Simple Hack

A minor adjustment hack to

Mark of the Odd Games by
Perplexing Ruins
Attributes Roll 4d6, drop the Wounds Ability to sustain
lowest, and record the result. damage before being removed from
action. If attack roll exceeds AR, take 1
STRENGTH (STR): inventory capacity,
Wound. When you’ve taken your
moving objects, shoving, wrestling
maximum Wounds (all Player
DEXTERITY (DEX): swiftness, Characters begin with 3), test your
evasiveness, mechanical prowess Luck. Test each round before combat.
WILLPOWER (WIL): charisma, When enemies take their maximum,
deceive, intimidate, read scrolls, use they are out of action. Each Wound
artifacts has a consequence, which impacts
characters until they are healed or
TOUGHNESS (TOU): resistance to removed from action.
poison, weather, falling, hunger
Weapons & Armor Type
Backgrounds Offers narrative only matters in terms of narrative
flavor. You are good at related tasks. interest. One can not stab another
across the room with a dagger. One
Tests & Saves When you are risks losing their bow if trying to load
faced with a risky situation, in which
while in melee. Your weapon rating
the outcome is uncertain, roll 1d20.
(WR) is the mechanically relevant
• Over Attribute is a fail. information. Your d6 longsword is
• Equal to Attribute is a success with “more dull” perhaps, than your d8
complication. longsword. WR varies from d4 > d10.
• Below Attribute is a full success. To cause a Wound, your weapon must
roll higher than the target’s AR. Non-
Combat Happens in rounds. One Player characters with a shield do not
side acts, then the other. Players
roll for defense. They receive +1 AR.
typically act first. If order is uncertain,
Armor varies from 1 > 5.
test Willpower. Roll weapon die to deal
damage to the target. When you are
attacked, roll enemy’s weapon die Luck Begin with Luck equal to half
against your Armor Rating(AR). your Toughness. Used to make failed
• Weapon roll must exceed target’s tests go your way or remain upright in
(AR) to deal 1 Wound. battle. To test your Luck, roll d20
• Maximum damage reduces target’s under your score. Each time you test
AR by 1 or destroys Shield. Luck, reduce it by 1 point. Luck
• Shields used in Defensive Stance replenishes each day.

If you are not acting first, you may give Healing and Death If you
up your action to choose a Defensive fail a Luck test when trying to stay
Stance. Test an Attribute before being upright, you are out of the action.
attacked. Defensive tests must be a full Depending on the fiction, this means
success and have effect for 1 round. death or at the mercy of your enemy.
• Parry (STR): Deal 1 Wound Resting in a quiet place for a few
• Dodge (DEX): Evade minutes allows you to clear 1 Wound.
• Stall (WIL): Placate (Humanoids) Resting safely overnight allows you to
• Shell (TOU): AR +1 (Shield req.) clear 2 Wounds.
Skills Choose 2 Skills. You can do For Yes / No Questions, roll d20.
tasks related to these well. Interpret <10 NO
and incorporate into your narrative.
=10 Random Event
Magic Anyone can cast a spell if >10 YES
they pass a Willpower test while
Degrees of success apply. Closer to 20
reading from a spell scroll. Scrolls burn
means stronger Yes, closer to 1 means
up if successfully cast. Create spells by
stronger No.
combining words from the Action and
Object tables. Event Focus Degree/ Impact
1. Faction 1. Minor / Small
Supply An abstraction of 2. New NPC 2. Less than expected
inventory and rations. Whenever you 3. PC Positive 3. Average
need a common adventuring item, 4. PC Negative 4. Average
mark off an available Supply bubble, 5. Environment 5. Major / Big
and add that item from the list to your 6. Plot Twist 6. Extraordinary
kit. To clear a bubble, you must be in a Event Subject Action Object
settlement with a shop, and pay 20 1. Abandon Ally Detect Secret
silver pieces. 2. Advance Death Spray Spark
3. Betray Destiny Melt Wax
Advancement Getting better 4. Discovery
5. Defend
Rival
Hazard
Transform
Mend
Form
Flesh
and stronger is based on learned
6. Deliver Law Bend Light
knowledge, acquiring loot, gear, skills, 7. Find Nature Conceal Words
and making connections. Only in 8. Investigate Protection Control Emotion
exceptional circumstances, such as 9. Raid Rival Cover Shadow
lengthy training with a master, may 10. Lost Truth Form Earth
11. Threat Evil Reveal Truth
you increase an Attribute.
12. Return Magic Obscure Face
13. Follow Creature Hold Animal
GM Note Be a fan of your players. 14. Pursue Power Smite Darkness
Fail forward. This isn’t necessarily the 15. Assist Group Repel Blow
type of dungeon game where you want 16. Oppose Place Sever Spell
to die every three rooms and roll up a 17. Fight Fear Blast Fire
18. Inquire Science Shove Bones
new PC. Can be, sure! But there’s 19. Reveal Plot Commune Sleep
plenty of those. 20. Change Weapon Summon Being
• Reveal settings, traps, mood, Explore Sign Discovery
atmosphere.
1. Nothing 1. Tracks 1. Feature
• Roll on the included tables and 2. Nothing 2. Noise 2. Feature
oracles to answer questions about 3. Omen 3. Odor 3. Settlement
the world you may have. Use tables 4. Discovery 4. Remains 4. Settlement
for variability and utility. 5. Encounter 5. Debris 5. Ruin
• Use most dungeon game creatures 6. Encounter 6. Waste 6. Lair
by converting HD to Wounds, to
maximum of 6. Keep damage die Encounter
the same or 1 die step less. 1. Treasure 3. Mundane 5. Humanoid
2. Goods 4. Hazard 6. Monster
• If there’s no rule, make it up!
 D20 Backgrounds
1 Thief 2 Ship Captain 3 Soldier 4 Chef 5 Farmer 6 Miner 7 Fisherman
8 Cook 9 Noble 10 Roadwarden 11 Merchant 12 Woodsman 13 Butcher
14 Sheriff 15 Jailer 16 Performer 17 Ferryman 18 Coachman 19 Mason 20 Scribe

Skills
Animal Handling | Artisan | Bartering | Boxing | Camouflage | Dancing
|Disguise | Falconry | Gambling | Haggling | Herbalism | Hunting
Intuition | Literacy | Lore | Medicine | Navigation | Rock Climbing
Riding | Sailing | Sewing | Song | Tracking | Trapping | Weaving

Starting Weapon Starting Armor

1. Empty handed (d4) 1. None
2. Dagger (d4) 2. None
3. Broken Shortsword (d6) 3. Rusty Helmet (1 AR)
4. Hammer (d6) 4. Leather Jerkin (1 AR)
5. Shortbow & 4 arrows (d8) 5. Gambeson (2 AR)
6. Staff (d4) 6. Shield
Items
Hammer | Glue Pot | Rope | Ink Pot & Quill | Pole | Ladder | Torch | Spikes
Chalk | Water | Net | Knife | Bandage | Bell | Whistle | Hook | Mirror |
Pack | Grease | Cart | Cow | Book | Cook Pot | Paint | Bottle | Fishing Pole
File | Drill | Lockpicks | Bucket | Stretcher | Chicken | Salt | Saw | Antidote

NPCs & Creatures

Info Basic Tougher Elites
Wounds 1-3 2-4 4-6
Weapon d4 - d6 d6 - d8 d6 - d10
Armor 0-2 1-3 2-5
Special 0-1 1-2 2-3
Example Rat, Goblins, Spider, Bandit, Skeleton, Troll, Giant, Lich, Vampire,
Scorpion, Zombie, Hell Hound, Elemental, Dragon, Sorceror,
Farmer, Cultist Knight, Gargoyle Demon

D12 Special Abilities

1. Grapple 4. Kick 7. Spell 10. Jump
2. Stun 5. Hurl 8. Double Strike 11. Resistance
3. Hypnotise 6. Poison 9. Explode 12. Armor

2d6 Reactions
2. Helpful 3-5. Chatty 6-8. Unsure 9-11. Unhelpful 12. Attacks

1st Wound 2nd Wound 3rd Wound 4th Wound 5th Wound
-1 to attack Lose a special Reduce WR Reduce WR Fully
roll ability 1 die step 1 die step incapacitated