It's Pitfalls and Penguins!

Development is back on! Currently, we're still missing the spell and equipment sections. However, if you're interested in running a game, just e-mail me at cpstanford@teamsnowday.com and I'll provide you with links to temporary lists. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Hello and welcome to the first public release of the Pitfalls & Penguins Ruleset, meant for use with the OGL SRD, version 3.5. Right now, we have the rudimentary class definitions sorted out, and racial information in a playable state. There's much left to be done, though: new feats, new equipment, setting information, and actual flavor text. And it will be coming in the next few weeks (along with a tutorial for those of you unfamiliar with the roleplaying hobby, but interested in this project). For now, we have basic class, race, and skill information posted, along with sample character sheets.

In the meantime, there are some basic mechanical changes that should be covered, for those of you familiar with the OGL SRD. First of all, this game features what we like to call Epic Failures. Whenever you roll a 1 on any check (skill, save, or attack), your character manages to achieve their objective, but not in the way intended. For example, rolling a 1 on a Use Rope check to secure a bandit might result in the bandit being securely tied... to your character.

The second important tweak is the use of the E6 Rules developed by Ryan Stoughton. The decision to use these rules is a matter of verisimilitude: anyone familiar with Jack (or Jacq) of All Blades should recognize that the world of the JABverse is relatively low-powered compared to the typical fantasy setting. E6 provides us with a simple framework to keep PC power levels relatively limited, without putting an upper limit on character advancement.

Third, veterans looking over the character sheets will no doubt notice an additional column in the ability scores sections. To generate ability scores, Pitfalls & Penguins relies on the tried and true "roll 4d6 and take the sum of the three highest" system. However, we also have you record the value of the low roll. This value is your character's imaginary modifier, and represents how much better he thinks he is than he really is. This will come into play with several feats and spells that we'll be rolling out in the coming months.

The last, and, perhaps, most important change is death. In this game, characters do not die, unless their player wishes for them to. Instead, the default rule is that, when a character drops below 0, they are rendered unconscious and stable, and may be revived at the end of combat. If the entire party is rendered unconscious, a portion of the party is kidnapped by the enemies, leaving the rest to stand around arguing about whose fault it is until someone (or the PM*) points out the obvious clue indicating their location.

The goal of Pitfalls & Penguins is to provide a humorous and relatively light variant on the standard OGL formula, while still being fun to play. We realize that the system, as it is now, is far from complete. Indeed, there are still several things mentioned throughout that have yet to be fully elaborated upon (namely Rabbit Weapons). But, we hope that what we have so far is at least sensible, and welcome any feedback or suggestions you may have. Just e-mail or tweet them to me (my information's over on the right).

—CP Stanford
CP Stanford

*Stands for "Prime Minister". The guy who runs the game.