You roll a d20 plus the relevant stat. When using a chatbot such as Glacon, this is as easy as typing 1d20+[number]. For advantages and disadvantages, you roll two d20s, with the higher being taken for your advantage and the lower for disadvantage. Critwins always succeed, and critfails always fail, but you probably guessed that already.
You have 100 points to distribute among the 9 stats. Every stat must have at least 5 points in it, but no stat may exceed 20.
The stats are divided up into three core stats and further divided from there making a total of nine stats:
- Body
- Strength: has to deal with muscles. This is purely physical. Whether or not you can break down a door, pull your pal out of a hole, or restrain someone against their will would be determined by a strength roll. Breaking, lifting, pushing, shoving, holding,
- Agility: has to deal with bodily control. This generally relates to movement. The speed you can move at, your ability to land softly on your feet, or the ability to jump over that chasm would be determined by an agility roll. Running, diving, flipping, landing, slipping, sneaking, wriggling,
- Endurance: has to deal with physical sustainability. This relates to continued states of being. The ability to keep going through an injury, to keep holding on to the edge of a cliff, or to run long-distance would be determined by an endurance roll.
- Mind
- Knowledge: has to deal with schooling. This is strictly wrote knowledge. Knowing which TSElliot was written first, how to fix a broken engine, or whether or not it's normal for myna beasts to be eating human bones would be determined by a knowledge roll. Knowing, remembering, recalling.
- Wisdom: is like logic, it dictates the ability to process and evaluate information. It helps with things like problem-solving and artistic creation. Thinking outside the box is what defines people with high Wisdom. Assessing, deducing, realizing,
- Perception: has to do with the ability to connect to the outside world. This is a sensory skill. Noticing that the man over there is looking a little shifty, that the pork doesn't have quite the right texture or smell to be from a tradition pig, or being able to see in dim light would all be determined by a perception roll. Seeing, smelling, hearing, tasting, feeling, noticing.
- Soul
- Charisma: has to deal with the way a character is perceived. This skill is social. Convincing someone you're the regulations inspector, scaring someone into doing your will, or sweet-talking your way past a guard would all be determined by a charisma roll. Convincing, scaring, persuading, lying, deceiving, cajoling, coaxing, disuading,
- Will: has to deal with mental sustainability. This relates to determination. Standing your ground before the terrifying poison spitting giant jawed fjelterband, sitting through the monotonous lecture on the growth cycles of the pretipeta fruit, or resisting the call of the sirens would all be determined by a will roll. Resisting (mentally),
- Luck: is a point buy system. Points in luck can be spent over the course of a run or event to increase the result of a roll. After (or during) your roll BUT BEFORE THE RESULT IS DECLARED, declare how many points you would like to spend to increase the roll. These points act as a separate roll that is added to the primary skill roll. (adding 3 points to a CHAR stat of 15 would be structured as 1d15+1d3) Points spent in this way cannot be re-spent or rolled. Points spent in this way cannot increase damage dealt beyond 2. Points spent in this way re-generate at the close of an event, unless otherwise stated by a GM or OP.
There are two ways in which a GM will ask you to roll these stats. The first is called a DC, or dice check. A DC is, essentially, a static number that you have to roll at or above to succeed at a task. The GM may or may not decide to share what this number is with players. This is frequently used when rolling against something without a force of its own: rolling to remember a specific fact, to knock down a door, to not fall off a trapeze, to withstand the cold.
The second type of roll is an opposed roll. In this roll, your result must be higher than the result of the character or creature you're trying to out-do. Whoever is trying to maintain things the way they are gets the success if there is a tie. To know which stat to roll to oppose another roll, start with what it is your character is trying to do, not what it is you're rolling against. If, for example, you are trying to NOTICE someone SNEAKING (AGI) outside your window, you would use PERC. If instead you are trying to SLIP out of the arms of someone RESTRAINING (STR) you, you would use AGI. If you are trying to REALIZE that someone is LYING (CHA) to you, you would use WIS. If you are trying to PERSUADE someone who's RESISTING (WILL) logic, you use CHA. In these rolls, both stats should be rolled with any appropriate advantages or disadvantages.
Derived Stats
These stats are special and are created at character creation. ALL DERIVED STATS ROUND DOWN.
HP (END+WILL)
Attack(melee) (STR+AGI)/2
Attack(range) (KNO+PER)/2
Defense(physical) (STR+END)/2
Defense(dodge) (AGI+PER)/2
Advantages, Disadvantages
All character have three advantages and two disadvantages. Try to find a nice balance between being too vague and too specific. If an advantage applies you make two rolls and pick the better one. If a disadvantage applies you do the same but take the lower one. The GM can give players advantages or disadvantages if they apply to the current situation (ie shooting from the high ground)
Talent
Every character has one talent. A talent should do more than boost a stat. It can be anything, though, so get creative. It's the perfect place to introduce a new mechanic unique to your character. It could be paranormal in nature or something simple. Every talent must have a 'backfire' case as agreed upon by the OP and player.
A character can only attempt to utilize their talent during a run five times until they need to rest. Attempting to use a talent involves rolling a d4. When the roll results in a 3 or a 4, the talent is accomplished and the effect happens. Rolling a 2 is a failed attempt and nothing happens. A 1, however, activates the backfire case, as described by the current GM.
Combat
Combat in Lockwood is turn-based. There is no initiative roll; instead, combat begins on the turn of whoever initiated the confrontation. Then, turns alternate between player team and opposing team, with each team taking their turns at once. If this becomes unwieldy, a GM can impose turns within player or opponent turns, however, there should be room to negotiate within the imposition so that players can work together within a turn.
Within a turn, one action per unit is taken. An action is defined as anything that requires a roll to do. Moving a significant amount - think 5 step rule - also requires a roll, as it is an action taken in the heat of battle. It, however, can be rolled with another action, with a static DC of 5 that, when not beat, imposes a disadvantage upon any other rolls taken within the turn.
Attacking
Before you roll, determine what range your character is from their target. If they are within punching distance then both the attacker and defender use their relevant melee numbers. If the attack is being made from a distance then the ranged numbers are used instead. Now you roll for your attack and the target rolls for their defense. Subtract the two numbers to get the damage dealt in minor wounds.
Defender’s Clause
When two opposing rolls have the same result, whichever roller is trying to maintain things, also known as the defender, succeeds. However, having to invoke the defender’s clause imposes a disadvantage to any follow-up roll. This applies not only in combat, but for any opposed roll.
Friendly Fire
If a character is trying to attack from a ranged distance while a number of pcs are in melee range of the same target, the character must make a perc roll with a dc of 3 times the number of characters in the way.
Health
Damage is divided into two categories: Minor Wounds and Major Wounds. Minor Wounds represent wounds that can heal by themselves given enough time: cuts, bruises, rashes. These will be wounds that are inflicted with three HP or less. Major Wounds represent injuries that require medical assistance to fully heal: broken bones, major blood loss, debilitating illness. These cost at least three HP.
The two categories are represented in the game as two HP numbers. First is current HP, which is where your current state of well-being lies. This is influenced by Minor Wounds. Second is the Max HP which represents how healthy you can possibly be given your current status. This number is determined by Major Wounds. Your current HP can never exceed your Max HP.
Major Wounds deal damage to your Max HP, while Minor Wounds deal damage to your Current HP. If your Current HP hits zero then all further Minor Wounds deal double damage to your Max HP and you are considered in critical condition with most of your stats being lowered. If your Max HP hits zero, you are dead. However, the Hotel tends to disappear characters back to their rooms before they've gotten far into critical condition.
Minor Wounds can be easily healed given enough time and care (and lots of band-aids), but Major Wounds require excessive time outside of combat (and, preferably, a doctor’s TLC) to return Max HP back to its former state. Damage taken from Minor Wounds will be healed the next day. However, the amount of health that can recovered from Major Wounds is determined by how much care is received. Consult an OP for guidance. HP taken by a Major Wound will heal will heal at a rate of one point a day.
Healing
Healing is a special stat. The number is derived from WIS and WILL, divided by two, but can only be accessed by using an advantage slot to take the Healing ability.
Healing Minor Wounds
To heal a minor wound, the healing stat will be rolled three times. The middle result may be added to the Current HP.
Healing Major Wounds
All major wounds come with a time limit to fully heal. Typically it takes 2 weeks real time for a wound to heal, though the current GM may make exceptions as they see fit. When healing major wounds several considerations must be seen to. A character can only attempt to heal a major wound in a safe location with access to the necessary equipment. In most cases the Hotel is the only location that should fit this criterion. Next, a character can only attempt to heal a single wound on any one particular patient in a day. Healing major wounds does not affect the injury's hp deduction like healing minor wounds would. Instead the healing roll shaves off some of the time needed for the wound to heal. When a character is ready to begin treatment roll the healing Stat three times and take the lowest result. This number is how many days will be taken off from that wound's time to heal