MEEKMOK GAME ENGINE, V.1.5

1.0 CHARACTER GENERATION

Each character has a series of numbers that define his innate properties (referred to as Abilities)and life experience and training (referred to as Skills). Character generation consists of allocating points to twelve areas: six Abilities and six Skills. A sample chart can be viewed here.

A perfectly average man has 24 points to divide among the twelve areas, an experienced man will have 26-28, and a hero will have 30+. Scores for normal men will range from 0-3; anything higher is superhuman. 0 represents total ignorance or incompetence, 1 is poor, 2 is average, and 3 is excellent. The available points will be specified by the GM, based on the flavor of the particular game.

1.1 ABILITIES

A character's abilities consist of three Attributes referenced by three Traits.

ATTRIBUTES reflect the classical dichotomy of Mind, Body, and Spirit. Attributes can range from one to three, one being deranged, frail, or oblivious and three approaching brilliant, robust, or charismatic. An average person will fall in the middle at two.

Attributes are combined with Traits. The multiplied scores form nine areas that intuitively encompass the majority of possible human endeavor. For example, Shooting a bow is a physical skill (Body) requiring hand-eye coordination (Control). If a character had Body 3 and Control 2, his base score in archery (and stealth, and climbing) would be six.

TRAITS refer to the innate characteristics of Power, Resolve, and Control. Traits, like Attributes, can range from one to three, with two being average. Everybody has a little ability in each of the nine areas, reflected in the minimum score of one. On the other hand, no one is perfect, which is why scores top out at nine.

• Power refers to strength, persuasion, and presence. A character with high Power will be physically commanding, socially adept, and highly creative.
• Resolve is sheer force of will: endurance, sanity, and sanctity. A character with high Resolve will be steadfast, collected, and pious.
• Control indicates agility, alertness, and perception. A high Control character will be graceful, observant, and empathic.

1.2 SKILLS

A character's skills consist of three Motivations referenced by three Spheres, identical in scope and concept to Abilities but addressing both experience and training. Because it is possible to know nothing about a particular discipline, the scale for Skills is from zero to three. Any character with a zero will have no score at all in the relevant Skills. If a point is later gained, calculate the Skill score normally.

MOTIVATIONS is divided into types of activity: Thought, Action, and Sensitivity. Motivations can range from zero to three, zero being ignorant, inept, or callous, and three being insightful, dynamic, or sensitive. As with Abilities, an average person will hhave a two.

Motivations are combined with Spheres. As above, the combined scores form nine areas that intuitively encompass the majority of possible human learning and experience. For example, diplomacy is an intellectual exercise (Thought) dealing with people (Group). If a character had Thought 2 and Group 3, his base score in diplomacy (and fast talk, and savoir-faire) would be six. Note that if this character had Thought 3 and Group 0, his Skill would be zero, not three.

SPHERES are divided into ares of activity: Self, Group, and World. Motivations can also range from zero to three, zero being clueless, churlish, or obdurate and five being self-aware, outgoing, or engaged.

1.3 CHARACTER ADJUSTMENT AND ADVANCEMENT

After any session, with GM permission, a player can re-allocate a single point among either Abilities or Skills to reflect changes that have taken place as a result of the adventure. For example, a character who was badly hurt may elect to lower his Body but raise his Spirit, to reflect his injury and near-death experience. Or a character who falls madly in love might lower Thought and raise Sensitivity. Note that you cannot raise a Sphere and lower a Motivation, or raise an Attribute and lower a Trait (without a compelling argument to the GM).

A GM should feel free to reward players for good role-playing and surviving situations which sorely test their characters. A good rule of thumb is to give out half a point for a typical session, and one point for a really excellent one. Giving out more than that will lead to rapid escalation of character competence, which may be appropriate for a cinematic game. Alternately, give out a block of points for the party using the guidelines above and let them decide who deserves what.

2.0 GAME MECHANICS

The principle die mechanic is simple: roll one ten-sided die and roll equal to or under the relevant Ability or Skill.

2.1 Unopposed Actions

Swimming, Fixing a car, or healing a wound are unopposed. This roll will be modified by circumstances and general difficulty. Penalties can be assessed for difficult conditions, lack of equipment, or distractions as the GM sees fit. Because the system is fairly granular, a -2 penalty is significant (20%) and a -4 is devastating. Larger penalties should be infrequent.

2.2 Opposed Actions

Any form of contest between two individuals is an opposed action. Each rolls one die against the relevant score. The conentant who succeeds by the largest margin wins.

2.3 Critical Success and Failure

Any roll of a natural one is a critical success and the opposite, a natural ten, is a critical failure. The impact of a critical roll is up to the roller, but should have a dramatic effect on events. Doubling damage, a broken weapon or a permanent scar are all appropriate for combat criticals.

2.4 The Combination Bonus

Any time a player can bring in a second score, justifying it to the GM's satisfaction, he can (if successful) receive a +1 bonus to the following roll. For example, in combat, a character about to attack with a knife (Body/Power) might try to use his knowledge of tactics to strike unexpectedly (Group/Action). If he makes his tactics roll, the knife attack is at +1. Every use of this must be unique to the situation and roleplayed, because this would be easy to abuse.

3.0 COMBAT

3.1 Combat Abilities and Skills

Combat is not heavily emphasized in these rules, but is an integral element in most adventures. Various Attributes and Skills govern actions in combat:

• Body/Power (Strength) governs hand weapon attacks
• Body/Resolve (Endurance) governs unarmed attacks and blocking
• Body/Control (Agility) governs ranged weapon attacks and parrying
• Mind/Control (Alertness) governs dodging
• Spirit/Power (Presence) governs leadership
• Group/Action governs military skills like tactics
• Group/Sensitivity governs first aid

3.2 Combat Overview

Each combatant can take two actions per turn. A turn is of amorphous length, but is long enough for a bowman to get off a good shot or a swordsman to feint, circle, and land a good blow. A general order should be established, but combat is simultaneous.

An action can either be an attack, a defense, or another activity like movement or spellcasting. This, a character can dodge two different attacks, strike at an opponent twice, run up and smack someone, cast a spell and dodge, etc.

A successful dodge, block, or parry will negate a successful attack.

3.3 Damage

The basic damage from any physical attack is the difference between the attack roll and the Attribute level. Thus, if a character has Body/Power 6 and swings with a sword, rolling a 2, the base damage is four points.

The base damage is modified by weapon lethality as follows:

• Weapon crushes, cuts, or impales: +0, +1, or +2
• Weapon is "in hand", light, medium, or heavy weight: +0, +1, +2, or +3
• Weapon is one-handed or two-handed: +0 or +2

Thus, a fist (crushing, "in hand", one handed) is +0, while a broadsword (cutting, medium weight, one handed) is +3. A military pick (impaling, heavy, two-handed) is +7.

Muscle-powered ranged weapons follow the above chart, while guns do an assload of damage:

• Weapon fires a pistol, rifle, or shotgun round: +0, +4, +8
• Weapon is small, medium, or heavy caliber: +2, +4, +8

Thus, an AK-47 (rifle, medium caliber) is +8, while a .22 revolver (pistol, small caliber) is +2.

Physical damage is taken off any Body attribute combination. A GM may rule that a critical hit must be removed from a single attribute, but normally a player can lower his scores as he sees fit. Do not recalculate scores!

3.4 Healing

A successful First Aid (Group/Sensitivity) or healing magic (Transform/Attributes) roll will heal the amount by which the roll was made, once per day. Untended, a single point per day can be recovered.

4.0 MAGIC AND SUPERPOWERS

4.1 Magic Overview

Magic is handled by adding a third matrix to Abilities and Skills. This consists of NOUNS, ehich are Elements, Attributes, and Nature, and VERBS, which are Know, Transform, and Create. These flexible definitions allow a mage to custom-tailor both spells and efects. Create/Elements could result in a hurled ball of stone, while Know/Nature coudl allow a mage to supernaturally track a specific animal. In game-worlds with magic, simply add the Magic matrix to the character sheet and allow players to spend points in the area as well as Abilities and Skills.

4.2 Using Magic

When a mage casts a spell, he rolls against the relevant Magic score and then, success or failure, lowers that score by one. Scores are recovered after eight hours of undisturbed sleep. If a mage desires a particularly powerful or spectacular result, he may elect to spend up to 3 points, rather than just one. The points are lost regardless of the die result, and the increased effects are up to the GM.

4.3 Superpowers Overview

To simulate superhuman levels of Ability or Skill, allow scores of 4 or 5, resulting in skills up to 25, rather than topping out at 9.

To simulate traditional superpowers like flight or a heat ray, use the Magic matrix. An expenditure of 5 additional points will make the power/s "always on", with their skill level not being reduced per use.