d20 Iron compiliation.

[Kaelik]

What the Game represents:

This is a game about the iron age in a fantasty world. The Iron Age is a barbaric time of war and conflict, and bitch slappings.

Define the Group:

A Unit consists of one or more "Heroes" and zero or more "Grunts." PCs are by default Heroes, and may by consensus choose other members of their group to be heroes or grunts. They may also choose to consider themselves Grunts, but this is inadvisable in most cases.

The DM determines solely the status of the individuals in all units not including a PC.


The Core mechanics:

Advantage Modifier (AM):

Every character will have advantage modifiers for their actions. And each task, ranging from "hit that dude" to "convince the duke" to "pick the lock" will have an advantage modifier to the default DC of 10.

However, as combat is multifaceted and important, it is slightly more complicated than a normal task, and so while "hitting that dude" is an AM test, the effect of hitting an opponent will be Represented by moving along the:

Condition Track (CT):

The condition track represents a the combat status of your Unit. It encompasses moral, fatigue, and bodily health. The condition track starts at 0 at the start of a fight, and goes up to 10. After ten, your Unit loses the contest. If they are escape ready, they flee the field, and if not, they surrender to their victors (opposing units on the field).

While not all attacks effect the CT, many do. And those that do affect the CT of the Unit when a Unit Hero is affected by the attack. If an attack that would increase the CT of a unit hits a grunt, the unit CT is not effected, and the grunt is removed from combat. If the attack was bodily health related, they are crippled, if it was fatigue related, they are exhausted, and if it was moral related they are panicked.

How far an attack pushes the CT is determined by a CAN test. You roll your attacks CAN modifier against the CAN defense for that attack, and if you exceed the value, it moves at least one point. If it exceeds by 5 or more, it moves two points. By 10 or more, 3 points. If it exceeds by 15 or more, the CT doesn't move, but the recipient is treated as a minion and removed from combat. If an AoE attack is used roll against each enemy struck, and the most successful CAN test dictates CAN movement, and all Minions affected are removed.

Actions and Time:

Each round, each character has one of each of the following actions:
Standard
Move
Swift
Immediate

As well as infinite free actions, to be used for things not directly involving combat, such as pulling out items or speaking.

Character creation:

Choose a Race:

First you must choose your race. Races determine your choice of numbers for the ability Array. There are five mortal races, four aquatic races, and many more advanced races that won't come into play at early levels, and are not recommended for your first game.

Races info goes here.

Attributes:

There are five attributes that are each given one number from your racial ability array, and a sixth important value that is not an attribute, "size" that provides various modifiers.

The attributes Strong, Fast, Smart, Favored, and Magic all have a value ranging from 1 to as high as 20. Though most PC characters will remain in the 3-15 range. The "average human value" of a stat is generally five, though of course, humans vary as much as any other race.

You add your attribute to your AM for skills and tasks associated with that attribute.

Additionally, All attacks will have one attribute adding to your AM for attacks, and a different attribute adding to your CAN offense.

Finally, all attributes add to a defensive value except magic, which grants innate points, which can be used to augment defenses.

Derived Stats:
Defenses:
Your defense values are equal to 10+the governing stat. They are:
Avoidance: Fast
Toughness: Strong
Perceptive: Smart
Stubbornness: Favored

Innate Pool: Innate pool is equal to your Magic attribute and is reset each encounter. One point of Innate can be used to add +2 to a single defense for one round, or two points can be used to add +1 to a single defense for the encounter. Either use is a free action that can be taken on an opponents turn.

In addition, being Large provides you with a +1 to Toughness, and a -1 to Avoidance, whereas being small provides a +1 to Avoidance and a -1 to Toughness.

(Size also has the following effects, but I'm not sure were to put them:
Large: +1 on Strong related AM tests
Small: +1 on Fast related AM tests
Medium: +1 on Favored/Smart/Magic related AM tests. Chosen at character creation.)

Speed: Your speed is equal to 10ft + 5ftXfast score.

Skills:

[here goes a list of skills]

Power Sources:

Once your character has been chosen, you must associate with a Power Source. Mortal and aquatic races may choose any power of the four major sources: Divine, Elemental, Arcane, or Shadow. The fifth power source, Racial everyone has automatically, though it will generally be more important to prestige, fantastic, and planar races. Prestige, Fantastic, and Planar races may not choose a power source, they have the source they are associated with as their source.

Abilities:

At every level, you gain one or more abilities. At first level, you being play with one Warding, one Sensing, one Attack, and one Push.

Wardings: Wardings are always active. They either apply to the Unit, or to the individual.

Sensings: Are effects that modify senses. They may take a standard action to activate, or be always active.

Attacks: Attacks are standard actions, and signify an exertion of power to effect an enemy, terrain, or other entity outside your unit.

Push: Pushes are minimal abilities that represent maneuvers for position, special dodges/blocks, or other indirect combat aids. Pushes use either the immediate or swift action.

Leveling:

At every even level, you gain a +1 skill bonus to all defenses and at 3rd level and every odd level after, you gain a +1 skill bonus to all AM tests, and CAN tests.

[RobbyPants]

What do you mean by pseudo classes? Just to use power sources combined with feats or other character resources to define the character? That could work, but I can't comment on it any more than that without seeing more ideas on paper the computer screen.

So the Condition Track is for the entire unit, and not per hero/grunt in the unit? That's actually a really interesting way of doing it. So if this were run like D&D with one GM and several players, all players share the same CT?

One last question: what does CAN stand for? I seem to remember reading about it a long time ago in TNE threads, but I can't for the life of me remember the acronym.

[Kaelik]

What do you mean by pseudo classes? Just to use power sources combined with feats or other character resources to define the character? That could work, but I can't comment on it any more than that without seeing more ideas on paper the computer screen.

I don't even know what I mean anymore.

So the Condition Track is for the entire unit, and not per hero/grunt in the unit? That's actually a really interesting way of doing it. So if this were run like D&D with one GM and several players, all players share the same CT?

Yes.

One last question: what does CAN stand for? I seem to remember reading about it a long time ago in TNE threads, but I can't for the life of me remember the acronym.

I believe it stands for combat advantage number.

I'm not sure if I'm using it the way Frank is, but the idea is:

You roll to hit.
You hit.
You roll your offensive CAN against their defensive CAN.

The amount you succeed by determines how far along the CT you push/how much your rider does/ect.

So, I'm a Shadow Orc. I use Fast as my to hit, and Strong as my CAN offense for this attack.

I attack a Divine Myrmidon. His defense is 10+fast+other modifiers, and then, if I hit, his soak/toughness/can is 10+Strong+other modifiers.

You can also have attacks that use Strong to hit and Fast CAN, or that use Fast to hit, and Wis Can, and different attacks might target a defense of Smart with a CAN/toughness/soak of Favored.