The Simply Organized, Lightweight Adventure System
SOLAS is a simply organized, lightweight adventure system. It focuses on theater-of-the-mind adventure in a sword and sorcery world, where it provides a pick-up-and-play experience for ttrpg beginners and seasoned veteran alike.
To play, you'll need more than two people (one of whom is the Game Master, referred to as the GM), a way to take notes (check out the official SOLAS Character Sheet!), and at least one standard six-sided die. Other materials are nice to have (like more six-sided dice, tokens to keep track of points), but are certainly not needed.
The dungeon designer, creature controller, storyteller, rules arbiter, and more.
You tell a story, featuring your players and their actions. You lay out a scene for them, and they tell you what their characters do. Get creative in it, and keep your players' interests in mind. Some like lots of action and combat, with cunning plot lines and grand reveals. Some like tons of role-play, with anything from absurd to serious moments. Both of these are great ways to play, but it's really hard to cater to everyone. I'd recommend enjoying both, though.
Please, feel free to use the SOLAS system with your own settings and stories. The ones provided are simply meant to get new game masters and players playing easier. And hey, if you're a creative and want to share your own creations with SOLAS, let me know!
Your character is your way of interacting with the world of your Game Master's design: a place full of mystery and monsters.
Your Game Master describes a scene, and you tell them what your character does. Get creative in it, and keep the setting and themes in mind. Some Game Masters love lots of action and combat, with cunning plot lines and grand reveals. Some like tons of role-play, with anything from absurd to serious moments. Both of these are great ways to play, but it's really hard to hit every beat in a couple hours. Treat your GM with respect for what they've made, and have fun with their creation.
Some general definitions and explanations. It's useful to at least skim this section, even if you're familiar with other tabletop games.
A die roll is when a player (or the Game Master) rolls at least one six-sided die to determine the outcome of an action. When you roll dice, count the total number of successes: a four or higher is one success, and a six is worth two.
Rolls can be tests of your abilities, called ability checks. This could be an attempt to dodge a trap with your Dexterity, or an attempt to understand an old magic tome with your Mind. When your Game Master calls for one of these rolls, roll as many dice as you have in that ability! For example, if you have a Mind of 3, you'd roll three dice for a Mind check and count the successes for the result.
Checks can be contested between characters, such as attempt to pull someone in a direction. In this case, both characters would make a strength check, the player with the most successes winning the contested Strength check.
If a task should be relatively easy (or a type of damage is effective against an enemy), the number you have to roll above on the dice is lowered by one (threes are now successes). This is Rolling with Advantage. Likewise, if a task is quite tough (or your enemy is resistant to the type of damage you're dealing), the number is raised by one (fours now don't count as successes). This is Rolling with Disadvantage. Rolling a 6 always counts as two successes. Whether you roll with advantage or disadvantage is up to your Game Master.
SOLAS contains many different damage types for different weapons and spells. This list can be expanded upon for your needs, but the standard categories as follows:
- Physical: Bludgeoning, Piercing, Slashing
- Elemental: Acid, Poison, Fire, Cold, Lightning
- Celestial: Radiant, Necrotic, Force, Psychic
As this game is focused around theater-of-the-mind, distances can be a little gray. When it is needed though, distances are measured in feet, which you can get as granular as you would like. As a general rule, here are some ranges that will be used for spells, weapons, etc.
- Melee range - 5 feet
- Close Range - 10 feet
- Short Range - 20 feet
- Medium Range - 40 feet
- Long Range - 80 feet
There can be a maximum of four characters in melee range of any given creature in an open area, less if there's other things around. Just use your best judgement, and prioritize what makes sense between the Game Master and players.
Whether it's a player's character or a random tavern keeper that greets them, characters fill the world of the GM's design. Most likely.
Every character has four different abilities which are used to interact with the world around them.
Strength. Natural athleticism and physical power. How hard you hit things, what kind of armor you can wear, etc.
Dexterity. Physcial agility, reflexes. How quick you are, both in terms of top speed and dodging things.
Constitution. Physical and mental toughness. How much of a beating you can take before falling.
Mind. Analytical skill and intuition. This affects your ability to cast spells as well.
These are what you spend when you attack, move, or cast spells. When combat ends, these are returned to their respective maximums.
Focus. Your mental concentration at any given moment. These points are used up when you use certain abilities or spells, and one is given back at the start of each of your turns. Your maximum stamina is equal to your mind score.
Stamina. Your physical readiness at any given moment. These points are used up when you move, attack, or cast a spell, and two are given back at the start of each turn. Every character has a max of 3 stamina points.
To play the game, you have to create a character, a member of your Game Master's setting. You'll need to think about the character you'll want to play before you start writing on the SOLAS Character Sheet. What did they do before becoming an adventurer? What are they motivated by? Who do they trust or mistrust?
When you start, your ability scores each start at one. At level one (and each time you level up), you get to add a point to an ability of your choice.
Speed. Your speed is equal to five plus half of your dexterity (rounded down).
Heart. Your overall health, equal to your level times your constitution, plus five.
Focus. Your maximum focus is equal to your mind score. If your focus is greater than one, you have the ability to cast Spells! You can have access to a number of spells equal to your Mind score, and can swap what you have ready during rests.
As your ability grows, you gain boons: unique abilities that shape how you can interact with the world. You select a boon at level one, and every three levels after that (four, seven, ten, etc.).
Unique abilities that shape how you can interact with the world. These generally will affect how effective you are in combat, but sometimes they can come in handy in unlikely places!
Minimum Two Strength
Minimum Two Dexterity
Minimum Two Constitution
Minimum Two Mind
After a few fights or an important story arc, the Game Master may determine that your character levels up! You may add a point to one of your character's abilities, and at appropriate levels you gain another boon (or take an upgrade to a boon you already have).
Finally, the fun part! The Game Master will explain the area and/or situation you find yourselves in, and the players will respond with what their characters do. This could lead to a fight, social interaction with each other or other non-player characters, different checks (explained below), and more! This goes back and forth, the Game Master describing the events that follow and the players responding. It's a group story that you're building together, after all!
Outside of combat, you can what you'd like to in any order with your compatriots. In combat, however, the players are slightly constrained as to when they can act. When combat starts, every player rolls a dexterity check: those who roll above the enemies get to act first. After that, the enemy and player groups alternate. The within groups, players can coordinate and act whenever.
You can't stay awake forever, and will eventually need to recover from (and heal) your wounds. By resting for 8 hours, your heart returns to its maximum, and a point of exhaustion is removed. If you go a full day without resting, you gain a point of exhaustion.
If you've undergone a lot of burden (staying awake for a full day, sustaining too much damage, etc), you may points of exhaustion. If you reach four points of exhaustion, your character dies. For each point (up until death):
- You roll one less die during all rolls (checks, attacks, spells, etc)
- Your speed is reduced by one
Exhaustion is not removed by healing, only resting does this.
Once you reach zero heart, your mortality is at stake. On the start of your turn when you're fading, you gain a point of exhaustion. If you take damage during your turn, your heart still reduces in the negative range. Healing must bring your heart back up to above zero to no longer be fading. If your turn ends when you are at zero heart or below and four points of exhaustion, your character dies.
There is plenty of magic in this world, and many adventurers (and monsters) have learned to harness this. As for you, you can have a certain number of spells known, equal to your Mind. When you rest, you have to option of forgetting spells to select new ones.
When you cast a spell, you expend one stamina as well as its focus cost. If you don't have enough of either, you can't cast the spell. Some spells require concentration: if your heart is reduced or you cast another spell, your concentration ends.
Scaling Spells. Some spells scale with your abilities as a spellcaster. By spending additional focus points when you cast a spell, you could increase the damage, range, effect, or more, as specified by the spell.
Requires Two Mind | Costs Two Focus
- Under construction :)
Requires Four Mind | Costs Four Focus
- Under construction :)
Requires Six Mind | Costs Six Focus
- Under construction :)