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The core rules for NAME are simple and easy to use. Characters are described with skills that have numeric skill ratings. Skills are both actively used and by elusion proactively provide immunity to certain dangers.
As characters complete adventures and grow stronger their skill ratings increase and they also learn to use talents.
The use of skills is described in sections about turns, success, and losses.
The core rules conclude with how to add dice so people who prefer using dice have that option.
NAME uses "skill-based" rules. As characters gain experience and power they increase in proficiency with certain skills and talents. (This is different from a RPG in which characters instead advance through "levels".)
For purely aesthetic reasons the skills are sorted into four categories of Brawn, Brains, Harmony, and Technology. These categories normally have no effect on game play. (But they could. For example, the GM could put into the story an enchanted belt that grants whomever wears it a 1-point bonus to Brawn skills.)
There are sixteen skills that each have a corresponding talent. There is also one extra skill for using the character's racial magical ability, which has no associated talent.
The embedded .svg file above is here. This is the game's only "character sheet"! Resize and print this (probably in landscape orientation), using the bottom or back of the page for the character's description, background, inventory, known recipes, and other notes.
The GM can also resize and print out this page to keep track of four NPCs, who normally need less blank paper for description and items.
The character sheet uses a lighter colored line for the places to write the effective ratings for the last five skills, which almost never benefit from modifiers.
Why so few skills? This mimics the exaggerated prowess of protagonists in classic "heroic opera" pulp stories and films. In this genre, heroes and heroines demonstrate unrealistic expertise at broad categories of real-life skills. For example, Yu Shu-lien fights expertly with any melee weapon, James Bond uses all pistols with equal mastery, Benedict of Amber optimally leads any army on any battlefield, and Buckaroo Bonzai can expertly drive any vehicle.
Because characters are described with only a few numbers, the GM can readily improvise NPCs. This helps the story go quickly and encourages a focus on creativity and exciting actions instead of limiting strategy to a character's best types of attacks or spells.
Each character has a numeric base rating in each skill (between 0 and 8) that measures his or her ability. For some skills the effective rating will be higher because of bonuses from equipment, enchantments, etc. Any time the rules do not specify base or effective rating, the rule is about the effective rating for that skill. (The base rating would only apply if the character is not able to use his or her standard equipment.)
These rules sometimes refer to half of a skill's name when doing so aids contextual clarity. For example, these rules will sometimes discuss "the Wrestle skill" instead of "the Wrestle/Disarm skill".
In these rules skill names are always capitalized. Thus helps differentiate situations from skills. For example, while bargaining a character will certainly use the Bargain skill, but will probably also use the Identify and Intuition skills to appraise the value of items, and perhaps also tactically use Press or Provoke.
Many people enjoy enhancing role-playing game combat by using miniatures and maps with a square or hexagonal grid—for these people a simplified board game does not bring the shared free-form story to screeching halt but enhances clarity and encourages tactical thinking. The maps used are generically called "battlemats". (Paizo publishes some pretty and affordable ones called Flip-Mats.) Optional rules for using battlemats with square grids are included in certain skill descriptions in paragraphs that look like this one. Since NAME uses SI measurement units, battlemats are assumed to have squares of two-meter side length. As with all rules, the GM and Player should feel free to cooperatively adapt or ignore these battlemat rules as they desire.
These rules about skills, talents, and skill use are "core rules" both because they are almost independent of setting and because they are the general rules that get trumped by more specific rules. As one example, the core rules state the general rule that no character starts with any talents. However, the rules about the eight intelligent races provide an exception to that general rule: members of each race start with one point in a certain talent as part of their racial heritage and expertise.
This skill is used to safely and successfully jump, fall, roll, climb, etc. Acrobatics is used when moving along or onto horizontal surfaces. Climb is used when moving along or onto vertical surfaces.
Characters with greater skill rating can jump farther, fall safely from higher distances, and climb trickier surfaces. As a rule of thumb, at higher values a character can:
This skill is also used to avoid threats or obstacles that impartially affect a large area, such as diving away from an explosion, avoiding harm in a rockslide, or leaping from an out-of-control mount (in contrast, Block/Dodge is used when threats specifically target the character).
Like all defensive actions it "wins ties" when used to avoid a threat because the source of danger must have a higher skill rating to cause losses.
Acrobatics is never used to attack. To attack by leaping upon an opponent, use Press or Wrestle.
When using a battlemat, a character using Acrobatics may move up to 3 map squares.
If the GM creates his or her own setting to use with the NAME rules then the Acrobatics/Climb skill may be too general. For example, adventures in a mountainous land covered with snow and ice might benefit by having additional and distinct skills for Ski/Snowshoe and Ropes/Ice-Climbing. There is nothing sacrosanct about having sixteen skills!
This skill is used for hand-to-hand combat with sharp or blunt weapons. Unlike Acrobatics/Climb, its rating is only meaningful for comparing the skill ratings of combatants (it does not correspond to any specific, measurable quantities).
Melee refers to fighting with a normal balance of offense and defense: attempting to cut or bludgeon the opponent without leaving one's self vulnerable. The Melee skill can also be used with weapons that ensnare, such as a net, whip, or bolo.
Press refers to a brief aggressive and forceful advance that provides an advantage if the opponent does not react appropriately to the extra intensity, but can be disastrous if the opponent is prepared or handles the pressure effectively.
Press also applies to situations beyond combat. As examples, a surprising and energetic push could also help while haggling, debating, racing on foot, or picking a jammed lock.
When using a battlemat, a character using Melee may move up to 2 map squares. Additionally, a character using Melee is "sticky" and opponents cannot move away from him or her without using the Block/Dodge or Escape skills. A character using Press may move up to 3 map squares, but must move in as straight a line as possible (the character is charging at his or her foe).
Melee and Press are linked concepts in much of heroic fantasy literature. In Wuxia stories the heroes often train their ability to concentrate and channel bursts of energy during swordfights by deepening their use of concentration and energy while doing calligraphy. Many stories from all cultures connect having focus and energy during swordplay with displaying focus and energy during contests of speaking or bargaining. The English language even refers to "verbal sparring", "parrying his argument" or offering a "witty reposte" counter-argument.
Certainly exercising the body also helps energize and sharpen the mind. But in "heroic opera" pulp stories and films one specific kind of physical exercise—training and practice with melee weapons—is especially effective for preparing the mind to give "piercing displays" of "rapier wit".
This skill is used for distance attacks. Shoot is used for bows, crossbows, and handheld devices created with Machinery. (Seige weapons are operated with Machinery instead of Shoot.) Throw is used for throwing either sharp or blunt objects.
As a rule of thumb, the distance a character can use a ranged weapon without penalty is ten times his or her skill rating (in meters). The distance for throwing without penalty is four times the skill rating. Beyond this distance the attacker suffers a 1-point situational disadvantage.
A character can use Throw but not Shoot when adjacent to an aggressive opponent.
When using a battlemat, a character using Shoot usually does not move. The character can chose to move 1 map square, but this causes a 1-point situational disadvantage for the Shoot skill because it is difficult to aim while moving.
When using a battlemat, a character using Throw can move up to 2 map squares.
Weapon range can matter when using a battlemat. Consider a character with a Shoot/Throw skill rating of 2. That character can only throw without penalty at a range of 8 meters, which is four map squares. Many battlemat rooms are bigger than that. That character can shoot without penalty at a range of 20 meters, which is ten map squares. Battlemats of outdoor reagions often have areas that big.
Wrestle is for attacks without weapons, whether intending to inflict damage or grapple. It also measures the general physical strength of a character: a higher skill rating denotes deeper reserves of physical endurance and greater ability to resist fatigue, poison, etc. Disarm is for attacks (with or without a weapon) that try to knock away what the opponent is holding.
As a rule of thumb, a character can comfortably carry a backpack and other equipment weighing at total of fifteen times his or her skill rating (in kilograms) without penalizing physical skills such as Acrobatics and Dodge.
When using a battlemat, a character using Wrestle/Disarm may move up to 1 map square. A character who attacks with Wrestle and then moves could represent dragging a grappled opponent. Additionally, a character using Wrestle is "sticky" and opponents cannot move away from him or her without using the Block/Dodge or Escape skills.
A character who successfully used Wrestle during a previous turn to grab a foe may on a later turn use Wrestle to throw that foe. The grabbed foe is thrown up to one map square per Wrestle skill rating.
The rules are purposefully vague about whether Disarm can be used at long distances. Perhaps the GM and Player favor the drama and plot device of a very skilled character being able to shoot a weapon (or doomsday device) from an opponent's hand. Or perhaps they prefer realism, realizing that even professional target shooters cannot reliably do such a feat in the face of danger.
In general, the Wrestle skill is used for feats of pure strength and the Acrobatics skill is used for activities involving both strength and coordination. Gray areas certainly exist, and then the GM and Player should agree which skill to use. For example, running on a clean street would use Wrestle whereas running through a forest heavy with underbrush and branches would use Acrobatics—but which skill would govern a foot race on a track with hurdles? (Also note that fleeing from a pursuer involves much more than simply being a faster runner, and is governed by the Exit/Escape skill.)
Although many skills can be used during combat, NAME has only four skills specifically about combat: Melee, Shoot, Wrestle, and Disarm. Different combat skills may be needed if the GM uses his or her own setting. Perhaps a science fiction setting would instead use Blunt Weapons, Blades, Projectiles, and Lasers. However, a GM altering the combat skills should do so carefully if leading adventures for only one PC, to preserve how combat focuses more on choices about distance and tactics than always using the PC's most damaging type of attack.
Bargain is used to haggle over prices or otherwise steer a conflict of interests to a workable compromise. When haggling, prices usually change by 5% for each difference in opposing Bargain skill rating.
Wonder can be used in two ways. In a receptive way it measures the ability to produce practical attitudes and understandings through feeling the grandeur and drama inherent in a situation: awe and amazement can be a form of thinking, and insight and wisdom can spring from encountering the indescribable. Aggressively, the skill can be used to startle, intimidate, or awe someone with impressive solidity, energetic charisma, and stunning force of presence.
Wonder also measures how resistant a character is to harmful magical mental influences.
When using a battlemat, a character using Wonder may move up to 1 map square. A slow, intimidating advance can create a 1-point situational advantage for the duration of the combat against currently nervous enemies (any opponents who have already suffered a minor or major loss during that combat).
This skill measures the likelihood a character knows helpful and relevant facts. Identify refers to appraising gems and jewlery, recognizing famous cultural artifacts, recalling which nobility owns certain jewelry, verifying the authenticity of a signature, and other situations of recalling information about a particular item. Lore refers to knowledge of general cultural information: details about history, society, laws, notable families, religious practices, and so forth.
Either can help a character fabricate reasonable-sounding falsehoods.
When using a battlemat, a character using Identify/Lore cannot move. Success provides a 1-point situational advantage for the duration of the combat against a specific foe (the character has recalled some helpful technique or advice). Sometimes this bonus applies to all foes of a certain type (all Dust Spiders shun fire, all Kobalts of that clan favor their right side, etc.).
Intuition refers to confidently reaching correct conclusions despite having neither the facts for logical deduction nor an encounter with grandeur and power to provide awe-inspired wisdom. A practiced intuition includes both experience with accurate hunches and well-developed habits of calming the mind, looking at the big picture, and acting purposefully instead of reacting to circumstances. The skill of Intuition can also be used to instill a false sense of intuition in someone else by subtly planting ideas that the victim will mistake for his or her own insights and hunches.
Provoke is the opposite of Press: a brief display of passivity or weakness intending to draw out the opponent. Provoke can provide a big advantage if the opponent reacts to the provocation.
Provoke can apply to situations beyond combat. As examples, a tricky feint or distraction could lead an opponent to do something foolish during a debate, chase, or search.
When using a battlemat, a character using Intuition cannot move. The character receives a 2-point situational advantage against one enemy next turn, for intuiting a helpful tactic. A character using Provoke moves up to 2 map squares, but may not move towards the provoked enemy.
Consider two characters are in conflict. As a rule of thumb:
Thus Provoke can provide the largest bonus. But compared to Press it is helpful in fewer situations, for opponets will most often be using the normally appropriate skill.
Stealth is used to hide, move quietly, walk tracelessly, use a disguise, or be physically sneaky in other ways. Stealth is also used for sleight of hand and pickpocketing.
Note that a character using Stealth usually does not know if the skill is used successfully until someone attempts detection.
Consider two characters: the first hiding while trying to use Stealth to move, the second on guard duty and using Perception. As a rule of thumb:
(Normally the sneaking character will not know the Perception skill ratings of those who are searching. The sneaking character must use clues and courage to estimate how quickly he or she can safely move.)
Track attempts to follow someone's trail, which often involves the same knowledge and tricks as Stealth. When tracking, Track and Stealth skills are compared. As a rule of thumb, the amount the pursuer's Track skill exceeds the sneaker's Stealth skill measures the speed in kilometers per hour with which the pursuer can follow the trail.
Characters with more Track skill can follow older tracks as well as less visible tracks. As a rule of thumb, the Track skill rating also measures the number of either days or hours before a track becomes impossible for that character to follow it. (Days applies in relatively quiet places, such as a forest during a hot, dry week. Hours applies to frequently distrubed places, such as a town square or a forest during a rainstorm.)
When using a battlemat, a character using Stealth may move up to 2 map squares. The character receives a 1-point situational advantage against a single enemy next turn. If the enemy is being flanked or distracted by an ally this bonus increases to a 2-point situational advantage.
Animals applies to training, riding, taming, misdirecting, or caring for any animals, as well as maintenance of a riding animal's tack and other gear. Compare skill ratings to find the victor when racing on mounts of similar speed.
Wilderness applies to swiming, fishing, locating food, setting snares, navigation, and other tasks related to surviving in the outdoors, both above ground and underground. As a rule of thumb, the skill rating in Wilderness measures the number of other people for which that character can provide decent food and shelter.
This skill is used defensively to avoid a threat aimed specifically at the character. Both blocking and dodging are normally only effective against the threats from one oppoent.
Block uses a shield, weapon, or other item to ward away harm. Blocking is favored by those weighted down, especially guards wearing heavy armor.
Dodge nimbly avoids the danger and is difficult to do when encumbered.
When using a battlemat, a character using Block/Dodge may move up to 3 map squares, and can freely move away from "sticky" opponents using Melee or Wrestle.
For a solo protagonist, Block/Dodge is of limited use during combat. If a fighter spends each turn being defensive, he or she never attacks and cannot be victorious! However, certain beasts are slow and only attack on every other of their turns. A fighter who blocks or dodges these attacks can safely do his or her own attacks in between. Also, Block/Dodge can be useful if the opponent has a limited number of special chances: only two enchanted arrows, only one stun potion, only three poisoned darts, etc.
Exit refers to safely or gracefully getting out of a bad situation. Examples include fleeing from combat, becoming lost in a crowd, using an acceptable excuse to leave a tense conversation, or safely removing a lockpick after noticing the lock is trapped.
The Exit skill is also used to prevent an enemy from using his or her own Exit skill.
Escape refers to gaining freedom from physical confinement. It is usually used to escape from a trap, net, or wrestling hold.
Most attempts at Escape are all-or-nothing situations. The skill rating used to create the source of confinement (Wilderness for a snare, Machinery for a mechanical trap, Melee for a thrown net, Wrestle for a wrestling hold, etc.) is compared to the Escape skill rating. If the Escape skill rating is higher, the character escapes confinement.
When using a battlemat, a character using Exit may move up to 4 map squares, and moves before any other character. A character using Escape may move up to 2 map squares, and can freely move away from "sticky" opponents using Melee or Wrestle.
Perception measures alertness, awareness, and attention to detail. It is used for all searching, whether a tiny item carefully hidden in a room or a special plant growing somewhere in a large forest.
A character's effective Perception skill rating is halved when the character is not actively searching or examining. Consider two situations involving a character with a Perception skill rating of 4 and a trap that requires a Perception skill rating of 3 to be noticed.
Etiquette is used to successfully navigate social situations. It includes clarity in conversations, ease in making a good impression, skill at getting attention at parties, and success when gambling. It also measures the ability to deal well with unfamiliar cultures, and to impressively manage domestic tasks such as cooking or gardening.
When using a battlemat, a character using Perception may move 1 map square. Success provides a 1-point situational advantage for the duration of the combat against a specific foe (the character has noticed some helpful technique).
Bonuses gained from any of the observational skills (Perception, Wonder, Identify, Lore, or Intuition) may be communicated, while they last, to allies. For example, someone could shout "Blunt weapons hurt this kind of ooze more!" or "Attack his hands, he does not know how to use his sword hilt properly to defend them!"
On a battlemat, Perception is very similar to Identify/Lore. But with Identify/Lore the bonus can potentially apply to all foes of a certain type, and with Perception the character may move 1 map square.
The NAME sample setting has a steampunk theme and includes four fantasy crafting skills that allow the creation of inventions which behave like fantastically enhanced versions of real life constructions.
Because the Technology skills are not modeled after real-life activities they require more explanation than the previous twelve skills. They are described in detail on a separate page.
Using any of the four Technology skills requires the character to have both hands free. The character constructs his or her creation by hand.
If the NAME rules are used with a different setting the Technology skills should be changed or removed. For example, in a futuristic setting the four Technology skills could instead involve computers, robotics, vehicle maintenance, and bioengineering.
Ability with skills and talents is normally rated between 1 and 8:
| Rating | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 1 | Fumbling - An inexperienced person mimicking what he or she has seen others do |
| 2 | Clumsy - Peons, pawns, flunkies, mooks, and expendable allies wearing red shirts |
| 3 | Rough - Guards, thugs, laborers, and others who get rough practice |
| 4 | Polished - Veterans, diplomats, craftsmen, and others showing fine experience |
| 5 | Notable - Guard captains, bandit chiefs, master craftsmen, and other experts and leaders in their fields |
| 6 | Superior - The local celebrity, someone who is the best in the local region at this skill. |
| 7 | Heroic - Most people only meet someone this skilled once or twice during their life |
| 8 | Legendary - Most people only tell stories of this degree of skill |
Using the nicknames for the numerical ratings is optional. They are included for the GM's benefit: hopefully the skill ratings for most NPCs are immediately obvious from either the adjective nickname or the accompanying stereotype examples.
Notice the four pairs. Fumbling and Clumsy (1 and 2) are for skills rarely or never practiced during stressful situations. Rough and Polished (3 and 4) denote skills used almost daily, often as a professional to earn a living. Notable and Superior (5 and 6) are special and elite, probably unique to any town or region, respectively. Heroic and Legendary (7 and 8) skill ratings do not appear in most adventures.
Skills in SPECTRE
Consider the novel Goldfinger. The common SPECTRE agents employed at Piz Gloria were easily fooled and fought by Bond (Clumsy in most skills, perhaps Rough in Melee/Press). Blofield is far more clever, perceptive, dangerous, and even athletic than these men (Polished or Notable in most skills). Since Blofield does not employ a mercilessly tough or trained bodyguard like Odd Job or Jaws, the story lacks a villain who can match Bond's Superior skill in Melee and Shoot. Tracy does match Bond's Superior skill rating in driving, as well as proving his equal in courage both before and during their brief marriage. Probably no character is Heroic at any skill, although it could be claimed that Bond developed Heroic skill in Perception or Intuition during the previous ten novels.
The GM may allow a rare skill of 0 that represents complete ignorance. For example, a NPC visiting from a distant town who has never seen a clockwork machine or the Machinery skill used could have a zero in Machinery. A NPC who grew up in a peace-loving commune might never have been in a fight, seen a serious fight, or studied martial arts, and thus have a zero in Melee. But it should be quite rare for someone to lack even second-hand experience with a skill or its products.
Newly created PCs are slightly more skilled than most of the population. As the PC adventures, he or she develops greater skills and talents, and becomes capable of attempting greater challenges. It is recommended that a new PC have 40 points to distribute among his or her sixteen skills, with at most one base skill rating of 5 and no base skill rating above of 5.
Skills slowly increase as the PC completes adventures and gains experience and practice.
Some GMs like to reward unusually good moments of Player creativity or role-playing with extra experience. Obviously the "shopping method" best allows giving the Player a small reward.
It will be mentioned later that a talent's rating can never exceed the corresponding skill's rating.
Notice that a character's overall experience can be calculated by subtracting 40 from the sum of all skill and talent ratings.
The GM may change how many points a new PC has or alter the starting limits if the GM prefers stories in which the PCs begin their adventuring career as already extraordinary individuals.
Skill ratings can be boosted because of special equipment, situational advantages, group effort, or talents. For example, a nameless pirate crew member (Melee skill rating 2) with excellent armor and an elevation advantage might fight as well as his pirate captain (Melee skill rating 5) who lacks those benefits.
Notable equipment provides an equipment bonus of either 1 or 2 points.
Examples of excellent quality include a musician playing a notable instrument, a gladiator wearing custom-made metal armor, or a machinist with an unusually well-stocked workshop. Examples of beneficial enchantments include an archer using enchanted arrows or a blacksmith using an enchanted anvil.
These equipment bonuses may boost a skill rating above 8. The character sheet keeps track of both the base rating (innate ability without bonuses) and the effective rating (total rating including any equipment bonus). This helps during situations when a character does not have access to his or her special equipment.
Valtor and his Sword
Valtor has a Melee/Press skill of 3. He normally carries an enchanted sword, which is his preferred weapon. So on the character sheet the Player writes 3 for his base rating in Melee/Press, and 5 for his effective rating.
Situational advantages can be almost anything. They can arise from features of the location, such as a foot race along familiar streets, fighting from higher ground, or working with an ally to flank an enemy warrior. They can come from character background, such as someone trained as a locksmith who uses Machinery to create or pick a mechanical lock. They can come from skill use, as described earlier. They can be based on what other people are doing, such as allies flanking an opponent or soldiers aided by their commander's superior tactics and inspiring shouts.
A situational advantage bonus is either 1 or 2 points.
The GM decides whether each helpful factor represents a small (1 point) or large (2 points) situational advantage bonus. Even if many factors are all working in a character's favor, the total situational advantage bonus for each skill use never exceeds 2 points.
Situational disadvantages also happen. It is more difficult to sneak when encumbered, to win an archery contest with an injured arm, and to race on an unbroken horse than a trained one. It is easier to surprise an unprepared opponent. A very flamable zombie will shy away from a torch.
As with situational advantages, the penalty is either 1 or 2 points.
Some disadvantages are long-term conditions such as an illness or a curse. How these conditions affect skill use should be a matter of common sense. As always, the GM and Player should both contribute with the GM having the deciding word about how skill use is modified. Context determines the extent, severity, and duration of skill use modification.
Two Quite Different Examples of Weakness
A princess drinks a mild poison that weakens her. Her muscles feels achey and her muscular strength is slightly reduced. She can recover after two days of healthy eating and rest. Meanwhile, the skills Acrobatics/Climb, Melee/Press, Wrestle/Disarm, Block/Dodge, and Exit/Escape suffer a -1 penalty.
A prince catches a severe disease that increasingly weakens him as the weeks go by. He will only recover after the disease is cured. Each week all of his skills are penalized by a further -1, until he is bedridden and eventually comatose.
In the previous pair of examples notice that what affects skill use is the condition of being weakened. It does not really matter to the game mechanics if the affliction that causes the condition is poison, disease, or something else. The affliction matters to the story. The condition matters for skill use.
A character that is dizzy will have a penalty to use certain skills. A character that is slowed will not be able to attempt skill use as often as normally. Whether the dizziness or slowing was the result of a potion, gas released by a trap, disease, poison, mold spores, dragon's breath, a Witch's magic wand, or aGemback's belch is important to the story but not the game mechanics.
Below is a list of sample conditions with opposites. Benefitial conditions (in bold below) usually aid skills. Harmful conditions (not in bold) usually penalize skills. Many of these conditions might at first seem atypical for a RPG. But an emphasis on storytelling instead of combat can make potions of cheerfulness interesting, or a cursed hat of overly-outgoing-ness a truly troubling item.
Physical Conditions: energized vs. tired, hale vs. sick, hydrated vs. dehydrated, satiated vs. hungry, sensitive vs. numbed, strengthened vs. weakened, hastened vs. slowed, free vs. ensnared, mobile vs. dazed or paralyzed, focused vs. dizzy or headachey or nauseous, breathing freely vs. coughing or choking, cooled vs. overheated or burned, warmed vs. chilled or frozen, grounded vs. shocked (electrical), true form vs. polymorphed.
Mental Conditions: serene vs. uneasy, relaxed vs. nervous, decisive vs. befuddled, patience vs. impatience, informed vs. confused, self-disciplined vs. hypnotized, wary vs. charmed, cheerful vs. depressed, outgoing vs. withdrawn, courageous vs. fearful, dominating vs. dominated, merciful vs. bitter, caring vs. angry, mindful vs. amnesiac, critical vs. paranoid.
The list of conditions was aided by this discussion at Story Games.
When a group of characters simultaneously attempts the same thing the group combines their attempts. The group acts as if it was performing a single action using a single skill rating. The group gets a group bonus to its combined skill use.
Fleeing Many Archers
Player: Too many kobalts! Silmyn flees.
GM: Okay. They do not pursue, but four of the kobalts have bows. They each have time for one shot at Silmyn before she is out of range.
Player: Ouch!?
Silmyn's Exit skill rating is 3. The kobalts have Shoot skill ratings of 2. But there are four of them, so their combined attack has a rating of 4. Silmyn is hit, but does escape.
GM: Yes, ouch. Three miss, but Silmyn is hit by one arrow before running out of their range.
The group bonus numbers may be less in certain situations when cooperation is not especially effective.
Hiding from a Group of Bandits
Player: Meldela hides from the bandits, behind or in some bushes not far from their camp.
GM: Okay. They search for about half an hour and...
Meldela is quite sneaky and has a Stealth skill of 5. Each bandit has a Perception skill of 3. The GM decides that cooperation helps the bandits search faster, but not necessarily better. So he gives the bandits a group bonus of 2 points (instead of the usual 3 points for a group of five or more). The skill ratings are tied and Meldela is not moving, so the bandits do not find her.
GM: They do not find Meldela. They give up and return to camp.
The group bonus only includes the extra effectiveness of more people trying. It does not include any improvements to tactics used by group members. Thus a pair of warriors flanking an enemy should receive both a 1-point situational advantage bonus (for flanking) and a 1-point group bonus (for having two people).
Characters with zero skill rating cannot contribute to a group bonus for that skill.
Talents (discussed in detail soon) sometimes provide a talent bonus for certain types of skill use. For example, talent in the Identify/Lore skill provides a bonus to the Wilderness skill when searching for wild herbs.
When applicable, a talent rated between 1 and 4 provides a 1-point talent bonus, and a talent rated between 5 and 8 provides a 2-point talent bonus.
Note that all four types of bonuses can apply at the same time. A group effort can enjoy a situational advantage and also benefit when the group member with highest skill has special equipment and a helpful talent.
Most often skills are actively used, as discussed above. But in some situations a high skill rating can proactively protect a character.
Most dangerous situations are qualified with an elusion requirement written in brackets that specifies which skill rating(s) will grant immunity to or exemption from the danger.
Example Elusion Requirements
Landslide [Acrobatics 4 or Escape 5]: these large rocks can be avoided by characters with Acrobatics skill rating 4 or more, or Escape skill rating of 5 or more.
Poison [Wrestle 7]: the poison weakens most characters, but anyone with Wrestle skill rating of 7 or more is so tough that his or her body resists the poison.
Rumor [Etiquette 5]: the slandrous libel will not tarnish the reputation of characters with Etiquette skill rating of 5 or more, who are so well esteemed in the community that no NPC of importance would believe the wicked rumor.
Charm [Wonder 4]: the mind controlling effect does not work on characters with Wonder skill rating of 4 or more, who have sufficient force of personality and experience with strange compulsions to resist the charm.
Floor Trap [Block/Dodge 4 or Perception 3]: a trap fires a javelin at whomever steps on a pressure plate in the floor. A character with Block/Dodge skill rating of 4 or more will avoid the javelin. A character with a Perception skill rating of 3 or more who is actively looking for traps will notice the trap and have a safe opportunity to avoid or disarm it.
Situations with elusion requirements often require carefully considering which bonuses apply to the skill's base rating. For example, an adventurer with a magic shield normally receives a 2-point equipment bonus to his or her Block skill rating, but this would not help avoid a javelin trap if the shield was currently strapped to the character's back instead of properly wielded.
Some dangers have a partial elusion in which sufficient skill rating(s) do not grant complete immunity but do dramatically lessens the harm. For example, an avalanche might hurt all characters caught within it, but those with high enough Acrobatics or Escape suffer much less harm.
Elusion replaces the concept of "saving throws" in some other RPGs.
Talents are special ways to use skills. Talents set experienced characters apart from other people. Having a talent allows the corresponding skill be used differently, achieving a distinct kind of benefit that can never be acquired through normal skill use. The benefits of talents are never availble from other means (special items, blessings, etc.).
Talents also have a numeric rating. But the numeric ratings for talents do not have adjective nicknames because most people in the game world have no non-zero talent ratings. All talents start at zero and a talent's rating may never be increased beyond the base skill rating of the corresponding skill. A new PC has no talents.
In most other role-playing games the primary differences between a knight, a woodsman, and a thief would a represented through a set of bonuses and restrictions called a "character class". In NAME the talents serve the same function in a more natural manner while adding a Wuxia flavor.
Talent in Acrobatics/Climb grants faster movement. Climbing speed can eventually be increased to normal running speed, and running speed can eventually be doubled.
When moving fast matters, this talent's rating has priority over higher Acrobatics or Wrestle skill rating.
This talent provides a talent bonus in attempts to flee combat, and in some Melee situations when fast footwork helps.
When using a battlemat, a character using Acrobatics adds half his or her talent rating (round up) to the number of map squares moved each turn when using a skill that allows movement. (A character using a skill that does not permit map square movement is still not allowed to move.)
Talent in the Melee/Press skill allows using one melee action to hit multiple opponents. This could be a flurry of quick blows or a powerful, sweeping attack that injures many foes with one swing.
This talent's rating determines the maximum number of secondary targets, assuming sufficient enemies can be reached. (As always, in each turn all movement happens before all attacks.)
Ususally this secondary damage is not as injurious as the damage dealt to the attack's primary target (reduce the Melee skill rating by one when determining losses for secondary targets).
Talent in the Shoot/Throw skill allows making incredibly accurate "point blank" distance attacks. The character suffers no penalties within six times this range (in meters). As examples, their skill use in unpenalized no matter how fast the target is moving, what cover the target are attempting to hide behind, or how windy it is.
In terms of battlemat squares, the character suffers no penalties within three times the skill rating. Remember that each square is two meters.
Talent in the Wrestle/Disarm skill denotes toughness and fortitude that allow a character to endure more hurt during combat. This talent's rating grants the character that many additional major losses before being defeated.
Additionally, the character may hold a stationary "sanctuary pose" that temporarily doubles this talent's rating by focusing internal energy. This pose can be useful while being rescued by allies or to survive environmental damage such as a rockslide or collapsing building.
Talent in the Bargain/Wonder skill shows development of wonder so advanced that the character can perform wondrous feats of physical prowess. The GM has final authority on which feats are possible as this talent's rating increases. As an example, consider these traditional Wuxia feats:
Talent in the Identify/Lore skill represents knowledge of herbal medicines. Unlike healing potions, healing herbs are effective even after some time has passed since the injury, and only herbal healing is capable of curing disease or paralysis, or speeding the healing of broken bones or mental afflictions.
The talent's numeric rating is used as a multiplier, by which the body's natural healing rate is boosted if the rights herbs are available. (A rating of 1 allows a character to identify and administer herbal medicines but does not yet provide a multiplier for healing. This still allows stabilizing a disease or poison to prevent further harm, or temporarily soothing a mental affliction.)
This talent also provides a talent bonus to the Wilderness skill when searching for wild herbs.
Talent in the Intuition/Provoke skill represents the special kind of interpersonal intuition that alows more effective fast-talking, with the beneficial result that people who are fast-talked remain duped for hours instead of only minutes.
Fast-talking is normally done with the Etiquette or Press skills. This talent provides a talent bonus to whichever skill is used. This talent's rating also shows the number of hours that successful fast-talking will last.
The technique of fast-talking is a skill. But it is a special talent to have the right hunch about whether the target will respond best to a rushed excuse, a call to honor and duty, an emotional plea, a haughty aristocratic attitude, an appeal to nostalgia or sentimentality, a request for a favor that enables saving face, a promise of future compensation, etc.
Talent in the Stealth/Track skill allows a character to blend into shadows with amazing ability. It provides a talent bonus to the Stealth skill when shadows are usable. This talent also allows a character to squeeze into shadows with remarkable ease: the rating also measures how many fewer centimeters thick a character appears to be when trying to hide in a shadow (for example, if a character flattened against a wall is actually 10 cm thick, a talent rating of 4 would allow that character to hide in a shadow normally only able to hide something 6 cm thick).
Also, attunement with shadows becomes so advanced that "shadow stepping" is possible: teleportation from one shadow to another. Each meter of stepping takes one minute of preparation while remaining stationary in a shadow. This talent's rating measures the maximum number of meters traveled.
Talent in the Animals/Wilderness skill allows a character to control tame animals. The rating measures three factors: the maximum length of a sequence of steps the animals will perform, the numer of animals that can be simultaneously controlled, and the maximum difficulty of any requests.
How difficult are requests? The optimal situation would have six characteristics:
An optimal situation has a difficulty of 1. The difficulty increases by one for each of the above six items missing from the situation.
Animal Control Example
With a rating of 1 a character could ask his or her own pet mouse to go eat a visible piece of cheese in an empty, safe room. (The instruction has only one step. There is only one animal. The situation is optimal.)
With a rating of 4 the character could ask his or her friend's four pet mice to each go to an empty and safe room, pick up some cheese, bring it back instead of eating it, and drop it in front of the character. The mice will not get an immediate reward of food or positive attention from their owner. (The instruction has four steps. There are four animals. The situation is not optimal because of four reasons: the animals are not well-known, have not done similar tasks for the character, are asked to do the unnatural behavior of giving up potential food, and will not receive an immediate reward.)
Talent in the Block/Dodge skill represents the quickness and alertness that allows a character to avoid ranged attacks, even while occupied with another activity. Any ranged attack directed against this character (except for a talented "point blank" shot) has its skill diminished by this talent's rating.
(This is probably the common talent in the genre of "heroic opera" pulp stories and films. Why else are Stormtroopers, SMERSH agents, and Prince John's bowmen unable to hit heroes who are focusing on fighting, climbing, sneaking, and other tasks?)
Talent in the Exit/Escape skill shows defensive combat habits of positioning and evading damage that allow a character to ignore some enemies when fighting a group, to better focus on a single opponent at a time. This does two things.
First, reduce the size of the opposing group by this talent's rating when determining the group bonus.
Second, when the character uses the Block/Dodge skill, it applies to as many additional opponents as this talent's rating (normally Block/Dodge only applies to one opponent.)
Talent in the Perception/Etiquette skill shows a normally heightened awareness that prevents the character from being completely surprised. Any surprise attack directed against this character has its skill diminished by this talent's rating.
Talent in Alchemy allows the alchemist to identify potions by appearance and smell.
All potions have a minimum Alchemy skill required to create them. A character can identify a potion whose difficulty is equal or lesser than this talent's rating.
Talent in Chemstry allows creating skillful golems. Most golems have all skill ratings equal to zero. This talent's rating measures the number of non-zero skills the character can give to a golem he or she crafts and also the maximum skill the character can give to the golem.
Talent in the Machinery skill aids in noticing mechanical traps and also allows creating machines that work for more than a few hours.
This talent's rating is added to both active and passive uses of the Perception skill to notice mechanical traps. (When passively perceptive the Perception skill rating is halved but this talent rating is not halved.)
This talent's rating, when 2 or greater, is also a multiplier for the duration a machine will work. Machines constructed without using this talent can still gain extra duration if repaired using this talent.
Talent in the Transmutery skill allows manipulating materials at a distance instead of by touching them with both hands. This talent's rating measures the maximum distance, in meters.
How does skill use work? The first issue is how often skills are used.
When playing NAME the Player and GM take turns continuing the story. How long is a turn?
The Player's turn lasts until the Player describes the PC's intention to use a skill or item. The Player should be careful to describe intentions, not actions. Usually the PC's plans or desires are immediately successful: they could just as well have been phrased as actions. But assuming success is actually crowding out the GM's turn. Speaking of intentions provides the GM with opportunities to inject details and complications. Furthermore, intentions are easy to word in exciting and realistic phrasing, and details often make plans more interesting.
(Usually the Player's turn ends because using a skill or item means the Player cannot continue the story without information from the GM about what the PC perceives or what an NPC does. If the PC is alone and in a familiar place, the Player's turn could be quite lengthy since the Player can continue the story without new information.)
Note that using an item may span several Player turns. Slow tasks such as picking a tricky lock, repairing worn-out machinery, setting up a trap, climbing a high wall, bandaging a hurt ally, and crossing a large pile of rubble could provide NPCs with time to do several things.
The GM's turn lasts until the Player (and thus the PC) learns new information. There could be a lot of information (the GM provides lengthy description after the PC enters a new place occupied by strange people) or very little information (the GM shares what the PC can tell about an opponent during the first few moments of a fight). Often the information includes what all the NPCs do, what the PC perceives, and any hunches the PC has.
A good GM will alter the length of his or her turn to help the pace of the story. The GM will slow down the pace by providing more detail when the PC has the luxury of slowly looking around and thinking. The GM will foster a sense of urgency when the action is rushed by sharing less detail and concluding with phrases such as "What is your character doing?" or "How does your character react?"
Good Example of Taking Turns
Player: Silmyn smiles at the thug. "I mean no harm."
GM: The thug draws his sword and rushes towards Silmyn. How does Silmyn react?
Player: Silmyn wants to subdue him but not kill him. He needs to find out who is sending these assassins, and he can't question a corpse. So Silmyn moves into a compact stance, ready to use his own sword to bind. He hopes to gague his opponent's strength and skill, then disarm.
GM: The thug's swings are forceful but not skilled. Silmyn parries two blows, and on the third has an opportunity to bind. The thug tries to free his blade but Silmyn presses in and twists it out of the thug's hand. The thug is definitely stronger than Silmyn. What does Silmyn do?
This was interesting and exciting. The Player used details to make his plan more fun. The GM was able to build off what the Player said and also share information about the thug.
Bad Example of Taking Turns
Player: Silmyn smiles at the thug. "I mean no harm."
GM: The thug draws his sword and rushes towards Silmyn.
Player: Silmyn stabs him in the arm, causing the thug to drop his sword.
GM: Okay.
This was boring. The Player stole the GM's turn and weakened the story by doing so.
Boring Example of Taking Turns
Player: Silmyn smiles at the thug. "I mean no harm."
GM: The thug draws his sword and rushes towards Silmyn.
Player: Silmyn turns so the right side of his body faces his foe, and steps back to put his weight on his left leg. He keeps his sword's tip high, ready to block. His left hand is poised, ready to help maintain perfect balance when lunging. He smiles at the thug, letting the lamp light gleam off his gold tooth...
GM: Arg! Enough!
All that detail makes no contribution to the encounter. The GM has almost nothing to make use of when contuinuing to build the story. The story's flow is ruined.
Even though only one skill or item is used during each of the Player's turns, the turn can include all sorts of "extra" details that do not affect the situation's outcome. Just be sure to not hog the stage as in the previous example.
Archery without Details
Player: Boxley cautiously fires an arrow at the highwaymen from her hiding place behind the wagon.
Succinct and sufficient. There is nothing especially right or wrong about using few words.
Archery with Steps
Player: Boxley cautiously fires an arrow at the highwaymen. She readies an arrow, leans from her hiding place behind the wagon, selects a target, aims carefully, shoots the arrow, and ducks back behind cover.
Verbose but not boring. When the situation is suspenseful the Player often slowly states a series of steps to provide the GM opportunity to interrupt if the bad guys do something unexpected.
Archery with Extra Actions
Player: Boxley quickly looks at the highwaymen from her hiding place behind the wagon, hollering, "Head down, Friar!" She touches her lucky rabbit foot and prays for luck before drawing her arrow. "Your mother stinks of gooseberry!" she yells as she fires an arrow at the nearest enemy.
Many actions, but only the shooting really affected the situation's outcome. If those other actions did affect the situation then they would require their own turn. Perhaps the insult could demoralize the enemy: it would needs its own turn and a use of the the Provoke or Wonder skills. Perhaps the lucky rabbit foot is not merely cherished but is actually enchanted and would grant a skill bonus to the archer's next attack: each time Boxley touched it would then require a seperate turn.
Notice that the Player does not end his or her turn when asking the GM questions. The Player's turn lasts until he or she describes how the PC intends to move the story forward, and questions do not do this.
Questions are important because the PC will certainly have different background knowledge and experiences than the Player. Usually the GM knows more about the setting than the Player, so the Player benefits from asking the GM for aid in brainstorming how the PC would perceive or evaluate a situation.
Therefore smart Players often ask the GM questions such as "What does my character see?", "What does my character think are his best options?", "How does my character evaluate this situation?", or "Does my character think this could work?". More detailed questions about the setting are also appropriate, for example "Does my character remember if these creatures can climb trees?" or "What does my character think is a fair price for selling the gem?"
It is also polite for the Player to use questions to double-check the PC's limits whenever the Player is uncertain: asking the GM about issues of skill or strength up front maintains the story's flow better than creating a plan that the GM deems unworkable because the PC has insufficinet skill or strength. So smart Players ask questions such as "Is my character strong enough to force open that door?" or "Does my character think she could defeat both of them without getting wounded?" The GM might not answer these questions, but it cannot hurt to ask.
We have established that the Player and GM take turns continuing the story. These turns happen in pairs. The Player's turn ends with the PC attempting an action. The GM knows (or makes up) what action the NPCs will attempt. Both attempts happen simultaneously. The GM uses his or her turn to describe the outcome of the two attempted actions.
For the moment, skip concerns about how the rules allow the GM to decide success and failure. (Those rules will be described soon.)
What happens in a complex situation when many participants are acting? More structure needs to be established to resolve who acts first and when actions conflict. Here is a summary of the order of actions during any pair of Player and GM turns:
Consider how turns are subdivided in an example combat involving many characters.
An Art Gallery Combat
The PC is Parwanna Honeyworth, a captain of the district watch. She received a tip about criminals planning something in the art museum. She is patrolling the museum with four NPC watchmen: Billin, Cullin, Farran, and Garran.
The five members of the watch have just crossed the two-story main hall in the museum's stautary wing. Parwanna, Billin, and Cullin have ascended the stairs to the room's western balcony. Farran and Garran are still on the ground floor, approaching those stairs.
The criminals are three Ogres. Two remain in their hiding places behind large statues on the hall's floor, crossbows ready. The Ogre leader steps out from behind a the room's centerpiece: a huge statue of a cruel-looking Bergtroll. "Ha ha!" he laughs, surprising all five members of the watch. "Statue, show us your secret!" He then taps the statue with a short wand.
Unknown to both the watch and the Ogres, a mysterious figure is hiding in the shadows in a corner of the room's eastern balcony.
Combat begins.
Player: Parwanna shouts, "Attack!" She studies the Ogre, look for how to advise the watchmen to fight.
Observations are resolved first. Characters attempting to use sensory skills such as Perception, Wonder, Identify, Lore, or Intuition check for success.
The success of observations is always easy to judge. A certain, fixed skill rating is needed for success. Perhaps a Lore skill rating of 4 would allow remembering how to best fight this kind of ooze, or a Perception skill rating of 5 is needed to notice that pirate's slight limp.
Since observations never conflict with each other, characters who try to observe either succeed or fail based entirely upon their own skill.
An Art Gallery Combat: Observation
GM: Parwanna call tell from the Ogre's stance and glances that he is protective of his wand. Attacks that appear to be trying to knock away his wand but actually veer to strike him might be especially effective.
Player: Hm. She can't really shout that to her men. She shouts, "Garran, go for his wand!" and hopes Farran gets the hint.
Parwanna has sufficient Perception skill rating to gain a 1-point situational advantage for the duration of the combat. This bonus could be shared if communicated without spoiling it by letting the Ogre know what they are planning.
The GM had planned for the mysterious figure to use Indentify/Lore about magic statues, or that statue in particular. The GM makes a mental note that this happened successfully.
All movement and communication happens next. Any uses of the Exit skill happen first. Then uses of the Acrobatics/Climb happen. Then movement allowed with other skills, including using the Animals talent to give a pet orders. Any talking or shouting happens simultaneously with movement.
When using a battlemat, positioning and movement is made more strategic by including the complication that some map square are slow to move through. A map square is called difficult terrain if it contains rubble, dense underbrush, deep mud, a fallen thick tree trunk, etc. Some map squares are only difficult terrain in one direction: ascending a stairway or steep slope is slow, but descending happens at normal speed. There are two rules for movement in difficult terrain. First, any character ends his or her movement when entering difficult terrain. Second, a character using the Acrobatics skill may jump over the obstacle instead of ending movement early. (Remember the earlier rules for standing and running long jump distances, and that a map square is two meters in side length. An Acrobatics skill rating of 2 allows a running jump over one map square of difficult terrain, and an Acrobatics skill rating of 4 allows a running jump over two map squares of difficult terrain. For standing long jumps the required skill doubles: a skill rating of 4 to leap over one map square, and a skill rating of 8 to leap over two map squares. The maximum movement with Acrobatics remains three map squares.)
If two characters attempt moving into the same map square at the same time, the GM decides if either is successful. Usually all characters are able to move where they desire.
An Art Gallery Combat: Movement and Communication
GM: Parwanna shouts "Attack!" and "Garran, go for his wand!". Billin and Cullin rush down the stairs, Cullin popping the cork off a potion of size doubling. Farran is closest to the Ogre, and charges him. The Ogre backs slightly so that Farran barely gets within reach and Garran is still out of reach. Garran is now standing near the huge statue. Two more Ogres lean out from behind statues, aiming their crossbows at Garran.
Player: Yikes. Parwanna ducks down behind one of the balcony railing's pillars.
GM: Not yet. New movement needs to wait until next turn. Let's finish this turn first.
Player: Okay
GM: Finally, during movement, the huge statue's eyes glow blue. It straightens up, and bellows "I was created to smash!"
Player: Uh oh.
No characters tried to move into the same square, so everyone arrives where they desired.
Ranged effects include any non-observation actions that work at a distance.
If there are any characters using Wonder to intimidate this happens first. Then characters using Shoot/Throw attack. Finally, other ranged attacks and effects happen. Characters could use Melee to throw a net or Disarm at a small distance using a whip.
Block/Dodge is considered at this time if defending against a ranged attack.
An Art Gallery Combat: Ranged Effects
GM: The two Ogres with crossbows fire at Garran. They are on the other side of the huge statue, so it provides a lot of cover. One bolt misses completely, and the other harmlessly pierces a hole through his cloak.
It is very unusualy for ranged effects to interfere with another. For example, if two archers both shoot at each other then they each hit or miss based upon their own skill—their arrows will not knock each other out of the sky. It is equally reasonable for an a gladiator to hit his opponent with a javelin just before his opponent catches him in a net.
Because movement happens before ranged attacks, an archer has trouble when his or her target can move from one source of cover to another each turn. The solution in locations of plentiful cover is for the archer to also keep moving, stealthily if possible. Since an archer can shoot any target he or she can see, an archer skilled enough to have a positive modified skill rating despite the 1-point penalty for moving (and perhaps the 1-point situational disadvantage for long range) with superior move-and-shoot tactics will eventually find and hit the enemy.
As mentioned previously, the rules are purposefully vague about whether Disarm can be used at long distances. If the GM and Player agree that Disarm can work that way then those attacks happen before normally damaging ranged attacks.
Finally, reach effects are all the other many kinds of actions—the ones that require being close enough to touch a target. Melee/Press, Wrestle/Disarm, and Provoke are the most common.
Block/Dodge is considered at this time if defending against a non-ranged attack.
Reach effects frequently do interfere with each other. When the skill ratings differ, usually only the character using greater skill succeeds. When the skill ratings are equal the GM decides if both characters succeed or if they exchange a flurry of feints and lunges without either actually hitting the other.
Using an item is often a reach effect that does not interfere with other reach effectss. For example, a character trying to drink a potion or touch another with a magic wand can probably do that if totally unconcerned about his opponent's axe. However, this is extremely dangerous since it leaves the item-user completely undefended (the opponent's attack happens at full skill rating, undiminished by an opposed skill rating).
These rules are purposefully vague about how much battlemat movement is available to characters using items. The normal guideline is up to 2 map squares. If using the the item requires dexterity reduce the movement to 1 map square. If using the item requires concentration no movement is allowed that turn. For example, drinking from an open bottle can be done when moving two map squares, both opening the bottle and drinking can be done while moving 1 map square, and finding the bottle in a full backpack takes all turn with no movement allowed.
An Art Gallery Combat: Reach Effects
GM: Cullin, away from the foes, drinks his potion of size doubling and grows twice as big. Farran swings his sword at the Ogre with the wand as that Ogre reaches out to touch him with semblancy. Both hit. The Ogre screams as Farran's sword cuts deeply into his side. But the Ogre's fingers do touch Farran's face. Farran drops, unconscious. The Ogre now wears Farran's form.
Player: Ick. I hate when Ogres do that.
GM: The huge statue brings down both fists, hammer-like, onto Garran's head. Garran crashes to the floor, bleeding severely. What does Parwanna do?
Semblancy left the Ogre undefended. Farran's blow would have defeated most opponents, but Ogres are unusually tough.
Garran was using Press to charge the first Ogre and attack if possible. The GM decided that only half of Garran's Press skill rating was able to oppose the huge statue's Melee attack, since Garran was focusing on a different foe.
How high a skill rating is needed to be successful? It depends upon the situation, of course. Situations are categorized as either contested and uncontested.
Uncontested situations happen when only one character is using a skill. These situations are the simplest. The GM knows or improvises the minimum skill rating required for success. The character succeeds if his or her skill rating is equal to or greater than the required amount.
The number required for success in an uncontested situation is called the target number. Often excess skill provides superior results.
Target Numbers: Knowledge About a Monster
GM: As you approach the rubble the rocks on its surface flow together to form a small, humanoid shape that blocks your Jandiz's way.
Player: What does Valtor know about this kind of creature?
The GM replies with information based upon Valtor's Lore skill rating.
- Effective Lore Skill Rating 1 - The creature is an earth elemental. It is created by a type of Puddle monster called an Elementalist, who controls it like a mindless puppet.
- Effective Lore Skill Rating 3 - Most elementals can be destroyed with normal weapon attacks.
- Effective Lore Skill Rating 4 - If the elemental is destroyed then the Elementalist can always create another one. Elementalists are intelligent. Perhaps you can intimidate, attack, or appease it.
- Effective Lore Skill Rating 6 - You have heard that the earth-attuned Elementalists in this area prize shiny gems. Even a gem of little economic value would probably work to befriend it, or as a bribe.
Valtor has an effective Lore skill rating of 5, so he is told the first three pieces of information.
A character who fails can often find another plan that allows success: either the originally used skill's rating can be boosted by using better equipment or a situational advantage, or the character could attempt to use a different (but still appropriate) skill.
Uncontested Situation: Getting Past a Door
GM: At the bottom of the stairs is a thick, sturdy door.
Player: Jandiz opens it, quietly if possible.
GM: It won't open. Jandiz can't see any lock, and the hinges are on the other side. It appears to be designed to open only from the other side.
Player: Hm. The mad scientist must have a secret entrance elsewhere. Oh, well. No quiet now. Jandiz forces open the door, running down the stairs if that helps.
GM: The door is too sturdy. It won't budge.
The GM knows that forcing open the door requires a Wrestle skill of 4 or more. Unfortunately, Jandiz is not sufficiently skilled in Wrestle. But Jandiz need not give up. He can gain an boost to Wrestle by using appropriate equipment: perhaps a lever will help force that door. He could find some way of gaining a situational advantage when forcing the door open, such as weakening the hinge bolts with acid. Or he could try using a different skill: perhaps he stops pushing and gets out an axe, switching from Wrestle to Melee.
Note that most situations are uncontested and have trivial difficulty. Skill use is automatically successful and not even mentioned by the GM or Player. A PC does not need to formally use the Acrobatcs skill to jump a short distance, the Animals skill to calmly ride a pet horse, or the Perception skill to notice obvious features and items in a room.
Contested skill use happens when multiple characters attempt opposing goals by using skills. Examples of contested situations include haggling over prices (Bargain versus Bargain), following a hidden trail (Track versus Stealth), searching for a deliberately hidden object or person (Perception versus Stealth), and arm wrestling (Wrestling versus Wrestling).
Each turn compare the skill ratings for the skills chosen by the opponents.
Some skills are obviously appropriate to compare. For example, two cautious gladiators are fighting and one uses Melee while the other uses Disarm: the skills are not actually opposite but in that situation only the gladiator with the higher effective skill rating will be successful. (If both gladiators were in a blind rage both their actions could be uncontested and quite successful. The first gladiator could badly wound the his foe an instant before the weapon is seized and yanked away.)
In other situations it is sensible to compare skills that are not so clearly opposite. For example, an alert guard might use his or her Perception skill to defend against a surprise attack. (A surprise attack benefits from a situational advantage bonus and would thus probably be successful to some degree. A more alert guard would be hurt less.)
If a character begins losing a contest then he or she often uses different equipment, employs a new situational advantage, or changes which skill is used.
Most of the time the Player picks which skill his or her PC uses.
An Honest Archery Contest
GM: It is Boxley's turn in the archery contest.
Player: Boxley politely smiles at her opponent as she calmly looses an arrow at the target.
Two characters, standing side by site, are both shooting at the same target. The contest compares which Shoot skill rating is higher.
However, unexpected developments may allow one participant (usually the defensive one) the use of an appropriate skill "for free".
A Crooked Archery Contest
GM: It is Boxley's turn in the archery contest.
Player: Boxley politely smiles at her opponent as she calmly looses an arrow at the target.
GM: (Knowing that Boxley's Perception skill rating exceeds her opponent's Stealth skill rating) As Boxley sets the arrow to the string she notices her opponent is attempting to switch arrows unnoticed.
Player: Boxley lowers her bow and frowns at the cheater. Does the new arrow appear enchanted?
GM: Boxley cannot tell.
The Player intended for Boxley to use Shoot. There was no reason to expect that anything other than shooting arrows would happen the first turn. But Boxley got to use Perception as a "free turn" to notice the cheating.
Many contested situations are not significant to the story. These do not deserve any detail, especially if the difference in skill ratings is large.
An Insignificant Contested Situation
GM: Valtor falls down the pit, and lands amidst a bunch of hungry giant snails.
Player: Has Valtor heard of such creatures? How dangerous are they?
GM: They are as long as his forearm, but move very slowly. He can easily avoid their bites.
Player: Ick. Valtor kills them all.
GM: Okay.
Here is an example of a more complicated but story-wise unimportant situation also resolved in one turn.
Kyvron Haggles
Player: Kyvron points to the largest dagger. "How much for that one?" he asks.
GM: After some haggling Kyvron and the shopkeeper agree on a price of 66 coins.
The GM looked at the price chart and saw that a normal knife costs 61 coins. This dagger is of above-average size and quality, so the GM decides a fair price is 70 coins.
Kyvron has a Bargain skill of 5. The merchant has a Bargain skill of 4. Kyvron's skill is greater so he wins the contest. Since Bargain allows the better haggler to gain a 5% benefit per point of skill rating difference, Kyvron buys the dagger for 66 coins.
If Kyvron and the merchant had the same Bargain skill, then Kyvron would have paid 70 coins for the dagger and both characters would have considered the situation successful.
Other contested situations are important to the story and deserve more time and detail. These last several turns and use losses to keep track of the contest (as described in the next section of the rules).
Not all situations compare skill ratings. Sometimes one action has such an inherent advantage that it automatically succeeds.
Consider three examples in which different situations cause a skill rating difference of 3 points to produce three different outcomes.
Valtor Cannot Exit
Player: Valtor runs from the archer. Time to get away!
GM: Good idea, but it does not work. Out on the open plain the archer has too great an advantage. Valtor is severly wounded: one then two arrows hit him, and he can no longer run.
Player: One arrow is deep in the back of his left thigh, and the other nicked a forearm. He stumbles but does not fall, then stops and holds up his hands in surrender.
The archer has a base Shoot skill rating of 4, an equipment bonus of 1, and a situational bonus of 2. Her total modified skill rating is 7. Valtor has an Exit skill rating of 3, a much lower number. Valtor would be in trouble even if the rules about losses were followed strictly. In this case the GM could make a case that no skill rating comparison was needed, Valtor simply cannot escape on the open plain.
Valtor Barely Exits
Player: Valtor runs from the archer. Time to get away!
GM: Smart idea. Valtor runs through the streets and after six quick turns does manage to lose her. However, she is a very good shot and that bow is something special. She wounds him during the chase.
Player: Valtor stumbles into a shop's back door and closes it behind him. His right hand presses a cloth hard to his left side, soaking up the blood from the arrow wound so it will not leave a trail. "Beg pardon!" he says to anyone inside, before collapsing.
Without any situaional bonus, it makes sense to use the rules about losses. The archer's total modified skill rating is 5, which is 2 greater than Valtor's Exit skill rating. Valtor suffers minor losses but does manage to exit.
Valtor Easily Exits
Player: Valtor runs from the archer. Time to get away!
GM: Easy to do. She was down in the gorge, and by the time she runs out of it Valtor is hidden in the nearby forest. He has heard stories about her incredible skill with a bow, but from down in such a deep ravine her prowess in archery cannot help her.
Player: Whew. Remind me to use this adventure's experience to increase Valtor's skill rating for Exit.
No skill rating comparison was needed. The archer cannot shoot out of the deep ravine.
Notice that in none of the examples so far has a Player ever mentioned which skill his or her PC was using.
This is normal. Mentioning skills is rarely necessary. The GM can nearly always tell what skill is being used even when the Player describes the PC's actions with language that ignores the game mechanics.
This makes NAME an ideal RPG for someone who has never played a RPG before, adult or child. The Player can focus on the story without worrying about the game mechanics.
These rules have already described how a situations that are not meaningful only deserve one turn. Simply compare skill ratings and find the winner. (Recall the examples of Valtor and the giant snails, and Kyvron haggling over a dagger's price.)
Any meaningful contest could last several turns. Participants keep track of their progress by counting the losses they cause to their opponents. Each turn, the difference in skill ratings measures the number of losses inflicted on an opponent.
There are two types of losses.
Minor Losses signify temporary inconveniences and setbacks that tell an opponent that he or she is losing. They have no effect on game mechanics (they do not alter skill use, movement, or any other rules).
Examples of Minor Losses
A minor loss in a debate could be speaking clumsily, being caught using a staw-man argument, going off on a tangent, or being laughed at.
A minor loss when fast-talking could be using an excuse the target immediately recognizes as false, or failing at name-dropping because the target knows the important person very well.
A minor loss in combat could be a minor injury or being knocked down, forced back, disarmed, or grabbed.
A minor loss when ambushed could represent being disoriented or unfocused.
A minor loss when encountering something horrific or startling could represent becoming shaken or sickened.
Major Losses show lasting effects that are significant enough to sway the conflict's outcome. They do effect game mechanics. Each major loss either provides a 1-point situational disadvantage to one or more skills, or it reduces normal movement rates by one map square. These penalties accumulate as a character suffers more major losses.
Examples of Major Losses
A major loss in a debate could represent being proved ignorant and wrong, or speaking in a way that causes suspicion and distrust.
A major loss when fast-talking could represent saying something that triggers one of the listener's worst negative stereotypes.
A major loss when using social graces could be violating a taboo or accidentally causing a deep insult.
A major loss in combat could be a severe or crippling wound, having a weapon broken, being pinned while wrestling, or being backed up to a cliff with nowhere to move.
The first two losses a character suffers in any conflict are minor losses. It is easy to recover from minor losses. One minor loss is "healed" each turn the character causes a loss to someone else without suffering any losses.
(Note that resting during conflict in a place of partial safety, or using non-aggressive skills—Acrobatics/Climb, Identify/Lore, Intuition, Stealth, Block/Dodge, Exit/Escape, and Perception— does not normally "heal" minor losses since the character is not causing any losses to someone else that turn. However, the story could contain special items that could be used in a partially safe place to heal minor losses.)
A character's minor losses are also "healed" when a character leaves the conflict. This includes stalling the conflict by retreating to a location the opponents cannot reach or by successfully hiding from the opponents.
A character who has two minor losses and suffers further losses gains major losses instead. For example, a character with no losses who suffers three losses in a turn gains two minor losses and a major loss. As another example, a character with one loss who suffers two more gains a second minor loss and then a major loss.
Most characters are defeated after suffering two major losses. Talent in the Wrestle/Disarm skill allows characters to sustain more major losses before being defeated. (Defeat will be discussed more after an example of a longer contested combat situation.)
Most major losses are only healed with special items or in between adventures. However, the story might make it appropriate for some major losses might be cured with sufficient rest: usually either a full night's sleep or a visit to a physician.
Most RPGs that use dice have the PC and the NPC "take turns". They separately attempt actions. Each is active on his or her own turn. Each is nearly passive (doing nothing but recording damage or attempting saving throws) on the opponent's turn.
NAME is very, very different. The GM and Player do take turns talking. But the PC and NPCs do not take turns acting! Instead, the GM privately decides what the NPC will attempt before the Player says what the PC will attempt. The two skill ratings behind these two intentions are compared to decide which character is successful, and to what degree.
Conflict in NAME is a lot like a game of rock-scissors-paper with many extra options. Everyone "goes" at the same time. Usually one participant succeeds more than the other.
Time to see what keeping track of losses really looks like!
Kwirt and the Lizard
Player: Kwirt grunts at the giant lizard and swings his sword.
GM: The lizard avoids Kwirt's blade, but doing so causes it to veer aside in its attempt to bite. It does, however, manage to graze Kwirt with its right foreclaw and knock Kwirt off balance.
The GM has decided this lizard is huge but not very smart. It will use Melee whenever possible (which it does every turn in this example) until its prey suffers a major loss—then it will charge (use Press) once before returning to Melee.
Kwirt and the lizard have Melee skill ratings of 2 and 4, respectively. The difference is 4 − 2 = 2. Kwirt suffers two minor losses.
Notice how the GM and Player both contributed to what the Kwirt's minor losses actually look like.
Player: Kwirt is bleeding from a scratch on his arm, and recovers his balance. He spits and uses his magic jumping boots to leap atop the boulder. Then he waits for an opportune moment, yells, and jumps down to stab the beast in its back. Hopefully the combination of elevation and a sudden, forceful blow will do the trick.
GM: The lizard is too quick. Kwirt does land on its back, but in the split second before the sword blade hits the lizard shakes violently and then rolls. It gets to its feet slightly faster, and lunges.
Kwirt has a Press skill rating of 2. The lizard is still using its Melee skill rating of 4. Press always receives a 1-point bonus against Melee. The GM decides the elevation advantage is a 1-point situational advantage. So Kwirt has a total modified skill rating of 4. The difference is 4 − 4 = 0, so neither opponent suffers losses.
Player: Kwirt tries to jump aside.
GM: He does so easily. The lizard lunges again.
Kwirt has a Dodge skill rating of 5. The lizard is still using a Melee skill rating of 4. The difference is 5 − 4 = 1. The lizard cannot hurt Kwirt as long as he keeps dodging.
Player: This is going nowhere. Kwirt jumps onto the boulder again and uses sapping.
GM: The lizard pauses, panting and glaring at Kwirt. The sapping causes it to moan, then belch.
Sapping is a special ability that penalizes a foe's skill use. Kwirt can only use it a few times each day.
Player: Kwirt repeats his diving attack.
GM: This time Kwirt connects. The lizard screams as Kwirt's sword sinks into its shoulder. Kwirt is feeling strong, although he is not sure if this is due to the fight going better or the giddiness of having used sapping.
Kwirt still has a Press skill rating of 2, boosted to 4 because of the 1-point situational advantage and how Press is inherently useful against Melee. But the lizard's Melee skill rating is now reduced to 2. The difference is 4 − 2 = 2. The lizard suffers two minor losses. Kwirt heals one minor loss.
Player: If it works, don't fix it. Kwirt tries to repeat the diving attack yet again.
GM: The lizard turns to flee, but not before Kwirt lands on its back again while stabbing it through the neck. The lizard collapses, defeated.
The lizard suffers two more losses. These are major losses, both of which would cause significant penalties. But in this case their penalties do not matter since the lizard is defeated by having two major losses.
Player: Whew. It's dead. Kwirt cleans his sword, then mops his brow.
Notice in the above example that the GM does not explicitly tell the Player after each turn how many losses each character has accumulated. Some Players instead prefer each of the GM's descriptions of opposing skill use to explicitly include "your character now has two minor losses", "the opponent suffers its first major loss", etc. Either style can work.
When defeat happens the victor usually choses what this looks like in the story. For example, a wrestler could say he securely pinned his foe, a swordsman could say he backed his foe against a wall with the sword point touching his foe's neck, or a warrior with a mace could say he knocked down his foe until he or she was too beat up to rise. Or any of those combatants could say their foe became disarmed and exhausted, or simply killed by a fatal strike.
However, the GM always has the option of declaring the type of defeat. The GM has more detailed plans for how the story will develop, and is therefore allowed to use defeats to guide the plot in a desired direction.
Bilton's Defeats
Player: Bilton fires an arrow at the bandit.
GM: The bandit screams as the arrow hits. Unfortunately he is not alone, and his friend is both sneaky and wielding an enchanted mace. Bilton wakes up in a dark room. His feet are tied, and he has a huge lump on his head.
The PC was defeated by a stealth melee attack. Given that this happened, the GM has a strong preference for how the story should continune. The GM simply keeps narrating about what the defeat looks like and what happens next.
Player: Bilton fires an arrow at the bandit.
GM: The bandit screams as the arrow hits. Unfortunately he is not alone, and his friend is both sneaky and wielding an enchanted mace. Does Bilton do or say anything as he slumps to the ground, losing consciousness?
This time the GM allows the Player to contribute to what the defeat looks like. Perhaps the GM has a few alternatives in mind for what could happen next. Or perhaps Bilton will still wake up in a dark room no matter what he does, but the circumstances of his captivity will change based upon whether he insults, pleads with, or sleep-gasses the nearby bandits as he loses consciousness.
Notice that a skill rating difference of 4 is enough to end most contests in one turn (four losses is usually enough to cause defeat). Thus notable warriors can dispatch one fumbling enemy with each swing of their sword, and expert merchants can out-haggle inexperienced shoppers in one turn.
One Rat Per Turn
GM: Valtor looks across the huge room. He must wade through a long pit filled with zombie rats to reach the mad scientist. Individually the rats are not significant foes, but there are a lot of them and the mad scientist is holding some kind of ray gun.
Player: Valtor can kill one zombie rat per turn?
GM: Yes. But he doubts that is the best plan.
Remember to only keep track of losses when there is a meaningful situation that involves genuine competition, contest or struggle. A character who wants to kill an unconscious or bound prisoner with a weapon can almost always do so quickly and easily. A witty and honey-tongued princess can insult uncharismatic visiting nobles all afternoon without effort.
Sometimes a combat situation can be made more interesting or strategic by including unusually wimpy or dangerous foes.
Certain enemies are fragile. These enemies are always defeated after suffering two losses. Fragile foes are most often used as the weak, expendible servants that many evil masterminds hire and employ. Fragile foes also work well for members of a large group of weak enemies (a swarm of giant bees, a horde of lurching zombies, etc.).
Other enemies are deadly. These enemies always defeat the PC after the PC suffers two losses. When such foes appear in famous stories (examples include a medusa's gaze, a poisoner's blade, or a giant snake's hypnotism) the hero or heroine is always warned about the danger and allowed an opportunity to prepare a possible defense.
I first heard of two-hit monsters in a blog post by ChattyDM. The Fourth Edition D&D Dungeon Master's Guide popularized (and perhaps invented) one-hit monsters, which it names "Minions".
Note that in many classic stories the fragile foes are unusually stupid as well as unusually brittle. They often attack the hero or heroine early in the adventure, then flee just before the protagonist becomes dangerously low on health, defensive options, or healing resources. The hero or heroine then feels an aftermath of grateful recovery plagued by unanswered questions. Eventually the hero or heroine tracks the fragile foes or follows them back to their base, thus finding the evil mastermind's lair.
A diceless RPG system is very convenient for being playable almost any time. The pace is also quick and exciting as the in-game action is not interrupted by real-life dice rolling.
Yet dice have their virtues. Many people like skill use to involve a bit of luck. Some storytellers enjoy having a chance for luck to steer the story in a surprising way. And some people just really like the polyhedral sets of dice common in many RPGs.
Adding dice to the NAME rules is a striaghtforward three-step process.
First, pick one type of polyhedral dice. Normal six-sided dice will work, but that choice allows luck to be more influential than many people desire. Using eight-sided or ten-sided dice works better to include yet limit luck.
Second, use the previously fixed numeric ratings to determine how many dice to roll. The effective skill rating now determines how many dice to add up. Similarly, the target number required for success also determines a number of dice to add up.
Third, no longer count how much the effective skill rating exceeds the target number of opposing skill rating: all the numbers are now bigger. Instead, add one to half the number of die sides (so 4 for six-sided, 5 for eight-sided, and 6 for ten-sided) and divide the excess by that number to determine the "true" excess for measuring losses or superior results. When dividing round down, dropping fractional amounts.
Target Numbers Revisited: Knowledge About a Monster
GM: As you approach the rubble the rocks on its surface flow together to form a small, humanoid shape that blocks your Jandiz's way.
Player: What does Valtor know about this kind of creature?
The GM replies with information based upon Valtor's Lore skill rating. Valtor has an effective Lore skill rating of 5. He rolls five eight-sided dice: 2, 5, 5, 6, and 8—a total of 24.
- Effective Lore Skill Rating 1 - The creature is an earth elemental. It is created by a type of Puddle monster called an Elementalist, who controls it like a mindless puppet.
- Effective Lore Skill Rating 3 - Most elementals can be destroyed with normal weapon attacks.
- Effective Lore Skill Rating 4 - If the elemental is destroyed then the Elementalist can always create another one. Elementalists are intelligent. Perhaps you can intimidate, attack, or appease it.
- Effective Lore Skill Rating 6 - You have heard that the earth-attuned Elementalists in this area prize shiny gems. Even a gem of little economic value would probably work to befriend it, or as a bribe.
The GM rolls six eight-sided dice: 7, 3, 3, 6, 1, and 8. The first five of these total 20, which is less than the Player's total. The GM shares the first three pieces of information. Including the sixth die would bring the total to 28, which is more than the Player's total, so the GM does not share the final piece of information.
GM: [shares that information]
Player: Valtor charges and tries to break it up with his sword. Perhaps he can deal with it so trivially that the Puddle will stop hassling him.
Valtor has an effective Press skill rating of 5. The GM says to roll six dice because Valtor is using Press and the elemental is using Melee. The Player rolls six eight-sided dice: 5, 3, 2, 8, 1, and 7—a total of 26. The GM rolls dice for the elemental and has a total of 14. The Player exceeds by (26 − 14) ÷ 5 = 3. The elemental suffers 3 losses.
