System Palladium

Note : per hour of the drafting of this article, no play Palladium Books was translated into French. The terms used will be can differ from a possible later official translation. ----

The system Palladium is a whole of rules of Roleplay created by Kevin Siembieda, commun run with all the plays of the Megaverse ® (méga-universe, contraction of mega and universe , concept gathering almost all the plays of the editor) of Palladium Books ®, in particular:

Some Palladium plays use a distinct system however:

  • Valley off the Pharaohs
  • RECON

It is a system with classes, levels and competences.

Parallel worlds of the Megaverse

The worlds described in the various plays are parallel worlds, which cohabit in different dimensions, and which form the Megaverse .

Among particular dimensions, let us quote (cf the Palladium world ):

  • the astral Plan (or twilight Zone), in which the characters can travel in particular having psychic capacities: it is about an infinite space filled of white clouds which whirl, without benchmark (neither high, neither low, nor North…). very powerful beings can model part of this plan to make a material kingdom of it, being able to take any form.
  • the limbs, which are “universes of pocket” created by magicians, where those can store objects or take refuge, with dimensional the Poche fates (Dimensional Pocket) and temporal Vacuité (Time Hole) ;
  • Hadès, the world from which the demons come;
  • Dyval, the world from which the dyables (deevils) come and whose capital is Hel.

In certain worlds, the magic quantity of energy is very important, the damage inflicted by the magic creatures and their resistance to the damage is centuplicated. These worlds are called “worlds with méga-damage” ( MDC , cf will infra ).

The character

The character is defined by eight characteristic , determined by 3d6 (3-18), a fourth die is added if one draws 17 or 18:

  • characteristic mental: IQ ( intelligence quotient , intelligence quotient), ME ( mental endurance , mental endurance, will), MY ( mental affinity , mental affinity, charisma);
  • characteristic physics: PS ( physical strength , physical force), EP ( physical endurance , physical endurance), PP ( physical prowess , physical skill), PB ( physical beauty , physical beauty), Spd ( speed , speed).
The weight which one can transport is equal to approximately PS   × 5  kg. The score speed ( Spd ) corresponds roughly speaking at the speed in km/h to which can run a character (normal race).

The “philosophy of the life” of the character is defined by his alignment. There exist seven alignments divided into three very marked types:

  • Good (good) :
    • Man of principles (principled) : the nice one which avoids violence and preaches justice;
    • Scrupulous (scrupulous) : good character but violent one who is ready to kill, to make violences or with enfreindre the law for “the good cause”, but only when that is essential; if not, it respects the law and the life. It is a character like the Inspector Harry ( Dirty Harry , Clint Eastwood) or of the Justicier in the city ( Death Wish , Charles Bronson);
  • Egoistic (selfish) : all that the man does apart from a cause is for its personal benefit:
    • Opportunist ( unprincipled , literally man without principle, scruple): it tends to be rather nice, it turns the events to its advantage but would refuse to make the evil even if that pays to him; it is the character of Han Solo (Harrison Ford) of the Star Wars .
    • Anarchistic (anarchist) : it is ready to do all that pays to him.
    Bad
  • ( evil ):
    • Miserable ( miscreant , it is a Faux friend): malicious traditional which makes the evil to gain something there.
    • Diabolic (diabolic) : it makes the evil for the pleasure.
    • Aberrant (aberrant) : it makes the evil but with a direction of the rather thorough honor.
The concept of alignment is rather different from that of Donjons and Dragons (D&D) . In D&D , alignment determines also the philosophy of the life and the general behavior of the character, but it is especially one will have which the character releases and who can be perceived by magic beings and objects. Here, it is just about an general orientation of the behavior of the character; it is not related to fantastic and is also defined in the plays of the type Science-fiction. There are only seven alignments (against nine in D&D ), the absolute Neutral does not exist.

The profession of the character is indicated by a class or OCC ( occupationnal character class , professional class of the character).

The character progresses while accumulating Points of experiment . These points of experiment is distributed by the Master of play by taking into account as well the participation in the action as the interpretation of the character. A character played assiduously during several years can hope to reach the level 10, but it will be then old (more 70  years for human).

Classify, level and competence

The characters start with the level 1. They assemble level when they accumulated sufficient Points of experiment . The progression depends on the class, but is roughly speaking similar for all: the second level requires approximately 2  000 points of experiment , the fifth (high level) approximately 15  000 and the tenth (very high level) approximately 80  000.

For each class, the competences are divided into three type: the competence of class (O.C.C. skills) , competences in connection with the class (O.C.C. related skills) and competences secondary ( secondary skills ). When it changes level, the character can select a certain number of competences of each type, the number for each type depend on the class.

When a character takes a competence, this one is with degree 1, then it progresses at the same rate/rhythm as the character, of a degree per level. For example, if a character took competence “To detect a ambuscade” (Detect Ambush) whereas it had level 3, when it reaches level 5, this competence is with degree 3.

Most of the time, the qualification level determines the percentage of success, in the form

success = bases + N × level %
except for the competence of close combat ( hand to hand ) and armed ( WP , Weapon Proficiency ) which provides new capacities (to make such type of attack) or a no-claims bonus to the jet of attack (see low). Certain competences physics make it possible to increase the characteristics (for example, the musculation increases the score forces PS of it).

Resolution of the actions

The resolution of the actions utilizes competences (skills) of the character. Competences are expressed in the form of a poucentage; the action succeeds if the jet of a d100 is lower than the value. If the action is difficult, the Master of play to the possibility of allotting a malus of 5 to 30  % with discretion.

There exist two exceptions:

  • jets of resistance to the traumatisms ( saving throws , literally “jets of safeguard”), like poisonings;
  • combat jets.
These actions are played with a die with twenty face, the action is successful if
1d20 + no-claims bonus > threshold
the no-claims bonus no-claims bonus due to a characteristic (only the characteristic of 16 and more give a no-claims bonus) and to the possession of a competence (skill) on a given level. The threshold is fixed in the rules.

Health and damage

The capacity to resist the wounds is made up of two characteristics: the points of life ( HP , hit points ) which represents health, and the points of structure ( SDC , structural ramming capacity ), which represents the natural “shielding” of the character, its capacity to box the blows. When a character suffers damage, it loses initially points of structure (SDC) then points of life (HP) , but only the loss of points of life puts its life in danger. With 0 not of life , the character is in the comas, and with a strongly negative score (opposite of the physical endurance , - EP ), the character dies.

The initial number of not of life which a character has is its score in physical endurance (EP) , to which 1d6 by level is added. Thus, a character of the first level has on average 12 points of life , it has of them 24 on the 5th level and 39 with 10th. The points of structure are worth 3d6 for a warlike profession (9 on average) and 1d6 for a nonwarlike profession (3 on average). The points of structure can increase if certain physical competences are taken.

The objects have only points of structure , not of not of life ; to destroy an object, it is necessary to inflict damage until to him its points of structure falls to 0. As comparison, a weapon (sword) has approximately 50 points of structure and a door out of wooden of interior 100 (certe the door is more fragile, but it is necessary to make a sufficient hole to be able to pass).

The shieldings (of the type Tank or Matched) are expressed in points of megastructure ( MDC , megastructure ramming capacity ). A not of megastructure is worth 100 points of structure , but only the weapons inflicting of the méga-damage can tackle the shieldings: one cannot make lose a not megastructure with a shielding by typing fifty times with a sword…

Resolution of the engagements

A turn of play (round) lasts 15 seconds; that corresponds to a master key of weapon. For the initiative, a d20 is thrown for each character, the characters act by decreasing order (that which has the most score acts as first), except for the attacks by surprised or the attacks remote which are solved in first.

  • the characters who do not have competence of combat can make only two actions during a turn, for example: to attack, and to avoid or to dodge or to block the weapon of the adversary; starting from the 6th level of character, it acquire the possibility of making a third action during a turn.
  • the characters who have a competence of close combat (hand to hand) can make four actions, and the parades do not count for an action, therefore: four attacks or two attacks and two dodgings or … and it can make parades as many as it wants. Starting from the 4th qualification level, they acquire the possibility of making a third action during the turn, and starting from the 9th qualification level, they can make four of them.

The attacker makes a jet of attack:

jet of attack = 1d20 + no-claims bonus
the no-claims bonus comprising the physical no-claims bonus of skill (PP) and the no-claims bonus due to the level if it has a competence of close combat (hand to hand) . If the jet of attack makes between 1 and 4, the attack fails. From 5, the attack carries.

If the attack carries, the defender who wants to avoid (parry) , to dodge (dodge) or to block the weapon (entangle) makes a jet of defense:

jet defense = 1d20 + no-claims bonus
the no-claims bonus comprising the physical no-claims bonus of skill (PP) and the no-claims bonus due to the level if it has a competence of close combat (hand to hand) . If the jet of defense is higher or equal to the jet of attack, defense succeeds and the defender does not undergo a damage. If not, it can try to deaden the blow (roll with impact) ; it makes another jet of defense (the no-claims bonus is different), and if the jet of defense is higher or equal to the jet of atttaque, it divides the damage by two, but it loses the possibility of making an action.

The armours have an index of protection ( AR , armor rating ). If the jet of attack is between 5 and the index of protection (AR) , it is the armor which boxes the totality of the damage, the damage are deduced from its points of structure (SDC) ; when the armor arrives at 0 not of structure , it is destroyed and does not protect any more. If the jet of attack is higher than the index of protection (AR) , the blow touches a not protected part, and it is the character who undergoes the damage and loses points of structure (SDC) then points of blow (HP) .

There is possibility of making many types of attack (attacks in force, aggriper, to project, counter…), some (as the attack while jumping) taking several actions of combat.

Magic

The universe is traversed currents of psychic energy, which concentrate in meridian lines (ley lines) who furrow the surface of planets; the meridian lines cross in points called nodes or nexus ( ley line nexus points in English). Magic consist in channeling this energy.

Concretely, on planets having strong currents of psychic energy, certain characters can handle this energy; they then lay out of points of psychic energy ( EPP , potential psychic energy ). The drain of this energy is done primarily by the verb: the pronunciation of a sentence in a mystical language makes it possible to launch a fate, or to accumulate energy in a graphic symbol, glyphe (ward) or rings magic (circle of protection, incantation or being able).

When the character launches the fate or active the graphic symbol (glyphe or rings), he spends of the points of psychic energy ( EPP ). These points are recovered with time, more quickly if the character is near a meridian line (ley line) , even more quickly if it is near a node (nexus) .

The number of points of psychic energy of a being increase at the time of its death. This is why certain wizards malefic practice the sacrifices. But the massive death of living beings (for example at the time of a cataclysm) also causes an abrupt release of psychic energy, which can go until opening cracks (rifts) between dimensions; it is in particular what because cataclysm on the Earth of Rifts .

The supplied psychic energy near the nodes increases at certain times of the day (midday and midnight) and of the year (solstices and equinoxes), like with each specific alignment of stars (in particular rarer eclipses, but also phenomena). During the “explosions” of energy, faults (rifts) can open between dimensions.

The power of the meridian lines and the nodes determines the level of magic of the world; it is rather high in the Palladium world (Palladium Fantasy RPG) , very high on the Earth of Rifts , but relatively low on the Earth of Robotech (not of magic available). The magic is much more powerful on the Earth of Rifts , for example, the magic beings have points of megastructure (MDC) instead of points of structure (SDC) , and the magic weapons inflict méga-damage (for example if a magic sword inflicts 2d6 SDC / HP in the Palladium world, it inflicts 2d6 MDC /×100  HP on the ground of Rifts ).

Psychic capacities

Certain characters can have capacities metapsychic (psionic) . These capacities are similar to the magic: their power and the capacities of recuuperation increase with the proximity of the meridian lines (ley lines) and nodes (nexus) of psychic energy (EPP) , however, it call only upon the spirit (not incantation nor of material component). Thus, the characters psypotents have only very few not psychic energy (EPP) , those almost all were invested in the development of the psychic capacities. On the other hand, they have points of force interns ( ISP , internal strength points ), these are the points which are spent when they use their capacities. The points of force interns are recovered by the sleep or the meditation.

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