Basic Skills
All characters are
considered to be "average" humans with all the basic skills
for getting through modern life (so they can drive a car, have basic
knowledge on gun use, minor technical or medical skills) but no
particular expertise in any area. Use of these basic skills are
considered automatic and in most situations do not require a die roll
to make use of the skill; the player must merely state his intent to
perform the action and - barring any unexpected events or conditions
- will succeed automatically. The GM will have the ultimate say on
which skills are considered "automatic" and may rule that
certain skills are prohibited or allowed depending on the setting. If
the character attempts a basic skill under abnormal situations (for
instance, attempting to drive a car up a ramp to jump over an
obstacle), the GM may decide a skill roll is required. A Skill Check
is successful if the character rolls a 4-6 on a d6. The GM may apply
certain bonuses or penalties if the action is unusual or complex (see
Difficulty and Complexity Modifiers, below)
A Skill Check can be
required for almost any activity. It can be a simple check of a
character's strength (say, if attempting to hold shut a door against
the undead), or to notice some clue or item (perhaps while searching
a cluttered room for a useful equipment). If a player has invested
his Player's Option point into a skill, that skill may provide a
certain bonus to the die roll; for instance, when holding shut the
door, a character with the Strong skill would get a +1 to his Skill
Check, so any roll of 3 or above (as opposed to the normal 4 or
higher) would succeed.
(Remember, Player's
Options can be declared at any time - even after the die has rolled!
- although any completed actions will not be changed. That is, a
player can roll a "3" on a Skill Check to determine if he
is holding a door shut, then declare he is "buying" Strong
to turn that failure into a success. However, this purchase does not
change the outcome of any Skill Checks made prior to that purchase.)
Depending on the
complexity of the action, the GM may rule that certain actions
require additional die rolls. This will depend on the action itself
and the skill set of the characters involved. As an example, consider
the character attempting to jump a ramp in a car; this is an unusual
situation and the GM may decide that not only does it require a Skill
Check to succeed, but the character will suffer a -1 penalty to the
roll. However, if the character has the Pilot (automobile) skill, the
GM may decide the jump is well within the character's abilities and
void the penalty or even the die roll entirely. As a general rule,
the GM should never forbid an action entirely, instead relying on
Difficulty and Complexity modifiers to alter the likelihood of
success (see below)
If a player character
fails a Skill Check, he may not make a second attempt unless the
conditions of that check dramatically change. Any future attempts
automatically fail. So, for instance, if a player fails to bust down
a door he will never be able to break down that door no matter how
many more tries he makes; it's not even necessary to roll a die.
However, should that door get battered by a horde of zombies, the GM
may rule that the situation has changed enough to allow a second
attempt.
Skill checks are not
only for player characters; GM's should use them to determine the
success of monsters as well. Being dead, most zombies have limited
intelligence and co-ordination and thus many actions are beyond their
capabilities entirely (monsters and non-player characters are exempt
from the "never forbid an action" advisement given above).
For most Skill Checks requiring agility, perception, or cunning,
zombies will succeed only on a 6 on d6. For Skill Checks involving
strength or endurance, they will succeed on a 5-6 on d6 (some zombies
are better than others; see the Monsters list for more details). Human
foes the players may face, such as other survivors, follow the same
rules as the player characters.
As a general rule, the
higher the die roll, the worse the failure. If a player rolls a "4"
on a d6, he will generally have failed in his attempt but the
penalties should be minor. On the other hand, rolling a 6 will
usually be followed by some sort of consequences. For instance, if
the player is attempting to pick a lock and rolls a "4", he
doesn't manage to open the door. On the other hand, if he rolls a 6,
his lock-pick breaks and the lock is jammed. The consequences are
left up to the GM's imagination.
Learned Skills / Player's Option
The GM may rule that
some actions are just not possible without the player knowing a
certain skill. For instance, the GM may insist that it is impossible
to reprogram a computer controlling the doors to a government bunker
without the Hacker Skill. In these instances, the player must invest
their Players Option into learning the necessary skill (or, barring
that, hope they meet another character with the requisite talent). As
a general rule, the GM should only forbid the players from certain
actions very sparingly, and instead rely on increasing the Difficulty
or Complexity of the Skill Check instead.
Difficulty and Complexity Modifiers
Not all Skill Checks
are created equal. An attempt to bust through a stuck door versus a
door that is nailed shut will have different chances of success. The
Skill Check is made the same way - a roll of a d6 - but the GM may
apply certain modifiers to alter the chance of success.
In Zombiepocalypse, all
modifiers are either based on the Complexity or Difficulty of the
task. Complexity is how, well, complex the action is; how many steps
it may require or how long it takes to complexity. Difficulty is how
hard the action is. An action may be complex but not difficult (a
real life example might be a jigsaw puzzle), difficult but not
complex (lifting 200lbs over one's head) or both complex and
difficult (putting together a jigsaw puzzle in pitch darkness).
Difficulty Modifiers
Difficulty is
represented by penalties or bonuses to the die roll. These can vary
from a -3 penalty to a +3 bonus that is applied the rolls. These
difficulty penalties or bonuses are in addition to any modifiers from
skills or injuries so the total modifier may be more or less than
+/-3. Easy actions would receive a bonus (+1 to +3), harder actions
would receive the penalty (-1 to -3). Difficult actions tend to be
more physical, such as moving heavy objects or catching something
thrown at them. Difficulty modifiers are more frequently used than
Complexity modifiers, and are often applied not only to Skill Checks,
but also to Combat rolls as well.
Complexity Modifiers
Complexity is
represented in Z6E by multiple die rolls. Simple actions require a
single roll of the die; a complex action would require multiple Skill
Checks to perform successfully. For example, the GM may rule that
[example] would require two rolls of the die. Each roll would have an
unmodified chance of succeeding if the player rolls a 4, 5, or 6 on
d6, but the player would have to succeed on both rolls. If he fails
on either roll, the attempt has failed and - like any other Skill
Checks - cannot be attempted again unless there is a significant
change in circumstances (depending on the requested action, the GM
may rule that part of the action was successful if one roll was
successful and the other failed). Complexity can never require more
than three die rolls. Complex actions tend to be more intellectual or
mechanical, such as putting together a device or operating a machine.
As a general rule, Complexity modifiers are usually used only with
Skill checks.
Using Complexity and
Difficulty Modifiers
Some actions can be
both complex and difficult. These would require multiple die rolls,
one or more of which may have penalties applied to them. The more
complicated the action, the more penalties and die rolls the
GameMaster may require!
Like regular Skill
Checks, the complexity or difficulty of a check will depend on the
situation and the skills of the character in question. Flying a plane
might be considered both complex and difficult for a character
without the requisite skills (there are lots of little switches to
throw just to start the plane, and knowing when to pull back on the
stick to get into the air requires some experience), thus requiring
multiple die rolls with penalties on all. On the other hand, for a
player who invested his Player's Option point in the Pilot (Airplane)
skill, getting into the air might just need a single die roll (or not
even that). The GM has final say on determining the difficulty and
complexity of an action.
Examples
Type
of Action: Basic
Example:
Character runs across a field
Die
Roll: No die roll is required.
Type
of Action: Simple
Example:
Character runs across field and leaps over a pit
Die
Roll: Roll a d6 to determine result. 4-6 indicates a successful
leap, 1-3 a failure of some sort
Type
of Action: Difficult
Example:
Character tries to leap pit while crouching to avoid gunfire from
other survivors
Die
Roll: Roll a d6 with a -1 penalty applied to the result. A roll
of 5-6 indicates success; a 4, normally a success, would fail because
of the penalty, a 1-3 would fail as usual.
Type
of Action: Complex
Example: Repairing a broken down engine
Die
Roll: Two d6 rolls are required with a roll of 4-6 required for
success. The GM may rule that success on one roll indicates partial
success in the action (for instance, rolling 5 on the first roll and
2 on the second may indicate the character fixed the starter but couldn't get the fuel pump running)
Type of Action: Complex and Difficult
Example:
Leaping over a pit while crouching to keep out of gunfire and carrying a wounded ally on his back
Die
Roll: Two d6 rolls are required, with a -1 modifier to each. A
roll of 5-6 on both is required for success. The GM may rule that
success on both rolls is required; failure of either indicates that
both the attempt to leap the pit has failed, although the reason may
differ depending on which roll was flubbed (for instance, if the
first roll was too low, it might indicate the character tripped,
while if the second roll fails, it may be that he dropped his
colleague)
Conditional Modifiers
There is purposely not hard and fast listing of specific Difficulty or Complexity modifiers in
Zombiepocalypse in order to keep the game moving smoothly and
quickly. GMs should determine on the fly what modifiers to apply to
the rolls instead of constantly referring to tables in the rulebook.
Remember, however, that there can never be more than a -3 penalty (or
bonus) for the Difficulty modifier, and no more than three Complexity
modifiers are ever required. However, the following table can be
used as a general rule of thumb for determining what modifiers should
be used
A
+/-1 Modifier should be applied for any Environmental factors, such
as darkness, fog, or wet.
A
+/-1 Modifier should be applied based on the activity or
characteristics of the target or opponent. For instance, if grappling
with a large man or trying to lift a very heavy object, a -1 modifier
might be applied.
A
+/-1 Modifier can be applied based on the character's current status,
for instance if he is tied up or blinded.
Generally, modifiers
for each of the individual levels suggested above will not stack even
if there are multiple similar factors. They can, however, balance
each other out. Modifiers for different levels do stack,though.
Examples:
Situation:
A character is attempting to hide from a zombie in the dark
Modifier:
A -1 modifier should be applied to the zombie's Perception roll
because the environmental is working against the Monster.
Situation:
A character is trying to sneak past a zombie in a dark and noisy room
Modifier:
Only a -1 modifier should be applied to the Perception roll, even
though there are multiple environmental factors. Individually, each
factor might apply a -1 modifier, but multiple factors do not stack.
Situation:
A character is trying to sneak past a zombie in a brightly-lit room
while carrying his pain-stricken, moaning friend.
Modifier:
A +1 bonus should be applied to the zombie's Perception roll due to
the environmental effect (brightly-lit), and an additional +1
modifier because the character (or rather, his friend) is making
noise, for a combined +2 bonus for the Monster.
Situation:
Two characters are trying to lift a very heavy log
Modifier:
A -1 penalty should be applied due to the weight of the wood (the
target), and a +1 bonus because the two characters are working
together; combined, they add +0 so the roll is unmodified.
Situation:
The character is trying to lift a heavy log that has a pulley
attached to it
Modifier:
The weight of the log is a target characteristic that causes a -1
penalty. The pulley is also a target characteristic, but this adds a
+1 bonus. Combined they balance each other out so there is a +0
modifier.
Notice 1
ZOMBIEPOCALYPSE is still in development. Although playable, the system is not complete. Not all the rules have been written and those that have been are subject to change at any time. And editing for clarity and readability is low priority. Despite being made available to the public on this website, ZOMBIEPOCALYPSE is still considered to be in beta form. You have been warned.Notice 2
The Roleplaying Game System currently known as ZOMBIEPOCALYPSE is being made available to the public for free for their enjoyment and use. However, the author maintains all rights towards its distribution and development. You are free to view or download the rules and make use of them in any game sessions for the personal use of you and your friends. You are not free to redistribute the rules in any way, nor are you allowed to make any derivative works from it.
In English, this means you are free to download this game and play it amongst friends. You are not allowed to give the rules away to anyone else (redirect them to this website instead), nor can you take these rules and create a derivative work from them.
For more complete licensing information, please see our License page.
(c) 2013 Spalls Hurgenson
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