Skip to main content

Solar Blades & Cosmic Spells - Core Rules - Part I


Solar Blades & Cosmics Spells is a science fantasy RPG based on Sharp Swords & Sinister Spells, but it is also a revision of said game (which will probably be revised sometime in the future). Since I decided Solar Blades would have more examples and would be more "begginer friendly", I took the time to make the game as clear as I can, so I ended up modifying some rules that I hope will make the game more intuitive to run.

What follows is part of the Core Rules section of the draft text. The next parts will deal with more details regarding other aspects of the game.

Attribute Test


Every time a situation arises in which the efforts of the character have a say in how well it goes, we make an Attribute Test. This consists of rolling a d20 against the appropriate Attribute. Success is when the result is equal to or lower than the Attribute score, but higher than the Difficulty. NPCs and Opponents have to roll higher than the appropriate player character Attribute, and use the Powerful Opponent rule, or they are considered to have an Attribute score of 10 plus their HD (for more information regarding NPCs in Action, see the below).

Normally, Alice would not need to test Kaylia’s Physique just to climb a set of ladders, but since she is under heavy fire from the Death Bots of the local Galactic Overlord, she will need to this time. She rolls a d20 and gets a 12, a number under her Physique score of 13, which means she managed to climb the ladder to get away from her enemies.

Avoidance Rolls


Most of the time, players will make Attribute Tests to accomplish something their characters want to do. But sometimes they will need to make these tests to avoid harmful effects. The Overlord will decide what Attribute should be used for each Avoidance Roll, using the following guidelines:

  • Physique: Tested to avoid the harmful effects of effects that attack the physical constitution of the character, such as poisons, diseases, petrification, and other similar effects.
  • Agility: Tested to avoid threats that could be dodged or avoided by sharp reflexes, such as jumping out of a blast radius, dodging a blade trap about to cut you in half, and other such daring escapes.
  • Intellect: Tested to resist mind boggling effects that will try to trick and confuse the character, such as illusions, disorienting spells and other such effects.
  • Willpower: Tested to resist effects that will try to rob the character off his free will, such as the seductive powers of a Void Demon of Seduction, the mind domination powers of Void Sorcerers and other such effects.


At the end of the ladder Kaylia accidentally triggered a security device. It sprang a heavy set of bars that would trap her in the tunnel. Trying to avoid being stuck, Kaylia ran and tried to slip under the bar before it fell. The Overlord then asked her for a Agility test.

Positive and Negative Dice


Some situations may make tasks easier or more difficult. Climbing a ladder when it’s pouring is a lot more challenging than when it’s sunny. Firing at an enemy from higher ground gives a distinct advantage. That’s what Positive and Negative Dice are for. When a test is made with a Positive Die, the player rolls 2 d20s and choose the one he prefers for the result (normally the one that results in a higher number but still within the success interval). On the other hand, when a Negative Die is imposed to a test, the player rolls 2 d20s and the Overlord chooses the one to use as the result (usually the one that complicates the adventurer’s life the most). The Overlord has the final word on whether a Positive or Negative Die is applied in a test, even though he rules has many situations where the use of them are suggested.

In the scene where Kaylia was climbing the ladder, the Overlord could have decided that since she was under heavy fire, she would have had to make the Physique test with a Negative Die, rolling 2 d20s and getting the worst result.

Difficulty


Some tasks are harder than others. Trying to jump over a 1 meter long hole in the sky bridge is simple enough, but jumping over the infamous Chasm of the Dark Depths, with its 10 meter long distance, even with rocket boots can be quite challenging. That’s what Difficulty is for. The Overlord can assign a Difficulty to any test he deems more challenging than usual. Usually, this will be a number between 1 to 5, but it can go higher, depending on the situation. The Difficulty number can be determined by other factors too, like by the Powerful Opponent rule below and the Power Level of the spell or mind power being used.

After escaping the Death Bots, Kaylia ran into an security door. With her enemies closing in, she has little time to postulate other options and decides to pick the security door. The Overlord decides that it’s a fairly complex lock, and assigns a Difficulty 2 for the test. Thus, Alice rolls a d20 but gets a 2, which is within the Difficulty value. It’s a failure, but is one within the character’s potential. The Overlord rules she managed to open the door but her lock pick is destroyed in the process. The Death Bots also just appeared around the hall. She had to run away fast and let some item in her backpack fall off.

If you like what you've just read, check out my books over RPGNow and Lulu.

Popular posts from this blog

My RPG Zine Trilogy is on Kickstarter!

 I can't believe I didn't post about it here! The Dead are Coming, Screams Amongst the Stars and Running Out of Time are on Kickstarter right now! These are 3 complete games, made using the system of Electric Bastionland and Mausritter as the basis (and with some modifications to fit my vision for each of them). As with my games, they all come filled with many tools and tables to generate gaming content, adventures, locations, NPCs and much more. They are compact, easy to use, and equipped to provide you with years of entertainment! Here's a brief description of each of the games. The Dead Are Coming The first of them is called The Dead Are Coming, a minimalist, OSR style RPG about survival in a post-apocalyptic world where the dead have risen and other survivors can be much worse than the undead. Characters in this game are common people who have been struggling to survive, find their loved ones, keep them safe and just trying to keep living. They all carry resources like...

How to never describe a dungeon!

Artwork by Luigi Castellani I've heard it a thousand times. You probably heard it too. Some people , I don't know why, say that dungeons , especially large ones, are boring . The endless repetitions of rooms and corridors and having to choose to go left, right, north or south depresses them. I don't know why. Actually, I do know why. Because they don't really know how to run a dungeon in play. It seems easy, effortless. Just say what's in the room the PCs are in and where the passages going out of it go. But it's not. They get bored with the "you get to a intersection and there is a door to the north and two passages, one going east and one going west" because that's a terrible way of describing a dungeon environment and gives nothing really useful to the players to choose from. You never describe a dungeon like that . There's a lot more going on that we can initially see. A good referee will take all the context of what the dungeon w...

Dark Streets & Darker Secrets - Complete Game Text

November was NaGaDeMon (National Game Design Month), and I decided to create an Action Horror RPG using my system (updated with all the modifications of Solar Blades & Cosmic Spells). Inspired by Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Supernatural, X-Files, The Chilling Tales of Sabrina, Grimm and many more TV Shows, comics and books, I quickly worte Dark Streets & Darker Secrets . It is written in a very direct and simple way, similar to Sharp Swords & Sinister Spells originally was, but with uodated rules and a lot of tools and tables to assist the Referee in creating adventures, NPCs, locations, artifacts, monsters and much more. The book itself will eventually be release in partnership with Gallant Knight Games , but the text is already written and ready to be used, so I am sharing it here with you all! There is no official character sheet yet. I am working on it. But a simple Index Card will work just as well! So here it is:  https://drive.google.com/open?id=1QlFYafvxv...