Introduction

Dice & More Dice (D&MD) is a system designed to run modules created for other game systems using an online game table, including maps and virtual miniatures. Play usually involves the GM selecting a module to run, and the players creating characters with motives to deal with the contents of the module. The system bears resemblance to Danger Patrol (and several hacks of Danger Patrol), with elements from other systems thrown in.

Terms

Below are a list of terms, and the dice associated with the terms, where appropriate.

Obstacle: something that may stand in the way of the characters achieving their goals. Obstacles must be avoided or eliminated on the way to the character's goals.

Threat (D4): a die representing the current situation as actively threatening imminent harm to a character.

Danger (D6): a die representing action that is potentially dangerous, but also potentially beneficial.

Ability (D12 for Major): assets the character has that they can bring to bear in dealing with obstacles that apply in certain situations.

Attribute (D10): assets the character has that are always available to deal with obstacles.

Background (potential D8): a source of abilities, and occasionally a source of bonus dice.

Bonus Dice (D8): dice obtained from having a situational advantage over an opponent.

Assets: everything that gives dice other than threats and dangers.

Hazards: something that is not necessarily an obstacle that needs to be overcome, but which nonetheless threatens characters.

Chargen

Attributes (D10)

Each player rolls 4d3-7 six times, and records the values.

The player selects which of the scores they've generated will be associated with that attribute.

Attributes provide D10s in conflicts.

Backgrounds (Bonus D8)

Starting with the next player in order to go first, that player selects their backgrounds. These are broad areas of competence similar to Classes in D&D, but being sure to relate to an actual sort of background rather than a description of a package of powers. Once each player has selected a background, start with the next player in the order and go around again and select backgrounds.

When applicable (see below,) backgrounds will provide bonus D8s.

Abilities

Players may now select 15 points to purchase abilities. These are things that make the character stand out from the crowd as an extraordinary individual. These should fit in with the background unless the player can explain to the GM how the character came by them, and the GM agrees to allow them. But otherwise they can be whatever abilities the player decides to define for their character.

Ablities come in two forms, major abilities, and minor abilities.

Major abilities (D12)

Major abilites cost 3 points, and provide a d12 in a conflict. These represent broad areas of competency in which the character really excels. Typical major abilities include Melee Combat, Ranged Combat, Elemental Magic, Illusion Magic, Rituals of [fill in a deity], Thievery, Scholarship, Well Traveled, Perceptive, If it likely is a superset of other smaller abilities, it's a Major Ability. If you want to make a character quickly, stick with all Major Abilities.

Minor abilities (Bonus D8)

Minor abilities cost 1 point, and provide a bonus to the player in a conflict (which is a D8). These represent narrow areas of competency that help a character out in more limited circumstances, and not quite as reliably as a Major Ability. Typical minor abilities include individual skills or similar sorts of abilities like Plant Lore, Lock Picking, Sense Enemies, Swordsmanship, Knowledge of [City], or individual spells or magic abilities. If it would fit as a subset of a Major Ability, it's a minor ability. Also what constitutes one or another may simply be at the whim of the player depending on what they're willing to pay for the ability in question.

Exceptional Gear

Abilities may be purchased as special gear. Normal gear provides bonus dice under the right circumstances, and does not have to be purchased with the points used to buy abilities. Characters will start out with whatever normal gear the GM and the player can agree is appropriate.

If the gear is broadly applicable, it is a major ability. If the gear is narrowly applicable, it counts as a minor ability. Again which it is can simply be determined by how much the player is willing to pay for the ability.

Motives

Each character may have up to three motives identified for their character at any time. The player must determine at least one of these motives before play begins.

Actions

Each turn a player can have their character take actions. What they can do depends on their current situation.

These actions are usually available:

Move Fast

Move Carefully

Move and Act

Move and Address Obstacle

Rest

If the character is currently threatened by an obstacle these are the only safe actions:

Disengage from Obstacle

Shift and Address Obstacle

If a character does one of the normal actions while engaged with an obstacle adds two threat dice to the pool.

Action Resolution

Die Pool

For each action, create a die pool using the following rules.

Motives (D20)

For each motive that applies to the action, the character adds a D20 motive die to the pool.

Major Abilities (D12)

For each major ability that pertains the character adds a D12 ability die to the pool.

Attributes (D10)

The GM selects two attributes that apply to the situation at hand. The player gets as many D10 attribute dice added to their pool as the sum of the ratings for these two attributes. If the sum is negative, then the player takes a number of D4 danger dice equal to the absolute value of the sum instead.

For instance, if the action is fighting, and the GM declares that the attributes being used are STR and DEX, and the character has a sum of -2, then they take two d4 danger dice, and no attribute dice. Good luck!

Bonus Dice (D8)

If a character has a minor ability that pertains, or a situational advantage that they've generated, they get

Background

The player may opt to narrate something about their background that pertains to the activity in question to get one (and only one) more D8 bonus die.

Danger Dice (d6)

A player may elect to roll up to three danger dice. The player must narrate what extra risks their character is taking in order to push their chances of winning, and attempt to narrate proportionally to the number of dice. More dice meaning more danger.

Charity Die

If the player has nothing but threat dice in their pool, or no dice at all, they get one D6 danger die.

Threat Dice (D4)

Any threat dice still active are added to the die pool. Threat dice are D4s, so they obviously cannot produce successes.

Hazards

Creatures and situations often present various hazards to success. These are not obstacles themselves that have to be overcome, but instead they are qualities of the situation that add to the danger of an extant obstacle. A troll might be “Tough,” “Large,” and “Regenerates.” Or maybe there's a fire raging out of control nearby. The GM should look at the module text to discern what hazards a particular creature or situation may present. Another common hazard is multiple opponents. Each additional foe that one is currently dealing with counts as a hazard.

For each un-adressed hazard that might hamper the character, replace one of the player's dice of the GM's choosing (usually one of the highest sided dice available), with a D4 threat die.

Avoiding Hazards

A player may instead elect to avoid a hazard by citing one of their applicable dice as countering the hazard in question. If the GM agrees, then the player loses only the die used to cancel the hazard, and does not have to roll the threat die they would otherwise have. This cancelation has to be done for every roll, as long as the hazard is uncanceled.

A player may opt to attempt to have their character attempt an action, which if successful, will create a bonus die meant specifically to avoid the hazard (or hazards) in question. This is often a lot easier than attempting to deal with the opposition directly, if the player is creative in their approach. This die can only be used by the character who obtains it to avoid the hazard, unless they can manage to donate it by using the Helping rule and doing something that would result in the leverage they have acquired becoming applicable to the helped ally.

Canceling Hazards

A player may instead opt to try to change the situation such that the hazard in question no longer exists. The GM will rate the hazard in terms of hits that it will take to eliminate it. A player must roll that many successes against the Hazard in order to succeed in being rid of it (just as though it were any other sort of opposition).

Obstacle Ratings

Each obstacle is rated by the GM from 1 for a very minor obstacle, or a binary sort of contest (often perception where you either find something or you don't find something) to 12 for something like the boss of the dungeon.

Roll Results

Read each die and determine how many successes and dangers result.

1 = Danger Plus

2 = Danger

3-4 = Neutral

5-7 = Hit

8+ = Hit Plus

Strengths and Weaknesses

If the character is using some asset that seems to have a particular advantage that deals with a weakness of the obstacle being addressed, each “Hit Plus” result counts as two hits. Otherwise “Hit Plus” is just a normal hit.

If the opposition has some sort of strength that works well against the character's action, each Danger Plus counts as two dangers. Otherwise a danger plus result is just a normal danger result.

Effects of Hits and Dangers

Hits

Check the number of hits done to see if it meets the obstacle rating of the obstacle. If so, the obstacle has been eliminated. Otherwise the player can convert the successes into bonus dice that they can use against the obstacle going forward.

Dangers

The GM spends dangers generated as any combination of the following:

DANGER 1: Escalate the threat from the obstacle. Have the obstacle take some action to raise the stakes or make the situation worse in some way. Further rolls against this obstacle have an extra D4 threat die.

DANGER 2: Do a reduced hit to the character. This can be from an attack the threat makes or from the consequences of one of the dangers the players narrated before the action.

DANGER 3: Introduce a new hazard as a consequence of the action. This move is good for things like fires that start, magic going haywire, reinforcements arriving, etc. Fallout from the action at hand.

DANGER 4: Do a full hit to the character. This can be from an attack the threat makes or from the consequences of one of the dangers the players narrated before the action.

DANGER 5: Introduce a new obstacle as a consequence of the action. This should usually be one or two OR lower than the obstacle the character was facing. This move is good for things like wandering monsters arriving on the scene, summoned demons, etc. Fallout from the action at hand. If there are plenty of obstacles in play already, do both a combination of lower moves instead.

DANGER 6: Total disaster! The threat does the worst possible thing. Be ruthless and destructive in your descriptions. NPCs die. Halls collapse. A hero can mitigate a disaster by taking a full hit, then getting locked in battle with a new, major threat. Spin it off from the obstacle they were facing. It might be something like “trapped in a burning room.” The player gets to say how their hero stops the disaster from coming true, and how they end up trapped by the new threat as a result. That hero can’t do anything but fight the new threat until it is defeated.

DANGER 8: Character defeated! The character takes a full hit, and is temporarily out of the action for some reason that makes sense with the action. For instance if being attacked by a monster, the character may well be knocked out and laying there dying. Or for a large monster, perhaps they've been swallowed. Other characters may attempt to defeat an obstacle to bring the character back into play, but if that fails, the character is removed from play (often dead).

Removing Threats

A player may decide to take an action dedicated to removing threat dice. Each success eliminates one threat die.

Design Goals

Run D&D Modules with just the data included.

Make use maps and tokens.

Have the escalation of tension from Danger Patrol. No death spirals, instead increasing tension until resolution.

Encourage creative solutions by having dangers enumerated that can be avoided or circumvented.