Chapter 5 - Playing the Game

Making Rolls

Now that you've got your hero built, and you've purchased some equipment, it's time to talk about how your hero interacts with the environment and other people (also known as "adventuring"), and when those interactions turn hostile (commonly known as "combat"), and how all those interactions fit into your hero's progression.

In OHO, action descriptions will instruct you to make a particular roll with an ATTRIBUTE, the number your hero has in that ATTRIBUTE is the number of d6 you roll for that action, and for every two points in that ATTRIBUTE your hero gains +1 to the given roll, plus modifiers to that action as determined by any APTITUDES your hero has. For example, a 2 in REFLEX grants 2d6(+1) to any action that uses REFLEX, like a dodge DEFENSE roll.

The number rolled is compared to a CR, or Challenge Rating. This number depends on the action attempted, and is categorized as either a CONTESTED roll, or a GENERAL roll:

• A CONTESTED roll is when the success of an action your hero takes depends upon the outcome of another roll, such as ATTACK rolls or baneful SPELL EFFECT rolls that target others.
• A GENERAL roll is when the success of an action your hero takes depends upon the difficulty of the task itself, such as jumping a 10-foot gap or learning a particular skill.

Success on an action roll nets a number of success points equal to half the CR:

• MIGHT, REFLEX, and FORTITUDE rolls grant Physical Success Points
• INTELLECT and PERCEPTION rolls grant Mental Success Points
• APPEARANCE and PERSONALITY rolls grant Charm Success Points
• MANA rolls grant MANA (or Mystical) Success Points

Success points are discussed more in Advancement

Actions

Basic Actions in Detail

AIM

For each tick spent AIMing (up to three), your hero gains +2 to their ATTACK ROLL. The target must be in your hero's sight from beginning of the Aim action to the beginning of the Attack action, or the bonus is lost.

ATTACK

Make a MIGHT roll as your hero attempts to strike a target, whether it be with an unarmed attack or an equipped weapon. Successive attacks in a round suffer a cumulative -1d penalty.

BALANCE

Make a REFLEX roll as your hero attempts to move across a narrow surface or uneven ground. Your hero is offguard while balancing. Each success is 1-unit (5ft) moved, up to twice your hero's speed.

CLIMB

Make a MIGHT roll as your hero moves a maximum distance of 1-unit (5ft) up, down, or across an incline. Your hero is off-guard while climbing unless they have a climb Speed. The GM determines the CR based on the nature of the incline and environmental circumstances. If your hero's speed is 3 or higher, increase the maximum distance by 1-unit (5ft) for every 2 units of speed above 3.

COERCE

Make a PERSONALITY roll as your hero attempts to coerce a creature into doing something.

CONCEAL

Make a REFLEX roll as your hero attempts to conceal an object on their person, or to conceal something done with their hands, such as planting something on another creature.

CRAWL

Your hero, while prone, moves 1-unit (5ft), remaining prone.

DASH

This is as fast as your hero can run, a full sprint. Your hero moves twice their speed in a line in one direction. Your hero must be standing to start this action, and cannot change their facing at the end of the movement. Your hero gains double the momentum normal, but is immediately lost if the next Action taken does not use this momentum.

DEMORALIZE

Make an APPEARANCE roll, as your hero attempts to shake a hostile creature's resolve. The following table describes the effect on the target based on the number of successes:

DIVERT

Make a PERSONALITY roll, as your hero attempts to cause a diversion. Any creature that has less successes than you takes a penalty to any PERCEPTION rolls made to perceive anything other than your hero.

DODGE

Make a REFLEX roll as your hero attempts to dodge an attack aimed at them. This action is used as a DEFENSE against an ATTACK roll. Your hero either steps 1-unit (5ft), or, if there are no available spaces, drops prone.

DROP

Your hero drops either an item they are carrying, or they drop to the ground in their space, gaining the prone condition.

ESCAPE

Make a REFLEX roll as your hero attempts to escape a grapple, restraint, or other effect that has them immobilized. The CR is determined by the effect, and more successes ends the condition.

FORCE-OPEN

Make a MIGHT roll as your hero attempts to force open a door, window, chest, or other object that can be opened.

GATHER-INFO

Make a PERSONALITY roll as your hero attempts to get information from someone. Creatures with friendlier attitudes provide lower CRs.

GRAB-EDGE

Make a REFLEX roll as your hero attempts to grab on to a foothold or ledge after either falling or failing a climb or jump.

GRAPPLE

Make an ATTACK roll using MIGHT, as your hero attempts to grab an object or grapple a creature, or maintain a grapple your hero already holds. Tick cost varies.

GUARD

Taking a defensive stance, your hero gains an automatic success on all DEFENSE ROLLS made while guarding.

HIDE

Make a REFLEX roll as your hero attempts to hide from sight, using some kind of cover or other concealment. Your hero is hidden from each creature who has less successes than your hero. Gain an automatic success if your hero is already hidden.

IMPERSONATE

Make a PERSONALITY roll as your hero attempts to impersonate a particular individual.

IMPRESS

Make a PERSONALITY roll as your hero attempts to make an impression with a creature, typically to improve their attitude. Each success moves the target's attitude one step.

IMPROVISE

Make an INTELLECT roll as your hero attempts an action they wouldn't normally have access to. This usually applies to activating an object's ability that requires an action to which your hero does not have access (like driving a chariot or other vehicle that requires the DRIVE action).

JUMP

Make a MIGHT roll as your hero attempts a jump, either horizontally or vertically. The attached table shows the CR depending on the distance. Momentum bonus is only half for a vertical jump.

LIE

Make a PERSONALITY roll as your hero attempts to tell a lie to someone. More successes than the target's PERCEPTION roll indicate the level of belief, as indicated by the following table.

MANIPULATE

Make an INTELLECT roll as your hero attempts to interact with an object or device. The GM sets this CR.

MOUNT

Your hero moves onto an adjacent creature that is both willing to be mounted and at least one size category larger than them. This action is also used to dismount.

PARRY

Make a REFLEX roll as your hero attempts to parry an attack with a wielded weapon. This action is used as a DEFENSE.

PERFORM

Make an APPEARANCE roll as your hero attempts to perform something. This generally applies to a broad range of actions, and the GM will help define when this action is appropriate, but typically: acting as a character in a stage performance, or dancing for a group of court nobles, or playing the violin at a concert, are all examples of appropriate situations for the PERFORM action.

RECALL

Make an INTELLECT roll as your hero attempts to recall information about a given topic. The number of successes indicate the depth of knowledge recalled, as indicated by the following table.

REPOSITION

Make a MIGHT roll as your hero attempts to move a target around, a number of units up to the number of successes on the contested roll. Your hero can move up to the number us successes during this action, and the target must remain within your hero's reach for the entire movement.

REQUEST

Make a PERSONALITY roll as your hero makes a request of someone who is friendly or helpful. CR is based on the difficulty of the request and the attitude towards your hero.

SEARCH

Make an INTELLECT roll as your hero attempts to search for something.

SENSE-DIRECTION

Make a PERCEPTION roll as your hero attempts to discern true north, or another given direction (as determined by the GM).

SHOVE

Make a MIGHT roll as your hero attempts to shove a creature. A target is pushed a number of units equal to the number of successes your hero attains.

SNEAK

Make a REFLEX roll as your hero attempts to move silently so as to not give away their position.

STABILIZE

Make an INTELLECT roll as your hero attempts to provide first-aid to a creature. Choose either the dying condition or the bleeding condition. This is a special CONTESTED roll against the number of instances of whichever condition you chose. Each success removes one instance of the condition.

STAND

Your hero, while prone, stands.

STEAL

Make a REFLEX roll as your hero attempts to steal an item.

STEP

Your hero simply moves their speed, and the next action taken benefits from Momentum 1.

SWIM

Make a MIGHT roll as your hero attempts to swim. Each success is 1 unit (5ft) successfully swam through the water during this action.

TAKE-COVER

Your hero either gains double the standard bonus for cover (if they are already benefiting from cover), or gains the benefits from cover (if they are adjacent to an object that could provide cover). This bonus lasts until your hero moves away from the cover, attacks, or otherwise performs an action that causes their cover to be "blown".

TRAIN-ANIMAL

Make an INTELLECT roll as your hero attempts to command an animal to perform a trick or other trained action.

TRIP

Make an ATTACK roll using MIGHT as your hero attempts to trip a target, knocking them prone.

TUMBLE

Make a REFLEX roll as your hero attempts to tumble through a target's space.

Social Encounters

Turns in a social encounter are relatively fluid, but follow a few loose guidelines:

• Players in social encounters roll initiative, which is a general PERSONALITY roll, with the highest going first.
• A player that takes an action with a specified tick cost doesn't get to act again until at least X other participants have, where X is the tick cost.

Combat Encounters

Turns in a combat encounter can be represented by an six-spoke wheel around which the players' turns (represented by tokens) revolve. Each slice of the wheel delineated by a spoke represents a tick. Number them from 1 to 6.

Resolving Combat Initiative

When an encounter starts, everyone involved rolls REFLEX, taking the total as if it were a general roll. Ties compare rolls as if contested, with more successes going first. The highest number goes first, declaring an action, and then placing their token on the appropriate tick for their action's cost and then resolving that action. Then, in descending order of initiative, actions are taken, resolved, and tokens placed. Once every one of the participant's tokens have been placed, play then moves to the next tick, with the participant(s) there taking their action and moving their token(s). If two (or more) players start in the same tick AND they had the same starting initiative, they roll off with REFLEX, the winner going first; otherwise, the original initiative order prevails.

For example, the heroes Antoine, Bronson, and Chadwin are fighting against two goblins (let's call them gob_1 and gob_2). After initiative rolls, Antoine got a total of 7, Bronson got a 5, and Chadwin and the goblins have 3. So, the goblins tying with Chadwin means his roll becomes contested with the goblin(s), and since they're monsters, Chadwin's 3 counts as a success, meaning he will go before the goblins. To illustrate this, let's follow a round of actions. Say Antoine's player decides to have him DASH in a direction. From tick 1, Antoine's player moves their token to tick 3, and Antoine moves in the direction indicated. Then, it's Bronson's turn, and he wants to take the ATTACK action, attacking gob_1 with a bow, and moving from tick 1 to tick 4, moving gob_1 to tick 2. Next is Chadwin's turn, who decides to take a STEP confidently forward, moving from tick 1 to tick 2. Finally, gob_2 (that was not attacked yet) can DASH forward, so the GM moves gob_2's token from tick 1 to tick 3. Now that there are no other participants waiting to take action, play moves forward tick by tick until one is found with a token representing a member of combat waiting to take an action, in this case it would be tick 2 with Chadwin and gob_1. Chadwin went before the goblins and will do so now, and decides that, now that gob_2 is in his melee reach, will ATTACK it with his equipped weapon. The attack is resolved and Chadwin's token is then placed from tick 2 to tick 5, while the attacked gob_2 is pushed forward a tick (to tick 4). After again checking for participants waiting to act, play moves from tick 2 to tick 3, where Antoine awaits to take his next action. Gob_2 is in Antoine's reach, so he takes an ATTACK action, moving from tick 3 to tick 6 (and pushing the goblin forward 1 tick, but let's say this attack kills gob_2). Now play moves to tick 4, where gob_1 awaits with Bronson to take their next actions. Bronson went before the goblins, so he will here, too, and can make another attack (placing him around the wheel into the next round, tick 1) and kills gob_1.

Attacking and Defending

To make an attack, first the attacker takes the ATTACK action, making a MIGHT roll, and adding any appropriate bonuses from APTITUDES. The defender then takes either the DODGE or PARRY action, rolling as appropriate. Order the rolls from highest to lowest, and compare the opposing values. Each success by the attacker is a die for the DAMAGE ROLL. If the attacker scores no successes, no damage is dealt.

Momentum

Some Actions grant Momentum (X). Momentum translates it's value in the form of a bonus on the next Action taken, called "using Momentum". For example, let's say Antoine has a REFLEX of 1, and he takes the Dash Action, moving twice his speed, and gaining Momentum 4 for his next Action. He decides to use the Attack Action next, gaining +4 to any rolls for damage. There are other Aptitudes that benefit from using Momentum.

Facing

Your hero, depending on the grid system being used, has different "faces". On a square grid, one side is their front, the opposite is their back, and there are two sides. On a hex grid, your hero has a front, back, and two each of front-side and back-side. Your hero can change their facing:

• At the start of their action
• After a move action (except for DASH)
• If they haven't changed facing from the beginning of the action, they may at the end

Table 5-2 shows the bonuses for ATTACK rolls made at each side.

Flanking

A creature is flanked when two hostile creatures' faces are perpendicular and the creature is between them. Flankers grant each other their own bonus (flanking over a side grants each flanker an addtional +2).

Resolving Damage

Armor, while providing little in the way of keeping one from getting hit, does protect the defender by reducing the amount of damage taken. Armor provides an initial number of automatic successes equal to (1 if Easy or Normal, 0 if Hardcore or Honour) + (1 if Light armor, 2 if Heavy, x the quality). Light armor applies one success at a time and Heavy, two; until there are no more left, indicating the armor needs to be repaired. As such, if the defender is wearing armor, first reduce the damage by the amount indicated by the type of armor worn.

The FORTITUDE roll determines how many injuries are sustained. The attacker rolls their DAMAGE while the defender rolls FORTITUDE, ordering and comparing the rolls again. Successes by the attacker indicate injuries. (See Injuries)