Disclaimer: The deal-breaker for a lot of people in Rune is that it is choo-choo railroad. The crunch justification is so that everyone faces the same challenges for fairness' sake. The fluff justification is that as a viking you have an inescapable wyrd. Fair warning.
I'll run if there are at least three players. Chargen procedure spoilered below.
Step 1: Name
Pick a norse name. If you want a cognomen, you can have one, but it cannot be a badass one because you have no worthy deeds to boast of yet.
Step 2: Stats
You have 60 points to spend, and these have to cover your skills as well as your stats, so keep that in mind. The stats are the Ars Magica eight, and (for scale) the RNG is a d10. In addition to skill contribution, Strength is damage, carry capacity, and hp; Stamina is soak, wound threshold, and hp; Dexterity is melee accuracy; Quickness is initiative and dodging; and Perception is missile accuracy.
Yes, you don't get any points for tanking your social stats below -1.
Step 3: Skills
Attempting a skill untrained is a -3 penalty, so the first point counts for a lot and breadth is usually better than depth, except for your primary combat skill. Skills come in three divisions: Fighting, Primary, and Secondary. Skills are capped at +3 in chargen.
Fighting Skills [2 pts/+]
Bows (Per), Brawling (Dex), Chain Weapon (Dex), Great Weapon (Dex), Longshaft Weapon (Dex), Single Weapon & Shield (Dex), Thrown Weapon (Per), Two Weapons (Dex)
Primary [2 pts/+]
Awareness (Per), Divine Awareness (Pre), Dodge (Qik), Healer (Dex/Per), Sprint (Qik), Stealth (Dex), Traps (Dex)
Secondary [1 pt/+]
Animal Handling (Pre), Balance (Dex), Bargain (Com), Bravery (Sta), Carouse (Sta), Climb (Str), Deception (Pre), Demeanor (Pre), Disguise (Int), Gamble (Int), Insight (Com), Jump (Str), Leadership (Pre), Lore (Int), Map (Int), Music (Com), Pick Lock (Dexterity), Pursuit (Per), Repair (Dex), Ride (Dex), Runes (Int), Seamanship (var), Sing (Sta), Skald (Int/Pre), Ski (Dex), Sleep (Sta), Survival (Int), Swim (Str/Sta),
Step 4: Weapons, etc.
The chief limiting factor on your gear is encumbrance. While your load is Light, you function normally; heavier loads impose penalties on all physical rolls. It may be wise to leave some room to carry loot.
You can pick up to 3 weapons, 1 armor, and 1 shield. (Note: Margin of success on attacks is applied to damage, so weapon Atk effectively adds to both attack and damage.)
Two-weapon combinations get distinct statblocks
Shields are wielded alongside a Single weapon and straight add their stats to that weapon's.
Armors
Step 5: Other
Your movement speed is based on your Sprint ability: 15 at 0, +5/rating in Sprint.
Your hit points are based on your Strength+Stamina:
You can spend leftover chargen points on extra HP (each point buys 4+Sta HP), but here's the thing: Monster HP are based on the second-highest PC's HP. If more than one person buys high HP, the game just tends towards padded sumo.
Pick a norse name. If you want a cognomen, you can have one, but it cannot be a badass one because you have no worthy deeds to boast of yet.
Step 2: Stats
You have 60 points to spend, and these have to cover your skills as well as your stats, so keep that in mind. The stats are the Ars Magica eight, and (for scale) the RNG is a d10. In addition to skill contribution, Strength is damage, carry capacity, and hp; Stamina is soak, wound threshold, and hp; Dexterity is melee accuracy; Quickness is initiative and dodging; and Perception is missile accuracy.
| Stat | -3 | -2 | -1 | 0 | +1 | +2 | +3 |
| Str | -12 | -8 | -4 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 16 |
| Sta | -16 | -10 | -6 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 16 |
| Dex | -12 | -8 | -4 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 16 |
| Qik | -12 | -8 | -4 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 16 |
| Int | -6 | -4 | -2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 8 |
| Per | -6 | -4 | -2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 8 |
| Pre | -2 | -2 | -2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 8 |
| Com | -2 | -2 | -2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 8 |
Yes, you don't get any points for tanking your social stats below -1.
Step 3: Skills
Attempting a skill untrained is a -3 penalty, so the first point counts for a lot and breadth is usually better than depth, except for your primary combat skill. Skills come in three divisions: Fighting, Primary, and Secondary. Skills are capped at +3 in chargen.
Fighting Skills [2 pts/+]
Bows (Per), Brawling (Dex), Chain Weapon (Dex), Great Weapon (Dex), Longshaft Weapon (Dex), Single Weapon & Shield (Dex), Thrown Weapon (Per), Two Weapons (Dex)
Primary [2 pts/+]
Awareness (Per), Divine Awareness (Pre), Dodge (Qik), Healer (Dex/Per), Sprint (Qik), Stealth (Dex), Traps (Dex)
Secondary [1 pt/+]
Animal Handling (Pre), Balance (Dex), Bargain (Com), Bravery (Sta), Carouse (Sta), Climb (Str), Deception (Pre), Demeanor (Pre), Disguise (Int), Gamble (Int), Insight (Com), Jump (Str), Leadership (Pre), Lore (Int), Map (Int), Music (Com), Pick Lock (Dexterity), Pursuit (Per), Repair (Dex), Ride (Dex), Runes (Int), Seamanship (var), Sing (Sta), Skald (Int/Pre), Ski (Dex), Sleep (Sta), Survival (Int), Swim (Str/Sta),
Step 4: Weapons, etc.
The chief limiting factor on your gear is encumbrance. While your load is Light, you function normally; heavier loads impose penalties on all physical rolls. It may be wise to leave some room to carry loot.
| Strength | Light (0) | Med (-1) | Heavy (-3) | V. Hvy (-5) | Whyyy? (-8) |
| -3 | <0.5 | 0.5 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| -2 | <1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| -1 | <2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 |
| 0 | <4 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
| +1 | <6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 |
| +2 | <8 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 |
| +3 | <10 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 |
You can pick up to 3 weapons, 1 armor, and 1 shield. (Note: Margin of success on attacks is applied to damage, so weapon Atk effectively adds to both attack and damage.)
| Weapon | Init | Atk | Dfn | Dam | Load | Skill |
| Dagger | +2 | +1 | +2 | +3 | 0.25 | Single |
| Flail (2H) | +2 | +7 | +1 | +7 | 0.5 | Chain |
| Hand Axe | +3 | +1 | +2 | +6 | 0.5 | Single |
| Mace | +3 | +2 | +3 | +5 | 0.5 | Single |
| Puny Knife | +1 | +0 | +1 | +2 | 0.15 | Single |
| Quarterstaff | +6 | +4 | +8 | +3 | 1 | Great |
| Short Bow | +0 | +0 | n/a | +6 | 0.5 | Bows |
| Short Spear | +5 | +1 | +2 | +3 | 0.5 | Single |
| Shortsword | +4 | +2 | +3 | +3 | 0.5 | Single |
| Sling | +2 | +2 | n/a | +3 | 0.1 | Thrown |
| Spear (thrown) | +0 | +2 | n/a | +6 | 1 | Thrown |
| Spear | +5 | +6 | +4 | +6 | 1 | Longshaft |
| Throwing Axe | +1 | +1 | n/a | +4 | 0.5 | Thrown |
| Throwing Knife | +1 | +1 | n/a | +3 | 0.2 | Thrown |
| Viking Axe | +5 | +3 | +4 | +10 | 1.5 | Great |
| Viking Sword | +5 | +3 | +4 | +6 | 1 | Single |
| War Maul | +5 | +2 | +5 | +10 | 1.5 | Great |
Two-weapon combinations get distinct statblocks
| Weapon | Init | Atk | Dfn | Dam | Load | Skill |
| Shortsword+Dagger | +6 | +5 | +6 | +5 | 0.75 | Two Weapons |
| Two Hand Axes | +4 | +5 | +3 | +7 | 1 | Two Weapons |
| Two Short Swords | +6 | +3 | +5 | +7 | 1 | Two Weapons |
Shields are wielded alongside a Single weapon and straight add their stats to that weapon's.
| Shield | Init | Atk | Dfn | Dam | Load | Skill |
| Buckler | +0 | +0 | +2 | +0 | 0.25 | Single |
| Round Shield | +0 | +0 | +3 | +0 | 0.5 | Single |
| Kite Shield | -1 | -1 | +4 | +0 | 2 | Single |
Armors
| Armor | Protection | Init | Load |
| Quilted/Fur | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Heavy Leather | 3 | -1 | 1.5 |
| Reinforced Leather | 5 | -3 | 2 |
| 7 | -5 | 2.5 |
Step 5: Other
Your movement speed is based on your Sprint ability: 15 at 0, +5/rating in Sprint.
Your hit points are based on your Strength+Stamina:
| Str+Sta | HP |
| <-3 | 37 |
| -3 to -1 | 40 |
| 0 | 44 |
| 1 to 3 | 48 |
| 4 | 52 |
| 5 | 56 |
| 6 | 60 |
You can spend leftover chargen points on extra HP (each point buys 4+Sta HP), but here's the thing: Monster HP are based on the second-highest PC's HP. If more than one person buys high HP, the game just tends towards padded sumo.
The short version is that each round you'll act in initiative order, and can either take your half-move and an action (like attacking) or take your full move. You don't actually have to be adjacent to an enemy to melee them – engagement range is 3 hexes.
I don't actually have very much control over what the enemies do on their turn. Unless an enemy is 'self-willed' (and none of these are) they act according to the following flowchart:
• Weapons used with the Bow skill have an optimal range of 10 paces/dmg mod, so your short bow's is 60, which more than covers the entire hall. Thrown weapons have an optimal range of 4 paces/dmg mod, so a sling's is 12. Outside a weapon's optimal range, attacks lose damage at -1 dmg/10 paces.
• Switching weapons is normally done in place of attacking, but can be done once per combat as a free action. This involves dropping the items you're unequipping and snatching up a single weapon/shield 'on your belt.' (There's only room to store one weapon so accessibly, although the approved two-weapon combos count as one.)
• Once per round you can make an Engagement check as a free action against an enemy you are engaged with. PCs roll Str+weapon skill, enemies have a calculated value. Success can mean a few things, but is usually done to shove the enemy away. A successfully shoved enemy moves 1+(2xStr) paces straight backward. The other most common use is to maneuver a bit inside the engagement zone, perhaps to get cover against a different enemy or to set up a better shove for next round. You only get one engagement check per turn, and that does mean that being multiply engaged is pretty restrictive, reducing you to shoving enemies away until only one enemy is engaging you.
• Each hex is one 'pace,' about 30 inches.
There is an attack-of-opportunity mechanic. If you disengage from someone before their turn in a round, they can give up that turn to attack you, and your DFN=0 for that attack (although you still get a roll to add to 0).
Ranged Attacks: (TN 6 if the target does not or cannot dodge. Otherwise, opposed with a Dodge(Qik) roll.)
*If you miss by a margin less than this total modifier, you have hit a random character who contributed to this modifier. It's hard to pick targets out of a crowd, but not hard to hit 'the crowd.'
Extra attacks sometimes happen if you crit on your initiative roll. You can also get bonus 'riposte' attacks if your opponent misses you by a lot, usually by critfailing their attack roll.
• When a PC (enemies don't get this) starts their turn engaged, they can choose to either Stand Your Ground (+1 ATK for the round) or Duck and Weave (+1 DEF for the round). Generally, the earlier you act, the better D&W is, and I'll assume you've done that. Let me know if you wanted to deal +1 damage instead.
• PCs (again, not enemies) with 21+ hp can make a Berserk attack in place of a normal attack. This adds their DFN to their ATK for that attack, but negates all other situational bonuses (like high ground, for example). An enemy who survives a Berserk attack may make an immediate bonus attack against the PC, whose DFN=0 for that attack. Good for finishing moves, bad if it doesn't actually finish them.
• If, on your turn, you moved at least 10 yards in a straight line before making a melee attack, that attack has a +3 charge bonus.
I don't actually have very much control over what the enemies do on their turn. Unless an enemy is 'self-willed' (and none of these are) they act according to the following flowchart:
• Weapons used with the Bow skill have an optimal range of 10 paces/dmg mod, so your short bow's is 60, which more than covers the entire hall. Thrown weapons have an optimal range of 4 paces/dmg mod, so a sling's is 12. Outside a weapon's optimal range, attacks lose damage at -1 dmg/10 paces.
• Switching weapons is normally done in place of attacking, but can be done once per combat as a free action. This involves dropping the items you're unequipping and snatching up a single weapon/shield 'on your belt.' (There's only room to store one weapon so accessibly, although the approved two-weapon combos count as one.)
• Once per round you can make an Engagement check as a free action against an enemy you are engaged with. PCs roll Str+weapon skill, enemies have a calculated value. Success can mean a few things, but is usually done to shove the enemy away. A successfully shoved enemy moves 1+(2xStr) paces straight backward. The other most common use is to maneuver a bit inside the engagement zone, perhaps to get cover against a different enemy or to set up a better shove for next round. You only get one engagement check per turn, and that does mean that being multiply engaged is pretty restrictive, reducing you to shoving enemies away until only one enemy is engaging you.
• Each hex is one 'pace,' about 30 inches.
There is an attack-of-opportunity mechanic. If you disengage from someone before their turn in a round, they can give up that turn to attack you, and your DFN=0 for that attack (although you still get a roll to add to 0).
Ranged Attacks: (TN 6 if the target does not or cannot dodge. Otherwise, opposed with a Dodge(Qik) roll.)
| Target is... | Modifier |
| Within 3 paces | No firing possible |
| Obscured | -3 |
| Behind 1/3 cover | -3 |
| Behind 1/2 cover | -6 |
| Almost fully covered | -12 |
| Fully covered | No firing possible |
| Ducking/weaving | -3 |
| Has moved at least 1/2 speed this round | -6 |
| Engaged with 1+ other people | -3/person* |
| Fleeing or reckless | +6 |
| Withdrawing | +3 |
| Caught in grabber trap | +3 |
*If you miss by a margin less than this total modifier, you have hit a random character who contributed to this modifier. It's hard to pick targets out of a crowd, but not hard to hit 'the crowd.'
Extra attacks sometimes happen if you crit on your initiative roll. You can also get bonus 'riposte' attacks if your opponent misses you by a lot, usually by critfailing their attack roll.
• When a PC (enemies don't get this) starts their turn engaged, they can choose to either Stand Your Ground (+1 ATK for the round) or Duck and Weave (+1 DEF for the round). Generally, the earlier you act, the better D&W is, and I'll assume you've done that. Let me know if you wanted to deal +1 damage instead.
• PCs (again, not enemies) with 21+ hp can make a Berserk attack in place of a normal attack. This adds their DFN to their ATK for that attack, but negates all other situational bonuses (like high ground, for example). An enemy who survives a Berserk attack may make an immediate bonus attack against the PC, whose DFN=0 for that attack. Good for finishing moves, bad if it doesn't actually finish them.
• If, on your turn, you moved at least 10 yards in a straight line before making a melee attack, that attack has a +3 charge bonus.
