The 3D RPG

The 3D RPG Welcome! (top) The 3D Creators 3D in HTML 3D for Win95 3D for Mac Comments? mail 3D@rpg.net Pages hosted by RPGnet, last modified Thursday, 04-Jan-2001 20:54:09 PST

The 3D RPG The Dice-Deck Designed Role Playing Game Final Version (#17) 2/17/98 Created & Written by: Scott J. Compton (sord@worldnet.att.net) See also our full credits page and our (eek!) full disclaimer. Table of Contents Introduction Player information Culture Professions Skills Experience Battle Conclusion Appendix back to top Intro The 3D RPG is slang for the Dice and Deck Designed RPG. 3D can be thought of as one of the most simplistic, yet realistic, RPGs you will ever play. The entire game is 10 pages! 3D has been defined through the standard character layout, playing cards, and combat system. The Game Master, called the Game Designer (GD) in this game, may need to construct the world setting, characters, cards, and other aspects of game-play to make the 3D game engine function. The role of the GD is to first solidify the setting, if needed, and then to act as game director such that adventure stories, plots, and character interaction can unfold. The complete character sheet is included at the end of the rules. Be sure to have the character sheet by your side when you read through the system. Take note of abbreviations too. Here we go! back to top PLAYER NAME AND INFO In any role-playing system, you will need to know specific details about each character as well as how the character can take action. But it is also does not hurt to reference a player's name on the character sheet. It also helps to write down the phone number and other essential information so that the GD can contact a player if absent from a gaming session. CHARACTER NAME This is usually the hardest thing to decide--and often the last. THE FOUR APTITUDES: DESIRE, MIND, REACTION, AND VIGOR The four aptitudes are at the heart of a character. Desire tells the emotional will power, inner spirit, raw ambition, ability to persuade and negotiate, and creativity of the character. Mind defines the memory, concentration, logic, ability to communicate, and mental judgment. Reaction makes up the character's five senses, instinctual perceptions, quickness, balance, timing, and agility. Finally Vigor defines a character's overall health, nourishment, vitality, and physical strength. Using these aptitudes in various combinations gives a character its total essence. The Chance Dice Each aptitude has a standard, but not absolute, point range from 1 to 250 for humanoid-based characters. Each aptitude has a current and maximum number, and an aptitude number is often compared to Chance Dice. Chance Dice is the sum of (2d12) multiplied by 10, which is then added (or sometimes subtracted) with a 1d10 roll. The resulting number is compared to a statistical number such as an aptitude, skill, combat number, etc. For example, if a "3" and "5" is rolled on the 2d12, and a "9" is rolled on the 1d10, the rolled Chance Dice is 89 (3+5=8 or 80, plus 9 on a 1d10). However, each time a "10" is rolled on the 1d10, another 1d10 must be rolled and added to the sum. This process could continue into infinity. Thus, if the 2d12 result is 6+8 (or 140) and the 1d10 roll is a 10, the result is 140+10 or 150. But then another 1d10 is required; if another "10" is rolled, then the result is 160. Then, if an "8" is rolled on the next 1d10, the final number would be 168. Furthermore, special rules apply when rolling the 2d12. Whenever a "1" is rolled on either 12-sided die, the 1d10 will subtract instead of add to the number; likewise, if a "10" is rolled when subtracting, another 1d10 must be rolled to subtract and so on to infinity if needed if a "10" is rolled every time. The beauty of this Chance Curve is that a nice, loose bell-curve is spawned when other modifiers influence an aptitude. Yep, and a Chance Curve can generate any number from positive infinity to negative infinity! Creating a character When rolling the aptitude scores during character creation, roll a normal percentage score and convert it to a number (an 83% would equal 83 points). The Game Designer may throw out scores that are a rolled at a certain percentage or above (such as 75% and up) for broader character growth over a longer period of time. Repeat this process seven more times (a "00" equals 100). Take these eight scores, pair them together as desired, and add each pair for a particular aptitude. This generates a Maximum Aptitude Point (MAP) number with a range between 2-200 points (% roll + % roll). Thus, for all four aptitudes, the player controls which eight numbers can be paired together. The player will then assign each of the four numbers among the four aptitudes. Thereafter, the player will distribute Age Experience Points, or AXPs, over the four max- imum aptitudes; every year of Human Age gives +1 AXPs to distribute (up to a character's Age Peak, which is determined by Culture). For every year beyond the Age Peak, a point will be subtracted instead of added (See Experience Point rules). Also add or subtract any permanent Cultural modifiers to each MAP (see Culture rules). Finally, the GD may reward anywhere from 0-50 Life Experience Points to the character according to its historical background, previously learned skills and abilities, and overall raw experiences. These Life Experience Points, or LXPs, can be spent on skills and/or aptitudes as Maximum Aptitude Points, or MAPs. The GD should keep in mind that older characters should start with more LXPs than younger ones. For newly created characters, each aptitude has an average of just over 100 MAPs (Maximum Attribute Points). MAPs are a rarely altered unless a character earns AXPs, LXPs, or is modified by other unusual circumstances. Starting characters typically have aptitudes between the 50 to 150 range. Characters above 150 points in all four aptitudes are probably heroic individuals and characters above 200 points are most likely approaching demigod or almighty status. Besides MAPs, each aptitude has CAPs. The main functions of current aptitude points (CAPs) are to provide damage tolerance to the character and give a reflection of the immediate condition of a character's specific status. CAPs increase and decrease in number quite frequently, and never, under normal circumstances, exceed the MAP of the aptitude. Blows to the head or psyche subtract Mind CAPs, while damage to the limbs subtracts Reaction CAPs. Hits to the body subtract Vigor CAPs. The player controls the character's current Desire Aptitude. The player always has the option of subtracting some or all of the damage from the Desire CAP instead of Mind, Reaction, or Vigor. Aptitude: CAPs MAPs --------- ---- ---- Desire: ____ ____ Mind: ____ ____ Reaction: ____ ____ Vigor: ____ ____ Checking Aptitudes The four Current Aptitude Points (CAPs) are usually checked with the "Chance Curve" (2d12 : 1d10). If the rolled number is equal to or lower than the aptitude's current score, then the character is successful in the attempted endeavor. Current aptitudes can be healed via the character's Recovery number. See the 3D Battle System. Character Death The basic rule of doom is that if a character ever reaches 0 in any aptitude, the character must make a death check against that maximum aptitude number on a Chance Curve. The Game Designer may penalize the death check according to damage not yet absorbed after an aptitude reaches zero. As predicted, if the death check fails, the character dies. If the check is successful, the character earns 1 CAP back to the aptitude and lives for the moment. CHARACTER STATISTICS All characters in 3D have several basic qualities. Players must be familiar with certain details such as the character's real age based on its human age equivalent, its sex, height, weight, ratio of flesh versus muscle, and how all of these characteristics and the four aptitudes apply to its ability to move. Many RPG systems neglect a character's fat-weight and stride based on height, but the 3D gives all of the realism, if needed, in a simplistic structure listed hereafter. REAL AGE This is the actual age of the character. Some cultures may have life spans far beyond or below 100 years. HUMAN AGE Convert the character's Real Age into a Human Age equivalent number. You will need to know the culture's average life span to do this. Assume 100 years for a human. For example, if an Elf has an average life span of 2250 years and is 500 years old, it would be equivalent to a [100 x (500/2250)] 22 year old Human. GENDER Male, female, hermaphrodite, neither, etc. HEIGHT The average height is known by the character's cultural race. This number is measured in inches. WEIGHT The average weight is also determined by culture. It is measured in pounds. Weight adds directly to a character's force of impact (how much physical weight you can get behind an attack). Weight is the total weight of a naked character (includes Flesh Weight). Carried Weight should also be added from Item cards and tallied. BODY FLESH (BF%) If you want realism, calculate the amount of extra flesh (excluding muscle) on a character as a percentage. Logically, the flesh percentage tells an extra amount of fat weight, which is viewed, as "carried weight" like a loaded pack. The BF% is determined by the character's culture. The normal range for a human male is 10-20% body fat and 15-25% for human females. Also see Toughness and Movement Force for Body Flesh advantages. FLESH WEIGHT Multiply the BF% to the character's standard Weight (which is measured in pounds); then divide by 100 since it is a percentage. For example 200 lbs. x 23 BF% (/100) = 46 pounds of Flesh Weight. TOTAL ENCUMBRANCE Add the Flesh Weight to the character's Carried Weight. The Total Encumbrance makes up part of the Movement Penalty. MOVEMENT BONUS Characters gain a bonus to the movement score based on stride, body composition, and age. Calculate the bonus by the formula: [Height x 20]/[BF# + Human Age]. The BF% is converted directly to a number. MOVEMENT PENALTY The Total Encumbrance, Encumbrance, and character's height in inches gives the adjustment penalty to the Movement score. The Movement Penalty is: [(Human Age + Total Encumbrance) x 20] / [Height]. This penalty is a positive number because it gets subtracted in the Movement formula. MOVEMENT Add the Movement Bonus to a third of the maximum Reaction and Vigor numbers, and then subtract the Movement Penalty [Movement Bonus + (Reaction/3) + (Vigor/3) - Movement Penalty]. This tells the average number of feet a character travels every 10 seconds. When characters sprint, Reaction and Vigor CAPs can be directly converted into speed. When sprinting at a higher rate than the Movement score, the character can convert 1 CAP of Reaction or Vigor into 10 points of additional Movement for 10 seconds. However, the amount of bonus Movement that is gained on the sprint cannot exceed the Reaction MAP (i.e., 120 Reaction MAP = 120 max. Movement bonus). Under prolonged conditions without rest, such as jogging or swimming, the GD may also subtract CAPs. If the Movement number is 10 or less, the GD may assume that a character can still move at 10 feet every 10 seconds. back to top CULTURE The races, breeds, or species need to be created by the Game Designer on Culture Cards, unless a pre-generated 3D setting already define them. The GD might generate many Culture Cards, which need to be defined and balanced according to their unique characteristics and abilities; any special Cultural skills should be listed on separately Skill Cards. The Culture Card should contain all relevant data such as its MAP limits, initial MAP bonuses, average life span, Age Peak, height range, weight range, BF% range (Body Flesh), and other possible setting-based information. A Culture card template should look as follows: [A picture can be drawn here if desired] Culture: _________________________________ MAP Bonuses: D___ M___ R___ V___ MAP Limits: D___ M___ R___ V___ Age Span: ____ yrs. Age Peak: ______ yrs. Height: ______ in. Weight: ______ lbs. Male Flesh%: ___ Female Flesh%: ___ Description/Notes:________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ __________________________________________ The Game Designer will construct initial bonuses for the MAPs. For example, in a fantasy setting, the GD might give +18 to Desire, +16 to Mind, +20 to Reaction, and +14 to Vigor for an elf culture, but might give +24 Desire, +35 Mind, +30 Reaction, and +40 Vigor for a dragon that is an NPC. These four aptitude modifiers directly adjust the aptitudes during character creation. Since most initial aptitudes are generated around 100 points at character creation, it is recommended that Cultural modifiers do not penalize the aptitudes. The GD should be careful to balance all Cultures that are available to a player also. As listed, the GD should also put upper limits on the MAPs, except for Desire. back to top PROFESSION Like the Cultures rules, the Game Designer will need to define the professions available to players' characters as well as the GD's non-player characters. Professions are noted on Profession Cards and denote the Skill Categories available (General, Mental, Physical, Reactive, and Specialized), Years of Training, Required MAP Minimums to first undertake the profession, a professional Description, and a picture and/or symbol of the profession such as a coat of arms. Essentially, a Profession gives a character the ability to undertake one or more Skill Categories so that specific skills can be learned (within those categories) if professional training is sought. From society to culture to clan to country, skills will vary even if the profession is deemed the same. For instance, a Greek Solider would not be trained in the same methods and skills as a Phoenician Soldier. As a result, characters may need to seek out a teacher, which often includes a monetary price as well. Here is what a typical Professional Template should look like: [A picture or symbol can be drawn here] Profession: _____________________________ Required MAPs: D:___ M:___ R:___ V:___ Skill Categories: ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ Years of Training:_____ & Months:_____ Description/Notes: ______________________ _________________________________________ _________________________________________ _________________________________________ _________________________________________ _________________________________________ _________________________________________ _________________________________________ _________________________________________ _________________________________________ _________________________________________ _________________________________________ _________________________________________ _________________________________________ _________________________________________ _________________________________________ _________________________________________ _________________________________________ _________________________________________ Specific skills are earned according to the available LXPs and other factors noted later such as required training time. Each individual skill is created and defined on a "Skill Card" by the GD. However, a player may also create Skill Cards through the Specialized skill category with the approval of the GD for the character's situation. It is entirely up to the GD or a 3D setting to define each Skill Card. The Specialized Category is based on one's personal ambitions. back to top Skill Details Professions define which Skill Categories are usually accessible to a character, since one or more Skill Categories need to be taught to a character to learn a skill. For example, a character may need the Mental Category to learn a new language. Besides the skill categories of General, Reactive, Mental, and Physical, characters can also learn new and unique skills with the Specialized skill category based on the player's creativity and wishes. All Specialized skills are defined as distinct interests of the character based on personal desires and dreams to achieve specialized goals. When a new skill is written up and approved by the GD on a Skill Card, a player should keep in mind that it should directly relate to the profession and be based on other skills that have been previously learned by the character. As a rule of thumb for most 3D settings, characters are able to gain the Specialized and General categories with little or no Professional employment. However, characters in professional circles are able to learn higher skill capacities with better skill modifiers (higher Skill Types) versus the non-Professional characters in these two categories. The GD and/or player may create Specialized skills as a character develops. The General Category contains skills that are common to the character's society, which also includes artistic and political capabilities. Skills of the General Category can be learned by all persons, since it can be assumed that most skills can be self-trained without the need of a teacher. General skills are therefore available through the raw experience of observing others in society or by trial and error. Certain skills also require two or more categories to be able to learn them. For instance, a Climbing skill might require a character to possess the Reactive and Physical categories since climbing takes strength and balance. The GD will determine which skill category needs to be checked for a multi-category skill and may also require more than one Skill Check if the situation calls for it. Here is a list of the five skill categories and the rate of success when using Chance Dice with the Chance Curve: Symbol Skill Category Skill Check(Chance Dice)* Quick Description ------ -------------- ------------------------- ----------------- G General (Desire CAPs/2) + Hum.Age Common sense M Mental Mind CAPs Intellect/insight P Physical Vigor CAPs Strength/health R Reactive Reaction CAPs Agility/balance S Specialized Desire CAPs Will power/creativity * Each specific skill might have a permanent Skill Modifier that could alter the chance of the skill functioning when attempted. The GD might also add circumstantial modifiers, whether positive or negative, to the skill check according to the situation within the game setting. Skill Cards can be played outside of Battle, inside of Battle, or during either, depending on the GD's ruling at the time of game play. Written on the card is its Name and the Categories required to learn the skill. Skill Cards have an LXP cost needed to be invested into the skill in the first place and an average Lore Time to successfully learn, practice, and master the skill. Once a skill is learned, every Skill Card gives a fixed skill "Modifier" which can increase or decrease the ability to perform it. Finally, an Initiative Time (in seconds) will be known when a skill is attempted, a Duration Time of how long the skill lasts once it begins, and the skill's Description which included its requirements, limits, and any other miscellaneous notes. It might be noted in the skill's Description that a skill might require a minimum MAP number to be able to start learning the skill. Below is a sample template of what a skill should look like as well as three sample skills of similar types: [A picture can be drawn here] Skill Name: _______________________ Categories: ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ LXPs: ____ Lore Time:____________ Initiative Time: __________________ Duration Time: ____________________ Skill Modifier: ___________________ Description: ______________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ Name: Sweeping Blow (Type 1) Categories: P LXPs: +5 Lore Time: 1 mo. Initiative Time: Instant Duration Time: Combat Round Skill Modifier: -10 Description: This skill requires a hand-held weapon and can be attempted once at the start of any Combat Round. This skill allows up to 3 opponents within 5 feet to be possibly hit by the attack. The player can attempt an Attack roll on any foe within 5 feet. However, on any successful hit, the attack will always cause 50 points less damage upon each foe. This skill requires a Vigor score of 100 or more. Name: Sweeping Blow (Type 2)* Categories: P LXPs: +10 Lore Time: 5 mo. Initiative Time: Instant Duration Time: Combat Round Skill Modifier: +5 Description: This skill requires a hand-held weapon and can be attempted once at the start of any Combat Round. This skill allows up to 5 opponents within 10 feet to be possibly hit by the attack. The player can attempt an Attack roll on any foe within 10 feet. However, on any successful hit, the attack will always cause 25 points less damage upon each foe. This skill requires a Vigor score of 125 or more. * Indicates the next lesser version of the skill must have first been previously learned to train in this skill. For instance, to learn Sweeping Blow (Type 3), a player must have previously learned the Sweeping Blow (Type 2) skill. Building Skill Cards Each Skill Card should be constructed to not allow for possible changes in the skill, since any major change would be classified as a new skill altogether (Type 2 instead of Type 1 for example). The GD should allow the player to take out all of the invested LXPs of a lower-powered skill and invest it into a similar higher-powered skill if desired. For example, if a character learns a magical spell called Flame Pebble, which costs 10 LXPs, the GD might allow the character to unlearn Flame Pebble and use the 10 points to invest into Flame Stone. Flame Stone is a more powerful version of Flame Pebble and has an LXP Investment of 15; thus, the character would only need 5 more LXPs to learn Flame Stone, even though the character would lose Flame Pebble. The GD might also allow any character to unlearn a skill to reclaim one-half of the invested score. A character could dissolve any skill worth 12 LXPs, and get back (12/2) 6 LXPs to invest in other skills or aptitudes. There are also some Skill Cards that can be earned that directly influence statistics other Skill Cards, such as Specialized Skills. In fantasy settings, magical spells should work as skills for efficiency with the 3D RPG. The neat thing about this system is skill implementation; The player can easily play a card to show what is being attempted, or ask the GD if a Skill Category contains the desired feat that is attempted. Otherwise, any attempted check must be done with a current aptitude or aptitude average if a skill has not been learned by the character or does not work in the given situation (usually at a penalty). LXPs and Training The Learning Time of a specific skill is often correlated with the needed LXP investment. The player can choose to learn Skill Cards noted on the Professional Skill List as long as the required LXPs are invested. In other words, LXPs can be substituted for skills instead of using them on Aptitudes. As a common rule, for every month of Learning Time listed on a Skill Card for many General Skills, it should cost about 1 LXP of investment. For example, if the skill called Picking Locks cost 3 LXPs to learn, it might take somewhere around 2-4 months to learn it. Of course, some skills will not follow this pattern at all, since every skill is unique. Each individual skill's Learning Time is one of many parts of the total time invested in the Profession, and can vary tremendously based on setting factors such as the teacher, the amount of time spent per day training, the desire of the character to learn it, etc. As an optional rule, the GD might even require a Desire Check at the beginning of a skill's training. If the check succeeds, the amount it is made by can equal a percentage of how much faster a character can learn the skill. In other words, if a character make a Desire Check by 28 points, then the skill can be learned 28% faster than the normal rate listed on the Skill Card because of the character's motivation to learn it. The GD should also correlate the skill's Modifier with the LXP cost. In the example of Sweeping Blow Type 1, the modifier is a -10. However, by Sweeping Blow Type 3, the modifier is at a +20. Thus, the higher the LXP cost, the better the modifier should be. Leaving a Profession and Losing Skills If a character discontinues professional training altogether and does not continue to use the skills learned through the profession on a frequent basis, the character will lose LXPs invested into those skills. One-third of the LXP investment cost of the lost skills can be reclaimed. However, the GD might also require the character to immediately give up certain skills of the profession, especially if the skills were unique to the profession. As a general rule, if a skill has not been used for as long as it took to learn it, the GD should require the character to lose the Skill Card. back to top EXPERIENCE (XPs) In the 3D RPG, experience points could not be any easier to understand because they add to the four maximum aptitude scores (MAPs) and/or Skills. Age Experience Points (AXPs) Each point of Human Age, up to the character's Age Peak, adds a MAP (Maximum Aptitude Point) to distribute among the four aptitude scores ONLY. Likewise, every year past the character's Age Peak subtracts a MAP. The player may determine which MAP is subtracted each year after the Age Peak is reached. The Age Peak is a statistic of the character's Culture. Humans can be assumed to have an Age Peak at 30 Years old. Noted on the character sheet should be the Current AXPs of the character, whether it is a positive or negative number. Life Experience Points (LXPs) LXPs are earned during a character's life to distribute among the four maximum aptitude scores or learned skills. As an optional rule, the GD may specify what percentage of LXPs can be used to increase aptitudes versus skills. Noted on the character sheet should be the total Earned LXPs, the Aptitude-spent LXPs, and the Skill- spent LXPs. The amount of LXPs achieved from game to game varies; on average, a GD might reward anywhere from 0-10 LXPs per character depending what transpired, how much time passed, etc. ROLE-PLAYING Acting through a character's personality is highly encouraged, even though a GD may wish to emphasize certain parts of 'roll'-playing during game play such as card-drawing, hack'n'slash, dice rolling, problem-solving, strategy, and 'out-of-character' conversation. By having role-playing in the GD's adventures, it helps to individualize each encountered character, develop more memories, and add another dimension of human experience, dynamics, and emotion to the game. The Game Designer may make it clear to the players how much character portrayal is commonly expected and when it is usually desired during game play. In the 3D RPG, there are no role-playing rules defined, since each player should be free to act out his or her character's personality without any limitations. In any event, character portrayal when role- playing should be done in a mature manner concerning the players at the table (not necessarily the personalities of the characters that are portrayed). It can also be easy for one player to take center- stage. As a result, each player should respect the time and balance of conversation in the gaming group. Since a player can often become more attached to a specific character when acting through its personality, a player should also be mature enough to accept problems or situations encountered in a character's life as well as the character's eventual death. After all, it is only a game and new characters can always be created. When a player's character dies, it is recommended that the GD allow a new character of the player to be somewhat close in range to the LXP average of the characters in the gaming group. The GD may wish to award bonus LXPs to a player's character for an exceptional portrayal or a memorable experience. In such a case, it is recommended that all of the characters that are involved with the adventure be awarded equally. back to top THE 3D BATTLE SYSTEM Battle takes place in 10 second Conflict Rounds starting action from the 0th second. In each Conflict Round, a character is allowed to move up to his Movement number and can make general actions and/or play Skill Cards. At the beginning of each round, all participants need to check their Initiative numbers. Initiative # Initiative tells when an attack motion first begins (not necessarily lands) or when a specific action can be started during the 10 second round. When a conflict starts (could be non- combative), each character or character group rolls Chance Dice, as defined previously, against the Initiative number statistic. The Initiative # is equal to the character's Reaction MAP; Also subtract the character's Body Flesh% (as a number) for more realism. Depending on the difference that is rolled between the Initiative # and the Chance Dice, a character or group will get an INIT-bonus or INIT- penalty for the Conflict Round. The chart below tells the range of success or failure and on which second a character or group starts the Conflict Round on: INITIATIVE BONUS Succeeded by: Start Conflict 00 - 25 points 4th Second 26 - 50 points 3rd Second 51 - 75 points 2nd Second 76 - 100 points 1st Second 101+ points 0th Second (Instant) INITIATIVE PENALTY Failed by: Start Conflict 01 - 25 points 5th Second 26 - 50 points 6th Second 51 - 75 points 7th Second 76 - 100 points 8h Second 101+ points 9th Second For instance, if a dragon has an Initiative # of 182 and rolls a 151 on a Chance Curve, then the dragon has a calculated INIT-bonus of (182-151) 31 and starts on the 3rd second of Conflict. But if Hurgar the Dragonslayer fails his Initiative number by 17, he must start on the 5th Second. Many Skill Cards give bonuses to a character's Initiative #. Skill Initiative Time directly adds to the starting second if it is known not instant. Attack # When a character attacks, a Chance Curve is rolled against the Attack # to possibly make a successful strike. The attack number is equal to one-fifth of the Desire and Mind MAPs plus Movement or [(D+M)/5]+[Movement #]. An attack will only cause damage if the defender's Defense check fails. Many Skill Cards are used with the Attack #. Defense # Only when the attacker successfully rolls an Attack hit, the character can make a Chance Curve roll against the Defense #. To completely avoid a blow, the Defense # roll must be successful. The Defense # is equal to the Reaction and Mind MAPs, plus the Movement #, all divided by five [(D+M+Movement #)/5]. Defense can be thought of as the mental reaction to compensate against a blow. With some attacks, the Game Designer might rule that the Defense # cannot be used at all. Many Skill Cards are used with the Defense #. Armor and Protection Ranks The 3D RPG measures outer defenses as raw numbers called Armor Ranks, which blocks damage to a character. In general, an attack will hit a character to one of four areas: Head, Body, Arms, or Legs. If more than one area is inflicted with damage, the player should average the Armor Rankings in those places. Armor Ranking is determined by the material it is constructed from, its condition, the ability of the person that made it, and its general design; some armor types are more resilient or less effective against certain types of damage based on these factors. In general, the Armor Rank numbers should have a range of defense that manipulates the Damage Force numbers of weapons offered in the setting (but not drastically exceed them). Also, most armors should have an Encumbrance Rating that directly adds to the character's Encumbrance; this number should be based upon the armor's weight and its freedom of movement it gives. Since Random Damage is always a factor on an attack, there always exists the possibility of taking damage on any blow, even with the best armor. Head Armor Rank Protection and armor offers a direct reduction of damage to the head and neck regions. For instance, if a character has Head Armor Rank of 31 and is struck with a Damage Force of 101, the character takes 70 points of aptitude damage to the Head area (to the Mind CAPs and/or the Desire CAPs). Also see Toughness for additional damage reduction. Body Armor Rank Protection and armor offers a reduction of damage to the chest, back, and/or abdomen regions. The character takes aptitude damage to the Body area (to the Vigor CAPs and/or the Desire CAPs). Also see Toughness. Arms Armor Rank Protection and armor offers a reduction of damage to the shoulder, arm, and/or hand regions. The character takes aptitude damage to the Arms (to the Reaction CAPs and/or the Desire CAPs). Also see Toughness. Legs Armor Rank Protection and armor offers a reduction of damage to the groin, leg, and/or foot regions. The character takes aptitude damage to the Legs (to the Reaction CAPs and/or the Desire CAPs). Also see Toughness. Toughness # The added maximum Desire and Vigor MAPs divided by five or [((D+V)/5)+BF#] tells an amount of damage that can be subtracted on every damaging blow from any bodily location hit. For instance, if the character is hit with 158 points of total damage to the Leg area and has a Toughness of 53, only 105 points are inflicted to the character's legs (from the Desire or the Reaction CAPs). This Toughness reduction in damage happens after any Armor Ranks have first reduced damage, since a character's internal toughness (muscle, bone, and flesh) is the last line of resistance against damage. After armor and toughness have subtracted damage from the attack, the character must then directly take damage to one or more of the four CAPs, depending on where the blow lands. Just to note, a character's Body Flesh percentage converts directly into a number and adjusts Toughness. Logically, the fatter a person is, the more a damaging blow can be buffered from vital organs, even though some GDs might decide to play 3D without Body Flesh if they are looking to simplify things within the system. Recovery # This is simply the character's maximum Vigor points divided by 10. The number tells how much damage is healed each hour of rest, assuming that a character is under a normal amount of stress and has gotten a normal amount of sleep. For instance, if the character's Recovery [Vigor MAP] is at a 147, the character will have 15 points to equally distribute among the four current aptitudes after 1 hour of rest (four points per aptitude). After relaxing for 8 hours, the character would have 120 points to distribute (or 30 points to each aptitude). The player cannot choose what aptitudes receive the health; the earned points must be equally divided among the four aptitudes, even if some of the CAPs are equal to their MAPs. The GD should also not allow a character to naturally heal back as much points in a day as the character's Vigor CAP; If the Vigor CAP is down to 23 CAPs, then 23 is the total healing limit for that day. Items Every item in 3D RPG is a card, which includes weapons, armors, trinkets, transportation, and other such objects that can be found in the game setting. Item Cards are placed in a stack on the character sheet. Listed on the cards are at least the necessary statistics such as the Carried Weight in pounds and average monetary cost in the setting. An Item Card could be designed to allow a player to pencil in changes if needed. The Game Designer should not forget to furnish characters with common items such as bottles, bags, books, belts, beer, and other items. All item cards that add weight to a character's Total Encumbrance need to be tallied. Below is a template for a typical Item Card: [A picture should be drawn here] Item Name: ______________________ Carried Weight: ____ Cost: ____ Description & Notes: ____________ _________________________________ _________________________________ _________________________________ _________________________________ _________________________________ _________________________________ _________________________________ _________________________________ _________________________________ _________________________________ _________________________________ _________________________________ _________________________________ _________________________________ _________________________________ _________________________________ _________________________________ _________________________________ _________________________________ _________________________________ Armor Items A piece of armor is considered an item card and has an Armor Ranking, an Area (or areas) it protects, a Weight, a possible additional Encumbrance Penalty, and a monetary Cost. (Note: The GD might also give an Encumbrance Penalty to standard items if they are bulky, abnormal, or hard to carry such as a treasure box or carrying another person). If a piece of protection becomes damaged, its Armor Rank falls. Worn armor should be cumulative in protection that is offered, as well as cumulative in Weight and Encumbrance. As described earlier, Armor Ranks should have a range of protection and mimic the Damage Force caused by weapons that are available in the setting supplement used with 3D. See Damage Force below. Weapon Items Every weapon is also an item card and has a Length in inches, a Bluntness factor (weight in pounds x 10), a Force number, a Penetration number (or range), a Damage Force number, a Wielding Rate, and a monetary Cost. Weapon damage is easy to calculate. The weapon's Length is added to its Bluntness number to give a Force number. Additionally, the weapon has a Penetration number, which is directly added to the weapon's Force to give a Damage Force number. When a character makes an attack, the Damage Force is added to a Random Damage number and Movement Force, which is described at the end of the weapon section. Let's take a regular sword for example. The sword might have a length of 50 inches, a weight of 8 pounds, and a Penetration number of 24 points. As a result, the weapon's Force number is calculated to be [50+(8x10)] 130. When adding more damage based on the Penetration number, it gives a Damage Force of 154 points for the sword. Penetration has a common range from 1-100 points for common items, and even higher for extremely sharp, durable, or special weapons. Some special weapons might have a penetration range from 1-500 such as laser guns in futuristic settings that could be set at a particular intensity of damage. Weapon Wielding Rate A weapon's Wielding Rate is a number that tells how many seconds it takes to make a strike with the weapon after Initiative is known and during the Conflict Round. Wielding Rate is equal to the weapon's Force number minus the character's standard Movement number, then divided by 10. A weapon's Wielding Rate cannot be a negative number. As a result, if a character's Wielding Rate is 0, the character can attack with the weapon on every second after the initiative second is determined. Generally speaking, if the Wielding Rate is 5 or higher, a character should not use the weapon because it is cumbersome and too large to successfully hit with on a frequent basis. If a Wielding Rate exceeds 9 points, there is no possibility of a character making an attack in the Conflict Round! Weapon Wielding Rate Details As an example for Wielding Rate, if a sword has a Force of 130 (as in the example above) and a character's Movement is 107, the Wielding Rate is easily calculated to be [(130-107)/10] 2.3 rounded to 2. The character's Movement is therefore a good indicator of what weapons are "wieldable." If a weapon's Force number is 50 or more points greater than the character's Movement score, the character should probably stay away from attempting to wield the weapon. Since Encumbrance is part of the Movement formula, a character can reduce carried weight to have a faster means of attacking with heavier and longer weapons. The GD might want to use a character's "current" Movement instead of the normal Movement score if a character is tired or has been damaged; in such a case, it adds that much more realism to battle with a little more effort. In other words, Wielding Rate tells the number of seconds that a character must wait before making an attack (including the current second of the Conflict Round) before a hit occurs. If a weapon's Wielding Rate is 3 and the character determines Initiative to start on the 1st second of Conflict, the character then must wait on second 1, 2 and 3, until an attack is made on 4. Then the character wielding the weapon must wait again on second 5, 6, and 7 so another attack can be made on the 8th second. When the 9th second of the Conflict Round has been completed (not the 10th!), a new Initiative number will be required by all battle participants and/or groups. Any new attacks started toward the end of the Round, but not completed, can be continued into future Rounds only if the character has yet to make an attack because the weapon was so slow during the initial Round when the attack started. After the attack finally occurs, the character must wait until a new Initiative occurs before new attacks can be started, even though the GD might allow non-attack actions from the character. Movement Force Every character can put controlled, bodily force behind an attack, depending on the character's body weight, carried weight, and Movement. The character's body and carried weight also adds to the inflicted damage; every 10 pounds of weight (both body and carried) gives an extra +1 damage. Additionally, one-half of the Movement number also adds to the Movement Force number. The player can always determine the amount of Movement Force based on the situation. For instance, if a character weighs 190 pounds (including carried weight) and has a Movement of 70, an additional (190/10) 19 weight-damage points and (70/2) 35 Movement-damage points can be inflicted on the attack if desired by the player. This gives a grand Movement Force of (19+35) 54 points. Thus, the player whose character weighs 190 pounds and has a movement of 70 will have a range of 0-54 points to add to the Total Damage if needed. Using a character's weight and movement can be thought as "putting extra force behind the attack." Because the character's Flesh Weight is part of the Total Weight, the fatter the character, the more damage a character can inflict. In contrast, the more fleshy-weight a character has, the more hindrance occurs during an attack and when moving. The Movement Force helps to determine an amount of damage that is inflicted from a thrown or fired projectile such as arrows and bullets, when considering its weight and movement. Random Damage This type of Damage is a raw point value. The Random Damage is added to the Damage Force and will only be needed if a Defender fails its Defense # roll, thereby inflicting damage. Random damage is rolled on the sum of 2d12 to see the damage according to a 1d10; all three dice are rolled at the same time. See the chart below. 2d12 Roll: Random Damage Points (1d10) Comments *21-24 *Damage Glance. Fumble 16-20 No Additional Damage. Weak hit 11-15 **Add 1d10 x1 Points. Normal hit 06-10 **Add 1d10 x5 Points. Good Hit 04-05 **Add 1d10 x10 Points. Excellent Hit 03 **Add 1d10 x50 Points. Critical Hit 02 **Add 1d10 x100 Points. Deathly Hit * Damage Glance: The weapon's Damage Force is halved and no Random Damage is given. ** If a natural 10 is rolled for damage on the 1d10, another 1d10 can be rolled and added to the outcome. This process can occur indefinitely until a natural 10 is not rolled. The resulting number is then multiplied against the damage factor to give the Random Damage. Random Damage is added to the Damage Force of the weapon to determine the total. Total Damage To calculate Total Damage on each attack, simply add three statistics: [Damage Force + Movement Force + Random Damage]. Of course, the weapon's Damage Force and a character's Movement Force are constants. back to top Conclusion What--could this be it? It is true! Besides your creative input and the particular setting details that you decide to use (whether it be from your own imagination or from an RPG publisher's world setting), these are all of the engine rules you will ever need to role-play. Now you can construct 3D RPG character sheets based on this game engine. Because the Cultural, Professional, Skill-based, and Item-based card templates have been provided to you, it is now easy to integrate the setting you desire into this game. If you are a Game Designer and want to generate random encounters, just draw cards in 3D-it is that easy. In this way, making an NPC or monster is simple and no longer takes a half-hour of busy-work. See the attached character sheet in the appendix. If you do not have room to write in professional or cultural information, role-playing notes, or other information on the character sheet, just scribble it on the back. As written in the disclaimer, you may use the 3D RPG free of charge and for your personal entertainment as long as you do not modify this document on a public forum (like your web page for instance). If you feel it needs to be modified or improved, please contact me if you have any comments or questions. I am always open to constructive comments. Also contact Fractal Dimensions, INC. to check out other games and supplements I have authored, including the SORD RPG. This game has been copyrighted worldwide and registered with the Writer's Guild of America. Have fun!!! back to top Appendix The 3D RPG Character Sheet (Text Version) Character Name: ____________________________________ Player Name: _______________________________________ Nickname(s): _______________________________________ Player Info: _______________________________________ Culture: ___________________________________________ Profession(s): _____________________________________ Aptitude CAPs MAPs -------- ----- ----- Desire: _____ _____ Mind: _____ _____ Reaction: _____ _____ Vigor: _____ _____ Character Statistics -------------------- Gender: ____ Real Age:_____ Years Human Age:____ Years Height:______ Inches Weight:_______ Lbs. Body Flesh:_____ % Flesh Weight:_____ Lbs. Carried Weight:____ Lbs. Total Encumbrance:____ Lbs. Movement Statistics ------------------- Movement Bonus:_____ [Height x20] / [TBF# + H.Age] Movement Penalty:_____ [(H.Age + Encumb.) x20] / Height Movement number:_____ feet on average every 10 seconds Movement = [Bonus + (Reaction/3) + (Vigor/3) - Penalty)] Experience (XPs) ---------- ---- Current AXPs: ____ Earned LXPs: ____ Skill-Spent LXPs: ____ Aptitude-Spent LXPs: ____ 3D Battle System Statistics-- Formula Calculations ----------------------------- -------------------- Initiative #: _____ (Reaction MAP - TBF#) Attack #: _____ [(D+M MAPs) / 5] + [Movement #] Defense #: _____ [(D+M MAPs + Movement #) / 5] Toughness #: _____ [((D+V MAPs)/5)+BF#] Recovery #: _____ [(Vigor MAP) / 10] Movement Force #: _____ [(Body + Carried Weight / 10) + (Movement # / 2)] Armor-Protection Rank ---------------- ---- Head Armor Rank: ____ Body Armor Rank: ____ Arms Armor Rank: ____ Legs Armor Rank: ____ Average Armor Rank: ____ Notes (Commonly spoken phrases, Personality, Names, Places, etc.): ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ Profession & Culture Cards (Stacked): Skill & Item Cards (Stacked): Copyright Scott J. Compton 1997, 1998. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. This product is registered with the Writer's Guild of America.

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