Premise
A hopeful fantasy game reminiscent of The Lord of the Rings with a clear line between Good and Evil, and the theme of Hope winning over Doom.
Core Mechanics
Rolls are 1d100 + Modifiers. Success is determined by rolling 100.
Some rolls are “Open Ended,” where on certain results you roll again, and add or subtract the next result depending on. (96 and higher adds the next roll, 5 and lower subtracts.)
Character Creation
Stats – Randomly, by rolling on a chart; or by distributing 50 points, 5 at a time.
Kin and Culture – Modifies stats, and skills.
Vocation – Grants skill bonuses, and determines how many Development Points you get for different skill groups.
Backgrounds – Amount determined by Kin, grants various miscellaneous abilities and bonuses.
Passions – Things that your character cares about.
Derived Stats – Some final calculations.
What It Does Interestingly
Much of Against the Dark Lord’s scaling is linear, but has some curves and diminishing returns via charts. (E.g. Skill ranks 1~10 grant a +5 bonus, but 11~20 grant a +2.)
Charts indicate how Accuracy, Weapon Type, and Armor Type affect Damage.
Spells can become more effective when more turns are spent preparing them.
Max Result exists to put an end to absurdly high roll results and constantly rolling because of Open Ended Rolls.
Potential Pitfalls
Math can be counter-intuitive when it comes to DP, read skill improvement through DP carefully. (e.g. A skill can cost two DP for one rank, or one DP for two ranks, depending on different circumstances!)
Sections to Pay Attention To
Skill Difficulty Section lists the rating needed for a 50/50 chance of each Difficulty and Outcome.
Combat has different phases where actions are resolved. Enemies declare their actions, then players, and they’re resolved by that order.
Final Thoughts
Against the Dark Master doesn’t thematically tread any new territory, but it does make excellent use of math and mechanics to subvert expectations and make decisions meaningful.
