VAULTBOUND

A VAULTS OF VAARN HACK

What is this?
This submission for the Vaarn Summer Jam is a heavily mutated cacogen of a
ruleset that merges the original Vaults of Vaarn setting with wild combat
mechanics of Spellbound Kingdoms Combat Primer by Frank Brunner.
This hack was made for combat-focused players and referees looking for more
depth in their combat scenes. It was playtested to an extent; however, it is
by no means perfectly balanced; in fact, some mechanics are unbalanced by
intent.
The submission includes a whole set of combat and ability rules, a character
sheet and a selection of combat styles appropriately reskinned for player
characters and monsters in a Vaarnish game.
In order to play VAULTBOUND, you need to be familiar with the original
ruleset: Vaults of Vaarn #1

Contents
Your Character
Character Abilities and Checks..................................... page 3
Character Creation................................................. page 4
Die Sizes.......................................................... page 4
Combat
Initiative and maneuvers........................................... page 5
Combat Style Requirements.......................................... page 6
Combo and Ability Dice Maneuvers................................... page 6
Damage and Critical Hits........................................... page 6
Exploding Dice..................................................... page 7
Weapons and Armor.................................................. page 7
Movement and “Trick / Misc” maneuver............................... page 7
Movement Zones..................................................... page 8
Ranged Attacks..................................................... page 8
Supernatural Damage................................................ page 8
Wounds and Healing................................................. page 8
Mystic Gifts....................................................... page 8
Morale............................................................. page 9
Weapons and Armor Table............................................ page 9
For referees: Monsters in Combat................................... page 9
Special Effects................................................... page 10
Advancement
Gaining Levels.................................................... page 11
Combat Style Advancement.......................................... page 11
Advancement Table................................................. page 11
Credits
Your Character
Character Abilities and Checks
Just like in VOV, Player Characters (PCs) rely on six stats or abilities.
These abilities work differently in VAULTBOUND. There is only one value for
each ability which defines the die size of that ability.

To make an Ability Check, roll the largest die that doesn’t exceed your
character’s ability score. The check difficulty is determined by the referee.
For an opposing check both parties make the roll with dice matching their
ability score. If the results are equal, compare the die sizes; if they’re
the same, re-roll.

STRENGTH (STR) is your character’s physical might; most combat styles rely
on Strength and it is also used for checks such as lifting heavy weights,
breaking, holding, or dragging certain objects, etc.

DEXTERITY (DEX) is your character’s general quickness and hand-eye

coordination; it is relevant for combat styles and checks that involve
acrobatics, agile movement, reaction time and so on.

CONSTITUTION (CON) defines your character’s inventory capacity and their

resistance to harmful environments or poisons.

INTELLECT (INT) score defines your character’s sense of judgment and

rationality, their erudition and knowledge. It is used in checks involving
technology, crafting and lore; it’s also used to resist taunts in combat.

PSYCHE (PSY) is one’s connection with “mythical” powers of this world, such
as psychic energies or hypergeometric calculus. PSY score is used in mythical
combat styles and in checks requiring intuition.

EGO (EGO) is the general social ability of your character. It is required for
checks involving trading, persuasion, deception, taunting and intimidation;
it is also sparsely used in some exotic combat styles that involve taunts.

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Character Creation
Follow these steps to make a VAULTBOUND
character:
1. Roll 3d6 for each of your Character’s
Abilities. Take the lowest of the three
dice and add 2 to find the Ability Score
(which affects the die size for that
ability);
2. Choose your Ancestry from the original
VOV Zines. Use spark tables for
inspiration;
3. Roll 1d8 to determine the starting and
max HP of your character;
4. Determine the number of available
inventory slots by taking your CON score
and adding 8 to it. You can’t have less
than 11 and more than 20 item slots.
“Encumbered” rules from VOV apply as
normal.
5. Choose one combat style appropriate to your character’s ability scores.
The character needs to at least match the Novice ability requirements to use
the style.
6. PCs start with 3 days of rations and a set of weapons to match the style
requirements. Roll the VAULTBOUND Weapons and Armor table to determine the
starting armor and weapon quality and the original spark tables for the looks.
7. Roll the Equipment tables, starting Exotica and Gift from the original VOV
Zine #1 tables to fill up the rest of your character’s sheet.

Die Sizes
There are 7 die sizes in VAULTBOUND: d2 (coin), d4, d6, d8, d10, d12 and d20.
Some modifiers can increase or reduce die size, but the die size can never
be less than d2. Some rolls or combat moves have “0” as their die size, which
means you can’t make that roll.
If a bonus increases the die size over d20, add another dice to that roll
(starting from d2) and take the largest number on a single die as a result.
Example: d26 = d20 [rolled a 2] and d6 [rolled 5]. The result of this
roll is 5.

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 Combat
Here’s how it works in VAULTBOUND:
Initiative and maneuvers
1. There is no initiative.
All combatants act simultaneously by choosing one available combat maneuver
in their Style Sheets and moving their tokens (coins) to the selected
maneuver space. Maneuvers are resolved one by one, but narrated as if it all
happened within one small time period (one round).
2. You fight in Style.
A Combat Style is a mix of fighting techniques that your character knows how
to use. It is represented by a diagram of circles that shows which maneuvers
you can use and in which order. For example, some Styles only allow you to
Feint after Lunging, etc.
3. Attacking maneuvers always need a target.
You can’t declare an attacking maneuver without selecting a viable target,
which means you can’t perform the entire combo chain in an empty closet and
then jump out with your ultimate move ready to go.
4. Combat always starts with a Balancing Maneuver.
Balancing maneuvers (maneuver circles with underlined name) are the openers
for your style, and wherever your token is, you can always return to one of
the balancing maneuvers (this action is known as re-balancing your style).
There are also the standard maneuvers, which require no Combat Style; you can
always use one these as well.
5. Shift between maneuvers to advance your combos.
Any maneuvers except balancing and standard ones can only be used if your
token is in the same horizontal row or vertical column as the desired maneuver
circle. Imagine your token as a chess rook: if it can move from its current
maneuver space to the desired space without skipping any rows, this maneuver
is possible. The only exception to this rule are special arrows on some of
the Style Sheets. You can also repeat the same maneuver next round without
moving your token, unless the maneuver requires you to re-balance.
6. Resolve the maneuvers by rolling the dice. Once everyone has declared
their maneuvers and targets, start resolving them. Each maneuver has an
Attack Die (on the left side of the maneuver circle) and a Defense Die (on
the right side). Attack is rolled only once against the selected target.
Defense is rolled against every incoming attack during this round.

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An attack can be resolved in three ways:
� If Attack Roll result is higher than Defense Roll, the attack hits (1 HP
damage by default, unless the maneuver has other effects);
� If Defense Roll result is higher than the incoming Attack Roll, the attack
misses or was blocked;
� If both results are equal, compare the die sizes instead (for example, d6
> d4). If die sizes are the same, roll again.

Combat Style Requirements

There are three levels of mastery for a Combat Style: Novice, Adept and
Master:
� Novice of a style can only use the balancing maneuvers and 2 other maneuvers
of their choice;
� Adepts can use anything except the Master Maneuvers (marked by an M);
� Masters can use all the maneuvers of a Style.
Combat Style requirements are written in the lower left corner of the Style
Sheet. If for any reason a character doesn’t match the style requirements
(exhaustion and wounds, getting disarmed) they can no longer us the style at
a certain level or at all, and have to rely on standard maneuvers in the
bottom right corner of their Sheet.

Combo and Ability Dice Maneuvers

Some maneuvers have more than one die or other things written instead of their
Attack Die or Defense Die:
Two consecutive attacks with d4 as Attack Dice (target can
d4/d4 (Atk.Die) be different for each attack)
Roll two d4 against each incoming attack during this round.
d4/d4 (Def.Die) The result of your Defense Roll is the highest number on
one of the dice (not the sum)
STR (Ability Use the largest possible die that doesn’t exceed your STR
Die) score for this roll
Two consecutive attacks or a double Defense Roll, but the
d4/DEX second die is the largest possible that doesn’t exceed your
DEX score

Damage and Critical Hits

If there is no additional text under the maneuver space,then it simply deals
1 HP damage to the target on hit. Many maneuvers have special effects that
are described in more detail later in this book.
Crit: Every time a Defense Roll results in 1 and the Attack Roll is more than
half of the Attack Die size (for example, 11 for d20), the attack is a
critical hit and scores +1 HP damage to the target.

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 Exploding Dice
If a roll results in a natural
maximum of the die (20 for d20 and
even 2 for d2), take the next die
size and roll it, taking the largest
number on one of the dice as the
result. A single roll can explode as
many times as luck allows it.
Weapons and Armor
Weapons and armor in VAULTBOUND have
different quality levels. For every
3 levels your weapon quality is
higher than the armor of your
opponent, your attacks deal an
additional 1 HP damage. Vice versa,
for every 3 levels your armor is
higher than the attacker’s weapon,
this attacker deals 1 HP damage less
to you (which means some attacks can
deal 0 damage). Some maneuvers can
change your Weapon Quality and Armor
Quality.
Example: Your weapon quality is
12, and your opponent’s armor is
4. Your attacks that deal HP
damage now additional 2 HP damage
to that opponent.

Movement and “Trick / Misc” maneuver

This is the most universal and useful of the standard maneuvers which can be
applied in many ways. Use this maneuver to:
1. Swap your Combat Style for another (if you have more than 1 style
available). Your next round opens with a balancing maneuver in another style;
2. Perform a non-combat action (pick up a weapon, cut ropes, open a door,
etc.);
3. Move to another combat zone (zones are abstract spaces defined by the
referee);
4. Use the current combat zone’s trick ability (described by the referee or
invented by the players);
5. Use your Mystic Gift or another special item.
Using this maneuver or any other standard maneuvers forces your character to
re-balance their Combat Style: to use your Style in the next round, start
with one of the balancing maneuvers.

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Movement Zones
The combat space is divided into abstract “zones” (i.e. balcony, main hall,
cloning vats). Use the “Trick / Misc” maneuver to move from one zone to
another. Note that during your movement you can be attacked from both your
current zone and your destination zone (if the attackers chose you as a
target), and you can only attack targets in your destination zone (for
maneuvers that allow attacks while moving).
Ranged Attacks
Ranged Attacks (available in some Styles) can target opponents a few zones
away. Each zone your Ranged Attack goes through, starting from the second,
reduces the Attack Die size by one.
Example: You shoot with your d8 Ranged Attack from your “Balcony” zone
to neighboring “Main Hall”. This attack receives no penalties.
Example 2: You shoot with the same d8 attack from your “Balcony” to
“Cloning Vats” further away. This attack passes through the “Main Hall”
first and loses 1 die size, reducing it to d6.
Supernatural Damage
Most supernatural powers still deal the usual physical damage to their
target. Things like lightning bolts, fire breath or telekinetic throws can
be blocked with a shield or dodged. If a supernatural maneuver has its Attack
Die in the lower left corner of the circle, defend from it as if it was a
normal attack.
However, if the Attack Die is in the upper left corner, this is a special
“mystic” maneuver that is aimed at your psyche, your philosophical existence,
etc. To defend from such attacks (curses, mental or hypergeometric attacks)
roll your PSY die or use your maneuver’s mystic defense (upper right corner).
Wounds and Healing
Wounds and Healing rules in VAULTBOUND are identical to VOV, with two
changes:
� Short Rests only replenish d4 + your CON score die (i.e. d6 for CON 6);
� When taking a new Wound, treat all the damage your PC receives this round
as a single source of damage.
Example: your HP is 0; you receive 2 damage from Bandits and 1 damage
from a Phtalo-Jackal this round. You drop to -3 HP and take the -3
Wound from the table.
Mystic Gifts
In VAULTBOUND, an average Mystic Gift costs d4 HP to use in combat and deals
d2 damage to target’s HP. Its other special effects can be invented together
with the referee. To use a Mystic Gift in combat, choose a “Trick / Misc”
maneuver in your round.

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Morale
Character’s current mood matters in VAULTBOUND. It can affect their combat
capabilities and their skills. All characters start the game with 0 Morale.
As long as Morale is higher than 0, the player can choose to spend 1 Morale
to receive an additional die to any of their rolls (both combat and ability
checks). The die size must not exceed the character’s EGO score. The result
of this roll is the largest number on one of the dice.
As long as Morale is lower than 0, the player must choose a meaningful combat
action or ability check and receive a penalty by adding an EGO score die to
their roll, and taking the smallest number on one of the dice as the result.
Doing so increases morale by 1, but can’t increase it past 0.
Weapons and Armor Table
This table only determines the stats of your armor and weapons. The starting
weapon type matches the style, and if you want randomized Vaarnish weapon
looks, refer to the original zine.
Weapon quality and weight Armor quality and weight
1
2 None
3 (armor quality 0)
4
5 Light Weapon
6 (1 slot, quality 2)
7 Light Armor
8 (2 slots, quality 2)
9
10
11
12
13
14 Medium Armor
Medium Weapon
15 (4 slots, quality 4)
(2 slots, quality 4)
16
17
18
19 Heavy Armor
Heavy Weapon
20 (6 slots, quality 6)
(3 slots, quality 8)
For referees: Monsters in Combat
To translate a monster from the VOV Bestiary to VAULTBOUND, simply subtract
10 from their Armor value to get their Armor Quality, use their Level as their
Max HP and Weapon Quality, and pick a fitting Combat Style: biological beasts
usually rely on Claw/Claw/Bite, various humanoids can use any of the regular
styles, oozes, worms and snakes can use the Tentacles style, and so on.
The included monster Combat Styles also have a “Special” maneuver. Use this
circle to utilize the special abilities described in the original VOV
Bestiary. This can be anything you come up with, however broken you want it
to make your combat scenes spicier.

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Special Effects
Many maneuvers can deal increased damage or even damage ability scores. If a
maneuver deals any special damage, or has other effects, the default “1 HP
damage” effect is replaced by text descriptions under the maneuver circle.
Here are the most common effects in the hack:

Deals X damage and causes an additional [Effect] if it hits

X + [Effect]

If hits, this move makes the target re-balance their combat

style, starting the next round with one of the balancing
Rebalance moves without any active “next atk/def” or “next round”
bonuses.
This move doesn’t deal damage to target’s HP, instead
reducing their ability score. This can be permanent or
X [ability] temporary, and can prevent the target from using their
combat style at all (see “Combat Styles”).
If hits, this maneuver makes the target “unsteady” in their
Unsteady Combat Style for the next round, limiting their maneuvers
only to neighboring circles or balancing moves.
When hit, target moves X zones away from you. They are also
Move X zones forced to re-balance.
Using this maneuver allows you to move into a neighboring
Move combat zone if it is not obstructed in any way.
You must Rebalance on your next round after using this
(r) in maneuver maneuver. If the (r) maneuver is itself a balancing one,
name you may not use it two rounds in a row.
(u) in maneuver Using this maneuver makes you Unsteady on your next round.
name
If hits, this maneuver disarms your target, which usually
Disarm disables their Combat Style until they pick up the weapon.
+X die size next Next Attack / Defense Roll you make has its die size
atk/def increased by X.
Any maneuver you use in the next round has its Atk or Def
+X die size next
dice size increased by X (unless the die size is 0).
round
This Maneuver attacks up to X targets at once with just
Atk X targets one Attack Roll. All affected targets make their Defense
Roll.
If hits, the target is Grabbed. They can’t move to another
zone and are limited to grab-related, balancing or
standard maneuvers only. You can break free from a grab by
Grabbed doing a STR vs STR opposed roll. Grab is broken if the
initiator uses a different maneuver not related to
grabbing techniques.

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 Advancement
Gaining Levels
Completing Expeditions grants XP. Once your XP is equal to your Level, your
XP is reduced to 0 and you gain a new Level.
When you level up, your maximum HP increased by 1, and you also gain 3 ability
points, which you can spend to increase your Abilities.
Maximum score for an Ability is 20. Raising an Ability score above 10 costs
2 ability points instead of 1.
Maximum character level is 10, after which they are considered complete.

Combat Style Advancement

If your PC is only a Novice of a combat style, they can advance to becoming
an Adept simply by reaching the ability requirements written on the Style
Sheet. This is interpreted as the character getting better in combat through
practice.
Attaining Mastery, however, is not an easy task. Only when your PC reaches
Levels 4 and 8, they receive a single Mastery point. They can spend this point
in two ways:
1. Become a Master in a Style they already know (and are Adept in it),
unlocking maneuvers marked with an M;
2. Learn a new style as a Novice or Adept, if their Abilities match the style
requirements.
Becoming a Master or learning a new style requires a master teacher and some
time. You can even play out this important moment in your character’s story
as a separate Expedition.
Advancement Table
Level Advancement
1 Characters start the game on this level
2 +1 to max HP; 3 Ability Points (increase Ability scores)
3 +1 to max HP; 3 Ability Points
4 +1 to max HP; 3 Ability Points; 1 Mastery Point (style improvement)
5 +1 to max HP; 3 Ability Points
6 +1 to max HP; 3 Ability Points
7 +1 to max HP; 3 Ability Points
8 +1 to max HP; 3 Ability Points; 1 Mastery Point
9 +1 to max HP; 3 Ability Points
10 +1 to max HP; 3 Ability Points; the character is considered complete

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 Credits
Setting and original zines - Vaults of Vaarn by Leo Hunt
VOV rules based on - Knave by Ben Milton
Original combat mechanics and styles - Spellbound Kingdoms Combat Primer by
Frank Brunner

Remix, writing and layout by Aleksey “Doom3r” Kuznetsov

Artwork by Galack
Playtested by Naitven, Finlal, Agastor, Night
Proofreading by Night

Fonts used:
Inconsolata by Raph Levien
You Dense Quasar by Bonjour Monde
Anonymous Pro by Mark Simonson

This material is presented under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0

International license.