I’ve taken Prismatic Wasteland’s New Year’s challenge, and created a new resolution mechanic. This is very hastily put together, in the spirit of the challenge. If you want to do anything with it, please do and let me know!
Match-Pool
Your stat is a dice pool of d6s. When you enter a potentially dangerous scene, construct your pool with the following:
- d6s equal to your relevant stats
- d4s for each relevant memory from your backstory
- d8s for each piece of relevant gear you’re bringing in
- d10s for each ally of equal power helping you on the task
- d12s for each magical effect helping you.
The GM builds a similar dice pool for the opposition, and you both roll.
Whichever team has the jump begins by selecting one of their dice as their first move. The opponent must counter with a die from their own pool of an equal value or suffer a hit. Describe how it’s done. Take turns presenting challenges and countering or suffering hits. When one side has exhausted their pool, their opponents remaining dice inflict hits uncontested.
Each character, obstacle, group, scene, etc has a set number of Hit Points, and is defeated when it is reduced to 0.
Grimrath the Sorceress is exploring the Nether-Prison of the Astral Vulture. As she steps into the next room, a hulking, tentacled worm emerges from a hole in the wall and advances towards her. Grimrath has 2 Combat. She adds 1d8 for her magical sword, Clearwater, d10 for the platoon of warriors she has gathered to fight with her (this team of 4 is roughly equal to one ally of equal power), and expends a Spell to fill her with the Fires of Hades, an extra d12.
The GM starts with the Crawler’s 4d6 Combat, d4 for the creature’s grudge against Clearwater’s bearer, and d12 for the magical residuum the creature has been feasting on.
Grimrath has the jump, and she starts by sending her warrior allies in to attack, a 2 on a d10. The Crawler can’t defend, and suffers a hit. The Crawler counters by lashing out with its tentacles, 1 on a d6. Luckily, Grimrath slashes away at those tentacles with her sword, 1 on a d6. She counters with a surge of Hades-flame, seeing an opening (2 on a d12). 2 hits against the crawler. The Crawler breaths a surge of brilliance of its own, 12 on a d12. Grimrath can’t defend and suffers a hit. She plunges her sword home, using the 7 on her d8. The Crawler can’t defend, and it dies having suffered its third and final hit.