Quick Pl ay Guide

FUNdamental RPG 2e is a Tabletop Role Playing Game

(TTRPG) designed to make it easy to jump into play-
ing a game with your friends based on your own stories.
Whether you’re brand new to TTRPGs or are familiar with
other systems, FUNdamental RPG is very easy to learn,
understand, and begin playing. The game supports vir-
tually any story or world you would like to play in from
classic high fantasy to sci-fi and everything in between.

Ravyn is a trans (she/her) content creator and

influencer. She is the Creative Director for The
Ravyn Evermore, a professional GM, TTRPG
designer, VOA, and graphic artist. She has a
passion for storytelling and creating spaces for
marginalized groups, esp. LGBT+. She also runs
Blackfeather Guild, a community for TTRPG
fans on twitch.tv/ravvyn and Blackfeather.club.
She has been a full-time content creator since
2019 and has worked in executive management
for over 13 years prior to that.
Links at http://linktr.ee/theravvyn.
 Credits
Writing & Editing
Ravyn Evermore

Gr aphic Design
Ravyn Evermore, Virginia Page

Layout
Virginia Page

Art
Ravyn Evermore
FUNdamental RPG is a tabletop role-playing
game (TTRPG) designed with both the new
and veteran gamer in mind. Unlike many
other games in the genre, FUNdamental
RPG is not a pre-made world with lore
and races and history already set in stone
but rather a collection of tools and game
mechanics to help you write and tell your
own stories.

You can use FUNdamental RPG to put

together a compelling story with easy to use
game mechanics to allow you to jump into
the action right away. Whether you want
to play a sci-fi game, travelling the stars on
space ships, or you want to play a medieval
fantasy with sword play, magic, and wizards,
FUNdamental RPG is also designed to
be quick and easy to set up and play. On
average, it takes about 10 - 30 minutes
for a brand new player to make their first
character and new Game Masters (GMs) can
have a game running in as little as an hour
after picking up the book.
Contents
New to Tabletop Ga mes? 4

Cha r acter Creation 5

Step 1: Choose your character's Assets and Challenges 5
Step 2: Attributes 7
Step 3: Defenses 7
Step 4: Training 8
Step 5: Skills 8
Example of Skill Difficulty Checks 10
Step 6: Starting Gear 11

Play ing The Ga me 11

Combat 11
Attack Types 13
Dealing Damage: 13
Healing 14
Dying 14
Movement 14

Advancing a nd Lev eling Up 15

A Note From the Creator 16

3
New to Tabletop Games?
Welcome! If you’re unfamiliar, tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs) are a bit
like board games except that they can be played with nothing more than your
imagination and some dice. For this game system, you will need a full set of
polyhedral dice which includes dice with a different number of sides on them.
This is typically denoted by the letter ‘d’ followed by the number of sides the die
has. For example, a 20-sided die would be listed as a d20. For this system you
will need at least one each of the following: d20, d12, d10, d8, d6, and d4.

You will also need one person to be the Game Master (GM) and at least one
person to play as a playable character (PC). The GM makes up the world,
stories, objectives, etc. of your role-playing campaign; they also play all of
the Non-Player Characters (NPCs) and enemies the Players will face in the
campaign. The Players will make characters which they will play as throughout
the campaign. From there, the possibilities of what you can do in the game are
limited only by your imagination.

Players can attempt anything at all and the GM will determine if the action
was accomplished by having the player roll dice and add in numbers from their
character sheet. If the total is high enough to meet or beat the Difficulty Check
(DC) total set by the GM, the player succeeds.

Using this system, imagination, and dice, the GM and Players can actively
participate in and create a unique adventure in fun, inclusive, and engaging
ways. It is encouraged that the GM and Players discuss before the start of play
what they would like to get out of the experience and the goals or cool things
they want to accomplish over the course of the campaign.

Because TTRPG adventures can include anything you can imagine, it is also
important to keep in mind that different people may have content they are
not comfortable experiencing. In light of that, it is also strongly encouraged to
take a moment before each campaign to make a list of things that the GM and
Players do NOT want to have included in the game. This allows everyone to
know what they can explore and what they should stay away from during the
course of their gameplay in order for everyone to feel safe and for everyone to
have fun.

Happy Adventuring!

4
Cha r acter Creation
Character creation in FUNdamental RPG is a relatively easy process, with just
a handful of steps before you’re ready to start adventuring. By the end of the
process, at level 1, you should have the following:

• 8 Attribute Points
• 1 Defense Point
• 4 Training Points
• 10 Skill Points
• 2 Assets
• 2 Challenges
• Starting Equipment

Step 1: Choose your char acter's Assets a nd

Cha llenges
Assets and Challenges are stats that reflect who your character is. Assets
will give you benefits to various abilities and skills, whereas Challenges will
generally give you penalties. Challenges can also give you extra XP from your
GM when you play into them and both Assets and Challenges help to make
your character seem more three dimensional and real. Below is a small selection
from the FUNdamental RPG book.

Assets

Alert
You are highly aware of your surroundings.Gain a +3 bonus on Sight and
Hearing.

Athletic
You’re a bit of a jock and have spent a lot of time in your life engaging in
physical activities. Gain a +2 Bonus on any Toughness Skill Check

Cha rismatc
You are very likeable and/or attractive. You may re-roll any Presence Skill Check
(must take the second result).

Cy nic
You are known for your critical thinking. Gain +3 on Discipline checks

Engineer
You’re a wizard when it comes to engineering. Choose Tech, or Mechanical
Engineering and gain a +3 bonus to that skill.

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Cha llenges

Arroga nt
It doesn’t matter what the difficulty, you are simply the best at everything and
nobody can tell you what you can or can’t do. You will simply not believe you
have a chance to fail.

Ber serker
You are easily goaded. Anytime you take damage, are insulted, or taunted, you
will focus on your attacker until you or they are dead, unconscious, or, at the
very least, emotionally scarred.

Compulsiv e Lia r/Truth Teller

Choose Liar or Truth Teller. If you’re a liar, you will tell stories, even when
it’s not needed and no matter your chances of success. If you’re a truth teller,
you will tell the truth, even when you should probably lie and you will often
volunteer information.

Per sona l Code

You have a specific code you live by in life which, unfortunately, can be rather
inconvenient at times. Code examples are: “Never leave a man behind.” “Always
help the weak.” “Rules are for suckers.” “Never Lie.” “Greed is Eternal.”

Unlucky
Twice per session, the GM can make you re-roll any roll.

6
Step 2: Attributes
Attributes make up your core capabilities; they are the primary stat which ties
into virtually everything your character will do mechanically. Points are able to
be spent as you see fit, however, no one attribute can be more than a 4 at level 1.
The Attributes are: Toughness, Cleverness, Stamina, and Presence. Here is a
brief description of each:

• Toughness involves most any type of physical ability or activity. It ties

into your ability to Dodge, perform melee attacks, and a number of skills
such as Might and some of your senses. This attribute is also used in
determining your HP and Carrying Capacity. Your HP is your Toughness +
Stamina scores multiplied by 5. Your Carrying Capacity is your Toughness
score multiplied by 25.

• Cleverness is your overall intelligence and your ability to learn and retain
information. cleverness ties into your Deflect defense and contributes to a
number of skills such as Education, Medicine, and Naturalist.

• Stamina deals with a number of things depending on your campaign

setting. This can relate to your magical abilities, your inner strength, or
even ki or chi. This attribute is tied to certain skills such as Discipline as
well as your Block defense. This attribute is also used in determining your
HP. Your HP is your Toughness + Stamina scores multiplied by 5.

• Presence is related to your character’s attractiveness, likeability,

persuasiveness, and situational awareness. It ties into skills such as Charm
and Blend In.

Step 3: Defenses
The next step is to choose where to put your defense point.

There are 3 defenses in FUNdamental RPG: Dodge, Deflect, and Block. These
defenses operate in a “rock, paper, scissors” format with Dodge gaining a +5 vs
Ranged Attacks, Deflect gaining a +5 vs. Melee Attacks, and Block gaining a +5
bonus vs. Tech Attacks. At the end of each combat turn, the player will declare
which defense they will use until the start of their next turn.

As you level up it will be important to decide whether you wish to focus on one
defense or have a well rounded defense. While it can be tempting to put all of
your points in one defense, if you’re ever unable to use that defense (e.g. you are
restrained and cannot dodge) you may find yourself an easy target. Armor can
also grant certain bonuses and penalties to different defense types.

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As a reminder:
• Dodge is tied to your Toughness and gives +5 defense vs. Ranged Attacks
• Deflect is tied to your Cleverness and gives a +5 vs. Melee Attacks
• Block is tied to your Stamina and gives a +5 bonus vs. Tech Attacks

Step 4: Tr aining
When creating your character, you will begin with 4 training points. These
can be spent on various specialties in two different training areas (Combat and
Non-Combat).

Combat Specialties:
• Melee
• Ranged
• Tech

Non-Combat Specialties:
• Profession (Can be made into multiple specialties, 1 per profession)
• Tools (Can be made into multiple specialties, 1 per tool set)
• Instruments (Can be made into multiple specialties, 1 per instrument)

Combat training specialties are combined with your attribute scores to

determine your bonus to attack rolls. For example, if you wish to make a melee
attack, you would roll 1d20 + your Melee Training Points + Your Toughness
Score.

• Melee - Toughness
• Ranged - Cleverness
• Tech - Cleverness

Non-Combat Specialties are added to your skill scores to determine your total
when making skill checks. The decision of when Non-Combat Specialties
will be applicable to a skill check is up to the Game Master and players are
encouraged to work with their GM to explain why the specialties would apply.

Step 5: Skills
Skills help your character accomplish a number of non-combat actions as well
as some occasional combat actions. At character creation, you will have 10 skill
points which may be put into any skill you would like, however, no skill may
have more than 2 points put in at character creation. When leveling up later,
no skill point total may be higher than the character level. For example a 5th
level character can not have more than 5 points put into a single skill. (The
total score may be higher, however, with the addition of attribute scores and
bonuses).

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SKILL (APPLICABLE
DESCRIPTION
ATTRIBUTE)
Performance, visual media, music, cooking,
Art: (Presence)
etc.
Stealth, hiding, being incognito, keeping
Blend In: (Presence)
quiet, etc.
Charm: (Presence) Seduction, deception, sales, charisma

Daunt: (Toughness) Intimidate, threaten, cause to back down

Resist charm and fear, sanity, mental
Discipline: (Cleverness)
fortitude
Knowledge, training, historical and scientific
Education: (Cleverness)
context
Ability to connect and sense feelings and
Empathy: (Presence)
intentions of others
Engineering: Mechanical Ability to utilize, repair, build, etc. physical
(Cleverness) machines and mechanical objects
Engineering: Technology Ability to utilize, repair, program, and
(Cleverness) modify objects of technology.
Intuition, instincts, subconscious
Gut Feeling: (Stamina)
motivations
Ability to notice and focus on sounds in your
Hearing: (Cleverness)
surroundings.
Ability to heal others via diagnosis,
Medicine: (Cleverness)
pharmacology, and surgery
Might: (Toughness) Physical prowess, strength, athleticism
Ability to recognize elements of nature and
Naturalist: (Cleverness)
survive in a wilderness setting
Nimbleness: (Toughness) Ability to move quickly, flexibility, balance

Physical Fortitude: (Stamina) Ability to resist poison, intoxication, illness

Ability to notice and focus on sights in your
Sight: (Toughness)
surroundings.
Ability to notice and identify smells or
Smell and Taste: (Stamina)
flavors in air and consumables
Your ability to clearly communicate and
Speech: (Cleverness) make logical arguments and ask intelligent
questions

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Ex ample of Skill Difficulty Checks
DIFFICULTY TOTAL DESCRIPTION
Simple tasks in that skill, something one
Easy 15
untrained could accomplish
Slightly more complicated tasks in that skill.
Average 20 The untrained could accomplish it with
some effort and/or time.
Tasks that take some concentration and
Hard 25 effort from the trained. The untrained
person would find this extremely difficult.
Only the trained should attempt this. These
Challenging 30 types of task typically take years of study
and/or practice to accomplish.
Tasks that would require the person to be
Impressive 35 dedicated in their field or ability. Expert
level of experience or knowledge.
Tasks that would usually require the person
Incredible 45 to be an authority in the field or have
professional athlete status with the ability.
Olympic level feats. Tasks that would
require years of dedicated training or study
Extraordinary 55
as well as a natural affinity. This level is rare
in the world.
You've accomplished something impossible
or at least improbable. You're the best of the
Legendary 65
best. Olympic gold medal and beyond level
accomplishment.

10
Step 6: Sta rting Gear
Every character starts with 2 sets of clothing and an Adventure Kit which
includes: Backpack, Bedding, Small Pouch, Fire Starter, Torch/Flashlight,
Rations for 7 Days, Rope, and a Canteen. Total weight of these items is 15lb.

You can also choose from these basic weapon types:

• Fists - 1d4
• Blunt Melee Weapon - 1d6
• Sharp Melee Weapon - 1d8
• Simple Ranged Weapon - 1d6
• Advanced Ranged Weapon - 1d8
• Tech Weapon - 1d8

You can also choose armor:

• Light Armor: +2 Dodge, +1 Deflect
• Heavy Armor: -2 Dodge, +3 Block

Play ing The Game

Skills help your character accomplish a number of non-combat actions, as well
as some occasional combat actions. To use a skill, roll 1d20 and add your skill
score (the total of your skill points, relevant attribute score, relevant training
bonuses, and other bonuses). The resulting number is your Skill Check for that
task.

For example, let us say Mary has a character that wishes to break a lock with a
hammer. This character has 2 points in Toughness and 3 points in Might. The
GM would have them roll a Might Check, for which Mary will need to calculate
her Might Score. To do so, Mary will add her Toughness Score (2) plus the skill
points she’s put into Might (3). Mary does not have any bonuses from Assets or
other sources so her Might Score total is 5. Now Mary will roll 1d20 + her Might
Score of 5 to get the result of the Might Check for the GM.

In the example above, if Mary also had spent a Training Point in a trade, such
as Blacksmithing, she could potentially add that point into the Might Check as
well if the GM allows it.

Combat
Combat in FUNdamental RPG happens in rounds. Each round is 10 seconds
long with 6 rounds in a minute.

11
Swif tness
Each combat round is made up of turns with each player (and NPC) rolling for
Swiftness. Swiftness is determined by 1d20 + the character’s Toughness score.
Ties are resolved by who has the higher Toughness Score. If there is still a tie
after that then it is determined by a 1d6 roll until there is a clear order.
Actions
Each round of combat is broken down into 5 actions. These actions are:

• Communication: Talk to allies within earshot

• Movement: Move up to 50’, crouch/go prone, stand up, or crawl.
• Attack/Skill: Make an offensive attack or make a skill check
• Bonus Action: Extra action can be taken if the player makes a successful
bonus action check. (Spend a Stamina Point, Roll 1d20, if it is 11-20 gain an
extra action)
• Defensce: Declare the Defense you will use this round (Dodge, Deflect,
or Block). If you do not declare a defense or are unable to defend for any
reason (such as being restrained) your defense roll will only be 1d20.

Bonus Actions:
Players can perform a bonus action check each turn as long as they have a
Stamina Point to spend. The maximum number of Stamina Points a player has
is equal to the player’s Stamina Score plus any bonuses from items or Assets.
These points are refilled at the end of each encounter. To perform the necessary
check to see if a player will receive a Bonus Action, the player removes one of
their available Stamina Points and rolls 1d20. Use the chart below to determine
the result.

d20 RESULT OUTCOME

1 Lose an additional Stamina Point, no Bonus Action

2 - 10 No Bonus Action

11 - 19 Gain a Bonus Action

20 Gain a Bonus Action and regain the spent Stamina Point

Using Sta mina Points with Tech:

When using a tech weapon, Stamina Points may be used a bit differently. On
the player’s Attack/Skill action, they may spend a Stamina Point to cast a spell
with their attack. The attack will still need to hit the opponent in order to land
the effect. If the effect hits, the player can make a Tech Engineering check to see
if their desired effect is successful. This effect is limited only by the technology
in your game setting, and what the GM will allow. The difficulty of the check
is determined by the GM based on the complexity and difficulty of the desired
effect.

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Attack Ty pes
• Melee: A close-range physical attack with the body or held “touch range”
weapon such as a dagger or sword.
• Ranged Attack: A mid to long range attack utilizing a physically propelled
projectile.
• Tech Attack: An attack using advanced technology for your setting. Tech
Attacks can take many forms but are generally made with some sort of
weapon which ranges from a d6 to a d10 as weapon damage.

Additionally, players can add a Stamina Point to their attack to use a Tech effect
in place of the standard attack damage. For example, a player with a freeze ray
gun can spend a stamina point on their tech attack and, if it hits, instead of
doing damage, they can roll Tech Engineering to attempt a different effect (e.g.
freezing the opponent’s boots to the ground, making an ice prison, etc.).

Dealing Da mage:

Attacking
Attack rolls are made by rolling 1d20 + the relevant Attribute Score + relevant
Training Score + any bonuses. If this number beats the opponent’s Defense
Roll the attack hits and damage dice are rolled + any relevant bonuses. Damage
dealt is equal to the damage dice roll + the Attribute used in the attack + any
Bonuses. Characters start at level 1 with 1 damage die which increases by 1 die
every 10 levels. (A d6 weapon would be 1d6 at level 1, 2d6 at level 10, 3d6 at level
20, and 4d6 at level 30).
For example, let us say that John wants to attack an opponent with a crossbow.
John has a Toughness of 3 and a Ranged Attack Training of 5. John would roll
1d20 + Toughness (3) + his Ranged Attack Training (5). Let us say John rolls a 10
on the d20, his total Attack Roll would equal 18. If this exceeds his opponent’s
defense roll, John hits and may roll for damage. His crossbow is a d8 weapon
and John is level 10, so John will roll 2d8 + Toughness (3) for Damage.

Defending
A Defense Type is claimed at the end of each character’s turn by declaring the
defense out loud. Players may also make cards or tokens to place in front of
them to signify which defense they’re currently using. If a player has not had
a chance to claim a defense yet (for example they have not had a combat turn
yet), they may choose the defense they wish to use for that round when they are
attacked for the first time that round. When a character is attacked, they defend
by rolling 1d20 + the claimed Defense Score (Dodge, Deflect, or Block). If this
number beats the opponents Attack Roll, the defense is successful in negating
the attack.

When attacking and defending, there are some bonuses to keep in mind;
FUNdamental RPG uses a “rock, paper, scissors” style format with defense as
shown in the following:

13
 DEFENSE TYPE BONUS
Dodge +5 vs. Ranged Attacks

Deflect +5 vs. Melee Attacks

Block +5 vs. Magic/Tech Attacks

Ties
In the event of a tie, the attack and defense are rolled again until there is a clear
winner.

Hea ling
Healing can be done with a successful Medicine Skill Check, provided the
character has a first aid kit, healing kit, or equivalent. The DC (Difficulty
Check) for healing starts at 15, which gives the target 1d4 HP back. This is
increased by 1 die step (e.g. going from a d6 to a d8) for every 5 points over the
DC. For example, a Medicine Check of 20 would be 1d6 HP and a Check of 30
would be 1d10 HP. If a Medicine Check reaches 40, the die step increase adds a
second die at the lowest increment (d2) and increases normally from there (i.e.
1d12 + 1d2, 1d12 + 1d4, and so on).

Dy ing
When a player reaches 0 HP they are knocked out but can be revived by healing.
At negative 10% of their max HP (rounded up) they are in a coma and must
have healing and at least 8 hours of sleep to revive. At negative 15% of their
max HP (rounded up) they are dead and can only be revived by supernatural or
technological methods (if available in their campaign).

Movement
The standard movement speed for a player is 50’ per turn. This can be split up
and used in virtually any order (e.g. move 30’, attack, move 20’).

14
Advancing and Leveling Up
FUNdamental RPG has a default setting of 30 total attainable levels before the
character is maxed out. This Quick Start Guide will show you the first 5 levels.
The below table displays the new stats and bonuses each player will get at each
level, as well as the XP required for each level.

LVL ATT. DEF. TRAINING SKILLS EXTRAS XP REQ.

2 Assets, 2
1 8 1 4 10 0
Challenges
2 0 1 1 4 25

3 2 1 1 4 50

4 0 1 1 4 75

5 0 2 3 5 1 Asset 100

PER
XP XP SINGLE
PARTY
CONDITIONS CONDITIONS PLAYERS
MEMBER
XP Per Combat XP Per Exceptional
1 - 10 2
Encounter Play
XP Per Party Skill 1 - 10 XP Per Playing to 1-2

Challenge 5 - 10 Challenge 1-5

XP Per Party Story XP Per Player Story
5 - 10 1-5
Element Element

15
A Note From the Creator
Thank you for reading through this book and using it for your adventure! It is
my hope that this system will empower you to tell your own stories and make
incredible content and experiences (both GM and Players alike). Remember
to have fun and communicate with each other as you play. Even though it’s
just a game, clear communication is still important, especially since, unlike
most board games, there are not always boards, tokens, and visuals to help you
relay what is in your imagination to your fellow players. It is also important to
keep in mind the safety of everyone playing by respecting boundaries set at
the beginning of each game. Remember to respect each other’s views, limits,
pronouns and identities, and agency (i.e. free-will). Explore, create beautiful
things, and (most importantly) have fun out there!

-Ravyn Evermore

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