Steel, Skill & Spell D20 RPG

Steel, Skill & Spell: A d20 fantasy roleplaying game from A Kiwi GM. 

Under construction.

Steel, Skill & Spell is a d20 fantasy roleplaying game for levels 1 to 20. If you have played the original tabletop roleplaying game, you already know most of it. It began as paper notes long ago and has grown alongside my publishing.

The aim is simple. Build the character you want without it running away with the game by mid levels, and keep it balanced for most play styles.

How it plays: Roll a d20, add a stat and your skill die, and beat the DC. Skill dice grow with training, from Novice (d4) up to Legendary (d12+6). Every character has Luck to bend a bad roll. Each fight is on three actions a turn, with Breathers between scraps and Long rests to recover.

Your character

Six stats: Physique, Reflex, Fortitude, Intellect, Will and Presence.

Four classes: Warrior (combat), Spellcaster (spells), Expert (skills) and Hybrid (a bit of everything, master of none).

Sixteen Professions, four per class, such as Fighter, Thief, Wizard and Bard.

Eleven ancestries and 33 backgrounds. Skills, Edges and Natural Talent let you shape the rest.

Magic: Spellcasters spend Mana on spells from six categories: Damaging, Healing, Enhancing, Creation, Controlling and Protection. Spells run from cantrips up to tier 9. You can push a spell harder by overcasting. The book has around 270 spells and 44 magic items.

Exploration with pressure: Torches burn in ten-minute turns. Wandering monsters roll in. Travel has roles (Guide, Lookout, Quartermaster), and Fatigue builds if the party pushes too hard. The tension is deliberate, and the bookkeeping is kept light.

What’s coming

The Handbook: the full rules, levels 1 to 20, with combat, exploration, GM advice, treasure and a small bestiary.

Starter Rules: a cut-down version for levels 1 to 4.

Foes and Treasure: a monster folio, with magic items and treasure.

GM screen: a free download.

Character sheet and a free online Character Builder for levels 1 to 5.

More soon.