A Carcosan Hack

by Claytonian JP

These rules are designed to allow us to use the pretty Carcosa book to explore the world of the same name. You are a descendant of earthlings that were stolen millenia ago by the serpent men. They’re long gone.

Lines and veils

A line PCs will not cross is sexual violence.

A thick veil will be draped over any evil NPCs crossing this line (squick they do is off camera and we will try not to talk about it). They are bad guys. You are comparatively good.

Character generation: Roll a d6. You have the corresponding ability scores. You also have a choice of hues corresponding to the roll too (only one hue per PC), a choice of starting items, a reason why you walk the cursed world, and a starting weapon.

Roll or choose a class (abilities that can sacrifice HD do so temporarily, effectively losing then later regaining them as per damage and healing rules). After your class is determined, check to see if you are naturally psionic if you don’t have psionics via a class.

1) Warrior:  Roll a d30 to determine damage dice (instead of a d20). Have one extra hit die. Can wear up to 11-rated armor.  Can sacrifice an HD to hit first.

2) Jack: Gets 5 skill points at first level and 2 more each level gained after that. Are literate. Can sacrifice one HD to reroll a d20 (or larger die) that they or a foe rolled.

3) Ritualist: Can do rituals and know one already. Also know how to use alchemy and prepare lotus powders. Are literate.  Have to roll a d100 under age or die each time they age when older than 60. Start at age 25+1d20. Can sacrifice an HD to redirect a hit to an  meat-shield ally.

4) Mutie: Has 1d3 mutations and gains one more each level (see mutations table in this doc). Heals one HD whenever they roll a natural 20 while determining HD size. Can sacrifice an HD to do anything another class could do by sacrificing one.

5) Psion: Has guaranteed psionic ability (uses per day=lvl). Can sacrifice an HD to use a psionic power without it counting against their daily allotment .

Every non-psion PC still gets a chance  at character gen to be a psionic snowflake too; try to roll a d100 under their CHA, INT, and WIS scores each to see if they know one power (roll under each one).

Psionics

If you are a member of the psion class, you can use any psionic power from the list below, running out of total uses once you’ve used psionics a number of times since dawn equal to your level. If you are just randomly gifted with psionics, you can do it a number of times equal to only half your level (round up). Psionic Powers, the puissance of which matches your lvl:

1. Clairaudience: Hear anything within sight or in the next room over. Lasts level minutes.
2. Clairvoyance: See what an ally sees for lvl minutes or see through up to level feet of stone.
3. ESP: Hear the surface thoughts of someone in sight for level minutes.
4. Mind-blast: Do 3 dice dmg to one target in sight—they can save for half dmg—or lvl in dmg to everyone within ten feet (no save).
5. Mind Control: Target must save or do as you will for 10×lvl minutes outside of combat or your level in rounds during combat.
6. Precognition: You can vaguely predict how things will go for you for one plan. Your fellow players will mess this up anyways.
7. Telekinesis: You can gently lift and slowly move an object of mass equal to 10×lvl kilos .
8. Message:  You can send level words over any distance to anyone (one way).
9. Jaunt: You can teleport anywhere within sight or up to dLVL feet through a material such as a wall (the unknown variable may mean you telefrag yourself).
10. Sixth Sense: You can announce this power’s usage in response to a surprise the CM just described. You manage to see the thing coming. For instance, spot a trip-wire before you trip it.
11. Jedi Mind trick.
12. Touch telepathy: For lvl minutes, you can communicate with someone even if you don’t share their language or mental capacity.

Ovaries

I happen to have a set of rituals that are exclusive to those with ovaries. If you choose to make a character with these, they might find sorcery a good career path.

Gear

For each item or weapon you have, you need to mark down one slot on your character sheet (armor is one thing per rating point).

For every 5 items beyond the first ten (or STR score if it's higher than ten) that you carry, you have a point of encumbrance. If you are encumbered, you cannot add or count anything—be it level or skill points—to attack rolls, save rolls, or skill rolls. The writings to perform any one ritual take up one slot. You don’t start with armor, but may try to purchase it later. Armors take up a number of slots in accordance with their defensive value. Hard choices will be made.

Armor

There is no AC in this game; hits are automatic. Armor goes up to eight rating/slots (see warrior for exception). For each point you wear, the wearer starts any given battle with that many bonus HP (treat it kinda like a bonus HD that takes damage from attacks).

Hit dice

When at full health, you have hit dice equal to your level. When you enter a fight, roll a d20 to see what size they are, then roll them as needed to soak damage.

D20 hit die determination roll for a given combat:

1-4: roll d4 hit dice; 5-8: d6; 9-12: d8; 13-16: d10; 17-20: d12

Here, a roll20 macro to do that for you:

/em [[d20]] the d20 sayeth that this combat my hit dice will be size...          

1-4: d4[[d4]][[d4]][[d4]][[d4]][[d4]][[d4]][[d4]]

5-8: d6 [[d6]][[d6]][[d6]][[d6]][[d6]][[d6]][[d6]][[d6]][[d6]]

9-12: d8 [[d8]][[d8]][[d8]][[d8]][[d8]][[d8]][[d8]][[d8]]

13-16: d10; [[d10]][[d10]][[d10]][[d10]][[d10]][[d10]][[d10]]

17-20: d12[[d12]][[d12]][[d12]][[d12]][[d12]][[d12]][[d12]]

Wounds

You lose hit dice for the day when you sacrifice them for a class ability or as you take HP damage , applying damage to your biggest hit die on the table first, then having it spill over into your other HD. You get 2HD back each dawn if you get sufficient sleep.

Outside of combat, if you would take damage, just roll a hit die to soak the damage. If the damage meets or exceeds the HD, it is lost. Roll another HD and keep adding them until all the damage is soaked.

Ability score damage is healed at a rate of 1d a day (use the carcosan HD rolling formula).

Dying

You can be out of HD and still be okay. If you reach negative HP or take damage when you lack HD, you are unconscious for 10 mins and must roll a CON save each round. Failure means death.

Success still means you lose 1 point of a random ability score permanently.

A successful staunch wounds skill roll or a natural 20 on your save will stabilize you and you can stop rolling saves. Anybody can just slit your throat if you are unconscious, snuffing you out right away.

Hitting

Hitting happens automatically in this game (as long as you don't fumble on damage).  Choose your foe and roll for damage.

Damage

When you hit someone, roll the d20 again with all the smaller dice. The d20 decides which one is the damage die (all mundane attacks do 1 die of damage). The size determination is the same as above: d20=1: A fumble (the attack misses disastrously) 2-4: roll d4 damage die; 5-8: d6; 9-12: d8; 13-16: d10; 17-19: d12, natural 20: highest rolled number.

Here’s the Roll20 macro for that if you want it (modify for warriors): 

/em d20 rolled a [[1d20]]. Find yer damage

1: Fumble!

2~4: [[d4]], 5~8: [[1d6]]

9~12: [[d8]], 13~16: [[d10]]

17~19: [[d12]], Nat 20: Highest roll among them

Monsters

Like PCs, they hit automatically. They deal a number of damage dice equal to the difference between their HD and their target’s HD, or at least 1 die. Monsters are scary, so that's why. Monsters' listed AC becomes bonus HP, but minus ten (e. g. AC 16= 6 HP). Monsters roll HD just like players.

Initiative

In any conflict, the party with fewer members acts first. In a one-on-one fight, the party with more HD goes first.

Magic

There are no spells, only rituals. Sorcerers can perform them. Almost all of them require sacrificing humans of certain ages, sexes, and hues. Sorcerers are mostly the bad guys, but a party probably needs one to counter the plans any evil sorcerers they run across. 

Saves and skills

The C.A.R.C.O.S.A  skills:

1. Carpe diem (being fast)
2. Ayyy (charming rogue stuff)
3. Reveal (search, hear,  & spot)
4. Cowboy (bushcraft & beasts)
5. O2 (science junk)
6. Saves (death saves included)
7. Alexa (lore and knowledge)

To do something that is not damage, roll a die equal to your level+any relevant skill points you have. The higher this level/skill die rolls, the bigger a die you get to pick up next. Roll the second die next and try to meet or beat twenty minus a relevant ability score.

If the level/skill die rolls a 1, roll a d20 is next.

If it rolls a 2, roll a d24 is. If 3, a d30. If 4, d40. If 5 or more, roll a d60!

For instance, to track someone, the CM might tell you to make an INT test. If you have 2 in a tracking skill (cowboy) and are level 3, you can roll a d5. Say the d5 rolls a 3. This lets you roll a d30, trying to roll at or over 20-INT score. If that d30 rolls a 15 and you have 5 in Intelligence, 20-5=15 and you passed.

Here’s a Roll20 script to use (you need stats):

&{template:default} {{name=skill or save roll}} {{determiner die's value=?{level plus skill points?|d1 [[d1]]|d2 [[d2]]|d3 [[d3]]|d4 [[d4]]|d5 [[d5]]|d6 [[d6]]|d7 [[d7]]|d8 [[d8]]|d9 [[d9]]|d10 [[d10]]|d11 [[d11]]|d12 [[d12]]|d13 [[d13]]|d14 [[d14]]| d15 [[d15]]}}} {{}} {{if  1, d20 rolled=[[d20]]}}{{if 2, d24 rolled=[[d24]]}} {{if 3, d30 rolled=[[d30]]}}{{if 4, d40 rolled=[[d40]]}}{{if 5+, d60 rolled=[[d60]]}}

/em  target numbers CHA[[20-@{CHA}]]CON[[20-@{CON}]]DEX[[20-@{DEX}]] INT[[20-@{INT}]]STR[[20-@{STR}]]WIS[[20-@{WIS}]]

The mutant potentially has a couple more skills that only muties can use.

Comment

D12 Mutations for the mutant class

1. Prehensile something (tail, &ct).
2. Scaly skin that makes you count as a snake-man.
3. Chameleonic ability to change your hue to what you choose right here and now as you roll this. If you want to use it for camouflage, you have to be naked. If you want to use it to imitate another hue of human, you do so perfectly.
4. A random psionic power, usable once per day.
5. You gain a dot in the special skill "order spawn" or "order robot." Determine which randomly. If this is the first time you have rolled this result, you have ⅙ chance. There is no ability mod to this skill.
6. Roll on the Carcosa book mutations chart (CM should have this).
7. Roll on the Carcosa book mutations chart twice.
8. +1d4 to a random ability score.
9. CM pulls out their favorite mutations chart or makes something up.
10. Battle glands grant you +1d4 to hit (roll now; it's a permanent bonus that adds to other pluses to hit).
11. Scales, bumps, calcification, or air bladders make you +1 AC tougher.
12. Fate manipulating growth on pituitary gland. Probably not fatal. +1d better saves.

Advancement

To be honest, we just adopted a system where if a PC dies the other PCs level up, since Carcosa is so harsh on goals, but below is something for your play group to try:

The party gains 1XP per coin found or earned (earn gold through sales of items or from mission givers as a reward, ect). Only lucre gained via adventure counts for XP. Each level costs the party 1000 XP, or the party can choose to level up a PC that is lower level for 500XP. Each class can also earn the party extra XP by performing certain acts, but if the PC dies while doing a said act that XP is not awarded.

• Warrior: 10XP×sides of HD of a foe for dealing the killing blow. CM may declare this null if the party encountered little hardship in the fight (a well executed plan should be rewarded though).
• Ritualist: 100XP for performing a ritual (whether it goes well or not).
• Mutant: 100XP for any mutations gained outside of leveling up.
• Specialist: 100XP for any space item acquired.
• Psionist: 100XP for being affected by two or more psionic powers of foes during a given battle.