Legend of Zelda RPG

A homebrew produced by the collective efforts of the /tg/ community, aiming to put the characteristic elements of the Legend of Zelda video games into a pen-and-paper RPG format and hopefully do it better than the existing d20 Zelda ruleset.

As a work-in-progress, expect the contents of this page to change fairly frequently until the game nears a more finalized form, and please be understanding if something important is missing.

Please Note: Since this is a joint effort of the /tg/ community and is currently in an unfinished state, changes to this system should be proposed on /tg/ before being added to this wiki. It's always best to get community feedback to assess whether something is unbalanced or unnecessary, and we don't want this system to become a dysfunctional patchwork of rules added by individuals without any community review for quality and coherence with the system as a whole.

This material is a reboot/overhaul of the original version. In its first run, the project produced a system that was functional, but not quite complete. The project fell dormant for about a year, then was revived; however, having had some time to step back and look at the project with a fresh perspective, it was decided that rather than finishing off the original project it would be better to rebuild from the ground up, correcting certain fundamental issues with the core mechanics that made the original system a real hassle to work with in several respects, ultimately contributing to the decline of the original project. You can find the original material here.

The Core Mechanic

D6 dice pool. To make a check, roll a number of 6-sided dice equal to the sum of your ranks in the relevant attribute and skill, plus any additional dice you may receive from racial bonuses or demonstrating a particular Virtue. Each die that comes up 4 or higher is a success; the more successes you get, the more impressive your performance. Particularly difficult tasks may require multiple successes to accomplish.

The Stats

Attributes

Attributes represent your character's general, basic abilities. Each Attribute has a minimum rank of 1 and a maximum rank of 5. A basic starting character has 2 ranks in each of two different attributes of their choice, and 1 rank in the rest.

• Strength represents your brawn and physical might.
• Agility represents your coordination and reflexes.
• Wits represents your cunning, intellect, knowledge, and perceptiveness.
• Mysticism represents your attunement to and ability to harness supernatural forces through magic and music.
• Guts represents your determination, passion, and fortitude, both mental and physical.

Skills

Skills represent specific capabilities your character has learned through practice and training. Each skill starts at 0 and can be raised to a maximum rank of 5. A basic starting character has 2 ranks in each of two different skills of their choice, 1 rank in each of three additional skills of their choice, and no ranks in the rest. While each skill will generally be associated with a single attribute, the attribute used can vary depending on the situation, particularly for certain skills more than others. For example, running a race would always use Athletics, but the relevant attribute might be either Guts or Agility depending on whether it's a long-distance run or a shorter sprint. The skills are intended to be fairly broad and general, so that each skill has a fairly wide array of applicable uses.

• Melee: Most all melee weapons, except those that fall under Heavy. Swords, axes, maces, spears, unarmed combat, etc.
• Heavy: Big, heavy weapons that are slow and unwieldy, but pack a tremendous punch. Not only do Heavy weapons deal considerably more damage than other types, the force of their blows tends to make the enemy flinch. The Biggoron's sword and megaton hammer are examples of Heavy weapons.
• Ranged: Ranged weapons, such as the bow, boomerang, and slingshot.
• Shields: Exactly as the name suggests -- use of shields, for both defensive and offensive purposes.
• Spellcraft: Use of magic, whether spells in the conventional sense of powers inherent to your character through study or innate talent, or to invoke magical items like the Fire Rod or Bombos Medallion. Things that use this skill require MP.
• Instruments: Making music, often to produce mystical effects (eg, playing the Song of Storms on the Ocarina of Time to make it rain).
• Tools: A catch-all skill for all the miscellaneous items that don't quite fit any of the above categories, such as the spinner or beetle.
• Acrobatics: For feats of extraordinary reflexes and coordination, nimbly jumping about like a [s]ninja[/s] Sheikah.
• Athletics: For more conventional feats of physical prowess, such as swimming, more straightforward leaps, running races, etc.
• Riding: Handling a mount, such as a horse or Loftwing.
• Stealth: For when you don't want to be noticed.
• Perception: For when you want to notice something.
• Presence: The catch-all skill for influencing people in social situations. It is also used for resisting attempts by others to influence you (though sometimes another skill may be more appropriate, such as using Perception to see through an NPC's bluff). Social interaction isn't a significant part of the video games, so this system should be fine without particularly detailed or robust rules for social encounters, but we do think it'd be a good idea to have some kind of social skill.
• Survival: For gathering resources (such as cutting grass for hearts and rupees) and various other tasks, like fishing.
• Lore: Knowing about things.

Virtues

Virtues are a special stat, representing the three aspects of the Triforce. These aren't so much about what you do as how you do it. In order to add your rank in a Virtue to your dice pool, you have to do something in a way that demonstrates that Virtue. Virtues start at 0 and can be raised to a maximum of 3, but raising a Virtue is extremely difficult. A basic starting character has 1 rank in a single Virtue of their choice, and no ranks in the rest.

• Power is associated with pure force. It is blunt and straightforward, not bothering with finicky matters of subtlety and finesse. It is aggressive and imposing. You'd add Power when your character has had enough of subtlety and goes to brute force a solution. When they get angry and decide the time has come to Rip And Tear. When they think a swift kick to the locked chest'll do the job faster than the delicacy of a lockpick. To everyone else you're brutish and grisly. To those who see it you have Power.
• Wisdom is associated with contemplation and manipulation. It is refined and precise, preferring to take the time to analyze a situation rather than forcing its way through. It is cautious and discerning. You add Wisdom when you decide to act with clear planning. When you try to play smart and subtle. When rather than volleying arrows, you wait for the opportune moment to shoot. To everyone else you're overly cautious and slow. To those who see it you have Wisdom.
• Courage is associated with heroism and a balanced approach with respect to the other two Virtues. It bridges the gap between Power and Wisdom -- not as brutally aggressive as Power, but much more straightforward and action-oriented than Wisdom. It is persevering and straightforward. You add Courage when you're being daring and bold. When you take big risks, deal with your fears, or put yourself in harm's way for an ally. When the Deku bravely charges the Dodongo or the Kokiri challenges the Iron Knuckle to a duel. To everyone else you're crazy and reckless. To those who see it you have Courage.

Hearts, Magic, and Stamina

Hearts function like hit points, with each heart being equivalent to 4 HP. Damage and health are measured in hearts or fractions thereof, using the shorthand terminology of #H or #♥ -- eg, 2H, ½♥, 1+1/2H, etc. When you run out of hearts, you are down, but not dead. A character whose hearts are depleted has one "Final Heart"; only if the Final Heart is depleted does the character die, and the vast majority of enemies will leave a downed character alone until more active threats are dealt with. Hearts can be recovered through enemy drops, foraging (cutting grass, breaking pots, etc.), extended rest, and healing items/magic (such as fairies, potions, healing spells, etc.).

Magic is used to power spells and magic items. Each such effect consumes a certain amount of magic power (MP), which is acquired in blocks of 4. Recovering MP requires magic jars (obtained through enemy drops or potions), extended rest, or potions (or a similar effect).

Stamina is mainly used to power special techniques, but is also needed for certain actions that any character can do (such as sprinting). Like MP, stamina is acquired in blocks of 4. Stamina can be recovered in combat by giving up actions to rest (the exact mechanics of stamina recovery have yet to be worked out). Outside of combat, you can easily recover all your stamina with a short break of only a minute or so.

A basic starting character has 3 hearts, 3 blocks (12 points) of MP, and 3 blocks (12 points) of stamina, plus one additional unit of any one of these three.

• Fluff note: Hearts and magic are recovered in essentially the same way they are in the video game -- by picking up items that must be used the moment you get them. Of course, this leads one to wonder why you couldn't just stockpile hearts and magic jars for when you really need them. If you're not content with merely handwaving the issue away, one explanation we've come up with in the course of working on this project is that hearts and magic jars are in fact crystallized deposits of life and magic energy, respectively. These crystalline forms are extremely delicate, and rapidly destabilize when touched. If the energy is not used immediately, it quickly dissipates into the environment.

Character Advancement

We would like to make this system entirely XP-less -- that is, rather than spending some kind of metagame resource to improve your character (as is the case in most every RPG), characters improve through in-game rewards. While this will add a bit more for the Sage to do, it strongly supports our goal of making a system with uniquely Legend-of-Zelda-style gameplay.

Of course, one of the most important means of character advancement is acquiring items. In order to advance to new challenges, you'll need to expand your repertoire of tools for handling them -- just like in the video games. Items are most prominently found in dungeons, and the item found in a dungeon is usually crucial for handling that dungeon's puzzles and boss. They also can be obtained in the overworld from side quests and the like. Note that "items" need not necessarily be physical objects -- they might be spells or songs learned from a mentor or ancient writing. Anything that adds a totally new capability that is vital for characters to handle puzzles and similar obstacles is effectively an "item".

Another important means of advancement is the learning of techniques. Techniques are special abilities and tricks that your character learns through practice. Like items, they typically add entirely new abilities to your repertoire, rather than merely improving your stats; however, unlike items, techniques rarely play a pivotal role in solving puzzles (though this is not to say that they can't play such a role occasionally). Rather, techniques help to personalize and flesh out your character's capabilities, adding variety and style to how you do things. Techniques are often combat-oriented, in contrast to items which are typically puzzle-oriented. Techniques would typically be learned from mentors (such as the Hero's Spirit in Twilight Princess), but could also be learned from studying written instructions (such as the Tiger Scrolls in Minish Cap) or from other sources entirely -- whatever the Sage feels is appropriate.

Finally, of course, there's increasing your stats -- your attributes, skills, and Virtues. This too must be accomplished through in-game action. Improving your rank in a skill might require studying under a suitable expert in that field. Improving an attribute might take intensive training under a strict coach, or perhaps a magical infusion of ability from a potion or Great Fairy. Improving a Virtue would almost always require some kind of intervention on the part of a powerful supernatural entity -- perhaps even the Virtue's patron Goddess herself! Increasing stats should typically involve a side quest or "minigame" of sorts, determined by the Sage. A mentor might require you to overcome some trial to prove your worth before training you; finding a reclusive guru may be a challenge in itself; a witch might need you to gather ingredients for her to make you an attribute-boosting potion; a Great Fairy might require you to prove your Virtue by undertaking some grand endeavour before blessing you with greater strength in that area; and so forth. Increasing skills would require relatively easy challenges -- in fact, the Sage may simply require nothing more than the payment of a training fee in rupees at a local guild, if they don't want to spend time on something so trivial. Improving an attribute is a slightly more significant boost, and requires a bit more effort. Improving a Virtue is a momentous task indeed, requiring tremendous effort. While it would be reasonable to expect a character to hit the maximum rank of 5 in their primary attribute and skills by the end of an extended campaign, maxing out a Virtue should be reserved for only the most truly epic campaigns.

Combat

When a fight starts, each combatant rolls for initiative with a dice pool of Agility + Wits to determine turn order. Turns go in order from most to least successes on the initiative roll. In the case of a tie, the one with the highest Agility goes first; if that doesn't break the tie, then the highest Wits; if that still doesn't break the tie, each party rolls a d6, with the higher roll going first.

Each turn, you get three actions, which can be used in a variety of ways. On your turn, an action can be spent to do just about anything that could reasonably be done in the span of a few seconds -- making an attack, using an item, moving a distance up to your speed, etc. Any actions not used during your turn can be used later in the round as reactions, in response to something somebody else does. Reactions can only be used in certain specific ways, as described below.

Attacks and Damage

To make an attack, roll the appropriate dice pool for your weapon. For instance, a typical sword would use Strength + Melee, a Biggoron's sword would use Strength + Heavy, and a bow would use Agility + Ranged. If you make at least one success, your attack hits, and you deal an amount of damage defined by your weapon. Each additional success you score beyond the first increases the damage you deal by 1/4H (for now, anyway -- eventually different weapons may have different kinds of effects for extra successes, but that can wait). A target that defends itself may cancel out some or all of your successes, as described below.

If the target is wearing armor, the damage dealt by a successful attack is reduced by a certain number of hearts based on what kind of armor the target is wearing (see below).

Attacking is usually just a single action, but attacking with a Heavy weapon requires two actions, due to their mass and unwieldiness.

Typically, you can only make one attack per round (including counterattacks; see below). The main exception to this rule is if you are wielding two weapons; in this case, you can make a second attack during your turn with your off-hand weapon. Attacks made with an off-hand weapon take a -1 penalty to the attack roll, and weapons suitable for use in the off-hand typically deal less damage than main-hand weapons.

Types of reactions

Defensive reactions: A reaction can be used to defend yourself in one of three ways. Regardless of which option you choose, each success you roll cancels one of the attacker's successes. If you roll at least as many successes for your defense as the attacker rolled for their attack, you've negated the attack completely. If you roll some successes, but not enough to negate the attack, you've managed to avoid some of the attack, mitigating it to an extent, but not quite all of it. If you roll no successes, you've failed utterly. Each defensive option has additional effects, as described below.

Block: If you have a shield, you can roll Guts + Shields to block an enemy attack. In addition to cancelling out the attacker's successes, as long as you roll at least one success you gain an armor bonus (in addition to any you may have from other sources), which further reduces the damage taken if you fail to negate the attack entirely. The magnitude of this bonus depends on what kind of shield you have. Several Heavy weapons can also be used to block (for instance, a large sword with a particularly broad blade). Unlike other kinds of defenses, cancelling successes by blocking does not negate the flinching effect of a Heavy weapon (see below). Even if the shield prevents the damage, the user still takes enough of the force of the blow that it takes a moment to recover.

Dodge: As long as you're not weighed down with a Heavy weapon or other bulky gear, you can attempt to leap, roll, or sidestep out of the way of an attack. To attempt a dodge, there must be an open space adjacent to your current position that isn't affected by the enemy's attack. A regular attack affects only the space you're currently in, but special attacks (like a Jump Attack or a Spin Attack) may affect additional spaces. Since a defensive reaction is used in response to a declared attack, you'll know which spaces are threatened and which (if any) are safe. To attempt to dodge, roll Agility + Acrobatics. In addition to cancelling out the attacker's successes, as long as you roll at least one success you move into an adjacent safe space of your choice. If you roll no successes, you utterly failed to react in time (or you really goofed and zigged when you should have zagged) and you don't move.

Parry: If you're using a Melee or Heavy weapon, you can use it to turn aside an enemy's Melee attack. A Heavy weapon is also capable of parrying an attack from another Heavy weapon, but Melee weapons are too small and flimsy to adequately accomplish this. To attempt a parry, roll Wits + your weapon skill - 1. If you roll more successes than the enemy does, not only do you negate the attack, but you manage to put the enemy in a disadvantageous position, giving you a +1 bonus to your dice pool the next time you attack that enemy, provided you make the attack before the enemy's next turn.

Counterattack: If you completely negate an enemy's attack with a defensive reaction, you can immediately spend another reaction (if you have one available) to immediately attack that enemy with a weapon you have on hand. Since a counterattack takes advantage of the momentary opening created when an enemy fails to land an attack, the target can't use a reaction to defend against it; however, Heavy weapons are too unwieldy to use for such a quick response, and thus cannot be used to counterattack. You also can't counterattack if you used an action on your turn to attack (even if the attack failed). Attempting a counterattack costs 1 Stamina.

Prepare: If you suspect an enemy might try to do something in particular, and you have an idea of how to counter it, you can prepare a response to such an eventuality. To prepare a reaction, you must spend a reaction in advance and declare that you will do a certain thing when a given condition is met. For example, your prepared reaction might be, "if the Dodongo tries to breathe fire, I'll throw a bomb in its mouth". When the condition you prepared for is met, you can immediately take the action you prepared without spending a reaction (since your reaction was spent in advance when you declared the prepared reaction). If the condition isn't met before your next turn starts, your preparation is wasted. If you don't trust your Sage not to change what the enemies do to avoid triggering your prepared reaction, you can make a secret declaration by writing down the condition and what you plan to do, revealing it when the condition is met. You still have to declare that you are preparing an action, though; you just don't need to announce what exactly you're planning. You can prepare a reaction any time before the event triggering it happens, as long as you have a reaction available to spend for it.

Movement and Positioning

Distances in this system are measured in meters, with combat spaces measured in squares 2 meters to a side. Each race will have a stated movement speed, which indicates how far an individual of that race can move in a single action (without additional modifiers, such as sprinting). The typical baseline speed is 6 m (3 spaces). A character can sprint by spending 1 stamina, doubling their movement speed for a single action.

Status Conditions

Various effects might impose negative conditions on a combatant. The following are status effects that have been defined so far:

• Flinch: An creature that flinches (such as when hit by a Heavy weapon) loses 1 action on its next turn.

Combat equipment stats

At the moment, detailed stats for equipment have not been determined yet; the following is what we've been using in playtesting:

• Off-hand weapon (eg, dagger): Deals 1/2H damage
• Main-hand weapon or two-handed Melee weapon (eg, sword or spear): Deals 1H damage
• Heavy weapon (eg, Biggoron's sword): Deals 2H damage

Additionally, if an attacker scores at least one success with a Heavy weapon attack, the target flinches (loses 1 action on their next turn). Cancellation of successes from a Heavy attack by dodging or parrying can prevent this effect if all successes are cancelled, but successes in a Heavy attack roll cancelled by blocking only prevent damage, and do not negate the flinching effect of the attack.

Armor and shields provide a flat reduction in damage taken from each attack, as described below:

• Cloth Armor: -1/4H
• Leather Armor: -1/2H
• Chain Mail: -1H
• Plated Mail: -1+1/2H
• Full Plate: -2H

• Small Shield: -1/4H
• Medium Shield: -1/2H
• Large Shield: -1H
• Tower Shield: -1½H

External Links

• Source of info: http://www.zeldawiki.org/Main_Page
• All current original art in one package: http://www.sendspace.com/file/xc0at7

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