What protects you against hostile effects.
Mind, Body, and Soul Scores are used to resist harmful effects.
Hostile effects have to roll equal to or higher than the relevant score, just like incoming attacks have to roll equal to or higher than defences.
Due to the massive variety of causes for these rolls, they’re collectively referred to as Mind, Body, and Soul Checks.
Mind Scores use either COM or INT.
COM is used to resist things that affect the function or freedom of one’s mind (drugs, mind control, etc).
INT is used to resist things that influence thoughts, priorities, or perception (fear, threat recognition, etc).
Body Scores use either RES or MGT.
RES is used to resist things that affect the condition of one’s body (mutation, radiation, drugs, etc).
MGT is used to resist things that forcibly move one’s body (pushes, pulls, etc).
Soul Scores don’t use a stat.
It’s used to resist death.
Most abilities will state which stat you add to your Mind/Body Scores, but other times the GM decides based on the nature of the effect it’s resisting.
If both stats are equally viable, then use whichever stat is higher.
e.g. Mind adds COM or INT. If being hypnotised, COM is best as it represents your force of will. If overcoming the urge to target the closest threat, INT is best as it shows your clear, logical thinking.
MB Checks are formatted like this:
INT vs Body (RES).
This means the user of the effect must roll a d20 plus their INT and try to get a total higher than the target’s Body Score plus their RES. If the user rolls equal to or higher than the total Body Score, they have ‘beaten’ the Body Check, while rolling lower means they have ‘failed’ against it.
This also works for checks against skills.
Threat vs Mind (INT).
The user of the effect makes a Threat Check, rolling a d20 plus their Threat Skill Score. They must roll equal to or higher than the target’s Mind Score plus their INT to ‘beat’ the check.
Checks using skills are often easier than using stats, as skills get more bonuses. This tends to make them rarer too.
Mind and Body Scores increase as a character levels up.
Soul Scores do not.
At Lv1 characters have base Mind and Body Scores of 10.
The relevant stat is then added to that Score for the Check.
Soul Scores are 13, and stats are not added to this.
Every 4 levels, starting at Lv4, characters’ base Mind and Body Scores increase.
This is included in the class tables.
| Level | Base MB Score |
|---|---|
| 1 | 10 |
| 4 | 11 |
| 8 | 12 |
| 12 | 13 |
| 16 | 14 |
| 20 | 15 |
| 24 | 16 |
When you are reduced to 0 health, you can choose to drop to the floor immediately. This free action could save your life by removing you from sight, giving you valuable cover, or even feigning your death.
Being at 0 health at the end of your next turn causes the GM to Roll For Death against your Soul Score (also called a Soul Check). They roll a d20; if they roll higher than your Soul Score you lose the Soul Check, while rolling lower means you pass it.
If you lose a Soul Check or take additional damage (separate to the attack or effect that reduced you to 0 health) you become Near Death.
Passing a Soul Check immediately restores 1 health.
If you lose a Soul Check or take damage while Near Death, you die.
Passing a Soul Check while Near Death also immediately restores 1 health, but you become Unconscious.
<aside> 💡 Near Death: When you are seconds from dying. You are unable to sense anything, and cannot move, communicate, or perform any actions. The only ways to end this condition are to pass a Soul Check and become Unconscious, or to be actively healed.
</aside>
<aside> 💡 Unconscious: When you are asleep, powered down, drugged/poisoned, or recovering from Near Death. You are unable to sense anything, and cannot move, communicate, or perform any actions. This condition can be ended in various ways, as suits the particular ‘kind’ of unconsciousness. Active healing is the most common way, but drugged or poisoned people can need the cause of the condition removed/treated before they’ll recover. Generally sleeping people can easily be woken by lightly shaking them, or by loud noises.
</aside>
Soul Checks provide a narrow window in which a mortally wounded player can heal themselves or make their way towards someone who can help.
An adjacent creature can spend 16m on their turn to Provide Aid, increasing your Soul Score by their Medicine/Mechanics skill score (as suits your genus).
This effect lasts until the start of their next turn.
You can only benefit from Provide Aid from one creature at a time; if more creatures Provide Aid, you only increase your Soul Score by the highest Medicine/Mechanics among all the aiding creatures.