What is Yags?

Yags is Another Game System, one that is meant to be free, generic and modular. There are a number of different articles which describe the different aspects of rules. Articles are mostly independent, though all rely on the core rules given here which detail how to define a character's skills and abilities, and how to perform task resolution. Combat, character generation, magic and other topics are described elsewhere.

Yags is meant for table top, pen and paper, roleplaying. Though a computer game based on these rules is in development, it is not a computer game itself. These rules do not explain what a table top RPG is, or how to play one - it is assumed that you already know all this, and are simply interested in how Yags differs from other game systems.

All these rules are available for download from the Glendale website. .

Genre and style

Yags is designed to be generic, which means it's not really aimed at any single setting or type of game. At one point or another it has been used for fantasy, science fiction and modern horror gaming. However, the game rules do to some extent encourage a certain style of game, and Yags is no exception.

The system is grounded in realistic low fantasy. Bullets and swords can kill a hero as easily as they can kill a shopkeeper. The random element of skills is relatively small compared to the range of ability available, so an inexperienced character can't rely on luck to beat an experience character at a contest of skills. Similarly, a gifted novice won't beat a more average professional - raw talent doesn't make up for lack of experience, but it sure does help you once you get that experience.

Combat is always dangerous, and pesky kids will rarely overcome old veterans. However, the low randomness does mean that highly skilled individuals can be very, very good, and it is possible to build truly heroic individuals (such as a vengeful bride or blind swordmaster) who can survive against silly odds as long as they are careful.

Freedoms

Yags is Free content. This does not mean that you do not need to pay to download it (though you don't), but that you are free to do what you want with the rules under the terms of the GPL version 2 (just like the free operating system Linux for example). This means that you have:

1. The freedom to read, perform, display or run the work for any purpose.
2. The freedom to study how the work was created, and adapt it to your needs. Access to the work in the preferred form for modification is a precondition for this.
3. The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbour.
4. The freedom to improve the work, and release your improvements to the public, so that the whole community benefits. Access to the preferred form for modification is a precondition for this.

This does mean you may republish (or even sell) these rules yourself, even if you have modified them. The only limitation is that all published versions of these rules (including modifications) must also be published under the GPL version 2, and that editable, electronic versions must be provided as source.

Design Constraints

Yags had a number of design goals when design of it started over 10 years ago. Some of these have changed over the years, but they have mostly remained the same.

Consistent mechanics

The core mechanics should be consistently and universally used throughout the rules. Yags uses a single d20 for all die rolls, and skill checks are performed as attribute x skill + 1d20.

As simple as possible, but no simpler

Try and keep things simple, but not to the extent of losing important details. This applies to both mechanics and also choices. For example, the list of skills is kept as short as possible, without loosing sense of realism.

No teenage saviours

The author has an aversion to teenage PCs who start at 16 and end up being the best in their field before their 17th birthday. High levels of skills should take lots of time to achieve.

No one stat wonders

A single high statistics should not allow a character to be automatically good at lots of skills. The multiplication system ensures that both attribute and skill need to be raised for a character to be good.

The Core Mechanics

This section gives a brief tour of the Yags system, explaining terminology, and giving a description of the basic conventions used.

Terminology

The following terminology is used throughout the Yags rules. Where these terms are used, the specific definitions given here are what is meant.

Ability

A creature's ability to achieve success in a task is equal to an attribute multiplied by a skill.

Attribute

One of the eight basic numbers which define any creature in Yags. A typical adult human has a score of 3 in all their attributes. Attributes are combined with a skill to determine a creature's ability at a task.

Score

The raw numerical value of any characteristic, unmodified by anything else. A skill score would be a creature's rating in a skill, before it is multiplied by an attribute.

Skill

A skill defines a creature's training and experience in a narrow field. Skills are combined with attributes to determine a creature's ability at a task. A competent level of skill is 4 or more.

Task

An activity that requires an ability check.

Task Resolution

Most activities performed by characters in Yags can be performed automatically without any form of die roll. Walking along the street or climbing a short ladder are examples. Stressful situations however may require an ability check to see how successful the character was. Walking along a narrow ledge or climbing a ladder whilst someone tries to wrestle the character are examples.

Stressful tasks have a difficulty target assigned to them. Very easy tasks have a target of 10, moderate tasks (which a competent person will succeed more often than not) are 20, difficult tasks are 30.

The player rolls their ability + 1d20, and if they equal or exceed the target, then the attempt is considered successful.

A character's ability score is either equal to their attribute x 4 for a pure attribute check, or attribute x skill when a skill check is required. An attribute of 3 is considered human average, and a skill of 4 is taken to be professional level.

Sometimes, a skill contest is called for between two or more characters. In this case, each character makes a roll as above, and whoever gets highest wins. If the result is a tie, then the character with the highest skill wins.

A roll of 1

Under a stressful situation, then a roll of '1' on the die represents automatic failure or a fumble. In some situations, the chance of a fumble may be higher than this (e.g., a roll of 1-3 might be a fumble).

A roll of 20

Normally, a roll of 20 on the die is nothing special. If a character rolls a 20 when making a contested skill check against another character, and their skill level (i.e., not their skill x attribute) is higher than the second character's, then they automatically win.

Skilled Professionals

When a character achieves a skill of four, then a couple of options become open to them. First, in any non-opposed situation which is predictable, and where their ability is equal or higher than the target difficulty, then they can take an automatic success assuming a roll of '0'.

A narrow ledge above a pool of larva would count as long as there was no wind and the ledge was stable. If there was a high wind, then it becomes unpredictable and a roll is required (though the character still only fumbles on a '1').

Alternatively, if the situation is non-stressful (a narrow ledge above a pool of larva is always considered stressful), and there is time to think about the task beforehand, then the die roll can be considered to be an automatic '10'. Picking a lock or making a sword are examples of non-stressful situations. Picking a lock whilst people are fighting around you would be stressful however. This option does not require the character's ability to be higher than the difficulty.

Characteristics

All characters are described by a set of characteristics which consist of attributes and skills.

Attributes

Attributes are the basic characteristics of all creatures in Yags. There are eight primary attributes - strength, health, agility, dexterity, perception, intelligence, empathy and will - and two secondary attributes - size and move.

Attributes measure broad natural talent for a character or creature. Attributes are not fixed, and can develop with time (especially during childhood and adolescence). A character who uses dexterity based skills a lot will probably develop their dexterity as well as the skills they are using.

Primary attributes have an average value of three for an adult human, and will generally range between two and four. The minimum value is always one. Values above five are exceptional, though not unheard of.

An attribute of zero indicates that a creature has no ability in that area, and cannot even attempt tasks which would require it. No creature will ever have an attribute below zero, and humans never have attributes below one.

Attribute Levels

For humans, attributes tend to range between two and five. Higher values are possible, but rare. The following chart describes the different levels from the point of view of an adult human. Non-human creatures may work on different scales, especially for strength which tends to be much higher for large animals.

Score	Attribute
0	None. Character has no or minimal rateable ability in that attribute.
1	Cripple. Character is considered to be crippled in that attribute. They are either very dumb, sickly weak or sociophobic for instance. They will be in the bottom 0.174f the population.
2	Poor. Character is noticeably below average in their ability. They are in the bottom 574f the population for that attribute. This is the starting minimum for player characters.
3	Average. Character is considered to be average. 9074f the population will fit into this category for any given attribute.
4	High. Character is considered to be of well above average ability in the attribute, in the top 5% of the population. They will be noticeably better than average people.
5	Very high. Such characters are well above average, being in the top 0.1% of the population. This is the starting maximum for player characters in many campaigns, and is normally the natural maximum for people who haven't had an opportunity to develop the attribute.
6	Exceptional. One in a hundred thousand people would have an ability this high. They are truly exceptional. Only those who have had an opportunity to develop and use their talent will generally have a score this high.
7	Incredible. One in a ten million people have an attribute at this level. They have generally worked hard at developing their abilities to this level, it is not obtained naturally.
8	Legendary. One in a billion people have such an ability.
9+	Divine. The realm of gods.

Primary Attributes

Strength

Strength measures a character's ability to hurt, break and lift things. Some effects are based on the square of the character's strength (e.g. how much can be carried).

Health

Health is a measure of endurance and fitness. Checks to remain alive after being injured, resisting poison and avoiding fatigue are all based on health.

Agility

Quickness and acrobatic ability are measured by agility. It is also used for brawling, but not melee or missile weapons. Athletes, cat burglars and martial artists require a good agility.

Dexterity

The dexterity of a character defines their hand-eye coordination, sleight-of-hand, and skill with melee weapons. Pick pockets and warriors need a good dexterity.

Perception

Perception is a measure of general alertness and sensory ability. High perception characters have good senses (vision, hearing) and observational ability.

Intelligence

Intelligence is a measure of wit, cunning, memory and intuition. Intelligence is used to know things, to study and for logic.

Empathy

Empathy is the ability of the character to understand other people. A high empathy does not necessarily make a character charismatic, but a charismatic character will need a high empathy in order to be able to react to and manipulate another's emotions.

Will

Strength of will is used to overcome base instincts, such as fear and lust. High will characters are more resistant to magic, are less gullible and tend to be good liars.

Secondary Attributes

Secondary attributes aren't part of the standard set of eight attributes, and do not tend to fall within the normal 2-5 range.

Size

Size defaults to five for adult humans, with most adults ranging from four to six. Size governs how much damage a creature can soak up. A blue whale is about size 25. It cannot be raised with experience.

Soak

Soak is a measure of how well the character can resist damage. For most characters it will be 12 and cannot be changed with experience.

Move

A character's move determines how quickly they can run, both in combat and over long distance. It is equal to size + strength + agility + 1.

Attributes in the Game World

The vast majority of humans will have an average attribute, with a score of 3. A simple randomisation is that an NPC has an attribute of 3, unless a 1 or a 20 is rolled on a d20. On a 1, the attribute is a 2, whilst on a 20, it is a 4. This means the average score accounts for about 90% of the population.

People such as Newton or Feynman would probably have an intelligence score of eight. The best Olympic athletes in the modern world would probably have similar scores for physical attributes. For humans, scores above five are gained through lots of training and experience - they are not gained due to a chance of birth.

Skills

A skill is something which can be learnt and improved through experience and training. Except for a few basic skills, they always default to zero unless specifically learnt.

When using a skill, it is multiplied with an attribute to give an ability level. This is added to a d20 roll to give a final result for a skill check.

Skill Levels

Cost	Skill
0	0 (Unfamiliar). No ability in the skill. Most skills can still be used (though are zero) except for knowledges, which cannot even be attempted.
1	1 (Minimal). Minimal knowledge of the skill, but it is still dwarfed by blind luck.
3	2 (Basic). A basic understanding of the core principles of the skill, and should be able to manage easy tasks.
6	3 (Competent). Not quite up to professional quality, but can handle anything within normal bounds.
10	4 (Professional). Professionals will have at least this level, and can make a career of it. Many professionals will not exceed this level, especially if their job is not at all taxing.
15	5 (Professional).
21	6 (Seasoned). Extensive experience with the skill, both in theory and practise. Skills above this level will be rare.
28	7 (Seasoned).
36	8 (Exceptional). This level of skill is rare, and normally denotes those of 'elite' calibre, or those pushed to the edge of their craft.
45	9 (Exceptional). Unnamed NPCs will not have skills higher than this.
55	10 (Master). This level of skill is had by someone who has spent much time and effort to master their craft (as opposed to those who merely have much experience). They are rare, and not randomly encountered.
66	11 (Master).
78	12 (Master).
91	13 (Legendary). Extreme dedication, and much practise and real world experience, is needed to achieve this level of skill. Only a few people ever attain this level, and they will generally be famous within their craft.
105	14 (Legendary).
120	15 (Legendary).
136	16 (Mythical). This is about the limit of human achievement. Those with this ability will be rare across all of history.

Types of Skills

Talents

The skills available to characters will vary from genre to genre, but Yags has eight core skills, called talents, which all characters know to a limited extent. Normally, all starting characters will have a score of 2 in each talent.

The eight talents are athletics; awareness; brawl; charm; guile; sleight; stealth and throw. The skills article describes them in full detail. They represent basic skills which everyone picks up in childhood.

Knowledges

Knowledges are skills which represent theoretical knowledge which must be learnt. You can only make a check with a Knowledge skill if you already have a score in it. You can not normally learn or practise knowledges unless you have a source to study from.

The following guide gives an indication of what different skill levels represent.

You've seen a TV program on the subject. You have a layman's interest in the subject, or studied it at school. You will know the common stuff, but have gaps and lack depth and full understanding. You have a graduate's level of knowledge, and have a well rounded view of the subject.

Languages

Language skills are treated on a scale from one to four, and are not normally 'rolled' like other skills. Instead, the level of skill gives a guide to how much of a conversation a character can understand.

The character can recognise the language and knows a few words, but cannot put sentences together. The character can understand and form basic sentences. The character can probably get by in the market or in an inn. The character has a good grasp of the language and can hold a decent conversation. They will obviously still be a foreigner however, and many unusual words will be beyond their understanding. The character is fluent in the language. If they are a foreigner, then they may still have an accent, but they will not have any problems communicating. If the character is a non-native speaker, then they can speak without an accent. This level and beyond gives detailed knowledge of different dialects and really obscure words, but is not of use in everyday conversation.

Knowledge of a language may automatically include the ability to read and write it as well. In some settings however (e.g. a medieval society) this will not be the case.

Standard skills

Standard skills are a mixture of knowledge, experience, physical aptitude and common sense. If you have no score in a standard skill, then it can still be used, however the roll (just a straight d20) is halved, and a natural roll of 1 or 2 is considered a fumble.

Skill Difficulties

When making an ability check, there are some common difficulty levels, which are described in the following table. The descriptions assume an average level of attribute - those with an above average attribute will be able to get by with less skill.

Most tasks will be against a fixed target number. If you are competing against another character, then they get a skill check with a modifier. The modifier is given in parenthesis below, and adds to the other person's check.

Task Difficulties

Type of Task	Target
Very easy. Such a task can be achieved by a person with little or no skill with a good chance of success. A professional will always succeed.	10 (-10)
Easy. Anyone with a small amount of skill will be able to achieve this with a good chance of success, though it will be difficult for someone without any training at all.	15 (-5)
Moderate. Such tasks can be achieved without difficulty by a professional in ideal conditions. Those without proper training can find it difficult however.	20 (+0)
Challenging. People with less than professional level of skill will find it hard to succeed, and it is out of league of someone with only basic familiarity.	25 (+5)
Difficult. Such tasks require a highly skilled person. Anyone with less than professional competence will always fail, and even professionals will be hard pressed.	30 (+10)
Very difficult. A master of the skill can achieve such tasks with confidence, others will fail. About the highest level of difficulty under normal circumstances.	40 (+20)
Extreme. A very difficult task under poor conditions.	50 (+30)
Heroic. Truly heroic.	60 (+40)
Sheer folly. Someone with superhuman level of skill will be hard pressed to achieve this difficulty.	75 (+55)
Absurd. Well beyond what most people could achieve. Above average attributes are required to have even a chance of success.	100 (+80)

Tasks above Very difficult will be very rare, and often because of less than perfect conditions, rather than the nature of the task itself.

Absurd tasks should be reserved for when a player tries something totally heroic, which is at the very edge of possibility.

Degree of Success

If the skill check meets the target number, then a normal success is assumed. If the roll was significantly above the target number, then the success was particularly good. The exact result depends on the GM's interpretation but the following can be used as a guide.

A good success is 10 points or more above the target. The task is performed with style, completeness or speed.

An excellent success is 20 points or more above the target. It was probably performed with two of style, completeness or speed.

A superb success is 30 points or more above the required target, and was achieved with style, completeness and speed. Anything better than this probably won't be noticed by an untrained witness.

A fantastic success is 40 points or more beyond the target.

Anything which is 50 points or more above the target number is amazing, and represent as close to perfection as is possible to achieve.

Traits

Personality Traits represent the most important parts of a character's personality - the strongest emotions which drive them. All traits default to a value of zero, and their kind and number is flexible (much like skills). Each trait can range in value from zero to ten - where ten is almost guaranteed to be considered anti-social, whatever the trait.

Specific rules for Traits are not given here - they are best described by the various campaign settings. Example traits would be Greed, Loyalty, Duty, Insanity etc.

Size

How large a creature is can be measured in a number of ways - height, length and mass being the common criteria. In Yags, the Size attribute is a measure of the creature's capacity to absorb damage, and how easy it is to hit. In general, the Size of a creature will increase logarithmically with its mass - every +5 increase in Size represents a ten fold mass increase.

The scale is based around an average of a 70kg human male. A Size 10 creature would be 700kg, a Size 15 creature 7 tonnes, and a Size 20 creature 70 tonnes. Some examples are as follows.

Size	Mass and examples
0	7kg. A large house cat.
1	11kg. 1 year old child, a small dog (e.g., a beagle).
2	18kg. 5 year old child.
3	28kg. 10 year old child, a medium dog (e.g., a boxer).
4	44kg. Small adult, a wolf.
5	70kg. Typical adult. This size constitutes most of the adult human population. Anyone outside of this average is very noticeably large or small.
6	111kg. Large adult.
7	176kg. Donkey, black bear.
8	279kg. Lion.
9	442kg. Riding horse, grizzly bear.
10	700kg. War horse, prehistoric cave bear. Also, a family car.
11	1.1t. Rhino.
12	1.8t. Great white shark.
13	2.8t.
14	4.4t. Triceratops. Also, a large tank.
15	7t. Elephant.
16	11t.
17	17t.
18	28t. Apatosaurus. The largest land animals known.
19	44t.
20	70t.
21	110t. Blue whale.
30	7,000t A large battleship.

Movement and Encumbrance

How far a character can move depends on how fast they are, and how much they are carrying. There are two types of movement - combat movement, and overland movement. The former represents short distance, fast movement within a combat situation. The latter is normally many kilometres over a period of several hours.

Combat Move

A character can move a distance in metres equal to half their Move score (round down) each round of combat without any penalty. For an average person, this is 6m/round. This is normally considered a free action.

Running

A character can run at their full move each round. For an average human, this is 12m/round. This is effectively a light jog, and can kept up over long distance. Moving this far in combat counts as an action, and restricts what else the character can do - see the combat article for full details.

If running for a long time, the character will gain one point of fatigue every health x athletics minutes. A character with a health of 3 and an athletics of 2, will gain one point of fatigue every 6 minutes.

Sprinting

A character can sprint at a speed equal to twice their Move score plus their athletics score each round. For a typical adult with a move of 12 and an athletics score of 2, this would be 26m/round. Basically, a person could run the 100m in just under 20s.

A modern Olympic athlete, with an agility of 8 and a strength of 4 has a move of 18. Assuming an athletics of 15, they can sprint at 51m/round, which is pretty close to the current world record.

A sprinting character gains a point of fatigue every round. All fatigue, wound and stun penalties reduce total movement when sprinting.

Overland Movement

Overland movement is where round to round movement isn't important, but distance travelled over the course of an entire day is. A day is divided into six watches of 4 hours each.

In good conditions over average terrain, a character can be expected to travel a distance in kilometres equal to their move score each watch. This equates to about 3km/h. A character will gain one fatigue each watch when moving at this speed.

Modifiers to this (weather, type of terrain etc) are possible, but aren't described here. See the wilderness article for full details.

Encumbrance

The amount a character can lift or carry is based on the square of their strength. A character can carry a number of kilogrammes up to this value without penalty.

Encumbrance	Level
Unencumbered (x1). A character can carry up to the square of their strength without being encumbered.	0
Light (x2). A character who carries more than the square of their strength (but no more than twice this) is lightly encumbered, and has a -1 penalty to agility.	1
Moderately (x3). Character has a -1 penalty to both agility and dexterity.	2
Heavily (x6). Character has a -2 penalty to agility and a -1 penalty to dexterity.	3
Greatly (x10). A greatly burdened character has a -2 penalty to both agility and dexterity. You cannot run or sprint.	4
Over encumbered. Character cannot move, all agility checks are automatically zero and -2 to dexterity.	5

Each level of encumbrance gives a character a -5 penalty to all rolls to resist fatigue. A character always has a minimum move of 1, until they become over encumbered. Agility and dexterity can never be reduced below zero.

Core Skills

There are eight core skills in Yags, which are called Talents. These are known by virtually all characters (at least, human ones), since they represent basic ability. These skills are described in the general skill lists, but what follows is a very detailed look at how these skills can be used.

It should be noted that the following is rules heavy, and in some cases may be best use as guidelines rather than hard and fast rules (even more so than normal). A lot of what is described are core activities - such as running, fast talking, spotting things and the like.

Athletics

Athletics represents a mixture of gymnastics, acrobatics, running, climbing, swimming and other general physical activities.

Running

In order to walk or run, you do not normally need to make a skill check. How far you can move in a round is based on your Move (as described previously), and is unaffected by skill unless you are Sprinting, in which case you add your base Athletics skill to how far you can move each round. In this case, Athletics is not multiplied by any attribute.

The four modes of movement (in order of speed) are as follows (distance moved is in metres):

Action	Distance/round
Careful	1/2 MOVE
Standard	MOVE
Running	MOVE x 2
Sprinting	MOVE x 2 + Athletics

The above chart pretty much assumes a clear path and running in a straight line.

Obstructions

If the path is obstructed, then an agility x Athletics check is required against a difficulty that depends on the level of obstruction. A moderate success allows standard movement, a good success or better allows running. Failure means half movement only.

Obstruction	Target
Light obstruction. A typical lightly crowded street, or through a wood. Running is easy, unless you fumble and trip up.	0
Moderate obstruction. A busy street, a warehouse full of crates, across rubble or through dense woods.	10
Heavy obstruction. A busy market, or through thick foliage.	20

A fumbled check results in a trip and fall which results in no movement this round and doubled difficulty the following round. Alternatively, you can opt to receive one level of fatigue instead of tripping.

If the obstructions consist of crowds, then you may try to barge through. A strength x Brawl check is made at the same difficulty each round, and success drops the Athletics check difficulty by one level. Failure results in you being held up for a round. In either case, it will result in a lot of angry people behind you.

Unsafe ground

The above assumes that the path, though obstructed, is relatively safe and that the worst that is likely to occur from a trip is a bruised nose or upset pedestrians. In some cases, you may need to run across ground which is actually dangerous, where the footing is precarious, narrow or simply trapped.

The difficulty for moving past obstructions is modified according to the level of danger.

Severity	Target
Unsafe. Unstable footing, pits or narrow walkways. Rubble, tangled roots or swamp.	+10
Dangerous. Running across loose planks, avoiding traps, moving machinary or frequent gaps. Rooftops or amongst factory robots.	+20
Deadly. Seriously dangerous conditions, such as in rigging, along cranes or in similar situations where stable footing is the exception rather than the norm.	+30
Slippery. Additionally to the other modifiers, if the surface is icy, oil covered or otherwise lacking in grip, add a further +10.	+5
Windy. If it is windy, add a further +5.	+5

For example, roof tops are generally clear of obstructions (light obstructions), but tend to involve narrow ledges, sloping surfaces and jumping between buildings (dangerous) leading to a target difficulty of 10 + 20 = 30.

If the movement check is failed, then half movement is achieved as before, plus a second check must be immediately made at the same difficulty. On a failure, then you fall or are hit by some moving machinery, and take damage as appropriate.

You may opt to move safely, in which case your movement is limited to half, but on failure the difficulty of the second check is halved.

Chases

The simple way to run a chase is for all participants to total up the distance moved each round. If the hunters catch up with the prey, then they can try to tackle them to the ground. Tackling a person is covered in the combat article.

A common feature of chases is the prey pulling over obstacles to try and slow up their pursuers. To do this, make a dexterity x Athletics against a target of 20, 30 or 40. Success adds half the difficulty to the pursuer's check, failure results in you being halted for a round.

Climbing

Whenever you must climb a complex obstacle, an agility x Athletics check is required. Unless you are trying to perform the feat quickly, climbing a ladder or flight of stairs will rarely require a skill check.

During combat, a simple climb manouevre can be performed as part of a move action by making an agility x Athletics check.

Target	Obstruction
10	Very easy. Get onto or over a chair or bench. Getting under a table or similar shelter is also very easy.
15	Easy. Get onto a table or object of similar height. Climbing under and through a table, assuming there are no chairs in the way.
20	Moderate. Climb/jump over a table or object of similar size. Also, climbing over a fence no higher than you are.

On success, all of these can be performed as a standard movement action at no penalty during combat. Failure results in no or partial movement, and loss of further attacks and defences that round.

To perform these actions as a full round action, halve the difficulties.

Long climbs

When climbing things which require more than a round to complete, the difficulty is more based on the complexity of the task than the time it takes to complete.

Normally, you can speed climb a distance equal to quarter your Move each round. Make a strength x Athletics check each round, failure means no distance is climbed, and make an agility x Athletics check at the same difficulty or fall. Alternatively, the second check can be ignored if you take a level of Fatigue.

Optionally, you can move ten times this distance every minute, making a check each minute. This is slower, but reduces the number of rolls and hence the chance of fumbling.

For longer climbs, a roll every 15 minutes can be made, at Move x 50. Again, speed is traded for reliability. Over these distances, a failure can be ignored by gaining a level of Exhaustion.

Target	Surface being climbed
10	Very easy. Ladders, very easy slope or tree.
15	Easy. Trees with plenty of branches, cliff with lots of ledges and handholds, scaffolding or similar structure.
20	Moderate. Typical cliff, on to the roof of a modern detached house (via garage, drain pipes etc).
30	Difficult. Smooth cliff or brick wall of a modern house.
40	Very difficult. About the hardest most cliffs will be in general, though they may have sections which are harder than this.
50	Severe.
60	Very severe.
70	Extremely severe. About the hardest naturally occuring climbs.

If you want to climb carefully, halve speed, and on failure half the difficulty of the second check (the first check is still the same however).

Awareness

The Awareness skill is used to spot objects, here noises and generally be aware of your environment.

To spot something, make a perception x Awareness check according to the table below.

Situation	Modifier
Spot a standing person. Base difficulty to see a person who is standing in the open, making no attempt to hide themselves.	+0
Distance 50m - 100m. If the target is over 50m away, then increase the difficulty by +5.	+5
Distance over 100m. If the target is 100m away or more, then increase the difficulty by +10. Each doubling (200m, 400m) adds a further +10.	+10
Size above 5. Each point of size of the target above 5, reduce the difficulty by 5. If they are smaller, then increase the difficulty by 5 per point.	-5/pt
Half cover. If the target is hidden in half cover.	+10
90% cover. If the target is almost entirely hidden.	+20

Standards

Except where otherwise noted, the following standards can be assumed to be used throughout these rules.

Fractions

All fractions are rounded to the nearest whole number, and halves round up (away from zero).

Weights and Measures

The metric system is used throughout these rules, with metres and kilogrammes being the standard units of distance and weight.

Technology

Some things are limited by the type of technology available. Limits affect both equipment that can be purchased, and also what skills can be learnt. In some cases, a skill may exist in different time periods, but be used quite differently.

Tech Levels

TL	Historical period
0	Stone age
1	Bronze age
2	Iron age
3	Medieval
4	Renaissance
5	Steam
6	Mechanical
7	Nuclear
8	Information
9+	The Future

Levels beyond 9 are not detailed in the core rules, and will depend on the campaign in question.

0: Stone Age

1: Bronze Age

2: Iron Age

3: Medieval (1000-1450)

4: Renaissance (1450-1750)

5: Steam (1750-1900)

6: Mechanical (1900-1945)

7: Nuclear (1945-1980)

8: Information (1980-2020)

9+: The Future (2020+)

GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE

Version 2, June 1991

Copyright (C) 1989, 1991 Free Software Foundation, Inc. 675 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA

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