Welcome to SOLAS! It's a rules system for running role-playing adventure games that anybody can pick up and play. RPGs are about getting together with others and letting a story play out, with players controlling characters of their own creation.
To play, you'll need more than two people (one of whom is the Game Master, referred to as the GM), a way to take notes (check out the official SOLAS Character Sheet!), and at least one standard six-sided die. Other materials are nice to have (like more six-sided dice, tokens to keep track of points), but are certainly not needed.
Every character has four different abilities that are used to interact with the world, rolling checks to determine results of using a particular ability. The number associated with each attribute is its relative effectiveness, one being the minimum possible. The categories are as follows:
Natural athleticism, physical power
Your strength limits what armor you can wear. Ask your GM if you are allowed to start with armor, or if armor will be available in their setting.
Physical agility, reflexes, precision
Your dexterity affects your speed. This is equal to five plus half of your dexterity score (rounded down).
Physical/Mental toughness, persistence
Your constitution affects your heart (also referred to as health and/or hit points). This is equal to five plus your level times constitution.
Analytical skill, intuition
Your mind score is your starting amount of focus (which you spend throughout combat).
A die roll is when someone rolls at least one standard six-sided die to determine an outcome. A roll of four or higher is a success, and a six is worth two successes. The “result” of a roll is how many total successes there are. In these rules, rolls are indicated in these rules by an R, followed by a number such as R1, R4, etc. The R indicates a roll, and the number after it is the number of dice that you are rolling.
Rolls can also be specific checks, like seeing how well you dodge a trap with a dexterity check. If your GM calls for a check of a particular ability (strength, dexterity, constitution, or mind), your roll will use a number of dice equal to your score in that ability. Checks can be contested between characters, such as a contested strength check for trying to break out of a grapple or a contested mind check to conceal/deduce a lie. The most successes wins!
If a task should be relatively easy (or type of damage is very effective against an enemy), the number you have to roll above on the dice is lowered by one (threes are now successes). This is Rolling with Advantage. Likewise, if a task is quite tough (or your enemy is resistant to the type of damage you're dealing), the number is raised by one (fours now don't count as successes). This is Rolling with Disadvantage. Rolling a 6 always counts as two successes.
SOLAS contains many different damage types for different weapons and spells. This list can be expanded upon for your needs, but the standard categories as follows:
- Physical: Bludgeoning, Piercing, Slashing
- Elemental: Acid, Poison, Fire, Cold, Lightning
- Celestial: Radiant, Necrotic, Force, Psychic
These are points you can save up to spend attacking, moving, or doing spells. When combat ends, these are returned to their maximum.
Focus is your mental concentration at any given moment. These points are used up when you use certain abilities or spells, and one is given back at the start of each turn.
Stamina is your physical ableness at any given moment. These points are used up when you move or attack, and two are given back at the start of each turn. Every character has a max of 3 stamina points.
A tile is typically a square or hexagon on a grid, and is considered to be 5 feet (or 1.5 meters). While you may not be playing with an actual grid at all, this still describes specific distances for spells, ranges, and movement.
To play this game, each player must create a character, a member of the setting that the GM is describing. SOLAS is designed to have very a simple character creation system, but one that lets creativity run wild. The easiest way to create a character is to break it down into two parts: Before they became an adventurer, and where they are now. Doing this naturally flows with the character creation process. The first step is...
Start your character with one point in each of your Primary Attributes (Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, and Mind), then add one point to the attribute of your choice.
You then must figure out your other scores (focus, speed, etc), referring back to the Primary Attributes.
As your character grows in their strengths and areas of expertise, they gain boons, which are unique skills that shape how your character interacts with the world. You begin at level one with selecting a primary boon.
Boons are categorized with which builds they were designed for: casters, martials, preferred primary attribute, etc. These are simply suggestions, as any boon can be taken by any character, and mixing and matching is part of the fun when playing this game.
Strength-based classes rare known for their physical strength to brute force their way through obstacles and situations alike.
Dexterity-based classes rely on their deftness and agility, their goals being success through sheer physical perfection.
- Enchanter (Caster)
- Skirmisher (Martial)
Constitution-based classes rely on their ability to just keep pushing, their wills and bodies toughened to survive much more strain.
Mind-based classes use their knowledge of inner workings (people and the cosmos alike) to create favorable situations where success is guaranteed.
- Arcanist (Caster)
- Infiltrator (Martial)
After some progression in the story, your GM may decide that it is time for your characters to become stronger! You get to add another point to one of your Primary Attributes, and if at an appropriate level (one, four, seven, ten, thirteen, sixteen, and nineteen) you also receive another Boon! Characters can (and should!) dip into multiple classes for different boons to build up who your character is.
Your character will most likely gather some gear along their journey that they're able to use.
Armor is an important thing for any adventurer to consider, but not everyone is capable of wearing it. The listed strength requirements are what your strength must be for you to effectively wear the armor.
Requires Two Strength
Light armor is capable of warding off some damage. Fabric/cloth/leathers/hides are found in this category, and only slightly affect your movement.
- Reduces physical damage by 1
- Reduces your speed by 1 tile
Requires Four Strength
Medium armor is capable of warding off a decent amount of damage, but begins to impact your mobility. Expect to find breastplates, chain mail, and lighter metals.
- Reduces physical damage by 2
- Reduces your speed by 2 tiles
Requires Six Strength
The heaviest armor around, which can completely mitigate lighter attacks. This severely reduces your mobility, but who needs to move if nobody can hurt you?
- Reduces physical damage by 3
- Reduces your speed by 3 tiles
Shields can reduce incoming physical damage by 1 without reducing your speed.
These are physical implements of destruction, whose damage is based off of strength. They can be used to hit an enemy on an adjacent tile.
Maximum R3 Physical Damage
These are typically clubs, daggers, sickles, and shortswords, and can be used as many times per turn as you have stamina.
Maximum R5 Physical Damage
These are quarterstaffs, battleaxes, longswords, and warhammers. They can be used multiple times per turn, but each subsequent attack is further reduced R2 damage. You must have a strength of three or hold this weapon with two hands, or you roll with disadvantage.
No Maximum Physical Damage
Greatswords, mauls, pikes, and glaives are found here, and they can only be used once per turn. You must have a strength of five or hold this weapon with both hands, or you have disadvantage. If both, however, you can spend an additional stamina point to roll the attack with advantage. Maximum. Damage.
Used to do harm over some distance. All ranged weapons can double their range with disadvantage. Ranged weapons that have to be reloaded, which costs a stamina point.
Maximum R3 Physical Damage
These are darts and other thrown weapons that can be used one-handed. When "reloading" you can replace the weapon in each hand for only one stamina point. Tile range of 5 + your Strength
Maximum R5 Physical Damage
These are bows and crossbows, which require the use of two hands to operate. Tile range of 4 + Double your Strength
No Maximum Physical Damage
Heavy crossbows and greatbows are found here. You may choose to spend a Focus Point when firing to gain advantage on the roll. Tile range of 3 + Triple your Strength
Most TTRPGs are broken down into a cycle of play, but this is by no means a one-size fits all solution. Generally, a GM will describe the environment, and the players respond with what their character does. The GM then goes back and forth with the players, narrating the results of their actions and having the players respond, until a scene comes to a natural close.
When you begin playing, everybody rolls a dexterity check, including the GM. This order is written down, and is the order that combat will happen in, the first of the order going after the last. This can be re-rolled at the end of combat, or only when you pick up in another session, up to the discretion of the GM. This temporary ordering is referred to as Initiative.
Struggle is a part of every story, and it may present itself in the form of combat. Your characters have specific strengths and weaknesses based on your primary attributes. When somebody announces that they are doing something combative enough to warrant a full fight, that person goes first, and play follows the pre-rolled initiative starting from them.
When in combat, you naturally recover some of your reserves each turn. On the start of your turn (before you do anything), your character recovers two stamina and one focus.
Sometimes, you can opt to do something more creative than what is specifically outlined in the rules. Some common examples are below:
- Grappling. Grabbing hold of a creature and not letting go, for one stamina. If you win a contested Strength Check, both you and creature's speed is considered to be 0 until the grapple is broken (the target spends a stamina to retry the contested strength check, or you choose to let go). Both you and the creature have disadvantage when attacking other creatures.
Your characters cannot stay awake indefinitely, and will need to recover and heal their wounds. Characters will need to rest for a total of 8 hours, up to two of which can be sitting/lying down but conscious. If characters go 24 hours without resting, they gain a point of exhaustion. Resting removes all points of exhaustion.
This comes when a character has undergone such a heavy burden (being awake for too long, physical exertion, or sustaining too much damage). There are different degrees of exhaustion, and they correspond with how many points of exhaustion that you have. For each point of exhaustion you've accumulated:
- You roll one less die for all checks.
- Your speed is reduced by one tile (to a minimum of zero).
Exhaustion is not removed by healing. Only resting does this.
It's your time to shine! Your character starts their turn by recovering two Stamina points, up to three. Additionally, all characters recover one Focus point, up to their maximum.
Now you're ready to go! You can take any of the following actions for the cost of 1 stamina point:
- Moving a distance up to your speed
- Attacking with a weapon (you must be on an adjacent square to do so with a melee weapon, or the target must be within range for a ranged weapon)
You can also use a spell for the cost of one Stamina point, as well as the listed focus cost for the spell.
If you do not have enough stamina and/or focus to take an action, you cannot do it.
Some enemies or characters may be resistant or vulnerable to certain types of damage (see Damage Types in the Introduction). If something is vulnerable to a type of attack, count your successes with advantage. If something is resistant to the type of attack, count the successes with disadvantage.
Once your character reaches 0 heart, their grip on mortality is weakening and could soon die. On the start of your turn when you're fading, you gain a point of exhaustion.
If you take damage while fading, consider your heart to be negative. Healing must bring you back up above 0 for you to be no longer fading. If your health is 0 or below and your character ends their turn with four points of exhaustion, the character dies.
There is magic out in the world, and some have been able to hone their minds to channel and control it to suite their needs (referred to here as casters). A character can only memorize a certain number of spells at a time, this being your Mind score. The ones you have memorized can be swapped during rests, but if you don't have a spell prepared, you cannot use it. Most casters have a few favored spells, but feel free to get creative!
To cast a spell, you must spend one stamina as well as its focus cost. A spell failing (no damage on the roll, targets making their checks, etc) still expend this amount. If you don't have enough focus OR stamina, you cannot use it. Some spells require concentration, meaning that if your heart is reduced, or you cast another spell, the spell ends.
Scalable. Some spells scale with the ability of your caster. Damage could increase, and area of effect could get bigger, number of targets, etc. Each scalable spell will be specified, as well as how the spell scales. You can elect to spend additional focus points when you cast a scalable spell, and for each one you spend, the scalable effect applies (stacking).
These spells cost two focus to cast.