FMC Basic
Yo soy muy mía yo me transformo
Una mariposa yo me transformo
Makeup de drag queen yo me transformo
Lluvia de estrellas yo me transformo
Pasá de vuelta yo me transformo
Como Sex Siren yo me transformo
Me contradigo yo me transformo
Soy todas las cosas yo me transformo“SAOKO”, Rosalía
This is an HTML version of FMC Basic, of which you can find a printable PDF version below!
Table of Contents
Part I: Players
Bandits seek riches from ruins, throwing themselves into danger in the hopes of making something of their life. Some adventurers find a higher purpose during their exploits. Most die.
The game consists of a back-and-forth between the players and the referee, the former interacting with a game-world described by the latter via their characters. Each player guides their avatar and tempts fate to bestow upon them greatness or deliver them towards their own destruction.
Fate is invoked by the toss of a coin (or a die—less dramatic). After agreeing upon the stakes of the situation, the acting player calls heads or tails, and then the referee reveals the outcome.
Players are wise to avoid tempting fate. A good referee will help them by adequately describing their characters’ surroundings to enable them to make informed decisions.
As bandits survive, they will accumulate experience and acquire fantastic powers. They will continue adventuring until they find something better for themselves. Some do. Most die.
Your adventurer’s fate is in your hands now.
Call it.
Getting Started
Each player decides if they will play as a fighter, mage, or expert. Besides starting with one or two items from their class, they also start with up to three of the below items of their choice:
- Iron Spikes
- Oil Flask
- Lantern
- Rope & Hook
- Torches
- Vaulting Pole
- Camping Kit
- Mallet & Stakes
- Rations
- Tent
- Waterskin
- Wine
- Belladonna
- Crucifix
- Garlic
- Holy Water
- Mirror
- Wolfsbane
The adventurer may also start with leather armor and/or a one-handed weapon if the player wishes. The referee may introduce more options to the table if the adventure calls for it, and players may request options unlisted if it would be fair for their character to start with them.
Finally, the player notes their figure’s defense class and speed. Now they’re ready to play!
Getting Better
Characters earn experience by extracting treasure or defeating monsters on their adventurers. Fighters become stronger, mages increase their magical power, and experts learn more skills.
More importantly, as the campaign progresses, the characters advance their agendas or complete their goals in the gameworld. This could be the establishment of a stronghold, but it could also be the overthrow of a tyrant or even just retirement.
A campaign’s goal is ultimately what the players make of it, and what they see fit for their characters.
Fighters
| Level | Experience | Hit Points | Prowess |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 5 | +1 |
| 2 | 1,500 | 10 | +2 |
| 3 | 4,000 | 15 | +3 |
| 4 | 8,000 | 20 | +4 |
| 5 | 16,000 | 25 | +5 |
Fighters are good at fighting. Each adventure, they can attune to 1 magical weapon (pp. 14, 21).
The ‘Prowess’ column shows the bonus that fighters add to their attack rolls, although not to their damage (p. 9). When the fighter wields a magic weapon with a bonus, they will add that to both attack and damage rolls (p. 21).
A +1 magic weapon auto-kills any mook (2 h.p.) hit, and a +3 magic weapon auto-kills any grunt (4 h.p.) hit.
Fighters can also split their Prowess between multiple attacks or maneuvers per turn; e.g., a level 5 fighter could attack once at +3 and twice at +1. Magic weapons apply to all attacks evenly.
Starting fighters may pick from the following: (a) a one-handed melee weapon and a shield; (b) a two-handed melee weapon; or (c) a ranged weapon with a magazine (slot) of ammunition.
Mages
| Level | Experience | Hit Points | Energy |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 2 | 2,000 | 6 | 2 |
| 3 | 5,000 | 9 | 3 |
| 4 | 10,000 | 12 | 4 |
| 5 | 20,000 | 15 | 5 |
Mages have a strong affinity for the arcane, intrinsic or learned. They can cast spells from scrolls without expending the latter by spending their own energy instead (or that of 1 arcane focus to which they attune).
The ‘Energy’ column lists how much magical energy a mage has each adventure. Energy is restored after downtime, and can also be spent during downtime to charge a focus (p. 14).
Mages can also spend energy to deal arcane damage to a figure in sight and those adjacent, or all figures in a continuous 6” line. Roll 1d6 per energy spent to determine base damage.
Starting mages may pick any 2 of 20 spells on the opposite page. Other scrolls can be found while adventuring.
Spell Scrolls
A spell’s effect can be compounded by spending extra energy.
- Animate: Turn a corpse into a zombie with 1d6 hit points.
- Breathe: Survive in absence of air for 1d6 hours.
- Captivate: Charm an intelligent individual for 1d6 minutes.
- Dispel: Negate another magical effect.
- Empathize: Telepathize with one willing for 1d6 minutes.
- Float: Levitate up to 1d6 yards, moving at half speed.
- Force: Apply a magical force to an object of 10 × 1d6 lb.
- Hasten: Increase someone’s speed by 1d6”.
- Hamper: Decrease someone’s speed by 1d6”.
- Heal: Erase 1d6 points of damage.
- Illuminate: Summon daylight over 3 × 3” for 1d6 minutes.
- Knock: Opens any mundane or magical door, gate, or lock.
- Lullaby: Cause 1d6 worth hit dice of creatures to fall asleep.
- Metamorphose: Change a target’s appearance for 1d6 hours.
- Passwall: Opens a human-sized hole through any wall.
- Reveal: Obscure or invisible things become apparent.
- Scry: Observe a scene via an invisible sensor for 1d6 minutes.
- Shroud: Make 1d6 human-sized figures invisible.
- Teleport: Open a portal to a familiar place for 1d6 hours.
- Transmigrate: Transfer your spirit to another body.
Experts
| Level | Experience | Hit Points | Skills |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| 2 | 1,000 | 8 | 3 |
| 3 | 3,000 | 12 | 4 |
| 4 | 6,000 | 16 | 5 |
| 5 | 10,000 | 20 | 6 |
Experts are not masters of swords or sorcery, but they overcome fate’s temptations by whittling down their own margin of error.
‘Skills’ let experts flip an extra coin (or roll an extra die) at a task, or flip a single coin (or die) when trying things usually impossible. They start with 2 skills, and learn a new one each level.
Skills may include: surprising enemies, avoiding being surprised, picking locks, disabling traps, stealthing in shadows, climbing walls, listening through doors, navigating the outdoors, or attacking with a specific type of weapon. Feel free to invent your own, too!
The player may also wait to declare a skill until one would come in handy during play. Who knows what will really come in handy?
Experts can also attune to 1 magic weapon or arcane focus, and cast spells from scrolls, although they do not share the powers of fighters or mages that complement these items.
Starting experts may pick two from the following: (a) a toolbox, (b) a book of lore, or © any tool which enables them to perform their starting skills, within reason.
Equipment
10 copper pieces make 1 silver, and 10 silver pieces make 1 gold. 1 inventory slot fits up to 100 pieces of any currency type (p. 8). Below are guidelines for equipment costs (see p. 8 for armor):
- 1 c.p.: Fresh meal, pint of beer, 1 night at an inn.
- 5 c.p.: Torches for 1 hour, flask of oil.
- 10 c.p.: Ammunition, rations for 1 week.
- 20 c.p.: Simple tool, one-handed weapon.
- 50 c.p.: Complex tool, two-handed weapon.
- 100 c.p.: Month’s wages (4 weeks), fine goods.
Characters may start with 100 (10 × 3d6) c.p. instead of picking quick-start gear. Otherwise, they may start with 20 (2 × 3d6) c.p. in addition to their equipment.
Retainers
Prospective employees will only accept jobs for a month’s wages. A mercenary (same stats as a porc, as per p. 19) costs twice as much as a typical laborer.
A classed figure such as a fighter, mage, or expert will not accept payment, but could be persuaded to join the party in pursuit of their own interest. They will gain experience.
Armor & Speed
| Armor Type | Cost | Defense | Speed | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| None | — | 10 | 12" | 6 slots |
| Leather | 20 c.p. | 12 | 10" | 5 slots |
| Chainmail | 100 c.p. | 14 | 8" | 4 slots |
| Plate | 1,000 c.p. | 16 | 6" | 3 slots |
| Shield | 10 c.p. | +1 | — | (1 slot) |
An adventurer’s armor type determines their defense class (p. 9), their speed rating, and their carrying capacity.
Unlike suits of armor, shields take up capacity (1 slot). The wielder also has the option of destroying their shield to negate an incoming attack that would have otherwise hit and dealt damage.
Speed is given in tabletop inches which are rescaled to represent different contexts in the game such as skirmishes, mass combat, and underworld exploration.
Capacity is how many significant items an adventurer can carry without becoming encumbered. One may carry up to double their listed capacity, but in doing so they halve their speed.
For example, a figure wearing chainmail armor has a speed of 8” when traveling lightly or 4” when encumbered.
Combat
When one figure attacks another using a weapon, rather than by magical means, the participant in charge rolls d20 plus an attack bonus if one applies.
If the total score meets or exceeds the target’s defense class, the attacker lands a hit and deals damage of 1d6 for typical figures.
Two-handed weapons (either melee or ranged) occupy 2 slots, but allow the wielder to take the best of 2 dice when rolling damage.
Ranged weapons require 1 magazine (slot) of ammunition, which is only expended if the wielder shoots their weapon multiple times over the course of one encounter.
Ineffective weapons, like a steel sword against a lycanthrope, or an arrow shot at a skeleton, deal half their typical damage.
A typical figure’s defense class is a function of their armor type, whereas a monster’s defense class may represent more abstract factors such as dexterity or magic.
When a figure accumulates damage in excess of their hit points, they perish. Players may tempt fate for their figure to survive.
Site Exploration
Adventurers exploring a site such as a dungeon get 1 action per turn to move a number of squares (10 × 10 feet, or 10 sq. meters) up to their speed rating, to search their immediate surroundings, or to interact with significant features of the site.
When everyone has taken their turn, time passes in the world of the game and the referee checks to see if a monster wanders in the party’s direction. This can be a 1/6 chance.
There are 6 exploration rounds per hour in the gameworld. 1 pack (slot) of torches burns for 1 hour. A lantern burns for 4 hours, but requires a flask of oil which occupies a separate slot.
Overworld Exploration
Hexes are about 18 miles or 30 kilometers wide, the distance that one can cross in 1 day given flat terrain and decent conditions. However, 1 day is added to travel time if the terrain or weather prove disadvantageous for the party.
These hexes can be subdivided into 6 miles or 10 kilometers across, or into even smaller sizes, allowing for a more granular traversal of the overworld. Using 6-mile hexes, allow the party to cross 3 daily, adjusting the ‘cost’ of a hex using the same guidelines as above.
The referee checks for a random encounter each hex, with there being a 1/6 chance each day. For example, a hex requiring 3 days to traverse has a 3/6 chance of triggering a random encounter.
Each bundle (slot) of rations lasts 1 week. 1 day per week is spent resting, so there are up to 6 traveling days each week.
Wandering
If the party is traversing unknown lands without following a path, they roll d6 for which adjacent hex is available for them to enter. The party may choose to deviate from the selected hex by 1 hex in whichever direction they decide. Experts skilled at navigation allow the party to roll an extra die.
If the party is traversing known lands without following a path, they can only enter hexes by ways which they have already tried unless they choose to wander again.
In other words: the world is structured like a typical hex map, but it is experienced as a dynamic point crawl from the perspective of those exploring and navigating it.
Negotiation
A non-player character can have one of three moods towards the adventuring party: friendly, hostile, or neutral.
Friendly NPCs can be persuaded put to themselves at risk to help the adventurers, and will freely help otherwise. Neutral NPCs can be persuaded to help the adventurers so long as it does not put them at any risk. There’s no helping with hostile NPCs.
When negotiating with a non-player character, consider whether their attitude is compatible with the party’s request.
If a request would require persuasion, roll 1d6: [1-2] is negative; [3-4] is uncertain; and [5-6] is affirmative. The referee may take the best or worst of 2 dice to reflect the players’ approach.
An uncertain character may require extra reasoning for why they should offer help, or ask for something in exchange.
Negotiations conclude after a negative or affirmative response. Depending on the circumstances, or how poorly the dice roll, the former outcome may trigger a skirmish.
Skirmishes
If either party has the potential to be surprised, the participant in charge tempts fate. A surprised party loses their first turn, and their opponent gets to act together as a group.
If both parties are surprised, neither are surprised. An expert skilled at avoiding surprise tempts fate to regain their turn if their party is surprised in general.
Subsequent rounds are split into 4 phases of movement, missiles, melee, and magic—alternating between the winners and losers of initiative for that round (50-50 for either party). Each figure may move and attack, or cast a spell.
Speed rates are interpreted as paces. Opponents in 1” are stuck in melee until resolved, though a figure with a reach weapon can attack from 2” away. Shooting into a melee is a stupid idea.
When the opposing side loses its leader or half its numbers (or, in the case of a big monster, takes damage up to half its hit points), they must tempt fate or else break rank and flee. Not applicable if the opposing side cannot think for themselves.
Hirelings will not unexpectedly risk their lives for their employers, and allies may save themselves if faced with death.
Downtime
Downtime between adventures takes 1 week, or the remainder of 1 week after a short excursion.
During this time, characters cure points of damage equal to their level-1 hit points: 5 for fighters, 3 for mages, and 4 for experts. Mages also restore their arcane energy, and will be at full energy after just 1 week of rest.
In other words, it takes 1 week to cure 1 level’s worth of damage.
While resting and recuperating, characters can attune to magic weapons or arcane foci, commission suits of armor, or develop relationships with non-player characters.
1 downtime week affords 1 downtime action, although an action is not guaranteed to succeed. The referee may call for a die roll to adjudicate the outcome of an action.
For example, a mage could research spells, for which they roll d6: [1-2] means they flat-out fail; [3-4] means they succeed on their next week spent; and [5-6] means they succeed that very week. Each week may cost 1,000 c.p.
Mages can also use their energy over 1 week to charge a focus.
Part II: Referees
For the first session, the referee need only prepare a site for the adventurers to explore, its immediate surroundings, and a haven to which the adventurers can return.
Unless overworld travel is a feature of the campaign, the site should be a short-enough trip from the haven to make it back again after the excursion.
For ~1 hour of play, six rooms are sufficient for the adventure site so long as they are sufficiently interesting for players to explore! See Site Design to learn more (p. 16).
Later on, the referee can prepare the surrounding region (p. 17).
Site Design
Every six rooms of a site may contain one of the following:
- Occupied by monsters with treasure.
- Occupied by monsters without treasure.
- Unoccupied with trapped or hidden treasure.
The site’s occupants may have a total experience quantity 1,000 times the intended level of the adventuring party. For example, a level-1 site has ~1,000 experience points’ worth of monsters, such as 6 hoblins and 4 porcs (pp. 18-9).
The site also contains treasure worth this amount of experience, split between its two hoards (p. 20). This means that, overall, one site will grant enough experience for one characters to advance. However, the party will not necessarily ‘clear’ a site in one go.
The referee should populate the remaining rooms with features that interest the players (and serve as stages for encounters).
Each site is its own ecosystem, so it should reflect the microworld of the site’s inhabitants. Try answering the six journalistic questions to flesh out its history: who, what, when, where, why, and how?
Add six connections between the rooms, so that the site has one looping path. The connections can have obstacles such as [1d6]: [1] a stuck or locked door, requiring an adventurer to tempt fate to open it; [2] a hidden door, requiring ingenuity to uncover it; or [3] a very long corridor, requiring significant time to traverse it. Treat results from [4-6] as straightforward.
Finally, come up with d6 potential random encounters.
Region Design
What biomes and ecosystems are prevalent in the region? What are the major geographical features? What local factions exist, and how do they relate to each other? What monsters roam?
A starting region does not need to be too big: just about 6 hexes, enough for there to be multiple points of interest that players will want to reach and explore.
At this point, come up with some random encounters.
Hex Stocking
To populate hexes, try 1d6: [1] is a safe haven where one can stop, rest, and recuperate; [2] is an adventure site such as a ruin; or [3] is a monster’s lair.
Lairs may function as multi-room sites, or as one-room structures with monsters and their treasure. In the latter case, roll 500 × d6 to find the experience budget of the lair for monsters and treasure.
Results from [4-6] don’t need to be anything exhaustive, though like unoccupied site rooms they should not necessarily be empty. Place landmarks, natural or artificial, that distinguish the hex and may serve as a stage for an encounter.
Monster Types
| Bracket | Experience | Hit Points | Attack | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Mook | 50 | 2 | +0 | d4 |
| 2. Grunt | 100 | 4 | +1 | d6 |
| 3. Elite | 200 | 8 | +2 | d8 |
| 4. Lieutenant | 400 | 16 | +4 | d10 |
| 5. Boss | 800 | 32 | +8 | d12 |
Brackets simplify monster statistics by grouping them according to their relative combat strength.
To convert: mooks are equivalent to 1/2 hit dice, grunts to 1 hit die, elites to 2 hit dice, lieutenants to 4 hit dice, and bosses to 8 hit dice.
That being said, don’t stress it. If you want to use typical monsters, just give them +1 prowess per hit die up to +8 and use damage dice for the hit dice quantities listed. You could even roll for hit points.
The ‘Experience’ column indicates the experience points awarded for defeating a monster of a bracket, having light defense (12). This is increased by +50% for having medium defense (14), or by +100% for having heavy defense (16).
Like fighters, monsters improve at landing hits against enemies the more powerful they are, and can split their bonus between attacks if it’s greater than +1. Unlike fighters, however, monsters also improve their damage die by their bracket.
If a monster has especially formidable powers, such as reducing maximum hit points, self-restoration, or an area-of-effect attack, increase their experience by 50%.
Example Monsters
| Name | XP | DC | HP | SP | AT | DM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basilisk | 800 | 14 | 16 | 6" | +4 | d10 |
| Bear | 400 | 12 | 16 | 12" | +4 | d10 |
| Dragon, Young* | 500 | 16 | 8 | 8/24" | +2 | d8 |
| Dragon, Adult* | 1,000 | 16 | 16 | 8/24" | +4 | d10 |
| Dragon, Elder* | 2,000 | 16 | 32 | 8/24" | +8 | d12 |
| Ghoul† | 300 | 12 | 8 | 8" | +2 | d8 |
| Giant | 1,200 | 14 | 32 | 10" | +8 | d12 |
| Griffon | 800 | 16 | 16 | 12"/24" | +4 | d10 |
| Hoblin | 75 | 14 | 2 | 8" | +0 | d4 |
| Lycanthrope | 300 | 14 | 8 | 12" | +2 | d8 |
| Medusa§ | 600 | 12 | 16 | 8" | +4 | d10 |
| Ogre | 600 | 14 | 16 | 8" | +4 | d10 |
| Pegasus | 300 | 14 | 8 | 24/48" | +2 | d8 |
| Porc | 150 | 14 | 4 | 8" | +1 | d6 |
| Skeleton | 50 | 12 | 2 | 6" | +0 | d4 |
| Treant | 800 | 12 | 32 | 6" | +8 | d12 |
| Troll‡ | 800 | 14 | 16 | 6" | +4 | d10 |
| Vampire† | 2,000 | 16 | 32 | 12/18" | +8 | d12 |
| Wraith† | 600 | 12 | 16 | 12/24" | +4 | d10 |
| Zombie | 100 | 12 | 4 | 6" | +1 | d6 |
* Dragons breathe fire in a 3 × 9” cone extending from their mouth once per hour, dealing their damage die to all in line. This counts as casting a spell (pp. 9, 13).
† These undead reduce a figure’s maximum hit points by half the damage they deal on a successful hit. At 0 maximum hit points, the victim becomes undead.
‡ Trolls cure 1 point of damage per round. Their bodies must be burned.
§ Those facing a medusa must tempt fate to avoid becoming petrified.
Treasure Hoards
Recall that a site contains treasure in value equal to 1,000 times its level (p. 16). Our example site is for level-1 adventurers, having 1,000 c.p. worth of treasure.
Adventurers also seek out magic items for their own use. Try d6: [1] is a magic weapon (p. 21); [2] is a spell copied to a scroll (p. 5); [3] is an arcane focus, containing energy equal to the site’s level; and results from [4-6] are just valuable.
1 copper piece is worth 1 experience, 1 silver is worth 10 experience, and 1 gold is worth 100 experience.
Magic items do not grant an adventurer experience unless sold. Otherwise, that adventurer could have their cake and eat it too!
A scroll is worth 1,000 c.p., and a magic weapon is worth as many g.p. as the maximum roll of its power die. The power die should equal the damage die of the monsters who possess the weapon (pp. 18-9); it is used to determine the weapon’s powers (p. 21).
Valuable items can still be interesting. For example, an old bottle of wine could be worth 1 g.p. (100 c.p.), and our hoblins may be in possession of 4 bottles if the porcs also possess a magic weapon worth 6 g.p. (600 c.p.). The total value would be 1,000 c.p.
Magic Weapons
Magic weapons have special abilities and may also deal more damage than their regular counterparts.
First, roll 1d6: the weapon is either smashing [1, 4], slashing [2, 5], or stabbing [3, 6]; and it is either one- [1-3] or two-handed [4-6].
Then, find the weapon’s power. Roll on the table below using the its power die and all dice below (e.g., for d8, roll: d4, d6, d8) and treat duplicates as null results.
- Notice shifting rooms.
- Locate secret doors.
- Detect invisible things.
- Reveal traps or hazards.
- Detect metals or gems.
- Throw 3” and it returns.
- Alert against monsters.
- Become clairaudient.
- Become clairvoyant.
- Communicate telepathically.
- Move objects with mind.
- Cure 1 damage per hit.
If the weapon has powers less in number than its level, the difference is its bonus to attack and damage rolls. For example, a level-5 sword with 3 powers adds +2.
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