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DL6 Game System

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Join Adam as he defines the DireLands fantasy campaign setting DL6 game system. This is the continuation of a series of livestreams which will see the development of the DireLands fantasy campaign setting. You can learn more about DireLands here: https://reverendcampbell.com/direlands/ 

About DireLands Fantasy Campaign Setting

DireLands is a system agnostic, dark fantasy tabletop roleplaying campaign setting. It was created by Adam P. Campbell in 2024. DireLands is set in a land that is in the final century of an ice age that saw the rise of the Witch-Queen who subjugated the three realms’ populations and cast out the demi-human races. The Triumvirate rose in the last century and liberated two of the three nations, but after their victory, they have become corrupt themselves.

Episode Content

Intro

Welcome to this continuation of my DireLands system agnostic, dark fantasy campaign setting episode! My name is Adam and in this episode I will be outlining the DireLands Fantasy Campaign Setting DL6 Game System. I will also be discussing the concepts of the DireLands setting.

Details

System Breakdown

The DL6 System is intended to be at once familiar and innovative. It blends a simplistic ‘roll high’ on 3d6, or three six-sided dice, game mechanic with an innovative ability and trauma system. The more damage you take, the harder it is for you to use your abilities.

Abilities & Trauma

The three abilities represent your physical, mental and spiritual health. The higher the number the better you are in that ability statistic. Each ability also represents the level of health in that ability, which can be reduced through physical, mental and spiritual trauma. This will permanently affect the ability score and your effectiveness in the ability. 

  • Physical
    • This is the ability statistic for brute strength, agility and health.
  • Mental
    • This is the ability statistic for intellect, reasoning and perceptiveness.
  • Spiritual
    • This is the ability statistic for morale, natural and cosmic connections.

Generating Abilities and Improving Them

  • Stats have a max of 9.
  • Each PC begins with 5 points to distribute between the three abilities. There must be at least one point added to each.
  • You will earn one experience point per session, at the DM’s discretion.
  • To improve an ability score, you must have used it in a session, and it costs three times its current number.

Health, Healing and Trauma

  • Each ability represents the general health of the PC. With each point of trauma taken, it reduces the ability itself, also reducing your overall effectiveness.
  • If an ability score is reduced to zero, you drop down exhausted, unconscious, or despirited. You will die if two or more of your abilities are reduced to zero.
  • For every day of rest, you regain one point in each ability. Healing through the use of nature or cosmic magic may accelerate this rate.

Race/Ethnicity (refined, primitive, adventurous)

  • Human (+1 Physical)
    • civilized, tribal and primitive
  • Elf (+1 Spiritual)
    • high, wild and dark
  • Dwarf (+1 Physical)
    • hill, mountain and dark
  • Halfling (+1 Mental)
    • civilized, tribal and deep
  • Gnome (+1 Mental)
    • mountain, wild and deep
  • Half Races (+1 Physical)
    • half-elf, half-orc and half-ogre

Role/Discipline (refined, primitive, adventurous)

  • Warrior (+1 Physical)
    • Knight, Barbarian, Swashbuckler
  • Thief (+1 Physical)
    • Rogue, Assassin, Tombraider
  • Priest (+1 Spiritual)
    • Cleric, Shaman, Missionary 
  • Magi (+1 Mental)
    • Wizard, Sorcerer, Occultist

Game Mechanic & Checks

  • Roll high on 3d6
  • Readiness or Initiative is determined by the ability score used in the round. Highest acts first.
  • Uncontested Check = roll over difficulty with your ability plus a 3d6 roll
  • Difficulty numbers: 5 = easy, 10 = moderate, 15 = challenging, 20 = difficult
  • Contested Check = roll over opposing Contested Check with your ability plus 3d6 roll
  • Each die represents an ability, Physical, Mental and Spiritual. The die result on the represented die is subtracted from the attack damage.
  • The roll of three 1’s is an automatic failure 
  • The roll of three 6’s is an automatic success
  • Damage = Ability + Modifier. It causes trauma, lowering the overall Ability Score

Nature & Cosmic Magic

  • Uncontested Check = roll over effect modifier plus difficulty with your ability plus a 3d6 roll
  • Contested Check = roll over effect modifier plus opposing ability with your ability plus a 3d6 roll
  • Effect Modifiers: +/- 1 = 1, +/- 2 = 3, +/- 3 = 6, +/- 4 = 9
  • Difficulty is up to the DM with number effected and general effect and duration considered.
  • The use of magic drains you. For every successful attack, you suffer one Spiritual Trauma.

Equipment

  • Weapons add +1 to your total damage
  • Armor subtracts -1 from damage dealt 

Interpreting the Dice

As mentioned previously, each of the three DL6 dice represent one of your ability scores, but also one of the three nations or themes.

  • Physical – Represents Bressus, the invaders and conquerors. Physicality, material gain and brute strength.
  • Mental – Represents Locaston, the turned and usurpers. Emotional dominance, manipulation and guile.
  • Spirituality – Represents Caelia, the first people and honorifics. Connection to the ancestors and the breath of the world.

Each of these may be used by the storyteller to help interpret the outcome of a die roll. On a success of one type of action, the die number gives you the degree of success, while the die itself adds the roleplaying note. So if you were trying to cast a spell and you rolled a P5 M3 S3, the total is 11, but physical dice is highest. If you succeeded than your physical grounding aided in your success, or perhaps you reflected on the lessons learned by invading tactics influence your magical working to break through the targets defenses. 

You can interpret it however you like. The benefit is that you have themes to fall back on if you so desire when interpreting the outcome of the dice roll.

Outro

Thank you for watching today’s DireLands Fantasy Campaign Setting DL6 Game System episode. Please consider subscribing to this YouTube channel and liking and commenting on this video. Always remember that evil spelled backwards is live, so get out there and be evil!

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