Feedback for spy based TTRPG
This is what I have so far and am working on refining some things before settling on how features work and how to design missions, etc. I wanted the game to feel fast paced though. Also would love questions Incase there's anything that's not clear
SPY OR DIE: OPERATIONAL MANUAL
Welcome to SPY OR DIE. You are a professional operative similar to James Bond, Jason Bourne, Ethan Hunt or Sam Fisher. This game is about tension, precision, and surviving the impossible.
I. THE CORE ENGINE
This is a two dice system that rolls for the spys talent and skills with the potential to blow up into high octane action in this thrilling game of espionage as you pursue meet it or beat it checks.
- THE TALENT/SKILL SYSTEM
In this game, your skill is measured by the size of your Dice. Instead of adding small numbers, your talent determines how many sides your dice have.
The Rule of Dice: A bigger die is better but what determines your die is the value of that talent with values of 1 to 5 you get dice with sides D4's (Smallest/Weakest) → D6 → D8 → D10 → D12 (Largest/Strongest)
Talents: These are your natural abilities (Leverage, Finesse, Composure and Subterfuge).
Skills: These are things you’ve trained in (e.g., Close Quarters Combat, Marksmanship, Driving, Hacking). Their dice size is the same as the talent they derive from.
Leverage(LEV): Physical power and intimidation - Skills:CQC, Brute Force, Intensity - Fighting in small rooms, hitting people hard and scaring people into submission
Finesse (FIN): Speed, accuracy, and grace - Skills: Marksmanship, Stealth, Agility - Using guns, hiding from guards, dodging traps or dancing
Composure (COMP): Mental toughness and willpower - Skills: Toughness, Discipline, Driving - Taking a hit, following orders and knowing vehicles
Subterfuge (SUB): Trickery and being sneaky - Skills: Infiltration, Hacking, Deception - Planning, computers and gadgets and lying
- Character Creation
Depending on the type of Spy you are you may be at the start of your career or have a few missions under your belt and that means having a head start experience wise. Depending on whether you're a rookie, experienced agent or a legend in the world of espionage your talents might differ and have more unique traits that have helped you get the job done. Investing points in your different talents will increase the size of your dice for those specific talent checks and skill checks that belong to that talent stat.
Spy Career
Rookie: 10 Talent Points | 1 Archetypes
Experienced: 12 Talent Points | 3 Archetypes
Legend: 14 Talent Points | 5 Archetypes
- Health & Adrenaline
Health (HP): This is your life bar. If it hits 0, your character is dead. You get 3 as a rookie, 4 as experienced and 5 as a legend.
Injury Track: If you take a hit, you might get a "Condition". Track wounds that cause persistent effects like Bleeding or Wounded.
Adrenaline: This is what makes your a spy, keeping your cool no matter what even when your heart is pounding. As you accumulate Adrenaline you can spend to Reroll, Negate Negative results, or trigger specialized combat maneuvers. Everyone can spend Adrenaline to increase the results of their dice rolls by the amount spent.
"Flow" (The Super State): If you roll the highest number possible on a die (like rolling a 12 on a 12-sided die), you are in a "Flow" state. You get to roll that die again and add the new number to your total! You are performing perfectly and get 3 Adrenaline tokens once per check which you can use during or after this roll even on the new die rolled after entering the flow state. You can also increase the value of your die when rolling checks to its max value causing it to explode and enter the "flow" state this way. You can continue investing Adrenaline even after entering the flow state as long as you have Adrenaline to spend and can explode your other dice including the reroll as long as you have adrenaline to spare but don't get the free 3 Adrenaline from entering the flow state as you're already in it during the check. You start every mission with 3 Adrenaline.
If defending cannot die from this attack even if them succeeding would kill you but you suffer a random condition. If in the flow state exploding your die again increases your Heat Level by 1. You also can not enter the "flow" state rolling max value on a die used by an item, gadget or weapon you are not proficient in.
II. THE ACTION: Fighting & Skill Checks When you try to do something difficult (like picking a lock or shooting a guard), the Game Master (GM)/director compares your total to the enemy's total. The Talent die chosen is very much decided by the GM or "The Director" but your skill die is decided by you the player if you can convincingly explain why it should be used for the scenario. An example being is if you're using a gun you might be asked to roll Finesse but depending on whether you're surrounded by a group of enemies you could try and roll CQC, or if you're planning an assassination you could make a case for rolling Marksmanship or Stealth. These skill choices matter because the spy you create might be uniquely capable at certain skills which we will get to in the traits and perks section. Another aspect of this game is during combat if you have a weapon it will give you a bonus to your roll depending at how good you are at using it.
Formula: (Your Total) - (Enemy's Total) = The Result
Your Total: Talent Die + Skill Die + (Weapon/Bonus)
Enemy's Total: Talent Die + Skill Die + (Weapon/Armor Bonus) or Mission Difficulty die + Scenario/Threat Difficulty Die
Set the Mission Difficulty Die (MDD) which is decided by the DM/The director at the beginning of the operation and remains static until completion of the mission.
Easy:d4
Medium: d6
Difficult: d8
Hard: d10
Intense: d12
Impossible:d20
Set the Scenario Die (SD) DM will designate the difficulty of the scene or scenario the player currently finds themselves in based on their performance and other factors.
Easy:d4
Medium: d6
Difficult: d8
Hard: d10
Intense: d12
Impossible:d20
Set the Threat Die (TD) which depends on the amount of enemies fighting at once.
1 Enemy: d4
2-3 Enemies: d6
4-6 Enemies: d8
7-9 Enemies: d10
10-12 Enemies:d12
13+ Enemies:d20
Heat Level: A mission starts at a Heat of 0 and maxes out at 5 due to repeated failures and bad decisions. Heat determines the minimum value that the GM/Director's dice value can be. As an example with a heat level of 3 he rolls two d6 and gets 5 and 1, because of the current heat level the check to beat becomes 8 instead of 6.If any player's Heat reaches 5 (Max Heat), then every other player in the mission whose Heat is currently 1-4 immediately has their Heat set to 5. If a player has maintained a Heat of 0, they are "Off the Radar" but their actions can still increase their own Heat Level and if they are seen by an enemy while the Team Heat Level is at 5 theirs will automatically jump to 5 as well.
Heat Mitigation Players can actively reduce their Heat during a mission.
Social Stealth (SUB/Deception): A successful high-tier SUB roll during a social interaction can reduce Heat by 1 if deemed appropriate by the Director.
Cleaning the Mess: Spending an time cleaning up(wiping prints, disposing of shell casings or bodies, or resetting a tripped alarm) can reduce Heat by 1.
Proficiency: Melee: Proficient = +Weapon Die; Unproficient = Replace Weapon Die with d4. Ranged: Proficient = +Weapon Die; Unproficient = Roll +Weapon Die with Disadvantage.
The Outcome (The Result): Once you subtract the enemy's number from yours, look at this list to see what happens depending combat and non combat scenarios:
SINGLE COMBAT +6 or higher: Finishing Blow. You crush them and enter the Flow State! Deal 3 Damage + 2 extra effects OR Spend 5 Adrenaline to end fight,
+4 to +5: landed a strong blow. (2 Damage + 1 extra effect + Enter the Flow State).
+2 to +3: You got a good hit in (1 Damage + 1 Adrenaline).
0 to +1: Stalemate. No damage, but you gain 1 Adrenaline for trying.
-1 to -2: Successful block. The enemy blocked you. They gain 1 Adrenaline.
-3 to -4: Tactical Displacement .They pushed you back. They gain 2 Adrenaline and rolls next attack at Advantage.
-5 or lower: Total Failure. You missed completely! The defender gets to move out of range/ reposition to escape or gain 3 Adrenaline.
MULTIPLE OPPONENTS COMBAT +7 or higher: Killed at least 4 enemies and entered the flow state and are able to end combat or change engagement(e.g. ranged to close quarters)
+5 or +6: You perform a cinematic move! You neutralize (Stun/Knockdown) all enemies in the immediate engagement and entered the flow state
+3 to +4: You strike with precision. You hit two enemies (1 damage each) or stun one and hit another. Gain 1 Adrenaline.
+1 to +2: You hit one enemy for 1 damage. Gain 1 Adrenaline.
0 : No damage, but you gain 1 Adrenaline for holding the line.
-1 or below: You don't die! You simply lose your momentum. You gain +1 Heat and the enemies gain Advantage on their next attack against you.
NON-COMBAT +6 or higher: Masterstroke Goal achieved perfectly and Gain all possible intel of the current scenario and entered the flow state.
+4 to +5: Clean Success Goal achieved and Gain 1 to 2 pieces of intel plus possible clue to help moving forward and entered the flow state.
+2 to +3: Success Goal achieved and Gain 1 Adrenaline
0 to +1: Goal achieved but with a cost you Gain 1 Adrenaline and +1 Heat as you may have drawn attention.
-1 to -3: Goal Setback/failed. Gain +1 Heat and failed to gather intel.
-4 to -6: Goal Compromised / failed. Gain +2 Heat. Location revealed/Guards alerted.
-7 or lower: Total Disaster - Goal failed. Gain max Heat immediately.
III. SYSTEM MODES
- SOLO PLAY: "THE LONE WOLF" Solo play is a high-stress, high-tension experience. Because the player lacks teammates to take hits or provide support, they are given more tools to manipulate fate and escape certain death.
The Savant (The Geniuses' Intuition)
Effect: Once per scene, the player may swap a weapon/gadget's Focus Stat to their highest core Talent Stat.
Example: A player using a Sniper Rifle (usually Finesse) can temporarily use Leverage (LEV) for the roll, allowing them to use their strongest stat for a specific shot.
Explanation: Talking to the voice in your ear you get guidance on using your current equipment.
Ghost Protocol (The Escape Artist)
Effect: Once per scene, a solo player can spend 1 Adrenaline to "Fade." This allows them to immediately exit a Multi-Enemy engagement and transition into a one on one with a specific target or quick escape without gaining Heat or suffering the "Overwhelmed" status.
Lone Wolf's Survival (The Last Resort)
Effect: Once per mission, if the player rolls a "Total Failure" (-5 or lower) on a non-combat roll, they may treat it as a "Stalemate" instead.
Solo Adrenaline Scaling
In Solo play, the player does not have a "Shared Pool." However, because they cannot rely on allies, they start every mission with 5 Adrenaline instead of 3.
- GROUP PLAY: "The Cell/Organization/Team" Group play is about coordination. The player's power comes from how they use their teammates to create openings for one another.
The Adrenaline Pool (The Shared Resource) Instead of individual pools, the team maintains one Shared Adrenaline Pool.
All players contribute to and spend from this pool. This allows a "Tank" to save their Adrenaline so the "Glass Cannon" can use it for a massive "Sledgehammer" or "Executioner" move.
Cross-Telemetry (The Tactical Link) Effect: An operative can spend 2 AP from the Shared Pool to "lend" a die to an ally in the same scene as them. This die cannot explode (cannot enter "Flow") and its value cannot be increased
Tactical Overwatch (The Support Action) Effect: An operative can spend 1 AP to grant an ally currently in a "Duel" (Single Combat) Advantage on their next roll as long as it makes sense realistically or they are in the scene with them. This simulates providing covering fire or distraction.
Coordinated Execution (The Synergy Bonus) Effect: If two or more players achieve a "Critical Hit" (+4 to +5) in the same scene, the Team gains 2 extra Adrenaline to the Shared Pool as they capitalize on the opening.