Slayer of Dragon RPG

33 Pages·2002·0.44 MB·English

by  Grant Gigee

(v.1.3.2)
D RPG
OF RAGON
by
G G
RANT IGEE
[email protected]
http://www.angelfire.com/games/freerpg/
OpenContent License (OPL)
Version 1.0, July 14, 1998.
This document outlines the principles underlying the OpenContent (OC) movement and may be redistributed provided it remains unaltered.
For legal purposes, this document is the license under which OpenContent is made available for use.
The original version of this document may be found at http://opencontent.org/opl.shtml
LICENSE
Terms and Conditions for Copying, Distributing, and Modifying
Items other than copying, distributing, and modifying the Content with which this license was distributed (such as using, etc.) are outside the
scope of this license.
1. You may copy and distribute exact replicas of the OpenContent (OC) as you receive it, in any medium, provided that you conspicuously
and appropriately publish on each copy an appropriate copyright notice and disclaimer of warranty; keep intact all the notices that refer to
this License and to the absence of any warranty; and give any other recipients of the OC a copy of this License along with the OC. You may
at your option charge a fee for the media and/or handling involved in creating a unique copy of the OC for use offline, you may at your
option offer instructional support for the OC in exchange for a fee, or you may at your option offer warranty in exchange for a fee. You may
not charge a fee for the OC itself. You may not charge a fee for the sole service of providing access to and/or use of the OC via a network
(e.g. the Internet), whether it be via the world wide web, FTP, or any other method.
2. You may modify your copy or copies of the OpenContent or any portion of it, thus forming works based on the Content, and distribute
such modifications or work under the terms of Section 1 above, provided that you also meet all of these conditions:
a) You must cause the modified content to carry prominent notices stating that you changed it, the exact nature and content of the changes,
and the date of any change.
b) You must cause any work that you distribute or publish, that in whole or in part contains or is derived from the OC or any part thereof, to
be licensed as a whole at no charge to all third parties under the terms of this License, unless otherwise permitted under applicable Fair
Use law.
These requirements apply to the modified work as a whole. If identifiable sections of that work are not derived from the OC, and can be
reasonably considered independent and separate works in themselves, then this License, and its terms, do not apply to those sections
when you distribute them as separate works. But when you distribute the same sections as part of a whole which is a work based on the
OC, the distribution of the whole must be on the terms of this License, whose permissions for other licensees extend to the entire whole,
and thus to each and every part regardless of who wrote it. Exceptions are made to this requirement to release modified works free of
charge under this license only in compliance with Fair Use law where applicable.
3. You are not required to accept this License, since you have not signed it. However, nothing else grants you permission to copy, distribute,
or modify the OC. These actions are prohibited by law if you do not accept this License. Therefore, by distributing or translating the OC, or
by deriving works herefrom, you indicate your acceptance of this License to do so, and all its terms and conditions for copying, distributing
or translating the OC.
NO WARRANTY
4. BECAUSE THE OPENCONTENT (OC) IS LICENSED FREE OF CHARGE, THERE IS NO WARRANTY FOR THE OC, TO THE
EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW. EXCEPT WHEN OTHERWISE STATED IN WRITING THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS
AND/OR OTHER PARTIES PROVIDE THE OC "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED,
INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
PURPOSE. THE ENTIRE RISK OF USE OF THE OC IS WITH YOU. SHOULD THE OC PROVE FAULTY, INACCURATE, OR
OTHERWISE UNACCEPTABLE, YOU ASSUME THE COST OF ALL NECESSARY REPAIR OR CORRECTION.
5. IN NO EVENT UNLESS REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE LAW OR AGREED TO IN WRITING WILL ANY COPYRIGHT HOLDER, OR ANY
OTHER PARTY WHO MAY MIRROR AND/OR REDISTRIBUTE THE OC AS PERMITTED ABOVE, BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR DAMAGES,
INCLUDING ANY GENERAL, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO
USE THE OC, EVEN IF SUCH HOLDER OR OTHER PARTY HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
IInnttrroodduuccttiioonn
At some point in every gamer’s life, there comes a time when we think there must be a
better way. We’ve all played so many systems that the silly acronyms run together. We’ve
all suffered through pages of frilly prose and incredibly detailed charts. For a while, this
clutter doesn’t bother us. For a while, it even keeps us happy, keeps us paying for more
supplements.
Eventually, we threaten to throw in the towel. But, I hope you are looking at this game
because you believe there’s something better out there. Slayer is meant to evoke the best
of the old days, when everything was larger than life–without pages and pages of obtuse
detail to remind us what the old days were really like. It is also meant to embody the
hard-won experience of many years of gaming on both sides of the GM’s screen.
I can’t promise that Slayer is the best game you’ll ever play, but I do promise you that
you will be entertained. And you can’t beat that at this price. Slayer will always be freely
available.
There are far too many people to thank, so if you’re reading this, you know who you are.
Slayer has come a long way from the days of IT, but without Oggy’s mad dream, I’d
probably still be writing hack Cyberpunk rip-offs.
As always, I am looking for motivated people to join the team. Don't ask mother-may-I,
don't wonder if, just do it. I can write, but I'd rather not, and I can draw, but I generally
don't. I do games, and you'd be disappointed if I didn't put my energy where it does the
most good.
3
TThhee BBaassiiccss
Slayer uses only six-sided dice. You will need two of them, easily filched from your once-
favorite board game. Note that the dice are added together. It may be helpful to have
more dice than just two.
Some small amount of math is involved, mainly addition and subtraction. When
rounding, always round toward zero.
CHECKS
Checks are made by rolling equal to or higher than the target number on two dice. A
natural twelve results in a critical success and a natural two results in a critical failure.
This is explained under combat. Otherwise, the GM will explain what happens.
Note that target numbers are always in the range of four to ten, thus threes always fail
and elevens always succeed.
OPPOSED CHECK
These are the most common rolls, simply because characters will generally be acting
against someone else. The standard target number is seven, modified by half the
difference between the two values (round down). The acting person always makes the
roll.
For example, the attacker in a fight has a modified Skill of five and the defender has a
modified Dex of eight–the attacker must roll an eight or better on two dice. If the numbers
were switched, the attacker would need a six or better.
STATIC CHECK
These are just like an opposed check, except the GM sets the opposing value, based on
the difficulty of the action you are attempting. Note that the standard difficulty is seven,
which represents a moderately challenging task for a ‘normal’ person.
THE GM
The Game Master–or Mad Overlord, as he was known in more obscure versions of Slayer–
runs the game. He is the ultimate arbiter of the rules and the one who makes this game
possible. Your time is better spent playing the game than arguing with the GM over minor
details.
Being the GM is frequently thankless due to the great amount of improvisation required.
The GM must constantly make rulings as to how different stunts will work. He has to
present a consistent world that is often made up on the spot. Furthermore, Slayer focuses
on speed. Therefore, the GM must focus on important things while spending little or no
time on irrelevant or uninteresting details. You, as a player, should do what you can to
assist in this task.
4
TThhee CChhaarraacctteerr
Race: Characters are not necessarily human.
XP: Experience points left to be spent on advancement.
Str: Strength. Affects damage dealt and soaked.
Dex: Dexterity. Affects speed and defense.
Skill: Affects whether an attack hits.
Chi: Focus. Used in magical situations in place of Str.
HP: Hit Points. How much damage a character can take. [10 + 3*Str]
MP: Mana Points. Used to power spells. [10 + 3*Chi]
Soak: How much damage is ignored per attack. [Str/2]
Off-Hand Pen: Used for off-handed attacks. See table below.
Foot Pen: Used for kick attacks. See table below.
Weapon Pen: Used for unfamiliar weapons. See table below.
Skills and Abilities: Natural talents and learned non-combat skills.
Techniques: Combat skills and maneuvers.
Equipment: Stuff. The person with the most wins. No, not really.
DEX-BASED PENALTIES:
1-5 6-8 9-10 11-12 13+
Off-Hand, Foot -4 -3 -2 -1 0
SKILL-BASED PENALTY:
1-6 7-10 11-13 14-15 16+
Weapon -4 -3 -2 -1 0
5
CChhaarraacctteerr CCrreeaattiioonn
Name: Don’t be stupid. Saxon names followed by a descriptive are best.
Race: Choose a race and note its modifiers and special abilities.
Str, Dex: Split ten points between Strength and Dexterity.
Skill, Chi: Split seven points between Skill and Chi.
HP: Characters have 10 + 3*Str hit points.
MP: Characters have 10 + 3*Chi mana points.
Off-Hand, Foot, Weapon Pen: Refer to the tables in the Character section.
Soak: Soak equals half of the character’s Str, rounded down.
Skills and Abilities: Note the character’s racial abilities. You wish you had skills.
Techniques: Begin with one level each in Punch/Claw, Kick, Wrestle, and Block. Distribute
two more levels as desired.
Equipment: Ask the GM.
XP: Characters begin with fifteen experience points.
6
RRaacceess
TTHHEE RRAACCEESS OOFF LLAAWW
HUMAN
Humans are the standard race. They are generally nomadic and/or barbaric, but some few
have established civilizations.
DWARF
Dwarves are short, stocky, and surly. They can see well in darkness, but possess no
aptitude for Magic. Dwarves tend to live underground, or at least close to the earth. They
love to work gems and precious metals. Other races, especially the elves, generally fail to
appreciate the dwarves’ sensible approach to life.
ELF
Elves are tall and lanky, with very fine features. They see infrared light in addition to
normal frequencies, such that living beings are surrounded by a red glow. Elves excel at
Magic. They tend to be quite wild, much like the land they know and love. Many elves
prefer to live in temperate forests, but the race has spread enough that elves can be
found settled all over.
FAERIE
Faeries are extremely small, only a couple feet in height, but quick and gifted with flight.
They are obnoxiously cheerful and know Magic as well as the elves, being almost entirely
incapable of using weapons capable of hurting others. Faeries are wanderers by nature.
Their inquisitive nature and sociable disposition leads them to go from town to town
seeking adventure.
STR DEX SKILL CHI
Human -– 10 –- -– 7 –-
Dwarf +1 -1 +1 -1
Elf -2 -- -- +1
Faerie -3 +2 -- +1
Halfling -1 +2 -- --
Werecat -- +2 -- -2
Goblin -1 +2 -- --
Lizardman -- -1 +1 --
Minotaur +2 -1 +1 -2
Mystic -2 -- -- +2
Orc +1 -- -- -1
Troll +3 -2 -- -1
Werewolf +1 -- -- -1
Modifiers do not affect advancement costs. Use unmodified stats for costs.
7
HALFLING
Halflings are small and wiry, and are frequently quite feral, but they are very light of foot
and finger. Halflings rarely take life seriously, trusting their luck and skill to make things
work out in the end. They can be found in a variety of environments, generally hostile, in
communities of various sizes.
WERECAT
Werecats have excellent night-vision, which, along with claws, helps them to hunt under
the stars. Being very graceful, they take only half damage from any fall. Werecats are
natural predators, but they are otherwise quite lazy. They are more than willing to allow
others to perform any work. Werecats hate werewolves and will not hesitate to attack
them on sight.
TTHHEE RRAACCEESS OOFF CCHHAAOOSS
GOBLIN
Goblins are small and crafty. They can see well in darkness, which they often use to their
advantage. Goblins are the smallest of the greenskins, and are frequently used as labor
by their larger brethren. This has left them with an unpleasant disposition. Goblins are not
necessarily stupid and make assassins without peer.
LIZARDMAN
Lizardmen are tall warriors. They are extremely logical and pragmatic. While they do have
claws, they generally make excellent use of weapons. Lizardmen do not use Magic.
Lizardmen come from the black swamps, but their adaptability is such that can be found
all over the land. Lizardmen do not fear death, and most are entirely willing to follow any
order that does not contradict common sense. They despise the goblins, but rely on them
to grow food and to handle other day-to-day tasks.
MYSTIC
Mystics are a dark and mysterious race, bearing a superficial resemblance to lizardmen,
including the possession of claws. However, mystics study dark magics and find little
time in their serious lives to pursue the use of weapons. No other race is certain where
they come from, and the mystics aren’t talking. Mystics invariably wear dark cloaks–a
tradition whose origin is lost in time. If a mystic is found wandering, it may be assumed
he is seeking information or otherwise pursuing his personal goals.
ORC
Orcs are ugly, but tough. They are unsophisticated and very clannish, but a keen wit lies
below the surface. Like elves, they see heat in addition to normal light, such that living
beings are surrounded by a red glow. Orcs typically live in the hills or on other rocky
8
ground, this being the cause of the long-standing rivalry between orcs and dwarves. In
truth, the two races have more in common than either is willing to admit.
TROLL
Trolls are very tall, but walk stooped over, such that their knuckles practically drag the
ground. They are extremely tough, but unimaginative. They usually need no weapons
other than their claws and cannot use Magic. As if their claws are not enough, trolls also
have fearsome horns, teeth, and bone spurs. Few creatures are willing to pick a fight with
a troll. Trolls can see in darkness and usually live underground. Their most impressive
ability is that of regeneration. Trolls can be found anywhere, being impervious to most
environments and able to eat almost anything. They are usually loners, tending to get
along with their own kind as poorly as they do with others. Some few trolls maintain the
enormous body of lore that has been passed down through the generations and around
the world.
MINOTAUR
Minotaurs are large and very stubborn. They love a good fight and seem impervious to
pain. Two wicked horns grow from their heads, which they are quite capable of using to
great effect. Minotaurs cannot use Magic. They are often found living in labyrinthine
caverns and can see in near-dark conditions. Overall, however, minotaurs are not noted
for their keen sight.
WEREWOLF
Werewolves are ill-tempered death on two legs. Like trolls, they can see in the dark,
possess fearsome claws, and can regenerate, but may not gain additional regeneration
dice. Also, werewolves cannot use Magic. They have been known to also take the form of
great wolves, or to disguise themselves as normal men, but their eyes glow yellow under
the light of the moon. Werewolves are rare, and their few villages are generally hostile to
all other forms of life. They have little use for the greenskins, whom they consider inferior.
SSPPEECCIIAALL AABBIILLIITTIIEESS
REGENERATION
Trolls and werewolves are able to regenerate damage. Starting characters of these races
possess one level of the special technique Regeneration and may buy additional levels as
per other techniques. Trolls may buy additional dice for ten XP each.
At the beginning of every round, regen dice are rolled, but not totaled. If a die comes up
equal to, or less than, the character’s regen level, then that many hit points are healed.
As an example, a troll has Regeneration**** and an extra die. Every round, two dice are
rolled and totaled, with fives and sixes counting as zeroes.
9
SSkkiillllss
Characters are assumed to be able to attempt any reasonable action. The GM may adjust
your character’s chance at his whim. At the GM’s discretion, characters may acquire skill
levels through practice as a reward for good problem-solving and role-playing. Skill levels
act as a positive modifier, just as combat techniques do. Characters possessing skill
levels generally have also gained a bit of reputation, and are as good as others think they
are.
Should the character cease to practice his special talents, the GM may choose to take
away skill levels, either temporarily or permanently. In this case, the character’s
reputation has been diminished, and people will be disappointed upon encountering the
character.
10