Creating Characters
To play the game you'll need a character. A character is an alter ego whose part you assume for the duration of a gaming session. Think of it as improvisational acting: you know the abilities and personality of your character and you decide how that character reacts to the situations presented to him. Unlike most traditional games, which follow set procedures for each player's turn, roleplaying games leave all options open. If someone shoots at your character, for example, you can decide to leap out of the way, or return fire, or catch a bullet in your teeth…
Okay, that last option sounds pretty outlandish, but what if your character is a superhero? And then again, what if they aren't?
So, we need a way to quantify the character's abilities, their aptitudes, skills, extranormal powers (magical, psychic, super), et cetera. The D6 System represents your character's level of ability in each area with a die code, a number of six-sided dice plus a number of "pips." For example, a die code of 3D+1 means three six-sided dice plus one pip (don't worry about what you do with these die codes for now; we'll cover that a little later in the section titled Making Dice Rolls). All you need to know right now is that the more dice and the more pips, the better the character's expertise in the particular aptitude or skill.
Creating a Character Steps
-
Make a photocopy of a character sheet. Or Choose a template and photocopy it.
-
Choose your race, distribute attribute dice, if you have extranormal powers, allocate dice for them as well. If you chose a template, then this step is completed for you.
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Select skills and distribute skill dice. If you chose a template, do this. If you have the appropriate Feats, outfit your Extranormal attribute with skills from that list and allocate dice.
-
Choose Feats. Templates already have feats selected, but you can change them if you want.
-
Record or select special abilities. If an alien, make sure to do this, templates already have them.
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Fill in personal information (name, species, gender, height, weight, appearance). If you have a template, do this too.
-
Create background and personality. If you have a template, do this too.
Attributes
Attributes represent a character's basic aptitudes-her inherent levels of ability in various areas, from physical strength to logical reasoning. Your gamemaster will provide you with either a character template (a partially created character that you can customize to use as your own) or a list of attributes that will be used for their game world (so you can create a character from scratch).
Example: Stargate D6
Dexterity: Measure of balance, limberness, quickness, and full-body motor abilities.
Knowledge: Measure of strength of memory and ability to learn.
Mechanical: Measure of ability to pilot vehicles, starships and the like.
Perception: Measure of mental quickness, attention to detail, empathy, and charisma.
Strength: Measure of physical power and ability to resist damage.
Technical: Measure of technical prowess and ability to fix or build things.
Optional Attribute: Extranormal. This attribute is unlocked by Feats, but it’s dice are supplied from the Attribute dice pool.
Characters begin with a total number of dice dictated by the gamemaster, usually three dice per attribute. In our example then, a starting character would have a total of eighteen dice (18D). You decide how those dice should be divided among the character's attributes. If you want to create a thief, for example, you'll probably concentrate your available dice on the character's Strength, Reflexes, and Perception attributes, aptitudes most important to someone with that career.
Note: if you chose an alien race, you will need to keep your attributes within minimum and maximum for that race.
Also note: If you picked a template, this step is already done for you.
Example: Thief Character-18 Total Dice
Strength: 4D
Dexterity: 4D
Mechanical: 2D
Perception: 4D
Technical: 2D
Knowledge: 2D
You might have noticed that none of these die codes have pips. Well, you can break up these dice into smaller units (just like you can break ten into ten ones). Each die code has three levels of pips: 0, 1, and 2. The progression looks like this: 0, +1, +2, 1D+0, 1D+1, 1D+2, 2D+0, 2D+1, 2D+2, 3D+0, 3D+1, 3D+2, 4D+0, et cetera. Since any number plus zero equals that number, we can drop the +0 pips, leaving us with: +1, +2, 1D, 1D+1, 1D+2, 2D, 2D+1, et cetera. We can then divide one die (1D) into sub-units of three +1's, or a +1 and a +2. Just remember that three pips equals one die (1D=+3). (Don't worry, it's not as complicated as it seems.)
Example: Revised Thief Character-18 Total Dice
Strength: 4D
Dexterity: 3D+2
Mechanical: 2D+1
Perception: 4D
Technical: 2D
Knowledge: 2D
Let's check our math. First we'll add the dice (4D+3D+2D+4D+2D+2D=17D) and then the pips (2+1=3=1D) for a total of 18D (17D+1D=18D).
Attributes typically have a lower limit of 2D and an upper limit of 4D, with 3D the average. Special circumstances can change those boundaries-ask your gamemaster about them if you're interested (or read the Characters chapter of the Gamemaster Section).
Still with us? Good. Don't worry, the die code progression is the most difficult part of the game. Once you've got that, everything else is simple. If you picked a Template, Attributes are already allocated for you, you can skip all of the steps above.
Skills
At this point you've quantified the character's basic aptitudes. But what about the specific areas they have either studied, practiced, or been trained in? We need some way to represent these acquired skills.
Well, let's think about this for a minute. Suppose you want your character to have a high level of expertise in firearms. If they start off with a high aptitude in hand-eye coordination, it stands to reason then that practicing this particular skill will raise their ability level above that point.
So, we've established that the level of expertise in a particular skill is based on the attribute that governs it-in our example, pistol is based on Dexterity.
Characters usually begin 7D in skill dice. Divide these dice among the skills the character possesses (defined by the character template or selected from the skill list provided by the gamemaster) just like attributes, except that the number of skill dice is added to the base attribute.
For example, if the character had a Dexterity of 2D+1 and you spent 1D of skill dice on firearms, they would have a total Firearms die code of 3D+1 (2D+1 + 1D=3D+1).
Example: Thief Character-7 Total Skill Dice
Strength: 4D Brawling 4D+2
Dexterity: 3D+2 Dodge 4D+2, Firearms 4D+2
Mechanical: 2D+1 Piloting 3D+2
Perception: 4D Con 5D+1 Search 4D+2
Technical: 2D
Knowledge: 2D Airports 3D
Time to check the math. We spent 2 pips on the brawling skill, 1D on dodge, 1D+1 on piloting, 1D on firearms, 1D+1 on con, 2 pips on search, and 1D on airports. Add up the dice (1D+1D+1D+1D+1D=5D) and the pips (2+1+1+2=6=2D) and we get a total of 7D (5D+2D=7D).
Note that the standard limit on the number of skill dice you can add to any one skill for a starting character is 2D. Again, the gamemaster may change this requirement, but she'll tell you if that's the case.
You can also change the number of skill dice allocated by selecting certain Feats for your character.
Skill Levels
|
1D: Below human average for an attribute 2D: Human average for an attribute and many skills 3D: Average level of training for a human 4D: Professional level of training for a human 5D: Above average expertise 6D: Considered one of the best in a city or geographic Area. 1 in 100,000 people will have training to this skill level. 7D: Among the best on a continent. About 1 in 10,000,000 people will have training to this skill level. 8D: Among the best on a planet. About 1 in 100,000,000 people will have training to this skill level. 9D: One of the best for several systems in the immediate area. About 1 in a billion people will have a skill at This level. 10D: One of the best in a sector. 12D: One of the best in a region. 14D+: Among the best in the galaxy. |
Feats
Feats are special features or story factors that your character may have. Some Feats unlock special abilities or skills. Templates already have Feats baked in, but you can choose to change them with GM permission.
The number of Feats you are allowed to have is determined by the Progression Chart and what level you are at. See the chart below.
Special Abilities
Special Abilities are accessible by Alien Species, Feat, or GM Fiat. Point cost is noted in the entry, if at all, and any Feats should explain how many points you get to spend. If an Alien, then point cost is incorporated into the Alien’s template.
Roleplaying Notes
So far we've spent all of our time recording quantifiable information about our character. Now we come to the less concrete aspects: psychology and sociology.
Where did this character grow up? Do they have any annoying habits? Do they have any siblings or other close family members? How did they learn all of their skills? What are their goals in life?
It's time to answer these and other questions to complete our character. Some of this information may be dictated by the gamemaster (she'll tell you if that's the case). And you don't have to answer all of the following questions. Just pick the ones that seem most important to your character.
History/Sociology
Decide the basics of your character's background by answering questions like:
What kind of nation/kingdom/planet did this character grow up on? What are their parents like? How many siblings do they have, and what are they like? What moral code does their family ascribe to?
Personality/Psychology
Define your character's current psychological state by coming up with answers to questions like:
What's the most important thing in the character's life? What are their goals in life? What are their immediate aims? What is their normal demeanor? What do they hate? What do they like? What was their most embarrassing moment? Do they have any habits or quirks?
Goals
You may or may not wish to select one or more goals for your character. They may want to conquer the world (an extremely dangerous goal) or track down a villain who wronged him, or collect vast stores of treasure, or extend the boundaries of the Great Galactic Empire, or order as many different drinks from as many different taverns as possible.
Having a goal helps you determine how your character will react in a given situation. Does a particular course take them closer or farther away from their goal? Can they make a deal to help someone else with their goal in return for assistance in achieving their goal?
Quirks
You may want to choose some quirks from the following list. These quirks do not affect your character's scores (like Advantages and Disadvantages can-see below), but instead serve to add depth to their personality
Belches |
Responds only to Full Name and Title |
Action Dice
Action Dice Action dice are a pool of extra dice that give a boost or add a dramatic resolution to rolls. At the start of each session, you get your full action dice total. This is determined by character level. All action dice not spent by the end of the gaming session are lost. You may spend these dice in any of the following ways:
-
You may add the result of 1 or more of your action dice to any die roll you make. There is one exception: You may spend only 1 action die to boost damage results.
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You may declare that you want to boost a die roll at anytime, even after making the roll. Also, you may spend any number to boost 1 die roll, so long as there are Action die left. You may not continue spending action dice after the GM has described the outcome of the action(s) associated with the roll. GM should ask if you are done with your roll first.
-
If you roll a six on the action die, then roll the die again.
-
The GM may award action dice during a session if they feel that you have roleplayed, shown leadership, problem-solving, or entertained the group. If you feel one of the other players should be awarded and the GM hasn’t done so, you can nominate that player. The GM is the final arbiter of who is to be awarded. These awarded action die can be used anytime in the session, but go away after the session. You do get an xp bonus of 5 points for every 1 action die awarded.
The amount of action dice you start with is determined by your level and feats.
Adventuring
Congratulations! You've completed the character creation process. So now what do you do with all of this information?
Your character will participate in adventures-series of linked events that lead to a climactic scene. If you've created a knight for a fantasy world, your character might become involved in a quest to locate and retrieve the Great Talisman of Tomanda. Or your CIA agent may receive orders to help smuggle information out of Iraq. Or your space smuggler may decide to make a run into the dangerous Outer Rim Territories.
The gamemaster provides the setup-he tells you the goal of the adventure (most of the time). From that point on, the players direct the flow and pace of the adventure, informing the gamemaster of their characters' activities at each step along the way. For example, your knight and their companions (an inept wizard and a young squire, played by two of your friends) undertake the king's request to find the Great Talisman. Unfortunately, you know nothing about the magical item or its history, so you ask the king for whatever information he might have. The king gives you the basics, but tells you that an old hermit-wizard in the Outlands west of the kingdom is rumored to know everything about this particular talisman. You and your companions then decide to head into the Outlands to find the hermit so that you can get on with the quest. On your way, however, you run into a group of bandits who demand all of your gold and possessions. What are you going to do? Comply? Parley? Fight? Run?
During each of these encounters, you and the rest of the players decide how to react, thereby leading to the next encounter, whatever that might be. You don't have to follow a set progression of events-it all depends on what your characters do. Two different groups of characters running through the same adventure won't take the same actions, so the outcome of each adventure will probably be different-the Talisman is found, or the Talisman is not found, or the characters die fighting the dragon who owns the Talisman, or the characters and the dragon become allies against a greater evil, et cetera.
So how do you win? Well, technically, there's no such thing as winning in a roleplaying game. The closest result to a win condition would include the survival of your character and the accomplishment of the goal set at the beginning of the adventure. Along the way, however, you may pick up gold coins, or magical elixirs, or an abandoned starship, or important information-your rewards for figuring out how to solve the problems presented to your character.
Making Dice Rolls
The question now becomes: how does the information on your character sheet affect game play?
Whenever your character wants to perform an action, you may have to make a die roll. Some tasks (walking, talking, looking, opening an unlocked door, et cetera) do not require a roll because of their simplicity. Other actions (jumping, shooting, speaking another language, recalling information about a starport, dodging out of the way of a laser bolt, et cetera) are more difficult, so there is a chance that your character may fail to accomplish their goal. The better your character is at a certain skill, however, the more likely they will succeed in performing it, and that's why you concentrated your attribute and skill dice on the attributes and skills that most applied to your character's line or work.
Don't worry about when you need to make a die roll; your gamemaster will let you know. He'll tell you to make a skill or attribute roll and give you a basic idea of the level of difficulty of the task you are about to attempt. For example, if your private detective character is trying to leap out of the way of a bullet, the gamemaster will tell you to make a dodge roll. You then find your dodge die code on your character template (or sheet) and roll a number of six-sided dice (the kind you can steal from a Monopoly or Yahtzee game) equal to the number before the letter D. If your private detective has a dodge skill of 3D+1, you would roll three six-sided dice and add them together. Last, you add the number of pips to the total for a final value, which you then tell the gamemaster. The total you generated determines your success or failure in dodging the bullet.
But what if your character doesn't have the dodge skill? Don't worry, it doesn't mean they can't dodge. It just means that they don't have any particular expertise in that area of the Dexterity aptitude. Instead, they must rely on their basic Dexterity die code to generate a total. Just remember, if a character doesn't have a skill, use the die code of the attribute under which that skill falls.
The Wild Die
When rolling skills, or attribute dice, one of the die will have to be a different color than the rest. This will be your wild die. Whenever a wild die comes up as a 2, 3, 4 or 5, just add it into the dice total normally.
When the wild die comes up as a 6, add it to the die total. Roll it again and add the new number to the total, too. If the new roll is 6, add it to the total and roll the die again. You can keep on rolling as long as you get sixes.
For the first wild die roll only, if the wild die comes up as a 1, the player must tell the gamemaster. The gamemaster can choose one of three options:
- Add up the dice normally.
- Total up the skill dice normally to see if the skill roll succeeded, but a "complication" occurs (see below)
- Subtract the one and also subtract the highest other die.
The wild die rule counts for all die rolls in the game, including skill and attribute checks, weapon damage, and rolling Perception for initiative.
Why the wild die?
The wild die represents the quirkiness of fate and luck. Sometimes characters are really, really lucky... and other times they just can't seem to do anything right.
For example: Luke is able to successfully fight off scores of stormtroopers while on board the Death Star... but feared bounty hunter Boba Fett falls prey to the Sarlaac. One was having a good day - one was having a very, very, very bad day.
Complications
Complications make a character's life more ... well ... complicated. Something directly related to the die roll has gone wrong — sometimes horribly so — and now the characters must deal with the situation.
You should use complications to help tell a more interesting and exciting story. Complications should only happen a couple of times in an adventure — most often during its dramatic conclusion — and should get the players excited and more involved in the game. When you use a complication, the players should be asking themselves, "What do we do now?"
Complications should be fair and balanced: they may put characters in danger, but they shouldn't be "death traps" with no possibility of escape. They should challenge the characters, forcing them to be clever and courageous in dealing with the situation.
Complications can also be used to balance powerful characters. If one character has become invincible — perhaps due to a fantastic set of bounty hunter armor — the armor may short out if a complication is rolled. Complications should be directly related to what the character was doing — if a character gets a complication while repairing a droid, perhaps the droid's components short out and start a fire, or a malfunction makes the droid harder to fix.
Below are some examples of complications from the Star Wars movies:
Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia are running through the halls of the Death Star, being chased by stormtroopers. They come to a door and ran out to see ... an empty chasm. Luke makes his Perception roll to find the door controls, but his roll isn't high enough for him to figure out how to work them — and he gets a complication. Thinking quickly, Luke blasts the door panel to shut the door. The complication is that the panel also has the controls to the bridge, so they can't extend it.
Han Solo is chasing a squad of stormtroopers down a hall of the Death Star, and has conned them into thinking that he's a whole squad of soldiers — but he also got a "1" on the wild die. The complication is that the stormtroopers round a corner into a dead-end—they have no choice but to turn and fight. That's when they realize that Han is alone.
Han Solo is trying to sneak up on an Imperial scout trooper in the forests of Endor. Han gets right up close to the trooper, and thinks his sneak is successful, when CRACK!, he steps on a twig, alerting the trooper. The snapping twig distracted Han, giving the scout trooper the chance to make an attack.
Lando Calrissian is flying the Millennium Falcon down one of the tunnels within the Death Star. He makes a space transports roll to get through a tough stretch of tunnel, and succeeds at the roll, but a complication occurs. The Falcon hits a support beam, snapping off the ship's antenna dish and disabling some of its sensor systems.
Pushing the Story Along
Notice that Han's stepping on the twig advances the story. Without the scout troops getting away, the Rebels never would have met the Ewoks, who ultimately disrupt the Emperor's carefully laid trap. The Alliance fleet would have been decimated by the Death Star, while the Emperor would have continued his domination of the galaxy... the fate of the galaxy hinged on Han Solo failing a sneak roll!
Difficulty Numbers
We've been talking about these die roll totals and whether they indicate the success or failure of a skill attempt. How do you know what number you need to beat? Well, you don't-that's the gamemaster's job.
The gamemaster either assigns a difficulty number to the task you want to accomplish or randomly generates a difficulty number based on a die code. For example, picking the lock to the back door of a mansion may have a set difficulty number, like 7. If another character opposes your skill attempt by dodging a bullet you fired at her, however, you succeed by rolling a higher blaster total than they rolled a dodge total (which is called an opposed skill roll).
Most times, the gamemaster will give you an indication of the difficulty level of a particular task, based on the table below.
Difficulty: Very Easy (1-5) Easy (6-10) Moderate (11-15) Difficult (16-20) Very Difficult to Heroic (21-30 to 31+)
If you want to infiltrate a computer system, the gamemaster might tell you that your character thinks it will be an Easy task since the computer doesn't seem to have any readily apparent security features or encoding algorithms currently in operation. You know from this information, then, that you need to roll something between a six and a ten (from the chart above), although you don't know the exact number. Of course, the gamemaster tells you how difficult the attempt will be based on your character's perception of the extenuating factors governing the task's ease or difficulty. There may be other determinants that your character would have now way of knowing-which may increase or decrease the difficulty.
Essentially, the gamemaster gives you a general idea of the difficulty level; just remember you can't always rely on the validity of the information.
Evolving Characters
At the end of an adventure, the gamemaster rewards surviving characters with Experience Points, based on their performance throughout the scenario. Add these values to the current number of points on your character sheet, and you're ready for the next adventure. Once you accumulate enough points, based on the Progression chart, you move to the next level, gaining pips to put into skills, possibly an initiative bonus, more Action Dice, an attribute increase, or a feat.
Some things that the GM uses to award Experience Points: How Well The Characters (and Players) Did 6-8 or 3-4 How Well Each Individual Player Did 2-3 Whether They Cooperated 2-4 Did They Play In Character? 3-4 Did All Of You Have Fun? 3-4
If a player character received an Action Die, +5 more Experience Points per Die is awarded.
Once a character gets enough experience to go up a level, they will then get pips to allocate to skills and will either get an increase to an attribute or to initiative or a feat added. Also, depending on what level your character attains, you also get a certain amount of Action Dice.
Action Dice-Each Level indicates how many Action Dice in total you have. Check out the section on action dice to read the details.
Skills-When increasing skills each level, you may increase template skills 2 pips at a time. Template skills are the skills that come on your template at the time of character creation. Specialized Skills are 1pip to increase 2pips.
Skills: 1pip=1pip Specialized skills: 1 pip=2pips
Attribute Increases-When your class level allows an Attribute Increase, you may add 1 pip to an attribute of your choice, thereby increasing all your skills under that attribute by one.
Initiative Bonus-As indicated by the Progression Chart, you add one to your initiative bonus. This is in addition to your base bonus of the number of Dexterity dice rounded down to the nearest full die. (Dex of 3D = +3 to initiative, 3D+2 = +3)
Feats-When your level allows, you may choose a Feat from the Feat List. If there are any prereqs for the feat, be sure to qualify for them, or you can't get the feat.
The Progression Chart
Level |
XP |
Action Dice |
Pips to allocate total |
Dice |
Att inc |
Init Bonus |
Feat |
0 |
0 |
2D6 |
21 |
7D |
|
|
3 |
1 |
100 |
2D6 |
20 |
6D+2 |
|
|
1 |
2 |
200 |
2D6 |
10 |
3D+1 |
|
|
|
3 |
300 |
2D6 |
10 |
3D+1 |
|
1 |
1 |
4 |
400 |
2D6 |
10 |
3D+1 |
|
|
|
5 |
500 |
2D6 |
10 |
3D+1 |
|
|
|
6 |
600 |
2D6 |
10 |
3D+1 |
|
|
1 |
7 |
700 |
2D6 |
10 |
3D+1 |
1 |
|
|
8 |
800 |
2D6 |
10 |
3D+1 |
|
|
|
9 |
900 |
2D6 |
10 |
3D+1 |
|
1 |
|
10 |
1000 |
2D6 |
10 |
3D+1 |
|
|
1 |
11 |
1100 |
3D6 |
10 |
3D+1 |
|
|
|
12 |
1200 |
3D6 |
10 |
3D+1 |
|
|
|
13 |
1300 |
3D6 |
10 |
3D+1 |
|
1 |
|
14 |
1400 |
3D6 |
10 |
3D+1 |
|
|
1 |
15 |
1500 |
3D6 |
10 |
3D+1 |
1 |
|
|
16 |
1600 |
3D6 |
10 |
3D+1 |
|
|
|
17 |
1700 |
3D6 |
10 |
3D+1 |
|
|
|
18 |
1800 |
3D6 |
10 |
3D+1 |
|
|
|
19 |
1900 |
3D6 |
10 |
3D+1 |
|
|
1 |
20 |
2000 |
3D6 |
10 |
3D+1 |
|
|
|
21 |
2100 |
4D6 |
10 |
3D+1 |
|
1 |
|
22 |
2200 |
4D6 |
10 |
3D+1 |
|
|
|
23 |
2300 |
4D6 |
10 |
3D+1 |
1 |
|
|
24 |
2400 |
4D6 |
10 |
3D+1 |
|
|
|
25 |
2500 |
4D6 |
10 |
3D+1 |
|
|
1 |
26 |
2600 |
4D6 |
10 |
3D+1 |
|
|
|
27 |
2700 |
4D6 |
10 |
3D+1 |
|
1 |
|
28 |
2800 |
4D6 |
10 |
3D+1 |
|
|
|
29 |
2900 |
4D6 |
10 |
3D+1 |
|
|
1 |
30 |
3000 |
4D6 |
10 |
3D+1 |
|
|
|
31 |
3100 |
5D6 |
10 |
3D+1 |
1 |
|
|
32 |
3200 |
5D6 |
10 |
3D+1 |
|
|
|
33 |
3300 |
5D6 |
10 |
3D+1 |
|
1 |
|
34 |
3400 |
5D6 |
10 |
3D+1 |
|
|
|
35 |
3500 |
5D6 |
10 |
3D+1 |
|
|
1 |
36 |
3600 |
5D6 |
10 |
3D+1 |
|
|
|
37 |
3700 |
5D6 |
10 |
3D+1 |
|
1 |
|
38 |
3800 |
5D6 |
10 |
3D+1 |
|
|
|
39 |
3900 |
5D6 |
10 |
3D+1 |
1 |
|
|
40 |
4000 |
6D6 |
10 |
3D+1 |
|
1 |
|
TOTALS>>>>>>>>>> |
|
431 |
|
5 |
8 |
12 |
|
Get Ready To Have Fun!
That's all you need to know to play a D6 System game. Don't worry if you didn't understand anything explained above; your gamemaster should be able to help you out during the game. And you don't have to memorize anything. Most of the information you'll need during an adventure appears on the character template or sheet you'll be using.
If you want to learn more about the game's mechanics, or about the different options beyond the basics listed above, refer to the chapters that follow. Otherwise, put the book down and get ready to have some fun!