SotDL Main Differences From D&D 5E.
Dice
- You will only need a D6 and a D20. All other dice are not used outside of any homebrew.
Rolls
Rolls generally involve a D20. Added and subtracted to the D20 are modifiers, but there's no disadvantage/advantage. Instead players roll "Bane/Boon" which is a D6 which is subtracted/added to the roll.
Banes and Boons cancel each other out. If you have multiple you roll multiple D6 and add or subtract the highest roll.
Example: Roll a d20 + 3 Boons rolls 7 with (2 4 1). You keep the 4 and the total is 7 + 4 = 11.
Out of Combat
There are no "saving throws" or "skill checks" that have a DC of X. Instead all rolls out of combat fall into Skill Challenges or Opposed Rolls
- Skill Challenges ALWAYS have a target number of 10 to meet or exceed. Challenge difficulty is modified by modifiers, more checks, and Banes/Boons. The number does not change.
- Opposed Rolls: When Initiating a Social Attack or direct opposite check both parties DO NOT roll. Instead, the initiator rolls the relevant stat and its compared to the other's stat. Example: If trying to deceive a creature you must roll an Int check with a target number equal to their Int.
In Combat
- Attacks function the same as 5e except your stat modifier is NOT added to your damage. There is also no proficiency, rather just a modifier and any banes/boons. Example: Making a melee attack with 1 boon against a creature with 11 AC, you have 11 Str. Roll D20 + 1d6 + (strength modifier): you roll 9 + 1 + 1 = 11. This is a hit. The weapons damage is 1d6+1 so you do (4)+1 = 5 damage.
- There are no critical hits or critical misses on Nat 20 and Nat 1 unless using alternate/homebrew rules. For the purposes of MY game, we will add an extra 1d6 damage on a natural 20.
- Contests in combat (grabbing, escpaing, etc.) function the same as social opposed rolls above: roll vs. other's relevant attribute.
Initiative
- You do not roll for initiative.
- Each round is broken into: Fast Turns, Slow Turns, End of Round. Players choose to act in Fast or Slow turns, they always act in that section before creatures. Players choose among themselves their order. Fast turn entail: Move or Action. Slow Turns Entail: Move and Action.
Making Characters
- You do not roll for attributes
- Levels go from 0 to 10 (unless homebrew).
- THERE ARE NO SKILLS. Instead you choose professions which determine your narrative "skills."
- You choose your first "class" at level 1, not 0. Classes are more customizable but less powerful/complex than those in 5e. You choose only your race and background at level 0.
- Character power is overall much lower. You may become powerful heroes by 10, but you will not be shaping the world like near-gods as per level 20 in 5e.
Magic (Pg. 110)
- You learn spells when your class gives the option to, you can only learn spells in traditions you know. When you learn a new tradition you learn a level 0 spell from it. Whenever you learn a new spell, you can exchange a spell you have previously learned for another spell of the same or lower rank, or you can discover a new tradition
- You do not have "spell slots." Instead you have power levels and higher power lets you cast more spells. But each spell has its own casting count.
Casting Chart (Pg. 112)
| Power | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 4 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 5 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 6 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - |
| 7 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - |
| 8 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | - |
| 9 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - |
| 10 | 11 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
- Example: You have spell power 2. You know 2 level 0 spells (cantrips), 2 level 1 spells, and 1 level 2 spell. You can then cast EACH of you 0 spells 3 times, EACH of your level 1 spells 2 times, and your level 2 spell 1 time.