What is RISE?
Roleplaying · Imaginative · Storytelling · Entertainment
RISE is a dynamic fantasy roleplaying game that empowers players to create unique, immersive, stories. With unbounded character possibilities and engaging mechanics, RISE offers a customizable and evolving gameplay experience set in the fantastical, heroic, and adventurous world of Elara.
RISE is a tabletop roleplaying game (ttRPG) ideal for a group - or “table” - of three to six players who take on the roles of characters in an imagined world. One player who is designated the Game Master (GM), presents challenges, conflicts, narrative events, and conversations to the rest of the group of Player Characters (PCs) who roleplay as a single characters in response to these events. As the GM facilitates, the actions and responses of the PCs bring out rewards and consequences from the GM, culminating in an evolving and collaborative story that is adaptable to all ages and interests.
Sessions of RISE are shaped by roleplay decisions, player imagination, and combat strategy. Like many ttRPGs, individual challenges and discrete outcomes are determined by a roll of dice made better or worse by how players choose to design and prepare their characters. The element of chance adds uncertainty and chaos that may empower players to accomplish legendary feats!
The design of RISE provides a foundation for an immersive, heroic gameplay with a focus on combat and character design. The system keeps combat engaging and suspenseful, avoiding a sense of idleness for players.
RISE aims to provide a wealth of player agency in the freedom it gives players to customize characters without being locked into a specific track or play style. The flexible, point-based leveling system allows players to allocate points however they choose. Without predefined character paths, RISE opens the door to endless character possibilities and a truly personalized gaming experience.
Want to start with a back alley thief whose circumstances lead them to pursue a life of faith and healing? Or maybe you want to recreate the abilities of your favorite hero from a novel or movie and play it out in a new fantasy world. Either way, the expansive options of the RISE system will make your imagination a reality.
What Do I Need to Start?
Since no experience with ttRPGs is needed to play or run a RISE game, the first thing you will need is a group of willing players, with one taking on the Game Master (GM) role. This is a very important role, so this person should be willing to understand the rules and prepare before a session to facilitate the adventure of the other players to keep moving forward.
The Player Characters (PCs) will need character sheets, and three six-sided dice (3d6). That is really it! The rest is all up to your imagination and creativity. We highly recommend using the digital RISE character sheet, which makes it easy to calculate bonuses, locate abilities, and track points.
The GM will use additional resources (See Section/Chapter X) such as enemy character sheets, and will probably want a notepad to track ideas, damage, notes, etc.
Maps, character miniatures, and extra dice are all helpful tools that may enhance gameplay, but are not necessary.
If your group is pursuing a fully digital/online experience, or don’t have dice, there are plenty of dice-rolling websites that can be used.
How Does RISE Work?
This section will be an overview of game fundamentals including some basic guidelines on being a player.
Each game mechanic will be described in depth in the game mechanics section X.
Game Fundamentals
In RISE, there is back and forth collaboration between the Game Master and the other players at the table. The GM initiates the setting and situations for the Player Characters to which you and your fellow players will respond by describing what your characters do in response. In turn, the GM will then respond with effects and consequences of those choices, often asking for a dice roll per the rules in order to determine the results of certain actions. The result of those dice rolls will then impact the next beat of the story.
While those dice rolls result in “failures” or “successes,” for the characters of the game, there is no overall “winning” or “losing” for the players though you will likely strive to keep your character alive! Instead, the goal of the game is to create a fun and engaging adventure while exploring the fantastic world of RISE.
Each time you play RISE is called a session. Multiple sessions become campaigns, while some RISE stories might consist of just one game session called a one-shot. Whatever you play will depend on what works best for your group.
Player Roles
A group has two main roles:
GM
PCs
Roleplaying
Characters
Characters are the heart of RISE. Starting during character creation, you will start your character on a path shaped by your choices of Sats, Trades, Skills, Classes, and more. As your character survives combat and learns from trials, they will gain Level Points (LP) to mark their experience and gain more abilities to carry them through their next challenges on the path of their heroic adventures.
Dice
RISE uses six-sided dice, called “d6.” Primarily, you will roll 3 at a time, noted as “3d6.” The result of that roll is found by adding the number on each die together. So, a roll of 2, 4, 3 = 9. Occasionally you will need to roll other amounts of six-sided dice which will be noted as 1d6, 2d6, etc.
Attributes and Skills
Every character in RISE has nine Attribute scores assigned that represent a character’s physical, mental, and relational abilities. During gameplay, your Attribute score will be added to dice rolls to help determine the level of success your character reaches. A higher number, the more likely your character will succeed in challenges when using that Attribute.
The nine Attributes are:
- Endurance (END), Strength (STR), Accuracy (ACC)
- Dexterity (DEX), Perception (PER), Charisma (CHA)
- Heart (HRT), Intelligence (INT), Wisdom (WIS)
Additionally, characters can further specialize in an Attribute by focusing on one or more Skills. Skills range the full gamut from Recovery (Endurance), to Persuasion (Charisma), to Life Weaving (Wisdom) and may provide additional bonuses to Skill Tests as well as other passive abilities. Leveling up a character’s Skills is a great way to further define their specialties and interests.
Skill Tests
Whenever your character wants or tries to do something in the game, the GM or the ability itself will call for a skill test. This skill test is a dice roll to determine the success or failure of that character action. Skill Tests are completed by rolling 3d6, adding the result together, and adding (or subtracting) the relevant Attribute and Skill modifiers. That final total is the Test Result, which is compared to a Target Number to determine success or failure. A number equal to or above is a success!
Test Result = 3d6 + Attribute + Skill
Test Result ≥ Target Number = Success
Other bonuses or penalties (modifiers) might apply, including advantages and disadvantages.
Player Stats
During gameplay, specifically conflict encounters, there are several Stats that define the status and resources of your character. These include: HP, MP, Speed, Evasion, Armor, and Encumbrance.
HP (Health Points): A number representing the amount of health your character has until dying (0 points).
MP (Magic Points): A number representing the amount of magic your character has remaining to use.
Speed: A number representing how far your character can move in meters per round.
Evasion: A number used to represent how well your character can evade attacks.
Armor: Numbers (physical and arcane) to represent how much damage your character’s armor can absorb per attack.
Encumbrance: A number representing the amount of equipment weight your character can carry without becoming overburdened.
Feats
Whenever you make a skill test rolling 3d6, you have the opportunity to generate Feat Points (FP) - a renewable resource representing your character’s ongoing inner inspiration, momentum, and heroics. These can be spent to complete great Feats at any moment, meaning that players are never idle waiting for their turn to come. Instead, they should be ready at any moment to jump in and save the day!
Conflict Encounters
Actions & Passive Abilities
Besides Feats, there are other abilities and things your character can do as you play RISE. Some abilities (Passives) just happen actively, without needing a Skill Test to determine success or failure. For example, Rank 1 of the Carpenter Trade grants you the ability to construct reliable structures of all kinds in a fraction of the usual time, using salvaged or raw materials others would find inadequate.
Other abilities called Actions have a set action length (Major or Minor) to help handle the flow of actions in conflict encounters when RISE shifts into a turn-based system. During this time, players have a set amount of actions that can be done in their allotted turn.
When you want to do these actions like moving or casting a spell outside of a conflict encounter, no turn is required, just roleplaying the action and making the required Skill Tests.
Status conditions
Recovery and Dying
Level Points
This is the final resource you will track as a player throughout a RISE campaign. At each “level up” as determined by the GM, all Player Characters will receive Level Points (LP) to spend on Attributes, Skills, Trades, Classes, Stats, and/or Spells. See Section X Chapter X for more details on allocating LP for your character and let the customization begin!
Player Roles
Role of the Game Master (GM)
Arbitrate rules
Assign target numbers
Plan for challenges and conflict encounters.
Role of the Players
Use LP.
Keep character sheet up to date.
Communication
How To Use This Book
Section 2: Character Creation
- Walks through the steps of the character creation process, introducing
Section 3: PC Options
- Contains all character option details
Section 4: Game Mechanics
- Contains the details of all game rules