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 D&D, 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. It is a system for telling stories about a group of characters.

Asmythe RPG is worse than most TTRPGs because it requires an experienced GM capable of imagining a result for any unexpected action from the players. The GM must be able to decide what attribute and skill combination is appropriate, what the difficulty of the action will be, and describe the result. There are no tables or charts that tell the GM what to do.

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 mix well. Such people would never join with a human adventurer.

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 12 points to attributes, rated 1-5.
4. Allocate 10 points to skills, rated 0-5. Specialties for your most important skills.
5. Choose 2-4 quirks and the same number of feats.

The skills, quirks, and feats used 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, fearful, etc.
• Archetype describes your class, profession, or history: pirate, warrior, priest, sorcerer, engineer, etc.
• Finally motivation is an activity or belief that makes the character unique: hunts monsters, brings justice, explores mysteries, seeks danger, etc.

Examples:

• Beautiful druid who talks with animals
• Gruff paladin who fights for great good
• Swashbuckling scoundrel always looking for a score
• Mysterious wizard searching for lost history
• Brawny 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 2. Heroic characters allocate 12 points among attributes.

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 working when affected by stress and pain.

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. At least two skills should have specialties.

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

A specialty give +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.

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.

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

Feats are specific, special abilities that you can use to do heroic actions, things people are not normally able to do. You can use feats as regular actions or expend a Plot Point to activate the feat. Activated feats roll successes again and again for a chance at additional success, "exploding dice". There are no minimum requirements for a feat, not every hero is good at being a hero.

The best quirks and feats are very specific because it adds more nuance to the character. But they don't need to be interpreted as very specific. The feat "can 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.

Quirks

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

• Sickly
• Can't stand the smell of beer
• Overconfident
• Poor eyesight
• Brags about everything
• Afraid of drowning
• Clumsy
• Always tells the truth
• Curious
• Thinks invisible fairies are always trying to cause trouble
• Greedy
• Sworn never to kill
• Elderly/Youthful
• Wanted by the authorities for stealing the Celestial Goblet
• Always wants to help people
• Destitute
• Ugly and Crass

Feats

• Parry a projectile
• Riposte (extra defense dice become an attack)
• Avoid damage from an attack (shield, uncanny dodge, etc.)
• Make an attack whenever an enemy tries to disengage.
• Contacts in the thieves brotherhood
• Wealthy background
• Handsome and smooth
• Tough as nails
• Berserker rage
• Iron gut
• Famous for stealing the Celestial Goblet from the corrupt duke
• Acrobatic
• Affected by the magical backfire that killed their master
• Dual weapon fighting
• Can shoot coins out of the air with a bow
• Bull-rush (charging can knockback a foe)
• Kung-Fu Fighting

Rules

Asmythe RPG uses a die pool of standard d6s. A 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 to do the impossible.

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 a +/- 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 ever hope to achieve this.

Result	Description
No Successes, Some 1s	Botch, action fails in a spectacularly bad way.
No Successes, No 1s	Fail, action fails in a mildly 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?

If there is no consequence for failure and there is plenty of time to keep attempting an action then assume the player rolled 5s on all dice. This usually guarantees success.

Stunts

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

A successful stunt may give you a bonus to your actions or reduce the difficulty of an action and might apply to yourself or for all allies. The exact outcome depends on the action 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.

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

For every 2 points of Tenacity damage, increase difficulty of all actions by 1.

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, then it should be marked as lethal damage. Lethal damage takes a long time to heal and often becomes a quirk.

Wounds can be either non-lethal (“fatigue”) or lethal damage. (aka World of Darkness). Every time Tenacity is affected, describe what and how that happened in a Consequence. “Stab wound in the leg”, “Broken wrist”, “Humiliated about upbringing”, etc.

Initiative

There is no initiative in Asmythe RPG. All player actions happen at the same time.

When the conflict starts ask all players what they are going to do. Players may discuss their actions and decide if their character is going to wait for another character before doing their action.

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.

If it becomes necessary to enforce structure to keep the game from devolving, then the GM is free to determine imitative in whatever way they desire, such as rolling a d6, Agility + Wits, dealing cards, or anything else that works.

When all the PCs take their turns together, then all the NPCs should take their turns together. When rolling or deciding turn order, NPCs should have their own turn order mingled with the PCs.

Miniatures

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

When using a battle map it becomes necessary to add more structure to each character's turn.

On each turn a character may move 1 hex and take one action. An action is anything that can be done in about 3 seconds.

• Attack a target
• Perform a feat
• Dash (roll Agility + Athletics) hexes
• Any other activity that can be done in about 3 seconds.

Some possible modifiers:

• +1 pool for every ally attacking the same target.
• -1 difficulty if target is incapable of defending.
• +1 to +2 to attack difficulty if target has cover.
• +1 to +3 to defense if PC has cover.

Plot Points

Start with 5 plot points each session. Plot points can be gained by expressing quirks. Plot points can be invoked to

• Activate a Feat
• Re-Roll a task
• Get a GM hint or add a feature to the scene

When invoking a plot point to activate a feat, all successes are rolled again and again to get the total number of successes. "Exploding" dice.

Wealth & Equipment

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

TODO

Most of the time, the PC simply has the equipment they need if it is reasonable to have it. Implement the wealth system as designed for Asmythe IF the players want to track wealth and social status.

Equipment might give a modifier for some actions. For example, a shield could give +1 when blocking an attack.

Magic

Magic powers are feats and usually roll Intellect + Arcana.

A magic feat must be for a specific element and should be fairly limited in scope. Each feat is a "spell", but that spell isn't limited to a specific 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.

The elements, and specific workings of magic are described on the Magic page.

Advancement

Award 1 XP per session, more for a completed quest

Increases

• Attribute: 2 XP
• Skill: 1 XP
• New Specialty: 1 XP
• 1 Quirk AND 1 Feat: 2 XP

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 and is good at.
• 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 and 3-4 tenacity. They also have quirks and feats.