1. The Basics Last updated 6/29/2017

Wizards, Warriors & Whatever Okay, so what is this?

As we’ve been playing D&D 5E I’ve become acutely aware of its flaws. I’ve always had problems with the style of play D&D encourages - looting the corpses of your fallen foes has never seemed terribly heroic. From 3.5E onward, though, the game has become increasingly combat-focused to the point where almost all of the character and class options have no use outside of combat, or trivialize the time spent out of combat. And that’s made the game worse, because when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.

Wizards, Warriors & Whatever is home-brew system meant to address some of those deficiencies. It’s based on an unholy union between Dungeon World and D&D 5E, with ideas liberally borrowed (or shamelessly stolen) from GURPS, Iron Heroes, Monte Cook’s Arcana Unearthed, and more.

Because this is a home-brew system I’m not going to waste a ton of time explaining concepts that experienced RPG already know, like “ability scores” or “levels.” I will share some of my design notes in gray boxes to explain my thinking.

This is a work in progress. If you want to argue with my logic, or think there are problems that need to be resolved, let me know!

I’ll be adding to these documents as we play, filling them in with our rulings and gameplay notes, and changing/rebalancing stuff as we go along. Each document will be timestamped so you’ll know if you have the latest version.

—DM Dave

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Ability Scores Your hero is rated from -5 to +5 on six different abilities:

• Strength (STR) • Dexterity (DEX) • Constitution (CON) • Intelligence (INT) • Wisdom (WIS) • Charisma (CHA)

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Classes Your hero has a class, which is a quick way of showing what makes your hero unique in a world full of strange individuals.

Hit Points (HP) Your class will say how many hit points (HP) you begin the game with, and how many additional HP you get when you level up. Your starting HP are equal to your base hit points plus your CON modifier.

Starting Powers Your class will have a fixed number of powers that you start the game with. These are the basic powers that define who you are and what unique things you can do.

Advanced Powers Your class also has a selection of advanced powers which you can select from as you level up, but which are not all available to you at first level. Some of these powers will expand on your starting powers, while others might delve into different areas of your class’s core themes.

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Hit Points Your hero’s hit points (HP) are a measure of their stamina, endurance, and health. Your class will say how many hit points (HP) you begin the game with, and how many additional HP you get when you level up. Your starting HP are equal to your base hit points plus your CON.

If your hero’s CON changes during gameplay, their maximum hit points change as well.

Damage When your hero takes damage, subtract the damage dealt from your HP. If you are wearing armor, subtract its defense value from the damage received. Damage can never take a hero below 0 HP.

Debility HP loss is not the only form of damage. You may also suffer other forms of debility, from broken bones to temporary blindness to from the result of specific actions. A debility gives disadvantage on all actions that bring the debility into play.

Stun Some attacks may stun your hero. Your hero cannot move or act until the stun is resolved (either you work through it, or someone shakes you out of it, or something similar).

Death When your hero is reduced 0 HP, take the Last Breath action. If your hero survives, they are stable at 0 HP but are unconscious until they receive healing or rest.

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Healing Lost HP can be recovered through rest.

• If you take a long rest (a whole day devoted to resting and recuperating with only light, non-strenuous activity), your hit points are returned to their maximum level.

• If you are taking a short rest (at least six hours), you recover a number of HP equal to half your maximum (rounded down).

You can only take one rest per day.

Some heroes may have powers that allow them to heal themselves or others.

Debilities may heal at their own pace. Some will be purely temporary, going away on their own. Some may require days or weeks of recovery. Some may require advanced treatments. Some may never heal (it’s hard to grow back a missing limb). The DM will let you know what to do to cure your debility.

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Powers Powers are the basic building block of your hero. Your class is important, but only because it gives you access to unique powers that other heroes will not have access to.

Powers are typically simple and direct, and can represent anything from magical powers to acquired skills and advanced training.

You may also have several general powers that are not tied to your class. These may be less powerful than the ones your class grants access too, but will still be useful.

Weaknesses Your hero may also have weaknesses which hinder your ability to act in certain circumstances. Some may come from your class, others may be unique to you.

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Bonds Bonds between your heroes are what make you a band of adventurers and not just a random assortment of people. They are the feelings, thoughts, and history that tie you together.

You will always have at least one bond, and you’ll often have more, but may not have more than five. Some will come from your class at the start of the game, but most will be unique to you.

In game terms, a bond is a simple statement that relates your hero to another hero or NPC. Choose an idea that ties these two characters together, and an action that represents something your hero is going to do about it.

Some ideas:

I owe Discord a favor for saving me from those werewolves archers this week. I should get her something nice when we get back to town.

I wanted that magic sword and Gunter stole it from me with his stupid dwarf tricks! I’m going to get it back somehow.

After all these years I’ve finally realized how much Rhogar really means to me. I should tell I love him before it’s too late.

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Taking Actions

Rolling Dice When you want to take an action that has serious consequences for failure, is roll 2d10. You may also be asked to add a relevant ability score or another modifier to the roll.

A roll of 2-10 represents failure. You don’t finish your task, and the DM will take additional actions which will put you and your party in a tougher situation. In improv terms, think of this as the DM actively blocking the direction you’re trying to take the scene in.

You gain one experience point (XP) for first failure in a session.

You try to dive past the stone door before it slides shut, but you’re just too slow. Now you’re separated from the rest of the party, and something is skittering about in the darkness…

A result of 11-15 represents partial success. You succeed at your task, but there are complications. In improv terms, think of this as the DM responding to your actions with “yes, but…”

You finally turn the last tumbler in the lock, but that took far longer than you expected. The city guard will be through here any minute now. Better make this fast.

A result of 16-20 represents unqualified success. Not only do you succeed at your task, but there are unexpected side benefits that you hadn’t thought of. In improv terms, think of this as the DM responding to your actions with “yes, and…”

Your axe beheads the pirate, and his headless body falls to the deck, spurting blood everywhere. Seeing you there, grim-faced and standing in an ever-expanding pool of blood, the other pirates turn tail and start to run…

Before you roll the dice, the DM will establish what the immediate consequences of failure or partial success will be.

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Advantage and Disadvantage Certain powers or situations put you at an advantage on a roll. When you are at an advantage, roll an extra d10 and drop the lowest result.

Alternatively, certain powers or situations, or difficult tasks may put you at a disadvantage on a roll. When you are at a disadvantage, roll an extra d10 and drop the highest result.

Advantage and disadvantage granted from multiple sources stack. If you have a power that gives you advantage, and a situation that gives you advantage, you roll two extra dice and drop the two lowest dice.

Advantage and disadvantage cancel each other out. If a power gives you advantage and a situation gives you disadvantage, you just roll normally.

Bonds If you can make a convincing argument that one of your bonds would aid you in completing an action, you are at an advantage on that action.

Critical Success Any result of 21+ (or a natural, unmodified result of 20) is a critical success. You succeed at your task and get a Hero token to boot.

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Specific Actions Most actions, their results, and the consequences for failure can be worked out on the fly. Some actions have specific rules that are explained below.

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Melee Attack When you attack an enemy in melee, roll+STR.

• On 16+: You deal damage to the enemy. At your option, you can choose to do an extra die of damage but expose yourself to an enemy counterattack.

• On 11-15: You deal damage to the enemy and the enemy makes a counterattack against you.

A melee attack is for attacking an enemy who's ready for combat. If an enemy can't see you coming or defend themselves then you just hit them, no roll is required.

A melee attack must have a chance of actually causing physical harm to the enemy. If you can't hurt them, no roll is required.

If an attack would hurt multiple targets, roll once and apply damage to each target. Some attacks may also have additional effects depending on the triggering action, the circumstance, or the weapon involved.

An enemy's counterattack can be any action the DM can take with that enemy. Most of the times it will just deal damage to you, but sometimes it'll do something else.

Ranged Attack When you fire on an enemy with a ranged weapon, roll+DEX.

• On 16+: You deal your full damage.

• On 11-15: Choose one of the following consequences: • You have to move to get a clear shot, which places you in danger. • You have to take what you can get, so you only deal half damage. • You have to take several shots, wasting ammunition.

If you choose to place yourself in danger, any number of things could result. Maybe bad footing causes you to stumble into melee range, or maybe you just reveal the location of your sniper nest to your enemies. The danger will always be immediate, and will often require you to dedicate yourself to avoiding it.

If you using a thrown weapon, you can't choose to waste ammunition unless you have more than one of them.

If an attack could reasonably hurt multiple targets (such as a grenade), roll once and apply damage to each target. Some attacks may also have additional effects depending on the triggering action, the circumstance, or the weapon involved.

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Aid Another When you help someone with their action, they get an advantage on their next roll. However, if they only achieve partial success or fail you suffer the consequences along with them.

You may also attempt to hinder someone in their actions, giving them a disadvantage on their next roll (though this will be less useful, since the DM does not make action rolls). However, if they achieve a partial or unqualified success, you may suffer consequences.

Defend When you stand in defense of a person, item, or location, roll+CON.

• On 16+: Take three Defense tokens. • On 11-15: Take one Defense token.

When the thing you are defending is attacked, you can spend one of your Defense tokens to do one of the following:

• Redirect an attack from the thing you defend to yourself • Halve the attack’s effect or damage

Open up that attacker to an ally, giving that ally advantage against the attacker

• Deal damage to the attacker equal to your level You can only spend a Defense token when someone makes an action against the thing you are defending. Defending yourself is allowed. You lose all Defense tokens if you take any other action.

Last Breath When you’re reduced to 0 HP, roll.

• On 16+: You’ve cheated death. You are stable, but unconscious.

• On 11-15: Death has plans for you. He’ll will offer you a hard bargain. Accept it and live, or refuse and pass to the world beyond.

• On 10-: You’re dead.

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Hero Tokens Hero tokens represent your primacy in the world - you are heroes, after all, and the story should bend to you, not the other way around.

Acquiring Hero tokens • You get a Hero token at the start of every session. • You get a Hero token at the beginning of a session if you leveled up

at the end of the previous session. • You get a Hero token every time you score a critical success. • You get a Hero token every time you do something awesome, heroic,

or which just tickles the DM’s fancy for whatever reason. • Your class may give you additional ways to acquire Hero tokens.

You can carry Hero tokens from session to session. However, you may only carry over a number of tokens equal to your level.

Spending Hero tokens • Spend a Hero token to gain advantage on a roll. You can choose to

do this after you have made a roll and seen the result, unless you have disadvantage on the roll, in which case you have to spend the token before making the roll.

• Spend a Hero token to introduce a new narrative element to the game. The DM may block your addition, but will return your token and explain why.

• Spend a Hero token to do something retroactively. This has to be an action it was possible for you to accomplish, and can’t be used to un-do actions that have already been completed.

• Spend all your Hero tokens to avoid the icy clutches of death. You must spend at least one Hero token.

• Give a Hero token to another player.

• Your class may give you additional ways of spending Hero tokens.

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Hero Creation You start the game with a fixed number of creation points that you can use to buy abilities and powers, as defined below.

Ability Scores Your six abilities scores all start at zero. You can raise one of your ability scores by one point by spending one creation point.

You can voluntarily lower one of your ability scores by one to gain an additional creation point. You cannot obtain more than four creation points in this manner.

Class Choose a class. It will determine your starting hit points and give several powers that you won’t have to purchase separately.

Hit Points Your starting hit points are equal Your starting HP are equal to your class’s base hit points plus your CON.

Advanced Powers You can purchase one power from your class’s list of advanced powers for one creation point.

General Powers You can purchase any power from the list of general powers for one creation point. You cannot purchase more than two skills and one fighting style (if your class grants you a fighting style, you cannot purchase a fighting style).

Weaknesses You may voluntarily take on one weakness to gain one creation point. The DM will make sure that your weakness comes in to play frequently.

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Hero tokens You start the game with two Hero tokens.

Bonds Talk with the other heroes to see how you know each other and what history you have together. Write down at least one bond. You may have no more than five bonds total.

Equipment You hero starts the game with any equipment that seems reasonable given their current circumstances. Your class may suggest starting equipment as well.

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At The End of Each Session At the end of each session the DM will award your heroes between one and three XP based on how well you accomplished your goals.

Pick one of your bonds that you think has been resolved in a satisfying manner. Ask if the other hero if they agree (or the DM if the subject of the bond is an NPC). If they agree, gain one XP and cross off your bond.

You may also cross off any bonds that cannot be fulfilled due to changing circumstances making it truly unachievable.

You may write one new bond, but may not have more than five total.

Put your heroes’ heads together and pick an MVP for the session. That hero gets one XP.

If you have enough XP to do so, level up.

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Leveling Up When you have accumulated XP equal to 7 + your current level, you can choose to spend your them to level up. When you level up increase your hit points, and can do one of the following things:

• You can raise one of your ability scores by one point. • You can choose one of your class’s advanced powers. • You can choose a general power or ability, though you’d better

have a good in-game reason why you’ve developed a new power from outside of your class.

• You can eliminate one of your weaknesses, if you were able to confront and overcome it in the most recent session.

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