3dX More Dice, Less Math, Endless Possibilities

The Five Pillars of 3dX

Easy Customization

3dX does not have predetermined ancestries, backgrounds, classes, features, or Skills outside of the standard Attributes and Abilities. This leaves the ways in which the players interact with the world via their Player Characters (PCs) nearly limitless. Don't get bogged down in whether or not an Action is permitted given a combination of PC options. If it makes sense for a PC to do something, give it a shot and get drawn into the world and the PCs’ place in it.

More Rolling Dice

For nearly every Roll in 3dX, there are three dice Rolled: the Vitality die, one of five Attribute dice, and one of at least twenty-four Ability dice. Which dice are used depends on the condition of the Roll (Disadvantage, normal, or Advantage), making it easy to determine what the results are as well as encouraging collaboration as other players may choose to help, potentially changing the outcome.

Less Math

I am one of those people that actually likes math, but crunching numbers tends to take everyone out of the Action. 3dX avoids this by reducing the math necessary to determine the outcome to whether or not the numbers of the dice being used are higher than the Difficulty Number (DN) and by how much.

High Collaboration

All the players and their allies act at once; no more waiting for your Turn to act. This allows you to work together to accomplish your goals. Be careful, though; once someone Rolls their dice, they cannot be rerolled and their Actions cannot be changed, so plan accordingly.

Rulings Instead of Rules

The rules are intentionally minimal and meant to serve as the springboard to get you into the adventure. If a situation arises where you're not sure if it is covered in the rules or not, make a call and go with it! Chances are, whatever rules do apply to that situation will be left open to interpretation anyway, so don't let the rules take you out of the moment!

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank everyone that played a role in inspiring and developing this ruleset, knowingly and not. I took inspiration from many creators within the TTRPG world as they introduced lesser-known systems, presented homebrew and house rules for existing systems, documented their progress on their custom system, or simply dug into the mechanics and statistics behind dice-based games as a whole. 3dX is the combination of many incredible ideas that have allowed it to come into its own.

How to Read the Rules

The rules provided below are meant to provide a solid foundation on which to get you right into the adventure and keep it going. If there are any rules that don't add to the experience, feel free to alter or ignore them. If you are trying to adhere closely to the rules, whenever there is a conflict between two or more rules, the ones that apply to the most specific set of circumstances take precedence.

Dice in 3dX

Rolls and Saves

A Roll is whenever the Vitality die, an Attribute die, and an Ability die are Rolled together. Each of these dice can be a d2, d4, d6, d8, d10, or d12. For a d2 you can either use a coin or another die where either odds count as a one and evens count as a two, or the lower half of the results count as a one and the higher half count as a two. Each of these Increments is referred to as a die size. In circumstances where the Attribute or Ability die is zero, Roll the other die and treat the results of the unrolled die/dice as zero.

A Save is where just a single die, most often the Vitality die, is Rolled.

Roll and Save Conditions

Each Roll or Save can be made normally, with Advantage, or with Disadvantage. For Rolls, the middle result is used if the Roll is made normally, the highest result is used for Advantage, and the lowest result is used for Disadvantage. For Saves, the result of the Save is used for normal Saves, two of the dice are Rolled and the highest is taken for Advantage, and two of the dice are Rolled and the lowest is taken with Disadvantage.

When reading rules that specify which dice are used to determine the outcome or outcomes of a Roll or Save, the rule is assuming that the situation does not have external factors applying Advantage or Disadvantage.

Determining Success

If the result of the Roll or Save is equal to or greater than the DN, it is a success with how much it exceeds the DN by being how successful. If it is less than the DN, it fails with how far below the DN it is determining by how much.

Taking Time

If a PC wants to take additional time to accomplish a task, they can gain Advantage on the Roll. How much time needs to be taken to accomplish this depends on the Ability being used as well as the circumstances, leaving the exact amount up to the Scribe’s discretion. For an additional increase to the Roll, the PC can choose to take that time again, increasing their Advantage result by one per use until reaching the maximum possible value of the Roll. This does not apply to combat or other similar time-sensitive situations as AP are used to increase the condition of Rolls.

Critical Result

If all three of the dice Rolled as a part of a Roll are the same, this is a Critical Success and makes the overall result the equal to the highest value of the dice Rolled, unless all the results are 1, in which case this is a Critical Failure and results in a zero.

Multiple Rolls

If a PC is attempting to take an Action that uses multiple Abilities, determine in what order the Rolls should be made and then proceed. Depending on the results of a Roll, the following one may have Advantage or Disadvantage per the Scribe’s discretion.

Skill Rolls

Skills are Abilities not provided on the PC sheet or are a combination of multiple Abilities. When two or more Abilities are combined, only one Roll is made. To determine which dice are Rolled, find the average die size for the applicable Attributes and Abilities, rounding down if the average isn't an even number. The Vitality die is also Rolled as the third die as it is not changed regardless of how many Abilities are combined.

PC Sheet

by Dan Leitch

PC Creation and Advancement

First things first: you need to create an avatar through which you will experience whatever world you are playing in. The order in which you decide who your PC is and how they fit into the world is up to you, but here is a recommended order in case you are not sure where to start.

Ancestry

A PC's ancestry is simply the answer to the question, "who are your ancestors?". This focuses primarily on genetic ancestry, though additional details can be incorporated in it if they are not covered by the following two elements.

Background

What did the PC do before the start of this story? Are they new to adventuring or have they already been on an adventure or two. This won't change the PC's starting Level, but it will help inform what Abilities, Attributes, and Skills the PC should have.

Culture

Where did the PC come from? What languages do they speak? What traditions do they observe? What Abilities and Skills did they acquire from growing up in that part of the world?

Levels and PC Advancement

Starting Level

How much experience does the PC have? The PC's Level is the average of their Attributes rounded up. The primary purposes of this value are to determine how many Attributes and Abilities the PC starts with, keep track of the PC's progress as they gain experience, and help the SCRIBE with balancing encounters and setting DNs. A good rule of thumb is that an NPC with a DN equal to a PC's Level will prove a tough, but winnable challenge, though this does depend on how the PC has distributed their Attribute and Ability.

Below are all of the Levels with their corresponding starting Attributes, Abilities, and Epic Dice. Discuss with the group where they would like to start.

Novice Adventurers

• Level 1: <8 Attribute, <12 Ability, 1 Epic Die
• Level 2: 8 Attribute, 12 Ability, 1 Epic Die
• Level 3: 12 Attribute, 32 Ability, 1 Epic Die

Intermediate Adventurers

• Level 4: 16 Attribute, 52 Ability, 1 Epic Die
• Level 5: 20 Attribute, 72 Ability, 2 Epic Dice
• Level 6: 24 Attribute, 92 Ability, 2 Epic Dice

Experienced Adventurers

• Level 7: 28 Attribute,112 Ability, 2 Epic Dice
• Level 8: 32 Attribute, 132 Ability, 2 Epic Dice
• Level 9: 36 Attribute, 152 Ability, 2 Epic Dice

Seasoned Adventurers

• Level 10: 40 Attribute, 172 Ability, 3 Epic Dice
• Level 11: 44 Attribute, 192 Ability, 3 Epic Dice
• Level 12: 48 Attribute, 212 Ability, 3 Epic Dice

Master Adventurers

• Level 13: 52 Attribute, 232 Ability, 3 Epic Dice
• Level 14: 56 Attribute, 252 Ability, 3 Epic Dice
• Level 15: 60 Attribute, 272 Ability, 4 Epic Dice

PC Advancement

The default PC advancement rate is increasing one Ability by a die size after each quest and one Attribute die after five quests with the caveat that once an Ability is increased, it cannot be increased again until the next Attribute increase. A quest, in this case, is assumed to take enough in-world time and play time to warrant an increase in the PC’s Abilities. For example, in my games, we complete a quest approximately once every four hours or play time, though that time includes the recovery time between quests. This rate can be adjusted to best fit the campaign and the group.

Vitality

A PC's Vitality is a measure of their overall health and wellbeing. Unless stated otherwise, everyone's Vitality should start out as a d12. The primary way Vitality is reduced is by failing a Vitality Save, which occurs after being subject to an effect that could negatively impact the PC's healthiness such as taking a Wound, being poisoned, overexerting themselves, or going a too long without sufficient Rest.

Attributes and Abilities

Each PC has five Attributes: Athletics, Dexterity, Intelligence, Presence, and a fifth Attribute that depends on the setting. These represent the PC's natural aptitudes, corresponding with the maximum value of the die assigned to it.

In circumstances where an Attribute or Ability is reduced, whether due to a special attack or other effect, make sure to keep track of its original value. Restoring a reduced Attribute or Ability requires Rest.

Each Attribute, with the exception of the fifth one, has six Abilities each, which represent particular actions, Skills, or talents the PC has developed. The degree of proficiency a PC has with each of these Abilities corresponds with the maximum value of the die assigned to it.

Athletics

• Block: Used when a PC is attempting to absorb or deflect an attack.
• Carry: This does not involve a Roll but increases the number of inventory Slots a PC can fill before experiencing encumbrance. The die size assigned to Carry is how many additional Slots a PC has.
• Grapple: Used when a PC is attempting to grapple or avoid being grappled by an opponent. Agility or Might can also be used to avoid or break free from a grapple.
• Might: Used when a PC is performing a feat of athletics or strength.
• Strike: Used when a PC is attempting to hit an opponent with a strength-based melee attack.
• Throw: Used when a PC is attempting to hit an opponent with a strength-based ranged attack.

Dexterity

• Agility: Used when a PC is attempting to perform a feat of acrobatics.
• Dodge: Used when a PC is attempting to move out of the way of an attack.
• Finesse: Used when a PC is attempting to hit an opponent with a dexterity-based melee attack.
• Precision: Used when a PC is attempting to hit an opponent with a dexterity-based ranged attack.
• Stealth: Used when a PC is attempting to hide, move silently, sneak, or otherwise evade detection or go unnoticed.
• Thievery: Used when a PC is attempting to perform an act of thievery such as lockpicking or pickpocketing.

Intelligence

• Intuition: Used when a PC is attempting to deduce unknown information about an event, mechanism, phenomenon, or situation.
• Knowledge: Used when a PC is attempting to recall information they may have encountered before. It is also used for Learning Rolls.
• Linguistics: Used when a PC is attempting to interpret a language they are not proficient in.
• Medicine: Used when a PC is attempting to treat a Wound, end the Dying condition, or otherwise diagnose or treat a medical condition.
• Navigation: Used when a PC is attempting to navigate through unfamiliar terrain.
• Search: Used when a PC is attempting to identify or spot something in their surroundings.

Presence

• Calm: Used when a PC is attempting to deescalate an emotionally charged situation or pacify an agitated PC or NPC.
• Deceive: Used when a PC is attempting to deceive, fool, or lie to another PC.
• Intimidate: Used when a PC is attempting to intimidate, scare, or threaten another PC.
• Persuade: Used when a PC is attempting to convince or persuade another PC.
• Social: Used when a PC is gauging a social situation.
• Theatrics: Used when a PC is attempting to perform or put on a show.

Fifth Attribute

The fifth Attribute is intentionally left blank on the PC sheet and includes space for the Attribute die, a special resource, Bonus Dice, and ten Abilities. This allows for PCs to develop an Attribute and Abilities that can be specific to the setting or even specific to that PC. Keep in mind that PCs can also develop Skills, which use existing Attribute and Ability dice, so fifth Attribute Abilities should be ones that wouldn't fit with what is already contained on the PC sheet.

Bonus Dice

Each Attribute has an associated Bonus Die that can be used to increase the condition of a Roll or Save. If the Attribute is a d6 or greater, it gets an associated Bonus Die equal to that Attribute's die. If the Attribute is a d12, it gets two uses of its d12 Bonus Die.

Each PC also has a special Bonus Die called the Epic Die. This is a d20 and when it is used, it must be the highest of the dice already rolled. If it's equal to or lower than a die that has already been rolled, reroll the d20 until it's higher. Each player starts with an Epic Dice and gains an additional one when the PC's reach Level 5, 10, 15, and so on.

Bonus Dice can be regained from Resting.

Movement

Most PCs have three Movements: Climb, Run, and Swim. Some ancestries can replace or add new Movements, such as Dig, or Fly, if appropriate. To calculate each Movement speed, add the PC's Dexterity, any Ability increase put into that Movement, and their Vitality together, and then divide it by four, rounding up to the nearest meter. The player must pick one to be their Primary Movement and one as their Secondary with the remaining Movements being Tertiary. For their Primary, the result of this calculation is that Movement's speed in meters; for their Secondary, divide the result in half; and for their Tertiary, divide the result by four. Always round Movement speeds up to the nearest whole meter.

When using Ability increases to increase a Movement’s speed, they must be in Increments of two and cannot exceed twelve, following the same rules as Ability increases.

Additional Movement Options

If a PC is crawling, they can move up to a quarter of their Run speed.

If a PC wants to make a vertical jump, the height they can reach is equal to the average of their Vitality, Dexterity Attribute, and Agility Ability dice divided by two.

If a PC wants to make a horizontal leap, they need to first determine how much of a Running start they have to determine how far they can leap.

• Long Leap: If the PC has at least a four-meter Running start, the distance they can leap is equal to the average of their Vitality, Athletics Attributes, and Might Ability.
• Mid Leap: If a PC has at least a two-meter Running start, the distance they can leap is equal to their long leap distance divided by two.
• Short Leap: If a PC has less than a two-meter Running start, the distance they can leap is equal to their long leap distance divided by four.

The total Movement taken in a Turn can be split between multiple Movements, including jump and leap.

Inventory

A PC's inventory consists of Slots, with each Slot being able to hold a half stone of equipment, which is equal to seven pounds or just over three and a sixth (3.175) kilograms. To calculate how many Slots a PC can have filled without suffering any penalties, add together their Athletics, Encumbrance, and their Vitality, then divide it by two. A PC can have more Slots filled than this value, but for each additional Slot filled, they must take a die size penalty to either their Athletics, Dexterity, or their fifth Attribute if applicable. Of note, a penalty to Athletics does not reduce the calculated number of Slots a PC can have filled without incurring penalties.

Skills

In addition to Abilities, PCs have Skills, which are either a custom Ability, a language apart from the one they grew up speaking, a proficiency with a special tool or weapon, or a particular circumstance or condition in which they have Advantage. There is no limit to how many Skills a PC can have, but they can only have a certain number of them active at any given time. This number is the result of adding the PC's Intelligence and Level together. How many Skills each PC starts with is up to the Scribe. Active Skills can be switched out after completing a Rest.

Custom Abilities

Custom Abilities are ones apart from the Abilities provided on the PC sheet that uses existing Attribute and Ability dice. For a Skill Roll, the Vitality die, the average of the associated Attribute dice, and the average of the associated Ability dice are Rolled. When using the average of either the Attribute or Ability dice, round down to the nearest die size. Custom Abilities cannot be increased directly using an Attribute or Ability increase, but the associated Attributes and Abilities can be increased to increase the averages used to determine which dice to use.

If a Skill does not have either a fitting Attribute or Ability die, consider Turning it into a fifth Attribute Ability.

Proficiencies

Proficiencies are when a PC has developed, whether as a part of the life before adventuring or while adventuring, activities in which they can gain Advantage on Rolls and Saves under certain circumstances or with certain items. Work the Scribe to ensure that these allow PCs to excel at certain tasks without making them overpowered.

Learning

For PCs that want to Learn new custom Abilities, languages, proficiencies, or any other Skill, they can place them in the Learning section of the PC sheet and make Learning Rolls whenever they use downtime to practice, research, study, or otherwise work on developing that language or Skill. Depending on what the fifth Attribute for the setting or even individual PC is, Learning can be used to acquire new Abilities for that fifth Attribute. To maintain balance and pacing, when a PC has acquired enough Learning points to gain a new Ability, they put a 0 in it until they can apply an Ability increase to make it a d2.

A Learning Roll uses the PC's Vitality, Intelligence, and Knowledge dice. The result of the Roll is how many Learning points a PC acquires per uninterrupted hour spent Learning.

How many Learning points are required to gain a new Skill depends on a number of factors but below is a general guide.

• Basic: Two-Hundred and Fifty
• Intermediate: Five-Hundred
• Advanced: One-Thousand
• Expert: Ten-Thousand

Additionally, a PC can Learn by Rolling a twelve or higher on a Roll associated with something they are Learning, gaining a number of Learning points equal to the result of the Roll.

Relationships

As PCs interact with the inhabitants of the world, they can build relationships, both positive and negative. This space on the PC sheet allows PCs to quantify their relationships with particular individuals or organizations. The value assigned represents the DN the PC would need to Roll to influence the Actions of that individual or organization. This results in lower values indicating more positive relationships and higher willingness to cooperate while higher values indicate more negative, even hostile, relationships. Where these DNs begin when the PCs first make contact is up to the Scribe but below are some guidelines.

• Less than Two: Agreeable
• Between Three and Five: Indifferent
• Between Six and Nine: Resistant
• Between Ten and Twelve: Disagreeable
• Greater than twelve: Hostile

Only record relationships for important individuals or organizations, such as companions, local authorities, and rivals, increasing or decreasing the number appropriately based on their interactions with the PCs.

Combat

Turns

Instead of individual PCs taking a Turn in combat, the combatants are split into at least two groups based on which side they are fighting for. All members of their group act in any order they want on their Turn with each Turn takes five seconds of in-game time.

Initiative

3dX does not have a built-in initiative system. Instead, the Scribe will determine which group would strike first and start combat from there. Alternatively, the PCs can each Roll whatever Attribute Save or Ability Roll would allow them to act first, take the average of that, and compare that to the average of the DNs of the other group. The higher of the two goes first in combat.

Lead

To add a bit more structure to combat, consider starting each Turn by selecting a PC to take the Lead. This means that the PC gets to act first and other PC can choose to wait until they have finished acting or use their Actions to assist the lead PC. Then the lead shifts to the next PC. If playing at a physical table, the lead can simply move to the person sitting next the previous lead. Continue until all the players have used all of the Actions they want to during that Turn. At the start of the next Turn, shift who starts with the lead to the next player, allowing each player an opportunity to take the lead and have their moment in the spotlight.

Actions and AP

In combat, each PC and NPC has Action Points (AP) that they can expend to take Actions. At the end of each side’s Turn, all members gain three AP, but cannot exceed their AP Cap.

Action Point Cap

For PCs, the maximum number of AP a single PC can have at once is three plus the number of Epic Dice they have unlocked.

For NPCs, their AP Cap is determined by their DN, with NPCs with DNs below four being capped at three, NPCs with DNs between four and six being capped at four, and NPCs with DNs greater than six being capped at five.

Reducing Action Points Gained

If a PC's Vitality is reduced to a d8, their only gain two AP at the end of their Turn. If it is reduced to a d4, they only gain one Action Point.

If an NPC has taken enough Wounds to begin reducing their DN, they only gain two AP at the end of their Turn. If their DN has been reduced to half of its original value, they only gain one Action Point.

Turn Actions

On their Turn, each PC and/or NPC can use their AP to take one of the following Actions.

• Act: Make an Ability Roll or take an Action that doesn’t require one.
• Defend: Increase the Roll Condition of their defense Rolls until the start of their side’s next Turn.
• Focus: Increase the condition of an Ability Roll you are about to make.
• Help: Assist an allied PC or NPC with their Action. The helper needs to have an Ability Die in the Ability they are using to Help but does not make a Roll.
• Move: Move up to their Movement Speed. This Movement can be split by another Action.
• Ready: Ready an Action to trigger when a specific condition is met before the start of their next Turn. If the condition is not met, the Action can still be taken but with Disadvantage.

Off-Turn Actions

• Interrupt: Attempt to disrupt an opponent's Action with an Action of you own, which requires its own AP. If the interrupting Action's result is greater than the interrupted Action's result, the interrupted Action fails. Regardless of the outcome, the effects of the interrupting Action are still applied.
• Reposition: Move up to half their Movement Speed. This cannot be used to avoids making a defensive Roll.

Multiple Attacks

When a PC makes an attack against a single target with two light or one-handed melee weapons, multiple light or medium ranged weapons, a ranged weapon with multiple projectiles, or are otherwise able to make multiple attacks in a single Turn, they make a single Roll to determine how many of these attacks hit, dividing the number of attacks between the three results as evenly as possible. If the number of attacks is not divisible by three, including if there are just two attacks, assign the remaining results to the result the corresponds with the condition of the Roll.

Multiple Targets

Making multiple attacks to try and hit multiple targets uses the same multiple attacks rule, except with Disadvantage.

Defense

On the opponents' Turn, PCs and NPCs can take the Block, Dodge, or a defensive fifth Attribute Ability to defend themselves against incoming attacks. Whatever Action is used applies to all incoming attacks during that Turn.

• Block: If a PC is wielding a shield while blocking, they have Advantage on the Roll. If they are wielding a two-handed weapon or two one-handed weapons, the Roll is made normally unless it is against a ranged attack, in which case it is made with Disadvantage. If they are wielding a single one-handed weapon or if they do not have anything with which to block, the Roll is made with Disadvantage.
• Dodge: The Roll is made normally unless the PC is carrying a shield or two-handed weapon.

Defending Against Grappling

If an opponent is attempting to Grapple a PC, they can make an Agility, Block, Dodge, Might, or appropriate fifth Attribute Ability to avoid the intended result of the Grapple. If a PC is caught in a Grapple, they can make an Agility, Might, or appropriate fifth Attribute Ability to try and break free.

Multiple Attackers

If a PC is being attacked by multiple enemies at once, only one defense Roll is made. For Advantage Rolls, the highest and middle result are applied to one enemy of the PC's choosing each with the remainder applying to the Disadvantage result. For normal Rolls, the middle result is applied to one enemy of the PC's choosing and the Rest are applied to the Disadvantage result. For Disadvantage Rolls, all attacks use the lowest result.

NPC Saves and Difficulty Numbers

If an NPC attacks a PC or defends against a PC's attack, the NPC uses a DN against which the PC's Roll is compared. If an NPCs attacks or defends against another NPC, the attacking NPC makes a Save, Rolling a die with a maximum value of twice their DN. For NPCs with DNs greater than six, Roll a d20 and reroll if the value is greater than twice their DN.

Damage and Wounds

Whenever a PC or NPC is subject to an effect that would likely result in a Wound or other negative consequence, they make the appropriate Roll or Save and compare that result to the DN. If the attack Roll or DN is greater than the defense Roll or DN, the attack deals a number of Wounds equal to the difference between the values.

NPC Wounds

An NPC can take a number of Wounds equal to their DN without suffering any additional consequences. However, for each Wound they take in excess of their DN, their effective DN, which is used for determining the results of their Actions, is reduced by one. When their effective DN reaches zero, they fall unconscious and begin Dying. [p/]

Damage and Wound Reduction

In instances where more than one Wound is dealt by a single attack, the PC or NPC can take one or more of the below Reactions to reduce the incoming damage by one each to a minimum of one Wound.

• Drop: If a PC uses the Block Action, they can choose to drop the shield or weapons they used to Block, reducing their incoming damage by one. Picking up a dropped item uses the Act Action and can be combined with half Movement.
• Fall: If a PC uses the Block of Dodge Action, they can choose to be knocked prone, reducing their incoming damage by one. Getting up from being prone uses up half their Movement and any Athletics and Dexterity Abilities, including combat Abilities, are made with Disadvantage until the start of the Turn after the one they stand up in.

Heavy Hits

In most circumstances, a PC will make a single Vitality Save at the start of their Turn after taking Wounds. However, if a single attack deals at least five Wounds, that attack requires an additional Vitality Save for every five Wounds it deals.

Falling and Fall Damage

If a PC begins falling and they are not in combat, the group should enter the same Turn-based timing system used in combat. The PC will not actually fall until the start of their next Turn, allowing them and their allies to take a Turn trying to rescue them. However, if they are unsuccessful, they will fall until they either land or use an Action to stop their descent. If they land, they take a number of Wounds equal to the distance they fell in meters divided by ten up to a maximum of twenty Wounds. If they stop their descent by their own Action, the number of Wounds they would have taken is divided in half.

Non-Wounding Damage

In instances where an effect could harm a PC but not deal any Wounds such as poison, sickness, or suffocation, having the PCs make additional Vitality Saves, potentially once per Turn until the effect is ended. For NPCs, simply award Wounds as they cannot make Vitality Saves.

Armor and Shields

Armor

A single piece of armor takes up on inventory Slot and can be broken to reduce incoming damage by one. A broken piece of armor remains in the PC's inventory but no longer provides any protection. As long as a PC is wearing at least one piece of unbroken armor, their reduce incoming damage by one per incoming attack.

Shields

A shield takes up an inventory Slot and requires a free hand to wield. While a PC is carrying a shield, they have Advantage on all defense Rolls as long as they are aware they are being attacked. Additionally, when the PC takes the Defend Action, their shield serves as a piece of armor.

Weapons

While the majority of weapons deal the same amount of damage, they are differentiated by how many hands are required to wield them, how many inventory Slots their occupy, how they impact Block and Dodge Rolls, and what unique Skills their wielders have access to. Exceptions to the same damage rule include weapons with elemental, explosive, or magical properties that can cause additional damage or inflict additional effects.

Weapon Ranges

Each weapon has a range at which it can be effectively used. For ranged weapons, attacks made against targets closer than the listed range are made with Advantage and attacks made against targets further than the listed range a made with Disadvantage. The exception to this is any weapon that does not have the melee range is used with Disadvantage when used at melee range.

• Melee: Attacks can be made against targets that are within two meters of the attacker
• Reach: Attacks can be made against targets that are within four meters of the attacker.
• Close Range: Attacks can be made against targets between five and ten meters of the attacker.
• Mid Range: Attacks can be made against targets between eleven and twenty meters of the attacker.
• Long Range: Attacks can be made against targets between twenty-one and forty meters of the attacker's space.

Weapon Types

While many weapons may not fit into these categories or may have alternate properties, below are the basic weapon types for 3dX and their properties:

• Light Melee: Melee Range: Half Slot: Disadvantage on Block: Can be used as a light thrown weapon.
• One-Handed Melee Range: One Slot: Disadvantage on Block.
• Two-Handed Melee: Reach Range: Two Slots: Disadvantage on Dodge.
• Light Ranged: Close Range: Half Slot: Disadvantage on Block.
• Medium Ranged: Mid Range: One Slot.
• Heavy Ranged: Long Range: Two Slots: Disadvantage on Dodge.
• Light Thrown: Close Range: Quarter Slot: Disadvantage on Block.
• Heavy Thrown: Mid Range: Half Slot

Vitality Saves

At the start of each PC’s Turn, if they received at least one Wound since the start of their last Turn, they must make a Vitality Save.

• If the result of the Save is greater than the number of untreated Wounds they have, their Vitality remains the same.
• If the result is equal to or less than their untreated Wounds, their Vitality is reduced by one die size as their Wounds begin to take a toll on them.
• If the result is the maximum value of the die, their Vitality increases by one die size unless it is already a d12 due to an adrenaline surge or second wind.
• If the result is a one, their Vitality is reduced by two die sizes.

When a PC's Vitality is reduced, be sure to make the appropriate reductions to anything that uses Vitality to calculate its value, such as Movement and Inventory Slots.

Dying

Dying PCs

If a PC’s Vitality drops to zero they fall unconscious and begin Dying. While Dying, they gain one Wound at the start of each Turn.

There are two ways in which a PC can exit the Dying condition. Any treatment or healing outside of these two conditions can be used to treat or heal Wounds, but it does not end the Dying condition.

• At the start of each Turn following the one in which they entered the Dying condition, they make a Save with an Attribute of their choice. If the result is greater than half the number of untreated Wounds they have, they stop Dying but remain unconscious.
• An NPC or another PC uses the Act Action to make a Medicine or appropriate fifth Attribute Ability with a DN equal to half the Dying PC’s untreated Wounds. If they fail, they can try again during their next Turn.

Dying NPCs

If an NPC’s effective DN is reduced to zero, which is the result of them acquiring a number of untreated Wounds equal to twice their DN, they fall unconscious, begin Dying, and take an additional Wound at the start of each Turn.

Like with PCs, there are two ways to remove the Dying condition from an NPC and any treatment or healing outside of those two conditions can be used to treat or heal Wounds, but do not end the Dying condition.

• At the start of each Turn following the one in which they entered the Dying condition, they make a Save with a die equal to twice their original DN with Disadvantage. If the result is greater than the number of Wounds they have gained since entering the Dying condition, including the one that triggered it, they exit the Dying condition but remain unconscious.
• A PC or another NPC uses the Act Action to make a medicine or appropriate fifth Attribute Ability with a DN equal to the number of Wounds the NPC has gained since entering the Dying condition, including the one that triggered it. If they fail, they can try again during their next Turn.

Rest Points

Whenever a PC completes a full Rest, typically eight hours of sleep depending on the ancestry and setting, they make a Vitality Save to determine how many Rest Points (RP) they gained from that Rest. If the result of this Save is less than the number of untreated Wounds the PC has, their Vitality is reduced by one die size, otherwise, their Vitality increases by one die size up to a d12.

RP can be used in the following ways as long as all the preceding options have been met.

• One RP can be used to heal one treated Wound.
• Two RP can be used to heal one untreated Wound.
• Two RP can be used to increase a reduced Attribute or Ability by one die size.
• One RP can be used to recover the use of a fifth Attribute or Skill resource.
• One RP can be used to recover one Bonuse Die, excluding the Epic Die. [/il]
• One RP can be used to recover an Epic Die
• Two RP can be used to increase their Vitality by an additional two up to a d12.

If a PC goes a day without getting enough Rest to make a Rest Save, their Vitality automatically decreases by one die size and they do not gain any RP.