Core Mechanics
Hinterdom's Core System prioritizes customization, simplicity, and narrative depth over intricate mechanics, focusing on creating unique characters with straightforward, clear rules for bringing them to life in play.
Character creation is diceless, driven entirely by player choice
Skills, Mystic Acts (magic), and combat are all resolved with a single d20 roll
Skill Points can be applied to traditional skills, combat proficiencies, or Mystic Skills
Character Creation
Players choose from 28 species and assign customization points to establish their core attributes of Strength, Agility, and Mind.
Then they choose between the 3 Archetypes and distribute their skill points between common skills, combat proficiencies, or Mystic Skills. Lastly they purchase their starting equipment before beginning play.
Weapons and Armor
Weapons are grouped into light, one-handed, two-handed, distance, and unique. Some attributes, such as Damage Maximum, may apply equally to an entire weapon group, simplifying things a bit
Armor both absorbs damage and lowers a character's Readiness. Shields also occupy a hand, limiting weapon choices and other actions.
Some species also have Natural Armor that increases a character's Armor Level.
Mystic Acts
The game's magic system, a combination of miracles, herbalism, help from ancestors, and raw magic, is based on a daily allotment of Mystic Energy (ME)
Mystic Skills are learned like more common skills and combat proficiencies. Invoking them taxes the Mystic, using a portion of their daily ME. In a tight spot, Mystics can spend their Health Points if they've exhausted their ME.
Character Advancement
The Storyteller privately sets benchmarks at which to reward their player's growth with additional Skill Points for their characters.
These can be used to increase bonuses to existing skills, including combat proficiencies and Mystic Skills, or to add new skills.
Gameplay
To resolve skill checks, attacks, or Mystic Acts, the player make a single roll with a d20 against the action's Difficulty Score (DS).
Sometimes successful rolls use the amount the roll exceeds the DS to determine further outcomes, such as damage.
A variety of factors can give penalties or bonuses to rolls, and a variety of factors, including the Storyteller's judgement, affect the difficulty Score (DS), but the roll itself is pretty straight forward.
Built for customization
Clear guidance on how to create your own species, weapons, items, skills, faiths, and Mystic Skills in ways that won't break the game.
Combat Mechanics
Attacks roll against an Evasion Level (EL) based on size and speed. Damage factors in the degree of success over the target’s EL but is limited by the attacker's strength and weapon choice. Armor absorbs damage.
Turn taking uses a fixed readiness system based on attributes, eliminating the need to roll for turn order each round.