Master your Roman Legacy
Embedded Files
The 1d100 System
At the heart of Rome is the 1d100 system. Roll a 100-sided die (or two d10s, one for tens and one for units) to resolve actions. Each skill has a percentage value—roll under your skill value to succeed. For example, if your Diplomacy skill is 60%, you need to roll 60 or lower to persuade a senator. It’s simple, intuitive, and allows for deep strategic play.
Skills
The game features five categories of four skills each, for a total combined of 20 different skills that grow independetly from each other. These categories are:
CHARISMA: Intimidation, Oratory, Performing and Persuasion
COMBAT: Melée Combat, Missile Weapon, Throwing Weapons and Unarmed Combat
KNOWLEDGE: Medicine, Natural History, Philosophy and Religion
PHYSIQUE: Athletics, Endurance, Dexterity, Strength
STEALTH: Lockpicking, Sensing, Sneaking and Tracking
Skill Tests
Every challenge in Rome is resolved with a skill test. From climbing a wall (Athletics) to deciphering an ancient scroll (Knowledge), your character’s skills determine the outcome. Modifiers can adjust the difficulty: a +10 bonus might apply for favorable conditions, while a -20 penalty could reflect a stormy night. Critical successes (rolling 01-05) yield exceptional results, while critical failures (96-00) might lead to disaster.
Experience and Leveling Up
In Rome, experience is tied to individual skills, reflecting a realistic approach to growth. You can’t become a better fighter by reading books, nor a scholar by fighting—skills improve through use, even failures. Each skill starts at a base value of 20 and increases with accumulated XP. The XP cost to level up rises with the skill level: advancing from 21 to 22 costs 100 XP, while 93 to 94 costs 5000 XP. XP resets to 0 after each upgrade, ensuring steady but challenging progression. Earn XP through skill tests, training, or studying Legendary Books, and watch your character grow into a legend of Rome.
Combat Overview
Combat in Rome is tactical and intense, with two types: individual and group. Individual combat, the focus here, pits characters against each other in personal duels. First, determine who attacks by rolling 1d10 + Determination. The highest total attacks first. Calculate your Attacking Rate (AR) as Determination + relevant combat skill (e.g., Melee for a gladius). Roll 1d100—if the roll is ≤ AR, the attack hits; otherwise, it misses. A successful attack deals weapon damage (e.g., 1d8 + 2 for a gladius), with a 1d10 roll determining the struck body part. Armor reduces damage, and successful hits increase AR by +3. Critical hits (natural 1 or matching AR) double damage and increase AR by +6. Combat continues until one participant is incapacitated, surrenders, or escapes, with accumulated damage potentially causing serious injuries like knockouts or loss of limbs.
Group Combat Overview
Group combat scales individual mechanics for large-scale battles. Armies, treated as singular entities, have Unit Points (UP): each infantry soldier adds 1 UP, and each cavalryman adds 3 UP. For example, 500 infantry and 100 cavalry total 800 UP. Armies deal damage based on their main weapon and size (soldiers divided by 100): polearms add +5, bladed weapons +3, bows +2, large shields +1, and improvised weapons +1. When an army’s UP reaches 0, it’s routed or destroyed. Player characters retain their Health Points, adding 1 UP if fighting on the front lines, and can withdraw, surrender, or rally troops during battle.
Talents
Talents are extraordinary traits that bring your character to life, offering unique abilities beyond basic skills. Starting talents are granted by your profession, but any talent can be unlocked by reaching the required skill level. For example, an Endurance skill of 50 unlocks the “Diver” talent, letting you hold your breath underwater for minutes—perfect for a pearl gatherer or a soldier evading detection. Talents like these add narrative richness, allowing your character to perform remarkable feats that shape their story.
Additional Aspects
The rules of Rome: The Historical Role-Playing Game are fluid and intricately designed, allowing for an extremely realistic approximation of a real-life experience in the ancient world, where every decision feels as consequential as it would in the bustling streets of the Eternal City or the chaotic battlefields of the Roman provinces. This design is in keeping with the game's original purpose: to "mentally transport" all participants to a world increasingly distant in time from our present, immersing them in a realm where the scent of incense in a temple, the tension of a Senate debate, or the clash of legions against barbarian hordes becomes palpable.
Unlike other titles also based on the 1d100 system, which can be notoriously unforgiving, Rome strikes a balanced approach—challenges are real, but the game is hardly "unforgiven" unless played with reckless abandon. Temporary injuries, such as a twisted ankle from a failed chase through the Subura’s narrow alleys, or permanent injuries, like a severed hand from a brutal siege, add weight to every action, while the ever-present threats of being poisoned by a rival’s tainted wine, bewitched by a priestess’s dark ritual, or driven mad by the horrors of war test a character’s resilience and cunning. The game’s mechanics deepen this realism: players can choose to ignore skill tests in moments of desperation, risking failure for a chance at speed, or retry failed attempts at a cost, reflecting the persistence of a determined Roman. Skills that take time, like crafting a gladius or deciphering an ancient text, require careful planning, while opposed skill tests pit characters against each other in tense duels of wit or strength, such as a thief sneaking past a guard. Training with mentors or studying Legendary Books offers paths to growth beyond mere repetition, adding depth to character development.
Combat is equally nuanced—sneak attacks allow for deadly ambushes, and fighting without weapons turns a brawl into a test of raw grit. Conditions, both temporary (like exhaustion from a long march) and permanent (such as a lingering curse), shape a character’s journey, while large-scale warfare brings its own challenges: sieges test a leader’s strategy as they breach enemy walls, chases through the countryside or chariot races in the Circus Maximus demand quick thinking, and naval combat on the Mediterranean pits triremes against pirate galleys in thrilling encounters. Together, these mechanics create a rich tapestry of gameplay that mirrors the complexity of life in Ancient Rome, rewarding careful planning and bold action in equal measure.
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