Base Mechanics

The following sections provide the general rules on how to play the game. The key thing to remember is that Storypath’s primary goal is to build a narrative, so your group is always free to alter, add, or disregard rules to better fit your story.

The Guide & Players

One person in your group will take on the role of the Guide. They have the role of creating a story by describing scenarios and narrating what occurs from the other player’s actions. The Guide is typically in charge of how the world’s setting functions and controls all the non-player characters (NPCs) that inhabit the world. This means that the Guide generally has the most agency over the story.
All the players other than the Guide are simply referred to as Players. They each create a player character (PC) that is one of the protagonists of the story. The players also play a key role in the narrative through their character’s backstory and their actions.
It’s always a good idea to have the Guide and Players collaborate on how they want the story to be set up before playing the game, and communicate ideas they have for the story between sessions.

Dice

Rolling dice is used to determine the outcome of anything uncertain. This comes with a variety of dice used in different ways.

Action Rolls

The Players and Guide make Action Rolls to use their Actions and Aspects (described in the Character Sheet section). These rolls use a d20 plus any modifiers from Attributes or Skills specific to the Action. In a round of an Encounter, each creature typically gets 1 Action with its effects determined by the Roll’s results.
Challenge. The minimum total of a Roll needed for it to succeed (ex. DC 12 Action Roll).
Advantage/Disadvantage. When certain circumstances are applied, an Action can be more or less likely to succeed. When the Guide says this is the case, roll 2d20. With an Advantage, you can use the number of the higher die. With Disadvantage, you use the result of the lower die.
Critical Success. Rolling a 20 on a d20, means that the character succeeds gloriously at what they're trying.
Critical Failure. Rolling a 1 on a d20, results in the character failing miserably at what they’re attempting.

Character Sheet

Each PC has a Character Sheet to keep track of their abilities and statistics. This section describes how these features work for PCs, as well as the NPCs and creatures that can also have them.

Attributes

Creatures have 6 core Attributes that measure their general abilities.
Agility. The creature’s ability to move quickly and quietly, and their dexterity and balance.
Endurance. The creature’s stamina and vital force.
Strength. The creature’s physical power and athletic ability.
Charisma. The creature’s social interaction skills.
Intuition. The creature’s attentiveness and ability to think on their feet.
Knowledge. The creature’s overall knowhow and planning capabilities.
Each Attribute has a few Actions corresponding to it, which are listed beneath it. When a creature is Skilled in an Action, they add a +2 bonus to Rolls with it. Players mark this by filling in the Action’s mark.

Aspects

These are a creature’s unique special abilities. They are assumed to function as an Action, unless otherwise specified. When all the Marks of an Aspect are filled, that Aspect can no longer be used. An Aspect’s Marks can be recovered when the Character completes a Milestone, or in other special cases.

Determination

An ability unique to PCs, letting them try harder through sheer determination. Each character has 8 Determination Slots that they can expend. You can expend 2 Determination to give your character a 1d6 Bonus to a Roll. You can also expend 1 Determination to give a character other than yourself the same effect on one of their Rolls. Once your character is out of Determination, they are Incapacitated.

Defense

This statistic measures how hard it is to damage a creature with an Action. If the total of the Roll affecting the creature is equal to or higher than its Defense, then they take 1 Wounds. A Critical Success, allows the attacker to add an injury Effect of their choice.

Effect

Effect measures the conditions that are affecting a creature and how severely. General effects, such as Fatigue, Intoxication, or Energy, can be written in the spaces with the Effect box.
When the creature is damaged by something, they mark 1 Wounds. Once a creature has taken 3 Wounds, any further damage to it becomes an Injury, which will have a unique effect in some way, depending on how they’ve been hurt. After 3 Injuries, the creature is considered Dying.

Equipment, Motivations, and Languages are explained in their own sections.

Dice Notation

Different types of dice are denoted as 'd' + the number of sides on the die (ex. A six-sided die is d6).
A number before 'd' indicates the number of dice (ex. 3 six-sided dice is 3d6).
This system uses d4, d6, d8, and d20 dice.

Incapacitated

The creature is unable to take any Actions and has limited movement, so Actions targeting them have Advantage. The creature can still communicate, but may have some difficulty.

Dying

The creature is largely immobile and just a step away from death. Most creatures will pass on once they receive this Effect. Once a PC (or major NPC) has had this condition for 1 Round, they must choose from the following options:
Chance Recovery. You make a plain Roll, dying on a 9 or lower and switching the Dying effect for being Incapacitated on a 10 or higher. This Roll can’t be affected by other PCs.
Clinging to Life. You fill all the expenses of an Aspect, removing the Dying effect for being Incapacitated.
Final Act. You take an Action that is automatically a Critical Success before your character dies.