System Mechanics: Chance, Luck and Desperation:

In the process of designing FARAD, I put heavy emphasis on the choices that players and the GM would make, with a dash of randomness thrown in to represent unforeseen consequences, as well as the randomness of nature, including not getting to pick everything about character creation (dice rolls for mutations, dice rolls for affinity unless the GM allowed differently, dice rolls for statistics, etc).  There was also a bit of randomness allowed with luck as well.  While the majority of the system remains unchanged, there is a slight tweaking being done today.

Every day (not session), any being gains 1d10 for use in combat and 1d10 for use outside combat which do not roll over to the next day.  These are known as chance dice, and not using them may be rewarded by the GM, but if one does use them, they burn it until the next day.  In doing so, the 1d10 is rolled and the result is added to whatever attempt was made, as per the type of chance die used.  Once a combat chance die is used, a roleplay chance die may not be used until the battle ends, through victory, defeat, retreat, or truce.  Likewise, once a roleplay chance die is used, a combat chance die may not be used until entering into battle, though combat training sessions against an opponent do still count as battle, while those without an opponent would utilize roleplay chance die if not yet burned.  Chance dice must be declared before use, not after the result of an action is narrated.

Players and other beings may also gain luck points, a pool of dice which may be either positive or negative, gained through risky choices, due to actions that their culture believes bring good or bad luck, in addition to their karma choices.  They, and all other characters, gain LP based on their actions, positive for any action that helps an individual and are selfless, and negative for those that only help the character or another individual selfishly without regard for others involved.  Actions done out of self-defense such as in combat initiated by someone or something else, do not affect LP unless a character is superstitious and harming the particular foe brings positive or negative luck according to their culture, such as shooting or stabbing an unarmed man, etc.  Previously luck points utilized various different dice, but due to the shift to solely 1d10 quite some time ago, that needs adjustment and further revision.  That said, luck point die have five possible outcomes, with the resulting roll shown here as to what effect it has, with the first portion before the slash being for positive luck point die results, and after the slash being for negative luck point die: 1) roll 1d10, the result is a penalty when a positive die is used, and a bonus when a negative die is used.  2-3) no change.  4-5) roll 1d10, divide the result and round down, bonus when positive, penalty when negative.  6-7) roll 1d10, the result is a bonus when positive, penalty when negative.  8-9) roll 2d10, the result is a bonus when positive, penalty when negative.  10) roll 2d10, the result is a bonus when positive, penalty when negative, and double whatever statistic or attribute current score is used specifically for that action if positive, halve it if negative.  Luck point dice must be declared before use, not after the result of an action is narrated.

Finally, we come to the latest addition to the system mechanics, desperation dice.  This particular dice come into play any time a being drops to 10% of any particular statistic (excluding luck points) or attribute in a challenge.  They cost 1 point per statistic or attribute they have dropped that low on, but allow a 1d10 chance of doubling their actions until the statistic or attribute either reaches zero, or has gone above the 10% line.  If rolling: 1) roll a 1d10 penalty to their actions that turn due to blindly flailing.  2-4) there is no change to their actions that turn, and still costs the point.  5-7) no change, but recover the point that would have been spent.  8-9) roll 1d10 bonus to their actions that turn.  10) roll 2d10 bonus to their actions that turn and double their updated score for a single action taken that turn.  Desperation dice must be declared before use, not after the result of an action is narrated.

Finally, a player or being may not use a combination of chance, luck point or desperation dice within the same turn.

Character Building: Character Design Simplified and Updated

In The FARAD System, there is a mixture of randomness and choice used for character generation.  A player can choose up to the grandparents of their character in terms of their Genetic Traits and special abilities...  But the dominance of genes means that only a 10 on a 1d10 would allow them to have a recessive gene that was dominant in an ancestor pass on to them instead of a more prevalent recessive gene found in more than one of their ancestors.  Then, if the GM chooses a campaign setting with areas of mutation chance via magical, psionic, radioactive or other mutative influences, the GM can roll to determine what mutations apply to the character depending on where said character was born or raised.

Next, the player rolls to see what Affinities their character has, ten in total, which affect a bit of the character's backstory, starting resources, etc, including some being rare items or unusual natural abilities.  These affinities are categorized into ten suites of twenty possibilities each.  A GM might opt to allow a player a roll of 2d10 on each suite, disallow certain Affinity suites in their campaign, replace them with custom Affinity suites, or allow a smaller number of suites with rolls determining which ones a particular player is allowed to gain Affinities on.  Affinities are meant to be a starting point for a player to work on their character's story, but not a limitation on their capabilities or quirks.

The next step is based on the level of play which the GM has decided to start players on.  For level 0, four 1d10 are rolled for the Statistics, with any result under a 5 re-rolled.  These results are used in order of roll for Health Points (natural hits), Endurance Points (defense and stamina), Focus Points (concentration for abilities), Sanity Points (affecting comprehension of different species, the world, the greater universe and the realms, etc, as well as defense again strange maladies of the mind), and Movement Points (speed).  The final Statistic is Luck Points, which are determined by the character's Genetic Traits, Affinities, and GM discretion initially, and gained through a myriad of ways through roleplaying.  Burning positive Luck Points may give a chance to improve a situation, while negative Luck Points may be burned to try to reach equilibrium (and a chance to gain positive LP) at a risk of detriment and disaster.  For higher levels, the first four statistics gain an additional point per level.

After Statistics, a player at level 0 has a pool of 24 points to slot into six of their Attributes.  These are Reaction (Agility, Balance and Reflexes), Finesse (Accuracy, Charisma, and Stealth), Intelligence (Knowledge, Memory and Reason), Wisdom (Cunning, Observation and Wit), Willpower (Courage, Learning and Morale) and Strength (Carrying, Dragging/Pushing, and Lifting).

Finally, a character may take on a core starting class, or build one from scratch depending on the GMs discretion using Trained Traits.  The core starting classes are divided into three archetypes: Fighter, Caster and Strategist.  The Fighters are Beserker, Burdener, Huntsman and Tumbler.  The Casters are Acolyte, Sorcerer, Warlock and Wizard.  The Strategists are Bard, Psion, Rogue and Tinkerer.  Each of these classes is set with a suggested set of initial Combat Training, General Training, and Knowledge Training, with Vocational Training having the final set of Trained Traits.

As the Trained Traits are only a starting point for a character, and the design of the system is to level up Attributes and training through roleplaying challenges in and out of combat, the tech-tree design of leveling and ability creation lends itself to customization and the option to always pick a different branch of a lower level ability or training to develop at any time, without breaking immersion.  A character that has been studying electricity for some time and dabbled with metal abilities might create a magnetic ability, for example, but one who has devoted themselves solely to the study of elemental fire would not suddenly gain the ability to create a spontaneous forest sanctuary simply because they had achieved a high enough level to take on the ability.  A player can always try to min-max their character for their idea of either a focused discipline of training, or a more rounded but less focused character that dabbles in a myriad of small but versatile abilities that might be used creatively...

The power to shape the roleplaying experience isn't in the hands of the system's limitations, but in the discretion of the GM and imagination of the players.  Want to create an ability that causes a dragon's skeleton to try ripping out of its flesh?  Sure, study how to manipulate and animate the bones of small animal skeletons, you know, when they aren't quite as large and surrounded by muscles and a will that is trying to fight off your attempts.  Want to use a psionic ability to see a highly potential near-future, hoping to dodge attacks better?  Well, you might get lucky enough to be born with it, but chances are you'd need to hone your innate precognition to eliminate less likely possibilities and bring the focus more toward the immediate future instead of cataclysms centuries into the future.  Want to create a sword that swallows specters in order to create an edge that cuts through most obstacles and only harms your intended target?  You'd probably need to find a way to capture specters and draw out enough ectoplasm to forge your blade, as well as a way to bind them to it.  The possibilities are endless.  The Fully Adaptable Roleplay Adventure Design System is not yet finished, but its concept is to be a bridge between the two primary schools of RPG design: Randomness and Determinism.  Both have their place in other systems as the chief design goal, but balance between them is where FARAD stands.

Region: Scarlet Acres

North of The Rose Door, Scarlet Acres is an innocuously named region of Lucorene which sounds rather idyllic, but  is in fact the largest graveyard on the continent.  Following The Great Fey Migration, a large percentage of the fey immigrant population struggled to learn how to adapt to the flora and fauna of the planet that had evolved since their last official exploration into it and those they had never encountered before, as well as the lower amount of wild magic saturation, pollution, the skirmishes and almost wars that broke out between the courts, and of course, those who had lingering injuries from the vilru infection that surged through their region in Tirae.  Due to its proximity to The Rose Door, and the number of fey to have died in the area, Scarlet Acres is regularly swarmed by specters as well as sprites.  It is named such as it was stained red from the cold iron used to salt the region during battle, as well as the blood of many species.  Deep beneath the region's catacombs, chambers built to specification were created as the tombs of the rulers of the fey courts, reinforced to keep out flora, fauna, and would be grave-robbers.  A massive number of arcane and mundane traps have been triggered under Scarlet Acre's surface, and yet few rumors have been spread about what treasures lie in the deepest chambers, with most who dare explore the labyrinth of passages leading down toward them never seeing the light of day again...

Population Center: Glasbaile

East of Gormthair, Glasbaile rests proudly, built into the hills and fields of its island.  A very lush town with a high gnome population, Glasbaile produces a great many number of herbs, spices and medicinal plants for The Fey Courts as well as the planet as a whole.  A goblin highway runs beneath it, heavily patrolled by the town guard, and between this highway and its many docks, trade in Glasbaile has been strong for over a thousand years.  Heavily layered beneath the surface, Glasbaile manages to keep the goblin and gitwerg neighborhoods separated by enough rock to keep them civil in more public areas, with the gnomes having turned the underground caverns between their neighborhoods into a thriving subterranean district as well as keeping large fungi farms and gardens.  Those who wander away from Glasbaile proper to the tunnels leading underneath the ocean will find the occasional underground lake or river, most used to cultivate troglodyte creatures.  In addition, thanks to the magical workings of the pixies and gnomes working in concert, large undergound gardens blossom, including some whose wood is harvested for many a gnomish craftsman's trade.