Tale of Riven Play Guide V1.7. Using Power Stones 16 Magic & Power Stones 16 Basic rules of the Power Stone 17 Charging Power Stones 17

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1 Using Power Stones 16 Magic & Power Stones 16 Basic rules of the Power Stone 17 Charging Power Stones 17 Notes For The GM 2 The d100 Challenge Table 2 Opposed Rolls 2 The GM Curates The Story 2 Setting The Scene With Senses 2 A Rough Guide to Monsters 3 Guide The Story 3 Glossary 3 Start of Play 5 Opening the First Chapter of Your Adventure 5 Fill in Your Character Sheet 7 Adventure Prompts 8 Journey 8 Make Camp 8 Arriving at a location 8 Questing 9 End of Play 9 How to Play Tale of Riven 11 The d100 Roll 12 Power Dice, Power Levels and Modifying d100 Rolls 12 Chaining Sixes 12 Character Abilities 12 Critical Hits, Rolls & Fails 12 Physical Defence 13 Healing & Death 13 Monsters & Power Dice 13 Elite Monsters and NPCs 14 Maximum Level 14 Combat 15 Fight Club 15 What can I do on my turn? 15 Roll to Hit 15 Party Retreat 15 1

2 Notes For The GM The d100 Challenge Table Use this table for deciding how hard a thing should be to do (or hit) or hit by rolling a modified or unmodified flat roll (GMs discretion). 17 Easy 33 Pretty Easy 50 Moderate 66 Challenging 83 Hard Opposed Rolls Sometimes it makes a lot of sense to have an ability check against another NPC, Monster or the GM. An opposed roll describes the outcome of a situation where there is an opposed action. Here s an example: The ancient Lich wants to charm Crispin of the Dale so that Crispin attacks his own party. Decide whether you think this is a strength of character thing (Social) or a mind over matter thing (Mental). Let s go with Social for this example. The Lich is old and powerful and has a Social PL (Power Level) of 7 (best you can get). He rolls a d100 and 7d6 on top. The total is 120. Good luck Crispin! Crispin has a Social PL1. He s not the most likeable chap in Riven and isn t equipped to deal with a thousand year old Lich. He rolls a d100 and adds 1d6 on top. He gets 50 and doesn t beat or match 120. Poor old Crispin. The GM Curates The Story Unlike other RPG games, you don't need to have a pre-scripted adventure or module, but you should be taking notes throughout each session. These notes should inform things that happen later in the game session or even a later chapter. Sessions are called "Chapters" in Tale of Riven. The first adventure should include an introduction which is just something for Players to latch onto for the first chapter, but after that, you may choose to prepare a introduction for the next session that summarises what happened in the previous game. This is a bit like the "previously on..." trope that is commonly used for TV shows where it's important that people remember what happened before. If you don't have the time to prepare an intro for each session, it doesn't matter as long as you and the Players take good notes, or have amazing memories. ToR is designed to be less stressful for the GM and gives them the room to have as much fun as the Players as the story unfolds in a semi-emergent way. Setting The Scene With Senses When the party gets to a location, the GM asks some or all of these questions of the Players unless the GM wishes to describe the location. These questions are designed to create a mood for the location and the scene that will follow. By getting 2

3 the Players to use their senses, it helps them to inhabit the scene and imagine how their character reacts to it. What s the weather like? What does it look like? What does it smell like? What does it sound like? What does this place feel like? Is there danger here? A Rough Guide to Monsters Balancing monsters against the party can be tricky so here a few guidelines: Try to match the monsters overall PL (Power Levels) against the Players total character levels. A new Player is level one and anything more than a PL1 monster might prove to be too much. Yes, Players can Chain 6's and generally monsters can t, but it s hard to Chain 6's when you are only throwing one dice! When considering how hard a monster is to hit (Physical Defence), imagine what armour they are wearing, how agile they are, how thick their skin might be etc. A big blob might have a PD of 10, but it might have 200 hit points an corrode any metal it touches. Think about special attacks. Maybe it has two attacks or more. Perhaps it releases noxious gas that poisons the party. The possibilities are endless, but keep them fair. Players won t like the GM if he hits them with something ridiculously overpowered. Use Elite monsters sparingly. These will usually be boss fights that drop good loot in true video game tradition! Guide The Story Mechanically, the GM has command of these elements, mechanics or rules of the game: Take control of a scene to introduce something new for the Players to react to. Take control of the description of a location on the map. Pick up the reins if Players are floundering. Close a scene. Conjure wealth, unique and magical items into the game. Players cannot do this for themselves. Attack a Player with an NPC or Monster. Players cannot do this. Create the stats for a Monster or NPC. Players can conjure dangers, obstacles, NPCs and monsters into the game, but they can't decide how powerful they are or how difficult an obstacle is. Glossary "Chapter". A Chapter is a single gaming session. "Scene". A Scene describes any interactions that happen in a 3

4 location in the game. It could be a fight on a hilltop, a conversation in a tavern, making a plan in a temple garden etc. "Book". Multiple sessions that conclude in "Closing the Book." This is similar to a complete campaign in other role-playing games. Power Stone. A magical stone imbued with energy drawn from a Source of Power. These stones can be used to cast attack spells, special effect spells and healing spells. 4

5 Start of Play Opening the First Chapter of Your Adventure At this point each Player should have their name and their race written down on their character sheet and have a rough idea of what their character looks like. Make sure you also have these: 1. Pencils 2. A bunch of six sided dice and a bunch of 10 sided dice. 3. A map shows at least a few locations on it. GM this was probably your job. 4. An introduction to your game for all Players to read or read aloud. You have all of these things? It s time to begin. Choose, or roll a dice to see who opens the first chapter. This Player will describe where they are on the map and why they are there. The GM should be asking questions already. What s the weather like?, what does the place smell like? Is there danger here?, Is there a story to be told about this place? etc. These questions are prompts that make the Player describe more about where they are and what they are doing. The Players will probably meet each other in the first chapter. It doesn t matter how it s done, but it s important not to leave other Players out in the cold while one Player has all of the fun. Characters may already know each other depending upon how the chapter unfolds. For anyone that hasn t played an RPG (Role Playing Game) before, this might all feel a bit weird. It s a heavy tax on a Players imagination, but once you are in the flow it becomes much easier. The GM should always be asking questions and digging for more information. Don t let a Player just get away with a simple description. Other Players can always jump in if they have a great idea or want to keep up momentum, but always give a Player space to build the story. Unlike other more rigid RPG s, ToR is open to all of the Players and the GM to build the world together, but the GM needs to keep a close attention on what s happening. If a Player says that they feel there is a danger in a location, push into that. Ask the Players what the danger is? What do they sense? It s amazing what Players will do to themselves to build conflict into their story. From now on, take it in turns for the Players and GM to describe scenes in the chapter. You can go around the table, jump from one person to another or even roll a dice to see who describes the next scene. It s up to you how you want to play. If you find that Players aren t giving each other space to talk, use the dice rolling rule to decide who picks up the story. Try to spot when a scene reaches its natural conclusion and when it s time to journey from one place to another or make camp. Play out the story until the session ends. If a fight happens, see the rules for combat. Once the session is complete, see the rules for Closing the Chapter. Good luck. This adventure is yours now. 5

6 For more information or advice on playing, visit our blog: Example Map Willow Brook Area. Feel free to use it on your first adventure. 6

7 Fill in Your Character Sheet Make sure every Player has a Tale of Riven character sheet. For now, just write this information on each sheet in pencil. Character Name - This is up to you Character Race - This is up to you too Power Level to Hit, Damage or Modify Social (Power 1) Physical (Power 1) Mental (Power 1) Physical Defence & Hit Points Physical Defence (33) Hit Points (33) Wealth Gold (10) Optional You might notice that we have left out Title. This is intentional. A Player will choose their Title at the End of Play (Close the Chapter). 7

8 Adventure Prompts JOURNEY, MAKE CAMP & QUESTING Sometimes the Players have to move from one location on the map to another. When they do, roll the Journey dice. D6 Equally, when Players are bashed up, bleeding and without other means of healing, they need to make camp in order to regain lost hit points. When they do, they roll the Make Camp dice. If the Players are lolling around without direction, send them on a Quest. The D6 tables for Journey and Make Camp are optional and ready to be changed and updated for your story. Journey When your party decides to travel from one location to another, roll a D6. 1. Your party is attacked! 2. You get to your next location on the map unmolested. 3. You witness something amazing on your journey. Stop here and mark it on your map if you wish. Journey again when ready. 4. Describe how someone is hurt on the journey. D6 damage (Chain 6's). Optional: The Player who rolls the dice is the one who gets hurt. This can sometimes avoid arguments and deep sadness. 5. You travel near to a Source of Magic. Describe it, mark it on the map and stop here if you wish to recharge your magics. Journey again when ready. 6. An Elite monster or NPC picks up your trail. The GM decides what this is in secret. You get to your destination unmolested. Make Camp Should your party feel the need to make camp to recover wounds or just rest up in the wilderness, roll a D6. 1. Your party is attacked! 2. All wounds recovered. 3. All wounds recovered. A tale is told. (a Player tells a story about the world. It could be ancient lore, a fairy tale, a rumour of another place) 4. All wounds recovered. Someone has a premonition. (a premonition might come true or partially true later on in the adventure. The GM should take note of a premonition and introduce it later in the story or another game session if the Players don t do it themselves.) 5. All wounds recovered. You camp near a Source of Magic. (a Source of Magic is a place where characters can re-charge some magic items and Power Stones) 6. All wounds recovered. An Evil Awakens in Riven. (A Player describes something that brings an evil threat into the world. It doesn t have to be something that attacks instantly, but something more like a growing threat that might affect the party in future) Arriving at a location When the party gets to a location, the GM asks some or all of these questions of the 8

9 Players unless the GM wishes to describe the location. What s the weather like? What does it look like? What does it smell like? What does it sound like? What does this place feel like? Is there danger here? Questing There is no dice roll needed here. This is just a tip for keeping the adventure running smoothly and to introduce danger, excitement and new places on the map. Questing is mostly in the hands of the GM. If you (as the GM) notice that the Players are lacking some direction or motivation, it s a good idea to introduce or use a known NPC in your story to give the Players a quest or at least the motivation to visit a new location, seek some treasure, scout an area and bring back news etc. This works really well if the Players are in a village, town or city because there are so many possibilities; the baker who has a serious rat problem in his cellar, the guard who lost his wedding ring in the Forest of Screaming Spirits and is too scared to go and find it. Use Questing to build more history and depth into the current story and remember to mark new places on the map! End of Play CLOSING THE CHAPTER At the end of the session do these things in order: 1. Add 1 Power level to Physical, Social or Mental (to a maximum of 7). 2. Add 6 to your Hit Point pool. 3. Add a Title to your character. It could be anything that makes sense from the game you have just played. For example Tamer of Rats or Hero of Kvatch. Your title is used as a tool to remember what you are and where you came from. You can change your title after the next session if you so wish. 4. Consider Closing the Book: At the end of each session, we Close the Chapter. The idea is that a game session is a single chapter in the developing, evolving story of your time in ToR, but where does it all end? It might be that the GM would prefer to wrap things up and play for a change, or the Players need a solid conclusion to their adventure. Closing the Book is something that the Players and GM need to consider after each session. You don t have to act on it if you are all still having fun playing through the chapters, but if you do, it should be something that is the ultimate, great purpose to your story. The ending doesn t need to come right away or even in the next session, but it gives you your end goal, or your main quest if you were playing an RPG video game. It could be a great, decisive battle or the total defeat of your arch enemy. It might be that the princess is rescued, the town is saved, or the treasure is found. It might be that it all ends in death and tragedy! 9

10 Whatever the purpose, it should inform the actions you take in your story to complete your campaign. There s nothing to say that it s only the end of the first book in a trilogy and you are looking forward to the sequels so play as you will. 5. Make any notes that you will need for the next session. It s amazing how quickly we forget the details! 6. For discussion. What were the highlights of the session? Discuss this because the better you understand the game, the more you will get from it. 7. For discussion. What were the things that didn't work so well? Time to tweak and fix the way you play. 10

11 How to Play Tale of Riven The overriding rule of ToR is to understand that the GM has the final say in any situation. You may not agree with it, but the GMs role is to set the pace of the story and react to what Players are describing or doing. During the course of a session, the Players take turns to describe the world that they are in and what happens to them. They can conjure places (add them to the Map), monsters and NPC s into being, but they cannot conjure magical items or wealth for themselves or others. That s for the GM to do! Players cannot conjure anything into the world that will cause harm to another Player. They may choose to attack another Player personally however. The first session or Chapter begins with an introduction that sets the scene for the Players to react to. The GM should ask questions of the Players: What do you look like? Where have you come from? Why are you here? Is there a danger here? helps to set the scene and inform events that are about to unfold. GMs should always be asking questions of the Players and their motivations because it builds their characters and helps them to build their story. Keep going and encourage the Players to take notes. The GM should always be taking notes and reacting to dice rolls. Hold back threats and introduce them when the Players least expect it. Reward Players for good play by giving them tools to grow in power, allowing them to proceed in their adventure feeling that they are heroes, or villains if that s the way they want to portray their characters. If the Players are beaten up and have no magical means of healing, encourage them to Make Camp. If this happens in a safe place, there is no need to roll the dice, but if they are out in the wilds one of the Players needs to roll a D6 and consult the Make Camp results. Just keep on going until you all decide to close the Chapter and then go the the End of Play (End Here) section of this rule book. When the Players have described who they are, how they meet, what their motivation is for being here and what they look like, they may decide to Journey to a location on the map. Close the scene and make a Player roll the Journey dice (D6) and take it from there. When the Players get near to the location, get them to describe what it looks like. Exposition is important in ToR because it 11

12 The d100 Roll This is a basic move in Tale of Riven and you'll do it quite a lot! Roll two ten sided dice. The first dice you roll is "tens" and the second dice is the number between one and ten. "0" is always "zero". So, your first D10 you roll might be a 3. That's 30. The second D10 you roll might be a 7, so that's 37. The GM usually decides how difficult a thing is, so if jumping through a window has a difficulty of 50, a roll of 32 doesn't cut it, although the broken glass might cut you. A d100 roll without a modifier is considered a flat d100 roll. Power Dice, Power Levels and Modifying d100 Rolls Power Dice and Power levels are really the same thing. If you have Power 1 in Physical, you get to roll 1D6 on top of your d100 roll. The same applies to Social and Mental. If you have a weapon that gives you a Power Level 1, it gives you 1D6 to your attack roll. A power Level 2 weapon would give you 2 D6 and so on. The same applies to your damage roll too, so if you had a Physical Power Level of 3 and a Power Level 3 weapon, you would roll d D6 to attack (Chain 6's) and roll 6D6 for damage (Chain 6's). Chaining Sixes When rolling a "6" on a D6 for any reason, be it for damage or modifying your d100 roll, add another D6 to the pool. Keep going! This is how David beat Goliath. Most monsters can't generally Chain 6's for damage, but Players can because they are heroes! Elite monsters can Chain 6's for damage, but be careful because it s much easier to kill a character. An elite monster should always drop good loot! Monsters can however Chain 6's when modifying a d100 roll to hit or if they try to accomplish something that involves Social, Physical or Mental abilities. Character Abilities Physical represents strength, agility and constitution. It s used for anything that involves a physical act and for modifying a physical attack roll and damage. Mental represents intelligence, wisdom and problem solving ability. It s also used for magic and for modifying magic effects, magical attacks and damage from magical attacks. Social represents a characters charisma, force of will and presence. It s used for modifying rolls in a social situation such as lying, persuading, talking your way out of a bad situation etc. It s also used for healing magic. Critical Hits, Rolls & Fails On a d100 a natural or flat roll of is a critical pass if attempting to do 12

13 something that requires a roll. If it s an attack roll, it s an automatic hit and the damage is doubled. A flat roll of 00 is the same, but triple the damage. This applies to monsters, NPC s and Players, but don t Chain 6's for damage when rolling for a monster, unless it is an Elite. A flat roll of 01 is always a critical fail. Describe how terrible the situation is and how it affects the Players and party. Physical Defence Physical Defence is based on your character s toughness, agility, speed and constitution. It s how hard you are to hit in a fight and can be enhanced by getting better armour, magical items like rings of protection etc. Your character s Physical Defence starts at 33, but can be boosted all the way up to 100. Please be careful though because a character with 100 PD can be very hard to hit and can make combat a little dull. We suggest using 83 (hard) as the maximum armour class as a guideline. Healing & Death When no other means of healing are available, a Power Stone can be used to create healing magic using the Social ability. The healing power level is set against the character using the Power Stone s Social ability. For example, Johan has a Power Stone and a Social power level of two (PL2). He rolls 2D6 per charge expended from the Power Stone. Chain 6 s & reroll 1 s If a character reaches 0 hit points, they are dead! A healing potion or a pat on the back won t work sadly. When no other means of reviving are available, a Power Stone can be used to revive a dead character. All available charges are consumed! If a character is revived from death, the Player rolls a D6 and removes the total from their hit point pool permanently. This new total is the amount that the character is revived with. Do not chain 6 s. So, if a character had 40 HP and they are revived, they roll a D6 and minus the number from their total. Say they roll a "3", they now how a total of 37 HP and they revive at the new full health total of 37. Monsters & Power Dice Monsters can Chain 6's when rolling to hit. Monsters get the same bonuses as a Player if the GM rolls a Critical Hit. Monsters cannot Chain 6's when they roll damage (unless they are an Elite Monster or NPC). Monsters come in different shapes and sizes. They have Power Dice in the same way that Players do: A P1 (power level one) monster rolls d D6 (Chain 6's) and 1D6 damage (don t Chain 6's) A P2 (power level two) monster rolls d D6 modifier (Chain 6's) and 2D6 damage (don t Chain 6's) A P3 (power level three) monster rolls d D6 modifier (Chain 6's) and 3D6 damage (don t Chain 6's) 13

14 Elite Monsters and NPCs Elites are the most dangerous thing out there. They can chain 6 s when they roll damage which makes them lethal if the dice go against the party. A GM should use Elites sparingly and they should always drop some sweet loot if defeated! Maximum Level A Player can have no more than 7 power in any ability. 14

15 Combat Danger is everywhere in Riven and people are going to fight eventually. Setting up the fight scene is up to how the GM and the party like to play. Sometimes it s worth sketching the scene on paper or a wipe clean playmat. Sometimes a really good image will do do as a prop to prompt the narrative. If you make models or have access to all of the cool stuff that tabletop wargamers use, it will add a depth of realism to the scene. Or just use your imagination. Fight Club Fighting in ToR is easy, brutal and exciting. It all starts with a flat d100 initiative roll, meaning that any active person, NPC or Monster has a place between 01 and 100 (100 being the fastest to act). Then go around the table in order from highest (fastest) to lowest (slowest). What can I do on my turn? Anything you like. Imagine the scene and what you think your character would do. Perhaps you try and hit something, maybe you run and hide behind a rock or throw yourself in front of a comrade. Just like anything else in ToR, you need to roll a d100. Let s assume you are going to whack something If it isn t, you failed, but you might still be able to hit with your d6 power dice modifier. Generally you get a pool of power dice based on your Power Level (PL) for Physical, Mental or Social plus the Power Level (if any) of your weapon, item or Power Stone. Roll the power dice to see if it modifies your d100 attack roll enough to hit. Chain 6's. If you do hit, Roll the same amount of Power Dice again to see how much damage is dealt to the target. Chain 6's. Party Retreat Fight scene getting too hot? At the start of a round, if the whole party wishes to flee from a battle, they must first explain to the GM how escape might be possible. If the GM agrees, a flat d100 difficulty roll is required with the target difficulty number presented by the GM, If successful, the whole party manages to break away from the battle with incapacitated allies over their shoulders (or otherwise in tow, as explained by the Players). Roll to Hit First, roll a d100 and see if the result is higher than the target s Defence value. If it is, you ve hit! 15

16 Using Power Stones Power Stones give Players access to the Source of Magic. Just like magical weapons, Power Stones can range in Power Levels: A Power Level One (PL1) Power Stone adds 1D6 to the dice pool when using magic to attack and damage, a PL2 Power Stone adds 2D6 and so on. maximum of 10 charges) by visiting a Source of Magic when Journeying or Making Camp. Sometimes a Location may have a Source of Magic. This could be at a temple, in a forest or the wizards quarter in a large city. Magic in ToR has three possible components: Attack Magic (Mental) The domain of combat wizards, sorcerers and necromancers Think fireballs, crackling energy, black talons that rip the blood from the victim. This kind of attack magic is treated as any other attack using a d100, plus the Power Stone s Power Level, plus the Mental Power Level of the character wielding the stone. Magic & Power Stones Power Stones a rare magical items that allow Players to use magic in Tale of Riven. Magic in Riven can be used to accomplish anything that can be imagined as long as the Players and GM agree that it is possible and in keeping with the story. Magic can be used for healing (Social), conjuring illusions (Mental), creating elemental effects (Mental), summoning (Mental), transforming (Mental), harming monsters and NPCs (Mental) and even other Players if it fits the story. Power Stones have a number of uses before they lose their magic. This purposefully limits magic within the game so that Players need to carefully consider when to use it. Power Stones can be recharged (to a Healing Magic (Social) The domain of priests, spiritualists and holy men A subtle magic that is drawn from the Social ability. Read Healing & Death Wondrous Magic (Mental or Social) The domains of transmutations, summoning, conjuring, divination and the miraculous. This is the magic that creates amazing effects that don t necessarily harm anyone directly, but can change the environment and alter reality. Magic that uses the Mental ability tends to be elemental, explosive, transformative etc. Magic that uses the Social ability is primarily used for healing, never for outright Attack Magic, but can cause miracles". 16

17 It s impossible to create specific rules for wondrous magic without stifling the imagination, so the primary rule is to let the GM judge the outcome. Remember that all Monsters, NPCs and Players have a Physical Defence stat that can be used to avoid or diminish magical effects. They might be able to counter or remove magic if they have a Power Stone of their own or an innate ability! Basic rules of the Power Stone A Player can only have one Power Stone at a time. Trying to pick up a second will destroy the one that they carry. Whenever magic is drawn from a Power Stone, it uses at least one charge. Using a stone to revive a dead character uses all charges left in the Power Stone. When a Power Stone is first found, roll a D6 to determine how many charges it has left. If the last charge is used the Power Stone is empty and cannot be used until recharged at a Source of Magic which can sometimes be found when Journeying, Making Camp or at a particular location on the Map. Magical attacks that you draw from the Power Stone that cause intended damage are always set against the users Mental Power Level. Chain 6's. Charging Power Stones A Power Stone can be re-charged by visiting a Source of Magic. These are magical places dotted around the world and each one is unique. Only the GM can decide where Sources of Magic exist, unless one is found when Making Camp or Journeying. A source of magic can only be used once per day. Roll a flat d100 to see what happens when charging a Power Stone: * 01 to 05 - Arcane explosion dealing 3D6 damage to the bearer. Armour has no effect. The Power Stone is destroyed. * 06 to 10 - Gain 2 charges * 11 to 20 - Gain 3 charges * 21 to 30 - Gain 3 charges * 31 to 40 - Gain 5 charges * 41 to 50 - Gain 5 charges * 51 to 60 - Gain 5 charges * 61 to 70 - Gain 7 charges * 71 to 80 - Gain 7 charges * 81 to 90 - Gain 9 charges * 91 to 99 - Gain 9 charges * Gain 10 charges and the GM conjures a single use magical item for the Players as the Ritual of Renewal is so powerful, it draws with it a wondrous object from the source of magic. Magic healing drawn from the Power Stone is always set against the users Social Power Level. 17