System BASIC RolePlaying

Système BASIC RolePlaying is the name given to the system of roleplay which the editor Chaosium for his Roleplays uses, in reference in the name of the booklet which defined the principles of them, published in 1980. It is more known in France under the name of system Chaosium , of the name of the editor who invented it.

This system draws its origin from the play RuneQuest , of which it took again the basic principles by simplifying them. It was then re-used in the plays the Call of Cthulhu , Stormbringer , Hawkmoon , ElfQuest , RingWorld , Elric! and Nephilim , each time in a way slightly modified to adapt to specificities of the universes concerned.

A generic and simplified version was published by it in a number out of the ordinary of the newspaper Casus Belli under the name BASIC .

One speaks sometimes about system d100 in opposition to the D20 system and D6 System , but the dice with 100 faces are not however the exclusiveness in Chaosium.

This system was one of the first to be freed from the principle of the classes from character and the concept of level, by proposing an individually progressing system of competences. In addition, he proposes a table of resolution of the oppositions which will inspire the single tables of resolution ( James Bond 007 then well of others thereafter).

The system of resolution is base on Pourcentage S, of which the concept is well-known of everyone. In fact, it makes it possible a beginner to apprehend the system well, in particular when one replaces oneself in the historical context where the other plays used a plethora of dice different according to the type of action.

Character

The character (that it is human, animal or different) is defined by a characteristic whole of and competences. The characteristics make it possible to define the fundamental components of the character, while these competences represent its knowledge, aptitudes and knowledge-faires.

Characteristics

The characteristics are usually 7:

force (FOR): physical power;
constitution (IDIOT): physical resistance (with the diseases, tiredness);
size (TAI): at the same time size and mass of an individual;
intelligence (INT): capacity of training;
to be able (LOUSE): will and magic capacity;
dexterity (DEX): natural agility, reaction speed;
charisma (CHA) or appearance (APP): physical beauty, capacity to attract sympathies, to charm.

Certain plays using this system modify this list however slightly: thus, Nephilim does not include the size and the Call of Cthulhu adds the education to it (EDU).

In the first plays, the characteristics were determined by 7 jets of 3d6. Thereafter, TAI and INT were determined by jets of 2D6+6, indicating thus that the beings cannot be tiny nor completely idiots. More recent versions ( Elric and BASIC inter alia) made the choice determine all the characteristics with 2d6+6.

Derived characteristics are defined starting from the characteristics, usually:

the points of life (TAI + IDIOT) /2), determining the number of blows which a character can undergo before falling unconscious or dying;
the no-claims bonus with the damage , being used to modify the impact of the blows inflicted at the time of the combat to the body with body (table according to TAI+FOR);
the points of magic or points of energy for the extraordinary capacities (magic, psionic,…) (score identical to the score of LOUSE).

According to the plays, other derived factors were integrated:

; RuneQuest

the row of action (RA) make it possible to determine the order of action in combat (based on TAI, DEX and the weapon used);
the points of life by localization are used to manage the localization of the blows (one distinguishes the wounds with the members thus, with the head…).

; StormBringer , Elric , Hawkmoon

the score of wound engraves defines a threshold from which a wound is truly stun (PdV Max/2).

; The Call of Cthulhu , Elric

INT×5 gives a percentage of jet of idea ;
DEXx5 a jet of Agility ;
POU×5 gives a percentage of jet of chance :
the mental health (SAN) makes it possible to manage the progressive diving towards the madness of an individual confronted more and more often with the horror.

Competences

Competences are quantified on 100 and represent what the character during his life learned. This system is very intuitive: if a character has 30% in a competence, then it will make a success of 30% of the actions in this field.

The system of determination of initial competences can vary from one play to another. For example, in RuneQuest , initial competences are determined by the profession of origin and the age of the character, and competences are divided into groups, each group profiting from a no-claims bonus depend on the characteristics. In the version BASIC RPS , the player has with creation a certain number of points of competences to distribute (300 points for example). Certain competences have a basic percentage which represents what the common run of people knows.

It is possible to exceed 100 in competences for the really gifted characters in a field, such a score making it possible to face very complicated situations which will reduce the chances of success.

Actions

An action which can fail or succeed is solved either by a jet of 1d100 (die with 100 faces, in fact a die with 10 faces for tens, a die with 10 faces for the units). It is necessary to make in lower part of a score given to make a success of the action.

The score is:

a score of competence if there exists a competence in report/ratio (adjusted by no-claims bonus/malus following the situation),
or a score of characteristic multiplied by a factor of difficulty (between ×1 and ×5 or possibly by adding several characteristics) if no competence is adapted (for example test of “rough force”); in RuneQuest , the jets under the characteristics consist in launching a number of dice depending on the difficulty (on 2 with 5d6) and making less than the characteristic.

It is also possible to make use of a table of opposition when an action goes against an other (to make an arm wrestling is an opposition FOR/FOR between two characters). The score of opposition is determined by

50% - (characteristic of the passive character ×5) + (characteristic of the active character ×5).

Exceptional successes

The majority of the plays using the Chaosium system use the concepts of exceptional success or failure if the jet is to the extremes (respectively near to 1 or 100). One will speak about successes or “critical” failures, and sometimes about “special” successes (in RuneQuest or HeroQuest , in particular).

Each play proposes its manner of calculating the exceptional chances of success. For example:

; critical RuneQuest

success: jet lower or equal to one twentieth of the chances of success;
special success: jet lower or equal to a fifth of the chances of success;
critical failure: jet higher than (95 + chances of success critical).

; critical Stormbringer

success: jet lower or equal to a tenth of the chances of success;
critical failure: jet equal to or higher than 99 if the chances of success are lower than 50, jet of 100 if not.

; critical Elric

success: jet lower or equal to a fifth of the chances of success;
critical failure: jet equal to or higher than 99 if the chances of success are lower than 50, jet of 100 if not.

; critical BASIC

success: jet lower or equal to 05;
critical failure: jet higher than 95.

Fights

Each play proposes its alternatives on the topic, but a total diagram can however be drawn up.

The order of play usually depends on the DEX, although RuneQuest proposes a more complicated system of rows of action :

each one their turn, the protagonists are likely to place an attack; they must test the competence of combat appropriate to the context (most of the time that which bears the name of the category of the weapon that they use);
if the test of attack is successful, the target has the right to try a parade (by testing competence corresponding to the weapon which it uses) or a dodging (by testing its competence dodging ); if the target makes a success of this jet, it deviates or avoids the blow; according to the plays, a parade or a dodging cancels an attack or reduces the damage of this one;
if the attacker touches, it inflicts a number of points of damage determined by the weapon used, a possible no-claims bonus with the damage, and the armor which the target increases;
this damage is then cut off from the points of life of the target.

In RuneQuest , one also determines the part of the body which is reached.

Usually, to fall to 0 points from life mean the unconsciousness of the character and to fall to -2 his death.

Capacities

The special capacities - magic, psionic or different - depend on the universe of the play; each play has in fact of the specific rules.

RuneQuest presented in its two first versions two systems of magic: the magic of battle , allowing as its name indicates it throw of the fates of minor magic useful in combat, and the divine magic , making it possible to launch very powerful fates, obtained by sacrificing LOUSE to its divinity. A third approach was that of the invocation of the spiritual creatures and the enchantments. In the third edition of RuneQuest (which is in addition the French edition), the magic of battle is renamed magic of the spirits and is rather close to the shamanism (the character must wake up his “interior being” and mobilizes magic energy by focii : trinket, tattooing…) ; this edition introduces the sorcery , approach much more flexible of the magic and based on competences. A wizard can, by the means of these competences, to model with his taste his fates, according to the points of magic which it wishes to spend.

Stormbringer treats only invocation of elementary and demons, that a wizard could is to use for a specific misson or to bind to his service. Elric adds the use of a minor magic very strongly inspired by the magic of the spirits of RuneQuest .

In the Call of Cthulhu , the characters can learn from ritual from the myth from Cthulhu, but at the expense of their mental health .

Experiment

The system of experiment of the Chaosium system makes progress competences individually.

With each time a character uses a competence significantly, the player notches the box at side; certain competences are solidified and cannot be notched. At the end of the part, the player throws a d100, and the value will have to exceed the score of competence (the progression thus becomes increasingly difficult, slow). If it reaches that point, competence increases some pourcents.

See too

External bonds

Chaosium, official site
Oriflam, editor of the French versions of RuneQuest , Stormbringer , Elric and Hawkmoon
BASIC RPS
the Bazaar of BASIC

Certain universes were adapted to BASIC or were created for this system of play, most of the time by amateurs.

Nausicaä - medieval universe post apocalyptic: environment of works of Hayao Miyazaki (Totoro, Porco Rosso, Mononoke Princess…)
Solsys - universe of science fiction
Danae - medieval-fantastic universe, published in Except Series 19 of Casus Belli
Saousie - rebirth-fantastic universe
Atrilia - a universe Thousand and One Nights.
Fantasia, at the borders of the Absurdity - universe phantasmagoric with nonsense in Lewis Carroll.
an example of additional rules]

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