Welcome to the world of Fantasia, a world much like ours was, long, long ago, when Mortal Men shared their lands with Elves, Dwarves, Dragons, Orcs, Ogres, Wizards, Witches, Fairies, Daemons and Angels. It is a world where endless caverns lead to untold treasures, and where cloudy mountains are ruled by winged Dragons! This world's mythology was designed to resemble Tolkien's Middle-earth, thus paying tribute to that great story and that great man that gave us the fantasy genre, and also to Gary Gygax whose imagination gave us the great concept of role-playing games. Altogether, it is a classic medieval fantasy adventure role-playing game, yet one designed with simpler rules than most others in order to maximize role-playing over rule-playing.
We approach game design more from a storyteller's viewpoint rather than the wargame's view, with drama and excitement as our focus rather than tacticals and power.
The rules are similar enough to both classic D&D and d20 that anyone familiar with either game can learn to play this one within a very short time. For example, Attack Rolls are made using D20, as are spellcasting rolls and skill checks, but they have modifiers from Skills, magical items and other factors that influence the rolling range of 1–20.
Class and Level based. However, there are rules for operating outside the Class system, and Levels are mere awards for accomplishment and do not dictate the difficulty level of the adventure nor how one Character measures up compared to the strength of his companions. For example, one could choose to be a Wizard Class, or choose generic 'adventurer' and build a mage of his own style by his selection of Skills, Powers, and other building attributes.
Reward systems beyond XP. This includes scoring systems for nobility, reputation, magical power, and even role-playing itself. All these systems compliment one another to help a Player structure his Character according to the story he wishes to tell.
All dice and no percentages. All the classic dice (D4, D6, D8, D10, D12 and D20) are used (as is the D30 finding some uses, especially in spellcasting). However, there are no percentage rolls, and the idea of 'higher is better for whomever is rolling' runs through all the rules, eliminating confusion.
Variety of magic and faith. Spells are only one form of magic, and different magical means such as Necromancy, Elven power and Bardsong have different rules and different rolling methods, though all use the D20 to determine success, thus keeping different types of Characters balanced. Furthermore, the powers of Priests are not spells at all, but prayers and faiths, and thus offer different rolling systems. Magical treasures are not all magical either, as there are differences between magical or enchanted objects, Dwarven crafts, Elven treasures, artifacts and accursed treasures. This variety not only encourages more storytelling at the ground level of the rules themselves, but offers hidden bonus' to different Character types, further balancing the game. For example, Elves may have less choices of Character Classes, but they can use Elven treasures with greater skill and strength.
This comprehensive volume contains the core rules allowing for the creation of any type of character, all the monsters and mystics that inhabit this new world, all the treasures they keep, and all the rules for how your character is going to face them, overcome them, and conquer them!
230 pages of streamlined, no-needless-detail rules, stylish artwork and record sheets provide the backbone for this new realm in the world of fantasy role-playing games.
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