Gameplay

Simple combat, unstructured roleplay

Ilisara does not attempt to create in-depth mechanics, rules, and rigidity around storytelling. Instead, its rules serve as a support structure for roleplay-heavy campaigns where the focus is on the unique specialties each character has. Combat goes quickly with a few practical, common-sense rules.

Ilisara allows the creation of abilities that are dreamed up by players. Abilities are quickly replenished in between combat encounters without downtime. They can accomplish anything that players can imagine, within a few guidelines.

This page will explain the basics of Ilisara's combat and general gameplay. Knowing these key concepts should be enough to get you started on creating a character.

Create a Character

Combat

Starting Combat

Combat is quick and easy. Each combatant rolls to determine turn order. This is called rolling for initiative. Initiative rolls gain bonuses from a combatant's movement speed.

Each Turn

On each turn, a combatant can use one Major action and one Minor action.

Major actions: Basic attacks or Tier abilities
Minor actions: Move or use an item

Characters can substitute a Minor action for a Major action. This allows them to, for example, move twice, or use an item after moving.

Attacking

Characters roll a 20-sided die to attack. The result is compared to the target's Defense. If it is higher than the target's Defense, the attack will either hit for full or mitigated damage. Defense values scale from 1 (unarmored) to 6 (epic plate armor).

Attacks are mitigated if the attack roll did not beat the target's Defense +10. Mitigated attacks deal 1d4 less damage. Rolling a 1 always results in a miss, and rolling a 20 always results in a critical hit.

Attack and Defense Table

To help illustrate the attack logic outline above, here is a table indicating what attack rolls are required to strike for unmitigated damage against targets of varying Defenses.

Critical Hits and Critical Misses

Some people love them, some people hate them. You can play without critical hits and misses if you like, but they tend to add a little spice to Ilisara's otherwise simple combat system.

Critical hits in Ilisara automatically deal maximum damage. Critical misses are up to the Storyteller to provide a narrative for. Sometimes these involve lodging a weapon into an enemy's armor and getting it stuck, striking the wrong target, or simply missing without any fanfare.

An additional game mechanic in Ilisara is Critical Strike Chance. Certain abilities or passives can increase Critical Strike Chance, enabling critical strikes to occur on lower dice rolls. For instance, a character with +1 Critical Strike Chance will deal maximum damage if they roll a 19 or a 20. If you choose not to use critical strikes, disregard this rule.

Complications From Other Games

There are many mechanics that Ilisara ignores in order to streamline combat. If your group agrees to play with more rules, you can add in the following. Just keep in mind that these house rules can complicate gameplay and slow combat down. These rules do not exist in normal Ilisara gameplay in order to keep combat streamlined.

Opportunity Attacks: Leaving melee range allows someone with a melee weapon to attack the foe leaving melee range.

Cover: Hiding behind cover causes a -5 penalty to attack rolls.

Total Defense: Take a Major action to fortify your position, adding a +5 bonus to Defense for one turn.

Multiattack: Ilisara is not designed to accomodate characters who attack multiple times in one turn, except for dual wielding. If you want to add multiattacking characters, consider allowing them to sacrifice a Minor action to make an additional attack at a -5 penalty to hit.

Characters

Stats

Characters in Ilisara are given stats that represent their strengths and weaknesses. Stats include things like Hit Points (HP), Defense, and Movement Speed. The following are considered Primary Stats:

Strength — Physical might
Dexterity — Speed, flexibility, balance
Stamina — Resilience, hardiness
Knowledge — Mental acuity
Arcana — Propensity for magic
Charisma — Social abilities

Traits

Character traits include skills that they are good at and passives. Traits also include a custom Background that provides bonuses to the character.

Abilities

Character abilities are where Ilisara really shines. Each player creates their own abilities from scratch using the guidelines provided, resulting in unique character concepts and ideas. Abilities are broken into three tiers:

Tier 1 Abilities: Signature moves that are extremely powerful
Tier 2 Abilities: Strong abilities
Tier 3 Abilities: Modest abilities

The Tier number corresponds to how many times it may be used in combat. For example, Tier 1 abilities can be used once per combat encounter. Tier 2 abilities may be used twice, while Tier 3 can be used three times. Think of these limited uses like "charges". At the beginning of your first combat encounter of the day, you have full charges of all your Tier abilities.

Tier abilities may be used out of combat. Each time they are used, one "charge" is removed from the next time combat begins. Otherwise, Tier abilities fully recharge and all charges are available each time combat begins.

Tier abilities are referred to throughout the site as T1, T2, and T3.

The Storyteller's Role

Overview

The Storyteller is Ilisara's version of a Dungeon Master (DM). They guide characters through a narrative story campaign. If you aren't planning to be the Storyteller, you do not need to read this section.

Situations

One of the responsibilities of the Storyteller is to incorporate situations into their story. Situations might be "the characters need to cross a flooded river and the bridge is out", "a city guard needs to be convinced that the mayor is possessed by a demon", or "a wild wolf is approaching you, and he looks hungry".

Resolving Situations

Characters can respond in many ways. Initiating combat is only one way to resolve conflicts. They can make suggestions, such as "Let's try to build a raft", "I attempt to scare the guard into acting", and "I want to calm the wolf down". Characters use their Skills and stats to determine success. Roll a D20 and add the points you have in the applicable stat (Strength, Dexterity, Stamina, Knowledge, Arcana, or Charisma). Characters receive a +5 bonus if they have learned an applicable skill (such as Intimidation or Animal Handling).

Skill Checks

Another tool the Storyteller can use are Skill Checks. Skill Checks typically have a passing number, or Dice Check (DC), associated with it. For example, the Storyteller might decide that climbing a barricade requires a Climbing Check with a DC of 10 to succeed. That means the character rolls a d20 and adds their Strength score to see if they can meet or beat a 10. If they are trained in Climbing, they add +5 to the roll. Meeting or beating the DC allows the character to succeed.

Complex actions like building a raft may require multiple skill checks (to gather the materials might require Wilderness Survival, and constructing the raft Dexterity). To determine which skills go with what primary stat, visit the Skills page.

Roleplaying

The cornerstone of Ilisara is roleplaying. This ruleset is recommended for people who want to play through a campaign/story, prefer little structure or regulations to shape the roleplaying experience, and want a way to resolve combat and situations with common-sense rules.

Ilisara does not endeavor to teach you how to roleplay. Do it however you want; on Discord, in person, via play-by-post; Ilisara has been used for it all.

Power Balance

Although there are slight differences in martial characters and spellcasters, both have similar damage output capabilities and utility. Neither is more powerful at higher levels. Power levels fluctuate slightly throughout the game as casters receive innate bonuses to their magic, and martial characters acquire stronger weaponry.

Martial characters are slightly better at single-target damage, while casters are slightly better at area-of-effect/multi-target damage.

Level Scaling

Level 1 is very weak and easily one-shot by creatures that are 5 or more levels above them. Most townsfolk, mundane animals, and minor creatures are level 1.

Levels 2-5 are fast, fun levels where new bonuses and abilities trickle in quickly -- but not too quickly! These levels are ideal for learning how the game works. By level 4 and 5, characters are starting to form their identity and can survive against most common threats.

Levels 6-8 are for seasoned adventurers ready to tackle the world's bigger challenges. They mesh well as companions or challenges for characters levels 2-5, and show signs of being a "complete" character with most of their abilities and powers.

Levels 9-10 are for epic heroes, deadly monsters, and skilled/talented characters with plenty of experience in the world. There are few level 10 characters in Ilisara. Levels 9 and 10 come with some very powerful upgrades to survivability and damage output. They can crush characters of lower level with ease unless they are significantly outnumbered.

Designing Combat Encounters

There are several ways to create balanced combat encounters. Keep in mind that all combatants in Ilisara use the same rules. There are no separate stat tables for monsters.

Simple Method

If the level values of all allies and all enemies are equal, the fight is a moderate challenge
This rule only functions until about level 8. Beyond level 8, creatures become much tougher because they gain access to Tier 1 abilities.
- Example: two level 3s versus one level 6 is balanced
- Example: two level 5s versus one level 10 is challenging

Advanced Method

Compare the hit point (HP) totals of all allies against all enemies.
Compare the average Defense of all allies against all enemies.
Compare the average Basic Attack damage of all allies against all enemies.

If the numbers are equal, it creates 50/50 mathematical odds of winning... unless one side has powerful buffs or debuffs, healing, etc.

Tips for Increasing Encounter Difficulty

More targets (this prevents a team from dog-piling a single target, and action economy is powerful)
T3, T2 abilities that lock down targets (stuns/sleeps) or inflict debuffs. Use these sparingly as they are frustrating for players. Losing your turn is never enjoyable.
"Smart" enemies that use tactics, cover, and environment, or who have movement abilities to evade melee or ranged damage dealers. Ilisara has no opportunity attacks or penalties for leaving melee combat.
Enemies with high move speed, or ranged enemies starting in good positions to fight
Healers
Equip enemies with rare or epic weapons, but beware that the party can loot them afterward
Equip enemies with items. Items can be used with a Minor action and can provide powerful benefits in combat

Tips for Decreasing Encounter Difficulty

Single target fight (allows party an advantage via action economy)
Beneficial environmental effects
The enemy starts the battle wounded already
Tune total ally damage > total enemy damage before shifting any other stats to be unequal