Dekahedron is a skill-based game. There are no professions
or classes
or attributes
. Everything a character can (or can't!) do is described by his skills,
stengths, and weaknesses.
Skill levels are numerical abstractions of the character's ability in any given skill. A
level of 0
represents the level of knowledge or ability represented by the average
man on the street
. Higher levels indicate that the character is more proficient at the
skill, while lower levels indicate just the opposite. This is illustrated in the following
table.
Skill Level | Description |
-4 | Inept |
-3 | |
-2 | |
-1 | Average Untrained Person |
0 | |
1 | |
2 | Amateur/Hobbyist |
3 | |
4 | |
5 | Average Profession/Accomplished Amateur |
6 | |
7 | |
8 | Accomplished Professional |
9 | |
10 | |
11 | Best of the Best |
12 | |
13 |
While there are no hard limits on how high or low skills can range, the levels shown above are the practical limits.
These levels are relative to the basic campaign setting, and the same level can represent a different level of proficiency based on the specific skill and the campaign's time and setting. For example, in a modern early 21st Century setting, a level 0 in Knowledge(Nuclear Physics) represents virtual ignorance, while a level 0 in Driving(Automobile) represents a very usable skill level. Likewise, in the 19th Century western United States, a level of 0 in Animal Handling(Riding/Horses) is a very functional level, but that same level in the modern day is all but useless.
Most skills in Dekahedron are not individual skills, but rather broad categories of skills.
People, however, tend to study small subsets of the broader skills. Such a subset
is
called an area of expertise
or AoE
. We denote a task's AoE in parenthesis after
the skill name. For example, Craftsman(Woodworking) is used to indicate that the task requires
a roll on the character's Craftsman skill, in the Woodworking AoE.
A character only performs at his full capacity if the task at hand falls within his area of expertise. Other areas within that skill are at a -3 penalty, though an effective skill level may not drop below 0 because of non-expertise. For example, if the character's Craftsman skill is 6, and his AoE is Leather-working, that character will have an effective skill of 3 in Craftsman (Woodworking). Because the effective skill level can not drop below 0, if the character's Craftsman (Leather-working) skill is only a 1 or 2, then his effective Craftsman (Woodworking) skill level will be 0.
Base Skill Level | Non-expertise Penalty |
---|---|
0 or less | No Penalty |
1 | -1 |
2 | -2 |
3 or more | -3 |
It is possible for a character to have multiple Areas of Expertise in the same skill.
The skills listed below will list some AoEs, and more are shown on a table in the Appendix, but these lists are not all-inclusive. Players should be encouraged to use other AoEs even if they are not listed.
Dekahedron is built around a finite skill-listing. One of the inspirations for the game was the frustration of trying to keep characters up to date with an ever-growing number of skills in other RPGs. The skills listed below are sufficient for most role-playing needs. Certain campaigns might need to add a few skills, such as Starship Operations or Spell-casting. When adding skills for your campaign, remember that in Dekahedron skills are very broad and that AoEs are used to add detail. So in the case of a space-faring campaign, rather than having separate skills for engineering, helm, weapon systems, etc., it's more appropriate to have a single Starship Operations skill with those others being AoEs.
catch himselffrom falling into a pit or other such hazard.
swordis different from
sword and shield. Certain situations, such as fighting multiple opponents, would also be suitable AoEs.
skillis an overall measurement of your body's attempt to resist poisoning, to heal itself, etc. It can be improved through good diet and regular exercise rather than through study, but in games terms the advancement mechanic is identical.
study(workout) to improve it. In any case, strength is the ability to use muscle to lift, bend, and break things.
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