The World of Idoria

Introduction & Background

Welcome to The World of Idoria, a TTRPG created by me (Yviira) out of near-desperation & to rid myself of the complexities of name-brand "Dungeons & Dragons"! It was also created as a means of expressing my creativity and linking all of my writing to one world in a setting I had been slowly building since my first ever session that I "DM'd". I've been working, nearly alone, on this system & world ever since 2015 in one way, shape, or form. What started as a majorly dumbed down version of "Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition" home-brew, slowly began taking its own shape.

With Version 1 ("V1" as I called it) being incredibly simple and to-the-point that it lacked any sort of structure or balance and was very 'un-fun' to unlock new and exciting abilities.

Version 2.0 ("V2") solved a few of the issues that V1 struggled with, namely it gave players a plethora of new abilities to unlock and use!... However that version also lacked any semblance of balance and was a nightmare to navigate or explain. It had, funnily enough, became the very thing I had set out initially to avoid!

Version 3 ("V3", the most recent version before migrating it all here to World Anvil) showed promise, as my experience in game design & being a DM/GM had all combined to create a very simple, yet effective & hopefully balanced, TTRPG system! The only issue was that I kept running into roadblocks with how I presented the information & how my players could interact with it (if at all).

Up till I moved to World Anvil, I used a wide variety of Google Sheets, MS Office documents, and hand-made java programs all in a vain attempt to give my players the best playing experience while also having complete control over things to a degree that using an existing system didn't allow for. That's when I discovered World Anvil, and as I migrate everything over from all of those documents I will finally have a place to easily display all of my hard work. The world I've been slowly building, the system I've been constantly reworking, and the stories I've written or hosted throughout the years! (:

My Mighty Quest

The aim of the system, in case it wasn't obvious, is the create a system that is:

• Easy to pick up. Have any & all information easily linked back & referenced to each other while also making as much sense as possible without needing my personal voice to further explain it.
• Easy & quick to create a character. Name brand "D&D" has the issue, in my opinion, even with the use of digital character creators, to make Character Creation a massive headache that can take even experienced players hours to put all the pieces together. I want a new player to be able to look at The World of Idoria & be able to slap a character together within minutes.
• Easy to play. One of the biggest problems with many table top games, TTRPG's especially, is they can be needlessly complex, even on the surface levels. Making the game easy to pick up or make a character is arguably easy, but making the characters play smoothly while making sense, having as much depth & skill expression as a player desires, and being easy to digest or remember is tricky. It is something that I am continuously working on, but I think I have a good handle on it. (:

If I can accomplish all three of those points, then I will have succeeded in my quest!

Character Creation

Every campaign needs characters! Whether you're the GM trying to wrangle their players together or a player looking to make their next hero! Visit Character Creation for a more step-by-step guide to making a character in The World of Idoria.

Setting Up

When setting up a campaign for The World of Idoria, you'll need the following:

• 3-5 friends (acquaintances will suffice)
• A hexagonal board of your choice. These can be found anywhere online or you can make them yourself! Anything from a Virtual Table Top ('VTT'), to paper, to a whiteboard will work perfectly! (Note: A square grid can work, but The World of Idoria is best-played with a hexagonal grid)
• Something to symbolize each player's character that they created. These can be coins, game pieces from another game, action figures, war game minis, or your typical TTRPG minis; as long as everyone knows what/who is what piece!
• One of the people playing will be required to be the "GM" ("Game Master"). This can be one of the people you've invited to play or yourself! This individual is responsible for managing the NPC's (non-player characters), enemies, story, and all the other little moving pieces of a TTRPG. Note: This can be a challenging role to fill, but it is one of the most rewarding ones. It's tricky, but a lot of fun.
• The other players will need to create characters (see the section above labeled "Character Creation") that they will pretend to be. Be sure that the characters are appropriate for the group, setting, and tone of the story that your GM has prepared for the best results.
• Each player, including the GM, will need a standard set of TTRPG dice. This typically includes a: 4-sided die ("d4"), 6-sided die ("d6"), 8-sided die ("d8"), 10-sided die ("d10"), 12-sided die ("d12"), and a 20-sided die ("d20"). Optionally a "100"-sided die ("d100") can be used as well; these typically look identical to a "d10", but each number has an extra '0' after it to signify it's working with 10's instead of 1's.
• If you're playing in-person then a pencil & some paper will be handy for tracking your characters & taking notes. If you're using a VTT, then usually those have all of that covered for you.
• Finally, your GM will need a story. The World of Idoria, like many other TTRPG's is a "cooperative story game" where the people playing with you work together towards a common goal as planned out by your GM. The GM, while they do control your enemies, is not the enemy, they are the story-teller. It is not "players vs GM".

Once you have that all the pieces, you should be all set to begin your adventure! How, specifically, to set up a board is entirely up to the GM; as every GM tells their stories differently.

Playing The Game

The actual gameplay of The World of Idoria is where the system stands out amongst a sea of other TTRPG systems. With simplicity in mind, the flow of the game is pretty straight-forward.

Out of Combat

Typically, when not in combat, the game plays in a way where players are given a situation by the GM and are either asked for their response, if any, or tasked with handling the situation.

One of many ways to go about this is to have the GM create a set turn order for when role play begins & give each player as much time as they need to do what they want, within reason. This lets those who may be more soft-spoken have a turn while letting those who tend to 'take charge' have their limelight. This also creates a consistency for the players, so they may plan their turns accordingly. If this route is taken, consider letting the quieter players have the first crack at things each round so they're not overshadowed by the rowdier players.

Another is to hold onto the rolls the players made at the start of combat, or have the players make a new roll. This is done by making each player & NPC roll 1d20 (or a "d20" once) and going from highest roll to lower roll for the turn order. Ties are typically re-rolled. This allows for uncertainty and allows the GM to create tension, as no one, not even the GM, knows who will go when! This has plenty of downsides, as well, however; such as if a player is consistently having poor luck and rolls low each time for the turn order, they may get knocked down, killed, or the encounter/situation may resolve or otherwise end before their turn is reached. Using this method for turn-tracking may also have the unintended consequence of players' turns being skipped due to the inconsistency & unpredictable nature of the turn order; although that entirely depends on the GM & how 'on top of things' they are.

An example of an Out of Combat exchange:

• The GM announces that as you walk into a mysterious room, covered in gold and bones, a figure approaches from the darkness asking for your names.
• Player 1: "My name is Isaliae of Grenadôr, what is thy name?"
• The GM, posing as the figure: "My name, I shall not speak, as those words have become but a curse to me; but you may call me as you wish..."
• Player 2: "What is the nature of thy curse, he who wishes to remain secret?"
• The GM, posing as the figure: "Many moons ago, under the fires of revolution, my people, wrought with anger, cursed me so that any gold I took from them would extend my life by however long it took them to obtain such an amount of coin..."
• Player 3: "That doesn't sound so bad... Considering your hoard here, you must've lived quite a long life! What's so bad about that?"
• The GM, posing as the figure: "I was much like yourself when that wench explained the curse to me... Young... Strong... Foolish. For you see, the curse also prevented me from being killed... Which allowed my citizens to torture me endlessly until they had their fill. I've sought death ever since, but only end up prolonging it further."
• Player 4, to the Gm directly: "I put my hand on his shoulder and say to him, 'I can offer a prayer to Mora to have your curse lifted, if you so wish. With her light, anything is possible.'"
• The GM to player 4: "He agrees and he bows his head alongside you as you offer your prayer."
• Player 4: "I kneel down besides him and offer a prayer to my goddess Mora to have his curse lifted and I cast Great Miracle on the figure, cleansing him of his curse."
• The GM nods: "As you offer the final word of your holy prayer, you open your eyes to see the figure slowly turning to dust, 'Thank... You...' He says, as he is finally put to rest."

It is important to note that regardless of if you're in combat or not, you may cast spells and use abilities. Some spells or abilities will start combat, but many of the spells in The World of Idoria are intended for role play purposes, so don't be afraid to use a spell or ability to resolve a situation or solve a puzzle!

Typically, Out of Combat turns last until the GM feels your turn should end or you run out of input to give to the situation at hand. This can be changed to work similar to how Combat works, if the GM so pleases.

Checks

While it can happen during combat, it is most common that while outside of combat when you ask the GM if your character can do something, they will ask you to roll, typically, 1d20 (or a "d20" once). This is called a 'Check'. Depending on what the outcome of your roll is (higher typically means better chance at success, with a '20' being the best-possible outcome & '1' being the worst-possible outcome) the GM will determine if you succeed or not.

Some spells or abilities, along with some Potions, can influence one's 'Checks', depending on the check & the ability/spell/potion used.

'Checks' are to be done on the turn of the player executing the task; though sometimes the GM may require the whole group to roll at the same time, if multiple people are doing the same roll or task.

It is best to anticipate that if you don't have a spell or ability to do it, and it's not something that any ordinary person in your circumstance could do, that a 'Check' will be required. An exception to this rule-of-thumb is a 'Perception Check'; this 'Check' is used to reveal your surroundings to you, as if your character is looking around.

Example:

• Player 1 wants to climb a really tall wall.
• The GM determines that the wall is climbable, but it's not something that anyone wearing armour & weapons can do easily, so they have the player roll a 'Check' while they think of a number between 1 & 20 that the player must meet or exceed. In this case, the player needs to meet or exceed a '10' in order to climb the wall.
• Player 1 rolls & gets a 13.
• The GM allows the player to climb the wall & has the player describe how their character goes about doing so.

In Combat

When your character enters into Combat, turns begin to operate more strictly & rigidly. "Combat" refers to when:

• Your character is taking damage from an enemy unit.
• Your character is dealing damage to an enemy unit.
• An enemy unit is attempting to deal damage to your character.
• You are attempting to deal damage to an enemy unit.
• Your character is within 1-turn's movement of potentially dealing or taking damage.

At the beginning of Combat, each player & enemy must roll 1d20 (or a "d20" once), any ties must be re-rolled; going from highest to lowest, this determines turn order. A full rotation from highest to lowest roll is called a 'Round'.

Every turn, by default, is allowed the following:

• One (1) Action. This is the meat of your turn & most spells or abilities will consume it. There are ways to get more per turn, but one (1) is the default. Using a weapon attack instead of a spell or ability will cost an Action. You may use an Action to double your movement for the turn, this is called "Dashing"; if you "Dash" after you've already moved your maximum distance, you may move your maximum distance again at the cost of your Action.
• One (1) Bonus Action. This is optional each turn, but allows you to do extra things based on what you're playing or using.
• "Unlimited" Free Actions. These are simple things that don't consume much time nor affect gameplay all too much. Drinking a potion is a Free Action, eating an apple is a Free Action, tossing another player a potion is a Free Action. The only limit is when it becomes a problem & your GM feels they need to cut your turn short.
• Basic Movement. This is dependent on which race (Races) you chose, as some may move further each turn than others; but the default is 5 tiles in any direction. Moving, on its own, is not an Action, Bonus Action, or Free Action; it is its own thing.

At any point during the Round, if your character has a Reaction item, spell, or ability, they may use it if the conditions are met & the appropriate cost(s) are paid. Reactions are not Actions, Bonus Actions, or Free Actions; but their own separate speed of activation.

Sometimes a spell can be classified as a 'Ritual'. Rituals are a type of spell that requires several turns of set-up to execute properly. The spell should list in its 'Speed' if it is a Ritual and for how long one must channel it for along with any other requirements. Typically, though, Rituals consume one's entire turn, each turn, until it is complete. This means that while you are casting a Ritual, you may not use an Action, Bonus Action, or Free Action; as your turn is being entirely focused on the Ritual.