Games:Al-Kimya: The Last Role/avengium

Index of the book

• Cover 1
• credits 2
• index 3
• introduction 4
• Chapter 1: Core mechanics 5
  • Player character basics
  • Vital resources
  • Constant stats
  • Belongings
• Chapter 2: Vital reserves 8
  • Replenishing vital reserves 9
• Chapter 3: Gameplay progression 10
  • Character archetypes 12
  • Basic actions 12
  • Checking action success 13
  • Action difficulty 14
• Chapter 4: Building a character 15
  • Character build recommendations
  • Techniques and disciplines
  • Understanding modifiers
• Chapter 5: Combat and battle
• Chapter 6 o anexo: Advanced optional rules
  • Manifesting
  • Hidden Ur-demons
• ANNEX 4: Character Backgrounds
• ANNEX 5: Reactions
  • Standard reactions

Cred awarding recommendations Back cover

Secciones que faltan

• Ambientación
• Sección para el Director de Juego (con aventura jugable)
• Disciplinas
• Equipo
• Bestiario
• Tablas
• Hoja de personaje
• dado de 6 caras para D0-2

Introduction

In Al-kimya:The last Role (AK:TLR) You are one of the Ancients, a reality bender godlike entity of limitless power. However, your only way to access this power is to partially forget your identity and make a new one. Venture into one of countless Sub-Verses as a mortal being as you develop your character and gain credibility.

Danger can be anywhere

Amongst the Sub-Verses also walk the Ur-Demons, timeless beings of pure intellect, willing to gut the planes of reality in order to understand them, like a biologist at the dissecting table.

It is your choice to stop them as a Hero... or join them, and tear worlds and personalities asunder to see what makes them tick inside.

Endless adventure

Drift amongst the countless realities, pass from one universe to the other using the Convergence Zones, and cover up or reveal the terrible mystery at the core of the Multiverse. This choice is your Last Role.

How to play

To play Al-kimya:The last Role you need: This book you are reading At least two players (one of them will be the narrator or gamemaster) Dices or digital dice software. Can be D3 (three faces) or D6. A single dice is enough. Paper or something to write on.

The basic dynamic consists of: The GM narrates a scenario. The corresponding player narrates how he reacts to that scenario The GM narrates what happens next. If the character encounters an obstacle or conflict, dice are rolled to resolve it.

D3: Three sided dice

All the dice rolls in Al-Kimya: The Last Role are in the form of a d3 with three posibilities: 0 , 1 , 2. (so, a "d0-2") This means complete failure in your action is always naturally possible. However, the low number in the die restricts the possible values in a greater way than a D6. The average of this D3 roll is always 1 (0+1+2=3, 3/3=1), so it is easy to calculate the average effects of the roll. A D6 can be used in lieu of this "D0-2" if the sides are "relabeled". In this way: 1 and 6 correspond to 0 2 and 5 correspond to 1 3 and 4 correspond to 2 Note: The "D3s" can be made with basic papercraft. There is a printable six-sided die which is included and works as a D3s, henceforth also known as a D0-2.

Objectives

What is the objective of the game?

The goal of an AK:TLR game is to have fun living stories and discovering the many secrets inside the worlds of Al-kimia.

It is possible to lose?

Characters can die. Maybe a villain took control of the world, but if it was an entertaining game the players have won. You can make new characters and continue that game or start another one.

Chapter 1: Core mechanics

What Al-Kimya is

Al-Kimya: The Last Role is designed to be the most comprehensive role-playing game possible, capable of recreating almost all fantasy or science fiction worlds and disciplines with the least amount of mechanics and memorization. Al-Kimya: The Last Role has Cred points (Character Credibility), that can be spent in gaining base stat increases or learning Disciplines. In key points of the story or upon incredible feats, GameMasters can give extra Character Points by well-played characters so the players can increase the power of, and further customize, the characters. Characters may also acquire Items and Gear. These can be gained through quests, commerce, or created via certain Disciplines, though in most cases you will need Ingredients for it, the game's currency and crafting resource.

What Al-Kimya is not

Al-kimia: The Last Role is not a number crunching game, or a only-statistics game. Here credibility, well played characters and character depth is more important than stats. Al-kimia doesn't have character classes or levels (one may say... it's a classless society), though its Character Credibility or Cred and Disciplines (which tend to provide Techniques) fill those while remaining much more flexible and with simpler rules.

The theatre of life

As a player, your character is merely an Avatar of your unchanging status as an Ancient or Ur-Demon. As such, the immortal "you" don't really die when your character dies, and you can simply make a new one. Your entity will gain Character Credibility points (Cred) if you have credibly interpreted your character.

However, it is still punishing for you, as your new character will start with two less Credibility points (Cred), than your last character had when dying. If you peacefully retire your character before they die (becoming thus an NPC), this penalty is just one point. Retired characters can be re-taken later only if your current character dies or is retired.

You can read more of the in-game multiverse and lore in chapter ##.

Game master, narrator or storyteller

The player who narrates and directs the play can have many names. Game master is one of them. Playing Al-kimia with a Gamemaster or GM is the most frequent way to play the game, but it isn't the only one. The design allows for the players to decide the story and adventures collectively, taking all story decisions collaboratively by consensus. This should only be attempted at very harmonious tables, tho, lest the game descend into chaos by disagreements.

It is also possible to have a GM group and a player group, with the GMs discussing amongst themselves the details of game mastering, player and story progression. This can also be practical for distributing the (fairly light) workload for smoother gameplay, or interpreting multiple NPCs at a time. However, off-role discussions by multiple GMs in front of the players are discouraged as this dynamic will break the make-believe of the game.

PLAYER-CHARACTER BASICS

Characters in Al-Kimya: The Last Role have six (6) basic character stats. Of these, three (3) are spendable/replenishable "vital resources", and three are constant values representing the properties inherent to your character. The vital ones are HitPoints (HP), Stamina (St) and Synchrony (Sn). The constant ones are Physique, Occultism and Science.

When creating a character for the first time in a game, players have twelve (12) Character Credibility points (12 creds) to assign to their characters as they best like. Each Character Cred Point can be assigned to increase a Basic Stat by one (+1), to start with two (2) additional Ingredients (the base number of Ingredients is zero (0)!), to buy starting Items or Gear, or to unlock Disciplines that enable special powers (and have a variable number of Point costs). They are explained as follows:

Vital resources

Every character has at least two points of each, called “base points”, a character loses consciousness with only one point remaining, and dies when there are no base points.

• HitPoints (HP)

Your character's physical body state. The more HP, the more damage you can take.

• Stamina (St)

Your character's physical energy state. This allows you to make physical actions and depletes with extenuation.

• Synchrony (Sn)

Your soulforce and preternatural power reserve. It's used on mystical abilities.

Constant stats

The starting value of a constant stat is zero, with any points in them being considered worthy of a relatively exceptional being. They usually can't be depleted, nor do they have to be recovered.

• Physique (Phy)

This represents how strong and fast your character is. Basically it determines how fast you can run, how fast you can jump, and how much weight you can push or lift.

• Occultism (Ocu)

This represents how much your character has dabbed on the occult arts, iniciatic rituals, and arcane manuscripts. It carries a sense of non-experimental, seemingly inconsistent, non-reproducible obscure knowledge of the world.

• Science (Sci)

Unlike Occultism, this knowledge is publicly reviewed, well researched, available to examine and able to be tested many times and the results compared for consistency if necessary.

Constant values are the most important to use Disciplines. For example, the Swimming discipline costs 1 point and uses Physique to calculate movement in water. Other Physique-related disciplines are Martial Arts, long-distance running, Longbow use, and Acrobatics. The Occultism stat is used by such disciplines as Alchemy, Elementalism, Psychokinesis, Spiritism and Magic. These tend to use different resources from each other, to differing effects. The Science stat is used when dealing with technology (including computers), mechanisms such as locks and traps, or mundane knowledge, such as identifying non-occult rocks, plants and animals. It can also be combined with disciplines such as Hacking, Geology and Astrometrics (good for piloting starships).

Belongings

In addition to the six character stats, characters have Belongings, things they carry with them in an adventure. These are identified in two classes, Currency and Objects. What belongings are Both Currency and Objects are exchangeable and can be transferred within players or with NPCs, or even left in the environment. This distinguishes them sharply from Vital Resources and Constant stats, which are non-transferrable. Currency normally only has a number, while Objects have to be listed in kind and quantity of each. Other beings aren’t belongings Stuff like Mounts, Animal Companions, Pets, Humanoid Companions, etc. aren't "Belongings" (even if your character, or society at large, believes they "Own" them), but are considered NPCs.

Currency

🎁 Ingredients These act as the currency and crafting item of the game. They can be represented as rare salts, spices, ores, and oils. As a trading and bartering item, they are even more realistic than everybody carrying huge bags of gold, silver and bronze coins - and probably more valuable in regards to their weight. Ingredients do nothing by themselves, but can be used in a variety of manners: They can be spent for Alchemy and other Disciplines, to be explored later in the manual.

ingredients are a number

Ingredients aren't normally specified. They are just a number. We could it "suspension of specification". When you need to use an ingredient, the ingredient you have will be exactly the one you need to use at that time. As such, ingredients aren't objects, and they are treated only numerically (in quantity), but your game can be played specifying types and rarities if players and GM agree on it.

ingredients as objects

IF and only IF a simulationist party and their GM want to have very specific detailed lists of their ingredients and quantity of each one of them, they may do so... but be advised, that makes it much more difficult to have one of the specific kinds you need in a given situation.

Objects

🏺 Consumables

These objects are consumed once used, and cannot be reused again. Things like potions, bandages, fireworks, and even regular food and drink are Consumables.

🔮 Items

These are carriable objects with varying uses. These aren't consumed.

🛡 Gear

Unlike other objects, these are worn on the character's bodies. Also have different effects.

Buying and selling objects

While you can buy some Consumables, Items and Gear with Ingredients, their availability is determined from the store or NPC with whom you are exchanging. Consumables, Items and Gears have a suggested Ingredient pricing, but the Game Master may change their actual price at will, much like different places and stores have differing prices in real life.

Crafting objects

Some Disciplines allow crafting certain Consumables, Items and Gear by the players themselves. At the GM's discretion, players may also use Cred to acquire objects (either at character creation or within the game), without regard for any store. This can be explained in the game with stories like "I found this sword on a stone", "It's an old family heirloom" or "A mysterious witch gave it to me", to give some examples.

You can see a list of original Consumables, Items and Gear on Annex 1 (A, B, and C respectively).

Chapter 2: Vital resources

Two base points in three vital resources

Vital resources (HP, stamina and synchrony) can increase or decrease due to game events. You have a "baseline" number in each of these three stats, which for each is defined as equal to two (2) base points + any credibility points (Cred) you have invested. Normal playable characters start with two points on each HP, Stamina and Synchrony. These "basic being-points" are there even before you invest any Credibility point. The first point represents their life, the second their awareness and ability to stay awake. Here is an idea of how this applies to each of the three stats:

🖤❤️ HitPoints (HP) This is the integrity of your physical body and its resistance to outside harm. Things that reduce your HP include blunt trauma, cuts, slashes, being thrown, being burned, and so on and so forth. When you have a single HP left, you will pass out from stuff like internal bleeding and cranial trauma. When you lose that last Hit Point, your body ceases functioning and you die. ☀️🔆 Stamina (St) This is the energy inside your body. This includes your breathing, eating, sleeping, and even the consistency and oxygenation of your blood. Even if you were never hit by a physical attack, you can still pass out from hunger, thirst, exhaustion and disease. You may even die from these causes. This, of course, is represented by your last and second-to-last Stamina point; the last one being the energy necessary for normal body function, like a heartbeat and brain activity. ⭐️💫 Synchrony (Sn) This soulforce symbolizes how well anchored your spirit or spirits is/are to your body. Great feats of magic or other occultism may shake the nature of reality around you, detaching your soul from your worldly being - sending you out of Synchrony. If your soul is nearly completely out of phase with your physical body, you lose consciousness and pass out. If your soul becomes completely detached, your character's body is dead and your essence returns to the Nexus, place of Ancients and Ur-demons.

The art of staying alive

La sección a continuación es un solo bloque, se puede dividir en apartados y/o abreviar..

As you can see, you have to be very careful in the management of these "resources", as in them pends your life itself. Also having very high HP alone doesn't guarantee survival, as some dangers may put to the test your Stamina and Synchrony. Some attacks, like leeches consuming your blood, may result in you losing your physical energy without externally assaulting you. Others may attempt to rip your soul out of your body. You have to be warded against all threats, not just swords and arrows. Essentially, as long as you have two current points in each of these, you can remain awake and active. If you lose your second to last point in *any* of them, your character passes out. If you lose your last point in *any* of them, your character dies (you can make a new one, tho! Characters can also be resurrected under specific game setups, by using special Consumables, etc). When you lose your next-to-last being-point in any of the three categories and black out, you will awaken 2-12 hours later with your point back (6 being the average blackout timespan), but you will be helpless during that period. Of course, recovery only applies if you can get better in your current circumstances. If you are already starving and you black out, you may end up dying without coming back to yourself. This also applies if you get so hurt you have internal wounds that will not heal by themselves. In these cases you will need assistance, even when unconscious, to regain your next-to-last point and not eventually die when blacked out.

That explains the ways your reserves may be attacked, and why it's important to keep your three dynamic reserves high; but, what about recovering them when you have lost them?

RECOVERING VITAL RESOURCES

The GameMaster has ample discretion about the amount in which the three vital resources are replenished, but there are some strong guidelines as to how and when this happens. Your Reserves will replenish up to your "Baseline": That is to say, the two basic being-points plus any Character Cred you have invested on it. Normally you can have less HitPoints from your baseline if you have received damage, but you can never have more than your baseline (except for special effects), no matter how much you heal yourself

[ aligerar el texto de las secciones de replenishing ]

Replenishing HitPoints (HP)

Hitpoints will be replenished with medical care and lack of brusque actions. Bandages may help. Basically these will be cuts and bruises to be healed. Al-Kimya: The Last Role isn't designed to deal with the specifics of gore and body horror, but even if you lose your whole arm, in worlds with the Occult or high Science you may very well find a functional replacement even then. The type of healing required, of course, depends on the type of wounds a character has. Medicinal techniques and disciplines will increase the ability of a character to heal others with their actions, or to make medicine based on Ingredients.

Replenishing Stamina (St)

A good meal and a good night of rest will do wonders for your Stamina. A small nap and a snack, or a good afternoon of rest and a good tea with biscuits may also increase it, but not so much. Take into account that Stamina doesn't increase instantly with your actions - even if you eat a delicious mushroom stew after starving for a while, your body has to process it so you can get the energy. Some Occult or Scientific beverages can be designed to provide a Stamina boost immediately, but this can be harmful for your health in the long run. Normally you would want to have at least two good meals a day (with up to four being optimal) and sleep at least 7-8 hours when doing straining tasks (with up to 11-12 being good to speed up HP healing as well).

Replenishing Synchrony (Sn)

Meditation and a calm state of mind will drive your soul to be in better harmony with your body. Synchrony is replenished by a peaceful relationship with oneself, expressed in quiet contemplation and inner monologue. Others prefer to achieve a void state through reading, ritualism, or lucid dreaming. Whatever the case, refreshing your Synchrony means spending mindful time away from the hassles of worldly affairs. Announcing this action can be done in a number of ways as long as the purpose is established (not necessary, but good for clarity), like "I meditate to Synchronize", "I contemplate to regain Sync", etc. The time length is variable but at least one or two hours a day for heavy mana users are recommended. Some special techniques are also available to Synchronize other people than yourself; these have to be gained through Disciplines and thus cost Cred.

Chapter 3: Gameplay progression

As you may have noticed, Al-Kimya: The Last Role emphasizes role-playing over numerical optimization. This is putting the focus in “role-playing” and interpreting characters.

As such, there are not only no levels, but there are also no "experience points". This is to avoid mechanics like "I killed a lot of things so I must level up", where XP is tied to the extermination of monsters or creatures (and sometimes, other players).

Developing through narrative

Instead, in the Cred system, players gain credibility by fleshing out credible characters and acting like real, organic beings would, and not like automatons or number-crunchers. Actions of epicness or tragedy, so long they fit the character and story, may result in the GM awarding Cred to the players.

The epic way

Even if a player character dies, if the death is particularly heroic or significant to the story, a new character from the player could be rewarded with an extra point of Cred, instead of two less. Of course, the key word in the reward is *significant*, since pointless sacrifice or meaningless suicidal charges are just as bad as number-crunching cowardice in that they diminish the credibility of the characters and world as things that exist by themselves.

Growing little by little

Cred is not the only way of progressing, however, and the acquisition of Ingredients, Items and Gear, as well as potential NPC companions, also serve as a "soft" progression for the characters. Disciplines that allow to craft objects, or quests that reward them, may be used to drive gameplay innovation and progression even without awarding any extra cred.

Avoid purely numeric escalation

It's important to keep the game from extreme numerical escalation. Having 20 HP and 30 Physique may look impressive on paper (the average would be 4 HP and 2 Physique), but is it really fun when you have to toss 30 dice to perform an action? Or calculating the monster damage which would have to scale to that? Numerical simplicity makes the game easier to play. Double or triple the starting Cred (24 and 36 points, respectively) should be a more than fine character cap.

Your characters are already godlike elemental cosmic beings on their home plane - they come to the sub-Verses for the experience of being mortal and shaping the world through their character (sic), not their raw power.

encourage storytelling epicness

Even then, this doesn't mean campaigns can't escalate indefinitely. You can fight for the destiny of an orphan girl, of a village, of a world, or of an entire plane of existence. Story escalation is not necessarily tied to stats escalation at all. You can play all of this progression without gaining a single Cred point, and still be completely relevant against what is depicted as insurmountable odds.

Characters could come into possession of a McGuffin (an object of epic story-driven properties), a powerful secret Technique, or even a key piece of information. They also may mobilize powerful allies by the force of their character (sic), personality or the urgency of their cause alone. Might isn't in being an unbeatable chunk of personal stats. The most powerful people in the world aren't physically stronger, nor necessarily smarter, than anyone else. The same is true in Al-Kimya; by gaining connections, acquiring information, and exploiting secrets, you can become much more relevant to your quest than by just maxing out your Occultism and using the best destructive spells. Of course, nothing forbids the latter, just don't expect to be able to wipe an entire army with your personal stats alone (unless your GM is also of your allegiance and extremely lenient with those Cred grants).

Quizás haya que quitar las mayúsculas del paréntesis o refrasear..

The satisfaction of a good story

In the end of the day and on the final challenges, defeating enemies and surmounting impossible obstacles via connecting the dots in the story and cunningly using the in-world resources is much more satisfying than just rolling a humongous amount of dice. In the Story, if you win, you made it happen; not the mechanical abuse of an absurdly high stack of Physique.

CHARACTER ARCHETYPES

There are multiple ways to diversify the storytelling and give every player its moment. For this it is useful to consider the type of character the players are interpreting. These are called archetypes. Having three vital resources intrinsically tied to the life and consciousness of a character allows different party members to be relevant in regards to different challenges.

Maybe Zafrin the Wizard is the most valuable party member in the Coven of Doom where he has to close the Gates to the Elseworld by using his high Occultism stat, and protecting the party Synchrony; but yet, Mambar the Barbarian may prove most valuable in the Broken Lands against the hordes of the Khanlord, who won't mince words with magic spells but will have to be fenced by high Physique and a good management of Hit Points. The grand finale may give the rogue Roboticist Neidan the chance to shine, as they have to reactivate a spaceship to fly off planet, while combating with twisted logic the malignant automatons of the Silver Calcutron, all of which requires a lot of Science.

Using archetypes to work as a team

Of course, these are the purest examples of how the system is designed so that differing character specialties generates different archetypes; and in turn, those archetypes are best adapted to radically different situations. But all of these elements may also be part of a united circumstance, with Zafrin having to close the Gate while Neidan prevents the robots from going through it, and Mambar holds the Khanlord outside of the cave. The possibility of effective specialized teamwork, and of dynamically identifying who of the party is better suited to a task (and how to tackle them if there are more than one at a time), forms part of the exciting possibilities that Al-Kimya: The Last Role offers.

These three base archetypes (Physique, Occultism and Science-based) are only the basest of distinctions however. Both the disciplines related to Alchemy and to Wizardry use Occultism, but one is based on crafting from valuable Ingredients, and the other casts spells spending your vital Synchrony. Thus, while based on the same base stat, their gameplay and potential specialization is completely different.

BASIC ACTIONS

Basic Actions are those which are available even with constant stats at zero. That is, these are actions that don't require specific Techniques or Disciplines to accomplish.

Physique basic actions

Run, jump, climb. Struggle, punch, kick, choke. Throw and catch. Pulling and pushing. Stabilize and prevent falls (yourself or others). Carry heavy objects or people. For all Physique actions, depending on the intensity of the action and time it has to be used, all Physique actions may cost Stamina. If done beyond the normal body limits, they may cost HP as well.

Occultism basic actions

Read and understand Occult treatises, read and understand Ritual instructions, read and understand Alchemical recipes; identify occult properties of elements, creatures and vegetables, identify Daemons and other non-mundane entities, understand Occult symbolism or key words, speak and understand non-worldly and extinct tongues, estimate ghost and spiritual prescence in objects, beings or places (requires careful explicit observation). Break or fix extant ritual circles (costs Sync), break or fix extant Occult seals (costs HP).

Science basic actions

Read and understand scientific papers, read and understand technical instructions, rearm existing disarmed mechanical and digital traps, use computer systems, make simple electrical connections and disconnections, read instruments (such as gauges), read and understand statistics, speak and understand extant languages, identify non-occult properties of chemicals, animals and plants. Disarm existing mechanical and digital traps (costs Stamina), apply basic First Aid (costs Stamina).

Other basic actions

The lists aren't exhaustive. Extra actions in the spirit of the listed ones are subject to GM/player discretion, unless the action is stated as specific of a special Technique or Discipline. Even when it requires a certain discipline, it may be attempted based on the stat that Technique requires, but with a large discretional penalty in cost and success chances (example +2 Ingredient cost if it used Ingredients, -2 to the result of the dice roll using the Occultism base stat).

CHECKING ACTION SUCCESS

Most of the actions (basic or not) will have a difficulty level. If the difficulty level is lesser than your number of points in the corresponding base stat, you pass automatically. If it is equal or greater, you need to throw a number of dice equal to the corresponding base stat (remember, all dice in Al-Kimya: The Last Role are three-valued d0-2, functionally the same as "d3-1").

Ordeals

On the GM's discretion, some tests may be Ordeals. Ordeals always require a dice roll, even if their difficulty is lower than the character's stat - and they also are likely to require the expenditure of Vital Resources (HP, Stamina and Sync) to attempt.

With Ordeals, attempting to do things and failing may be more dangerous than not attempting them at all, this encourages players to collaborate and plan their actions. This makes your games avoid the "try everything and see what sticks" on a given situation. título provisional (revisar esta sección) ¿como sabrán los jugadores que no tienen que probar cualquier cosa si las tiradas de GM son secretas? , etc

Even actions that don't cost Vital points or Ingredients may be better reserved to experts. For example, a player with a low Occultism (say, 1 point only) may choose to check their perception to feel if an old mansion has ghosts. The GM will make a secret roll. If they get a zero or a one, not only are there chances of a false negative ("you are positively certain that there are no ghosts here", when actually there are), but also of a perhaps far more misleading false positive ("You definitely felt something. You are pretty sure there are restless spirits in this place"). This will make players more wary of a "roll to try everything" approach, especially if their characters are untrained in that particular area.

ACTION DIFFICULTY

Every world has its own rules

The representation of action difficulty is up to the setting. In a regular setting, let's say that 1 Physique point is equivalent to jumping 1 horizontal metre while running without issue, or half a metre vertically. Extra physique points scale from there - either linearly or exponentially, according to the story needs of the game. Example: The players are in a world where everything is like a Martial Arts story where magic or physical prowess allows very long jumps and other wonders. In that case, 1 physique point may be equal to a 5 metres horizontal or two and a half metre vertical jump (with optional slow motion).

Keep it consistent

The key in a good action difficulty is no less than: KEEP IT CONSISTENT! If in a world 1 physique is equal to 1 metre jump at the beginning of a cave, don't arbitrarily make it 2 meters, deeper down the cave. Believability (Cred) isn't only for players, but also to the world the Game Master constructs. And consistency is key for that believability. If ability scale and challenge difficulty *has* to be changed, make it change uniformly, and not sometimes yes and sometimes not, or suddenly and without explanation. When in doubt, then, strive to make everything as coherent as possible, and set guidelines which are constant across space and time in the game world.

Chapter 4: Building a character

Quizás pondría “building a character” antes de Game progression qué consiste en “cómo continuar una vez que has hecho un personaje”

CHARACTER BUILD RECOMMENDATIONS

The first time in a game, players have 12 Character Cred points at base (more if your GM is feeling generous), but some of these are strongly recommended to be sunken into these base stats: HP If you don't put a point in here, any damage will make your character black out, and any additional damage will make your character die. Not very appealing for a rugged adventurer. Not exactly necessary if your whole game is court intrigue or scientific research, however... (?) Stamina If you don't assign a point here, any level of extenuation will result in your character fainting. If you don't want to roleplay a damsel (or gentleman) in distress, it's highly recommended that you be able to pull off at least a single great effort without passing out. Physique While without a single point in Physique you are still able to do regular everyday things like walking or lifting, a drinking mug, it's still highly recommended that you take at least one to be able to fight, lift heavy objects, and so on and so forth. Nobody likes a wimp, after all, and without a point of Physique you will not be able to damage enemies the old-fashioned way.

So, after you assign those three points (and *if* you take our word for it and do), you still have 9 points to distribute the way you like amongst: - The six base stats, including the previously mentioned three ones. - Starting Disciplines. - Starting Consumables, Items and Gear. - Starting Ingredients.

Picture your character

Since Al-Kimya has no character classes per se, it's very important that you have an image of exactly *who* your character is before you assign their points. - Are they a warrior without regard for high culture? Physique, HP and Stamina are your friends. - Are they a beardy Wizard? Occultism and Sync will come in handy. - Are they a gadgeteer genius? Science, and get some Items and Gear. - Or are they an Alchemist hungry for glory? Occultism, and invest on Ingredients for your recipes! Then, find the Disciplines that most suit the vision you have for your character. Take into account their Cred cost, as well.

TECHNIQUES AND DISCIPLINES

Techniques are all special abilities a character may have. Disciplines are the most common (but not only) way to get them. Other ways to have techniques are them being part of an Item or Gear piece, or a spell or potion temporarily granting them. Disciplines, however, unlock one or more Techniques permanently, and are the paramount way of specializing your character. You can see a list of original Disciplines and Techniques on Annexes 2 and 3.

Character customization

RACES? NO?

Al-Kimya: The Last Role doesn't have "races" either. Surprise? (so we are a classless AND raceless society ;) ). But don't think for a second that this is for lack of character customization... much the opposite, in fact.

CHARACTER BACKGROUNDS

What we do have is Character Backgrounds. Character Backgrounds are a way to customize your character with different "profiles that enhance their flavor, without falling into racial or species essentialism. Importantly, you can combine Backgrounds however you want and you are not limited to only one of them. Furthermore, the rules for Backgrounds are strictly optional. You can still roleplay your character as a Vampire in-universe, without taking the rules burden of the Victorian Vampire variant.

Not only that, but you can acquire a Background at any time in the game, which can be roleplayed as a cultural or biological transformation, so long as an in-story source can be invoked or roleplayed in a satisfactory manner. Even taking the "Elf" variant doesn't necessarily mean you are literally a biological elf; you may even be a dwarf who has lived all his life amongst elfs.

If the variant costs Cred, you will likely need to do something to earn it in-story, equivalent to earning a Cred point, or losing a point in one of your Basic Stats. The names, besides, are just fantasy background suggestions. The "Mine Dwarf" may be just as well adapted to be about a nineteenth century Coal miner, with just providing that story and without altering the ingame effects. The key is that it be believable that the written abilities correspond to that background. You can see a list of original Character Backgrounds on Annex 4.

UNDERSTANDING MODIFIERS

Even if your character constant base stats determine your rolls in most circumstances, there are also modifiers that apply in certain situations. For example, attacking in melee with Physique 2 may be two d0-2 rolls; but you may also be using a Sword object that gives you a +1 modifier to melee rolls.

In this case, the modifier is exactly what it says: It only applies when using the sword, and only in melee combat (whether attacking or Reacting). Your Sword won't help when trying to lift heavy objects, even if that is also a Physique roll.

This goes beyond combat and applies in a variety of circumstances; a Crystal Ball may give you +2d0-2 to your Occultism rolls when trying to divine the future, view remote events, or commune with spirits, as it will be written in the appropriate Item; but even then, it won't help you at all when using Occultism to summon demons.

Thus, modifiers are very different from your base stats in that they only help (or be prejudicial) in *instances* of using those stats, but don't modify the stats themselves. Not only objects have modifiers; Character Backgrounds, Disciplines and Techniques may also give them or be a cause for them.

In the world, positioning such as having the high ground or steady footing in a physical fight may also be the cause of modifiers, as well as extant magical circles help in specific instances of the Occult, alchemical labs increase the success of Alchemy, slippery floors diminish the success of fast physical movement, thunderstorms interfere with the Science of radio communication, and so on and so forth.

Take into account Modifiers are, by the very numeric nature of the game, very powerful when usable. In a d6 system, a +1 modifier works only as two sevenths of an extra die roll (2/7). In a d0-2 system such as Al-Kimya, a +1 modifier is equal to rolling a full d0-2 in average (1/1).

Chapter 5: Combat and battle

ULTRA-SIMPLIFIED COMBAT OPTION

If you don't like complex combat rules, or believe taking a lot of time detracts from the game, follow the next physical combat rules:

1- A combat party rolls a number of D0-2 equal to their total physical power, plus any modifiers. 2- Another combat party rolls a number of D0-2 equal to their total physical power, plus any modifiers. 3- Subtract the higher result from the lower result. The party that lost receives HP damage equal to the difference. The damage is distributed randomly or by the GM. 4- Characters or entities with one HP become unconscious. Characters with 0 or less HP die. 5- Ability for any party as a whole to retreat or surrender. 6- Repeat until a party has retreated, surrenders, or has no conscious members. 7- After combat is over, each conscious member of both parties loses 1 Stamina. 8- Characters or entities with one Stamina become unconscious. Characters with 0 or less Stamina die.

Modifiers are applied as either melee or ranged combat, with the most favorable selected for each character. This of course excludes in-combat spells, mid-combat consumables, and so on, this simplification does have a steep price. It is most suited to primitive worlds without high Occultism or Science that can affect combat results, or in settings where Occultism and Science are only suited for investigation. Otherwise, the Full combat rules are available for people who want a more complex experience.

The ultra-simplified combat doesn't have to be a binary yes/no at the beginning of a game. It can be used by consensus when you don't want to sit for a long session of battle, or when the result of a battle is obvious. The GM can still force a full encounter if it has a story value or something hidden.

FULL COMBAT PRELUDE

Don't believe for a second that, being a narrative-preferring game, Al-Kimya: The Last Role is not a combat game. In fact, quite the opposite is true: Non-combat actions have the structure of combat, under the principle that you struggle with a task in much the same way that you struggle with an enemy. The great difference, of course, is that your foe struggles back! It should come as no surprise, then, that combat is very much like other checks, having to roll a number of D0-2 equal to your main stats. However, that isn't all.

REACTION

Combat in Al-Kimya is highly reactive, so you don't sit out waiting for your turn. Every action someone takes against another gives them the chance to React. Action and reaction is simultaneous, with the reaction often being a defense that can nullify or counter an attack.

However, reaction always costs some of your Vital Resource points (normally one), while regular action usually doesn't. Thus it is very important to keep extra Vital points (HP, Stamina and Sync) in order to be able to React to any attacks when appropriate. Reaction, however, is only the use of base actions or techniques you already have beforehand, so keep in mind if any of them is useful for the situation before reacting impulsively.

See a list of basic Reactions in Annex 5, plus "reaction" costs for Techniques in their respective annex.

INITIATION

In Al-Kimya, surprise is key. The players making an action (instead of a reaction) don't have to spend extra Stamina or other Vital Resources, so they have better endurance. Initiation may be attained for a party or person in the following ways:

• Ambushing
• Attacking unexpectedly in a non-combat situation
• Surprise assault on unsuspecting subjects

You get super-initiation [aclarar nombre]. in case your opponents are asleep or otherwise temporarily disabled, in which case they don't even get to React to your first round of actions. If nobody has clear initiation [aclarar nombre], Physique is rolled for the total of the two (or more) camps in concentration, summing up the values of each individual, and contrasting the full sum of the party/camp vs the other. If this is a tie, a coin is tossed to determine initiative.

The key is that camps or parties move as blocks. Within them, players may choose to act before or later. Usually this shouldn't be much of a problem (unless there is a sudden betrayal...), but should the players not agree and actively dispute on who moves first amongst them, they roll Physique (and re-roll if necessary) until different results emerge for the intra-party order. In the same way as the player's party, all the enemies move, also as a block, in whatever sequence it suits them.

Reactions happen on a per-move basis, and unless they are incapable, all enemies get a chance to have an appropriate reaction to every action. The same is true for all player characters and NPCs fighting with them when each enemy acts.

However, as a rule, one shouldn't wait more than 1 minute for a player wanting to decide if they want to [se puede simplificar] react or not - reactions are supposed to be quick. Descriptions of situation-specific appropriate ways of reacting (such as hiding behind a column which was previously described or implied as present for the Dodge reaction when you see an arrow is being pointed your way) may be rewarded with higher effectiveness.

PHYSICAL ATTACK AND DEFENSE

The simplest to picture action is two people with swords attacking one another (...)

Chapter 6 o anexo: Advanced optional rules

MANIFESTING

Manifesting is a way in which your Ancient or Ur-Demon essence fully appears inside your sub-verse. The pretense of being a mere mortal character is torn asunder. You are a living, breathing divine being. Reality bends to your wishes.

Manifested characters however literally tear apart the fabric of reality of a world. They make it fickle and unbelievable. Furthermore, by showing its true self, an Ancient enters fully into the Sub-Verse, becoming inextricably linked with their physical form.

Manifesting can be done only at GM discretion. It can be seen as an opportunity to surmount impossible odds, or as a "punishment" for pushing and ignoring the make-believe of the setting, showing the player is being "meta" and not caring about the game world and their character (of course, if this is done unintentionally and unaware, it is best to have a friendly chat).

Big power, big risks

Manifestation gives a +2 bonus for every base stat check (Physique, Occultism and Science) and a +2 baseline for every Vital Resource (HitPoints, Stamina and Synchrony), but if a player character dies while being like this, their Ancient or Ur-Demon is also destroyed for good - meaning the player cannot even make a new character. The same applies if the world itself is torn asunder by the manifestation. If this last event were to happen, the game ends - though other players may still start a new one.

Manifested characters are not only very powerful, but also very big targets for other Ancients/Ur-Demons, being no longer "hidden in plain sight" as a normal mortal being, but instead displaying an exaggerated form. They may even be hunted down by their own teammates, since their manifestation endangers the very structure of the reality they are experiencing. Ur-Demons tend to appear like cosmic horrors or dark and devilish shapes, while Ancients appear resplandecent, glowing, solid like marble and unnaturally pure. Remember anyways : [explicar, puede que el lector no haya leído tropos] Light is not Good.

The decision to turn on the manifested player or not can be seen as a way of player democracy. Perhaps the GM has overreached in that the other players believe the story is fine this way and they accept the manifested character as they are with no objections, even though it draws a big target on the party, which they may see as an external challenge to overcome.

Players may show the GM should un-manifest their characters and go back to being mere mortals. They should do so with a lot of care put into the adventure, and by voluntarily not utilizing their overpowered abilities (choosing to forego the +2 on purpose and declaring so for their rolls, and not spending the +2 vital resources), in which case they lose any bonuses but they are able to make new characters should the current one die, and stop attracting unwanted attention. However, some players may embrace their current status, and it is not necessary that they reject it - so long as they can cope with the consequences.

HIDDEN UR-DEMONS

Quizás se pueden poner subsecciones en esta sección para dividir el texto

What if someone in your midst was a traitor? This adds a little "paranoia" to the game, a flavor some cherish and others despise - thus the optional nature of this rule. At the start of the game, players draw a card from a deck of ten. Eight of those are Ancients cards, while two are Ur-Demon cards (you can adjust the card number and proportion to your liking at GM).

Note that the number of Ancient cards normally is higher than the number of players, to maintain the mystery if there is or there is not an Ur-Demon - Something that should remain a mystery even for the GM.

All card draws are secret. Nobody can show their card to others, and must keep it with them at all costs until the game is over (yes, that means they get to take it home if there is more than one session - it doesn't matter, the "card" can be made from any common paper). Revealing their Ancient card destroys the Credibility of a character as a mortal; and thus, they would disappear entirely and lose all their Cred (so, a new character can't be made from that player).

The Ur-Demon player must make its identity as hidden as their card. All their stats are identical to an Ancient, but there is a catch: When another player has a total accumulated/spent Cred which is at least 50% larger than their starting one, the Ur-Demon can Manifest at will by revealing their card. Upon doing so, however, he explicitly becomes the public enemy of all other players.

The Ur-Demon manifestation is to be used to thwart the main quest of the party and kill the most advanced character of the group. This is part of the intellectual Ur-Demon quest to see "what makes people tick". From their point of view everything, including their own manifestation, is a sort of social experiment.

In fact, other hidden Ur-Demons, if any, will play along with the manifestation as if they were ancients, and it is quite likely that they will even choose to assault their brethren to preserve their own identity - only to do the same later, when they find a favourable opening.

If the most advanced non-Ur-Demon player is killed, the Ur-Demons win. The game may or may not be continued. In the case of a continuation, any Manifested Ur-Demon players gain +1 cred for their next character, but they must draw a new Ancient/Ur-Demon card at random, and make an entirely new Character. It is likely that they will play as Ancients now, and have a new identity, so other players should harbor no resentment - after all, you can't control if you are an Ur-Demon or an Ancient in the first place.

ANNEX 4: Character Backgrounds

Key: Prerequisites: Prerequisite 1 (Prerequisite 1 type) Prerequisite 2 (Prerequisite 2 type) Effects: + Positive effect. ~ Neutral effect. - Negative effect.

Backgrounds in alphabetical order.

Daring Champion (0 cred)

Prerequisites: Melee Weapon Training (discipline) OR * Unarmed Fighting Training (discipline) 1 or more Physique (base stat) Effects: + You are immune to all Fear-based effects. + Your physical attacks against non-humanoid foes have a +1 bonus. - All your Occult and Science checks have a -1 penalty.

Forest Elf (1 cred)

Prerequisites: None needed (storytelling only) Effects: + Your non-combat Physique checks in the forest or related to trees have a +1 bonus. + Your inside-the-forest or forest-related Occultism checks have a +1 bonus.

King's Jester (0 cred)

Prerequisites: Jester's Cap (Gear) Effects: + You can perform comical Routines with your Physique, Occultism or Science skill. These may gain the favor of entertained NPCs or serve as a distraction (if the check is passed). - When speaking straight faced, nobody will tend to believe you, thinking you are likely to be joking.

Library Mouse (0 cred)

Prerequisites: 2 or more Science (base stat) OR * 2 or more Occultism (base stat) Effects: + You can read all texts, Scientific or Occult, in any language unworldly or mundane, without checks and without a Stamina cost. - Your Physique checks for combat and urgent actions under stress have a -1 penalty.

Mine Dwarf (1 cred)

Prerequisites: 1 or more extra Stamina (base stat) 1 or more Physique (base stat) Effects: + You can mine or dig holes without spending Stamina. + You can search for secret passages and hidden paths in stone walls or mines. - Your Occultism checks outside of dungeons and mines suffer a -1 penalty.

Paranormal Detective (1 cred)

Prerequisites: None needed (storytelling only) Effects: + Your Occultism checks to detect any occult phenomenons in an object, person or location have a +2d0-2 bonus. - You are persecuted by occult interests, who may consider you are threat for your cunning and nosiness.

Victorian Vampire (1 cred)

Prerequisites: 1 or more Occultism (base stat) Effects: + You may drink blood from disabled/unconscious/voluntary humanoids or animals to replenish Stamina and Sync (this depletes their Stamina). ~ You don't biologically age. ~ You don't have mirror or water reflections. ~ You are inherently Occult (your character registers on other's Occult detection checks) - You can't eat non-bloody food to replenish Stamina.

ANNEX 5: Reactions

STANDARD REACTIONS

These reactions are available even without special Techniques.

Stand in Mid

Requisites: A nearby person or object is being attacked in melee or with a projectile. Cost: -1 Stamina. Effects: You receive the attack instead of the intended target. Extra notes: If the object is more than one meter away (adjust to setting), it depends on your Physique (and a possible roll) if you are able to reach it on time. Stamina is expended whether you reach it or not.

Struggle/Parry

Requisites: You are being attacked in melee. Cost: -1 Stamina. Effects: Clash with the attacker. Both roll your melee attacks. The winner will deal HP damage to the loser equal to the difference in their modified results.

Dodge

Requisites: You are being attacked with a projectile. Cost: -1 Stamina. Effects: Roll Physique. If you roll equal or higher than the attacking value, it doesn't hit you (you receive no damage or special effects from the attack). At the GM's discretion, the attack may hit something behind you.

___________________ para el game master ___________________

CRED AWARDING RECOMMENDATIONS

This section is meant mostly for the GameMaster. How the GM should award Credibility points and how many.

Propuesta de borrado: Basic concepts

Play as a team

Whether you are a player or the storyteller, this is not just about you. This is an adventure in which the whole group participates and makes decisions. By talking to the other players, the game will go further and everyone will have a better time. If you are a narrator, do not hesitate to listen to your players. And if you are a player, do not hesitate to discuss things with the narrator.

Play to enjoy

This game is made to make you enjoy playing a character. If something is annoying, talk about it with your friends. Between all of you, you can find a way to solve it. If a rule causes a situation that you don't want, you can change it. All of you make this game.

Give flavor and color to the story

Consider the setting of each story. Is the character from the city or from the country? Does the character know anything beyond their place of birth? Is magic common or rare in their world? Try to play your character with the information they know, not the information you know as a player.

On the other hand, every story has a genre. Epic, realism, drama, espionage. All the players and the narrator should agree and make sure are interpreting the same genre.