arcanum: world of arator core rule book and character class...

Arcanum: World of Arator Core Rule Book Version 1.0

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Arcanum: World of Arator Core Rule Book and

Character Class Codex (Version 1.0)

These are the core rules for the Realm of Arator adventure setting. All rules within this

book are needed in terms of how the game is played. This book will explain various

aspects of the game that are not covered in other volumes such as Creature Compendium,

The Gods of Arator, etc.

The basis of this volume revolves around how battles, combat, and stats are primarily

used within the game as well as spells. Even though the magic of Arator is fully

explained sphere by sphere in its own book Magic of Arator, this book will explain how

spells work when in and out of combat.

All the basic mechanics of the game are explained in this core rule book as well as other

features that are important to the game in order to be played.

The Basics: How to Play the Game

The World of Arator is played very similar to other role playing games with storytelling

and pen and paper.

A calculator is also essential to add and subtract the various bonuses, damage done, and

percentages that are present in the game.

The World of Arator can also be used in conjunction with D20 system. All one needs is

the 20 sided dice and that is all. The 20 sided dice can be used to figure out how much

time remains in between player, NPC, and monster cool down times for their talents,

powers, and abilities. For example, if a warrior just used their trip and kill talent it cannot

be used again for another 60 seconds. To figure out how much time remains for that same

talent to be used again, the game master should have the player roll the 20 sided dice. If

the number is 6 or over then 60 seconds has transpired and they get to use that talent

again. If the number is 5 or lower, then not enough time has passed and the player will

have to wait for their next turn in which the talent will then be automatically available.

This also applies to monsters and NPCS that the game master controls. Each number on

the 20 sided dice would represent increments of 10 (there for a 1 is 10 seconds, 2 is 20

seconds, etc.) If the game master is controlling a monster that uses a special ability that

cannot be used again for 120 seconds for example, then they must roll a 12 or higher for

it to be used on the GM’s turn, if 11 or lower than the GM must wait on their next turn to

use that monster’s ability. Character classes and most monsters and beasts have numerous

talents with cool down times. Since all character classes have ten different special talents

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below level 50 and then an additional five more after level 50 along with their specialties

and normal attacks, they can opt to use these other methods of combat powers while the

talent they just used cools down. In such cases, a dice roll is not even required and the

GM can just allow the player to use the talent again at the GM’s own discretion. If the

player opts out of the rolling the dice to see how much time is needed to pass to use that

ability again, then they must use other talents in that given round or turn until the GM

says they can use the other talent once more. However, if the player or the GM feels they

need or wants to use a talent at a particular moment and they are waiting for it to become

available again, then a dice roll is required.

20 Sided dice are available at any role playing or basic game store, and can also be found

easily online. The World of Arator currently does NOT come with dice.

The game master is the rule keeper and story teller, and must keep track of all elements of

the game being played. To make World of Arator fun for players, the game master should

be flexible with the aspects of the game, but not so much so as to make things too easy.

The World of Arator is a huge setting, with an expansive world and hundreds of different

places, monsters, beasts, NPCS, and more to populate that world with. A good GM is

able to incorporate their own stories within this game world using the given rules,

regions, and monsters successfully.

If a GM is unsure as to how to proceed with a certain aspect of the game, they can refer

to the many supplemental volumes that add to the game such as the Races of Arator, The

Gods of Arator, Magic of Arator, and the Creatures of Arator.

The World of Arator was made to be flexible and easy to play. Even though much of the

material can be quite in depth, much of it is self explanatory.

All one needs to begin a game within World of Arator is a good story, a couple of

players, and a lot of imagination.

Getting Started: Making a Character and Example

Combat

Making a character in the world of Arator is meant to be fun and creative. Players should

really put some thought into the characters they make as they will be extensions of

themselves within the game.

To begin creating a character, one should choose their race first (see below for possible

options) and then the class they wish to be. Some races are restricted to what classes they

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can or cannot be but all races will have what is called a “preferred class” or a class that

fits that race the best. Preferred classes do not offer any additional bonuses or perks

currently to the game, but they do offer players the chance to play to the best of its

abilities.

In order to figure out a character’s stats, health, armor, and weaponry, we will use a level

1 fighter as an example.

Begin by assigning your character a name, then depending on their class and race, you

can begin to figure what starting stats they will have.

In this example, our level 1 fighter starts off like ALL character classes with a base 5

points in all their stats; however, since our character is a fighter they automatically gain

+2 to their Stamina, weapon skill, fighting skill, and agility. This bonus is also applied

each time our fighter levels. There for, our fighter will have 5 points in perception,

intelligence, wisdom, strength, charisma, and will power but will have 7 points in agility,

weapon skill, fighting skill, and stamina. Health is determined by the formula mentioned

below by taking 100 points that all character classes receive as a base + stamina score (in

this case 5 points) and then + the fighter’s health bonus percentage as a class which is

+50%. There for our fighter will have roughly 160 health points at level 1. Health points

can be gained by leveling of course, as well as additional bonuses which can be earned by

jewelry, armor, and weapons (but should not be applied at such low levels and should be

earned by the player at the GM’s discretion.)

Now since our fighter is a battle class they will have physical energy points as well and

this is determined by taking the character’s stamina score (7 points) and multiplying it by

the character’s level (which is only 1) then that number is doubled so in this example the

fighter will have 14 points of physical energy to spend. This of course is not that much, it

is meant to be that way because characters are just starting out and are meant to be weak

in the beginning and then grow stronger as they level and progress.

In the start of any character’s life within the world of Arator, weapons, armor, magical

items, and other treasure is crucial to survival. The World of Arator does not have any

restrictions for players in terms of what weapons they wish to start with on the exception

that they cannot start off as being magical in nature.

There for, in this example, since our fighter gains a base +5% damage bonus by dual

wielding any form of one handed weapon in either hand, we will start them off with a

pair of standard short swords that as a base deal 10 damage on each strike. We will also

give this fighter starting leather armor with a 10 durability rating.

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The game master should allow players to have any form of standard weapon that the class

is allowed to have at the start of the game. There for a warrior can have a standard two

handed weapon, a gladiator can have normal rated gauntlets, etc. All classes are also

allowed to start the game with a long ranged weapon such as a bow and arrow, crossbow,

firearm, or a wand (for spell casters).

For information on how weapons and armor work for the game please refer to the

Weapons and Armor of Arator supplement book. This book will give game masters all

the information they need on base weapon and armor durability, damage rating, and

magical properties. If the game master does not wish to use the Weapons and Armor of

Arator book, they can simply add their own base damage and durability to weapons and

armor (within reason).

Now that our fighter is almost set to start an adventure, let us take a look at their

specialties and talents. The fighter has a several specialties which are: Hand to hand

combat, adrenalin rush, blind fighting, precision, dual wielding, intimidate, disarm,

brawling, battle tactics, tumbling, swimming, athletics, acrobatics, running, jumping, and

climbing.

All of these specialties can be used within combat, and are each detailed in full below as

to what benefits they apply to our fighter. We will use one of these specialties as an

example down below in combat.

For an example, let us place our fighter into a battle with a level 1 thief human that has

126 health points. Let us say our thief attempts a strike at our fighter with a dagger (5

points of base damage) and our fighter wishes to use their talent parry to block the blow.

The fighter automatically blocks the strike because they used a talent they possess called

parry. All character classes have some form of block, evade, parry in their talents and it is

considered an automatic success, however, since it is a talent, it will cost our fighter

energy points which at level 1 parry will cost 3 points in energy. (Physical energy is

regained automatically over time based on their stamina stat and half their level in

seconds. Since our fighter has 7 points of stamina and is level 1 they will regain 7 points

of stamina every 5 seconds).

In situations however where a character wishes to simply block, parry, or move out of the

way of an attack and they CANNOT use their talent (perhaps it is in cool down or they do

not have enough physical energy) to determine the success of the fighter’s block, you

would take their agility and weapon skill score (7 points and 7 points) and add them

together for the percent chance which is 14%. We then have to figure out if our thief is

accurate enough to make that strike and this called hit rating (see below). To determine

that, we would simply take the thief’s intelligence and agility score and add them

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together. Being a thief, they will have 7 points of intelligence and a 7 point agility score

for a total of 14%.

Well…this is not good…both of our characters both have the same scores so how do we

determined what happened? Normally when percentages are added the lower percent

loses out to the higher percentage, so in the example above if our thief had a higher

percentage their strike would have hit our fighter and their parry would have failed. If the

fighter had a higher percent then the thief’s strike would have successfully been blocked.

In a case where percentages are equal a “tie breaker” can be issued by rolling a 20 sided

die. In this example, if our fighter were to role a 15 and our thief were to role a 10 then

our fighter wins this round with their parry and the thief loses or vice versa. The GM

could also simply decide what happens in these situations (but should be fair to both

players!) so if this is the case we will say that our fighter parried the thief’s strike but they

were dead locked.

For our next example let us use our fighter’s talent deadly blow which does the

following: “The fighter strikes with a devastating blow that deals their own level more in

damage than normal + 30%”.

Since this is a talent like parry physical energy must be used in order to use the move.

Each talent will have how many points of energy or mana it takes to use under their

descriptions. For deadly blow, and at level 1 it will cost our fighter 8 points of energy to

use. Now, since this is a physical attack our thief will have a chance to block, parry, or

move out of the way. Physical talent attacks can be avoided, but there are often times the

one being attacked may be penalized for attempting to. In this example however, the thief

is not penalized but let us say because both characters are very close to the other from the

last move, so the thief does not have enough time to roll or dodge out of the way and

must block or parry the fighter’s deadly blow.

We determine the thief’s chances of blocking the same way as we did the fighter above

by taking the thief’s agility + their weapon skill which is 14%. We then look at the

fighter’s hit rating which is 12% and even though the fighter’s hit rating is lower and it

seems he will fail; the fighter can now use one of their specialties to overcome this and

make the deadly blow strike. The specialty disarm can be used to attempt to knock our

thief’s dagger out of their hand and allow deadly blow to strike at them. Since a fighter

has two weapons in each hand they can make two attacks in one round. So in this case,

we will use one sword to attempt to disarm the thief and the other to strike with deadly

blow.

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In order to determine the chance of success for disarm, you would take the 5% bonus that

comes with the disarm specialty and add the fighter’s fighting skill which is 7 points into

a percentage which turns out to be 12%. This 12% added to the fighter’s hit rating of 12%

and together you have 24% which is far greater than the thief’s 14% and the fighter

strikes true with deadly blow.

Now to determine damage, you would take the fighter’s strength (5), base weapon

damage (10), weapon skill (7), fighting skill (7) as well as the fighter’s base 5% damage

bonus by dual wielding and add this together which turns out to be 30. Now, since deadly

blow also ADDS another 10% in damage at level 1 as well as the fighter’s own level

worth in damage as well (level 1 would be 10% additional points in damage), you would

add this 10% +10% to 30 which turns out to be a total of about around 37 points of

damage.

Our thief will not actually take this amount of damage however because they are wearing

armor, and let us say they have leather armor on with a durability of 10 points. Armor

ratings protect against half of the damage taken. There for you would subtract 5 points

from the actual damage total (which is 37) and this is the actual health point loss of our

thief which is a total of 31 points of health lost (Formula is half of 10 is 5 subtract 5 from

the actual damage which is 37 turns out to be 31).

The game master has to keep track of a lot of math in combat, including health point loss,

armor and weapon durability loss, talent cool down times, etc. At first this can seem

overwhelming, but with practice, combat will actually flow once the players and game

master begin to play the game more and more.

For more on the hit rating, durability of armor and weapons, and everything else

discussed in this example, please read each individual entry below for more information.

Creating You First Adventure

Adventures within the World of Arator can be literally anything the game master wishes

it to be. The game master is free to make a campaign using all of the creatures, beasts,

races, places, and even the gods if they so choose.

Game masters should be reasonable when making their campaigns, and for first time

players with low level characters, they should set up quests and adventures for the

players’ level that will scale in difficulty as they level up.

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Playing World of Arator adventures is very similar to other pen and paper role playing

games, where the game master narrates and describes the events as they happen similar to

a book being read out loud.

At the moment, there are no stand alone campaign books in the World of Arator, but they

will be released within the future. These adventures will take place within various parts

of Arator’s world and will have pre rolled and made NPCS, monsters, and locations along

with a story that the game master should follow just like other campaigns within other

role playing worlds.

Choosing a Race:

The first most important aspect of building a character is to pick which race you would

like to play. Each race has strengths and weaknesses as well as certain specialties that are

race related and not class related.

Race related specialties are natural abilities that all races will have in some form. For

example, a gnoll has the ability to go into frenzy whenever their health reaches 25%

lower of their overall health points, orcs have the ability to enrage, and so on.

A race’s special talents can either be abilities that can be used in combat or they may be

bonus related. Humans for example gain an additional +3 to their overall will power,

weapon skill, and fighting skill scores. These bonus stats do not continue to stack with

each level gained, rather it is just a flat overall +3 bonus. With racial bonuses the

numbers are always the numbers given, there for a +3 is really just +3 and not +30 (such

as pluses that are modified to weapons and damage bonuses). Humans also can play as

any class available on the exception of shaman, giving them much versatility.

Races will also have base special abilities that are granted because of their race. For

example, a goblin no matter their class is able to hide in shadows and use stealth, all orcs

as a race are capable of battle tactics and wrestling, etc. If a race has a special ability that

also comes with the class they choose (for example a goblin taking on a thief class which

already has hide in shadows and stealth), then the class abilities are neutralized since the

race abilities for stealth and hide in shadows are already there. In cases where the class

one already has skills assigned by the race it will give players the opportunity to learn

even new skills that the class or race does not have. Goblins and the thief class for

example, do not have the set skill brawling but may choose to learn it as a brand new

skill. This gives all players a large and diverse way to modify their characters. For

players wishing to learn new specialties they do not have, they must learn it and it is up to

the GM as to how they would go about this. For example, the GM can decide that the

player can learn the brawling skill from an NPC trainer located in some town and the

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trainer will teach the skill for certain amount of coin, or for perhaps a reward as a quest

option.

In the world of Arator an individual can play as any race that is humanoid in some

fashion. If the race is intelligent and capable of sentient thought then it can be played as a

race.

Common races that can be played as examples are humans, dwarves, elves, gnomes, and

halflings. These races are often called demi-human and are named that way because they

resemble humans in many different ways on the exception of height and build.

Humanoids are shaped like a human but that is where the resemblance will typically end.

Humanoid races that are playable are many and can include orcs, bugbears, goblins,

hobgoblins, centaurs, half-ogres, mawbears, trolls, pantherans, leonians, tigrens, and

more.

Unplayable character races are dragons, giants, and titans (though titans are considered to

be extinct within the world a game master can make exceptions for a campaign such as

some titans that may have survived and can be worked into a story). Even though these

races are capable of sentient thought and are able to be class levels they are not available

as a character race because of the vast amount of power they wield. Playing such a race

as a character would make the game not fair to other players. As such dragon, giants, and

titans are considered NPCs (or non playable characters).

Races will not be individually discussed in this volume as all the information for any of

these races mentioned and others that can be played by a player are detailed in the

Creature Compendiums as well as in the book Races of Arator.

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In the world of Arator all

races are capable of

becoming a class if they

are not restricted to be that

specific class. Generic

races out in the world that

a player will encounter are

often set in terms of their

level and what class they

are. For example, if a

character comes across a

village of centaurs they

will be of the “generic”

levels and will not be

above or below this set

level cap that they can be.

(For further information

on this please see

Creatures of Arator

Volumes)

All races will have race

related specialties that are

added onto whatever class

they may happen to be.

Talents are determined

always by the class of the

character or by generic

humanoid and demi

human beings out in the world. There for it is very possible that a character who

encounters a generic NPC bugbear can be a level 20th

Fighter with all the specialties and

talents that come with the class.

For these reasons when adventuring out in the world of Arator it can be a challenge.

Monsters, creatures, and races are not just mindless and incapable of conscious thought in

battle or situations. They will use their specialties and talents just like a playing character

would their own so one will have to be especially on their guard.

Here is a list of current playable races one can be in the world of Arator

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Humans

Anastonians (Humans from the continent of Anastone)

Northern Plain Barbarians

Searians (Searing Sand Desert humans)

Cantherans (Canthera Jungle humans)

Demi-Human Races

Elf (And all sub race of elf including dark elves, wood elves, and sun elves)

Dwarf (And all sub race of dwarf including mountain dwarves, dark dwarves, and wild

dwarves)

Gnome (Including Gnomeageans and rock gnomes)

Halfling

Demonlings (half human half demon)

Humanoid Races:

Orc

Half ogre

Bugbear

Goblin

Tigren (Tiger Men)

Pantheran (Panther Men)

Leonian (Lion Men)

Hobgoblin

Troll (Including swamp trolls, ice trolls, and cave trolls)

Mawbear

Centaurs

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Satyr

Gnoll

Otanic

Kobold

Lizard Men

Minotaur

Manent (Snake men)

Draconan (Dragon men)

Characters may also choose

to be vampyres, ghouls and

were wolves which are considered a race and not a class. Vampyres and were wolves

come with certain restrictions on their powers however as a race and that is covered

within the book Races of Arator.

Statistics

When a character has chosen a class they will all receive what are called statistics.

Statistics (or stats) determine all the characters actions in the game including the

percentage of success they are likely to complete or finish a task or specialty as well as

how much damage they can do in battle.

A stats percentage of success is added to level success rates as well as specialty bonus

success rates but the stat number is divided in half. There for as an example if a thief who

wishes to climb an obstacle and has an agility of 65 at level 40 and has the climbing feat

they will have a combined chance of 48% to make that climb because of their agility

scores being so high (Half of 65 is roughly 33 + 40% for level 40 + 5% for climbing

specialty bonus equals 48%). On the other hand if a 40th

level wizard were to make that

same climb and does not have the climbing feat and has an agility score of 45 they will

only have an 32% chance of success to make that climb because their agility scores are

lower and they do not have the climbing feat as a base.

All characters regardless of class will start off with 5 points to all stats when starting out

in the game at level 1. They will gain 1 point to all stats unless they are bonus stats at

which case they will gain 2 points in those stats before level 50 at each new level they

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reach. After level 50 a character will receive 2 points in non bonus stats with every new

level and then receive +5 to those stats with the bonuses.

For situations that call for feats or other specialties to be used and there is a chance of

damage being taken as a result the chance of damage not taken is solely based on the stat

score and not level. Level only comes into play on specialty situations that are not

situations where damage may be taken as a result of using it.

If a character has their statistics reduced in some way either through an attack on their

stats or some other means those stats will be regained normally or over time without the

aid of potions or other boosters. When stats are regained normally the number of points

regained over time is based on half their level in seconds. There for if a character is level

10 they will regain lost stats normally at a rate of 1 point every 5 seconds for character

under level 50 on non bonus stats and on bonus stats 2 points every 5 seconds. For

characters over level 50 this becomes 2 points on non bonus stats and 5 points for bonus

stats.

Higher level characters have the disadvantage of regaining their stats at a slower rate

because they are more powerful and there for it will take more time for them to regain

those lost stats. A level 50 character will revive loss stats through time every 25 seconds.

Stats fortunately can be regained in a multitude of ways including potions, ointments,

salves, herbs, and spells which are instant boosters to stats if a character has access to

them.

Stats are very important to a character and as a rule the higher the stat the better the

action the character will have. Everything within the game revolves around the statistic

system and below is all the current stats within the game and just what role they have

while playing a character.

Also detailed in each stat section below is what happens to a character when they lose a

certain percentage of their stats for various reasons (Such as through a spell, talent, or

some other affect). Each stat reduction will cause the character to become a certain way

until those stats return.

Perception: Perception is the ability of the character to perceive their outer surroundings.

Perception is what is also called a “sixth sense” or just how strong their instincts are.

Perception comes into play heavily out in the wilds of the world as well as various other

aspects such as how one perceives their environment. Perception scores will reflect the

percentage of success that will make a specialty successful but is divided in half. There

for if a ranger wished to use the tracking specialty and they have a perception of 65 while

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being level 40 they will have a 48% chance of success. Specialties that are important for

perception include tracking, hunting, survival, stealth, hide in shadows, identify poisons,

and other abilities, skills, and feats that require knowledge of surviving in the wild or to

perform an action stealthily and not being discovered. Perception is important and crucial

for the stealth classes and the nature classes.

Characters with a 20% drop in perception are considered to be mentally unstable.

Characters with a 50% drop in perception are considered to be slipping into madness.

Characters with a 70% drop to their perception are considered mad. Characters with a

100% drop in perception are fully insane and no longer contain self awareness.

Charisma: Charisma is the ability that enables an individual to work with or

communicate with other sentient life forms and will determine how they are able to

interact with them. Charisma is important for how other sentient life will react to a

character. The higher the charisma score the more likely that the character will be able to

have other characters and NPCS like them and not be untrusting of that character.

Charisma can be invaluable in terms of handling situations that will not be wise to lead to

combat or battle. Many low level characters that may not be strong in melee and cannot

last long in an upfront fight can always use their charisma to try and talk their way out of

a fight or battle or be able to convince others to let them into places that they may not be

able to normally get into. For example, if a character needs to enter a certain place such

as prison where they need to free a comrade who may be in jail the character can use their

charisma to persuade a guard to let them pass without confrontation. Some specialties

that require charisma are singing, dancing, modeling, instruments, and acting. Bards and

Illusionist rely on charisma heavily and some other classes that can use charisma with

better chance of success are some of the holy classes like priests.

Characters with a 20% drop in charisma are considered to be aloof. Characters with a

50% drop in charisma are considered to be rude and racist. Characters with a 70% drop in

charisma are considered to be mean. Characters with a 100% drop in charisma are

considered to be full blown enraged and angered unable to participate in charismatic

situations unless charisma returns.

Wisdom: Wisdom is the ability to learn and remember things. Wisdom is often

associated with lore, reading, and overall knowledge. The higher one’s wisdom then the

more likely they will be able to learn a new skill, ability, or feat as well as be able to

understand and use magical or unknown devices and items without having to go to a sage

or scholar to have such items and devices be revealed as what they can do. For example,

if a character finds a ring and they have a high wisdom score they will be able to

immediately identify that item and what it can do. Once the item is revealed they will

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then be able to use it since they know how to. If a character has a low wisdom score they

will not be able to identify the item and will need to take it to someone to have it be

revealed so they then can use it. Many items, devices, weapons, and armor that are

magical in nature or from some unknown origin will need to be identified before it can be

used and this is where wisdom can be invaluable for characters. Some wisdom specialties

include writing/poetry, lore, drawing/sketching, and astrology. All of the magic classes

rely heavily on wisdom as well as some holy classes and nature classes.

Characters with a 20% drop in wisdom are considered to be unschooled. Characters with

a 50% in wisdom are considered to be unknowledgeable. Characters with a 70% drop in

wisdom are considered to be illiterate. Characters with a 100% drop in wisdom are

considered to be mentally challenged until wisdom returns.

Intelligence: Intelligence is the character’s overall intellect level and is crucial for such

things as learning, comprehending, as well as even in combat situations as intellect comes

into play for hit ratings. Intelligence can be used in numerous situations whether in or out

of combat. Having a high intellect will often allow a character to have many specialties

and a higher chance to hit a target when in combat. Intelligence also comes into play in

terms of magic and spells. Critical hit bonuses are applied sorely based on a character’s

intelligence score and the higher the score the more chance of a critical hit with spells a

character will have. Intelligence is also needed in magic in terms of how fast one could

perform a spell. The higher the intelligence the faster a spell will be performed. Some

specialties that require high intelligence include bartering, appraisal, interrogation, and

negotiating. All magic classes rely heavily on intelligence because it is needed for their

magic that they wield. Intelligence and wisdom often go hand in hand and where

intelligence is the ability to learn and comprehend wisdom is the ability to remember

what is learned and comprehended.

Characters that lose 20% of their intelligence scores are considered to be unfocused.

Characters that lose 50% of their intelligence scores are considered to be confused.

Characters that lose 70% of their intelligence scores are considered to be blank minded

(unable to think or act at all). Characters that lose 100% intelligence are considered to be

in a coma.

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Strength: Strength is the physical ability that determines how strong a character will be.

Strength is directly applied to damage and how much damage a character can do. If a

character does

not have a

weapon in hand

then the damage

they do bare

handed is

determined by

their strength

score and

fighting skill

unless they have

a specialty or a

class bonus that

allows them to

perform more

damage without

a weapon (such

as a gladiator

who receives

damage bonuses when fighting without a weapon and the hand to hand combat specialty

that can give any character more of a damage bonuses when fighting unarmed.) For

example, if a character has a strength score of 40 and a fighting skill of 40 and they are

not using any form of a weapon at the time and do not have these damage bonuses

applied to them they will only do 80 points of damage at a time when they strike an

enemy target. Strength also comes into play out in the world when heavy things need to

be lifted, moved, carried or pushed. An example of this would be if a character wants to

attempt to break down a lock door. Their strength score will determine their chance of

being able to break it down in a percentage. There for if their strength score is 40 and

they want to break a door down they have a 40% chance of being successful in such a

feat. Some specialties that rely on strength are wrestling, catching, and throwing. Many

battle classes rely on strength such as gladiators, warriors, and berserkers.

Characters that lose 20% of their strength scores are considered weakened. Characters

that lose 50% of the strength scores are considered severely weakened. Characters that

lose 70% of their strength scores can barely stand up. Characters that lose 100% of their

strength scores are considered on the ground and unable to get up until strength returns.

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Will Power: Will power is an important and crucial stat when it comes down to saves in

and out of combat. Will power allows a character to be able to prevent more damage

done to them as well as stop certain attacks, spells, and talents that can otherwise make

them loose control or immobilize them. For example, if a character is attacked by a target

that is attempting to put them to sleep they can use their will power to overcome the sleep

effect and instead of falling asleep and be helpless they will just be slowed down instead

but will still be able to fight. Will power is also important to overcome charm effects or

the chance to be dominated against their will. The higher the will power score the less

likely the character will be controlled through spells and talents. Will power will also

determine if a character can use their will to be the dominator to a target. Some

specialties that require will power are horsemanship, leadership, and intimidation.

Classes that make good use of will power are battle classes, and some holy and magic

classes such as crusaders (holy), warlocks, and necromancers (magic).

Characters with a 20% drop in will power are considered to be uneasy. Characters with a

50% drop in will power are considered nervous. Characters with a 70% drop in will

power are considered to be paranoid. Characters with a 100% drop in will power are

considered to be full blown afraid or fearful unable to act until will power returns.

Stamina: Stamina is a character’s overall endurance and comes heavily into play for

almost any situation in the game world and is also important for health points and energy

levels. Stamina is needed for basically anything that requires movement and attacking.

The higher a character’s stamina the more energy they will have to be able to use their

talents as well as being able to last longer in battle because they can take more

punishment and deal it out because they have the endurance to last. Stamina is

determined for the recovery of physical energy levels and as a result if a character has a

50 point stamina stat then the amount of physical energy regained will be 50 points under

normal circumstances. Stamina will also add to a character’s physical energy levels.

There for if a character has 300 physical energy points with stamina score of 20 they will

have a total of 320 physical energy points. If a character is reduced to low or 0 stamina

through attacks in combat or through other situations they will begin to feel fatigued and

if a character has 0 stamina they will fall unconscious until stamina stats are regained.

The stamina score itself does not drop when it is used this is where physical energy

comes into play. Stamina is always a set number and just reflects one’s ability to regain

physical energy through normal methods such as resting as well as provides boosts to

physical energy and health points. Stamina also allows a character to use certain

specialties with a better chance of success and with more skill than those characters with

low stamina scores. Running, swimming, and athletics are examples of specialties that

require stamina. Stamina also determines one’s health points. For example, if a character

has 500 health points and they have a stamina score of 30 they will have a total of 530

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health points. If a character has their stamina scores dropped or lowered in some way

then the addition to the health points will also drop. There for if a character has a talent or

spell placed on them that lowers their stamina by 10 points they will lose that 10 points in

their health as well. Battle classes are example classes that are heavily reliant on stamina.

Characters that lose 20% of their stamina scores will start becoming lethargic. Characters

that lose 50% of their stamina scores will become drained. Characters that lose 70% of

their stamina scores are considered severely drained. Character that lose 100% of their

stamina scores are considered to unconscious though not dead.

Agility: Agility determines a character’s ability to dodge, move, block, and parry while

in combat as well as other situations out in the world like being able to make jumps,

climb, and perform other feats that require dexterous movements. The higher a

character’s agility scores the better chance they will have to avoid being hit or struck

while in combat. There for if a character has an agility score of 50 they will be able to

dodge or parry automatically on their own in combat 25% of the time. Agility will also

determine one’s hit rating (along with intelligence) and the higher the agility score the

more likely their chance to hit a target will be based on their hit rating. If a character

looses agility stats through attacks or spells they will become clumsy and slowed and will

be easier to hit to a target attacking them. Agility also comes into play for specialties that

require agility such as jumping. An example would be if a character wished to perform a

jump then the chance of their success is determined by their level, agility stat score, as

well as the jumping specialty bonus addition. However, the agility stat alone is needed

and used to determine how much damage they will not receive for making that jump.

There for if a character makes a jump from one roof top to another roof top and they have

an agility score of 40 they will have a 20% chance to avoid any damage from that jump.

Specialties that require agility are jumping, blind fighting, precision, and climbing.

Stealth classes and most nature classes heavily rely on agility.

Characters that lose 20% of their agility are considered to be off balance. Characters that

lose 50% of their agility score are considered clumsy. Characters that lose 70% of their

agility scores are considered to be slowed. Characters that lose all their agility are

considered to be immobile.

Fighting Skill: Fighting skill is a character’s over all ability to fight while in combat.

Fighting skill is important for a character to know how to fight and the higher the fighting

skill stat than the higher chance a character will have to fight better in combat. Fighting

skill is only used in combat and combat alone it does not apply to any other situations

that are non combat related. Fighting skill will add to strength when damage is being

dealt onto a target. There for if a character has a strength score of 50 and a fighting skill

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score of 40 they will deal 90 points more of damage if they are using a weapon or just 90

points of damage when they are unarmed unless they happen to have a specialty that

enables them to have bonuses in unarmed combat. Fighting skill also determines a

character’s chance of a critical hit in up close melee combat. Specialties that require

fighting skill are martial arts, hand to hand combat, and battle tactics. Battle classes and

monks are some examples that rely on fighting skill.

Characters with a 20% drop in fighting skill are considered vulnerable. Characters with a

50% drop in fighting skill are considered extremely vulnerable. Characters with a 70%

drop in fighting skill are considered defenseless. Characters with a 100% drop in fighting

skill are considered to be helpless.

Weapon Skill: Weapon skill is the character’s ability to wield a weapon for damage as

well as parry an attack with a weapon. While some classes gain damage bonuses on

certain weapons to add to their base weapon skills the weapon skill stats on their own will

add more damage to the weapons already base damage. There for if a character has a

sword that deals 100 points of damage and they have a weapon skill of 50 they will

actually be doing 150 points of damage with that weapon. Weapon skill also reflects the

chance a character will have to parry an attack with their weapon. There for a character

with a weapon skill of 50 will have a 25% chance during a combat situation to parry any

attack made at them with other weapons. Weapon skill only applies to weapons that are

in hand. When a character is not wielding a weapon their weapon skill stats will not add

to their unarmed combat damage scores or block rating and their weapon skill will then

be negated until they have a weapon in hand once again. Some specialties that require

weapon skill are dual wielding and precision. Battle classes and some battle based holy

classes such as crusaders and paladins rely on weapon skill.

Characters with a 20% drop in weapon skill are considered to be clumsy with a weapon.

Characters with a 50% drop in weapon skill are considered to be unskilled with a

weapon. Characters with a 70% drop in weapon skill will miss with that weapon 70% of

the time. Characters with a 100% drop in weapon skill cannot use weapons at all.

Other Statistics & Scores

Health Points: All characters will receive 100 health points for every level they gain +

their stamina scores + their class health bonus. There for if a character is a level 10 thief

and they have a 14 stamina score and their class health bonus of +20% their total base

health will be 1,214 health points. As a character levels and their stamina increases upon

each level so will a character health points. Base health is just that a base. It does not

include any bonus boosts a character may receive on health based magical items,

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weapons, armor, spells, and talents. Health points can be regained normally over time just

like lost stats however lost health regained is based on characters stamina. There for a

character with stamina scores of 30 and is level 40 will regain 30 points of lost health

normally every 20 seconds.

Physical Energy Points: Physical Energy points are calculated by taking the players

stamina score and then doubling that number. There for a character that is level 1 with 7

for a stamina score they will have 14 physical energy points. Once characters reach level

2 and they have stamina scores of 9 this number is 18 which is a gain of +4 physical

energy points for that level. Lost physical energy can be regained normally much like

health and is determined by stamina scores. There for a character with stamina scores of

11 and is level 3 will regain 11 points of lost stamina every 1.5 seconds. To determine

how much physical energy it will take to perform a talent, refer to the base cost at level 1

under each of the talent descriptions within each character class entry below. The base

level is just that a base, and as each character levels, their energy reduction cost is

increased 1 point for each level. For example, the deadly blow talent of a fighter at level

1 costs 5 physical energy points to use. At level two this will be 6 at level 3 it will be 7,

etc.

Spiritual Energy Points: Spiritual energy points are determined based on level and

wisdom but are calculated exactly the same as physical energy points with the difference

being that wisdom is used instead of stamina. Spiritual energy can be regained just like

health and physical energy and the amount of spiritual energy gained through seconds is

based on wisdom scores.

Mana Points: Mana is calculated by level and intelligence. Much like other energy

scores mana works in the same fashion only it is intellect that determines the character’s

total number of mana points.

Hit Rating: Hit rating will determine a character’s chance to hit a target in combat and is

only used while in combat based situations. Hit rating is determined by intelligence and

agility scores there for if a character has a 30 point intellect stat and a 40 point agility stat

they will have 70 point hit rating. If a character suffers reductions on their intelligence

and agility they will also receive reduction on their hit ratings. There for if a character

that has the above stats is lowered by 10 points apiece their hit rating will be lowered as

well to 50 points. Magic classes and stealth classes may have a better chance to hit a

target than other classes because of their higher intellect and agility scores (stealth classes

especially since they commonly have bonuses in intelligence and agility while magic

classes just tend to have intelligence bonuses and not agility) however classes such as

battle classes that may have lower hit ratings will do more damage on each of those hits

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that they do make. Classes that rely on agility and intelligence will hit more times but

normally will not do as much damage as those classes that have their stats based on

strength, fighting skill, and weapon skill that will hit less times but do far more damage

on each of those hits.

Movement Rating: Movement rating is a character’s ability to move freely

about the world as well as in combat situations. Movement rating is determined

by a character’s armor rating. Characters who are wearing absolutely no armor at

all will have 100% movement ratings. Characters wearing armor find their

movement rating reduced by a quarter of what the armor rating is. There for a

character wearing plate mail with an armor rating of 200 will have a movement

rating of 50%. A character wearing leather armor with a armor rating of 50 will

have a movement rating of 88%. Characters with higher armor ratings may be

slower and not as fast as characters with lower armor ratings but a character with

a higher armor rating will be able to take far more damage than a character with a

lower armor rating so sacrificing some movement for being able to take damage

can be a fair trade.

Armor Rating: Armor rating is a characters overall defense in terms of how much

damage they can absorb while in combat or other situations where they may lose health

points. Armor rating is determined by armor worn, agility scores, plus level. There for if

a character is wearing chain mail armor with an armor rating of 150 and they are level 50

with an agility score of 54 they will have an overall armor rating of 254. Armor rating

will reduce any damage taken by half the amount depending on what their armor rating

is. There for if a character is being attacked and they are hit for 200 points worth of

damage and their armor rating is 304 they will only be dealt with 48 points of damage on

health points (Half of 304 is 152 take 152 – 200=48). Characters who wear lighter armor

such as leather or cloth will obviously take more damage when they are hit and if a

character is wearing only leather armor with an armor rating of 80 and are level 40 with

an agility of 44 having an armor rating of 164 and they are being attacked for 200 points

of damage they will be dealt 118 points of damage. Damage is only reduced by half of

the actual armor rating because there is still impact damage from any strike or hit made

on a character that comes into play. There for a character may not get cut or sliced from a

sword strike wearing plate mail but the jarring impact of the actual hit from the sword

will still reduce armor rating. Armor rating will vary wildly through the game because all

armor has durability scores and the more the durability goes down so too will the armor

rating. When it comes to armor in the world of Arator the durability points is what makes

up the actual armor rating. There for chain mail that has a durability of 100 will be

considered to have a 100 point armor rating.

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Haste Rating: Haste rating is

only applied to characters,

creatures, and beings that are

capable of hastening

themselves. Haste rating will

add to a character, creature, or

beings over all armor rating as

well as agility because when

hastened the individual or

being becomes incredibly fast

and the chance to hit them is

reduced. The assassin class for

example has a constant +2

haste rating around them at all

times and will add +20 to their

armor ratings and agility

permanently even when they

are not wearing any form of

armor. When an assassin

becomes a Night Stalker this

will increase to +50. Some

creatures of the world of Arator

are able to activate haste in

various percentages. In these

instances the haste rating is

applied only during the time of

the duration that the hasten

talent is active. Once the haste

ability wears off the extra addition to their armor rating and agility will be negated. Haste

rating will also apply to the spell haste which is explained further in the Magic of Arator

book.

Plus Bonuses: Plus bonuses are added to magical armor, weapons and items. For

example, a broadsword that is a broadsword +2 with a damage rating of 200 will have an

extra +20 damage rating added to its already normal damage score making it a 220

damage per hit weapon. For armor the plus bonus is added to its durability rating. There

for plate mail armor with a base 200 durability rating that is also +2 in enchantments will

have a durability of 220 overall. Plus bonuses can beneficial because if a weapon or

armor is being damaged or is worn out over time the damage on a plus item will begin to

wear out its plus bonuses before the actual durability rating. For example, if the

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broadsword in the above example were to have been damaged by 10 points then it will be

considered a broadsword +1 because the 10 extra plus points have been worn away. Once

all plus bonuses have been worn then the weapon or armor will begin to have its normal

durability score effected normally. Enchanted weapons and armor are entitled to saves to

prevent the plus bonus from wearing down or weakening. Plus bonuses can be regained

by simply re-enchanting them which will not only regain their full plus bonuses but will

also repair the normal durability of the weapon or armor fully. This only applies to plus

bonus magical weapons and armor as normal weapons and armor must be repaired

through the typical means like through a black smith. Plus bonuses are also applied to

many forms of damage attacks that involve special talents, spells, and powers. For

example, a fire ball spell will not only cause the casters own level in damage but it will

also inflict +5 fire damage which is actually +50 damage. These types of bonuses will

always be listed in any description from creatures to spells to character classes. Plus

bonuses that are given to character classes however work slightly different. If a character

class receives a +3 to their stats upon leveling then it is only +3 and not +30. This rule

only applies to character class stats.

Durability on Armor, Items, and Weapons: All weapons and armor have what is called

durability scores meaning all items, weapons, and armor will have points assigned to

them that are their overall durability. For example, a plate mail suit of armor can have a

durability of 100/100. If that score were to go down to 90 then the armor lost 10 points of

durability. Durability damage happens through long exposure of battle, combat, hits, and

attacks that the character will encounter throughout the world. The longer the armor,

weapon, or item goes without getting repaired the more risk of durability scores

dropping. If durability reaches 0 on any item, weapon, or armor then they are considered

broken and cannot be used again unless they are repaired by a black smith or a character

schooled in blacksmithing. Magical items, weapons, and armor will have the same base

durability as the non magical version however, magical items are entitled to durability

saves which means that they are capable of withstanding a lot more punishment before

they get damaged due to the magic that is imbued in them. If a character has any non

magical armor on them and the durability reaches 0 then the character’s armor ratings

will lose the armor rating scores from the armor until they are repaired. If the armor is

magical in nature and the durability reaches 0 the armor rating is lost but the magical

properties will still remain. The same applies to magical items or weapons. If the item or

weapon reaches 0 durability they are broke and cannot be wielded, worn, or used but will

still retain their magical properties and bonuses. Of course some items and weapons

require the use of them in order for the bonuses and magical properties to work which is

why it is always wise to always ensure that all items, weapons, and armor are kept in

good repair. The loss of durability points depends on various factors in the world

including the overall strike damage from enemies and the amount of damage other

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obstacles in the world will do to a character. A general rule however is that durability is

lost at a rate 1 point for every 1 minute in TOTAL combat on non magical items, armor,

and weapons. Total combat means that durability is lost while in each combat situation

not per enemy the character is fighting. There for a character will lose the same durability

in a combat situation under normal circumstances whether they are fighting one lone

target or several different targets at once. Other factors that can speed durability loss

include acid damage, certain fire based damage, and crushing based damage which will

normally double or even triple durability loss.

Critical Hits: A critical hit is a large devastating attack that is twice as powerful as a

normal attack. A critical hit is heavily determined by numerous factors including fighting

skill, agility, and intelligence. A critical hit chance of success is determined based on

fighting skill but divided when fighting up close with melee weapons, based on

intelligence for spells, and agility for long ranged attacks. An example of this would be

that if a warrior is in melee combat and they have a fighting skill of 30 they will have a

15% chance while in that combat situation to make a critical hit each time they make a

successful strike on the target. The higher the stat the higher the percentage of a critical

hit and characters with stat scores of 60+ can make many critical hits in one combat

situation. Critical hits are always double the normal attack damage score. There for if a

warrior normally strikes for 150 points of damage they will critical hit for 300 points of

damage on normal attacks. Critical hits will also apply to all talent based attacks. There

for if a warrior were to use their warrior’s strike talent that deals 30% more damage than

normal and the warrior normally deals 150 points of damage they will then do 390 points

of damage on that strike.

Stun Effects: Characters that become stunned during an attack are considered to be

helpless during the duration of the stun effect. For example, if a gladiator uses their

uppercut talent it stun’s the gladiator’s target for up to 10 seconds. The gladiator’s target

cannot move or attack during that duration. When a stun is in effect, the player or GM

that initiated the stun will be able to make one more attack during their turn while the

target is stunned. Other immobilizing effects such as sleep, hold, paralyzing effects, etc

may be longer in duration and may require a dice role in order to reclaim character

movement and attack. In these cases dice rolls are usually required depending on the time

in seconds that these other effects have.

Saves (Success Rates): Saves are what a character can make in order to avoid damage

done to them or to have damage from talents, spells, and attacks reduced in some fashion

as well as a character’s chance of success of performing their specialties. Saves will also

allow a character to avoid having certain talents and spells affect them in some way such

as charm spells and talents or immobilizing spells and talents such as those that will place

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a character asleep or paralyzed in some way. Every character regardless of level will have

a chance to make a save when the situation calls for it. For example, if a character is

being attacked and their attacker is attempting to place a hold spell on them they can

make a will power save immediately to determine if they are able to overcome the spell.

If they make the save successfully the spell will be ineffective and the character will not

be held. If they fail their save then the spell will affect them normally. A successful save

is determined based on the character’s stat number, their specialty bonuses and overall

level but their stat is divided in half. There for if the hold spell where to come into play a

character’s chance of success would be their level plus their will power score. If the

character has a will power score of 50 and their level 40 they will have a 35% chance of

making that save immediately.

Saves will also be determined based on the attackers own stats and level as well. If an

attacker on a target where to have a greater intelligence and level then the character on

the above example then the character’s save may be negated. For example, if the enemy

attacker on the above example where to have an intelligence of 60 and were level 50 they

will have a 40% chance of applying that hold spell on that character. The character’s 35%

save chance is than negated because the attacker’s chance to use the spell on them is

greater. If however the attacker’s intelligence score is 40 and they are level 30 then their

chance to use the spell successfully is only 21% and the character’s 35% chance on the

save will be successful and the spell will be ineffective for the attacker. Saves for

specialties are called success rates and will determine a character’s chance of success to

perform each specialty. Saves will also come into play on a vast amount of other

situations that will call for a character’s stats and level to aid them in making the save.

Another example would be for specialties being used and saves being made to avoid

damage. An example of this would be the jumping ability where if a character where

make a great jump they will need to make a save to avoid damage and their save is based

in percentage of their agility score. There for a character with a level 40 agility stat will

have a 25% chance to make a save to avoid damage. In combat situations saves are based

on the character’s level and stats as well as the attackers as mentioned in the above

example. When not in combat saves are based solely on the character’s stats and level or

both. There will also be situations where a character will have a chance to make more

than one save at a time or one after the other. An example would be if they are attempting

to be dominated. If a character fails to make their save against the one trying to dominate

them they will have a chance to continue to make another save while they are being

dominated to break free from it. Typically characters with lower stats then their attackers

will fail their saves more often than a character that has stats that are higher than their

attackers.

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Combat

Combat is

determined

by

character’s

level, their

specialties,

as well as

their stats

as already

mentioned

above.

While in

combat

characters

can use

their talents

and

specialties

(if they are able to be used in combat situations) and their chance to use them is all based

on a percentage system that is reliant on their level, stat numbers, and specialty bonuses

except for talents that are already based on set percentage (see character classes below).

The biggest part of combat is the percentage system and how damage is taken based off

those percentages. Other factors include specialties chance of success as well as saves

that are attempting to be made while in combat.

Magic Damage: Magic damage is determined by the character’s level plus intelligence

scores, plus any damage bonuses they receive as a class, plus any further damage bonuses

for the spells themselves. For example, if a level 45 Warlock was to use the spell fire

blast that deals +5 fire damage as a base and had an intelligence score of 97 it would

cause 192 points in damage. A level 45 sorcerer with a 97 point intelligence score using

the spell arcane arrow that deals +5 arcane damage would deal 199 points in damage

because a sorcerer receives +5% on any spells from the arcane sphere of magic.

Damage Percentage: Damage percentage is the main calculation in how much damage

is going to be taken on a character when it comes down to character talents.

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For example, if a fighter normally deals 200 points of damage with each strike and they

use their deadly blow talent that deals extra damage per the level of the character then

that is added to the normal damage. There for a level 50 fighter that deals a hit with

deadly blow will do 50% more damage than normal from their level as well as the

additional level bonus from the deadly blow talent which at level 50 is another 50% then

total damage is 450

These percentages not only apply to a character’s talent based attacks but also to any

creatures, beings, and NPCS that have talents of their own. Damage taken from talents is

always based on these set percentages.

For up close melee combat characters deal normal damage (non talent related) based on

the weapon they are using as well as their strength, fighting skill, and weapon skill stat

scores. For long ranged attacks with weapons such as bows, guns, and throwing knives

damage is determined by weapon skill, agility, and the weapons damage rating. For

damage based spells and magic attacks damage is determined through the character’s

intelligence, level, and the bonus percentage of each spell.

Specialties in Combat: Some specialties may be used in combat. Depending on the

specialty being used they can add to a character’s damage bonuses and stat scores. The

success rate of a specialty being used is highly dependent upon the specialty bonus as

well as the character’s level and stat scores. All other non combat specialties will become

inactive as long as combat is initiated. Specialties do not have cool downs but are

determined solely based on percentages based of the characters stats and level.

The following specialties may be used while in combat.

Hand to hand combat

Adrenalin Rush

Brawling

Battle Tactics

Precision

Blind Fighting

Wrestling

Tumbling

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Athletics

Archery

Acrobatics

Dual Wielding

Running

First aid

Disarm

Jumping

Throwing

Catching

Climbing

Avoiding Attacks: A character can attempt to dodge, parry, or block any attack that is

made on them in combat or even out of combat (such as for traps or other environmental

obstacles that will need to be avoided or else damage be taken). While in combat a

character’s chance to dodge, block, or parry is based on their agility, fighting skill, or

weapon skill. Characters with dodge like specialties such as acrobatics and tumbling can

also be used in combat to help further avoid attacks. When normal dodge, block, or parry

attempts are made characters will have a choice on which one they would like to use at a

given time an attack is made. There for if a character would rather dodge then parry they

can do so but they can only use one avoidance technique at a time when they are being

attacked.

Any ranged attacks such as spells and ranged weapons can also be avoided but for these

attacks the dodge avoidance technique and the two specialties tumbling and acrobatics

are the only way to move away from ranged attacks as block and parry cannot be used for

ranged attacks made on a character.

There may be times that a character will not be able dodge, block, or parry due to a

character’s or being’s talent that enables them to negate a character’s chance to avoid.

Some magic spells also have a capability of always striking when they are used such as

heat seeking fireball and similar spells.

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Dodge: A dodge will enable a character to completely avoid an attack without getting or

struck in any way. When a dodge is successful a character will back away, duck low, or

move from side to side while being stationary.

Block: A block will enable a character to use their shield, bracers, arms, or legs to block

a strike. Blocked attacks may still cause some minor damage if strikes are made to bear

arms or legs but will not cause any damage if made with a shield or bracers. A successful

block is dependent on agility and fighting skill scores but is then divided in half. There

for a character with agility scores of 30 and a fighting skill of 50 will have a 40% chance

to block during combat.

Parry: A parry is when a character blocks an attack from a weapon with a weapon. Parry

will not cause any minor damage but their weapon may still suffer durability damage

from it. Parry is determined by agility and weapon skill scores but is divided in half.

There for if a character has 40 point agility score and a 30 point weapon skill score they

will have a 35% chance to parry an attack made on them during combat.

Other Forms of Damage

There are many other forms of damage a character can take while in battle or even out of

battle just moving through the world. These forms of damage are called “plus” damages

and come in the form of magic and elemental damage.

Plus damages are applied on top of other damage due to the fact that they are magical or

elemental in nature. Whenever a plus damage is added onto normal damage or talent

based damage it is calculated by +10. There for if characters were to receive +5 cold

damage it is actually +50 points cold damage. For example, if a character were to be hit

by an ice dragons breath weapon they will suffer damage based on the dragon’s level,

plus an additional level percentage plus the cold damage. There for if the ice dragon’s

level is 70 than the character will receive a total damage of 289 points of damage. Plus

damage is also determined by level and any individuals, characters, monsters, etc use a +

attack it would between +1-9 below level 50 and between +10 and up after level 50.

All plus damage works in this fashion if it comes from a creature or a character if it is just

environmental than a character will only suffer the plus damage and that is all.

Below is the list of all plus damages a character can receive.

+Cold/Ice/Frost (Cold Element damage)

+Fire/Heat/Burn (Fire Element damage also applies to Sphere of Fire Magical Damage)

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+Electrical/Shock/Jolt

(Electricity Element

damage)

+Acid (Acid damage)

+Conjure Damage (Sphere

of Conjure Magical

Damage)

+Holy (Sphere of Life

Magical Damage)

+Illusion (Sphere of

Illusion Magical Damage)

+Unholy (Sphere of Death

Magical Damage)

+Chaotic/Demon Damage (Sphere of Conjure Magical Damage)

+Arcane (Sphere of Arcane Magical Damage)

+Water/Drowning (Sphere of Water Magical Damage)

+Wind or Air (Sphere of Air Magical Damage)

+Earth (Sphere of Earth Magical Damage)

+Psionic (Mental based Damage)

Crushing Damage: Crushing damage is applied on a character when large blunt objects

fall on them and will crush them for extra damage. Crushing damage can come from

many different ways including large environmental hazards falling onto characters

(boulders, rocks, pillars, etc) to anything large being thrown at them from an enemy such

as a giant, Cyclops, titan, or dragon. Crushing damage will only be applied if the object is

twice the size of the character. Anything under this size will not cause crushing damage.

Certain creatures have the ability to use crushing damage all the time just because of their

sheer size. Such creatures can punch, step on, and bash characters with enormous

weapons, tails, claws, or fists that will cause crushing damage. Examples of this would be

a giant hitting a character with their fist or blunt weapon, a dragon smashing a character

with their tails, or a titan throwing a boulder onto a character. Crushing damage is

determined from other creatures based on their strength and fighting skill scores as well

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as levels and then is doubled. For example if a level 90 titan punches a character and the

titan has a strength score of 90 and fighting skill of 87 they will normally deal 267 points

of damage. Crushing damage is then added to that 267 points and being double total

damage from that one blow is 534 points of damage. Crushing damage can also cause

more loss in durability on armor, items, and weapons. If a creature or being has crushing

damage and strike’s a character that has on plate mail with a 200 durability score then the

durability lost will be double the normal durability loss rate (there for 3 points of

durability loss for every 1 minute a character is fighting a creature, being, or individual

that can deliver crushing damage).

Gore Damage: Gore damage happens when a character gets stabbed by a large pointed

moving object such as a horn from a charging beast of some kind. Gore damage is similar

to crushing damage in that it will deal double damage from the gore attack itself and also

will always lead to extra bleeding damage where the damage per second is typically 1%

of health points. For example, if a character were to be struck by a horn from a level 95th

level black dragon they would not only suffer 564 points of damage (double damage from

the actual gore attack) but they will also begin to lose blood at a rate of 1% of health

every second for up to the dragon’s level in seconds. Characters bleeding in this fashion

will lose health points the entire time through the bleed effect until the bleeding stops or

they are healed in some fashion.

Environment Damage

All characters are prone to being dealt with environment damage or damage that is

suffered through environmental hazards such as falling down from high places, having

various things fall down on them, traps, and so on.

The general rule for most environment damage is determined by a character’s level, their

save capability, and the situation they find themselves in.

Falling: If a character falls from a very high place for example (such as slipping and

falling while climbing up a mountain ledge) the damage is determined by the height of

the fall and what armor they happen to wearing. For example, if a character falls off a

ledge and they fall down thirty yards they will suffer 30 points of damage plus their

armor rating. There for if a character is wearing plate mail armor with an armor rating of

100 they will suffer 130 points of damage because the plate mail which protects them

from damage will actually be a hindrance and CAUSE them damage when they fall.

Characters with acrobatics specialties can make an acrobatic save in order to avoid

damage from falling. For example, if a character has the acrobatic feat and they are

falling said 30 yards and have an agility of 44 they will have a 22% chance to avoid any

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damage from that fall at all.

The acrobatics feat can

come in handy for such

situations because it allows

the character to actually

move their bodies in mid air

to maneuver themselves

better so that when they

land they can prevent that

damage from the fall.

Environmental Hazards:

Environmental hazards can

be anything from landslides

to avalanches to tornados

and other large weather

systems. Damage through

environmental hazards is

determined by the strength

and size of the hazard.

There for if a boulder were

to come loose from a ledge

and head towards a

character the damage will

be determined by the

boulder’s size and how fast

it is going while traveling

plus crushing damage. For

example, if a boulder fell off a cliff that was 50’ in diameter and was heading at a

character at a rate of 30 mph then if the character cannot move out of the way they will

suffer 80 points of damage plus another 80 points of damage due to crushing so a total of

160 points of damage. Characters once again can use acrobatics to try and move out of

the way or the tumbling specialty as well to avoid the boulder all together. Damage from

weather is wide and varied and may be exceedingly rare if a character is caught in a

hurricane, tornado, earthquake, etc. Damage upon a character for environmental weather

damage will rely on the game master and there for can be varied.

Traps: Trap damage is determined upon who sets the trap. For example, if a bugbear

hunting party was to set a trap to try and capture an adventuring group and they lay down

a pit fall trap the damage will be determined by amount of bugbears in that groups level.

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There for if there were 4 level 20 bugbears in the group that laid down the trap then

damage will be 80 points of damage plus the typical falling damage depending on far

down the pitfall trap goes. There for if the pitfall goes down 10 feet then characters will

be dealt 80 points of damage plus another 10 points plus their armor rating upon falling

into the pitfall trap. Once again acrobatics can come into play on avoiding damage all

together for such a trap since it involves falling. All trap damage that is laid down by an

NPC or characters is determined by their level unless the character has a trap talent where

upon they will have further damage bonuses (see character classes for more information).

Damage for Traps that were not put down by NPCS or characters and are part of the

environment such as in a dungeon is determined by the type of trap and can vary wildly.

The game master should be determined how much damage is done in basic

environmental traps but the same rules can be applied to traps in this fashion like the

boulder scenario mentioned above (damage based on the size and speed of a trap).

Experience Points

Experience is points that are earned every time a player successfully completes a quest or

kills any monster, creature, NPC, or other player within the game. Experience points are

bridges between each player’s level meaning that in order for a player to achieve their

next level they must reach a certain amount of EXP points before they can level up.

Monster and Creature Experience Points: When player characters encounter a

monster or creature experience points are determined based solely on the level of the

character and the level multiplied by the health of the monster or creature that the

character kills in battle. Creatures or monsters that cannot take on a character class or a

character classes statistics will all have their experience points determined in this fashion

(such as basilisks, cockatrices, death moths, and other non sentient creatures).

For example if the player character is level 10 and is fighting a monster or creature that is

level 12 and has 1,200 health points then the player character will be rewarded 1,440

EXP points for killing that monster or creature. One would figure out the experience

value by taking the creature or monsters level and multiplying that number by their total

health points (12 X 1,200). There for this level 12 creature or monster is worth 14,400

experience points as a base but to figure out exact experience given to the player 14,400

is divided by the player’s own level of 10 to get 1,440 actual EXP points. If the player

character was level 5 and killed a level 12 creature or monster then they would receive

2,880 EXP points. Character players that are higher in level then the creature or monster

they are fighting will not receive many experience points if any at all because they will

not pose much of a challenge to the player. For example a level 50 player character that

kills a level 12 monster or creature will only receive 288 EXP points. As a rule

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experience is gained in sufficient numbers when the player is of lower to equal level of

the monster or creature. The game master will determine experience levels of each

monster or creature the player character kills since monster and creature levels can vary

dramatically and is up to the game master to decide when creating their own adventure

for the player character.

NPCs and Other Player Characters Experience Points: When determining the

experience point value for NPCs or other player characters the game master can follow

similar rules as the monster and creature experience points with some slight variations.

If a player character that is level 50 kills a goblin NPC that is a night stalker (assassin)

class and is level 60 with 7,000 health points then that goblin is worth 420,000

experience points. Divide the player characters level of 50 by 420,000 and the player

receives 8,400 experience points.

The variance between NPC and creature experience points comes into play based on

health points due in a large part by a NPCs class. For example, a level 60 battle master

(warrior) will be worth more experience than a level 60 night stalker because the battle

master has more health points as a class then the night stalker despite both classes being

the same level. A level 20 basilisk on the other hand will be worth about the same in

experience points as a level 20 cockatrice since neither of these creatures can assume a

character class and are just considered a level 20 basilisk or a level 20 cockatrice.

(Sentient creatures such as dragons, demons, and fiends can assume character classes or

use character class statistics. See Creatures of Arator volumes for more information on

these rules). NPCs and monsters can also gain experience points and level up just as

player characters can. Their experience points are calculated just the same as players, and

will only receive experience points when an NPC or monster manages to kill a player or a

group of players.

Special, Legendary, and Unique NPCs

There will be times in the world of Arator where players may encounter a special,

legendary, or unique NPC, monster, or beast. The game master should take note that

these npcs and creatures should not always be thrown into a campaign or adventure and

should only be reserved for higher level characters that are playing in a group with other

players or if a lone player has a party made up in their adventure. Below are a break

down on how special, unique, and legendary characters and monster work within the

game.

Special: Special creatures, monsters, and NPCS are just that, special. They stand out

amongst other common monsters, races, and beings of their same type. For example, if a

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player were to enter a bugbear village the game master may very well make one single

bugbear a special creature. The special bugbear could be the chieftain, the chieftain’s

advisor such as a warlock or shaman, or the special creature could even be a dire wolf pet

that one of the bugbears uses as a guard for their village. Special monsters and creatures

always have double the normal health points they would normally, cause crushing or gore

damage (even if they are not of huge size or larger) and will have either 1-3 different

unique skills, gear, weapons, talents, or powers assigned only to that special creature and

that special creature alone. Special creatures and monsters are also worth the normal

experience points plus another 1/2. For example, above in the experience section the

basilisk that is mentioned is worth 1,440 experience points normally. With a special

basilisk they would be worth 1,440 + 720 extra experience points. The GM can be

creative for the unique abilities for special creatures and monsters. An example could be

in the above scenario with the bugbear village that the special creature is the chieftain

who is capable of using a relic that causes anyone within range to polymorph into a frog.

Again this is just an example, but as a rule, special creatures and monsters cannot have

more than 3 unique abilities, talents, or powers. The GM could also use a challenging

dungeon where everything encountered within are special creatures. The GM should be

lenient with a dungeon encounter full of special creatures to the players. An example

would be making the dungeon the same level as the players’ characters. Special creatures

can be any level the GM wishes. There for, if the game master wishes to make a level 5

special kobold thief they can do so. The GM can also make a level 60 special ogre

warrior. Specials can be applied to ANY monster, creature, or NPC in the world unlike

unique and legendaries.

Unique: Unique creatures or monsters are just that, unique and one of kind. There are a

few unique creatures and monsters within the world of Arator and they are fully detailed

in the various Creatures of Arator volumes. Unique creatures should not be used unless

the GM wants to really challenge their level 100 characters. Lower level characters would

not last long against unique creatures and this is for a reason. Unique creatures being one

of a kind are going to hold many different talents and abilities known only to them, and

they are all considered to be massive in size. Unique creatures can easily kill even a very

well geared and level capped player, so a unique should only be considered a “raid” or

where there are at least 10 or more players together to bring them down or if a single

player has access to that many hero NPCS allowed by the GM. The game master should

make a unique encounter as challenging as possible, and not only to make it a challenge

to fight a unique creature, but also to FIND them. Being one of a kind they will be spread

out across the world and the GM should look to the Creatures of Arator books to see

where each unique creature normally dwells and then make it a challenge for the players

to even get to them.

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Legendary: Legendary status is only reserved for heroic or infamous stand out characters

within the world of Arator. Legendary NPCS and creatures are those that are part of the

world of Arator’s lore and history. Examples of legendary characters are the demon lords

of the Abyss, the fiend lords of the Abyss, the red dragon Gurganextus, the death knight

Valdimir, Sebastion from Raven and Rose Castle, Davarian from the novel Trials of the

Bloodstone, and Patriarch Darian Windwalker leader of the sun elves of Solaria.

Legendary status can only apply to creatures and characters that have held a large part in

the world’s history. A GM can use any character from the novels of Arcanum: World of

Arator for their campaign but they must make them legendary. A GM can also create

their own legendary characters but in order for them to reach legendary status they must

have played a huge role in some story element. For example, if the GM wishes to create

an orc tribe that was enslaved by a green dragon but one orc decides to rebel and

overthrow the green dragon by rallying his tribe to escape or to kill the dragon this could

deem that orc as being legendary if or when they succeed. The GM can setup a campaign

around this example where players have to help the orc rally his people to break free from

the dragon’s tyranny. Legendary characters created by the GM do not start out as

legendary but can start out as special and then move up to legendary. Legendary

characters will have four times the amount of health as normal characters, can cause

crushing or gore damage on all attacks, and will have at least 5 special attacks or higher

end gear unique only to them. Experience gained in defeating a legendary character is

double the normal experience points. There for if a warrior NPC that is worth 2,000

experience points normally they would be worth 4,000 experience points as legendary.

The GM should note that all major city leaders are legendary such as those found in

Taris, Antamor, and Solaria as mentioned. Legendary characters could be compared to

“boss” characters in popular MMORPGs and other video games.

Quests: Experience points that are earned through completing quests are determined in a

variety of methods but as a general rule the more complicated and lengthy the quest the

more experience one would gain. For example, if a player character is on a quest that

involves them simply retrieving a simple item for an NPC then the experience gained will

be less than if they were to complete a quest where they were to kill a band of ogres

threatening a nearby village.

Quest experience points are determined solely on the game master’s discretion meaning it

is the game master who determines how many experience points the player will receive

for completing a quest there for if the game master believes a simple fetch quest is only

worth 100 EXP points then that is what that player character will receive. If they believe

killing a band of ogres is worth 1,000 EXP points then that is also what the player

character will receive.

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The game master should take into consideration the player’s level when they set them off

on quests. Lower level characters that are able to overcome and complete complex quests

that are intended more for advanced players should receive double experience over

players that have higher levels. Likewise player characters that are higher in level and

complete low level quests should receive less experience points.

Leveling

In the world of Arator each player character goes through a process called leveling that

enables them to become stronger with each level that is gained. As a character levels up

their stats, health, damage output, and basically every aspect to that character grows

stronger.

Any character that can assume a class can level, and a new level is reached once a

character maxes out their experience points.

For example, if a level 1 character has reached the full amount of experience that is

needed to go on to level 2 then they will gain a level 2 advancement.

Leveling for each character is all the same regardless of class, there for all character

classes will need the same number of experience points to gain another level whether

they be a battle, holy, mage, nature, or stealth classes.

Character class leveling is determined via what level the character currently is x1,000,

there for if a character is level 1 they will need 2,000 experience points in order to

advance to level 2, 3,000 experience points to level up to 3, etc.

As levels rise the more experience will be needed to gain the next level. Characters can

gain experience through numerous ways within the world of Arator including killing

monsters, NPCS, completing quests, and other means that is determined through the

game master.

NPCS (non player characters) may also gain levels whether they are a character class or

not. For example, a goblin who is a thief class and is considered an NPC can gain levels

just as any normal player character. Likewise, a basilisk that cannot assume a character

class and is just considered a level X basilisk, can still gain levels as well. (There for if a

basilisk is level 10 they can level up to 11 if the game master so wishes them to).

Leveling can tend to be quick in the early stages of a characters life since they do not

need that many experience points to move on to the next level. As characters get stronger

and higher in level it may take more time to be able to gain a level, so characters should

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keep this mind and attempt to try to work on harder monster and NPC kills and longer

more difficult quests that offer more experience.

Character Class Codex

Character classes are the basis of the character one chooses to be. They enable a character

to have access to a multitude of different talents, powers, spells, and abilities (called

specialties) that makes each and every class unique in its own way.

All classes are broken down into 6 different categories which are battle, stealth, nature,

holy, magic, and special. Each category serves a specific over all purpose and will have

similar specialties and stat bonuses with every class. For example, the battle classes are

all up close melee attackers meant to dish out and take any damage that is thrown at

them. Battle classes tend to have more health, stamina, strength, fighting skill, and

weapon skill than other classes.

Stat bonuses will be gained for specific stats on each separate individual class when each

class levels. There for a fighter may have different stat bonuses then a knight but there

are times when they will share the same stat bonuses it all depends on the type of class

that it is.

All classes get to have a chance to be “promoted” once they reach level 50 which is

essentially the same class however they take on a new name and will gain 5 more new

talents (as well as the ones they start off with before level 50), improved specialties, as

well as more of a bonus on their stats every time they level.

All the class categories are explained in further detail under their own entries and each

character class will also be detailed in their own entries below.

Weapons Allowed: This will list all the weapon types that the class can use. Even if they

do not receive damage bonuses or specialize in a specific weapon this will list all

available weapons that any given class can use if they so choose.

Long Ranged Weapon Allowed: This will list any ranged or distant weapon that the

class can use.

Armor Allowed: This will list any and all armor that the class can use.

Shields Allowed: Will list the available shields that each class can use.

Stat Bonuses: This will list the stat bonuses that classes receive upon leveling. Some

classes specialize in different stats than others.

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Class Bonuses: This will list the damage bonuses or bonuses in general that a class

receives from their talents or from their abilities that they may have. Each class has their

own set of class bonuses unique to each class. A warrior for example will gain +5% more

damage whenever wielding a two handed weapon. When they become battle masters this

increases to +10% more damage. These bonuses are only applied when the character of

the class is either wielding or using the specific weapon or ability that is needed for the

bonus. There for if the warrior in the above example was to be wielding only a long

sword then they will not gain the additional bonuses until they wield a two handed

weapon.

Health Points: Health points determine how much overall base health your character

has. Each class has a different health point bonus that comes with the class. For example

battle classes will gain either +50% health or +60%, all stealth classes will gain +20%

health, etc. As every character levels regardless of class they will gain 100 points of

health added with their stamina and then added with their percentage bonus. There for a

level 40 warrior with a stamina score of 85 and a +50% health bonus will have a total

health of 6128.

Mana Pool: This will list the available sphere of magic that the class can tap into for

their spells if applicable. The spheres of magic are Life, Death, Illusion, Chaos, and

Arcane and then the elemental magic spheres Earth, Fire, Air, and Water. It should be

noted that any class able to use magic can know any spell within the spheres that they are

allowed and can memorize or learn. There for druids for example can use any spell in the

spheres of earth, life, water, air, and illusion that they wish. They can either mix them all

up or choose just spells from one specific sphere though many find it more useful to

know different spells from different spheres for diversity.

Energy Pool: This will list the available energy pool that the class taps into. Energy is

different from mana in that it is more of a physical or spiritual trait and not magic based.

Physical Energy is reliant on stamina and the more stamina one has the more energy they

will have available to them. The divine pool which holy classes are able to tap into for

many of their abilities and talents is based on prayer and is explained further in the holy

class entry. Spiritual energy is what magic classes and nature classes use for their talents.

These talents are not reliant on magic so mana is not needed and unlike holy classes

where divine energy is used instead.

Physical Energy: Physical energy is the actual energy used to perform a talent based

attack that is melee based. Physical energy is reliant on stamina and will power the more

stamina and will power a character has the more physical energy they will be able to use.

Battle classes all rely on physical energy heavily as their sole source of energy for their

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talents but other classes such as stealth, some nature classes, and holy classes will use

physical energy as well. Physical energy is what makes the actual physical strike happen

for without this energy a character will be unable to make a melee based talent attack.

Normal regular attacks do not use up physical energy, only talents and specialties will use

up physical energy. Feats and abilities which are specialties use up the most physical

energy and the amount that is lost on each use is outlined in each of their individual

entries below.

Spiritual Energy: Spiritual energy is the energy needed for some classes like the holy,

magic and nature classes to perform their talents. Since talents are natural powers and not

mana based they come from within the character’s very spirit. Shaman, druids, and all

magic classes are examples that use spiritual energy for their talents. Spiritual energy is

based off will power and wisdom much like divine energy but is not reliant on having to

pray to gods to gain it back more quickly as spiritual energy can be replenished through

various potions quickly or by allowing it to be replenished over time.

Class Restrictions: This will list and explain any restrictions that specific class may

have. Each class will normally have certain restrictions in any given area.

Beginning Alignment: This will list the beginning alignment of the class. All classes

start out with a beginning alignment however alignment is always changing based upon

the actions of the character. There for if you begin your alignment as chaotic good and do

not keep to the chaotic good alignment you can shift back and forth from being any other

alignment according to your actions. Some classes however are restricted to only being a

certain alignment. For example, a knight is restricted to lawful good or lawful neutral

when they start out. This can change since all characters have free will and if a knight

performs evil acts they can shift towards evil and then have a choice at level 50 to

become a dark knight as long as they continue to be evil. If they swing towards evil then

decide to perform good acts before level 50 they can then very well go back to being

good and the dark knight choice will not be available. Berserkers and Bards are another

example in that they can only be chaotic in alignment. They can change from chaotic

good, chaotic neutral and chaotic evil all they want but these are the three alignment

choices according to their actions that they can be. Various quests, deeds, actions and

more are heavily alignment based and will determine the reputation of your character and

will be changing constantly. There for if you are helping one faction who is considered to

be chaotic good overall then another faction who may be opposed to them with a lawful

evil alignment will be much more hostile against you. Not only can your character be a

specific alignment based on your actions but organizations, guilds, and various other

groups are alignment based as well and actions a character perform can effect this

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however this is called reputation and is not covered in this volume(see core rule book for

reputation).

Alignment Meanings

Lawful Good: Lawful good characters are noble and humble individuals that practice

kindness, patients, and giving. Lawful good characters respect the law and do not like to

break it. A Lawful Good character typically acts with compassion, and always with honor

and a sense of duty. A Lawful Good nation would consist of a well-organized

government that works for the benefit of its citizens. Lawful Good characters include

righteous knights and paladins. There are times lawful good characters can come into

conflict over their morality, for example, upholding a sworn oath when it would lead

innocents to come to harm - or conflicts between two orders, such as between their

religious law and the law of the local ruler. Many sun elves and the people of Antamor

are lawful good. A good role playing example of a lawful good character would be

Batman or Captain America.

Neutral Good: Neutral Good is known as the "Benefactor" alignment. A Neutral Good

character is guided by his conscience and typically acts altruistically, without regard for

or against Lawful precepts such as rules or tradition. A Neutral Good character has no

problems with co-operating with lawful officials, but does not feel beholden to them. In

the event that doing the right thing requires the bending or breaking of rules, they do not

suffer the same inner conflict that a Lawful Good character would. Many halflings are

usually neutral good. A good role playing example of a neutral good character would be

Spiderman.

Chaotic Good: Chaotic Good is known as the "Beatific," "Rebel," or "Cynic" alignment.

A Chaotic Good character favors change for a greater good, disdains bureaucratic

organizations that get in the way of social improvement, and places a high value on

personal freedom, not only for oneself, but for others as well. They always intend to do

the right thing, but their methods are generally disorganized and often out of alignment

with the rest of society. They may create conflict in a team if they feel they are being

pushed around, and often view extensive organization and planning as pointless,

preferring to improvise. While they do not have evil intentions, they may do bad things

(even though they will not enjoy doing these things) to people who are, in their opinion,

bad people, if it benefits the greater good. Mountain dwarves are typically chaotic good

on the world of Arator. A good role playing example of a chaotic good character would

be Conan the Barbarian.

Lawful Neutral: Lawful Neutral is called the "Judge" or "Disciplined" alignment. A

Lawful Neutral character typically believes strongly in Lawful concepts such as honor,

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order, rules and tradition, and often follows a personal code. A Lawful Neutral society

would typically enforce strict laws to maintain social order, and place a high value on

traditions and historical precedent. Examples of Lawful Neutral characters might include

a soldier who always follows orders, a judge or enforcer that adheres mercilessly to the

word of the law, and a disciplined monk. Characters of this alignment are neutral with

regard to good and evil. This does not mean that Lawful Neutral characters are amoral or

immoral, or do not have a moral compass; but simply that their moral considerations

come a distant second to what their code, tradition or law dictates. They typically have a

strong ethical code, but it is primarily guided by their system of belief, not by a

commitment to good or evil. A good role playing example of lawful neutral character

would be James Bond.

Neutral: Neutral alignment also referred to as True Neutral or Neutral, is called the

"Undecided" or "Nature's" alignment. This alignment represents Neutral on both axes,

and tends not to feel strongly towards any alignment. A farmer whose primary overriding

concern is to feed his family is of this alignment. Most animals, lacking the capacity for

moral judgment, are of this alignment. Many roguish characters that play all sides to suit

themselves are also of this alignment. Some Neutral characters, rather than feeling

undecided, are committed to a balance between the alignments. They may see good, evil,

law and chaos as simply prejudices and dangerous extremes. A good role playing

example of a neutral character would be Han Solo from Star Wars.

Chaotic Neutral: Chaotic Neutral is called the "Anarchist" or "Free Spirit" alignment. A

character of this alignment is an individualist who follows his or her own heart, and

generally shirks rules and traditions. Although they promote the ideals of freedom, it is

their own freedom that comes first. Good and Evil come second to their need to be free,

and the only reliable thing about them is how totally unreliable they are. Chaotic Neutral

characters are free-spirited and do not enjoy the unnecessary suffering of others, but if

they join a team, it is because that team's goals coincide with their own. They invariably

resent taking orders and can be very selfish in their pursuit of personal goals. A Chaotic

Neutral character does not have to be an aimless wanderer; they may have a specific goal

in mind, but their methods of achieving that goal are often disorganized, unorthodox, or

entirely unpredictable. An unusual subset of Chaotic Neutral is "strongly Chaotic

Neutral", describing a character who behaves chaotically to the point of appearing insane.

Characters of this type may regularly change their appearance and attitudes for the sake

of change, and intentionally disrupt organizations for the sole reason of disrupting a

lawful construct. Captain Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean is a good example

of a chaotic neutral character.

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Lawful Evil: Lawful Evil is referred to as the "Dominator" or "Diabolic" alignment.

Characters of this alignment see a well-ordered system as being easier to exploit, and

show a combination of desirable and undesirable traits; while they usually obey their

superiors and keep their word, they care nothing for the rights and freedoms of other

individuals and are not averse to twisting the rules to work in their favor. Examples of

this alignment include tyrants, devils, undiscriminating mercenary types who have a strict

code of conduct, and loyal soldiers who enjoy the act of killing. Like Lawful Good

Paladins, Lawful Evil characters may sometimes find themselves faced with the dilemma

of whether to obey law or evil when the two conflict - however their issues with Law

versus Evil are more concerned with "Will I get caught?" vs "How does this benefit

me?". Magneto from X-Men is a good role playing example of a lawful evil character.

Neutral Evil: Neutral Evil is called the "Malefactor" alignment. Characters of this

alignment are typically selfish and have no qualms about turning on their allies-of-the-

moment. They have no compunctions about harming others to get what they want, but

neither will they go out of their way to cause carnage or mayhem when they see no direct

benefit to it. They abide by laws for only as long as it is convenient for them. A villain of

this alignment can be more dangerous than either Lawful or Chaotic Evil characters,

since he is neither bound by any sort of honor or tradition nor disorganized and

pointlessly violent. Examples are an assassin who has little regard for formal laws but

does not needlessly kill, a henchman who plots behind his superior's back, or a mercenary

who switches sides if made a better offer. A good role playing example of a neutral evil

character would be the X-Men’s Mystique character.

Chaotic Evil: Chaotic Evil is referred to as the "Destroyer" or "Demonic" alignment.

Characters of this alignment tend to have no respect for rules, other people's lives, or

anything but their own desires, which are typically selfish and cruel. They set a high

value on personal freedom, but do not have any regard for the lives or freedom of other

people. They do not work well in a group, as they resent being given orders, and usually

behave themselves only out of fear of punishment. It is not compulsory for a Chaotic Evil

character to be constantly performing sadistic acts just for the sake of being evil, or

constantly disobeying orders just for the sake of causing chaos. They do however enjoy

the suffering of others, and view honor and self-discipline as weaknesses. Serial killers

and monsters of limited intelligence are typically Chaotic Evil. A good example of a

chaotic evil character would be The Emperor from Star Wars.

Class Talents: This will list all the available class talents. Talents are special attacks

usually more powerful versions of normal attacks that each class specializes in and is

only found in that one class. There for the talents a warrior knows only a warrior knows

and no other class. Talents use energy as well as certain items in order to be performed.

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An example of this would be with the bounty hunter who needs rope and netting to be

able to use some of their talents. They can use the talent as long as the rope and net are in

their inventory. Some talents are capable of being used along with other talents at the

same time. For example, a gladiator may use the bear hug talent then immediately be able

to use body slam right after that. Attack based melee talents are typically able to be used

one after the other though not always at the same exact time as any character can only

perform one talent attack at once. All talents require energy in order to perform them and

they also have a “cool down” period where all talents will need to be “recharged” before

being able to be used again. Talents can be used within these specific time frames as well

as if the character has enough energy to perform them. If any character runs low on

energy their talents will be unusable until they are able to regain more. All damage for

talents are based on the character’s own level in a percentage. For example, if a fighter

wishes to use deadly blow and they are level 40 they will deal 40% more damage as well

as their normal strike damage. As each character levels then this percentage of damage

for talents is based on their new level (so a level 45 fighter would do 45% more damage

than normal with deadly blow). This also applies to buffs that characters have as talents.

For example, a wizard’s talent magic armor will give the wizard an extra 10 points worth

of armor at level 1, at level two it would be 12 points, level 3 13 points, etc.

Description: Simply describes the class and how they are normally used or played.

All classes upon reaching level 50 receive a “promotion” in that they become a basically

more powerful version of the class that they are. These upgraded classes retain all of their

original talents from the start as well as abilities and skills however they gain five new

talents each and all their bonuses, skills and abilities will double.

Specialties: All classes have specialties which are abilities, feats, or skills that they can

use from the start. The success of any of these being used depends on each characters stat

such as strength, will power, perception, agility, wisdom, intelligence, weapon skill,

fighting skill, and charisma as well as characters levels in some instances.

Skills, Abilities, and Feats are reliant upon stat bonuses and having a high number in that

stat. All classes gain stat bonuses upon leveling. It is these stat bonuses which allow the

character’s to have their abilities from the start of their class and not have to go through

the trouble of learning it. Characters who do not know an ability can choose to learn it but

it will take time and possibly even money for them to learn it before they can use it.

A specialties success rate of being performed is level based, stat based (stat number is

divided in half), plus the bonus percentage add for the feat, skill, or ability which is 5%

under level 50 and 10% above level 50. For example, if a thief wishes to use disguise has

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a perception of 45 and is level 20 since they are under level 50 they will have a 28%

chance to use it successfully.

Specialties can also amplify a classes talents. For example, shaman can use their

meditation skill to amplify the spiritual talents they use. The bonuses they receive on

their stats for meditating will carry over onto their talents. Another example would be

that a gladiator can receive more damage dealt percentages based on their wrestling skill

which can be added onto their wrestling talents (suplex, power bomb, choke slam, etc.)

This will work for any skill that grants a bonus according to stats that are used for that

talent.

All specialties require energy to be performed. The specialties are broken down by skill,

ability, and feat. Feats are a specialty that requires physical exertion in some large and

often powerful way such as brawling, wrestling, jumping, catching, throwing, etc. Feats

will take up the most energy out of the specialties when they are used and are often

needed to be activated on their own to be used. Abilities are considered to be less

exerting and require less energy to perform and some may require to be activated while

others may not. Skills are specialties that require the least amount of energy to be

performed and normally can be used with no cost at all to energy levels and are mostly

considered passive abilities that will occur automatically in a given situation.

Here is a list of the skills and what they require for stats for them to be used properly.

Hand to Hand Combat (Skill): Hand to hand combat is an ability that will allow the

character to receive no penalties when fighting without a weapon and just bare handed

and increases their chance to hit without a weapon in hand. If characters have the hand to

hand combat skill they will also receive a damage bonus of +5% before level 50 and

+10% after level 50 to their attacks when fighting unarmed. Attacks through hand to hand

combat can be anything from punches (jabs, hooks, uppercuts, etc.) to martial art like

moves that involve a lot of different hand movement for strikes with fists. Hand to hand

combat will become active automatically in combat or when a situation warrants it to be

used and is considered a passive or automatic talent. Hand to hand combat is based off

fighting skill statistics. Hand to hand combat does not use up physical energy.

Adrenalin Rush (Feat): Adrenalin rush is an ability that enables characters to tap into

their energy for a surge of stamina. When adrenalin rush is used a characters stamina

will be increased by +5 before level 50 and +10 after level 50. Adrenalin rush needs to be

activated in order for it to be used. Adrenalin rush is based off stamina statistics.

Adrenalin rush actually restores physical energy.

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Blind Fighting (Skill): Blind fighting allows a character to be able to strike and make

attacks despite being blinded or having poor perception in some way. Blind fighting will

increase a character’s chance to hit when fighting in the dark or if they are blinded by a

spell, attack, or talent (such as a blind spell). Blind fighting will also aid a character to

fight in poor lighting environments such as through fog that can hamper visibility. Blind

fighting increases a characters chance to hit before level 50 by 5% of a characters level

and 10% of a characters level after level 50. Blind fighting is considered a passive skill as

it will automatically become activated when situations warrant it to be used. Blind

fighting is based off agility and weapon skill statistics. Blind fighting requires no physical

energy to be used.

Precision (Skill): Precision is the ability that allows a character to strike with absolute

accuracy with a melee weapon meaning that if they are aiming to strike a certain body

part with a weapon they have more of a chance to strike successfully and with pin point

accuracy. For example if a character wants to strike a target’s chest with their weapon

they have a certain percentage of a chance to successfully make that strike in that exact

location even if the target tries to move, dodge, parry, or block the strike. Precision will

increase characters accuracy by 5% of a characters level before level 50 and 10% of a

characters level after level 50. Precision is considered a passive ability and will

automatically activate when a situation calls for it to be used in combat. Precision is

based off weapon Skill and agility statistics. Precision does not require any physical

energy to be used.

Brawling (Feat): Brawling enables a character to receive stamina bonuses when fighting

multiple attackers as these characters are adept to handle fighting more than one target at

the same time. Brawling will increase characters stamina by +5 before level 50 and by

+10 after level 50. Brawling is a passive ability and will automatically be active once a

character enters combat with more than 4 attackers at once. Brawling will not activate in

any combat situation below 4 enemies at once. Brawling is based off stamina statistics.

Brawling does not use up any physical energy points.

Battle Tactics (Ability): Battle tactics allows a character to have a higher awareness in a

combat situation that has more than 5 enemy targets at a time. Battle tactics will increase

fighting skill and perception by +5 before level 50 and by +10 after level 50. Battle

tactics enables the character to also pin point the most powerful or dangerous member

within those group of targets so that the character can try to dispatch them first. These

enemies are singled out by a glowing red aura around them during combat. Battle tactics

will always become activated as long as there are more than 5 enemy targets at one time

during a battle. Battle tactics is based from stamina statistics. Battle tactics does not use

up any physical energy points

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Wrestling (Feat): Wrestling allows a character to receive a +5% damage bonus before

level 50 and +10% damage bonus after level 50 when they perform any wrestling move.

For example, if a character were to grab a target and then pick them up and throw them to

the ground the character will receive a damage bonus to that move. Damage bonuses for

wrestling include any moves or attacks that involve being picked up and thrown down

with force. Wrestling also makes it possible for a character to grapple and hold on to a

target to prevent them from escaping or to immobilize them. Wrestling moves and

grappling can only be used if the character learns or already knows the wrestling ability.

Wrestling is based off strength and fighting skill statistics. Wrestling will use up 10

points of physical energy when used at level 1.

Horsemanship (Skill): Horsemanship allows a character to ride a mount with expert skill

using their will power to dominate their mount and enabling them to receive a +5%

damage bonus on all attacks while mounted and makes them 5% less likely to fall off

their mount on a dismount attempt from a target. Horsemanship is only active while a

character is on their mount. Horsemanship is based off will power statistics.

Horsemanship does not use up any energy.

Etiquette (Skill): Etiquette enables a character to keep their composure during certain

situations as well as give the character more of a chance to have other characters be polite

and friendly to them which can avoid situations growing hostile. Characters receive a 5%

chance to use etiquette based on level with success before level 50 and 10% based on

level chance to use etiquette successfully after level 50. Etiquette can only be used during

parlay and non combat situations at which point it automatically becomes activated.

Etiquette is based off of charisma statistics. Etiquette does not use up any energy points.

Interrogation (Ability): Interrogation will allow a character to interrogate a target for

information with a 5% chance of success before level 50 and a 10% chance after level 50.

Interrogation allows a character to use their intellect in order to manipulate and bend a

target’s mind so that they gain information they are seeking. Interrogation will only

become active when a situation presents itself for it to be used and it will need to be

activated over the intended target to be interrogated. Once the interrogation of a target is

over the bonuses will be gone to their intelligence. Interrogation is based off intelligence

statistics. Interrogation does not use up any energy points.

Leadership (Ability): A character that has leadership will be able to have a 5% more

likely chance based on level to have a group or party stay with them in battle situations as

well as grant an additional +5 bonus to all that parties or group’s will power stat scores

before level 50. After level 50 characters have a 10% chance based on level a group or

party will not abandon them during combat and the character will raise their allies’ will

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powers by +10. Leadership uses a characters charisma and will to bolster and improve a

group or party’s will power and urge to fight in battle or in combat. Leadership will only

become active when a character with the ability is in a battle situation with at least 1

other ally fighting along with them at which point leadership is automatically activated.

Leadership is based off the charisma and will power statistics. Leadership does not use up

any energy points.

Detect (Ability): Detect allows characters to detect alignment, detect lies, detect magic,

or detect invisibility. All of these detect abilities except detect alignment require

perception as detect alignment requires wisdom. Detect will allow the character either to

detect when magic may be in an area or had just been recently used, detect any traps in an

area, detect any given character’s or being’s current alignment, detect when a being or

character is lying, and to detect any invisible or unseen targets. Detect will give the

character a 5% chance based on level to detect any of the mentioned instances before

level 50 and a 10% chance based on level to use it with success after level 50. The detect

ability is always active. Some classes may know some detect abilities but not others.

Detect is based off the perception statistic. Detect does not use up any energy points.

Diplomacy (Ability): Diplomacy grants a character the ability to use their charisma and

wisdom to resolve situations without the use of violence, battle, or combat. When a

diplomatic situation presents itself a character with the ability will gain a 5% chance of

succeeding based on level in using the ability before level 50. After level 50 characters

will gain a 10% chance based on level to use diplomacy successfully. Diplomacy is based

off the charisma and wisdom statistic. Diplomacy does not use up any energy points.

Bartering (Ability): Bartering allows a character to barter and trade with other beings

and creatures using their intelligence to enable them to work out a good deal or trade for

both them and the party involved. Characters will gain a 5% chance based on level to

barter successfully before level 50 and after level 50 they will gain a 10% chance based

on level to barter successfully. Bartering requires intelligence statistics. Bartering does

not use up any energy points.

Appraisal (Skill): Appraisal will allow characters to accurately appraise an item in terms

of how much its overall value is and how much it is worth in terms of money. Appraisal

will also allow the character to know the item’s value out on the open market. When

appraising an item a character will receive a 5% chance of success before level 50 and

10% chance of success after level 50. Appraisal can appraise any item the character can

fit into their hands and is not restricted to just valuable items (such as coins, magical

items, art, etc.). Appraisal requires Intelligence statistics. Appraisal does not use up any

energy points.

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Hide in Shadows (Ability): Hide in shadows will allow a character to hide and remain

hidden as long as they do not move. Characters that use hide will have a 5% chance of

using it without being spotted while they are hiding before level 50. After level 50

characters will have a 10% chance to remaining hidden. When a situation presents itself

for the ability to use it will become available but a character must actually initialize the

act in order for it to work. Hide in shadows requires perception statistics. Hide in

shadows will use up 8 points of physical energy as a base at level 1.

Lock Picking (Ability): Lock picking allows a character to pick locks. While a character

performs a lock picking feat they will gain a 5% chance of picking the lock before level

50. After level fifty they gain a 10% chance to pick the lock. A character uses their agility

for the dexterity required to move and maneuver the lock pick within the tight space of

the lock. Perception is needed so the one picking the lock can remain silent and stealthy

while the lock is being picked (if the situation calls for it but the perception bonus is

applied regardless is silence is needed). Lock picking needs the agility and perception

statistics. Lock picking will use up 5 points of physical energy at level 1.

Stealth (Ability): Stealth is the ability that enables a character to remain unseen while

moving. When using stealth a character becomes virtually invisible while they move

however, when they do move their movement is reduced by 30% as a slower speed is

needed in order to move silently and unseen. Characters who are using stealth will

immediately become seen if they try to make an attack and characters, beings, and

creatures that can detect invisibility have a higher chance of seeing and spotting a

character using stealth. Characters can remain in stealth mode for as long as they choose.

Stealth requires perception and agility statistics. Stealth will use up 5 points of physical

energy at level 1.

Forgery (Skill): Forgery allows character to forge documentation making a fake copy

that may enable them to get into or out of a specific situation. Characters using forgery

will have a 5% chance before level 50 to use it with success and a 10% chance after level

to perform it with success. Forgery requires the perception statistics. Forgery does not use

up any energy points.

Ventriloquism (Skill): Ventriloquism allows a character to basically throw their voice in

the chance that it may fool enemies or other beings. It is a good solid distraction ability.

For example if a character finds themselves in some woods and they are behind some

bushes with a group of enemies that may be on the other side and the character does not

want to be discovered they can use ventriloquism to throw their voice further in distance

in the hopes the targets will move away to inspect the noise. Ventriloquism can also be

used to mimic various wild life calls and sounds. Characters will have an extra 5%

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chance to perform it before level 50 and a 10% chance to perform it successfully after

level 50. Ventriloquism requires perception statistics. Ventriloquism does not use any

energy points.

Disguise (Skill): Disguise allows a character to wear a disguise with a possible chance

that it will allow them to get into places that may be otherwise tedious or hard to get into.

A character will actually need to have a certain disguise on them but once it is equipped

the disguise ability will automatically become active and characters will have a 5%

chance to use that disguise successfully before level 50. After level 50 this increases to a

10% chance they will use the disguise successfully. Disguise requires perception

statistics. Disguise does not use up any energy points.

Lip Reading (Skill): Lip reading enables a character to read the lips of anyone they

choose with a 5% chance of success before level 50 and a 10% chance after level 50.

When lip reading a character will be able to understand and perceive what targets are

saying despite them being out of hearing range or even if they happened to be silenced in

some way by magic or other means. Lip reading requires the perception statistic. Lip

reading does not use up any energy points.

Sign Language (Ability): Sign language enables characters to communicate when

silence is needed or if a silence spell or similar means are already in place. Characters

using sign language will gain a 5% chance of using it before level 50 and a 10% chance

of using it after level 50. When using sign language a character can communicate to

another character who also knows sign language as if they were speaking through words.

Sign language will only work if both targets know the ability for if one character has it

and the other does not the ones that do not have it will not understand what is being said.

Sign language does not use up any energy points.

Negotiating (Ability): Negotiating allows a character to negotiate deals, contracts, and

other similar situations with a great success rate. Characters will gain a 5% chance of

using it before level 50 and a 10% chance of using negotiating successfully after level 50.

Negotiating requires the intelligence statistics. Negotiating does not use up any energy

points.

Tumbling (Skill): Tumbling will allow a character to perform a tumbling like maneuver

to avoid damage from attacks and obstacles. Tumbling includes such things as tucking,

rolling, and coming back up to a standing position, doing back flips, diving out of the

way, and other greater dodging maneuvers. Tumbling will add a 5% chance of it being

performed before level 50 and a 10% chance of it being performed after level 50.

Tumbling requires the agility statistic. Tumbling at level 1 will use up 10 points of

physical energy.

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Stealing (Ability): Stealing enables a character to steal something that they may want to

have whether it is a coin purse, weapon, jewelry, or any other item that a character can

manage to pick up and take with them. When stealing a character will have a 5% chance

of it succeeding before level 50 and a 10% chance of it succeeding after level 50. Stealing

is limited to what a character can pick up and take with them and they have better chance

to steal a coin purse then they would a valuable statue. Stealing requires agility and

perception statistics. Stealing will use up 3 points of physical energy at level 1.

Hunting (Ability): Hunting allows a character to do more damage on game animals and

gives them a much better success rate in catching them. Hunting will also allow the

character to “live off the land” meaning that if they catch and kill a game animal meant

for food they will be able to skin it, clean it, and cook it so hunting is basically four

abilities in one. Characters will deal +5 extra damage on any game animal such as deer,

quail, rabbit, squirrel, and similar animals and will have a 5% chance to catch them if

they run before level 50. After level fifty characters will receive a +10 damage bonus on

game animals with a 10% chance of success on catching them if the animals run. Hunting

only works on game animals and nothing more. Hunting requires the perception statistic.

Hunting does not use up any energy.

Tracking (Skill): Tracking enables a character to track basically anything or anyone they

want in order to catch up with them and find them as long as they are traceable (shadowy

undead for example cannot be tracked). Hunting will only be activated if there are tracks

or some form of sign that who or what they are looking for was in the area. If there are

then the character can follow those tracks until either they lead to their target or until they

run cold and stop. Characters will receive a 5% chance of using it successfully before

level 50 and will gain a 10% chance of success after level 50. Tracking requires

perception statistics. Tracking does not use up any energy points.

Swimming (Feat): Characters that use swimming will have a +5 haste rating while in

any water they become submerged in that requires them to swim as well as a +5 to agility

and stamina while swimming in the water. Swimming requires stamina statistics.

Swimming at level 1 will use up 10 points of physical energy.

Athletics (Feat): Athletics enables a character to perform triathlon like feats. Athletics is

where a character can run through a dungeon corridor, dodge or tumble away from

various obstacles and traps, fight three enemies, and then jump over a large gap in the

ground all without having to pause for a single breath. Athletics is heavily endurance

(stamina) and agility base and enables the character to perform feats and to fight while

lasting much longer than normal. Athletics will always be active if the character has the

skill and will permanently raise their agility and stamina by +5 before level 50 and by

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