TEXT: Elegant
  ROLE PLAYING
  COPYRIGHT
  ERP is (c) 2002 Gregor Hutton. 
  Text and art by Gregor Hutton. 
  Typeset version set in Warnock Pro. 
  Maintained online at http://gregorhutton.com/
  ELEGANT ROLE-PLAYING by Gregor Hutton
  Version 2, released October 14, 2002
  Elegant Role-Playing (ERP)
  is a free role-playing game system. 
  Summary for 
  Fearless RPG
  Joseph S. Coleman
  CHARACTERS
  Characters are described by the three 
  central 
  Characteristics 
  (Mastery, 
  Wisdom and Power), a variable set of 
  Specialties (Attributes, Skills and Gifts) 
  and Glory. An average human has a 
  rating of 3. 
  MASTERY
  Mastery measures physical ability and 
  strength. It it used for tasks that have a 
  physical nature, and for resisting bodily 
  injuries. The Aspects of Mastery are: 
  dexterity, skill, talent, strength. These 
  are alternative ways of thinking of 
  Mastery. Associated Attributes include 
  Strong, Agile, Stealthy, Quick, Healthy, 
  Tough, Nimble, Fleet-Footed, Spring-
  Heeled, Well-Balanced, Sure-Handed, 
  Stout and Graceful. 
  WISDOM
  Wisdom describes mental ability and 
  capacity. It is used for tasks that have a 
  mental nature, and for resisting insanity 
  and shock. The Aspects of Wisdom are: 
  knowledge, memory, reason, education. 
  These are alternative ways of thinking 
  of 
  Wisdom. 
  Associated 
  Attributes 
  include 
  Wise, 
  Intelligent, 
  Educated, 
  Alert, 
  Witty, 
  Reasoned, 
  Logical, 
  Inquiring, 
  Clever, 
  Quick-Thinking, 
  Cunning and Rigorous. 
  POWER
  Power gauges emotional and spiritual prowess 
  and strength. It is used for tasks with a social 
  and mystical nature, and for protection from 
  empathic and ethereal pain. The Aspects of 
  Power are: chi, charisma, determination, fate. 
  These are alternative ways of thinking of 
  Power. 
  Associated 
  Attributes 
  include 
  Charismatic, 
  Attractive, 
  Strong-Willed, 
  Empathic, Persuasive, Radiant, Purposeful, 
  Defiant and Divine. 
  SPECIALTIES
  While Characteristics are universal to all 
  characters, Specialties tend to vary. They 
  
  have no ratings: you either have them 
  or you don't!
  ATTRIBUTES
  Attributes are abilities that describe a 
  character's capabilities deeper. Four 
  Attributes 
  are 
  linked 
  to 
  each 
  Characteristic.   You take the number of 
  Attributes equal to your rank in that 
  Characteristic, divided by two.  So a 
  Level 4 Characteristic gives you 2 
  Attributes.  In game play these will 
  represent additional dice to roll to meet 
  or exceed the opposition value of the 
  take you are attempting.
  SKILLS
  Skills cover areas of expertise, training 
  and learning. They depend on the 
  gaming world or genre and some 
  examples are: Athletics, Stealth, Art, 
  Music, 
  Science, 
  Interaction, 
  Manip-
  ulation, 
  Armed 
  Combat, 
  Firearms, 
  Ballistics, 
  Mechanics, 
  Electronics, 
  Computers, Engineer, Medicine, Natural 
  History, Pilot, Driver, etc. 
  GIFTS
  Gifts allow characters to perform special 
  actions and activities or some other sort 
  of advantage. Some example Gifts are: 
  Ambidexterity, Eidetic Memory, Animal 
  Empathy, Cult, Sense of Direction, 
  Wealth, Status, Rank, Allies, Contacts, 
  Patron, Danger Sense, Pain Tolerance, 
  Fame, Followers, etc. 
  GLORY
  Glory reflects Karma, Luck, Experience, 
  Fortune and Destiny. It is awarded by 
  the GM for good role-playing and can 
  be used to alter in-game dice rolls and to 
  permanently enhance your character. 
  GLORY AS PLAYER CONTROL
  You may use Glory as a Player Control 
  device - to buy game effects (such as 
  buy an extra action during combat, to 
  reroll failed results, roll an additional die 
  where otherwise not permitted, buy a 
  "flashback" to provide information or an 
  item you could have mentioned but 
  forgot during an earlier scene, or 
  combine with other players to buy back 
  an unfortunate demise, etc).
  If you have another use of Glory that 
  will enhance the game session and can 
  agree with the GM on that new use, 
  give it a try.
  CREATION
  A common way to create characters 
  suitable for adventuring is as follows. 
  1
  Allocate 15 points between the three 
  Characteristics: 
  Mastery, 
  Wisdom 
  and 
  Power. 
  Typically 
  the 
  Characteristics should be rated as 4, 
  5 and 6, but extreme characters 
  might be rated 6, 6 and 3, or a one 
  trick pony even 7, 5, 3.
  Note that the highest rated Characteristic 
  can be no more than five higher than the 
  lowest rated one. 
  2
  Pick Attributes for one of the three 
  Characteristics. You may have no 
  more Attributes for a Characteristic 
  than 
  that 
  Characteristic's 
  rating 
  divided by 2 (rounded up). For 
  example, Nora (right) has a Power of 
  5 and so can have up to 3 Attributes 
  associated with Power. 
  3
  Pick 1 skill under each Characteristic. 
  There is no limit on the number of 
  Skills that a character can possess in 
  later development.  This Skill gains a 
  3rd die in game play. 
  4
  Take 15 Glory and use it to buy 
  additional Skills, add Attributes, or 
  Gifts according to the guidelines 
  below. You may save a maximum of 
  5 Glory for later  use, but no more 
  
  (mark it on the Character Sheet as 
  unspent Glory). 
  Gain an Attribute
  (current rating/2, round up) in Glory
  Gain a Skill
  (current number of Skills) in Glory
  Raise Characteristics
  (current rating + number of associated Wisdom or Power Attributes) 
  in Glory
  Build a Sidekick
  5 Glory (with 10 Characteristics/10 Glory)
  Gain  a Gift
  10 Glory
  Of course, you must also have an idea of 
  the character's name, what they look like 
  and what they do. Try to create your 
  character with flair. 
  POSSESSIONS
  Write down what the character owns. This 
  list is subject to the approval of the GM 
  and your fellow players. Think about what 
  your character has very carefully. Do not 
  make this an exercise in writing down 
  every useful piece of equipment that you 
  can think of. For instance: why does your 
  character have only the clothes he wears, 
  and why are they wet?
  BREATH OF LIFE
  Think about your character for a moment. 
  How does the character see the world 
  they live in? Why is the character where 
  they are? What does the character believe 
  in, and which things in life do they enjoy? 
  And what do they dislike? Try to create a 
  well-rounded character that will be fun 
  and memorable. 
  Also think carefully 
  about how and why they will integrate 
  with the other PCs. Do not create reasons 
  that your character will not be a team 
  player. When you have found you 
  character's 'voice' within the 'choir' of the 
  group then you are ready to play. 
  Include your home world or stations, a bit 
  of your lifepath, attitude, politics and faith.
  AN EXAMPLE CHARACTER
  (Glory costs of upgrades are noted in brackets). 
  NORA CLARK
  Mastery
  6, Agile (0), Tough (3)
  Wisdom
  4, Alert (2)
  Power
  5, Spirit Communication (3)
  Skills
  Acrobatics (3), Seduction (1), Armed 
  Combat (2)
  Gifts  
  none
  Glory 
  1
  Possessions: Jungle Gear, stylish evening wear, 
  weather-beaten rain-coat, shoulder bag, make-up, 
  nail-file, 
  perfume, 15 
  Gold Soverigns, 
  .38 
  Detective Special revolver, small credit line for 
  wired funds, list of contacts in the US and Europe. 
  THE SYSTEM
  The ERP system is very simple and 
  elegant. (Note that if a fraction is 
  generated by division then round-up to a 
  whole number. )
  TASKS
  When attempting a task (such as leaping a 
  fence or striking an opponent) you roll a 
  six-sided die (d6) and add this to a rating 
  (Mastery for physical actions, Wisdom for 
  mental actions, and Power for mystical or 
  social actions) to form a score. Compare 
  the score with an opposing value (either a 
  fixed number determined by the GM, e. g. 
  6 is tough, 9 is hard, or an opponent's 
  score if contesting) to get a result. Most 
  tasks (e. g. striking in combat)  have a 
  default opposing value of 6. 
  acting score - opposing value = result
  
  A result of 0 or lower means failure. A 
  result of 1 means marginal success, higher 
  results yield greater degrees of success. 
  For a lengthy task a character may need to 
  accumulate a number of result points to be 
  successful. These result points may require 
  several contests, with the result points 
  totaled over several attempts. 
  EXAMPLE: 
  Picking A Lock
  Jargo the Thief is attempting to pick a rusty lock. 
  The GM tells Jargo's player that he must test his 
  Mastery against an opposing value of 6. Jargo has 
  a Mastery of 5 and so his player rolls a d6, 
  knowing he needs anything but a 1 to succeed (as a 
  score of 6 gives 0 result points). He rolls a 3 on the 
  die and so Jargo has a score of 8, for 2 result points. 
  The lock opens with a click. 
  USING SPECIALITIES
  Attributes and Skills allow an additional d6 
  to be rolled if they are relevant to the task. 
  The die with the highest result is taken to 
  calculate the score of the attempt. No 
  more than one Skill and one Attribute 
  may be used for any given task, so no 
  more than three dice are rolled at the 
  same time (with the exception of Glory-
  bought extra dice, see below). Gifts 
  sometimes allow special actions but grant 
  no modifications to scores. 
  EXAMPLE: 
  Remember Me?
  Nora is in a nightclub awaiting the arrival of a 
  fellow PC, when she notices a man acting 
  strangely at the bar. She is sure that she has seen 
  him before. . . The GM asks Nora's player to 
  attempt a Wisdom task with an opposing value of 
  7. Nora has a Wisdom of 4, but she also has the 
  Attribute 'Alert', which the GM allows her to use.  
  Nora's player rolls two dice and gets to pick the 
  higher of the two. She rolls a 3 and a 5. So Nora 
  achieves a score of 9, giving 2 result points. The 
  GM passes a note to Nora's player. The man at the 
  bar is a bitter foe of the PC she is due to meet in 
  the nightclub, and the man has some sort of gun in 
  his jacket. Note that the roll of 3 would have not 
  been enough for success, as this would have given 
  Nora 0 result points. 
  LUCK
  Glory, in its aspect as Luck, can be used to 
  manipulate in-game scores and events. An 
  example of a Lucky Break is flnding 
  somewhere to hide in a dead-end street. 
  Benefit gained
  Glory Cost
   Reroll a d6 on a task
  1
   Add an extra d6 to a task score 
  2
   Lucky Break
  (GM decides)    1-3
  EXAMPLE:  
  Resisting Allure
  A woman's alluring voice calls forth to Jargo from 
  behind a curtain on the far side of the master 
  bedroom. It is deep, husky and mesmerizing. The 
  thought that vampires inhabit the castle is 
  almost lost from Jargo's mind as he starts to move 
  towards the velvet drapes and away from the 
  jewelry case he is raiding. The GM asks Jargo's 
  player to attempt a Power task with a difficulty 
  of 9. Jargo only has a Power of 3, and the GM rules 
  that the Attribute 'Charismatic' is not usable on 
  the task. Jargo's player rolls a die, which comes 
  up as a 2 and Jargo scores 5. Jargo's player declares 
  he is spending Jargo's final 2 Glory points to add a 
  d6 to the score. He rolls a 4 and Jargo's score is now 
  9, which is still not enough to resist. His player 
  declares that reluctantly Jargo walks towards the 
  voice, and whatever awaits him behind the 
  curtain. . . 
  DAMAGE
  When completely healthy a character has 0 
  Wounds. Wounds can be physical (cuts, 
  bruises), 
  mental (shock, 
  insanity) or 
  mystical (a broken heart, spiritual attacks) 
  and are all added (cumulatively) to the 
  same Wounds 
  total. There 
  are not 
  separate Wounds totals for the different 
  types of damage. A physically injured 
  character is more susceptible to a sudden 
  shock than an uninjured character. 
  Each result point of an attack causes 1 
  Wound 
  point 
  to the 
  victim. 
  When 
  wounded, a character tests their Mastery, 
  
  Wisdom or Power (for physical, mental or 
  mystical damage) against an opposing 
  value of their current Wounds total. A 
  result of 1 or more means the character 
  can flght on. A result of 0 or lower renders 
  the character unconscious. A result of -5 or 
  lower indicates that the character is 
  possibly dead.  Only the GM and the other 
  players can decide if a character dies or 
  not, it is their responsibility to choose 
  what is best for the story. 
  HEALING
  Characters normally heal 1 Wound (i. e. 
  subtract one from their current Wounds 
  total) for every hour of rest, but the GM 
  can rule that Wounds may take longer to 
  heal and require either medical or some 
  other aid. 
  ENCUMBRANCE AND AGILITY
  Heavy armor limits the wearer's agility, 
  flexibility and movement; the scores of all 
  tasks involving agility are reduced by the 
  ENC level of the armor worn. 
  WEAPONS
  A punch or kick does less damage than 
  other attacks and so subtracts 3 from the 
  wounds caused [a 'damage modifier' 
  ((DM) of -3 ], other DMs are given below. 
  TYPE 
  DM Example
  Ultra Light
  -3
  Kick, Punch, Improvised 
  Attack (bottle, etc. ) 
  Very Light
  -2
  Knife, Sap, Sling, Shortbow, 
  .22 Handgun or SMG
  Light
  -1
  Club, Machete, 9mm or . 38 
  Handgun or SMG
  Medium 
  ±0
  Sword, Axe, Crossbow, . 45 
  Handgun or SMG, Shotgun
  Heavy 
  +1
  Sword (2H), Flail (2H), 
  Spear (2H), . 357 or . 44 
  Handgun,  Light Rifle (5. 
  56mm, . 22) 
  Very Heavy
  +2
  Greatsword (2H), Greataxe 
  (2H), Halberd (2H), Pike 
  (2H), Medium Rifle (7. 62mm, 
  . 303 cal), Shotgun 
  (pointblank) 
  Ultra Heavy +3
  Chainsaw (2H), Heavy 
  (13mm, . 50 cal)  Rifle
  (2H) = two-handed use. Kicks, punches and improvised 
  attacks require no skill. 
  ARMOR
  Armor reduces the number of Wounds by 
  a set amount, see the table below. Armor 
  will not reduce a blow below causing 1 
  Wound. Armor does not protect against 
  non-physical wounds. (PR =Protection, 
  ENC =Encumbrance. ) 
  PR
  ENC
  Armor
  +1
  0
  Leather, Composite Fabric 
  armor
  +2
  1
  Ringmail, Light Chainmail 
  Armor or Flak Jacket
  +3
  2
  Heavy Chainmail, Scale Armor
  or Powdered Lead.
  +4
  3
  Plate Armor or Metal Plates
  
  ELEGANT
  ROLE-PLAYING
  8
  © 2002 Gregor Hutton  •  Elegant Role-Playing
  WISDOM
  POWER
  MASTERY
  WOUNDS
  GLORY
  injury
  damage
  pain
  insanity
  fortune
  experience
  destiny
  karma
  knowledge
  memory
  reason
  education
  dexterity
  skill
  talent
  strength
  chi
  charisma
  determination
  fate
  MY LEGEND and my Specialities
  MY POSSESSIONS and their effects
  acting score – opposing value = result
  Your score is a rating plus a d6. Both
  Attributes and Skills allow an extra d6 to be
  rolled on tasks (up to a maximum of 3 dice), pick
  the highest die for calculating the score.
  Reroll a d6 on a task:
  1 Glory
  Add an extra d6 to a task score:
  2 Glory
  Wounds start at 0 and are cumulative. When
  injured test Mastery, Wisdom or Power against
  the current number of wounds. A result of 0 or
  lower renders the character unconscious. A
  result of –5 or below may kill the character.
  C H A R A C T E R
  S H E E T
  N A M E
  http://gregorhutton.com/
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Elegant/Elegant Corebook.pdf