Rules

A world of wonders and fantastic places built upon an ancient long gone civilization. In the Grande Bibliotheca there’s books that say the entire civilization was all wiped out in some apocalyptic event of unknown origin.

Machinery, weapons and vehicles are all powered through a combination of magic and steam power technology made for larger and longer lasting structures and defensive walls possible. Eventually scientists learned how to tap into some of the ancient technology. This paved the way for the Corporations and various organizations.

The current civilizations have built on top of an ancient civilization that only has fragments of it's technology around the landscape. Echocondria, the capitol city, was built on top of an massive ancient tower that's fallen and had broken into parts. There world is currently in it's modern steam powered era. An era where everyone has a decent quality of living, there’s plenty of land to go around if you’re brave enough to venture to the frontier lands. Maybe the way you wish to make your mark is to start your own shop or even your own town. Want to work your way through the ranks of the Rainbow Guard? You can do that too through a sub-classing system.

!! Warning !! Run on sentence incoming !! Warning !!

Before you get too ahead of yourself though you’ll have to venture to the capitol Echocondria. Being from a smaller town the city looks a little overwhelming and where do you start to make a better life for yourself and maybe even fame and fortune? You see the city in the distance easily, it's huge you think. You get closer and  you see the massive walls and gate. The walls must be at least 50 units high (1 unit = 200 cm or 6.5 ft). You check in at the walk in entrance, not that there are many vehicles but better not get in the way just in case one comes along. After a long paperwork process and entry fee. You are given a DNA disk and you pass through.  Coming out of a long dim corridor through the wall, your eyes need a little adjusting to the light. As you rub them and everything comes into focus you see a small bustling metropolis. Full of every race you can think of and maybe a couple new ones. Businesses, organizations, houses and people everywhere. You know you have really reached Echocondria. A game that can be played with a team and a GM or without a GM or solo.

The Story Teller equates to the role of a dungeon master or game master in other games. The Story Teller's main purpose is to facilitate the roleplaying of NPCs, manage the game flow, and maintain control over the game. They have the final say, and there's no need for debates. They have the authority to modify rules, but their primary focus should be on ensuring the best possible gaming experience for the players. Their role is not to eliminate the players.

1. Choose 1 race.

2. Choose 1 class.

3. Add all stats from both.

4. Choose one starting abilities from your race and one from your class unless otherwise stated.

5. You start with 100 credits, 1 Class Tickets and one DNA Disk.

6. Use the credits to buy any common items for starting equipment.

7. Use your Class Tickets to gain or level abilities or raise your stats.

8. Choose an optional character creation event
   1. Body Double: In embryo you had a twin, however you didn’t like that jerk much so you ate it. Of course they didn’t want to leave you alone even in death. Their spirit lives on within you and fights or works with you for control. Either way you feel like you have very little control over it’s effects on you.
      In character creation, create two separate characters with the same race, but different classes. At the start of each session you flip a coin to see which character has control of the host body.
      At level 50 you can choose which character you are.
      At level 100 you even further gain control of your switching and can switch characters with 2 hours of good rest.
      
   2. Half breed: You had parents of two separate races and your genetics merged the two instead of one being dominant over the other. They were loving parents and have been very supportive of your life choices. Lately they have been feeling like they’ve seen a little too much of you, and encourage you to take flight on your own.
      Choose two races, add each stat together and divide by two to get your starting values. Choose just one starting ability from either.
      

• Ability Action

• Job Performance

• Monster Hunting

• Switch Party Position

• Foraging

• Fishing

• City Action

• NPC Interactions

• Build something

• Event/Quest Action

City Actions

• Buy/sell items

• Find quest

• Look up information

• Run Analysis

• Use a DNA disk

• Explore

• Find job

The game is played with or without a Story Teller.

Each player takes a turn consisting of a moving up to their speed at any point during their turn and performing 2 actions.

After that apply any Player end effects.  Then any monsters or NPC's that player is interacting with. Then on to the next player.

Turns are meant to be played at the same time and be short and quick. You can also perform group bulk actions. Example: Players Lily, Leonard and Li are playing. Lily needs to take 6 turns to get from one city to another. Then Leonard is in a battle with a Robo Chicken and Li needs do some fishing for a while. Everyone can agree to take 6 turns at the same time. Everyone performs their actions on their own for a couple minutes. Lily's turn was easy so she helps maneuver the monster for Leonard. Lily then is in the city, Li has found a few more fish and Leonard killed the monster in 4 turns and started walking home.

If a players turn is going to take a longer time than usual they can gain turns to perform after their longer turn. Other players go and keep track of how many turns pass and the original player performs them after their turn is done.

Each session you will be presented with up to 5 side quests you can complete. These are optional quests and have little to do with the main story for the most part. If you do not complete any quests by the end of the session they are forfeit and do not count against your occurrences.

Each side quest typically has 5 occurrences that are slight variants to the quest. Each occurrence gets harder each time. Some side quests are an open contract. Once you gain one of these you keep it forever and if you roll for it again just reroll. These quests can be turned in over and over with no end.

Advance Main Story

If your quest roll lands on one of the two Advance Main Story draw the next main story quest card. All quests related to the story so far are forfeit. Your current quests remain till the end of the session

On your turn you can perform 2 actions. Actions can be anything from fishing, attacking, using an ability, moving, etc. See Action types above. Some abilities allow for more actions per turn.

As Echocondria is focused on role playing and ease of play more than grinding numbers, for every side quest completed you gain one level. For each Main Story quest you complete gain 5 levels.

Each time you level you gain one ticket. Each ticket can be used to gain a new ability, level an ability or raise your stats. You can use one ticket to raise your HP by 10, your Strength, Agility and Mind by 1. Your DNA and Speed cannot change from leveling.

It’s not uncommon to reach levels 100+ while playing the game. Remember many abilities require multiple tickets to level or obtain. As well you can’t put all your tickets solely in abilities forever, so level 100 could easily be just a starting point.

Every time your character levels up, you earn a ticket. These tickets can be used to advance your character class, multi-class or boost your stats. If you wish to acquire an ability from another class, without changing classes, you need to find a character willing to teach you the ability and spend two class tickets.

When spending your tickets on boosting your stats, one ticket will raise HP by 10 or one of your three base stats by one. There is no way to raise speed or DNA by leveling.

You can restructure your DNA in any major city using a DNA disk. They are hard to find Legendary items. This allows you to change keep your level, items, and abilities, but restructure your character. Choose a new race and base class to build a new character. Gain back all abilities points for your level and redistribute them.

There are 60 hours in a day, 6 days in a week, 24 days in a month and 10 months in a year. The Name of the months are:

1. Quintar

2. Fleneth

3. Oolema

4. Elcrono

5. Issa

6. Ramoon

7. Wistist

8. Lorco

9. Siloon

10. Yamerine

There are xx holidays in the year beginning with Eggtar on the 1st day of the year. During Eggtar people are accustom to giving eggs to one another to create good will. It also marks the first day of Spring.

1. Eggtar - 1st of Quintar - 1st day of the year

2. Liester - 8th of Fleneth - 31st day of the year

3. Dozerday - 12th of Oolema - 60th day of the year

4. Corporation Day - 10th of Elcrono - 82nd day of the year

5. Steam & Strings - 2nd of Issa - 98th day of the year

6. Issarana - 24th of Issa - 120th day of the year - a two day celebration

7. Clockwork Carnival - 18th of Romoon - 138th day of the year

8. Inventacon - 9th of Wistist - also known as the Inventors Jubilee - 153rd day of the year

9. Asiansa - 17th of Lorco - 185th day of the year

10. Minstruala - 19th of Siloon - 211th day of the year

11. Ephimta - 7th of Yamerine - 223nd day of the year

12. Orta - 20th of Yamerine - 236th day of the year

You can forage for mundane items. Normally you can gain 1d6 random mundane items per turn. Some items add to the amount of item you get.

This is risky business but the easiest way to fight a monster. As long as you are in the wilderness you can perform the monster hunting action. You call out to all monsters for a fight, you can take on anything... right? Randomly fight a monster from any monster in the game. This could be a small mundane Robo Chicken or a gargantuan legendary Cerberus. Roll a d4 and draw that many monster cards. Then draw adjective cards to modify the monsters, then begin combat.

When preparing to fight a monster if it is not a basic monster it gains one adjective that modifies it's base stats. Most do not change the stats much, change one stat or many.

Example: a small Robo Chicken will decrease all of it's stats by 2. A larger Robo Chicken will raise all of it's status by 2. A zombified Robo Chicken will only increase it's HP by 20;

When starting combat players go first in the order they choose. If there is disagreement in turn order base it off speed. If the player and the enemy have the same speed the player goes first. If players have the same speed they can choose who goes first.

When it is a monsters turn they will have an order of actions listed. They will also have a deciding factor on who they decide to attack. Many monsters can sense your stats much like you can theirs.

Example: Robo Chicken will bok bok the first turn as a talking action, then target the closest person and beak attack till it is dead. If the closest character  one turn moves away and a second player moves closer it will target the new person as they are now the closest.

When attacking you add the stat you are attacking with +1d6 + weapon or ability + bonuses.

Think of combat as an old school 2d RPG combat. There is very little depth and no need for a combat map. Characters do not move around on a map to fight. A fight encounter just takes place where your characters currently are.

1. Combat start with the players
   1. Unless ambushed
   2. Players can choose their turn order or choose to go in highest speed order

2. Player turn
   1. Each player takes their two actions
   2. Resolve end effects

3. Monster turn
   1. Monster with highest speed goes first or order listed

4. Attacking
   1. Roll a 1d6
   2. Add Damage from ability
   3. Add Damage from weapon
   4. Add stat type of the attack
   5. Add bonuses

   Ex: 1d6 + 1d6 (short sword) + 5 strength

5. Defending
   1. Roll a d6
   2. Add stat type of the attack
   3. Add defense from items

6. Damage is dealt if attack is higher

7. If defender wins the roll it triggers any effects they have on a defensive win. Otherwise nothing happens

You can use each ability a number of times equal to your DNA points. When you use a DNA disk to choose a new class and race, you can potentially choose a new DNA point total to use your abilities more. After 8 hours of sleep or rest you regain uses of all your abilities.

Mundane - Rocks, grass, etc

Basic - Forks, Knives, tables

Common - Dagger, Short Sword

Uncommon - Magical Items and components

Rare - Stronger magical items or components

Epic - Even more rare and powerful items

Legendary - Well known powerful item

Finite - things that are very hard to find or very few of them

At times you may want to do something like jump off of a table strike down at the enemy from above. Maybe you'll want to convince an NPC of something. In those cases you roll a die that fits the best. Each die roll win gains you an extra +2 to the  outcome roll. Performing multiple other actions can be combo'd for fighting or NPC talking. In those cases you roll for each. Example: Lily runs, swings off a rope, looks for a weak spot on the enemy and strikes with extra force and precision to deal more damage. They would roll a strength for running, agility for the swing and landing properly, mind for the weak spot. They succeed and the Storyteller lets them add 2d6 to their attack.

All basic NPCs have pretty much the same stats. Interacting with NPCs can be slightly limited depending on  the players in your game or if you have a GM or not. If you have someone to talk for the NPC then the dialog can be played out. If not then you just tell people what you're doing, perform the actions and gain anything.

Example: Talking to a person to gain a quest. If there is no person for the dialog then you just gain a random quest. Trying to get information from an NPC. If there is no one for the dialog then just roll for the information and if you win your character knows that information. If there is someone to play for the NPC then they can make up the dialog to pass that information to the player.

You can also look for information for a quest. To do this you roll a Mind test and if you pass then you gain the information you need. Sometimes only specific people have the information, otherwise any NPC can give you information even if it seems like an unlikely source.

Things NPCs will not do

• Barter for prices - the barter system has mostly died with the invention of the credits system

• Sleep with anyone

• Kill or hurt someone else if it's against their nature

• Leave the city they are in

If you attack an NPC they call out for the guards or hit a secret button hidden somewhere. Then there is a 100% chance for the guards to show up, 2 guards for each player and have 3x the stats of each player. These guards are a special force who have all seeing and are immune to mind attacks.

You can join an organization you come across. Joining an organization is typically easy as passing a Mind test with a member. Some organizations have specific requirements to be  able to join, such as level, class, stats, or quests. Each quest you gain from a member  and complete it, gains you favor with that organization. Gaining 20 favor points with an organization and you get the benefits of that organization. This can be an ability, stat points or an item.

If you part of an organization you can access job board. Jobs are long term non-combat forms of income. It can be performing in the streets for the Musical Extravaganza org or pumping weights for the Buffsters. Gain an amount of credits equal to your stat used + modifiers + (1d20 * character level).

Example: Playing music using your agility to play a fast and accurate song for an audience. 30 Agi + 2d6 instrument + 25d20 character level 25.

Jobs can only be performed once per day and take a total of 5 hours.

Sometimes you'll think of a really cool idea, like building a dragon head cannon. This is possible in any city that has at least one workbench. The rules are a little complex, so follow me here:

For Items

• Max stats
  • HP Boost: +200
  • Main Stats: +10
  • Damage: 50
  • Healing: 200
  • Range: 20

• Time for each point
  • HP & Main stats: 2 turns
  • Damage: 3 turn
  • Healing: 1 turn
  • Range: 1 turn for the first 5 turns above that

• Cost per point
  • HP Boost: 5 mundane items
  • Main stats: 1 uncommon item
  • Damage 1-10: 10 mundane items
  • Damage 11-25: 5 common items
  • Damage 26-40: 2 Uncommon items
  • Damage 40-50: 2 Rare items
  • Healing: 5 bottles of water
  • Range: 1st is free then 1 Rare item

• If you have a body part of a creature and want to use it or add it to an item
  • You can use the ability from that body part once per turn
  • Follow the cost and time rules for the ability, but can exceed the max stats if the ability is stronger

When you die you return to the DNA encoder you started from or the last one you linked to (similar to a bed in Minecraft). Keep your level and all class tickets. All your items and equipment are placed in a grave marker on the map and noted a the grave log. Any player can access your grave and take any or all items from it. Hopefully they return them.

When you're setting out to create a new race in this game, you should plan on allocating a total of 65 points. This is the base amount required to establish the unique characteristics and abilities of your race. Each of these points is spent differently according to specific categories. For instance, if you want to increase the health points or hp of your race, each increment of 10 hp will cost you 1 point. If you're interested in adding to the genetic complexity of your race, each unit of DNA will cost significantly more, specifically 10 points. Speed is another crucial factor for any race, and increasing this attribute would cost 4 points for each unit increment. And finally, the three fundamental capacities of strength, agility, and mind can each be enhanced at the cost of 1 point per unit. Remember, the way you distribute these points will define the core abilities and competencies of your race, so choose wisely!

Conditions can be helpful or harmful or a mix of both. For more information on each condition it can be found in the bibliotheca.

Conditions can be removed by various means. Often taking resting time will help. There are some options that can negate the effects of the condition for a short time

For example if in combat you get depressed you lose agility. Then you are blessed you gain 2 in each str, agi, and mind stat and 20 max hp. This does not negate the depression, but will temper it. However you need all your agility for this fight, so you take a pep pill to hide the effects of the depression for 3 turns.

You can equip 4 items. Limits to 1 weapon per appendage, 2-handed weapon takes two appendages. Otherwise if you want to wear 2 pairs of pants and a great-ax, go for it.

The closest player to a monster is the player chosen to walk in front. To change the person in front of the party both characters must take a switch action on their turns.

Flying characters are closest to each other. If the enemy creatures don't have flying then the flying player will never be closest. However they will be the furthest target the enemy.

The furthest player is the one with the slowest speed unless that character is in front of the party.

Generally you can fast travel around Echocondria. Around town and to other towns. Even some dungeons have fast travel points. If you cannot fast travel to a location, movement speed on the map is 1 unit per point of speed. The party moves at a speed equal to the highest speed in the party. Then roll for a 50% chance of a random encounter at the end of movement each turn. On a 1-50 you encounter 1d4 enemies.

Adjective cards are used to augment NPCs and monsters. After you have reached Common or above monsters start drawing adjectives for each monster.

Adj. cards are only needed for NPCs in special situations like the players are trying to retrieve information. You can also draw them for NPCs to add some variety and personality to your gameplay.

When you use your class tickets to gain new abilities you can choose any abilities from your current class as long as you have the first ability in the ability tree. You can gain an ability outside of your current class if you spend twice as many tickets on it to gain or level it, you must also find someone to teach you the ability.

Players may ask the storyteller for hints. If so they mist pay 100 * story arch phase number in credits to the hint gods.

In-between gaming sessions there is typically 1 week’s worth of downtime. This is 7 days of basic activities that don’t involve any roleplaying. Things like working a job, researching things, building something, just about anything really.

Echocondria and most of the big cities have an abundance of shops to find what you need. Generally speaking if players are in a town then they will be able to visit any shop unless the story or storyteller deems them closed.

Each shop only carries 5 of any one item per session.

Each of the players items can be sold for ½ of the original sale price.

To make an stat check roll a d% plus any extra dice from bonuses relevant to the check. Then add you ability score to the roll. Most of the time it’s vs another ability check. Other times or if not specified it’s vs 100%. Echocondria doesn’t have set skills that can be used, instead it uses circumstances such as lying, persuading, intimidating, swinging from a rope, etc. If there is a bonus that makes sense to be used on a stat check, add the bonus.

At times you’ll need to chase down someone or you’ll find yourself being chased by someone.

Determine how far away the person is that the party is trying to chase. Add one to six Chase boxes on a sheet of paper. Each time the players pass a chase check place an x in the box. Each time the party fails a check put two more boxes on the chase sheet. If thirteen or more boxes are on the sheet then the person or party gets away.

For each box roll a d% and a d4 for the NPCs check and the type of check.

1. STR

2. AGI

3. MND

4. Speed