TEXT: So1um Expanded Edition 
   
  1. Introduction: 
  This
  expanded
  edition
  of
  the
   
   
   
   
   
  So1um rpg system adds a few more
   
   
   
    
   
   
  options to So1um while keeping
   
   
   
   
   
  it’s elegant resolution system.
   
   
   
   
  The goal was to create a So1um
   
   
   
   
    
   
  version
  that
  is
  suited
  for
  a
   
   
   
   
   
   
  quick one-shot game as well as
   
   
   
   
   
   
  mid to long term campaign play. 
   
  Credits go to Matt Jackson for
   
   
   
   
   
   
  creating and sharing So1um with
   
   
   
   
   
  the community. 
   
  2. Creating your character(s): 
  Characters are defined by three
   
   
   
   
   
  main attributes: ​Body, Mind and
   
   
   
   
   
  Charm. They are further defined
   
   
   
   
   
  by one or more cliches, by their
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  gear and their hitpoints. 
   
  Body represents your character’s
   
   
   
   
  physical capabilities including
   
   
   
  toughness,
  endurance,
  stamina,
   
   
   
  hand-eye-coordination, balance,
   
   
  reflexes,
  ranged
  and
  melee
   
   
   
   
  combat prowess as well as riding
   
   
   
   
   
   
  mounts
  and
  operating
  simple
   
   
   
   
  vehicles like cars, motorcycles
   
   
   
   
  or
  small
  boats.
  If
  a
  task
  is
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  mainly
  related
  to
  a
  physical
   
   
   
   
   
  activity it is resolved with the
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Body attribute. 
   
  Mind represents your character’s
   
   
   
   
  mental
  and
  intellectual
   
   
   
  capabilities
  including
   
   
  perception,
  memory,
  puzzle
   
   
   
  solving, situational awareness,
   
   
   
  willpower,
  multi-tasking
   
   
  ability, orientation and general
   
   
   
   
  knowledge and education as well
   
   
   
   
   
  as the ability to operate complex
   
   
   
   
   
   
  vehicles
  like
  helicopters,
   
   
   
  airplanes,
  starships,
  large
   
   
   
  yachts and similar vehicles that
   
   
   
   
   
  require extensive knowledge and
   
   
   
   
  multi-tasking
  to
  operate
   
   
   
  effectively. Also the ability to
   
   
   
   
   
  pick locks, use computers and
   
   
   
   
   
  hack into networks as well as
   
   
   
   
   
   
  fixing things. If a task mainly
   
   
    
   
   
  requires
  knowledge,
  education
   
   
   
  or intelligence it is resolved
   
   
   
   
   
  with the Mind attribute. 
   
  Charm describes your character’s
   
   
   
   
  persuasiveness,
  aura,
  presence
   
   
   
  and
  likeability
  as
  well
  as
   
   
   
   
   
  leadership and is used for tasks
   
   
   
   
   
   
  that focus on social interaction
   
   
   
   
   
  and
  communication
  like
   
   
   
  bluffing,
  intimidating, asking
   
   
   
  for
  favors,
  gathering
   
   
   
  information,
  requisition
   
   
  supplies
  or
  aid
  and
  similar
   
   
   
   
   
  activities.
  If
  a
  task
  mainly
   
   
   
   
   
  involves
  other
  people
  it
  is
   
   
   
   
   
  resolved
  with
  the
  Charm
   
   
   
   
  attribute. 
   
  Your attributes can have values
   
   
   
   
   
  from 1 to 3 at character creation
    
    
   
   
   
  and can be raised to a maximum of
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
  4
  during
  play
  through
   
   
   
   
  advancement
  (see
  advancement
   
   
   
  section below). 
   
  When creating a character you
   
   
   
   
   
  can freely assign the values 3, 2
   
   
   
   
   
    
  and 1 to the three attributes. 
   
  
  Your
  character’s
  cliches
  are
   
   
   
   
  descriptors or short sentences
   
   
   
   
  that help paint a better picture
   
   
    
   
   
  of your character and include a
   
   
   
   
    
  broad
  (not
  strictly
  defined)
   
   
   
   
  subset of skills that can aid a
   
   
   
   
   
    
  character
  when
  attempting
  a
   
   
   
   
  task. 
   
  During character creation you
   
   
   
   
  start with one cliche and also
   
   
   
   
   
   
  roll 2d6: For every even number
   
   
   
   
   
   
  you
  roll
  you
  can
  add
  one
   
   
   
   
   
   
  additional
  cliche
  to
  your
   
   
   
   
  character. 
   
  If a cliche is actually useful for
    
   
   
   
   
   
  a
  given
  task
  depends
  on
  the
   
   
   
   
   
   
  situation and the task and is
   
   
   
   
   
   
  determined by the player but it
   
   
   
   
   
   
  should
  be
  within
  reason.
  For
   
   
   
   
   
  example if I have a cliche called
   
    
    
   
   
  “Lucky
  Smuggler”
  there
  is
  no
   
   
   
   
   
  apparent reason that it helps me
   
   
   
   
   
   
  when hacking a computer system. 
   
  If a cliche is helpful to complete
    
   
   
   
   
   
  a task you can add one die to
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  your
  dice
  pool
  (see
  task
   
   
   
   
   
  resolution below). However, you
   
   
   
   
  can only benefit from one cliche
   
   
   
   
   
   
  at a time, even if more than one
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
  would be applicable. 
   
  Example cliches: 
  Luck Independent Gambler, Man of
   
   
   
   
   
  the
  Streets,
  Well
  known
   
   
   
   
  Gunslinger, Cyberwizard, etc. 
   
  Hitpoints
  ​represent
  your
   
   
   
  character’s ability to shrug off
   
   
   
   
   
  pain and injury, avoid lethal
   
   
   
   
   
  blows and deadly bullets, turn
   
   
   
   
   
  hits into near misses and take
   
   
   
   
   
   
  punishment and move on. They are
   
   
   
   
   
   
  an
  abstract
  measure
  of
  a
   
   
   
   
   
  character’s survivability, some
   
   
   
  form
  of
  “plot
  armor”.
  Losing
   
   
   
   
   
  hitpoints does not necessarily
   
   
   
   
  mean that the character was hit
   
   
   
   
   
   
  and has been seriously injured
   
   
   
   
   
  but instead managed to turn the
   
   
   
   
   
   
  deadly blow into a near miss,
   
   
   
   
   
   
  taking only a minor bruise or
   
   
   
   
   
   
  scratch
  etc.
  What
  it
  means
   
   
   
   
   
  exactly depends on the situation
   
   
   
   
   
  and
  type
  of
  attack
  and
  is
   
   
   
   
   
   
  dictated
  by
  cinematic
   
   
   
  requirement. For example: In a
   
   
   
   
   
  modern gunfight it would not be
   
   
   
   
   
   
  cinematic
  if
  the
  hero
  was
   
   
   
   
   
  actually hit by three bullets in
   
   
   
   
   
   
  the chest but still fights on
   
   
   
   
   
   
  because he has hitpoints left, so
   
   
   
   
   
   
  instead it could mean that he
   
   
   
   
   
   
  barely
  dodged
  but
  suffered
  a
   
   
   
   
   
  flesh wound at the shoulder. 
   
  Your starting hitpoints are the
   
   
   
   
   
  sum
  of
  your
  Body
  and
  Mind
   
   
   
   
   
   
  attributes.  
   
  So if you have Body 2 and Mind 1
   
   
   
   
    
   
    
  you would start with 3 hitpoints
   
   
   
    
   
  for example. 
   
  Gear ​is equipment, weapons and
   
   
   
   
   
  armor that your character starts
   
   
   
   
   
  with.
  Your
  starting
  gear
  is
   
   
   
   
   
  limited
  and
  should
  fit
  your
   
   
   
   
   
  cliches. You start out with one
   
   
   
   
   
   
  light weapon, maybe light armor
   
   
   
   
   
  (roll 1d6, if you roll an even
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  number you have light armor) and
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  some basic adventuring gear as
   
   
   
   
   
  well as a little amount of money.
   
    
   
   
   
   
  The
  use
  of
  gear
  is
  described
   
   
   
   
   
   
  further in the gear and combat
   
   
   
   
   
   
  sections of this document. 
   
  3. Task Resolution 
  If you attempt a task that is
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  difficult,
  complex
  or
  has
  a
   
   
   
   
   
  chance
  of
  failure
  you
  roll a
   
   
   
   
   
   
  check to see if you succeed.  
   
  There are two types of checks:
   
   
   
   
   
   
  The first type is an unopposed
   
   
   
   
   
   
  check
  against
  a
  static
   
   
   
   
  difficulty. The second type is an
   
   
   
   
   
   
  opposed check directly against
   
   
   
   
  an opponent which is resolved by
   
   
   
   
   
   
  rolling dice for both sides and
   
   
   
   
   
   
  comparing the result. 
   
  In order to make a check you
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  build a dice pool (of six sided
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  dice) which consists a number of
   
   
    
   
   
  dice equal to the value of the
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  relevant
  attribute
  and
  a
   
   
   
   
  possible
  die
  that
  is
  added
   
   
   
   
   
  because you have an applicable
   
   
   
   
   
  cliche. 
   
  You then roll all your dice and
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  compare each die individually
   
   
   
   
  against the difficulty if it is an
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  unopposed check or against the
   
   
   
   
   
  results of the opposing creature,
   
   
   
   
   
  if it is an opposed check.  
   
  If one of your dice rolls the
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  difficulty or higher you pass
   
   
   
   
   
  the check if it is an unopposed
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  check. 
   
  If your single highest die is
   
   
   
   
   
   
  higher
  than
  the
  opponent’s
   
   
   
   
  single highest die you win the
   
   
   
   
   
   
  opposed check. 
   
  Difficulty
  Numbers
  for
   
   
   
  unopposed checks: 
  1: automatic 
  2: very easy 
  3: easy 
  4: average 
  5: tricky 
  6+: hard 
   
  Examples: 
  Nick the thief wants to climb the
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  ivory tower of the snake cult in
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  order to steal the diamond known
   
   
   
   
   
   
  as the “Eye of the Snake”. Since
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  the tower has a smooth surface
   
   
   
   
   
   
  the difficulty is set at 5. His
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Body attribute is 3 and he has
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  the cliche “Acrobat Thief” which
   
   
   
   
   
  adds one die to the pool. The
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  player picks up 4d6 and rolls. He
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  gets a 5, 3, 2 and 2. Since at least
    
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
  one die rolled a 5 Nick passes the
   
   
     
   
   
   
  check and reaches the top of the
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  tower. 
   
  Big
  Arm
  Bruno
  is
  in
  an
  arm
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  wrestle contest against Skinny
   
   
   
   
  Norris. It is an opposed check,
   
   
   
   
   
   
  both participants have to roll
   
   
   
   
   
  their Body attribute. Big Arm
   
   
   
   
   
  Bruno’s Body is 3, Skinny Norris’
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Body is 1. No cliche fits so Bruno
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  rolls 3d6 and gets 3, 2, 2, not the
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  best roll. Skinny Norris rolls
   
   
   
   
   
  1d6 and gets a 4.
  Skinny Norris
   
   
    
   
   
   
  wins since he’s got the highest
   
   
   
   
   
   
  single die result (remember, you
   
   
   
   
   
  
  always compare individual dice,
   
   
   
   
  not dice totals). He grins, makes
   
   
   
   
   
   
  a mean thumb squeeze against a
   
   
   
   
    
  nerve pressure point and slams
   
   
   
   
   
  Bruno’s arm onto the table. 
   
  The “Rule of 6”: 
  There
  is
  one
  special
  rule
   
   
   
   
   
  regarding
  checks,
  whether
   
   
   
  unopposed or opposed, and that
   
   
   
   
   
  is the “Rule of 6”: ​Whenever one
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  or more dice show a 6, you take
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
  one (and only one) of them and
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  roll it again. The result of the
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  second roll is added to the 6 for
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
  the final result. If the second
   
   
   
   
   
   
  roll is a 6 as well, it is added
   
     
   
   
   
   
   
  and
  the
  die
  is
  rolled
  again,
   
   
   
   
   
   
  until no more 6es are rolled. The
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  resulting
  total
  is
  the
  final
   
   
   
   
   
  check result. The “Rule of 6” is
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  the only way to pass checks that
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  have a difficulty higher than 6
    
   
   
    
  (which is possible but rare) and
   
   
   
   
   
   
  it is also used to break ties if
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  both participants in an opposed
   
   
   
   
   
  contest rolled a 6. 
   
  Example: 
  Ripperjack,
  the
  well
  known
   
   
   
   
  street doc, has to patch up a
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  severely wounded street samurai
   
   
   
   
  who was almost cut in half by a
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
  katana.
  He
  only
  has
  basic
   
   
   
   
   
  medical supplies and a standard
   
   
    
   
  operating table. The difficulty
   
   
   
   
  is set at 10. Ripperjack has Mind
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  4 and a Street Doc cliche, so he
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
  gets to roll 5 dice. He rolls 6, 6,
   
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
  5, 3, 2. So far so good, there is
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  still
  hope
  for
  the
  street
   
   
   
   
   
  samurai. The player takes one of
   
   
   
   
   
   
  the dice that rolled a 6 and rolls
   
   
   
     
   
   
  again, getting a 3. The 3 is added
   
    
   
    
   
   
  for a final result of 9. Too bad,
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
  it looked good at first, but the
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  samurai lost too much blood and
   
   
   
   
   
   
  passes away under the capable
   
   
   
   
   
  hands of Ripperjack. 
   
  4. Combat, Combat Gear, Damage
   
   
   
   
   
  and Healing 
  If two or more hostile parties
   
   
   
   
   
   
  try to kill or hurt each other
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  combat breaks out. Combat uses
   
   
   
   
   
  the rules for checks but with a
   
   
   
   
   
    
  little extra added to it. 
   
  Combat Rounds: 
  During combat, the in-game time
   
   
   
   
   
  is measured in small units of
   
   
   
   
   
   
  time called ​rounds​. One round
   
   
   
   
   
  equals 5 seconds of time in the
    
   
   
   
   
   
  game world. 
  In a ​round​, every participant
   
   
   
   
   
  gets a ​turn​. 
  The
  order
  in
  which
  all
  the
   
   
   
   
   
   
  participants act is called the
   
   
   
   
   
  initiative order. ​The initiative
   
   
   
   
  order is determined once at the
   
   
   
   
   
   
  beginning of combat and stays
   
   
   
   
   
  the same each round until the
   
   
   
   
   
   
  combat
  is
  resolved.
  However,
   
   
   
   
  determining
  the
  initiative
   
   
   
  order
  is
  only
  necessary,
  if
   
   
   
   
   
  neither side is surprised. ​If one
   
   
   
   
   
   
  side
  is
  caught
  unaware
  or
   
   
   
   
   
  ambushed, the ambushing party
   
   
   
   
  always has the initiative and
   
   
   
   
   
  acts before the ambushed party
   
   
   
   
   
  can act. 
  During
  a
  turn,
  the
  acting
   
   
   
   
   
  creature can do two things: ​It
   
   
   
   
   
   
  can move and it can perform one
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  action. An action is mostly but
   
   
   
   
   
   
  not always an attack but it can
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  also
  be
  used
  to open a door,
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  change weapons, drink a potion,
   
   
    
   
  interact with the environment
   
   
   
   
  or even to make a second move. ​In
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
  short,
  an
  action
  is
  used
  to
   
   
   
   
   
   
  perform any task that requires a
   
   
   
   
    
  little effort and concentration. 
   
  The
  move
  is
  optional
  and
   
   
   
   
   
  movement is needed to close or
   
   
   
   
   
   
  increase
  the
  distance
  to
  an
   
   
   
   
   
  opponent. One move reduces or
   
   
   
   
   
  increases the range category to
   
   
   
   
   
  the
  target
  by
  one.
  For
  more
   
   
   
   
   
   
  details see the movement section. 
   
  Determining
  the
  Initiative
   
   
   
  Order: 
  To
  determine
  the
  initiative
   
   
   
   
  order, all participating heroes
   
   
   
   
  (only heroes, not NPC or monsters)
   
   
   
   
   
   
  make ​an unopposed Mind check
   
   
   
   
   
  against
  a
  difficulty
  of
  4.
   
   
   
   
   
  Appropriate cliches can be used
   
   
   
   
   
  as per standard check rules. 
   
  All heroes that pass the check
   
   
   
   
   
   
  act before the hostile creatures
   
   
   
   
   
  act,
  all
  heroes
  that
  fail
  the
   
   
   
   
   
   
  check
  act
  after
  the
  hostile
   
   
   
   
   
  creatures​. Participants act in
   
   
   
   
  order of their Mind stat from
   
   
   
   
   
   
  highest to lowest during their
   
   
   
   
   
  segment (that is before or after
   
   
   
   
   
   
  the opposition). 
   
  Example: 
  Nick the thief has Mind 2 and a
   
   
   
   
    
    
  cliche
  called
  “Quick-Witted
   
   
   
  Rogue”, his companion, Osric the
   
   
   
   
   
  Conqueror, has Mind 1 and the
   
   
   
   
   
   
  cliche “Seasoned Veteran of Many
   
   
   
   
   
  Battles”.
  They
  are
  facing
  off
   
   
   
   
   
  against four orcs. 
  The
  initiative
  order
  is
   
   
   
   
  established: Nick rolls 3d6 (Mind
   
   
   
   
   
  + cliche): He gets 4, 3, 3, and
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  passes the check. Osric rolls 2d6
   
   
   
   
   
   
  and gets 3, 3. He fails the check.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  So the initiative order is Nick,
   
   
   
   
   
   
  the orcs, Osric. 
   
  If Osric had passed the check as
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  well the order would be Nick
   
   
   
   
   
   
  (because he has Mind 2), Osric
   
   
   
   
   
   
  (Mind 1), the orcs. 
   
  Attacking and Defending: 
  There are two types of attacks:
   
   
   
   
   
   
  Melee
  attacks
  and
  ranged
   
   
   
   
  attacks.  
   
  Melee
  attacks
  are
  attacks
   
   
   
   
  against an opponent that you are
   
   
   
   
   
   
  engaged with. Melee attacks are
   
   
   
   
   
  made either with melee weapons,
   
   
   
   
   
  punches and kicks or improvised
   
   
   
   
   
  weapons
  like
  pistol
  grips,
   
   
   
   
  chairs etc. 
   
  In order to make a successful
   
   
   
   
   
   
  melee attack you have to win an
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  opposed Body check against your
   
   
   
   
   
  opponent. If you win the check
   
   
   
   
   
   
  you
  hit
  the
  target
  and
  deal
   
   
   
   
   
   
  damage
  according
  to
  your
   
   
   
   
  weapon, which is subtracted from
   
   
   
   
   
  the target’s hitpoints. 
   
  However, if you fail the opposed
   
   
   
   
   
   
  check, you take damage according
   
   
   
   
   
  to
  the
  weapon
  used
  by
  your
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  opponent, even though it is your
   
   
   
   
   
   
  turn and you are the attacker.  
   
  The same is true if it is your
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  opponent’s turn and he fails the
   
   
   
   
   
   
  opposed check. You can then deal
   
   
   
   
   
   
  damage to him. 
   
  In short: Melee combat is a risky
   
   
   
   
    
   
  business and a bloody mess where
   
    
   
   
   
  everybody can be hurt anytime,
   
   
   
   
   
  even if it is not his or her turn.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  It is a back and forth of blows,
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  thrusts and parries where every
   
   
   
   
   
  mistake
  is
  exploited
  by
  the
   
   
   
   
   
  opposition. 
   
  Ranged attacks are attacks made
   
   
   
   
   
  with a ranged weapon like a bow,
    
   
   
    
   
  throwing knife, pistol or rifle.
   
   
   
   
   
  They are usually made against
   
   
   
   
   
  targets that are nearby or far
   
   
   
   
   
   
  away, however, they can be used
   
   
   
   
   
   
  in close combat as well but that
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  is
  difficult,
  since
  the
  enemy
   
   
   
   
   
  will try to interfere and won’t
   
   
   
   
   
   
  let you get a straight shot. 
   
  In order to make a successful
   
   
   
   
   
   
  ranged
  attack,
  you
  have
  to
   
   
   
   
   
  succeed at an unopposed check
   
   
   
   
   
  against a difficulty which is
   
   
   
   
   
  determined by the distance to
   
   
   
   
   
  the target. 
   
  Against targets that are engaged
   
   
   
   
   
  with you the difficulty is 6. 
   
  Against targets that are nearby
   
   
   
   
   
  the difficulty is 4. 
   
  Against targets that are far away
   
   
   
   
   
   
  the difficulty is 5. 
   
  If you succeed at the check you
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  hit and deal damage according to
   
   
   
   
   
   
  your weapon. 
   
  If you fail the check, the shot
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  misses. 
   
  Movement and Distance: 
  In
  this
  expanded
  version
  of
   
   
   
   
   
  So1um ​distance is measured in
   
   
   
   
   
  three
  abstract
  categories. The
   
   
   
   
  categories are: 
   
  Engaged:
  You
  are
  directly
  in
   
   
   
   
   
  front of an opponent or NPC or
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  switch or door or whatever. You
   
   
   
   
   
   
  can attack with a melee weapon
   
   
    
   
   
  or interact with the object in
   
   
   
   
   
   
  front
  of
  you.
  Using
  a
  ranged
   
   
   
   
   
   
  weapon
  while
  engaged
  with
  a
   
   
   
   
   
  hostile
  creature
  is
  difficult,
   
   
   
   
  since the creature will do all it
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  can to interfere, therefore using
   
   
   
   
   
  a ranged weapon while engaged
   
   
   
   
   
  with a hostile is a check against
    
   
    
   
   
  a difficulty of 6. You can choose
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  to use a ranged weapon as an
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  improvised
  melee
  weapon
  or
   
   
   
   
  attack with unarmed strikes (or
   
   
   
   
   
  switch
  to
  a
  melee
  weapon
  of
   
   
   
   
   
   
  course). In this case you make a
   
   
   
   
   
    
  melee
  attack
  with
  an
  opposed
   
   
   
   
   
  check (and take damage if you
   
   
   
   
   
   
  fail the check).  
   
  You can use your move to move
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  away, increasing the distance by
   
   
   
   
   
  one category to nearby, if you
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  are not engaged with a hostile
   
   
   
   
   
   
  creature. 
   
  If you are engaged with a hostile
   
   
   
   
    
   
  creature and want to disengage
   
   
   
   
   
  and withdraw roll a d6: If you
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  get
  an
  even
  number
  you
   
   
   
   
   
  disengage, withdraw and are now
   
   
   
   
   
  nearby. If you roll an odd number
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  you
  fail
  and
  the
  opponent
   
   
   
   
   
  retains
  hold
  of
  you.
  You
  are
   
   
   
   
   
   
  still engaged and your move is
   
   
   
   
   
   
  lost. 
   
  Nearby: ​A feature or creature or
    
   
   
   
   
  NPC that is nearby is a few meters
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
  away, down an alley, across the
   
   
   
   
   
   
  room etc. The exact distance is
   
   
   
   
   
   
  not
  important.
  You
  can
   
   
   
   
  communicate
  with
  nearby
   
   
   
  characters
  without
  having
  to
   
   
   
   
  shout. Shooting somebody that is
   
   
   
   
   
  nearby requires a check against
   
    
   
   
  a difficulty of 4. ​Nearby is the
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  default distance at which combat
   
   
   
   
   
  starts. You can take a move to
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  increase the distance to far away
   
   
   
   
   
   
  or move in and engage. 
   
  Far Away: ​If a creature or feature
   
   
    
   
   
   
  is far away it is anywhere from
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  tens of meters to hundreds of
   
   
   
   
   
   
  meters away. At the end of the
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  road,
  on
  the
  horizon,
  at
  the
   
   
   
   
   
   
  opposite side of a stadium etc.
   
   
   
   
   
   
  You
  either
  have
  to
  shout
  to
   
   
   
   
   
   
  communicate
  or
  can
  only
   
   
   
   
  communicate
  by
  comlink
  or
   
   
   
   
  visual signs, depending on the
   
   
   
   
   
  context
  and
  the
  location
  and
   
   
   
   
   
  distance in the narrative. 
   
  Movement: ​During combat you can
   
   
   
   
   
  increase
  or
  decrease
  the
   
   
   
   
  distance
  to
  an
  opponent
  or
   
   
   
   
   
  feature by taking your move when
   
   
   
   
   
   
  it
  is
  your
  turn.
  One
  move
   
   
   
   
   
   
  increases
  or
  decreases
  the
   
   
   
   
  distance by one category. You can
   
   
   
   
   
   
  choose to make a second move as
   
   
    
   
   
   
  your action. Outside of combat
   
   
   
   
   
  movement is much more abstract
   
   
   
   
   
  and loose, you just move where
   
   
   
   
   
   
  you want to go. 
   
  Combat Gear (Weapons and Armor)​:
   
   
   
   
   
  Weapons
  and
  armor
  are
   
   
   
   
  considered combat gear and use
   
   
   
   
   
  the
  rules
  detailed
  in
  this
   
   
   
   
   
  section. Both types come in three
   
   
   
   
   
   
  categories: 
   
  light weapon or armor 
   
  medium weapon or armor 
   
  heavy weapon or armor 
   
  Weapons: 
  The weapon you use determines
   
   
   
   
   
  how much damage you deal on a
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  successful hit.  
   
  Light weapons deal one point of
   
   
   
   
   
   
  damage.
  Light
  weapons
  are
   
   
   
   
  pistols, daggers, short swords,
   
   
   
   
  throwing
  knives,
  improvised
   
   
   
  weapons, unarmed strikes, light
   
   
   
   
  blades etc. All heroes start with
   
   
   
   
   
   
  a light weapon of choice. 
   
  Medium weapons deal two points
   
   
   
   
   
  of damage. Medium weapons are
   
   
   
   
   
  
  rifles, swords, axes, crossbows,
   
   
   
   
  bows etc. 
   
  Heavy weapons deal three points
   
   
   
   
   
  of
  damage.
  Heavy
  weapons
  are
   
   
   
   
   
  machine
  guns,
  assault
  rifles,
   
   
   
   
  grenade
  launchers,
  two-handed
   
   
   
  melee weapons, heavy crossbows
   
   
   
   
  or composite bows etc.  
   
  In order to effectively wield a
   
   
   
   
    
  heavy weapon you need a Body
   
   
   
   
   
   
  score of at least 3. Otherwise the
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  weapon deals only 2 damage and
   
   
   
   
   
   
  during
  a
  check
  you
  have
  to
   
   
   
   
   
   
  subtract one die when building
   
   
   
   
   
  your dice pool. 
   
  Armor: 
  Armor
  increases
  your
   
   
   
  survivability.
  ​In
  game
  terms,
   
   
   
   
  armor
  adds
  hitpoints
  to
  your
   
   
   
   
   
  starting
  hitpoint
  value
  when
   
   
   
   
  you wear it in combat. If you lose
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  these hitpoints that doesn’t mean
   
   
   
   
   
  your armor is damaged or broken
   
   
   
   
   
   
  and
  “armor
  hitpoints”
  are
   
   
   
   
  recovered
  just
  like
  hitpoints
   
   
   
   
  during a rest. You have to think
    
   
   
   
   
   
  of it all in an abstract form to
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  measure how much punishment you
   
   
   
   
   
  can take. 
   
  Light armor adds one hitpoint to
   
   
   
   
   
   
  your starting value. Light armor
   
   
   
   
   
  is leather armor, padded clothes,
   
   
   
   
   
  a heavy leather jacket, a padded
   
   
   
    
   
  vest
  reinforced
  with
   
   
   
  polycarbonate fibers etc. After
   
   
   
   
  character creation roll 1d6. If
   
   
   
   
   
  you
  roll
  an
  even
  number
  you
   
   
   
   
   
   
  start with light armor of your
   
   
   
   
   
   
  choice. 
   
  Medium armor adds two hitpoints
   
   
   
   
   
  to
  your
  starting
  value.
   
   
   
   
  Chainmail,
  a
  breastplate,
  a
   
   
   
   
  modern
  polycarbonate
  armor,
   
   
   
  scale
  mail,
  a
  flak jacket and
   
   
   
   
   
   
  similar armor counts as medium
   
   
   
   
   
  armor.
  Medium
  armor
  is
   
   
   
   
  expensive in the game world. 
   
  Heavy armor adds three hitpoints
   
   
   
   
   
  to your starting value. A suit of
   
   
   
    
   
   
  full
  plate,
  powered
  assault
   
   
   
   
  armor
  or
  similar
  types
  are
   
   
   
   
   
  considered heavy armor. Heavy
   
   
   
   
  armor is usually very expensive,
   
   
   
   
   
  might
  be
  restricted,
  can’t
  be
   
   
   
   
   
  hidden
  and
  certainly
  draws
   
   
   
   
  attention. 
   
  You need a Body score of at least
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
  2
  to
  effectively
  wear
  medium
   
   
   
   
   
  armor and a score of at least 3 to
   
    
   
   
   
    
   
  effectively
  wear
  heavy
  armor.
   
   
   
   
  Otherwise you subtract one die
   
   
   
   
   
  from
  your
  dice
  pool
  when
   
   
   
   
   
  attempting
  any
  form
  of
  check
   
   
   
   
   
  because
  you
  just
  feel
  sweaty,
   
   
   
   
   
  can’t breathe, everything itches
   
   
   
   
  and you are just not used to
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  wearing armor that heavy. You
   
   
   
   
   
  get the idea. 
   
  Damage and Healing: 
  All
  damage
  you
  take
  is
   
   
   
   
   
  subtracted from your hitpoints.
   
   
   
   
  If your hitpoints reach zero you
   
   
   
   
   
   
  are
  knocked
  out,
  severely
   
   
   
   
  wounded,
  unconscious
  or
   
   
   
  otherwise incapacitated and at
   
   
   
   
  
  the mercy of your opponents. You
   
   
   
   
   
   
  are effectively out and can’t act
   
   
   
   
   
   
  anymore. Being incapacitated or
   
   
   
   
  knocked out etc. does not count
   
   
   
   
   
   
  as resting. 
   
  As long as you have at least one
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  hitpoint
  left
  you
  are
  fully
   
   
   
   
   
  functional and you can regain
   
   
   
   
   
  hitpoints naturally by resting.  
   
  If you rest you recover hitpoints
   
   
   
   
   
   
  at a rate of one hitpoint per half
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
  hour of rest. That might seem
   
   
   
   
   
   
  like a fast rate but remember,
   
   
   
   
   
   
  hitpoint
  loss
  does
  not
  equal
   
   
   
   
   
  serious
  injury
  and
  this
  is a
   
   
   
   
   
   
  cinematic game. The heroes want
   
   
   
   
   
  to fight on, not rest for a week
   
   
   
   
   
    
   
  after
  every
  fight.
  Hitpoints
   
   
   
   
  provided by your armor are also
   
   
   
   
   
   
  recovered during a rest, they are
   
    
   
   
   
  treated
  just
  like
  normal
   
   
   
   
  hitpoints. 
   
  You
  can
  also
  heal
  through
   
   
   
   
   
  magical,
  medical
  or
   
   
   
  supernatural means as dictated
   
   
   
   
  by your setting. 
   
  5. (Non-Combat) Gear 
  Gear that is not a weapon or
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  armor
  is
  handled
  by
  the
   
   
   
   
   
  following rules: 
   
  It
  either
  allows
  you
  to
  do
   
   
   
   
   
   
  something
  you
  otherwise
   
   
   
  couldn’t do without the gear  
   
  OR 
   
  a piece of useful gear allows you
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  to reroll one of your dice once
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  when performing a task for which
   
    
   
   
   
  the piece of gear was intended.  
   
  However,
  no
  matter
  how
  many
   
   
   
   
   
  special
  pieces
  of
  gear
  a
   
   
   
   
   
  character
  has,
  you
  can
  only
   
   
   
   
   
  benefit from one piece of gear or
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  one weapon or armor per check
   
   
   
   
   
   
  and only get to reroll one die
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  once. 
   
  Example: 
  Nick the thief is trying to pick
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  a complicated lock of a vault.
   
   
   
   
   
   
  The difficulty is set at 5 and he
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
  has to roll his Mind attribute of
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  2 and can add his cliche so he
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  rolls 3 dice and gets 4, 4, 3. At
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  the moment that is a failure.
   
   
   
   
   
   
  However,
  he
  has
  a
  set
  of
   
   
   
   
   
   
  mastercrafted
  thieves
  tools
   
   
   
  which allow him to reroll one
   
   
   
   
   
   
  die. He rerolls the 3 and gets a 4.
   
   
   
    
   
    
   
  Still
  not
  good enough but at
   
   
   
   
   
   
  least he has had the chance to
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  improve his odds. 
   
  6. Character Advancement 
  For campaign play I suggest the
   
   
    
   
   
  following advancement rules: 
   
  After a hero has completed an
   
   
   
   
   
   
  entire story arc or adventure
   
   
   
   
   
  (not
  just
  a
  session)
  you
  can
   
   
   
   
   
   
  choose A or B: 
   
  A: Try to obtain an additional
   
   
   
   
   
   
  cliche: Make up a cliche that
   
   
   
   
   
   
  relates to what your hero did in
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  the last adventure and roll 1d6.
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  On a roll of 5 or higher you can
    
   
    
   
   
   
   
  add the cliche to your hero’s
   
   
   
   
   
   
  cliches. If you roll below 5 you
   
   
   
   
    
   
  fail to obtain the cliche and can
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  only
  try
  again
  at
  the
  next
   
   
   
   
   
   
  “advancement point” as dictated
   
   
   
   
  by the story. 
   
  B: Try to improve one of your
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  attributes. Choose an attribute
   
   
   
   
  and roll the attribute die or
   
   
   
   
   
   
  dice. If you roll all evens you
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  can increase the attribute by one
   
   
   
   
   
   
  point. No attribute can be raised
   
   
   
   
   
   
  above 4. If you fail to roll all
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  evens your attribute stays as it
   
   
   
   
   
   
  is
  and
  you
  only
  get
  another
   
   
   
   
   
   
  chance at the next “advancement
   
   
   
   
   
  point” as dictated by the story. 
   
  7. Solo Play 
  To play solo or without a GM do
   
   
   
   
    
   
   
  the following: 
   
  Determine
  goals
  &
  the
  first
   
   
   
   
   
  scene: 
   
  Figure out why your character is
   
   
   
   
   
   
  there and where in the story they
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  are. This is a short description
   
   
    
   
   
  of where our hero is and what's
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  happening.
  Imagine
  a starting
   
   
   
   
  point for your adventure:  
   
  Are you stealing space station
   
   
   
   
   
  plans?  
   
  Are you plundering a tomb? 
   
  Begin asking questions: 
   
  To begin play, ask a question
   
   
   
   
   
   
  that has a Yes or No answer, it is
   
    
   
   
   
   
   
   
  important to keep it simple.  
   
  Are guards present?  
   
  Do I encounter a trap?  
   
  For each question, roll a d6 and
   
   
   
    
   
   
  consult the table below.  
   
  If the hero has an applicable
   
   
   
   
   
   
  cliche or an advantage, roll 2d6
   
   
   
   
   
   
  and pick the best result.  
   
  If
  the
  character
  has
  a
   
   
   
   
   
  significant disadvantage or the
   
   
   
   
  odds are very slim, roll 2d6 and
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  use
  the
  worst
  result
  for
  the
   
   
   
   
   
   
  question asked. 
   
  1- No, And 
  4-Yes, But 
   
  2- No 
  5-Yes 
   
  3- No, But 
  6-Yes, And 
   
  And & But Results: 
   
  And
  amplifies,
  while
  But
   
   
   
   
  mitigates.  
   
  No, And means things went really
   
   
   
   
   
   
  bad. No, But softens the blow a
   
   
   
   
   
    
  bit. 
   
  Yes, But is successful but with a
   
   
   
   
   
    
  drawback. Yes, And is all kinds
   
   
   
   
   
   
  of awesome. 
   
  To give you an idea about what
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  might happen for the And or But
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  result you can use the following
   
   
   
   
   
   
  table or any form of random idea
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  generator. Maybe the context of
   
   
   
   
   
  the
  scene
  itself
  already
   
   
   
   
  provides the answer: 
   
  1: Nothing significant happens 
   
  2:
  An
  obstacle,
  something
  to
   
   
   
   
   
  overcome 
   
  3: A unique feature or situation 
   
  4: A unique feature or situation 
   
  5: NPC (1-3 friendly, 4-5 neutral,
   
   
   
   
   
   
  6 not friendly) 
   
  6:
  Monster
  (1
  friendly,
  2-3
   
   
   
   
   
  neutral, 4-6 not friendly) 
   
  8. Optional Rules 
   
  Hitpoints and NPCs: 
  In
  order
  to
  give
  an
  NPC
  or
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  monster a unique feel in combat,
    
   
   
   
   
  you can decouple the creature’s
   
   
   
   
   
  hitpoints from it’s attributes,
   
   
   
   
  since
  the
  body
  score
  also
   
   
   
   
   
  determines
  combat
  capability.
   
   
   
  However, sometimes you need a
   
   
   
   
   
  monster that is not that good in
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  combat but tough and enduring,
   
   
   
   
   
  sometimes you need a capable but
   
   
    
   
   
  frail opponent. Also, don’t worry
   
   
   
   
   
  about an NPCs armor or weapon,
   
   
   
   
   
   
  just give him the hitpoints and
   
   
   
   
   
   
  damage
  values
  that
  are
   
   
   
   
  appropriate
  for
  the NPC. NPCs
   
   
   
   
   
  don’t have to follow the same
   
   
   
   
   
   
  generation
  rules
  as
  player
   
   
   
   
  heroes. 
  Examples: 
  A
  very
  capable
  but
  lightly
   
   
   
   
   
  armored halfling assassin could
   
   
   
   
  have a combat dice pool of 4 (body
    
   
   
   
    
   
  + a relevant cliche) but only 2
   
   
   
   
   
    
  hitpoints. 
   
  A hulking but slow and clumsy
   
   
   
   
   
   
  herbivore dinosaur could have a
   
   
   
    
  combat dice pool of only 1 or 2
   
   
   
   
    
    
  dice but for example 8 hitpoints. 
   
  Alternative Combat Resolution: 
  This extended edition of So1um
   
   
   
   
   
  was created to provide a little
   
   
   
    
   
  more detail in combat, however,
   
   
   
   
   
  that is not what you might want.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  If you want you can ignore all
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  the
  rules
  about
  initiative,
   
   
   
   
  movement and distance and melee
   
   
   
   
   
  and
  ranged
  attacks
  and
  just
   
   
   
   
   
  handle
  combat
  as
  a
  series
  of
   
   
   
   
   
   
  opposed Body checks. The loser
   
   
   
   
   
  takes damage according to the
   
   
   
   
   
  weapon
  used
  by the winner. I
   
   
   
   
   
   
  would suggest to use the “Rule of
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  6” though, in order to keep the
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  draw rounds to a minimum. 
   
  Fast Static Combat: 
  Even though it is always great
   
   
   
   
   
   
  fun to throw a couple of six
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  siders
  around
  sometimes
  you
   
   
   
   
  might
  want to prefer an even
   
   
   
   
   
   
  faster resolution method to the
   
   
   
   
   
  method described above.  
   
  In
  this
  case,
  just
  assign
  the
   
   
   
   
   
   
  combat
  a
  static
  difficulty
   
   
   
   
  determined
  by
  how
  tough
  you
   
   
   
   
   
  think the opposition is and give
   
   
   
   
   
   
  the opposition some hitpoints.  
  
  Only the player rolls his combat
   
   
   
   
   
   
  dice pool. If a die shows the
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  difficulty
  the
  hero
  wins
  the
   
   
   
   
   
  round
  and
  you
  subtract
  the
   
   
   
   
   
  damage from the opposition.  
   
  If the hero fails he is hit and
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  takes damage as determined by
   
   
   
   
   
  the opposition’s weapons.  
   
  In
  essence,
  combat
  becomes
  a
   
   
   
   
   
  series of unopposed checks with
   
   
   
   
   
  a damage counter. 
   
  Example in play: 
  As I dash into the alley I am
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  suddenly
  cut
  off
  by
  enemy
   
   
   
   
   
  troopers approaching from both
   
   
   
   
  sides. Blaster bolts fill the air
   
   
   
   
   
   
  as a total of five troopers are
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  shooting
  at
  me as I dive for
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  cover and return fire… 
   
  Trooper squad: Difficulty 4, 5
   
   
   
   
   
  hitpoints, deal 2 damage on a hit 
   
  Now only the player would roll
   
   
   
   
   
   
  his
  combat
  dice
  every
  round,
   
   
   
   
   
  trying to beat the difficulty of
   
   
   
   
   
   
  4,
  until
  either
  the
  squad
  is
   
   
   
   
   
   
  defeated or the hero is defeated. 
   
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Collections/Solo/2. GM Emulators & Generic Solo Rules/So1um/So1umExpandedEdition.pdf