Here are the first draft baseline mechanics that I’ve developed for My Evil Is Law. Mechanically, I’ve pulled elements (or at least read to better form my own opinions and preferences) from Black Sword Hack: Ultimate Chaos Edition, Tunnel Goons, WHPA, EZD6, the GLOG, and Into The Odd. The goal with to make something that is simple at its core, but still offers an easily understandable ramp that makes advancement feel satisfactory. As it stands, all this barely playtested. A couple mock combats is all that has been done. Enjoy the read through and let me know your thoughts below!

Ability Scores

VIGOR - muscle & fortitude

KNACK - dexterity & guile

ANIMA - spirituality & magic

Core: PCs start with one point in each ability score, which means PCs roll 1d6 when using that ability score. Additional ability score points, skills, or items grant additional d6s. A roll of a 5 or 6 is a success. Special circumstances may require multiple successes or alter the “success range”. Only when there is risk of dangerous failure is a task rolled.

1s and 6s: Anytime more 1s are rolled than 5s or 6s, the PC loses a Hope Point. If all 6s are rolled then the PC earns a “free 6” that they may add to a future dice roll.

Creation: When a character begins they get one points points to upgrade one of their ability scores, and obtain one special item or gain one skill. PCs have 6 Hope Points. Additional HP can only be gained through extraordinary means. Characters also begin with one major regret about their past.

Advancement: Get a ability score point, a unique skill, or gain a magic spell by gaining a title through questing. A PC can gain up to three points in any ability score, and have a combination of any three tags or magic spells. PCs gain an advancement when they do something worthy of a legend or title. For example, a PC who saves a village from the cyber-ants would gain a title relevant to their most notable action from that adventure.

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Skills and Spells: Skills represent something extraordinary that a PC has mastered. Magic spells can be learned by a variety of means: spiritual communion, innate sorcery, or mystic studies. Skills and spells may grant new abilities or give bonuses to existing abilities.

Initiative: When entering combat, PCs each roll Knack and select the result of their choice. They go on that initiative count. Enemies act on an initiative count determined by their stat block. The initiative count starts at 6 and those with a 1 go last, then the initiative count cycles again until combat is resolved.

Combat: On a creature’s initiative count, they may move and either choose to attack or another significant action (cast a spell, trip an enemy, etc). When attacking they roll their relevant ability score in accordance with the type of attack they perform. If they have multiple dice to use then they may choose any single rolled die result with which to attack. Movement may encompass anything within their normal capability. Creatures deal damage with any attack unless they roll all 1s. Equipment, skills, or enemy stat blocks often provide extra damage or effects on a 5-6.

Armor: Armor prevents damage until it is broken. When functional, only 6s cause damage. Certain armors may completely break or be simply left non-functional for the rest of the encounter. Armors have a Stability rating, which represents how many times it must be struck with a roll of a 6, and whether it needs simultaneous or cumulative 6s to be broken.

Damage, death, and dying: HP is fully regained after a few moments of rest. When PCs reach 0 HP, they go unconscious. They must roll 1d6. On a 1, they die. On a 2-5, gain a scar, recover 1 HP, and suffer -1d6 to any dice pool until they have time to heal. On a 6, they gain a scar but recover at full HP. Accumulating scars means your chance of death increases. A PC with a single scar now dies on a roll of 1-2, a PC with two scars dies on a roll of 1-3, etc. a PC who is dying may take one last significant action.

Equipment: Items come in two main varieties: combat and utility. All items have descriptors that provide unique function(s), tone, and guide players towards using them in otherwise undescribed ways. Some items may have special functions that require resources or only activate when a certain number is rolled.

Luck: When a player asks to do something that does not correlate to a stat or have an answer already obvious to the judge, make a Luck check by rolling 1d6. As a baseline, 1-3 is bad and 4-6 is good. The judge may adjust chance at their discretion.

Enemy Combatants: Enemies make attacks and defend in the same manner as PCs. Their stat blocks offer some combination of described of desires, fears, strengths, weaknesses, typical tactics, and equipment.

Sample Combat Items

• Magic Bow: (KNACK) long-range, conjures arrows; 5: +1 damage, 6: +1 damage + enemy suffers -1d6 to their next action

• Gatling Laser: (VIGOR) medium range; hits adjacent enemies; 5: +1 damage, 6: Shreds Environment, +2 damage

• Holy Sword: (VIGOR) can only damage evil creatures, bypasses Armor; 5: +1 damage, 6: Light Beam (medium-range, +2 damage)

• Mage Staff: (ANIMA) medium range, bolts of light; 5: +1 damage, 6: +2 damage and +1 damage to adjacent enemies

Sample Armor Items

• Shield: Armor 1; Stability (2 hits)

• Knightly Armor: Armor 1; Stability (2 simultaneous hits)

• Mystic Monk Robes: Dodge first attack of an encounter

• Anti-Magic Resonator: Armor 2 against magic; Stability (3 hits)

Sample Utility Items

• Smoke Bomb: Blind an enemy for their next initiative count.

• Sacred Lantern: Lights the way; wards off ghosts.

• Med-shot: Instantly restores a creature to full HP.

• X-Visor: Can see through most non-metal objects.

Sample Enemies

• Mook: HP 1; Init: 2; 5-6: +1 damage; Dice: 1d6

• Mook Gang: HP 3; Init: 2, 4; 5-6: +1 damage; Dice: 2d6

• Mook Boss: HP 3; Init 3, 5: 5: +1 damage, 6: +2 damage; Dice: 2d6

• Demon: HP 8 (Armor 1); Init 2, 4, 6; 5: +2 damage, 6: summon Mook from the abyss; Dice: 2d6

Sample Skills

• Raised By Monkeys: Gain a bonus die when jumping and may leap great distances.

• Painful Recovery: Choose an ability score. You may accept 1 damage to turn a 1 into a 5 when rolling with that ability score.

• Armorer: May reroll DR usage checks if they were not a 1.

• Strange Blood: Gain a bonus die to casting magic if you deal 1 damage to yourself.

Sample Spells

Roll Anima to cast. Gain bonus dice by performing lengthy rituals, making sacrifices, casting in a place of power, etc.

• Skinwalker: May change into an animal if you possess a fresh pelt.

• Graven Wisdom: Pour wine into a skull’s mouth in order to briefly speak with the dead. The demeanor of the dead is influenced by their personality in life and the wine’s quality.

• Tongue Thief: Bite your tongue so hard that you deal 1 damage to yourself, causing a single creature that you see to lose their ability to speak until you unclench your jaws.

• Flame Eater: Inhale nearby fires, extinguishing them. Makes your throat sore.

Playtesting and and development would put publication pretty far out, but would this be fun as a zine-sized game? How mechanically sound does this seem to you?

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