Rules Reference

How a Check Works

1. The GM sets a Challenge Level (CL) from 1 (trivial) to 8 (nearly impossible).
2. The player assembles their dice pool: 3D6 base + attribute + skill modifiers.
3. Roll the pool. Each die showing 4 or higher counts as one win.
4. If total wins >= CL, the check succeeds. Wins above the CL represent degrees of success.

Even if modifiers reduce the pool below 1, the player always rolls at least 1D6. You always have a chance.

Original Core defines Challenge Levels 1–8. tablerp also lets the GM select 9–20 as a deliberate soft-difficulty overlay; those higher values are not additional Core levels.

Original Core Fast Play Baseline

1. Assign a total of 2 Attribute Points among STR, REF, and INT. Because this is the entire starting pool, no level-one character can put more than 2 points into any one Attribute.
2. Spend 12 Skill Points, plus 3 additional Skill Points for every point assigned to INT.
3. In tablerp, this shared mastery budget covers core skills, proficiencies, and vocations.
4. One skill may be lowered to -1, freeing one additional point to spend elsewhere.

Campaign Progression in tablerp

Original Core Campaign Play describes Initiate, Adept, and Veteran tiers. tablerp instead uses a transparent GM-controlled level from 1–20: every approved level after level 1 grants +1 Attribute Point and +1 Skill Point.

Numeric levels are a tablerp progression overlay, not an original Core rule. Only the GM can grant or remove them, and the campaign character keeps that progress across multiple sessions in the same campaign.

Attributes in Skill Checks

For a non-combat skill check, add the governing attribute to the base 3D6 pool along with the skill value.

Skill Check = 3D6 + Attribute + Skill Value

Attributes in Combat

In combat rolls, ALL three attribute values are added to your dice pool, not just one.

Combat Roll = 3D6 + STR + REF + INT + Proficiency + Weapon Bonus

Skill Value Range

Skill Specialty

Once your dice pool for a skill reaches 8 or more you are a specialist in it. A specialist automatically passes any routine check (Challenge Level 3 or less) in that skill without rolling -- provided it is not under duress (such as combat), contested, or a reflexive action.

Bartering & Commerce

Bartering is primarily a Persuasion check in original Core. Commerce is a separate optional abstract wealth scale: a group may use it instead of tracking every coin, or keep exact currency alongside it.

tablerp supports both approaches. Character cards track Commerce and exact currencies, while the GM grants or deducts those resources through an audited campaign action.

Proficiencies

Proficiencies represent trained combat and specialist abilities. A proficiency can reach 4 points. Each point adds +1D6 to combat or proficiency-based checks.

Weapon Proficiency Categories

Vocations

Vocations represent life paths, trades, or backgrounds (e.g. blacksmith, sailor, noble). Maximum 4 points. They most often assist another character's roll, but the GM may also call for a direct vocation check when the task is primarily about that trade, background, or expertise and no existing skill already covers it.

A vocation like "Herbalist" could assist a Survival check, while "Runemaster" or "Mastercrafter" could be rolled directly for designing a rune, judging a forge process, or another vocation-led task. If the vocation only supports a different primary roll, treat it as an assist instead. The GM decides when a vocation is relevant and which attribute best fits the attempt.

Combat Dice Pool

Combat Roll = 3D6 + STR + REF + INT + Proficiency + Weapon Bonus

Turn Structure

1. Declaration Phase -- Characters declare their actions in order from lowest REF to highest. This gives faster characters the advantage of reacting to slower ones.
2. Resolution Phase -- Rolls are resolved from highest REF to lowest. The fastest characters act first.

RAW Round Resolution

1. Each combatant declares one action and, for attacks or charges, one target.
2. When execution begins, the app queues one combat roll for every declared RAW combatant. That roll represents the whole round of fighting, not a single isolated swing.
3. If a combatant is targeted while moving, readying a weapon, or standing up, they still roll a normal combat roll for the comparison. The action changes what they are doing fictionally, but it does not remove their defensive performance from the round.
4. After both sides of an exchange have rolled, compare wins against the declared target. If Mara rolls 9 wins against a hound that rolled 7 wins, Mara has 2 victory levels against that hound.
5. Only the higher result may apply a victory outcome. The lower result does not also deal damage just because its own roll succeeded against the base challenge.
6. If the rolls tie, both full dice pools are re-rolled until one side has more wins. If STR reduction brings the resulting victory level to 0, no victory outcome is applied.

This is the key RAW distinction: a combat roll is a summary of how well the character fought during the round. It is not an independent attack button that always deals damage on success.

Opposed Rolls & Victory Levels

In combat, each character's combat roll stands as both offense and defense for the round. Compare your wins against the opponent you declared as your target. The positive difference in wins determines the Victory Level against that specific target.

Strength Vs Victory

Before combat outcomes are chosen, the defender may reduce the incoming victory level by 1 per point of STR, once per encounter. This reduces the level of the victory itself, so it can also prevent maneuvers like trip, disarm, or stagger if the level drops too low.

Defense Stance

A character may choose to defend instead of attacking. The defender gains +2D6 to their roll but cannot score any victory points even if they roll more wins. In tablerp RAW mode, defense still rolls so attackers can be compared against it, but the defender cannot apply a counter-outcome from that defensive roll.

Small defensive movement, bracing, or giving ground can be described narratively, but defense is not a full disengage unless the GM rules the fiction allows it. Use Flee / Disengage when the character spends the action leaving close combat; if threatened, the app locks that roll to Defense (+2D6, no victory outcome).

Move / Reposition is not a disengage by itself. It can describe footwork, shifting cover, or changing position inside the fight, but only Flee / Disengage clears close combat in the app.

Prone And Ready-Up

Lying down or prone applies -4D6. If the character spends their action getting back up while threatened, their comparison roll is still made with that prone penalty, because the penalty counts during the action of getting up while defending. Once the ready-up action is resolved, the prone state is cleared unless the fiction says they cannot get up.

Armor

Armor reduces injury level, not victory level. It also penalises the combat roll of the wearer based on how much armor they are carrying. Shields stack with worn armor for armor level.

A defender chooses exactly how much remaining STR and armor to spend, with both controls starting at zero. STR reduces victory level first; armor then reduces the injury level if an injury outcome is still applied, except while in close combat. The app records both actual spends.

Endurance offsets the armor combat-roll penalty: each point of Endurance cancels 1D6 of the penalty (down to zero), so a conditioned character can wear heavy armor with little or no drag.

Homebrew option: a campaign can enable permanent armor reduction, where armor reduces incoming injuries by its full level on every hit instead of the depleting per-encounter pool. Off by default.

Weapon Modifiers And Limits

Dual Wield

Dual wielding does not grant a second combat roll. Instead, the offhand weapon adds a bonus to the same combat roll if the character has at least 1 proficiency point in both weapons. The primary weapon still supplies the normal proficiency and weapon modifier.

If the primary weapon is lost or disarmed, the dual wield bonus is lost as well. The offhand weapon then becomes the primary weapon until the original weapon is recovered.

Injury Reduction Order

In RAW, the defender may spend STR to reduce victory level first. If an injury is still inflicted, they may then spend armor to reduce its injury level. A Death Blow can therefore be walked down by either defense. Both spends are optional and default to zero.

A fatal injury (Level 4) that is not reduced results in the character being incapacitated and potentially killed, at the GM's discretion.

Against an incapacitated, unconscious, or bound target, armor is disregarded entirely and only CL1 must be exceeded for any victory level -- they cannot fight back or defend, so finishing blows land easily.

Assist Procedure

1. The assisting character declares which skill or vocation they are using to help, and rolls their own full dice pool for it.
2. The assist is resolved against a fixed Challenge Level of 3.
3. On success (wins at or above CL 3): every win above CL 3 is added to the primary character's final wins, capped at the assist CL.
4. On failure (wins below CL 3): the shortfall -- the CL minus the wins rolled -- is subtracted from the primary character's final wins. For example, 1 win at CL 3 costs the primary roller -2.
5. A character may assist at most once per combat round.

Assists can backfire. A failed assist actively hurts the primary roller. Choose your helpers wisely.

1. Create a Campaign -- The GM creates a campaign, sets the name and description, and invites players by sharing a join code or link. One campaign can contain multiple play sessions.
2. Build Character Cards -- Players create campaign character cards with the 2 Attribute Point and 12 Skill Point Core baseline. Their cards and progress persist between sessions.
3. Start a Session -- The GM opens a session. The session workspace shows a shared map canvas where tokens can be placed and moved.
4. Prompted Checks -- The GM sends prompted skill checks to specific players. The player sees the check prompt and resolves it with a roll in the app.
5. Free Rolls -- Any session participant can use Quick Throws for informal dice rolls, including secure in-app rolls or manually entered physical dice. Free rolls are shared in the session log but do not change structured game state.
6. Barter & Manage Commerce -- Use Persuasion when a bargain needs a check. The table may track optional abstract Commerce, exact currencies, or both; the GM controls resource changes from the campaign card tools.
7. Advance Characters -- When the story warrants it, the GM grants a numeric level from the session workspace. Each level after 1 unlocks one Attribute Point and one Skill Point.
8. Combat Flow -- The GM selects combatants and starts a combat round. Everyone declares an action and target first, then one combat roll per combatant resolves the whole round. The app compares each result to its declared target before unlocking any outcome.
9. Apply Outcomes -- Only the winner of the comparison applies victory outcomes to their declared target. The UI labels Player action and Monster action outcomes separately so the GM can avoid applying the wrong side. STR and armor reductions are shown when they change the result. All card changes sync to connected players in real time.

Magic as Proficiency

Each type of magic is treated as a separate proficiency (e.g. "Fire Magic", "Necromancy", "Healing"). The proficiency adds dice to the roll just like a weapon proficiency.

Focus Items as Weapon Bonuses

Magical focus items function like weapon bonuses, adding extra dice to the pool.