Heroic Tales
A downloadable game
Heroic Tales is a rules-lite Fantasy RPG which uses a simple d6 dice pool mechanic. Fast to play, learn, and teach. Player facing rolls makes it friendly for solo play as well.
All you need to play are a variety of d6 (3 of one size or color and 6 of another size or color), paper, pencil, a couple friends and your imagination.
The Character Expansion provides additional species, special abilities, and rules like alchemy and spell crafting. While not needed to play the game, it adds more depth and provides more options for creating characters.
Included are optional rules and tips. One of the optional rules is Facilitator (GM) rolls for those Facilitators who really like to roll dice (like me!)
Solo Tales is the solo game from the Pocketfold PDF. It was extracted into a screen friendly format and will need to be paired with the core rules.
Settings
- Gield, a norse setting with shaman, blood feuds, and faerie is available. The setting includes a rich system neutral world and rules specific for use with Heroic Tales.
Supplements
- If you're looking for more enemies, magic items, skills, and conditions, look no further than J. Michael St. Clair's Heroic Tales Appendices Collection. It is chock full of goodness including combat moves and rules for using them.
Tools
- Looking for an online dice roller for this game? Try this out.
- Elijah Mills created a web app for Roll-A-Dungeon. You can quickly create dungeon rooms to explore using it. Check it out!
This game is still in development, so it will likely change as feedback comes in.
If you're interested in something even lighter, check out Mythiria. It uses the same dice mechanic with fewer moving parts (no skill points, etc.)
Download
Click download now to get access to the following files:
Development log
- No more AI art!Jun 08, 2024
- New Layout, Art, and Content!May 23, 2024
- Gield: A Norse Setting and Rules For Heroic TalesOct 19, 2023
- Minor rules updateOct 19, 2023
- Updated Character ExpansionOct 02, 2023
- Updated Solo Pocketfold Game!Aug 20, 2023
- Combat ClarificationAug 06, 2023
- Fixed a minor issue with the bestiaryJul 05, 2023
Comments
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Will there be an SRD or a guide in making custom content for use with Heroic Tales (a guide to keep things balanced)?
Great question. I didn't have plans to. For enemies, following the table of health and attack rating should do it. An enemy with 5 or 6 health and a 2 attack rating is going to be about an even match for a character with 2 or 3 skill die. I've seen 1 tough enemy with 10 health and 3 attack rating almost take out two characters with 3+ skill die.
Only advantage and disadvantage should change the check die. Everything else should change the skill die. Also, skill die should only succeed on a 6. Anything less and the balance will be thrown off.
Does that help?
I am more on planning making new abilities or skills. The concepts I have in mind for my characters can't be executed well using the available options, including the Heroic Tales Appendices. I am just afraid that if I make custom stuff, I end up making a very overpowered one.
Gotcha. I have a plan for the Character Expansion and game to update the current abilities to simply provide advantage. Giving advantage and a skill die is a little too powerful. It is much easier to just give advantage.
One other thing to consider is if something seems too powerful, you could reduce the max health to offset the power of the ability. Also, specializations can be something only that species can do. An example of that is the Linguist special ability in the Weird West supplement. They can "overcome communication barriers with area natives." That is something only the Linguist can do and doesn't provide any bonuses, it just happens.
I have read the rules but not played yet. What I saw so far I liked very much. Especially the magic system from the expansion. I'm looking forward to trying out the game. But I have one question: Do I understand the rules correctly, that they assume every character has a weapon, and also different weapon types don't make a difference? How would you handle unarmed combat, for example?
Hello!
Correct, weapons don't matter, but you can "upgrade" them so they provide skill dice when rolling. That translates into increased damage as each success (5 or 6 on check die and 6 on skill die) inflict 1 point of damage. The optional rules include more ways items can be enhanced to provide skill die or even inflict more damage.
There are no rules for unarmed combat at this point. Personally, I would restrict the damage inflicted on the target to 1 hit regardless of the roll. I think that would work well and wouldn't break the system.
Thanks for your comments on the rules.
Would it be possible to ask which font you used for the rulebook? I am compiling my own collection of appendices (including a bestiary, magic item list, condition list, and skill list) which I would like to print out along with the rules for my own use. In the interest of consistency in appearance, I'd love for it to match as much as possible.
I would like to thank you very much for this system. It's an incredible balance of simplicity and crunch while also hitting the sweet spots for me: non-class based, skill customization, and d6.
I'm glad this game is hitting all the high points for you! I'm currently working on a new supplement that I'm in the middle of play testing. So far it is going well.
There are 2 fonts used through the document:
I'd be interested in seeing your appendices if you're inclined to share. :)
Thanks so much for the info, I'll get right on it. I did forget to ask which font sizes you used.
I'd be more than happy to share the appendices; I'm getting a google document ready, what is the best way to share with you?
I used the following font sizes:
I'm trying to find a simple way to share without exposing things to spammers or hackers, but there doesn't seem to be a way to direct message on itch.io
So, when you're ready, you can send a link to [redacted].
I'm looking forward to seeing what you've created!
Thanks, I just sent you a link to the Google document.
Awesome, thanks!
I responded to your email, let me know if you don't get it (new email address, so hopefully it works)
I would love o try the solo version. Is there a screen-friendly format available?
Sorry, not exactly. Some PDF viewers allow you to rotate pages. If yours does, you could rotate the 2nd page so it is easier to read.
What kind of screen-friendly format were you thinking?
well, if you placed all of the "pages" upright as singles or spreads that would work wonders. if I turn the book around by 90 degrees, the 1st page will be half upright, half upside down. that's pretty hard to use on a pdf reader because one will be turning the pages every few moments to use the game. I don't own a printer so this shape is immediately difficult to use.
Gotcha. I can look into that for those without a printer. In the meantime, you could use the main PDF for the rules and use page 2 of the Pocketfold PDF for the game. It wouldn't be as convenient as singles or spreads, but it may work.
Thanks for the suggestion!
You are welcome! I'll drop a line as soon as I play this for a bit :)
Great! Looking forward to it.
Done! You can download Solo Tales for the solo game. :)
AWESOME! Thank you so much!