Mad Skills!

Now that I've gone over the basic mechanic of D5, I want to jump into the skill system.

D5 will use point-buy character creation, meaning you will get to choose all the features you want your character to possess. There are no classes or templates - only character concepts from your own imagination.

That said, there are no class skills - no lists that your character does and does not have access to. Every character has access to the full skill list, to choose from as they will.

Skills in D5 are fairly consolidated, with a 'master' list of a couple dozen skills. Obviously, the contents of the skill list are not fixed, and will vary depending on setting (e.g. 'Computers' has no place in a medieval fantasy setting!).

Skills in D5 are bought at various die levels - ranging from d4 (amateur) to d12 (highest level of expertise). Each skill, when bought, is rated with a single die, and this is what is rolled when the skill is performed. For example, an aristocratic character may have the Influence skill at d10. She would then roll a d10 (as well as her Presence, and potentially other abilities or talents) when attempting to influence others.

In addition to the die rating, characters may also (and are encouraged to!) select specialties for their skills. These specialties confer less of a strict mechanical benefit, and function more as roleplaying cues. They inform what your character is good at, and what they have greater expertise and experience in. The GM is encouraged to evaluate the outcomes of these actions favorably.

Below is a 'master' list of sample skills, with sample specialties. The skill list can, and should, vary depending on setting, and players and GMs are encouraged to come up with their own unique skill sets and specialties. Specialties particularly offer a lot of freedom of expression, and can be nearly endless in their instantiation.


Skill List:

Acrobatics

• Tumbling
• Dodging
• Balance
• Aerial Stunts
• Parkour
• Gymnastics
• Leaping
• Climbing
• Escape Artist

Animal Handling

• Taming
• Training
• Riding
• Veterinary Medicine
• Animal Command

Art

• Drawing
• Painting
• Sculpture
• Cooking
• Writing
• Poetry

Athletics

• Running
• Jumping
• Climbing
• Swimming
• Sports (by sport)
• Weightlifting

Combat, Close

• Blades
• Hafted Weapons
• Polearms
• Stick Weapons
• Martial Arts

Combat, Ranged

• Bows
• Firearms
• Missiles
• Slings

Computers

• Hacking
• Coding
• AI
• Internet Protocol

Craft

• Metalworking
• Carpentry
• Leatherworking
• Masonry
• Tailoring
• Cooking
• Pottery

Deception

• Bluffing
• Disguise
• Forgery
• Feint

Electronics

• Electronics Repair
• Circuitry Design
• Robotics

Endurance

• Endure Heat
• Endure Cold
• Stay Conscious
• Resist Fatigue

Engineering

• Architecture
• Civil
• Mechanical
• Electronic
• Medical
• Materials
• Chemical

Influence

• Persuasion
• Intimidation
• Manipulation
• Diplomacy
• Resist Fear
• Charm
• Calm

Insight

• Sense Deception
• Sense Influence
• Deduction
• Intuition
• Empathy
• Resist Corruption

Investigation

• Forensics
• Deduction
• Intuition

Hunting and Tracking

• Camouflage
• Hiding
• Tracking
• Trapping
• Luring
• Covering Tracks

Knowledge

• History
• Biology
• Physics
• Mathematics
• Geology
• Astronomy
• Philosophy
• Literature
• Religion
• Politics
• Law

Mechanics

• Auto Repair
• Jury-Rigging
• Mechanical Repair
• Robotics

Medicine

• First Aid
• Surgery
• Toxicology
• Neurology
• General Practice
• Dentistry
• Veterinary Medicine

Perception

• Empathy
• Observation
• Spotting
• Listening
• Searching

Performance

• Acting
• Dancing
• Magic Tricks
• Instrument (by type)
• Singing
• Oratory
• Comedy

Reflexes

• Dodging
• Initiative
• Quick-Draw

Seamanship

• Navigation
• Weathersense
• Sailing
• Ropework

Stealth

• Hiding
• Sneaking
• Blending In
• Smuggling
• Covering Tracks

Survival

• Camouflage
• Shelter
• First Aid
• Foraging
• Environment (by type)
• Trapping
• Covering Tracks
• Weathersense

Thievery

• Pickpocketing
• Safecracking
• Burglary
• Lockpicking

Vehicles

• Vehicle (by type)
• Stunts
• Racing

So that's the skill system in a nutshell! I hope that it's sufficiently detailed, while allowing for a wide range of creative and roleplaying potential.

Character Premades - The Old World: Realm of the Ape-men

Here are some premade characters I created for a D5 Module I'm working on. It uses my D5 system (still in the works!), and is set in a setting I've devised that is a sort of pseudo-historical setting at the end of the bronze age, featuring APE MEN!

These are first drafts, so I assume the particulars will change (in some cases, I believe they already have - making these officially out of date! Oh, well)

D5 Basics

D5 is a roleplaying game system of my own design, inspired by many others that I've enjoyed over the years, with my own ideas and sentiments thrown into the mix.

Here are some basics of the system.

THE CORE MECHANIC
As its name implies, D5 uses five different kind of dice - d4, d6, d8, d10, and d12. In the system, everything is rated in terms of these dice, on a scale of one to five (d4 - d12). All abilities, skills, talents, items, etc, have associated die values on this scale.

Players make use of Dice Pools to accomplish challenging tasks. The skill die, ability die, and potentially an item die or other dice from talents or auxiliary skills/abilities are thrown together in a single pool, representing a singular effort. From this pool, one die is chosen to represent success - the remaining dice are considered dice of effect. The Success Die determines whether a character succeeds at a task, while the Dice of Effect can have bearing on the speed or efficacy of the effort, or can be spent for extra effect.

DICE INA DICE POOL ARE ALWAYS COUNTED SEPARATELY. THEY ARE NEVER ADDED TOGETHER.

That more or less sums up the basic core mechanic of the system. Obviously there's a lot more not covered here, but this basic mechanic (hopefully) should be flexible enough to accommodate as many actions and outcomes as need be.

Particulars will be covered in future posts!