Basics

Just starting out? Never Playing a Pen and Paper game before? Or never played a d20 System before? Well here is the place 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

A 'd' what? There are more then 6 sides to dice!? Yes! There is all sorts of dice out there! The most common people are use too is the six sided dice. Usually having numbers represented by dots. In many pen and paper games and especially in the d20 system there are a lot of different types that are used. To quickly say what type of dice is required someone may say: "Roll a d20." Or "Use a d12". They are simply using a notation. 'd' is for dice and the number is the side. Like so:

d4 = four sided die

d6 = six sided die

d8 = eight sided die

d10 = ten sided die

d12 = twelve sided die

d20 = twenty sided die

Why so many dice!? Well lots of reasons. But the end result is they can represent different weapons or % of chance for an action. Don't worry the majority of the time you will only use two dice. The very common 'd20' which the whole d20 System is named for. And the dice your weapon of choice requires. The d20 is the most common dice and is used to determine almost all outcomes.

There is one other dice notation and it is:

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.