Dice Maid Roleplaying Game - Mechanics

Deathkitten · Aug 24, 2015

Athletics: Physical ability, combat ability

Affection: How good are you at forming bonds with your master and the other maids?

Skill: How good are you at your maid duties?

Cunning: How capable are you at tricking enemies and other maids, and deceiving the master?

Luck: Just how lucky are you?

Will: How positive and constructive is your thinking?

This is a table, so that you can roll a die and pick one of the mansion’s inhabitants at random. This is more for me, GM than anyone else.

Mira Hirozi
Finny
Emily
Ilina Aniri
Callie
Jaquelyne D'vontlaine Mordaunte
Maya
Mika Bloom
Kaida
Nina
Syn
Suzu Watanuki
Mary Shapher
Zelda
Connor Mckinley
Sebastian N. Voorhees

Spirit: The amount of Stress a character can take before having a Stress Explosion.

The basic mechanic of this system is to roll 1d6 and multiply the result by the attribute you are using in a particular situation. The GM decides on a target number, which the roll has to exceed in order to be successful, but in the case of opposed actions (where two characters are directly opposing each other), refer to the Combat rules. A player can decide which attribute gets used for his maid’s action as long as they can justify it. If an attribute is at 0, the maid simply cannot succeed at actions that use that attribute. If this happens, the maid’s best bet is to try to work together with other maids and/or the master to accomplish her goal, or try to come at the problem from another angle.
4-6 The minimum necessary to succeed at an action.

6-8 Difficult for an amateur, but easy for a pro.

8-10 Something only a pro can pull off.

10+ Difficult even for a pro.

Note: Maids are basically pros in their area of expertise.
In this game, “combat” is what happens whenever characters are opposing or competing with one another. This covers the usual forms of combat like swordfighting, magic, and firearms, but it also comes into play when maids are in some way opposing someone. The GM (or sometimes the players) should choose which attribute a maid uses for combat, and this is used for an opposed roll. Also, regardless of how many maids and NPCs are participating in combat, their actions are basically simultaneous. The attack power of an action is 1d6 times the relevant attribute. Whoever’s action has the highest Attack Power wins that round of combat, while the opponent(s) (here, we are calling the loser the “defender”) are subject to psychological harm in the form of Stress.

The opponent suffers Stress equal to the attacker’s Attack Power divided by the attribute the defender was using against the attacker, rounded down. If the defender’s relevant attribute is 0, they take Stress Equal to the full Attack Power. If both combatants roll the same Attack Power, then it is a tie or stalemate and neither side takes any damage. When several characters are working together, whether for attacking or defending, their respective Attack Powers are added together. If a group acting together is taking Stress, one member of the group(decide amongst yourselves) will take all of the Stress points. When a maid takes Stress, note it down. It is up to you to keep track of it. If a maid accumulates more Stress than her Spirit, she will have a Stress Explosion. If you really don’t want to have a Stress Explosion, you can opt to do whatever the opponent wants, and thereby not take any Stress. Think about what you’re doing before you start walking down this path. (Though it could be interesting in its own way...)

Favor represents how pleased the master is with a given maid. The GM (master) hands out points of Favor to the maid characters whenever she feels like it. In particular, points of Favor should go to maids who work hard to serve, assist, or rescue their master. These points can be spent in the following ways:
- Spend 1 Favor to remove 1 point of Stress.
- To raise an attribute by 1, spent a number of Favor points equal to the new attribute level desired, times 10.
- Spend 1d6 Favor to add +1 to either the die roll or your attribute score for one action.
- Spend 1d6 Favor to have a Random(or Normal) Event occur.
- A maid whose Favor drops below 0 is dismissed by the master or the household. To avoid being dismissed, maids can lower one of their attributes by one point, gaining 10 times the new attribute level in Favor (e.g., lowering Athletics from 3 to 2 provides 20 Favor), until the maid has 0 or more Favor. Of course, that means that maids can wind up on a downward spiral of reduced ability.
The GM should decide how to assign Favor points to the maids based on the criteria listed below. In the case of a major failure, or if a maid puts the master in danger, the GM can have a maid lose Favor, in quantities in line with the gains listed below. When a maid is about to lose Favor, she cannot spend any Favor until after the Favor points have been subtracted from her reserve. In other words, you can’t realize that you’re going to lose favor, and make a last-ditch attempt at using Favor to create random events or gain attributes and the like.
- 1d6 Successfully attending to the master. (ie: housework.)
- 2d6 Achieving a nice atmosphere with the master.
- 2d6-3d6 Completing a major difficult goal the master assigned to the group.
- 3d6-4d6 Saved the master’s life.
- 2d6-4d6 Let’s Get Physical with the Master (First time only)
- 1d6 Above, but subsequent times
Maids receive stress through combat as noted, or when it’s assigned by the GM. Combat in particular can cause a maid to accumulate lots of Stress very quickly. When a maid’s accumulated Stress exceeds her Spirit rating, she enters into a Stress Explosion. When this happens, the maid remains under the player’s control, but she can only do things that fall within the character’s Stress Explosion. However, as long as it falls within the Stress Explosion, anything goes. Each minute spent in this state removes one point of Stress, until the maid finally gets down to 0 Stress. This is usually in real life time, but with this setup, just gauge about how long. If I feel like it isn't enough for how much stress you've taken, I'll let you know. Stress can also be reduced by spending Favor points.
If your accumulated Stress exceeds your Spirit, you have a Stress Explosion. The conditions of a character’s Stress Explosion are set during character creation. You have to do that activity for a number of minutes equal to the accumulated Stress points(see Stress). NPCs usually fall unconscious, or sometimes even die, if their Stress exceeds their Spirit.

If there are at least two maid characters in a game session, another player can take the role of a butler. Butlers take Stress, gain Favor, and so on just like maids. However, butlers are subject to the advantages and disadvantages listed below.
- A butler must always wear a suit.
- Butlers do not take penalties for removing their uniforms like maids do.
- Butlers are strong. Their attributes are higher.
- Butlers must remain calm at all times. As such, they do not have Stress Explosions. If his Stress exceeds his Spirit, a butler must use Favor to reduce the Stress below his Spirit.
- Butlers cannot allow themselves to create chaos in the mansion. As such, they cannot use Favor to create random events.
- Butlers will automatically lose any combat against the Master or maids. (Seduction does not count as combat). However, they can enter combat normally if the Master orders them to do so.
- Butlers cannot remove Stress with the passage of time.
- Butlers may reduce their attributes to gain points of Favor, but they only get 5 times the new attribute level if they do.
Each maid has two Maid Types that define her in very general terms. Each Master has one favorite Maid Type.

A maid’s true power lies in her identity as a maid. For this reason, when deprived of her external appearance as a maid, her abilities are reduced. In game terms, this means that when a maid removes even part of her maid uniform (for example, when donning normal or other non-Maid clothing, or disrobing), she receives penalties to die rolls, as per the chart below. These penalties also apply if a maid’s uniform gets damaged or becomes excessively dirty. The penalties noted below are applied to the die roll of 1d6, which then gets multiplied by the character’s relevant attribute.

Headdress -2 The frilled headdress is the most important symbol of a maid.

Apron -1

Blouse -1

Skirt -1

Underwear -1 If a maid wasn’t wearing underwear in the first place, she doesn’t take this penalty.

Stockings -1 This can include socks, tights, or garter belts.
The master is at the heart of the game, and for the maids the most important character in it. The master is an NPC controlled by the GM. The master’s job is to command and evaluate the maids. While his actual abilities tend to be lacking compared to his maids, he is the highest authority in the mansion. The maids cannot directly oppose the master or his orders, though they might be able to do so in secret. Also, unlike a normal NPC, the master has a Stress Explosion just like a maid.

Each Master has two Power Sources that represent the things that make him great enough to be a Master. Power Sources can be used up to do a Session Order, which lets the Master have carte blanche very briefly. A Master with no Power Sources left could no longer really be called a true Master.

Characters, whether PCs or NPCs, can attempt to seduce each other. “Seduction” is trying to get someone to fall in love, or otherwise become romantically confused. The character being seduced loses their normal judgment, and does what the one doing the seducing (hereafter called the “seducer”) says. It is possible to seduce multiple people. The character being seduced can gain points of Favor as a result of the feelings of love and affection gained, so for maids and butlers, being seduced isn’t necessarily a bad thing. (Of course, for Masters and NPCs there isn’t a benefit per se).

On the other hand, the seducer benefits by having a convenient victim at her beck and call. Romantic activities can become the key to surviving and getting lots of juicy Favor. As such, in this game romance can be thought of as something that happens between two individuals, and is not in any way governed by gender. Whatever the players and GM might think themselves, the rules of the game have absolutely no penalties for same-sex relationships. (So, sometimes characters will fall in love with someone of the same gender).

Seduction uses rules similar to Combat, but it differs in how Stress and Favor are used. You can attempt to seduce any partner you can speak to or touch. The seducer uses Affection or Cunning (or possibly another attribute, with the GM’s permission), while the target can use whichever attribute they wish, in an opposed check. Both sides must role-play the effects of whatever attribute they’re using, and get the GM’s permission to make a seduction roll. If the seducer’s roll is successful, seduction can take place.

The victim of a seduction attempt cannot avoid having to roll the dice like in combat; they have no choice about this. However, for each unsuccessful seduction attempt on the same character, successive attempts receive a penalty of -1 to the die roll. Unlike normal combat, the seducer cannot spend Favor on seduction rolls (though the target can). Furthermore, although the seducer takes Stress if the attempt fails, the target does not take any for failing.

Even if players specifically want their characters to be seduced and thereby gain the benefits of such, both sides must still make rolls as usual. However, if two PCs are rolling against each other, they can try to seduce each other if they’re so inclined. Furthermore, it is possible for two characters to become seduced by each other.

If a seduction attempt is successful, the two characters are subject to the following advantages and disadvantages. Seducing the Master or the butler has slightly different effects, noted below.

The seducer automatically succeeds in any combat against the seduced. (Which means he or she can give orders and always be obeyed).

Penalty: Because the seducer in effect takes on the role of Master for his or her partner, he or she must award Favor points to them, following the same guidelines as for Masters. However, the seducer does not get to take Favor points away from them as a Master can. Furthermore, if the Master is seduced, the seducer does not receive any extra Favor beyond what would normally be awarded. She can’t force the Master to give her extra Favor points, for example.

The seduced can receive Favor from a second source in addition to the Master.

Penalty: The seduced automatically loses to the seducer in combat rolls.

Penalty: If a character is seduced by multiple people at the same time and they give him or her conflicting orders, those seducers must make a contested roll to see whose order gets followed. However, the seduced takes any Stress from this roll instead of the seducer.

If a maid or butler fails at seducing the Master, he or she
- not only takes Stress as usual, but loses 2d6 points of Favor.
- when the Master’s favorite Maid Type is making a seduction attempt, the player can roll two dice and take the higher one for the roll.
If the master is being seduced, maids and butlers can spend their Favor to boost the seducer’s chances (though the Master has to assent to this assistance). Furthermore, if other maids or butlers are present, they can use appropriate role-playing to disrupt the seduction attempt, and thereby add their own roll results to the Master’s roll to resist. It can be like a tug-of-war!
- Butlers lose 2d6 Favor for attempting to seduce maids 4d6 for attempting to seduce the Master. He’s supposed to keep the house in order, not introduce potential chaos.
- If a butler does succeed at seducing someone, he still loses 1d6 Favor every time he gives them an order.
These rules are only for characters who have been seduced, or have seduced each other. For someone who has been seduced and fallen in love, expressions of their partner’s feelings can be a source of healing comfort. (The Master is not considered to have seduced the maids at the start of the game, of course, so these rules don’t apply automatically). Of course, they also get the power to cause hurt. As such, following seduction, both of those in a romantic relationship can gain or lose Stress when the GM judges that the criteria outlined below have been met.
- Word of Love From Partner 1d6 You have to say something new each time for them to count.
- Kissing With Partner 1d6 -3d6 for the first time.
  A succession of kisses only counts as one instance: 1d6 per scene.
[*]Getting "Uncomfortably" Physical 1d6 -3d6 for the first time

[*]Partner Works Hard For You (1-4)d6 Ranging from a present to self-sacrifice, as judged by the GM.

[*]Seduce a Partner 3d6 Seducing someone for the first time.
- Clearly Insulted by Partner +1d6 You have to say something new each time for them to count.
- Betrayed or Abandoned +2d6, 3d6 for the first time.
- Fight With Partner +2d6, 3d6 for the first time.
- Partner Seduces Someone Else +(1-4)d6 Upon first discovering this. Depends on the circumstances and who’s involved.

The master’s mansion is the stage on which all of the game’s action occurs, and the game is ill-equipped to handle things that take place outside the mansion. Anything that takes place outside of the mansion is dealt with in the form of quick summaries, with no dice rolls involved. Events taking place over the phone are considered to take place in the mansion. A mansion doesn’t necessarily have to be something that appears to be such at first glance. In other words, the “mansion” is the limited area in which the activities of the master and his maids take place. Also, even while the characters remain constant, the location of the “mansion” can shift over the course of a scenario (e.g. from a house, to a hotel, to a camp site).
The Mood is the overall tone of the game, and determines which Normal Event table you use.

A Normal Event is essentially the same thing as a Random Event, but tied to the Mood and written with the scenario in mind, and much less disruptive to the flow of the story as perhaps a totally random event might be.
Random events can be added to the game by rolling on the random table. Both the GM and the players can cause random events to occur. When a player wants a random event, he declares this intention to the GM. The player then spends 1d6 Favor and rolls on the appropriate table, and the GM puts the result into the game. The GM can opt to let the player define the specifics of the random event, or just come up with something herself. The event should center around the maid whose player caused it, though if the GM decides to have a random event the master will choose a maid to be its target.
Normal Events are randomly determined events that are based on the game’s mood, and won’t interfere too badly with a scenario. Random Events are determined by the World. In effect, they force new events that require ad-libbing into the game. Players can spend 1d6 Favor to cause an event to happen. Normally these events just happen automatically, but if the GM decides the event rolled is going to cause problems, he or she can opt to have it occur later or skip scenes. How exactly events fit into everything is ultimately up to the GM to decide. Also, there are several events that refer to the “Maid with the highest/lowest (attribute).” If multiple maids are tied for that criterion, the GM can figure out which maids qualify and have them each roll a die. Whoever rolls the highest is the one the event is applied to.
Try using this when you want the weather to change, or when you want something to happen without it being a major change in the direction of the game. This table is divided into two halves. The first half is for rain, clouds, or sunshine, and the second half is for more unusual, severe weather (including earthquakes). As it doesn’t generate events per se, you can use this chart to help decide the general atmosphere. For rolling any kind of weather, roll 2d6 on the regular “Roll” column. For normal or severe weather, roll using the numbers in the light or dark parts of the “Alternate” column, respectively. (Tell me which you want, if you want to roll for this, and I'll get it. You don't have to spend anything for this, but don't go overboard.)
These are most definitely not ordinary Equipment. Characters can roll 3d6(If you ask first and I say okay) to get an item at random. Note that many items assist in “combat”. Remember that in this game “combat” simply means “all contested rolls” (physical, mental, social or otherwise), not just physical combat. If the item really only does assist in physical combat actions, this will be written in the description text with the words “actual physical combat”.

There are nine basic types of items, explained below:
- Equipment: These are items that do nothing unless the player declares that it is “equipped” and attached to the character’s body in some way. On the other hand, once equipped it cannot be stolen or snatched away.
- Tools: These are items that can be borrowed or forcibly taken. Their strength is that they tend to be convenient and you can use them many times over. However, an enemy or rival could take such items away with a Cunning or Athletics action. Use these with care.
- Consumables: These items work similar to Tools, but once they’ve been used once they can’t be used again (unless the description specifically says otherwise). Many consumables are very powerful, and most can have a major effect on the scenario or characters.
- Facility: These are basically the same as the “Special Facility” in the mansion creation rules. Anyone can use a Facility (unless noted otherwise), and most can affect all of the PCs and NPCs in the mansion.
- Pet: Although technically an item, this is treated as an NPC. Pets basically do what their owner tells them to, but you can role-play them as having their own will. If a pet has attributes specified in its description, it can assist with rolls.

Dice Maid Roleplaying Game - Mechanics

Deathkitten

I am the Deathkitten! Fear me!

Users who are viewing this thread

Similar threads