Asmythe RPG

Asmythe RPG is a system I developed to support the kind of TTRPG that I want to run for my son and his teenage friends. It is rules-lite so I can focus on story, but complex enough to enable players to create unique characters.

Asmythe RPG adapts ideas from Savage Worlds, Cypher, Fate, and many other systems. Most of these systems seem to be evolving in the same direction, but some can't escape their wargame roots. This is my attempt at perfection, used occasionally with mustard.

Asmythe RPG is better than most TTRPGs because it enables players to be and do anything they want. There are enough rules to keep the game structured and provide a way to resolve any action while focusing on telling stories.

Characters

Character creation is designed to support archetypes, which are idealized character styles popularized by books and movies. For example, a druid with animal companions, a paladin fighting for great good, a swashbuckling scoundrel, a mysterious wizard, a smash-everything barbarian, and many many more.

All player characters in Asmythe are human and assumed to be from a large and moderately wealthy household. They have too many siblings, or they are an illegitimate child, and have no hope of inheriting wealth or position. They are given a very small grant from their family and sent away. Some people in this position join an organization such as the Soldiers of Asmythe and become adventurers.

Delvers, Sylvani, Goblins, and other sentient races exist but their cultures are very different from humans and they don't mingle. Such people would never join with a human adventuring party. In settings with several playable races an ancestry can be described as a set of quirks, feats, and suggested attribute and skill allocations.

Recommended Character Creation Process

1. First get a piece of scratch paper and use this to make notes during this process.
2. Decide on a character concept and archetype. Create your Core Concept.
3. Allocate 15 points to attributes, rated 1-5.
4. Allocate 10 points to skills, rated 0-5. Specialties for your most important skills.
5. Choose 3-6 quirks about your character's history, personality, and physicality.
6. Choose 3 level 0 feats.
7. Write down any equipment that is important.

The skills, quirks, and feats available will vary when the setting varies. Different eras of Asmythe will necessarily have different skills as society and technology change. This is also true for non-Asmythe settings.

Core Concept

First, decide what kind of character you want to play. Then refine that into a Core Concept: an "{adjective} {archetype} who {motivation}". This core concept will help you decide which attributes, skills, quirks, and powers to choose.

• Adjective is a short description of the character: handsome, mysterious, brawny, feral, etc.
• Archetype describes your skill focus, profession, or history: pirate, warrior, priest, sorcerer, engineer, courtier, etc.
• Finally motivation is an activity or belief that makes the character unique: hunts monsters, brings justice, explores mysteries, seeks danger, etc.

Examples:

• Beautiful princess who talks with animals
• Gruff warrior who fights for great good
• Swashbuckling scoundrel always looking for a score
• Disheveled wizard searching for lost history
• Brutish barbarian who smashes everything they don't understand

Attributes

There are five attributes, four representing power and speed of the characters physical and metal self, and one attribute representing their ability to withstand stress and hardship.

Attributes are rated 1-5, "human average" is 3. Heroic characters allocate 16 points among attributes. Once attributes are allocated they won't change so choose wisely.

Strength -- Strength is physical power. It is might, vitality, brawn, and gross motor skills.

Agility -- Agility is physical speed. It represents dexterity, nimbleness, and fine motor skills.

Intellect -- Intellect is mental power. It is wisdom, intelligence, reasoning, and logic. It is the ability to think through a problem or puzzle.

Wit -- Wit is mental speed. It is intuition, charisma, and the ability to react quickly to new situations.

Tenacity -- Tenacity is health, resistance, and fortitude. It is the ability to keep functioning when affected by stress and pain. Most people only have 1-2 tenacity; heroic characters usually have a little bit more.

Skills

While attributes are natural ability, skills represent learned abilities. Skills are intentionally generic, representing a wide range of related activities; character will often have a skill specialty representing focused training in one aspects of a skill.

Skills are rated 0-5 with 0 representing no training and 5 is a master with a lifetime of experience. Heroic characters have 10 points to allocate to skills; each skill level costs one point and each specialty costs 1 point.

Heroic characters should have 1-3 core skills that are integral to their core concept, each of these should have a specialty. Then choose an additional 3-5 utility skills that help them survive and function in day-to-day life.

A specialty gives +3 to any action related to that specialty.

• Academics Knowledge gained from advanced schooling.
  • Specialties: math, science, engineering, chemistry, research, etc.
• Arcana The ability to speak and understanding the language of magic. Recognize and operate magical devices.
  • Specialties: evocation, detection, identification,
• Archery The ability to hit a target with a ranged weapon. This includes all thrown weapons and device propelled munitions such as a bow or trebuchet.
  • Specialties: daggers, bow, crossbow, trebuchet, etc.
• Athletics Track and field type physical activities that involve physical exertion or coordination.
  • Specialties: running, Swimming, Jumping, Climbing, etc.
• Boating Handling and maintaining water craft and air-boats.
  • Specialties: sailing, fishing, dirigibles, navigation, weather, etc.
• Crafting Creating and repairing equipment and construction.
  • Specialties: leatherwork, ironsmith, cooper, jeweler, shipwright, etc.
• Driving Handling and maintaining ground craft.
  • Specialties: riding, cart driving, sledding, etc.
• Evade The ability to get out of the way of attacks and "accidents".
  • Specialties: avoid traps, take cover, witty retort, etc.
• Fighting The ability to engage in melee combat without dying, includes parry and block.
  • Specialties: sword and shield, two-handed, duel weapon, spear, etc.
• Healing Knowledge of human biology, disease, poison, and how to remedy ailments.
  • Specialties: field medicine, biology, poisons, etc.
• Husbandry The ability to handle and understand animals.
  • Specialties: taming, empathy, etc.
• Leadership directing, managing, and motivating a group of people.
  • Specialties: battle strategy, battle tactics, encourage, demoralize, etc.
• Lore Practical, local knowledge that most people have. Common knowledge.
  • Specialties: history, geography, commerce, politics, etc.
• Mythology Ancient history, knowledge of the other cultures and the wild things beyond the walls.
  • Specialties: Delvers, Sylvani, magical monsters, etc.
• Perception Alertness, awareness, and the skill of noticing the usual and unusual.
  • Specialties:
• Performance Putting on an act and pretending to be something or someone else.
  • Specialties: disguise, busking, dancing, music, etc.
• Persuasion The ability to convince somebody to do what you want them to do.
  • Specialties: intimidation, negotiation, diplomacy, etc.
• Stealth How to become and remain undetected.
  • Specialties: hiding, sneaking, etc.
• Survival The ability to survive in unfamiliar conditions.
  • Specialties: hunting, navigation, tracking, streetwise, etc.
• Thievery The skill of taking what you want without getting caught.
  • Specialties: lock picking, pickpocketing, etc.

Quirks & Feats

Quicks and feats are what turns an average joe into a hero. For every quirk a character has to motivate them, they have a feat giving them the power to reach their goals.

The best quirks and feats are very specific because it makes the character more interesting. But the description isn't a limit on how it can be used. The feat "shoot coins out of the air with a bow" can be used for any precision shot with a bow, such as piecing the eye of a charging muffalow.

Describing quirks and feats is one of the most difficult parts of creating a character. Always keep the core concept in mind and use quirks and feats to answer questions about the character. GMs should help players come up with quirks and feats that are interesting and descriptive.

Quirks

Quirks are personality flaws, motivations, and behaviors that set a hero apart from the hum-drum of everyday life. They give purpose and life to a character. Quirks are not disadvantages, they are role-playing aids that grant plot points when used creatively. More quirks makes a more interesting character, and a more powerful one if they can be leveraged to get more plot points.

What is your character background? How do they function in society? What attachments or obligations and attachments do you have to family, guild, church, or lord? What ideals does your character have that helps them decide right from wrong?

• Burned by the magical backlash that killed Master Estorlan.
• Believes invisible fairies are trying to kill him.
• The smell of alcohol makes me nauseous.
• Rushes into situations without planning or caution.
• Can't resist eating cheese
• I brags about everything as if it was my own accomplishment.
• Deadly monsters live in all lakes and rivers.
• I am honor bound to always tell the truth.
• I need to know what is in every box and around every corner.
• I want to be wealthy and I can never have enough.
• I will never kill another person or let a person be killed.
• My parents died when I was a child. That was last month.
• I'm wanted by the duke of Swan Lake for stealing the Celestial Goblet
• I always want to help people and give them what they need.
• I've never had money and squander what little I get.

Feats

Feats are specific abilities and powers that surpass the capabilities of any normal person. Feats are what turn a regular person into a hero. They give characters the ability to work magic, fight beasts bare-handed, perform amazing acrobatics, or take on six foes at once.

You can use feats to describe regular actions or expend a Plot Point to invoke the feat. Invoked feats roll successes again and again for a chance at additional success, often called "exploding dice". There are no minimum skill requirements for a feat, not every hero is good at being a hero.

As characters learn and grow more powerful, their feats will become more powerful. Whenever a feat is used, with a skill or when invoked, add its level as a modifier to the dice pool. There is no maximum level for feats but when was the last time you heard of a wizard who could only cast one spell?

A feat will usually include a verb, a noun, an adjective, and/or a condition. As stated earlier the specificity isn't a limit, it is a flavorful description. If the feat describes an ability that could benefit an action, then it can be used for that action.

• Shoot coins out of the air with a bow
• Catch arrows barehanded
• Riposte while sword-dueling
• Block dragon's breath with my shield
• Has friends in the Thieves Brotherhood
• Child of the Duchess of Swan Lake
• The most handsome man in Mill Town
• Skin as tough as tree bark
• Rages like a berserker when stressed
• Gut like an iron kettle
• Famous for stealing the Celestial Goblet
• Can cartwheel on the circus high-wire.

Rules

Asmythe RPG uses a die pool of standard d6s. A result of 5 or 6 on a die is a success and 1s are only important in a collaborative action or if there are no successes.

Most actions don't require a roll to resolve the outcome. Roll only when a failed task would have consequences.

Actions

The player declares what they are doing and what they are trying to accomplish with that action. Then the GM will decide which attribute and skill combination are appropriate for that action. The GM will also determine the difficulty and if there are any modifiers to the roll. Modifiers affect the dice pool and should always be communicated wit the player. The GM may keep the difficulty secret, or communicate it as they feel is appropriate; but the GM must always be honest with himself and the players or the game will quickly become un-fun.

The player then collects a number of dice equal to their attribute + skill + modifiers and rolls. If the number of successes (5 and 6) is greater than the difficulty then the action resolves in a beneficial way. If the number of successes is fewer than the difficulty the action doesn't resolve the way the player wanted it to. If there are no successes and at least one 1 on the dice then the action is a botch and resolves in a very bad way. If the result is three or more successes past the difficulty, then the action succeeds in an amazing way.

Difficulties range from 1 to 6. And skilled person with 6 dice in their pool can expect to complete an average difficulty task most of the time. Be aware that Asmythe RPG is a heroic game; Impossible actions are not actually impossible and can be a lot of fun when the player characters are able achieve them.

Modifiers only add to the dice pool, never take dice away from the player. The difficulty can be modified up or down depending on the situation. Statistically, +1 difficulty is equivalent to +3 dice so apply difficulty modifiers carefully.

Difficulty	Description
1	Easy, possible with little or no skill.
2	Average, possible with some skill or luck.
3	Challenging, requires skill and luck.
4	Very Challenging, requires a lot of skill, practice, and luck.
5	Nearly Impossible, possible only by the most skill and lucky person.
6	Impossible, no human could hope to achieve this.

Result	Description
No Successes, Some 1s	Botch, action fails in a spectacularly bad way.
Successes < Difficulty	Fail, action fails in a mildly bad way.
Successes >= Difficulty	Action is performed as desired, in a good way.
Successes >= Difficulty+3	Boost, action resolves in a spectacularly good way.

A botched roll could the character is out of ammo or their weapon broke.

Take 5

There is no need to roll when there is no consequence of failure. But how do we know if a character is capable of performing an action successfully at all? Many impossible things become possible when you can keep trying endlessly.

If there is no consequence for failure and there is enough time to keep attempting an action until it succeeds, then assume the player rolled 5s on all dice. This usually guarantees success. If you like numbers, such an attempt could take Difficulty*(6-skill) hours.

Stunts

A stunt is an action you take to give a bonus to future actions. The simplest ones are aim, trip, grapple, sneaking and the like. But it could also be something like putting poison in somebody's food, setting fire to a bookcase, or swinging from a chandelier to get the drop on an opponent.

A successful stunt will give you a bonus to future actions for yourself or for all allies. The exact outcome depends on the intended goal of the player and how it resolves. As a general rule, a stunt should usually give a bonus of +1 to +3. You can use the success of the stunt roll to determine the modifier or use the table below.

Modifier	Description
+1	Distracted. The stunt causes the character to be distracted but doesn't impede physical movement. Throw dirt in the face.
+2	Hindered. The character's physical movement is hindered but they can still move around and defend themselves. Marbles all over the floor.
+3	Arrested. The stunt has caused the character to become totally tangled up and can do little more than wiggle around and hop about. Bear hug.

When NPCs perform stunts they always succeed and always increase difficulty by 1 for a specific character or type of action.

Cooperative Task

Assign a primary actor, who rolls Attribute + Skill. Each helper chooses an action that will help and rolls Attribute + Skill. Add all successes and subtract all 1s from successes; because too many hands can make clumsy work.

Dramatic Task

Actions that take place during an evolving event. (See SWADE) The task has a required number of successes to complete before something happens. Can be a cooperative task. Describe changing conditions each interval to keep tension up. Ex. Defusing a bomb while the timer counts down; Chasing a suspect before they escape; etc.

Conflict

Only players roll dice. This means that the outcome of a conflict situation depends on the skill of the PC, not the skill of the NPC.

Conflicts can be either physical, like clashing swords on a bloody plain, or mental like a duel of wits on the senate floor. Both are resolved in the same way.

Conflicts necessarily involve two or more characters, so the PCs will be attacking and defending themselves. Each of these is an action vs the difficulty of the NPC.

Attacking: Roll Attribute + Skill (+/- modifier) - Target Difficulty; successes reduce target’s Tenacity 1:1

Defending Target Difficulty - Attribute + Skill (+/- modifier); if successes are less than the difficulty, reduce Tenacity 1:1.

Ignore most of the nit-pick modifiers used in other, less fun, games like range and size and stuff. Players can use stunts to make the fight easier and more interesting. And many NPCs can use stunts to make the fight more difficult and more fun.

Damage

Damage is usually considered non-lethal, bruised body and bruised ego, and heals quickly. But damage can also be lethal if it is especially deadly. Lethal damage usually happens when the character is unable to defend themselves, or as the result of an especially vicious attack.

For every point of Tenacity damage, add a Wound Die to every die pool. When a Wound Die results in a 5 or 6 it cancels a success on a normal die. Otherwise these dice act exactly like a normal die: 1s can cause a botch, they remove successes from a cooperative task, and they "explode" with an invoked feat. Damage dice slightly reduce the chance of successful actions and greatly increase the chance of a botch.

When a character has received more damage than their Tenacity they are panicked. A panicked character can only take panic actions like fleeing, breaking down crying, feinting from pain, or similar; they will either shut down entirely or try to get as far away from any threat as possible. Panic actions are not logical and can put the character into a more dangerous situation, like fleeing from a nasty little goblin right over the edge of a cliff.

Character death never happens as the result of bad luck. Characters only die because of their own decisions, when they are fully aware than the action will result in death. Once dead, that is the end. There is no resurrection. Create a new character.

Healing

Normal non-lethal damage heals at the rate of one Tenacity every day or so. Care from a skilled healer can reduce that time by half. Lethal damage takes a long time to heal and often becomes a quirk. Lethal damage will never heal unless tended by a healer, and then at the rate of one Tenacity per week.

Every time a character receives lethal damage, describe what and how that happened. “Slashed eye”, “crushed hand”, “humiliated about upbringing”, etc. This can become a quirk if GM and player agree to add it to the character.

Turns

Conflict is described as a series of turns. Divide the PCs and NPCs into groups, usually all the PCs will be in the same group. Action flows from one group to another and continues until all groups decides that they don't want to be part of the conflict anymore.

There is no initiative in Asmythe RPG. All player actions happen at the same time and all the actions of other groups happen at the same time. Decide which group goes first and resolve them first, then proceed to each group in turn.

When the PC's turn starts ask all players what they are going to do. Players may discuss their actions and decide what actions each of them will take. Once everybody knows what they are going to do, the GM will call on each player to roll in whatever order makes the most sense. Mix up the order every turn, this keeps the players interested and paying attention during the entire conflict.

Give everybody a chance to act. If a player doesn't know what to do by the time everybody else has acted, or wants to wait for something to happen before they decide, then they are "on hold". On Hold characters won't take any actions but can still defend themselves. They must wait until the next time their group acts, they don't get to interrupt other groups.

If it becomes necessary to enforce structure to keep the game from devolving, then the GM is free to determine initiative in whatever way they desire, such as rolling a d6, Agility + Wits, dealing cards, or anything else that works. But if this is necessary then maybe your battles are boring, find a way to get everybody involved. When rolling or deciding initiative, NPCs should have their own turn order mingled with the PCs.

Battle Maps

It helps players to visualize the conflict situation when they can see the scene before them. This is best done on a battle map and with tokens or miniatures.

When using a battle map it becomes necessary to add more structure to each character's turn. Draw the scene on the battle map and section it into small areas or zones. Each zone should be large enough for a dozen or so miniatures and have distinct features: the street, on top of the building, the bridge, etc.. Anybody in the same zone is in melee range of each other. Those in adjacent zones are "near" and those more than one zone away are "distant".

An action is anything that can be done in about 3 seconds.

• Attack a target
• Perform a stunt
• Use a feat
• Move to an adjacent area
  • Or move Agility + Athletics hexes
• Any other activity that can be done in about 3 seconds.

Plot Points

Each character starts each session with five plot points. Gain one plot point by expressing, acting out, quirks. A night of restful sleep restores the PC to three plot points, if they had less than three.

Plot points can be used to

• Invoke a feat
• Re-roll an action once
• Prevent one point of damage
• Get advice from the GM when you are stuck on what to do next

Wealth & Equipment

Most of the time, characters simply have the equipment they need if it is reasonable to have it.

TODO Keeping track of money is only fun if there are fun things to do with it. Keeping track of ammo isn't fun.

TODO Implement the wealth system as designed for Savage Asmythe IF the players want to track wealth and social status.

Equipment has levels that represent the quality and power of that equipment. Equipment levels range from 0-3. Whenever that equipment is used appropriately add the level as a modifier to the action. Using a masterwork sword add 1 dice to your pool whenever you use that weapon for fighting.

Level	Description
0	Normal. A quality weapon, armor, or tool that can be purchased in any large market.
1	Masterwork. This equipment was designed and forged by a master, imbuing it with a little bit of magic. It is sharper, stronger, more balanced, and just better than anything like it. Such things are usually commissioned by the ruling class as a status symbol or reward to a loyal subject.
2	Magical. The tools seem to know what to do by themselves. Forged by a master smith and a sorcerer for a specific purpose, these magic items have a core concept. The item will seek to pair itself with a character that shares their goals and it may seek to abandon those who don't.
3	Artifact. A masterwork item forged under specific conditions by a group of powerful wizards. These powerful items are capable of changing the destiny of those who carry them. Artifacts have a core concept, a quick, and a feat. When the artifact allows a character to carry them that character often finds themselves entangled in situations seemingly designed by the artifact itself.

Magic

Asmythe has two magical traditions. Arcane magic is application of the ancient ilthura language to manipulate elementals. Wizards usually specialize in the creation and manipulation of a specific element. Primal magic uses meditation and music to enter the dreams of the dagapesh and alter the destiny of living creatures.

Magical ability is difficult and requires years of training, but can be learned by anybody and it is even possible for people, like the village witch, to memorize simple magic spells.

In Asmythe RPG magical ability is described as Feats. A magic feat is equivalent to a spell; not a specific effect like in not-fun TTRPGs, but a spell with a variable effect. For example "shoots fire from his fingertips" could be used to throw a fire bolt, create a fan of flames, start fires, or shock-n-awe an innocent bystander.

Magic powers are usually Intellect + Arcana with a default difficulty of 3 to create a small effect at arms distance. The effect is instant and will progress naturally from there, ice will melt and fire will go out when it has no fuel. A wizard can keep an effect going as long as they continue casting the spell. Magic, of course, can do anything but more powerful and more complex results are more difficult.

Difficulty	Description
+0	A small effect at close range, similar to what can be accomplished with an ordinary tool or weapon.
+1	Larger effect - create an effect that covers a larger area. Doubles the area for each +1 difficulty.
+1	Longer range - by projecting their will the magical effect can be created farther away from the wizard or diva. Doubles the distance each time.
+1	Selective - create an affect that effects only specific people or things in the larger area.
+1	Silent - magic normally requires spoken language or music to activate but with some effort the words can be spoken only in the mind.

Magical feats also include a verb, a noun, an adjective, and/or a condition.

Arcane Magic

Arcane magic is the manipulation of elemental forces. In Asmythe, elemental forces are more chaotic and unpredictable. "Elementals", spontaneous manifestations of energy, can appear anywhere at any time. This makes arcane magic possible, but also makes it very difficult to keep machines functioning. More information about elementals can be found here: Magic#Elemental_Energy

• Typical Verbs: create, manipulate, and synonyms
• Typical Nouns: air, fire, frost, stone, etc.
• Typical Conditions: from staff, from hands, in the rain, etc.

Examples: TODO: more examples

• Shoot fire from my fingertips

Primal Magic

• Typical Verbs:
• Typical Nouns:
• Typical Conditions:

Wild Magic

Wild magic is specific magical effects, learned without understanding of why it works. Most of the time wild magic feats are indistinguishable from "normal" feats. The ability to catch arrows is magical, the ability to heal quickly or resist disease is magical. The major difference is that wild magic can not be modified, it will never have a larger or selective effect.

Examples: TODO: better examples

• Speak with animals
• Fast metabolism
• Chameleon

Advancement

Award 1 XP per session, and bonus XP for completing a quest.

Increases

• Improve a skill: 1 XP
• Gain a new skill specialty: 1 XP
• Level up a Feat: 2 XP
• Gain 1 Feat: 2 XP
• Gain 1 Quirk: 0 XP, but no more than one per session.

Mooks & Champions

Mooks are low importance characters. A typical mook has a 3/2 difficulty and 1 or 2 tenacity. Very large mooks, like bears and dinosaurs, might have 3 or 4 tenacity but will still have low difficulties.

Mooks have only four attributes.

• Core Concept - describes what the NPC is good at.
• Description - what do they look like, sound like, how do they behave?
• In-concept difficulty - actions related to the NPCs archetype use this
• Non-concept difficulty - all other actions use this.
• Tenacity - just like PCs, loss of tenacity reduces the difficulty against them.

Example:

• An ugly thug who likes to hit things with a club.
• 2 difficulty when fighting with a club and other thuggish things
• 1 difficulty for anything else
• 1 tenacity

Champions are high importance NPCs. They typically have 3-4 in-concept difficulty, 2-3 non-concept difficulty, and 3-4 tenacity. They also have a few quirks (motivations) and feats.

Alternate Settings

Asmythe is a complex world and adventures can take place in any of its many settings. Here are some guidelines for playing Asmythe RPG in alternate settings.

• In a horror game, Tenacity can represent sanity.

Ancestries

Some settings including many playable races, social statuses, or nationalities. Here is my advice for creating new ancestries.

• Every ancestry will have different quirks. Adding unique quirks is the best way to describe non-human characters. Assign 2-3 quirks to the ancestry.
• If you give a skill bonus, remove the equivalent number of general skill points. No ancestry should be more powerful than another.
• Avoid giving attribute bonuses, every race is very diverse and a very weak ork is just as common as a very strong human. Let the players decide how they represent their ancestry.
• Similarly, avoid giving the ancestry free feats. Even if you balance it by removing a feat choice it may feel forced or contrived, and therefore less fun. However, it is entirely appropriate to create unique feats that are only available to the ancestry.