In free-form play, the rolls to be made should be based on the logic of the situation as it unfolds. Each roll is standalone, in that there are no built-in mechanical consequences for succeeding or failing. There is no defined time scale.

Instead, success or failure of a roll simply changes the situation which must be dealt with.

What to roll?

Rivers of Sartar is based on a set of dice roll mechanics that can be applied in a uniform way to any value on a percentile scale. These include:

• skills
• runes
• passions
• characteristics
• reputation
• relationships

For RQ:G characters, all of these values are on a scale compatible with the dice rolling mechanism, except characteristics, which should be multiplied by 5.

For QuestWorlds characters, all values should be multiplied by 5.

Typically these values are fixed over the scope of a single game session, and should be recorded on a character sheet as an ability.

In circumstances where it make sense, contestants will also one or more bonus d20 to determine the success level (i.e. check for critical and special successes, or fumbles).

Status affects such as inspiration will vary the number of bonus D20 rolled.

Inspiration from Runes and Passions.

Before attempting a roll, contestants may attempt to become inspired by a rune or passion.

This involves rolling the corresponding ability against an opposition set by how appropriate the GM judges the usage to be.

Inspiration lasts for a scene, as defined by the GM.

Note that when inspired, but fails the opposed ability roll, the lowest value D20 is used. This means that acting passionately increase both the chance of great success and great failure.

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A character who has `Hate Lunars 60%` faces Lunar soldiers attacking their village with intent to destroy it. They face a situational opposition of 0, which means they will automatically succeed in the roll. Facing lunar-aligned civilians, or retreating soldiers, would require a roll against a higher opposition.

 

For guidelines on what the runes represent and can be used for, see RQ:G. Runic inspiration is a form of magic, and so requires cult initiation, or an equivalent form of access to a source of magical power.

Inspiration by a passion does not.

An ability may not be used to inspire itself.

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An Orlanthi wants to cast their cult rune magic. If  will be used for the casting, then some other cult rune, like , should be used for inspiration.

The roll to attempt inspiration does not have a variable level of success, and so does not itself use a bonus D20.

Gaining Circumstantial Advantages and Avoiding Disadvantages

In free-form play, granting advantages and disadvantages is at the discretion of the GM.

These should reflect things that change dynamically during the course of play, not static features of the character or opposition.

Examples would include:

• in combat, being able to see when your opponent can not is an advantage
•  trying to argue a legal case in a language with which you are not fluent is a disadvantage
•  firing a bow from a moving horse is a disadvantage

Disadvantages can commonly be cancelled out by making an appropriate opposed skill roll.

For example, a successful ride roll will allow a contestant to fire a bow from horseback without disadvantage for the rest of the scene.

Advantages are somewhat harder to gain, usually requiring either clever play, making use of the environment, or magic.

Any roll to gain an advantage, or clear a disadvantage, does not have a variable level of success, and so does not itself use a bonus D20.

Effects of Magic in Free-form Play

These rules uses the same spell list as RQ:G, as described the Red Book of Magic and other supplements. Before attempting a roll a contestant may cast any spells they know. Normally attempts to cast magic should considered automatically successful, as they may be retried without penalty. But in cases of time pressure, the GM may require a roll against a rune or POW characteristic, as per RQ:G. 

RQ:G spells that have a mechanical effect that carries over directly into these rules, such as raising a skill or characteristic, have the same effect here too.

Other spells have effects that are described in real-world terms, such as being able to see in the dark, or effect mechanics not present in the free-form rules, such as weapon damage.
These will effect whether circumstantial advantages or disadvantages are in play. For example, a farsee spell may grant advantage on long distance scan rolls.

What to Roll Against

The opposition to a roll is on the same scale as PC skills. It can be determined in any of a number of ways:.

• known value: one established previously, or printed in a published scenario
• estimated difficulty: one estimated based on similar examples
• narratively appropriate value: one necessary to support the reasons for making this roll in the first place.
• zero: having zero as a possible opposition simplifies the rules by dropping the need for unopposed rolls

The value chosen is the opposition value: a number at least 0, and typically under a hundred. An opposition value of 300 or more is unlikely to be directly overcome by a normal group of PCs.

Note that the case the opposition value is chosen for narrative reasons, the description of what is happening should be adjusted correspondingly.

For example, if the GM expects the players to probably be captured, but not rule out the possibility of escape, then a high but not unbeatable opposition should be chosen. This should then be described as an appropriate number of well armed and competent opponents.

In other words, ideally the in-world description of the opposition and their mechanical rating should generally match, by whatever method the two are selected.

A lowly farmer who fights with godlike skill will be doing so because they are literally inspired by the gods, rather than because the plot demands it. This can still be so, even if it is the case that the plot required that they be so inspired.

A contestant that represents purely environment factors, or disinterested characters not actively opposing the PCs (e.g. unalert guards) is inactive; it does not roll a bonus dice.

Optionally, significant opponents who have a reason why what they are doing is deeply important to them may be treated as inspired.

What happens next

Success or failure of a roll so will simply determine what happens next, according to the judgement of the gm. This will normally involve changes to the circumstances of the situation, and so the opposition and bonus die used on future rolls.

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A PC fails badly while attempting to stealthily scout the camp of a large hostile warband. The enemy is now alerted, so any attempts to fight them all would face a challenging or impossible level of opposition. Running away, negotiating, or just surrendering will all likely still be achievable.

 

Greater levels of success, achieved from rolling well on the bonus dice, simply correspond to greater changes to the situation..

 

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A PC rolls a critical success while attempting to stealthily scout the above camp. They get to the middle of the enemy camp without the guards being alerted. So they may attempt to poison supplies, burn tents, assassinate or negotiate with leaders.

 

In free-form game-play a character who becomes wounded simply finds future opposition values to be higher than they would otherwise be, representing the GMs judgment of how much their wounds affect what they are trying to do.

A player character will never normally die in free-form game-play. However, if the player describes their actions as a heroic sacrifice resulting in their death, the GM will likely select an appropriately lower opposition to roll against.

If either of these choices is not appropriate for how you as a GM wants to handle a particular type of situation in-game, then you may find the other two game modes to be more appropriate. Those modes will be described in future blog posts.