Troll Lord Games

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How E6 works

Like d20, E6 is a game of enigmatic wizards, canny rogues, and mighty warriors who rise against terrible dangers and overcome powerful foes. But instead of using d20s 20 levels to translate characters into the rules, E6 uses only the first 6. E6 is about changing one of d20s essential assumptions, but it doesn't need a lot of rules to make that change.

To understand E6, imagine the perspective of the average medieval peasant in a d20 game. This person has the stats of a 1st-level commoner, and while they might not know their stats explicitly, they know their relation to the rest of the world. Our peasant knows that he can be killed quite easily by maurauding raiders, enemy soldiers, or even wild animals. Hes not mighty, hes not organized, and he doesnt have any special skills to bring to bear when danger strikes. He worries about drought and flood, and the welfare of his livestock. His extended family likely all lives within a mile of his birthplace. To him, a trip to a town ten miles off is an expedition into the unknown.

Imagine you are this peasant, and you meet a trio of 6th-level adventurers. When you address the wizard, you are speaking to someone who could incinerate your home and slay all your livestock with a few words. The fighter has prevailed against a dozen orcish skirmishers and slain them all and he could do the same again. The cleric is a man so holy that the gods themselves have granted him the power to cure the sick and heal the wounded. These are epic heroes.

Now consider the powers of a CR 5 manticore. To the peasant, the appearance of this manticore near the village isnt a nuisance: the beast can, and likely will slay you in seconds if you draw its attention. You, your livestock, and your entire family are in immediate danger of violent death. Even if you were well armed and gathered a large peasant militia, your village faces heavy losses and no guarantee of success. Against such a creature, adventurers may be your only hope. E6 recognizes that 6th level characters are mortal, while reframing the games perspective to create a context where those same 6th level characters are epic heroes.

Maliki wrote:
I like the idea, but a very hard sell to my players. (Stopping at level 6 just is not what they want to hear.)

Maliki wrote:
I like the idea, but a very hard sell to my players. (Stopping at level 6 just is not what they want to hear.)

Harry Joy wrote:
I don't think it CAN be emulated in C&C. The feel they are going for is the one that already exists in this game. In C&C, it can take forever to get to higher levels, and you can be pretty damned Epic by 6th or 7th level.

Omote wrote:
I'm really, really impressed with this way of thinking. Good stuff.

-O