Welcome to Easy Play D20. One player acts as the Guide (running the world and enemies); everyone else plays an Adventurer. You need a 20-sided die (d20) and these rules.
Before drawing a weapon, build your adventurer.
When you attempt something risky, the Guide calls for a roll.
Spend 1 Resolute Point (RP) before any roll to buy Advantage. Roll 2d20 concurrently and use the highest value.
If factors impose Disadvantage, roll 2d20 and use the lowest value. If you have both, they cancel each other out.
Attributes govern your interactions outside of combat.
Social Combat: Standoffs, interrogations, and negotiations are resolved via Will checks against a Target Difficulty. You do not deal HP damage; you break their resolve. A success earns a realistic concession: a merchant offers a minor discount, a guard looks the other way, or an intimidated enemy hesitates. NPCs will never act against their core survival or primary interests. Presenting leverage (evidence, bribes) or utilizing your Background grants Advantage. Failure escalates the threat (e.g., they draw weapons, call for backup, or shut down entirely).
A "Round" represents exactly 6 seconds of simultaneous action. There are no reactions outside your turn.
Hitting 0 HP (Dying): You fall unconscious and are Dying. An ally must pass a Normal (14) Will check as an Action to stabilize you within hours equal to your Will modifier (min 1), or you die. You wake up with 1 HP. Taking any direct damage while at 0 HP results in immediate death.
Healing takes time and forces the party to seek safety.
The Guide awards Experience Points (XP) for milestones. Progression expands your abilities horizontally; it does not grant superpowers.
| Lvl | XP | Permanent Upgrades |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | Calculate vitals and unlock Level 1 abilities. |
| 2 | 10 | Add +1 to any Attribute. Unlock L2 features. |
| 3 | 20 | Max RP increases by +1. Unlock L3 features. |
| 4 | 30 | Add +1 to any Attribute. Unlock L4 features. |
| 5 | 40 | Max RP increases by +1. Unlock L5 features. |
| 6 | 50 | Add +1 to any Attribute. Unlock L6 features. |
| 7 | 60 | Max RP increases by +1. Unlock L7 features. |
| 8 | 70 | Unlock Apex L8 feature. (Max Level). |
If a situation arises not covered here, the Guide makes a fair call. Prioritize reality, rely on the Action Engine, and keep moving.
A failed roll shouldn't just mean "nothing happens." It introduces complications, lost resources, or shifting environments.
The battlefield is a weapon. Exploit surroundings to survive.
Combat inflicts physical trauma that alters the action economy.
Combat rarely starts on equal footing. If one side initiates violence while the opposing side is completely unaware of their presence, the attackers gain a Surprise Round. During this round, only the ambushers take a turn (resolving a standard Move and Action Phase). Once the ambush round concludes, all combatants roll Initiative normally.
Gravity and elements do not care about your stats. Falling from a height greater than 2 paces inflicts 2 flat damage per pace fallen. Moving through extreme terrain (deep water, thick mud, heavy snow) counts as Difficult Terrain and halves your Movement paces. The Guide enforces the logical physical limits of the world.
Your gear dictates your combat style and combat flexibility. In Easy Play D20, combat relies on predictable flat damage and strict constraints on what you can hold in your hands. Adapt your arsenal to the threat at hand.
Your character only has two hands. How you fill them determines your combat capabilities. Wielding a shield uses 1 hand, completely locking you out from using Heavy Melee Weapons or utilizing the 2-Handed stance for Ranged Weapons.
Armor provides a direct, static boost to your Defense Target (DT). You may only wear one type of armor at a time.
| Armor Type | Bonus to DT | Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Light Armor | +1 | None |
| Heavy Armor | +2 | Requires 3 Might |
| Shield (Passive Wall) | +1 | Requires 1 Hand |
To keep combat fast, we do not roll dice to calculate damage. If your attack roll is successful, you deal predictable, flat damage directly to the enemy's Health Points.
Weapon Base Damage + Attribute Modifier = Total Flat Damage
(Note: Even with negative modifiers or penalties, an attack that successfully hits will always deal a minimum of 1 damage).
If your d20 attack roll naturally lands on a 20, you execute an Overdrive Strike. Add your matching Attribute Modifier to the total flat damage a second time.
Easy Play D20 abstracts exact coin counting into general Wealth, but survival is never free. You must actively scavenge loot, claim bounties, or trade valuables to pay for your basic needs. Booking a safe inn, buying standard consumables, or repairing gear requires spending your hard-earned Wealth. If your pockets are empty, you will sleep in the dirt and fight with whatever you can find.
You begin with nothing but the clothes on your back and the bare minimum to survive your first encounter. When generating your character, claim the following:
Everything else must be bought, traded, scavenged, stolen, or earned.
Choose your weapon category based on your approach. The weapon you choose determines which Core Attribute you add to your attack and damage rolls.
| Weapon Style | Base Dmg | Hands Req. | Attribute Used |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unarmed Strike (1 Pace Range) |
0 | 1 Hand | Might or Agility |
| Improvised Tool (Chair, bottle, rock) |
1 | 1 or 2 | Might |
| Ranged / Thrown (3 Paces Range) |
1 | 1 Hand | Agility |
| Ranged Weapon (10 Paces Range) |
2 | 2 Hands | Will |
| Light Melee (1 Pace Range) |
3 | 1 Hand | Might or Agility |
| Heavy Melee (1 Pace Range) |
5 | 2 Hands | Might |
Your character has a maximum number of Active Inventory slots equal to 4 + your Might modifier.
To maintain a setting-agnostic world, the exact appearance of your gear changes, but the mechanics remain strict.
| Item Type | Mechanic / Benefit |
|---|---|
| Triage Kit (Bandages, Poultices, Stims) |
Spend an Action Phase to automatically stabilize a dying ally at 0 HP. Consumed on use. |
| Utility Tool (Crowbar, Lockpicks, Hacker Deck) |
Grants Advantage on specific out-of-combat exploration checks. |
| Survival Rations (Dried meat, clean water) |
Consumed during a Sanctuary Rest to prevent starvation penalties. |
| Light Source (Torch, Lantern, Flashlight) |
Negates Disadvantage on perception checks in pitch-black environments. |
Features execute exclusively during your active turn sequence. Resource expenditures subtract instantly from your current Resolute Points (RP) track.
Narrative Role: The unmovable shield of the party. You secure physical space, hold the line, and endure what others cannot survive.
Combat Loop: Position yourself in doorways and narrow chokepoints. Force enemies to deal with your Iron Stance to soak damage while allies strike from safety behind you.
Narrative Role: The aggressive entry specialist. You dictate battlefield positioning and punish enemies through sheer physical momentum.
Combat Loop: Utilize Breacher to ignore obstacles. Use Drive Back to violently shove enemies out of full cover so your ranged allies have a clear line of sight to finish them off.
Narrative Role: The scalpel. You specialize in bypassing security, flanking enemies, and executing devastating close-quarters strikes.
Combat Loop: Wait for your heavy allies to engage a target from the front. Circle around through the shadows and maneuver behind for a devastating Backstab.
Features execute exclusively during your active turn sequence. Resource expenditures subtract instantly from your current Resolute Points (RP) track.
Narrative Role: The ranged overwatch. You meticulously secure angles, control enemy movement, and eliminate targets from afar.
Combat Loop: Forfeit your movement to gain Aimed Shot bonuses. Let the enemy come to you by laying down Pinning Volleys on obvious, unprotected approach vectors.
Narrative Role: The manipulator. You analyze physical structures, disable enemy gear, and exploit environmental weaknesses to turn the tide.
Combat Loop: You are an environmental puzzle solver. Look for hanging crates, unstable walls, or locked doors to exploit and destroy while the team covers you.
Narrative Role: The field medic and tracker. You keep the squad alive through grueling conditions using triage and physical intervention.
Combat Loop: Stay out of melee. Use Drag to Safety to physically pull downed allies behind full cover, then apply Pressure Dressings before the enemy can finish them off.
As the Guide, your job is not to defeat the players, but to present them with a dangerous, grounded world that reacts logically to their choices. Do not fudge dice rolls, and do not track enemy RP. Let the Action Engine do the work. The rules below give you the framework to adjudicate the world fairly and keep the game moving.
When a character attempts an action outside of combat that has a meaningful chance of failure, set the Target Difficulty based on the physical reality of the situation.
Do not roll dice to calculate hazard damage. If a player fails a check to disarm a trap, falls off a ledge, or touches a dangerous hazard, immediately deal flat damage to their HP based on the severity:
Enemies do not have classes or RP. They possess four simple, static numbers. Like players, enemies deal flat damage upon a successful attack roll (1d20 + Atk vs Player DT). No rolling for damage keeps combat lightning fast. Enemy Criticals: If an enemy rolls a Natural 20 on an attack, they deal an additional +2 flat damage.
Expendable grunts or swarms. They attack in groups but die fast.
HP: 3 | DT: 10 | Attack Roll: 1d20 + 1 | Damage: 2
Trained soldiers, aggressive beasts, or standard outlaws.
HP: 12 | DT: 12 | Attack Roll: 1d20 + 2 | Damage: 3
Heavily armored veterans or highly lethal predators.
HP: 22 | DT: 14 | Attack Roll: 1d20 + 4 | Damage: 5
Trait: Tactical discipline; they gain Advantage on attack rolls when targeting flanked or Prone enemies.
A master combatant or massive monstrosity.
HP: 45 | DT: 15 | Attack Roll: 1d20 + 5 | Damage: 6
Trait: They possess 2 Action Phases per turn.
Instead of memorizing dozens of different monster sheets, you can customize any basic Threat Tier by applying a single modifier. Simply take a base stat block (like a Tier 2 Standard) and adjust those numbers using one of the templates below to change how they fight:
To build a fair combat encounter, scale the enemy ratios to match the party's average level and total player count (assuming a standard group of 3 to 4 players).
Guide's Note: As players reach Levels 5-8, their stats will grow. To keep the game lethal, naturally increase all enemy HP by +10 and Enemy Attack Rolls by +2 at these higher tiers.
Enemies are not suicidal; they have a realistic sense of self-preservation. If an enemy faction loses their Boss (Tier 4), is reduced to less than half of their starting numbers, or suffers a massive tactical disadvantage (like a bridge collapsing behind them), the Guide should test their morale. Roll 1d20. On a 10 or lower, the surviving enemies break formation to flee, surrender, or desperately fall back to full cover.
Characters do not find magical chests full of gold. They survive by picking the bones of the battlefield. After a hostile encounter, if the party fully secures the area, they may spend a Short Breather to scavenge. The Guide should offer realistic, tangible loot based on the defeated enemies or the environment: a handful of Wealth, a single Triage Kit, or a salvaged tool. Because players have limited Active Inventory slots, this forces them to make hard tactical choices about what they carry.
Players will inevitably attempt creative actions not explicitly listed on their class sheets (e.g., throwing sand in an enemy's eyes, swinging on a chandelier, or shooting a steam pipe to blind a corridor). Do not say no. Instead, assign a Core Attribute and a Target Difficulty (usually Normal 14). A successful roll should grant an ally Advantage on their next roll, or inflict a condition like Dazed on an enemy for one turn. A failure means they waste their Action Phase and leave themselves exposed.
Never let the players feel completely safe outside of a Sanctuary Rest. The world should always be moving against them. If the party lingers too long in hostile territory, rolls extremely poorly on an exploration check, or creates massive noise (such as triggering a Volatile Reaction explosion), the Guide must escalate the situation. Introduce a sudden environmental shift (e.g., the lights go out, a severe storm hits, the spaceship tilts) or send a fresh Tier 1 patrol to investigate the disturbance. Keep the pressure on at all times.