The Drifting Saga Based off of the Storytelling System

used by White Wolf’s various

An indie tabletop RPG system
tabletop roleplaying games
Written by Joseph Maxwell
(Vampire: the Masquerade, etc.), the
base mechanic of The Drifting Saga
Table of Contents
is to try and beat an opposing
1. Ability Scores…1
number of successes or a target
2. The Base Mechanic…1
number (TN).
3. Character Creation…2
4. Races: A Primer…2
All skills have a corresponding
5. Character Fluff…3
ability score as well as a number of
6. Skills…4
ranks; both ability scores and skills
7. Archetypes…7
can have a maximum of 5 ranks.
8. Weapons and Armor…8
9. Gear
Each rank in a skill plus its
10. Combat
corresponding ability score results in
11. Magic
the number of 10-sided dice being
rolled (i.e. someone with a Strength
1. Ability Scores
rank of 2 and a skill that uses
Strength is a measurement of a
Strength with 3 ranks would roll
character’s raw physical might.
5d10).
Endurance is a measurement of a
In order to ‘win’ at an opposed roll,
character’s physical hardiness and
each person participating in the
stamina.
opposed roll must beat the others’
number of ‘successes’. Each success
Intellect is a measurement of a
is equal to a 6~10 on the d10 (a 50%
character’s raw mental capabilities and
chance per die).
ability to learn new things.
If a character gains more ‘failures’
Wisdom is a measurement of a
(1~5 on the d10) than successes,
character’s ability to apply knowledge
something bad is bound to happen;
learned as well as their common sense.
this is called a ‘Critical Failure’. The
number of failures must exceed half
Agility is a measurement of a
the dice rolled rounded up (for
character’s raw alacrity, be it
instance, rolling 4 failures with 5
reflexes, footwork, or dexterity.
dice will result in a Critical Failure).
What happens is up to the Game
Prowess is a measurement of a
Master (GM), but it’s almost always
character’s accuracy and skill when
sure to be bad.
their speed is applied.
On the other hand, every time a
Charisma is a measurement of a
character rolls a 10 on their d10s,
character’s social abilities as well as
they gain something called a ‘Boost’.
their force of personality.
For each 10 rolled in an initial roll,
another d10 is rolled after (i.e.
2. The Base Mechanic
rolling a pair of 10s results in rolling
an extra 2d10 after your initial roll).
Any successes gained in the
additional roll are then added on to
existing successes.
If all parties involved in an opposed
roll tie in a number of successes,
nothing happens. Whoever rolls
more successes, however, will have
their chosen effect work. (For
instance, someone who gets more
successes while attacking hits their
target, but one who fails has their
attack successfully avoided).
3. Character Creation
In order to create a character, a
player must do the following:
• Think of a character concept
• Assign a character’s ‘fluff’
(things that do not pertain to
stats but are necessary, such
as height, weight,
appearance, etc.)
• Assign a character’s ability
scores; each player has 7
points which they may assign
to a character’s scores, but no
ability score may exceed a
rank of 3 during creation. All
ability scores already start
with a rank of 1.
• Assign a character’s skills;
each character has 30 points
to invest in skills, but they
are not allowed to have any a
higher rank in any skill than 3
during creation. All skills
start at a rank of 0.
• Purchase a character’s
equipment; each character
has 50 silver to buy items
with.
• If applicable, assign a
character’s beginning magic:
each character that has at
least 3 ranks in Wisdom and
at least 1 rank in a magic-
related skill can use magic. A
character starts with two
spells upon creation to use
from that category equal to
their ranks (i.e. a character
cannot choose a Level 3 spell
from a desired magic ‘school’
if they only have 2 ranks in
that school’s skill).
• Write a brief back story about
your character’s past.
• Submit the character for
approval.
• When the character is
approved, play!
All players are allowed to play up to
three characters; an exception applies to
staff members, who can play various
NPCs (Non-Player Characters) in
addition to their own three PCs (Player
Characters).
4. Races: A Primer
All races are mostly cosmetic, but start
with a free rank in one chosen ability
score from their description as well as a
special ability. Below is a brief
description of each.
Humans are pretty darn obvious;
just look in a mirror and you’ll know
what one is. They are to be found
just about anywhere, and are the
most common race on Terrestria.
They start with a bonus to any two
chosen ability scores. Because they
gain two ranks in any chosen ability
scores instead of one, they do not
possess special racial effects.
Elves are lithe, wise humanoids with
pointy ears who hail from the forests
 of Terrestria, lovers of the arts as
well as lovers of knowledge. They
start with a bonus to either Agility or
Wisdom. They also gain an
additional d10 to try and resist sleep-
inducing effects.
Dwarves are short, stout humanoids,
with males oft possessing long,
rugged beards. They hail mainly
from mountainous regions, and are
hard at work but even harder at play.
They start with a bonus to either
Strength or Prowess. They also gain
an additional d10 to try and resist
poison-based effects.
Hobbits are your typical Tolkien
variety; short peoples of habit with
hairy feet. They are typically found
in hilly plains. They start with a
bonus to either Prowess or Charisma.
They also gain an additional d10 roll
to any and all Resolve skill
challenges, regardless of ranks in
Resolve.
Gnomes are similar to hobbits, being
short folk. However, they are skilled
machinists and are more willing to
adventure than your average hobbit. Like
hobbits, they are usually found in hilly
plains. They start with a bonus to either
Endurance or Intellect. They also gain an
additional d10 roll to any and all Use
Device skill challenges, regardless of
ranks in Use Device.
Nereids are a race of sea nymphs,
mostly female, that are able to reproduce
with any race to form children of either
their partner’s race or more nereids.
They are commonly found in port cities
on islands, or other areas close to large
bodies of water, and are very
interdependent, if not lusty, folk. They
start with a bonus to either Intellect or
Charisma. They also gain an additional
d10 roll to any and all Diplomacy skill
challenges, regardless of ranks in
Diplomacy.
Lizardmen are essentially humanoids
that resemble ancient dinosaurs, most
commonly raptors and tyrannosaurs.
They are usually to be found in badlands
and savannahs, and are on the whole a
tribal race. They start with a bonus to
either Strength or Intellect. They also
gain an additional d10 to try and resist
disease-based effects.
Felixians are humanoids with traits
of big cats, mainly tigers; for a good
example of their appearance, look up
the character Tigra from Marvel
Comics. They are usually found in
rainforests and jungles, and are
typically self-reliant. They start with
a bonus to either Agility or
Charisma. They also gain an
additional d10 roll to any and all
Fortitude skill challenges, regardless
of ranks in Fortitude.
Vulpines are essentially humanoids that
resemble the foxes, either the red fox or
the arctic fox. They, like elves, can oft
be located in forests, and are wise people
skilled at the ancient ways of magic.
They start with a bonus to either Intellect
or Prowess. They also fain an additional
d10 roll to any and all rolls in one
magic-related skill, chosen upon
character creation, regardless of ranks in
the chosen skill.
5. Character Fluff
Character fluff includes:
• Height
• Weight
 • Age
• Hair Color
• Hair Style
• Eye Color
• Clothing
• Morality (good, neutral or evil)
• Ethics (lawful, neutral or chaotic)
• Patron deity (see ‘The World: A
Primer’ section)
• Anything else you see fit (with
reason)
6. Skills
Each skill is as follows: its name, the
ability score associated with it (in
parentheses), and a brief description of
what it is used for. They are subdivided
into a few different categories, each
category written in italics.
Survival Skills
• Forage (Wisdom) - Allows one
to forage for food. Opposes a
TN.
• Tracking (Wisdom) – Allows one
to follow footprints or otherwise
locate a creature in the
wilderness. Opposes a TN.
• Geography (Intellect) – Allows
one to have an understanding of
their surroundings when out in
nature. Opposes a TN.
• Notice (Wisdom) – Allows one
to perceive something that is
usually not noticeable. Opposes
the Dexterity skill (in the case of
avoiding being pick pocketed),
the Notice skill, or a TN.
Knowledge Skills
• Gather Information (Intellect)
– Allows one to gather
information on a subject.
Opposes a TN.
• Supernatural (Intellect) –
Allows one to recall
information learned regarding
magic and monsters. Opposes
a TN.
• Machinery (Intellect) –
Allows one to recall
information learned regarding
the inner workings of modern
machines. Opposes a TN.
• Streetwise (Intellect) -
Allows one to recall
information learned regarding
rumors, urban legends, and
well-known local peoples.
Opposes a TN.
• Religion (Intellect) - Allows
one to recall information
learned regarding religious
rites, rituals, myths, and
legends. Opposes a TN.
• Legends (Intellect) - Allows
one to recall information
learned regarding ancient,
non-religious tales and
legends. Opposes a TN.
Social Skills
• Diplomacy (Charisma) – Allows
one to speak and act
diplomatically to alter the
attitude of an NPC or to convince
them to do something. Opposes
the Determination skill.
• Threaten (Charisma) – Allows
one to threaten an NPC into
doing something against their
will. Opposes the Determination
skill.
• Deception (Charisma) – Allows
one to successfully deceive
someone through a bluff or by
lying. Opposes the Discern Lies
skill.
• Determination (Charisma) –
Allows one to stand their ground
 and not waver in their actions or
opinions, regardless of another’s
attempts to change them.
Opposes the Diplomacy (and
Threaten skills.
• Disguise (Charisma) – Allows
one to assume another person’s
ways, thus disguising their true
identity. Opposes the Discern
Lies or Perception skills, based
off of the GM’s discretion.
Perception Skills
• Discern Lies (Charisma) –
Allows one to realize untruths
being told to them. Opposes the
Deception and Disguise skill (the
latter at the GM’s discretion).
• Locate (Wisdom) – Allows one
to locate something out of plain
sight or a hiding being. Opposes
a TN or the Stealth skill
respectively.
• Listen (Wisdom) – Allows one to
understand their surroundings
through subtle noises, or to
eavesdrop on whispered
conversations. Opposes a TN.
Deftness Skills
• Lock-picking (Prowess) –
Allows one to successfully pick
open a lock. Opposes a TN.
• Medical (Wisdom or Prowess;
see text) – Allows one to either
diagnose an illness and to treat
illnesses or injuries (treating
injuries is based off of Prowess).
Opposes a TN.
• Repair (Prowess) – Allows one
to repair a device of some sort.
Opposes a TN.
• Disarm Trap (Prowess) – Allows
one to successfully disarm a
trap’s mechanics. Opposes a TN.
• Acrobatics (Prowess) – Allows
one to maintain or regain
balance, jump skillfully, or
otherwise employ poise. Opposes
a TN.
• Athletics (Strength or Endurance
at GM’s discretion) – Allows one
to swim, climb, run or otherwise
perform a task that requires
physical strength and hardiness.
Opposes a TN.
• Dexterity (Prowess) – Allows
one to perform sleight of hand, to
pickpocket without being
noticed, or to escape bonds.
Opposes the Notice skill (in the
case of pick pocketing) or a TN.
• Stealth (Prowess) – Allows one
to move silently, hide, or
otherwise avoid being noticed.
Opposes the Notice skill (for
stealthy movement) or the Locate
skill (for hiding).
• Use Device (Prowess) – Allows
one to use a special device,
mechanical or magical, with
ease. Opposes a TN.
Offense Skills
• Swordplay (Prowess) –
Allows one to strike
successfully with a bladed
weapon such as a sword or
dagger. Opposes the Dodge
skill.
• Cudgel (Strength) – Allows
one to strike successfully
with a top-heavy weapon
such as an axe or mace.
Opposes the Dodge skill.
• Marksmanship (Prowess) –
Allows one to strike
successfully with a ranged
weapon such as a bow or
crossbow. Opposes the
Dodge skill.
 • Polearms (Prowess) – Allows
one to strike successfully
with a long shafted weapon
such as a spear or a staff.
Opposes the Dodge skill.
• Hand to Hand (Agility) –
Allows one to strike
successfully with either a
hand to hand weapon such as
a steel claw, or with unarmed
strikes. Opposes the Dodge
skill.
Defense Skills
• Dodge (Agility) – Allows one to
avoid a physical attack or
projectile-based spell. Opposes
the Swordplay, Cudgel,
Marksmanship, Polearms and
Hand to Hand skills or an
opponent’s magic skill as
appropriate.
• Fortitude (Endurance) – Allows
one to shrug off harmful physical
effects, such as fatigue or
poisons. Opposes a TN.
• Resolve (Intellect or Charisma,
depending on effect) – Allows
one to shrug off harmful magical
effects, usually as an opponent’s
spell. Opposes an opponent’s
magic skill as appropriate.
Magic Skills
• Evocation (Wisdom) – Allows
one to call forth the power of the
elements through magic.
• Protection (Wisdom) – Allows
one to call forth magic which
protects life.
• Conjuration (Intellect) – Allows
one to call forth magic which
summons forces or beings.
• Necromancy (Intellect) – Allows
one to use magic that unleashes
the power of unlife.
• Illusion (Charisma) – Allows one
to use magic that alters the
senses.
• Transmutation (Charisma) –
Allows one to use magic that
alters the physical properties of
something.
Life Skills
• Instrumental (Prowess) – Allows
one to successfully play an
instrument to a certain degree of
skill. Opposes a TN.
• Sing (Charisma) – Allows one to
successfully sing a song to a
certain degree of skill. Opposes a
TN.
• Brewing (Intellect) – Allows one
to successfully brew drinks or
magical potions. Opposes a TN.
• Construction (Strength) – Allows
one to successfully build a stable
large object, from a campsite to a
small building. Opposes a TN.
• Woodworking (Prowess) –
Allows one to craft an object
from wood. Opposes a TN.
• Smith (Strength) – Allows one to
craft an object from metal.
Opposes a TN.
• Masonry (Strength) – Allows one
to craft something from stone.
Opposes a TN.
• Cooking (Intellect) – Allows one
to successfully prepare food.
Opposes a TN.
Example TNs
• Trivial task- 1 success
• Very easy task- 2 successes
• Easy task- 3 successes
• Somewhat easy task- 4 successes
• Moderate task- 5 successes
• Somewhat difficult task- 6
successes
 •
Difficult task- 7 successes
• Very difficult task- 8 successes
• Heroic task- 9 successes
• Superhuman task- 10 successes
7. Archetypes
An archetype, in tabletop RPGs, is a
term used to describe character plans
used to provide examples in RPGs that
don’t have a class system. Below are a
few examples of archetypes for The
Drifting Saga. Note that all archetypes’
skills are set to a rank of 2.
Warriors are skilled weapon
fighters, whether they are soldiers,
mercenaries or other types of combat
specialists.
Skills: Tracking, Gather
Information, Streetwise, Threaten,
Determination, Locate, Medical,
Repair, Athletics, (Swordplay,
Cudgel or Polearms),
Marksmanship, Dodge, Fortitude,
Smith, and Masonry.
Rogues are specialists in terms of
practical skills, especially ones
associated with larceny.
Skills: Tracking, Notice, Gather
Information, Streetwise, Diplomacy,
Deception, Discern Lies, Locate,
Listen, Lock-picking, Disarm Trap,
Dexterity, Stealth, (Swordplay,
Marksmanship, or Hand to Hand),
and Dodge.
Wizards are talented at using
various types of magic, and are oft
wise beyond their years as well.
Skills: Forage, Gather Information,
Supernatural, Religion, Legends,
Determination, Discern Lies, Use
Device, Polearms, Resolve,
Evocation, Conjuration, Illusion,
Transmutation, and Brewing.
Druids are one with the spirits of
nature, capable of communing with
them to evoke their magic.
Skills: Forage, Geography, Notice,
Supernatural, Religion, Locate,
Listen, Medical, (Cudgel,
Marksmanship or Polearms)
Fortitude, Resolve, Evocation,
Protection, Transmutation, and
Woodworking.
Scholars, while not pure warriors or
spell users, dabble in various talents
that prove useful while adventuring.
Skills: Geography, Notice, Gather
Information, Supernatural,
Machinery, Legends, Diplomacy,
Deception, Discern Lies, Lock-
picking, Medical, Disarm Trap,
(Cudgel, Polearms or Hand to
Hand), (Evocation, Protection,
Conjuration, or Illusion), and
Brewing.
Bards are traveling minstrels, well-
versed in lore and talented at various
aspects of adventuring and urban
life.
Skills: Notice, Gather Information,
Streetwise, Legends, Diplomacy,
Threaten, Deception, Determination,
Disguise, Lock-picking, Acrobatics,
Dexterity, (Swordplay or
Marksmanship), Illusion, and
(Instrumental or Sing).
Yojimbo are traveling warriors of
the Far East, so named due to their
common profession as bodyguards.
Skills: Tracking, Notice, Diplomacy,
Threaten, Determination, Locate,
Listen, Medical, Athletics,
Swordplay, (Marksmanship or
Polearms), Hand to Hand, Dodge,
Fortitude, and Resolve.

Assassins are hired killers, capable
of stalking their quarry and striking
them dead without detection.
Skills: Forage, Tracking, Notice,
Gather Information, Diplomacy,
Deception, Disguise, Locate, Listen,
Lock-picking, Acrobatics, Athletics,
Marksmanship, Hand to Hand, and
Dodge.
Warlocks dabble in the darker arts
of magic, sometimes consorting with
evil spirits to learn their spells.
Skills: Supernatural, Legends,
Gather Information, Threaten,
Deception, Determination, Use
Device, Locate, Cudgel, Polearms,
Evocation, Conjuration,
Necromancy, Transmutation, and
Brewing.
Seekers are those who seek
perfection of body, mind and spirit,
and are adept at various adventuring
skills.
Skills: Forage, Notice, Supernatural,
Religion, Legends, Diplomacy,
Discern Lies, Locate, Listen,
Medical, Dexterity, (Swordplay,
Cudgel, Marksmanship or
Polearms), Hand to Hand, Dodge,
and (Fortitude or Resolve).
8. Weapons and Armor
Before listing the weapons and
armor of The Drifting Saga, I find it
important to list how they even work
to begin with.
A weapon’s ‘damage dice’ means,
after succeeding against a target’s
defense skill, the number of dice you
roll afterward. The number of
successes rolled equal the amount of
HP damage you cause to a target
(more about HP in the combat
section). Spells that cause HP
damage also will have a similar
damage dice listing.
Armor, as you would expect, helps
protect one from damage taken. If it
is worn, a character taking damage
will then have their own ‘armor dice’
that they roll, which works akin to
damage dice. The number of
successes rolled out of the armor
dice reduces the number of successes
an opponent gets on his or her
damage dice, and the resulting
difference is equal to damage caused
to the defender. Note that the
damaged received cannot go any
lower than zero points.
For instance, say a character is struck
with a long sword. The long sword
has damage dice equal to Strength or
Agility +2 (meaning the dice rolled
are equal to the user’s Strength or
Agility rank, whichever is greater,
plus 2). Say the character being
attacked is wearing leather armor,
which has armor dice equal to one’s
Agility +1.
The attacker’s total damage dice is,
in this example, 4 (2 from his sword,
plus 2 from his Strength as his
Agility is a 1), and the defender’s
total armor dice is also 4 (3 coming
from Agility and 1 from the armor).
If the attacker was to roll 2 successes
and the defender was to roll 1
success, the defender would only
take 1 point of damage from the
difference.
Finally, a shield will increase the
user’s Dodge roll by a number of
dice equal to the shield’s Dodge
 bonus. Note however that a shield
cannot be used in conjunction with
two weapons or a two-handed
weapon.
With weapons and armor’s
mechanics explained, it’s time to
present the weapons and armors
themselves. The format for each item
is as follows: their name first (with
‘[2H]’ in a weapon’s name to note it
is purely two-handed), followed by
damage dice and damage type in
parentheses (for weapons), armor
dice (for armor), or Dodge bonus
(for shields), and then finally their
price.
It should be noted that weapons are
armor are categorized. Weapons are
categorized by the skill associated
with their attack rolls (opposed by a
defense skill to determine whether or
not damage can be potentially
caused). Armor is categorized by its
armor type: light, medium, or heavy
(more on those a bit later in this
section).
Weapons
Swordplay
• Fighting knife- Strength or
Agility (Slash or pierce)- 1
silver
• Short sword (Slash or
pierce)- Strength +1- 5 silver
• Long sword (Slash or pierce)-
Strength or Agility +2- 7
silver
• Rapier (Pierce)- Agility +1- 5
silver
• Great sword (Slash or
pierce)- Strength or Agility
+3- 12 silver
Cudgel
• Club- Strength (Bludgeon)- 1
silver
• Mace- Strength +1 (Bludgeon)- 4
silver
• War hammer- Strength +2
(Bludgeon)- 9 silver
• Morning star- Strength +2
(Bludgeon and pierce)- 12 silver
• Maul- Strength +3 (Bludgeon)-
15 silver
• Hatchet- Strength +1 (Slash)- 3
silver
• Battle axe- Strength +2 (Slash)- 7
silver
• Great axe- Strength +3 (Slash)-
12 silver
Marksmanship
(Note: Ammunition is used up upon a
successful attack; single weapons such
as throwing knives are also considered
ammunition in addition to arrows and
bolts)
(Note 2: Marksmanship weapons have
reach; see the combat section for more
information)
• Bow- Prowess +1 (Pierce)- 6
silver (1 silver for 10 arrows)
• Crossbow- Prowess +2 (Pierce)-
12 silver (1 silver for 5 bolts)
• Throwing knife- Prowess
(Pierce)- 1 silver for two knives
Polearms
(Note: Polearms weapons have reach;
see the combat section for more
information)
• Staff- Strength or Prowess
(Bludgeon)- 2 silver
• Spear- Strength or Prowess +1
(Pierce)- 4 silver
• Partisan- Strength or Prowess +2
(Pierce)- 8 silver
• Halberd- Strength +2 (Slash or
pierce)- 10 silver

Hand to Hand
(Note: Hand to Hand weapons, with the
exception of the claw strike, can stun a
foe; see the combat section for more
information)
(Note 2: Only lizardmen, felixians,
vulpines and some monster can use a
claw strike)
• Unarmed strike- ½ Strength,
Agility or Prowess rounded up
(Bludgeon)- n/a
• Claw strike- ½ Strength, Agility
or Prowess rounded up (Slash)-
n/a
• Steel Claws- Strength, Agility or
Prowess +1 (Slash or pierce)- 6
silver
• Knuckle dusters- Strength,
Agility or Prowess (Bludgeon)- 3
silver
Armor
Light Armor
• Cloth armor- Agility- 2 silver
• Leather armor- Agility +1- 5
silver
• Buckler- +1 to Dodge- 4 silver
Medium Armor
• Chainmail- Agility or Endurance
+1- 15 silver
• Steel cuirass- Agility or
Endurance +2- 22 silver
• Brigandine- Agility or Endurance
+3- 30 silver
• Shield- +2 to Dodge- 8 silver
Heavy Armor
• Banded armor- Endurance
+4- 45 silver
• Full plate armor- Endurance
+5- 70 silver
With weapons and armors explained, it
should be noted that one should not
immediately jump into using the
heaviest of armors that they can. The
heavier the armor category, the more
certain skills will be hampered by it. As
such, the number of dice rolled when
doing a skill challenge will decrease if
the armor is worn.
Below will be the penalties applied to
various skills by armor, categorized by
armor types. Medium armor lowers these
skills’ rolls by 1 die, and heavy armor
lowers the rolls by 2 dice:
• Lock-picking
• Acrobatics
• Athletics (when swimming)
• Stealth
• Dodge
• Evocation (due to arcane gestures
needed to cast this type of magic)
• Conjuration (due to arcane
gestures needed to cast this type
of magic)
9. Gear
Miscellaneous items, useful for both
adventuring and urban living, are listed
here by their names followed by their
price. Tools’ effects will be listed in
parentheses after their price.