Basics

Just starting out? Never Playing a Pen and Paper game before? Or never played a d20 System before? Well here is where to start!

Definitions! Why so much reading when this is suppose to be a game of the imagination? Well a game needs its rules. And creativity needs borders and a foundation or a starting point if it is to be understood by others. All the rules for Future Path is to help define a starting point for adventure! For you to take your first step into a world of your imagination and to be able to share those steps with others. Without defining a structure to do so means you cannot share your experience and relationship between the Story Teller and the Player is broken.

Below are a few things you will need to know to be able to read the rest of the rules.

Dice Notation

These rules use the following die notations:

d4 = four sided die

d6 = six sided die

d8 = eight sided die

d10 = ten sided die

d12 = twelve sided die

d20 = twenty sided die

d% = percentile dice (a number between 1 and 100 is generated by rolling two different ten-sided dice. One (designated before rolling) is the tens digit. The other is the ones digit. Two 0s represent 100.)

Die rolls are expressed in the format: [#] die type [+/- modifiers]

Example: 3d6+2 means: "Roll 3 six sided dice. Add the result of the three dice together then add 2 for the total"

Rounding Fractions

In general, if you wind up with a fraction, round down, even if the fraction is one-half or larger.

Exception: Certain rolls, such as damage and hit points, have a minimum of 1.

Multiplying

Sometimes a special rule makes you multiply a number or a die roll. As long as you’re applying a single multiplier, multiply the number normally. When two or more multipliers apply, however, combine them into a single multiple, with each extra multiple adding 1 less than its value to the first multiple. Thus, a double (x2) and a double (x2) applied to the same number results in a triple (x3, because 2 + 1 = 3).

Basic Task Resolution System

These rules assume a standardized system for determining the success or failure of any given task. That system is: d20 + Modifiers vs. Target Number

The Modifiers and Target Number are determined by the type of task. If the result of the d20 roll + the Modifiers equals or exceeds the Target Number, the test is successful. Any other result is a failure. A "natural 20" on the die roll is not an automatic success. A "natural 1" on the die roll is not an automatic failure, unless the rules state otherwise.