The 4-8 System

[AndyZ]

I had the idea for a very light system that can be used by folks who want to have some form of dice rolling but aren't interested in a complex system.  I don't intend to publish it and offer it freely, either for people who want to use it, adapt it, or whatever.  Constructive criticism is welcome.

When the GM of the game wants to decide things by roll when the character is good at something, roll 2d6 and add them:  
An 8+ is a flat out success with no problems.  Maybe the fighter killed that orc they were attacking.  Maybe the wizard's spell went off successfully.  Maybe the archer got a hit on a boss villain with no drawbacks.

With a 4 or less, you fail miserably and something bad happens.  Maybe your sword breaks.  Maybe you hit your ally with that magic missile.

A 5-7 is where things get mixed.  It's entirely possible that both good and bad happen, like that the fighter hits but is hit in return, or an archer gets a hit but just ran out of ammo if they've been shooting a lot of arrows.

With a 5-7, you may offer the player a choice.  If they're picking a lock, you can let them choose between stopping before the guard comes or getting inside but being unable to close the door before the guard passes, meaning that the guard will see someone picked the lock but not see the rogue.

I've also set up Wounds and Fatigue.  These can also be good for giving out as penalties.

Wounds are a simple method of saying that a character can take so many hits as an abstraction before they're, depending on your game, maybe they fall unconscious, get killed, or whatever.  I'm thinking mages can handle 3 wounds before dropping and fighters can handle 5, but I don't have any frame of reference for those numbers.

Fatigue is how exhausted a character is, and is subtracted directly from the total of the roll after rolling.  A character with Fatigue 1 is a little winded, while a character with Fatigue 3 is severely exhausted.

For example, if a character with Fatigue 2 tries to do something they should be good at, they might roll a 9, but the 2 points bring it down to a 7, taking them from a success to a mixed.

A very difficult and strenuous action could well cost Wounds or Fatigue even on a success, with mixed giving further complications.  Want to fireball the entire room of goblins?  That's a point of Fatigue even on a success and a mixed will cause backlash to some party members.

I'm thinking that monsters usually only have one Wound and boss monsters will have multiple, and may even have the ability to take Fatigue.

Next, Defense.  Characters being attacked in some way should also get a roll, but with an 8+, they're fine.  A mixed means they get some sort of choice, like choosing between a Wound and having a piece of equipment damaged.  4 or less naturally means they get a Wound.

Finally, armor types:

Heavy Armor (heavy chain, plate mail) gives the character an additional Wound.

Light Armor (usually leather, maybe a light chain shirt) is very easy to sneak in and they aren't likely to be detected.

Robes mean that the character is wise in the ways of the world and can know things at GM discretion.  The GM can just tell a character with Robes stuff and it's understood that they know.

I haven't put severe thought or testing into this, but I wanted it set up somewhere and figured I may let others decide if they want to do anything with it.  Or you can tell me why it's terrible.