The Rules System for Lambda.
Rubicon is a system which is…
Honest. Specialized heroes. Glaring weaknesses. Dump stats matter. Progression is specific. It is earned, not expected. Character death is possible, and in many circumstances probable.
Rules-light. Tight, simple core mechanic. Keep dice-rolling to a minimum. Rulings, not rules. Small numbers with big consequences. Simple, to allow for endless customization as a game progresses.
Focused on character specialization. Heroes play a specific role. Party relationships and synergy matter. Heroes have glaring weaknesses, which they must bolster somehow. Combat focused on limited resources, Risk-taking, and craftiness.
The game aims at a Heroic, Low-Fantasy setting. Fighters wield swords, axes, and longbows, and wear armor into battle. Magic, a relic of the past, still exists in the artifacts of old and the rare individual touched by a special gift. Death is close to permanent. Transportation of goods and adventurers is difficult. Equipment is valuable, even the plain sword which your character wields.
The game is adjudicated using the d20.
All modifiers to checks are based on Negotiation. A player makes their case to the Dungeon Master which modifiers should be added to a particular check.
Advantage and Disadvantage are used as a basic way to augment checks based on circumstances.
Heroes can move up to their Speed on their turn.
Health govern a hero’s life force and their ability to go on.
Skill govern a hero’s ability to perform superhuman feats.
Armor governs how difficult it is to land a solid blow.
Attributes are plain numbers governing a hero’s ability to do things. A hero can have a score from -10 to 10 in any attribute. There are 6 attributes: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma.
An Archetype is a specialization of a character’s role. Each player character has one archetype.
Combat begins when two parties would try to adjudicate against eachother.
The game has no concept of rolling Initiative. Who goes first is determined by the circumstance. Usually the heroes act first. Heroes act in order around the table. They may seat themselves accordingly at the start of each turn. This process must not require DM intervention.
On Your Turn, a hero can move and act, in any order. A hero can use Quick Actions at any time during their turn, or in response to events which apply to that action.
A hero Attacking makes a roll against the victim’s armor class, adding their weapon’s governing modifier to the roll. On a hit, they roll a damage die based on the weapon.
A hero can forgo their actions on a turn to try to Dodge incoming attacks, imposing disadvantage on them.
A hero can try to Shove an enemy, making an attack roll with their Strength attribute. On a hit, they push their target up to 5 feet.
A hero can move up to their speedE as an action on their turn.
A hero can try to Grapple with an enemy, holding them in place. To do so, they must have a free hand. They roll an attack roll against an enemy using their Strength attribute, and on a hit, they have grappled the enemy. The enemy cannot move, and tries to escape at the end of their turn.
Difficult Terrain costs twice as much movement to cover.
Some circumstances involve Quick Actions. There are no restrictions on Quick Actions, and a hero can take as many in a row as is necessary or applicable.
You can Stow, Equip, or Use an item as a quick action on your turn once. More than one item in a turn requires an action.
A hero who rolls a natural 20 to hit with an attack deals a Critical Hit! They deal the maximum possible damage on the attack, given all modifiers.
A Zone is just a circular area centered around a point with a radius of 15 feet. It’s a simple way to refer to areas in-game.
A creature in Cover cannot be targeted by a ranged attack.
All attacks against a creature who is Prone have advantage. A creature must spend half their speed to get up from being prone.
This game has no concept of “Flanking”, “Opportunity Attacks”, “Partial Cover”, or “Hiding” in combat. These sorts of things either don’t exist in the game, or are adjudicated given specific scenarios.
Hero archetypes are outlined on this page.
Progression usually comes in the form of items, artifacts, and blessings.
Often, it will be clear to a hero how they may progress, whether it be through the acquisition of a storied weapon, their God’s blessing, the study of ancient texts in battle tactics, or the acquisition of wealth through subterranean expedition.
The Dungeon Master will provide a clear indication of what is required for a hero to progress.
Here are some examples of progression in this system, as it is a confusing concept at first.
A hero reduced below 1 Health is incapacitated.
They may be stabilized by another hero who takes their action to do so.
If not stabilized within 1 minute, they die.
A hero who is stabilized does not return to battle, and regains consciousness after an hour.
If stabilized, a hero returns to 1 Health, but must roll on the injury table. Additionally, all injuries come with some mental or physical mark for a hero to carry with them the rest of their days.
(d4) | Effect |
---|---|
1-2 | Lose 1d4 of a random Attribute. |
3 | Lose 4 Maximum Health. |
4 | All checks have disadvantage for one week. |
In order to regain spent Health and Skill, as well as heal particular status ailments, heroes must rest. In order to rest, the party must have adequate food and water.
For each night of rest in a comfortable place, a hero regains half their Health and Skill.
For each night of rest while camping somewhere, a hero regains a quarter of their Health and Skill.
For each night of uncomfortable rest, such as sleeping outside in the rain, a hero regains 2 Health and 1 Skill.
The equipment of the game is outlined on this page.
Trade in this setting typically involves the various forms of Currency.
In the Four Kingdoms, the standard coin is the Golden Mark.
The most common coin in the Grey Wastes is the Silver Dirham. Also traded is the more valuable Golden Dinar. The Dinar is a smaller coin than the Dirham, but is heavier.
As a reference point, most people will trade 10:1 between Silver Dirham and Golden Dinar. Between the Four Kingdoms and the Grey Wastes, the Golden Mark usually trades one-to-one for the Dinar, but not all merchants will accept this. The two coins have nearly the same weight, however.
These coins are forged in the great cities, and circulate through many realms. There are various other forms of coin, which have regional popularity, and will only be traded by certain folk.
Any listed price of an item in this reference is for a common form of the item in a populated area. Note that buying used weaponry can be cheaper, but weapons purchased secondhand can be unreliable, and might need honing at a smithy. Note also that these prices are typical in populated areas, but in small hovels, a weapon may be considered far more or less valuable, depending on if the seller knows the item’s worth.
All equipment Encumbers a hero. The amount of Load a hero can carry is governed by their Strength. A hero who is overencumbered cannot fight, and their Speed is halved, especially when travelling long distances. A party might hire pack animals to carry a heavy load, or travel lighter than they might otherwise.
Most equipment is simple to calculate. One-handed items cost 1 Load. Two-handed cost 2. 50 Coins equals 1 Load, and precise things, like potions, cost 1 Load as well. Other items are either outlined in these docs, or adjudicated on the fly.
Pack Animals like horses and mules can carry equipment long distances - either to bring tools to a dungeon, or to bring loot back home.
Weapons and armor which are damaged cannot be used, and must be Repaired by a professional with tools.
A character skilled in Foraging can make a check to find food and water once per day.