Category: Mechanics

In the world of Saṃsāra, renown points are a measure of a party’s reputation, recognition, and accomplishments within the realm. Renown points are like another type of currency that can be used in the world. Renown points represent how well-known and respected a party is among various factions, communities, and individuals. These points reflect the…

If you possess an item that grants you the ability to execute a reaction during another player’s turn, you are restricted to using one such reaction per turn cycle that does not belong to you. This means that you may use one reaction for each player’s turn. Additional reactions may only be taken prior to…

Range weapons usage come in three formats: simple (x), extended (x/y), and complex (x, -z). As is always true, your GM can modify this or any rule for any item to suit the game. Simple (x): means the maximum range of the item is the x amount. Anything over that amount is an automatic miss.…

Very few of the Avatars, Creatures, Items, or other parts of this system have been play tested. I am interested in getting feedback as to how things work. If you do use this system, please let me know what you think and how things work. We have a Discord server at “Gear Ascendancy”.

When adding a new party member, the potential member rolls a d8. The resulting number on the die must be higher than the current number of party members. This symbolizes the process in the world that the gods have placed restrictions on parties to keep them from overwhelming others. If the dice roll fails, the…

The world bank is maintained and operated by the god of commerce. Balances are shown in the characters Mind’s Eye. Only the character can see how much is in their account. If you have coins or want coins that are not in the world bank you must go to a world bank location to exchange.…

Introduction: The Mind’s Eye is a metaphysical and mystical ability possessed by all characters, avatars, or creatures in the world of Saṃsāra. This power allows the possessor to visualize and comprehend the intrinsic details of objects, beings, or abstract concepts. This information manifests as “stats” or quantifiable values and qualitative descriptions. Mechanics: Gameplay Implications: Character…

If a vendor can be found to merge items, then this can happen. The vendor must have the capability to merge items that are in question. The cost of merging is 15% of the value of the items to be merged. Their skill level must be 5 or above for the type of merger being…

Mana boost is kept on each avatar and can be no more than 10 times the characters tier. Once gained it dissipates at a rate of one point per day, this continues between sessions. Mana (or spell energy) can be used as a bonus boost to damage. It is a straight damage that is known…

Character normally refers to the Isekai soul where the avatar is the entity that is played. Levels normally refer to the tier level of the character. Once an avatar has 10 attuned items (openly worn) of their tier then the character’s tier levels up. It is quite easy to level up to tier 2 but…

Touching or holding an item that is above a avatar’s tier will cause pain for the avatar. Irregular intervals and loss are defined by rolling two d4 dice. The higher number rolled is the number of minutes for the interval and the other die is the number of hit points lost. This continues until death.…

This is not fixed tiers but suggested as the tier on the item may not follow this… (Tiers) In other games the rarity of items was originally based on classic character levels: Level 1-4: Common and Uncommon items. These are relatively basic items that provide minor enhancements or utility to the character’s abilities. Level 5-10:…

Items can be broken or destroyed. Items can also be resistant or immune to damage. Damage to an item can be caused by wear or being attacked. Items do not gain health over time; they must be repaired to get their HP back. Items that have half of their HP or less are broken. Broken…

Pre-session Zero; Planning:The Guide Manager (GM) decides on the core details of the campaign – who the protagonists are, what the central conflict or goal is, where in the vast world of Saṃsāra it takes place, when it is set chronologically, and why these events are unfolding. With 73 island nations and countless other locales…

Description: A hearthstone is a small, intricately carved gemstone, typically the size of a coin. It emits a soft, comforting purple glow and feels warm to the touch. The gemstone may be set in a piece of jewelry like a pendant or a ring, allowing an avatar to wear it wherever they go but does…

Health points (HP) represent the amount of health that an avatar possesses, and they act as a buffer against incoming damage. When a possessed avatar’s HP reach zero, the avatar perishes dramatically and leaves behind a crystal. Any items carried by the avatar remain near the crystal. See Mana Boost for ways not to die.…

In this tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG), the term “Guide Manager” (GM) refers to a role or position within the game that is responsible for managing and facilitating the overall gameplay experience. The Guide Manager, sometimes also known as the Game Master, Dungeon Master, or Storyteller, acts as the primary narrator and referee for the game.…

When adding runes to armor, weapons, or equipment the tier level of the item being enhanced goes up by one tier. There are no copyright laws or patents (in the World of Saṃsāra) so the only thing that keeps someone from recreating or improving an item is their ability to do so. If they are…

Any avatar can be a member of multiple factions. Avatars always start at the lowest level in a faction and should roleplay how they joined the faction to the other players. If they wear the faction badge openly, they receive 1 corresponding skill point of temporary training for the character for each rank they have…

The world of Saṃsāra does not follow the rules of any other tabletop role-playing game systems. You may find a lot of similarities to other games you may have played. Just keep in mind that this system is completely different and has its own set of rules to follow. Also remember that the rules are…

Difficulty Class (DC) is a numerical value that represents the level of difficulty or challenge associated with an action attempted by a player character (PC) or non-player character (NPC). The DC is typically determined by the guide manager (GM) or other rules. When a player wants to perform a specific action, such as picking a…

Like the classical “Hunters Mark”, “Foes Mark” is used to mark a target. This tells the character that marked the target where their target is. It also removes one action from the targeted avatar. Even if more “Foes Marks” are added to a character only one action can be removed for all marks.

Magic requires a conduit which is used as a focus for the power of thought to flow through. This conduit is in the form of an object that must exist in the world. In most cases this is in the form of an item that may be carried by an avatar. A “rule breaker” is:…

These conditions provide unique challenges and benefits for beings in Saṃsāra, reflecting the world’s rich tapestry of magic, memories, and mechanics.

When combat starts, roll for initiative. Initiative is the order in which characters take turns. This is done by rolling a d20 and using that number. The order is from lowest to highest. This includes the creatures they are fighting. If there is a tie, each rolls another d20 to see who goes first until…

Character marks are like permanent curses that are placed on avatars. This is always specific to the item that was used to place the curse and is noted on the character. If a character carries a lot of marks, guards are less friendly to them. Examples below: Hunters mark: (includes level and who marked them).This…

Spells are actionable abilities included within items. Chanting spells increase the power that is invoked by the spell. There are three types of spell casting: Silent, Normal, and Ritual. Disruption can happen when a spell is chanted because there is a measure of time that a distraction caused by happenstance or a foe that reacts…

Some items are bound to a specific avatar, character, party, location, or nation. This means that it cannot be sold or traded outside of its boundaries. In the case of an item that is bound to an avatar and the avatar dies then the item dissolves into nothingness.

Non-item enhancements (Boons) in the context of characters and avatars refer to improvements or augmentations that are not directly tied to physical items or equipment. These enhancements can come in various forms and can have a significant impact on the capabilities and attributes of the character or avatar. Boons are (rarely but occasionally) handed out…

Once merged with a character, Avatars are sterile which means they cannot have children. An avatar may be an individual, swarms, packs, or groups. Until they are above tier-1 they cannot split into different movement groups. Memories of avatars are combined with the character to form the character. This is like body snatchers where the…