Sample file - watermark.rpgnow.com · Pawel Dobosz (The Forge Studios), used with permission. Some artwork copyright William McAusland (Outland Arts), used with permission. Some artwork

Fantasy Role-Playing game

Firehawk Games

NOVUSSa

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Credits

FiRehawk games

Interior Art: Some artwork copyright Kosuke Mita, used with

permission.Some artwork copyright Maciej Zagorski, Silwia Siwiec,

Pawel Dobosz (The Forge Studios), used with permission.Some artwork copyright William McAusland (Outland

Arts), used with permissionSome artwork copyright ©2006 Reality Deviant

Publications, used with permission.Some artwork copyright ©2003 V Shane.

Project Specific Contributions:Author & Designer: Tim DuggerEditors: Tim Dugger and Lori Dugger;Proofreading: Tim Dugger, Ken-ichi Futaba, Mitch A.

Williams & the Playtest Team;Special Thanks to Diaper Dan Davenport for making my

head explode with a rash of last minute suggestions -- One day, I shall get even!

Playtesters (and helpers extraordinaire): Steven Alban, Steve Albert, Geoff Atkinson, Jason “me, the GM!!” Belack, James Bennett, Graham Bottley, Massimiliano Caracristi, Matt Clay, Clint “No Toes” Conner, Jason DeYoung, Sam Deckoff, Jayson “Jigger” Driscoll, Bastian Flinspach, Travis Friedman, Ken-ichi Futaba, Chris Garland, Josh Rellik Georges, Tim “Samwise7” Harper, Nozomi Hatakeyama, Bryan “The man with two first names” Henry, Tom Hoffer, Craig Huber, Jon Huber, Craig Johnson, Dustin “Togar Skullcrusher” Kiefer, Masao Kobori, Viktor L. Korimir, Marybeth Langdon, Gina Mekic, Nick Mekic, Ward Miller, Christopher “GM” Morrell, Pete Mujica, Tina Mujica, Eiji Murayama, Jerry Nye, Kallen Ondrako, Bennett Osterwise, George Osterwise, Raphael Päbst, James Lynn Parnell, Don Pierce, Victoria Pierce, Right Wing Wacko “RWW”, Brian Ross, John Ross, Thomas Søderberg, Bruce Sorensen, Greg Stough, James “Witchking” Walker;

Firehawk Games Website & Forums:http://www.firehawkgames.com

Novus Copyright © 2011 by Tim Dugger and Firehawk Games. All rights reserved. No reproductions without permission. Stock #1000 ISBN 000-00000-0000-0

ChRoniCle CityThis edition is printed and distributed, under license, by

Chronicle City of 58 Woodville Road, New Barnet, Herts, EN5 5NG, UK. For further information about other Chronicle City games please check out our website and forums at

http://www.chroniclecity.com

PublishersAngus Abranson

Production ManagerSimon Emmins

Published by Chronicle CitySa

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table of ContentsIntroduction .......................... 4

System Mechanics Overview ...5Glossary ..........................................6

Character Creation ................ 7Character Creation Overview ..7

Character Concept ........................... 8Choose Race ...................................... 8

Humans .......................................9Elves .............................................9Dwarves ....................................10Halflings ....................................10Half-Elf ......................................11Half-Orc ....................................11

Choose Background ....................... 12Barbarian ..................................12Hillock .......................................12Rural ..........................................12Subterranean ............................12Sylvan ........................................12Urban, Lower Class .................12Urban, Middle Class ................12Urban, Upper Class .................12

Choose Character Class ................. 13Archer .......................................13Fighter .......................................13Mage (Classic) ..........................14Mage (Dual) .............................14Martial Artist ............................15Minstrel .....................................15Scout ..........................................15Thief ...........................................15

Generate Stats.................................. 16Stat Generation ............................16

Secondary Stats ........................17Develop Your Character ................ 20

Character Points ......................20Learning Skills ..............................20Resolving Skills ............................21

Skill Descriptions ............................ 22Acrobatics .................................22Athletics ....................................22Combat Skills ...........................22Crafting .....................................23First Aid ....................................23Gimmickry ...............................23Influence ...................................23Lore ............................................23Magecraft ..................................24Navigation ................................24Perception .................................24Performing Arts .......................24Riding ........................................24Spellcasting ...............................25

Stealth ........................................25Streetwise ..................................25Survival .....................................25Tracking ....................................25Trickery .....................................25

Talents .............................................. 26Talent Descriptions .................26

Equip Your Character .................... 32Money .......................................33

Equipment ....................................33Accessories ...............................33Armor & Shields ......................35Food & Lodging .......................36Transport ..................................37Weapons ....................................38

Encumbrance ...............................40Finishing Your Character .............. 40

Combat ................................ 41Combat Basics ................................. 41The Combat Round ........................ 42

Combat Round Sequence .......42Special Situations .........................43

Combat Moves ................................ 47Combat Styles ................................. 53

Magic ................................... 55How Magic Works .......................... 55

Schools of Magic ......................55Types of Casters .......................57

Learning Spells .............................57Casting Spells ...............................57

Casting Boons .........................58Counterspells ...........................58

Spell Lists ......................................... 58Spell Descriptions ........................58

Spells Vs. DEF ..........................58Universal Spells ............................... 60Black Magic ..................................... 63Divine Magic ................................... 66High Magic ...................................... 69Mysticism ........................................ 72Natural Magic ................................. 76Wizardry ......................................... 79Summoning Spells & Rituals ......... 82

Summoning Procedures .........82Results of the Summoning .....83

Running Novus .................... 84Resolving Rolls ................................ 84

Types of Rolls ...........................84Base Difficulty Ratings ............85Snags .........................................86Boons .........................................86Common Tasks ........................86Common Modifiers .................86

Occupational Hazards .................... 87Falling Damage ........................87Extreme Temperatures ............87Handling Traps ........................87Landslides/Cave-ins ................88Light & Vision ..........................88Watery Hazards ........................89

Strategic Movement ........................ 90Movement By Terrain Type ....90

Injuries, Healing & Death .............. 90Injuries & Healing .......................90Death & Dying .............................90

Spheres of Influence ....................... 90Advancing Levels ............................ 91Awarding Experience Points ......... 91

Experience Awards ..................91Creatures & Treasures ......... 93

Encounters ....................................... 93Planned Encounters ................93Random Encounters ................93

Creatures .......................................... 94Demons (all) .............................96Devils (all) ................................99Dragons (Wyrms) ..................101Spirit Entities (all) ..................105Undead (all) ............................110

Treasures ........................................ 114Treasure Table ........................114

Sample Magic Items ..................115Herbal Remedies ....................115Potions ....................................116Scrolls ......................................117Magical Weapons & Armors 117Staves, Rods & Wands ...........118Amulets, Rings, & Jewelry ....120Miscellaneous Magic Items ..121

Appendix ........................... 122Combat Boons .......................122Snags ........................................123Casting Boons ........................123Skill Boons ..............................123

Character Sheet ................. 124Index .................................. 126

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PlayeR’s seCtion

intRoduCtion

Welcome to the Novus RPG.The introduction is usually where the game explains

what role-playing is and what it is all about. Unlike other games, I am not going to do that here. This is because I fully expect that you will have played role-playing games before, and because there are, quite frankly, games out there that serve as a better introduction to role-playing games.

This game was designed to be fun and exciting, and to be flexible enough that an experienced Game Master (GM) will be able to easily adapt it to whatever setting he prefers to use for his games. This is sometimes known as Rule Zero.

Each gaming group is different and will approach the rules from their own unique perspective. There will be aspects that they rely upon more heavily than other groups. There will be instances where the rules don’t cover every possibility. Novus doesn’t even try to, but it does try to give you, the GM, the tools with which you can resolve things in a consistent manner.

There will be times when you want to create or add in your own rules to better suit your group or the setting you will be playing in. We fully encourage this, but also feel that it is important that any alterations to the rules be fully discussed with the whole gaming group before they are implemented. This makes sure that everybody knows what is going on and what rules are to be used and thus makes the game more fun for all.

All readers should also feel free to stop by the Firehawk Games website and discuss any rule changes or potential changes for their games. We have a great group of people there and they would all be more than happy, myself included, to aid you in devising any rules you might need for you specific group/game.

aCknowledgements

To paraphrase a famous quote, “no game is an island.” This means that game designers and game authors are and always will be influenced, to some small degree by every game that they have ever read or played. The same is true here. Considering that I have read and played many games over the years, I am sure that folks will likely see tiny bits of many different games that have inspired me.

To all of the game designers that have come before me, I salute you! You are true inspirations, one and all.

To everybody who tries this game and plays it, I hope that you enjoy the hell out of it and do so for many years to come.

sPeCial thanks

Before you delve into the game itself, I would like to take a moment of your time to give thanks to my play-testers. Without their prodding and feedback and suggestions, this game might never have gotten as far as it has.

With such friends and support, all things are possible!

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system meChaniCs oveRviewBefore we move on to how to create your character, we

will do a quick overview on the mechanics of the game.

BasiC meChaniCs

Novus uses a simple roll over Target Number (TN) system. What this means is that you roll the dice, add in any bonuses or other modifiers and if the result is equal to or higher than the TN of the task or action that you are attempting then you have succeeded in the task. It is up to the GM to determine the TN of a given task.

Combat uses the same basic mechanic, with the TN required to hit the foe being his DEF (Defense) rating. However, the defender, the person being attacked, can often take actions that may make it harder for them to be hit. This is explained more fully in the Combat Chapter.

Since Novus uses a 2d10 die roll in task resolution, this will result in the majority of the rolls being in the 10 to 12 range. This means that the actual skill ranks that a character has in a given skill will become more and more important as time progresses, especially for the more difficult tasks.

saving thRows

There will be times when the player is asked to roll a Save against a certain stat in order to avoid some or all of the effects of a spell, poison, or some other type of attack or move.

A Saving Throw has a default Target Number of 15. Certain effects and spells may have different Target Numbers for their Saves.

To make a Save, the player makes an Explosive (see below) 2d10 roll and adds in his character’s Save Modifier (5 + the appropriate stat bonus), along with any other special modifiers that might apply. If the result equals the Target Number of the Save or is higher, he succeeds and is not affected (or receives a lesser effect in some cases).

exPloding & imPloding diCe meChaniC

The mechanics for Explosive Roll and Implosive Rolls are not complex at all. When you roll the dice for a task, you look at each die before adding them together with whatever bonuses apply to the task you are attempting to accomplish. If the number is from 2 to 9, then you continue as normal. However, if the die has a 1 or a 10 (some dice have this marked as a 0, but it is read as a 10), then it implodes or explodes accordingly.

Exploding Dice: When the result on a die is a 10, then it explodes. This means that you get to sum the two dice, and then reroll the one that had the 10 on it and add that to your total as well. You can continue to do this as often as your die result comes up a 10. Once a die has exploded, it cannot implode during the reroll process.

Imploding Dice: When the result on a die is a 1, then it implodes. This means that you get to sum the two dice, and then reroll the one that had the 1 on it, and subtract that from your total. You would continue to do this as long as you continued to roll ones on the imploding die. Once a die has imploded, it cannot explode during the reroll process.

Nova Roll: This occurs when you roll a 10 on one die and a 1 on the other. Instead of having one die implode while the other die explodes, the two cancel each other out, and the roll is resolved normally without an explosion or implosion, just as if you had rolled an 11 using any other two numbers. The character also receives a Fate Point (p. 17) when this happens.

Regardless of success or failure, the GM has the option of resolving the action in an unusual manner or through an unusual circumstance. Whether or not to do this is completely up to the GM. If the GM decides to use an unusual event to describe the resolution of the action, the actual event, or sequence of events is entirely up to the GM, and they should not change the actual results of the roll. Here are two examples of how a GM might resolve this situation.

Example 1: Joe’s character is picking the lock on a door. Joe rolls a 10 on one die and a 1 on the other. This is a Nova roll. The 11, along with the skill bonus of Joe’s character is not enough to succeed in opening the lock. The GM decides that Joe’s character breaks his lockpick in the lock and in a sudden fit of irritation, bangs his fist against the door. This pops it open for a second, before it bounces off the hand of Joe’s character and shuts again. The door shutting jars loose the broken bit of lockpick, spitting it out of the lock, allowing another attempt to open the lock to be tried.

Example 2: Joe’s character is picking the lock on a door. Joe rolls a 10 on one die and a 1 on the other. This is a Nova roll. The 11, along with the skill bonus of Joe’s character is just enough to succeed in opening the lock. The GM decides that Joe’s character has set off a poison dart trap, but that Joe’s character spots it, and rears back to avoid it (no rolls required for any of this). In doing so, Joe’s character knocks into another character standing behind him, with a sword at the ready. This other character falls forward and to one side, his sword slipping between the door and jam, and as he shifts to the side, his weapon pries open the door, without breaking either the door or the weapon.

Unless stated otherwise, all dice rolls should be considered to be “Explosive Roll.” For example, initiative rolls will specifically state that they are a “non-Explosive Roll.”

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snag & Boon Point meChaniC

With exploding and imploding dice, we can easily have rolls that are well below or well above the Target Number (TN) of the task at hand.

On the high side, for every 10 points above the TN of the task that the player’s total roll is, including all modifiers, he earns one Boon Point. Boon Points (see p. 86) are then spent to enhance the results of the roll in some manner. Perhaps the character succeeded better than required, or took less time, or earned a bonus to his next attempt at the same skill. The choice would be up to the player, as he would use the Boon Points to purchase the special effect. Combat and spell casting will have their own Boon Point Tables for options that can be purchased. For the general Boon Points table, the player may only purchase those options that would apply to the skill being attempted.

On the low side, the player earns 1 Snag Point for every 10 points below the TN of the task that his roll was. As with Boon Points, Snag Points (see p. 86) must then be spent to create a complication from those available. Of course, the complication must apply to the skill being attempted.

glossaRyThe following is a short list of terms and words that may

be confusing to those who are new to Novus.

Action Points (AP) – Every round has 5 Action Points. Players determine how much they may accomplish in a given round through the number of Action Points that their declared action will take.

Armor Rating (AR) – This value is subtracted from the damage dealt to the character. It is subtracted from the total amount of damage that is dealt.

Attack Bonus (AB) – This is the character’s skill bonus for the weapon that he is using, along with any special modifiers for that weapon based upon the situation or the Combat Move being used.

Attack Roll – This is the total of a 2d10 roll along with the attacking character’s Attack Bonus.

Base Damage (BD) – This is the minimum amount of damage that a successful attack deals.

Character Class – This is method of defining certain aspects of the character, such as which skills are Favored Skills and which are not, as well as how many Hit Points he receives each level and any special training or ability the character receives.

Character Points (CP) – This is a pool of points used to develop the character. They can be spent on ranks in specific skills, Talents, Combat Moves, and Spells.

Combat Move – This is a special move that the player may elect for his character to perform while in combat. It often gives modifiers to the character’s AB, his DEF, the number of AP the move will take and the effects of the actual attack.

Combat Skill – This is the character’s skill in combat. There are several different Combat Skills, one for each of a group of similar weapons. Additionally, Combat Styles also count as Combat Skills.

Combat Style – This is a special skill for combat. It is used to allow a character to learn more advanced combat techniques, and most Combat Styles also give discounts on purchasing Combat Moves.

Damage Rating (DR) – This, plus the stat bonus of the skill used in making an attack determine the Base Damage of that attack.

Defense (DEF) – This is the number that must be equaled or beat in order for an attack to hit the target.

Game Master (GM) – This is the person who controls the actions and events of the entire campaign setting. He is NOT the enemy of the players.

Hit Points – This is a measure of how much damage a character can take before going unconscious and before dying. At 0 hits, a character may do nothing except to try and heal himself. At -11 hits, the character is unconscious, and at -(Constitution Stat Value + 10) the character will actually die.

Magic Stat – The stat that is specifically associated with a given spell using Character Class or School of Magic. If a character is not of a spell using class, then he will use the stat, Intelligence, as his Magic Stat.

Non-Player Character (NPC) – This is a character or monster that is controlled by the GM.

Player Character (PC) – This is the character that is controlled by the player.

Saving Throw (Save) – This is a roll to resist or avoid being affected by something (spell, poison, etc.) that is not covered by any other type of roll. There are 8 types of Saving Throws, one for each stat. The basic bonus used for making a Saving Throw is the Stat Bonus of the applicable Stat plus 5, plus any other appropriate modifiers.

School of Magic – This is both a method of casting spells and a philosophy towards casting that colors how a character who knows that School casts spells and what spells they learn to cast.

Spell Points (SP) – This is a measure of how much energy, magical or otherwise, that the character is able to manipulate before he must rest. It could be considered a measurement of mental exhaustion.

Stat Bonus – This is a number that is based on the character’s Stat Value for a given stat. This number is added to skills and is part of the Save Modifier used in Saving Throws.

Stat Value – This is the sum of the raw stat, any racial modifiers and any miscellaneous modifiers from other sources, such as Talents.

Stats – These are numbers that are used to describe various attributes of the character.

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