Game System - My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic: the Role Playing Game

## My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic: the Role Playing Game

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### Game System

Each time a character undertakes a task, such as attempting to jump an obstacle, bake a cake, or transform another pony’s hair to a hideous color, the player describes the intended action to the storyteller. The action is the basic part of the game system, and all actions are described as either being uncontested or contested.

Uncontested Actions

Uncontested actions are the every day, routine activities that generally do not require a die roll. For example, a pegasus pony is not required to make a roll to casually fly from one end of Ponyville to the other to visit a friend.

Contested Actions

Any action that is not routine, such as an earth pony racing through an obstacle course or a pegasus trying to catch a falling package, is considered a contested action. The earth pony running the obstacle course would have to pass an agility check for each obstacle. Some actions that may seem routine may be considered contested if there are special considerations or constraints. Baking a cake would not normally be a contested action, however baking twenty cakes for a huge party that’s being held this afternoon would be contested.

Base Chance of Success

The pony’s base chance of success for any contested action is determined by the pony’s appropriate attribute. The base chance of success is equal to the attribute score that governs that action. Physique is used for feats requiring strength, realization for magic spells, etc.

If the pony has a talent that applies to the attempted action, the level of the talent is added to the base chance of success. So a pony that wants to bake a cake would have a base chance equal to the sum of her realization score and her baking talent level. Storytellers and players are encouraged to find new and creative ways to apply their talents to different situations. If a player can conceive of a unique way to use an existing talent for the task at hand, the storyteller is encouraged to allow that talent to be used when determining the base chance of success.

Difficulty Levels

The base chance for any contested action may be modified based on the difficulty of the attempted action, as determined by the storyteller. There are nine levels of difficulty: elementary, very easy, easy, sort of easy, average, sort of hard, hard, very hard and improbable. The difficulty of the action modifies the die roll as follows:

Elementary -4

Very Easy -3

Easy -2

Sort of Easy -1

Average 0

Sort of Hard +1

Hard +2

Very Hard +3

Improbable +4

If a pony character is using a sub-talent such as a spell or stunt, the difficulty level may be reduced based on the talent level of the sub-talent. Specific rules for using sub-talents are included in the flying, rodeo, magic and alchemy chapters.

Determining the Success or Failure of an Action

To determine if a pony character’s attempted action is successful or not, roll two six-sided dice (2d6) and add the results for a number between 2 and 12. Then add or subtract the difficulty modifier from the number rolled. The resulting number is compared to the base chance and if it is less than the base chance the action is successful. If the number is higher than the base chance, the action has failed.

Example: Pinwheel Daisy has to prepare a bunch of flower arrangements for a friend’s dinner party. Her flower arranging talent is 2, and her realization is 6, so Pinwheel Daisy will need to roll 8 or less on the dice to get all the arrangements done on time. The storyteller says the task is hard because of the short amount of time she has to get the job done, so Pinwheel Daisy’s player will add 2 to the die roll when checking to see if she succeeds at her task.

Example: Pinwheel Daisy needs to climb a ladder to reach a bag of flour on the top shelf. Climbing the ladder is an uncontested action so no roll is required. However, if Pinwheel Daisy needs to climb up a rickety ladder on a stormy day with a cumbersome package on her back, it is a contested action. The story teller has decided that climbing the ladder under such conditions is hard. Since Pinwheel Daisy has no climbing talent, her base chance is equal to her agility score. A roll of 5 or less would be required to successfully climb the ladder. Since the action is hard, the player will add 2 to his die roll. If, in addition, Pinwheel Daisy has a bandage over her eyes and it is pouring rain, the action becomes improbable, and the player would have to add 4 to the die roll.

Attribute vs. Attribute

Sometimes, two ponies may get involved in a contest that requires comparing one pony’s attribute to the others. For example, two ponies hoof wrestling will be matching physique against physique. These types of actions are handled a little differently, simply having the higher attribute score or talent level is not enough to guarantee success, but higher attributes and talent levels will give a pony an advantage.

To resolve a simple attribute vs. attribute contest, both ponies involved must make a series of attribute checks. If a pony has a talent that applies, the talent level is used just as with other actions in calculating the pony’s base chance. If the storyteller determines that one of the ponies is at a disadvantage, there may also be a difficulty modifier applied to the check.

If both ponies achieve the same result, such as both rolling a brilliant deed, or both failing their check, the contest is considered a draw for the turn, and a second round of attribute checks is held. If one pony rolls a normal success and the other rolls a normal failure, the pony with the successful roll wins. If one pony rolls a brilliant deed and the other pony gets any other result, the pony with the brilliant deed automatically wins the contest. If one pony rolls a catastrophe and the other pony gets any other result, the pony rolling the catastrophe automatically loses.

Some contest should not be decided on a single check. Racing, either by hoof or by wing, requires all the competitors to mach agility in a contest of speed. Hoof races may also involve obstacles such as hurdles, and flying races may require certain stunts to be performed. Rules for racing are detailed in a separate section.

Brilliant Deeds

When a player rolls a natural "2" (double "1" with the dice, without taking into account any difficulty modifier), the character accomplishes a Brilliant Deed! The action undertaken is a veritable tour de force, and the attempted action is carried out with amazingly positive consequences.

Example: Pinwheel Daisy is trying to rescue a tangled balloon from a tree for a distraught filly. If, while trying to climb the tree, Pinwheel Daisy comes up with a double 1 on her die roll, she carries out a brilliant deed! In no time at all, she is up among the branches under the jealous eyes of a squirrel...

Optional Hidden Talent Rule: When trying a new activity ponies occasionally discover hidden talents they didn’t know they had. Any time a pony attempts an action that she has no talent with for the very first time, if she rolls a brilliant deed she may discover she has a talent in that activity. Roll the dice a second time and if the player rolls a double “1” a second time, allow the player to record the new talent at level 1 on his character sheet.

Catastrophes

When a player rolls a natural "12" (double "6" rolled on the dice, without taking into account any difficulty modifier), the character becomes the victim of a catastrophe! Not only does the action fail, but also it fails in a disastrous way. The consequences are often annoying for the character, and possibly for her friends.

Example: When Pinwheel Daisy attempts to climb the tree, she rolls the dice and comes up with a double "6": catastrophe! She slips and has an embarrassing bad fall, receiving a minor wound.

Knowledge Checks

While magic, alchemy, and flying are practical talents, there may come a time during an adventure when the pony characters need information about a monster, a magic spell, or what uses a particular flower may have. A knowledge check allows a player to roll against his PCs mental attribute to see if she may know or remember any useful information. With a successful knowledge check, a pony is likely to know about famous magic places, the names and stories of the greatest ponies of Equestria’s history and a variety of information on other topics.

Knowledge checks can be to use for many things, such as:

Obtaining information on a magic item

Obtaining information on magical place

Obtaining information about a famous pony

Obtaining information on magical or natural phenomenon

Obtaining information on creatures

Obtaining information on a spell or a formula

The storyteller fixes the difficulty level of a knowledge check just like any other contested action. A pony with a talent in research can use that talent along with her mental attribute if she has a library or appropriate book or other source of information available. General knowledge talents, such as history or science, may also be used if appropriate.

The quantity of information and its accuracy depend on whether or not a pony is successful with her die roll. With a successful knowledge check, the storyteller should provide the player with some precise information about the topic at hand. If a knowledge check fails, the storyteller may provide no information or may provide some vague or incorrect information.

Brilliant deeds with knowledge checks

If a character rolls a double "1" on a knowledge check, she knows the subject at hand. The storyteller can provide all of information that she knows to the player.

Catastrophe with knowledge checks

If a character rolls a double "6" with his roll, she is mistaken completely. Although the information is completely erroneous, she believes it and is firmly convinced of her knowledge, with all the consequences that follow.

Hoofticuffs

In MLP, physical conflicts are rare and never serious. For this reason, we will call them "Hoofticuffs" and not "Combat".

Nevertheless, the characters may be faced with a problem that can only be resolved by physical confrontation. A pillow fight is completely possible (and even on the check list for slumber parties...). So here are some short guidelines to resolve these particular situations.

As storyteller, you should concentrate on the narration and limit the number of die rolls to avoid breaking the rhythm of the game. Ask each player what action his character intends at the beginning of each turn of hoofticuffs. Does he want to hit this pretentious young stallion on the nose with a pie? And tell your players the intentions of the non-player characters.

Hoofticuffs is played out in turns, i.e. a sequence of events, with each character in turn given a chance to carry out an action. Throwing a pie is an action that takes one turn.

Hoofticuffs pits several characters (at least two!) in a scuffle. The first thing to do is determine the order of initiative. Have each character (PC and NPC) make an agility check. The pony that passes the agility check with the lowest die roll goes first. The next lowest score goes second, and so on. The storyteller may assign a difficulty level to the initiative check if one of the characters is surprised, or otherwise at a disadvantage. If two characters are tied, have them roll again until all participants in the hoofticuffs bout have determined what order they take their turns in.

A player involved in hoofticuffs may take one of four actions: attack (including casting spells or using projectiles), defend, dodge, or flee. The storyteller may assign difficulty levels to actions based on specific circumstances during the brawl.

To attack, use the Physique attribute and hoofticuffs talent if any. PCs may use any throwing talent when using projectiles or magic talent for spells. Spells cast during hoofticuffs take effect on the casters next turn based on her initiative order in the bout.

Any character that is attacked may defend herself by blocking or dodging. To block or dodge, use the agility attribute and any applicable talent. The difficulty of the dodge is determined by the storyteller. If the block or dodge is successful, the opponents attack is considered a miss. If the block fails, the pony takes a hit.

A character who does not want to brawl can decide to run and hide. She must then flee by using her speed attribute and any type of running talent. The difficulty of the escape is determined by the storyteller. If the action is successful, the character is then out of the scuffle (she took refuge instead) and cannot be the target of an attack.

Of course, hoofticuffs is not without danger and the ponies can get hurt. Generally, wounds are benign and quickly forgotten. In game terms, a player will yield and admit that his character is out-hoofticuffed when she's been hit 3 times by an adversary. Stronger opponents, such as manticores or dragons, may be able to take an additional number of hits before being out hoofticuffed. The number of hits a creature can take is listed along with that creature’s description in the appropriate chapter.

Wounds and Healing

During their adventures the pony characters can expect to get bumps and bruises, or worse. Wounds may occur due to hoofticuffs, catastrophe with an attempted action, or possibly other circumstances the storyteller presents. Wounds are classified in three categories:

Light wounds are the bumps, bruises, and small cuts ponies may get during the course of an adventure. A sad face and tears are often their most obvious symptoms. A little calm and a bandage are generally enough to make the character forget them.

Serious wounds are deep cuts and concussions one might get from a serious fall. They may require first aid or the intervention of a qualified character.

Grave wounds include broken bones, serious cuts, or loss of consciousness, and may require medical help to heal.

Serious and grave wounds are not common in MLP; the pony characters will deal mostly with light wounds. Wounds make it more difficult for a pony to succeed at contested actions. A wound will add a positive modifier to all of her die rolls in addition to any difficulty modifier. Light wounds add 1 to the die roll, serious wounds add 2, and grave wounds add 3.

Example: Pinwheel Daisy suffered a light wound following a bad fall from a tree. Until it is better, all her die rolls will have a +1 modifier added in addition to any difficulty modifier.

When a pony suffers an injury, the pony will take time to heal. Light wounds generally go away at the end of the day. Serious wounds take three days to heal, and grave wounds may require a full week of convalescing. A character with a talent in first aid can come to the assistance of a hurt friend. Use the following table to determine the effect:

Wound Difficulty Effect (in the event of success)

Light Average The wound is cured

Serious hard +2 The wound is reduced to light

Grave very hard +3 The wound is reduced to serious

Experience

Through all of the adventures she will have, your pony character will learn and make discoveries about ponies, animals, places, magic, and the world, gaining what we call experience. In game terms, experience is represented by “experience points,” but that term, not being very pony like, will be replaced with what we call "pony points" (shortened as "pp"). Pony Points are awarded at the end of each adventure by the storyteller, according to the actions carried out by the players, their discoveries, their ideas and the quality of their role playing. The pp are then used to develop the talents and attributes of the character.

For each scenario played 3 pp

For good role-playing of a pony character 1 pp

For each Non-player character helped or comforted 1 pp

If the objective of the scenario is completed 1 to 3 pp

For a humorous or good moment of play 1 pp

The storyteller can allot additional points to reward a particularly brilliant idea, memorable role playing or a heroic action. The storyteller can also penalize a behavior that he considers contemptible, like the misuse of magic, by withdrawing pp from a character, but should take care not to misuse these reductions. Typically, from 6 to 12 pp should be allotted per scenario.

Pony points are used at the end of an adventure or, more generally, between two scenarios. The player can increase a talent by only one level at a time. On the other hand, he can increase the level of several talents as he chooses, within the limit of the points he has, of course. The maximum score for any attribute is 8, pony points may not be used to raise an attribute above this score. Players can choose to keep all or a portion of their pony points from one adventure to another and accumulate them for increasing a talent with a high cost. PP can be spent as follows:

Cost of Talent Progression in PP:

Learn a new talent, level 1 4 pp

Increase a talent from level 1 to level 2 8 pp

Increase a talent from level 2 to level 3 12 pp

Increase a talent from level 3 to level 4 16 pp

New spell, stunt or alchemical formula, Level 1 4 pp

Increase a spell, stunt or alchemical formula to level 2 6 pp

Increase a spell, stunt or alchemical formula to level 3 8 pp

Increase a spell, stunt or alchemical formula to level 4 12 pp

Rodeo Talents for Earth Ponies Only

Learn a new rodeo talent, level 1 2 pp

Increase a rodeo talent from level 1 to level 2 4 pp

Increase a rodeo talent from level 2 to level 3 6 pp

Increase a rodeo talent from level 3 to level 4 12 pp

Cost for Increasing Attributes

To raise Physique or Reflex by 1 point 12 pp

To raise mental or realization by 1 point 16 pp

To raise social by 1 point 8 pp

Example: After her first adventure, the storyteller has awarded Pinwheel Daisy with 8 pony points. Pinwheel Daisy decides to apply herself to her cooking! So she puts on her apron and spends 4 pp to increase her cooking talent to level 2. The player then decides to save the other 4 points for a later time.

Subpages (6): Advanced Racing Rules Alchemy Magic Quick Racing Rules Rodeo The Art of Flying