance of the ritual (WILLPOWER). They often require specific components, rare ingredients, and certain environmental conditions. Rituals can summon creatures, enchant objects, or perform other powerful magic feats.

The Referee will decide the effect of the ritual on the story.

How Many Spells Can I Learn? Cast Per Day?:

In Guazábara RPG, a character's ability to learn and cast spells is directly tied to their INSIGHT stat, which represents their understanding of arcane knowledge and their mental acuity. The higher the character's Insight, the more spells they can learn and the more frequently they can cast them.

A character's Insight score determines the number of spells they can learn. For example, a character with an Insight of 8-10 can learn 1 spell, while a character with an Insight of 16-17 can learn up to 4 spells. This reflects the character's capacity to comprehend and retain arcane knowledge.

The same Insight score also limits how many spells the character can cast each day. For instance, a character with an Insight of 8-10 can cast spells twice per day, while a character with an Insight of 16-17 can cast spells five times per day. This restriction ensures that magic remains a powerful but finite resource.

How to Cast a Spell:

• Declare which spell your character will cast and roll a d20. If the result is equal to or lower than the character's INSIGHT score, the spell is cast successfully. On a failure, the spell fizzles out or misfires.
• Critical Successes or Failures can result in powerful outcomes or catastrophic consequences. The Referee will interpret these outcomes based on the situation and the nature of the spell.

Spell Generator

How to Perform a Ritual:

• Discuss the ritual with the Referee, including the intent, preparation, and any components required.
• Once the ritual is set, the Referee will determine any relevant conditions and the PC will roll against their WILLPOWER.
• The ritual can have an immediate or long-lasting effect based on the complexity and magnitude of what the ritual is intended to accomplish.

Advancement

1. Whenever a player rolls a 20. The PCs can mark the failed attribute test for later in end of session.
2. Player can roll for each marked stat, the player rolls a d20.

• If the roll result is higher than the current stat value, the stat increases by 1 point.
• If the roll is equal or under than the stat, it remains unchanged.
• The stat can only be increased once per session. Unless rolling for scar table.

4. Player cannot increase stat once the attribute reaches 18.

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