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\documentclass[titlepage]{article}
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\begin{document}
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\copyright\, 2024 William Moore. This work is marked with CC0 1.0. To view a copy of this license, visit \url{https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/}
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\newpage
\twocolumn
The Cubic System is a role-playing system using six-sided dice as the mechanism for introducing chaos.
Before beginning explaining the rules, there are much needed topics to bring to light surrounding dice and modifiers. First, for the Cubic System, only six-sided dice are used. As such, the notation will be something along the lines of 5D, which are 5 six-sided dice, or 5D+2, which is the result of 5 six-sided dice plus 2. Finally, dice are given only three distinct modifiers: +0, +1, and +2. At +3, a new die is formed. For example, 5D+3 is actually 6D+0 (the +0 is usually dropped). To this end, a single die can be broken up into distinct +1 pieces, distributable among several attributes or skills.
\section*{Abilities}
The characters have the following abilities which have 18D distributed among them:
\newline
\noindent \textbf{Agility:} The character's ability to do agility-based actions, such as attacking.
\newline
\noindent \textbf{Charisma:} The character's ability to do charm or intimidate others.
\newline
\noindent \textbf{Coordination:} The character's ability to coordinate their actions effectively.
\newline
\noindent \textbf{Endurance:} The character's ability to resist, such as damage.
\newline
\noindent \textbf{Intellect:} The character's intelligence.
\newline
\noindent \textbf{Perception:} The character's ability to perceive things.
\newline
\noindent \textbf{Physical:} The character's ability to do physical actions, such as dealing damage.
\section*{Skills}
At creation, a character has 7D to divide among any number of different skills. The following is a list of some skills, their associated attributes, the execution time, and their descriptions. If there are multiple attributes associated, choose one for the skill.
\noindent \textbf{Acrobatics:} Agility. 5 seconds. With this skill, a character can do anything falling inside the realm of ``acrobatics''.
\newline
\noindent \textbf{Alchemy:} Endurance, Intellect. Variable (depends on what is being made). Characters can harness the power of alchemy. Anything dealing damage will do so with half the dice of the skill, rounded down.
\newline
\noindent \textbf{Anatomy:} Intellect. 5 seconds. Characters have anatomical knowledge of animals and other creatures.
\newline
\noindent \textbf{Arcane Lore:} Intellect. 5 seconds. Depending on the difficulty, players may acquire arcane information.
\newline
\noindent \textbf{Assume Identity:} Charisma, Intellect. 10 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the complexity. Characters assume the identity of another individual.
\newline
\noindent \textbf{Balance:} Agility, Perception. 5 seconds. With this skill, characters maintain required physical balance.
\newline
\noindent \textbf{Blindfighting:} Agility, Perception. 5 seconds. Characters are able to fight in the dark or while blindfolded.
\newline
\noindent \textbf{Cartography:} Coordination, Intellect, Perception. Varies (depends upon what is called upon). Characters can read and create maps.
\newline
\noindent \textbf{\textless Creature \textgreater Riding:} Agility. 5 seconds. Characters can ride a specific animal. Characters must be phsyically capable of doing so without causing harm. Multiple creatures requires multiple skills.
\newline
\noindent \textbf{Customs of \textless Region or Culture \textgreater:} Intellect, Perception. 5 seconds. Characters have knowledge of a specific region or culture. Multiple cultures or regions requires multiple skills.
\newline
\noindent \textbf{Etiquette:} Charisma, Intellect, Perception. 5 seconds. Characters know etiquette mannerisms and speech.
\newline
\noindent \textbf{Forgery:} Coordination, Intellect. Varies (depends on the complexity of what is being forged). Characters can forge documents and items. Higher quality forgeries require more time and success to fool an inspector.
\newline
\noindent \textbf{Gambling:} Charisma, Perception. Game duration. Characters can, depending upon what outcome is desired, play a game, or even cheat.
\newline
\noindent \textbf{Haggling:} Charisma, Perception. Varies (depends upon how haggling is done). Characters can haggle with someone to either lower or raise a price.
\newline
\noindent \textbf{History of \textless Area \textgreater:} Intellect. 5 seconds. Characters have knowledge of the history of a given area. The difficulty depends on what level of knowledge is requried. Multiple areas requires multiple skills.
\newline
\noindent \textbf{Identify Poison:} Intellect. Varies (depends on what level of identification and complexity is required by the poison). Characters can identify poisons. Depending on the level of complexity required by the identification, different information might be extracted.
\newline
\noindent \textbf{Information Gathering:} Charisma. Varies (depends upon how long it takes to acquire the information). Characters have the ability to gather information. Levels of success provide differing quality of information.
\newline
\noindent \textbf{\textless Instrument \textgreater:} Agilty, Charisma, Perception. Length of song. Characters can play an instrument skillfully. Multiple instruments requires multiple skills.
\newline
\noindent \textbf{Jumping:} Physical. 5 seconds. Characters can jump a specific distance, whether horizontally or vertically. For each meter horizontally, add 5 difficulty. For each meter vertically, add 10 difficulty.
\newline
\noindent \textbf{Lockpicking:} Coordination. Varies (depends on the complexity of the lock). Characters with appropriate tools can pick a lock.
\newline
\noindent \textbf{\textless Melee Weapon \textgreater:} Agility. 5 seconds. Characters have knowledge of using a melee weapon category for combat. Multiple melee weapon categories requires multiple skills.
\newline
\noindent \textbf{\textless Missile Weapon \textgreater:} Coordination. 5 seconds. Characters have knowlege of using a missile weapon category for combat. Multiplke missile weapon categories requires multiple skills.
\newline
\noindent \textbf{Navigation:} Intellect. 5 seconds to 4 hours. Characters can navigate around a body of water. Failure will increase the difficulty on subsequent checks.
\newline
\noindent \textbf{Public Speaking:} Charisma. Speech length. Characters with this skill will make a successful oratory if the task check is successful. Difficuilty is dependent upon the target audience and the desired outcome.
\newline
\noindent \textbf{Read/Write \textless Language \textgreater:} Intellect, Perception. Length of document. Characters can read and write in a specific language. Multiple languages requires multiple skills.
\newline
\noindent \textbf{Scaling:} Agility, Physical. Height of structure. Characters can scale a climbable surface. The difficulty depends on the scalability of the surface.
\newline
\noindent \textbf{Secret Societies:} Intellect, Perception. 5 seconds. Characters have knowledge of the behaviors of secret societies. The difficulty is determined by what information the character is trying to gain.
\newline
\noindent \textbf{Shadowing:} Coordination. 5 seconds. Characters can follow a given figure. The difficulty depends on the complexity of the area (e.g. a large, congested city).
\newline
\noindent \textbf{Sneak:} Agility, Perception. 5 seconds. Characters can sneak around. The resulting roll is what another character must beat with Perception.
\newline
\noindent \textbf{Speak \textless Language \textgreater:} Intellect, Perception. Length of conversation. Characters can carry on a conversation in a specific language. Difficulty depends on the difficulty of the conversation. Multiple languages requires multiple skills.
\newline
\noindent \textbf{Swimming:} Endurance. 5 seconds. Characters can swim. Difficulty is determined by the conditions of the water.
\newline
\noindent \textbf{Theatrics:} Charisma, Perception. Length of performance. Characters can give a theatrical performance.
\newline
\noindent \textbf{Traps:} Agility, Perception. Depends upon the complexity of the trap. Characters can set, lcoate, amd disarm traps with the proper tools and equipment. The difficulty of the task check depends on the difficulty of the trap.
\newline
\noindent \textbf{\textless Vessel \textgreater Piloting:} Perception. 5 seconds. Characters can pilot a specific vessel. Difficulty depends on the complexity of the situation. Multiple vessels requires multiple skills.
\newline
\noindent \textbf{\textless Weaponless Fighting Style \textgreater:} Agility. 5 seconds. Characters can perform one of three weaponless fighting styles: martial arts, wrestling, and brawling. Multiple styles requires multiple skills.
\section*{Species}
There are a handful of player character species in the Cubic System. Most possessing ability modifiers.
\newline
\noindent \textbf{Dwarfs:} Dwarfs are shorter in stature than most humans. Stereotypically, they live in caves because it is how humans and elfs first encountered them. However, the reality is much different and they live on many terrain, not just caves. All dwarfs receive a +2 to Physical and a -1 to Agility.
\newline
\noindent \textbf{Goblins:} Goblins are shorter in stature than most humans. They're known for their aggression. All goblins receive a +2D to Physical, a -2 to Intellect and a -1 to Agility.
\newline
\noindent \textbf{High Elfs:} High Elfs are slightly shorter than an average human. There are three kinds of high elfs: plains, the Nexus, and the woodlands. All high elfs receive the following modifiers to abilities: +2 to Coordination and +2 to Magical.
\newline
\noindent \textbf{Low Elfs:} Low Elfs are tiny elf-like creatures. They're effectively high elfs but noticeably smaller. All low elfs receive a -2 to Physical, +2 to Agility, and +1D to Magical.
\newline
\noindent \textbf{Humans:} If you're reading this document, you're likely human. They're prevalent in the world. All humans do not receive any special ability modifications.
\section*{Tasks and Making Dice Rolls}
Tasks consist of declaring the intent, the game master/mistress determining the task difficulty value, and performing the task check. Task checks are straight-forward. It starts with assembling the dice by combining relevant ability and skill dice and adding modifiers (keep in mind a total modifier of +3 is a new die). Next, if the player is taking multiple actions in a given round, subtract 1D from their roll. Finally, if the player scores greater than or equal to the task difficulty value, they are successful.
Here is a table of task difficulty values usable for determining in a vague sense ranges:
\begin{center}
\begin{tabular}{c c}
\textbf{Difficulty} & \textbf{Number Range} \\
Very Easy & 1 - 5 \\
Easy & 6 - 10 \\
Moderate & 11 - 15 \\
Difficult & 16 - 20 \\
Very Difficult & 21 - 25 \\
Heroic & 26 - 30 \\
Heroic+ & 31 on up
\end{tabular}
\end{center}
\textbf{Combat} is really a specialized task check. First, Agility rolls are made to determine turn order. Next, Agility dice are rolled to strike. The defender may spend 1 action to make a relevant Dodge or Parry roll to add dice results to their target value of 10. If the attacker's roll is higher than this value, they succeed and roll their relevant dice to determine damage. If the attack succeeds and damage is dealt, the defender rolls their Endurance dice and add in any armor, as described in ``Things'', to resist the damage. Weapons increase the damage as described in ``Things''.
When determining damage, there are two mechanisms, according to the game System: body points and wounds. The preferred system for the Cubic System is wounds and will be described here. The best way to figure out how many wounds are dealt is looking at the resulting damage from attack. When a character receives 5 wounds and do not receive medical attention within 10 seconds, they die. The following table shows the damage ranges:
\begin{center}
\begin{tabular}{c c}
\textbf{Damage Range} & \textbf{Wounds Received} \\
0 - 9 & 0 \\
10 - 19 & 1 \\
20 - 29 & 2 \\
30 - 39 & 3 \\
40 - 49 & 4 \\
50+ & 5
\end{tabular}
\end{center}
\subsection*{The Wild Die}
In your dice pool, one die, which should be identified in some fashion as differently, is designated as the ``Wild Die''. This die, when rolled, can have different consequences if it is a 1, 6, or anything else. If a 1 is rolled, the task immediately fails. If a 6 is rolled, the die is rolled and all previous successful wild die rolls are added to this new one. If a 6 is rolled again, the value is added to the previous rolls ands the die is rolled again, applying the new result. Otherwise, if a 2 - 5 are rolled, add that result. For example, if a 6 is rolled and then a 2 is rolled, the total is 8. Conversely, for example, if a 6 is rolled and then a 1 is rolled, the task will immediately fail.
\section*{Character Points}
At creation, all characters have 5 character points. At the end of a game session, the game master/mistress should divvy out character points. After the players receive them, and between sessions, the players may spend the 3 points to improve a skill by +1. Alternatively, the player may spend character points equal to the dice to add a new skill based on the associated attribute. The cost is equal to the number of new dice for the skill. For example, a player wants to increase their 5D skill to 5D+2. If they want to proceed, they will need to spend 6 character points. Another example, the player wants to learn a new skill based on their Agility score of 2D. They will need to spend 2 character points to get +1 in the skill for a total of 2D+1.
\section*{Funds}
The unit of money in the Cubic System is a gold and on Dor Dagor this is called a Denarius (DS). At the start, all characters start off with 10 DS. There are fractions of DS, but are only limited to units of .05. For example, .05 DS is entirely possible.
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