Basics (PSR Supplement)

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This page covers the basics of PSR that will be familiar to anyone who's rolled a d20.

Each player controls and describes a character called a protag. Protags explore a world described by the narrator.

This group of protags is sometimes called a party.

NPCs—non-protag creatures—are also controlled by the narrator. Protags are creatures too.

Combat or other moments of high-stakes action might be broken down into turn-based encounters to make them easier to follow. Similarly larger lengths of time might be skimmed over with longer turns called phases.

Often, but not always, each game session represents a new chapter in a continuous story told through the actions of the party. Each game session can be a different adventure, with an unspecified period of downtime between each adventure. When these adventures are strung together, they're called a campaign.

The d20

When the effort of a creature are uncertain, roll a twenty-sided die, which is called a d20. If the result exceeds a number set by the narrator, the effort succeeds. This number is often called a Difficulty Class, or DC.

Each creature has six ability modifiers which represent its physical and mental talents: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. Typically an ability modifier can range from as low as -5 to as high as +5. The ability most relevant to the effort has its modifier added to the d20 result. For example shoving open a stuck door would use the Strength ability, so a creature's Strength modifier would be added to a d20 roll made for this task.

If the effort involves skill, training, or other specialty of the creature, a +2 is also added to the result. Your narrator might decide shoving open a door is a measure of your Athletics skill, so if you had this skill you could add a +2 to the d20 result as well. This +2 is called your Proficiency Bonus, or PB, and may increase later.

The game classifies d20 rolls into three categories:

• An attack roll or "attack" is made to land a hit on a creature or object. Throwing a ball at a stationary target is an attack roll, for example.
• A save or "saving throw" is a defensive roll made to reduce or avoid harm, such as to take cover from an explosion or resist a poison.
• A check or "ability check" includes any other d20 roll you make.

Other Dice

Just like a 20-sided die is called a d20, the game occasionally uses other polyhedral dice: d12, d10, d8, d6, and d4.

A special case is the d100, or percentile dice. For these you roll a d10 for one of the digits, and a second d10 for the other digit. For example if the first d10 lands on a 9 and the second d10 lands on a 3, the result is 93.

Using These Rules

The rules in PSR will sometimes conflict. In these cases, a specific rule will always beat a general rule.

The role of a narrator is a difficult one. Your narrator ultimate decides how the game world works, including the rules, but the guidelines in PSR help to keep everyone on the same page and keep things fair.

Golden Rule

We're here to have fun. :^)