TABLE OF CONTENTS WHAT IS THIS GAME? - page 2 CORE MECHANIC page 5 ATTRIBUTES, LUCK, HP – page 7 DEATH, EVADE, ARMOR POINTS, – page 8 LEVELING UP – page 9 EVERYTHING IN TURN, INITIATIVE – page 10-11 MOVEMENT & DISTANCE – page 12 HIT DIE & HP – page 14 GAME MASTER’S ADVICE – page 15 CHARACTER CREATION – page 19-31 SAVAGE BESTIARY – page 33-39 BONUS CONTENT – page 40-44 OPEN GAMING LICENSE – page 45 Created & Written By Eric Bloat Cover Art – Tommy Stamper Interior Art – Bradley K. McDevitt, Rick Hershey Thank you to Brian Courtemanche and players for the great feedback on the game! The Monsters are our Heroes! Based on Hack The RPG by Bloat Games COPYRIGHT 2020 Bloat Games Inspired by: The Universal Monsters SampleHammer Horror Films file The Monster Squad Scooby-Doo Castlevania Gothic Novels The Monsters are our Heroes This game is set in Modern Day America but it’s not as we know it. Picture a world where mega-cities like New York City are powered by steam and gas and just beyond the borders of these city limits you will find fog-filled cemeteries and gothic stone castles and ruins of the “Old City”. There are dark, spooky forests, haunted estates and caravans of Romani wander and traveling circus groups roam the countryside. This is a world where modern technologies such as laptops and cell phone are intertwined with early 1900’s “Mad Science” inventions powered by lightning and are surrounding by bubbling beakers filled with all manner of unknown substances. This is a place where street lamps may be gaslit or powered by modern electricity. This is the world of Tesla, Edison, Jobs and Musk. It is as much the 1920s and it is the 2020s. This is a place where the woods are still dangerous and the night is perilous. Oh, and did I mention the monsters? Yea, the monsters you’ve read about and seen on the big screen are real! And sometimes, the monsters are both the good and the bad guys. Jack the Ripper traps prey down by the docks only to foiled by Mr. Hyde. The ravenous Chupacabra are hunted by the Wolfman. An Invisible Woman plays a deadly game of hide and seek with the elusive Mothman. In The Monsters are our Heroes you will take on the role of a classic monster and join up with a monster team to hunt down rogues bestial monsters that followed the order of chaos and evil. Those monsters whose hatred or savage tendencies are making them a serious threat Sampleto the Humans, those who you now reluctantly file protect to keep balance to the natural order of things. This is what has become your calling and your duty and this is where your story starts . 1 WHAT IS THIS GAME? Th Monsters are our Heroes is a tabletop roleplaying game, played with pencils, paper and dice. TMAOH looks back at the dungeon delving games of the 1970s, rebooting those experiences with modern rules. The Basics What is a roleplaying game? Great question! A roleplaying game is a game that is played by a small group of people, usually around a kitchen or living room table, that involves several “players.” Players take their characters through a world and scenario created by the Game Master, or GM for short, and roleplay or often do battle with a villain or monster. If the players are successful or to reach a goal, they are rewarded by advancing their character, also known as “Leveling up.” What Do I Need to Play? Not a lot. You will need some paper and a pencil/ pen, this handbook, a group of friends and a set of roleplaying dice. These dice can be picked up at your local hobby store or a variety of online shops. A standard set includes 1 four-sided die, 1 six-sided die, 1 eight-sided die, 2 ten-sided die, 1 twelve-sided die, and 1 twenty-sided die. Sets are very inexpensive, usually less than $10. But most important of all, you will need your imagination. Do not forget that! Sample file 2 Some terms that you will quickly become familiar with are: GAME MASTER or GM This is the person who is responsible for creating a world for you to play in. The GM should be thought of as the “One with the plan.” The GM should have a good understanding of the rules and the mechanics and be able to answer any questions a player might have. If you are ever unsure about what to do, the GM should be able to provide guidance. PLAYER Hey, that is you! The players are the people the GM creates the world to enjoy. A player is not to be confused with a Character. A Character is who the player controls in the game. It may be easier to think of this as your “in-game Avatar.” Furthermore, during gameplay, it is okay for one Character to disagree or even be mad at another Character. Still, you would not want one player to be angry with another player. Remember, we are all playing this game to have fun! DICE REFERENCE In this book, you will begin seeing over and over what is referred to as dice reference. An example would be 1d6. What this refers to is what type of die you will roll and how many times you will roll it. The example of 1d6 means you will roll 1 six-sided die, 1 time and the total Samplewould be the number that lands face-up on filethe die. If you were to see 3d6, then you would roll 3 six-sided dice once (adding the dice totals together) or roll one six- sided die 3 times for the total. 3 PLAYING A GAME You’ll need some Players who will each control a Character and one person to act as the GM who will control the NPCs, and deliver some kind of preplanned or impromptu world to explore. The Players should create some Characters or introduce ones they have already. The GM should start a session by setting the scene, explaining briefly where the Characters are and what they can see - it’s a good idea to quickly recap anything the Characters should know - then ask the question “What do you want to do next?” The Players tell the GM what their Characters’ Actions are and then the GM adjudicates the outcomes, asking dice to be rolled if there is a chance of failure – or by making consistent rulings. RULINGS VS RULES This rulebook is Incomplete. There is not a rule for every situation. This was Intentional. The Gamemaster (GM) will have to make up rules from time to time, and that’s okay. The rules in this book can be changed. It’s your game now. Play it the way you want. THE SPIRIT OF DIY TABLETOP RPGS The thing TMAOH encourages above all is the freedom to mold the rules, customizing them to both suit the preferences and meet the needs of everyone playing. In Sampleother words – change the rules! – Hack it andfile make it yours. 4 RULES FOR EVERYONE CHARACTERS & NPCS The imaginary world that the Players will explore is populated by a cast of Creatures. The rules define Creatures as being one of the two following types: • Characters controlled by the Players. • Non-Player Characters (NPCs) are created and controlled by the GM. CORE MECHANIC Roll 1d20 & 1d6 Simultaneously. Add any applicable modifiers to the d20 roll for a total vs a target Difficulty Check. If you meet or beat the target Difficulty Check you Succeed. On the d6, ignore a roll of 2, 3, 4 or 5. For a roll of 1, add a Hindrance. For a roll of 6, add a Benefit. HINDRANCE/BENEFIT Hindrance adds an additional challenge or difficulty that was not present before the attempt. Benefit adds an additional convenience that was not present before the attempt. ADVANTAGE/DISADVANTAGE SampleWhen rolling with Advantage, Players roll 2d20file & 2d6 simultaneously, picking the Highest Results. When rolling with Disadvantage, Players roll 2d20 & 2d6 simultaneously, picking the Lowest Results. 5 ATTRIBUTES There are six attributes: Strength, Intelligence, Wisdom, Dexterity, Constitution, Charisma. STRENGTH (STR): A high Strength can give your character bonuses when attacking with a melee weapon, punching or kicking attacks and damage and any other STR related tasks. INTELLIGENCE (INT): Intelligence represents IQ, reasoning and the ability to solve puzzles, difficult tasks and any other INT related tasks. Note: Your INT score represents how many languages your character can speak. (Minimum of 1). WISDOM (WIS): Wisdom represents a character’s mental fortitude, discipline, dedication and other WIS related tasks. CONSTITUTION (CON): Constitution is the health and endurance or your character and goes towards any other CON related tasks. Note: Add your CON score to your Hit Points at Character Creation. DEXTERITY (DEX): Dexterity is a combination of agility, speed, coordination and you can add your character’s bonuses when attacking with a ranged weapon attacks and damage and any other DEX related tasks. Note: Add your DEX score to your starting Evade Score (11). SampleCHARISMA (CHA): file Charisma represents your character’s charm, leadership, presence, social and any other CHA related tasks. Note: Add your CHA to your starting Luck score. 6 DETERMINING ATTRIBUTES To Determine your character’s Starting Attributes: Roll 6d6. Based on your roll, use the Conversion Chart to determined Starting Attribute scores, then assign the converted scores to the Attributes of your choosing. Number Rolled/Number converted 6 = +3 5 = +2 4 = +1 3 = 0 2 = -1 1 = -2 Note: Attributes can be raised higher than 3 by Racial and Class Bonuses but cannot be lowered beyond -2.