Rules variations

Statistics

Psyche, Body and Warfare are the three that I use. Under these a player chooses specialisations (also known as descriptors)
Being a diceless game these specialisations don't need to be exact giving more flexibility. Even better than giving attribute specialisations
is a history of the combats and training that a character has gone through but this is usually rather more than any player (myself included)
would wish produce in the early versions of the character.

Attribute Specialisations

Examples
Psyche ....Subtle..Cunning.. Driven..Super Intelligent
Body.....Massive muscular..Regenerative..Endurance Athlete..True strength not revealed by slight build
Warfare....Swords..Unarmed..Guns..Strategy
Players can have as many specialisations as they wish but the more they have the weaker they are at other things. Up to 2 levels in each specialisation would generally seem workable with descriptions as long or as short as is desired. If you are Benedict specialisations do not apply, as you are a master of all weapons.
I am not really explain things clearly in game mechanics but everything is left fairly open (I hope) for roleplaying.

As an example of warfare could be specialisation naval fleets with the subspecialisation of carrier fleets.

Examples of Warfare specialisation

John Wesley Hardin ( son of Brand ) Warfare 20 is up against Gorgoth, Titan of Chaos Warfare 80. In JWH's Wild West shadow both are using Colt pistols; JWH has specialised in guns - pistols and fastdraw and this gives him about +100% whilst Gorgoth is at about -50% being more used to big clubs. The result is Gorgoth dying in a hail of magic silver bullets from JWH's lucky double damage 45s.
Son of Gorgoth Warfare 10 is much smarter. After a wait of 2 years he ambushes JWH who is on his way to Amber. In a small inn somewhere in a low tech shadow Son of Gorgoth demonstrates his specialisation in sharp claws at close range.

Body - some possibilities

Joroth ,son of Gerard, is designed by his player to be very large, very strong but not much of an endurance athlete.
So the player puts him down as Body 40 - huge muscular.

Fromor the Bastard, famous for his bad luck, is designed by his player to be someone who is always being beaten, attacked,
falling off buildings but always gets up for more. Player puts him down as Body 40 - very tough

Psyche - mental battles

between characters with similar psyche. The goal here is to produce circular heirarchies so that without research and convincing roleplaying arguments you can
never be sure of winning a mental battle even if your psyche is very high. If you use sorcery then your psyche specialisations will be expressed in your spells.
Tekmel - with a mind of subtlety, a maze in which intruders can be lost forever in
Basar - sorceror of mighty power and huge lightning bolts, always methodical
Oknior the mad - a mental force of utter singleminded monomania never tiring
Tryust - cunning, with myriad abilities and tricks and traps

Mental battles between them and as examples against themselves.
Tekmel Vs Oknior- Oknior's psychic attack at Tekmel is lost in subtle deflections and Tekmel is the winner.
Tekmel Vs Tryust- Tekmel's passive defensive strategy gives Tryust all the time he needs to build a brilliant attack finishing Tekmel.
Oknior Vs Tryust- Oknior massive mental force blasts Tryust's mind apart before Tryust can put his plans into operation.
Tekmel Vs Basar - a question of whether Basar has the the time to wear Tekmel down or will Tekmel's strategy allow him to counter attack an exhausted Basar
Basar Vs Oknior - close but the maniac's ceaseless will to triumph has the edge
Basar Vs Basar - methodical approach will lead to stalemate and this will be followed by a sensible truce
Tekmel Vs Tekmel- a standstill with the possibility that both brains will become hopelessly entangled.
Tryust Vs Tryust- one strategy will prevail leaving one Tryust almost unharmed and the other mentally fried
Oknior Vs Oknior- all out attacks will result in a pair of exploding brains

None of the above psyche battles set binding precendants merely ways that things could happen. When psyches are close its up to
the players to convince me why they should win.

Odyssey of Unchance Contents OR Powers

to Descent into Darkness

Most recent revision 1999