Chi

Introduction

These rules are designed to be a quick and simple role playing engine. Many role playing systems divide and categorize a character by using trappings such as “abilities”, “skills”, and “attributes”. It is my opinion that these aspects are an illusion and there is no clear lines dividing a person. These rules are designed to reflect that and only offer one “stat” used for everything.

Character Creation

To create a character a player simply comes up with a name and a character concept. The character concept is three descriptive words the immediately tell a character’s personality and an occupation. For example: Ragnar, fierce, arrogant, and savage barbarian or Capt. Dirk Rednova, dashing, handsome, and brave, star marine. The GM will then give you the number of dice your character will start with in their pool. The pool size of a character can vary and depicts how potentially powerful that character is. Potential can be defined many different ways. It is at its core the energy source for everything the character does. This number is written after your character’s occupation. The entire character is written out as such: Ragnar, fierce, arrogant, and savage barbarian8 or Capt. Dirk Rednova, ,dashing, handsome, and brave star marine7.

Important Non-player characters and adversaries are created in the same fashion. For less important ones, simply list their occupation or race and then their pool.

Action Resolution

A character’s pool is equal to a number of six sided dice. A character with a pool5, would have 5 six sided dice for action resolution. An action is anything a character attempts to do. If the action is important, or has a uncertain outcome, the GM may request some dice rolling to determine that outcome. If the action is simple such as talking, walking, or sleeping, do not worry about rolling.

The dice in the pool reflect that character’s overall potential. The player can decide how much of that potential to put towards an action. If the player feels the action is minor and is easily successful then they may decide to put 1 or 2 dice towards the attempt. If the action is of major importance to the character then they may use all of the dice in the pool for that action.

A player may make as many actions as they like in a round so long as they have dice remaining in their pool. For example: A character has a pool7 and uses 3 dice for an action, that character then performs another action using 2 dice, and a third using 2 more, for a total of 7.

How hard an action is to perform successfully is determined by the GM. The GM uses Difficulty to rate how hard an action is to accomplish. Difficulties are numeric from 1 up each increase is slightly harder than the last. The Difficulty determines how many dice the GM rolls for each action a player tries to have their character perform. For example: If an action is given a Difficulty6 then the GM rolls 6, six sided dice.

To determine if an action is successful or not the player’s roll is summed up as is the GM’s difficulty roll. They are then compared. If the player’s sum is greater than the GM’s then the action is successful. If it is less then the action fails.

A player may never use more than a third of their character’s pool, rounded up, for any action that does not fit their character concept. What actions fit or do not fit a concept is interpreted by the player and the GM.

A player does not have to use all of their character’s dice they may opt to save remaining dice for reactionary rolls to actions of other characters. The most common reason for this is for defense. If a character is attacked by a monster and used all of their dice to try and pick a lock then they have no dice which to defend themselves with.

Modifiers

The player’s roll may have modifiers to the roll that either increase or decrease the final sum. For example: +5. When and how a modifier affects a roll is at the GM’s discretion but must result from something occurring within the game. A character might have some sort of magic spell cast on them that reduces their sum. A character may also acquire certain items within the game that might grant them some sort of modifier to their rolls. For example: A wizard with a particularly powerful wand is granted a +5 modifier to the roll total.

Modifiers can greatly alter game play balance. GMs should be wary, modifiers should be individually tailored to a specific character in a specific situation, and under specific conditions. Consider modifiers of -5 or +5 to be great and rarely exceeded.

Secret Rolls

Players have the option of keeping the amount of dice they roll a secret till they actually roll the dice. All players rolling must roll at the same time. Each player picks up their pool and keeps them covered. Secretly they put the dice they are going to roll in one hand and the balance in the other. Before rolling verify with the GM it this action fits or does not with your character’s concept.

Injuries, Fatigue, and Loss of Potential

In the course of a game a character may suffer loss of potential for a variety of reasons. The two most common are injuries or fatigue. An injury in most cases are a physical wound such as a cut or broken bone, it may also be a sever mental trauma. An injury takes some time to heal, anywhere from a day to months. Fatigue is temporary caused by exertion and is healed in a few minutes to a day.

In game terms both represent loss of potential by a loss of dice from a character’s pool. If a character has a pool8 and suffers a light wound this would result in that character’s pool being reduced to 7. The current amount is written behind the pool maximum For example: A character loses a die, it is written like this CHARACTER8/7. The amount lost is determined by the severity of the injury or fatigue. The severity of the injury or fatigue also determines how quickly that character recovers the lost dice.

A reduction to 0 dice in the pool either by injury, fatigue, or other reasons means the character is removed from play. This might be permanently or temporarily according the GM.

A character may also lose dice from their pool for other reasons. These reasons are usually specific to a story and are too varied to list. It is also possible for a permanent loss of dice from the pool due to one of the above. Contraction of a disease by a character, for example, might translate into the permanent loss of a die. This die can not be regained though others may be gained by advancement later.

Advancement

Advancement comes in two forms.. The first is increasing the pool size. This is represented by adding a die permanently to a character’s pool. The GM determines when the character has acquired enough experience to warrant an increase to their pool. A character cannot earn more than 1 die at a time. If a character is either injured or fatigued they do not immediately gain use of the new die, instead when they have recovered all of their original dice then the new die is added to their pool.

The second is adding a new descriptive word to the character's concept. This type of advance is only available to a player after the character has earned a pool increase and at the GM's discretion. It is only meant for a character who has had a major growth within the story, one which is not currently covered by their concept.

Optionally a GM may allow a player to change a descriptive word or occupation within their concept, or require a change, due to some change to the character within the story. This change must occur between sessions or when the character receives a pool increase.