Chapter 2: Game Rules

Modifying Tests Example

Shane’s character, Trent, has Stealth 3 (Blend In 2). When he tries to
Ability tests are straightforward when you’re just rolling test dice equal
blend into a crowd, he rolls five dice and keeps the best three rolled.
to your ability. However, a number of ways exist to modify your chances
of success, for better or worse. Circumstances, favorable or otherwise,
may modify your test results.
Failure
A failed test simply means the attempted action doesn’t work, but it
Modifiers usually doesn’t mean you can’t try again. In some situations, failure can
carry greater risk, such as a failed Athletic test to climb a wall or a failed
A modifier is a fixed number that’s either added to your test result
Agility test to maintain balance on a slippery surface. Any time danger
to reflect favorable circumstances or subtracted to reflect unfavorable
is involved and you fail the test by 5 or more, you may suffer a Critical
circumstances. Generally, modifiers are imposed to reflect a temporary
failure: additional consequences in the form of damage, injury, or some
condition that affects you and not the action you’re attempting. Most
other drawback usually spelled out in the action attempted.
modifiers come from assistance (see following), environmental condi-
tions, or injury.
Injuries & Frustration
Assistance Engaging in combat and intrigue places you at risk of taking injuries
or acquiring frustration. Both of these affect your ability to succeed
When faced with a tough Difficulty, you can call upon your allies to
on tests, imposing a penalty to your test result, or, in the case of wounds,
help you succeed. Any adjacent ally can assist you. Allies bestow a modi-
take penalty dice to your dice roll. Injuries and frustration work as any
fier to your test result equal to one half (round down, minimum 1) their
other modifier and apply after you sum the test dice.
rank in the ability you’re testing. Say, for example, you’re climbing a
wall. You’re near the top, where your ally waits. To help you up, an ally
with Athletics 4 assists you. When you test Athletics to climb the rest Penalty Dice
of the distance, add +2 (half your ally’s rank) to your test result. Usually,
Penalty dice are uncommon drawbacks imposed by wounds or flaws.
no more than two people can assist at a time, but for larger tasks, the
Each penalty die cancels one test die when adding up your result. You
Narrator may allow additional assistance.
apply the Penalty after you roll and after you drop any bonus dice. Pen-
alty dice are abbreviated, too. When you see –1D, it means you have
Taking More Time one penalty die.

When you have the luxury of time on your side, you can work more slowly Example
to ensure you complete the task, which is especially useful for high Dif-
Steve’s character, Reinhart, suffers from a wound, imposing 1 penalty
ficulty tasks that are ordinarily beyond your ability to roll with a normal
die on all tests. In the thick of combat, he shoots an arrow from his
test. For each additional amount of time spent preparing for the task (say
Longbow at a charging wildling. Steve has Marksmanship 4 (Bows
an hour of research or an extra six seconds before making an Athletics
2). He rolls six dice and gets a 6, 5, 4, 4, 3, and 1. He drops the 1 and
test), you gain an extra test die for the purposes of resolving your test. You
3 for his bonus dice. He must also drop one of his 4s because of the
can’t gain more than double your test dice in this way. So if you have 2
penalty die, giving him a test result of 15.
in an ability, you can’t gain more than two extra test dice by taking more
time.
Difficulty
Specialties & Bonus Dice Every action has a Difficulty, a number that describes how hard the ac-
tion is to accomplish. If your test result equals or exceeds the Difficulty,
Specialties are areas of expertise that fall under the purview of an
your action succeeds. Difficulties are ranked in five-point increments,
ability, and as such, when testing an ability in a way that relates to
starting at 0 for automatic actions and climbing all the way up to 30
your specialty, you may roll a number of bonus dice that you have in
(or higher) for nearly impossible actions. See Table 2–1: Difficulties
the specialty.
for details on the different levels of Difficulty and Chapter 4: Abili-
Bonus dice are never added to the result; they merely allow you
ties & Specialties for specific examples of Difficulties as they relate
to roll more dice than your ability would permit, and you keep the
to abilities.
best dice equal to your ability’s test dice. The number of bonus dice
can never exceed the number of test dice rolled. So if you have 2 test
dice in an ability and have a total of three bonus dice (say two from Success
a specialty and one from a complementary ability, see following), you
When a test result equals or exceeds the Difficulty, the action is a suc-
can still only roll four dice and keep two. Various specialties for the
cess. A success represents the minimum amount of work and effort
different abilities, and their uses, are described in Chapter 4: Abili-
needed to achieve the intended result. Such successes are often sloppy
ties & Specialties.
and inelegant, and while they let you achieve what you wanted, they

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Chapter 2: Game Rules

Description
Table 2–1: Difficulties
Rating Minimum Rank for Success
Archetypes
Automatic 0 1 The easiest way to get started in SIFRP is to select an archetype to
play. An archetype is a ready-to-play character with all the mechanical
Easy 3 1
decisions handled for you. Each archetype represents a different role or
Routine 6 1 character type found in the novels and presents statistics for anointed
Challenging 9 2 knights, maesters, septons, nobles, wards, and more. As you familiarize
yourself with the system, you will undoubtedly want to create your own
Formidable 12 2 character, as described in the following chapter, but if you’re itching to
Hard 15 3 play, feel free to use one of these sample characters.
Very Hard 18 3
Heroic 21+ 4
Using Archetypes
If you plan to use an archetype, you can use the character as presented
Test Result Exceeds Difficulty by… Degree of Success
here, filling in the necessary details to breathe life into the character.
0–4 One, Marginal success You can also modify the character to suit your needs, exchanging spe-
5–9 Two, Great success cialties for other specialties and rank in one ability for rank in another.
Be sure you are moving equal numbers each time. Each archetype uses
10–14 Three, Incredible success the following format.
15+ Four, Astonishing success
Archetype Name & Description
are in no way impressive. Often, these near successes are enough, but in
some cases, excellence may be required for the long-term victory. This section includes a bit of flavor text to help you visualize the char-
acter. It also discusses how the archetype fits in the household, defines
Degrees of Success some of the character’s responsibilities, and identifies what role the
character might fill in an adventure. In addition, some salient person-
You need only equal the test’s Difficulty to get a success. Beating the test ality and historical features are included to give you a sketch of the
Difficulty by a significant degree, however, can produce greater results. character’s background.
For many tests, you complete the action or effort a bit faster or with
slightly improved results. For some, such as Fighting or Marksmanship Abilities
tests, you can deal additional damage with a greater degree of success.
Characters are defined by their choice of abilities and specialties, those
Using Degrees of Success areas in which the character has some degree of talent. Each archetype
lists all abilities possessed by the character that exceed 2. Attached to the
Often, a Marginal success is all you need. However, the Narrator may ability is its rank, expressed as a number such as 3. If the character has
require a success by a particular degree for an action to succeed, espe- any specialties related to the ability, they are listed beneath the ability and
cially when time and quality are factors. For example, singing a dirge for indented to set them apart. Specialties include the number of bonus dice
the fallen son of a powerful lord may be a Challenging (9) test, but if invested and are expressed with a number and a B, 3B for example.
the character wishes a private audience with the lord, he may need an Qualities and Destiny Points follow. The number of Destiny Points
Incredible success (three degrees) on the same test, effectively making the character possesses are noted clearly. Then, you’ll find an alphabeti-
it a Very Hard (19) test. Of course, not achieving the success does not cal listing of the characters benefits and flaws.
bar entry to the lord; rather, it offers an expedited means that rewards
the character for a great roleplaying scene. Game Attributes
Degrees of Failure This section describes the salient features and derived abilities needed for
playing through intrigues and combats. At the top, you’ll find the char-
Normally, failing to achieve the needed test result simply means an at- acter’s Awareness rank and passive result. Next are the intrigue attributes,
tempted action fails to achieve the desired result. In some cases, how- including Defense and Composure. Finally, you’ll find Movement and
ever, the degree of failure is also important, and greater degrees can lead Sprint, followed by Combat Defense, Armor Rating, and Health.
to more serious consequences.
There are only two degrees of failure: a Marginal failure (where the Gear
Difficulty exceeds the test result by 4 or less) and Critical failure (where
the Difficulty exceeds the test result by 5 or more). Only rarely does The last section lists all the weapons, armor, wealth, and important per-
degree of failure matter; when it does, it is specified in the game rules. sonal possessions the character has at the start of the game.

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 Chapter 2: Game Rules

Anointed Knight
Adult Warrior
As an anointed knight, you won your spurs on the field of battle,
stood vigil in the sept, and received the seven oils by a man of the cloth.
The anointed knight is a paragon of martial skill, a beacon of virtue and chivalry in a cruel and otherwise uncaring world. Attaining the title of
“Ser” established you as one of the elite warriors in the land. In exchange for the courtesy you receive, you are expected to abide by your vows,
live up to the principles of knighthood, and defend king and country against all who threaten it. While these lofty ideals are goals, sadly, few
ever come close to attaining them. Can you live a virtuous and noble life? Or will you sully your title with base living?

Abilities
Agility 3
Animal Handling 3 Ride 1B
Athletics 3 Strength 2B
Awareness 3
Endurance 4 Resilience 2B
F ighting 5 Long Blades 2B, Spears 1B
Language 3 Common Tongue
Status 4
Warfare 3
All others 2

Qualities
Destiny Points: 1
Anointed, F law (Thievery –1D), Long Blade F ighter I, Sponsor

Game Attributes
Awareness 3 ❂ 12 Base
Intrigue Defense 9 ❂ Composure 6
Movement 3 ❂ Sprint 14
(with lance, move 2, sprint 12)
Combat Defense 3 (5 with shield) ❂ Armor Rating 10
Health 12
Attack Bastard 5+2B 4 damage; Adaptable
Sword
Attack Shield 5 1 damage; Defensive +2
Attack War 5+1B 9 damage; Bulk 2,
Lance Impale, Mounted,
Powerful, Slow, Vicious
Personal plate armor, shield, bastard sword and scabbard,
Gear war lance, saddle, destrier, 16 gold dragons

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Chapter 2: Game Rules

Godsworn
Adult Expert/Schemer
You are a servant of the Faith, and you provide religious advice and instruction to the noble family.
The dominant faith in the Seven Kingdoms came to Westeros with the Andals, those fair-haired warriors from across the narrow sea who waged
war against the First Men, cast down the old gods in favor of their new ones, and brought learning and civilization to this benighted land. The
core of this belief is in the seven aspects of god; each of the Seven identities reflects a different role and nature of their supreme deity. The faces of
this being include the Mother, the Father, the Warrior, the Smith, the Maid, the Crone, and the Stranger. The
Faith’s servants equally revere all aspects, though clearly some are more favored than others amongst the
nobility and smallfolk.
The Faith of the Seven is ubiquitous throughout Westeros, and septs can be found in just about every
lord’s land and in the wilderness between. Rare is the mortal who would risk a divine curse by refusing
the septons their place, and thus, even in lands that follow older customs and beliefs, one is sure to find
at least a shrine to the Seven.

Abilities
Agility 3
Awareness 3 Empathy 1B
Cunning 3
Healing 3
Knowledge 3 Education 1B, Research 1B
Language 3 Common Tongue
Persuasion 3 Bargain 1B, Charm 1B, Convince 1B
Status 4
Will 5 Coordinate 1B, Dedication 1B
All others 2

Qualities
Destiny Points: 1
Bound to the Bottle, Favored of the Smallfolk, Pious, Stubborn

Game Attributes
Awareness 3 ❂ 12 base, 13 Empathy
Intrigue Defense 10 ❂ Composure 16
Movement 3 ❂ Sprint 14
Combat Defense 8 (12 with shield) ❂ Armor Rating 1
Health 6
Attack Mace 2 2 damage
Attack Large 2 1 damage; Bulk 1, Defensive +4
Shield
Attack Heavy 2 5 damage; Long Range, Piercing
Crossbow 2, Reload Greater, Slow, Two-
handed, V icious

Personal robes, large shield, mace, heavy crossbow,

Gear quiver with 10 bolts, icon of the Father,
9 gold dragons

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