Black Sword Hack

Advantage: Players roll two d20s and choose which result to keep.

Attribute test: When a character tries to do something that has a chance of failure, the player makes an attribute test by rolling a d20. Rolling below the attribute means the character succeeds. Rolling on or above the attribute means the character fails or that things escalate.

Character or hero: A character controlled by a player.

Charisma (CHA): A measure of a character’s ability to influence others.

Close: Usually 1.50 m or 1 square.

Constitution (CON): The body’s capacity to resist physical stress, pain, disease, etc.

Critical failure: Getting a natural 20 on an attribute roll is a critical failure, forcing the player to make a Doom roll.

Critical success: Getting a natural 1 on an attribute roll is a critical success. In combat this means the character does maximum damage and adds another damage die.

Damage die: The amount of damage a character inflicts in combat. Normally 1d6 (1d4 when unarmed).

Dexterity (DEX): A character’s deftness and agility.

Disadvantage: The player rolls two d20s and keeps the worst result.

Distant: Beyond 20 m (12 squares), the farthest range in the game.

Doom: Some actions bring the world closer to its end, triggering the use of the Doom usage die.

Doomed: Once their Doom die is depleted, a character suffers Disadvantage on all attribute tests.

Far away: Usually 20 m or 12 squares.

Helpless: A character that has no HP left, making the player roll on the Helpless table (p. 18).

HP: Hit points, a rough measure of the character’s health, luck, and will to live.

Intelligence (INT): A character’s ability to apply their knowledge to the situation at hand.

Long rest: A rest that takes 6 hours. Characters recover all their HP, and Doom gets back to its maximum die size.

Morale test: NPCs losing half their allies or their leader must make a Morale test: the GM rolls a d12, if the result is equal or superior to the highest level in the NPC group, they run away.

Nearby: Usually 10m or 6 squares.

NPC: A non-player character, usually controlled by the GM.

Ongoing damage: Expressed as a Usage die. Victims take damage each Turn until the die is depleted.

Short rest: Lasts 1 hour. Characters recover a number of HP equal to half their CON score (rounded down). A character can take one short rest per day.

Strength (STR): A character’s raw physical power.

Turn: The time needed for a character to move and act. The duration of a Turn varies according to the situation.

Usage die (Ud): A die used to represent finite resources. When a resource is used roll its Usage die, a result of 1-2 means it is downgraded to the next smallest die. A downgraded Ud4 means the resource is depleted.

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