Amber with Dice: minimalAmber

[Norbert G. Matausch]

We played Amber Diceless by the book from the start, beginning in the year the book was published. In fact, we were among the first gamers in Germany to play Amber Diceless.

But over the years, our tastes have changed. All of us returned to old school gaming eventually, and we see no reason to NOT play Amber with dice.

This is the system we use. It's a hack of my free minimald6 rules (http://darkwormcolt.blogspot.com/p/minimald6.html)

minimalAmber
Norbert G. Matausch

1. Creating characters
1.1Choose your character class. The number in parentheses is the number of specials you may pick. Then, determine your Attributes.
Prince of Amber(2): Iwalked the Pattern, I understand Shadow Technology, Ihave Shadow Resources, I have a Sword that never gets lost
Pick one or roll 1d4: 1 Strong as an ox; 2 Tough as nails; 3 Master of Warfare; 4 Psychic Bulwark
Pick one or roll 1d4: 1 Stronger than average; 2 Can take a blow; 3 Good Warrior; 4 Strong Psyche

Pick one or roll 1d4: 1 Weak; 2 Fragile; 3 Clumsy; 4 Weak Psyche

(all weak attributes are still better than the average human)
________________________________________________________________________________
Wizard of Amber(2): I walked the Pattern, I cancast Spells, Ihave Shadow Resources, I have a Sword that never gets lost
Pick one or roll 1d4: 1 Strong as an ox; 2 Tough as nails; 3 Master of Warfare; 4 Psychic Bulwark
Pick one or roll 1d4: 1 Stronger than average; 2 Can take a blow; 3 Good Warrior; 4 Strong Psyche

Pick one or roll 1d4: 1 Weak; 2 Fragile; 3 Clumsy; 4 Weak Psyche

(all weak attributes are still better than the average human)
________________________________________________________________________________
Chaos Knight(3): I survived the Logrus, Ihave Shadow Resources, I'm a Shapeshifter
Pick one or roll 1d4: 1 Strong as an ox; 2 Tough as nails; 3 Master of Warfare; 4 Psychic Bulwark
Pick one or roll 1d4: 1 Stronger than average; 2 Can take a blow; 3 Good Warrior; 4 Strong Psyche

Picktwoor roll 1d4twice: 1 Weak; 2 Fragile; 3 Clumsy; 4 Weak Psyche

(all weak attributes are still better than the average human)
________________________________________________________________________________
Trump Artist of Amber(2): I walked the Pattern, I can create Trumps
Pick one or roll 1d4: 1 Strong as an ox; 2 Tough as nails; 3 Master of Warfare; 4 Psychic Bulwark
Pick one or roll 1d4: 1 Stronger than average; 2 Can take a blow; 3 Good Warrior; 4 Strong Psyche

Picktwoor roll 1d4twice: 1 Weak; 2 Fragile; 3 Clumsy; 4 Weak Psyche

(all weak attributes are still better than the average human)
________________________________________________________________________________
Chaos Mage(3): Isurvived the Logrus, Icancast Spells, I'm a Shapeshifter
Pick one or roll 1d4: 1 Stronger than average; 2 Can take a blow; 3 Good Warrior; 4 Strong Psyche

Picktwoor roll 1d4twice: 1 Weak; 2 Fragile; 3 Clumsy; 4 Weak Psyche

(all weak attributes are still better than the average human)
________________________________________________________________________________
Chaos Artist (3):Isurvived the Logrus, I can create Trumps, I'm a Shapeshifter
Pick one or roll 1d4: 1 Stronger than average; 2 Can take a blow; 3 Good Warrior; 4 Strong Psyche

Pickthreeor roll 1d4three times: 1 Weak; 2 Fragile; 3 Clumsy; 4 Weak Psyche

(all weak attributes are still better than the average human)
________________________________________________________________________________

1.2 Starting Level
You start on Level 2.


1.3Scope of Powers: what might be possible
Pattern
move through shadows:
Shadow Walking (change one detail after another)
Royal Path (only travel through shadowsyou like)
Hell Ride (the shortest path through shadow = greatest danger)
Shadow portal: lead others through the shadows
Pattern as shield against attacks (logrus, magic)
Finding things, beings and situations in the shadows
Shadow time: slow and fast shadows
Manipulate shadows (you have to move)
Make probabilities occur and/or influence
Blood curse ("By the Pattern of Amber, I curse...")
Changing the laws of nature/magic laws of a shadow
Recognize disturbances in the shadow (e.g. when a real being is pulled through)

Logrus
Requirement: strong will and 100 percent chaos blood
Logrus tendrils are always clearly visible (black)
recover from mental stress
Hang up/save spells on logrus tendrils
Manifest and control Logrus tendrils
Use Logrus tendrils as mental weapon/tool (influencing creatures and shadow material)
Use Logrus as shield
travel through the shadows: "very difficult" (Merlin); one forcibly makes one's way through the shadows, whereby one must mostly follow the local topographical conditions --> slowly and laboriously; therefore mostly winged beings are used as messengers
Pattern contact: extremely painful for logrus users

Magic
difficult to use, when used against patterns or logrus, it is only one third as strong
Magic is bound to the respective shadow and is very difficult to access from one shadow to another.
short one-word spells (Power Words)
the more variables in a spell, the longer it will take for it to be deployed

Trump
Painting, drawing, making trump cards
on any reasonable surface
one-time (quick sketches) or permanent (family trumps)
trumps of persons or landscapes

Shapeshifting
Pick two basic body shapes
Close wounds, assume further body shapes
Primary form: Survival form of the shape-shifter ("demonic" looking), best form for survival
Transforming body parts
Create a blood creature: from your own blood; the creature has a small spark of the creator's power.
transform your own aura/change your personality
maybe even shape other beings?


2. Playing the game
All characters can use Trumps.

2.1 Players
Describe what your character is doing. Roll 2d6. A 5 or 6=successful. +1d6 for advantage of any kind (item, high attribute, superior tactics etc). -1d6 for disadvantage of any kind (low attribute, hinderance). Do NOT ADD dice results. Simply look for Fives and Sixes. Never roll more than 3d6. Never roll less than 1d6. Roll when you try to hit, to evade, to do stuff, to save your ass. The DM will tell you when and why.

2.2 DMs
Play the world and everything in it. Roll for it, if necessary. Success in combat=reduce health by 1 point or narrate what happens (high health=they can take a good amount of damage, low health=weak). Major successes are possible (you decide when it happens and what happens). Likely success: don't roll dice, it happens. Unlikely success: roll dice. Impossible: don't roll dice, tell the players what happens. Skills are likely, except when impossible. All rolls change the situation.

2.3 Non player characters
DM, if it's required, create specials for your npcs (just like character classes). If not, wing it.

2.4 Leveling Up
When it's dramatically appropriate, a character reaches a new experience level. They may then pick another special from their own list (or, with your OK, from another), or the DM creates a new one for them.

(...)

2.8 Optional rule: Dilemma Die
Recommended for action adventure games. Introduce an additional die, the Dilemma Die. That's a d6 with one side marked with a flash symbol. Roll the Dilemma Die with your other dice. If you roll a flash, something negative happens in addition to what's going on, and it doesn't matter if the other dice show a success or not.

2.9 Optional rule: Mass Combat
Against a superior opponent (in numbers or in ability): disadvantage
Against a vastly superior opponent (in numbers of ability): impossible
Against an inferior opponent (in numbers or in ability): advantage
Against a vastly inferior opponent (in numbers or in ability): likely

[finarvyn]

Thanks for sharing this. I'm always interested in different ways that folks play Amber campaigns.

[zircher]

Fun stuff, thanks for sharing.

[Norbert G. Matausch]

Guys, a belated thank you – life got in the way, so I can reply just now

[Spinachcat]

Norbert, this looks cool!

I highly suggest a publishing a D6-based version of Amber with the serial numbers filed off.

RPGPundit's Gods of Olympus goes a great route using the easy to grasp Greek gods, but I think a Not-Amber D6 RPG would grab some attention.

Of course, you could contact what's left of the Zelazny estate. None of his IPs are active, rather surprising considering Amber should be a TV show in the age of GoT and LotR. I know there's plenty of negative stories about Z's estate in the past, but who knows who needs cash in 2020 or whoever is even still alive. Time changes all things.