CARTILAGE, an ultra-lite MARROW hack with a fun new character creation system to steal and a light chassis intended for chucking in new mechanics. This one is just for fun, especially to experiment with the character creation system. This game is designed to be super deadly, so for your first adventure, making 2 or 3 characters is a good idea, and even then, be at your smartest. The world is dangerous here.
STATS: STR, DEX, CON, INT, WIS, CHA. 2d4+1 down the line.
VIGOR: Roll a d6 for your starting Vigor. Your starting Luck is 7 minus your Vigor.
OCCUPATION: Check the matrix below. Grants equipment and abilities.
ROLLING: If the outcome is unknown, roll a d20 equal to or under the relevant stat to succeed. Roll twice and take the better result (ADVANTAGE) if it deals with your occupation. Spend a point of Luck to reroll, but you must take that result.
FIGHTING: If you hit a creature with a weapon (STR for melee, DEX for ranged), they take d6 Vigor. If you hit them with a Spell, they take d8 Vigor. When a monster tries to hit you, roll DEX to dodge or CON to wither it.
MONSTERS: A small monster deals d4 Vigor, a normal monster does d6, a powerful monster does a d8, and legendary monsters can do a d10 or more. Roll twice the Vigor they deal for their own Vigor. Only named monsters get Luck to spend on players. Special abilities and strange immunities abound- most monsters are puzzles to be solved, not fodder to be killed.
DYING: If you ever drop below 0 Vigor, roll twice and take the worse result ALL the time. The next time you would lose Vigor, you instead die.
RESTING: A good night’s rest, requiring security, warmth, and nutrition (sufficient food and water), regains d6 Vigor.
LEVELING UP: Roll a d6 and add it to your Vigor, gain a point of Luck, and gain an ability relevant to a tribulation you faced (for example, if you survived the inside of Mt. Inferno, you’re immune to fire).
OCCUPATION MATRIX (standard fantasy style):
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
S T R | FARMER Start with a pitchfork, a bag of magic seeds, and the ability to talk to plants | THUG Start with a cudgel, 5s of blood money, and the ability to automatically hit with attacks if you’re ganging up against a lone target | LABORER Start with worker’s tools, 5s of working comp, and the ability to do repetitive tasks without tiring | ATHLETE Start with a silver medal, the admiration of the hoi polloi, and the ability to automatically succeed on one STR roll a day | GUARD Start with a badge of the watch, a shitty spear, and the ability to secure audience with any upright military organization | PUGILIST Start with sweat-soaked boxing wraps, a selfish, wealthy patron, and the ability to use your bare fists like magical weapons |
D E X | URCHIN Start with a pet mouse, a favor from the Beggar King, and the ability to never get lost | PICKPOCKET Start with a stolen set of lockpicks, a nondescript disguise, and the ability to choose to instead steal something on a successful attack | ACROBAT Start with a glitzy circus costume, a ten-foot vaulting pole, and the ability to bend in any way and climb horizontal walls | DUELIST Start with a training sword, the approval of your mentor, and the ability to attack twice with your signature weapon in a turn | MARKSMAN Start with a shoddy ranged weapon, a training dummy, and an immunity to visual impairment | ASSASSIN Start with oil as black as night, a contract signed in blood, and the ability to turn invisible for a minute once a day |
C O N | LEPER Start with a terrible disease, a dog eared and pus-coated book of scripture, and immunity to diseases and poisons other than the one you’re currently plagued by | BEGGAR Start with an empty wooden bowl, the protection of the Beggar King, and the ability to listen to what the walls say | FISHER Start with a fishing rod, interminable patience, and the ability to talk to water-dwelling creatures | REFUGEE Start with a small rucksack of essentials, a family that misses you dearly, and the ability to speak with some type of object | VETERAN Start with a worn weapon, flashbacks to the Great War, and the ability to add 2 to damage you deal | TRAPPER Start with a rusty animal trap, a long coil of rope, and the ability to smell fear and distinguish predator from prey |
I N T | ACADEMIC Start with a book of theory, 3 bright young students, and the ability to automatically know anything there is to know about your specialization | CRAFTER Start with a well-used set of tools, 5s from your last commission, and the ability to make one simple item per day with an hour of work | SCIENTIST Start with portable lab equipment, a vial of potent acid and indicator fluid, and the ability to identify a weakness of one creature you can see per day | ARCHITECT Start with an intricate compass, a grand vision, and the ability to discern the weakest point in a structure with an hour of inspection | APPRENTICE Start with a book of arcane theory, a fresh diploma from the Academy, and 3 Spells you can cast by taking d4 Vigor | CONDUIT Start with vibrant and unusually colored hair, eyes, or skin, a small familiar, and one powerful Spell you can cast by reducing your max Vigor by 1 |
W I S | MEDIC Start with a bag of salves and bandages, a dog-eared book of herbs, and the ability to heal 1 Vigor on your turn | SAGE Start with psychedelic herbs, a golden dreamcatcher, and the ability to invoke an idol that looks like an ethereal animal of your choice once each day for an hour | ARTIST Start with a half-finished magnum opus, a token of a lost love, and the ability to craft unerring forgeries | PRIEST Start with a book of practically memorized mantras, the accoutrements of worship, and the ability to beseech your god once a day. | PSYCHIC Start with a worn medallion from your grandma, a cracked crystal ball, and the ability to ask the freshly dead 3 questions | DETECTIVE Start with a magnifying glass, the admiration and jealousy of local law enforcement, and the ability to smell secrets |
C H A | NOBLE Start with 10s, epicurean tastes, and the ability to call upon your family for favors any time, knowing they’ll expect services in return | MERCHANT Start with a small cart with a sickly horse, 5s, and the ability to procure objects related to the wares you sell at will, or, if improbable, know where to get them | CHARLATAN Start with the ball and cups, an unsavory connection to the underground, and the ability to make someone unflinchingly believe one lie you say per day | MUSICIAN Start with a well-loved instrument, a half-finished opera, and the ability to play a song that automatically induces an emotion of your choice once a day | POLITICIAN Start with opulent clothes, a winning smile, and the ability to spread nasty rumors like wildfire with an hour in a tavern | MESSIAH Start with the false benediction of a made-up god, a flimsy reputation built on lies, and the ability to placate a crowd as long as you’re proselytizing them |
GLoGtober is coming (I have a cool Cthulhu adventure coming down the pipe for day 14, and day 15 is so big it's still in the works), but in the meantime, have this new GLoGhack/character creation system. Next thing I'll want to do is an ICRPG version. Probably for Ghost Mountain, because westerns are cool. Thanks for reading, and I hope I inspired you in some capacity- I really think I've caught something cool with this hack.
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