Everything is still heavily work in progress and aspects of the system might change, especially the details.

About the System

The Horizon Fan TTRPG is a tabletop role-playing game based on the Video Games Horizon Zero Dawn and Horizon Forbidden West. The goal is to keep the vibe of the games the same and integrate them into a new medium of Pen and Paper. However, I also aim to simplify as much as possible to allow new and inexperienced players to quickly get into a game and the world while also adding enough options for experienced players to enjoy.

Dice System

The Horizon Fan TTRPG uses a d12 and d6 success pool system. Each player has a minimum of 1d12 for any roll if they do not have any expertise or proficiency in a skill, ability or weapon. If you have expertise, you can add one additional d12, and the proficiency dice (d6) can pool up to 10d6 in total for any check made through different sources.

When rolling check or attack, you must roll equal to or higher than the set target number (TN), commonly 4. Each dice, whether d12 or d6, reaching the TN counts as a success. To see if a check is successful, the GM or Chaplain, as they are called in this system, defines a set number of successes required to succeed in the check.

Three-Action Economy

The entire system is based on a three-action economy, from combat-, to social encounters, travelling, exploration, delving and more. Certain features require a number of actions between one and three to be used, while many other checks can be made with just one roll, or one to two additional rolls to reduce the difficulty of the final check.

Three Major Pillars

The system stands on three major pillars and a few minor ones. The focus is on not only providing a similar experience to video games but also adding some additional aspects for TTRPGS.

Combat

Combat is one of the most enjoyable aspects of video games, and I am trying to integrate a similar vibe into the pen-and-paper medium.  I want to uphold the uniqueness of machines, in their attacks, abilities, movement, and components, in the system, just as the elemental damages for weaknesses and resistances.

Like the games, the emphasis is on the various ranged weapons, but the game also includes some more melee weapons to allow the players to create a more custom character experience.

Initiative works in tiers from 0-12, depending on how many successes the player has rolled. Machines or other enemies can have their turn during multiple tiers, especially with the more weapons and attacks they have.

Social Interactions

Social interactions are an important aspect of most TTRPGs; talking to NPCs, befriending them, gaining information, influencing them, and more can be important for many of the party's missions and quests. Each NPC or faction has an attitude towards the players, ranging from enemy to hostile, neutral, and friendly to ally. As well as personality traits such as generosity, intimidacy, steadfastness, arrogance, and more. Players can play into the NPC's personality if they know it and gain a benefit on their role when interacting with the NPC.

An Interaction works in three stages: introduction, which defines the goal of the interaction, such as convincing someone, bartering with a trader, or befriending a guard, etc. Conversation, which is the main part where players can use the NPC's personality to their advantage, and resolution, which defines the outcome of the interaction.

For each stage, the player must roll a skill check, but only the resolution stage must be a social skill. The two previous stages can reduce the resolution's TN or increase it if the rolls are bad.

Adventuring

Adventuring can be done in three phases, depending on how dangerous the road is, or how unknown the are is to the players. Depending on the situation, an adventure can only have one or two phases.

Travel

Once the party has gotten a quest or a location to travel to and the road is dangerous, or they have to trek cross-country past machine sites or enemy outposts. The travel rules apply. Each party member will have one of three roles during travel, scout, protector or hunter. At different stages the party makes progress rolls to see how quickly or how safely they continue on their travel. During travel different events can happen which can afflict the entire party or just a particular player. 

Exploration

Once the party has reached the rough location of their adventure, they are most often in unknown terrain and searching for a hidden entrance or outpost, or one specific ruined structure in a city of the old ones, the party has to explore the area and find the specific location, object or machine they came here to find.

Undertaking

The undertaking can take many forms and is usually the most lengthy part of an adventure. It can involve social interactions, combat, a hunt, delving into ancient ruins, infiltrating an enemy base, and much more.

Minor Pillars

In addition to the three previously mentioned pillars there are additional mechanics which are supported by the system. Such as Crafting, Delving, Valour Surges, Knowledge Gathering, Techniques and more.

Characters

The system focuses on a fairly open character creation and level-up process. At the beginning of character creation, a character gains expertise in various skills and weapons based on the player's choices.

Legacies

Legacies are the tribes, if any, the player character feels most connected to, if they have been born within it, adopted into at a young age or joined the tribe later in life. They can also not feel associated to any tribe and be considered an outsider. Each tribe has a certain set of specialities, which sometimes overlap with other tribes. A legacy defines part of a characters skill expertise and possible destiny attached to the legacy.

Destinies

Destiny is the path the player character decides to take; these can be according to the legacy's suggestions or separated from it. each of the six destinies, Hunter, Scavenger, Crafter, Machinist, Traveller and Warrior, has an additional 3 different paths the player can decide to take. A player can only take one or more paths of the destiny chosen; if they want to learn a path from a different destiny, they must find a mentor to teach them. 

Destiny paths can provide various benefits on skill checks or attack rolls for specific situations.

Levelling up

When a player character levels up, they gain a number of skill points they can spend on skill proficiencies, or gaining features from their destiny path. A players total HP, Concentration and Valour increases as well.

A player gains experience points if they succeed in various tasks, including combat, social encounters, travel, scavenging, and more. Gaining experience is often connected to the adventure the party takes and what happens on their journey.