Undead Paradise

Roleplaying is a unique form of interactive gaming that combines narrative storytelling with input from the assembled players, and the influence of chance via dice rolling. Become immersed in a world of your own creation in a way that books, movies, and even video games cannot match— roleplaying games let you create your own story together with your friends, using the rules as a guide and support. 

Undead Paradise is a tabletop roleplaying game designed for 3-6 players. Each player, except one, creates a reawakened member of the undead, or Player Character (PC). You choose what your PC thinks, says, and does in the game. Your role is to immerse yourself into the world and bring your PC to life. Approach obstacles and choices as your PC would— how would they react in the situation? It may help to roleplay as your PC if you refer to the character as “me” or “I,” instead of “they” or “my character.”

One of the players will be the Gamemaster (GM). Their role is to describe the world, roleplay as the various Non-Player-Characters (NPC) that you encounter, and devise the obstacles that appear throughout the game. While the GM does act as referee for the difficulties the PCs face, they do not decide how the PCs overcome those challenges, nor how the story ends. Over the course of the game, the PCs’ decisions will piece together their adventure.
The players and the Gamemaster take turns expressing what their characters do, what the scenery looks like, and what problems arise. It is important that everyone gets space and time to participate. In Undead Paradise, all participants are working together; neither the PCs or the Game Master are to act antagonistic towards each other. The group should listen to, and take in, each other’s ideas. The story should be created together, and it’s important to help one another, not compete for attention.

In Undead Paradise, actions and challenges are resolved via making a Skill Check, by rolling three six-sided dice (represented as 3d6) and adding any relevant skill modifiers, with the total measured against a predetermined Target Number (TN). On a failure, the PC either can’t accomplish the feat at all or they achieve it at the cost of some further complication to the situation. The GM determines the specific outcome of a failure.

The GM calls for Skill Checks, but they should only be called for challenges that are above what a person is typically capable of achieving without difficulty. As a general rule of thumb, if failure at a particular task would make the PC seem notably incompetent at their role, then they shouldn’t have to roll a Skill Check for it. For example, a Brute can easily break a simple rusted lock on a wooden door without needing to roll a Skill Check.

As a general rule, players only get one shot at achieving a particular action. Once the dice have been rolled, you cannot roll again on that exact course of action in the hopes of getting a better outcome. You’ll have to employ a different approach or wait until the circumstances have changed in some major way— or let another PC try.

Advantage/Disadvantage
Certain circumstances and conditions will grant a player advantage or disadvantage on a roll. When you have an advantage, you roll four six-sided dice (4d6), keep the three highest, total the outcome and then adjust for any relevant skill modifiers. When you’re at a disadvantage, you roll four six-sided dice (4d6), keep the three lowest, total the outcome and then adjust for any relevant skill modifiers.
If you ever have an advantage and a disadvantage simultaneously, they cancel each other out, leaving you to roll 3d6 as normal. Advantage and disadvantage do not “stack” and one cannot trump the other.

Conflicted Skill Checks
Sometimes a PC wants to accomplish something that’s against an opposing force. This could be bartering trade, combat, sneaking past enemies, or running a race/competition. In such cases, PCs roll against a predetermined TN associated with the opposition, usually attached to a statblock or in relevant text. If the roll is equal to or higher than the TN, the PC succeeds on task.

Example: Searching a dilapidated bookstore, Owen observes an Orbrey hovering above a mapbook that he’s looking for. Not wanting to aggravate the Orbrey, Owen attempts to slowly take the book without the creature noticing. To achieve this, Owen rolls a Swipe Skill Check, aiming for the Orbrey’s TN, which in this case is 14. The 3d6 results in 11, adding Owen’s Steal skill modifier of +3 results in a total of 14, just managing to equal the TN, thus succeeding the action.

Assistance
Difficult tasks are often completed through teamwork. When another player is attempting a Skill Check, you can assist them if your GM allows it. Describe how you are helping and decide which player will roll the Skill Check, if the GM agrees with your method, the rolling player gets advantage on the discussed immediate Skill Check.

Example: Noticing a large boulder blocking the corridor, Paul wants to try to push it out of the way. To achieve this, Paul explains that he’ll roll a Force Skill Check. However, realizing that Paul isn’t particularly strong, Kareem jumps in and suggests that he’ll assist Paul. The GM agrees that both can work together to move the debris. Because Kareem has a higher Strength modifier, the group decides that he should roll the Skill Check. Rolling with advantage, Kareem lands a 6, 4, 2, 1. Dropping the 1, Kareem is left with 12. Adding his Force skill modifier of +3 results in a total of 15, succeeding the check.

Group Rolls
When you face a challenge with your fellow undead, you don’t roll dice separately. Instead, you choose who among you is best suited to take on this challenge. You decide who this is. The others may assist them if it’s relevant to the situation. If the roll fails, it counts as a failure for all of you—you are not allowed to try one time each. This rule does not apply in combat, where each player is free to attack any enemy they like.

Where once age, disease, and decay would have worn you down, undeath has placed the post-human population in a state of everlasting existence and enhanced capability. The body has been transformed, granting new tools to explore this strange second life. Each Undead Classification comes with its own special traits and abilities that PCs can utilise to achieve great feats. Some of these abilities come at a cost to use. During Tactical Scenes, PCs spend Action Tokens to perform certain abilities, with their cost indicated next to it. Outside of Tactical Scenes, these abilities can be done as often as appropriate.