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In order to provide the most system agnostic mechanics for upcoming adventures, I have created a set of Rankings that will provide basic information for GMs to connect the adventures provided by the Koryo Hall of Adventures to their preferred systems. The following rankings were designed with 5th Edition, Pathfinder 1.0 and OSR in mind, since those systems are either part of the original campaign setting, or have conversions already published on the Hall’s website. However, they should provide the right amount of information to allow for easy adaptation into any system.
The Opponent Ranking provides a simple numerical reference for GMs to understand the type of opponent that adventurers face. In any given adventure, an opponent with an ORK of 1 will be a simple enemy that low level players can defeat, while an opponent with an ORK of 3 will require a solid team of adventurers that have already been leveling up for a while.
| ORK | TYPES OF OPPONENTS |
|---|---|
| 1 | Commoners, animals, undead, soldiers, swarms of small creatures, Agma Bagjwi, Dokkaebi, Giant Serpent, Bulyeonwoo, common Gwishins, Kyeryongs, Mulyong, goblins. (Lv. 1~2 in popular game systems) |
| 2 | Bulgasari, Dokkaebi Elite, Imugi, Kkangcheolli, Gumiho, ferocious Gwishins, Suhosin, The Unseen, Weretiger, Trolls, Mages, Giants. (Lv. 3~4 in popular game systems) |
| 3 | Yong (Adult Dragons), Vampire, ferocious Giants. (Lv. 5~6 in popular game systems) |
| 4 | Ancient Yong (Ancient Dragons), unorganized mobs and large groups of spirits. (Lv. 7~8 in popular game systems) |
| 5 | Armies of common creatures, armies of Spirits under the leadership of a Daeshin. (Lv. 9~10 in popular game systems) |
| 6 | Armies of Large and Giant Creatures, Armies of Spirits under the leadership of a Daegam. (Lv. 11~12 in popular game systems) |
| 7 | Titans. (Lv. 13~14 in popular game systems) |
| 8 | This is “The Beyond” with any kind of large armies, hordes of gargantuan creatures, and god-like enemies. (Lv. 15 and above in popular game systems) |
The Opponent Ranking will instruct some of the basic details such as HP, AC, how powerful the opponent’s attack will be, and the power of the spells when applicable. GMs can choose the precise HP and AC based on the players’ party level and the mechanics of their preferred game system.
The Challenge Ranking is used for skill checks. Skill checks allow players to use their characters’ skills to take certain actions, pass a test, or enter a contest. In order to do so, players roll a dice, often a d20, and add the result to their character stats to decide the final result of the skill check. Those skill checks usually come in three main categories: success or failure, a ladder of results, a contest check. The Challenge Ranking (CRK) provides a simple vocabulary that can easily be translated into any game system.
| CRK | RESULT |
|---|---|
| Can't Fail | Represents a challenge that can't be failed and yet, anyone rolling a "Can't Fail?" must face the consequences of a critical failure. (Equivalency: 5e - Natural 1, Pathfinder 1.0 - Natural 1 & Fail the Check, OSR - Natural 20) |
| Easy | This is the lowest tier of difficulty in your preferred system. Most characters should be able to succeed unless they have a real disadvantage in that specific skill, or at that specific moment. (Equivalency: 5e - 2 to 5, Pathfinder - 10 to 14, OSR - 15 to 19) |
| Doable | This rank can be challenging for untrained or unskilled characters in the specific skill they are checking for, but it should be relatively easy for a character that is skilled/trained in the specific skill. (5e - 6 to 10, Pathfinder - 15 to 19, OSR - 10 to 14) |
| Challenging | This CRK is challenging for trained characters, and therefore quite the task for someone who is not trained in that specific skill. (5e - 11 to 15, Pathfinder - 20 to 24, OSR - 5 to 9) |
| Insane | This is a difficult task for everyone that will require some exceptional skills to validate. (5e - 16 and up, Pathfinder - 25 and up, OSR - 4 and under) |
“When the characters cross the bridge, they need to succeed a challenging CRK in an athletic related skill to fight the strong winds. If they fail, they fall off the bridge.”
In 5e terms for instance, this sentence would read as “When the characters cross the bridge, they need a DC 15 Athletics (Str) check to fight the strong winds. If they fail, they fall off the bridge and into the pit.”
The Damage Ranking (DRK) offers a list of terms regarding the expected impact any given roll should have on a character. It provides simple vocabulary that can easily be translated into any game system. In short, it is meant to replace the type of dice used to match different requirements for different systems.
| DRK | IMPACT |
|---|---|
| lDr | Low Damage Roll, it is the equivalent of 1d4 in most systems. |
| nDr | Normal Damage Roll, it is the equivalent to 1d6 in most systems. |
| hDr | High Damage Roll, it is the equivalent to 1d8 in most systems. |
| kDr | Kick-ass Damage Roll, it is the equivalent to 1d10 in most systems. |
| oDr | Overwhelming Damage Roll, it is the equivalent to 1d12 in most systems. |
“All the adventurers take 1/nDr of falling damage and are prone,” OR “all the adventurers take 1/nDr+2 of falling damage and are prone.”
In 5e terms for instance, these sentences would read as “All the adventurers take 1d6 of falling damage and are prone,” OR “all the adventurers take 1d6+2 of falling damage and are prone.”
The Damage Ranking will instruct how hard any given character/beast hit, but the details will be up to the GM. For damages dealt with spells, the GM will need to choose the spells based on the character/beast’s affinity and Opponent Ranking.