Dwindle

On Saturday we'll have yet another game of Dwindle. I have mentioned the system before, and since it is my group's go-to game I figured I should maybe expound on it a bit. However, I would like to note that I am a bit bored with the rule set and the game. I think this is important, because the Rules never reached an entirely completed state. It is playable with a bit of fudging, and there is left-over text that is no longer relevant in the current iteration that needs to be cleaned out. So I will not be posting the downloads just yet.

Dwindle is a hybrid d20 system. One of my players abhors d20, but he says it is his favorite d20 game. I think that is praise....

Base Rolling Mechanic

The basic mechanic is you roll a d20. If your result is 15 or higher, you succeed.

There is Advantage and Disadvantage, which is almost exactly the same as 5th ed. but with the change that you can have both at the same time. If this occurs you simply take the middle value.

Skills

There is a list of skills. They have ranks from 0~5. Each rank gives you an extra die to roll and add to your d20 result.

• 0 = nothing
• 1 = d4
• 2 = d6
• 3 = d8
• 4 = d10
• 5 = d12

So if you have 4 ranks in combat, you'll roll a d20 + d10 and hope for something higher than 14.

Tiers

Your party has a Tier (got this from Blades in the Dark). Your Tier is ranked 1~5 with each rank corresponding to a die size the same as skills. This die size is noted simply as 1d or 2d.

This die size is used in:

• Abilities often have effects based off of tier. (ex. blah blah blah deal 1d damage yadda yadda yadda)
• Expertise adds 1d to your roll. You can only have expertise once on a roll.
• Class Resource: Each class has a resource. The resource has its own special use, and is used when activating a class ability. Each session, the resource starts off equal to your Tier die, but can Dwindle.

Dwindling

Resources can Dwindle. Resources include your aforementioned Class Resource (used to activate special abilities) but also

• Wealth is your cash. Roll when making a purchase of substance such as equipment, a ship, a building, a retainer, a bribe.
• Contacts are people you know. Roll to have someone that you can easily gain audience with. This doesn't mean they will automatically be your best friend. They may not even like you, but you can set up a meeting.
• Preparation is your foresight and planning. Roll this to have something you need for the scene. This will generally give you advantage on a roll. Such as having a rope and grappling hook to climb the side of the building. Having a light source in the catacombs under the city, etc.

Class Resources begin each session equal to your Tier Die. Your other resources cost XP to increase. (XP is based on Loot).

When you roll your resource, any result of 1 or 2 means the resource die Dwindles (becomes 1 size smaller).

Your Class Resource regenerates 1 size when you have a long rest. The other resources do not regenerate, and only increase when you invest in them.

Complex Rolls

So the simple "roll a d20 and your TN is 15" has changed into:

• Roll d20
• Possibly with advantage AND disadvantage.
• Possibly with a skill die.
• Possibly with expertise.

This is a total of 5 dice in a pool to roll. Only 1 d20 will be counted, along with 2 other polyhedrons.
15 or higher is a success, easy peasy.

Bonuses and Setbacks

Your thrown dice when you make a skill check can also give you Bonuses and Setbacks.

Bonuses occur when ANY die shows its maximum value, even the extra d20s from advantage and disadvantage.

• Spend 1 Bonus to give your ally a bonus on their roll, ie advantage or expertise.
• Spend 2 bonuses to give yourself a bonus on your roll, ie advantage or expertise.

Setbacks occur when ANY die shows is minimum value (ie 1), even the extra d20s from advantage and disadvantage.

• Spend 1 Setback to give your ally a setback on their roll. (ie disadvantage) They also gain 1XP
• Spend 2 Setbacks to give yourself a setback on your roll. (ie disadvantage) You also gain 1 XP