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FreeD6, Game Mechanisms, Rules Articles

Melee Combat

Melee combat is a melee skirmish scenario in which characters attempt to take each other out of action by damaging their opponent’s health or destroying their composure. In close combat, the order of action is decided by the initiative score. On their turn, characters may take one full action, one bonus action, and as many free actions as are reasonable. The scenario ends when all opponents have either conceded the conflict or have been taken out of action. A character is said to be engaged with an opponent if either of them has the other as the main focus of their attention.

Melee Combat Actions

In close combat, action is ordered by initiative, action is divided into rounds, and characters are limited in their action selection. In a normal round of action, each character in the scene takes one or more actions in initiative order. Each character has one full action and one bonus action, which they may take in any order. After each character has finished acting, the round resets and begins again.

If a character is engaged with an opponent when they take an action, the opponent normally has the opportunity to use an action (full action or bonus action) to respond out of the initiative order. Responding to an action uses the responding character’s action for the round.

If a character is required to make an ability check when it is not their turn, and they either choose not to use an action or do not have an action available to use, the ability check is automatically equal to the fixed value of the ability.

Initiative Order

The order of action is determined by the fixed value of the Perception: survival: awareness skill. Using the fixed value creates an ordered structure to the conflict. Characters with greater situational awareness will consistently act more promptly and decisively.

If the Game Master determines that the combat has become chaotic and disorderly, he may call for an awareness ability check to determine initiative order for the round, the encounter, or for a limited number of rounds. Characters with greater situational awareness still have the potential to act first in the round, but this ability is less consistent.

Full ActionsBonus ActionsFree Actions
AttackGain an AdvantageTrash Talk Opponents
DefendInteractBanter with Allies
MoveMoveMove
RecoverReady an ActionReady Equipment
Force an OpponentSupport a CharacterPlan an Action
Actions in Melee Combat

Full Action Selection

Characters may take one full action during their turn. A full action requires most of the character’s attention and usually requires an ability check. Full actions are used to make an attack roll, go on the defensive, move around difficult terrain, or force an opponent to respond.

Attack

An attack is an attempt to take an opponent out of action by creating a damage condition. If the attack is successful, the character will then roll their damage to generate result points and create conditions. The damage roll is determined by the weapon used in the attack.

To make an attack, a character rolls their skill dice against their opponent’s resistance. Unless their opponent has taken a defensive action, the difficulty of the roll is equal to the fixed value of the opponent’s defending skill.

In order to attack an opponent, a character must be within reach, close enough to strike the target but distant enough to use the weapon’s leverage. They defender must not be closer than the minimum distance and must not be farther than the maximum distance. The following skills are used to make an attack roll or to generate a fixed resistance value.

Attack SkillDefended by
Brawling: strikeBrawling: block
Melee: martial weaponsMelee: deflect
Melee: long weaponsMelee: deflect
Skirmish: close weaponsBrawling: block
Skirmish: light weaponsSkirmish: parry
Attack Skills with Matching Defensive Skills
Weapon CategoryMin ReachMax Reach
closeno minimum5 feet
martial
light		5 feet10 feet
long10 feet15 feet
Weapon Reach by Category

Defend

Characters normally defend against an attack using only the fixed value of a defensive skill and without using an action. As a full action, a character may go on the defensive: until their next full action, when a character is attacked, they may make a defensive ability check and add +10 to the total to generate their resistance.

Going on the defensive allows a character to focus all of their attention on defense. They may use any relevant skill to generate their resistance to an attack roll. If the attack roll is not equal to the fixed value of their defensive skill, there is no need to make an ability check to determine resistance.

In order to defend against an opponent – for both full actions and fixed values – a character must have distance and clearance. The defensive weapon must be distant enough to use the weapon’s leverage defensively and must have enough space around it to move without obstruction. The following skills are used to make a defense roll.

Defensive WeaponDefensive SkillDefends AgainstDistanceClearance
noneBrawling: blockunarmed strike;
close weapons		nonenone
lightSkirmish: parrylight weaponsnonenone
martialMelee: deflectmartial weapons;
long weapons		5 feet5 feet
longMelee: deflectmartial weapons;
long weapons		5 feet5 feet
Defense Skills with Matching Attack Skill and Reach

Move

A character may use a full action to make an Athletics or Acrobatics ability check to move over or around obstacles on the battlefield or to cross treacherous terrain. A character may move up to their full Move distance in a full action. If an ability check would be required, and the difficulty of the check is equal to or less than the fixed value of the character’s ability, no ability check is required. This allows characters to leap up low elevations, to the top of tables, fight on a narrow ledge, or knock over unstable terrain features. If a character fails a movement ability check, the movement may still occur, but the characters suffers a fatigue condition equal to the negative result points.

Normally, a character who is engaged with an opponent in melee combat cannot prevent their opponent from attempting to match their movement. By making a movement ability check, a character may move away from or towards an opponent; the opponent must use an action in order to respond to the movement.

DifficultyVery Easy
1-5		Easy
6-10		Moderate
11-15		Difficult
16-20		Very Difficult
21-25
Distance20 feet30 feet40 feet50 feet60 feet
Ascent10 feet, many handholds15 feet, ready handholds20 feet, some handholds25 feet, few handholds30 feet, finger holds
Terrainfirm groundsoft or loose grounduneven or shifting groundnarrow, weak, or unbalanced groundany previous concealed from view
Passagewide openwide with light obstructionswide with heavy obstructionsnarrow with light obstructionsnarrow with heavy obstructions
Shift Objectunsteady, up to 5D damageunsteady, up to 6D damagefirmly placed, up to 7D damagefirmly placed, up to 8D damagefirmly placed, up to 9D damage
Movement Difficulty Benchmarks

Athletics: sprint allows a character to cover open terrain quickly and suddenly, gaining an advantage from a new position or removing themselves from harm’s way. Any abrupt, sudden, or speedy movement that is primarily along a clear, horizontal surface requires a sprint check.

Athletics: climbing allows a character to quickly ascend or descend a vertical elevation. On the battlefield, this can include sheer walls, large boulders, trees, and netting or rigging. Any movement that is primarily along a vertical surface requires a climbing check.

Athletics: jumping allows a character to leap over, around, or through obstacles that would otherwise block movement. On the battlefield, this can include open pits, hindering terrain, low obstacles, and gaps between locations. Any movement that requires a character to leave the ground and land safely requires a jumping check.

Acrobatics: balance allows a character to quickly and safely cross slippery, unsteady, or treacherous terrain. On the battlefield, this can include a narrow ledge, a shifting log, moss covered rocks, or very small footholds. Any movement that places the character at risk of falling over or entering into an undesirable position requires a balance check.

Lifting: shift allows a character to move, relocate, and knock over objects or parts of the terrain. On the battlefield, this can include dislodging boulders, knocking over trees, toppling structures, and hurling heavy or unstable equipment. Any time a character attempts to move a heavy object, unbalance an object, or make an attack by knocking over or hurling a heavy object up to 15 feet, it requires a shift check.

Recover a Condition

If a character is suffering from a damage, fatigue, or composure condition, they may use a full action to attempt to recover a condition. In order to recover a condition, the character must make an ability check that generates enough result points to match the rank of a condition, including any ranks used to modify the condition recovered.

The difficulty of a recovery check is determined by the highest ranked damage or composure condition on the damaged character. The result points of the ability check determine the recovery condition created. If the recovery check does not create enough ranks to completely remove the condition, it may be able to reduce its severity or duration instead.

Stamina: recover allows a character to recover or reduce their own damage or fatigue conditions. The character takes a moment to bind their wounds, apply treatment, or simply catch their breath. The results of the recover ability check can be used to modify an existing damage or fatigue condition or to create a recovery condition.

Discipline: focus allows a character to recover or reduce their own or another character’s composure conditions. The character stops to think about their situation, focus their willpower, center their spirit, or reevaluate their position. They provide another character with motivation, encouragement, or a renewed sense of purpose. The results of the focus ability check can be used to modify an existing composure condition or to create a recovery condition.

Technical: medicine allows a character to recover or reduce another character’s damage or fatigue conditions. The character provides medical attention, treats injuries, or administers medications or holistic healing techniques. The results of the medicine ability check can be used to modify an existing condition or to create a recovery condition.

RankDifficultyRecovery Effects
1Very EasyRecover a rank 1 condition;
or +1D to the next recovery check.
2EasyRecover a rank 2 condition;
or reduce an existing condition’s duration from the end of the encounter to 1D rounds.
3ModerateRecover a rank 3 condition;
or reduce an existing condition’s duration from the end of the scene to the end of the encounter.
4DifficultRecover a rank 4 condition;
or reduce an existing condition’s duration from requiring intentional recovery to expiring at the end of the scene.
5Very DifficultRecover a rank 5 condition;
Recovery Conditions

Force an Opponent to Move

As a full action, a character may attempt to force their opponent to move around the battlefield, or attempt to forcibly move their opponent. A successful ability check allows the character to choose the direction their opponent moves. The opponent is moved five feet for every rank that would be created.

Tactics: arena allows a character to crowd and draw out their opponent and force them to move around the battlefield. An opponent may be forced into difficult or treacherous terrain, backed up against an obstacle, or forced to attempt a jump or climb. The opponent may even be forced into terrain they know to be damaging or forced into terrain that requires an ability check. This skill is normally resisted by the fixed value of the opponent’s Tactics: arena.

Brawling: grapple allows a character to forcibly move an opponent. The opponent is knocked down or bodily moved against their will. An opponent may not be forced to attempt an ability check but may be forced into damaging terrain. This skill is normally resisted by the fixed value of the opponent’s Brawling: grapple or Acrobatics: tumble.

Bonus Action Selection

Characters may take one bonus action per turn. A bonus action does not require a character’s full attention, and may or may not require an ability check. Bonus actions are used to move around the battlefield, interact with an opponent, or attempt to gain an advantage.

Gain an Advantage

A character may us a bonus action to attempt to gain an advantage over an opponent by creating a physical distraction, identifying a weakness in their opponent, or psyching themselves up. Advantages can be used by the character who created them or they can be “passed” to another character who is able to benefit from them.

Bluff: misdirection allows a character to create a distraction with a flashy or apparently threatening motion such as throwing something in the opponent’s face or setting off a flash bomb. Purely verbal distractions attempt to make an opponent worry about something other than their current situation. Drawing an opponent’s attention from the combat creates openings and makes their actions less effective. Misdirection is resisted by Insight: cues.

Research: memory allows a character to identify weaknesses in their opponent or to leverage patterns of behavior. It uses existing knowledge of an opponent in order to target their weaknesses and avoid their strongest attacks. The difficulty of the memory check is determined by the rarity or unfamiliarity of the opponent.

Survival: awareness allows a character to increase their initiative score on their next turn. It has a fixed difficulty of 10. Result points from the awareness ability check add directly to a character’s initiative on the next round.

RankAdvantage Effects
1+2 to a single ability check for one turn
Advantage on a single ability check
2+1D to a single ability check for one round
+1 bonus action for one round
3+1D to a single skill for one encounter
+1 full action for one round
4+1 Action point
5+1 new ability
Effects for Advantage Conditions

Interact

A character may use a bonus action to interact with their opponent in an attempt to create a composure condition. Words become a powerful weapon on the battlefield when they are used to shake an opponent’s will to fight. A canny fighter not only has the ability to gain an advantage over their opponent, but can actually take an opponent out of action without ever causing damage.

Taunt: insult attempts to shake an opponent’s focus and cause them to make poor tactical choices. A taunt does not have to be verbal; insulting gestures or pointedly disregarding an opponent as a threat can both infuriate the weak willed. Insult is resisted by Insight: ego.

Intimidate: startle attempts to shock an opponent and cause them to react without thinking. Threatening gestures, unexpected actions, and creepy behavior can all unsettle an opponent and remove them from the fight. It is resisted by Discipline: resolve.

Command: demoralize questions the effectiveness of an opponent’s will to fight and reduces their confidence in their choices. Demoralizing an opponent causes them to devalue their achievements and remove their willingness to endure hardships and setbacks. Demoralize is resisted by Discipline: conviction.

Move

As a bonus action, a character may move up to half of their Move distance. If they are engaged with an opponent, that opponent has the option of responding by immediately matching the character’s movement if they are able to do so.

This allows a character to advance on an opponent, take advantage of terrain position, or withdraw from a combat. The opponent has the option of immediately backing away to prevent the advance or following to prevent a withdrawal.

Acrobatics: tumble allows a character to use a bonus action to cross over or around obstacles by making an ability check instead of using their fixed value. If the opponent wishes to follow them, they must also make an ability check.

Ready an Action

A character may use their bonus action to prepare a single ability check in response to a conditional action. If the conditional action never takes place, the bonus action is still considered to be used. The conditional action must directly enable the ability check in some way. For example: a melee weapons attack may be readied if an opponent moves within reach, or a sprint may be readied if an opponent moves out of reach.

A readied action is considered to be immediately prior to the triggering action in initiative order. For example: a melee weapons attack is readied if an opponent moves within reach. An opponent uses their bonus action to move within reach, triggering the readied attack; the readied character then takes their action. After the readied action is resolved, the triggering character may finish their round.

Defensive actions can be prepared as a readied action by choosing to fight defensively. This defensive ability check gains a special bonus of +5; the final defensive value is equal to the greater of the fixed value or the ability check.

Holding an action is a general form of readying an action, allowing a character to have an action available with which to respond to the actions of characters who are later in the initiative order.

Combine Actions

A character may use their bonus action to combine their action with an opponent or an ally in an effort to enhance or blunt the other character’s action, using the ordinary rules for combined actions. A combined action will require the character to have a skill that allows them to assist or interfere with the other character.

For example:

  • Combining attack skills with an ally to more effectively attack an opponent with a high defense.
  • Moving in such a way as to interfere with an opponent’s attempts to move around the field.
  • Combining taunt skills with an ally to really make an opponent lose their cool.

Free Actions

Free actions do not take up much of a character’s attention, and never require an ability check. Free actions account for incident movement, conversation, and simple actions during a melee combat.

Trash talking an opponent is a time-honored practice and an integral part of many characters’ personas. This is a great opportunity for some dynamic give and take between opponents and a way to build up history for call backs later in the game. Game Masters are known to award bonus luck points for memorable trash talk.

Witty banter with allies makes for a more entertaining game and offers the opportunity to build camaraderie. This is were friendly jabs are traded and characters really get to know each other. Game Masters are known to award bonus luck points for memorable witty banter.

Incidental movement does not consume an action. A character is allowed to move up to half of their Move distance as a free action. This movement must be across unobstructed terrain, must not require a skill check, and may be responded to with matching movement by an engaged opponent.

Readying equipment is a vital part of the skirmish conflict, but it is not usually very interesting. A character may use a free action to prepare a piece of equipment that they may reasonably and easily access, to reload a weapon that does not require excessive attention, or to stow a piece of a equipment into an easily accessible location.

Planning action with other party members often comes down to shouting instructions at each other at the last minute. If characters have the ability to easily communicate with each other, doing so does not require an action.

Melee Combat Conditions

Damage

When an attack generates result points, the first rank created is always used to make a damage roll. If the attack generated enough result points to create additional ranks, each additional rank adds 1D to the damage roll.

The value of the damage roll is determined by the weapon used to attack with. The damage roll is resisted by a character’s Strength ability, modified by armor or equipment, but not modified by skills. Ranks created by the damage roll create damage conditions. Damage conditions are cumulative.

RankDescriptionEffect
1StunnedCharacter suffers -2 to all ability checks until the end of their next turn.
2HurtCharacter suffers -1D to all ability checks until the end of their next round.
3WoundedCharacter suffers -1D to all Dexterity checks until the end of the encounter.
4IncapacitatedCharacter makes all ability checks at disadvantage.
5Out of ActionCharacter is taken out of action.
Damage Conditions

Fatigue

When a character attempts a movement ability check, whether they are forced to move or choose to take an action, and the check is failed, a fatigue condition equal to the negative result points is created on the character. Fatigue conditions are cumulative. Failing a movement ability check does not also automatically mean that the movement fails.

RankDescriptionEffect
1BreathlessCharacter makes all ability checks at disadvantage until the end of their next turn.
2WindedCharacter may not take a bonus action until the end of the next round.
3TiredCharacter suffers -2 to their fixed ability scores until the end of the encounter.
4ExhaustedCharacter suffers -1D to all Strength checks until the end of the scene.
5Out of ActionCharacter is taken out of action.
Fatigue Conditions

Composure

When a taunt, intimidate, or command ability check is successful, the result points generated create a composure condition. Composure conditions are cumulative.

RankDescriptionEffect
1StartledCharacter suffers -2 to their initiative on the next round.
2DisorientedCharacter makes all ability checks at disadvantage until the end of their next round.
3DiscouragedCharacter may not take a bonus action until the end the of the encounter.
4DemoralizedCharacter suffers -1D to all Presence checks until the end of the scene.
5Out of ActionCharacter is taken out of action.
Damage Conditions
Rules Articles

Rewarding Play Styles with Different Dice Games

I keep thinking about D6 Legend, how it traded dice totals for counting successes. I find myself wondering if it would be practical and interesting to use both systems within the same game. I want to do this for several reasons: I want more ways to use the dice, I want to differentiate action applications within the dice game, and I want to vary the game experience to reward different types of players. I want every type of role-player to have a dice game that rewards them.

The prompt for considering this is a game I ran in which one of the players commented that the con and persuasion checks were “like punching people with words”. Both fighting and arguing worked exactly the same way. The player did not feel his efforts to play a social game were being rewarded by the dice when his con check was essentially a one-hit KO.

To illustrate by thoughts in application: melee and ranged combat would use the dice total system to resolve hits and damage. This allows players to total up big numbers.

In contrast: picking a lock or hacking a computer system would count successes. This allows players to succeed with a very slim margin of error.

The result is 1) for a narrative situation that is overcome by force, the players must generate dice totals of 5, 10, or 15 points above the difficulty – which is already set at 10, 15, or 20. The margins of differentiation have a broad (5-point) tolerance. Psychologically, any number above 5 (larger than one hand) is “significant” number, anything over 10 (larger than two hands) is a “big” number, and anything over 20 is “very big”. Success has psychological weight by virtue of large numbers both in the success margin and the total value of the dice. Large numbers emphasize force and imply power.

And 2) for a narrative situation that is overcome by skill, the players must generate 3, 4, or 5 successes out of a dice pool that will on average contain 6-9 dice. The margins of differentiation are very small (1-point) and any single die could be the difference between success and failure. Psychologically, this feeds the gambler’s fallacy – that a near success in a discrete event places you closer to success in successive events. Success has psychological weight due to leveraging the perception bias of the single-point margins. Small margins emphasize fragility and imply skill.

I also want to introduce a third mechanism that will further differentiate social encounters with a system emphasizes variability and implies cleverness. I don’t have that one all the way worked out yet.

FreeD6, Game Mechanisms, Rules Articles

Boost and Penalty Dice

Some abilities, powers, or effects add boost dice or penalty dice to an ability check. This is written as “Boost-“, “B”, or “Penalty-“, “P”, followed by the number of dice. For example, Boost-1 (B1) adds a single boost die, and Penalty-2 (P2) adds a two penalty dice.

Boost and penalty dice directly cancel each other out. If an effect adds B2 and another effect adds P3, the final effect is P1 (3 penalty dice minus 2 boost dice equals 1 penalty die).

Boost and penalty dice should always be a different color or design from the dice rolled for an ability check so they can be easily identified.

Boost Dice

When using boost dice, roll the boost dice alongside the regular dice. Then discard the same number of dice from the roll, removing the lowest values from the roll.

Penalty Dice

When using penalty dice, roll the penalty dice alongside the regular dice. Then discard the same number of dice from the roll, removing the highest values from the roll.

Other Dice and Boost or Penalty Dice

Not all dice are six-sided; a standard set of role-playing dice include four-sided, six-sided, eight-sided, ten-sided, twelve-sided, and twenty-sided dice. Other dice used as boost or penalty dice behave in exactly the same way, replacing the lowest or highest value regular die rolled.

FreeD6, Game Mechanisms, Rules Articles

Results and Conditions

Taking action produces results. Results are measured with conditions. Elements within the game are understood to function and respond in the game setting in the same way as their real-world counterparts. It would be exhausting to try and detail all possible circumstances and assign them game mechanics. Instead, conditions are used to describe ways in which results restrict or enable game elements.

Conditions are single words or short phrases that describe an element within the game. Conditions must be understood to be used in their common and ordinary meaning. All elements within the game (characters, objects, or locations) are in a normal or neutral condition unless something changes. In the normal condition, an element behaves in the same manner as its real-world counterpart, with the same abilities and restrictions.

Conditions have two effects: the narrative effect, and the mechanical effect. The narrative effect restricts or enables abilities, and influences actions, according to the commonly understood definition of the condition. The mechanical effect applies a specific game mechanic as long as the condition is in place.

Creating, Modifying, and Removing Conditions

Conditions are created, modified, or removed through the use of skills, abilities, powers, or game effects. Creating, modifying, or removing a condition is accomplished by an ability check that generates enough result points to affect the condition. The result points generate ranks that describe the severity and duration of a condition. Creating a more severe condition requires a larger difference between the result points and the resistance value. Conditions are discrete, progressive, or cumulative.

Discrete conditions are not created multiple times. They may be narratively related to other conditions or they may be unrelated to any other condition. If a character already possesses a discrete condition, and the same condition would be created again, the second creation is ignored.

Progressive conditions are narratively closely related. When a new progressive condition is created, it replaces the previous condition.

Cumulative conditions may be created multiple times. Each instance of the condition is created and removed individually, and all of the effects are added together, even if some of them cancel out others.

Conditions last until they expire or they are recovered. An expired condition is automatically removed at the end of its duration. Conditions may be recovered with an ability check. Recovering (removing) a condition requires the same number of result points as needed to create it.

All elements in the game use conditions to measure their ability, effectiveness, and persistence.

Condition Severity

A condition either restricts an existing ability or imparts a new ability. The severity of the condition describes the scale and scope of the condition, while the number of mechanical effects affects the roll of the dice or the numerical value of a skill, ability, or attribute. The result points of an ability check create a number of ranks to be spent on effects which describe the severity and duration of the condition.

Some ability checks generate an effect roll, such as damage in combat. The effect roll is always considered a rank 1 effect. If the ability check created more than 1 rank, the additional ranks may be spent on additional effects. Effect rolls always generate result points which are translated into ranks and used to create a condition; an effect roll cannot normally be used to create another effect roll.

Result PointsRankCondition SeverityCondition Duration
1-51minimalone full turn
6-102adequateone full round
11-153moderateuntil the end of the encounter
16-204completeuntil the end of the scene
21-255excessiveuntil recovered
26+6overwhelming
Rank Benchmarks

When creating or modifying a condition, ranks are spent to apply one or more of the following effects. An effect may normally be purchased multiple times; only one effect roll may be created in a single ability check. Effects may be purchased from more than one rank. The effects should always be narratively related to the ability check that created them.

For example, a character makes a stamina: endure ability check while preparing to cross a challenging obstacle field. If the stamina ability check creates 3 ranks of effects, options for effects for 3 ranks include: +3WD to acrobatics skill checks until the end of the next turn; or +1 bonus action for one round and acrobatics skill checks are made with Advantage until the end of the next turn; or +1D to acrobatics skill checks until the end of the encounter.

RankEffect
1create an immediate effect roll (eg., damage)
+/- 1D: an effect roll created this turn gains +/- 1D
+/- 2: a single skill check gains +/- 2 until the end of the its next turn
B1: a single skill check is made with Boost-1 until the end of its next turn
P1: a single skill check is made with Penalty-1 until the end of its next turn
+/-1WD: a single skill check gains +/- 1 Wild Die until the end of its next turn
Advantage: a single skill check is made with Advantage until the end of its next turn
Disadvantage: a single skill check is made with Disadvantage until the end of its next turn
Add/remove one full round to an existing condition.
2+/- 1D: a single skill check gains +/- 1D until the end of the next round
+/- 3: a single fixed value gains +/- 3 until the end of the next round
+/- 1 bonus action in the next round
Extend an existing condition to the end of the encounter.
Reduce an existing condition’s duration from the end of the encounter to 1D rounds.
3+/- 1D: a single skill gains +/- 1D until the end of the encounter
+/- 1 full action in the next round
Extend an existing condition to the end of the scene.
Reduce an existing condition’s duration from the end of the scene to the end of the encounter.
4+/- 1D: a single ability gains +/- 1D until the end of the scene
+/- 1 Action point
Require an existing condition to be intentionally recovered.
Reduce an existing condition’s duration from requiring intentional recovery to expiring at the end of the scene.
5+/- 1 ability until the end of the scene
Condition Effect Benchmarks

Conditions as Damage and Composure

Damage and composure describe groupings of narratively related pre-defined conditions related to a character’s ability to take action. Damage and composure conditions are cumulative.

Damage conditions are created as a result of a character taking damage. When a damage roll against Strength resistance creates result points, those results create a damage condition.

Composure conditions are normally created as the result of a successful Wits or Presence ability check. When an ability check against discipline or insight resistance creates result points, those results create a composure condition.

Body conditions are created as a result of an object taking damage. When a damage roll against toughness resistance creates result points, those results create a body condition.

As a character or object accumulated damage, composure, or body conditions, they will be less able to act until those conditions are recovered. The more conditions they accumulate, the more likely it is that they will be taken out of action.

RankDamageComposureBody
0NormalNormalNormal
1StunnedStartledDefaced
2HurtDisorientedDisrupted
3WoundedDiscouragedDamaged
4IncapacitatedDemoralizedBroken
5Out of ActionOut of ActionOut of Action
Damage, Composure, and Body Conditions

Conditions as Attitude and Willpower

Attitude and willpower describe groupings of narratively related pre-defined conditions related to a character’s ability to make decisions. Attitude and willpower conditions are progressive. A character’s attitude and willpower conditions modify their discipline and insight resistance.

Attitude refers to a character’s general outlook on situations, people, and challenges. It encompasses their beliefs, values, and emotional tendencies. A more helpful attitude leads characters to see conflicts as opportunities for growth or resolution. They will approach conflicts with a problem-solving mindset, seeking solutions and compromises. A more hostile attitude views most interactions as obstacles or threats. They will tend toward a fight-or-flight response, act irrationally, and escalate tensions.

Willpower is the character’s ability to exert self-control, remain disciplined, and persist in the face of challenges. It describes their capacity to stick to their decisions and follow through with actions. A centered character is more likely to commit to decisions when faced with adversity. They remain focused on their goals, and resist immediate gratification in favor of their principles. A broken character will be quick to abandon their commitments as soon as conflict arises. They tend to follow emotional impulses or the directions of others; they do not act with deliberation or rationality.

Resistance ModifierAttitudeWillpower
-15HelpfulBroken
-10FriendlyStressed
-5CooperativePressured
+/- 0NeutralNeutral
+5UncooperativeEngaged
+10UnfriendlyFocused
+15HostileCentered
Attitude and Willpower Conditions

Conditions as Measurements

Status conditions are used to measure game elements that have a limited use. Conditions always have a narrative description, but do not necessarily have a narrative or mechanical effect. In this way, a condition is used to measure quantity or duration without requiring the players or Game Master to keep track of individual units.

Each status condition is specific to each individual ability; the description of the ability will include the description of the status and which skill or ability is used to test it. When a status is tested, a failed check moves the status to the next condition; a successful check means the status stays on the same condition. A check that is failed by 5 or more points does not necessarily move the condition by more than one place.

All status conditions are progressive. As the status grows more difficult to test, a failed check becomes more likely, causing the status to deplete more quickly. Status conditions are also used to time a scene with an unknown duration; as the situation comes closer to resolution, the difficulty of a test becomes greater and failure becomes more likely.

DifficultyEffectQuantityDurationCoverage
9Full EffectFullFullFull
123/4 EffectHeavyWaningCovered
151/2 EffectLightFadingPartial
181/4 EffectDepletedDiminishedExposed
—No EffectEmptyExpiredVanished
Status Conditions

Other Conditions

Conditions are not limited to damage, willpower, or status, and conditions are not unique to characters. Conditions are used to measure the state of every element within the game, depending on the particular game’s genre and emphasis.

An element always has at least two conditions: normal, and out of action. The normal condition means there is no effect on the character or game element. The out of action condition means the character or game element can no longer take action or make decisions. An element with only these two conditions as options is essentially a simple skill check.

An element or conflict may have any number of conditions. More conditions means that conflicts will have a greater emphasis in the game and take longer to play out. Fewer conditions will have less emphasis and play out very quickly.

An element usually begins in the normal condition and ends in the out of action condition. Every rank (five result points) between them is considered another condition. The number of ranks (conditions) in between the beginning and the end determines the length of the conflict.

Brief EncounterModerate EncounterLengthy Encounter
0 ranks (Normal)0 ranks (Normal)0 ranks (Normal)
1 rank1 rank1 rank
2 ranks (Out of Action)2 ranks2 ranks
3 ranks (Out of Action)3 ranks
4 ranks (Out of Action)
Encounter Length and Importance
FreeD6, Game Mechanisms, Rules Articles

Dice Flip

Some abilities, powers, or effects call for a dice flip when a certain number is rolled during a skill check. A dice flip is also called a difference flip. This is written as “Flip-6” or “F6”, meaning that if any die on a roll shows a 6, it should be flipped to a 1 before being totaled to figure result points.

There are six different values for a difference flip: Flip-1 / F1, Flip-2 / F2, Flip-3 / F3, Flip-4 / F4, Flip-5 / F5, Flip-6 / F6.

With standard casino dice, the opposite sides of a six-sided die always add up to 7. When the die is flipped, the final number will be the difference between 7 and the original number. The number pairs are 1:6, 2:5, and 3:4.

Other Dice and the Difference Flip

Not all dice are six-sided; a standard set of role-playing dice include four-sided, six-sided, eight-sided, ten-sided, twelve-sided, and twenty-sided dice. When the difference flip is applied to any die, the result must always equal the difference between the number rolled and a value one greater than the highest value of the die. Not all dice are designed with the same rotational symmetry or value distribution pattern, so that physically flipping a die does not yield consistent results between manufacturers. “Flipping” mathematically is the only way to get a consistent result.

d4d6d8d10d12d20
1:41:61:81:101:121:20
2:32:52:72:92:112:19
3:43:63:83:103:18
4:54:74:94:17
5:65:85:16
6:76:15
7:14
8:13
9:12
10:11
Difference Flip Table
FreeD6, Game Mechanisms, Rules Articles

Advantage and Disadvantage

Status conditions, abilities, and effects can give a character Advantage or Disadvantage on a roll.

Advantage

When a character has Advantage on a roll, after the dice are rolled for the skill check, roll the dice a second time and use the higher of the two values to figure result points.

Disadvantage

When a character has Disadvantage on a roll, after the dice are rolled for the skill check, roll the dice a second time and use the lower of the two values to figure result points.

If more than one condition, ability, or effect gives Advantage or Disadvantage, the effect is not applied multiple times. If both Advantage and Disadvantage are applied at the same time, the two effects cancel each other out and neither effect is applied. Every instance of Advantage or Disadvantage must be removed or canceled to remove the effect.

Game Mechanisms, Rules Articles

Ganging Up

Leveraging force multipliers, or, how to use mobs of mooks to take out those pesky player characters.

OpenD6 uses the Related Skills rules to allow characters to assist each other in skill checks, or to allow complimentary skills to boost each other. The process involves several dice checks and a bit of math, which can add drama in solving a puzzle but which only slows down the action in a combat. Essentially, complimentary skills or additional participants act as a force multiplier by adding half of the result points from an action as a bonus or penalty to the total of the main skill roll.

In the flow of combat, fewer die rolls means faster action. To streamline the process, every friendly combatant participating in the melee adds +2 to the attack skill and +2 to passive defense. The attack and defense may be increased by no more than +10. Removing opponents immediately reduces the bonus to their gang. Ganging up on an opponent provides a powerful but controllable advantage.

For example:

Steve is PC with Brawling: 5D and Passive Defense: 10. Three goons attack him, each with Brawling: 3D and Passive Defense: 10. Because they are ganging up on Steve, they can distract the focus of his attacks and help defend each other from Steve’s attacks. Each goon acts with Brawling: 3D+4 and Passive Defense: 14. In a one-on-one fight, Steve would have had a decisive advantage – the goons would only strike him half the time (mean attack roll = 11) and Steve would strike them 98% of the time! With the gang up bonus, a goon’s attack roll is boosted to a 95% hit chance, and Steve’s is reduced to 85%.

Ganging up only provides a bonus when multiple actors in the same location or acting against the same target provides an advantage in position, leverage, or timing. Each actor must be able to materially enhance the performance of the other actors simply by their presence. Melee combat allows all three advantages to be leveraged by a gang. Ranged combat allows none of these advantages because the gang cannot affect an individual shooter’s skill.

Social interactions may or may not allow actors to gang up on a single target. Aggressive actions such as intimidation attempts are almost certainly suitable to gang bonuses. Subjects of persuasion attempts are less likely to respond favorable to groups ganging up on them in an argument.

Any action that requires another actor to make a skill check in order to provide a bonus is not suitable for a gang up bonus. Technical skills and movement skills may benefit from instruction by using the Related Skills rules, but are not suited to gang bonuses.

Game Mechanisms, Rules Articles

Order of Battle

It has been said that time is what keeps everything from happening all at once. In a game, that role goes to the Initiative rules. Initiative establishes turn order and action priority. It allows faster, more perceptive, and more decisive characters to have an advantage in the round of action. Initiative brings a little structure and order to the chaos of battle. It’s also a primary determinant of the structure of game play.

The action economy of a game consists of two parts: declaration, and action. Advantage in the economy favors characters that declare last but act first, allowing them knowledge of their opponent’s actions and the ability to invalidate later actions. Most games combine these into a single step, so that actions are declared and performed at the same time. This is intuitive and easy to remember. It also divides the favorable advantage between the first and last actors.

The Declaration Phase

When declaring actions, characters who declare last have the advantage because their actions are informed by the intentions of other characters. This allows them to take actions that potentially invalidate those of other characters and to respond to events conditionally. This advantage favors defensive actions, allowing fast characters to choose to attack, defend, or split their actions based on what their opponents are doing.

Characters who declare last are at a potential disadvantage because they risk losing the advantage of response by holding their actions until the advantageous moment has passed. Allowing other characters to declare their actions first potentially removes agency from the last character by limiting their effective or practical options.

The Action Phase

When taking actions, characters who move first have the advantage because they have the opportunity to directly influence their opponents by reducing their options or potentially removing them from the action round. This advantage favors offensive actions, forcing other characters to respond to actions already taken and potentially removing them from the action round entirely.

Characters who act first are at a potential disadvantage because they lose the option to respond to characters who act last. In games that require characters to split their actions at declaration, fast actors are at a defensive disadvantage.

Interruption

Some games allow characters to hold their actions so that fast actors are given the opportunity to interrupt slow actors and take advantage of their declared action. Interruption adds to the bookkeeping required of the Game Master, but preserves both the action and declaration advantage that fast actors enjoy.

FIFO vs LIFO Initiative Order

First In First Out initiative requires the least bookkeeping on the part of the Game Master. Characters with the best initiative both declare their actions first and take their actions first. Fast actors enjoy the advantage of action, and have the opportunity to hold their action in order to interrupt slower characters. If multiple actions need to be declared, they must be do so during their turn, allowing slower characters a slight advantage if the game allows characters to give up their regular action in favor of a defensive response.

Last In First Out initiative requires moderate bookkeeping on the part of the Game Master. Characters with the worst initiative must declare and act first, with faster actors normally allowed the opportunity to interrupt slower actors. All of the advantages remain with the faster actors, allowing the most opportunity to decide to split actions, respond defensively, or preempt slower actors.

Split initiative requires the most bookkeeping on the part of the Game Master, as it requires slow actors to declare first but act last. The Game Master must keep track of all actions in the order they are declared and execute them in the order they act. As with LIFO initiative, all advantages remain with the fast actors.

Static vs Dynamic Initiative

Initiative can be static (determined at the beginning of the encounter) or dynamic (determined at the beginning of every turn). Neither of these options changes the advantage to fast or slow actors. Static initiative requires fewer player movements and so can make for a faster game. Dynamic initiative requires more player movements which can slow down the game but results in a less predictable and more chaotic encounter flow.

Group and Narrative Initiative

Group initiative divides actors into groups to determine initiative. Individual actions are less important when using this method and are generally ordered based on what the group decides to do and what makes sense in the narrative. Group divisions are almost always players vs NPCs. This method speeds up the game and promotes teamwork, but imparts a massive advantage to the group with the better initiative.

Narrative initiative relies on the flow of the narrative rather than another game mechanism to determine the order of initiative. This method results in a great deal of bookkeeping for the Game Master. It allows the Game Master to emphasize dramatic scenes, but characters who have little narrative impact can have their actions overlooked.

Narrative initiative does not need to be entirely freeform. Narrative impact can be used as a way to further divide the encounter round. For example, priority may be given to characters who speak or move, then those who shoot, then physical attacks, and ending with spell casters. This results in a tightly structured combat round and gives players the ability to affect their position in the turn order by choosing their actions.

Next Turn, You’re Up!

There is no need to rigidly adhere to a single style of initiative. The purpose of the initiative order is to structure the encounter round and allow all players a chance to act. Changing up the initiative method between encounters adds a bit of variety to keep them from becoming predictable. Different encounter types can be assigned unique initiative orders so that each structure has its own flavor and tactics. Proper use of initiative doesn’t just keep everything from happening at once, it defines the shape of an encounter, the flow of the game, and the choices of the players.

Game Mechanisms, Rules Articles, Space Bricks, The Space Bricks Project

Smash and Build

In a world made of bricks and studs, pretty much everything can be smashed, grabbed, and rebuilt. It’s basically the foundational principle of Brick reality! Though written expressly for Brick games, the rules for Smashing and Building are easily applied to any setting.

When a target takes enough Smash damage to break it, it explodes into pieces. Those pieces may then be recombined to form new objects. There are two steps in a proper smash and grab.

A target must be Smashed.

Smashing for bricks and studs is more than just damaging a target until it breaks. Smashing a target breaks it down into its component parts and ensures those parts can still be used to build things. No matter what tool is actually used against the target (blaster, wrench, Jawa…), the Smash skill is rolled in place of the damage die code. The difficulty to Smash a target is equal to the ordinary Damage Resistance total.

Smash damage is tracked separately from ordinary damage. When a target takes enough Smash damage to destroy it, it explodes into a shower of bricks and studs. Depending on the target and on the circumstances, it may provide a set number of bricks, a specialized piece, or a randomly determined number of bricks. Until a target takes enough Smash damage to destroy it, it will continue to function properly – though it may smoke, shoot off sparks and shake alarmingly.

The new device must be Built.

Even Master Builders need bricks with which to build. Building a new device is basically Smashing it in reverse. The Master Builder describes the device he wants to build and the GM sets a difficulty based the on the complexity of the device. The Build skill is then rolled against this difficulty.

Every result point yields 1 pip with which to build the new device and consumes 1 brick/stud from the stock. Pips are assigned to the new device in the regular manner and on a one-for-one basis. One pip may be spent for: 1 pip of a skill or attribute, 1 body point, 1 ability point, etc. When enough bricks have been spent to pay for all of the required attributes (plus body points, etc.), the device is complete and may be used.

No device may be used until it has been completely Built and paid for with bricks. After that, it may be used normally or Smashed and built into something completely new!

Building as a group check.

Any device may be Built using the regular rules for Related Skills. Each builder makes their skill roll independently, and the Master Builder then applies the result points and spends the bricks/pips. The final device has one stat block and is considered a single device.

When more than one character wants to act as the Master Builder on a device, they each make their Build rolls separately and apply their result points separately. When both characters are finished with their builds, the finished device is considered to consist of two separate but connected parts. Each part operates independently, but if either part is destroyed, the entire device comes apart.

Devices built under the direction of a single Master Builder are sturdier and more cohesive, but slower to complete. A multi-part device can be completed more quickly, but is more fragile and potentially contains duplicate systems.

Game Mechanisms, Rules Articles

Maneuvering for Position

One of the things I find most frustrating about most any RPG is that the action economy is most efficiently used in a series of attack and defense rolls. Most game systems don’t incentivize any other kind of exchange. Movement especially is given little attention and it’s difficult to force a character to move. When you do force a movement to disadvantageous terrain or gain advantageous terrain yourself, a simple move action by the opponent undoes the work.

When I think of how important footwork is in both cinematic and actual combat it seems like something very important is being overlooked. I have three scenes in mind:

Scenario 1) The Princess Bride: Inigo Montoya vs the Dread Pirate Westley. The fight roams up and down the ruins and the two fighters use their attacks to force each other to move and sacrifice position.

Scenario 2) Batman Begins: Bruce Wayne and Henri Ducard are training on the ice, and Bruce seemingly wins the fight. Ducard then tells him he has sacrificed his footing and knocks the ice out from under him.

Scenario 3) Star Trek TNG, S3 Ep11 – Worf and Danar trade a few punches and then toss each other into stacked crates and bins. Danar wins the fight by knocking a stack of crates on top of Worf.

The biggest determinant here is whether the game is being played on a tabletop map or in the virtual theater. In a map game, the position of the pieces makes it easy to determine if they are at risk or have an advantage based on the map features. In a theater game, this must be determined by the GM, either descriptively or with dice rolls.

In both cases, the three scenarios are attempting to achieve specific goals. In S1, the opponents are attempting to either gain a circumstantial modifier or force their opponent to take a multi-action penalty in order to navigate difficult terrain. In S2, Ducard forces Bruce to defend with his movement skill rather than his combat skill, allowing him to act against a lower defensive score. In S3, Danar leverages a weapon against Worf so that he can roll a larger damage pool.

In S1, one opponent is attempting to restrict the other’s movement options. In S2 and S3, one opponent is attempting to force the opponent to move into a specific position. In both cases, the combat skill can be used, but instead of attempting a strike for damage, it is used to attempt a Combat Option.

Combat Option: force/restrict movement.

This action takes the place of the attack and may use a combat skill, a movement skill, or some other skill. The defender’s defense skill is one that would normally be used against the attacking skill. For example: Melee Combat defends against Melee Combat, Dodge defends against Shooting, Acrobatics defends against Acrobatics, Willpower defends against Intimidation.

If the action is successful, the defending character has their movement either forced or restricted. In both cases, the defending character must move during their turn, though it must be as a free action (less than 50% of their Move). If the movement is forced, the direction or specific location of the defender’s movement is chosen by the attacker. If the movement is restricted, the attacker determines the direction or directions in which the defender may not move.

If the defender then chooses to take any other move action on their turn, it counts as a full action, subject to multi-action dice penalties.

It is generally easier to restrict movement than to force movement.

Using movement as a combat option in this way allows an attacker to control their opponent’s dice pool, inflict penalties, and gain bonuses. It also encourages dynamic movement around the skirmish area and creative use of the environment.