Halogen
Publisher Description
Wanted: Furry Outlaws
Bandits, blacksheep, ex-foresters, knaves, rapscallions, rogues, Saxon rebels, scamps,, scapegraces, tricksters, wolfs heads, and furries with an English accent.
Run amok in Sherwood Forest., rob from the rich, etc. Outsmart the greedy sheriff and king Richard’s scheming little brother, Prince John. Rescue fair maidens and explore meaningful relationships with them! Roleplay your favorite furry in a time when actions were stronger than words.
Halogen, First Edition - Rules SummaryCollapse
Character Creation [ edit ]
Character creation is fairly similar to Dungeons and Dragons, or many other role-playing games. Players start by picking one of the twelve animal species (ie. race), such as canine or marsupial, and then pick a profession (ie. class), such as Fighting, Hunting, or Magick.
The character then determines their nine abilities, either by spending points, or by rolling dice (3d10). Somewhat strangely, some of the professions require a certain ability score (but you pick professions first). After that the player rolls to determine the character's social status (prior to becoming an outlaw)
At this point the GM decides what level the characters will start at, and this determines how many skill points they can spend on skills. Skills are limited by profession, but characters can pick non-profession skills also, as long as they can convince their GM that it makes sense for their story.
Finally, in a somewhat dated mechanic, the player must consult charts to compute and record their character's combat numbers. After that they purchase equipment and are ready.
Core Mechanics [ edit ]
To perform a skill or attack an NPC, a player rolls percentile dice (2d10) and tries to beat a target number. If they beat it by 20 or more points they get a "double effect", and if they beat it by 50 or more they instead get a "triple effect" (the exact benefit of these varies by skill). Conversely if they roll below the number you fail, and if they roll a 01-05 they "fumble".
Combat [ edit ]
Initiative in combat is determined by roll (lowest goes first), but interestingly the character's weapon dictates which die: a dagger rolls a d4, while a two-handed sword rolls a d10. This helps make "weaker but faster" weapons more balanced than in games like Dungeons and Dragons (fitting the game's outlaw/pirate themes).
Like other RPGs characters take combat actions on their initiative turn, and if they wish to attack they make a success roll as described above, against the defender's (pre-calculated from a table) defense score. On a success the player rolls damage, based on their weapon and strength, and then rolls on a chart to see which body part they hit.
Hits can be as specific as "left buttocks", "back of head" or "left elbow" ... but this appears to be entirely descriptive, as the system actually uses a (D&D-like) hit point systems. However, the aforementioned double/triple hits can also give characters serious injuries, without using up all their HP.
