The Guide to Playing Ravits

Welcome to the world of Ravits! In this world where war is completely abhorrent and magic runs rampant pitting the residents of this world against spirits, monsters, and the whims of extremely strong beings regarded as gods. Here the ravit, an anthropomorphic rodent with human intelligence, has just discovered something that can even the playing field between them and the rest of the world. Arcane Stone, a crystalline rock that contains vast amounts of magic compressed tightly in a small space. This magic is easily used and the Arcane Stones are now commonly used like our batteries. However this is not without consequence. Accidents happen when you're working with unstable materials, spirits and creatures of magic seeme hostile to the radiated magic from the stones, ravits begin to hatch with more mutations and brighter colors, and inanimate objects begin to move on their own. Are you brave enough to take on this rapidly changing world?

Ravits is an RPG about adventure and surviving against unnatural forces pitted against you. Your skills will be tested over battle and in depth but streamlined skill checks. The world of ravits is more light hearted then most rpgs but still not recommended for children under 13 as there are character deaths, dangerous monsters spirits and cults.
To play you will need at least 2 players who are the stars of the story, and a GM or Game Master who controls the world around them and tells the story. You will also need a set of polyhedral dice and pen and paper for taking notes. This system does not need the use of miniatures.

Designing a Character

Ravits are anthropomorphic rodents resembling rats or rabbits. They are on average between 5’ and 5’8’’. All ravits have fur usually short but it can be long or even have feathers in it. They have large rabbit feet but walk on their toes. Ravits come in all sorts of colors with all sorts of different traits. However all ravits have fur and paws with 3 ‘fingers’ and a ‘thumb’ connected by thick webbing making the paw look fused. Each of the 3 fingers and the thumb have a large blunt claw on it. To see a full list of the most common traits ravits can have please see this separate guide How to create a Ravit It should also be noted that while ravits are fine with nudity as they all have fur many wear clothing to express themselves or deal with harsher climates. Also ravits are omnivores.
While deciding how your ravit should look you should also consider what kind of person is your ravit? Are they good and kind? Cruel and vicious? A farmer or an aristocrat? Where does your ravit come from?
Professions are an important part of your character. Like classes in other RPGs Professions tell you what starting skills you get, what abilities you can unlock, and your base defence. Ravits can be hunters, scavengers, doctors, monks, or performers, which include creative professions like artists or craftsmen. To see details and a full list of professions, see the profession section further down or the profession tab on the front page.

Character Sheet

One you have picked out your profession it's time to fill out your character sheet. here you can get the Text Character sheet
Lets go over what each part means from top to bottom
Player name - this is your name so the sheet doesn't get mixed up
Ravit Name - this is the name of your ravit character
Profession - what your ravits profession is. to see all the professions check out the next section. each ravit can only have one profession.
Merit Tokens - Merit tokens are used in leveling up, or spent in gameplay. These are explained more thoroughly later. For now put this down at 0.
Hearts - Every ravit starts with 6 hearts of health. This will be explained more in the battle section.
Stats - Stats are used for stat checks, where they are added as a modifier. You have 4 main stats and 20 points to distribute among them. Put down the number of points you allocated to each stat in the blanks. The max any stat can have is 12.
Agility - your speed and dexterity
Charm - your likeability and ability to influence others
Knowledge - your collective intelligence, wisdom and education
Strength - your physical power and hardiness

Skills - Skills are specific categories of knowledge your ravit is proficient in. You get two from your profession at a base 3 each. You also get to decide on any 3 skills that fit the character and setting. These skills start at 0. You then get 20 points to allocate to all 6 of your skills as you choose. These also each have a max of 12.
If you need help deciding on skills or need examples see Example Skill list
Abilities - Abilities are specific special things your ravit can do. There are three kinds of abilities; Passive that affect you all the time, and active ones you can only use a few times before resting. Each class gives you two abilities to start out with and each class has its own list of abilities you can get down the road. Keep track of them and what they do here.
Coins - Coins are the raviatin currency. each player starts off with 1500 they can use to buy starting equipment. this is done before the start of play.
Equipment - List all your equipment and its info here. for a full list of equipment avalable on start see Gear and equipment list
Animal Companions - here is where you keep all the info on your animal companions if you have any.

Professions

Similar to classes in other RPGs, Professions tell you what starting skills you get, what abilities you can unlock, and your base defence. Professions are also literally a ravit’s job, and can be a unique way of life.
To learn more about each class see their articles
Hunter - Main stat: Agility - One of the few combat focused professions. Hunters are master trackers and know how to handle wild animals and dangerous nature spirits.
Fisherbit - Main stat: Strength - Water-loving folk who often have proficiency in boating and trap setting to go along with fishing with both nets, fishing poles, and spears.
Farmer - Main stat: Strength - masters of handling domestic animals and understanding all sorts of domestic plants. Farmers also should be noted for their improvised weaponry often employed when their homes are threatened.
Performer - Main stat: Charm - An artist blessed by one of the many deities of creativity. Performer is the Ravit title for any artist, be they singer, crafter, painter, or many others. Often well educated and quick witted. Their skills are with people, not combat.
Scavenger - Main stat: Agility - Experts at navigating the wilderness these ravits know how to work alongside nature to get the resources they need. Scavengers are experts in wild plants and fana
Doctor - Main stat: Knowledge - Users of herbs, medicines, and various other treatments to the aid of others. Most take oaths to do no harm. Sometimes these oaths are conditional, allowing for self defense.
Pirate - Main stat: Agility - Thieves and travelers of the high seas. Pirates are combat oriented, ruthless, and experts with cutlasses, daggers, and explosives.
Monk - Main stat: Charm - Theologian of all deities or a devotee of one. Monks act as an ambassador from ravits to spirits and deities.
Cook - main stat: Knowledge - Chefs and home cooks of all kind that support their friends with their cooking and can fiercely wield kitchen implements.

How to Play

Stat and Skill Checks

These happen when your ravit is trying to do something challenging. There is a chance they will fail. You won't have to roll for everything (like basic conversation, or climbing a ladder) but for more intense situations (persuading a someone, being chased up a ladder) your GM will ask you to roll for it. To roll a check, first your GM will tell you what stat or skill is being tested. Then you roll 1d12 (one 12 sided die) and add the number listed for the skill or stat. This is your modifier. If your roll is higher then the target number or the GM’s roll you are successful.
If you don't have the skill that a task specifically calls for (lock picking, carpentry) you can still try but at a -2 modifier. Sometimes the circumstances you are under can also affect your roll. For example looking for tracks in the snow could have a +2 while looking for specific tracks on a busy road would incur a -2 modifier.
Helping: Your party members can also help you in most checks as long as its a stat check or they have a relevant skill. When helping you roll 1d6 + the correct stat or skill and add that to your friends check.
Beware though there is always a chance to fail. If you roll a 1 it is a catastrophic failure and you can get hurt or worse. Examples of this would be say farting in the middle of a grand speech, tripping while holding your crossbow and shooting at your own foot, or the dore attached to the lock you are picking opens up with the owner right there.
However there also are critical successes. If you roll a 12 you are successful, fantastically so. Even if the task is impossible a 12 represents you still got something good out of it.

Complex encounters

When something important and complex comes up that would require multiple skill checks to get through (a debate, an important chase, deactivating a large complex trap) it is called a Complex encounter. These have their own special rules.
First depending on how hard / time consuming the Encounter is, the GM will set 1 die (d4-d12) with its highest number up on the table. This represents how many turns you have before the encounter is over. Every time you make a skill check the die is moved 1 number down.
Next the GM describes what's going on and the players reply with what they plan to do. Usually only 1 player makes the skill check and the others help them. However the GM could have you roll collectively for it. Then the GM has them roll for the corresponding stat or skill.
When the number on the counter die reaches 1 and that last turn has passed the die is taken off the table. The GM who keeps score of failures and successes looks to see the results.
If the players have less success than failures the encounter is failed.
If the players are equal in success and failures then they are moderately successful
If the players have more successes than failures then they are successful
If the players have all successes then they are extremely successful.

Critting is possible during these encounters. If you hit a critical success by rolling a 12 on your skill check you earn 2 successes from that roll If you critically miss however you will take 2 failyers from it.

Battle

At the start of battle everyone rolls 1d20 to decide who goes first. Higher number goes first.
On your turn you may Make 2 actions.
Examples of actions
Moving.
Attacking
Speaking
Using an item
Using a skill
When you use a weapon on an enemy, roll the weapon dice + whatever modifier it calls for (usually strength for melee and agility for ranged).
Compare this number to your target's defense.
If the number is lower than the defense the attack fails. (ex you miss, the attack hit armor)
If the number is equal to the defense you deal a heart of damage to the opponent
If the number is higher than the defense you deal two hearts of damage
If the number is double or more then the defense you deal three hearts of damage
If you rolled the highest number on your dice you deal a critical hit and do one extra wound to the target.
Your health is measured in hearts when you reach 0 hearts you fall unconscious and your life is in fate's hands. Every turn you must roll 1d20. If you roll a 1 you will die. If you take damage while you have no hearts you will die. If you roll a 20 you are stabilized and gain consciousness but can not fight or act You can also be stabilized by another character. This takes one action If you take damage after being stabilized you will fall unconscious again and the process starts over.
As a note each round of combat represents 10 seconds game time no matter how long it took real time to complete.

Recovering hearts

Hearts are recovered threw resting for the most part or eating (some other items do provide healing) Each food and item provide unique healing effects. Rest however is calculated like so: 1-7 hours of rest gives you back 1d4 hearts, 7+ hours gives you all your hearts back

Abilities

Every ravit has abilities then an use. These abilities can be passive and active all the time or have a certain number of uses each day. Each ability is different so read them carefully Abilities restore one charge at 5-6 hours of sleep at 7+ they are fully restored.

merit tokens and gaining stat and skills.

Every time you successfully complete something of significance (battle, complex encounter, a difficult or important test of skill, rescued someone from mortal pearl, ect) or have role played something that weighs on the plot significantly, the GM will reward you with some Merit tokens. (Usually 1 to 4 tokens)
Merit tokens have several uses
One they can be spent to re-roll an unsuccessful skill check. You may only do this once per check at the cost of 1 token per re-roll.
Two they can be spent to stabilize yourself if your hearts reach 0. You can do this as many times as you have merit tokens at the cost of one token per.
Third, between adventures you can spend them to upgrade your ravits stats and skills. You may spend 1 token to get 1 point in a skill and 2 tokens to get 1 point in a stat
Fourth and finally you can buy new abilities and skills with them. You can buy skills at 2 tokens per new skill. New skills start at a +1. Abilities cost different amounts depending on the ability. What skills you can learn is dependent on your profession. However you can learn abilities from other professions at twice the cost.
Merit tokens stick between games.
Finlay a note on animal companions. Animal companions are common for ravits as they bond well with any social animal. When there is an animal companion in the party the player who owns it will have control over it. When in combat you can choose to have your animal companion hide and sit it out or roll for them to be added to the turn order like normal. Companions can be gotten through: animal companion perk, buying an animal, or taming a wild animal.

---

v 1.0