OVERVIEW
HURSAGMU is a roleplaying game set in a young world of swords, sorcery, gods, gateways, aliens, monsters, and horrors.
A player character (PC) is described by traits, damage metrics, and gifts. Traits represent both inherent qualities, such as strength or intellect, and learned abilities. Damage metrics measure the harm done to a person's body or mind. Gifts are special abilities that cannot be learned.
Players begin the game with a number of character points. These are used to build the player's in-game persona. The number is chosen by the game master (known hereafter as "The Master") based on how powerful He wishes for beginning characters to be. The Master may limit the maximum level of beginning traits to prevent one-trick characters.
As characters adventure, The Master may occasionally give out experience points for their actions, usually at the end of a game session or three. Experience points may be used to increase traits. They can also be used to obtain gifts if the player has a good explanation. This allows characters to grow more powerful over time.
More about character generation can be found in the following chapters.
The Trait Roll
Central to the rules of the game is the trait roll. All important actions are resolved with a trait roll; the same roll is used whether one is building a table, picking a lock, swinging a sword, or casting a spell. Here it is, the fundamental mechanic of the game:
| 2d6 + Trait |
|---|
Roll a pair of six-sided dice, add them together, and add the result to the character's trait level. High rolls are always better than low rolls.
All trait checks in the game are performed as opposed rolls: if two characters are in conflict, both roll their appropriate traits as indicated above. The higher roll wins. Ties may mean equal success or a meager success for one of the opponents, depending on the situation.
If one is trying to perform a task unopposed, The Master must assign a challenge level. This number is then rolled against the acting character as if it were a trait.
The difference between the result of the winner and that of the loser is the degree of success (known hereafter as the Dos). This number represents the quality of the action. A Dos of 1 is a fair success; a Dos of 15 is incredible.
If a situation does not require a roll (because succeeding is trivial), then the character's trait level is the Dos.
Challenge Levels
The following table should give The Master some guidance on assigning challenge levels.
| Task Difficulty | Challenge Level |
|---|---|
| Fair | 0 |
| Moderate | 5 |
| Great | 10 |
| Incredible | 15 |
| Inconceivable | 20 |
The numbers above assume that the character has the necessary tools for the job in question - i.e., if a thief is trying to pick a lock, then he is using a standard lockpick. If the thief was trying to pick a lock with something nonstandard, like a dagger, then The Master should assign a penalty (make the challenge level higher). If the character has an exceptional set of tools at his disposal, then he should receive a bonus (or a lower challenge number).
The numbers also assume that the character is taking a normal amount of time to perform the task. What this amount is depends upon the task - perhaps six seconds for picking a lock or six days for smithing a weapon. The Master may assign bonuses for extra time taken or penalties for rushed work. He may lower the challenge level if the character takes more time than is necessary, or may raise it if the character tries to rush. Most of the time, this should be -2 to the trait roll per halving of the required time and +2 to the trait roll per doubling (to a maximum of +10).
Example:Lanky the thief wants to pick a lock on a treasure chest. The lock quality is somewhere between average and good, so The Master decides to assign a challenge level of seven to the task.
Lanky has a Burglary level of eight. To make the attempt he rolls 2d6+8. The Master rolls 2d6+7. If Lanky's result is higher than The Master's, he succeeds in picking the lock.
If Lanky wants to be extra sure, he can take twice as much time to garner a +2 to his trait roll. Trying to pick the lock in one quarter of the usual time would give him a -4.
Example:
Juk the Barbarian wants to crush the skull of Lothar the Unlucky. Juk has a Fighting trait of seven. To attack, he rolls 2d6+7.
Lothar, not wanting to have his skull crushed, decides to dodge the attack. Lothar has a Defense trait of nine, so he rolls 2d6+9.
If Juk's roll is higher than Lothar's, the attack hits. If Lothar's roll is equal to or higher than Juk's, the attack misses (fighting is one case in which ties go to the defender).
If Juk gets a total of 17 and Lothar (the Unlucky) gets a total of 11, the attack hits with a Dos of 6 (a moderate success).
Conflict is handled by dividing time and space into discrete units. Time is measured in rounds; each round is six seconds in duration. Space is measured in spaces; each space is an area two yards/meters across.