What Makes This Different

No Set Dice

You like crunch? In Level One, you can choose your own dice to manipulate the odds. Any dice; any number in any combination, based on the story you want to tell and the risks you're willing to take. It's literally up to you, but every decision matters, because everything in Level One pushes back. It doesn't have to be complicated, though; if you prefer the simpler approach, just roll your Effective Level as a pool of evens/odds, and count up the odd dice.

Every roll offers meaningful choices where both sides matter, clever preparation changes things, and getting hurt makes you immediately weaker.

Oh… the dice are zero based. That's different, though you can ignore it if you want.   

You can even play completely diceless.

What else?

"Level" stands alone - it's not ability in a particular profession. Roles give professional skills, but you can make a playable character without one.

Level is the core of everything. It's health, experience, grit, and luck rolled into one number, but isn't what you do. Roles and Maneuvers provide your skillset, and Hooks define what affects you most, what haunts you and guides your path. These few pieces define the stories you want to tell, with consistent mechanics to do it. It's simple enough to learn in minutes, flexible enough to support creativity, and subtle enough to reward mastery.

The Core Loop

Step 1: Start with the Story
What is it you want to happen? How would the character do that? Always start with the story.

You want to get into a restricted area at the Duke's ball, but there's only one door and it's guarded! If the character is a locally renowned bard, she'd probably try to talk her way past with a tale of being Lord Kelton's paramour and not wanting to keep him waiting. You tell the GM your plan, and the GM points out the guard's job is literally to resist your attempt.

Step 2: Add Up Whatever Will Help

Your character is Level 3, with the Performer Role at rank 2 and one rank in a Misdirection Maneuver (+1), and you've made sure in advance you're appropriately dressed in expensive but tantalizing clothes (+1 Boost). Your Effective Level, or EL, is 7.

     Most games set a target and modify the dice.
     In Level One you only modify the target.
     Different...but it works.

Step 3: Choose Your Dice

Step 4: Everyone Rolls

You roll and add up the results for a 5. The guard, a Level 2 Warrior 1, rolls a 2.

Step 5: Compare and Apply

Your 5 beats his 2, giving you 3 points of effect, more than his base Level! The guard's suspicion crumbles - he's convinced you belong here and waves you through with an apology and a sly wink.

A Character Creation Example

First things first - always start with the story.

Character Concept

"She's a thief! She grew up in the merchant quarter and knows every alley and rooftop, and looks out for the neighborhood kids. She can pick pockets and locks, right?"

In most systems a 'thief class' defines whatever abilities the designers thought thieves should have, but there's no thief class in Level One. There are no classes at all! You build the character concept you want from thematically simple Roles combined however makes sense for your story.

Roles and Maneuvers

GM: "Great concept! In Level One, we build that from Roles. You'll want Sneak for stealth. Picking pockets isn't a whole Role, it would be a Sleight of Hand Maneuver on Sneak or Performer. Knowing the streets could be Loremaster, or maybe a specialized Sneak Maneuver if it only applies to being stealthy. Locks would need Tinker."

"I don't really care about locks so much, but Performer sounds like fun! I can have both? She could juggle and busk for extra coins while scoping out targets! What do I get at level 2?"

GM: "Mixing Roles is the whole idea! Level 2 makes you a little better at everything and a little tougher, but doesn't give you any new skills. It just means you've seen more and have more grit. Getting better at a Role means increasing its rank instead of your Level, though. More abilities means advancing a Role and picking up new Maneuvers, or spending Karma to add other Roles. Nothing can ever go higher than your Level, though."

Roles are thematic. You customize with the Maneuvers you choose at each rank.

Characters always start at Level 1 for free, but increases always cost the new value in Karma. The first rank of any Role is always one Karma, and each increase costs the current value.

"OH! I really like her being super sneaky anywhere in the city, but also knowing people and little hidey-holes. Maybe not so great out in the woods though?"

GM: "Sounds like Sneak, Performer, and Loremaster. Making a minstrel?" "Nope! Just a charismatic grifter! Is that ok?" GM: "Absolutely. Roles are what you say they are, as long as you use them to do what they do."

Negotiating Details

"I like being better at the basics more than just ok at more stuff. She grew up in this school of hard knocks! I'll take Level 2. I can afford one more Role - Loremaster isn't just dusty old books? She knows her way around!"

GM: "Ok. Performer for social engineering, with Sleight of Hand for picking pockets, street magic, juggling and such. Loremaster for a detailed mental map, with Street Network for shortcuts, hiding places, gang turfs and patrol beat schedules. Sneak for Stealth, urban-focused - let's call it a Child of the City Shadows Maneuver. All we need is a Hook."

Character Drives

It may seem like an afterthought, but this is really the core of good character creation. What's important to them? What motivates them?

"Well, how about 'She watches out for the neighborhood kids.' Could that be it?"

GM: "That's perfect. Let's make it a little more dramatic and flexible, though. How about "We Take Care Of Our Own"? It doesn't have to be kids, but certainly applies. Sound good?"

This should create dilemmas. She is driven to care for and protect the folk of her downtrodden underworld, but feeding them means stealing - getting caught means a head-first dash through the bazaar to get away, or being thrown in the city's dungeon. Crime hurts people and the Market Street Urchins she feeds sometimes don't approve, but she'll still throw herself into a fight she can't win if one is in trouble. Hooks cause problems which should happen at least once every session; this is how she earns more Karma!

Putting It Together

• Sneak 1 (1 Karma) - for moving unseen and unheard
• Performer 1 (1 Karma) - for fast-talk and social manipulation
• Loremaster 1 (1 Karma) - she really does know those streets

Each Role rank comes with a Maneuver for a specific technique or focus which the player chooses: Sneak Maneuver: Child of the City Shadows - staying unnoticed in urban environments Performer Maneuver: Sleight of Hand - pickpocketing and small object manipulation Loremaster Maneuver: Street Network - contacts, shortcuts, and hideaways

Her Hook: "We Take Care Of Our Own" (free, starts at rank 1)

We've built a "thief" character who can steal, lie, hide, and navigate the urban underworld, and she has a reason to do these things, to take risks and get in trouble. Notice she still can't pick locks or climb very well. Level One doesn't give you abilities you didn't choose, and that's intentional. Those skills can come later as the story demands, after she's earned some more Karma… or not, if she decides she doesn't want them.

At only Level 2 she is still pretty green, but she has more spine than some. She can take an admittedly small hit or setback and press on, but she's still fragile. She'll need to be careful, and get some Karma under her belt, but that's easy, as we'll see.

CORE MECHANICS