I find it useful to include a brief note on the assumptions behind why I design things the way I do. In the case of the Manual of the Three Adventuring Arts, I help the reader with information so they can weigh the benefits of the different options I write about for character creation and adjudication.
Rule Assumptions
The following is a summary of the assumptions used by the rules of the Majestic Fantasy RPG. They are useful to know as you work your way through the various lists of available options, such as classes, backgrounds, skills, and spells.
Combat Actions
In combat, every character gets two actions during their six-second turn. Each character rolls a 1d6 initiative roll to determine the order in which they act. The character’s Dexterity bonus and other abilities may modify the initiative roll. Monsters may use half of their Hit Dice as an initiative modifier.
The basic principle is that characters can take a half move as a regular action and make an attack as an attack action. A character can only take one attack action per round, whether it is melee, missile, or spell casting.
If the character chooses not to use an attack action, they may take another regular action instead. For example, they may take two half moves in succession to move their full modified movement during a combat round. See the Combat chapter for further details.
Skills
When the odds of success are uncertain due to limited time, such as during a combat round, limited resources, or when the consequences of failure are significant, such as climbing a great height, make a skill roll. The basic chance of success is 15 or better on a 1d20 roll. Add a relevant attribute bonus to the skill bonus to modify the roll.
Two other basic principles of the Majestic Fantasy RPG are that any character can attempt any skill and that if a character has sufficient time and resources, they will succeed. When failure is a remote possibility, the player still rolls 1d20, but it only fails on a natural 1.
Experience
In the Majestic Fantasy RPG, characters earn experience in one of two ways. The first is by defeating or overcoming opponents in combat or other forms of conflict. The second is by achieving the goals the players set out for themselves. Tougher opponents and more difficult goals award more experience.
Backgrounds
A character’s background consists of inherited traits and culture. Inherited traits determine physical and, in some cases, mental characteristics. A character’s culture reflects the social environment that shaped them and may modify their attributes or grant bonus skill points.
Roleplaying
Generally, campaigns in the Majestic Fantasy RPG begin with the referee describing the circumstances in which the players find themselves as their characters. The players then, as their characters, describe or roleplay their responses. The referee decides what rolls, if any, are required and adjudicates the results. Following that, the referee either roleplays the non-player characters or describes how the circumstances change.
Repeat this process throughout the session and the campaign.
The Living World Sandbox chapters of the Tome of the Mundane, Strange, and Arcane provide specific techniques and advice for managing this process.
Spellcasting
The Majestic Fantasy RPG centers the bulk of spellcasting on the traditional Vancian system of spell memorization. However, two major additions extend how magic works: Rituals and Focused Arts.
Rituals
In the Majestic Fantasy RPG, a spellcaster can cast spells as 10-minute rituals without memorizing them, but must first inscribe them in a ritual book or spell book. Rituals also incur costs in their components. Each type of spellcaster has its own rules regarding rituals. Ritual Casting represents an older, less developed form of magic.
Focused Art
Spells are more effective when cast by a cleric or magic-user with a focus in that art. The spell description provides the details at the end of each entry in the section labeled Focused Art.
These rules categorize spells into nine arts of magic. Nine of these arts are associated with one of the chromatic crystals used to seal the entrance to the Abyss. The tenth is the original ambient magic of the Majestic Fantasy Realms.
Viz
Viz is a magical substance that takes many forms, from a flask of pure spring water to a newly blooming flower or an iridescent rock. All these items share one trait in common: pure magic infuses them. Viz is typically harvested, refined, and measured in units for spellcasting. When casting spells or creating magic items, spellcasters can use units of Viz to assist the process. See the entry for Viz in the Treasure chapter for further details.
Vim
Magic permeates everything throughout the Majestic Fantasy Realms, including the souls of sentient beings and various creatures. Intertwined with a sentient being's soul or spirit is a form of Viz known as Vim. For most, the amount of Vim is not enough to manifest any magical effects. Some creatures or individuals can create magical effects by having more than the usual amount of Vim as a result of birth or training.
Rob’s Note: Unlike Viz, Vim has no explicit mechanics unless specified by a class or ability.
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