Medieval fantasy role-playing game by Dice Pencil & Paper
This is a medieval world of fantasy and high stakes! Take your adventurer to dangerous quests into dark caves, mysterious dungeons, mystical towers, and more. It is a world of low technology, warring kingdoms, and dangerous monsters lurking everywhere. Be courageous, be brave, don your armor, and create stories that will be retold for ages!
This system is designed so that most adventure settings can be adapted to it. Similarly, you can create your own world and lore, and the Emprise system should be able to work quite well with it.
A session of Emprise is composed of one to four people that will be playing with their adventurers, and one player who is in charge of presenting the situations, scenes, and controlling the rest of the universe's entities. This player is known as the Coordinator, as they take care of running the game in an orderly fashion and making sure things are fair for everyone.
To set up and play a game of Emprise, you will need the following:
Your adventurer is a daring, courageous individual that is ready to face whatever fate throws at them!
An adventurer has one to four professions that define their skills and capabilities. Each one of these abilities gets a dice assigned to it. The lower the die, the better they are at that profession. These determine the adventurer's skills and capabilities.
The dice available for each adventurer are: d6, d8, d10, and d12. Unlike most RPGs, the smaller a die is, the better it is, so keep this in mind when assigning your dice. Each die is assigned to your adventurer's character elements as follows:
You can assign these dice as you wish, however, dice assignments cannot be repeated; for example, you cannot assign a d6 to two different character elements. Each die must be unique to each element.
Every adventurer has, of course, adventuring skills! This covers a practical knowledge set comprised of the following elements:
A profession encompasses a relatively wide skill and knowledge set. Here are a few examples of possible professions:
Note that professions do not have detailed, granular skills and abilities; rather, it is expected that everyone uses common sense and creativity when using professions. Does an action performed under a certain profession makes sense to everyone? Then it is valid!
For example, it is expected that someone with the profession of musician is good at understanding musical instruments, composition, and knowledgeable of music history. But a creative use of this profession could enable them to be really good at persuading people, simply based on their experience as public performers. Be flexible and creative.
Also note that having a profession does not necessarily means that the adventurer held a job in that area; it only means that they had sufficient skills to be equivalent to having that as a profession (or close enough).
Creating typical medieval RPG archetypes is as simple as assigning your lowest die to the profession that defines your character. For example, if you want your adventurer to be a great rogue, you might want to assign d6 to the thief profession. If you want them to be an amazing ranger, hunter would be your choice.
Any activity or task that requires knowledge and skill is called an action. This includes using your adventurer's skills, and combat actions such as attacking an enemy. To check if an action is successful or not, you need to roll the die assigned to the profession being used and then consult the following table (the lower the result, the better):
| Value rolled | Result | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Critical Success | The adventurer's action excels in its success! Not only do they succeed, they can ask for an additional related effect. |
| 2 | Success | The action succeeded as intended by the player. |
| 3 | Near failure | The action succeeded, but barely. A negative side effect of the action can happen at the discretion of the Coordinator. As with a critical success, this effect has to be measured and not imbalance events unnecessarily. |
| 4+ | Failure | The action fails. |
It is recommended that the Coordinator exercises balance regarding when to roll. Excessive rolls bog down the game; they should only roll for things that will require a special application of the adventurer's profession. They should be fair and keep the game flowing. However, tasks that would normally succeed automatically could require a roll if the adventurer is trying to perform under stressful or difficult circumstances.
Not all tasks are created equal, and some will be harder to perform than others! There are two different types of modifiers for actions.
A dice shift (DS) will be set by the Coordinator for the action based on any environmental situations that can affect the chances for a successful execution of a task. Dice shifts can be positive (rolling a higher-numbered die) or negative (rolling a lower-numbered die). Positive dice shifts are detrimental, while negative shifts are beneficial. A dice shift is usually presented as DS (+/-)x, with x being the number of dice value changes. For example, a positive dice shift of 2 is presented as DS+2.
| Difficulty | Description | Dice shift |
|---|---|---|
| Average | The action can be performed by anyone with a basic skill level. | 0 |
| Difficult | The action is hard to carry out, requiring more skill or knowledge. | +1 |
| Brutal | The action is extremely difficult, requiring a superior skill level. | +2 |
| Unattainable | The action is nearly impossible to achieve for most people. | +3 |
For example, an adventurer with Adventuring d8 wants to shoot an arrow into a small hall in a wall that is quite a distance away. The Coordinator evaluates the situation and determines it's a Brutal difficulty (DS +2). Therefore, the player now must roll a d12 to determine if they're successful in their action.
Another type of modifier is known as Result Shift (RS). These modifiers are used to alter the result of the action, as opposed to the chances of achieving it. The way these are applied is specified in different sections below, as they are applied due to diverse situations and items. A result shift is usually presented as RS (+/-)x, with x being the number of result shifts. For example, a negative result shift of 2 is presented as RS+2.
If the adventurer has specialized gear or equipment that can help with their actions, they will automatically gain RS -1 to their action result.
When your adventurer is trying to perform an action for which they have no knowledge, you will have to roll for success using the d20 die, and consult the table above.
In real life, combat consists of multiple actions taking place almost simultaneously. However, this is extremely difficult (if not impossible) to achieve in a tabletop game. Therefore, we will slice time and movement using a system composed of rounds and turns, with the order of events set through initiative.
At the start of combat, all players will roll a die as specified in the following table:
| Factor | Die |
|---|---|
| No armor | d6 |
| Leather/padded armor | d8 |
| Mail armor | d10 |
| Plate armor | d12 |
| Heavily encumbered | DS +1 |
If a participant is carrying a lot of weight or a bulky item, they will bump up their die to the next higher value. For example, the player of a fighter wearing leather armor that is carrying a backpack fully stuffed to the top with coins will roll a d10 for their initiative instead of a d8. The Coordinator must be reasonable and fair when determining this.
The Coordinator will roll initiative for each monster group, although they can choose to roll initiative for each opponent if they wish to (usually if there are only no more than eight monsters overall). For humanoid opponents, use the same table as for adventurers to determine the initiative die. Monsters and beasts will have their own die as determined in their description.
The acting order for all battle participants is established by the roll results in ascending order; the lowest roll starts first, and the order continues from there. In the case of a tie between adventurers, the players choose who goes first. If the tie is between a player and any of the Coordinator's group of enemies, the player will go first. The Coordinator must annotate the initiative order for reference.
Once the initiative is set, combat begins! This is the start of the round, which encompasses all the plays by all participants. Each player will perform actions in their turn, as set by the initiative order.
If able to do so, combat participants can move before or after their attack. They can also choose to not move at all. Normally, an adventurer will move within Close range and no more than that unless there is some sort of enhancement (magical, for example). Monsters and creatures will have their own maximum movement range as determined in their description.
To perform an attack, the base roll will be the adventurer die, or d20 if it is an entity with no fighting abilities. However, this can change depending on the dice value gap between them, as shown below. To find the dice shift, first look up the attacker's die used for combat (for adventurers, the adventurer profession die), and then look down the left column and find the target's fighting die. The intersecting value will be the dice shift that will be applied for the attack.
| Attacker Die | d4 | d6 | d8 | d10 | d12 | d20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| d4 | d4 | d4 | d4 | d4 | d4 | d4 |
| d6 | d8 | d6 | d4 | d4 | d4 | d4 |
| d8 | d12 | d10 | d8 | d6 | d4 | d4 |
| d10 | d20 | d20 | d12 | d10 | d8 | d6 |
| d12 | d20 | d20 | d20 | d20 | d12 | d10 |
| d20 | d20 | d20 | d20 | d20 | d20 | d20 |
As an example: a character with a d8 for his adventurer profession fighting an opponent that has a fighting skill of d6 would have a DS +1 on their roll, so they need to use a d10. On the other hand, if the same adventurer was fighting an opponent that uses a d12 for combat, they would have a DS -2, so they would use a d4 for the attack.
Based on the final result of a successful attack roll, certain combat effects will be applied to the target based on the type of attack and/or action performed by the attacker.
| Roll Result | Blunt Weapon | Edged Weapon | Missile | Grappling | Charging |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stun | Kill | Kill | Hold | Stun |
| 2 | Slam | Stun | Bullseye | Partial | Slam |
| 3 | Hit | Hit | Hit | Miss | Hit |
This result allows the attacker to determine the precise place where the missile attack hits.
An opponent that has been hit will
Grapples the opponent holding them immobile.
The opponent must roll their Adventurer die. On a roll or 4+, the opponent dies immediately, otherwise they remain unconscious until healed by medicine or magical means.
The opponent is moved one zone away, cannot act on the next round.
The opponent needs to roll their Adventurer die, and remain stunned, unable to act, for that number of rounds.
The player controlling the attacker has the option to choose a less harmful effect to be applied to their target. For example, they might have rolled a 1 with a edged weapon, but might instead choose to stun their opponent.
Every time a combatant is hit by a successful attack, they will add DS +1 to all their actions, up to a maximum dice shift to d20.
Your adventurer needs to be equipped for the dangers they will face exploring the unknown! Make sure to give your character gear that matches their professions and style.
There are tww types of weapons: regular, and military. Military weapons provide -1 DS, increasing the chances of a successful attack against an opponent. They can only be used by those who have a profession that relates to the military or other similar experience, like a soldier or a knight.
| Weapon type | Result Shift |
|---|---|
| No Weapon | +1 |
| Regular | 0 |
| Military | -1 |
Missile and thrown weapons have another characteristic: range. This indicates the farthest reach for that weapon when it is used. There are five ranges.
| Range | Distance |
|---|---|
| Immediate (I) | 5 ft/2 m |
| Close (C) | 25 ft/8 m |
| Nearby (N) | 50 ft/15 m |
| Far (F) | 100 ft/30 m |
| Distant (D) | 200 ft/60 m |
| Weapon | Military | Range | 2H |
|---|---|---|---|
| Battle axe | Yes | -- | -- |
| Bow | No | D | X |
| Crossbow | Yes | F | X |
| Dagger | No | C | -- |
| Hammer | No | I | -- |
| Hand axe | No | C | -- |
| Long sword | Yes | -- | -- |
| Mace | No | -- | -- |
| Sling | No | F | -- |
| Short sword | No | -- | -- |
| Two-handed sword | Yes | -- | X |
| Warhammer | Yes | -- | -- |
Weapons marked as two-handed (2H) cannot be used simultaneously with a shield.
Your adventurer can wear armor to protect them from physical damage. Similar to weapons, armor is available in light, medium, and heavy types, and only adventurers with a profession that provides extensive combat training can wear heavy armor. Armor protects by applying a positive dice shift to the attacker's roll result. For example, if the attacker rolls a 2 while using a sword, and the target has medium armor, the result shifts from Stun to Hit.
| Armor | Result Shift |
|---|---|
| No armor | -1 |
| Light (padded, leather) | 0 |
| Medium (chainmail, scale mail) | +1 |
| Heavy (plate mail) | +2 |
| Shield (any size) | Add +1 |
In addition to weapons, your adventurer needs some gear that will keep them safe in their travels, as well as keeping them fed and hydrated. This includes items like rations, a waterskin, torches, a lamp, rope, and other items that can help on an adventure. Not having a required item for an action can prevent an adventurer in performing a certain action. Also, in some cases (as judged by the Coordinator), having the correct gear for an action will provide -1 DS to the roll.
Magic is a dedicated discipline, requiring the adventurer to dedicate one of their unique dice to magical powers. Casters manipulate the world's subtle energies, and the quality of the die reflects the caster's inherent talent and control.
Casting a spell is an **Action** that requires a roll of the adventurer's Magic die. The success of the casting determines the quality and reliability of the spell's effect.
The difficulty of the spell is set by the Coordinator using a Dice Shift (DS), which is applied in addition to any existing fatigue (see Harmonic Fray below).
| Roll Result | Success Type | Spell Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Critical Harmony | The spell excels. The player gains the intended effect plus they can ask for an additional, related Critical Success effect, OR they can apply a negative Result Shift ($RS-1$) to the spell's target. |
| 2 | Full Weave | The spell succeeds as intended by the player, delivering its full, reliable effect. |
| 3 | Tangled Thread | The spell succeeds, but barely. A negative side effect happens (as per Near Failure), AND the spell's magnitude is reduced (e.g., half damage, effect lasts for half the time, fewer targets). |
| 4+ | Broken Pattern | The spell fails entirely. A greater magical side effect or a significant, lasting personal cost (fatigue, temporary loss of focus) occurs at the Coordinator's discretion. |
Successfully weaving magic places a strain on the caster's mind and body. This strain is represented by a temporary, cumulative Dice Shift (DS) penalty applied to all subsequent casting attempts.
The only way to clear the Harmonic Fray is by taking the dedicated Weave Reset action. This action takes up a full turn, and uses the adventurer's base Magic die.
| Roll Result | Action Success Type | Effect on Harmonic Fray |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Critical Success | Clear all Harmonic Fray (DS+0). The Critical Success bonus allows the caster to apply a negative Result Shift (RS-1) to their next spell action. |
| 2 | Success | Reduce Harmonic Fray by DS-2. (Fray DS+1 is cleared to DS+0). |
| 3 | Near Failure | Reduce Harmonic Fray by DS-1. A negative side effect happens (e.g., they lose their concentration and cannot act on their next turn). |
| 4+ | Failure | No change to Harmonic Fray. They suffer a **positive Result Shift (RS+1)** on their next action, magic or otherwise. |
Adventurers can choose between reliable, practiced spells (**Core Spells**) or attempting unique, taxing feats of improvisation (**The Art of Weaving**).
These are reliable, practiced spells with a fixed effect and strain cost. The list below is a template; specific effects should be defined by the game.
| Spell Name | Effect Type | Casting Difficulty (Base $DS$) | Fray Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dazzle | Utility/Support | Average ($DS+0$) | $DS+1$ Fray |
| Arcane Dart | Direct Offense | Difficult ($DS+1$) | $DS+1$ Fray |
| Shielding Ward | Defense | Difficult ($DS+1$) | $DS+2$ Fray |
| [Specific list of 5-10 fundamental spells] |
To attempt a custom spell, the adventurer declares their **Intent** and the desired **Scale**. The Coordinator immediately sets the difficulty and Fray Cost based on the table below.
| Scale Declared | Casting Difficulty (Base $DS$) | Fray Cost | Example Intention |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subtle | Average ($DS+0$) | $DS+1$ Fray | Create a spark; make a voice echo; minor $RS-1$ on an ally's check. |
| Focus | Difficult ($DS+1$) | $DS+2$ Fray | Direct damage; manipulate a moderate object; major $RS-2$ on a check. |
| Dominant | Brutal ($DS+2$) | $DS+3$ Fray | Area-of-effect damage; teleport a short distance; major environmental change. |
In this fantasy world, strange creatures and monsters can be found lurking anywhere... Yes, even in the basement of the inn you are staying at! Some creatures are friendly, many are neutral, and others are vicious and evil.
Creatures work quite similarly to adventurers in terms of game mechanics.
Here are some examples:
