Some Mechanics (and Character Sheet!) for By the Will of Dusassu
Basic Pitch
You are the weakest and least loved of your clan. You have been betrayed and driven out of your ancestral herding lands by your former brethren, the cursed Shü Ebsö. It is only by the will of the sky god Dusassu and the host of lesser spirit-gods of grain, wolf, and copper that you all will survive the Endless Plains with no herd save the horses you escaped on. But you are the Rodnu Ebsö, and you will survive.
A sandbox steppecrawl game of religion, survival, and discovery inspired by Genghis Khan's early life.
All By the Will of Dusassu Posts So Far:
Rolling Dice
This is a d6 dice pool system.
Every time a player takes an action, they use one of their five attributes and add or subtract their attribute bonus.
Once per day, the player can quote their class proverb to add an extra die to their roll if the proverb applies to the situation. If it’s unclear whether the proverb should count, the party can debate.
If the task requires equipment and is being performed equipmentless, subtract a die. If the task is being performed with excellent equipment, add a die.
Humans have 5 souls, each linked with an attribute. You can publicly bet a soul to roll an additional die, but rolling a disaster on that die leads to soul loss. Losing the soul means, from now on, rolling a full success with that attribute is impossible. 1-2 = disaster, 3-5 = failure, 6 = partial success. You can only bet a soul on attributes you still have souls for. A loss of all 5 souls means condemnation to the place below clouds after death. The character will at that point be exiled from the clan. Only Dusassu has the ability to restore souls.
Each player may, through the course of play, develop a bond with up to one blood brethren, a player or NPC to whom they swear their loyalty. Once per day, if assisted by a blood brethren, an extra die may be added. High stakes or emotional moments together open up opportunities for the blood brethren ceremony, which is celebrated by offering milk to the sky and each of the four cardinal directions, then making a small cut on both people’s hands and co-mingling the blood. A shaman or apprentice should oversee, or at least a friendly spirit-god.
Players should consult with local spirit-gods for aid. Players may add or subtract dice from their roll depending on whether they pleased or displeased the local spirit-god.
1d6 for an attribute check
+- 1d6 for attribute bonus
+ 1d6 if the class proverb is applicable, up to once per day
+- 1d6 dice for a spirit-god's disposition
+- 1d6 dice for equipment bonuses or penalties
+ 1d6 if betting a soul
+ 1d6 if assisted by a blood brethren, up to once per day
Take the highest roll. If there are zero dice being rolled, roll two dice and take the lower result. For each number of dice below 0, add an additional die and take the lowest result.
Ex. Anar is trying to cross a river with strength, her worst attribute. Although starting with 1d6, she subtracts one die to be at 0d6. Worse, the local spirit-god is angry at her and she has no equipment! She now has -2d6 to roll. She rolls four dice and takes the lowest result of any of them.
1 = disaster
2-3 = failure
4-5 = partial success
6 = full success
Attributes
Assign a spread of -1, -1, 0, 0, 1 to the attributes below. When rolling, the GM tells the player what attribute to use, although the player can make suggestions; attributes have some overlap with each other.
Swiftness (north) - quickness of mind and horse, initiating combat
Presence (east) - compelling a crowd or disappearing into it, sensing through the mists
Strength (south) - pulling a bow, protecting others, hiding weakness
Core (west) - riding hard, maintaining the essentials, withstanding hardship
Spirit (above) - communing with the spirit-gods, keeping morale up
Character Sheet
Name:
Physical Description:
Reason for Abandonment:
Bond of Obligation:
Blood Brethren:
Class:
Proverb:
Swiftness:
Presence:
Strength:
Spirit:
Core:
Health: /
Souls: 5/5
Inventory:
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